Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Off Topic => Sports Arena => Topic started by: Comrade Blitz on January 20, 2016, 10:38:14 PM
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Not even out of Round 2 in Melbourne, and already 14 of the 32 seeded women have lost (including 2, 6 & 8 )
Men have lost 5 seeds so far - #5 Nadal being the biggest - what a match from Verdasco!
And Kyrgios is still a chav twat
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Tennis just isn't the same since Maria Redsox ran off with some Russian and got herself tupped up
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Johanna Konta (GBR) has a very winnable 3rd rd match v Denisa Allertova.
In other tennis news, Tim Henman responds to match fixing allegations by admitting he was just shit
(http://www.dailysquat.com/tim-henman-hit-with-historic-match-fixing-accusations-claims-he-was-just-shit/)
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Poor old Tim. Until Andy Murray came along he was the best British tennis player since the war by absolute streets and he never gets any respect. And like Murray, he grew up outside the LTA system, whose record is astonishingly terrible.
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Andy Murray and Konta both through to the Aussie Open Quarter-Finals, the first time we've had a male and female into the quarters of a slam in nearly 40 years!
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Both through to the semis.
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I don't like the fact that people are trying to paint Konta as some Greg Rusedski like fake-Brit. She's lived here half here life since being a kid.
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I don't like the fact that people are trying to paint Konta as some Greg Rusedski like fake-Brit. She's lived here half here life since being a kid.
To the point where her accent is an odd mix of British and Australian.
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I don't like the fact that people are trying to paint Konta as some Greg Rusedski like fake-Brit. She's lived here half here life since being a kid.
To the point where her accent is an odd mix of British and Australian.
Definitely more British than Aussie, I would say. Actually, disagree on second listen to her last interview, there is zero Aussie.
As for being a fake, that's nonsense. She has British citizenship, end of argument.
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So the crap Aussie went out then! ;)
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Bet the Scot loses too
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I don't want to sound extreme, but somebody needs to shoot Djokovic and Serena Williams.
They make it so dull constantly winning all the time.
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Tennis is dull anyway.
I like it when Brits win but I can't actually watch it for more than ten minutes at a time.
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I don't want to sound extreme, but somebody needs to shoot Djokovic and Serena Williams.
They make it so dull constantly winning all the time.
I would think Serena has another year or so left...she's 34 already.
Djokovic is annoyingly good. Federer was/is ridiculously good and sublime to watch, I just don't get that same feeling watching Djokovic.
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Tennis is dull anyway.
I like it when Brits win but I can't actually watch it for more than ten minutes at a time.
Agreed but would also add that the first round or two of Grand Slams are worth glancing at because that's where you'll some some dainty little honeys. from round 3 onwards you'll see the gals with balls bigger than an elephant.
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Murray making hard work of it.
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Looks like he's going out, but regardless if he plays like this he has absolutely no chance against Djokovic. When Murray was winning Grand Slams it was because he was attacking and making things happen, since Lendl left he's gone back to being reactive. Against most people he'll win, although occasionally he'll slip up, but against the very best he'll lose nearly every time unless he goes back to taking the game to them.
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He got away with it there, but he is going to have to change his approach and up his level a lot to stand a chance against Djokovic.
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A good win for Murray in the end, luckily his opponent was injured or he could have gone out. A good result for British tennis but if he loses in the final it will be a poor result for Scottish tennis.
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What time will the final be on in a sensible timezone?
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What time will the final be on in a sensible timezone?
8:30 or 09:00am start (ish)
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Cheers. May sleep through the first couple of sets as out on Saturday night.
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Well done Angelique Kerber fantastic win over Serena Williams.
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Classy behaviour from Serena after the game. And the first half of the Murray double comes in. Let's hope his brother can do the same, but I can't see it the way Djokovic is playing.
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Well, Murray has more of a chance than Kerber had before her final, so you never know.
The tennis has been a lot more enjoyable than the football today.
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the tennis has started and that Scottish fella is getting absolutely spanked
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Oh dear.
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the tennis has started and that Scottish fella is getting absolutely spanked
Reverted back to spoilt child mode as well and mouthing off at people.
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Well that was a bad day for Scottish tennis, lost in three straight sets.
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Davis Cup defence underway at NIA v Japan
Murray up 6-1, 2-2 v Taro Daniel (87th ranking) in first match our own Dan Evans up next
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Murray wins 3=0
up now Dan Evans (174) v Ishikuri (6) gonna be a difficult one but met once before which Evans won at
the US Open couple of years ago.
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Good luck to them. Still not sure why they named a tennis competition after a snooker player though.
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Dan Evans comes out with claret racket with light blue handle, light blue trainers and socks!!!
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It was quite funny when Five Live were interviewing the British team captain yesterday and trying to get him to big up Dan Evans' chances against Kei Nishikori, and the guy was basically trying to tell the interviewer as politely as possible, and without actually saying it in as many words, that he didn't think he had a prayer.
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Excellent game of tennis and Murray had to really dig deep there. It's all a bit awkward though, as apart from Andy Murray and his brother, the rest of them (including the captain) are left standing there like spare parts.
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Sharapova has failed a drugs test.
Pray for AC KKK Williams.
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"Sharapova was so worried by family history of diabetes she took an untested/unlicensed drug but not bothered enough to stop selling candy?" GTFOOH
"Meldonium was reported to improve sexual performance, sperm motility and concentration of testosterone in boars" Yeah - no performance enhancements there, eh?
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cc-xKiAUUAAKCU9.jpg:large)
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Without defending her, the drug was legal until 31 December 2015. It was prescribed by her GP and if anything she's guilty of stupidity in not reading the letter she was sent about changes to the banned substance list.
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The more we hear about this the more it looks like she didn't just happen to be taking a drug that ended up being banned:
The website of the drug’s Latvian manufacturer Grindeks says meldonium gives sufferers of heart and circulatory conditions more “physical capacity and mental function” — and a similar boost to healthy people. Meldonium was banned because it aids oxygen uptake and endurance.
The Latvian company that manufactures meldonium says the normal course of treatment for the drug is four to six weeks — not the 10 years that Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova says she used the substance.
Meldonium is most commonly used in Eastern European and ex-Soviet countries as a drug for people with heart conditions, but it’s also offered for sale online. There are also signs that a sizable minority of athletes were using before it was banned.
In October, the U.S.-based Partnership for Clean Competition, an anti-doping group, said meldonium was found in 182 of 8,300 urine samples from athletes as part of a study part-funded by the PCC.
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Without defending her, the drug was legal until 31 December 2015. It was prescribed by her GP and if anything she's guilty of stupidity in not reading the letter she was sent about changes to the banned substance list.
