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Aug/14

17

Sharapova can use gamesmanship but Ana can’t

anaiv

Sharapova and Ivanovic battled all night in an unforgettable court war filled with drama, gamesmanship, screaming, sarcastic mockery, a timeout, choking and finally a three set 75 in the third triumph by Ivanovic.

Ana was up a set and 4-0 and also 5-2 in their Cincinnati Open semifinal clash but Sharapova stormed back to win the second and later had two match points in the third.

I didn’t see this part of the match but Ana is said to have taken an illness timeout after the second set.

They battled and battled like it was a major title or the WTA number one ranking at stake.

Maria was screaming and shrieking up a storm in the third set. I used to think it was her passion and desire to win but this time it seemed different. As if Maria is disguising pure gamesmanship under the cover of her passion, all out effort, and hunger to win.

How can you time a ball and play precision tennis when an opponent like Sharapova is screaming and yelling like a banshee on every single ball? Simona Halep couldn’t handle the screaming (or raised intensity caused by the screaming) last night and clearly crumbled because of it.

But last night, all through the tornado of disturbing sound effects, Ana kept her poise and grace. I Presumably, she never complained (though I didn’t see the entire match), she just kept playing.

Finally, Ana found a way to go up 6-5 in the third and won the first point of Sharapova’s final service game with an amazing full stretch ankle high ball forehand winner up the line. Everyone in the house roared in awe, even the ESPN commentators Chris Evert and Cliff Drsydale. Pam Shriver, from her courtside view, also observed that “Maria just said to the chair umpire to ‘check her blood pressure.’ Sarcastically.”

Ana eventually closed it out on match point with a backhand cross court that Maria couldn’t get to in time. Ana was elated with this win, Maria was devastated because she gave every ounce of her heart and soul, coming all the way back from a set and 0-4 and 2-5 down. Ivanovic refused to lose though and this has to be one of her most treasured wins.

Clearly, from what I saw last night, Ivanovic and Sharapova are the fiercest of arch rivals, their personal dislike may be on par with the Maria-Serena competitive hatred.

After the match, Maria said about Ana’s timeout, “I never actually got a clear answer on what it was, but, I mean, I don’t know. Could have been something like an anxiety [attack] or something. I’m not really sure what you take blood pressure for. We played a pretty long point afterwards and she seemed to be doing well. Not really sure what was going on there.”

I say shame on Maria for insinuating Ana used gamesmanship. Maria’s screaming and shrieking tactics are pure gamesmanship designed to distract, break, disrupt and bother the flow, rhythm, and focus of her opponent. Ana never once complained though and in the end she prevailed.

After watching Maria scream up a storm vs. Halep and Ivanovic, I think it’s time for the WTA to have a meeting with Maria. Tennis is supposed to be the sport of grace and artistry. Federer, McEnroe, Sampras or Borg never screamed like wild animals. Sharapova can certainly tone down her screaming and shrieking although it will likely negatively effect her results and ranking.

But last night’s Ana-Maria epic was one of the best matches of the year. And it ranks up there with any WTA match I’ve ever seen. Boy, is it going to be a bloodbath the next time these two titanettes square off, a grudge match I will surely tune into see.

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21 comments

  • Hartt · August 17, 2014 at 1:56 pm

    Having read a couple descriptions of that match, now I wish I’d gotten up in the middle of the night to watch the replay. Maria’s gamesmanship is hard to take, but when she starts to complain about other players it’s downright laughable. I wonder if her opponents ever do complain about the shrieking – you never hear about that.
    Hope that today’s final is competitive, hard-fought tennis without a lot of drama!

  • Scoop Malinowski · August 17, 2014 at 2:21 pm

    It was an incredible finale Hartt. Dramatic, loud, hard fought points, fans into it, apparent dislike between the two, one player was gracious and fair the other ferocious and vicious, doing everything she could to win (screaming, yelling, catching serve tosses, mocking the opponent). Maria used to represent such a nice girl, a rags to riches story, now she’s like becoming the queen of mean, with a never satisfied greed for more titles, more glory, more money. It looks like time for Maria to move on to the next stage of life, or at least tone it down. She’s already won everything she wanted to win and more, she already made enough money. Let the new girls have their day in the sun.

  • Jack · August 17, 2014 at 8:30 pm

    There ARE two sets of rules in pro tennis. The top players can get away with a lot more, whether it be “grunting”, “time wasting”, “on-court coaching”, fake “medical timeouts”, or doping.

    Bitti must go !

  • Scoop Malinowski · August 17, 2014 at 8:33 pm

    The stars often take advantage of preferential treatment. One star who doesn’t though IMO is Federer. No grunts, plays at reasonable pace, never gets coached, rarely takes medical timeouts. Serena actually plays pretty fair too outside the sometimes loud screams.

  • Thomas Tung · August 17, 2014 at 8:39 pm

    Anybody going to the US Open Qualifying this Tuesday? I’ll be there with some friends. We should be there around 1pm …

  • Dan markowitz · August 17, 2014 at 9:37 pm

    Scoop and I are cycling in from Manhattan. If James McGee is playing I’ll be watching him as my friend Jeff Salzenstein is coaching him.

  • Scoop Malinowski · August 17, 2014 at 10:00 pm

    Thomas, or any other dear readers, text me on Tuesday so we don’t miss each other like the one year — 20l 2l8 08ll.

  • Gaurang · August 17, 2014 at 11:51 pm

    Fed won Cincinnati. He is back in business!

