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| Justice League |
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| B v S: D of J |
Anything can be posted here! We can talk about TV, Politics, Sports (football, tennis, baseball, basketball, & figure skating), & Movies (Batman & X-Men)!
Posts framed w/ "***" are comments from others transfer'd! - (Closed - 100 posts) -
***Bayless has crazy love for Tebow. Really embarrassed himself this morning speaking up for him.***
ReplyDeleteI used to love me some Skip, but he's lost it; FINALLY! He doesn't he even put Aaron Rodgers in the top 3 QB's right now! He's truly disturbed now; Brady, Brees, then Rothlisberger! No Rodgers in sight! He needs serious mental help! He's still carrying water for his all time hero, Bret Favre! How sick is that?
***Like Jim Rome just said right now on his radio show: "Denver doesn't need a good "person" they need a good QB."***
Skip Bayless expects Tebow to be successful if you put him in perpetual "hurry ups" and let him improvise in the shot gun! So I guess he expects the other team to play "prevent" to accommodate his ability or lack thereof?
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***Rafa is not a Tennis Legend.... Why?...- b/c he is yet to accomplish the feat of finishing 2 consecutive years as Year End #1.... The earliest he can do it is 2013...***
The #s don't lie! Trying to compare Nadal's string at The FO to Federer's at both USO and Wimbledon is ridiculous! Roger holds so many records which makes him a legend! Rafa doesn't even come close! He's lacking in so many categories; finishing #1, winning in the fall & The YEC, and defending titles outside of clay! What else can be said? Facts!...TRUE LEGENDS: Laver, Federer, Sampras, Borg, Connors, Navratilova, Evert, Graf, Seles (w/ being stabbed), Court, King! - Nadal isn't there yet! He very well may hit "legend status," but he's not quite iconic in my book! The deficiencies are many in comparison to these other icons!
***Fiero, please explain your logic about Sampras, Borg, Lendl being great, but Nadal not. Sampras never won the FO, Borg USO, and Lendl Wimbledon; ..won all 4 majors, but is not a great player because he hasn't defended a title outside of clay.***
True enough you have some greats that have a few holes in their record, but back then, players didn't even bother going to 2 of the majors for most of their careers! I don't understand what's confusing you about other greats who had multiple runs at majors! Roger has 5 str. W's (6). & USO's, Sampras has multiple W's. & USO's, Borg 6 FO's w/ 5 str. W's, Laver 2 Grand Slams, and the other players I mentioned could defend titles on other surfaces! What's confusing about that? Nadal has his 6 FO, but no other runs at majors! His history shows he fades after Wimbledon only taking 1 USO and failing to pick up even one WTF at year's end! Still confused?
***I really do think South America needs a Masters event somewhere.***
ReplyDeleteThe Olympics in Rio (2016) and misc. Davis Cups will have to suffice! I'm sure it's beautiful, but they're still woefully behind the rest of the world when it comes to modern large megalopolises! I'm sure they're feverishly trying to get ready in RIO, but not sure they can support a Masters event year in and year out! I'm sure things have been upgraded in Mexico vacation spots, but I still shy away from going for obvious reasons! Water, personal security, hotels, the weather; it all comes to mind going to a less developed areas! Think Mumbai! Luxury accommodations didn't save those poor people! Haven't been anywhere in 10 years so I could be very wrong now! I refuse to be treated like cattle traveling locally or internationally! I don't spend enough time in cities to forget that bad experience! The airlines are somewhat out of control! You hear horror stories of people not able to de-plane for hours! It's just scary thinking about it! I'd probably crack up in that situation!
***Behind the world? - go to some places that host tennis tourneys, you might be surprised by the poor state of the facility - - annual tennis support...1 week event, if they can host Carnival, they can host tennis - - - Water - would not drink US tap water to save my life...- - Personal security - - no more or less dangerous than LA, Moscow or Beijing. Like all cities has good and bad. I've been to Rio, you should go you'd love it - - airport delays - travel from Toronto to NY or Chgo. 2 HRs in a plane, yet only in the air for 50 mins, and that's avg. ...***
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I've been listening to this "schedule" BS for decades! The top players are the only ones really complaining! They can't be bothered playing smaller events with less money and a lot less notoriety! If they're sick of the life, retire sooner! I have no sympathy for these people, playing a game for millions with tons of fame! They're set for life, but all I hear about is whining about "the schedule!"
Talk to the directors of the ATP and WTA! They must be quite contrarian to be going against the majority; "oh I didn't think so!" The majority needs these extra tourneys for money and points! Years ago the tours were concerned about playing in So. Africa! They not only didn't cancel events, they added another! So much for being "black-balled!" - Others will say they need a longer off season to recover, blah, blah, blah, ...muscle strains, blah, blah, blah, tendinitis......."hey idiots, stop swinging those clubs so hard, go back to smaller headed rackets, and don't kill yourself to win a point!"
***Petra obviously POY winning 6 titles with the YEC - Caroline still #1 though tied at 6 titles***
ReplyDeleteHilarious how people will totally gloss over the ranking #'s! Just like when JJ earned it, that's the way it is; a calender year point count is the rule! Pls people, stop whining about this! Caroline has already accepted POY so we're beating a "dead horse!" One of these days one of the ladies will take charge of the rankings! It has been a joke for years now! What a colossal embarrassment for this to continue for so many years! Thanks S & V; NOT!
***Not quite, Fiero ! Davenport was EOY #1 in '01, '04 and '05, and none of those times was she voted the POY. Petra's got it wrapped up on account of winning a Slam and the YEC.***
I guess I never really pay much attn. to POY! It usually goes to the #1! I could have sworn I saw a recent pic of Caroline w/ POY trophy! Maybe total senility setting in! I just don't pay that much notice of the little things like I used to! I don't know what I'll do after Roger leaves the game! I appreciate Nole for being a contemporary that doesn't just allow Nadal to take over! His brand of tennis isn't my cup of tea!
***Petra is the POY for 2011, but she can't beat everybody--there's ONLY one of her. She beat Keri easily, but the Russians will win this Fed Cup. Sveta decided to wake up mentally and keep herself in a match. ...Wonder where Maria was, and WHY she wasn't representing her country?***
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As we all know, the cold hard numbers don't always tell the whole story! Most reasonable people will put Martina on a pedestal since she has so many titles at 167, 59 majors, 177 doubles wins, and holding #1 records for so long over a 30 year career! Others fall woefully short! Then we have Federer with tons of numbers and records unmatched, but since he has a losing record against Nadal on clay, all of that is dismissed! Still trying to absorb how 10 > 16 majors work in this new math!
***1991 USO The Best Woman Player Ever: Martina Navratilova out classes 2nd best Graf
ReplyDelete- - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxY-nrOAHVk - - ***
I was never more proud of Martina that tourney! She had been served with papers when splitting up from Nelson just before Wimbledon! It had to be on her mind going out in straight sets to Capriati in the quarters! She didn't play any warm up events that summer, just WTT and was written off for the most part! If memory serves she was ranked #5, but they dropped her to #6 seed! From what little I saw of her early round matches she was struggling, hitting tentatively, and just didn't look confident enough to go anywhere! She barely got by Manuela Meleeva in the round of 16!
She lost the 1st set to Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in a tie-breaker and it looked to all concerned she would be history in the quarters! She eeeked out the 2nd set in another tie-breaker, then started chipping and charging! She was relentless and ran over Arantxa pretty easily in the 3rd 6-2!
By the time she reached the semis and Steffi at the ready, she was hitting the ball very well, even going over her backhand! Martina won the 1st set in another tie-breaker and looked really on her game! She got up a break in the 2nd and should have been off the court in about 10 minutes but for a terrible line call! It happened in slow motion with Steffi chipping a backhand long and the idiot linesman put his hands down; good! Navratilova was beside herself and Steffi was able to break back and finally take the set in a tie-breaker!
Martina was undaunted and played her game attacking at every opportunity finally getting a break and serving out the match 6-4 in the 3rd! A lot of people don't know that in Graf's prime, old lady Navratilova won 4 of 5 matches they played; all semi's and finals at the USO! Funny Graf has edge at Wimbledon 2-1!
By the time Martina got to the final against Seles she was done! Martina lost the 1st set in a tie-breaker and meekly went out 1-6 in the 2nd! I still was very proud of her and wanted to tell her that one of the days when she came to Sacramento to play WTT, but I never got her alone! I didn't want to fawn all over her with other people around at the club! She said "hi" to my mom at her club here in Chicago! Seems to be very nice and personable to all around her!
***If you watch a little bit of that match in '91 w/ Navr. & Graf, its not that hard to tell that Martina could win a lot of matches today with that form - Historical fact: Martina was 9-9 vs Graf. Graf is 1 in 1 vs Serena Wms. - Now from those statistics how do you get that Wms was so much better than Martina?***
ReplyDeleteI've mentioned this before, but here we go again! You have to appreciate past champions who had to go thru the wood racket era more w/ their accomplishments! These were virtually sticks with a net on the end! No matter how easy the shot or how close you were to the net, you might still flub it since the sweet spot was about the size of a fist! Today's players would quit the 1st year out; it was so frustrating! I could start a kid now and within 6 months have him tourney ready! That could never happen during Martina's era! It took years to become half-way proficient at the game! I heap more credit and fame on Martina, Court, Evert, and esp. pre-Open's Mo Connolly just due to the inferiority of the equipment! Players like Graf were real athletes, but without that "club" of hers, she would not be in the position she's in now!
***Where is the WTA? - Play a full season like the men. When they do play, the quality of the product is horrible, Equal prize money is a joke.***
Does that correspond to the absence of Justine Henin? I wonder why it all collapsed after she left the WTA? No one seems to really want "it!" I keep hearing that it's Aza's time, but she can't finish; a match or tourney! Caroline plays to the level of her competition often letting players we don't even know take her the distance! Same for Maria Sharapova! 3 hour ladies' matches stink; the groaning and moaning makes it almost unwatchable at times!
***Yes and no, Fiero. It looked like, after Justine outright dominated '07, Sharapova, with her winning the '08 AO without losing a set, will dominate the WTA. But she got injured and never recovered to her previous form.
All #1-ranked players after that '08 AO have not been by any means best/dominant players. In '08 alone, after the AO, there were 4 other #1-ranked players of which only one (Jankovic) won a tourney while #1-ranked. '09 was also a joke with the POY winning less than 20% of all tourneys played. For the last 2 yrs we have been in Wozland, meaning that the #1-ranked player can't win a Slam. Hopefully, strong, dedicated players will soon develop. Only Kvitova looks good so far.***
That's why I've been so hard on the WTA! People complain about the weak era when Hingis played, but at least she took care of business! She was #1 in singles and doubles there for a while actually carrying Anna Kornikova to GS glory! lol! She was the most complete player out there until the Willaims' and Henin! (Do I get extra credit for mentioning S & V?) lol! It's been a little disappointing to see things in chaos!
***Yeah, it turns out of the generation after '96, only 3 players have had periods of complete domination; Hingis, Serena, & Henin (twice).***
***How the Hell is Paterno more responsible than McQueary in this Penn State child-rape case by Sandusky?***
ReplyDeletePaterno had been on my shit list since he spoke at the ''88 Republican Convention! He proved what a putz he was to be backing the conservative party like that after Reagan and Bush about destroyed our economy! Banks went under, investors were ripping off, and the people / government are paying for it just like now! Like today so few were punished! Milken then, Madoff now and that's supposed to suffice when it comes to justice! Paterno should have left years ago! This was only going to end poorly since he had no intentions of giving up this job! I blame his idiot son for propping him up these last several years!
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What an embarrassment on campus with these idiots rioting; wondering why JoeP who got them a $10 M. library can't coach just one more game! We see where their priorities are at the moment! I wonder what they'll think when all this comes out and then they see their faces trying to support someone complicit in child molestation and rape! So much for that legacy; all wiped out in an instant! Probably could have been avoided if he had left in a timely fashion! There was no need to prop this old man up for an additional 10-20 years! It's not the State's purpose to keep him relevant and vital to the last! He had the power to fix this and he dropped the ball; BIG TIME! These weren't teenagers, they were pre-pubescents! How do you walk away from that and not follow up? Legacy: GONE!
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Few are thinking about the kids! They aren't known so we can't put a face on this situation, but after reading that indictment, I don't need to! Paterno was treated too well as far as I'm concerned! He should have been fired right away! No question about it! He should have left in 2004, but he refused! Anything that happened after that is all on HIM! No sympathy for him and his family! They personally destroyed more lives they they are willing to acknowledge! I'm afraid we're only getting a piece of this entire affair! I'm betting it's far worse!
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McQueary has that leverage right now! Give him his time now b/c after that, "he's done!" Who's going to hire this fool? He's done in so many ways! He might have to go into therapy if he hasn't started already! I think he'll practically have to go into "witness protection;" move to another state, change his name, darken his hair, and grow a beard! You just can't morally rationalize not "following up" after witnessing such a scene! It had to be on his mind if he has a soul! 50 years of good work DISMISSED in an instant and I have no sympathy for any of these Penn State jerks b/c they had to be talking about this! RICO!!!!
***Where is the WTA? - Play a full season like the men. When they do play, the quality of the product is horrible, Equal prize money is a joke. It has been in the toilet since right after the '08 AO.***
ReplyDeleteDoes that correspond to the absence of Justine Henin? I wonder why it all collapsed after she left the WTA? No one seems to really want "it!" I keep hearing that it's Aza's time, but she can't finish; a match or tourney! Caroline plays to the level of her competition often letting players we don't even know take her the distance! Same for Maria Sharapova! 3 hour ladies' matches stink; the groaning and moaning makes it almost unwatchable at times!
***Yes and no, Fiero. It looked like, after Justine outright dominated '07, Sharapova, with her winning the '08 AO without losing a set, will dominate the WTA. But she got injured and never recovered to her previous form. All #1-ranked players after that '08 AO have not been by any means best/dominant players. In '08 alone, after the AO, there were 4 other #1-ranked players of which only one (Jankovic) won a tourney while #1. '09 was also a joke with the POY winning less than 20% of all played.. For the last 2 yrs we have been in Wozland, meaning that the #1-ranked player can't win a Major. Hopefully, strong, dedicated players will soon develop. Only Kvitova looks good so far.***
That's why I've been so hard on the WTA! People complain about the weak era when Hingis played, but at least she took care of business! She was #1 in singles and doubles there for a while actually carrying Anna K. to GS glory! lol! She was the most complete player out there until the Wms' and Henin! (Do I get extra credit for mentioning S & V?) lol! It's been a little disappointing to see things in chaos!
***Yeah! It turns out that of the generation of players starting in '96, only 3 players have had periods of outright domination: Martina, Serena and Justine (twice).***
***Skip Bayless calls out Aaron Rodgers - What a loser. He says Rodgers has no 4th quarter comebacks. That's b/c they haven't trailed all season, Duh! What a moron. I need to quit watching First Take.***
ReplyDeleteI used to be a huge fan of Skip's, but over the last couple years and especially since they went to this new format, he's truly" lost it!" He's just not rational anymore! Maybe he's always been like this, but through shorter segments I wasn't picking up on it! He defends his side of an argument with some of the most nonsensical BS and only gets louder when confronted with the truth! It's unfortunate that someone with as much knowledge of sports is behaving this way!
He relentlessly slams LeBron James devoting a whole show to pounding him while spending another show talking up Tim Tebow and The Cowboys! Bayless just can't get more pathetic! When he's found to be an absolute joke, he shakes it off and moves on to another target! Two little Napoleons I can't stand on ESPN now are Skip Bayless and Mike Lupica! In their minds they're never wrong and they hedge every bet with "I wouldn't be surprised if ...!" Always working the angles; both "JERKS!"
Favre still won't give Rodgers any credit for his play! His records are falling by the "wayside" and he can't stand it! One reason to be a Packer fan; just to see Favre lose his mind over how things are going "after" his era! I just wish I knew what made this man so bitter and spiteful? Praise was heaped on him by the dump truck, Skip Bayless still brings up his numbers of 37 TD and 8 Int. from a couple years ago, and he's a 1st ballot HOF'r! What's his beef? He treated GB like crap showing up when he felt like it, almost demanding management fly down to kiss his rings and beg him to show up, he should expect them to turn on him!
From what I hear Brett is a distant memory in GB; no Favre jerseys in the stands, no one even mentions the man! He better start acting right so they can honor him properly before he croaks! Right now he's on the "outs!" No one cares about him in GB!
***Favre always lacked class and his decision making skills were poor! He was just exposed late in his career.***
***Jason Witten is the softest player in the whole league***
ReplyDeleteSkip Bayless is still "killing" Witten to this day for letting a little corner back push him out of bounds inside the 5 yd. line after a 60+ yard play! B/c he didn't lower his head and push into the end zone, that allowed Romo to fumble the ball a couple plays later; no points after being up 24 in the 3rd quarter at home! Those 2 pick 6's may have had something to do with the final outcome, but don't tell that to Bayless! What a nut!
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***The schedule is too long. Players are breaking down and not really into it this late in the year. The YEC for both the ATP and WTA are worthless; most events are after the USO. Too much money to be made for any changes to occur though.***
They have an option to leave, but they won't! I keep hearing about how worn out these players are, I believe it, but the exhibitions continue in exotic players around the world! It isn't always for charity either! I see the players breaking down, but the thing is they'll never vote to contract the season! There's too much money to be made and only the top players who actually win week in and week out are the ones who suffer! Pls make me suffer and make $10 mil. this year on the court alone! "Cry me a freakin' river!" These players could alleviate a lot of the stress on their arms if they didn't have to rip every shot, running around making great "gets," with matches lasting 3+ hours! They can try to be more aggressive and close out points at the net, but the only time these clowns are near it is to shake hands and pick up a check! Murray loves working it out almost killing himself to win one point! I have no sympathy for that type of play!
Just watched a tape of '86 USO ladies' semi! The score was 6-1, 6-7, 7-6(8) and barely ran over 2 hours! It was played by 2 competitors who got about the business of contesting points, not toweling off and challenging every close line call! It was Martina and Steffi! Today a match like that would be going late into the night with stalling, complaining, waiting for quiet in a public place! I used to play in a park where cars were wheeling by every few minutes, a basketball game could be going on 20 yards away, and kids might be screaming on the swings in the adjacent playground! Today's pros need to take a chill pill and get over themselves! The world has to stop when they're at work! There must be absolute quiet! "Yeah, right!"
***Massacre in London; Federer's "beat down" of Nadal complete, 6-3, 6-0***
ReplyDeleteThis is typical in cases like this! Nadal is mailing it in! Federer's playing well, but Nadal isn't trying as hard! You can say Roger isn't allowing Rafa to play his game, but you can tell; none existent effort on Rafa's part!
***OMG! I missed the match. I hurried home thinking I might catch it in the 2nd set, and the match was over. I love watching Fed in action like that. I had hoped he would ride that wave of confidence going into London. Let's see what he does against Djokovic now. ...Nadal taking 5 weeks off to prepare for London was very telling. He needs lots of matches to be sharp. I just hope that Fed can do as well against Djokovic when they meet later.***
You're assuming a lot! Nole hasn't punched his ticket yet! The Ferrer match will be telling! Even if he doesn't win, Nole has to take a set! Murray was out of it after losing in "straights" to David yesterday!
***You may have a point there Fiero, but Nole is still the No 1 player in the world, and showed in his match against Berdych yesterday that even when he does not have the momentum in a match, he can still pull it out. He's used to winning right now, and still has that mindset that he will find a way to win matches.***
I'm just thinking about history! Rafa was the #1 player in the world, winning 3 of 4 majors, but limped into the YEC on several occasions! A couple years ago he lost all 3 of his matches in RR play! I wondered why he even showed up besides just to pick up his bonus check?
***Yep. I get your point, but I still can't discount Djokovic's chances. He's a better hard-court player than Rafa. But your comments did remind me about the format of this tournament.***
Some players are just "done" by this time of the year! Nadal's one of them! I'm surprised he made the final last season! He won't be so lucky; doubt he'll even make semi! - I give Sampras more credit winning 5 YEC titles since his opposition was a lot deeper! You had many champions of majors during that period! I remember at one USO, the men had 12 players with majors! That isn't possible these days with Federer and Nadal monopolizing things for so many years! There aren't even that many major finalists in this generation of players!
In 2009 it was shocking to see Rafa break down! Nadal dropped out of sight that spring and summer allowing Federer to re-take #1, finally winning his 1st and only French Open, and nail down his legend by taking a 16th major at Wimbledon! That shouldn't have happened but for Nadal breaking down prematurely! I totally agree that he'll drop precipitously when it does happen for obvious reasons!
***Federer in 2006 season - Djokovic in 2011 season***
ReplyDeleteI'm still giving the edge to Nole since his competition was a bit stiffer! If he wins the YEC, even w/ the one loss, Djokovic had a lot more to overcome; 2 players ranked ahead of him, a new diet to help his stamina, and the added pressure of an undefeated season going into the FO! I'm a huge Federer fan, he's the undisputed GOAT, but I'd have to give it up to Nole for those reasons!
***Novak started the tennis year off strong, but ended the season as a dominant #1 player.***
Yeah, tell me about it! Someone needs to go on freakin' medication if they think Nole has wimped out the end of the season! People would kill to own his record; one of the greatest in the history of the game! IDIOTS! Federer and Rafa didn't necessarily have to play one another to win their titles either! I'm sure Roger and Rafa had some scrubs they easily handled in some of those finals! This year it was Rafa and Nole every week there for a while this season!
***How hard will Ferrer play to win his 3rd match? He could avoid playing Federer in the semi if he loses his next match.***
They've tried to alleviate this problem of selective competitiveness choosing a semi-final opponent since '79 or '80! The women used to give 2-0 div. winner a pass while the two players w/ 1-1 records played their 3rd! The flip of the coin probably didn't go over well for the men so we're back to possible "tanking" of a match to choose one's opponent in the semi!
***David will try to win, he has more success against Nadal than Federer and look how much better Fed looks than Nadal in this event***
I need to go check my record book! I had no idea Ferrer had so many major titles! Hmmm! Must be an alternate universe because I don't see one time where Ferrer took Nadal out in a Wimbledon or FO in a final! Strange, I don't even see Ferrer in a major final! I'm totally perplexed by this comment! Please help me understand!
***Let me put Li Na in that group as well that needs a rest. She made 2 GS finals this year and then basically disappeared!***
ReplyDeleteIs that something new? Going back to the old days, a player would do that and never be heard from again! It happened a # of times at the AO and FO since a number of top players didn't play it for years at a time if at all! So we wind up with Barbra Jordan, Kerry Melville Reid, and Chris O'Neil with Aussie Opens, then Mima Jausevic, Virginia Ruzici, and Sue Barker with French Open titles! Naturally you can't think of anything else they've won because they didn't have those accomplishments of backing up lone major wins! These days we have Frankie Schiavone & Li Na; so nothing new really!
***Federer is a tennis God ... convinced he's not a human but from the planet Tennisia where everyone has tennis rackets for arms!
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...then you agree with me that Fed is on PEDs?***
I'm shocked someone would bring up PED's in relation to Roger! He doesn't go thru any of the gyrations of Nadal; prematurely breaking down, sweating profusely, blowing up like a puffer fish at times, then slimming down to normal! Yeah, that was smart bringing up PED's!
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by_Roger_Federer -
***I think the list of historic records that Roger holds (and therefore had to break at one point) far outstrips the list of records he has fallen short of breaking.***
Agreed! What makes him more great is that he did it all in the shortest period of time! He isn't like Agassi and Connors who had many records, but their longevity is where a lot of it came from; Federer just really compressed the time frame!
***Yeah, he's not even on the top 10 for most appearances in Slams but he's #2 for most match wins at Slams (behind Jimmy Connors, who IS in the top 10 for most appearances)***
What's funny is that with all those appearances at majors and the number of matches, he really could have put it out of reach all time if he had played the Aussie and FO more than 3 or 4 times! He missed both those tourneys for a decade or more!
***Rogie: 18 Masters + 16 GSs + 6 World Tour Finals = 40 titles (40 of his 70 titles overall)
ReplyDeleteRafa: 19 Masters + 10 GSs + 0 WTFs = 29 titles (29 of his 46 titles overall)***
It's obvious Nadal doesn't want to even be there! When he lost all 3 of his matches a couple years ago, I wondered why he even bothered to show up! He probably would have been fined without a legitimate injury; (all the fake ones had been used that year)! If you don't have the desire, it's hard for him to muster the emotional energy he needs to win matches the way he has to! He's not the only player to fade after the USO; even Borg only won it twice! The court is usually lightning fast and most base liners back then were wasting their time; besides Connors! I miss the time when it moved around the world and the surfaces were different! I still remember Vilas beating Ilie Nastase on grass in Australia in '74! I guess having the Olympics next year at Wimbledon is comparable!
***Best Player on the WTA never to become #1***
Evonne Goolagong officially became #1 for a couple weeks, but a computer error didn't pick it up for years! Hana Mandlikova was one of the best players, but like Evonne, was too imaginative; hence the cracking under pressure! Gabriela Sabatini probably should have attained the honor since she owned Graf for a period there in the early 90's! She won the smaller events, esp. the ones on clay, but only broke thru at one major. the '90 USO! Seles probably helped to stunt her growth in the WTA!
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***Another college coach fired***
What's Boeheim's excuse in the matter? He attacks the kids' credibility right away! How could he do this just after the Penn State drama still fresh in our minds? He's not mortally wounded like Paterno, but he''s right up there shining his shoes! Abuse is sometimes a possibility when an admin. in entrenched like Paterno and Boeheim! They think they're above reproach when they should be looked at harder! Is there any doubt with the current news? This stuff has been in the offing for years! The nat'l media just jumped on it! They're late; so very late! These poor kids!
***New look at Nadal-Federer Head-to-Head - - -
ReplyDeleteI’ve decided to look at all the tournaments where Federer and Nadal entered together and divide these into 3 categories:
- won by Federer;
- won by Nadal;
- won by someone else.
By years:
2003 Federer won with Nadal in the draw: Wimbledon
2003 both played, neither won: Hamburg (Coria), US Open (Roddick), Madrid MS (Ferrero), Basel (Coria)
2004 Federer won with Nadal in the draw: AO, Dubai, Indian Wells, Canada, USO
2004 both played, neither won: Key Biscayne (Roddick), Cincinnati (Agassi)
2005 Federer won with Nadal in the draw: Doha, Key Biscayne, Halle, Wimbledon, Cinci, USO
2005 Nadal won with Federer in the draw: Monte Carlo, French Open
2005 both played, neither won: Australian (Safin)
2006 Federer won with Nadal in the draw: Indiana Wales, Key Biscayne, Wimbledon, Canada, US Open, Madrid MS, YEC
2006 Nadal won w/ Federer in the draw: Dubai, Monte Carlo, Rome, FO
2006 both played, neither won: Cincinnati (Roddick)
2007 Federer won with Nadal in the draw: AO, Dubai, Hamburg, Wimbledon, Cinci, USO, YEC
2007 Nadal won with Federer in the draw: Indiana Wales, Monte Carlo, Rome, FO
2007 both played, neither won: Key Biscayne (Djoker), Canada (Djoker), Madrid MS (Nalby), Paris (Nalby)
2008 Federer won with Nadal in the draw: US Open
2008 Nadal won with Federer in the draw: Monte Carlo, Hamburg, French Open, Wimbledon, Canada, Olympics
2008 both played, neither won: AO (Djoker), Dubai (Roddick), Indian Wells (Djoker), Key Biscayne (Davydenko), Rome (Djoker), Cinci (Murray), Madrid MS (Murray), Paris (Tsonga)
2009:
Nadal won with Federer in the draw: Australian, Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, Rome
Federer won with Nadal in the draw: Madrid, French, Cinci
Both played neither won: Doha (Murray), Key Biscayne (Murray), Canadian Open (Murray), USO (Del Potro), Paris (Djokovic), London (Davydenko)
2010:
Nadal won with Federer in the draw: Rome, Madrid, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, USO
Federer won with Nadal in the draw: Australian, Cincinnati, YEC
Both played neither won: Doha (Davydenko – beaten both of them), Indian Wells (Ljubicic) Key Biscayne (Roddick),
Canadian (Murray - beaten both of them), Shanghai (Murray)
2011:
Nadal won with Federer in the draw: Monte Carlo, French Open
Federer won with Nadal in the draw: Doha, YEC
Both played neither won: AO (Djokovic), Indian Wells (Djokovic – beaten both of them) Key Biscayne (Djokovic), Rome (Djokovic), Madrid MS (Djokovic), Wimbledon (Djokovic), Canadian (Djokovic), Cinci (Murray), USO (Djokovic – beaten both of them)
Overall Federer- Nadal: 35-27 with 40 for the field.
