alison Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 My goodness, I've just been glued to the radio for the past couple of hours! If you're a tennis fan, you really need to search out tonight's Thiem v. Djokovic match from the O2. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 Who won in the end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 Thiem - by a hair's breadth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 On 13/11/2019 at 14:34, alison said: Thiem - by a hair's breadth. Oh wow! I must try to do a watch-again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 Yesterday's Nadal v. Medvedev went right down to the wire, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 On a quirky note for tennis fans who are begetting bored in isolation, Andrea Petkovic has launched a book club on Instagram under the account 'racquetclub'; she introduced some book options, polled followers to choose one, and now a collective reading is in train... She's quite a character, and far from your typical sportsperson stereotype! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 Wondering what the BBC will be doing for two weeks in July: they do have plenty of tennis back catalogue to mine, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 11 hours ago, alison said: Wondering what the BBC will be doing for two weeks in July: they do have plenty of tennis back catalogue to mine, I guess. Time to dig out their old Bjorn Borg v McEnroe tapes again. 🙂 And I suspect that at some point Nadal v Federer will make an appearance as well. What classic female matches are there? They never seem to get a mention, do they? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 4 hours ago, Fonty said: Time to dig out their old Bjorn Borg v McEnroe tapes again. 🙂 And I suspect that at some point Nadal v Federer will make an appearance as well. What classic female matches are there? They never seem to get a mention, do they? How about some of the senior matches? I'm not a huge fan of the current tennis style but I remember being transfixed a couple of years ago by the senior doubles competition. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Actually, I think the doubles competitions in general get a very bad deal. And that can be where some of the most exciting matches can be found. But I like the idea of the seniors. They still have all the skill, they just have to use a bit more guile as they are not as fast as they used to be. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diandri Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 10 hours ago, Fonty said: What classic female matches are there? They never seem to get a mention, do they? How about 2005 Wimbledon final Venus Williams v Lindsay Davenport final. Awesome. Serena Williams beating Sharapova almost every time they've met (glad that Sharapova has retired first so Serena even outlasts her rival that way too). Serena conquering most of her opponents in Wimbledon finals... Petra Kvitova beating Sharapova in 2011 getting her first Wimbledon title. I'm very partial to lefthanders (being one). One of my favourite matches was when I was converted to Vika Azarenka; I never used to like her because of her squeaking, but then I turned onto her US open match, won't name the opponent, but Azarenka demolished her game quickly, ruthlessly & with panache that was breathtaking. She was a top five seed that year & had been relegated to an outer court, very late in the day & it was 60 minutes of pure bliss. Always watch her now (but with the sound turned down somewhat). On the men's front Juan Martin del Potro for sheer tenacity over his injury wracked body! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 I'd say last year's men's final if it wasn't for the fact that - AAAGGGHH! no it's no good, I still can't forget 40-15 ... I seem to remember the men's doubles final the year Jonny Marray and Frederick Nielsen won was a very good one - or was it just because there was a Brit in the final? Plus there are always some real good-quality matches earlier on in the competition which tend to get overlooked. I realise why I don't tend to remember the women's finals - I've usually been out shopping, and maybe listening to it on the radio if circumstances allowed. If it wasn't a terribly exciting match, I'd fast-forward through it on the recorder when I got home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 A friend has just sent me this ... a couple of years old but fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 27, 2020 Share Posted June 27, 2020 I was wondering how the other tennis fans on here were doing? I thought I was managing ok without tennis until the grass court season started and the withdrawal symptoms hit. I was looking forward to the classic Wimbledon matches the BBC had promised, but for some strange reason they all seem to be 3 hours long, so I have to conclude that they've been edited down 😞 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 On 27/06/2020 at 01:31, alison said: I was wondering how the other tennis fans on here were doing? I thought I was managing ok without tennis until the grass court season started and the withdrawal symptoms hit. I was looking forward to the classic Wimbledon matches the BBC had promised, but for some strange reason they all seem to be 3 hours long, so I have to conclude that they've been edited down 😞 I've really enjoyed the ones I've seen so far - they're edited to varying degrees but not a lot and you can really re-live them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 Yes, I've been enjoying them, but would have preferred to see them more or less whole rather than cut down to something like 90 minutes. Last year's men's final must have been 4 hours plus - not that I actually want to see either of last year's: I think it's too soon. I'd rather have seen something from further back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 Must admit, some of them have still been fascinating (Ann Jones v. Billie-Jean King a bit before my time) - and the coverage is repeated on the Red Button in the evenings and at weekends, in case anyone has missed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 I've loved watching the old matches/players especially Chris Evert and Evonne Goolagong. The one I'd really like to see is Ilie Nastase but I haven't seen anything of him - maybe he never made it far enough in tournament (can't remember now) to qualify for these programmes (or maybe I missed him - I haven't watched them all). Anyway I think Wimbledon and the BBC have done a great job in the absence of live tennis. And I find that although the game is so much faster and more powerful now, the old matches can still be just as thrilling and really absorbing. And I remember the players and their mannerisms so well even after all these years! