oh my...

groenefeld v. safina...

Safina vs groenfeld! toughie there!

rossana de los rios v. vee... mom v. veteran!!!

hahaha.. brito v. serena...

they had to put it into center court!!!

hahahaha.... exposure!!!

I am not to pleased with a potential Fed-Berdych QF...

Ok, has a chance to see the draw. Wow, Serena Sharapova 4th round and Juju and Kim fourth round. I think overall Vee got a nice draw. I think Bonaranko has a fair chance at the upset against Sharapova if she plays well which she's capable of. I think Juju can take Kim. Caro's draw, a lot of danger in there, but I believe in this girl. Can anyone tell me where JJ landed. Vee or Ree?

Why do people ring me in the middle of the womans draw? lol!

Gee I think Vee has a good managable draw

Serena? Hmmm

Samantha Elin: Jankovic the other top seed in the Clijsters quarter. Theoretically, she would face the winner of the Henin/Clijsters match.

By the way how many times has Lleyton now landed in Rogers side at Wimby

Is this a record of some kind lol!

I think Serena has a tough draw, but she definitely should make the fourth round where I think the winner of that match will be in the finals.

Nadal easily has the toughest draw of the men. I liked his chances to win the tournament before the draw came out, but now I think he'll be lucky to make the second week.

Agree about Vee, her toughest opponent will come in the semi, Sharapova got a really tough draw. Serena in the 4th and Li who just beat her easily in the quarters. Sharapova looks good as long as she's not playing a top ten player, I think Serena can take her. Kim and Juju, who does everyone think will take it? I'm so nervous about this match up.

if serena wins her 4th round match against maria, she will lose in the finals... she'll meet radwanska who always losses to the eventual finalist in the last 2 years...

but i guess maria's pumped after Lakers BF just won the champs.... show off maria!!!

regarding vee's draw... sure she had an easy draw.. but it doesnt motivate her... she really does push herself when she face tough draws, i.e., 2000 wimby, 2005 wimby and 2008 wimby...

hhehehehe...

@SAm...

thinks juju will take it... but kim can surprise... kimmy has some issues with grass yesterday... juju is playing well in unicef open...

Henin will triumph over Kim in 3 tough sets!

Thanks guys, I was a little upset when I saw that matchup, now I'm starting to believe again. Go Justine.

Lindsay's take on W:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8745096.stm

exciting third round possible matches on the womens side...

Serena - Safarova,
Hantuchova - Sharapova,
Li - Kuznetsova,
Errani - Radwanska,
Wozniacki - Pavlyuchenkova,
Zheng - Azarenka,
Pennetta - Rezai,
Dulgheru - Stosur,
Clijsters - Kirilenko,
Henin - Petrova,
Wickmayer - Zvonareva,
Bondarenko - Jankovic,
Schiavone - Shvedova,
Martinez Sanchez - Bartoli,
Peer - Safina and
Kleybanova - Venus.

thanks for the link rg!!

i love lindsay...

RG thanks for the link

Well Azarenka and her knees are still a question mark for me?

Kim? also a question mark she plays good and then seems to look vunerable

I am out on Justine her serve isnt good enough and she seemed to play soo different at RG this year not her usual clay game was she thinking of Wimby there?

Still Serena and Vee are the players to beat

I am going with Vee she has a good draw.

Non-Fedal potential paths to Wimbledon title:

Murray - Simon -> Querrey -> Tsonga/Verdasco -> Nadal -> Federer
Djokovic - Montanes -> Hewitt -> Cilic/Roddick -> Federer -> Nadal/Murray
Roddick - Kohlschreiber -> Cilic -> Hewitt/Djokovic -> Federer -> Nadal/Murray
Hewitt - Monfils -> Djokovic -> Cilic/Roddick -> Federer -> Nadal/Murray

Murray has it easiest until the SF. Djokovic has the quarter of death, considering that his potential opponents from the QF onwards are better on grass than he is. Roddick and Hewitt will have plenty of tough scraps to get through, but they'd probably prefer a pre-SF match with Djokovic as opposed to Fedal or Murray.

I have Stosur and Makarova live from Eastbourne on my tv now

Sunny today though dosent seem soo windy

By the way Sam will be no 6 next Monday

Congrats Sammy!!!!!!!

