The Tennis Thread

[purplethistle]

^^ I get bored when the two meet. What I really like is seeing one of them in the final with some random person that no-one had previously cared too much about and seeing how playing against one of the greats in a final can really bring out the best in anybody.

So disappointed that Li Na lost, she kinda lost her steam in the later sets. But also congrats to Kim, she found a way to beat Li Na who was hitting a lot harder and also when she was struggling to hold serve.

 

[Chaky]

So Britain's 75 year wait for a men's slam champion continues. Murray didn't play that well and was so negative after he lost the first set.

I think Djokovic would probably have won anyway, even if Murray had been playing well. Nole showed in his match against Roger just how much at the top of the game he is right now. Amazing movement, excellent at turning defence into attack. The best player won.

 

[purplethistle]

So happy that Djokovic won

I only realised today how much Murray curses (thanks to slow-mo replays) after he loses a point.

 

[Northern Star]

Dkokovic played out of his skin and Murray didn't really stand a chance. I can't say he played badly, although there were a fair few errors, just the best player won. The 2nd set was unbelievable.......not that there was much of it.
Murray will get his Grand Slam one day I'm sure. I just wish he wasn't so dour on court.

 

[NakedIfIWantTo]

I honestly thought Murray had a chance going into the match. But I'm happy that I was wrong

 

[Scott]

you know,i defended murray so intensely last year but i have to admit i've become rather annoyed with his pattern when he gets to this stage of a major. granted,nole played absolutely beautiful tennis but it's not like andy never had his chances to make it more of a match. i mean,here he had one of those rare opportunities to perhaps put his stamp on something,finally,and yet again he appears so passive....just not the kind of performance one would have hoped to see. even had nole still won,i would have still loved to see andy make it closer;more competitive.

 

[Scott]

historical rankings this week. this is the first time ever that 10 different nations are represented.

also,frankie......for all the firsts this woman has achieved in the last 8 months....a major title,top 10 debut....in lieu of her best finish at the AO(and a little help from venus' loss of points) she's debuted inside the top 5. i think after that stunning battle between she and sveta....she deserves it. it's really too bad they no longer award quality points because sveta should be higher too.

 

[NakedIfIWantTo]

Sad to see Dinara out of the top 100

 

[Scott]

^i know. from 75 to a whopping 117....below players with nowhere near the accomplishments this woman achieved. i don't like seeing those kinds of players that low. she ditched her most recent coach following that first round loss though so hopefully she can find a way to capture some sort of spark this season....it's still early yet....it's possible.

 

[Scott]

i just wanted to post this because i am so ecstatic!!

so great to see that fire from dokic again.

VICTORY!!

*yahoo.com,wtatennis.com

to see her overcome and accomplish so much in just this one week,has been nothing short of spectacular. story of the season,so far....perhaps even the entire year. she's also projected to move into the top 60 from 91. massive leap.

 

[purplethistle]

^

Jumping 31 spots when in the top 100 is no mean feat.

 

[Chaky]

So cool that Dokic is back. Have to see if she can keep up the good form. It seems like every time she's about to stage a serious comeback something happens and she disappears.

 

[Scott]

i think it's for real this time. she had a very strong run to the QF in paris a couple weeks ago which pushed her rank to where it was last week and now this has happened. as i said,pretty spectacular how she's been able to turn so much around in such short period. and it's very strange how she sort of picked it up following the split with glen schaap.

i'm sure it hasn't been easy you know sort of going through the motions with schaap and revamping her game....and the success she had on the ITF not translating immediately onto the wta was probably frustrating. i just think it's all culminated to this point....it's exactly what she's been searching for. all that hard work she put into fitness and getting stronger,tweaking elements of her game....it's paying off. i think this win is going to inspire her in a big way.

