'I need my dad's help to win! That is good, no?'
Good lord, it's hard to watch women's tennis. A lot of what goes on in the women's game is the same as the men's. There are huge differences in the pace of the ball, how quick men are, personalities, etc. Watching Maria Sharapova take on No. 12 and fellow Russain Anna Chakvetadze is excrutiatingly hard to sit through.
All the commentators talk about how women's tennis has 'improved dramatically.' I know the women now are hitting the ball a ton but when it A.) doesn't go in the court and, B.) goes right back to their opponent, it really doesn't matter. Both Sharapova and Chakvetadze are 19. Sharapova has been ranked #1 in the world and will be again come next Monday no matter what happens in this tournament (because Mauresmo played awful at the beginning of the Aussie Open), so Sharapova, at 19, is a veteran on the tour. Chakvetadza can hit the ball, but mentally she completely tanked the first set and lost 7-6 (7-5 in the tiebreaker). When the going gets tough, Sharapova has 'it.' Most of the other women don't.
On the other hand is Serena Williams who, being out of shape and having not played much last year, is on a complete tear. She is hitting the crap out of the ball and going for chances. I wish more of the other women on the tour would take a note from Serena; go for it when you have a chance. Don't hit the ball right back to your opponent and give them a chance to win the point. If you give Serena or Sharapova a chance to win a point, they will take it. The younger players, like Chakvetadze, don't have that mentality yet.
** For year's, I have thought Sharapova has been 'cheating.' During change overs at the U.S. Open last year, the camera's were fixed squarely on Maria and her dad and coach, Yuri. The camera's would show Maria, banana in one hand, water/drink in the other. Papa Sharapova would motion for her to take a drink and how many bites of her banana to eat. Let's say you are Sharapova's opponent. If you are playing for three hours in 100 degree heat and somebody is motioning for your opponent to take a drink of water or to eat more of a banana, when mentally you might not be able to think for yourself, would you be okay with that? No, you wouldn't.
Maria celebrates after beating Chakvetadze 7-6 (5), 7-5 on Wednesday afternoon down under.
During this match, Yuri Sharapova, has gotten a warning for, as ESPN analyst Luke Jensen calls, 'barking out orders.' Yuri was yelling at her to get to the net, hit it more to Chekvatadze's backhand and so on and so on. Finally, the women's tour has done something to stop this from happening. Don't get me wrong, I know Sharapova is by far the most mentally strong women's player in the world. She does not need the help she is getting, but we'll see how she plays without the help from here on out.
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