Introduce yourself

[dorkgirl]

Did somebody say Mahut photos.. Mmmm.

I too, am of the school that finds him strangely ugly/hot. His good run at Queens was lovely, lots of tv time for him then.

[illinigirl]

I'm so glad I got pointed over here! I've always been a big lurker in the TWoP tennis thread and enjoyed reading what everyone had to say. Hopefully, I'll start to post more here

I've been watching tennis, specifically Wimbledon since I was a little girl. Growing up, my favorite players were Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, and Monica Seles.

Now, I am a HUGE Novak Djokovic fan, and have been really following him since the beginning of this year. I also love Roger and I do love Andy Roddick. For a while, aka when I was in high school, Andy was really the only player I liked! So I think I'll always have the allegiance to him. I also love the Marat, James Blake, and I have a love/hate going on with Rafa.

As for the women's game, Kim Clijsters was my favorite player until she retired. Now I really like Jankovic and Ivanovic, along with Venus Williams. I will admit to liking Maria Sharapova because she's such a fighter on court, but she can sometimes bug off court.

I actually like just about everyone in the long run. Basically, the only players I really dislike are Justine Henin and Lleyton Hewitt. But I've been mellowing on my Justine dislike this year. She seems like a completely different person, and for the better.

[hairymango]

Dorkgirl was kind of enough to point out this thread to me.

I've been watching tennis my whole life, but I never play. I grew up watching McEnroe and Connors, and Chrissie and Martina so I have great memories of wood rackets that forced long rallies, US opens with no fifth set tiebreaks that went on forever, and boys in short shorts.

I occasionally wonder what happened to Dokic and Schrichapan.

[ashley]

Many thanks to dorkgirl for pointing me in this direction. I have almost the same name as on TWOP (just add a letter to the end, because Ashley was unavailable), but I could probably count on two hands the number of total posts I have. I mostly lurk, and the tennis thread was one of my favourite threads to lurk in.

I started getting into tennis around the time Federer, Ferrero, and Roddick were battling it out for number 1, got attached to Roger and have been on Team Federer ever since. I did quite like Ferrero though as well, so I get excited whenever I see him get a good win. I've recently started to love Djokovic as well, and have decided that if Federer is going to get knocked off at a non-French slam I'd like to see him be the one to do it.

I like women's tennis, but don't really have a favourite. Justine used to be it, and she's still my favourite to watch, but I really lost a ton of respect for her after the Aussie Open incident. I like both the Serbs, and can see them becoming favourites in the future.

[lt]

Did somebody say Mahut photos.. Mmmm.

I'm going to do my best to get them posted tomorrow or tomorrow evening. I have 276 pictures from Wednesday and Saturday to go through--let's just say that burst mode works equally well for capturing serves AND Federer changing his shirt.

[tikigirl]

AND, thanks to our fabulous admin, tikichick has returned to her rightful name, tikigirl.

Oh my god, did I just start talking about myself in the third person?

[luckyboo]

I'd also like to thank dorkgirl for alerting me to the existence of this board. I post under the same name at TWoP, but I usually just like to lurk and read intelligent and insightful comments about tennis, which now seems to be sadly verboten over there. I don't get why it happened, and the arbitrary enforcement of the tyrannical and condescending posting rules over there really bug me; but I'm thrilled to have this board to visit...and glad to be able to read messages posted during the match because they're usually so funny!

Tennis is pretty much the only sport I can play, and I don't play all that well. I absolutely love it, though, and love to watch it. I think it's one of the very few sports that combines athleticism, artistry, and intelligence. I really started watching tennis in 1993, which I remember because I remember Wimbledon that year.

Here are my different lists for players. There are a lot of players I love, so this is just a sample. As a disclaimer, I fully admit that I'm a sucker for a pretty face. ;D

My all-time favorite men's players:

Roger Federer (my current tennis boyfriend and my favorite player of all time; I'm not sure I believe in God, but I believe in Roger Federer ;D)
Patrick Rafter (such elegance, such a gentleman, and a previous tennis boyfriend; I'm still devastated he never won a Wimbledon title)
Andre Agassi (I enjoyed his showmanship and the intensity with which he played)
Gustavo Kuerten (he just emanated warmth and joy)

I am ambivalent towards:

Rafael Nadal (he seems like such a sweetheart, but I don't find his style or manner on the court interesting to watch)
Marat Safin (this is purely because he is a headcase; he is beautiful and has a beautiful game, but I can't support someone who will almost always let me down)
James Blake (see above, although I'm not as enamored of his looks and game as I am of Marat's; also, I HATE the damn J-Block)
Andy Roddick (doesn't seem like a bad guy, but he has such a one-dimensional game)

I do not like:

Novak Djokovic (the cockiness -- mistakenly referred to in the media as "charisma" -- off-court and pissy attitude and ball-bouncing during matches grate on me horribly, and I'm not pleased to hear how he treats the ball boys and girls; he was better during the final, though, so this could turn around)
Robin Soderling (do I need to list why?)
Marcelo Rios (again, do I need to list why?)

I have an irriational hatred for:

Pete Sampras (he looks like an ape, I hated that gross tongue thing he did, he played with no joy for the game, and he seemed only interested in winning; Andre's assessment of him vs. Roger during the Roger/Andy match was perfect...I will admit that I was happy for him when he won the 2002 US Open simply because he was sort of an underdog at that point; I generally can't stand him, though)

As for the women, my favorite players are:

Steffi Graf (my favorite female player of all time; I just loved her game and loved that she was always cool as a cucumber, but very competitive)
Martina Hingis (she could be a total brat, which is normally something I hate, but I absolutely love watching her play because she is such an intelligent player, perhaps the most intelligent player I've watched in depth; I'm only sorry she doesn't have more pop in her shots)
Amelie Mauresmo (just a gorgeous game and a sweetheart)
Venus Williams (I used to dislike her and her terrible attitude intensely, but she has grown up so much and become such a graceful presence off the court; I find myself really rooting for her now, and she's great to watch when she's playing well)
Jelena Jankovic (she's just a lot of fun to watch)
Ana Ivanovic (what a beauty and what a sweetheart; her game's pretty awesome, too)

I am ambivalent towards:

Serena Williams (I used to like her a lot and think she is the best female player when she's focused and fighting; however, she is so classless and disparaging of her opponents that it's hard to like her)
Maria Sharapova (I like watching her when she's on, but she's not been on all that much lately; I admire her fight, but her one-dimensionality can be exposed in ugly ways)

I do not like:

Nicole Vaidisova (you just don't treat the ball boys and girls like that)
Nadia Petrova (she always seems on the verge of a breakdown)

I have an irrational hatred for:

Justine Henin (absolutely the worst sport, including McEnroe, I've ever seen play the game; beautiful game, but the bad sportsmanship and the coaching and the herpes and the allez's make her loathsome to me, and I'll never forgive her for the infamous FO match with Serena or the default against Amelie at the 2006 AO)

ETA: Gosh, that was a lot longer than I thought...sorry!

[omophagia]

Like everyone else, I have to say thanks to dorkgirl for the invite-- I would've joined in during the US Open but had a perfect storm of school, job, and family drama hit. I use the same username on TWOP; I don't comment all that often over there outside of the Fault! forum (which, seriously, seems to be gasping for air). Compared to some of the nonsense that goes on in, say, the Big Brother or the Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School threads, I was really surprised by the higher-ups' crackdown on, of all things, the Sports boards. Having given up on the menstennisforums and tennis.com message boards long ago, I really appreciated the type of discussion we had going there. And I'm glad to see that we've found another outlet for it.

As for me... Tennis is one of the only sports that I don't make a complete jackass out of myself when I attempt to play. I started following the sport on the sorely-missed HBO coverage of Wimbledon, during the year that Agassi won the title. And I still get a little teary-eyed whenever I see Monica Seles.

My likes and dislikes:
Yay!
- Federer. My heterosexual mancrush, who I want to break Sampras' record for Grand Slam titles.
- Guga Kuerten. Come on, he drew a giant heart in the clay at Roland Garros.
- Patrick Rafter. I miss the, "Sorry, mate," after an errant ball-toss.
- Lindsay Davenport. I've rooted for her ever since Navratilova, during Wimbledon commentary in 1994 or 1995, outright called her fat.
- The Serbian trifecta. Though I could take or leave Beaker's player impressions. And the relentless overhyping of all three of them during the US Open.
- Players who represent The Lollipop Guild. The Olivier Rochus or Amanda Coetzer types who manage to have respectable careers despite the fact that they're overmatched.
- Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal... when they aren't playing. The way they carry on on-court makes me want to punch them in the neck. Off-court, though? Both totally likable.
- Jim Courier and Chanda Rubin as commentators; Mary Carillo during her op-ed segments, but not during actual match-play.

