5 WTA players I would like to see return to form

Great players that were a force to be reckoned with on the tour at one point, but seemed to have fallen from grace.



Jelena Jankovic

It is 2011, and the start of a new season. Can Jankovic repeat her '07 and '08 consistency? The start of her year indicates that there is some hope. Although she crashed out early at the Australian Open to an in form Shuai Peng, it was still a positive result. In the months prior to the Australian Open, Jankovic was falling to players ranked outside the top 50 in the 1st and 2nd rounds of tournaments. By comparison, her AO performance was an improvement, and showed some glimps of a player coming out of a slump, as she was moving and serving well. Since, Jankovic has made it to the seminfals in Dubai, beating her nemesis, Kaia Kanepi, and Top 5 Sam Stosur. Jankovic is currently in Doha and seems to be playing well.

The question is, will Jankovic return to form and be a top contender in the Women's game? I want her to not only get out of her slump, but return to competing with the best of the best once again.

Anna Chakvetadze

Now this one is a long shot. Nevertheless, I would like to see this scrappy, feisty, counterpuncher revived and giving the top players a run for their money every once in awhile. Chak's got a good game--she is a speedy retriever who plays fast by taking the ball on the rise and denying her opponent time or rhythm. In '07, Chak reached as high a world no. 5, won 4 singles titles, made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian and French Open, and the semifinals of the U.S. Open. It was no doubt that A. Chak was a contender. Can she test the mettle of the top players once again? It seems that a comeback is possible. She beat Hantuchova in Dubai, who had just captured the Pattaya City trophy, and then pushed world no. 1 Wozniacki in the 2nd set of their match. Unfortunately, Chak retired due to gastrointestinal illness when she was serving for the set at 5-4. Nevertheless, if Chak stays healthy and keeps improving, she could sneak her way back to the top. Well, at least one can hope.

Ana IvanovicWhat happened to Ivanovic? Ivanovic achieved a goal that was elusive for many players on the WTA, and that was a Grand Slam trophy. It was due time, as Ivanovic had been making grand slam final and semifinal appearances before her breakthrough. Many of us would have assumed that she would continue on, stronger than ever, and brimming with confidence after her big win. We were wrong. Ivanovic fell into a huge slump and outside of the top 40. Things are looking promising though, as of today she is in the top 30, and even won Bali at the end of 2010. Despite suffering defeat to an in form Makarova (these mediocre players that uberstreaks of greatness really mess things up), 2011 could be a year for a true comeback from the still young Ana Ivanovic. An Ana Ivanovic in championship form would round out the top 10 nicely.

Dinara Safina

She is the one on the left, holding the runner up trophy for the French Open of 2008. This was a great day for Dinara as it catapulted her into a top contender. Ivanovic deserved the trophy in '08, but by next year Ivanovic was MIA and Dinara breezed through her draw at the French Open of 2009, but fell to '04 Us Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. In 2008 and 2009, getting runner up trophies instead of championship trophies were her biggest problems, but now she has serious problems. Dinara needs to make it to a quarterfinal of ANY tournament or at least consistently make 2nd and 3rd round showings--but she isn't even giving us that. She had a back injury that put her out of the competition in 2010, but Dinara should have returned to form by now. Still, one cannot forget what a contender Dinara can be when she is in fine form, with her powerful, heavy shots. But it is a new season, and while she lost in the 1st round to Kim Clijsters at the Australian Open... well, it was Kim Clijsters. Dinara needs to get back in form so she can challenge the likes of Belgian once again. Here is hoping that she will find herself again in 2011.



Maria Sharapova

Sure, Sharapova has had plenty of success and it is no doubt that she is a champion. But the top 10 of the WTA needs players like Sharapova to make sure that streaky and inconsistent (or medicore and overly consistent) players do not stay in the top 10. I think Wozniacki has earned her spot in the top 10, but I believe players like Stosur, Schiavone, Na, Azarenka, and Radwanksa are only there because the field is weak at the moment. Any of the girls on this list at their top form, would beat any of the other girls at their top form. Maria Sharapova hasn't been the same since she has had to change her service motion due to her shoulder energy, but the modelesque champion has too many fans dreaming of a Masha comeback, a return to greatness. They may have a better chance than fans of other tennis players, because Sharapova has the tenacity to make a return. I hope she does.

