2014 Wimbledon Championships...London, England

[don_budge]

Third Round...Bottom half of the Draw

I am taking these matches in order of play as found here...Stotty what is the weather report there. It is raining cats and dogs here in Sweden. Out in the countryside...I miss my little Rosa the cat. She was hit by a car the other day. I brought her home and buried her outside the barn. My little sweetheart...cried my eyes out.

http://www.drakulastream.eu/tennis-live-streaming-video.html

It's a great place to watch a lot of matches. I have been watching up to four at a time.

Milos Raonic vs. Lukasz Kubot. The only question here is...can "Cool Hand" Lukasz do anything to make this interesting. I can think of something...get your ass to the net! Kubot is a journeyman doubles player these days, I think. But as Stotty has testified...they play doubles from the back court these days. Sort of a spin off of the old "I" formation.

Nick Kyrgios vs. Jiri Vesely. don_budge match of the day. Jiri being the "official" player to watch for the future. 6' 6" tall and 198 lbs. Tall and skinny. Nick says he wants to be #1 in the world after his 5 set win against against Richard Gasquet. Sorry Nick...that's a great win for a 19 year old but it may be too early to proclaim to everyone such a lofty goal. Best to put a couple of more notches in your belt and let your actions speak for you. That way you won't be misquoted or worse. Vesely posted a five set win over another great French player...none other than Gael Monfils. This is such a great match up. Two young guns with absolutely nothing to lose. Look for them to be swinging from the hip. No prisoners!

Mikhail Kukushkin vs. Rafael Nadal. Fafa has pounded Mikhail into submission on both clay and hard courts. Look for him to make it the third surface. A Saturday afternoon pummeling on the lawn at Wimbledon.

Simone Bolelli vs. Kei Nishikori. First time match up for the #132 ranked player in the world versus the "Samurai Kid" who is ranked #12 at this point in time. I'm thinking Italians are more comfortable on clay, traditionally thinking, and it should hold true for today.

Feliciano Lopez vs. John Isner. Interesting or not? Well...that depends. Feliciano says it's going to be a close match. Why should we doubt him after his performance for the grass court season? He is using his lefty grass court tactics to his full advantage. Tactical serving and mixing up the big delivery. Slice backhands maneuvering his opponent into position until he can attack the net. Using his strong lefty forehand to force the issue whenever possible. Adequate volleying...not great by any means. Eh, Stotty? Isner on the other hand serves from another planet. He should be forced to serve from his knees to even things up. What if it goes five sets? There should be a couple of tie breakers in the mix.

Jerzy "Joe" Janowicz vs. Tommy Robredo. A big chance for the big lug to advance another round but don't take Senor Robredo lightly. He is a tough and seasoned competitor and he knows where the lines are. We keep looking to see that Janowicz is maturing...and he keeps disappointing us. Funny guy...as in tough to figure out. He doesn't seem to be very thoughtful. Just gun...gun...gun. Tries to blast everyone off of the court. It doesn't work every day...where is the plan B...and the plan C.

Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Denis Istomin. It isn't that Denis cannot menace Wawrinka...it is only that will he? This is a great opportunity for Istomin. Stanislas is having a difficult time growing into his new skin as a Slam Winner. If Istomin takes it to him and if Wawrinka loses just a bit of confidence it could be an upset. But if Stan keeps his cool and gets down to business he should advance to an all Swiss quarter...if.

Santiago Giraldo vs. Roger Federer. Nobody from Columbia takes down the Swiss Maestro on the lawn at Wimbledon. Santiago's first time past the second round at Wimbledon...the situation should be a bit too much for him.

Could be a bit of a boring day watching a lot of baseline duels on the lawn...compared to the good old days of classic tennis. What do I know? What the hell...it's raining here. Go ask Alice. But this is what we are dealt...why not make the best of it. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz......

[don_budge]

don_budge weather forecast for London, England

Saturday...June 28th. Rain...more rain.

http://www.google.se/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=forecast+for+londo&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&gfe_rd=cr&ei=c5uuU_SQLcHjsgbE84HIAw

[GeoffWilliams]

I am sorry you lost your beloved kitten Rosa. No love like pet love, and no pain when they die either.

