Defending Champ Venus Rolls in Opener; Wimbledon Notes

Yay!!!! Sharapova is out, woohoo!!! No more annoyingly unnecessary shrieking, I can finally un-mute the TV!

June 24th, 2009 at 11:15 am

lol “classy” Federer refused to sign the kids tennis balls when he left the court.

guess he’s still mad he was forced to leave home without his gold cape and crown.

“Shan Says:
Yay!!!! Sharapova is out, woohoo!!! No more annoyingly unnecessary shrieking, I can finally un-mute the TV!”

de brito is still playing.

June 24th, 2009 at 1:10 pm

I Like etc.: I was wondering if I was the only one who had to do that when Shriekapova was playing. ALthough damn does she look good at Wimbledon in all whites. More slo-mo slippings please.

Federer looked very precise today. I think Nadal being out of the tournament has relaxed him a bit and helped his focus.

Cilic is a good player but how the hell did he get up to #11 in the world? I haven’t even seen a very solid result from him yet. Is men’s tennis really that top heavy?

June 24th, 2009 at 1:16 pm

Yah De Brito, can’t wait till she’s nuked too. I prefer my women to scream in the confines of my bedroom only as long as it’s real. Shriekapova’s scream kinda reminds me of a fake orgasm.

Ty Tennis must be top heavy – very tough top 4 guys right now in the game!

June 24th, 2009 at 2:12 pm

Glad to see some guys here finally saying they find the Shrieka’s ‘shrieks’ annoying. Last week some gals were discussing it, and we were deemed ‘catty’ by a male poster. Not only is her shrieking annoying and deafening, I’ve also found her prissy rituals to be in poor taste too. She’s been warned in both of her matches to step things up, but she seems unaffected, she repeats it all over again. It seems to me that she likes to dare the umpires to fine her. And, why was was she given a higher seeding by the Wimby Committee, on what grounds? Also, why has she played only on Centre court while Safina, Ivanovic, and some higher ranked players were relegated to one of the other courts? Not to mention her match taking up valuable air time on American TV when we have American players playing. Utterly ridiculous!

June 24th, 2009 at 2:44 pm

Sharapova should just become a model. That way, she does not have to open her mouth. She is good to look at but immensely annoying when she shrieks during tennis matches. Nothing delights me better than when somebody quiet on the court beats her.

June 24th, 2009 at 2:48 pm

Von: welcome to my hell. For years I have been cheering for Sharapova and Williams X2 to lose early in the first couple rounds so that I just don’t have to see them on TV when there are matches all over the grounds worth watching. But yes, I am annoyed with her most of the time unless she is falling in slo-motion with little skirts on. Sue me.

As far as the mens game goes, I haven’t seen much heart and fight in the lower ranked players as most of them have pretty much laid down as expected against the top seeded guys (excluding top 4 who should dominate anyways). I remember when upsets used to be almost expected and now they all just cruise. Kinda boring really. Plus another pull-out today against Tsonga, at least the other guys are giving it a shot (albeit half-heartedly).

June 24th, 2009 at 2:50 pm

Polo: what I really don’t understand are the reports that she doesn’t even make a noise on the practice courts while hitting with almost the same velocity. I think it’s all basically gamesmanship.

June 24th, 2009 at 2:52 pm

Shriekapoova is not even that hot I never got what all the fuss is about! I think Ivanovic is wayyy hotter and more grounded.

Yah she has that dog eat dog attitude, I guess it is what it is.

Von – what’s catty? She probably got centre court because she sells. As the completely not-hot Serena said the other day, “sex sells”.

June 24th, 2009 at 2:54 pm

Ty that’s exactly right, it’s totally gamesmanship. Sometimes she screams at the top of her lungs and guess what – it’s a drop shot or a really short ball, totally not deep and slow pace. It’s total abuse of the system

June 24th, 2009 at 3:13 pm

Polo, nice to see you around. I doubt Sharapova has many modeling years left — she seems to lose some of her beauty as she’s gotten older, and her face seems to be covered in acne and sun spots. HD TV shows every pore. OY. Hence, I doubt the modeling would be a lucrative field if it weren’t for tennis. She’s been sought after because sponsors like attractive athletes = beauty sells. I also think she’s not too smart when she speaks. “You know, um, you know, am, you know”, wet the lips ever so delicately, and some more you knows — then the little girly sexpot pouts. She loves to play the press. Gimme a break, there are a lot more beautiful girls who are smart, and don’t have those airs and graces.
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TY: I empathize with you. I can’t bear to watch her play on TV. The time violations and her prissy lip wetting, pushing back of the imaginary hair, etc., bugs the hell outta me. Her tennis is OK, but it ain’t that spectacular to have to put up with her idiosyncrasies.

I don’t know about the lower ranked guys not pushing and/or their lack of heart, but since talking about the draws seems to be a verboten topic on the threads, all I can say is that I see the men’s tennis as lopsided with respect to the draws and the top 4 will always go through to the SFs, because they are pitted against such lower-ranked opponents all of the time. It seems to me that there is inordinate concern for a top-ranked player meeting a lower ranked player in the draw. Yes, upsets do happen, but it’s not the norm, and more of a one-off, and there is a reason why the players are ranked so low, hence the concern is somewhat unnecessary, but it seems to have become somewhat infectious.

June 24th, 2009 at 3:14 pm

Good job Sam in taking it to a fifth. I figured he was dead in the water after losing the third and down a break. It is hard to determine whether or not there is much between them actually (Cilic-Querry). I’m certain it is going to come down to mental toughness which the no. 11 player should have more of.

June 24th, 2009 at 3:21 pm

TY: It was Martina Navratilova who first mentioned that she’s observed Sharapova during her practise times, and she doesn’t make a sound. Thus, why does she need to scream so loudly when she’s playing? Not only is it gamesmanship, it’s also her defiance of the rules of etiquette and her total disregard for her opponent’s right to quiet time to think about their game, and, that’s most decidedly ‘gamesmanship’. Haven’t you also noticed that with each shot in a rally, when she hammers the ball, it goes up a few more decibels. sheesh. a 24 shot rally is horrendous to the ears. OUCH.
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Shan: I don’t know what you mean about “what’s catty”. A few of us were called ‘catty’ for discussing Sharapova’s on-court antics. If you’re asking me what ‘catty means, here’s the dictionary meaning: slyly malicious; spiteful: a catty gossip; bitchy. It’s a term used by mostly men to describe women’s criticisms.

June 24th, 2009 at 3:25 pm

Come on Sambo, keep the flag ‘a flyin’! pull this one out and you might get a spot in Davis Cup.

