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Post by GrandSlamGuru on Jan 28, 2012 3:38:00 GMT
I missed it live so I'm watching the replay of Murray/Djoko on TTC. Amazing tennis. They were both on fire.
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Post by acre on Jan 28, 2012 5:40:32 GMT
Yeah, damb but these boys can play! And so can Fed too, but he is no longe- in a class all his own, all theys othe-s cna play th stuffing off the ball and pull out supe-human feats f-om one anothe-.
An amazing time to be a tennis fan, half the time I can't even believe what I'm seeing .... "how did they dp that?!!? Wight my bias, it all began with Fed, but he's had no time to -est on his lau-els, all these top guys a-e inc-idble, jaw-d-oppingly amazing. A new game, and one I much enjoy.
Which doesn't take into account the top women who a-e also basically supe-natu-al. Tennis has passed me by. I love, ado-e, and app-eciate it, but I no longe- fully get it. Too good fo- me to even unde-stand. Just a spectacula-.
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Post by printwhore2012 on Jan 28, 2012 8:21:24 GMT
I am very very curious how this battle of the Bolletieri Blondes is going to play out. Is Vika going to choke? So strange, she was the first player I saw when I arrived on the grounds last Monday and now she is in there with a chance to win this thing. Hmm. Nobody was paying her mind (I walked past like, eh, stop grunting) and now she is the bookies favorite.
The Djoker is priced at 1.40 today, Nadal priced at 2.90. I am seriously giving it some thought now.
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Post by falafaclese on Jan 28, 2012 9:17:52 GMT
Nobody's up for the women's final? Okay, yeah, it's loud, but I'm still enjoying watching to see if Azarenka can handle this big occasion.
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Post by chestylarue on Jan 28, 2012 9:35:28 GMT
Falafaclese- I am watching. Vika played such an impressive game to break to get up 5-3. Glad she won the set.
I know she can get pissy when things are not going well on court- but I tend to find Vika endearing.
Maybe it is because it is so late/ early but Chrissie is doing better tonight.
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Post by falafaclese on Jan 28, 2012 10:20:37 GMT
That was a bit of a beatdown in the end. Considering Vika lost the first two games, to then win 6-3, 6-0 is a very impressive first performance in a grand slam final; especially considering the fact that Maria Sharapova was on the other side of the net.
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Post by curlywhirly on Jan 28, 2012 13:39:35 GMT
Vika has been beating Pova thoroughly most of that last several times they played, so I thought the final had the potential to be a beatdown, IF Vika could hold her nerves together, and boy did she. Chris Evert has been anointing Pova the best returner in the women's game all tournament, but no, that is definitely Vika IMO (that's why she often has Serena on the brink of defeat in big matches.)
Pova's serve when under pressure from a capable returner is still a huge weakness. She's as high as she is in the rankings because she has more experience and grit than the "new guard," but they are starting to blossom now. I'm ticked because Kvitova should have converted one of her eleventy billion break points against her and given us a competitive Vika-Petra final.
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Post by mooncreek on Jan 28, 2012 13:47:13 GMT
Just watched my recording of the match now. I never thought Vika would step up the same way Petra did at Wimbledon. Not much in her history to think she'd do this with very little nerves. The best player in the tournament won and earned that #1 ranking.
I never thought I'd say this but: poor Maria.
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Post by printwhore2012 on Jan 28, 2012 14:30:47 GMT
This is totally random and somewhat left field but I did a little digging on drug tests after I researched the Nalbandian fine and I found out something that is... Well, kind of disgusting.
Tennis apparently doesn't test for Human Growth Hormone (HGH). Given that players are competing for millions of dollars, prestige, fame and glory, I find it really appalling that the sport is so lax with the PED issue. What's more, tennis also has a schedule of testing players in competition only during certain points in the tournament: if you're smart and you know that they stick to this schedule, you can beat the system and you won't get caught.
Has anybody read Open, by Agassi? I am wondering if he confirmed what Rios said about him testing positive for nandrolone.
