The title of the article, quote of Aga's press conference after winning the WTA Finals, can pretty much describe Aga's 2015 season! Im really happy in general with Aga's year however there is still a lot of room of improvement in 2016 and there are still many problems which need immediate solution if she wants to be more competitive especially at the slams.
Early HC season:first disappointing results and game changes.
Aga had surprised us all after hiring Navratilova as her coach during the off-season and everyone was waiting to see the outcome of this unexpected partnership.From her first tournaments n 2016,Aga had shown a little transition in her game.She was hitting her shots more flat and she would come more often to the net. I think that this was a step in the right direction and I was sure that would help Aga in the future. However, for the time being things were not working well. Aga still had not a killer shot and she would eventually struggle ending points in which she was having the advantage. Also, she was struggling ending the points in the net. Moreover,there were some mental problems as well. Aga after a mediocre 1st set she usually peaked in the second to level the match but she would constantly running out of steam in the 3rd...Aga had some pretty bad results in this early hard court season and we can say that there were signs that the partnership with Martina was not working out well.While having lost precious ground in the first months and with her worst surface coming up the things seemed a lot darker.Aga had made the SFs in the AO Open,the Final in Indian Wells and the Quarter Finals in Miami in 2014 and she fell short in defending these results,so in consequence her ranking dropped...
Clay court season:The downfall
Aga had a really bad clay court season,with the problems stated before being even more evident in her least favourite surface. The Pole didn't make a single clay court Quarter Final,while she dropped out of the top 10 breaking her streak,which was the 2nd best among active players.However, the worst of all was that she lost only for 3rd time in her career,and 1st since 2009 in the 1st round of a Grand Slam in the French Open.Especially that loss in the French Open was really painful for every fan. I was so angry and sad after this I almost cried that night. The problems were still there-not able to end points with ease(especially in the high-bounce clay courts) while she seemed lost in the court as well. She didn't know how to play.Also,the partnership with Martina ended before Madrid started.I don't know still if it was good that she left Martina as soon as she noticed the problem.and how she could have eventually helped.Personally,I was really sad of Aga's current situation .Even though it was evident that playing a little more aggressive was a good step it wasn't working on court.She may play really good matches but still getting trashed by top opponents. I didn't know what Aga should do to bounce back,probably getting some more confidence and playing some more little events,,or even getting a break could have helped. The only thing that could give me hope was that many players who had tried the transition to the most aggressive game needed a matter of time to adjust and eventually for the good results to return back again!In the photo is my message to Aga after her 1st round loss in the Roland Garros...
Grass court season:The turning point
If there was a hope for a turn-around we could only rely it on the grass court season. Aga has always been playing her best game on grass and ,as she has said, she feels like she was born to play in grass. Her game, even though its not powerful is really effective on the quick surface as the opponents get easily confused due to the tricky bounce, while as the surface is fast they have not much time to think! Also,her aggressive shots,which in other surfaces are usually too soft and slow to cause serious trouble, in the fast courts can get dangerous. Aga,ending her clay court season in deep lows, was searching for a new start in the English grass courts. Entering in Nottingham was characterised as a desperate move while I think she did the correct decision. She was the big favourite for winning the title and that would be a confidence booster whilst it would be a good tournament to get used to grass before the other top antagonism got to.However,the result in Nottingham was poor. Aga lost in the Semis to Monica Niculescu after getting bageled in the 3rd set as well. The game still had problems while mentally she completely gave up in that match. I was really unhappy after this result and in general her game that week did not amuse me. Though,I kept hoping that it was just the adjustment to grass and Monica's weird style.