June 24th, 2009 at 3:27 pm

shriekapova the cow also takes up valuable tv time in europe, every time she is “playing”, tv people stop showing everything else and always concentrate on her match, which leaves us the viewers with two choices: turn off the tv and wait until it’s over or close or eyes and pretend it’s a porn movie. Thank you miss dulko for kicking her out of the tournnament.

michele brito, who should be renamed “decibel grito” (grito is scream in portuguese) lost the first set and is down a brake, go schiavone!!!

next investment for wimbledon after the roof: a decibel measuring machine, whcih should be much cheaper, and an anti-noise ruling militarily imposed in every tournament.

June 24th, 2009 at 3:31 pm

@Von – thx for the definition of catty!
@xmike – Imagine if you were on centre court with the roof closed watching Shriekapoova versus Brito….EGADS!!!!

June 24th, 2009 at 3:35 pm

Von: “Haven’t you also noticed that with each shot in a rally, when she hammers the ball, it goes up a few more decibels”

Yes!! There are times when it is screaming bloody murder almost.

[mute]

June 24th, 2009 at 3:36 pm

xmike: I think there should be an allowance for some grunting, considering it has spread to infectious proportions, and is now considered the ‘norm’ for tennis. Maybe a committee to decide on what’s an acceptable level, then the tournaments should have a decibel measuring machine installed, which would give off a deafening sound when an offense is committed. This should embarrass the offenders, but I doubt it will make an impression on Sharapova.

I usually tape the matches when I know Sharapova is scheduled to play, this way, when I watch on replay, I can fast forward and eliminate her match completely. There’s more than one way to skin a cat. LOL.

June 24th, 2009 at 3:42 pm

Shan: “Imagine if you were on centre court with the roof closed watching Shriekapoova versus Brito….EGADS!!!!”

Oh My God, I would be holding my head screaming: “lemme outta here”. Well, to begin with, I wouldn’t buy a ticket to watch her play, so the chances of that happening would be close to ‘nil’.

June 24th, 2009 at 3:44 pm

I find Serena’s screaming to be rather annoying too. A number of the WTA players do it. Venus does it much less and it the more enjoyable sister to watch, esp. on grass. Doesn’t Azarenka also “shriek”? Can’t remember.

June 24th, 2009 at 3:45 pm

Von: Ahh, the lengths we US tennis fans must go to to get our precious tennis fix. Besides soccer, I can’t think of another sport that is treated as poorly.

Ahhh… too bad Querrey but nice showing nontheless. He almost made that backhand pass.

June 24th, 2009 at 3:47 pm

Jane: if their name ends in ‘ova or ‘enka they’re a shrieker.

June 24th, 2009 at 3:49 pm

Cilic and Sam showed us a glimpse of the future. I like both.

Ty, lol. But I think you’re wrong. Kuz is quiet, and good.

June 24th, 2009 at 3:53 pm

TY: “Von: Ahh, the lengths we US tennis fans must go to to get our precious tennis fix. Besides soccer, I can’t think of another sport that is treated as poorly.”

Yes we’re an insatiable lot, aren’t we? I agree with you that Tennis and soccer are very poorly treated. In fact, I think tennis is the lowest on the totem pole for respect. If it weren’t for European soccer broadcasts, soccer being shown on TV in the US would be on par with tennis. Now, when my son becomes President of the US, his mom will ensure that Tennis be given preference above all other sports. But, i’ll have competition and opposition from my husband, because he loves soccer. Lord help my poor kid! LOL.

June 24th, 2009 at 3:54 pm

Von: I think all we really need is one dynamic top player to come out of the US and we will be saved. Maybe a couple of them and we’re solid.

Maybe instead of president make your son into a tennis player.. lol.

June 24th, 2009 at 3:58 pm

Tennis officials are wimps. They have to be strict with the rules and apply it to all players. It is time to penalize offenders such as those who scream and those who play slow. If a player cannot abide, then goodbye to them. I tend not to watch them play anyway, especially those orgasmic ladies. The tennis court is not the place for that.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:01 pm

OK read all about the Shrieka’s match today.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/24062009/58/wimbledon-women-dulko-stuns-sharapova.html

Now Azarenka wants respect for the grunters; she claims 75% of them grunt. As I said, it’s infectious and has now reached epidemic proportions. Lord help us all, especially moi, who can’t stand noise. OY VEY.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/24062009/58/wimbledon-azarenka-wants-fan-respect-grunters.html

The girl has chutzpah galore! If she wins a slam she’ll probabaly set her own rules. LOL.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:04 pm

TY: My son plays soccer, and my husband coaches soccer, so I’d say soccer would be my son’s preference.

I think the USTA could be more pro-active with respect to the media broadcasting tennis tournaments, but they seem to not care. I sometimes wonder about the USTA and it’s stance on media coverage. Surely, they are cognizant of the public’s wishes to see more tennis broadcasts, hence why aren’t they doing something to help. I’m baffled.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

Von: they should define a limit (say, 65 decibels – in health and saftey regulations it’s normaly 80/85 decibels, but they are using heavy machinery and have ear protectors) install a machine near that showed the number of decibels (similar to service speed) and, just like when you use foul language or brake a racket, after three warnings you’re off.

I already said this on another post: it makes no sense that in a sport where everyone has to be quieter than in an brain operation room for the point to start, and everyone has to be as quiet during the point, one person is allowed to scream like there was no tomorrow during the whole point;

also, it makes even less sense that a player swearing once in a while or breaking a racket to let out steam is imediatly penalized, even if it doesnt bother or injure anyone else, how come they are allowed to scream in every shot of the point?!?

Other things that Navratilova said in an interview and that should be changed are:

1 – getting rid of net calls on serve
2 – no bouncing of ball before serving more than 5 times (the “djokovic” rule)
3 – no throwing up the ball on serve and not playing it (the “pat rafter sorry mate” rule)
4 – no warming up on court, players should arrive ready to play

what does everyone else think? i actually agree with all of them, specilly the net call, which i think is ridiculous..

June 24th, 2009 at 4:10 pm

I see nothing wrong with the warm up. I think rather than the bouncing rule just enforce the 25 second rule. What if a player bounces 6 or 7 times; will they be penalized?

I also think if they’re going to change rules they might (?) want to start first in the juniors, see how it goes, and then that will force the young players to change their habits before they are ingrained.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:18 pm

The slow play doesn’t bother me personally, especially if it’s a really intense match with long rallies, but I am aware that it bothers a lot of people, so therefore the umpires need to enforce the rule. The solution might be to put a clock on court.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:20 pm

xmike:

I agree on the decibel machine, per my post above. I also don’t see the big deal people make when the guys become angry due to a bad call, because that happens maybe once per match. On the other hand, the shrieking is happening on every ball struck.

