Tennis Thread

[mojoween]

I could kiss Chris Myers right now for pointing out that Duchess Kate does not need tennis mansplained to her.  Shut up John.

Normally John and Patrick do not bother me, but they need to settle the fuck down. FIRST game and one of them mentions that Fed would like to get an early break and set the tone.  The score was 15-30 and Cilic won the game.

SECOND game and Cilic is up 15-30 and one of them says that Cilic is really taking it to Roger's serve.  Roger won the game.

Like I understand they need to talk to fill time but they don't have to be stupid about it.

[Spunkygal]

23 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I could kiss Chris Myers right now for pointing out that Duchess Kate does not need tennis mansplained to her.  Shut up John.

Normally John and Patrick do not bother me, but they need to settle the fuck down. FIRST game and one of them mentions that Fed would like to get an early break and set the tone.  The score was 15-30 and Cilic won the game.

SECOND game and Cilic is up 15-30 and one of them says that Cilic is really taking it to Roger's serve.  Roger won the game.

Like I understand they need to talk to fill time but they don't have to be stupid about it.

i thought his name was Chris Fowler, but could be wrong. And yes, shut up McEnroes. Sometimes I just mute them. They are so distracting.

thank goodness Anna Wintour is not in Fed's box. She bugs the crap out of me.

Edited July 16, 2017 by Spunkygal

[clb1016]

5 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

i thought his name was Chris Fowler, but could be wrong. And yes, shut up McEnroes. Sometimes I just mute them. They are so distracting.

It is Chris Fowler (although I believe Chris Myers is also an ESPN sportscaster) and I've been watching most sporting events with the sound muted for several years now.  I might miss a gem of a comment now and then but at least I'm spared the never-ending drone.

[Spunkygal]

OH no. Poor Cilic. Hope it doesn't end this way.

[mojoween]

Ahh thank you it is Fowler, I often get the two confused.  And now that I'm thinking about it, Chris Myers has a deeper voice.

[truthaboutluv]

Well this is a rather uninspired way to end this Wimbledon so far. I would love if I'm proven wrong and this becomes a competitive match but I'm not holding my breath. 

[Spunkygal]

I am a Fed fan and am happy for him, but this was so anticlimactic. So many retirements during the past two weeks and then Cilic's issues today.  

Edited July 16, 2017 by Spunkygal

[mojoween]

When Roger had the hair, I hated him.  When he would play Andy Roddick, I DESPISED him.  But then he cut the hair and Andy retired and now the minute Fed steps on the court I root for him like he's my brother.  I know he gets slobbered over and I'm sure it's annoying if you don't like him, as I feel that way about sports figures I loathe.  But damn.  Eight trophies?  And this one after he became a doddering old man?  Good on him.  And the twins are so cute!

[truthaboutluv]

It's funny to me whenever I read about those who hated Roger during the days when he denied Roddick multiple times at Wimbledon because I swear those were the only times I rooted for Roger like my life depended on it. I could never stand Andy Roddick and still think he was overrated as hell. But yeah, kudos to Federer I guess. It does seem like he worked some voodoo magic on this year though - all of the top players who have challenged him in recent years or could challenge him are having injury issues or personal issues or whatever. Rafa is healthy but after dominating their rivalry so solidly for years, all of a sudden it's like Rafa can't seem to get a win against him. Will be interesting to see how the hard court season goes.

[Mrs. P.]

I missed this - what was Cilic's injury?

[mojoween]

I don't think they know for sure.  John and Patrick were engaging in rampant speculation that it was either mental or he twisted his knee in the first set.

[theatremouse]

It was weird because he called for the trainer...who brought the tournament doctor with him, and they only talked to him during that changeover. No pills, no massaging, no checking his vitals. He wasn't even really examined. Hence the Mac brothers' rampant speculation that it was psychological rather than physical. Then the next changeover he didn't even want the trainer in the changeover; then the one after that the trainer untaped and retaped his foot. So presumably its some sort of foot injury, and he'll probably be asked about it in press, but so far no official comment on what was wrong.

