The Tennis Chick

This is a great article, and a great topic to expl...

2012-02-17T06:10:33.103-05:00

This is a great article, and a great topic to explore. Thanks for sharing.

Well played, tennis chick. I agree 150% with every...

2012-02-16T22:08:18.899-05:00

Well played, tennis chick. I agree 150% with everything you have said in all three parts of this blog. As a former player and coach myself, I see how normalized these relationships are in tennis. USTA, WTA, and ITF need to have stricter rules in place about these types of coaches. It's not an individual problem, it's the tennis community's problem.

want to see

2012-02-11T19:40:56.756-05:00

want to see

want see

2012-02-11T19:40:19.500-05:00

want see

funny post! didn't know who on earth Giselle ...

2012-02-08T12:17:04.398-05:00

funny post! didn't know who on earth Giselle Whatever was (but the reader doesn't have to, to get it). anyhoo, Wikipedia concurs. it's written there that some feel their relationship is cursed (LOL!!) and they haven't won since they got together. again, entertaining post! :-D

mat4: @Karen, tennischick: There is a compatibil...

2012-02-08T06:43:39.385-05:00

mat4:

@Karen, tennischick:

There is a compatibility in the behaviour of Mirka and Roger, and the behaviour of Jelena and Novak.

BTW: Scoop Malinowski had a different take. http://www.tennis-prose.com/articles/scoop/jelena-ristic-youre-number-one/

Yeah Ristic is cringe-worthy. The way she screams ...

2012-02-07T21:25:52.532-05:00

Yeah Ristic is cringe-worthy. The way she screams support and then quickly checks to see if the camera caught her doing it. I hope Djoko doesn't lose his mind and marry this silly shallow woman. And I have to wonder if she got the breasts for herself or for him. lol

They are not wives but girlfriends of players that...

2012-02-07T20:12:37.674-05:00

They are not wives but girlfriends of players that I find insufferable. Mirka has been in Fed's camp for so long that she has her own fan following and yet the girlfriends of some of today's top players could take a page or two out of her book. Watching Jelena Ristic at this year's AO, just made me cringe. I have seen Nadal's GF and she is the model of decorum in the box, so too

You just didnt understand, what Novak was praying ...

2012-02-03T14:08:35.813-05:00

You just didnt understand, what Novak was praying for. Only for a littlebit more energy... After a five and a half hour ...

when rafi loses a big one, it's like he dies f...

2012-02-02T13:13:26.222-05:00

when rafi loses a big one, it's like he dies for a while, because those matches are his raison d'etre. but then, he's OCD and he takes those losses massively, like horrible injuries that don't heal too well. when rogi loses a big one, he may shed some tears, but he's a well-adjusted, happy sort w many other things on his plate, and he'll be fine. djokies is inbetween,

mat4: ... Sam the Eagle and Dr. Drakken... LOL. ...

2012-02-02T12:51:39.336-05:00

mat4:

... Sam the Eagle and Dr. Drakken... LOL.

I would like to share two moments from Djokovic, that highlights a bit his complex personality.

The first was last year, in the second set of the final of the AO. The result is 5-0, 30-40. Murray has just missed his first serve on set point, a his second serve is worse than... Jankovic's. But Djokovic,

tennis chick - enjoyed your different take on the ...

2012-02-02T12:34:18.310-05:00

tennis chick - enjoyed your different take on the 2 guys. when steffi was playing, she always looked anxious & i wondered why so few pro players looked like they enjoyed matchplay. they take their professional reputation very, very seriously. a serb official said recently that serbs don't play to have fun. they play to succeed/win. but djokies always smiles occasionally on court, one way

:-O !!!

2012-02-01T12:12:25.907-05:00

:-O !!!

mat4: There was an interesting comment made by Da...

2012-02-01T06:17:04.428-05:00

mat4:

There was an interesting comment made by David Mercer in the USO semi, last year. It was the end of the match, 5-5, Roger was serving, and Novak played a destructive rally to earn a break point. Mercer said: "This Djokovic is possessed."

