WIMBLEDON 2012

Ha the women's doubles final still to go. I'm going to the pub.

lol that was bizarre

er ok at that Agassi bit on Andy Murray.

thank god! hollow crown is on!

"Do you think Andy will sleep well tonight?" Are you gonna check on him John.

http://www.babymonitorsdirect.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/tomy-walkabout-classic-advance.jpg

that was fantastic

most rewarding day for me as a tennis fan since at least aussie open 2010 :)

very glad Venus got her Last Hurrah in doubles at least!

I genuinely don't understand people who only start caring about tennis when there's GBR involvement. (The British mindset generally I guess.) Like...when they watch Murray matches are they enjoying themselves? Are they enjoying the sport? If so then why would they not want to watch more of it? If not why are they watching at all? It would be like me suddenly watching football in the World Cup final. Uh, no, because I dislike the sport, and if I liked it I'd watch it all the time.

but people who don't watch football the rest of the time do watch the World Cup final. It's not that they dislike the sport, it's just they require an added incentive to watch it. They probably don't even think about it the rest of the time

Also when rooting for or against a player in a given match nationality is so far down the list of things that I don't think I ever really get to it as a determining factor. Actually I guess I may root for someone if the crowd are v v much on his opponents side ie non American vs an American at the US Open I guess.

Lex OTM. Having said that I only really follow the NBA when it comes round to the play-offs so I guess I'm similarly at fault. When it comes to tennis whilst nowhere in the Lex Lge I do at least manage to watch tournaments other than Grand Slams.

I don't think there's anything wrong with sports "tourism" really. I'm strictly a slam watcher and i'll watch e.g. the Super Bowl when i don't watch any other NFL. There simply isn't enough time in the day to follow that many sports in that much detail. The key thing is not to mouth off about sports that you're not that familiar with

Sport is about feelings of connection, however vague or silly.

yeah i am the same for tennis right now xp, tho i used to follow it more closely

as for people who only watch when their nation is involved....it's curiosity as much as anything, but although the england football or cricket teams might in some way be representative of the sports as played in this country, andy murray is not in any obvious way a 'british tennis player' in the way that idk roddick seems like a particular kind of 'american tennis player', so the thread of nationality is completely tenuous

there's kind of a rote feeling about much of the Murray support though. They'll never love him like Henman

today is really rather exciting! i so so so so so hope it's not a quick 3 set blowout for fed, but i wouldn't be surprised...

Lots of people care for event and sharing excitement - it doesn't apply to sport either. Opera in the park or some blank 'culture' that people might not understand the ins and outs of...people are allowed in, no measure of expertise is required. That is a positive in my book.

I'm probably in the middle as I can't watch as much football, tennis and cricket as I used to, but will join in on bigger occasions. Relying on highlights is a constant frustration.

Anyway this is all a minor worry before the huge match. I feel that Andy must take a set in this final, and if so he will inevitably win a slam. I am looking for a guarantee that he can get involved in a slam final.

Lendl has had a positive impact hasn't he? No blowouts and the like. Big test for this arragement too.

Kind of wish we didn't have a roof - Murray to win on a Wimbledon Monday would've been awesome.

If we didn't have a roof we'd probably still be playing the 4th round

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, whose songs Andy Murray has been listening to during his Wimbledon campaign

COME ON FED

hahaha

Not everyone can be a Sweta with her flawless taste ;_; Justine was a Céline Dion fan ;_; Petkorazzi and her awful indie favourites ;_;

i can live with Celine a lot easier than Ed fucking Sheeran

anyway, picking my darling daughter up from drama school at 4 so i may have to go to a pub in town to watch this, god forbid i get near a drink tho

ive clowned martin samuel plenty but this is....surprisingly good

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2169975/Wimbledon-2012-Martin-Samuel--Give-respect-Andy-Murray.html

I feel that Andy must take a set in this final, and if so he will inevitably win a slam

I feel he'll inevitably win a Slam because Fed and Rafa will both almost certainly retire before him.

It won't be a problem for years yet but no one from the younger generation has stepped up as a potential elite player in the post-Big Four era, either.

Couldn't see him beating Djokovic today tho and I feel there are players close enough around him that will probably overhaul him soon?

Tennis is a strange one 'cos even though Murray is only actually about 5 years younger than Fed I think, it almost feels like he is 2 generations removed from him.

don't think so...tsonga/ferrer is the level below

Ferrer will push above Murray soon, probably not Tsonga tho.

he's 31

ok 30 actually

Probably lots to say about how Judy Murray is disliked by the English too, despite being maybe the only person involved in the running of British tennis who has the slightest fucking clue. She's our Yulia Berberian. Formidable tennis matriarchs ftw.

re: that M Samuel article - I really think it's significant that ALL the leading GBR players are from non-traditional tennis stock. Murray - Scottish; Keothavong - Hackney girl, daughter of Laotian refugees; Baltacha - Scottish, Ukrainian immigrant; Watson - half Papua New Guinean; Robson - Australian immigrant. OK, Robson and Watson are both pretty obviously financially privileged, but still.

Couldn't see him beating Djokovic today tho and I feel there are players close enough around him that will probably overhaul him soon?

Yeah I don't think he's going to catch up to Djokovic game-wise or accomplishment-wise but there'll be opportunities when Djokovic is absent (like now).

Tsonga and Del Potro are the threats around Murray now but he's been consistently superior to them for so long now, and their inconsistency has become ingrained into the pattern of their careers rather than something you can say they'll grow out of. Basically we know their deal by now.

I'm talking about the Dimitrov/Tomic generation - no one from that is looking like a potential Slam contender yet...

As evidenced by the fact that the leading examples from it are DIMITROV and TOMIC and HARRISON.

lol fair point

Didn't Wim finish on Wednesday/Thursday in the 3rd week once - be up for that :)

Ferrer will push above Murray soon, probably not Tsonga tho.

Its Ferrer's best year btw. Tsonga probably looked at that Murray celebration in complete and utter fear given what he has to accomplish at the French.

There will be an inevitable lull in the men's game - its a cycle, seen in most sports really.

I'm surprising myself with how torn I am about today. It's the Lendl factor. His defeats vs Becker in '86 and '89 in particular were hugely painful to watch and today would be some kind of redemption for him, I suppose.

I'm particularly keen for Fed to overhaul Sampras's weeks-at-#1 record but I suspect that will happen sometime next month anyway, with all the points Nole has to defend.

Oh, I dunno. Just lots of winners, a bit of drama and no interruptions (choose what to do with the roof and stick with it).

Do Scottish people have the ability to choke at the big moments or is that a uniquely English thing?

Potro was the one guy I thought would be a multiple slam winner and maybe be up to the top 3. As it is hes on course to match Safin, if that.

Michael I was wondering where your allegiances would lie today..

(choose what to do with the roof and stick with it)

oh god I bet it's open right now

There will be an inevitable lull in the men's game - its a cycle, seen in most sports really.

yup. from the mid-90s through the early 00s, the women's game was so much better than the men's. The past 8-9 years or so, the other way round. In a few years, it might have switched again...

Yep, roof open. Now it's raining and they've recovered the court. Just close the fucker.

"Heavy, thundery, slow-moving showers". Supposedly dry 3pm-5pm. Close it.

I mean it's not like there have been any indications today that rain might occur oh wait

Ok, the Trainspotting piece has swung it for me. It's Federer.