 

My first thought when I saw it was maybe it was something physical they just couldn't do anything about, like maybe a migraine, which could make sense for why he looked some completely miserable during that first visit from the trainer and doctor, but his movement didn't really seem conspicuously hampered. Given what happened subsequently, I'm assuming it's the foot though.

[Spunkygal]

The trainer re-taped Cilic's foot and someone speculated it was a metatarsal issue. But that was after an earlier changeover when Cilic had a meltdown, sobbing, and did not ask for specific medical assistance. The trainer took his BP and tried to calm Cilic down. I thought he was going to retire then. Good for him to fight back a bit. 

Amazing that Fed did not drop a set the entire tournament. As @truthaboutluv said, whatever voodoo magic he has going on is stunning. Fed's family is precious and obviously he is crazy about them.

edited...maybe they didn't check his BP.

Edited July 16, 2017 by Spunkygal

[Ohwell]

Welp.  That happened. 

The best thing about the match was seeing Fed's adorable children afterwards.

[Spunkygal]

Cilic had a blister develop on the bottom of his foot during match against Querrey but says his tears were out of frustration.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/16/sports/tennis/wimbledon-roger-federer-marin-cilic.html?smid=tw-share

[roseha]

I'm so very amazed and happy for Roger! I'm sorry Cilic had the blister, but Roger was certainly deserving and played fabulous tennis the whole tournament.  I still can't believe he has won 8 titles at Wimbledon and 19 Slams overall.  I think the Australian Open was pivotal for him - all these last five years kept getting close in finals and not making it and I kept thinking, it's been so long since he won a Slam - then he goes into the AO with zero expectations and beats Berdych, Stan, and then Nadal in the thriller final.  I think it just removed the pressure for him, though he has also improved the backhand as I understand it.

Did anyone else catch the joke Rod Laver made to Roger afterward in regard to the improved backhand?  I can't remember now exactly what he  said.  It was so great to see Roger and Stefan Edberg embracing and so happy afterward - my two favs in recent memory.

It was really cute seeing one of the Federer girl twins trying to get one of her little brothers to clap for Dad.  "They have no idea what's going on."

[clb1016]

3 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Amazing that Fed did not drop a set the entire tournament. As @truthaboutluv said, whatever voodoo magic he has going on is stunning. Fed's family is precious and obviously he is crazy about them.

 

It's really an embarrassment of riches: in addition to his athletic brilliance, his professional stature as (arguably) the greatest ever and the adulation he receives from crowds all over the world, he also has a picture-perfect family.  The gods really smiled upon him.

[roseha]

By the way, for those who are irritated by the McEnroes' commentary and who have Tennis Channel, I suggest trying the Primetime repeat that TC runs several times after each slam.  Jim Courier takes an even handed approach in general in his color commentary, and the channel also benefits from the thoughts of Paul Annacone and Jon Wertheim in the studio.  Their interview with Roger afterwards was also nice and to the point I thought.

[Spunkygal]

Thank you for the recommendation, @roseha. I have set my DVR to record it.

[roseha]

You're welcome @SPUNKYGAL!

[Qoass]

Quote

I don't know, but I am ready for Monday so I can resume my normal life! 

Whereas I can't wait for the U.S. Open.

[Spunkygal]

4 hours ago, Qoass said:

Whereas I can't wait for the U.S. Open.

Oh I agree! I'll be ready for it when it rolls around. But I wanted to do bodily harm to those Voya creatures. 

[Mrs. P.]

Will the decision about the player's rankings be made after the Open? I think that it's going to come down to Fed/Rafa for the number one spot, so I'm wondering if the results of the Open play will make the difference.

[clb1016]

1 hour ago, Mrs. P. said:

Will the decision about the player's rankings be made after the Open? I think that it's going to come down to Fed/Rafa for the number one spot, so I'm wondering if the results of the Open play will make the difference.

The rankings have been recalibrated post-Wimbledon; see link below.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/federer-emirates-atp-rankings-movers-17-july-2017

[theatremouse]

@Mrs. P. do you mean year-end rankings? If so the Open will be a factor but so will a host of other minor tournaments in the meantime. Roger has basically nothing to defend until the end of the year so everything he plays is plus for him. I forget if Rafa had a good autumn last year, but he presumably has points to defend so he needs to match his previous performance to maintain. The rankings in general are updated weekly on Mondays, but I do agree that it's likely year-end #1 will probably be between Roger and Rafa, given that Novak and Andy are both injured. Seems like not severely injured, but I still think they'll be hampered a bit.

