Pity...

I didnt watch the match

Does anyone have any pictures of Dani in the red top from Rome?

I would like to see her wearing it on court...

This is disappointing. It would have been a really good win for Daniela but she was playing a tough opponent who had recently won a tournament on clay and was playing at home, so it was always going to be a difficult match. Daniela started the match playing well but Schiavone ground her down as the match went on and Daniela got frustrated and made errors. To an extent the match was determined by Daniela's level as she won the first set when she played well, but she lost the next two sets as her level went down, but Schiavone's play and tactics had a bit to do with that.

Hopefully she'll get a kinder draw in Madrid. Daniela's been playing very well this year, but she got a tough draw in this tournament. She just has to stay positive and move on.

Hate to say this, but the draws are not going to get any better unless her ranking improves, and her ranking is not going to improve if she keeps having these first-round losses. She shouldn't be relying on kind draws, she should rely om the quality of her own tennis.

Funnily enough Daniela at the moment is up to no.22 in the rankings, and will probably stay there so long as Rezai doesn't win her next match.

Question: Was this a mandatory tournament?

Come on whoever's playing Rezai. Mandatory Premiers are Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid & Beijing.

Benji, I don't know why you've quoted my second paragraph but ignored the first.

Anyone who says that Daniela keeps on having first round exits should know that she had more first round exits at the same stage of the season in 2007 and that this is only her fourth in her last 32 tournaments.

Schiavone played very clever...these high medium pace high over the net balls is what Daniela hates because it means Daniela has to generate the pace. I think Schiavone did about 5 winners in the last 2 sets...seriously. Also in the 2nd set Daniela had 7 bps, and didnt convert any. The 2nd game in the 2nd set is where she lost the momentum.

Hopefully this is a minor setback. Madrid draw could be terrible but I do really think that the stress from the Charleston to Fed Cup caught up with her today. I think we can tell with how she quickly she lost the focus and power in her shots. She had not much power in the last two sets and seemed lathargic, also so so many errors that we weren't seeing in the last month.

The loss against Venus hurts more as she fought so hard in that match.

Today wasn't Daniela's day but hope she can recharge for next week.

did you know that in every professional tennis match there is one loser in the end?
Half of all 128 players participating in a Grand Slam main draw suffer first round exits. That's the cruelty of life. You can't win without somebody else losing.

Being frustrated is reasonable, but this loss is not the end of the world (except you lost your house because you betted on Dani's win), so better don't overreact and look forward to the next tournament.

Being frustrated is reasonable, but this loss is not the end of the world (except you lost your house because you betted on Dani's win), so better don't overreact and look forward to the next tournament. It seems to me that people on this forum are quite content to see Daniela plod along with her ranking outside the top 20. Forgive me for wanting just a little bit more from a player who has the talent to crack the top 5.

Being frustrated is reasonable, but this loss is not the end of the world (except you lost your house because you betted on Dani's win), so better don't overreact and look forward to the next tournament. It seems to me that people on this forum are quite content to see Daniela plod along with her ranking outside the top 20. Forgive me for wanting just a little bit more from a player who has the talent to crack the top 5.

I agree with you... but that days belong to the past. Dani had the chance to be the best player in the world but she wasted it. She is already 27 and I don't believe she will be in Top 5 or Top 10 again. Almost 2 years now, she try to re-enter Top 20.
Well, all we, her fans just want the best possible for her. Nothing more, nothing less.