In a surprise run of events this week in Madrid, Maria Sharapova is playing perhaps her best tennis of the season, Serena Williams pulled out with injury, Anna Chakvetadze is through to the semis and Justine Henin double bagelled Marion Bartoli. Yes, there’s plenty of action going on at the Sony Ericsson Championships, and for the first time since the US Open, the WTA stars finally make for some entertaining, high-quality matches again.
So what has been the most newsworthy item of the week? Even though not a single soul would have picked the slumping Anna Chakvetadze (6-1 6-0 loss to Patty Schnyder coming in to Madrid, ouch) to advance in a group with Serena, Henin and Jelena Jankovic, and Henin seemed to be on another planet on Thursday when she took the ultimate revenge over Marion Bartoli for her Wimbledon loss to the Frenchwoman, I have been most impressed by Sharapova’s performance so far.
The Russian started off with a great win over Daniela Hantuchova on Tuesday, and her serve was solid throughout the match. She was on top of her game from start to finish. However, Sharapova’s 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 comeback achievement over Svetlana Kuznetsova was nothing short of remarkable for a woman troubled by a bum shoulder, and who only played her second match after a disappointing US Open earlier in the week.
Kuznetsova, who managed to keep up with Sharapova’s high pace in the opening set, got pushed back further as the match progressed and couldn’t score as many free points on her serve as she did in the early stages of the encounter. Sharapova became increasingly successful in attacking her countrymate’s second serve, which ultimately won her the match and earned her a spot in the semifinals.
This may sound ridiculous after Henin’s masterclass on Thursday, but if Sharapova upholds her current level and her shoulder doesn’t break down, she might very well trouble the Belgian, should the two meet somewhere along the way.
Anna C. defies the odds
I wonder if Anna Chakvetadze herself believed she’d reach the semifinals after she got drawn in the same group with Henin, Serena and Jankovic. The Russian came into Madrid in her worst form in over a year. She lost three consecutive matches in Luxemburg, Stuttgart and Moscow, before being humbled by Schnyder in Linz. The last time Chakvetadze fell in three consecutive matches was all the way back in May 2006. In other words, she has been one of the most consistent players on Tour ever since.
Not a single press conference or interview seems to go by, without Chakvetadze dropping the word ‘confidence’. She is very insecure on court, but never gives up. This is what got her through her match against the severely burned-out Jankovic on Thursday, when she completely went away after winning the first set, losing seven straight games. But, and this surprised me, Chakvetadze stayed very calm throughout and came back from a break down in the final set to claim her sixth career win over J.J. Of course she got a little lucky when Serena retired in her first match, but she did what had to be done and therefore fully deserves her semifinal position.
In the semis, she could face Sharapova for a fourth time this year, if her compatriot beats Ivanovic. Chakvetadze has yet to win a set off Maria in ’07.
Ivanovic meanwhile has been impressive this week as well. However, she needs to learn how to deal with a lead. In her first match against Kuznetsova, the Serb was playing lights out tennis until she let Kuzy back in the match at 6-1 3-0. The same thing happened in the final set, when the Russian again rallied from a 3-0 deficit, before going down 7-5. Against Hantuchova, Ivanovic was in firm control with a set and a break but almost had to endure another third set when the Slovakian held a couple of set points in the second set tiebreak. Credit goes out to Ivanovic for closing out these matches nonetheless, but she needs to calm down more and play smart when she finds herself in a commanding position.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
WTA Championships Preview
In 2006, Justine Henin, Amelie Mauresmo and Maria Sharapova were all considered favorites to win the year-end Sony Ericsson WTA Championships. Kim Clijsters was in the mix too. This year however, the tour’s grand finale has all the makings of a one-woman show. Henin has gone undefeated after her shocking Wimbledon loss to Marion Bartoli and is now riding a 20-match winning streak.
