DAY 3 REVIEW AND ACE'S DAY 4 PICKS

by Karen 

I was surprised when so many tennis fans were shocked when Monica Nicolescu took out Sabine Lisicki in 3 tough sets last night. Lisicki's tweet, which was later deleted, about being beaten by the heat just shows the over inflated ego of Ms. Lisicki.  

Serena Williams continued her march towards the next round by taking out Vesna Dolonc in what I can only describe as a half hearted match.  I mentioned on  Twitter that the top 4 women seem to be playing with much ennui.  There is no spring in their step or even any emotion on the court through the first 2 rounds.  I am hopeful that as all 4 women progress through the rounds, we will see a lot more fire, rather than ice not only flowing through their games but in their on court demeanour as well.  It could very well be that they are tempering their emotions as a result of playing in what has been described as hellish heat. 

Overnight results certainly seem to have gone to plan with Stosur and Dellaqua flying the home flag high in their respective matches.  Genie Bouchard overcame a very dangerous opponent in Razzano and Keys fell flat to Zheng Jie, a semifinalist here a few years ago. 

Day 4 OOP sees the return of Sharapova and Jankovic and dark horses Stephens, Halep and Wozniacki. Ace's picks are below 

Jankovic vs Morita - Jankovic

Nara vs Rybarikova - Rybarikova

Erakovic vs Diyas - Erakovic

Lepchenko vs Halep - Halep

Suarez Navarro vs Voskoboeva - Suarez Navarro

Voegele vs Cibulkova - Voegele

Cornet vs Giorgi - Cornet (match of the day)

Knapp vs Sharapova - Sharapova

Radwanska vs Govortsova - Radwanska

Minella vs Pavlyuchenkova - Pavlyuchenkova

Muguruza vs Schmiedlova - Muguruza

McHale vs Wozniacki - Wozniacki

Stephens vs Tomljanovic - Stephens

Rogowska vs Svitolina - Svitolina

Jovanovski vs Meusburger - Jovanovski

Zahlavova Strycova vs Azarenka - Azarenka

Sharapova starts proceeding on Day 4 and I am reminded of her match in 2007 against Camille Pin when Sharapova almost melted in the heat of Melbourne.   It has been 6 years since that match.  Pin has since retired and Sharapova is a lot fitter.  Temperatures are forecast to be in the 100+ F range again today. 

This and That

I read a recent interview where Sloane Stephens indicated that she was checking her phone during her match and knew what the temperature was.  Call me cynical and correct me if I am wrong but I thought bringing electronic devices on court during a match was forbidden.  I seem to recall Bethanie Mattek-Sands was prevented from using Google Glass during matches.  I can't see why a player should not also be prevented from bringing a phone, especially a smart phone on court. The possibilities of said player receiving coaching advice is to my mind very apparent.  I am surprised that none of the journalists on site pointed out that fact in their reports. 

DAY 3 PICKS AND DAY 2 REVIEW

by Karen 

The word out of the Australian Open on Day 2 was that it was hot.  There were complaints from players as well as the ever present defending fans.  The Spin's advice, shut up and play.  

I have to confess that I barely watched any of the Day 2 action.  I glimpsed Simona Halep doing her thing against a player I had never heard of, Piter and it was great to see Halep, winner of 6 titles in 2013, running away with her match with a scoreline of 0 and 1. 

Jelena Jankovic, one of the Dark Horses in this tournament took care of her opponent with a very impressive scoreline as did Caroline Wozniacki who dealt with what could have been a very tricky opponent in Lourdes Dominguqez-Lino.  

The No. 3 seed, Maria Sharapova had a bit of a struggle in the second set against Bethanie Mattek-Sands but pulled away in the dying moments of the match with a score line of 3 and 4. 

Svetlana Kuznetsova lost to Elina Svitlonia.  I don't know whether to call this a loss or just Sveta being Sveta. Either way Sveta is out of the tournament. 

