Amelie Calls Time…

You know what?

I’m gonna play it selfless this time and proclaim my support for Amelie’s decision to retire. Good on her.

(Photo: Reuters)

Sure, it’s another axe wound for single-handed backhand Revivalists worldwide, and I don’t think we’re destined to see that much elegance at the net again for a very long time (no, not even Justine matched Amelie in the forecourt).

As for serve/volley, well that died many years ago – a sharp thrust delivered to the ribs that, happily for all concerned, didn’t last very long.

From where I stand however, she’s given her dues to the game, behaved impeccably both on and off the court and perhaps most important of all, answered the doubters with that Wimbledon Title – if she thinks it’s the right time to clear out that locker, I wish her well.

That said, I understand there were tears – and I understand why there were tears:

"I don't want to train any more. As you grew older, it's more difficult to stay at the top," said a tearful Mauresmo.

…

"I had to make a decision, which became evident in the last few months and weeks," added Mauresmo.

"It's a bit sad, but this is the right decision. I was lucky enough to have an exceptional career and to experience very strong feelings on the court."

…

"It became very hard in build-up to the US Open," said Mauresmo, who won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

"If I were able to enter the court, play and shine, of course I could continue, but to achieve this you need to put in such hard work. And I'm not capable of that.

"I dreamt of this career, I dreamt of winning a Grand Slam title. I lifted trophies in every city in the world and I had 10 magical and unbelievable years."

(BBC)

I just don’t take any pleasure at all from seeing my faves, fighting desperate battles they’re so obviously destined to lose - aimed at recreating just a modicum of glory from a career that now spans, mostly backwards.

For all the big rewards and associated glim-glam, an enormous amount of work and discipline are required to bring about even a fraction of what Amelie achieved – a discussion from which travel often gets unfairly overlooked.

Frequent, lengthy travel usually leaves me feeling dazed, confused and mentally unhinged.

Oh, and my Circadian Rhythms? NOT so rhythmic anymore.

To say nothing of the effects that poor reaction times, and an inability to concentrate have on a player’s game – problems an unsurprisingly large number of them counter with sleeping pills.

Sounds great.

Why on earth would she want to continue putting herself through that, now that she’s no longer, to use her own words, “experiencing those strong feelings on court” ?

So adieu Amelie. It’s been grand.

Watching you was like taking a poorly-organised trip on the Orient Express – stylish, nostalgic, though somewhat nervy and uncertain of whether or not you’ll reach your destination.

I’ll remember you for your SHB and play at the net of course, but most of all, for that nervous little shuffle you’d do before stepping up to serve, your marbley eyes almost imploring the ball kids for that miracle ball that would stop the pain.

Probably not the behaviour you’d expect from a two-time Slam Champion; then again, I’m almost certain I never saw her dismissively throw a sweaty towel at a ball kid either.

Nice girls don’t always finish last.

Beijing Quarters (WTA Edition) and some Retirement Speak

Williams praised her 27-year-old opponent and said: "I ran into a girl today who has never played so good in her life.

"I don't feel like I ever got into high gear ... I felt like in the second set I got one break and then I just made sure I held serve so I could go to a third set."

(BBC)

I only saw the closing stages of this match, including that controversial call.

But I can vouch for Serena’s comments: I can’t remember Nadia ever playing as well as that even back in her world #4 heyday. What I do know is she’s long been touted as having the weapons and the muscle to do exactly that sort of damage.

(Feng Li/Getty Images)

She also has one of the more powerful and surprisingly underrated serves out there – something of a rarity on tour. Peng Shuai seems to have this angle figured out on turning former world #1’s into her pigeon. Nadia’s no one’s pigeon, but is all too frequently her own.

Kuzzie’s match with Alona Bondarenka yesterday, was of a similar high quality.

I’m not quite ready to forgive the Russian top twenty female tennis-playing population for that gutless debacle we saw at Flushing Meadows this year.

But if one of these two pick up this title, which is btw now anyone’s for the taking, I might just be persuaded to stop grimacing at them.

In the other quarter, I’m backing A-Rad over Elena.

Here’s why:

1) I’m still not on what you’d call cordial terms with Elena, partly because of her post-Wimby slump, but mostly because of her outlandish insistence that her extended post-Flushing guttural excursion has something to do with not having had enough recovery time.

2) Like many, I haven’t seen A-Rad play as well as this since 2007. Could this finally be her time to shine in the shithouse? Why not? Everyone else is.

She should at the very least be able to fashion a fairly secure top ten position on the back of this showing, but I’d like to see her do so much more.

Finally, Vera takes on Bartoli, after avenging her US Open loss to Flavlova. Flavlova picked things up after a horrendous start (including a comic spell in the third set where Flavs moonballed her way into Vera’s head), but was otherwise, essentially, out of town.

Vera’s capable of some extremely fine things on a tennis court. We’ve seen that both at Flushing and back in Indian Wells. Unfortunately, she all too often gets in her own way of achieving them.

I’ve sort of learned to live with that. I could do without the annoying tick she’s developed of holding her hand up before every point on which she’s receiving serve.

(AFP/Getty Images)

Vera, like Nadia is her own worst enemy, but is still very open to all forms of mental manipulation. A tendency Bartoli seems exquisitely well placed to take advantage of. Bartoli in three.

***

Some retirement speak I forgot to include in my last Marat post.

"I don't think today's match is going to be the key to my deciding to play another year, definitely not," Safin said.

"It's easy to play when you have nothing to lose, no points to defend, so you have no pressure at all so you can just play, just go for it.

"If I was playing and had to defend something, it would be a different matter. I would get nervous at some point."

(BBC)

I still do think he will call it quits at the end of the season, but this is a lot more ambiguous than any of his recent comments on the subject have been

Someone a little less ambiguous, on the same topic:

Mauresmo said on her Web site: “Since I came back from the U.S. Open, I’ve been trying to practice but I can’t find again the desire to come back to competition. I don’t want to rush or force things. (I will take) some time to think before making a decision regarding the remainder of my career.”

(Yahoo! Sports)

I shudder to think I may already have witnessed the last ball Amelie every struck.

Volleying is officially dead . But you already knew that.