Yes, I like Martina’s list. She’s been very vociferous on those rules for quite some time now. I think the net call can be good and bad; also the toss. For instance, Ivanovic is having a difficult time with her toss, so should she be penalized? I saw her toss more than 2 times on a few occasions. I wonder if there would be some special concession given, if there was a rule, should that problem happen with a player.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:22 pm

xmike everything you said makes 100% sense, even the Djokovic rule. There are so many idiosyncrasies on the tour today, I’d take an angry McEnroe over many of them in a heartbeat because so many of them are downright annoying, unsportsmanlike, and just plain stupid

June 24th, 2009 at 4:23 pm

One more thing re: the “decibel machine” – they will have to make sure it measures both women’s shrieks and men’s grunts. That’s fine with me. But I don’t see it happening.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:24 pm

Jane: I think (not sure) that the 25 second rule applies until the player starts his “service action”, which does not include the bounces, becuase they are considered to be part of the service action

about changing the rules in the juniores for experimenting, yes, absolutly, but at some point the change will have to come at once and the older seniors will inevitably be affected, in soccer in the 90s, the older goalkeepers had some problems with the back passes when the rule changed but everyone adapted, the same would happen in tennis, there can’t be rules for under 25s and over 25s…

June 24th, 2009 at 4:26 pm

jane: I can see where you’re not offended by the slow playing and the over-kill on the ball bouncing, because your fave is one of the chief offenders. Thus, I don’t know if you’re saying this because you want to protect him, or you genuinely aren’t bothered by those problems. I personally can’t understand how the deliberate dragging on of a match is not annoying to anyone. However, as the saying goes: “Different strokes for different folks”.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:28 pm

I guess I am the odd one out here, but I like idiosyncrasies to a degree; I don’t want to watch a bunch of well-behaved robots.

For example, would the decibel machine then measure when a player screams after missing a key point or winning a set? Or only “during” points?

And what about a player struggling with his/her toss?

Or the “lets” on serves? Is the problem not playing them if they’re in? I guess I can see how it might be a problem in them taking a bad bounce, but then they could be a fault.

Anyway. Be interesting to see if the instigate all of Martinia’s rules.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:28 pm

Von, well I like Rafa a lot too. So perhaps I am biased. Whatever. I am just into seeing a good tennis match and I don’t pay attention to the clock. Nor the toss. Nor the lets. Nor the shrieking, too much. Although admittedly that is the ONE thing that bothers me most out of all the complaints here.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:30 pm

I miss Steffi. She just plays straight and pure tennis. No screaming, no delay of game, no posing for the cameras, no theatrics, no arguing with the umpire. Martina N, too. And look at how great they are in the tennis world. Until another player of their caliber and demeanor comes along and demolishes all the noisy girls, I will stay away from ladies tennis.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:40 pm

the decibel machine shuould be near the net to measure both sides simultaneasly, and should measure both grunts and screams and show the number so everyone could see; it should measure both male and female players, although as a spectator, i don’t find male grunts as annoying (i think the few guys that grunt don’t do so itloudly, so again less decibels)

if a player bounces 6 or 7 times, he should be warned the first time, and if persists, then the same rule as foul language should apply (point deduction, etc)

they should put a clock on court like basquetball, and the player should actually have to hit the serve in “X” seconds, not just start the service motion, whatever that is (after a long rally or a string breaking, a few extra seconds could be allowed)

if ivanovic or anyone else can’t throw the ball up, it’s her problem, in soccer you don’t get two goes in a free kick and in golf if you miss or swing that counts as a shot, why should tennis players have two opurtunities to play a shot? is there any other sport where this happens? i think cricket bowlers can backtrack in mid run, are there any more examples?

June 24th, 2009 at 4:42 pm

I loved Steffi too. I would be great if another like her came along; she was a very non-dramatic player. Martina was more feisty though, and could be dramatic in her own ways. There is no doubt the women’s tour could use some players with more variety and depth to their games; I think there are some young ones coming up who have that too.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:43 pm

Well if there weren’t any rules, we’d have a society where people do whatever, and whenever they want, and there would be chaos. it’s the reasons we have laws, courts, and law enforcement to ensure these rules are adhered. The same should be applied to sports. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, is logical”, and I wholeheartedly agree.

“Anyway. Be interesting to see if the instigate all of Martinia’s rules.”

How could they ‘instigate’ Martina’s rules, is that possible? I know quarrels can be instigated, but is there such a thing as instigating rules?

June 24th, 2009 at 4:44 pm

I agree about the decibel rule being put in place. An occasional “sorry, mate” is acceptable, but if it happens a ridiculous amount of time (watch Ana Ivanovic’s most recent game – or really any game in the last few months – for an example), then it does interfere with the flow and anticipation of the returner’s game. I think the ball bounce should just be covered by the time allotted before service rule – the ball bouncing counts towards that 20 seconds of whatever amount they get.

The only one I disagree with is cutting out the warm-up as I think it is necessary to keep the muscles warm and decrease injury.

Hate watching Sharapova matches because of the shrieking and also because she takes so freaking long to serve. But the WTA is never going to punish their cash cow so until she retires there is going to be no change to the screaming or drawn-out serves.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:45 pm

As I sit here in my home office, I can hear Sharapova’s loud screams from my TV, on ESPN2. Is this what I shortenend my day to come home and watch? Please somebody tell me, why is it if ESPN has extra time, can’t they show the matches that are being played on the other courts? Instead we see repeats of the matches played on Centre court, with the hyena screaming at the top of her lungs. Something’s not right with these TV broadcasts.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:49 pm

xmike – well, you have very specific ideas. I don’t watch many sports, admittedly. Thus, I think I watch tennis a bit differently than a lot of fans. I get involved in most matches almost like I do in a film; for example, if the film is good I barely notice if it’s 1 and a half hours or 3 and a half hours long. I don’t care if they follow the 180 degree rule with the camera, or if all the plot points match up. Similarly, I get kind of lost in the excitement, the “narrative” if you will, of tennis matches. So maybe that’s why the rule breakers and idiosyncrasies don’t bother me too much. I should leave the rule decisions and discussions to others. To borrow from skeezerweezer, I’m out.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:51 pm

Von – catch the matches on internet video streams – it’s the way to go! When I get tired of the commentary, I mute and tune into different commentary provided for free on Wimbledon radio. I also like how they have 3 radio stations.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:53 pm

Mina: I agree with the warm-up, especially for serving. Basball pitchers keep their arms warm.

I mentioned Ana’s toss, and I think it’s become a phobia for her. I think she needs to cut out the little dance between each toss. She’s now emulating Sharapova big time.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:53 pm

Von perhaps that’s not the best word choice, but according to my dictionary “instigate” means: “bring about or initiate (an action or event) : they instigated a reign of terror | instigating legal proceedings.” Therefore, I would assume that they can “initiate” or “bring about” Martina’s rules.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:54 pm

I don’t remember, but was Sharapova that noisy when she won Wimbledon? There seems to be an inordinate amount of screamers who were trained by Bolitteri (spelling?). He probably encourages them to do so to irritate their opponents.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:54 pm

Shan: Thanks for the information. Unfortunately, I don’t like watching video streams because I sit at my computer for so many hours a day for my job, thus, my TV complaints. Also, our office policy prohibits watching live streaming and it’s why I came home early today.

