Tennis Thread

[cms]

Here's hoping there are some fellow tennis nuts like me!

My favorites are still in the hunt in Miami, Serena and Rafa. It's also great to see Fed back to form/health even though he was the bane of my tennis existence for so long (what can I say? A certain visor-wearing smartass got me hooked on this game), Venus continues to be an inspiration, and I wish Maria's competitive grit could be her next Sugarpova flavor, because a lot of the next generation could use it.

Looking forward to #1 vs #2 in the women's final - Li's been streaky as usual but she plays Serena extremely tough despite their H2H. As for the men's semis - Kei's had an amazing tournament but I think Djokovic will come through and I think Tomas is getting closer to breaking Rafa's streak over him. I'm still crossing my fingers that Rafa will get his 1st Miami trophy though. All in all, a nice setup for the fun swing through clay and grass!

[crimsongrl]

Hey there cms! I love me some Rafa & Serena. At the moment they're the only big names that I care to follow. Kvitova & Tsonga can't seems to make any improvements but just like Safin & Safina I'll support them till the end.

I have my DVR set for the ladies final this afternoon. I get too nervous watching Serena play. It's always a rollercoaster with her & the announcers get on my nerves. Although I love when they get a bit gossip-y on The Tennis Channel.

[cms]

Hi crimsongrl! So glad to see another tennis fan here! What did you think of the final? I'm quite nervous for tomorrow's match. I really hope Nadal can beat Djokovic, it will help tremendously for his confidence going into clay.

A Safin/a fan? Oh, I feel for you, haha - they certainly knew how to put their fans through the ringer! Something about those headcase-y players (hi, Ana!), never quite know what you're going to get, but the promise of brilliance keeps you hanging on. I'm glad Jo had a better run here, his performance in IW had me worried. And Petra needs to not take her "P3tra" nickname so seriously with grinding out three-setters so often! I hope they can stay healthy because the game is definitely more interesting with them in the mix.

And yessss to TTC's commentators - Lindsay/Mary/Rennae are my dream team. Such a great balance between knowledgeable insight and levity. I love Martina's commentary as well, but it's been a while since I've heard her in the booth. 

[crimsongrl]

The women's final had me all twisted up in the first set! Serena seems to need a few games to wake up and get into a match lately. I was shocked she could perform that way in back-to-back matches, but I doubt she could do the same against Azarenka and come out on top.

I will say it's nice to see two “old ladies” like myself playing and dominating at such a high level. Hopefully they can take some pressure off the promising young ladies coming up. Simona Halep, Eugenie Bouchard & Monica Puig have me the most excited for the future. I haven't warmed to any of the young American ladies. Espn keeps telling me Sloane Stevens is the next great hope but she bores me and something about her rubs me the wrong way.

I've been so wrapped up in NCAA basketball I haven't seen any of Rafa's matches! Novak has the edge on hard court so I'm praying for a humid day with high temps to level the playing field. lol

Vamos Rafa!

[khyber]

I wonder if Berdych might have given Nole more of a run for his money? Or even Nishikori for that matter.  We will see if Rafa picks up his normal dominance on clay.

[khyber]

Thrilled for the Kazks in Davis Cup.  They just outplayed the Swiss.

[ModernWhimsy]

I just thought my first post here should be tennis related! I'm excited for the French Open although the coverage on the tennis channel has shown a lot of blurry balls.

[Ohwell]

I hope Monfils' ankle is OK for the French Open. I'd love to see him win it (I know, I'm dreaming) or at least make it to the semis like he did once before.  

[khyber]

His ankle was good enough for a dance off.

http://deadspin.com/gael-monfils-and-laurent-lokoli-engage-in-dance-off-bef-1581123309

[truthaboutluv]

So this may seem silly but am I the only one confused and okay, annoyed that Rafa's first round match is scheduled for Lenglen while both Djokovic and Stan get placed on Philllipe Chatrier and they had Federer there today. No, I'm really interested in the reasoning behind putting the #1 seed at the tournament and defending champion on the smaller stadium court. Look, I get it that everyone is talking about how vulnerable he is coming into this year's French Open and Novak's the heavy favorite but still, a little respect much?

 

eta: Well apparently I'm not so ridiculous for noticing as I'm watching NBC's coverage right now and McEnroe just brought it up. While he acknowledges that it seems slightly like a lack of respect, he tries to defend the French Open by saying that they probably assume Rafa will win and keep winning so plenty of time to play on Chatrier but I call bullshit on that. 

