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Post by admin on Jan 1, 2008 18:30:48 GMT
Happy New Year everyone! Now we're all safely landed in 2008 i thought we'd open up shop with a new thread. PS, 6 birthdays today? i call shenanigans!!
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Post by breezybee on Jan 1, 2008 19:55:59 GMT
From Chennai www.chennaiopen.org/ - if you go to the gallery and looks at the day 1 pictures, there is the cutest picture ever of Nadal and Moya watching the opening ceremonies.
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Post by admin on Jan 2, 2008 15:24:06 GMT
Murray is getting a tonking from Schuttler. 1-6 in the first set so far.
EDIT: Woops. Murray did SOMETHING and came back to win, 1-6 6-0 6-1.
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Post by falafaclese on Jan 2, 2008 16:53:26 GMT
That was unbelievable. Murray's play in the first set was wretched (and that's being kind) and Scheuttler was running him around the court. I was sure it was going to be an upset. At the very least, i thought that he was going to have to fight hard to win, and it just seemed like he shut Scheuttler down in the 2nd and 3rd sets.
I saw most of the Hopman Cup tie between France and Serbia last night. I was disappointed by Jelena's retirement. She and Golovin are two of my favorite players in terms of movement, and I was expecting it to be a fun match to watch. Hopefully Jelena will be able to shake the injury before the Aussy, because she was not moving well at all during the doubles match. There were some great exchanges during that match.
Happy New Year everyone!
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Post by tikigirl on Jan 2, 2008 19:04:36 GMT
There are definitely some weird results so far this year. What the hell happened to Baghdatis in Chennai? Short of injury, it's ridiculous for him to be beaten by someone ranked outside the top 100. His AO final is looking more and more like a fluke to me (YMMV -- I know he has some fans here). Oh well; at least Youzhny is doing well.
Is Chennai televised at all, or do I have to rely on channelsurfing.net?
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Post by whyistherumgone on Jan 2, 2008 19:41:48 GMT
There are definitely some weird results so far this year. What the hell happened to Baghdatis in Chennai? Short of injury, it's ridiculous for him to be beaten by someone ranked outside the top 100. His AO final is looking more and more like a fluke to me (YMMV -- I know he has some fans here). Oh well; at least Youzhny is doing well. Is Chennai televised at all, or do I have to rely on channelsurfing.net? I watch Chennai using TVAnts. Much better quality than anything else I've seen. As for Baggy...who knows. It's the beginning of the season. Rust is normal. Youzhny may be winning, but he has struggled a lot at times. If he runs into a good player (or just a better player than who he's been playing), he's in a load of trouble. Andy Murray had some trouble today, too. Got his ass kicked in the first set. His opponent crumbled, which saved him. And even Rafa looked rusty in his first match. But it was still a straight set win.
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Post by printwhoreatwork on Jan 3, 2008 5:28:50 GMT
Can't hate on Nole anymore, he was so sweet during the doubles, he chased nearly everything down so Jelena wouldn't have to. I'm a sucker for gentlemanly conduct like that.
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Post by whyistherumgone on Jan 3, 2008 6:03:04 GMT
Oh I can still hate him. That's not gentlemanly to me...that's being a human. Nice to see he at least hasn't lost that.
He then went on to say that the best part of mixed doubles was the girl bending over in front of him.
Chuckles all around.
Not from me.
Jackass.
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Post by printwhoreatwork on Jan 3, 2008 7:00:09 GMT
Did he really say that about Jelena? Oh Djoko. Anyway, I will say that I spent most of the match looking at the exact same thing he was, so... ;D
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Post by printwhoreatwork on Jan 3, 2008 7:23:28 GMT
whyistherumgone, I tried to track down the post-match on-court interview and Novak didn't say anything about Jelena's admittedly lovely posterior:
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He did say that Wimbledon was a "small tournament" though. Heh.
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Post by falafaclese on Jan 3, 2008 12:28:37 GMT
He actually said it during the interview after his singles match. The interviewer basically asked him if he liked mixed doubles, and he said yes, because you could kiss your partner after the match and between points, and he also said he liked it because your partner bends over in front of you when you're waiting to return serves. Kind of a sophomoric joke, but I don't think he meant anything by it, and he seemed to look appropriately sheepish after saying it. He also said (in response to the interviewer's inquiry about whether he was ready to take the lead in the mixed doubles because of Jelena's injury) that he was looking to her for leadership because she had more experience with doubles and was a Wimby champ.
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Post by chestylarue on Jan 3, 2008 16:09:29 GMT
For anyone who is interested in Chennai- I have found this stream that is quite good www.bhejafry.net/tvshows/watchlivetv.php?l=31I am enjoying the announcers, they have very pleasant voices. In the going to hell files- I hate to say it, but when I was watching the Hopman Cup- I couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be a large number of quite overweight people in the audience. I noticed that last year at Adelaide as well. I guess it just strikes me because I always think of Australia as a fit nation - in particular in comparison to the US. Is it just me or does it look like Nole has gotten a little broader in the shoulders in the off season. I am sure that he will take his shirt off soon enough for me to verify. Does anyone know of a live feed for Adelaide? I am pretty interested in the Hewitt/Tsonga match tomorrow.