June 24th, 2009 at 4:58 pm

espn used a clock on roddick the other day. I didnt watch most of the match was he taking too long to serve? if so then that is unusual he doesnt normally take a lot of time to serve.

June 24th, 2009 at 5:43 pm

Two quotes from Azarenka that show how desperately useless these women are:

“I have been doing it since I was 10 years old because I wasn’t really strong and that would help me to accelerate more and put more power on the ball. I cannot change it, it helps me to play.

“Some people said players who do grunt can play without grunting. For me I cannot do that. If people do it on purpose or not, it is none of my business. I only care about myself.”

Grunting didn’t make her hit harder, swinging harder did, no matter what she idiotically believes. And she can definitely not grunt, she just doesn’t want to – big difference between can’t and won’t. And yes, I agree wholeheartedly with the last sentence.

She doesn’t care about the fans who have to put up with that nonsense, or her opponents – just herself.

June 24th, 2009 at 5:52 pm

Thanks for the link, Von.

June 24th, 2009 at 5:52 pm

“I like tennis bullies” – I think the clock was strictly in reference to the how long his service games were taking, not how long he was taking in between points. Roddick’s never been a guy who takes too long between points.

June 24th, 2009 at 5:53 pm

I think the decibel meter is not a good idea. I think Jane had it right – they should enforce these rules staring in the juniors and you’ll never hear this rubbish again.

June 24th, 2009 at 5:55 pm

bullies: No. In fact, he used less than the amount of seconds allowed. The consensus of opinion — he’s old scool, where they just hit the ball and serve without any fuss, muss, and 25 bounces.

June 24th, 2009 at 5:55 pm

The clock idea I fully endorse.

June 24th, 2009 at 5:55 pm

delpo takes a lot of time between points too.

June 24th, 2009 at 6:01 pm

MMT: You’re welcome.

How can they enforce rules beginning with the juniors when the juniors are taught in the schools to engage in grunting? To me, that’s where the young players pick up their bad habits.

According to the commentators on Roddick, he’s old school and does not engage in the semantics of the younger players. His service games per set is about 25 – 30 minutes. He has the record for the shortest amount of time for a 3 set match at Wimby, approx. 2 years ago. So what does that tell you? It’s the new school of thought that’s the true culprit. I think the ITF/ATP/WTA need to put their heads together and come up with rules for the schools, or else their arguments and/or rules, on court technology, will be an exercise in futility.

The ineptness of umpires are costing the tourneys money due to bad calls, hence we have Hawkeye. The way things now look, the schools will cost them money for on-court equipment, due to launching a breed of screamers. What’s next?

June 24th, 2009 at 6:11 pm

jane:

“Thus, I think I watch tennis a bit differently than a lot of fans. I get involved in most matches almost like I do in a film; for example, if the film is good I barely notice if it’s 1 and a half hours or 3 and a half hours long.”

You’re an exception to the rule. I don’t think we can equate watching a film with watching a tennis match. We can watch a film at any time of the day or night, but tennis matches are played live according to a schedule, and it’s why there is an Order of Play’. Therefore, if a player uses up too much time with his many on-court semantics, the matches will drag out, and postponed. Is this fair to the other players and/or the fans? No way, and I doubt there are many players who’d want their matches to be postponed due to their colleagues’ lack of sportsmanship and indiscretions.

June 24th, 2009 at 6:22 pm

Grunting should have no effect on one’s game. In fact, I think it’s a waste of energy when used constantly. For example, in karate, noises are made with certain types of hits to focus the energy and power, but they are not used constantly like in a tennis match and they do not sound as intrusive to fans as irritating shrieks and wails.

If what Navratilova says is true and Sharapova does not shriek during practice sessions and can still hit the ball, then what she does during a game comes down to pure gamesmanship and not due habit. Even if the grunting is habitual (as Azarenka claims) – habits can be broken. Rafa was able to break some of his rituals over time and he takes much less time in between serves now and it hasn’t affected his game one iota.

June 24th, 2009 at 6:35 pm

Von: I love that Roddick is old school and just plays the ball as quickly as he can while still respecting his opponent’s prep time. I like when he plays Federer because they are both quick between serves and just get down to business with no crazy rituals – no fuss, no muss.

June 24th, 2009 at 6:40 pm

Ok…Is anyone going to start discussing tennis?

You people are getting a little bit obsessive about serving rituals and shrieks. Just a tiny little bit.

60 posts and not one of them about tennis. I’m really disappointed.

What did you guys think of Roger’s match today? i think he came out planning on not using more than 60% of his ability, more than enough to demolish Garcia-Lopez. He was solid off the baseline, but he was too casual with his volley’s and approach shots that he was uncharacteristically bad at the ned today. And I mean BAD., but I think it’s because he was so in control that he was experimenting a lot. I don’t think there’s a tactic in tennis that he didn’t try out, most of them worked, but I think he meeds to work on his serve-and-volley (but he doesn’t need to, despite what Johnny Mac is saying).

I only watched Fed’s match as well as Shaparapova’s, but it seems there were a few nail-biters, like Cilic and Querrey, and Kohlschreiber and Minar.

June 24th, 2009 at 6:43 pm

“… habits can be broken.”

Rule of thumb, it takes 21 days to break a habit, so yes, habits can be broken. If people can stop smoking then someone can stop grunting. Learned habits are not innate — they are just learned.

June 24th, 2009 at 6:43 pm

Isn’t grunting and screaming a part of tennis? But I get the point.

There’s not much that’s safe to talk about, so one has to be very careful, nowadays. Can’t talk about the draw, can’t talk about this and that. LOL.

I think yesterday’s matches were a bit more exciting than today’s matches. I’ve only seen a few on TV and am yet to watch Querrey’s match. Unfortunately, some of us work and can’t watch live streaming.

June 24th, 2009 at 6:49 pm

Mina: I like to watch andy play. he brings a kind of electricity to the court that’s missing in some matches. now, I know, many will say his tennis is one-dimensional, unwatchable, not worth talking about, and yada, yada, but I happen to like his style and it’s why I root for him. There are strengths and weaknesses in every player, so I look for, and enjoy, the strengths in my faves and overlook their weaknesses. I think sports would be boring if every player was the ‘perfect’ one. I happen to like the variety of the greats and the not so greats.

June 24th, 2009 at 7:04 pm

One of the things I like about tennis matches is that they do not have a “set” length, like a hockey game, which has three 20 minute periods and then overtimes if need be. Most sports have a “set” time frame like that don’t they? I guess baseball has the innings but they aren’t timed.

Anyhow, tennis matches, say in a grand slam format, can be of varying lengths depending on whether they last 3 sets or 4, or go the full 5. And then at Wimbledon there isn’t even a 5th set tiebreak so they could go on forever! LOL. Match times are affected also by whether they consist mainly of short points with big serves or are full of longer rallies or maybe they’ll have injury time outs or maybe call disputes. I like the variety of tennis and tennis players; it’s such a great sport.

