The Official Tennis Thread

[NinjaJedi007]

Talk about anything tennis here: who your favorite/least favorite players are, memorable recent tourneys or matches you've seen, if you play often, what you're improving about your game, whatever! If you like tennis or even if you dont, say a little something about it here.

I personally love it. I got into it about 2 years ago and I can't stop playing. As of now I like singles matches more than doubles. Maybe I just need to play more doubles to appreciate it more :P

[gunk]

I like playing doubles better because my forehand is really messed up. Backhand is my strongest shot, which is really weird, but it works well for doubles :] I played a lot of tennis in high school and stopped once I reached college. Funny how quickly you lose all your skills. I kind of still play now with my brother.

But watching the French Open really makes me miss playing matches =/ Has anyone been watching it? That Nadal dude is crazy... including the clothes he wears. I think he's the most buffed up pro tennis player I've seen. His arms and calves are huge.

[Meijin]

I don't play Tennis, but I follow it. My favorite Tennis plays are Marat Safin and Rafael Nadal.

Yes gunk, Nadal is the most buffed up tennis player right now. I think he'll win the French Open AND Wimbledon this year :)

[BlueCheese]

I don't play Tennis, but I follow it. My favorite Tennis plays are Marat Safin and Rafael Nadal.

Yes gunk, Nadal is the most buffed up tennis player right now. I think he'll win the French Open AND Wimbledon this year :)
Nadal has absolutely no chance of winning wimbledon. His style of play is heavily suited to clay. Why do you think he suddenly came good when the clay season started. His defensive style of play won't work on faster courts such as grass.

Anyway I play tennis usually at least 3 times a week. I'm a tennis coach too. So for me tennis is the greatest sport in the world. I've been playing for about 10 years now, still love it.

I'm an agressive baseliner with a big serve, but my volleys have been improving lately.

Oh and i prefer singles but my doubles is improving lately. It's a very different game to singles, tactics are much more important.

[NinjaJedi007]

I seriously need to work on my forehand. Its such a weakness in my game its hurting! I've got control I just need to put some power behind it. My top spin forehand is pretty bad too. Got to work on that :p:

[BlueCheese]

When you say your forehand what you talking about? Slice forehand? Flat forehand? Cos you say your topspin forehand also needs work.

If anyone wants they can post a video of their shots and i can take a look at it and give some advice.

[NinjaJedi007]

Flat shot is fine, slice is constantly getting better, but can't hit a decent top spin for some reason. Guess I didn't grab the trick to it or whatever :blink . On TV you always see them hitting at full force but whenever I try that it doesn't exactly work out. Wonder how they do that :P ?

[BlueCheese]

The basis for generating topspin is that instead of hitting through the ball you are brushing the back of the ball. Make sure that you get your racket below the ball before you hit it and you finish high over your shoulder.

You should be able to hear a difference in sound when you hit a ball with topspin. Once you can hit a ball with topspin you should find that you can hit the ball harder and it will still go in. This is because with topspin the ball clears the net higher but then dips so it still goes in. First try and get consistency then worry about power

[ResoluteOne]

I played varsity tennis in high school..I think federer will win wimbledon easily, but im sad agassi withdrew.

[Meijin]

I played varsity tennis in high school..I think federer will win wimbledon easily, but im sad agassi withdrew.

Now now, you can't leave out Roddick, Safin, Nadal, and Hewitt. All are top class and I think they can give Federer a challenge.

[BlueCheese]

As I said before you can leave out Nadal, he is a clay court player, I wouldn't be suprised if he went out in the first two rounds at wimbledon. I think Roddick has a fairly good chance, but his game is two one-dimensional. If he plays Federer, Federer will win.

[Kno7]

I play tennis regurlarly, since I'm assisting a coach at a city park for community service. I'm getting pretty good, considering I've only played for 2 summers.

I have a pretty strong forehand considering my size(and weight :P), and I'm finally able to hit a ball with topsin, at full strenght.
I have to work on my backhand though, I can't hit with topspin at all, so in matches I'm obligated to hit a flat ball or slice it. Slicing's my favourite :P.

I'm pretty good playing in front..you know..close to the net (forgot how we call it XD)
so the only thing I really suck at is my serves. Everyone my age hit hard serves, and I have trouble just getting the ball in the square.

[BlueCheese]

Techincally a backhand topspin is easier than a forehand. It's just it's practiced and taught less. How many hands do you use on your backhand?

If your refering to hitting a ball without bouncing, that is volleying.

I'm not suprised your struggling on your serve when you started late. It has been scientificly proven that the serve is the most technical action in sport.

[I ARE 1031]

Andre Agassi is the best...is that how you spell his name? Either way tennis is so easy and fun at the same time.

[Nakor]

Andre Agassi is the best...is that how you spell his name? Either way tennis is so easy and fun at the same time.
its quite easy at first, but as you improve, it gets harder and harder. at first your skills my jump up alot with practicing, but when you get better, it takes alot more practicing to see even the slights bit of difference. though if you just like hitting the ball back and forth to each other, which is easy, it can also be quite fun at the same time.

i played tennis in high school for 2 years(team formed when i had only two years left of hs :sad ). i now play in college(only on a division 3 team). i was second best on the team last year, so i play pretty high up, which allows me to play some pretty tough opponents(considering i only play for a d3 school). it's fun. i enjoy playing tennis(sometimes). my downfall is i can become quite lazy.

good thing tennis is a life long sport. so i don't have to learn a new one when i get to be 50.

[I ARE 1031]

^...no you don't understand...it really is EASY! I played people with years of experience (I don't even think I have a month of experience) that serve at supersonic speeds and it really is not that hard to adapt and play them competitively. Ping-pong is harder and so much cooler too, those balls literally travel at the speed of sound and spin can be deadly. But Baketball owns all (takes years to be a beginner lol...ok exaggeration but is much tougher to be good at). Also, I think I could beat you...

[Nakor]

^...no you don't understand...it really is EASY! I played people with years of experience (I don't even think I have a month of experience) that serve at supersonic speeds and it really is not that hard to adapt and play them competitively. Ping-pong is harder and so much cooler too, those balls literally travel at the speed of sound and spin can be deadly. But Baketball owns all (takes years to be a beginner lol...ok exaggeration but is much tougher to be good at). Also, I think I could beat you...
lol...ok.../sarcasm

im sorry but ping pong balls don't travel at the speed of sound. sorry to burst your bubble. i love your exaggerations though.

professional ping pong matches are very fast pace. i try to watch them on tv anytime they are on. tennis is too, its just a bigger version of it..lol

[BlueCheese]

Tennis is one of the most technical sports in existance. It is not easy at all.

[I ARE 1031]

lol...ok.../sarcasm

im sorry but ping pong balls don't travel at the speed of sound. sorry to burst your bubble. i love your exaggerations though.

professional ping pong matches are very fast pace. i try to watch them on tv anytime they are on. tennis is too, its just a bigger version of it..lol

You think you are good...you're not. Obviously ping pong balls don't travel at the speed of sound... Why would you even say they didn't??? :huh I even said I exaggerated a lot in that post. Whatever I CAN beat you though. It won't be so tough either. I played people that have played longer than you lived and competed well. I beat one person. You probably can just serve, and once I get used to returning it then you will lose in an instant. I have it all planned up in my head...I am always right about these stuff...YEAH, I said "these stuff" whatsittoya...SEE.

[BlueCheese]

How can you possibly say you can beat someone you have never seen play? Have you ever had coaching or anything? Have you ever tried returning a serve at around 100 mph with a lot of topspin and side spin. It is not easy. I'm sorry but if you only have a month's experience you are still a beginner. You probably still serve with a forehand grip and can't put much spin on the ball.

Sure if you have natural talent you can hit the ball over without much difficulty. But good players don't just get it over, they will hit it within a meter of the line each time.

[I ARE 1031]

I don't need to. You don't know anything about me either. I have hit back really fast serves...I wouldn't know how fast they were just by seeing them. I haven't had a months experience...thought I said that...maybe I didn't *scrolls up* (oh there it is)... It is not even a month, it is over the course of 4 years too. Who cares about coaching, tennis doesn't need coaching, it is an individual sport. You don't have to hit near the line to beat somebody. You have to hit where they aren't and where they can't reach it. HAHAHA...I never said I could beat YOU...BUT I probably CAN. :P

EDIT: UK sucks at tennis...and I have proof to back it up. Andre Agassi is the best and he is from the US and that means UK sucks...well maybe not but I stand by that statement.

[BlueCheese]

You say you are 18? You act like your 12.

Fast serves aren't that hard to get back. Speed isn't what about makes a good serve. Like I said, have you ever tried getting back a serve that has a lot of spin on it? Try returning a serve that bounces and then spins off at about 30 degrees and is directed right in the corner. If you haven't come against a player that can hit a decent spin serve then the standard your playing at probably isn't that great.

