Roland Garros 2024 Ladies SF - [1] Swiatek v [3] Gauff

Who will win?


  • Total voters
    33
  • Poll closed .

Hitman

Bionic Poster
Really? Having issues reading numbers?
Last 2 matches were close 3 setters.
Only 1st one when Iga just turned 18 and penko was already GS champ was lopsided.

She got bread sticked in both matches, and Ostapenko was in cruise control at USO after first set. Only dropped four games and that too mostly from her own errors.

When Iga wins, we will talk.
 

pcplum

Semi-Pro
Henin with her 2007 racquet, and Seles with her 1992 frying pan, would both blow Swiatek off the court, even on clay.
What was the average groundstroke speed/spin rate in 1992 and 2007? Is there a data like that available for those years? I'm genuinely curious
 
Iga is bad matchup for gauff, just like she is for most of the wta. Even sabalenka has lost often. Only very few like rybakina can overpower her.

I don’t wanna hear about Osaka. Give me a player that you know is dedicated to the game 100 percent. Osaka gets too much of a pass with her shenanigans.
Osakas in comeback mode which takes time. She has won around 4 slams, she knows dedication. Azarenka too had a similar path.
Whatever off court stuff she does or decisions she makes (which I haven't followed) doesn't change that. The same way Bartys early retirement decision rather than being dedicated to winning over a longer career doesn't change anything.
 
I have nothing against her personally, I actually like some of the wit and humor she sometimes brings. I did not like her gamemanship, but it has gotten much better. She has the best base consistent level, and deseves what she gets, but other players A game is superior to hers. We will leave it there.

That's fine!
 

THUNDERVOLLEY

G.O.A.T.
I don’t wanna hear about Osaka. Give me a player that you know is dedicated to the game 100 percent. Osaka gets too much of a pass with her shenanigans.
No one determinses what "dedication" is--other than the player. But of course, Osaka having a conscience pissed off the red hat extremists and their ilk of the world, so she is their target. The truth of the matter is that Osaka is rusty and on the comeback trail, yet she still enrolled a confused Swiatek in a tennis clinic in the 1st set of their match at this 2024 French Open. When she fully returns to form, Osaka will prove what all rational minds know: she's a superior player in almost every category to Swiatek.
 

Bambooman

Legend
Iga is bad matchup for gauff, just like she is for most of the wta. Even sabalenka has lost often. Only very few like rybakina can overpower her.


Osakas in comeback mode which takes time. She has won around 4 slams, she knows dedication. Azarenka too had a similar path.
Whatever off court stuff she does or decisions she makes (which I haven't followed) doesn't change that. The same way Bartys early retirement decision rather than being dedicated to winning over a longer career doesn't change anything.
Azarenka has yet to fully come back and it's been years now.
 

zvelf

Hall of Fame
Thats Iga s weakness. If someone just hammers winner after winner , she is clueless
This sounds like it is saying something, but it's not really saying that much. You can beat every single tennis player who ever lived if you just hammer winner after winner. That ignores the fact that the best players don't let you do that based on their positioning and them putting you on the defense and Iga is very good at that. Hey, Gauff, just go out there and hammer winner after winner and you'll win. No sweat. Uh, no, that's not how it works. If it is, why is Sabalenka a sorry 3-8 vs. Swiatek?

I call that BS. Iga was not able to play her best, the same way she cannot play her best against Ostapenko. Quite simply put, she is not allowed to. Or are you saying Ostapenko just happens to redline everytime?

Iga has a solid game, no question, but she can be overpowered and hit off the court. She is consistent, but her best is not the best on the tour. Her base however, especially on clay is superior, she gets all my credit for that.
I mostly agree with your second line, but regarding your first, Ostapenko did not "just happen" to successfully redline all 4 times she beat Swiatek. That's Ostapenko's game, to redline all the time. She goes for every shot like a hound on a fox, and when Ostapenko is really on, very few people can beat her. And when Ostapenko is really off, most people can beat her. Not coincidentally though, none of those matches were on clay and one was when Iga had only been on the tour for 5 months and was nothing close to the level she is now.

