Tennis Thread

[Mrs. P.]

5 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Can this just be the final?

Only if Federer wins!

[truthaboutluv]

40 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

They are both paying well.

I don't think Rafa's playing that well. He's playing okay but dude can't seem to find a first serve on his service games to save his life. And his rhythm is way off, compared to how sharp he's been in his previous rounds.

Some of that is to Federer's credit and how aggressive he's playing, so I'll give him that. But I can't say this has been a great quality match. Frankly based on how both are playing, much as I like Rafa, I'd say Federer looks like the stronger to have a shot against Djokovic on Sunday. Because I for one do not need another Australian Open final type match between Rafa and Djokovic. 

[mojoween]

Has anyone ever heard Roger make a sound on court?  It’s one of the reasons I love him.

Also because Andy Roddick retired.  Yes, I adored him and I fully own it.  That and Roger’s terrible ponytail are why I actually used to loathe Fed with all of my being.

[Harry24]

1 minute ago, mojoween said:

 Roger’s terrible ponytail are why I actually used to loathe Fed with all of my being.

Did you ever see his blonde period?  [Shudder.]

[ombelico]

8 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Has anyone ever heard Roger make a sound on court?  It’s one of the reasons I love him.

Same here. I can understand a grunt or yell every once in a while, but the players who do it on every. damn. point. just get on my last nerve. I do love it, though, when you've got a grunter playing against a silent type, since the every-other-point grunting just makes it sound like the quiet player is just toying with the grunter.

[theatremouse]

Tennis fan problems:

The sound went out on my cable at the beginning of the second set. I thought it was the feed but then got nervous when it stayed that way a solid 10 minutes. I figured, 'meh I can still SEE the match. Plus it's nice to not listen to Nadal grunting for a little bit. Then my cable box threw an error telling me I should reboot it, and I was like "um, no, this is Federer-Nadal at Wimbledon, I will wait this out and watch with no sound if I have to". Meanwhile, my internet goes out, and I start thinking...uh oh, something's up with my service in general. Both TV and internet are from the same provider. So I'm futzing with my internet hardware and the sound comes back on the TV. And I think "ah great everything's OK". 30 seconds later the TV is all "we're having a problem with this channel, try again later" it reverts me to the previous channel I'd been watching before putting on Wimbledon. Every other channel I try is fine. ESPN tells me to fuck off. I get more anxious. After flipping back and forth multiple times every 10 seconds with JUST ESPN not working, I give up and realize I should've rebooted the box when it told me to. So I do, and it feels like EONS.And I'm cursing my provider in my head. DO THEY NOT KNOW THIS IS WIMBLEDON. DO NOT HAVE SIGNAL PROBLEMS DURING WIMBLEDON.

Which is a long way of saying: when this whole sequence started it was 1-0 in the second set and by the time I got it back to normal was 5-1 in the second. NOT A FUN TIME FOR THIS FED FAN.

Of course, I feel better now.

[truthaboutluv]

I liked the fight Rafa showed towards the end of the match. It was just a little too late at that point. But I'm happy he defended his points and made it to the semifinals again, especially considering how shitty his draw looked when the draw was first released.

And I guess the Fed fans can now crow that Wimbledon seeding him #2 although Rafa is the actual second seed in the world, was deserved. Should be an interesting final on Sunday.

If Federer plays as aggressively and serves as well as he did today, he could pull off the win. But Djokovic and his need to prove himself and make people love him makes him go into extra beast mode when he's facing Federer or Rafa. 

Edited July 12, 2019 by truthaboutluv

[Harry24]

13 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

But Djokovic and his need to prove himself and make people love him makes him go into extra beast mode when he's facing Federer or Rafa. 

I think Roger's best chance will be if the crowd is massively pro-Djoker.*  We've seen the crowd-is-dying-for-Fed-to-win-and-Djoker-smooshes-the-stadium-with-his-giant-foot movie several times before.  

*Admittedly not the likeliest of scenarios. 🙂

Edited July 12, 2019 by Harry24

[NUguy514]

Well, Roger just played better, and I'm thrilled he won.  Since he's won six of the last seven meetings between the two of them, I expected Roger to win, but I'm still thrilled and relieved.  It's...crazy to think it's been eleven years since they'd played at Wimbledon.  I expect Djoker to victimize me personally by winning Sunday in four sets, but...at least I have today.  I guess.