Surely, among her entourage of agents and coaches, it would've been somebody's job to ensure that there was no way such a "mistake" could have been made?
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In her press conference she said that the drug she's been taking has a different name, but turns out is the same thing.
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She presumably declared this to the testers, so if there's a genuine medical reason she can get a TUE. If she didn't declare it she's toast.
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Big win for Murray today. He needed that over Djokovic.
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Big win for Murray today. He needed that over Djokovic.
He looks a different player when he is as aggressive as that. Super performance.
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Murray is going to do very well to win the French now.
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Murray is going to do very well to win the French now.
Yep, starting with two 5 set games isn't exactly conserving energy for the second week.
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I doubt he'll ever win the French. Wouldn't be surprised to see him win the Convict Open at some stage and reckon he could win the US and/or Wimbledon again.
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He beat Djokovic on clay in a final only a couple of weeks ago, and with the arse picker still not at his best at the moment he has an excellent chance in this tournament. Well he did before these two five-setters anyway!
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Beating Djokovic on clay in a Mickey Mouse tournament is different to beating him in one of the Grand Slams.
It's a bit like saying we could win the Champions League because we beat Juventus in the Peace Cup.
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The Italian Open is hardly Disney level, only Nadal and Djokovic had won it for ten years.
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Beating Djokovic on clay in a Mickey Mouse tournament is different to beating him in one of the Grand Slams.
It's a bit like saying we could win the Champions League because we beat Juventus in the Peace Cup.
I really isn't. Djokovic might up his levels just a little bit more in Grand Slams but he hates losing in any tournament, that's why he's won so many.
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Tennis withou the Marias just isn't the same
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Better from Murray today.
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Murray is 2 sets up against the current French Open champion Stan Wawrinka and looks like he'll make his first French Open final.
Unfortunately Djokovic is already through.... :-\
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That grumpy Scottish fella is in some pretty good company here.
According to the beeb
Andy Murray has joined a list of 10 players who have reached the final of every single Grand Slam.
He joins Jim Courier, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl, Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall.
and he's the first British mens singles finalist at the French Open since 1937 - Bunny Austin.
I looked up who the '37 finalist was. It was somewhat chilling to see the German players with the Swastika flag alongside their names on the Wikipedia page for the 1937 tournament (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1937_French_Championships_(tennis))
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The 37 winner died at Stalingrad.
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Beat a South African pair in a racist derby doubles final.
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Murray played a belting match today. Hope he wins on Sunday.
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Well done Garbine Muguruza beating Serena Williams in 2 sets. That's the last 3 slams, Williams has now failed to win, maybe on the decline.
Good luck Murray tomorrow, he'll need it.
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Murray played a belting match today. Hope he wins on Sunday.
Agreed. He doesnt get the credit he deserves. He has been unlucky to be in the same era as Nadal, Federer and Djokovic
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All gone tits up for Murray having won the first set with ease. Lost second 6-1 and a break down in the third.
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Very much gone for Murray short of something remarkable.
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As I was saying.......
Murray is going to do very well to win the French now.
Yep, starting with two 5 set games isn't exactly conserving energy for the second week.
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GAME OVER
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I didn't watch. Did Murray run out of steam after his long matches in the first week or did Djok just decide that enough was enough and blow him away?
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I didn't watch. Did Murray run out of steam after his long matches in the first week or did Djok just decide that enough was enough and blow him away?
Option 2 really. Was just saying on SKY that Djokovic has now won 12 majors and apart from the first final when he beat Tsonga, his 11 other finals have all been against either Federer, Nadal or Murray. Some achievement.
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I didn't watch. Did Murray run out of steam after his long matches in the first week or did Djok just decide that enough was enough and blow him away?
Option 2 really. Was just saying on SKY that Djokovic has now won 12 majors and apart from the first final when he beat Tsonga, his 11 other finals have all been against either Federer, Nadal or Murray. Some achievement.
Disagree. Murray was much the better player in the first set, however, even then he was expending way more energy than Djokovic and that plus playing 5 more hours than him during the tournament caught up with him.
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Disappointed to see that Murray lost as I'm a big fan. It's a real shame he's second best to Djokovic but I'm still really chuffed and proud to have such a great British sportsman. Long may he continue.
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Murray is an excellent player, but he needs exactly the right coach to get him mentally right. He has the talent, but he lose matches mentally.
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Disappointed to see that Murray lost as I'm a big fan. It's a real shame he's second best to Djokovic but I'm still really chuffed and proud to have such a great British sportsman. Long may he continue.
He can count himself unlucky that he has played in the era he has really, the same era as three all-time greats. When you consider that only 8 men have completed the career Grand Slam and three of those have played in the same era as Murray, then it shows what he has been up against.
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Maria Sharapova: World Class Cheater by Christine Brennan (USA Today)
If this is it for 29-year-old Maria Sharapova, and it certainly could be, it's such an inglorious ending.
It's also a well-deserved one.
When one of the world's iconic athletes willfully disregards repeated email warnings that a drug she has been taking for 10 years is being banned, and continues to use it after the ban, and hides the fact that she is taking it from her doctors, there's only one word for that kind of behavior: cheating.
The International Tennis Federation suspended Sharapova for two years Wednesday for testing positive not once but twice in 2016 for the banned substance meldonium. She immediately said she will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, hoping to lessen her suspension.
We'll see how that goes, but either way, she will not be able to represent Russia at August's Olympic Games in Rio, and will likely miss the entirety of the 2016 Grand Slam season as well. Her ban is retroactive to the 2016 Australian Open, where she first was caught using the drug, so she would be allowed to return after the 2018 Australian Open, when she will be approaching her 31st birthday.
Since her last Grand Slam victory came at the 2014 French Open, and since she hasn't played since a quarterfinal loss to Serena Williams at the Australian Open, and since she now has dropped to 26th in the world rankings, it's entirely possible we have seen the last of Sharapova as an elite tennis player.
Meldonium is a drug used to treat angina and heart failure in real life, but one that also has the wonderful side effect of increasing an athlete's endurance and energy levels. It was unknown to almost all of us outside of Russia until this spring. As we've learned more about it, it's clear there are real questions about how long it stays in an athlete's system. Could an athlete have taken it in 2015 when it wasn't on the banned list and still tested positive in 2016 when it was?
This is a valid point, but it in no way pertains to Sharapova's case. She admitted to taking the drug in 2016, using the utterly inexcusable defense that she hadn't opened the emails all elite athletes routinely receive with updates about banned substances, including urgent and repeated warnings about meldonium in late 2015.
