Tennis news - 'Time is slowly slipping by for Serena Williams in pursuit of Slam record' - Schett
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ByEurosport
Updated 01/04/2020 at 13:14 GMT
Barbara Schett, Eurosport tennis expert and former world number seven, discusses some of the biggest topics from the world of tennis at the moment with the coronavirus crisis having hit the calendar very hard - and Serena Williams' chances of surpassing Margaret Court's record of Grand Slam triumphs.
Serena Williams with Roger Federer at the Miami Open
Image credit: Getty Images
How will players be coping with this situation the world finds itself in?
This is a situation that none of the tennis players would have been in. The world hasn’t even been in this situation before. It also depends on which country you live in as well – if you have a house, if you have an apartment, if you have a house with a tennis court. In some countries it could be warmer than others – in France, Austria or Spain, for example, you can’t even leave your apartment. You have to be stuck at home. But in other places you can probably still practice. It’s very different for each player depending on where they are located at the moment and it’s very difficult.
I spoke to Dominic Thiem and he said he simply cannot play tennis at the moment – he can go for runs, he can do some fitness. The players will all work out because none of them will normally have a break longer than two weeks during a normal season. It doesn’t matter where they are, they will all try to work on their fitness. It’s interesting to see once the Tour goes back on because it might not be fair – some players would not have been able to practice for maybe two months and haven’t even held a racquet. It’s a very, very tricky situation but one thing is for sure, all the players will be very happy to go back and compete because it’s a tough time, especially for athletes who have been locked away in certain countries.
What do you make of the decision to change the dates of Roland-Garros until the end of September?
Obviously there has been a lot of talk about that. I can understand, to a certain extent, that the officials at Roland-Garros just went and took that time in the calendar to move it because it’s a big event and you have to be selfish I guess. There’s a lot of money involved and that’s probably why they didn’t talk to anyone about it. Obviously it was disappointing for everyone else, not just for the other Grand Slams but for the other ATP Tour events, to do something like that. I think a lot of players were complaining about the timing as well, having back-to-back Grand Slams. But at this time, I think players have to be happy if they can play tennis and make some money and ranking points.
It is what it is. It is a very unique situation, but I would love to see a Grand Slam happening and if that is what it needs – then go for it. Is it a selfish move? Probably – but I am happy from my point of view and it is also good news for Eurosport as well. I am happy that it is on.
How is Simona Halep to deal with off the court and as a person?
I think she is great. She has gotten more and more open over the years. I think she is more and more comfortable within herself and you can tell that – she always has a big smile on her face when she comes to our Eurosport studios and does an interview with us. Simona is very relaxed and happy, you can have a few laughs with her as well. As I’ve said before, over the years, she has really matured as a person and has grown into a real personality. We’ve always loved having Simona on our set to talk to her.
What do you like most about Halep’s game, and what area do you think needs most improvement?
As a tennis player you can always improve. We all know she doesn’t give you any presents on the court, she is a great counter-puncher. She defends unbelievably well, her footwork is great. Her backhand down the line is a weapon. We all know she could have a little more variety in her game and come to the net a little more but her big strength is her mind-set. When she is in the zone then she just doesn’t miss. She can be really aggressive with her ground-strokes as well. She is at her best when she is positive – that’s how she was when she won Wimbledon. She needs to accept that if she is positive then she will make errors on the court, that’s important for her and being positive is something she’ll always have to work on as a player – it’s ok if she makes a mistake. Even the best players – Roger, Rafa – they always try to improve their tennis. The work never stops.
What do you make of Simona’s working relationship with coach Darren Cahill?
I think Darren is very, very important otherwise she wouldn’t have brought him back on the team after they had a bit of a gap. I think he gives her a lot of self-confidence, I think he knows exactly how to talk to her so she reacts in the right way. I think she trusts him which is very important – he used to be a great player as well. He used to coach a lot of players on the Tour. They are such a good match-up, he definitely is one of the best coaches out there and she believes in him. It comes across as very authentic, they have a fabulous relationship and get along really well which is important because you spend so much time together. She kind of looks up to him and Darren has played a big part in changing her mindset to being more positive. They are a perfect match I think.