Players, who have multiple wins with both Federer and Nadal in the draw:
Djoker - 14, Murray - 8, Roddick – 4, Davydenko - 3, Nalby – 2, Coria - 2 ***
***I can see Fed winning one more slam, but it will be very difficult not impossible to win more than one. That’s where the stamina comes in to play. The 7 matches 5 setters slams maybe too much for him. Hopefully, he can work on improving his stamina; maybe they have special programs for the aged ones.***
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't take much for Federer to take his tennis to another level! He hired Paul Annacone knowing his final years were upon him, but I don't think he's taking any of his advice! Roger is still stubbornly staying back! He should be attacking the net a lot more! It's ridiculous seeing him trying to win long baseline rallies against Nadal or Djokovic! A fast surface helps so they don't have all the time in the world to put excessive topspin on the ball, but he plays the same on clay and grass; not enough attack! He's lost matches against lesser players for the same reason! He can have a set and break, even serving for it and give it all back allowing his opposition time to recover! He has to close out these matches with conviction not hope the other player just gives it to him! That USO semi against Nole should prove what I said; "don't let them back in when they're down!"
***Yes, yes Roger hurts me to the quick; LOL, staying back when he has the opportunities to come forward. I'm hoping that he will accept that he needs to conserve his energy esp. in the slams for the later rounds and move his skillful, talented butt forward and the same goes for Venus.
---
That's quite interesting, although IMHO not as revealing as actual H2H encounters (i.e., 17-9 overall, and 6-2 at the Slams in Nadal's favor)***
That stat only proves Nadal was vulnerable to many more players in his prime! Federer obviously got thru and won the majors Nadal wasn't able to win or defend; reaching 4 straight FO finals! Thinking about it more closely, Nadal has yet to defend much of anything outside his FO's, while Federer has 2 big strings; 5 Wimb. & 5 USO's in a row! Hard to believe anyone could say Nadal is more deserving of the moniker "GOAT;" please spare me!
100 years from now Nadal will be remembered for one thing; his FO wins and having a career GS! That's nothing to sneeze at, but when it comes to Goat'dom, Roger has accomplished so much more! His endurance alone puts him ahead of most players! He hasn't missed a major in years! Nadal can't say that; even for a single season! The only one more fragile at the top was Nole and it looks as if he's taken care of that little health issue! The seasons with 2 or 3 majors should be over for Rafa! He's coming down a little while other players are improving! The fear factor is probably gone; even for pros playing Roger!
***If Fed is dominated by a contemporary player, how can he be considered Goat?***
ReplyDeleteJust being realistic! As I said, in 100 years the cold hard numbers will ultimately concede that Roger's accomplishments and numbers give him the edge as GOAT! The string of Wimbledons and USO's alone would do it for most people, but add on his lone FO which completes his career slam, by acclamation, "it will be so!" In my mind no matter what the numbers say, Rod Laver will "forever-more" be the true GOAT! I take in consideration those half a dozen years lost due to OPEN tennis not coming around until '68! He does have 2 "real" Grand Slams ('62,'69), but back then 3 out of the 4 were on grass!
***Well put, Fiero.***
No one ruled like Laver! His only real disappointment was not winning a WCT Championship! He had some heart-breaking 5 set losses to Rosewall in finals and an early round exit to Stan Smith! I seem to remember a special, "One More For The Rocket" if memory serves! It was a half hour DOC devoted to Laver's quest for that Lamar Hunt tour final! It must have been in anticipation of the '75 event! I didn't see it because the semi wasn't telecast, but from the score it appeared Laver was playing very well at a very advanced age; mid to late 30's (will look it up later)! Unfortunately for him he was up against the new star on the tour Bjorn Borg! It took 5 sets and must have been a classic! Borg was so worn out the next day, Arthur Ashe didn't have much trouble winning the match in 4 sets! Those were the days; Ashe went on to win Wimbledon and Borg took his 2nd straight FO! USO went to clay that year and Orantes went on a great run taking out Vilas in a twi-nite 5 set thriller finishing off Connors in straights the next day!
***Roger is more experienced, but his abilities have declined at the same time. I think Fed is better at changing his game up depending on the opponent than he was a few years ago. Of course he was winning so much back then that he didn't feel the need to change things up and I think it cost him against Nadal. Roger plays Nadal smarter now but he doesn't have as much game as he did back then, a lot more misses, a lot weaker return, and a decline in movement.***
If Federer's in decline, that isn't saying very much for Nadal getting wiped out 3 & 0 in his RR match against the GOAT! That was embarrassing for all concerned! I was embarrassed for him! Seems like too much is being heaped on Rafa for this yearly breakdown after the USO! If you don't want to be there, just use the obligatory fake injury and skip the tourney! Tipsarovic and Fish appreciate making the YE champ. unlike the FAUX Goat!
***A correct H2H record should take into account how much is played on each surface as well as under what conditions (i.e., outdoors or indoors)
ReplyDeleteNow : ~ 33 % of all tourneys are played on outdoor hard court
~ 33 % of all tourneys are played on outdoor clay
~ 6 % of all tourneys are played on grass
~ 23 % of all tourneys are played indoors (hard court)
~ 5 % of all tourneys are played indoors (carpet)
For each surface/condition the Rafa vs. Fedex H2H is :
Outdoor Hard court: 4 1
Outdoor Clay : 12 2
Outdoor Grass : 1 2
Indoors Hard court: 0 4
Indoors Carpet: 0 0
..and now, the weighted-averaged H2H figure for Rafa vs Fedex is: 5.34 to 2.03.***
Being old, I always thought those indoor tourneys were on carpet; esp. the ladies' events! At the beginning of the Virginia Slims tour back in the early 70's, that's what they carried around from venue to venue; a rolled up carpet with lines on it! It just didn't occur to me until I saw some other events that were "outdoor" being called "indoor" due to closing the roof! The court is still hard court! "Duh;" (slapping my forehead)!
----
***How can you say Nadal and Djokovic were worn out by winning all the titles? After the USO. Nadal took a month off before he played the WTF. If he can't recuperate enough to play a tournament after ... Federer played several more matches than Djokovic did during those years.***
Some people you just can't discuss or argue with! They're intransigent and won't be moved off their idea of something! Right now my laterst frustration is with that nut Skip Bayliss on "First Take!' He kisses the ring of Bret Favre, thinks Tim Tebow is a winner, Aaron Rodgers is over-rated, & LeBron is the worst clutch player out there! He's merciless pounding Lebron, but finds no faults with Tebow, Favre, and his other fave Tony Romo! He will defend them to the death and becomes totally irrational!
It's the hypocrisy that makes him looks so bad He's saying Aaron Rodgers isn't as great as Tebow because he hasn't had to come back from a deficit! What a nut! Nuff said! I expect this to be deleted! We're not allowed to criticise the insane talent of ESPN!According to Baylis right now, Brady is better with 3 losses and Rodgers is not the MVP with an undefeated team! "Who did he play?" A real psycho working there on "First Take!"
***I agree Bayless is odd but he is not boring.***
Never said he's boring, just irrational at times! His arguments only makes sense to him really! He and Mike Lupica are made from the same cloth; you can't tell them anything! They'll go down fighting no matter how hopeless their argument! They both will make extreme excuses why something didn't go as they promised and hedging of all bets is a norm; "I wouldn't be surprised if ....!" A-H.'s! That Dallas loss to Detroit when they led by 3 TD's wasn't Romo's fault, it was Witten for not muscling in on a 60+ yard play letting a corner-back take him out inside the 5 yard line! It doesn't matter Romo fumbled the ball 2 plays later, it's Witten's fault after getting a huge contract that he didn't make a play and score! idiot!
***Bogomolov to represent Russia instead of US***
ReplyDeleteThis is all on Courier! Why wasn't the guy brought in as #4 in the country? During their "hey-day," the US could field 2 or 3 teams and we had all the specialist! Courier couldn't get this dude into one team tie over all these years? I don't blame him! I bet he asked Courier about his future and it was non-committal! I'd walk!
***Courier just took over as Davis Cup captain and Bogie's ranking just skyrocketed this year. He's languished as a journeyman for most of his career, ranking has been in the 100s, 200s, worse ... and almost retired last year.***
I really don't pay that much attention anymore! I just figure someone dropped the ball! We're totally dropping out of the World Group for men and women! Where is the future of US Tennis? Fish can't last much longer, Roddick is on his way out the door, we just lost Bogie and that's just the reality of the men! I guess we have to wait and see if the mid tier come to life; Querry, Isner, Blake! The women were already in bad shape; Wms' playing when they want, Oudin getting a big head, and the rest just not worth talking about!
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***Tebow haters here?***
He's the epitome of "over-rated!" I used to enjoy watching ESPN from 9-11 am here in Chicago! It was called "Cold Pizza," then "First Take," now it's "THE Tim Tebow Show!" They spend almost the entire 2 hours talking about your boy! If it isn't about him, it's what people are saying about him! Skip Bayless has totally "lost it" proclaiming Gawd-like status to this "true competitor and winner!" He was asked if he would trade Tebow for Peyton Manning! It took a half hour, but he actually said "NO!" He's beyond help and I don't even like Manning! Bayless is just trying to prove more and more each day how delusional he has become! It was bad enough with him kissing the rings of Brett Favre and promoting Tony Romo as the next great QB! He's still spending a great amount of his time hammering LeBron James; even more pathetic lionizing Tebow! I can barely watch now; my hands are shaking just listening to that BS! What an idiot!
***the funny thing is that "Clueless" actually doesn't think Tebow is very good which is why he has always "hedged" whenever he says anything positive about him. ...***
What happened to Bayless? I used to enjoy his banter with Woody and others, but of late, his delusional behavior is getting worse! Anyone who doesn't agree with him is "called" on it with him really feeling the person's a liar w/ no heart! He went too far with that BS a few months ago and ended up having to apologize to Chris Broussard making You-tube; only half-hearted accusing Chris of questioning his integrity! He's such a phony and I think he'll be fired sooner rather than later! Others have to be a little miffed with his behavior in that expanded exposure he has with the new format! Maybe that's where they went wrong; Skip is front and center all show rather than in smaller segments!
- - - - - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGTuqTxvkq0 - - - - -
***WSJ -- The Brilliance of Barack Hussein Obama Cuts Unemployment to 8.6%; What Will The Repugnants Say?***
ReplyDeleteThis is artificially high unemployment due to Republican governors around the country making cuts! These fools are cutting education budgets which in turn makes them fire teachers! Firemen and poliment are also on local blocks to be chopped! We have a horrendous infrastructure that needs maintenance right now, but you have an element in this country that play with people's lives! They don't care about anything but getting Obama out of office! It should backfire on them, but we aren't very smart in this country ! They like to keep us stupid so that's why education budgets are getting cut! We have no one to blame for this situation but ourselves! Let's not even bring up those morons in the Tea Party! They're just having a great time in DC screwing us all up! Lowering our credit rating is only the tip of their agenda it seems! "Thanks guys!" Losers!
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While leaving an event in DC last night, someone came up to him with their HD camera and asked him a simple question! O'Reilly ignores the guy saying "leave me alone," then actually pushes his umbrella into the face of the guy! He tried his best to spin this thing, but in the end he looks as small as he loves to pretend other people are perceived! After trying to get the guy arrested, it's on tape that he assaulted the guy! It's going nowhere and he's proved to be a real dork!"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/bill-oreilly-latest-target-of-video-activism/2011/12/08/gIQAptrKgO_blog.html?wprss=reliable-source
***O'Reilly doesn't need a sound bite like this to look silly. ...Bill was already irritated by the camera guys presence. Though I do agree that I didn't see any "companion" being involved in any way. Still, I'd hardly consider this hard proof that O'Reilly is an "arse". He does that pretty well on his show.***
Was O'Reilly congratulated for insulting all of Black America? He actually had the nerve to ask Dr. Hill if Obama's outreach had something to do with appearing on "Soul Train?" And he wonders why people think of him as a racist and bigot! What a tool!
***Fiero seen the beginning of that episode also. He did use the term Soul Train, but looked to me like ignorance; not realizing the show didn't even come on any more. I think it was Dr. Marc Hill.***
You are correct for a change! It wasn't Bill's lackey Juan Williams! Whenever O'Reilly needs to take cover, he drags out Juan to help him out! The "Silvia Restaurant" thing still burns my ass! Hard to believe Williams would let him get away with those stereotype and ignorant statements about blacks on his show! I was disgusted!
Talk about hypocrisy! O'Reilly sends his lackeys out to ambush people all the time; some not public figures! I still remember one of these trolls following a woman for 2 hours on a trip somewhere only to jump out and do the exact same thing! She had the nerve to disagree with Bill on an issue so that warranted a stalking incident like this! She should have filed charges against that ass-hole!
***The 10 Greatest Men's Seasons
ReplyDelete--------------------------------------------
- 1) R. Laver*- - - - 1969
- 2) R. Federer- - - 2006
- 3) N. Djokovic- - - 2011
- 4) J.P.McEnroe- - 1984
- 5) J. Connors- - - 1974
- 6) R. Federer- - - 2007
- 7) R. Nadal - - - - 2010
- 8) M. Wilander - - 1988
- 9) J. McEnroe - - - 1981
10) Bjorn Borg - - - 1979 - (from tennis.com)***
Sorry, we talked about Vilas' '77 before! It's been made almost invalid in comparison by his playing the B-tour! Connors, Borg, and the rest were playing the larger ATP events while Vilas hit those back alley clay events shown on PBS monday nights! His biggest competition was Brian Gottfried! Vilas even beat him in the FO final without Borg in the tourney!
This is one of those conditions where the numbers are exaggerated if not actually a big lie! That super fantastic win streak on clay didn't include Borg who was injured by the USO and had to withdraw against Stockton early with a shoulder injury! Connors had used up all his luck the previous year taking out Borg in 4 sets ('76)! Most of that list I can definitely stand behind! I'd probably put Laver's '62 season in there w/ his 1st Grand Slam!
I like Lendl making the list in '86! Martina N. & Ivan L. are the only players to win the year end championships twice in the same year! The women's normal WTA Chp. was earlier after the Avon / Virginia Slims Tour around March! They moved it to November so she won it twice; Graf and Mandlikova! Lendl won the normal Masters for '85 season in Jan.'86, but ATP also decided to move YEC to Nov.! I believe he beat Becker both times!
***I always considered Jan. Masters as a part of previous season (along with Dec. Aussie being a part of next season). Ivan's '86 was strong even without this double count. His '87 BTW is #12 on my list.
Other prominent seasons, which were mentioned here:
B. Borg - 1979 - #13
G. Vilas - 1977 - #14
R. Nadal - 2010 - #15
McEnroe - 1981 - #22
Wilander - 1988 - #24***
I'm impressed you haven't gotten swept up in Nadal mania and infused his name into the list somehow! I keep telling people to give it another couple years! I always think Borg's '78 was a bigger year winning the "Old World Triple" of Rome, FO, & Wimbledon, then taking the Master's the following Jan. over Gerulaitis and McEnroe!
***""...sans Rod Laver w/ 2 calender-year...(Grand Slams)" - That's why Roger is the faux GOAT.***
I'm just one of those old fogies that doesn't want to forget Laver! In his day he was truly great, but 3 of the 4 Slams were on grass! You just can't equate today's tennis to his era; same with Court in relation to Navratilova! If Laver had just won one of those classic WCT Finals vs his nemesis Ken Rosewall! They weren't telecast, but all commentary makes them 2 of the best men's matches ever; in that era anyway!
Sampras was our Faux GOAT until Roger took over! Anyone? I would think he'd make the top 10 once for his '96 season; 3 majors! It used to happen just once a decade with 3 majors for the men! It's almost common place now with Federer (3), Nadal (2), Connors, Wilander, and our latest club member Djokovic! Funny McEnroe makes the list twice, but only wins 2 majors! Who's next; Murray? NOT!
***Fox News admits Obama ahead! - Obama won't win b/c he's the Messiah or is universally loved but b/c the candidates the conservatives have put up against him are a bunch of clowns. Obama doesn't so much "win" as the Republicans will "lose" big time!***
ReplyDeleteReThuglicans around the country have been cutting their own throats by trying to limit or eliminate votes against them! Initiatives that hurt Unions; all of these stupid Koch Bros. plans have boomeranged on them! The voters will be coming out in force to vote down those lousy ideas in Ohio, Wisc. Florida, etc.! That's the only thing that saves this country, both sides always over-reach! The sad thing about what the ReThuglicans have been doing is hurting the country economically and politically even more than usual! The world is looking for our leadership and we can't pass the simplest bill without rancor! It's sad and pathetic and I've just about given up! It's only getting worse each election cycle! We're done!
***Gingrich Proposed the Death Penalty for Pot -- Even Though He Admitted to Smoking It***
Just one more reason he'll never even get close to winning; too often a "bomb thrower!" His words are still reverberating around the network! He's one of the most hateful, bigoted, racist SOB out there! He has no shame calling the President everything but the "N..word!" The list goes on and on with people he's insulted, questioned their patriotism, or thought they should be in prison when he's the one who's been censored and run out of office! He's has balls I give him that, but I think it has more to do with a mental illness! Only a sick man would blame his passion for his country for cheating on his wife! I hope you idiot Republicans push him to the top of the nomination! I was a kid, but even at 7, I thought Goldwater looked nuts! I see a repeat performance of 1964! What a collection of losers being pushed on us!
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I think the media fell off the honorable and legitimate side of journalism around the Clinton years! When you have 24/7 coverage about the president's schlong and a stain that may or may not have been on a dress, I lost all hope for them! They became tabloid after that, actually referencing them as a source on many occasions! I can still see someone like Cokie Roberts on "This Week" turning up her nose, but going right along with the rest talking about Clinton's organ! They have never recovered from that! Even legitimate news has passed them by! I had no idea the Occupy movement" had been going on for 3 weeks! If not for MSNBC we may still be wondering what was going on in New York last fall!
***I don't like just one GOAT ... I'd say a bunch of guys are equally GOAT and Rosewall is one of 'em; Tilden, Pancho, Fed, Laver, Borg ... all make "GOAT level" for me - - - Get back to me when Rafa has a 4-year stretch to compare with Fed's 2004 - 2007***
ReplyDeleteLet's stop with the "Nadal Goat" baloney! He hasn't and can't seem to defend a title outside of clay! I'm sure people think his record is impressive! It's stellar, but he has one Slam run; 6 FO in 7 years! Federer has 2; 5 straight Wimbledons and USO's! Even Borg has a higher rating with his 2 runs; 5 FO's & Wimbledons! Again outside of his clay dominance, what record does Nadal have to stand on to be called GOAT?
***Is Nadal past his prime - 6 cons. losses to Novak along with a few other players this season would point to that fact. ...Nadal's best chance is at the FO if someone can take Djokovic out. Fed's best chance at the FO is if someone or some ones can take both the other two guys out.
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No doubt Roger declined considerably, esp. in the foot speed dept. ...Under the right circumstances (fast surface; or overcast day on clay, when the ball does not jump high) he still can beat Nadal. Rafa himself is not speed demon he used to be. And if these circumstances materialize, it becomes ugly for Nadal very quickly.***
As usual you summed it up so well! I don't even need to comment! Some are thanking Gawd on that! lol! Not sure if Rafa has a 2nd act! What could he do to re-invent himself? He used himself up so fast, working so hard just to win a single point in every match! It's insane! He'll never last like Roger or Pete! Even Agassi didn't kill himself the way Rafa does out there day in and day out! I'm exhausted just thinking about it!
It's a wonder Nole is actually beating him at his own game; bouncing the ball, toweling off excessively, high tosses, going to the trainer w/ injury timeouts! I can watch those 6 matches over and over; Miami, IW, Rome, Madrid, Wimbledon, USO! Wow, what a year! Even Petey didn't have to deal with the top of the top players every major! He had his share of pigeons like Pioline, Phillipoussis, Martin, Chang, & Agassi!
***Nadal has been stubborn with his game-style. Every time i see him play, it would be---stand behind the baseline, and react. This only works with the non-top 10 nowadays. The players used to be overwhelmed with his speed and top spinners, but not anymore. They all have been training to counter attack the top spin. It showed in the Roger-Rafa WTF.***
***Men ITF World Champions - Honour Roll:
ReplyDelete---------------------------------------------------------------
- 2011: Novak Djokovic (SRB)
- 2010: Rafael Nadal (ESP)
- 2009: Roger Federer (SUI) - - - - *Federer (SUI)............5 times*
- 2008: Rafael Nadal (ESP)
- 2007: Roger Federer (SUI)
- 2006: Roger Federer (SUI)
- 2005: Roger Federer (SUI)
- 2004: Roger Federer (SUI)
- 2003: Andy Roddick (USA)
- 2002: Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
- 2001: Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
- 2000: Gustavo Kuerten (BRA)
- 1999: Andre Agassi (USA)
- 1998: Pete Sampras (USA) - - *(Sampras) (USA)........6 times*
- 1997: Pete Sampras (USA)
- 1996: Pete Sampras (USA)
- 1995: Pete Sampras (USA)
- 1994: Pete Sampras (USA)
- 1993: Pete Sampras (USA)
- 1992: Jim Courier (USA)
- 1991: Stefan Edberg (SWE)
- 1990: Ivan Lendl (TCH) - - *Lendl (TCH)........4 times*
- 1989: Boris Becker (GER)
- 1988: Mats Wilander (SWE)
- 1987: Ivan Lendl (TCH)
- 1986: Ivan Lendl (TCH)
- 1985: Ivan Lendl (TCH)
- 1984: John McEnroe (USA) - - - - *McEnroe (USA)..............3 times*
- 1983: John McEnroe (USA)
- 1982: Jimmy Connors (USA)
- 1981: John McEnroe (USA)
- 1980: Bjorn Borg (SWE) - - - - - - *Bjorn Borg (SWE)............3 times*
- 1979: Bjorn Borg (SWE)
- 1978: Bjorn Borg (SWE)***
I didn't keep up with Monica's stabbing, but from what I did read, she wouldn't go and testify against the guy! She did send the court a deposition with what little she thought she could contribute, but it wasn't enough for them! To me, I don't know what she could have said, she didn't see him, but that was the ruling! I think he got a couple years of mental care, then released; that's the law! What she should have been upset with was the WTA! They didn't seem to back her and make them do more! If they had threatened to eliminate some tourneys in Germany, I think they would have come around to humanity! Stabbing a little girl is not something you should be able to walk away from, I don't care how mentally "off" you are! It was a travesty and I never even liked watching Monica play! It made no sense; all sides are at fault in this scenario! I found it amazing the women were grumbling about her ranking being saved during her recovery! What a bunch of Fk'n bitches!
ReplyDelete***Fiero, there were thousands of witnesses to the crime plus it was captured on tape...Germany's justice system simply got it wrong in this case. - At the time, the majority of WTA players didn't like or support Monica. When Monica was out they seized the opportunities for more wins, Slams and money esp. Graf. It was more about money for the rest of the tour players b/c Graf gobbled up the Slam titles. Seles was largely resented by other tour players.***
Never been a fan of Graf's, but what can she say? Her closest rival, who about owned her everywhere except on grass, took advantage of this stabbing and padded her stats! If I were her I'd feel like a villain! I don't know how she could go about her business after such a thing! It truly was a "no win" situation, but her avoidance of the issue isn't helping even after almost 20 years! I think the entire WTA failed Monica and I was no fan of hers either! You couldn't pay me to watch one of those marathons she would get into with Capriati & Graf!
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***Lol at Serena haters. Are you serious? Show me where Peter Bodo and other ESPN sportswriters and those worldwide ever criticized Martina Navratilova when she hit her rackets against chair umpires in anger and berated them? Or is it because Serena is Black? Hypocrites.***
Oh please spare me! Martina has been discriminated against to the hilt! Hypocrites! She was the #1 player for years and didn't get a nat'l tv advert role until just a few years ago! Serena has been able to do all the things Martina was left out of; so give me a freakin' break! Play the victim somewhere else! Like I should feel sorry for some rich broad that has little self control? I don't think so!
***As always the apologist for Martina. Again, show me where Martina Navratilova was ever called low class. ...Don't give me the nonsensical someone is playing victim crap and empty rhetoric of her not getting endorsements. ...***
Where was I apologizing for anything? Just giving you the real facts! Martina was held back for only one reason; being gay! As much as we love to think Serena is being unfairly characterized, nothing and no one has stood in her way making 20 times more than Martina; having nothing to do with the era! She was "black balled" clear and simple! They punished her with their silence and no one standing up for her besides Billy Jean King! I just don't think you can compare the media's treatment of Martina with justified criticism for the way Serena's behaved her last 2 USO's! Besides the outburst of Williams went viral! Martina didn't play in an era of 24/7 coverage!
After '09, she should have been on her best behavior! She thought it necessary to over-react when she was already down in the match! She's supposed to be better than that; "Miss Religious!" That official was a lot more controlled, not to react which could have caused Serena more of a penalty! What a foolish little girl; well acting that way anyway!
***Patty LaBelle an icon? To me she represents a one hit wonder w/ Lady Marmalade...***
ReplyDeleteLaBelle has tons of hits believe it or not! I have several albums going back to one of my favorites during the disco era, "Music Is My Way Of Life!" Others from soundtrack of "Bev Hills Cop," 'Stir It Up' & 'New Attitude!" The list goes on, but I got tired of her free-lancing the classics, even the "Stars Bangled Banner!" - The poor backup got hosed! They were the ones wanting to break up the group since LaBelle was so loud, but both Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx only had a couple albums! To this day I still love SD's '78 hit, "Sinner Man" & NH's in '83, "Why Should I Cry?"
Her duets are long standing as well! "On My Own" w/ Michael McDonald is still being played relentlessly! People also forgot she's done movies along w/ tv; "A Soldiers Story & The Color Purple!" Oh I forgot stage, singing "The Acid Queen" role in an all-star rendition of "TOMMY" in LA! I can go on, but you get the idea!