[Mrs. P.]

Yes, I was referring to the final rankings. Thanks for the info.

[sacrebleu]

Quote

Whereas I can't wait for the U.S. Open.

I'm making my annual Labor Day weekend trip-- got tix for Monday and Tuesday! 

[NUguy514]

4 hours ago, sacrebleu said:

I'm making my annual Labor Day weekend trip-- got tix for Monday and Tuesday! 

[dcalley]

7 hours ago, sacrebleu said:

I'm making my annual Labor Day weekend trip-- got tix for Monday and Tuesday! 

I went last year for multiple days and loved it. Have fun!

[Spunkygal]

1 hour ago, dcalley said:

I went last year for multiple days and loved it. Have fun!

 

8 hours ago, sacrebleu said:

I'm making my annual Labor Day weekend trip-- got tix for Monday and Tuesday! 

Removing envy green mask to ask....Wow, so it's pretty easy to get tix??

[Quof]

Early rounds are pretty easy.  I've gone opening day, to both day and evening sessions, and even Arthur Ashe was pretty empty.  

[Spunkygal]

Thanks @Quof. Has anyone been to Wimbledon? Several of us in my travel group of friends have birthdays ending in "0" next year (yes, 30!, ha!), and we've been talking about London and doing one day at Wimbledon. I thought tix to any round of that tournament would be outrageous to obtain, as well as price. Thanks for any advice.

[dcalley]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

 

Removing envy green mask to ask....Wow, so it's pretty easy to get tix??

We bought them in late August last year for a night session and a day session. I'm pretty sure it was the second Monday and Tuesday. Our assigned seats in Ashe were pretty bad and it wasn't terribly fun to watch tennis from that high up and from that angle, but I don't regret it. I had a great time watching things on the other courts and thus preferred the day session, when more was going on. We spent less than $100 for two tickets each time, but my husband may have found some deal. He's the one who planned it all out. We also went to the free day (2nd Thursday, Community Day), where you can watch doubles on the outer courts, and I also really enjoyed that, but they don't announce if they're doing that very far in advance.

As for Wimbledon, my impression is that it's not easy to get tickets, even for locals. I've kind of given up on the idea of ever going myself. :(

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

Thanks @Quof. Has anyone been to Wimbledon? Several of us in my travel group of friends have birthdays ending in "0" next year (yes, 30!, ha!), and we've been talking about London and doing one day at Wimbledon. I thought tix to any round of that tournament would be outrageous to obtain, as well as price. Thanks for any advice.

I've not been myself but have a lifelong friend who lives in London and has gone many times over the years. Tickets via brokers are obtainable, but ridiculously expensive; well over $1000 apiece even for the early rounds.  There is a sale for the general public where tickets are available in some sort of lottery system; but it's a total crapshoot and most people don't get them.  This is what my friend has done over the years to get tickets.  She and a group of friends all apply and hope one of them hits it.  It is virtually the only way to get them at cost which still ain't cheap.  If you go to the Wimbledon website, look under ticketing and it explains the system which it calls 'The Ballot'. They should start taking applications this fall and you should know if you've gotten tickets by early next year which would give you time to plan.  Good luck.

[Spunkygal]

16 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I've not been myself but have a lifelong friend who lives in London and has gone many times over the years. Tickets via brokers are obtainable, but ridiculously expensive; well over $1000 apiece even for the early rounds.  There is a sale for the general public where tickets are available in some sort of lottery system; but it's a total crapshoot and most people don't get them.  This is what my friend has done over the years to get tickets.  She and a group of friends all apply and hope one of them hits it.  It is virtually the only way to get them at cost which still ain't cheap.  If you go to the Wimbledon website, look under ticketing and it explains the system which it calls 'The Ballot'. They should start taking applications this fall and you should know if you've gotten tickets by early next year which would give you time to plan.  Good luck.