Henin’s foremost challenger for the title in Madrid, Serena Williams, has gone down to the Belgian in their last three encounters and failed to impress during the European indoor fall circuit. In fact, if there was one player in this field worth mentioning other than Henin it would have to be Daniela Hantuchova, who clinched her Championships berth on the last minute by winning Linz. All the other players, Kuznetsova (up and down), Jankovic (drained), Sharapova (Shoulderpova?), Ivanovic (erratic), Chakvetadze (severe slump) and the before-mentioned Serena Williams are far from playing their best.
Henin finds herself in the yellow group, not surprisingly accompanied by Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic. The poor little Anna Chakvetadze completes the group, and gets the priviledge of opening the tournament against Henin on Tuesday. I’m sure the Russian is very much looking forward to that match.
That leaves Kuznetsova, Ivanovic, Sharapova and Hantuchova for the red group. Kuzy and Ivanovic will be favored to advance here, as Sharapova only played one match after the US Open, and might easily drop out after her first match. Hantuchova will be riding the momentum of her Linz performance, and should have a decent shot at upending Sharapova, but I am sticking with the top two seeds in the group to pull through.
Semifinalists: Ana Ivanovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova
In the Justine group, I am taking Serena over J.J. to come through as No. 2. By the way, Chakvetadze holds a 5-2 record over Jankovic, but since the Russian seems to have lost all confidence in her abilities, I am liking the fatigued Jankovic to narrow their head-to-head record.
Semifinalists: Justine Henin, Serena Williams
I believe Ivanovic will do well in Madrid, and win her group to face Serena in the semis. Henin will take on Kuznetsova again, and just as in the US Open final, the Belgian should cruise.
Over the past few weeks, Serena lost to Kuznetsova in Stuttgart and fell in the Moscow final to Elena Dementieva. Therefore, Ivanovic should have a decent shot at upending Williams this week. However, this is a prestigious tournament and normally Serena finds an extra gear at those big events. How hard it may be to predict how Serena will perform in any tournament, that perception is an important factor to consider. Therefore, my money will be on Serena for this one.
Finalists: Justine Henin, Serena Williams
We all know what kind of runs Serena can come up with, so in a way I wouldn’t be surprised if she goes on to win the event, but there’s no way one can bet against Henin these days.
Champion: Justine Henin
Henin’s foremost challenger for the title in Madrid, Serena Williams, has gone down to the Belgian in their last three encounters and failed to impress during the European indoor fall circuit. In fact, if there was one player in this field worth mentioning other than Henin it would have to be Daniela Hantuchova, who clinched her Championships berth on the last minute by winning Linz. All the other players, Kuznetsova (up and down), Jankovic (drained), Sharapova (Shoulderpova?), Ivanovic (erratic), Chakvetadze (severe slump) and the before-mentioned Serena Williams are far from playing their best.
Henin finds herself in the yellow group, not surprisingly accompanied by Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic. The poor little Anna Chakvetadze completes the group, and gets the priviledge of opening the tournament against Henin on Tuesday. I’m sure the Russian is very much looking forward to that match.
That leaves Kuznetsova, Ivanovic, Sharapova and Hantuchova for the red group. Kuzy and Ivanovic will be favored to advance here, as Sharapova only played one match after the US Open, and might easily drop out after her first match. Hantuchova will be riding the momentum of her Linz performance, and should have a decent shot at upending Sharapova, but I am sticking with the top two seeds in the group to pull through.
Semifinalists: Ana Ivanovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova
In the Justine group, I am taking Serena over J.J. to come through as No. 2. By the way, Chakvetadze holds a 5-2 record over Jankovic, but since the Russian seems to have lost all confidence in her abilities, I am liking the fatigued Jankovic to narrow their head-to-head record.
Semifinalists: Justine Henin, Serena Williams
I believe Ivanovic will do well in Madrid, and win her group to face Serena in the semis. Henin will take on Kuznetsova again, and just as in the US Open final, the Belgian should cruise.
Over the past few weeks, Serena lost to Kuznetsova in Stuttgart and fell in the Moscow final to Elena Dementieva. Therefore, Ivanovic should have a decent shot at upending Williams this week. However, this is a prestigious tournament and normally Serena finds an extra gear at those big events. How hard it may be to predict how Serena will perform in any tournament, that perception is an important factor to consider. Therefore, my money will be on Serena for this one.
