Samantha Stosur

Samantha Stosur is confident she can handle the pressure to present a strong challenge at next month's Australian Open following her maiden tennis grand slam triumph.
Currently ranked sixth in the world, US Open champion Stosur has never gone beyond the fourth round of her home grand slam in nine attempts.
But her triumph in New York has added another layer of confidence for the 27-year-old Queenslander who has appeared to struggle at times with the added attention and public expectation on home soil.
``I don't think there's any greater pressure than probably playing grand slam finals and I'm lucky enough to have played two of those now and got through the last one with flying colours,'' Stosur said.
``I think the Aussie Open I can get a good result, I don't think there's any reason why I can't.
``It's nothing to do with the court, or the conditions or anything like that, I think it's just been one of those things.
''..the last two years I've obviously had very good results at the French and the US and now hopefully I can do that here in Australia.''
Coach David Taylor said Stosur, who will play tournaments in Brisbane and Sydney before the Australian Open, was now much more comfortable under the spotlight.
``I think Sam has been criticised probably for not living up to the big moments sometimes, but she's really erased that now,'' Taylor said.
``It's just something that over time you get used to.''

Taylor and Stosur are working on getting her to come to the net more behind her big serve and finish points faster.
``My forehand could still be probably a bigger weapon and if I'm moving well and really getting around it as best as I can,'' Stosur said.
``I think my backhand can still improve and there's always room to keep moving forward and finishing points off at the net.''
Stosur said she would love the accolade of becoming the world's No.1 ranked player but it wasn't a specific goal.
Among her goals for 2012 are recording her first win over three other leading players, Victoria Azarenka (0-5), Petra Kvitova (0-3) and Kim Clijsters (0-5).
``I think my best tennis can beat anyone in the world,'' Stosur said.
She has put her hand up for Fed Cup duty in February against Switzerland and is looking to make the Olympic team for a third time, with singles, doubles and mixed doubles all on her wish list.

AAP.

AUSTRALIAN tennis great Rod Laver is backing Samantha Stosur to win more majors now she knows she can.

No one is better qualified to advise Stosur on what to expect after her breakthrough US Open victory earlier this year. The 73-year-old winner of 11 Grand Slam singles titles, Laver was reunited with fellow greats Roy Emerson, Pat Rafter, Ashley Cooper and Mal Anderson yesterday.

With 30 Grand Slam singles titles between them, the five inspected repairs at the Queensland Tennis Centre, which was devastated by the January floods.

Laver and Emerson were also among 11 legends inducted to the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame at last night's 17th annual Queensland Sport Awards.

Stosur, who will be a major drawcard at the Brisbane International in January, was named Sports Star of the Year at the state's sporting night of nights.

"It's hard when you're crawling up the ladder for the first time, to get to the last match and try to pull it off," Laver said.

"That's where the tough ones come and that's where experience comes in. She's now got that experience."

Stosur will be in the spotlight at the Australian Open, from January 16, as she seeks to win her home Grand Slam.

"It's some of the big ones that you find that if you can get through, even if you get lucky, it doesn't matter how it was done, you're there and you can look back at yourself and say, `hey I can do this'," Laver said. "You can't get much better than the US Open.

"I'm sure her goal is to win the Australian title and follow the other great champions in Margaret Court and Evonne Goolagong.

"If she can associate herself with that side of it, she'll find herself very, very confident - and she's got a game to be confident with."

Laver, who lives in California, enjoyed his reunion with friend, former rival and fellow Queenslander Emerson.

Sam Stosur has not lost her mojo, just matches

October 08, 2011
AUSTRALIA'S newly minted grand slam winner Sam Stosur is getting a taste now in Asia of what life will be like during the Australian summer season.

The 27-year-old US Open champion has bowed out early in both the Tokyo and Beijing tournaments, which points to a motivational problem so soon after winning her maiden grand slam singles title.

But coach David Taylor says that couldn't be further from the truth. He says Stosur is not suffering a New York hangover and disputes fiercely the slide by his charge is in the same vein as Li Na after winning the French Open and Czech Petra Kvitova after winning Wimbledon. Both women struggled for form after their first grand slam victory.

