Tennis Thread

[selkie]

I hope Serena checks into hospital to make sure that she's not dealing with a dangerous medical condition. She's not my favorite player, but I don't wish her ill, and she's had some other scary health issues in the past that make me look at her wobblies today with additional concern.

[truthaboutluv]

Wow, go Dimitrov. He just destroyed Murray today. Admittedly Murray kind of looked lost and a little sluggish but Dimitrov was just focused and determined. It wasn't as bad as his humiliation from Rafa in the French Open semis but it was pretty bad. Meanwhile Djokovic and Cilic are in some kind of battle and Stan's taken the first set from Fed. Very interesting day of tennis so far. I think that was one of my other disappointments about Rafa losing yesterday is because I actually was looking forward to him and Raonic and I didn't think for one second it was a given victory for Rafa. But I'm sure Raonic and Kyrgios will have its own drama and excitement. 

 

Really looking forward to Halep and Bouchard in the semifinals. Pity they were on the same side of the draw because I think that would have been an awesome Final. Will be interesting to see if Bouchard can finally make it pass that semifinal hurdle. But Halep is looking amazing and she now has the experience of making a GS Final. Should be a good one. 

 

The last update I saw on Serena was she tweeted a picture of herself on a couch resting and I think the WTA made a statement that she's resting and feeling better. However they haven't gotten any direct statements from Serena and/or her camp. I agree with the above about her making very sure it's not something more serious because my mind immediately went to the blood clot thing she had some years ago where she almost died. 

[Ohwell]

I forgot about Serena's blood clot issue.  On a rather shallow note, I knew something was wrong when she walked out on court without her headband.

[Etta Place]

Thank you, Dimitrov. Now I don't have to deal with Andy Murray on my tv anymore.

[Mrs. P.]

Federer got through, winning the last 3 sets after Stan (can't spell his last name) won the first.  Stan may have been ailing - he called medical for a consultation but didn't take a time out.

 

 

[Etta Place]

Yeah, Wawrinka looked good when he came out but after not too long he was seemingly a little green around the gills.

[shok]

It's really not that big of a deal to me and I admit that I don't go around translating Rafa's post-match interviews so I'm going by what the commentators were discussing. And my memory of that was it was pointed out that a lot of the media immediately started asking about his knees, health, etc. considering he had only recently come off the 7 month break and he stated that physically he felt fine and didn't seem to attribute his loss to that. I don't know what else has been said in other interviews since last year but I was basically referring to his post-match conference immediately following the loss.

 

Just to refresh your memory, here is the transcript of his post-Darcis-loss presser at last year's Wimbledon. He never stated that he felt fine - he kept insisting that it was not the time to talk about his knee, just to congratulate Darcis  http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=90375. The last question he was asked about his knee is a good example of how the presser went:

 

Q.  You turned a lot around your backhand to play your forehand, and also you didn't move that well.  Was your knee 100% today?

RAFAEL NADAL:  I think you are joking.  I answered this question three times or four times already.  I don't gonna talk about my knee this afternoon.

Only thing that can say today is congratulate Steve Darcis.  He played a fantastic match.  Everything that I will say today about my knee is an excuse, and I don't like to put any excuse when I'm losing a match like I lost today. He deserve not one excuse.

Edited July 3, 2014 by shok

[shok]

I like Rafa but I was rooting for the kid, Krygios, because I was impressed that he kept himself together to pull it out.  Plus, it's nice to see someone playing at staid, starchy Wimbledon with bling in his ear. : )

 

Kyrgios was impressive but the kid is going to have to listen to Aretha Franklin's song a few times and find some R-E-S-P-E-C-T for his opponents who have worked long and hard to earn their successes and achievements. Here are a couple of questions and answers from his post-Rafa press conference:

Q. "am I right thinking your mum didn't think you could win it?"

NICK KYRGIOS: "Yeah, last night I was actually reading a comment that she thought Rafa was too good for me. It actually made me a bit angry. You would think he's in a whole 'nother level compared to me."

 

Ummm, yes, you little punk, Rafa is a whole 'nother level compared to you. Get back to us when you have won 1 grand slam, let alone 14.

 

Q. Rafa had said that that you play very good on the grass and he hasn't seen you on any other surfaces. He's not sure how good you are on other surfaces. What's your answer to that?

NICK KYRGIOS: "I think in the near future he'll probably see me more on other surfaces.