***You have good taste JAYCIUM - Sinner Man is classic***
I'm still "big" on "strings!" Sarah's rendition of "Sinner Man" almost made me weep with those violins! That's probably why I was a huge fan of Barry White! His Love Unlimited Orchestra featured "strings!" As for the energy of music around that time, it was starting to slow down! Give me 400 BPM like "Romancing The Stone" by Eddie Grant any day, but most couldn't dance to it! Brainstorm's, "Loving Is Really My Game" another one too fast and high energy for people; add Star Love, BreakAway (Watson & Beasley)! It slowed down a lot with Patti Austin, James Ingram, Quincy Jones! I'm babbling now! I'm harking back too far; 30 years! - "Shindler's List" is something I've never seen, but love the music! It was featured a few times in figure skating performances 10 years ago! Irina Slutskaya of Russia had a great interpretation of it!
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I'm sorry, but the biggest gay icon in music has to be Donna Summer! She had a ton of albums and didn't cheat you with just a couple songs! You could play the entire album in the clubs! She didn't play around during those Georgio Moroder days! - "Bad Girls, Hot Stuff, Once Upon A Time, Rumour Has It, Love To Love You Baby, Working Hard For The Money, Spring Affair"...double albums too! She's was extraordinary with "some" pipes to this day! She's still creating!
I loved AC's, "Romeo & Juliette" so much, I worked, hovered over, and babied a transmission of the song over Napster 10 years ago! I had dial-up at the time so at any time I could have lost the connection and work would have been for naught! It took about 2 1/2 hours on "football sunday!" That was a classic dance hit running the entire side of an album; about 20 min.! It's a shame the whole track isn't here; violins and other strings were almost orgasmic! "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame" wasn't as well received, but Love & Kisses was highly regarded around that time of the late 70's and early 80's! There was such a backlash against disco only the gay clubs really supported the format! I still remember those idiots in Chicago blowing up a ton of disco albums at White Sox's, Cominsky Park in '79! They had to forfeit the 2nd game of a double header! They destroyed the field! MORONS!
***Stosur making it to Brisbane QFs would be a feat in itself to "re-match against Serena...remember that she is a fluke slam winner with a poor record.***
ReplyDeleteWhat does that say about Serena to allow this to happen? She was on a winning streak, won a couple of Pre-USO tourneys, was favored, let a rule/call go against her that she's perfectly aware of, then lose in "straights!" For the people who keep trying to elevate her to GOAT status; hopefully this is a wake-up call for you!
***In exh. I saw, Nadal barely smiled during his singles play with Federer. On the other hand Federer was relaxed, laughing and attempting a lot of difficult shots the entire time, not trick shots per se, but definitely gunning for the lines on tough redirects... coming to the net on less than ideal approach shots. He was clearly hamming it up while Nadal seemed more or less like business as usual.***
That's one of the main reason I've never liked Nadal! No one seems to be as unhappy on the court as he appears day in and day out! He's all business and it's offensive going along with the rest of his act; toweling off, bouncing balls excessively, calling the trainer when in serious trouble against an opponent, and challenging call after call as if he's the only one that can see! He's wrong almost all the time! What an idiot!
***I saw Martina and Chris play an exh. and it was meaningless. Neither one gave a rip and it was obvious to the fans they were both there merely to pick up a fat check. - They played 1/2 to 3/4 speed and the loser of the 1st set tanked when the score was getting close in the 2nd so they wouldn't have to play a 3rd.***
Nothing new here! That's how tennis cam end up in an exh. setting! It's very easy to choreograph a match down to the score! I played my dentist in the 2nd round of a club tourney! He was a fairly decent player, but even at 18, I "chipped and charged" him right off the court! To save face I allowed the score to look better, 7-5, 7-5 winning the last 5 games!
***Detroit the youngest team in the NFL is in the playoffs. - second youngest team and also happen to be the defending SB champ.. - - I don't really put much stock in the whole youth thing either.***
ReplyDeleteHistory may not repeat itself, but the Bears were in the exact same position after Superbowl XX being the 2nd youngest team! They had had a great record of 15-1, won SB, had a 14-2 record subsequently, but were knocked out easily by Washington at home! "Beware Aaron!" KC should still be in his mind; anything can happen!
The Lions haven't had anything to "puff themselves up" about since Barry Sanders so I'll give them a break! When you're fighting off win-less seasons, anything like this one is going to make them a little over-confident! Off the top of my head, they really didn't beat anyone with a winning record! Dallas is just .500 as of tonight!
***Why are there so many Packer fans that diss on Farve?***
Favre did it to himself; showing up when he felt like it, not make a decision if he was coming back or not in a timely fashion, and they had Aaron being patient waiting for his turn! It was either dump Favre or lose their future with Rodgers! I would have left myself if I had been Rodgers if Brett had come back one more year!
***Are the 2011 Broncos the worst playoff team ever?***
Hard to believe that a .500 team is worse than one that made the playoffs with a losing record in Seattle, but they were a lot better team! It wasn't that they won a playoff game that makes me feel that way! No playoff team in history is going in looking this bad with one of the most overrated QB and defense known to man! lol! Losing those last 3 games won't keep Skip "Clueless" from touting him as "just a winner!" On 'First Take' tomorrow, he's going to be insufferable trying to defend his BOY! I wonder how he'll explain his choice of the Cowboys over The Giants as well! What an idiot!
***Rodgers and Brees are system quarterbacks. - Plug in the 2nd string guy and he does better than the 1st string guy.***
Are you for real? What do you think Montana did all his years? It was called a system! Gawd help us from TROLLS! - That may be true, but that's the way it's supposed to happen! When Jim Kelly went down 20 years ago, he had a more than competent replacement winning a playoff game for him! Nothing new babe! What's pathetic is when a system does a team no good! Look at Indy; how pathetic can they be without their QB? That's more than ridiculous!
***That system was created for Manning alone for the plays and throws and schemes he can thrive in. That's why not many QB's would do well in his system. Would Favre have called plays for Rodgers?***
Favre's ego wouldn't allow it! He wouldn't be sitting on the sidelines! He'd insert himself with a broken leg! We already know he wouldn't sit down with a bicep injury his year with the Jets! He's just TOO full of himself to even offer help to another QB! Skip Bayless of "First Take" gives him license to behave like that!
***Anyone see Stephen A. Smith destroy Bayless this morning? - It was extra special this week b/c Tebow was awful and Skip predicted Romo would outplay Eli in NY last night.***
ReplyDeleteTrue enough! You can't get over on Skip though! He won't accept it! He'll deflect, make excuses, and overall pretty much just remain oblivious to being "schooled!" I was a big fan of 'Clueless,' but these last couple years have shown him to be more than a little deluded, full of himself, and unapologetic when caught in a dumb prediction! He's really oblivious to being wrong and rises above it with a smirk, a shrug of the shoulders, and an insult of some sort at his detractors!
***I think that the Packers are a worse #1 seed. They have the worst defense in the entire history of the NFL.***
Being from Chicago, you would think I would agree about the Packers, but NO; Chicago is the worst #1 seed ever! I go back to the 80's with a SB under their belt and a 14-2 record in '86 losing to only 2 teams above .500 clubs, they were weaker! Redskins filleted them. They've had so many games as a home fave and lost to team after team that had no business winning! Lovie's 13-3 records are all mirages and they go down almost every time!
***At the end of day 8-8 is 8-8. At least the Jets and Cowboys were still in it the final week. Which team is more the joke though?***
I give the Jets a pass since being in the AFC is so much more difficult to wade thru! Dallas lost games thru sheer incompetence! Icing your own kicker was only one of many bad moves by the coaching staff! People like Skip Bayless keep talking about how great Romo's stats are, but neglects to point out when he goes off the rails! Losing games with 2 or 3 TD leads isn't all on the defense if he's throwing interceptions!
***Was the Tuscon shootings a year ago the lowest point for the news media in American History?***
ReplyDeleteYou're being kind! I think the media fell off the honorable and legitimate side of journalism around the Clinton years! When you have 24/7 coverage about the president's schlong and a stain that may or may not have been on a dress, I lost all hope with them! They became tabloid after that, actually referencing them as a source on many occasions! I can still see someone like Cokie Roberts on "This Week" turning up her nose, but going right along with the rest talking about Clinton's organ! They have never recovered from that! Even legitimate news has passed them by! I had no idea the "Occupy movement" had been going on for 3 weeks! If not for MSNBC we may still be wondering what was going on in New York last fall!
What so ridiculous about this whole liberal media BS is that "it's the conservatives" that own all these tv stations and newspapers! They don't allow too much of what "FOX NEWS" is about because they know no one will buy it on a huge scale! All of us aren't as dumb as those losers who are so ill-informed it's sickening!
***The observation that the liberal media is owned by conservatives just goes to show you that the owners are not driving the narrative.***
Studies and polls also tell us that their viewers are even less informed than people who don't watch news at all! lol! Now that's the truth! You can't tell me any different because I do watch it! I never miss "Fox New Watch" and the Fox News All-Stars during Brett Baier's show and Chris Wallace on sunday! The conservatives are so full of themselves and their beliefs they can't keep a straight face! Carl ### and Jim Pinkerton should be embarrassed saying some of the stuff they do about Obama and Democrats in general! Republicans can do no wrong in their books!
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***Ah yes....Pat Robertson....racist, hateful, disdainful of any type of other-ness. I'm sure his "God" is indeed a Republican.***
I just wish the level of delusion was isolated to people like Robertson, but that isn't the case! It's political and people understand it, but the claims of the latest Republican candidates are certifiable! Listening to Gingrich the job growth we're experiencing can be attributed to the theories and actions of Ronald Reagan! Needless to say Keith Olbermann went off; "aaaaaahh, Ronald Reagan is creating jobs from beyond the grave!" lol! Santorum claims the good numbers should be credited to the Republicans taking back the White House next year! I'm so embarrassed by these people! Heaven knows I wouldn't vote for them to catch stray dogs and cats, but they make the country look so bad! We have the nerve to criticize and demand other countries take care of their business and we can't pass a simple budget! It's been over 3 years since the last, full year budget was passed! No one talks about the intransigence of the "right," pretty much going on a "jihad" against the middle class, unions, Planned Parenthood, Acorn, & of course the President himself! All you can do is shake your head; of course vote these fools out next term!
***Suggs VS Bayless this morning on "First Take" ...***
ReplyDeleteIt was unwatchable! They were like a couple of 12 year old girls trying to 'one up' each other! It was pathetic! Suggs backs up most of his bluster, but "Clueless" spent the entire time trying to goad him into dissing his QB! It was quite juvenile like what else is Suggs supposed to do, question Flaco's heart just to pacify Skip's rant? He's really getting on my nerves with the constant Tebow cheer-leading and excuse tour! I thought after Favre was long gone, he'd get off his knees, but he's still pumping up Brett as if he could come back in the league now! He's getting harder and harder to watch on "First Take!"
***I still laugh at people who say T.O. is not 1st ballot HOF b/c of character***
Without reading any of this garbage, I'm going to just end it saying this is the most ridiculous thread I've seen today! I'm NO fan of Terrell's, but I'm not going to overlook his ability because he's an egomaniac and a disruptive force! The guy was a winner, worked out diligently, and made others better around him at times! He has all the numbers so nothing else can be expected but for him to be a 1st ballot HOF'r! If you want to go back and litigate character, let's call out Lawrence Taylor right now! His behavior and reputation during and after he left the NFL has been tainted with drugs, hookers, and more! TO has had none of that going on! TO must have some demons, but they haven't manifested into being a violent, drug induced goon! How can we even dispute his entry?
***Good Point, Fiero. TO wasn't in trouble with the law, while his on-the-field #s are about as good as they get, after Jerry Rice. He's a better player than some of receivers who have already reached Canton. The man could play football, and produced at a high level...***
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I don't know why Willbon is being taken seriously on this topic of "system QB's? He's from Chicago like me! It's just hatin' in a mild way concerning The Packers! We're jealous that little ol' GB can have 3 HOF QB's right after each other and we can't get one in 50 years!
**Henin with no periods of dominance...SERENA the greatest of her generation***
ReplyDelete....and so it continues! The faux pounding of chest ...! - I guess you guys have to keep dealing with some sort of complex in comparison to the true greats of the game; Navratilova, Graf, Court, Evert, & Connolly! I'm sorry I just can't give total credit to someone who played part time! People can rant about health, injury, and accidents, but it's all coming out now! "Full Desire" wasn't at the levels of these other champions; she said it herself! It's the same reason I don't give Nadal as much credit as some here! He doesn't defend titles off of clay; more a specialist! The other true greats weren't limited! Borg won on grass and clay with some serious runs at both the FO and Wimbledon! Connors won the USO on 3 different surfaces holding many ATP records! Federer and Sampras obviously have the better numbers with strings of majors Rafa is woefully lacking! I'm gonna give him a little more time to prove something! It's almost over for both Serena and Nadal! I'm not sure what they can do to get "over the hump" you guys think would put them in elite company! They are "now," but it's fairly easy to argue against them being no higher than #5 or #6 all time!
***lol..A clay specialist with a career Golden Slam. FiFi is a hoot!***
So does Agassi! You ready to give him GOAT status too?
***I never give him goat status. Roger's the goat in my eyes..Nadal simply owns him.***
Most players have someone that "owns them!" Back in the day Borg owned outright; Gerulaitis, Solomon, Dibbs, & Vilas! If Nadal and Federer had been the same age, I might have given some credence to your argument, but we're talking about grinding it out on clay when Roger was a lot older; in tennis years! He still held his own taking Rafa to the limit at more than a couple of those FO's; even last year at 30!
***Such narrow-minded, rabid Wms. fans out there.***
There's a sense of inadequacy that compels them to go out and tear down other players to pump themselves up along with their fave! It's quite irrational to see the same thread promoting Serena as the best of her era again and again! That's not saying very much for her or the WTA since she has been a "part time" player for so many of those years! Some disparage Martina's accomplishment making out her level of competition wasn't as high! You can only play who's out there at the time! Her presence was felt for a longer stretch, but who's counting? ...errrr; 30 years finishing with a USO mx. dub. title w/ Bryan! Ooopps, am I promoting too much? I'm such a hypocrite! I'm just very proud of her going thru contemporaries like Court, Evert, King, Goolagong, Wade, Graf, Seles, Sabatini, & Mandlikova!
***Sam Stosur is a horrible USO fluke taking out Serena.***
ReplyDeleteTalk about being in total denial! Sheessshh! Trying to diminish the win of a seasoned veteran is awful! I suppose anyone that happens to win a major after 28 should give the match to the more accomplished player and stay quiet! I'm always happy to see something like this happen periodical! It doesn't say very much about the WTA if it doesn't happen ever! It had to be a "feel good" story for Jana Novotna fans and others alike in '98 at Wimbledon! Was that a fluke? Should she turn in her Wimbledon plate to placate you guys?
For years I've been wondering about the men allowing Federer, Nadal, & Djokovic to own this past decade! We had an honorable mention of Del Po taking '09 USO, but I've been very disappointed that they haven't been pushed more! Murray's been a disgrace! I doubt even Lendl can straighten out his way of trying to win! Back in the golden age of men's tennis you might have 12 players with a major; late 80's and 90's! That may not happen again in my lifetime! Both the men and the women will be lacking "true winners!" Too few of them around right now!
***"However, the only difference between the clay in Paris and the grass in Wimbledon is the length of the rally - ball bashing still takes place"***
Watching the men's Wimbledon final was hilarious in that respect! You had all this worn grass on the baseline with plush carpeting over the rest of the court! They've really gone too far in making grass just another venue for ball bashing from the baseline! I'm disgusted! Serve and volley is a thing of the past I guess; for now! I'll stick to watching classic matches more! My tape collection is huge going back to '82 Wimbledon in Beta format!
***Anyone who understands pro tennis knows that it's highly likely that Murr will win at least one slam, probably more ... Same thing happened with Lendl and Agassi, all the casual fans saying they could never win one.***
You might give him one, but "probably more?" I don't think so! As long as the big 3 are around, forget it! His window is closing! The way Andy plays will eventually break him down! He works too hard to come up with amazing "gets" against players he should beat fairly easily! He makes his matches more difficult than they should; hence he won't last much longer! Same for Nadal! OBTW, Agassi the biggest "underachiever" of all time! Those early GS final loses can't be explained by anything else but that; Gomez, an unknown Sampras, & Courier! Lendl at least lost his matches to McEnroe, Connors, Becker, Edberg, & other established champions! He always maxed out his abilities!
***I just don't understand why Murray becomes so passive when playing with Nadal." - B/c Nadal plays him more aggressively and makes him passive. ...***
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised you think that way! Nadal's the "king of passive play" and you say he's making Murray passive! It's a state of mind! He's playing exactly like he wants to; hanging back, letting you punch yourself out, and making amazing "gets!" Compared to past generations, these :gets" aren't that special anymore! If you're holding onto the racket with 3 fingers and can just touch the ball, you have a good chance to get the ball back into play! Since players are hugging the baseline like their mother's tit during feeding, points go on forever unnecessarily!
I'm just amazed how the top players like Nole or Roger will hit a great shot, sit there admiring it, rather than pushing forward and knocking off weak replies! Annacone was hired a while back and Roger still isn't pressing the issue! He's getting old and thinks he can just stay out there rolling backhands with the other players!! Federer hasn't lost it by any means, but I don't think he's playing as well as he could due to his stubbornness trying to play as he always has in the past! He really did model his game after Sampras!
I watched that '95 AO quarter with him and Courier! Pete came back from 2 sets down, pounding serves, rolling his backhand, and attacking the net at will! For some strange reason, Roger isn't pushing forward more! Is he afraid of those passing shots from Nole and Rafa? What is it? He has a real chance of taking the #1 ranking back with no points to defend early! Finishing so strong, it's all on him! Nole will go on hiatus which isn't going to help him! He thinks he needs to rest up, but every time I listen to commentators, they say he needs the match play and will probably start back sluggishly after the feb. layoff!
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***Murray is better than a lot of past Slam winners. The problem is that his prime coincides with a tough era. The other 3 of the “Big 4” are better. It does not mean that he has no hope. But he needs luck on his side.***
You know we've talked about this subject before! We've commented on past eras being stronger because there were so many different winners of majors! The thing is we had so many different winners because they had so many weaknesses! A lot of it had to do with overall talent with obvious examples like Sampras, but he never played a FO final! Yearly he was "gifting" this title to another player and we still wanted to give him GOAT status! You also had players who were more selective; some only going to the FO and AO a couple times! Again, those titles are being gifted to another player!
Edberg is the extreme example of today; like Federer he didn't miss majors! Federer is a warrior and thought he could win the FO so he always went there and made final after final! I wished Edberg had rested during that part of the season! He would have won more majors; I think! He wasted mental and physical energy better utilized at Wimbledon and the USO! Just making that lone FO in '89 vs Chang cost him against Becker at Wimbledon! He should have had 4 or 5 in a row easily, but for that exhausting 5 setter in Paris!
Now we have a situation where the TOP 3 are so strong and have no real weaknesses, they won't share any stray major titles as in past eras! Del Po the only one to break through in years! I think we have many players today that should win, but with Fed, Nole, or Rafa playing, it's more likely to go to one of them! It's unfortunate players like Tsonga, Murray, Del Po, Ferrer, & many others are playing in this era! They would all have titles but for these elite guys!
Clueless? I'm sorry, but you can say that about 90% of people! My own mother wasn't aware of the Tuskegee experiment and what they did to those men! Today's kids don't have a clue! When I was in school, you actually had black men hanging from trees in real pictures with people huddled around like it was a sporting event! Today they are squashing the true history with so many books being produced in Texas! The Founding Fathers are being excised to a point! Michelle Bachman says they worked tirelessly to eliminate slavery not understanding they all had slaves! Our kids and the adults are just going to get dumber unfortunately! I wish I knew why people are surprised?
ReplyDeleteEvery time I hear about some kid being "smart and special," I have to question the pronouncement; most likely total BS from a parent! These people aren't smart enough to get out of the rain sometime! It's truly pathetic we've dropped to #23 or lower in educating our kids in math and science in the western world! What happened? Well I do know Republicans seem to want to keep us uninformed and dumb! They hate the teachers' union and public school in general! Such idiocy! I gave up when we put Bush back in office in '04! We were done pretty much then! We still haven't recovered from those horrible 8 years we inflicted on ourselves!
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***Dom Imus intended to call some girls ugly. The intent of Martin comment seems to be worse than that. - Using your logic Biden should not have been VP for calling Obama "clean and articulate." ...The double standard is when the "left" makes insensitive comments, they are forgiven.***
There is a double standard, but it's earned thru blood, sweat, and tears! The liberal "left" can be too PC at times, but if they slip it's nothing like some of things said coming from the Republican "right!" I have very little sympathy for a group that actually uses race relations to divide and alienate the electorate! It wasn't a northern principality that was holding onto a Confederate flag on their state house! It isn't a liberal governor talking about seceding from the Union! Who was it that fought tooth and nail to undermine or even stop a national holiday to honor MLK? I doubt it was a mayor from NY or Chicago! Get your act together "down there" and stop playing race games, then the "right" won't be accused of anything sinister! They bring it on themselves!
***Actually I hear 90% of the players are wondering why Federer is breaking ranks w/ the tour players. - ...If Federer and Nadal were on opposite sides of this matter, half of you would change your opinion, which is sad!***
ReplyDeleteSorry but the crocodile tears won't fall for those top players! All they can do is whine about how tired they are when no one's putting a gun to their head to play! The other pros need more income to survive! All the top players care about is cutting down their schedule so they can play longer and collect all the benefits! I'm sorry, but that's the way it is! Either get the majors to pay more to the lower ranked players or "trickle down-Reaganomic" the top ranks! We all know neither is going to happen anytime soon!
Brad mentioned it last night; players ranked 30-100 are barely "breaking even" with expenses, coaches, etc! Hard to believe we're hearing complaints now when the top 10 barely cleared $200,000 in the mid 70's! Last I looked both Nadal and Federer are well over $50 million on the court alone! Ya think they might pump up the ATP pensions a little for the less fortunate players? Something strange is going on; Brad complaining about getting less than he put in! Doesn't sound like much in the way of a decent pension!
***Murray will never win a major.***
He had his chance and wouldn't press the issue in the clutch! You can't just sit out trying to rally with the top 3 players! You have to take it to them! Murray still isn't coming in to finish off points! He really "gets off" on running down long points with highlight reel winning plays! It's ok if you actually win most of those points, but if you don't, you've just tired yourself out for the next game or 2! It's a ridiculous way of playing when we all know he can volley well!
***Yeah I don't get that Murray is so all court, but loves to stay back so much. ...I'll never put money on him until he actually wins one.
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What's his record against the "Elites" in Slams?***
Pretty bad actually only taking out Rafa once at the USO; injured or just plain tired I'm told! Shocking! Normally Murray loses these things in straights! He's obviously worked hard to get to this point, but he's still holding back! He has to venture to the net to do more than shake hands!
***MURRAY HAS NOT BEATEN AN ELITE IN A SLAM SINCE AUSSIE OPEN 2010 (AKA INJURED NADAL)!...***
It's just not noteworthy if Murray takes out Nadal at the AO or USO! Rafa has traditionally not been ready for early or late majors in the season; 1 each! That's truly sad for the FAUX Goat!
***Federer will never win another major - "...Indeed, his failure to win a major for so long is not from as you say, a "lack of trying."***
ReplyDeleteIf 2 years is a long time without a major win, why is Sharapova "Empress?" She goes 3 years at least between that feat! The men have a reason with the top 3 being so much more superior in winning most of the biggies, while Maria has no such excuse besides herself! Both Serena and Venus have been part time at best, Caroline has no real weapons, Aza is weak mentally, & the others can't seem to hold off veterans like Li, Schiavone, & Stosur! It's kind of pathetic on the ladies' side of things!
***Too bad Djok won't have much in the tank for the match with Rafa. He benefits from a cupcake draw yet again.***
I wouldn't call taking Fed out in the semi a cupcake draw, but point taken, he didn't have much in his path! Neither has Djokovic until the semi, so this match with Murray may be just what he needed! If he can deal with the artistry, power, and touch of Murray, he should be able to handle the blunt force power of Nadal! True enough he may have little in the tank, but how many times has he overcome problems with his hip, arm, & back? He doesn't want to give up his psychological edge over his favorite pigeon! I think he'd rather give it up to Murray than Rafa!
***After watching the last 2 Slam finals btw these 2, all I can say is that the ATP had better speed up the grass and hard courts or they are going to shorten a lot careers due to burnout and injuries.***
That's why I have no sympathy for the players! They are playing this mildly defensive type of tennis from the baseline, staying out there routinely for 3+ hours, and complained about surfaces which have now been altered to enable this type of play! That was obscene at Wimbledon to see the treads on the baseline with pristine grass inside the service lines! You know they went too far if you're allowed to get away with that! Borg back in the 70's was one thing, but he at least had people who attacked the net; even Connors! I never want to hear about people being tired or hurt setting up these conditions to proves who's more fit rather than best tennis player!
I wish I knew why people think the level of play won't go down for players like Fed and Rafa? It's ridiculous! They have been at the top taking most, if not all the majors for years! There has to be a changing of the guard sooner or later! It might as well occur now since Fed can't seem to compete outside of an indoor court vs Nadal! Someone has to take down the FAUX Goat who hasn't won much off of clay and has NEVER defended a title of the dirt! That's truly ridiculous with talk of Goat-dom!
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***So Rafa should just quit tennis b/c he only won 1 of the last 4 Slams. ...Dokovic has raised his game to a higher authority; he’s just damn amazing. It’s his time, however; it’s a cycle, the same as Federer and Nadal’s was, the question is for how long. ...Rafa is still #2 in the world.***
Hey, I hope Nadal tries to hang on and see him deteriorate before our eyes! That type of player just isn't impressive to me these days! Nole has taken it to a new level, but only to counteract the BS perpetrated by Nadal! He's always running psyche games and he's getting it turned back on him by Nole! That's what makes these matches worth watching; just to see the confusion and frustration of a player I've had so little respect for from the start! He's no BORG; never will be! He didn't need to stall, get ready when he felt like it, and make others wait for him!
***What does Djokovic have to improve to stay consistent***
Nole needs to finish off games and sets without giving his opponent hope! How many times does he get a 40-L or L-40 edge in a game then either struggle to take it or allow opponent to do so! It happens too many times, esp. if the set is tight like the 4th! He was in complete control, but let it get too late and his psyche allowed Nadal to take it! Rafa contributed to that pressure of course, but Nole sometimes forgets his game plan then sets himself up to fail for a game or 2 at crucial times! That tie-breaker loss was inexcusable with a lead like that serving for it! He almost gave it all back!
***Before, Djokovic (2011) became hot; many said Nadal (2010) was definitely going to catch Federer. Federer (16), Nadal (10), Djokovic (5); all that needs to happen is for maybe a Murray or anyone else to become competitive. ... Djokovic, like Federer and Nadal did, will eventually get some competition. Nadal certainly did not see Djokovic coming in 2010, nor did anyone else.***
ReplyDeleteI never thought Nadal would catch Roger! After all these years, he's still only defended a title off of clay since "Never!" The FO is the only major on clay, so you're thinking he can make up that deficit with 5 or 6 more? lol! It's a thought; a crazy one, but a thought nonetheless! As long as Rafa struggles at the beginning and end of the season, he'll remain behind the true GOAT! Murray and others will begin to challenge him when he runs out of gas and that will be it in my mind's eye!
