Lindsay chokes YET AGAIN!!!

[Coria]

Lindsay Davenport is one of the all time choke artists in tennis history. Her 3 grand slams in 50 slam attempts--none in 6 years and chokes in big events prove it yet again and again.

I watched the match today--she choked. She does not come up with the stellar play when she needs it. Lindsay is not a true number one player. FIVE big tournaments this year--ZERO WINS. It's been like this for too long. I wish she'd retire. I'm tired of seeing her coming up small again, and again, and again, and again in big matches. She is not a clutch player and rarely has been. She plays her best tennis in the less meaningless matches. With the exception of a few matches, it's been this way for her 12 year career.

 

[8PAQ]

Mary Pierce is now 4 - 0 in the WTA Tour Championships. Is that due to her improved play or is because other top women players suck? Honestly, I can't tell anymore who is that best WTA player. In August or Sept I would say Kim Clisters. But now I just don't know...

 

[raftermania]

You do realize out of the millions of female tennis players on the face of the planet, Lindsay can beat 99.9% of them?

Give her a break geeze.

 

[edberg505]

Mary Pierce is now 4 - 0 in the WTA Tour Championships. Is that due to her improved play or is because other top women players suck? Honestly, I can't tell anymore who is that best WTA player. In August or Sept I would say Kim Clisters. But now I just don't know...

I really think it is because Mary is playing like a woman possesed! When I saw the match today I was like wow. Who is this lady? Where did she come from? I would not say that Lindsay choked, she just got out played today. Mary was hitting the ball very cleanly and playing very smart tennis.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

I really think it is because Mary is playing like a woman possesed! When I saw the match today I was like wow. Who is this lady? Where did she come from? I would not say that Lindsay choked, she just got out played today. Mary was hitting the ball very cleanly and playing very smart tennis.

yes, let's recognize her merits.

 

[rommil]

What Lindsay needs is a better attitude and a hungrier approach. The way she walks in between points and when she prepares for a shot doesn't really exudes confidence. She needs to incorporate that hop in her step to psyche herself up. Her game is really not different from before which obviously has given her better results in the past.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

Coria just tells it like it is. Lindsay is a chronic choker, with her career record in tournaments, vs top players leading into slams and overall, in reaching late rounds of slams, her failure to win the big match more often; often sacrificing substantial leads in not doing so, is astounding. It is sad she will be year-end #1 over the far more worthy Clijsters, who overcame her own demons to win the big event at the U.S Open, along with like Lindsay winning alot of other tournaments outside the slams.

Today I dont think was a blatant choke though. It was a high quality match and she did not sacrifice a set and break lead with tenative submissive play. I think Mary did earn the win today. Many other times Lindsay gives it away though.

 

[Keifers]

Mary Pierce is now 4 - 0 in the WTA Tour Championships. Is that due to her improved play or is because other top women players suck? Honestly, I can't tell anymore who is that best WTA player. In August or Sept I would say Kim Clisters. But now I just don't know...

Yes, too bad Kim faded in these championships. She was outstanding this summer and earned her US Open title in impressive style.

Mary is playing very good tennis. It's good to see. She seems to have gotten a handle on her psychological obstacles of old... unlike Lindsay, who doesn't seem to have addressed hers much, if at all.

 

[Serve-And-Volley]

I think Davenport, is a deserving number 1 and a great player, she consistenly, year after year wins and makes it deep in tournment draws. Cut Lindsey some slack, she has some age but shes still out there winning, and I admire that.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

Yes it is very unfortunate Clijsters blew her chance to be year-end #1 after these Championships. She certainly deserved it more than Davenport. How embarassing that a woman who has not won a slam in nearly 6 years, has been year-end #1 3 of the last 5 years. Winning slams is not important, collecting points other ways, the way you do supermarket coupons is what makes you the top dog according to the computer.

 

[bigserving]

Every tennis match ever played has a winner and a loser. Noe one wins them all.

I just cannot subscribe to the notion that a player can achieve number one status and be a choker.

What do want her to strive for, number zero?

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

That she is able to attain the World #1 ranking so often, with such a long streak of not winning a grand slam, is not a sign she earned the #1 ranking, she certainly did not, but the flawed ranking system which does not award enough points for winning a grand slam relative to other results; which would almost ensure a slam winner in the last 12 months was the current #1 as long as atleast one reigning slam winner had even reasonable results in other events. The flawed ranking system thus not have this, and the results are there for all to see, a woman who has not won a slam in almost 6 years, who NEVER wins an important match, as year-end World #1 3 of the last 5 years.

 

[Grimjack]

Lindsay is, if anything, one of the great overachievers in tennis history. This is a woman whose big-and-galumphy genetic physical makeup suggests that she was born to be the prototypical cafeteria lunch lady. That she has succeeded in parlaying the genetic hand she was dealt into three slams and no small number of weeks as a world #1 has to be one of the great feats of athletic determination in the history of sport.

This is like if Danny DeVito had become a legend as an NFL running back through sheer determination. And we want to call her a choker? Please. If anything, we should find her mental fortitude inspirational.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

Lindsay Davenport's mental fortitude inspirational. ROTFL! That is one of the funniest things I have ever heard.

 

[adamc637]

Lindsay Davenport's mental fortitude inspirational. ROTFL! That is one of the funniest things I have ever heard.

