Didn't watch but disappointed that Li lost that badly.
It's so frustrating watching Li, man.
+1000 Only Kuznetsova has made me grumble more times than Li.
Do we know what time the Hoot Owl Ladies play?
Always a good day when Sharapova loses.
Why so disgusting?
Vika is playing Linz, so it's all but guaranteed she'll be YE#1.
Disgusting? I believe that is pushing it a bit, but perhaps I was too harsh. I really just dislike Maria's general attitude towards everyone, that is all. Sorry about that.
Maria is far more classy than somebody like Serena tbh. Only thing annoying is the grunting and the ridiculous come ons when opponent UEs. Ballkids regularly point her out as the polite one.
Azarenka has had a stellar season leading up to the WTA championships.
Australian Open title
Olympic Bronze
2 Premier Mandatory titles (Indian Wells, Beijing)
1 Premier 5 title (Doha)
Wimbledon semifinal appearance
US Open final appearance
I wonder how she will be judged if she does not defend her lone major in a few months? For example, Kvitova's disasterous failure to defend her Wimbledon title has many questioning her status as one of the "new forces" of the WTA. Azarenka may have enjoyed more "success" at the majors (by reaching the USO final in the same year she won the AO), but she too is a one-major wonder until she proves otherwise.
Will she be questioned if she does not defend next year?
I wonder how she will be judged if she does not defend her lone major in a few months? For example, Kvitova's disasterous failure to defend her Wimbledon title has many questioning her status as one of the "new forces" of the WTA. Azarenka may have enjoyed more "success" at the majors (by reaching the USO final in the same year she won the AO), but she too is a one-major wonder until she proves otherwise.
Will she be questioned if she does not defend next year?
Azarenka has steadily improved the past several years. Kvitova has kind of stagnated despite having advanced further at the AO and French.
I don't think Azarenka has to defend the AO to prove anything. Even Sampras and Serena needed over two years to win their second major. Djokovic needed three years. She's been solid all year and has handled the pressure much better than Kvitova and Wozniacki. I still think she retires/withdraws a bit too much for my liking, but she actually enjoys hunting and being hunted.
I don't think Azarenka has to defend the AO to prove anything. Even Sampras and Serena needed over two years to win their second major. Djokovic needed three years. She's been solid all year and has handled the pressure much better than Kvitova and Wozniacki. I still think she retires/withdraws a bit too much for my liking, but she actually enjoys hunting and being hunted.
She won me round this year. Still not a fan of some of her antics but she has been just what the game needed this year, along with Serena/Maria/Aga. These for could be the top 4 for a while.
I gained a bit of respect for her fighting spirit in the USO final, but the reason I wonder how she will be judged in the event she does not defend AO is that the women's game cannot rely on Serena forever, so it is in a crucial transitional period, in need of one to sell the idea that she will be a force beyond a major or possibly two (remember, some once thought the likes of Safin or Pierce were going to be bigger to their respective tours than they were capable of, but how did that play out?).
Further, Sharapova winning a FO was one of the biggest flukes in tennis history and despite a couple of deep runs, and she's aging, so who believes she will run with the torch for another 2 - 3 years?
That said, Azarenka is one of the new guard--and unlike fellow new guard member Kvitova--seems eager to go to war, so that combination leads observers to believe the future (at least the next 4 years) rests on her shoulders. This brings us back to this future being determined by the strengths of players at the majors--one who can bridge this transitional period and create their own. If Azarena does not repeat, for all of her 2012 success, she might appear to have hit a speedbump in her progress (which is not necessarily referring to Serena).