2018 Summer Tennis

[lauriesrank]

Cannae handle the sycophants cheering on williams though, whats wrong with the underdog (although williams is the dog of course)

[I P Knightley]

24 minutes ago, lauriesrank said:

Cannae handle the sycophants cheering on williams though, whats wrong with the underdog (although williams is the dog of course)

Only listened to the very end and the commentator telling me that Giorgi walked off as quickly as possible. Had there been some beef between them during the match?

[lauriesrank]

32 minutes ago, I P Knightley said:

Only listened to the very end and the commentator telling me that Giorgi walked off as quickly as possible. Had there been some beef between them during the match?

Na, I think she'll be gutted at how she played and of course williams celebrating missed points like she'd won the thing, must be off putting... which clearly works and is a fine tactic.

 

 

[I P Knightley]

Quarter Finals today and three of which will be predictable:

Federer to beat Anderson easily

Djokovic  to get past Nishikori

Raonic v Isner will be dull as hell. I'm betting on at least 70 aces.

 

Best match up appears to be Nadal playing Del Potro. Nadal's been playing his best Wimbledon in years but JMDP is, naturally, a better grass court player and MASSIVE. It comes up second on Centre Court so should be kicking off around around 3pm.

[I P Knightley]

Getting a rant on here. 

 

The commentary is telling me about one of the lads in the boys' draw, Jack Draper, who's playing in the 3rd round today. He's been funded by "Tennis First", which is a charity giving opportunity to kids to get into tennis. All well and good, you might think, except that Jack Draper's dad, Roger, drew down over £600k a year as chief executive of the LTA, in which role he oversaw complete stagnation (at best) of the sport professionally and a decline in active participation at clubs around the country. How his son merits charitable support is a mystery. It's a feckin' stitch up by the privileged. 

[I P Knightley]

3 hours ago, I P Knightley said:

Quarter Finals today and three of which will be predictable:

Federer to beat Anderson easily

Djokovic  to get past Nishikori

Raonic v Isner will be dull as hell. I'm betting on at least 70 aces.

 

Best match up appears to be Nadal playing Del Potro. Nadal's been playing his best Wimbledon in years but JMDP is, naturally, a better grass court player and MASSIVE. It comes up second on Centre Court so should be kicking off around around 3pm.

As ever, the Knightley predictions are shaky as hell. 

 

Djoko got through but dropped a set. 

Federer walked the first set; got broken in the second but came back to win the tie-break; dropped the third set (his first dropped set at Wimbledon in about 40) and has just dropped the fourth. Very, very good tennis going on out there; delaying the arrival of Raonic and Isner. 

Edited July 11, 2018 by I P Knightley

[Victorian]

Federer serving 1st in this 5th set might be the slim advantage that makes the difference.     

[JudyJudyJudy]

3 hours ago, I P Knightley said:

Quarter Finals today and three of which will be predictable:

Federer to beat Anderson easily

Djokovic  to get past Nishikori

Raonic v Isner will be dull as hell. I'm betting on at least 70 aces.

 

Best match up appears to be Nadal playing Del Potro. Nadal's been playing his best Wimbledon in years but JMDP is, naturally, a better grass court player and MASSIVE. It comes up second on Centre Court so should be kicking off around around 3pm.

Give up on punditory .  Federer struggling in 5th set.  lol

 

1 hour ago, I P Knightley said:

Getting a rant on here. 

 

The commentary is telling me about one of the lads in the boys' draw, Jack Draper, who's playing in the 3rd round today. He's been funded by "Tennis First", which is a charity giving opportunity to kids to get into tennis. All well and good, you might think, except that Jack Draper's dad, Roger, drew down over £600k a year as chief executive of the LTA, in which role he oversaw complete stagnation (at best) of the sport professionally and a decline in active participation at clubs around the country. How his son merits charitable support is a mystery. It's a feckin' stitch up by the privileged. 

Yeah elitism is rife in this sport. Andy Murray was never from a " working class" background despite what his mummy may claim.  

[JudyJudyJudy]

Anderson playing some blistering shots.  Hope he comes through but Federer a tough nut to crack.  Who knows. 

[neilnunb]

Have to say, I think that was a disgrace Federer was put on Court no. 1

 

As reigning champ, winner of most titles and getting near the end of his career he should have been on Centre.

 

Still shouldnt have lost a 2 set lead today though.

[Victorian]

Nothing to do with the court.

 

Anderson was determined.    Never at any time did any nerves or doubts start to dominate his belief.    Backed himself all the way through.   Very rarely gave Federer a foothold for a service break.

[I P Knightley]

6 hours ago, neilnunb said:

Have to say, I think that was a disgrace Federer was put on Court no. 1

 

As reigning champ, winner of most titles and getting near the end of his career he should have been on Centre.

 

Still shouldnt have lost a 2 set lead today though.

Baws. The top guys these days are protected by getting only court 1 or centre. Court 1 is the better stadium in my view and most players would give a bollock to play on it. I'm guessing this is an excuse from the media; Roger would be to gracious to try and put it down to that. 

