Highlights do not give justice to how intense this match was live. I was sitting on the edge of my chair watching this. Both women were so high energy and full of drama. GREAT STUFF.
It is amazing that this ONE MATCH pretty much defined Petra Kvitova's year. Everyone thought Kvitova was going to get to number one all she had to do was win this match. Yes, Maria played well but I can't help but feel Petra let the pressure of rising to number one get to her. Petra wasn't the same after this match 2012 was a disappointing year I feel. Out of all the young players including Azarenka and Radwanska I feel Kvitova has the most potential to dominate women's tennis.
Kvitova has the kind of raw power that is just outstanding to watch. I think people forget that she is a very young and somewhat inexpirienced player and criticise her on what can and most likely will improve tremedously in the next couple of years. But not everyone is born with that kind of game.
I finished watching this match at 7AM European time, had to get up for work at 8. It was really worth it. It's true what some posters said, the highlights (albeit very well done, as always, thank you PDW), really can't show how intense and nerve wrecking this match was. One of the highlights of the year so far.
Kvitova did comeback this year she won Wimbledon for the second time and she finally broke her losing streak to Sharapova. Kvitova is the most talented one of the younger players.
I wouldn't call it a disastrous year to be fair. Aus semi,French final, winner of Indian Wells and Stuttgart, finalist in Madrid and Miami. She was the most consistent after Serena for the first 6 months of the year. Never failed to reach a semi (I think?) until Wimbledon.Might take a few months to get settled back in 2014 which would be understandable but I think come Indian Wells she should be back to full confidence. She's been the most consistent after Serena for the last couple of years. Azarenka can win a tournament and then lose first round and the new young stars will be a bit up and down for a while yet. I expect a few Serena Maria finals next year.
I think if you look at the history of women's tennis, there has often been a dominant player. Remember the days of Steffi who was better than everyone else (bar pre-attack Seles). Yet the likes of Arantxa were able to grab a few Slams during her era. I don't think Maria was ever going to be a 10-15 Slam winner, but the fact she has won 4 in the Williams era is impressive.
@mjtsmm2027 by most players standards that would be amazing, but by the standards of Sharapova it was a lean year. Had she not fallen over against de brito was it? She would of won wimbledon for sure. Bartoli threatens nobody and Lisicki was a bag of nerves, anybody like serena or sharapova against her in the final would of double bagled her. she will return to prominance in 2014, im sure.
***** I'm curious. You say that if Serena is found guilty, Maria will become the champion of their finals? How do you know this is what would go down? I'm not saying you're wrong; it just sounds interesting :).
This was probably the match of the year so far, absolutely brilliant match, so much drama and high quality tennis! Who said that this sport was boring eh?
What I love in these 2 players is that non of them holds back in their shot. They hit the ball really hard. And they actually don't care how many errors they will be striking.
I remember being awake at 4 am on the edge of my bed watching every point of this. the 3rd set had an intensity i haven't felt too often watching tennis. great fight by Maria.
Maria played so amazingly well in the first set, though her level dipped. By third set, I had given up on her winning, but she proved me wrong. Was so overjoyed. First hardcourt slam final since her victory at AO08. Shame she doesn't handle pressure as well as she did pre-shoulder surgery.
Petra hits faster and harder because she hits flatter. Maria's groundstroke (particularly her forehand) has much more spin on it, which is why she has adopted a grinding gamestyle.
i truly believe that this is a career changing match for kvitova, if she hadn't lose this match she is probably acheiving what azarenka is achieving now.
I think Maria and Vika are very even. Maria should have won the US Open SF. That match came down to Maria's final service game, she needed a good one, and produced a bad one ! But it was a great match, one of the best of 2012. Not just Maria, but everyone needs to find a way to combat Serena's serve, which is the main problem against Serena. If she serves 20 aces per match, that is like giving her a 5 game start !
I agree with you. I think she's playing an exhibition match in south america in december. She's officially said that she will be playing in Open GDF Suez in Paris. Ofc I assume she will be playing in Australia.. let's hope she has a terrific 2014 season !
Part 1: Am I the only one who saw history repeat itself? Serena coming off knee surgery makes the finals of wimbledon 04 to prove she is still a factor, and is powered off the court by up and comer Sharapova. Then sharapova wins the year end championship beating an injured Serena. Serena gets her revenge in the Semi finals of the 05 AO a match Sharapova really should have one, and now Serena owns Maria.
Wrong. Petra's style of play is hitting the ball flat (like Davenport) whereas Maria hits it very hard. That's why Maria is considered such a great ball-striker because unlike many brainless ball bashers, she can hit the ball extremely hard and still manage to find the lines (or inside the lines).
reviewing the year, i think this is the really turning point of kvitova's season and potentially her career, imagine what would've happen if kvitova won
Part 2: Sharapova coming off of shoulder surgery makes the finals of wimbledon 2011 to prove she is still a factor. She is powered off the court by up and comer Kvitova. Kvitova beats an injured Sharapova in tokyo and goes on to win the year end champsionships. Sharapova gets her revenge in the Semi Finals of the 2012 AO a match Kvitova really should have won. Now will Maria own Kvitova?
