ATP World Tour Finals

[Tennis Fan]

Like this one and with that bag carrying the "yorkie" :lulz2:

https://www.google.com/search?q=federer+with+the+jacket+wimbledon+2009&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#imgrc=1T4DtyDrf-SIhM:

That emoji! That's too funny.

 

[Mary]

This is exactly how I feel about Rafa. It's his personality and character that draws me to him.

On a side note: We were talking about Novak yesterday and the way they're piling on him and today on TTC on Center Court I really saw what you were talking about. They had a press snippet on Novak and the first thing the interviewer asked him had to do with him slapping a ball on court. They showed the "slap" and it was nothing extraordinary, it was quite tame TBH. And Novak said, "You guys are always nitpicking. Am I the only one who gets frustrated on court?" He really let them have it, but they continued to pile on. Then when it went to the commentators they played up his "frustrations" this year.

Seriously? The man won two majors this year and they're acting like he didn't win a thing. It's so ridiculous and unfair. If anyone else had won two majors would they be describing his "downward spiral' in this way? This is what I don't like; the bias and unfairness they level at some players. It's sickening. He not only won 2 majors but he finaled in the other one and that still isn't good enough? And always with the caveat, "Not up to his usual standards" as if anyone goes on a trajectory and stays there and never comes down.

What bothers me about Novak though is that he wears his heart on his sleeve. You can see that this nitpicking irritates him. He should do like Nadal and not pay them any attention whether they praise or downplay him. They're not going to be fair and no matter what he does they're going to try to minimize it. Novak should know that by now. I wouldn't pay those guys any attention at all. The only one that tries to be decent is Annacone. The rest of them are walking, talking puppets. Jimmy Arias is the worst. He seems to have major resentment against the top guys. He sounds and acts like a frustrated has-been.

It's typical. They goad people till they retaliate and then criticize them for retaliating. Novak always seems vulnerable to me. One of the reasons why I like him but the vulnerability puts him at risk from the media. The worst are the ex players who never did much. Here we have Castle who once won a match at Wimbledon, 3rd round I think and who now poses as the greatest expert in the world. He recently commentated that Karl Edmund's reaching the top 50 is a great achievement and in the same breath said how poorly Novak had done! I long for the old days when commentators talked about the actual match rather than repeatedly giving their own biased views.

 

[Mary]

Wow, Murray what a running for 3 hours 20 minutes at the end of the season. I wonder where all that fuel comes from. Will he be able to run as much against Wawrinka?

Goffin instead Monfils. Monfls obviously didn't want to do favour to No1e so he withdrew. Nole may struggle against Goffin who's there obviously for 200,000 if he wins.

Goffin is a danger to anyone, he has a great game and a good head. I can't watch this one as I have things on today but it will be close I think.

 

[Mastoor]

I'll watch replay. The matches are overnight for me.

 

[Mary]

I'll watch replay. The matches are overnight for me.

Its at 2pm here, I may catch the end but can record anyway. Typical that when there is a match I really want to see live I have something can't cancel!

 

[Tennis Fan]

It's typical. They goad people till they retaliate and then criticize them for retaliating. Novak always seems vulnerable to me. One of the reasons why I like him but the vulnerability puts him at risk from the media. The worst are the ex players who never did much. Here we have Castle who once won a match at Wimbledon, 3rd round I think and who now poses as the greatest expert in the world. He recently commentated that Karl Edmund's reaching the top 50 is a great achievement and in the same breath said how poorly Novak had done! I long for the old days when commentators talked about the actual match rather than repeatedly giving their own biased views.

I absolutely adore this post. Everything that you've said is 100% true. This snippet I saw today was absolutely disgusting. Of course I couldn't remember it verbatim, but it was so obvious that they were baiting him. He even said as much. Novak is vulnerable in that regard. The same with Jimmy Arias, I watched tennis back in the day I have zero recollection of him for him to be as great as he thinks he is. I think a lot of those guys are really jealous of what The Big Four dynasty and they take every opportunity to take them down. It's so blatant it's sickening. I've seen them oohing and ahhing over Edmund while ignoring other players who are making much greater strides in the game. Every now and then I'll watch a classic match and it's so refreshing to hear them actually talk about the game rather than the unnecessary trivia. All of this gossip, players' habit, dissecting every loss. It's so stupid. You can listen to this drivel for years on end and never learn anything at all about the game. Amazingly, many people fall for it. I'm glad to see others can see through the bull too. I find it frustrating and tedious.