[hockeyscout]

I am sorry you lost your beloved kitten Rosa. No love like pet love, and no pain when they die either.

Sorry to hear about the pet don_budge.

[stroke]

If anyone gets a chance, watch the Serena post match press conference. Good one.

[hockeyscout]

If anyone gets a chance, watch the Serena post match press conference. Good one.

How so (interesting)?

Was so surprised how down she was in this interview. Her arrogance and ego look a bit crushed. That's bad. Serena is best when she's behaving like a jerk. It may be time for some more drama. Maybe she is over-training and has low testosterone. I really worry about elite level athletes who reach and point in their careers and start using words like "Hard Work." If you think you're working hard, quit, it ain't worth it anymore. I hate these motivation terms, one needs to do it because it feels right, and you're doing it for you and you like doing it and you're releasing all the right chemicals and stimulating yourself (like chasing beaver, boinking the wife more, shopping, coaching or whatever else turns your crank). If sports doesn't feel like your coming into a super hot girl then I really think you should just drop it, and go do something else. Might be time to get back to basics, bring in dad to work with her again, get that passion back, have fun, yell at an umpire, break some rackets, kick, fight, swear, raise hell and be the Serena of old. This hard work kind of sucks! I tell my two hitting partners, they are young guys, don't work hard for me (!!!!!!!). Love what you do, first, do whatever the hell you need to do to enjoy yourself, be cool, dream about the kid you are working with being number one, talk about it, put it in her head, pretend you are playing matches at Wimbledon, act like a kid (instead of a hitting partner, coach or authoritative figure), make you athlete feel they are running show and it'll all come together! I like the one guy Dimmer, Friday he plays in the hard courts (US Open), then he goes to the clay with her and plays French Open and then to the grass and plays Wimbledon. He gets it 100 percent. My second guy is a work in progress but I will get him their in time as he's a good kid who's buying into our system. The great ones like Serena were likely raised with this freedom, and never thought they were working hard, it was just something they did for long hours and that is where she needs to get back to! I feel sorry sometimes for these older athletes who forget their roots, and are so professionalized.

[stotty]

If anyone gets a chance, watch the Serena post match press conference. Good one.

I saw a two minute interview over here. She seemed depressed. I almost felt sorry for her until she said "everyone plays the game of their life against me".

She's the best female player on the tour and has been for years, but she is a poor match player. It's the one part of her game that has never been tackled. I doubt she is aware of it.

[hockeyscout]

I saw a two minute interview over here. She seemed depressed. I almost felt sorry for her until she said "everyone plays the game of their life against me".

She's the best female player on the tour and has been for years, but she is a poor match player. It's the one part of her game that has never been tackled. I doubt she is aware of it.

What do you mean by poor match player? Can you explain more?

[GeoffWilliams]

Serena is the one who looks like a male line backer with tits, not Alize Cornet. Her slam losses are going to be blamed on her adulterous coach, and she will dump him for it. Look at her sister and her mother and you will see her in a couple of years.

[don_budge]

The Match...the girls

I watched a good part of the third set. First of all...I couldn't get over the physique. If she isn't a man...she should have been. There is absolutely nothing feminine about her. She has the face of a man. It is impossible to look at her without thinking this thought...for me. For any rational human being. I was comparing the width of her shoulders to those of her opponents.

Something was seriously wrong with Serena during this match. She didn't play anywhere near her potential. This was really a bizarre match to watch...particularly after she came out and announced that she was the favorite earlier in the week.

https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/tennis-busted-racquet/it-s-another-angst-filled-loss-for-serena-williams-at-a-grand-slam--this-time-at-wimbledon-193721475.html

I did not see the interview but I will continue to watch for it. But from the past I have never seen a more disingenuine person in my life...at least for a woman athlete making comments about her matches. She has always talked down about her opponents even if she is pretending to give them credit. It's as if she were a man talking about inferior women. Both "sisters" talk this way. They give off some really strange vibes.

