Week 10 - ITF ($25K) - Yokohoma, Japan - Hard

PaulM · Tennis legend

Week 10 - ITF ($25K) - Yokohoma, Japan - Hard

vohor · Grand Slam Champion

Disappointing :(

Priesty · Challenger level

Dismal. Still seems to be struggling to string 2 good matches together. I'd checked the Mildura thread first expecting to see several defeats there and that Laura would then cheer me up.

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

After an encouraging first round that was a pretty disappointing result. Laura hardly won a point in the last 5 games, before then it was an even match.

Jan · Hall of fame

cry cry

scottie1 · Futures level

can't see Laura ever getting back into top 50

cecil · Social player

scottie1 wrote:
can't see Laura ever getting back into top 50

Or top 100

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

I'm hoping that she'll get an epiphany like Joko did. I think that that is the only way that she will come even close to her potential.

blob · All-time great

Helen40 wrote:
I'm hoping that she'll get an epiphany like Joko did. I think that that is the only way that she will come even close to her potential.

She'd have to work as hard, and have the same degree of discipline as Jo does. I still don't see any evidence of that.
She's not massively behind the curve, physically, for a top 200 player now like she often has been, but she's nowhere near top tier, of even players who previously had a problem with their application limiting their talent, like, say, her good friend Keys. The work on the rest of her game just seems unfocused, or at least, doesn't show the results of any particular focus.
Perhaps the new coach and setup will help in time, but at this point, I'll believe only when I see it, rather than on good faith and general hope.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Having watched Laura closely in Estonia, my gut feel was that her tennis was at a level where she would consolidate her current ranking, with small steps being made in an upward direction in time. Her serve is either very inconsistent in terms of her ability to time it, and only occasionally was she able to show what I would describe as her average pre injury 1st serve in terms of speed and penetration. Her groundies were half decent certainly equivalent of a solid top 150 player, but that serve is the big unknown. The stats today suggest that evaluation hasn't changed.

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

Hmmm. So has her physicality/work regime/mental attitude changed since she was top 30? I'm still pretty unclear of the reasons she's not getting anywhere near it.

jb288 · Satellite level

I'm not clear why people think they 'know' that Laura isn't hard working....what evidence supports this notion?

It is possible to be an extremely committed athlete and have a few other interests.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

She has just turned 23, that time from 20 through to 22 is pretty key (absolutely critical) in terms of not only consolidating your natural skill set but also learning how to use it to beat good players.

We know that if she can get that lefty seve going it is a major weapon, and unlike Naomi she has the fundamental groundies to optimise it. I don't think it is an epiphany that is required just plenty of tennis. She's fit and playing tennis loosing is frustrating but nowhere near as frustrating as being injured.

As long as she stays fit it is the type of game that delivers another decade of top 100 tennis, being conservative she has another 2 years or so to work her way into the top 100. Great to see she's playing after all her set backs f she can keep pace with the Katie's that's fine by me.

indiana · Tennis legend

Helen40 wrote:
Hmmm. So has her physicality/work regime/mental attitude changed since she was top 30? I'm still pretty unclear of the reasons she's not getting anywhere near it.

That's what surely gives hope. Laura has been there, done it, as regards getting into the top 30, as opposed to all those players who have never been near it. She achieved her CH 27 and had learned how at times to beat very good players before she was 20. And some would tell you that she could have worked harder in these days - though yes on what evidence I know not.

If she is physically as good as whatever she was ( and she appears to be ) and the wrist is fine, much has to be mental on really regaining confidence and moving up several levels again.

Now, I'm not saying that she ever will get back to where she was or even close, but I don't really see how the possibility can be dismissed.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Helen40 wrote:
Hmmm. So has her physicality/work regime/mental attitude changed since she was top 30? I'm still pretty unclear of the reasons she's not getting anywhere near it.

You've got a good point, Helen.

Maybe she is working at it just as hard as she ever was (whether that was 10/10 on the scale or 1/10)

Maybe it's mainly confidence. Maybe the level was lower then (unlikely but....). Who knows?

But it certainly shows you can be in the 'top' group one year and then not the next. Even ignoring injury, you're not defined by your ranking, there are many different factors to the development.

Good luck to her.

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Thursday 9th of March 2017 07:44:14 PM