Also if you can't hit the ball near the lines then you can't get players out of position. If you can't do that then they will be able to retrieve everything.

Tennis doesn't need coaching? That's a joke, if you want to become a decent player you would have to be incredibly talented to do it without coaching. Like I said before, it is an incredibly technical sport.

[I ARE 1031]

You say you are 18? You act like your 12.

Fast serves aren't that hard to get back. Speed isn't what about makes a good serve. Like I said, have you ever tried getting back a serve that has a lot of spin on it? Try returning a serve that bounces and then spins off at about 30 degrees and is directed right in the corner. If you haven't come against a player that can hit a decent spin serve then the standard your playing at probably isn't that great.

Also if you can't hit the ball near the lines then you can't get players out of position. If you can't do that then they will be able to retrieve everything.

Tennis doesn't need coaching? That's a joke, if you want to become a decent player you would have to be incredibly talented to do it without coaching. Like I said before, it is an incredibly technical sport.

Like I said I played people that have more years of experience than you have years of being alive. I am 18...gotta problem with that? I am immature...so what?! I played a good spin serve it actually hit the ground and I missed it because it changed the direction. It went up past my right shoulder...it was amazing...for a second. Until I just stayed a meter or two back and then I could easily return it with fierce force. My serving is the only thing that I need to practice a LOT to make it consistent. It is a decent serve that is pretty fast (for a beginner) but that is not gonna win you a game anyways so it is useless to put too much emphasis on serving.

[BlueCheese]

You stand a meter or two back? Your just making life too easy. All anyone would have to do then is slow down the serve and put it out wide. Standing that far back you won't have a chance.

You really have no idea what your talking about. I don't care if you have played people with tons of experience. It doesn't really matter how long they have been playing, if they are crap there crap. The only way i'm gonna believe you is if you post a video or something of you playing. Looking at your other posts and your reputation, you don't exactly seem like the most credible guy.

[I ARE 1031]

You stand a meter or two back? Your just making life too easy. All anyone would have to do then is slow down the serve and put it out wide. Standing that far back you won't have a chance.

You really have no idea what your talking about. I don't care if you have played people with tons of experience. It doesn't really matter how long they have been playing, if they are crap there crap. The only way i'm gonna believe you is if you post a video or something of you playing. Looking at your other posts and your reputation, you don't exactly seem like the most credible guy.

Wow...reputation means about as much as DSITEWTOWEHW... I don't care if you believe me or not...just hope you don't ever have to suffer against me on a court. Be it basketball or tennis. If you slow the serve down and make it wide all I gotta do is hit the side line after catching the ball. A meter isn't that much ground to make up you retard. Maybe for a slow first stepper like you but not for an amazing player like me. YEAH, that sounds about right...:cool

[BlueCheese]

Oh my god you are a muppet. If you stand a meter back it will not be a meter to the side.
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/516/outwide1tc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
If you look at the image if I serve it out wide by the time it has reached you it will be so far out wide that you won't have a chance no matter how fast you are. That's also presuming no spin is put on the ball. Normally that kind of serve would have heavy side spin taking it even further away. Stop trying to tell everyone that your good cos you clearly have no idea what your talking about.

[I ARE 1031]

Oh my god you are a muppet. If you stand a meter back it will not be a meter to the side.
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/516/outwide1tc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
If you look at the image if I serve it out wide by the time it has reached you it will be so far out wide that you won't have a chance no matter how fast you are. That's also presuming no spin is put on the ball. Normally that kind of serve would have heavy side spin taking it even further away. Stop trying to tell everyone that your good cos you clearly have no idea what your talking about.

Whatever you say buddy... I can tell what a serve is gonna do and where it is aimed at. The only way to settle this is if I actually play you and that will never happen.

[BlueCheese]

Really how can you tell where I serve if I throw it up in the same place each time?

[I ARE 1031]

Angle on your racket...and the motion you use to hit it. Everybody has their own traits for a serve...like everybody has tells in poker. You just have to be perceptive of them and pay attention. Tennis is easy to me beacuse it is like strategy in real life. It is all a mind game, the smarter player usually wins. I also think it is fun because of that too.

[NinjaJedi007]

Tennis isn't as easy as you make it sound. It was said before but if you play someone with excellent spin on his/her shots, then it definitely isnt a cake walk. Good players have control over their shots and can hit with full force as well. I doubt you can return serves at full power from a good player with ease especially if you haven't played long.

[I ARE 1031]

I doubt you can return serves at full power from a good player with ease especially if you haven't played long.

So did I...until I did. It COULD have been luck...but I have no way of telling.

[BlueCheese]

You can see the angle of the racket at contact point and use that to work out where the ball is going? Considering the fact that the ball will be up to you in less than a second and the racket head speed is incredibly fast. Also the fact that the length of a tennis court is just under 24 m. You must have the best eyesight, fastest mind and an amazing co-ordination to manage that.

[gunk]

Well then. Maybe we have a tennis prodigy neglecting to make use of his God-like talent :O I ARE 1031 get off your bloody ass and start capitalizing on it.

[I ARE 1031]

Well then. Maybe we have a tennis prodigy neglecting to make use of his God-like talent :O I ARE 1031 get off your bloody ass and start capitalizing on it.

...I am lazy...I have potential in a lot of things but I doubt I will ever do anything about it. Thanks for the honesty and the compliment anyways. :wink

[BlueCheese]

So I presume if I gave you a video file of up to where I hit the ball you could tell me exactly where the ball is going?

[I ARE 1031]

If the video allows for it...I might be able too.

EDIT: Make sure it is from the right position and all that...but some things like depth aren't translated that well to video but I will accept that challenge. Worst that can happen is that I am shown I don't know much about a sport I played less than a month. Best case, I am truly good. :amuse

EDIT 2: But it wouldn't make much sense...if I never even seen you play before what can I gather and conclude is your "tell"...:huh
But I did accept and it is too late to back out now...

[BlueCheese]

Fair enough you haven't seen me play. But since you said you love Andre Agassi so much I thought I would give you his serve instead. I'm sure you have seen him play before. You do have a bit of an advantage though, this is much closer then where you would be returning from.


here you go! (http://s54.yousendit.com/d.php?id=1XOFLVKAEEHW42ZJNHZ5TBUGW0)

[ResoluteOne]

Well, the video is out of bandwith..another site please? I also want to see your serve.

[BlueCheese]

It's not my serve. It's Andre Agassi's. I can post my serve up if you want though.

[ResoluteOne]

Yea, that be fine. I'll post mine soon, as soon i figure out how to xfer from my camera to my comp. It'll prob be later today. You said you were a tennis coach so please give your opinion on it.

[BlueCheese]

yeah sure man i'd be happy too. I'll post mine soon. I have it on a friends computer, but before I ask for it I need to complete something he asked me to do.

[Volken]

Angle on your racket...and the motion you use to hit it. Everybody has their own traits for a serve...like everybody has tells in poker. You just have to be perceptive of them and pay attention. Tennis is easy to me beacuse it is like strategy in real life. It is all a mind game, the smarter player usually wins. I also think it is fun because of that too.

The racket head is probably going way too fast for you to read the direction immediately. You couldn't read a serve like this :http://www.tenniszones.com/roddick.htm, by just looking at the racket head.

[BlueCheese]

You couldn't tell from the contact point even if you were standing a meter away, let alone 24 meters.

Roddick's serve is interesting, he has one of the most ugly actions. But the way he came up with it is unbelievable. One day he was really angry at something, so he chucked the ball up in the air and hit it as hard as he could. To his suprise, it went in!

[gunk]

Roddick's serve is interesting, he has one of the most ugly actions. But the way he came up with it is unbelievable. One day he was really angry at something, so he chucked the ball up in the air and hit it as hard as he could. To his suprise, it went in!You're kidding me... some people have all the luck with talent =/

[ResoluteOne]

Eh, can you tell me what's the best site for uploading video?

[Meijin]

Eh, can you tell me what's the best site for uploading video?

www.yousendit.com is very good.

[BlueCheese]

You're kidding me... some people have all the luck with talent =/
The stupid thing was, he wasn't even trying to serve. He just threw the ball in the air for the sake of it.

[ResoluteOne]

How does yousendit work? im trying to post a link for the site, but apparently all i can do is send it to a person's email?

Edit: i sent it to your hotmail acct, the one in your profile.

[BlueCheese]

Right go to www.yousendit.com. Select the file, choose an e-mail address (doesn't even have to be real). Click upload, once it is done uploading it will give you a link.

[ResoluteOne]

Ok, i hope this works. http://s22.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3F0JW99JML4UZ0TAGMTVEXM3X2.