 

[maxlinden]

YAY! Clijsters is out on injury(not happy she's injured just happy she out the tournament) and Zvonareva's early exit makes for a Wozni final, one I believe she has in the bag

Ivanovic was awesome on the courts yesterday, she was a smiley miley out there, which makes me wonder if there something going on between her and Djokovic *HOW CUTE!*

No match has really interest me except Raonic and Harrison, those to are the Future

Djoki and Fed will sail through, Semi's will be something to watch

 

[Scott]

inspiring week dinara safina had. very positive performances in upsetting hantuchova and her biggest win since the beginning of last year,beating sam. and not just for the wins but mostly for what she showed in them....it was really like watching the dina of 09. even in losing to sharapova,in which i think she was a little flat,she still looked like a player who's very eager to keep going. she doesn't look as miserable and her footwork is a lot more aggressive. i hope she's able to carry this momentum into the clay season. it would be wonderful to see her really transform in the part of the year that's brought her biggest and brightest success.

and i love the prospects of this new relationship with her new coach sanguinetti. in the short time they've been working together,he seems to have really re-energised dina's self-confidence and her focus. and he was great player when he was active....very hard worker much lauded for his movement and his footwork,which i feel like is a component of dina's game he's been working with her on.

 

[Chaky]

Anna Chakvetadze had another fainting episode in Indian Wells, this time against Kirilenko in R2. She's been diagnosed with something called neurocardiogenic syncope. Basically it seems to be that anytime she gets in a stressful situation she could faint. Not much good for a professional tennis player.

I just don't know what she's going to do about this. Hopefully she can find some way to cope with it because it sounds like a mental thing, not something you just rest up and recover from.

Not seen much of the Indian Wells tennis so far. I noted Andy Murray's rather pathetic loss to Donald Young who could barely string two wins in a row together. Can't believe he could be slumping again just like last year.

And Nole seems to be playing on another level so far. He's just romping through the draw. Roger and Rafa are both still in it so I'm excited to see who's going to come out on top.

 

[purplethistle]

inspiring week dinara safina had. very positive performances in upsetting hantuchova and her biggest win since the beginning of last year,beating sam. and not just for the wins but mostly for what she showed in them....it was really like watching the dina of 09. even in losing to sharapova,in which i think she was a little flat,she still looked like a player who's very eager to keep going. she doesn't look as miserable and her footwork is a lot more aggressive. i hope she's able to carry this momentum into the clay season. it would be wonderful to see her really transform in the part of the year that's brought her biggest and brightest success.

and i love the prospects of this new relationship with her new coach sanguinetti. in the short time they've been working together,he seems to have really re-energised dina's self-confidence and her focus. and he was great player when he was active....very hard worker much lauded for his movement and his footwork,which i feel like is a component of dina's game he's been working with her on.

What a relief to hear this. I was very concerned about her career after watching her first round double bagel loss in the Aus. open this year.

 

[Scott]

dinara has divulged that early on this season she was even contemplating whether to continue or not. which i think is telling of how dark it's really been for her. i hope this is the beginning of a real resurgence. dina is too good,too talented and too successful not to get that level back and to be ranked 108 is absurd,for somebody like she. but after that match against kim,i think it really was an awakening....she ended up firing her coach,started searching for others,found sanguinetti and they've only been working together for a couple weeks and finally her results have turned around.

she said something really interesting following her win over stosur,that in the last year she would watch old tapes of herself in 08 and 09 to see what she was doing that was so different. she realised that what she was doing then was not thinking so much.

But in 2008 it was going like this, you know. I mean, sometimes I watch my matches, like, God, I didn't even think. Like now sometimes I think like five times before the shot what should do I at that moment the ball was coming and going from my racquet.
But this because I have in two months 15 matches, and now I have six.

bnpparibas.com

 

[Miss Dalloway]

What a strange match this was! Both were so up and down, that second set was crazy!

But i knew form the get go that Novak looked ready to take it, and im so happy he did. I swear he is his own worst enemy sometimes, if he can not let himself get in the way, no one can stop him. Great first part of the season for him, i really hope he keeps it up. He sure earned it, and it seems like he is finally getting his moment.

 

[Chaky]

Twenty wins in a row for Nole. He's the one to beat in Miami.