Rio Olympics - Women's Tennis

[teddytennisfan]

I'd have run you close

BRITBOX -- HOW did you get to be Stef's big fan? she really was incredible ...and unfortunately - because of that stabbing by that stupid man -- there are always people who will be bitter towards her and her reputation ...

and throw all kinds of putdowns -- such as her ''attitude' and 'lack of socializing" and all that.

this includes form those earlier years which established the ''view' that she was 'unfeeling" because she refused to socialise with the ''WTA" big names - like Billie Jean KING, MN, evert, pam shriver when she was younger...

and YET no one listents that PERHAPS she didn't exactly like being in the locker rooms because - after a reporter asked her about 'rumors' - that ''yes -- i don't want to mention names -- but there some that tried to make passes at me -- i didn't like that".

?

people also don't really know much that ANDRE AGASSI who admitted that he "had the eye for her for a long, long time" (even during his marraige to brookes shields) -- and TWICE approached her...but she declined because - as she said -- she had "a boyfriend already" -- meaning -- she was a LOYAL person...

adn only accepted ANDRE'S approachess AGAIN - years later when her relationship with the other guy had already ended.

i remember a cute exchange once in those message boards.. steffi herself found time to chat for a few mintues with us collectively -- and we teased her and said:

"STEFFI -- why not have DOUBLES with the men//the very bes t-- we watnt you to play and partner with PETE and monica with ANDRE".

and i remember her answering"

"SURE !!! that would be really nice -- but -- the guys have to ask us girls first! they have to be gentlemen!!:"

WE WERE ALL LAUGHING!

 

[teddytennisfan]

MARTINA HINGIS IS STILL such a wonderful player -- amazing talent really.

 

[britbox]

ANGELIQUE -- as she grows older -- and her features become more chiseled -- is more beautiful than when she had more ''baby-fat' on her face - has anyone noticed?

Yeah, she's pretty cute.

 

[teddytennisfan]

Yeah, she's pretty cute.

and certainly been doing well this year -- not just having her AO -- but even if the rest was not as ''high" as AO -- She still did very well in wimbledon.

that's really something , i think.

and a really nice personality too - i think.

 

[britbox]

BRITBOX -- HOW did you get to be Stef's big fan? she really was incredible ...and unfortunately - because of that stabbing by that stupid man -- there are always people who will be bitter towards her and her reputation ...

and throw all kinds of putdowns -- such as her ''attitude' and 'lack of socializing" and all that.

this includes form those earlier years which established the ''view' that she was 'unfeeling" because she refused to socialise with the ''WTA" big names - like Billie Jean KING, MN, evert, pam shriver when she was younger...

and YET no one listents that PERHAPS she didn't exactly like being in the locker rooms because - after a reporter asked her about 'rumors' - that ''yes -- i don't want to mention names -- but there some that tried to make passes at me -- i didn't like that".

?

people also don't really know much that ANDRE AGASSI who admitted that he "had the eye for her for a long, long time" (even during his marraige to brookes shields) -- and TWICE approached her...but she declined because - as she said -- she had "a boyfriend already" -- meaning -- she was a LOYAL person...

adn only accepted ANDRE'S approachess AGAIN - years later when her relationship with the other guy had already ended.

i remember a cute exchange once in those message boards.. steffi herself found time to chat for a few mintues with us collectively -- and we teased her and said:

"STEFFI -- why not have DOUBLES with the men//the very bes t-- we watnt you to play and partner with PETE and monica with ANDRE".

and i remember her answering"

"SURE !!! that would be really nice -- but -- the guys have to ask us girls first! they have to be gentlemen!!:"

WE WERE ALL LAUGHING!

Hey teddy, I started following Steffi when she was about 17,around 1986 - had started looking out for her when a friend's Mum who knew I liked tennis to watch out for this German Wunderkid. Steffi was a couple of years older than me also and once I started looking out for her I developed a crush By the time she was competing and winning majors in the late eighties I was a fanatic. Probably a good job I wasn't online at the time as I'd have been a troll of the highest order.