Victoria Azarenka battled the heat, her opponent and her wayward strokes to gut out a straight set match on Rod Laver Arena against Johanna Larsson.  Larsson served for the first set on 2 occassions but was unable to do the deed.  However, this match led me to consider the reason why a 2 time defending champion continues to get such shitty court assignments, or rather why does it seem as if her matches get scheduled either during the early in the day sessions or late at night.  Meilen Tu get on that STAT. 

Below are today's Day 3 matches with Spin's Picks

Serena Williams  v Vesna Dolonc
Karolina Pliskova v Daniela Hantuchova 

Samantha Stosur v Tsvetana Pironkova
Annika Beck  v Ana Ivanovic 

Jie Zheng v Madison Keys
Casey Dellacqua v Kirsten Flipkens 

Eugenie Bouchard v Virginie Razzano
Lauren Davis v Julia Goerges 

Na Li v Belinda Bencic
Lucie Hradecka v Lucie Safarova 

Ekaterina Makarova v Irina Falconi
Monica Niculescu v Sabine Lisicki 

Angelique Kerber v Alla Kudrayvtseva
Yanina Wickmayer v Alison Riske 

Flavia Pennetta v Monica Puig
Mona Barthel v Luksika Kumkhum 

OH MY GOD IT IS HOT

by Karen

As many of you who read this blog know I am a Caribbean girl. Born and bred on the lovely island of Jamaica.  I am used to the heat. As a child I played lots of sports. Dandy shandy, baseball, cricket, etc.  I could not wait until summer because then I got to go to the country and swim in the river, walk the sugar cane plantation owned by my grandparents and hide under the cellar away from chores just to read the thousands of books that my aunt, a teacher kept under there.

When I got to high school, I played netball, swam, played hockey and football.  I was basically an outdoor type of girl.  As I got older, I took up tennis.  Loved the sport and even though I never made it beyond Level 5 in my local league, I enjoyed playing, whether rain or shine. When I moved to the Cayman Islands 12 years ago, I joined a club and started playing in a Mixed League.   There were times when my opponents in league tennis who were much better and fitter than I was would schedule matches for Saturday or Sunday mornings at 11:00 when the sun was high in the sky.  At those times, I really hated my opponent and wished that they had sun stroke, but I sucked it up and played, and win or lose I would give my best effort.

I recently watched an NFL game where both teams were playing in blizzard type conditions.  At one point, they could not even see the replay of the game because the snow was coming down so hard.  I have seen many pro athletes develop their games in conditions that were inhumane to say the least. From players in war torn Cameroon to women from the Middle East competing in long dresses or with their whole bodies covered in order to compete with their fellow professionals from all over the world.

Professional tennis players though are in a class of their own when it comes to playing through adversity.  From complaining about lighting, to the type of balls used, to whether someone is standing up way in the stands before they can serve, to removing bugs from the service line before they can hit a serve, professional tennis players come across as childish, petulant and full of their own sense of importance.

These men and women are playing a sport that is hardly even recognised as a sport by other professional athletes.  From having their racquets strung by a professional stringer, to having a trainer come on court to massage their bodies, these athletes are doing everything in their power to alienate what little fans they still have who pay attention to the sport.

The latest complaint from the gallery is the never ending discussion about the heat in Australia.  It is Australia.  It is hot because it is summer.  The same thing happens every single year at every single Major.  At the Australian Open it is about the heat, French Open, when are we going to get lights for night tennis, at Wimbledon, is the grass slow or fast and will it rain and at the US Open, when will we get a roof and is there a tropical storm or hurricane on the way.

Tennis fans and the players need to let it go and try and enjoy the tennis. Sit back and relax. Watch someone adapt their game to the conditions and to what the man or woman is doing on the other side of the net.  Yes it is hot but this is what you trained for.  This is what you should have prepared yourself for while you were soaking up all that exhibition money and having  a great old time in what passes for the off season.  How about using that ice towel and ice vest to cool down. Drink more fluids.  Stay focused.  Ignore the heat.  It is hard, but you can do it.  

I love this sport.  I really do, but I am beginning to become mroe and more disillusioned by the players who play the sport.

