2019 Wimbledon

Freethinker

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Halep embarrassing the lumbering linebacker. Up 6-2, 5-2...can’t wait for the excuses.
:aplastao::aaaaa::applaudit:

A great way to start the weekend!

Also, I agree with others that I’d like to see Roger win 1 more. I’d like him to retire with more grand slam championships than Nadal since he is and was the better all around player. No offense to Rafa, but his dominance on clay has skewed his grand slam count.
 

Westside

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Maybe Brutus has been reading the comments section here and else where. She said she felt like a "deer in headlights" against Halep And that Halep played out of her mind. I will guess that is a complement.
 

white is right

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Maybe Brutus has been reading the comments section here and else where. She said she felt like a "deer in headlights" against Halep And that Halep played out of her mind. I will guess that is a complement.
Halep won the tournament more than the tranny lookalike lost it. She played better than I thought she was capable of, every time Ray Lewis Jr loses it's one step slower in the next major and it shows when an elite younger player is playing elite level tennis as Jr. can't beat her.

PS, I saw the betting odds before the match and bettors were betting Halep hard as she was only a 8/5 live dog, I figured Williams would at least be a 3 to 1 favorite.
 

white lightning

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Halep wins to cement her place as the top female tennis player currently in my opinion. Huge stepping stone grand slame to help her tremendously going forward. She finally knows that she
can not only beat Serena but to dominate her in straight sets. Congrats to Simona Halep!
 

BeyondFedUp

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So very, very glad Halep won, and in such dominating fashion. It made my day.
 

icsept

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Watching the post match coverage and the men’s doubles. Chris Evert and Darren Cahill are repeatedly calling Serena the GOAT. I still consider Graf and Navratilova as definitely in the conversation. Brad Gilbert is calling Margaret Court’s 24 slams tainted because the Australian Open was only a 48 player draw in her day.

Similar to discrediting White baseball players records before negros were integrated. However, everyone states that Bill Russell is the greatest NBA. champion with 11 rings, and never mention the fact that there were only 8 - 12 teams in the league during his tenure.
 

Don Wassall

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I just watched it after accidentally reading icsept's "spoiler alert" lol. I saw it listed for 3 pm Eastern time on ABC and forgot about the time difference between here and across the pond. What a butt kicking, so satisfying to watch, especially after watching Brutus humiliate so many White girls in the past! Halep played fantastically well, with almost as much power as the obese Brutus, but with much faster legs and far better shot placement. Although the Chrisses, Fowler and Evert, acknowledged her ability to run down balls, not once was Simona credited with having athleticism, a compliment so regularly given to blacks who can run well.

Nice to see Simona had solid support from the crowd right from the beginning of the match. I'm also glad she won because I watched her match against the Chinese player Zhang, in which Halep started slowly, and the obnoxious Martina Navratilova was constantly disparaging her. And I'll also give Williams credit for acting very generously after getting whipped so handily. Maybe she'll resort to her usual excuse making afterwards but at least she comported herself well on the court in defeat.

So awesome, can't wait to watch the men's final!
 

BeyondFedUp

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I was just watching the recap and I learned that Halep only had 3 unforced errors today. THREE! THAT, in a Women's match is almost unheard of, especially playing against the Linebacker. What a feat!! Congrats again to Halep!
 

Quiet Speed

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Only watched the highlights, it looked like Halep was hitting the ball extremely deep. I can remember Kim Clijsters knocking Serena out of the US Open a few years ago by frustrating her with deep shots to Williams' backhand. Halep's effort against Williams was somewhat reminiscent of the way Justin Henin could take it to both Venus and Serena.
 

BeyondFedUp

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Ok, I'm not happy with the outcome but Djokovic deserved it. His ability to hit anything back is unmatched. He's very deserving today.

I think Fed will hang it up after the U.S. Open.
 

white is right

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Watching the post match coverage and the men’s doubles. Chris Evert and Darren Cahill are repeatedly calling Serena the GOAT. I still consider Graf and Navratilova as definitely in the conversation. Brad Gilbert is calling Margaret Court’s 24 slams tainted because the Australian Open was only a 48 player draw in her day.

