So Jack Draper's reward for 15 sets and 12 hours and 3 wins is playing Carlos Alcaraz in the 4th round 🤦🏻♂️
I've hit every shot and worn out my carpet but Jack has proved that even though he missed so much prep and hardly any tennis coming into Melbourne, he has the heart of a lion and despite being an outsider against Alvarez he can take so many positives out of this year's Aussie slam. If Jack can have a high 1st serve % with many aces you just never know 🤞🏻
Great heart and winning mentality from Jack. Being able to keep winning tough 5 setters is a massive asset for his future career, even if it will eventually take its toll in this tournament.
Draper just needs 4 more wins to be champion. The bad news is that these are likely to be against Alcaraz, Djokovic, Zverev and Sinner
I think his AO experiences this time will be so telling in future - so invaluable in many ways. Am hoping I'm wrong but I think it might be far too a stretch this time after his matches so far
Emma won her first service game and that was that.
Huge gulf between them.
Definitely. But then I suppose Iga is ranked 2 for a reason. Any only lost no.1 because she didn't play for about a month. Raducanu's ranking should improve a bit due to getting to the 3rd round
Emma won her first service game and that was that.
I thought it would be fairly straight forward for Swiatek if she brought her A game. Iga is ruthless when she spots a weakness. Possible 6-2 6-2 but my fear for Raducanu is that was such a thrashing 6-1 6-0 that her confidence and the psychological damage in a sporting sense will be hard to repair. History tells us that Emma will get a new coach and will feel more ache and pains.
The 2021 USA slam was so bizarre when Emma beat Leylah Fernandez in the Final. Fantastic achievement for both but I said then that neither of the girls will probably ever get that close again because of Swiatek, Gauff, Barty(she quit 2 years later) Sabalenka, Osaka, Rybakina, Vondrousova etc.
The other bizarre final was 2013 Wimbledon when the journey woman Bartoli beat the low ranked Lisicki. Bartoli quit straight away at 29 as she knew that was a one off.
Emma won when she was a rookie and I would love her to prove me wrong but I still feel she will quit in her mid 20's to pursue new ventures as she won't want to be an also ran after her magnificent and surreal start to her tennis career.
Michael Chan won a slam as a teenager and could never replicate that early success.
Emma won her first service game and that was that.
I thought it would be fairly straight forward for Swiatek if she brought her A game. Iga is ruthless when she spots a weakness. Possible 6-2 6-2 but my fear for Raducanu is that was such a thrashing 6-1 6-0 that her confidence and the psychological damage in a sporting sense will be hard to repair. History tells us that Emma will get a new coach and will feel more ache and pains.
The 2021 USA slam was so bizarre when Emma beat Leylah Fernandez in the Final. Fantastic achievement for both but I said then that neither of the girls will probably ever get that close again because of Swiatek, Gauff, Barty(she quit 2 years later) Sabalenka, Osaka, Rybakina, Vondrousova etc.
The other bizarre final was 2013 Wimbledon when the journey woman Bartoli beat the low ranked Lisicki. Bartoli quit straight away at 29 as she knew that was a one off.
Emma won when she was a rookie and I would love her to prove me wrong but I still feel she will quit in her mid 20's to pursue new ventures as she won't want to be an also ran after her magnificent and surreal start to her tennis career.
Michael Chan won a slam as a teenager and could never replicate that early success.
I think she will do better in 2025 then 2024, especially if the new dedicated fitness coach works out - the first time she has had a full time fitness coach. She seems happier about her tennis and the 2 wins at the AO (over higher ranked opponents 1 being seeded) even if she was thrashed by Swaitek
There are 3 of 4 others that like Raducanu won a grand slam singles titles (since 2017 I think it is) out of the blue when really young (but not quite as out of the blue as ER). All of them have struggled similar to Raducanu with one exception being quite the opposite - Swiatek.
Gauff hit the headlines much younger when she beat Venus Williams at Wimbledon and expectations were massive. But with her being American and them having other players to focus hopes, she was able to build up nicely to winning her first grand slam even attending a tennis academy at one stage - still very young but with the benefit of building up to it, unlike Raducanu and the others.
