Sabalenka will never beat Gauff in a slam final

E.T. said:
Clay is a favorable surface for counter punchers and good movers.
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Coco has developed her game since dropping Gilbert. Where she was winning strictly on playing “ugly tennis” , she’s developed more tools using here talent to bring just enough fire power to win matches.

After that USO her game got more defensive. Forehand was just a meatball and opponents just attacked. That is no longer the case.

She’s not just strictly a defensive player. Her game is growing with more offensive weapons enough to win slams with an already elite movement/defensive skill set.
 
Hopefully we never see Sabalenka again. She has had enough get out of jail free cards with the slam final chokes. I’ve lost count of the amount of finals chokes she’s had all on her racket. At some point you go “that’s enough stop poisoning our eyes with your incessant chokes. Get a new hobby in life lady ”


I would rather just an unranked bottom feeder in the slam finals than a paper number 1 like mugalenka choking her way to another runner up trophy
 
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scotus said:
Congratulations to Coco. American tennis remains vibrant.
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FEMALE American tennis.

images
 
ChrisJR3264 said:
Coco has developed her game since dropping Gilbert. Where she was winning strictly on playing “ugly tennis” , she’s developed more tools using here talent to bring just enough fire power to win matches.

After that USO her game got more defensive. Forehand was just a meatball and opponents just attacked. That is no longer the case.

She’s not just strictly a defensive player. Her game is growing with more offensive weapons enough to win slams with an already elite movement/defensive skill set.
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She has a big serve and a good backhand, but she still relies heavily on her movement and opponent missing after she retrieves x amount of shots. Aside from her serve, her playing style is still primarily defensive. Nothing wrong with that, she’s the best defender in the women’s game currently.
 
E.T. said:
She has a big serve and a good backhand, but she still relies heavily on her movement and opponent missing after she retrieves x amount of shots. Aside from her serve, her playing style is still primarily defensive. Nothing wrong with that, she’s the best defender in the women’s game currently.
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Her forehand is no longer a liability.

you’re stating what she has is a big serve and good backhand and elite movement/defense skills. That’s a top 2 player right there lol. Nothing negative about it.

She has developed enough offensive firepower to win multiple slams. Great job coco.
 
ChrisJR3264 said:
Her forehand is no longer a liability.

you’re stating what she has is a big serve and good backhand and elite movement/defense skills. That’s a top 2 player right there lol. Nothing negative about it.

She has developed enough offensive firepower to win multiple slams. Great job coco.
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The announcers were talking about how bad of a match this was, but said that luckily people remember who wins, not the quality of the match, lol. Sums it up perfectly anytime a counter puncher wins. Good shot making is always more exciting to watch.
 
E.T. said:
The announcers were talking about how bad of a match this was, but said that luckily people remember who wins, not the quality of the match, lol. Sums it up perfectly anytime a counter puncher wins. Good shot making is always more exciting to watch.
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Tell that to the person who lost the match.
Have you ever played on clay?
You’re stating coco hit zero high quality shots?
Can you go out there and outhit coco?

A counter puncher is not a pusher btw. How else do you beat someone as aggressive as Sabalanka? Redirect. Redirect. Redirect.
 
ChrisJR3264 said:
Tell that to the person who lost the match.
Have you ever played on clay?
You’re stating coco hit zero high quality shots?
Can you go out there and outhit coco?
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Why are you turning this into a personal attack? Are you also a counter puncher? This seems really personal for you. Why are you so deeply offended by me stating what literally every single announcer on television also says? They said at the beginning of this match that it’s a matchup between the best offensive player and best defensive player in women’s tennis. Defense came out on top today.
 
E.T. said:
Why are you turning this into a personal attack? Are you also a counter puncher? This seems really personal for you. Why are you so deeply offended by me stating what literally every single announcer on television also says? They said at the beginning of this match that it’s a matchup between the best offensive player and best defensive player in women’s tennis. Defense came out on top today.
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You seem to be confused what a counter puncher is.

How do you strategize against aggressive big hitting opponents? Do you try to beat them at their own game or do you adapt to a strategy to redirect their pace? High IQ players would redirect, not try to out hit them.

And I highly respect counter punchers who can have a diverse game of aggressive tactics and defensive as well. Bc sometimes you’re the aggressive player. Then others you have to be the defensive counter puncher.
 
ChrisJR3264 said:
You seem to be confused what a counter puncher is.

How do you strategize against aggressive big hitting opponents? Do you try to beat them at their own game or do you adapt to a strategy to redirect their pace? High IQ players would redirect, not try to out hit them
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You, sir, seem to be the confused one. Have you not played tennis before? Counter punchers can and often do have weapons, they just prefer to win most of their points by constructing them in a more conservative and defensive fashion that relies on longer points and minimizing risks, waiting for their opponent to get impatient. Counterpunching is a mindset based on risk aversion. I’m beginning to think you either don’t actually play tennis or just have a very low tennis IQ. Coco plays defensively as a choice against everyone she plays, not just Sabalenka.
 
TheGoldenEra1990’s said:
Hopefully we never see Sabalenka again. She has had enough get out of jail free cards with the slam final chokes. I’ve lost count of the amount of finals chokes she’s had all on her racket. At some point you go “that’s enough stop poisoning our eyes with your incessant chokes. Get a new hobby in life lady ”


I would rather just an unranked bottom feeder in the slam finals than a paper number 1 like mugalenka choking her way to another runner up trophy
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So glad Keys won AO this year. :)
 
E.T. said:
You, sir, seem to be the confused one. Have you not played tennis before? Counter punchers can and often do have weapons, they just prefer to win most of their points by constructing them in a more conservative and defensive fashion that relies on longer points and minimizing risks, waiting for their opponent to get impatient. Counterpunching is a mindset based on risk aversion. I’m beginning to think you either don’t actually play tennis or just have a very low tennis IQ. Coco plays defensively as a choice against everyone she plays, not just Sabalenka.
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Lol so you don’t adapt to the style of play your opponent to attack their weakness? And you’re saying my tennis IQ is low…
 
ChrisJR3264 said:
Lol so you don’t adapt to the style of play your opponent to attack their weakness? And you’re saying my tennis IQ is low…
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Find and link an example of Coco playing an entire match against a top 10 player where she is the primary aggressor.
 