June 24th, 2009 at 7:10 pm

ESPN bottom line just flashed, per BetFair, there was a high amount of bets on Melzer’s straight sets match. According to BetFair, the increase in betting was “very visible”. Anyone know about this?

June 24th, 2009 at 7:12 pm

And can anyone please tell me why Cilic vs. Querrey was played on Centre Court?!

June 24th, 2009 at 7:14 pm

Because Querrey is American and his match is being shown on American TV which covers Centre Court. I’d like to know why Sharapova was on American TV and Centre Court for both of her matches

June 24th, 2009 at 7:27 pm

Von:

Yeah he’s American but it’s just Querrey. Roddick deserves to play on Centre Court but Querrey? No way.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter now that he’s out.

June 24th, 2009 at 7:35 pm

Hi All,

I didn’t read all the posts ( I just got in ) but wanted to chime in on the overall on the two subjects:

-Taking to much time overall in between points.

As a fan, I don’t mind the time so much, as I think overall they are all not WAY out of whack here, BUT, and I say BUT, once they approach the baseline to set up to serve, or return, there should be a for sure time limit. In my humble opinion there is to time being taken there. WHo wants to watch someone bounce the ball 20 something times and why? Whatch the Senior tours and some of the greats, you don’t see that stuff. Once your ready to play, bounce it the ball 5-7 times, I mean how many times do you need? I start falling asleep or get thrown into some hypnotic glaze after 10 times or more. But that is just me. This is not a knock on Djoke, so don’t go there. I like the guys game a lot. And he was a lot worse before. He just fits in that category like some other guys do ( and gals, Shriekapova has her antics at the baseline also ) . Please, take your time, but when you walk up to the baseline, act like your ready to play. Why all the antics? Rhythm, uh? what?

-Decimal – point penalty

This would be funny! LOL. When it gets to shrieky for me I put it on mute anyway ( Notice, what good does putting on mute when someone is at the baseline to serve, tuggs at this or that, bounces the ball until your asleep, etc, ) but it might not be a bad idea. But what do you do. I think I would have a great laughing moment if one day the umpire said, “Point Penalty”, Shreiking to loud, Ms “Whatever”. I’d love to see the ump do that one day. I’m out

June 24th, 2009 at 7:36 pm

Roddick’s shortest match at Wimby lasted 1 hr. 9 min (against Florian Mayer 2006 in the 2nd Rd.).
Roddick’s court time in 4 matches could be the shortest in any Slam’s history, not sure though: 4 matches in 5 hr. 47 min. (’04 AO) and 4 matches 5 hrs 54 min.(’04 USO).

Fed’s shortest time at Slam was 54 minutes only (Wimby ’04, against Falla, 2nd Rd.). So he beats Roddick even in this category that nobody cares about.

Fed’s 2nd shortest was 1 hr. 2 min (’05 USO, against Ivo Minar). Fed’s 3rd shortest was 1 hr. 12 min., recorded twice (’06 AO against Florian Mayer; ’08 AO, against Hartfield, 1st Rd.).

Is tennis 100 meter sprint, who can reach the finish line fastest?

No, it is not; that’s why we have the “let” call if you rush the opponent. But this does not mean you take 1 min. to choose 2 balls or walk to the net leisurely to check the call like DePo does or bounce balls 30 times or use towel between 1st and 2nd serve after throwing the 1st one out. I’d even eliminate towel time and changeover breaks. But players are entitled to full 20-25 min. between points and genuine medical timeouts.

At the end, I enjoyed 4 hr. 44 min. ’08 Wimby final than 1hr. 48 min. ’08 FO final, 1 hr 49 min. ’04 USO final, and 1 hr. 41 min. ’03 USO final.

June 24th, 2009 at 7:48 pm

Kimo,

I saw Feds match today, or most of it. Do you know Ivo, the big serving guy ( I think Fed lost to him last year? ). Anyways you can go on wimby’s site and check out the stats. Roger had an astonishing stat compared to Ivo. ( I know, the quality of player they played against is not in the equation )

Ivo won his match in 3, and everyone knows his serve is his weapon.

Winning % on 1st Serve 46 of 54 = 85 %

Awesome, he won his match.

Feds same stat:

Winning % on 1st Serve 45 of 48 = 94 %

Ivo First serve % 70

Roger First serve % 64

I won’t go on, like Ivo’s serve is way faster, but that stat that got me was Fed, every time he got a first serve in, in won the point 94% of the time! Wasn’t the fastest serve at wimby by a long ways. I have been commenting on his serve improvement since the middle of the clay season, if those stats continue, or anything close to it, he his going to be like a Sampras in this title and at the very least be in every match on service games alone. We’ll see. I’m out

June 24th, 2009 at 7:53 pm

skeezer:

The problem with Ivo is that once you return his serve, more often than not you’ll end up winning the point coz he stinks from the baseline. He does however impose a serious threat when he comes to the net because of his ridiculous wingspan.

If Fed is to meet him the quarterfinals he’ll be forced to do a lot of passing shots. I don’t think his serve would be a problem coz grass takes a lot of bounce out from the serve, which to me is the most dangerous aspect of Ivo’s serve, it’s not about the speed as much as it is about the bounce. Fed can handle big servers (I don’t think I need to being up his H2H vs. Roddick ;)).

But Fed has a couple of tough matches ahead of him. Kohlschreiber is no slouch on grass and then he might face Soderling who’s dangerous on any fast court.

I’m glad the first two rounds are over. From now on we’ll see seeds vs. seeds.

June 24th, 2009 at 8:04 pm

Kimo,

Agreed. Thanks for the post. I knew that about Ivo but it just goes to show if you are in control of your service game big time, you will most times at least end up in a tie breaker, where anything can happen! This tourney and Roger’s stats on his serve for a FED fan is a good report.

This is off topic but I think it comfirms with alot of us fans who have an “objective” view with Nadal’s reason for injury. I for sure miss him this tourney and hope he can find a way to get healthy without changing his game. Wimby had an article up there ( read below ), Fed through in his two bits but I was more interested to hear what Hewitt had to say, who to me had always had a “dig it out” mentality and ran “Hard”, and has had a hip replacement. I loved his hustle and spirit.

“Injuries and defeats come to us all sooner or later,” the second seed said earnestly. “Sometimes people need more respect for their opponents. When Djokovic lost in the second round last year, [people were surprised but] it was Marat Safin he was up against – and he can play a bit of tennis! And then Safin lost in the first round here [to Jesse Levine], so it shows that you should always have respect.”

Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon champion, viewed Nadal’s enforced absence as the inevitable consequences of the world No.1’s all-action style of play. “The way he moves around the court and hustles for everything, it’s going to take wear and tear on your body over years,” the Australian explained. “I think everyone realised it was going to happen at some point – it just depended on when.”