What's more, the notion that she needed meldonium for legitimate health reasons is now seriously in doubt. An independent three-person ITF tribunal hearing her case determined that Sharapova went to great lengths to keep her use of meldonium a secret. In 2013, she actually stopped seeing the doctor who prescribed it for her, then failed to tell her new doctors that she was still taking it.
Her story has been that she needed the drug to treat a magnesium deficiency, an irregular electrocardiograph and a family history of diabetes. If that was the case, why keep all that information from your doctors for three years?
As the ITF report damningly noted, "Whatever the position may have been in 2006, there was in 2016 no diagnosis and no therapeutic advice supporting the continuing use of (meldonium). If she had believed that there was a continuing medical need to use (meldonium) then she would have consulted a medical practitioner.
"The manner of its use, on match days and when undertaking intensive training, is only consistent with an intention to boost her energy levels. It may be that she genuinely believed that (meldonium) had some general beneficial effect on her health but the manner in which the medication was taken, its concealment from the anti-doping authorities, her failure to disclose it even to her own team and the lack of any medical justification must inevitably lead to the conclusion that she took (meldonium) for the purpose of enhancing her performance."
Maria Sharapova, five-time Grand Slam champion. And now, sadly, world-class cheater.
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Good decision from Murray to have Lendl to coach him again.
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Why did he stop coaching him? Did they fall out?
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Why did he stop coaching him? Did they fall out?
I think Lendl wanted to focus on a tennis academy.
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Lendl was fed up with the tour - tennised out. He seems to have his mojo back much to Murray's advantage.
Lendl appears to be the one who Murray is weary of, given the fact he is a bit of a nark.
Very much a match made in heaven for Murray.
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Lendl as coach again and Murray wins Queens. Not a slam but a good start. Murray did really well to come back from a set down and 0-3 in the second. Now the leading player in this prestigious tournament with 5 wins. Now for Wimbledon....
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Villa boy Dan Evans 2-0 & 5-1 up in 3rd against 30th seed Dolgopolov
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He has won 7-6. 6-4, 6-1
Heather Watson 1-1 and 6-6 in 3rd.
Incidentally Dan Evans has to play Brit conqueror Roger Federer in next round
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Annika Beck 7-6 up serving for match v Heather Watson
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Great win for the Villa fan, Federer awaits!
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Annika Beck 7-6 up serving for match v Heather Watson
Watson turned that around and now leads 8-7. Beck serving to save match
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Beck finally wins 3rd set 12-10 v Heather Watson
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A better outburst than McEnroe today
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Troicki's meltdown
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Was that it? No swearing, just a bloke a bit pissed off at losing.
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Djokovic 2 sets down, could be out of Wimbledon by 1 o'clock. Could it be Andy's year.
Good to see Del Potro back, after his terrible injury problems.
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Djokovic 4-0 up in third when it rained again. He'll still win.
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He's gone.
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just back into my hotel in Philly to see Djokovic knocked out. Wow
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It's gonna be Andy's year.
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What do I know? Murray should win it now.
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Give Murray the trophy!
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Bit early for that.
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Murray is the favourite, bu Federer could still be a threat.
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There are lots of big threats left in, Raonic, Federer, Kyrios, Nishikori to name a few.
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Tsonga v Isner turning out to be a good game. 4 all in the 5th set.
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Tsonga wins 19-17 in the 5th set. Isner likes putting up a fight, he's the fella that won 68-70 in the final set a few years ago in the longest ever match.
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A victory for tennis as Tsonga beats Isner then.
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Don't like Tsonga just because he's related to that twat N'Zogbia. Petty, me? Yes.
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Some interesting matches today:-
Murray v Kyrgios
Gasquet v Tsonga
Cilic v Nishikori
Goffin v Raonic
Think Federer has had a bit of luck so far this tournament, keeps playing players that have knocked out a higher seeded player in the match before Federer. Maybe this could be his final chance to win at Wimbledon.
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Kyrgios has all the talent he needs, but he's such a sulk.
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Kyrgios is a little tosspot, but Murray was fantastic.
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That was a serious performance from Murray.
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Started watching at the end of the 2nd set and I don't ever remember seeing Murray play that well, his shots were extraordinary.
Hopefully he can keep that level up.
Looking at his half of the draw to win it he'll probably have to beat Tsonga, Berdych and then either Federer or Cilic in the final.
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I wish that clown Inverdale would shut his cake hole as he was yapping all through the Murray game.
Listening to him drone on and on was like being stuck next to a bore at the cricket.
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Two sets all in the Czech derby (Berdych v Vesely).
For Murray's sake I'm hoping that the latter comes through, as I've never heard of him before this tournament.
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Just seen Kerber beat Halep. Not a fan of women's tennis, but have to say that was a cracking match.
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Cilic takes the first set against Federer on a tie break. Don't think either had a break point before the tiebreak.
Think this is the hardest Quarter-Final to call.
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Cilic 2 sets up and it's looking gloomy for Federer, in what may be his last real chance of a Grand Slam.
Raonic is also 2 sets up against Querrey, with late breaks in each set.
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Murray has undoubtedly got the easier side of the draw. If he beats Tsonga, which he should, he probably will meet Berdych in the semi, as oppose to possible meetings with Raonic, Cilic or even Federer, though that seems unlikely at the moment, as he is sets down, at the moment.
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Murray should have the easier draw, he's the top seed left in it :)
I don't think there's a huge amount of difference between Raonic and Berdych. Raonic probably has the more devastating serve, but Berdych has way more experience.
Federer wins the 3rd set, whilst Querrey is just hoping to hold serve and maybe get to a tiebreak against Raonic in the 3rd set.
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The matches are mirroring each other as Querrey wins the 3rd set 7-5.
Cilic struggles whenever you can get him to come forwards, away from the baseline.
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Tiebreak in the 4th set between Cilic and Federer; Cilic had 1 match point in Federer's last service game.
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Federer wins the tiebreak 11-9 to take it to a 5th set! Great stuff. Both players had chances to win it and failed.
Raonic through I think, missed the end of this one.
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Federer into the Semi-Finals after coming from 2-0 down.
Might flip onto the other match, never seen Pouille before.
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Good to watch a game of tennis without grunting and the like from the players.
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Murray's aggression is down today and he's struggling.
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Don't worry he's got Lendl's enthusiastic backing behind him!
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That 11th tie break won Murray that set...superb.
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Federer into the Semi-Finals after coming from 2-0 down.
Might flip onto the other match, never seen Pouille before.
You smell quite Pouille.
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Hoping to see Muzza get this wrapped up before the footy starts.