[BlueCheese]

Yep I got it, give me a little while and I'll comment on it

[BlueCheese]

Right ok...

First thing I noticed is that you have a very closed stance. This is not necesarily a bad thing, a lot of professionals do it to gain extra power and spin. However it does make the serve a little harder.

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/1066/p7180036010kp.png (http://imageshack.us)

As you can see your left foot is almost in line with your right foot. When in fact you are trying to serve diagonally. This means that you are going to have to turn your body right round in order to get it going in the right direction.


Then we come round to the throw up.
http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/1585/p7180036102yn.png (http://imageshack.us)
As you can see by now you are leaning right back. This is a problem. Basically one of the most important things about the serve is to stay balanced throughout. Here you are leaning right back and get off balance. This causes your front foot to step forwards.
http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/6487/p7180036202ez.png (http://imageshack.us)
That's actually a foot fault and against the rules.

The other problem with leaning back is that when you are off balanced, it is hard to throw the ball up in the same place each time. This leads to inconsistency.

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/4120/p7180036136ny.png (http://imageshack.us)
Ok here you have thrown the ball up and your right hand is in a great position. Nice and high. However your left elbow is tucked in. This is a problem because it will cause injuries if it isn't fixed.

Ideally we want the left arm in line with the shoulders, as the picture below shows.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/269/p718003613edit5kg.png (http://imageshack.us)

This position we have got to here is called the "set to launch" position. Basically it is called that because from here everything accelerates. Now ideally in this position we wan't the racket pointing to the sky. If I show you the example of Sharapova's serve you can see this.

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/7590/sharapovaserfhs01501272mov0407.png (http://imageshack.us)


By now you will notice from her serve the weight should be on the front foot.

If you are going to stop the racket at all during the serve this is the place to do so. However in your serve you stop with the racket behind your back.

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/5567/p7180036182is.png (http://imageshack.us)

This gives the racket less time to accelerate and so the the speed of the serve is slower.

Your contact point is ok,
http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/824/p7180036230lo.png (http://imageshack.us)
but notice how all of your body is pointing towards the left post. This is where the closed stance I mentioned earlier hurts you. Basically you haven't turned your body the amount needed to serve it to the right and so it's simply gone in the direction your body is in. Which is over to the left.

The one good thing though is that your hitting the ball nice and high.

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7771/p7180036303ak.png (http://imageshack.us)
Your follow through is nice, notice your body is now turned in the right direction but it is too late.

It's not a bad serve, I hope you don't feel I over critcised. I'm sorry if I did, but I thought you would rather I tell you what I thought was wrong and what you could improve on rather than telling you it's great.

Cheers for sharing it with us, hopefully I'll post my serve sometime soon!

[ResoluteOne]

Thanks very much for helping out.

I've only been playing tennis a few monthes more than a year. As of yet, my second serve is the underhand serve, really lame.
For the second picture, did you notice my legs were bent, and i was using that for more power. It causes the bent back. Is this alright, or does it not really worth it? I notice when i due this it's harder for my eye coordination, but i hit it much harder for some reason.
For the fifth picture, how does having the racket aligned/pointing to the sky give me more time to accerlate? From the back of my head to contact it's sort of a circular motion to hit the ball, the pointing at sky doesnt seem to cover as much ground.
When you said the closed stance hurt me because i didnt turn enough, does it mean i should fix that by making my legs more diagnal, or open up my legs more? What am i supposed to do to have the power from closed but still turn enough?

[BlueCheese]

Knee bend is good, there is nothing wrong with that. But you can still bend your knees and keep your back upright (take a look at the picture of Sharapova's serve again)

As I mentioned before, the "set to launch" position is the place where everything accelerates to contact point. If you are only accelerating from where your racket is behind your back and not before then then you have less time to accelerate, so your racket head speed is slower.

The racket should go from pointing to the sky to behind your back to contact point. It is basically an extension of what you are currently doing.

You will still find plenty of power from an open stance. The pretty standard stance for a left hander is where the right foot points towards the left post and the left foot is parallel with the baseline. With just enough room inbetween to fit a racket.

[Kno7]

Techincally a backhand topspin is easier than a forehand. It's just it's practiced and taught less. How many hands do you use on your backhand?

If your refering to hitting a ball without bouncing, that is volleying.

I'm not suprised your struggling on your serve when you started late. It has been scientificly proven that the serve is the most technical action in sport.
well when I began I had a better backhand than a forehand, but since I've learned how to hit a forehand topspin I havent practiced too much on my backhand.

I use 2 hands on a back, 1 on a forehand. well when I slice it on my backhand I only use one,obviously.

yeah I heard that too.

Actually I'm getting better. I use to just hit a lob my second serve, but now I'm actually throwing the ball high, hitting it over my head, etc etc. All I have to do now is hold my raquet correctly and I can start practicing on hard serves.

[BlueCheese]

well if you want to know the grip for the serve:

http://www.tennisserver.com/turbo/images/turbo_01_08/fig1r.jpg

[ResoluteOne]

I see what you mean bluecheese, when i thought about it. If that pic link is intended for me, i already use that grip, maybe a bit more extreme. Thanks again.

[BlueCheese]

Nope it wasn't I already checked you used that grip.

[I ARE 1031]

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/5567/p7180036182is.png (http://imageshack.us)


Isn't that a fault?

[BlueCheese]

Yeah I did say it was a foot fault if you actually read my comments. You still haven't told me which direction Agassi is serving.

[BlueCheese]

Right this was my serve last Summer. It has come on a bit and maybe in a few weeks I'll get the video camera out again. But this will do for now.

Rear view (http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1VIRS6U3UBP7I27KWSM8PO9BXO)

Front view (http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2VIVQSJ51P2RJ1ZSR820VVJCQ2)

[I ARE 1031]

Yeah I did say it was a foot fault if you actually read my comments. You still haven't told me which direction Agassi is serving.

It says the link don't work...

And it is not like I watch Agassi a lot. I barely watch tennis.

EDIT: By the way, no offense, but your serve is really slow.

[BlueCheese]

If you call 120 mph slow then what is fast?

[I ARE 1031]

Dunno, but all I know is that serve is not fast at all. Re-upload the Agassi vid if ya want me to see it.

[BlueCheese]

You have seen one serve I did over a year ago. Not only that but it was on a cold day (in case you don't know the ball travels slower on a cold day).

For your information 120 is about the average speed for most proffesional players serves. But come on I'm sure you can do much better so lets see your brilliant serve.

I will upload the Agassi video again later. I suppose he probably has a slow serve too.

[EDhg]

Right this was my serve last Summer. It has come on a bit and maybe in a few weeks I'll get the video camera out again. But this will do for now.

Rear view (http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1VIRS6U3UBP7I27KWSM8PO9BXO)

Front view (http://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2VIVQSJ51P2RJ1ZSR820VVJCQ2)


Nice serve! :smile-big I've played for 4 years and I still can't serve like that. lol But it wasn't like I practiced everyday or something, and I've stopped playing for 2 yrs. It tends to conflict with my golf swing for some odd reason..

I used to admire Agassi + Sampras. Uh.. Don't watch alot of tennis nowadays, infact I can't remember the last time I sat down and watched TV..(not counting movies)

[BlueCheese]

Cheers man. Golf and Tennis are two of the most technical sports out there so I'm not really suprised it effects your swing.

Two pretty good players to admire, IMO the best server ever and the best returner ever.

Edit:
Right here (http://s60.yousendit.com/d.php?id=2Z1RSDE9N9Q803VGNN6R0UC8W8) is the Agassi video again.

Edit2:
Thought I might as well upload a video of a forehand rally I did at the same time as that serve. (http://s51.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0VEH5FQEXHBW23FJP5H63UVJYK) Anyone else gonna put a video up?

[I ARE 1031]

The Agassi video link still won't work...

Again, I don't mean to offend you, but the best word I can think of to describe your play is goofy. All your movements seem so lax and indirect. Also, I never said I could serve a fast one but I said I could return a fast one... HUGE difference. :amuse

Does the Agassi video end at the point when he hits it? That is the only way to test my ability.

[BlueCheese]

If you think that movement is bad then you clearly have no idea about tennis. One of my strongest points is my movement. I kept moving after I hit the ball to keep on my toes so I can react quicker to the next ball. I have no idea how you can say my movement is indirect. If your gonna criticise my play at least give a decent reason.

The Agassi file does end there and I don't know why yousendit keeps failing. I am uploading it again now, it will be done in under 10 mins

Here you go: http://s58.yousendit.com/d.php?id=2H5SXSLD8KOW41K5H6WJON4U8W

[I ARE 1031]

If you think that movement is bad then you clearly have no idea about tennis. One of my strongest points is my movement. I kept moving after I hit the ball to keep on my toes so I can react quicker to the next ball. I have no idea how you can say my movement is indirect. If your gonna criticise my play at least give a decent reason.