 

[teddytennisfan]

Hey teddy, I started following Steffi when she was about 17,around 1986 - had started looking out for her when a friend's Mum who knew I liked tennis to watch out for this German Wunderkid. Steffi was a couple of years older than me also and once I started looking out for her I developed a crush By the time she was competing and winning majors in the late eighties I was a fanatic. Probably a good job I wasn't online at the time as I'd have been a troll of the highest order.

wow...

we had no internet those decades of course -- so same thing -- just newspapers and whatever the TV showed - mostly majors or top tier. i never really saw her matches live - not even in NYC.
except that one time in madison square in 1998 when she returned from her knee thingie...and lost to davenport in the semis i think...

and her quarters was over monica.

that's when , live we understand what print says about ''movement" and how fast the balls really are . but i remember that after that match win -- in 3 and monica played so well too (i was yelling for both of them, lol) -

people would yell at steffi for autographs --

and she' run back and forth across the court -- one side, then another, then back to another side -- as they yelled "here - steffi, here, " .like for 10 minutes or something...and only stopped when the security actually started to stop it - and escorted her out -- haha. but close up - as she just WALKED -- you COULD see she already had a limp from her now-shorter left leg from that knee surgery. so it's just amazing she managed to stay on for several months more for that FO and that final wimbledon that she lost to davenport also.

and then she lost in that hardcourt somewhere in USA before USO - and called that press conmference...

:"i am announcing my retirement effective immediately" and that's it.
she wanted to settle down apparently and no longer enjoyed all the constant battles to maintain the level.

and later said "now i can really enjoy what i love to do -- NOT eat so much -- "

because she explained that she actually had to eat MORE in order to keep her weight UP and just never really was a big eater. except her favorite - CHOCOLATES! and sweets. haha.
and said she really hated gym and so kept her fitness by not much more than just running..which itself HAD to be curtailed due to her knee . except if she did it on the beach sand.

i actually remember myself at first a BIT resentful of her for daring to make navratilova miserable on court...

and with those amazing return winners -- "how DARE this girl do THAT? " !!

LOL. but soon after i began to really like her - especially because she seemed so shy even after winning -- biting her lips during handshakes as if to apologize or something..it told me :

"this girl is amazing and fights like no tomorrow -- but she FEELS the pain of the person she beats".

THA'S when i began to really like her.

 

[Tennis Fan]

for the record I WAS GRAF-SAMPRAS...as RICARDO reminds me.

and NO ONE, NO ONE can EVER be a greater fan of STEFFI GRAF THAN I. NO ............ONE...and i know quite a few ''private" stuff about steffi (from old online friends when she was still playing that shared with me personal stories of her who were also close to HER -and her mom...and i had a very, brief and very few occasions online to actually ''chat'' real-time with HEIDI herself -- but that's another story..and so know a few things about her family troubles and how it agonized her to try to keep family together under all the scandals and global criticisms, etc.) ...

I Mean -- i have old video tapes -- PRIVATE for her family and close friends only -- that were shared with me --of steffi trying to ge t'smuggled' to safety from the pyrihng eyes of papparazzi hounding her no end -- lying down on the floor of a van ...running in the back alleys -- or being so girlish and teasing and sticking her tonque out to tease HER employees in her design business office , or learning the ropes of business -- and trying to fix the tax problems of her dad with the government, driving with her brother to the PRISON where their dad was for a 15 minute allowed visit per MONTH -- Her CRYING as she drove

in her ANGER at her dad :"if he had such problems and coulnd't manage them -- WHY did he keep hiding it from us? if he needed help we could have gone to the government to ask them how to help fix it...why couldn't he trust ME to at least be old enough to understand that he had problems? "

that kind of thing...or how she LOVED to baby-sit her brother's little baby , or how she flew overnight between WIMBLEDON matches -- after surviving a match - while having had no sleep and severe sinus and her mom would rape her in hot towels telling her to try and sleep and then go to berlin to ask for medical permission to play the next day's match despite her knee and HIS warning not to do it...

or how steffi , at least in practice, actually had a SUPERB, VERY POWERFUL AND HEAVY TOPSPIN backhand which she rarely used in matches - (she used it more against hingis in FO 1999 which is the ONE that turned the tide in that match, few people realize that) --

i mean i know stuff like THAT...so no one can call me ''anti-steffi" AT ALL.



