The Tennis Thread

[Jetée]

In an effort to measure the interest of one of my favorite sports to both play and view professionally, I've established this open discussion thread.

You are free to discuss recent news, topics about the relevant professional and/or ranked players today, the Grand Slam tournaments, the lesser ATP/WTA/Charity tourneys, and how you practice the sport in your free time. I emplore those who have a passion for tennis to share their take and to converse among others on whatever topical headlines, rumors, and ongoing stories arise throughout the calendar year.

[ I have a predilection towards "Topictures"; please bear with me ]

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To start off, I came across this article today about the next tournament to be held, The French Open at Roland Garros, which debuts today, and what scenarios could resolve during matchplay.

French Open '09: Nadal Drives for Five, Others Look to Survive | Bleacher Report

Excerpt:

The King of Clay Rafael Nadal will begin his quest for a 5thConsecutive French Open title as the 128 player field is set to begin doing battle on the fabled tennis grounds of Roland Garros Sunday.

If Nadal can accomplish the feat he will become the first ever to do it (leaving legendary Bjorn Borg behind), and he will also become the first player since Jim Courier in 1992 to win the first two Grand-Slams of the calendar year.

While the indomitable Nadal, undefeated in 28 previous matches on the Roland Garros clay, is the heavy favorite coming in, his loss to Roger Federer last weekend in Madrid has given the No. 2 ranked player (and a few other gunners in the top 10) a glimmer of hope.

Though it may be a small glimmer, maybe more like a ridiculously small sliver, it does exist, and it has the tennis world abuzz as the day of reckoning draws nearer.

This is quite equivocally the story coming into Roland Garros this year,
and how the two top-ranked players should prepare for yet another
prodigious title match to determine a new chapter in tennis history.

[Strange Famous]

Well, Rafa is gonna be big favourite, and Roger (even on clay) is a serious threat... but I just wonder if this might be Andrew Murray's fortnight.

He hasnt been at his best at Paris, but clay was his favourite surface growing up as a player, and as he is getting fitter and stronger and getting over the stamina problems he had a couple of years ago - he's someone that you have to take seriously.
.
.
but then again, isnt it the case that Rafa has never lost a game as a senior in the French?

[Jetée]

Serena's opening-round performance signals uphill battle ahead - Tennis Experts Blog

So much, so far, this opening round has been pretty textbook in advancements, with Serena's struggling and James Blake's early ousting the only true discrepancies.

For those who don't receive the premium tennis channel, or are unfamiliar with the French Open schedule of matches, I refer you to the online resource of the Tennis Channel, which allows you to check full day's scoreboard, watch highlights, receive exclusive commentary, and archives nearly all played matches during the two weeks of French Open play to watch whenever. I think it even shows live matches for those with a high-speed connection. It's a definite improvement over what I witnessed of the website two years ago.

-- Tennis Channel TV: Home of the Slams

[Jetée]

This past day of tennis was remarkable.

I awoke yesterday to tune into the Federer/Acasuso Rd. 2 clash, and besides watching Roger commit as many unforced errors in one match I once recalled he only made throughout an entire Slam tourney, I also witnessed the greatness that which is a Champion's Rally from the brink. The rally in the third set, when Federer was down 4 sets to love, and surged back up to push the set to a tie-breaker is unequivocally the best spectacle I've seen from the former No. 1 this year.

It actually harkened back to the matchup of Nadal/Federer, at the Nasdaq 100 I believe, a few year back where Nadal had almost won in straight sets at the end of the 3rd set, he had two match points, but Federer pushed back at the most pivotal point in that game to forward the set to a Tiebreaker. Roger proceeded to win that set, and the ensuing two remaining to eventually win the championship. It was spectacular. And was perhaps one of the longest matches I've ever seen televised. What happened yesterday didn't quite rival that feat, but it brought back good memories of what type of player Federer is: a winner no matter the situation.

I also am rooting for Tsonga in his draw. Such an incredible dynamic and play from the Frenchman. I've been a fan of his since before was the sleeper star in the 2008 Aussie Open. If you have the time online to watch his match yesterday against Juan Monaco, I recommend for anyone to familarize yourself with his incredible play. I'm a fan.

[Strange Famous]

Federer is the greatest player to have ever played the game. Even Rafa says that (a man who might have an argument to take that title from Roger before he has finished)

[highthief]

Adieu, Venus!

[Strange Famous]

So Rafa is human after all.

This really opens things up - saw Andy's game today and he looked comfortable and in control (against a top 20 player)... this is a chance

[Jetée]

It's a shame it wasn't broadcast live stateside on the network NBC.

[powerclown]

I was sad to see Nadal out so early. I believe it was his pink outfit that caused it.
I would like to see Sorana Cirstea and Gael Monfils win the French.