The Agassi file does end there and I don't know why yousendit keeps failing. I am uploading it again now, it will be done in under 10 mins

Here you go: http://s58.yousendit.com/d.php?id=2H5SXSLD8KOW41K5H6WJON4U8W

Either way the link is still bad...I have no idea why you can't upload that single file...it could be the type is not supported. Keep on praising yourself you "pro". You say everything you do is as good as a pro so I can't wait to see you in the next big tournament. I'll be cheering for you if that happens.

[ResoluteOne]

Bluecheese, just ignore this twit. The video is kinda choppy, and when it's smooth it looks much faster. Try a video of you serving on the far side of the net and the ball coming to you. It'll look considerably faster.

[BlueCheese]

I didn't say everything was as good as a pro at all. I am no where near a pro level. I just think your reasons for saying my shots are bad are just stupid.

I have no idea why the link keeps failing. It is always fine for ages when I check it. I have compressed it this time so hopefully it will work.

http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=03RYAH4QO8XTT0Q4GR4EJFEP96

It is strange how the link for the video keeps failing. I'm sure no one is blocking the file are they.

[I ARE 1031]

I didn't say everything was as good as a pro at all. I am no where near a pro level. I just think your reasons for saying my shots are bad are just stupid.

I have no idea why the link keeps failing. It is always fine for ages when I check it. I have compressed it this time so hopefully it will work.

http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=03RYAH4QO8XTT0Q4GR4EJFEP96

When I pressed download now it brought me to some weird page... I don't know why you cant just upload it to someplace else...

Also, Resolute stop calling me a twit, that is not cool.

[BlueCheese]

It's working fine click it again, if it comes up with a runtime error just keep trying it will work after a few tries. It will continue to work if no one clicks the block file button on the page

In case that link does also somehow go down as well here is another few links

http://s61.yousendit.com/d.php?id=10ANYJJ0X31W82FUAA9WTYO2SC
http://s64.yousendit.com/d.php?id=QGZO7BUUP748362O4AT6O8KKC
http://s51.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2K2B606OZCUV40IJDZXIEG68HP

Now there is no way all of them will go down

[ResoluteOne]

Bluecheese, the link worked after 3 different ones failed. Very strange.

[BlueCheese]

That is weird. I really don't get this

[I ARE 1031]

His hitting it slightly less than the far corner of the box. Hmm...that doesn't explain too well. I'll try to upload a picture. But that is not the angle I would see it from had I been playing him...so I am not as confident of my answer.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Blazafan30/agassiserve.jpg


That is my guess, hopefully I don't fail. But still, that is not the angle I was talking about, the one I meant was if I were playing him. I would see him from a different angle.

I would be at the bottom of that drawing if I were returning by the way.

[BlueCheese]

His hitting it slightly less than the far corner of the box. Hmm...that doesn't explain too well. I'll try to upload a picture. But that is not the angle I would see it from had I been playing him...so I am not as confident of my answer.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Blazafan30/agassiserve.jpg


That is my guess, hopefully I don't fail. But still, that is not the angle I was talking about, the one I meant was if I were playing him. I would see him from a different angle.

I would be at the bottom of that drawing if I were returning by the way.

Well you couldn't have been more wrong. It's a serve down the middle on the other side. Complaining about the angle won't do you much good. It is fairly close to the angle you would return from and it is a lot lot closer. If anything it would be easier to tell from this camera position than returning it.

[I ARE 1031]

Well you couldn't have been more wrong. It's a serve down the middle on the other side. Complaining about the angle won't do you much good. It is fairly close to the angle you would return from and it is a lot lot closer. If anything it would be easier to tell from this camera position than returning it.

:huh ... Down the middle? I thought that is what my picture had...anyways the angle does matter because that is not how you see somebody in a real game so it wouldn't matter how close you were. I even specified this before you posted a video. You know what though, I don't care much anymore. :amuse

[BlueCheese]

Man i'm done with you, you clearly know nothing about tennis. There is no point me wasting any more time on you. You just refuse to listen to reasoning. So your now on my ignore list.

[sensaike]

Come and discuss anything that has to do with tennis, from tips to how to learn. Don’t matter what level u are just ask and I’ll answer or somebody will. Talk about how good u are, what u like to improve, or if you would like to learn. Anything…

[coolpuprocks]

I play tennis. I'm decent--not your superstar athlete, but not your stupid punk who can't hit the ball. Erm...I'd like to improve my serve? It would be cool if I could do all those amazing stuff in Prince of tennis manga. I tried playing ambidexterous one day for the sake of trying my opposite hand, but that failed miserably. I don't compete much. but hey, tennis is just plain fun ^_^

[sensaike]

I could give u some lessons if u want. on how to improve ur server... I'm not great but i'm ok. i'm level 7.0 in tennis levels. like u say tennis is just pure fun but if u compete wtih other u get way... better.

And ya prince of tennis is a sweet anime. is what got me started to play in the first place. btw it is possible to do the stuff they do but u have to be good! and not all, some stuff are just made up for the fun of the anime... i can do ichigan=server tezuka=drop ball.. or what ever is call. sry i havent watch it in a long time... and some others but i dont really rememver... btw i havent finish watching it. i'm stuck in episode 152, cause i dont really use me computer at home just my laptop all the time. i'll finishi it though, soon...

If u want i can post a step by step on how to server... return or whatever... It'll improve ur game.

[Shadow User]

Hi, I play tennis. And I've played for a couple years now, and I have been practicing that one-footed split step from PoT.It's not that hard.And you're right, tennis is just plain fun. But the thing that sux is that my grades dropped a little and now Ican't play for a month, now all I have is PoT.

(PoT means prince of tennis.)

[Rhyn]

I have been playing tennis regulaly for te past year and a half at my local place with my friends, only because i have fmore free timem on my hands from college these days so i just do it for fun. I went in to a tournment (local one) and icame in the last 16. My serve is very powerful its just my back hand and slicing shots i need to work on.

[Shadow User]

Sweet my strongest is probably my backhand.

[Redemption]

I like tennis as a spectator sport but like baseball playing it is boring personally. Football is another matter.

Prince of tennis is a great sports anime (one of the best) but as an anime in general its semi-ok at best. Sports anime are just hard to like in reality for me, let alone they dragged out PoT way too long. If they made it a shorter anime it would have been better.

[Last of the Uchihas]

I do play, and i'm in my schol Tennis team.

I can play against the Captain, and give him a run for his money.

6-4.

and this is a guy that can break raquets. lol, Yes, break raquets.

I never saw one breaking a raquet by just hitting a ball.

The guy has a powerful righthand and serve.

[sensaike]

I know what you mean I like playing football as well. Hell is my second favourite sport to play and watch. Second over all.

Oh man sound like some of you can be a nice warm up. Lol… breaking a racket, lol… I seen people break racquets, hell I broken racquets. However breaking one is no as good as you may think. Racquets can break because of so many thing. Most of them are bad as well.. Just to list a few. You not playing well with it, is an old racquet, you through it or hit the ground a lot or it could be cause Is a cheap one. Any of this could be the reason why. And there is more but I’m not going to list them all.

I would love to have someone better then me, near me. I play everybody here and none have beat me this year. Hell over the summer I never lose either. I’m captain of the team and I never really showed up for the tryouts cause I forgot… Lol.. My skill are pretty good but I don’t want to continue cause it sound like I’m full of myself. Eh, which I’m probably am. Lol… tournament is the only place where I’m challenge. And not really. I laugh went I see the people in my team or the opposite team play with their 1 Mph servers… Lol.. Ok I’m dessin everybody now. lol.. No everybody has to start somewhere. I did too… btw guys what racquets do u have. I personally like Nadal’s one the “Babolat Aeropro drive” gives me power and spin. I like that… name your racquet guys. don’t matter what you have.

[Last of the Uchihas]

In what state do you live in?

If you live near NY, we can play sometimes if you want, but i won't hold back. :P


I had a neighbour, and she is an FBI agent.

She has has one daughter that plays pro level, and her husband is just as good, who is also another FBI agent.

We called them "The Tennis Family."

The wife was very good, around my level, and my mom always told me to go easy on her, as she is a female and is what a gentleman would do. I said to my mom, Are you crazy? Have you seen her playing? She is anything but a female, she hits like a man. lol

So usually whien i'm beating her, she tells me if i don't go easy on her, she and her husband would fabricate a case on me, and arrest my sorry ass for whatever reason she came up with.

That cheater, but of course i didn't went easy on her, and defeated her.

Its a shame that she doesn't play tennis anymore.

[waisuke]

wow, you seem pretty good at tennis..