Next tournament was Eastbourne. This was a key tournament for Aga in 2015. Her game finally worked really well and with a clear mind she made it through to her first WTA Final in 2015,in a premier event as well! However,the mental problems seemed to be there as well. The final against Belinda was a really good match and to be fair Aga with the chances she had she should have won it in 2. Instead,she dropped the first set and after winning the second she had another tragic 3rd set.This problem had been the story of her year so far and it did not seem to let go even in her favourite surface nor when she played well. In the 3rd Grand Slam of the year and her favourite tournament,Wimbledon, Aga continued her good grass court form that she had started in Eastbourne and made the Semis. It was Aga's smoothest game so far especially in the 4th round against Jelena Jankovic which was a really good match.Wanting a good run to gain her confidence back again, she found herself in her first GS QF since last years Australian Open where she beat the 20 year-old Madison Keys in 3 sets after a lets say mediocre match to set a semifinal clash against the newborn superstar Garbine Muguruza. A logical fan would see that Aga could not threat Garbine. Not only the Spaniard had beat her in both of their previous 2015 meetings,but also she seemed unstoppable n the English courts so far.Even in that case,the prospect of Aga making the final after that season she had was charming for every Aga fan. In the end of the day,it was another 3rd set defeat for Aga who could not withstand Garbi's bombs. After a mistook challenge from Aga Garbi was on match point and she ended it with another great serve and volley. The Pole would leave London with the head down as she didn't got to lift her 2nd Runner-Up trophy(She wouldn't beat Serena in the Final in any chance),but still satisfied with her good result.Anyway,we should take the positive things out of Aga's grass court season, as she regained:
PART 2 COMING UP
Early HC season:first disappointing results and game changes.
Aga had surprised us all after hiring Navratilova as her coach during the off-season and everyone was waiting to see the outcome of this unexpected partnership.From her first tournaments n 2016,Aga had shown a little transition in her game.She was hitting her shots more flat and she would come more often to the net. I think that this was a step in the right direction and I was sure that would help Aga in the future. However, for the time being things were not working well. Aga still had not a killer shot and she would eventually struggle ending points in which she was having the advantage. Also, she was struggling ending the points in the net. Moreover,there were some mental problems as well. Aga after a mediocre 1st set she usually peaked in the second to level the match but she would constantly running out of steam in the 3rd...Aga had some pretty bad results in this early hard court season and we can say that there were signs that the partnership with Martina was not working out well.While having lost precious ground in the first months and with her worst surface coming up the things seemed a lot darker.Aga had made the SFs in the AO Open,the Final in Indian Wells and the Quarter Finals in Miami in 2014 and she fell short in defending these results,so in consequence her ranking dropped...Clay court season:The downfall
Aga had a really bad clay court season,with the problems stated before being even more evident in her least favourite surface. The Pole didn't make a single clay court Quarter Final,while she dropped out of the top 10 breaking her streak,which was the 2nd best among active players.However, the worst of all was that she lost only for 3rd time in her career,and 1st since 2009 in the 1st round of a Grand Slam in the French Open.Especially that loss in the French Open was really painful for every fan. I was so angry and sad after this I almost cried that night. The problems were still there-not able to end points with ease(especially in the high-bounce clay courts) while she seemed lost in the court as well. She didn't know how to play.Also,the partnership with Martina ended before Madrid started.I don't know still if it was good that she left Martina as soon as she noticed the problem.and how she could have eventually helped.Personally,I was really sad of Aga's current situation .Even though it was evident that playing a little more aggressive was a good step it wasn't working on court.She may play really good matches but still getting trashed by top opponents. I didn't know what Aga should do to bounce back,probably getting some more confidence and playing some more little events,,or even getting a break could have helped. The only thing that could give me hope was that many players who had tried the transition to the most aggressive game needed a matter of time to adjust and eventually for the good results to return back again!In the photo is my message to Aga after her 1st round loss in the Roland Garros...Grass court season:The turning point
If there was a hope for a turn-around we could only rely it on the grass court season. Aga has always been playing her best game on grass and ,as she has said, she feels like she was born to play in grass. Her game, even though its not powerful is really effective on the quick surface as the opponents get easily confused due to the tricky bounce, while as the surface is fast they have not much time to think! Also,her aggressive shots,which in other surfaces are usually too soft and slow to cause serious trouble, in the fast courts can get dangerous. Aga,ending her clay court season in deep lows, was searching for a new start in the English grass courts. Entering in Nottingham was characterised as a desperate move while I think she did the correct decision. She was the big favourite for winning the title and that would be a confidence booster whilst it would be a good tournament to get used to grass before the other top antagonism got to.However,the result in Nottingham was poor. Aga lost in the Semis to Monica Niculescu after getting bageled in the 3rd set as well. The game still had problems while mentally she completely gave up in that match. I was really unhappy after this result and in general her game that week did not amuse me. Though,I kept hoping that it was just the adjustment to grass and Monica's weird style.
- Confidence
- Her top 10 spot
- Her spot near the Singapore top 8
- Her good play
PART 2 COMING UP
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