People are visiting my roommate today...i have to make sure I can get them away from the TV at 7 so i can watch my tennis. it's been too long!

which reminds me, i forgot to warn my roommate that it's the Australian Open the next 2 weeks...

This was great thought provoking stuff, from Pete and many others. Although I’ve had my favorites, it’s mainly been about the tennis for me. I never rooted more for anyone than I did for Pancho Gonzales, as a new tennis fan. I followed Pancho’s series with Lew Hoad through the papers on a daily basis, and would have been devastated if he had lost. And yet, Hoad was my second favorite. I feel the same way about Roger and Rafa. I guess that puts me in Pete’s first category, and makes me the oldest tennis fan here.

Hello Siggy! Thanks so much. One more question if I may ask, would I have to absolutely post my picks every single day? And if I can't get to a computer every singles day, would I be disqualified or bumped off to continue in the pool? I'm just not sure whether I'll be able to get on a computer for the entire 2 weeks. And let's not forget that I am still a chicken right now but would appreciate knowing this. thanks again.

Ross Hi, well maybe I cold be the second oldest hey dosent matter ist only a number right? lol!

My dad a huge Pancho fan,I remember Dad talking to me about him,dad said he thought he was the biggest nut case to pick up a racquet but one of the most brillant players he had ever seen.

Dads favourite player Rod Laver,dad told me without a doubt the greatest player ever for pure tennis ability.Dad had watched Rod play all over the world.

siggy! how are you? Ready to frazzle over the lovely Rog?

Umm, Monica, perhaps I spoke too soon... have to confess, me explaining how things are done in the TW-cosmos would be like the blind leading the blind, ya know?

Help, regular TWibe, I (and Monica!) defer to your vast pool of knowledge! *slinks back into the cave*

monica. you do have to post a pick everyday. it's a bummer.

http://tinyurl.com/9ar7h2

Hehehe.

May I say without a doubt this "Is The Place To Be" gosh we are all mad,passionate people abour our fav players.also we have some tennis knowledge too,good thing seeing it is about tennis!

Gee have to have passion in your life,without it you just dont succeed.

I have never thought for one moment we do not make people welcome.

Quite frankly I think we are a great bunch of people from all over the world,thats what makes it so special.

Hey everyone lets take a big bow,I think we all deserve it!

Pete, love this post, unconditionally.

Hi Siggy! You're right, not every KAD is blind to their hero's faults. *gasp* Does this mean, I might be a KAD after all?.

And you're sooooo right about players words taken out of context. Happens all the time. Hate that.

But sometimes I read Fed fans defending everything he says, when I just want to say, "Why? That really was a silly thing to say." He often speaks before thinking things through. He's going to say lots of other silly things in the future, no doubt. He's human after all. But even as a huge fan, I refuse to defend them all.

I had to rank my player love based on their comments to the press, I think Roddick would win hands down. I unconditionally love his press conferences. :)

HaHa - thanks Siggy. You've helped my nervousness in asking questions at least (I don't feel so silly now not knowing anything about the Pool). Thanks for your warm replies! If anyone else can help, I'd really appreciate it! thanks

Hey, TWibe family! :)

Have to go back and read Pete's post more carefully, but from what I skimmed, I can tell this one's going in my Bookmarks. ;)

And um, Fed's haircut? LOVES.

Hey aussiemarg, good morning to you, is afternoon here for me. Lucky you that is in oyur own country. I'm 15 hours behind you so for me it will be many nights with little sleep, and work the next day. My picks for the tournament are:

Men: Rafa

Woman: Dementieva

Crazy, I second your "hehehe" or, in TW-speak, "jejeje"! ;)

Speaking of frazzzzling, wonder if becks will show up soon? Hope she's not snarled in a courtroom (not court, pity!)....

Btw, I am the proverbial couch potato today, am prone on my back, having caught a bug, though not.. murrayvitis, thank you no! (hello Hart!) So, Crazy, how do you feel about our Rogi's chances at this AO?