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Murray is mentally dropping here, he needs to focus.
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Fuck's sake
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This is where Tsonga's very short match in the last round gives him an advantage, Murray needs to really dig deep.
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Murray is mentally dropping terribly here, he's in real danger of going out.
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He needs the set of his life now.
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C'mon Andy!
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He's got it as well he's dug properly deep.
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Much has been said recently about the womens game and how they deserve to receive the same (or similar) financial rewards as the men, but the quality and standard of the womens game is so poor in comparison.
Serena has just annihilated her semi-final opponent, and despite Venus clearly struggling with her health issues, she has just narrowly been defeated in her semi. Serena will simply destroy Kerber in the final, and the difference in quality between her and the rest of the players is like night and day.
You've got to give credit for to these athletes for being at the top of their game in this sport, but to demand equal financial rewards when their game is so far behind in all aspects of the game is almost as ridiculous as the USA womans football team claiming the same (albeit the women footballers probably have a stronger argument given how young the game is in general over there and what they achieved at their World Cup).
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It is a simple argument in the tennis though. The women don't play for as long as the blokes so why should they get the same cash.
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Agree wholeheartedly. Sometimes we become so wrapped up in doing the right thing that we do the wrong thing. It is fundamentally unfair that men and women share equality of pay. In no other industry would someone get paid the same as someone for doing less. Absolutely crazy.
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I've said about this a few times, if it's all about sexism why aren't they demanding 5 set matches as well, I think it's fair more sexist to suggest that women aren't capable of playing the longer games (which the format implies) than it is to have a difference in prize money. Strange then that the money seems to be the only thing that the female players are offended by (in the main).
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Bit worried about Bartoli. Can't link to BBC site but read the article on there. Hope she's OK.
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Found a way to link to it...
http://bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/36735499
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Hopefully she is okay. Can't help thinking that you will lose weight if you're only eating lettuce leaves though?
Hoping for a nice long, energy-sapping match between Raonic and Federer; 1-1 in sets so far.
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Federer 2-1 up in sets. A set away from getting to his 28th Grand Slam Final. I make that 7 years worth of Grand Slams....
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Greedy.
Come on Raonic.
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Joyous as it goes to a 5th set.
Almost enjoying myself at work today.
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Federer out, that's a big result, Murray really needs to see Berdych off quick and take the extra stamina into the final now, he's a level above both of these guys if he plays his own game.
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Berdych wife is a worldly whilst Andy's has a girl next door!
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Some of the defensive shots from Murray here are spectacular, he's forcing Berdych to push right to the corners which is creating the errors.
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Very well played from Murray. As long as he isn't intimidated by Raonic's serve, I think he'll win comfortably in 3 sets.
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That was a bit of a masterclass from Murray, it was almost as if he was drawing Berdych into a big game by giving him a sniff of a break and then just slamming the door and whilst Berdych recovered he put huge pressure on to break himself, brilliant performance.
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Great stuff. Get it won on Sunday Sir Andy.
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Yeah I'm going for a Murray win and in the women's, without any confidence at all, Kerber to beat Williams.
So it's an Andy and Angie double for me.
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Serena will destroy Kerber in 2 easy sets.
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Murray won't worry about Raonic's serve, he's the best returner in tennis currently.
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BBC are ridiculously biased towards Serena Williams today, I know it's very unlikely, but I badly want Angie Kerber to win.
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The BBC have a vote for the shot of the tournament - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/tennis/36754265
There's a few great shots there but the Hingis one is special.
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The Hingis return is pretty awesome but it's got to be either of the Murray or Willis lobs.
Serena wins the women singles final as expected in straight sets, but fairplay to Kerber for putting up a fight.
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Serena wins, can't help but think that her serve is the real winner though, Kerber played the rallies far better but when you're losing a couple of aces pretty much every return game it's always going to be uphill.
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Great win for Serena Williams, but those, who said she would destroy Angie Kerber were way off the mark. Serena had to be at her very best to beat her.
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Serena has the power of a man in women's tennis a big plus.
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If Murray holds his first serve, he's got this. Rain ice has a massive serve and big forehand, but that's about it really.
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First break to Murray.
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First break. Be nice if this was simple. I somehow doubt it will be.
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First set Murray. Good stuff. His serve was never under threat.
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Hope he doesn't regret missing these break points.
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Would it be an exaggeration to say that there players outside the top few hundred who have a better backhand than Raonic? His serve and forehand are pretty awesome though.
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Tois Naethin'.
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Get in
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YYYAAAAAAASSSSS!!! Well done Murray.
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Congratulations Sir Andy. Is anyone else ever going to win SPOTY??
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Would of loved the crowd to have done a Thunderclap for the duke there ;D
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Surreal to watch a British player turning up to a Wimbledon Final as favourite and never looking under any pressure. Our greatest ever player. Hope he goes on to win a few more majors.
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Surreal to watch a British player turning up to a Wimbledon Final as favourite and never looking under any pressure. Our greatest ever player. Hope he goes on to win a few more majors.
Agreed. He doesnt get the recognition he deserves. Quality player
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Superb Andy, his returning of serves in excess of 140 mph brilliant. Love to see Andy vs Djokovic in the US Open final. I reckon I'd fancy Andy to win that one now.
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Watson in the Mixed Final in a bit.
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Congratulations Sir Andy. Is anyone else ever going to win SPOTY??
This is exactly why he shouldn't have won it last year. Yes he had a good season but he didn't have a great one. This year looks like it could be a great one for him.
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I was just reading about his victory on Facebook (couldn't watch as it's pissing rain here) and the grandkids have commandeered the telly to play Wii and this lovely congratulatory message popped up:
Sad day for British sport if he's the best we've got to offer. He got a few lucky points off of Raonic. He hardly outplayed him by any manner of means. And let's face it, he's only won because the three real greats of tennis either weren't there (Nadal) or didn't make it to the final (Federer and Djokovic) This will certainly never be repeated & he will certainly never achieve anywhere near like what those three have!.
The bit about Federer and Djokovic not reaching the final made me laugh. Surely that's the whole point, beat your opponent.
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Fully deserved and he now really is a brilliant tennis player.
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I was just reading about his victory on Facebook (couldn't watch as it's pissing rain here) and the grandkids have commandeered the telly to play Wii and this lovely congratulatory message popped up:
Sad day for British sport if he's the best we've got to offer. He got a few lucky points off of Raonic. He hardly outplayed him by any manner of means. And let's face it, he's only won because the three real greats of tennis either weren't there (Nadal) or didn't make it to the final (Federer and Djokovic) This will certainly never be repeated & he will certainly never achieve anywhere near like what those three have!.
