Simona Halep and #2 Rank

[muttu34]

I'm a big Halep supporter and not an expert in tennis, so apologies if this question seems out of order.
However, I did watch Halep play Muguruza where she was destroyed to a point where she had to apologies to her fans, and last night I watched her match against Saharapova until 3am here in the UK.

How can someone like Halep who has no other weapons than hitting from the base line with such a weak 1st and 2nd server be #2 and potentially #1?

And, why would Darren Cahil not work on these weaknesses? He's a brilliant coach with an impressive track record. Has Halep reached her maximum potential limit and is this all she can produce?

Sharapova yesterday introduced new weapons to her game Vs. Halep (Slicing, and Drop shots) which were effective.

Just thinking out loud.

 

[fedtennisphan]

Maybe tennis fans or Halep fans overestimated Cahill as a coach and her potential. She is not a kid, she can't think for herself? Cahill at one point had to walk away because of her attitude. This is the problem I have with on-court coaching. It sends the message that the player can't think for themselves and with no clear game plan.

 

[muttu34]

Just saw this article that actually talks about my question and ways to improve. A good read:

http://literaryeditormariushancu.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/simona-halep-emperors-naked-attitude.html

Marius Hancu is a member here in TT as well.

 

[a10best]

She is a scrambler, a great baseliner with no real weapon to hurt a top 5 player besides her speed. I think her only Grand Slam chance is the French. I consider her today's Safina or Jankovic (high ranking but not a slam champ). The puzzling thing she has close matches with Serena, Vika, and Maria.

I think you're right about Darren not working on her serve. That serve is for a 50th ranked player. Maria looked way different. Very agile, better serve, and shot variety.

 

[donquijote]

You can't fix height.

 

[skip1969]

To be honest, the rankings in the WTA haven't really meant all that much for the past 10 plus years. I mean, they show who is winning consistently. But they really aren't an indicator of anything else.

They don't really instill confidence that players will make their seeding or progress far at the biggest events. Serena really has been the only 'sure thing' on the tour for a while now. Even when her ranking was low, she generally made it to the latter stages of events, or won them. Because her ranking/seeding is irrelevant. That's how far ahead she is of the rest of the tour.

For every other WTA player, each tourney is pretty much a crapshoot, even if they are seeded 1 or 2.

 

[fedtennisphan]

You can't fix height.

Halep didn't lose to Sharapova because of height but lost the mental battle.

 

[r2473]

Don't worry OP, Murray will be back soon. You can make it

 

[muttu34]

You can't fix height.

If it's only the height, then Halep wouldn't have beaten taller players. If I recall, she actually did beat Serena in the WTA Finals a few years ago?
I think her issue is mental, and lack of weapons and variety in her shots.

 

[Feduruza]

Totally agree with OP. She has no business being #2 with that serve.

 

[tennisaddict]

It is like asking why cannot Ferrer be No 1 or why cannot Rafa defend HC titles. There is a ceiling for everybody.

 

[donquijote]

Halep didn't lose to Sharapova because of height but lost the mental battle.

Agreed on this. She was shaky from the beginning. Why so stressed? She must have too much load on her shoulders.

 

[donquijote]

If it's only the height, then Halep wouldn't have beaten taller players. If I recall, she actually did beat Serena in the WTA Finals a few years ago?
I think her issue is mental, and lack of weapons and variety in her shots.

You can't have a good serve with variety with that kind of height. Cibulkova also made it to No3 last year I believe and I like both girls but Halep chokes in big matches and it wasn't a big match yesterday but she made it so by that kind of attitude.
Sharapova was not moving well in the second and third and Smona only kept hoping she would make errors. You can't win like that at high level tennis.

 

[deacsyoga]

I have no idea how on earth she is ranked so high. Horrible serve, no big weapon in her entire game, and her defense and consistency arent even on par with Kerber of last year or Wozniacki at her best. She really isnt a top 5 caliber player. She has gotten some big luck with draws, and chokes by opponents (eg- Svitolina at the French). That she couldnt even beat an old washed up Sharapova last night again proves she does not merit such a rank. I hope this 1st round loss sends her plunging which is long overdue. Will never win a slam or be ranked #1. Missed her best chances at that already.

 

[muttu34]

I have no idea how on earth she is ranked so high. Horrible serve, no big weapon in her entire game, and her defense and consistency arent even on par with Kerber of last year or Wozniacki at her best. She really isnt a top 5 caliber player. She has gotten some big luck with draws, and chokes by opponents (eg- Svitolina at the French). That she couldnt even beat an old washed up Sharapova last night again proves she does not merit such a rank. I hope this 1st round loss sends her plunging which is long overdue. Will never win a slam or be ranked #1. Missed her best chances at that already.

I think if she improves her 2nd server, and adds a bit of variety to her game that she could get a slam under her belt. That may do wonders to her confidence and mental strength as well.
However, as she is today... she defo doesn't deserver to be in the top 10, let alone top 2.
But then again.. what do I know in comparison to Darren Cahill and other experts?

 

[deacsyoga]

I think if she improves her 2nd server, and adds a bit of variety to her game that she could get a slam under her belt. That may do wonders to her confidence and mental strength as well.
However, as she is today... she defo doesn't deserver to be in the top 10, let alone top 2.
But then again.. what do I know in comparison to Darren Cahill and other experts?

Cahill is a clown coach. His only success coaching sort of was Agassi, which wasnt really due to him. He got Agassi as a finished product and only won 1 slam with him despite Agassi being a big contender for a good 3-4 years more.

I am not surprised Halep has only gotten worse, more defensive, and more of a mental midget under him. He should stick to the commentary booth, that is what he is good at (well not even really that, but as bad as he is, he is one of the better of the ESPN horror crew).

 

[muttu34]

You can't have a good serve with variety with that kind of height. Cibulkova also made it to No3 last year I believe and I like both girls but Halep chokes in big matches and it wasn't a big match yesterday but she made it so by that kind of attitude.
Sharapova was not moving well in the second and third and Smona only kept hoping she would make errors. You can't win like that at high level tennis.

Variety was regarding her game in general and not just her serve.