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Tennis Thread

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about 9 years ago

Good final, enjoyed that. #23 singles titles, Serena a quite remarkable athlete.

E's Flat Ah's Flat Too

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about 9 years ago

I wouldn't have minded Venus winning, Serena was far too good.

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about 9 years ago

Getting a bit sick of the Federer gushing. "Magical story," "like a movie" etc etc. Being made to sound like some journeyman who has never won anything, suddenly making the final from nowhere at the end of his career after all the years of trying. Bit like the Hollywood Wimbledon movie I suppose. In fact, it almost sounds as if it was Zverev or Istomin who had made the final. Has he genuinely played a match in this tournament that noone thought he would win? I didn't see anyone in his draw challenging him apart from Wawrinka making it tough but still would have been shocked if he'd lost. Was surprised Nishikori got a couple of sets off him too. Hope Nadal stuffs him.

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about 9 years ago

I'm in the Fed camp. But not too bothered if Nadal wins.  I hope it is a classic

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about 9 years ago · edited about 9 years ago · History

He did it, take a bow Roger.  18th grand slam win for the Fed Express.

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about 9 years ago

The best win of Fed's insane career in the craziest of circumstances. Rafa is an anomaly which is what makes this all the better. Can't think of two better ambassadors for sport. 

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about 9 years ago

The GOAT. So glad blood bags got his arse handed to him. On ya Fed!

Three for me, and two for them.

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about 9 years ago

I searching for an analogy with boxing...

Feels like Rafa is like Joe Frazier (his own nuggety effective style), Djokovic is like George Foreman (truly better in most aspects, strong, a misfiring genius in others) and Federer is Ali (in the technical sense - a smooth, classy technician, with wily street smarts). All of them 'greats' in a period of unbelievable competition. 

PS: Andy Murray is definitely Harry Cooper in to continue the analogy.  

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over 8 years ago

Erakovic goes out 1st round of Wimbledon to 2nd seed Halep.  35,000 squids should stop her crying into her strawberries.

"At the end of the drive the lawmen arrive...

I'll take my chance because luck is on my side or something...

Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand...

Oh Rio, Rio, hear them shout across the land..."

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over 8 years ago

Hasta luego Rafa

Oi Oi Edgecumbe... lets have a clean sheet

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over 8 years ago

Interesting results overnight....... c'mon Fed!!!

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over 8 years ago

Murray could be in dire straights with his hip stuffed, not an easy one to fix.

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over 8 years ago

Murray out! Please Fed, make some history.

Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!

The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!

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over 8 years ago

Fed wins Wimbledon! Victory for OAPs worldwide!

"At the end of the drive the lawmen arrive...

I'll take my chance because luck is on my side or something...

Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand...

Oh Rio, Rio, hear them shout across the land..."

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over 8 years ago

Fed Express coming through. And what a pleasant attitude he has. The consumate professional. A good winner and a good loser. Unlike Andy Muraay.

Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!

The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!

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over 8 years ago

Bit of a long shot asking here, but are there any tennis players on here looking to play interclub in Wellington in the coming summer season? My team in Men's 4th grade is in need of players due to some departures from last season's team so could suit someone who maybe doesn't get to play every week at their current club and would like a more regular game, or maybe doesn't have the option of playing at this level. Let me know if you or anyone you know could be interested.

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over 1 year ago
All aboard the Lulu Sun band wagon!
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over 1 year ago
Her win over Raducanu was even featured quite heavily here tonight on SBS Australia's sports news.

Smart lass. Speaks English, Mandarin & French I understand. Learning Spanish. BA in Political Science.

Hits the ball hard. Oozing confidence, when she could have froze on Centre Court against the UK's favourite tennis darling. Seems Sun's Slovak coach is a master at turning unheard of players into top-20 material. 

Dare to believe! I think she can go further yet. 
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over 1 year ago · edited over 1 year ago · History
Watched her marches screened on TVNZ plus thus far.

Really nice player. Strong lefty first serve, fast whiplash ground strokes and good at the net as well.

Second serve is a tad suspicious and obviously going for so many winners with her ground strokes can lead to a truck load of unforced errors.

Interestingly last two matches on both occasions first serve percentage has been around 55 per cent.

If she can up that to 65, she has a really good chance with the draw to make the final which would be madness. 

Good to see nz tennis managed to get her after letting a couple of goodies slip through their fingers in recent years

Auckland will rise once more

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over 1 year ago
She has a lot of power in her shots, and her ability to place shots out wide and on the baseline is quite impressive. 