Thanks! I do subscribe to the Wimbledon newsletter and will definitely give the lottery a shot. One other option in my back pocket is that a former boss was Rod Laver's practice partner way back in the '70s during the old WCT circuit days and they still stay in touch. This former boss occasionally attends the majors and although I don't expect him to get tix for me, I might ask if he can hook me up with someone who can help. We are still friendly and I think he'd be happy to help. I just hate asking for favors.  My other option is to mortgage my house to get tix through a ticket broker.  ? I'm not willing to do that!!! 

[blackwing]

 I went about 20 years ago on one of the early days.   We didn't try to get tickets for Centre Court or Court 1, we only wanted a grounds pass.  I think we just showed up and got in.   I don't remember stressing over whether they would run out of grounds tickets.

We watched several of the matches on one of the outer courts.  The one I definitely remember seeing was Max Mirnyi and one of the Williams sisters against Lindsay Davenport and her partner.  Also saw Martina Hingis walking around the grounds.

It was a fun atmosphere.  Greg Rusedski was Britain's big hope back then, there were pictures of him everywhere being sold outside by vendors on everything.

[selkie]

If you get grounds tickets, you can also apparently queue for the ten pound or so 'seat filler' tickets for the show courts. (We did a grounds tour earlier this year, and the guide said the money from those tickets goes to charity) 

We looked into getting tickets for Roland Garros in 2014 when it looked like our vacation would overlap with French, and it seemed like a pretty straigtforward online purchase process at that point. (Ended up not doing so because we only had three full days in Paris on that trip) 

[Mrs. P.]

Novak Djokovic is going to sit out the rest of 2017, including the US Open, to rest his injured right elbow. He doesn't intend to have surgery at this point.

[roseha]

Just replying to the questions about going to the US Open - I went in 2008, so I don't know if it's gotten a lot more expensive, but I don't think it was outrageous - anyway I bought Ashe tickets to the whole Labor Day weekend, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, which would have included the grounds passes.  Anyway, I saw Roger play twice during the day, and Serena once at night.   So if you have a favorite player I think that's a good time to go and of course there are the other courts to explore.

[khyber]

I'm hoping to watch Shapovalov and Zverev for years to come.

Edited August 13, 2017 by khyber

[Avon.Blakes7]

10 minutes ago, khyber said:

I'm hoping to watch Shapovalov and Zverev for years to come.

One of them needs to beat Roger tomorrow so that lock on major events is broken amongst the "Big 4!" They've just about owned Majors and Masters' events going on for over 10 years! I thought Dimitov would do more, but has been a big disappointment! Kei and Milos are broken down old men before their time and Thiem needs more time to be a seasoned pro because he has so much more talent and selection of shot/tactic! Sasha's coming along nicely and ahead of schedule by winning Italian over a fatigued and injured Nole who's taking off the rest of the season! I wonder where his ranking will go with all that time off? He needs the break since he hasn't been the same since winning his Nole-slam last season taking the FO! IMO he hasn't been unbeatable since Qatar last year when he annihilated Nadal in the final in an hour! I can watch that match over and over! ;-)

Edited August 13, 2017 by Avon.Blakes7

[Florinaldo]

I am a bit sad to see Shapovalov go but considering his age and talent I am sure he will be back for many other seasons, in this tournament and others. At least I won't be torn between loyalty to a fellow Canadian and my admiration for the great player that Federer has been over his career; it would be sentimentally satisfying to see him win in Montréal where he is well-loved since he only ever won the Rogers Cup on alternate years when the men's tournament is held in Toronto (and that was more than a decade ago). We have tickets for the final and the weather looks good, so fingers crossed. As a bonus, if Federer wins it will be another opportunity to hear his charmingly accented French during his speech and press conference.

 

12 hours ago, Avon.Blakes7 said:

Kei and Milos are broken down old men

I know Milos Raonic has had an uneven season, but that feels like a harsh judgment. He should be able to seize his other opportunities to shine, without perhaps ever becoming a steady star player.

