Tennis

[Guest wonderbang]

he's probably thinking "my income is gone!" lol

no actually i read he was very sentimental because he felt justine made him a somebody through her achievement...touching moments. plus, they're much closer to each other than just coach-player type relationship. i wonder what carlos will do now....retire?

and i agree with you. if maria stays healthy, i don't see anyone else challenging her ranking really unless either williams start dominating but i doubt that based on consistency.....i wouldn't rule out the serbians though since they play a ton of tournaments and could get to the rankings by the sheer amount they play (particular jankovic though she's having a down year too). and of course there's a million russian girls behind that could jump out of nowhere

[Guest dOotsiez]

I guess if you've coach someone from when she was 14 and watched her grow into a number 1, then you'd be pretty emotional when it's all over too But I was reading some comments on Henin's retirement, and jeez, it's not like she died or something. Some tennis fanatics puts my love for the sport in perspective

Serena Williams is pretty dominant at the moment, shes winning over 90% of her matches, so I wouldn't rule her out, plus she's got it over Sharapova the way Fed has it over Roddick. And yes, Russian girls do seem to jump out of nowhere dont they?! I've forgotten that Safina existed until she magically appeared on the scene in Berlin. lol. Wonder if Henin would have quit if she did win that match, it seemed to be the last straw for her.

Just watched Federer's match against Verdasco. Verdasco was playing some good tennis there, but couldn't get back into the match after he got his ankle strapped, Fed just ran away with it. Well I'm not complaining. Want to watch Nadal and Moya, but must succumb to the crazy time difference. Store up some sleep before the FO.

[Guest crystal_t33rs]

I turned onto the Tennis Channel this morning and saw Djokovic playing and was about to turn off the TV when I saw how he was really just creaming Montanes. I couldn't help but be in awe. Although I question his sportsmanship(what with withdrawing from some big matches), I can't help but admit that he's got talent. He was hitting those balls all over the court, and Montanes just couldn't compete! I was like, "DAAAAAMN!" O_____O

Montanes did have a couple good shots in between, but it just wasn't good enough.

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I only saw the part where Fed was creaming Verdasco after the ankle incident, so I can't really say if he was playing well overall. I'll prob. catch the highlights on youtube. XD OR maybe they'll replay it on the tennis channel later tonight. ^^;

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I hope Rafa wins against Moya! I want to see a match b/w Rafa and Djokovic! Oh, and can someone update me on Rafa's blisters or whatever's up with him? Is it going to be a huge problem?

[Guest wonderbang]

I guess if you've coach someone from when she was 14 and watched her grow into a number 1, then you'd be pretty emotional when it's all over too But I was reading some comments on Henin's retirement, and jeez, it's not like she died or something. Some tennis fanatics puts my love for the sport in perspective

Serena Williams is pretty dominant at the moment, shes winning over 90% of her matches, so I wouldn't rule her out, plus she's got it over Sharapova the way Fed has it over Roddick. And yes, Russian girls do seem to jump out of nowhere dont they?! I've forgotten that Safina existed until she magically appeared on the scene in Berlin. lol. Wonder if Henin would have quit if she did win that match, it seemed to be the last straw for her.

Just watched Federer's match against Verdasco. Verdasco was playing some good tennis there, but couldn't get back into the match after he got his ankle strapped, Fed just ran away with it. Well I'm not complaining. Want to watch Nadal and Moya, but must succumb to the crazy time difference. Store up some sleep before the FO.

LOL....you're right! It was like a EULOGY wasn't it? Maybe they considered it a "tennis" death....a loss on the tour. Anyhow, how crazy is the time difference for you? I remember waking up/staying up at the most awkward times just to catch some tennis on ESPN. These days.......I've discovered the magic of TiVo! muahaha

[Guest crystal_t33rs]

And yes! It's going to be a Nadal-Djokovic showdown tomorrow!

[Guest wonderbang]

And yes! It's going to be a Nadal-Djokovic showdown tomorrow!

This should be interesting....tennis-wise AND personality-wise.

I think we're in for a good match....especially since the NUMBER TWO ranking is on the line!

I bet they'll both approach it as a final and fight it out...at least I hope so!

