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Building the right choices … with or without instinctMauresmo, Djokovic, Bondarenko; Roddick (out); Mirza (flag controversy over)
Mal Taam/MALTphoto
Amelie Mauresmo continued her dismal play
… 
Anne-Marie Stark
… with a loss to Alona Bondarenko.
FROM
THE PACIFIC LIFE OPEN AT INDIAN WELLS – Just a year-and-a-half ago,
Amelie Mauresmo, stepped on her choking demons, played the match of her
life and stomped Justine Henin for her first Wimbledon crown. Then she
was in her full mix and match glory, a graceful and headstrong Frenchwoman
aptly praised for her courageous net charges. She was modern in her baseline
game, retro in serve-and-volley attack.Now she’s fallen back into her retro Amelie personality – not knowing where she is, what she should be doing and why she is about to skid out of the Top 30. It’s a sad process to watch, because she is, without question one off the most thoughtful, considerate and interesting players in the game. But if the 28-year-old Frenchwoman is taking shocking 6-2, 6-2 defeats to Alona Bondarenko, you know she’s in big trouble. "I have a game where I can choose between different things to do, whether I stay back, whether I come in, whether I do a little bit of everything," she said. " I felt that I spend most of the time finding how to use these weapons at the right moments, making the right choices. I feel that, for example on today's match, I make 70 percent of the time the wrong choice on the court. So it makes it pretty difficult, the building of these right choices.” Building choices is one thing, if you are making the correct decision most of the time . But if you don’t trust your shots, it doesn’t matter how intellectual you are. Mauresmo is caught up in thunderstorm of slices, dices, loopers and flat-lining thoughts. “When you've had a tough year like I had, I guess you have to work on those things and on those choices,” she said. “Unfortunately I have to think about it, because it's not coming instinctively anymore, not until I have some more confidence,” she said. Mauresmo has had so many physical and emotional up and downs over the years that it’s amazing that she has lost almost all faith and can’t find a tried and true process that has gotten her back up before. Tennis and going back to work doesn’t appear to be that enjoyable. “It should be more enjoyable if the work was paying off right when you step on the court for a match, but it's difficult when you feel that the confidence is not there and that's what's holding you up a little bit,” she said. Credit the scrappy Bondarenko though for playing an aggressive consistent match. She currently three spots off of her career-high ranking of No. 21. She’s had a less than a stellar year in singles, but did win the Aussie Open doubles with her sister, Kateryna "There's too much doubles and I just want to concentrate on singles," Alona said. "Doubles has been really good. But I want to play singles the same way: well." Bondarenko will face a “scratchy” Maria Sharapova, who bested Eleni Daniilidou 7-5, 6-3. Rockers Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani came out to watch Sharapova play.  Anne-Marie Stark
Put-up time: Donald Young will face Nadal.
 Anne-Marie Stark
Streaking Ashley Harkleroad beat Dinara Safina.
THE JOKER DOES LATE-NIGHT TVOne man who has been playing particularly well has been Novak Djokovic. Like his stand up-and-be-counted parents, there's not a shy bone in his body. He's not afraid to call anyone out and has backed up claims of being the one to watch, reaching '07 Roland Garros and Wimbledon semis, the final of the '07 US Open and then out-legging Federer and Jo-Wilifried Tsonga for the '08 Aussie title. He's solid, creative and relentless. He's technically sound in every area and is willing to hit out when necessary. "The great thing about Novak is he doesn't give up any ground on the baseline," Andy Roddick said. "You never feel like he's over swinging at the ball. He's probably the best in the world at changing directions. You can fire a ball into him, and he's able to put an easy swing on it and change directions. He makes it look easy. But he really hits two or three balls to the same spot. He's able to move the ball around, which is one of his biggest strengths." Djokovic may not have an easy name to read, but it's easy to pronounce and he's not shy of the cameras. If he can crossover as an international star a la Federer, the sport will be in very good shape. On Wednesday, he went on the Jay Leno Tonight Show, certainly becoming the first Serbian male player to enter the US TV late night big tent. He understands his potential relevance in marketing the sport. "It was fantastic experience for me and it was important for me as a pro player to be presented to the American people, the ones who don't follow tennis as much. They all saw me on that show, and I was privileged to be invited." While Djokovic's run towards the top of the charts has been incredibly impressive, it's difficult to tell whether he will be able to back it up week-in, week-out. But he won't count himself out as the man who might tug Federer's cape off at year's end. "He's [been] No. 1 in the world for a long time, and Rafa hasn't been closer ever than now, so he feels it." Said Djokovic, who will face Philip Kohlschreiber. "Roger hasn't won a tournament still this year. You don't have only two players now. You have three, four, five players. More and more players are believing that they win against Roger on a lot of surfaces and the tournaments. So it's going to be quite interesting to see what's the end of the year." No. 6 Roddick had stated in San Jose that he was ready to go hunting big scalps in Dubai and although he was in fine form then in California, besting Radek Stepanek in the final, no one could have predicted a title run in Roger Federer's adopted hometown of Dubai where he brushed off No. 2 Rafael Nadal, No. 3 Djokovic and in the final, Feliciano Lopez. But Roddick came back down to earth in a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Germany's Tommy Haas in the PLO second round. Roddick didn’t return well and couldn’t convert a key point in the match. Now, Miami looms huge. He wants to be part of the main conversation, with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, winners of the last 12 Slam titles. But if he wants to be in the main chatter, he’s going to have to win at least a Masters Series soon. "I know I have some work to get back to that top echelon, but I did beat two of the guys last week and feel like it's a possibility." Sania Mirza scored one of her biggest wins of the season with 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-3 win over Shahar Peer, her fourth win over the Israeli in as many attempts. Mirza told TennisReporters.net after the match that the complaint lodged against her in an Indian court for going barefoot near an Indian flag in Perth was thrown out of court. She says she’s very relieved. Now she can focus on her game, which is a bit up and down, but still lethal. She’ll have to play at the best of her ability against defending champ Daniela Hantuchova, who beat Zheng Jie 6-4, 6-2 and says she's loving her “magic” court. But Mirza is thrilled that her improved conditioning held up and she says she’s in a better mental shape. “It was a tough time, obviously, because it wasn't the first time that was happening, and it's been over the last few years that something or the other has been coming up," said Mirza, who is now working with adidas coach Sven Groenefeld. “But
I think it was just pushed to an extent in December and January
where, yeah, I was very upset. Personally this is a good achievement
to be playing the way I am playing and to be beating these players
who are at the top, because I'm dealing with a lot of things
off the court, which a lot of people are not dealing with. I
was very down in Aussie Open, and during that period, but I did
come out strongly. I think that's where your support team counts.
I'm fine. We all go through ups and downs mentally and physically
and sometimes you feel like why do you want to do this? And sometimes
you feel like, oh, I'm going to show everyone and oppose all
the odds and come out of this. It's a matter of perspective and
it's a matter of how you look at it.” © TennisReporters.net 2008
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