***Novak was just too good yesterday. Despite loss, Nadal is on right track.***
Funny I don't think Nole played that well! That was a normal played match with little exceptions to note besides his endurance to play 5 tough sets! He double faulted at crucial times, hit into Nadal's forehand more than normal, and allowed himself to be broken at the worst possible time; serving for the set in the tie-breaker and then again up a break in the 5th! I haven't even brought up the 0-40 break point opportunities lost!
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We've talked about this before! Some match-ups just can't be overcome making one player a "pigeon!" This is an extreme case with Federer which is kinda hard to put in this category! There's too much of an age discrepancy and Nadal only dominates on one surface where most of his wins have come; CLAY! I've been of a mind that Federer is probably as good as he ever was, but the fear factor is gone! He doesn't get those gift couple of games per set due to his aura! He's also very stubborn, seeing that he's hitting the ball as well as he ever has, but refuses to push forward more as Annacone has to be coaching him! I see him time and time again trying to rally with all these kids out there; winning, but with a lot of effort! All too often he should have attacked more and cut off some of those long points!
He's just hurting his endurance by continuing to win points from the baseline with great stroke production! All fine and good if it works, but you can't get away with that with the other top 3; Nadal, Nole, & Murray! I truly believe Fed should have won a couple more majors but for his own "stubbornness" trying to overpower kids that have no fear of him! He's only hurting himself in the end! Last year's FO was his for the taking, but he reverted to old tactic of rolling his backhand into Rafa's forehand making him really work hard; too hard! Even on grass he's not attacking enough! True, you might get decapitated by one of these wild passing shots people can hit with so little effort, but you give yourself more of a chance to win! Martina proved with her longevity, if you play smart and attack, you'll last longer and win more, well into your 30's!
I know you're entitled to your opinion, but I keep trying to bring sanity to this emotional choice of Rafa as some kind perennial top 10'r; sorry, NO! He's had a good run at one tourney; on clay in France! He's yet to defend a single title on hard court, grass, or carpet with many others who have won more Wimbledons and USO's! These numbers can't be denied, but I do agree if Novak hadn't gotten his act together, he might have surpassed Fed in #'s, but not deeds! Rafa is far from the worst #1, but we're getting caught up in emotion rather than reality!
ReplyDeleteWe've seen records crash and burn these last few years that had withstood for years and it's still amazing to see it happen! You have so few people that have won 3 majors in a year and now it's almost routine! These #1's are a lot better than past ones besides Sampras, Laver, Connors, McEnroe, Borg, Agassi, & Lendl! The next wave might be Becker, Edberg, & Rafter; just off the top of my head!
***History shows when a player has played about 600 matches, it isn't a question of IF he will decline, but how fast-and Butt Picker passed that mark last year. People who point out that he's only 25 overlook the facts that a) he came onto the tour noticeably earlier than average and b) he won a lot, meaning he played more matches than the average player his age. Both of those facts mean that he's an "old" 25, esp. when you factor in his lovely playing style, which isn't exactly easy on the body.***
It's like beating your head against the wall! lol! Borg retired at 26 as well! People seem to forget players can't hang on like they used to well into their 30's! You have a few exceptions, but that's the rule; 600 matches is as good a number to note upon a players decline as any! It all adds up no matter what the age! The more you win, the more you play and with as hard as it is for Nadal to win over the lowest ranked players on surfaces other than clay, he's only shortening his own career! The drop will be precipitous; mark my words! The usual injuries and needing time to prepare won't wash forever! No one will be listening; we've heard it before all too often!
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I was shocked neither called a trainer! It had become part of the expected show since Nadal started it vs Federer! I'm sorry, but the officials have got to start cracking down on time btw points and games! It has gotten ridiculous; more than ridiculous even with the ladies! These matches wouldn't last half this long if you made these people get back to the line and serve!
Martina Navratilova played a classic USO semi-final in '86 vs Graf and it barely got to 2:15; w/ 2 tiebreakers! With these latest turtles that would cover maybe a set and a half! If you make them get going sooner btw points, maybe one will start making errors which would quicken these stupid ass matches! I'm not impressed or looking forward to anymore 5 or 6 hour marathons! 3 hours was pushing it for me; now that's routine! In my day, it just wasn't unusual for matches to be done in an hour; 1 1/2 max! This is unbelievable and sickening now! Mark my words, it will kill the sport except for the true die-hards!
***Nadal is still active and is only 25 years old, so still has time to add to his titles. Nonetheless; what he has accomplished is impressive, FO six title 4 cons. then a break and 2 back to back. He also has 2 W's 2008 and 2010 and was unable to participate in 2009 and 1 AO title, plus the 2008 Olympic gold. - You also had Lendl in your first post and his record is USO '85-'87, AO '89, '90, FO '84, '86, '87, and is no better than Nadal; still a work in progress. - Oh you also had Connors, which I haven't checked his records, but I don't think he had multiple runs of slams as Federer and Borg.***
ReplyDeleteWe talked about that last week; Nadal may already be past it! Someone noted that after 600 matches, it's only a matter of time when the person has to retire! He's 25, but people forget he started rather young! He reached that 600 match plateau last year! It's all downhill after that babe! How soon we forget Borg; 26 and gone from the game! It's called being burned out! If he would go into the net and cut off some of these points, maybe he can hang on longer!
Connors just had the longevity that's quite rare these days! Agassi's the only one well over 30 to make it to #1 in recent memory! Lendl played 8 straight USO's winning 3! Those are almost better than Nadal #'s at a major! That run almost dwarfs Roger's 5 straight wins making 6 finals!
***Rafa: 10 wins out of 15 ----> 66%
Federer: 16 wins out of 23---> 70%.
And actually outside of FO, his records in finals:
1- AO: 1 win 1 loss----> 50%.
2- W: 2 wins 3 losses---> 40%.
3- USopen: 1 win 1 loss ---> 50%.***
Seems impressive regardless of the light who want to shine on the record! Both Rafa and Roger are close "to the end!" Rafa will not catch him, esp. with Nole coming into his own! I'm getting worried about the future of men's tennis! We've had this same top echelon with some "weak reserves" set to take their place! Focusing on Nadal, Fed, & Djok. made me overlook how old the rest of the ATP has gotten! Will they be led by a Hewitt-clone, Dopo? Berdych, Murray, Monfils, Ferrer, Soderling, and the rest unfortunately had to deal with these top flight players! Who is coming up to take their places in the coming years?
***Why is the US Davis Cup win over Switzerland not bigger news?...***
ReplyDeleteCongrats are in order, but we shouldn't be surprised at the reaction! Roger is going to get every benefit of the doubt and our own press becomes complicit when more isn't made of this huge upset! Population means nothing; proved again and again w/ Sweden, Belgium, and other small principalities who produce tennis phenoms! With our population, we should have more going on, but we don't! Where's the next Jennifer Capriati, Wms sisters, Courier, & Agassi? Isner might come into his own, but I think his height, playing these marathon matches will catch up with him sooner or later! I wouldn't count Federer out! Last year's season ending "kick" was something to behold after he had been written off after the FO final and disappointing Wimbledon! At 30, he's still dangerous esp. on HC!
***True about Federer at 30, Fiero. But why don't you have the same take for Serena at 30?***
You have to be on the court to actually compete! Pls don't come back with injuries and heart stopping drama & other health issues! Everyone has a story! I just hold a top player to a higher standard! S. Williams is resting on laurels from the past! It's may or may not be intentional, but the history books don't care! Right now I'm feeling as if she's just hanging on to play in the Olympics! Her half hearted efforts since the USO should tell us a lot; esp. in Fed Cup!
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Been a while since I looked at the '68 USO draw to see how Wade and Ashe overcame all and won the 1st "open" tournament at Forest Hills! The men had more upsets; "predictable!" Even going into the 80's, the top female players normally made it through to the quarters! Evert may have been considered great, but the women were laying down on the job allowing a base-liner to take a major every season for over 10 years! That just doesn't happen with men's tennis! Unfortunately there's more parity in the game, but it's almost embarrassing no one has taken the WTA by the throat and made a real name for themselves in the history books! Having Sharapova anywhere near the top ranks doesn't say much for the game playing part time!
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Graf was hardly a fave of mines, but she was dedicated regardless of my feelings! I don't see that with the Williams'! They've taken offense at criticisms, calling it racist when the same comments can be applied to Masha, Anna I., and a few other top players that can't stay on the court! Wozniaki has been massacred inside and out by everyone concerned! Where's the racism? As for Serena, 12 majors over 13 years is good, not great since she wasn't even on the court several of those years! That's why I use the term under-achieving! Both Venus and Serena should have won so much more IMO!
***Can Federer get the number 2 ranking by Wimbledon?***
ReplyDeleteAfter the WTF and before the Aussie, we were talking about Roger taking over #1! What happened that he can't at least get back to #2? Remember he doesn't have very many points at all to defend before the FO! The one most likely to drop is Rafa of course; Nole too well ahead in points at the moment to drop himself anytime this season! All the pressure's been put on Rafa to hold on it seems rather than Nole being stressed to retain #1! Psychological he's taken the advantage over everyone! He doesn't let a close set loss bring him down! Fact is if a 7-5 or 7-6 set slips away, he usually comes back with a very strong start in the next one! Is Murray in the conversation to do anything?
***In '08, when Nadal started to make his move on Fed and trying to reach #1, Djokovic won the '08 AO, Nadal won the '08 FO & Wimbledon and Fed won the USO. Note: Nadal 2 of 4.
In '09, Nadal won the AO, Fed won the FO & Wimbledon and Del Po won the USO. Note: Federer 2 of 4.
In '10, Fed won the AO, Nadal won the FO, Wimbledon & USO. Note: Nadal 3 of 4; it took Nadal 2 yrs to surpass Fed.
In '11, Djokovic won the AO, Wimbledon, & USO, Nadal won the FO. Note: Djokovic won 3 of 4; it took Nole only 1 yr to surpass Nadal.***
Interesting post! I wonder how this would all play out in the history books if we go to what Nadal suggested last year, a 2 year ranking instead of 1? I don't think he realizes it wouldn't help him in the end since he never defends a title off of clay!
***Why is Borg better than Nadal?***
I can only guess you're very young! Like Federer, Borg has 2 great runs in majors; 5 Wimbledons w/ 6 FO's! No one in the open era dominated the summer like Borg, winning on clay and turning it around to take it on Wimbledon grass within 3 weeks, 3 straight years; '78-80! We've already discussed the glaring holes in Nadal's record of not being able to defend a none clay title or even compete at the WTF making a final once! Time is running out for Rafa! Even if he ends up with more majors, Borg is still the "King of clay!" He did all that with a wood racket! Without this new tech. of rackets and strings, he would be an ordinary baseliner; nothing more!
***Longevity is an important factor! Champions in every sport have won titles and trophies over years. In tennis, men such as Federer, Sampras, Laver, Borg and Connors have been accumulating success for years. Are people ready to put Djokovic in this company; GOAT?***
True enough! I haven't been one to elevate Nole to GOAT status; "who is really?" I do believe he will surpass Nadal even if he only takes 1 FO; like Federer (GOAT)!
***Yes, Serena Williams' star-power and tennis fame gets bigger and bigger, each year!: You haters know it and show it by trying to demean her daily. If she were a nobody, you guys would not waste your feeble brains talking about her 24/7!***
ReplyDeleteYou guys are hilarious! The only thing getting bigger concerning Serena is her girth! Give me a break! She's woefully under-achieved, playing part time for different reasons! If her numbers are nowhere near the true greats of the game, it's her own fault! All I keep hearing about is how good her serve is, the power on her ground-strokes, and that she can outlast the best women running around the court! Why are her numbers so inconsistent over the years? Why is it she hasn't held onto the #1 ranking for longer periods? Look at the whole picture, not what you parrot as her accomplishments!
***The fact that Nadal has won two hardcourt slams trumps Borg in my opinion. The career slam to me is the coup de grace. Also Nadal got to finals of Wimbledon 5 Xs. He didn't win, but to me that is a great feat. You are incapable of being impartial where Nadal is concerned, You make that clear every day.***
True enough Nadal is no fave of mines, but numbers don't lie! You're having trouble seeing it! Lack of defense of any title off clay and periods where he's just wandering around the court in the summer and winter tells you all you need to know! He's no GOAT in any capacity off clay! Being a finalist didn't do Lendl or Agassi much good; check the record! Unfortunately you're not able to absorb this info for some reason! Shame; this info is all GOLDEN!
***#'s for "underachieving" Serena Williams, Fiero
Serena: 13 slams (in 12 years '99-'10), 12 doubles' slams, 2 mixed, 2 gold medals!
The "overachieving" players:
Venus (7+), Justine(7), Martina (5+), Kim (4+), Maria (3), Sveltlana (2+); 'cept Venus, U seem to think the rest of Serena's peers have more consistency. Why aren't their #'s better?***
From what you guys say, the numbers should be better and you know it! Going weeks, if not months winning nothing is not becoming of a true "GOAT" of any era! There are remarkable gaps; almost as bad as Maria Sharapova who's another faux Princess of the game! A number of the players you noted "max'd" out what they could do with the games they had;' esp. Martina Hingis! Navratilova is a legend so we don't need to go there, but the others weren't taking vacations like the Williams'! Pls don't come back with illnesses from recent news! That won't fly since I'm talking about their entire career! Venus hasn't won a slam off of grass since 2001 USO! That taints her record even with the Wimbledon win in '05! One-trick ponies is what some would say! Even on her fave surface, she's been embarrassed the last couple years by some skinny little Russian no one knows; 2 & 3!
***This is about the 4th time, or more... in about 5 yrs+ that Nadal has gone a long stretch without winning a title. He now hasn't won one in 8 months and counting. He's finished ranked 2nd for the year 5 X's out of the last 7 yrs and never has gone back to back yrs ranked #1. No non-clay titles defended in any capacity and the bulk of them come during the clay swing from April to the start of June. - From July onwards the amount of titles he wins from there on until the end of the yr is extremely minimal for one considered in the GOAT talks.***
That's all I've been trying to say for all this time! I'm described as a "hatah" because I don't fawn all over him as the inheritor of Borg's legacy and the true GOAT! That is total BS since you've stated the obvious! Thanks!
***Andy Roddick, who will be 30 this year, has 1 Slam and a total of 30 titles. I do not think that is good enough to be in the tennis HOF.***
ReplyDeleteAndy held the #1 ranking for 5 min.! He's in being the US top player!
***I don't think so; it is not like America has never had men of greatness in tennis. This is the 1st gen. w/o one; Americans can face that.***
I don't know! This has been a huge drought! Going back to '68 Ashe won the USO while Graebner upset Laver! I started playing around the time Stan Smith came into his own in '71 w/ Connors on his heels! From Connors to McEnroe, then the boys, Chang, Courier, Agassi, Sampras! Roddick filled a hole for a while, but we haven't had that B level of players like Blake, Mayotte, Washington to move up and take his place!
Isner and Querry are trying while Fish is doing the best he can at the end of his career! This does not look good for us! I love Ryan Harrison and a few other, up and coming players, but they aren't going anywhere with Nole and Rafa around! Did I miss anyone? - Roddick's HOF plaque has probably already been engraved!
***Will Djokovic set the record for most AO wins? It's 6, but for the Open Era it's 4 shared by Andre Aggasi and the great Roger Federer. Nole already has 3 titles. It's his strongest major. Funny that even though Nadal and Murray seem to do well there, Nole is still better. So I think Nole will break the record at this slam and end up with 5.***
I'm of a mind, after Rafa breaks down and Nole has lesser competition, he might actually stop traveling "down under!" Priorities change! He may need to rest next year! He's going to be under the gun to defend a lot of titles! I predict he doesn't even go to the AO next season!
In my mind, Safin has to be the best shot maker of all time! He's very reminiscent of Ilie Nastase! He could put the ball anywhere in the court from anywhere on the court! Safin's "touch" was just as good and had that extra sweetener of a powerful 1st serve and ground strokes that could take the racket out of your hands!
ReplyDelete***Safin had it all, but with great talent comes mental deficiencies.
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Still can't understand how/why Federer lost that AO SF to Nadal***
Federer's just being stubborn! At the FO final and AO semi's, he had a winning formula, attacking the backhand as Nole does, then cutting off some of those weak defensive shots by volleying them away! Roger just doesn't stick to it, hanging back on the baseline thinking he's 24 again! At The WTF last season, he ripped thru Rafa in "straights," so we know he can do it, but that was indoors and in the fall!
***"Fedex is not ever BOHT (best of his time).***
Winning 3 majors in a year 3 times should make Roger at least the GOAT of his era regardless of his H2H! I can show Sampras having serious trouble with a couple players including Richard Krajicek who broke him of winning 8 Wimbledons in a row! Sampras truly owned Agassi, but he did manage to win all 4 majors! That elevates both of them I guess!
***Roger Federer's 16 Slams, including all 4 alone make him the GOAT! He won 3 of 4 majors 3X's; '04, '06 & '07! Regardless, of his H2H with any player, he is still the best! He's 30 yrs old, natural decline is happening; let's see if any can top him!***
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Sam Stosur's at the end of her career, got into shape and got hot at the right time! It says more about the state of women's tennis to allow someone like Stosur who's a double's specialist to win a major like a USO! I wouldn't try and penalize her victory just because she has little else to back it up! I'd look at the other players that didn't get it done; esp. Serena who was on a run herself, won 2 tourneys the month before! It was all set for her coronation; if she didn't choke, give Stosur the credit well deserved to take that lone major! The Aussies deserved something after 30+ years since Goolagong; '80 Wimbledon over Evert!
*"Manuel Orantes To Be Inducted To The International Hall Of Fame
ReplyDeleteSpanish tennis star Manuel Orantes, the '75 USO chp and former world #2, will be inducted to the International Tennis Hall of Fame this year. ...Ceremony hosted 7/14 at the Int'l Tennis HOF & Museum in Newport, RI. Orantes is the only inductee in the Master Player Category thus far.
The left-handed star won 33 singles titles, and compiled an impressive record of 647-247. - In Davis Cup records, Orantes is tied for the most # of years played and won 60 matches for his country. In '09, Orantes was presented the DC Award of Excellence by the Int'l Tennis HOF and the Int'l Tennis Federation. Orantes will be the 5th Spanish inductee to the Int'l Tennis HOF."*
On the classic channel list of matches to watch, it has to be Orantes' semi-final comeback over Guil. Vilas in 5 sets! Down 2 sets and 5-1 in the 3rd, Manuel went well into the night to win past 2 am! I'm sure people figured it was only a formality for Connors to win in the final the next day! It didn't happen with Orantes using the same game plan as Ashe and Nastase! He gave Connors no pace, moved him around the court, and didn't give him a target at the net hanging back and allowing Jimmy to make UFE's! It went quick; 4, 4, & 3!
***I honestly find their brand of tennis (Woz and Radw) boring to watch. ...was very intrigued when Wozz became No 1. w/ her defensive style of play. Caroline got there, b/c she happened to be #2 when Serena got injured and kept winning titles. ...***
Hmmm, where have I heard this before? Oh yeah, Caroline's muse, Martina Hingis! It's the same w/ Radwanska; not enough sting on the shots so they're easy to attack! They'll eat you up if you give them a chance, hense the success of all of them; esp. Martina with 5 majors in singles alone!
***I believe Federer will be the Agassi of his decade; 2 major wins in his 30's.***
ReplyDeleteAgreed! I think he should skip the FO and head over to Wimbledon early; maybe play Queens, but he won't! Roger is stubborn and thinks it's worth it to wear himself down playing in Paris! Edberg was the same way, not wanting to miss a major!
***Will Djokovic go all out for IW and Miami or is Roland Garros on his mind?***
All the more reason I'm glad he didn't kill himself trying to win this match today in Dubai! Nole let his good buddy have a "crumb!" Murray tried to give it back at the end, but closed it out in straights! Novak will have a little head start back to the States for IW and Miami! Rafa better not give us "I'm rusty, give me time!" He better at least make both finals or he's opening it up for Roger! He has so few points to defend! Dubai could help, but he's got to win over a motivated Murray!
***I can't believe an old FED is going for his 2nd title already and it's just March.***
This is his time! We talked about this last year! Federer doesn't have many points to defend until the FO! This is his best chance to get close to Nadal to maybe overtake him for #2! It has to be done now to consolidate all those points he acquired at the end of last season! It's not likely, but those are the realities, Roger has to push for it in the next few weeks on hard-court!
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I vacillated over 3 of the worst losses by Nadal at a major for different reasons! Ferrer is normally his "whipping boy" and being a countryman had to hurt; '07 USO! I'm sure everyone outside of tennis said who; Youzhny('06 USO)? Sounds like a cough lozenge! But after going back and forth, I'll have to go with Soderling's beat down; '09 FO! This was on Nadal's beloved clay, on a court he made his own, trying to erase Borg's name! So after all is said and done, Robin's the biggest surprise to me only because of the clay aspect of it all! By the USO Nadal's been useless since the beginning! It's a wonder he has even one USO! His worst losses seem to occur over the summer! WTH is Dido? Saw him come back from a set down and a couple breaks, winning a couple of tie-breakers this past summer over Rafa! I wondered if Nadal tanked it, but it's not like this hasn't happened before and it will happen again; NO DOUBT!
Time clocks have been observed in the past with Novak and Rafa; umpire telling them to speed it up! That AO was well managed since the calls were abysmal! The problem starts with Rafa; his stalling tactics from the very beginning at the coin toss! To retaliate or show he's not going to let Rafa get away with that crap he pulls with Roger, Nole extends the time he takes to get ready! Nadal wants to say something, but he can't since he's "king of the stall;" toweling off after every point and ball bouncing! I hate letting this go on, but I feel it's only gotten out of hand since Nadal! If he isn't criticized, the umps certainly can't rush Nole or any other player! It's getting worse all the time out there even w/ the women with 3+ hour matches!
ReplyDelete***"Garcia-Lopez played some amazing tennis last night taking out Murray in the 1st round." ...most posters in this thread didn't see it and are just using this as another excuse to crap on Murr***
Not last night! Most of the times he tried being offensive, he missed badly! He's gotten in this mode of passivity and hopes you attack him so he can produce the great "get!" I find this the stupidest way to play esp. against Nadal and Nole who just don't miss at times! He'll never hit that elite echelon of top, top players going it this way! He's working too hard and it's not paying off in the majors! Losing in straight sets again and again should tell him something!
***This is precisely what I am talking about. Andy M has the game to be consistently in the top 4, but can he deliver the goods when it really counts? ..He is great usually at the Masters level, but he needs to get to a GS final again, and win one. ...you do have a point Fiero, the passive mode will get him nowhere....fast.
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Nadal among the most boring to watch in history - Wow Cez, that is harsh. I think his game is not the most attractive, but then I'm comparing him to Federer. - ...I tend not to watch his early rd matches for that reason, except at the Majors.***
It's all harsh, but "oh" so true! Nadal's games is actually unwatchable! It's all in his scrambling, while the racket and strings do all the other work! I learned by watching tennis on tv! I could take nothing from his game then or now!
***Murray tried to bang from the baseline most of that match ... played right into the guy's zone ...should have mixed it up more like Harrison did in his match ...the answer isn't always more aggression, sports fans ... even for Murr***
ReplyDeleteI never thought he should be more aggressive, just more opportunistic! His 1st step is to back up; him and Nadal! They both love running down shots, but as fast as they are, it's made them more susceptible to players like Garcia Lopez! That was a butt kicking; sorta like Dodig last summer winning tie-breakers in the 2nd and 3rd sets over Rafa! They not only came into the net more, but varied their play enough to throw Murray and Nadal off theirs! In the old days it happened more often; esp. in majors where only 16 were seeded! I have to admit that helped Federer's runs to quarters and semis in Majors!
***Rafa's forehand is the most disgusting tennis stroke by any pro ever ...aside from the Demented serve, of course***
I keep waiting for Nadal to knock himself out with that swing over and around his head! Demented had trouble with her serve, but maybe you're too young to remember France's, Fransciose Durr! She did a leg kick up and virtually pushed the ball into the court on serve! She was effective because no one, esp. the men in mixed doubles against her ever had to deal with such a thing! It didn't register on a speed gun! lol! Her regular double's partners were Betty Stove, then Rosie Casals back in the 70's!
***Yes, Fiero, I'm old enough to remember Durr, lol - She had some ugly tennis and so did Betty Stove ... Stove's service motion never turned out the same way twice! - Did Stove not play with Pam Shriver as well?***
At different times they all played with different partners! If I remember correctly Pam said she was attending a wedding and couldn't attend the '86 FO; I think that may have been when Navr. took on Andrea Tesmesvari! Pam changed her mind or the wedding was moved to another time! Martina had to tell her to buzz off; she had made a promise and even practiced at an event beforehand w/ AT! Martina won with Andrea; surprise!
***Nadal is definitely a man who hates losing, but who doesn't?***
ReplyDeleteNow that both Nadal and Djokovic have lost w/ Federer in position to take another title, this could be his time! He's doing all this without having to defend any points! I thought he had a chance to take over #2 if Nadal lost early here and in Miami! Roger has to do it now because I can't see him defending that FO final! As far as I'm concerned, he should save his energy and skip it altogether for the rest of his career! He's truly wasting his time! A "Soderling moment" may never happen again! He'd need 2 or 3 of them since he's now behind both Nole and Rafa!
***I can't believe Rafa's gone almost 9 1/2 months without a title now, last 1 being over Rogie at the FO. Seems like Rafa can't win off of clay anymore. Last year Rafa made all 5 finals of the clay events he entered, but went 3-2 in those finals overall.***
This happened to Martina Navr. in '87! It was the most bizarre thing to watch! After taking all titles worth having in '86 including her 7th Wimbledon over Hana Mandlikova and 3rd USO over Helena Sukova, she started '87 making final after final, but taking nothing until Wimbledon (Graf)! Stranger still, she didn't win another title until USO over Graf as well; both in straight sets! She finally dropped to #2 and never regained #1 status even though she continued taking majors in singles and doubles! Is this the beginning of the end for Rafa? Roger has a chance to take over #2 if he does well in Miami next week!
***Who is the Greatest All Surface Player of All Time? - Federer, Nadal, & Agassi. - - Lendl?***
Not too sure about Agassi! He's the most vulnerable on any surface! Lendl is right up there with Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Borg, Connors, & Ilie Nastase! I just had to bring in my era! - No one worked harder and accomplished as much with so little going for them than Lendl! He was more an artisan than artist! He had to really fight to get past other players who were so much more gifted! Up until Federer, Lendl's name was all over the record books! Lendl fell to 2nd in many of those categories we revere now under Federer's name! Ivan did all that with the Czech gov't on his case, going for US citizenship, and universal "hate" by all the fans and experts! The man was boo'd like Darth Vader! It was obscene now that I think about it!
I think for the great level of tennis during that era, Lendl held his own; even on grass! He made 4 semi's and 2 finals at Wimbledon and the surface was a pane of glass back then! I have a lot of respect for Lendl! He's etched his name in the top 10 of all time with so many Masters' wins (5), 8 str. USO finals played winning 3, 3 FO's while trying to get past other greats; McEnroe, Connors, Edberg, Becker, WIlander, Borg, Sampras, & a lot more! That was a golden age with the men so top heavy, majors had draws of 12 GS winners! With Nadal and Federer so greedy this past decade, we're lucky to have 5 or 6! We'll probably have to wait for these top 3 to leave the game to have more versatile winners of Slams!