[NUguy514]

Just now, Harry24 said:

I think Roger's best chance will be if the crowd is massively pro-Djoker.  We've seen the crowd-is-dying-for-Fed-to-win-and-Djoker-smooshes-the-stadium-with-his-giant-foot movie several times before.  

You're probably right, but no crowd outside of Belgrade (and especially no Wimbledon crowd) would ever, ever be pro-Djoker against Roger.

[truthaboutluv]

Just now, Harry24 said:

I think Roger's best chance will be if the crowd is massively pro-Djoker.

lol, and we all know that's not going to happen.

[BitterApple]

Wow, I totally blew it on that prediction.

What a match. I screamed and jumped out of my seat when Roger shanked that overhead. I would've been fine with either player winning, but I was hoping for Roger since Rafa already won the French.

If things live up to the hype, this should be a great weekend of tennis. 

[BlackberryJam]

Bummer, but I knew Roger was going to buckle down. I saw Rafa in the second set and he was good. I had to be away from my TV for the rest of the match.

I'll not watch the final, but follow it online. I can't stomach watching Djokovic win.

(Why is he just so awful? It's not that I want Roger or Rafa to win everything. I liked Stan when he won, and Andy. It's not that Novak doesn't have skills or game. He doesn't smack talk or cheat. I can't even pity the guy for being so emotionally needy. I just cannot stand him and want him to lose.)

[Ohwell]

Thank you, Fed and Rafa.  The Ali/Frazier of tennis.

[truthaboutluv]

Well since Rafa is my fave, I actually find watching Djokovic/Federer finals to be quite calming for me. And frankly, I enjoy them more because I'm not invested.

Watching Rafa lose to Djokovic is gut wrenching for me. So every Final between them has been nail biting and so stressful I can barely enjoy the match.

Watching Federer lose to Djokovic is more of an, "oh well, that sucks". Watching Djokovic lose to Federer is entertaining. So honestly, I'll be on my couch watching on Sunday for whatever happens. 

Edited July 12, 2019 by truthaboutluv

[roseha]

I didnt see the whole thing live, I admit, because much as I love Roger, live matches just get so tense that sometimes its just easier for me these days to watch on tape.  I did see him win that first set tiebreaker which was clearly huge.  I honestly didn't expect to see Roger in another Wimbledon final, so if he could possibly find a way to win it I'd be thrilled for him.

[Danny Franks]

If Federer wins the final, I think it's undisputed that he's the greatest player ever to hit a ball. And it's not just that he wins, it's the way he does it. With style and elegance and beautifully placed shots.

Djokovic has a robotic quality to his game, Rafa an aggression and energy, but Federer just does everything like he should be wearing a smoking jacket and cravat.

[truthaboutluv]

Simona is playing balls out, no fear tennis right now. 

[mojoween]

How does the Greatest Tennis Player of all Time play so great throughout tournaments, but suddenly start wilting in the finals?  And it’s a different lady opponent every time!

[truthaboutluv]

Serena did not play great but credit to Simona, she made it difficult for Serena to play her game.  Some of those points she returned and ran down were insane. Girlfriend definitely played one of the matches of her life.

eta: I'm happy for Simona. She's been such an underdog for so much of her career and girl has had to fight against herself so many times. 

Edited July 13, 2019 by truthaboutluv

[Danny Franks]

Simona Halep was just too freaking good. Speed, power, movement, shot placement. Too much for Serena Williams.

I'm so pleased she's proved people wrong - All those in the media who said Williams was the overwhelming favourite, and all those in the BBC commentary box who were so desperate for Williams to win.

[sally-can-wait]

Simona!! I'm so happy for her. Well deserved. 

[catrox14]

I think Serena underestimated Simona on this surface. Simona played the best she's probably ever played. Congrats to Simona.

[mojoween]

The women’s final is on the schedule until 2:30.  Would even a three-setter go that long?

[Rickster]

1 minute ago, mojoween said:

The women’s final is on the schedule until 2:30.  Would even a three-setter go that long?

No., and the scheduling is normal, I think.They usually fill in with some of the doubles, recaps, preview of the mens final, etc. Might show part of the Federer Nadal match.

[BitterApple]

Congrats to Simona, she played really well. I'm shocked it wasn't a closer match because I thought Serena looked incredible in her semi. Granted, she wasn't playing a powerhouse opponent, but still, she was firing on all cylinders. 