Why?

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

Why?

Ummm, because it is so far from the truth that it is funny perhaps.

 

[DashaandSafin]

I would go as far to say most of the top women are chokers or were chokers. Name some women who are big match players. I would not put Pierce in that catagory. Look at the USO 2005 where she was manhandled, or womanhandled, by Cljisters.

 

[Ronaldo]

Lindsay is, if anything, one of the great overachievers in tennis history. This is a woman whose big-and-galumphy genetic physical makeup suggests that she was born to be the prototypical cafeteria lunch lady. That she has succeeded in parlaying the genetic hand she was dealt into three slams and no small number of weeks as a world #1 has to be one of the great feats of athletic determination in the history of sport.

This is like if Danny DeVito had become a legend as an NFL running back through sheer determination. And we want to call her a choker? Please. If anything, we should find her mental fortitude inspirational.

LD has a great hand, Father, Wink, participated in the 1968 Olympics in volleyball and mother, Ann, is president of Southern California Volleyball Association. Both older sisters played collegiate volleyball.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

I would go as far to say most of the top women are chokers or were chokers. Name some women who are big match players. I would not put Pierce in that catagory. Look at the USO 2005 where she was manhandled, or womanhandled, by Cljisters.

Here are a few recent ones:

Graf
Seles
Serena Williams
Venus Williams
Jennifer Capriati
Justine Henin-Hardenne
Aranxta Sanchez Vicario

In my opinion all great match players. They did not always win, but rarely if ever did they succumb to pressure, in fact they played even better under the most intense pressure. For all the heat Serena is given for her fitness issues, etc......I have never seen her have a big match collapse on par with many of Lindsay's. The closest would be the 2004 Wimbledon final where she was beaten badly by Sharapova, but she was just a bit flat and outplayed that day, and she was never in position to lose the match due to nerves, since she was never in control.

 

[Ronaldo]

8 different Slam champions the past two years, it is apropos that Mauresmo and Pierce REPRESENT at the yr ending championship.

 

[scotus]

Lindsay is deservedly #1 at the moment, and there's no significant flaw in the ranking system. Lindsay has consistently made the finals, semi or quarters at the Grand Slam events, and because of injuries and other reasons, no one really dominated the WTA. Therefore, #1 ranking goes to the most consistent player.

On the other hand, if Clijsters can come back from having fallen to some-140 in the world and claim the year-end #1 title with only 1 Grand Slam in her bag, then that would signal a flaw in the ranking system.

 

[Coria]

Yes, too bad Kim faded in these championships. She was outstanding this summer and earned her US Open title in impressive style.

Mary is playing very good tennis. It's good to see. She seems to have gotten a handle on her psychological obstacles of old... unlike Lindsay, who doesn't seem to have addressed hers much, if at all.

Wait a minute there. Mary Pierce completely sucked in the two grand slam finals this year--playing scared, tentative, etc. She has failed under pressure as much as Davenport in her career. Her performance in the French Open final against Henin was absolutely PATHETIC. Clearly, she folded under the weight of playing in France.

At the US Open final, she was almost as bad. Let's see how she does tomorrow. Remember, she's won two majors in 11 years but has had almost as many poor performances in the QF's, SF's and Finals as Davenchoke.

 

[darkblue]

let's not put down lindsey for this...

it's the system which puts her at #1 is the problem

 

[Coria]

I've struggled every year I've played here," she said. "I never played quite that well against the best players here."


There folks, right from Lindsay's mouth. That's the story of her play in general in the five biggest tournaments every year. She has said that so many times and also talks about how great her opponents played. In one way, that's admirable, but it also shows her lack of toughness in being too easily willing to accept losing in the biggest of matches.

 

[DashaandSafin]

Here are a few recent ones:

Graf
Seles
Serena Williams
Venus Williams
Jennifer Capriati
Justine Henin-Hardenne
Aranxta Sanchez Vicario

In my opinion all great match players. They did not always win, but rarely if ever did they succumb to pressure, in fact they played even better under the most intense pressure. For all the heat Serena is given for her fitness issues, etc......I have never seen her have a big match collapse on par with many of Lindsay's. The closest would be the 2004 Wimbledon final where she was beaten badly by Sharapova, but she was just a bit flat and outplayed that day, and she was never in position to lose the match due to nerves, since she was never in control.

Hmm true. I guess it just seems to me that there are much more chokers on the womens tour than mens.

 

[Keifers]

I wouldn't say Lindsay chokes -- which to me means caving in, breaking down, and playing badly (lots of unforced errors) under pressure -- as much as she can't seem to dig deep and raise her game at critical moments. She appears to be unable to talk to herself in a way that helps her believe she can come through and win.

To me this is amazing given how long she's been a pro. I suspect she's not been very open to any kind of psychological-type performance coaching. And it certainly is a testament to her natural talent (has there ever been a better striker of the ball? I don't think so) and to her dedication to her physical fitness and training.

What we "say" to ourselves in pressure situations is extremely important, and can be worked on and conditioned just like the physical components. Commentators like Mary Jo have said Lindsay can be extremely hard on herself. That can be addressed very effectively -- but apparently she hasn't done it.

 

[samster]

Mary Pierce is playing surprisingly well. I have never seen her play this well. Must be her new tennis racket.