hey everyone. Today it is my last day at the AO. I will watch the practise of ai and dani and will ask her a last time for a picture then i will watch their double match. Hope they will win this. But i think so.
Very sad she lost in singles i think the timeout was only physiological, but i dont know. She was really angry after her loss and i also see portas very angry and he discuss with the player box of dani.
so i hope she gets some confidence of the doubles with ai.
Many greetings

Hantuyama vs. Vera Dushevina / Olga Savchuk
15:0 .. 15:15 .. 30:15 .. GP .. *1-0
15:0 .. 30:0 .. 30:15 .. 30:30 .. BP .. DEUCE .. BP .. 2-0*
0:15 .. 15:15 .. 30:15 .. 30:30 .. BP .. *2-1
0:15 .. 0:30 .. 15:30 .. BP .. 30:40 .. DEUCE .. BP .. DEUCE .. GP .. 2-2*
0:15 .. 15:15 .. 30:15 .. GP .. *3-2
0:15 .. 0:30 .. BP .. 4-2*
15:0 .. 30:0 .. GP .. *5-2
15:0 .. 15:15 .. 15:30 .. 30:30 .. GP .. DEUCE .. BP .. DEUCE .. GP .. 5-3*
0:15 .. 15:15 .. 15:30 .. 30:30 .. BP .. DEUCE .. BP .. *5-4
0:15 .. 15:15 .. 15:30 .. 30:30 .. SP podme! .. 6-4*
Hantuyama win first set, 6-4
0:15 .. 0:30 .. 15:30 .. 30:30 .. GP .. *1-0
0:15 .. 0:30 .. 15:30 .. 30:30 .. BP .. DEUCE .. BP .. 2-0*
15:0 .. 30:0 .. 30:15 .. GP .. *3-0
0:15 .. 0:30 .. BP .. 15:40 .. 4-0*
15:0 .. 30:0 .. 30:15 .. 30:30 hold! .. GP .. *5-0
0:15 .. 15:15 .. 30:15 .. 30:30 .. BP .. DEUCE .. MP .. DEUCE .. MP .. *6-1
Hantuyama win, 6-4, 6-1

^^Good report.

Daniela and Ai just won in doubles by the score of 6-4, 6-1 over Savchuk and Dushevina to move into the round of sixteen. I'm not sure how much a strong doubles run will help her singles game, but it certainly cannot hurt. If nothing else, doubles will force Daniela to work on and improve her net play, volleying and maybe even her drop shot. When Daniela hit that poor drop shot at 2-4 in the third set, the announcer went on and on about how bad a play it was. Except it wasn't so much a bad play, but bad execution of a good play. The reality is that tennis mandates that a player use a variety of different shots in order to keep her player off balance. Even if your serve is much better down the middle than to the line, you still have to go down wide quite a bit or else your opponent can just sit on the serve down the middle. Likewise, Daniela needs to keep mixing in drop shots, lobs, volleys from time to time. In that vein, she should really try and work on those shots. Developing that part of her game to where it's even decent, let alone a weapon, will make her conventional ball strikes all the more effective.

Good news about the doubles.

^^Good report.

Daniela and Ai just won in doubles by the score of 6-4, 6-1 over Savchuk and Dushevina to move into the round of sixteen. I'm not sure how much a strong doubles run will help her singles game, but it certainly cannot hurt. If nothing else, doubles will force Daniela to work on and improve her net play, volleying and maybe even her drop shot. When Daniela hit that poor drop shot at 2-4 in the third set, the announcer went on and on about how bad a play it was. Except it wasn't so much a bad play, but bad execution of a good play. The reality is that tennis mandates that a player use a variety of different shots in order to keep her player off balance. Even if your serve is much better down the middle than to the line, you still have to go down wide quite a bit or else your opponent can just sit on the serve down the middle. Likewise, Daniela needs to keep mixing in drop shots, lobs, volleys from time to time. In that vein, she should really try and work on those shots. Developing that part of her game to where it's even decent, let alone a weapon, will make her conventional ball strikes all the more effective.

I'd say that she could work on her slices. She wants to cut under the ball anyways. Incorporate this into the repertoire. It is for defence (not the devistation a dropshot yields).

What I would do is for two days of practice (since she has this time):
Hit nothing but slices. Play just with the slice as a groundstroke. Seems to want one out wide. That could help the dropshot considerably too.

BMC mentioned the margin of error over the net. That is about standard for tennis. The mortar is raised when the ball is hit deep with topspin. It is a very important difference in professional tennis. It's more than just shoving the opponent back.

You'd think hitting tennis balls for X years, the errors should be almost nonexistent. At least it is entirely possible to eliminate them. It is part of the concept of "training" -- always raising the level of ability, bringing that to the arena. Do one thing one day. If the next day is the same . . . Most of it is mental. Daniela's physique has changed during her career but the strengthwise she is not making gains. There isn't much point in hitting a ball on a practice court if there isn't real beneficial feed back at this point. The skill always remains, take a year off and if the fittness level is good, abilty will be the same.

When learning to play, we "develop" skills; go from awkward to able. Then, in competition, we learn the strategic ins and outs. From there, a player bolsters aspects of his or her game to meet the needs of competition. After that, however, the learn curve goes flat. What wasn't realized through this process is not going to be actualized unless there is a concerted effort to go beyond the natural inclinations. It can uncomfortable even and players can seem to get worse for it. I swear you it works.

Cornet played a sloppy game because she was serving for the match, in the next game she wasn't not nearly as tentative, it was Daniela's turn to be nervous because she had to win that game to stay in the match, so it's quite hard to tell whether Daniela would be testing Alize or rather herself if she continued rallying. You are right that Alize is a very fast player, but Daniela was inside the court while the Frenchwoman 2-3 metres behind the baseline, thus making dropshot a reasonable option. Besides, I recall maybe one max. two dropshots Daniela hit before that one.

