Tennis Thread.

[iggymcfly 0]

Seriously. I just had the most fun I've had watching a sporting event in months watching Dokic hold on for the win with a bad ankle in the longest match of the Aussie Open thus far, and I come here and the Aussie open doesn't even have a thread. WTF! This place used to be a tennis hotbed. Really great to see her come back in front of her home fans like that anyway. I think she's going to get by Safina somehow and end up making it to the final.

[2GOLD 0]

 

I actually blame this on tennis. The sport has done a miserable job promoting itself. I totally forgot the Aussie Open was even ON cause I haven't heard a peep about it. Tennis gets next to zero coverage on ESPN, FSN, or anywhere anymore. It has sank to the level of pool in terms of knowing when it is on.

 

Like for example you mention Dokic, I didn't even know she was still playing. Tennis and boxing seem to have both fallen into the trench with golf (which is bleeding out without any of the stars playing on the tour and no new ones emerging) and soccer [in America, where I doubt it will ever escape]. It's a shame.

 

The Aussie, the US Open and Wimbledon used to get HUGE coverage. I barely heard anything about the US and Wimbledon last year and this year I didn't even know the Aussie was happening.

[Psycho Penguin 0]

I like the sport and have no idea who either of the people you mentioned are.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

The last names I remember really being "built up" as anything promotion wise was Andy Roddick and Federer on the male side of things. I could barely name you a woman outside of the Williams' sisters except for the new blonde girl that I can't remember.

 

The ads on USA basically show a bunch of faces and then say the Grand Slam is returning (or was that for ESPN?). Tennis used to be so good at making stars and it seems like when an upset happens, like Venus' recent loss, they don't do anything to immediately promote the loser's face on camera/have her get an interview on some station, etc.

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

We only know about Tennis at the moment since Andrew Murry is doing amazingly well. He's BRITISH at the moment, not Scottish. If he was doing shit he'd be called the Scottish Tennis player Andrew Murry.

[iggymcfly 0]

Like for example you mention Dokic, I didn't even know she was still playing. Tennis and boxing seem to have both fallen into the trench with golf (which is bleeding out without any of the stars playing on the tour and no new ones emerging) and soccer [in America, where I doubt it will ever escape]. It's a shame.

 

She pretty much wasn't any more. She had to qualify for the Aussie open as a wildcard, and when they interviewed her after her last match, she said that her goal for the tournament had been "to play well in the 1st round". That's the whole reason she was a story going into the R16 last night. Then, in the 3rd set, she rolled over on her ankle big-time to the point that it was gross looking, and she just kept playing on for the 7-5 5-7 8-6 win.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

In Leena's defence - I'd have really liked to hear her comments on the Wimbledon final last year.

 

Plus, she was a contributor to the golf threads.

[2GOLD 0]

Like for example you mention Dokic, I didn't even know she was still playing. Tennis and boxing seem to have both fallen into the trench with golf (which is bleeding out without any of the stars playing on the tour and no new ones emerging) and soccer [in America, where I doubt it will ever escape]. It's a shame.

 

She pretty much wasn't any more. She had to qualify for the Aussie open as a wildcard, and when they interviewed her after her last match, she said that her goal for the tournament had been "to play well in the 1st round". That's the whole reason she was a story going into the R16 last night. Then, in the 3rd set, she rolled over on her ankle big-time to the point that it was gross looking, and she just kept playing on for the 7-5 5-7 8-6 win.

 

See, that is a great story and I can tell you more about the Grizzlies losing a basketball game than that.

[MFer 0]

I caught the Federer match last night where he came back from being down 2 sets and won. Hopefully he can break Sampras' Grand Slam record before too long, cuz I don't know how much longer he can play at that high a level.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Leena's still posting over at the Pit. Other than that, you're more than welcome to start your own thread regarding tennis, as it seems like you've done here. What's so hard about that?

[SuperJerk 0]

We only know about Tennis at the moment since Andrew Murry is doing amazingly well. He's BRITISH at the moment, not Scottish. If he was doing shit he'd be called the Scottish Tennis player Andrew Murry.

 

Why can't you guys just be one big happy United Kingdom?

