AegisFear My DanceOvershot Toronto, Landed in OttawaRegistered Userregular
edited September 2010
Yea Texi, he started theatrics from the 3rd game of the first set. The attempted shot later in the game wasn't the first time he did that. That's kinda what started me going o_O
Yea Texi, he started theatrics from the 3rd game of the first set. The attempted shot later in the game wasn't the first time he did that. That's kinda what started me going o_O
40:0 up with a break, match has just started, ball comes slowly, instead of moving and playing a regular pass forehand, he JUMPS and tries to hit it between the legs. I spit my coffee and everyone around me goes "Wait, WHAT?".
TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
edited September 2010
It just came to me seeing Woz's yellow fingernails; why is she wearing Sweden's colors and not Denmark's (which are the same colors as Poland for her father)?
This wind is looking nasty.
And thanks to US Open live, you can watch the matches from earlier, and I saw that Monfils point Zeeny mentioned in the first set, what the hell. You can't do that and expect it to go over the net and into the court. Monfils diving for balls on clay is fine, and one magic shot/leap a match is good, it gets the crowd on your side, pumps them up. Dude was just tanking on purpose after the first set, and his coach, Roger Rasheed, is the same guy who used to work with Hewitt, a guy who never gives up, to the point where he pisses his opponents off so much. I don't expect this relationship to continue on.
What are the chances of a Zvonareva meltdown for this SF? 2:1?
The wind is kicking Cibulkova's ass. Woz is just the gal on the opposite side of the court.
I don't think that's entirely fair. I'm not a fan of Woz but the fact is she played better than Cibulkova. When you're in windy conditions, the better player is usually able to adjust their game to take that into account. She may not be great, but she still kicked Cib's ass.
The wind is kicking Cibulkova's ass. Woz is just the gal on the opposite side of the court.
I don't think that's entirely fair. I'm not a fan of Woz but the fact is she played better than Cibulkova. When you're in windy conditions, the better player is usually able to adjust their game to take that into account. She may not be great, but she still kicked Cib's ass.
The reason she adjusted so well is that her game in it's usual not-windy state is based on doing nothing with the ball. It speaks bad for the WTA that she's actually beating anybody inside the top 50 playing like that, but it's also bad for her that she's not even making an effort to change. She's worse than Murray ever was.
At least that Sod vs Fed match looks very good so far.
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AegisFear My DanceOvershot Toronto, Landed in OttawaRegistered Userregular
I really think we're headed for another Federer/Nadal final. It's gonna be crazy. I'm not sure why so many people thought Djokovic is Nadal's biggest hurdle to winning the final in that ESPN poll. He hasn't had much success against Federer if I recall, particularly at the US Open semifinals. And Nadal has had a better draw this year than just about any other.
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TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
edited September 2010
Come on Bryans, for America!
I'm glad CBS is showing the doubles final, it can be fun stuff when you get to the finals (since the first 2 rounds are usually filled with guys who lost their singles matches trying to make some more money).
Holy crap, the "What the fuck, did that just happen?!" look on Djokovic's face at the end was priceless.
For reals.
I was watching the match online and the announcers with their "we are placid, white as fuck gentlemen who don't get excited" schtick were in stark contrast to Djokovic.
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AegisFear My DanceOvershot Toronto, Landed in OttawaRegistered Userregular
Zvonareva was moving so slowly. There were so many times that she could have been competitive if she'd just been able to shift her momentum or move her ass. Instead, any time she had to run to a ball, she'd do the splits and go all the way down.
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TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
edited September 2010
I don't think it even needs to be spoiled, did anyone really think there would be a different outcome?
I just loved how Clijsters was toying with Zvonareva in the 5th game of the 2nd set, where Vera kept doing those Williams-like yells. At some points in the match Kim was being too nice, I could see it (as she's done it in the past, like the last USO final), where she wants the other person to win some more games and sometimes it can even cost her the match. And then she just flipped a switch and said "screw it, you aren't even trying" and just put her away.
I was going to post a youtube clip that was up a year or two ago, where Kim is practing her serves and hitting the ball cans on the corners.
And her husband said a joke when she was told she would get 2.2 million, something like "it's all hers." I liked that.