Tennis Channel's Top 100 of all time:
ReplyDelete#10 - BJ King - 12 major titles (mother of the WTA)
# 9 - Chris Evert - 13 straight years winning a major
# 8 - Margaret Court - 62 Majors - (GS '70, 24 singles - 11 AO)
# 7 - Bjorn Borg - 6 FO & 5 straight Wimbledons
# 6 - Nadal - 10 majors incl. the career GS & Olympic Gold
# 5 - Sampras - 14 major titles (7 Wimbledons)
# 4 - Martina Navratilova (59 majors, 9 Wbldns, 167 Sgls,177 Dbls)
# 3 - Steffi Graf - 22 majors and an Olympic Gold Medal
# 2 - Rod Laver - 2 Grand Slams ('62 & '69)
# 1 - Roger Federer - 16 majors w/ a career GS
***Evert and Martina were ranked too high. I'm surprised Borg was ranked as high as he was but he deserved top 10. In those clips of Evert she sorta reminded me of Aggie, but she has more skills. Too bad Aggie wasn't in that era and had Evert been in this one she wouldn't have a slam, IMO.***
I'm hardly an Evert fan, but the reason she made the list and rightfully so was the same reason Martina Hingis made it; max'd out what they had! Their minds were their weapon! So many times Evert played against someone who had tons more talent like Hana Mandlikova, but she won most of their encounters, esp. in the majors losing only 3 or 4 X's in semi's! I never liked Evert and taped every defeat; esp. to Martina Navr.! Their only match I don't have and want desperately is their '81 semi from the USO! I'll catch it one of these days on a classic night; I can only hope! While I'm at it: "ordering '86 USO semi, Mecir over Becker!" Totally missed the comeback in 5!
***Of course Evert in her smug unfunny way said "I should be #1 on the list...just joking."***
In her mind she thinks it; I'm sure! 13 years with a major, 125 straight wins on clay, 18 majors, a few doubles titles w/ Navratilova, and had the most fierce and long rivalry ever in tennis! They played 80 times, a lot of finals, quite a few semi's when one was down in the rankings to Graf, Seles, & Austin, etc! After all is said and done, Martina edges her 43-37! That's historic and both had to be in the top 10!
***In no point in Rafa's career have players "broken down" his forehand. Lefty has zero tennis knowledge.***
ReplyDeleteI believe Federer and Nole have broken down Rafa's forehand at times! You must not have watched all their matches! When they're flying high, esp. on a fast court, they aren't just hitting to the backhand! Nadal makes their job easier by standing 20-30 feet behind the baseline! He's a fool to think he can continue hitting winners from the "back-stop" of the court against the best in the world! Sometimes you don't even see him in the picture; it makes no sense! For his ability, Nadal should be a lot more dominating, but his tendency to play clay court tennis will actually shorten his career while Roger is still going strong at 30! I promise you, you won't see Nadal vying for #1 at that age! He's already letting absolute nobodies take him to the limit! Dodig? Really?
***Yep, some people will love it, but to me it's still over the top... particularly for the world's top ranked player against someone he should easily beat.***
Exactly! If this act was real, that would mean he had some doubt in beating the guy! That's hard to believe! I think he's mocking Nadal; FOR REAL!
***Would Chris Ever Win ZERO Slams if She Were a Player in Today's Era?***
Sorry, but this is ridiculous! Today's WTA players are such head cases! They have the most inexplicable losses imaginable! They didn't call Elena, Demented for nothing! Azarenka may have come into her own of late, but what about all those horrible losses while leading? That Serena match at the AO a couple years ago should have sent her into a tailspin never to return, but she's now 24-0! Others have similar deficiencies esp. after becoming #1 like Jelena, Safina, Woz, and others! Evert would run all over these little girls unfortunately!
***Can't believe I am saying this, but Fiero, I agree with every word. A lot of people here don't have a grasp of tennis history, otherwise they would know better. - The board's overall tennis I.Q. has always been low.Evert's style of play would've been PERFECT for the direction that racket and string technology has gone.***
A true historian; you are! I'm no fan of Evert's; never happen, but I'm a realist! You mentioned all her deficiencies, but her record speaks for itself! The closest to her game in today's game would have been the machine called Martina Hingis! She had no power, service that was attack-able, but her mind alone made her #1 longer than most!
***Evert didn't have the athleticism of Navratilova or Graf, or the natural talent of Mandlikova. ...Growing up in the era of wood rackets, one had to learn an array of shots and use them. I mean who in this day & age uses a slice forehand regularly? Way too good of a player to not win Slams in any era imho (and especially on clay).***
***NYT Report--RAFA Retires Player's Council - - For a second there I thought you meant retirement from tennis!***
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, if it had been more, all the channels would have "broken in" like with Tim Tebow's press conference this afternoon! It had to be something minor like owning a tournament or player's council position! "Good one Grosse!" My hands were shaking flipping to ESPN hoping to see him making the announcement!
Rafa's always been a big baby! Conditions have to suit him or he pouts! His main opposition appears to be Roger so he's quitting for 2 reasons; Fed right on his tail in points! - With his ridiculous notion to go to a 2 year ranking cycle, he could have staved off Djokovic last year and Federer passing him this year at #2! It's all self-serving which only makes him look worse! It's sorta pathetic considering how successful he's been! I think he's looking for GAWD status like Roger and Bjorn; not gonna happen! He has been too limited!
***It's open season on Evert, and has been since she published that open letter to Serena. She is target numero uno!***
I'm no fan of Evert's, but what did she say that was out of line? The truth hurts I guess! Some may say "who is she to criticize Serena?" Well duh, she's Chris Evert; ex-#1 player in the world, HOF'r, 7 X USO & FO Champions, and now tv commentator! That gives her carte blanche to say just about anything tennis related! I'd ask the same questions if I had the forum! If Serena is trolling this site for comments, she's in worse mental shape than Evert thought! lol!
***Right Fiero, like you and EvertBorg "seeing", people dislike Evert only b/c of the Serena "open-letter". Stay on your corner and peddle your spiel!:***
I hope you aren't implying Evert's jealous and has some sort of vendetta against Serena and Venus? You can't be serious! Evert has accomplished more than they have combined! The FO's situation alone puts them to shame; 7 titles to a combined 1! Her legacy is secure! If anything The Williams are jealous of her; ever thought about that? I can't imagine why, but they are women! All you can do is ask and wonder!
Why is Nole fooling around with Troicki? I hate when he gets into these long deuce/ad games; esp. vs Nadal! 18 min. games aren't fun! The last couple majors have been a disgrace when it comes to the entertainment value! I still remember quite specifically Mary Carillo saying years ago, she doubts anything is worth doing more than 3 hours! That's routine now even with the women! Along with the points going 20-30 strokes, the other stalling is stretching matches out; toweling off and ball bouncing! I think Nole is doing it in return of Rafa's act, but he's taking it to a new level! I'm still trying to catch up after staying up all night to watch that AO in Feb.! Something needs to be done!
ReplyDelete***Dimitri gives away the breaker with a couple doubles and some wild errors, then goes away in the second ...he is such a disappointment, so far***
He's just a kid! Give him time! When he upset Berdych, didn't I hear he had some kind of physical ailment? It may have just caught up with him! I didn't see him after upset over the weekend!
***I do prefer matches where there is a variation in styles. That's why I am loving this GAsquet/Djokovic match. But if I see baseliners going at it....not so much fun..***
This wasn't so unusual years gone by! That's why tennis is so unwatchable at times! Everyone's playing the exact same way! Watching the best 100 of all time, reflecting on Lendl, he's the Godfather of this style; including the fitness end of it! They're all clones like when all little girls emulated Chris Evert! Graf took it to the new level and here we are with very homogized play with so few innovators out on the court! Thank goodness for Roger and a handful of others!
***When you look at JMac career, you see 854 match wins; ...104 titles won. If you compare those stats with his peers, you see that he ranks in the top 5 in many stats. Serena would not rank as high. ***
ReplyDeleteI think Serena penalized herself for not taking tennis as seriously as other top players! You'd have to go back to amateur days to find someone who was at the top of their game, but for financial reason and to make a living, they're doing something that takes them away from the game; doctor, war, etc.! Serena has made more money than anyone on the court, but it's not enough! Sorry it took away from her dedication and she's been artificial lowered in the overall rankings b/c a lot of people have that feeling about her!
***S. Williams played 17 years (she started at 14 years old): 13 slams, 12 doubles and 2 mixed. In the all-times greats of the Open Era: Graf (22), Navratilova/Evert (18) S. Williams (13), King (12). - Comparing men/women and different generations is not fair. Some in the older eras won 100s of titles but not this generation. McEnroe (7) has 104 titles but is not greater than Federer (16) 73 titles; for example.***
The sport relied more on McEnroe than women's tennis did with Serena! McEnroe probably played more matches injured than Serena! He couldn't just take off for weeks and months at a time! Without him, it would have been slim pickin's to find decent rivalries! Connors was getting old, Borg was gone, Ivan wasn't likable, and Wilander too one dimensional!
***Roger Federer and Rod Laver placing ahead of Navratilova and Graf was a complete, sexist joke.***
But rationale can be made that Laver would have won more if permitted during '63-'68 period! Under the table expense money wasn't that helpful trying to travel back and forth to Australia! Money hasn't been an encumbrance since the mid 70's! Federer max'd out his era racing past all the greats, but he wasn't thwarted for several years in his prime by RULES since revoked! I penalize Graf greatness due to the Seles stabbing! You can say no one knows what would have happened, but at the time Seles OWNED Steffi and so her record is a bit tainted! Martina didn't have such assistance to enhance her record!
***Serena's 39 titles is not bad for the era she played in ( Venus-43, Justine-43, Kim-41) and she has the most majors and passed King on all-times list. - Federer (16) with 73 titles has less titles than other men of a different era, but is double of those in his era.***
REGARDLESS; Navratilova has everyone beat in most categories:
ReplyDelete- 30 odd years in the game, taking off '95-2000
- 167 singles and 177 doubles titles in total (59 majors in singles, dbls, & MD)
- Has the "Box Set" taking all titles at majors - 12 events; her last in MD at '06 USO (month short of 50)
- Won 6 majors in a row ('83 Wimbledon - '84 USO) - in 11 str. major finals
- Won all 3 events at '87 USO & at inaug. Lipton Int'l Chps in '85
- Record 74 matches won in a row (54 & 58 match winning streaks)
- WTA created a best 3 of 5 match to keep her on the court longer - VS Chp. '84
***Navr's overall #'s will prob. never be topped - truly the GOAT in many categories!
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Murray has the ability to dictate from the forehand wing, but he loops it way too much at times. Like I say about everyone, Murray needs to move outside of his comfort zone more often in order to become a true great of the game.***
True enough! You can see he has the ability to be more aggressive, but I've said this before; Murray really "gets off" playing defensive and taking the play from you with a winner! I've played like that for practice in the past; staying back, but when it came down to winning, I attacked the net! You have to do that to beat the top players best 3 of 5 sets! He seems to take it to Nadal, Fed, & Nole at these Masters, but reverts to total passivity in GS finals; losing 12 sets! He makes it to major semi's where record books only cares!
***You fail to realize that Nole and Nadal play a somewhat similar game. You make it seem as though Novak is an aggr. base-lnr? He's clearly a hybrid counter-puncher.***
You just insulted Nole's game! I'm not trying to start anything, but wi/o a doubt Nadal's game's 1 of the ugliest in the history of the game! That stupid over the head follow-thru on the FH along with that tomahawk / hatchet job he calls a cross court BH's right up there with the serve of Durr and Bartoli! That's why he loses confidence in it at times when people serve him off wide! Novak's game is almost beautiful in comparison b/c he has more versatility and can redirect the ball like no one else! In my day, changing direction on a shot created more errors than anything! For him it's routine and he hurts you with it!
For Djokovic to win his 1st Wimbledon final like that, he definitely got the advantage taken by Nadal by how pathetically slow this grass has become! It's an absolute embarrassment to allow basic base-liners to go far in the tourney! Back in the day, base-liners often skipped it! It's become a disgrace where upsets are so rare, it's not worth watching until the later rounds! Even Graf, Navratilova., & Tanner were upset in the 1st rounds; '94, '76, & '77 resp.!
ReplyDeleteIt just doesn't happen these days; even with as fragile as some of the latest top ranked women have shown! That's why I take off some of Nadal's accomplishments; court changes, rackets, & strings have been taken advantage of "big time!" Borg, McEnroe, Navratilova, & Evert won majors with wood on courts today's players would sneer at in disgust! Take some of these players back and they wouldn't win a 4th of the matches in important finals; if they made finals at all!
***Any points that Djoker might lose at Rome or Madrid will be minimal if he does indeed finish as Runner Up in Monte Carlo ...its a good buffer and insurance for his #1 ranking.***
At this point, I don't think "points" are on Nole's mind that much! He's looking to win, beat down his opposition, and prove he's the best! It's obvious points don't mean much in the grand scheme of things; Nadal's #2 without a win since FO! When has anything like that happened before? Being #2 made sense when he was picking up a FO and supplemented his totals with some clay court wins! It's to be seen if he can finally break thru; esp. if Nole is actually going to MC; dropped out beforehand last season after winning Madrid and Rome over his nemesis Nadal! He felt he needed the rest, but it didn't do him any good! He still went out to Fed in the FO semi! After Rafa lost early and defaulted in IW & Miami respectively, Nole has even less to worry about when it comes to securing his #1 ranking!
***...So Fed has no chance? He was the only person to beat Nole on clay last year.***
If Roger's win was in the final, it would have meant a lot more! As it is, it just gives him one more embarrassing loss in the FO final! I've been saying for a while now, Roger needs to drop clay from his schedule! Working that hard isn't doing him any good at his age!
***Top 5 Best Backhands ever by a female player***
ReplyDeleteTo have a great backhand, I agree it's a "confidence shot!" 3 of the 5 I concur; Navratilova, Graf, & Henin! I've seen both Williams' have total breakdowns on the shot at times! If they were more consistent on it, they might have won more majors and held onto the #1 ranking longer! To replace them, no list is complete without Evert! I never even enjoyed watching her, but she was a machine! Her backhand was quite solid! The other addition should be the other Martina! No one did more with less than Hingis! She still holds records that may never be surpassed including holding onto the #1 ranking in singles and doubles simultaneously!
#1 Henin - a work of art!
#2 Navratilova - great as a defensive shot and brilliant approaches to the net!
#3 Graf - Topspin highly under-rated, but when challenged reverts to the slice exclusively but more than effective!
#4 Evert - Just didn't miss many at all!
#5 Hingis - She max'd out what she had and you have to be impressed by her effort!
***Graf didn't hit her bhs with 'pace' since the 80's ended. She completely lost confidence in the one handed, topspin shot and just played it safe from then on by hitting her slice. Granted her slice was the best... but not a shot that gave her winners and got her into trouble once Monica came onto the scene.***
Speaking of losing confidence in a shot, does anyone remember those matches Graf had with Sabatini; esp. on clay? Gabriella would just lay into Steffi's backhand, looping the ball higher and deeper until Steffi actually tried to hit it with 2 hands! Peter Garf and Pavol Slozil her coach were almost apoplectic shrugging they didn't know what was going on! I can still hear Mary Carillo saying "look at that, trying to get it back with 2 hands" with Peter Graf sorta imitating it to the coach!
This was going on around '91 and '92 on back to back tourneys, from clay to hard court; Amelia Island to Boca! I loved watching those matches! Steffi had been dominating and Martina was on the way out! Monica was another thorn in Steffi side around then, but Gaby had that extra bit of glamour about! The camera actually got close enough to see the perspiration running down her face! They got so close that when she swayed back and forth waiting to receive serve, the camera had to move with her! lol! Everyone loved Gaby!
***Men's Golf Slams vs Tennis Slams - Last 14 majors:
ReplyDeleteMen's Golf - 14 different winners, 8 first time winners
WTA - 7 different winners, 5 first time winners
ATP - 4 different winners, 1 first time winner ***
We've been spoiled of late with the extreme success of today's, top men players! In the old days it was rare to have a winner of 3 majors in a season; Connors '74! It's been almost routine with Federer(3), Nadal, & now Djokovic! I'm beginning to wonder is it all about their greatness or the lack of skill and passion to upset them more! I guess the new extended seedings have helped, but overall I think it's a bit embarrassing in comparison to past eras! Some thought Nadal had a real chance to regain his #1 ranking with a win at the USO, then outlasting Nole at the WTF; yeah right! He's won one USO and has no WTF tourney wins under his name! Right now Rafa is way behind, struggling to get past Federer and Murray!
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No doubt! I haven't checked recently, but Roger has to be right on Rafa's heels even w/o a major! We all understand the system, but it doesn't look good to the rest of the world having Roger winning half a dozen tourneys, including the WTF from last season while the #2 player hasn't even been close in the same period of time! If Rafa falters in the least this month and next, it's all downhill! His confidence has to take a big hit!
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***Men's Golf Slams vs Tennis Slams - Last 14 majors:
Men's Golf - 14 different winners, 8 first time winners
WTA - 7 different winners, 5 first time winners
ATP - 4 different winners, 1 first time winner ***
We've been spoiled of late with the extreme success of today's, top men players! In the old days it was rare to have a winner of 3 majors in a season; Connors '74! It's been almost routine with Federer(3), Nadal, & now Djokovic! I'm beginning to wonder is it all about their greatness or the lack of skill and passion to upset them more! I guess the new extended seedings have helped, but overall I think it's a bit embarrassing in comparison to past eras! Some thought Nadal had a real chance to regain his #1 ranking with a win at the USO, then outlasting Nole at the WTF; yeah right! He's won one USO and has no WTF tourney wins under his name! Right now Rafa is way behind, struggling to get past Federer and Murray!
***Who will win Monte Carlo?***
It would be nice if Nole won it, but most will go with Rafa! My guess is someone else will finally take it! Even Martina was stopped eventually at tourneys she owned w/ 9 to12 titles! I was lucky enough to see her win the Virginia Slims of Chgo 12 times; her 1st attempt in '75 taking out Evert in the semi! That allowed Margaret Court to win on one of her comebacks after pregnancy! The old lady had a bum leg, got it shot up, and never sat down during the match!
***USO '04--Jen C. Was Morally Required To Admit She saw Serena's ball land In***
ReplyDeleteYou're all dreamin' if you think anyone is going to fess up and give away so crucial a point! I can count the times on one hand when a player voluntarily gave the match to someone on a disputed call like that! They want it too badly! I've been watching most every match, exhibition, and major going back to '75! Wimbledon was still on tape delay and we got only an 1 1/2 of the Ashe match over Connors, totally skipping the 2nd set! I still don't know what happened even with all the replays on classic channels! Ashe was classy enough to do it and believe it or not, Connors may have done it once or twice, but it's terribly infrequently going to happen these days!
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Obviously taking in pros in '68 was the most significant change made to accommodate 1 player (Laver), but these other events did occur; believe it or not! Borg had won the ('78,'79, & '80) FO & Wimbledon titles for 3 str. yrs most hoping he would win a USO! If he had the 1st 3 majors under his belt, by moving the AO to dec., he would be forced to go "down under" for the 1st time in almost a decade!
When Martina really started dominating the WTA in '83, her matches barely lasted 40-45 min.! To keep her out on the court for at least an hour, they made the '84 VS Chp best 3 of 5 sets! It was a spirited match in the final, but Martina really just toyed with Evert winning fairly easily 6-3, 7-5, 6-1! The 1st couple years it was ok, but by the time Hingis, Seles, Sabatini, & Graf ruled the game, it was almost painful watching them run around for over 3 hrs & 4 or 5 sets!
***As someone born in the late 80's, I do not feel well enough informed to vote on this, Gramps.***
No offense taken! Just trying to learn you youngin's a few things about the history of the game! lol!
***Learn us good....but in all seriousness I wasn't aware those changes in the game (which, obviously, I was aware of) were so closely linked w/ individual players. That is interesting.
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...The string technology and Nadal. He's one of the few guys who we can truly say would never have been successful in tennis if it weren't for the strings that augment spin. They're ridiculous.***
That's probably what offends me the most about Nadal's game; or lack thereof! Without those spaghetti strings we outlawed back in the 70's, he would wind up being just another scrub on the Spanish Armada who may have won occasionally! His so called greatness is suspect and debatable!
***TTC's "top players of all time" was a complete joke! 1st of all, why put the men and women together? They don't play each other so why have them on same list? I agree with Roger being #1,... How can you put Pete ahead of a Court? Chris? McEnroe ahead of Serena? Justine way down in the low 20's? ...How can one ever put Graf ahead of Navratilova? 10 slams after Monica was stabbed! Actually, if you go by the #s, Graf, Navratilova, Evert and Court are better than Federer?***
ReplyDeleteIt's a lot easier to dominate the WTA so Navratilova, Evert, Graf, & Court won't get as much credit for their accomplishments! They all did better than the top men, but it's a "Man's World!" lol! Right now Nadal doesn't have as many major titles as Billy Jean King! He's ahead for some reason! I agree you just can't combine the sexes trying to make one list! Navratilova still has more titles than anyone, male or female w/ 167 singles, 177 doubles, & 59 majors! That sort of longevity and dominance will never happen again! It's only going to get tougher for both the guys and gals in the future! Physically they're already breaking down before 26!
***Rod Laver at #2 on the TTC all time ranking; very strange.***
Well he did it to himself really! He went pro needing to support his family, but you had others that stayed in the amateur ranks longer like Emerson and Court; brothers in arms...errrr rackets! No doubt he would have surpassed all concerned for generations to come, but that's all about "what if!?" If I heard right, Rod admitted he never beat Lew Hoad! Does that mean we should put him above all instead of Roger or Rod? You hafta do it on the court and Federer at least gave himself a fighting chance of being remembered as the GOAT by finally taking that FO in '09!
For years I was uncomfortable in the notion of putting Sampras up there on a pedestal seeing as he never even played a FO final! Roger made several finals while Pete struggled to 1 semi and three 1/4's! I would have suggested he wasted his time in those last 6 outings in Paris, but he did tend to lose to past or eventual champions of the tourney at least!
***Nadal-Djokovic what a boring...- We could enjoy Pete-Andre b/c each 1 have had their genuine style of excellent tennis. Nadal? Just a better Hewitt. Djokovic? A better Nadal. Whew!***
Regardless, it's a valid criticism! The sport's popularity has a lot to do with rivalries and how the average guy sees and enjoys tennis! Things run a lot better if the world loves the top players! If you have a period of uncertainty; The Williams' are in and out, Sharapova, Zvonavreva and Azarenka oft injured, and just plain inconsistent play like that of Wozniaki, Safina, & Jankovic as #1!
***...Ahhh, the Big Cat, yes, I liked him,too. He once beat Lendl in a final where Mecir's attitude, and stroke production, suggested he was hitting in the park with a novice, ...***
ReplyDeleteWell Lendl destroyed Mecir at '86 USO final, so it all balanced out! lol! I'm still looking to catch the semi that year where he took out Becker! I suffer from sleep apnea and missed the entire comeback even though it was playing right in front of me! Boris was up 2 sets and I mentally shut down only to wake at match point for Miloslav! His fairy tale ended the next day at the hands of his mentor, IVAN!
Another favorite of mines and a player I think is probably the most talented ever, Safin! He could "crack" a shot from anywhere on the court, had great touch, w/ an unreadable & powerful serve! He could embarrass anyone including Sampras at '00 USO final and outlasted Federer at '05 AO semi, 9-7 in the 5th! He was a more powerful Ilie Nastase with the same emotional failings for the game! Their own sanity determined their play from day to day, week to week, & year to year!
***Murray will never win a Slam. He closed the window himself w/ his attitude. I know, I know he doesn't have an injury and he's still somewhat of a youngster; so how can the window be shut??***
He had a better chance 20-30 years ago when many top players weren't going to the AO & FO; distance and surface taken into consideration! Players like Connors & McEnroe missed many opportunities to take those titles; at least at the AO! Connors never played a FO final and McEnroe couldn't control his anger long enough to finish off Lendl in '84 after being up 2 sets and a break in his lone opportunity!
***You say Connors never played FO final, which is true, but once he was barred from playing there, and seeing how he had the other Slams that year, that was a pretty significant move, lol...***
Why do people keep bringing that up? It wasn't like he was going to win it! Borg was King of clay back then! Connors got him at the USO on Hard-tru in '75 & '76, but that was Borg's cross to bear, never to win in NY at FH's or FM's! By ''77, Borg owned him taking most of their big matches at the USO and Wimbledon! After Borg left, he had to contend with McEnroe and Lendl! He had one more "kick" in him taking another Wimbledon in '82, and 2 more USO's over Lendl, '82-'83!
***I'd be bored if everyone served and volleyed ... short points all the time D: ...It's nice watching different styles against each other though, but I can't stand watching Isner, Raonic types unless they're playing top players.***
ReplyDeleteThose are the origins of "open tennis!" Points were short for the most part because 3 of 4 majors were on grass! The courts were chewed up by the final actually allowing finalist to wear cleats! Points with 10-20 strokes were quite rare and people were justifiably excited with great "gets" or shots off an opponents believed winner! It's routine now and the thrill is gone! Games lasting 12-18 minutes, 20-30 strokes, & so called great gets are a big yawn now w/ today's rackets and strings!
***Borg quit the game abruptly being the top GOAT; even w/ Federer @ .68% winning %. He had the benefit of recording the wins while he was at his peak, but did not play long enough to record the losses any great player suffers on the downhill side of his career.***
Borg played a relatively full schedule, playing thru injuries while today's players like Nadal will take off weeks or months at a time! The only time he outright skipped a major he would normally go to was the FO in '77! I think he was doing a favor to his good buddy Vilas, allowing him to finally take that title! Borg made a statement the following year dismissing Vilas in straight sets in the final, adding a 3rd Wimbledon title a few weeks later! Even the reserved Bjorn commented on '77 FO that "he normally beats his good buddy Guillermo!"
***Borg quit as soon as he couldn't beat McEnroe. He's not the GOAT. ...***
You just have no idea the mental strain of playing back then with wood! Base-liners were at a distinct disadvantage since the game still revolved around serve and volleying! It's the reason Evert gets so much credit; esp. winning so many clay court matches in a row(125)! Borg had been just about unbeatable for a time taking everything in sight; FO's, Wimbledons, Masters, & year end #1 rankings! He spoke of just lying in a dark room on his bed trying to "air out" his brain after a match! He was a simple person that liked comic books and didn't finish school!
I'm sure people were shocked and disappointed he left, but he had a great run that is still revered after all this time! He had been on the court for the expected time; just started earlier at 15! If I remember correctly a huge burden was put on him in '73 when the men "striked" Wimbledon! With so many top players missing from the draw, he was put fairly high up around #5 or #6 seeded at such a young age! He would win 3 years later in straight sets over the field including Nastase in the final!
***Should tennis be an Olympic sport?***
You can count on one hand how many matches I've watched over the years at the Olympics! I just thought it was a rotten idea! Same with basketball, baseball, and hockey! These "fat-cats" shouldn't get another bite at the amateur apple, allowing high priced pros to infiltrate Olympic ranks with no commitment as in other sports! They're just dropping in between majors to snatch a medal this summer! We're so pathetic as to feel sorry for millionaires that haven't won an Olympic medal; access Munchhausen by Proxy! I could accept Martina since the US ranks are so decimated! I guess that's an exaggeration, but the "names" just won't be there!
