In between Grand Slams tennis thread

yerwanthere123

Ahh lads I'm seriously depressed since the US open ended

yerwanthere123

cgpg5 wrote: »

With all the slams finished for another year here's a question for ye. Will any player realistically challenge the big 4 in the coming 12 months do ye think? (Nadal may struggle so change it to 3 in that case). Frankly I think all slam finals will contest 2 of these 3(4) and I think Murray and Djok may pull slightly away from Fed. I would love for Daveed to win the French though. Incredibly unlikley but it is the one slam Murray/Djok/Fed could be caught on a hop! Saying that alot can and will happen but just thought it'd be interesting...

I think Nadal may struggle to get back into the swing of things initially, but otherwise I think he'll be back to his old self.

You're right about Novak and Andy maybe slightly pulling away from Fed, it's going to happen sometime so it might be next year. It wouldn't be surprising at all though if Fed had another two years left playing at the level he currently is.

With regards to your original question, I don't see anybody breaking through and challenging the top 4. If Delpo can stay injury free he should get back to the top 5 and you never know, he could pose a threat, but I wouldn't count on it. One person who certainly won't be posing a threat is Milos Raonic. Forever hyped with nothing much to back it up, I think his demolition at the hands of Murray has woken everyone up as to how much work he has to do before he can even think about becoming a major winner. He'll certainly be top ten next year and will start reaching the second week of slams, but he won't be a significant threat.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

With regards to your original question, I don't see anybody breaking through and challenging the top 4. If Delpo can stay injury free he should get back to the top 5 and you never know, he could pose a threat, but I wouldn't count on it. One person who certainly won't be posing a threat is Milos Raonic. Forever hyped with nothing much to back it up, I think his demolition at the hands of Murray has woken everyone up as to how much work he has to do before he can even think about becoming a major winner. He'll certainly be top ten next year and will start reaching the second week of slams, but he won't be a significant threat.

I think this is a bit harsh. Milos is only 21. I'd give him another year or two before I'd write him off entirely. I think his match against Federer in Madrid earlier this year was a good indicator of what he's capable of. I'm not saying he's top 4 material, based on the current top 4, but still think it's a bit early to be writing him off.

cgpg5

I had to laugh at a lot of American articles I read before Murray/Raonic saying how amazing Raonic was and how he'd really put it up to Murray, with absolutely zero basis.

I knew well (I even bloody posted it here and elsewhere) that Raonic wouldn't come close to Murray. Murray's the type of player he can't handle. Murray is always going to send his monster serve straight back to him in kind with his cracking return and his versatility is always going to be a huge issue for Milos to handle. Some of his drop shots Milos couldn't get near them. Raonic is prob top ten standard but he'll never make top 5 like some suggest. A monster serve is not enough no way.

Seeing Murray and Djok's play the last day (and Fed and Nadal on form) they'd kill Raonic at their best. He'd even be quite a bit off Berd/Delpo/Tsonga/Ferrer standard

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

cgpg5 wrote: »

Seeing Murray and Djok's play the last day (and Fed and Nadal on form) they'd kill Raonic at their best. He'd even be quite a bit off Berd/Delpo/Tsonga/Ferrer standard

Well, I have to say of the players known for their big serves, I think Raonic is better than the likes of Isner or Karlovic. He has more to his game. I think Isner is literally just his serve. (look where it's gotten him though)

Raonic against Tsonga at the Olympics, and Raonic against Federer in Madrid were two great examples of how he can mix it with the best of them. I think he needs to work on his shot selection, and his movement, which is tough obviously being such a tall guy. It's not impossible though, just look at how much Sharapova has improved her movement over the past few years.

Again I'm not saying he'll win slams or trouble the current top 4 much, but in 4 or 5 years time they'll all be coming to the end of their careers or already retired, who knows, and he'll be mid twenties, which is kind of the peak age for male players.

That's all assuming he keeps improving, he may disappear completely in a year or two.

