WTA Grand Slam: Wimbledon 2019

[Cristi]

Una e sa fii in postura de detinatoare a titlului, favorita clara in fiecare meci, si alta sa nu se astepte mai nimeni de la tine sa faci mare branza. Simona chiar poate fi relaxata de acum, orice meci in plus castigat e bonus. Presiunea va fi tot mai mare pe Gauff si ziua libera in plus ii va da probabil prea mult timp sa se gandeasca la ce a reusit saptamana asta. Categoric toata valva creata in jurul ei ii va face doar rau.

[Hopshio]

O dezmembrează halep pe Gauff. Ieri am zis maxim 6 gameuri, azi zic maxim 5

[Alina Nicoleta]

Si eu zic ca o bate Simo.

[Johnny D]

Lucian, n-are nimic cu Halep, asa a crezut el si acu se scuza!

O dezmembrează halep pe Gauff. Ieri am zis maxim 6 gameuri, azi zic maxim 5

Pe de alta parte dragi Cristi, Alina si Alin (Hopship), la RG a pierdut cu o adolescenta de 17 ani si asta fu pe suprafata ei favorita, pluseaza acuma la 15?

[Alina Nicoleta]

Cred ca esti de acord ca Anisimova joaca mai bine decat Gauff la momentul asta. Sau cel putin stilul ei nu ii convine Simonei.

[Johnny D]

Nici un stil cu atacuri fara nefortate nu-i convine Simonei, nu convine nimanui.

[JJ]

A iesit Belinda.

[Cristi]

Eu percep ca presiunea e mai mare pe Gauff luni, oricat de ciudat ar parea. La RG Simona a fost cea sub presiune in fiecare meci. Cred si sper ca americanca nu va mai putea juca asa dezinvolt cu Halep si ca asta va inclina balanta.

[miril]

Se "prepara" viitorul unei mare campioane, Coco Gauff. Se freaca mainile si masinaria de facut megamiliarde (sic) s-a pus in joc. Voi pune trei articole, asta spune mult, integrale din The Times, cotidian exclusiv electronic care conditioneaza abonamentul pentru a avea acces permanent, integral al articolelor, inclusiv din arhiva. Imi cer scuze ca voi recurge la postari conscutive cu articole care necesita spatiu. Hai Simona!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETxmCCsMoD0

[miril]

Cori “Coco” Gauff could become the highest earning female athlete of all time if her Wimbledon heroics herald a Grand-Slam winning career, according to sports industry experts. The American, who plays former world No 1 Simona Halep in tomorrow’s fourth round, is projected to earn $1m before her 16th birthday, but should she realise her potential she could be earning close to £100m a year at her peak.

Industry expert Nigel Currie, former joint chairman of the European Sponsorship Association, told The Sunday Times: “Without doubt she has the potential to be the highest paid sports woman ever and it has been a crown waiting for someone to grab hold of for the last 10 years. It has been crying out for a woman to become that figure. At the moment you would be talking about earnings of £50m a year as the dominant player in the women’s game, but if Gauff wins multiple Grand Slams and dominates you could probably double that.”

With Serena Williams, the only woman in the Forbes list of the top 100 earning athletes, coming to the end of her career, sponsors need to identify the next big thing in tennis and the 15-year-old Gauff fits the bill. By showcasing her outstanding talent at Wimbledon the young American has created the launching pad for a career that could make her a worldwide brand.

“If Gauff dominates tennis then she will overtake Serena as the highest earner that women’s sport has ever seen,” Currie said. “What Serena has been earning will be eclipsed because Gauff is part of the generation that uses social media so frequently and sponsors will love to get on board with someone who has such a big impact and millions of followers. Another element is that she could become the first worldwide social media tennis sensation.”

The impact the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, have had on and off the court will make it much easier for Gauff to realise her dream and Currie acknowledges their groundbreaking achievements. “The barriers that the Williams sisters broke down will help Gauff and she has an open book,” he said.

Gauff is already signed up to Roger Federer’s Team8 agency and has deals in place with the Italian pasta manufacturer Barilla, plus sportswear brands Head and New Balance. Those agreements will ensure the arrival of her first $1m; Federer’s own deal with Barilla is estimated to be worth £30m. Gauff arrived at Wimbledon ranked No 313 with career prize money of £60,000 and has moved up to a projected No 139 in the rankings.

Yesterday she made an early departure from the mixed doubles when she and Britain’s Jay Clarke were beaten 6-1 6-4 by Robert Lindstedt and Jelena Ostapenko in the first round.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/s...oman-dsstn0j28

[miril]

She has a poster of Serena Williams on her bedroom wall but 15-year-old Coco Gauff is on the way to global stardom herself-Nick Pitt

With her upright carriage, dead level shoulders and huge eyes, Cori Gauff has a timeless royal bearing, reminiscent of ancient Egypt. Even at 15 years, she has the poise and certainty of one who is sure to rule. Yet she remains a girl. We saw both on Friday when she made her debut on Centre Court. For more than an hour, Gauff was nervous and self-conscious, outpowered and outplayed by Polona Hercog. Gauff could not summon the speed and power that had been too much for Venus Williams and Magdalena Rybarikova in her first two rounds.

