Interview Insights – Kim Clijsters at Australian Open 2010
Kim Clijsters has had a good run at the Australian Open 2010 until her third match with Nadya Petrova when she unexpectedly lost 6:0, 6:1.
Many players can start to doubt their abilities and lose confidence and don’t know how to approach such a match with the correct mindset. But that’s the wrong way of thinking and it can start a downward spiral of confidence.
Kim Clijsters not playing well at Australian Open 2010 (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Here’s what Kim said about the match:
Q. Is it hurting you more the fact that you lost the game or the fact that you lost the game 6‑0, 6‑1?
KIM CLIJSTERS: No, not the score. Just, yeah, with the way that I played today. I was completely off. Just, you know, I think tennis‑wise, I didn’t feel the ball at all.
You know, matches like this, maybe it happens once a year where you feel like this. But, yeah, like I said, you don’t want it to happen more than this because then, you know, it’s not a coincidence.
I think I haven’t changed anything in my whole preparations before every match. Everything was the same, same routine, then something like this happens. That’s probably the most frustrating thing about it, is not knowing. That’s sports. You know, it can happen.
There are two important things Kim mentions:
1. I didn’t feel the ball at all. Feel of the ball is what tennis is about. It’s not about the correct follow-through or having your racquet head-up when preparing for the shot or keeping your wrist firm when volleying or something like that.
It’s about feel. The ball is coming over the net with different speeds under different angles and it’s bouncing up at different heights and you can be moving in different ways while you’re hitting. Which means that it’s all about adjusting to the current situation and using your FEEL to control the ball back – whether that means playing deep or going cross court or attempting a down-the-line winner.
And for some reason Kim didn’t feel the ball today and of course she was unable to play tennis at the highest level.
2. That’s sports. You know, it can happen. That’s very important for any athlete to be aware of. All sports games are designed in way that the player cannot 100% control the outcome. All sports are too difficult for human beings to be perfect. The point of sports is of course to make them entertaining for spectators.
So understanding that you don’t have control of the outcome of a tennis match and that you don’t have control over your mind-body connection every single day and moment of your life is very important.
It helps you avoid blaming yourself for things which are not really your fault. There’s nothing Kim could have done to prevent or improve that day with her feel. Something was off and it was out of her control. That’s sports and that’s life. These things happen but the happen rarely. There will be plently more opportunities and matches to be played in the future.
Q. With this game, do you burn the tape, forget it happened?
KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, this is something probably you want to forget as soon as possible and go home and, you know, just let it sit, get settled at home for a few days and then start working hard again and try to forget about it. Just stick to the routines. Everything I’ve been doing so far with my coach, my fitness coach, everything has been going really well. I’m going to try to not let a match like this get me down or start doubting myself or anything.
Every tennis player will experience tough defeats in their career. If they are just slightly off on a certain day and their opponent is on fire, tennis scoring system can show very negative results.
When Kim lost 6:0, 6:1 she actually won 22 points and Petrova won 52 points.
52:22 definitely looks better than 12:1. Winning 1 out of 13 games played is 7,7% games won but winning 22 points out of 74 is 30,4% of points won.
Yes, you still lose but the numbers are not so humiliating. So it’s important to have the right perspective of the situation and to accept ups and downs of human beings and that sometimes you’re down when your opponent is up.
The key is to understand the reasons for this and again avoid blame and loss of confidence. I personally have experienced this too a few times and I would chalk this now to statistics.
It will happen sooner or later again but rarely. So the statistics is definitely on my side and in the long term I am playing most of my matches well.
So Kim has a similar view on this match and won’t let this match start her doubt herself. Because doubt is one of the biggest enemies of your own mind you can have…
The key is to focus on matches that she played well – and that’s practically all of them since Kim entered the US Open 2009 and won it.
- Related posts:
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Thomaz.
I saw Kim’s match. I could not believe my eyes: no rythm,no game plan, not moving on easier balls to come to the net and drive , no fire in her eyes. To me , it was like watching an unnown player who is just there as a figure……..
Naturally, Petrova is very impressive, tall and strong. But that never distracted Kim or Justin from playing their game plan. Just think of the Williams sisters that they beat so many times.
Concerning Federer, he was so brilliant, like in 2006-2007. So fired up. That unique touch at the net, that determination to hit those back- hand shots again and again, when Murray kept hitting that way. He didnt try to run around his back-hand, he hit it. I think that this was a strong factor to his victory.
On preceding matches, he seemed to be, as he was before, in a class above his opponents (not the least).
Yes , I have a strong ffeeling about him, if he stays healthy, in 2010.
Last year, iI was not sure, but now I am: hes the best player of all times.
All my admiration goes to Murray: What maturity and sensitivity he acquired in the past 2 years. What a fighter. And, yes now, what a sympatical caracter.
February 6th, 2010 at 9:46 am
So… Did Nadya Petrova make any contribution to Kim Clijsters’ defeat?
Or… Did Kim Clijsters solely contribute to Nadya Petrova’s win?
In other words: Was it only because Kim was in total control of the entire process and, fortunately for Nadya but unfortunately for Kim, Kim could not “feel the ball” which led to Kim’s defeat and Nadya’s win?
Is it really an ‘either/or’ situation?
Is Nadya Petrova the Rodney Dangerfield of women’s tennis?
All questions asked with tongue firmly placed in cheek…
Seriously, I understand the point of the “insight” insofar as you are focusing on Kim, based on her interview comments, and not Nadya. We certainly can learn from her comments and your insight.
I am not affiliated in any way with Nadya Petrova or Kim Clijsters but would like access to their bank accounts!