Now that's funneh!Quote:
Originally Posted by BmillsSkier
Printable View
Now that's funneh!Quote:
Originally Posted by BmillsSkier
I'm just here trying to find out when retro racket day is and what club to rock my old school gear at..Quote:
Originally Posted by BmillsSkier
I'll show myself out now like Djoc..
Stinks to see Kenin and Gauff go down in round 1. USA lost a little mojo. Kenin had a tough draw with Keys.
Tsitsipas [emoji1112]
you need a 10th mountain that goes all the way up, all the way up ... to 11Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry
I guess like most of america would like to see med-nadal pref. as a final but don't think that's in the cards.
ugghh. Team makeup match tomorrow night mid 40s. ok.
Match sat 10 AM low 30s. not-so-much.
I have to agree with a bit of a caveat. After enjoying a fair bit of tennis on TV from the 70's to the early 90's, I then didn't have TV for 20 years (until about 2013), so missed a ton of Agassi, Becker, Chang, Sampras and that generation. I remember the heyday of Borg, Mac, Conners, Lendl, last part of Smith and Lavers career, Nastase, Newcombe and of course Chrissie and Martina. That was a pretty golden era too.Quote:
Originally Posted by BmillsSkier
It is currently by far the best decade Canadian tennis has ever seen.
No shit. Djoko's good for something I guess.Quote:
Originally Posted by BmillsSkier
In Aussie open news, my 3 seeded compatriots all played like shit the first round. Luckily 2 of them advanced. Shapo and FAA are really going to have to up their game or they'll be leaving down unda long before the second week. Felix's first round match was actually tough to watch. One good thing I suppose is that if you can play your worst and still win then you're certainly a talent.
Going to enjoy Felix's match tonight against a spaniard. Looking forward to watching Medvedev/Kyrios tomorrow so I'll be setting that one up on the PVR. Shapo is next playing a giant mutant (6'11") who I'm pretty sure I watched at a satellite tourney in Calgary a few years ago. We'll see how good Shapo's return of serve is.
White wine, soda and spliff time!!
ps fuck Marshall, it's like you're playing in Canada!! haha! good luck.
Ms. MT was talkin up Kryos-Med but at least the box score doesn't look "all that."
Med's pullin for nadal so there's that.
As a kid of the 90s Agassi - Sampras is still top of the mountain for me. Thing was, back then you had great talent all over the bracket winning. We've been living in an era where this happened, which is absolutely mind-boggling:Quote:
Originally Posted by garyfromterrace
"Since the 2005 Australian Open the Big Four have won three of four Olympic Games singles tournaments, all but eight majors and all but seven ATP Finals championships.
The dominance does not just consist of winning the events, with all four members regularly making it to the latter stages of tournaments. Out of 66 majors between the 2005 French Open and 2021 US Open, the only two finals not to include any member of the Big Four were those of 2014 and 2020 US Opens. - wiki"
I know it's a bit apples and oranges however I compare the dominance of the big 4 to Borg's dominance in his time. I didn't see enough of Laver, and saw no Budge. Taking into account that back in the day all players weren't willing to travel so far (to Australia was out for Borg, who only played one). Also, remember that Borg only ever lost a slam final to Mac & Connors. Nobody else.
But I digress. FAA totally picked up his game last night and trounced the Brit. Nice revenge for Evans beating Shapo in the ATP cup, and bloody wonderful to see him play to his potential. Unforced errors way down, first serve % points won incredible. Will be a great match against Cilic. On yet another note, I was pretty much infuriated with the performance of A. Davidovich Fokina when playing against FAA in the previous match. The dude was literally dancing and head faking while preparing to take serve. It was total gamesmanship, and the guys shoes were squeaking loudly right through my guys service motion. I was thinking that if FAA won that he'd barely shake the guys hand, was more than shocked to see him give the guy a big hug at the end of the match, didn't seem to bug him at all.
Fuck, is that a pro thing? I really hate it when someone does that shit to me while waiting on the serve. I've seen it happen in the pros maybe a couple of times ever, but this guy did it on basically every serve the last set. WTF.
Shapo looked much stronger in his last match too. His return of serve (just getting the ball over really) was more than adequate, and I feel he tightened his game up immensely from his previous match. Jesus that Yank can hit a serve. Shapo's match against the mutant reminded me how much I love tennis in that the smaller guy (me) actually has a chance against the bigger guy as each has his (her) strengths. (Really) Big guy has reach but is slower around the court and to change directions. Gives us midgets a chance if you can run em side to side and up & back. Shapos match against Zverev has the potential to be a classic.
