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Post by chestylarue on Oct 15, 2007 20:02:29 GMT
I think Safin could have a real problem with Ivo- who just won his third tournament of the year at Stockholm (all three were on different surfaces, the last being indoor hard with the final having no tiebreaks.).
I agree he has the talent- but he is one of those players who is full of brainfarts. Great shot followed by stupid with shot. He does have great talent- but needs to work on his brain.
I have to add in on the love for ATP Masters TV.
Murray looked sooo good against Stepanek today. I love his game when he is on.
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Post by tikigirl on Oct 16, 2007 7:43:53 GMT
...fill in the blank, right? This is the maddening thing about Safin. ::sigh:: Of course my head might explode if we had a number one men's player who was also just that barking hot (IMO).
So I guess I have a while to wait before I can see matches again, as I'm TTC-less. But I know I can count on you all to keep me up-to-date as I follow scores online. So a big thank-you to everyone!
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Post by printwhoreatwork on Oct 16, 2007 10:44:57 GMT
tikigirl you might want to try this site that does free livestreaming for Madrid: www.channelsurfing.net/I think Karlovic's recent run of form has a lot to do with sticking it to the Croatian tennis federation who have banned him from playing the Olympics because he refuses to play Davis Cup. Still, Safin is a 2-time GS champ and he really shouldn't be losing to likes of Karlovic, especially since he's straight-setted guys like Pete Sampras in the past.
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Post by printwhoreatwork on Oct 16, 2007 12:33:43 GMT
And just like that, Ivo wins. Marat should retire and be my pool boy.
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Post by falafaclese on Oct 16, 2007 16:11:59 GMT
Marat really didn't look like he was putting up much of a fight at all even though the score was relatively close. And it always amazes me with him. When he's playing well, his shots are amazing, but when he's hitting them out, they're way out. It's frustrating when he's there, he's in position, and he blasts it like 5 feet outside of the baseline.
I didn't know he was having a conflict with the Croatian tennis federation, but I thought that was the Olympic committee's requirement. Don't they require that you play at least 2 international team outings for your country? I thought that's why Maria showed up at the last Fed cup rubber even though she couldn't play. I'm curious to hear more about Ivo's situation if you know any more.
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Post by drmka9 on Oct 16, 2007 16:40:05 GMT
From what I've heard, it's not a requirement to play a certain number of international team tournaments for the Olympics. The thing with Maria is that she's been a bit lackluster this season - particularly where playing for Russia is concerned. Russia can send 4 female players, and there are 4 good female players - Kuznetsova, Chakvetadze, Petrova, and Dementieva - who just won the Fed Cup without any help from Maria. She's basically getting nervous that Russia won't offer her an Olympic bid at all.
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Post by falafaclese on Oct 16, 2007 18:15:06 GMT
That makes sense. I thought the Olympics were like the World Cup where I think you have to have a certain number of international appearances. Thanks for the info.
tikigirl, here's a minor but interesting update for you. Apparenty (and I came in at the tail end, so if I'm not 100% correct, please feel free to correct) there was a little bit of a confrontation during the Mathieu/Fish match. Fish had lost the first set and was up 4-1 in the second set when Mathieu requested a bathroom break. It looked like the request actually occurred right in the middle of Fish's service game and he was up something like 30-love. Fish took issue and there was a back-and-forth exchange between the two players and the umpire which ended up with both players up at the net, the umpire down from his perch and, if I heard correctly, Fish calling Mathieu and asshole. Kind of tense. I'm no Fish fan, but the commentators seemed to take Fish's side and felt that Mathieu might have been engaged in gamesmanship.
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Post by admin on Oct 16, 2007 18:29:56 GMT
I love Mathieu. In a completely shallow way, i think he's so cute.
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Post by falafaclese on Oct 16, 2007 19:07:35 GMT
Actually, I like Mathieu too. Not in the same shallow way , but still. I'm definitely more of a Mathieu fan than a Fish fan.
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Post by printwhoreatwork on Oct 16, 2007 19:49:59 GMT
falafaclese from what I've heard he wanted more money from the tennis federation to play because of what they were paying Ljubicic When they didn't budge on that issue he refused to play DCup and they told him that he wasn't making it to the Olympics. IMO the whole thing is pretty petty.
I also have a thing for Mathieu and for completely shallow reasons I'll be taping his next match. I have an irrational hate for Andy Murray and never more so than now when they're not showing Monaco Haas in favor of his ugly mug.
