WIMBLEDON 2009

so hyped for this!

Qualifying under way, a few warm-ups done and dusted (Halle final - Haas d Djokovic; Queen's final - Murray d Blake; Edgbaston final - Rybarikova d Li), "could it be Murray's year" is the phrase you'll be most sick of hearing by the time it even starts and the hot topic is whether grunting on the women's tour should be regulated, an issue on which Grandmartina has already sounded off, in a shock move from her. My view: yes, duh, it should've been nipped in the bud years ago. It was ridiculous when Seles did it, it was ridiculous when Sharapova did it, and now Larcher de Brito is just intolerable. It's torturous even for actual fans like me, and it totally repulses casual fans. People look at these screaming wenches like they're insane. Nothing will happen though because the WTA are pussies and won't dare do anything to Sharapova.

This is a great interview w/British No 1 Anne Keothavong about her background growing up in Hackney as the daughter of Laotian refugees!

sigh. wrong board.

'Andy Murray won't be on dis ting 2009' is on ILE now.

I'm *already* sick of the 'now we know for CERTAIN that Murray will win a GS, might not be this year, might not be for 10 years, but he WILL and he is a HERO' claptrap

when's Baghdatis gonna roar back into contention, is what I want to know

A great interview indeed, thanks for linking that Lex!

What's worse though, lawnmowers or Sharapova?

if Sharapova was shrieking outside my window at 9am, that might the one thing that would enrage me more than lawnmowers.

I'm certain Murray will win a Slam! Maybe even here! I hate all the press mania though, as if he somehow "should" win. And if he gets to the SF or F and loses to Fed or Nadal, which is the most likely, I can just see him being labelled a failure or a choker...which is ridiculous.

Baghdatis just beat second seed Robredo in the 1st round of 's-Hertogenbosch but has been ranked around 100 all year and hasn't shown that he's healthy or disciplined enough to rise any time soon - but if he draws a big name in the early rounds and they're off their game, watch out - he's a showman who plays his best on big courts, and he's played well here before...

I'm certain Murray will win a Slam! Maybe even here! I hate all the press mania though, as if he somehow "should" win. And if he gets to the SF or F and loses to Fed or Nadal, which is the most likely, I can just see him being labelled a failure or a choker...which is ridiculous.

OTM. It's the press' tone which irks me. The simpering Murraycentric fixation which forgets that there are all manner of other worthy players out there.

My Cypriot allegiances have been tested by the world of sport, and it's incredibly disappointing that when a good sportsman finally arose, he faded just as fast.

lol @ wta needen bitches stfu gag order personally i think they need to invoke some kind of reward system - every unforced error is another point u have to go w/o grunting. might be just what the women's game needs

keothavong intvw was really good thnx for the link.

going out on a limb here w/o seein the draw but fed d murray

Is this the right place to announce that I'm backing Murray and Sharapova at Wimbledon this year?

putting money on or supporting? sharapova a bad choice either way tbh

lol Elena Baltach and Li "Alkali Metals"* Na have played 57 points in their Eastbourne first-rounder... and it's only 2-3. Some WTA matches are over by that point.

*) http://www.learner.org/interactives/periodic/images/alkalimetals_new.gif

Baltacha

i have a soft spot for sharapova and would like to see her do well

good luck with that

ty! im not sure what my luck will have do w/ it but i appreciate the sentiment

who is a gabbenb rooting for?

Luck in the sense that she's unlikely to do well

ty! i'm not sure why u thought i need that explained but i appreciate the effort

alkali metals!!!!

yeah today's Eastbourne upsets were a bit wacky. Well...the Chak Attack beating Jankovic, not so much; it just confirmed that even deep in a slump, Chak can still make Jankovic her bitch. Their h2h is 7-3 to Anna C now, with two of Jankovic's wins coming via retirement and the other one coming when Anna was like 12 or something.

WozCan beating Sweta SIX LOVE AND SIX THREE wtf wtf wtf - I assume and hope that was a tank! The year Sweta won Eastbourne she lost 1st round at Wimbledon so maybe she's hoping it works the other way round this year.

Nice to see Bepa 3 back in action, a three-set loss to Amelie on grass isn't such a bad comeback performance. Still can't believe that horrid ankle injury came just when she reached the top 5 and was in her best ever form :(

Top seed Verdasco crashes out in the 1st round at 's-Hertogenbosch to one B. Becker (Benjamin)...

ty! i'm not sure why u thought i need that explained but i appreciate the effort

Uhhhhhhh, because you didn't appear to understand what gabbneb meant by "Good luck with that"?

My Verdasco in the top 5 prediction not working out so well.

LOL @ Mauresmo proving today vs Makarova that her choking skills are truly limitless.

5-1 up in the 1st set tiebreak...loses it 8-10.
4-0 up in the 2nd set...lets lead slip and goes into another tiebreak.
5-2 up in the 2nd set tiebreak...loses it 13-15.

Really not looking good for the Nadal title defence - lost an exhibition at Hurlingham to Hewitt four and three today, and was apparently not moving very well. Tendinitis in the quadraceps and fluid on both kneecaps. He'll play another match tomorrow vs Warwinka and then we'll know...

I always try not to buy into these pre-Slam injury dramas...have seen it so many times before, a top player creating all this drama and uncertainty over ~~OMG CAREER-THREATENING INJURIES~~~~ and the turning up and winning their first three matches 6-0, 6-1. Clijsters was the fucking mistress of it, every few weeks another career-ending injury which turned out to be a turned ankle. Monfils did it at RG too, all that drama over his knee and then he played magnificently to reach the QF.

Also v suspicious of the fact that it's Toni Nadal running his mouth to the press over how serious it is! If it was really serious you wouldn't want your opponents to know. You don't do that b/c you're worried, you do that when you want drama and attention.

Yeah also total lolretirement week as any gambler knows -- Dushevina def Petrova 5-7 1-0, Santoro def Ljubicic 3-6 4-2 etc.

Shame if Nadal doesn't make it. This is a bit more than 'will Iniesta/Messi make the CL final?' type thing. He's not the type who would ever miss on preparation work.

Murray is more than deserving of the heightened coverage -- unlike Henman, as much as I was ok with him -- although a lot of press people have had problems because of his attitude: you know, how he wouldn't crack into a smile much after his win at Queens!!! I thought it was wonderful.

Not that I care that much about volume of coverage to switch allegiances...so I'm definitely hopeful that Murray beats the unarguably best player ever on the way to his first slam.

I can never decide whether to be heartened by still seeing numerous comments calling Murray surly and unable to get over his "anyone but England" remark years ago, because they mean that we'll probably never have to endure full-blown Timbledon idiocy with him, or to be annoyed because how stupid do you have to be to think like that.

lost an exhibition at Hurlingham to Hewitt four and three today

Tennis Reportage That Wouldn't Have Looked Out Of Place In Pride & Prejudice - part one of an occasional series

The injury thing also sets Nadal's press up perfectly...if he loses, it's a ready-made excuse. And if he wins, he gets annoying FIGHTER~~~~ headlines.

Also annoying: the Wimbledon seeding committee breaking their own seeding rules to bump 59th-ranked Sharapova up to 24th seed. A-Bond is the unlucky 32nd-ranked player who was robbed of her rightful seed; I hope she draws Sharapova first round and beats her 6-2 6-2, like the last time they played. I would BET that Sharapova's people requested this, and that if it was, say, former champ Mauresmo in the same situation it wouldn't happen (indeed she hasn't been bumped up at all). Cf Serena at the AO 07 - a two-time champ there but ranked 81, and therefore unseeded.

I always try not to buy into these pre-Slam injury dramas...have seen it so many times before, a top player creating all this drama and uncertainty over ~~OMG CAREER-THREATENING INJURIES~~~~ and the turning up and winning their first three matches 6-0, 6-1. Clijsters was the fucking mistress of it, every few weeks another career-ending injury which turned out to be a turned ankle. Monfils did it at RG too, all that drama over his knee and then he played magnificently to reach the QF.

He lost twice on clay in a week and then loses to Hewitt. Toni is right to be worried.

FYI

kind of a lot 2 digest here ‼~‼

so ive never been the biggest nadal fan dude just kind of turns me off his whole stile is basically the opposite of what i like about tennis but he has always seemed like a bro. takes 7 pgs to basically reaffirm that. i do think it puts the injury report gaming in a different light

i was just abt to post that link. great read and tells you a lot about how Rafa approaches tennis - which is to say, i refuse to count him out just yet.

i like all these profiles of rafa that have cropped up since he made no. 1 (there's also this one from last month) if only because they break down exactly how hard he's worked to be that good. as a longtime fed fan, sometimes you forget that it's not by accident that he troubles roger the way he does. it will be a shame if this injury thing does turn out to be major.

ive always tht i was obv that he works really hard but i think its his single-mindedness makes him unattractive 2 me he just ~hits~ the ball so well but hes not crafty u know?

still i would miss him if he was gone

that's the thing tho i think he's craftier than people give him credit for - pretty guilty of it myself. i mean beyond sheer hard work, he's shown a willingness to change up his game when he needs to, which maybe gives him an edge over Fed who's notoriously stubborn about changing anything about how he plays. ok fed's record speaks for itself, but it always surprises me that he's never seemed that interested in developing a proper response to nadal.

(agree w/Roz re: Nadal - he suffers from the press "narrative" which paints him as the superhumanly fit grinder and Fed as the aesthete, and he makes having his sort of strength & stamina seem so natural, but think about how dominant Fed used to be and how all the other players were scared shitless of him - and how clueless Rafa was in that first Wimbledon final - to overcome all that wasn't just a question of out-muscling Fed.)

OK the draws are out! Been so busy today that am only just now looking at them.

Men's - http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/scores/draws/ms/index.html
Women's - http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/scores/draws/ws/index.html

Brief initial thoughts -

Men's - ughhh I sense a deep run from Roddick. Other than that, a great draw! Sets the desired Murray/Fed final up perfectly, I guess I'll just have to endure the two weeks of press mania and the Fred Perry outfit. Not much else to say though. People will say "does Toaderling have a chance against Federer" and the answer is "maybe a set". And Tsonga will come through the Nando section and become a Wimbledon ~crowd favourite~ esp after the "golliwog" story is rehashed to death. He deserves it! People will also go "oooh" at Rafa drawing Chewitt in R2 and go on about the exo result this week, at which point I will roll my eyes and have to remind them that it was an exo result.

Women's - talking of rolling my eyes, I cannot do that enough w/r/t Sharapova drawing useless fucking Petrova with her bullshit arbitrary seeding again. I'd be rooting against her anyway but that kind of favouritism means that I REALLY want Kutuzova, or anyone, to finish off the double bagel that Cibulkova couldn't at RG. Silliams can do it in the QF if nothing else.