She's pretty good obviously but I'm not sure Iga displayed a higher clay peak than Henin or SW this century. Taking her over Sharapova though.
I don't think Swiatek has surpassed Henin but she has surpassed Serena. Iga has already won RG 3 times (a likely 4th in 2 days), same as Serena over her entire career (and one of Serena's wins was against Safarova, a fluke finalist, not to mention Bacsinszky in the SFs and Errani in the quarters). Serena won six 1000-level clay titles in her entire career. Swiatek just turned 23 and already has four.
 

zvelf

Hall of Fame
Azarenka is pretty much done. She might have another big moment, but that’s it ( and I don’t expect her to win a slam).
It's kind of funny that Azarenka has beaten Ostapenko 3 times this year alone.

When she fully returns to form, Osaka will prove what all rational minds know: she's a superior player in almost every category to Swiatek.
Sure, peak Osaka is superior to Swiatek on hard court, but she isn't on clay. This match on clay against Swiatek was the best match Osaka has ever played on the surface and she still lost. Osaka is 0-5 vs. top 10 players on clay and 2-10 vs. top 20 players on clay.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
sadly not limited to WTA… Medvedev, Zverev and Rune all have similar (less glaring, but very real) issues with forehand consistency
Yes, those players have some issues, but not nearly to this extent (and I would argue that, aside from a strange technique, Medvedev doesn't really have an issue).

Those guys are pretty regularly in 20+ shot rallies, with more difficult incoming balls to deal with, and they are often error free. Medvedev especially is famous for liking to engage in long, grueling rallies.

Gauff seems to have a pretty low limit and shot tolerance. Plus a few that just miss completely (look at her forehand on match point. That ball landed about two feet wide, and maybe 10 feet long)

What was the average groundstroke speed/spin rate in 1992 and 2007? Is there a data like that available for those years? I'm genuinely curious
I don't know, but why does it matter? Plenty of players knew how to use slice back then (something that has abandoned the top tier of the WTA since Barty retired). I've said this before, but I'd like to see Swiatek, Sabalenka or Rybakina attempt to play their power game when someone like Henin is making them dig up ball after ball from a foot off the ground, from corner to corner.

And perhaps you forgot what Seles could do with the ball. How many inside out backhand winners did Gauff hit today? Seles would hit balls like that in her sleep.
 

pcplum

Semi-Pro
I don't know, but why does it matter? Plenty of players knew how to use slice back then (something that has abandoned the top tier of the WTA since Barty retired). I've said this before, but I'd like to see Swiatek, Sabalenka or Rybakina attempt to play their power game when someone like Henin is making them dig up ball after ball from a foot off the ground, from corner to corner.
I think it matters a lot. You only see the way Henin/Graf/Seles would hit the ball at the current top crop but fail to appreciate that the 90/00's bunch would face much heavier incoming ball from the current bunch. Trying to hit a precise ohbh slice off of much heavier and higher ball on clay is quite difficult.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
I think it matters a lot. You only see the way Henin/Graf/Seles would hit the ball at the current top crop but fail to appreciate that the 90/00's bunch would face much heavier incoming ball from the current bunch. Trying to hit a precise ohbh slice off of much heavier and higher ball on clay is quite difficult.
Well, it doesn't matter because the racquet and string technology has changed so much that the data would be meaningless. Plus, as mentioned, slicing is almost extinct in the WTA.

As for the last part, yes, it could be a challenge for some, but players like Henin and Graf were supremely talented and would have no problem defusing power with slice. I mean, we got to see a broken down Graf play twice against a rip-roaring young Serena, and Graf did just fine. Likewise, Henin did well against Serena, especially on clay, and Serena had plenty of power.
 
D

Deleted member 810491

Guest
Well, it doesn't matter because the racquet and string technology has changed so much that the data would be meaningless. Plus, as mentioned, slicing is almost extinct in the WTA.