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 I think he played in the 1972 final against Stan Smith? But could be that wasn't deemed interesting enough. I'm disappointed at the absence of Rod Laver and Stefan Edberg from the showings: both have enough of a Wimbledon history to deserve to be acknowledged. But if you go to the Wimbledon website there are still numerous matches available under their "Greatest Championships" programme - from first round to finals (and Edberg does at least appear in some of those). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 There's live tennis back on now with the British Progress tournament for up and coming female players - it's accessible on smart TVs via the BBC sport app or Facebook. It's been OK, if naturally lacking in atmosphere. I'm curious to know why Eden Silva dropped out at the last minute, as we enjoyed watching her get to the mixed doubles quarter finals at Wimbledon last year and were looking forward to her matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 Battle of the Brits is proving good entertainment. We just watched Salisbury and Raducanu beat Andy M and Burrage in the mixed doubles. Emma Raducanu looks like a bright hope for the future - only 17 and plays a great attacking game; she beat Katie Boulter yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Anyone watch the French Open? We were delighted to see Iga Swiatek win, after an amazing run where she didn't drop a set and simply destroyed Halep, Vondrousova and Kenin. We met her when she played the qualifiers at Birmingham last year, and found her a super polite, nice young lady. She's developed phenomenally since then and I doubt this will be her last Grand Slam title. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 2 hours ago, Quintus said: Anyone watch the French Open? We were delighted to see Iga Swiatek win, after an amazing run where she didn't drop a set and simply destroyed Halep, Vondrousova and Kenin. We met her when she played the qualifiers at Birmingham last year, and found her a super polite, nice young lady. She's developed phenomenally since then and I doubt this will be her last Grand Slam title. Yes - I thought she was amazing! Really powerful hitting but also great variety of shots and lovely to watch. (And I loved the way she dealt with the medical time-out in the second set - she behaved like a normal human being! Very refreshing.) I hope she continues to go from strength to strength. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diandri Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 I've really enjoyed the delayed French Open this year; I've watched quite a few matches via TV & online (including the some of the qualification matches!) & both the men's & women's games have been marvellous, rather like the dancers the players have clearly been desperate to play competitively! Swiatek has been on my radar for a while & I'm thrilled she won today (I was out working & got home in time only to see the last shot being played & her dropping to the clay in delight, I'll watch the whole thing on Monday). Diego Schwartzman V Thiem so far has been the match of the tournament for me & the two men's semi's were also fascinating. My diary for tomorrows final is clear & I have snacks in as I am hoping for a full 5 set clash of the titans with Djokovic to win. Best of all it will only be 7 months to the 2021 tournament.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 Another person I had a chat and a selfie with at Birmingham was Krystina Mladenovitch, who won the doubles today. Now I don't want to claim that my words of wisdom to Iga and Kiki at the time were entirely responsible for their RG victories, but I think you'll agree it must be more than a coincidence.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 Did you have a word with Rafa Nadal as well and tell him how to beat Djokovic to a pulp? Seriously, though, many congratulations to Nadal: that really was some achievement today, even if the scoreline is perhaps a little unfair on Djokovic. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 (edited) Oh dear. The State of Victoria has gone into a 5-day "circuit-breaker" lockdown right in the middle of the (rescheduled) Australian Open in Melbourne No spectators will be allowed in over that period, but apparently tennis players are classed as "being at their workplace" - for the duration, at least. Edited February 12, 2021 by alison To correct information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted February 14, 2021 Share Posted February 14, 2021 Bit of an odd draw for the AO - nearly all the big names are in the bottom half, with top half local Ash Barty thereby pretty much guaranteed a place in the final! My favourite players keep having to play each other, which is reducing my chances of having anyone to cheer for in the final.. I'd be happy enough with Halep or Osaka taking this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 Oh, don't, Quintus - there've been enough people complaining that the draw wasn't public as it is - we don't want to start a conspiracy theory that it's rigged so Ash can win it Muguruza v. Osaka would have made a very acceptable final - shame it wasn't to be. And I fully expect the "injured" top seeds in the men's still to be there at the business end of the tournament. Been there, done that ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 The chaos on the LTA's choice of ticketing website this morning (priority booking for Queen's, Birmingham, Eastbourne) is so much worse than anything I've ever seen from any entertainment/culture venue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 Oh dear, that sounds bad. From what you're saying, they're all using the same one? The smaller tournaments - which may not be going ahead, sometimes because of the French Open's unilateral decision to move on one week - used to use a mixture of websites, I thought. I wouldn't fancy having to socially distance at Queen's, I must say. It's not exactly spacious ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 Looking forward to the Birmingham tournament next month and glad I hung onto our tickets. I do hope we're not expected to wear masks in outside seating. Did anyone see the Rome finals yesterday? Swiatek double bageled Pliskova in 46 minutes - never seen anything like it and felt rather sorry for Karolina. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 I didn't - I just saw the scoreline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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