"Speaking of reading, Rafa made an appearance in the latest trashy bonkbuster"

So jewell reads trashy bonkbusters. I'm shocked!

Hi Angel! I'd prefer Rafa, but would be pretty happy for any of the other three - particularly Murray. Berdych is probably my least favourite of the last four but it would be a wonderful win for him too.

zenggi, AM - please don't fall out, I love the friendliness here in the mornings & would be really sad to see it fraying.

NP: ;lol

Zenggi: Cheer up! There is a silver lining at the end of every cloud!

I wanna know u guys' take on Wimby based this:
http://tinyurl.com/32sn9te

I can't resist a proper trashy book. Love them. :)

Jewell no joke. One of my Project Manager's has brought the Wimbledon stream so he is very excited about Murray's win and yes he is British. I was about to tell him that there were free streams but I ended up getting busy.

Spacenox Yes things do get out of hand here.Look I understand the passion of fans hey but still there are limits on both side of the fence

I dont bother anymore posting when say Petes does a post on Roger or Rafa cause it ends up soo heated.

I admire both players for what they have brought to the tennis world.I quiclky made a post today.The went back and saw some disgusting posts.Any true tennis fan would not go soo low.

I use to like going back and reading posts which I had missed overnight but not anymore especially when I know it is going to be crap.

jewell,
Don't you think for a moment that AM and I will stop being friends.

I'm an anastrophist. Great. I love it, NP.

I also loved Asterix and Obelix. The best Begium-French alliance ever.

I have to go to work. Tropical temperatures are coming.

""imjimmy, my CB sez Muzz will S&V judiciously to catch Rafa off guard again. ""

NP: Nadal does stand in closer to return serve on grass than he does on hard courts, so it could be interesting how much success Murray has with that strategy. . Nadal HAS to absolutely attack Murray's putrid second serve offering, or he will have little chances to break.

When I look back at the Nadal - Murray USO 08 SF and AO 2010 QF, I see :

- Murray served excellent in those matches. His 1st serve percentage > 60% ( which for him is pretty good).
- Murray went for the lines using his CC backhand. Nadal used the the CC forehand too much and not enough DTL and i/o directed to Murray's fh.
- Nadal's serving himself was NOT good. He did not have a lot of variation and Murray had a easier time picking his spots and attacking.
- Nadal was POOR in clutch points, and that's saying something for a guy who's known to play the big points well. At AO 2010, Nadal could have won both the sets, but Murray played amazing on big points.

So to win against Murray, Rafa needs to: Serve better (in terms of variation); get Murray on the run and finish the points with his forehand; try to break down Murray's forehand with his I/O fh and CC bh ; Play BETTER on clutch points and take more chances. Rafa absolutely has to come out firing and his forehand has to be the dominant shot which would push Murray back.

zengii I am your friend for life ok

Lump it or like ok lol!

Angel of the Surf (The Youz for the top 10) 07/01/2010 at 03:30 AM

"I use to like going back and reading posts which I had missed overnight but not anymore especially when I know it is going to be crap."

Firstly pagination killed it and secondly there is just too much of trash talking and much less 'analysis/informative' kinda posts anymore.

Even NP has been reduced to writing just a para or 2. I remember reading novels on Pistol Pete here every other day :-)

AM,
Best pal-friends ever. :)

NP,
Now is your CB working?. Thanks, mate!

Really off.

Yes I have missed NP auto biographies

zengii Word!!!

Yay. :)

imjimmy, Pspace and moi were actually talking about Muzz's 2nd serve a couple days ago. I do see some improvement, though it's still not top-notch by any means.

Agree that Rafa needs to use his FH more against Muzz.

spacenox I actually like having page numbers as I can usually remember what page I left on and start reading from say Page 7.

Just looking at OOP for today and I see I will have to stream, Vera and Sveta up first. I also noticed that Chela and Schwank are in the semi finals for the dubs, don't tell me Argentina could have a recognised doubles team which may even be good enough to play Davis Cup. Will wonders never cease. Court 1 has some pretty good doubles on it today.