BUT AFTER STEFFI -- and even in her twilight in 1999 -- i ALREADY also was a fan of SERENA WILLIAMS...FOR it was ONLY serena that i saw even THEN would DESERVEDLY hold the crowns as Steffi once did -- as athlete, as tennis player, as competitor , and as champion -- who ALSO would have her share of troubles and criticisms

and stand tall.

so -- TODAY -- i ALSO SAY -- THAT SERENA WILLIAMS HAS ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED THE HONOR OF ARGUABLY BEING CONSIDERED THE GREATEST PLAYER IN WOMEN'S TENNIS AS STEFFI ONCE WAS TO HER FANS.

AND QUITE ARGUABLY IS ON THE WAY TO BEING - WITHOUT ARGUMENT , EVEN GREATER THAN STEFFI.

ONLY A TRUE FAN OF GREAT, GREAT PLAYERS at the VERY , VERY top probably can say what I say -- and NOT feel WRONG...

But as a tennis fan and of greatness -- even say "i am vindicated in MY CHOICES".

I CHOSE STEFFI LONG AG0 -- as early as 1986 when she began to challenge BOTH navratilova and evert at the top of THEIR rivalry.

I CHOSE SERENA WHEN SHE challenged and defeated STEFFI IN 1998 INDIAN WELLS (and i and other fellow tennis online fans were literally LIVE'Chatting" with HEIDI - steffi's mom as we all watched 'together' -- and HEIDI HERSELF - confrmed what i and many others then -- all of US steffi fans -- felt:

"serena is going to go so far ..she is THAT good "

and so -- i simply am saying -- serena has now matched steffi in 22 majors, in 7 wimbledons, has HER own ''consecutive slams" even if not ''golden slam" - but TO ME that is good enough...

and is on the way to MORE -- AND THIS MEANS SERENA , if only in ''singles counts" etc..and all that -- has more or less equalled steffi in stature -- but even with MORE doubles titles and golds --

IT IS UNREASONABLE TO *NOT* consider serena williams as the greatest of ALL women's champions EVER...PERHAPS even of ALL TENNIS CHAMPIONS in the history of the game.

including over steffi graf -- if not by ''much" -- but what does THAT really matter?

SERENA WILLIAMS HAS EARNED IT.

SO -- from THIS STEFFI GRAF AND SERENA WILLIAMS FAN...

I SAY -- ACCORD SERENA HER PLACE -- AT THE VERY PINNACLE OF ALL TENNIS. MAN OR WOMAN.

I agree teddy. I can totally relate to what you're saying. I've always been a Serena fan since she was 17 and couldn't control her power. I saw a fierceness, a perfectionist, and someone committed to honing their game to the highest level. I was with her through her tragedies, injuries, and the worldwide criticism that was leveled at her; mostly from the commentators. I didn't get a chance to watch Steffi because when I first started watching tennis I only watched the men's game. It was the Williams Sisters that brought me to the WTA Tour. People can say what they want but Serena is amazing, but not only that she's an amazing player, as evidenced by her competitors who loudly proclaim what a great person she is. Those things matter to me more than simply one's ability to hit a ball over a net.

I also agree about acknowledging that your favorite has been eclipsed. I was a die-hard Sampras fan. I was with him until the end, through his darkest days, all of his injuries and travails. When the world turned their backs on Pete, I never did, because true fans don't do that. It's no different then when you actually know a person in real life, you don't turn your back on them when their fortunes change.

The first time I saw Rafa play, I switched my allegiance, because I loved the passion that Rafa plays with and his humility. My son and husband couldn't believe that I switched from Pete to Rafa because they knew how much I loved Pete, but I knew it instantly.

Now, I can admit that these new guys are better and it doesn't cost me anything. Pete's legacy is untarnished in my eyes regardless of what the present and future holds. Jealousy, and holding onto someone else's exploits, especially to the point that you will tear someone else down is mind-boggling to me.

Your posts are so truthful and honest. It's always a pleasure to read them.