I was also disappointed that Kvitova lost this match because to me I think the pressure of becoming number one got to her here. Yes, Maria played well but I noticed Petra had a lot of break points. I hope Petra can improve and learn from this experience she is still young.
If you knew anything about tennis you would know Maria does not hit the ball flat. She uses a lot of topspin. While she does hit an extremely heavy ball its not because of flatness its because of pace and spin. She is such a good ball striker because she hits hard and with enough spin to keep it just inside the line. Just look at their strokes Sharapova comes from under the ball Kvitova comes from over top of the ball. She has a freaking reverse forehand for crying out loud, nothing but topspin
Unbelievable to think this 2012 should have been Kvitova’s year but it wasn’t and once she lost this match she never had the chance to be number one again. She really should have become number one😢
I think in 2019 , she had the chance to become No 1 not long after she lost Aus Oprn final , she lost a match that had she won she would`ve been No 1 , after that never got close again . 2 Grand Slams is better than being No1 anyway.
This was a tough fought match that Kvitova really should have won but got sloppy. And having lost to her 2 previous encounters she was excited to get the win and make it to the final to have a chance to win. I am sure any player would have reacted that way. Making the finals of a major is a big deal if you didn't realize. Its what you work for so getting there is exciting, anyone would be happy.
Kvitova definitely has a huge groundstrokes. But one thing the she doesn't really have is the consistency and mental strength when playing the big points.
Sharapova did not just come off a shoulder injury her injury was HEALED in 2009. How many times do Sharapova fans have to use the shoulder injury as some kind of excuse?
Kvitova, Davenport, Li Na. Those are players who hit the ball flat. Serena, Venus, Sharapova, and somewhat Azarenka, hit heavy but rely a lot on spin to keep the ball in. While they can hit flat shots when they want, they are not flat ball strikers. You clearly have never seen them play in person or know the techniques of tennis. There is no way you can hit a flat shot when you come from underneath the ball. You have to come from over top of the ball to hit it flat like Kvitova, Davenport and Li
You may dislike Maria but you are delusional if you think Vika and Li Na hit with more spin than Sharapova. Li Na has one of the lowest net clearances in the woman's game and Vika hits much flatter than Maria which is why Vika misses them in the net and Maria mishits them or hits them long. Why don't you learn tennis techniques or watch them play in person. Maria hits a heavy ball not a flat ball. Much like Venus and Serena. There groundstrokes come from under the back of the ball.
I think she doesn't really like to play in events just before Slams, like Brisbane. She really might wanna focus on slams and train for a few weeks in Australia, just like last year, where she started like a bullet by having 28 games in a row !
You make it seem like you dislike Maria cause of her game or inability to compete with Serena along with the rest of the tour. But I think you just hate Maria period. Anyone who finds humor in a players loss is a hater who dislikes them for other reasons than their tennis. I don't consider that a true fan. There are players I dislike and don't root for because of their attitudes and what not (Errani, Sanchez) but never find humor in a players loss.
wrong..sharapova does not use spin nor topspin to keep the ball in she looks for a winner on every shot,i am afraid :P also you are wrong about li..yes,relatively she hits it flat on her bh but since hiring carlos as her caoch,she puts a lot of spin on the forehand,watch her forehand technique,it's a brilliant technique and the motion is wonderful.as for vika yes she puts a lot of topspin on the strokes to keep the ball in,but definitely not pova,she makes so many errors in matches
just like how serena figured out sharapova's game, maria has finally figured how to outplay petra. i doubt petra can win against sharapova in the future
@Dermot Kimmage Have you seen Maria's matches, she incorporates spin and she does slices but rarely. And By the way, she has a lot of clues on gow to defend. Maybe you don't recognize it because her defense can be displayed ad offence and you might not know that.
Kvitova was the limelight last year, but I don't understand why do they wonder about this match, they're like Maria beat Petra omg how is that possible?! It's very easy... she was playing better... Maria is going to lace up their jaws of saying that she will never be the same as in 2008, that's flapdoodle, she is going to be a real contender to all Top 10 players this year. Maybe, she should've played Doha and Dubai instead of Paris but never mind. ;D
I was really desappointed after this match, because I thought Petra was going to win this Australian Open and get number 1 in the world. Now she's number 6, that's too bad. I hate Sharapova's game.
I didn't use it as an excuse at all. I used it to tell a story saying she is trying to prove she is still a factor after having shoulder surgury. When did I use it as an excuse? It was just a stupid comparrison to what happened in 2005 cause it was almost similar. Calm down. No excuses were being made for anyone.
I agree. Tho Azza pretty close, and she has better margin for error in her game. But I do think both players are at best, Sabatini/Capriatti/Mauresmo type players, excellent no doubt and certainly stars, but not the next level like Graf/Seles/Serena who each evolved the game.