Boo!
- Williams sister press conferences. Serena for her complete lack of tact, Venus for speaking in some kind of code that often resembles Esperanto moreso than English.
- Screamapillar. And her father. And the commercial with the dog that insists on calling her only by her full name.
- James Blake's brother. And the J-Block.
- Conchita Martinez. I'd say this is an irrational dislike, but she has a reputation for being mean to ball-kids, so I'll go with that.
- Brad Gilbert.
- Lleyton Hewitt. No, you come on.
- Nicole Vaidisova.
- Justine Henin. I honestly don't care about her, "I've found peace," spin-control: she's still a grotesquely poor sport. The backhand is just stupid-good, sure, but I just find everything about her repellent.
- Tracy Austin and Patrick McEnroe as commentators; and Al Trautwig and Dick Enberg.

[swordfire]

omophagia said:

- Lleyton Hewitt. No, you come on.

Hee! And, yes.

[vallegirl]

sexylibrarian said:

I've been a tennis fan since the late 70's (God I'm old) and was completely taken in at an impressionable age by John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.

As am I. I was completely smitten by Borg as a kid and became fascinated by the sport because of him. I think he also forged my preference for the strong, silent types, although I can't resist the basketcases like Goran, Mauresmo and Sabatini.

As such, I was an Edberg, Sampras and now Federer fan, although Becker's blunt force trauma approach was engaging and I'm loving Djokovic at the moment. I even almost kind of wanted him to win the USO and am kind of amost wanting an upset at the Australian.

As for the women, I didn't really like the game until the Steffi/Monica rivalry. Since then, I've always liked Venus, even when she claimed she was also a fashion designer, student, princess and pony. I don't have the same warm fuzzies for Serena, though. And against all odds, I've managed to not despise Justine as much as I did last year. She's earnest and humorless, but dammit, her game is gorgeous.

I'm vallegirl at TWoP. I go in and out of lurkerdom, but am glad to have a place that isn't so strictly policed.

And thanks, again, to dorkgirl for pointing the way.

Oh, and I just went back and finished reading the whole thread (BANNED!) and have to give it up to anyone who loves the French players. I'm old school and still get all weak-kneed whenever they show Guy Forget in the stands and had a ridiculous crush on LeConte. And when I found out that Yannick Noah's son was also a Gator, mon dieu, was I happy.

[roseha]

I can't wait to watch Joakim Noah playing for the Chicago Bulls, BTW!

[Virginia]

dorkgirl, thanks for the invitation! It's good to be back among my people. I wondered why the "other" board got so quiet right in the middle of the Open!

So happy to read about Lindsay's win today!

[zookeeper]

I have the same name as TWOP but I'm mostly a lurker. I'm glad someone created a board to discuss tennis instead of just matches seen on tv.

I'm not really a wta fan. I only watch during the slams but I love mens tennis. My favorite players are:

Ivanisevic
Rafter
Courier
Haas
Djokovic

[packrat87]

First of all, I'll thank Dorkgirl from TWoP for alerting me to this board's existence. I am a lurker and got bored when the TWoP tennis board suddenly got quiet.

I think the first time I got initiated to tennis was when I watched Jennifer Capriati had a tantrum at the Roger's Cup in either Montréal or Toronto. So, I only know players from the "present" era (say 2002).

I like the Williams Sisters, Lindsay Davenport, Na Li, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic

As for the men's side, I don't know much.

I do not like the J-Block, Maria Sharapova, Nicole Vaidisova and Novak Djokovic...all attention seekers.

And I also covet Tipsarevic's Oakley "lab" glasses. ;D

[sunkissed]

Got the TWoP pm, though I'd given up posting there at all because of their irritating warnings /rules, and I don't post at the other tennis boards I'm a member of because lately they've been taking away from my enjoyment of the sport. But I've always liked the vibe at Fault! so I appreciate the invite.

Love- Roger, Lindsay (so happy to have her back )
Like- Myskina (though doesn't look like she'll be back ), Henin, Mauresmo, Kutzy, Gasquet
Loathe- Sharapova, Hingis, Roddick, Djokovic, Capriati (just in case she ever comes back ), Murray.