China Open Beijing 2014

[MargaretMcAleer]

Masha Fan,

I have no problem with you defending your favorite player.

What I do have a problem with other fans undermining other players.

Serena Williams is one of the all time great tennis players,I have watched the game for well over 30 years plus,I have seen many great Champions,I will never forget what they brought to the game.

Personally speaking I am not interested in how much money a player earns in their career,or with their own personal outside interests, to me is will be always be about their own personal contribution to our game.

I've no problem whatsoever with who supports which tennis player - You love Serena - fine!! - Another likes Wozniacki or Ivanovic - great!!!

Just don't try to diminish "my babe's" accomplishments by using your babe's injuries or "viral whatever" - else we're good

By the way I have never been a fan that brings injuries into a conversation with any player.Just to be clear.

 

[Front242]

I never made any excuse for anything, it's a fact. Serena had to pull out of Beijing and may not even be able to play in Singapore because of her knee and we know the result when those 2 play. I'm simply pointing out the obvious that if Sharapova clinches number #1 and even for reaching #2 she has had quite a lot of help along the way. I'm a Federer fan but also a realistic one, and the same goes for him reclaiming number 2. Yes, he's been consistently going deep in most tournaments all year but you'd want to be a raving idiot to not think Nadal being unable to defend 4000 points in the USO swing and now losing early in Shanghai had nothing to do with it.

Btw your last line 2 posts above is so wrong on so many levels where you wrote the following:

"It's not always - like so many of you think - that the greatness of a tennis player can be measured after the number of slams she has won - All your stats and numbers are worthless as long as the general public has forgotten about your "gurl" after she has retired and/or as long they still remember a certain player with admiration and love."

Er, yes actually, slams have long been the gauge of greatness in tennis and will continue to be whether or not you like it and as for the public forgetting about players when they retire, frankly, I dunno what planet you live on but most people still have vivid memories of all the great players of the past and they don't just vanish into thin air once they stop playing and hence why their records live on. Serena is still trying to catch Graf, for example, and probably won't but you somehow think Graf is a forgotten player now? I mean, she only won 22 slams! :nono

My friend

All I'm saying is that all these "facts" - excuses and IF this... and IF that.. are irrelevant in the big scheme of things - In time no one cares why Masha won Beijing or why she reached the #1 spot after Singapore (if that even happens) - In tennis history it won't be mentioned that this player won a tournament because another player was injured or absence for whatever reason - All that is important is that a certain player won a particular tournament - right? - Right!!!

Note also that I didn't refer to the "tennis" fans like yourself but to the general public - I'm sure Masha will be remembered way longer than "your babe" - who ever she might be - I've just traveled to "down under" and back and guess who's face I saw displayed in every airport I visited for transit? - Right - not one of your babe but plenty of my babe- *winks* - Just saying

Firstly, most people don't actually have memories like sieves even if you do and they won't forget an 18 slam champion (who may well add to that total next year and beyond) anytime soon whether or not you'd like them to and secondly, I don't think either Serena or Maria are "babes" as you call them. There are far prettier girls out there than both. And you seem to think I'm this huge Serena fan the way you call her my babe. Actually I like Serena, yes, but I'm not a completely diehard fan either, I mostly just can't stand Sharapova. Therein lies the difference. I've mentioned it a lot before, she was both a lot nicer person and a lot quieter person on the court in 2004. Since then she's grown into a horrible person and the things people who dislike her for so much have developed in her later years. I had no problems with her as actually quite a nice young girl when she first came on tour. These days she's far from that early image. The only thing Sharapova will be remembered for after she retires from tennis is making dentists rich by rotting so many people's teeth.

 

[kskate2]

It's always fun to read the post match or post tournament analysis because they who analyze always think that they can explain what has happened or that their analysis has any impact on future results :lol: - They always come up with IF this or IF that and loads of intelligent explanations about the final in a tournament - But who the freck cares about all that afterwards? - The only important thing is that Masha has won Beijing AND against all odds at the beginning of the year she is now the #2 in the world with a shot at the #1 position after Singapore - Who would have thought it in January 2014? - Go through all your intelligent analyses and predictions and lemme know which one of you had predicted something right about Masha at the start of the year or even after the Australian Open? - Many thought instead that Masha would have dropped from the top 10 @ the end of 2014 - So many points to defend on clay - She just couldn't do that????? - Yeah right!!

Posters do care about analyzing tactics and discussing game plans because this is a tennis forum. Since you're only around when Maria plays well enough to win (which has been what 3 or 4 times this year), maybe you've forgotten what it is we do here. Since you just care about the result and basking in the glory of someone's win, you could do that w/ countless one-liners on social media (Twitter, FB, Instagram, etc.)

As for who could have predicted she would get to #2, if you just looked beyond your fandom (I know it's hard to see outside of your candy box) you would remember she didn't play at all the 2nd half of last year. Technically, she had nowhere to go but up w/ no points to defend. But don't let that little piece of brilliant analysis blow your mind and keep you from coming back.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I don't think it's nuts, Maria may not be as successful as Serena in Tennis terms but she is a household name, very successful entrepreneur as well in addition to being a multi slam champion. She is also the greatest Russian EVER.
Down the road, both will be remembered like Chrissy and Martina. Not in the same Tennis accomplishment terms, but being rivals, their name will ALAWAYS come up together!

