ILE rolling non-slam Tennis thread

re: the grunting/photoshoot, you might be on slightly less shaky ground here. Kind of going out on a limb and assuming it's the "yay Kvitova, boo Sharapova thing"?

For me, I think when either has their A-game on it's absolutely amazing to behold. Kvitova just hasn't had a period of several years where her game has been winning ugly (tho Masha was close to great this year and a more worthy YE #1 than Wozniacki) and she's never going to seem overexposed and thus a bit fatigue-inducing the way Masha sometimes can be. The other thing with Masha is that lots of the raw, on-the-spot creativity she showed in that 04 Wimby final seems to have vanished. Sure, she hits great shots still, but that final she was amazingly inventive at the same time. Kvitova showed the same stuff this year - much more recent - conjuring winners from any court position in a way Masha hasn't come close to doing since her injury, thus, is much better to watch when she's on (if it should happen again).

(or maybe it's yay Schiavone, boo Sharapova if you mean grunting. But I'd suggest that in cases like that it's love of variety overriding hatred of grunting rather that it having to do with looks. Sharapova doesn't have any variety these days - have you seen her at the net lately?)

Both, and more. I don't enjoy Mashas detoriation any more than the next guy, and being a fan has been absolutely painful, but her recent form is not why the haters hate... not as if they used to praise her. Anyway this isn't about her as much as it's about fundamentally decent players, like Kirilenko, getting hate for no reason. She's improved her game and stayed doggedly determined to work her way back from the career low without ever making much fuss about herself, behaving like a spoiled brat or taking easy on the pro life / dropping the intensity. She's hardly been in the spotlight at all the past years, so pretending that she's somehow forced on us is just wild imagination. That doesn't mean you should like her, but there's no basis for saying she's somehow a golden girl because of her looks. She's an example of someone who's worked steadily on her game and stayed low-key but gets hate _just_ because of her looks, if she gets anything at all.

If you look up two posts, you'll see that I conceded Kirilenko has made distinct improvements to her game, strategically. Her groundstrokes are still unimpressive but she's becoming more of an all-court player which is the smart thing to do if you've got the capacity to go to net and hit passing shots and such.

She's a different case to Ivanovic, the pretty girl who is actually being actively disliked in tihs thread by me and Lex. Kirilenko is pretty and has annoying fan boys, but hasn't just been granted a WC into a tournament with a stack of points populated by a bunch of players who would be flat out getting half of what's on offer there at a Slam. Kirilenko = having success due to hard work. Good luck to her. Ivanovic = distinctly weaker results over last two years than a stack of others, rating inflated by huge motza of points at pissweak Bali event likely to be repeated by undeserved wildcard.

In any case, MONICA NICULESCU will probably be a seed at the Australian Open. As will Care Bear. I think we can all agree that any reaction between "point and laugh" and "enjoy extreme nuttiness" is acceptable.

ps I would welcome a Sharapova revival if she would begin slaughtering Wozniacki on hard courts.

wish i'd seen some of pennetta def wozniacki. lol @ scoreline

Never understood why Pennetta hasn't had more success, she's really versatile, can give pushers and ball-bashers alike hell.

Psyched that the most likely outcome of this tournament is either a Radwanska or Petkovic win - two players I love. Or Pavlyuchenkova who, if she starts getting some good results, might start working on her fitness, step up and be the great player her junior results hinted she could be. Or lol Niculescu or Pennetta winning would be "point and laugh" but in a good way.

(okay I know why she hasn't had more success, her serve is shit. But anyway. Forza Flavia!)

also she's a headcase

heh, the "you hate pretty girls" accusation is funny in light of how much I loved KOURNIKOVA. I was pretty ambivalent about her by the end, though I think I actually admire her much more in retirement. Also, Demented! Cibulkova! Myskina!

