Thanks for posting the draws, Peter too. Nice draw for Ms Broady and her WTT partner. Rotten draw for Ms Watson and Ms McHale. Ms Smith and Ms Melichar's draw is interesting: Raquel Atawo is good ... don't know why Lisicki's doubles ranking is so low. Deceptively so?
Essentially Lisicki didn't play singles or doubles from last November to June this year in Mallorca. Even her singles ranking is WR 169 and she is in the singles MD on a SR.
Re doubles her 242 points for WR 264 come from just 3 tournaments, one point at each of Mallorca and Washington for R1 exits and 240 from last year's US Open where she reached R3 with Kudryavtseva. I don't know how much she generally plays doubles, looks to have generally played in about half the Slams she could have. But going back a bit she has a doubles CH 35 from 2012 ( and generally been top 100 since then ) and was a Wimbledon runner-up in 2011 with Sam Stosur. She's probably not bad !
Sabine's game has been affected by her injury before and since she took time out for surgery, it particulary affected the serve which was her biggest weapon. As far as doubles goes she clearly enjoys it but, as Jaggy would point out, like any singles player with aspirations it's just a nice pastime, though she has had some good results in the past and that she could link up with someone like Peers at Wimbledon shows she's well respected in that sphere.
Broady should be a better doubles player than she is singles, with her big serve and poor movement. Plenty fo successful doubles specialist players fit that archetype.
Considering Lisicki just hobbled in from the infirmary and formed a scratch pairing with the American, that appears to be a disasterous result for team Smithicar. Feels like one.
What's Heather doing doing with McHale anyway. She should be able to get a top tier partner in womens doubles. She had BMS sniffing around and that was before she made another Wimbledon mixed final. Heather's ranking of 100 doesn't represent how good she is. She should look to play womens doubles on tour more often and get a regular partner. Not seeing why she can't be as good in womens as she is in mixed.
She emotionally combusts in singles, doubles provides a good release and habitat for her. She is not a successful enough singles player to necessitate shunning doubles beyond partaking in the mixed event at slams. Lots of top 50 singles players play mens/womens doubles. I think she is missing a trick with the shape of her career.
I agree, got to be honest for me it is difficult to tell who gets on with who which for the singles players is probably a big factor as they really are only going to have half an eye on the doubles. I do think her game and her mindset better suit the mixed game, playing against a male player I think liberates her and gives her license to swing and she is not intimidated by their weight of shot.
-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Saturday 2nd of September 2017 05:42:02 AM
-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Saturday 2nd of September 2017 05:42:35 AM
