Mauresomo is a headcase!

[luirozzi]

A victory against Dementieva today, and Mauresmo would have automatically reached the N°1 spot of the WTA, but she lost of course. She won the first set 6/4 then lost the second 4/6 and lot the third set tie break 7 points to 1! Come on, 7 points to 1 !!!!!

Her mental always breaks down during the true "Big matches" that she has to play, and particularly when she is the favourite for the victory, she is only able to give her best at the less importants tournaments (I mean non Slam events and non Olympic finals, or a match that is not supposed to give her the first place in the WTA ranking).

Too bad, because she really got some game.

Who has any idea to help her avoiding her mental breakdowns and give her best for the "big matches".

Too bad

[thehustler]

Whack her on the head and give her amnesia. Tell her it's a first round match and I'm sure she'll be ok. Seriously though who knows. It's like trying to figure out why Dementieva can serve so well in practice, even hitting to the backhand side, but can't do it in a match. You'd think a pro wouldn't have nerves, but apparently both of these ladies do. I have friends who are like that. Practice great, but when it matters they fold faster than a house of cards. It's all up to her to decide whether or not she wants to get far in a slam. If she doesn't want it bad enough she'll never get there and always be labeled a choker. Maybe she needs some hypnosis to cure her. Time will tell.

[pound cat]

Mauresmo doesn't have the killer instinct or personal self-confidence, nice person that Amelie is. And to have Henin-Hardenne lose as well! What a negative comment about women's tennis. And to think that Demented Eva No Serve won this match. Women's tennis is suffering from emotional breakdown, except for Petrova who appeared calm and focused.

[Type40]

She's the female Henman, got the skills, but always seems to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

[tiebreaker]

Mauresemo has too much game to be such
a choker. Dementieva calls for a trainer
at crucial times and that certainly did not
help Mauresemo. Calling for a trainer
down 4-5 with your opponent serving
for the first set?!!! Geez. I know Mauresmo
overcame that and took the set but it
wasn't easy.

The women seem to use the "trainer time-out"
as a strategy. Something should be done
about that. It is clearly a way to break an
opponent's momentum. I wish they would
completely eliminate the trainer time-out.

Nevertheless, Mauresmo is a pro and
has to learn to perform under the pressure.
Same thing for Clijsters.

[degreefanlindi]

LOL Type40, the female Henman. Great analogy.
The mental side of tennis is extremely important to success, especially at such a high level. I think it's probably the most underrated part of a players' game and should definitely take precedence over other aspects sometimes. Players seem to focus a lot on workouts and training, which are of course important physically. But most often, the biggest areas needing improvement are in fact mental. There are ways to improve mental skills though and I find visualization and concentration tactics and practices to be the most helpful in my game.

[Type40]

Yep, the difference between a Henman and a Hewitt is mental toughness. A champion has really got to want it. I think some players fear winning, a strange psychological thing.

[Ronaldo]

You need to give Dementieva more credit, to win with a handful of nothing on her serve.

[Deuce]

"Mauresomo is a headcase!"

And which female pro player isn't?

Face it, nerves are what determines 95% of women's matches.

[slack hack]

Didn't Dementieva beat Mauresmo in the quarter finals @ Roland Garos this year? Maybe she's just got her number now.