Edited May 25, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Ohwell]

His ankle was good enough for a dance off.

Heh, yeah, I saw that earlier and was just about to post that link.  The guy's got rubber legs!  The other guy wasn't too bad either but he was no match for Le Monf.

Edited May 25, 2014 by Ohwell

[renard]

So this may seem silly but am I the only one confused and okay, annoyed that Rafa's first round match is scheduled for Lenglen while both Djokovic and Stan get placed on Philllipe Chatrier and they had Federer there today. No, I'm really interested in the reasoning behind putting the #1 seed at the tournament and defending champion on the smaller stadium court. Look, I get it that everyone is talking about how vulnerable he is coming into this year's French Open and Novak's the heavy favorite but still, a little respect much?

 

Serena and Roger are scheduled to play on Lenglen tomorrow (Wednesday) and Andy Murray and Li Na (lost) were on Lenglen on Tuesday. There has been a concerted effort over the past few years at all the Majors (I'm not sure if it is a rule, ATP/WTA agreement, or what) that all major players play at least one match away from center court. It was mentioned after one discussion that Rafa had completed his "exhile" already and should be on CC the rest of the tournament. But it really isn't much of an exhile/insult/disrespect IMO; it is stil a show/stadium court that seats several thousand, not some back water court with broken lawn chairs, cracks with weeds growing and a wind fence with spectators trying to get a glimpse.

[truthaboutluv]

Yes, those players are scheduled for Lenglen for their 2nd round matches just as Rafa has played 2nd, 3rd round matches on Lenglen. The issue was not Rafa playing on Lenglen period. The issue was scheduling him there for his first match, to begin his title defense. More importantly, I'm sorry it is very noteworthy and yes incredibly insulting when every single one of the Top 4 seeded males at the tournament begin their tournament on the main show court except for the one who is seeded number one and the defending champion and has won the title EIGHT times. 

 

And passive aggressive, snotty articles like the one written by that Kate woman on the official Roland Garros website does not make the situation any better and proves that many people were bothered by it enough that they felt they had to defend their decision. And for the tournament director to make some vague, nonsensical response about how "well other factors other than seeding go into scheduling matches..." Of course he doesn't say what those "other factors" are. And I love the same passive aggressive Kate woman's response of Rafa saying in his press conference that he didn't care where he played as if that proves something. 

 

Like what else is he going to say. Rafa has never been like Djokovic who whines about people not liking him or appreciating him. He's not going to say publicly if he was bothered or not. But I am sorry, when Serena, Sharapova, Federer, Djokovic and Wawrinka all get their first round matches scheduled on the main court, the latter two who've never even won the title, and the man who's number one in the world, number one at the tournament and has won more than anyone in history at the tournament gets shuttled off to a smaller court, there's a problem. And plenty of other tennis players called it out including Isner and Navratilova who said it was disrespectful period. 

 

eta: Meanwhile...those seeds seem to be dropping like flies so far.

Edited May 28, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[shok]

I'm with you truthaboutluv. Their disrespect for Rafa was shameful and has been for a number of years. Whoever does their twitter and facebook has been snubbing and insulting Rafa for ages - it's probably that Kate bitch - the tone sounds the same. They came up with so many lame excuses for their scheduling it got ridiculous. Meanwhile, Rafa remains classy and gracious which only made RG look worse.

 

What made me laff and laff though was how their treatment of Rafa backfired on them. As soon as the OOP for Monday was released, there was a mad rush for tickets for Lenglen and they sold out very quickly while many tickets were unsold for Chatrier. At the end of Rafa's match they announced to the crowd that they could go and watch the match on Chatrier for free. They needed some bums in the seats because it was embarrassingly empty so a bunch of Rafa fans went and cheered wildly for Garcia Lopez. Snerk.

[truthaboutluv]

Damn, what is in the water at Roland Garros this year? This is starting to feel like last year's Wimbledon. I didn't see the match but for anyone who did was Serena injured in any way or was she just out of it? It's funny I saw the score but it took my brain a few seconds to register that Serena was the one who lost 6-2, 6-2 and it wasn't the other way around with her winning 6-2, 6-2. Well Sharapova must be feeling confident except she doesn't look too impressive so I think this might be one of the lower ranked players' own to take. Maybe Anna Ivanovic will repeat her victory here that she had how many years ago.