Well I hoping for a Vera win,that girl needs a break with all the injuries she has had at important times in her career.

I am glad she didnt self destruct against Kim she played great.

I really hope that Vera can stay mentally strong today and not have any meltdowns. Although I don't think she can have slow start like she did against Kim or in the doubles yesterday.

spacenoxx, I write less these days precisely because of the dearth of "analysis/informative" posts.

zenggi, anytime.

Before I go, I'll leave y'all with Rios at his best:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pig7ChkRap0

Sick hands.

Later.

ack - late for work. Bye all!

Ciao, NP.

Vera vs Serena I think it would be. But think Vera would be tired after all the doubles. I would cheer for Pironkova. Nice to see Bulgaria have someone after the Maleeva sisters. I remember liking Magdelena Maleeva (yeah! I am THAT old).

And I see Martina and Anna get to play on an outside court again although it does say TBA.

Bye Jewell and NP

How did Stosur and Petrova go in the doubles>

NP, I like Andy's chances against Nadal. He knows he can't beat Rafa playing defensively and has to play aggressively. That realization takes away all the excessive thinking he does on the court at times with so many options at his disposal and forgets about hitting the ball. We saw him executing the aggressive game plan perfectly against Rafa at the 08 US open and in Melbourne this year.

My post did not appear..GRR
Rafa needs to avoid slicing his bh on a ROS against Murray. Murray can do a lot with such a return. I am happy with Rafa's volleys though. He is standing few feet nearer to the baseline and in general playing well. His unforced errors have increased though. guess that is a bargain for being aggressive. The most important thing though is to go after Murray's forehand. Rafa tends to focus way too much on hitting to Murray's bh.

NP 07/01/2010 at 03:46 AM

spacenoxx, I write less these days precisely because of the dearth of "analysis/informative" posts.

That is what I kind of implied.

Admittedly, some of your Pete related posts/pills were too big to swallow ;-) they still worth worth trying as they at-least had a point. Its mostly crap these days.

Well Muzz will go into the match knowing he has beaten Nadal the last they met in a GS semi, which will give him a lot of confidence. I still think Rafa will win in four sets. With Novak and Tomas no idea. Both semis look good on paper, I just hope they are not blow outs.

RG Nadal I think Rafa knows Murrays game and what to do

I loved the way Rafa attacked Robins f/hand and he forced Roin into u.errors on it

Rafs's slice was not that great yesterday. The only time when they were effective was when they were deep and low. Any thing else Sod made him pay. His BH was also not firing yesterday, too many found the net. His FH was good though.

Well Novak hasnt been pushed

I hope Tomas dosent have a let down by beating Roger

Though he has a day off

Tomas was soo strong off the ground in his game

Spacenox Agree Rafa had to keep those slices low in his game against Robin

Floaty and high he paid big time for them

AM,

But the Undead is no Sod. Sod couldn't handle some floated balls to his BH side which he promptly hit them back to the middle of the court for Rafa to pounce over them. Muzz on the other hand has a killer BH and will eat any of those floaters for breakfast.

AM: Yeah. Also Murray is finding his groove. This is the best he has played since the AO. He has added some speed to his second serve too.

Good to see Nole making the semis too. By his standards a poor year till now. Two slam quarters and a title at Dubai somehow do not befit him.

Spacenox Hmmm yeah though I dont like the high floaters at all lol!

RG About time Murray found his game lol! I agree though he also hasnt been pushed

Hi everyone,
watching a replay of Rafa-Sod now (didn't get to see it Live yesterday) and Murray has definitely played at a higher level through this tournament than Soderling did yesterday. Which means Rafa needs to lift his level even more for the semi. Hope he has enough in the tank after dropping 5 sets already - those memories of the AO quarter-final aren't comforting!

Jai Rafa and Sod are a different game and can t compare really

Murray I knew would win.Tsonga hasnt played much on the grass.

I thought Rafa played well and was too strong physically and mentally for Robin and broke him down.Ok he started flat.

