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British Tennis Forum -> British women discussion section -> Week 21 - Grand Slam - Roland Garros, France - QUALIFYING - Clay
Post Info TOPIC: Week 21 - Grand Slam - Roland Garros, France - QUALIFYING - Clay
emmsie69


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RE: Week 21 - Grand Slam - Roland Garros, France - Clay
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Andy Parker wrote:

I know I am going to get panned for saying this, but I quite like Harriet's feisty and combative nature. The insult to the French player in her previous match was bang out of order, for sure, but I would far rather a player got annoyed and frustrated on court, when things aren't going well, than someone who meekly accepts that they are going to be beaten and politely shakes the other player's hand and seems unaffected or resigned to a loss or bad display.

I feel that Harriet is super-competitive and it is that edge that actually keeps her going. Her serve is so bad, but she normally keeps fighting for every point and often breaks opponents serves, which when her opponent is a lesser player, then quite often makes for see-saw matches and sometimes lesser players crack and give up when they keep breaking and being broken themselves, as they are confused as to what is happening.

Watching Harriet reminds me a lot of watching Dementieva - I always think there is more chance of Harriet winning a game when she is not serving.

Anyway I think if she loses her combative and feisty nature, she is done for - but I do agree with Coup, that being in front of a French crowd after her insults to her previous French opponent, must have been pretty embarrassing for her and probably contributed to this terrible result.

For me, unless she somehow can make her serve a lot better, she will never be a top player, as the top players she will come up against do not regularly get broken and so will hold most of their service games against her, and with Harriet's serve so bad, she is then going to lose a lot of service games. Anyway bad comments or not, Harriet is on a terrible run and needs friends, kindness and support right now - I know I will be vilified for saying that.

I'm with you. I like her. I actually feel a bit sorry for her. She obviously didn't expect her complaint to become public.  We're never going to know if it was a legitimate complaint now.  She'll want to draw a line under it and neither the umpire or the other player is going to say they stank but I've been in 3 separate situations where I've had to complain/mention someone's personal hygiene so, if Harriet wasn't lying, then I can definitely sympathise because it's horrible.  



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Coup Droit


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I don't agree, emmsie

It wasn't the time nor the place to mention the hygiene (even assuming it's true)

And it can't be that bad from the other end of a tennis court in the open air

I'm sure she didn't expect her complaint to be public - which is no excuse - indeed quite the opposite

I've always been a fan but it's dwindled over the past few years when I've been near her live, at Surbiton say, when there have been various issues, all small.

But this recent one has tipped the balance. It's so unacceptable. I don't care if players 'eff and blind', as one's grandparents would say. I don't mind some racket smashing (on hard courts). Shrieking and hysyterics are part and parcel. In short, I 100% like feistiness and character. But Harriet's comments were utterly below the belt, just bitchy, for me, and did not show 'feisty character', just bad character.

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wales1994


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It doesn't matter that she 'didn't expect it to become public', we're adults - we know how to behave in public. And if she hadn't been 'caught' by the press, would that somehow make the act less out of order?

I don't want to speak badly about her, but she's a British player whose results I no longer follow or care for.

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Come on brits :D
KK


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wales1994 wrote:

It doesn't matter that she 'didn't expect it to become public', we're adults - we know how to behave in public. And if she hadn't been 'caught' by the press, would that somehow make the act less out of order?

I don't want to speak badly about her, but she's a British player whose results I no longer follow or care for.

 Im worse than that. I would rather she lost!



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KK


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KK wrote:
wales1994 wrote:

It doesn't matter that she 'didn't expect it to become public', we're adults - we know how to behave in public. And if she hadn't been 'caught' by the press, would that somehow make the act less out of order?

I don't want to speak badly about her, but she's a British player whose results I no longer follow or care for.

 Im worse than that. I would rather she lost!

 Apologies that my iPad will not include the apostrophes I type. 



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indiana


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My default position in sports is to want Scots and Brits ( when not competing against Scots in say home nation sort of contests ) to do well, whiie having particular favourites.

Over time in the past the golfer. Colin Montgomerie lost that from me for general behavioral issues, and one particular golf course incident / controversy.

Now Harriet, who had steadily been losing my support over recent years has fully lost that support ( 'feisty' may at times have been an appropriate word for her, it hasn't been at some other times, and in Smellgate 'nasty' would be one of the kinder words to cover that ).

At best, like here, I no longer care if she wins or loses. And I see myself supporting fellow Brits, or foreign players that I have quite a liking for, over her.

I may be a bit surprised by anyone else still giving her pretty strong support, but that's up to them as they see fit, and I'm not going to "pan" someone for taking a different view.



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indiana


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All the best to Heather and Fran on Tuesday.



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Coup Droit


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Hev up and running and wins the first game

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9vicman


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Just seen the doubles entries: Burrage and Kartal playing together. When did Sonay last play a doubles match??

EDIT: 2022 is the answer!

 



-- Edited by 9vicman on Tuesday 20th of May 2025 09:09:50 AM

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the addict


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Hev loses the first set (2)6-7. Three breaks each and a lot of long rallies (according to the excellent stats on the RG website)

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DF


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Heather lost the first set in a tiebreak.

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PaulM


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She did have a set point at 5-4*

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B00thy


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EDIT: In hindsight, I am not qualified to make comments about psychological aspects about Harriet and I was foolish to do so.  Thus I have removed them as they relate to her. I realise those posts that quote me will continue to contain them.



-- Edited by B00thy on Tuesday 20th of May 2025 12:53:35 PM

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Coup Droit


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A very nice-natured match between Hev and Daria

And HUGE credit to Daria for telling the umpire to overturn the second time violation against Hev (which Hev said was unfair as she was waiting for a ballboy and the ball)

Really nice of Daria

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the addict


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QR1:- Heather Watson (GBR) WR166 lost to Daria Saville (AUS) WR132 [Q26] (2)6-7 2-6

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