Sloane... love her, but UGH!!!

[fuzz nation]

Anybody know whether she maybe has some sort of hellish situation going on behind the scenes? I see a talent that could absolutely be on top of the world for more than a couple of solid weeks at a major, but I also see a kid who hasn't made the decision to put on her big-girl britches and work it. Makes me wonder whether something awful it going on.

My dad had the match on last night vs. Konta before I started watching and he said that one of the commentators more or less said that Sloane looked lazy. Pretty sure that they were locals who are less prone than the TC cheerleaders who can only gush about US players (and worship Serena). How do you spell refreshing? For years I've been amazed and a little horrified with how she gets by on athletic talent and upper body strength while her legs and footwork are dead. A shortcoming that's sometimes forgivable at the high school level, but not when you're trying to climb the Mt Everest of the WTA.

She seems terrific and I always like when she can just be herself with an interviewer instead of just offering answers out of a can (sometimes in response to questions out of a can). I just can't believe that she's serious about her profession when she too often can't flex a knee or take an extra shuffle step to produce a decent shot. Her effort is too take-it-or-leave-it and her mental "situation" seems to be either pouty-pants or gone fishing.

With her obvious abilities, I believe that she could be #1. Maybe she just doesn't have that intangible - the drive, the fire, yaddah-yaddah. Maybe she needs some tough love. The TV gang mentioned that her long-time coach is out of the picture. Hopefully a new voice will have enough of a backbone to offer her a helping of humble pie and get her to dig in.

 

[Harry_Wild]

I watch this match between Konta and Konta wanted to really give Stephens the match. Stephen really played badly in both sets. Even when Konta gave her the break in the 1st game of the second set, Stephen just played even worse giving the break back to Konta. It was a pretty ugly match. Stephen just acted “unemotional” throughout the entire 1st set and 3 games of the second set and I quit watching after that! Stephen seems to be back to her old ways before winning U.S. Open, when she was a “hot and cold” type of player. Does not look good for her ranking in 2019 if that is her new “old” style of tennis.

Did not see the muscle bound tall boyfriend in sitting in her coaching staff entourage either.

 

[TahoeTennis]

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

Sloane is definitely has a lazy kind of play.
But sometimes the leg is there and she always get the ball even though it seems that she's not agile enough.

Take a look of her match vs Halep in both Canada and FO.

 

[TagUrIt]

I didn’t see the match, but I’ll definitely go back and try to watch the highlights. I really Sloane she’s a hell of a tennis player, but she can be very inconsistent when it comes to wins and losses. The WTA Finals for example, she was winning the match with momentum and looked like she was on her way to the title. Elina came in, wanted more and won.

 

[Big_Dangerous]

I feel like you could replace Sloane with the name of any other WTA player and it would still be fitting.

 

[fuzz nation]

I feel like you could replace Sloane with the name of any other WTA player and it would still be fitting.

Very much agree. The WTA has become a contest of nothing more than "Let's see who has more baseline bullets today." Commentators try to manufacture this dimension or that in a given match, but the vast majority of play is one-dimensional. Wanna-be's go out against big bangers like Serena and do nothing more than try to out-slug them. It's as precarious a choice as trying to out-push a pusher I think.

I look at Sloane and see a lady who can hit with anybody, but can also move better than just about anybody - when she decides to do it - and could make pressure from the baseline, the net, and everywhere else on the court. Her physical gifts are incredible, even when translated through the TV. As far as I can tell, she only undoes herself when she's too lazy to take one more little step. So there's the mental thing - that fire that some have and some don't.

Hoping she can trust a coach in the near future who won't sugarcoat it for her. The clock is ticking and it's time to make hay.

 

[Big_Dangerous]

Very much agree. The WTA has become a contest of nothing more than "Let's see who has more baseline bullets today." Commentators try to manufacture this dimension or that in a given match, but the vast majority of play is one-dimensional. Wanna-be's go out against big bangers like Serena and do nothing more than try to out-slug them. It's as precarious a choice as trying to out-push a pusher I think.

I look at Sloane and see a lady who can hit with anybody, but can also move better than just about anybody - when she decides to do it - and could make pressure from the baseline, the net, and everywhere else on the court. Her physical gifts are incredible, even when translated through the TV. As far as I can tell, she only undoes herself when she's too lazy to take one more little step. So there's the mental thing - that fire that some have and some don't.

Hoping she can trust a coach in the near future who won't sugarcoat it for her. The clock is ticking and it's time to make hay.

Although to her credit, she did manage to win a slam not while even being seeded in the draw. (US Open 2017)

 

[DSH]

Maybe she has many distractions outside of her life as a tennis player.
maybe only she thinks about having fun and the pressure is something that causes her a lot of stress and that is where the great difference between being a very good player and being a legend in a sport as mental as tennis lies.

 

[fuzz nation]

Maybe she has many distractions outside of her life as a tennis player.
maybe only she thinks about having fun and the pressure is something that causes her a lot of stress and that is where the great difference between being a very good player and being a legend in a sport as mental as tennis lies.

