# Wimbledon!



## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

As an avid tennis player, I will be spending a fair amount of time over the next few weeks watching the great grass court slam on TV. I figure that there's got to be some tennis fans in the TC community, so I started this thread to discuss tournament-related paraphernalia. So who in TC is going to watch it? Any dark horses that you think might make it big? Will there be a Robin Soderling of grass? How will Soderling himself do, after taking down Nadal in the French?


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## bdelykleon (May 21, 2009)

Well, I'm a tennis buff as well (but lately due to lack of partners I've been playing more squash). Usually teh grass reserves more surprises than other surfaces so probably a dark horse will get to the quartefinals at least. I bet my money on Federer, Nadal won't play, so it seems, and he is one of the greatest masters on the grass.


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

When does it come on? I love watching tennis on television.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

A lot of falling today.

I'm afraid the Wimbledon will be quite unexciting this year. Federer I expect to dominate, but the match I'm watching right now against Lu is everything short of spectacular.

Mirror Image, I found this online streaming for you: http://www.wimbledonlivestream.com/

I'm watching from France right now, not Eurosport. I forgot the name.

Air


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

Watching Golubev vs. Tsonga right now. It is neck to neck but I hope Golubev wins. I dislike Tsonga and his poor attitude. 

Golubev has a good serve. I really hope he goes far, that would be cool, since he's unrated. Tsonga is rated 9th? (i think). Now if Golubev could only avoid unforced errors...


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Federer is the top favourite. I don't think he's quite the player he was a few years ago, but a Federer at 80% is still an awesome player. And he's probably playing without any pressure now that he's won the French Open - the only slam that was missing from his resumé. One can't say the same thing about the other top fave, Andy Murray who must feel the weight of the whole UK on his shoulders. Even so - he's such a natural that he will probably win it one day, maybe even this year. Djokovic has had a comparitively disappointing season so far, especially in the slams. If Federer or Murray don't win it he's still the most obvious candidate though.

The women's draw favors a final between the Williams sisters, especially since the Serb girls Jankovic and Ivanovic are struggling to find their best form, 'world No.1' Safina always gets the shakes in big matches and French Open champ Kuznetsova isn't a grass court player. Sharapova could be a dark horse - she comes out of injury and nobody pays any attention to her, but she's won it before and mentally she's as tough as nails. Another dangerous outsider is the fast rising Danish teenager Wozniacki.


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

airad2 said:


> Mirror Image, I found this online streaming for you: http://www.wimbledonlivestream.com/


Ah, thanks mate.


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## bdelykleon (May 21, 2009)

jhar26 said:


> One can't say the same thing about the other top fave, Andy Murray who must feel the weight of the whole UK on his shoulders. Even so - he's such a natural that he will probably win it one day, maybe even this year.


I don't understand why the press puts that much pressure on the British sportsmen. They usually crack due to this pression. Just look at F1, Button was beaten by his terrible teammate exactly in his home Grand Prix, like Hamilton did last year.


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

bdelykleon said:


> I don't understand why the press puts that much pressure on the British sportsmen.


In tennis, I think it's because there haven't been many good British (non-Empire) players. Thus, seeing a great talent like Murray is a big deal.

I would agree that Federer will probably win, but I wouldn't shortchange Djokovic too quickly. He's had an off year, but if his game turns on during Wimbledon, he could surprise a lot of players.

A couple notes: There's a player named Robby Ginepri who's been doing decently in some o the slams (he plays tomorrow against Lleyton Hewitt). I hit with him a couple times when he was in the juniors.

For MI and anyone else who want to watch, either use the streaming link above or watch on your TV: Wimbledon TV Schedule.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

jhar26 said:


> The women's draw favors a final between the Williams sisters, especially since the Serb girls Jankovic and Ivanovic are struggling to find their best form, 'world No.1' Safina always gets the shakes in big matches and French Open champ Kuznetsova isn't a grass court player. Sharapova could be a dark horse - she comes out of injury and nobody pays any attention to her, but she's won it before and mentally she's as tough as nails. Another dangerous outsider is the fast rising Danish teenager Wozniacki.


I've never quite understood why Dina is 'world No.1' if she's never won a major title. Still I wouldn't count out her or her two countrymen, Kuznetnova who you mentioned and also Dementiova, who we must remember won the whole Olys, over a tough field. Sharapova I could though, while she's still recovering. I still like to watch her moves though. 



BuddhaBandit said:


> I would agree that Federer will probably win, but I wouldn't shortchange Djokovic too quickly. He's had an off year, but if his game turns on during Wimbledon, he could surprise a lot of players.


I had Djokovic in the finals with Federer too, but after seeing him play today, I'm not so sure. The men's side seems quite unentertaining, I guess it would be nice to see Roddick do well though, whatever little chance that is.

Here's a live update for you all: http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/scores/index.html


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

airad2 said:


> I had Djokovic in the finals with Federer too, but after seeing him play today, I'm not so sure.