 

[britbox]

Women’s Singles in Rio on Monday: Petra, Serena move on



World Number 1 Serena Williams was made to work for 7-6(5) 6-2 win over Alize Cornet and joins the other names in Round 3. The competition is about to heat up with Williams, Kerber, Keys, Stosur, Navarro and Garbine Muguruza still very much in the running after posting Round 2 victories. No big shocks took place […]

 

[Tennis Fan]

BRITBOX -- HOW did you get to be Stef's big fan? she really was incredible ...and unfortunately - because of that stabbing by that stupid man -- there are always people who will be bitter towards her and her reputation ...

and throw all kinds of putdowns -- such as her ''attitude' and 'lack of socializing" and all that.

this includes form those earlier years which established the ''view' that she was 'unfeeling" because she refused to socialise with the ''WTA" big names - like Billie Jean KING, MN, evert, pam shriver when she was younger...

and YET no one listents that PERHAPS she didn't exactly like being in the locker rooms because - after a reporter asked her about 'rumors' - that ''yes -- i don't want to mention names -- but there some that tried to make passes at me -- i didn't like that".

?

people also don't really know much that ANDRE AGASSI who admitted that he "had the eye for her for a long, long time" (even during his marraige to brookes shields) -- and TWICE approached her...but she declined because - as she said -- she had "a boyfriend already" -- meaning -- she was a LOYAL person...

adn only accepted ANDRE'S approachess AGAIN - years later when her relationship with the other guy had already ended.

i remember a cute exchange once in those message boards.. steffi herself found time to chat for a few mintues with us collectively -- and we teased her and said:

"STEFFI -- why not have DOUBLES with the men//the very bes t-- we watnt you to play and partner with PETE and monica with ANDRE".

and i remember her answering"

"SURE !!! that would be really nice -- but -- the guys have to ask us girls first! they have to be gentlemen!!:"

WE WERE ALL LAUGHING!

and YET no one listens that PERHAPS she didn't exactly like being in the locker rooms because - after a reporter asked her about 'rumors' - that ''yes -- I don't want to mention names -- but there some that tried to make passes at me -- i didn't like that".

This is why I don't listen to what the commentators say. Common sense tells you that their words are clouded by their own personal biases and judgments. When people parrot comments from the media I discount them as someone I will listen to, because I don't see them as original thinkers. They're only mimicking what others say and their words ring hollow to me. A big clue is when you ask them to elaborate on their points; they can't because the original thought didn't emanate from them and so they can't defend it. That's when they deflect, but the truth is they can't answer because they have no true basis in what they're saying, they're just followers manipulated by the media.

I remember when they used to say that the Williams' Sisters were standoffish, but at the same time I read many articles where their peers repeatedly said that Venus was the quiet one, but Serena was always friendly, outgoing and nice to everyone. So there you have it. Let other people put thoughts in your mind, or grow up and think for yourself.

 

[teddytennisfan]

thanks too TennisFan.

for me -- i never lose my love for those players -- once i ''pick' them - for example:

I STILL think that i have never seen an athlete - so natural and so ''born" as Pete Sampras in tennis...perhaps the only one i had seen - at least in videos or documentaries that had that just pure natural way was the great, but unfortunately TOO little appreciate as AN ALL TIME greatest ever -- PANCHO GONZALES...

but that doesn't mean that in their career achievements against their own times -- i'm not ENJOYING what the next generation ''picks" i have do.

RAFA is rafa - and an all time great - so is NOLE , so is ROGER - and so WERE SAMPRAS and GONZALES.

so same with women -- i GOT ANGRY at steffi because ''she DARED HIT WINNERS AGAINST MY MARTINA N?!!! how dare she?"
lol.

so to me -- i COLLECT my favorites and they're all so satisfying to me because THEIR achievements also tell me - besides enjoying what they brought -- my instincts were right.

MY batting average was correct. i shoulda BET a long time ago - hehe. like with serena...different in her own way from steffi --

BUT somethign told me "just the way she prepares her serves - the way she looks down she's extraordinary..."
same with rafa when he came around and i just caught some of those quick news in the sports part "this young spaniard beat in an exhibition match -- carlos moya"..and then rafa was being interviewed as a new phenom --

and all about HIS talent -- and the FIRST RESPONSE FROM RAFA?

"you should see ,my friends -- they are so good too".

really? i said to myself --"i'm going to be a fan of this kid".

SAME with NOLE when i first saw about him playing and winning a match (or maybe one of those little tournaments ) and the way he WALKED between points...the way he carried his posture - the way he held his head -- i told myself:
"this young man plays so well - but he also walks with a purpose and so dignified - like a real gentleman -- i'm going to be HIS fan too".

