Cincinnatti

Does no-one Care are are we just a load of part-time tennis critics (failed) ?



Even as we speak Verdasco is playing Bellucci.



This tennis *forum* is a sad sad spectre of the tennis which is now being debated

on MTL



Who *cares* who wins ? Not anyone here ! -



Back to MTL .

yummymummy wrote:Does no-one Care are are we just a load of part-time tennis critics (failed) ?



Even as we speak Verdasco is playing Bellucci.



This tennis *forum* is a sad sad spectre of the tennis which is now being debated

on MTL



Who *cares* who wins ? Not anyone here ! -



Back to MTL .

Yummy, you are having one of those days, aren't you....personally, I've had an afternoon off, but am back at my trusty TennisTV in a mo. Say hello to the MTL crowd

I've tried to register in MTL but something goes wrong when i log in after registering x(

Harrison played a good match interested to see how the youngster performs against Djoko. I actually think he will come out with nothing to lose and will make it a tough first match for Novak. Is it better for him to just lose at this point and not put in all this mileage at the master's event before the USO? Naw, hope he takes the title.

What a matchup Roger gets JMDP up first that is going to be really interesting. If Roger doesn't win I think he will be left with very little match time before he goes into the USO.

Could A Rod be on the decline, another defeat this time by Kohlschreiber?

Doubtful if we will ever see another Wimbledon final featuring either him or Federer.

Sad.

Couldn't get to see any of the tennis yesterday evening but really glad to see Gasquet won, and convincingly too by the look of the scoreline. Had given up on Fiasco atm but pleased to see he came through too.

Roger does have a hell of a match up and one he is certainly not warmed up for - not hopeful, but will cross fingers and toes anyway.

Roger really needs to make a statement at Cinci.

This is the tournament which suits his game more than any other.

The balls are light and fast.

The court is one of the fastest on the circuit.

He's won here four times previously.

The conditions at Cinci are similar to FM.

If Fed can't make a deep run here, his confidence will be at an all time low.

It will be interesting to see if his FH actually has any pop left.

If he can't hit winners from the baseline at Cinci, he won't be able to do it on any other outdoor court.

Personally I think 1 or 2 posters havent helped this forum one bit and quite a few have left, not just the Rafa club fan either. At the end of the day MTL is different, buit its also a dedicated tennis forum whereas this is a sports forum. Some of the types of poster we've had on here wouldnt be tolerated at MTL. This forum became very tribal a few weeks back and its suffered as a result...IMO. Its made me post less for sure...this forum seems to wallow in the past too much, when as Yummy says there's plenty of current great tennis going on under our noses.

Good points emancipator, agree you would expect Fed to do well here. Should be an interesting week...but he's got a tough draw facing DP early.

lydian wrote:Personally I think 1 or 2 posters havent helped this forum one bit and quite a few have left, not just the Rafa club fan either. At the end of the day MTL is different, buit its also a dedicated tennis forum whereas this is a sports forum. Some of the types of poster we've had on here wouldnt be tolerated at MTL. This forum became very tribal a few weeks back and its suffered as a result...IMO. Its made me post less for sure...this forum seems to wallow in the past too much, when as Yummy says there's plenty of current great tennis going on under our noses.

Good points emancipator, agree you would expect Fed to do well here. Should be an interesting week...but he's got a tough draw facing DP early.

Well I just don't know quite how to react to this post. To be quite frank, there is room enough on this board to make threads about any aspect of tennis you choose and while some threads may have become more 'tribal' one can choose whether to take part robustly or to look elsewhere. I seem to remember reading here before I posted that the Rafa lot were not very happy at MTL either so perhaps their own fan site is more likely to satisfy whatever they are looking for in a forum?

A few of us have occasionally put up a current tennis thread - perhaps if people like you contributed to it those threads might become a bit busier??? Or perhaps you don't need to do that because you already participate in those threads on MTL? To paraphrase JFK ask not what your board can do for you but what you can do for your board!

In the meantime, saying some posters here wouldn't be tolerated on MTL is rather provocative. I haven't read anyone whose on line behaviour wouldn't be acceptable, whether you share their views or not. Jeez, freedom of speech does mean allowing people to express their views and choose their own topics of conversation.