 

[Tennis Fan]

Goffin is a danger to anyone, he has a great game and a good head. I can't watch this one as I have things on today but it will be close I think.

I think so too, and Goffin's timing couldn't be better. Murray having a three hour marathon and Goffin is fresh as a daisy. Oh well, may the best man win.

 

[isabelle]

I don't Goffin can beat Nole or Murray, maybe I'm wrong but we''ll see soon how he can deal with his first appearance in London

 

[Mary]

I'll watch replay. The matches are overnight for me.

You'll enjoy this one Mastoor!

 

[Carol]

Goffin today looked too goofy

 

[Mary]

I absolutely adore this post. Everything that you've said is 100% true. This snippet I saw today was absolutely disgusting. Of course I couldn't remember it verbatim, but it was so obvious that they were baiting him. He even said as much. Novak is vulnerable in that regard. The same with Jimmy Arias, I watched tennis back in the day I have zero recollection of him for him to be as great as he thinks he is. I think a lot of those guys are really jealous of what The Big Four dynasty and they take every opportunity to take them down. It's so blatant it's sickening. I've seen them oohing and ahhing over Edmund while ignoring other players who are making much greater strides in the game. Every now and then I'll watch a classic match and it's so refreshing to hear them actually talk about the game rather than the unnecessary trivia. All of this gossip, players' habit, dissecting every loss. It's so stupid. You can listen to this drivel for years on end and never learn anything at all about the game. Amazingly, many people fall for it. I'm glad to see others can see through the bull too. I find it frustrating and tedious.

Amazes me how long they keep their jobs for too. BBC here have had loads of complaints about Castle but ignore them. It's like they have a little club going and they seem untouchable. John Inverdale is another, not sure if you would see him. He commented that Bartoli wasn't much of a looker when she won Wimbledon - shock horror complaints in buckets but he's still doing tennis. I love the old style commentary where you got a verbal picture of the game and some technical insight.

Just got the last bit of Novak Goffin, typically a short match when I was hoping to see a third set. Nole looked better than I've seen him in ages. I am sorry for Goffin, I like his game but he seems to have been completely outplayed. Its a big ask to come in cold I guess and it is a very oppressive arena.

 

[Mary]

Goffin today looked too goofy

What a great description!

 

[teddytennisfan]

Its at 2pm here, I may catch the end but can record anyway. Typical that when there is a match I really want to see live I have something can't cancel!

your post just reminded me of one of the funny , as always, episodes of

''KEEPING UP APPEARANCES"

HYACINTH BUCKET -- "pronounced Booouuuu .quueeeet"...

calls her always nervous neighbor elizab eth in for coffee and

" i need your advise on what to serve for the pastor this afternoon...tea or sherry?"

elizabeth is always obliged to come ..."hyacinth i really can't stay long -- i have an appointment in church with the ladies..andi'm late as it is. ..."...

hyacinth says:

"oh don't worry - they'll wait for you"......

heheh...

 

[Tennis Fan]

Amazes me how long they keep their jobs for too. BBC here have had loads of complaints about Castle but ignore them. It's like they have a little club going and they seem untouchable. John Inverdale is another, not sure if you would see him. He commented that Bartoli wasn't much of a looker when she won Wimbledon - shock horror complaints in buckets but he's still doing tennis. I love the old style commentary where you got a verbal picture of the game and some technical insight.

Just got the last bit of Novak Goffin, typically a short match when I was hoping to see a third set. Nole looked better than I've seen him in ages. I am sorry for Goffin, I like his game but he seems to have been completely outplayed. Its a big ask to come in cold I guess and it is a very oppressive arena.

I think that is their job. To build up a super hero and to tear other players down. Tennis is always looking for a "breakout" star and in the absence of one they'll create one. It's a long, never-ending narrative. It can't be a coincidence that so many of them share the same brain. People complaining doesn't faze them because they're able to get their narrative across and even get some people to argue about their talking points. It's a joke really, but hey, if people fall for it that's their fault. I noticed that a long time ago when I saw different nationalities repeating the same garbage verbatim, and if you don't fall it people think you're crazy.

