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Tennis
Jan 30, 2009 11:07:31 GMT -5
Post by jilly2000 on Jan 30, 2009 11:07:31 GMT -5
Anybody watching the Australian Open which is taking place in Melbourne? I thought I'd mention the fantastic semi-final match between the two Spaniards. No.1 seed Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco. Both played brilliantly in what is supposed to be the longest match in the tournament history. The two lefthanders duked it out for 5hrs 14min. With Nadal beating Verdasco with a score of: 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4. With 45 degree heat they had the roof down. Otherwise the players and the spectators would simply die of heat exhaustion. In the other semi-final match Roger Federer had a comparatively easy time beating Andy Roddick in 3 sets.
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Tennis
Sept 9, 2009 11:47:00 GMT -5
Post by jilly2000 on Sept 9, 2009 11:47:00 GMT -5
Saw a little bit of the Murray-Cilic match yesterday. ;D Andy played dismally. The guy is over-rated in my view. I find all the over-hype by the British media a bit puzzling. Don't get me wrong Murray's an excellent tennis player.....But there are other excellent tennis players in the ATP as good or better. All the over-hype has certainly helped Murray in racking up plenty of lucrative endorsements.
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Tennis
Sept 10, 2009 8:36:04 GMT -5
Post by topcat on Sept 10, 2009 8:36:04 GMT -5
Jilly, the British press are always the same. Doesn't matter whether it's a sports star or some unknown on a tv talent show -don't even get me started on the minorly talented Susan Boyle.... - they build people up and then turn on them if they fail. In the tennis world, the very same happened with Tim Henman, Sue Barker, Virginia Wade and Roger Taylor before that. Our England football team won a game last night - we're gonna win the World Cup this morning Thing is, I enjoyed supporting Tim, Greg, Sue, Virginia, John Lloyd, Jeremy Bates etc. I'm afraid I just can't warm to Mr Murray. There is no denying he's a good player but I much preferred Tim. Murray didn't endear himself when he declared during one interview, that he would support 'whoever plays England' referring to our football team. It's an odd phenomenon that English people have a tendency to support the other home nations when they play other countries but the support is rarely returned the other way. At this year's Wimbledon, I felt his new 'friendly' approach was forced and insincere.
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Tennis
Sept 10, 2009 14:21:02 GMT -5
Post by jilly2000 on Sept 10, 2009 14:21:02 GMT -5
Nice post, Top. During Wimbledon a guardian sportswriter wrote an article after Murray's quarterfinal win. An excerpt: "One match away from becoming the first Briton in a Wimbledon final since Bunny Austin lost in 1938 and two from being the first to win it since Fred Perry in 1936, Murray put his improved consistency in the last year down to a new focus."But there was an oversight. Virginia Wade had won the single's title at Wimbledon in '77! Of course 3 days later a correction was made in the paper.
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Tennis
Sept 10, 2009 14:56:10 GMT -5
Post by topcat on Sept 10, 2009 14:56:10 GMT -5
But there was an oversight. ... Virginia Wade had won the single's title at Wimbledon in '77! .... Of course 3 days later a correction was made in the paper. Well, that mistake was made on a number of occasions during Wimbledon by various male commentators. Not only did Ms Wade win in 1977 but so did Ann Jones (1969) and Angela Mortimer (1961). All three won other Grand Slams and Sue Barker won the French Open. The female British tennis players have had far more success but it does seem to get forgotten these days.
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Tennis
Sept 12, 2009 14:23:10 GMT -5
Post by endangeredspecies on Sept 12, 2009 14:23:10 GMT -5
As some will know I'm a tennis fan. I have to agree with TC, the British press and media as a whole go completely OTT when it comes to anyone/group who have a smidgen of success. That or they build them up to such an extent before an event and when they can't live up to the billing they are roasted for failing. Often makes me glad I was never good enough to reach the exalted heights in anything to represent my country. As for Master Murray, I will support him 'cos he's the only male Brit on the tennis scene that has a game to win at a high level. I sometimes wonder at his mentality when he gets himself into a passive way of playing as he did against Cilic and cannot change his game so that he can find a way of winning. Other good players at the top level manage to do it and this I find worrying. I don't find him the least little bit charismatic, though I do think he's trying to change his demeanor. He is a Scot and they're well-known for being dour. I'm going, with my sister-in-law, to watch the Davis Cup next weekend in Liverpool. Andy should be playing, but I'm not holding my breath that that will happen. Hope I'm wrong, because with the dearth of talent in the men's game, we need him!
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Tennis
Sept 13, 2009 12:50:41 GMT -5
Post by coolbyrne on Sept 13, 2009 12:50:41 GMT -5
I don't follow tennis all that much, but of course I read about the bizarre ending to the women's semi-final between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters. Has a game of that importance ever been ended on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty? Just weird all round.
