Tennis

[s1m17]

I'm a big big big fan of tennis. I watch any tournament which is televised and keep up with whats happening with those which aren't. I was wondering if anyone here watches (or plays) tennis? If so, who are your favourite players and what are your predictions for this year? I hope I'm not the only one here who's mad about tennis.

[snowleopard]

Try to get to wimbledon most years

 

I was a big Aggasi fan as a kid, now you just cant look past Federer, the guy is sensational. The big hope over here is Andy Murray, but to me he is just a very moody teenager, i cant bring myself to support him as he seems so miserable all the time.

 

In the womens game i loved Hantchukova, her legs just went on for miles but she went a bit off the boil in terms of ability. Glad to see Hingis making a comeback prefer to see some guile rather than sheer power in the womens game

[s1m17]

Yay a fellow fan. I've never been to a tournament, I'd love to go to Wimbledon! Federer looks unbeatable most of the time. Did you see the Dubai final with Nadal, Fed played a bit rubbish for the last 2 sets. I'm not sure about Andy yet, he does seem a bit miserable when you see his interviews.

 

Hingis coming back is great, definitely will improve women's tennis. Hantuchova is a great player capable of beating the top players but very rarely does she player her best.

 

My favourite player has been Agassi and probably still is. I also like Safin, it's good to see him back and hopefully he can reach top form.

[snowleopard]

Thats it really. Unless federer is having an off day or a couple of of sets, it is gonna take ther performance of a lifetime for someone to win. If he plays to the best of his ability there is no competition. He will dominate even more than Sampras did especially on the grass

[s1m17]

I think the only player who can beat Federer when they're both playing exceptionally well is Safin. He is an incredible player at his best, but his mind often ends up working against him...

[allfurme]

I know i've said it before but

 

You know Pete Sampras wears furs

 

Oh sorry no, that's his body hair

[s1m17]

I remember that... He also stuck his tongue out when he served

[allfurme]

My apologies to Pete, I'm sure he is really nice but

 

Pete Sampras is very placid. When he thought the line call was wrong John McEnroe threw his racquet around and swore a lot, Pete Sampras just sits in his tyre and sulks.

[s1m17]

I just watched the match between Agassi and Goldstein and saw some unexepected behaviour in the US superstar. Firstly, near the end of the second set Agassi lost a point after a long rally and threw his racquet on the ground. He didn't just bounce it off the floor though, he threw it with full force so it ended up broken in half 10 metres away from him. Shortly after he lost another point after another lengthy rally and shouted, so even the speakers on court could pick it up, the 'f' word. He got a point taken off as a penalty. he lost the 2nd set and at the beginning of the 3rd argued with the umpire as there was a slight drizzle and refused to leave his seat and resume play. The umpire checked the court in front of him and told him he'd stop play if the court got dangerously wet. Agassi asked him if he had "checked every spot on the court" to see if it was damp. Eventually, he began playing again and went on to win

 

I have never in my life seen Agassi behave like this! Sure every player breaks a racquet once in a while, but swear loudly in English in front of an American audience

 

it was funny though

[Guest]

now this is a thread which I shouldnt really be posting in as my opinion is not really valid since I am not well informed.

 

So just two questions:

 

1. you talked a bout sportsmanship. Agassi's behaviour...and of course there was McEnroe. It seems all vastly different to me than the days of people like Ken Rosewall. tennis players then were just as competeitive but less prone to throwing their toys out of the pram. My question....do you think this is getting worse in tennis or are they just isolated players?

 

2. What do you think about Real Tennis?

[s1m17]

I've only been watching tennis since the late 90s, so I'm not sure how behaviour on court was in the 60s and 70s. So I really can't answer your question properly. But, I don't see it as bad sportsmanship unless a player is actually stopping play or insulting the other play in some way. Agassi did stop play for a short time, although the reason for this was mainly due to the fact that he had become frustrated on court and this was hindering his performance he seemed genuinely fearful of the consequences of playing on a wet court. Agassi is old (for tennis player standards) and he's had bad back injuries, having a nasty fall is the last thing he wants. There are players on the tour who are more open with their frustration (Safin is notorious for breaking his racquets) and I don't think that kind of behaviour is bad sportsmanship. I also don't think it's bad for tennis, it's more entertaining to watch a player who shows his emotions on court.

 

I've neither watched nor played real tennis so I really have no opinion on it. All I know is that lawn tennis is derived from the traditional real (or royal) tennis. Why do you ask ?

[Guest]

This comes from someone who doesn't pretend to understand biff bat at all, but here goes.

 

In the good old days when tennis, and in fact all sports was about winning a cup or a plate, and a bit of a reputation it was all about spotsmanship.