NO WAY to tell for sure until the careers actually unfolded as we have seen..but to ME -- i was VERY decisive each time ..

sampras, graf, serena, nadal, nole. i mean i ADMIRE all the rest too - but something about these ones just sort of tell you -- they're ''shoulders above" their peers really -- and it shows

first of all -- intheir TENNIS and, then their ATHLETICISM WITHOUT which COMBINATION NONE of them can be ''all-time" greats at the very, very highest , most select levels. u know -- the HANDFUL...

and THEN the actual titles or records or whatever.

but to me -- THOSE TWO CHARACTERISTICS - PHYSICAL ONES -- HAD TO be there.

PHYSICAL ATHLETICISM of the highest quality -- COMBINED with SKILLS of the HANDS.

and if you look at each of them

it is true -- they have the CHARACTER AND MIND
TO CARRY THROUGH THE ATHLETICISM that is extraordinary Combined with HAND skills.
and you get a winner. i thin,k.


and then the character will show if they can carry THAT combination well.

AND ALWAYS got it right, it seems! so i guess i somehow ''collect" top of the line ...

lol..

 

[teddytennisfan]

and YET no one listens that PERHAPS she didn't exactly like being in the locker rooms because - after a reporter asked her about 'rumors' - that ''yes -- I don't want to mention names -- but there some that tried to make passes at me -- i didn't like that".

This is why I don't listen to what the commentators say. Common sense tells you that their words are clouded by their own personal biases and judgments. When people parrot comments from the media I discount them as someone I will listen to, because I don't see them as original thinkers. They're only mimicking what others say and their words ring hollow to me. A big clue is when you ask them to elaborate on their points; they can't because the original thought didn't emanate from them and so they can't defend it. That's when they deflect, but the truth is they can't answer because they have no true basis in what they're saying, they're just followers manipulated by the media.

I remember when they used to say that the Williams' Sisters were standoffish, but at the same time I read many articles where their peers repeatedly said that Venus was the quiet one, but Serena was always friendly, outgoing and nice to everyone. So there you have it. Let other people put thoughts in your mind, or grow up and think for yourself.

thats EXACTLY what it is. different experiences, cricumstances maybe..

but that same 'social pressure' nonsense that in order to be ''accepted" they have to make thjemselves ''liked" by doing this and that .

like uh -- serena and venus were supposed to be ''on duty" - on ''call" whenever Billie Jean King the Oracle of Women's tennis expected the williamses to ''contribute' to ''team spirit USA/WTA?"

why exactly? what did the williamses OWE to them anyway? it's their DAD AND MOM that produced them- taught them and spent money on them!

same with steffi -- why ? because it's WTA? why? to attend socials and make wonderful speeches like billie jean king about women'/s liberation? and drink wine with them and all? no --she has her bedtime - and problems in the family. she's not the WTA'S ''toy girl" to

add cement to Billie Jean King's 'quest for respect" . or ''the BJK legacy as women's pioneer".

lol. it's up to the individual .

 

[Tennis Fan]

Women’s Singles in Rio on Monday: Petra, Serena move on



World Number 1 Serena Williams was made to work for 7-6(5) 6-2 win over Alize Cornet and joins the other names in Round 3. The competition is about to heat up with Williams, Kerber, Keys, Stosur, Navarro and Garbine Muguruza still very much in the running after posting Round 2 victories. No big shocks took place […]

Women’s Singles in Rio on Monday: Petra, Serena move on



World Number 1 Serena Williams was made to work for 7-6(5) 6-2 win over Alize Cornet and joins the other names in Round 3. The competition is about to heat up with Williams, Kerber, Keys, Stosur, Navarro and Garbine Muguruza still very much in the running after posting Round 2 victories. No big shocks took place […]

thanks too TennisFan.

for me -- i never lose my love for those players -- once i ''pick' them - for example:

I STILL think that i have never seen an athlete - so natural and so ''born" as Pete Sampras in tennis...perhaps the only one i had seen - at least in videos or documentaries that had that just pure natural way was the great, but unfortunately TOO little appreciate as AN ALL TIME greatest ever -- PANCHO GONZALES...

but that doesn't mean that in their career achievements against their own times -- i'm not ENJOYING what the next generation ''picks" i have do.