Similar to discrediting White baseball players records before negros were integrated. However, everyone states that Bill Russell is the greatest NBA. champion with 11 rings, and never mention the fact that there were only 8 - 12 teams in the league during his tenure.
If Graf was compelled to forge on she easily would have won at least 6 or 7 majors more as she while past her peak had no real rival at that point as Seles had faded by the time of her retirement.

Plus Graf never had the 1000 pound PED elephant in the room. The Fancy Bear leak proves that at minimum Williams has been abusing medical notes to get an edge, but with the visual evidence it's obviously more than this or she would at least look like her sister muscle wise.
 

CrazyFinn

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Great match and a well deserved victory for Djokovic, further cementing his claim on the GOAT throne. I don’t believe he’s done winning majors, while Rafa is probably down to maybe one more French and Federer probably lost his last and best chance today.

On another note, it’s interesting that with perhaps the exception of Aussie fans, Djokovic has never enjoyed the same adoration and popularity from tennis fans around the world compared to Federer and Nadal. Even here at CF, he’s ranked third in popularity (of the big three), and I don’t quite know why. He’s an alpha white man of Slavic descent, nothing on the PC/SJW side he’s said or done that I’m aware of, and the great majority of his charitable endeavors focus on the poor people and children of his own country in Serbia. Federer’s foundation and charity work primarily focuses on Africa, for instance.

Maybe it’s time to give this great player some more respect than he’s been getting, while taking nothing away from the other 2.
 

Don Wassall

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I just watched it on the Tennis Channel after purposely not knowing all day who won. What an awesome, epic battle of wills!

I like Djokovic as much as the other two giants of this era. I agree he's a class act, and also overcame a very tough environment, growing up at a time when his country was being plundered by NATO aggression, circumstances unknowable to the vast majority of today's way too comfortable White people. It's understandable why the crowd was for Federer, but when he retires and Novak starts getting closer to the end, he'll become more of a sentimental favorite like Roger is now.

Great match that will always rank among the most memorable Wimbledon finals.
 

Shadowlight

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I wonder if the media is as up in arms as I am about the tiebreaker rule change. Like so many other changes in modern day life the change was made because a few matches in recent times went on for a long time as you had to win by two games in the fifth and final set. I think that is still in place at the US Open.

Keep in mind no other match in this tournament went to a fifth set tiebreaker except for the Fed/Djokovic dual.

Well the point being the old rule was the old manly let the best man win. This new rule feels like a gimmick. After 12 games in the fifth all of a sudden they switch gears for a tiebreaker to 7? Another step on tradition and I don't like it one bit.

And I think it cost Federer the match. Djokovic won every tiebreaker to 7 whereas Fed won every conventional set. Remember Fed beat Roddick in 2009 under the old rules.

Now Fed did have two match points on his serve and in a rare moment I thought he made a mistake serving down the tee. Should have gone wide. Be that as it may it was truly up for grabs and Djokovic is a relentless grinder who is nearly impossible to take down these days in huge grand slam matches. Fed relied on his brilliant serving, net rushing and shot making but Djokovic's outstanding athleticism kept up every step of the way.

I wanted Roger to win in the worst way and this one is going to sting for a long time.

No media outlets said over a year plus ago that neither Roger or Serena would win another major but I did. Sadly in the case of Roger I have been proven correct so far.

Peter Bodo wrote a nice article on Simona Halep in the May/June 2018 Tennis magazine. She was the cover star and it was right before her French Open win.

Halep is a great story. Her dominating win here assures her of Hall of Fame status. Her 2017-2018 number one player status was nice window dressing but to put real meat on that bone she needed to winsome majors. She was fabulous from the get go and as I had mentioned before the match as long as she didn't fall down the mental rabbit hole she would beat Serena. Her jack rabbit quickness was a sheer delight to watch in this match.

But Bodo hit the nail on the head. Halep improved in two necessary areas. Her serve is now a weapon at times. And her defensive style of play in the past was primarily just getting the ball back. As evidenced by her win here she can hit some sharp angled winners or down the line beauties now which translates into better results on the biggest stages.

I was jubilant she won and I have written about her here at CF more than any other female tennis player in the last several years. So happy for her and she kept her poise. Nothing like winning Wimbledon. Or losing it when you have two match points on your own serve.

