Are You Watching The Olympic Tennis?

Just to be clear I'm not asking if an Olympic medal is as important as a masters or a slam... or even about the validity of tennis as an Olympic sport but the simpler question. Are you watching any of it?

I admit I am not... Did have a quick peek at one point and saw Azarenka on centre then switched to Monaco on court one. Lot's of empty seats, little atmosphere and strangely no commentary. It all looked a little sad and neglected compared to other sports. Even the courts looked a little tired. With so many other sports competing for attention I wonder how many are watching? Today I used up about 3 days worth of sports watching time on the gymnastics. For me at the Olympics anyway tennis just can't compete..

Yes! Tennis is tennis. I admit if Murray goes out my interest on the men's side will wane considerably though.

A bit, but it all looks very 2nd rate. Same as it always es t Olympics.

A few weeks ago it was epic.

I watched singles (men and women) and doubles (men and women). Need to spend some time on mixed doubles.

laverfan. You are a trouper! But you missed the men's gymnastics yesterday. It was fantastic. There is another chance though as the women's team competition is today. It starts at 4.30 and there is even GB interest. Why not take my recommendation and watch a bit if you are able. I can't imagine that you won't be spellbound... but if by some chance your not you can always switch back to the tennis.

Cant say I am much...Julia Goerges aside, lol...it seems and feels an oddity within the context of the rest of the annual season. I'm sure I'll pick up more interest when the latter rounds come though. Actually, I've watched more doubles as you dont often see the top guys doing that - loved some of the BH returns Federer was making yesterday, just shows what a good returner he actually is.

lydian : doubles certainly makes for some great viewing.

Ref BH returns ..... hope you spotted my post on the 'Day 3 Thread' (yesterday 10.04pm )

I watched Murray v Wawrinka and the atmosphere was great. The Murrays doubles match was an unbelievable atmosphere too.

Admittedly aside from matches involving Brits the atmosphere has not been so great, but it will pick up as it goes along I think.

Aye I did lags! (and know TP liked it too)

Its such a graceful shot vs the DHBH. I play with a SHBH and was pretty chuffed 2 months ago when after hitting a winning service return the club player across the net said my BH was Federer-like! I dined off that for a month I can tell you...

When I was learning to play that shot my inspirations were Lendl and Becker. In the early 90s I remodelled it further by examining Sampras and Stich...the key moment came when realising I had to stand much more sideways to the net and put my left hand much further behind and leave it there (almost a scissor action as the right hand comes through).

This motion is also exemplified by this photo, a photo that in recent years has inspired me further to refine the shot...
http://i.a.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0606/galleryfrenchopenround2/images/_I6Z0853b.jpg

For me is the best tennis photo ever taken...the way the ball hangs in mid-air, the dark sky set against the red clay, the amazing rotation between his two arms - almost coming around to touch together at the back!, his position off the ground and overall grace of the shot. Just amazing. Poeple talk about Guga and Gasquet, etc, but they dont have the actual grace of the way Federer plays it - although they are beautiful shots nonetheless.

Indeed this photo defines the man and his grace.

hawkeye wrote:laverfan. You are a trouper! But you missed the men's gymnastics yesterday. It was fantastic. There is another chance though as the women's team competition is today. It starts at 4.30 and there is even GB interest. Why not take my recommendation and watch a bit if you are able. I can't imagine that you won't be spellbound... but if by some chance your not you can always switch back to the tennis.

I have watched Swimming, Floor, Horizontal Beam, Badminton, Synchronised Swimming. It was painful to watch Daley/Waterfield lose yesterday. Sanchez/Navarro's 4 1/2 dive was an absolute gem. Watched field hockey, Germany v Belgium was good. If David Cameron will give me tickets I will come over to the other side of the pond and fill the stadiums.