I've never actually played a proper tennis game, I enjoy playing it and have played it since I was young, but never had the time to take up lessons and be better at it.

[sensaike]

Naa, man some of you may find this funny but I never have taken lesson. Although I could have but I choose not to. I just go to the club and play people there. I pay attemption to what people do and that’s how I learn. I see somebody then I try what I saw still I get it down. I don’t now I’m just good at doing that.
Btw you need a 5.0 to get into professional stuff like trying out for big tournament. Btw what is you NTRP level. I took a test to see right and it said I was 5.5. Bullshit I thought I was 7.0. But the guy told me that if you are 7.0 you make your living outta tennis and I guess am not doing that.

Also I live in Toronto. I play mostly in Rexall Centre. I go there went I want to play or have some free time. Drop by if you live in Toronto. I’ll be the white guy who has a crow of people around him. Lol… naa. I mostly have somebody who I practice. I always go with somebody. Either my brother, friend, or My GF I’m teaching her how to play. All the people there suck. So I don’t like wasting time with them. My brother is pretty good. Only person that I find ok went playing against.

[Lord Itachi]

i played the other day... harder than volleyball haha

[Redemption]

i played the other day... harder than volleyball haha

Was that beach or indoor volleyball big difference. Beach Volleyball is alot more fun to play imo, not to mention the eye candy it usually involves :darn

[Katsura]

i can do ichigan=server tezuka=drop ball

I'm Bill Gates

[Shadow User]

I have a prince raquet.has power .just the way i like it! btw u guys are lucky i cant go to a school that has tennis. i dont know why! i wuold beat everybody in 6th grade probably seventh.

[kimikiba]

I have tried it out but i sucked..... but it was fun

[AngeloDS]

Hey there, I'm on the mens college tennis team :D! Season doesn't start until Spring 2006. o_O, I need to work on my serves. I can only serve into the 110 MPH range haha, with the flat when I'm pushing it I can get a 120-125 MPH range but my accuracy is like 10% haha. But I have several different serves, so I can mix it up well.

(most used to less used)
1. Topspin Serve (down the center T, and middle) @ 110 MPH
2. Kick Serve (down the center T, and middle) @ 60 MPH
3. Flat Serve (down the center T, middle, outer T) @ 120 MPH
4. Slice Serve (out wide on duece court) @ 80 MPH
5. Kick-Fake Slice (down the center T) @ 75 MPH
6. Twist-Serve (middle) @ 70 MPH

Grips
Forehand Drive/Topspin: Semi-Western
Forehand Slice: Continental
Backhand Drive/Topspin: Eastern (one handed backhand)
Backhand Slice: Continental
Volley: Continental
Serve: Eastern (twist serve), Continental (everything else)

[edit]
Oh yeah I'm a solid 4.5 on the NTRP rating, working on being 5.0 by the start of the tennis season then after that work on being a solid 5.0 player heh.

[TGC]

i play but i suck....everytime i play with my friends i always get owned:(...but i can play like every single other sport:D...

[BlueCheese]

Any chance of seeing a video of your shots?

Also how come you can serve a topspin serve at 110, but a kick serve at only 60. The techniques aren't that different.

Also with your topspin serve why only down the middle? I get a fair few aces serving top spin serves out wide.

[AngeloDS]

I don't have a video camera, but my coach probably has one. I'll talk to him when we practice on Monday. I can't topspin out wide, they're mostly down the middle or into the body. Only on flatserves can I serve out wide. Probably because I use a pinpoint stance, and abbreviated backswing for my serve.

My kicker is a lot different from my topspin. Kicker, toss is above my head and coming down and I throw my racquet straight up and over the ball. Topspin, about 12 o' clock out in front, and hit the corner or the top of the ball and go over.

But my kicker even at 60 MPH is really hard to handle because of the heavyness and spin I put into the ball.

[BlueCheese]

The problem with serving at 60 MPH is that a good player will come forward and take the serve on the rise, well inside the baseline. That will negate a lot of the spin put on the ball. At 60 MPH it is not that hard to do with a bit of practice. at 100 MPH it's hard.

[Stalker]

Feder is unbeatble, for now atlest. I play tenis, its fun. My forehand and serve is really good, but my backhand sucks. It either goes really high, or softly pover the net. and when i hit it hard, it goes out :(

[BlueCheese]

Sounds like you hit the ball with an open face. Basically the racket is pointing to the sky slightly when you hit it. Can't confirm that though unless I see a video of you playing.

[TEK]

I love playing tennis. I have played tennis recently due to school and work but I hopefully will soon. I love Maria Sharapova. She's an awesome tennis player and is hecka hot too!!!

[BlueCheese]

Lol strange how so many guys support Maria Sharapova. Oh well she has dropped down a few rankings after becoming world no.1. Personally on the women's tour I like Kim Clijsters. I was very pleased when she won the US Open. Especially after she had been criticised for being "too nice"

[Shadow User]

Hi I've been playing for about 2 yearsa now. And my backhand goes about 30-40 mph. My forehand goes 20mph. I love tennis and I will NEVER stop. btw My favorite player is Andre Agassi.

[BlueCheese]

Good man keep playing, my grandma is 76 and she still plays usually twice a week.

[an_honestMistake]

I ARE 1031, you r a dum.bass, you're philosophy of being good in tennis is returning a fast serve. ANYONE can do that, you basically stick ur racket out and block it back, not that hard. You have no idea of how technically, physically, and mentally hard tennis is. And these so called "experienced" players you beat all the time, anyone can be experienced. Playing for a minute means you've had experience.
When you've beat tournament level players ranked top ten in their states, then ur good. Bluecheese wuld kick ur ass so bad in a match since in ur mind u'll be so scared of losing to him, because you've talked all this trash and cant back it up. That right there is a part of the mental aspect of tennis.

ping pong-easier game with small balls like u
tennis-for people with big balls

[an_honestMistake]

http://tennis.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=9FED7840AFDD46A0A55E3EBA32AE5B3A

OMG David Nalbandian has sharingan eyes! NO wonder y he has the best record against Roger Federer...

[BlueCheese]

I heard Hingis is gonna make a comeback to the WTA tour today. Gonna be interesting to see how she manages to cope.

[Summoner]

I love tennis, glad to see there's a thread regarding it. As of now the best player's in the game are
1.Roger Federer
2.Andy Roddick
3.Rafael Nadal
4.Leyton Hewitt
5.Andre Agassi

[YraNecrem]

^_^ anyone else here a tennis fan? XD

[Souten Kishun]

Not a huge fan but I like watching the Grand Slams when they come around. Gonna start playing it myself this summer.

[Violent-nin]

I watch it here and there, don't follow it as much as other sports, but if I catch a good match up on I'll watch it.

:kkbook

[Hoon ♥]

I don't watch it; though, I know those big names.

I used to play tennis for an year and then quit because.. it was getting kind of boring. :P

[YraNecrem]

seems most people here are at most some what interested in the sport haha... 3rd most popular sport in the world supposively haha

[Hoon ♥]

Well, it's actually very fun.

Once you get to know how to serve games become a lot more exciting.

[El Torero]

'Cause tennis needs their own thread :edu

Rafa Nadal is being awesome. Two weeks ago he beat Federer in the final of Roland Garros, winning the tournament for 4th consecutive time.

Now he has won his first gras tournament, Queen's, after beating Djokovic in the final.

http://www.marca.com/ficheros/marca/imagenes/nadal_queens_ES.jpg

[Mad Hatter]

On grass Federer still owns him.

But Nadal is good.

PS: You sure there isn't a tennis thread already.

[ostrich]

Nadal sucks ass :pek

[Keyser Söze]

nadal is getting better and better, if he can become better than roger is very questionable, however, to those who say federer is still better on grass... not by much. Federer was brought to 5 sets at the last wimbledon, 4 the year before that, clearly nadal is getting better and better on grass. Add that to the fact that federer hasn't been the best this year at all, i think we're going to have a new wimbledon champ this year.

[El Torero]

PS: You sure there isn't a tennis thread already.

I used the Search, and I didn´t find any thread :uwah

Nadal is by far the best player in ground. And he´s getting better in grass. But Djokovic is getting better and better too; he hasn´t been too near to the 2nd place in these last years.
And Federer continues being the king.

[Keyser Söze]

I think federer will lose his number 1 ranking this year, i mean, c'mon, we're halfway through and he has won what, 1 event so far..... anyways, he's only ahead still because he's accumulated so many points over these past couple years as the best. I hope he gets back into form, but i was disappointed with his play in australia and at roland garos. I hope he steps it up back to the dominate federer i'm used to seeing, i just don't get the same vibe from him as i did the last 3 years i've watched him.

