Wimbledon Day 1

First topic message reminder :

I mean, where the Hell's the Day 1 thread!!????


Djokovic drops serve early on.

bogbrush wrote:

Haddie-nuff wrote:The poor little rich boy is back... must be getting bored spending all Dad´s money and thought he would earn a bit of his own.
I wonder if he bothered to do any training before this tournament...tennis is just a hobby or it was a year or so ago. What a wasted talent.

Oh please, can we steer clear of the modern habit of showing naked resentment of rich people? If the guys wealthy, and it's made him relaxed as well as being talented, then good for him.

I would agree with you there bogbrush. I do not know what truth there is in him not training as much as everyone else. Any evidence anywhere?

bogbrush wrote:Shall we just have the Djokovic/Federer semi now?

Affirmative.

BTW Gulbis' dad looks like he could be his grandfather. Must have been in his 50s when his son was born.

As far as I can tell, regardless of his wealth, he seems like a pretty cool guy who has a charm which comes across. It's fantastic his father goes to his matches.

Ha.....ladies of the night, apparently a misunderstanding: he's 23 though...he can hardly be criticized for that, after all, he could milk the fact he's mega rich and a tennis player and a sort of celebrity (that goes along with tennis players) but he doesn't.

He is apparently friends with Marat, they see each other every year (I think)....maybe that explains a lot?

Gulbis's coach Hernan Gumy (and Canas) and before that Cahill under the Adidas program have good things to say about Gulbis.

He used to train with Djokovic at Pilic's academy.

Is Almagro going out as well?

When I wrote said article approx 2 yrs ago he was 21yrs old and at that time he rejected any idea of training... what he does now I do not know. His father encouraged him to take up tennis professionally albeit he did not need the money. When your father is mega mega rich and I believe he was born late in his fathers life and therefore employment did not enter into it. Tennis was what he was good at and Dad encouraged it.. but again I say his laid back casual approach to the game is mainly because he plays purely for the love of it. What he wants his father supplies financially and materially. Now that was then.. I havent followed him since .. hence my saying He Is Back he disappeared off the scene for quite a while.. having a good time no doubt. At the time he was interviewed it appeared that he had everything but yet nothing which is why I believe his father steered him into the game. Hence the lable "poor little rich boy". I would suggest he has matured somewhat since then OK????

Well whatever the case may be - an impressive win for him today. Heather Watson going great guns as well as she has just taken the first set 6-2 against Benesova on Centre Court.

I think everyone had high hopes of Gulbis back then .. he was talked about rather like Raonic is now. It really is quite gauling that this boy has such talent and treats it so casually.. however that may well be why his game is as good as it is. Lets see if he makes more use of it now he has grown up a bit

CaledonianCraig wrote:Well whatever the case may be - an impressive win for him today. Heather Watson going great guns as well as she has just taken the first set 6-2 against Benesova on Centre Court.

If Heather maintains this I will say it is perhaps the first real sign that Heather is a top fifty player - her ranking is just outside a hundred - but this is a top fifty performance.

A top fifty player would expect to regularly get to the second round of a slam tournament, and occassionally get to the third round. Heather is now up one break in the second set.

Very good so far. Stay focussed and she has this win in the bag.

One thing I have noticed is that she goes down on one knee to play a lot of shots. Unusual.

Haddie-nuff wrote:I think everyone had high hopes of Gulbis back then .. he was talked about rather like Raonic is now. It really is quite gauling that this boy has such talent and treats it so casually.. however that may well be why his game is as good as it is. Lets see if he makes more use of it now he has grown up a bit

I can't really say I saw any interviews of him a few years ago but he did seem reasonably mature in his interview today.

Definitely agree it would be great to see more quality play from him, if he keeps it up he certainly can push the top players. Berdych didn't get a look in on Gulbis's serve today (at least in 3rd set), was quite something! I thought Berdych was the big hitter who was a dangerous floater for Fed?

I remember one match where he gave Rafa a hard time.. and I always thought then that he had the potential to be a big threat to the top 4... then he went off the boil..as I say I think then at any rate the committment wasn´t there for the reasons Ive already outlined. Now of course perhaps he has got the distractions out of the way and is happy to pursue his tennis. But I dont think he will be doing it for the glory .. I think the challenge and the love of the sport will be his driving force. Oh to have that choice

Yes just checked Wimbledon 2008 he took a set off Rafa so he was what ??? 19

It may just be that Gulbis has had a life where everything he wants he can have as family have the money. That perhaps has harmed him in tennis though as there is no substitute for hard graft and practice. You can't buy that you have to work for it.