Sad about a bad draw for Kimiko Date-Krumm :(

Perfect draw for Deadisova to resurrect herself if she gets it together even slightly...which she won't. Szavay for the QF, or another bullshit run from Dinara?

I can see A-Rad losing to MJMS in round 1. The top 10 recedes further away from her.

Cake can seriously make a SF run. That quarter is so weak...Bepa, only just back from a lay-off. Slumping Demented. SexyDomi (never won a match on grass) and Ice Cream (hasn't won a match at all for ages). Oh ugh, De Screamo lurks there. At least if she plays Cake, Cake will potentially be even more bitchy than Caravane was at RG.

A big wild card is how Azarenka will do...she could take Serena out in the QF, but is she ready? (No.)

A 94842923th fourth round showing for Tammy coming up! Hey, she beat the second seed here last year. Repeat!

(All-Williams final obvzzzzz.)

Warm-up news: Cake retired against La Razz in Eastbourne and refused to shake her hand b/c La Razz decried Cake's mid-match "injuries" to the French press - a huge turnaround from RG, where they were both gushing over how sweet and nice the other was!

Tammy Tanasugarn beat Safina for the second year running in 's-Hertogenbosch LOLOLOLOL. Imagine how high she'd be ranked if there were more grass tournaments. Ah, I love Tammy so much.

(And Baghdatis is out of Wimbledon w/another injury, sorry Louis!)

oh Rafa is out! ignore everything about the draw then, presumably they will reorganise it - IIRC the rules would be that 5th seed JMDP moves into Rafa's slot, the 9th seed into JMDP's, the 17th seed into the 9th seed and so on.

yeah just coming 2 post that. andy murray this could be your year

ugh...another racist asshole on tour.

Australia’s Klein fined for racial abuse of opponent

By Clare Fallon

EASTBOURNE, England, June 19 (Reuters) - Australian player Brydan Klein has been fined 10,000 euros ($13,920) and suspended by his national sports body for racially abusing South African opponent Raven Klaasen during a qualifying match at the Eastbourne International, tennis officials said on Friday.

Klein, 19, had been given the maximum penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, the men’s ATP Tour said in a statement, adding that it was carrying out a fuller investigation which could result in an additional penalty for aggravated behaviour.

Tennis Australia said in a statement it had suspended Klein from the Australian Institute of Sport Pro Tour Program and could impose further sanctions after an investigation.

Media reports in Australia said Klein, the 2007 Australian Open junior champion, had called Klaasen a “kaffir” and spat at his coach and another player.

“The ATP has a zero tolerance policy against racism,” the body’s statement said.

Klein, the world number 184, beat Klaasen and made it as far as the second round of the Eastbourne main draw before being beaten by Serbian Janko Tipsarevic.

Shame about Nadal.

Thinking of going on Wednesday - what time do people start queuing again? 7am?

8.30ish should be fine for a ground pass! i haven't decided when i'm going to go yet.

Right, I went about four years ago, just couldn't remember.

It depends on the weather forecast, but earlier in the week rather than later.

O MARCOS

I'm supporting uh James Blake, he came across very well in that R5 interview

i feel really bad for nadal now. :(

btw this means if fed wins, he gets his number 1 ranking back. and if murray wins, he'll go to number 2.

see...i love tennis so much. you think you have a status quo, and you can't see any way it can be even slightly shifted. then two weeks later and the game is FLIPPED just like that.

country matters u need 2 do a live for wimbledon video blog

I'm supporting uh James Blake

PREPARE TO BE VERY VERY DISAPPOINTED

(Blake does come across as a pretty great guy in interviews, tho)

yeah...he isn't called Flake for nothing. I mean, all my favourites are chokers, but even I can't imagine what it must be like to be emotionally invested in Blake or Mauresmo's careers.

i imagine its a lot like being their moms cause at this point i cant imagine anyone else is

lol well where's the next GORAN coming from imho

actually tipsarevic is like mega-brainy is he not

he has like an amateur interest in advanced philosophy or some shit i heard

Mauresmo at least won a couple of majors! (granted one was handed to her by default, but still... maybe Blake should have a quick gender-reassignment surgery before next year's Wimbledon and enter the women's draw)

off the tennis court yes - he has quotes by schopenhauer and dostoyevsky tattooed on his person.

on court though he's up and down. xp

he has quotes by schopenhauer and dostoyevsky tattooed on his person.

okay I hate him now

best was the commentary during one of his matches with mcenroe and some other us sportscaster going all "lol schopen-who?"

Turns out his dad is a prof. Be funny if he got a tennis fan to read Notes from the underground (result!)

I mean a Tennis fan who had no interest in classic lit, for example :-)

I was gonna say, of all sports tennis is the one most likely to be populated with classic lit ppl

In spirit of LJ's casting about for allegiances, I decided to use the random number thing in Excel to find me some players to support seeing as how I'm out of the loop an' all. Wound up with Andrey Golubev in the men's (world #71, first time at Wimbledon, is losing to Tsonga first round but if he weren't he'd be losing to Karlovic in the third - he's partnered with Marat in the doubles, though, so that's bound to end well) and in the women's... Petrova. And looking at the draw, she could theoretically be gone at any stage of the tournament you care to mention.

Anyone reckon Laura Robson has a shot at getting by Dani With One I?

Hanturexia can lose to anyone, anywhere, no matter how far ahead she is. The only better draws for Robson were the grassphobic clay-courters. Robson hasn't played much this year so she could well get outclassed and lose heavily, but if it winds up at 3-3 in the third, say...well, I would never back Hantuchova in that position.

hantuchova is so good at being pretty and so bad at tennis

remember the one good year she had, right before she stopped eating?

former world no 5! lol.

More on mah boy Andrey at his startlingly comprehensive Wikipedia page - he's another of those Kazakhs of convenience, switching nationality in 2008 despite being born in Russia and living in Italy.

he has quotes by schopenhauer and dostoyevsky tattooed on his person.

okay I hate him now

Yah true; Kierkegaard and Joyce, or else nothing. Seriously now.

Is Yes-Hsun Lu

Finally rid of the flu?

Made a shock upset in Melbourne gainst Nalbandian, Dave;

Retired at RG; the 1-6 predicament, considering his recent illness, was not one he could save.

So while our wishes are with Rendy, and of course we hope he gets betterer and betterer,

We may not actively cheer him on, because that might ruin our "dream final" of erm whoever is left and Roger Fetterer.

pace Ogden Nash.

Yen not Yes dammit. I pore over every detail, I pore over the syntax, I pore over the formatting, I pore repeatedly into the glass, and still this happens.

Yes-Hsun Lu would be a brilliant name though. Keeping it positive.

Was gonna post predictions and such but am already kind of hungover and then this picture of Grigor Dimitrov and Dmitry Tursunov kind of fused my analytic skills.

http://cornedbeefhash.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/tursunov-dimitrov-marseille09.jpg

Dimitrov turned 18 in May so it's not so bad.

also so so happy for Tammy Tanasugarn defending her 's-Hertogenbosch title! Would never ever have thought a couple of years ago when she sank out of the top 100, could barely even win Challenger or qualifying matches and looked totally washed up, that her first Slam QF and another two titles were still to come.

O_O @ that pic

yeah i was gonna say i feel all icky perving over a 17yo. ok i still feel icky but a little less now.

sort of lolling at all these Nadal glossy profiles timed to come out in between his triumphant defense at Rolland Garros and dominating return to Wimbl--oh wait.

hey let's laugh at Hantuchova some more. found this youtube (embedding disabled) of her AO 07 SF vs Ivanovic, the one she managed to lose from 6-0, 2-0 up. want to see the textbook definition of a choke? watch the point at 7:13! 4-4 in the third set, break point down...and then THAT. just hilariously awful.

2008, i mean, not 2007.

hantuchova's name amuses me all the time cuz in my native language "hantu" means "ghost". which is kinda what she's turned into.

oh hey here's nike's annual attempt to make Federer look ridiculous on centre court.

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q134/jdamayo/4816_90364419940_64760994940_181111.jpg

loooooooooooooooooooooooool at Hantuchova, poor thing

although I have to hope Ivanovic is rethinking her color schemes because that sweat pattern is not a good look

Are the Williams sisters playing this year?

y

really? don't play a trick on a bimble. Both of them or...?

hantuchova's name amuses me all the time cuz in my native language "hantu" means "ghost". which is kinda what she's turned into.

― Roz, Sunday, June 21, 2009 2:50 PM (26 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

this is malay, right? cool! and possibly another nickname has been found...

the point at 2:29 when she surrenders her serve at 6-0 2-1 is also kind of sad but mostly lol.

malay yep. daniela "the phantom" hantuchova. i prefer hanturexia tho.

i love the commentator when she missed that drop shot on break pt. "oh danielaaaaa...."

Aaaaah!

"Hantuchova" always reminds me of "Handtuch" ie towel in German, though. Towelova? Could also be material here for choking / throwing in towel gag which I can't be bothered fleshing out right now.

predictions...any errant guesses will be put down to being half asleep.

Women -

4R: Safina, Pennetta, Wozniacki, Kuznetsova, Venus, Ivanovic, Li, Jankovic, LA RAZZ VS CAKE GRUDGE MATCH, U-Rad, Caravane, Azarenka, Sharapova, Tanasugarn, Silliams
QF: Safina, Kuznetsova, Venus, Li, La Razz, U-Rad, Azarenka, Silliams
SF: Kuznetsova, Venus, La Razz, Silliams
F: zzzz
W: FVW

Men -

4R: Tursunov, Stepanek, Berdych, Roddick, Murray, Wawrinka, Youzhny, Navarro, Blake, Cilic, Schuettler, Djokovic, Mahut, Tsonga, Soderling, Federer
QF: Tursunov, Roddick, Murray, Youzhny, Cilic, Djokovic, Tsonga, Federer
SF: Roddick, Murray, Djokovic, Federer
F: Murray, Djokovic
W: Murray

that's right I said it!!!!! rationale: everyone's been overlooking Djokovic and indeed he has had a disappointing year - by the consistently excellent standards he set himself in 08. he's still made 6 finals (3 of them Masters finals) and, crucially, is 2-0 over Fed this year. if he doesn't get ambushed early - and I don't see any potential ambushers, though you can never tell I guess - I think he has the confidence to puncture any serenity Fed gets going. so he'll play spoiler to the Dream Final, and then that's a much less intimidating match-up for Murray.

Yeah, I was thinking the other day that a Fed-Djo semi had the potential to be yr tournament-defining classic. Still going with Rog - my thirst for more Fed Slams is unquenched and I hope he just keeps going.

