2016 Outlook:Carla Suarez Navarro

As the tennis season is coming to an ending,I decided to publish a series of articles with a review of the 2015 season of some players and a preview of the 2016 one. Today,Im writing about Carla Suarez Navarro.

2015: From the peaks of the mountains to the deeps of the ocean.

Carla in Beijing this year.

The Spaniard had probably the best season of her career-or should I say the best half season. Carla found her self with an inspired form during the first half of the season,as she made the QFs or better in 12 of her 14 1st tournaments of the season,all Premiers. Also,she made her 1st Premier Mandatory Final in Miami losing to Serena Williams and her first Premier level 5 one losing to Maria Sharapova in Rome. Her game was in full sync during the first half allowing her to win many big opponents(10 top 10 wins). Her win over Simona Halep in the Semi-Finals of Rome was the tip of the iceberg for the 27 year-old.However, as every good has an end,the downfall started after the grass court season. We all know that grass isn't Carla's cp of tea and this was proved on court especially after getting bageled and breadsticked by 18 year-old Jelena Ostapenko in the 1st round of the All-England Club. I think that the grass court season and the summer break played an important role to her downfall. CSN seemed to have lost her inspiration in the second half. She lost in the opening round of 7 consecutive tournaments including the Japan Women's Open in Osaka where she had more than 20 ranking places difference with the 2nd seed. The problem with Carla was that the quick courts of the US didn't suit her game that much so that she could get her early year inspiration back. Also,something I have to admit about Suarez is that she hasn't a fan club,or a fan base. I have never seen someone who is a big fan of Carla neither on twitter,nor on insta,so she lacks the fan support. In the Asian Swing, Carla wasn't as disappointing as in the summer,but nowhere near to the start of the season. She played well enough to beat the easy opponents but failed to challenge the better ones.In Moscow she had the Singapore ticket in her hands but she lost in a really rough way to Daria Kasatkina. She has qualified to the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai where she will probably be the 1st seed,hoping for a strong ending in the season.

Eyes on 2016

Carla in Miami where she made the final this year.

As the 2015 tennis season is coming to an end, Carla will have to thing through many things during the off season.She must take the goods from the start,but to see what went wrong after Birmingham. I think that the first weeks of the 2016 will be crucial for her,as she needs some confidence so that she can defend all these points which are coming off. Also,I believe that she should keep playing doubles even without Garbine because they have helped her game the past 2 years,especially in the net. I believe that net play is important for Carla as she can help her in the quicker surfaces,but also it is needed so that she can win easy points. Moreover,in my opinion,her game needs some acceleration and speed. Her angles are beautiful but with some work I think we can see fireworks from her! About her ranking,I suppose that she can stay in the top 30 of course,but I doubt if she will maintain herself in the top 15 like now. With the points coming off and the competition brewing I think that it will be tough for her. Closing, I want to say that I like Carla's game and when she is on, she is a breath of fresh air in the top 20. I hope she can be in top 20 in 2016 as well and that she can have a sort of #TeamCarlita by her side next year,because she deserves it.

P.S.:Photos are from getty