French Open '11: Point by Point Coverage

[GrandSlamGuru]

That was fun, acre.

I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the women's final without having a favorite. Either outcome will make me smile so I just want a good match.

As for tomorrow...please oh please oh please let Roger be the one to break Nole's streak. It would be justice for those days when Nole was such a dick. Plus it would give Roger a boost of confidence. Don't get me wrong, Nole is playing some damn fine tennis and I don't dislike him, per se, but...

I have only nice things to say about Andy and I know he's worked very hard but... long live the king. Sorry.

[falafaclese]

Corrina has improved so much from when she first started. I really like her, and I have an illogical bias in favor of Lindsay, so anything she does is just fine with me, although I do think she's genuinely good as a commentator.

It looks like Aravane Rezai and her brother have cut off all contact with their father. It sounds rough. I hope she's able to get some stability, because it sounds kind of similar Jelena Dokic's situation.

[harry24]

That Rezai situation sounds very sad and painful for all concerned. Unfortunately that article implied that the major strike against the father is that he's Iranian.

[falafaclese]

I didn't really get that from the article. He just seems to be the usual overbearing, somewhat paranoid tennis father. Hopefully that talk about the other people around her just being in it for the money is just over-dramatization.

I don't know what to think about the semis tomorrow. I feel like Rafa will definitely make it through, and obviously Djoker is the favorite in the second semi, but Roger's been so inscrutably steady, I wonder if he won't at least make it a match. Also, even though Rafa seems to be upping his game just at the right time, he has seems to have had lapses here and there. It could be a tense day all around, or not.

[tikigirl]

What the hell is the TV coverage of the men's semis? Not that I think I'll like any of the results...

[lt]

I can answer that. I guess when you watch French Open tonight every time it airs (many, many times) something sticks. TTC is airing the first semi live (and I guess that means streaming as well) and nbcsports.com is streaming the 2nd semi live and then airing the match on NBC "across all time zones" at 11 am. I hate that "all time zones" crap.

I guess NBC doesn't have much hope for Rafa/Andy 'cause they just handed it over to TTC.

eta: Oh dear, this isn't going well for Andy. But it appears my stream has Mats Wilander as the commentator, so that's good.

[tikigirl]

Thanks, lt. I have to say, I'm really tired of this TTC shit. I don't have it. My sister doesn't have it. And the net effect of not being able to watch much tennis, including much of this Slam, is not that I want to get the package that includes TTC. It's that I'm watching less tennis, and caring less. I doubt that's what they were aiming for, but tennis is slowly dropping off my radar, and the further away it gets, the less I care.

[lt]

It's interesting--both TTC and the NFL network created their networks without thinking ahead at all. Wonder why MLB Network is on all digital packages and not stuck in some weird "sports package?" They approached all the major cable companies and made them partners in the Network so the cable companies had a vested interest in making sure the Network succeeded. I think TTC is going about making themselves integral into the tennis landscape the wrong way. Cable companies don't care that TTC is now carrying all these important tournaments so that isn't convincing them to put TTC on a regular digital package and in the tennis world it's just doing to tennis fans what it's doing to Tiki. Short-sighted. All of them.

eta: ET people, is NBC showing Rafa/Andy right now? I'm sticking with my Eurosport because I might as well stream from Europe and get Mats over US streaming.

[oopssorry]

I can't figure out where most of my hostility lies - with the TTC debacle, and the effect on me which is much like that on tiki, or with NBC for needing to pimp its shitty old-broad show and make tennis fans wait around until afterward. Anyway, my tennis interest also wanes a bit more every time we go through this.

But not enough to be absolutely a wreck inside right now. Even if I can't watch....

[acre]

Y'all a-e so nice to put up with my messed up kb and funky typing - awww, I knew you would be, cause you'-e the best! I feel you- pain, [tiki] and [oops], I am now getting TTC, but it just magically appea-ed a while back, the went away, back, away, now back ... and I totally ag-ee that it is -eally tough to sustain a high level of inte-est in something you can't see! Checking matches is fine, I like to see who won/lost, but if I can't actually watch it, it becomes academic.

Gah, I was so su-e I'd wake up and the Fed match would be done(yes I'm on a late sched), at least I'd know. I'm not wo--ied about the Nadal match: I figu-ed he'd win, and if he didn't I'd be a little sad, but oh well. Now I'm a big gi-l and I'm not going to be devastated if Fed loses, plus I've had some p-actice getting used to it the last few Slams anyway .. but it just matte-s mo-e to me.

Sounds like if I want to watch it "live" I'll be able to on NBC? Not that I'll be able to stand it anyway, I'm a total wuss, will take a peek now and then, and when it's done .... well if he wins I'll lovingly savo- each second, if not I'll watch only the set(s) he wins, if he does. Just can't stand to see him lose.

Phew, the women's final will be no anxiety fo- me, just enjoyment of watching 2 likable playe-s, hopefully playing well.

[lt]

Heh, as much as Djokovic and Federer are not best buds, the Nole fans and Rog fans in the crowd are not being too friendly to each other. The first "Nole" chant was promptly drowned out by "Roger" chants. At least it woke the Roger fans up right from the beginning of the match. Usually they need a little prodding.

[falafaclese]

Nervy start for these guys. Two breaks in a row?

[lt]

I'm hoping we're going to get another one here. . .

. . . and we do! Back on serve (for a couple of minutes).

Hmmmm, seems that Europe has to see that darn Andre/Steffi Longines commercial all the time too.

eta: not a surprise but the Eurosport commentators (not Mats this time) just said that Andy isn't so sure about Queen's. He needs to get his ankle evaluated. Hee, they also just gave us the "breaking" news that Fed isn't "enamored of Djokovic." Although they were very quick to say that they had never heard that "from the horse's mouth."

[acre]

Gah, I just checked it to see the Nole b-eak, then yay Fed .... yeah don't mind me, I'll just be ove- he-e in the co-ne- whimpe-ing to myself.

Hmm, I know Nole has plenty of fans, and he absolutely dese-ves them - but I'm thinking that in most places outside of Se-bia Fed is gonna be the fan fave. His fans may not be loude- but it'd be shocked if they we-e fewe-. I mean, he's a well loved guy, and also, shockingly, the unde-dog and a bit of an elde- statesman compa-atively.

[lt]

Oh, oh.. . .PHEW! I don't know that my heart can take this.