WIMBLEDON 2012

I mean, except for Karlovic, every one of his opponents was a current or former top-10 player.

Can't work out who's more annoying

- The jingoistic flag-waving fans who know nothing about tennis but are suddenly all over this despite paying ZERO attention to the sport for the rest of the year
- The jingoistic flag-waving fans who pretend to know about tennis despite only having the barest awareness of any player outside the superstars and again who fail to pay attention for the rest of the year
- Those obnoxious "anyone but Murray" types who make a big deal out of how much they're cheering against Murray, usually sprinkling in anti-Scottish racism or that football joke he made when he was a teenager or nonsense about his "likeability" for good measure
- The BBC with those OTT maudlin montages about how long "we" have been "waiting" as though the sport's existence is only validated if a British person triumphs
- The phrase "the entire nation..." DEAR GOD I am going to go on a murder spree if I see this used again

The worst is: Virginia Wade won it in the silver Jubille/Andy to win on the Golden Jubilee! Best outcome would be not bowing to the Queen and winning the thing in straight sets playing in God mode.

Been batting away all the likeability crap that I'm hearing (sport isn't a likeability contest).

Re-watched that match point and the huge pause and look to the skies and thinking 'look at what we do to these people'. That is just huge intense pressure bleedng out of him, takes your breath away...you hardly get to see such a thing, so naked.

And watching that I worry for M's prospects tomorrow. I never thought he'd win Wimbledon, and I still think that. But if he can get a set he would be on his way. Loved Lendl's non-reaction, which he'll hopefully transmit to Murray.

Wonder what Roger is feeling, surely a mixture of relief that the attention isn't on him as much for a change -- incredible for a man going for his 7th Wim crown, anyone else in the final and it would be all about him.

On his way to a slam other than W.

what I hate about the likeability thing is this underlying assumption that only a certain set of characteristics constitute an acceptable personality - as if being taciturn and reticent isn't even valid, we all have to fit into pre-determined media-friendly roles. This played out between Justine and St Kim for most of the 00s in this way.

It's quite weird to think that Murray leads the H2H with Federer. He obviously has the game, but then he always has had it.

feel pretty ambivalent, suspected murray would never win gs, generally quite like him personally and tennis-wise, the gap since the 1930's is so ridiculous that it looks contrived so i would like him to win i suppose

maybe absent the usual loser complexes, the british tennis fans, or britishness fans would be less obnoxious? not that a single win would do that, but it would take away some of the constant fucking moaning, while they wouldn't suddenly convince themselves they were a 'great tennis nation' or whatever

murray 7/4 with a lot of bookies, shorter than i would imagine (even with adjustment for the bets of dim patriots)

6-1, 6-4 to Serena today, I reckon.

You've got to beat the man to be the man, as it were. Novak is the man, Fed beat him, he'll beat Murray. THat's how I see it and that's how I want it. Federer in four.

Agree that it would be nice to ditch the 76 YEARS issue, but I am kinda rooting against Murray as if he wins Sports Personality of the Year 2012 that'll be a right kick in the face to swimmers/gymnasts/wheelchair murderball players, who only get a shot at recognition (and subsequent boost in funding/sponsorship) every 4 years. Thankfully this straw person is very unlikely to exist!

Don't think he'd win sports personality of the year if he wins tomorrow against a more "likeable", top olympic performance.

Ha just realised that if Murray loses in either a heartbreaker or a wipeout coming back in a couple of weeks for the Olympics will really not be great for him

Or maybe he'll see it as redemption!

Rooting for Roger, as always, rather than against Murray. Having said that I don't want to suffer so I'm more than okay with an annihilation (not that I expect one)

lex otm on this thread re: jngoism/ 'likeability'/ BBC... everything concering Murray really! Murray annoys a lot of twattish people so that's a good reason to support him imo. Hoping against hope the final today is not a total bloodbath.

Oh the blessed silence of the commentators on the ESPN3 stream of this so far. Which I suspect will change once the match actually starts.

Bah, there it is.

I've enjoyed the #shitchrissiesays hashtag from the US tennis tweeters I follow

A-Rad wins a point! :D

Now can she win a game?

Good grief that rally!

How the hell did Radwanska even get that full-power Serena FH back?!

I have to leave for a wedding :( good luck Aga! Don't get bageled.

This whole match is going to be like this, isn't it?

Yes :(

Is Serena wearing a calculator watch??? <3

6-0, 6-0 plz!

Three of these four games have actually gone to deuce, ugh

Man

I knew this would happen but damn

Oh thank god. With an ace too. No Zvereva!

Very good!

lol a missed smash; Serena must be going to sleep.

Sure, Radwanska could be at.. uh.. 2-5 or something right now, maybe 3-4. But Serena would just raise her game too.

Haha Chris Evert just made the most aggravated noise when the possibility of Serena matching her Slam total was mentioned

No bagel in this set either. I can relax.

Chris Evert just said the Williams sisters have dominated tennis for the past 20 years. Um...

Chrissie's finest moment this Wimbledon might have been saying that it was unlikely that the Wim crowd would know who this young Chinese player was about Zheng, the 29-year-old former doubles champ and singles SFist

finals like these must really sell the women's game to fans all over!

this mushroom in my backyard has more style than radwanska

A-Rad matches Ma$ha's performance vs Serena in the AO 07 final.

Outdoes Ma$ha! And actually played a great point in that game!

Ahahahaha that call o_0

A-Rad breaks!!!

She has now done as well as Serena did against Ma$ha in 2004!

Serena is trolling so hard. The last few games of this match have been hilarious.

Really glad Aga's making this a match. Playing so much better and Serena's obviously tightened up a bit. Hitting deep down the middle to cut off Serena's angles, Lindsay should know something about that tactic...

serena's getting a little lazy, finding herself in no-man's land right in the middle of the court

wow those two points were textbook choking from Serena. I expect she'll hit four aces now.

wow

Does Radwanska seriously have set points lololololololol

WOW! go radwanska!

well okay. can't say i saw that coming.