ROSIE
Ballboy
I'm trying to control my emotions, I'm not playing my best, but still, it's not easy to beat me.
Posts: 190
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Post by ROSIE on May 7, 2009 17:29:16 GMT -5
yeah it is quite big news here in Australia, and they are taking the threat very seriously. I can imagine it will not be very good for Jelena, it will probably ruin her confidence and distract her from her tennis.
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lele
Ballboy
tuu olvidas todoo!
Posts: 77
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Post by lele on May 7, 2009 19:31:27 GMT -5
from her interviews she sounds a strong girl, so i hope not
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Post by ELIENE :) on May 7, 2009 21:06:44 GMT -5
well, in Jelena's situation it is really hard to be strong. but i hope she'll get okay now. at least gain some confidence!
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lele
Ballboy
tuu olvidas todoo!
Posts: 77
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Post by lele on May 11, 2009 14:42:32 GMT -5
sharapova in playing singles next week in Poland..
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Post by ELIENE :) on May 11, 2009 19:46:41 GMT -5
yes. let's post the article. after a long vacation she is now ready to come back! nice! Sharapova to play singles in Warsaw next weekMaria Sharapova plans to be back on tour next week. Sidelined by shoulder surgery, Sharapova wrote on her Web site Monday that she will play her first competitive singles match in nearly 10 months at the May 18-23 clay-court tournament in Warsaw, Poland. The posting makes no mention of the French Open, the major championship played on clay that starts May 24. “I know it is going to take me a while to get back into the groove of playing tournaments and matches, but I am so excited to be competing again,” Sharapova said. The three-time Grand Slam title winner was sidelined in August by a torn rotator cuff in her right shoulder and had surgery two months later. Sharapova has played one doubles match since then, losing at Indian Wells, Calif., in March. “It has not been an easy process these last few months,” Monday’s posting reads. Ranked as high as No. 1, the Russian is now No. 65. She was forced to miss the last two Grand Slam tournaments, the U.S Open and Australian Open. “My family and coach have been a tremendous part of this comeback, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that without their drive, daily laughs and endless belief in my ability, I would be sipping a pina colada on a deserted island (not that there’s something wrong with that, but playing tennis is just so much more exciting at this stage of my life),” the posting says. On the Web: www.mariasharapova.com
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Post by ELIENE :) on May 13, 2009 20:28:28 GMT -5
well, i don't know where to post this one. but since this is an "All About WTA Players" thread, i decided to post this article:
Henin looks ahead, has no plans for comeback
BRUSSELS (AP)—A year after her surprising retirement, Justine Henin feels the pain of competitive tennis every day.
“I’m broken. If it is not the knee, it is the shoulder,” she said.
On the other hand, every day offers the freedom to do what she wants, a release from the relentless pressure that ultimately drove her into retirement at 25 while still ranked No. 1.
Despite a flurry of players briefly holding No. 1 and the impending return of fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters, Henin is happy in retirement and has no plans of a comeback.
“It is truly a page that has been turned,” Henin said Wednesday on the eve of the first anniversary of her retirement. “It was 20 years of my life. Now life is something different.”
The seven-time Grand Slam champion is now a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. She discussed the humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo with European Union commissioner Louis Michel in his headquarters in the Belgian capital on Wednesday.
She’s also versatile. On Thursday, she will star in the “12 works of Justine Henin” on Belgian television, where she will train with favorite soccer team Anderlecht, strut the catwalk and display her cooking skills. Later, she will host a music show.
“I have been living in this bubble for all these years and then you fall back into real life,” she said.
That struck home in her UNICEF role during a visit in January to eastern Congo, once a Belgian colony and one of the world’s worst killing grounds over the past dozen years.
Women and children are often the main victims. For once, Henin was an unknown face among UNICEF officials on a fact-finding mission.
“They didn’t know who I was, so it had no impact on the contacts I had. That was great, because that was always a given in my life. When you are a public figure, there is always something awkward,” she said.
Henin plans to concentrate her UNICEF work on vaccination campaigns for children.
She may be little-known in Africa, but commissioner Michel knows Henin’s face will draw more attention in the rest of the world.
“Her contribution is a great antidote against selfishness,” he said. “When Justine Henin is a witness to all this, it is clear she has a much bigger impact on public opinion than I could have.”
Asked who will win the French Open, where she is four-time champion, Henin returns a blank stare.
“I haven’t really followed tennis anymore,” she said of the tournament that begins May 24.
Henin recently picked up a racket to hit some balls with longtime coach Carlos Rodriguez. But she didn’t want it to be misconstrued as the start of a return to competitive tennis.
