Tennis

[soul]

I don't understand tennis or watch it much, but I would like to know why the men play tennis in relative silence and many of the women just shriek every time they hit the ball? And why is it allowed? I know that it hasn't always been that way.

I figure the reason is that they are hitting the ball harder to get some speed, which for some takes some grunting. Perhaps, it is to match or exceed the 120 mph speeds of a Serena serve. Good luck, men can barely do it!

Still, some women over do the grunting, especially that wolf-sounding Arandenka, or however you spell her name. I was so glad Serena finished her off so soon, because I couldn't take too much of that.

Anyway. . .

Someone was just congratulating a Russian for showing someone other than a Williams can play tennis. (Well, she and all the other Girls needed to look at their mommy and coach to help them along, which is totally unprofessional.) They needed their butts whipped for that.


I was just happy someone was representing the US, otherwise, it would have been a lopsided semi-final with clearly all Russians, who needed to keep peering into the stands for their coach and literally their mommy, in the later rounds.


I just wanted to say hello they can't help you. It's time to play, and it was only the women doing that, not a Williams.

I digress.

I was just wondering where were the Russian men. Now, I could have used some of that eye candy.

[lpatrice]

Color me stunned but it seems as though Andy Roddick might just pull off one of the biggest upsets ever. But then again he just blew 4 set points in the second and now it's one set all. It's weird though, the match is kind of dare I say boring. Andy is I will say playing really well, Roger is not. Whatever the case, it's been mostly big serves and aces by both players, which I find dull, give me rallies!!!!!

[chiquita]

What a match! I was rooting for Roger, but I feel kind of bad for Roddick. Andy played the best match of his life, I think.

As a side note, Bjorn Borg is still a sexy, sexy man.

[lpatrice]

My feed went out after Andy won the 4th set. I am unbelievably pissed, I missed the best part!!!!!

[kathy1977]

Awww. I adore Roger Federer. I really do. But I desperately wanted Andy Roddick to win this one.

[alphabeta]

Me too, kathy1977. Except for the part apart adoring Federer. I used to be a fan but he's really let his arrogance out in the last couple of years and it's not attractive at all.

But yeah, Andy has worked so hard on his game and you can see the improvements he's made. I really wanted him to get this one and for him to come so close...I'm devastated. I can't imagine how he's feeling.

(Full disclosure: A significant amount of the devastation I'm feeling is probably because my period is due and I'm just an emotional wreck in general right now, but still, POOR ANDY!!!)

[soul]

Wow the pitty pendulum is swinging for Andy, whom I thought a lot of people thought was arrogant.

I must say I could see he was anxious and wanted it more.

Also, I felt bad for him, but what was the little blurb the announcers were saying about how Andy was peeved that Roger ruined his wedding announcement news, by beating him to the altar? That totally sounded what a chick might say, not a guy.


In regards to R Fed, he is a pimp, but he looked mahvelous in his gold trimmed outfit and monogrammed geared. (I secretly suspect he is a neat freak.)

Arrogant? You bet, but somehow his arrogance entertains me.

I loved it when Mc Enroe told him he didn't look at all exhausted out there playing. Federra response was something like you just do the same moves. What like for four freaking hours and not break a sweat?

His arrogance was there for a while, because he and Tiger Woods considered themselves too far advanced from their nearest competitors in their fields. To find a challenge, they thought they should become friends and compete with each other to see how many titles they can win in their respective sports.

I guess it must have worked for both of them, because both are tops in their field.

Noticed he already had 15 stitched on his jacket. Of course, he had a commercial of him congratulating him on his 15 titles. Oh, let's not forget the commerical with Jordan, Serena, Tiger, and all congratulating him.

I guess that types of success does not come along very much at all, so you should act as if you enjoy that special place you are in history.

[Sunnyhorse]

Pamster, this is late, but I just read your post about noisy women's tennis players. I saw just last week where someone was saying that it's a tactic to distract or even confuse your opponent -- the grunting/shrieking can be used to mask the sound of the ball hitting the racket, which the opponent might otherwise use to gauge how hard/fast the ball will be coming or even where it'll be headed when it comes over the net. Apparently tennis trainer Nick Bollettieri is known for teaching his students (who include proto-grunter Monica Seles) to do it. I'll try to figure out where I saw this assertion and post a link.

ETA: This isn't the story I first read, but it covers most of the same territory (although Bollettieri is quoted saying that he doesn't encourage his students to make noise).

[pamster]

Jul 6, 2009 12:58:00 GMT -4 Sunnyhorse said:

Pamster, this is late, but I just read your post about noisy women's tennis players. I saw just last week where someone was saying that it's a tactic to distract or even confuse your opponent -- the grunting/shrieking can be used to mask the sound of the ball hitting the racket, which the opponent might otherwise use to gauge how hard/fast the ball will be coming or even where it'll be headed when it comes over the net. Apparently tennis trainer Nick Bollettieri is known for teaching his students (who include proto-grunter Monica Seles) to do it. I'll try to figure out where I saw this assertion and post a link.

ETA: This isn't the story I first read, but it covers most of the same territory (although Bollettieri is quoted saying that he doesn't encourage his students to make noise).

Thanks for the replies, Soul & Sunnyhorse. As I said before, I'm not a tennis fan, but if I was I don't know how I could sit through a match. I'm surprised that it's allowed at all. It's horrible for spectators to listen to, and it can't be good for the player either, to shriek like that for long periods of time. I'm getting to be a crabby old lady, I guess. *shaking my cane*

[soul]

Hey, I play tennis a couple times a week, and I was never told to grunt to distract.

Maybe, that's why I'm not that great.

You would think that if it were such a great tactic why aren't the men using it, and why isn't the Wimmbleton champ S. Williams doing it?