As for the last part, yes, it could be a challenge for some, but players like Henin and Graf were supremely talented and would have no problem defusing power with slice. I mean, we got to see a broken down Graf play twice against a rip-roaring young Serena, and Graf did just fine. Likewise, Henin did well against Serena, especially on clay, and Serena had plenty of power.
Look how powerful Graf-Seles were in 1992, so I think Graf/Seles would be ranked #1 and #2 today as well.
RG Classic Match: Seles-Graf (1992 final) - Roland-Garros - The official site (rolandgarros.com)
And Graf's footwork on clay looks better than everyone today, including Swiatek.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
Look how powerful Graf-Seles were in 1992, so I think Graf/Seles would be ranked #1 and #2 today as well.
RG Classic Match: Seles-Graf (1992 final) - Roland-Garros - The official site (rolandgarros.com)
And Graf's footwork on clay looks better than everyone today, including Swiatek.
Hey, on this one I agree with you completely.

The highlights in that link are a revelation. They are both so much better than today's players. Better touch, better tactics, better decision making, better movement, more variety... And yes, Graf's footwork just blows Swiatek's out of the water. There's no comparison.

I agree, Graf and Seles would be #1 and #2 today.
 

pcplum

Semi-Pro
The highlights in that link are a revelation. They are both so much better than today's players. Better touch, better tactics, better decision making, better movement, more variety... And yes, Graf's footwork just blows Swiatek's out of the water. There's no comparison.f
They are the revelation of how much slower and less powerful the game was. They clearly had more time to react. And the ball speed/speedrate comparison is quite meaningful. Facing an average ball at 60mph/1800rpm isn't the same as facing an average of 75/2500.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
I'm glad you posted this. It's quite clear how much slower the ball speed was that time. Poor spinrate as well. No wonder their footwork looks so good.
Stop clowning. The ball speeds do not look demonstrably slower at all. You seriously think anyone's current 2 handed backhand is that much harder than Seles' in that video? If you do, you are completely lost and confused (and we won't even talk about how much better Seles controls and places it).

As for speeds, post some stats or stop making things up.
 

Connor35

Professional
Being super aggressive is one way to go, but Gauff committed 39 unforced errors across 2 sets, which is what happens when you try to redline your game. I guess if you happen to get hot that day, you win, but on average, she's still not beating Iga this way. That said, the second set was better than the first and had some searing power rallies in there.

This is the only way to beat Iga. And there is so little margin to do it.
Rybakina and Penko have pulled it off. Sabalenka on occasion. Naomi nearly.
You’ve got to go huge and have a good day. Hard to do both.
But everyone always says how Iga struggles with big hitter (not really true) but you’ve gotta try to be a big hitter if you want a chance.
 

Connor35

Professional
It makes no sense. Who does that? LOL. Especially when they are dominating

Dominating? Let’s look at the data.
between her first major win (RG 2019) and 3rd and final (AO 2022) major win she:

R4, R4, semi, quarter, R2, R3, Win, R3

Thats 27 wins in 8 major. averaging making the 2nd week. 3.5 wins per major.

Ash was a great player and a joy to watch. But she wasn’t dominating the tour. How soon people forget What the truth actually was.
 

Connor35

Professional
She has the best base consistent level, and deseves what she gets, but other players A game is superior to hers. We will leave it there.

And yet Iga had a 80% winning % on all 3 surfaces last year.
No one else did that on even two surfaces.

There is no Big 3 in the WTA as some claim

There is a Top 1, by far, and a “Next 3” with Coco, Aryna, and Elena.
 

Connor35

Professional
It's kind of funny that Azarenka has beaten Ostapenko 3 times this year alone.


Sure, peak Osaka is superior to Swiatek on hard court, but she isn't on clay. This match on clay against Swiatek was the best match Osaka has ever played on the surface and she still lost. Osaka is 0-5 vs. top 10 players on clay and 2-10 vs. top 20 players on clay.

