Week 24 - WTA250 - Birmingham, Great Britain Grass

Strongbow · All-time great

RE: Week 24 - WTA250 - Birmingham, Great Britain Grass

indiana · Tennis legend

Strongbow wrote:
Peter too wrote:
QF: BOULTER, Katie (GBR) 141 lost to HALEP, Simona (ROM) (2) 20 4-6 1-6
Doesn't seem right to write this about Katie but maybe our expectations are a bit high.

I dont think they are, well at least our expectations as to what level Katie 'could' achieve aren't. The player that some of us were talking about when she is 'on' after Katie's R1 match vs Riske on Tuesday hasn't suddenly disappeared because of an evidently pretty poor display vs Halep.

I really do believe keep fit and well, and indeed get stronger, and have a good team around her, and it is very reasonable to have high expectations as to the possibilities for Katie and to feel that she can achieve a fair bit more than she has to date. Even without all that, I still feel she should be rather more consistent in playing somewhere towards her best - a best that fuels some of the expectations.

HarryGem · Club Coach

indiana wrote:
Strongbow wrote:
Peter too wrote:
QF: BOULTER, Katie (GBR) 141 lost to HALEP, Simona (ROM) (2) 20 4-6 1-6
Doesn't seem right to write this about Katie but maybe our expectations are a bit high.
I dont think they are, well at least our expectations as to what level Katie 'could' achieve aren't. The player that some of us were talking about when she is 'on' after Katie's R1 match vs Riske on Tuesday hasn't suddenly disappeared because of an evidently pretty poor display vs Halep.
I really do believe keep fit and well, and indeed get stronger, and have a good team around her, and it is very reasonable to have high expectations as to the possibilities for Katie and to feel that she can achieve a fair bit more than she has to date. Even without all that, I still feel she should be rather more consistent in playing somewhere towards her best - a best that fuels some of the expectations.

I agree with this assessment Yesterday, I didn't expect Katie to beat Halep but given that Halep herself said in the post match interview that she wasn't feeling right on court and that her own play was of quite a low standard I had hoped Katie would have given her more of a game.

Even allowing for injuries etc Katie didn't look the same player she did all those years ago when I saw her at the Copper Box in the Fed Cup. The potential is there to be a top 100 player but yesterday, even with Halep being quite poor, the gulf was really quite wide.

Shame as there was pretty decent vocal support from her from the crowd. But, on the positive side at least she is fit and playing.

Barefoot · Lower Club Player

Katie is inconsistent, always has been even when she was at her high a few years back. The stop start nature of her injuries dont help. Shes my favourite and I still hope for a proper purple patch!

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I wonder exactly what we mean by inconsistent though

Let's say the average level of a player is 8 out of 10

Well, you'd expect there to be days when they play 10/10 and days when it's 6/10

That wouldn't be inconsistent - that's what would be required in order to have the average (as no one can play 8/10 every day) - it's the normal variation - and quite consistent

If someone has days when they play 3/10 or 13/10 (i.e. sets the bar to a whole new level), then that would be inconsistent, I'd say

Katie wasn't lower than 6/10 yesterday, I'd say. It was OK. Pretty decent. Lots of forehands missed by small margins. Could obviously have been better. In fact, it's possible that Halep was more inconsistent yesterday i.e. was only playing 4 or 5 out of 10 for her

Nix · Futures level

I'd have thought her injuries make a massive difference. Not being able to do a really solid pre-season every season. Just being unable to build up a consistent run of matches, means that when you get a bit further in a tournament, it's harder to maintain concentration. I think that affected Ryan yesterday too. Not being used to playing at that higher level, meant he just drifted a bit on a couple of points that make all the difference.

In that spell where Katie was able to build up a consistent run of matches, she showed what she's capable of, and reached well inside the top 100. I'm not sure there's an answer to it for Katie, though, with her ME, plus these niggling injuries which combine to ensure she can't build up enough strength and conditioning to avoid further niggling injuries. I feel for her.

Having said that she did well to beat both Riske and Garcia. If she can manage to keep playing until the end of the season, I'm sure her consistency levels will rise.

-- Edited by Nix on Saturday 18th of June 2022 12:22:10 PM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I think Heather is inconsistent - she can play WR 30 tennis and WR 200 tennis.
Harriet showed utterly dreadful tennis at Surbiton and then brilliant tennis at Birmingham
I don't think Katie B is inconsistent - just doesn't always play her best tennis, within the normal range, like all players

ADD: Just because it was so timely smile (unfortunately )

PaulM from Eastbourne thread: "Heather started well but has lost 4 in a row with honking tennis."

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Saturday 18th of June 2022 01:23:35 PM

sliced backhand · Lower Club Player

Looks as if dubs semi is on today at Birmingham but singles semis not until Sunday. Is this correct?

the addict · Tennis legend

sliced backhand wrote:
Looks as if dubs semi is on today at Birmingham but singles semis not until Sunday. Is this correct?

That's what the WTA site says. They played the doubles indoors.