As for the men's semis, I wanted Youzhny to win because he wore that black ribbon, I respect that, it was a nice touch that I thought the others would do (I didn't see them if they did).
I don't care who wins tomorrow, if Nadal wins that opens up a greater debate as to who is better, Federer or Nadal. You've got to figure Nadal wins the next 4 or 5 French Opens, and maybe another slam a year on top of that. Nadal also has more Masters Series shields, which some see as even bigger than slams because you have a more refined level of talent.
Finally, one thing I didn't like is how Mirka always seems to be texting on her phone instead of watching. Of all the girlfriends/wives of tennis players, she always does it while others watch the game and if anything talk to the others int eh box. Maybe she's so used to it being a cakewalk, but it's always annoyed me.
Hoping for a Nadal win. Nadal isn't getting any younger and he's made more of a point of how much a US Open win means to him. Plus he just seems like a super great guy. Djokovic seems cool too, and it wouldn't ruin my day if he won, but I'm really pulling for Rafa.
Hoping for a Nadal win. Nadal isn't getting any younger and he's made more of a point of how much a US Open win means to him. Plus he just seems like a super great guy. Djokovic seems cool too, and it wouldn't ruin my day if he won, but I'm really pulling for Rafa.
This. Rafa deserves it. My only disappointment is that he won't get to beat Federer for it.
Man, I love Federer, but he seems to be slowly fading like Sampras did.
Anyway, go Rafa I guess. He's got the whole career grand slam thing going for him.
? Sampras didn't slowly fade. After his 13th he faded quick. Mediocre results in the Aussie, French and Wimbledon in the years to follow while getting destroyed in the 2 US Open finals he made it to (first one against Safin and next one against Hewitt in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1 in the final two). People said it was a combination of not having anything more to aim for and getting a bit old. Now by the time he won the last slam, yeah, he wasn't really the player he used to be. His forehand was still good but his backhand was so bad. He had to loop it into the court every time and rarely ever hit through it.
Federer on the other hand is still pretty awesome. Yesterday's forehands were cracking (although uncharacteristically, a lot of errors) and if anything, he seems to be hitting his backhand better than he has in the past. Serve is great, movement is great, stamina great (didn't show signs of fatigue in the final set). It's just that the field has gotten a lot better. When Roger went into superman mode in the years before Nadal showed up, there was no one who had the skills to challenge him. The best player around was Andy Roddick and that was before he learned how to volley properly or hit a backhand that didn't look like it came off the racquet of a 4 year old. Oh and Hewitt was around too but he had nothing but steadiness and defense going for him. No weapons to threaten Federer at all so that US Open finals was basically target practice. Also Safin but he had to be feeling right that day and that wasn't something you could bank on.
Now though? There are a handful of guys who can legitimately push Federer to his limits. One of them was Novak yesterday, who was hitting some really hard ground strokes. And when he was down 2 match points, he served tremendously to pull himself back into the match. If Federer gets an early (QF or earlier) exit in the upcoming Aussie, then yeah, I'd start to question whether he's beginning to spiral downwards. But yesterday's match was definitely not a sign of him declining, it was a sign of Novak rising.
tl;dr - I think about tennis waaaaaaaay too much.
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TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
edited September 2010
No, you're right.
Back in the 03-06 era, there was no one who could legitimately beat Federer repeatedly. Of everyone I would say Nalbandian but he was always injured and always getting beat by Hewitt or others he never really got to meet Federer.
Hewitt would never give up (and it worked against him '03 Davis Cup) but he played Federer so much and never brought a different style to the table there was nothing to worry Federer. Roddick's best attempt at beating Federer was with Brad Gilbert as his coach yet he never kept those tactics when he faced him later after he and Gilbert parted ways (seriously what the hell was that Wimbledon 05 final? Roddick gave up).
And Safin picks when he wants to play, always erratic. And others like Henman and Ljubcic seemed to be content with losing to Federer because they were friends and he's such a nice guy. Davydenko had the skills to beat him but never used his speed to his advantage (and he was a terrible volleyer who would never come into the net, and always volleyed with two hands).
