Tennis Thread

[BitterApple]

The Townsend girl will never be a top player unless she drops 25 lbs. Serena is thick, but muscular thick, not fat thick like Taylor. 

[Ohwell]

I don't remember how big Taylor Townsend was last year, and maybe she's lost some since then and is still working on it, I don't know.  If so, then I hope she continues.   When I was at the tournament in DC and I was sitting down resting, and there were four or five young guys standing next to me, talking.  One of them said, "I just saw Taylor Townsend.  She's fat."  Ouch.

[topanga]

 

The Townsend girl will never be a top player unless she drops 25 lbs.

I agree. And it goes both ways. There have been a lot of good players who didn't reach elite status until they added some muscle mass to their thin frames.

 

Poor Venus. Another hard-fought 3-set match that ended up as a loss. She looked great in the 2nd and 3rd sets, but it was all for nothing, it seems. And what was up with Errani? She seemed to be showboating and taunting the crowd towards the end of the match, which is poor sportsmanship, in my opinion. I know that most of the American crowd was rooting for Venus, and there was an idiot fan who yelled during one of her serves, but there were many other occasions when the crowd would cheer loudly after a long volley--when Errani won the point.  And they cheered loudly for her at the end of the match. The crowd was excited about watching quality women's tennis.

Edited August 30, 2014 by topanga

[truthaboutluv]

I agree. And it goes both ways. There have been a lot of good players who didn't reach elite status until they added some muscle mass to their thin frames.

 

 

Yes, the name Daniela Hantuchova comes to mind. And even Ana Ivanovic sort of struggled with this as well. Ana has a very finesse game, she actually reminds me of Chris Evert in her heyday but she just didn't have the power to match up against those huge hitters like Serena, Sharapova, Azarenka, etc.

Edited August 30, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[shok]

So for example, Rafa will fall to #3 or #4 (not too sure, have to check) because he lost all the points he won last year when he won the entire hardcourt season with his wins in Toronto, Cincy and U.S. Open, since he wasn't able to play and defend them. 

 

Uh uh uh uh ... nope, Rafa's not going to fall to #3 or #4. Gotta keep the faith! Fed would have to win the USO to get to #2 and that's not gonna happen, even with the cupcake with double icing draw he got... again. He's been so incredibly lucky with his draws this year. Wawrinka, who's currently in 4th place, can't get there either because Rafa had such a lead on the rest of the field. Rafa's going to stay #2 and when they hit the Asian tour, he'll be all rested and set to gain a few points there. :)

 

 

Edited August 30, 2014 by shok

[wanderingstar]

I am stunned at seeing Mirijana Lucic. I remember when she was the young phenom. Good for her for beating Halep.

[BitterApple]

Poor Venus. Another hard-fought 3-set match that ended up as a loss. She looked great in the 2nd and 3rd sets, but it was all for nothing, it seems. And what was up with Errani? She seemed to be showboating and taunting the crowd towards the end of the match, which is poor sportsmanship, in my opinion. I know that most of the American crowd was rooting for Venus, and there was an idiot fan who yelled during one of her serves, but there were many other occasions when the crowd would cheer loudly after a long volley--when Errani won the point.  And they cheered loudly for her at the end of the match. The crowd was excited about watching quality women's tennis.

 

Totally agree. I don't know why Errani had such a stick up her ass. The crowd just wanted to see a good match and they were trying to get Venus going after she got blown out in the first set. I think Venus has become the sentimental favorite given all the adversity she's dealt with in her career and it also stands to reason the American crowd will pull a little harder for the American player. Given the tough loss she suffered against Kvitova at Wimbledon, I think the crowd really wanted her to redeem herself.

 

Regarding the fan yelling during the service motion, the same thing happened last night when Lisicki was serving in her match against Sharapova. Does anyone know why the umpires aren't calling a let? I mean, the spectators really yelled loudly. It seemed above and beyond the normal distractions you'd have during the course of a match.

[dcalley]

I have seen one let call due to a yell from the crowd, but I can't remember what match/umpire it was. I liked Carlos (umpire) last night: "We got the message." A disarming, sarcastic reply!

[selkie]

Yes, the name Daniela Hantuchova comes to mind.

