The Tennis Thread (Part 21)

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  • smudesmude Posts: 17,554
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    Good win for our doubles team.
    Fleming and Marray are a good combination but still hoping Ross can return to fitness.
  • Cherry-chocCherry-choc Posts: 4,865
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    *Sparkle* wrote: »
    Yes, he pulled out. Officially he's got a bad shoulder, but the way he was talking in his Miami presser, I think he's just plain exhausted and needed a break.

    I think it helps if you know that your team has a good chance of winning the whole thing, as well as individual draws. That probably means at least another two decent singles players, so one of you can miss a draw if injured or just too tired without it becoming an instant disaster. The Serbs are weaker without Tipsy, but at least a Troicki win (or two) isn't far-fetched. It meant they could hold their place in the World Group without Djokovic last year.

    Spain and France have no end of top players to ensure a solid team, and the ability to rest players, or pick them according to who is in form and the surface etc. Switzerland has a bit less depth, but at least they have a second player in the top 20, who can go the distance with most top ten players. It's only really Federer he struggles with, so not an issue for Davis Cup, lol.

    Does anyone know why there's no Davydenko or Youzhny this time? Did they decide to rest them thinking there's no point using their best players against us? If so, that almost back-fired on them yesterday. :eek::D

    Shame our lads couldn't get a win, but a fantastic experience for them both.
    I don't get Berdych's schedule really...if he wants to be a DC fixture then it makes sense to only play mandatories sprinkled with the odd 250/500. Consistently reaching R4/QFs on all surfaces is well within reach.

    Dan Evans' game impressed me...if he could be consistent over the year he could be our #2. Baker lacks weapons and Ward only has a BH.

    Spain and France could pick football teams with the depth they have. Stan Wawrinka is a great #2 for Switzerland - his game is impressive. Imagine what he could achieve with mental fortitude.

    Re: Davydenko and Youzhny, Russian coach was interviewed in the lead-up to the tie:
    "We asked Mikhail Youzhny and Nikolay Davydenko to play, but they couldn’t do it. They don’t want to be distracted by team tournaments."

    I'm taking it with a pinch of salt. They would've been there if they were playing a top team.

    Impressive stuff from our doubles team today, didn't face a BP the entire match. Well done Colin and Jonny. :cool:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,294
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    Revenga wrote: »
    Thank you for the kind words in the last few pages - I don't really want to resurface the tension, but I would like to just mention how nice the comments were to read. I do sometimes feel a little bit at odds with posters on this thread, because most people (quite obviously, this is a British forum) are supporting Andy and I'm a fan of his biggest opponent right now - tally, it is ajde, and I had forgotten that I had discussed the tattoo on this thread :o:D

    That doesn't mean I am a Murray "hater" or that I dislike him in any way, it's just that I've supported Novak since 2006, I have been through the ups and the downs, and he will be my personal number 1 until the day he retires. I do like to think, however, that I'm rational and objective about tennis in general and I think I'm pretty fair, as it goes.

    Erm ... anyway, now that soliloquy is over - how are we all finding Charleston? Jankovic is continuing her good form, which is good to see, though I was disappointed to see Ivanovic losing early in Monterrey.

    Anyone excited about Davis Cup? As a Nole fan I have mixed feelings about his participation - while I think it admirable, I also just wish he were home in Monte Carlo preparing for the clay season!

    Good fan! I enjoy your posts!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,294
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    Serena vs Venus! Thats gonna be a hoot. I havent seen them play each other in a while. I only hope its not one of those 6-1 6-0 blitzes! Hope Venus can put up some ol' magic! :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 162
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    venus v serena. consistently awful matches for over a decade...
  • Irishguy123Irishguy123 Posts: 14,548
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    Sad to see Serena swat away Venus like that, but I guess it's to be expected.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,733
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    I did say yesterday that I expected Serena to demolish Venus, which she did but it is still a shame to see Venus go down so meekly. Serena didn't play her best but Venus was pretty bad throughout.

    JJ will be an interesting match up, I didn't realise that Jankovic had beaten Serena 4 times before, so she could surprise us tomorrow. Unlikely I know, but I am hoping for a good match.

    Next weeks tournament in Katowice will be an interesting event, with Kvitova being the highest ranked player, but also playing is Lisicki and Robson. Surprised to see Robson there as she was in Charleston and it is Fed Cup the following week in Argentina, but then again they surely must love travelling if they are a pro tennis player.

    I follow Elena Baltacha on Instagram and noticed that she is due to play her first tournament of the year next week- in a 25k ITF event in Pelham, Atlanta. Have to take my hat off to her, the level of commitment and desire to play must still be there. I really hope that she can play herself back into the top 100/50 in the World. Will be a tall order though.

    In unrelated news, I was looking through the general discussion boards on DS, and saw a thread on Cliques- the OP is in the Spoiler below.
    Do you feel forums in general have a 'clique' so to speak?

    Forums you are/was a member of. Did they have a clique?

    I don't think DS has a 'clique' personally, but i have noticed a number of people who 'jump' on the band wagon, as it were.

    DS as a whole seems pretty neutral tbh.