Finalists: Justine Henin, Serena Williams
We all know what kind of runs Serena can come up with, so in a way I wouldn’t be surprised if she goes on to win the event, but there’s no way one can bet against Henin these days.
Champion: Justine Henin
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Feeling Davydenko’s pain
Is Nikolay Davydenko slowly breaking down? The Russian has never been in the centre of attention because of his tennis, but after his notorious match against Vassallo Arguello in Sopot, Davydenko is being watched his every move. Last week in St. Petersburg, the Russian was fined $2000 for supposedly tanking his match against Croatian up-and-comer Marin Cilic. I can’t judge what went on during that encounter, as I haven’t been able to watch any of it, but sitting through the second set of Davydenko’s 6-2, 6-2 loss to Marcos Baghdatis has been one of the most painful experiences of 2007.
There is no doubt that Davydenko was giving it his best against the Cypriot. He was genuinely upset with every miss and was working hard to somehow find his rhythm. It’s just that nothing worked for the world No. 4. The most upsetting thing to see, was the way Davydenko was serving. If Elena Dementieva was watching the match, she would be shocked.
I tuned in when Baghdatis had just taken the first game of the second set, breaking Davydenko. After some uncharacteristic Davydenko misses, the Bag Man increased his lead to 2-0. But then it happened. Davydenko started serving in the third game, and he was just mistiming on every serve he hit. The Russian was merely trying to put his delivery in court, hitting about 70 – 80 mph first serves, but still double faulted three times, spraying his serves all over the place, or low into the net.
Baghdatis broke and during the changeover, chair umpire Cedric Mourier asked Davydenko if everything was alright. The Frenchman actually went so far, as to say, “if you serve like me, you’ll put it in the box.” Mourier really crossed the line though, when during the next change of ends he told Davydenko about his service: “Just hit it, you’re still the same player.” Is this the ATP’s equivalent to the WTA’s on-court coaching experiment, have the officials coach the players?
Baghdatis cruised to victory and emphatically asked Davydenko after shaking hands at the net if there was something wrong with him. The Russian said he was feeling fine, but it seems as if he is under a lot of pressure dealing with all the recent accusations on him. And who wouldn’t be.
Personally, let’s just say that I have my doubts about this whole Sopot scandal. I find it hard to believe that a world class player who makes over $1.5 million a season would risk selling a match and get caught. And I think the St. Petersburg fine doesn’t make much sense either. Why would a player, who just happens to be under strong surveillance, be fined for apparently ‘not giving his best’, but not the crowd favorite Novak Djokovic? It was blatantly obvious that Nole was tanking in Cincinnati against Moya, not to mention his ‘performance’ against Santoro this week in Paric-Bercy. Sounds an awful lot like measuring with two standards to me.
Remaining Shanghai spots still up for grabs
Meanwhile in Paris, the race to Shanghai is really going down to the wire. Current No. 7 Fernando Gonzalez lost in a highly-entertaining opening round match to Mikhail Youzhny, but is still in solid shape to clinch his Top 8 spot. Andy Murray has come out of nowhere the past few weeks and could very well go to Shanghai after all, despite missing the entire clay court season plus Wimbledon. I, for one, wouldn’t mind seeing the Scot in China.
Tommy Robredo is through to the quarters, but even though the Spaniard is currently in eighth position (prior to the Haas – Youzhny match), he needs a win over Marcos Baghdatis on Friday to stay in contention. Either Gasquet or Murray, who face each other in the quarters, would overtake Robredo if he goes down to the Cypriot.
There is no doubt that Davydenko was giving it his best against the Cypriot. He was genuinely upset with every miss and was working hard to somehow find his rhythm. It’s just that nothing worked for the world No. 4. The most upsetting thing to see, was the way Davydenko was serving. If Elena Dementieva was watching the match, she would be shocked.
