The Tennis Thread - Page 67

Not Plain Jane · 28-04-2012

I wouldn't mind seeing Sharapova get a win over Azarenka, to keep things interesting...

**Scott** · 28-04-2012

i have to say,kudos to maria because it was the total opposite of how she played yesterday. i knew she would have to bring it up an extra level to have a chance because kvitova has been walking with some extra pep in her step since the start of fed cup last week. but i agree,chaky,nice to see the top 4 women in the semis and the 1 and 2 in the final. not so many months ago so many were complaining about the lack of consistency and the lack of leader(s) at the top and now everything has suddenly changed. i wouldn't even compare this to the men really because one of those 4 has been struggling of late so imo it's really the big 3. the women have an edge in that respect now in that they do have a solid 4.

you know,back to sharapova,it will be interesting to see what she can bring in tomorrow's final. will she extend the form from today's performance or will she revert back to how she played for much of that match against sammy. also,maria has been absolutely pitiful in all her previous finals,i just wonder if she can turn that misfortune around here against a player who's barely wavered all season. i have to admit,i would be quite surprised if she got over on vika this being on clay and vika by comparison a vastly superior player on this surface.

MyNameIs · 29-04-2012

What a match by Maria. So happy for her. I don't dislike Vika, but it would just be cruel for her to win again over Maria, who looked just about unstoppable. Would love to see her win RG to complete her grand slam.

Not Plain Jane · 29-04-2012

Agree: I am very happy for Maria to get this win!!

Also congratulations to Nadal although I could not help feeling very sad for Ferrer who had set points in both set one and two and could not close the deal. He was very close today.

**Scott** · 29-04-2012

well it's a great win and finally she got one over vika and in a final. as for being dubbed a fave....it remains to be seen. sorry but i have to be realistic here because we went through this whole routine for much of the last year. she being touted after title wins and losing to li na at RG,losing to kvitova at wimby and being upset early by pennetta at the open after gaining the title at cincy. we still have three more weeks of events and the potential for other contenders not to mention other prominent players that somehow seem to bring their best at majors. so,again,it will remain to be seen if she can stay consistent enough. till then,it's a good win and that's all.

constanceMafioso · 01-05-2012

Quote:

i would be quite surprised if she got over on vika this being on clay and vika by comparison a vastly superior player on this surface.

Well actually Victoria is not a great clay-court player. She's much better on hard-courts. I watched the statistics on the WTA tour, she's not even in the top 50 in terms of (%) matches won on clay where as Maria is in the top 10-15 as one the best clay-court players in this era.

This win Maria had over Victoria if anything else IMO was kind of expected and Maria should take wins over Victoria on clay and grass basically Victoria's 2 weakest surfaces. On hard-courts though it's kind of a different story.

Stuttgart was really a great tournament. Lots of great matches and very high-level of tennis. The final though was kind of a turn-off to me because Victoria wasn't really 100% though Maria played a great match from start to finish. I hope the future tournaments of the WTA tour will keep looking like this.

**Scott** · 04-05-2012

^i'm talking specifically about recent history. since azarenka has been playing as well she has since last year's miami,she went into the clay season nabbed a title and got to the final at madrid. so she's got a bit better,in my view.

so what do you guys make of this blue clay court at madrid? i'm not pleased about it myself. not because i'm some uptight traditionalist but it makes me a bit worried for the players. already we've heard nole,milos and rafa complaining that it's slippery and the bounce on it is too low compared with the red clay. so that makes wonder how this might disrupt their rhythm from the previous events and preceding events. also,i don't dislike the colour but having something that random and that vivid in the middle of a solely red clay season,could be distracting to the eye....might mess with their focus a bit. in general,i find that the whole thing just spells out pure gimmick to sell more tickets. and that's fine and dandy to garner people's attention but when it affects the player's directly,that's when i find issue not to mention understanding their grievances.

Not Plain Jane · 04-05-2012

I agree with you about the Madrid blue Scott. I think it disrupts rhythm they've established at Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Estoril, etc. Then they're back on red for Rome and FO. I think it'd be nicer to keep it consistent. That said, I suppose there are different coloured hard courts as well; the question is, do the different colours play differently - rather than aesthetics, this seems to be the key issue for the players, clearly; and the consensus seems to be that, yes, blue clay plays differently than red. Risks injuries and so forth imo.

