Italian tennis, particularly
on the women’s side, has achieved some historic milestones over the past
decade. Since 2005, Italy has won more Fed Cup titles than any other nation
(four). Additionally, Italy is one of only three nations, Russia and the Czech
Republic being the other two, to win the Fed Cup title in that span. Italy’s
success in the Fed Cup competition is due in part to the talented group of
women, who have achieved great success on the WTA Tour. These women are
Francesca Schiavone, Flavia Pennetta, Roberta Vinci, and Sara Errani.
The first Italian player to
make her breakthrough on the WTA Tour was Flavia Pennetta. In 2009, following
an impressive run during the U.S. Open Summer Series, Pennetta became the first
Italian woman to be ranked in the Top 10 in singles. Pennetta would later go on
the win the Australian Open doubles title alongside partner Gisela Dulko, and
become the first Italian player, male or female, to be ranked number one in the
world in doubles. Flavia Pennetta’s achievements were only the start of Italian
success on tour.
Fellow countrywoman Francesca
Schiavone would follow up Flavia Pennetta success on the WTA Tour, achieving
several firsts for Italian tennis. Entering the 2010 French Open, Schiavone was
the 17th seed, and not considered a strong contender for the title. However,
following victories over Li Na and Maria Kirilenko, Schiavone became the first
Italian woman ever to reach a Grand Slam semifinal. The Italian’s success at
Roland Garros would continue after defeating Elena Dementieva in the semifinals.
The victory guaranteed that Schiavone would become the second Italian woman to
be ranked in the Top 10. In the final, Schiavone would face the powerful
Australian, Sam Stosur. Ironically enough, the final was a rematch of their
first-round encounter at the French Open just a year before. Stosur entered the
final in impressive form; defeating the likes of Justine Henin and Serena
Williams en route to her first grand slam final. However, Schiavone put on an
inspiring display, dispatching the Aussie in straight sets, 6-4 7-6. The
Italian would eventually reach a career-high No. 4 in the world, becoming the
first Italian woman to be ranked in the Top 5.
Last but certainly not least,
are Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci. The Italian duo has achieved
success on the WTA Tour in both singles and doubles. Together they have won
four grand slam doubles titles: the 2012 French Open, the 2012 U.S. Open, and
the 2013 and 2014 Australian Open. Due in part to their great success in
doubles, Errani and Vinci joined countrywoman Flavia Pennetta as the second and
third Italian women to become No. 1 in the world in doubles. Additionally,
Errani and Vinci both became Top 10 players in singles. However, it was Errani who
would achieve greater success on the singles court.
At the start of her
professional career, I considered Sara Errani an average singles player. For
four straight years, the Italian was ranked firmly in the Top 50 in the world. However,
in 2012, Errani made the step from an average player to one of the game’s
elite. Errani’s success would begin at the year’s first major, the Australian
Open, where she would make her first career quarterfinal. The Italian’s strong
play continued during the clay court season, where she won three titles, and became
the second Italian woman ever to reach a grand slam final. Later that year,
Errani would become the first Italian woman in the Open Era to make the U.S.
Open semifinals. The diminutive Italian would finish her breakthrough season as
the sixth-ranked player in the world.
Even though Sara Errani has
continued her success over the past couple of seasons, I question whether the
Italian can sustain her consistent play for much longer. After being ranked in
the Top 10 for the past year and a half, Errani’s inconsistent start to the
2014 season resulted in her falling to No. 11 after the Sony Open in Miami. In
this blog, I will discuss whether it is wise to buy, sell or hold the stock of
the Italian.
Reasons To Buy
1. Fighter’s
Mentality: The
primary reason why I appreciate Sara Errani’s game is her fighter’s mentality. Despite
her physical limitations as a player, Errani shows the heart of a lion. No
matter how grim the score line, Errani always displays a positive demeanor on
court. A typical winning Errani point consists of emphatic grunting, followed
by a roar of ‘come on!’ The elite players in today’s game: Serena, Sharapova
and Azarenka, all possess a strong fighter’s mentality. Furthermore, in this
aspect Sara Errani can be placed right alongside these great champions.
2. Good
Variety: Typically when a player does
not possess the power to out hit their opponents, they rely on variety to get
the job done. Sara Errani, as a result of her time spent on the doubles court,
has incorporated great variety into her game. The Italian effectively uses her
backhand slice when in defensive positions, and when transitioning to the net. Moreover,
because Errani hits the slice so effectively, she is able to knife under the
ball and hit an unexpected drop shot. Another shot that Errani uses frequently
is the topspin lob. Similar to the slice, Errani uses the topspin lob when in a
defensive position, or to pass a net-rushing opponent. One of the Italian’s
signature patterns is the drop shot/lob combination. Errani first draws her
opponent to the net with a drop shot that lands just over the net. Next, as the
opponent retrieves the shot, Errani moves forward in the court to hit a lob of
the opponent’s head. In today’s game, a player’s weight of shot has diminished
the use of variety. Sara Errani is one of the few players on tour that is able
to use variety to outduel her opponents.
Reasons To Sell
1. Size
Limitations: Standing
at 5’4 1/2” inches tall, Sara Errani is one of the shortest players ranked in
the Top 100. The size disadvantage presents huge challenges for the feisty
Italian. Unlike Dominika Cibulkova, who possesses great power despite her 5’ 3”
frame, Errani lacks the ability to hit through her opponents. As much as the
Italian’s variety is a major strength in her game, Errani’s lack of power is a
hindering weakness. In addition to the size limitations, Errani does not have a
weapon to rely on in tough situations. For example, Serena Williams can always
rely on her serve when trailing late in a match. Errani on the other hand, has
to trust on her grit and fighter’s mentality to overcome adversity. When
playing a bigger and more powerful opponent, Errani relies heavily on her
foot-speed and defensive skills. Consequently, more often than not, the size
and power disadvantage proves to be too much for the diminutive Italian to
overcome. One thing you cannot teach in tennis is size. Unfortunately, Sara
Errani struggles mightily in the size department.