"Yes, she's losing tennis matches," Taylor said this week from Beijing, where Stosur lost another three-set match to Russian Maria Kirilenko, who beat the Australian in three sets in Tokyo but lost to her in three in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.



"I don't think it's in the category of those two girls (Li, Kvitova), to be fair. Sam's tennis isn't too bad," Taylor said. "Sam lost two highly competitive matches against a good player. We're talking a couple of points here and there. It's not as if she was beaten easily by a lowly ranked player.

"Often people just look at the win or the loss and don't really look at the quality of the match or the players. So it's not such a disaster."

But it gives Stosur and her coach insight into what life might be like during the Australian season, which starts with the Brisbane International (January 1-8), followed by the Sydney International (January 8-14) and the Australian Open (January 16-29).

"I guess there's a lot more focus on her losses than ever before," Taylor said. "There's a lot of scrutiny now on every loss, that didn't used to be there. So it's more how she handles that scrutiny. I think she's used to that as she's had lots of practice at every Australian summer basically."

Last year, Stosur lost in the second round in Brisbane and Sydney and the third round in Melbourne. She also lost both her Fed Cup singles rubbers to Italy a week after the Australian Open.

Taylor thinks the experience of 12 months ago will stand Stosur in good stead as she deals with being the reigning US Open champion at home in Australia.

"Last year, she was a genuine contender for the Australian Open. She was one of the top 10 players," he said. "One year on and she's still in the top 10 and she's won the US Open. So she's actually improved since last year.

"The big thing for Sam is she's been able to be consistent for years. She's made two grand slam finals in consecutive years and won one of them. All those things are very important because they are indications of someone able to handle pressure."

Stosur's immediate goal is qualifying for her first WTA Championships, reserved for the top-eight players of the season in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 25-30. Stosur is ranked No 7 but Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska is in top form.

"She'll be going to Istanbul. If she doesn't do it this week, she'll do it next week," Taylor said. "I keep looking at the tennis and not the sensationalism of it all. That's my job as a coach, to keep reminding her of that. She's been playing well, it's just been a few points here and there.

"Sam's never had the blow-out score losing 6-1 6-1. She just has to convert more in the big moments. Against an ordinary player, you might get a few more chances but against a good player they won't give you any more."
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an interview with Stosur before the China Open in Beijing:
September 30, 2011

Q. How many time have you spent after reaching the US Open champion, and how much do you think your life have been change after that?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: No doubt there's been changes. I guess just so far it's been just very busy. Spent some days at home to celebrate and do media and all that kind of thing, and since then, played in Tokyo and now here.
So there is no doubt things have changed. To be honest, there hasn't been too much time to, I guess, really settle down and maybe get used to it yet.

Q. Do you feel any pressure coming to this tournament after winning the US Open? Do you feel any pressure to perform a certain way?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: There is no doubt I would like to perform well and hopefully win a lot of matches. But, you know, I think last week I was a little bit disappointed not to -- well to lose my first round. You know, I want to do better at each tournament.
My last two times here to the China Open haven't been very successful, so I definitely would like to be able to turn that around. No doubt after winning the US Open it would be a nice feeling to try and continue that form.

Q. What are your hopes for tennis in Australia?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I think it would be great if tennis keeps getting more and more popular. I know there are lots of programs in place to try and make that happen. I think with my success and with having as many players in the top 50, top 100 always doing well out on tour, in the press, it's going to make hopefully a lot of younger kids start playing.
We've always had a love for sport in Australia, and I'm sure tennis is right up there. So I think the better we can do out here, the more that's going to filter through and get those young kids playing.

Q. (Through translation.) Congratulations on your first Grand Slam title. Do you feel differently after you have won the US Open? And especially in the future Australian Open, do you have any particular expectation?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, yeah, like I said before, I think there is no doubt things have changed, and now I've achieved that goal that I've always wanted to: to win a Grand Slam.
So now I think there's things I have to maybe reassess, make new goals, and really maybe feel comfortable with what I've achieved so far, I guess. I think those are all things that will take time to get used to.
But as far as the Australian Open goes, I haven't really thought about the Australian Open yet. I know it's the next Grand Slam, but it's still four months away. So I'll try and finish this year off and really focus on this tournament and whatever I have left to play before I get too caught up in the Australian Open.