Murray for Wimbledon in 2011. That way he can enter both the All-England Champs and the Olympics in SW19 the following summer as top seed, world #1 and hot favourite and fail in both.

It's going to be odd today. Almost like last year didn't happen - Fed strolling out at 1pm to open the defence of the title...he doesn't actually hold.

NB for Britishes - BBC online coverage looks Quite Good: four streams running, of the opening set of matches you get to choose between Le Fabuleux Destin de Laura Robson, ALGie vs. Mirzbow, or Gorgeous Pouting Karol Beck vs. Flicka Lopez.

At the moment, main stream is highlights from Wimbledons past. At present, it's Poor Old Jana Novotna. Crying.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/8096805.stm

that was the first tennis match i ever watched. way to get hooked on psychodrama. i was so so so happy when jana finally got her wimbledon.

Checking in for 2009. Sadly, due to a recent tightening of my employment schedule, my Wimbers-watching this year will be confined to before midnight.

According to the Socratic marvel we all know as the Oz media, Rafa's withdrawal opens up a massive chasm in that quarter of the draw, which done other than Lleyton Bloody Hewitt is supposedly best placed to take advantage of. Yeah, right....

Ol' stiff-bones himself!

Was gonna say "what about Stosur?", then looked at the draw... yeah, she ain't going deep this year. Might even get taken out by Dokic in round 2.

Stosur was gonna be my pick to get to the 4th round, over Dokic (who I'm pretty sure will lose 1R to whoever) and perma-slumping Ivanovic - but I heard that she's just dumped her coach, which is usually an indication that All Is Not Well. Esp on the eve of Wimbledon. If that's true she could well lose to Mattek-Sands in her opener - Bethanie isn't great but she's had good results on grass and she's fairly steady.

(Number of Tour main draw matches Dokic has won since her Australian run: two.)

OK, so...Robson is damn good. This kid is for real. And Hanturexia is still pathetic! And Robson is 3-0 up!

Robson is hitting some awesome winners from everywhere. Key game - serving at *2-0, she went down 0-30 with a framed groundstroke and a double fault. First serve fault, weak second serve which Hanturexia dumps pathetically into the bottom of the net. And then Robson just took charge and swept the game with some amazing FHs, inc one angle which made my jaw actually drop.

...oops, broken back on two double faults.

...and breaks back with some fierce returning! Robson's groundstrokes are so clean and gorgeous.

She really has to sort that 2nd serve out - she's dominating everything else. *4-2 0/15.

Laura Robson looks about 30. I am suspicious.

Came through a pretty epic service game there. 5-2*

looool @ Hantuchova and those stupid errors to hand set point to Robson.

Currently watching Andreas Seppi (who looks like Brett Lee) and James 'Inspector' Blake (who, as ever, looks like an A-grade clot and has just saved his second break point at 5-all) on Merdescope.

(Sounds like the Coathanger has not improverd one iota...)

Robson serves out the set with ease!

Well done to England's favourite Australian kid!

(in tennis, golf, or any other solo sport, I cannot *understand* why I'm supposed to support 'homegrown talent', with no thought for merit, personality or aesthetics, rather than individual players of any nation)

Seppi serving for the first set having broken Blake at the sixth or seventh try. Giselle Dulko doing it very easy v Sherwood Foretz - a set and a break to the good.

Still, though, well done Robson, looks like she has the bottle to do well, unlike certain Russians who've been coached to within an inch of their own psychic collapse over 15 years of hard labour

remind me why I chose Blake as my one to follow

Can you understand why to support *anyone*, though? If they look nice, or smile a lot, or play good tennis? What's the rationale? I spent a decade supporting Isabelle Demongeot because she gave tickets to my cousin who gave them to me.

To me the idea of 'following' Blake is a bit of an oxymoron because 'following' suggests the followee is going somewhere.

If this game doesn't liven up soon I might be forced to turn to the US Open Golf on the other channel instead....

Yeah, I agree with you LJ but as Mark says, how else do you choose who to support?

There's a complex web of sympathies which makes certain players appeal. Usually to do with their expressiveness.

Um, isn't it obvious that you cheer for players because you like their game and personality or some combination thereof? Or if you want to bone them. Game comes first though - I would smash Andy Roddick for real but will never cheer for him.

I don't get nationalistic support either, though I understand it more for players from smaller countries which are minor players on the world stage. I'm still weirded out by the fact that I support Murray - am v worried that people will think this it's cuz he's British, when it's really b/c of his gorgeous game.

Also, I guess I'll end up supporting Robson...her groundstrokes are just great to watch, and - this is v impt - she doesn't grunt. Like, not a squeak. And no obnoxious fist-pumping either. I used to enjoy the young players being bitches but Larcher de Brito just pushes brattiness too far.

yeah i like this robson kid too.

Also, I guess I'll end up supporting Robson...her groundstrokes are just great to watch, and - this is v impt - she doesn't grunt. Like, not a squeak. And no obnoxious fist-pumping either.

this is actually a very good and impt point yes

roddick's a top guy, i'd probably not support him because his game is unloveable, but he has a heart of gold iirc

i support him losing gallantly

Being sat far enough from the office tellies that I can't see them, but near enough that I can hear them, I'm gonna follow a stream other than Robbo-Jim Peters. ALG-Mirza's my first stop, and the camera angle is odd - the baseline at Annie's end of court looks... curved, like an over-stretched tea towel.

Yeah, I agree with you LJ but as Mark says, how else do you choose who to support?

Sorry, I wrote that too quickly, completely oversimplified my own position as well as Mark's. I have no interest in nationalism either but for some reason, in tennis, I'm have an instinctive inclination to root for teh Brit. Partly I think it's because I don't follow tennis as closely as I used to and just time have an interest in putting in the effort to get to know all the different players' games; maybe the fact that I used to play to a fairly high level against nobby middle-class kids just like these is a factor too.

They had an audio recording of Larcher de Brito on Radio 4 this morning... My goodness. And apparently she doesn't do it during practice!

Given the length of the drought it's pretty natural to pull for an Englisher to win Wimbledon. I'd feel the same way about a Frenchie at Roland Garros, etc.

you know that 'shhhhhh' thing that footballers do to opposition crowds when they score?

someone needs to beat de Brito and go to embrace her but switch into that 'shhhhhh' thing at the last moment

just time have an interest in putting in the effort

you know what i mean.

Fabulous Phil Kohlschreiber survived a break v Ayrton Serra, won that set and has raced to a 5-1 lead in the second.

Meanwhile, Seppi has a set 2 break.

7 games into set 2 and Blake has not had a break point.

I'm supporting Murray lol

nah I'm supporting like

like

is Karlovic in this thing?

or Max Mirnyi?

just time have an interest in putting in the effort

you know what i mean.

― N1ck (Upt0eleven), Monday, June 22, 2009 12:20 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark

I'm pretty sure I heard David Pleat say the same thing about Kolo Toure.

Anyway, may not surprise you to hear that Groenefeld-Mirza isn't exactly one for the ages. Groenefeld likes biffing. She does not particularly enjoy moving. Given that Sania's a former seed here, her success in countering this approach is a bit... limited. They're one set apiece, Algy taking the last one 6-2.

Blimey, Federer broken!

Groenefeld is pretty useless on grass IIRC...

Robson double faults twice in succession to hand the second set to Hanturexia.

Sharapova also down a break! Oh, what to watch...

Groenefeld... for some reason, I remember her being a bit thinner than this. She's basically thwacking it beyond Sania's reach all the time, and sometimes that results in the ball going in.

She just hit a double-handed backhand that looked like she was digging a turnip.

Fed flails at a wide forehand at 30/30 and is rewarded with a drop-dead net-cord. Then breaks. Drama over probably.

William can you do shot-by-shot commentary? I'll pay. Maybe.

Not too worried about Robson; due to an orderly and thoroughly fair-minded system of choking in the women's game, whoever wins the first set generally wins the match

looked like she were gonna cry thar.

Aw, Kutusova had a chance to serve out the first set vs Sharapova but got broken. I'd love to see Maria go down in the first round.

HEINHKKHHHHH!!!! thwop

thwap

HEINHKKHHHHH!!!! thwap

thwop

HEINHKKHHHHH!!!! thwop

so glad that no sound is allowed at work

Mirza eventually overcomes Groaner's limitations to take the third set 6-2. Serve-and-volley percentage for both players, not entirely surprisingly, is zero. Court 14 looks marvellous - three whole rows of seating, so people can stand and gaze for a bit as they walk past.

Switching to Beck vs. Flicka, to find that the Slovak is two sets to one up on the 21st seed...

Oh dear. Robson double faulted twice to give Hantuchova the second set, was broken in the third set on a double fault, and went on to double fault on match point. Any idea what she'll be working on afterwards?

Ooh, it's a pity the big stories are happening elsewhere - based on that first game, this is really one to watch. Flick's an artist with a nifty serve and a headband that is for some reason reminding of Antonio Banderas (I have no idea if Banderas likes headbands or not); Beck, however, is looking more than a little indefatigable, and has a rather nifty eye. It's a very even match by the looks of things, and should be quite absorbing for however much longer it goes on.

I want to watch Beck/Lopez but the fucking useless red button is only showing me the Wimbledon logo. Lopez is one of those players with absolutely beautiful facial structure which he consistently ruins with terrible hair; also too much of a girl for me to actually fancy.

Yeah, I'd be fairly amazed if whoever it is on commentary that isn't John Lloyd wasn't bandying about the phrase "Latin temperament" a bit.

Oh, apparently Kutuzova was a double break up on Sharapova, but still managed to lose the first set 5-7. Women's tennis.

^^

OK, that Fed/Lu point just had my flatmate and I slackjawed in amazement.

Haha Flake lost to SEPPI?! I...knew he would lose early as ever, but SEPPI?!!!! LOL Flake.

Blake totally imploded in the third set. He was 5-1 up on the tie-break but Seppi managed to come back to take it 7-5.

Imagine a Flake/Hanturexia mixed doubles team!

Just noticed that there were 3 men named González in the main draw...all from different countries. Fernando (CHI), Maximo (ARG) and Santiago (MEX). Surely a first?

*past tense as it was Maximo's defeat that made me notice. Minimo more like.

That last game was awes - leaping single-handed backhand flicks and twists from Lopez, accompanied by much finger-wag and Gallic shrug, versus Karol Beck just being a massively canny sumbitch. Lopez 3-2 up, back on serve.

Also noticed that Official WBS Favourite Andrey "All-Time High Rank For Singles: 71" Golubev is underway vs. Tsonga The Magnificent. But not tearing myself away from this one just yet...

Also worth pointing out Beck's only in the draw cos Baghdatis pulled out injured. He's hell of useful considering.

