Wimbledon...

[wire chief]

...begins later this month, so it is time to begin a thread we can use throughout and provide early news.
--Sharapova out on doping suspension
--So far Roger (who didn't play the French) plans to play and is still alive in a warm-up tournament in Germany
--Rafa, with his wrist in a cast, will skip it

 

[EricLA]

Sharapova out for 2 years for her drug use suspension. Yikes! Does that seem harsh? Her explanation seems to be that the substance was banned as of Jan 1 and she was tested right after that at the Australia Open which is why it was still in her system. Or does she have a different explanation now? What do you think? Fair or too harsh? The drug is used to treat heart conditions - she took it for 10 years? Does she even have a heart condition?

 

[easttexastrash]

Sharapova out for 2 years for her drug use suspension. Yikes! Does that seem harsh? Her explanation seems to be that the substance was banned as of Jan 1 and she was tested right after that at the Australia Open which is why it was still in her system. Or does she have a different explanation now? What do you think? Fair or too harsh? The drug is used to treat heart conditions - she took it for 10 years? Does she even have a heart condition?

Sharapova cannot claim ignorance. She had fair warning that the drug was going to be added to the list and chose to keep taking it. She can appeal to Roger Goodell and see where it gets her. I wonder if she has texts in her phone that show that she was going to keep taking the drug. I wonder if she still has the phone of if she destroyed it?

 

[easttexastrash]

As much as I would love to see Roger and Serena win another Wimbledon I don't think either will win another major.

I could be wrong about Serena, but after her US Open loss last year I predicted to my friends that she would never win another major and I am sticking with that prediction. She is currently not in the best shape, as she appears, to me, to be carrying extra weight that is not allowing her to move as well as she has in the past. I also think that she has allowed the attempt to tie Steffi's record to get in her head and she is playing not to lose instead of playing to win. I would honestly not be surprised to see a new number 1 player by the end of the year or early next year, and I would not be surprised to Muguruza as that new number 1.

I would love to see Venus have a good Wimbledon. This is her surface, both because of her style of play, but also because the matches can be kept much shorter by being an aggressive player. Hopefully she and Serena are on opposite sides of the draw this year. She is one of the most elegant movers I have ever seen on the court. Although the all-time most elegant mover on the women's side, in my opinion, was Evonne Goolagong. She almost seemed to be ice skating and playing tennis at the same time. HEY, there is an idea for you northerners!

Will any of the young guns break through on the men's side or will it be Novak and Murray in the final? If those young kids with the big serves can keep their cool mentally they should be ready to do well on the grass.

McEnroe teaming up with Raonic is the most intriguing pairing to me. That should be interesting to watch as they seem to be as different as two people can be.

 

[lne001]

She almost seemed to be ice skating and playing tennis at the same time. HEY, there is an idea for you northerners!

I think we've already stumbled on that concept.

 

[Frodo]

...begins later this month, so it is time to begin a thread we can use throughout and provide early news.
--Sharapova out on doping suspension
--So far Roger (who didn't play the French) plans to play and is still alive in a warm-up tournament in Germany
--Rafa, with his wrist in a cast, will skip it

During the spring clay court season I've been really impressed with some of the young guys like Goffin, Zverev, and Thiem, particularly Thiem. He seems to have one of the best kick serves I've seen in awhile. However, it seems like Djokovic or Murray and I wou

...begins later this month, so it is time to begin a thread we can use throughout and provide early news.
--Sharapova out on doping suspension
--So far Roger (who didn't play the French) plans to play and is still alive in a warm-up tournament in Germany
--Rafa, with his wrist in a cast, will skip it

Some of the young guys have been impressive during the clay court season...Goffin, Zverev, and Thiem, especially Thiem...great kick serves, but probably won't be as effective on grass. Federer just isn't the guy he was a couple of years ago, so a Murray-Djokovic final wouldn't surprise me. If I was going to pick a couple of guys to surprise the field, I'd go with Berdych, Raonic, but I don't think either of them returns serve well enough to win on grass. Of all the young players Thiem might be the one to watch.

 

[DaddyChoc]

what happened to the guy with dreads, think he had a long match last year? and Sloane, has she won anything... Madison Keys?

 

[j66kicker]

Although the all-time most elegant mover on the women's side, in my opinion, was Evonne Goolagong. She almost seemed to be ice skating and playing tennis at the same time. HEY, there is an idea for you northerners!

OMG - as a kid I had such a crush on Evonne Goolagong!

 

[wire chief]

Madison Keys had a stronger French than did Sloane. She seems to have greater potential with her top of the line ground stroke speed.

 

[EricLA]

Madison Keys had a stronger French than did Sloane. She seems to have greater potential with her top of the line ground stroke speed.

