Davis Cup QFs: Murray Leads Great Britain At Home Against France, Reeling Aussies Host Kazakhs

As seemed likely, Gilles Simon, ranked No 11, was too good for James Ward, newly arrived at No 89.
Murray v Tsonga is going with serve so far, and luckily there’s been no rain.

July 17th, 2015 at 10:22 am

How did the Aussies end up 0-2 against Kazakhstan? I can see Quadruple K losing to (Triple K?) Kukushkin, who is a very good player and seems to play his best at Davis Cup. But how did Kyrios end up losing to Nedovyesov (who I’d never heard of before)?

July 17th, 2015 at 10:49 am

Go Team GB!

July 17th, 2015 at 10:49 am

http://www.foxsports.com.au/tennis/davis-cup-2015-questions-raised-over-nick-kyrgios-attitude-during-quarter-finals-in-darwin/story-e6frf4mu-1227446150301?sv=76fda188ca0363514c6b988f6bef2fa5
RZ. Maybe you can find your answer here. The man is a disgrace. 😡🙈

July 17th, 2015 at 11:00 am

Was there today Friday. . Ward didn’t show. Andy was terrific, too good for Joe. Great atmosphere. Hoarse from shouting. Up close and personal to the players as they left the ground.What’s not to like ;)
Excellent day, I say!
Go Team G.B.!

July 17th, 2015 at 4:42 pm

@Margot – wonderful that you were able to be there. Even is Ward had shown up, asking him to beat Simon is a tough ask. Simon is stronger mentally than Querrey and Isner. Hopefully Jamie and Dom can win the doubles tomorrow. We don’t want this to go to a 5th rubber.

July 17th, 2015 at 5:31 pm

RZ: Simon played really well with much improved net skills.Wardy was very flat ad kept shanking. I don’t know if we can win the doubles tbh, French pair is good, but if we can’t…no way Ward can beat Joe who was serving light out.
PS In “real” life they are all much taller and slimmer than on TV. Our Andy looks positively skinny and Joe had lost a stone!

July 18th, 2015 at 1:47 am

Great Margot – I was wondering if you were there – I picked you out on several occasions – firstly you were the long legged pigtailed girl in the back; then you were the one in the décolleté seer-sucker dress, then you were etc. etc. etc.

Do you think Jo is carrying a new shoulder injury? May affect him when/if he meets Ward? Or might they replace him (he wasn’t looking too good in the 3rd set)??

Whatever, enjoy.

July 18th, 2015 at 3:44 am

Andy is partnering Jamie in today’s doubles.

July 18th, 2015 at 7:50 am

This is not what I wanted to see. First set to France, and they are dominant so far.

A query: why do players slap hands with their partner when they’ve just LOST a point? What’s to celebrate?

July 18th, 2015 at 8:58 am

Serbia lose to Argentina. Well done Argies. 😜

July 18th, 2015 at 12:56 pm

@Colin

I guess to let each other know there are no hard feelings ? That they’re in this together ? That although you screwed it up but all is forgotten and let’s focus on the next point ? If they just stared at each other (or just avoided eye-contact completely), I don’t think it would convey this message. Physical contact conveys the message in a stronger manner.

The doubles game is interesting; for an hour or two, you and your partner are like married couples. You’ve got to help each other out — emotionally and game-wise.

I have a feeling Colin would be least interested in reading my explanation (because deep down he knows why they do it).

July 18th, 2015 at 1:27 pm

@Colin – it’s not to celebrate, it’s along the lines of saying “come on, let’s do this” or “good try.” Or as Patson says, no hard feelings. More of a morale booster than anything else.

July 18th, 2015 at 3:36 pm

Good win by the Murray brothers yesterday. Now Andy needs to finish it off tomorrow. We need that 5th rubber to be a dead rubber.

July 18th, 2015 at 3:37 pm

Explanations accepted; I suppose I’m living in the past. It did originally mean celebration, I think, when it was called high fiving, being yet another thing appropriated from black Americans, along with jazz and other things.

Off at a tangent, have you noticed what a great looking girlfriend Tsonga has? To judge by her name, she’s from an Arab country; I wonder if he met her at one of the desert tournaments.

July 18th, 2015 at 4:14 pm

There is a plenty of Arabs and French Arabs living in France, no need to go to North Africa, Noura el Shwekh is one of them I guess…right mat4?