I'd like to think I'm comfortable on clay as well. I played some really good matches on clay. I played - I qualified at the US Open last year, lost to Ferrer, so I think I'm competitive on other surfaces as well.We'll see. Next time I play him on clay, we'll see how it goes."

 

I know he's only 19 and that he was on a high after a big win, but the Australian Tennis Federation really needs to set him up with some media training so he doesn't sound so delusional. No, kid, feeling comfortable after a few matches on clay doesn't make you in any way comparable to Rafa on clay, nor does getting thru the qualies at the USO make you a great hard court player. *rollseyes*

 

Holy shit, the announcers inferred Serena was on drugs?! How did I miss that? What did they say?

I've never been a Serena fan, but I agree that's completely uncalled for. There could have been a million different reasons for her behavior, to chalk it up to illicit substances is salacious and unfair.

 

I didn't get the impression they were claiming Serena was on drugs drugs, but that she had maybe taken some pharmaceutical medication that she was reacting badly to. I saw a YouTube of Andy Roddick's FOX Sports radio show and he was saying that they had texted back and forth a few times. He was extremely relieved that she had responded to his text because if he hadn't heard from her at all, he would have been very worried. He said she told him that she was being treated by both Wimbledon and WTA doctors and they had done a lot of tests on her and she should know the results in a day or two.

 

Yeah, Wawrinka looked good when he came out but after not too long he was seemingly a little green around the gills.

 

Federer has had the easiest draw ever. First he played a couple of fellow senior players who were ranked #81 and #108 respectively. Then he played a clay courter who has only ever played about 20 matches on grass, then another clay courter who is a good player but is also over 30 and now today, the first potentially tough competitor he has faced was so sick he could barely move by the end of the match. He might run into the same problem that Murray did today by not being match tough when he finally meets a determined and in-form player in Raonic who has given him a go in previous meetings.

[BitterApple]

I think Bouchard could use media training as well. I find her personality off-putting and she's come off rather bitchy in her press conferences. Maybe it's a generational thing to be completely over confident when you haven't really accomplished anything. Her and Kyrgios are the same age, correct? I'm rooting for Kvitova on Saturday.

[Mrs. P.]

Yeah - her self-confidence is bordering on arrogance. So far she's backed that up on the court, but Saturday's match may turn out differently.

I found myself really feeling badly for Halep today. I wonder how much her turned ankle affected her game.

[truthaboutluv]

Eh, I don't know, arrogance has never been something that bothers me particularly if the individual can back it up. Also I think sometimes the line between confident and arrogant can be a little blurred. I guess for me, as long as personal attacks aren't being made and players start throwing jibes at each other, I'm not bothered. Bouchard is definitely very confident and you can tell she not only believes she can win a Slam but that she also deserves it but I can't knock her for that. If it saves me from watching her mentally fall apart in her first final like poor Lisicki last year, then I'm good. I'm looking forward to a good match on Saturday and will be fine with whoever wins. 

 

With regards to Kyrgios, definitely more delusional than say Eugenie who has backed up her talk with amazing performances at all the Slams, but I can't get too outraged by it. He's a 19 year old kid who is full of confidence and bravado which in part is what has helped him in some of those big matches. But a few more years on the tour and he'll learn. Not to mention if none of the big wins and expectations people have started putting on him come, that bravado will quickly disappear into some humility even if its forced and a little fake.

 

As for the men's semifinals, going by Federer's performance against Wawrinka, I definitely think Raonic could beat him. I don't know if I can say the same about Dimitrov and Djokovic. I think Dimitrov has the game but unless it's against Rafa or even Stan, Djokovic is very tough to beat in a tight battle. But it would be cool to see a men's final for the first time in 10 years that didn't have the name Nadal, Djokovic, Federer or Murray. 

[dcalley]

This Bjorkman/Woodbridge vs. Ivanisevic/Ljubicic match is so much fun to watch. I like that they show some of the invitation matches online.

 

USA Today: On tennis court, saying sorry isn't always a sincere act No duh, but I don't think I want it to disappear altogether.

[wingster55]

I definitely think Raonic could beat him.

 

There's obviously a chance, but I think for one there's a difference between Wawrinka and Raonic, furthermore Raonic has the game that Federer excels against I think. 

[Ohwell]

He's a 19 year old kid who is full of confidence and bravado which in part is what has helped him in some of those big matches.