***When will another top 2 players lose 7 times in a row to the same player? Rafa really set a record that will be hard to break there.***
ReplyDeleteIt may never happen again! I think Roger might have achieved that milestone if he had been more selective in events played! Players like Connors, McEnroe, Sampras, and the rest of most top players skipped the clay season for the most part; rarely even playing the FO! If Roger had stuck with HC, grass, and indoor carpet, he would have had a chance! He can still handle Rafa indoors, but he'll probably only get to #2! I can't imagine that much of a collapse like a Wilander who dropped out of sight after achieving the top spot!
***What Murr should do now is continue listening to Lendl and let it sink in more ...2011 going into Madrid ... 9-5, 0 titles ... - This year with Lendl ... 21-6, 1 title***
If I were Lendl, I would have packed up and flown away from this turkey! Murray looked so lackluster and uninterested in his match against Raonic! He still thinks he can hang way behind the baseline and crack winners! The kid proved him wrong! Andy depends on people missing the next shot after a "great get!" It wasn't happening too often yesterday! I think he may have missed one overhead on one of Andy's dizzying high lobs!
Murray didn't have another major final loss at the AO to bring him down, so his record this year is better! You know how he sulks and it does affect his tennis! When you throw numbers out there, they need to be interpreted & taken in context!
***I think what needs to be taken in context are your posts that do nothing but badmouth the guy. lol***
I make no bones about it; can't stand the way Murray plays! He's under-achieving; Big TIME! He has very reliable and penetrating shots when he wants to play aggressively! Too often he's being defensive, hoping you make an error; esp. off a "get!" He could be doing so much more; attacking the net esp.! He's the best #4 I can remember! Gerulaitis, Nastase, and others weren't as good and steady! He should be doing more; winning more!
Ivan Lendl was getting hammered a lot more with less to back it up at the time with Borg, Connors, & McEnroe to compete with!! Losing those finals at the USO in '82 & '83 to Connors plus '81 FO to Borg were learning experiences and he finally broke thru at '84 FO! I suppose Andy could surprise all of us at Wimbledon this year; NOT!
***How Many Times Have You Seen Pro Tennis in Person?***
ReplyDeleteBack in '73 or '74 a guy who owned a local tennis store took me to see some of the new Virginia Slim Chps in Chgo! It was a new thing back then with people usually only seeing players like Billie Jean King and Margaret Court on TV! The following year I got tickets from my parents given to them so I saw a lot of the early round matches with a few friends actually hitting on the carpet on the practice court! My buds got the autograph of Evonne Goolagong! I've never been one to fawn over players leaving them alone usually just giving them a nod and a "hello!" Even though seeing Martina several times here and later in Sacramento when she came to town to play the Capitals, I still left it alone! She was very nice to my mom at the club here in Chgo! We used to bump into Martina and Billy Jean at Mid-Town every once in a while; local club here! They leave their practice carpet there on site as well when touring!
Since Sac had a WTT franchise, pros went thru our club quite a bit for those 6 weeks or so! They would arrive a day or 2 early, practice on center court, and cause only the minutest of an issue! They had to construct stands for the crowds around center court which in turn killed the grass and cut off pathways to adjacent courts! The big balloons were unnecessary as well! lol! They're about as bad as Nascar except they aren't making any real money! Back in the 70's all the top players competed! It was an extra dollar when prize money was almost negligible! The top 10 men could make around $200,000+ per year, top 20 $100,000+, while the others were "scratching" for an existence! If memory serves, the big prize was at the FO where Borg won $42,500 in '78! Win a couple rounds these days and you've made travel expenses and more for a while! Connors actually objected to giving so much to early round losers when he was given a check for $19,000+ losing in the 2nd round later in his career! Spoken like someone without a clue! Without those scrubs to compete against in the early rounds, he wouldn't have them as foils to his greatness! What an idiot!
Back to the point, lets see I was kicked off center court so Erik Van Hoff could hit with Lyndsey Davenport in the late 90's! I was leaving for the day when I held the door for Mary Jo Fernandez and Lori McNeil! Already mentioned Martina a few times! Connors played once and I may have hit a few tennis balls with his son Brett! He was terrible!
***I do wish the top single players would play more dubs, like in the old days.***
ReplyDeleteIn the old days, it was a lot more common for top players to play doubles; and win! Even Bjorn Borg won some WCT events with G. Vilas! McEnroe obviously ruled for quite a while with Fleming! Raul Ramirez was #1 in singles and doubles at the same time as well; partner Brian Gottfried! You had more of a cast of characters they actually showed if time permitted! Matches weren't lasting 3+ hours routinely so it wasn't unusual to get some doubles exposure! Even though it's been well over 30 years, I have vivid memories of legendary teams like Newcombe/Roche, Hewitt/McMillan, Stewart/McNair, & even Connors/Nastase on occasion! The women were even more renowned w/ Navratilova/Shriver, King/Casals, Court/Wade, and Stove/Durr! We have some classic teams today, but you almost never see them! The singles matches run too long as it is; "no doubles for you!"
***Edberg was another top player who excelled at both singles and doubles. He won AO doubles in his farewell year on tour.***
His partner was the craziest of the Swedes; Anders Jarryd! He was an accomplished singles player taking Boris Becker to the limit in a rain-delayed semi at Wimbledon in '85!
***Has Rafa tanked one too many to preserve THE H2H cache he has over Fed?***
All supposition, but very interesting! I've had to deal with that one stat for years; the H2H! It was more important to them since it was the only thing they could hang their collective hats on; truly sad after all is said and done! When the H2H comes up, I fall back on the big inconsistency in Rafa's game; never defended a title off of the dirt! Now we find out it has to be specific types and not others! This guy couldn't survive the tour way back when; you know "when you actually carried your own rackets and towels?" The other pros would have to straighten out the whining real quick! What a baby!
***Federer hater Peter Bodo SLAMS Rafael Nadal - He's written nasty articles on a few players and this latest one certainly won't be the last.***
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the beef? What wasn't true? There's opinion there, but it's not exactly breaking news; Nadal's a diva! So what? That's being nasty? Well at least we know where the babies are; waaaaa!
***In Nadals world any hint of negativity towards her idol makes that person an idiot.
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The side of that statistic that few Nadal fans like to talk about is that Federer was always there to meet him, frustrating as it was for the Swiss champion—yet Nadal conspicuously missed similar appts with Federer on the other surfaces.***
Why is this a surprise? Another well known stat is that Nadal has never defended a title off clay! If he can't defend them, it's obvious Federer has risen to the occasion more often taking majors at an amazing clip in his prime! Rafa has one significant "run" at the FO (6) while Roger has it all over everyone in the Open era taking 5 straight Wimbledon's (6 in total), playing 6 straight USO's winning 5 in a row! Add on the WTF and weeks at #1, with a host of other records, what else needs to be said? That H2H won't be that much of a big deal in the history of the game! Lew Hoad never lost to Rod Laver, but who speaks of him? Historians know this fact, but it's rarely brought up if ever!
***I feel very safe w/ Novak's level that Roger will retain the #2 ranking.Rafa can actually gain points due to Novak's win over him in the final last year.***
ReplyDeleteFederer will remain #2 for the foreseeable future! It's close, but Roger isn't defending points while Nadal is! Rafa can win and still be ranked #3 and seeded the same at the FO! No more skipping thru to the final without playing Federer or Djokovic! The cakewalk semi's with his "team mates" like Ferrer and Verdasco won't occur unless someone is upset! Why is it Nole plays Roger again and again in semi's while ranked #1, 2, & 3? Sick draws! Rafa's been very fortunate! Even Murray won't be competing as well as he thinks!
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Rafa's King of the excuses! He won't even allow a compatriot to beat him without downplaying the accomplishment! He's the worst; and a chronic complainer! He would never survive old time Open tennis! You actually had to carry your own rackets! - There's a reason Nadal has only won the sportsmanship award once! He thinks everything should revolve around him! I saw someone in a wheelchair waiting for that moron to get up off his chair for picture taking at the net! Rafa couldn't be bothered until he finished swigging water, toweling off, & going thru all his misc. psychotic ticks!
***Well said Fiero, just an ugly human being . anyone that cheers for this guy needs to take a hard look at themselves in the mirror.***
***Rafa's slam achievements very unbalanced - Its sad that the bulk of his Slam wins are on clay and the bulk of his regular and Masters titles were on clay. The inability to win even one Masters cup titles leave his resume with barn sized gaping holes.***
ReplyDeleteIt may sound like sour grapes, but I understand it! Nadal's accomplishments alone have put him among the elites, but when you break it down, there are gaping holes! He has time to fill them, but he better get a "wiggle on!" If the fans just gave him normal adulation, I wouldn't lose it when they try to elevate him past the true GOAT; Roger! I've already pointed out many times how Rafa totally disappears by the summer, year in and year out! He has the one USO, but like the AO, he's never defended them or HC Masters! The YEC is a total embarrassment with the extreme of not winning even a match in the RR a couple years ago! Some GOAT!
***Federer (16): 4 AO, 1 FO, 6 Wimbledons, 5 USO.
- Nadal (10): 1 AO, 6 FO, 2 Wimbledons, 1 USO
- Djokovic (5): 3 AO, 0 FO, 1 Wimbledon, 1 USO.
Federer has many titles on 3 surfaces and 1 on his worst. Nadal at the very least needs another AO and USO to make his career well rounded and to show he can step up off clay. Djokovic needs a FO for the career Slam and could use another Wimbledon and USO to be counted among the all time greats.
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How to judge the GOAT? Just curious: what do you think should be the criteria in determining who is the greatest tennis player--Male or Female-- of all time?***
A total "body" of work; majors, tournaments, #1 ranking consistency, with a commitment to the game on and off the court!
***Now if Novak won, does Fed become #2?***
Off the top of my head I was thinking the same; Fed loses 250 points for not making final, but Rafa should lose 1000 by not defending! It was within a couple hundred points or so! I think that would be the case, Fed #2 at Wimbledon! - Hard to believe Rafa still within 2000 points of Nole! It'll increase at least since he in the final, but I just don't understand how Rafa can be that close? He hasn't been winning any more than last season, but maybe Nole pulling back on his schedule he's falling back to the pack!
***The key IS Novak pulling back on his schedule I read, b/c he said he wanted to remain fresh for a longer period of time this year. He said he was about to drop at the end of last year. After the FO we have the grass and HCs which favor Novak and not Rafa. ...We'll see if pulling back on his schedule helps him stay fresher this year.***
***Nadal has been in 7 out of the last 8 GS finals, and has won 4 of them. He's lost much of his Mo-Jo, yes; but he's #2, no question.***
ReplyDeleteRankings are for 1 yr, so going back 2 only camouflages the truth! You want to go back further, we can make Federer the best? These last several months have been dominated by Roger outside of Nole being #1 and winning AO & Miami! Nadal's just been mentioned in historic accounts; 6 time winner of FO, etc!
***All of the Spanish Players SUCK! - They're just human backboards until they play their here; Rafa. There was a surplus of great American players in those days so I had the luxury of being able to root against Chang.***
My mom swears the Spanish tennis federation has warned all players on the team, Nadal must win all critical matches! "You're allowed to take him to the brink, make him earn it if you will, but under no circumstances are you to convert match point against our guy! That's an order if you want to remain in the orbit of this clay GAWD!"
All the Spanish "also-rans" are competitive and even talented! They just can't seem to finish! I've used the example of Feliciano Lopez against Federer on clay last spring! He was up in a 3rd set tie-breaker 5-3, let a playable ball go by him at the net, smiled it off and never recovered! Those kind of "tank" jobs occur too often for my liking from Verdasco, Lopez, Almagro, Ferrer, and all the rest of the Spanish Armada!
Chang had to be on my "hit" list after he beat my baby, Stefan Edberg in the final of '89! It was bad enough taking Lendl out in such a disreputable fashion earlier; underhanded serve! I never liked him! - It was very easy for me too! We truly had a wealth of riches in young, male players; top tier and 2nd tier! There was Agassi, Courier, Sampras, Chang, Scott Davis, Tim Mayotte was still haunting the courts, Pate, Mal Washington, Todd Martin & more!
***There will never be players like Martin, Sampras, Mayotte, Davis ... ever again, the sport is being homogenized (weeps) ***
ESPN Pls Fire Skip Bayless - I've been a fan of "First Take" since it's inception as "Cold Pizza" back 10 years ago! I loved the banter with Woody and others going toe to toe with Bayless in segments called, "1st & 10!" I think the reason I liked him is he broke with the consensus picks and like Mike Lupica tend to go for upsets so they can puff up their little chests! Earlier this year they went to a new format eliminating a lot of guest interviews and fluff pieces by the female co-hosts! It's now Skip Baseless all the time, going on and on, losing all objectivity concerning LeBron James and Tim Tebow! James will never do anything "clutch" enough for Skip to let him off the carpet and to stop calling him "Prince James" & "The Frozen One!" He's relentless and won't be happy until he jumps off a freakin' building! He's totally opposite concerning Tim Tebow making him out to be the best QB since Y.A. Tittle! It's more than a little pathetic the praise and adulation he heaps on this kid! If you attack his picks and fave players "it's on" and Clueless will go on a monumental rant with veins popping out of his neck and his eyes bugging out! Please let this FOOL go ESPN! I've had enough of him and the show!
ReplyDeleteI'm watching a tape from this morning's show! He was his usual dismissive self making "grade school" faces while Stephen A. Smith made his points! He totally discounts what other people have to say and will manipulate stats to make you agree with him! He's too old at 60 to behave the way he does on this show! "Grow up old man!"
***Sounds like you just wanting him kissing Lebron's butox***
I don't even like LeBron; I just don't think it's right and fair for this man to be relentlessly attacked daily! One show last year was practically devoted to pounding him for past losses and performances! I'm one of those people that says you can report without trying to destroy a person! I still remember Donny Moore from the '86 Angels who allowed a home run in a deciding divisional series! He was hounded for years until he blew his brains out! Some sports' personalities just don't know when to quit, allowing bad stats & behavior for some and crucifying others! They're too selective to be held in high regard as far as I'm concerned!
***Is it racism?***
Not necessarily, but someone like Barry Bonds can be villainous with impunity since he's Black! Mark McGuire is still respected, works in STL, and has moved on! Why is that? He was no friend of the Press either! Bonds still has a cloud over him even though court proceedings have finished as far as I'm concerned!
Animus towards Bonds goes back to rookie days back in Pittsburgh! He was good and knew it and made no bones about he knew it! The Press doesn't like that kind of ego and from then on went on a Jihad to embarrass, ridicule, pick on, & belittle the man! All this for personal reasons other then professional! Clemons was excused and he's on trial now! I barely hear anything about it! Bonds has tried to fade from the limelight, but he's still being villainous! Someone hit all those home runs and produced all those strike outs, but both are persona non gratis in Baseball! Where's the consistency?
I guess that's what you should start calling it, "bullying," when Baseless is using social media to relentlessly bash this guy 24/7! I've never been a fan of James' since before the "Decision" and his ego-maniacal "act" after getting by a team he should have had no trouble with! True enough the media elevated him to Gawd-like status, so I get a kick out of seeing him struggle and only make the Finals!
ReplyDelete***We should not order anymore fights on PPV. Watch for free online like me.***
I was one of those people that gave up on boxing years ago! It's been a joke for as long as I can remember! The last fight I watched with any interest was Sugar Ray's loss to Blackwood or someone almost 20 years ago! In the press I kept up with Holyfield, but after the ear biting incident with Tyson, I was done!
***After the "Decision"..... makes the NBA refs look 100% legit. lol***
I've been put off with basketball for that very reason! Going back to Sacramento loss to Lakers in '02 playoffs, it's hard to take the game seriously! Stern promised to investigate and to this day, the officials have never been questioned! Why is Stern still in his position? He's been busted lying on several occasions!
***I'm witcha on the boxing thing but the hating on Skip thing is not even a possibility. He has a license to bully with one of the biggest if not the biggest market behind him. He gets to call and harass the best basketball player in the world every single day and in the same breath praise a QB that many experts think can't even throw the football.
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The Dream Team - Isiah trying to save face in his congrats to the '92 team, 20 years later. He probably wrote that after going through a few boxes of tissues.***
In my day, it was put on Jordan that Isiah was selected to the team! He hated the entire Detroit team and wasn't about to have Thomas as a team mate! I was surprised he didn't smack Daly down as well! I guess that would have been too much at the time since Daly had already been selected and had chosen assistants!
***if you read the book"When The Game Was Ours," Magic Johnson also did not want Isiah on the team either; his innuendoing to press and other players, that Magic might be gay b/c he contracted HIV, just 6 months before, and they had a huge falling out. ... Isiah was a great player, but his personality and actions rubbed a lot of the players the wrong way.***
Without Rodman, forget those last 3 titles for Jordan! The reason the Bulls lost the previous year to the '95 Magic was due to lack of rebounding! They allowed teams 2-4 tries at a basket each time down the floor! It was sad before Dennis was brought on board!
***Murray's tennis is beautiful, just need to calm his nerve and he gets this slam.***
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful if it works out! The problem is he continues to perform like this against the big 3 and in majors they usually annihilate him! Lendl got him to 2 sets to 1 over Nole at the AO, but in the end, it was all Novak! I've played that type of tennis! It's a way of toying with your opponent! You want them to attack you so you can pass them or come up with a great "get!" Unfortunately these days "gets" are as common as breathing! It's really not tennis anymore taking these colossol swipes at the ball! Players 20-30 feet behind the baseline floating the ball back deep because opponents are afraid to take it out of the air! It's getting harder and harder to watch! What will I do after Federer retires? He's one of the last classic players who actually plays beautiful tennis!
***Excellent comments Fiero and Federer is playing classical tennis in modern blends, combining power and placement like no one has ever done.
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Nadal whining about Olympics best of three format***
You're kidding? Haven't read article! I've yet to find one with comments from Nadal that were worth reading! His 2 year ranking idea proves he's not credible talking about the game! I thought they would have best of 5 for the Olympics, but I'm glad these m0r0s had the smarts to take it down best of 3! This is occurring in the middle of the summer when they should be resting & preparing for the USO on hardcourt! Doesn't bother me in the least! I've really never seriously watched Olympic tennis! I caught Henin winning and that's been about it! I still think it's a joke to have millionaire stars being allowed entry into what was considered an amateur sport competition!
***I HAVENT READ THE ARTICLE TOO, BUT I AGREE WITH THE IDEA OF A TWO YEAR RANKING WAS A SELFISH IDEA SINCE NADAL HAS NEVER DEFENDED A TITLE OUTSIDE OF CLAY***
After he said that, talking about it will help other players was so much BS! I haven't looked at him the same since! I already hated his scowling and stomping around the court like he's some kind of diety, but that move while still on the council still ticks me off! Who in the hell does he think he is?
***I think it's befitting that they only play 3 sets. I really hate watching them play 5 lonnnnnnng sets.***
I'm still trying to recover watching the AO live! I had been up all day and w/ it starting after 2 am, a nearly 6 hour match still has me sluggish after all these months! They really need to do something to speed up these contests! I watched the USO, Wimbledon, & the 5th set of AO of '11 yesterday! The toweling off, challenging & whining about calls, and the excessive bouncing of the ball should be stopped altogether! In the old days you bounced the ball before a serve 2 or 3 times! 15-23 times is entirely too much! Refs need to talk to the players at the beginning of the match and tell them how it's going to be! People are trying to watch tennis, not paint dry!
***Here's to hoping that they make the clay like they did in Madrid, but they won't!***
ReplyDeleteIf FO went "blu," Nadal wouldn't get past week 1! His weapon is his footing! No one looks more inept though when they do fall as a Nadal! It's like instead of falling he tries to catch himself 3 or 4 times so he can try and make it to the next ball!
***The blue clay was nice while it lasted.***
US Har-Tru back in the 70's changed tennis! Majors were mostly on grass and other tourneys being created w/ cement, older tourneys aplenty existed playing on clay! It wasn't real clay, but it gave an opportunity for an aggressive player to have an even chance against a baseliner! You can still get aces, serve and volley, & take advantage of the poor footing by hitting behind a person! McEnroe and Connors had better chances against Borg on that surface as well! Red clay, forget about it! I miss those monday night pro matches over the summer; Boston Pro, Washington Star, Canadian Open, US CLay Court Championships, etc! They moved Indian Wells to a monday evening start for one year in the 90's! Sampras annihilated Agassi in 3 straight sets when it was still best of 5!
***THE NADAL LOSS REALLY SHOOK UP THE BUILDING***
It had to! Who was this kid? If you looked only at the stroke production of abandon, he looked like Robin Soderling! Nadal couldn't read where he was about to hit some of those wild forehand winners! Most people had to believe that break before the 5th set would only jangle the nerves of the kid! The exact opposite occurred with Nadal complaining about breathing noises out of Rosel? He had to be kidding with all the freakin' noise that comes out of his mouth, throat, and chest bordering on hinderance!
Without even looking, Nadal should drop to #3 giving Federer a better chance to get to a record weeks at #1, but will settle for #2 right now! If Roger upsets Nole, he'll be in even better shape, but we'll have to wait to see if Roger gets to the match! He does have a back issue!
***Part of the reason why I don't like the ranking systems. Nadal is soon to be surpassed by Federer who is having a far less successful season than him.***
Nadal over the past year was nowhere near as good as Federer! How soon we forget how Roger finished up the season winning several tourneys including the YEC! He started this year just as well winning several more tourneys including Madrid! What a nerve, Nadal doing more than Roger? That's total BS and has to be a freakin' joke! He only held onto his #2 ranking by holding those clay court titles; BIG DEAL! Call me when he defends anything off of dirt; even win!
The reason Hingis held onto the #1 ranking for so long is b/c she was the most consistant player around that time! It helped to win 5 majors, take the VS Chp! Even making finals helped to keep her in place! What's the beef about the ranking? Just b/c your fave had to wait a few more months you have to create a conspiracy?
Nadal over the past year was nowhere near as good as Federer! How soon we forget how Roger finished up the season winning several tourneys including the YEC! He started this year just as well winning several more tourneys including Madrid! What a nerve, Nadal doing more than Roger? That's total BS and has to be a freakin' joke! He only held onto his #2 ranking by holding those clay court titles; BIG DEAL! Call me when he defends anything off of dirt; even win!
I'll have to go check, but Navratilova had this weird season in '87 where she lost final after final until Wimbledon and the USO! She even lost the FO final in 3 to Graf! Back then they didn't telecast those small tourneys so I have no idea what was going on; esp. after losing 1st set to Sukova at Eastborne after having a 5-0 lead! I don't think she was hurt, but to this day, I have no idea what that was all about!
ReplyDelete***If Serena Williams retires today, well she has stood the test of time. Thats something the rest of the WTA are still trying to grasp on to.***
OCO, talk about being a "prisoner of the moment!" You're trying to elevate her status again past the other greats! Why do this again and again? It's so easy to knock down no matter what she does! No one can surpass the accomplishments of Navratilova who truly stood the test of time! The woman won her last major at 50; 49 years, 11 months really (2006 USO MD)! I've put Serena at #5 all time and that can't be raised even with Olympic gold! She will always be behind Navratilova, Graf, Court, & Evert! They were fully commited while Serena played part time for different reasons I don't care to revisit! History books won't care about her outside interests, illnesses, & personal tragedies! Other players had lives too! Like Cronkite used to say, "and that's the way it is!"
***Serena's 30 GS titles...742 - 132 ....46 titles overall ...3 Golds...3 YEC's - Every Player in tennis would love to barely play like that***
"30 GS titles...742 - 132 ....46 titles overall ...3 Golds...3 YEC's" is nowhere near "59 GS titles, Fed Cups for 2 countries (Cze & USA), 167 Singles titles along with 177 doubles titles, and 8 YEC's (twice in '86)!" Ya wanna embarrass yourself some more?
***Fiero, you come with any excuse to diminish the WS and put lesser players above them.***
I'm not saying Hingis was better! I just don't think she should be overlooked when she handled both Williams at times! It was hard for her with no serve or power, but she did very well and held the #1 ranking longer than both combined! You must have a problem with numbers? Check the record; Serena's behind these other greats! I'm not trying to be malicious; just factual! She has a long way to go to surpass the top 4; that's all I'm saying!
***I don't have a problem with numbers, but its not just about numbers. Their are other factors.***
I guess that was the same logic that put Sampras as the GOAT without a FO final in his pocket before Roger came along! We have are favorites and are willing to overlook facts and numbers! I'm just as guilty with my favoring of Hingis, but she didn't last even though her record is impressive and will be referenced again and again b/c of her accomplishments and tennis records held!
***Ugliest tennis-wear out there***
ReplyDeleteBeing a kd in the 70's, our options were limited and money didn't grow on trees! I'm already buying and breaking rackets on a weekly basis, my wardrobe was plentiful, but I didn't do the designer stuff like Fila! I stuck with Head, Catalina when it started out, Wilson, some Adidas that usually disintegrated after a few washings, and Newcombe believe it or not! I was going thru shoes so fast, I was going with cheapies like the Betas for just $10! That way a new pair a week was better than $25-30 every 2 weeks! I was hard on shoes playing veryday, all day! Started with K-Swiss since they offered resoling! Moved up to the best shoe on sale in the 90's; Diadoras! They were like running on pillows! So many viarieties now, you aren't pigeon-holed!
***I really hated Adidas***
When I started out in the 70's, Fila was "The Wear" to have with Borg their top spokesperson! It was rich looking, tight fitting to the body, and was classic just using white, beige, and creme with accented piping & collars of green, red, & blue! Call it old fashioned, but I loved it! Too freakin' expensive though! The tariffs were brutal! Someone I taught tennis with bought me a warm up; such a waste at $235! That was probably on sale! That was a lot of money for something to sweat in and needing to dry clean!
***Damn you were rich in the 70s. My dad took me shopping the summer after we came to Canada, to a thrift store...bought me a blue pair of shorts, red canvas shoes (with traffic signs all over them), and a t-shirt; $11.***
We weren't rich, just comfortable! Back in the mid 70's tennis clothes were the only thing I wore; playing, teaching, and socially! I had a whole closet full of tennis shirts, shorts taking up 2 draws, and another full of wrist bands to match! The clothes lasted a lot longer than the rackets! I would make McEnroe proud with my tirades when I missed a shot! I was also a fan of Bjorn Borg's so for a while I played with his Bancroft racket strung at 76# of pressure! It was stressed enough with that tension in the strings, banging it on the ground didn't help much! lol! I have easily gone through 60 or more rackets over my career! Looked in storage and found a few of the oldies; a wood Garcia, an all fiberglass European model called Volkl (orange with blue zebra stripes), and an old aluminum "tear drop" Head Pro!
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***How can the Cowboys be this crappy?***
It's the organization, not the players! Bad coaches, Jerry taking the GM duties, and heaven knows what other soap operas going on behind the scenes! They've been a mess for years; even with Parcells! They've been under-achievers since Jimmy left in '93! Those were his players in '95 so that's been it since! Pathetic of Jones to let this go on for so many years! I wonder will this be the game that tips Skip Bayless into complete insanity being such a Romo lover? I can hear him now making excuses for him tomorrow on "First Take!" lol!