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Post by chestylarue on Oct 16, 2007 20:19:15 GMT
falafaclese from what I've heard he wanted more money from the tennis federation to play because of what they were paying Ljubicic When they didn't budge on that issue he refused to play DCup and they told him that he wasn't making it to the Olympics. IMO the whole thing is pretty petty. I also have a thing for Mathieu and for completely shallow reasons I'll be taping his next match. I have an irrational hate for Andy Murray and never more so than now when they're not showing Monaco Haas in favor of his ugly mug. With the Ivo situation- I can see both sides and yet also agree that both were petty. I think Ivo should have swallowed his pride- but iirc, his initial point- that in a team competition for a country- all players should be paid the same- was legit to me. Well- the first big upset imo of Madrid occurred- Pico beat Haas- and Tommy's chances for Shanghai are slimmer and slimmer. I am sure that Gonzo and James are ordering the flowers for Monaco as we speak. I watched some of the match on Masters TV- and while Haas could have played better Juan showed that his good form during the US hardcourt swing was no fluke. He had a great volley to reach match point- not typical claycourter stuff. I just really have to give props to these guys from Spanish speaking (i.e. traditionally clay centric) countries who continue to improve aon other surfaces. I wish the US guys could do the same in regards to improving on clay. And since I have bought a condo in the shallow end- I enjoyed the Haas/Pico match because I find them both so attractive. Tommy in the traditional handsome way, Monaco in the not-traditionally handsome but oddly very sexy (to me) way. Murray seems to be on song - if Rafa gets to the third round- he could lose to Andy.
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Post by whyistherumgone on Oct 16, 2007 20:23:59 GMT
Yay! Pico beat Tommy Haas. Not a big Haas fan...I think he's kinda cute, but not really my type. Kinda like Safin. I dunno...I guess I'm just odd. But I find Pico so cute. More for his personality than anything else. He really is a sweetheart. I've always thought that, but watching him on tenispro just confirmed it. Such a sweet, funny guy. I'm so happy things are going well for him. Murray seems to be on song- so I think Monaco's road may be over- and if Rafa gets to the third round- he could lose to Andy. OK, I'm confused. What does Murray have to do with Monaco? They're on opposite sides of the draw. Do you mean his fellow countryman Chela? Because yeah...without some divine intervention, his road is most certainly over. I'm not worried about Rafa winning tomorrow. I like Baggy, so it wouldn't be the end of the world. I just want Rafa to be OK. He played a very close doubles match today with Feli Lopez (that they lost in the Super TB), and it looks like they played well. Although there's no way to know until I hear from people who were actually there, due to no one actually showing the match. And while I agreed with Fish's argument about PHM's injury timeout, there was less than no need for that type of language. And let's be real here, he wasn't going to kick anyone's "#$%^&*@ ass". With his pantyhose... ;D ETA: Jesus, Chela and Murray are some skinny things, aren't they? Somebody feed them, stat!
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Post by tikigirl on Oct 16, 2007 20:55:56 GMT
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Post by falafaclese on Oct 16, 2007 21:04:48 GMT
Ooh, is that what he said? I have a fairly high tolerance for profanity, but a very low one for testosteroney (the real San Francisco treat) and idle threats. Thats just dumb. Somehow, I wasn't as bothered when I thought he called him an asshole, and yes, I know that makes no f***ing sense, but there you have it. Anyway, I have little to no allegiance to Fish anyway, so whatever.
I don't envy Ivo's position. As well as he has been playing lately, he has Ljubicic and Ancic to compete with, which can't be easy. Out of the 3 of them, I'd say that Ivo has had a more noteworthy year, especially lately, but how do you compete against Ivan and Mario?
The match between Fed and Ginepri was actually very enjoyable. Ginepri is a pretty good retriever, and can hit some impressive lines when he's on, and he was keeping up with Fed through most of the match. I wasn't watching closely enough to ascertain whether Fed's level of play was much lower than usual, but he was hitting some of his usual angles, so it was at least a decent showing. Ginepri is pretty good on the run.
Ps. Serena just clinched her spot at the YEC's
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Post by chestylarue on Oct 16, 2007 21:14:32 GMT
Yep- messed up there. Murray will next meet the winner of Bags/Rafa. Now I have to look to see who Pico will play next.
I would like for Rafa to go far in this tournament- but if Murray beats him- I want him to get to the finals (and beat Nole on the way!) I like Murray despite his moping.
I know PHM was out of line- but I think I have made my utter loathing of LadyLegs Fish well known here- he has a history of being an ass and a history of being a jerk to French players in particular.
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