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Post by lexpretend on Jan 27, 2008 6:48:54 GMT -5
Like, double fault...errors dumped halfway up the net...when you can sense your opponent is nervous, you shouldn't just hand him these gifts!
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Post by lexpretend on Jan 27, 2008 6:50:54 GMT -5
HURRAH
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Post by janie on Jan 27, 2008 6:51:04 GMT -5
Congrats to Nole! Exciting for tennis. Fun match; I wish I had gotten up earlier!
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Post by Edna Krabappel on Jan 27, 2008 6:51:35 GMT -5
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Post by lexpretend on Jan 27, 2008 6:53:57 GMT -5
BBC not showing trophy ceremony Oh well I have a million things to do anyway. Good match, great champion.
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Post by The Chloe on Jan 27, 2008 6:54:53 GMT -5
Sexy.
I think that Star is showing the ceremony. They better. I anticipate listening to Djokovic tell us how amazing he is!
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Post by Calico on Jan 27, 2008 6:56:02 GMT -5
Congrats to Djokovic for winning the 2008 Australian Open title in 4 sets! This is his first grand slam singles title and he richly deserves it. And Tsonga was very good in the final and I would have liked his chances in the fifth set. But it didn't happen for him.
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Post by The Chloe on Jan 27, 2008 6:56:12 GMT -5
Djokovic didn't rip his shirt off in victory. Lame!
This was maybe the best slam final I've seen in a while. Wimbledon wasn't bad, I suppose, but I never truly felt Federer was going to lose. This one I wasn't really sure until 5-2 in the tb.
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Post by Calico on Jan 27, 2008 7:03:57 GMT -5
Djokovic didn't rip his shirt off in victory. Lame! This was maybe the best slam final I've seen in a while. Wimbledon wasn't bad, I suppose, but I never truly felt Federer was going to lose. This one I wasn't really sure until 5-2 in the tb. Djokovic was too tired to rip his shirt off. I also don't get why the Australian crowd was against Djokovic since he's Serbian and so many Serbs live in Australia. Besides the Australian crowd was firmly behind Ivanovic in the women's final against Sharapova so I thought they would be pulling for Djokovic as well. But maybe they were pulling for tsonga because he was the underdog against Djokovic in the men's final. P.S. - Having the Australian Open finals crowds root against them is just another reason for Djokovic and Sharapova to be friends. ;D
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Post by lexpretend on Jan 27, 2008 7:07:11 GMT -5
I am always ready to help Nole rip his clothes off, should he be too tired to do it himself.
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Post by Calico on Jan 27, 2008 7:11:48 GMT -5
Nice speeches for Tsonga and Djokovic even though they were failry short speeches. Djokovic had a couple funny moments in his speech which was nice. And Tsonga is genuinely likeable. On a side note I think the Australian Open has the most beautiful grand slam trophies. Especially the women' singles championship trophy with the long neck which I call The Dementieva.
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Post by janie on Jan 27, 2008 7:43:01 GMT -5
If only the 4th set tb could have been better! Even if Tsonga had lost, I would have felt better if he had put up a big fight. Oh, well, he can do that next time.
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Post by Edna Krabappel on Jan 27, 2008 8:01:39 GMT -5
I hope Ana and Jelena enjoyed their moment of glory because after this nobody is going to care about them anymore. In Serbia, of course.
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Post by Traveling Man on Jan 27, 2008 10:07:50 GMT -5
Some great tennis, but after the first set and a half, there were far too many errors from Tsonga for this to be a great match. He almost reminded me of Venus circa 1998 - wild errors and a complete lack of strategy.
Kudos to Nole. Awesome tournament. Thoroughly deserved.
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Post by The Chloe on Jan 27, 2008 10:42:16 GMT -5
I hope Ana and Jelena enjoyed their moment of glory because after this nobody is going to care about them anymore. In Serbia, of course. Why is it that you don't like Djokovic? I mean, I can fathom plenty of reasons why one might not. I just don't remember if you had a specific reason of if he just rubs you the wrong way.
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Post by corswandt on Jan 27, 2008 10:55:08 GMT -5
That's often how I feel about the second half of the second week of Slams. Most of my faves are out and most of the good matches are over, so it already begins to feel nostalgic. Everything after the rush of the first 4-5 days of a Slam, with 17 courts being played on at the same time, feels like a bit of a letdown. For some reason, it's mostly after the AO that I sink into post-Slam blues.
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Post by corswandt on Jan 27, 2008 11:03:14 GMT -5
Leena, someone wants you: *bites fist*
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Post by Calico on Jan 27, 2008 11:39:12 GMT -5
Leena, someone wants you: *bites fist*That's some picture. And her tennis bracelet adds a nice touch. So Leena predicted a 4 set win for Djokovic over Tsonga in the 2008 Australian Open final. Good call. I only hope Leena put money on it. ;D
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Post by sasha on Jan 27, 2008 12:02:18 GMT -5
I'm so tired. After this, I am DONE with the country of Australia until 2009. Seriously. I assume you've been watching Tennis Channel as well. It's amazing how Australia was my most beloved country a month ago, and now I will strangle anyone who mentions I Love Australia's rich wine valleys. Good final. It's been a while since we had one where we didn't already know who was gonna win.