This lovely young lady is Simona Halep of Romania - Junior French Open Champion. I would love to be her personal trainer/massuese.

[KellyC]

I'm rooting for Federer.

[dlish]

yeah shes got great tits and all...but give me Steffi calves any day of the week and i'd cream myself in a split second

im a sucker for skinny chicks with great calves

[powerclown]

Funny you should say that...I saw Graf play in southern florida in the early 90s...magnificent pair of stems indeed. Jana Novotna too...she lived down there, used to jog by my work often (i worked outside)...droool.

[dlish]

Gabriella Sabatini was my favourite as a teenager for obviousl reasons..

Novotna i never really liked as a player. too much of a whiner.

[Strange Famous]

Federer wants this a lot. The greatest player in the history of the game cannot have one of the crowns of tennis never in his possession...

[highthief]

Originally Posted by powerclown

This lovely young lady is Simona Halep of Romania - Junior French Open Champion. I would love to be her personal trainer/massuese.

"junior" winner!?!?!

Anyway, I hope Federer can pull this off. If he can't win it this year with Rafa out and guys like Del Potro and Murray still not at their peaks, I doubt he ever will. He's going to have to impose his game on Soderling - I watched the Swede come back against Gonzalez today. As soon as you let that guy play, he can really hurt an opponent. Down 1-4 in the final set and he comes back to win 5 in a row and get to the final!

[Strange Famous]

If Federer is in the mood, it doesnt really matter if he is facing a double's pair the other side of the net.

If he isnt quite there (and imo he hasnt been quite there since he had glandular fever) its game on. Federer in 5th gear is one of the best players in the world, but if he hits sixth he is unplayable.

Nadal has got very close to the level of genius Federer has in the last two years, and its interesting whether Federer can find that extra gear again.... or whether the second half of his career will be defined as a top 4 player with a bit more class than anyone else and a bit more fragility.

---------- Post added at 10:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:29 PM ----------

Originally Posted by highthief

Anyway, I hope Federer can pull this off. If he can't win it this year with Rafa out and guys like Del Potro and Murray still not at their peaks, I doubt he ever will. He's going to have to impose his game on Soderling - I watched the Swede come back against Gonzalez today. As soon as you let that guy play, he can really hurt an opponent. Down 1-4 in the final set and he comes back to win 5 in a row and get to the final!

As much as I think Andrew Murray WILL be a grandslam winner, right now Federer and Nadal are a different class to the top 20 (and I would class Murray as the leading player of the next tier)

[highthief]

[QUOTE=Strange Famous;2646520

As much as I think Andrew Murray WILL be a grandslam winner, right now Federer and Nadal are a different class to the top 20 (and I would class Murray as the leading player of the next tier)[/QUOTE]

That's the point really - Federer is what, 27 or 28? For a tennis player, he's likely on the downhill slope. Someone like Del Potro - who he just managed to beat today - is only going to get better. Murray should improve too, though like most British players, I wonder if he will really keep it together enough to reach the next level (i.e., win a couple of big tournaments).

[Strange Famous]

Murray has one big matches already... but its the grandslams that really count.

Women's final was pretty boring...

[dlish]

the UK have really not had anyone since rusedski who had the potential to win a grand slam.. im not sure about murray can win many/any grand slams with some fresh talent coming through.

we need to also remember that rafa is still what..23??

[highthief]

Originally Posted by Strange Famous

Murray has one big matches already... but its the grandslams that really count.

Therefore he hasn't won any "big matches". The slams are the only ones anyone remembers, he could win stuff like the Madrid Masters until the cows came home, no one would ever remember.

Win a slam and you've arrived, even if you never win another thing.

[dlish]

i think people remember you if you make the finals of a grand slam too. thats a feat in itself, and a hefty pay packet too!

who remembers the malivai washington vs richard krajicek wimbeldon finals?

[Strange Famous]

Really hoping Roger can win it today. He's 27 now and this will probably be his best chance to win the French. In any other era (ie an era when Rafa Nadal was not about) he would already have it 2 or 3 times (didnt Thomas Muster win it once???)

Come on Roger!

[Jackebear]

Watching it now....Up 2 sets, 3 games to 1 in the 3rd. Come on Roger!!

[Strange Famous]

The greatest of all time.

[highthief]

Way to go Roger! Great performance - yeah, he probably is now officially the greatest of all time. He's won all the big titles now and has more of them than anyone else save Sampras (who never even got to a French final, IIRC, let alone win it).

[KellyC]

He's so happy. Too happy even. Did anyone see the way he was all over that trophy? I mean, get a room you two.

[Strange Famous]

The second set tie break summed up the man. So many times in his career he's been able to do that... just find another gear and pull something so special out of the bag when he really needs it.

