tennis_ken

I did not get to see the Henin/Dementieva match LIVE so I watched the replay. Now I cannot believe the nonsense that I just saw on ESPN and I want to write them and give them a piece of my mind!!! First, ever since the draw came out everyone have been talking up this Henin/Dementieva possible match up and when they both won their first round matches the commentators were rating up this match-up big time. I mean heck even the organizers knew how big of a match this was seeing that they feature this match in PRIMETIME and on the Main stadium ie. Rod Laver Arena.

Now I am watching it and the entire second set of this match was not given any Television coverage on ESPN as these idiots chose to show the Blake/Del Potro match. I just don't understand why womens tennis continues to get this much disrespect and no one seems to give a damn about it. That Blake/Del Potro match - sure it was good but c'mon people at the end of the tournament no one is going to even remember that match. And yet there was Mary Carillo already proclaiming at the end of the Henin/Dementieva match that this was the BEST women's match we are going to see at this years Aus Open!!!

I ask this question about a month ago and almost everyone who responded said it would be Serena Williams. But after Serena lost the number one ranking to Jankovic last week and with Safina staying strong on both their heels, who is going to be rank number one in the world at year's end?

She hasn't won a match since the first round at the US Open and hasn't won a match in straight sets since the first round at Wimbledon. My questions are: is she still injured, and if she is why is still playing when clearly she is in this devastating losing streak?

And what do you think is Ana's problem? Something must be wrong with her to be losing all these matches of late.

Finally can someone tell me where her ranking will be after this recent loss. The rate she is going I won't be too surprise to see her not in the Top 10 by year's end.

I honestly don't get it!!! The Williams sisters are supposed to have that fast, aggressive game that should work well on a hard court and then there is that HUGE serve they both possess.

All Jankovic ever does is block the ball and force a long rally on every point. Her serve is the weakest part of her game and I can't remember ever hearing anyone say anything about how great her forehand and backhand is.

So why does she give so much trouble to the Williams sisters? Why is it that Venus and Serena always have these long, grueling matches with her? Given their big serves and impressive reach, why is it they can't seem to blow Jankovic off the court!!! I just could never understand this!!! Jankovic in my opinion is one of the easiest players to beat primarily because she does not possess any major weapons in her game and yet both Venus and Serena have the world of trouble in defeating her.

I just came across this article by Justine's former coach and quite frankly while I understand that some may be upset by the things he has to say about some of the top players, I honestly can't disagree with anything he said.

I have always felt that Jankovic does nothing on the court but return the ball, and I have always maintained that that reason why I believe Maria Sharapova has not been as dominant as we expect her to be is because tennis has NEVER been her number 1 priority. The Williams sisters have proven that they can make tennis number 2 in their lives and still show up for a Grandslam event and actually win the whole thing, once in a while. Sharapova on the other hand has not been able to do this. And it is only now that both sisters are putting tennis number one in their lives that we see them once again at the top.

Anyway it's a really fascinating article to read and some of the things he mentions is very interesting. What are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with what he had to say?

http://thetennistimes.com/justine-henins-coach-car...

I always knew sexism still live in every society but the sport of tennis is the only sport in the world, where both men and women are basically placed on the same platform, so to speak. No other sport appear to rate their male and female athletes as equal. But there is still so much sexist attitudes and prejudices that rules the sport of tennis coming from current players, former champions, commentators, the media and then the fans, mostly the male fans of the men's game.

Personally I don't know how anyone can say they are a huge fan of the sport of tennis and then say they don't care about the women's game. The reality is, unlike every other sporting event, tennis is the only sport where both the men's and women's events have been tied to each other for as long as anyone dares to remember. So how anyone can say they love tennis but hates the women's game is beyond me. In my view if you are going to say you are a fan or supporter of tennis, then you have to love both the men's and womens game.

Please note I am referring to that select crowd who says they love the sport but absolutely hate the women's game. I understand that there are people who loves the sport AND may have a certain preference over the men's game than the women's game. I have no problem with this. It is the people who say they LOVE tennis but then say they HATE the women's game, that I don't seem to understand clearly.

So why are so many male tennis fans so blatantly sexist when it comes to the women's game?

I would never understand why people who love the men's game are so eager to bash the women's game. In my view, there is little to differentiate the two, as both can be equally entertaining at times and horrendous at other times.