I think that Djokovic is in Federer's half of the draw, so if they both get through they are scheduled to meet in the semis.


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## handlebar (Mar 19, 2009)

I also play and enjoy watching as well. I agree that Wimbledon might be a bit dull compared to the last few.
But who knows. Maybe we shall all be surprised.

Jim


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

bdelykleon said:


> I don't understand why the press puts that much pressure on the British sportsmen. They usually crack due to this pression. Just look at F1, Button was beaten by his terrible teammate exactly in his home Grand Prix, like Hamilton did last year.


I don't think it's the legitimate media so much but the tabloids that are a real pain in the you know what for those athletes.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

handlebar said:


> I also play and enjoy watching as well. I agree that Wimbledon might be a bit dull compared to the last few.
> But who knows. Maybe we shall all be surprised.
> 
> Jim


Grand Slam tennis tournaments are never dull.


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## mueske (Jan 14, 2009)

jhar26 said:


> Grand Slam tennis tournaments are never dull.


In the women's circuit they are. The retirement of Henin and Clijsters, along with Sharapova out has made women's tennis dull the last couple of years.

It's a good thing Sharapova is back, and Clijsters is also coming back!

Federer will probably win, he has to. He is the best player on the circuit today, perhaps even of all time. Yes, he is beter than Nadal. Nadal is done for, mark my words. His body can't take it anymore, which was to be expected.


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

mueske said:


> Federer will probably win, he has to. He is the best player on the circuit today, perhaps even of all time. Yes, he is beter than Nadal. Nadal is done for, mark my words. His body can't take it anymore, which was to be expected.


The thing (for me) that makes Nadal inferior to Federer is that Nadal always looks like he's working so hard. He moves his feet like lightning, grunts, pumps his fist wildly, and generally goes crazy. Federer plays calmly and gracefully- like he's in total control of the match. From my experiences playing in the USTA, people who always appear to be working hard burn out quickly (of course, a "burnt out" Nadal would still be top 10 in the world).


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

BuddhaBandit said:


> The thing (for me) that makes Nadal inferior to Federer is that Nadal always looks like he's working so hard. He moves his feet like lightning, grunts, pumps his fist wildly, and generally goes crazy. Federer calmly and gracefully- like he's in total control of the match. From my experiences playing in the USTA, people who always appear to be working hard burn out quickly (of course, a "burnt out" Nadal would still be top 10 in the world).


Well, Jimmy Connors always had to work hard and he was a top player for a very long time. But I guess that with the new rackets and stuff the game has become faster and thus physically more demanding. 'Inferior' is too strong a word to use for a great player like Nadal. But Federer is simply the greatest player of the open era - maybe even of all time. Rod Laver is the only one who for career achievements can challenge him I think, but tennis was almost like a different sport in those days.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

jhar26 said:


> I think that Djokovic is in Federer's half of the draw, so if they both get through they are scheduled to meet in the semis.


Thanks, jhar, where do you get this information? I can't seem to find it on the Wimbledon website or Wiki.


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

airad2 said:


> Thanks, jhar, where do you get this information? I can't seem to find it on the Wimbledon website or Wiki.


Here's one I found:

Draw


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## ecg_fa (Nov 10, 2008)

I enjoy tennis a lot & Wimbleton in some ways the most of the slams. Federer yes
is obvious men's choice & could/should win it. I think Andy Murray may have a real
shot this year, & if his serve and body hold up even Andy Roddick who has favorable
draw with Nadal out-- though somehow I don't think so. I think there might be another relative unknown a la Soderling who gets at least to semifinals though-- Cilic perhaps.

For women, interesting coz it does seem more 'unsettled' than often. I lean towards Serena Williams, though I didn't think she looked too sharp in 1st round. But she sometimes doesn't pay attention til she has to. Venus always plays well at Wimbleton, but not quite convinced this year yet. Kuznetsova I think has chance to break through here too. Safina a long shot on grass. If Sharapova can get through a few early rounds, I think she has chance just 
for her will-- interesting story if so. I'd actually like to see Ivanovic win just to silence critics-- but I don't think she has the will or the game at the moment. Dark horse younger gals maybe Lisiki and Wozniaki.

Ed


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## mueske (Jan 14, 2009)

Lleyton Hewitt played an impressive match yesterday! Murray's performance was also near perfection.

It's a shame Sharapova is already out, the women's tournament seems boring now, seeing as Williams vs. Williams is never really exciting, and those Serbians and (other) Russians can't play half decent tennis.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

mueske said:


> It's a shame Sharapova is already out, the women's tournament seems boring now, seeing as Williams vs. Williams is never really exciting, and those Serbians and (other) Russians can't play half decent tennis.


Dementieva is playing some very decent tennis (6-1, 6-2 today), and she has a good chance as long as she can maintain her endurance throughout the second game and return the S. Williams serve (who she won't meet until the semifinals, i think). Her forehand is great!