[Guest takashi]

getting into tennis again, since it's summer right now! =] man where do all of you people watch these tennis tournaments? i seem to always miss it TT^TT which channel on bell satellite?

[Guest crystal_t33rs]

Man, that was an intense match b/w Sharapova & Schnyder! I thought for sure Patty would take it when she was just cruising past Maria during the beginning of the first two sets, but Maria just fought her way through that second set and left Patty in the dust the third set! But I gotta hand it to Patty. She's a real trooper, making it tough for Maria.

It's Sharapova against Jankovic tomorrow!

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I think we're in for a good match....especially since the NUMBER TWO ranking is on the line!

I so can't wait for this! I can't tell who's going to win. Djokovic is just killing it these days and Rafa's just . . . Rafa! XD

[Guest dOotsiez]

im not giving the Djoker much credit for defeat Montanes. Montanes who? the Djoker SHOULD be killing it. just like Rome, Djoker has a relatively easy draw if you ask me. His luck runs out today. I'm going with Nadal for the SF. Djoker's got no chance if Nadal's healthy and moving well, which he was against Moya (a much tougher clay cookie than montanes might i add). A set for the Djoker if he's luckyy.... maybe. and hopefully i didn't just jinx someone.

crystal t33rs if u didn't see the Fed/Verdasco match before the ankle incident, you didn't miss much. Federer basically just played defensively, and waited for Verdasco to crumble, which worked in the end. Doesn't make great tennis. Im still waiting for Roger to switch to 'TMF mode'. where is the TMF these days?

Rome starts at around 9pm for me, which means i always catch the first one or two matches before common sense forces me to go to sleep. unless Fed or Nadal's playing, in that case, the little fan girl in me is beyond rationality.

[Guest crystal_t33rs]

Fed won today. As much as I want to agree that Djoker got the easy end of things, going against some unseeded players, Fed also played unseeded players throughout this tournament thus far. ^^; I was just watching Nadal and Djokovic when my bro came and turned onto cartoon network. lol. Anyways, can't wait to steal back the remote to see how things turnout! ACK >_<

RAFA FTW, please~

EDIT:

AND RAFA WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest wonderbang]

hmm a three setter for rafa but i expected him to have a tough time with novak....but he is the king of clay!

federer cruised in the other semi and he really hasn't had to play any tough players yet.....this final is going to be really interesting!

anyone think federer can get some redemption from a few weeks ago? or will rafa continue his clay court dominance? lol....i sound like a tv announcer don't i?

[Guest crystal_t33rs]

Last year, I remember after he won Hamburg, in the interview, he said that Nadal's game from the night before had him tired, so it gave Fed the advantage. I wonder if it's going to be the same tomorrow because today's match against Djoker was no easy feat.

I really don't know. I'm going to say Rafa might win, but who knows?

[Guest dOotsiez]

True, Fed got the easy draw this time. He could have played Ferrer, or Davydenko or Tsonga, but these guys couldn't hang in there. But I probably wouldn't call Verdasco 'easy' though, I was so impressed with his tennis in the second set. pity about his ankle, but then again, had it been Gasquet, Davydenko or Djoko playing, they probably would have retired way before then. At least Verdasco finished the match.

Re Djoker getting the easy draws, just realised he won Rome without having to play a single player in the top 20. Struggled against Andreev in R16. Struggled against Wawrinka in the final, and had 2 retirements in between.

And go Rafa! The final tonight ALMOST looks anti-climatic compared to last night. surprisingly enough, I'm going with Nadal this time. Federer was utterly dominant in his match yesterday, but Seppi was probably too tired from his 3 hour marathon with Kiefer. And I also noticed Fed's serving stats from yesterday, simply woeful. Equally woeful was his break points conversion rate in the first set. Nadal's gonna capitalise on that. But then again, I think Hamburg is just one of those places that Fed feels really comfortable playing in, having won it 4 times in front of a German crowd. Hoping for a 3 setter tonight.

[Guest wonderbang]

let's see if the dOotsiez curse is lifted in the final or not... jk.

i can never root when these two play because i like both of them....actually it's better because regardless of who wins, i'm happy nonetheless! lol....

