That dimple-less picture of Robin doesn't even look like him. I had to look twice.

When the YEC were in NYC at the MSG I actually have stronger memories of the women's matches than the men's. Graf, Sabatini, Martina N, Aranxta, all had some sensational matches/victories.

Colette: tweeted by Brad Gilbert -

I've never been there, but looks awfully SLOW to me - Sod hits the ball BIG & Murray was running them down like nothing.

BTW, I could be wrong, but the Paris/London change looks less of a deal than it's made out to be. On Twitter, I'm reading that London will start next year on Nov 5th, which is a Saturday (also Bonfire Night for us Brits). So you're cutting one day out - still have Monday-Friday for rest and photos with David cameron, London policemen, etc. Same kind of turnaround for top players as IW vs Miami.

zenggi - it was Henman. :)

*really goes*

Old man Fed/Puny Server Rafa fan,
Think the top players have to do the 4 Slams/8 Masters/4 500s(1 after USO)and 2 250s now for a total of 18 required tournaments before WTF. I am thinking that one of the 250s could be mandatory after Wimbledon. Now,most top players will play Doha/Chennai/Brisbane as their first 250 then play Halle/Queens/Eastbourne/s'-Hertogenbosch as their second.

Thank you, jewell :)

As I said, my friend and I were watching the match while sampling some excellent wine. Not totally focused. Just like Robin today. Sorry, sf. :)

I'm entirely failing to go...

I think it's staying about the same in 2011 and changing - losing the week between Bercy and the WTFs - from 2012.

But in 2012 and 2013, which is when these calendar changes take effect, Bercy will start on the 29th/28th respectively, with London beginning November 5th/4th. So the week in between, which will remain next year, will be gone in 2012. No rest/promo week, no early draw, no release of the schedule days before ...

CL, those women's matches - the Virginia Slims - also tested the best-of-five set format for a couple of years. Seles, never known for her fitness, defeated Navratilova in 4 sets, one year.

with the Olympics dropped into the middle of the 2010 schedule, it's gonna be a daba doo time

ok, make that 2012. you know what I meant!

Moya farewell ceremony in full:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DCzaLtIXFo

And some pics of players watching the big screen tribute and of Rafa giving speach:
http://s1.postimage.org/46xoiqqmt/ddfgg.jpg
http://s2.postimage.org/68pua27hx/ret_moya2.jpg
http://s1.postimage.org/46xjk4p5h/ddd.jpg

"Was watching the moon set in the West - pretty sight, light pink against a blue/grey sky. At the same time, the sun was coming up in the East turning the sky all pink and purple"

Sisu,
Thanks for sharing,reading this alone starts a beautiful afternoon for me,awwwwwwwwwwwwwww Nature!,so pretty, costs nothing and inspires a lot to beauty lovers like me!!!

Ok how's tennis?
Up to my week-end job of making brunch for everyone...babies first!

tina- ah..I had forgotten the 5 set formant. Perhaps that was part of it, along with the general NY energy level and zoo-i-ness of MSG. Its not even that every match was sold out...but there was a pretty amazing 'buzz' almost all the time and by the time the semis and final were reached people were pretty stoked. Then, bery quickly, all the fizz just seemed to die out. My memory isn't good enough to recall if there was a specific reason or not. Probably at least something to do with NY/MSG screwing up. Did the Williams sisters ever get to play the WEC in MSG?

BTW - on the Bryon Bros. video blog, there is a short bit of Novak playing the piano as the lads messed around waiting for their photo shoot. I linked it on the White Tail thread. page 3 or 4 maybe? In case you missed it.

CL, thanks for that link to Novak tickling the ivories... he is a natural born entertainer. Were they in the Marriott Hotel near the London Eye?

Gauloises, if you're still around, there is a (cyber)petition with several hundred* (cyber)signatures to have you interview Judy Murray this week. Please say yes. whether you have press credentials or not. ;-)

ok, so, for the purpose of discussion, pretend I know very little about tennis. (cough, cough) How were the women when playing 5 sets? I know that when they were pushing for equal pay, that was a bone of contention. The holdouts claimed best of 3 shouldn't be compensated the same as best of 5. Equal pay for unequal work, and all.

*or 2

Fyrstenberg/Matkowski have taken the first set 6-3, serving 0-1

sisu, I missed the post that Aube referred to at 1:43, but that is some lovely and evocative imagery.

