Foot Fault!

Calling all the lines of professional tennis

Category Archives: Anastasia Pavyluchenkova

Video Vault: The Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, Starring Serena Williams

Leave a Comment Posted by footfaulter on January 29, 2013

Last week, the Mouratoglou academy’s Mauritius feature premièred on French Eurosport. Finally (as in three days ago now), it has made its way to youtube, and the short documentary makes for interesting and entertaining viewing. A few thoughts:

- The entire video puts into perspective the massive change Serena has undertaken since that fateful French Open match, and it’s truly astonishing. For most top players and champions, once they reach a certain age a stubbornness sets in. It becomes about preserving what is left rather than making changes that could possibly hasten their decline – why would they change a system that has reaped so many past rewards?

Then you think about Serena’s upbringing, the much-discussed “us against the world” mentality Richard instilled in her and Venus from so little. Though both have worked with many coaches in the past, it was always Richard, the family and later the sisters who retained autonomy. Again, for her to cede so much power to this new academy – not to mention one completely alien to the rigours and needs of a top favourite for every slam either tour – was retrospectively such a bold and shocking move. Evidently, it worked out fairly well.

- I should probably learn how to spell ‘Mouratoglou’ sometime soon.

- There will never come a time when I don’t get a kick out of seeing a WTA player owning an ATP player, as Serena did during her hit with Jeremy Chardy. Sorry. Suddenly, Chardy’s quote on their time training together makes sense:

- I see you Nastia, Dasha and Yulia

- Serena and Martina reminiscing together on the golden years. Is there anything on the entire planet more perfect? I think not.

Anastasia Pavyluchenkova, ATP Off Court, Dasha Gavrilova, Serena Williams, Video Vault, WTA off-court

25.

Leave a Comment Posted by footfaulter on July 19, 2011

That’s how many double faults Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova hit in her first round match in Baku against the great 274th-ranked Valeria Solovieva. Even more shockingly, 16 of those double faults came in the first set – that’s four whole service games gifted in one set.

However, as impressively awful as that number is, Pavlyuchenkova still fell short of Legend Kournikova’s world record of 31 double faults in a match. Better luck next time, Pavs.

Oh, and here is the full Baku draw. It’s baaad.

Anastasia Pavyluchenkova, Other WTA Events

WTA FACTS: Baku Is Wack(u)

2 Comments Posted by footfaulter on July 15, 2011

At least the stadium is nice.

I’m pretty sure I wasn’t alone in launching into a foul-mouthed rant following the revelation that Portoroz, one of the WTA’s most well-attended International events and a favourite amongst fans, was to be replaced by a brand new tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan – a city I didn’t even know existed before the announcement. And judging by the turnout in the tournament’s qualifying draw, the players feel exactly the same way;

No, your eyes do not deceive you – that is thirteen (13) byes at a WTA level event. On the plus side, they have managed to ~~bribe with dirty, oligarchic oil money~~ attract two top twenty players in the form of Vera Zvonareva and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, so we will see what’s going on, no?

Anastasia Pavyluchenkova, Vera Zvonareva