[JediJaina]

There was a general tennis thread already so merged this into existing thread, but kept the title. When you do a search, use the advanced feature and look for titles only. You'll get better results (usually) that way. :zaru

I haven't watched tennis as much since the Sampras/Agassi era. Nadal seems to do his best on clay. I will sometimes watch the Williams sisters play, but I think their injuries have set them back a little bit.

[Keyser Söze]

There was a general tennis thread already so merged this into existing thread, but kept the title. When you do a search, use the advanced feature and look for titles only. You'll get better results (usually) that way. :zaru

I haven't watched tennis as much since the Sampras/Agassi era. Nadal seems to do his best on clay. I will sometimes watch the Williams sisters play, but I think their injuries have set them back a little bit.

yeah but when the williams sisters were successful it was based on their power and the fact that none of the top seeds could match that power, true their injuries hurt them, but it brought forth a bunch of contenders who could match their power or could counter it. So, i really think that had they not had their injuries, they would be top 10 but not 1 and 2.

[El Torero]

There was a general tennis thread already so merged this into existing thread, but kept the title. When you do a search, use the advanced feature and look for titles only. You'll get better results (usually) that way. :zaru

I haven't watched tennis as much since the Sampras/Agassi era. Nadal seems to do his best on clay. I will sometimes watch the Williams sisters play, but I think their injuries have set them back a little bit.

Thanks! :zaru

For being sinceres, I think Nadal was better last year than this year. But this year he´s being awesome too :edu

[Keyser Söze]

yay! federer won his 2nd title this year..... kinda surprising he's only won 2 appearing in 5 finals already. So much for passing samprass on the grand slam list this year, lol. his last 2 or 3 if he can get it will be tough with djoker and nadal on his ass and a stupid #1 streak thats probably more distracting than a confidence booster.

[El Torero]

Well, as you know, Nadal will be officialy the new Number 1 in 14th of August :zaru

[Moridin]

general tennis thread bump...

[rockst☆r sin]

We should probably sticky this as well, since the majority of us didn't even remember this thread.

[sel]

Awesome.

So lads, what's the next event on the calendar?

[Moridin]

as in the next big calendar event? or just a regular tour one? There's a clay tourny underway in romania at the mo, none of the top 10 playing though

Gasquet is seeded 1st for it.

[rockst☆r sin]

Federer wins his 5th straight US Open, which means he was a defending champion since 03. Too bad, I would be more impressed if it was Wimbledon. Still, that's a dominating feat.

[Tachikoma]

Federer :yell :awesome

5 Times U.S. Champ :ohpek

[sel]

4 in a row Wimbledon's not good enough for ya Sin?

I remember the 2005 final where I had to persuade my mum to let me stay up for the Agassi v.s Federer one. Bloody shame he lost that though. Andre was by far my fave player to have set foot on court.

as in the next big calendar event? or just a regular tour one? There's a clay tourny underway in romania at the mo, none of the top 10 playing though

Gasquet is seeded 1st for it.
Oh yeah?
Well I was thinking your generic ATP/Masters shindig

[Moridin]

definately, first man in what, 80 years, to win 5 us opens in a row? can't believe he's managed it at 2 different grand slams.

==

the next masters is spain i think abs, madrid? early october for that

[rockst☆r sin]

Agassi is actually my favorite tennis player, period. Agassi vs. Sampras used to have me pull out my own hair.

[BlueCheese]

Sampras > Agassi. No contest for me.

[Cesc Fabregas]

i missed the agassi/sampras era ><

but now we in the Fed/Rafa/NoDjo/Andy 4 way tussle!!!

[Tachikoma]

Nadal sucks ass :pek
Same.

Sampras > Agassi. No contest for me.
Same.

[rockst☆r sin]

Sampras > Agassi. No contest for me.

Yes, this is true since Sampras was considered to be the greatest men's tennis player ever but Agassi was his greatest rival.

[Cesc Fabregas]

but now the powershift has moved to Europe :LOS

[Mad Hatter]

Not sure if this is correct but is Serena Williams 1# now?

--

:offtopic Europe > America

We'll win the Ryder Cup as well :del

[BlueCheese]

Yeah she is. I preffered watching Sampras to Agassi as well. It's a shame they fiddled about with the conditions of the courts and balls, and with better technology (mainly strings) serve and volley play is non existant now. The decreasing amount of styles is bad for the game. Sampras and Agassi was the greatest rivalry because of the differing styles.

[rockst☆r sin]

Not sure if this is correct but is Serena Williams 1# now?

--

:offtopic Europe > America

We'll win the Ryder Cup as well :del

See, that is your problem Daniel. You have a strong patriotism to your country and just feel that Europe>America at everything. Though you are correct about the Ryder Cup, Europe destroys USA every time, even when Tiger' on the team.

[sel]

Agassi is actually my favorite tennis player, period. Agassi vs. Sampras used to have me pull out my own hair.

Sampras > Agassi. No contest for me.

Sampras was the better player I agree (Despite not having won all four unlike Agassi. Get in there).

But yeah, a little anecdote so you understand the level of Agassi Fanboying on my part. As a 5 year old I changed my first name on my books in school (Would you call that age grade-school or elementary school in USA?) to Agassi. My teacher actually thought it was some ethnic name thing and actually queried my parents about it on parent's evening.

[Cesc Fabregas]

womens rankings are a joke!!

ivanovic goes top, next match loses
jankovic goes top, then loses
now serena?!

either
A) the womens go is ULTRA competitive
or
B) they DONt deserve equal pay cos they iz doo doo ><

[rockst☆r sin]

Did I ever mentioned how I hate Serena Williams but love her sister, Venus? I used to always big both of them up but I really despise Serena's attitude. First of all, she has the same attitude as her father and swears everybody is inferior to her. When facing her sister, she'll say of course she is better, but when Venus wins, she sulks and give her zero praise. Venus will give her respect and defend her, even after the tantrum. God I can't stand her.

P.S.- I would still beat it though ^_^

[Mad Hatter]

I prefer Venus too, but they both cool to me. One thing I can't stand with the women is the grunting.

Even Nadal does it :facepalm

[Cesc Fabregas]

nadal grutns, the man has raw power!! so i can accept it. anyway, he aint even that bad compared to..............

ms screamapova
but when someone like sharapova does it >< i eman not even nadal is that loud, she wants to bring the whole house down!! AND WHO THE HELL GRUNTS ON A DROP SHOT?!?!

[rockst☆r sin]

Everyone knows Sharapova does it for fanservice. It does get annoying though.

[Cesc Fabregas]

at first it was like ................yeah thats kinda hot.............

then your like....................yeah..........where i put my sniper rifle?

[HugeGuy]

Did I ever mentioned how I hate Serena Williams but love her sister, Venus? I used to always big both of them up but I really despise Serena's attitude. First of all, she has the same attitude as her father and swears everybody is inferior to her. When facing her sister, she'll say of course she is better, but when Venus wins, she sulks and give her zero praise. Venus will give her respect and defend her, even after the tantrum. God I can't stand her.

P.S.- I would still beat it though ^_^
It's the little sister syndrome. They tend to be more self-centred and more prone to jealousy.

nadal grutns, the man has raw power!! so i can accept it. anyway, he aint even that bad compared to..............

ms screamapova
but when someone like sharapova does it >< i eman not even nadal is that loud, she wants to bring the whole house down!! AND WHO THE HELL GRUNTS ON A DROP SHOT?!?!
I though it was Serena that grunts on drop shots.

[Moridin]

ahh sampras/agassi was probably my first real tennis experiences <3

I always have a soft spot for agassi since I preferred watching him

==

regarding the womens rankings having changed several times this year, I think that's just indicative of no one player having really dominated proceedings recently.

[BlueCheese]

Although Serena said (before she had won the US Open) that she was dominating tennis because the only time she lost was because she played bad.

[HugeGuy]

regarding the womens rankings having changed several times this year, I think that's just indicative of no one player having really dominated proceedings recently.

I miss Henin.

[smurfette]

I kinda missed the Sampras/Agassi era. I started watching tennis when their tennis career was about to end. My very first tennis match I watched was Sampras vs. Agassi Wimbledon final in 1999, I think. I rooted for Sampras. I had no idea why. Maybe because he was better looking than Agassi. I know nothing about tennis at that time. So I went with the better looking one. :P


I miss Henin.

heh, me too!! She's such an awesome player. I was shocked when I learned that she retired. Now I don't know who to cheer for in the ladies side. I'm not a big fan of Sharapova mainly because of her grunts. It's annoying as hell. Dementieva- I can't stand her serves. I guess the best one is Safina. I rooted for her in the Olympics. I haven't really have a chance to watch her play yet.

[Juracule Mihawk]

Henin was the no. 1, Ivanovic, Jankovic, Sharapova or S. Williams aren't worthy. Atleast Justine was very consistent.

