Strawberries and cream

seanoconn

It's that time of year again. The worlds best tennis players and most attractive supporters have decended on Wimbledon. The sun is shining!

Can anyone see past Djokovic, Murray and Federer?

Anyone watching or going? Anyone, anyone, Bueller.

veronese68

Whilst I always enjoyed the increase in totty and I may have bunked in a few times as a kid I generally found the tennis to be a pain in the aris' when I was living in Wimbledon. Maybe just because I've always been a curmudgeonly git and the old has only been added with the passage of time.

ballysmate

I know she's out but can't see past Ivanovic for some reason.



I know she's out but

ballysmate

I too can't see past Sean's selections for potential men's winner.
As for a British winner, I really wish that Murray was more likeable. But sad to say my interest in who wins is right up there with my interest in the winner of the X Factor.

seanoconn

So apart from the people who don't like tennis.... :roll: The Ivanovic pic is photoshopped unfortunately.

pinno

Tennis? Wtf is that? The TdF starts tomorrow, f*ck off with your tennis. I don't give a monkey's for people who follow a sport for 2 weeks in the year, 3 weeks is proper support.

ballysmate

Watched some of Murray this afternoon. Tried to get interested, tried to like him. Nah on both counts.

Flâneur

Feds may manage it even with his falling star. Gave my ticket to the girlfriend this year because as mentioned the tennis can be dull. Odd game is great mind.

Disappointed that Kyrgios has been dumped out

seanoconn

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19642938#p19642938]sa0u823e[/url] wrote:

Feds may manage it even with his falling star. Gave my ticket to the girlfriend this year because as mentioned the tennis can be dull. Odd game is great mind.

Disappointed that Kyrgios has been dumped out

Kyrgios was so entertaining. "Audible obscenity Mr Kyrgios" But i wasn't disappointed Gasquet won with the amount of crap he had to put up with from Kyrgios.

Come on Anderson!

pinno

STOP PRESS: Seantheconn is online in the evening!! Wassup, run out of puncture repair outfits?

pblakeney

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19639686#p19639686]Ballysmate[/url] wrote:

I know she's out but can't see past Ivanovic for some reason.



I know she's out but

She's come out?
That's a disappointment.

Then again, as it would be in my imagination only anyway.......

chris_bass

I would love Murray to win it, I actually really like him and he is one of the best and most consistent sports person Britain has had.

I have a feeling wawrinka (s? Can't be arsed to Google it) might sneak it, won the French a few weeks ago and playing well kind of under the radar.

Djokovic has to hit the road running tomorrow, can't start like he did today

orraloon

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19639703#p19639703]seanoconn[/url] wrote:

The Ivanovic pic is photoshopped unfortunately.

Thought he played for Chelsea

Flâneur

Tomorrows 1 set match will be interesting given the need to just hit it running as Chris said.

I'm not sure how much crap Kyrgios gives other players, he just chats shit to himself and entertains those around him. Did feel sorry for the ball boy he hugged, kid had no idea wtf he was allowed to do

seanoconn

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19643100#p19643100]Chris Bass[/url] wrote:

I would love Murray to win it, I actually really like him and he is one of the best and most consistent sports person Britain has had.

I have a feeling wawrinka (s? Can't be arsed to Google it) might sneak it, won the French a few weeks ago and playing well kind of under the radar.

Djokovic has to hit the road running tomorrow, can't start like he did today

I'm hoping Anderson will be brave and go for his shots today. I like Djokovic, amazing athlete and great ambassador for tennis but he stands in the way of Murray. Murray doesn't come across as well as other players but he's British. I remember the days of Jeremy Bates scraping into the last 16 of Wimbledon as the highlight of the British Tennis year, which helps me appreciate Murray for what he is, a brilliant tennis player.

If Wawrinka can find more consistency with his ground strokes he'll be hard to beat. He seems to be winning fairly comfortably without playing too well at the moment.

ballysmate

You are right, Murray doesn't come across very well, but that is improving. He is still difficult to like.
Watched Federer yesterday. Class act as an athlete and as a bloke.

seanoconn

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19643200#p19643200]sa0u823e[/url] wrote:

I'm not sure how much crap Kyrgios gives other players, he just chats shoot to himself and entertains those around him. Did feel sorry for the ball boy he hugged, kid had no idea wtf he was allowed to do

He must be a right pain in the @rse to play against when you're trying to stay focused.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/33408983

pinno

Great soap opera yesterday with the 20 year old Aussie bloke. Can't quite square McEnroe's criticism of him up really, he's not the one to talk.

chris_bass

I saw the highlights yesterday and McEnroe said he had no problem with his on court antics and swearing and stuff it was the lack of trying for that one game he said was out of order, I tend to agree.

