The Unoffocial Wimbledon 2013 Thread

#26
#26
Today may have been the first time in his life that Rafa put a routine down the line backhand into the net. And not just the cord, the very bottom of the net. It was really odd to watch.
 
#28
#28
I thought the very first test he was gonna have was Roger. And I thought Rafa would win, at that.
 
#29
#29
I don't know that he played that poorly. Looked like the other guy had the match of his life. He didn't miss much...
 
#30
#30
Even after losing the second set breaker, I never imagined Rafa would lose this match. In fact, he had set point in that breaker, which, had he won the second set, may very well have won the match in four.

Anyway, as I've said often, Rafa is often vulnerable during the first week of a major -- including majors which he has won. Once he gets past the first week, he can be unstoppable.

The difference today was that for whatever reason Darcis didn't choke or fold when it was time. He actually played more aggressively in the most tense moments. Sadly, he will most likely lose in the next round and be a footnote. Although I do like his game.

Is Nadal injured? Surely not. No way he plays so well in Paris and then arrives in London injured. As best I understand him during his press conference today, Nadal said that grass is a very tough surface for him because he has to squat lower to play even the normal shots and it is cumbersome upon his knees. I buy that.

But does anyone think that injury prone Nadal* is a little bit scared of really injuring himself on the slick grass and that stunts him psychologically as well as physically. Nadal is a very "mental" individual. Almost a tennis savant. I just think Nadal is scared of ending his career by injurying himself on grass. Or maybe the simple explanation is he just got beat today. It happens.

*Obviously, Nadal knows how to win on grass. This is more a comment on post-2012 7 month lay off Nadal.
 
#31
#31
DyronNix said:
Even after losing the second set breaker, I never imagined Rafa would lose this match. In fact, he had set point in that breaker, which, had he won the second set, may very well have won the match in four.

Anyway, as I've said often, Rafa is often vulnerable during the first week of a major -- including majors which he has won. Once he gets past the first week, he can be unstoppable.

The difference today was that for whatever reason Darcis didn't choke or fold when it was time. He actually played more aggressively in the most tense moments. Sadly, he will most likely lose in the next round and be a footnote. Although I do like his game.

Is Nadal injured? Surely not. No way he plays so well in Paris and then arrives in London injured. As best I understand him during his press conference today, Nadal said that grass is a very tough surface for him because he has to squat lower to play even the normal shots and it is cumbersome upon his knees. I buy that.

But does anyone think that injury prone Nadal* is a little bit scared of really injuring himself on the slick grass and that stunts him psychologically as well as physically. Nadal is a very "mental" individual. Almost a tennis savant. I just think Nadal is scared of ending his career by injurying himself on grass. Or maybe the simple explanation is he just got beat today. It happens.

*Obviously, Nadal knows how to win on grass. This is more a comment on post-2012 7 month lay off Nadal.
Click to expand...

Five minutes before you posted this, my wife said both of these things to me.
 
#32
#32
Just got through watching the Darcis/Nadal match. It is clear that Rafa was not on his game and was a bit gimpy. I will give Darcis this - his forehand can be formidable, and was. He played the match of his life to get past a gimpy Nadal.
 
#36
#36
Velo Vol said:
Are players more likely to injure themselves on grass?
Click to expand...

David Ferrer almost injured himself today trying to take the first step. This is also where Rafa was the most tentative the other day. On hardcourt, you can bust your ass pretty good if you step on a painted line after a brief shower, but on grass, the water is ever-present and presents a bit more of an issue with the first step. Dyron might be able to expand on this, as he still plays I think, but that's my take.
 
#37
#37
Well, grass problem or not, several players have taken injury withdraws in the 2nd.

Fed down 2 sets to 1.
 
#39
#39
I don't even know what Federer's opponent's name is, but that was some beautiful tennis he played today. Of course, I am a huge Federer fan, but that kid's game -- at least today -- was tremendous.
 
#40
#40
That was sure enough one bizarre day at Wimbledon. The announcers all say the most bizarre win of the day was Strakhovsky beating Fed. These announcers have seen Fed's play of late, yet they still say that? I dare the same reporters to find a year where more top ten seeded women have fallen by the end of the second round. The women typically go out in the order of their seeding, only when they are faced with a higher seed, which is all you need to know when determining your opinion of the whole equal pay thing.
 
#41
#41
Velo Vol said:
Are players more likely to injure themselves on grass?
Click to expand...


I've never seen so many retirements as I've seen this tournament. I haven't really paid attention in year's past, but I imagine if one went back and did some research, they would find an inordinate number of retirements during the first week of wimby when the grass is still grass.

In other words, yes.
 
#42
#42
DyronNix said:
I don't even know what Federer's opponent's name is, but that was some beautiful tennis he played today. Of course, I am a huge Federer fan, but that kid's game -- at least today -- was tremendous.
Click to expand...

He ain't no kid. But I too heard he played an incredible match.

I'm looking out for it on youtube.
 
#43
#43
DyronNix said:
Even after losing the second set breaker, I never imagined Rafa would lose this match. In fact, he had set point in that breaker, which, had he won the second set, may very well have won the match in four.

Anyway, as I've said often, Rafa is often vulnerable during the first week of a major -- including majors which he has won. Once he gets past the first week, he can be unstoppable.

The difference today was that for whatever reason Darcis didn't choke or fold when it was time. He actually played more aggressively in the most tense moments. Sadly, he will most likely lose in the next round and be a footnote. Although I do like his game.

