Wimbledon 2016, Jun 27 - Jul 10 - Andy Murray Wins for the Second Time, Serena Williams for the Seventh

[DonRocks]

In what is one of the biggest upsets in all of sports in 2016, Sam Querry - an American, which seems almost doubly impossible - has beaten Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5). 

"American Sam Querrey Stuns No. 1 Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon" on espn.go.com

[Al Dente]

I tuned in during the third set. Even though Djokovic lost the first two sets, I still had 95% confidence he'd win given the superhuman shape he's in. Huge upset.

I see that Querry also beat Mahut in straight sets and he's off to the quarterfinals. This guy's on fire!

Cilic vs Federer should be interesting.

[DonRocks]

"Wimbledon 2016: Williams Sisters, Kerber, and Vesnina Reach the Last Four - As It Happened" on theguardian.com

"Venus Rising: Williams Back in Grand Slam Semi 6 Years Later" on nytimes.com

[DonRocks]

I don't know how long this is going to be up on YouTube, but you should watch the entire thing, from start to finish.

 

[Steve R.]

I was at my tennis club waiting to get on a court when the 4th set was moving toward the tiebreaker.  We all sat around the tv mesmerized as Federer first blew the put away shot to win the set, then proceeded to battle Cilic point for point to win the tiebreak.  With the score tied 2 sets apiece, I had no doubt Federer would squeak thru (well, maybe some doubt) and went off to play some doubles.

[DonRocks]

4 hours ago, Steve R. said:

I was at my tennis club waiting to get on a court when the 4th set was moving toward the tiebreaker.  We all sat around the tv mesmerized as Federer first blew the put away shot to win the set, then proceeded to battle Cilic point for point to win the tiebreak.  With the score tied 2 sets apiece, I had no doubt Federer would squeak thru (well, maybe some doubt) and went off to play some doubles.

The shot at 19:15 is one you tell your grandchildren about - fortunately (unlike stories about Babe Ruth, Don Budge, Jim Thorpe, etc.), there's video to prove it. And there are actually *several* shots of that caliber in this clip. Shots? Caliber? Clip? Are we talking about tennis or ballistics?

Speaking of ballistics, I hate to be so cynical, but don't you think the noise the rackets are making when they strike the balls is digitally enhanced? The shots sound like gunfire, and a tennis racket hitting a ball does *not* have that "popping" sound - I think it's fake.

[DonRocks]

"Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber Reach Wimbledon Final" by Naila-Jean Meyers on nytimes.com

[Steve R.]

Since men's doubles has been, for a very long time, at a level that I couldn't even imagine emulating, I used to watch women's doubles to better understand the things I should do better in my own game.  I can't do that anymore.  Nothing that either women's team did in the finals was even remotely in my wheelhouse.  They hit 10x harder than I ever will, they see the court incredibly well, they can hit a dime thru a small window opening and they are just fantastic athletes, trained and knowledgable in all aspects of the game.  And I was floored by just how much fun they were having while doing this.  And how much fun I had watching them having fun.

[DonRocks]

2 hours ago, Steve R. said:

Since men's doubles has been, for a very long time, at a level that I couldn't even imagine emulating, I used to watch women's doubles to better understand the things I should do better in my own game.  I can't do that anymore.  Nothing that either women's team did in the finals was even remotely in my wheelhouse.  They hit 10x harder than I ever will, they see the court incredibly well, they can hit a dime thru a small window opening and they are just fantastic athletes, trained and knowledgable in all aspects of the game.  And I was floored by just how much fun they were having while doing this.  And how much fun I had watching them having fun.

It's racket technology - I've seen children as young as five years old (really) playing offensive tennis, and hitting fairly hard shots off both sides with topspin. I've seen seven-year-old children who could have played high school tennis back in the 1970s.

[Al Dente]

7 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

It's racket technology - I've seen children as young as five years old (really) playing offensive tennis, and hitting fairly hard shots off both sides with topspin. I've seen seven-year-old children who could have played high school tennis back in the 1970s.

I saw a documentary about the McEnroe/Borg rivalry over the weekend. Watching the ball float back and forth between the two reminded me of playing tennis in the rain and how hard it is to put any pace on the ball when it was saturated with water. 

Keep your balls dry and swing a big racket!