The Tennis Thread

[maxlinden]

^LOL me too
I was so shock to see Dolgopolov whip the floor with Soderling. Though i don't like Soderling i wanted him and Murray to go head to head, which would knock one of them out and tire the other one so they would be chicken scratch by the time they meet Nadal

This is going to be a tight race im not sure about anything anymore

 

[Scott]

francesca schiavone is my hero. to be able to come out and play against woz in the way she did after what she accomplished against sveta,i am awe-stricken by her tenacity and her never-say-die spirit. i mean we've seen frannie do some remarkable things throughout the last few years....in fed cup,winning her first top title,last year playing so well and then winning RG. now this week at the aussie open....she makes most 20 yr olds look kind of pathetic,i must say. no one would have ever been able to survive and still come back and play such a great match like that. she was on the brink in both first and second round in addition to that match against sveta.

and li na....i'm telling you,destiny is playing itself out. li na looks impeccable. probably superior to the favourites,actually. i think she's going to take it to woz. the latter,to me,i still haven't been impressed by. she has been too defensive,too passive and too content with supplanting herself on the back court this whole event. if frannie's level hadn't dropped and she were a bit fresher,that match would have been over when she was up 3/1. caro really needs to take some cues from how zvonareva performs because vera has a great ability of being defensive but knowing when exactly to step it up,get inside the court and take control of points....on a consistent basis. she has that balance.

 

[Chaky]

Very impressed with Fran this tournament. She's really been a perfect example of what great tennis the women's game can produce. She offers grit, determination and a variety in playing style that contrasts nicely with many of her opponents.

And you might be right about Li Na. I've not seen enough of her this tournament to gauge the results but seems to going well. As long as she doesn't go into her unforced error-mode of the past then she is definitely in with a shot.

 

[purplethistle]

I also think Li Na is a really contender for the title. Back at Sydney she managed to beat Kim in the final in straight sets even though she started off 5 - love down. She has been carrying that form in every match so far.

 

[purplethistle]

Such a shame that Rafa lost. I commend him for playing to the end despite the hamstring issue. I was really looking forward to the Rafa slam.

 

[Scott]

justine has retired again! she says she had scans done and that participating at the aussie open actually made her elbow worse and it's at that point where it could be a constant problem when she plays.

it's too bad because we all knew her desire to try and win wimby was the reason she came back in the first place. if it's any consolation i do think in spite of the elbow issues,juju really did make the most of her return ultimately. perhaps not the goal she so desired,wimbledon,but getting to the aussie open final in her first major back is no feat.

 

[Chaky]

Justine This is almost as much a shock to me as her first retirement.

Here's her message on facebook.

 

[Scott]

And if I only regret one thing, this would be that I've protected myself too hard and that I couldn’t stand closer to you.
I hope you will forgive me my clumsiness and a wonderful reminder of shared emotions will keep them together.
On the way to new adventures ...

that statement is...ugh...

 

[Chaky]

I got a glimpse of her on the practice courts at Wimbledon last year but never got to see her in a live match. Ironic I suppose that she came back with her goal of winning Wimbledon yet it was there that she suffered her career-ending injury.

 

[purplethistle]

Justine retiring again!?! Such a shame, she danced around the court like no other WTA player.

 

[Scott]

many congrats to li na! such a gutsy performance against woz. we all felt it would happen....nevertheless,it was close to not happening,but she fought back in a extraordinary way. and how funny was her on-court interview?! talking about how her husband kept her up the previous night with his snoring(which she demonstrated quite hilariously)to almost forgetting her anniversary to answering back why she fought back....for the prize money. what a charming woman. i've never known her to be quite this endearing but she's really shown how her wonderful personality at this event.

 

[purplethistle]

I cried tears of joy when Li Na won and then later cried tears of laughter in the interview. It's now going to be really interesting to she another Na and Kim showdown in a final. Would love to see Li Na come out on top again.

 

[Chaky]

I'm disappointed Vera didn't do better against Kim. But I think Kim will have her hands full with Na in the final. Very funny on-court interview.

Think they'll get record viewing figures this year when the whole of China tunes in.

 

[Chaky]

Damn, Nole was so strong against Fed there was no way for him to break through. Too many errors as well, especially all those framed backhands. And Nole managed to pull all those aces out right at the crucial times.

He's gonna be tough for whoever meets him in the final.

 

[Scott]

wonderful victory for nole! i'm actually very happy for him that he gets another shot at a major. now,hopefully murray will take advantage of rafa's loss and now roger's loss and get back in the final....it could be his time to shine....finally.

i was a little disappointed by the fact that kim didn't display that usual dip she's shown throughout this event since after the first round.....could've given vera a way back in it. kim just never gave in and definitely stayed on course. i'm less disappointed however compared with the open final though because it wasn't about vera being overwhelmed by the moment or anything.

i was really impressed though with how li na was able to change tactics after that first set. i think because she started hitting more varied shots with spin,that gave her a lot of confidence to fight back. and caro gave her some much needed nervy donations serving for it with a match point.

it's going to be an interesting final and frankly who knows what the prospects will ultimately be. li just beat kim the other week in sydney,but will li,like zvonareva at the open,allow the moment to get to her? and kim is still prone to having dips either way. i just hope it will be a good final.

 

[Leeroi]

You know, I like watching finals where there really isn't a clear winner or someone who is "obvious" to win. I love the Williams sisters, but it's somewhat boring whenever they're in the finals and you know they'll likely win and/or lose because they were having an off day and not because the other player was playing marvelously. *sigh*

So happy for this Li/Kim final, hopefully it'll be interesting. I'm rooting for Li since she's been rather consistent for the past year, unlike Kim whose done terribly in many matches since her come back; I guess she hasn't fully gained that shape of hers in previous years.

 

[NakedIfIWantTo]

Li Na is a fighter! She continues to amaze me.
It's funny how she always puts her husband on the spot

Aghh my love Roger is gone again. I was hoping for that Fed/Nadal final!

 

[Scott]

did you guys hear about this? i dunno what she means and i certainly can't understand why she decided to bring up on twitter. nevertheless,i'm a little taken aback by this....generally oracene is a little more self-controlled,reserved and gracious to people....but to hide behind vagueness and character assassinations(equating her to medusa?) on twitter is pretty much the lowest common denominator,imo. and i don't understand what they mean kim has been mean on twitter....i have ganders at kim's page frequently and never once have i read a mean comment from her.

http://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/blog...mom-blasts-Kim-Clijsters-on-Tw?urn=ten-313880

 

[MyNameIs]

Aghh my love Roger is gone again. I was hoping for that Fed/Nadal final!

Honest question here, aren't you bored with those two?

 

[NakedIfIWantTo]

^Can I say never? Well really that applies to Roger only.

Disappointed about Li Na. She almost did it even though Kim proved to be a better player.
Na needs to improve on her serves and how to close out the game.