Hope to say a few more words about Simona in the not too distant future.

I am having trouble getting on the internet lately and I don't know when or if I can get that resolved so at least for the time being I will be posting much more infrequently.
 

Shadowlight

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While the Federer loss is still ringing in my ears the Halep win was special for me on so many levels.

For starters she is my, and has been for several years, my current favorite female player. Her win at prestigious Wimbledon ranks as one of the greatest Wimbledon moments for me of all time. The last time I was so happy about a Wimbledon win on the female side was when Maria stunned the tennis world and defeated Serena in 2004.

Halep's biography will be a winner. So many sharp twists and turns but after all her trials redemption comes calling. Would make a good movie too.

It is worth remembering that when she first emerged this feisty upstart was a battler. Somewhere along the way the negativity started to overwhelm her at times despite being number one in 2017 and 2018. In fact I earmarked her as the 2018 female player of the year last season. She won the French and reached the finals in the Australian all the while being number one. She deserved every bit of that tag.

And while her emotions and meltdowns were often discussed it is also worth remembering that when she has reached a grand slam final she has played well.

Out of nowhere she emerged in 2014 and gave Maria a tough three set battle in the French final.

And against Ostapenko in 2017 at the French final as a heavy favorite the pressure became too much and she frankly melted down eventually being overpowered and overwhelmed by a young upstart. It was hers to win with a set up and 3-0 lead in the second but it all unraveled.

But she remained a steady force on tour and last year in the Australian she won some huge battles before succumbing to Wozniacki in a wild tight three set match that could have gone either way. Both players were trying to shake off their "choke" tags and win their first major.

After that tough loss the media started to feel some empathy for Halep who despite her on court antics is actually a nice laid back person off the tennis courts. And for all her battles she had not won a major yet.

Which is why her stirring comeback against Sloane Stephens in the 2018 French Open final was so fulfilling. A great moment in time against a young stronger athletic foe. She showed the nerve necessary in finishing the deal. And what a relief. And she showed that no one was going to outclass her in the movement department.

The rest of her 2018 was more of a hangover despite her superb run in hard court tournaments. But she faltered in the two big remaining majors and some of her momentum was stalled.

She did not get out of the gates great this season losing much too early in the Australian and French. And unlike her usual pattern she wasn't winning any tournaments either. Not a complete collapse but a disappointment nonetheless.

Then came Wimbledon!!! After a sluggish start with the media getting on her when she said she was just "chill" ( I worried about that myself), Halep played superb tennis after getting behind a Chinese foe. Along the way she took down media hero Coco and just pulverized everyone in her path. Her new found aggressive play turning her great defense into offense started to wear down opponents. Her put away shots had more of a punch now. Her supernatural rabbit like quickness all over the court was in full display in what has to be her finest hour as she took down Serena within an hour in what was essentially error free tennis. And her negative antics of yore were nowhere to be seen as she took apart her opponents with laser sharp focus and determination.

Talk about a full stop turn around!

Halep is a bit unique. Before the Williams sisters started to take hold the delicate maestro Martina Hingis ruled the courts and I enjoyed her purest and stylish play. But the big boomers knocked her for a loop, among other things.

Two of my favorite players during the Venus and Serena dynasty were Kim Clijsters and Justin Henin. And they were serious threats to both Venus and Serena but for various reasons they left the game way too early. If they had stayed the course I doubt either Venus or Serena would have bagged as many majors but that is water under the bridge.

Henin was small like Halep but in a different way. Less compact and lankier, Henin was a stylish quick player who was wiry strong. Her one handed back hand was considered one of the best of all time. Henin was a masterful clay court player who won four French Open titles between 2003 and 2007. She also won two US Open titles and bagged seven total majors. She was a delight for tennis purists.

Clijsters was an athletic bull. Strong flexible and fast with powerful ground strokes she ranks as one of the best pure athletes to play tennis. Her dad was a soccer star. But it took Kim a long time to figure things out. She had little sense of strategy but the sheer strength of her game like a female version of Boris Becker did shine through later on in her career. She had left tennis had a baby and came back and won three majors. Her three US Open titles (2005,2009-10) were very memorable and I felt happy for her. It was comforting to see her win the big ones after years of frustration. And like Halep, Kim was much liked.