I agree with most of what you say TP, I dont have an issue. I'm not aware if the Rafaclub not being popular at MTL, first I've heard of that.
People know who I'm talking about. Yes I'm also a member of MTL. I'm more than happy to contribute to threads but have been put off coming here.

The question is - this forum is not that busy, not as it was. Sometimes threads go unanswered for a long time and sometimes there arent many posts made at all. Why is this? It seems to be quieter in here than it was a few months ago. So I would suggest something isnt working in terms of growth or something is putting existing tennis fans who post on forums off joining...how does this place get new or existing fans of tennis to join this forum when maybe they're all going to MTL or elsewhere...?

Sportslover, it is a shame about Roddick. He has never been my favorite, but I do respect the fact that the guy has been a fighter and a hard worker his whole career. He just doesn't return well enough for today's game that has always been his problem. Again last night was another example he continually had break points but whenever Kolby needed a big point on serve he got it. He really is an awful returner, Andy.

Timeplease, I am real happy about Gazza as well my second favorite player! I really would like to see him have a big breakthrough and find away back into the top 8 players. He is that kind of talent and plays such a watchable game.


Actually, Lydian as someone who was on this forum about a month and half before you, the first month I was here there was hardly anyone. MTL isn't all that two million posters 99.999999 percent of who have trouble formulating a 2 sentence post about tennis that doesn't include 52 smiley graphics.

A lot of Rafa fans appear to have abandonned the board.

But I think that's true of a lot of other forums too.

I participate in a few other forums and honestly speaking, it would appear that a lot of Rafa fans have left those boards too.

Some (not the majority i hasten to add) were very vociferous in their support of Rafa, often rude and aggressive (i'm referring more to other forums).

They were quite happy to beat Roger fans with the H-2-H stick and Roger's emotional outbursts. Infact, they seemed to make it their mission to tear down Roger's achievements and laude Rafa as the more accomplished champion.

However, many of them left once Novak started dominating Rafa. I expect many of them were afraid of the backlash, and the fact that the same H-2-h arguements are now being used against rafa's legacy.

It is quite sad, but sometimes Karma has a funny way of striking back.

Yes it was quiet here to start with socal but its seems to have got quieter again, or maybe its just holiday season perhaps. We'll see. I hear what you say about MTL but its not quite all smileys...I think thats a slight generalisation if I may. It has alot of knowledgeable posters who wouldnt stay if was just teen-speak candyfloss.

lydian wrote:I agree with most of what you say TP, I dont have an issue. People otherwise know who I'm talking about. Yes I'm also a member of MTL.
Happy to contribute to threads.

But TP, this forum is not that busy in general. Sometimes threads go unanswered for a long time and sometimes there arent many posts made at all. Why is this? It seems to be quieter in here than a few months ago. So I would suggest something is not quite working....just my opinion.

I think you have a great community on MTL (like Josiah, I've tried to register and it looks as if going through and then not - will try again) which have been together obviously for a long time and so it all really gels and everyone has in jokes etc. It is also brilliantly informative and I always check the match reports for matches I have missed. MTL has a huge percentage of the regulars from 606, so these tennis pages start with a slight disadvantage.

Perhaps for that reason, it is good if you have a different type of debate going on in this forum sometimes because it bridges the gap. I think posters on MTL have all heard the goat debates for years and have therefore ticked that box, but for some of us (my work commitments/commuting and family meant I only rarely got to post because of limited opening hours on 606) we have the opportunity to add our pennyworth

Maybe it will all pick up with the US Open?

I think thats fair observation emanc, and before that it was Fed vs Samp. Forums are tribal to a degree but sometimes they do go over the top. People always forget that new and better players ALWAYS come along, thats the way the game works. To singly back one horse is always going to catch you out in the end. Its fine to have a favourite player but their achievements shouldnt be rammed down people's throats and we all have to realise that it always becomes a case of the King is Dead, Long Live the King!

Timeplease, it will pick up at grandslam time. Lets remember there really wasn't much tennis to talk about until last week. Either way, I like the discussion we have at this forum. Anyone who feels that there should be other things we talk about is free to post and I try to comment on everything I find interesting.