SinneGOAT said:
It amazes me sometimes how young she is, it feels like she’s been on tour forever but it’s only been like 4-5 years and she’s still only 21. She’s got a lot more time left on tour.
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Agreed. She burst into the scene very quickly. She has been in the public eye since summer 2019, 6 years ago.

Sabalenka lost three slam finals, all to Americans.
 
GRASScaraz said:
If she wants another GS it won't happen against the American junkballer

Gauff is WTA Santoro and Sabalenka can't stand her game at all!
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Djokovic lost yesterday, Sabalenla lost today; it's a holiday in the world of tennis.
:)
 
Tennfan123 said:
Sabs will beat coco 3 and 3 in an AO final.
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Very possible. Or even 3 and 3 in NY.
I don’t agree with OP as I think Sabalanka can and will beat coco in another slam final. Sabalanka is too good not to.

Coco is a different player from last year. She is more aggressive with her forehands and while she may not hit “sexy winners” at the rate of sabalanka, she’s redirecting pace and hitting with enough pace/rpm’s that neutralizes opponents. She’s really become an all court player that should win multiple slams.

Sabalanka would benefit incorporating more finesse to her game.
 
E.T. said:
Why are you turning this into a personal attack? Are you also a counter puncher? This seems really personal for you. Why are you so deeply offended by me stating what literally every single announcer on television also says? They said at the beginning of this match that it’s a matchup between the best offensive player and best defensive player in women’s tennis. Defense came out on top today.
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A counterpuncher is not necessarily always defensive and is definitely not a pusher. It’s called a counterpuncher because they use their opponent’s pace to punch back with high percentage offense. A pusher doesn’t exist at the pro level
 
ChrisJR3264 said:
Very possible. Or even 3 and 3 in NY.
I don’t agree with OP as I think Sabalanka can and will beat coco in another slam final. Sabalanka is too good not to.

Coco is a different player from last year. She is more aggressive with her forehands and while she may not hit “sexy winners” at the rate of sabalanka, she’s redirecting pace and hitting with enough pace/rpm’s that neutralizes opponents. She’s really become an all court player that should win multiple slams.

Sabalanka would benefit incorporating more finesse to her game.
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Sabs tearing up the way she does every other slam final makes me think she has a slight addiction to the drama of the sabotaging defeat. I think she’ll not add finesse and she’ll just keep having these huge swings in finals.
 
DSH said:
What matters is the current state of tennis.
:p
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You said it is a holiday in the world of tennis, didn't say anything about state....I mean Sabalenka is a world number one in her peak, so surely her losing isn't a good sign for the state of tennis, right?

This sounds more like your personal preference. Hence why I asked, during this holiday, did Nadal get the slam record, or does Djokovic still hold it? :)
 
Hitman said:
You said it is a holiday in the world of tennis, didn't say anything about state....I mean Sabalenka is a world number one in her peak, so surely her losing isn't a good sign for the state of tennis, right?

This sounds more like your personal preference. Hence why I asked, during this holiday, did Nadal get the slam record, or does Djokovic still hold it? :)
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What does one thing have to do with the other?
Neither Sabalenka nor Djokovic should have made it this far in this edition of RG, but it was clear they weren't going to meet their ultimate goal.
:)
 
Sabalenka is 90% power and 10% finesse. It's high risk, high reward tennis.

What separates Gauff from most of the rest is her ability to retrieve balls time after time that no other player would make, making Sabalenka play 2-3-4 aggressive, high risk shots just to win points, and when you play that sort of a game, you will eventually miss and start throwing in errors. This is exactly why she lost at the USO in 2023 and exactly why she lost today.

This is also the reason why Kostyuk has given her some problems this clay season. She also moves and defends just about as well, but is mentally suspect. Gauff isn't.
 
ChrisJR3264 said:
Very possible. Or even 3 and 3 in NY.
I don’t agree with OP as I think Sabalanka can and will beat coco in another slam final. Sabalanka is too good not to.

Coco is a different player from last year. She is more aggressive with her forehands and while she may not hit “sexy winners” at the rate of sabalanka, she’s redirecting pace and hitting with enough pace/rpm’s that neutralizes opponents. She’s really become an all court player that should win multiple slams.

Sabalanka would benefit incorporating more finesse to her game.
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"Sabalanka would benefit incorporating more finesse to her game."

I think she already has and it worked a bit today with some of the drop shots, but not enough...and at times seemed panicked....should come to the net more too off her powerful shots...even a serve and volley or two a set
 
DSH said:
What does one thing have to do with the other?
Neither Sabalenka nor Djokovic should have made it this far in this edition of RG, but it was clear they weren't going to meet their ultimate goal.
:)
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Just asking, you are very excited with the happy days, so I wondering if meant your idol got his slam record back.

If not, then its all good for everyone else also. (y)
 
marc45 said:
"Sabalanka would benefit incorporating more finesse to her game."

I think she already has and it worked a bit today with some of the drop shots, but not enough...and at times seemed panicked....should come to the net more too off her powerful shots...even a serve and volley or two a set
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Yes using it more is exactly what I meant by that. That is a weakness of hers: not going to plan b when things aren’t working.
 
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