2015 Western & Southern Open (WTA) | Premier 5 | General Discussion Thread

Who will win the 2015 Western & Southern Open?

  • Serena Williams

    Votes: 6 50.0%

  • Maria Sharapova

    Votes: 1 8.3%

  • Simona Halep

    Votes: 2 16.7%

  • Petra Kvitova

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Caroline Wozniacki

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Ana Ivanovic

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Lucie Safarova

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Angelique Kerber

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Belinda Bencic

    Votes: 2 16.7%

  • Other...

    Votes: 1 8.3%
  • Total voters
    12
  • Poll closed .
Way to go out out on a limb saying the 2-time Slam champ is a bigger threat than the 18-year old. Real ballsy there.
 
THUNDERVOLLEY said:
Some love to dismiss just about every player as being ineffectual, but Vika is no joke, she's a majors winner and knows how to challenge anyone in the world; Muguruza proved she has a growing, serious game that should not be so quickly written off, then there's Keys, Safarova, and others who are not just showing up to say "hi and bye."



You suffer from the erroneous belief that being a fan means absolute belief and hope that a player wins always. It does not work that way, if one understands how sports and the individual works. For decades, I've watched favorite majors winners get to a point where they would go far at events, but either fall in quarters/semis, the finals--or even on day one. Between their ears, they still tried to construct games like the glory days, but something starts to give, whether it is physical or psychological--or both, but no one goes on winning forever. No rational fan expects a player to win everything, as that would (for example) mean someone thought Serena or Federer would have won Grand Slams every year from the start. If they could not do it in periods where they were stronger, less world-weary (i.e. tour), had greater connection between thought and game execution, then again, no rational fan would expect them to do it all in the here and now.

Whatever happens--happens, but from my POV, I believe Serena has suffered to the degree where the form of even 3 months ago is not there. I still say she will not win, but if she earns the Grand Slam--wonderful. She will share the GOAT platform with that very small group of tennis masters, but for all players, something just gives either today, or tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I did not say a fan needs to have "absolute belief and hope" that their favorite player will always win. What I am saying, however, is that you're downplaying the chances of the player who is most likely to win the US Open (based on career, experience, her place in history, the year to date, and yes - even current form).

And yes, I'm also saying that as a rational fan you can't possibly place any other player ahead of her (not even Bencic, who did beat her, but I think the reasons she probably won't win the US Open are too obvious to mention). And those who talk about Azarenka and the danger she represents, they're giving her the benefit of the doubt based on past achievements (it's also very possible that she won't win another Slam in her career). The very same benefit of the doubt that some Serena fans are not giving her, whose past and present achievements are miles ahead of Azarenka's.

No player can go on winning forever, that's true, and thank god it's true. But believing that this loss will come at this specific juncture - the bid to win the Grand Slam - reveals the presence of a coping mechanism more than the common sense of a rational fan.

And that's perfectly ok.
 
ScentOfDefeat said:
Very blatant anti-jinx tactics. None of this will matter when you're proven wrong in appearance but right in your heart (as a fan who wants it to happen).
Click to expand...

In defence of Thundervolley: he/she did go on record that SW wd not win (before each event) the 2014 YEC, the AO, RG, then Wimbledon. And consistently been of the opinion that she will not win the GS.
Such constancy should be applauded.
 
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Pretty funny listening to these commentators try to downgrade Steffi's competition and Serena is playing yet ANOTHER MUG in a tourney final and main competition is Pushniaki and CrapaPova
 
I thought it funny yesterday when Mary Jo kept making such a huge deal about #Halep beating #Serena once at YEC and being #2, saying #Halep had the game to challenge #Serena at the USOpen. Two days ago, Mary Jo went on a huge 15 minute discussion about how #Serena's elbow seemed to be affecting her serve, blah, blah......#Desperate

#GI​
 
#Halep's only chance to ever defeat #Serena is if #Serena's game is off. #Serena's best is always better than #Halep's.

#GI​
 
After the Grand Slam, Serena's goal should be the double Grand Slam with Olympic gold.

1410131666863_Image_galleryImage_7_9_2014_US_OPEN_TENNIS_L.JPG
 
AngieB said:
Oh, great. The immodest #RomanianFans are starting their #DavisCup behavior. Do they realize this isn't a soccer match?

#GI​
Click to expand...

Angie, are you really convinced of this "everything related to Serena is perfect/everything related to her opponents is the devil incarnate" logic? Why do you do this?
 
Good on Halep for making this set competitive. She deserves a lot of credit for being one of the FEW players on the tour who is consistently good. It's basically Serena, then Sharapova and Halep, then everyone else. Kvitova is sort of like the Wawrinka of the WTA in that she has won 2 Slams when absolutely redlining, but she doesn't peak consistently at the Slams like him.
 
Down_the_line said:
Good on Halep for making this set competitive. She deserves a lot of credit for being one of the FEW players on the tour who is consistently good. It's basically Serena, then Sharapova and Halep, then everyone else. Kvitova is sort of like the Wawrinka of the WTA in that she has won 2 Slams when absolutely redlining, but she doesn't peak consistently at the Slams like him.
Click to expand...
:rolleyes:
 
Halep has the belief, but the disparity in her serve and the William's return is so vast that she's got to GOAT on serve and somewhat on her own return.
 
Serena might be creating a monster here, who knows? It's a shame Halep isn't a bit younger. All this experience playing Serena could've prepared her for a stellar career. But at this point she's still looking for that first major title and it might take way too many years to finally break that barrier.
 
If you're a Halep fan it's fine and dandy to think "nobody can keep that level for a whole match" and "I must take advantage of a dip in Serena's form". But what is often forgotten in this kind of reasoning is that Halep (or any other player for that matter) can't keep this high level that allows her to compete with Williams for a whole match either. It's always advantage Williams, any way you formulate it.
 
THUNDERVOLLEY said:
Halep has a good chance to win this set, and Serena is not looking focused at all. Where is the repeating script now?
Click to expand...

The repeating script is the whole season so far. And the past few years. It wouldn't even be a competition if she won every single match. Utter domination at the elite level is not winning everything, it's winning almost everything. And she certainly does that. To the point where it almost feels like there is no competition.
 
Serena is serving lights out today. She otherwise is not playing the level of tennis I would think necessary to beat a very decent Halep.

This should be an interesting finish to the second.
 
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