Nora and Pan take on the Wimbledon draw.

So, we are here again for another Wimbledon. This time it won't be neither myself nor Nora guest blogging alone. We, both, will break down the third slam's draw together by answering characteristic questions and predicting our finalist pair. We will try our best for it to be a fun read to you and to be just when it comes to our analysis :)
Please leave us your comments by the end of the article.

WIMBLEDON 2017 LADIES' SINGLES PREVIEW

Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber left London with trophies last year. (Getty)

1) Favorites for the title 

Nora: I think it is obvious for everyone into women's tennis that the 2017 Wimbledon tournament is believed to be one of the most unpredictable and (for that very reason) interesting one, as for the last decade. That is partly because of both Serena's and Masha's absence from the draw (due to pregnancy for the first and injury for the second one). Thus, Kerber, Halep, and Pliskova (all of them deeply involved in a tough fight for world number one) are thought to fight for the trophy till the very end, given their more than remarkable motivation (they all have pretty nice chances to become or remain the best on the globe under specific circumstances). As far as this is concerned, Pliskova's draw is at least workable, taking on unseeded Rodina at the 1st round and potentially setting an encounter with non-grass specialist Wozniacki at the quarterfinals, whereas Halep's road to the title is significantly tougher. More specifically, she is placed in the same half with Konta, Svitolina, Cibulkova, three top-14 seeds, as well as Azarenka, Bouchard, and Barty. Even after ruling out Svitolina's threat (due to foot injury), ignoring the so far struggling Slovak and the relatively rusty Belarussian, none can defy, neither Ashleigh Barty, who made unexpectedly good grass performances, nor wonder kid and glorious French Open champion Ostapenko, whose playing style can win her any match as long as she is on her good day. Also, if Konta is ok with her injured spine, which kept her out of Eastbourne, she is admittedly quite a threat for the Romanian. As for world number one beholder, Angie defends 2016's final, starts with qualifier Falconi and logically plays experienced Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals. Finally, Kvitova is the only one not named Williams in the draw to have conquered the slam before (twice, to be precise) and what is more she won Aegon Classic and withdrew from Eastbourne, so she arrives in the UK comparatively refreshed, which makes her one extra favorite. Muguruza may also fight hard for the title, as she was a runner-up in 2015 and as a consequence, she is pretty experienced.

Pliskova with the trophy from Aegon International. (Getty)

Pan: The WTA Tour is coming to the Championships this year in its most open situation in ages. The biggest stars of the sport, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova are absent, while Victoria Azarenka is still rusty and world number one Angelique Kerber is struggling with her form. Moreover, a few weeks ago, Jelena Ostapenko shocked the world by lifting the Suzanne Lenglen trophy proving that literally, anything can happen. Anyway, there is a big favorite for the title, and she goes by the name Karolina Pliskova. The big-serving Czech has everything in her game to succeed on grass and has been on fire lately as she won the Premier lead-up event in Eastbourne yesterday, let alone her contention to the number one ranking. However, she lacks in experience having never made the second week in the British slam and having failed at making it in any slam before last year's US Open, where she was the finalist. We can't ignore Petra Kvitova as well. The twice Wimbledon champion came back in the French Open after her life threatening experience in December and she won the second Premier lead-up tournament after Eastbourne, in Birmingham. If she is fit and shows her best tennis, she has the experience and the game that can lead her to her third Wimbledon title. Another name that may be a threat to the Venus Rosewater dish is a very well known person around the All-England Club and she is no other than 5-time champion Venus Williams. The American multiple slam champion is living a rebirth of her career the past years, especially after making the finals in the Australian Open, and if the draw opens up for her she proved that she can exploit it.