[Moridin]

Yeah Henin is sorely missed, she had a wonderful backhand D:

[BlueCheese]

There must have been something going on behind the scenes that we don't know about with Henin, you don't just retire before the French Open where you are heavy favourite.

[Moridin]

yeah seems like it, she was #1 in the world and all as well.

I see Gulbis managed to lose first round @ the BCR open >__<

he really needs to get more consistant

[sel]

He's got potential though. Managed to beat Blake in Cincinnati though didn't he.

There must have been something going on behind the scenes that we don't know about with Henin, you don't just retire before the French Open where you are heavy favourite.

Very true

[Moridin]

yeah he's had some good results, best one being quarters at Roland Garros. I was just meaning he's inconsistant and so isn't quite fulfilling his potential yet. ^^

we should have an 09 predictions pool sometime

[El Torero]

The bulls square of Las Ventas is going to become the biggest tennis field of the world (after the US Open field) for the Davis semifinal between Spain-USA.

http://www.destinoespana.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/plaza-de-toros-las-ventas.jpg

Awesome that they chose a bull square as tennis court :omg

The semifinals are Spain-USA and Russia-Argentina (lol, Argentina is in top level of ALL existing sports, aren´t they?)

[BlueCheese]

Can't see Spain losing.

[Moridin]

same, I heard that Blake isn't playing for the US and so they've replaced him with Querry which is probably good for Querry but not so good for the US

[sel]

Who else is in the US team? I'd imagine Roddick for one..

[BlueCheese]

I imagine so, but they have no one who can play on clay, thats the problem with the Davis cup. Home draw is too much of an advantage.

[Moridin]

yeah it's roddick and the bryan brothers who make up the team, completely agree that home draw is a massive advantage, logistically I'm sure it'd be a nightmare to try do 2 legs so each nation gets a home draw though.

[BlueCheese]

I think surely though they could come up with a better system than this. I mean if this was on a hard court it would be a tight match, Rafa would probably win his matches but America would win the doubles and likely that Roddick and Blake would win a singles each. Spain don't do like we do when we get drawn the US at home and not play on our then best surface (grass with Rusedski and Henman). Why on earth was that match in Birmingham?

[Moridin]

playing in Birmingham is a bit odd, perhaps it's a capacity thing, I'm not sure how many they pack into the NEC compared to how many they can pack into center court?

[BlueCheese]

I've been to both, I don't think they can get many more in if any at all.

[Moridin]

really? that's just plain bizarre then :/

[Moridin]

Simon def. Moya in the final of the BCR open 6-3 6-4, was a surprise to see Moya make it that far really. Fairly enjoyable final though.

[BlueCheese]

You don't be around on the tour for that long without being good. Hardly the biggest tournament anyway.

[El Torero]

http://www.as.com/recorte/20080510dasdaiten_1/XLCO/Ies/RFET_elige_Ventas_Espana-EE_UU.jpg

Oh man. Awesome stadium is awesome :gar

[BlueCheese]

Russia won the Fed Cup surprise surprise. Only time they have been beaten in the last 5 years was against Belgium in 2006 against Clijsters and Henin. What a team that is, unlucky for Belgium that they have both retired so early.

[El Torero]

Semifinals tomorrow :zaru

I hope Las Ventas remain being a tennis stadium in the future, holding future tournaments, because seriously, is the most awesome stadium I´ve ever seen in my life.

[Moridin]

You don't be around on the tour for that long without being good. Hardly the biggest tournament anyway.

oh yah, I just didnt think he'd beat gasquet xD

http://www.as.com/recorte/20080510dasdaiten_1/XLCO/Ies/RFET_elige_Ventas_Espana-EE_UU.jpg

Oh man. Awesome stadium is awesome :gar

that does look pretty awesome, bet it'll make a good spectacle xD

===

lol ivanovic out already in the Pan Pacific Open.

[El Torero]

Spain 1-0 USA. Nadal beat Querrey in four sets :awesome

Spain 2-0 USA. Ferrer beats Roddick in five sets.

[smurfette]

gaaahhhh....I'm ashamed to admit that I don't follow the Davis cup. :-( I usually just focus mainly on the GS and some of the ATP/WTA tour (Canada ones only).

Just found out that US beats Spain in the doubles.

And also Safina vs. Kuznestsova in the Pan Pacific final. I'm rooting for Safina to win this. :high


oh yeah that Las Ventas stadium is pretty impressive!:gar Would love to go there and watch some tennis someday.

The only tennis tournament I've ever been to is Wimbledon. Only managed to get tickets to the grounds. Would love to get a seat in the Centre court someday.:amuse

[maximilyan]

Hmm, its too bad andy maury made it so far, but failed to clear the final hurdle. though his performance is promising, if he keeps getting better hopefully he can win any open for us brits.

[Moridin]

And also Safina vs. Kuznestsova in the Pan Pacific final. I'm rooting for Safina to win this. :high

hehe Safina demolished Kuznetsova

==

lol GB are relying on Bogdanovic to win...

[El Torero]

And Nadal beat Roddick in 3 sets.

Spain first finalist of the Davis Cup. Is very sure the other finalist will be Argentina, so see you in Córdoba (of Argentina)! :zaru

[ghstwrld]

Nadal bageled Roddick!?! OH, SHIT!!!!

What happened to Roddick's serve?

[BlueCheese]

It was clay.... What do you expect? Powerful serve doesn't mean good serve.

[Cesc Fabregas]

the british support was DISGUSTING tioday!!

we all know boggo wasnt going to win but COME ON!!! no one was every cheering! heck even the british team looked bored and defeated!! the austrians were going crazy, showing support!!! the british fans ON HOME TURF were just sitting there!!!
SO PISSED OFF!!! GIVE THE GUY SOME SUPPORT!!! court1 was nearly full yet 20 austrians were making more noise ><

[BlueCheese]

Why is a guy that has lost 8 Davis cup singles matches in a row playing?

[Cesc Fabregas]

Why is a guy that has lost 8 Davis cup singles matches in a row playing?

because his the best we've got :amuse

[ghstwrld]

It was clay.... What do you expect? Powerful serve doesn't mean good serve.

Hm. I didn't realize they were playing on clay.

Carry on.

[El Torero]

Screw UK, they aren´t in the Davis Final :LOS

Now confirmed, final: Spain-Argentina. Place: Buenos Aires.

BTW, Spain will debut in 2009 Davis Cup against Serbia. Nadal vs Djokovic!!!!

[BlueCheese]

In Spain so on clay. Can't see Spain losing a home match to anyone at the moment.

[El Torero]

The final is in Argentina :uwah

This will be very closed. I fear Del Potro :arg

[BlueCheese]

I know the final is in Argentina, Spain will win that. I was talking about against Serbia, if it was in Serbia then would have been a very even match.

[Moridin]

A little late but GG Tsonga on beating Djokovic in the final in Thailand

[BlueCheese]

Pretty impressive as well considering he has been out with injury. Plus Serena Williams lost to Li Na, that made my day.

[Moridin]

yeah, was nice to see him back and picking up a title.

Serena losing was hilarious, especially given how easily she took the first set, I wonder what that means for the womens rankings already.

[BlueCheese]

I can see Li Na's thoughts now, "right lost the first set 6-0, got her exactly where I want her".

[ghstwrld]

Here's a live stream of the Murray v Simon final in Madrid (http://ziucchiradio.altervista.org/watch.php?id=300).

[Cesc Fabregas]

thanks! would have prefered a murray/nadal final though! :LOS

[BlueCheese]

I personally love it when Nadal loses, just can't stand watching him.

[ghstwrld]

Oh, fuck!

Simon so should have taken that 2nd set. :facepalm

[RED MINOTAUR~!]

How come no one is commenting on this? Andy Murray is pasting his shit all over Federer's face :LOS

[BlueCheese]

They just played in different tournaments and both won them. Or do you mean at Madrid a couple of weeks back?

[ReasonableDoubt]

How come no one is commenting on this? Andy Murray is pasting his shit all over Federer's face :LOS

That's because Federer wasn't playing in a Grand Slam.

When the Fed is playing in a GS his power level goes over 9000 because that's when it matters the most.

[ghstwrld]

From MTF (http://www.menstennisforums.com/showpost.php?p=7793509&postcount=34):

http://www.hotdubzsport.ulmb.com/
http://livesportsworld.blogspot.com/
http://sportsvialaptops.blogspot.com/

Nadal and Davydenko are about to play.

[BlueCheese]

Or not play (properly anyway) as it turned out.

[ghstwrld]

Yeah, it looks like they stopped playing after Nadal retired. *sigh*

Anyhoo, Tsonga vs Roddick GET! (http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-online-tv.php?w=live24sports)

[El Torero]

Rafa Nadal won´t play the Masters Cup. He says he´s very tired and he wants to recover of his injuries to be at 100% in the final of Davis Cup.