And Iga bageled Naomi last time they played on hard court...in a final!
 

pcplum

Semi-Pro
Stop clowning. The ball speeds do not look demonstrably slower at all. You seriously think anyone's current 2 handed backhand is that much harder than Seles' in that video? If you do, you are completely lost and confused (and we won't even talk about how much better Seles controls and places it).

As for speeds, post some stats or stop making things up.
Absolutely no clowning, the ball speed looks much slower and it definitely was slower back in those days as was the spinrate. Slower ball means more time to react and redirect the ball. Świątek's DTL backhand would absolutely devastate Steffi as she used to like to linger on her bh side as far as I remember. She was a still amazing player but hard to compare as they'd never face each other anyway.
 

jdx2112

Hall of Fame
That should not be the point for Swiatek. Gauff did not hit that before the call was made.

That’s crap.
Simultaneous. Watched it about 5 times on replay. It was a hard body serve Coco couldnt' get around on. She had no chance. Call didn't do anything to hinder her. It's close...either call would be fine.
 

jmnk

Hall of Fame
"You people"? WTF? Who are "you people"? No, really, explain to me what people you are talking about.


Tell me one top level player the "USO Champion" has beaten since that USO? Name them, please.

And yes, Gauff broke on a point where she hit two consecutive lines, and Iga got frazzled. Do you even watch the tennis? And no, it's not great.
well, let's for starters assume that by 'Top Player' we mean a player in WTA top 15. So here's your list:
Sakkari
Jabeur
Vondrousova
Qinwen Zheng

edit, never mind, pointed out several times already
 
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jmnk

Hall of Fame
Thats Iga s weakness. If someone just hammers winner after winner , she is clueless
to expand on this wisdom:
if a team scores on every possession in basketball the opposing team is clueless
if a batter hits a home run on every pitch the pitcher is clueless
if a hockey team scores on every shot the other team is clueless
if a chess player makes a perfect move every time the other player is clueless
if Kyrgios/Hurkacz hit an ace on every serve the other player is clueless. I wonder why they do not do that - it would be so easy to become undefeated.....
if............
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
And yet Iga had a 80% winning % on all 3 surfaces last year.
No one else did that on even two surfaces.

There is no Big 3 in the WTA as some claim

There is a Top 1, by far, and a “Next 3” with Coco, Aryna, and Elena.
I disagree. Last year in particular it was very much a big 3 or even 4 when Coco turned up for the American Summer.

Swiatek was the champ at RG, WTA Finals & Beijing. Runner up at Dubai and Madrid.
Sabalenka was the champ at AO and Madrid. Runner up at Indian Wells and USO.
Rybakina was the champ at Indian Wells and Rome. Runner up at AO & Miami.
Gauff was champ at USO and Cincy.

This year Rybakina and Gauff have dropped off but Sabalenka is still up there with her Aus Open title and Madrid and Rome runner ups to Swiatek.

I wouldn't say Swiatek is top 1 "by far". If she loses to Paolini (which won't happen) she wouldn't even hold a slam. Her slam results haven't been great. 3R at the AO, 4R at the USO and QF at Wimbledon.
 

jmnk

Hall of Fame
No one determinses what "dedication" is--other than the player. But of course, Osaka having a conscience pissed off the red hat extremists and their ilk of the world, so she is their target. The truth of the matter is that Osaka is rusty and on the comeback trail, yet she still enrolled a confused Swiatek in a tennis clinic in the 1st set of their match at this 2024 French Open. When she fully returns to form, Osaka will prove what all rational minds know: she's a superior player in almost every category to Swiatek.
a what? you are talking about the set where Swiatek was up a break 4:3 and 40:0 on serve, and missed an easy shot to go up 5:3? Potentially on a way to a routine 6:3 or 6:4 set?

