Anyone else here a tennis fan?

[alison]

"Boring" as in straight-sets win and not even close in terms of games, Fonty, which was pretty much what I'd expected.  I mean, did someone say Nadal had only lost one set at Roland Garros since 2015?  I'd just like someone to challenge him, so that it's less predictable.

 

Anyway, yes, I thought Murray did well enough at Queen's, all things considered.  The movement looked better than I'd expected, and the tennis-playing instinct is still there.  It may just take a bit more time, though.  I was actually surprised to see Wawrinka winning a match at all there.  Wonder who'll win this afternoon? (I think they just said there will be radio coverage of the match, as they don't have TV rights?) 

 

One of these years I shall make it to Eastbourne: I've already managed to miss Queen's and Surbiton.  

[Quintus]

Wimbledon was absolutely heaving yesterday, with some routes through the courts choked solid - perhaps they are selling more ground passes than usual.  We had Court 2 seats, which for future reference is quite a nice, intimate court, but we dipped in and out as we found some better matches in the unreserved courts. Thinking of going back next week one evening - after a certain time in the late afternoon I understand they sell cheap ground passes and returns, and there should still be a decent amount of doubles matches going on in the minor courts in the evening. Haven't done the research yet into how it works - anyone ever done this? 

 

btw, some Day 3 pics up on the Instagram link I posted above.

[Quintus]

34 minutes ago, Quintus said:

 

btw, some Day 3 pics up on the Instagram link I posted above.

 

Here's Safarova winning a lengthy match point battle with Radwanska - along with one of the hundreds of flying ants that swarmed the court!

 

Edited July 5, 2018 by Quintus

[alison]

6 hours ago, Quintus said:

Wimbledon was absolutely heaving yesterday, with some routes through the courts choked solid - perhaps they are selling more ground passes than usual.  We had Court 2 seats, which for future reference is quite a nice, intimate court, but we dipped in and out as we found some better matches in the unreserved courts. Thinking of going back next week one evening - after a certain time in the late afternoon I understand they sell cheap ground passes and returns, and there should still be a decent amount of doubles matches going on in the minor courts in the evening. Haven't done the research yet into how it works - anyone ever done this? 

 

When was the choking, Quintus?  Was it perchance prior to 1 pm?  It can be horribly crowded before everyone goes off to their assigned seats.  I must admit that I've noticed the queue being open rather later in the day than usual, but had assumed it was largely down to Murray's absence.  Court 2 is nice, but an absolute suntrap - I sat there in 20 degrees during the Olympics and still got sunburnt.

 

I'm not sure about evening admission this year: I haven't seen any indications of it in the online guide.

[Quintus]

8 hours ago, alison said:

 

When was the choking, Quintus?  

 

Must have been around 1.30, when we ducked out of our seats to go and look for an alternative match.  At least the hill wasn't as packed as it can be though.  We're just going to pitch up on Monday evening and see what's available - there should be some recycled seats from early leavers with any luck.

[alison]

I'm planning on going and doing a recce later today: will report back if there's anything of use.

[Anna C]

Gosh, we're down to only two remaining top 10 seeds in the Women's draw at Wimbledon. 😳

[alison]

Quintus, sorry, I forgot to give the feedback.  I spoke to a steward, who didn't think turning up on "Manic Monday" evening was very likely to be successful.  In theory, they do still to evening admissions, but it sounds as though prices vary according to the time of day, and presumably matches left to play.  Will PM you about the rest.

[alison]

I don't think I can take much more of this ...

[Jan McNulty]

2 minutes ago, alison said:

I don't think I can take much more of this ...

 

Goodness me!

[alison]

Phew.  I can go home now!

[Fiz]

That was gruelling! Poor Isner.

[alison]

And now Nadal/Djokovic will have to come back tomorrow.

 

Oh well, at least the last few days have been more interesting than most of the rest of the tournament put together, in my view  

[capybara]

The Anderson/Isner match was superhuman. SKILL  NERVE  RESILIENCE  ENDURANCE  SPORTSMANSHIP in abundance. No nervous tics, no histrionics, no bouncing the ball countless times before serving, no making the opponent wait ages before a serve. Just good tennis.

[Vonrothbart]

Just like the world cup footballers then. 😄

[alison]

I'd really like Anderson to win the whole thing, all things considered. 

 

From what I saw, the Nadal/Djokovic match was really good, and would have made an excellent final.  But then, the semis often tend to be the best matches.  At least we don't have any first-time slam finalists in this final - I always think being a first-timer is worth a set or even more to the opponent.

[alison]

So, Wimbledon has announced that as of next year it will introduce a final-set tiebreak.  As something of a tennis purist, I've always hated the idea that anyone should win a Grand Slam title on a tiebreak - and loathed it that the US Open decided to go for them.  However, Wimbledon has set the bar somewhat higher - no final-set tiebreak unless the score has reached 12-12, which does seem an eminently sensible decision.  That way, you're limited to playing the equivalent of 6 sets - a decision I suspect most of those who were watching the interminable Anderson vs. Isner men's semi-final earlier this year would have welcomed.  Given that the Anderson vs. Federer quarterfinal which preceded it effectively went to 12-all in the fifth set as well, stopping the matches at 12-all might well have resulted in a better-quality match in the final - and possibly even a different result.