Tox56

Really puts into perspective how good the Top 4 guys are, I was watching Raonic play Blake the round before he played Murray and he looked unstoppable. He seemed to get ace after ace, I didn't know how Murray was going to handle him. He then goes out and creates 12 break points against the Raonic serve without conceding a single one on his own serve.

cgpg5

Tox56 wrote: »

Really puts into perspective how good the Top 4 guys are, I was watching Raonic play Blake the round before he played Murray and he looked unstoppable. He seemed to get ace after ace, I didn't know how Murray was going to handle him. He then goes out and creates 12 break points against the Raonic serve without conceding a single one on his own serve.

The thing is that Murray's returning killed him.

Against the lower seeded players he'll find it way easier to pick points off serve but when the likes of Murray and Novak knock everything back at you that you throw at them it is always going to be difficult. Murray played him like a puppet throughout and it should be a good learning curve for Raonic and teach him that he has a lot of technical work to do in the off season. Even beforehand I said that it would shock me if Raonic broke him all match.

While he played well in the olympics v Tsonga the last set was strange. Tsonga brought it to deuce a couple of times on the Raonic serve before eventually winning. However Raonic never got near Tsongas- barely scored a point off it! That is the difference

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

The WTA have signed a new broadcast deal for 2013, which I think means Eurosport won't be showing any WTA any more, bar the Slams I guess?

http://www.wtatennis.com/page/OffCourtNews/Read/0,,12781~2917059,00.html

RosyLily

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

The WTA have signed a new broadcast deal for 2013, which I think means Eurosport won't be showing any WTA any more, bar the Slams I guess?

http://www.wtatennis.com/page/OffCourtNews/Read/0,,12781~2917059,00.html

BOOOO!!! Looks like I'll be streaming a lot in 2013!:mad::mad:

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

RosyLily wrote: »

BOOOO!!! Looks like I'll be streaming a lot in 2013!:mad::mad:

I can't figure it out though. I know sometimes there's a separate licensing deal for satellite and terrestrial channels. Like ITV were airing the French Open this year, but the stuff on ITV4 wasn't shown here in Ireland, but Setanta had it, and then Eurosport had some of it too.

It's different for Slams though because the ITF run them, not the WTA or ATP. The company that bought the rights run a bunch of channels across Europe but I've never heard of any of them. Surely someone would have the rights to show the matches in the UK? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Off court tennis news. Iveta Benesova and Jurgen Melzer got married today.

yerwanthere123

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I think this is a bit harsh. Milos is only 21. I'd give him another year or two before I'd write him off entirely. I think his match against Federer in Madrid earlier this year was a good indicator of what he's capable of. I'm not saying he's top 4 material, based on the current top 4, but still think it's a bit early to be writing him off.

Oh I wasn't writing him off completely, I was saying he wouldn't be posing a threat to the top 4. Maybe he will in a couple of years or so but I doubt it'll be next year.

yerwanthere123

Guys this news about the WTA not being on Eurosport anymore is a complete disaster. I can't imagine only being able to watch the matches only 4 times a year However, the people who bought the rights (the MCS Group) are launching a new channel solely for their WTA tennis coverage.. what are the chances this will be available on Sky and it being freeview I wonder?

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Guys this news about the WTA not being on Eurosport anymore is a complete disaster. I can't imagine only being able to watch the matches only 4 times a year However, the people who bought the rights (the MCS Group) are launching a new channel solely for their WTA tennis coverage.. what are the chances this will be available on Sky and it being freeview I wonder?

It's all a bit vague at the moment. I've got UPC so unless it's on there as well I'm screwed. Sky show the Masters events, like Miami, IW, Rome etc. but they only ever show the men's.
Like I said though, there's different deals for terrestrial and satellite sometimes, so maybe British ES will still be able to show it? I don't know.

