(Pic for Forty Deuce by Love All)
So it's not a secret if you follow me on Twitter that I have become a StosurKAD. I couldn't help it. I've been a marginal fan for a while but seeing her play at Indian Wells really solidified my fandom. I mean, you guys. THAT SERVE. It is a marvel. You cannot possibly understand how awesome it is until you see it in person, in particular, her seconds serve. That thing kicks like no other. It's amazing.
But yes, everytime she slammed an ace or cracked a huge forehand I had the intense urge to stand up and yell "THE HAMMER OF THOR COMPELS YOU!!!" I was cheering so loudly I think I kind of freaked her out. In fact, during her win over Bepa, another FDer clearly heard me and yelled at me after the match. There is nothing more shocking than hearing your blog name screamed out during a professional tennis match. It was pretty awesome.
But honestly, I have no idea where that cheer is coming from. I don't really even know what it means or whether it makes sense. But hey. That's my brain.
Pete Bodo had a nice write up on the Sam/JJ match. It's worth a read. He spends much of the article talking about JJ, but I thought his observations on Sam were dead on:
You'd think that any world-class player would have this distance-to-the-ball thing down pat, but it's surprising how often Stosur overruns a ball, or ends up playing it too close to her body (one by-product of that is a slice backhand that lacks sting). I suppose it's a sign of bad footwork, or slow reflexes. The conditions certainly had something to do with her positioning difficulties tonight, but it was still clear that Stosur doesn't - make that can't - adjust nearly as well to the ball as does Jankovic. Never mind. Stosur compensated for the shortcoming by having a clear idea of what she was going to do, and deciding that nothing was going to stop her. She had the game plan.
It's weird. She doesn't like balls. You'd think she wouldn't have a problem keeping her distance.