The bit about Federer and Djokovic not reaching the final made me laugh. Surely that's the whole point, beat your opponent.
Bit of a harsh message! I do think he has a bit of psychological block when it comes to those three, as he looks far more relaxed against other opponents.
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I was just reading about his victory on Facebook (couldn't watch as it's pissing rain here) and the grandkids have commandeered the telly to play Wii and this lovely congratulatory message popped up:
Sad day for British sport if he's the best we've got to offer. He got a few lucky points off of Raonic. He hardly outplayed him by any manner of means. And let's face it, he's only won because the three real greats of tennis either weren't there (Nadal) or didn't make it to the final (Federer and Djokovic) This will certainly never be repeated & he will certainly never achieve anywhere near like what those three have!.
The bit about Federer and Djokovic not reaching the final made me laugh. Surely that's the whole point, beat your opponent.
Like any sport you can only beat whats in front of you. Murray is consistently superb. 11 GS finals now. When he is retired in a few years people will be complaining becuase there is no obvious player to fill the void.
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It's more than harsh, it's ridiculous. Think back to the days we got excited because Jeremy Bates reached the third round of Wimbledon and then imagine being told that folks would be moaning as a Brit won a second Wimbledon title because of who he beat along the way.
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That was a super performance, hope it propels him on now.
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From 2011 to now he's only failed to reach at least the QF of a grand slam twice, and one of those was because he was injured and didn't take part. The other was a 4th round defeat in the US Open.
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I was just reading about his victory on Facebook (couldn't watch as it's pissing rain here) and the grandkids have commandeered the telly to play Wii and this lovely congratulatory message popped up:
Sad day for British sport if he's the best we've got to offer. He got a few lucky points off of Raonic. He hardly outplayed him by any manner of means. And let's face it, he's only won because the three real greats of tennis either weren't there (Nadal) or didn't make it to the final (Federer and Djokovic) This will certainly never be repeated & he will certainly never achieve anywhere near like what those three have!.
The bit about Federer and Djokovic not reaching the final made me laugh. Surely that's the whole point, beat your opponent.
Strange comment - you didn't see it but he was lucky? He pretty much bossed Raonic in the key points. If you think facing 140+ mph and winning is lucky, you've never played tennis!
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Anyone saying he was lucky knows nothing about sport.
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Virtually all the greats have won Grand Slams against players who were still up-and-coming, were a bit past it or who were just having the tournament of their lives and likely to be largely forgotten.
All of Murray's previous GS Final opponents have been either Federer or Djokovic. He's been incredibly unlucky to have been around at the same time as them and Nadal, three of the all time greats.
I think he was due a final against a "lesser" opponent.
In any case, I think Raonic could be very good indeed. His serve reminded me of Sampras and the rest of his game wasn't bad. He'll not go far in France but fancy him to win at least one Wimbledon.
Really hope Murray can complete a career Golden Slam but think the French might elude him (as I said before this year's tournament).
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Watson and Kontinen win the first set in the Mixed Doubles Final.
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Virtually all the greats have won Grand Slams against players who were still up-and-coming, were a bit past it or who were just having the tournament of their lives and likely to be largely forgotten.
I completely agree. I think John McEnroe beat an unseeded New Zealander, Chris Lewis, in the final in 1983. Lewis never got beyond a world ranking of 19 but I doubt McEnroe or anyone else thinks any less of winning the title that year.
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I was just reading about his victory on Facebook (couldn't watch as it's pissing rain here) and the grandkids have commandeered the telly to play Wii and this lovely congratulatory message popped up:
Sad day for British sport if he's the best we've got to offer. He got a few lucky points off of Raonic. He hardly outplayed him by any manner of means. And let's face it, he's only won because the three real greats of tennis either weren't there (Nadal) or didn't make it to the final (Federer and Djokovic) This will certainly never be repeated & he will certainly never achieve anywhere near like what those three have!.
The bit about Federer and Djokovic not reaching the final made me laugh. Surely that's the whole point, beat your opponent.
Strange comment - you didn't see it but he was lucky? He pretty much bossed Raonic in the key points. If you think facing 140+ mph and winning is lucky, you've never played tennis!
That's not my opinion Nick, it's just something that came up on my Facebook newsfeed as I was reading about it. It's a post by some woman who obviously has no idea what she's talking about. Some of the replies to her gave her very short shrift. I should have italicised the post and not left it ambiguous.
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You can guarantee she's one of the idiots that thinks Murray "hates England", and refuses to give him any praise as a result.
Anyone suggesting that a date which sees a Brit become Wimbledon Champions is "a sad day for British tennis" is clearly an imbecile.
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Fair enough Dave.
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It's more than harsh, it's ridiculous. Think back to the days we got excited because Jeremy Bates reached the third round of Wimbledon and then imagine being told that folks would be moaning as a Brit won a second Wimbledon title because of who he beat along the way.
Jeeze, yes I remember that. Henman, and agonising semi final defeats, seemed like a golden era at the time.
On that note, are Henman and Murray the product of an improved system or weird outliers? I have always thought that they've succeeded despite the LTA not because of it.
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Some people always find something to moan about. I'm just grateful I'm here to witness this fantastic sportsman's career. He's a true sporting hero in my book and long may he continue.
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Watson and Kontinen win the Mixed Doubles.
Four Wimbledon Champions today.
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It's more than harsh, it's ridiculous. Think back to the days we got excited because Jeremy Bates reached the third round of Wimbledon and then imagine being told that folks would be moaning as a Brit won a second Wimbledon title because of who he beat along the way.
Jeeze, yes I remember that. Henman, and agonising semi final defeats, seemed like a golden era at the time.
On that note, are Henman and Murray the product of an improved system or weird outliers? I have always thought that they've succeeded despite the LTA not because of it.
Murray had to go abroad to learn how to be as good as he is so can't be classed as an LTA success.
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Murray is absolutely brilliant. Some of his returns in the last couple of rounds have been nothing sort of sensational. What a player, what an absolute legend. He is everything that is good about British sport in my opinion.
The LTA though, is a disgrace. For a country like the UK to produce such a poor crop of players over the decades, despite being pretty good at most other sports just isn't on. Football, cricket, golf, rugby, athletics, swimming, cycling, motorsport...you name it, we've held our own in all of them, with a fair depth of talent throughout. Murray though, has been a rare one off, and the people who run tennis in this country should be ashamed.
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I hope that we are using this success as a springboard to create future players. However I have not seen many new courts being built and coaching seems to be on an adhoc/personal business basis rather than part of a system.