“I hasten to add, just to improve my condition and stay healthy,” Henin said.
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ROSIE
Ballboy
I'm trying to control my emotions, I'm not playing my best, but still, it's not easy to beat me.
Posts: 190
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Post by ROSIE on May 14, 2009 3:47:46 GMT -5
I really wanted Henin to make a comeback, hopefully one day! She was one of my favourite players!
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Post by ELIENE :) on May 14, 2009 11:17:20 GMT -5
i hope so. Henin is a great tennis player.
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Post by ELIENE :) on May 22, 2009 3:08:45 GMT -5
Sharapova loses to Bondarenko in Warsaw* Sharapova beaten by Bondarenko in quarter-finals * Has no expectations for French Open (Adds Sharapova quotes) WARSAW, May 21 (Reuters) - Former world number one Maria Sharapova was beaten 6-2 6-2 by Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko in the quarter-finals of the Warsaw Open on Thursday. Sharapova was making her comeback at the tournament after a shoulder injury had prevented her playing singles since last August, although she made a brief return to competition in the doubles at Indian Wells in March, losing in the first round. Russian Sharapova was pleased with her progress in Warsaw and told a news conference she would play in the French Open which starts on Sunday. “This was a best preparation I could have,” the 22-year-old said. “I gave myself a chance to play in a tournament here and now I will go out and play again next week. “I have no expectations for the French Open, this is not a time in my career to have expectations,” she added. Eighth seed Bondarenko was in control throughout the match, breaking Sharapova’s second serve early in the first set. In the second, the Bondarenko won five straight games as three times grand slam champion Sharapova lost several to love. “I have played her (Sharapova) twice before her injury and I thought the match would be harder,” Bondarenko told a news conference. “She makes more mistakes than before the injury… her serve was a little slower.” but the good news is, she's going to play on Paris. yeey! waaa!!!! God bless to all!
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Post by ELIENE :) on May 22, 2009 3:14:24 GMT -5
Ivanovic says knee better, ready to defend title
*Ivanovic says knee injury is better
*Serbian optimistic about French Open defence
(Updates with Ivanovic quotes)
By Zoran Milosavljevic
BELGRADE, May 21 (Reuters) - Ana Ivanovic is optimistic about defending her French Open title, saying on Thursday that a niggling knee injury had died down.
“Thankfully the pain and inflammation in my knee has gone away so I have been able to practise this week,” the Serbian said. “My timing is pretty good at the moment and I’m optimistic about my chances of success in Paris.”
The world number eight has suffered a sharp loss of form since last year and pulled out of the Madrid Open earlier this month with the recurring injury, which worsened after her country’s Fed Cup win over Spain in April.
The 21-year-old from Belgrade will need a steep improvement in recent form to retain her crown at Roland Garros, which starts on Sunday, after plummeting down the WTA rankings from the number one spot she grabbed after taking last year’s title.
She has since won only the Linz Open last October. After another dip in form she was knocked out by unheralded Russian Alisa Kleybanova in the third round of the Australian Open.
Despite the odds stacked against her, Ivanovic is upbeat. “Obviously I haven’t had the preparation I would have liked, but on the positive side I didn’t play many matches before the French Open last year too,” she told her website (www.anaivanovic.com).
If she does badly in the Paris grand slam, Ivanovic will almost certainly drop out of the top 10—a severe setback after becoming the first Serbian to climb to the WTA summit.
Fellow Serbian Jelena Jankovic, who ended 2008 as the world number one without ever winning a grand slam title, has had to battle her own problems in a disappointing season.
Her lightning reflexes, stamina and speed around the court, qualities that powered her consistent rise in 2008, disappeared after she gained weight during the Christmas break after building up extra muscle and strength.
Jankovic made a fourth-round exit from the Australian Open and her Madrid quarter-final defeat by Swiss Patty Schnyder has made her drop to fifth in the WTA rankings.
“I expected a lot more of myself in Madrid, but it’s history and I now have to raise my game for the French Open,” Jankovic was quoted as saying by Serbian media after the loss.
“I know where I have to improve and I also have to make radical changes to be number one again.”
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Post by ELIENE :) on May 22, 2009 7:37:26 GMT -5
Strengths and weaknesses of women contenders in Paris
PARIS, May 22 (Reuters) - A brief look at the strengths and weaknesses of the leading contenders for the women’s title at the French Open which begins on Sunday (prefix number denotes ranking):
1-Dinara Safina (Russia): Like her brother Marat, she has a habit of destroying rackets when the going gets tough. But has an indomitable spirit which is tough to crack. Saved match points in successive matches en route to the 2008 final and back-to-back triumphs in Rome and Madrid prove she will be the one to beat.