For once, can we just shut up and play

DAY 1 REVIEW - CARNAGE

by Karen 

Oh Venus. Battled for almost 15 minutes to level the second set at 4-4.  Up 40-15 to move ahead 5-4. Double faults, 3 in a row.  Lost serve.  Up 3-0 in the decisive set.  Would go on to lose the next 6 games.  I understand that Venus was beside herself after this loss.  She wanted this win.  She had been playing really well in her lead up tournament, battling back from 5-1 down in the second set against Ivanovic in the final to force a third set.  

As most readers know Venus is a personal favourite of this site.  We have been, and will continue to support Venus no matter the results.  However, from a personal point of view, this loss hurts.  Many are those who say that Venus' game has remained the same.  I disagree.  She is attacking the net more in an effort to shorten points and she is playing with way more topspin which gives her a greater margin for error on her shots.  

The fact of the matter is that Venus had many chances to win this match but credit to her opponent, Makarova, she came good on the big points.  Next up for Venus is doubles with her sister Serena.  Here is hoping that she is way more successful.  

Day 1 saw some upsets on the women's side with Sara Errani (7) going down to Julia Georges in straight sets.  Petra Kvitova (6) going out to No. 88 Kumkhum and Roberta Vinci (12) going out to Zheng Jie. In what can be considered a mild upset, No. 23 seed Elena Vesnina went out in straight sets to Alison Riske. 

Ace's Day 2 Picks 

Jankovic vs Doi - Jankovic

Kichenko vs Morita - Morita

Nara vs Peng - Peng

Petkovic vs Rybarikova - Petkovic

Cirstea vs Erakovic - Cirstea

Diyas vs Siniakova - Siniakova

Tsurenko vs Lepchenko - Tsurenko

Piter vs Halep - Halep

Suarez Navarro vs King - King

Voskoboeva vs Begu - Voskoboeva

Mladenovic vs Voegele - Voegele

Schiavone vs Cibulkova - Cibulkova

Cornet vs Hercog - Cornet

Giorgi vs Sanders - Giorgi

Ormaechea vs Knapp - Knapp

Mattek-Sands vs Sharapova - Sharapova

Radwanska vs Putintseva - Radwanska

Govortsova vs Duan - Duan

Witthoeft vs Minella - Witthoeft

Pereira vs Pavlyuchenkova - Pavlyuchenkova

Kanepi vs Muguruza - Kanepi (match of the day)

Babos vs Schmiedlova - Babos

McHale vs Chan - McHale

Dominguez Lino vs Wozniacki - Wozniacki

Stephens vs Shvedova - Stephens

Majeric vs Tomljanovic - Tomljanovic

Rogowska vs Duque-Marino - Rogowska

Svitolina vs Kuznetsova - Kuznetsova

Jovanovski vs Cepelova - Jovanovski

Scheepers vs Meusburger - Scheepers

Hsieh vs Zahlavova Strycova - Zahlavova Strycova

Larsson vs Azarenka - Azarenka

Spin's Upset Specials

Schiavone vs Cibulkova -Schiavone 

Radwanska vs Putintseva - Putintseva

Stephens vs Shvedova - Shvedova ((match of the day)

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2014 - LET THE DRAMA BEGIN

The dawn of a new Grand Slam brings it with all kinds of anticipation and questions.  As much as tennis fans suffer some amount of burn out by the end of the season ending championships, much like the players do, we all look forward to the start of the season and what that holds for our favourite players.  It also helps that lots of tennis fans, especially those who reside in countries where winter is wreaking havoc, seeing sunshine, even if it is only through their tv sets must bring some amount of cheer. 

For some of us who live in warmer countries, just seeing our favourite players in their new tennis kits on the beautiful courts in Australia is enough to make us open a bottle of Red Stripe beer, turn off the cell phones, put our feet up and think #SleepIsForTheWeak

The women's draw has been made and it is as balanced as you could ever want a draw to be.  There will never be a dull moment Down Under for the ladies as every day will feature some great match ups from not only the Big 3 in women's tennis, but for those who make up the rest of the draw. 