July 18th, 2015 at 10:06 pm

On the other note, Wally Masur dropped Kyrgios in favor of Groth for deciding third day, at least Groth is going to give his best for the difference of disinterested Kyrgios. So far so good, first set to Groth.

July 18th, 2015 at 10:12 pm

Scotland is on the verge of Davis cup semi-final. Very good accomplishment that even a good Englishman can appreciate.

July 18th, 2015 at 11:24 pm

Great effort by Sam Groth and another smart move (hopefully) by Wally Masur, he dropped Kokkinakis and put old warhorse Hewitt for the fifth deciding rubber.

July 19th, 2015 at 12:48 am

Very good win for the Murray Bros. yesterday – so full of passion – Andy couldn’t contain himself – jumping up and down with excitement….oh yes!
Hopefully he’s got a lot left in the tank for Simon, who is no slooch.

July 19th, 2015 at 3:48 am

Tennis Trebles: Newly-weds

Berdych
Rosol
Lopez

Congrats to all

July 19th, 2015 at 4:11 am

@WB:

An answer to such a question and in France, right now, you could go to prison…

But yes, there are about 10 millions Arabs in France.

July 19th, 2015 at 5:09 am

mat4,

What for, it wasn’t derogatory in any way, just stating the facts?
It is just demographic question, anyway, I wouldn’t like to go prison, unless it is Scandinavian one;)

July 19th, 2015 at 5:38 am

@WB:

It’s very complicated.

July 19th, 2015 at 5:47 am

mat4,

Don’t worry, I checked Wiki and found the answer if this is what you are talking about:

“A law originating from the 1789 revolution and reaffirmed in the 1958 French Constitution makes it illegal for the French state to collect data on ethnicity and ancestry. “

July 19th, 2015 at 5:49 am

WB:

Yes, and that’s what distorts Emmanuel Todd’s data about assimilation. Zemmour told it openly in a debate with Todd, BTW, but Zemmour has enough problems of his own lately, after his last book.

July 19th, 2015 at 7:23 am

Andy Murray est magnifique.

July 19th, 2015 at 11:14 am

Public Service Announcement

To all eligible men (including Mr. Judy Murray)

Spanish darling and always gorgeous looking Deliciano Lopez is officially off the market. All good women have to settle down sometime. Time has now come for Deliciano.

But no need to worry. Many many baby Delicianos are planned shortly and available for viewing soon. Given the beauty of Deliciano, Stefans, Double Twins, etc have no chance of even competing against Deliciano baby.

July 19th, 2015 at 11:41 am

So happy for Hewitt, getting Australia to the semis in a live 5th rubber after the young guns didn’t show. It will be interesting to see who they pick to play singles against GB.

Andy was also great this weekend, responsible for every point along w/ Jamie in the doubles. I’ve never seen him that emotional after a win, even after the grand slams. It’s great when you see the top players decide that Davis Cup matters and they put everything into it. Bit of a blow for France after getting to the final last year, but they weren’t as present as team GB. They needed a little Gael force (no pun intended).

July 19th, 2015 at 12:59 pm

@Margot:

Our old allies… the Scots! High treason!

But we beat Serbia to win the World Cup in Volley Ball. Sorry WB…

July 19th, 2015 at 3:13 pm

YAY LETS GO TEAM GB ;)….

July 19th, 2015 at 3:29 pm

Not that a piece of paper makes 1 iota of difference,but wanted to wish the newleyweds all the best for the future,Berdych,Rosol,Lopez(shame that ones off the market),just glad it aint FF,please Flavia dont be making an honest man of him yet lol….

July 19th, 2015 at 3:34 pm

Mat4
Re yours to Margo – it’s her right to reply to you..
As a Scot and an advocate of the “auld alliance” (luv the French) we’re sorri to do that to our friends – we also lie beautifully…..
LOL

July 19th, 2015 at 4:29 pm

“But we beat Serbia to win the World Cup in Volley Ball. Sorry WB…”

No probs mat4, that was payback for our girls beating France in the final of European basketball championship few weeks ago.. and our boys won U20 European basketball championship last night beating Spain in the final…and boys U20 won Football World Cup in NZ beating Brasil (sorry Daniel) in the final…and water polo team won world cup…and No1e won Wimbledon…not such a bad July for the small country, with the big heart, like SERBIA:))

July 19th, 2015 at 7:02 pm

@Margot – oui oui!
Well done Team GB (a.k.a. Team Murray)

July 19th, 2015 at 7:36 pm

You should look at Delician’s partner and wonder “why?, seriously, why?