Andy Murray should bolt training centres onto the side of his hotels, although the scottish weather might not be the best conditions to get lots of hours in on the court.
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We won't ever produce consistently great players while tennis clubs remain the preserve of estate agents and salesmen.
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Brilliant from Murray. To me, Lendl makes a huge difference to Murray. Pity he took that 2 year break; Muray has missed Lendl's influence - he gets that extra 5% out of Murray which is a big difference at that level.
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Andy Murray is the best ever British tennis player and he chose to go and train in Spain as a youngster. That tells you all you need to know about the British development system.
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Murray is absolutely brilliant. Some of his returns in the last couple of rounds have been nothing sort of sensational. What a player, what an absolute legend. He is everything that is good about British sport in my opinion.
The LTA though, is a disgrace. For a country like the UK to produce such a poor crop of players over the decades, despite being pretty good at most other sports just isn't on. Football, cricket, golf, rugby, athletics, swimming, cycling, motorsport...you name it, we've held our own in all of them, with a fair depth of talent throughout. Murray though, has been a rare one off, and the people who run tennis in this country should be ashamed.
I'd go as far as to say that Murray is the best defensive player I've ever seen, he beats players like Raonic by completely nullifying their serve and then just letting their mistakes win the game for him. It doesn't work so well against the very best players because they naturally make fewer errors. The edge that Lendl gives him is that he plays more aggressive shots and therefore a lot more winners. I remember seeing some stats about it a few months back and the difference is quite stark when you look at the analysis.
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Uu
Andy Murray is the best ever British tennis player and he chose to go and train in Spain as a youngster. That tells you all you need to know about the British development system.
And that's how it's always been, when I was 12 I was playing for my county, regularly beating 14,15 & 16 year olds who were knocking on the doors of the GB and England squads. There was no real coaching or development for youth players just competitions and tournaments, club tennis was run by pensioners and stuffed shirts and was all about social tennis not competition and certainly not about finding and nurturing young talent. If you wanted to get into Team GB or English tennis you needed to head to France or Spain all summer to La Santa in Lanzarote for example, my parents couldn't afford that so my tennis career ended at 15. I still play now and again, I hate club tennis to this day.
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Murray is absolutely brilliant. Some of his returns in the last couple of rounds have been nothing sort of sensational. What a player, what an absolute legend. He is everything that is good about British sport in my opinion.
The LTA though, is a disgrace. For a country like the UK to produce such a poor crop of players over the decades, despite being pretty good at most other sports just isn't on. Football, cricket, golf, rugby, athletics, swimming, cycling, motorsport...you name it, we've held our own in all of them, with a fair depth of talent throughout. Murray though, has been a rare one off, and the people who run tennis in this country should be ashamed.
I'd go as far as to say that Murray is the best defensive player I've ever seen, he beats players like Raonic by completely nullifying their serve and then just letting their mistakes win the game for him. It doesn't work so well against the very best players because they naturally make fewer errors. The edge that Lendl gives him is that he plays more aggressive shots and therefore a lot more winners. I remember seeing some stats about it a few months back and the difference is quite stark when you look at the analysis.
I agree Paul, his returning is even better than people like Agassi who was pretty good at it. I think it would have been a very close match against Djokovic at his best today, if he'd got through. The only thing for me with Murray is that he makes a few too many unforced errors. You can get away with it to some extent against players like Raonic, but not Djokovic.
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I knew a girl when I was at school who was in a similar situation, used to enter tournaments all over the country and would win a fair share of them but she couldn't get any coaching and when she entered european tournaments she was totally out of her depth.
Murray seems to have got through because he spent a lot of time in Spain and because his mom was willing to push him all the way.
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I read today that the stint in spain cost his mum £40,000, which is a lot of money now let alone 10-15 years ago.
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Anyone who can return a 147mph serve and then win the point deserves everything he gets.
147mph for fucks sake!
By the way, we need to see more wheelchair tennis on the telly, it's brilliant.
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Anyone who can return a 147mph serve and then win the point deserves everything he gets.
147mph for fucks sake!
By the way, we need to see more wheelchair tennis on the telly, it's brilliant.
It wasn't just that he was returning them, if he was getting them back and then having a rally and winning the point that'd be one thing, but he was regularly using the return to get on top and dominate the point, that's what was truly impressive about today.
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British Tennis is so up itself.
Try and play singles at a club. All focused over the doubles game. Far more in keeping with the tea and scones brigade.
From when I was a kid and courts available in every park to today with just the elitest game available.
And don't get me started on Wimbledon tickets.
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Murray is absolutely brilliant. Some of his returns in the last couple of rounds have been nothing sort of sensational. What a player, what an absolute legend. He is everything that is good about British sport in my opinion.
The LTA though, is a disgrace. For a country like the UK to produce such a poor crop of players over the decades, despite being pretty good at most other sports just isn't on. Football, cricket, golf, rugby, athletics, swimming, cycling, motorsport...you name it, we've held our own in all of them, with a fair depth of talent throughout. Murray though, has been a rare one off, and the people who run tennis in this country should be ashamed.
I'd go as far as to say that Murray is the best defensive player I've ever seen, he beats players like Raonic by completely nullifying their serve and then just letting their mistakes win the game for him. It doesn't work so well against the very best players because they naturally make fewer errors. The edge that Lendl gives him is that he plays more aggressive shots and therefore a lot more winners. I remember seeing some stats about it a few months back and the difference is quite stark when you look at the analysis.
I agree Paul, his returning is even better than people like Agassi who was pretty good at it. I think it would have been a very close match against Djokovic at his best today, if he'd got through. The only thing for me with Murray is that he makes a few too many unforced errors. You can get away with it to some extent against players like Raonic, but not Djokovic.
I do think there has been a bit of a psychological block against the big three. He seems far more uptight and makes more mistakes when he plays them. The difference when he plays against other players is noticeable and like today, he usually makes pretty short work of them.
As good as his slam wins have been, his exploits in the Davis Cup last year were extra special.
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I tried to get my daughter to watch the final. She is 5. I said you might never see another Brit win this in your lifetime. She looked at me and said "But Murray only won it the other year" and shrugged her shoulders and got back to aquabeads. She is starting to sound like a Man united fan
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Well agreed,it used it be up itself,however it is changing.
There are so many more affordable opportunities for kids to have a go at well organised after school sessions.I,ll declare an interest as my eldest son is a coach & I see the time & effort he puts in with the kids.