Edited August 13, 2017 by Florinaldo

[Avon.Blakes7]

1 hour ago, Florinaldo said:

I am a bit sad to see Shapovalov go but considering his age and talent I am sure he will be back for many other seasons, in this tournament and others. At least I won't be torn between loyalty to a fellow Canadian and my admiration for the great player that Federer has been over his career; it would be sentimentally satisfying to see him win in Montréal where he is well-loved since he only ever won the Rogers Cup on alternate years when the men's tournament is held in Toronto (and that was more than a decade ago). We have tickets for the final and the weather looks good, so fingers crossed. As a bonus, if Federer wins it will be another opportunity to hear his charmingly accented French during his speech and press conference.

 

I know Milos Raonic has had an uneven season, but that feels like a harsh judgment. He should be able to seize his other opportunities to shine, without perhaps ever becoming a steady star player.

Well having duel citizenship, I can be brutal to players on both side of the border! I said the same of Andy Roddick when he made his move to the top! It lasted about 5 minutes, but it's quite fair to judge him for his limitations and inability to get over that hump! In Roddick's case it was more to do with a significantly better player, but that Wimbledon loss in '09 just emphasized what I'm talking about! That match was his for the taking, even Federer said so, and it came down to one butchered high BH volley in that 2nd set TB where Roddick had multiple set points to go up 2 sets to love! Roger was interviewed later and felt the exact same way that it would have been probably impossible for him to come back and win with how well Roddick was serving; in fact only dropping serve at the very end of the 5th, going down 16-14! That was gutlessness on his part and I'm willing to say the same about Milos because of his falling short when victory should have been in hand on multiple occasions! Shapovalov has already outclassed him even with his wild game! He's finished off a couple top players in his short career when Milos and others have not when it really counted! "The Big 4" still seem to own this era, but that crack made by Milos, Kei, Thiem, & Zverev seems to be getting a little bigger thank GAWD! Heaven knows gifted players like Dimitrov has disappointed all his fans; all that game and has done little to nothing! End rant! -  BTW, born St. Johns, Newfoundland due to dad being in the USAF! ;-)

Edited August 13, 2017 by Avon.Blakes7

[truthaboutluv]

Congrats to Alexander on his second Masters title. Hopefully he builds on this and carries it into the US Open and does better than he did at the French after winning The Italian Open. Though in fairness Verdasco is one of the worse players to draw in a first round. Federer definitely didn't seem a 100 percent. Might be fatigue (or that horrible 5'o clock shadow he's suddenly decided to spot. Sorry, had to do it) but kudos to Zverev for staying calm and steady throughout the match. And hey Ferrerro, still a total hottie, I see. 

[Harry24]

5 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Might be fatigue (or that horrible 5'o clock shadow he's suddenly decided to spot. Sorry, had to do it) but kudos to Zverev for staying calm and steady throughout the match. And hey Ferrerro, still a total hottie, I see. 

Oh, that scruffy look does not suit Fed.  I think it was clearly the source of his (relatively) sub-par play this week.

Secondly, Juan-Carlos F still smoking.  Lordy.

[Spunkygal]

RF says he is withdrawing from Cincinnati because he tweaked his back. He definitely didn't look right in Montreal.  Hope he remembers to shave before US Open. Didn't care for that look one bit.

[shok]

So so happy for Rafa to get back to #1. What an amazing achievement for him after all his struggles and injuries and all the shit he's taken from tennis pundits about him being done. Only player to ever regain the #1 ranking three times. Stay healthy now Rafa and take this #1 ranking for a long ride!!!

[Quof]

ATP says Murray is still #1.

[Avon.Blakes7]

6 minutes ago, Quof said:

ATP says Murray is still #1.

It's probably just a matter of time; esp. since Roger WD from Cinci Masters this week! ;-(

[KFC]

Yeah, Nadal will be #1 officially next week and thus the top seed at the USO regardless of what happens in Cincinnati. The official ATP rankings are always a little behind what's actually happening because they're only published once a week, but he is definitely #1 now that Federer has withdrawn from Cincy.

Also, Sharapova was granted a wildcard for the U.S. Open.

http://www.wtatennis.com/news/us-open-announces-maria-sharapova-among-2017-wildcards