In my opinion, Sloane plays too defensively. She has strong ground strokes, but tends to him the ball right down the middle, only occasionally trying to take control of the point by moving the other player around to create an opening. Keys hits bigger and seems to have the more well rounded game... Just my $.02

 

[DaddyChoc]

Dustin Brown is his name

 

[wire chief]

Some lead-in tournaments are going on this week, and some have concluded.
We have noticed the rise of Dominic Thiem. Well he reportedly is astonished that he just beat Roger on grass in a semifinal. Elsewhere American Coco Vanderweghe won a final yesterday, while American Alison Fiske made a final, but lost.

Ine's post on paddle tennis reminded me of what I saw in a recent movie set in Romania. There's something called foot tennis that is soccer played with a tennis net. It's a bit reminiscent of volleyball, as players on the same side can set each other up. Points are scored like tennis, in that a shot into the net or out of bounds ends a rally. But of course, no "manu", por favor.

 

[meyers7]

Ine's post on paddle tennis reminded me of what I saw in a recent movie set in Romania. There's something called foot tennis that is soccer played with a tennis net. It's a bit reminiscent of volleyball, as players on the same side can set each other up. Points are scored like tennis, in that a shot into the net or out of bounds ends a rally. But of course, no "manu", por favor.

A lot of teams do that for training. Great for touch.

 

[Justavisitor]

As much as I would love to see Roger and Serena win another Wimbledon I don't think either will win another major.

I could be wrong about Serena, but after her US Open loss last year I predicted to my friends that she would never win another major and I am sticking with that prediction. She is currently not in the best shape, as she appears, to me, to be carrying extra weight that is not allowing her to move as well as she has in the past. I also think that she has allowed the attempt to tie Steffi's record to get in her head and she is playing not to lose instead of playing to win. I would honestly not be surprised to see a new number 1 player by the end of the year or early next year, and I would not be surprised to Muguruza as that new number 1.

I not sure why you are questioning Serena's fitness, but she's currently as fit as she's ever been. This is the reason why she can still compete at her current age. I certainly wouldn't count her out for winning another major, because she continues to put herself into the finals and as long as she's there on that final day, I'd say her chances are as good as anyone. I counted her out in the French finals, because the clay surface takes away alot of her strengths, but the fact she was there in the finals shows that she is more than ready for her best surface, which is the grass and being able to consistently hit through the grass courts with winners that are not retrievable like they are in the French. Also, in the French, she was injured in that final days. It was unfortunate that Bartoli used her players pass to gain insider information and revealed that information to the media outlets. This allowed for her opponent to have a strategy that would put her injury in play.

If Serena is all healed up, I like her chances to get it done at the Wimbledon.

 

[Justavisitor]

In my opinion, Sloane plays too defensively. She has strong ground strokes, but tends to him the ball right down the middle, only occasionally trying to take control of the point by moving the other player around to create an opening. Keys hits bigger and seems to have the more well rounded game... Just my $.02

Totally agree. Sloan is too passive and needs to use her weapons to take control of the points. She's not aggressive. I think this is her mental nature. Keys is getting closer and closer, though.

 

[wire chief]

Victoria's situation bears watching. the 2 time Australian champ, slowly working her way back from injury, has pulled out of a preliminary tournament.

 

[wire chief]

Two top 10ers, Jo Willi Tsonga and Simona Halep, have withdrawn from tune-up events. No decision yet about W play.
Dominic Thiem keeps rolling, after downing Roger in semis, he deals Philip Kohlschreiber a loss in the finals at Stuttgart.

 

[wire chief]

Also it will be fun to keep an eye on the Dutch Kiki Bertens who went from 58 prior to the French to #27 now.
And once-ranked #108 Shelby Rogers of S Car. is now 59.

 

[wire chief]

Hmmm...does this mean anything? Garbine Muzuruka (remember her?) loses early in a grass tune-up in Rafa's island.

 

[Justavisitor]

Hmmm...does this mean anything? Garbine Muzuruka (remember her?) loses early in a grass tune-up in Rafa's island.

Fatigue from the excitement and additional fan fare that goes along with winning her first ever slam.

 

[wire chief]

Bjorn Borg et al. on "crazy tennis parents".

Bjorn Borg 'shocked' by 'crazy tennis parents' - CNN.com

 

[wire chief]

Early round losses in the W run-ups include familiar names--Kvitova, Wozniacki & Radwanska, the latter by our very own Coco
Vanderweghe. On the strength of that victory, she is sure to be seeded at W.

 

[wire chief]

An American woman not named Williams in the top 10? Yep, on the strength of the title at the Aegon Classic yesterday, Madison Keys will not have to play a heavyweight in the 1st 3 rounds at W. We are one week away.

 

[Rocket009]

Andy Murray wins the Queen's Club, Wimbledon tune up. Maybe his new coach is helping already.

Andy Murray beats Milos Raonic to win record fifth Queen's title

 

[wire chief]

Andy Murray wins the Queen's Club, Wimbledon tune up. Maybe his new coach is helping already.

Andy Murray beats Milos Raonic to win record fifth Queen's title

There's an irony about Ivan Lendl as coach. Murray credits him for his aid in previously winning W, but it's the one major Ivan was never able to capture. Maybe it's a case of a surrogate father helping his boy accomplish what he never could.