 

Meanwhile, there's something strangely familiar about the semi final set up. In one half, you have 2 well-fancied thoroughbred performers, either of whom you'd expect to win the tournament. In the other half, you have 2 honest but unremarkable competitors who have shown occasional bursts of promise throughout the tournament but who you know will not pass the final test. 

[ri Alban]

Nadal will overhaul Federer on Grand slams by next year. 

[I P Knightley]

28 minutes ago, ri Alban said:

Nadal will overhaul Federer on Grand slams by next year. 

There's not enough French Opens between now and then. 

[ri Alban]

9 minutes ago, I P Knightley said:

There's not enough French Opens between now and then. 

Wimbledon, US, Australia, and the french

[I P Knightley]

18 minutes ago, ri Alban said:

Wimbledon, US, Australia, and the french

 You reckon he'll get the lot? I'll be surprised if he gets either the US or Aussie ever again. Tomorrow will be a massive struggle for him, too.

[lauriesrank]

JUlia goerges of course isn't bad either   Although anything is better than that howler she's playing.

[The Brow]

Genuinely didnt think much of Wimbledon this year. 

 

One very good match in the mens semi and two shite finals. 

 

Roll on next year please with a fit again Murray. 

[JimKongUno]

On 12/07/2018 at 07:33, I P Knightley said:

There's not enough French Opens between now and then. 

 

[rudi must stay]

9 hours ago, The Brow said:

Genuinely didnt think much of Wimbledon this year. 

 

One very good match in the mens semi and two shite finals. 

 

Roll on next year please with a fit again Murray. 

 

I felt it was a poor final. But there have been some good stories from it, Gulbis playing well again, Taylor Fritz looked excellent, Monfils played some excellent tennis and I think his attitudes really improved. The younger players aren't developing as much as I thought they would though, they look nowhere near Djokovic, Nadal and even Federer (yes he lost to Anderson, but he'll come back stronger IMO)

[I P Knightley]

1 hour ago, rudi must stay said:

 

I felt it was a poor final. But there have been some good stories from it, Gulbis playing well again, Taylor Fritz looked excellent, Monfils played some excellent tennis and I think his attitudes really improved. The younger players aren't developing as much as I thought they would though, they look nowhere near Djokovic, Nadal and even Federer (yes he lost to Anderson, but he'll come back stronger IMO)

The younger players are taking longer to develop nowadays. Djokovic was about 25 when he turned into a winning machine and, I think I'm right in saying that Federer was 22 or 23 before he came good.  I'm fairly confident in predicting that we won't see another 17 year old coming along to win Wimbledon, the US or the Aussie Open. (Clay is a radically different game so, once Rafa's hung up his racquet, anything might happen at the French). 

 

At the same time, the players, barring injury, have a bit more longevity. 7 of the top 20 are over 30 years old (and Delpo's looked over 30 since he was 19, so that's really 8 over 30 :)) and only 5 are under 25. There's only three in the top 100 who are under 20. 

 

Players like Thiem, Sock, Edmund & Pouille should be given a couple of years before we see whether they've really got it & not because the big 3 will be on decline. Slightly younger than them, you've got Zverev (who's already settling in at the top), Coric, Shapovalov, Tiafoe, Donaldson and Fritz (and, possibly, Tsitsipas) all of whom could make the top 16 a very crowded place for a few years to come. 

 

There's been a fair amount of chat among the tennis bods in and around the AELTC over the weekend about introducing a tie-breaker for the fifth set. I hope it happens as it was obvious from about the time that Anderson's semi-final was 16-16 that the final would only go one way. Mind you, the crusty old farts at Wimbledon have a way of thinking which I don't understand so who knows what might happen?

[rudi must stay]

17 minutes ago, I P Knightley said:

The younger players are taking longer to develop nowadays. Djokovic was about 25 when he turned into a winning machine and, I think I'm right in saying that Federer was 22 or 23 before he came good.  I'm fairly confident in predicting that we won't see another 17 year old coming along to win Wimbledon, the US or the Aussie Open. (Clay is a radically different game so, once Rafa's hung up his racquet, anything might happen at the French). 

 

At the same time, the players, barring injury, have a bit more longevity. 7 of the top 20 are over 30 years old (and Delpo's looked over 30 since he was 19, so that's really 8 over 30 :)) and only 5 are under 25. There's only three in the top 100 who are under 20. 

 

Players like Thiem, Sock, Edmund & Pouille should be given a couple of years before we see whether they've really got it & not because the big 3 will be on decline. Slightly younger than them, you've got Zverev (who's already settling in at the top), Coric, Shapovalov, Tiafoe, Donaldson and Fritz (and, possibly, Tsitsipas) all of whom could make the top 16 a very crowded place for a few years to come. 

