Tennis Talk 2011

[lt]

But, damn, if JWT isn't just adorbs. That little smile just kills me.

Is that pretty Charlize Theron lookalike Jo's girlfriend? Is it wrong that I hope so just because they would make such a gorgeous couple? I love Jo's smile too--and it looks just like his dad's smile.

That match looked like it was going to be a cakewalk for Roger but, man, did Jo turn it on. Did you see how red Roger's nose/chin got in the third? He looked so sick to his stomach. If he had lost after serving for the match in the 2nd and then having match point in the tiebreak then I think it would have taken ages to get over after the semis at the US Open.

eta: I love Mirka. She's filming the ceremony on her iPhone.

And I think Roger just pissed off Barclay's--he tucked their ribbons into the trophy so their name won't show up in the pictures.

Roger talked about how after 10 years he knows that the LTA is doing a great job with this tournament. In today's paper they mentioned his win in Houston and how the Westside Tennis Club is "a far less glamourous and spectacular setting than London's O2 Arena." Heh, is that the truth. When the O2 no longer has the WTF other facilities are going to have a really hard time convincing the ATP they can get the fan support and fanfare that England has garnered.

Oh, and the paper mentioned that Ferrer said he is exhausted and wished that he could just take a break now but he has Davis Cup next weekend. I wonder if he'll ask to move to alternate.

[harry24]

Way to go, Rog. I was getting a bad, deja-vu-ish feeling there, but darned if Roger's Swiss stubbornness didn't carry the day. He just hung in there and weathered the Tsonga Tstorm.

[oopssorry]

You can all thank me (except sad JWT people) because after ruining the second set (I turned the scoreboard on as he was serving for the set) I turned it off after the tiebreaker. YOU'RE WELCOME.

/childish superstition

[tikigirl]

YES, Feds! Great end to a bad (for him) year. It's amazing to think he's 30 years old and can play like that at the end of the season (year in and year out, no less), while much younger guys like Djokovic, Nadal, and Murray are all injured and/or burned out.

Also: hee, oops!

Finally: having apparently lost my mind, I'm going to the east coast for the holidays, and will be at Chicago Union Station on the afternoon of Friday 16 December. Anyone up for a martini with me and oops?

[roseha]

Yes Roger! I was recording the match anyway (with extra time added which of course turned out to be needed) but did see the last set--such a tough one right up to the final break by Roger. It's got to be no picnic playing Jo but Roger came through and finally served it out in style.
Great achievement and confidence builder for Rog. Of couse ESPN doesn't show the ceremony. Any more details? Thanks

[lt]

It was a pretty regular ceremony--Roger and Jo had a bit of a word with each other with big smiles and they thanked everyone, etc. Sky Sports is re-airing the final in an hour (I know! It's so nice to see tennis get such respect) so I'll be able to watch without the sick third-set stomach and I'll pay attention to the ceremony.

I thought I wasn't going to get to see Murray at all this week but I'm flipping channels and there's Andy, on a sports-related quiz show. They do love their quiz shows over here. . .

[harry24]

Is that pretty Charlize Theron lookalike Jo's girlfriend?

Yeah, the ESPN2 said she was his girlfriend. And, yes, they surely make a gorgeous couple, but is it wrong that I'm always a little saddened when prominent black or mixed-race guys end up with a white, blonde GF or wife? Or, to go back a few days, when guys end up with the inevitable model like Berdych has?

That match looked like it was going to be a cakewalk for Roger but, man, did Jo turn it on. Did you see how red Roger's nose/chin got in the third?

I know! I was wondering if it was cold in the O2.

[lt]

harry, I did think about that when I was looking at Jo's father and mother.

One of the questions for Murray was for him to listen to two women players and guess who they were based on their grunts--and I knew and he didn't (he got Serena right but guessed Maria when it was Azarenka). Oooooh, now they're recreating the Roger hits a bottle off a guy's head. This should be fun. . .

. . . he didn't really do it--but he scared the host out of his wits. Andy is really attractive when he's all smiley and at ease. (Although the host did make him "rap" his part of that stupid song he did with the Bryan Brothers.)

eta: roseha, I just re-watched the ceremony:
Jo: was extremely gracious but every time he wasn't speaking or Roger wasn't talking to him he looked gutted. He thanked the sponsors for making such a great tournament, he said it was tough to lose to Roger three Sundays in a row and that he'd see everyone next year "maybe."
Roger: he was sitting when Jo was talking and when they started to introduce him to get the trophy he just started grinning like a kid at Christmas. He said that with Wimbledon he planned on meeting Jo three more times next year in London because he expects Jo to have another great year. He said he was exhausted and that Jo drained him and that he was happy the season was over (well, he didn't say it quite like that). He's looking forward to seeing everyone again next year "hopefully."

Oh, during the doubles the commentators said that Jo was taking a nap after his warm up and everyone in the vicinity had been told to keep quiet. So cute.

Some last things: during the Ferrer/Berdych match they had the teeniest little "mascot" walking Berdych out and a kid a solid six inches taller walking with Ferrer. Maybe they should have switched that one up?