I watched the other one play against Kvitnova as well the other day. She couldn't get it home. She seemed to be pretty healthy though...which is good for her.

I think that the whole William's sisters act with the father deserves some serious investigation. Documents and physical examinations included. I've known a lot of women but these two seem to be from another planet.

[don_budge]

Just playing in the rain...just playing in the rain.

Milos Raonic vs. Lukasz Kubot. The only question here is...can "Cool Hand" Lukasz do anything to make this interesting.

The answer was no...he couldn't.

Nick Kyrgios vs. Jiri Vesely. don_budge match of the day.

Nick Kyrgios sending notice...HE is the new kid on the block. Nadal next. He thinks he can beat him. That is certainly step number one. Isn't it?

Mikhail Kukushkin vs. Rafael Nadal. Fafa has pounded Mikhail into submission on both clay and hard courts. Look for him to make it the third surface. A Saturday afternoon pummeling on the lawn at Wimbledon.

A Saturday afternoon pummeling on the lawn at Wimbledon.

Simone Bolelli vs. Kei Nishikori. I'm thinking Italians are more comfortable on clay, traditionally thinking, and it should hold true for today.

Simone is bucking conventional wisdom...3-3 in the fifth. To be continued.

Feliciano Lopez vs. John Isner. Interesting or not? Well...that depends. Feliciano says it's going to be a close match. Why should we doubt him after his performance for the grass court season? He is using his lefty grass court tactics to his full advantage. Tactical serving and mixing up the big delivery. Slice backhands maneuvering his opponent into position until he can attack the net. Using his strong lefty forehand to force the issue whenever possible. Adequate volleying...not great by any means. Eh, Stotty? Isner on the other hand serves from another planet. He should be forced to serve from his knees to even things up. What if it goes five sets? There should be a couple of tie breakers in the mix.

canceled due to rain

Jerzy "Joe" Janowicz vs. Tommy Robredo. It doesn't work every day...where is the plan B...and the plan C.

Whatever plan it was...it didn't work. It was probably gun...gun...gun.

Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Denis Istomin. It isn't that Denis cannot menace Wawrinka...it is only that will he? This is a great opportunity for Istomin. Stanislas is having a difficult time growing into his new skin as a Slam Winner. If Istomin takes it to him and if Wawrinka loses just a bit of confidence it could be an upset. But if Stan keeps his cool and gets down to business he should advance to an all Swiss quarter...if.

cancelled due to rain

Santiago Giraldo vs. Roger Federer. Nobody from Columbia takes down the Swiss Maestro on the lawn at Wimbledon.

John McEnroe did the commentating in the Federer match and he had a lot of interesting things to say as usual...he sounded a lot like don_budge. About racquets...style of play. Even though his hands are tied behind his back...he knows who butters his bread. He mentioned that after he switched to a midsize two days later he went out and beat Ivan Lendl 7-6 in the fifth. He was speaking of the difficulties that Federer had in switching racquets.

McEnroe was the highlight of the day. If you read between the lines of what this gifted and articulate character has to say...it tells a different story.

[klacr]

I'm back! After a self-imposed 24 hour exile for the Tomas Berdych 3rd round loss I'm ready to think about tennis again.

Federer and Murray have looked the best so far. Will that continue in the 2nd week against players of a higher caliber though?

Is Rafa starting to pick up some speed, momentum, confidence on the courts at AELTCC? Could he possibly win this event. My thought is no. He'll go up against a player with weapons and will be rushed and poked and prodded.d

How healthy is that Djokovic shoulder after his fall against Simon. Let's hope it's feeling ok for the 2nd week. Mentally he must be feeling good knowing he has potential to face Cilic in quarters and not Berdych, a man who possesses a game that can beat him and did so in 2010 on the lawns of Wimbledon.

Upset special, if you wanna call it that will be Feliciano Lopez over John Isner. Lopex is very confident from a great grass court season and Isner is just Isner.