That Robby Ginepri almost beat Federer in Cincinatti in '05 shows how pathetic the field was back then. That was the worst thing about tennis then, Federer was very good but he had flaws in his game to exploit. His serve wasn't as accurate, Nadal was the first to really show that repeated hits to the backhand would mess him up mentally. And Guillermo Canas beat him back to back in 2007 doing nothing but being a pusher, a guy who was suspended for banned substances and just came back to the tour that year, how pathetic everyone else was, gragh it just makes me mad.
Aw man, you mentioned a lot of names I hadn't thought of in such a long time. Canas especially! He was supposed to be a contemporary of Nadal's, having great footspeed and defense but none of the Hulk SMASH musculature. And Christ, Ginepri, what's happened to him? I remember they talked about him as part of the next great American crop of players. He had that great match against Agassi and I haven't heard from him since.
I miss Agassi.
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AegisFear My DanceOvershot Toronto, Landed in OttawaRegistered Userregular
It's weird seeing generation after generation be at the top, then confront the new generation, then fade as the next took over. Agassi & Sampras; to Federer; to now Federer & Nadal with Nadal beginning to move ahead on his own.
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40:0 up with a break, match has just started, ball comes slowly, instead of moving and playing a regular pass forehand, he JUMPS and tries to hit it between the legs. I spit my coffee and everyone around me goes "Wait, WHAT?".
Edit: I'm really hoping Sod beats Fed tonight.
Windy conditions aside, I had a lot higher expectations for Monfils and he totally blew it
No surprises today, folks
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This wind is looking nasty.
And thanks to US Open live, you can watch the matches from earlier, and I saw that Monfils point Zeeny mentioned in the first set, what the hell. You can't do that and expect it to go over the net and into the court. Monfils diving for balls on clay is fine, and one magic shot/leap a match is good, it gets the crowd on your side, pumps them up. Dude was just tanking on purpose after the first set, and his coach, Roger Rasheed, is the same guy who used to work with Hewitt, a guy who never gives up, to the point where he pisses his opponents off so much. I don't expect this relationship to continue on.
What are the chances of a Zvonareva meltdown for this SF? 2:1?
I don't think that's entirely fair. I'm not a fan of Woz but the fact is she played better than Cibulkova. When you're in windy conditions, the better player is usually able to adjust their game to take that into account. She may not be great, but she still kicked Cib's ass.
The reason she adjusted so well is that her game in it's usual not-windy state is based on doing nothing with the ball. It speaks bad for the WTA that she's actually beating anybody inside the top 50 playing like that, but it's also bad for her that she's not even making an effort to change. She's worse than Murray ever was.
At least that Sod vs Fed match looks very good so far.
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Wawrikna up a break early, dude seems to have no effects from his previous 2 matches. All Swiss final? There would be so many holes though......
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I really think we're headed for another Federer/Nadal final. It's gonna be crazy. I'm not sure why so many people thought Djokovic is Nadal's biggest hurdle to winning the final in that ESPN poll. He hasn't had much success against Federer if I recall, particularly at the US Open semifinals. And Nadal has had a better draw this year than just about any other.
I'm glad CBS is showing the doubles final, it can be fun stuff when you get to the finals (since the first 2 rounds are usually filled with guys who lost their singles matches trying to make some more money).
3rd time is the charm!
here, the official site
Use Internet Explorer to get the video streaming to work.
Zvonareva wins the first set 6-4
Edit: This is what I get for not refreshing stuff that I clicked on 20 minutes ago...
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Federer/Djokovic semi-final spoiler:
For reals.
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I just loved how Clijsters was toying with Zvonareva in the 5th game of the 2nd set, where Vera kept doing those Williams-like yells. At some points in the match Kim was being too nice, I could see it (as she's done it in the past, like the last USO final), where she wants the other person to win some more games and sometimes it can even cost her the match. And then she just flipped a switch and said "screw it, you aren't even trying" and just put her away.
I was going to post a youtube clip that was up a year or two ago, where Kim is practing her serves and hitting the ball cans on the corners.
And her husband said a joke when she was told she would get 2.2 million, something like "it's all hers." I liked that.