Ways to Fix the WTA (Women's Tennis Association)

I have been in denial for quite some time now. After Justine Henin retired, fans said the WTA was going downhill. I didn't believe them though because I watched an exciting Australian Open final between rising star Ivanovic, and big star Sharapova who crushed the women's tennis equivalent to Roger Federer, Justine Henin, on the way to the final in '08. Sure, Henin hadn't retired yet but she would soon after, and famously didn't play the upcoming French Open, which was a slam she dominated. Sharapova has never done her best at the French Open, and the rising star Ivanovic raced to the final and claimed her maiden grand slam, fully taking advantage of the opportunity.

This was the beginning of when the WTA started going downhill. The newly cemented star of the WTA dropped off quickly after her slam win, falling as low as the top 50. She suffered through injuries, and a complete loss of confidence. It shocked me. I thought Ivanovic was going to carry her momentum and be a slam contender at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, but she wasn't. But things weren't looking too bad because Venus William successfully defended her Wimbledon trophy, having won it in 2007 previously. I also personally was glad that Ivanovic was floundering at the time, because I was a fan of her compatriot and rival, Jelena Jankovic, a player that was consistently named the "dark horse" for every slam. I badly wanted her to win one.

After Wimbledon in '08, the draw was beginning to open up. Ivanovic was failing, Sharapova did not play the US Open because she discovered that she had a shoulder injury, and Henin had retired. I was not worried though, because I knew it was time for Jankovic to step and take the opportunity to win a slam. Jankovic was on fire, winning several tournaments in a row at the end of '08. She became number one and made it to the final of the US Open but was denied the title by a tenacious multiple slam champion, Serena Williams. Still, we had a slamless number #1 in Jelena Jankovic.

Unfortunately, in 2009, Jankovic did not maintain form. She was a slamless #1, labeled a pusher, and therefore had more pressure on her. Many players gain momentum and confidence after reaching a grand slam final, but not if they are #1. Instead of momentum and confidence, a slamless #1 reaching a grand slam just receives added pressure. Jankovic's boat sailed away, and another slamless player stringing tournament wins took over the #1 position. This was Dinara Safina.

Dinara Safina had better grand slam results than Jankovic, but also failed to win a slam. Like Jankovic, she was pressured by the media. She made it to the final of the Australian Open in 2009, where she was defeated by Serena Williams. That is understandable. But when she BREEZED her way through the French Open '09 draw only to completely self-destruct to Kuznetsova and fail to win the title, it was shocking. She was the heavy favorite in the final, and her performance in the tournament before the final match indicated that she should have won. I think the match was on Dinara's racquet, and the task was bigger than beating Kuznetsova, it was winning a grand slam. That is why she lost.

Today (1/28/2011) Jankovic, Ivanovic, and Safina are in dreadful form. While Ivanovic did win a slam, she had a lot more potential and had the star power to fuel the WTA, but she dropped off. They all did.

Serena collected a few slams during this time and even overcome her sister, the Queen of Grass, to take the 09 Wimbledon title. Serena was probably the true #1 all this time, but the problem was is that she didn't play enough to gain the appropriate ranking points to keep that position when she did earn it. That is why slamless #1's interrupted Serena's number #1 position.

Even then, things didn't look too bad. Serena was winning slams and the top 10 was competing with eachother for Tier I events and at times testing Serena's mettle in grand slam draws.

2010 seemed to start off right. Justine Henin returned and made it to the Australian Open final, where she lost to Serena Williams. But then a veteran player, despite all those years on the tour, that had never been in the top 10 won the French Open '10, defeating heavy favorite Sam Stosur in the final. Sam was on the rise and already a grand slam doubles winner, but was beginning to have great success in singles (which started with her surprise semifinal appearance in the French Open of 2009). On her way to the French Open '10 final, she defeated Henin, Serena, and Jankovic and because of this, it was a shock that she lost to Schiavone who had a comparatively easier draw and a losing head-to-head with Stosur. Perhaps this was another player that couldn't overcome their nerves and just win a slam! It also made the French Open gain the reputation of producing random slam winners. Before, the French Open was dominated by Henin, and on the men's side Rafael Nadal. It actually still is dominated by Nadal. But the French Open is wide open because Serena doesn't play well on clay. The different French Open winners every year (and still not won by a #1) was giving WTA critics plenty of ammo.