I tuned in when Baghdatis had just taken the first game of the second set, breaking Davydenko. After some uncharacteristic Davydenko misses, the Bag Man increased his lead to 2-0. But then it happened. Davydenko started serving in the third game, and he was just mistiming on every serve he hit. The Russian was merely trying to put his delivery in court, hitting about 70 – 80 mph first serves, but still double faulted three times, spraying his serves all over the place, or low into the net.
Baghdatis broke and during the changeover, chair umpire Cedric Mourier asked Davydenko if everything was alright. The Frenchman actually went so far, as to say, “if you serve like me, you’ll put it in the box.” Mourier really crossed the line though, when during the next change of ends he told Davydenko about his service: “Just hit it, you’re still the same player.” Is this the ATP’s equivalent to the WTA’s on-court coaching experiment, have the officials coach the players?
Baghdatis cruised to victory and emphatically asked Davydenko after shaking hands at the net if there was something wrong with him. The Russian said he was feeling fine, but it seems as if he is under a lot of pressure dealing with all the recent accusations on him. And who wouldn’t be.
Personally, let’s just say that I have my doubts about this whole Sopot scandal. I find it hard to believe that a world class player who makes over $1.5 million a season would risk selling a match and get caught. And I think the St. Petersburg fine doesn’t make much sense either. Why would a player, who just happens to be under strong surveillance, be fined for apparently ‘not giving his best’, but not the crowd favorite Novak Djokovic? It was blatantly obvious that Nole was tanking in Cincinnati against Moya, not to mention his ‘performance’ against Santoro this week in Paric-Bercy. Sounds an awful lot like measuring with two standards to me.
Remaining Shanghai spots still up for grabs
Meanwhile in Paris, the race to Shanghai is really going down to the wire. Current No. 7 Fernando Gonzalez lost in a highly-entertaining opening round match to Mikhail Youzhny, but is still in solid shape to clinch his Top 8 spot. Andy Murray has come out of nowhere the past few weeks and could very well go to Shanghai after all, despite missing the entire clay court season plus Wimbledon. I, for one, wouldn’t mind seeing the Scot in China.
Tommy Robredo is through to the quarters, but even though the Spaniard is currently in eighth position (prior to the Haas – Youzhny match), he needs a win over Marcos Baghdatis on Friday to stay in contention. Either Gasquet or Murray, who face each other in the quarters, would overtake Robredo if he goes down to the Cypriot.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Unstoppable: Henin wins ninth title of the year over Golovin
Belgian upholds unbeaten run, dating back to Wimbledon
FROM THE ZURICH OPEN - She may not have played the Australian Open in January, and her Wimbledon loss to Marion Bartoli will probably go down as the biggest upset of the season, but after winning her ninth title of the year on Sunday - one more than her previous record of eight trophies in 2003 - Justine Henin said she feels 2007 has been the best season of her career.
Just like in Stuttgart, Henin beat the red-hot Tatiana Golovin in the final in Zurich. She faced a 1-4 deficit in the first set, but won six straight games, before prevailing 6-4, 6-4.
Golovin, who was playing her first Tier I final of her career, said that she would be going out hitting bombs, but instead it was Henin who was constantly firing up on her opponent. “I did hit the ball pretty hard,” the No.1 said. “If you give her time, she can play really well. She likes to control the rallies. I just tried to keep the control and be aggressive.”
The turning point in the match came when Henin, as Golovin said, ‘got a little lucky’ on two shots, before breaking back at 4-2. At 15-all, Golovin moved around her backhand to power a forehand down the line, which looked like a clean winner. In an ultimate get, Henin pushed the ball back cross court, passing Golovin at the net. At 15-30, the Belgian hit the tape on a return of serve, but the ball dropped over the net for a winner. On her first break point, Henin stood by as Golovin hit a backhand down the line, which fell just millimetres wide.
In the previous game, Golovin had already missed a sitting forehand with Henin serving at 30-all, where she should have gone up breakpoint for a chance to take a 5-1 lead. Now, a few unlucky points later, Henin was back in the set, but more importantly, had sent out a big mental blow to her opponent.