Kvitova with the trophy from 2014 Wimbledon. (Getty)

2) Potential upsets

Nora: Although things once again aren't clear, a potential first round exit by Radwanska would not be a massive shock, because she faces the once great Jankovic, who is admittedly close to the end of her career right now, though. However, Polish's form is not rather convincing from the early tennis season till today, so nobody can be totally sure whether she will overcome Serbian's obstacle or not. Nevertheless, a more striking example of a projected early upset is that of Svitolina's potential defeat to Barty, taking into account both the Ukranian's injury issues and the Aussie's admirable job during the pre-Wimbledon season. Finally, a less possible scenario is that of Jo Konta losing to Hsieh, given that the latter had defeated her in Roland Garros some weeks earlier and also that the Brit recently injured her spine during a match against Kerber.

No 4 seed Elina Svitolina has injury concerns entering the tournament.
(Getty)

Pan: In every Grand Slam tournament in the WTA side upsets are a common sight. Some are usually predictable, due to the depth of the rankings, and some come out of the blue. There is one particular match in which the upset alert alarm is stand by ready to ring and that is Svitolina-Barty. The Australian ex-cricket player made the finals in Birmingham and took a set off Petra Kvitova after beating Garbine Muguruza in the semifinals, meanwhile, Svitolina lost to Camila Giorgi in her only grass court match so far this year and she has had injury concerns. Another seed that could be seen out pretty early is Aga Radwanska. The Pole has had a depressive season and she has been struggling with her health, as a viral illness led to her pulling out from the Ricoh Open and Birmingham before she dropped out early to lucky loser Lauren Davis in Eastbourne. She faces equally out of form Jelena Jankovic in the first round in a match of slugging greats that anything can happen. I would ring the bell for Caroline Wozniacki as well, because despite being in form (she reached the final in Eastbourne) she faces the draw scare with former semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova looming in the second round and rising grass court titlist Annet Kontaveit in the third.

The 2012 Runner-Up, Agnieszka Radwanska, has been struggling all year with her form.
(Getty)

3) Dark horse

Nora: Probably a couple of youngsters, such as the aforementioned 21-year-old Barty, who was the Aegon Classic finalist or Russia's Potapova, who is thought to be a rising star, was a Wimbledon champion at juniors and this year she makes her debut as a senior. Also, you'd better expect something satisfying from the 22-year-old Madison Keys, who is walking her way back after a wrist surgery but her playing profile has many necessary for success on grass elements. Finally, there is talented CiCi Bellis too, who takes on Vika in round one and may take advantage of the latter's expected rust.

Ashleigh Barty left her mark on grass this year by reaching the final of Birmingham.
(Getty)

Pan: The draw is really open so don't be surprised by anyone making it far. I see some ladies doing unexpectedly good, but as predictions, they are just shots in the dark. Lucie Safarova, a former semifinalist, is someone who could go far if she is healthy and able to pull herself together. The Czech has been struggling to find her feet since being affected by a viral illness two years ago, but she won a couple of matches on grass this time, long ones as well, so she has played a lot on the surface. She finds herself in an open quarter too with Kerber's, Radwanska's and Muguruza's form being subpar and Kuznetsova not being helped by the lawn. Also, one of Barty and Keys may capitalize on that relatively open Svitolina/Ostapenko/Cibulkova quarter, as Barty is red hot on grass and Keys has loads of history behind her being a former quarterfinalist of the event. Keep an eye on Annet Kontaveit as well, as she impressively won the Ricoh Open.

Safarova is no stranger to the lawns of SW19, having made the semifinals in 2014.
(Getty)

4) Winner and runner-up

Nora: Simona Halep d. Karolina Pliskova in three sets

Pan: Petra Kvitova d. Karolina Pliskova in straight sets


We hope you liked our analysis. Let us know by leaving you comments :)

Guest blogging: WTA Wimbledon Preview by Nora

Do you guys remember Nora? She is a friend of mine that likes tennis as well. She is not obsessed with the WTA as I am, but she watches a lot when she can, especially the three Grand Slams, apart from Wimbledon, that get televised here. Also, she watches a lot more ATP and other sports than me. 

She is really good at writing, better than me to be honest and you should all read this preview and her other articles here. She is great at tennis, you will see it ;) Here comes the article. 