An excellent display (judging from the stats) from Heather Watson, demolishing the No 55 ranked player in the world 6-2 6-1.

Benesova: no breakpoints
Watson: won four from a total of twenty breakpoints.

Watson 24 winners 10 UE
Benesova 23 winners 25 UE

Yes a great display Nore Staat - her first win at Wimbledon. Lets hope she can now build on that.

bogbrush wrote:

Haddie-nuff wrote:The poor little rich boy is back... must be getting bored spending all Dad´s money and thought he would earn a bit of his own.
I wonder if he bothered to do any training before this tournament...tennis is just a hobby or it was a year or so ago. What a wasted talent.

Oh please, can we steer clear of the modern habit of showing naked resentment of rich people? If the guys wealthy, and it's made him relaxed as well as being talented, then good for him.

I am hoping to see more than 1 Brit in the 3rd round. Not happened since 2003.

Watson has a great chance to go deep with Radwanksa being the only threat left.

CaledonianCraig wrote:It may just be that Gulbis has had a life where everything he wants he can have as family have the money. That perhaps has harmed him in tennis though as there is no substitute for hard graft and practice. You can't buy that you have to work for it.

Exactly he has everything anyone could possibly need.. I really think this was his problem a few years back he had nothing other than his tennis and even that came easy to him. He saw that unless he needed to make it his career or the desire for fame why bother to put in the graft. His tennis is a completely natural talent that seems to come easy to him. Its likely that he will play a few incredible matches and then decide not to bother for a while. Ill reitterate that his attitude may well now have changed Im only quoting what I knew about him when he was 20/21

Haddie-nuff wrote:

bogbrush wrote:

Haddie-nuff wrote:The poor little rich boy is back... must be getting bored spending all Dad´s money and thought he would earn a bit of his own.
I wonder if he bothered to do any training before this tournament...tennis is just a hobby or it was a year or so ago. What a wasted talent.

Oh please, can we steer clear of the modern habit of showing naked resentment of rich people? If the guys wealthy, and it's made him relaxed as well as being talented, then good for him.

Dont talk utter tripe... that was an expression which has been used about Gulbis before... I couldnt give a toss about his money...dont judge everybody by yourself BB its a habit of yours.

Yeah, all that naked envy was from him, right?

banbrotam wrote:

bogbrush wrote:

Haddie-nuff wrote:The poor little rich boy is back... must be getting bored spending all Dad´s money and thought he would earn a bit of his own.
I wonder if he bothered to do any training before this tournament...tennis is just a hobby or it was a year or so ago. What a wasted talent.

Oh please, can we steer clear of the modern habit of showing naked resentment of rich people? If the guys wealthy, and it's made him relaxed as well as being talented, then good for him.

:clap:

Ill say to you what I said to BB .. thats a load of tripe try reading my posts since this one .. I daresay you havent bothered .I have practically given Gulbis´s life history...
. BB has a habit of being , cynical and judgemental a self appointed judge of other posters when he himself is the worst culprit.. his duplicity knows no bounds.

Haddie-nuff wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:It may just be that Gulbis has had a life where everything he wants he can have as family have the money. That perhaps has harmed him in tennis though as there is no substitute for hard graft and practice. You can't buy that you have to work for it.

Exactly he has everything anyone could possibly need.. I really think this was his problem a few years back he had nothing other than his tennis and even that came easy to him. He saw that unless he needed to make it his career or the desire for fame why bother to put in the graft. His tennis is a completely natural talent that seems to come easy to him. Its likely that he will play a few incredible matches and then decide not to bother for a while. Ill reitterate that his attitude may well now have changed Im only quoting what I knew about him when he was 20/21

Haddie. Do you personally know Gulbis. Your spoilt little rich kid routine is as nauseating as those tales you hear about how so and so didn't have a pot to urine in until Boxing or whatever found him

The truth is, it's probably Gulbis's laid back personality that makes him the Tennis player he is. If somebody suddenly tries to make him into a automaton he'll be outside the Top 500

Which proves you have not read the rest of my post... but go ahead
banbotram... look his biography up for yourself if you dont want to believe me
because you know what I DONT GIVE A FIG what you think. Those were the facts as I knew them to be when he was 21 .andf I wrote an article about him.. you have two choices.
Take it okr leave it...
It was meant for information what you have chosen to read into it is up to you.
They were facts as I knew them to be at that time

Personal lifeGulbis comes from a very wealthy family. His book-collecting parents named him after Ernest Hemingway.[3] His father, Ainārs, is an investment banker, while his mother, Milēna Gulbe-Kavace, is a theater actress. The second of six children, Gulbis has three sisters and two brothers, one of which is training in Florida to become a professional tennis player as well. Gulbis comes from a sporting family in general, and his grandfather, Alvils Gulbis, was one of the starting five players on ASK Rīga, the Soviet Union basketball team that won the European Championships.[4] His other grandfather, Uldis Pūcītis, was a popular actor and film director. He first started playing tennis with his grandmother and considers basketball, association football and ice hockey to be his favorite sports.