It seemed that Serena was the only consistent force on the tour anymore. She held things together and drew interest. She served as the one to beat despite the fact that she did not maintain the #1 ranking. Serena however had been gathering bad press from her stating that she was the true #1 while Jankovic was #1 and screaming and cursing at a lines woman who called a foot fault against Serena during a match against Clijsters in the semifinals USO '09, who, like Henin also came out of retirement, probably seeking to take advantage of the women's fragile draw.

Although Serena had a great slam season in 2010, winning the Australian and Wimbledon, she had to withdraw from the US Open due to a foot injury. Caroline Wozniacki had been the latest player stringing tournament wins under the slam level, and became the new slamless #1. Wozniacki probably gained momentum from her 2009 US Open final appearance, and began to see more success and became the next slamless #1 in 2010. Before she even cracked the top 10, commentators always referred to Wozniacki as a talent that had a future in the top at tennis. However, as number #1, like Jankovic, and Safina, she is criticized for being slamless and is, like Jankovic, criticized for her defensive style of play, except even moreso.

It is true that Wozniacki is now prematurely #1 because of the slumps that the more capable players now seem to be in. At least, Zvonareva has stopped underachieving though, reaching two slam finals in a row. Which is good on her, but she has also helped produce two of the most uncompetitive slam finals in a long while now, losing one-sidedly in both of them to Serena and Clijsters (at least Jankovic had set points against Serena, come on!)

Clijsters has taken over the limelight in Serena's absence but her early Slam exits after winning the US Open 2009 were cringy worthy. Clijsters did win the US Open 2010, and now looks like she is about to win the Australian Open 2010. Whoo hoo. Could it be that she is on a roll and has stepped in to keep interest in the WTA alive while Serena is gone? Well, maybe, except Clijsters has played poorly throughout the tournament, having streaks of bad play, but still winning. It really makes you think that Clijsters is winning this by default, playing a little less worse than the rest of the field. This is when I finally agree that the WTA needs help. Despite the great match between Schiavone and Kuznetsova (the '09 and '10 French Open winners), the tour has been extreemly lackluster as of late.

What they can do:

Encourage the women to play less. The WTA has become too much about money and less about glory. The tournaments try to draw top players with competitive prize money and the well-to-do tennis girls that were forced to train relenetlessly by their tennis moms and pops are using the system to rank in the dough. The WTA can put a stop to this by increasing the points won for grand slam results, and decreasing the point totals for other events. But maybe this is too much to ask for from the WTA, who are separate from the grand slams, as they would take money away from their own tour. Still, don't they pose to lose more if their players are too exhausted to avoid being upsetted in a slam, and slamless #1's miss the big win time and time again?

or they could just lower the threshold of how many tournaments count towards your point totals. Make it the best 12 results instead of 16.

Make the women have to play best of 5 sets at the slams. I don't believe that the women are incapable of this, and this will encourage them not to overplay the season so that they save their energy for potential five setters. I think this would limit ballbashers having hot streaks from pulling upsets, set a higher standard for fitness, and have greater potential for more interesting slam finals.

JRPG veterans: NieR

NieR. A game panned by the critics but already has garnered a cult following. While some may agree with the critics and claim that NieR is mediocre in every way, others insist that NieR is highly underrated, and a hidden gem.

I wasn't sure about getting NieR because of the mixed opinions, but I didn't have to decide to make a purchase in the end. My boyfriend, a huge Drakengard fan, bought it due to the fact that NieR is developed by the same folks. Since then we have been fighting over ps3 time so that we can play NieR.

NieR's graphics make it look like a ps2 or Wii game, and this is one reason the critics reviewed it harshly. Not only are the graphics out of date, but the game has a washed out appearance and some arguably uninspired environments. Furthermore, the protagonist looks like Dante of Devil May Cry fame beaten with an ugly stick. At first glance, NieR is a typical hack 'n slash game a la God of War, Bayonetta, etc with the exception of the gimmick of wielding dark/blood magic, courtesy of a mysterious, talking book named Grimoire Weiss.