Edited May 28, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Ohwell]

I started watching the Serena match towards the end of the first set when it was 5-1.  For a few seconds I was confused because, of course, I assumed it was in her favor.  Then when I looked at the names, I realized she was the one behind.  I watched the rest, and it just looked to me like she was flat, along with the fact that her opponent (sorry, can't think of her name) just jumped all over her.

[truthaboutluv]

Yeah that's what I've gotten from the press after the match. Well she sounds like she's taking the loss well and is looking ahead. Will be interesting to see how she does at Wimbledon, especially considering there's barely any turnaround between the French and Wimbly. 

[shok]

Really enjoyed Rafa's match today. He played so well and it looked like he was trying to send Thiem a message to not mess with the pros.

[truthaboutluv]

And...Radwanska's out. It's like the top women seeds just forgot to show up this year for RG. Is it awful that my main thought when Aggie lost was "damn, and her tennis outfit was so cute to look at". Seriously, I really loved her dress for this year's Open. The pattern was gorgeous. 

 

Rafa looked great against Thiem but there were still too many hiccups for me with his service games, especially at key moments like serving for the set. But all in all he was very impressive. I loved Darren Cahill being like "eh, whatever..." in regards to all the questions about Rafa coming in RG with more losses on clay than he's had since like 2005-2006 and being vulnerable. 

 

I can definitely see why some believe Djokovic is the favorite, especially after his win in Rome where Rafa was leading that match and he came back and just outplayed him. But I still think you can't entirely bet against Rafa when it comes to the French Open. Now watch him make a liar out of me and lose before the Finals, lol.

[Ohwell]

Next time, I fully expect Gael Monfils to slide on his head.

 

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/05/gael-monfils-french-open-crazy-jump

[shok]

Rafa looked great against Thiem but there were still too many hiccups for me with his service games, especially at key moments like serving for the set. But all in all he was very impressive. I loved Darren Cahill being like "eh, whatever..." in regards to all the questions about Rafa coming in RG with more losses on clay than he's had since like 2005-2006 and being vulnerable. 

 

 

More losses on clay. Yeah, he lost three instead of two. Rafa's record on clay is better than anyone else's this year and it drives me nuts how negative the press is about him instead of praising him for his incomparable achievements. I mean, when you have journalists writing that Rafa and Roger have shared the FO title for the last nine years it's totally ludicrous.

 

 

I can definitely see why some believe Djokovic is the favorite, especially after his win in Rome where Rafa was leading that match and he came back and just outplayed him. But I still think you can't entirely bet against Rafa when it comes to the French Open. Now watch him make a liar out of me and lose before the Finals, lol.

 

Rafa had played ten matches in twelve days, some of them tough three setters. Novak had played five in twenty-nine days. It's not surprising Djokovic had more jump in the third set of their final. Anyone that would bet against Rafa at RG is a fool. After all, he's won eight of them and only lost one match in nine years. If I had any money I know who I'd be putting it on, especially after Djokovic's shaky performance today.

[truthaboutluv]

I mean, when you have journalists writing that Rafa and Roger have shared the FO title for the last nine years it's totally ludicrous.

 

 

lol, that is funny. Yes they've shared it alright, with Federer winning a whopping one time out of those nine years. You certainly get no argument from me that Rafa should not be underestimated and that's why I liked Darren saying as much today (of course he's the only one that ever really makes any sense in that commentary booth) but I think "he may be vulnerable" talks come more from the fact that for two tournaments Rafa didn't even make it to the finals and the one win he had, he was down 2-6, 2-4 in the match. And some think Kei getting injured is what made him win, not saying I necessarily agree. I definitely do think there were cracks in Rafa's game this clay court season and really, it's to be expected. The man is 28 now after all and while some parts of his game has gotten better with age and experience, some has weakened, He isn't as fast and as agile as he was when he was 19, 20.

[Etta Place]

A couple of great matches today. I can't feel too bad about Young losing to Garcia Lopez, although I do like Young. Garcia Lopez making it this far in a Major is awesome for him.

