The Tennis Thread - Part 3

[regwec]

Cool. I don't know much about her. Has she got any chance against Serena? Is she better than Sharapova at least?

I really don't know. Does anyone? She's tall and powerful, but Serena is doubtless the bigger hitter.

I just hope Muguruza can give a good amount of herself, and that she doesn't wilt under the occasion. She is only 21. It was horrible to see Sabine Lisicki crying on the court during the 2013 final.

Serena already broke Sharapova and now at break point for a 2nd break within the first set. Could go 3-0 up.

Steamroller mode. As usual, Sharapova with no answers at all.

 

[Iceman]

1st set done already! Steamroller going on!

 

[Iceman]

I really don't know. Does anyone? She's tall and powerful, but Serena is doubtless the bigger hitter.

I just hope Muguruza can give a good amount of herself, and that she doesn't wilt under the occasion. She is only 21. It was horrible to see Sabine Lisicki crying on the court during the 2013 final.

Hope she can make it competitive. Didn't realise she was so young.

Steamroller mode. As usual, Sharapova with no answers at all.

I back Serena against anyone but this particular match up more so than against other comparable top players. I think this match is lost mentally before it happens.

 

[Iceman]

Now Serena a break up in the 2nd. This should be over very soon.

 

[raisethe3]

Now Serena a break up in the 2nd. This should be over very soon.

Yep as expected. In order for Sharapova to win, she needed to get the first set and some momentum, but nope. Serena basically won the Wimbledon already. Doesn't matter who wins the other semi-finals. Those girls don't stand a chance against her.

 

[regwec]

Serena to serve for it. The lump hammer vs the eggshell.

 

[regwec]

Crunch.

 

[Dark Raven]

How can Sharapova say she enjoys her matches with Williams? These are never matches but just a thrashing. It's not like there's ever actual play on Maria's side. Serena could just stand with a ball machine and return, and it would be virtually the same thing.

 

[raisethe3]

How can Sharapova say she enjoys her matches with Williams? These are never matches but just a thrashing. It's not like there's ever actual play on Maria's side. Serena could just stand with a ball machine and return, and it would be virtually the same thing.

She says that maybe because it eases her pain?

 

[Iceman]

She should have gone on her hols early rather than bother turning up today. Eggshell lol.

 

[Dark Raven]

I wish Heather Watson did beat Serena Williams. Then there would've been more of an actual contest in the semis. With Williams, it's virtually like a man winning the women's event year after year because she's so much bigger, stronger and more aggressive. We now need a cyborg in the men's event to dominate and stop anyone from actually winning.

 

[Iceman]

I'd like to have seen what Watson might have done against the others after Serena. The usual flash in the pan underdog who goes out the next round to a much lesser opponent after beating a big gun, or something more. Hope she can do something next year. It might actually be true when Serena said that was her hardest match in ages.

 

[Dark Raven]

This is why everyone who won their quarter final matches haven't really won anything at all, because they have to face Serena Williams, and it's just delaying the inevitable.

 

[Iceman]

It's Williams Vs Muguruza in the final. Yeah everyone else was delaying the inevitable. Muguruza's people need to get on with trying to plant the laxatives in Serena's pre-match meal and then occupying all the Wimbledon ****ters for the entire duration of the match. That's the best chance of at least making it competitive.

 

[Sakuraba]

Serena Williams is an all-time great, no one questions that. But I think you guys are underestimating how historically inept the women's tour is. She's not so much a man, as the others just terrible. Serena wasn't dominating like this 10 years ago, far from it. Remember the days when the great Justine Henin booted her out of three straight majors?

 

[Iceman]

Also is the 6ft 11 Karlovic not just as much a physical freak (in a different way I know) in the men's game as Serena is in the women's? There's nothing wrong with getting as strong as you want to help yourself serve and return with more power, as long as you're not using drugs. Sharapova could do with some weightlifting lol.

 

[Sakuraba]

I tend to think that power, both serving and ground strokes, is something that is equal parts technique, strength training, and natural ability. Williams has a lot of natural ability in this regard.

I mean, Ray Leonard could hit the heavy bag until he's blue in the face and throw the perfect punch, but he'll never hit as hard as Tommy Hearns. There's something unteachable to it.

Karlovic and Isner are definite genetical freaks. They just have such an easier angle to land serves.