NOTE:Nora wrote that article after I phoned her to tell her the draw for fun as she was bored(she is interested in writing a lot). She was not planning to post it here, but I said her as I couldn't do something it would be great. So, it gets published a bit belated.

As the most ancient tennis tournament in the world is about to begin, we give you an insight into some key players' profiles by using statistics, game analyses, the latest news, as to their form as well as our personal prediction.

Women's table

Key players #1:Serena Williams

Serena Williams with last year's trophy. Photo: HEATHCLIFFE O'MALLEY

The American appeared hungry for the title, as she has been in the pursuit of her 22nd won Grand Slam for almost a year, having already suffered not a few upsets all those months. It all started in September 2015 when she was defeated in front of her compatriots by R.Vinci in US Open semis. Then, she lost to the tough German, A. Kerber, in 2016 Oz Open Final and later on to the young gun, G.Muguruza, once again in a Grand Slam final (Roland Garros 2016). Consequently, she conquered her last major title on English grass last year and now she is desperate to repeat this achievement and break great Graf's record of being the unique female tennis player in the Open Era to have won 22 Grand Slams. This time, it seems like nothing can't stop her but for those who have watched her match against Vinci nine months ago, favorites are just for the stats, as during a tennis clash anything can happen.  It's a fact, however, that numerous sports experts and psychologists support that her exceptionally unexpected defeat(that we mentioned above) in New York has severely damaged her self-esteem and caused to her a great lot of anxiety and insecurity regarding her degree of readiness to conquer as many Major titles as Steffi. It is also true that legendary Serena is an athlete with impressive drive and ambition, so chances are she is aiming to make several convincing performances and at the end win the trophy, replying deafeningly in this way to everyone who have doubted her capability of conquering the 22nd Grand Slam title she desires so much.

Our personal prediction:2016 Wimbledon Champion

Key player #2:Garbine Muguruza**

Garbine Muguruza with the runner-up
trophy last year. Source:Getty

Last year, the talented Spanish was Wimbledon runner-up, losing to Serena in straight sets. This year, though, Garbi arrived in Britain with boosted confidence after her triumph on Paris clay against the woman who deprived her of the chance to be 2016 Wimbledon reigning champion. She is beyond a shadow of a doubt a vibrant and dynamic sportswoman and she is expected to do pretty good job in the third Grand Slam of the year. Now, it remains to see how she will handle success, considering her young age which may create overexcitement to the Latin and keep her away from stunning performances equal to those she made in last Roland Garros. Her draw is considered rather safe and by no means tricky or challenging- that's apparently the reason why Muguruza is thought to be one of the favorites to win the tournament in Ladies' Singles. What is more, in case there is one tennis player able to beat S.Williams at the moment, that must be Garbine...Anyway, experts predict that Garbi will be next world #1 and that she will conquer quite a lot of Grand Slam titles in the future. 

Our personal prediction:2016 Wimbledon Finalist

Key player #3:Madison Keys

Madison Keys during last year's Wimbledon. Source:Getty

The American is considered to be a rising star of WTA with enormous potential for success in the immediate future. She is got a huge and astonishingly fast service which led her to some extent to Oz Open semis back in 2015, losing to S. Williams in straight sets. The most impressive of all, though, was that during that tournament her second service was slightly faster than Andy Murray's! In 2016, (despite the fact that she has admittedly gained some consistency in her game) she has yet to prove tennis analysts that she is the next big thing in women's tennis and that she is not a firework athlete*. However, Keys is believed to do well in Wimbledon, as most sports experts think it is high time she stunned the whole tennis planet with her performances in a challenging Grand Slam like that (given that in theory she's got all the weapons needed to do so). Another thing is that it seems no reason for her to feel under pressure,  as she is neither a local favorite(such as L.Robson and J.Konta) nor a player with many previous successful Grand Slam appearances. Consequently, she appeared to have pretty good chances of doing a remarkable job in this tournament as long as she is not on bad form and she is not going through injury issues.

