Wimbledon Shocker: Gulbis KO's Del Potro

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Andrew; Deep down Querrey knows he can beat just about anyone on grass. I think he can beat anyone but Fed though he could blast Fed off the court but he probably is too nice to commit that blasphemy. Q Ball can blast Rafa off the court - he showed it in Acapulco. I wonder what exactly sparked Querrey. Was it the US teenagers? Did Lloyd Carroll call him a journeyman? There has to be explanation for what was the catalyt to turn mild mannered Q Ball into The Samimal

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Djokovic handling Gulbis like he did from the early break down was major. Djokovic also roared like a lion late in the first set which suggests he's the peace and love BS. Hopefully Djokovic send Pepe home because peace and love is not needed during this fortnight. Big win for Djokovic and I was impressed because Gulbis is RED hot and had nothing to lose but Djokovic found a way to break his will and spirit.

 

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Hartt writes:

Scoop, Simona has been grunting for a long time now. It is an aspect of her game that I could live without. On another topic, today was a big day for coaches who are also parents. With Sascha and Mischa both playing today their parents were kept busy. And fortunately Ofner's match finished before Thiem's began because his coach is also Dominic's father.

 

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Andrew Miller writes:

Scoop, when Sam playing like Samurai and Sam I Am, he's the legitimate top USA men's player and plays like a top ten player at the heights. And he's a joy to watch. I actually saw him blasting a few formidable opponents in practice post Wimbledon last year, and the way he was playing was out of his mind. So he has it in him.

 

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Andrew Miller writes:

Think things off court were going well for him. He cam get down on himself, big fella syndrome - playing small not playing big. Not as notable as when say Murray goes after himself or DY or Kyrgios etc, but still notable for the big guy.

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Hartt; Ofner's slick back hair makes him look like Fred Perry or on of those old bygone era guys. Would you rather Halep play silent and lose or grunt like Sharapova and win majors? maybe the louder she grunts the better she plays?

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Andrew: Querrey has the capacity to hurt great players with his power. The ten aces in a row vs Blake. Blasting out Rafa this year and Djokovic last year. Passive Sam can choke and lose to people like James Ward in Davis Cup. Samimal can slay dragons and shock the world.

 

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catherine writes:

Scoop - don't think Angie in her wildest dreams would see herself the favourite but she did find the key to unlock something in herself v Rogers - we haven't seen her so demonstrative for a long time. Start off on fire v Muguruza though or she's done. Just keep up the self belief and express more emotion on court. Angie's too well brought up. Hartt - yes, Simona's been grunting for a while - should be a gruntfest v Azarenka.

 

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Andrew Miller writes:

Scoop, agree Samurai Sam has it in him. He came out of nowhere back in 2005, 2006? Played serious tennis right away. It's good to see him going for his shots.

 

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Andrew Miller writes:

Muguruza... I don't see it.

 

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catherine writes:

Andrew What don't you see in Muguruza ? For me, her style doesn't appeal, no more than Konta's, but she's won some matches and I think she'll win this one. Mug in 2. Angie's cautious - she says 'we'll see' a lot in her interviews. Won't commit herself when the press want her to. And her English often features tortuous German word order which makes me laugh.

 

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Hartt writes:

Scoop, if Simona grunted like Sharaopva I would stop watching her matches. I only watch Maria when it is a compelling match, and that means turning down the sound. But I resent not being able to hear the sound of the ball, the line calls and the umpire. With Simona, I do watch but don't find it as enjoyable as if she did not grunt. And it's not just the women players - I wish some of the men did not grunt so loudly as well. I understand making a sound when you hit the ball but does it have to be that loud? Lots of good players manage just fine without it.

 

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catherine writes:

Hartt - I suspect someone suggested to Simona that she try grunting as a way of getting rid of her emotions rather than having tiny tantrums and throwing racquets around Or it's her saying to her opponent: 'look how hard I'm hitting the ball !' BTW - my comment above on Angie's English - my attempts long ago at German word order must have sounded pretty funny and would have made any German laugh

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Grunting really helps with timing the ball and the louder you exhort the better and more violent the contact. I believe it truly helps a player reach a higher level. A few abuse it but not many. Grunting expressed passion fury desire focus and a locked in mindset and it can intimidate. I feel the Non players just can't/dont understand.

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Andrew; I recall seeing rookie Q Ball test Rafa in Cincy with a wildcard way back when. Q Ball showed early on he has the arsenal to compete with the best. He could pull a Wawrinka or Andres Gomez or To Jo.

 

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Dan Markowitz writes:

Scoop, You know how I hate to disagree with you, but I've got to go with KevAnd against Qball no matter what their h2h is. Both Kev and Sam have been impressive this year, but Kev has been really good. I just think he has a little more firepower than Sam and his game/technique is cleaner.

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Querrey is taking out Anderson Dan, four sets.

 

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Hartt writes:

Scoop, so if Federer grunted he would be even better? Sorry, I don't buy that. And some players do use it for gamesmanship. Yesterday I saw a woman player, already I forget her name, it was the first time I'd seen her, who only grunted sometimes - she would go for a few points without grunting and then would grunt for a couple points. It had to be distracting for her opponent because it was not consistent, you never knew when it was coming, and her grunts were very loud.

 

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Chazz writes:

Loving what QBall is doing. Also looking forward to the Fed-Baby Fed matchup. That will be some beautiful tennis to watch.

 

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catherine writes:

Harrt - I agree there - was about to mention Federer - I've never heard him grunt above normal exhalation. Does Kerber grunt ? I don't think so, not abnormally. Maybe she should try. And I never heard players of earlier generations grunt. Did Steffi ? Never heard her. And in other sports - I follow cricket and fast bowlers don't grunt, neither do batsmen on the whole, except for showmanship. So we'll see when Azarenka plays Simona - battle of the grunts.