Hope the moron who ran on the court gets to spend the night in a holding cell for his trouble.

The word "great" is overused in life and sport, but it truly applies to Federer in ever regard. A very classy individual, and a beautiful player. He is better than anyone in the history of the game. The really exciting thing in tennis today is the fact that Rafa potentially can become just as great.

[dlish]

anyone chance that he'll go one better and win another grand slam?

everyone seems to be content that he's won 14.

[Strange Famous]

Would you bet against him this Wimbledon?

He's 27 now, he should be near the peak of his powers for the next two seasons at least barring serious injury - 9 potential slams... I think its likely he wins at least 1 of them.

[Jetée]

Originally Posted by highthief

Way to go Roger! Great performance - yeah, he probably is now officially the greatest of all time. He's won all the big titles now and has more of them than anyone else save Sampras (who never even got to a French final, IIRC, let alone win it).

That's true. I was surprised when I saw his statistics at the French Open throughout his career; I initially thought Sampras never entered the tournament at Roland Garros, perhaps because it is less than a month removed from Wimbledon, and it is taxing beyond belief playing on clay, but as I researched and recalled it more, I now know if Sampras ever had a weak point, it was red ground.

[Strange Famous]

Sampras is very close to the top of the second tier of greats (ie - everyone who isnt Roger Federer)

One of the best compliments Ive ever heard was Rod Laver stating that he considered it an honour to be mentioned in the same breath as Federer.

A great compliment from one of the best and classiest of players. and a true one.

[Strange Famous]

HRH Price Andrew of Murrayfield has put a marker down.

First British player in 70-odd years to win Queens. Now its time to win the big one.

[dlish]

if i was going to put my money on anyone it would be nadal to win wimbeldon.

as much as id like to see federer win, i dont see him overpowering nadal. nadal would be fresh from the ealy exit in the french, while federer had to fight tooth and nail in some of those matches.

i also dont see nadal being bundled out of 2 slams in a row either. i also dont see federer beating him two matches in a row, since roger won the last one.

nadal purely on probability

[Strange Famous]

Depends how sore his knee is. At the end of the day Federer can beat anyone on his day, and so can Nadal. If they both hit the top of their form at the same time you'll have another classic. And if either of them drop even a 1% in their level, Andy or one of the other in the next back can claim one of their scalps.

Every Wimbledon all this excitement builds up - Andy isnt favourite, but I would make him 3rd or 4th favourite, and he does have a real chance.

Hard to get excited about the womens game at the moment... a real lack of talent - but these things go in cycles.

[Jetée]

Really? Roddick? I've seen him as second banana in tennis for the past five years, and although he's rounded his game well over that span of time, he still looks somewhat awkward when he must hustle around the court and/or come close to the net. I've felt a bit of vicarious shame and sadness as each subsequent year, he could never get one past Roger at Wimbledon or at the U.S.; but now, in saying that his tennis career has perhaps past the halfway mark, a new younger field has rushed to the fore and are really pushing Roddick's game to the brink. Hell, even Federer has trouble against some of the newer key skill players like Djokovic.

[dlish]

i thought SF was talking about andy murray

in any case..neither have a hope in hell of coming within a mile of hearing the words "championship point" except from the grandstand

[Strange Famous]

Yes, I was (talking about Andy Murray having a good shot at the biggest prize)... although I know he prefers Andrew.

Andy Roddick is one of those guys who has a punchers chance I guess... but I dont think he has the guile to really take on the top 4.

[Jetée]

Originally Posted by Strange Famous

Yes, I was (talking about Andy Murray having a good shot at the biggest prize)... although I know he prefers Andrew.

Andy Roddick is one of those guys who has a punchers chance I guess... but I dont think he has the guile to really take on the top 4.

Ah, my mistake. I also refer to and recognize Murray as "Andrew" where applicable.



In upcoming Wimbledon-related news, a story about Sampras' struggle and prestige at the grass courts where most who knew him thought he belonged.

Pete Sampras and the Irony Called Wimbledon | Bleacher Report
by Rajat Jain

Wimbledon ’09 is now a week away, and I was refreshing my memories of the past champions who were defined at this place. Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Roger Federer ….. but one name glows brightly amongst the elite.

Bjorn Borg may have offered the calming influence at the center court akin to its audience, and Roger Federer has graced it in a way that no one ever has, but if any champion ever deserves the title of the King of Wimbledon, it is the King of Swing – Pete Sampras.

Rest of article   click to show 

Pete’s game in his Junior years was that of a baseline grinder with a solid, disguised serve and a two-handed backhand where he enjoyed a lot of success against his compatriots like Michael Chang.