* By the term "firework athlete" we mean a sportsman or a sportswoman who has made some impressive performances in the past that they didn't last though for a long time. So, this kind of athlete was in the spotlight for some time because of them but now they perform poorly ( a striking example of a firework athlete is Canada's Eugenie Bouchard)

Our personal prediction:Madi on QFs

Key player #4:Simona Halep

Simona Halep during the 2014 Wimbledon. Source:AFP

The most spectacular highlight in Simona's career so far was probably the amazing final she played in 2014 Roland Garros against Sharapova (although she was eventually beaten by the Russian in three sets). As to Wimbledon, she managed to reach the semis two years ago, losing to the Canadian E.Bouchard, but next year she arrived in England feeling a bit blue after her failure to perform in 2015 Roland Garros as well as in 2014. This year, the Romanian gives again the impression that she is kind of confused and frustrated. We'd better bear in mind the way in which she was knocked out of the last French Open S.Stosur, being up in the score until the suspension of the match due to rain but having no answer to Samantha's thrilling comeback when the clash restarted. The above fact indicates a clear weakness regarding Halep's mental game, on which she has to work particularly hard if she wants to be more successful in the long term. The most negative for Simona, however, is that her collapse in that match affected her to such an extent that in the press conference that followed she even accused people in charge of the tournament of allowing the play to start again despite the continuing rainfall. Now, individuals who are into tennis are looking forward to her reaction after her traumatic experience in Paris and some predict that Halep will go pretty far at the All-England Club, wanting to prove to anyone that she is a tough athlete who responds with consecutive victories to disapproving criticism. On the other hand, though, it's true that her current form is far from great, although she potentially has all it takes to succeed in a Major tournament. 

Our personal prediction: 4th round (maximum)

Some extra things you should take into consideration

A. Key players' seeds in Wimbledon:

S.Williams #1

G.Muguruza #2

M.Keys #9

S.Halep #5

B.Players we didn't mention above but may do quite well on English grass

P.Kvitova:The Czech is a two-time Wimbledon Champion, which means that she apparently has the so-called "know-how" advantage compared to most athletes participating at the All-England Club. However, we did not characterize her as a key player, being aware of the inconsistency of her game. Of course, this doesn't mean at all she is an outsider, as everybody knows what a quality sportswoman she is and how marvelous job she can do provided that she is in good form.

A.Radwanska: It is common knowledge that Aga is usually punctual at every single great rendez-vous of WTA. On the other hand, though, her form right now is by no mean ideal and that's the reason why she was not included in key players. However, it is generally believed that Radwanska is worth a Major title and she also has pretty important previous experience in Wimbledon, having once managed to be a runner-up. So, she can possibly go far in the specific Grand Slam in case she is capable of replicating the form of 2012.

S.Lisicki: The German is considered a grass specialist, having beaten both M.Sharapova and S.Williams in Wimbledon in 2011 and 2013. At the moment, however, she is admittedly on bad form and her performances are extremely poor even on grass, but Sabine has proved that she feels alright in Wimbledon courts. So, she may upset the apple cart and achieve something great in Britain. All in all, she has been once a finalist in Wimbledon, which means that Lisicki does not lack experience as to this tournament and can deafeningly succeed in it.

ENJOY YOUR STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM ON THE RAINY OUTSKIRTS OF LONDON!

KEEP CALM AND WATCH SOME WIMBLEDON TENNIS!

WHO WILL GLOOM ON GRASS?

**Garbine Muguruza lost today to Jana Cepelova in R2. However, as I told you, the article was written before.

Outlook 2016:Kiki Mladenovic

The young French is surely one of the most questionable talents the last 2 years. Kiki has been considered a rising star all these years but she is still to make her big bang in singles,while she has not even won a WTA title yet. 2015 has been a good year for her though leaving us with good promises for 2016.