Back in the day it wasn't necessary to do that, Borg, McEnroe, Nastase did that on their own based on their personality, style, fieriness, etc. They enjoyed the attention that it brought to tennis so now they manufacture in their own crude way.

Nowadays there's very little technical insight just a lot of blather about what players do wrong, their quirks, their innermost thoughts and their attempts to sway public opinion. It works though, so they keep doing it.

Goffin had to come in cold. Annacone admitted that they didn't know when he'd even gotten the call because of Tomas's pullout. He'd never played in the arena before and it would be a bit ask. Sound commentary for a change. He's about the only one I'll listen to, that's because he spews less hyperbole than the rest of them.

 

[Tennis Fan]

What a great description!

He looks like a little boy with his Charlie Brown shirts. He reminds me of Kafelnikov. I like him though.

 

[teddytennisfan]

I'll watch replay. The matches are overnight for me.

it was really standard win for NOLE -- NOTHING at all problematic for him and over almost before you blinked, lol.

maybe a few backhands needed to be cleaner and not going long -- but that was really the 'big problem" as far as nole's performance

 

[teddytennisfan]

Hey teddytenisfan, many times the clothes don't make a gentleman, there are other details which can tell you better about it

LOL.

i think they were semi-consciously pushing the general consensus about roger's tennis and ''aura" as that of being some angelic figure in tennis history.

u know what i mean -- all the commentary, articles -- one in NY TIMES even once had an essay as if roger was some kind of RELIGIOUS figure...

AND IT'S NOT HARD TO UNDERSTAND SINCE IT COULD BE Associated with his remarkable EASE IN THE WAY HE played his shots -- the elegance and fluidity and all that which of ourse have made him justly famous.

so -- by the time his highest maturity and lgory came around - what ELSE was there to promote beyond his ''beautiful tennis" --?
he was already accepted and celebrated as ''the greatest thing that happened to tennis" ..glorifed for his ''natural way in the limelight"...while most others were characterized as ''flawed'' in one way or another.

what's left to SHOW?

WHY - OF CORUSE --

SOMETHING beyond -- WHY NOT COME IN AS ALSO THE perfect figure on

good taste?

make ROYAL WIMBLEDON even more ROYAL by the 'GRACE OF ROGER?"

bring in the ROBES...maybe ermine, sole lining even...how about a REAL crown? and look -- LONG WHITE PANTS....

and not a blade of grass will be bent where roger FLOATS....blessed roger HAS COME ....to SHINE his blinding glory on all until every HEATHEN is sent away...

 

[Tennis Fan]

LOL.

i think they were semi-consciously pushing the general consensus about roger's tennis and ''aura" as that of being some angelic figure in tennis history.

u know what i mean -- all the commentary, articles -- one in NY TIMES even once had an essay as if roger was some kind of RELIGIOUS figure...

AND IT'S NOT HARD TO UNDERSTAND SINCE IT COULD BE Associated with his remarkable EASE IN THE WAY HE played his shots -- the elegance and fluidity and all that which of ourse have made him justly famous.

so -- by the time his highest maturity and lgory came around - what ELSE was there to promote beyond his ''beautiful tennis" --?
he was already accepted and celebrated as ''the greatest thing that happened to tennis" ..glorifed for his ''natural way in the limelight"...while most others were characterized as ''flawed'' in one way or another.

what's left to SHOW?

WHY - OF CORUSE --

SOMETHING beyond -- WHY NOT COME IN AS ALSO THE perfect figure on

good taste?

make ROYAL WIMBLEDON even more ROYAL by the 'GRACE OF ROGER?"

bring in the ROBES...maybe ermine, sole lining even...how about a REAL crown? and look -- LONG WHITE PANTS....

and not a blade of grass will be bent where roger FLOATS....blessed roger HAS COME ....to SHINE his blinding glory on all until every HEATHEN is sent away...

LOL!

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

djoko served 2 df to give goffin 0-30 after 2 points..then things went normal again as djoko hammered mcfly.

 

[Mastoor]

it was really standard win for NOLE -- NOTHING at all problematic for him and over almost before you blinked, lol.

maybe a few backhands needed to be cleaner and not going long -- but that was really the 'big problem" as far as nole's performance

Yes, he would like to practice bdtl, but most importantly he didn't spend much energy in this match.