TENNIS THREAD - The clay season is in full swing, and it's onwards to Roland Garros!

[Raahh]

Shiny new thread.

Hopefully we will see some players return from injury in the next few weeks.

Munich/Istanbul in play this week amongst other tournaments.

Madrid week beginning the 7th (hopefully with Delpo playing)

Oh dear - fognini just won the first set after being 4 - 1 down. He deserved it as well. The crowd are also behind him.

Rafa looking a bit rattled - not sure if he’ll be able to come back. I’ve realised that everytime I actually watch Rafa he doesn’t do very well - maybe I should go and do something else!

Rafa looking nice in yellowy/orange Raahh

Fizzy it's making me nervous not being able to watch.

And obviously, Foggy will have a 'home' advantage.
I hope Rafa can pull it together. I can already hear the media deciding his career is on the ropes if he loses .

I can't wait to be able to start 'watching' again. The dc won't be happy. The weeks from RG, right through to the end of Wimbledon, become the period of' benign neglect' in the Raahh household .

A bit of neglect is good for them. Gives them some independent spirit. (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.)

I went off to dismantle some furniture and I come back to Rafa having lost the set

Rafa doing better in second set - he’ll be 3-0 up if he holds his serve.

I think the benign neglect has already started here - the bathroom is looking decidedly grotty (as is the rest of the house!) and I’ve got a few people coming round to watch royal wedding tomorrow.

Wish everyone would leave me alone to watch tennis in squalor

Me too Fizzy. We've been redecorating and the house is a tip. There's stuff everywhere it shouldn't be. I'm loving having nothing in my bedroom while it being done though. Maybe I'll just throw it all out!

My bathroom is the only room that is presentable

Fizzy I'd be happy to be left alone to watch tennis in squalor .

My mother is extremely house proud (I did not inherit this trait - I settle for habitable most of the time), but for two glorious weeks when I was little, she used to plonk herself in front of Wimbledon (with a bag of gooseberries ,and a bag of plums), and the house would be a bit less tidy. Except for the middle Sunday. She made up for it on the middle Sunday .

Wish I could say the same about my bathroom jane.

Rafa just got the second set 6-1 -wow!

Apparently Rafa not happy with fognini keeping up a debate with the umpire. He has been giving fognini some hard stares!

That's better.

There's been a lot of arguing with umpires , by all accounts.

Karolina Pliskova attacked the umpire's chair yesterday and her sister has weighed in and said she never wants that umpire to officiate at any of their matches again . Big dramas

at your Wimbledon watching mum Raahh

It's been ages since I've seen any of the women's tennis.

I'll have to try and get the house sorted before RG starts and get everything back where it belongs.

Fizzy she's still the same, only now she has Sky, and watches everything. And is also obsessed by cricket. Yet she still manages to keep the house immaculate. Although when I spoke to her earlier, she was painting the skirting boards.

She decorates a lot too.

looks around at walls last painted about 8 years ago

Vamos Rafa!

Jane I don't watch much of the women, sometimes the matches can be better than the men. Sometimes though, they are over in half an hour in very one sided straight sets. It seems to happen a lot more with the women, than the men, even at slams.

Cricket is a sport that I just do not get - my DH loves it. It goes on forever and then they declare a draw because of some rain.

I think because I’ve got people coming round tomorrow I’m seeing the house through other peoples eyes and it’s not looking good!

Not sure if fognini has hurt his knee but he seems to have faded in the third set. Could still be dangerous though

That's the thing with Fognini. He goes all lackadaisical but he's still managing to get the points.

That's my view of cricket too, Fizzy

Vamos Rafa!

Phew!

Well done Rafa! Could be Djokovic next?

I'm trying to work out who Rafa has a better chance against in the semi - Novak, who is only just coming back into form, or Kei, who he beat recently, and has been recently injured, (but he can pull things out of the bag when least expected). Also which match is better for my nerves? I never like Rafa playing Novak. Even a less than 100% Novak.

Meanwhile, the bottom half of the draw are quietly going on , probably happy the spotlight isn't on them. .

So , Cilic is through.

Goffin/Zverev should be an interesting one.

Shrieky just won and looked very happy about it.
Debating who I would be potentially easier for Rafa out of the Djokovic match....

lady it's a bit of a tough one to call although I think Djok's run this week will have given him a boost, so I expect he will win his match against Kei.

I think the last time Rafa and Novak played (and Rafa won) was Madrid last year in the semi. So , Rafa should have the edge. But who knows what a bit of confidence might do for Novak?

Well, Nish has started well...