He was 5-1 up on the tie-break but Seppi managed to come back to take it 7-5.

I'm pretty sure I saw 5-0, even?

fucking Blake

argh

tmi

Yay Seppi!

OK, watching Beck and Lopez now. Beck looks EXACTLY like he used to years and years ago before his suspension! (ie - kinda hot but, yeah, dodgy facial hair.)

Beck and Lopez go into a 5th set! Tough end - Beck thought he'd served an ace but it was called out late => double fault.

And then Beck changes his shirt yet there is no zoom in. What amateur camera work.

Whoo. Beck up a break in the 5th, avoids getting broken back when Lopez nets a smash on break point, then Beck hits a drop shot which bounces along the net before falling over...

Good grief, Larcher de Brito actually sounds like someone repeatedly stabbing a poodle, it's horrendous.

Nice close-up of a fat dude drinking Strongbow, there, sure Lex appreciated that one.

Lopez pumped his fist like he was pulling the emergency cord on the Tube, really slowly and exaggeratedly, making absolutely sure Beck could see (there was a disputed line call in Lopez's favour at the end of the last game, so I smell needle...)

OMG Beck finally serving for the match at *5-4 in the 5th...and he goes 0-40 down with dumb errors.

Good grief, Larcher de Brito actually sounds like someone repeatedly stabbing a poodle, it's horrendous.

^_^ :-D

Broken serving for the match. Women's tennis!

Lopez's celebration of that... man, there is NEEDLE here!

They keep closing-up on this coach in the crowd, not sure whose, and there's a dude in a leather-jacket desperately trying to act like he's got swagger. It is making me think he is someone's boyfriend. But whose?...

THAT LAST POINT oh dear no way is Beck coming back. Lopez fell on his arse at the baseline, Beck just needed to wallop down the other side, but he hesitated, Lopez got up and scrambled a return, then Beck put his drop-shot into the net... dear dear.

So yeah, obviously Beck now has two points to take us into SUDDEN DEATH OVERTIME

6-6! The first epic!

Which he does (with the second of them, obv). Two clear games it is!

Ha that point, I went OOOHHH! like three times in it

Hantuchova:

"She reminded me a lot of myself at 15, and at some points in the match I was thinking, 'Hmmm, it's like I'm playing myself'."

What are we saying? We're not saying anything.

Bremond-Beltrame retires injured before I get to make a joke about her being twinned with Kettering.

If Hantuchova is predicting a Hantuchova-esque career for Robson, I think that probably counts as a v backhanded diss.

British female tennis player getting to #5 in the world? No, no, clearly she should be aiming to be the next Mel South.

Botched s&v from Beck - match point Flo...

Haha what a way to save it!

SAVED! Just.

And a drop to make it 7-7! Unashamedly cheering for Beck now.

Apparently Severine B-B is actually rather badly hurt. Oh.

Oh poor Sev :(

She's back to using her maiden name cuz she divorced her husband, but is hyphenating it so as not to confuse anyone who knew her as just Bremond. I remember when she was Beltrame the first time round.

I see! I'd wrongly assumed she just got married.

what is Fed wearing this year? blazer? cardigan?

Beck gets the first break! 9-8 up!

Ha, well, second break. Let's see if he makes less of a hash of serving it out this time...

Beck does it w/a FH DTL winner!

Final score 1-6 7-5 6-3 4-6 10-8. Phew.

Then shuffles off down the tunnel with nary an autograph request to his name. Pity.

Over to Court Two, where my boy Andrey "Residence: Bra, Italy" Golubev is actually at one set all with Tsonga, and 4-3 up (with serve) in the third. Told you he was special.

that was excellent stuff, surely a bit early for thrillers like that, we've got to be eased in.

say, the way I'm reading it, if Murray were to win this he'd be just five points behind Nadal in the rankings. Is that right?

yep.

projected points after wimbledon for the big four:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2009/06/Shark-Bites-Battle-For-No-1.aspx

Rain has just started dumping on Leeds. Hard. Yep, this is Wimbledon fortnight. Back home, so going for red button action - annoyingly, I think the Wozniak-Not-Wozniacki vs. Voney match is digi-satellite only, meaning I've landed on the all-Russian encounter between La Diva and Alla Kudryatseva Will Fucking Kill You. 1-1 so far. Kudryavtseva taller than I'd imagined.

Hey, what's going on with Djokovic here? He lost the first set to Benneteau.

Bang goes Diva's serve to give Kid Kudi the early break.

Oh Nole.

I'm tuned into Demented/Praise Alla because I want to do some work and this is a match I can have in the background...but am wondering whether I should turn over to the potential Djokovic upset.

Kudryavtseva is an odd case. Totally sucks for 51 weeks of the year but always makes a splash at Wimbledon: taking Venus to 7-5 in the third in 2007, beating Sharapova last year...

There is some bloody wild hitting in this one - Kudi just thwacked a backhand return into the net post under roughly no pressure at all.

Diva takes first set 6-4, and I don't think she's gonna have much trouble winning it outright, so over to Benny The Toe's heroic struggle on centre. Djokovic has just won his second break point of the match in the second game of set three. One set apiece at present, Toe perhaps tiring a little, but NoDjo is not at all on top of him yet...

just reaffirming that yes, WS Djokovic

yeah but man i love benneteau and his soft little volleys

can we call him "United Colours"

united colours of anguished body language

whereas djokovic looks impatient and imperious

oh no they're doing the fucking wave!!?

i thought the all-england lawn tennis and croquet club shot on site for that type of thing

I switched over to Bepa 3! I haven't seen her in months. She was 0-1 down to a British girl when I turned over then she immediately won 11 straight points, dropped two, and as of now is on another six-point streak...

haha in the unfortunate name stakes, Sam Querry is currently playing someone whose last name is Udomchoke. (Querry is winning.)

Oh no, bad fall for United Colours on match point down.

Sam Queer Eye!

(Well, not so much a fall, as twatting his knee on the back stop chasing a lob. He trails 7-6 6-7 2-6 4-5 40/AD).

Hey hey. Elsewhere we might be looking at out first double bagel of the tournament: Cake leads Yung-Jan Chan 6-0 5-0!

(btw: I LOVE that Chan's English name is Latisha.)

Gordon Bennet'eau is having a medical timeout at the back of the court, match point down. Not sure I've ever seen this before. I seem to recall Edberg doing his back in when miles ahead vs Cash at the Aussie Open - managed to finish off the few points he needed after treatment but then withdrew from the event.

Benny saves it!

Wozniacki did it against Cirstea at RG - it basically looked like she was trying to buy time with darkness falling.

Nole through on 3rd mp...well over three hours.

Hey, Ai Sugiyama beat Patty Schnyder in the first round. Has to be one of the most experienced first round matches I can recall for a while, Sugiyama has played every major since the 1994 Wimbledon, Patty has played every major since the 1997 AO.

goddamn i want sharapova to just fuckin strangle me w/those legs o' hers

wow - johansson - ws - two times

(sorry mel, you know how it is)

Oh no Tammy out in the 1st round WTF? :(((((

OH SHIT BEPA LOST THE SECOND SET TO THE BRITISH PERSON. NOT FUNNY.

The Beck-Lopez epic was duly noted here... funnily enough, Beck's opponent in the next round probably won't have much advantage from Beck's exertion today -- Almagro defeated Monaco 67-67-76-64-86, actually 13 minutes longer... :)

From the Twitter of BBC liveblogger Caroline Cheese:

Nicole Vaidisova marches past on her way to practice. Resist temptation to ask what happened to her career
half a minute ago from txt

If Vaidisova loses her opener, she falls out of the top 140.

"Caroline Cheese"?

Kimiko Date-Krumm just hit a left handed FH followed by a right-handed one <3

Anyway...she is like 20 years older than Wozniacki, and I would LOVE for her to win here.

AAARGH! Krumm opened up the court so beautifully with a slice BH right into the corner...then missed the easy volley!

She makes the next one and here we are at 6-5, 30-30 on WozDen's serve though...

Set point with another fine volley!

OMG cat and mouse play at the net. This is a great match.

She takes the set!

Have I mentioned before how at the age of 39, Kimiko still looks like a better athlete than over half the tour.

Mrs Krumm is a joy to watch. It's so good seeing someone who's fearless about coming to net, and can hit great volleys once there, and who possesses a slice which actually bites...

Ugh...Mrs Krumm had the chance to really put WozDen away, midway through the set Woz was looking so panicky, but Krumm served poorly and juuuust missed so many shots, and now the momentum has shifted :(

Dokic (who I'm pretty sure will lose 1R to whoever)

― lex pretend, Monday, June 22, 2009 10:53 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

...yup, lost 1R to whoever.

Haven't been able to get the frickin' BBCi player to work all day, so I missed the glorious return of Kimiko. 2nd set of her semi vs Graf in '96 = still one of greatest examples of in-the-zone tennis I've ever seen. If it hadn't been for bad light she'd have finished her off and probably won the title.

Am reduced to just following the numbers at the moment...Chardy at least seems to be offering some sort of resistance at 3-6 4-4 vs Dick - this after mustering just three points from the first five games.

Jeremy Chardy <------ chucklesome name

Out on Court 4, Keothavong is 7-5 4-1 down against Patricia Mayr. Oh dear. Stoop got conquered by Zvonareva in three, so this might well wind up leaving Lennie The Bruce as the last British woman standing... due to her not having played yet.

Anne K out...bad, disappointing loss. She was at least 5-3 up in the first, too.

Stoop played very, very well against Bepa in the end. Bepa obviously rusty, which contributed to some passive play which allowed Stoop to play her game as well as to stupid errors, but Stoop has great groundstrokes off both wings (esp the FH), a strong serve, an aggressive game...no reason she shouldn't be top 100 in the next year or so.

Vaidisova lost to Rossana de los Rios. RDLR is a 33-year-old mother who has beaten ONE top 100 player in grass in her 20-year career. This could well be the actual final nail in the coffin for Vaidisova's career.

Jailbait Six Pack upthread won the first set against Kunitsyn, then lost 10 games in a row and retired.

Chardy is hott!

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/07547ysdU5aQi/340x.jpg

Hey Lex did RDLR really start her career at age 13 or is that a typo?

Hmm, got it off another site - itftennis.com says she started her career in 1991 but the 1989 stat might be including juniors.

3rd set Chardy! (Scrub those first five games and JC is basically winning this!)

went for a run and when I got back, turned tv on JUST IN TIME to see Chakvetadze commit a dumb error match point down, burst into tears and murder her racquet. fucking AAARGH why do I support the insane bitch.

Women's tennis!