Would it be routine? - I do not know. Would Swiatek win had she actually went up 5:3? - I do not know. Would Osaka won had she made that shot at 30:15 to get two match points? - I do not know. Will Osaka ever fully return to form - I do not know. She is a great player, definitely can happen though.

What we do know that as per results (i.e. facts) as of today Osaka is not superior to Swiatek in _any_ category actually.
 

volleyandfun

Hall of Fame
I disagree. Last year in particular it was very much a big 3 or even 4 when Coco turned up for the American Summer.

Swiatek was the champ at RG, WTA Finals & Beijing. Runner up at Dubai and Madrid.
Sabalenka was the champ at AO and Madrid. Runner up at Indian Wells and USO.
Rybakina was the champ at Indian Wells and Rome. Runner up at AO & Miami.
Gauff was champ at USO and Cincy.

This year Rybakina and Gauff have dropped off but Sabalenka is still up there with her Aus Open title and Madrid and Rome runner ups to Swiatek.

I wouldn't say Swiatek is top 1 "by far". If she loses to Paolini (which won't happen) she wouldn't even hold a slam. Her slam results haven't been great. 3R at the AO, 4R at the USO and QF at Wimbledon.
If we were to decide that, an easy way is the top 10 record vs each other.
And this year, with the exception of Stuttgart, Iga is ALL:1
Overall, she is by far the most dominant against the top 10.
And if she loses against anyone, it's a tight 3 setter.
Just in case, Dubai and Miami loses were against not top 10,
and these 2 tournaments (plus Cincy) feature the worst surface for her.
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
If we were to decide that, an easy way is the top 10 record vs each other.
And this year, with the exception of Stuttgart, Iga is ALL:1
Overall, she is by far the most dominant against the top 10.
And if she loses against anyone, it's a tight 3 setter.
Just in case, Dubai and Miami loses were against not top 10,
and these 2 tournaments (plus Cincy) feature the worst surface for her.
That's all good and well looking at H2H records but that doesn't paint the clearest picture. As I said, if Swiatek somehow lost to Paolini she wouldn't even hold a slam right now. I wouldn't call that a a "top 1 by far".
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
She currently 1.44 times as many points as #2.

That’s a huge gap.

The gap between #1 Iga and #2 Sabalenka is larger than from #2 Sabalenka to #5 Pegula.
Again, that's all good and well but if Swiatek was to somehow lose to Paolini she wouldn't even be a reigning slam champion. Wouldn't hold a single slam.

Her slam results the last 12 months weren't great.
3R Aus Open
4R US Open
QF Wimbledon

She's devoured points at the 1000 titles which have not been easy and she's shown why she's very good, but again, not so good at the slams.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
Absolutely no clowning, the ball speed looks much slower and it definitely was slower back in those days as was the spinrate. Slower ball means more time to react and redirect the ball. Świątek's DTL backhand would absolutely devastate Steffi as she used to like to linger on her bh side as far as I remember. She was a still amazing player but hard to compare as they'd never face each other anyway.
You absolutely cannot judge balls speed and spin rate definitively based on that video. The eye test says the difference to today's game isn't that great, but you seem to have defective eyes, so there's that. As for spin, only Swiatek hits a relatively spin heavy ball. Most of the other big WTA hitters are rather flat hitters, especially off the backhand side.

Seles' backhand is absolutely as good as anyone on the current WTA tour, in terms of power, and better in terms of control and placement. Just look at some of the rallies in that video. That type of tennis basically doesn't exist in today's game. The current crop of players can't maintain long rallies of high quality/intensity. It's also hilarious that you think Swiatek's down the line backhand would somehow devastate Graf. You seem to be completely clueless about how good Graf actually was, how smart she played and how well she moved.

well, let's for starters assume that by 'Top Player' we mean a player in WTA top 15. So here's your list:
Yes, as discussed elsewhere, that assumption isn't correct. The WTA top 15 is filled with plenty of non top players (players who have had a big result to bolster their ranking, and have totally fallen out of form since).

a what? you are talking about the set where Swiatek was up a break 4:3 and 40:0 on serve, and missed an easy shot to go up 5:3? Potentially on a way to a routine 6:3 or 6:4 set?

