Atherton2003
Hall of Fame
Is Sakkari the one with the scary eyebrows?
LAF has what many of these WTA players don't have. The mind.Sabalenka hasn't won a slam either and is relatively unlikely to do so tbh. After watching what we just did I doubt she ever does it. I don't see why cheering for the younger player with much more promise is surprising.
I remember the same thing about a then 19 year old Ostapenko when she won RG...She just turned 19 and with the improved power as she matures will be there. No injury issues either that I have heard of.
The mind is there and her serve will only improve making her less acceptable to flashes.
Her chances to win a slam are not good. Osaka, Halep and others will be back at some point.Sabalenka hasn't won a slam either and is relatively unlikely to do so tbh. After watching what we just did I doubt she ever does it. I don't see why cheering for the younger player with much more promise is surprising.
That is what happens when you have the right attitude and composure.Huh? "So far beyond"? Sabalenka isn't even the best player in the WTA and took Fernandez to the limit while hitting 8 double faults. Fernandez just squeaked by Osaka and Svitolina so didn't look "so far beyond" them either. Fernandez is great, but she doesn't put everyone else to shame. Let's see how she does in the final.
She never had the right attitude. Ever. Plus that was clay.I remember the same thing about a then 19 year old Ostapenko when she won RG...
Choked what? A 4-0 lead in the 3rd set? 5 match points? She was behind the entire 3rd set. Was down 4-2, but managed to get to 4-4. But she played a better player in my view.
Choking for me is when you lose from a winning position. She was never in a winning position. Never.
It's both. It's a fluke, but Fernandez is still a very good player. Those aren't mutually exclusive concepts.
To win these tournaments, you need to be a good player and you need to have some level of luck. But players who play like Fernandez give themselves a lot of opportunity for luck. Listen, if Caroline Wozniacki can make it to number one and stay there for weeks... Fernandez can win the US Open.
They win 1 big tournament, collect their big paycheck and then live an easy life off the fame and sponsorships it gets them. There's no incentive for any of them to become an all time great and we can clearly see that by all the different winners and different names in the latter stages of every slam.People ask why I was cheering for Sabalenka, it's comments like these.
Fernandez coming out of nowhere and winning a slam is on brand for the WTA and then not backing it up. I hope she becomes an ATG and wins more but who knows. This feels Ostapenko-esque.
That was a mug draw as well. Halep the only good player she faced at that point iirc.She never had the right attitude. Ever. Plus that was clay.
only when she's in competition mode.Is Sakkari the one with the scary eyebrows?
That is the point. LAF doesn't have that mentality or seem like she will. But time will tell.They win 1 big tournament, collect their big paycheck and then live an easy life off the fame and sponsorships it gets them. There's no incentive for any of them to become an all time great and we can clearly see that by all the different winners and different names in the latter stages of every slam.
My hope for the next ten years for men is that there will be many different Grand Slam winners - the big 3 era is winding down and I want one of those Grand Slam winners to be my new favorite player Carlos Alcaraz!!!!And in men, just 4 guys won Grand Slams. WTA looks healthier in that sense.
Ostapenko was redlining in every match. Leylah is playing smart. Hits lines as well, but they are like night and dayI remember the same thing about a then 19 year old Ostapenko when she won RG...
Osta was also a mental mess.Ostapenko was redlining in every match. Leylah is playing smart. Hits lines as well, but they are like night and day
Can we wait and see if she actually wins the final? (;That is what happens when you have the right attitude and composure.
Many of these women would have slams if they had LAF mind.
Looks adorable.Now Layla can get a good sponsor and nicer skirt....she is a small girl with a skirt big enough for a 250 pound woman
No; Novotna was much worse. From 4-1 40-30 third set she DFed to deuce to begin the crumble to a 4-6 loss to Graf. Thanks to her grittiness, she did wind up a Wimby champion five years later and partially erased that fail from our minds.That is quite possibly the biggest choke I've ever seen. Maybe Coria rivals it but man.... that was bad.
WTF!
She won the Monterrey Open earlier this year!
Doesn't matter if she does otter doesn't. She has proved she has the game and mind at 18.Can we wait and see if she actually wins the final? (;
Take it easy, my friend. I’m just expressing an opinion. And mine is different than yours."for me"
That's all you needed to say. Defining words to your liking is free and gratis.
I meant that people were posting as if she already has a Grand Slam title. She just turned 19 on Monday.Doesn't matter if she does otter doesn't. She has proved she has the game and mind at 18.
her mental weakness is her undoing. She should have won 2-3 majors by now with all the talent she hasSabalenka hasn't won a slam either and is relatively unlikely to do so tbh. After watching what we just did I doubt she ever does it. I don't see why cheering for the younger player with much more promise is surprising.
