Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

[Seven Saxon Kings]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Mannarino was terrible against Ward, it was only close because the Arsenal fan choked in the second. Has to be winnable.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

There are 40 different nations represented among the 128 players in the men's singles draw, which must be some sort of record.

There might have been even more but for the 3 wildcards the LTA have given to British men.

[Janik]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Unlikely as the number of wild cards is fixed. The ones that don't go to Brits tend to go to players coming towards the ends of their careers.

[Janik]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

That said, two of the other four wild cards went to Dudi Sela and Giles Muller, the only Israeli and Luxembourgeois in the draw respectively. Arnaud Clement and Alejandro Falla got the other two invitational spots, but there were other Frenchmen and Colombians.

[The Exploding Vole]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

I've lost touch with professional tennis. Which of the players strike the ball the most quietly? Because the're the ones I'd like to win.

[Outside Agent]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

I remember Monica Seles coming in for some hysterical criticism over her 'screech' back when she was top seed in 1992. I recall the BBC entertaining actual debates over it's legitimacy, and most talking heads were declaring it as being an act of misconduct. It definitely seeped into the crowds mind, as by the final, all of centre court appeared to be cheering for Graf over Seles.

[Diable Rouge]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Sadly Niland just threw away a golden opportunity - it was one set all, then Niland got a slight edge in the third set tie-breaker before the Frenchman prevailed, before Niland won the fourth set to level it up again. The Limerickman then broke Mannarino twice to lead 4-1 in the final set, before promptly losing the final five games.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

I bet almost every Fleet Street paper had a "limerick" lined up had he got through to face Federer on centre court, too. They will now presumably be consigned to the dustbin of history.

[Duncan Gardner]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Diable Rouge wrote:

Conor Niland could become the first Irish player at Wimbledon in aeons

Since 2007 actually. Claire Curran reached the second round of the mixed doubles, and with Keothavong lost in the first of the women's to the Williams sisters. She also played in the Fed Cup that year (partnering Baltacha) and had a career high doubles ranking of #89.

Rogin en la butaca wrote:

I bet almost every Fleet Street paper had a "limerick" lined up had he got through to face Federer on centre court, too. They will now presumably be consigned to the dustbin of history

An anonymous Culchie called Conor
Arrived to defend Ireland's honor
Against some French guy he led
And dreamt of playing R-Fed
But if it goes to a fifth, he's a goner

[The Exploding Vole]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Robin Soderling won his match yesterday in relative silence. Perhaps I'll root for him. But he doesn't look like much of a grass-court player.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Is this the all-purpose Wimbledon thread, then?

If so, I have to say that the first set between Kimiko Date-Krumm (40 years old, quit tennis altogether for 12 years) and Venus Williams (herself, what, 30ish and back after 5 months injury) just now was one of the most extraordinary bits of tennis I've ever watched. Date-Krumm won it after a tie-break. Catch it on repeat later if you can. It had everything.

They're into the second set now, and I almost don't care how it pans out, because it can surely only be an anticlimax.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Fascinating contrast in styles here. Venus hitting the ball harder but prone to fuck-ups. Kimiko physically weaker but mentally tougher.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Final set's going to 'extra time' as it were. Gripping stuff. If you're near a telly, switch it on.

[Incandenza]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Grantland is having Brian Phillips write about every Federer match. His intro piece yesterday is really fucking great.

[The Exploding Vole]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Wow, Venus through 8-6 in the third. Not many early-round women's matches are so close.

[Commodore]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

It was a compelling game, Date has always been resilient and she showed that today. Her occasional moments of left-handedness surprised a few online pundits, who I can only presume were unaware of the fact that Date was originally left-handed but was forced to switch to her right for the sake of conformity in her native Japan. God knows what she could have achieved had she stayed a leftie.

Both Williams sisters have been pushed in the first week, a sign perhaps that there are more and more players capable of dealing with their power and pace. The fact that neither are taking part in the doubles may yet prove counter-productive as their lack of fitness could be compensated by being a bit more au-fait with the conditions on court.

Laura Robson has just won a difficult match to earn herself a tie against Maria Sharapova. Robson's poor shot selection and reluctance to mix her game is unlikely to threaten an upset, although there aren't too many who hit the ball as sweetly as she does.

[Diable Rouge]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Is it time that women's matches were extended to five sets: there's no doubt that the players are as fit and physically capable as the men, so it does appear sexist to suggest that the Williamses, Zvonareva etc wouldn't be capable of such a format?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

They'd probably have to extend Grand Slams out to three weeks to accommodate the extra length of all those matches. As it is they struggle most years at Wimbledon to squeeze them all in on schedule with the men playing 5-set games and the women playing 3.

Both Williams sisters have been pushed in the first week, a sign perhaps that there are more and more players capable of dealing with their power and pace.

Well, one of them's into her thirties now and the other one was almost on her deathbed six months ago, that could also be a factor.

[Sean of the Shed]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

A lot more points are won on service in the men's game, so the total length of sets tends to be shorter than in the women's where there are more service returns and rallies. If the women's game was to increase to 5 sets, the games would be longer than the men's. Matches which went to five sets would invariably be won by the player with superior stamina rather than ability.

[Sean of the Shed]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

I heard Tracey Austin on the radio this evening doing a spot of punditry. I never want to hear her voice again. She talks in the exact same voice that Duffy sings with.

[The Exploding Vole]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Ooh, yes, women who sound like Tracy Austin is one of the reasons I'm grateful I live over here.

[Commodore]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Rogin en la butaca wrote:

They'd probably have to extend Grand Slams out to three weeks to accommodate the extra length of all those matches. As it is they struggle most years at Wimbledon to squeeze them all in on schedule with the men playing 5-set games and the women playing 3.

Both Williams sisters have been pushed in the first week, a sign perhaps that there are more and more players capable of dealing with their power and pace.

Well, one of them's into her thirties now and the other one was almost on her deathbed six months ago, that could also be a factor.

Age has not been so much of a factor in the women's game, not even recently as Clijsters and indeed Date have proved. And there is a difference between being on your deathbed and recognising a life-threatening condition and dealing with it in time, as was the case with Serena.

Soderling is all over the shop against former champion Hewitt who could provide the first real upset this year. Thought I saw Pat Rafter in the box; what a player he was.

[Satchmo Distel]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Men's doubles seems to have been reduced to three sets

[Janik]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Too much rain. They've done this before.
The final (and maybe the semis?) will still be five sets.

First real shock (in the Men's) was Bolelli beating Wawrinka, no? Lisicki beating Li in the Women's is the biggest story so far, though.

[The Exploding Vole]

Nadal vs Djokovic - match of the season?

Who's your money on, Janik?