I read this morning that in 2021, Raducanu was only playing 6 hours tennis a week before her breakthrough at Wimbledon
Really depends on Emma's mindset: Very intelligent young woman and gifted player who I hope has the goal of being GB number 1. Katie Boulter who i tipped to have a good '25' got off to a bad start losing to Kudermetova who KB really should be beating but her bad record in slams continues despite rising up to the mid 20's in the ranking. Raducanu can certainly get to a similar ranking IF all the processes you mention come to fruition. 🤞🏻
Really depends on Emma's mindset: Very intelligent young woman and gifted player who I hope has the goal of being GB number 1. Katie Boulter who i tipped to have a good '25' got off to a bad start losing to Kudermetova who KB really should be beating but her bad record in slams continues despite rising up to the mid 20's in the ranking. Raducanu can certainly get to a similar ranking IF all the processes you mention come to fruition. 🤞🏻
Agreed, Raducanu has better success against the higher ranked players than Boulter. I think Boulter's ranking is higher because she plays a lot more than ER and credit for Boulter for doing so.
I think Raducanu's 2025 will also depend on 'luck' or otherwise with injuries as much as her mindset, which seems in a better place than it was
Comments
I had to turn the sound down to minimise my stress levels
I've hit every shot and worn out my carpet but Jack has proved that even though he missed so much prep and hardly any tennis coming into Melbourne, he has the heart of a lion and despite being an outsider against Alvarez he can take so many positives out of this year's Aussie slam. If Jack can have a high 1st serve % with many aces you just never know 🤞🏻
Nothing to lose now as he's justified his ranking and seeding. Go out against Alcaraz and do his best and you never know.
Draper just needs 4 more wins to be champion. The bad news is that these are likely to be against Alcaraz, Djokovic, Zverev and Sinner
Emma won her first service game and that was that.
The crowd were chanting 'bring on the stretcher'.
Just joking like people do about Chuks.
I thought it would be fairly straight forward for Swiatek if she brought her A game. Iga is ruthless when she spots a weakness. Possible 6-2 6-2 but my fear for Raducanu is that was such a thrashing 6-1 6-0 that her confidence and the psychological damage in a sporting sense will be hard to repair.
History tells us that Emma will get a new coach and will feel more ache and pains.
The 2021 USA slam was so bizarre when Emma beat Leylah Fernandez in the Final. Fantastic achievement for both but I said then that neither of the girls will probably ever get that close again because of Swiatek, Gauff, Barty(she quit 2 years later) Sabalenka, Osaka, Rybakina, Vondrousova etc.
The other bizarre final was 2013 Wimbledon when the journey woman Bartoli beat the low ranked Lisicki.
Bartoli quit straight away at 29 as she knew that was a one off.
Emma won when she was a rookie and I would love her to prove me wrong but I still feel she will quit in her mid 20's to pursue new ventures as she won't want to be an also ran after her magnificent and surreal start to her tennis career.
Michael Chan won a slam as a teenager and could never replicate that early success.
There are 3 of 4 others that like Raducanu won a grand slam singles titles (since 2017 I think it is) out of the blue when really young (but not quite as out of the blue as ER). All of them have struggled similar to Raducanu with one exception being quite the opposite - Swiatek.
Gauff hit the headlines much younger when she beat Venus Williams at Wimbledon and expectations were massive. But with her being American and them having other players to focus hopes, she was able to build up nicely to winning her first grand slam even attending a tennis academy at one stage - still very young but with the benefit of building up to it, unlike Raducanu and the others.
I read this morning that in 2021, Raducanu was only playing 6 hours tennis a week before her breakthrough at Wimbledon
Very intelligent young woman and gifted player who I hope has the goal of being GB number 1. Katie Boulter who i tipped to have a good '25' got off to a bad start losing to Kudermetova who KB really should be beating but her bad record in slams continues despite rising up to the mid 20's in the ranking.
Raducanu can certainly get to a similar ranking IF all the processes you mention come to fruition. 🤞🏻
I think Raducanu's 2025 will also depend on 'luck' or otherwise with injuries as much as her mindset, which seems in a better place than it was