 

Hantuchova: the eating disorder years was kind of uncomfortable to watch because she looked like she'd snap in half at any moment.

 

It does seem like Townsend has dropped some weight form the pictures I saw of her last year. As far as nutritionists go, she's probably at a high enough level that she can find someone competent who would work with her for an endorsement instead of cash payment.

[topanga]

I'm watching an exciting men's singles match between Kyrgios and Robredo. I love this Kyrgios kid. He's a great player, and he's fun to watch because of his passion and expressiveness on the court. I guess he's new on the professional scene--has been on the Junior's circuit until recently. And he has those ambiguous ethnic looks that made me say "what is he?" and look him up. He's a great addition to the men's game. I think he'll go far.

[truthaboutluv]

Well he just lost...kudos to Robredo. Just solid, classic tennis playing. That said, Kyrgios is definitely talented and for only being 19 he shows a lot of promise but he needs to be careful with the attitude sometimes. I think it was his first round match this tournament where he lost an entire game for his antics and attitude on the court. He definitely does not lack for confidence which is not a bad thing but sometimes a little too much of it, particularly when you haven't started really winning, can come back and bite you.

[shok]

Totally agree with you truthaboutluv. I didn't see the match but I read about it and he was warned, penalized a point, penalized a game, and was very nearly dq'd from the match. From a cocky 19 yr old who has won a total of nine matches on the ATP tour and is already calling himself The King. From what I've heard he's making a lot of enemies in the locker room with his attitude and that's certainly not going to help his career.

 

I threw my slipper at the tv more than once tonight when Luke Jensen was slobbering over Kyrgios and going on and on about him being the future of tennis because the current game was so mechanical. Yeah, it really helps tennis when you're bloviating on national tv that it's a lousy game and needs more brattish behaviour Luke. For sure Kyrgios is very talented but if I had a dime for every talented player who flamed out on the tour I'd be rich.

[BitterApple]

For sure Kyrgios is very talented but if I had a dime for every talented player who flamed out on the tour I'd be rich.

Right?! There have been dozens of players over the years who were touted as "the next big thing" that crashed and burned. It's one thing to have a random win over a top player or make it to the QF's or Semis of ONE Grand Slam. Not many players have the consistency to win big day in and day out. Until Kyrgios has proven he can do that, he can lose the attitude.

[renard]

And he has those ambiguous ethnic looks that made me say "what is he?" and look him up.

 

 

I always assume being Australian that he was at least part Aboriginal, like Evonne Goolagong Cawley but they mentioned last night; I forget what his mother is but his father is Greek and I assume that is the source of his skin coloring.

[truthaboutluv]

Go Wozniacki - first time since 2011 she's in the second week of the Open and she was brilliant for the first and third set of that match against Sharapova. Hate to say it, but maybe McIlroy dumping her was the best thing for her game. It's forced her to focus all her energy back on her tennis.  He's still a douche though, imo.

[ketchuplover]

I ugh! hope ugh! this ugh! post ugh! does ugh! not ugh! get ugh! removed ugh!

[Ohwell]

Yeah, I was rooting for Kyrgios at Wimbledon, and I even defended him because I liked his confidence and youthful swagger.  I won't defend a dick though and it seems like that's what he's become. 

 

I think his mother is Malaysian.

Edited August 31, 2014 by Ohwell

[dcalley]

Ha, Radek Stepanek ran into the players' chairs area while trying to hit a ball and decided to move them all back. This is on grandstand, where the ballkids are wearing different outfits. I wonder why. The shirts are quite snug looking and aren't polo shirts (but they are Polo shirts).

Edited September 1, 2014 by dcalley

[crimsongrl]

The coverage is really annoying today. What's the point of showing matches on CBS Sports Network if they're the same matches shown on CBS?! I wanted to see all of the Bouchard match but I've got Murray/Tsonga on both channels with a few random look-ins on the women's match.