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/athlet...in-france.html
its from a mtn biking site BUT
The French health minister has announced that foreign athletes wishing to compete in the country must be vaccinated against COVID-19.
This completely. Back then, tennis tapped into the same neurons that made kids love Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and WWF. Different personalities from all over the globe who could all win in their own right.Quote:
Originally Posted by BmillsSkier
Sampras - goodie two shoe American, big serve
Agassi - bad boy American, amazing return
Courier - American work horse, less talent but more spirit
Becker - brash German playboy who would dive on the court
Lendl - serious Czech who came to play, not have fun
Edberg - the bleached smooth swede with the serve and volley game
Rafter and Philippoussis - bro’d out Aussies
Chang - American wheels and heart
Muster - crushed in a car, Steely Austrian king of clay
Ferrer, Fererro, Moya, Bruguera- Spanish panache
Guy Forget - French wildcard
Pioline - the opposite of Forget, buttery one hander finesse
Ivanisevic - may serve you off the court Croate
Stich - German engineering
Kafelnikof - programmatic Russian and other killer open forehand
Krajicek - Dutch touch
Henman - proper Englishman
Mal Washington - quads and a shot
The Woodies - double assault from down under
Todd Martin - big American strokes from Herman Muenster
And my favorite Wayne “if my forehand isn’t working, I’m tanking” Fererra.
And that’s just the top of my head for character. Such a good era
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
https://c.tenor.com/2sSwKrg7HvoAAAAM/thanks-awesome.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by Art Shirk
That was beautiful Art, took me back 25 years.
Agreed but going back a tad farther..Quote:
Originally Posted by Art Shirk
Well done by Shapo! Again didn't play his best but found a way . Now meets Rafa in the quarter. All we need is for FAA to come through tomorrow. Looking good for an all Canadian final down unda. Haha!
Huge upset by Shapo, hope Nadal can keep it going.
And that he did. Great match by Rafa. So fun to watch him hammer like that at his age. Shapo did well to get there and you eliminate 20% of his unforced errors and he's top 5. The match was entertaining as hell to watch though.
Sorry for your guy there Gary, great gutsy match on both sides.
It appears Shapo feels Nadal gets preferential treatment, which is something he should probably keep to himself.
https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/...nis-shapovalov
Keys!!!!
The canadians are just kicking our ass on the men's side. Would like to see tiafoe move up with Shap/FAA based on the back story but it just ain't happening :-(
Wasn't into it until really about 10 years ago, older brother played small college mid-late 70s. Was USTA 5.5 till his ankles gave out. What i remember from him was Dunlop/Maxfly, and BORG.
-really pulling for Nadal/Med.
Do you remember when Wimbledon was on HBO back in the day? It was one of my birthday presents every summer to have HBO for a month and felt like a special treat. My brothers and I would have spent the previous 3 months or so meticulously harvesting shorn moss on a pong table-sized piece of plywood which would then go on two sawhorses in the backyard during the tourney. Some years, the plywood was especially big and we instituted rules requiring over the head serves and the ability to "volley" only on the serve.Quote:
Originally Posted by BmillsSkier
Senior year of HS, my present was to actually go, with a few friends. I watched Doug Flach beat Agassi in the first round. That wily bastard made it to the third round and I hope he's somewhere telling that story still. Wandering the outer courts and seeing the best tennis of my life with a belly full of beer, strawberries and cream was the best.
I need to go find my tourney book, signed by the winner that year Petr Korda, but anyone recall the name of the lesser known grass court tourney down the road just before Wimbledon? Some of the players would prep their game at that tourney and it was always under the radar. Small venue, like a park, but world class players would show up. Attending that was the perfect run-up to Wimbledon.
Coming up with a sand-based surface for French season was trickier. Never dialed that one in.
That's awesome, and wow, I completely forgot about how it was on HBO (remember when they had all kinds of sports?). Petr Korda, now there's a name I haven't heard in 20+ years, very cool you got that kind of access.
The Connors comeback at the US Open was unreal. I don't have much to say about his career that can be summed up in a sentence, but I'll never see a greater match than his defeat of McEnroe in the first round.