What we do know that as per results (i.e. facts) as of today Osaka is not superior to Swiatek in _any_ category actually.
Serve. Osaka has a far better serve than Swiatek.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
And yet Iga has the highest hold % on tour.
Naomi is 3rd.

Iga is 2nd in return games won; Naomi is 133rd.
Do you always try to counter arguments with irrelevant stats?

There is more to holding service games than serve alone. Osaka's serve is better.

And what do return game stats have to do with the fact that Osaka's serve is better?
 
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The Green Mile

Bionic Poster
Wow, didn't know that the H2H was so lopsided, has Gauff really only won a couple of sets? Quite impressive that they've already played double digit amount of times as well.
 

Subway Tennis

G.O.A.T.
Iga’s average serve speed at RG has gone up almost 10mph since last year (102mph -> 111mph). Gill Gross talked about it today.

She’s not just holding the line and remaining the best at RG she is literally mutating and getting quite a bit better.

There are areas of her game that can further improve, too (net game for example). It’s pretty scary to think she might still be 2-3 years off her clay peak.

As a Gauff and Iga fan I’m obviously not happy with how the match ended. I wanted a better match. But you can tell even for an incredibly mentally strong player like Coco that Iga is already partially living rent free in her head and forcing her to retreat from her natural game, even a player with as many tools for winning as Gauff. That’s a scary level of dominance.

You could forgive Iga for relying on this aura that she has earnt through her incredible play win rate but it’s interesting to see she is not relying on that she is getting even better.

The level and depth of competition in the WTA right now has created a monster in Swiatek.
 

Subway Tennis

G.O.A.T.
Chris Evert’s comments that Mary Carillo talked about were phenomenal. Not surprised to hear Chris Evert talk in such glowing and reverential terms for another player. Everyone has been quick to reassure Chris that she is totally wrong and Iga is not a better player than her, but it’s classic Chris Evert to be so gracious and self-effacing.
 

roysid

Legend
This is the only way to beat Iga. And there is so little margin to do it.
Rybakina and Penko have pulled it off. Sabalenka on occasion. Naomi nearly.
You’ve got to go huge and have a good day. Hard to do both.
But everyone always says how Iga struggles with big hitter (not really true) but you’ve gotta try to be a big hitter if you want a chance.
Yep. That's right. And Danielle Collins nearly pull it in this year's AO before her choke in 3re set
 

pcplum

Semi-Pro
You absolutely cannot judge balls speed and spin rate definitively based on that video. The eye test says the difference to today's game isn't that great, but you seem to have defective eyes, so there's that. As for spin, only Swiatek hits a relatively spin heavy ball. Most of the other big WTA hitters are rather flat hitters, especially off the backhand side.

Seles' backhand is absolutely as good as anyone on the current WTA tour, in terms of power, and better in terms of control and placement. Just look at some of the rallies in that video. That type of tennis basically doesn't exist in today's game. The current crop of players can't maintain long rallies of high quality/intensity. It's also hilarious that you think Swiatek's down the line backhand would somehow devastate Graf. You seem to be completely clueless about how good Graf actually was, how smart she played and how well she moved.
It's glaringly obvious how much slower the loopy spin shots off of Seles' racket were. It's a function of the racket and strings she had but you already established that we're talking of the contest between then Seles and now Świątek using their respective equipment. Graf with her ohbh would have a hard time slicing much heavier ball coming from Świątek. The reason that type of tennis doesn't exist in today's game is because it's a more powerful game thanks to polyester strings and racket technology. They had more time to move around those days which they don't have now.
 
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Connor35

Professional
Do you always try to counter arguments with irrelevant stats?

There is more to hold service games than serve alone. Osaka's serve is better.

I just provide facts instead of everyone else’s non-fact based speculation.

Serve speed is important.

