Maybe then, having lost the first set, she should have just kept playing with a clear injury and struggling on serve and so potentially injure it more and be out for more time - partly to avoid criticism?
Quite. She's entered Chinese events the next three weeks so certainly has a full schedule ahead injury notwithstanding.
That said she's entered two 1000 events and Ningbo 500 (which is stacked) so might be difficult to get a run of matches.
hey Vicman - can i ask, where do you see the entry lists these days? Like Ningbo or the other events or Emmas schedule - is there a site? Or does one laboriously search each event?
The live rankings site has a schedule tab: https://live-tennis.eu/en/wta-schedule
Thanks - yeah I use that, just wasnt sure if there was somewhere with full wta entry lists. Like darts does for men.
Tennis Forum posts the lists of players in Main, Qualifying and Alts. They also say who has dropped out and who has replaced them. www.tennisforum.com/forums/
Ok, thanks Peter, Ill check those out. I never visit tennis forums or mens tennis forums! Find it very hard to navigate and follow, tbh
I just so wish she could get the chance of a really consistent run of tournaments ( though still a bit confusing as to how much she needed that post US Open break ). The evidence seems to be that that would bring a level of consistently higher class tennis and partly shut some folk up.
Hopefully the foot problem can be sorted relatively quickly.
Absolutely.
She's in something of a vicious circle though in terms of playing tennis. She plays but can't stay fit, at the same time she needs to play to get match fit as the less you play the more you open yourself up to injuries you get when playing competitive matches as you can't really replicate real match play in practice.
I do think that what would help her cause though is a dose of, let's call it humility. By which I mean being seen to be prepared to enter lower level tournaments or qualifying rounds. Even Osaka has done the latter. Sometimes it is all about perception.
She admitted this week to managing niggles this summer, that's far more likely to be the reason for her reluctance to play qualies than any supposed arrogance.
But nearly every player on tour is 'managing niggles'
And playing qualis does not exacerbate niggles - UNLESS you think you're going to qualify and then win lots of rounds in the main draw - which is where the 'arrogance' accusation comes
Anyway, I thought she was down for qualis in China/one of the big Asian swing event coming up, no?
ADD: No idea if definitely true, but it's reported that she doesn't travel with a kiné/physio
If so, why on earth not?
-- Edited by Coup Droit on Sunday 22nd of September 2024 06:38:05 AM
I really feel that she/her team has a lack of professionalism when it comes to managing her body.
I know that her parents initially didn't want to hire an expensive coach, and part of Chinese psyche is about not being ripped off etc.
Maybe within this they, haven't got the help and expertise needed to keep a world class athlete away from 'niggles', a bit short sighted maybe, but cultural entrenchment can run deep.
Whatever the reason, I hope that something can be done to see the bigger picture of what it takes to keep an athlete fit and healthy and maximise their potential!
I remember her working with the physio Will Herbert at the US Open 2021 and recall him in her corner.. She posted videos of the work he was doing wirh her and I recall she said words to the effect that her body was in bits after playing quite a lot of tennis in the previous weeks. She gave him great credit for getting her fit and ready for that unforgettable campaign.
Googling, out of interest, I read that at some stage, I suspect a good while ago now, they parted and additionally she stopped talking to him, and unfollowed him on all social media
That's a pity but relationships can break down. Beyond that though, I do agree that it is bizarre if she currently goes without such support, especially when back 3 years ago that physio support was to that extent helping her be so resilient. It does indeed seem very unprofessional
I remember her working with the physio Will Herbert at the US Open 2021 and recall him in her corner.. She posted videos of the work he was doing wirh her and I recall she said words to the effect that her body was in bits after playing quite a lot of tennis in the previous weeks. She gave him great credit for getting her fit and ready for that unforgettable campaign.
Googling, out of interest, I read that at some stage, I suspect a good while ago now, they parted and additionally she stopped talking to him, and unfollowed him on all social media
That's a pity but relationships can break down. Beyond that though, I do agree that it is bizarre if she currently goes without such support, especially when back 3 years ago that physio support was to that extent helping her be so resilient. It does indeed seem very unprofessional
Will is working with Jack Draper now but I don't think he and Emma have fallen out, they seemed fine together at the BJK Cup tie with France.
IIRC Emma unfollowed a lot of people last year when she was out injured, I don't think it had any real significance.
-- Edited by dodrade on Sunday 22nd of September 2024 11:30:43 PM
Thanks. Good to hear. Always got to be careful about reading too much ( sometimes anything at all ) into stuff on that Internet thingy.
Surely should still have a current travelling physio though. Hopefully something else that's not exactly as reported. For such assistance dora seem so important, for ongoing prevention work as much as sorting out problems once they arise.