I also hope that it will be a Rafa/Federer final.

Ross,

Love your story of following Pancho and Hoad. Did Pancho get the better of him by a wide margin, or was it pretty close? It seems like I've read about that before, but I can't remember.

Wouldn't it be wild if two of the top guys nowadays were able to do something like that? TW would spontaneously combust. :)

C1, it must have been a rubbish party.

Jackie!!!! you mean loves loves loves loves!!!!!!!!!! surely

Katada Hola to you,must really get stuck into my Spanish this year started well then went well lets say not good.

Hope you will feel better soon,maybe if Rafa win the A.O. that will make you happy.

Yes no baggy puffy eyes for me.Yeah its on my time zone.We have great tv coverage here as well with 2 channels.Also they replay matches which is great.

So Vamos Rafa I know you can do it.Win your 1st grand slam title on a h/court!

thanks to sherlock and crazyone for posting dueling links! just got back, am settled in, watching the snow and contemplating a nap before the action starts tonite!

mhm - gotta go read the roundtable, that's too good a cast of charecters to miss!

i cant watch the AO on my telly so i'll have to do the live streaming which i don like @ all oh well i hope i wont miss to c rafa play en the rest ofcourse!

siggy, he definitely got a favorable draw (bar the first round, which is one of the toughest opponents he got) so I think he'll do well, but I'm not so sure about winning the whole thing...his serve is not where I want it to be for that.

I think KADness can actually be a method by which appreciation of the sport in general increases...that is certainly true in my case. There's a direct path from my being a Fed KAD to my staying up til 3 am to watch Berdych play Del Potro in Tokyo, or savoring a Gonzalez-Tipsarevic match on the clay of Hamburg.

naughty: Clearly. :) S'funny because I was stalking Fed clips on YouTube last night and kept thinking about the short hair - "Aw, I miss it!" - and here it is in all its wonderful glory. Fed never lets me down.

Too bad I won't get to see the Seppi match. *tear*

a bit late in mentioning, but love the poem Highpockets! can't wait to see what you have after this year's AO :)

naughty T, so you love the haircut too?

I don't like the gel he put in it for the party though.

crazyone, party pics? Share!

To Miss Highpockets Well Madam Highpockets as usual you poem sets the tone,wonderful thanks!

katada, glad you found your way to the suicide pool. i am hoping for the same men's final, with the same result. hope your headache has diminished--or disappeared entirely.

Oh, ok - thanks ptenisnet!

aww, sniff, great post. loved all the KAD stories too.
I don't have anything spectacular to add to the list.

But, 4 hours and 9 minutes to goooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Jacqui: http://preview.tinyurl.com/8m8tzj

Pete, I think in part what you did for me with this post, was elucidate why I always seem to have a favorite near the top of the rankings.

It was Steffi, Jennifer for a while, Andre for the better part of forever; now Masha and Rafa. It's difficult to really get behind an individual player when you know they have ten years or so to give you the euphoria by proxy of a championship. Not like the Eagles, for whom I continue to wait.

Hey Siggy!

Great to see your around these parts;Well, ya know, when it comes to my man, no ad hominem attacks please; er, or is was that an ad hominem fallacy?

Greenhopper I know our boy dosent play until tomorrow,I hope the Asteriod has settled in nicely down in Melbourne and that wonderful Asteriod can cope with the hot weather make sure it has plenty of water,do not want it to de hydrate please.

Ah, merci, folle? ;)

Yeah, I think it'll get better after about a week. But still, me likey!

VE: Regarding the Eagles, maybe there won't be such a long wait after all!!!! Here's hoping!

Let me clarify my post at 2:53...It's hard to get behind an individual mediocre player when they only have ten years or so to give you the euphoria of a title by proxy.

BTW, the reason that they switched the order of play of the halves is that Tsonga requested a Tuesday start.

