Oz Open Tennis 2009

Actually I think I got that one from Skulls.

Cool!

So where are these Test matches gonna be played taips? What can we expect from the various local conditions?

Hass wrote:

JGK wrote:FFS - he virtually single handedly won the Davis Cup for us on clay.

Indeed.

He beat Grosjean and Pioline on clay in France - a great effort.

Nobody pays much attention to the Davis Cup unless their country is actually playing. But the pressure of a Davis Cup Final is amazing when you're in it.

Ask Pat Rafter what the biggest regret of his career is and he'll say not winning a Davis Cup Final (ahead of not winning Wimbledon).

I was in Nice for that final. It was probably the best sporting event I have ever attended.

Mick Sawyer wrote:

Actually I think I got that one from Skulls.

Cool!

So where are these Test matches gonna be played taips? What can we expect from the various local conditions?

Wanderers, Newlands and Kingsmead IIRC

Should play in their normal fashion apart from Newlands which could be a lottery.

JGK wrote:

Hass wrote:

JGK wrote:FFS - he virtually single handedly won the Davis Cup for us on clay.

Indeed.

He beat Grosjean and Pioline on clay in France - a great effort.

Nobody pays much attention to the Davis Cup unless their country is actually playing. But the pressure of a Davis Cup Final is amazing when you're in it.

Ask Pat Rafter what the biggest regret of his career is and he'll say not winning a Davis Cup Final (ahead of not winning Wimbledon).

I was in Nice for that final. It was probably the best sporting event I have ever attended.

Even above the Super Six match Pak vs Aust in the 99 WC?

Hass wrote:

The Don99 wrote:Does anyone else feel that Federer comes across these days as a less sympathetic figure? He used to be quite likeable, but now his hand has slipped off the number 1 spot he's starting to get a bit annoying. The comment on Djokovic was - I think - uncalled for. And the comment about people making Murray a favourite for the Aus Open was again unnecessary.

I also thought Federer's final press conference was not very gracious. He pretty much indicated that he lost it - nadal did not win it - by blaming his poor serving. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7863797.stm). We all know that Nadal played an unbelievable game and thoroughly deserved his victory. Everything Federer threw at him he took and came back with major answers.

The way he was snarling after every close line-call shows Fed isn't as easy-going as he was when he was on top. At one stage I was calling him "mini-McEnroe" (perhaps a slight exaggeration).

But the fact of the matter is that Federer lost it. Obviously Nadal had to hold his nerve, but that fifth set wasn't a case of Nadal raising the bar (as he had at other times in the match) and was really a case of Federer leaving a big brown stain in his underpants.

Federer's never been one to tiptoe around the truth. He blew it, he knows it and he said it. There's no point in mouthing platitudes just to be considered gracious.

Nadal however does deserve bonus points for sportsmanship. He looked like he wanted to apologise for beating Federer.

I felt very bad for Nadal. I appreciate the defeat was very tough for Federer but he should really have held his emotions in. By turning on the waterworks I felt the spotlight unfairly shifted from Nadal to Federer, and the Spaniard wasn't allowed to enjoy his tremendous achievement. Federer has crushed the dreams of many rivals during the years where he was winning 3/4 grand slams every year. For example Roddick has repeatedly been outclassed by Federer at grand slam finals, and has never been able to add to his tally - however he has never felt sorry for himself at the presentation and always allowed the spotlight to shine on the champion.

to be fair to federer he cries even when he wins. seems it doesnt take much for him to turn on the tap

Paul Keating wrote:

JGK wrote:

Hass wrote:

JGK wrote:FFS - he virtually single handedly won the Davis Cup for us on clay.

Indeed.

He beat Grosjean and Pioline on clay in France - a great effort.

Nobody pays much attention to the Davis Cup unless their country is actually playing. But the pressure of a Davis Cup Final is amazing when you're in it.

Ask Pat Rafter what the biggest regret of his career is and he'll say not winning a Davis Cup Final (ahead of not winning Wimbledon).

I was in Nice for that final. It was probably the best sporting event I have ever attended.

Even above the Super Six match Pak vs Aust in the 99 WC?

Aust didn't play Pak in the Super Six in the 99 WC. We played them in the pool games which I attended but we lost.

In any case, the Davis Cup crapped all over that as it was 3 days of high emotion.

Steve Waugh's last ball ton probably exceeded it for sheer exhiliration but it was otherwise a carp test for Oz.

He looked like he wanted to apologise for beating Federer.

