Tennis Talk 2012

[lt]

But it was an entertaining match. Jo is always a thriller and Andy has just gotten so good.

Speaking of Andy, is adidas using the same material that Nike is using for the football uniforms? Andy probably has the best physique on the tour (it is reeaallly impressive) but wearing a skin tight shirt looks silly, especially with the loose shorts. He looks like he belongs on Venice Beach. At least he looks better than the offensive linemen.

I went into the Djoker/Berdych match rooting for Berdych but even I couldn't help but applaud Novak when he plays like he did in the first set. It really is something else.

Of course I wish that Max and Daniel had won but I think the most telling moment was their whatever attitude to their last match together vs. Lindstedt and Tecau's massive hug. I am looking forward to Max and Horia. They could be great if their personalities mesh.

The O2 is using Tinie Tempeh's "Written in the Stars" as their intro for the players. But that brings me right back to 2011's MLB Postseason promo (and for me--the Brewers). Kind of very weird to be sitting at the O2 having flashbacks to sitting in Miller Park. Equally nervous both places though. And I'm calling it--that song will be the next sports anthem. It's just so great and fitting for any sport.

[falafaclese]

Glad you made it out, lt. I'm looking forward to watching some of the matches this weekend, as I've missed everything so far. It's starting to look like there could be an Indian showdown in doubles.

I'm glad Ferrer is maintaining his form. Although there's no reasons to assume he'll upset any of the top three, but love that he has been so strong.

I rather like Murray's X-men getup. It's something a little different at least.

Hope you get a chance to take some pics, lt! Have fun!

[mooncreek]

It's a shame the side effect of Delpo beating Federer is that it knocked Ferrer out. But it's really weird to watch a match knowing the winner of Ferrer-Tipsy(or alternate) will affect semifinal matches that involve neither. If Ferrer wins, it's Federer-Murray and Djokovic-del Potro else... oh who are we kidding, Ferrer will win because Tipsy has been that useless and Ferrer has totally dominated the alternates.

[lt]

Oh! Is that what is going on? Thank you! I could not figure out why it was Fed/Andy tomorrow night but, boy, am I happy. I have tickets for tomorrow night and not tomorrow day so I'm pretty much jumping for joy right now. I'll watch the Djoker/Delpo match from the hotel and be perfectly fine (and I think I'll do a touch more shopping during the first men's doubles final since you can't sell things until noon here so I thought tomorrow would be a washout for shopping).

I'm quite happy I didn't know that the outcome of Tipsy/Ferrer was going to affect the semis because I was nervous enough in that first set. And was Ferrer determined to win! He was so angry at himself in that first set.

I hadn't stayed for the post match with Delpo after his win on Thursday (and missed him playing soccer with the Man City player) but I stayed today. Wow, has he gotten better at speaking in English and speaking in English more clearly. I'm glad I got to hear that.

falafaclese, loads and loads of pictures. I couldn't love this camera more if I tried. I couldn't take motion photos indoors (without a flash) with the last camera but this camera has an Indoor Sports selection. Granted, it uses Intelligent ISO which means when I download the photos I'm going to be unhappy with the bitmapping but I should have gotten some good stuff. Not only that, I can turn off the focus-help button (that annoying red light that you can see before a photo is taken with a point-and-shoot) so I'm not annoying any player when I take a photo.

[falafaclese]

I'm still not really clear how a match between two people who can't paossibly make the semis can affect the two people who did. It would be one thing if Ferrer had a chance to displace one of the top two but . . . whatever. n I'm not complaining, I just don't understand the math. I'm glad that Ferrer got fired up and won it, although it doesn't seem like he needed to get fired up to win that one.

Tennis channel is going to be doing a countdown of the top 30 matches of the year in December. The voting is going on right now here. On the plus side, they are including early round matches this year.

[mooncreek]

falafaclese - if Ferrer lost, there was a two-way tie and #1 was determined by who won the head to head match - which was delPo. If Ferrer won, there was a three-way tie (Ferrer was mathematically eliminated prior to the match due to sets won and lost). That tiebreaker went to Federer.

Wow, was Ferrer irritated in that match... but did I ever love him for telling Tipsy he was taking too long. It led to the break that gave Ferrer the lead in the second set and finally calmed him done enough to finish the job.

[tikigirl]

Am I reading TTC's website correctly? They are playing both singles semis and the final tape-delayed? There's nothing live; there's nothing on a channel most people actually get? I am slowly but surely slipping away, and the fact that I'm doing so when there's no baseball on makes it worse.

[acre]

Watching the sco-e ... saw Andy up a b-eak, thought "oh well, not shocked", and now Fed won the set! Close, so close. I don't think I could be surp-ised by any sco-e in this match. These guys at the top a-e just ridiculously good and evenly matched. Still kinda think Andy has the edge with momentum. But Fed has the indoo- stats so who knows.

[harry24]

Am I reading TTC's website correctly? They are playing both singles semis and the final tape-delayed? There's nothing live; there's nothing on a channel most people actually get? I am slowly but surely slipping away, and the fact that I'm doing so when there's no baseball on makes it worse.