Take it easy, my friend. I’m just expressing an opinion. And mine is different than yours.
Since the first set became tied at 3-3, Sabalenka was not leading. She lost the first set, took advantage of a bad service game of Fernandez at 4-4 in the second, and in the third was down 4-2. Bad games happen, just like 4-4 by Fernandez in the second. That’s not a choke.
Huh? "So far beyond"? Sabalenka isn't even the best player in the WTA and took Fernandez to the limit while hitting 8 double faults. Fernandez just squeaked by Osaka and Svitolina so didn't look "so far beyond" them either. Fernandez is great, but she doesn't put everyone else to shame. Let's see how she does in the final.
Only thing I'd quibble with is the bolded, she does the opposite, Fernandez doesn't play the high % grinding game to maximize her chances/luck. She is ripping the ball on the rise like peak agassi, and changing direction at the same time. You have to be elite to be able to do that, I can't think of another wta player like her, I don't think the competition will know how to cope with it since 99% of them are bashers/grinders.
Her ability to lift/find a way under pressure is really encouraging & probably her biggest weapon of all.
nice story i guess but can she win it ?? this girl has done nothing so far in her career,,,, could be flash in the pan... That's what i am afraid of........
She probably did a bit, but she will only improve and become more consistent.Agree. But there are many here who are simply saying she is playing beyond expectations. I think she deserves respect.
She's guaranteed $1 million just to make the final.So here's the deal, she has ton of family to support. from what i am reading her family is poor. She needs to sign some Multi Million dollar contracts soon so that she can support her family, it is her turn now
Very true. I didn't rate her high prior to this tournament, but these results are hard to ignore.Nothing about this run by Fernandez seems like a flash in the pan. We shall see.
With Juanqui Ferrero on board, Carlitos is in really great hands. We'll finally have that upgraded Ferrero we were robbed in 2004.My hope for the next ten years for men is that there will be many different Grand Slam winners - the big 3 era is winding down and I want one of those Grand Slam winners to be my new favorite player Carlos Alcaraz!!!!
Almost forgot there’s another possible epic after this. What a night
No weak era for her.
I can also say that Fernandez choked the second set, or the 4-2 lead in the third.I'm not pissed, just never saw while choking should only apply to missing leads - as if mental weakness doesn't strike in even battle as well, in fact just as often.
I remember the same thing about a then 19 year old Ostapenko when she won RG...
You don't have to be in a winning position to choke. You can be on even terms and then completely underperform in a crucial situation and that's still considered choking to me.Choked what? A 4-0 lead in the 3rd set? 5 match points? She was behind the entire 3rd set. Was down 4-2, but managed to get to 4-4. But she played a better player in my view.
Choking for me is when you lose from a winning position. She was never in a winning position. Never.
So, did Fernandez choke the 2nd set?You don't have to be in a winning position to choke. You can be on even terms and then completely underperform in a crucial situation and that's still considered choking to me.
I can also say that Fernandez choked the second set, or the 4-2 lead in the third.
The mental part is important, but Sabalenka’s loss today wasn’t solely due to mental weakness. She lacks the game to make her a great player. She also played a good player who is having an amazing run. As I said nearly two hours ago, Fernandez has say about the outcome of this match, not just Sabalenka. Why? Because she is really good.
I can’t remember the last time we saw something like this. Iirc all 3 of the TBs vs Osaka, Kerber, and Svitolina were win or go home, I know Osaka-Kerber she dropped the first set.Not a single easy match for Ley en route, a pretty unique occasion. In every match she depended on winning close sets and managed a 7-1 record in 7-6/7-5 set affairs.
so you saying she will be dominant #1 in very near future ??Very strange comment considering LAF turned pro right before the pandemic and only turned 19 last week.
When she was 16, LAF made the finals of the junior Australian Open and won the French. She turned pro at the end of the summer in 2019 and made the semis of her first pro ITF event. We all know how 2020 went, but LAF did make the 3rd round of the French at the end of last year, then won her first WTA level tournament earlier this year to bump up into the top 75 as an 18 year old. The run to the US Open final is surprising, but not shocking considering she was one of the best juniors in the world and has such a tight game.
1 million doesn't get very far with such large family.... and is it cause you don't have the proof ???She's guaranteed $1 million just to make the final.
And then there will be endorsements for a lot more money.
She won't be poor anymore.
And don't ask me for proof again!