BTW, here is my write-up:
http://www.tennisfrontier.com/news/wta-tennis/sharapova-bests-beijing/

Maria cannot be called a rival of Serena when she could not beat her
even once over a period of 10 years now.

They cannot be called rivals (except in the weak sense of 1b) below

Here is the dictionary meaning of rivals.
ri·val (rvl)
n.
1. One who attempts to equal or surpass another, or who pursues the same object as another; a competitor.

2. One that equals or almost equals another in a particular respect.

You are being technical GSM, they play during the same era, they will always be rivals, granted it's been a one sided rivalry for a decade...
But what if Maria wins the next 2?

1. I am not being technical. Even those who don't bother to look up the dictionary would
not use the word rival in connection with Serena and Maria. It is time that this myth
of rivalry is debunked completely.
2. It is not just about head to head. For example, Rafa has a very good h2h against
Federer. But, it makes sense to call them rivals as they both are vying for the
same things and are trying to equal/better other. Here, Serna has 18 and Maria
has 5 and that is less than 1/3 rd.
3. They are rivals when it comes to winning Grigor's heart. That's all. :heart:

 

[MashaFan]

Posters do care about analyzing tactics and discussing game plans because this is a tennis forum. Since you're only around when Maria plays well enough to win (which has been what 3 or 4 times this year), maybe you've forgotten what it is we do here. Since you just care about the result and basking in the glory of someone's win, you could do that w/ countless one-liners on social media (Twitter, FB, Instagram, etc.)

As for who could have predicted she would get to #2, if you just looked beyond your fandom (I know it's hard to see outside of your candy box) you would remember she didn't play at all the 2nd half of last year. Technically, she had nowhere to go but up w/ no points to defend. But don't let that little piece of brilliant analysis blow your mind and keep you from coming back.

You believe me - I have not forgotten what it is you do here

True - but it was her exceptional clay season and successful defensive of all her points which was the foundation of her ranking position today - How many of you analysts had seen that coming? - When Masha won the French Open this year all I read here were accusations of cheat and complains about this and that - During the last 4 matches most analyses expressed disappointment and anger towards Masha's losing opponents because most of you analysts hoped that Masha would lose (Stosur - Muguruza - Bouchard - Halep) - See - that's why I'm not here that often because most of you can not express even basic respect and appreciation for my idol's achievements - The comments about her usually vary between pure hate and condescending comments about irrelevant things like her shrieks - her slow serving - her breaks and whatnot

And yeah - every time Masha does something really well (it happens occasionally ) I love to come here to rub it in - That is - I admit - my character flaw - Hopefully it is within the limits of this site's "freedom of speech" policy? - Thanks

Note - not saying that you belong to all these Masha dislikers

 

[kskate2]

Posters do care about analyzing tactics and discussing game plans because this is a tennis forum. Since you're only around when Maria plays well enough to win (which has been what 3 or 4 times this year), maybe you've forgotten what it is we do here. Since you just care about the result and basking in the glory of someone's win, you could do that w/ countless one-liners on social media (Twitter, FB, Instagram, etc.)

As for who could have predicted she would get to #2, if you just looked beyond your fandom (I know it's hard to see outside of your candy box) you would remember she didn't play at all the 2nd half of last year. Technically, she had nowhere to go but up w/ no points to defend. But don't let that little piece of brilliant analysis blow your mind and keep you from coming back.

You believe me - I have not forgotten what it is you do here

True - but it was her exceptional clay season and successful defensive of all her points which was the foundation of her ranking position today - How many of you analysts had seen that coming? - When Masha won the French Open this year all I read here were accusations of cheat and complains about this and that - During the last 4 matches most analyses expressed disappointment and anger towards Masha's losing opponents because most of you analysts hoped that Masha would lose (Stosur - Muguruza - Bouchard - Halep) - See - that's why I'm not here that often because most of you can not express even basic respect and appreciation for my idol's achievements - The comments about her usually vary between pure hate and condescending comments about irrelevant things like her shrieks - her slow serving - her breaks and whatnot

And yeah - every time Masha does something really well (it happens occasionally ) I love to come here to rub it in - That is - I admit - my character flaw - Hopefully it is within the limits of this site's "freedom of speech" policy? - Thanks

Note - not saying that you belong to all these Masha dislikers

Someone not being wildly enthusiastic as you about your babe shouldn't drive you away. You should stick by your idol through thick and thin. Note, there are some of us who discussed that clay has become her best surface in recent years. Almost so that it's actually hurt her game a little on the faster surfaces. So to me and a few others it wasn't a surprise that she did well in the clay season, but you have to admit even during most of those matches, she struggled a bit in the beginning until she overcame her opponent. Nothing wrong w/ the way she won, just not as dominant as straight sets.

And yes, you are free to come here and gloat when it suits you. No board policies prohibit that unless you are trolling in which case I'm sure someone will point it out to you.