Exactly what I wonder about, too. She was out of action for a long time about two years ago, so I'd expect her to have some appreciation for being healthy and good-to-go. But she looks like a hot mess between the ears. Hard to believe that all is well in Sloane-ville.

 

[ollinger]

As I recall, Annacone's brief stint as Sloane's coach ended with him grumbling something about her work ethic.

 

[TagUrIt]

Very much agree. The WTA has become a contest of nothing more than "Let's see who has more baseline bullets today."

I respectfully disagree, tennis is essentially a baseline sport. However, I’ve seen diversity in a lot of matches, it’s not just about who can hit the hardest for the longest time. They’re are some sluggers in the WTA, but there are some surgeons on the courts too. Some of the angles these ladies create on shots for winners are ridiculous.

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

I respectfully disagree, tennis is essentially a baseline sport. However, I’ve seen diversity in a lot of matches, it’s not just about who can hit the hardest for the longest time. They’re are some sluggers in the WTA, but there are some surgeons on the courts too. Some of the angles these ladies create on shots for winners are ridiculous.

Sevastova seems to have a very complete game. Would love to see if she can at least reach a slam final.

 

[fuzz nation]

I respectfully disagree, tennis is essentially a baseline sport. However, I’ve seen diversity in a lot of matches, it’s not just about who can hit the hardest for the longest time. They’re are some sluggers in the WTA, but there are some surgeons on the courts too. Some of the angles these ladies create on shots for winners are ridiculous.

In a roundabout way I guess I agree with your disagreement to a point. Most of the ladies in the WTA that I like to watch are the ones with some dimension in their games and Sevastova is one of the handful that give me a little hope. I first saw Aggie Radwanska up close while she was playing in a doubles match at the US Open as a teenager. Even as a relative kid her hands were unbelievable and her retirement gives me a lot less to look forward to this coming year.

Unfortunately I do believe that too many WTA matches are about no more than who can hit the hardest for the longest time. Whenever a player with some all-court skill goes out there against a pure baseliner, it's usually pretty easy for me to recognize at least the potential for the all-courter to make things happen. But when two players keep settling into baseline rallies again and again through the course of a match, those points are only a 50/50 roll of the dice. When both men's and women's singles matches are airing on TV during the majors, most of the WTA action is mind-numbing for me and not because the ladies don't serve as big as the guys.

Yes, powerful baseliners can win a lot. But the sun is setting on the era of Serena, Azarenka, Sharapova, etc. I don't see a new handful of dominant baseline bangers that are stepping up to replace them and I think that's exactly why we see "upset city" from week to week around the WTA. Somebody notches her first big title or even a major and then disappears for at least the next six months. I've believed for a number of years that the next group of dominant WTA players will be proficient net-crashers who are also strong on the baseline, but I only see glimmers here and there.

Sloane is an example of somebody who is clearly gifted enough that she can do damage from everywhere on the court. If she finds the motivation and the right guidance, I think it will be scary to see what happens on a regular basis when those baseliners try to roll the dice against her.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

Sloane is my girl. That's enough for me. Its nice when she wins also.

 

[PDJ]

Stephens is so frustrating that she's hard to support. However, she's far more likeable than the legion of others who similarly lack consistency- Muguruza and Ostapenkoflop spring to mind.
That said, Stephens (of the more established players) doesn't ever appear to be phased (regardless of the result) when playing Serena Williams so that's something.

 

[Big_Dangerous]

Sloane is my girl. That's enough for me. Its nice when she wins also.

How does @Hitman's Gurl feel about this?

 

[Deleted member 77403]

How does @Hitman's Gurl feel about this?

LOL

 

[fuzz nation]

Although to her credit, she did manage to win a slam not while even being seeded in the draw. (US Open 2017)

Yes, indeed!! I was psyched for her when she put it together and took that one home, especially in the wake of being out of the game for a stretch.

Her win at the US Open seemed to be another case where one of the decent players in the WTA - there are several - got in the zone for a couple weeks and won it all. That probably sounds like a put down, but I like Sloane and at least in her case, I think my sentiment is sorta kinda the other way around. I think that she's going to be awesome when she can find that focus or commitment or who-knows-what on a more regular basis.

I know that she didn't win the Open completely by accident, but right now it's still a roll of the dice as to whether she will act like she's ready to embrace her chosen profession from one week to the next. I watched Benoit Paire mentally check out of a match this past week against Gilles Simon when Paire was up a set and a break. All was well, but he clearly pulled the ripcord between the ears when he got in a long snit with the chair umpire over a complete nothing-burger and chirped at him once or twice later on about the same thing.

Paire has some evil gremlins in his noggin. Nothing short of an exorcism will save that waste of talent. Hopefully Sloane just needs a little bit of an attitude adjustment and nothing more. I think the throne is waiting for her, but we'll see. It's OZ time!!!