That was when Prince launched that mono-beam that Connors started to use. Some weird shit back then. Remember the fucked up string pattern on the Prince Vortex? We went from like 90sq inch racquets to trampolines seemingly overnight.Quote:
Originally Posted by ml242
Attachment 402803
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
Ha! I was a Prince guy for a long time growing up and played a couple versions of the Vortex. Balls would rocket off that thing, but the mis-hits were like getting your funny bone drilled with a ball.
Also, Connors is an asshole.
X2 on Connors being an asshole. Granted, McEnroe was too, but he was a different brand of asshole and I always felt like he demanded more from himself whereas Connor demanded more of everyone else [End psychobabble analysis].Quote:
Originally Posted by BmillsSkier
I was a Prince guy too and still play with my old graphites. But I experimented with their entire catalog, including that frame that I think Sabatini or Capriati used for a bit with the gel insert at the top of the handle. There may have been a foray into Donnay when Agassi used their frames for a bit.
wilson blade. nothing else even comes close.
"I don’t know, man…Fuckin Daniil’s serve, straight down my throat"
-Nic Kyrgios answering "what are you having for dinner" after Medvadev match.
Too much flex for me. Just order 3 new demos on TW. Have a Head Graphene Prestige Pro, Dunlop CX 200 Tour 16x19 and going to try to Babo Pure Strike in the 16x19 pattern as well for the hell of it, all with the multifiliament. Then its full nat gut at 60 lbs upon purchase.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marshall Tucker
^ girl.
Hey, its not like I play with a yonex, but you keep playing with that licorice stick if you like :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Marshall Tucker
Oh, you mean this Prince racquet?Quote:
Originally Posted by Art Shirk
Attachment 402873
Ha! I’ve still got 3 of these in my garage as they were my preferred stick in college. So heavy compared to anything else now but that’s what I loved about em. Total hammer.
I’ve gone to the Babolat Pure Strike since getting back into the game and it’s like a razor blade out there. So much touch.
Also, I agree about McEnroe. He was our asshole.
Right on! Looks like they used that cutting edge technology in a few frames then because I apparently had the synergy db that looked like this.Quote:
Originally Posted by BmillsSkier
Attachment 402877
Stoked to try the pure strike that is on its way then. I have been meaning to try the Head and Dunlop and that Babo was a whim add to round out three selections. I think I’m used to a heavier racket but heard it holds up.
Just found these weird things in my stash and they are getting a whack soon. Not sure ceramic was a great decision back when these were produced. They will probably send a storm of shrapnel into my face, like hitting with one of my wife’s vases.
Attachment 402878
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
Looks like today is retro day LOL! On that note, back about 10 years ago I hit a couple thrift stores and bought 10 rackets for about $2 a piece for the Cub Scout den to go learn to play tennis and keep. It was a lot of fun. Rackets were decently playable composites.. not old wooden junk, strings were tight.. Probably ancient by standards here but definitely worked for us. Couple were kids size.. /gave them to the smaller kids.Quote:
Originally Posted by SumJongGuy
Pulleeze! Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85 - accept no substitutes!Quote:
Originally Posted by Marshall Tucker
Sampras, Edberg, Courier, Federer, and Connors, for a short while. LoL.
https://youtu.be/wIY4OM4-ZmU
And let’s not forget Graf and Evert.
P.S. If you’re over 40 you have permission to go to the 95 - if you can find one. ;)
P.P.S. Really enjoyed watching Cressy give Med a match! Great to see someone who knows how to S&V, and just keep coming in all the fucking time and keep the pressure on! Awesome stuff!
Seles was never the same after she got stabbed.
Blade envy.Quote:
Originally Posted by fomofo
you're not the first.
see above.
Fuck.
Must sleep now. Congrats Med. In the top 5 matches I've seen
Your Canuck brethren are getting deep in majors though Gary. Waaaaay more than we can say for our guys down here.
Art, be sure to wear some good SportSpecs when you try to hit with that ancient ceramic, if anything to keep things period-correct.
Remember Greg Rusedski? Dude was an up and comer Canuck and then defected to the Brits to much canadian chagrin.Quote:
Originally Posted by BmillsSkier
Bmills, I will channel my inner Chris Sabo, Horace Grant, and my alma mater's forgotten basketball son thanks to Nash, Mr. Kurt Rambis.
The promise of an all-American women's final was stopped short by the hometown favorite Barty last night. Impressive run nonetheless by Maddy Keys and Danielle Collins for sure.
We'll see how late I can stay up to watch Rafa tonight. I hope he can pull it out and get a shot at #21.
Rafa looking calm and dialed.