So why do the women's game gets such little respect? I notice this happens a lot right here on Yahoo Answers, as whenever someone asked a question concerning the men's game and then asks the same question but direct it to the women's game, there are always fewer answers in the women's section.

For example J.A.V.V. asked two really nice questions yesterday about creating your ideal player for the WTA and ATP tours, and yet the women's question had only two answers, while the men's question had like seven and growing.

Why do people hate the women's game so much and seem more interested in the men's game? I just want to know... I am not ridiculing anyone. Just a honest question.

Does anyone else think that Andy Murray will soon reach the highest heights in men's tennis? I believe it's only a matter of time before he wins his first Grandslam. So when do you think this will happen, and at which Slam does he have the best chance to win?

I am referring to everything that has happened all year long on the court, or off the court. Were there any surprises or shockers for you, in terms of matches played, champions crowned, player's results, controversial matches, anything you feel the need to talk about? LOL Let me know what surprised or totally shocked you this past year.

For me, of course it will be Justine Henin's sudden retirement. Whew! Who saw that one coming? LOL

And then there was Sharapova's shocking 2nd round exit from Wimbledon.

Federer's US Open victory. With the year he has had, and moreso the horrible hard court season he had after Wimbledon, I honestly did not expect Roger to even make the second week, far less win the US Open title. I was blown away and pleasantly surprise when he won. LOL

Okay there are a lot more but I will leave you guys to write them all. I hope you guys talk about these moments as well as the ones that I am leaving out for you to mention. LOL

There have been many players who just seem to fall apart in their matches because they always can't seem to control their nerves.

Can you name some of the players that you think has a big problem with this, AND then have you ever seen a match where it appeared that the player's nerves alone, cost them the entire match???

The most recent example for me was Dementieva losing to Safina in the French Open Quarters. Remember she was up a set and a break (5-3) in the second set, and had a match point. Then from that point on, she completely fell apart. She lost the third set 6-0. I remember watching her during that third set, and it was clear that she got nervous and panic after she lost the second set, and then had no idea what to do.

Well it seems that if Jankovic can win the Pan Pacific Open this week, she will regain back the number one ranking from Serena, and so the shuffle continues with the top spot. It will probably go on like this for the rest of the year, so who will most likely end the year as number one in women's tennis?

There are always a lot of upsets in the Grandslams every year, but I am referring to those losses that nobody saw happening, then when it did, it just blew everyone away.

The ones that stands out in my memory are:

Lori McNeil defeats Steffi Graf in the FIRST ROUND at Wimbledon 1994. Graf was the then 3-time defending champion, (5-time winner overall) and world number one, and while Lori has always been a tough customer for Graf in the past, I just remember it being one of the all-time most shocking losses at Wimbledon. This was also a World Cup year, and everyone knows that when the world cup is taking place, it usually take precedence over every other sporting event taking place at the time. But when Steffi lost, it was front page news all over the world the next day. I believe she became the first top seed ever to be beaten in the first round at Wimbledon.

The other shocking losses I remember also occurred again at Wimbledon. It was:

Jelena Dokic defeats top seed Martina Hingis in the first round of Wimbledon 1999. Dokic was a then unknown qualifier and the most shocking thing about the lost was the score line. She beat Hingis 6-2, 6-0.

Marion Bartoli defeats Justine Henin - 2007 Wimbledon Semifinals. LOL I remember the crowd being soo quiet during the match because it seemed like they were in utter disbelief at what was happening in that match. The center court crowd was soo quiet, sometimes it felt like you could literally drop a pin in the middle of the court and hear it fall.

Do you guys remember any other matches that featured some shocking losses. I knew we had a lot this year in the Slams but please think back to years gone.

Every sport these days seems to be having the world of controversies, from doping to betting to match fixing. I was just thinking of some of tennis' more controversial moments, after reading the "Davydenko being cleared" story today. So what were some of the more controversial moments you think the game has seen?

Note, it does not have to be a big controversy. Just something that may have happened on or off the court, that pissed you off big time. LOL

For example the Serena/Capriati US Open Quarterfinal some years back. That was a pretty controversial moment that really has changed how the game is played today. What are some of the other controversial moments or matches that happened in tennis over the years?

I am referring to those moments in the past, right after championship point, and the winner drops the court on their knees, or jumps up and down in jubilation. Which moment in the past ranks as your all-time favorite and least favorite?