My dislike of Ivanovic is pretty much the same as Ed's. I used to like her but I can't abide her tics and desperation any more (plus when one of those rivalries occurs you inevitably have to take a side to an extent, and I'm pro-Jankovic). The WTA is essentially attempting to keep her ranking artificially high with this move. Why an event like Bali even has WCs is beyond me, it makes NO SENSE. I love Krumm, but the year she was parachuted in ahead of people who qualified legitimately ahead of her was so ridiculous.

The likes of Hantuchova, Kirilenko, Cirstea - partly a hangover from TennisForum and their deluded fans, going by the posts there you'd think they were all elite players rather than top 30-50 journeywomen. I actually saw a post along the lines of "but she's too pretty to lose!" about Cirstea once, after her 949349830th 1R loss in a row. Kirilenko really isn't going to end up with a significantly better career than Niculescu. Those three are all especially brainless on court, just total twits tactically. So sure it's more about their fanboys - seriously I am never going to get over the "Makiri" nickname, ever - but I'm all for arbitrary hate in sports.

Sharapova, it's the corporate air around everything she does I can't abide. Kvitova is the exact opposite of that - unshowy, undemonstrative, unaware/unwilling to play a clichéd media game. Her reaction on winning Wimbledon was very real, I thought.

It could easily have been Pennetta who pulled a Schiavone, and it might yet be. You sense she kinda thinks that, too. She's had inopportune injuries over the years but overall has had pretty much exactly the right career commensurate with her talent - top 10, couple of big tournament wins and lots of little ones, deep Slam runs everywhere, tons of upsets.

slightly unfair to Hantuchova, who had a really hot start and may have done much more with her career had she been, you know, eating while she was a teen

(personally I am rooting hard for the young Americans; Oudin/Sock winning the US Open mixed doubles was great and I hope they both continue improving, and esp on the women's side there seems to be a series of HUNGRY players on the verge of a break out, led by McHale)

in terms of juniors I'm just desperately supporting anyone who looks like they might be elite. I see a lot of people with decent Tour careers ahead of them but not one potential Slam winner, no Williams or Hingis or Henin in the making.

I'm all for arbitrary hate in sports

thanks in advance for never questioning my hate for schiavone again

heh, the "you hate pretty girls" accusation is funny in light of how much I loved KOURNIKOVA. I was pretty ambivalent about her by the end, though I think I actually admire her much more in retirement. Also, Demented! Cibulkova! Myskina!

Those last three weren't considered pretty by corporate interests, so they don't count so you still hate the attractive girls.

Kidding, of course. Myskina had a great bod, Demented had perhaps the second best legs in the game (Venus, duh) and Cibulkova has got some serious booty for such a little lady. She's seriously foxy.

Murray d. Nadal 3-6 6-2 6-0 in the Tokyo final, only losing four POINTS in the last set, whoa. Only watched last game - no injury issue for Rafa mentioned or apparent? Still, he needs to do that in a Slam now.

"Congratulations Agnieszka Radwanska! Please take photo with the prisoners"

<3 you forever Rad Wanksta. If I can't have Hingis back, WIN A SLAM NEXT YEAR.

http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/7123229/james-blake-upsets-juan-martin-del-potro-swedish-open

what the

also, Keothavong d. Ivanovic 6-3 6-2. Amazing result. LOL @ Ana, but so thrilled for Anne K!

I am psyched for Blake but I still don't know exactly how that happened.

Ivanova def Jankovic was another amazing result

Best results ever! Except for Blake d. Del Pony.

Isn't there some way Azarenka can be taken out the back of Istanbul and shot so both Radwanska and CAKE can play?

easy, tennis Jeff Gillooly

Oh CAKE has pulled out of her match with Lena the (very) Lesser with a viral infection. This is kinda sad, except if you are an A-RAD fan! I guess, if CAKE recovers she can play Bali and beat up on useless bitches. Hmm. Lisicki, Penguin, Petkorazzi... maybe CAKE, good luck defending your Bali points, Ana you useless bint!

http://www.wtachampionships.com/page/LatestNews/Read/0,,12910~2491791,00.html

Istanbul time! Everyone looks more or less presentable dressed up, except for some reason Li looks like the most uncomfortable person alive. Radwanska is a bit "Polish beer maid" but I think it works. Wozniacki looks great, now let's hope she loses 0-3, but uh, yeah, Bepa and Aga, nice draw. Petra, if anything, looks even better. Bark! Win this thing, Petra! Azarenka didn't make it there in time post-Lux, guessing? I also hope she goes 0-3 in her group but since she got Stosur whom she pwns and slumping Li, she probably will get through. Srsly, she really needs to go away right now, if Woz is an opportunistic #1 whose main titles are overrated inconvenient out of the way Premiers, wtf is Azarenka's career? One slam SF!