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Post by falafaclese on Jan 28, 2012 15:19:53 GMT
I read it, and the only thing he admitted to was the crystal meth that had everyone all aflutter when it first came out, although if i remember correctly, the tour's response when he tested positive was to accept his story about taking it by accident because someone in his entourage had it without much investigation at all.
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lt
Semi Finals
Posts: 3,223
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Post by lt on Jan 28, 2012 15:44:53 GMT
I was thinking the same thing. Maybe she got wind of the numerous complaints and decided to tone down the negativity?
Few sports do. They all test for the masking agents but the HGH test is not only a controversial test (because of the lack of proof of its reliability) but the blood sample has to be taken very quickly after the drug is used. There needs to be more rigorous testing of the current test as well as having recourse for the player in case they want to appeal the test. It's easy for the labs and then the media to say everyone is guilty if a test comes back positive but that just isn't the case and it isn't fair for an athlete to not be able to fight a false positive. Sometimes it's just herpes (baseball joke).
I'm not the biggest fan of WADA (who the ITF follow for tennis testing). Drug testing is the most important thing in sports and I think WADA think of athletes as guilty until proven innocent and that hurts the perception of drug testing. WADA goes in with an attitude that they don't make mistakes and that hurts the athletes. I think the majority of athletes not only don't cheat but that they'd never even consider it but WADA acts like they are all trying to cheat and they just have to catch them.
Congrats to Azarenka. I do love Maria so I did want her to win but I like Azarenka and I'm glad her potential is being fulfilled. I loved that story about her grandmother telling her to shut up about her problems--ah, the pleasure of a (Bela)Russian grandma. . . I can certainly relate.
Maria has great taste in jewelry--those earrings are gorgeous and ritzy without being ostentatious.
I know meltdowns are a given in the women's game but this is probably the strongest top 5 in this order the women have seen in a while: Azarenka, Kvitova, Sharapova, Wozniacki, Stosur.
Hey Hingis! That's a good hairstyle for her forehead.
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Post by francienolan on Jan 28, 2012 17:18:34 GMT
Just watched the women's match and couldn't imagine saying this a couple of years back but am genuinely happy for Vika. And I'm in agreement w/Evert that the top 5 are as strong a bunch as we've seen in awhile.
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Post by lizm on Jan 28, 2012 20:32:52 GMT
Maybe it was the structure of the game, but I feel like I've confirmed something that I thought watching each player separately - Sharapova wins (?) the volume wars by a fair margin.
printwhore: thanks for the supplemental commentary. Hm, those odds are tempting, but I'm not sure I would bet against Djokovic right now.
I'm happy for the matchup - I think I'll try to wake up for it (giving it an extra hour to let some tape delay (aka Rafa-serve Commercial Skip time) accumulate. It's my favorite villain against my favorite hero.
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Post by printwhore2012 on Jan 28, 2012 21:36:47 GMT
There is a new biomarker test that is coming in that will be used for the upcoming games in London. It can detect up to twenty one days before someone has been using HGH, as opposed to today's test that can only do 72 hours. MLB is going to start doing it but the NFL is fighting it to the death.
I think tennis should use this test, considering they are going to start testing the players anyway at this year's London Olympics.
lt: I think there is recourse for players with A and B samples so if one tests positive, the other one can be used to determine if it's a true positive. Our opinions may diverge on this issue though, I am all over the WADA. True, they are on the losing side of an arms race against the Doctor Fuentes's of this world but if I am going to fawn over an übermensch, at least I'd like to know that he became that way naturally.
Agassi's revelations are pretty shocking. Wonder why he chose to come out with them now: is he throwing shade on the current men's tour by highlighting the ATPs lack of integrity?
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Post by breezybee on Jan 28, 2012 23:02:56 GMT
Maybe but my money is that he thought the revelation would sell more books. I found very little to like about that man while reading his book. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was a good book but it didn't endear him to me.
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