RAFA is rafa - and an all time great - so is NOLE , so is ROGER - and so WERE SAMPRAS and GONZALES.

so same with women -- i GOT ANGRY at steffi because ''she DARED HIT WINNERS AGAINST MY MARTINA N?!!! how dare she?"
lol.

so to me -- i COLLECT my favorites and they're all so satisfying to me because THEIR achievements also tell me - besides enjoying what they brought -- my instincts were right.

MY batting average was correct. i shoulda BET a long time ago - hehe. like with serena...different in her own way from steffi --

BUT somethign told me "just the way she prepares her serves - the way she looks down she's extraordinary..."
same with rafa when he came around and i just caught some of those quick news in the sports part "this young spaniard beat in an exhibition match -- carlos moya"..and then rafa was being interviewed as a new phenom --

and all about HIS talent -- and the FIRST RESPONSE FROM RAFA?

"you should see ,my friends -- they are so good too".

really? i said to myself --"i'm going to be a fan of this kid".

SAME with NOLE when i first saw about him playing and winning a match (or maybe one of those little tournaments ) and the way he WALKED between points...the way he carried his posture - the way he held his head -- i told myself:
"this young man plays so well - but he also walks with a purpose and so dignified - like a real gentleman -- i'm going to be HIS fan too".

NO WAY to tell for sure until the careers actually unfolded as we have seen..but to ME -- i was VERY decisive each time ..

sampras, graf, serena, nadal, nole. i mean i ADMIRE all the rest too - but something about these ones just sort of tell you -- they're ''shoulders above" their peers really -- and it shows

first of all -- intheir TENNIS and, then their ATHLETICISM WITHOUT which COMBINATION NONE of them can be ''all-time" greats at the very, very highest , most select levels. u know -- the HANDFUL...

and THEN the actual titles or records or whatever.

but to me -- THOSE TWO CHARACTERISTICS - PHYSICAL ONES -- HAD TO be there.

PHYSICAL ATHLETICISM of the highest quality -- COMBINED with SKILLS of the HANDS.

and if you look at each of them

it is true -- they have the CHARACTER AND MIND
TO CARRY THROUGH THE ATHLETICISM that is extraordinary Combined with HAND skills.
and you get a winner. i thin,k.


and then the character will show if they can carry THAT combination well.

AND ALWAYS got it right, it seems! so i guess i somehow ''collect" top of the line ...

lol..

for me -- i never lose my love for those players -- once i ''pick' them - for example:

Same here. I am loyal till the end.

I STILL think that i have never seen an athlete - so natural and so ''born" as Pete Sampras in tennis...perhaps the only one i had seen - at least in videos or documentaries that had that just pure natural way was the great, but unfortunately TOO little appreciate as AN ALL TIME greatest ever -- PANCHO GONZALES...

I feel the same way about Pete’s natural talents. His style of play mesmerized me. You could think that he was out of a point and the next thing you knew he was there. Pete was effortless in my eyes, because you could never see him coming. The people that they tout as being “effortless” to me, don’t look effortless at all because I can almost telegraph their moves and guess at what they’re going to do next. Pete never gave me that sense. He shocked me every time. I didn’t get to see Gonzalez, but I have read a lot about him.

but that doesn't mean that in their career achievements against their own times -- i'm not ENJOYING what the next generation ''picks" i have do.

Precisely, everyone stands on their own and comparing across generations seems futile to me.

I feel that my instincts are on point too. I pick these people before they hit the big time, but I pick them based on their character, not merely on their tennis exploits. I refuse to root for a person who doesn’t treat others well.

I have to admit that I’m not a Nole fan. I’m neutral on Djokovic; always have been. Something about him doesn’t connect with me, but I have always seen him as a great player despite his earlier struggles. That’s why I always defended him when others said that he would never amount to anything; instinctively I knew that he would, so I can’t get mad at him for being great, that would be stupid, LOL.

That’s a great point about the skills and the character. I’m always interested in how they deal with everything, wins, losses, press, peers, etc. If they don’t have strength of character, I don’t give a dang how well they hit a ball. That seems so empty to me. And yes, I love my track record. I should've been a betting person too.