Players boring when talking about their groups, only Stosur's comment demonstrates she actually knows who's in her own group, rest is variations on "Well, everyone's such a strong player". Vomit.

BARK PETRA!

(Also just want to whinge that if not for stupid work stuffing me around I COULD HAVE BEEN AT THIS and hating it in person. Grrr)

I cannot believe that's Kvitova

Stosur looks a little like she might be possessed by ZUUL

Li is vaguely reminiscent of one of my friends, esp that smile

Petra sloppy on serve but good enough to bark her way to a 6-2 6-4 win. Barking on Bepa errors in the penultimate game is not cool though Petra.

Radwanska up a break early! Shame her serve is such a pathetic puff-ball. Her forehand is going deeper than usual but also sadly more often into the net. I love her but I'd really rather watch her dismantle a brainless ball basher but the only BB in her group is Kvitova :( The difference in this match is if she can get to the net, because Woz's passing shots are not that great and Aga's touch at the net is really good. Pity she has minimal weapons to approach off in these kinda interminable neutral rallies.

Woz's drive-volley at deuce, 2-1 A-Rad serving was worthy of, uh, I don't know, someone who hits easy balls miles out at the net i.e. Rusty Venus, or Peak Shanksur.

Haha despite posting predictions this morning I managed to completely forget this was happening anyway. Not that it sounds like I missed anything. Why is Woz/A-Rad the most attractive match of the day? Fucked if I'm spending a minute on Ma$ha/Samanantha.

From 2-4 0-30 to 5-4. What a shit show.

Eva Asderaki should just award the match to herself and flick her hair around for a bit.

FUCK YES! Down three set points, A-Rad gets some decent serves, saves them all, then closes the game with a great BH volley.
Then breaks to love, the highlight being a gorgeously placed service return and a beautiful passing shot!

SERVE IT OUT AGA.

4-5 0-40 down and then A-Rad starts to play really well! She'll serve for the set! As we all know, that always bodes well in Women's Tennis.

Probably will end up like the Sweta match at the US.

The Turkish Airlines jingle, if played any more times, is going to make me want to kill.

ACE-RAD!

sick I know but ws A-Rad's coach

The Turkish Airlines jingle, if played any more times, is going to make me want to kill.

c'mon we've put up with it ALL YEAR, we're way beyond that stage now - i think it has actually driven me mad

you mean KAMAN, to use Woz's pronunciation, surely.

7-5!

Bad challenge A-Rad.

Fuck's sake.

That smash looks like I did it.

As does Woz's backhand slice, no wonder she doesn't use that very often.

Why has my stream that was decent 5 mins ago suddenly gone choppy. Why does this ALWAYS HAPPEN.

Internet having mercy on you rather than inflict this shit fest on you imho

They still haven't got rid of on-court coaching! Is this ever going to happen? God, just go away shouty Piotr Wozniacki.

That really is one of the most pitiful sets I have seen... recently.

i'm more interested in 75K Barnstable

2r Robson vs Watson

Since the last time I watched Wozniacki

xp ikr, finally that match occurs, though considering Robson only progressed because the world #280 retired while leading, I'd say Watson should take it easily

the Barnstaple tournament was where Anne K got racially abused last year, surprised she's bakc. Fucking Somerset dumb hicks

Here's an idea, Agnieszka, try to disguise your drop shots. Woz dead lucky to not have hit that one long but she shouldn't have known it was coming 10 minutes before it was.