Halep has very short arms which makes you appreciate what she can get done on a tennis court. While she doesn't possess the power of a Clijsters, she reminds me a touch of a mini version of her due to her powerful speedy moves around the court and her bursting compact body.

And at 27 Halep has finally developed a serve that can cause some trouble and with age her core strength seems to have improved giving her shots the necessary beef to put away opponents like she did here at Wimbledon. She still isn't one of the big hitters but she can sting the ball pretty well.

Seemingly in her prime it seems plausible to think Halep can match Clijsters and win four total majors. Henin with her seven would be tougher to reach only because Halep unlike Henin, doesn't have a defined offensive attack. She is still primarily a defensive whiz.

But while I think she is capable of winning two more majors I wouldn't stake my life on it either. These days women's tennis has been difficult to gauge. But Halep has already had great success on the clay and you don't get a number one ranking two years in a row without being excellent on hard courts.

Wimbledon is another whole kettle of tea. It requires strength and most often athleticism. Unless you are a powerful masher from the moon one must be quick and light on their feet. And quick of mind. Halep demonstrated all of those qualities in spades against Serena putting away a powerful player with ferocious intensity. It was a pleasure to witness along with the post game ceremonies. Simona's child like wonder as they paraded her around the interior building meeting royalty etc. was adorable.

And while she hopes to follow in the footsteps of Clijsters and Henin it is worth remembering this. Neither Henin ( who made the final in 2001 and lost to Serena) or Clijsters, came very close to winning Wimbledon. Simona has a leg up on those two in what is without argument the crowning gem of all the majors. Winning Wimbledon is too special for words. So happy for Halep.

Go Simona and good luck in the US Open.
 
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Shadowlight

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Want to make a correction. Henin played and lost in two Wimbledon finals. In 2001 she lost to Venus Williams, not Serena, in three sets losing the final set 6-0. In 2006 she also lost in three sets to Amelie Mauresmo. In 2001 she was only 19 years old. Henin also made three semifinals at Wimbledon so was not just a clay court whiz. I barely remember the 2001 match but I remember rooting for her in 2006.

But Simona won Wimbledon and that is quite an achievement for a player of her smallish stature.

Two things I regret most about tennis the past five to ten years.

One is that neither Wimbledon or the US Open are shown on major non cable TV stations. Breakfast at Wimbledon was a tradition on NBC for ages. And CBS was the home for the US Open. ESPN swallowed up everything.

ESPN has a lot of coverage but now only the French Open is shown on a non cable channel (NBC) and that is limited to weekends.

ESPN carries the load along with the Tennis Channel. ESPN will focus on tennis during the tournaments but it often feels like they absorbed tennis coverage only to sideline it in the grand scheme of things as they focus mainly on football and basketball.

ABC does replay the finals over the weekend but depending on the match length it is usually abbreviated.

The other problem that really bugs me is the Sports Illustrated coverage. For years SI would cover all four grand slam events without skipping a beat. They especially did big spread articles on Wimbledon and the US Open.

Those days are long gone. Even though SI was recently "sold" the current company still controls the magazine end of things for the next two years and they are hell bound on keeping it as a bi weekly instead of the more timely weekly. Which often means many events aren't covered in a timely manner or just skipped over because it fell on an odd week.

The reason I bring this up is in the past I would have been highly anticipating their coverage of this Wimbledon. Especially Simona Halep's breathtaking performance. Sadly since SI came out last week I suspect they will skip coverage altogether.

To date as far as Halep is concerned SI has been missing in action. They didn't bother with her stirring comeback win at the French Open which finally broke her finals loosing streak. And it looks like they will skip her exploits at Wimbledon this go around.

They have however featured a couple of features on Sloane Stephens and Naomi Osaka. Osaka like Halep is not from the USA.

Very frustrating. The flow of information in this robotic computerized modern age has completely jangled up the printed word.

If the world turned upside down and I was the editor of SI I would return it to a weekly (50 issues a year) and cut costs by hiring young hungry writers and photographers.
 
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