**Scott** · 04-05-2012

i think what bewilders me most is that for the last decade most of these tournaments preceding RG have tried so hard to find that right balance so the surfaces are as evenly matched with the major as they could possibly get them. otherwise what's the point of having that kind of preparation? i'm also a little disappointed that the ATP and WTA allowed this without any significant concerns about the potential risks this could place upon players,it already being,perhaps,the toughest part of the season. this is the biggest event on the clay and a masters/premier man. at that....it just seems so silly and frivolous...

Chaky · 04-05-2012

From what I understood the courts at Madrid have always been poor quality compared to other big clay tournaments anyway so I'm not sure it's necessarily the blue dye that's causing complaints.

But I'll be interested to see what the verdict is from all the players and viewers once the tournament has run.

kournikov · 09-05-2012

Well Madrid wants to keep things interesting, players are always going to complain about something...especially Novak

**Scott** · 09-05-2012

yeah well the thing is it isn't just novak merely complaining needlessly,it's quite a few of the players saying it's playing differently. even sharapova who rarely says much in the way of criticism says the courts are slippery. from her perspective she felt it was more in the way of the amount of clay they're using that makes it feel that way. in other words,it's not nearly as heavy as red clay. and i got that sense from simply watching it on tv.....i noticed the players are able to penetrate the courts here more than the usual red dirt standard.

and already,we've seen and heard about more tumbles on this court than i ever do on red clay,particularly from players that generally move well on clay.

**tFS Thread Manager** · 09-05-2012

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28-04-2012	991
Not Plain Jane V.I.P. Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Canada Gender: femme Posts: 8,288	I wouldn't mind seeing Sharapova get a win over Azarenka, to keep things interesting... __________________ Fashion: Don’t you recognize me? Death: You should know that I don’t see very well and I can’t wear glasses. Fashion: I’m Fashion, your sister. Death: My sister? Fashion: Yes. You and I together keep undoing and changing things down here on earth although you go about it in one way and I another. Giacomo Leopardi, “Dialogue Between Fashion and Death.”abridged

28-04-2012	992
Scott Stitch:the Hand Mod Squad Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Among the trees Gender: homme Posts: 12,446	i have to say,kudos to maria because it was the total opposite of how she played yesterday. i knew she would have to bring it up an extra level to have a chance because kvitova has been walking with some extra pep in her step since the start of fed cup last week. but i agree,chaky,nice to see the top 4 women in the semis and the 1 and 2 in the final. not so many months ago so many were complaining about the lack of consistency and the lack of leader(s) at the top and now everything has suddenly changed. i wouldn't even compare this to the men really because one of those 4 has been struggling of late so imo it's really the big 3. the women have an edge in that respect now in that they do have a solid 4. you know,back to sharapova,it will be interesting to see what she can bring in tomorrow's final. will she extend the form from today's performance or will she revert back to how she played for much of that match against sammy. also,maria has been absolutely pitiful in all her previous finals,i just wonder if she can turn that misfortune around here against a player who's barely wavered all season. i have to admit,i would be quite surprised if she got over on vika this being on clay and vika by comparison a vastly superior player on this surface. Last edited by Scott; 28-04-2012 at 03:28 PM.

29-04-2012	993
MyNameIs V.I.P. Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 12,409	What a match by Maria. So happy for her. I don't dislike Vika, but it would just be cruel for her to win again over Maria, who looked just about unstoppable. Would love to see her win RG to complete her grand slam. __________________ SNEJANA ONOPKA

29-04-2012	994
Not Plain Jane V.I.P. Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Canada Gender: femme Posts: 8,288	Agree: I am very happy for Maria to get this win!! Also congratulations to Nadal although I could not help feeling very sad for Ferrer who had set points in both set one and two and could not close the deal. He was very close today. __________________ Fashion: Don’t you recognize me? Death: You should know that I don’t see very well and I can’t wear glasses. Fashion: I’m Fashion, your sister. Death: My sister? Fashion: Yes. You and I together keep undoing and changing things down here on earth although you go about it in one way and I another. Giacomo Leopardi, “Dialogue Between Fashion and Death.”abridged

29-04-2012	995
Scott Stitch:the Hand Mod Squad Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Among the trees Gender: homme Posts: 12,446	well it's a great win and finally she got one over vika and in a final. as for being dubbed a fave....it remains to be seen. sorry but i have to be realistic here because we went through this whole routine for much of the last year. she being touted after title wins and losing to li na at RG,losing to kvitova at wimby and being upset early by pennetta at the open after gaining the title at cincy. we still have three more weeks of events and the potential for other contenders not to mention other prominent players that somehow seem to bring their best at majors. so,again,it will remain to be seen if she can stay consistent enough. till then,it's a good win and that's all.

