Players

Player Name Nationality
ROBERTA VINCI ITA
ELINA SVITOLINA UKR
SABINE LISICKI GER
EUGENIE BOUCHARD CAN
ANNIKA BECK GER
NAO HIBINO JPN
ZARINA DIYAS KAZ
SAISAI ZHENG CHN
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA SVK
HSIEH SU-WEI TPE
MAGDA LINETTE POL
KURUMI NARA JPN
LAURA SIEGEMUND GER
KLARA KOUKALOVA CZE
QIANG WANG CHN
ELIZAVETA KULICHKOVA RUS
NAOMI BROADY GBR
YING-YING DUAN CHN
STEFANIE VOEGELE SUI
CAGLA BUYUKAKCAY TUR
ALEXANDRA PANOVA RUS
KAI-CHEN CHANG TPE
YAFAN WANG CHN
JANA CEPELOVA SVK

If we go back 3-5 years, I used to come up with this Daniela Maniac whacko stuff and it would work more often than not. She needs omens and karma more than ever before, so let's try this:

Checking FB in my car before heading to my destination, I saw Dani's golf swing post. Moments later, Sirius XM 90's on 9 played the iconic song by Chumbawamba that I have hummed through many a Daniela victory in past years, Tubthumping (We'll Be Singing, When We're Winning). That convinced me that this week will be a good one; at least a first round win.

Hey, anything's worth a shot these days.

Daniela's the third match on Centre Court, not before 6:30pm. Play starts at 2pm.

This really, really hurts. Daniela had so many opportunities to win but came up short. She had three MPs in the third set tiebreak, she was 5-3 up in the third set and she had 11 Bps in the third but only converted 1. To be so close but so far away is gut wrenching. If it's bad for you and me then it must be infinitely worse for Daniela to have put in all that effort for nothing.
An awful lot of her previous losses I wasn't too upset about because she never really had a chance to win but this match was one that she really should have won and had so many chances to do so and that makes it so much worse. More than the loss itself is the effect this could have on Daniela given her age and health this will have had a harder physical effect on her than it would when she was younger and the mental and emotional effects will be be devastating. This is going to take some recovering from especially given her age this will be such a tough one, to lose a match like this would be difficult at any time but the circumstances, given Daniela's form and age, make it worse. Poor Daniela, I just want to give her a shoulder to cry on.

I understand your disappointment, but after all it's just another tennis match, nobody wins forever, that's sport. What still remain true, according to me, it's that Daniela was and still be a very good player, a great athlete that inspiring respect and admiration from many, far beyond the tennis courts. Don't you agree ?

Absolutely agree. As I have said before Daniela is doing what she loves, she is traveling the world, and making a great living. Winning is better than losing but playing is what is most important. Its not up to us to say when she should quit the sport. She is inspirational and a great example for others.

Bouchard wiped out Nara, 1 & 2. Good. As bad as I still feel for Dani about her loss, part of me didn't want her going up against Bouchard, who's sucked for over a year now, and see her suddenly discover world-beater form and thrash Daniela. Let it happen to someone else for a change.