Q. How many sponsors you had and how many sponsors right now you have? Do you feel commercial events affect your game or your training?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Um, well, I don't think my life has changed as much as Li Na's life being from China. But, no, I mean, I haven't signed anything new yet. I know that there are things being spoken about, but my manager takes care of all that. We'll talk when it's done.
Hopefully there will be good things to come from winning a Grand Slam. Obviously that's the biggest tournament that we can win, and this is what every tennis player wants to achieve. So I'm sure there will be good things to come of it. Just nothing in the last two weeks.

Q. Do you think commercial events affect your performance?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I guess it's just a matter of managing your time well. If things come about, obviously you have to give time to that and, you know, be prepared that that's what you have to do in order to have that.
But I think that's all part of being a better tennis player, is managing your time on the court, making sure that you always do your practice, play the matches, do what have to do there, and then that is on the other side. You have to manage your time a lot better I think when things become more involved with the commercial side.

Q. (Through translation.) What is your expectation at this year's China Open?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I would like to just play well. I would like to find that same form that I had in New York. At the end of the day, I just want to be playing well. If I can get through as many matches as I can by doing that, then that's great.
But at the end of the day, it's the first round that matters at the moment. If I have to play tomorrow, then I'll be prepared to play tomorrow. Hopefully I can get through and then give myself another chance to play another good match.

Q. Who do you feel is your toughest opponent going into this tournament?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I think there are numerous tough opponents. I think there is no one you can take lightly out here. This is a huge tournament for us. Everyone comes here to play. Everyone is ready and prepared to do whatever they need to do to do well.
So I think it's one of those things where you can't take anyone lightly. Obviously there are opponents I match up well against and not so well against. At the end of the day, it matters on that day. You have to go into each match expecting it to be tough.

Q. Last time I saw you in training, I found your muscle is very good. How much time do you spend in gym, and is that the key factor for you to defeat Serena, do you think?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I think it helps if you're strong. With the way that women's tennis is played now, I think it's very powerful and you have to be fast and strong to compete with some of the best players.
So it's a part of my training that I do take seriously. But having said that, I'm not in the gym every day. I think it's one of those things that depending on how many matches I'm playing, how I'm feeling, I might do more or less.
Before the US Open I did one gym session the week before and nothing during US Open and only two since, so it really depends how much you're playing to how much off-court training I'm doing.
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@Pump: Stosur seems to agree with your theory about 27 (or thereabouts)being the optimum age for a player.

This is from the Sunday Tele: "At 27, Stosur says her age is an asset to her game. 'The game is a lot more physical now and there aren't as many teenagers dominating the way they did a few years ago,' she says. 'A bit of maturity probably helps you deal with all the travel and the tour lifestyle as well.'"

Yeah, her backhand was unrecognisable - it was an asset at last.
Funny though that her coach, David Taylor, is renowned for not working on a player's weaknesses, as much as their strengths.
He did a lot of work on her forehand on the basis that that was her
"go-to" shot.
I also rated that Dementieva match last year - probably the best match of the tournament for me.

Thing also to remember she has beaten alot of good players now and her win over Elena and her unlucky 3 setter to kim the year before was also a major.

I also feel the WTA players at present do not work any where as hard as Sam does so she will be very hard to beat now monkey off the back

cheers @paul i think she wins more for sure and i think the French is her major now.

In my view what i saw was her body shape she lost slot of bulk muscle and stripped down, hence how she moved better. Her back hand was better and the Day time matches there she was un beatable. Massive win

@pump: Your call on Sam was a cracker - you picked her early when most didn't give her much of a chance.
Reminds me of Rafa's call at the USO a few years back when he picked Del Potro early to win the whole thing.
Be interesting to see what winning a major does for her confidence.

Where will she be ranked now, it would be nice to see her get easy draws like these other show ponys have had for years

Sam has always run into Elena etc