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Post by falafaclese on Aug 21, 2013 1:45:24 GMT
I haven't heard a thing about any Williams off-court drama since the Sharapova thing and the rape comments. The closest thing I've seen to family drama lately would be that Venus and Serena documentary that came out several months ago. While it has been around since last year, it surfaced again not too long before Wimby. There was a segment in there that focused on their dad, and wasn't particularly flattering, and I heard that the sisters weren't too happy about that, although I haven't heard that it caused any kind of major rift.
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Post by breezybee on Aug 21, 2013 12:48:10 GMT
Quotes from Srdjan Djokovic just get better and better.
I almost feel bad for Djokovic having to deal with this for a father. No wonder he tries so damn hard (too hard) to win over the public's affections.
Harry - I haven't heard about issues in the William's lives. I wonder if the poster was confusing if with the little "drama" Serena had with Sharapova?
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Post by acre on Aug 21, 2013 18:51:49 GMT
Oh my, Djok-dad! On the one hand I give him a little bit of a pass because it's great to think highly of your kids and be proud of them. My Dad thought we were the best thing since sliced bread but you know, in a more temperate and modest way. Wonder of his world, yes, wonder of the world, not so much.
This goes beyond pride(and there's a lot to be proud of with Djok) and slides into delusion. Still not as offensive as things Djok-mom has said but c'mon.
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Post by skyz on Aug 21, 2013 19:33:57 GMT
Serena looked tired when I saw her in Cincy. She's played so much it must be catching up with her. Plus she's still playing a bit like she's on clay. She was happily chatting with Venus and her whole camp at practice. I don't think there's any drama unless they mean at Wimby where neither Oracene or Richard were there. But Richard has the new baby and Oracene's been traving less and less. Mentally Serena needs to get her head back in the game, blowing leads isn't like her. She's probably nursing a number of aches and pains.
That's one proud Papa. Doesn't he have two other sons? I know he was sick, very sick last year so I don't begrudge him his delusions.
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Post by mooncreek on Aug 21, 2013 22:34:41 GMT
I'd almost give DjokoDad a pass... Until I remember the other sons. You know it's all about Nole it that family.
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Post by falafaclese on Aug 22, 2013 12:18:26 GMT
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lt
Semi Finals
Posts: 3,223
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Post by lt on Aug 22, 2013 21:55:10 GMT
Right there. They mortgaged their entire lives for Novak and the other two appear to shunted off to the side. Remember when the middle boy tried his hand at junior tennis? That didn't go so well. Maybe they are happy, well-adjusted young men but it would have been a struggle.
Poor Maria. This year is just not going her way and I think she probably has some anxiety about each injury never getting completely better.
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Post by harry24 on Aug 23, 2013 19:50:47 GMT
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Post by falafaclese on Aug 23, 2013 21:22:34 GMT
It's actually easier now, harry. When you click on the hyperlink icon (the little globe with the piece of paper next to it), a little dialog box will pop up. You then enter the actual URL address for the site into the lower of the two spaces, and you can type any text you want into the upper space. Whatever you type into the upper space will appear in you final post. Also, to make the text bold (which I find makes it easier for people to see that it is a hyperlink) you have to put the little bracketed code for bold inside the brackets that surround your text. I tried to put it on the outside and it didn't work. The site does the rest
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Post by apocalipstick on Aug 24, 2013 14:19:18 GMT
Hey. It's me. Making one of my drive-by posts. I want to be here more. I really do!
Anyway. Maria is looking either old or haggard. The parentheses surrounding her mouth have only gotten deeper. While I think some women have aged into prettiness, like say Mary Jo Fernandez, I don't think time is going to be kind to Maria. She's never had good skin, but the years in the sun are going to start taking a toll.
Yeah, I'm straight up bitchy. I own it.
I think Novak is going to be exhausted by the time he gets to Murray and Groundskeeper Willie will make the final.
In the other half, I think there is a good chance for Gulbis to finally go deeper, at least to the quarters. He's grown into his face a bit and no longer looks like a cross between a twelve year old boy and a lesbian gym teacher. Good for him.