June 24th, 2009 at 8:15 pm

TBH, even though I’m a HUGE Fed fan, I miss Rafa terribly. To me, the top half of the draw might as well be non-existent.

I know a lot of purists on this blog will find what I just wrote infuriating, and I’m sorry if I offended anyone, but I just can’t watch anyone and everyone. I can only watch very few players and Rafa is among them. It’s not because I don’t love tennis, it’s because I love it too much that I can’t stand just watching any bloke with a racquet and call it “tennis”.

June 24th, 2009 at 8:36 pm

Kimo, Murray, Roddick, Del Potro, Hewitt, Simon, etc., none of these guys strike you as more than “any bloke with a racquet”?

I understand you limit who you watch and I miss Rafa too … but there’s no need to cut down half the players in the draw!

I guess you’d prefer if someone just gave Federer the trophy now? Seeing as the top half of the draw might as well be non-existent, I guess that means the same about his opponents, since Fed would have to play one of those “non-exsistent” players in the finals.

June 24th, 2009 at 8:50 pm

Jane:

I find Murray’s game boring, Roddick’s one-dimensional, and Hewitt? Does anybody watch his matches anymore? They’re never on a big court anyway. I have nothing against a guy, but he’s old news to me.

I like JMDP and Simon a lot though, and as they improve I might even work around my work schedule to catch their matches like I do with Fed’s and Rafa’s.

June 24th, 2009 at 8:59 pm

I mean nothing against “the guy”, meaning Hewitt.

June 24th, 2009 at 8:59 pm

I’d watch Hewitt any day, than watch Simon and DelPotro. I know many feel DelPotro is the up and coming star, but the guy simply bores me to death. Simon is a pesky player, who’s devoid of emotion, and DelPotro is like a walking dead. But, different strokes for different folks, and it’s why we have preferences and opinions, nes’t ce pas?

I think Fed played against a “non-existent” opponent at the FO. I mean where was Soderling?

If anyone takes umbrage to my opinions, please respond with some kind logic instead of emotion.

June 24th, 2009 at 9:12 pm

Von:

You like Hewitt? After all that talk about quirks? The guy practially invented them!!! (Seriously Lleyton, the strings are FINE!!)

Let me re-phrase since since most of you didn’t like what I posted (as I predicted): I find the bottom-half a lot more interesting. I can watch matches from start to finish in the bottom-half, but from the top-half, I pick and choose. Like tomorrow for instance, I’m watching Murray vs. Gulbis (the sport’s greatest under-achiever up-and-commer), but I’m watching nothing else.

June 24th, 2009 at 9:20 pm

Kimo: I like Hewitt’s tenacity and his return game. I don’t like his in the face come-ons and his other antics, but I can live with them, as his tennis is what’s important. At least he brings some energy to the court, and I like people who give off energy.

June 24th, 2009 at 9:24 pm

Tennis Freak those are interesting stats, may I ask how you found them? or do you keep track of this stuff for fun? ;)

good evening all, I hope you are enjoying the Wimbledon matches and your players are winning.

Good luck to Roddick and Murray tomorrow.

June 24th, 2009 at 9:26 pm

I like Gulbis too, he can whack the ball with authority, and his energy is high most of the time.

June 24th, 2009 at 9:28 pm

TD (Tam),
Collecting those stats take time. If you want to try it, go to the ATP site Playing Activity, gather All Years All Grand Slams for a particular player, then select the matches with least number of games played (excluding the ones with retirement and walkovers), and check the Stats.
I have prepared an orderly record vault for some stats, so I just pull them out.

June 24th, 2009 at 9:39 pm

You know whose antics I depise the most? Ana Ivanovic’s. She pumps her fists and whispers c’mon after every point even if she’s playing the world no.150. Disgusting, especially from a former world no.1.

June 24th, 2009 at 9:42 pm

I’ve talked about Ivanovic’s fist pumping a few times — she drives me crazy. It’s not just the fist pumps, it’s like a fist pump, then she pulls her elbow towards her body, and she then does a pirouette. i can only watch a few games. Please, even typing this makes me nauseous.

June 24th, 2009 at 9:58 pm

Von Said:

“it’s like a fist pump, then she pulls her elbow towards her body, and she then does a pirouette.”

You really captured the essence of what I meant :D

June 24th, 2009 at 10:02 pm

You got that right! How about when she pulls her visor down on one side of forehead looking sheepishly after the fist pump.

June 24th, 2009 at 10:09 pm

I have a question hoping somebody can help me… on the tennis channel (mostly during the French Open) there is a [K-factor] commercial with Federer and another tennis player. I am fairly new to watching tennis and was wondering who the other guy/player in the commercial is. The commercial is tinted green. Thank you!

June 24th, 2009 at 10:12 pm

Fed Fans,
In addition to what you do, some of the other ways to show how your love for Fed includes:
1) You can support the Roger Federer Foundation by buying the fan calendar, the Foundation t-shirt and the signed special edition stamp in the online shop.
2) Donate to the Foundation: Your donation is valuable for the Foundation’s support in the Campaign for Female Education in Tanzania; Education for Children in Ethiopia; promotion of health and education for girls in Mali; school and sports project for South African children; constructing school buildings for children in Malawi.
3) Join the 2 million others in Facebook and get day-to-day updates directly from Fed; join the quarter million others in his website and share your ideas.

June 24th, 2009 at 10:13 pm

Kimo said about Ivanovic: “She pumps her fists and whispers c’mon after every point even if she’s playing the world no.150.”

Actually, I like those c’mons, but only when she’s doing them in her native language (i.e. Serbian). I literally despise when someone like her or our Hantuchova screams “Come on!” instead of the more obvious “Hajde!” or “Podme!” It just sounds unnatural to me…

June 24th, 2009 at 10:47 pm

Kimo & Von: I also find Ana Ivanovic’s antics really unsportsmanlike because not only does she yell “c’mon” and brings out that stupid fist pump every single freaking time she wins a point (which is annoying enought) but she even does it when her opponent hits an unforced error!

They didn’t show much of Federer’s match on TV (Canada gets the ESPN feed for Wimbledon. I preferred when we were getting Eurosport during the AO and RG) but from what I saw his movement was amazing and the forehand is on in a big way.

Did anyone see Llondra’s wipe out? Ouch. I feel badly for him that he had to retire from the match and I hope he’s okay. It was cute after the match when Haas played a couple of points with one of the ball girls to give the crowd something to watch.

June 24th, 2009 at 10:51 pm

Skorocel Said:

“Actually, I like those c’mons, but only when she’s doing them in her native language (i.e. Serbian). I literally despise when someone like her or our Hantuchova screams “Come on!” instead of the more obvious “Hajde!” or “Podme!” It just sounds unnatural to me…”

But after every freakin’ point. That’s just stupid. And it’s not like she does than when she’s playing a Williams, she does it against everybody!!!.

