Lilli Tagger: A New Hope For The One-Hander?
- Thread starter Rovesciarete
- Start date
ghostofMecir
Legend
Very tough win over German youngster Siedel. She’s now just outside of the top 100.
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
How do you rate her season before the key clay swing?
Was quite happy with her progress, process and points. Some good experience against the big gals and their higher pace. Now clay should enable her baseline game more. Her serve will make much more of a difference in a couple of years I'd wager...
TopspinSunshine
Rookie
I was watching her match against Badosa, this girl is something new for the Wta aesthetics
Big win for Lilli:
ghostofMecir
Legend
honestly, I think she did a lot better than I thought she would and just like you and I talked about, Clay was going to be her strong suit. I made a wager that she would cover the spread against Badosa and she won outright. I also put a small wage for her to win the tournament at +20,000.
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
Surprised that you got such odds! I stay away from betting but imagined better ones for a great talent on her favorite surface in front of a home crowd with much of the elite missing and the shift from hardcourts...
Tagger must have the highest backhand rpm on tour, doesn't she?
ghostofMecir
Legend
I thought it was a mistake since it’s Linz and there’s no Swiatek or Sabalenka or Gauff. They’re already offering cash out offers. Truth be told, I remember your comments about her enclave when I saw the offer and it persuaded me to jump on it lol
She has to be up there. Unlike what another poster has posted about a one-handed backhand being a bigger liability on the women’s tour, I don’t think it is because the biggest liability of a one-hander is on return and the serves she face aren't as difficult to handle as they are on the men’s tour. Additionally, one of the weaknesses of the one handed backhand return as it’s susceptibility to shorter returns, allowing for the server to go into the +1 forehand which isn’t as big of a threat on the women’s tour.
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
Hope it brings you luck, ironically Lienz is the most imporant town of Tagger's eastern Tyrol while Linz is the capital of Upper Austria*. Traditionally in Europe you use upstream/downstream to distinguish regions.
There is a very slim chance of Lilli winning it, but the bet seems intelligent as the market has priced that one badly imho.
Good points, I broadly agree. Overall the WTA has switch over far earlier, deciding very broadly against the one-hander. The serve/return dynamic has become steadily more in important in tennis. Less so on the WTA side but still the trend is clear.
Lilli might have the height and talent to make the one-hander work at the highest level. Compared to your average pro her contact point can be a good 10cm higher and the Italian school usually pays more attention to the slice and chip.
For now flat and hard cc backhands on hardcourt tend to be a problem...
P.S: Her Elo was 65th, just as her clay one. Andreeva has roughly 250 points more.
*my bad, edited!
Last edited:
fritzhimself
Hall of Fame
I hate to lecture anyone—but Linz isn't the capital of Lower Austria.
Linz is, and always has been, the capital of Upper Austria.
Just my two cents
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
I hate to lecture anyone—but Linz isn't the capital of Lower Austria.
Linz is, and always has been, the capital of Upper Austria.
Just my two cents
Well spotted! Wanted to correct that, but alas you were faster. Sorry to lay Linz so low...
fritzhimself
Hall of Fame
I attended the event in Linz yesterday. 
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
I attended the event in Linz yesterday.
Very well, good that you didn't drive to St. Poelten...
Good atmosphere from what I have seen.
Gazelle
G.O.A.T.
Well spotted! Wanted to correct that, but alas you were faster. Sorry to lay Linz so low...
Ye, you have to be careful with that. Given the modest size of Austria, by laying too low you might end up in Italy.
Zardoz7/12
Hall of Fame
She's playing well vs a perennial top 30 player and heavy hitter in Samsonova
And she wins with a tight second set tiebreaker.
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
Going down to Italy from that broader area has been a tradition for thousands of years
. Lilli is doing her part, although in times past there seems to have been a strong male bias...Jokes aside, I really enjoyed the match. Her first serve return seems to be the biggest weakness which fits the narrative around the one-hander. Her spinny forehand can also get rushed.
The return game is arguably the area in which progress over a pro career is the most difficult so I will keep an eye on that. On the other hand her serve should improve a lot...
fritzhimself
Hall of Fame
Babsi Schett conducted the interview for the international broadcast.
One might mistakenly assume that Lilli did that for the audience in attendance.
Schett conducted the “real interview” with Lilli in German for the audience, and that one was much longer.
ghostofMecir
Legend
What a tiebreaker! The +20,000 dream lives! Tagger up to #97 in live rankings.
Musterrific
Hall of Fame
Good to hear, because I was very annoyed that she was speaking English in that clip in her home country...Babsi Schett conducted the interview for the international broadcast.
One might mistakenly assume that Lilli did that for the audience in attendance.
Schett conducted the “real interview” with Lilli in German for the audience, and that one was much longer.
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
The 0-6 is unkind to Lilli's performance, but such things happen, more so on clay. Was looking good towards the end of the first set, but alas her run was stopped by a sometimes excellent Austro-Russian...
All in all her game is a joy to watch. Variety, angles, spirit are all there. I'm quite critical of the old Italian school of tennis, but I think her team is building a well rounded player. Her lankly frame makes quick changes of direction quite difficult on clay, but she grew late and works hard.
As written before the return of the first serve is her biggest weakness, while her own serve offers her the greatest potential. All in all a great start to her first proper pro clay swing!
Last edited:
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
I liked her reaction in German to that tough loss. Very mature and quite critical. Great run, huge media attention and so much new for the 18-year old. Anastasia did have a great day with her 'lefty backhand'.
Lots of potential to explore, which should be made easier by a great mindset and strong work ethic. Movement can be improved, but you can't buy height.
Andreeva and Mboko are of course ahead but I'm excited about her future tennis.
Lots of potential to explore, which should be made easier by a great mindset and strong work ethic. Movement can be improved, but you can't buy height.
Andreeva and Mboko are of course ahead but I'm excited about her future tennis.
Last edited:
forestmilan
New User
I watched her game vs samsonova on TV , it's amazing. Seemingly even on clay court, her backhand is still powerfull and resilient. While her forehand seems too shallow, which she should improve in future. Anyway, she's the star of future.
SwissMaestro81
Rookie
No, just in South Tyrol.
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
Shame for that loss after being up 4-1 in the third...
Her backhand blocks land a bit too often short. Maybe she could risk more on the return from both sides. The slightly bambi-esque movement reminds me of early teenage Sinner, and opponents love to play behind her. With some progress, there she might also be able to drop a bit deeper to take bigger cuts from both wings, as both strokes have a lot of potential topspin.
Love her attacking spirit. There are lots of areas to explore for her and the team. That lanky frame will need more time to develop compared to the stockier, more precocious Andreeva and Mboko.
Win or lose, I prefer to watch her play, more than almost any other wta player. She is by far the most entertaining player to me. I would pay to see her in person, no others at the moment, maybe Rybakina. And that is why I watch pro sports, to be entertained. Life can be a grind, why waste time watching dank tennis?
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
One of advantages to spotting talent early and living in Europe is the amount of small tournaments to visit. I will likely go to one of her games within the next three months.
Love the way how she plays tennis. In the past Italian coaches did play too little attention on the serve and power from the baseline, but usually develop well-rounded players. Her family and coaches in Tyrol did a fine job to set up her fundamentals - non only strokes but joy for the game and the proper mindset.
Her movement is (far) below of what we have seen in Coco, Mirra or Victoria at 18 but tall lads and lasses need more time.
