Tennis Thread

[Dejana]

45 minutes ago, Gurkel said:

Maybe I’m missing it on my on-screen guide, but it looks like the women’s final will only air tonight on the Tennis channel. The men’s final is listed the way I’m used to seeing it: initially on ESPN with replays on the Tennis channel.

Does—whoever decides these things—feel the women’s match doesn’t warrant a national broadcast on ESPN because it might not have the highest of ratings? If so, that’s not fair. But I hope I’m wrong altogether. 

The women's final was broadcast live on ESPN this morning and is replaying on ESPN2 right now... 

[truthaboutluv]

Yeah, was just coming in to say I watched it live at 3:30 this morning. I'm happy for Caro but a little gutted for Simona. I hope she can figure out how to win one of these at least once and she doesn't become a Dementieva type player instead. Great final though.

[topanga]

Predictions for the men’s final?

Edited January 27, 2018 by topanga

[Ohwell]

10 minutes ago, topanga said:

Predictions for the men’s final?

Fed.  

[truthaboutluv]

17 minutes ago, topanga said:

Predictions for the men’s final?

Seriously? Believe me, I would like more than anything for Cilic to prove me wrong and at the least make a match of it. But again - seriously?

[BitterApple]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

Predictions for the men’s final?

Fed in a routine three-setter.

[sally-can-wait]

2 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Yeah, was just coming in to say I watched it live at 3:30 this morning. I'm happy for Caro but a little gutted for Simona. I hope she can figure out how to win one of these at least once and she doesn't become a Dementieva type player instead. Great final though.

I was more than a little gutted for Simona. I was all out crying when she gave her concession speech. Oh course that may have to do with the fact that I stayed up until 5:00 am to watch the final and could barely keep my eyes open! 

I'll be pulling for her hard at the French. That girl deserves a major.

[truthaboutluv]

24 minutes ago, double-elvis said:

I was more than a little gutted for Simona. I was all out crying when she gave her concession speech. Oh course that may have to do with the fact that I stayed up until 5:00 am to watch the final and could barely keep my eyes open! 

I'll be pulling for her hard at the French. That girl deserves a major.

lol, yeah that probably had something to do with it. I think I would have been less upset if she hadn't gotten back in the third set and actually went up the break. Because when the set started, I was sure Wozniacki would just run away with it.

[roseha]

I couldn't stay up - the finals start at 3:30 AM here in NY - but while I have nothing against Woz (it amused me to hear Bethanie Mattek-Sands, working for ESPN, refer to her that way as all the fans do) I am also gutted for Simona.   She must still have nightmares about losing that French Open final to Ostapenko after being way ahead.  I really hope she gets over the finish line in a Slam someday.

My guess is the men's final will probably be like the Fed-Berdych match, I don't expect it will be easy but I do think/hope Roger will pull it out.  I can't stay up but I hope he will get his 20th.  He can't play forever (though I wonder if he, like Hingis, might hang around and play doubles in the future) but I will miss his beautiful game and court savvy so much when he finally retires.

Edited January 27, 2018 by roseha

[dcalley]

I watched the first set live and then went to bed and just now finished it on Watch ESPN (without knowing the outcome!). I am so glad that's an option.

[TVbitch]

That was heartbreaker. I was rooting for Simona, but it was clear she had hit the wall. I think if there was a third set tie break here, which would have spared her from those extended matches, she might have had a chance. Also, if it is so damn hot the heat rule is in effect and both players are doubling over and slathering ice all over themselves at the changovers, why can't they close the freaking roof and put the air on? They did it for Fed the other night. 

[NUguy514]

I actually thought the women's final was pretty fantastic. They both played really well, and, in contrast to the Halep/Kerber semi, I didn't feel like either woman choked leads away. It felt really competitive throughout, and I thought the final two points were really incredible. So excited for Woz – she really has improved her game and played some brilliant tennis today. Halep did not choke this one away, that's for sure; I was impressed with her play throughout the match. I'll be pulling for Halep to win the French and get the monkey off her back and for Serena to break that shithead's Slams record at Wimbledon and the US Open.

[Harry24]

Well, it was a pretty ugly final, and Roger got really lucky, but I'm so happy he pulled it out.  Now that I'm relieved and Roger has won, I can be magnanimous and say I'm happy that Marin made it a match.  It was looking REALLY ugly there in that first set.  Once Roger has retired, I hope Marin can win some more majors.  He seems like a great guy, and I always find it impressive when really good players can, relatively late in their careers, find that new gear and ascend to greatness.

[NUguy514]

Pre-match, I thought Cilic would win; I don't know why – just a feeling.  I'm thrilled Roger got #20, but I would've been fine if Cilic had won as well; at least Marin didn't roll over.