As for the men's semis, I wanted Youzhny to win because he wore that black ribbon, I respect that, it was a nice touch that I thought the others would do (I didn't see them if they did).
I don't care who wins tomorrow, if Nadal wins that opens up a greater debate as to who is better, Federer or Nadal. You've got to figure Nadal wins the next 4 or 5 French Opens, and maybe another slam a year on top of that. Nadal also has more Masters Series shields, which some see as even bigger than slams because you have a more refined level of talent.
Finally, one thing I didn't like is how Mirka always seems to be texting on her phone instead of watching. Of all the girlfriends/wives of tennis players, she always does it while others watch the game and if anything talk to the others int eh box. Maybe she's so used to it being a cakewalk, but it's always annoyed me.
This. Rafa deserves it. My only disappointment is that he won't get to beat Federer for it.
Anyway, go Rafa I guess. He's got the whole career grand slam thing going for him.
? Sampras didn't slowly fade. After his 13th he faded quick. Mediocre results in the Aussie, French and Wimbledon in the years to follow while getting destroyed in the 2 US Open finals he made it to (first one against Safin and next one against Hewitt in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1 in the final two). People said it was a combination of not having anything more to aim for and getting a bit old. Now by the time he won the last slam, yeah, he wasn't really the player he used to be. His forehand was still good but his backhand was so bad. He had to loop it into the court every time and rarely ever hit through it.
Federer on the other hand is still pretty awesome. Yesterday's forehands were cracking (although uncharacteristically, a lot of errors) and if anything, he seems to be hitting his backhand better than he has in the past. Serve is great, movement is great, stamina great (didn't show signs of fatigue in the final set). It's just that the field has gotten a lot better. When Roger went into superman mode in the years before Nadal showed up, there was no one who had the skills to challenge him. The best player around was Andy Roddick and that was before he learned how to volley properly or hit a backhand that didn't look like it came off the racquet of a 4 year old. Oh and Hewitt was around too but he had nothing but steadiness and defense going for him. No weapons to threaten Federer at all so that US Open finals was basically target practice. Also Safin but he had to be feeling right that day and that wasn't something you could bank on.
Now though? There are a handful of guys who can legitimately push Federer to his limits. One of them was Novak yesterday, who was hitting some really hard ground strokes. And when he was down 2 match points, he served tremendously to pull himself back into the match. If Federer gets an early (QF or earlier) exit in the upcoming Aussie, then yeah, I'd start to question whether he's beginning to spiral downwards. But yesterday's match was definitely not a sign of him declining, it was a sign of Novak rising.
tl;dr - I think about tennis waaaaaaaay too much.
Back in the 03-06 era, there was no one who could legitimately beat Federer repeatedly. Of everyone I would say Nalbandian but he was always injured and always getting beat by Hewitt or others he never really got to meet Federer.
Hewitt would never give up (and it worked against him '03 Davis Cup) but he played Federer so much and never brought a different style to the table there was nothing to worry Federer. Roddick's best attempt at beating Federer was with Brad Gilbert as his coach yet he never kept those tactics when he faced him later after he and Gilbert parted ways (seriously what the hell was that Wimbledon 05 final? Roddick gave up).
And Safin picks when he wants to play, always erratic. And others like Henman and Ljubcic seemed to be content with losing to Federer because they were friends and he's such a nice guy. Davydenko had the skills to beat him but never used his speed to his advantage (and he was a terrible volleyer who would never come into the net, and always volleyed with two hands).
That Robby Ginepri almost beat Federer in Cincinatti in '05 shows how pathetic the field was back then. That was the worst thing about tennis then, Federer was very good but he had flaws in his game to exploit. His serve wasn't as accurate, Nadal was the first to really show that repeated hits to the backhand would mess him up mentally. And Guillermo Canas beat him back to back in 2007 doing nothing but being a pusher, a guy who was suspended for banned substances and just came back to the tour that year, how pathetic everyone else was, gragh it just makes me mad.
I miss Agassi.
It's weird seeing generation after generation be at the top, then confront the new generation, then fade as the next took over. Agassi & Sampras; to Federer; to now Federer & Nadal with Nadal beginning to move ahead on his own.
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