Assuming Maria will be playing healthily during the clay court season in 2009, what are you thoughts on her preparation next year versus what she did this year?
For example, she won Amelia Island on American green clay which is faster than European red clay in the Spring...she could have improved her match practise and adjustment to red clay by playing Fed Cup but declined (which was being played on red clay, indoors in Moscow)...bad move in my opinion because she would have benefited from training and playing with the other girls and benefited from being trained by a non-American coach (the Russian team captain) because US coaches can't play on the red clay, period. What she did was to arrive in Rome, direct from LA...has anyone seen a red claycourt in LA? and not do as well as she might have (reaching the semi-finals of the Italian Open which is ok but you'd expect better, at least an appearance in the final...)
Her attitude towards clay is very North American.. It makes sense as she grew up on hard courts, her mental approach to it reminds me of all the US players, Roddick, Blake, Davenport...they can't play on clay for sh*t. It would be amazing for her to win the French...but I don't think she ever will...because she doesn't want to deep down...and with American coaches behind her, how will she ever crack the know-how of sliding and strategy on the surface???
Your thoughts everyone...