Anyway, Fabrice Santoro straight-setted Nic Kiefer 6-4 6-2 6-2. Murray is, at the moment, being rather more stretched than he'd like against The Robert Kendrick.

not gonna lie, I will be incredibly excited if Kendrick beats Murray

Kendrick cupping his ear at the crowd after making that diving cross-court forehand in mid-air = kinda awesome, yeah.

UHHHHH so I was blissfully and obliviously enjoying watching Simon slice and dice Reynolds up while simultaneously getting annoyed by La Roux's latest idiocy, and now I notice that Ivanovic is a set down to Hradecka, who not even I know a thing about!

Not that that's stopped Murray going two sets to one up.

Was also mulling Simon over. Conclusion: despite resemblance to Twilight dude, would smash.

http://www.charmants.com/wp-content/photos/2008/10/24/p1/gilles-simon-y.jpg

JCF's just disassembled Youzhnix in straight sets.

wanted murray to win this year but after watching him for first time today since last year I remember what a prat he is.

long may he continue to be - that's what stops him from being embraced by the Henmania crowd. if that happened I would have to stop supporting him no matter how gorgeous his game.

how is he not embraced by them??? murray mound? it seems exactly the same to me

yeah he's pretty popular but every second article about him compares him negatively to henman w/r/t "fully" winning over the crowd, personality-wise as opposed to "just cuz he's british". and i see a ton of comments, prob more than 50%, which castigate him for being surly/scottish etc, often implying that even if he becomes a champion, he'll never win over the public's hearts!!! idiots. lots of people can't seem to get over his offhand "anyone but england" comment from a few years ago.

I prob disliked Henman more in terms of just wondering how anyone could ever be up for him in anything, but Murray is much more obnoxious. That said Federer isn't exactly a pleasing alternative.

how can you possibly dislike Federer?! who do you like?

Simon's win over Reynolds was routine but a joy to watch - nothing I love more than seeing a crafty finesse player totally dismantle a dumb ball-basher. So many amazingly cerebral rallies.

Then turned over to see Ivanovic serving for the match against Hradecka - dunno if she blew any MPs but Hradecka broke back, and then held easily, and this could be an upset here...

Ivanovic throws a hissy fit at an ump overrule 0-15 down...

DEUCE. Come on Lucie.

DOUBLE FAULT! Match point Hradecka...

What made people support Henman was, apart from that awful icky Hugh Grant English-ness, that you always felt he needed the crowd - that's what allowed people to get into him even more, and try to make what was always a faint hope into reality. And the odd slams are won by journeyman.

Murray doesn't need them, and he can be intense - on the other hand he seems a lot more willing than Henman ever was to 'use' the crowd if he ever did need it. xxp

Hradecka misses two MPs...god, stfu with the constant AJDE!!!!s, Ana.

Jesse Levine is one game away from knocking out Marat Safin.

Unforced errani x 3 then Ivanovic FH winner = she has the break again. Whatevz.

yeah I'm guessing she's done

ha Marat is out!

Done. After missing her second MP, Hradecka didn't win another point, except for an Ivanovic double fault.

lol Marat what a farewell to Wimbledon.

marat ;_;

murray's point against kendrick at 2-1, 5-3, 15-L was beautiful - one of the softest rallies ever

lol "gruel"

In early play today, Dulko is up 3-0 on Sharapova, Hantuchova is beating Zheng, and Cibulkova is beat U-Rad.

poor rafa. in addition to tendinitis, his parents are splitting up. :(

oh dear - that must be the "personal problem" he was alluding to in miami.

Dulko leads Shriekapova 6-2, 1-0! This would be an awesome upset.

what is awesome: watching Sharapova attempt back-to-back drop volleys and go 0 for 2 LOLLL

Gisela gets the break with two fantastic returns!

The Jill Craybas-Virginie Razzano match is just starting. Not that this match is relevant in any way, but just wanted to note that Jill Craybas is the 4th highest ranked American female tennis player right now (Bethanie Mattek-Sands is 3rd). What a sad state

Needless errani on normal rallying groundstrokes by Dulko give Maria the break back. Women's tennis.

UGHHHH why is it that gaining a 6-2 3-0 lead is suddenly the cue for Dulko to start missing first serves, hitting groundstrokes out, slicing into the net, oh god another double fault. And for Sharapova to suddenly cut out the errors and start serving well.

Women's tennis!

Oh, it gets even worse. Two consecutive double faults from Dulko to lose her fourth consecutive game from 3-0 up.

Women's tennis?

Deuce on Sharapova's serve courtesy of Maria's hilarious volleying skills. Another little dribble of hope.

...extinguished by two big serves. Why can the players I like never hit big serves on big points.

It'll take a counter-choke from here.

lol this game is painful painful viewing

this whole match is painful viewing

omg she won that game!

With some really nice shots, too. Raising my hopes again.

Currently watching Djoko make mincemeat of Gruel, who is s rather odd-looking fellow with unfortunate Henmanesque facial tics.

How will she waste these break points, I wonder

lol and there's the counter-choke DF! Women's tennis.

Dulko looks like throwing another break away...

o ffs

Wow, Sharapova actually given a time violation warning for once.

2 more break points thrown away

Dulko will not win another game fwiw

God, this match is bad.

Stefan Koubek 2-1 up on Robredo with a break in the fourth, La Razz is creaming Craybas.

And if Sandy Bloody Roberts makes one more mention of how unseasonably warm for England (ie 25 Celcius) it is, so help me......

well blow me down @ those last few points

You know who awaits the Sharapova/Dulko winner?

...Petrova.

*cries*

Is Petrova one of the ultimate choke brigade? How far off Dementieva's crown is she?

Petrova is the worst. Dementieva at least gets big wins on occasion.

Dulko breaks courtesy of endless Sharapova double faults.

ok wtf women's tennis, i won't try to understand

HI DERE. I have come back to ILX just for this thread!

This game is awful. Dulko has always been a bit of a mental midget but even she should have closed this out.

Something tells me Dulko has another breakdown up her sleeve...

Dulko plays marvellous passing shot to hold for 3-3 after being 0-30 down, and then breaks the Shreik to love. NOW THIS TIME BLOODY WELL HOLD!!!!

Oh no, please, anybody but NoIdea Petrova....

lol following this match via the Wimbledon score tracker is pretty lolsome

Awful chokey volley from Sharapova. Still suspect Dulko will screw this up.

Dulko actually held :dies of shock:

!!!

She'll have match points and lose.

prediction: 7-5 Sharapova (lol)

Also, if ti hasn't alraedy been said, umpires who haven't told Maria to STFU are responsible NOT ONLY for Maria's horrible noises in this game whe she isn't even fucking exerting, but also for Larcher de Brito, who wouldn't be trying it if she hadn't seen all the other girlz0r get away with it. In Seles' day, they cut the whole cancer out rather than let it grow.

Dulko one game away! I loved that backhand volley a few games ago, but if she loses from here, I'm going to fly to England and kill her.

lol this is going to come down to a service game :-/

no. of DFs? i say 2

Is that in the service game where she fails to serve it out, or when she loses it again to go a break down?

Sharapova: 2 aces, 28 winners, 9 DF, 24 UE
Dulko: 1 ace, 21 winners, 5 DF, 21, UE

loses it again to lose the match, you mean

Shreik serves her ninth double but at 40-15 unlikely to matter...and it doesn't.

There's as much chance of Dulko serving this out as of Lord Lucan being seen in the Royal Enclosure...

ah yes. She is being a bit cute at the net, but it seems to be working.

That was actually good from Gisela to start off the game! LOL Sharapova challenged a ball which was INSIDE the line.

That was actually good again! Really good! 30-15! Vamos!

2 match points! choke time!

And then big, effective boss hitting for 40-15! Wow Dulko.

choke time!

uh-oh. this looks ugly.

lol

Fucking Sharapova and her fucking fighting spirit. Dulko couldn't do anything about those points...

...gets another MP with a superb drop volley!

zomg wtf!

I'm so shocked that Dulko just lost 2 match points on serve.

lol chokiest point ever, from em both

cmon dulko

lol again

4th chance to choke!

lol lol

Worst one of the lot.

4 blown match points here. Unbelievable.

OK, Sharapova just played really well on the first 3 MPs, but that 4th one was stupid and chokey.

Wow, that was... atrocious. She really could have done almost anything in that direction.

WTF WAS THAT.

Gisela, just concede the game.

oh my shitting christ

I jsut typed what you typed, verbatim.

Sharapove alwaqys seems to be pouting when she isn't shreiking, and right now the pout is turbocharged....but she's piling on the pressure.

Dulko overcooks another forehand on MP, then shanks. Shreik's ad.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA at that Sharapova miss on break point!!!!

LOL dear me this is an exhibition for equal pay amirite

hah now lol at Sharapova

Oh man that was sweet. The sound of the shriek, and then deflation when it went straight into the net.

it's the deuce that never ends, I just wish I had video to go with the lolstats

Dulko gets a 5th MP with a successful challenge

PART THE 5th: DF this time, methinks

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

what happened, i am confused

:o :o :o

Dulko - Petrova to be lolfest of unmatched proportions

ps: lol @ Sharapova

also YEEEEAH GET THEE HENCE, SQUEALER

Women's tennis, eh.

Matches like this are the reason women's tennis is truly the greatest sport.

Have Sharapova and Larcher de Brito played each other yet?

"The British crowd love an underdog, which must be why they got behind the young Argentine..."

Fuck off, commentators. There's a better reason.

Did the old 'eart good....

Shreik's handshake at the net must be the lamest of all time, do they keep stats on that?

There's no way Mirza vs Cirstea could be anything other than awful, right?

I need to see some men's tennis, urgently. I can't take any more of this.

Have Sharapova and Larcher de Brito played each other yet?

i admit this would be lol-some

FYI matches like this are also the reason why women's tennis is the worst sport.

The world is yet to experience the joy of a Shriekapova/De Screamo match.

Hanturexia's handshake is prob the worst - I swear she just slaps her opponent's hand when she loses. Which is often!

So pleased to see that Sharapova's ridiculous seeding didn't work out - ranked 59th but bumped to 24th, she's gone out in the 2nd round for 2 years running.

Apparently Djokovic/Greul was just as bad.

The seeding thing still makes no sense to me. If you are going to bump Sharapova up to 24 then how can you at the same time leave Safina as the #1 seed above both Williams?

surely De Bratto

/Brato

Currently watching Azarenka bagel Ayers Rock, and that'd pretty grim....

De Bleato?

de banshee

The seeding thing still makes no sense to me. If you are going to bump Sharapova up to 24 then how can you at the same time leave Safina as the #1 seed above both Williams?