Alison Lang is the umpire for this match

Listening to Sam yesterday she said she has been working more on her serve for the grass and has been getting buckets of balls and practicing.

Pat: Welcome! She was a great player. Super consistent!

Stosur will serve first

Good solid service game for Sam

Stosur 1-0

AM: Welcome!!!

Makarova very nervous on court,just missed a easy smash she netted it

Sam with a b/point

Sams breaks

Stosur 2-0

The windy conditions of yesterday really played havoc with the players serves,shots

Today a differnt story

Sam with a easy service game

Stosur 3-0

Makarova's coach has already been on court? gee that was quick lol!

Mornin' all. Congrats to you AM, great comeback the last six minutes.....but seriously, basketball is soooo yesterday.....off to check the draw.:)

Mr and Mrs D Hang on I promised myself I would be kind and gentle towards you?

Ok that was enough Kind

Yay Lakers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sam with 2 b/points

AM: I am expecting a crate of that chocolate you're always shipping off to posters!!:)

Well sam with a few miss hits

deuce

B/hand winner for Sam

B.point no 4

nice angle volley form Makarova

decue

Good wide left serve

Add to makarova she holds from being down love 40 on her serve

Stosur 3-1 1st set

Ok Mr and Mrs D I will air freight you 2 cartons ok

Though dont push it

Sam with open court and shot goes wide??

Sam just settle,15-30

good slice Sam

Makarova netts shot

30 all

Hello everyone,
so Rafa's potential path to the final is: Nishikori -> Blake -> Gulbis -> Isner/Youzhny -> Soderling -> Murray?

Can't wait to see if anyone will show up and interpret THIS as a cupcake draw!

Nice construction of point there Sam

40-30

Shank and mishit by Sam,good return by Makarova though had Sam off balanced

deuce

add to Makarove Sams shot wide

Poor service game Sam,good 1st serve and your over played your f/.hand

Makarova breaks

Stosur 3-2

Well Makarova seems to have settled and had a love service game with a ace on her 2nd serve

3 games all

Sam better service game

Stosur 4-3

Go Lakers!

Congrats NP. Thanks to you I am a winner again. (Take that Fed!)

(Err, fell asleep during the big match!)

Sam with b.point

Makarova seems to be rushing her shots and making u/errors

Good low slice Sam

Sams breaks

Sam will serve for the 1st set 5-3

Pfft Sam mishit and bad bounce and you shanked

Love 30 now

Love 40 this is disgraceful Sam

What about using s/volley gosh you are a doubles GS champion

Makarova breaks to love

Stosur 5-4

That was disgraceful Sam and you need a new brain.

Jai: Hi. My friend (not on this forum) already did it. Called it a "good draw". When I asked her how a draw with Isner and Gulbis can be good she said "hahaha cmon considering the amount of form the second rung players possess roger and rafa shd kick themselves if they dont make the final"

Isner is toast

Sam Wake Up you have gone walk about big time

You have been talking to your self on court and yelling something I have never seen you doing.Calm down and get focused ASAP

SamE: looks like the early round match-ups you were dreading came to fuition!:(

Last year with this draw I would've been convinced Dinara would be around for the QF's. Today, well let's just say Groenefeld will devour Dinara like a warm berry scone slathered with clotted cream!:(

Morning All. Posting has been so light from me these last few days. Work sucks big time, but the good thing is that I have TC so it makes it all better.

Congrats to Lakers fans (NP and AM you guys hung in there for better or worse). Commies to Celtics fans, your guys did good. Just got beat going down the stretch.

Just glanced through overnight posts and early morning ones on the draw. Looks pretty fair and balanced from where I sit. Some really nice early round matches that could prove to be either competitive or downright head shaking moments. Serena will have to be on from the get go. No faffing about. DeBrito will be looking to make a statement with her fist pumps and shrieks and you know that Serena will not be having it.

Makarova's nips are so visible. Woman, get a bra!!!!

I do not particularly like these days when Roger gets someone that he has beaten a number of times. The potential for the upset becomes so much easier. Hopefully, he comes ready to play Falla.

deuce now on Makarova's serve

great ace by Makarova,her add

Well done Makarova she holds

5 games all

"and you know that Serena will not be having it."

Well put Karen.....looking forward to the 'Serena stare' right from the get go!!