Emancipator, I don't want to pick a fight with you, but do you honestly feel that the Rafa fans were that one sided? The only fans I find that continually disparage other greats are frankly some federer fans. Novak fans don't call Rafa a talentless moonballer. Nadal fans don't claim Novak is second coming of lleyton hewitt. Just saying in my opinion, I didn't see a lot of Nadal fans tearing down Roger, but I did see a lot Roger fans doing it to Nadal.

Lets hope TP, I'm not abandoning ship, I'm still here after all.
USO will be fascinating this year for a number of reasons...and I think we're all wondering if Nole can do the impossible and go without losing for the rest of the year. Although you worry about his style of play too if he keeps going deep on HCs for future injuries. I guess its better to be a victim of success than no success at all though.

Yep I agree Lydian,

I actually think that a lot of the more unpleasant Fed detractors were probably Sampras fans masquerading as Rafa fans.

Of course Fed also has his fare share of rabid fanatics, who see any accomplishment by Rafa as a threat to Roger's legacy.



Socal, I think we see less from rafa fans now simply because many of them have taken a hiatus.

But I clearly remember 2008 and 2010 as two years when Rafa fans were aggressively attacking Fed and his fans. Remember the old 606?
But of course, Fed fans have been just as bad, particularly prior to 2008.

Novak fans are smaller in number, so it's harder to gauge, but some of them have also been very aggressive, in particular to Rafa and his fans.

It seems that the fanaticism increases with the degree of success attained by each camp's hero.

Lydian, I think Novak is just focusing on winning and letting everything sort itself out. Why worry about the points you have to defend? One of your nearest rivals still has to raise up and close the gap by winning. Nadal had a huge points lead coming into the year slightly bigger than Novak's right now. And it took Novak 7 months of winning everything and beating 5 times before he could overtake the #1. I hope Novak wins a great deal and builds up a big gap, a type of gap that would cushion him in case he has a bad month next year or one of his closest rivals gets really hot for a couple of months.

Emancipator, I agree that it is a two way street. Personally, neither Roger or Rafa are my top 5 favorites but I do think that they both bring something unique to the table that the game needs. I do agree with what you are saying about old 606, there was always a contingent of people there who hated either Rafa and Roger and needed to vent their frustrations. But I don't know it seems that Fed fans tend to be a bit more sensitive and aggressive towards Nadal, but that is my opinion. And maybe in light of the big losses Roger had and Roger being older that is only natural that people would get more emotional about RAfa and his eccentricities.

socal1976 wrote:But I don't know it seems that Fed fans tend to be a bit more sensitive and aggressive towards Nadal, but that is my opinion.

I take it you never had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of expert petch and all his various alter egos on dear old 606

Is it only Fed from the top 4 who plays tonite??!

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Is it only Fed from the top 4 who plays tonite??!

yes.. starts around 0130 BST.

What time is it in Gaza?

James Blake seems to be playing well again eh? might have a late run in the USO like Sampras ok maybe not be he will atleast test one of the weaker top 10's like Monfils-Almagro

Fed looked awesome tonight. Really put a tennis clinic on Del Potro. Incredible serving, movement, and volleys. The forehand was vintage Fed tonight very few bad errors in any parts of his game.

Maybe I'm hyper-critical but I certainly wouldn't call Fed's performance tonight awesome.

DelPo looked pretty awful. Slow, sluggish, far too many simple errors.

Fed was better. Still far too many errors off the FH. But seems to have more penetration in these conditions, as I was hoping he would have. Serve was excellent as was his net play.

His movement did look better. When he moves well he looks a completely different player. Sharper.

He even hit an inside out FH winner, something I can't remember him doing since the FO. That used to be his staple winner along with the inside in FH.
He plays the inside out FH less and less these days - probably because he can't get there in time like he used to be able to.

If the FH can really click, he will once again be tough to beat. It's still the greatest shot in tennis when it's clicking.

He really needs to move to a 95sq racquet rreally, should have done it a while back.

He sounded like he might be considering it in the press conference earlier this week.

lydian wrote:He really needs to move to a 95sq racquet rreally, should have done it a while back.

