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Serena Prepping on Chartrier

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rex
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Serena Prepping on Chartrier

Post by rex » May Sun 20, 2018 10:09 pm

The day after attending the Royal Wedding at Windsor Castle Serena is on Chartrier in Paris prepping for the French:

https://www.facebook.com/RolandGarros/v ... 157004920/[url]


Looking fitter than her appearance at IW and Miami this year.....
Last edited by rex on May Sun 20, 2018 10:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Serena Prepping on Chartrier

Post by Grossefavourite » May Mon 21, 2018 8:12 am

<font color=brown>@ <b>rex</b>:</font>
 
Yes, I could tell from her appearance at the wedding that she'd lost weight. Great to see! If she fantasizes about winning W, she needed to play her, win or lose.

BTW, I didn't know Patrick was as fit as he appears in this video. Very strong looking legs. I really hate to see woefully out of shape coaches.
Last edited by Grossefavourite on May Mon 21, 2018 8:13 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Grossefavourite » May Mon 21, 2018 8:16 am

SHOULD SERENA BE SEEDED AT THE FRENCH OPEN? HER RIVALS THINK SO


ROME (AP) — Several of Serena Williams' biggest rivals believe that the 23-time Grand Slam champion deserves more than just a guaranteed spot in the French Open draw.

Williams, who is expected to play in her first major since returning from maternity leave, should also receive a top seed that befits the No. 1 ranking she held when she left the tour, the players say.

The WTA Tour said it is considering a rule change to add protected seeding for highly-ranked players returning from maternity leave but the earliest that could take effect is next year.

"I would like to see that change," Maria Sharapova said. "It's such an incredible effort for a woman to come back from physically, emotionally. ... There's just another whole dimension to the travel, to the experiences, to the emotions to the physicality of every single day.

"Tennis is such a selfish sport but I think when there's a child in your life you lose a little bit of that, because there's something that's so much more important," added Sharapova, who has lost three Grand Slam finals to Williams. "So yeah, I definitely think that would be a nice change."

The French Open draw will be made Thursday, with the tournament starting on Sunday.

Each Grand Slam event makes their own decisions on seeding players, so it's still possible that Roland Garros will make Williams one of the 32 seeded players even though her current ranking is down to near No. 500.

Otherwise, Williams could be forced to play top-ranked players in the early rounds.

The French tennis federation did not respond to a request for comment.

"It's normal to give birth to a kid. It's normal to have protected ranking. ... It's more than tennis," top-ranked Simona Halep said. "So the people will decide what seed she will get. But in my opinion it's good to protect the ranking when someone is giving birth."

Williams returned to the tour briefly this year, after a 14-month absence to give birth to her daughter. She was not seeded at tournaments in Indian Wells, California, and Miami, and compiled two wins and two losses.

Williams has recounted the difficulties she faced in childbirth and a pulmonary embolism that made it hard for her to breathe shortly after her daughter was born. But after a period of training, coach Patrick Mouratoglou last week told the WTA tour's website "Serena will play the French Open to win it."

Current rules covering maternity leave and injuries allow a protected or "special" ranking to be utilized for entry into tournaments but not for seeding purposes regardless of the reason for a player's absence.

However, this past year the WTA adjusted the rule so that absences for maternity leave are treated the same as those for injury and illness by providing all players a two-year window to begin using a special ranking, plus an additional year from the date of return to utilize the special ranking.

"Historically, WTA players have not been supportive of the use of special rankings for seeding purposes," the WTA said in a statement to The Associated Press. "The rule is currently under further review as part of our 2019 rules process. We remain committed to evolving with the needs of our players and are very supportive of those players returning from maternity leave to the tour."

Fourth-ranked Elina Svitolina, who defended her Italian Open title on Sunday, was also supportive of seeding Williams.

"If you're like finished or you stopped because you're going to have a child and you will be in top eight, I think you should have this kind of thing, to have protected seeding," Svitolina said. "She was No. 1 so she deserves seeding."

William has won the French Open three times — more than any current player — and last year's Roland Garros champion, Jelena Ostapenko, is looking forward to her return.

"She's someone who the tour was missing — because she's a great champion," Ostapenko said. "She was my idol since I was growing up."

___

AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich in Washington and AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin in Paris contributed.
Last edited by Grossefavourite on May Mon 21, 2018 8:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Serena Prepping on Chartrier

Post by rex » May Mon 21, 2018 12:12 pm

<font color=brown>@ <b>Grossefavourite</b>:</font>
 


Looking for Serena to be ready for the USO, where she'll have a # of matches during the USO series. Not realistic for Paris and London.

Yes, Patrick does look noticeably fit.
Last edited by rex on May Mon 21, 2018 5:11 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Post by Ace2Ace » May Mon 21, 2018 12:49 pm

This is a mind game, trying to scare the top players... "oooh, watch out, Serena is coming, unseeded... run, run, run for cover".

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Post by Grossefavourite » May Mon 21, 2018 2:13 pm

PARIS -- Serena Williams' return to Grand Slam tennis from maternity leave just got even tougher.

French Open organizers announced on Monday they will not give Williams a seeding.

"This year again, tournament officials will establish the list and ranking of the women's seeds based on the WTA ranking,'' the French Tennis Federation said in a statement to The Associated Press. "Consequently, [the seeds] will reflect this week's world ranking.''

Williams, a three-time French Open champion, is expected to play in her first major since giving birth to her daughter in September.
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Post by Pyotr » May Tue 22, 2018 9:29 pm

More interested in seeing how her movement is(especially on the clay) than anything else.

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