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Tennis, anyone?

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That's really too bad. She's certainly had a rough couple of years - I was hoping she'd be back in full force this year.

Regarding the whole instant replay/shot spot issue... I'm very surprised and disappointed that it hasn't been put in place yet, at least for the four majors. I hate nothing more than to see missed calls dramatically affect the outcome of a match.
 
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Well, *that* was unexpected.

SPOILER - TIVO USERS BEWARE!

What a strange, sad way to win one's first grand slam. Justine has a pretty good track record of playing through pain, so I've gotta give her the benefit of the doubt that she was really in distress.

It wouldn't have mattered, in the end. Henin-Hardenne just didn't show up for the match, whether from sickness or something else. Mauresmo was good - not dominant, but consistent.
 
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Spoiler alert - continued.

I lost what little respect I had for Justine Henin-Hardenne's sportsmanship last night. An upset stomach - give me a break. This is a Grand Slam final - if you can swing the racket, you have to play. Even if you have no chance of winning, stick it out for another 10 or 15 minutes to lose 4 more games, and allow Mauresmo the right to celebrate the GS final victory on the court - she's waited 7 years to be able to do that! Mauresmo was very gracious, and if she's smart she'll continue to be, enough other tennis people will rip JHH for what she did.

I have disliked JHH since the 2003 French Open, when she raised her hand up just as Serena was serving to her. Serena saw it as she was in her serving motion, and hit a no-good 1st serve. Serena then appealed to the chair to get the 1st serve over, which was clearly fair, and JHH acted like she'd done nothing. Then when Serena appealed again to the chair, the French crowd (90% of which didn't see what JHH had done) got unruly and began jeering Serena. Serena was leading at the time, but cracked under the pressure of the ugly crowd. She should have been mentally tougher, but the whole thing started because JHH denied raising her hand and asking Serena to delay her serve. It was total BS, chicken-shit bad sportsmanship, and it sucked that it ended Serena's run of GS dominance.

That's 8 different winners of the last 8 women's GS events.
 
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Spoiler alert for the men's final. I've watched my tape already. They could have shown Camille a little more often. :biggrin:

The first 2 sets were great tennis. Federer was broken at 5-5 and Baghdatis served out the set. They showed a stat that Federer was 7-17 in GS matches where he lost the first set.

Baghdatis then got an early break and was up 2-0 in the second set. Federer casually missed a wide-open court with an easy half-volley, setting up another break point on his serve. He got out of it, and then broke back, and the set again went to 5-5. Federer held, then changed his return strategy in the next game. He was chipping-and-charging and running around second serves to hit forehands. You could see him coming alive, but Baghdatis was winning the points to go up 40-love. Then Federer won 5 straight points to win the game and square the match.

Third set: 6-0, Federer. Fourth set was 3-0, or almost 3-0 when Bagdadis started getting cramps in his calf. But by then the match was all Federer's, the last set ended up 6-2. And that allowed the commentators to contrast Baghdatis's gutting out the last set to Henin-Hardenne's inglorious ending to her final.

The normally composed Federer lost it while giving his victory speech, crying extensively, seemingly due to getting the trophy handed to him by Rod Laver himself. Since Laver's second calendar slam in 1969, the only men to win 3 straight GS events are Sampras (93-94), and now Federer. He's got 7 Slam titles now, halfway to Sampras's record total.
 