***Skip Bayless also thinks Dallas should game plan around the fact that Dud Bryant is stupid.***
They were clueless long before Bryant got there! I thought after they signed Romo's security blanket last year, TE Witten, that they would be on their way to the SB! lol! When they blew that huge lead against Detroit last year, Bayless made it partly Witten's fault for getting knocked out of bounds after a 60+ yard play! The cornerback was so little, Bayless was incensed that that was allowed to happen, subsequently fumbling the ball later in the drive! 2-3 TD leads are meaningless in Dallas!
***The dresses Ted Tinling designed for Billie Jean and Martina and many others (NOT Evert) were hideous; absolutely hideous. They were then, and they are now.***
ReplyDeleteThey were made that way on purpose to be totally contradictory of tennis norms where everything was
all white! They were hideously created that way to attract notoriety to the women's game! I remember when Virginia Slims had just begun and most of the top ladies wore Tinling; Wade, King,
Casals, Court, Stove, Durr, Navratilova, & more! They were striped, very colorful, with sequins and huge collars! They served their purpose!
***Is novak the most mentally tough player ever?***
I'm going old school for my choices! For the men, Bjorn Borg had to be the most unflapable! I can't tell you how many times people thought they had him on the ropes, but even match point down, could come back and beat them; esp. in majors! For the ladies I'll have to go to Chris Evert! She's no favorite of mines with my thinking she almost killed women's tennis with the way little girls were emulating her style of play! Her strength was her mental stamina; willing to out last the best players of her generation; Goolagong, Navratilova, King, Court, Wade, Mandlikova, and others! I thought she was done by '85 with Navrailova "toying" with her, even on clay, but stay with it and won 2 more French Open titles; both over Navrratilova!
***Fiero...my first thought was Borg as well, but that little retirement incident says I just can't go there. How old was he when he retired? same as as Djokovic is now??***
Borg was only 26, but it was time; being on the circuit since he was 15! He won a lot in a very short period of time; sorta like Federer! He was burned out! As a teenager, he had to overcome the career endings of Laver, Newcombe, & Ashe, then peers like Connors, McEnroe, & Nastase reaching the top and staying there until he finally circummed mentally in '81! He didn't have the protection of 32 seeds in majors either taking on all comers on all surfaces, winning 2 Masters, 1 WCT title, 5 Wimbledons and 6 FO's! He did all that with a wood racket; sweet spot the size of a fist, if that at 80+#'s of string pressure!
***As far as mental toughness goes, I'd place Nole ahead of Rafa and Rafa ahead of Federer.***
I proved my impartiality by picking Evert who I loath! lol! I guess I'm more shocked you put Nole ahead of Rafa! That makes sense after '11 with 7 straight wins into '12 AO! - Borg was a fave of mines, but I witnessed some of the greatest escapes of all time including being 2 match points down to Jaime Fillol! In the 2nd round at the US Open in '76, I think Borg was down a couple breaks too and had to overcome best of 3, not best of 5 in those early rounds on clay, 7-6 in the 3rd!
***Nadal, being considered solely a clay-court expert, did remarkably well to "master" all the surfaces and get the career slam. His place in tennis is set!***
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't use the word "remarkably" cocerning Nadal's record off dirt! He's had his share of wins, but nothing noteworthy except he has the career GS! He has 1 USO, 1 AO, no WTF; where's the "remarkably well" come into play? Without checking, I'm sure Roger, Nole, & Andy probably all have done better in Masters on HC & carpet! Rafa almost disappears for months during the summer and fall! How can anything be called remarkable except it's remarkable he's so highly ranked playing part time?
***Nothing noteworthy except for that little meaningless feat called the career Grand Slam...***
It was more meaningful when technology hadn't taken over! This isn't tennis anymore! It's a joke, an endurance test, and mental struggle to stay out on the court for 4-5 hrs! Nadal's brand of tennis is the least attractive and is pretty unwatchable as far as I'm concerned!
***Congratulations to the whole Czech team, coaches and their fans. It was their time. - It was great to see Lendl there too, actually smiling. - 2012 Fed Cup and Davis Cup to same Country. ...***
Really? I'll have to go check it out now! Lucky me, I'm catching the beginning of match for the tie and CUP! More to dump on Rafa for not being there! Martina had something to smile about with Kvitiva at Wimbedon last season! Not sure if she acknowledged CzRp win at the Fed Cup!
***Boris Becker: Federer would've been successful in Serve and Volley era. Nadal, Djokovic definite NO - Serve and volley had it's time, move on.***
Ya better hope it comes back! Tennis is almost unwatchable these days with 3-5 hour contests being routine! The women are no better with the contant toweling off, meditation at the back of the court, and the incessant bouncing of the ball before both serves! Back "in the day" as people say, there was true drama out there on the court! The fans heart rate was up, palms were sweaty living, breathing, and dying on every point in some matches; ie the longest day in '84! I agree baseliners of today would have serious problems with players who weren't as health conscience, could have pot-bellies, but playing their game, could still compete with the best of them! Lendl was the best during his reign from the baseline, but he had major heartburn with many of the greats; McEnroe, Edberg, & Becker! His only real rival playing him at his own game was Wilander! Now everyone plays like that, hugging the baseline and taking their time between points! (yawn) "Hail Roger" who at least attacks sometimes!
***I'm thinking Rafa will have a real advantage over Novak at the start of 2013 he will be well rested and have plenty in the tank. - Rafa turned the tide in Monte Carlo. Then he beat Djoker at the RG. So Rafa has the mental edge.***
ReplyDeleteI really think Nole coasted last season for the most part! Matches that he wanted and fought for were all his in 2011; 3 majors and 5 Masters! He was pretty much done after that AO earlier this year and I was happy he recovered enough to take #1 back from Roger! I wouldn't be so sure about that mental edge
just yet! Rafa's main wins occured on clay; yawn!
***WHO IS THE BEST RETIRED TENNIS PLAYERS?***
No matter how old, Martina N. and McEnroe would anchor my double's team!
***That would be an awesome mixed doubles team. I wonder if they ever played together?***
I don't think so! If it happened, it was in WTT, but I'd have to look back to see if they ever played on the same team; maybe NY! I would think the egos would be too out of control! lol! "I'm the best doubles player in history; no I'm the best!" lol! Few people remember Martina was scheduled to play doubles with Graf at the US Open and Wimbledon, but Steffi balked both times at the last moment; "I need to save myself for singles!" What a loser! I can't believe she did that twice to Martina! She stinks for all time along with taking majors while Monica was recovering from stab wound!
***MY TOP 10 (OPEN ERA)
1. FEDERER
2. NAVRATILOVA
3. GRAF
4. SAMPRAS
5. EVERT
6. S. WILLIAMS
7. NADAL
8. BJK
9. AGASSI
10. V. WILLIAMS
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...I just realized they placed Becker ahead of Henin as well, which I do not agree with it. This is why they should have done separate lists for the men and women.***
Even though Henin record more impressive then Becker's, he gets more of a nod due to playing so many Wimbledon finals, winning 3! I sorta like the list with Federer on top! Navratilova didn't have many rivals and most couldn't keep up with her physically! The men have been lackluster and unachieving! Federer & Nadal should have both been upset more; esp. on grass! They weren't that great as much as the mental weakness of the male players!
***If you just go by the #'s, Graf, Navratilova, Evert have stronger claim than Federer; esp. Graf/Navr. Granted I would still put asterisk by Graf. I think Serena should be right around Sampras/Laver/Court, not quite with Fed/Navr./Graf/Evert yet. I really don't know where to place Nadal/Bjorg; my 2 faves.***
I feel your pain! Growing up in the 70's, Borg was THE MAN, but I softened over time finally giving the nod to Sampras until Federer came along! The women, I always thought Navratilova would be the best and she didn't embarrass that opinion! Even though Evert is no fave of mines, she has to remain above any of the current stars due to her longevity and consistency' winning at least 1 major 13 straight years! She had a lot more rivals over the years including BJK, Goolagong, Navratilova, Court, Wade; ending with Seles and Graf! A big ol' asterisk goes by Graf's name for obvious reasons! I've raised Serena as far as I can; #5 all time behind Navr., Graf, Court, & Evert! The men: Federer, Laver, Sampras, Borg, Connors; imo for now!
***Should you really count the pre-OE slams of Court and Laver? Yes, Court had 24 singles Slams, but only 10 in the OE. Yes, 10 with a GS year; still no one really mentions her as the GOAT, because the majority of her slams were preOE. Same is true with Laver; more than half his Slams are preOE. With that in mind, Fiero, would you still have Laver at #2 and Court at #3 on your respected list?***
ReplyDeleteYes I would! I saw them play! They would have eaten up today's players if brought back to their era! Federer wouldn't have all those Wimbledons either!
***Consider Laver of '62...did you see him play? I doubt that such events were televised back then. The pro's were not allowed to play when Laver won this GS. And there were pro's such as Puncho Gonzales, who I'm told that many of the pro's (and amatures alike) of that time consider Puncho the GOAT of that time frame.***
Pancho was already winding down, but if you really want the top player, technically it's probably Lew Hoad who Laver never beat! He won 3 majors and was finalist in USO that year; playing part time! He was never serious about the game or we would have another listing altogether!
---
...Full time pros weren't prevalent until Dream Team in '92! None of those people would have won Gold! Graf was almost unbeatable in '88!
***...But full time pro's were playing in tennis event in '88. So who's to say if pro's would have been allow to play starting back in '68; if tennis had been an olympic event? You don't know if they would have or not. Common sense says that they most likely would have.***
"Could have," but not probable or likely! Evert was on the way out, Navratilova was in a funk in '88, Sabatini was a head-case, and Seles hadn't arrived yet! For the men, McEnroe was almost done along with Connors, Lendl & Wilander were winding down, & Edberg and Becker ruled with Agassi in waiting!
***167 single wins. Untouchable! 177 doubles wins. Untouchable! 86-1 in '83 - best single year winning % in history. Longest winning streak in history - 74 matches. 18 grand slam singles titles. 31 GS doubles titles. 8 YEC's. Are you kidding me? Martina Nav's records are Cy Young like. All respect due to Stefi - Most GS wins - 22 including the Golden Slam. Longest at #1 - 377 wks to Martina's 332 wks. But they were 9-9 head to head. 5-4 in GS with Martina having the edge. In terms of body of work and accomplishment, I don't think there is a close 2nd. To rank Martina 4th on this list is the biggest joke I've ever heard. She stands alone. - The GOAT: Martina Nav...***
Agreed! She has records that can't and won't be touched including winning 6 majors in a row, almost toying with her closest rival & other opponents in her prime, and winning her last major at 50 (49 yrs, 11 mo) in MD; '06 USO!
***I think I read somewhere that Pancho Gons thought Hoad was the best. My point is, that as great as Laver's '62 GS year was, he wasn't going against the best players. The same can be said for 2 of his other pre-OE slams. As for Court, I don't know if there were many (or any) pre-OE women pro's. But what I know that was true of the early '70's is that many of the top players did not make the trip down under. - ...I do know that I read that at one point during the pre-OE, that the defending Slam champion didn't have to play through the draw like today's defending champion.***
ReplyDeleteThe ladies draw didn't really fill out until the 80's! There just weren't enough pros and the seeded players all got byes! The last female draw I wrote up was probably '77 where the women had only 86-98 players in the draw at Wimbledon! The AO was something that wasn't given much credit towards the historic records of Court and Goolagong! Many times our top players didn't take a ship down there where to get sponsorship money you had to commit to 2-3 months "down-under!" BJK relates stories of begging, borrowing, and stealing to make ends meet to get fare to return home! Court and Goolagong had free reign to win the AO multiple times for the most part like their own private nat'l chp.!
***6 Majors in a row tops Golden Slam.***
So does Martina in an interview I saw years ago! Historians took away her "Martina Slam" ('83 Wimbledon to '84 FO); 6 Slams in a row w/ addition of '84 W & USO after Graf completed a calender Slam in '88! Martina points out "her run," then waves off those who try to undermine her streak!
***of course her records are untouchable. No one in the ensuing eras could even play that much w/o dying on court. The game has progressed. Her achievements are stellar, but that cant be held as the benchmark forever.***
She extends that benchmark every year she continues to play at such a high level! Sorta like Connors delaying his own induction into the HOF by hanging on well past his prime!
***All the things you said made me think of Steffi Graf. I think she came in at the end of Evert/Navratilova, then Monica was stabbed. Playing basically with no real rival.***
It's a sad ending to a great career! It's like a lot of things in history! The cold hard numbers say one thing, but under a little scrutiny, it's not as impressive! I believe the exact opposite is the case when Martina's #'s are looked at under a microscope! Many will say she should have won more, but it sounds so ridiculous when you look deeper! "Everybody's got a story" as I like to say, but few even try to remember Martina's! Try defecting from a communist country at 18, leaving your entire family behind, and dealing with the stigma attached to being "Bi!" Most have had a "cake-walk" in comparison and she still kept on chugging along dealing with weight issues, relationships, and trying to grow support for a fledgling new women's tour in the 70's! I don't think I need go any further with 59 majors under her name!
***"I THINK SOMEONE SHOULD COME UP WITH A UNIVERSAL PT. SYSTEM TO DETERMINE THE GOAT."
ReplyDelete---
It's not possible. Esp. when the players play in different eras w/ different conditions including equipment! This is an exercise in futility not meant to be taken seriously. It is a joke.***
You'd still wind up with the same 2 top players; Federer and Navratilova! Federer for his high level of excellence over a brief few years while Martina withstood the test of time at a high level for 20 years! They both won when it was thought they were done! Federer took a FO and later another Wimbledon recently! Martina took one more Wimbledon in '90 and continued adding to her major title list thru doubles until she was 50; '06 USO MD! All that after retiring for 6 yrs!
***No you wouldn't. It's the same subjective crap bandied about by so-called opinion leaders and fans serving their own biased partisan take. Even with the time clock can anybody in his right mind think Usain Bolt is greater than Jesse Owens and vice-versa when conditions are completely different?***
Watching "The Greatest..." on TCC again and in the commercial before they got to Serena at #14, there was a "kind of update" with commentary saying if she gets closer to Martina and Chris she can move into the top 10! No formal update to the show, but the discussion wasn't absent either!
***So what products would be suitable for Novak endorsements? I suppose he could get some hair products since he has such stylish locks! - Roger's endorsements would do for starters.***
Roger led the way even when his ranking dropped to #3! I'm not surprised he was re-up'd in endorsements due to getting back to #1 for part of the year! Nole and Rafa have a long way to go concerning their marketability and personality! Lendl was #1 for ages and he never achieved star status off the court! Same for Martina; of course! Connors, McEnroe, & Evert led the way even when rankings fell!
***Federer to skip Miami - Maybe he thinks the courts are too slow. Also, maybe he doesn't think of it as the 5th major.***
Fed has to limit his schedule to sustain high level of play to compete! Rafa and Nole are running themselves into the ground, but you see the time they're taking off trying to reverse the affects of how hard the game is on their bodies! Nadal has been playing part time and Nole significantly cut back this past year from '11!
- You could say the 3rd Bush term has almost bankrupted USA, ...!
ReplyDelete***You must be BRAIN DEAD! If anything the Kenyan is destroying America ON PURPOSE! The only WORSE President in American History is Jimmy Carter. Therefore America is starting a 3rd term of a Carter admin. on STEROIDS. You may believe in the Wizard of Oz fairy tales of the Media Matters Communist propaganda, but not all Americans are as STUPID! - ...there was no "3rd Bush Term" ....there was only Obama's failure of a 1st term and the disastrous 2nd term coming up. Will you liberal freaks blame Bush still after 8 yrs of Emperor Obama?***
If Dems are such losers, what does that say about Republican candidates that he stomped? Obama's the luckiest man in the history of elections with such morons going up against him! They complained about his character assassination, but they had no alternatives besides, "you want us, not him!" That didn't cut it and I finally give credit to the electorate who saw through these very small people trying to undermine the process with voter limitations and intimidation! These people stood in lines going down the block, in the rain and cold; all to make sure Mitt had an extended vacation after nov. 6th! He's looking great; yeah great!
Bush's war in Afghanistan is still going on! That doesn't have anything to do with Obama until after '14! Hopefully he'll pull the troops out sooner! I think I heard they're looking into speeding it up! If you listen to John Bolton, we'll be stuck there longer and try to get something started in Syria and Iran! What a loser; war-hawks! Always the same losers who did nothing when it counted during Viet-Nam, Korea, and Desert Storm!
***On Monday's Hardball, the host repeatedly said current Speaker John Boehner "lost" on Election Day despite the Congressman winning 99.9 percent of the votes in his district while his Party retained control of the House - maybe you should show us Obama's......there has been only 2 landslides....Ronald Reagan....49 states.....Richard Nixon...49 states.***
Just keep deluding yourselves guys! Even with the "gerry-mandering," you lost some seats! Penn. is a blue state, but you've worked it so it's "red" Congressionally; congrats! That won't win you nat'l elections proved by how Obama annihilated Mittens around the country including FLA & Ohio! Without those states to support the insanity, you've been pushed back into the "stone age!" You're not even credible as far as I can see! All the polls were wrong according to you guys; they had to be! You're still fighting the results! Obama ran on raising taxes and that's going to happen! You over played your hand under the debt limit fight last yr and it's going to gain you no sympathy! You jammed the country with almost $800B in tax cuts for the rich just to get $30B for unemployment extentions in return! Obama warned you that was the end of those cuts to the top 2%! It's unbelieveable it hasn't sunk in; YOU LOST!
***Fiero, the GOP won the majority of the House. I don't know how one can claim that Boehner lost.***
ReplyDeleteWell we'll see who has the upperhand on this tax issue! Pelosi has called for a vote on Senate Bill sitting in the House! Obama doesn't have to do anything really! If Boehner wants to play chicken, The Sequestor signed by him and Paul Ryan will take care of all our needs without anyone lifting a finger jan 2! It's all just bluster with poor Grover Norquist on his way to becoming irrelevant within the next couple weeks!
***Boehner, GOP Leaders Purge Conservatives from Powerful Committees***
They had to have removed Michelle Bachmann from the House Intelligence Committee Chairmanship! Boehner lost all credibility giving her such a position 2 yrs ago!
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***We all know that HIV can't be transmitted through saliva right?***
"Spitting" on someone is considered assault; esp. on a cop! That's how felons' rap sheets gets so long; inflated charges for every action taken while being arrested or interrogated! Even threats can be listed and charged when it comes to cops, judges, and the prosecutor! These guys never learn ya gotta shut up and let their attorneys handle things! This is how minor charges end up running practically life sentences to petty criminals! Living in CA., "The 3 Strike" law has been a nightmare incarcerating people for minor offenses for the rest of their lives! The cost has finally overwhelmed them! Lucky I left in '01! Arnold would've forced me off a ledge! What incompetence!
***Jamie, doesn't 3 strikes have to be 3 felonies? Since when are felonies minor offenses?***
We create felons out of them with laws put on the books! If a cop is running after you and someone is hurt or killed, you take a bigger fall! ...I say take your medicine and be done with it! CA.'s like that; plenty of people that are made into "felons!" Felony drug possessions and murder have been expanded and corrupted beyond belief! In MI it's criminal what's going on; 3 strikes on drugs! Break up families and put kids "on the public dole" while parents in jail for using drugs! Insanity reigns around this country!
***...for a long time possession of small amount of crack cocaine was a felony, but possession of much larger amounts of other, more expensive drugs, was not considered a felony. ...being charged with a felony for possession of an amount too small to be for anything but personal use does seem a little excessive to me. - You make it sound like 3 shoplifting convictions will get you life. LOL.***
***Jon Huntsman for Sec. of State? - Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren...that's the ticket.***
ReplyDeleteDidn't I hear retired Neb. Sen. Hagel was sniffin' around DC recently? Obama may choose him to do something! He's a lot more honorable than Huntsman seeing as the man quit a job to run against his boss mid-term! ...They want to hold Scott Brown off so Warren is going nowhere! I'm starting to think Kerry isn't either since the Gov. doesn't have authority to name the successor! Drag Sam Nunn out of retirement if all else fails!
***Is Geo. W. Bush mentally disturbed? - I'm showing you 0bama is just as mentally unstable as you think Bush is.***
You have to be a little "touched" to think this country can be led for any amount of time by ANYBODY! We live to tear people down, build them up, then tear them back down! We say we want change, but as soon as the status quo is questioned, we retreat back into familiarity! ...Since the Dems have the upper hand, I just pray they don't over-reach like Republicans and lose that atvantage allowing "red states" to over-run the country again with their assinine ideas of how things should go! All the evidence of tax cuts, state rule, and allowing the NRA to run things have been reputiated! What else has to happen but for them to allow us to go "over the fiscal cliff" they set up to occur? "It's all your fault; no it's your fault!" Morons all!
***Jon, Are you trying to say that our government isn't made up of 3 co-equal branches? Are you actually that illiterate?***
Each has different advantages depending on time of the year! The President just won an election running on a few sacred points! Why should he compromise on tax rates when he stated that was the intent since the agreement reached last year that extended the Bush tax cuts! At that time the House had the advantage and blackmailed the President into going back on his promise of letting those cuts expire; all for an extension of $30B to unemployment insurance around the holidays! Republicans can 'kick rocks' for all I care! I couldn't care less about their feelings when they find themselves in this predicament! "Thanks Boehner for being so spineless as to shaking on an agreement, bragging about how you got 99% of what you wanted, then allowing Cantor to kick you in ass to tell the President NO deal!" This time, the President holds all the cards! If the "right" want to keep their allegiance to Grover Norquist and allow us to "go over the cliff," they'll burn with a campaign rallying call they won't forget anytime soon! Please go ahead and allow another downgrade!
***I don't remember Huntsman saying it was a mistake for the President to appoint him to that position.***
Well it's an obvious fraud because Huntsman thought he could do a better job! This is like a VP on Trump's board of directors quitting to take Trump down! It made no sense then and it still doesn't; esp. with how Obama won this race! It wasn't close, but Boehner, McConnell, & Norquist think it's status quo because of the electorate! They know how the House has been "gerry-mandered" so they should stop deluding themselves! Dems got a million more votes overall and took a couple seats from "tea-baggers!" The Senate should be theirs, but they blew it again with unqualified and insane candidates! Obama's the luckiest guy around to have his competition not only shooting themselves in the foot, but in the head as well when they have all the advantages! What fools they are! lol! No one's going to listen to a group that cries "wolf" everyday talking about how bad things are when the statistics show improvement all over place! It's just insane of these people! It's all fallen on deaf ears after calling Obama a socialist, communist, terrorist sympathizer, incompetent, and lazy! If you believe that, why is he sitting in the White House with others looking in?
***Liberal Democrats couldn't run a "7-11" without driving it into bankruptcy ...***
ReplyDeleteWell Rupublicans would know about bankruptcy! They've been trying to run the country into it for yrs! "W" was just a breath of fresh air while he was running the country! Gawd help us! The delusions are expanding! Two wars, a drug prescription bill, and tax cut bills coming due and it's all the Dem's fault? I think not!
***The rest of your post I pretty much agree with. Its the first part, which I quoted, that I don't. But hey, I can respectfully agree to disagree. If the job was open, the VP has a right to run.***
But that's the thing, the job wasn't open! That's what makes Huntsman look so insane! Obama wasn't going anywhere! It wasn't even close!
***If there was anyone that had the credentials to beat the President, it was Huntsman. None of the others came close. Romney shouldn't have even been considered. That was the best they had to offer so that tells you what I think about the rest....***
If he was so qualified, why didn't he win? He wasn't even close really! He had multiple chances; Republican standard bearer as well as "independant" on the ballot! He was shallacked in every way possible; money, votes, and respect!
***Senate Minority leader McConnell just proposed that President Obama’s fiscal cliff deal go up for a vote in the Senate, but majority leader Harry Reid wouldn’t permit a vote on the deal. - B/C he opposes it. Are you saying Harry Reid and the Dems oppose Obama's plan?***
You could say the same thing about Boehner in the House! Why doesn't he allow vote on Senate bill already passed? - About as much as you saying Boehner & the Republicans would hold up tax cuts for 98% and throw us into a recession to help out the top 2%!
***This is supposedly a plan that Obama put forward in good faith. WHY would Dems not want to vote for it?***
I have no idea what you're talking about, but Obama will do no favors for Boehner, McConnell, or any one on that side of the aisle! The level of disrespect has earned them little sympathy with the President and his cabinet! The fillibusters with other obstructionist tactics should tell you all you need to know when it comes to making a deal! Obama will hammer all concerned after what they put him through last year! The debt ceiling will have to be raised, tax cuts on the top 2% will have to expire or at least be limited, and more stimulus money allocated! He'll get it all too! Elections have consequences is what's usually said by the lame "right!" Eat it!
***Obama is the same low life....nothing has changed***
The Confeds continue to ride! So much for the new fuckin' SOUTH! No wonder they're so far behind the rest of us; limited opportunity, education system in the toilet, and a standard of living so low, I wouldn't want to fly overhead! A 100 years of Jim Crow tells us all we need to know about "low-lifes!"
***I must admit Coulter was right before when she said if they chose mittens, they would lose in '12....AND SHE WAS right! Maybe the "Right" should listen to her!***
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, they already listen to her too much! The thing with Reps, no matter how the wind blows, with a humiliation not seen under such circumstances, they can ignore it all and do what they think is right; whether it works out or not! I just call them a bit schitzophrenic with their biggest problem "projection" and transference! You can be assured whatever they're complaining about the most, they're more guilty! More Republican local admin. have been collared due to their own impropriaties, but they steadfast say we need a national standard for voter registration with ID validated by GAWD! Morons!
***How many times can they get it wrong before they get the picture?***
These days they like to be wrong to prove some kind of strange point! The last 2 election cycles, the Reps should have taken back the Senate! It was in the bag with the 2nd consecutive Dem. Leader on the ropes! Like Daschle, Reid should have been gone except for DeMint promoting Tea-baggers with sawdust for brains! It's as if they're sabotaging themselves on purpose! I appreciate McConnell embarrassing himself today asking for a vote concerning the Nat'l Debt auto approval by the President! Only a Rep. can ask for a vote them change his mind asking for veto proof majority of 60! What a nitwit! Collectively they all need to seek help!
***...these gentlemen have NOT disrespected Obama (and if he feels disrespected, he is being oversensitive). Boehner & McConnell may have disagreed with him, but that is politics and expected in D.C.***
Seek serious psycho. help! What do you call disrespect if the name calling starts with "President Half-n-Half?" You may not have heard it come out of Boehner or McConnell's mouthes, but believe me they disrespected this man more than anything I've ever heard from so called leadership! "Tell the President to call us when he wants to get serious" after The President was hopeful and thought negotiations were preceeding last year! The President calls B & M after the election was over and he was told that they were asleep! The President calls a meeting, but Congress says they're busy! You're "full of shit" if you don't believe this man as a man and more so as a President has been vilified, called "lazy and incompetent," and at a SOTU address, "you lie" was called out!...
***They need to go after John Kerry and all the other bogus war heroes. McCain didn't throw his medals away like some traitors did.***
No, he just disobeyed orders, got shot down, and willingly stayed at the Hanoi Hilton! If he had come home due to his father & grandfather being admirals, he probably would have been dishonorably discharged! I know people don't want to believe it, but those are the facts! He's no war hero; never was in any capacity! He wasn't even a good student, barely making it thru the academy! Any pumping up of his resume is just that, something that's "pumped up!" He's doing his legacy no favors acting out against Obama who trounced him 4 years ago for President! Attacking UN Amb. Rice about Benghazi makes him look like a bitter, old man; which is what he is! He's done and has lost any semblance of that favored "old maverick" we all used to love and hear about!