PS: Watched USA v CZE beach volleyball. Kerri/Misty have yet to lose a set @ Olympics. . Watched USA v SRB Volleyball. I know I am missing a lot, though.

lydian wrote:
.............. I play with a SHBH and was pretty chuffed 2 months ago when after hitting a winning service return the club player across the net said my BH was Federer-like! I dined off that for a month I can tell you...
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Only a month ...? Would have thought it's well worth a year or two ...!!

That photo is indeed very special.

It set me wondering
a) just how good the photographer must have felt when the shot was enlarged prior to publication, and b) how many of these photos Fed himself ever gets to see.

(perhaps not that much now, whilst still playing ; but lots to treasure in later years for himself, and especially the daughters...)

lydian wrote:Aye I did lags! (and know TP liked it too)

Its such a graceful shot vs the DHBH. I play with a SHBH and was pretty chuffed 2 months ago when after hitting a winning service return the club player across the net said my BH was Federer-like! I dined off that for a month I can tell you... .

These are the moments that make tennis worthwhile. We've all had them, that point/game/set/match when it all happens and the game comes easily, and for the briefest moments (in my case!) we touch the way the game should be played.

Some are locked away; a serve I hit down the T which arced away and was still rising as it hit the backstop of the court - no-one even twitched before it hit - and another fast and kicking wide to the ad court that cant have landed much more than halfway up the line, with similar effect. A backhand return (single handed, of course) from the ad court that was across and past the incoming volleyer (the club champion, no less) before he could have got close if he'd been twice as fast; a low forehand volley that compromised nothing on speed yet sucked itself to the court after bouncing, so sharp was the slice, and the time I beat the ex- junior champion of a North African country, and still a good player, in 5 tough sets with barely half a dozen breaks throughout.

Ah! What a great game this is!!!

(I've mind-wiped all the crap, obviously).

To answer the OP, I am not watching it as much as I should. Few things have annoyed me with the scheduling and the grass being longer than normal. The conflict I have I guess is Wimbledon opening their gates up to the Olympics. The commentators are trying to play the 'Davis' Cup feel to matches and crowd which is stupid. The fact Cotter has been assigned to the tennis has made it that much more unbearable.

The players to me seem conflicted too. Some seem eager and keen to play well and others have looked like they would sooner be elsewhere.

It seems to be balance issue with the viewers and also the participants.

laverfan. I hope you are managing to get some sleep...

I didn't know you lived "across the pond". For some reason I imagined you lived somewhere on the south coast must be something to do with your name. That does explain some of your 4.00am postings though. Good luck with getting those tickets from David Cameron. If you do manage to get some freeby VIP seats I hope you will sit in them and not find something more interesting to do instead...

legendkillarV2. Forget about the tennis for a bit. Why not watch the women's gymnastics with me and laverfan? It's starting in about an hours time.

Yes, but I guess like all preliminaries, there's a certain feeling of going through the motions at the moment. Certainly I'd rather watch a medal race in the cycling etc.

bogbrush wrote:

lydian wrote:Aye I did lags! (and know TP liked it too)

Its such a graceful shot vs the DHBH. I play with a SHBH and was pretty chuffed 2 months ago when after hitting a winning service return the club player across the net said my BH was Federer-like! I dined off that for a month I can tell you... .

These are the moments that make tennis worthwhile. We've all had them, that point/game/set/match when it all happens and the game comes easily, and for the briefest moments (in my case!) we touch the way the game should be played.

Some are locked away; a serve I hit down the T which arced away and was still rising as it hit the backstop of the court - no-one even twitched before it hit - and another fast and kicking wide to the ad court that cant have landed much more than halfway up the line, with similar effect. A backhand return (single handed, of course) from the ad court that was across and past the incoming volleyer (the club champion, no less) before he could have got close if he'd been twice as fast; a low forehand volley that compromised nothing on speed yet sucked itself to the court after bouncing, so sharp was the slice, and the time I beat the ex- junior champion of a North African country, and still a good player, in 5 tough sets with barely half a dozen breaks throughout.