Great advice there, Uncle Toni

I agree with lydian on the bigger racquet. I myself use about a 98 sq in racquet. Used to play with a much more oversize racquet than that. One good thing about a smaller headed racquet it does give you a bit more control on the racquet face which I find helps in the volleying department but you lose way too much sweet spot for my taste.

You guys should have played with the old gear. Then you really needed some timing.

I remember playing for a time with Borgs old wooden Donnay: Jeez, the sweet spot was tiny. When I switched to the mid head racquets I felt like I couldn't miss a ball, but I got sloppier and sloppier as time went on. I don't think I was ever as good as when I had to play with that old Donnay. If you volleyed well with that you had some serious hand-eye co-ordination!

bogbrush wrote:You guys should have played with the old gear. Then you really needed some timing.

I remember playing for a time with Borgs old wooden Donnay: Jeez, the sweet spot was tiny. When I switched to the mid head racquets I felt like I couldn't miss a ball, but I got sloppier and sloppier as time went on. I don't think I was ever as good as when I had to play with that old Donnay. If you volleyed well with that you had some serious hand-eye co-ordination!

From 6 years old for about a year I played with a wooden slazenger racquet, I think a great drill for today's pros would be to practice with an old wooden racquet. You have to be real focused and find that sweet spot and also find away to generate pace with those old wooden racquets. I actually don't like to volley with an oversize racquet as much as a smaller face. I played with one that was 110 sq. inch and it was great for returns and ground strokes but I felt like there was a little bit of a natural wobble in the racquet in terms of volleys. I also changed from a lighter frame to a heavier frame. Helps with the control on serve and lets you take a big faster cut on the ball.

Always wanted to see a tournament played with the old gear. Would be interesting to see how modern players cope with it.

carrieg4 wrote:Always wanted to see a tournament played with the old gear. Would be interesting to see how modern players cope with it.

That is an interesting idea, how about one designated throwback tourney each year where the pros have to play with gut strings, wood racquets, and light tennis balls that are white! Carrie that is one of the coolest ideas I have ever heard, even make them smoke cigarettes between sets. Ok I am just kidding about that one. But I do like that idea, it would be really cool.

Could make it a charity event. Would raise the profile of tennis as well!

Nah, make it a regular event I would really like to see today's guys be forced to try out the equipment. Giving the proceeds to charity is great but I would like to see them actually care about the result in terms of wins and losses.

Would be worth the ticket price for the tantrums alone

Oh yeah definetly no hawkeye system for sure. I could see murray or Roddick pulling a mcenroe style meltdown.

socal1976 wrote:Oh yeah definetly no hawkeye system for sure. I could see murray or Roddick pulling a mcenroe style meltdown.

Roddick Yes - Murray NO it's not his style socal !

yummymummy wrote:

socal1976 wrote:Oh yeah definetly no hawkeye system for sure. I could see murray or Roddick pulling a mcenroe style meltdown.

Roddick Yes - Murray NO it's not his style socal !

I think Ljubicic would argue with you on that one yummy

yummymummy wrote:

socal1976 wrote:Oh yeah definetly no hawkeye system for sure. I could see murray or Roddick pulling a mcenroe style meltdown.

Roddick Yes - Murray NO it's not his style socal !

This has got to be post of the week. Murray could start an argument in an empty phone box

Strange thing is Murray has the same kinda hair is Mcenroe, that in itself should be a deterrent from getting stressed.

IMO Murray's reputation is a tad exaggerated. Yes, he was quite vociferous in his younger years but has worked hard to move past this. In this respect he i not dissimilar to many other players.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dEjArGTSkY

lol - darling Johnny Mac - he never realised just how funny he was when he was sooooo indignant. Roddick was a bit Connors like in that clip, funny but a little intimidating - poor line judge. Rafa, suspiciously like Manuel in FT and Fed - just how hard did he hit that raquet (he was quite right in USO, I believe but perhaps he should just not have said sh*t!)

Murray isn't rude to anyone, in fact I would say he has some of the best on court etiquette, like Fed, to his opponent - I just think his temper turned on his team and himself doesn't help him, but distracts him. Not that I am condoning JMac because sometimes it did fire him up, but I am always frustrated to see Murray begin to curse because you immediately feel he has lost his mojo.