Woz and Roger as Aussie champions?  I'm a happy guy.

Also, it's almost 4:00 here in LA, and I. need. to. go. to. bed.

[Ohwell]

Figured Fed would win given their history, but I wouldn't have minded if Cilic had won.  Oh well, at least he put up a fight. 

Also, I'm glad that Fed didn't fall down on the court in victory like he'd been shot, like he's done so many times before when he's won a Slam. 

Edited January 28, 2018 by Ohwell

[Quof]

Quote

 fall down on the court in victory like he'd been shot, like he's done so many times before

Oh, hell, they all do that.  I'm going to try that the next time I score a big victory in court, see what the judge and opposing counsel think. 

[Spunkygal]

I got up at 2:30 am CST and watched the first three sets then couldn't fight the eyelids any longer. So I watched the rest on DVR at a more decent hour. My hopes for the AO were Fed and Wozniacki so I am happy. I enjoyed the good competition in both finals and was glad to see Cilic fight and take it to 5 sets. I like him a lot, too. No one's on the court celebration bothers me. I am glad that Fed is still so emotional and gracious in victory. I know a lot of people are tired of him, like I am tired of Tom Brady, but he, like Brady, are the GOATs in their sport. 

I hope Halep is feeling better. They showed a pic of her in the hospital getting an IV. Does anyone remember the weather terminology that Chris and Johnny Mac were talking about and that no one has ever heard of? It determines if the roof is closed or not? I was more than half asleep during that discussion. 

[roseha]

Just a quick note that I am thrilled for Roger, though I am happy to see that Marin made a match of it.  I couldn't help notice that Roger looked extremely nervous throughout, perhaps due to the fact that everyone expected him to win this, as opposed to last year when no one expected him to go all the way after the six months off.  I certainly didn't and he had admitted that he didn't himself.  This year with his record against Cilic perhaps being expected to win put some burden on him.  Regardless, I was so happy to see him pull away in the fifth. Yes  I watched it on Tivo after knowing the result but I'm weak that way :).

Poor Simona, I feel so bad seeing what this tournament took out of her.   She deserves a slam win and I hope it comes this year.

[Ohwell]

2 hours ago, Quof said:

Oh, hell, they all do that.  I'm going to try that the next time I score a big victory in court, see what the judge and opposing counsel think. 

The opposing counsel will probably wish that you really are dead.

[clb1016]

41 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

I hope Halep is feeling better. They showed a pic of her in the hospital getting an IV. Does anyone remember the weather terminology that Chris and Johnny Mac were talking about and that no one has ever heard of? It determines if the roof is closed or not? I was more than half asleep during that discussion. 

Wet Bulb Temperature.  From Wikipedia:

The wet-bulb temperature is the temperature a parcel of air would have if it were cooled to saturation (100% relative humidity) by the evaporation of water into it, with the latent heat being supplied by the parcel.[1] A wet-bulb thermometer will indicate a temperature close to the true (thermodynamic) wet-bulb temperature. The wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature that can be reached under current ambient conditions by the evaporation of water only. Wet-bulb temperature is largely determined by both actual air temperature (dry-bulb temperature) and the amount of moisture in the air (humidity). At 100% relative humidity, the wet-bulb temperature equals the dry-bulb temperature.

[mojoween]

ESPN put up an alert that there was a story  that Cilic said he had trouble adjusting to the roof being closed.

The conditions were the same for both of you, Marin.

Watching the match, it really did feel like Roger got lucky because Cilic had more unforced errors than Fed had winners, especially it seemed in the last two sets.  

Not that I’m not happy for Roger to have won, but I wish he had looked crisper.

[dcalley]

2 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Does anyone remember the weather terminology that Chris and Johnny Mac were talking about and that no one has ever heard of? It determines if the roof is closed or not? I was more than half asleep during that discussion. 

Official policy mentions the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, which is slightly different from the Wet Bulb Temperature mentioned above. "A wet-bulb thermometer can also be used outdoors in sunlight in combination with a globe thermometer (which measures the incident radiant temperature) to calculate the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT)."

[Mrs. P.]

19 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

I actually thought the women's final was pretty fantastic. They both played really well, and, in contrast to the Halep/Kerber semi, I didn't feel like either woman choked leads away. It felt really competitive throughout, and I thought the final two points were really incredible. So excited for Woz – she really has improved her game and played some brilliant tennis today. Halep did not choke this one away, that's for sure; I was impressed with her play throughout the match. I'll be pulling for Halep to win the French and get the monkey off her back and for Serena to break that shithead's Slams record at Wimbledon and the US Open.

Can you elaborate on your last sentence? Who is 'that shithead'?

[Quof]

Margaret Court. She is not a nice person.