Last week, together with a teacher they took a party of schoolchildren from Aston to the National Tennis Centre at Roehampton & then on to Wimbeldon where they got onto No 1 court & got to see Murray practicing. This was funded by a donation from The Davis Cup Legacy,so a good example of getting grass roots interest going with the kids. I started by playing on park courts in Stechford & Brookvale Park & its sad that so many park courts have been lost,however its not just tennis thats been affected. Drop me a line if your looking for a club with a more inclusive outlook, we tend to be more beer & crisps at our club,& I,ll put you in the Wimbledon ballot, for a small fee....
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I must admit from my perspective in London there are plenty of public courts however it does not look as if any kid can rock up and play, primarily because they're always full. Which is a good sign but I'd love for the LTA/Sport England to tap into the enthusiasm.
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There's some public hard courts near me that are rarely used. I also recently walked past the local tennis club early on a Saturday afternoon and there was no one playing
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......I was once playing tennis with my then girlfriend on the aforementioned hard courts. I decided to leap the net but caught my foot and ended up in a heap. All very undignified
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......new balls please?
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Forgot Davis Cup away at Serbia in Belgrade starts today.
Kyle Edmund a set up in first match & 2-0 in second.
No Andy Murray but he is there supporting.
James Ward up next.
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Kyle Edmund wins so Britain have an unassailable 3-1 lead (not sure if they'll play the dead rubber).
Back into the Semis and nice to see England pulling their weight for a change
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Good to win without Andy Murray. Edmond was excellent to win 2 rubbers.
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Johanna Konta defeats a Maria Shriekapova-inspired Venus Williams at WTA Stanford to win her first title.
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Well done Andy Murray, Dan Evans through to the 3rd Round at the US Open. Excellent also from Johanna Konta. Kyle Edmund has taken the first set against Isner in the 3rd Round match - good luck and make the 4th Round!
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Well done Andy Murray, Dan Evans through to the 3rd Round at the US Open. Excellent also from Johanna Konta. Kyle Edmund has taken the first set against Isner in the 3rd Round match - good luck and make the 4th Round!
Edmund lost the 2nd set but went on to win the next 2. A great win for him. Dan Evans got work cut out as playing Wawrinka later tonight (22:00).
Edmunds reward for reaching 4th round is match v Djokovic. Murray plays world 40 Italian Lorenzi around 19:00
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Watched some of that Konta game, she was absolutely on fire, completely dismantled her opponent at the end. If she keeps striking the ball like that, she'll go a long way.
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Edmund has the talent to be a top 10 player.
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Murray won 1st set 7-6 v Lorenzi
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Murray 7-6. 6-7
Dan Evans 2-3 v Wawrinka - Evans serving
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Correction 7-6, 5-7
Murray has broken Lorenzi 1st game of 3rd
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Murray (2) 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 1-0 a break up
Evans 6-4 3-4 Wawrinka (3)
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Villa/Bears fan Evans 2-1 up against Wawrinka. Hope he wins it in four sets so I can go to sleep!.
Murray dropped a set but still won easily enough.
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Murray through and Evans doing a tremendous job against Wawrinka.
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Evans played a great match against Wawrinka and just failed to take a match point. He physically tired in the 4th but ran out of steam in the 5th. Hopefully he'll really kick-on now and realise his undoubted talent.
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Could Djokovic have scripted his US Open any better? Comes in with a nagging injury and 3 out of his 5 games so far, the opponent has quit the game.
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Could Djokovic have scripted his US Open any better? Comes in with a nagging injury and 3 out of his 5 games so far, the opponent has quit the game.
Exactly what I thought! How lucky is Djokovic? I still think Murray will be beat him in the final.
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Murray needs to sort his head out here.
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Murray has really gone off the boil, he needs to switch on.
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Could Djokovic have scripted his US Open any better? Comes in with a nagging injury and 3 out of his 5 games so far, the opponent has quit the game.
Exactly what I thought! How lucky is Djokovic? I still think Murray will be beat him in the final.
Got to beat Nishikori first...easier said than done...breaking at will at moment...better than watching cricket as well....another break.
Serving for set...can he hold this time??
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Murray is really mentally flaky today. It's so strange how this comes over him sometimes.
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Got to get his act together now after losing 4th 6-1.....rather argue with umpire than concentrate
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Oh dear broken in first game of 5th set.
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It's so strange how momentum shifts like this in tennis matches, so much of it is mental. Not looking good for the four finals in a year now.
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Murray loses in the 5th set! Strange match. Murray nowhere near his best. Disappointing.
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Murray is all about fitness. Not the greatest technically. However as I find out to my dismay fitness in racket sports is the No 1 factor - I play squash and racketball to a fairly decent area standard but when your opponent gets to everything its a mind blowing thing.
As for Murray he is a master of knowing his limitations he will rise again (seems to have dips like this) don't write him off ever.
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Who is gonna win Ladies final tonight....got to be Kerber hasn't it???
Annabel Croft looking fit tonight....50 now...looking good
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Davis Cup Semi Final against Argentina kicks off tomorrow
Andy Murray v Del Potro first up at 13:00. If half as good as Olympic final will be a good game.
Up in Glasgow again.
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First set to Del Potro 6-4
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4-6, 7-5 now One all
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4-6, 7-5 now One all
4-6. 7-5. 7-6 Murray
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In the other World Group Semi:
Croatia 0-1 France
http://www.daviscup.com/en/home.aspx
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A disappointing 4th set for Murray 3-6
2 each now ...a 5th set to come
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GB pulled semi back to 2-2 earlier with Andy's victory over Pella.
The Argentine tactic of playing Del Potro in the doubles has really backfired, they thought they could take an unassailable 3-0 lead. They failed so now
Del Potro is too tired or not 100% to take his place in the deciding rubber against Villas own Dan Evans.
So it's Meyler lined up against Dan and Dan has taken the first set 6-4 and 1-1 in 2nd.
Great atmosphere and great viewing.
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Villa fan Dan Evans had a great start and is up one set to nil.
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Villa fan Dan Evans had a great start and is up one set to nil.
Started off well, lost momentum and then got a mauling. He's a Viila fan alright.
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Villa fan Dan Evans had a great start and is up one set to nil.
Started off well, lost momentum and then got a mauling. He's a Viila fan alright.
Yep, the Argentinian player was too strong in the end. GB really need Murray to win both his games and the doubles with his brother at that level.
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"Nick Kyrgios banned for eight weeks & fined $25,000 by ATP"
http://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/37676278 (http://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/37676278)
Also from The Guardian
"Why we might resist caning Nick Kyrgios and perhaps just ask if he’s OK"
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/oct/13/why-we-might-resist-caning-nick-kyrgios-and-perhaps-just-ask-if-hes-ok (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/oct/13/why-we-might-resist-caning-nick-kyrgios-and-perhaps-just-ask-if-hes-ok)
u ok hun? x
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A belated well done to Andy Murray winning the China open last Sunday following on from another title in the Far East the week before. Two tournament victories in 10 matches and didn't drop a set! Rapidly closing on the number one spot to topple Djokovic. A brilliant year for him and now playing the best tennis of his career.