Tiki. The Murray-Fed semi is on right now, live on ESPN2. (Do you not get that channel? We know so many very precise details about each others' tennis-watching lives here, I feel as if I should remember which sports channels everyone has.) TTC ran the doubles semis live, then ESPN2 took over the singles semis live. The final is live on ESPN2 tomorrow at 3 ET. TTC is replaying it at 8pm ET tomorrow night.

ETA: I cannot believe Fed beat Murray. I would have bet actual, real money that Murray would win, and, believe me, I have no money to spare at the moment.

[acre]

Huh - I'm like tiki (maybe) and didn't even think to check any channel but TTC. Which I don't know why, because I've definitely watched the YEC in the past b4 I got TTC. What does seem odd to me is that the final isn't on the weekend.

But anyway, don't know what happened in that 2nd set, looks like it got uncompetitive, so okay that is the thing that could surp-ise me. I know Andy must be ti-ed afte- his match with Djok, but Fed also lost his last in 3 tough sets, so. Djok is definitely #1 again, but it's not like DelPo is some walk in the park even if Fed had won and not lost to him.

Damn, have I mentioned that I just love me some Fed? That guy.

[lt]

I cannot believe Fed beat Murray.

I was so surprised as well. I was hoping Andy would win the 2nd set and we'd get a third but, nope. I think it was Andy's second serve. Once Roger realized he could feed on it he was edging closer to the baseline and blasting away. Andy's first serve was ridiculous--like around 134 MPH ridiculous--but his second serve was coming in at 88 MPH. Not going to last too long like that.

Roger started the match looking as sluggish as he has this entire tournament. That is not going to work against Djoker. I'm quite nervous about that.

Meanwhile, I've decided that Steve Ulrich is my new favorite chair umpire. The tournament has a contest winner toss the coin for the singles matches but it's the chair ump that does the doubles matches. Well, that wasn't interesting enough for Ulrich so he started asking the crowd to yell out "heads" or "tails" (my favorite moment of that was Granolers asking the crowd to say "heads" and Ulrich then responding "sorry, Marcel, that sounded like tails."). Another match he pulled one of the ball kids who was having a birthday to do the coin toss. For this Fed/Andy singles match he asked the contest winner how he felt getting to be a part of such an important match. I dunno, he just seems like such a cool guy. And as the guy next to me said, he has the smoothest voice of all the umps.

What does seem odd to me is that the final isn't on the weekend.

They changed it a couple of years ago when the ATP/O2 realized that they could get an additional day of sell-out crowds with a Monday evening final. Makes sense, they get the sell out for the last of the round robins on Saturday, both semi sessions on Sunday and the after-work finals on Monday.

The couple next to me and I were thinking it would make sense to bring the WTA final to the O2 as well. They really should--this place makes such a celebration of the ATP finals. They're selling out a 18,000-seat arena and making it the place to go in London. I think the women would love it as much as the men.

[roseha]

Well, like tiki I couldn't find the tournament myself and when I did I saw hardly any singles - no offense to the doubles but I did want to see some singles play - then on Friday my Tivo went down and I couldn't get through to time warner today. So thanks for the updates on the schedules, everyone. I'm very glad Roger won though I hope there will be another replay before the final - which will be when I'm at work of course.

Did I say I hate Monday finals? No? The British do realize that not everyone is in their time zone and so may be at *work*?

Hope you continue to have fun though lt!

[harry24]

Thecouple next to me and I were thinking it would make sense to bring the WTA final to the O2 as well. They really should--this place makes such a celebration of the ATP finals. They're selling out a 18,000-seat arena and making it the place to go in London. I think the women would love it as much as the men.

I think that's a great idea, lt. The women's year ender needs to be a place-to-go too.

[tikigirl]

I do get ESPN2, and I have no idea how I missed that it was on that channel. And I have an appointment tomorrow at 3 EST. Meh.

[acre]

Oh lt I'm so glad you got to London! Mostly fo- you because it must be fucking awesome to see these matches, but also fo- us to get the benefit of you- tales. So please do go into detail about the playe-s, the games, the demeano-, the ump(Steve U, he's been a-ound a lifetime it feels, and that is not a complaint) .... dish it all if you please, I know I want to hea- it all.

I have to think most of these guys a-e pretty damn satisfied with the y ove- all. Okay, Djok didn't win 3 Slams, but even the Mighty Fed doesn't have that happen often. That's a career y, and you don't expect two of them. Its' fitting, Djok had one, Nadal had his(didn't he?), and then Fed had to ove-achieve and do it twice*, but honestly even most of the g-eats don't eve- do it. So I'm saying 2012 was a good, good y fo- the top 3 and DelPo too, though obviously it mostly sucked fo- Nadal, and he is much missed and I hope he gets well and back soon.

*ETA: What a dummy - not twice, 3! 3 times that big showy show-off. Instantly I thought and bam "04, 06, 07", I mean I know that.