Well, yeah. I don't agree with messing with the rankings to seed players - going arbitrary on a subjective view of their grass court prowess is a dangerous precedent, and often you got the feeling that the players most likely to be bumped were actually the more marketable ones (LIKE HERE). But...the thing is, to avoid charges like that, Wimbledon actually have a rule, ie they can mess around with the top 32 seeds as much as they wish, but only the top 32 players can be seeded, and they broke that rule here because Sharapova is Miss Pretty Moneymaker. Which is bullshit, and I'm glad she couldn't live up to her inflated seeding, and lost to a player who is actually higher in the rankings.

I mean...I'm fine with Dinara being top seed. She's World No 1 by a fair way. If the Williamses want it - and I don't think they care, it's just idiot commentators - they should win more matches over the year.

yeah it's just too bad dinara is retarded in slam finals

Okay, Mirza vs Cirstea is crap. Mirza had a break in the second and just gave it away pretty much. She's a lot slower than Cirstea, obviously, but also seems to be oscillating between trying to serve/volley and.. well, god knwos that she was doing there.

For clarity, Lex, I agree 100%. Players should be seeded based on rankings, and I think the current ranking system makes sense.

I think a lot of the confusion arises from the way the seeding rules have changed. It used to be completely arbitrary for men and women, which obviously got rather controversial when Henman and Rusedski were bumped way above their rankings year after year. So then it changed (around 2000 I think) - only the top 32 ranked players could be seeded, within that they used a grass court formula to arrange the men and could still arbitrarily arrange the women (which they hardly ever did).

Meanwhile the WTA used to tie special seeding rights to special rankings for players returning from injury (players who are out for over 6 months get a special frozen ranking so they can still enter tournaments even though their actual ranking falls). This happened in 2004 when Serena was top seed even though she was ranked 10th - her special ranking was 3. And that year the top 2, Henin and Clijsters, pulled out, so that made Serena and Myskina the joint top ranked players for seeding purposes, so obv Serena got the No 1 seed.

ANYWAY the WTA scrapped special seedings (which would have got Sharapova legitimately seeded) after that year (special rankings still exist, and Sharapova has one, but don't entitle a player to an inflated seeding), so yeah this is bullshit and basically goes against both the WTA's rules, the Wimbledon seeding committee's rules.

This Verdasco/Vliegen match is a real grind - three TBs in a row! now 3-3 in the fourth and neither has lost serve yet.

nothing much seems to be happening though - neither of them seem to able to return anything so it's basically one quick service game after another.

yeah it was only moderately entertaining. that last game was pretty good - 45 games without a break of serve and then suddenly Verdasco hits some great shots and really takes that one tiny opportunity to break for the match.

Veni vidi Vinci! Roby slices, dices, chops and serves the overrated Pavlyuchenkova in a pretty great match - lovely volleys, dropshots and touch.

And her slice BH was amazing too - could well give Silliams fits in the next round.

BEPA TIME.

Johansson has such a fucked-up service action!

it's like she's hoisting excalibur or something - "I WILL SMITE YOU"

At the moment it's more like trying to hoist Excalibur out of the stone but not quite managing it.

She hits it pretty sweetly.

As does Zvonareva...

...but Johansson is a real thwacker. Not in a brutal way, in a "nice timing" way. High-risk game, tho

i'd lob a ball or two her way

see what she thinks of my service game

and after that, i would see if she would want to have sex with me

yeah Bepa's pretty much my favourite active player - such clean groundstrokes. it's amazing how entertaining matches like this and Vinci/A-Pav are, when the most high-profile women's match was that piece of shit disaster.

The quality of this game is *astonishing* compared to the manglefest of awfulness we saw earlier. Ooh la la!

MERDE!!!

what a lady

profanity of the tournament imo

Heh, warning for an audible obscenity for Johansson. The ump knows her French!

Yay Bepa. She'll almost certainly lose to La Razz next, but after such a long lay-off this has been a decent start to regaining full form.

Next...Queer Eye vs Sultry Brown Anime Eyes!

Woo! Queer Eye serves for a two sets lead but Anime Eyes breaks back with a great rally that ends...on a dead net cord.

Queer Eye looks like he hasn't slept in about a week.

Neither of them do, actually.

Cilic's been gazumping Querry on his return shots but totally unable to capitalize - he gets Querry completely out of position and then dumps it four feet wide

Stupid Anime Eyes - he hit a real purple patch at the start of the 4th and went a break up really easily, but at 3-1 suddenly could not find the court at all. Should never have gone to a 5th but glad he pulled through in the end.

Demented thrashed my poor Caravane - surprised, given how both have been playing I expected Caravane to pull off the upset!

Schiavone looks like taking out De Brato. I'm so glad I can't hear that match: Franny isn't the most pleasant of players to listen to either. It must be horrific.

bbc commentator remarked that it sounded as though the players were "in great pain", and that Da Brat specifically sounds "like someone who's had a knife stuck into her foot"

can i also just take this moment to express how thoroughly i hate 99% of fist-pumping in tennis? sharapova's in particular is like some kind of psycho mommie dearest shit; i imagine her at home with voodoo dolls of her opponents and theremin music playing

Hewitt is actually up a break on Del Potro right now, which I'm sure sends a surge of patriotic pride up the spines of all Australian ILXers. Otherwise not too much going on. A pretty boring slate of morning matches, really.

tracer otm

fwiw the lovely Emma B reckons that Verdasco is the hottie of the tournament

verdasco is too prissy to be hot. my main eye candy has always been safin - will miss you you underachieving basketcase!

i think they teach the fist pump along with grunting at the bollettieri academy.

Hewitt has 21 winners against only 3 unforced errors now, through the first set and part of the second.

del potro broken again, hewitt to serve for the second set now. argh come on jmdp!

bahhh

lol is collapsing

So is Del Potro just playing really shitty or is Lleyton in great form or what?

lleyton is playing pretty well iirc

after all these years I still hate Chewitt as much as ever!!!

been out - wish I'd seen the A-Rad/Peng epic which ended 9-7 in the third to A-Rad.

Verdasco is def hot but yeah, needs to lose the hair gel and fauxhawk. Safin's been looking kinda skeevy in the last few years, and his hair is often an abomination, but back in the day he was just beautiful.

DP gets back the break - a bit of hope!

man can hewitt lob

bah dp totally wasted that

i kinda like lleyton fwiw

Interesting question they were (pointlessly) debating on TV coverage this morning: Who do you think will win more majors from this point going forward, Ana Ivanovic or Dinara Safina?

The Blake/Hewitt confrontation is the #1 reason why I support Blake (*sob*) and hate Hewitt.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/2001/us_open/news/2001/09/01/hewitt_folo/

I could potentially root for Hewitt if he wasn't a scumfucking shitbag.

Nobody's perfect

hmm

hmm.

he has got a kinda likeable determination and expressiveness to him, but this kinda incident doesn't help his cause

yeah i was gonna bring up Hewitt's racism. Blake annoys me through being overhyped, and I'm not a fan of his game, but if they ever played I would be so firmly in Blake's corner.

I think Ivanovic and Safina could well win the same number of Slams in the future ie 0.

Tend to to agree with you there

Kunitsyn comeback

yeah agree with lex on both hewitt and ana/dinara

When Blake's wheels get going and his shots land in, I love watching him play. Unfortunately that never seems to happen anymore.

it happens in the smaller tournaments!

ok watched Mauresmo/Kucova just b/c I'd never seen Kucova play - the answer was "boringly and not very well". so over to Ferrero/Santoro for the last time I'll see Fab Fabrice play on grass...

it happens in the smaller tournaments!

ha true, but thanks to my awful cable subscription I can't watch any of the smaller tournaments

yeah i was gonna bring up Hewitt's racism.
― lex pretend, Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:08 AM (50 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Don't forget his sexism
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/wimbledon09/news/story?id=4281530

ughhh still so annoying.

WTF is Wozniacki vs Kirilenko doing on Centre Court when Venus, Safina, Ivanovic &c are on lesser courts? That is shameless "look at the pretty blonde chicks" bullshit! Added edge I guess - Kirilenko used to wear Stella McCartney's designs but was thrown over for Wozniacki this year due to being rubbish.

i'd love for ernie to beat murray today but he won't. :/

hmm, apparently Zverev was 2 sets to 1 up on Petzschner, led 5-3 in the 4th set TB - then lost 4 straight points and then got bagelled in the 5th. It's not just women's tennis this Wimbledon! Final score a baffling 4-6, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-0 to Petzschner.

Was kind of wanting Hewitt to win after my boss spent our lunch break describing every exact detail of how jmdp would win Wimbledon, didn't realise he was such a dick though. I've a lot to learn at tennis.

murray's stats:

36 winners, 5 unforced errors

O_O

yah ridiculous stats in that match, well played Andy.

murray looking awesome today

yeah i was gonna bring up Hewitt's racism.
― lex pretend, Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:08 AM (50 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Don't forget his sexism
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/wimbledon09/news/story?id=4281530

― mizzell, Thursday, June 25, 2009 12:01 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

lol this guy owns

Not much going on right now. "The future of US Women's tennis" Melanie Oudin is playing. Anybody ever seen her play? Is she any good? Career killer Radek Stepanek is also going into set 5 vs Potito.

TV coverage has come to an end - pity, I would've checked out Oudin/Shvedova. Never seen Oudin play but her results are promising in a "probably top 50 in the future" way.

Looks like I'm not going to go this year due to epic organisation fail :(

But Lex "probably top 50 in the future" is the best American women's tennis has right now among its youngsters. nb she has 7 winners versus 18 unforced errors right now, but is still tied 1 set apiece. (Shvedova has 33 unforced errors in only 2 sets)

It's not sexist to say most women on the women's tour aren't fit enough for five set tournaments. It's brutally honest and correct.

I still would like to see them go to 5 sets though, because then they'd just improve their fitness, and Serena wouldn't get away with showing up for a tournament 20 pounds overweight.

Bloody Stosur!!!! Once again she wins after I've jacked her in in disgust.

Hewitt is still as boring as batshit in an interview situation - he says less of interest and takes longer to do so than any Oz sportsman ever (with the possible exception of Greg Norman).

Buncha asskickings underway right now. Kohlschrieber is one of the most mystifying players on tour to me. He should be so good!

Fed's a little off the boil at the moment - was in danger of giving both his breaks back there for a mo.

Meanwhile, Hanturexia about to move forward another round, knowing the number of British players and mentally weak retards is ever-dwindling..

Knowing how hot Kohlie can run (see match vs Roddick at AO - 104 winners?), I always wondered if this might be more difficult for Fed that the first two sets suggested - and now it is. Fed has gone from 4-2 to 4-5 in the 3rd, Kohl whipping ridiculous sidespun forehand passes to win improbable points.

Koh'ls match against Roddick at the 07 AO was one of the best, most complete matches I've seen somebody play and I was sure he was headed straight for the top 10. Guess not though.