2015:A step to the right direction

Kiki after beating Eugenie Bouchard in the FO

2015 has been a relatively good year for Kiki. The young Frenchwoman made a Grand Slam QF for the first time in her career in the US Open and we can pretty much say this is Kiki's best result in 2015. Kristina made also the first WTA Final in her career in 2015. in Strasbourg, while she remains still without any WTA title(only a 125k one) at the age of 22 years old. Moreover,Kiki improved a lot in the rankings, ending the year at number 29 instead of 81 in 2014 and she setting her new career high at number 27 after the US Open. Furthermore,Kiki got to play a lot more top players this year challenging many of them and pushing them to their best. Significantly,she beat Eugenie Bouchard 2 times and Simona Halep once.Finally,as we all know Kiki is a very successful doubles player and she did not fail to remind us in 2015. She broke into the top 5 after winning Rome with Timea Babos while she is currently in the 9th place. Kiki and Timea qualified in the WTA Finals in Singapore as well. She ended the year with 4 WTA Doubles titles,3 with Timea and 1 with Belinda Bencic with 2 of the 4 titles being at Premier Level 5 tournaments.In the bigger picture,Kiki's results in singles weren't that astonishing though. Even though,this was the best year of the French's career we can say that we still expect her breakout.2016 is a crucial year for her. Kiki is in the age of the Rising Star but this year as she turns 23 she will lose the title,so she'd better get the big move on quickly.

2016:Is this Kiki's year?

Kiki during her US Open 2R match

Kiki for me is definitely a very talented player and if she never gets in the top 10 it will be a waste of talent. First of all,she is a really crafty player and she can hit really good slices,drop shots and lobs something really important as the new generation lacks variety more and more,not to mention she has a great volley proven by her great doubles career so far. The main problem for Kiki in my opinion is the mental side of the game. She has what we call a "French brain". Many French players are amazingly talented,significantly Caroline Garcia and Gael Monfils, but they have not matured mentally until today. Kiki is one of these situations.I believe,that the "French brain" is definitely "curable". What it needs is the guidance by a good coach and for me there is no better coach for the mental side than a former player. Amelie Mauresmo,former world no1 and 2 time GS champion,who now works with Andy Murray and has done an amazing job while she has helped Marion Bartoli en route to her maiden Grand Slam title is one of the best choices Kiki can have. Now,Mladenovic can definitely make some improvements in her game. The most important for me are the serve and the return as they can help her come to the net easily where she is really good,mainly due to her doubles career.Moreover,her shots are powerful but sometimes cant seem to trouble their opponents so adding some top spin or finding some better angles will be really good even though her craft can help her a lot as well!My prediction for her 2016 is to crack into the top 20 and make at least one Grand Slam SF. I have high expectations from her this year as I believe it can finally be her breakout!!


BEST OF LUCK IN 2016 KIKI <3

P.S.:Photos are from Kiki's fb

Outlook 2016: Anna Karolina Schmiedlova

Another player many tennis fans including me praise to have a good 2016 is Schmiedlova. The Slovak had her best season in 2015 and as she has been a great junior her time to shine in the WTA tour must be near. This is my thoughts on her 2015 and my predictions for her 2016.

2015:A star is born.

2015 was definitely Anna's best season.The year were she made herself known to the tennis world. Even though the start was not ideal and she had some bad loses,she had a generally consistent year winning her first 2 WTA Titles in 3 finals and making her first 2 premier level 5 QFs. Also,another good factor is that she got to play more top players like Aga Radwanska,Sara Errani,Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova,beating some of them as well. She did beat Aga Radwanska in Cincinatti in a great match by her with everything working and in general a really good tournament. Also,she gave immense fight against Caro in Wuhan to make an UNBELIEVABLE come back and beat one of the top seeds in another steady tournament from her. I really appreciate steady seasons and Im passionate supporter of the opinion that stability is always rewarded in the end.Also,for me winning titles is something really important for a young player.They show that you can win multiple matches against lower ranked players and higher ranked. They are the proof you are not just a giant-killer.About,Ana's season you can see more in my Zhuhai preview articles as well,where she made it as an alternate and a player a match beating easily Roberta Vinci.

2016:But will the star shine?