 

Now however, it's about sponsorship, advertising, and merchandising, so an umpires call can cost a player $250k in lost revenue, so of course tempers and emotions run high, and sportsmanship is out the window. It's happened with cricket, football, and happening with rugby.

 

Tryxie, who will now go back to her dominos

[bob23]

I was fortunate enough to go to Wimbledon in the late 80s, where I saw Boris Becker and Steffi Graf in their prime. If you get the chance to go, grab it with both hands as it really is a great day out. I was quite young at the time, but there are two things that really stood out. First was that the stars didn't seem real. Perhaps it's like that when you get close to any famous person, but I don't think that my young mind could quite comprehend that it really was Boris and Steffi out there. The other strong memory was of wandering around the outside courts. There aren't that many showcourts there, and the rest are extremely accessible; you can get as close as you would in the local park.

 

As for favourite players, it's the rivalries that I seem to follow most. It started out with Becker and Edberg, moved onto Agassi and Sampras, and I think it will soon be taken with Federer and Nadal.

[s1m17]

I have to go to Wimbledon some time in my life. Would love to see Federer play, or any top 50 player for that matter. Federer and Nadal are a possible rivalry, so long as Nadal doesn't end up burning out due to injuries. The way he plays is very harsh on the body.

[bob23]

It is, but Agassi plays much the same and he's still going

 

To get tickets you either need to be a member of a club that has an allocation (that's how I went; my club had two pairs of tickets, and we had a draw to see who would get the chance to buy them) or by postal ballot. This year's have passed, but you can try for 2007 from August:

 

http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/about/tickets/index.html

[Guest]

A sport thread!!

 

Most souls here seem to be from the Arts so good to see a fellow sportsman allbeit Tennis! Not a great fan I'll admit but am pretty much glued to the TV during Wimbledon fortnight & more lately some of the clay court series particularly like Coria & Calleri - those guys along with Leyton hewitt never know when to quit (Unlike Tim!) & have a great engine & desire around a court - like my alltime fav Mac The Brat!!

 

Do you follow all tennis? or a particular season?

 

Interesting to see that you think Nadal is already in danger of burnout - How old is he? 20? Maybe if Tennis authority's reduced the number of tournaments it would give players the time to rest & recuperate between competition, something which is crucial to avoid injuries especially as you get older - Agassi has got it about right?

[s1m17]

Nadal is still 19, 20 this year. I think Nadal should play his tournaments carefully, not enter every one that comes about. Agassi is in pretty good shape, but he's had injuries, worst being his back. Nadal has also had a bad ankle injury which is not good for his. It's physically near impossible for him to continue playing his frantic counter-punching style for the average time a tennis career lasts.

[Guest]

Nadal is still 19, 20 this year. I think Nadal should play his tournaments carefully, not enter every one that comes about. Agassi is in pretty good shape, but he's had injuries, worst being his back. Nadal has also had a bad ankle injury which is not good for his. It's physically near impossible for him to continue playing his frantic counter-punching style for the average time a tennis career lasts.

 

Shame about Nadal & I can sympathise with Agassi - Knowing when to call it a day is very hard - Your mind is at it's peak with regard to reading a game & even makes allowances for your body's drop in performance but when your held together by bits of tape & spend your off-days on the masseuse bench

 

Pro-sportsmen need recuperation between matches otherwise all the niggling injuries build-up over a season as your body makes compensation for them & then a big injury occurs at the joint (Ankle, Knee or Hip!!!!) Trouble is the organisers don't seem to care about the sportsmen any more, it's all about the money!! Case example is what they're doing to Rugby players since it went Professional - There's no way you can play with that much power & pace at high intensity over such a sustained period. Shame because us supporters are being asked to dig a little deeper in the pocket as the quality on show lessons.

 

Imagine a Grand slam tournament without 5 or 6 of the top players due to injury / carrying knocks? Maybe that's why Ancic, Haas & Ljubicic are limiting their appearances this year?

[s1m17]

I don't think the tennis association should cut down the tournaments, they're all optional. A player doesn't need to play in every tournament, he/she should be selective and not push him/herself over the edge and into serious injury.

[s1m17]

Weeel.. Since there hasn't been a post here for a while I'll just give an update of the current big tournament in Miami. In the mens a Federer-Blake quarter will soon be underway, winner meets David Ferrer who took out A. Roddick. The other half of the draw has a Ljubicic-Nalbandian semi, should be good. In the women's Kuznetsova surprisingly beat Amelie Mauresmo to advance to the final, and Sharapova must face Tatiana Golovin to advance to the final.. which she probably will. Am I the only one who's watching this tourny?