I don't expect Rafa to win it, although he is the popular pick. I think his draw gives him too much slogging and too many hours on court with Verdasco, Isner, Federer, and then Ferrer or Gulbis. His knees won't hold up. He's had an amazing summer.
I think Roger only wins if there are some real upsets. He's lost just a little in his game with age, he no longer has the intimidation factor he once had, people can see how to beat him now and he hasn't adapted his game to those changes. I think he was trying with the new racquet, but that just didn't work out.
I wouldn't mind seeing Ferrer break through and actually win a slam, but I doubt it will happen. I think it's Murray this year. Which is fine. He's not as sad-sacky as he used to be.
On the women's side, I love Serena but I think she's tired. Vika is coming in with confidence and I'm certain I'll have my TV on mute when she plays in the final. Does anyone close-caption the final? Do they caption those sounds? Like..
Vika: AAAAAAAHHHHHHhhhhhhh.
Maria: YAAAAaaaahhhhhhhh.
Rafa: HHHHuuuuuu.
Ana: HEEEYAAAAAH.
I'd love to be a snarky play by play typist and type things like "The women exchanged audition tapes for horror films for the last 18 strokes, culminating in a down the line winner and subsequent blood-curdling scream from Azarenka. Wes Craven was impressed and will be casting her in his next film."
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Post by falafaclese on Aug 24, 2013 22:09:48 GMT
I am still invested in Rafa's dominance. He has been playing so well across different surfaces this year, and his movement has been so god that I feel like he hasn't peaked yet. Probably by virtue of his forced absence at the beginning of the year, he seems to have shifted the focus of his season to the end of the year, and I'd imagine there's a level of desire to have success at tournaments where he hasn't before (ie. Roger's Cup) that will carry him through the end of the year. He has missed the chance to make more of an impression at the U.S. open based largely on his injuries and just the attrition of the season. This is a great chance for him, and he must be thinking about that.
In an interesting way, this is a similar opportunity for Serena. She has had much more success in New York, but it is also the site of som of her biggest meltdowns. I don't think she's thinking that much about those meltdowns, but She is looking to increase the slam count, and her weeks at number one. Also, as dominant as she has looked, she only has one slam this year, and she can't be satisfied with that. Not to mention her interest in maximizing the remainder of her career. It's a lot of pressure, but I'm not convinced that she's out of steam yet. That said, she has a challenging draw, and players like Vika and Na are playing well enough to be realistic contenders. I think Serena is still the favorite, but I wouldn't be shocked if she didn't make it.
I don't see Djokovic raising his level this year. He hasn't been playing poorly, but his play is noticeably and consistently below where he was in 2011 and even last year. Additionally, he has a fairly challenging draw with Dmitrov, Haas and del Potro in his quarter. I have no idea what to think about Murray. He hasn't played enough since Wimby, and it's hard to tell if the early losses he had in the last two weeks will continue.
I'm looking forward to Keys/Jankovic in the first round. it could be a nothing blowout, or it could be very interesting.
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Post by falafaclese on Sept 21, 2013 0:20:24 GMT
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Post by harry24 on Sept 22, 2013 18:50:17 GMT
I'll see that "wow" and raise you a "WHOA."
I'm that same hell-bound basket, falafaclese. My jaw dropped. Thanks for sharing it.
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Post by mooncreek on Sept 26, 2013 18:05:59 GMT
Normally, I would hate stuff like that. Willing to make an exception, given circumstances. DAMN! I'm a numbers geek and tend to look for catches when it comes to certain kind of analysis. Still trying to make sense of this one, related to marketability of the Big Four in the US. |
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Post by falafaclese on Sept 27, 2013 1:45:24 GMT
Venus has looked really good this week; especially against Eugenie Bouchard. Bouchard continues to be very impressive, and did not make that match easy at all, but Venus really finished strong after playing well throughout the match. Eugenie really has a bright future if she can maintain the athleticism and composure she showed against Venus. I hope Venus can maintain her level, because in addition to playing a really physical math, she was able to tie her record fastest serve. On the negative side, she caught a lot of ball tosses, and has been all week. I don;t know what that is about.
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