 

It does however mean that nobody is ever going to exceed the notorious Isner vs. Mahut match which finished 70-68 in the final set - but I don't think that will really be a loss to tennis  

[alison]

Roger Federer today became only the second (male?) player to win 100 tournaments.  I think that's a statistic worth mentioning  

[Vonrothbart]

He might beat Jimmy Connors record yet!!

[Quintus]

Roland Garros ticket sales just opened.  We got a pair of unreserved outside court tickets, but I now see online advice that once there, you need to secure your seat early then plan on sticking in it the whole day as big queues build up. We were assuming it was like Wimbledon, where going from court to court is not a problem. Has anyone else had this kind of RG ticket before?

[Fonty]

Never been to Roland Garros, Quintus, sorry.  Where did you get the online advice from?  I can't believe that people stay in the same seat for the whole day, surely people move around in the same way that they do at Wimbledon.  Apart from anything else, surely they have to go to the loo at some point?

[alison]

I think you might need a tennis forum to ask that one, Quintus!  I'm highly envious, though.  You'd assume there were as many tickets as there were seats, wouldn't you?  Not sure I'd say that "going from court to court" isn't a problem at Wimbledon, though - I've queued for over an hour to get onto No. 3 or No. 12 before now.

[Quintus]

I think it was on a tennis forum, Fonty - I was just googling around RG outside courts to see how they 'work'.  We'll play it by ear; get in early to get a good first match but then plan to wander around - a friend happens to be there the same day, on one of the big courts, so we need to catch up with her in any case. I enjoy taking action photos and certainly at Wimbledon I've got the best shots by wandering round the smallest, least popular courts, so I hope RG is similar. Having said that, I also see they limit you to a 20cm lens, which knocks out my favourite combo!

[bangorballetboy]

My main tip for RG is to get to the stadium early (about 0930).  The queuing/entry system can be quite confusing and the security checks are quite a way from the actual gates into the stadium.  You will need your ID and sensible to take some sandwiches (a few supermarkets nearby with pretty cheap and reasonably tasty sandwiches) and as much water as you can (remembering you can't take a bottle bigger than 1.5 litres) - there are taps to refill bottles but not many and the queues for those can be very long on a hot day.

 

If you can stay in a hotel near the stadium (Bois de Boulogne), it really makes a difference avoiding the crowds on the Metro.

[Fonty]

10 hours ago, alison said:

I think you might need a tennis forum to ask that one, Quintus!  I'm highly envious, though.  You'd assume there were as many tickets as there were seats, wouldn't you?  Not sure I'd say that "going from court to court" isn't a problem at Wimbledon, though - I've queued for over an hour to get onto No. 3 or No. 12 before now.

 

Court 3 is one of the show courts, isn't it? so I imagine the area of public seating is quite small?.  For the other courts at Wimbledon, I guess it depends on who is playing.  I can't remember which one is court 12, but I have in the past spent ages in a queue for 18. However, I had no trouble at all getting a seat when Mahut and Isner were thrashing it out in that memorable match. 

 

I would imagine RG would be the same.  Do tell us about it, Quintus.  I have never seen a clay court match, but this year I have got tickets for Rome.  

[alison]

On ‎25‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 09:26, Fonty said:

 

Court 3 is one of the show courts, isn't it? so I imagine the area of public seating is quite small?. 

 

I think it's probably about 50/50.  In fact, a couple of years ago I was on there on a side I'd never been able to access before, so I don't know whether they've changed or increased the allocation of unreserved seats.

[alison]

This one's a couple of years old, but it just popped up in my recommendations when I was on YouTube:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1M6Oqw9IF8

 

Entitled "20 Tennis shots if they were not filmed, NOBODY would believe them" - does what it says on the tin  

[Quintus]

An extraordinarily noisy Fed Cup yesterday in the Copperbox Arena as the Kazakh drummers and trumpeters were out in force!  My 'discovery' was Yulia Putintseva, who I'd not come across before and how is very entertaining - a little powerhouse who wears her heart on her face! I'll be cheering for her over Konta this afternoon.  Here are a few pics..

 

Edited April 21, 2019 by Quintus

[Quintus]

Katie Boulter got us through to the final 16, for the first time in an age.  I'm pleased with this pic - she doesn't photograph well, not least because of that wretched visor that shadows her face in almost every shot

 

 

Edited April 21, 2019 by Quintus

[alison]

Wonder if she'll be front page on the Daily Telegraph again tomorrow?  They seem to have a bit of a "thing" for her in the same way they used to for Darcey Bussell.

 

Wish I'd known this was on - I'd have liked to have gone.  Congrats to the GB team.

[Ian Macmillan]

Something of tennis interest in today's Links - from the Washington Post.

[Sim]

The photo I posted on the previous page, in March, illustrates this article beautifully!  

[alison]

Thanks for reminding me: I've had a tab open for that for a few days, but needed to change browser in order actually to be able to access it!

 

Very good match between Kyle Edmund and Jeremy Chardy yesterday at the French Open - such a shame it had to stop.  Totally ruined the momentum when it restarted this morning.  Novak Djokovic is looking scarily good, from what I saw of him yesterday.