To those fussing about how Nadal looks with his shorter hair- I never thought Nadal was particularly handsome. Nice, boyish and endearing but definitely not a heart stopper. I would say Federer, Djokovich, Robredo, Del Potro, and sometimes even Soderling (sans tennis clothes) would better fit the bill.

2 apiece in the second set. this is great exposure for the doubles game. Peter Fleming salivating over this level of attendance at a doubles match.

Right Holds 2 love?by the way, welcome to the warmest tennis twibers of the EARTH!!!
Ok back to my woman job!

"Nice, boyish and endearing" suits me any day of the week !

thanks for the warm welcome, Aube. still on serve, 3-3. sweet lob at 15-15

I've never been there, but looks awfully SLOW to me - Sod hits the ball BIG & Murray was running them down like nothing.

did I not say this? I hate to agree with Gilbert about anything but im getting sick of these ultra slow conditions where hitting a winner is next to impossible..Sod WAS hitting big, and Murray got everything back, lots of slices and then could pass when the player who's taking the initiative attempts to come in, rather than hit 30 balls every point ... ugh

Lynne (Rafalite):"Nice, boyish and endearing" suits me any day of the week !

Yepp, it suits me, too, and may I add: and twice on Sunday.

Fyrstenberg/Matkowski finding a void btw Dlouhy/Paes on several points in that game. "Yours!" 4-4 But Paes and Dlouhy go up 5-4

Fyrstenberg/Matkowski take it to even the second set at 5 all

Goldilocks :

Great minds ... you know the rest.

i just remember lucy's moniker and the year of carlos... maybe 2008 ? it was fun to see some hardcore fans of charly... in the middle of all the rafa/fed hype that year...
does she still comes around ? she must be very sad...

london is slow ? i mean is still as slow as it used to be ? i don't think no one change the surface from last year... maybe the contrast with paris indoors is more visible...

Back from my "power nap"

Hi Goldilocks! good to see you here.

Dlouhy/Paes hold to love

Fyrstenberg/Matkowski take it. 6 games all. TB, ladies and gentlemen.

Marie J Commies were saying it was slower of course compared to Bercy

Rafa liked the surface but didnt like the bounce of the court he said after practice according to Robbie and Jason.

Fyrstenberg/Matkowski take the TB, 7-3, and hence the match.
Dlouhy/Paes are excellent doubles players, no doubt about it, but to my untrained eye they just don't seem to gel as a team.

fun to watch doubles for the body language... the teamwork and camaraderie, or in its place tension... the secrecy, signals & codes, whispers behind hands and tennis balls... so different from what's coming next... oh, is there more tennis?

justin gimelstub is on point for his keen observations on the murray-soderling match - re: the court playing slower and allowing murray to run down just about all of robin's powershots and retrieve for "one more ball in."

this surface is built for the defensive-minded players. the organizers should stop this round-robin farce and just put murray vs rafa in the final already, because that's clearly where we're headed.

i have no idea what the ATP is up to but its totally making this game boring...endless retrieving, i could not believe the balls Murray got back, fairly easily, alley to alley, and then put a passing shot at Sod's feet ... the aggressive player doesnt have a chance its all just grinding, i dont get what the ATP thinks its doing year after year it just gets worse!

zenggi,

if you are around (i won't be long but i'll be back to probably see the end on federer-ferrer), i think your man will have a hard time today.

that court is built from rough concrete, and the ball just sits there, and you know that precocious and irrepresible stubble-bob ferrer will be running every one of them down.

it may be ferru's turn to taste roger's cherry and end the 0-10 run, no?

great. We'll see players falling off left and right in 2012. They have olympic and now top guys have to play 4 majors+9 1000s + 4 500s(1 after USO) + 3 250s (due to 1 post-US open requirement) + YEC. No way in hell they will kill themselves by playing DC that year.

Aube and Holds 2 Love - glad you liked it and thank you. I agree nature is a beautiful gift and I marvel almost every day and night. I swear I could sit on my balcony and read when we have a full moon. ;)) Technically, the full moon is this evening but last night and this morning were pretty amazing too.

H2L, I’m all in on the cyber petition for the gauloises/Judy Murray interview!

Happy for F/M team. Love memories of watching PeterF/JohnM stellar play and happy the year-end finals are giving doubles their due like they did last year.