Best tennis smarts in this forum***
ReplyDeleteI don't hang out here like I used to and he may not as well, but Mick has to be at the top of most lists! He overwhelms my meager recollections of the past with stats I can only bow and salute at seeing after all these years! I think I may have helped him once over the years while he has re-enforced some of my prattle! I appreciate that! "He's the man!"
***This tennis forum is a JOKE!***
It is now! There are many under-achievers in tennis including Andre Agassi, Hana Mandlikova, Jennifer Capriati, Marat Safin, Venus, and of course "our Serena!" Playing part time really takes some of the luster off these careers! No other top player has gotten away with doing it in the past, why should it start now because Serena took gold at Olympics and added 2 more majors?
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***...Lucille Ball (got old and voice dropped 40 octaves)***
...Old age and cigarette smoking since she was a girl! I won't guess on the drinking! People smoked and drank back then! My parent's era was a "cocktail generation!" I was the bartender at 16 in '73! Funny, I'm still not much of a drinker going weeks without even a glass of wine at dinner! I just never understood the facination with poisoning your system with a depressant! Once a month with friends I'll have a couple drinks to be social; that's it!
***Hope so, but I'm still ticked Treat Williams was snubbed for an Emmy on his "L & O: SVU guest" performance.***
All my old faves are getting old! Will I be able to even recognize Williams the next time I see him in anything! I first saw him in '81 late night in some 70's 'B' movie w/ Jack Weston, Kaye Ballard, Jerry Stiller, Rita Moreno, & F. Murray Abraham of all people! It was called "The Ritz!" I have never laughed so hard, but the subject matter made it more so for me! A guy is on the run from gangster brother-in-law; hides out at GAY BATH HOUSE! Of course what made it more funny was he didn't know what it was upon arriving! Treat Williams was very young, playing a detective on his 1st job to make contact with him! The voice he used alone had to crack you up; high pitch man in drag really! Even today, most would fall down stairs laughing at this stuff! John Ratzenberger (Cliff of "Cheers") made a couple cameos in this "gem" as a patron, "I'm resting!"
***...I believe Justine Henin is not an athlete. Heh***
ReplyDeletePound for pound, Henin was the best dealing with Amazons pounding her "little girl frame!" People thought Martina was a beast back in her day, but she was only a size 8, 135#, @ 5' 7.5"! Women today dwarf many of the men over 6 feet with muscles I can only dream of in my old age! Henin had to overcome both Williams', Davenporte, Capriati, Mauresmo, Dementieva, Myskina, Sharapova and other giants on the court! Ignore that if you will!
***Well, Fiero, your heroine Martina was an Amazon among Lilliputians when she played. There is no question about that. Did that allow her to amass all the Slams and titles? Well Justine' diminutive figure was buttressed by her cheating!
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Nadal added that his defeat to Rosol could not be compared to when Robin Soderling upset him at the '09 FO. “There is no point of comparison,” he said. “Both have in common that my knee was bad, but I could compete at Roland Garros.”***
Well it's thinking like that that may have cost him a couple Wimbledon titles! He's fooling himself, if not completely lying about Rosol! It was pretty much the same circumstance where you had an able player like Soderling that refused to succumb to the pressure of Nadal's gamesmanship, beating him to the punch at every turn! I didn't see it, but from what I've heard and read Rosol started out mocking Nadal's sprint to the baseline after the coin toss! Supposedly he was make sounds in his labored breathing that annoyed Nadal as well! Soderling's victory was greater only because it was on Rafa's favorite surface at a major he owns; or sub-leases anyway! That 2nd round upset will be memorable, like Becker in '87 @ W, Sampras in '01 & '02 at W, & '90 FO early upsets of Becker and Edberg!
***Nadal defeated Soderling in straight sets at the '10 FO final. Nadal defeated Soderling in straights at '11 FO too. Revenge? None needed surely.***
Nadal can't beat him enough times after that one loss in '09 at FO! Soderling won a couple other times including RR of YEC a couple years ago, but Nadal is ticked off by how he's mocked! Rosol did the same thing at Wimbledon and Rafa "don't" like that! If Nadal didn't have so many "ticks," people wouldn't "ride" him like that! Someone with tourettes is less needy and picky!
***MARTINA NAVRATILOVA VS STEFFI GRAF - WHO IS THE GREATEST? - Navratilova. Its not even close.***
ReplyDeleteI don't know where those 2 votes came from! Graf has at least 4 titles at each major, but how fewer would she have had if Seles hadn't been stabbed? Martina still outclasses her with all those doubles' titles finishing at 59 GS at 49 years, 11 months at '06 USO Mx Dbl w/ Bryan!
***Doubles titles have NADA to do with singles, Fiero. Where Graf surpasses Navratilova is in the diversity of Slams won. Graf: 7 Wimbys, 6 RGs - Martina: 9 Wimbys, 2 RGs. So it's not even close. - Graf for those who know tennis.***
I wonder will you be consistent with your critique when I point out that Navratilova, like Federer was a lot older than her closest rival at the time, but still had a dominance at one major; USO beating Graf 4 of 5 times! By '91, many thought Navr. was past it even losing to Capriati at Wimbledon earlier that year! She came into USO ranked #5, but dropped to #6 in the seedings! She had only played WTT over the summer and didn't look sharp at all, but got thru Manuela Maleeva in 3 sets taking a tie-breaker in R16! Arantxa Sanchez-V had her down a set and a break, but managed to eek out 2 more TB in QF! By the semi's against Graf she was swinging freely, even on her backhand! Martina looked like a kid jumping on Steffi taking the 1 set in a tie-breaker, then breaking early in the 2nd! There was a horrible bad call serving for the match, but again she overcame adversity, mother time, and a much younger opponent winning in 3! In the final she finally ran out of gas losing 1st set TB to Seles, then succumbing 6-1 to finish off a good run for an old lady! I love tellin' that story! I read a magazine interview 20+
years ago with Steffi where she said Navratilova was "extraordinary!" She would know!
***Steffi Graf is the ONE. Martina changed the game for women forever, but she did get a later start on her championship career, and that's why she has less titles. Tennis is all about GS titles, and Graf owns it by a wide margin.***
59 majors is nothing to sneeze at, not to mention 167 singles titles to go along with 177 doubles! No one else, male or female is even close! Graf finished with 107 singles titles if I remember correctly!
That's well behind Martina! When it comes to wide margins, Navratilova has it all over folks! Like Federer she owns records that will never be broken!
***Navratilova played doubles and/mixed doubles in virtually every major she participated in. There were some tournaments where Navratilova played EVERY DAY yet still won the title... Playing dubs and MD's involves a different tennis game from playing singles. Navratilova truly mastered all 3 phases. She is one of only 2 tennis players to have the "box set" Grand Slam: all 4 major titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.***
***Obama may cave on Susan Rice - POTUS is going for his legacy now. I know he has to pick and choose his battles wisely, but with the economy showing signs of recovery now, he has to keep the momentum going....***
ReplyDeleteCall me vindictive, but Obama should do no favors for Republicans in his 2nd term! They've been obstructions from the beginning while he kept his cool! They took that as weakness, but I have a feeling he will punish them in the next couple years making them squeal for mercy! He's already got them by the short hairs and they know it! They continue to act as if they have some leverage; NOPE! At least the rhetoric has been cut and maybe they'll get something done before Christmas, but I figure to make a point, Boehner will drag it out until the last moment! Why be generous to this President and give him credit for anything? He'd rather keep his job as Speaker than actually do what's right for the people and the country! Slime!
***...It was Obastard's flakey fiscal policies that cost us our triple A credit rating...***
Republicans and "conservatives" just won't accept we're still paying a cost of 8 years of "W!" His war in Afghanistan is still being waged, Obama had to shore up the "prescription drug bill" that wasn't paid for, and with the extension of the Bush tax cuts, that just allowed more disparity btw the "haves" and "have nots!" The biggest favor conservatives can do is demand we go over the fiscal cliff! All the tax cuts will be eliminated and guess who takes the blame!
***What's really behind 'war on Christmas?'***
Someone thought they just take out archival footage of O'Reilly and his imaginary "war on Xmas!" It's the same BS every freakin' year! It's kind of pathetic when the rest of the network mimic the same talking points when they are practically across the street from the largest Xmas tree in the world! Some sick, stupid puppies!
***2008 Obama won 52.9% and carried 28 states - Obama received 69 million votes the largest in history (NO MANDATE) - - '12 Obama won with 51% and carried ONLY 26 states totaling 65 million votes (AGAIN, NO MANDATE)***
After all these replies, only one repudiation of this 51% imaginary number! Obama was at 53% as slow moving votes came in! Delude yourselves, but he has his own mandate! He didn't hide what he was going to do either! He's in the driver's seat! If he doesn't have a mandate as such, why is Boehner "he'n and haw'n" instead of taking his paddling like a big boy? Taxes are going up fellas; on the big boys anyway who make above $250,000! Sign it and move on!
***Doesn't matter what it's "supposed" to be, Asia does the same thing she always does, booty pop, sassy face, lip sync, acro and a handful of badly done dance moves.***
ReplyDeleteSome people are so jealous! I pass by "Abby's Ult. Dance.." for about 5 min. here and there! That's about all I can take! The mothers are such an embarrassment to themselves and their children! The "hating" on Asia was over the top at times from pure jealousy! They'd love for Abby to heap praise on their little brat so they should get over it! This little girl is going to be amazing when she gets some real physical size and strength! Her mother must be very proud without being "catty!" I missed the QC result last week! Supposedly a Vegas trip was to be awarded to see Circ de Soile! Who got it? I knew Asia would wind up 3rd! There's only so much that little body can do at this age!
***Can't blame Asia for being so arrogant, not with Plastic Girl and Squirrel Fingers blowing smoke up her ass for the whole competition instead of telling her point blank she needs to learn something new. And blame the network too for telling the choreographers to take it easy on her, they all re-enforced what her teacher and mom taught her, and until that kid demands a real teacher and pushes herself to do better she's going to continue to believe that sassy face, booty popping and acro is all she needs to be a winner.***
What's the point of trying to blow the little girl off the stage? Everyone knows Asia's limited, but it wouldn't make tv sense to try and embarrass her by putting in maneuvers she's not physically able to do! The same happens the other way around! Poor Madonna was performing half-time at the Superbowl last season and it was obvious her troupe was holding back! Even though she's the healthiest, fittest 50 something known to man, she has limitations! She was trying to step up onto a chair or bench and it took her 2 tries! It happens even though she's been doing this for 30 years!
***I would love to see Asia go to work with Abby. Maybe we will see her on "Dance Moms."***
It's a wonder Asia has stayed so grounded doing as well as she has; esp. with the "catty" evil moms making comments right in front of her and her mom! She just never seems to let these losers bother her; amazing really for a 6 y.o.! 3rd was a good finish for now!
***...I'm not suggesting you make the kid do a triple backflip, just teach her how to do something different than sassy face, acro, booty popping, lipsyncing and the same 5 dance moves over an over again. As slow a learner as Asia obviously is 13 wks is more than enough time to teach her a couple new dance moves and they didn't even try. ...***
You really have it in for this little girl! This is the 1st day I've been on the board, but you hit Asia with that "booty popping thing" about a half dozen times! I'm wondering are you one of these "terrible" mothers I see for just the few minutes I can take of the show? OMG; how sick! Envious and hateful of a 6 yr old? Please seek help! I'm no fan of the show, but even with my limited knowledge of dance, I can tell that little girl is fantastic and can only get better! She picks up things very quickly without allowing catty remarks from the "peanut gallery" bother her! She's a very mature 6!
***I see from the other posts this segregation thing is a USA thing, I never cease to be amused that the country that prizes itself in its supposed wars of freedom still discriminates against a large proportion of its population.***
ReplyDeleteThe US was founded on hypocrisy! We just can't help ourselves! A lot of the division has been caused by trying to "compromise" with "thick'headed" people who pass down their prejudices and bigotries! We're still trying to get over our lone "civil war" believe it or not! It's been like this for as long as I can remember and I have little hope of anything turning around anytime soon! If we can't act civil and "fly right" with someone as amiable as Obama, I don't have a lot of hope for change even though we say that's what we want!
***As Predictded Obama caves on Susan Rice - Now the only thing that matters is that Obama doesn't pick Kerry. That would be a big Republican coup. Let's see if Barack can outfox the Repugnants.***
I'm not that thrilled about the situation, but I can live with it! It's just one more nail in the coffin lid of the Republican party! The President is re-elected with a known mandate of tax increases on the top 2% and you have "the minority" threatening the man before he's even sworn into his 2nd term! "Way to go ReThuglicans!" It's bad enough they make fools of themselves undermining a Rhodes scholar and lifelong civil servant going back to Clinton Admin.! It just keeps adding onto the list of things that will turn this party back into something like "The Whigs!" If I were Obama I would do more favors for them! Don't make accomodations to save face for these animals! The level of disrespect for this man is historic and it'll come back to haunt them sooner or later!
***To re-enforce the idea that we are not good no matter our qualifications (just what Republicans claimed) is just disheartening.***
Someones' supporting this kind of nonsense! They're caught between a rock and a hard place! If they break ranks, The Tea-baggers will mobilize and "primary" them! Just proves politicians care more about holding onto a job they complain about every day! Moron! It's obvious you can't have a rational discusision with any Republican! All you have to do is remember all the primary candidates who wouldn't raise $1 of revenue for $10 of cuts! Now that's brain-damaged as Cosby would say! I thougth I could depend on Ron Paul, but even he raised his hand in turning down a tax increase of $1 for a $10 cut in spending! What happened to these people?
***Where Have All The MALE Teachers And Admins Gone? - Schools Are Almost All Female***
ReplyDeleteThere's no security as a teacher anymore! Besides not making the best of salaries, you have ignorant politicians playing games with city, state, and federal budgets, eliminating teachers on a whim! Why put up with that kind of nonsense? When Scott became Gov. in FLA a couple years ago, his first move was to cut $1.7B from the education budget, giving $1.6 as tax cuts to state businesses! And they wonder why 50% of their students are below the average and are drop outs? We just aren't getting any smarter as time goes by!
***There aren't any gun control laws anywhere that limits a mentally ill person's ability to buy or possess a gun.***
Possess all you want! Turning them into assault weapons should be made illegal with serious penalties! Bans are effective! We've done it before, but let the law lapse in '04! Thanks "W!"
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***What did Chelsea Handler say about Kim Vo? I could have sworn I saw him in the crowd that time Kim "performed" her song at some open air event.***
He must have burned her hair off last year; just coming back! She doesn't go too far, but in passing she hacks him up good!
***That's both funny and really mean of Chels - Nene's hair is damaged. - That's a weave, but not in the back! She needs to put the bleach and relaxer down.
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Just b/c you're wearing a weave doesn't mean you shouldn't still be moisturizing the hair underneath. It's possible to wear weaves and not have your edges broken off. - The blonde really looks good on her, but I think if she wants to keep her own, she needs to start wearing wigs or go darker.***
It's the same with "bleaching!" If you condition well, you'll be ok, but you know how it is? After I went blond, it was to supplement how short I had cut it so I didn't really care that much about breakage! By the time I turned 40, my old pony-tail had ripped out more hair in the crown anyway! - Earlier in the season Nene had on a long, blond wig with scarf wrapped around her head! It was so "KIM!" She's such a hypocrite! What a fool!
***Criminal Intent - Should be brought back and SVU cancelled! They are the worst!***
ReplyDelete"Criminal Intent" more suspenseful and well written for the most part, but to this day I still have problems understanding or getting a resolution out of some episodes! It's as if it didn't make sense to me! When an undercover cop was killed early in a train station in "Zootopia" or whatever it was, it took years, but hanging in there until the last 5 sec. I finally heard some kind of resolution! Some epis. you have to watch over and over; "went right over my head!" Not sure if it's alzheimers yet, but from the beginning I've felt like that about CI! A female doctor who worked on deformed faces of latin kids was found to have killed her nurse at the beginning; unseen! It just made no sense to me; still doesn't! She was hiding the fact she had a vision problem and couldn't perform the surgeries! Being done by hack doctor from Cental America in her stead! Wanted to please her parents who seemed to only love their deceased son who was a doctor as well! Dumb episode!
***The First Kyle McLachlan Episode Disturbs Me. I think he was right to kill the kid. - Case in point--look at an older episode of "Law And Order", entitled "Killerz," featuring a little girl named Jenny Brandt.***
All these stories are ripped from the headlines! People just don't realize how sociopathetic we're slowly becoming! Believe it or not, little girls are more likely to have this type of trait early on, while boys take years to become psychos that want to kill their own mothers and or hookers! There was another story a few years ago where teenage girls drove around with a friend in a car trunk after torturing her with scissors and lit cigarettes! "The Bad Seed" still haunts me from my childhood! Little girls are pretty good at pulling the wool over adults' eyes! Boys can't get away with anything!
***The episode you are referring to is one of my favorites---"Mean." I agree with you, b/c 40 yrs later, I could tell you, to a person who the eqivalents of Brittany, Andrea, & Page would have been in my class! It was based on the horrific case of Shanda Sharer, and on a girl in Ca. who was beaten and drowned in 8 in. of water by her girl friends!
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The episode Doubt who did you believe?***
Well both were liars! After Myra accused Stabler of "touching her," her credibility was shot! I feel for her, but someone like her needs a keeper at all times! I don't feel sorry for the Prof boffing a graduate student where his daughter might walk in! He was a part time parent, but you always have to be thinking about that as a father! The guy isn't desperate! He should be able to control himself!
***Judge Robert H. Bork, conservative icon, dies at 85***
ReplyDeleteBoy did we dodge a bullet back in '87 and of course now with Romney utilizing him as an advisor! He may be a conservative icon of some sort, but no one was more prehistoric in his thinking than this man! He showed his true colors when Nixon was able to use him to fire the AG and others investigating him for Watergate in '73! Other people are quitting the job, but Bork assumes the position, fires all concerned, then says "he was just doing the President's bidding!" Burn, baby burn!
***My...thats an oftly kind, tolerant, and dignified thing to say by a left winger who is supposed to be such into "social justice" and "tolerance" and "caring"...and all that other BS you guys claim to be about...lol.***
You should check this person's record before commenting! As a judge he ruled a company was totally within their rights to give women a choice of being fired or submitting to sterilization at an installation to eliminate possibility of birth defects! I have to go check, but it was absolutely horrifying the callouseness of this guy and how pre-historic his views are on the Constitution and law as it used to be looked at! People have cause to hate this guy and fear his power if given any! We're lucky Romney lost! When it comes to this guy, "caveman" comes to mind; esp w/ that hideous beard!
***He made some pretty bad decisions. When somebody like him dies I wish there were a God just to see where he'd end up. He died an unrepentant sinner "in the Christian vernacular."
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Texas town allows teachers to carry concealed guns after Conn. massacre last week***
And what will be said and done when one of the teachers or even a Principal flips out and goes on a shooting spree with that authorized weapon? It will happen sooner or later!
***How much weaker can the Republican party get? - House GOP leaders scrap scheduled vote on 'Plan B'***
What a collection of losers on the "right!" Cantor is standing behind Boehner, ever so often stabbing him in the back! The rest of the leadership isn't any better! It seems they're aware they're about to lose everything, but aren't ready to even sign on to anything hoping all will just fall into place by itself! Morons!
***Even Without Congress, Obama Could Act to Restrict Guns***
ReplyDeleteCongress won't work with the man and he's had to go it alone most of his term, so now the rats will come out saying he's taking over! Well ya'll asked him to "lead!" Here we go!
***Plan "B" fails; fiscal cliff in sight - Where do we go from here?***
On a political message board someone just posted; "Plan C?" It's been thrown into Obama's court along with Reed to get something that'll pass with just haandful of Republicans in the House! This should be the end of Boehner!
***...Boehner couldn't get HIS caucus to vote for it! First the fall of Plan B, now that nonsense from the NRA....complete meltdown from the Right!***
The description of "freaking out" has been bandied about the last 2 or 3 weeks in relation to the Republican party and conservatives!
***Narcissist In Chief Can't Let Occasion Of Dead Senator Go To Waste - President Barack Obama used the funeral for Hawaii senator Daniel Inouye to talk about himself. In the short 1,600 word speech, Obama used the word “my” 21 times, “me” 12 times, and “I” 30 times.***
Slow day, slow-witted, slow in general! Conservative a-holes just can't make it thru a day w/o finding fault or justifying an attack on this man! I really have to start thinking the worst of this type of person! I'm trying to give them every benefit of the doubt, but these people can't be satisfied with anything this man does; even if it's something they've done in the past like stimulus, tax credits, and the like! GROW up jerks!
***Fiero, you're right. It was perfectly reasonable to use the occasion of giving a eulogy to talk about himself.***
These people were friends, lived in Hawaii! Why is that so hard for you to understand? A young Obama was taken by the senior statesman and related stories concerning their relationship! Any eulogy has "I" and "me" in it relating to the departed! Gawd help you! Sheeshhh!
***As for Nadal, his loss at Wimbledon did appear to be odd; since he left the tour afterwards and did not play the rest of the year, leads me to believe that he was seriously hampered by injury.***
ReplyDeleteThat was a psychological injury that hampered him after Wimbledon just like '09 after losing to Soderling at the FO! His pride is wounded more than those well traveled legs when he's upset by some "nobody!" He ought to just go all the way "Venus" and say "I beat myself!"
***...If thats true, then logic dictates that M. Court owns it over Graf.***
Unfortunately those Aussie Open wins (esp. pre-'69) are a little tainted since most stars didn't go "down under" that often! Court and Goolagong had free reign; almost an Aussie Closed!
***Something for all to think about, they never bring Margaret Court into the conversation, she has more than all of them.
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Rafal Nadal nervous about return...***
Nadal like any machine needs lots of work! He can't sit idle doing nothing; rusts all too soon! lol! We'll see if he makes the semi's at AO! Been off the tour since Wimbledon loss! Other players have no excuse with his being out of sorts! Will he play that Middle East exh. in Dubai or Abu Dhabi? I know Nole must be playing Hopman Cup!
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***Doubles have nothing to do with GOAT status.***
Court and King's doubles prowess is what set them above other greats of their era and of their past! Both were proven winners in all 3 disciplines; singles, Dubs, & MD! Martina swamps them all by being able to play with anyone and win! King and Court had regular partners for the most part; Casals & Wade respectively among wins with substitues! Martina can add/sub some of Kings majors to her own list!
***The statement that "Navratilova does not have the Grand Slam" is based on tech. She won 6 in a row and among those... I always considered Nov-Dec AO's as a part of next yr calendar - to be consistent with the modern set up. Weighted rankings: http://www.talkabouttennis.com/forum/blog/entries/186-Weighted-ranking?bt=2374 ***
With that 6 majors in a row, no woman comes close; '83 Wimbledon to '84 USO incl. (2 Wimbledons and 2 USO)! Martina probably hurt her singles by playing so much doubles, esp. in majors! Who else was showing up in all 3 finals in each major year after year? No one's played and won as much; games, sets, & chps than Martina Nav.! Graf cost her a couple majors by "bugging out" on Martina at Wimbledon and USO where she promised to play doubles w/ her; "I'm saving myself for the singles!" Bitch!
***A tennis season is over the course of 1 yr; from Jan to Nov. A true Slam is winning all of them during one tennis season. Start great, perform great, and finish great. That is, a cal-year GS; a true sign of total dominance, not a tech. Media-manufactured Slams like Martina's, Serena's, and the potential Djoker's were/are sensationalism, solely for entertainment and money-making purposes.***
***Thousands sign US petition to deport Piers Morgan...don't like the man, but...- well they took down the Dixie Chicks***
ReplyDeleteWell that's the conservative double standard! They're allowed to complain, petition, and organze boycotts, but if you do the same to them or an affiliate they scream "freedom of speech!" Such hypocrites! I remember that "Dixie Chick" nonsense and was hoping it would blow up in thier faces! It took too long though! I would think people would like to forget that era of hate and tolerance! Bush should be remembered for being the most divisive agent possible to hold the seat of President! Add on 2 wars and not paying for his tax cuts, how can his numbers ever go up? He's the reason we're in such straights now and that won't change anytime soon with people trying to pass the buck!
***Boy do I agree with you - Exactly Fiero. Good post. Conservatives and right wingers are like petulant little kids. It is their way or no way. They are hopelessly intolerant. France disagreed w/ the Iraq war and they were frothing with anger to change "French fries" to "freedom fries." It will be comical were it not pathetic with these pinheads.***
You watch O'Reilly too? lol! People wonder why I watch Fox News so much! I figure, if you're going to object to the way they do business, you have to watch it! It's a wonder these people can keep a straight face when they spew such intolerance and ignorance! This mythical war on Xmas is even more pathetic than their views on politics! It's something totally made up year in and year out! Bill should be embarrassed since he is a Harvard grad; he keeps telling us!
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***The KENYAN is a MASTER of DECEIT!***
Obama learned from the best; Rove, Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage, Malkin, Coulter, Ingraham, and Gingrich! It's not really lying, just not all the truth! They would know!
***If there weren't so many racist nut bags who want Obama dead he wouldn't need armed protection.***
With 4 times the number of threats to the POTUS, the Secret Service has been been stressed and overworked to the limit thanks to the NRA and other gun nut enthusiast who think the 2nd amendment gives them "carte blanche" to arm every man, woman, & child in the country! "Thanks NRA!"
***NRA are the for profit gun industry and they dragged the nation back in time 200 years, instead of 2013- it's more like 1813...***
*** Rafael Nadal's return to competition has been delayed by a stomach virus. The Spaniard was scheduled to play in an exh. tourney in Abu Dhabi on Thurs. after missing 7 months b/c of tendinitis in his left knee. ..."My rehab has gone well, my knee feels good and I was looking forward to competing," he said. The 11-time Grand Slam champion hasn't played since June when he lost to 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol in the 2nd rd at Wimbledon.***
ReplyDeleteI thought this had to be a joke; and it is because Rafa's the huge joke himself! How long does it take for a top player to get back into the swing of things? Obviously for Nadal it's takes more than 7 months! Truly pathetic considering what Nole has had to endure to get where he is right now!
***Stomach bug or not...I hope whomever plays Rafa will greet him with a "fist bump," to help minimize receiving a dose of "whatever he has."***
Esp. with the way he's always pulling his shorts out of his crack! Gack! lol! I definitely don't want to ever shake hands with Nadal!
***F-U-N-N-Y -- I was thinking the same thing....imagining the remote chance of contact with "fecal matter," from a handshake...oooo-icky-poo!
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...It was 'CSI' ep. "Placiddragon".... Surprised Taylor Swift didn't try and hook up with Eric. I had forgotten the girl was Taylor! That was one strange episode! Been a while since I've seen it though! So they've had pop prince royalty portraying characters with Swift and Bieber!
***Poor Justin...he's such a bad actor, he couldn't die right in a hail of bullets.***
He's so skinny, I'm surprised they could hit him with a spray of bullets! lol! He should have been able to go all "Matrix" and dodge them!
***As much as I hate guns and this sort of violence. This was just too funny not to link! - -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COkrqTrO2Fk ***
Wow, 10 min.? Saw another listed for 15 min.! Where'd this animus come from for the Bieb?