Well there's not much else you can do when the guy you beat just starts blubbering like a 1 year old who needs his nappies changed.

As for Sampras vs Federer, I think that Federer has the more appealing game on the eye but Sampras has the superior mental strength. Federer has a more consistent record as he is guaranteed to at least reach the semi finals, while Sampras had his fair share of early exits...although this can partly be explained by the stronger opposition in the 90s. In other words it is very hard to determine who is the GOAT. If (when) Federer equals the record, I would lean towards him given his French Open resume, and in fairness he would have a couple of titles were it not for Nadal. If Federer wins the French, it would be pretty clear that he is > Sampras (and I say this despite Pete being my favourite player).

As for Nadal he will surely be in the mix. 6 grand slam titles at the tender age of 22...remarkable. Furthermore his game on his "weaker" surfaces always seems to be improving. If he develops a potent serve, to enable him to win some "easy" points, I feel it will be very difficult to beat him...in fact there were signs of his improved service at the Aus Open. Another point to factor is that 5/6 of his grand slam victories have come vs Federer in the final....so he has almost always had to beat an alltime great in order to win a grand slam. The only question mark over him concerns his health given the unforgiving nature of his play...however he seems superhuman as evidenced by his back to back 5 set victories.

OP Tipping wrote:Now we don't have any decent players in the Men's Singles OR Men's Doubles category...

And we're down the toilet in the cricket.

The Pomgolians were even better than us at the Olympics. Don't even talk about the Rugby Union ... and not even Rugby League champions any more, and no one apart from us gives a crap about RL.

Australian sport in crisis.

I didn't realise RL was even played anywhere else? Anyway, you could always follow the example of the Yanks, who unselfconsciously call a sports tournament the "World Series"when only US teams are participating.

"I didn't realise RL was even played anywhere else?"

It practically isn't, but the NZers won the RLWC last year.


"Anyway, you could always follow the example of the Yanks, who unselfconsciously call a sports tournament the "World Series"when only US teams are participating."

Sure. We're still champions at Australian Rules football.

BTW, Australia's efforts to get back into the Fed Cup World Groups start tomorrow.

Dellacqua, Stubbs, Stosur and Dokic.

mynah wrote:I didn't realise RL was even played anywhere else?

Is Rugby League still played in South Africa? I recall a South African national team touring Australia in 1963 & playing two test matches.

WideWally wrote:

mynah wrote:I didn't realise RL was even played anywhere else?

Is Rugby League still played in South Africa? I recall a South African national team touring Australia in 1963 & playing two test matches.

Played on an amateur basis IIRC. Tom Van Vollenhoven uswed to be involved in an honorary basis.

Thanks taips. I guess those two tests in 1963 were the only ones they played.

Probably a few more. Think they are called the Rhinos

Rugby league in South Africa has a long and turbulent history, consisting of no less than three administrations over 40 years that attempted to establish the game of rugby league in South Africa. Neither, certainly the earlier attempts were very successful.

The first attempted expansion of the code into South Africa was primarily put together by the English and encouraged by the French for the purpose of expanding the game into new nations, that would inevitably bring more tests to the English and French shores, ensuring a lucrative future. At least, that was the plan; however it was not to be, the South African public did not take to the sport and the expansion plans were stopped prematurely causing a 3rd scheduled match in London to not be played.

The second attempted expansion was a strange double act in the 1960s consisting of two separate factions, known as the National Rugby League and South African Rugby League. Each fought for their own survival until the RLIF laid down the law that saw the NRL effectively shut down and its clubs moved to the SARL. All was looking good for SARL until a South African representative team toured Australia and were embarrassingly beaten.

The 1990s brought forth a more committed band of entrepreneurs. The foundation left by the 1990s administration still lives on today, albeit a former shadow of its self.

Very interesting. Thanks

I see the SA teams play for the Tom Van Vollenhoven cup.

I had an interesting chat with him a couple of years ago.

Anyway. Rusedski>Henman.

OP Tipping wrote:Anyway. Rusedski>Henman.

Are you kidding? Rusedski was shit.

BTW, I asked before about the possibility of ladies playing five-setters.

During the late 1980s and early1990s, the WTA Tour Championship (a tournament held at the end of the year between only the highest ranked players) used five-set matches in the final. The leading females in that era were Navratilova, Seles, Graf. Only three finals actually went to five sets: Seles won one, Graf won two.

Henry wrote: Rusedski was the shit.

Fixed.

Rusedski was Canadian.

But the poms couldn't help but fall all over themselves to get him on board.