Tuesday, June 25
'She's heading in the wrong direction'
ESPN.com news services
Posted on 06/25/2002 7:01:31 AM PDT by mhking
Tuesday, June 25
'She's heading in the wrong direction'
ESPN.com news services
WIMBLEDON, England -- Not even another first-round loss could knock Anna Kournikova out of the headlines at Wimbledon. Former champions John McEnroe and Virginia Wade were among those who publicly criticized Kournikova on Tuesday for her behavior during an interview with BBC-TV. After failing to get past the first round for the fourth time in a row, Kournikova lost her temper during the interview when it was suggested she should consider playing some lower-tier tournaments. Although she asked that the taped interview start over, the BBC later televised the entire session. McEnroe, a three-time Wimbledon champion, said the Russian is not in good shape and needs to consider where she is going in the sport. "Her nerves are shot, she has no confidence and she is not in very good shape and if she is telling you otherwise then she's kidding herself," McEnroe said. "You can see that by watching her. "At the same time let's not forget she got to the semis here and did break into the top 10. She's heading in the wrong direction very quickly and she's tried a number of different people. "Wimbledon was her best chance. It's time for some serious reassessment and some serious practice." Wade, the Wimbledon women's champion in 1977, agrees. "She has lost her confidence and I don't think she is facing her problems," said Wade. "She is absolutely in denial." Kournikova's defeat and interview spat made front, middle and backpage headlines in Britain's newspapers Tuesday. "Is it game over for Anna?" asked the Daily Mail in a two-page spread that said "TV tantrum tarnishes gold girl image." The Daily Telegraph, under the headline "Kournikova starting to look like last year's model," said her Wimbledon "is all over in an afternoon of posing and pouting, with a few tennis shots thrown in." Kournikova's tantrum "was unprofessional and inexcusable," ESPN tennis analyst Pam Shriver said. "You saw the real Anna Kournikova there." Former British Davis Cup player and fellow TV commentator John Lloyd agreed. "You can't react like that. It's pathetic. She has had more cameras thrust in her face than I've had hot dinners."
And you know there's that whole making up after a fight thing...
| Russia's Anna Kournikova, right, kisses fellow Russian Tatiana Panova at the end of the Women's Singles first round match at Wimbledon, Monday June 24, 2002. Panova defeated Kournikova, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
|
Thanks,
TheOtherOne
We have encountered some corrupted data on the server. Quite a few things got consumed. Whatever it was, it wasn't pulled intentionally, and there is no way for me to restore it. Sorry.
And the down side is?
Lucky for us, that is the case. The opposite of Billie Jean King.
Anna's new coach is Harold Solomon, a man credited with reviving Jennifer Capriati's career. Maybe Anna's career will rebound sometime soon with the hard work and rededication she's now putting in. Don't know if it'll result in a return to the top ten, but one can hope.
 |
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.