[blackwing]

Tough to see Genie Bouchard lose, but she got outplayed. In that last game she looked completely out of gas. Now it is time for me to be mean. Ekaterina Makarova is one of the oldest looking 25 year olds on the tour. And wow, that huge unfortunate looking nose. It kind of looks like it has been broken multiple times

[truthaboutluv]

Not surprised by Bouchard's loss. She's looked shaky all summer, that's why there were questions about her coming into the Open and she had to fight to just barely get out of her last two matches. I was more surprised at Murray's straight set win over Tsonga. I should know better by now to hope for too much from Tsonga. 

[dcalley]

I cringe every time they show Raonic's team because the older guy with the taped fingers keeps gnawing on them. It's so gross.

[shok]

I was sad for Genie today but not all that surprised. She must be physically and mentally exhausted from all that's happened to her this year and from all the pressure to live up to her press that she was under at the Open. I don't think many fully matured adults would be able to handle what's happened in her life in less than a year but she seems to be a pretty tough kid though and will continue to do well after she's had a bit of r&r. She's still won more slam matches than any other woman on the tour this year which is quite something for a 19/20 yr old rookie.

[truthaboutluv]

Great match between Nishikori and Raonic. Raonic is talented but he has the same problem that Isner has and Roddick to an extent also had, they don't have a very good all-court game and rely far too much on their powerful serve. And that can serve you well at times but they run into problems when they play anyone who has a great return of game and can put their serves back into play. And that was evident last night with Raonic and Nishikori, the latter was destroying Raonic in the majority of their rallies. Definitely looking forward to Dimitrov and Monfils today - that could be a really good one.

Edited September 2, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Etta Place]

I didn't stay up for the end of the Nishikori-Raonic, but was very pleased that Nishikori prevailed. I really dislike Raonic, and it's definitely related to what truthaboutluv said, the lack of a decent game besides the serve. (Isner is probably my all-time least-favorite player, and I quit watching tennis for just about the entire Roddick era.)

 

I guess out of the Berdych-Thiem and Simon-Cilic matches, I just want Thiem to win. I don't know anything about him and have barely seen him play, but Berdych bothers me. The other pairing, eh. I don't really care. Usually I'd want Simon to go out because he beat (a very off-looking) Ferrer, but I can't muster much enthusiasm for Cilic either.

[BitterApple]

Tough to see Genie Bouchard lose, but she got outplayed. In that last game she looked completely out of gas. Now it is time for me to be mean. Ekaterina Makarova is one of the oldest looking 25 year olds on the tour. And wow, that huge unfortunate looking nose. It kind of looks like it has been broken multiple times

I think it's because she's so thin. When women are too skinny, they lose all the fat in their face which is very aging.

 

I agree Bouchard was just spent. She had a great year and there's lots to build on. Hopefully she's not too bummed out because from what I've seen of her interviews, she puts a lot of pressure on herself.

[Ohwell]

Speaking of skinny, Wozniacki looks like she could regain just a few pounds.

[crimsongrl]

She lost some weight training for the marathon. Whatever she's doing is working because she looked really quick on the court  vs Maria and played Serena tough in Canada a month ago.

 

I'm guessing I'll only get highlights of the Bencici/Peng match today. I've been recording Breakfast at the Open on Tennis Channel to see matches that weren't worthy of tv time (Ivanovic/Pliskova, Bouchard/Makarova).

 

How come ESPN isn't looking for younger tennis commentators? Doesn't Andy Roddick need a job?

[dcalley]

I'm guessing I'll only get highlights of the Bencici/Peng match today. I've been recording Breakfast at the Open on Tennis Channel to see matches that weren't worthy of tv time (Ivanovic/Pliskova, Bouchard/Makarova).

For as long as there's live tennis on Ashe today, you can access Bencici/Peng in full at the US Open site (if you're in the US, at least). Once you're streaming Ashe, click the fourth white dot to go to the start of that match.

Edited September 2, 2014 by dcalley

[Ohwell]

I forgot about the marathon thingy.  I can also understand losing some weight for quicker movement.  It's just that her face and arms look thin and she just doesn't look like herself.  

 

How come ESPN isn't looking for younger tennis commentators? Doesn't Andy Roddick need a job?

Maybe Roddick is just having fun right now playing the "senior" circuit and will join them in the booth later.  I would like to see some new blood but I don't see it happening any time soon.  I'm tired of the McEnroes, Cliff Drysdale, and the Three Witches (Evert, Shriver, Fernandez).  And that guy LZ Granderson is awful.  There's something about his voice that I just can't stand. 

