Sabalenka vs Gauff

I keep waiting for things to materialize. What am I waiting for? I don’t have a frigin clue. I don’t watch WTA matches much, but I want to understand the mindset that goes into the matches.

I feel that there is so much room for something new (from the Big Bang Theory).

I would start by cleaning up the return games. And I’m not foolish. I’ve played plenty of matches where I scared the shit out of servers because I could rip a winner return on any serve. I could also miss a few too, which is why I understand the mentality of what they are doing.

As the years have gone on, I have learned the value of putting more returns in play and picking and choosing when to go big (the hard part is when every ball I see looks like a winner ball). I have the same mentality in baseball and softball. I don’t care where the pitch is…over the plate, in front of the plate, left of the plate, inside, etc…I can hit every pitch and do something with each contact.

The (+1) errors are very wasteful.

One interesting point at the start of the match was at 1-0, 0-30. Gauff played a middle-game point. It was smart. She used Box 3 and 2. The problem was that Sabalenka hit a winner on shot number 5. She wasn’t having it. I like that Gauff is “Using her head” but this is why I hate the (+1) errors. There is room to add different combos to the match and make the middle game points more effective.

You just can’t play a smart point at 0-30 and expect results. The other player has an “idea” of what’s going on (or the coaches do).  Certain patterns work well with others. Others are like mush. The mush patterns are like the lady who matches her socks with her shorts and with her shirt. All yellow across the board.

YUCK!

Five games in. Nothing has been established (but, I see Coco trying).

**Big issue**

At 3-2 Deuce (2-3 because Coco was serving). Sabalenka chips a forehand crosscourt return and stops in the neutral position. This bugs me because it means that 5 games in, Coco has not established (+1) manipulation. If she had, Sabalenka would be leaning one way or the other, but she’s dead neutral. This is why (+1) errors and return errors kill momentum. It makes the players react like the movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray. Repeating the same thing over and over and nothing changes.

Is it me or do the women on WTA get “Stuck” to close to the baseline?

If they hit it perfectly and supply pace, it’s an easy redirect winner. I’ve hit returns quite a few times that were struck well and in what I thought was a good spot only to watch as the other player uses my pace against me.

Can they benefit from playing deeper behind the baseline or is it wise to just stand at the baseline and trade blows?

7-6 first set but I see so much opportunity for (+1) manipulation.

There are so many “Leaked” points (I hate to say this but Sabalenka’s return and (+1) is far better than her opponents during the week of the Aussie.

There are spacial patterns that would wreak havoc on WTA players. A player who has a dual-threat backhand would also be devastating.

Slice and topspin power.

The biggest problem with controlling the slice and the topspin during the match is funny. It’s comical. It’s so silly that it will make you hit yourself in the head.

It’s the backswing.

The slice backswing is higher than the two-hander. What happens during the match, if you get too defensive, is that you lose the feel on the two-hander because the backswing is “lifted” from its usual position (In college I would get so pissed when I lost my feel to my two-hander. I never knew why it would “go away” during the match. The problem was an easy fix.

**If you find this happening during the match you have a couple of options.

1)    To stick to crosscourt for a few points on the Ad side (If you are on the other side of the net and you notice this…there are things you can do to not let the player get their timing back…Manipulation patterns where you take away the two-handers…pressuring the two handers…**I said this about Mannarino. High, heavy forehands can “raise” his hands and when you come in low on him he will “pop” up the pass and give a meaty volley or he will hit the net**

2)    One box only. Box two or Box three loads (again. If you are on the other side of the net, you have to recognize what they are trying to do).

I stopped watching.

I’m too tired and there was nothing to uncover.