I love Elena: she's real nice to watch. I'm tired of the Williams sisters , It would be great if she could beat them this year.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

airad2 said:


> Dementieva is playing some very decent tennis (6-1, 6-2 today), and she has a good chance as long as she can maintain her endurance throughout the second game and return the S. Williams serve (who she won't meet until the semifinals, i think). Her forehand is great!
> 
> I love Elena: she's real nice to watch. I'm tired of the Williams sisters , It would be great if she could beat them this year.


If she serves well she has a shot. If she doesn't either Williams sister will kill her. Anything can happen of course, and I wouldn't mind her taking the title but I think her chances are better at the US Open. I think hardcourts are her best surface.

I still miss Hingis, Capriati (and just to show you how old I am) even Chrissie Evert.


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## mueske (Jan 14, 2009)

jhar26 said:


> If she serves well she has a shot. If she doesn't either Williams sister will kill her. Anything can happen of course, and I wouldn't mind her taking the title but I think her chances are better at the US Open. I think hardcourts are her best surface.
> 
> I still miss Hingis, Capriati (and just to show you how old I am) even Chrissie Evert.


Wow, even Hingis and Capriati aren't really of my generation. I got into tennis around 2001. Clijsters being in the final of Roland Garros, tennis just blew up here in Belgium. Haven't stopped watching and playing since.

Williams, Henin, Clijsters and Sharapova - that's where I got into tennis. I even miss those times! :d


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

Here are the remaining competitors as it stands:

Gentlemens quarter-finals

Hewitt and Roddick, Murray and Ferrero 
Djokovic and Haas, Karlovic and Federer

Womens semi-finals

S. Williams and Dementieva
V. Williams and Safina

I'm getting nervous. Would anyone like to bet? Oh, and anyone who says Federer automatically loses.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Federer is the big fave, but him winning is by no means a foregone conclusion. His road to victory is quite tricky. As a player Karlovic is (obviously) not in the same league as Fed, but he serves about 40 aces per match, so there are bound to be a few tie-break sets in their match and tie-breakers are always tricky. If he gets past Karlovic - Djokovic who's had a few wins against Fed in recent times will probably be next. If not it's Haas who came close to beating Fed at the French. And in the final it could be Murray who's beaten him before and who will get a lot of support from the home crowd. So - Federer is the favorite, but it's not as though he only has to step on the court to win. Winning a slam takes a bigger effort than that.

Safina can definitely play ball, but I'm still not convinced that she is mentally strong enough when they seperate the women from the girlies - and Venus is all woman. I hope that Dementieva will serve well, because if not Serena will eat her alive. So, I'd say there's a 80% chance of a Williams sisters final.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

jhar26 said:


> But Federer is simply the greatest player of the open era - maybe even of all time. Rod Laver is the only one who for career achievements can challenge him I think, but tennis was almost like a different sport in those days.


Many of my tennis afficionado friends consider Pete Sampras one of the best there ever was and he's definitely not short on career achievements either, but I agree Federer's dominance over the sport in the last 6 years has truly put him in his own league. No, not even Nadal.
(Plus, Federer is on his way to 15...)

ESPN and NBC will show the finals in the US on television, and online (and wimbledon live, non US). Online coverage will be on their respective websites and will be available for all countries, except Germany, Spain, Hong Kong, India, and Japan.

Federer vs. Roddick (Another long year for Great Britain I suppose...)
Williams vs. Williams 

Let's hope Roddick can serve at his best and make up for Nadal's absence.


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

Well now it's V. Williams vs. S. Williams....again. It's going to be a great match.


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

airad2 said:


> Many of my tennis afficionado friends consider Pete Sampras one of the best there ever was and he's definitely not short on career achievements either, but I agree Federer's dominance over the sport in the last 6 years has truly put him in his own league. No, not even Nadal.
> (Plus, Federer is on his way to 15...).


I'm not sure Federer can top Rod Laver. Of course, the game was totally different when Laver played, so it's hard to compare, but still...

Roddick played an amazing match today. I was rooting for Murray, but I was stunned at how intelligent Roddick's shots were... he's changed a lot over the past few years.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

I'm watching it live on NBC right now. 

Federer #15 will not be a stroll in the park. Roddick is playing a very close match, he may win if he can just prevent Federer from winning those tiebreakers.


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

Well, it's now 10-10. It seems like they'll never break each other...


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

That was an absurdly long final... but hey, Roger won. Nobody broke anybody... I was tempted to forget about Roger because he just wouldn't break... but whatever.


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## Yosser (May 29, 2009)

BuddhaBandit said:


> Well, it's now 10-10. It seems like they'll never break each other...


Along with his more aesthetic talents, Roger can, if he has to, hang in there in a street fight. Not only an artiste of the court, then, but one helluva tough sonofabitch!

Ask Andy.


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