Whoops, actually the 08 AO

lol fed continues to be completely awful at challenging line calls

Kohl routinely made inroads into Fed's serve only to fall short, then lose his in the first two sets.

Bad FH error from Fed puts him mini-break down. Of course.. he'll probably power 6 points in a row.

oooooh!

Kohl is on fire here. This may be more serious than just a carelessly dropped set for Fed...

And Pencil gets the third. Good match, too.

lol "Pencil"!

(And now I must go to the doctor's. I hope he's quick, whatever happens to be wrong with me.)

In other matches, Dulko is one set up on Petrova, which leads to the philosophical question, can a player choke against Nadia Petrova? N.b. both players have more unforced errors than winners. That match has to be hell to watch.

The Karlovic/Tsonga match is exactly the procession of blowout service games we anticipated. No break point chances midway through the second set.

Bepa had to pull out :((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

In other matches, Dulko is one set up on Petrova, which leads to the philosophical question, can a player choke against Nadia Petrova?

lol apparently

Wow, that fourth set in Fed/Pencil took 29 minutes but felt about half the length.

lol @ dulko and petrova

WTF is Petrova wearing?!?!

(The match is dreadful, Dulko can't even bounce the ball before serving at the moment)

http://www.wimbledon.org/images/pics/large/b_003_petrova_108_ap_s_tan.jpg

It has ruffles - many ruffles - on the skirt as well. It doesn't quite suit Nadezhda.

some k-awesome unforced error action gwanin' here

Also that's clearly a terrible shot. She's holding the racket at 90 degrees and she's hitting a good 9 inches above the ball! Bloody chokers.

This Tsonga/Karlo match looks ridiculous!

Awful unforced error gives match point!

haha i just tuned in. these two are so pathetic!

can somebody explain to me how to read this page? i am seriously stumped.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/results/6236930.stm

it's just awkwardly formatted. just go by the first line:

soderling, from sweden, seeded 13 beat Almagro, from spain, unseeded by a score of 7-6, 6-4, 6-4

lol i thought you'd turned into djmartian for a second there roz

ohhh i get it. i'm just used to seeing the matchups done vertically..

karlovic now up 2 sets to 1 - this match is great btw

Am *loving* this match! Ivo FTW - such a cumbersome, awkward baseline rallyer, such a formidable, dextrous volleyer!

...then plays the worst volley of the entire championships

2 match points!

lol

haha go ivo

feel bad for tsonga though - i love that guy

yh tsonga was game - he'll go far

ivo - best server of all time? i mean sampras obv but for serious

karlovic/mirnyi were the greatest doubles pairing ever fwiw XD

fav doubles combo ever = Natasha Zvereva and Gigi Fernandez - read this old piece and they will be yours too!!

(have hardly seen any play today - Nadezhda and Gisela disgusted me so much that I went out to run 8.5k, only just back)

lololololol ok those two seem quite a pair

am willing to bet that fernandez is like the lex's favourite ever tennis-player :P

i actually liked zvereva more at the time! didn't know she was a metalhead, just knew she loved music. and i gravitated towards e europeans over americans.

oh SHIT, I just noticed that Tsonga lost to Karlovic :(((((

and Cirstea lost to Azarenka - just as unwanted but a lot more expected :(((

what with Bepa's withdrawal, this is not a good Wimbledon day for me.

if the Djoker goes and loses to fucking Fish I shall smash something.

(would smash Djokovic AND Fish)

win-win!

hang on wait - "Fish is good friends with Roddick and Blake, he played with them growing up, they showered together" - did I hear that right? is J-Mac writing porn on air now?

maybe it is also written on the internet

c'mon Cilic let's do a fifth set

I was all ready for the "Cilic BANG...and the seed is gone" joke but... not yet.

Come on haas!

Cirstea is sooo hot btw, rip

Haas breaks back on a cilic DF and holds for 5-all!!!

pretty great match to watch; I've been hooked since I turned it on in the third.

wow, haas holds to 6-all with no light, saving two match points in the process. what a display of nerve!

That was absolutely fantastic - what this event is all about as a TV spectacle. Playing by the glow of the scoreboard!

Karlovic is fuck awful: 10th rate Goran at best.

Saw Petrova when I went to Wimbledon Wednesday. The girl behind me had a go at the outfit as well.

I was just looking at those legs tho'...very impressive.

lol shit i fell asleep right after cilic broke in the fifth (cause it was like 5 am here) and now i'm checking the scores and it's been suspended at 6-6?! wau nice work tommy

Shit, Cilic/Haas Been looked like a thriller. Hopefully it will go on and on today!

Jankovic was so lucky to get away with that first set...it's remarkable how much her game has disintegrated this year. Such passive, nothingy play - not even good counterpunching, she's not placing the ball well or even getting it consistently deep. Oudin dictating every rally, and she dictated most of them really well - she looks like she's pretty capable all-round. Decent BH, great FH, can volley and dropshot too. And yet here we are with Jankovic up a set, Oudin having blown 4 set points.

Watching Vene vs Suarez Navarro in the second after being morbidly curious about it seeing the 6-0 in the first set, but Carla is hitting some great shots - a divine forehand up the line at 3-3 15-0 for instance. But Venus's serve on the deuce court is just ridiculous. It's a Spanish stream and they got a bit excited and I thought I was listening to an a capella Calle 13 track.

HUGE hold at 4-3 for Suarez Navarro, including a successful challenge. This is a good game, actually, despite the scoreline.

Jankovic had 0-30 on Oudin's serve at 5-4 in the second set, two points away from the match, and again at 5-6 when Oudin was serving for the set...but she's so unfocused and unsteady. Really sad to see considering how good she used to be.

Also, any tennis commentator who describes Berdych upending Davydenko 2, 3 and 2 as an "upset" should be stripped of their job.

Now, gods of tennis, if you are listening, I know it's improbable, but if you could make Melzer beat Roddick...

Especially on grass!!!

Jankovic out. Probably for the best that she doesn't get to stink up any more matches with her terrible form, and Oudin's definitely got talent. Was gonna say it opens the route for the A-Rad/Alkali Metals winner to reach the QF but either of them would've thrashed Jelena anyway.

Melzer isn't beating Roddick :( In fact, I can't see him losing before the SF :(

LOL at Oudin Jankovic stats. Oudin hit 38 winners and 43 unforced errors. Jankovic hit 13 winners and 42 unforced errors. Women's tennis.

Haas and Cilic back on!

Oooooohhhhh break points Haas Been...

Bah, it's far too sunny. Nothing can match last night's in-the-park-after-they've-shut-the-gates dusky thrills. Unless we get to 13-13 or something.

And Haas breaks for 9-8!

Taken! Had a feeling Haas would be the steadier today - every time I've seen Anime Eyes play he's been so wild.

Some great hitting there, tho Cilic maybe should have let that one ripper fly by.

Note to Wimbledon officials: striped shirt with striped tie: no.

DF at 30-30 gives Cilic break back point...

Aargh he missed the winner!

Cilic flubbed a break point there - awesome return of serve and great placement but he overhit and hit ti long. Still! This could not be over yet.

Ugh, Cilic's errors.

zomg wtf kind of again

Like a ripe avocado, through to the last sixteen.

Haas takes it. Crawling over the finishing line somewhat, he was totally choking in that last game, but Cilic is dumb and doesn't know how to keep the ball in court so there we go.

Gotta love Cilic's return of serve, but just not reliable enogh in the rallies.

Basically, yeah. He can hit so well but it's 50-50 whether any given rally will end with a blazing winner or a stupid loser.

Haas could well go deep here...he's quietly got himself back in v good form, Andreev shouldn't be a threat in the next round, he beat Djokovic last week...

MEANWHILE!

Flava Flav vs La Mesmer looks like either a good contest or a nightmare, as each game has been hotly contested. Melzer managed to make a tie-break, but is down a mini-break already. CURSES. Hewitt making it look rather strugglesome.

Tommy "Former World Number Two (No, He Can't Remember Which Day That Was Either)" Haas. Good luck to him.

Roddick up 4-2 in first set t-b.

Right, the Black Widower and Ferrer in a 5th set! Vamos David.

Just had a flashback to Flavia Flav and Mauresmo's US Open match last year, which was so awful from Amelie that instead of the usual match highlights afterwards, Eurosport showed a compilation of "the worst of Mauresmo" for the lolz.

Cannot be bothered watching Sweta vs Li(zi)cki Li so thought I'd put on Mesmer/Flava for a bit.

Flava Flav is hitting some good forehands. Mauresmo just preposterously overhit one.

Mauresmo's face as she got broken was fucking petrifying.

No way am I watching Ferrer/Stepanek, the latter is just too ugly and I can't afford to be sick right now.

Kuzzy a break down. Good thing for her everyone ever is a pathetic choker.

Like Penetta! Who had 15-40 on Mauresmo's serve to have a chance to serve it out, faced a big ace, made some errors, and seems to have just made a succession of woopsies serving to force the tie-break. Like that appalling backhand into the net.

Roddick! is indeed ... playing.

WTF, BBC? Only three courts being shown because of the fucking rugby? I was really looking forward to A-Rad vs Li. So annoyed.

I think A-Rad's hitting with more pace than this time last year. Alkali just hit a ferocious cross-court forehand worthy of Serena.

The umpire in this game is Alice Tinker out of the Vicar of Dibley.

(not literally)

I am amazed that anyone outside of the UK knows who Alice Tinker out of the Vicar of Dibley is.

lol Kuznetsova = so gone now, except it is only a set and ONE break and god knows.. it's women's tennis.

Sveta's serve = up to shit
Melzer has break in third! About two sets too late.

Okay, Sveta's serve is going OK now but she should have wrapped up this service game yonks ago to make it 5-5.

Sweta nearly hands her own service game over with some seriously WTF errors, but saves 3 MPs to pull back to 5-5.

Oh, Swetlana. How can you make errors as random and ugly as that at this time in the match.

Sveta, that was just retarded.

Lisicki's backhand is a whippy little thing of fierceness, mind yo.

WTF was that "dropshot", Sweta.

Unpleasant job in teh world right now: being Svetlana's coach.

Roddick lost a set! And there was mimimal rejoicing.

Lisicki gets the upset - Oh Sveta, your serve and your backhand were just.. pathetic.

Those last three points from Sweta were so unbelievably dreadful. Still, Lisicki is great! Absolutely deserved the win.

In other news, can my flatmates not try to start random small talk conversations with me when it's MATCH POINT. Ugh when will I be left in peace.

Unfortunately, Roddick's been looking really on his game this tournament and his draw to the semifinals is rather weak. :(. Of course, he could never beat Federer but he probably COULD beat Murray.

