*Official* Tennis Thread

[Jono]

Oh and Federer just too good for Safin.

Safin's only chance was to win the tie-break in the second set (up till then he had only been broken once, and that was in his first service game of teh match) but FAR too many unforced errors.

That being said, for so many unforced errors and considering he was so far away from his best, he still was only broken twice in the match. He has it in him to be top 10 again if he really wants to. But I don't think he does, considering he's mentioned a goal to retire in 2009.

 

[Jono]

I don't see Federer losing from here if his serve holds up.

Venus Williams has been just as dominant at Wimbledon as Federer, but nobody cares. It's not her fault. Nobody cares, that's all.

Both of them have been extremely dominant, and both of them won't win Wimbledon. That's my call, and I'm making it here.

 

[Jono]

you can say more or less the same about feds and nadal...does that in itself make every tournament and each men's title match between these two boring and predictable...of course not...

Uhh no you can't. Nadal has never made a hard court Grand Slam final.

 

[Laurrz]

I don't see Federer losing from here if his serve holds up.

Venus Williams has been just as dominant at Wimbledon as Federer, but nobody cares. It's not her fault. Nobody cares, that's all.

Nah, i think if anything Federer didn't look very good in his semi, i guess playing Safin you never get rhythm, but he didn't even serve volley and barely came into the net, when he did he got smashed

and you can't slug it out from the back against a freak like Nadal...Fed in his own right is gun at the back of the court but that plays into Nadal's hand

i predict Fed will win but if its anything like last year....

Venus hasn't really won 5 in a row though

 

[Perm]

I don't see Federer losing from here if his serve holds up.

Venus Williams has been just as dominant at Wimbledon as Federer, but nobody cares. It's not her fault. Nobody cares, that's all.

She lacks Federer's good looks.

 

[Jono]

Besides making suggestions like 'Richards is going to decide the winner' is really cheap.

It was a disgusting statement by Dementieva. Can't wait till she plays Serena or Venus Williams next, and gets thoroughly owned. Her career has never mounted to anything and she's just bitter.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

Nah, i think if anything Federer didn't look very good in his semi, i guess playing Safin you never get rhythm, but he didn't even serve volley and barely came into the net, when he did he got smashed

and you can't slug it out from the back against a freak like Nadal...Fed in his own right is gun at the back of the court but that plays into Nadal's hand

i predict Fed will win but if its anything like last year....

Venus hasn't really won 5 in a row though

Venus has played in 7 of the 9 Finals this decade & her four titles rank her behind Navratilova, Graff & Billie Jean King. Her winning percentage on grass (.869) is second only to Navratilova and Evert. Not sure how many people know that, since most people don't care. They don't see her as a Navratilova or a Graff.

Federer's serve is holding up well. It was better against Ancic, but still won around 80% on the first and second serve.

 

[Jono]

Scheuttler seriously looked like he was going to take that 2nd set, his confidence was extremely high and he was hitting it well.

Yet somehow you still knew that when Scheuttler was serving for the set Nadal would break back.

2 sets up now, and will hopefully take this in 3 so I can go to sleep.

 

[Johnners]

Problem with the Williams sisters is that whilst there's no doubting they're very good tennis players, they have shocking attitudes afaic. Venus less so than Serena, but it's still ****ing irritating. Henin retiring was probably the worst thing for womens tennis at this point in time imo. Sure you have Ivanovic, Sharapova, and Jankovic, but none of them are good enough to properly break the Williams stranglehold, nor do they have all that different a style of play, and it's turning more people away (well, not in Ivanovics case for obvious reasons) than it is attracting for mine.

 

[Jono]

I honestly don't believe their 'attitude' is the sole reason people dislike them (though I do acknowledge that Serena is very poor in interviews a lot of the time. I'd be a hypocrite to say she wasn't considering I've despised Hewitt for his after-match comments before), but I'm not going to go there and open a can of worms. Last time Matteh had a crack at me for it, and this time Mr Hat will come from the wilderness and tell me I'm anti-white or something.

All I'll say is both Williams sisters break the 'conventional image' of what a ladies tennis champion should be, and people don't like it.

 

[Laurrz]

All I'll say is both Williams sisters break the 'conventional image' of what a ladies tennis champion should be, and people don't like it.

That sums it up i reckon
That said, the crowds still flock, the tv ratings are obviously doing ok.. they are getting equal prize money to mens

Serena i can understand is hateable, but ppl bracket Venus with her, not sure if thats fair? she seems like a very modest champion.

So wish Zheng had won that point when she had set point, she actually plays with a lot of smarts. With the William sisters you do feel their tactic is, plan A hit hard..plan B hit harder

 

[Jono]

Serena i can understand is hateable, but ppl bracket Venus with her, not sure if thats fair? she seems like a very modest champion.

Agreed.

Serena is my favourite female tennis player, mainly because I have absolute respect for her mental toughness, which is what I believe separates naturally talented players who are excellent players (Safin, Roddick) and the absolute greats (Federer, Nadal).

But I can understand why people don't like her. However Venus IMO has only ever been bitter in an interview once, after her loss to Alicia Molik in the Aus Open (think 2005 or 2006 one).

With the William sisters you do feel their tactic is, plan A hit hard..plan B hit harder

I admit that's true, but to be fair, if their plan A or plan B aren't working, and they're a set and a break down, they truly believe (particularly Serena) that they can still win, and make comebacks all the time. You have to respect that.

 

[grecian]

I don't like Serena, but quite like Venus. Yet it's inevitable they get grouped together though. it's like Gary and Phil Neville for England (Soccer for our colonial friends), one is ****e the others quite good, but they're both universally hated in England. Or the Marshall twins for the Kiwis, oh no wait a minute, they ARE both ****e aren't they.

Venus plays a very old-fashioned serve-and-volley game, which in this womens tennis world of boring baseliners (no matter how pretty some of them are) I find quite refreshing, TBH. She also seems quite pleasant and professional in interviews, mostly. Serena's power game is just repetitive though, and she seems fairly obnoxious, on court and post-match.

 

[Jono]

Btw, Williams sisters have made the ladies' doubles finals too

 

[ohtani's jacket]

What's the conventional image of a women's champion? A lesbian like Navratilova or Billie Jean King?

 

[headhunter]

Really think Sundays final will be a cracker, am thinking Nadal can pull it off too.

 

[howardj]

Really thing Sundays final will be a cracker, am thinking Nadal can pull it off too.

Absolutely AWTA.

 

[Sanz]

She lacks Federer's good looks.

Federer looks like a girl and a very unattractive one.

Otoh Venus is beautiful.

 

[Sanz]

Both of them have been extremely dominant, and both of them won't win Wimbledon. That's my call, and I'm making it here.

Both of them are going to win.

 

[Sanz]

Venus plays a very old-fashioned serve-and-volley game, which in this womens tennis world of boring baseliners (no matter how pretty some of them are) I find quite refreshing, TBH. She also seems quite pleasant and professional in interviews, mostly. Serena's power game is just repetitive though, and she seems fairly obnoxious, on court and post-match.

Agree with the Above.