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Eurosport presenter Barbara Schett at the Australian Open
Image credit: Eurosport
Do you think Simona can win another Grand Slam?
Absolutely Simona can win another Grand Slam. If she’s playing her best tennis then there are no holes in her game. She has to play someone who will hit her off the court if she is to be in trouble. But she is an all-rounder, she plays well on all surfaces and I believe she has come to a point in her career when she wants to do well in Grand Slam tournaments above anything else. That’s the most important thing for her and I think she can definitely win another one.
Do you think Serena Williams can match Margaret Court’s record? Or is time slowly slipping away?
I think time is slowly is slipping by and this enforced break is certainly not great for her or the older players. If you are not playing for a few months, not competing, it doesn’t help. I was convinced last year she was going to win a Grand Slam title but now I’m just starting to feel that it’s not so possible. There are players out there who know they can beat her, her mobility isn’t so good, she gets more nervous, she puts pressure on herself to win another Slam. I still think she could win another one, but it’s certainly going to get a lot harder than the past couple of years when she’s played in Grand Slam tournaments.
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Serena Williams
Image credit: Getty Images
What do you think about Dayana Yastremska and her coach Sascha Bajin?
I like Yastremska a lot. She moves extremely well, can hit the ball so hard it’s unbelievable. She has amazing acceleration, the only thing about her is that she needs to have a game plan and just goes for it too much. With experience she will get better and better. She probably expected more of herself at the Australian Open but she certainly has the game to be on top of the women’s game at some stage. She is very keen, she is a good match-up with Sascha who is coaching her – she is extremely talented. I would say she is like a raw diamond – she has all the shots and physical ability to be on top of the women’s game.
Federer, Nadal, Djokovic – who is the greatest of all time in your opinion?
It's so hard to say because they are all still playing. Roger has won the most Grand Slam titles at the moment and that’s why we choose him now, but certainly Rafa and Novak could overtake him. We’ll see how Roger recovers from the knee surgery he had. It’s getting harder and harder for him to win Grand Slams and I’m not sure he’ll get as close again as he did at Wimbledon last year, especially as there is every chance Wimbledon won’t take place this year. He’s not getting any younger – for now, Roger is the greatest of all time, but I think Novak Djokovic will eventually get him.
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Do you see Novak winning the most Grand Slam titles by the time their careers have finished?
Yes, I do.
Who from the Next Gen will emerge when Roger, Rafa and Novak retire?
It's almost impossible to replace those three players. We’ve been so spoilt over the last 20 years watching these players compete and pushing each other to the level they are at now. I don’t think a rivalry between these three will exist again and I don’t know if a player will ever win 20 Grand Slams again. First of all, it’s very difficult to fill the shoes of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, I don’t think that will happen.
But I do love watching the youngsters, [Alexander] Zverev and [Dominic] Thiem – I’m not sure you can call them youngsters any more! There are a few Russians like [Daniil] Medvedev and [Andrey] Rublev who are exciting. [Jannick] Sinner too. There are a lot of exciting players who have styles of tennis which are great to watch. There are players who are exciting and players come and players go. I remember 30 years ago when [Boris] Becker or [Stefan] Edberg retired, even Mats Wilander, people were thinking how could the sport survive without those guys – but there was always someone else. I’m sure as their personalities develop there will be new players on the scene.
Which players do you like to talk to when you are working for Eurosport, and why?
I personally like talking to Roger and Novak because they challenge you a little with your questions as they have so many interviews. You throw them something and they just talk and time flies. It feels like you are just having a coffee with them. They give you so much and a lot of players could learn from those guys – they put humour in their answers and they always give you a little extra which I find amazing. We don’t get to speak to Rafa too often as he speaks to our Spanish team, but I’m sure he is great too. I always love it when Roger or Novak come to our studio.
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