Ace believes that the winner come from the top half of the draw and his quarter final and onwards picks are below:

Q1: S Williams vs Bouchard

Q2: Li vs Kvitova

Q3: Petkovic vs Sharapova

Q4: Wozniacki vs Azarenka

S1: S Williams vs Li

S2: Sharapova vs Azarenka

F: S Williams vs Sharapova

W: S Williams

Ace has made some bold predictions with the various quarters and it will be interesting to see how Ace's picks pan out over the next few weeks

As is the norm, Spin will be giving her picks on each day of play followed up by a review of the best match of the day. 

Tennis fans will be getting a good look at what the new hires have brought to the games of some of our favourite players and Spin readers can vote to see which player has gained the most from her recent coaching hire.  

Day 1 OOP and Spin's Picks 

Serena Williams (USA) [1] v Ashleigh Barty (AUS) - Williams

Vesna Dolonc (SRB) v Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) - Dolonc

Pauline Parmentier (FRA) v Karolina Pliskova (CZE) - Pliskova

Heather Watson (GBR) v Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) [31] - Hantuchova

Samantha Stosur (AUS) [17] v Klara Zakopalova (CZE) - Stosur

Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) v Silvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) - Pironkova

Annika Beck (GER) v Petra Martic (CRO) - Beck 

Kiki Bertens (NED) v Ana Ivanovic (SRB) [14] - Ivanovic

Roberta Vinci (ITA) [12] v Jie Zheng (CHN) - Zheng

P.Mayr-Achleitner (AUT) v Madison Keys (USA) - Keys 

Casey Dellacqua (AUS) v Vera Zvonareva (RUS) - Dellacqua

Laura Robson (GBR) v Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) [18] - Flipkens

Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) [30] v Hao Chen Tang (CHN) - Bouchard

Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) v Virginie Razzano (FRA) - Razzano 

Sachia Vickery (USA) Lauren Davis (USA) - Davis

Julia Goerges (GER) v Sara Errani (ITA) [7] - Errani

Na Li (CHN) [4] v Ana Konjuh (CRO) - Li 

Belinda Bencic (SUI) v Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) - Krumm

Donna Vekic (CRO) v Lucie Hradecka (CZE) - Vekic

Julia Glushko (ISR) v Lucie Safarova (CZE) [26] - Safarova

Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) [22] v Venus Williams (USA) - Williams

A.Medina Garrigues (ESP) v Irina Falconi (USA) - Falconi

Shahar Peer (ISR) v Monica Niculescu (ROU) - Niculescu

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) v Sabine Lisicki (GER) [15] - Lisicki

Angelique Kerber (GER) [9] v Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) - Kerber

Caroline Garcia (FRA) v Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) - Garcia

Dinah Pfizenmaier (GER) v Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) - Pfizenmaier

Alison Riske (USA) v Elena Vesnina (RUS) [23] - Riske

Flavia Pennetta (ITA) [28] v Alexandra Cadantu (ROU) - Pennetta

Monica Puig (PUR) v Ana Tatishvili (GEO) - Puig

Shuai Zhang (CHN) v Mona Barthel (GER)- Zhang

Luksika Kumkhum (THA) v Petra Kvitova (CZE) [6] - Kvitova

Let the carnage begin

Australian Open Top 10 WTA Contenders and Floaters

by TWMasterAce

Master Ace gives the Spin's readers part 1 of his list of contenders for the Australian Open.  We will provide the Ace will be back with his picks once the draw has been published.  Ace will give his list of floaters as well as attempt a racquet breakdown to see if we can pull the eventual winner. 

Contenders - 

(1) Serena Williams (4-0): 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010 W:  Brisbane. Despite winning Australian Open five times, this is the only Slam she has not won since coming back from life threatening issues.

(2) Victoria Azarenka (3-1): 2012 and 2013 W: She will be trying to be the first to win for the 3^rd consecutive year since Martina Hingis accomplished the feat from 1997-1999.