Edited September 2, 2014 by Ohwell

[Ohwell]

Monfils is on fiyah!  Hasn't lost a set yet.  I must say, I was surprised that he beat Dimitrov in straight sets.  He'll probably face Federer.  In the past I would have said Federer wins, but Monfils seems to be no nonsense and focused so...we'll see.    

[crimsongrl]

For as long as there's live tennis on Ashe today, you can access Bencici/Peng in full at the US Open site (if you're in the US, at least). Once you're streaming Ashe, click the fourth white dot to go to the start of that match.

Thank you! I didn't think I'd make it home in time since Monfils/Dimitrov ended in 3 sets but I was able to rewind with no problems. Well it took me minute to figure out the "fourth dot" thing cuz I'm slow. lol Peng played well and made a few great shots but I expect either Wozniacki or Errani to take her out easily.

 

I can't believe Monfils is having a better US Open than Tsonga! Did he even play this summer? I wasn't aware Gael didn't have a coach until today. Funny how he seems more in control now that he's on his own.

 

In shallow news: It appears Dimitrov is finally growing into his face. He was all scrunched up and weird looking for a few years there.

[BitterApple]

 

Maybe Roddick is just having fun right now playing the "senior" circuit and will join them in the booth later.  I would like to see some new blood but I don't see it happening any time soon.  I'm tired of the McEnroes, Cliff Drysdale, and the Three Witches (Evert, Shriver, Fernandez).  And that guy LZ Granderson is awful.  There's something about his voice that I just can't stand. 

I think Chris is the the biggest bitch out of the three women. She never has anything nice to say about anyone and she's always rude and condescending to whomever she's paired up with in the booth. LZ is beyond awful, mainly because he knows absolutely nothing about tennis. It's like they threw him in there to meet some kind of diversity requirement and it shows. The commentators I like best are Lindsay Davenport and Darren Cahill. I think both of them are class acts.

[shok]

I think Chris is the the biggest bitch out of the three women. She never has anything nice to say about anyone.

 

Definitely the bitchiest but I beg to differ about one of your points . Chris can't stop saying nice things about Federer. Her adoration and slobbering over him is embarrassing and terribly unprofessional.

 

 

The commentators I like best are Lindsay Davenport and Darren Cahill. I think both of them are class acts.

 

Cahill sounds classy with that accent of his but my beef with him is his overwhelming favouratism of some of the players he's covering - Nishikori is one of them, Murray is another, plus any Australian that's playing. There are others too, particularly anyone contracted to Adidas which he also works for. In matches where he has a favourite, he praises them to the heavens and will barely mention the opponent. Being a fan of Rafa's I'm particularly sensitive to hearing what he says because he doesn't like Rafa at all and it absolutely infuriates me how he disrespects Rafa so now I listen more closely to some of the other matches he does and I hear the same partisan comments and it's totally turned me off him.

[truthaboutluv]

Being a fan of Rafa's I'm particularly sensitive to hearing what he says because he doesn't like Rafa at all and it absolutely infuriates me how he disrespects Rafa

 

 

I will admit that I often tune out the commentary during matches but every so often I do listen and I honestly cannot remember Darren ever saying anything about Rafa that would indicate disliking him or bordering on disrespecting him. I will concede that yes he can sometimes, make it clear if he really likes a player and he does get excited about the Australian players, but never in my opinion, at the expense of their opponents. Darren was one of the ONLY ones far as I remember downplaying Rafa's losses coming into the French Open this year and saying that in his opinion Rafa was still the clear favorite when others like McEnroe, Carillo, etc. were all jumping on it being Djokovic's time. 

 

eta: Really impressed with and happy for Monfils. He really did seem calm and focused throughout the match. Grigor had his chances but just made some very poor decisions with shot selection in those moments. Matt Cronin at the US Open site hasn't been hitting out of the park with his picks. He picked Maria to beat Caro, said Bencic was going to beat Peng in 3 (yeah she was barely ever in the match) and had Grigor in 4 against Monfils. In his defense, with the last one, he did say it depended on which version of Monfils showed up for the match. Which is often the case with him. 