As we all know WTA is fond off naming players Rising Stars and "predicting " that they have a brand future. Though,not everyone is one of them. In my opinion,Anna-Karolina must be watched as one and I believe that she can have a good 2016 as she has in general some great characteristics and something that lacks in the modern WTA youngsters,stability.About her game I have to say that her stable baseline game can trouble the WTA world in 2016 especially on clay. Also,her groundstrokes can take crazy angles and be really demanding to exploit. However,everyone has their disadvantages. While Anna's groundstrokes are aggressive-minded she does not have a killing shot,rarely will you see her having an uncatchable one(even though they will always put you on defensive position),so I think that she must work on her variety and net play. I will emphasise on net play as Anna had not had any good results on grass this year so it will be good for her improvement in that surface. Moreover,she is 1.76m tall so she can work on her serve technique and why not in her return as well.  Anyway, I think everything depends on hard work. The talent is there but the player must always work to get improved and have the results. I think Anna is in the right direction and I believe that she is a hard-working girl in search of accomplishing her goals. I predict that she will have a great 2016. The most important for her now is to get to play more at the big stages,to get accustomed to them. This year,as she will be seeded at the slams(she is in the AO at least) there is no doubt we will see her more in the big stages and against the top seeds. For me, Anna can end the 2016 season inside the top 15. Im maybe too optimistic but I see future in the face of this girl..Probably,because I like her character as well,I mean that she is not like the other wanna be stars of the game(p.ex. Bouchard).I may be wrong. Hopefully,the time to see has come close.




I WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! THANKS FOR READING MY ARTICLES!  I would love to hear your opinion in the comments!!!

Outlook 2016:Garbine Muguruza

Garbine was definitely one of the stories of 2015. From just an aspiring youngster she became part of the game's top players in 12 months time and she is considered to be one of the favourites for the 4 slams and the Olympics next year. So,what is Garbi's potential for the 2015 season? This is my opinion.


2015:The bomb that exploded
Garbine has been considered as one of the main WTA rising talents so far. Especially,after her win over Serena Williams in the 2nd round of the French Open last year her name started to be heard again and again in the tennis fan circles. The only thing that Garbi needed for her fearless game to shine on court was a healthy and fit year and that year was 2015. 2015 was just incredible for the young Spaniard. She won many top 10 players many of them multiple times,as Agniezska Radwanska and Angelique Kerber while she made the second week in 3 of the 4 Grand Slams including the Wimbledon Final and the Roland Garros Quarter Finals.
In the rest tournaments she was not as astonishing especially in the US swing,where she was dealing for her new ranking as a top player. However, she had an unbelievable Asian Swing reaching the QF in Tokyo,the Final in Wuhan and the tip of the iceberg she won her first Premier Title,actually a Premier Mandatory title in Beijing,securing a place in the Singapore Elite 8. In Singapore she went 3-0 in her group,losing only one set to Petra Kvitova but she lost to Aga Radwanska in the Semifinals. Also, she made the Final in Doubles. These were unbelievable results for Garbine who managed to end the year as world number 3 exposing for the first time her fearless game that gave her nicknames such as "The Bomb" and "Muguruthless".



2016:Is Muguruza the new Bouchard?

Many are the tennis fans who have compared Garbine to Genie. Genie had an amazing 2014 as Garbine this year but her 2015 as we know was something more than devastating. However,we are not here to talk about Genie. Garbi is a different person and even though the 2 seasons had many similarities(finals on quick surfaces etc.) I'm strongly against that comparison for the following reasons. First of all Garbi is older and more mature on court. I mean that Garbi has a more grown up play style and mental mindset. Muguruza has proved that she is more mature inside the tennis court and she has for sure a better behaviour than the Canadian and I thing that one of the main reasons Genie has not succeeded after 2014 is the fact that she needed to become more mature and play as a favourite. Garbi proved that she can play as a favourite in Beijing and in Singapore this year where her results were living up to her seeding.
Moreover, Garbine's game has more options than Genie's. Genie's routine is just to play the ball as quick as she can without many other pros. In the meantime Garbi has a big serve and return as well as really good volleys due to her doubles career. Furthermore,her Asian swing shows us that Garbi can have consistent results while Genie's had many up and downs. Finally,Muguruza has had a great a record over many of the elite players which means that she has read their game perfectly well. In general, I predict that Garbine will continue the good results in 2016 and she will remain in top 10,but I feel it is too early for her to win a slam or an Olympic medal,but who knows...anything can happen!