As for saying c’mon in your native language, I’m against it. People might think you’re cursing. Also, saying c’mon endears the home crowd, as does saying Alles in France.

Mina:

I wish I saw it. Looks like he crashed into a ball girl too. I want to know how she reacted.

June 24th, 2009 at 10:59 pm

but she even does it when her opponent hits an unforced error!

Mina, Sorry but this was covered in another thread. Murray does it too very often in a match.

June 24th, 2009 at 11:40 pm

The ESPN coverage is so lame compared to Eurosport … tomorrow we’ll all get to watch a William sister vs random russian then … Roddick vs random russian … instead of the Del Potro/Hewitt match.

Maybe Bud Collins will then have something inciteful to say like he did at the French Open in 2007 after Roger refused his interview. Collins cheerfully asked Rafa in his post-victory speech: “Roger refused an interview for the first time ever, that just goes to show how bad he felt. You made him feel very bad, congratulations, Rafa!” And I remember Nadal’s face afterwards. He looked at Bud like he was nuts … when it was just early Alzheimers.”
Then you’ll get to watch interviews and five replay’s of the Serena or Williams match (perhaps even from the day before) … over and over again…. while the Del Potro match which is now in the fifth and crucial set is still being played. Hallelujah !!!!!!!!!!

June 24th, 2009 at 11:54 pm

Kimo: The ball girl looked a bit stunned but was a good sport about it. Llondra gave her a big hug out of apology – it was quite classy and sweet of him to do that.

Tennisfan: I agree about ESPN’s inferior coverage VS Eurosport. I know ESPN is just playing up to their American audience, but personally, I’d much rather watch a marquee match-up between 2 non-Americans than an American playing a seriously outmatched journeyman. I love the American players and all (especially Serena, Venus, and Roddick) but I rather see the most competitive match on TV whether an American is competing in it or not.

Europsport commentary is also much more insightful and frankly, they like to embrace something called silence every once in a while and just let the play speak for itself. I can do without the meaningless banter coming from the ESPN commentators constantly, especially when they end up talking over the point currently being played.

June 25th, 2009 at 12:09 am

Mina Said:

“The ball girl looked a bit stunned but was a good sport about it.”

Good to know, although she’ll have bruises all over he body for a week .

June 25th, 2009 at 12:12 am

Mina: Agreed … and my misuse of “inciteful” seemed a more appropriate word when it came to Bud’s comments :)

June 25th, 2009 at 12:21 am

Tennisfan: LOL…yes, Bud Collins can be both inciteful and insufferable, but usually not insightful (anymore, at least).

June 25th, 2009 at 12:47 am

“But players are entitled to full 20-25 min. between points and genuine medical timeouts.”

A full 20-25 minutes between points, eh? That’s very generous!

June 25th, 2009 at 12:49 am

My bad. I meant 20-25 seconds, not minutes.

June 25th, 2009 at 12:51 am

Mina, I agree about the Eurosport vs. ESPN feed for us in Canada. However, they did show all of Federer’s match today. They cut to an interview, or the blabbers in the booth a couple of times, but they showed most of the 3 sets. But indeed, the commentary of the Euro feed was superior and WAY less also. I was just mentioning to a friend today that I wish we had that coverage for Wimbledon too. Oh well. Some coverage is better than none, I guess.

June 25th, 2009 at 12:51 am

Kimo, thanks for clarifying your earlier comments. I hope I get to see Murray vs. Gilbert tomorrow as well.

June 25th, 2009 at 12:53 am

LOL – I mean Gulbis. Although I wouldn’t mind seeing Murray vs. Gilbert either. Murray “winning ugly” ideally. ha ha.

June 25th, 2009 at 12:54 am

Rafa’s woes are pieced together in this ESPN article, though most of it has already been discussed here. I think it was Jane who mentioned about his IW presser, in which he mentions something about “personal.” This article vindicates your guess.
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/wimbledon09/columns/story?columnist=garber_greg&id=4280346

June 25th, 2009 at 12:56 am

Thanks for the link Tennis Freak; I remembered that because it’s unusual for Nadal to refer to anything OTHER than tennis so it stuck in my mind.

June 25th, 2009 at 1:02 am

Jane – were you watching live on TSN or a repeat later in the day on TSN2? When I watched, they showed all of the Sharapova match, then all of the Serena match (with snippets occasionally of other matches) and once that was done, started showing the Federer match which by that point was at the end of the 2nd set, then they cut away to an in-studio interview with Djokovic (apparently the correct pronunciation of his name is JOKE-ovic), and then cut back to the last few games of the Federer match in the 3rd set.

June 25th, 2009 at 1:10 am

Actually, I think it was Zola who had initially mentioned Nadal’s woes, and she also did so during one of our discussions, some weeks ago. Apparently, Uncle Toni mentioned to Youzhny’s coach that there was a personal family problem in Nadal’s immediate family, and Youzhny’s coach posted that information in his blog. Blabber mouth!

No offense meant on the 25 min. time rule. I had typed a ha, ha, but decided to remove same. I just wanted to show that mistakes/typos do occur when we write and things shouldn’t be taken so literally with respect to stats, etc., since we’re all fallible. Oh the scrivener’s pen, what beauty and pain can be effected from such a tool — modern day computer keyboard.

June 25th, 2009 at 1:19 am

This Pat Cash guy is hilarious. He was stopping players and asking them for a baby Federer name. Mauresmo said, Monique, assuming it is a girl. Sania Mirza said “Mahek” and translated into “great smell / perfume” for Fed’s baby girl. Pat Cash wants “Roger Junior.” I like Andre Pavel’s pick, “Rafa” if the baby boy is lefty.

June 25th, 2009 at 1:25 am

I only hope Ana Maria’s head is not being turned by some younger macho guy with his eye on her son’s money. I saw this happen to a friend some years ago after her husband died, leaving her with a rather healthy bank account, which attracted a younger suitor. To make a long story short; they got married, he became extremely abusive, calling her ‘old lady’, and got one-half of her money in a divorce three years later. I believe there’s a moral to that story. In the long run, it’s better to be like Monica Seles, than the reverse, but different strokes for different folks.

June 25th, 2009 at 1:29 am

Mina: The Tennis Channel showed Djokovic’s interview this evening during their Wimbledon Primetime, which IMO, is just a repeat of the ESPN coverage of the matches shown live. I’m disappointed, because I had hoped to see the Tenn is channel who show footage of matches which were not covered in the ESPN broadcast.

June 25th, 2009 at 1:33 am

Von: Or be smart about it and sign a pre-nup! It wouldn’t really protect any money that’s coming in after the marriage – that would still be split 50/50. Agree with you that the Tennis Channel should show match footage not covered by other broadcasts and its own unique/separate interviews, news reports, etc. That just seems common sense to me.