It was his coach, Pete Fisher, who saw the next Rod Laver in him, and compelled him to change his game to adapt to grass. He made Sampras to switch to a single handed backhand to improve his returns on grass, and develop better volleying skills, even if it meant that he would suffer numerous losses to the same players he once enjoyed success against.

Despite this change, Sampras always hated grass courts during the initial years, and could not manage to reach the third round in his first three attempts. He justified his hatred so articulately, that even John McEnroe, the former Wimbledon icon, could not deny it.

But, buoyed by his next coach Tim Gullikson, and kind advice from McEnroe, he changed his psychology, and started taking Wimbledon much more seriously than before.

And it was Wimbledon, which really defined the phrase “Pistol Pete”.

It was here, that he silenced his critics – who doubted his accent to the world no. 1 in April ’93 without winning a single slam for almost three years – by winning his most important major final. He went on to make this court his second home, by winning three straight titles between ’93 and ’95, and a further four times from ’97 to ’00.

The lawns of Wimbledon soothed him after the disappointment of the dirt in Paris to revive his dominance.

He equaled Roy Emerson’s record of most grand slams at this very place in ‘99, and topped it the next year in ‘00 in an ideal fashion. Pete battled through a painful shin injury – he considered pulling off from at various stages during the tournament – for the entire tournament, and raised the trophy amidst dwindling lights and his parents’ first appearance at the court.

He won the first Wimbledon of the new millennium!

However dominant one may be, legacy needs to passed on, and even destiny chose a fitting way to do so. He lost to Roger Federer at the Center Court, their only professional contest, in an exciting five set match. Federer won the Wimbledon two years later, and fittingly became its next worthy heir.

It is a perfect story of Pete Sampras at Wimbledon.

Or, is it?

Fans lovingly remember the Wimbledon rivalries between Borg and McEnroe, Edberg and Becker, and now Federer and Nadal; but perhaps Pete’s ridiculous dominance at Wimbledon meant that he had no close rival, and it will hard to find one of Pete’s matches among the Wimbledon’s classics feathered with the finals of 1980 and 2008.

The only rivalry that would come close would be the one against Goran, and even that is not always remembered fondly. It were these contests, which coined Wimbledon as ‘one-dimensional’ and Pete Sampras as ‘boring’, and embarked the beginning of the change of the surface and tennis balls used at Wimbledon.

The ‘boring’ player had to admit in an interview with Charlie Rose after winning his third consecutive Wimbledon, that he is running out of ideas – and achievements – to get his name on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

As years started to progress, Pete started to win hearts, in addition to titles, in London – which, by the way, was after one of his biggest upsets against Richard Krajicek – and finally started to lose after 2000.

Losses are a part and parcel of professional tennis, but it is ironic, that he had to end his career at his beloved tournament with a heartbreaking loss against a ‘lucky loser’ named George Bastl, on the Court no. 2, the “graveyard” where every champion shudders at the thought of playing there.

Life moves on, technology advances, and Wimbledon throws a ceremony to inaugurate a new roof at the Center Court. It was heartening to see the exhibition matches for the event, but it also felt ‘strange’, that the two players – Agassi and Henman – competing under the ‘roof’ were not the ones who ruled the court, but instead were dominated by Pete at this place.

It is indeed an ironic relationship between Wimbledon and Pete Sampras.

After all, Pete is yet to step in again at the place he last left in tears in 2002.

[highthief]

Originally Posted by Strange Famous

HRH Price Andrew of Murrayfield has put a marker down.

First British player in 70-odd years to win Queens. Now its time to win the big one.

He's Scottish, not British!



The way Federer won in Paris, utterly in command in the final - he might just have one more Wimbledon in him!

[Jetée]

Nadal’s struggle leaves Wimbledon in doubt
By MATTIAS KAREN, AP Sports Writer

LONDON (AP)—Rafael Nadal looked hampered by his injured knees during a 6-4, 6-3 loss to Lleyton Hewitt in an exhibition Thursday. He will decide Friday if he can defend his Wimbledon title.

Nadal played without tape on his knees but frequently appeared a step slow on the grass court at Hurlingham Club. This was Nadal’s first match since his loss to Robin Soderling in the fourth round of the French Open. He pulled out of last week’s grass-court tournament at Queen’s Club to rest his knees.

Nadal looked increasingly frustrated against the hard-serving Hewitt, repeatedly failing to get to balls he normally reaches and struggling with unforced backhand errors. He frequently muttered to himself in Spanish after missed shots and often had to rely on his top-spin forehand to escape trouble.

He did not speak to reporters, but uncle and coach Toni Nadal said it was still uncertain whether he can play at Wimbledon, which starts Monday.

... (rest of article irrelevant, specifics on losing matchplay)