Golovin never seemed to recover from losing her advantage. She lost serve again at 4-all, mainly because she hit a couple of ugly unforced errors. Henin claimed the opening set, after Golovin framed yet another backhand.
“I should have been able to finish off the set,” Golovin said. “But I was unable to do that and that kind of changed the momentum of the match.”
In the second set, Golovin managed to undo an early break of serve, but after Henin broke a second time at 1-all, the match was over for Tati. She overcame a 0-40 deficit serving at 1-3, but Henin didn’t face a single break point for the rest of the set, and served out the match with an ace down the tee at 5-4.
As both players said, the quality of the final was not as high as it was in Stuttgart. Henin was trying to be very aggressive, taking balls early and coming to the net, but her forehand was shaky again, like it was in her semifinal against Vaidisova. Golovin’s level dropped significantly after losing her edge in the first set, as she started to shank her backhand more often, and she failed to get a rhythm going on her forehand.
Despite the loss, Golovin will move up five positions to a career high ranking of No. 13. She will play in Linz next week, where she will have a shot at breaking the Top 10, as she has no points to defend at the Tier II event. Henin, who has now won 20 matches in a row, will take a two week break before the year-end championships in Madrid.
FROM THE ZURICH OPEN - She may not have played the Australian Open in January, and her Wimbledon loss to Marion Bartoli will probably go down as the biggest upset of the season, but after winning her ninth title of the year on Sunday - one more than her previous record of eight trophies in 2003 - Justine Henin said she feels 2007 has been the best season of her career.
Just like in Stuttgart, Henin beat the red-hot Tatiana Golovin in the final in Zurich. She faced a 1-4 deficit in the first set, but won six straight games, before prevailing 6-4, 6-4.
Golovin, who was playing her first Tier I final of her career, said that she would be going out hitting bombs, but instead it was Henin who was constantly firing up on her opponent. “I did hit the ball pretty hard,” the No.1 said. “If you give her time, she can play really well. She likes to control the rallies. I just tried to keep the control and be aggressive.”
The turning point in the match came when Henin, as Golovin said, ‘got a little lucky’ on two shots, before breaking back at 4-2. At 15-all, Golovin moved around her backhand to power a forehand down the line, which looked like a clean winner. In an ultimate get, Henin pushed the ball back cross court, passing Golovin at the net. At 15-30, the Belgian hit the tape on a return of serve, but the ball dropped over the net for a winner. On her first break point, Henin stood by as Golovin hit a backhand down the line, which fell just millimetres wide.
In the previous game, Golovin had already missed a sitting forehand with Henin serving at 30-all, where she should have gone up breakpoint for a chance to take a 5-1 lead. Now, a few unlucky points later, Henin was back in the set, but more importantly, had sent out a big mental blow to her opponent.
Golovin never seemed to recover from losing her advantage. She lost serve again at 4-all, mainly because she hit a couple of ugly unforced errors. Henin claimed the opening set, after Golovin framed yet another backhand.
“I should have been able to finish off the set,” Golovin said. “But I was unable to do that and that kind of changed the momentum of the match.”
In the second set, Golovin managed to undo an early break of serve, but after Henin broke a second time at 1-all, the match was over for Tati. She overcame a 0-40 deficit serving at 1-3, but Henin didn’t face a single break point for the rest of the set, and served out the match with an ace down the tee at 5-4.
As both players said, the quality of the final was not as high as it was in Stuttgart. Henin was trying to be very aggressive, taking balls early and coming to the net, but her forehand was shaky again, like it was in her semifinal against Vaidisova. Golovin’s level dropped significantly after losing her edge in the first set, as she started to shank her backhand more often, and she failed to get a rhythm going on her forehand.
