The Championships, Wimbledon

#76
#76
DyronNix said:
I'd vote to keep each slam thread separate rather than one clearinghouse slam thread for all time.

But im game for whatever. Just happy us tennis dorks are allowed to post at all.
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In which case Kid will be responsible for starting all such unofficial threads two days in advance of play, otherwise being subjected to 100 thrashings with a wet flounder as punishment. I think that's fair.
He's been lame so far this year. :)
 
#77
#77
Interesting question brought up yesterday. If the semis and finals were played on fresh grass, who would be the favorite? Who you got?
 
#78
#78
BigPapaVol said:
Just doesn't have it in him to focus or care for longer than very short stretches. Great strokes and fun to watch.
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We could include Nalbandian in this discussion. All of the above can be said for him as well.

Both guys have a ton of game, but aren't mentally focused on the court at all times, and aren't as focused on fitness off the court as they need to be.
 
#79
#79
DyronNix said:
Fedsmug? Come on, Kid. That's weaksauce for a hater. That's not even offensive. Try Federror. Or Federella. Cryerer. Shankerer. The Notorious F.E.D. The Lord of the Swings. The Basel Dazzle. Darth Federer.
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I'm not a hater, you see. Well I am, but the only thing that makes me dislike Federer is the undeniable fact that he is really really smug.
 
#80
#80
DyronNix said:
Oh, I see. I thought the conversation was limited to only those women with some tennis talent.
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Anna K had boatloads tennis talent. She was a prodigy*: made it to Wimby semis when she was 15. And was an excellent doubles player.


She lacked "focus" and didn't spend enough time "practicing" or "staying in shape" because she was more concerned with "endorsements" and "celebrity status" and getting "dick" from "russian hockey players" in their "mid to late 20s".


*I initially fell in love with Anna when I was 13 or 14 reading an article in tennis magazine about her and Venus being the next two up and coming female tennis stars. She was 12 and was at Bolletieri academy. She was a cutie, and I was smitten.
 
#81
#81
beergood said:
Interesting question brought up yesterday. If the semis and finals were played on fresh grass, who would be the favorite? Who you got?
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Like if the semis and finals were played on the grass that is on the courts the first day of the tournament?
 
#82
#82
MphsBlues said:
In which case Kid will be responsible for starting all such unofficial threads two days in advance of play, otherwise being subjected to 100 thrashings with a wet flounder as punishment. I think that's fair.
He's been lame so far this year. :)
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I was on the ball for the French.
 
#86
#86
kidbourbon said:
Sexiest female tennis players. Go!
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new candidate..Arantxa Rus
arantxa-rus.jpg
 
#88
#88
kidbourbon said:
Like if the semis and finals were played on the grass that is on the courts the first day of the tournament?
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Yep. Cant remember who was talking about it, maybe Cahill. He was of the opinion that on a fresh, pristine grass court that Feds odds go way up. Being a huge Fed honk, I am inclined to agree.
 
#91
#91
orange+white=heaven said:
new candidate..Arantxa Rus
arantxa-rus.jpg
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I was just thinking the same thing. Watching the match now and she is top notch. Has a unique combination of the innocent girl next door look, but sultry at the same time.

While it's a nice body shot, the pic above doesn't do her face justice.
 
#93
#93
beergood said:
Yep. Cant remember who was talking about it, maybe Cahill. He was of the opinion that on a fresh, pristine grass court that Feds odds go way up. Being a huge Fed honk, I am inclined to agree.
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I am inclined to agree as well. As the tournament goes on you will see where the grass gets worn away, leaving dirt (in some areas of the court more than others, of course). The ball doesn't skid off the dirt as much as it does off the grass. The result is a higher bouncing ball, which, for all practical purposes, is a slower court.

The ball will still bounce much lower off the dirt than it will off hard court. You can pull up a youtube clip of various wimbledon finals and various us open finals and the difference will jump right out at you. But it will be bouncing higher than it was two weeks before at Day 1 of the tournament. And this helps Rafa and Djokovic, which of course hurts Fedsmug's chances.

But, to be fair, this phenomenon is nothing new. Indeed, the slowing down effect would have been more pronounced prior to 2002 when the grass was still a rye / fescue mix (it is now 100% rye, which is apparently a type of grass that does a better job of standing straight up, and thus is slower than the previous rye / fescue mix).

You raise a really interesting question, though. I'd like to know how much slower the courts get. And is it just in certain areas that the ball bounces differently? Because not all of the court gets worn out. If so, does that make the court non-uniform in the way it plays? It's the potential for non-uniformity that makes me think the slowing down effect is pretty minimal. Otherwise the players would have to deal with a court that played differently in certain areas than others. Which would make no one happy.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was Cahill. He is an excellent analyst.
 
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