Recollecting the long wait to see a GB woman in the top 100 ... and the anticipation when we first thought one might get there ... and the years with few WTA-level match wins, and no tournament wins ... I rather like a year in which Ms Watson has won, among other things, a WTA tournament, some super Fed Cup matches, and Wimbledon mixed doubles ... even if there have been struggles along the way.
Point taken that she's got a lot of points to defend this Spring and that she has at time seemed to struggle with the new style of tennis adopted a few years ago. And point taken, too, that she is very up-and-down - as tony_orient notes, she always has been. But if you've just allowed for that and enjoyed the ride, there have been - and I hope will be - plenty of highs.
Very well said
Heather's achievements may have been somewhat overshadowed now by Jo's but when Heather picked up her first WTA title it was the first by a British woman for a very, very long time. Here's hoping she is pacing herself right at the moment: she peaked very nicely for the Fed Cup; hopefully we'll be saying the same after the upcoming run of tournaments!
-- Edited by vohor on Wednesday 22nd of February 2017 08:08:00 AM
Heather's social media looks to be on a different planet to anything it was before. Just took a look and wow.
She's got her Hollyoaks doppleganger male model boyfriend in every other pic. I believe she had a bf previously for some time and i never remember seeing a picture of him. Plus she's got half of British tennis plus Woz commenting on some of her instagram posts. If i was looking for signs that she's become less mentally enagaged in tennis and her head is more elsewhere than in the past, I'd say this was one.
Maybe after that perios of trying to improve and hone her aggressive game didn't work out, and the coach merry-go-round, she's just checked out.
Heather might not be getting as many wins as people think she should, but her form has generally been pretty good since just before the Fed Cup - OK she lost a couple that she ought to have won, but other losses were to the likes of Konta, Kerber and Mladenovic. She also beat Mattek-Sands and Makarova on the way. Room for improvemet ? Yes, of course, but not a total check-out.
And Lloyd Glasspool has been on the scene for months
Yeah, i knew who he was and that it's not brand new situation due to comments that were quoted by Evo etc. But i don't generally follow players on social media so seeing it all struck me.
And judging by what people have being saying about her on court demeanor, here and elsewhere, i think there is a noticable change in her character during matches. Dimitrov worked with Roger Rahseed trying to make the next push, but instead, while trying hard fell further away. He became disillusioned with tennis and began to engage in other things to find a different place and reason to be happy. He has since said he has rediscovered his love for tennis but this sort of thing can happen. They are only human beings.
For goodness' sake, are people seriously saying that because a young woman takes 5 minutes a day to post an instagram photo, she doesn't care about tennis?
For goodness' sake, are people seriously saying that because a young woman takes 5 minutes a day to post an instagram photo, she doesn't care about tennis?
I despair.
Laura has often got it in a number of quarters but then she also occasionally attended functions that ended past bedtime. Adding 2 and 2 can give a remarkable number of answers.
Minorly interesting if folk are into such things, but I'd be extremely wary of drawing conclusions / making connections if considering such things in conjunction with her tennis.
Heather's social media looks to be on a different planet to anything it was before. Just took a look and wow.
She's got her Hollyoaks doppleganger male model boyfriend in every other pic. I believe she had a bf previously for some time and i never remember seeing a picture of him. Plus she's got half of British tennis plus Woz commenting on some of her instagram posts. If i was looking for signs that she's become less mentally enagaged in tennis and her head is more elsewhere than in the past, I'd say this was one.
Maybe after that perios of trying to improve and hone her aggressive game didn't work out, and the coach merry-go-round, she's just checked out.
... Not everything has to be evolved around tennis, yes, to make it to the top, you have to make all kinds of sacrifices, but just because she posts pictures of her boyfriend and not pictures of herself on the court doesn't mean she doesn't want it as much. She is a normal human being too, it is normal for people to post pictures of their partners on social media so why is it strange for Heather to do the same thing?
Professional athletes have plenty of time for R and R even when totally committed. Social media for most is just a way of communicating with friends and family and actually a pretty good outlet for people constantly on the move. Strikes me as the norm for a sociable person in their mid 20's.
I don't blame Heathers social media or private life for the dip in her form I think it's just a case of a plateau when she reached her CH. I commented a couple of years ago that I didn't think she'd go much higher in the rankings and sadly that seems to be the case. I have no doubt she ll be back in the top 100 but can't ever see her being where Jo is.
The sad thing about that picture for me is Laura more or less hiding in the background. I also thought she had potential to go higher than her CH and maybe be close to where Joko is just now depending on how much she wanted it and of course staying fit and healthy. She can still do it but the longer she's out of the top end of the game the more likely it is she ll quit altogether I fear. If she could get to where Naomi and Heather are I think she'd push on past them, but if it doesn't happen within the year to 18 months then that will be it. I can't see her scrabbling around the 25k circuit indefinitely.
Skibarriz may be right. It could well be that their romance means that both or one of Lloyd and Heather are giving a tiny bit less focus to their tennis than they otherwise would be right now. Equally their romance could well mean than one or both of them are feeling more content, secure and happy allowing them to play relaxed and freely resulting in better tennis than they would otherwise be playing right now. Horses for courses I feel. Pay your money and take your choice!!