Despite the loss, Golovin will move up five positions to a career high ranking of No. 13. She will play in Linz next week, where she will have a shot at breaking the Top 10, as she has no points to defend at the Tier II event. Henin, who has now won 20 matches in a row, will take a two week break before the year-end championships in Madrid.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Golovin's solid play moves her up WTA ladder
Semi win puts Tati in Top 15 for first time
FROM THE ZURICH OPEN - When Tatiana Golovin stormed through the rankings in her breakthrough year in 2004, moving up from No. 354 at the start of the season, all the way to No. 27, the fun-loving 16-year-old was rapidly becoming the new it-girl of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Now, three years later, she is on the verge of breaking the Top 15 for the first time in her career, a feat long overdue.
Golovin reached the finals of a Tier I event for the first time in her career. She beat Maria Kirilenko, Ivanovic and saw Marion Bartoli retire with a knee injury on Friday, before she convincingly routed Francesca Schiavone in the semifinals on Saturday. “It feels great [to reach my first Tier I final], but I don’t think I’m realising it quite yet. The past weeks have been going so fast and I’ve been playing so many matches. I’m trying to stay focused and not really think about it. When the season is over I’ll probably realise that I’m going to have a lot of points to defend next year.”
Golovin has developed into one of the best movers on tour, and her groundstrokes are solid. She likes to run around her backhand, to unleash her biggest weapon, the forehand. Her serve might not match the Williams sisters for pace, but it shouldn’t be underestimated, as she gets a lot of free points off it, especially going down the tee. The main obstacle holding her back has been her head, as she hasn’t been able to produce her best tennis yet in the big events, which is also why Tati had difficulties following up on her excellent breakthrough year.
“The first year you’re a rookie, you just go out there, nobody knows you and you think everything is great,” Golovin said. “But the next year you have to come back and defend everything, and the players start to know you and how they have to play against you, so it’s definitely tougher.”
It wasn’t until the beginning of this season, that Golovin won her first title. In Amelia Island, she consecutively beat Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovic and Nadia Petrova, to win the Tier II event. But to Golovin, winning her first tournament after having been expected to do so much earlier, did not make her achievement feel like a relief. “I think it was more of a relief to play three top players and beat them all in one week. Before, it was kind of that consistency that I was lacking. Being able to do that gave me more confidence, so I’m not sure it was a relief [to win my first tournament], but it definitely was a boost of confidence.”
Shortly after her maiden title, Golovin injured her right ankle and sat out the entire clay court season. She returned at Wimbledon, but couldn’t impress on the lawns, as she fell in the second round to Austrian up-and-comer Tamira Paszek. Her results over the American summer were disappointing as well, apart from a semi-final showing in Toronto, where she was beaten by Jelena Jankovic. At the US Open, the Frenchwoman was upset by Ahsha Rolle in the first round.
It was during the American hard court season that Golovin started working with Mats Wilander, a temporary agreement, which ended after the US Open in New York. “I think it was good,” Golovin says about the partnership, “but we didn’t really have enough time to work together. So I don’t think I can say too much about our time spent together because it was too short. It was supposed to be a month, but then I got injured and it got cut back to three weeks, and then I lost in the first round of the US Open, so it pretty much got cut down to two weeks.”
She hasn’t really spoken to Wilander anymore after the US Open, but believes they can team up again in the near future. “I know he cares about my tennis, I know he believes in me. When the time is right, I’m sure we’ll be able to get things together and maybe he’ll be able to come to some tournaments and we can practice together.”
Golovin entered a small Tier IV tournament in Slovenia the week after the season’s final Grand Slam event, where she captured the title and refound her confidence. She went on to reach the quarterfinals indoors in Luxembourg, and progressed to the final in Stuttgart, where she beat Anna Chakvetadze and Svetlana Kuznetsova, before falling to Justine Henin in three sets.
“I’m really happy [with my season],” Golovin said. “Especially with the way it’s ending, because I started off really well and then I got injured and it was really hard mentally, and physically too, to get back up there and play the top players. I’m lucky I was able to get back to my level, because I also could have had just a really bad season after my injuries. I’ve worked really hard to get back and it’s paying off right now.”