There are several more topics I'd love to discuss but gotta get to the club, full day of lessons are waiting.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stroke]

I watched a good part of the third set. First of all...I couldn't get over the physique. If she isn't a man...she should have been. There is absolutely nothing feminine about her. She has the face of a man. It is impossible to look at her without thinking this thought...for me. For any rational human being. I was comparing the width of her shoulders to those of her opponents.

Something was seriously wrong with Serena during this match. She didn't play anywhere near her potential. This was really a bizarre match to watch...particularly after she came out and announced that she was the favorite earlier in the week.

https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/tennis-busted-racquet/it-s-another-angst-filled-loss-for-serena-williams-at-a-grand-slam--this-time-at-wimbledon-193721475.html

I did not see the interview but I will continue to watch for it. But from the past I have never seen a more disingenuine person in my life...at least for a woman athlete making comments about her matches. She has always talked down about her opponents even if she is pretending to give them credit. It's as if she were a man talking about inferior women. Both "sister" talk this way. They gives off some really strange vibes

I watched the other one play against Kvitnova as well the other day. She couldn't get it home. She seemed to be pretty healthy though...which is good for her.

I think that the whole William's sisters act with the father deserves some serious investigation. Documents and physical examinations included. I've known a lot of women but these two seem to be from another planet.

I thought that post match interview pretty much captured the essence of Serena. She came into the interview with a terrible attitude, and as DB said, she never really gives any credit to her opponents. And her footwork was just awful in that match. Cornet really got to her with those drop shots. Serena's lack of movement and touch was really put on display. And to me, Cornet came across as likeable during the match, so unlike Serena.

[hockeyscout]

Wow! Quite the post!

I watched a good part of the third set. First of all...I couldn't get over the physique. If she isn't a man...she should have been. There is absolutely nothing feminine about her. She has the face of a man. It is impossible to look at her without thinking this thought...for me. For any rational human being. I was comparing the width of her shoulders to those of her opponents.

Yes, she's an unusual physical specimen. She's the best tennis player of all-time, right up their with your friend Nadal, Federer, Sampras, Laver and Navratolova. Someone has to be # 1, big, strong, unusual and different, and when god said "I want to create the perfect tennis player", he created Serena who took the game to a whole new level.

Something was seriously wrong with Serena during this match. She didn't play anywhere near her potential. This was really a bizarre match to watch...particularly after she came out and announced that she was the favorite earlier in the week.

I think she is working herself into the ground. Maybe her testosterone is low?

I did not see the interview but I will continue to watch for it. But from the past I have never seen a more disingenuous person in my life, at least for a woman athlete making comments about her matches. She has always talked down about her opponents even if she is pretending to give them credit. It's as if she were a man talking about inferior women. Both "sister" talk this way. They gives off some really strange vibes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cce3gLVid4Q

I watched the other one play against Kvitnova as well the other day. She couldn't get it home. She seemed to be pretty healthy though...which is good for her.

Unbelievable, I love Petra (she and Martina are my favorite tennis players), however, I really thought it was Venus' year.

I think that the whole William's sisters act with the father deserves some serious investigation. Documents and physical examinations included. I've known a lot of women but these two seem to be from another planet.:cool

They named the first one Venus. I guess you're onto something don_budge. You know, you are complimenting them, because it's been a case of the Williams sisters looking like men playing against little girls for about 17 years now. Venus is one of the greatest ever, however, Serena is a gift from the tennis gods. Those two changed the face of tennis development.

[hockeyscout]

I thought that post match interview pretty much captured the essence of Serena. She came into the interview with a terrible attitude, and as DB said, she never really gives any credit to her opponents. And her footwork was just awful in that match. Cornet really got to her with those drop shots. Serena's lack of movement and touch was really put on display. And to me, Cornet came across as likeable during the match, so unlike Serena.

Great post. Interesting is your comments on touch. I guess that (touch), along with that ball toss on the serve, are two areas one has to really pay special attention to or else it'll come back to bite you in a pressure situation, or when you have an off day and need to find an ugly way to win.