Safina very boggy against cuddly bunny rabbit-named Kirsten Flipkens. Lots of deuces on her service games, and she's not placing the balls intelligently.

also wau while I wasn't looking Li got the second serve break back.

Every Roddick match is following the same pattern - win first two sets, lose third, grab an early break in the fourth, ace yr way to the next round. Tedious.

(Thunder rumbling over SE London - are we going to see the debut of the roof?)

The thunder's reached here too - surprised it's avoided SW19 so far!

Safina is working overtime just to stave off total emotional meltdown.

Also, shut the fuck up Tracy Austin you stupid bint!

omg fucking massive hailstones in east london! this is banging

Berdych. Berdych, Berdych, Berdych. That's my mantra for Monday.

What does it mean?

That was magnificent rolling thunder and jagged rain, but it doesn't seem to have troubled Wimbledon. McEnroe still 'pumped up' hoping to see the roof, and thinks J Ross lucky to be back on TV.

When did Alain Delon become a tennis umpire?

Some of his decisions were diabolical.

Did anyone catch the PA announcement that interrupted the Ferrero-Gonzalez match on court 1 just now? Seemed like they were saying they were going to move it to Centre (where it would be completed, regardless of light and weather). What happens to the thousands watching on court #1?

wtf? has the thunderstorm hit wimbledon yet?

i guess if it has it's a sensible decision, even if completing matches on the same court they started is a cornerstone of scheduling policy - if it's raining, the No 1 ticket holders aren't gonna see the end of it anyway, and it's more fair to the players to get their match done with today.

We've had an angry grey smear of a sky for hours here in SE19 but only now has the rain started to fall. I reckon Gonzo and Rocher have got about 20min (unless they really do switch courts).

Fifth set!

Roof is now closed on Centre, I wonder how many have stayed behind after the Murray match to see if they get the tail-end of Fer-Gon?

they can't have to much more light either. hey this is good news for Simon!

The roof went on for the first time, and it wasn't covered live?? At least not for those of us who have channels like 'BBC1' and 'BBC2'.

Worst thing from a scheduling PoV = one third-round match held over into week two (though it would be worse if it was the women - their quarters are on the Tuesday). It is raining in SW19 now.

PF: no! I was hoping for a smashing bit of commentator-less verite, the live feed from an emptying Centre, but nada on the website.

Gonzo had break points in each of Ferrero's service games in the 5th but didn't take them - trails 1-2. Rain has...stopped?

btw Mike, our lashing and thunderous rainstorm was more like 5:30pm -- bizarre how long it seems to have taken for Crystal Palace to experience something similar.

We've had rumbles since around 5pm but no rain until just now (and not much).

Now they've turned Hawk-Eye off on court #1 because it's too dark for it to work reliably. This could surpass Haas-Cilic! It's probably going to be as dark in about 15min as it was at 9:30 last night, what with the cloud cover.

You just knew it. Gonzo serves like a demon for the whole of the 5th set, then, at 4-5, tosses in a few errors and a double-fault at 30-40. Ferrero through.

G'won JCF! (only joined it at that very last game, but it never feels like JCF quite gets his due cos of the people that came along just after him)

Saw bits of Today at Wimbledon before realising this was on - for all that Lisicki's win was a bit of a shock, she did look like she'd been working on her celebration just a bit...

it's on, in what sene? On radio?

* in what SENSE

JCF-Gonzo was on the red button. But it's over now.

what happens if you press the red button? I have said this before and it remains true: on my control the red button just turns the TV off.

It gives you access to a magical multiscreen world where you can choose matches that are actually happening instead of watching people rabbit on about how rubbish British tennis is, like anybody cares. It's kinda like the internet.

looks so much like his mum here
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/6/27/1246128306683/Andy-Murray-of-Britain-ag-006.jpg

ok last 16s set!

(1) Dinara Safina v (17) Amélie Mauresmo
(9) Caroline Wozniacki v Sabine Lisicki
(3) Venus Williams v (13) Ana Ivanovic
(11) Agnieszka Radwanska v (Q) Melanie Oudin
(26) Virginie Razzano v Francesca Schiavone
Elena Vesnina v (4) Elena Dementieva
(8) Victoria Azarenka v (10) Nadia Petrova
Daniela Hantuchova v (2) Serena Williams

Lleyton Hewitt v (23) Radek Stepanek
(20) Tomas Berdych v (6) Andy Roddick
(3) Andy Murray v (19) Stanislas Wawrinka
(WC) Juan Carlos Ferrero v (8) Gilles Simon
(29) Igor Andreev v (24) Tommy Haas
Dudi Sela v (4) Novak Djokovic
(7) Fernando Verdasco v (22) Ivo Karlovic
(13) Robin Soderling v (2) Roger Federer

gonna predict that Mauresmo takes out Safina, Lisicki continues her run of upsets over Wozniacki, Hewitt beats Stepanek, Karlovic over Verdasco, and every other match goes to the ranking favourite.

PF - Maybe its not the right red button. It could be a button with a red bar over it. There should be buttons with green, yellow and blue bars over them as well?

First time I got a look at Lisicki, Wozniacki and Azarenka. Wouldn't be terrible if one of those three got to the final.

Folks, Pinefox does not have Freeview. He does, however, have the internet. BBC are streaming several matches continuously on their website and that's where I'm seeing most of this tennis. Can be a bit flaky at times but a refresh usually sorts it out.

Also - I know I'm out of touch when a guy I've never heard of is in the last sixteen of the men's singles at Wimbledon. Dudi Sela? REALLY?

Wozniacki's a bit of a basher but she's got a strong head and I like her game. Azarenka is too bashy for me. Dudi Sela is just one of those names that has been showing up from time to time over the last couple years. I haven't seen him play, is he any good?

He beat Robredo on grass = actual definition of Not Enough Information.

Sela never has any decent results, and that was about as soft a draw on grass as you get in his section.

Everyone playing today! A surfeit of matches to choose from! I pick Radwanska/Oudin.

such lovely volleys from A-Rad, she's a joy to watch

Wanksta takes the first set 6-4, but fairly shamelessly rooting for her opponent here due to the nicknaming opportunities being... endless. Currently torn between WH Oudin and Melanie Ooh! DAMN!

Also she's from Atlanta so working in Usher songs might be quite larksome.

And after the shot she just gave the set away with, I'm pretty sure she was, like, millimetres from an audible obscenity.

the Wrath of Oudin

I'm watching this match on C18 and yet I can still hear Azarenka shrieking in the background.

People drinking obviously-not-Evian from Evian bottles to keep the sponsors happy - only just noticed that.

Currently watching the Battle of the Elenas on Fox - Demented, already a set up, has broken Vesnina in the second, suggesting that El Ves is about to leave the building....

Ivanovic has a first-up break point on the Villiams. Azarenka 4-2 up in tiebreaker v NoIdea.

Match poiunt Dementieva

A-Rad through! Enjoyable, efficient match - looked like Oudin could be troublesome when she went 3-1 up, but then A-Rad just started dismantling her game - avoiding the FH, excellent use of the dropshot-lob combo, some VERY nice net play. Oudin was forced into too many errors but she kept fighting throughout the second set - but at 5-5, A-Rad just stepped up and won that last 8 straight points for the match, mostly w/very smart winners.

I was pretty impressed with Oudin's play from what I saw. I wanted to hate her because she's so overhyped here in America, but she seemed mostly OK.

Federer a set up. WTF can't we see this, Rupert?

NoIdea has a break in set 2.

Azarenka is such a whiner...complains about a line judge to the umpire but then just keeps going on and on and on and on in that petulant tone of hers, then walks over to the line judge and sarcastically tries to shake her hand. Boos and tut-tuts ensue.

Hey anybody see what happened to Ivanovic?

Oudin seemed fairly obviously a notch below Raddy, but she's got heart for dayyyys - just needs a bit of composure to go with it.

Ana In The Van has retired hurt, it would appear.

Venus destroys Ivanovic 6-1 in first. Obv that break point in game 1 was as close a look-in as Ms Johnson got. In trouble on serve in set 2 game 1 also.

Saw Aza's impersonation of a pork chop. Nicole Provis in the comm box said she needed to 'be careful'. What she really needed was a good slapping. Being negatively compared to NoIdea for mental strength would deliver same.

(Ivanovic throws in the sponge - Venus through)

Thigh injury, apparently.

Some dude is shouting "come on Nadia" after like every point, and at changeovers. The idea of Nadezhda Petrova inspiring passionate fandom is perplexing.

Yeah - utterly.

Petrova looks a tad more passionate about this match just at the moment, all the same....

Set 2 Rodge-Sodders still in serve, at 6-5 Sod with Fed next to serve.

Now we're looking at Silliams v Coathanger, Serena has the break, mandatory cutaway to the dreaded Oracene at end of every game and sundry other occasions.

Azarenka is being such an unpleasant brat that even I'm beginning to cheer for Petrova.

Silliams barely raises a sweat in first set.

My work colleague is a Swede who really has no great interest in tennis but she has become utterly enthralled by Soderling's progress. Howls of derision from across the office at Federer line-call challenges or missed forehands from her compatriot. And her feed is slightly ahead of mine so this is basically unwatchable for me...

Fed 5-4 up in tiebreaker with two serves to come - but still we persist with sulky bat Azarenka v Petrova, who is carving her up in the third..

Fed takes second.

Haas through in fine style v Andreev, and showing more animation than usual....

NoIdea now hands back break to love, the game point a pathetically slow telegraphed net 'rush' which needed nothing from Aza except a lob I could have played.

looooooooooooooooooooooool

she needs to be put down imo

no cankles

azarenka has a shriek possibly even more annoying than sharapova's, and not far off de brato's

this really is tennis at its lowest

Nadia, all this 'No Idea' crap's not just a play on your first name, is it? You really are as bollocks as they've been saying.

the way these russian types toss the ball so high when they serve

it just smacks of weakness

hahahahaha

lol omg she nearly did her knee on match point, would have been cruelly fitting

if azarenka plays a williams she will be ripped seven ways to tuesday

Anyway, I came here to remark on Clare Balding (Brit sports presenter, arch-dyke)'s cringe interview with Wawrinka on Radio 5. Best moment: "So if you took out Murray, you could do Roger a big favour!"

oof, Serena just housed Hantuchova

Silliams continues to wipe the court with Hantuchova, 6-1 in the second, gets the sulky bat next, good luck Vix 'cos you'll be needing it....

"Who's a better player, Andy or Roger?"

often I loathe the BBC

"Who's a better player, Andy or Roger?"

Er....Gary?

lol well I'm about to watch Novak and by the end of the first set I will determine whether he has a chance of winning the whole thing