 

There's been a fair amount of chat among the tennis bods in and around the AELTC over the weekend about introducing a tie-breaker for the fifth set. I hope it happens as it was obvious from about the time that Anderson's semi-final was 16-16 that the final would only go one way. Mind you, the crusty old farts at Wimbledon have a way of thinking which I don't understand so who knows what might happen?

Djokovic got his act together and concentrated on his tennis. Ye Zverev will have a good career, good attitude and he can play too. I'm not seeing many young players with IMO the right attitude, even Thiem ("hopefully next time I can beat Nadal at the French") not a chance. And I've heard Edmund has been quoted as saying he has the best forehand in tennis) that's fantasyland too. That's where I like Fritz, humble and hardworking, Coric (I don't like his playing style, a big long swing and he doesn't disguise anything but beating Federer he must have something). They should all have their feet on the ground, as you say, but none of them appear to

[JimKongUno]

3 minutes ago, I P Knightley said:

The younger players are taking longer to develop nowadays. Djokovic was about 25 when he turned into a winning machine and, I think I'm right in saying that Federer was 22 or 23 before he came good.  I'm fairly confident in predicting that we won't see another 17 year old coming along to win Wimbledon, the US or the Aussie Open. (Clay is a radically different game so, once Rafa's hung up his racquet, anything might happen at the French). 

 

At the same time, the players, barring injury, have a bit more longevity. 7 of the top 20 are over 30 years old (and Delpo's looked over 30 since he was 19, so that's really 8 over 30 :)) and only 5 are under 25. There's only three in the top 100 who are under 20. 

 

Players like Thiem, Sock, Edmund & Pouille should be given a couple of years before we see whether they've really got it & not because the big 3 will be on decline. Slightly younger than them, you've got Zverev (who's already settling in at the top), Coric, Shapovalov, Tiafoe, Donaldson and Fritz (and, possibly, Tsitsipas) all of whom could make the top 16 a very crowded place for a few years to come. 

 

There's been a fair amount of chat among the tennis bods in and around the AELTC over the weekend about introducing a tie-breaker for the fifth set. I hope it happens as it was obvious from about the time that Anderson's semi-final was 16-16 that the final would only go one way. Mind you, the crusty old farts at Wimbledon have a way of thinking which I don't understand so who knows what might happen?

 

Not exactly true ,djokovic had been in 2 Grand slam finals by the time he was 20 winning 1 of them , Murray was in a slam final at 21 , they were both reguarly winning the masters titles by then .Federer at 19 beat Sampras on route to wimbledon quarters and was top 10 by age 21 winning a few smaller titles then won wimbledon at 22

 

Edmund is 23 , has won 0 tournaments has only even made 1 ATP final in a Mickey Mouse tournament . Played Wimbledon his home Slam 6 times in a row and has won 3 matches in those 6 years . His freak run to the Aussie semi's have given false hope . He hasnt got it and never will 

 

Zverev and Thiem both have it but they wont be winning much until Nadal ,Djokovic etc retire

 

[AWM]

Andy Murray just beat Kyle Edmund 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 in Washington.  

[I P Knightley]

7 hours ago, AWM said:

Andy Murray just beat Kyle Edmund 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 in Washington.  

Knocking on the door of the top 500, now. 

[rudi must stay]

And his movement is as good as it ever was. "He'll never be back", aye sure. Wouldn't be surprised if he won the whole tournament, he should certainly beat his next opponent Marius Copil easily

[DETTY29]

Wins again against world ranked 93 Copil  from Romania @ about 3 on the morning.

 

67 / 63 / 76

 

Certainly ranking up the minutes on court just now.

Edited August 3, 2018 by DETTY29

[rudi must stay]

2 hours ago, DETTY29 said:

Wins again against world ranked 93 Copil  from Romania @ about 3 on the morning.

 

67 / 63 / 76

 

Certainly ranking up the minutes on court just now.

 

He is back to his old self. He finds a way to stay in matches. Copil looks an excellent player btw, some terrific big hitting and deft touches at the net

[rudi must stay]

I think he can beat Dear Mineur in the quarters too, could have been a worse draw, although he's talented young player who's always in the majors it will be tough

[PortyJambo]

Now saying he might not play the quarter final due to his game against Copil not finishing until 3am.

[AWM]

Andy Murray withdraws from Rogers Cup in Toronto to continue recovery

 

He's also pulled out of his quarterfinal in Washington.

Edited August 3, 2018 by AWM

[hmfc_liam06]

I've a feeling the tears were a realisation that his body just can't take it...

 

Pulling out may add weight to that.

[ri Alban]

He's needs to either man up or chuck it. 

[I P Knightley]

Murray's busy playing his first round match in Cincy. Got a big 6-1 pumping in the first set against Lucas Pouille but it looks like he's back on track and heading for 5-1 in the second. 

 

If he makes it through, his second round match is less challenging and then it's Federer.

[I P Knightley]

Novak Djokovic just beat Federer in the Cincinnati final, making him the first player to have won all 9 of the Masters titles. On top of a career Grand Slam and a Davis Cup,  you've got to hand it to the guy - fancy blood chamber or not.