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Post by mooncreek on Jun 23, 2013 19:30:03 GMT
Third time's a charm?
ETA: Okay, good. Finally!
This is the ATP rankings without last year's Wimbledon points:
1 Novak Djokovic 11120
2 Andy Murray 7370
3 David Ferrer 6870
4 Rafael Nadal 6860
5 Roger Federer 5750
To not fall out of the Top 4, Federer pretty much has to win the title (or final + Nadal or Ferrer losing in the first week)
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lt
Semi Finals
Posts: 3,223
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Post by lt on Jun 23, 2013 23:47:13 GMT
I'm on the business trip that I always have the time of year and I was so excited to see that my hotel added HD for ESPN and ESPN2! Woot! And it looks like I'm waking up early so I can start my day with Roger tomorrow. Isn't it usually on ESPN2? We're on the mothership tomorrow.
ESPN has been going on and on about the way the men's top and bottom half of the draws turned out (well, when they aren't talking about Maria/Serena). I dunno, I think Djoker has some dangerous floaters in his half and while Hewitt has a Wimbledon title I don't think he really counts when talking about a loaded bottom half. But could you imagine if it had been Andy sitting in the "easy" half? That would have garnered quite a bit of conversation.
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Post by mooncreek on Jun 24, 2013 2:47:04 GMT
I don't think Djokovic's draw is that easy. After all, you have in Haas and Berdych: two players who have beaten Djokovic at Wimbledon.
If you want to talk easy draws, that would be Ferrer's quarter. He got the next-highest seed that benefits him in del Potro, Kohlschreiber has been inconsistent (and has a ton of points to defend so under pressure), and a lot of players prone to upsets. If Dimitrov is the real deal, this is a great draw to make that breakthrough.
Ladies: there is only one thing I can see derailing Serena and it's not this nonsense with Sharapova It's the fact Venus isn't there.
Judging by my twitter feed, I wonder if Murray is going to wish that documentary didn't air the night before Wimbledon. I just know I'll feel like slapping the first interviewer who asks him about the Dunblane shooting... and you, sadly, know they will because they're just that stupid.
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lt
Semi Finals
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Post by lt on Jun 24, 2013 12:17:21 GMT
I feel rather guilty--until I read the crawl I didn't even realize that Mardy Fish still isn't able to play. I wonder what his career would have been without the illnesses and injuries. Poor guy.
On a better note for US tennis--I was reading in Tennis Magazine that the 10 and Under Tennis is incredibly popular and loads of clubs are adding in the courts (or painting the courts they have) and getting the special equipment. The article said that the numbers of registered younger kids has skyrocketed. I had wondered whether learning tennis a different way would affect how to play on regulation courts but according to the experts they talked to (including Bollettieri and Rick Macci as well as club pros) it is teaching the correct way to hit the ball and developing muscle memory and also building confidence. Sounds good to me and the people who came up with this should really pat themselves on the back.
Oh dear, that again? Remember his first few years? He didn't want to talk about it and the press really came down hard on him for being sullen. Took years and the press no longer asking him those questions to come out of that and if it starts up again it won't be pretty.
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Post by GrandSlamGuru on Jun 24, 2013 12:17:45 GMT
Wow, I'm very surprised that Errani went out in the first round.
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Post by skyz on Jun 24, 2013 12:26:40 GMT
I know JMac is always bemoaning the lack of "real" rivalries, where two players hugely dislike each other, but I hate it interfering with my tennis. I don't care about Serena and Maria's spat, and of course ESPN will bring it up ad nauseum. Just now Chris Fowler asked if it would give Maria an edge in their matches, who cares? Possibly. Though it seems unlikely as her game doesn't match up to Serena's.
And it's always a pleasure to see Roger on the grass.
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Post by oopssorry on Jun 24, 2013 12:41:19 GMT
So happy he's returned to collared shirts, too.
And my goodness, I love everything about the grass. Except the lingering fear that it is so soon over.
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Post by mooncreek on Jun 24, 2013 12:56:16 GMT
Oh dear, that again? Remember his first few years? He didn't want to talk about it and the press really came down hard on him for being sullen. Took years and the press no longer asking him those questions to come out of that and if it starts up again it won't be pretty. The reason I wrote that was because he does talk about it in the documentary (clip from BBC site) and it's absolutely heartbreaking. He brings Maggie close and starts crying. ETA: OMG. Vika! This could be really really bad. |
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lt
Semi Finals
Posts: 3,223
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Post by lt on Jun 24, 2013 13:05:52 GMT
Poor Vika. She's in so much pain. She's describing how the legs went in two different directions when she fell. Well, she's not screaming while they're doing the ligament test so hopefully it isn't an ACL tear.
Being an athlete named Puig really means something right now.
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Post by falafaclese on Jun 24, 2013 16:01:49 GMT
Hi all,
Sorry I fell off the radar and wasn't able to stay on top of our brackets. Right in the middle of the FO I closed on a new place, which was immediately followed by a frantic move, then a broken ankle (while playing tennis at least), and ankle surgery. All that, combined with some other RL issues proved to be quite a handful. On the plus side, I'm off painkillers and taking time off of work to recuperate just in time to enjoy some of the first week of Wimby.