[truthaboutluv]

So it was only sometime yesterday that I remembered that Cilic had actually beaten Federer before, particularly the U.S. Open semifinals the year he won the title. For some reason, and this despite watching both matches live that year, I kept thinking Kei had beaten Federer and Cilic had beaten Djokovic. Off-topic but thought I'd share. I was happy to see that he at least won a set in the finals, though it still more or less went the way I expected it to. Congratulations to Federer.  While I've never been a fan per se, I've never been a not fan either and have always had great respect for his game. Plus, I will always appreciate the many years he deprived Andy Roddick of a Wimbledon title - good times. 

[healthnut]

Love Fed so I’m super happy he won #20, his durability is really paying off while Murray, Nadal, and Djokovic are falling apart.  I’m also even happier that Woz finally won. She’s got her major and a fiancé that won’t call call off their engagement over a phone call. Good for her. 

I don’t have ESPN anymore, hows Mattek-Sands as an analyst? I just can’t imagine... 

[NUguy514]

1 hour ago, Mrs. P. said:

Can you elaborate on your last sentence? Who is 'that shithead'?

As Quof said, it's Margaret Court; she's an execrable human.

1 hour ago, truthaboutluv said:

Plus, I will always appreciate the many years he deprived Andy Roddick of a Wimbledon title - good times. 

LOL, 2009 was an especially good time.

26 minutes ago, healthnut said:

She’s got her major and a fiancé that won’t call call off their engagement over a phone call. Good for her. 

Yeah, that was so fucked up.  Woz traded wayyyyy up, and good for her; she is, by all accounts, delightful, so I'm glad she found a great partner.

[roseha]

28 minutes ago, healthnut said:

Love Fed so I’m super happy he won #20, his durability is really paying off while Murray, Nadal, and Djokovic are falling apart.  I’m also even happier that Woz finally won. She’s got her major and a fiancé that won’t call call off their engagement over a phone call. Good for her. 

I don’t have ESPN anymore, hows Mattek-Sands as an analyst? I just can’t imagine... 

I only heard Mattek- Sands once in passing, but I thought she made a very interesting observation.  She basically said that stats in a match were overrated, that it was more important to watch the other player's momentum as it comes and goes, and take advantage when they are not on a roll.  Or words to that effect.  I thought that was an interesting point and I would have liked to hear her elaborate on it.  

Speaking of which I remember hearing Martina commenting on the men's final last year and she was very incisive in her observations about what was working and what wasn't in a way that was never judgmental a la Fowler and the Mac brothers.

[BitterApple]

1 hour ago, healthnut said:

 

I don’t have ESPN anymore, hows Mattek-Sands as an analyst? I just can’t imagine... 

Surprisingly not too bad. Definitely green and rough around the edges, but she's made a lot of comments related to the tournament that I agree with. 

[dcalley]

[Mrs. P.]

When does the French Open begin?

Has anyone heard that Federer plans to skip the French to prepare for Wimbledon?

[BitterApple]

6 hours ago, Mrs. P. said:

When does the French Open begin?

Has anyone heard that Federer plans to skip the French to prepare for Wimbledon?

My husband and I were just talking about that after the final. It'll be interesting to see what Roger does. A two-week, best of five tournament on clay is grueling, but with Nadal and Murray struggling with injury and Djokovic's head clearly not in the game, he may figure he's got a halfway decent shot. Hell, with Roger's luck it seems like one or two of his opponents always retires anyways, so he could have a semi-easy road to the final. 

Edited January 30, 2018 by BitterApple

[roseha]

If Roger had not won the French in 2009,  I would guess that he would keep playing it, but since he did, I imagine he will maintain the same schedule as last year and save himself for the grass season, playing two warmups before Wimbledon.  He's done a brilliant job of pacing himself in recent years.  However, it all remains to be seen, I guess.

[Silver Raven]

nm, already covered.

Edited February 13, 2018 by Silver Raven

[theatremouse]

I'm watching Delray Beach and finding myself so distracted. I've probably seen half a dozen matches with Frances Tiafoe televised before, and the announcers always pronounced it "Ti-Afoe", but in this one, the guy keeps saying "Tia-Foe"

[Harry24]

On 2/23/2018 at 9:53 PM, theatremouse said:

the announcers always pronounced it "Ti-Afoe", but in this one, the guy keeps saying "Tia-Foe"

Yeah, there are inconsistencies there.

But the big story is Francis "F*&^-ing" Tiafoe!  Wow.  I thought the technical flaws in his game would keep him from becoming a top player, but ... maybe not.  He seems like such a great guy.  The future is definitely starting to look much brighter for the post Rafa-Roger-Nole era.

