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SERENA Overcome With Nerves

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Re: SERENA Overcome With Nerves

Post by Grossefavourite » Sep Mon 09, 2019 5:28 pm

In any area of life, if you're facing a great deal of pressure, you'll rely on your strengths to get you through it, and in placing greater emphasis on that feature of your makeup, it's liable to buckle under the weight of expectation, failing to deliver the rewards/results you hoped for. That's what I saw in Serena on Saturday. Her two greatest strengths, her mind and her serve, were undoubtedly summoned as never before to bail her out. Her mind however had already been compromised before she'd even taken to the court given the significance of the moment before her, and her first serve swiftly buckled as the mind controls it. She managed to make only 44% of her first serves, a stat that spells defeat for any player. No player can win a GS final relying on second serves. Through 6 rounds, she was broken 3(?) times, if memory serves. On Saturday it was 6.

Clearly, Bianca was less unencumbered by the moment as Serena was, just as Osaka, Hapel and Kerber were, as they and Serena occupy two different mental universes and pressures to perform and succeed. She doesn't even compare to Serena in the USO final of 1999 between Serena and Hingis because Serena entered that match almost as the favorite expected to win despite Hingis' top ranking and GS titles. What's more, the WS had already become world famous with the expectation that they could win any match and title, and with none other than Graf declaring them best she'd ever played. Bianca did not face anything on par on Saturday.

Now, however, that Bianca is a GS champion, she's expected to beat any girl who has not won a title, and beat them decisively. Let's see if she was trained as the WS or even Sharapova were in believing wholeheartedly that they're the best and must win. Going from hunter to hunted is no mean feat in sport, particularly in one as fickle and tempermental as tennis. I won't put too much stock in the next couple of events because I'm sure she'll be celebrating and enjoying the myriad of business and entertainment opportunities on offer since her triumph. Thereafter, let's see.

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Re: SERENA Overcome With Nerves

Post by Miss_Vee » Sep Mon 09, 2019 7:04 pm

On the other hand, I saw a Serena who expected that she would win, because she had been so strong leading up to the final. She started her service game strong. Heck, she had 2 game points, but her younger, and yes pressure free opponent put pressure on her that first service game. She had returns land at her feet, and it put her under pressure immediately. Of course the pressure was enormous. But losing that first service game knocked her confidence sideways.
Yes, most of the WTA have had GS winners come and go. I was hoping that with her AO win, Osaka was going to flip the script. Did not happen. She is not mentally as tough as this kid Andreescu. I see the same belief, and intense desire to be the best in Andreescu. Osaka talks about it, and she has the desire, but she gets caught up in her own self defeating thought process. That’s not Andreescu. Her vision is clear, and she has that confidence that she can shake up things on the WTA. So far, she has done so. D
I prefer not to get caught up in what might happen down the road with Bianca. I, like the rest of Canada, am enjoying this moment. However, there is something about this girl that gives me confidence that as long as she stays healthy, she is the one that will be collecting lots of big titles. That’s what she has done this year, starting in January. I cannot wait for the YEC.

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Re: SERENA Overcome With Nerves

Post by djmm1962 » Sep Tue 10, 2019 6:50 am

I'm still disappointed and not ready to talk about it yet!!

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Re: SERENA Overcome With Nerves

Post by Grossefavourite » Sep Tue 10, 2019 10:05 am

djmm1962 wrote:
Sep Tue 10, 2019 6:50 am
I'm still disappointed and not ready to talk about it yet!!
Yep. I'm very upset as it cuts deeply, and MissVee's schadefreude and general glee and merriment rub sulfuric acid to all four wounds. I believe deeply this 4th failure renders the task almost insurmountable
Last edited by Grossefavourite on Sep Tue 10, 2019 10:42 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: SERENA Overcome With Nerves

Post by Grossefavourite » Sep Tue 10, 2019 10:21 am

Then again, Serena is partial to a catsuit so maybe she has 9 lives.

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Re: SERENA Overcome With Nerves

Post by Grossefavourite » Sep Thu 12, 2019 12:09 pm

“When there's a lot on the line, when you see the finish line, the nerves get to you. That's part of my journey,” Auger-Aliassime, who was trying to reach his second Masters 1000 quarter-final (Miami), said at the time. “It just means that I still have things to improve to win these types of matches and to deal better with these types of moments.”

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Re: SERENA Overcome With Nerves

Post by djmm1962 » Jan Fri 10, 2020 1:35 am

Game Day is Game Day ...

NO distractions, like a boxer (she posted her boxing workout)!!

Go Serena, #24!!

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