Muguruza looks unstoppabale

Agree Scoop – result I predicted ! Just felt Garbine was too strong, younger, fitter, would put everything into it.

I also think Muguruza won this in her match v Kerber – that was a tough one and she came through. From then on she seemed the most focussed and concentrated.

Symmetry ?
Muguruza runner-up in 2015 to Serena
Winner in 2017
X runner-up in 2016 to Serena
In 2018 ?

No, it won’t happen.

And we’ve found a new route to success in grass season. First, see the tune up pre Wimbledon tournaments as mere Childs play and practice. If you need to lose 6-1 6-0 to make your flight later that afternoon, tank it like Muguruza. Or, like Nadal, just don’t play any tune ups and coast on your good form and availability of nearby grasscourts. Eat Spanish tortillas and seafood and be happy.
Don’t do what Lopez did and by all means don’t win any tune-ups, especially if you are female in the wta tour! Don’t get career high wins before the main event. In a sentence, don’t pull a Sevastova. Tune ups mean zero.
In fact, if you do play a tune up and you don’t have it in you to lose early and tank like there’s a tomorrow, lose in the final. You’ll have that bitter taste of losing in your mouth and try harder at Wimbledon, and you’ll probably get the quarters or better.

I hope Muguruza keeps up her standard of play and lifts the rest of the WTA up with her.

Muguruza keep it up? Haha. No, she should take it easy. She should prep and then tank in the summer and then win us open. The tennis world used to go after the Williams for their light schedule that prioritized the slams. Now Muguruza took a page out of it and updates it, slack off at tune UPS and save your best for the slams.

Wta is in chaos. I think the two most important players in recent tennis memory, in terms of shaking up the tour, have been Wawrinka in 2014 with his australian title and Pennetta in 2015 with her us open title. Both flung open the doors to ATP and WTA glory. Even if on the men’s tour the big four retain a chokehold on majors for the most part, it’s no mistake that Cilic is in another slam final and Querrey has been carving out a nice spot alongside past USA men’s players, like Mal Washington and David Wheaton (both of who had semifinal or better slam runs, even Todd Martin with his wimbledon semifinal and us open final). On the wta tour, it’s no mistake and no fluke that Pennetta won the us open in 2015, showing other women’s players that you too can win a slam, no matter if you’re toiling somewhere in the top 50, just keep at it.
They’ve proven it.
Again the men’s tour still has the big four on top. But don’t you think Federer felt a little lonely looking around and seeing that there were three other guys whose names aren’t Djokovic, Murray, Nadal in the final four of a slam?
I think so. This wta free for all is going to show up on the men’s tour. It already is.

Catherine, Serena’s at a slam per year pace. If other players win three to her one per year it’s still WTA chaos. Azarenka’s comeback has been underwhelming, Kvitova’s has been emotional and I give her a pass, poor girl. Sharapova’s was “exciting” and now ranks at the underwhelming level. Radwanska is ready to leave the tour with her beau. Venus had an amazing run for sure.
So we get chaos. Kerber made her mark in this chaotic era, following on Pennetta. Muguruza took that cue, grabbed two slams herself. Konta, even Vesnina! have pushed themselves out there, Konta more so of course as she has more oomph and drive (much as I love Safarova and Vesnina…).
I hold it’s chaos. Kerber, others would do well to make their mark and make a big one, as in grab a or another slam while you can because the only obstacle isn’t a fierce champion in your way, just how much desire you have and whether you can put that to use.

Actually, I don’t see anything really wrong with the WTA’s ‘chaos’ – it’s just more of a level playing field and more players have the chance to grab titles before the next dominant player comes along – it’s happened before.
As long as the quality is there – that’s what matters.

Hartt – if you see this – is Muguruza playing Roger’s Cup this year ? I can’t find any information.

Catherine, I agree the chaos I speak of is fine, just that I don’t see as much of the Henin-like or past Serena-like commitment. I’m used to more formidable champions outside of the French Open, playing evenly consistently and in a more committed form than today’s”don’t quite feel like it this tournament” fashion. Aka more like the big four, five guys on the ATP, less like the crew heading up the wta.

I disagree about the nothing wrong with it, I think there’s a lot wrong with some of the tanking going on – like Muguruza’s 6-1 6-0 loss a few weeks ago in Turkey, right? So strange, as I was more used to, say, a 6-0 6-0 scoreline between Henin and Graf and anyone on the other side of them. Venus too had been like this in early 2000s, Serena too in more recent years, some inexplicable losses but more even play in comparison.

So ill celebrate wins from Vesnina, but I’m not enthralled with some of the Tomic like tanking.

Yes – it’s true that WTA players seem to be more inconsistent than in the past – I don’t know why. Do they play more events ? Do they play tournaments they don’t really want to ? I don’t know enough about WTA rules and regs etc to make a comment on that and the circuit has changed a lot since I was last in touch with these things.
Is there too much travelling ? Yes is the probable answer there but can’t see there’s anything to be done about it.
Let’s see what happens in the next big post W’don events. Will Muguruza flop in Roger’s Cup ? Will Angie ? Will Bouchard win ?