[topanga]

On 2/23/2018 at 9:53 PM, theatremouse said:

I'm watching Delray Beach and finding myself so distracted. I've probably seen half a dozen matches with Frances Tiafoe televised before, and the announcers always pronounced it "Ti-Afoe", but in this one, the guy keeps saying "Tia-Foe"

I searched YouTube and found a video of him introducing himself as Frances Tia-foe. 

 

I caught a bit of the Indian Wells tournament last night—just realizing that it’s called the BNP Paribas Open. What the hell is that actually? Anyway, I saw a great match between Eugenie Bouchard and Sachia Vickery. 

Maria lost, but I didn’t stay up to watch that one . 

And Serena plays tonight! I hope she does well. 

[theatremouse]

BNP Baribas is a bank that sponsors several tournaments, but I think they only have full-on naming rights at Indian Wells.

[dcalley]

The ATP website has most players saying their own names, which is a really nice feature. The WTA website doesn't have this, as far as I know.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/players/frances-tiafoe/td51/overview

[Ohwell]

Pronunciation of Tiafoe's name reminds me of the two different pronunciations of Gael Monfils' first name.  I think most people say Gah-el, and then I've heard Gay-el.  I still don't know which one is correct but I suspect it's the latter one. 

[dcalley]

"You had one job!"

[theatremouse]

I loved how the umpire decided it was easier to just say "Advantage, Serena" and "Game, Venus" instead of the usual "Advantage Ms. S Williams" like I've seen during previous matches when they played each other.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

Sevastova went to the well one too many times with that drop shot.  Nice win, Venus!

[Spunkygal]

I really do not need Will Ferrell in the booth with Mary and Jim Courier. His movies are amusing. His color commentary--not so much. YMMV. 

ETA: thank God that was short-lived.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Spunkygal

[SuburbanHangSuite]

I've never seen Kasatkina play before but she has quite the all-around game.  She's giving Venus all she can handle.

[theatremouse]

I'm watching this Venus/Katsakina semi and the feed keeps jolting/flickering and I can't tell if it's ESPN or my service but it is driving me bonkers on all these close line shots and during these long rallies because I can't tell what's happening as it happens.

[khyber]

Will be an interesting match with two young players who did not fluke their way into the finals.  I'm sure ESPN wanted a Williams sister in the final. I hope people tune in to see this.

[truthaboutluv]

Congratulations Coric on an amazingly choke-worthy performance. *le sigh* And the Federer tongue-bathing, deifying, he walks on water, the world is not worthy - continues. Again, *le sigh*. I just keep telling myself, something eventually is going to give as the tennis year rolls on. And here's the thing, I don't dislike Federer. I never have. What I dislike is the constant tongue-bathing and what I dislike is feeling like there isn't even any challenge. I love tennis and I love it especially when there are fierce rivalries and multiple people fighting for the top. I've said it before, and some may not believe me, but much as I love Rafa, that 2012 Aus Open final against Djokovic still ranks as one of the greatest matches I have ever seen and felt lucky did I got to see it.  Was I gutted when Rafa lost, yes. Did I have to grit my teeth really hard to have a modicum of graciousness towards Djokovic, yes. But as a tennis fan, I respected that the sport had such amazing depth of talent. 

I already lived through the Roger Federer dominance in the early 2000's and I have no interest in seeing it again. I am sure his fans are living for every moment and they're happy but for me as a fan of the sport, it's sucking the life out of my enjoyment. On one side, you have a bunch of the top players of the last few years all injured with something. Poor Murray seemed to have a blight as soon as he made it to #1, where he quickly got a hip thing. Djokovic seems to have a physical and a mental thing going on. Rafa's had physical issues for damn near the entire last five years, who knows what's up with Stan. And then you have a number of promising players who aren't mentally tough enough to get their shit together on a consistent basis - looking at you Zverev, Thiem, Coric, etc. And so there's Federer, healthy and confident just strolling through. Oh how exciting. 

Oh and btw, speaking of Rafa, with his pulling out of Acupulco and Indian Wells and Miami, it means that since Paris of last year, he's either withdrawn or retired from a match, in every tournament. So much for that "fake injury" during his Quaterfinal match against Cilic at the Australian Open. 

On the women side, happy to see Serena back but wasn't surprised she lost to Venus. Her fitness is clearly not where it needs to be but I'm sure she'll get it together in the coming months. Disappointed for Venus in that semi-final match. I feel like these matches are where Venus' age shows in that she seems to run out of gas. Um, so I didn't see the second semi-final but my girl Simona, was she even awake during that match? 

Edited March 17, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[Ohwell]

I'm rooting for Delpo to beat Federer tomorrow.  

[truthaboutluv]

Speaking of Del Potro, I'm happy to see him doing well but I am always wary to get too excited because I cannot think of a player who has had more physical setbacks almost every time he starts getting into some type of momentum.