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LINK

Nice to see Nadal back. I'm not a huge fan for some reason, but he is a dynamic, exciting player who brings great energy to the game. And, hey... he can actually beat Federer, and he's proven that he really isn't just a clay-court wonder. His return should make the rest of the season much more interesting for men's tennis.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=470 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>Nadal Upsets Federer in Dubai Tennis Championships Final </TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>
World No. 2 Rafael Nadal upset No. 1 Roger Federer 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships Saturday, running the 19-year-old Spaniard's record to 3-1 against his 24-year-old Swiss rival. Nadal won the match despite winning less points: 71 to Federer's 78. They each broke serve three times, but Nadal won the points that mattered.
Nadal evened his record in finals against Federer at 1-1, avenging Federer's five-set win in Miami last year. Nadal's other wins against Federer came in the semifinals of the French Open last year and in the third round at Miami two years ago.
Nadal improved his overall record in finals to 13-2. The last final he lost was in Miami to Federer. This was only the second tournament back for Nadal after injuring his foot during his title run in Madrid last October. Earlier this month, Nadal reached the semifinals of Marseille, losing to tournament champion Arnaud Clement.
The win Saturday improved Nadal's record for the year to 7-1. He had played in Dubai once before, reaching the quarterfinals in 2004, when he lost to Mikhail Youzhny.
Federer was seeking his fourth straight title in Dubai. A win would have made this the only tournament that the Swiss sensation has won four times. Federer was playing in his ninth straight final. The only other crown he failed to capture among those nine was the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai last November, where he lost in five sets to David Nalbandian. That was his last loss until Saturday.
The defeat left Federer with a mark of 16-1 for the year. It also broke his 56-match, Open-era record winning streak on hard courts. Federer also had won 29 matches in a row in the Middle East.
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Edit - Incidentally, Marat Safin has also returned to competition. He played very little off and on last year, and Dubai was his first tournament after nearly seven straight months off for injury. I'm hoping he'll make his way back into the top ten soon, too.
 
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Peach, do you have a preference for the men's or woman's game?
I've always found the men's game a little to boring. Too much about power and not enough thinking.
And sweaty young women running around and grunting is certainly intriguing.:wink2:
 
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I agree Taos, though there is too much power in general. The technology is way too powerful. A rail thin guy/gal should not be able to crank a 100+ mph serve, especially in lower tier play (like myself in college).

Tho there is no good way to change this. They tried to counter this with these oversized tennis balls, and that was an utter failure. They had so many leftover after they bombed out that they made us use them at a top regional tourney at UK.
 
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PrincessPeach said:
Edit - Incidentally, Marat Safin has also returned to competition. He played very little off and on last year, and Dubai was his first tournament after nearly seven straight months off for injury. I'm hoping he'll make his way back into the top ten soon, too.
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Nice to see that Safin made it back in time for the tournament in Dubai. I'll bet he got a huge appearance fee which facilitated his comeback. :wink2:
 
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BB73 said:
Nice to see that Safin made it back in time for the tournament in Dubai. I'll bet he got a huge appearance fee which facilitated his comeback. :wink2:
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Now, I know you aren't knocking my Marat, are you? :wink2:

I know what you guys are saying about power - it can make some of the matches a little boring. I love watching the players who have a more old-school approach... I've always been a little sad that the Taylor Dents of the world haven't had more success with their serve-and-volley, net-charging styles. But I do still like the speed and excitement of the power game.

And I do have to say, Taos... you may enjoy the sweaty, grunting women, but, well... I'd rather watch sweaty, powerful men... :wink2:

Anyway, they've apparently finally worked out an instant replay system, which will be used beginning at the NASDAQ-100 Open later this month and will be in place for this year's U.S. Open. That's good news for the game... seems like more and more bad calls have had tremendous impact lately.

LINK

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=470 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>Instant Replay Comes to Tennis</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2><!--Photo credit and photo begins here. Editors, please leave style references in image tag of photo -->© Ron Angle

The USTA, the ATP and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour today announced that electronic line calling technology, along with a player challenge system, will become part of professional tennis in North America. This breakthrough for the sport has been developed to improve officiating for players, while increasing the interest and excitement for in-stadium fans and television viewers.
The 2006 US Open will be the first Grand Slam to introduce instant replay technology and player challenges. The NASDAQ-100 Open will be the first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and ATP event to utilize the technology and on-court challenges. The NASDAQ-100 Open begins on March 22.