Also he cant afford to do that against Murray.He knows that

Also I think on grass Rafa has better chances than on h/court against Murry

Rafa gave him a tennis lesson on grass in 08 remember

Though I know both players are different now.

Rafa was physically struggling at the AO this year as we all saw

"Also I think on grass Rafa has better chances than on h/court against Murry"

Aussiemarg: yes, that's what I'm hoping for too. Hope the conditions on Centre Court aren't very different from those on Court 1.

Jai Players are still slipping and sliding

I dont know what the weather forecast is for this week

The baseline is yellow looking and worn and the back of the baseline the same

The courts need more water on them ASAP

AM: The Brits have waited long enough. Some where the wait has to end. If Murray wins this, he could win the USO too. The first slam is the biggest hurdle for most players.

Jai: Hi. I saw lil of the match as on tv they were showing the Murray-Jo match. Rafa did say that he was physically fit. Also he will be telling himself that he must win 6 sets, though he might end-up playing 10.

Wonder who could be a more difficult opponent for Rafa- Nole or Berdy?

Like I said if Muzz wins this, I am going to stop reading the papers/news for a while. Nothing against him cause I think he is a very good player. Its just the way the Brit journos go about it, you would think Rog and Rafa are chumps who have no business holding a tennis racquet ;-)

RG Okay you are a Murray fan I get it lol!

Poor Rafa losing a fan to Murray lol!

Spacenox Cant blame them really long time between drinks they have had a GS title

""Murray has added some speed to his second serve too. ""

The Stats don't support that. AO 2010 QF : Murray Avg 2nd serve speed: 94 MPH. Wimb 2010 QF: Murray Avg 2nd serve speed: 93 MPH. So NOT much difference. If anything it was 1 MPH higher in AO.

Finally, If Nadal is fit and his knees hold up, he will NOT loose to Murray in a 5 set match on grass. Nadal is looking sharp aggressive and determined. He's handled Soderling, Petzchner and Haase with bigger serves and bigger hitting than Murray. So he's much better prepared for offense than he has been previously. Murray WILL have to play out of his mind to beat Nadal and be super-aggressive, whereas Nadal can play withIN his own game. That is telling IMO.

As I said before, the ONLY one who can stop Rafael Nadal from winning Wimbledon is HE himself, because of his physical issues.

'Nite all.

Look I thought Murray had a great chance to win the USO last year

He didnt play the big points well.We all saw that

I was there live at theis years AO in the final again Murray had a dream run to the final and was totally out played by Roger it has taken him soemtime to get over that loss.

imjimmy Good night

I agree again with your thoughts the only person can beat Rafa is himself

We Gonna See No?

AM: lol...I always like Brits. Always support them. Added to that Murray is a tennis genius. Let me assure you that I am a Rafan first and anything else later. So not you worry!

rg.nadal.

Dont get me wrong. I like Brits too. I love their sense of humor. Its just that their journos try to hype their players/teams way too much.

jimmy: Good nite. Hope Rafa gets his A-game tomorrow.

spacenoxx: haha. You haev to forgive the Brit press. They are just hungry for sporting success. I think there is no other nation in the world that loves it's sports more than GB. I felt so fad for them at the WC too, though I am a German supporter. A Murray win will heal their wounds and uplift the national spirit.

Its like "7 time GS champion Rafa Nadal got SCHOOLED by British Andy Murray in a 5 set match that lasted 10 hours ;-)"

Rg Good to hear.I happened to like Murray too ok lol!

RH Hell the Poms beat us Aussies in the one day cricket sereis 3 zip

How mucg more blood to you want

And if Muzz loses it prolly will go like " British No.1 Andy Murray ALMOST SCHOOLED 7 time GS Champ in a thrilling Semi-Final match before the 2008 Champ eked out a straight set victory" :-)

spacenoxx: I understand what you are saying..hehe...Media is to blame. They sometimes talk as if the person concerned (Murray here) created the wheel. btw, their humour is good. Agreed. Just wait till Laura Robson becomes a slam contender. We will have double the "news".

AM: Have your revenge at the Ashes!