While NieR's combat, and the talking book are hardly the most original concepts, the whole is more than the sum of it's parts when it comes to NieR. The critics say mediocre, I say NieR's combat is not as obnoxious as Darksider's, Bayonetta's, or God of War's. There are no visually-stunning and devastating mega combos that can be executed with button mashing. While there is some button mashing to be found, most strategy will be used on whether you choose to melee an enemy, or blast it with magic, and if so, what kind of magic you will choose to use (as the spells vary from rapid fire attacks to absorbing magic power).

NieR is not even without visual merit. The graphics make the world feel melancholic. The fantastic soundtrack helps immerse the player further. The soundtrack is of PSX-era JRPG quality... think Final Fantasy VII, Chrono Cross, Star Ocean 2... The voice acting is also stellar in this game.

It won't be difficult to empathize with NieR, whose daughter is plagued with a terminal illness. The interaction between NieR and his daughter are emotionally powerful and set the mood for the story. Speaking of, the story is also a high point of the game, and is incredibly gripping and will keep you playing as you will thirst to unravel the mystery.

Nier's pacing has also been criticized. The game has a ton of fetch quests and backtracking. Today's games are much more streamlined then this, so critics will not tolerate it. But I think oldschool JRPG fans will actually appreciate the pacing. The pacing, particularly the backtracking, also gives the game some realism. It feels like one big conversation, instead of a linear experience, and it feels like areas need to be revisited, and NPCs need to be talked to again. Oh, it is important to regularly check up on your daughter Yonah. Nier is in debt to the village, who provide for him, and is eager to work his butt off for the virtue of fairness. Be prepared to fill this role for the most immersive experience.

Nier has certain points in the game where the gameplay is different. At times, you must use NieR's magic to shoot enemies as if you were playing a rail shooter. There are also 2D platforming segments and times when the game turns into a text adventure. Many people talk about how unique this makes Nier, but such mini games embedded in dungeons has been around in JRPGs for awhile. For example, the mandatory motorcycle race in FFVII.

In the end, I believe Nier has a cult following because it plays like a Playstation Japanese action-RPG. It is modern Alundra. It is also a great game.

Blog Post Number 6 - 12/19/2010 - Ni No Kuni - the JRPG fans have been waiting for?

Ni No Kuni, or The Another World, looks like it has the potential to be amazing. The game will be released for PS3 next year and from the available video footage, looks absolutely beautiful. The game boasts a beautiful high definition world map, sure to please veteran JRPG fans. Take a look for yourself in this video:




This game is being developed by Level 5, who also developed Dark Cloud, Dark Cloud 2, Rogue Galaxy, Dragon Quest VIII, and White Knight Chronicles. The JRPG genre has been stagnant. The question is: Will Ni No Kuni be the next-gen PS3 JRPG fans have been waiting for? Is it destined to become a classic? Only time will tell, but at the moment, the game looks like it may have enormous potential.

I am actually concerned that the gameplay might feel archaic. JRPGs fan think they want traditional gameplay with a world map back, but they may be surprised at how outdated it feels on a new system. The game may also end up being deemed "too kiddy". Nonetheless, if the story and gameplay is interesting, the game could very well be a mega hit. It already has a beautiful, and bright fantasy setting, and that is a good start.

To close things up, there have been very good, and interesting JRPGs this gen. But I think many people feel the same way I do. There hasn't been a masterpiece yet this generation, unless you count Demon's Souls, and I don't for the purpose of this blog post. Perhaps, Ni No Kuni will be a masterpiece, and receive critial acclaim and generate interest for the JRPG.

Blog Post Number 5 12/18/2010 - (Americanized) Chinese food, a guide to

This blog was created to allow me to vent my frustrations and deal with my depression. But I think that writing about things I like and am interested in could help too.

Today I want to teach you about Americanized Chinese food. This will cover where to get Chinese food, and what dishes to get. This is for anybody who wants to eat something familiar but a bit more interesting than orange chicken or "beef w. broccoli". It isn't authentic but it may be the closest you will get in the States.

Where:

First we will talk about what kinds of Americanized Chinese restaurants exist in the USA.