Thanks for reading! Hope you will have great holidays! Please, comment me your opinion!


P.S.: All the photos are from Getty!

Aga Radwanska: It doesn't matter how you start, it matters how you finish (Part 2)

This week,I started the review of Aga's 2015. A year that didn't start good but it ended unbelievably well! This quote of Aga after winning the WTA Finals in Singapore can pretty much describe all the 2015. This is the 2nd part of the article,Aga's second part of the year-after the grass court season!

The US summer,mediocre appearances continue...

Aga was supposed to return in a good fashion during the US Open series,something that never happened. Aga failing to defend the Rogers Cup points lost her top 10 ranking once again,while she still remained without a title in 2015. However, she had little unexpected losses(1st round in Cincinnati,3rd in the US Open) and her loses came to top players each time. That was a progress. Aga's game was starting to work better which was evident in her match against Angie Kerber in Stanford,one of the best matches of the year quality wise. Mentally there wasn't that much progress. Aga lost after bageling Simona Halep in the 1st set in the Toronto QFs (a golden chance to win a title there) while her match against Schmiedlova in the 1st round of Cincinnati was not a good example as well. I was not happy for Aga's US swing! So many opportunities wasted,so much vulturing getting useless. She would have to give it all in the Asian Swing for the two prerequisites for a season for me,a title and a place in the WTA Finals.


Asia:This is my home!

Aga had an unbelievable Asian swing,winning 2 WTA Titles and finding herself in the end in Singapore,where a very pleasant surprise came to give different air to this bad season. She began her Asian campaign in Tokyo,one of her favourite tournaments where after an amazing week,full of emotions, she lifted her first title of 2015. This was Aga's best tennis in 2015 so far. Flawless with perfect balance between defence and offence she would beat Coco Vandewedge,Elina Svitolina,Karolina Pliskova,Dominica Cibulkova and Belinda Bencic without losing a set en route to her 2nd title in the country of the rising sun.This meant that my first goal for her season had been accomplished,to win a WTA title. She went then to lose early in Wuhan,victim of her bad draw(against eventual champion Venus Williams) and her fatigue(played one day after returning from Tokyo). Then,she had a good week in the SFs of Beijing which however was not followed by her best play,even though she snatched her first top 10 match win against Kerber in the QFs. The SF match against Garbine was really painful to watch for a fan. Aga won the first set,but she did not keep up the good work in the 2nd while she started the 3rd as bad as usually.Aga then would find the inspiration she had in the first set to bounce back and return the set to 4-5 on her serve. Unfortunately,she was not able to hold,even though she had a game point. This match was really bad in the mental part. Aga did not have her head clear throughout the match and she did not exploit Garbine's weaknesses which were evident throughout all the match. Aga had been confirmed then for Tianjin and Moscow. If she would win in Tianjin she'd qualify for the WTA Finals. The field in Tianjin was really weak especially after Bencic's withdrawal and Pennetta's 1st round exit. The only players who could probably challenge her where Kiki Mladenovic and Karolina Pliskova. The road was open. Personally,I would have been really unhappy if she had lost a match that week,but fortunately she did not and with really good tennis on display she would go on to win her 2nd title of 2015. I remember me this week being afraid to watch her matches because I would jinx her,though with the help of my twitter friends I took the courage to watch her SF and Final matches and it was really rewarding as Aga played amazing. So, after securing her spot in the Elite 8,Aga would omit Moscow,logically assumed, to prepare for Singapore.

