2018 General Tennis News

Wonderful! He deserves it and more! I had sensed that some were ignoring him a bit, and he didn't get enough appreciation or a sendoff. He was always honest, and not a "pretender". I feel also he was clean....except for the sweating! LOL...Bravo, Andy Roddick!

Here is a rather interesting conversation between McEnroe, Becker and Wilander.

https://au.eurosport.com/tennis/us-open/2018/tennis-legends-im-starting-to-hear-the-clock-ticking-is-it-time-for-roger-federer-to-retire_vid1122215/video.shtml

Don't get turned off by the title. All three are very fond of Roger. And, they discuss the youngsters and the women as well. They speak particularly highly of Serena which was nice to hear after yesterday's disaster.

Glad to hear that the Grand Slam board has abandoned the idea of returning to 16 seeds for next year.  32 seeds will remain.

The class of Roger keeps shrinking...   Will miss his trademark salute!  

Happy retirement, Mikhail!  

Respect Mikhail
Wonderful career https://t.co/CyAMJEEVWs

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) September 23, 2018

Umpiring and USO 2018: Probably you heard the news. Layhani was given a two week suspension without pay. (They should have let him have the pay, although he did rather influence the game. I do really like Layhani. He is not an indifferent umpire and usually he does a very good job.)
I saw this on one site when I was searching to find scores for the Laver Cup. It also discussed/mentioned some umpires discussing whether they would want to officiate Serena's matches.
To my mind that would be a mistake. She has to be told without ado and in private what she can and cannot do. The umpires shouldn't be put in a position where their calls are constantly challenged and they have to take being harangued at, but they also should not lose their jobs or suffer any limitations.
I miss Layhani. You know he picked up the phone to report what transpired right after he got back into his chair after talking to Kyrgios. So he knew or it came to him that he went beyond whatever personal brief warning he wanted to give.
Roger is so straight and clear and definite about situations like this. He does not quibble, like some of the comms. He states the main point very succinctly. It made me think of all the times when his rivals would take time to get their own physio, or take repeated medical breaks.....and many similar occasions.
Here, Roger clearly said that Layhani shouldn't have come off the chair, but he did and didn't just ask if the player was all right or needed a medic, but had a "conversation" with him. He didn't care nor want to know what the conversation was about. He said that it was a conveersation, and such a conversation can also be had with a physio or a doctor, as well, and a conversation can change a mindset.
And that's what it is about, and that's why we got upset with undie interruptions. I know it to be true. Here it is also the perfect explanation and reason for why there should be no coaching on court for anybody, men or women. (and not form the stands, either, but actually going down to the court to coach is ridiculous. It can be like assistance, and the player has to do it on their own capabilities and powers.)

Wimbledon is adding final set TBs at 12-12:

http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/25022563/wimbledon-introduce-final-set-tiebreaks-2019

Good move!

The @ROLEX watch company now has the calender Grand Slam as it adds @rolandgarros to its sponsorship of @usopen in 2018 and now has them ... all.#PlayersBoxhttps://t.co/ORmTfJWAQ5 pic.twitter.com/GWUTZviw5M

— Tennis.Life (@tennislifenews) November 3, 2018

Former doubles No. 1 SaniaMirza has bucked the "baby girl trend" in tennis, and is the proud mom of a son.#PlayersBoxhttps://t.co/Zj5240MxKI pic.twitter.com/oz49miqptb

— Tennis.Life(@tennislifenews) November 1, 2018

Wonderful! Congratulations to the happy parents. Always liked Sania Mirza, a good player and one who encountered some criticism because of her sport and background and gender. Very pleased for her!

Photo of "Flying Roger" at the start of this site is marvellous!

I see that Rolex is a "progressive" company and takes its sports support seriously. Good for them, and how wonderful that they have such an unmatched champion in Roger Federer to be their "gold standard",
Thank you, cromar. I don't know how you do all this magical stuff with computers and finding interesting news and pictures for us.

Cromar wrote:Good move!

At 12 / 12 in the fifth set it is reasonable. I wouldn't have liked if it went for an ordinary tiebreak at the end of a regular fifth set. There is extra demand here, as befits the greatest of the Grand Slams, and one grace and enlivened yet with the greatest historical tradition.

Not sure if this belongs here but I thought I would post my review anyway.  I watched that BORG VS MCENROE movie.  Honestly, I didn't love it and I was a mega Borg fan!

I believe it is a Swedish film so it features Borg more than McEnroe and it is subtitled for portions of it like when Borg and his coach or Borg and his girlfriend are conversing.

The acting is fine and the guy that plays Borg looks much like him (except the eyes), but the movie just didn't engage me.  The whole thing takes place during the 1980 Wimbledon tournament with a few flashbacks to explain how Borg and John grew up.

There were just way too many scenes with them just gazing out thinking.  For a movie about one of the greatest matches ever played, it was slow and deliberate.  And let's face it... Bjorn Borg's subdued personality isn't leading man material.      

I don't know whether they really filmed at the All-England club or not.  But back then, they had a standing-room only area for fans so the place was packed.  This movie did not have that feel.  Plus, back then, the friends and family of both players sat in the same section.  Heck, that was even the case for some of Roger's finals.  But I remember vividly Borg's fiancée and his coach sitting in front of J-Mac's family/friends.  They had them sitting apart in the movie and it just didn't have the same tension when they showed them.  And they have this one scene where Borg actually says something to John as they switch sides!  No way did that really happen.

Since I watched the real match live on TV, this, of course, wasn't as good.  I actually liked the last scene of the movie (at the airport) between John and Bjorn but I have no idea whether that really happened.  I wish the whole movie had been that interesting.

One note-worthy thing was in the "epilogue", it said that Bjorn was John's best man at this wedding.  I'm guessing that was John's marriage to his current wife Patti, not Tatum O'Neal.

It's really too bad that John was never contacted for his input for the movie.  Seems really strange.  I'm guessing Bjorn had some input since his real-life son Leo plays him as a youngster (and yes, you can see the resemblance).

Anyway, it's worth a rental but it's not a great film.  

Even though I hated the real life "Battle of the Sexes" match between BJK and Bobby Riggs, the movie about it was a much better movie than this.

Thank you, Steerpike. It never would have occurred to me to watch this movie. It would take real skill and tension, and bring out the raison d'etre for tennis players, and their dedication, the delirium at winning and the feeling of being crushed. It i s hard to do that. The match itself always expresses these things better than a movie would.
If there will be a film about Roger, it would have to be different. As McEnroe had no input, and that was wrong, Roger would make certain of an input, although his whole life would build toward any famous match...or the long upward flight of his standing.
I lliked the Sweish films I saw as they are decidly un-Hollywood like. But it doew depend on what this movie wans to express, because it has go have a core that needs to be espressed and experienced as that is what makes the film. The tennis match is more like a metaphor for it all.

A pretty hot couple!