STUTTGART ALL OVER AGAIN
Golovin’s opponent in Sunday’s final will be a familiar face, as she will take on Henin, just like in Stuttgart two weeks ago. The Belgian came from a set down in her semifinal against Nicole Vaidisova, and had to fight hard to advance 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. She looked a little shaky at times, especially on her forehand side. The No. 1 failed to capitulate on one of two match points, leading 5-3 in the third, and dropped her own serve in the next game. She broke again at 5-all, hitting a forehand winner after successfully attacking Vaidisova’s second serve, and successfully closed out the match trying to serve it out a second time.
Golovin believes the experience of playing Henin in Stuttgart two weeks ago, will help her in Sunday’s final. “I think it’s going to be pretty important, because I know how I played to beat her in the first set, and I know what I did to lose the next two sets.”
But when you’re playing the best player in the world, knowing what you have to do is hardly a guarantee for success. “I think everybody knows how to play her,” Golovin said, “but you still end up losing, because she’s so tough. It’s like she never feels bad. Doesn’t she have like these mornings when she just wakes up and feels awful? I mean, what’s wrong with her you, you know (laughs)? No matter how well you play against her, she still ends up winning.
Golovin believes one of the keys to beat Henin is staying composed. “I think [in Stuttgart] I showed my emotions just a little bit too much. She saw I was getting frustrated in the second set, and that just really pumped her up, and then I kind of got down on myself. I need to stay very positive. In the first set I was controlling the points and I’ll have to do that again tomorrow. You can’t give her anything, because then she’ll just take control and stay on top of you.”
Whether or not Golovin will win the tournament in Zurich, she will crack the Top 15 for the first time in her career when the new rankings come out on Monday. If she wins the event, she will be in an excellent spot to clinch a Top 10 position in Linz next week, as she has no points to defend. Does Tati believe she’s ready to become one of the elite women? “I think so. I think I’ve still got to put in a lot of work, and be consistent, because top players play well in every tournament. They don’t lose to players that are lower ranked than them in early rounds, so that’s just what I need to work on. To be a hundred percent every week and be able to beat the players that are behind me. Even during days when you’re not playing well you’ve still got to work, and not just say, ‘well, I’ll be better tomorrow’”.
FROM THE ZURICH OPEN - When Tatiana Golovin stormed through the rankings in her breakthrough year in 2004, moving up from No. 354 at the start of the season, all the way to No. 27, the fun-loving 16-year-old was rapidly becoming the new it-girl of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Now, three years later, she is on the verge of breaking the Top 15 for the first time in her career, a feat long overdue.
Golovin reached the finals of a Tier I event for the first time in her career. She beat Maria Kirilenko, Ivanovic and saw Marion Bartoli retire with a knee injury on Friday, before she convincingly routed Francesca Schiavone in the semifinals on Saturday. “It feels great [to reach my first Tier I final], but I don’t think I’m realising it quite yet. The past weeks have been going so fast and I’ve been playing so many matches. I’m trying to stay focused and not really think about it. When the season is over I’ll probably realise that I’m going to have a lot of points to defend next year.”
Golovin has developed into one of the best movers on tour, and her groundstrokes are solid. She likes to run around her backhand, to unleash her biggest weapon, the forehand. Her serve might not match the Williams sisters for pace, but it shouldn’t be underestimated, as she gets a lot of free points off it, especially going down the tee. The main obstacle holding her back has been her head, as she hasn’t been able to produce her best tennis yet in the big events, which is also why Tati had difficulties following up on her excellent breakthrough year.
“The first year you’re a rookie, you just go out there, nobody knows you and you think everything is great,” Golovin said. “But the next year you have to come back and defend everything, and the players start to know you and how they have to play against you, so it’s definitely tougher.”
It wasn’t until the beginning of this season, that Golovin won her first title. In Amelia Island, she consecutively beat Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovic and Nadia Petrova, to win the Tier II event. But to Golovin, winning her first tournament after having been expected to do so much earlier, did not make her achievement feel like a relief. “I think it was more of a relief to play three top players and beat them all in one week. Before, it was kind of that consistency that I was lacking. Being able to do that gave me more confidence, so I’m not sure it was a relief [to win my first tournament], but it definitely was a boost of confidence.”