Only on the very brink of a straight-sets defeat, facing two match points, when the crowd, out of pity, tried to rouse her, did Gauff manage to free herself from the shackles. Maybe it was embarrassment, or anger, or a desire to show that after all the double faults and shots into the net she really can play. Whatever it was, she became a player transformed, one who could move and hit freely, a fighter. She had belief, and was once again a queen.
“I always knew I could come back, whatever the score was,” Gauff said. In that, she was surely alone. Her parents, in the players’ box, had suffered as well as their forlorn daughter and could hardly watch. Her mother sat with her head in her hands. Later, after the miracle, they were dancing with joy. They could hardly believe what she had accomplished.

“I prefer to be called Coco,” Gauff asserted on her introduction at the start of the week. Indeed, the answers to all the questions she has had to field tend to be issued as pronouncements. On Wimbledon this year: “My goal is to win it.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/s...ands-n6dnghbcs

[miril]

The most impressive aspect of Coco Gauff’s amazing comeback victory on Friday was the emotional maturity she showed during the first hour of the match when things were going against her and it seemed she was going to crash out.
She did not panic or allow her frustration to get the better of her. She just dropped her racket a couple of times, kept thinking about what she should be doing and kept believing.
Most 15-year-olds would have slipped to a tearful defeat, but not Gauff. She proved once again that she is already close to the finished article. Indeed she is already a more complete player than most on the women’s tour.

Critically, as we saw on Friday, she never gives up, never stops trying to find the path to victory. Her tennis IQ is off the charts. The way she began to change the pace of her shots, to mix up the patterns of play was terrific. That tennis intelligence, the ability to figure things out when the pressure is on and you’re at full tilt is partly innate. But she has clearly been well taught, and must be open to the information she is given.
There are a few technical improvements to be made, however. Her forehand can get a bit short and high, presenting a sitter to her opponent. She could hit the ball with more spin and pace on both wings. Her serve, which is already a real weapon, could be improved by using more spin, especially slice. Gauff has a good volley, which she could use a bit more, especially when opponents are just slicing from the back of the court, as Polona Hercog did on Friday.
These are minor fixes. The most important thing is that as well as having a great team behind her and every opportunity, she has the body and mind to handle it all. It takes commitment to get up every morning, even when you don’t feel like it, and to give 100%. She has that.
Having said all that, I do not expect her to win Wimbledon just yet and I doubt that she will be able to get past Simona Halep tomorrow.

Against Hercog, Gauff was troubled by the depth and pace of some of Hercog’s groundstrokes. She will find that Halep is far more accurate and that she hits hard to both corners. Halep is adept at driving players back and her backhand down the line is one of the best single shots on the tour.
It will be fascinating to see how Gauff attempts to deal with Halep’s consistent excellence, but I expect Halep, who is mentally tough as well, to have too much for Gauff at this stage. Next year, it could be another matter and it should not be too long before we are acclaiming Gauff as a Grand Slam champion.

It has done Gauff no harm that she has instantly become the darling of the crowds at Wimbledon. Most of them were on her side against Venus Williams, the five-time champion who is coming to the end of her extraordinary career.
I felt sorry, too, for Hercog. She had the opportunity of a lifetime to reach the second week at Wimbledon and she found herself up against a prodigy who has already generated more headlines than she can ever hope for, and she found herself cast as the villain who was denying the Centre Court crowd their wishes.
The worst moment came on Hercog’s second match point, when she served a double fault and the crowd cheered. That was awful for her, and I know from my own experience that you can’t help taking it personally. We should wish Hercog well for the future. Gauff, meanwhile, needs only to keep doing what she’s doing and to keep her feet on the ground. Her future is bound to be bright and she has the chance to make history.
Her mother, Candi, may, however, need a little help along the way. When I saw her on the player’s box, unable to watch, almost losing it, I thought: “Welcome to the game, Candi. You’ve got another 20 years of this.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/s...tour-d0rgmvnqb

[Cristi]

Este absolut stupid ce se intampla in jurul lui Gauff. Numai lipsa de valoare din WTA a putut genera atata valva. Pana acum a invins-o pe ma-sa si 2 jucatoare de pluton si deja vorbim de noua Serena si 100M pe an??? Are 15 ani, nu cumva ar trebui protejata mai degraba decat expusa la toata dementa asta? Daca maine e umilita de Simona, si sunt sanse bunicele, ce urmeaza? Presa o macelareste si poate chiar se lasa de tenis. Cel mai probabil lucrurile nu se vor termina bine pentru copilul asta

[Johnny D]

Termina Simonica cu fâsul asta de 2 lei.

[JJ]

Pai toata lumea zice ca joaca de parc-ar fi clona lui Venus, iar pe Venus a batut-o Simona pe unde a prins-o. Deci...

[dardar_3]

Venus n-a mai batut pe nimeni de la Irina Spirlea... Hai sa fim seriosi. Venus a luat bataita in ultimele 4-5 dueluri cu Halepisi...

[delaparis]

A crescut iarba? Se poate juca?
Daca Halep e isteata ii poate da o lectie de neuitat copilei. Dar sa nu intre in jocul ala retras ca va avea probleme

[Johnny D]

Ba in jocul ala retras sa intre, sa nu faca gresala sa fuga la fileu ca tonto-mutii, c-am mai vazut din astea inclusiv la Mertens, asa era sa si-o fure de la Niculeasa in primul set, ca tot fugea elefant intr-un picior la fileu, cand din spate, era boierie!

[Cristi]

Barty trimisa acasa astazi, ma mir ca a ajuns in saptamana 2.

[Hopshio]

Cum sa te mire? )

[Alina Nicoleta]

Emotii mari, micuta stie juca binisor. Si nasol e ca Simo serveste prost rau.