Buffet style - It is possible that a buffet style restaurant prepares excellent chinese food. When you enter, you can ask for a menu so that you can order freshly cooked food instead of dine on the overcooked food sitting under the heat lamps on the buffet. However, some Chinese buffets have grills where you can pick your own meat, seafood, sauce, and veggies and the grill cook will make a customized stir-fry for you. This customized stir-fry could be an excellent choice depending on the choices and the skill of the cook (I have had some that were excellent, and another that was so bad that he "boiled" my food on the grill by dumping water over it... yeck).

NY-style kiosk- These places are small, no buffet, and only have limited or no dining space. Since they cater to carry-out orders and make everything fresh, their dishes are usually a higher quality than compared t their buffet style counterparts. Basically, these are the kinds of Americanized Chinese restaurants you want to go to. There are exceptions. I have been to buffet-style places that have better dishes than carry-out places, but this isn't usually the case.

Bistro or slow casual (full service)- If you have upscale Chinese places with excellent food in your neighborhood, you're lucky. I have never eaten at P.F. Chang's (which is the Applebee's of Americanized Chinese food) but I heard it isn't very good. While I haven't eaten Americanized Chinese food in an upscale or a slow casual, my experiences with other cuisine tells me that usually the quality and authenticity aren't worth the sticker price. It seems to me that the hole-in-the-wall cheaper places also have the tastiest food.

What to get:

So what should you get when you go to a Chinese restaurant? The following is a list and why you should get it:

Chicken w. Black bean sauce - This stir fry usually comes with more vegetables than a few stalks of broccoli and has a tasty, tangy sauce. Most importantly, if you're use to the more popular Chinese dishes, the sauce might be something new to you. Chicken, vegetabes, tangy, but not as sweet. The Chinese probably prefer fermented black bean sauce though.

Kung Pao Chicken- This is a crowd favorite and the quality of this dish can vary widely from place to place. If you do find excellent Kung Pao, consider yourself lucky. I still recommend trying it though, as it has heat, tang, and isn't too sweet. The crunchy peanuts and crisp cabbage give the dish a variety of texture. I can't say for sure but I think most Kung Pao is close to the original version with the exception of schezuan peppercorns. American Chinese places will use American-friendly chile peppers to replace the peppercorns for the heat.

Moo Shu Pork- If you haven't had this dish before, it could be a new culinary experience for you. This dish consists of shredded pork, cabbage, and sprouts stuffed into paper thin pancakes (like a taco or burrito) and is topped with earthy (and authentic) hoisin sauce. The original version is similar except it has lotus flowers in it. The Chinese believe in making their food double as medicine.

Twice Cooked Pork- Pork praised in ginger and salt and then added to the wok with shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and nappa cabbage tossed in a Schezuan-style sauce. This dish is more consistent from place to place than Kung Pao Chicken. It is tangy, hot, and delicious!

Honey Walnut Prawns/Shrimp- a Hong Kong dish that is decadent boasting a mayonnaise based sauce and topped with candied walnuts. Wow! But it may be difficult to find depending on where you live.

Buddha's Delight- This dish basically employs most if not all of the vegetables used in a Chinese kitchen's arsenal. That could mean that Chinese vegetables might slip in there! A vegetarian choice.

Crispy Beef- strips of beef fried in a crispy batter and covered in a tangy, sweet sauce. It is a VERY American invention, but very good. It could be hard to find depending on where you live.

Mongolian Beef- Not *exactly* Mongolian, but let's say, *inspired* by Mongolian barbeque. It is usually a superior dish at Americanzed Chinese restaurants, consisting of slices of beef, onion, carrots, and bamboo shoots.

Schezuan Bean Curd- You may not be able to find the authentic "stinky" tofu, but at least you can have it spicy.

Dumplings (steamed)- not fried! You cannot go wrong with these, and they come with a wonderful sweet, chile oil based dipping sauce! Delicious!

A note about "authenicity": While stir-frys exist in China, the large and culturally diverse country has much more than stir-fry. But it is alright! Don't feel guilty about enjoying a spicy, tasty stir-fry at an American eatery. A good Chinese restaurant will use decent quality ingrediants and not skip steps in recipes (such as not cooking the pork in twice cooked pork twice or using orange juice instead of orange peel in orange chicken). To me, a Chinese restaurant is "authentic" if they prepare the recipes correctly (Americanized or not) because some changes to recipes are because of the American pallete, and those are fine, but some changes are meant to streamline the recipe and make it easier or cheaper to cook and this usually lowers the quality of the dish. But it is possible to find Chinese restaurants that are committed to quality.