That was my takeaway from watching Kyrgios.  He needed that swagger to get him through the matches, but I didn't see him as being disrespectful of his opponent or anything.  I don't remember seeing him pumping his fist or wagging a finger in his opponent's face, like I've seen some of the players do.  Time will tell regarding how far he goes but I don't blame him for living in the moment and pumping himself up.  He'll calm down.

 

Regarding Serena and the speculation about pharmaceutical medication (as opposed to drugs drugs), I don't think the commentators should have even mentioned that possibility.  At that moment, no one knew what the heck was wrong with Serena, and I just think that they should have kept their mouths shut.  Just say you hope it's nothing serious and leave it at that.

[truthaboutluv]

I forgot to mention that I think Eugenie's friendship with Jim Parsons is just the cutest thing ever, especially because it seems so random.

[KittenPokerCheater]

I am disappointed that the americans are doing so badly (relatively speaking) these days. 

 

As for Serena, I think it would be none of our business except that she went to the court and played.  She was playing at  public event and  in front of international cameras so it is considered fair game/newsworthy, especially since it was uncharacteristic of her to play so poorly. I'm not going to speculate on what happened to her, but I certainly hope she is okay.  

Edited July 3, 2014 by KittenPokerCheater

[Ohwell]

I agree that Serena's public meltdown was certainly newsworthy, but I just felt that the commentators shouldn't have publically speculated about her condition.  Now anyone at home or in the stands certainly would, but commentators should be held to a different standard and they certainly need to be more careful about what they say (even though we know sports commentators are notorious for mouthing off). 

 

What is strange about the whole thing was why her family/coaches, etc., let her on to the court in the first place.  She clearly wasn't looking or acting right during warm up, and I'm surprised that Venus didn't just step in and forfeit, since the match couldn't have gone on without both of them .  Even if Serena had insisted (which she probably would have), Venus could have stopped either before or during the warm up.   

[lallyvee]

With everyone dressed in total white again it can be hard to tell people apart.

[truthaboutluv]

Ugh that was a tough loss for Grigor. I wasn't rooting for him per se but I was rooting for the match to go to 5. And for him to lose the set after having break points and then later three set points in the tiebreak just sucks. But hopefully he takes a lot from the match and learns from it moving forward. That said, Grigor needs to either get better shoes for playing on the grass or learn how to move better on it because those falls were starting to get painful to watch. Surprised to see Maria there - although they're not exactly hiding their relationship, they do seem to keep the match-watching at Grand Slams to a minimum. Also, it would have been nice to see two fresh new faces in the men's final.

 

eta: Ugh, I could care less about a possible Federer/Djokovic final. Will be hard to root for either. Djokovic kind of hasn't bugged me in awhile and he has been choking a few finals the last year and a half so I guess it'd be nice for him to have a win. And I have no issues with Fed and I guess it'd be nice for him to break another Sampras record (though I'm not sure Pete would feel the same) but I find some of his fans so obnoxious in recent years the closer Rafa has gotten to his total that the petty part of me wants him to not win just because of that. 

Edited July 4, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Etta Place]

I like Dimitrov. He seems to have what it takes mentally, which is great to see. He even survived what must be a tennis player's version of the "showing up to work naked" dream - double-faulting 3 times in a row and carried on well.

 

For the final, I dislike Djokovic so much that I'm Team Roger here. His fans may have gotten more obnoxious, but I find I have liked him more as age and fallibility have crept up on him.

[wingster55]

I'm happy Roger went through. I think this is his for the taking, not to discount Novak but he hasn't been that impressive.

[truthaboutluv]

Novak has definitely looked vulnerable but it means he's had to fight more than Federer has and that might actually be the difference that gives him the win. He had a small battle with Stepanek, Cilic took him to 5 and today he had to fight mentally against himself a lot in that match with Grigor when he kept blowing lead after lead. Nothing against Federer because he can only play who is across the net from him but what challenge has he really faced?

 

Stan was the best possibility and after winning the first set, something went wonky with him (I didn't check out his post-match interview - did he confirm what was going on with him physically) and he pretty much was just hanging on for the rest of the match and Milos really had nothing today other than some big serves. I'd feel more certain of Federer's winning if he'd beaten a healthy Stan and played and beaten Rafa in the semi-final. As is, and certainly anything is possible so he very well may win, I actually Djokovic has the better shot. 

[BitterApple]

I think both finals will be interesting. I'm tired of the announcers having orgasms over Bouchard so the cynical, black-hearted part of me wants Kvitova to win.

