Topic: Sympathy for Davenport's horrable luck last year!

[kittens25]

Although Davenport ended the year as year-end #1 for a third time in her tremendous career, something that would have seemed near impossable a year ago, I am sure she felt a bit bittersweet accessing her year.   As we all know it was a very wide open year in womens tennis, still very difficult mind you, with multiple worthy contenders still playing at a challenging and very demanding level, but open relative to what is the norm of late in womens tennis.   Alot of the best off their peak, injured, developing, etc....

       The U.S open had to be the biggest dissapointment.   She came in as the dominant summer hard court player, winning four straight events, with anybody of note entered in atleast 2 of those 4.    She won the first set of her semi against rising star Kuznetsova, by a lopsided 6-1 score, also with Kuznetsova seeming nervous, not rising to the occasion.  Prior to the match she was a strong favorite, but after the first set it appeared there was no chance of her not to advance to the final on her expected path to the title.   Then she aggravated an injury she had substained in practice and the match turned.    She still took a 3-0 lead in the 3rd before falling just short.   I am almost certain her injury deprived her of the U.S open title last year, which she was so worthy of.    I cant imagine Dementieva getting away with those serves on a fast court, against Davenport's extraordinary return game.

       Wimbledon is a lesser example but still a case could be made.  While dominating her semifinal with eventual winner Maria Sharapova.  A rain delay interrupted action.   Maria was a transformed player after that, Davenport had lost some of the edge of her game.   It gradually turned in the second set, then Sharapova simply blew past Davenport in the 3rd.    Had the rain delay occured it seems Davenport was in good shape.   Also while Serena would be no certain win for Davenport, she did beat her several times later that year, so the chance was there in retrospect.

        Even at the French Open she likely had her best chance ever to win and complete the career slam.   Except she was injured in the 4th round against Dementieva.   Dementieva was playing well enough, considering the surface, she may have won the match anyway, but one cant help wonder if Davenport even had a chance there given the depleted draw she would have faced.

        They say good things happen to good people.   This was not the case for Davenport last year.   It makes my stomach churn to think she has the same number of slams as Capriati, yet her ability is a player is on another planet.   She also had the misfortune to be injured in 2 of Capriati's 3 slam wins despite she was winning most of their head to heads at the time.

        Also keep in mind last year could have been the first time Davenport had won more than one slam in the same year if her luck had been a bit better.

[Tennis4you]

Yeah, that was bum luck, but what do you do?  I really like Davenport and her attitude on and off of the court.  She is all class, unlike many players on the ATP / WTA.   I am glad she is the current #1 and I really want her to win a slam again.  I really cannot imagine her pulling it off, but Dechy should be a routine win.  After that she has 1 big gun to get past!

[kittens25]

I think she has a very good chance in the final.   As I said in my topic opener, she probably would have won the Wimbledon semi over Sharapova without the rain delay, on hard courts her movement is less of a liability than grass, although it still is one to be sure.   She also has beaten Serena several times in a row, even though the last one was closer, still Serena was playing great at the year-end final and probably would have won except for an injury in the final.    People are marveling at how well Serena was playing in her quarterfinal, I think people are overrating how hard it was to clobber Mauresmo the other day, but we will see I suppose.
   

[gary2414]

Davenport really had bad luck during the semifnlas of the WTA Championships in Munich back on November 2001.  She injured herself at the semifinals which she won and was upset in the finals when she could not play at all.   She very upset then because her injuries were so bad she missed over half of 2002.

[kittens25]

Actually I sort of wish she had not played the semis against Clijsters of the year-end in 2001.   If she was a bit injured she could have protected her body, while not straining herself just to gain a year-end #1 ranking she didnt deserve.   As much as I dislike Capriati she much more earned the year-end #1 that year, Venus more than both but of course she wasnt in the running.   Instead she came out playing a match injured, she wouldnt have played likely had the year-end #1 not been there, and cost herself almost a whole year of tennis to gain a hallow year-end #1 with no major finals.   I really like Davenport but I did not understand her logic that time.    

[gary2414]

First of all I don't think Davenport was necessarily injured at the start of the semifinals of the year end championships of 2001.  I think she came down injured during the tiebreaker which she was at the end of her match which is what I hear at the time.  They showed the replay on Sunday.  She was ablle to win being injured because she only had to win two more points.  However if she was injured and decided not to play ESPN could have shown the other semfinal instead because it was on tape between football games and they would not have had to move it up for ESPN.  It could have even been played several hours later and it would not have made a difference.  Then at least you would have had a final of the tournament instead of no final.  Also there was no doubles final either on Sunday because of another walkover.  ESPN then did an hour repeat of the semifnal and moved up the Paris Indoor final an hour because it was also on tape.  Also in that same tournament Jennifer was not feeling well and asked to have her quarterfinal match on Thursday which was first of two at 2:00 PM local time and live on ESPN2 at 8:00 AM EST to the last of two on Friday.   Because she had given advance notice a day or two before they were ablle to chage the order and have another quarterfinal instead at the same time and live on ESPN2 for Thursday.  Also Jennifer was still able to play on Friday.  Also they reversed the doubles and singles finals at the Lipton in Florida twice playing the doubles first because one of the sinlges players was not feeling well.  They planned on playing at 1:00 PM but since TV was not showing it until 4:00 PM they agreed.  They did not delay the final so it could be live because TV contracts would not have allowed overruns but simply had it right after the doubles.  Fans who cam for two matces had 1:00 still got to see two matches but in reverset order.  The first time worked when Pete who was feeling sick won but the second time the player who had a stiff neck retired after losing the first three games.  That time ESPN may have been lucky because the auto race that was scheduled before was running long because of rain delays.  Then during another rain delay ESPN went to the Lipton which they already knew would be only three games and showing it in its entirety during the rain delay went back to the auto race utill it was stopped for good becuase of more rain.

[kittens25]

Ok, then she should have lost the last few points  so we could have a deserving year-end #1 and an actual final played.    

[gary2414]

You are correct Davenport should have not tried to play the last points so hard and then perhaps she would not have injured herself so bad and might have also lost if when didn't want to retire when she was so close to victory. Then you would have had a final.