(3) Na Li (5-0): 2011 and 2013 F: Shenzhen. Despite winning the French Open in 2011, her overall results are better in Melbourne where she made 2 finals and a semifinal in 2010 where she lost a tough battle to Serena Williams.

(4) Petra Kvitova (2-0): 2012 SF: Based on her performance at Hopman Cup and Sydney so far, she may finally be able to capture her second Slam as she has worked on her fitness during the off season.     

(5) Maria Sharapova (2-1): 2008 W: In 2013, she ran through the field until the semifinals where she was stopped by Li. With her changing coaches during the offseason, it will be interesting to see what advice she was getting while rehabbing her shoulder which kept her out of the United States Open.

(6) Agnieszka Radwanska (0-1): 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013 QF: She won all four matches played at Hopman Cup before losing in Sydney to the dangerous Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Her shoulder will be a concern as she has tape strapped on it.

(7) Jelena Jankovic (3-2). 2008 SF: In 2013, she had a resurgent season where she did well. Question is can she repeat if not exceed it.

(8) Sloane Stephens (0-0): 2013 SF. She normally does well during the Australian Open swing. However, with higher expectations and hiring Paul Annacone, will she be aggressive in her play?

(9) Angelique Kerber (5-1): 2013 R16. With increased expectations in 2013, she took a step back until the fall season. With a new coach on her team, will she continue her good form?

(10) Ana Ivanovic (5-0): 2008 F. Auckland. She is about to play her 37^th consecutive Slam and she is in good form as she won her first title outdoors since her title at the 2008 French Open.

Odds and Ends

I hope everyone had a very Happy Christmas and that the New Year will bring you and your favourite much joy during this 2014 season. 

As with every new tennis season there are always changes. Addition of new tournaments, retirements, etc. However, nothing is looked forward to as much as the ever present coaching changes. There have been some high profile hires and fires in the latter part of the tennis season on the WTA Tour and the Spin Team will be taking a look at each of these coaching changes and give our thoughts on which of these high profile coaching changes we expect to be successful. 

Before we get into the discussion of the coaching change, I have to say that the success of a coach depends entirely on the player. If the player is any good, the coach will not have much in the way of work to do. See Serena Williams and Moragotalou. However, in some cases, the coach will have to break down and rebuild a player's game, as in Victoria Azarenka and Sumyk. 

For me, it is all well and good to say that you have coached Serena Williams to Grand Slam glory, but Serena Williams was already a hugely successful athlete before Patrick came along, ditto for Maria Sharapova when she hooked up with Thomas Hogstedt.  In my view, in order to prove your coaching chops, you will need to take an unknown player and turn that player into a dominant, consistent champion.  To date, only a few coaches have been able to do that. 

With the coming season, there are a few coaching relationships that I will be taking a look at and the Spin will be running a poll to get readers’ comments on the effectiveness of certain coaching situations.  At the end of each Grand Slam, the Spin will tally the total number of votes for each of the various coaches and we will look to see what, if any, gains have been made to their respective players’ games. 

First up is the recent announcement of Sloane Stevens and Paul Annacone.  Annacone has his work cut out for him.  From the research that I have done, Annacone has never really taken a player such as Stevens, one who has never made a final of any tournament and turned him or her into a champion at whatever level.  Yes he coached Sampras and more recently Federer, but these 2 men were already household names and had achieved remarkable things in their respective careers.  Sloane is another matter.  I would consider the partnership a success if Sloane gets to the final of any tournament.  He would be a contender for Coach of the Year honours if she won a Grand Slam. 

Next up is Caroline Wozniacki and Thomas Hogstedt.  It may be a bit unfair but Wozniacki really should not have anything to prove to anyone, but unfortunately she does.  A few years ago she ruled the WTA Penthouse, these days her game and her psyche seems to be in tatters.  Her father has allegedly taken a backseat and Thomas Hogstedt, rejuvenator of Sharapova’s career and the man who was formerly in the corner of Li Na will undertake the task of reinventing Wozniacki’s career.  I would consider it a success if Wozniacki makes it to another Grand Slam final.   