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Tennis
Nov 28, 2009 16:52:27 GMT -5
Post by jilly2000 on Nov 28, 2009 16:52:27 GMT -5
My youngest is predicting DelPotro to win the ATP world tour finals tomorrow. ;D Eventho as I type Soderling has just won the 1st set against DelPotro.
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Tennis
Nov 29, 2009 11:44:52 GMT -5
Post by jilly2000 on Nov 29, 2009 11:44:52 GMT -5
My youngest is predicting DelPotro to win the ATP world tour finals tomorrow. ;D DelPotro lost. He seemed a little lethargic and his inexperience showed. Davydenko was very sharp today. So he deserved to win. ;D
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Tennis
Nov 30, 2009 14:50:21 GMT -5
Post by endangeredspecies on Nov 30, 2009 14:50:21 GMT -5
Davydenko was very sharp today. So he deserved to win. ;D I have to agree with you on that one, jilly! He, also, was the player who had to play three days on the trot! Strange that the two runners-up were the ones featured in the final. I didn't expect that to happen. Some strange goings-on at the moment. Rog still doesn't look the player he once was, but is still No.1, Rafa, I think is always going to have fitness problems with the way he plays, Nojo plays too much, Murray is too inconsistent and serves poorly on occasions. Del Potro doesn't quite believe in himself and seems to suffer from lethargy, (perhaps it's having to lug that 6'7" frame around). DavyD is hardly known outside tennis circles and hardly at all in Britain, 'cos he doesn't play well on grass, a necessity for success at Wimbledon. Verdasco has made great improvements this year but is too flashy and Söderling is... Just a few thoughts for anyone who may be interested.
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Tennis
Dec 1, 2009 16:01:22 GMT -5
Post by jilly2000 on Dec 1, 2009 16:01:22 GMT -5
Strange that the two runners-up were the ones featured in the final. I didn't expect that to happen.Some strange goings-on at the moment. Betting odds must've gone haywire. As a new daddy with twins it's understandable. Losing all 3 matches must've been painful, also his parents just got divorced which affected his concentration probably. Does he? He has nice red shoes. ;D Spot on. ;D Also he hardly comes to the net. Fortunate for him this was an indoor tournament. The O2 is an impressive indoor stadium. Verdasco is flashy? ;D I didn't watch him play BTW. Thanx. ES:) I'm sure others enjoyed reading your take on the various players. You summed it up well. ;D
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Tennis
Jan 10, 2010 13:16:17 GMT -5
Post by jilly2000 on Jan 10, 2010 13:16:17 GMT -5
Last night on the BBCC channel Andre Agassi was interviewed by Jonathan Ross for his new memoir. In this memoir Andre has detailed about how much he hated tennis. He took drugs and lied to the ATP about it. Apparently the ATP gave him the benefit of the doubt as he was a big name and a big draw at the tournaments! It was also revealed that he was sporting a wig for a few years. Talk about fake. He also takes a swipe at his first wife Brooke Shields. I'm not a big fan but I've seen Andre play up close and he has changed a lot since. Jonathan Ross was praising Andre for his candour and for writing a very readable and enjoyable book. Andre thanked him but didn’t mention that the book was ghost written by a Pulitzer prize winning journalist. Of course it’s well written. This is the first time I’ve seen Jonathan Ross and I have to say he was not easy to follow. And he talks alot . He seems to like the sound of his own voice. ;D
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Tennis
Jan 28, 2010 10:50:27 GMT -5
Post by jilly2000 on Jan 28, 2010 10:50:27 GMT -5
Too bad both the Chinese women lost in the semis at the Australian Open last night. I suppose Zheng Jie losing to Henin was not surprising as she's ranked quite low and she was no match for Justine one of the best players in the world. Li Na a fantastic ball striker played really well against Serena Williams and then losing in two tie breaks must've been heartbreaking to her and the millions of Chinese spectators watching her. So who'll win Serena or Justine who knows and who cares tho I'll give the edge to Justine. It would've been nice to see somebody other the boring same old same old players in the finals.
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Tennis
Aug 14, 2010 8:47:00 GMT -5
Post by jilly2000 on Aug 14, 2010 8:47:00 GMT -5
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Tennis
Aug 16, 2010 8:33:53 GMT -5
Post by topcat on Aug 16, 2010 8:33:53 GMT -5
How is it that Andy Murray can easily beat Nadal and Federer in nothing tournaments but doesn't come near to beating them in Grand Slam events?
Is it that he hasn't the pressure of a Country's expectation or that Nadal and Federer raise their games when it really matters?
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