RosyLily

This WTA deal is very vague. Doesn't mention if matches will be shown in UK or the other aspects of it. If they are dedicating a whole channel to tennis that's fantastic! But not so much if it's only available in continental Europe. I hope more details are revealed. Or I'll just tweet WTA!:D

In the Davis Cup matches, Spain are 2-0 up on the USA. Ferrer had a 4 set win over Querrey. Almagro had a tougher battle against Isner. The American managed to save 2 match points before eventually falling. Tomorrow, Granollers & Marc Lopez take on the Bryan Brothers in the doubles match. MUST WIN for the Yanks!! In the Argentina-Czech Rep tie, it's all square at 1 apiece. Del Potro got the home team off to a great start, beating Stepanek 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. He even got emotional at the end of the match! Aw bless!! Berdych made it even by defeating Monaco in 5 sets 6-1, 4-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. Berlocq & Schwank take on Minar & Rosol in doubles tomorrow.

Such a cute photo of Mr. & Mrs. Melzer!! Beautiful dress!:)

yerwanthere123

RosyLily wrote: »

This WTA deal is very vague. Doesn't mention if matches will be shown in UK or the other aspects of it. If they are dedicating a whole channel to tennis that's fantastic! But not so much if it's only available in continental Europe. I hope more details are revealed. Or I'll just tweet WTA!:D

In the Davis Cup matches, Spain are 2-0 up on the USA. Ferrer had a 4 set win over Querrey. Almagro had a tougher battle against Isner. The American managed to save 2 match points before eventually falling. Tomorrow, Granollers & Marc Lopez take on the Bryan Brothers in the doubles match. MUST WIN for the Yanks!! In the Argentina-Czech Rep tie, it's all square at 1 apiece. Del Potro got the home team off to a great start, beating Stepanek 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. He even got emotional at the end of the match! Aw bless!! Berdych made it even by defeating Monaco in 5 sets 6-1, 4-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. Berlocq & Schwank take on Minar & Rosol in doubles tomorrow.

Such a cute photo of Mr. & Mrs. Melzer!! Beautiful dress!:)

You'd think that surely this new channel will be available in the UK.. I mean the UK market has got to be massive for Eurosport?

And I agree, lovely photo of Benesova & Melzer. I didn't even know they were together Amazing how anonymously some tennis players are able to live their lives

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

And I agree, lovely photo of Benesova & Melzer. I didn't even know they were together Amazing how anonymously some tennis players are able to live their lives

I know they won mixed doubles together at Wimbledon last year, but I don't know if they were a couple then or not.

RosyLily

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I know they won mixed doubles together at Wimbledon last year, but I don't know if they were a couple then or not.

It was kept very quiet. I remember seeing a tweet from him to her, something along the lines of "Great to be home w/ @ivetabenesova" Thought nothing of it though.:o For some reason I thought he was married already to someone else.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

RosyLily wrote: »

It was kept very quiet. I remember seeing a tweet from him to her, something along the lines of "Great to be home w/ @ivetabenesova" Thought nothing of it though.:o For some reason I thought he was married already to someone else.

I think he was dating Cibulkova for a while after they played Mixed doubles together at the US Open. Bit of a theme going here.... But that was back in 08/09?

RosyLily

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I think he was dating Cibulkova for a while after they played Mixed doubles together at the US Open. Bit of a theme going here.... But that was back in 08/09?

That sounds familiar! Could be it. I think Cibulkova has dated 2 or 3 players. Lucky thing!;):pac:

Bonavox

This made me laugh. Thought you might enjoy it.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Irish player James Clusky is up 23 places to a career high doubles ranking of 191. That's 4 higher than Lleyton Hewitt. We're not talking Slam entries yet but he's making steady progress there.

James McGee has qualified for the main draw at the Izmir challenger. Some recognisable names there, Kudla, Dancevic, Bubka, Tursunov and the wonderfully named Tuna Altuna. He's started playing more challengers lately so hopefully he'll be making progress too.

Tox56

Why can't Ireland just produce one Andy Murray, I'd even take a Tim Henman right now.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Tox56 wrote: »

Why can't Ireland just produce one Andy Murray, I'd even take a Tim Henman right now.