None of the winners today lost any match this tournament. That's incredible.

oops, I think I've mentioned this before but I have a cousin that we will not allow to watch Roger play. She's deadly for him. Her youngest son is starting to make noise about coming to the Open but he'll have to come without her.

Well, since I don't have TTC (and I'm flying again next weekend) the tennis season is over for me. Sad. The only reason I came to London again this year was because the WTF is earlier in the month starting next year and since I'm usually super busy in the beginning of the month I figured this was my last chance. But, my busy season will end a little earlier again next year so I'm hoping I'll be back next year. Others should come, it's a fun and very different tennis tournament.

[roseha]

Thanks so much for the recap, lt!
I can see why Jo would be gutted, he has played so well these recent weeks. Yet I'm still so thrilled for Roger as it must mean so much for him.
Glad to hear this tourney will be a little earlier in the future, Thanksgiving week always struck me as a tough time for the US audience. I wonder how they will fit it in with the addition of the Olympics though.

[acre]

I'm sad fo- me(us) that the season is ove-, but damn I'm glad fo- those poo- guys! They a-e completely wiped. Even Fed as the winne- and Jo as the finalist, these guys a-e done, d-o-n-e. They need a b-eak, bad.

Okay, known Fed-fan he-e, I'm absolutely delighted that he won this, and without a loss! Who's the man? Fed's the man! 30yo, #4 coming in, #3 going out, I do not ca-e, he is still the man. Fo-eve-.

And the comment above about the possible 2-y ranking and how he only talks about himself and Nadal, doesn't acknowledge Djok that much .... well, he has a point, no? Djok is indisputably #1 now, he's the best, no question. Bette- than Nadal, bette- than Fed. He is, and he had a phenomenal y-, c-azy good. But. Nadal had a 3-Slam y, yes? Nadal has the ca-ee- Slam. Nadal has 10 Slams. Fed has a ca-ee- Slam. Fed had 3 3-Slam ys. Fed has 16 Slams. Djok is the best now, but he has 4, maybe 5 Slams? I don't quite know. Excellent, and I think he's good enough to get into the books and be a legit pa-t of the conve-sation with Fed and Nadal. But not yet. Not yet.

Plus, let's face it - Fed and Nadal a-e in LOVE. They don't talk about anyone the way they talk about each othe-. Yes, the-e a-e playe-s they know bette- and a-e close- to on a pe-sonal level, but on a tennis level they only have eyes fo- each othe-. Total respect and admiration, they each think the othe- is the one. They both take all thei- opponents se-iously(Nadal's sometimes poo- behavio- aside, I ag-ee with those who don't think he does it on pu-pose but it's still not ok), but they each have a special place fo- the othe-.

And aww, Jo Willy, I love him, I hate to see him lose and be down, but up against Fed, well ... noone wins that battle in my heart.

[lt]

One other thing I just remembered as I watch the ending again (yup, Sky is showing the match AGAIN!): Roger no longer thinks a brilliant shot is a guaranteed winner. He hits the drop shot or great passing shot and instead of admiring it, he gets into a ready position and prepares for the ball to come back to him. I first noticed it in his match against Ferrer. He knows David is speedy and if he hit the drop shot when David was behind the baseline he would move forward to prepare. He did the same against Tsonga and even on match point when he hit that smash he was ready just in case Jo got back to it.

This is huge. My biggest complaint about Roger was that he did think a great shot should be a winner and wouldn't be ready. If he can continue this new style. . .well, 2012 has the potential to be spectacular for him.

Also, I love that Boris still calls this tournament the Tennis Masters. Old school, he is.

eta: and all the finalists (singles and doubles) came out of Group B.

[breezybee]

This is huge. My biggest complaint about Roger was that he did think a great shot should be a winner and wouldn't be ready. If he can continue this new style. . .well, 2012 has the potential to be spectacular for him.

I really hope so lt. I would absolutely love to see Roger win another slam (or 2). Thanks for the great coverage of the tournament. Makes me more determined than ever to get there.

[mooncreek]

Jo and the blonde girlfriend doesn't bug me too much given I believe his own mother is quite fair. Berdych's girlfriend, on the other hand, is standard issue. It also makes you realize how relatively tame the top of the ATP really is - think about Agassi's box before Steffi, Pete Sampras' celeb girlfriends, and of course Marat. The top of the game consists of a former tennis player from his home country, two students, and the daughter of a tennis coach - and the biggest drama is when they'll actually tie the knot.

Speaking of Tomas, I just started to think that Berdych was attractive and he does this. Idiot.

[lt]

Oh yeah, the country that stages the WTF after London is going to have a lot to live up to. London has made it a must see event. I wonder if the LTA/O2 is trying to get their five years extended.

[harry24]

Even though most of us in the US CAN'T WATCH IT, the What-The-Finals in London really feels like a "Big Event," much more so than when it was in China and, lord knows, when it was in Houston.

Can any of you good folks instruct me on how to calculate future rankings possibilities (or a site that could instruct me)? I'm convinced that Roger getting to #2 in the rankings will play an enormous role in whether he is able to win more slams or not, as I think having to beat Rafa and Djoker back-to-back is just so much more difficult than Murray/Soderling/Ferrer/Tsonga/whoever then either Rafa/Djoker btb.