*Official* Tennis Thread

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Actually you know womens tennis is weak when Elena Dementieva was two wins away from being world number 1, im 100% serious when I say if i played a match against her I'd go close to breaking her serve.

 

[Sanz]

you can say it was more of a battle than the men's match, you can also argue that it made for more compelling viewing because of that(not so for me but i would be able to see where you are coming from) but as to quality, women's tennis is eons behind the men's and serena williams at her best would be beaten quite handily by a guy ranked 50 on the atp tour...

Women aren't playing against men, so what you are saying is really a moot point and I am not really arguing it. Women generally can't compete with men in any physical sport, doesn't mean that they can't offer the same quality.

 

[Sanz]

You don't like Serena though. You say the same thing every time she plays (and generally wins)! The exact same predictability existed with Henin in 2003 and at various French Opens.

But Jono, hasn't that been true for Men's Tennis as well ? How many people really thought that Andy Murray was going to beat Roger in the Finals. Heck Borg predicted a year ago that Rafa was going to win the 2008 Wimbledon finals.

 

[Sanz]

Actually you know womens tennis is weak when Elena Dementieva was two wins away from being world number 1, im 100% serious when I say if i played a match against her I'd go close to breaking her serve.

Thanks for the Laughs.

 

[Somerset]

Well there are lot of matches that you know the outcome already yet they can be a lot more entertaining.

For my money in the 2008 US OPEN, Women's Final >>>>>>>>>> Men's Final.

I know I'm a little late in replying but to be honest I agree - I found the women's final a much more entertaining battle than the mens' in which Federer, bar a period midway through the second set, was easily the dominant player.

 

[Anil]

You don't like Serena though. You say the same thing every time she plays (and generally wins)! The exact same predictability existed with Henin in 2003 and at various French Opens.

i certainly don't like what i've seen of serena as a person and while i admire her athletic skills and her fighting spirit as a player, her general on-court demeanour and post-match comments completely put me off....i like the kind of tennis where deft tennis skills, great courtcraft and natural instinct and touch(like a henin or a hingis or a navratilova or a mauresmo(when she plays well) or an edberg or a rafter or a mcenroe or a federer or a sampras for examples) dominate more than raw power or the monotonous back-and-forth of baseline drones...this women's final was tremendous power vs baseline side-to-side retrieving skills, neither enthuses me as a spectacle and however well jankovic fought, the result was a given for me so i watched only part of it and was bored even by that...

Women aren't playing against men, so what you are saying is really a moot point and I am not really arguing it. Women generally can't compete with men in any physical sport, doesn't mean that they can't offer the same quality.

if the ability is not the same and it's clearly not, then where does the same or superior quality come into the picture? what exactly do you mean by quality here? is it the winners to errors ratio on the women's side compared to the men's? i have enjoyed a few women's tennis matches more than some of the really error-filled men's matches but i don't see a huge difference in stats while comparing these two matches...

 

[Mister Wright]

Tsonga stuns Djokovic in Thailand

 

[Somerset]

Whilst in Japan, Marina Erakovic loses in the first round of a singles tournament for either the sixth or seventh consecutive tournament - she hasn't won since Wimbledon apparently. Its a real shame after a fantastic six months (ASB Classic, French Open, Wimbledon) to have such a remarkable loss of form.

 

[Simon]

Joachim Johansson is coming out of retirement at this months Stokholm open with a view to returning fulltime to the tour in the second half of 2009. Really excited about this as he is one of the few guys outside the top 3 who could steal a grand slam if he has a really hot couple of weeks at the right time.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Tsonga stuns Djokovic in Thailand

Fantastic .

Never really rated Johansson too highly, and he's getting a bit long in the tooth. Unsure how he's going to go.

 

[Simon]

Fantastic .

Never really rated Johansson too highly, and he's getting a bit long in the tooth. Unsure how he's going to go.

he's pretty raw, remember when he blasted Roddick off the court in the 05 US Open semi when he was the defending champ. Was awesome to watch. Then got beaten by Hewitt in the semi.
His serve is big enough to worry any player and his groundstrokes are good enough too, he was developing into another Safin before his injuries. He is still young enough (think hes only 23-24) to make it to the top.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

He's 26 now. Not too old, but not all that young either (a year younger than Federer).

 

[Jono]

Figured I'd revive this baby since the Tennis Masters Cup is starting right about.... NOW!

Watching Djokovic vs. Del Potro live on Bet365.com Although it sucks Nadal had to pull out due to injury Particularly since he was categorically the best player this year, and could have taken this out for the first time.

Red
Federer
Murray
Roddick
Simon (replacing the injured Nadal)

Gold
Djokovic
Davydenko
Tsonga
Del Potro

In recent times Murray and Gilles Simon both beat Federer and Nadal in the Madrid Masters semis respectively, with Murray then winning the final.

Tsonga and Nalbandian then resurged, but Nalbandian couldn't win the Paris Masters, with Tsonga winning at home, and qualifying for the Masters Cup. Nalbandian misses out for a consecutive year despite having good late year form. The guy has to learn to play tennis throughout the year!

My tips are Federer, Murray, Djokovic and Tsonga to make the semis. Have a feeling Tsonga is a decent tip to win this to be honest. He's in red hot form.

 

[Johnners]

Haha, how many times has Novak had to play Tsonga this year? Seems like they've met in every 2nd tournament.

 

[Anil]

djokovic and davydenko win their 1st games...

 

[Simon]

Andy Murray should win this tournament *feels dirty*

 

[ohtani's jacket]

Caught the Federer/Simon game earlier. Combination of Simon being awesome and Federer completely blowing it. Some good tennis.

 

[Simon]

Been calling Simon's rise up the rankings for a couple of years now, never seriously considered him a potential top fiver and a Federer beater twice in six months. Good to see him doing so well anyway.

 

[Jono]

Simon's now beaten Nadal and Federer in the space of a couple of months. Gun!

Gun name as well.

 

[Jono]

Tsonga loses to Del Potro in straight sets.

I've watched the last two matches of Tsonga between Davydenko and Del Potro, and its obvious he has no backhand under pressure. In fact he doesn't really have a backhand at all.

If he's on he's on, but if he's playing a consistent player on the other end, he can crumble.