 

And the Kohlschreiber-Murray was a nailbiter. Or is, I guess, since they have to finish it tomorrow. Much to John McEnroe's chagrin, since he's all about the final-set tiebreak. I think Paris should probably just get some artificial lights for starters. Is that part of the Roland Garros upgrade plan?

[truthaboutluv]

There are many things RG need to get - yes lights would be nice, a detachable roof and instituting the damn Hawkeye system instead of relying just on a mark when by the middle of a match there are sometimes so many marks, the umpires and the player themselves sometimes don't know which mark is the right one. Murray is such an odd player to me. No matter how his match is going I always find myself so bored and half the time I actually can't tell how he's winning or even losing. It's just strange. Like I'll seat and watch the match, as I did with most of his and Kohlschreiber's today and still, nothing. 

[khyber]

What can I say about Fog and Gael? In a perverse way, I enjoy them both because you never really know what you are going to get.

[Etta Place]

I am not really bored by Murray's matches, because I'm busy celebrating every single point he loses. But I can understand that sentiment - I've had players like that in the past.

 

As for Monfils, he's a crazy person. What else is there to say? :)

[truthaboutluv]

I am not really bored by Murray's matches, because I'm busy celebrating every single point he loses.

LOL, that's hilarious actually.

As for Monfils, he's a crazy person. What else is there to say? :)

It's definitely entertaining to watch...

Ugh, Gulbis is such a douche but dammit if he didn't kick ass today. That was a really good match.

[BitterApple]

Ugh, I was really rooting for Kohlschreiber to pull it out. Murray is such a damn whiner. I just want to scream "shut up and PLAY!" every time he's on my tv screen.

Serena just seemed flat from the start of the tourney. I'm not surprised she went down early.

Darrin has always been my favorite commentator, the man is pure class.

[truthaboutluv]

Wow the French crowd was awful towards Muguruza today. I get that she was playing a French woman and they're rooting for their country woman but they were downright obnoxious and rude and I'm amazed they didn't start booing. There was a lot of hooting and hollering while she was serving and they couldn't even give a half-assed applause when she won. But kudos to her blocking all of that out and giving that French woman a complete thrashing. Still I was really turned off by the crowd and the fact is as much as they would have loved to see Tsonga win, they certainly didn't treat Djokovic like that. But I guess unless you're in the Top 10 you're not important enough to warrant getting some respect. Of course considering that mess with Rafa at the start of the tournament, I guess even that doesn't matter. Maybe it's a nationality thing and they just can't stand the Spanish players considering they have seemed to just dominate the French Open for decades. 

Edited June 1, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Ohwell]

Well, I was rooting for Kohlschreiber, dangit.  The only time I ever liked Murray was when he won Wimbledon because I was happy he got that monkey off his back.  But even then, I would have been happy if it had been any British player winning.  Otherwise, I don't like him because his personality is too prickly.

 

I was surprised that Tsonga got whipped so badly by Djokovic.

 

I only saw a little of the Muguruza match but I was disgusted by the reaction of the French crowd.

[truthaboutluv]

I was surprised that Tsonga got whipped so badly by Djokovic.

 

 

Tsonga is fairly inconsistent. He has moments of absolute brilliance where when he's on, he can challenge almost anyone and then there are many times where it's like he just didn't bother to show up for the match. And I think that's the thing that always separates the dominant players from those who are talented but never reach their peak. The dominant players are consistent. Everyone has an off day and have uncharacteristic losses in their career but for the most part they tend to be consistent. Tsonga isn't. 

[Ohwell]

Le Monf in in the quarters!  Looks like he'll be meeting Murray.  I would so love for him to beat Murray.

[truthaboutluv]

Yeah despite all the upsets, there are some really good Quaterfinal matches to look forward to. Djokovic/Raonic could be really good if Raonic brings his A game. There is nothing I hate more than a match that could be great, that had a lot of hype just being a wash because one player just didn't show up. Berdych and Gulbis should be good too, Rafa and Ferrer is interesting considering they are coming off Ferrer's win against him, Muguruza/Sharapova has potential to be a good one, same with Bouchard and Navarro. So should be interesting to see who all is left standing.

Edited June 2, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[renard]

Le Monf in in the quarters!  Looks like he'll be meeting Murray.  I would so love for him to beat Murray.

 

I certainly agree with the sentiment but regardless of the outcome, I mainly hope it doesn't take 37 hours to complete the match. Between Murray and Isner, I've never seen 2 guys with great skills (physical, virtually no mental) who cannot put a match away to save their lives. You might say it's the clay but they each take forever on grass also.

