Tennis

[Lat-Literal]

Garbine beats Kerber. Oh yes, yes, yes. And Nadal is out in an epic. Oh dear.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/40558167

(you heard it here first - my favourite - https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R374jllMs...seup%2Bpic.jpg)

Great tennis - especially that 21 stroke point.

This is a champion in every pore - in character terms substantial and also really nice.

I decided this early.

Let's hope it will be this year. !

[Richard Tarleton]

Details of Nadal's wrist watch here. Nadal did have a nasty knock on the head in the tunnel just before the match, which could have accounted for his being below par in the first two sets.

I'm glad Garcia's father was outed for coaching during the match - it was shocking. Of course both denied it, which makes it worse.

[johncorrigan]

Similarly, I don't watch a lot of golf but love the Masters. The beauty of the course, its history, the rules.

Call me old fashioned Lat, but I'd rather have the Open Championship any day than the highly manicured Augusta. I love the range of Open courses, the wind and rain, but most of all the links with the Sea always providing the backdrop to these great theatres of the small white ball game. Now excuse me while I go pack the clubs.

[Barbirollians]

The world would be a much happier place if Partick Thistle win the Scottish Premiership, Andy Murray and Johanna Konta win Wimbledon, no more thoroughly irritating 'Gay Brittannia' trails on BBC, wall-to-wall Bruckner on R3, President Donald Trump being just a horrendously bad nightmare, and Brexit cancelled forthwith. Just to mention a tiny few.

Believe me, I know exactly what would make the world a much happier place ...

Nothing like homophobia for lightening Scotty's mood still it seems .

[Padraig]

Call me old fashioned Lat, but I'd rather have the Open Championship any day than the highly manicured Augusta. I love the range of Open courses, the wind and rain, but most of all the links with the Sea always providing the backdrop to these great theatres of the small white ball game. Now excuse me while I go pack the clubs.

Any excuse for a few holes, John! I'm gradually working up to thinking about it.
But really you provide the excuse for my mentioning some 'Open' information: Portstewart has come out of the Irish Open rather well, I think;
and neighbouring Portrush will soon be a venue for The Open. Next year the Irish Open will be held in BALLYLIFFIN in Donegal, and if you don't already know the place be prepared for the ultimate in exposed golf courses, and...

Oh sorry... anyone for tennis?

[Lat-Literal]

Call me old fashioned Lat, but I'd rather have the Open Championship any day than the highly manicured Augusta. I love the range of Open courses, the wind and rain, but most of all the links with the Sea always providing the backdrop to these great theatres of the small white ball game. Now excuse me while I go pack the clubs.

Any excuse for a few holes, John! I'm gradually working up to thinking about it.
But really you provide the excuse for my mentioning some 'Open' information: Portstewart has come out of the Irish Open rather well, I think;
and neighbouring Portrush will soon be a venue for The Open. Next year the Irish Open will be held in BALLYLIFFIN in Donegal, and if you don't already know the place be prepared for the ultimate in exposed golf courses, and...

Oh sorry... anyone for tennis?

Yes to St Andrews. But I always feel that it would be a far better experience being there and that television doesn't convey what it is truly like. I don't feel that way about the Masters which is covered successfully by the broadcasters and actually I wouldn't have any wish to be there. I've never been to a golfing event as a spectator. That is partially because of distance from Scotland and Northern Ireland - even in the days when I did travel - and partially because none of the principal English courses have ever captured my imagination.

Muguruza through again and so too Konta, the first British woman to reach the semi-finals in 39 years which I hadn't necessarily banked on. An impressive victory over Halep. There could be divided loyalties. Djokovic through to the last eight of the men's but he has concerns about his shoulder. Perhaps he might do better with help from Nadal's magic watch.

[Lat-Literal]

Sad news about Murray.

Djokovic out injured.

Federer through to the next round.

[gurnemanz]

My semifinal predictions above achieved an impressive 25% accuracy. I did say that Cilic was looking good, though, but now difficult to look beyond Federer.

If not Jo K I would love to see Venus win, presumably for one last time. Rybarikova is an outsider but it would be great story. (Having not mentioned Muguruza will probably now make her win).

[Lat-Literal]

My semifinal predictions above achieved an impressive 25% accuracy. I did say that Cilic was looking good, though, but now difficult to look beyond Federer.

If not Jo K I would love to see Venus win, presumably for one last time. Rybarikova is an outsider but it would be great story. (Having not mentioned Muguruza will probably now make her win).

Well, Venus is through to the final and now that the Daily Mail has convinced me that Ms Konta can be frosty and very difficult I haven't shed too many tears. I know. Read a reliable source, why don't you. I was looking yesterday at VW's grand slam record. In the broad context it is stunning but it pales into insignificance compared with that of her sister and I'm not sure the statistics alone do her justice. A further win would, I think, be appropriate. But it is already a remarkable achievement to have got so far this year. At 37, she will be the oldest person to be in a Wimbledon singles final since who? Navratilova? I don't know. I think Ken Rosewall in the first half of the seventies was 42? Meanwhile, Muguruza storms into the final. Her semi-final wasn't any sort of match but what is the meaning of that leg strapping? Not a lot by all appearances today but sport's a funny thing. We will learn more this weekend.

[Sir Velo]

Well, if the DM finds her difficult, then she goes up in my estimation immeasurably.

Of course, she's not British, a fact to which her stoic poise, general refusal to wilt under pressure, and reluctance to play the media game all pointed.

[pastoralguy]

Ms. Konta has just been interviewed on BBC 1 and she came over as being very personable.

[Dave2002]

Well, if the DM finds her difficult, then she goes up in my estimation immeasurably.

Of course, she's not British, a fact to which her stoic poise, general refusal to wilt under pressure, and reluctance to play the media game all pointed.

Some people might disagree with that statement.

[Sir Velo]

Some people might disagree with that statement.

The worst kind of scoundrel do you mean?

[Lat-Literal]

Well, if the DM finds her difficult, then she goes up in my estimation immeasurably.

Of course, she's not British, a fact to which her stoic poise, general refusal to wilt under pressure, and reluctance to play the media game all pointed.

I couldn't place the accent - is it Birmingham?

(Apart from the Murrays, all of our athletes who are successful are originally from the Commonwealth as was)

[Alison]

Well, if the DM finds her difficult, then she goes up in my estimation immeasurably.

Of course, she's not British, a fact to which her stoic poise, general refusal to wilt under pressure, and reluctance to play the media game all pointed.