Catherine, I’m going to be fair to the players and give them benefit of doubt. Venus Williams, in some ways as a server and volleyer and all time great Navratilova, is formidable at any age. Muguruza deserves all the glory, this is her day, she really made history.
However, I’m still miffed and bewildered when I see elite players put in poor efforts. We saw Tomic put in an awful effort here. I’ve noted one off tanking from Coric at other tournaments. And we know WTA players, our newly minted wta star, among them. If a player is sick they ought to forfeit the match before playing. If they don’t need to be at the tournament and are collecting an appearance fee, which is their right, and lose early out of not trying, I still find it poor form for men’s and women’s tours. Agassi had put this kind of poor effort in before in the past, for dubious reasons, in his early 20s and mid 20s. Henin retired, out of dubious nonsense reasons, in an Australian final to Mauresmo, denying some glory. I cant stand it!
So, yes, it remains to be seen here if Muguruza feels some obligation to push herself at this level and show this isn’t just making up for a past title she missed.

Whatever her woes Kerber tried hard out there, I don’t remember her putting in a 6-1 6-0 loss as a top seed. I haven’t seen Konta do this either, whatever technical flaws in her game – she gives crowds their ticket value, plays her heart out.

Would like to see the top players take on the burden. Not too much to ask. It’s why the big four on men’s tour are beloved.

Maybe there’s a story behind that wacky lopsided loss for Muguruza. I don’t know.

Williams was tired near the end of the first set after those long rallies. You could clearly see it. Muguruza looked more fit, and her second set rout was largely due to that.

What did Garbine say after her match ?
‘I always come very motivated to the Grand Slams.’

I think you have it there Andrew – some players just aren’t that motivated in other tournaments, although they’d deny it if you asked them outright. They know a loss there won’t be the end of the world. They don’t want to get injured, overtired etc. They can get away with it.

I agree I doubt Kerber has ever pulled that one, or a few others I can think of, but some, definitely, and that used to happen years ago too. Just too much tennis.
You start losing badly and it’s so easy to let the match slip away.
And this summer there were too many retirements and withdrawals at pre-Wimbledon events – a bit ridiculous. Some more serious attention paid to scheduling might help avoid that and also avoid some of those less-than-serious efforts.

Maybe Rios does belong in the hall of fame.

Good mixed doubles final with Watson and J Murray on opposite sides of the net.
Mixed always an entertaining close to the main W’don action on C Court.

I read a funny anecdote about Heather and Jamie M at the Rio Olympics – Jamie had booked his room, left his stuff there and went away, Heather turned up, took the room and tossed Jamie’s belongings outside. Matter amicably resolved – maybe a booking muddle.

Maybe Federer’s old legs will give out today and Cilic will say see ya old man!

Muguruza played like Wimbledon champion yesterday and has almost the entire tournament. She’s been prepping for this a long time, since the loss last year. And she does have the ability to play at her higher level for a long time.

Maybe this summer will bring more fireworks yet. Though I have said the wta is chaos, and I believe that because the very top players haven’t been able to do much at slams or even at most Masters, and haven’t been convincing in their results on top of the sport – there have been MANY fine matches on the wta this year. Tons of them. But here we are again, three slams and three unique winners <- which in comparison with the changing men's tour, is chaos.

On the wta, the younger guard hasn't overthrown the old guard but they beat them and good players are having shots at greatness. On the men's tour the younger players are getting closer to the doorstep but being shut out of most opportunities for greatness. Expect more Pennettas hoisting huge slam trophies!

Kirilenko probably wishes she never retird…

In terms of Slams, maybe it is not so much that the women are inconsistent but that the Big 3 (or 4) have been insanely consistent over the years. If a couple of them are having an off season (with injury or whatever), there are at least 2 who can take up the slack.

And so it was.

Scoop speaks truth on Muguruza, as Scoop said, she played her best when it mattered most. She really did. She outlasted Venus in that first set, where Venus had her chances. And that was the ballgame! That it isn’t Halep there with the trophy in hand, is just my sour grapes 🙂

Unspoken in all of this: Conchita Martinez adds a presence there that Muguruza can’t overlook. Whatever it is Muguruza probably has more pressure to meet Conchita’s expectations out there. Obviously a matchup of a hall of famer and a future hall of famer that worked very well. Muguruza officially moves ahead of Myskina, Ivanovic, Majoli, Sabatini, and other one slam wonders. If she gets another, or if Kerber does, she’s going to have a chance to top Kvitova, Capriati, Clijsters etc. Go down as even more formidable champions.

What a difference one tournament makes. You wonder who’s watching and taking notes. It does make the us open more exciting.

I have an awful feeling that Angie’s Wimbledon match v Muguruza is going to go down as her Finest Hour.

Or the comeback of Sloane Stephens. Ok this has officially become pie in the sky stuff for me. The wish list is long now that we have an anything goes women’s tour.