[Etta Place]

Well, the Murray-Monfils match had everything: erratic behavior, wild swings in momentum, whining and yelling ....

 

And we're stuck with Murray for another round.

[truthaboutluv]

I think Rafa needed that match against Ferrer today. He has more or less just strolled through the tournament. For the first two sets at least, Ferrer pushed him to step up his game. That said, it was a pity how Ferrer just went away once Rafa got a little more confident and seemed more present in the match. I think that's where the mental part of sports play such an important part. I think once Rafa won that second set and he was serving better, moving better and looking motivated, Ferrer started doubting himself, probably thinking about things like the fact that he'd never won against Rafa at Roland Garros and he lost his self belief that he could pull off the upset. Darren Cahill, as soon as Rafa won the second set called the match as being over.

 

Chris Fowler was surprised that he would be so certain of that with how well Ferrer had played in the opening set and most of the second set but Darren essentially said that Ferrer would crumble under the pressure and intimidation from Rafa and that's basically what happened. That said, Ferrer was who I was concerned about with regards to Rafa's form being shaky coming into the Open. As is, I expect him to destroy Murray in 3. I don't think Murray has the game on clay to truly challenge Rafa. Now watch him make a liar out of me :) But seriously, I think Rafa's definitely going to the final. I think Djokovic and Gulbis might be the tougher semi-final.

 

As for Monfils and Murray...yeah that was just one big ol' crazy mess of momentum swings, crowd drama, great points and then crappy points, etc. Honestly, I'm just happy Murray won only because I don't get to deal with Rafa playing Monfils. I just had a feeling that might have gotten pretty messy with the hooting, hollering, possibly even booing between the fact that I think the French crowd really wants to see someone upset Rafa at the Open and their desperation to have a French man win the title again. So very glad to be spared that. 

Edited June 5, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Ohwell]

Well, at least Monfils didn't lie down like a dog after losing the first two sets.  I still hate that Murray won though dammit.

 

I have to admit, I was surprised that Rafa could tame "The Beast" Ferrer like that, after he got off to such a good start.  I like both of them, so it didn't matter who won. 

[Etta Place]

I also wouldn't have been unhappy with either result in the Nadal-Ferrer match. But I just don't think Ferrer believes he can beat Rafa at the French. I love Ferrer, but he knows he's second fiddle to Nadal and he plays like it. Once the tide starts to turn Nadal's way, Ferrer surfs on it.

[Ohwell]

I love Ferrer, but he knows he's second fiddle to Nadal and he plays like it. Once the tide starts to turn Nadal's way, Ferrer surfs on it.

I think that's exactly it.  Had Ferrer been playing anyone else, I think he would have stayed in beast mode.

 

The thing I find interesting is how well and how long many of these players have known each other.  For example, Monfils mentioned before he played Murray that they started playing each other on the juniors circuit when he was 11 and Murray was 10.  Nadal and Ferrer might go back even further.  I'm not sure there's another sport where there are so many players, many of whom could be friends. 

[truthaboutluv]

Man that French crowd is really obnoxious. I mean I too was rooting for Bouchard, just to have a final with two first time GS finalists (because let's face it, that's not happening with the men since Gulbis is the only one in the semifinals who's never won a GS) but credit to Sharapova for her fight. They made it more than obvious that they were rooting for Bouchard towards the end and when Maria finally won on her fifth match point it was like only a third of the people in Chatrier applauded.

Edited June 5, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[BitterApple]

Yeah, the French fans have been beyond rude this whole tournament. I have no problem with a crowd trying to pump up a player who's down or rooting for the underdog. What I do have a problem with is spectators yelling out right as a player is about to serve, being disruptive or refusing to settle down even after the umpire's tenth request.

The obnoxiousness during the Muguruza match was one of the worst displays I've ever seen in my 20+ years of following tennis.

[renard]

I guess that I haven't been watching that closely this year because I haven't noticed the level of spectator obnoxiousness. That said, the things listed (and I accept that all have occurred) are nowhere near the standard set by Italian fans at the Foro Italico in the mid-late 70's; they were known to actually throw coins and other objects onto the court and sometimes even at players, especially when Adrianno Pannatta (sp?) was playing. And there's also the time in Lagos when the Nigerian army marched onto the court with rifles and "requested" that Arthur Ashe and his opponent in the finals leave the court. IMMEDIATELY. I don't remember if they stopped to grab their gear or just left with the rackets in their hands but the match was competed a few weeks later...FAR AWAY, in another country, on another continent.