Ah! What a great game this is!!!

(I've mind-wiped all the crap, obviously).

Arhhhh, those are the moments indeed BB...those moments we almost feel on a par with the top pros. And to be fair we can hit the odd shot like them...its just doing it point in, point out and obviously being as fit (and young!) as them...!!! I always say to people I play with - if you had nothing to do but practice at tennis 7 days a week, train for it too physically, for years - you would be a pretty good tennis player. After all in my opinion Jamie Murray is actually a fairly average player who had the massive benefit of his mother pushing him to learn the game and financing his travelling around the globe to play and learn further (e.g. Orange Bowl at 11 years old, the went to Cambridge to learn to play further during his high school years). I dont see him as overtly talented in any particular respect.

Give alot of kids that opportunity and they would probably become a similar type of player...i.e. an ok doubles player who can hit the ball fairly nicely. And I wonder how far up the tennis ladder that sort of opportunity would get most people? I think its only really the top 100 at singles who start to show true talent...in my opinion most people with basic co-ordination and movement ability, i.e. no Mr Bean's, with the benefit of being pushed/supported 24/7 for years from childhood could become pretty decent. What I'm saying is that sometimes the game we can play at a high club/county level isnt that far removed from the lower echelons of the tour.

I wish I can see, But I can get any decent coverage here, I just watched a bit of Tsonga- Roanic and Murray match today.

But yes the event is very 2nd tier, just watching it coz its Tennis end of the day.

I am watching as always.

I watch everything.

So be warned.

Oh Minions.



ER

I'd say I've done about 50% swimming 20% cycling 10% football so far..10% volleyball, 10% table tennis..and about 2% tennis.

Although I was very fortunate to turn on at random to see the score of 15-40 23-24 and see the match point live. I am really interested in the tennis, but with so much going on I doubt I'll watch a complete match until the semis. Will watch semis and final though I think.

It is nice that they don't switch over to Sue Barker after every match is dusted

Nieminen's wife, Anu, plays Badminton. I watched Women's doubles as well. Fantastic matches.

Watched Marianne Vos win Gold on Cycling - Road - a 3 and half-hour race. I watched two+ hours of it in beautiful British country side, with rain. Amazing race.

HE... Sleep is rare for the next several days. To watch these athletes is a privilege.

I'm keeping an eye on the results, but there's far too much other interesting stuff going on in the Olympics to spend a great deal of time watching the tennis.
I was watching Kazakstan vs Argentina (or 2 equally remote countries, I can't recall exactly) at water polo the other night.

I am still upset at the treatment meted to Shin Lam of Korea. The gall of FIE to give her a f#!$%ing 'consolation' prize is pouring insult over injury.

PS: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/fencings-shin-lam-offered-consolation-prize-following-display-of-sportsmanship-7994796.html

Wonderful photograph Lydian Thanks for posting. As you say, it is not only an incredible shot (excuse pun!) of a moment of incredible athletic grace, but its composition is pretty dramatic too.

I'm addicted to the swimming, rowing, was glued to the three day eventing and now finding Bradley Wiggins strangely compulsive viewing too. Haven't watched the fencing so had to look up Shin Lam LF - very sad to see the despair when all the dreams evaporate. If a technical hitch played a part, then that is really tragic for her.

time please wrote:Haven't watched the fencing so had to look up Shin Lam LF - very sad to see the despair when all the dreams evaporate. If a technical hitch played a part, then that is really tragic for her.

The referee, Barbara Csar made an error which cost Shin Lam a medal. What a travesty at the highest echelons of the sport?

However, Austrian referee Barbara Csar then ruled there was actually still a second left....

Wait, is there a video of this.
What happened? Did she stop fencing?

It Must Be Love wrote:Wait, is there a video of this.
What happened? Did she stop fencing?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7QENF5Uf7k

Watching Oscar Pistorious (a double amputee) run the 400 meters qualifying. What an inspired athlete!