June 25th, 2009 at 1:44 am

Mina: I think pre-nups are demeaning, but they do help when there’s an inequity of wealth. I like to live by the aphorism, what’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is mine, and mine alone. LOL. I think this would work with Seles. I mean why else would she be dating a guy old enough to be her father or grandfather, give or take a few years?

June 25th, 2009 at 1:50 am

Mina, I think I was watching live TSN. I saw Sharapova’s match, actually the end of it, too, and you’re right, then they showed Serena’s match, but they showed Fed coming onto court, warming up, then they moved back and forth until Serena’s match was over (which wasn’t that long since she cruised). They also cut to the wipe out in the Haas match as some point later. Then they did have a short, maybe 5 min, Djok interview before they showed the rest of Fed’s match, then Fed’s interview off court, and then he came into studio and they did a video thing on all his wins and a short interview with him, I believe that was during Querrey’s match.

So I see what you mean, in that one doesn’t see the entire match because the coverage flips and flops between different matches and cuts to studio interviews etc. Which is another reason why the Eurosport feed is so much better.

—————————————–

Von, I believe Tennis Freak is referring to a very recent thread (like in the last week, since Nadal withdrew) where I mentioned that I recalled Rafa citing “personal problem” in his Miami presser. I am not sure if zola was posting then, but maybe she’d mentioned it also. Anyhow for sure she’d know more details about Rafa than I would! I hope she’s still enjoying some tennis even though Nadal isn’t playing.

June 25th, 2009 at 1:59 am

Jane: Thanks for the clarification – yes, it seems that you and I were both watching the same coverage. I’d rather they just make a commitment to showing one match (ideally, pick the one that is the most competitive or noteworthy) and stick with it rather than jumping back-and-forth between several matches. They can play repeated footage later if something of note happened during the other matches that weren’t shown or thankfully, we have the internet (if you are willing to pay for the subscription) where you can pick and choose the matches you want to watch. ESPN also stinks by having a commercial break after every game which cuts into the start of the next game.

Von: I think pre-nups are also useful if people are coming into a marriage with assets that are not easily divided in the event of a divorce (e.g. a business).

June 25th, 2009 at 2:04 am

I think ESPN and the other networks are all sending a message to the sports fans that they need to utilize live streaming if they want to see specific matches. This is definitely a money move to cut back on expenses by the tournament aficionados, and to generate more income by fleecing the tennis deprived fans. Bottom-line, it’s always the same old story ‘show me the money’.
____________________
jane: Maybe both of you mentioned Nadal’s family problem, but I specifically remembered Zola mentioning the Youzhny coach blog and thought how much trust is violated among peers. It’s funny I was thinking just a week ago that with the discussions on blogs, nothing is original, and everyone’s ideas, words, writing style, etc., become caught in a verbiage spinning wheel being recycled continuously. My sister, (who’s in Journalism for TV and media) mentioned a while back in one of our discussions, that once information is put out there it loses its originality, and when repeated it seems a far cry from what was originally spoken. Interesting!

June 25th, 2009 at 2:24 am

Von, I didn’t even know that about Youz’s coach’s blog; that is quite sad. And it’s true, we live in an age of “information” being cycled endlessly; just looking Reuters articles and online newpapers for example, it’s clear that not much is original since they often say similar things. And reading and writing so much about tennis, like I do, it gets to be a bit blurry sometimes remembering what came from where. Anyway, it’s nevertheless an interesting field your sister has chosen; I’ve often wondered what it would be like to be in journalism.

June 25th, 2009 at 2:34 am

http://timesonline-emails.co.uk/go.asp?/bTNL001/mFHLAWA/qFH3SWA/uJ2Z22JB/xEGSBWA

A lot of Wimby news on this link, specifically Murray related — read all about it.

June 25th, 2009 at 2:36 am

Von: Agree with you that it’s all a cash grab. It’s a shame because I don’t have the time to watch the live streaming (the time difference is an issue) so I get up early to watch what I can on TV before I have to head off to work, then record the remainder of the coverage from the TV and then watch it later that night. I also prefer to watch on TV because the resolution and picture are so much clearer. Plus, I don’t feel that the cost to buy the package to watch live streaming is justified (unfortunately, I can’t access ESPN360 – which I believe is free – because I’m not American) or maybe I’m just not enough of a hardcore tennis fan who would pay any amount of money to watch live tennis.

June 25th, 2009 at 2:40 am

jane: I believe it’s very interesting for my sister, who has done several TV pilots and is in everything media/journalism related. Gosh, I feel like my head is reeling when I talk to her about who’s who and who’s doing what. She gave up a good teaching job to venture into the media whirligig.

June 25th, 2009 at 2:40 am

Mina: I’m not a lover of the the live streaming thing. I can acess ESPN.360 for free due to my cable company, but I like to kick back and watch my TV in comfort instead of sitting in front of a computer. I pretty much tape what I can and then watch the tapes at night. And, I’m sorry, but I refuse to pay to watch computer live streams.

Buh bye for now. Time to sleep and, according to Shakespeare: “To sleep, perchance to dream, ay there’s the rub.” I wonder who he had in mind, to dream about that is? I’ve treated myself to a day off tomorrow. Yay.

June 25th, 2009 at 2:49 am

In that link I posted, the following suggests that here’s a wee bit of tension between Murray and Gulbis:

“The last time the pair met on grass, at Queen’s last year, Murray landed awkwardly on a hand and had to withdraw from a subsequent quarter-final. Gulbis took it as an affront, suggesting that the Scot played fast and loose with the medical time-outs. That tested his good humour.

“I didn’t know there was a problem,” Murray said, “but I know I couldn’t grip the racket the following day. There are so many things in matches where guys take toilet breaks, injury time-outs or delay when you are trying to serve and take a little bit longer between the points than they are meant to. It happens all the time. In 50 per cent of the matches here, guys will have problems on court with line-calls and stuff. It’s just part of sport, I guess.”

“He resented Gulbis’s insinuation that he had indulged in gamesmanship. “I never have,” he said. “It’s a form of cheating, bending the rules to gain an advantage. It’s a bit like diving in football. It does go on and certain players do it and certain players don’t. I’m one of the guys who doesn’t do it.”
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I suppose we’ll see a humdinger of a match — can’t wait.

June 25th, 2009 at 2:58 am

hi everyone, after wasting half the day in a pub yesterday and spending 25 euros in food and drinks just to watch a couple of wimbledon matches in a little tv on a far away corner with horrible comentary today i decided to gamble on wimbledon live pay per view on the computer and really can’t speak more highly of it: great image (almost tv like), 6 matches to choose from, no adverts, no match interrupting, good english comentators, etc, etc.

in portugal eurosport covers the other 3 grand slams but wimbledon is only available in a package of 3 sport channels with a 12 month minimum subscrition (also the comentator is to bad to be true) so the 30 usd they ask at the wimbledon site is more than worth it, at least in my case

June 25th, 2009 at 12:12 pm