OK, about 10 minutes to Roger/David! Have to eat.

AM, Nadal on the conditions at the O2:

"It is not a secret that these places are not my favourites, both when we talk about the surface and the conditions, but in the end it is the same for all of us players," he said with a shrug of the shoulders. "I always try my best, whatever the conditions, and sometimes I win and many times I lose. That's the way this sport is.

For me, it is harder of course. The ball doesn't normally bounce a lot and that doesn't help my game. This year I must remind myself that I have proven in the past that I can overcome difficulties. Hopefully this is the case again. This year I arrived to London in good shape and ready to play. if was not the case other years here and also in Shanghai so I am really looking forward to my first match." (The Sunday Times)

Holds 2 Love

Thanks for that.I read some parts on another blog

Bad luck to Paes/Dloughy

tim moonpie,

i put you in charge of videotaping the moya vs pennetta "farewell" treat match without your consent. i am bad like that.

i hope you were game, and have a copy of the "action" from yesterday? ;)

I think the YEC should be on clay myself

I really think that ATP's mandating all these 1000, 500, and 250s were a huge mistake. They just made top players a bunch of slaves and depriving their 1-2 extra playing years. Appearance fee+prize money+drive to top ranking should have been the incentives instead!

HmmmBG 'who hasn't been there', or Rafa who actually is there..now...who to believe on court surface?...oh the dilemma...pehaps both are correct...the court is slow but the ball doesn't bounce high. Should give everyone something to work with...just, hopefully, not Ferruu today.

When is Fed-Ferru expected to start?

ok, good peoples, see y'all in a lil bit.

go ferru! (don't tell that to zenggi, please, somebody?)

in about 3 min officially, but probably about 13 min in reality.

sorry sf missed the whole 'match'!

Rafa is unbelievable, does he think no other player gets tired, injured, sore or is not playing in ideal conditions for their games? his humility is as usual is built in excuses for losses in the past, cloaked in the tennis world should revolve around him and his game mindset ...

match feeding has started... old man vs. his toy n.3

FYI, his toy n.1 is Roddick and n.2 is Evil Sod.

Both players are on court

I hate the song London Calling already pfft.

Roger looks like he has red on under his jacket

Yay umpire is Mo

Jason Goodall and Robbie Koenig doing the commentary

Mohamed Lahyani is the chair umpire

Roger Federer won the toss and elects to serve beginning the match with David Ferrer

Sorry, Fed fans, but I'm here for David today. Well, he is my #2 after all and somebody has to be on his side because of his beautiful eyes, of course.

crap. Bloody Red is not a good color for the old man...

Roger won the toss and will serve

Lynne I am with you

Vamos David! and I like his kit

Anything would be better than the "yellow spider man" kit Yikes!

Hi AM!

Thanks, likewise. I haven´t been around lately, been very very busy but I´m so pleased as Punch with our boy´s award.

My husband and I will be in London on Tuesday. I have tickets for the semi final Saturday evening 18:15 and for the final Sunday afternoon 15:30. I didn´t purchase tickets for the Round Robin on purpose because I didn´t know when Nadal would be playing. Now I know. So on Wednesday I would go to the arena and buy tickets for Wednesday´s and Friday´s matches. Wish me luck. I was offered Upper Level tickets by Viagogo for these matches, but no thanks, I might as well watch in my hotel room while my husband is painting the town red. I want Level 1 tickets, hopefully there are some Federer´s fans holding these tickets who are willing to sell them or I will make a scene (just kidding).

Wow, Mirka lost some weight! Looks like somebody hit the gym.

Hi all.
Missed Muzz's match, from all accounts the lad had a good match. All my guys playing Monday so this should be an easy watch.

Hoping the so-called minion has a good showing.

Goldilocks : Have a wonderful time in London and good luck for the tickets.

Aussiemarg : Besides, David's is only little.

Goldilocks I am jealous though good luck with the tickets.I am hoping to go to RG next year and Rome.RG will be my main aim.Just have to work around my hubbys work schedule.

Am I late? Ah, it was just the first game. And Roger won it. Let's see if David is strong today.
Nice colours. Better than those other players in black today.

Lynne LOL!

Vermilion it is. And 40 all.

40-40 Roger volley winner after coming forward behind BH
40-A David FH long
Roger breaks as David FH sails wide after BH return DTL

Roger to serve 2-0

Nope. It's 2-0. Roger with a break already.

sf,
Come back!

this is a joke! Another lopside match. sigh....