July 19th, 2015 at 9:02 pm

@Humble Rafa – Good thing Team GB won their Davis Cup match. It will help Judy Murray get over her disappointment of not being the one getting married to “Deliciano.” :-)

July 19th, 2015 at 11:11 pm

@WB:

Yes, WB, a very talented nation in sports, although there is a lack of organization and, of course, money… Since I am a fan of basketball, I remember well your different teams from the 80s et 90s. I watched the pre-olympic tournament in Genève, in 1979, and I saw then Brabender, Kropilak, Meneghin… but when I watched (on TV, of course) the Olympic tournament, and the Soviet and Yugoslavian teams, they were so good, that no European star could find a place in those franchise: Belov, Iovaisha, Dalipagic, Delibasic… Then, after that, Drazen Petrovic, Kukoc, Divac, Stojakovic, and the most underestimated of all, but, in my view, the best, Paspalj…

In 1989 they were simply magical, rolling over other teams with a minimum of 20 points. I was eager to see that team playing against the American “Dream team”, and I guess it would have been a great match.

July 20th, 2015 at 5:44 am

@mat4,

You are right, that basketball team was best ever team in the world outside USA, I don’t think they would be able to beat Dream Team, but they would give them run for the money. Bad timing for civil war, and yes, I loved Paspalj too and he played for my club. He had massive heart attacks twice, first at the age of 35, hardly survived …and he is still smoking:)

Sean Elliott on Zarko Paspalj:

http://youtu.be/5CNCgw-obwU

July 20th, 2015 at 6:37 am

RZ to funny lol….

July 20th, 2015 at 7:14 am

^Sorry too not to duh^….

July 20th, 2015 at 7:17 am

Andy clearly wants to win Davis Cup!
He showed such astonishing grit
I thought it was a match too far
Well it probably was, but he found a way
Cringed when everyone was shouting `England England`
As it was clear a pair of Scottish brothers were the only reason for this
I’m not sure we even deserve Andy Murray.
If he does win it all (and there’s no one to touch him on the other teams), I hope it gives him a moment of clarity that happened to a certain other player once he had won DC……………

July 20th, 2015 at 8:07 am

CDP –
I also thought it was a match too far – but Andy clearly was up for it.

Are you able to say what “happened to a certain other player once he had won DC….”. Or is it too sensitive?

July 20th, 2015 at 10:33 am

Why would it be `too sensitive`?
My feewings never get hurt
I just get angry JK
I’m talking about Novak ofcourse!
Where WERE you in 2011?!
On a side note, I must sincerely apologise to mat4
Although I rarely agree with this poster I should at least argue with him on what he actually said.
I misunderstood a line of his argument about Federer’s last performance last year in a final and mistook it to mean his LAST match (ie the one with Andy)
Jeez, I was seriously furious then and my rage which was brighter & hotter than the output of all of the galaxy’s suns created the confusion (and laziness too)
But I’ve calmdowned now,
for the time being!
Peace!

July 20th, 2015 at 10:57 am

@CDP
“Now all my rage been gone,
I’ll leave my rage to the sea and sun.”
courtesy Laura Marling.

July 20th, 2015 at 12:45 pm

@CDP:

No problemos. Apologies accepted.

I don’t fully remember what it was all about and how it started, but I know that it degenerated and was ugly. Guess we both wrote things we don’t really think.

Please have in mind that English is not my first language, and that I can write things inadvertently, meaning to say something else. Just ask for a clarification, next time, since I am always ready to explain myself better — if I am aware of my error.

July 20th, 2015 at 2:14 pm

@CDP:

Found the thread with the dispute. And yes, although I started well, I finished trolling. We don’t have to agree, but I believe there is always another way to put our arguments to the table.

(I believe they could hire me for “Allo, allo” with this English).

July 20th, 2015 at 2:25 pm

Why thank you Mat4
You’re certainly off the hook!
You say you were `trolling` but you were just fighting back.
It was all me really (you really weren’t in the wrong)
I was the naughty one (had a few too)!
I usually am anyway :)

July 20th, 2015 at 2:37 pm

@ CDP

I wasn’t really around in 2011 – let’s just say it was a year I would not care to replicate on a personal basis.

Re. Tennis – my interest is really very much based on the present and on 2-year results. Appreciate others have different views.

Cheers

July 20th, 2015 at 4:02 pm