The on-court player challenge system for review of line calls will be as follows:
· Each player will receive two challenges per set to review line calls.
· If the player is correct with a challenge, then the player retains the same number of challenges.
· If the player is incorrect with a challenge, then one of the challenges is lost.
· During a tie-break game in any set, each player will receive one additional challenge.
· Challenges may not be carried over from one set to another.
Once a player challenges, the official replay will be provided to the chair umpire. In addition, the official replay will be provided simultaneously to the television broadcast and in-stadium video boards, allowing on-site fans and television viewers the opportunity to see the live results of a player challenge.
Hawk-Eye Officiating has been approved for use in professional tennis, and will be implemented at the NASDAQ-100 Open. In addition, tennis’ governing bodies are continuing to explore other line calling technologies. The specific technology to be used at the 2006 US Open and US Open Series will be announced at a later date.

"With the speed and power of today’s game, the time has come for tennis to benefit from new technology - - while adding to the fan experience,” said Arlen Kantarian, Chief Executive, Professional Tennis, USTA. "This new breakthrough - - perhaps the most significant change to the game since the tie-breaker - - will improve line calls for players, while adding excitement and intrigue for fans and TV viewers. This new protocol was developed in partnership with our friends at the ATP and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, and we look forward to a consistent system that will benefit the entire sport."
“Introducing this technology will make our sport more TV and fan friendly,” said Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott. “Given the stakes in professional tennis, the ability to have more accurate line calls that can change a match is great news for players.”
“The electronic line calling system and protocol will enhance the officiating for players and tournaments but more importantly offer an exciting and interactive element for the fans,” said ATP Executive Chairman & President Etienne de Villiers. “The ATP Board approved the protocol with a rule that all tournaments using it must employ in-stadium video boards as a way to upgrade the entertainment experience for fans. We’re very pleased to work with our friends at the USTA and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour on this initiative, the first of what we plan to be many such joint activities in the years ahead.”
"Instant replay is a compelling addition to the televised coverage of tennis,” said Tony Petitti, Executive Vice President and Executive Producer, CBS Sports. “Television viewers have enjoyed witnessing the decision making process surrounding rules and scoring in other major sports, including the NFL.”
"This is another example of bringing 21st-century technology to a great game to serve the fans and competitors,” said Len DeLuca, Senior Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions, ESPN and ABC Sports. “We look forward to settling the arguments on ESPN2."
"Electronic line calling is a revolutionary development for the game of tennis,” said Butch Buchholz NASDAQ-100 Open Chairman and Co-Founder. “As good as the line judges are, having the ability to back them up with state-of-the-art technology is great for the game and for the players."

Players/Former Players on Instant Replay Technology Coming to Tennis …
Andre Agassi
"In my 20 years in professional tennis, this is one of the most exciting things to happen for players, fans and television viewers. This new technology will add a whole new dimension to the game."
James Blake
"The ball's moving so fast these days that sometimes it's impossible for anyone to see, even a trained official. With instant replay we can take advantage of technology and eliminate human error. Having just a few challenges will make it both fun and dramatic for fans at the same time.”
Jim Courier
"Yet another terrific step forward for tennis, something that will benefit players and spectators and bring more intrigue into the game. Based on my experience in the booth with this technology, we'll all be surprised at how good the linesmen's eyes are compared to the players."
Cliff Drysdale
"This would add another dimension for the viewer and the spectator at a tournament. Tennis is singular in the number of close calls you have in a match. Every time the ball hits the ground there is a question, with so many balls landing close to the lines.”
Amelie Mauresmo
"For players out there giving it our all, it’s great to know that we now have the ability to use technology that will make the game more accurate and better than ever, and more exciting for the fans."
John McEnroe
"If anyone's been listening to my commentary the past year then they know I'm in favor of using replay. I think it will make tennis more interesting.”
Andy Roddick
"On top of just getting the calls right time after time, which will be nice, it'll add another aspect for TV viewers. If a player has two challenges per set, it will add drama and excitement. This will add to tennis and take out a lot of human error."
Maria Sharapova
"As a player, I want to know that line calls are as accurate as technology will allow. In that sense, today’s announcement is great news for all players.”
Pam Shriver
"As a player, and now as a TV commentator, I always dreamed of the day when technology would take the accuracy of line calling to the next level. That day has now arrived.


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The challenge system will be interesting. They get 2 challenges per set, but if they are correct it doesn't cost them a challenge.

Some players will use it as a stall tactic, especially late in a set where they still have both challenges.
 
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