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Raonic withdraws... Murray World number one on Monday.
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Well done Andy!!
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Andy Murray. Talent plus hard work. Well deserved.
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Brilliant year for Andy. Well done! Now beat Isner in the Paris final!
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He has won first set 6-3
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Another trophy for Andy! Great that he's World number one. Hopefully he will go into 2017 as still the number one!
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He will, and should extend his lead over Djokovic because after reaching the Aussie Open Final he took a few weeks off to be with his new babby and then had a relatively poor run of results until reaching the French Open final and then teaming up with Lendl before Wimbledon.
So not too many ranking points to defend in the first six months of 2017.
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Another trophy for Andy! Great that he's World number one. Hopefully he will go into 2017 as still the number one!
Hopefully he will win more majors next year. When his tennis career is over, he will mainly be judged on how many grand slams he won, not how long he spent as no 1 in the rankings.
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Another trophy for Andy! Great that he's World number one. Hopefully he will go into 2017 as still the number one!
Hopefully he will win more majors next year. When his tennis career is over, he will mainly be judged on how many grand slams he won, not how long he spent as no 1 in the rankings.
I think he'll be judged as a brilliant player who won majors (and Olympic titles) and got to number one in the most competitive era Men's tennis has ever seen. Federer, Nadal AND Djokovic yet he's still done all that. I don't think he should worry about how history will judge him!
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Another trophy for Andy! Great that he's World number one. Hopefully he will go into 2017 as still the number one!
Hopefully he will win more majors next year. When his tennis career is over, he will mainly be judged on how many grand slams he won, not how long he spent as no 1 in the rankings.
I think he'll be judged as a brilliant player who won majors (and Olympic titles) and got to number one in the most competitive era Men's tennis has ever seen. Federer, Nadal AND Djokovic yet he's still done all that. I don't think he should worry about how history will judge him!
Fair comment, but I believe Federer and Nadal are spent forces regarding winning any more majors and providing he does not have any major injuries, with the talent he has he should be looking to at list double his tally of 3 grand slams over the next few years.
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The schedule has been against Murray. How come he played yesterday and Djokovic gets a rest day? Also Murray had a brutal half of the draw, but he's been brilliant to get through. Even Monfils pulled out with injury against Djokovic and was replaced by Goffin, who is no real threat.
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Yes, considering he's the top seed, Murray had the far harder draw.
Fancy him more against Raonic than Nishikori though. Raonic has played well so far in this tournament, but I think he has a mental block where he doesn't believe that he can beat the top 2. He really should have beaten Djokovic
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It's going to take an incredible effort for Murray to win now.
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Djokovic is a lucky git. An extra days rest on Friday and a 6-1, 6-1 walkover against a tired Nishikori following a much easier half of the draw. I hope I'm wrong but Murray might just be too tired in tonight's final, especially after 3 hours 38 minutes against Raonic in the epic semi yesterday. But Murray has tremendous heart, desire and willpower, so you never know....
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Djokovic is a lucky git. An extra days rest on Friday and a 6-1, 6-1 walkover against a tired Nishikori following a much easier half of the draw. I hope I'm wrong but Murray might just be too tired in tonight's final, especially after 3 hours 38 minutes against Raonic in the epic semi yesterday. But Murray has tremendous heart, desire and willpower, so you never know....
Think Murray played his final yesterday - Djokovic to win in straight sets.
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Still bemuses me how some sports fans in this country just don't "get" Andy Murray.
The guy will go down in history once he's done as one of the greatest ever British sportsman.
I can only conclude people dislike Tennis as a sport and all its elitism which is fair enough but don't take that out on Murray.
If we're still going on about what he said about the England team 10 years ago....just get over it. Indeed pretty much all of us on here and elsewhere have said far worse about England given how they've performed in the last decade.
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1st set to Murray
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1st set to Murray
Inspired world class tennis from Murray
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Insanely brilliant effort.
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Murray wins
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Well done indeed, Andrew.
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Perfect timing thanks Andy, Planet Earth 2 awaits.
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Still bemuses me how some sports fans in this country just don't "get" Andy Murray.
The guy will go down in history once he's done as one of the greatest ever British sportsman.
I can only conclude people dislike Tennis as a sport and all its elitism which is fair enough but don't take that out on Murray.
If we're still going on about what he said about the England team 10 years ago....just get over it. Indeed pretty much all of us on here and elsewhere have said far worse about England given how they've performed in the last decade.
I actually take Murray to be our greatest sportsman of all time. His dedication is next to none, he keeps improving but unfortunately it is the elitism of the sport I detest. Tennis clubs in the UK is all about doubles. You therefore need some kind of super spoon at birth to get over that hurdle.
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What about Gabby?
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He's a remarkable sportsperson. One of, if not the greatest, that Britain has produced.
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Brilliant by Andy to win that in two straight sets!! World Number one still! I suspect we'll be saying that for some time now, especially with Ivan Lendl guiding him!!
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I really hope he gets 5 or 6 Grand Slams over the next two years, he really deserves it.
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I really hope he gets 5 or 6 Grand Slams over the next two years, he really deserves it.
Be nice to see him win the French and Australian to complete the set.
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A fabulous achievement, achieved through talent and obsessive single-mindedness.
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In his generation he has faced Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, yet through bloody mindedness and determination has reached number 1.
Most humans would have settled for the #4 seed and lived a very successful life, but that never seemed to be enough for Murray.
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Andy Murray was once a great base line player, now he actually looks to attack this opponent and has developed some terrific cross court shots. Easily, the best British more sportsman who has achieved his potential in my lifetime.
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I really hope he gets 5 or 6 Grand Slams over the next two years, he really deserves it.
Be nice to see him win the French and Australian to complete the set.
Surely he can win the Australian at some point, think he's been in 5 finals and never won it. Think the French will be a struggle though.
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I really hope he gets 5 or 6 Grand Slams over the next two years, he really deserves it.
Be nice to see him win the French and Australian to complete the set.
Surely he can win the Australian at some point, think he's been in 5 finals and never won it. Think the French will be a struggle though.
Ah, but Lendl is back on board now. The stunning success of the last 5 months has coincided with Lendl's return. He'll win in Australia and retain his Wimbledon title, that's my prediction...
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The Australian open is there for the taking, good luck Andy.