2-Serena Williams (U.S.): Immensely powerful off both flanks and with a serve like a mule’s kick, Serena is extremely fast around the court and does not really have a weak point. But question marks hang over her form as she has not won a single match on clay this season.
3-Venus Williams (U.S.): Taller and less muscular than her younger sister, Venus possesses a serve that would do her proud on the men’s tour. Her two-handed backhand is one of her outstanding assets but her record at Roland Garros is nothing to write home about.
4-Elena Dementieva (Russia): A consistent baseliner who was often undone by her poor service action, although she has dramatically improved in that department over the past two years. Prone to lapses in concentration but plays with great power from the back.
5-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia): Her two-handed backhand down the line is her master stroke but her recurrent fitness and injury problems could pose problems for her on the energy-sapping surface.
7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia): Although she has no major weaknesses, the 2004 U.S. Open champion lacks the sparkle that could take her to the next level. Her great speed on court and her forehand—with a lot of topspin—are her major assets.
8-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) - Very aggressive from the baseline, the defending champion is always looking for a winner, especially with a powerful flat forehand. She has struggled to do well since her triumph 12 months ago and sometimes lacks mental strength and needs to improve her first-serve percentage. Coming off a knee injury.
16-Amelie Mauresmo (France): Arguably has the best single-handed backhand on the tour, she seems to be running into form in the nick of time and climbed back into the top 20 by reaching the Madrid semi-finals. A possible surprise at Roland Garros, where she will have much less pressure than usual.
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Post by ELIENE :) on Jun 11, 2009 19:46:41 GMT -5
WOW! Maria Sharapova is making a good come back on the tour so far. she's going great now. what do you think?
when will zvonareva come back?
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Post by ELIENE :) on Jun 11, 2009 19:54:09 GMT -5
Sharapova wins twice within hours at Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP)—Maria Sharapova won twice within hours Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Aegon Classic.
Extending her comeback after a 10-month layoff because of a shoulder injury and surgery, Sharapova needed only two minutes and five points to wrap up a 6-3, 6-4 victory against American Alexa Glatch in a second-round match suspended Wednesday by rain.
The unseeded Sharapova required little more than an hour to dispatch seventh-seeded Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-3.
Having reached her third quarterfinals in her third tournament, Sharapova would not say she was playing better than expected. She lost in the quarterfinals at Warsaw and the French Open.
“I’m just not serving full out as I did before the injury,” she said. “I don’t want to come out, after not playing for so long, hitting a really big serve. It gives me a chance to construct points.”
Sharapova will play Belgian teen Yanina Wickmayer, who defeated Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-4.
The former Wimbledon champion is content to slowly work on her serve.
“I am just going to take it tournament by tournament and match by match,” Sharapova said. “I just want to get the percentage of first serves in. I don’t know when I am going to be at the level I was, or when I will be better. It may take time.”
Other third-round winners included Sania Mirza, who ousted fifth-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2. Melinda Czink upset third-seeded Aleksandra Wozniak 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-5.
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Post by ELIENE :) on Jun 12, 2009 20:11:34 GMT -5
Sharapova defeats Wickmayer to reach semifinals
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP)—Maria Sharapova reached her first semifinal in more than a year by defeating Yanina Wickmayer 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 Friday at the Aegon Classic.
The former top-ranked player struggled with her serve in the second set, but regained her stride in the third to break her 19-year-old opponent twice for a 5-1 lead.
Sharapova had 11 double-faults with a remodeled serve to protect her shoulder, which required surgery last year and sidelined her for 10 months.
“I kind of lost the momentum and made more errors than I would have preferred, and she gained confidence from that,” Sharapova said. “When you give her time, she plays very aggressively. And once she had broken me, she kept swinging away and came up with some great shots.”
Sharapova next plays Li Na, the former Wimbledon quarterfinalist from China who beat Stefanie Voegele 6-3, 7-6 (3).
The other semifinal will pit Magdalena Rybarikova against Sania Mirza.
Mirza reached only her second semifinal in two years with a 6-1, 7-6 (4) win over Melinda Czink, while Rybarikova defeated Urszula Radwanska 6-3, 6-3.
Mirza recently recovered from a wrist injury, and was encouraged by her performances in Birmingham.
“I’m happy to be competing and winning some matches,” Mirza said. “The wrist is healed, which is the biggest positive out of this.”
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teica
Tennis ball
Posts: 40
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Post by teica on Jun 13, 2009 10:57:19 GMT -5
Sharapova lost today from Li 2-0(6-4 6-4)
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