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Post by corswandt on Jan 27, 2008 12:15:13 GMT -5
I hope Ana and Jelena enjoyed their moment of glory because after this nobody is going to care about them anymore. In Serbia, of course. Why is it that you don't like Djokovic? I mean, I can fathom plenty of reasons why one might not. I just don't remember if you had a specific reason of if he just rubs you the wrong way. Same question. Is it the hype? Aren't the girls hyped to high heavens as well?
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Post by R. Black on Jan 27, 2008 13:32:35 GMT -5
The front page of Novak website makes it seem like if he is an escort.
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Post by The Chloe on Jan 27, 2008 13:53:36 GMT -5
The front page of Novak website makes it seem like if he is an escort. I flipped past that as quickly as possible in the hopes that it was just my imagination.
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Post by Edna Krabappel on Jan 27, 2008 14:11:19 GMT -5
Why is it that you don't like Djokovic? I mean, I can fathom plenty of reasons why one might not. I just don't remember if you had a specific reason of if he just rubs you the wrong way. Same question. Is it the hype? Aren't the girls hyped to high heavens as well? They're hyped, but not quite as much. Let's face it, they're in women's sports and those are just not going to be as popular and marketable as men's. And this is not some feminazi complaining, it's just the way it is and it does not bother me. What does bother me is that many people who cheer for him are extremely aggressive, rude and obnoxious, like football hooligans turned tennis fans. Which maybe is what they are as they do treat tennis like it is football. I know some people like that sort of atmosphere, but it's just not my cup of tea. As for Novak himself, I don't really mind him. I find some of his actions annoying, like taking medical time-outs and whining about how nobody protected him from evil Federer. And his father is a more refined version of Damir Dokic minus child abuse. But it's mostly the hype that puts me off. Although, it was sweet to see the reaction on Croatian messageboards.
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Post by DBBN on Jan 27, 2008 16:57:43 GMT -5
YAY! He won. I'm watching it now. Can't wait to see the crowd get pissed off...I mean, I'm with Chole: if I didn't like Novak, I'd HATE his family. They are basically a bunch of Yuris. I could do without the Tsonga dad too. Why do they have to show the boxes? I hate everyone.
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Post by sasha on Jan 27, 2008 17:05:49 GMT -5
For reals. I can do without ever seeing anyone in the crowd. Since Kournia will never be good again, this rule shall go in effect for all players.
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Post by lexpretend on Jan 27, 2008 17:33:41 GMT -5
Oh, come on. Where would the entertainment in early-round Williams matches be without the obligatory shots of Oracene or the fat sister snoozing?
I feel you re: Novak, Joana - I can imagine exactly what kind of home support Nole has. I only realised very late into his career that from a non-UK perspective, Tim Henman must have been reasonably likeable, if you were into variety and volleying etc. But the hype at home was unbearable. Do you think, if Ana or Jelena had beaten him to a Slam, their popularity would have exceeded Nole's?
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Post by Edna Krabappel on Jan 27, 2008 19:06:41 GMT -5
It probably would, for a while. Serbs are big bandwagoners. But, they would have had to keep winning and winning to sustain that kind of popularity. But that's not to say that they're not popular as it is, far from it. Both Ana and Jelena made it to this commercial for an airline company, which is like a collection of A-list celebs in Serbia. And it's amazing how many famous people attended Ana's birthday party last year. Even the president of Serbia was there. Wow, it feels like yesterday that I first read about this talented kid who had big dreams about being a champion one day. And now he's won the Australian Open! It's quite amazing actually.
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Post by Self-Love, Baby! on Jan 28, 2008 3:08:39 GMT -5
Yep, 2005 was his big breakthrough and already at the start of 2008 he becomes a GS champion. So exciting. One of the few hyped young guns in history who delivered, and so quickly! My favorite Novak stat: 33-6 in GS tiebreaks. And overall he wins over 75% of tiebreaks. It's amazing. Champions like Federer and Sampras would envy records like that. Once that 4th set tiebreak started, I really had no doubt Nole was gonna win. The tiebreak is the realm of Djoko, so players are going to need to break him to beat him, it's that simple.
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Post by lexpretend on Jan 28, 2008 16:15:22 GMT -5
Yep, 2005 was his big breakthrough and already at the start of 2008 he becomes a GS champion. So exciting. One of the few hyped young guns in history who delivered, and so quickly! Rafa! This win reminds me so much of Rafa's at RG '05...the big opportunity to take Fed down in the SF, having beaten him before but not proven it at a Slam; then going into a Slam final, having never won one, as huge favourite over an unheralded opponent; and coming from a set down to quell him in four.
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Post by sasha on Jan 28, 2008 17:25:11 GMT -5
It's awesome seeing a player you follow come from the depths of tennis to the top.
Or, the depths of tennis to an acceptable mid-ranking then throwing their career away, in my case.
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