*Official* Tennis Thread

[Anil]

I'm a big fan of the whole equal pay for equal work thing, and I've always been of the opinion that women should absolutely get the same prizemoney if they play the same number of sets. But playing best-of-three rather than best-of-five and getting the same money seems wrong to me, and I suppose a one-side match like that just exacerbates the problem in my eyes because it's over so quickly without even a third set to play out. Just a bit of a bugbear of mine that I should probably get over but never will, TBH.

agreed....and i wouldn't want to get over it either as i strongly believe we are right on this...

 

[Jono]

Nah not buying that one Jono. The argument has nothing to do with Serena's dominance and I doubt you'd find much evidence on here to suggest that's the case (apart from this final just gone) It's the regular crap matches where we see the other women battle to see who can serve the most double faults or hit the most unforced errors in the deciding set that raise the issue.

Haha really?

Talk about equal pay came up here when Serena smashed Safina in the 2009 Aust Open final. And again when Serena smashed Zvonareva in this year's Wimbledon.

Now as far as I know, Serena doesn't seem to have trouble on serve or hitting unforced errors mate. Those are the **** players.

Didn't see much talk when Clijsters won the US Open, or when Sam Stosur made the French Final.

You can't make up the facts Clapo. I'm not saying the women's game is in good shape, I'm saying the hypocrisy here is clear. This **** only comes up when Serena smashes someone who fluked their way into a final.

 

[Jono]

You obviously haven't seen many finals. A couple of the finals that Sampras won when the courts were still proper grass courts were far worse than this. Hewitt v Nalbandian in 2002 was ten times worse.

Indeed.

Wimbledon 2005 when Federer smashed Roddick as well. That was when Federer was unstoppable so you knew Roddick wasn't coming back once he lost that 2nd set tiebreak.

 

[vcs]

Even though people were sick of S&V tennis in the Sampras-Ivanisevic heydays, I'd love to see a return of it, atleast at Wimbledon and other fast courts, especially indoors.

 

[Jono]

Patrick McEnroe's tweet before the Final:

R u all looking for me to tweet during match? Give me predictions. I say Rafa 3 5 and 4

Fair prediction!

 

[Johnners]

Haha really?

Talk about equal pay came up here when Serena smashed Safina in the 2009 Aust Open final. And again when Serena smashed Zvonareva in this year's Wimbledon.

Now as far as I know, Serena doesn't seem to have trouble on serve or hitting unforced errors mate. Those are the **** players.

Didn't see much talk when Clijsters won the US Open, or when Sam Stosur made the French Final.

You can't make up the facts Clapo. I'm not saying the women's game is in good shape, I'm saying the hypocrisy here is clear. This **** only comes up when Serena smashes someone who fluked their way into a final.

The talk has always been there though (before & since the prize-money has been equal), honestly, but it's not just because of Serena thrashing someone in a final. People were talking about it after iirc Ivanovic vs Sharapova in 08 (as a recentish example) just the same as they do when Jankovic makes every other semi-final only to lose yet again to the underdog. Not everything people dislike about womens tennis is about Serena

I think you're right in saying there are many hypocritical things about peoples criticisms of women's tennis, but afaic this certainly isn't one of them.

 

[pasag]

You obviously haven't seen many finals. A couple of the finals that Sampras won when the courts were still proper grass courts were far worse than this. Hewitt v Nalbandian in 2002 was ten times worse.

Used to watch them all as a kid, loved Sampras so much back then probably didn't care how boring the matches inevitably were.

wtr to equal pay, it's the most inconsequential debate in world sport

 

[Jono]

Referring to CW tbh Clapo. This place was decidedly quiet about the issue when Stosur made the French final.

Happy to be proven wrong if there were actually posts about it when Sharapova beat Ana at the 2008 Aust Open.

 

[Johnners]

Referring to CW tbh Clapo. This place was decidedly quiet about the issue when Stosur made the French final.

Happy to be proven wrong if there were actually posts about it when Sharapova beat Ana at the 2008 Aust Open.

This makes a difference (thought you were speaking in general)

 

[Burgey]

Referring to CW tbh Clapo. This place was decidedly quiet about the issue when Stosur made the French final.

Happy to be proven wrong if there were actually posts about it when Sharapova beat Ana at the 2008 Aust Open.

Our Sam plays for love, not money

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Even though people were sick of S&V tennis in the Sampras-Ivanisevic heydays, I'd love to see a return of it, atleast at Wimbledon and other fast courts, especially indoors.

I would like to see a happy medium reached. They've gone way too far in their slowing down of the grass courts.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Used to watch them all as a kid, loved Sampras so much back then probably didn't care how boring the matches inevitably were.

wtr to equal pay, it's the most inconsequential debate in world sport

Sampras's one-sided finals were probably no more or less boring than any other of the same ilk. It's usually just the inevitable consequence of having an outsider in the final. A lot of it is preconceived expectation. Jimmy Connors was destroyed in finals by Borg and McEnroe and it was just accepted as the winner playing well. In 1983 McEnroe beat Chris Lewis 6-2 6-2 6-2 and it was because Lewis didn't have a chance. The following year he beat Connors 6-1 6-1 6-2 but no one doubted Connors chances before hand.

Agree on the pay issue - shame on people for bringing up such a non-story every year.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

I wouldn't mind the girls playing best-of-five from the quarters on, but to have them play five sets I'd imagine would be a scheduling nightmare and pretty awful to watch, too.

I've got no problem with them being paid the same. It doesn't have any effect on me in the slightest, and I'm happy for them to be paid the same if it means we don't have to sit through them moving to best-of-five. I don't get why people get so up in arms over something that has no impact on them at all. Do they even get paid the same for tour tournaments which aren't mixed?

 

[Jono]

Champions

 

[Matt79]

It's unfair and irrational, but I just find Nadal to have a massively punchable head, and no amount of talent, heart, or daring on his part as a player is probably ever going to be enough for me to move past that. Tennis is one sport where I find myself taking an instinctive liking or disliking to a player and then find that that feeling doesn't change.

It's just a comment - I would be curious if anyone finds him hard to warm to, but given I've admitted its essentially irrational, please don't bother trying to talk me out of it.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

I ****ing hate him, fwiw.

 

[Matt79]

And that's all I needed to hear tbh.

 

[Jono]

Brutal

 

[Johnners]

It's unfair and irrational, but I just find Nadal to have a massively punchable head, and no amount of talent, heart, or daring on his part as a player is probably ever going to be enough for me to move past that. Tennis is one sport where I find myself taking an instinctive liking or disliking to a player and then find that that feeling doesn't change.

It's just a comment - I would be curious if anyone finds him hard to warm to, but given I've admitted its essentially irrational, please don't bother trying to talk me out of it.

I do this in all sports tbh.

Generally irrationaly support all things spanish, but have never warmed to Nadal (i.e. see Smittehs post)

 

[Matt79]

I often dislike people on first sight in cricket, but will then be won over if I like how they play. Footy I don't tend to take a dislike to anyone (besides thinking that all players for 15 of the clubs are ****s on principle) until they actually do something to merit it.