[Ohwell]

Nadal vs. Murray:  Murder by tennis.

[renard]

NBC!!! <as Shatner said KHAN!!!> I'm in CDT and they had SF#2 listed as coming on at 11PM after the Today Show Happy Hour with Hode and Kathy Lee. Watched the opening of Y&R, then turned over to NBC only to find the match already in the 2nd set. Guess they Went to the match live at 10AM. Gonna be a long hot summer of Find-the-Tennis-Coverage.

[truthaboutluv]

No the coverage started at 11 am but the match had started a little earlier than that. And because Rafa basically slaughtered Murray, when they started coverage which was only a half hour after the two had actually started playing, Rafa was already up a set. 

 

Nadal vs. Murray:  Murder by tennis.

 

 

Pretty much. I called it. I knew Murray didn't have the game to truly challenge Rafa and on top of that he just seemed flat throughout and Rafa to his credit was on fire. Might have been the best match he played all tournament. His serve was on fire throughout. 

 

So it's Rafa and Djokovic, Chapter "who the hell knows at this point". Definitely a lot at stake. I know there are some on other boards saying "Rafa's won enough..." but there's a number one ranking at stake and let's be honest, bragging rights from either players' fans.

 

If Djokovic wins, not only will he join the ranks of the few to have wins on all surfaces but you know his fans will crow that he did it beating the best and bringing down "the king". Poor Fed still has people mentioning everytime his one French Open win is referenced that Soderling took care of Rafa for him. 

 

If Rafa wins he ties Sampras' GS record and is that much closer to Federer's 17. And of course there's bragging rights from his fans that he still owns everyone on clay, especially with all the talk coming into the tournament that he was vulnerable, that he wasn't the favorite, etc. Should be interesting. 

Edited June 6, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[shok]

Rafa's got this, no prob. ;)

 

He's been playing so well and although he's going to be nervous on Sunday, he's just the better tennis player. 66-1; 9th French Open; 5th in a row; 10 consecutive years of winning at least one slam; too many other records to count. It's going to be an historical match for him and I can hardly wait. Vamos Rafa!!!!

[Expat]

 

Rafa's got this, no prob. ;)

If he loses, I'm blaming you for the jinxing. ;P

[truthaboutluv]

If he loses, I'm blaming you for the jinxing. ;P

 

LOL...I know right. I have to admit that as a Rafa fan I get way more nervous for finals with Djokovic just because I really can't stand the Djokovic so I really hate seeing Rafa lose to him. Like I obviously don't like seeing Rafa lose but when he loses to anyone else, it doesn't bother me that much and I get over it fairly quickly. 

Edited June 7, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[BitterApple]

Ohwell, "Murder by Tennis"= best line ever!

Sharapova/Halep was a tough one, I think it could have gone either way.

I think Djokovic is pretty much a prick, but I have to admit I want to see someone different win this thing.

[truthaboutluv]

Oh trust me, I would have had zero issues if Ferrer had won last year, just as I was really happy for Stan at the Australian Open. Djokovic just bugs me and much as I would have been fine seeing him lose in the semis, I definitely would not have rooted for or enjoyed Gulbis winning because he is the epitome of douche. So that pretty much leaves Rafa since I knew Andy had gone as far as he could.

 

Plus I think Rafa's confidence when it comes to Djokovic needs that win tomorrow coming on the heels of these four straight losses. I don't know about anyone else but I do not want to see a repeat of 2011 where he lost final after final to Djokovic and I fear if he loses RG, then any final they make again this year will be that much harder. Of course with regards to Wimbledon, I'll just be happy to see Rafa make it to the second week again. The last two years it's like he's forgotten he's won that thing twice and been in the finals five times. 

 

Sharapova and Halep was definitely worthy of a final and I really had no horse in the race so would have been happy for either. I have to say though, Sharapova is almost exhausting to watch with her service games - one, because of the loooong stretches between serves which eventually got her time warning violation and two, the number of free points she gives away with those double faults. 

Edited June 7, 2014 by truthaboutluv