Monica, what was good enough for good old Socrates is quite good enough for little me! And so, thank you for your own warm words! ;)

roadrunnerz, you are a fella KAD, deny it or no! ;) Btw, am quite partial to Andy's press confgerences myself. He's so wickedly funny, I see a career in broadcasting post-tennis, don't you? He'd be lights-out better than those prosy, mealy-mouthed PC robots who get paid for waxing rhetorical at every turn, grrrr (hmmph, was that a bit.. harsh? must be my cold meds kicking in!)

Crazy, serves? What's up with that, has he changed his motion or something...?

I'm on pins and needles waiting for (US) football and tennis! Go Ravens! They're not favored but you never know.

My pool says Elena and Roger.

My heart says Venus and James.

Players' party makes your hair stand up:
http://tinyurl.com/832hax

Or stand back:
http://tinyurl.com/8hfj67

And your Scarface tee gets cooly exhibited. And your smile-with-buddies appears:
http://tinyurl.com/6w8hct

Also, your smile-with-seminaked-women appears:
http://tinyurl.com/8nypc3

I know Tsonga will play at the A.O. well we shall see how long he lasts,to me playing with Bulgind discs in ones back can only cause further damage,just to bend,slide,etc he will certainly feel it,complete madness I say.

Wow Roger's new hairdo. I can't decide if it's a yea or nay.

Rafa's still got the best smile.

C1 and Sherlock,

Thanks for the roundtable links. (Or were you two just showing off your tinyurl skills?:) Part 1 is a "must-read" for Fed KADS.

Fed fans should also check out Neil Harman's headline on screaming. The last portion contains a great piece on our man. (I don't know how to tinyurl like C1 and Sherlock.:)

And speaking of Fed's hair, I had to laugh at the description of Murray's hair as looking like a lavatory brush after a match.

Yes, crazyone, here's hoping.

I like Rogers new hair style

Rachael? Rachael? Are you there? Nice Andy story.. I'm feeling the love. Can't wait for 7:00.

Hey everyone!

Greenhopper,
Looked at the doubles draw? If so, what are your thoughts.

Um, not the start the Eagles were looking for. Yikes. :(

Hey Sherlock! Long time, no talk....

greenhopper,

Who are your faves? Somehow you have deprived me of this vital information.

Jackie,

Why no Fed/Seppi match for you? I'm not sure if I'm happy that my BFed cut off those luscious curls. I will withhold my final review until I see the hair in action later.

Master Ace,

Did you get DC tickets?

tangi: Since I imagine you have many a lovely link at your disposal, to tinyurl, just go to www.tinyurl.com. You put in the link you want to make tiny, click on "Make TinyURL," then VOILA! Done. :)

And thoughts on the haircut?

(Gotta say I prefer Hairgate to Carbunclegate.)

Hi, Tangi. :)

Wasn't that a great roundtable?? I just LOVED that. I could read those guys all day, going back and forth on different players and issues in the game.

I still chuckle on the section about Michelle Larcher De Brito.

"She will break the sound barrier - but not the top five"

He he he. :)

tangi, you beat me to it!

No Fed/Seppi because of the time difference. No? Isn't it happening at some ungodly hour?

Hi, Whitney!!!!!

How are you?? What are the latest plot twists in "As Whitney's World Turns"? :)

3 hrs 40 mins yaaaay!!!!

malimeda, thanks for the photos (and funny captions), as usual...

i like roger's new haircut.

Sherlock - umm "As Whitney's World Turns" has been on hiatus since about the fifth week of last semester. Maybe it will re-air in the summer. Haha

Jackie: DVR for tomorrow's taped replay? :)

i was planning on staying up all night for the matches but i'm sleepy already. not a good sign for the fortnight.

hey Whitney :) long time no see!

My 02 cents:

Unlike other sports, most tennis fans are folks who have played the game at one point or another. The majority are kids, young adults and seniors who still have the time to play or follow the tour (just like here, ain't it ? :-)

The unconditional fans of top players are mostly kids, newbies and their compatriots (ie: Most Serbian fans who have no tennis tradition and only care for Djoko, Ana, JJ and Tipsy since about 2006. A small minority do care about others and even root for the Croats who led Yugoslavian tennis along Hungarian Monica Seles.)

