Tennis - Aussie Open

[Zopperoni]

Originally posted by Arrian
A true rival for him would be nice, yeah. It's hard to decide whether the lack of one is due to Federer's brilliance, the weakness of the field, or a bit of both.

The competitiveness lies somewhere in the level below him, but is strongly dependent on surface whereas Federer excels on all surfaces. I thought there would never be a player as dominant as Sampras, but Federer, at his age, is dominating everyone right now.

The matches that are the most fun to watch are often ones with lesser players that are more evenly matched (Roddick v. Safin in the fourth round, for instance, was a really good match).

This is a bit of pot luck and, as stated above, is very surface dependent. There are some very good players in the top 30, but they're all not as all-round as Federer. You need a bit of luck to catch a very good match in the final stages.

Watching Federer... I wouldn't necessarily say it's boring, per se. It's often an awesome display of near-perfection.

I'm not trying to suggest that Federer is boring. His shot-selection and shot-execution are excellent material for anyone who wants to learn the game, but nobody else is just as damn good as he is, which makes it so much less fun to watch in the latter stages of any tournament.

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by Arrian


Cheat? Players have been grunting/screeching after shots for quite some time. I don't see how her doing it is more of a problem than, say, Monica Seles.

Further, what's "cheating" about it? It might be annoying (I've gotten used to it, but it can be irritating), but since when is it cheating?

What rule are they going to enact? "The player may not make noise after during play." Bah.

-Arrian

Ask some of the players who played against her, theyve complained about it before, as did various commentators at Wimbledon last year. The tone varies with how important the point is.

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Maquiladora
Sharapova is a ****ing cheat.

Whatever. All is forgiven.

[Maquiladora]

Just another blonde...

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Maquiladora
Sharapova is a ****ing cheat. I cant believe they never mention her annoying scream after each shot. Perhaps someone made mention of it at Wimbledon last year, but its about time this crap was banned.

Meh, that's People complained about Seles the same way. It's just envy. Tennis is a fairly quiet game, but there's no reason for it to be, it's not like golf in terms of concentration required. Further, she (and many players) grunt/screech/etc. after they hit it, not while the opponent is hitting their shot.

Stop grumbling and just play better...

[MarkG]

the Williams - Sharapova final was quite fun. williams was like playing a practice game....

[Cort Haus]

I don't like Sharapova's shrill screech, even though I admire her game and competitiveness. I know she's not the first, but she's the worst. I certainly don't mind the odd grunt from players, particularly late in the game when they are tiring and a bit of extra effort is required, but I do think she's taking the piss and deliberately trying to put her opponent off.

Saying that other players should just raise their game in response is just glib and beside the point, imo.

[snoopy369]

Not when my contention is that other players are just envious of her success and don't have a valid complaint, it isn't.

Look, compare that screech to what people tolerate in basketball, football, hockey, soccer ... noise in those games is just a fact of life and nobody complains about it (unless it's in the HumphreyDome with the speakers turned up...) Tennis players need to stop whining about a little noise, like I said it's not like it has the power to put them off their game, as you say. She's not waiting until they hit the ball to do it, it's just a natural part of her swing.

[Cort Haus]

Do you play tennis, snoopy?

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by snoopy369

Meh, that's People complained about Seles the same way. It's just envy. Tennis is a fairly quiet game, but there's no reason for it to be, it's not like golf in terms of concentration required. Further, she (and many players) grunt/screech/etc. after they hit it, not while the opponent is hitting their shot.

Stop grumbling and just play better...

Then why are the crowd asked for silence? To get the best from the players.

Tired screams as it begins to hurt, fine. Screaming like a police siren at the start of a match? STFU

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Not when my contention is that other players are just envious of her success and don't have a valid complaint, it isn't.

Look, compare that screech to what people tolerate in basketball, football, hockey, soccer ... noise in those games is just a fact of life and nobody complains about it (unless it's in the HumphreyDome with the speakers turned up...) Tennis players need to stop whining about a little noise, like I said it's not like it has the power to put them off their game, as you say. She's not waiting until they hit the ball to do it, it's just a natural part of her swing.

Those are all contact sports where noise from the crowd is far less off-putting.

[Drake Tungsten]

Those are all contact sports

ie. real sports...

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

Those are all contact sports

ie. real sports...

Bull****, troll. Real sports do not require physical contact - if you thought about it for a microsecond that would be clear.

[Cort Haus]

Tennis IS a basically quiet sport during the point. WTF does "quiet please" mean? No-one serves while there is noise going on - they wait for it to stop. The crowd may get excited during an exciting point, but the default ettiquette is not to make a noise.

Anyway - there wasn't excess vocals during the Willams rout of Sharapova anyway, so its a kinda mute point. :hehe:

[Maquiladora]

Williams herself is pretty loud, although i get the impression its more genuine at times from her, either way it hardly gives her ground to complain. I also dont think shes affected by Sharapovas antics like some other players.

Theres also the simple fact the final was no contest to begin with.

Looking forward much more to tonights final though, two excellent in-form players hitting winners