Sam please dont go to the f/hand of a lefty

Brain Snap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sam holds from being down 15-40 who knew?

Stosur 6-5

rg.nadal: ha! That is some bizarre reasoning. By that logic it would be impossible for Roger or Rafa to ever have a tough draw!

Blake has famously been a nemesis for Rafa on fast courts in the past, and Nishikori played him very close at Queens 08, but the early-round opponent who really concerns me is Gulbis. He was the only one to take a set off Rafa in Wimby 08 (before the final, that is) and I got the impression at Rome this year that he's hungry to get that first win over Rafa.

Jai Special K is not the player of 08 and is just coming back from injury

Blake got out in the 1st rd??

Makarova held service to love

T/break now

@Mrs. D - so true. She will be looking at her like, are you serious, do you know who I am? etc.

@SamE, pretty tough draw for your ladies, especially Caro. With this draw she will either have to tough it out or fall by the way side. The women's tour is getting tougher and tougher each season. A lot of top players or former top players are not having good form right now but drawing them in the early rounds is not good for top players these days. Everyone will have to be their game from the first bell.

Man, Clijsters must be asking herself, what do I have to do to get away from this Justine and Nadia persons. Poor ARad always getting stuck with a Williams Sister. She should really befriend one or other of them.

AM: I know, that's why I said I was more concerned about Gulbis than about those two.

Makarova 2-0

Sams shot wide,she is brain dead I cant believe this,she should have won this set

Makarova 3-0

Sam 1st ace

Makarova 3-1

Makarova 3-2 and to serve

Jai: haha. forgot to add that she is a Roger Kad!..lol I want Isner, Sod and Gulbis out of Rafa's way. Not too concerned about Blake, He will self-destruct himself during the middle of the second set.

Makarova good wide serve

Makarova 4-2 with another serve

Great cross court ankle

Makarova 5-2

Sam has gone blind and is not watching the play

Sam with kicker serve

Makarova 5-3

Sam with 1 more serve

Sam good f/hand

Makarova 5-4

Good morning all, Watching Sam Stosur try to self implode. She should have won this set 15 minutes ago.

And my former favorite, James Blake gets Rafa in the second round. No justice here!

Sam good approach shot though mishit by sam

5 all now

Makarova 1 more serve

2nd serve now

Sam shot long

Set point Makarova

2nd serve now for Makarova

great f/hand

Makarova 7-6 (7-5) 1st set well played

Jai I will be interested to see how Gulbis goes he has had that injury and not match play on grass

Way to lose the set, Samantha Stosur!! Makarova hung in there -- good for her.

Sam getting a warning for ball abuse? okay cut this Crap out Sam and focus.

Makarova to serve 1st in the 2nd set

Watching this match it just solidified something in my head, Stosur is really cr*p at playing tie breaks. Almost every match of hers that I have watched in recent times she has lost the tie break. Fortunately for her she has been winning most of those matches, but for me she would make her life a lot easier if she was able to stay in the moment during tie breaks. Another thing that I have noticed is that she seems to be showing her frustrations these days. No longer are we seeing Stoic Stosur, now we are seeing Slamming Stosur and not in a good way as she has been slamming the balls when she loses sets or indeed loses serve.

Unfortunately I agree, Karen. I wonder if the pressure of expectations is getting to Stosur.

Makarova good service game,and ace again on 2nd serve

Makarova 1-0,2nd set

Sam you are all over the place like yesterday in patches in your game.

Think!! the brain remember that??

Love 30 now?

I think that Steve Tignor is really underestimating the proffesionalism of the players when he says that nadal is control of the match from the start because he partakes in time wasting activities. Also food for thought rafa fans, before the start of 08( when fed developed mono and has since never been the same player again) the head to head stood at 9-6 and keep in mind that federer held match points in a certain 5 setter on clay. So its really not as a lopsided rivalry as the Rafa fans would like to have us fed fans think.

"Not too concerned about Blake, He will self-destruct himself during the middle of the second set."

rg.nadal: I don't think Blake will be a serious threat in terms of pulling off an upset, but he has the potential to be a nuisance given that his game is a tough match-up for Rafa. Rafa won the last 4 times they played, but it was never in straight sets. And what he needs in this tournament are some quick, uncomplicated wins in the early rounds. Unfortunately that doesn't seem very likely now.