2. Overplays: As much as playing doubles has improved
Errani’s singles game, the amount of time spent on court playing both events
has finally caught up with the Italian. In 2013, Errani played 122 matches: 73
in singles, 49 in doubles. Over the past decade, we have seen on several
occasions the negative result of overplaying. The first player that comes to
mind is Jelena Jankovic. The talented Serb would play well over 20 tournaments
a year. As a result, Jankovic was able to become the number one player in the
world. However, after two or three seasons of overplaying, the mileage finally
caught up with the Serb. Inconsistency began to creep into Jankovic’s game, and
her ranking soon fell out of the Top 20.
The
most notable player to succumb to the effects of overplaying was former world
number one Dinara Safina. Sister of two-time grand slam champion Marat Safin, Safina
was a talented Russian, with the ability to be a dominant force on the WTA
Tour. Safina made her breakthrough at the 2008 French Open, where she made the
final, losing to Ana Ivanovic. The Russian, who was constantly criticized for
her lack of fitness, made huge strides following her success at the French
Open. Safina’s increased fitness-level helped the Russian reach three grand
slam finals, and ascend to the number one ranking. However, it was not only the
quicker foot speed and lost weight that got Safina to the top of the women’s
game. Similar to Jelena Jankovic, Safina was also a player who entered over 20
tournaments a year. Following successful seasons in 2009 and 2010, injuries
began to affect the Russian’s game. Unfortunately, the injuries proved to be debilitating
for Safina. At this week’s Madrid Open, Safina announced her retirement from
tennis.
The
biggest difference between the previously mentioned players and Errani is
Jankovic and Safina did not have to contend with the size limitations. Furthermore,
the obstacles that Errani will have to overcome are far greater than those two
players. If the Italian continues to play as much as she does, it wouldn’t
surprise me if her ranking continues to drop, or injury takes her out of the
game. Players must learn to select the events they enter wisely. Based on
Errani’s schedule over the past two seasons, she has not figured out a way to
optimize her time on court.
Reasons to Hold
1. Great
Clay Court Player: Over
the past two seasons, other than Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, Sara
Errani has been the best clay court player in the world. In 2012 and 2013,
Errani racked up five clay court titles, which puts her second only to Williams
(7) for most clay court titles in that span. One of the hardest things to do in
tennis is defend ranking points at a major. Following her surprise run to the
French Open final in 2012, Errani would make the semifinals the very next year.
From a ranking points’ perspective, the players who reach the final of a major
receive 1500 ranking points; whereas, semifinalists are rewarded with 900. Furthermore,
the Italian was able to defend a majority of the ranking points at the French
Open accumulated from the year before. Growing up on the surface, Errani feels
at home on clay. The slower court surface also neutralizes some of the
challenges Errani has to contend with. Players must construct their points with
the use of angles and depth. As a result, Errani is able to use her
extraordinary defensive skills and foot speed to get more balls in play, and
occasionally be the aggressor. In conclusion, it may be difficult for Sara
Errani to compete on the faster surfaces. However, she will always be a dark
horse on a clay court.
2. Consistent
At Bigger Events: Sara
Errani has proven over the last two years that she can go deep in tournaments
on every surface except grass. The Italian concluded her successful 2012 grand
slam campaign with a semifinal run at the U.S. Open. Moreover, Errani was able
to win five consecutive matches on what is arguably the fastest court surface
in the world. The former French Open finalist has also had success at the
larger WTA events as well. In 2013, Errani was a semifinalist at the premier
mandatory event in Madrid, as well as a quarterfinalist at the events in Indian
Wells and Miami. As a result of the Italian’s consistency on the WTA Tour, she
was one of eight players to qualify for the season-ending WTA Tour
Championships in both 2012 and 2013. Errani would not have been able to qualify
for such a prestigious event if she did not perform well at the biggest WTA
Tour events. Furthermore, Errani may never be an odds-on favorite to win a
major title; however, it should not a surprise to see the 5’ 4 ½” Italian in
the latter stages of the premier WTA events.
Verdict
Based on my analysis of Sara
Errani’s game, I believe that it is best to sell the Italian’s singles stock. As
a player who plays singles and doubles consistently, the mileage that Errani
will endure over time will soon catch up with her. More importantly, as a
player that stands only 5’4 1/2” tall, it will be extremely difficult for the
Italian to compete with the bigger and stronger players consistently. With the
lack of a huge weapon to get her out of trouble, Errani has to work much harder
than players like Serena or Sharapova to win matches. Sara Errani has maximized
her potential on the singles court. However, the weaknesses in her game are too
large to have sustainable results on the WTA Tour.
Even though I recommended to
sell Errani’s singles stock, I believe that you should definitely hold the
Italian’s doubles stock. Errani possesses the variety and volleying skills that
will help the Italian achieve greater success in doubles. As long as her
doubles partner, Roberta Vinci, wants to play with Errani, the pairing should
remain one of the best doubles teams in the world. In a game that was once known
for the chip and charge, Sara Errani’s variety game is slightly out of date. As
a result, Errani’s game is more suitable for doubles than it is for singles.
Do you think Sara Errani can continue her success on the WTA Tour? Let me know in the comments section below.
In my next blog I will be providing a French Open preview, where I address the contenders, dark horses and more prior to the season's second major.
Enjoyed this post? Email it
to a friend or share it on your social media page. I look forward to sharing my
thoughts on tennis with you!
No comments:
Post a Comment