Samantha Stosur and Miles McLaghlan.  This one is a head scratcher.  I am not quite sure what McLaghlan, formerly with Andy Murray and Laura Robson can bring to the table for Stosur.  The question for me with Stosur is what are her career goals as she approaches the twilight of her career?  Does she want to win another Slam?  Does she want to make it to the top of the WTA rankings?  I don’t believe I have read anything from Stosur that tells us her career plans. In any event, the singular goal for  Stosur next season, do well in  Australia. 

Laura Robson has announced that she will be working with Nick Saviano.  Saviano is a veteran coach who either previously worked with Eugenie Bouchard or is currently working with Bouchard (depends on where you get your information).  In any event, Saviano will be working alongside former ATP pro Jesse Witten. I think the best coach that Robson had was Zelko.  He got her fit, improved her ground game and from all accounts he was a hard taskmaster.  He got her to her first WTA final and even though she lost, she would go on to have a pretty good year in 2012.  Pity that she regressed so much in 2013, mainly due to a shoulder injury.  That being said she has a huge game and if she continues to work hard with Saviano she should replicate her 2012 season.  I would consider it a success if she won her first WTA title. 

Under The Radar

There are a few other coaching relationships that I will be keeping my eye on.  One that I think has been overhyped is the Li Na/Carlos Rodriquez relationship.  I actually think that this has been a very unsuccessful partnership so far.  The fact that you have been successful in coaching one player (Henin) as an all court player, does not necessarily mean that it will work with another (Li).  I find it amusing that the game that is now being played by Li was what Henin played in her first career.  Once she retired and came back she played as Li did in her first career.  All the beauty and elegance that made Henin such a joy to watch was pushed out of the way for a style that was just mindless baseline ballbashing.   

Maria Sharapova and Sven Gronefeld. I am not confident that this will be a partnership that will be as successful as the one that Sharapova had with Thomas Hogstedt. While the Hogstedt relationship ended on a losing note with its very own hashtag, I can't see what Groneveld will bring to the table with Sharapova, but as with the other coaching changes, the Spin will watch and see what happens next. 

Female Coaches

I think the women above are missing the boat completely when it comes to coaching relationships.  Bartoli, winner of the 2013 Ladies Singles Title at Wimbledon severed coaching ties with her father prior to entering the lawns of  Wimbledon. She partnered with former No.1  and winner of 2 Grand Slams, including Wimbledon, Amelie Mauresmo.  Bartoli would go on to win Wimbledon with none other than Mauresmo sitting in her box.


Eugenie Bouchard, current holder of youngest teenager in the top 50 of the WTA and winner of the WTA’s Newcomer of the Year Award was coached this season by Natalie Tauziat, a former WTA player.  Unlike many others in her age group she had a very successful season.


Finally, and most importantly in my mind, Samantha Stosur severed her long time coaching relationship with David Taylor and had Alicia Molik, Fed Cup captain and former WTA No. 5 coach her for the rest of the season. She won 2 titles, her first since her US0 2011 title and qualified for the Tournament of Champions.  


Lucie Safarova, she of the huge lefty game won her first title in 5 years with a female coach in her corner.


I wonder why these young women are reluctant to consider the benefits of getting a woman’s perspective on their games.  Here are some coaching relationships I would like to see on the WTA Tour:


Petra Kvitova and Martina Navratilova - may not be the best fit as they love each other so much, but they have mutual respect and admiration for each other. Martina could Petra believe in herself, especially when things get tight in a match.


 Agnieska Radwanska and Martina Hingis - similar game styles and similar disposition on court.  The difference is the mentality that they both carry on court.  The Swiss Miss was legendary for her on court demeanour. Radwanska can fall apart when things get tough.


Maria Sharapova and Lindsay Davenport - they both hit some of the cleanest groundies on tour, plus they are fans of each other.  Davenport was never known for her mentality but she had variety in her game. A different way of looking at things may help Sharapova lift another slam trophy and may even get her that much needed win over Serena Williams.