@adice, I believe so. I think that the pressure of expectations also got to her at the French Open as well. It is all well and good to beat the big guys and to bring your best game but she just never brought that same attitude to the final. She is really playing poorly in this match.

When you write attitude and composure on your arm to remind you that you need to have those 2 things working then you know you are in big trouble mentally as a professional athlete. She needs to have that built into her before she can succeed.

Goodness me Sam with a d/t/line shot

Add to Stosur

Sam holds and did she need that

1 game all

Gee that was a bit of grass court tennis Sam?

Jai: That is there. Each of those first four matches have "at least 4 sets" written all over them!

Sam cant find you f.hand though stop going for the bloody lines all the time there isnt the need ok

Makarova 2-1,2nd set

Stosur holds

2 games all

Again Sam you had plenty of time for shot selection and you had a massive Brain Snap

Would someone please give Sam Their Brain Please Now

Before I go on court and Shake Her

Makarova 3-2

Sam s/volley? hell dont say you woke up?

AM, Just catching up quickly from last nite & this am. Not sure if you saw this, but there's no need to get out your vuvu doll. According to an article here, they have banned them at Wimby - and anything "distracting to players" .... hmmmmmmm

off to check out the draw

Stosur holds

3 games all,2nd set

Good Morning

Anyone talking about the Wimbledon draws?

Colette Thanks for that.The news I got was people are selling those Horns at a cheap prive for Wimby even though they are banned

I will die if that happens and some people sneak them in

Sam had a b/point lets see what she can do?

Good wide lefty low serve from Makarova good work

deuce

Add to Makarova

2nd serve for Makarova now

Great gound shot she holds serve

Makarova 4-3,2nd set

Makarova shot was on the line,even Stosur thought it was,another bad call here Again

Stosur holds

4 games all,2nd set

Good service game by Makarova

Makarova 5-4,2nd set

Sam better service game

5 games all,2nd set

Makarova holds serve 6-5

Sam will serve to stay in the match and force a t/breaker

Makarova with 2 b.points

Sams f/hand has gone Awol

Makarova has 2 match points

Sam with good 1st serve

Makarova shot mishit and goes wide

deuce

Sam with luck she needs it

add to Stosur

Brain snap Sam,that f/hand you over played AGAIN

deuce

Another bad miss on f.hand Sam this is Crap

Match point for Makarova

Makarova d Stosur 7-6 (7-5),7-5

Well done after a very shaky start you can back and played well

Good luck in the final

How embarrassing. The match is over and the announcer comes on to do the on court interview and TC is still a game behind, so much so that they had to cut out and go to commercial. That is really sad. As if we who are watching dont already know who won. LOL

Sam with 33 u/errors in 2 sets of tennis???

You need some serious thinking.

Sorry for Sam and her fans. Congrats to Makarova!

Robbyfan, if/when you check in ... oh, no, did I see right? Sod in the first round! I know I'll be pulling extra hard for some peachy play by your guy.

I see young Bernie Tomic has Mardy Fish in the first round ...

Hidey Ho one and all

Nice article Pete and count me in as another one who likes to hear gossip about what goes on in the locker room.

I don't have the energy to read all of the posts. Sam's match today was interesting shame she lost. For some reason i can't get into Vuvu's and Bartoli's match.

Colette-Good morning! I can't believe 2 of my favorites are playing in the first round. What are the odds!!

Jai @ 7:41 -- IIRC, Schuettler took a set off Rafa in the semis at W'08. But yeah, a 3rd rnd match-up vs Gulbis -- assuming Gulbis is healthy & fit, which I thought was kind of questionable -- will be a pretty immediate test of form.

Overall, I think the men's draw looks pretty evenly distributed -- maybe Muzzah's got it a little easier than the other top seeds, but any draw can be a killer when you don't have the colm and the positive attitude ... so we gonna see.

I see Hewitt landed in the same quarter as Roddick, which is unfortunate, since I was hoping both would get a chance to take on the Fed. But my overall, uninspired rankings pretty much stays the same: Roger then Rafa then Roddick. RAndy ending up in Fed's half increases the distance between him & Rafa some, but otherwise ... yeah.

I have to remember to do the challenge bracket and SP.