Please feel free to list as many as you want and please give reasons.

My Favorites are: Venus Williams winning Wimbledon in 2005. I felt really sorry for Lindsay that year, but watching Venus jump up and down in sheer delight and disbelief was one of the best championship moments I have ever seen.

Steffi Graf winning her 7th Wimbledon title in 1996. I just loved how genuinely happy she seemed in that moment especially when you consider that she has won so many times before. LOL

Jana Novotna - Wimbledon 1998. - I will never forget her saying "its mines, it's mines" while holding the trophy. LOL

Andre Agassi winning the French Open in 1999.

Roger Federer winning Wimbledon in 2005.

I am referring to those moments in the past, right after championship point, and the winner drops the court on their knees, or jumps up and down in jubilation. Which moment in the past ranks as your all-time favorite and least favorite?

Please feel free to list as many as you want and please give reasons.

My Favorites are: Venus Williams winning Wimbledon in 2005. I felt really sorry for Lindsay that year, but watching Venus jump up and down in sheer delight and disbelief was one of the best championship moments I have ever seen.

Steffi Graf winning her 7th Wimbledon title in 1996. I just loved how genuinely happy she seemed in that moment especially when you consider that she has won so many times before. LOL

Jana Novotna - Wimbledon 1998. - I will never forget her saying "its mines, it's mines" while holding the trophy. LOL

Andre Agassi winning the French Open in 1999.

Roger Federer winning Wimbledon in 2005.

I know they are usually given a smaller replica of the trophy at the French Open and Wimbledon to keep, rather than actually getting the big trophy to keep for themselves. But what about the US Open and Australian Open? Do they get to keep the big one or are they given some stupid smaller replica?

On a side note, does anyone else thinks that it is really stupid that the champions don't get to keep their hard-earned BIG trophies and instead gets this smaller replica. I always hated that part of the Grand Slams! What do you think?

I have heard most people generally have a lot of negative things to say about the commentators, myself included, LOL, but who are your favorite commentators to listen to and the ones you wish would just shut up once and for all. LOL

Mines are:

Best: Tracey Austin, Mary Carillo, Dick Enberg, Bill Macatee, Jim Courier (I know he can be a handful at times but I like him) LOL

Worst: John McEnroe, Cliff Drysdale. (Everyone else I have no problem listening to, but when it comes to these two, I could never enjoy any match they're doing commentary for.)

Is there an official reason why Jamie (the older brother) plays mostly doubles and Andy (the younger brother) has the big career in the more prestigious singles game?

Personally I think it's a bad decision. It did not work well when they first used back in 2006 and I don't see how this is going to work now. The problem has always been players using the bathroom breaks and medical timeouts to change the momentum of a match as a means of cheating when they are not really injured or need to use the bathroom. Now the WTA has decided to give the players another way to legally CHEAT during a match!!!

The rule has always been that once the player steps on court, all coaching seizes from that moment on. This is the rule and it should be kept that way. Do you agree?

http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/news;_ylt=Ap_5Ro2ZEYs4...

I hate to be picky but last night it took everything within me not to want to punch this guy out.

Okay this match was the biggest match of the tournament thus far, and it has been hyped up about since the draw came out. Yet while watching the match, McEnroe basically spoke about everything possible other than this great match that they sisters give us.

I will admit the match started slowly and I thought we were going to be in for yet another lackluster all-Williams match-up, but during the early stages McEnroe spent the first couple games talking over and over about Dementieva and Jankovic, challenging everything that Tracey Austin had to say along the way. Then he spent another half-an-hour talking about his "Apprentice" offer from Donald Trump and "Dancing with the Stars". Then throughout the entire match, he kept going on and on and on about the Nadal/Fish match that was going to be played this late. I know people like Nadal but seriously, did anyone really thought Rafa would lose to Fish of all people? The way John kept rating up this match, you swore that he thought the Fish/Nadal match was way more important than the WOMEN'S Quarterfinal between the sisters.

I mean was this not one the greatest all-Williams matches we have ever seen? Everything was so darn close between the sisters and it was very tense throughout the entire match, and yet this idiot spoke about everything other than the great tennis the sisters were putting on.

As a tennis fan I was very hurt and offended that one of the greatest women's matches ever, had to be reduced to this kind of stupid, male chauvinistic banter. Does anyone agree?