Djokovic irks me because he seems like such a needy, co-dependent narcissist. Can he play two consecutive points without having to look to his box for encouragement? I don't love or hate Roger one way or the other, so I guess for me he's the lesser of two evils.

[truthaboutluv]

Djokovic irks me because he seems like such a needy, co-dependent narcissist. Can he play two consecutive points without having to look to his box for encouragement?

 

 

There was some feature article about two years ago I think about Djokovic that basically talked about him surrounding himself with his circle that included his coach, trainer, girlfriend, parents, etc. who were all responsible for giving him positive encouragement everyday. I think the article meant to suggest that he mentally wanted to only be surrounded by positivism to keep him positive but the way the author described the scene, it really came across as a bunch of people just telling Novak how special and amazing he is every minute of the day and I remember thinking how exhausting that must be for these people. 

[BitterApple]

Yeah, constantly propping up an emotionally insecure person has to be exhausting, even if you're on the payroll.

So no Wills and Kate today. I thought they looked oddly tense when the camera panned to them during the Murray match. Hopefully it's not another Charles and Di situation where they're bored and miserable two years into the marriage.

[truthaboutluv]

Honestly, they might have looked tense because Murray was having his ass handed to him by Dimitrov. This is why I would never want to be famous. You really always are under a microscope. Anything but shiny happy smiles and the speculations start.

[Mrs. P.]

I'm happy Roger went through. I think this is his for the taking, not to discount Novak but he hasn't been that impressive.

I'm also happy that Roger made it through, because realistically I think is his last, best chance to win another slam. However, I'm not all that confident that he can beat Djokovich. I agree with the poster who observed that Federer had not really been tested during this tournament, whereas Djokovich has had to dig deep more than once to survive.

[wingster55]

Novak's been tested by lesser players..on paper his draw was easier..only top player was Murray to get to the final. 

Roger would have to get through Stan and Nadal (it worked out for him that Rafa lost but that's hardly his fault). He actually did face Stan who's better than anyone Novak faced. 

[truthaboutluv]

Yes on paper Federer would have had the  tougher draw but what we're saying is the reality was different. Like I said, if Federer had beaten a completely healthy, mentally on Stan AND Rafa, I would be like "hand him the title now". But he didn't and yes that is through no fault of his and it's not a judgment on him.

 

All we're saying is that because of this, Djokovic might be the one far more ready to battle and mentally able to deal with the clutch points and tight sets because he's had to do it for multiple rounds. Not to mention that Djokovic is a very tough player to beat in a tight match. Remember he's beaten Federer twice in GS when he was down match points. 

Edited July 5, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[wingster55]

Hm..all that is true. I'd also point out though that Novak fought back against players of lesser quality than Roger..like today..Grigor had his chances to take the 4th set but didn't seem to capitalize on them. 

[Rum Punch]

I agree that Serena's public meltdown was certainly newsworthy, but I just felt that the commentators shouldn't have publically speculated about her condition.  

I'm going to go ahead and speculate, I think Serena might have been faking it. I've seen a couple of occasions when she started limping around between points when she fell behind, but it never seemed to affect her play. She's either trying to psych out her opponent, or to give herself an excuse if she loses. I remember the 2004 WTA championship when she fell behind to Sharapova, and her back suddenly started hurting so bad she couldn't stand straight. Of course, that didn't stop her from winning four consecutive games and almost the match.

 

Venus certainly didn't seem as concerned as everyone else. I think Serena told her before the match, "I don't want to play this stupid doubles match, so I'm going to dump it, and make people say, "See, I knew Serena was hurt, or she wouldn't have lost so early." We know she is no stranger to excuse making, we saw that in her press conference following her loss to Cornet. "Everyone plays the match of their life against me! It's so hard being me!" I remember a loss against Justine Henin in the U.S. Open, where the score in the last set was, I think, 6-2, which Serena chalked up to Henin hitting, "A lot of lucky shots."

 

Naturally, if she drops dead tomorrow I'll feel bad, and will come back here and post an apology. But until I hear a credible explanation for what happened, I will continue to hold my suspicions.

Edited July 5, 2014 by Rum Punch

[shok]

I think both finals will be interesting. I'm tired of the announcers having orgasms over Bouchard so the cynical, black-hearted part of me wants Kvitova to win.