If you live close to an army base: You are really lucky as many excellent Chinese places with the inclusion of more "unusual" items such as spicy squid, peking duck, etc are found on the menu. There are usually other excellent asian restaurants near army bases such as Thai, Korean, and Vietnamese as well. It is much easier to find asian restaurants with spicy, pungent, and authentic food at other asian restaurants because the dishes haven't been standardized by the prevalance of Americanized counterparts. I have to say that I enjoy authentic asian food much more, but the dishes I listed suffice if you don't have access to any (or can't tolerate strong tasting or smelly food).

Good luck! Enjoy Chinese food!

Blog Post Number 4 - 12/17/2010

I feel good this morning. I got a final in a couple of hours and haven't studied yet.

I was freaking out last night. I feel guilty whenever I stimulate myself so after I read some impactful literature or interesting philosophy, I feel either overly emotional or pretentious. I wish I could enjoy myself without feeling guilty...

Blog Post Number 3 - 12/16/2010 - Misjudging situations

Whoo. My last blog post. That was a little... I don't know how to explain it. I don't want to say intense nor do I want to say pathetic because I believed it was necessary. I just want to say that I feel better today despite the fact that I was up this morning at 6 A.M. with the runs, the first side effect of my medication that I have experienced so far.

Today, I want to talk about other thoughts that haunt me. Embarassing moments. I keep replaying them in my head, over and over again. Last night I thought about how I wanted to use unacademic sources for my research paper in a class in the past and my instructor had to correct me. I keep replaying that in my head and thinking that I should of understood that without having to be corrected, and how could I have made such an obvious mistake? I think, that instructor must of thought I was an IDIOT. But hey, I do know better now... It probably doesn't do me any good to stress myself out by thinking about it and getting depressed especially since I have written successful, and proper research papers since. Sigh.

Then there was another time when I mispronounced "superfluous" in front of a teacher. Also, the time when I was obsessed with the realism-romaticism dichotomy and was abitrarily (and therefore inappropriately) applying the concepts to everything.

Then there are times when I went to events that I completely misjudged what they were and showed up with inappropriate items/attitude/dress. Such as a party I got dolled up for and it turned out to be 6 or 7 people sitting around drinking beers and watching a movie and laughing at shit on youtube. A potluck that I prepared deviled eggs for and everyone else brought "snack food" instead of dinner items. An Art Festival that sounded intriguing because of the words "art" and "festival" which is basically a bunch of craftsman hobbyists selling their junk - no art to be found (and I had no money as I stupidly walked around looking at these people's uh, "art").

Well, there actually was one guy that had some artwork. But it was the abstract, "random paintstrokes and throwing paint at the canvas" artwork that some people are into. Personally, I just don't get it and neither did the old ladies shopping for knick knacks either. Poor dude. He just sat there all day, not a single customer! Well, maybe I should feel better then, because I probably wasn't the only person that felt utterly RIDICULOUS that day.

Anyway, so I am probably going to make dumbass mistakes for the rest of my life. It seems to be the way I am! I haven't said or done anything on the level of Jessica Simpson asking if tuna is chicken, but hey, I am near close. Oh, and misjudging things does not make you stupid. I don't know whether Sarah Palin or Jessica Simpson are idiots or not, but I don't think that unwittingly saying something stupid means youre an idiot. Maybe its just that most people are mean and insecure and any chance that they can get, they call somebody else out on their flaws, so they can feel better about themselves? Also, not to mention, people are constantly worried about saying the wrong thing and coming off wrong to the point when you have a conversation with them, it feels like they have everything they say in their head preprogrammed to respond appropriately.

So, people that don't misjudge situations, good for you. I don't know how you do it. But I definitely do it all of the time. Luckily, my boyfriend also misjudges a lot of situations like I do! Yay! So, at least I don't have to worry about what he thinks. Sometimes we misjudge situations together. How romantic.