Hardcore tennis fans have favorite players regardless of ranking, gender, personality or nationality. They're well informed about their stats and the history of the game (sometimes better than some journalists, he, he he) All they care is how they play and how unique they are.

I'm an American who has been playing and following tennis since the mid-70's and my favorites are:

Federer (beautiful game, consistency)
Nalbandian (erratic game, inconsistency)
Tsonga (explosive, serve and volley)
Djokovic (defense, forehand)
Ancic (unpredictable, serve and volley)
Bagdhatis (overall game, potential)
Venus Williams (serve and power)
Kuznetsova (backhand, footwork)
Mauresmo (backhand, serve and volley)

Again, my 02 cents...have a great one !

thanks for the great pix malimeda, as usual.

*mourns Fed's lost locks*

um OK, never mind the DVR tomorrow's taped replay...when you can DVR the live match. it's slow time for me now.

Christopher, there's a difference between "My new racket is giving me some trouble" and "I lost because I couldn't serve well with my new racket." The fact that you interpreted Nole's comment as the latter tells me less about his alleged excuse than about your own bias, I must say.

Since you're so sure that "he unquestionably makes more excuses for his bad losses than the other players at his level," I'll just ask you one simple thing: Give me just three instances where Nole has committed this "annoying" sin and I'll admit you have a legitimate grievance. I want full articles or transcripts, not your own paraphrases or quotes taken out of context. This shouldn't be too hard as you claim he makes the excuses "so regularly."

Hey harini!! Ugh I was going to stay up tonight for Fed, but then a friend asked me to work for her tomorrow morning so she could spend time with her little sister. So of course I said yes. So now I can't stay up all night. Booo

harini: No DVR. We still have a VCR. I think my family hasn't realized it's 2009.

And wait, when coverage starts, they'll be showing the ARod match, right? Or can I hope they'll bounce around? There are some relatively fun matchups ...

Ugh another time when I realize I should invest in a DVR.

aussiemarg, I'm praying here for him to do well. It will be really wondeful if he can win this, the beginning to another great year. And if he does win here I can imagine what a year will be, with the french next online. I will feel like you say in heaven and maybe my blood preassure will got back to normal. I just came back from my daily walk witch have help me alot. Hugs lucky girl.

Maedal, hello to you, a hugs on the distance for you. I feel better today than yesterday, thanks for your kinds words. Less hope for a Rafa win and that final with Federer.

ok was just off making my suicide pool picks which was a bit of a palavar since it involved having to open a whole new email account.
but it is done. Perhaps worrying about that will stop me worrying about Feduhruh and his lovely locks

maedal, this TAT it really have been a suicide for me, I'm really lost there. I don't even know if I have pick on the right site, wow not really good on this things. People most be laughing at me.

Sherlock:
Hoad got off to an alarming early lead (18-9). (Jack Kramer, the promoter, hated Pancho, and had put Hoad through a really intensive pre-series training course in the hope that Lew could replace Pancho as his main attraction.) But Pancho prevailed in the end--51-36. (Not relying on memory here; I looked it up.)

Tangi,
No DC tickets as my vehicle repairs took my fun away:( However, I am still going to be outside the arena on the first day to take in the atmosphere before people file in the arena.
Local media was surprised when tickets were sold in one hour. The mayor said he has no tickets but was glad that people were calling his office asking for them. The expensive seats went quicker than the cheaper ones

*******************************************************
In about 2 hrs and 30 minutes, I will leave TW until tomorrow morning from my day job as I am ready for AO to start.

Hey Whitney & Siggy, gosh so many faces!

Hey jewell :)

[Local media was surprised when tickets were sold in one hour. The mayor said he has no tickets but was glad that people were calling his office asking for them. The expensive seats went quicker than the cheaper ones]

Wow, that's a good sign for DC survival

Hey Sher!