Djokovic irks me because he seems like such a needy, co-dependent narcissist. Can he play two consecutive points without having to look to his box for encouragement? I don't love or hate Roger one way or the other, so I guess for me he's the lesser of two evils.

 

Well, personally, I'm going to be cheering my ass off for Genie Bouchard tomorrow. She can't help what other people are saying about her and what she's achieved at barely 20 is amazing. I don't usually like women's tennis but I love her game.

 

Djokovic has a classic case of Histrionic Personality Disorder. Look it up on Wikipedia - fits him to a T. I won't be cheering for him or Federer but I do hope the crowd is really pro-Fed and drives Djokovic crazy. He can't stand not getting love and attention. :P

 

Novak's been tested by lesser players..on paper his draw was easier..only top player was Murray to get to the final. 

Roger would have to get through Stan and Nadal (it worked out for him that Rafa lost but that's hardly his fault). He actually did face Stan who's better than anyone Novak faced. 

 

But the draw doesn't just consist of the last couple of rounds - the first four or five count too. Fed has had the cupcakiest cupcake draw ever while Nadal had huge servers who are always tough on grass (Klizan, Rosol, Kukushkin [shud have been Karlovic] and then Kyrgios). It was a nightmare draw for him while Fed had 32 y.o. clay courter Lorenzi, 31 y.o. 108th ranked Muller, clay courter Giraldo, 32 y.o. clay courter Robredo and then a sick Wawrinka who was playing his third match in three days. Djokovic's first four rounds weren't that hard for him but nowhere near as easy as Fed's.

[truthaboutluv]

Damn Kvitova just schooled Bouchard. That was brutal. It might have been even worse than the beating she gave Sharapova when she won the title the first time. But good for her. Bouchard didn't seem nervous to me so I can't blame it on the occasion but she definitely needs to work on her serve and work on winning a few cheap points on it. Kvitova was just punishing on her returns of Genie's serves. Disappointing because I was hoping for a competitive final after last year's was pretty much as one-sided as this one. Hopefully the men's final is a bit more competitive.

Edited July 5, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[selkie]

Yeah, constantly propping up an emotionally insecure person has to be exhausting, even if you're on the payroll.

So no Wills and Kate today. I thought they looked oddly tense when the camera panned to them during the Murray match. Hopefully it's not another Charles and Di situation where they're bored and miserable two years into the marriage.

 

Wills, Kate, and Harry reappeared for the ceremonial start of the Tour de France (on UK soil) today and all seemed to be in a pretty cheerful mood.

[Mrs. P.]

Bouchard was never even in this match. Kvitova was in complete control - totally overpowering. It wasn't a matter of Bouchard being nervous. She never had a chance.

I agree with the hope that tomorrow's final will be more of a tennis match than a steamroll.

[Ohwell]

I'm going to go ahead and speculate, I think Serena might have been faking it. I've seen a couple of occasions when she started limping around between points when she fell behind, but it never seemed to affect her play. She's either trying to psych out her opponent, or to give herself an excuse if she loses.

Oh, I know Serena is quite capable of faking it.  I know she's quite the actress when it suits her.  However, I keep coming back to the fact that she didn't have her head band on, and that told me something was wrong with her.  I know it's silly to think it, but I don't think she'd ever let someone see the tracks in her weave on television, especially knowing that they do closeups. 

[BitterApple]

Rum Punch, my mother thought she was faking as well to justify her loss to Cornet.

The women's final was brutal. Bouchard never had a chance to get into the match. Petra was just playing lights out today.

When the announcers were discussing the men's final they talked about the lack of crowd support for Djokovic and how he doesn't have a big fan following a la Fed or Rafa. Does anyone know where this originated from? He seems to desperately crave crowd support, but fans habitually root for his opponents regardless of who he's playing.

[truthaboutluv]

If my memory serves me well (and I admit that honestly for a long time I was mostly indifferent to Novak and really didn't pay much attention to him at all) there were a few incidents, nothing major, just some comments here and there, attitude on court, etc. that sort of turned some people off with regards to him. But he was younger and then he had a period after he won his first Australian where he was losing early and things weren't going well. After he got his head together and got back in a winning position, I definitely got the feeling he became more PR-oriented and was conscious of how he came across. And it's not like he doesn't have fans, because he does.