Good observation, someone in the slovak forum also mentioned that it was a poorly selected shot. I didn't agree, it was played in the right time, just poorly executed. Nothing like the dropshots Daniela hit against Serena Williams at 2006 USO when she was serving for 1st set, which were indeed result of weak nerves and unwilligness to stay in longer rallies. Besides, nothing really worked for Daniela yesterday so why not try a dropshot. Had it landed in Cornet's side of the court the same commentator would have praised it.Got to disagree with this for a number of reasons,firstly Alize had become very tight and had just played a very sloppy game to get broken so why not play a long rally to test her nerves out,and secondly Alize is very fast and had successfully chased down a number of drop shots previously.

I was in a real funk about this result yesterday. I honestly don't mind when players like Zvonereva and Venus blow Daniela away,but it really hurts when the opportunity for victory is there and isn't taken. I have been encouraged by what I've seen in Melbourne,her game is coalescing back together and I agree that one good win is all she needs to get back on track.What I would do is for two days of practice (since she has this time):
Hit nothing but slices. Play just with the slice as a groundstroke. Seems to want one out wide. That could help the dropshot considerably too.I'd like to see her incorporate a FH dropshot into her arsenal,as she seems to play it exclusively off the backhand wing. Maybe the "Dropshot Dragon" can teach her her a few new tricks!

Dropshots aren't astoundingly difficult to execute. Some people are naturals, others find it difficult to control a low velocity shot in a competitive situation.

The racket a player uses and style of BH/FH factor in. If I had to choose a racket (this is based upon my best guess -- I'm not a DS artist) I'd use a short, headlight racket, ~12-13 oz (EDIT maybe lighter), warm sweetspot, might try low tension Kevlar.

The racket she uses is balanced at 33cm (longish). It has something of an unreliable reaction when the o-ports are/are not fully flexed (this technology is mysterious in it's function -- strings stronger than the frame?). It is light weight -- which is maneuverable -- but most all of the weight is strike weight. No heft to back you up -- you're on you own. It IS designed to hit groundstrokes quickly (dropshot needs to be a slower shot). It feels good moving forward. It is not a great deflecting racket. If there is a Prince racket with swordplay, I'd like know about it. It is good for difficult shots, pickup off the baseline, up high (it doesn't like to come over the top big), on the run, five feet off the service line and moving. Stuff one needs (ok, feels a little like a tool toward the median -- its got a very palatable strike if you aren't fingering the ball).

Dropshots are usually a modification of a slice BH. She doesn't have a flourishing slice backhand that I have seen. Registered FH side dropshots are less common, FH slice is less common.

Which brings me to my next point: Why hit a DS if you have an direct FH/BH?
--It takes over a second for a DS to go baseline to the net. Add to that the lefthand knows what the righthand is doing, theoretically, the opponent could take it out of the air. If used frequently and with any success, opponents are going to be anticipating the shot from the start.
--If the opponent is in a DS susceptible position, the play is easy, a putaway shot or a GS is usually the high percentage play (even on a bad day +80% returns to the otherside neutral or better). If the opponent is hitting 6 feet behind the baseline, they will have forward momentum returning to position anyhow. (Unless they sit for a crosscourt exchange -- which implies they are not on the WTA tour)
--The DS that the opponent gets to (how good are you?) makes for an unpredictable confrontation at the net. It is legitimate tennis and makes things more interesting. It does add dimension to the competition. For fun OK. Lots of points (like a 1/3) are disregarded in tennis.


Anyways, if she does use DS's, it always nice to see them work (the fuck if I care).

AND I think an effective slice is something she needs both FH and BH. It could bring several points back to her that she otherwise loses. Especially against big hitters. Points for big wins. DS is a variation on a point one already has an edge on. Needs to stick.

Interesting thing about the slices, I was saying for years that she could make a good use of them if she incorporated them into her game, mainly in defense to get back in position. I don't see her ever using it as an approach shot like Mauresmo used to do or simply a rallying shot like Federer does. Alas Daniela is like it or not an older player not susceptible to learn it quickly anymore. As you wrote in one of your previous posts the learn curve goes flat. Using double-hander doesn't help either. On the other hand we saw her using backhand slice as a defensive shot in the past, but you could easily tell that it's not a shot she is too comfortable hitting, usually the clearance over the net is too high, suggesting that the backspin isn't too heavy making the shot bounce a bit higher, and more importantly it often lacks depth, which in combination with higher bounce makes it not as affective as a defensive shot. Still better than those moonballs she hits from her backhand side when under pressure I guess. As for forehand slice, that's a sci-fi for me, although Vaidisova, when she still meant something, used that shot quite effectively in defense, making up for her awkward footwork.
btw. Just out of curiosity, how do you know Daniela's racket is balanced at 33cm?
Nope,Alize got broken at *4-1 in the final set and if Daniela holds her serve then it's *4-3 and the pressure is really on. It was just my impression,but I felt Daniela was starting to rally well again-she hit a gorgeous BH DTL to win the opening point of the game.
I thought it was a pretty low % shot that backhand. They were engaged in a backhand crosscourt rally when suddenly Daniela hit the ball dtl. Quite risky imo, and judging from camera close-up on her face she didn't seem convinced it would get in, you could see what... a relief. Such shots might be even lower % than a dropshot, maybe 2-3 times out of 10 they get in, but that's just a guess. It's all a matter of confidence anyway. She knows how to strike the ball.