pinno

I think McEnroe's antics often put his opponent off and quite deliberately. Although his knowledge of tennis and his insight is very good just like Boris B.
I was in Chelmsford in 1985 watching Essex vs Australia when Boris won Wimbledon. Beautiful sunny day. Everytime Geoff Lawson ran up to the crease bowling, someone some where would shout 'No ball' and there was a bomb scare. Gooch scored 77... I'm rambling.

seanoconn

QUARTER-FINALS

Vasek Pospisil (CAN)vAndy Murray (GBR) [3]
Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1]vMarin Cilic (CRO) [9]
Gilles Simon (FRA) [12]vRoger Federer (SUI) [2]
Stan Wawrinka (SUI) [4]vRichard Gasquet (FRA) [21]

Some tough games but I'd have to go with the seedings. Wawrinka will need to up the consistency of his ground strokes if he is to beat an excellent grass court player like Gasquet, although Gasquet can be prone to nerves if it gets a bit tight.

Flâneur

I reckon Cilic may be able to create the upset. Novak's head seems to be a bit all over the place. However I wouldn't bet on it

laurentian

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19644868#p19644868]sa0u823e[/url] wrote:

I reckon Cilic may be able to create the upset. Novak's head seems to be a bit all over the place. However I wouldn't bet on it

It's the only possible upset I can see in that lot but, if I were a betting man, it would be seeds 1, 2, 3 and 4 through

seanoconn

Womens Tennis

Watching a little of the ladies quarter finals yesterday, I noticed not for the first time that a couple of the ladies were carrying a little excess body fat.

There are no fat female tennis players and the majority are fine athletes. But some of the ladies are quite clearly carrying an excess while maintaining a high ranking or winning grand slams (Marion Bartoli) So I wondered if there was a scientific explaination for this? I can understand a need for a mixture of body fat and muscle in a game like rugby but not really tennis. Surely if you needed more body weight for powerful hitting, extra muscle and not fat would be the solution. Female athletes in other sports are exactly that, athletes but get paid far less than their tennis counterparts. The ladies get paid the same as the men in Grand Slams but are they training as hard?

seanoconn

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19644868#p19644868]sa0u823e[/url] wrote:

I reckon Cilic may be able to create the upset. Novak's head seems to be a bit all over the place. However I wouldn't bet on it

Anderson played and served brilliantly against Djokovic and I'm not sure Cilic will be able to provide a sterner test that that, even with the confidence of his US Open win.

pblakeney

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19644907#p19644907]seanoconn[/url] wrote:

Womens Tennis

Watching a little of the ladies quarter finals yesterday, I noticed not for the first time that a couple of the ladies were carrying a little excess body fat.

There are no fat female tennis players and the majority are fine athletes. But some of the ladies are quite clearly carrying an excess while maintaining a high ranking or winning grand slams (Marion Bartoli) So I wondered if there was a scientific explaination for this? I can understand a need for a mixture of body fat and muscle in a game like rugby but not really tennis. Surely if you needed more body weight for powerful hitting, extra muscle and not fat would be the solution. Female athletes in other sports are exactly that, athletes but get paid far less than their tennis counterparts. The ladies get paid the same as the men in Grand Slams but are they training as hard?

She Barker's first reaction at getting a TV slot at the end of her career was that she would have to lose a few pound.
My guess is that they don't, or didn't, train as hard as the men.

seanoconn

Lindsay Davenport broke into the world's top ten as a teenager and by her own admission, didnt have to work too hard. After criticism about her weight and fitness, she shed 30 lbs over 2 years and became world number one. Surely elite 'athletes' should be working their socks off to be in peak condition all the time. No the ladies don't need to be fit enough to play 5 sets but then why have an equal share of the prize money?

seanoconn

SEMI-FINALS

MURRY v FEDERER

GASQUET v DJOKOVIC

Anyone prepared to stick their neck out and pick a winner between Murray and Federer?

Hats off to the man who said Gasquet would give Wawrinka a hard time

orraloon

We'll be there! Corporate snuffling, dontcha love it.

Djokovic to win in straight sets.
Murray to win in 4 sets.

seanoconn

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19647360#p19647360]orraloon[/url] wrote:

We'll be there! Corporate snuffling, dontcha love it.

Djokovic to win in straight sets.
Murray to win in 4 sets.

Ooh you jammy whatsit! I'm 5 mins away so if I see your seat empty while you're eating your prawn sarnies, I'm going to grab it.

chris_bass

I'm really not sure, I think if Murray plays like he has been recently he should do it, i'm going Murray in 4 ro 5 sets.

If you take Djokovic out of the equation Murray is on something like a 35 match winning run so his confidence should be good.

Come on Murray, I need something to entertain me on Sunday!