 

The problem is because of this needy part of his nature, which kind of fits the whole surrounding himself with people who have to tell him how special he is all the time, he lets his irritation and poutiness out at times whenever the crowd starts to root for his opponents and that only annoys them more and makes them root against him more. Part of the issue with Novak is that he seems to take it personally at times when a crowd is rooting or just cheering for an opponent and honestly, most times it's not personal. It usually is as simple as they want to see more tennis and/or enjoy the effort of the opponent. But he reacts like it's some personal attack against him and it just makes him seem so needy and desperate for approval. 

[Ohwell]

When I first saw Novak several years ago, he was seen by many as the "court jester" of tennis because of his imitations of Sharapova, Nadal, and some other tennis players, but those two come to mind.  (I thought some of his antics were mean-spirited and not that funny.)  He hadn't won any major tournaments back then so he had the luxury of being relaxed and a joker at everyone else's expense.    I don't know what happened to him in the ensuing years to make him so needy and sensitive to the crowd.  Maybe when he started winning, he felt that "deserved" to be loved and admired like he perhaps thought Federer was.  I think he needs to realize that:  1) some

people might never like you but you have to keep focused on what you're doing (ask Serena), and 2)  people might grow to like you in time (ask Nadal, who some, like my friends first thought of him as a young punk then grew to like and respect him later).

[truthaboutluv]

Maybe when he started winning, he felt that "deserved" to be loved and admired like he perhaps thought Federer was.

 

 

I definitely think that's part of it. Particularly after his "magical" 2011 year, I think he did develop this attitude that he was #1 and somehow that meant he should be more liked and rooted for. 

 

Interesting comment about how some felt about Rafa earlier because honestly, my impression of Rafa in those early years was that he was kind of incredibly awkward/shy off the court. I remember how he would do most of his post-match interviews with his hair practically hiding half his face. And honestly, that's one of the first things that endeared him to me. 

[Etta Place]

I remember liking Djokovic at first. He always seemed like a talented player whose tendency to have mood swings and get discouraged on the court was holding him back. I was glad when he seemed to break through that and win ... but I wasn't glad for long. He seemed to go from zero to obnoxiously arrogant instantaneously, with his yelling and chest beating, stares into the crowd, etc when things were going his way. Confidence is great, or it can at least not be completely annoying, but something about Djokovic's mannerisms and turnaround really got under my skin and I have watched every match of his since with the fervent hope that he would lose. Now I'm kind of gleeful when the old, frustrated, talking-to-himself, head-shaking, racquet-tossing Djokovic resurfaces, like he did vs. Dimitrov.

[BitterApple]

Thanks for the info, truthaboutluv!

My dislike for Djokovic started a few years ago after that heartbreaking five-setter at the Aussie Open where he defeated Wawrinka. Stan had played his heart out and after the win Novak tore his shirt open and paraded around the court roaring to the crowd. It was such a dickhead move, especially when his opponent was ten feet away and close to tears after such a devastating loss.

[magdalene]

 

When the announcers were discussing the men's final they talked about the lack of crowd support for Djokovic and how he doesn't have a big fan following a la Fed or Rafa. Does anyone know where this originated from? He seems to desperately crave crowd support, but fans habitually root for his opponents regardless of who he's playing.

I remember some bad behavior and temper tantrums some years ago. Even without taking these incidents into account there is something about the way he comes across that really turns me off him as both an athlete and as a human being. Whenever he is playing I always root for his opponent, no matter who it is.

[Ohwell]

I remember that match with Wawrinka at the Aussie Open.  I think the main problem with Djokovic is that he hasn't learned to be a gracious winner or loser.  And then he wonders why people don't like him.

[dcalley]

That was a great men's doubles final! The Bryan brothers switching sides after the first point of the set was weird.

[KittenPokerCheater]

I truly wanted Federer to win this one

 

(I'm not a Sampras fan either).

Edited July 6, 2014 by KittenPokerCheater

[truthaboutluv]

Made it a lot harder than it needed to be but kudos to Novak and credit to Federer, he fought and he fought hard. While Djokovic is still a really tough opponent to beat in a close match, his mental game is definitely not what it was just a few years ago. He needs to stop with those lapses in a match and blowing leads like that. 

 

Aww, Fed's twin girls are adorable.

[Mrs. P.]

I was hoping Fed could pull it off, but I really wasn't expecting it. So congrats to Djokovic.

It wouldn't have been as close as it was if Federer hadn't been serving like a machine. I don't know

what else he could have done to win.

Now on to the Open. When does it begin?

[truthaboutluv]

The last week of August. 

[wingster55]

That was a tough one. Congrats to Novak.