Positioning is equally vital and Iga’s positioning is very good.
 

zvelf

Hall of Fame
Yep. That's right. And Danielle Collins nearly pull it in this year's AO before her choke in 3re set
The thing is that Swiatek is getting ever better at handling players who try to hit through her and no one is talking about that. Collins got Swiatek that one time at the AO, but Swiatek has improved since then and won the next 5 matches vs. Collins. In the last match at Indian Wells, Swiatek crushed Collins 6-3, 6-0 during Collins hottest year on tour. Swiatek has beaten Sabalenka the last 3 times they played, two of those in easy routine wins even though one of those was on hard court. The only actual successful "hit-through-her" opponent is Rybakina, but part of that is because Rybakina has the best first serve in women's tennis and her height gives her less trouble against Iga's high-bouncing shots.

In other news, Swiatek is a -2100 betting favorite against Paolini.
 

coolcamden

Hall of Fame
In other news, Swiatek is a -2100 betting favorite against Paolini.

2,1 and 3,0 does that.

The real question is whether Jasmine will get more than 3 games the whole match. Especially on Gia’s favorite tournament where she doesn’t want to leave anything to chance so she’ll be even more ruthless.
 

tennis4me

Hall of Fame
2,1 and 3,0 does that.

The real question is whether Jasmine will get more than 3 games the whole match. Especially on Gia’s favorite tournament where she doesn’t want to leave anything to chance so she’ll be even more ruthless.
If there's a hidden continuing pattern, Paolini will get 4 and 5.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
As a Gauff and Iga fan I’m obviously not happy with how the match ended. I wanted a better match. But you can tell even for an incredibly mentally strong player like Coco that Iga is already partially living rent free in her head and forcing her to retreat from her natural game, even a player with as many tools for winning as Gauff. That’s a scary level of dominance.

The level and depth of competition in the WTA right now has created a monster in Swiatek.
Are you even watching WTA tennis, or just tuning in for the big matches. In order...

Coco's mental strength is a myth. She literally started crying in the last match over a questionable judgement call from the umpire (at 0-15, so hardly a key moment). And if you watch her other matches, she regularly starts to get in her own head and start making bad mistakes (wild forehands, a ton of double faults, poor shot selection in big spots). People think Coco is mentally strong because her best asset is her defense, and that is something that is easy to maintain even in pressure moments. Chasing after balls is chasing after balls, and you will rarely get "too tight" to do that. As for her tools, that's her main tool. Getting everything back. And her backhand is pretty good. But her "tools for winning" simply boil down to making her opponents choke. And in the WTA...

Are you kidding with the level and depth? Gauff walked into this semi, and then got trashed. Just like in Australia, just like in other big tournaments where she looks good until she plays one of the few decent players on tour. Jasmine Paolini is in a grand slam final. Let that sink in. Zidansek was in the French Semis two years ago, and Linette was in the AO semis that year. I could go on all day...

It's glaringly obvious how much slower the loopy spin shots off of Seles' racket were. It's a function of the racket and strings she had but you already established that we're talking of the contest between then Seles and now Świątek using their respective equipment. Graf with her ohbh would have a hard time slicing much heavier ball coming from Świątek. The reason that type of tennis doesn't exist in today's game is because it's a more powerful game thanks to polyester strings and racket technology. They had more time to move around those days which they don't have now.
Ha, what? Aside from the fact that you wouldn't say that about Nadal's shots, you actually contradicted yourself. They didn't have racquet and string tech back then that was conducive to big spin, and Seles hit two-handed off both wings, which is naturally flatter than a one-handed shot. So if anything Seles was hitting pretty flat, and hitting with precision. She was regularly returning Graff's deep and low slices to deep and difficult spots, and generating all of her own pace as those slices don't give her much to work with. If you actually understood the game you were watching, you would understand these things.

And, again, a physically frail Graf was able to hang with the power and speed of a young Serena, so don't clown around with the suggestion she would struggle with Swiatek.
 
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