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Post by mooncreek on Jan 20, 2012 9:49:23 GMT
I went to sleep after the second set of Federer's match and just woke up to 5-all in the second set of Tomic/Dolgopolov. Already looks like both guys have their respective crazy shots working for them. Fascinating stuff.
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Post by printwhore2012 on Jan 20, 2012 11:34:49 GMT
Didn't get to see much of the Federer match (was busy working on a stats problem set) but it would probably be just my luck that I get Rafa and Berdych on the 24th. (Well, that or Federer and Del Potro) I hope I get a blockbuster with Jo Willy and Murray on the 25th. It looks like this Dogopolov/Tomic match is a scorcher but unfortunately, I had five hours of statistics problem sets today and then I have to polish off this five page take home exam tonight so I can go catch the matches tomorrow. Tipsarevic/Gasquet and Monfils on Margaret Court? I am all over it. Also, here's a quote from Djoko: It's a matter of the confidence that you have, selfbelief on the court, qualities as a player, being out there physically, mentally fit, being able to perform your best on a daytoday basis.
You know, it's true, probably this court is one of the most successful courts in my career. I've had two titles here, 2008 and last year. Coming back to that court is always bringing me nicest memories. I like the conditions, the speed of the court, the balls, everything.
It is true from one side that when I step in there I feel that I belong there, that I know what to do, that I feel more confident maybe than the other courts around the world. He's not mucking around, you really FEEL it. I mentioned this the other day but it's true, his aura is pretty exceptional, it fills up all of Rod Laver Arena. Maybe this is the halo effect or some other perceptual bias, but none of the other players I saw had the same type of palpable conviction as the Djoker. |
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lt
Semi Finals
Posts: 3,223
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Post by lt on Jan 20, 2012 13:45:01 GMT
Oh Dolgo. . . I woke up just as the fifth set was starting but I had to get ready for work so I really didn't see all that much except that Dolgo seemed bemused by the crowd support for Tomic and was letting it get to him. I did see the first game of the set and if Dolgo had broken there it probably would have been a different outcome.
Brad guaranteed an Isner win if John won the 2nd set. Idiot. Also, so nice to have a Feli fan in the booth with Darren Cahill. I'm so used to Gimeldouche or Brad being all pooh pooh to Feli's game and PMac going along with that flow but Darren being so complimentary led PMac to go with that. What was weird was when Pam showed up in the fifth set and was going the company line on Feli but Darren and PMac put a stop to that telling her that "because she just got there" she hadn't seen how good Feli had been playing. That shut her up after she admitted she had been watching. She also asked why Feli had such a great 5th set record to which Darren replied that Feli is very fit. I wanted him to add, "have you seen him?" but he didn't.
printwhore, have a wonderful time this weekend and, once again, take notes and pictures. Something Dolgo said in a Q&A earlier made me curious. He said that every court was pretty full and he liked that. Is that true or were his matches just popular matches? Do the dregs of the side courts get a solid crowd?
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Post by printwhore2012 on Jan 20, 2012 14:29:59 GMT
Well Dolgopolov was scheduled against some Aussie before Tomic so I don't doubt that what he was saying was true. Aussies go nuts when hometown glory is involved, even when they grasp at straws like in the case of Tomic.. But overall, a Grand Slam is tennis MECCA so we all want to see it. It's like Comic Con, some shared religion we all have.
I just have to add that there's this terrible thing that's not addressed in the first few weeks of the slam: There are AMAZING matches that are happening at all levels on the Men's Side and they're mucking it up with poor scheduling. You talk to the tournament officials and ask them for the Order of Play and they won't even release that until after the last match of the day has been played. It's a pain in the ass.
What idiot would put Gasquet as a midday Margaret Court Arena match? WTF. I'm seeng La Monf and Richie yesterday so I am very very happy. oh yeah, and practice court stalking!
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lt
Semi Finals
Posts: 3,223
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Post by lt on Jan 20, 2012 15:37:16 GMT
But at the US Open the fans mostly stick to the main courts. When you need a break from the crowds you just have to go to a really high-numbered side court and (especially in the first week) you can see a really good match with no one sitting on top of you. That's why I was curious about Dolgo's comments--because he is a player used to playing to empty stands--that the Australian Open had more fans in the stands. But if he's been playing Aussie players, that would explain it. Those would have more people--just not people rooting for him.
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Post by printwhore2012 on Jan 20, 2012 23:27:00 GMT
Yup, they weren't rooting for him. Just read over my last post and gah, so incoherent. What I meant to say was I am seeing la monf and Richard today. I will probably have to get there early avoid the Serbian contingent that's sure to descend on Margaret Court.
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Post by lizm on Jan 21, 2012 4:43:00 GMT
Novak looks friggin invincible.
Gah all the matches I want to see are post 3am.
Ok, guilty pleasure - I find Tomic's stomach super hot. Or maybe it's just envy.
Zvonareva is actually uncomfortable to watch now... oy.