On another note, I'm a huge fan of Duchess Kate, but she is looking scary thin; to the point where I'm actually concerned for her. I hope she's okay.

Edited July 13, 2019 by BitterApple

[Ohwell]

26 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

On another note, I'm a huge fan of Duchess Kate, but she is looking scary thin; to the point where I'm actually concerned for her. I hope she's okay.

I noticed that.  I loved her dress but she does look scary thin.  

[TVbitch]

Waiter, I will have the crow, medium rare, with a glass of Malbec. :) 

Way to go Roger! He surprised a lot of us! @BlackberryJam, you called it!

Glad to see Simona win. Serena looked like she just gave up once she realized her heavy hitting was not going to be enough to win it for her. Seems like she does not like to run too much anymore, and I thought it was smart of Halep to run her around in the first set.

I don't dislike Dj as much as most of y'all do, I just want it to be a competitive match tomorrow ...and for Roger to win.  

[roseha]

4 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Serena did not play great but credit to Simona, she made it difficult for Serena to play her game.  Some of those points she returned and ran down were insane. Girlfriend definitely played one of the matches of her life.

eta: I'm happy for Simona. She's been such an underdog for so much of her career and girl has had to fight against herself so many times. 

I’m also happy for Simona, it wasn’t that long ago that she had lost her first 3 major finals and had to prove that she had what it takes, and I so hate it when the sports media and fans do that to a player, especially in an individual sport like tennis.  She just was amazing. 

I was hoping that ESPN would show the women’s doubles final featuring the wildly unpredictable Hsieh Su-wei, but it hasn't begun so I guess not.  Maybe it will be replayed somewhere.

Edited July 13, 2019 by roseha
added paragraph

[dcalley]

1 hour ago, roseha said:

I was hoping that ESPN would show the women’s doubles final featuring the wildly unpredictable Hsieh Su-wei, but it hasn't begun so I guess not.  Maybe it will be replayed somewhere.

It's been canceled because the men's doubles is still being played. The women will now play after the men's final tomorrow.

[Harry24]

Damn.  NOBODY thinks Fed can win tomorrow.  Come on, Rog!!!!!

[truthaboutluv]

1 hour ago, Harry24 said:

Damn.  NOBODY thinks Fed can win tomorrow.  Come on, Rog!!!!!

Really? That's surprising considering many gave the edge to Rafa in their semifinal, so you'd think that would make them reconsider. 

The thing is it's hard to judge Djokovic's form this tournament because dude never faced a single person who was even remotely a threat. 

[Danny Franks]

1 hour ago, Harry24 said:

Damn.  NOBODY thinks Fed can win tomorrow.  Come on, Rog!!!!!

Few people seemed to think Simona could win today.

Federer beat Nadal and Nishikori to get to the final, which seems to have been a harder route than Djokovic had. People may be underestimating him.

[roseha]

5 hours ago, dcalley said:

It's been canceled because the men's doubles is still being played. The women will now play after the men's final tomorrow.

Thanks!  I recommend watching Hsieh for anyone who hasn’t seen her, she has an amazing ability to confound her opponents with her unique style.

[theatremouse]

I think Roger is a better grass player than Novak in general. However, I do think it's logical Novak's favoured to win tomorrow, not by some kind of gigantic margin though. If Roger wins it's not some major upset. He's Roger Effin Federer. It's never really an upset if he wins, even if he weren't technically the favourite. I hope he does win. I very much want him to.

However, H2H recently, it's hard not to expect Djoker to take it. Djoker also had a cakewalk draw. You could say...well he's not even been tested...but he's in top form generally so it's not like he needed to be tested on the way (the whole "not been tested" thing with Serena is because she has diddly squat match play this year). So in this case it's more like...dude is well-rested. Roger has seemed more beatable in general the past two weeks, even though he pulled it out each time. But he didn't seem untouchable. He had 3 four-setters to Novak's 2, not really a huge difference but somehow Djokovic just seems stronger than Roger at the moment. I don't have the numbers but I'm guessing fewer unforced errors so far throughout the tournament. Not that that's the be-all of anything, but whether a player seems shaky vs solid to me is usually about that. 