But yeah a lot of it does seem to depend on her getting her first serve in, when she has to go to a 2nd serve that's when her opponents can damage her
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over 1 year ago
Next time Lulu, next time.   
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over 1 year ago
The radio last night suggested that she only realigned herself with NZ a couple of months back to get an Olympic junket trip. Yes born in Te Anau but now after all these years wants to be a New Zealander. 

Probably quite cynical but not without merit.
Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!

The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!

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over 1 year ago · edited over 1 year ago · History
LG
The radio last night suggested that she only realigned herself with NZ a couple of months back to get an Olympic junket trip. Yes born in Te Anau but now after all these years wants to be a New Zealander. 

Probably quite cynical but not without merit.

Yeah, she made the decision in April, could have represented any number of Countries I guess with a Croation dad, Korean mum and living in Switzerland since she was 5.

Queenslander 3x a year.

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over 1 year ago · edited over 1 year ago · History
Yeah as a junior she represented Switzerland. She switched to NZ in April and was part of the NZ team in the Billie Jean King Cup that same month - likely with a view to the Olympics

Edit: Just a note, she qualified for the 1st round of the Aussie Open in January so I checked and she was representing Switzerland there too - so not just juniors then
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over 1 year ago · edited over 1 year ago · History
Give her some slack.

Don’t have any issue on someone born in our country and who lived here until the age of 5, with parents of different citizenship’s, who then decided to head overseas to two different countries and as a young adult  then spent 4 years in another country attending university, deciding NZ is her true home.

She is now the top ranked female player in both Switzerland or NZ. 

It doesn’t take much imagination on which country could support her the best financially 

Plus her going the Olympics actually allows the number 3 doubles player in the world to play - who also has an interesting background, being the citizen of two countries.



Auckland will rise once more

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over 1 year ago · edited over 1 year ago · History
theprof
LG
The radio last night suggested that she only realigned herself with NZ a couple of months back to get an Olympic junket trip. Yes born in Te Anau but now after all these years wants to be a New Zealander. 

Probably quite cynical but not without merit.

Yeah, she made the decision in April, could have represented any number of Countries I guess with a Croation dad, Korean mum and living in Switzerland since she was 5.

Her mum is Chinese and they lived in Shanghai for few years, after leaving NZ. Speaks English, Mandarin & French. Has a step dad, which is maybe how she and her mum ended up in Switzerland?? That's Winnie Reid's story with getting to Denmark, the step dad. Sun also went to University in Texas

I thought the story was she felt like she wasn't getting much support from Swiss Tennis, and NZ Tennis chased, she felt the love and changed allegiances. Has some family in NZ (maybe her natural father?)

But she's said herself,  she feels a bit of citizen of the world, emotional ties to many different places. Sounds like her Slovak coach is a bit of a guru with the whole self belief stuff, so important with tough lonely individual grind sports like tennis. Questioning daily am I good enough when slogging it out at low paying Challenger events etc

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over 1 year ago · edited over 1 year ago · History
Another great thing to note is that thanks to this run at Wimbledon it will give her enough ranking points to most likely stay in the top 104 for the next year which means automatic entry to all the Grand Slams until Wimbledon next year! 

When the next rankings come out she will be ranked 53 in the world.

I'm looking forward to having an NZ player to support in the singles at the Grand Slams - it's something we hardly ever get to see.

Also excited to see how her and Routliffe go together in the Doubles at the Olympics (Also Routliffe and Venus in the Mixed) - some decent opportunities for us in the tennis at the Olympics this year
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over 1 year ago
 I don’t think Venus will be there. He missed out on qualifying for the men’s doubles and due to this he can’t rock on up to the mixed. 



Auckland will rise once more

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over 1 year ago
AucklandPhoenix
 I don’t think Venus will be there. He missed out on qualifying for the men’s doubles and due to this he can’t rock on up to the mixed. 


I see you are right, that's disappointing
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over 1 year ago
Unfortunately Erin Routliffe lost the Wimbledon Womens Doubles final overnight.

But despite the loss she still becomes the new World Number 1 for Womens Doubles!
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over 1 year ago · edited over 1 year ago · History
Lulu Sun scheduled to play 12:35am NZ tonight in Olympic Womens singles, and then with Erin Routliffe at 4:35am NZ in the Womens doubles - both matches are tough ones against seeded players
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