  • Dan Markowitz · August 18, 2014 at 7:39 am

    Fed looks good, Gaurang. Finals of Wimby, finals of Toronto, wins Cincy. On recent past performance alone, he is by far the favorite for Flushing Meadows. If he wins this US Open, it’s going to be quite a coronation for his GOAT status.

  • Scoop Malinowski · August 18, 2014 at 8:30 am

    Fed has made four straight finals (two titles) Halle Wimb Tor Cin – first player in over 30 years to do this. He’s back in business all right. I think the NY crowd can really push Fed through to win the US Open. The crowd will really be behind him, especially after seeing the heartbreaking loss in five sets to Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. The crowd will not let that happen again in NYC. Fed is playing fantastic ball right now. I rate his chances highly, he’s the favorite right now with Djokovic.

  • Andrew Miller · August 18, 2014 at 10:52 am

    I like Ivanovic- MariaSharapova shreiking has won many a match much as Seles in past or Serena Williams. Im sure they can enforce some rule about unnecessary distractuons so that players think twice before the shreik routine.

    On Nadal suspicion alert firmly in place. He has indeed made a routine of pulling from slams after a bad performance. Not like wimbledon happenned yesterday or the start of the hardcourt season. Wrist injuries are common but this is weird again. Win a slam underperform then pull out for a half year. Win a slam underperform pull out for half a year due to some random ailment. I give the benefit of doubt but not now.

    I think the suspicion alert holds for mardy fish too. No player has ever left the sport with such a wimper – spadeas exit from the game is much more dignified! Sad but honorable. Speculation is dangerous but it just looks bad. No press conference no nothing. And if it comes on two years and fish announces a return to the game i think you have a cilicfactor at work. Again speculation dangerous but this situation whether federer or nadal is ridiculous. Loom at federer djokovic ….they almost never miss a slam !

  • Dan Markowitz · August 18, 2014 at 12:55 pm

    Come on, there hasn’t been another player in the last 30 years to reach 4 tournament finals in a row? It’s a nice achievement, but it seems incredulous that other hot players in the past have not achieved this feat.

  • Scoop Malinowski · August 18, 2014 at 1:01 pm

    It was a Sharko tweet yesterday. Does seem hard to believe.

  • Scoop Malinowski · August 18, 2014 at 1:03 pm

    All very reasonable observations. Does Tipsarevic’s hiatus arouse suspicions Andrew?

  • Scoop Malinowski · August 18, 2014 at 1:04 pm

    Ryan Harrison won a match, he straight setted Struff. Next up is Rosol who beat him in Dallas Challenger this year.

  • Andrew Miller · August 18, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    Tipsy maybe but only because of Troicki. Tipsy was always way better than his ranking as well as being crazy ! His trip down the rankings has been ugly for sure.

    You never know though. I believed in Fish rise on his talent and the diet stuff and similar to Isner was a great best of three set player. But his exit from tennis has to be one of the most bizarre stories ever – no retirement announcement etc no press conference zip. Capriatis odd exit at least was recognized with the hall of fame induction.

    But Fish hadnt said a word. He tried to play his way back then fizzled. I guess he wants to go out on his terms but there is an expiration date for this.

  • Scoop Malinowski · August 18, 2014 at 1:42 pm

    Since Fish never officially retired the USTA could have granted him the doubles wildcard that he and Roddick wanted. I don’t think any player would have criticized it.

  • Bryan · August 18, 2014 at 7:48 pm

    Maria seems to scream louder the longer and more intense a match becomes. It may be a bad habit or she may be trying to intimidate her opponents. She’s been doing this so long I presume it’s both.

    Ana had a panic attack on court so they brought out the medical guys. I don’t think that’s gamesmanship per se, but it was a mental issue not a a physical issue. True, mental problems can lead to physical ones but should officials allow a player who’s mentally unraveling a time-out? No, but it’s too difficult to prove whether it’s mental or physical in the heat of the moment.

    BTW anyone who gave Ana a pass on Saturday must also give Victoria Azarenka a pass for her similar freakout at the 2013 Australian Open.

  • Bryan · August 18, 2014 at 7:51 pm

    Andrew Miller, checkout today’s USA Today. Mardy Fish admits he retired due to panic attacks. As I said all along, it was panic attacks not a heart condition. That said, people with panic attacks can get irregular heartbeats.

  • Scoop Malinowski · August 18, 2014 at 10:31 pm

    The rules allow a player to take a timeout if they request it. Ana did what Maria has done many many times. It’s not a big deal. I read somewhere Maria did the same thing earlier this year vs. Ana, lost a set called the TO to ice Ana. Now Ana does it and Maria whines. I believe Maria’s screaming is a concerted scheme to distract and bother the opponent. Noise of any kind bothers a player. Player’s whine about crowd noise all the time. McEnroe used to complain about camera snapshots. Imagine how McEnroe would have complained if he was playing Screamapova lol.

  • jblitz · August 19, 2014 at 4:44 am

    “Fed has made four straight finals (two titles) Halle Wimb Tor Cin – first player in over 30 years to do this.”

    Just last year in 2013 Rafa made nine straight finals from Santiago to RG (seven titles) and then four straight finals from Canada to Beijing (three more titles). He made another final at the WTF and semis at Shanghai and Paris although those don’t count in the streak(s).

    In 2011 Rafa made six consecutive finals (two titles) from Indian Wells to RG and I’m sure Djokovic had some long streaks in 2011 too. In 2010 Rafa made four finals (four titles) from MC to RG and almost certainly had similar clay streaks in previous years. Sharko has made a rare mistake.

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