Does Tatiana Golovin have the makings of a champion?

She may be another promising youngster but when it comes down to it, only the best of them will become elites of the game. So is French fantasy, Tatiana Golovin a future champion?
 
Tatiana’s style of play is impressive to say the least. Her serve comes down with a mighty thump and has its own unique rhythm. It usually plays out flat but can go deep and short.
 
The forehand is by far her best side. It’s makes heads turn, simply because of the smooth and beautiful rhythm and effort. She will continuously skip around her backhand shots to unleash the forehand. Once she sets her eyes on the ball, the French women will tailor make her movement to the shot. The forehand can fizz off both sides of the court and elevates the power and skill needed in rallies when she uses it on the baseline. The Backhand can exploit angles and it’s easier to add spin then the forehand. It performs really well in the middle court and can bring a lot of consistency. Tatiana also throws in the odd short slice and dropshot in a rally.
 
But there are flaws in her gameplan. She can’t finish points really well at the net, so fast opponents can take advantage at times. The perfect examples are her recent matches with Justine Henin. Tatiana should also think about a better and more frequent netgame. As I have mentioned before, Golovin needs to be much more convincing on finishing points and a better netgame could see her volleys and smashes as answers to a problem that has lost her so many points.  
 
Tatiana finally won her first title this year, and took another as well. Although this hardly shouts out a future champion, it has enhanced her mentality. She endured a long injury which saw her out of the French Open. Although she couldn’t regain her best at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows, she banished her poor form of late and got to the finals of Zurich and Stuttgart.
                                                                                                            
The French no.2 has reached the point were she has to think of the Grandslams, but her record is poor. As she has only ventured into the second week three times and made one quarterfinal. Also to be successful in a Grandslam you need to raise your game and mentality when you need it most. It will be interesting to see how Tatiana goes into Grandslams when her form is at a high. Will she crumble in the later stages? Only time will tell.
 
It’s on heck of a challenge for the young gun to become elite in what is such a battlefield full of sheer talent. But if she can up her mentality and gameplay as well as maintain the form, she will truly soar passed her expectations. Currently she is no.13 in the rankings and a healthy and injury free 2008 will give her every chance to make a memorable top ten appearance.
 

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