Wimbledon

[gurnemanz]

After John Isner the person I feel most sorry for is John McEnroe for having to share the commentary box with John Inverdale for six hours.

[LMcD]

This second semi-final is MUCH more enjoyable - breaks of serve, exciting rallies, inspired improvisation....

[Lat-Literal]

This second semi-final is MUCH more enjoyable - breaks of serve, exciting rallies, inspired improvisation....

It's very good, yes, albeit somewhat lacking in lepidoptera.

[Lat-Literal]

A couple of qualms.

I used to think that the repetitive sleeve thing from Roscoe Tanner could never be beaten for "unusual" but the very odd facial processes Rafa now goes through wins it hands down.

Also, even Mrs Djokovic was at one time showing frustration over the cameraman's absolute obsession with her.

Viewers were required to see her on more occasions than her husband will have been able to do this year.

Other than that, brilliant, brilliant tennis.

I found as it went on that I was siding with the Spaniard but it's marginal.

[LMcD]

A couple of qualms.

I used to think that the repetitive sleeve thing from Roscoe Tanner could never be beaten for "unusual" but the very odd facial processes Rafa now goes through wins it hands down.

Also, even Mrs Djokovic was at one time showing frustration over the cameraman's absolute obsession with her.

Viewers were required to see her on more occasions than her husband will have been able to do this year.

Other than that, brilliant, brilliant tennis.

I found as it went on that I was siding with the Spaniard but it's marginal.

Agreed on all points.

[Richard Tarleton]

A couple of qualms.

I used to think that the repetitive sleeve thing from Roscoe Tanner could never be beaten for "unusual" but the very odd facial processes Rafa now goes through wins it hands down.

Also, even Mrs Djokovic was at one time showing frustration over the cameraman's absolute obsession with her.

Viewers were required to see her on more occasions than her husband will have been able to do this year.

Other than that, brilliant, brilliant tennis.

I found as it went on that I was siding with the Spaniard but it's marginal.

Yes Rafa's OCD pre-serve twitches are beyond odd - always in precisely the same order. Who can forget Lynn Barber's hilarious Sunday Times interview in with him in 2011 when, among other things she quizzed him about his contract with Armani underwear

Since I had such an unfettered view of his underpants, I decided to ask about them. Frankly, I’m amazed any underwear company should want to sponsor Nadal, given that his on-court behaviour always screams “My pants are killing me!” He can’t go five minutes without fiddling with them; they seem to get sucked into his buttocks and then he has to pull them out. I remember the first time I saw him at Wimbledon thinking: “Gosh, he’s supposed to earn millions… you’d think he could afford some decent underwear by now.”
Why is he always fiddling with his underwear? 'That is something I am doing all my career, something that I cannot control'
I asked whether his contract stipulated that he should wear Armani underwear on court and he said: “I don’t have to but I am very happy to wear Armani because their underwear is fantastic.”
Then why is he always fiddling with it? “That is something I am doing all my career, something that I cannot control.” Has he ever tried to stop? “It is difficult for me because it bothers me all the time, and I play with different underwears — long, short — but it is impossible to stop.”

The continued camera close-ups of Mrs D's agonised expressions were beyond intrusive. But a stonking three hours of superlative tennis - the contrast with the previous slugfest could not be more marked, although that was dramatic in its way. I did admire Anderson's heartfelt reaction after the match.

[Richard Tarleton]

Energy gels???

I've asked the experts - it seems the sachets are, basically, a slow-release version of energy drinks, containing amino acids, lactose and other stuff.....

[Lat-Literal]

All good posts for which thanks.

If RN's hand to face mannerisms were prevalent in daily life, there would be concerns for him, but there is something about tennis and possibly to a lesser degree sports generally that just about accommodates such things. I am not entirely sure why. Rio Ferdinand may have been speaking about a similar area in recently describing his elaborate pre match routines on the grounds of superstition - pants were probably mentioned there too - but I'm not sure it is quite the same thing. Djokovic's lengthy bouncing of the ball up and down is not merely to regain energy, but rather another tennis thing, and may be more similar. Becker - as a player he if anything rushed into every point - said last night that the ball bouncing drove him mad when he was on Djokovic's team while Djokovic may have been partly alluding to the aspect of Nadal discussed in describing him as one of the more complex people on the circuit.

Beyond gels, I do wonder about the diets of these people. What is their average daily meal? Three chickens and a mountain of salad? Whatever, I am guessing it too is highly repetitive.

[Richard Tarleton]

Beyond gels, I do wonder about the diets of these people. What is their average daily meal? Three chickens and a mountain of salad? Whatever, I am guessing it too is highly repetitive.

Tim Henman was asked yesterday how Andy Murray's first stint as a commentator went. He joked that AM had had two toilet breaks and three deliveries of sushi, referring to AM's ritual of devouring - I think 40 - pieces of sushi after a match. I think it's calculated down to the last calorie.

[Richard Tarleton]

It's very good, yes, albeit somewhat lacking in lepidoptera.

It's still there - must be the same one, as the roof's been closed since yesterday.

[LMcD]

It's still there - must be the same one, as the roof's been closed since yesterday.

A pity it wasn't the final - it had everything. I don't fancy Anderson's chances.
Why didn't somebody catch the butterfly - they had a big enough net.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Why didn't somebody catch the butterfly - they had a big enough net.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've just heard that the All-England Tennis Club is planning to move to Milton Keynes in 2020.

[Nick Armstrong]

A pity it wasn't the final - it had everything.

Wow didn't it just *phew*

Loved that by the time Nadal saved the first match point to take it to 8 - 8 in the final set, all three commentators were more or less silenced by the brilliance of it all.

.

PS Agree with points above about the comparative tedium of the first semi-final, and about the worst part of it being having to endure (which I didn't) nearly 7 hours of John Inverdale (he's almost in the Tom Service category of 'fast-forward in order to avoid' in this household)

[Richard Tarleton]

PS Agree with points above about the comparative tedium of the first semi-final, and about the worst part of it being having to endure (which I didn't) nearly 7 hours of John Inverdale (he's almost in the Tom Service category of 'fast-forward in order to avoid' in this household)[/COLOR]

He's in trouble (again) with a top female player, this time Victoria Azarenka, for comments he made about her serve in her doubles match in which she partnered Jamie Murray....