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Tennis, anyone?

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MolGenBuckeye said:
My wife and I went to the US Open last year, and Serena looked *really* out of shape. If she hasn't done some conditioning in the offseason, she's not going to get a top ranking anywhere this year.

My predictions:

Men's Champ - Federer (yawn)
Women's Champ - Mauresmo
Biggest Head Case (Men) - Roddick
Biggest Head Case (Women) - Serena
Earliest top 10 Departure (Men) - Gonzalez
Earliest top 10 Departure (Women) - Dementieva
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Serena was really out of shape all of last year. It will be interesting to see if she makes a comeback this year or continues to let her other pursuits distract her. While I'd love to see someone dethrone Federer, I don't see that happening either. Hewitt probably has the best chance, though I'm hoping Roddick got his head back together after his poor season last year.

Since you made picks, here are mine:

Men's Champ: Federer
Women's Champ: Clijsters
Biggest Head Case (Men): Roddick
Biggest Head Case (Women): Mauresmo
Earliest Top 10 Departure (Men): Gaston Gaudio
Earliest Top 10 Departure (Women):Pierce

I'd love to go to the U.S. Open this year. Went to the Cincinnati ATP Masters for a couple days last year, and it was a great time.
 
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Seems like someone always comes out of nowhere to with then men's draw...I wouldn't be surprised if someone else won, but Federer is certainly the favorite.

The women's draw is another matter...Clijsters seems like a good pick.
 
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Women's Champ: Clijsters
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I'd pick Clijsters if she was healthy, but I'm not sure she'll make it through the tournament.

As for Pierce, I just can't pick against her on her current run. Everything in me says she'll lose, and she keeps winning.

And after seeing Mauresmo in person, I can't say anything bad about her lest I run into her in a dark alley someday. Her muscles scare me. :)
 
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MolGenBuckeye said:
I'd pick Clijsters if she was healthy, but I'm not sure she'll make it through the tournament.

As for Pierce, I just can't pick against her on her current run. Everything in me says she'll lose, and she keeps winning.

And after seeing Mauresmo in person, I can't say anything bad about her lest I run into her in a dark alley someday. Her muscles scare me. :)
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True about Clijsters - but she came back pretty strong after injury leave last year. The women's draw is pretty much wide open, though. I just think Pierce and Mauresmo are both pretty bad head cases, as are Schnyder and Dementieva, so I don't see any of them winning. I think I've picked Clijsters just because I want to see her win. Henin-Hardenne could also be a good pick, though. I'm also interested to see how Hingis fares on her comeback tour...
 
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It's sad that the casual tennis fan prefers the histrionics of guys like Connors and McEnroe over the greatness of Sampras and Federer.

Federer is what Ilie Nastase could have been if he had really tried.
 
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No denying Federer is great, my yawn was just that he wins *everything* anymore. He's fun to watch, but you pretty much already know the outcome. It would be nice if Roddick stepped up his game to make things interesting again on the men's side.
 
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BB73 said:
It's sad that the casual tennis fan prefers the histrionics of guys like Connors and McEnroe over the greatness of Sampras and Federer.

Federer is what Ilie Nastase could have been if he had really tried.
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Don't misunderstand me when I say that I hope to see someone beat Federer. His tennis is masterful, no doubt. One of the highlights of the Cinci tournament for me was Federer playing doubles. He hadn't played for a couple months last summer, so I think he was just trying to get extra court time. Since he and his doubles partner (Yves Allegro), weren't ranked, their match was on a small side court, and we got second row seats behind the baseline. Watching him from this close distance was fascinating.

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I just think it would be better for the game if he had some real competition now and then... And I do think a little bit of drama has some place in the game - it adds a certain level of excitement. I know I'll miss Safin this year as much for his racquet-smashing tantrums as I will for his tennis ability.
 
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My comment about casual fans wasn't meant to reference any posters in this thread. It was a general statement about TV ratings and the interest level in the sport. But it's not unique to tennis.

For me, there's enough drama in athletic competition. I don't need 'personalities' like McEnroe, Dennis Rodman, or Terrell Owens to make me watch.

Too often 'personality' is a substitute for 'obnoxious asshole that does not respect the game'.

And I certainly wouldn't label those that actually attend tennis tournaments as 'casual' fans.
 
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BB73 said:
My comment about casual fans wasn't meant to reference any posters in this thread. It was a general statement about TV ratings and the interest level in the sport. But it's not unique to tennis.

For me, there's enough drama in athletic competition. I don't need 'personalities' like McEnroe, Dennis Rodman, or Terrell Owens to make me watch.

Too often 'personality' is a substitute for 'obnoxious asshole that does not respect the game'.

And I certainly wouldn't label those that actually attend tennis tournaments as 'casual' fans.
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I didn't really think you were referring to anyone here, but I just wanted to be sure my earlier comment hoping for a Federer loss wasn't misconstrued.

Incidentally, Roddick won an exhibition tournament in Kooyong today, defeating Tommy Haas, who upset Federer in the first round, so it sounds like he's in good form going into the Open. Congrats also to American James Blake, who won the Medibank International in Sydney. Maybe things will be looking up for American men's tennis this year...
 
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PrincessPeach said:
Incidentally, Roddick won an exhibition tournament in Kooyong today, defeating Tommy Haas, who upset Federer in the first round, so it sounds like he's in good form going into the Open. Congrats also to American James Blake, who won the Medibank International in Sydney. Maybe things will be looking up for American men's tennis this year...
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Yep. They'll be looking up at Federer all year. :wink2:
 
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MolGenBuckeye said:
Earliest top 10 Departure (Women) - Dementieva
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Nice call, MolGen. :)

link
Dementieva's early exit
Monday, 16 January, 2006
by Ashley Browne

Russia's No.9 seed Elena Dementieva has become the first seed to depart Melbourne Park at Australian Open 2006 after a surprise 7-5 6-2 loss to Germany's Julia Schruff, ranked at No.80.
The Russian was undone by her serve, with 12 double-faults a key factor behind her defeat. She also made 37 unforced errors and won just 24 per cent of her second serves.
Dementieva was one of only two players in 2004 to make two Grand Slam finals and was making her eighth appearance at Melbourne Park. Schruff, 23, is in the main draw for only the second time, having lost in the first round here last year. Her best effort at any Grand Slam was a third-round appearance at last year's US Open.
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BB73 said:
Yep. They'll be looking up at Federer all year. :wink2:
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:lol: Probably... *sigh*

Edit - added article.
 
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