 

[Tennis Fan]

thats EXACTLY what it is. different experiences, cricumstances maybe..

but that same 'social pressure' nonsense that in order to be ''accepted" they have to make thjemselves ''liked" by doing this and that .

like uh -- serena and venus were supposed to be ''on duty" - on ''call" whenever Billie Jean King the Oracle of Women's tennis expected the williamses to ''contribute' to ''team spirit USA/WTA?"

why exactly? what did the williamses OWE to them anyway? it's their DAD AND MOM that produced them- taught them and spent money on them!

same with steffi -- why ? because it's WTA? why? to attend socials and make wonderful speeches like billie jean king about women'/s liberation? and drink wine with them and all? no --she has her bedtime - and problems in the family. she's not the WTA'S ''toy girl" to

add cement to Billie Jean King's 'quest for respect" . or ''the BJK legacy as women's pioneer".

lol. it's up to the individual .

It sure is. People like to control others. It seems to give them some kind of perverse thrill to know the power that they can have over another human being. That’s why they have always down talked Rafa. Rafa doesn’t play their games. When he made his move, it was only on the tennis court, but he wasn’t courting those in “power.” He didn’t seek out the “legends” or try to get in their good graces. He came to do a job and when that was over he went home to Mallorca to be with family and friends.

In other words, there is no carrot to dangle before Rafa. His family upbringing is solely responsible for that. They had the foresight to keep him at home and forego the Spanish Federation’s “help” and the promise of “all expenses paid” because they did not want their son to become a “product” and be beholden to the powers that be. In that way Rafa doesn’t have to deal with the insecurity of “being accepted” and “liked” on their terms. Because if they can give you that “security” they can also take it away.


So even during Rafa’s slump, his popularity wasn’t compromised. He didn’t/doesn’t have to depend on the media and the commentators to talk him up. People like him because he’s his own man, beholden to no one.

I feel the same way about the Williams’ Sisters, even as they dogged them out, calling them lazy and unfocused, they still expected them to be at their beck and call. Their parents got them where they are, not those commentators so who cares what they have to say? I would’ve done the same thing. I’m going to be who I am, period, and if I don’t want to do something I’m not going to do it to appease others. Don’t like it? Too bad.

 

[britbox]

Tuesday Schedule:

 

[teddytennisfan]

a word of congrats on a HUGE win for MONICA PUIG - of PUERTO RICO..

must have been a thrill for her to take down world number 3 GARBINE MUGURUZA -
WOW.

 

[teddytennisfan]

I AM SOOOO disappointed, heartbroken...that my Serena is OUT! OH my god!

I AM SWEARING OFF TENNIS FOREVER -- NO MORE TENNIS FOR ME! WHAT A SORRY, TURGID, HORRIBLE, HIDEOUS GAME IT IS...

I SWEAR!:spank::spank:::sw1:::sith::spank2:






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OK -- i'm back -- i can't live without tennis! hehe.

because i have a secret way to heal my heart-ache...

just BLAME BRITBOX ! hehe.

OK? don't argue with my Britbox -- it's YOUR fault that MY serena lost! ok? so there! moving on..............

lol ...

 

[britbox]

Shocks all round. Serena is becoming more prone to these losses.

Did you watch Garbines match? Double breadsticks?? WTF?

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

It did not surprise me that Serena lost,her serve was AWOL.committing 35 UFE?even in her previous match she was awful and I am a huge fan.

Keep your eyes on Kvitova when she plays in Czech colours like in Fed Cup and now here at Rio she seems to be a different player,she is my tip to win the Gold medal

 

[Moxie]

Shocks all round. Serena is becoming more prone to these losses.

Did you watch Garbines match? Double breadsticks?? WTF?

I haven't been able to watch much tennis so far at the OG, but some shocking losses. Serena in singles and the Sisters in doubles?? And Garbiñe so badly? Not to mention Djokovic out in singles and doubles. It's the Olympics...anything can happen.

 

[teddytennisfan]

I haven't been able to watch much tennis so far at the OG, but some shocking losses. Serena in singles and the Sisters in doubles?? And Garbiñe so badly? Not to mention Djokovic out in singles and doubles. It's the Olympics...anything can happen.

oh i hope you manage to find time to follow some of the rest.

but just keep in mind that if something is going wrong with ANY OF YOUR PICKS
there's someone that's been HEXING them...u know....Britbox...he even admitted it...