When serena azarenka and kvitova hit the ball at sharapovas feet shes like a sitting duck. She doesnt get out of the way fast enough to hit it and she doesnt try to make it a little flatter so that it skates more through the court. Instead the ball just sits up for the next hit and against those players u just cant make the ground up
@bluedrago197 Serena and Venus aren't going anywhere. We will watch plenty of their matches coming up... Both of them were once asked if they are planning to quit their tennis careers , and they answered that they hadn't even planned to do that soon. :D That's nice :D Date-Krumm didn't quit althought she said her last season would be 2011, and she is going to be 42 this year... Amazing woman :D
i wish kvitova and stosur would get some good coaches. they're the only 2 on tour that have enough game when they're playing well to actually compete with serena at her best. they just need consistency
I wouldn't say Kvitova can compete with Serena at her best. She's only taken one set in their five meetings. She can make a match the match competitive, like at Wimbledon 2012 or in Doha last year, but Serena's best is better than her best.
Ya I said she doesn't have much of a plan B because she is not fast enough to play defense. You can see her variety on slower surfaces when she has more time.
Define these days..... There last meeting was in doha. Vika won, i know. Let's just say this, Maria unleashes the "beast" mode in serena, cuz everytime they face each other, serena manages to hit harder than usual compared against vika. So if you say shes a mindless ball basher, then why is she still in the top 10. Cuz mindless ball bashers don't make it far in the top 100, mindless ball bashers have to think while hitting the ball to make it far in the too 100. I'll just leave it here
Kvitova is very high risky player, she hits ball very flat and hard, with huge margin of error, if she some how try not to hit every shot with that risky mindset she can be really really good. She was disappointment for me too as I started liking her when she won Year End Championship..
@TennisFan713 I disagree re. her level not dipping, it was a very up and down match for the both of them. Maria became too passive in the 2nd while Kvitova's level risen. In the third set, both sucked and you are right, it became the battle of the wills. It was incredibly intense match despite such low level from both of the top players. They were on even footing until 4-4 when Kvitova just imploded admittedly. I had already lost hope for Maria by then so it was sort of a miracle.
You are also delusional if you think Maria just waits for a winner then hits the ball as hard as she can. Ya you win 29 titles, Make 8 majors finals, win 4 majors, and the YEC that way. If she was a flat hitter there is no way she would be having this much success on clay. Ball Basher's don't win. Ask Cirstea,Petrova,Zakopalova,Goerges, or Gajdosova if ball bashing wins you tournaments.
@abercro800 Ok, it looks like our opinions are different... I think Maria played good, had a lot of winners... Kvitova did play worse but she is still upcoming star of future tennis. The trashing in final was something else... When Maria has a bad day, nothing good comes from her hand... she had a lot of like these matches even before surgery... We all have bad days, don't we? :D
Well Vika can beat Serena these days because of her defence and Maria just wacks the ball without thinking,therefore she can't beat Serena.And Petra was about who hits it harder,flatter etc.
Li Na does have more spin now than she use too but Maria has more. When Maria's forehand is off she mishits them high from not timing the spin on the ball correctly. If she hit flat her mishits would dump in the bottom of the net. Your clearly do not play tennis do you?
But Maria has the same shots though,Petra has more topspin on her bh and fh and throws in slices,Maria just hits it flat almost all the time and doesn't have a clue how to defend.
@daksa2612 well i disagree. maria will never be the same post surgery! she was able to beat petra by petra's inconsistency. ( unforced errors)..... if maria is the same as she was in 2008 please explain the trashing she received in the final?!!!??
@BLACKandGAYALLDay Off the tournament??? Sharapova won and thats it... she beat petra playing well.. not her best.. but the important thing is that she WON!
Maria hits no topspin,has no variety,her grunting his cheating,just those boring shots of hers where Petra hits incredible powerful shots and has variety.Did you just say she can defend?Are you serious?Why do you think she can't beat Serena and Vika can?Because Vika thinks clearly,knows how to volley and has game plans and is consistent .Maria just bashes the ball without thinking and has no plan B,she's too stubborn to change her style and makes so many errors.She's not a smart player,Vika is.
No it's not.Petra puts way more spin and slices and has more variety and her winners are faster.Maria lacks variety as she hits hit flat and is rarely hit with topspin nor slice.Just looking at this video Petra's winners are faster and hit harder and Maria's is just flat.
Shrieking, grunting, same thing. I have matches on DVD where she is quite high pitched, her and Venus, albeit a few years ago, that is why I said 'used to' Its about noise irrespective of what the noise is. Personally, I dont mind either, as the players who do it tend to be the ones who put in the most effort and intensity. Whether its 'obnoxious' or not is opinion. Girls noise is going to be higher pitched than men, er...they have higher pitched voices !
@AFCompany are you still believing in destinies even after vika trashed maria in the final? i mean, seriously? according to that myth, maria was supposed to beat petra in 3 sets (she did) and win the whole thing, but she didn't. smh