[BlueCheese]

Simon takes his place, rather Simon than Nadal any day.

[ghstwrld]

Djokovic vs Del Potro GET! (http://atdhe.net/live-tv-301.html)

[El Torero]

Oh my fucking god. Nadal won´t play Davis final too :argh

[BlueCheese]

Not really surprising, the game he has is always gonna be hard on the knees.

[El Torero]

SPAIN 3-1 ARGENTINA!!!! SPAIN WINNER OF DAVIS CUP :nuts

[Mr. Stud Muffin]

Yeah, Spain had a good year internationally in both Tennis and Soccer.

[El Torero]

Nadal has absolutely no chance of winning wimbledon. His style of play is heavily suited to clay. Why do you think he suddenly came good when the clay season started. His defensive style of play won't work on faster courts such as grass.

That makes me to see how much Nadal improved in these 3 years :iria

Also, Efe agencies have named Nadal the best european sport player in 2008 (in second place is a russian gimnastic jumper who made a record in Beijing, and in third place Lewis Hamilton).

Go Nadal, for 2009 conquer Australia and US Open! :iria

[BlueCheese]

Yeah fair enough, although he has been helped by a number of factors:

1. The court surface is no where near as quick as it used to be and it bounces higher. I think they showed using hawkeye two similar serves from Federer coming through 10cm higher at the baseline. That is a huge difference. I am certain that Nadal would never have won Wimbledon if the conditions had of stayed the same as they were a few years ago.

2. Federer was no where near his best this year. He had glandular fever at the start of the year and never really built up the level of fitness that he previously had.

3. Federer has a mental block against Nadal. There is no doubt about it, he doesn't produce his best tennis against him.

Credit to him though, he had a great year. We shall see in a year if he is still number 1.

I'll go with this now, I would be surprised if Nadal won the Australian or US Open. He has never had a good record on hard courts. This is largely because hard courts tend to suit flatter hitters, top spin tends to sit up a bit more. Look at his record against someone like Blake on hard court I doubt he has ever beaten him. I'm not saying he can't do it, but Djokovic, Federer and Murray all have better hard court games.

[NaraShikamaru]

Andy Murray beat Nadal 6-4 5-7 6-3.

Pffft, Andy is going to drop players like flies this year. :LOS

[ghstwrld]

LOL

Federer's playing Murray in Doha and he's getting all pissy because he's losing.

There's a live stream available at channelsurfing.net (http://Channelsurfing.net/)

[Cesc Fabregas]

wow, murray is really impressed me this year!!

maybe just maybe he may win a GS :LOS

if nadal decides to pity him :LOS

[BlueCheese]

At the moment, Murray hasn't got anything to worry about with Nadal on hard court.

[Godot]

Looks like Murray's taking A-Rod downtown :pek

[Cesc Fabregas]

AUSSIE OPEN THIS SUNDAY

:yell

[ghstwrld]

Seeds: Men

1. Rafael Nadal (ESP)
2. Roger Federer (SUI)
3. Novak Djokovic (SRB)
4. Andy Murray (GBR)
5. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)
6. Gilles Simon (FRA)
7. Andy Roddick (USA)
8. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)
9. James Blake (USA)
10. David Nalbandian (ARG)
11. David Ferrer (ESP)
12. Gael Monfils (FRA)
13. Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)
14. Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
15. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)
16. Robin Soderling (SWE)
17. Nicolas Almagro (ESP)
18. Igor Andreev (RUS)
19. Marin Cilic (CRO)
20. Tomas Berdych (CZE)
21. Tommy Robredo (ESP)
22. Radek Stepanek (CZE)
23. Mardy Fish (USA)
24. Richard Gasquet (FRA)
25. Ivo Karlovic (CRO)
26. Marat Safin (RUS)
27. Feliciano Lopez (ESP)
28. Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA)
29. Dmitry Tursunov (RUS)
30. Rainer Schuettler (GER)
31. Jurgen Melzer (AUT)
32. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)

Seeds: Women

1. Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
2. Serena Williams (USA)
3. Dinara Safina (RUS)
4. Elena Dementieva (RUS)
5. Ana Ivanovic (SRB)
6. Venus Williams (USA)
7. Vera Zvonareva (RUS)
8. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
9. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
10. Nadia Petrova (RUS)
11. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
12. Flavia Pennetta (ITA)
13. Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
14. Patty Schnyder (SUI)
15. Alize Cornet (FRA)
16. Marion Bartoli (FRA)
17. Anna Chakvetadze (RUS)
18. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)
19. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)
20. Amelie Mauresmo (FRA)
21. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP)
22. Jie Zheng (CHN)
23. Agnes Szavay (HUN)
24. Sybille Bammer (AUT)
25. Kaia Kanepi (EST)
26. Ai Sugiyama (JPN)
27. Maria Kirilenko (RUS)
28. Francesca Schiavone (ITA)
29. Alisa Kleybanova (RUS)
30. Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN)
31. Alona Bondarenko (UKR)
32. Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA)

[Cesc Fabregas]

Ivanovic only 5th seed :sun

Rafa-noJo final :yell

[Godot]

I want Fed to destroy everyone in his path this year.

[Cesc Fabregas]

lol federer

http://failuredotcom.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/federer-in-defeat.jpg

[BlueCheese]

Your laughing at possibly the greatest player ever?

[Godot]

No, he was laughing at possibly the greatest player ever's cardigan.

[BlueCheese]

The man can wear what the hell he likes when he has achieved that much.

[Cesc Fabregas]

Your laughing at possibly the greatest player ever?

im laughing at

1. his failure to beat rafa-god :zaru
2. the cardigan! lol

:zaru

[BlueCheese]

When he gets even close to Federer in grand slams and career titles I may listen to you, but his knees will probably pack in before then. Bet you in a year he won't still be number one in the world.

[Rukia]

No Sharapova at the Australian this year? That's disappointing. Looks like we (men) need Ivanovic to come through. Hopefully her injuries have finally healed up.

[Cesc Fabregas]

When he gets even close to Federer in grand slams and career titles I may listen to you, but his knees will probably pack in before then. Bet you in a year he won't still be number one in the world.

lol do i sence a rafa-roja fanboy flame war :LOS

xD

no MaSha?! the womens game is so open, anyone of like 6 can win it!

[Shark Skin]

Cesc you Ivanovic set is devine:ohpek

And oh yeah, Djokovic FTW:hurr

[BlueCheese]

I wouldn't say I'm a Federer fan boy. Certainly at the moment he is not playing the best tennis in the world. I think Federer and Sampras are probably the two best players ever. They are both great champions, they both shift it up a gear when it counts. I don't know if anyone has ever produced the statistic but I wonder as a percentage how much Sampras served an ace at break point down. It was incredible.

I don't particularly like Nadal, lovely guy off the court, but he is a fairly boring player in my opinion. I can't stand watching him because he just takes an age between points, and is not the most aggressively minded players. I respect his talent but I think he has been helped by the changing conditions of the tour. Several things have come into the game to elongate points. It's ruining the game by removing the different styles. In that respect I don't blame Nadal but the idiots that are changing these things.

[Bounty of the Konoha]

i just dont want andy murray to win the aussie open, i can't stand the arrogant scot. The male game needs a new big personality to spice up the game a bit

[BlueCheese]

There is nothing wrong with Andy Murray, it's nice to see someone playing the game with a bit of trickery and style. What a great match it would have been to watch Santoro at his prime against Murray. You'd have seen tennis you would never see anywhere else.

[Godot]

Actually, i would actually like to see a Novak/Murray final. It could set up a foundation for a possible top 2 rivalry, if Nadal or Fed suddenly slip down the rankings.

[Shark Skin]

Yeah that would be nice, but I doubt that Nadal and Federer would slip up this year. Both are still in their prime unless one gets a sever injury.

[Cesc Fabregas]

lol 3 brits out today >_>

[HugeGuy]

So Fed wins. Although he has a surprising amount of unforced errors in the last 2 sets.

Also, that ball that went right pass his crotch...:hehee

[BlueCheese]

As they were playing higher ranked opposition that was to be expected. Still they have made realy progress to get 4 British women into the main draw.

[Moridin]

*obligatory ooh grand slam time posting*

we have no official AO thread?

[Bounty of the Konoha]

elena baltacha is through to the second round on british women

[Cesc Fabregas]

Nadal crushes the first round :LOS

[El Torero]

Nadal crushes the first round :LOS

Nadal set coming back if he reaches the final of the Slam :LOS

[BlueCheese]

Don't have to worry about that then.

[ssjchris]

i am a fan of marcos pagdatis and i hope he will win this year's austalia open!!:)