Gulbis is known, both by his fellow tennis players and the media, as one of the funnier personalities on the tour. When Gulbis stunned world number 1 Roger Federer 2–6, 6–1, 7–5 at the 2010 Italian Open only after throwing away six previous match points, he told reporters after the match, "I Poopie my pants a little bit there . . . excuse my language," and has also bragged about his racquet-throwing "skills" in an on-court interview.[5] On a telecast during the 2010 Western and Southern Financial Group Masters from Cincinnati, broadcasters Brad Gilbert, Patrick McEnroe and Chris Fowler all compared Gulbis to former world number 1 Marat Safin, in terms of both playing style and attitude on and off court. Also like Safin, Gulbis often comments about his own lack of discipline and/or interest in practicing, but is very forthcoming about his aspirations of entering the top ten, five or even number one in the ATP rankings.

In 2009, Gulbis was arrested in Sweden for allegedly soliciting prostitutes.[6] He he called it a misunderstanding. After paying a small fine, he was released in time to play in the Stockholm Open.[3]

Gulbis speaks Latvian, Russian, English and some German.[4]

Maybe he needs to learn Swedish to avoid further "misunderstandings".

[quote="bogbrush"]I mean, where the Hell's the Day 1 thread!!????



What with the Euros and the Olympics, Wimby got forgotten this year.
Here´s my oh so exciting prediction.
Murrary won´t win.
Federer won´t win.
Nadal might win.
Djokovic will most likely win.
Yawn.

Haddie-nuff wrote:Which proves you have not read the rest of my post... but go ahead
banbotram... look his biography up for yourself if you dont want to believe me

Er. I don't disbelieve you. I too know all about Gulbis's background etc, I just don't agree with your opinions about his 'richness'

Haddie-nuff wrote:because you know what I DONT GIVE A FIG what you think.

As we can clearly tell. It's always good when someone writes more than a couple of words in block capitals, it shows such a cool temperament and an incisive mind that can convince the most cynical that the sun rises in the west. So I'm now convinced. Whatever you were saying, you're correct

Whether Gulbis is a player who lacks application or not is debatable and opinions vary. Cahill (who has my respect) and Patrick McEnroe both think him to have what it takes to be player in the top echelons.

LA 2011 was a good outing for him.

Whether his parent's wealth is a deterrent to his tennis career or not, he has chosen to be an ATP player, and should put in the effort to be the best he can be.

Gulbis and Djokovic were peers at Pilic's acedemy, which, to me, is a testament to Gulbis's potential.

Will he achieve it? Perhaps we should wait, till he retires from ATP, to evaluate.

When he missed the MPs at 5-6, i was afraid the 'old' unfocussed Gulbis was back. There is some truth to his nickname, Twins, indicating various personas, that he manages to exhibit.

banbrotam wrote:

Haddie-nuff wrote:Which proves you have not read the rest of my post... but go ahead
banbotram... look his biography up for yourself if you dont want to believe me

Er. I don't disbelieve you. I too know all about Gulbis's background etc, I just don't agree with your opinions about his 'richness'

Haddie-nuff wrote:because you know what I DONT GIVE A FIG what you think.

As we can clearly tell. It's always good when someone writes more than a couple of words in block capitals, it shows such a cool temperament and an incisive mind that can convince the most cynical that the sun rises in the west. So I'm now convinced. Whatever you were saying, you're correct :censored:

And my incisive mind can detect quite well when someone is firing off their back foot... make yourelf appear to be right won´t you banbotram ... with a little help from your friends. Why should I particularly show "naked envy" about Gulbis´s wealth when there are many others out there including Federer, Nadal and Djokovic who are hardly on the bread line are they if you already know so much about Gulbis why are you being so critical there are those here who have hardly heard of him.. Ive learned one thing from you at any rate.. a demonstration of self-righteous smug arrogance. (And I dont need to write it in capital letters its plain for all to see)

And my incisive mind can detect quite well when someone is firing off their back foot

paranoid schizophrenic

Gulbis dad is not a billionaire btw, he's got 20-30 million. Rafa's uncle Miguel is probably worth more himself. You are so up yourself. :/

Josiah Maiestas wrote:

And my incisive mind can detect quite well when someone is firing off their back foot

paranoid schizophrenic

Gulbis dad is not a billionaire btw, he's got 20-30 million. Rafa's uncle Miguel is probably worth more himself. You are so up yourself. :/

It would be wise not to call posters names.

