Thursday, March 22, 2012

2012 Musings - 5

Vika, the shreika is on a 23-0 (and still counting) winning streak and so everybody is suddenly interested in the longest winning streaks at the beginning of the year and like everything else, guess whose is on the top of the list, Steffi Graf with a 45-0 winning streak from the beginning of the year in 1987 and I am sure there are many more winning streaks like that prior to the open era as well. It's a shame when reputed sources like AP and SI do not check before publishing details like this and this gets passed on in every article as if it is the fact. Neither Steffi's streak from 87 or Navratilova's streak have been included in this top 10 list. Just shows how little the current generation of so call sports journalists know about the past, the sport about which they right every day but never bother to look back at the records before writing something. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1203/tennis.womens.longest.win.streaks/content.1.html?sct=tn_bf2_a3
Also, everyone keeps talking how dominant Serena Williams and Monica Seles (pre-stabbing) were and about their mental toughness but how about Steffi Graf who won consistently every year on every surface out there. Impressive is a very small word to use.
Here are the winning streaks for the beginning of the year that are more than 20 in her playing career:
1987 45-0
1989 31-0
1990 25-0
1994 32-0
1995 32-0
and to add, none of those are considered the best year of her career as she won the 'Golden Slam' in 88.
For all the talk about Monica Seles being dominant in 90-93 period and beating players left and right, Monica Seles had 19 straight wins in 92 and Serena Williams 23-0 in 2003.
Well, I don't need to say anything else, the numbers speak for themselves.

Need anymore data about who is the best. Well, here is some more.
- The only two players to win the Indian wells/Miami double twice is none other than Steffi Graf and Roger Federer (great FH, single handed BH and on court atheleticism making tennis look like an art rather than a game). Federer has a chance to do it again this year but would be a tough ask but you can never say never with great champions.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1081479-tennis-march-madness-nine-who-won-indian-wells-and-miami-back-to-back#/articles/1081479-tennis-march-madness-nine-who-won-indian-wells-and-miami-back-to-back/page/11

Couldn't agree more with Bruce Jenkins but forget about upcoming German players, wonder if any player from any other country would be able to replicate what Steffi did.
"First Sabine Lisicki, then Andrea Petkovic, then Julia Goerges and Angelique Kerber, all of them now in the top 20, and Mona Barthels (who nearly upset Azarenka) on the rise. These are scintillating times for German women's tennis, in the great tradition of Steffi Graf, but step back for a moment to realize what these contemporary stars are up against in terms of a long-lasting impact on the sport.
So far, although they all show great promise, none of them has won a major. Graf won 22, going back-to-back (at least) at all four majors and winning the French-Wimbledon double four times, not to mention her Golden Slam (all four majors plus the Olympic singles title) in 1988. A formidable standard, indeed."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20120313/anti-shot-clock/#ixzz1prHi2YPH

And, what a great opportunity for the Adidas players to get to hit with Steffi, she has a lot to offer to the younger generation, both on and off court.
http://ow.ly/i/usEM
http://ow.ly/i/usEW
http://ow.ly/i/u9he
http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2012/03/04/news-and-notes-march-3-2012/

A short video of Steffi hitting with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova during the adidas camp.

Steffi and Andre at the recent boot camp for top atheletes in Arizona.
http://elizabethvincentphotography.com/blog/?p=5936

Steffi and Andre being awarded a 'Boxing' belt at the same event and something tells me that Mike Agassi would be approve of this.
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