RG After last time thats a scary thought lol!

I agree with imjimmy that the results in the Rafa-Murray match will probably come down to Rafa's physical condition--unless Murray has a Much higher first service percentage than usual.

Murray may be the only player on the tour that can outlast Rafa from the baseline consistently. If Rafa isn't up to staying out on court for a considerable time, he may make too many "bad" UFEs--ones where he is trying to end points from positions that are too difficult for him to succeed consistently.

I do believe that Rafa will have to be as aggressive from the ground as he often was against Soderling for much of that match--even if it costs him some "good" UFEs. I believe that there was one game in that match where Rafa went down 0-30 on his serve on a missed Xcourt BH and a forehand. But, those were good UFEs. He was inside the court going for winners and missed the lines by two inches or less. Problem for Rafa is that Murray moves well enough that Murray might have gotten his racket on those shots and made Rafa have to go for lines again. Nevertheless, I believe that Rafa will have to go for those shots and follow them up to the net, when necessary.

Rafa's slice BH often floated and landed short against Sod--not a good thing. Sod often punished Rafa as a result, but not as often as could have been the case, especially in the fourth set, when Sod's level of play dropped considerably. More importantly, Sod missed on a floater slice on a breakpoint that cost him dearly.

I'm not sure that Murray will punish Rafa's floater slices to the extent that Sod, delPo, and Birdman will when they are in form. So, I don't know to what extent poor floater slices will be counterproductive for Rafa.

Rafa didn't react very well when Sod was at net. When Sod came behind strong approach shots, not much Rafa could do. However, Sod is not a great volleyer; Rafa usually will try the two-shot pass combo against such player--hit a shot that leads to a weak volley, then finish the point with the next passing shot. Rafa did not execute that tactic very successfully against Sod. If he doesn't do better in this area against Murray, Rafa will reduce his chances in this match. Despite the fact that Murray tends not to spend much time at at net, the match could be tight enough that many such points will be crucial.

Murray's ROS is solid enough that I doubt Rafa is going to win many free points on his serve. I believe that Rafa should be trying to win many points on one-two combos: stretch Murray on the serve and go for a winner on a short reply. If Murray is returning extremely well, Rafa may not have that many opportunities for this approach.

Because Rafa doesn't consistently return strong first serves that well, Murray could garner many "free" points on the first serve, provided Murray's first serve percentage is higher than normal. We'll see how that goes.

I expect that the sets and the match will be tight, likely turning on which of the players best handles the big points.

Good morning All. So now Billie Jean is mentoring Sharapova.

Hi AM
Thanks for your email. I sent you one back.
I needed hugs badly.
Have a nice evening.

Good morning to you, Karen. Any more details on the Sharapova developement?

Aussiemarg,
Nadia and Samantha lost to Vania and Yaroslava in the 3rd round.

Fedgirl, nope they were doing this thing on ESPN with Rick Reilly honouring Billie Jean King and they had people in the audience and then I saw a clip where they were showing Sharapova speaking about her. apparently she was a surprise guest in the audience and she reminded Billie Jean of 2 things. One when she Maria was 13 and that Billie Jean came to see her practice and talk to her parents about her development and the second time when she was about to take the court in 2008 in the Australian Open final and she got a text (said she did not know that Billie Jean could send text messages) wishing her good luck and telling her that pressure is a privilege.

It was a nice little thing.

I am so nervous for Serena today. Too much hype. I like when she flies under the radar. Too many upsets right now

And good morning to you too Fedgirl :)

I am in India. So good evening to me from you. :-) Still hurting from Fed's loss. :-( How are you doing?

Jamaica Karen,
I have a feeling that the WTA will be dull today compared to the past 3 days this week. Also, the ATP has one-upped the WTA for the first time in Slam play in 2010 as the names have survived.

Well I am counting on streams for today's matches as Foxtel are not allow to show any more matches due to broadcasting rights from a free to air tv station who are absolutely crap. Fox are not even allowed to show doubles matches on Court 1.

