The suspension might be good - I think Harriet needs the mental break; fighting so hard for each point for 2+ hours against a top 25 opponent is not something she does a lot, and I think she's acquitted herself really well, but you could tell the mental game was breaking down at the end. A good rest and she'll be in a better place.

And to update again on Top 100 wins...

Katie B = 4
Harriet = 4
Katie S = 1
Jodie = 4
Lily = 1

Total = 14 (+6 on last year's whole grass season)

indiana wrote:

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Some women professional tennis players need to have a look at themselves.

I do think the men overall are more gracious and accepting of how the sporting contest plays out.

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 From many years of professional experience with high-level tennis teenagers, it was very obvious that - in general - the boys play their matches, compete hard, swear, throw rackets, sometimes cry, but practically always shake hands at the end and then are playing babyfoot together 10 mins later, completely oblivious.

On the other hand, large numbers of the girls would barely shake hands and then basically not speak for weeks, it was all very personal, not forgotten, let alone forgiven.

The French even had to change their coaching models - it used to be that both boys and girls would have group coaching where, often, little matches would be played - makes sense - put your drills into matchplay practice. 

And it worked fine for the boys but the girls hated it, and it completely destroyed the team spirit coz so many had the hump with one another, and the ones who'd won said they felt guilty, and it was just SO complicated.....

So they changed it, introducing things like team matches - say, two people in each team, alternate points, and then mix and match - and a whole load of other variations to effectively take out the head-to-head element

(At the very top end, it's less of a problem, but this was at regional performance level and lower national level). 

And, yes, Badosa and Coco are right out of that drawer......

indiana wrote:

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Very interesting to consider how much is say to do with the much longer history of professional sport among men as compared to women ( you compete hard then you have a beer together, well when more did drink beers ) and how much is say to do with well just rhe differences that exist between the sexes ( and that is maybe a track that I won't myself tread, though very interesting what CD describes among young non pro players ).

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 Yes, I wasn't wanting to push generalisations, or go into any nature/nurture stuff, and I know that teenagers in general are a challenging bunch 

But, equally, it was always my opinion that you can't pretend differences don't exist, when it's staring you in the face. The French tried it and suddenly found half their girls in the feeder groups up to elite players dropped out. Which is partly why I was then involved. (The French federation had had a long phase where they tried to be very 'East European' - quite harsh, very competitive, dog eat dog - it was supposed to make the kids tough and hungry - but, guess what, it didn't - or not with the girls - they just left - even the ones doing very well as they hated upsetting the other ones).  

RJH1962 wrote:

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Lets hope it is a turning point. Could she get top 100

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Sometime later this year? Most certainly could. She's now running at around live 100 for points from just this year, and that after a slow start to the year.

By the end of this week? - Would probably sneak into the top 100 if she reached the final here. Easily if she won it