Week 37 - ITF ($25K) - Monterrey, Mexico - Hard

indiana · Tennis legend

Week 37 - ITF ($25K) - Monterrey, Mexico - Hard

Spectator · All-time great

The reaction from this member of the forum is that after the long injury layoff and then the further setbacks, I really don't look for any results for several months yet (though would be happy if they came earlier). Familiarity, confidence ... these things take time. She's not a slow, patient, defensive player - she plays big and takes risks. It will probably take a while before she's confident enough for those risks to work more frequently.

philwrig · Hall of fame

korriban wrote:
3 DFs in one game, including 2 in a row to finish the match.
6-0 0-6 4-6. A scoreline which has "Laura match" written all over it. With, one suspects an unplayable set, a walkabout set, and a tense struggle to finish.
Seems shorter, but in fact this is her 8th tournament post return from injury.....what's the consensus from the Forum at this point?

I think I'm just looking for signs of progress, even if their just baby steps. I do 100% believe her 1st serve is showing signs of improvement, also there are periods when her overall game seems to be coming back, BUT double faults and nerves are plagueing her at the moment. I would get her hooked up with Jo's mental coach, who seems to be doing an incredible job. Of course we have no idea what happened in this match, and how Laura is feeling, so this is just complete speculation.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I think Laura will be fine. Period.

TennisLover · Strong Club Player

nicofrance wrote:
A dreadful loss for Robson, her double fault count rocketed in the final set and there really are no excuses for losses to this type of opponent. A player whose been in the top 50 should have enough class to beat someone ranked over 300 regardless of her injury lay off. One would expect her to have problems with higher level players but should easily be winning these types of matches.

"no excuses for losses to this type of opponent. A player whose been in the top 50 should have enough class to beat someone ranked over 300 regardless of her injury lay off". Do you seriously mean that?

Strongbow · All-time great

Saw the post a couple of weeks ago on how long it took top players to get over major injuries - no worries yet smile

Next March or April then Maybe

nicofrance · Strong Club Player

TennisLover wrote:
nicofrance wrote:
A dreadful loss for Robson, her double fault count rocketed in the final set and there really are no excuses for losses to this type of opponent. A player whose been in the top 50 should have enough class to beat someone ranked over 300 regardless of her injury lay off. One would expect her to have problems with higher level players but should easily be winning these types of matches.
"no excuses for losses to this type of opponent. A player whose been in the top 50 should have enough class to beat someone ranked over 300 regardless of her injury lay off". Do you seriously mean that?

Yes totally, this is her 8th tournament back since she returned, she wasn't playing a top 100 player and too many excuses are being made for her performances. No ones expecting her to shoot quickly back into the top 100 but losing to a player ranked over 300 after winning the first set 6-0 is by any stretch of the imagination woeful. I like Laura Robson but I think she needs to go and get some help for the mental side of the game, her serve falls to pieces under pressure and she needs to get a few consecutive wins to get some confidence back.

-- Edited by nicofrance on Wednesday 16th of September 2015 02:44:41 PM

BeefyDeedz · Pro player

nicofrance wrote:
TennisLover wrote:
nicofrance wrote:
A dreadful loss for Robson, her double fault count rocketed in the final set and there really are no excuses for losses to this type of opponent. A player whose been in the top 50 should have enough class to beat someone ranked over 300 regardless of her injury lay off. One would expect her to have problems with higher level players but should easily be winning these types of matches.
"no excuses for losses to this type of opponent. A player whose been in the top 50 should have enough class to beat someone ranked over 300 regardless of her injury lay off". Do you seriously mean that?
Yes totally, this is her 8th tournament back since she returned, she wasn't playing a top 100 player and too many excuses are being made for her performances. No ones expecting her to shoot quickly back into the top 100 but losing to a player ranked over 300 after winning the first set 6-0 is by any stretch of the imagination woeful. I like Laura Robson but I think she needs to go and get some help for the mental side of the game, her serve falls to pieces under pressure and she needs to get a few consecutive wins to get some confidence back.

-- Edited by nicofrance on Wednesday 16th of September 2015 02:44:41 PM

Nobody is making excuses. Coming on here to chastise somebody who has just come back from a very long layoff for failing to live up to our own expectations is ridiculous in itself, in my opinion.

As for the bolded part above, what can one say to that? Your own version of straight-talking comes off as much more dismissive than genuine. Disrespectful to the opponent, no less.

nicofrance · Strong Club Player

BeefyDeedz wrote:
nicofrance wrote:
TennisLover wrote:
nicofrance wrote:
A dreadful loss for Robson, her double fault count rocketed in the final set and there really are no excuses for losses to this type of opponent. A player whose been in the top 50 should have enough class to beat someone ranked over 300 regardless of her injury lay off. One would expect her to have problems with higher level players but should easily be winning these types of matches.
"no excuses for losses to this type of opponent. A player whose been in the top 50 should have enough class to beat someone ranked over 300 regardless of her injury lay off". Do you seriously mean that?
Yes totally, this is her 8th tournament back since she returned, she wasn't playing a top 100 player and too many excuses are being made for her performances. No ones expecting her to shoot quickly back into the top 100 but losing to a player ranked over 300 after winning the first set 6-0 is by any stretch of the imagination woeful. I like Laura Robson but I think she needs to go and get some help for the mental side of the game, her serve falls to pieces under pressure and she needs to get a few consecutive wins to get some confidence back.