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Post by wrongami on Jan 3, 2008 16:22:38 GMT
Happy New Year, my friends! Well, as a lifelong tennis fanatic, I must say that I'm surprised to find I'm more excited about this year's tennis season than I have been for any year previous. Maybe if I list the more specific things I'm wondering about for 2008, my all-time high interest will make more sense to me. So here goes (men's side only to start - I have a feeling it's gonna be a long list, and I'll do the women's list in a separate post):
1) Will Feds pick up the two or three slams needed to tie or break Pete's slam record? 2) Will the Davydenko situation be resolved, and will Davy just keep playing eighty gazillion matches while he waits? 3) Will Murray stay injury free and realize the potential that once had him lumped in with Djokovic as the next breakout star? 4) Will the Djoker himself be able to sustain or even build on last year, or will he flame out like Blake did after his initial resurgence two years ago? 5) Will Gasquet ever sustain the form that once put him in the Djoko/Murray contingent alluded to above? 6) How will Rafa's knees hold up? Will any scheduling concessions be made in deference to the toll his body has taken in previous seasons? 7) Will Nalbandian continue his resurgence and fine form? 8) Ditto other vets like Moya and Hewitt. 9) Will Vince Spadea ever retire? 10) Who will be the breakout star of 2008, bursting into the Top Ten or making the semis/finals of a slam? Calleri? Wawrinka? Tipsarevic? Other?
OK - I suppose that's enough for now. But I'm very interested to hear what y'all think about some of these ponderings and I'd also love to read some of your own Anticipatory Musings of '08. I'll be back later with the Ladies' List, but for now suffice it to say that it will start and end with Lindsay...
I can't wait for the AO to turn my sleep cycle upside down! And I also have the Tennis Channel for the first time ever, too! To sum up: 2008, woo hoo!
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Post by amarathe on Jan 3, 2008 17:43:26 GMT
I think Fed is just so dominating that everyone else is just trying to crawl out of his shadow. I have no faith that Fat Dave will continue his surge last year, but if he does, that would make men's tennis much more interesting. I guess I'm more interested in the women this year. The parity is greater and there are more interesting stories (for me at least). I really want Davenport to win a slam and I'm particularly excited by the reports that Serena is in the best shape of her life. If Mauresmo somehow regains her form, this could be a fantastic year in women's tennis.
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Post by chestylarue on Jan 3, 2008 18:24:51 GMT
I actually do think that this year will be exciting for both the men and the women – I think it may be one of those great years where there is plenty of excitement on both sides and am looking forward to it.
Onto your questions wrongami 1) I think Feds will get two grand slams this year. I think that a first time grand slam winner will get the AO. 2) I hope it is resolved- but don’t think Davy will play as many matches as his body has started to take the toll. 3) I am pretty confident that Murray will end the year in the top five. In his first three matches of the year- he has had a bagel in each. He is fun and I feel he brings excitement to the tour. He has a very unique game and I think he will knock off at least two of the top three (Nole, Feds, Rafa). He has beaten Nole and Feds before, and has come very close to beating Nadal. 4) I think he will sustain in some respects and perhaps even build. I don’t think he is comparable to Blake as he is ascending at 20 whereas Blake was a bit older. 5) I am giving Ree-shard one more year until I sadly lump him in with Malisse as an unrealized talent. He needs to get his head screwed on straight. 6) I am worried about Rafa’s knees and his foot. They have made some concessions the past couple of years- but they need to find a fine line between not taking too much time off after Wimbledon and not playing too soon after. I am fairly certain he will not play Hamburg this year if he reaches the finals of Monte Carlo and Rome. 7) I hope he does. When he is on, he adds a lot of drama to the sport. 8) The first part of the year is critical for Hewitt- I think the Aussie Open, and this weeks tournament will be very important in determining his year. I am not sure though that I can see him winning another grand slam though. I don’t think Moya will threaten at any slams- but could be a spoiler on the way. I think he will go yet another year winning a tournament – which would make it something like 12 out of 13 years a row that he has one a tournament in a calendar year. The year he didn't win a tournament (1999- he lost the finals of Indian Wells in 5 sets) 9) Please- please! 10) I think Wawrinka is a good call for someone who could have a break out season. I could also see Tsonga making some noise since he is finally healthy for a long stretch for the first time in a career and I have a feeling that Monaco could make it to the semis of the French. I would in particular love to see Jo and Juan have strong years.
I am curious to see how the youngest guys will do- Clilic (starting well) JMDP (starting not so well) and Gulbis (likewise), Young (hasn’t played yet) – this year. I think Karlovic and Isner may continue to build on their momentum from last year.
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