He indeed looked possessed after that forehand return.

In the debate we had I didn't agree with your

Put bloggers in the bunch and I entirely agree.

2012-02-01T05:53:47.018-05:00

Put bloggers in the bunch and I entirely agree.

theres a ruthless killer instinct hiding not so se...

2012-02-01T02:36:16.052-05:00

theres a ruthless killer instinct hiding not so secretly in most tennis journalists and commentators! who regularly write of matches with words like crush(the ball or the opponent!), demolish, destroy, and speak of players 'weapons'....Perhaps they think tennis is a blood sport?
http://au.eurosport.com/tennis/djokovic-destroys-federer_sto3083963/story.shtml

Mat4: It must be the early dementia setting in but...

2012-01-31T18:30:33.813-05:00

Mat4:
It must be the early dementia setting in but I truly have no memory of conflict with you. Honestly I'm just thrilled that folks read my blog. Like any writer I want to be read. It's totally OK with me if folks disagree with my views. I just appreciate y'all stopping by. No hard feelings here, ni en espanol ni en frances. Je parle un petit peu. So please write in whatever

mat4: @Doug: The first time I wrote a comment he...

2012-01-31T11:25:26.078-05:00

mat4:

@Doug:

The first time I wrote a comment here, it was to say that this blog was outstanding and that such a thing had to be said. It shows, I believe, the respect I have for the author and his writings.

Unfortunately, when I wanted to post here and show that I am an assiduous reader of those articles, everything went wrong.

I never intended to be

Outstanding analysis of what happened to Roger! Y...

2012-01-31T10:23:35.004-05:00

Outstanding analysis of what happened to Roger! You've redeemed yourself for past rudeness and it's great that you tendered an apology to the Tennis Chick.

mat4: For some stats: http://blogs.wsj.com/daily...

2012-01-31T06:36:43.240-05:00

mat4:

For some stats:

http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2012/01/30/novak-djokovic-master-of-the-slow-escape/

mat4: I feel also that, between them, this could ...

2012-01-31T06:18:10.512-05:00

mat4:

I feel also that, between them, this could be their final war (with a lot of battles), and that the loser in this quest for a place in history will be completely shattered. That's what keeps them standing when others would have fallen. For Rafa it was a chance to reach Roger's records, for Novak to make some of his own.

Another thing.

First, I

mat4: I wrote on tennis-x some times ago that the...

2012-01-31T05:09:14.396-05:00

mat4:

I wrote on tennis-x some times ago that their matches, when they were at the same level of form, those intensely fought battles, had terrible consequences on both: Hamburg and Queens 2008, Madrid 2009, last year six in a row. Nadal and Djokovic slumped for months after that.

It is not only about the body (they spent about one hour and a half more serving, compared to a

Thanks for your comment Mat4. I agree -- my point ...

2012-01-30T18:34:19.101-05:00

Thanks for your comment Mat4. I agree -- my point applies only if the player has not been overly tested in the previous match. There is a point at which the test can be excessive and the player arrives to the finals with nary a drop of juice in the tank.

I feel badly for both Nadal and Djokovic. They are both killing themselves with this rivalry. There is no joy in it at all. I get

mat4: I didn't watch the lady's semi, so ...

2012-01-30T02:34:02.069-05:00

mat4:

I didn't watch the lady's semi, so I can't comment on that.

But, as you rightfully noted, a tested player in the earlier rounds, when those earlier rounds don't weight physically to much (the case of Nishikori against Murray, p.e.), usually performs better when it matters most.

In the final, the semi against Murray had two consequences on

A few years ago I saw a documentary on TC about ho...

2012-01-24T18:20:47.231-05:00

A few years ago I saw a documentary on TC about how tennis racquets were made. They indicated that racquets were all made by hand. I was amazed by this. When I saw Marcos break those racquets and with that smirk on his face, I took to twitter and lambasted him. I lambasted those fans who thought it was funny and I lambasted those in the media who thought he should be given a pass.