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Official TOTA Australian Open Tennis (pg. 18)
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| Jem_hadar |
| quote: | Originally posted by TheVrk
Flat out, I've always been a sports fanatic/junkie. ROGER has surpassed Michael Jordan as my favourite athlete EVER.:eek: |
Actually, this reminds me,
Which sport, do you think, do you have to be in the "best shape" for in order to play well.
From the likes of tennis, basketball, hockey, football, soccer, baseball .
I think tennis get under-recognized for the shape you have to be in order to compete. Its extremely intense and difficult.
Going from stand still to BURST into rapid motion non stop anywhere from 30 seconds to over a minute or longer is VERY difficult and hard to maintain... and then you get a quick break again, what 10-20 seconds, till the person serves again and its done all over again.
And often in 30-40 temperatures... and almost always for at least an hour or an hour and a half till, with the men's in grand slams, usually over 3 hours.
Anyone who doesnt think you need to maintain yourself in incredible shape is kidding themselves. And when players let it go, even a little, you really notice how it affects their game... they simply cant keep competing for the lengthy points. I saw this with rodick around the beginning to middle especially of 2006. And you see it all the time with younger players or those who arent top ranked. Many cant afford to have a personal trainer or someone to work with, and it shows in their fitness. Also, they dont really often realize and have it hit home, until they've played a player like Fed what the difference of truly being in incredible shape means to their game and their ability to stay in points.
(I must say though, Serena has done incredibly well (far better than i (and everyone!) would have ever thought) for the shape shes in. I guess with Serena, to a certain extent, even when shes not in top shape, she's still near as well off as those who are in excellent form. |
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| TheVrk |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jem_hadar
But for me, nothing will top the 2004 (I think it was, or 2003 if it wasnt 2004) Australian Open where ing Agassi (my fav men's player BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS!!!!) took the title, beating the German Rainer Schutler... ing wow. And same one where Roddick had that battle royal w/ Nalbandian for the match I think. Since they dont play tiebreaks at the AO in the final sets, a player must win by 2... I think the damn score was like 17-15 or something RIDICULOUS like that! What a set that was to see!
Oh yeah... and my girl Justine Henin-Hardenne took the title that year too! ;) :D
(of course) heheh |
CLEARLY remember all of that...SO much drama and tension.
Its what tennis is all about! |
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| TheVrk |
I'm agree its underestimated how grueling tennis is....BIG TIME
MENTALLY one of the toughest sports. Concentration level is one
of the highest in ANY sport. You exert urself enuff mentally, it takes
a serious toll on u physically. Have read MANY top athletes attesting to this.
But i gotta say, i'm still gonna say soccer. Maybe i'm biased cause i played my whole life (22 yrs).
But the top players play 60+ games a year, at 90 minutes a game.
Subs are rare, and like tennis, theres almost NO offseason.
Put this in perspective: I read a book written by Croatia's best player since independence (Zvonimir Boban), who also starred for AC Milan in the late 90s.
Granted he was a midfielder, meaning he runs more than anyone else on the field,
but he wrote that he would on avg LOSE 8 KG EVERY GAME HE PLAYED:eyes: :eyes: :eyes:
That is RIDICULOUS...its something u'd relate to a triathlete,
but almost NO ONE (in N.America) would ever guess that....
My 2 cents:tongue3 |
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| Jem_hadar |
| quote: | Originally posted by TheVrk
but he wrote that he would on avg LOSE 8 KG EVERY GAME HE PLAYED:eyes: :eyes: :eyes:
That is RIDICULOUS...its something u'd relate to a triathlete,
but almost NO ONE (in N.America) would ever guess that....
My 2 cents:tongue3 |
Interesting. I agree soccer would be a very draining sport (I used to play when I was young).
I remember Roddick (I think it was him) commented once how much on average he lost in pounds after most Grand Slam matches (ie. ones that are best of 5, not 3, and so therefore run usually 3 hours plus)
It was in pounds, and the figure is completely elluding me, but I know it was shocking for myself to learn how much weight will be lost in playing a 3 hour tennis match in the heat.
I know that players begin hydrating themselves the night PRIOR to their next match, as apparently if they started that morning (assuming an early afternoon match), I heard, that they simply cant get all the water into them they will need in order to stay hydrated through their match.
:eek: :eek: God I love tennis. |
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| TheVrk |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jem_hadar
:eek: :eek: God I love tennis. |
LOOOOOOVE:D |
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| Rodrico |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jem_hadar
He's got this in the bag! I wanna see him destroy Gonzales... sucks I'm gonna miss it bc im away at the cottage! :( :sadgreen: :sadgreen: |
Hey now , lets not be too hard on the Chileno. :( |
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| eRRaTiK |
| quote: | Originally posted by TheVrk
Vaidisova is the real deal....you could just tell she's not quite ready:
some amazing shot-making, then terrible lapses of concentration = 17 yo.
I still cant believe shes only 17:eek: :nervous: |
she needs to learn how to control her shots. Too much power and not enough technique or choosing the right shot. Concentration and mental toughness needs improvement also.
| quote: | | Clijsters-Sharapova wasnt as good as i had hoped.... |
agreed. Same thing applies to the women's final.
Sharapova is now ranked #1. w00t!
I really need to get my ass down to Melbourne one of these years.
| quote: | | ROGER has surpassed Michael Jordan as my favourite athlete EVER.:eek: |
MJ still remains my all time fave. The man elevated b-ball, endorsements and team dynamic to a whole new level. Who remembers the original "Dream Team"? woo! |
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| Kate Manus |
wow.. Sharapova got spanked! in the battle of beauty vs booty
As much as I can't stand Serena, she deserves the win.
Looking forward to the men's final in a bit... hope it is not as lopsided! (even tough of course I want Roger to win) |
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| TheVrk |
| quote: | Originally posted by eRRaTiK
she needs to learn how to control her shots. Too much power and not enough technique or choosing the right shot. Concentration and mental toughness needs improvement also. |
Agree, thats what i keep reminding myself she's 17.
Everything u mentioned comes with maturity and experience.
....I picked Serena to win, but to do it this easily literally shocked me.
She's not 6-1 6-2 better than Sharapova, but MENTALY, no one's close to her.
Mentioned several times that even tho she is my most disliked player on tour, SHE IS DEADLY:nervous:
Deserves the title and now up from #81 to #14. 2007 could be Serena's year:eyes: |
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| me@t k@tie |
I was very sad last night to see Williams beat the hell out of Sharapova. However, I have to admit that Serena played a fabulous game. It was really impressive. She played with a lot of confidence.
:( |
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| Oreo_The_Cookie |
http://broadband.tsn.ca/tsn/?id=751
Everyone needs to watch atleast the second set (Part 2 about 15 min in if you want to skip to it) but the entire match was fantastic. I can't stop watching the second set over and over again, everything goes right for him, shots, challenges, he doesn't miss a thing.
http://broadband.tsn.ca/tsn/?id=768
For Sharapova vs. Williams
:) |
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| bluE_Neon |
| Pete Sampras will win the Mens title. |
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