I must admit I'm kind of enjoying the added subtext of the Serena/Maria snipe-fest, although I'm sure by tomorrow I'll have had enough given how much the media types are bringing it up. I heard that the comment Serena made was made on the phone to a third party while the reporter was in the room. I don't know if that's true or not, but considering how the British media is, I'll bet Serena regrets ever giving that interview. In fact I'm sure neither of them is interested in dealing with this right now. I'm happy they're not including the insufferable Sue Whatsherface (whoever that annoying British gossip monger was they used to use a few years ago). She'd certainly be saying something (un)clever about all of this on my television.
The one thing I don't like about the start of Wimby is all the slipping that occurs on the new grass. As beautiful as it is, it always makes me nervous for the first few days.
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Post by mooncreek on Jun 24, 2013 16:37:52 GMT
As much as one would like to say it's a British press thing, this is actually an American press (Rolling Stone) mess. Listening to ESPN has been horrific ever since the story leaked.
Remember when Berdych lost in the Olympics and everyone wondered about him because losing to Gulbis at Wimbledon is one thing but to lose to Steve Darcis? Yeah, not so much now. Geez, Rafa.
ETA: Must say that Darcis really delivered in that final game. Incredible win!
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lt
Semi Finals
Posts: 3,223
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Post by lt on Jun 24, 2013 17:15:13 GMT
Oh, falafaclese! I'm so sorry about your ankle, but happy about your new place. How is it rehabbing? Remember, PT is your friend. . . embrace it.
Well, if ever we needed proof that the clay season is too abrupt into the grass. When Rafa was at 100% he proved (in quite a few years) that it can be done but these past two years have shown that it's just too much of a difference too quickly considering the majority of the year is on hard courts and grass is too different to come smack dab after clay. Is it next year or the year after that Wimbledon starts one week later?
Awwwww, Darcis is a brand-new daddy! Congrats to him.
Yeah. Just after I was glorying in the beauty that is those white outfits against that gorgeous lawn everyone started falling down. They should do like the football players do--removable cleat lengths that you screw in according to what you need (I'm kidding of course).
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Post by falafaclese on Jun 24, 2013 17:27:32 GMT
As much as one would like to say it's a British press thing, this is actually an American press (Rolling Stone) mess. Listening to ESPN has been horrific ever since the story leaked. Yeah, I know it started out at Rolling Stone, I'm just imagining that the press over there is having a field day now that it's out. Nobody runs with a scandal like the the British paps. Oh, falafaclese! I'm so sorry about your ankle, but happy about your new place. How is it rehabbing? Remember, PT is your friend. . . embrace it. I will, lt, thanks! That's what I keep hearing, and I'm hoping this will not affect my tennis game in any major way. Oof, Rafa looked like he was favoring his knee somewhat. this is a bigger shock than last year considering how he has been playing. |
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Post by roseha on Jun 24, 2013 17:32:37 GMT
I didn't get to see it, no cable, but I was wondering, today or yesterday, if Rafa's seven months off would have to catch up with him sometime? Grass being so different from clay as well. Hope he is okay also. Still, I take it Darcis played great.
Glad Roger had no problems. Will look for coverage online or elsewhere later. BBC radio also a possibility.
Sorry about your accident fala! I remember losing my job one year right before Wimbledon (1991) - at least it gives you a distraction!
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lt
Semi Finals
Posts: 3,223
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Post by lt on Jun 24, 2013 17:41:35 GMT
According to Chris Evert, you are right about that. Interestingly, she and Pam Shriver are on the opposite sides of this battle. Pam feels that Serena was wronged by the reporter and that Maria is taking a bit of advantage by bringing up Serena's personal life. Chris said that having a private conversation in front of a reporter means it is free game to the reporter. Pam and Chris were not in the same room when talking about it so they were not responding to each other. I, personally, think they are both right.
You know, the very least Wimbledon should do is not have the FO champion (I would say the finalists and maybe even the four semi-finalists) play on the first day--both men and women. Especially the champion though, we all know how many obligations to the tour that person has.
falafaclese, PT is ridiculously important. And here's the upside--they'll give you great exercises to do when you're feeling a little stiff, etc. that you'll end up doing for the rest of your life. The other thing they will help with is that once you have a serious injury you will tend to favor that part of your body and you'll run the risk of throwing something else out (I had hip surgery after tearing the meniscus in my knee because I started walking to favor the knee and ended up tearing my labrum). Here's my last thing--if you don't like your PT and you don't think it is doing anything, change PT places, don't think PT isn't for you. I had foot surgery years ago (falling apart? Me?) and my PT place wasn't so good. I went through the appointments but never really took anything from it. The place I went to for the knee and then hip was so great that I've included their exercises into my regular workouts. Tell them that you play tennis and they should give you specific stuff to do that will end up helping your game in the future. Okay, I'm a little passionate about that subject, huh?
eta: LZ (who I don't usually agree with) made a very good point about Roger. That we really should respect his run of GS quarterfinal appearances. It's so hard to go deep into a slam and then turn around and do it again and Roger just plugged along for so long. Have we heard from John McEnroe since the match ended? He was talking about Rafa being the GOAT because of his record against Roger and I certainly understand that argument but doing the job day-in-day-out should count. That said, I've come to believe the GOAT argument (for any player) is a moot one. Every generation births someone special but since they can't play each other at the height of their respective career we can't really determine who is the best of all time.
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