Ok I'm starting to get antsy.. when does this thing start!? haha

Whitney Happy New Year To You,my fellow shoe and bag devotee,I got a lovely new Chanel wallet in new summer 09 colour for Chrissy also I have my eye on a new Chanel hand bag also new season colour,hubby dosent know about it yet,will just happen to take him in to the city and walk past the Most Wonderful Shop in the World,who knows? lol!

yikes, this does not look good for the Eagles.

only a few more hours and then we can remain sleepless for two weeks, Whitney :)

phewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

That was close.

Aw, Whitney, sorry to hear that. Hope you're hanging in there. Really glad to see you here again, though. :)

Boy, did the Eagles get lucky there. Donavan, where are you throwing that??

Gonzales would claim until his dying days that Hoad was the best player ever, "the only guy who, if I was playing my best tennis, could still beat me," though he also said he rates Sampras "potentially with anybody, including Lew Hoad" (heh heh).

Ross, did you ever see Pancho play? I'd be very interested to hear how you think he would fare against today's players (with modern racquets, of course).

NP Sampras would be so proud of you!

hey aussiemarg! haha I haven't bought anything new in awhile! But good luck on getting the hubby to buy you some pretty new things! lol

Nice to be back Sherlock. :) Although my productivity level that started so high this morning has taken a nosedive. haha

Syd, am in total accord, fallacy or no, no ad hominem, no ad populism, no ad... anything on our adored rogi, please! Well, unless, of course, you want to say everybody and her neighbor loves rogi, so he must be one fabulous champion! ;)

Sher, ;) Slams bring everybody out of the cave, no? ;) GO #14!

Syd and all other fella rogiphiles, why on earth did Rogi cut his flowing locks on the very eve of #14? Shivers, is there a delilah somewhere, grrrrr? *burns incense just in case*

"Hoad got off to an alarming early lead (18-9). (Jack Kramer, the promoter, hated Pancho, and had put Hoad through a really intensive pre-series training course in the hope that Lew could replace Pancho as his main attraction.) But Pancho prevailed in the end--51-36. (Not relying on memory here; I looked it up.)"

That is just fantastic, Ross. Thanks! :)

Wow, from 9 down to a win by 15. Kramer must have been royally ticked. :)

AM, you know Pete can always count on me as his advocate.

Yup, Siggy! It's so great to see so many familiar faces on TW. I'm almost afraid to step away lest I miss someone *grins*

Anyway, are you staying up tonight for Roger's match? Since it is likely to be around 5am TW, I have a feeling I could make it.

..ad populum, grrrr...

Yeah Jackie, it's Roddick first and Fed's got the night match so we won't get it until very late.

I do hope they bounce around to different courts, but ESPN2 will focus solely on ARod. blah.

Aw Whitney. yeah a DVR is a good idea...but i don't have one either so in the coming nights when I don't stay up is going to be a problem. I don't even have a VCR so Jackie, at least you have that!

gah. This Eagles-Cardinals game is not going well so far.

Sherlock, for the record Pancho and Jack did patch things up at the end. Unfortunate that Pancho was so difficult pretty much all his adult life.

WHOAAAAAAAA, TD.

crazyone, cover your eyes.

disaster.

it's ok Jackie. It's not like disasters like these are unusual to me as an Eagles fan.

hmmph, robespierred again!

Sher, you are ever so sweet for inquiring, as I recall, you are a fella rogiphile, and unlike the one I see in my own mirreur, a level-headed and always-gracious one! ;) I'll be doing my very best to fight off hypnus to behold our adored one in action after so many months, shorn of glorious locks or no! And you?

Crazyone please I ned your help have registered on TAT keep getting will send you a e-mail to your a.count I am still getting blocked,also sent them a e-mail regarding this,now have put another one in with hubbys e-mail got same reply what gives?

time for me to get going. enjoy the football everyone and of course, the TENNIS!

'bye for now!

siggy, I love how you keep using the "robespierred" shorthand.

aussiemarg, I'm actually not participating in the suicide draw so you should probably ask someone else here.