[Guest dOotsiez]

lol yeah, I think we have similar tastes in tennis players. It's so typical, but I must say Fed and Nadal are my favs in the men's game. They bring out the best in each other, esp on clay and grass. Im going to root for Nadal though, because he needs this win more than Fed. Though Djokovic didn't manage to win yesterday, Nadal's far from safe with a lot of points to defend in the FO and in Wimby. Fed on the other hand is sitting on a 1400 point cushion. it's amazing to think that at the beginning of this year, the two were within 400 points of each other. Poses an interesting question, is Federer really having a bad year??

Re the curse of dootsiez, it didn't backfire on Nadal last night (night for me), so I'm guessing/hoping it's nothing more than a soompi fiction

[Guest crystal_t33rs]

Wow. I just knew, watching Nadal struggle the first two games, I was like, "Deja vu?" Of course Nadal hurries up and catches up to Fed and wins the first set 7-5. Congrats to Nadal! I was happy with either one of them winning.

Can Fed get the big RG this year? I really can't say, but the odds are not favoring him this year, I say. ^^; It makes me wonder how he'll do on the grass courts this year too.

[Aziraphale]

Re the curse of dootsiez, it didn't backfire on Nadal last night (night for me), so I'm guessing/hoping it's nothing more than a soompi fiction

LOL, and Nadal won too, so maybe it is just soompi fiction after all

I caught a bit of the final, the second set in particular. Feddy was really good when he came to the net, I feel this is something he can exploit more on clay, because the surface generally favours a baseline game. But the rally he and Nadal had in the middle of the set was awesome. I love rallies like that, especially on clay, and that one was brilliant. Kudos to Nadal for fighting back, that man's a true warrior

RG coming up! I can't wait

[Guest wonderbang]

LOL, and Nadal won too, so maybe it is just soompi fiction after all

I caught a bit of the final, the second set in particular. Feddy was really good when he came to the net, I feel this is something he can exploit more on clay, because the surface generally favours a baseline game. But the rally he and Nadal had in the middle of the set was awesome. I love rallies like that, especially on clay, and that one was brilliant. Kudos to Nadal for fighting back, that man's a true warrior

RG coming up! I can't wait

You practically summed up what I was going to say too! I guess dOotsiez is off the hook this time

If Nadal can stay relatively pain-free through RG, I really don't see him losing his title to anyone, even Federer. But, then again, I'm going against one of the greatest tennis players in history so I'm pretty sure I can be wrong lol. Anyhow, for me, Nadal has clearly established himself as the favorite once again but Federer doesn't seem too far behind.

Like Aziraphale, I'm excited for RG! Briiiiing it on haha

[Guest dOotsiez]

Though I was prepared to celebrate a Nadal victory, a small part of me was still disappointed at Feddy's lost. Fed needs a royal spanking from Mirka for losing that first set! Still, commendable that he was very much in the game all throughout the three sets, wonder what would've happened if this was a 5-setter. Fed was looking pretty competitive out there, so I haven't lost hope for a Red Roger Year

As for Nadal, what can I say, real trooper, that boy! down in the first set against both Djoker and Fed, yet somehow fought his way back. Love that 'never say die' attitude, had it been Fed down 1-5 with Nadal serving for the set, I'm not sure if Fed would've had the same perseverance.

Slightly off topic, but Nadal should reward himself with...some bigger undies?? I always feel sorry for whoever that has to shake his hand at the end of a match. sweaty bum hands.....

Fed for RG and Nadal for Wimby 08 And for those without access to some of the smaller tournaments on TV, live streaming's the word. um...not sure if about soompi rules, but if you're over 18, I can't see any reason why not, so google betfair or bet365. register for free and live stream tennis to your heart's content

[Guest wonderbang]

ohhh i didn't know you could do that...thanks for the tip. do you need to pay anything upfront though or at all? this would give me some access to smaller tournaments going on...

anyhow, every tennis player seems to have some weird habit don't you think? nadal with his undie grabbing.....novak with his ball bouncing.....maria with her hair arranging (before every serve)...and so on. i think i read somewhere that said tennis players are really superstitious people....if they win something, they would go out of their way to do the exact routine over again for "luck"....but i can't blame them. i'd probably have strange rituals too lol

roland garros is almost heeeeeeere