@Fedgirl, I got up this morning and realised that yesterday was really not a dream, but the continuation of a nightmare. Slept well last night. For some reason it has been harder to shake off this loss about Fed than even the FO loss this year. I think the reason is because my 2 faves are really out and for the first time in a long while Venus will not be holding up a trophy at the end of Wimbledon.

One good thing though is that yesterday I deleted about 20 people from twitter and about 10 different blogs from my favourites. I have no time for the negativity. Both Federer and Venus have always carried themselves like true champions of the sport and from where I sit the sport will be much poorer when they are gone.

They bring something different to tennis and I will be a very sad bunny when they are no longer around, especially at Wimbledon.

JK: I know what mean. The hype hasn't worked for Venus, Soderling, Kim, Justine or Roddick. Everytime BG says that a player is going put a beat down on the other, the player ends up either losing or having to go the distance.

MA, you have that so right. As much as I am sure that there are a lot of people in Bulgaria and Russia who would disagree with us, these players just do not have the same amount of star quality like certain top players. I do not think it has anything to do with their personality, I think it has to do with their games. There is just nothing there that makes you want to get up early in the mornings or stay up late at night to actually watch them play. Let us hope that this match is at least compelling enough to watch.

Where is everybody today? Vera vs Tsvetana should be starting shortly. If this was the ATP today, posters would already be here getting ready for Berdych vs Djokovic(moat likely match to play first)

wilson, exactly. I wish they would stop talking about Serena's serve. I hope she comes to play today.

MA, if they have not even put up a new post for women's semi day, do you really think people are going to come and talk about these players.

Yeah, where are all the Pironkova fans who were here cheering her on against Venus the other day. Did they forget that her match was this morning?

Pete,
Why are the CC for the WTA late and the ATP be up before play start?

C'mon, Pironkova.

Not a good day for the USA in juniors as Kudla(boys) and Stephens(girls) lost their QF matches

JK: I hope so to. I would love for Serena to win Wimbledon again.

I want Vera to come out swinging straight away, she cannot afford to start off slow like against Kim. She also started off slow in the doubles yesterday. Go Vera.

Morning Everyone!:)

I'm watching this match and frazzling over the next one already, I can't even concentrate on this one.:(...

Jamaica Karen,
They forgot. LOL

Melzer/Petzscher vs Moodie/Norman SF doubles match have started on Court 1.

Wow what a contrast to last year's first semi final. Look at the number of empty seats on Centre Court? So many. Last year at this time during the Serena/Dementieva, we were all frazzling and it was so exciting. Dang, how things change.

Know what I notice, neither of these women are making any attempts to move forward up into the court. They are both content to just stay on the baseline and rally. I hope as the match progresses, one or other of them will go up to the net, but I think that is going to be a pipe dream.

Did anyone else catch the arm bump at the changeover? OOOOOh Drama!! *Perks up* hehe

I have a stream going plus my football team is playing tonight and the match is on delay.

Morning everyone !

I like both Vera and Pironkova (I've just about forgiven her for beating my Venus) so I'm just going to say may the best lady win.

JK: It's kinda weird for Wimbledon to have empty seats for a women's final on CC. If I was the WTA I would be concerned about that.

Hi Lynne! :)

wilson, exactly, the WTA should be concerned.

From the early play so far, Pironkova in 3.

Hey Neveah,

Hope you're well. :)

Lynne - I am,thank you!!!:)

I hope you're fantastic!!!;)

Morning Neveah, Karen and everyone else at TW, so excited for Womens semi day! Fingers croseed for Vera and Serena as i think that will be the best final (and i have a huge ReRe bias!)

I am just looking at Pironkova's average serve speed. Her first serve is pretty good. Goes up to as much as 112 mph but one of the things that I noticed in her match against Venus is that on her second serve if it is under pressure it will go to even 79 mph.

A moment ago she hit a 113 mph ace and then followed it up with a 94 mph out wide for a service winner. Her placement on the serve is very good.

Hoping that Melzer and PP can win their doubles match.

New Post up

Peter,

have you figured out why Wimbledon reads Chinese Taipei and not Taiwan?