Love the T. Given the hazy smoky blue background, the Vermillion Red (is it?) stands out like a dab of Blood on a b&w screen. Beautiful.

How's all?

C'mon, we all know the old man will win this match, but at least give us some competitive match! No one cares for some boring beatdown.

yes its not Red as I thought it looked like

I like the colour on Roger.Saw Mirka though didnt see the Bag as yet.

40-40 Roger nets FH after David hit FH wide to Roger's FH side
A-40 David FH return long
Roger consolidates as David BH sails long

David to serve 0-3

old man Fed is sitting on a bench with Fedex sgns all over. oy.

Link to live streams?

FedFan,
http://www.fromsport.com/c-4.html

30-40 for Roger as David FH approach sails wide
Roger breaks as David nets BH

Roger to serve 4-0

Hmmm Davids f/hand not finding the mark at the moment

Another break to Roger

Too many u/errors David come on

0-5 boring beatdown. Probaly 0-6 or 1-6 1st set in 20 something minutes.

Great drop volley at the net by Roger

Good gawd, this is not an easy watch...it's headed to a seroius thwacking!

Please no bageling at the WTF!

Any1 got a stream that doesn't suck?

Saw Rogers parents in the stands

NP,
That one I posted?
http://www.fromsport.com/c-4.html

Fed, you were up 40-0 in this game...

What a fighter this David is!. Breakpoint.

great point there by David and he out foxed Roger at the net

David with a b/point

Vamos David he won 5 points in a row there

40-40 Roger FH wide
Roger led 40-0
40-A David gets to drop shot and hit smash winner
David breaks as Roger nets BH

David to serve 1-4

Lynne (Rafalite) and AM,

Thanks. Just to see Rafa again is so worth everything, you know like chasing tickets instead of enjoying the beauty of the city with my husband, but my husband fully understands, thank Goodness for that.

As for Federer´s red kit, I love it. He looks so handsome. As for the match, when I went upstairs to post, Ferrer hasn´t won a game, yet. I know it´s a Herculean task for Ferrer to win this match, but at least win 8 games, is it too much to ask, David?

zenggi, only one of those works, and it keeps buffering like crazy.

NP,
Try this. Pure Argentinian.
http://tvalerta-hd.blogspot.com/

I'll contact the mothership and come back to you.

Another possibility NP -

http://www.livescorehunter.com/Livescores/Livescore-Tennis.html

Lots of links.

I'm not so confident in Fed winning this yet...he has a tendency for meltdowns these days.

Pftt David not a good time to serve a d/fault after you got the ad

zenggi, that one doesn't suck as much. Gracias.

Are these matches on TV at all? This really sucks. I can't even find a decent stream for this match. Any link would be appreciated.

FWIW, from what I could see in the Sod-Murray match, it was lack of bounce rather than the slowness of the surface which hurt the Swede. The balls were below Soderling's strikezone and he couldn't take big cuts on them.

Come on David you have the ad

Just hold this game seems to have gone forever

livescorehunter.com streams work like a charm for me most times

imjimmy : On TC, if you have it.

imjimmy Robins serve also let him down and he cant volley for quids

15-40 for Roger as David FH sails long
Roger 2/2 BP(David 1/1)
30-40 Roger nets FH return
40-40 David FH winner
A-40 Roger nets BH
40-40 David DF
40-A David nets BH after mishit on BH return that lands in
40-40 Roger nets FH after David drives FH
A-40 Roger BH return long
40-40 David DF
A-40 Roger FH DTL wide after getting BH lob deep that landed in
40-40 David BH wide
A-40 Roger nets FH
40-40 David CC FH wide
40-A David FH shank long
Roger breaks as David DF

Roger serving for set 5-1

C'mon Ferrer do something...imagine you're Rafael Nadal lol.

Don't think I've ever willed Ferru to win a game more:(.

Hope he regroups for the second, this one's gone.

0-15 David FH passing shot winner as Roger came forward
15-15 David FH passing shot wide as Roger came forward
15-30 David volley winner coming forward behind FH
30-30 Roger Ace at the T
40-30 Roger service winner at the T
Roger takes the set 6-1 as David nets BH after Roger FH hit the net and bounced over

Fed is being Goliath today. And he is bullying David.