-- Edited by nicofrance on Wednesday 16th of September 2015 02:44:41 PM
Nobody is making excuses. Coming on here to chastise somebody who has just come back from a very long layoff for failing to live up to our own expectations is ridiculous in itself, in my opinion.
As for the bolded part above, what can one say to that? Your own version of straight-talking comes off as much more dismissive than genuine. Disrespectful to the opponent, no less.

Good grief its like no ones allowed to criticize anything in this forum. As for her opponent theres a reason she's never made the top 100 and is at over 300. Are we to believe that every opponent Laura Robson has played on her comeback have suddenly found top 100 or top 50 form. After 8 tournaments you'd expect some improvement. And as I've said I like Laura Robson and have mentioned in the past she has the weapons to get into the top 20 but theres issues at present with her inability to close out matches, until she does that then its a catch 22 because these losses will just effect her confidence.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Tommy Haas was number 2 in the world in 2002. Was a year off with injury in 2003. Took him until 2007 to get back to top 10 (and well over six months to get back near to top 100)

Not completely relevant but just to note.

Unless one sees a match, I think the 'no excuses' comment is meaningless. How do you have any idea what went on in that match? Re Laura OR her opponent? Even if one does see the match, it's pretty meaningless. If you follow the French players (which you might, given the name, nicofrance), then you'll see tons of hideous defeats along the way for most of them. And more for the big hitters than the 'renvoyeurs'.

philwrig · Hall of fame

I actually think it is this particular type of opponent which Laura is struggling to put away at the moment. Apparently Hsu has no major weapons, but does not make UEs, similar to Halbauer. I suspect in the 1st set, Hsu played poorly, whilst Laura's big shots were mainly making the court. Earlier in the year Hsu lost the 1st set to Jo 6-0, but only lost 7-5 in the 2nd, so she clearly can be a slow starter. As we get to the business end, Laura's shots understandingly become more tentative and basically Hsu's more consistent style wins the day.

I think it took Andy nearly a year after coming back from back surgery( he was only out for a couple of months ) to beat a top 10 player. Azarenka is another player who is only starting to show her very best of form after being back for 12 months. I think if Laura's game was based upon consistency and defence, her results would be a little better by now, but as long as she stays positive and that's the key for me, by this time next year, I expect her to beating top 100 players on a consistent basis by then.

indiana · Tennis legend

Of course one can criticise on this forum, I assure you I'd be long gone from here if you couldn't.

But also one can challenge both positive and negative views expressed, so most folk are ready and prepared to defend genuinely held views if they feel strongly.

The forum is not an entity, it is a collection of diverse people with varying ( sometimes very varying ) outlooks and opinions

Oakland2002 · All-time great

It is great that she has played competitive tennis for the last couple of months and her wrist is holding out. I think that would be the only thing that would concern me at the moment, ie some evidence that she is feeling it. So glad to see her back!

Fine to criticise, you just may look a plonker in 12 months, from a realists perspective after such a long period out results are an irrelevance for the next 3-4 months, she just needs to get tennis fit and then start working on consistently doing what she was doing before. Indie's stance is a pretty sensible one

It's not as if Laura was dominating Ladies tennis before she was injured, she was a rising young player who was beginning to establish herself in the top 40.

Andy took a bit of stick on the forum in 2014 regarding the speed of his rehabilitation to being competitive at slams, retrospectively that looks a bit foolish. There are lots of reasons for her losing at this level, I don't feel they are excuses, it's just the way it is in elite sport with binary outcomes where every opponent ranked in the top 500 is going to see her as a scalp worth having.

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Wednesday 16th of September 2015 06:30:39 PM

TennisLover · Strong Club Player

indiana wrote:
Of course one can criticise on this forum, I assure you I'd be long gone from here if you couldn't.

But also one can challenge both positive and negative views expressed, so most folk are ready and prepared to defend genuinely held views if they feel strongly.

The forum is not an entity, it is a collection of diverse people with varying ( sometimes very varying ) outlooks and opinions

Indeed Indy and just to add, Nicofrance should also be prepared to accept/take/accommodate perceived criticism of his perceived criticism . If we all sing the same song, the forum will be boring.

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

Laura will be back soon even if it's not to the level she reached initially, even as half the player we was she ll still make the top 200.