 

[regwec]

Serena Williams is an all-time great, no one questions that. But I think you guys are underestimating how historically inept the women's tour is. She's not so much a man, as the others just terrible. Serena wasn't dominating like this 10 years ago, far from it. Remember the days when the great Justine Henin booted her out of three straight majors?

This is just what I was getting at when I asked for opinions on the relative quality of the men's and women's tournaments. To me, it seems that Serena gets an easy pay check, and few of her rivals want to put in the effort to stop her. There are few matchups on the men's side where you could bet your house not only on the result, but the scoreline too.

 

[Dark Raven]

Serena Williams is an all-time great, no one questions that. But I think you guys are underestimating how historically inept the women's tour is. She's not so much a man, as the others just terrible. Serena wasn't dominating like this 10 years ago, far from it. Remember the days when the great Justine Henin booted her out of three straight majors?

I think Lenin was very agile on her feet and had other finesse skills. But she was sometimes overpowered by Serena on a good day. The thing is that Serena has more of a personal vendetta against Sharapova and plays differently and more ferociously than against other players for some reason.

 

[Dark Raven]

Sorry, Henin not Lenin. Auto correct strikes again.

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

I hope Federer wins Grand Slam #18.

 

[Sakuraba]

I think Lenin was very agile on her feet and had other finesse skills. But she was sometimes overpowered by Serena on a good day. The thing is that Serena has more of a personal vendetta against Sharapova and plays differently and more ferociously than against other players for some reason.

See, I disagree with this wholeheartedly. There is NO ONE that Serena Williams hates/hated more than Justine Henin. This is almost fact. It all goes back to the 2003 FO. I'll talk some more about it in a bit, do some reminiscing about the good ol' days of the WTA

 

[Harley2004]

I hope Federer wins Grand Slam #18.

17 slams is not enough.

 

[Sakuraba]

Ah, Serena and Justine. True contemporaries and great rivals.

I think Serena Williams simply has a case of bullying Sharapova. Sharapova's game is no threat to her, and so she can go out there with the chip on her shoulder and just bully her. It goes beyond the Wimbledon final from 2004, I think a lot of it can be traced back to something Richard Williams said years ago about his daughters not being fully accepted by the American public because they weren't cute little blonde white girls. Paraphrasing there. There's definitely a sense of envy and righteous anger from Williams to Sharapova.

You know, why does Sharapova get the magazine covers and more publicity than the 20 time Slam champ? Why was everyone so concerned with Kournikova when Williams was winning her first Slam title and even going on to capture the "Serena Slam"?

There's that blonde envy, heck, remember the days when Serena wore catsuits and even dyed her hair blonde? But back to that Serena Slam...

Remember when she had completed that triumph and cruised into the semis of the 2003 FO on a 33 Slam match winning streak? And she ran into little Justine Henin-Hardenne? Then came the ridiculous "hand incident" which showed poor sportsmanship on Henin's part and complete obsessive lunacy from Williams for YEARS to come.

For those unaware, Serena was serving up 4-2 in third. Henin raised her hand to indicate she wasn't ready to receive. Serena never saw the hand, served and missed. Second serve. Serena saw this and requested she get her first serve back. Well Henin refused to admit she ever raised her hand. Serena would go on to lose the match and blamed this seemingly small moment for costing her.

And yes I have more to say lol...

 

[Sakuraba]

We could go on further with Serena talking about Henin hitting "lucky" shots after their encounter at the 2007 USO, which was one of the highest level performances you'll ever see. To her talking about Henin "cheating" her at the 2003 FO an entire decade after the damn event. But my point here is that there was real animosity between these two, especially from Serena's side. But their matches were more defined by the nervous energy and shotmaking that is characteristic when two greats play each other.

They were both legitimately, and rightly threatened by each other. Their matches were often decided by who was playing their best on that given day. That's why it breaks my heart that Henin retired (twice no less) and got married and divorced in the midst of her run. These guys could still be playing each other and producing great tennis. Henin surely would have won that elusive Wimbledon title if she had stuck around.

Gosh, it wasn't that long ago that you had Capriati, Henin, Clijsters, the Williams sisters, Mauresmo, Hingis, Pierce, Davenport, Dementiava, even Kuznetsova before she got fat. What happened?