Shortly after her maiden title, Golovin injured her right ankle and sat out the entire clay court season. She returned at Wimbledon, but couldn’t impress on the lawns, as she fell in the second round to Austrian up-and-comer Tamira Paszek. Her results over the American summer were disappointing as well, apart from a semi-final showing in Toronto, where she was beaten by Jelena Jankovic. At the US Open, the Frenchwoman was upset by Ahsha Rolle in the first round.
It was during the American hard court season that Golovin started working with Mats Wilander, a temporary agreement, which ended after the US Open in New York. “I think it was good,” Golovin says about the partnership, “but we didn’t really have enough time to work together. So I don’t think I can say too much about our time spent together because it was too short. It was supposed to be a month, but then I got injured and it got cut back to three weeks, and then I lost in the first round of the US Open, so it pretty much got cut down to two weeks.”
She hasn’t really spoken to Wilander anymore after the US Open, but believes they can team up again in the near future. “I know he cares about my tennis, I know he believes in me. When the time is right, I’m sure we’ll be able to get things together and maybe he’ll be able to come to some tournaments and we can practice together.”
Golovin entered a small Tier IV tournament in Slovenia the week after the season’s final Grand Slam event, where she captured the title and refound her confidence. She went on to reach the quarterfinals indoors in Luxembourg, and progressed to the final in Stuttgart, where she beat Anna Chakvetadze and Svetlana Kuznetsova, before falling to Justine Henin in three sets.
“I’m really happy [with my season],” Golovin said. “Especially with the way it’s ending, because I started off really well and then I got injured and it was really hard mentally, and physically too, to get back up there and play the top players. I’m lucky I was able to get back to my level, because I also could have had just a really bad season after my injuries. I’ve worked really hard to get back and it’s paying off right now.”
STUTTGART ALL OVER AGAIN
Golovin’s opponent in Sunday’s final will be a familiar face, as she will take on Henin, just like in Stuttgart two weeks ago. The Belgian came from a set down in her semifinal against Nicole Vaidisova, and had to fight hard to advance 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. She looked a little shaky at times, especially on her forehand side. The No. 1 failed to capitulate on one of two match points, leading 5-3 in the third, and dropped her own serve in the next game. She broke again at 5-all, hitting a forehand winner after successfully attacking Vaidisova’s second serve, and successfully closed out the match trying to serve it out a second time.
Golovin believes the experience of playing Henin in Stuttgart two weeks ago, will help her in Sunday’s final. “I think it’s going to be pretty important, because I know how I played to beat her in the first set, and I know what I did to lose the next two sets.”
But when you’re playing the best player in the world, knowing what you have to do is hardly a guarantee for success. “I think everybody knows how to play her,” Golovin said, “but you still end up losing, because she’s so tough. It’s like she never feels bad. Doesn’t she have like these mornings when she just wakes up and feels awful? I mean, what’s wrong with her you, you know (laughs)? No matter how well you play against her, she still ends up winning.
Golovin believes one of the keys to beat Henin is staying composed. “I think [in Stuttgart] I showed my emotions just a little bit too much. She saw I was getting frustrated in the second set, and that just really pumped her up, and then I kind of got down on myself. I need to stay very positive. In the first set I was controlling the points and I’ll have to do that again tomorrow. You can’t give her anything, because then she’ll just take control and stay on top of you.”
Whether or not Golovin will win the tournament in Zurich, she will crack the Top 15 for the first time in her career when the new rankings come out on Monday. If she wins the event, she will be in an excellent spot to clinch a Top 10 position in Linz next week, as she has no points to defend. Does Tati believe she’s ready to become one of the elite women? “I think so. I think I’ve still got to put in a lot of work, and be consistent, because top players play well in every tournament. They don’t lose to players that are lower ranked than them in early rounds, so that’s just what I need to work on. To be a hundred percent every week and be able to beat the players that are behind me. Even during days when you’re not playing well you’ve still got to work, and not just say, ‘well, I’ll be better tomorrow’”.
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