Because there's no financial support or backing for the players. It's a very expensive sport to be involved in seriously and most of them probably get sick of the grind before they make any real progress. One of the players had a blog going for a while detailing life on the Futures/Challenger tours, made some very interesting reading.
I think I remember Janko Tipsarevic once writing an article about how hard it is for guys outside the top 10 to get by on tour, and if you're around the top 100 you're probably only breaking even on the tour.

I'm not saying we should pimp our kids or anything but if there's young girls or boys who shoe potential at a young age they need to be sent away to get the best training possible and even agents/sponsors to take the financial pressure off them and their families.

RosyLily

Agreed! It takes so much willpower, perseverance and money to even break into the top 300, let alone reaching top 100. There are instances of players getting sponsorship, such as Ivanovic (her story is actually pretty fairytale-ish!). Unless a player goes to Spain or France to a quality academy (and they have the potential), they won't get much here.

I think it's like the same argument that came up during the Olympics, i.e. "Hungary has almost the same population as Ireland, yet they have more medals in swimming. Why?". Tennis Ireland could look at how the small countries structure their tennis and try to create something similar here.

Seeing Niland playing at Wimbledon and seeing/listening to the support he was getting was amazing! We have the supporters; give us a Henman!!!:D

We could go on for days discussing this!:)

cgpg5

Some turnout in Dunblane on sunday and he went around shaking so many hands and taking pictures/giving autographs. Top lad.

It really is amazing to think he'll only get second in BBC spoty :eek:

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

RosyLily wrote: »

I think it's like the same argument that came up during the Olympics, i.e. "Hungary has almost the same population as Ireland, yet they have more medals in swimming. Why?". Tennis Ireland could look at how the small countries structure their tennis and try to create something similar here.

Seeing Niland playing at Wimbledon and seeing/listening to the support he was getting was amazing! We have the supporters; give us a Henman!!!:D

We could go on for days discussing this!:)

I was discussing this in the Olympics thread about sport in general but I think it would apply to tennis too. What I was saying was that kids should be encouraged to go to the US at college age and play NCAA level. Obviously you'd have to be of a certain quality to get in to any of the really good schools, but a lot of them have tennis teams and it's a great way of getting to play tennis for 4 years without the financial pressures or travel. Obviously you can't sign professional contracts or accept money from anywhere/anyone during that time, but if you get a scholarship you're sorted and there's a fairly good chance of getting noticed by agents etc. at that level.

Not saying it would work for everyone, but if a kid has talent but you can't afford to pack them off to Spain at 7 years old it's another option. All Tennis Ireland would have to do would be keep them involved through those difficult teenage years and handle the paperwork for them. Sorted


Irish Update:
James McGee won his R1 match in Izmir this morning.
James McCluskey playing doubles at the same event also won, into QF's there.

RosyLily

That's a really good idea TME! American colleges system is pretty good and they've produced some great talent. I'd love to see more children playing tennis from an early age. At school, the only sports we had were hurling/camogie, football, soccer & basketball; not so good if you wanted to try tennis.

Playing college tennis for 4 years would enable you to test your mettle against the top NCAAers and the sport gets more coverage in the USA.

walshb

cgpg5 wrote: »

Some turnout in Dunblane on sunday and he went around shaking so many hands and taking pictures/giving autographs. Top lad.

It really is amazing to think he'll only get second in BBC spoty :eek:

Not amazing at all. He isn't all that liked. Liked my many, but his history is still there for folks to recall. And, all things equal he is still up against real big challengers in Mo Farrah and Bradley Wiggins. Had Murray captured Wimbledon I think it could have swayed voters.

Tox56

walshb wrote: »

Not amazing at all. He isn't all that liked. Liked my many, but his history is still there for folks to recall. And, all things equal he is still up against real big challengers in Mo Farrah and Bradley Wiggins. Had Murray captured Wimbledon I think it could have swayed voters.

I think that used to be the case in Britain (England primarily), but he's gained a lot more fans by finally winning a major, his performance in the Wimbledon final, and he has also matured a lot. He still has his moments, but he's nowhere near as petulant on court as he was in the past.

There are people who will never like him, in the UK and elsewhere, but he's a lot more popular now than before.