    I was (still am) on a forum, where, if you go 'against' the clique, your heading for trouble, a NO win situation.

    Have you ever experienced a situation where you've felt outnumbered, overwhelmed, pushed out etc on a forum?

    The the third post down this was the reply from one poster, a poster who I can't recall ever seeing in this thread!

    Sport is full of all the things listed in the OP, try The Tennis Thread for a prime example. Then of course there is the football team supporter's threads which cover all bases at some points.

    Bizarre.
  • Jimmy ConnorsJimmy Connors Posts: 117,524
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    The fact Venus at 33 years old and no where near her best still beat two of the up and coming Americans in the same day is quite something.

    Serena will likely destroy her in the SF's though. JJ Continues her good form and us in the Semis

    You were spot on. :( Venus was not at her best - but I doubt the outcome would have been any different if she were.
  • Cherry-chocCherry-choc Posts: 4,865
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    Turns out Nole didn't play doubles. Zimonjic/Bozoljac beat the Bryans! 15-13 in the fifth.

    Nole can finish it against Querrey tomorrow.
  • david16david16 Posts: 14,821
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    Sad to see Serena swat away Venus like that, but I guess it's to be expected.

    How can anybody be sure there's been jiggery pokery gone on all these years to ensure one sister wins x match and the other sister wins y match.
  • david16david16 Posts: 14,821
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    Expect John Lloyd to go ballistic over the inevitable Davis Cup defeat and blame the result on Murray's absence.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 22,198
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    david16 wrote: »
    Expect John Lloyd to go ballistic over the inevitable Davis Cup defeat and blame the result on Murray's absence.

    When's he going to let it drop?

    I lost a lot of respect for him over his frustration of Andy not playing DC. He made it so personal, a slight against his captaincy.

    Try kicking the LTA for it's failure to produce another top 50 player. :mad: Hell, a top 100 player would be acceptable. A world class athlete isn't going to be motivated by expending all the effort of 3 5 setters or the very real prospect of a defeat. If he had another team member to back him up, like Tim and Greg did for each other, and they were playing in the elite zone, I think he'd play no matter his schedule.



    for Jimmy

    http://bleacherreport.com/tb/da4Ck?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=tennis
  • *Sparkle**Sparkle* Posts: 10,955
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    I think people are realising that it probably is better for British tennis as a whole to have a top player being focused on their own career than to distract them to prop up a Davis Cup team that is going to come unstuck at the slightest challenge.

    It will be hard to criticise Andy for not turning up, when the top Russians didn't turn up either. More to the point, it gives our lower ranked players a great experience. Some think that playing along-side Murray would help them, but to be honest, I think it would just highlight the gulf and risks making them look and feel like also-rans. It didn't happen in the end, but imagine if one of our guys had pulled off an upset on Friday? Almost pulling off the upset was still a positive experience for them IMO.
  • JaccobabeJaccobabe Posts: 27,879
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    Nah, Sam retired. Apparently her movement was compromised from the off.

    Ah ok. I read Sam won. Stupid livescores.com...
  • JaccobabeJaccobabe Posts: 27,879
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    Nice to see JJ finally doing well...
  • CLL DodgeCLL Dodge Posts: 115,630
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    david16 wrote: »
    Expect John Lloyd to go ballistic over the inevitable Davis Cup defeat and blame the result on Murray's absence.

    The obvious is still true.
  • Cherry-chocCherry-choc Posts: 4,865
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    Ward won the reverse singles against Tursunov! Nice one Wardy.

    Going to a decider then (Evans v Donskoy). All the best Dan.
  • *Sparkle**Sparkle* Posts: 10,955
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    Brilliant win for Ward. What a great day for him. :D
  • lola14lola14 Posts: 3,422
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    *Sparkle* wrote: »
    Brilliant win for Ward. What a great day for him. :D

    Is it wrong to admit, even from a break up, in the fifth I expected him to lose!!
  • *Sparkle**Sparkle* Posts: 10,955
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    I was slightly in disbelief myself, but that makes his victory all the sweeter.
  • chloedancerchloedancer Posts: 6,486
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    evans 2 sets up:eek:
  • ff999ff999 Posts: 4,549
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    Is this on telly anywhere?
  • MARTYM8MARTYM8 Posts: 44,710
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    evans 2 sets up:eek:

    I think we are all shocked at this possible incredible turnaround - surely GB cannot lose it now?

    A world group play off against Spain or Switzerland in September - or ideally Israel or Austria?:D
  • Cloudy2Cloudy2 Posts: 6,859
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    ff999 wrote: »
    Is this on telly anywhere?

    It's on the lta website
  • MARTYM8MARTYM8 Posts: 44,710
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    ff999 wrote: »
    Is this on telly anywhere?

    No - its only available online here.

    http://www.lta.org.uk/fans-major-events/Davis-Cup/Watch-LIVE/

    Eurosport seem to have dropped their promised coverage of GB in Davis Cup - which they did cover last year! They are focusing on the world group instead - US vs Serbia

    PS Evans has broken in the first game of the third set - could the miracle happen?
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