Just for anyone still up, Tennis Channel (didn’t even know I had this) is planning to play Wickmayer - Woznacki after this Serena interview.
And by the way, these interviewers are asking some whack questions. Did the weather play a part in your temper? Did your body language possibly affect the umpire’s perspective on your actions (the reporter actually phrased it much more confusingly)?
Boy, Serena loves to dodge questions that have her in the wrong. Should she apologize to the lineswoman? Uh, well everyone yells at linesmen. And yeah, whoever mentioned it is right that Serena really doesn’t want to admit that she was outplayed today. Kim had a great plan, and then I got a point penalty at match point. I was thinking I could serve two aces to get back, but I guess that plan was gone. By the way, they gave me a point penalty at match point. [shrug]
She didn’t even apologize to the fans for denying them a proper ending. Even if she thought the lineswoman fucked up royally, the fans deserved more.
Yeah, she’s a big selfish diva bitch. I’m glad Kim kicked her ass in straight sets and that Serena got specifically in trouble for cussing out the lines judge. That’s right miss wannabe diva, even you can’t argue with The Suits. I loved the tournament director (can’t remember exact title) who put his arm up to shut her ass up while she’s trying to talk over everyone else while they were under the umpire’s stand thingy.
Serena had some pretty bizarre explanations for what she said, too. She said something about ‘maybe [the lineswoman] didn’t understand it was a point penalty’ - maybe so, but that’s no excuse. She says she doesn’t remember what she said, which is possible, but she definitely didn’t want to revisit it.
The sheer visual of it looks terrible. Serena’s a very imposing woman and the line judge was tiny, and that makes it all look that much worse. And no, it wouldn’t be better if she’d threatened a large man, but the contrast makes it look that much worse. I’m sure she would never have hurt the judge, but she actually could have if she’d wanted to and it makes her look that much worse for screaming at her that way.
The worst part is that Serena’s trying to play it like Serena’s the victim! She really is trying hard to warp reality to make herself the hero, and it’s resulted in giving her an almost surreal perspective.
Watching Wozniacki - Wickmayer now, and Wozniacki’s steady strokes and good movement and defense is doing it for her, giving her opponent lots of chances to make errors (they said she only had 5 winners in her victory over Oudin!). Wickmayer has the power to be a top contender, just not the accuracy at different positions, at least for now.
However, when I compare Wozniacki to Clijsters (or Serena), she’s outmatched in virtually every respect. Clijsters hits harder, hits deeper, and moves/defends better. Wozniacki doesn’t really have a big weapon, and she’s very susceptible to being broken. However, I’m worried that winning match point off of Serena’s tantrum may have some weird psychological effect on Kim, and that she may not show up completely for the final. But barring that, she should cruise to the championship in straight sets.
Because I like making silly predictions that always turn out to be wrong, I’m predicting Kim takes it 6-3, 6-1.
I’m thinking 4 and 2 for Clijsters. It would be nice to see a more competitive match, but she’s playing great and Wozniacki has never been to a major final before.
To be fair, I think Wozniacki had great composure in the quarterfinals against Oudin, considering the huge crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium rooting wildly for her opponent. If Kim chokes or stumbles significantly, I think Caroline has the mental toughness to cash in and take advantage. But considering how well Kim’s been playing all tournament, it’s not likely.
Now that I’ve seen more of the match, I’m thinking Wickmayer has some real potential; she has fierce ground strokes and decent (not great) court movement. She’s playing like she belongs among the top players, and if she continues to develop and bring her errors under control, she’ll go far in many tournaments. This semi-final berth, while a bit unexpected, is no fluke.
Correct. For some reason the player is often not penalized if the racquet does not break, which seems odd to me. If the umpire did not realize that the racquet broke and therefore did not call the violation immediately, sometimes a player will play a few more points with a broken racquet rather than give away the fact that they broke it.
A few years ago at the USO I saw a player throw his racquet down hard but flat. He picked it up and very carefully examined it all around the frame, and then carried on playing with it. On the very next point, the handle broke in half. He was not penalized.
Exactly. I don’t know of any other sport where an official is allowed to exercise judgment as to whether the player is only just in the wrong place and therefore it is not a rules infraction. Or where a do-over is allowed. If there is a boundary and you are the wrong side of it, an infraction is called.
Ladbrokes lists Clisters at 1.20 which I think is Clisters at 6-5 to win, Bet $5 to win $6. Wozniacki is listed at 4.33 which I think is 10-3. Bet $3 to win $10, which is an odd betting ratio.
I am not much of a gambler, but I do follow the odds and I haven’t been able to figure out odds when they list 4.33. 13-3 is a odd ratio too. I think a 13-3 ratio would reduce the profit margin.
For the record, Federer/Djokovic match odds are the same as Clijsters/Wozniacki match.
I’m watching with about 40 minutes delay (via DVR), but Nadal - Del Potro is shaping up to be a tremendous match. Haven’t managed to see much Del Potro this tournament, but they’re both looking quite good, and I hope they erase the taste of Serena’s tantrum from everyone’s mouths. Some fantastic early rallies, and the between the legs point is a nice way to get the crowd into it early.
Wow. I’m at 35 minutes behind now. Nadal is playing below his average (which is still very, very good), but Del Po is playing like the tournament champion. Monster shots coupled with great point construction, backed up with a fantastic serve. After a lackluster first set, Nadal is finally finding his range, but considering his injury-weakened serve, he better come up with something extraordinary, and quick, or he’s gonna get blown off the court.