 

Meanwhile Thiem just got murdered by Berdych and at this point I am so bored by Federer's matches there are no words. I mean good for him, he looks good and healthy but they've all been so one-sided that I just find myself tuning out and not caring. At least Murray keeps attempting to inject some interest in his matches with his random dropping of sets and as for Djokovic, he's been even more boring than Federer.

Edited September 3, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Ohwell]

I'm so used to Sharapova and Azarenka whooping it up and hurting my ears, I don't know how I missed Errani's yelling.  She sounds like she's being stabbed every time she hits the ball.  Can't wait for Wozniacki to take her out and put me out of my misery.

[BitterApple]

shok, I didn't realize Evert slobbered over Federer. I'll have to pay closer attention to the commentary!

 

I'd love to see Monfils do well. If that guy had had his head in the game earlier in his career, he could have been a top 5 player and won some Slams. His athleticism is off the charts.

[truthaboutluv]

Can't wait for Wozniacki to take her out and put me out of my misery.

 

 

You got your wish and it was done in brutal fashion - 6-0, 6-1. Man Wozniacki is looking great and I'm really happy for her for getting herself back in a contender position for a slam. Peng looks great but I give Wozniacki the edge to make the finals. Her worse nightmare will be if Serena's there because Serena's the one who stopped her at both Masters this summer and both times she was up in the match but it just slipped away from her. But it's just really good to see her reminding people of the player she was a few years ago.

 

shok, I didn't realize Evert slobbered over Federer. I'll have to pay closer attention to the commentary!

 

 

Oh yeah that I can definitely attest to and she's never even been subtle about it. Hell, if anything, she's been kind of open and upfront about it so points for owning it I guess. But yeah she LOVES Federer and that really doesn't surprise me, Federer's style is very similar to Evert when she played - that delicate, slightly prissy, almost aloof style of play.

 

I'd love to see Monfils do well. If that guy had had his head in the game earlier in his career, he could have been a top 5 player and won some Slams. His athleticism is off the charts.

 

 

I agree that Monfils can definitely be a total headcase but I will say he's also struggled throughout the years with a string of injuries and I think that too has played a significant part in derailing his career.

Edited September 3, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Ohwell]

Thank you, Caroline.

[shok]

 

I honestly cannot remember Darren ever saying anything about Rafa that would indicate disliking him or bordering on disrespecting him.

 

It's more his sins of omission rather than sins of commission. Cahill will virtually never say anything good about Rafa. Even after one of Rafa's amazing shots he will say nothing rather than make a comment about how good he is or he'll talk about what the opponant did wrong to allow Rafa to hit that shot. Of course Cahill is not alone in that - many of the commies blather on about what the other players should be doing to beat Rafa rather than acknowledging his tremendous play. If that was their commentating style for all the matches they did I could accept it but as we all know, that's simply not true as they certainly go on and on about Federer's brilliance and genius or Djokovic's amazing shots or those of many other players on the tour today.

 

I had an interesting twitter discussion with Darrin during Rafa's match against Nishikori at the AO. I got so fed up with him that I tweeted something like 'can you ever say anything good about Rafa? Yes Kei's playing well but Rafa is beating him.' and he replied later that 'Kei is new to the tour and he was just trying to give him some props'. I tweeted back that 'I had absolutely no problem with him giving Kei props as he's a great young player but the player on the other side of the net deserved some props too.' to which he replied 'I'm just trying to let the audience learn more about Kei.' and my response was that 'Rafa was a fantastic player and has had some amazing achievements and he has earned and deserves respect from the commentators.' Darrin at least was classy enough to acknowledge 'that yes Rafa deserves respect. I'm sorry and I'll try to keep your comments in mind in future.'

 

So I'm not imagining that Cahill is not a fan of Rafa's and very very seldom will give him any praise or credit. I'll never forget his post match discussion after the Rafa/Darcis match at Wimbledon where Rafa's knees were so bad he couldn't hit a two handed backhand. The other commies had been mentioning it during the match and asked Darrin about it and he said 'nah, the knees had no effect on the match, maybe a bit in the last couple of games.' This from a guy whose career was ended by the same sort of injury Rafa had and who has talked heart wrenchingly in interviews about the hell of dealing with tendinitis as a tennis player and of how horrible it was to live with taking anti-inflammatories every day in order to play. But Darrin never felt he needed to let the audience know about that, did he. I'm sorry, I soured on Cahill a few years ago.