04-05-2012	997
Scott Stitch:the Hand Mod Squad Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Among the trees Gender: homme Posts: 12,446	^i'm talking specifically about recent history. since azarenka has been playing as well she has since last year's miami,she went into the clay season nabbed a title and got to the final at madrid. so she's got a bit better,in my view. so what do you guys make of this blue clay court at madrid? i'm not pleased about it myself. not because i'm some uptight traditionalist but it makes me a bit worried for the players. already we've heard nole,milos and rafa complaining that it's slippery and the bounce on it is too low compared with the red clay. so that makes wonder how this might disrupt their rhythm from the previous events and preceding events. also,i don't dislike the colour but having something that random and that vivid in the middle of a solely red clay season,could be distracting to the eye....might mess with their focus a bit. in general,i find that the whole thing just spells out pure gimmick to sell more tickets. and that's fine and dandy to garner people's attention but when it affects the player's directly,that's when i find issue not to mention understanding their grievances. Last edited by Scott; 04-05-2012 at 12:14 PM.

04-05-2012	998
Not Plain Jane V.I.P. Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Canada Gender: femme Posts: 8,288	I agree with you about the Madrid blue Scott. I think it disrupts rhythm they've established at Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Estoril, etc. Then they're back on red for Rome and FO. I think it'd be nicer to keep it consistent. That said, I suppose there are different coloured hard courts as well; the question is, do the different colours play differently - rather than aesthetics, this seems to be the key issue for the players, clearly; and the consensus seems to be that, yes, blue clay plays differently than red. Risks injuries and so forth imo. __________________ Fashion: Don’t you recognize me? Death: You should know that I don’t see very well and I can’t wear glasses. Fashion: I’m Fashion, your sister. Death: My sister? Fashion: Yes. You and I together keep undoing and changing things down here on earth although you go about it in one way and I another. Giacomo Leopardi, “Dialogue Between Fashion and Death.”abridged

04-05-2012	999
Scott Stitch:the Hand Mod Squad Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Among the trees Gender: homme Posts: 12,446	i think what bewilders me most is that for the last decade most of these tournaments preceding RG have tried so hard to find that right balance so the surfaces are as evenly matched with the major as they could possibly get them. otherwise what's the point of having that kind of preparation? i'm also a little disappointed that the ATP and WTA allowed this without any significant concerns about the potential risks this could place upon players,it already being,perhaps,the toughest part of the season. this is the biggest event on the clay and a masters/premier man. at that....it just seems so silly and frivolous...

04-05-2012	1000
Chaky fashion insider Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: UK Gender: homme Posts: 2,046	From what I understood the courts at Madrid have always been poor quality compared to other big clay tournaments anyway so I'm not sure it's necessarily the blue dye that's causing complaints. But I'll be interested to see what the verdict is from all the players and viewers once the tournament has run.

09-05-2012	1001
kournikov tfs star Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Vegas! Gender: homme Posts: 1,697	Well Madrid wants to keep things interesting, players are always going to complain about something...especially Novak __________________ The one and ONLY, Ms. Natasha POLY... FONTANA/WERBOWY/MARKS/SMALLS/ROSLYAKOVA/KASS/WARD/KLOSS/RUBIK

09-05-2012	1002
Scott Stitch:the Hand Mod Squad Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Among the trees Gender: homme Posts: 12,446	yeah well the thing is it isn't just novak merely complaining needlessly,it's quite a few of the players saying it's playing differently. even sharapova who rarely says much in the way of criticism says the courts are slippery. from her perspective she felt it was more in the way of the amount of clay they're using that makes it feel that way. in other words,it's not nearly as heavy as red clay. and i got that sense from simply watching it on tv.....i noticed the players are able to penetrate the courts here more than the usual red dirt standard. and already,we've seen and heard about more tumbles on this court than i ever do on red clay,particularly from players that generally move well on clay.

09-05-2012	1003
tFS Thread Manager Automated Thread Manager Mod Squad Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 0	This thread is now closed it has a continuation thread Here

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