 

 

[Prime Time Andrew Doyle 0]

I caught the Federer match last night where he came back from being down 2 sets and won. Hopefully he can break Sampras' Grand Slam record before too long, cuz I don't know how much longer he can play at that high a level.

 

I don't reckon Fed will add to his GS record at this event. I think one of Rafa, Djokic or Tsonga will take it out. Thats not to say that he isn't a chance, but the others just seem to be playing a bit better at the moment.

 

[Black Lushus 0]

I think the 90s was about the best period for tennis on both the male and female sides. While Pete Sampras was dominate, it wasn't JUST him like it had been with Federer lately. Plus he had a great rival to play off of with Andre Agassi. The women's side was good because there were numerous big name gals going back and forth and the Williams sisters hadn't established their dominance yet. I actually watched tennis through most of the 90s, haven't really watched much of it since Sampras and Agassi called it quits.

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

We only know about Tennis at the moment since Andrew Murry is doing amazingly well. He's BRITISH at the moment, not Scottish. If he was doing shit he'd be called the Scottish Tennis player Andrew Murry.

 

Why can't you guys just be one big happy United Kingdom?

 

Personally, I couldn't be bothered either way. I have no problem with the Scottish, though I do have a natural disliking for people from London for some reason - I guess its me being a Northerner.

 

Anyway, he's known as Scottish Tennis player Andrew Murray again.

[iggymcfly 0]

Only 2 hours until Jelena time!

[iggymcfly 0]

Don't know if anyone else watched Dokic this morning (guessing not), but she played another ridiculously tight match against Safina in the semis. It was pretty ugly early on, but the quality of the tennis improved a lot in the 3rd set and Jelena gave Safina everything she could handle before ultimately falling 4-6, 6-4, 4-6.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

That doesn't answer VX's question, though I suppose you could argue it was rhetorical.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I'm hardly a tennis fan, but Nadal and this Verdasco fellow are nearly at the five hour mark in their match. Brutal.

[MFer 0]

Bah, Nadal wins AGAIN. Didn't get to see the whole match so I'll have to catch a replay. Federer would be threatening 20 majors already but Nadal just has his number. At this rate, Nadal might end up breaking all these records, especially considering he's 5 years younger than Federer. This seems somewhat similar to LeBron (although he doesn't have a ring yet) overtaking Kobe as the best player in the NBA (sadly, because I definitely prefer Kobe and Federer in their respective sports).

[iggymcfly 0]

The age thing isn't quite the same with Nadal/Federer as it is with LeBron and Kobe since Nadal's running style is going to wreak havoc on his knees and give him a significantly shorter career than Federer. Still though, I agree that he's clearly taken the mantle of "best player in the world" at this point in time, and I do agree that he has the chance to be greater than Federer when it's all said and done. People really haven't realized just how great Nadal is since Federer's taken so much of the spotlight, but if I were going to rank the best tennis players of all time, I'd go:

 

1. Roger Federer

2. Bjorn Borg

3. Pete Sampras

4. Rod Laver

5. Rafael Nadal

 

Even at this early stage of his career, Nadal already has as many Grand Slam titles as Boris Becker and is only one short of John McEnroe.

[MFer 0]

Also, LeBron/Nadal are greater "physical specimens" than Kobe/Federer. LeBron's basically the small forward version of Shaq. Tennis commentators are always referencing Nadal's "guns" plus he's athletic to the point where you can't get a fucking shot past him.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I think the 90s was about the best period for tennis on both the male and female sides. While Pete Sampras was dominate, it wasn't JUST him like it had been with Federer lately. Plus he had a great rival to play off of with Andre Agassi. The women's side was good because there were numerous big name gals going back and forth and the Williams sisters hadn't established their dominance yet. I actually watched tennis through most of the 90s, haven't really watched much of it since Sampras and Agassi called it quits.

 

Nadal vs. Federer is far better than Agassi vs. Sampras. Federer has hardly been dominant lately either, with Nadal taking over as the new king and tons of exciting new stars like Djokovic (sp) and Monfils.

 

The final for the Aussie Open was awesome, one of the best tennis matches I've ever seen personally (haven't seen a lot). But really great back and forth action in this one.