The Singapore tale

I still can not believe what happened in Singapore. I was sure that Aga will go there to get trashed in all her round robin matches but she ended up LIFTING the Billie Jean King Trophy to bring joy to every Aga fan around the world.Aga began her Singapore campaign in the red group against Maria,Simona and Flavia. Her first match was against Maria Sharapova. Maria had to play a full match since Wimbledon and had been struggling with injuries lately so this was an open chance. However,Aga could not take advantage of it. Their match was a lot alike the Beijing SF,Aga played a perfect 1st set then she run out of steam to lose the second and get back in the 3rd,with a late revival not being enough. Two days later,Aga would lose to US Open champion Flavia Pennetta in straight sets to put her in the last place of the Red Group. There was only one mathematical scenario Aga could qualify. She would have to win Simona in 2 and Maria to win Flavia in 2.And this happened...Aga found herself two points away from getting eliminated by the competition but she turned back in the first set tie-break against Simona to seal the win! Maria's win over Flavia later would send her to the semis(THANK YOU MARIA!!!). Aga will then have to play against Garbine Muguruza, a player that have gone 3-0 in her group and had already caused a LOT of trouble to Aga in 2015. Aga had met Garbi 4 times in 2015 and had lost all of them failing to read the Spaniards powerful game. However,this time was Aga's chance. Garbine had one day less to rest while she has been playing doubles all week. The Pole played an amazing match while her opponent had moments of brilliance but in general was rusty. She eventually scored one of the best and most emotional wins of the year with 6-7 6-3 7-5 to reach her first WTA Finals Final!

In the Final she got to face Petra Kvitova. Aga was playing sailing in the start not giving away ANYTHING while Petra had probably not realised the importance of the match yet. After getting down 2-6 0-2 Petra woke up. Despite the fact that Aga did not make a single Unforced Error in the whole second set Petra managed to win it 6-4 and to lead 2-0 in the 3rd . That's a hint of how great is Peak Petra.From then, Aga started playing more like the first set putting on some risk,while Petra slowed down. In the end, the Czech would gift Aga the WTA Finals title with a powerful forehand of hers hitting the net. Aga's reaction and all of her fandoms twitter reaction was something more than touching. Others, including Aga were crying,others including me were souting like crazy. It was incredible. Aga was the WTA Finals Champion. Aga lifted the Billie Jean King Trophy. WHO WOULD HAVE IMAGINED THAT AFTER SUCH A YEAR AGA WOULD WIN HER BIGGEST TITLE EVER?NONE! I was so glad to be an Aga fan after this win,especially after what I felt in spring.The French Open I have lost hope but this brought it back to me! I finally had something to make me happy when Aga would retire! A photo that I would watch and take courage! Thank you Aga,my beloved queen!

My insta message after Aga's Singapore win:

"17th WTA Title-the WTA Finals!!!!🙌🙌🙌🙌💪💪💪 Your 1st Major Title(GS,YEC)!!!! Im so proud for being a fan of this girl the last 3 years and 2 months. After the 2013 Wimbledon and that SF loss I thought that you will never win something big,I gave up every hope but this brought me back.After your 1r loss in the French I sat in my bed and almost burst into tears,I thought everything was over.In the next couple of months I saw you returning back to the good old form.You made it to Singapore.I quarrelled with numerous tennis fans on twitter about you.On Tuesday you went 0-2 in the RR.There was only 1 mathematical scenario that you could get in the semis,beating Simona in 2 and Masha to beat Flavia in 2.And this happened and after two amazing wins over Muguruza and Kvitova you are here,holding the Billie Jean King trophy.Shutting up all the haters mouths and bringing life to all of us your numberous fans. Thank you so much for all the amazing emotion my queen!!Lets hope 2016 will be that great!!! I will miss you on court for the next 2 months but I will be watching this photo to take courage. Thanks again...💜💜💜"

Thanks everyone for reading this article. I wish you Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Edit of @gpatricia1748 my photo editing guru! :p
Make sure to follow her on twitter!

Aga Radwanska: It doesn't matter how you start, it matters how you finish (Part 1)

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:

• Confidence
• Her top 10 spot
• Her spot near the Singapore top 8
• Her good play

Shortly,this would have been the best recipe to succeed in the rest of the year if she had solved the mental problem...

PART 2 COMING UP