Tatiana Golovin’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 makes heads turn, simply because of the smooth, beautiful rhythm and effort. She will continuously skip around her backhand to unleash the forehand. Once she sets her eyes on the ball, the Frenchwoman 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.


Her backhand can exploit angles making it easier to add spin to 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 drop-shot in a rally.

'There are flaws in Golovin's game plan. She can’t finish points really well at the net, so fast opponents can take advantage at times'


But there are flaws in her game-plan. 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 net-game. As I have mentioned before, Golovin needs to be much more convincing on finishing points and a better net-game 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 rubber-stamps her status as a future champion, it has enhanced her mental strength. 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 Grand Slams, but her record is poor as she has only ventured into the second week three times and made one quarter-final. Also, to be successful in a Grand Slam you need to raise your game and mentality when you need it most.

It will be interesting to see how Tatiana goes into Slams when her form is at a high. Will she crumble in the later stages? Only time will tell.

It’s a big 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 game play as well as maintain her form, she will soar past 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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