 

But yeah she LOVES Federer and that really doesn't surprise, Federer's style if very similar to Evert when she played - that delicate, slightly prissy, almost aloof style of play.

 

Heh, I never thought about her adoration of Federer from that angle before but you could well be right. Their styles are indeed quite similar. Did she pout as much as Fed does when he's losing a match?

Edited September 3, 2014 by shok

[dcalley]

Speaking of Chris Evert, Chris Evert's maturation as a tennis broadcaster (si.com)

being critical as a broadcaster has not come easy for the Hall of Fame tennis player.

...
 
"I try to be balanced and if I find myself being too critical, I try to remind myself that not everyone was like me on the court, where I was such a perfectionist and mentally intense.”

Heh.
 

I've been hearing Al Troutwig and Luke Jensen for the men's night matches on Ashe and they are just going overboard with praise for Federer, too. I don't usually notice it but it's starting to get on my nerves because it's too much. They keep talking about Federer as James Bond and GOAT (using the acronym, and even talking about the acronym). Last night Luke told some really long story about Roger's personal racket stringer and how he would deliver his rackets to him and how it was so cool. Al asked Luke if any nude photos of him had been leaked over the weekend. Ugh.

[truthaboutluv]

Amazing match between Nishikori and Wawrinka. There were so many momentum swings, that right up until the end I wasn't sure who would win but I think ultimately Nishikori just played better on the key big points. 

Edited September 4, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[le bordel chaud]

Yep that match was terrific! Kei had an advantage serving first in the fifth. Stan had been so good on serve in the fifth until the 4-5 game where he played a stinker. Too bad. Would have liked to see another tiebreak, although I was rooting for Nishikori.

[Ohwell]

I didn't have a favorite but I'm glad Kei pulled it out.   I felt kind of bad for Stan in such a hard-fought match, but then I remembered he won the Australian Open, so he's had a pretty good year.

[BitterApple]

Chris Evert strikes again with her witchy commentary! She just said that even if Serena wins the Open it would still be a mediocre year for her. IMO, winning several big non-Slam tournaments coupled with a US Open victory at nearly 33 years of age would qualify as a pretty damn good year. I'm not a huge fan of Serena, but jeez, give the woman SOME credit.

[crimsongrl]

The scheduling was very light today with the move of the Women's Final to Sunday and the Men's Final to Monday. I always loved Ladies Night at the Open on Saturday and I hope they bring it back once the roof is built.

 

Can Monfils pull the upset tonight? I would love nothing more than a Final of Monfils vs Nishikori!

[Ohwell]

Goddamn you Federer.  I know I'm supposed to say you're amazing, what a comeback, you're the greatest thing since sliced bread, yadayadayada...but you know what?  Fuck you. 

 

I feel better now.

[truthaboutluv]

Can Monfils pull the upset tonight?

 

 

And the answer is no. Gutted man...damn you Monfils, so close. But the second he blew those match points and immediately got broken to lose the set, I knew it was over. It's not like I have anything against Federer but dammit I was getting excited at the possibility of a men's final without any of the big names. Alas, you'd think I'd learn by now. It's up to Kei but I don't know, those two back to back long matches has to be taking its toll and Djokovic is like a freaking roach that just won't go away quietly in a match. 

[Etta Place]

I was so disappointed in Monfils. He just cannot give his all. In the post-match interview, Federer was talking about how when he was facing two match points, he told himself that he just didn't want to miss an easy shot, and he would go down fighting. And aside from that, if it was the end, well, it was the end. And that's exactly what Monfils lacks - he doesn't want to go down trying his hardest. He would rather give up, tank some games, miss some easy shots, and have it said that he cracked instead of that his actual game wasn't good enough.

 

It's a shame.

[crimsongrl]

Damn you Roger!

Marin Cilic for the upset... Okay, I'll settle for a competitive 5 sets. :)