Is Nadal injured? Surely not. No way he plays so well in Paris and then arrives in London injured. As best I understand him during his press conference today, Nadal said that grass is a very tough surface for him because he has to squat lower to play even the normal shots and it is cumbersome upon his knees. I buy that.

But does anyone think that injury prone Nadal* is a little bit scared of really injuring himself on the slick grass and that stunts him psychologically as well as physically. Nadal is a very "mental" individual. Almost a tennis savant. I just think Nadal is scared of ending his career by injurying himself on grass. Or maybe the simple explanation is he just got beat today. It happens.

*Obviously, Nadal knows how to win on grass. This is more a comment on post-2012 7 month lay off Nadal.
Click to expand...

I agree with all of this.

Had Rafa gotten into the fourth round, he may well have won the tournament. The first week he may as well be playing on hockey rink. That's how cautiously and gingerly he moves around.

And, yes, I can certainly see Rafa getting in Rafa's own head. And/or the physical side of Rafa and the mental side being inextricably intertwined to a degree that well surpasses the normal human being. Mess with his head, his body breaks down. Mess with his body, his head breaks down. How else do you explain 2009?

Rafa is my guy, and I'll always root for him, but sometimes he's a bit of a strange bird.
 
#45
#45
MphsBlues said:
That was sure enough one bizarre day at Wimbledon. The announcers all say the most bizarre win of the day was Strakhovsky beating Fed. These announcers have seen Fed's play of late, yet they still say that? I dare the same reporters to find a year where more top ten seeded women have fallen by the end of the second round. The women typically go out in the order of their seeding, only when they are faced with a higher seed, which is all you need to know when determining your opinion of the whole equal pay thing.
Click to expand...

Fed's loss didn't even surprise me. I saw that coming a mile away, and it didn'tmatter who the opponent was. Fed has been in poor form all year. Why anyone would think that a chunnel ride to England is going to magically transform him back into 2006 Federer is beyond me.

Or maybe not. I thought Tyson still had a chance of being 1988 Tyson even when all the evidence was pointing towards the conclusion that 1988 Tyson died the day he fired Kevin Rooney.
 
#47
#47
No yanks left in the draw. Props to Kudla on his good play, and I hope he uses it as a springboard for future success.

America needs a prodigy to come up out of nowhere. We need Pete Sampras from 1990. We need Johnny Mac of 1977. We need Andre Agassi of 1988.

Where are you Mr. supremely talented tennis playing 17 year old? I know you're out there somewhere. Let your voice be heard. Now is the time.
 
#48
#48
What exactly happened to men's U.S. tennis?

There are a few good American players on tour right now, but none that have really accomplished anything.

Roddick was probably the last notable American player. Honestly, I never bought in and didn't pay him much attention. It's not Isner. I don't have any expectations for any of the current U.S. men's players.

Were Agassi, Chang, Sampras and Courier just a freak accident? I would guess for a time in the late 80s/90s that those tennis academies, such as Bolleterri, exploded in popularity because of those guys. But with nothing to show for it after those 4 retired.

There are some good American college players, but they just fall through the cracks as soon as they hit the pro tour. And, it's certainly worth pointing out, that these major college teams are foreign exchange teams basically. That's fine for what it is, but you won't find the next great American tennis hope competing on a college campus.

I have almost convinced myself that it will take a Richard Williams like effort to create the next great male tennis player from the U.S. It's almost that hopeless.
 
#49
#49
Murray has been doing a blog during Wimby for BBC. In addition to saying he'd like to play an exhibition against Serena, he also provides some insight on what we were discussing earlier regarding grass courts and movement.

There was certainly plenty going on elsewhere with all sorts of injuries and retirements, and this has just been one of those tournaments so far. Because of that, I was a bit tentative at the start of my match, but I didn't have any problems with the court and soon felt fine.
I don't know the ins and outs of everyone's injuries, but I do think players are quicker these days and grass is a tough surface to stop on. The way the guys throw their bodies around the court now, they seem to slip down more than they used to.
You can't move like that on a grass court; you need to be very particular with your foot placement and that's the thing that takes time to get used to coming from the clay. There you can be throwing your right leg into sliding for a ball; here you have to take small steps to slow yourself down or you'll fall.
Click to expand...
 
#50
#50
DyronNix said:
What exactly happened to men's U.S. tennis?

There are a few good American players on tour right now, but none that have really accomplished anything.

Roddick was probably the last notable American player. Honestly, I never bought in and didn't pay him much attention. It's not Isner. I don't have any expectations for any of the current U.S. men's players.

Were Agassi, Chang, Sampras and Courier just a freak accident? I would guess for a time in the late 80s/90s that those tennis academies, such as Bolleterri, exploded in popularity because of those guys. But with nothing to show for it after those 4 retired.

There are some good American college players, but they just fall through the cracks as soon as they hit the pro tour. And, it's certainly worth pointing out, that these major college teams are foreign exchange teams basically. That's fine for what it is, but you won't find the next great American tennis hope competing on a college campus.

I have almost convinced myself that it will take a Richard Williams like effort to create the next great male tennis player from the U.S. It's almost that hopeless.
Click to expand...


I think it's cyclical. The young players today are playing tennis every day of their lives just like Sampras, Agassi, Chang, and Courier were doing. But maybe it's just that none of them have been as crazy talented as the aforementioned.

Perhaps it was a major anomaly for the US to have four good young players come up at the exact same time, and that the current drought is just an anomaly in the opposite direction.
 
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