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Post by falafaclese on Jan 21, 2012 5:11:45 GMT
You're reminding me of my favorite headline from the tournament so far. After Stosur's loss, the headline on (I think ) tennis.com was: "Aussie Aussie Aussie, oy oy oy vey"
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Post by GrandSlamGuru on Jan 21, 2012 6:13:57 GMT
Well, Kuzy started off strong then went down in flames. And now, LaMonf is looking tight. Hope he recovers.
"...Oy Oy Vey" is brilliant.
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Post by printwhore2012 on Jan 21, 2012 7:38:56 GMT
I left when Monfils called for the trainer, wandered over to court 16 where again, I found Federer. It was ridiculous today, so many people and he didn't sign anything! Just waved. Grrr. Have gotten over the whole "it's Roger!" thing. More of, ok, you're just hitting a couple of serves at some dudes. Eh. Saw Mansour Bahrami though so that was cool. And Pioline, I think. Have pictures but they're bad ones. Also, WTF Roger, go sign something for the people who waited hours! I do have a pic of a little boy in a Fed hat who was with Rogers's entourage: someone's son?
BTW, it took me an hour and a half just to get into Margaret Court today to see Gasquet was Tipsy. Bleah. I stayed at Margaret Court for the first set of Monfils but it was too hot! I'm typing this now from the AO members lounge, which is packed to capacity. Monfils was very distressed earlier: he would crouch and lean on his racquet. Something is wrong with him, health wise.
So to sum up, first week of slams are the best but weekends are sheer pandemonium. Not nearly as much fun as last Tuesday, and I barely got to see the players I wanted. I got to see Murray hit some balls earlier today but no pics of that.
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tisha
1st Round
Posts: 75
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Post by tisha on Jan 21, 2012 9:25:59 GMT
That Monfils match was some of the craziest shit I've ever seen. How Monfils managed to blow that, with a double fault on match point, no less, is beyond me.
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Post by mooncreek on Jan 21, 2012 9:34:09 GMT
Went to sleep when I couldn't watch Mahut hobbling any more, woke up to the end of the mess Monfils had created. I do not know yet beyond an injury what he did but I'm certain he was an idiot if he made that much a comeback and then DFs the last game away. Kukushkin into the 4th round.
Another WTF: Tipsarevic? Huh? This was the match I figured would go five with blown leads and streakiness.
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Post by printwhore2012 on Jan 21, 2012 10:08:24 GMT
Just got home. This is what happened with Monfils: I was able to sneak into Margaret Court when he was 4-5 down in the final set. The momentum was with him, he was doing well then at 30-15 up, one of those massive tennis balls was thrown into the court just as he was playing the point.
Everybody was very upset because Monfils was leading and playing well. He got distracted, then double-faulted on the next point. So basically, he lost because some jackass decided to throw a big tennis ball into the court to disrupt his rhythm.
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Post by printwhore on Jan 21, 2012 10:54:00 GMT
The moment before it all turned to sh*t for Monfils: tinypic.com/r/f27k9e/5Somebody's kid beside Tony Godsick, Federer's agent: tinypic.com/view.php?pic=294pf9j&s=7Gael taking the first injury break: tinypic.com/r/nqa5ms/5He was really not feeling it today. From Kazhakstan, with love: tinypic.com/r/29cx6q8/5Only for the nerds: Mansour Bahrami: tinypic.com/r/9sxe6x/7Crappy shot of Roger: tinypic.com/r/ma9iee/5Gasquet and Tipsarevic: tinypic.com/r/2ag6dw/5And that's it really. Nothing more remarkable to post. Will give updates if anything remarkable happens (like Rafa whisks me away to Mallorca and he, Feliciano Lopez and I cohabitate in some extremely postmodern relationship...) but so far, it was a dull day. ETA: lt: Sorry I didn't get to address your question properly: I was fatigued and didn't read through everything. I haven't been any of the other slams so I wouldn't know how they go but based on what I've seen here, there are people who are very willing to sit through engrossing matches even if they feature obscure players in the hinterlands. For example, Tipsarevic and Tursunov had a huge audience, as did Monaco and Kolschreiber. These aren't exactly headliners but the courts were packed with people to see them. Tennis Australia has an active junior program where they take the kids/coaches/amateurs/retired players/what-have-you and these guys tend to be in the audience for some of the obscure matches. For example, Kolschreiber and Monaco had plenty of older guys from Tennis Australia (seventy and up) and they were checking out the talent, critiquing strokes. There was also a young coach there, with her wards. There's a strong sense of tradition here for the sport: if you talk to some of the older people, they'll tell you about how they used to go over to Kooyong back when this thing was held on grass and they would just walk past Connors or Navratilova. So I guess what I'm saying is I really do think that Grand Slam tennis is a bigger event here than it is in New York because there aren't many other Australian sporting events that have the same pedigree (former Aussie dominance) and international prestige as the AO. |
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Post by breezybee on Jan 21, 2012 13:23:40 GMT
That is the only thing I enjoy while watching Brad. He's always wrong with his predicitions. I have about 36 hours of tennis recorded that I have no idea when I'll watch. Maybe I should take a couple of holidays.
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