BTW... Gulbis's father does not appear in either list.

http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/list/#p_1_s_a0_All%20industries_All%20countries_All%20states_

http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/28910/

Where are you getting the 20-30 million (and what currency)?

Well neither does Rothschild appear in the lists laverfan, those lists can be easily avoided if you want to. The 20-30 million figure is euros or pounds.

I was not name calling, I was observing the attitude of the Gulbis hater.

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Well neither does Rothschild appear in the lists laverfan, those lists can be easily avoided if you want to. The 20-30 million figure is euros or pounds.

I agree, there are ways to avoid being in that list.

Josiah Maiestas wrote:I was not name calling, I was observing the attitude of the Gulbis hater.

'Poor little rich boy' (towards a tennis player) vs Paranoid Schizophrenic (towards a poster). Do you really want me to assign 'level's of hate'?

Observation requires a calm and rational mind.

Trust me I was very calm, just surprised how you can put someone down after that performance, in only the 1st round of a slam. Almost as if, it is Ernests fault for his dad being a wealthy businessman, in the same token you could say Rafa benefitted from Miguel who is just as wealthy. Gulbis may have a life outside of tennis, what a shame that is hey?

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Trust me I was very calm, just surprised how you can put someone down after that performance, in only the 1st round of a slam.

IIRC, there was a phrase somewhere 'What a waste of talent"!. The lack of consistency is keeping Gulbis away from the Top 10.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Ernests-Gulbis.aspx?t=rh

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Almost as if, it is Ernests fault for his dad being a wealthy businessman, in the same token you could say Rafa benefitted from Miguel who is just as wealthy. Gulbis may have a life outside of tennis, what a shame that is hey?

Not a fault, but perhaps contributes towards a certain ennui. . Hopefully he will stay focussed and continue to play well in the next few rounds. Janowicz and Mayer should be good for his match fitness. More than likely a Gasquet after that.

Janowicz has been impressive, he won his final qualifier something like 6-1 6-1 6-2, remember him playing Murray and Evans in a Davis cup tie, blitzed Evans and flattered to deceive for Murray. I can see him nicking a set off Ernests.

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Janowicz has been impressive, he won his final qualifier something like 6-1 6-1 6-2, remember him playing Murray and Evans in a Davis cup tie, blitzed Evans and flattered to deceive for Murray. I can see him nicking a set off Ernests.

I remember this one.

http://www.daviscup.com/en/results/tie/details.aspx?tieId=100012284

Gulbis has a good record in DC - http://www.daviscup.com/en/players/player/profile.aspx?playerid=100028679

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Trust me I was very calm, just surprised how you can put someone down after that performance, in only the 1st round of a slam. Almost as if, it is Ernests fault for his dad being a wealthy businessman, in the same token you could say Rafa benefitted from Miguel who is just as wealthy. Gulbis may have a life outside of tennis, what a shame that is hey?

Umm, if I understand it correctly, his dad isn't wealthy from being a businessman, he is wealthy from being a banker! Let's not say much else about bankers....hence why he's probably not a billionaire (very few bankers are). I just wanted to point out the difference because often businessman start businesses from scratch and build them up. Bankers don't and usually get their buddies in remuneration committees to give them big bonuses. I'm not saying his dad didn't deserve his money btw, just observing businessmen and bankers have mainly their high pay in common.

Anyway, Haddie wasn't attacking his performance @ all JM, she was making an issue of his lack of consistency which was a fair point. I would certainly enjoy watching Gulbis's style of play more but if he's inconsistent (perhaps because he doesn't train) we're not likely to.

Well who knows though lucius. I mean a good run at Wimbledon may give him the taste of the big-time and give him the desire to really work on his inconsistencies and work in training to ensure he can really make it. Cracking win for him though and the way is open now for him to get through a few rounds at a slam.

CC... Ainars Gulbis is also an investor in Energo SG.

http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/energy/?doc=873

... but the project is in trouble...

http://www.rebaltica.lv/en/important/a/710/lack_of_trust_disrupts_gas_project.html