I hope like hell tomorrow is either Roger in 3 swift easy elegant sets or something more competitive and he still pulls it off. If he's gonna lose though, it better be more interesting than this morning was on the women's side.

[Harry24]

43 minutes ago, roseha said:

Thanks!  I recommend watching Hsieh for anyone who hasn’t seen her, she has an amazing ability to confound her opponents with her unique style.

This!  She is such an entertaining doubles player.

ETA: I just had a chance to watch the women's final, and, damn, Serena looked really sluggish to me.  Yes, Halep made some unbelievable gets and played incredibly well, but Serena just seemed slow and off-balance.  Nerves?  The knee?  Father Time?  I'm not a fan of hers, but it was still disappointing to see.

On to the shallow end of the pool, I thought Venus looked absolutely stunning.  

Edited July 14, 2019 by Harry24

[dcalley]

4 hours ago, roseha said:

Thanks!  I recommend watching Hsieh for anyone who hasn’t seen her, she has an amazing ability to confound her opponents with her unique style.

Agreed, she's very fun to watch!

[BitterApple]

Okay, the camera panning to Mirka Federer agonizing over every point is getting annoying. I understand her husband is in the waning stages of his career and opportunities to win Slams are dwindling, but why the dramatics? It's not like she and the twins will be scraping by on food stamps if Roger loses. 

Edited July 14, 2019 by BitterApple

[truthaboutluv]

The fact that Novak is not exactly playing his A-Game and he's up 2 sets to 1, does not bode well for Federer at all. Interestingly I had actually forgotten about those back to back years Djokovic beat Federer in the Finals.

Hell I didn't even realize this will be Djokovic's 5th Wimbledon title if he wins, which is insane to me because I think most would have assumed Djokovic is more dominant on hard court. And he is, judging by his Australian Open titles but you'd think his second higher Grand Slam count would be US Open titles. 

[Miss Chevious]

I like dogs as much as the next person, but if I have to see that Mercedes commercial one more time, I’m going to scream. 

[Brookside]

NPR just announced that Federer and Djokovic are "playing a sixth set."

[BlackberryJam]

Ugh. I’ll just pretend this Wimbledon didn’t happen and move on to the next tournament. 

[truthaboutluv]

You may not like him and goodness knows the crowd, the media were all rooting against him.  But you have to give credit where it's due. Dude has now beaten the "King of Grass" three times and three times saved match points against him to come back and win. Also, I still don't even feel like this was Djokovic at his absolute best. Again, he bugs me at times but nothing but respect. 

[BitterApple]

Roger is going to relive this match in his nightmares for the next decade. Damn.

Unrelated to the tennis, but I'm liking Kate's ensemble much better today than yesterday.

Edited July 14, 2019 by BitterApple

[roseha]

1 minute ago, BitterApple said:

Roger is going to relive this match in his nightmares for the next decade. Damn.

Honestly Ive been generally quite calm watching Roger ever since he won his eighth Wimbledon and then his 20th Slam in Australia, its an amazing level of accomplishment no matter what, but those two match points on his serve....that has to really hurt.  But it happens to even the greatest I guess.

By the way I am still not thrilled with the introduction of the 12-all tiebreak, aka the John Isner rule. I would rather have seen them play it out even though we would probably still all be watching at this moment.

[BitterApple]

1 minute ago, roseha said:

Honestly Ive been generally quite calm watching Roger ever since he won his eighth Wimbledon and then his 20th Slam in Australia, its an amazing level of accomplishment no matter what, but those two match points on his serve....that has to really hurt.  

Roger held it together well, but I was half expecting a Jana Novotna moment where he burst into tears on Kate's shoulder. To have the match on your racket twice and not win the point is brutal.

[Ohwell]

Dammit.

[mojoween]

DAMMIT.

[Danny Franks]

Real shame. But 37 year old Federer just effectively played six sets against a man five years younger, and should have won. He played better, but Djokovic was just too strong in the end.

I have no real issue with Djokovic, but Federer has been a favourite of mine ever since I first watched him beat Peter Sampras at Wimbledon in 2001. He's great to watch, and seems like a thoroughly nice guy. It should be no mystery to anyone that he's the fan favourite at almost any tournament in the world.

[NUguy514]

That was sad.

Evil won the day, as I expected; I just didn't expect it to be quite so close and therefore more devastating.  I'm sure Justin Gimelstob is thrilled.