Page 6 - Tennis Journal

10 |May 2013
SLOANE
vs.
MADISON
HEAD
An intelligent young woman
but capable of going on
mental walkabouts, one of
the reasons why she
swooned in the Middle East
and U.S. tournaments after
Australia. A fine mid-match
strategist, at this stage she
can lose focus and forget her
game plan.
SERVE
A fairly hard first serve and a good jam-
ming body serve, placed well. Can some-
times leave her slice or topspin forays
hanging. Attackable second serve, which
needs more variety.
RETURN
Not as ambitious as she
could be at times. Doesn't
read her opponents’ tenden-
cies too well, but that’ll
come. If she gets a ball in
her wheelhouse, beware.
INTANGIBLES
Has displayed a big heart in winning some marathon matches and as
her win over Serena Williams showed, she invites matches against
the super elite. But she’s already suffered a number of injuries at a
young age, and while she outwardly seems to crave the spotlight, has
let it scald her confidence at times. She has the personality and the
framework of a game that is capable of winning majors, but needs to
become more self-disciplined.
FOREHAND
Her biggest weapon — a smooth stroke
that she can crush crosscourt, inside out,
down the line, off her back foot or on the
run. It’s one of the best young forehands
on tour.
BACKHAND
Her steadier, but weaker side. Crosscourt
backhand is quite strong, but slice is still a
work in progress. Her down-the-line back-
hand can be strong, but she sometimes lacks
confidence in it.
NET GAME
Has soft hands, but doesn't
charge the net all that
often and seems to prefer
her swing volley over a
standard one. A good dou-
bles player, so her confi-
dence around the cords in
singles should grow.
MOVEMENT
Outside of her forehand this is her
biggest strength: the daughter of a
former star NFL running back and
standout swimmer, she might be the
fastest player on tour. A true burner
it’s almost impossible to hit around
her out wide.
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