Tennis Thread: Countdown to the Return of Delpo at a Very Specific Time

[JaneJeffer]

New thread for February. Happy St. Brigid's Day everyone

I've seen some nice footage of Rafa training. Looking good!

I would love if Ernests won Wimbledon. Imagine the party he would have

Hi magi hope things have improved for you and your family

the Champions' Ball wouldn't know what had hit it, if Ernests won Wimbledon! I am definitely straying into the realms of fantasy now... but it would be so great!!

Maybe if we all visualise it we can make it happen The Secret style

MN app keeps crashing and it's driving me mad.

Jane that makes me think of that old advert with Linford Christie: "PMA: Positive Mental Attitude"

Anything could happen!! Think we'd have to get Ernests on board though

Annoying about the app. I'm on the mobile site but it also seems slow atm.

Delpo is in training on clay - am taking this as a good sign? Surely he wouldn't bother practising on clay unless he was planning to play on it (ie this clay season)???

Hi magi hope things have improved for you and your family

Jane. We are getting there.

The sorting out/delay/revocation of Brexshit would help - they live 'forrin'.

Which just adds more angst to everything that is going on with them +
health related probs with family here.

I'd be so fine with telling you & the other regulars all my probs & taking your wishes & advice but this is just such an open forum that I really do not feel happy about posting any details about my life.

I'll just stick to

The problems afflicting 'forrin' family have been resolved - pretty much satisfactorily.

Feeling much better. The illness is with an aged family member & is very sad but has to be expected towards the end of life.

My tennis crazed friend has got tickets for the new style Davis Cup in Madrid in November.

magi i saw your post this morning and have been wanting to reply all day, but it's been a bit hectic here and I wanted time to reply properly. Anyway. Really glad to hear the forrin family issue is resolved and the you're feeling better on that score. That's one good thing. Brexit is causing enough problems without it interfering directly in your family life!!

Sorry to hear about your ill relative though very tough no matter what the circumstances.

I know what you mean about chatting about personal stuff - I always want to post more than I do!!! But my DMs are always open if anyone here needs a sounding board - not that I'd be any use most likely, I'm crap in a crisis

Meanwhile, has anyone seen this?! The ATP made the first pic (with the big Federer) to advertise the clay court season

Rafa fans (rightly) went mad, because who should be most prominent in a poster advertising clay court tennis?! Now let me think!!

So, fair play from the ATP, they produced a newer, better version!

I'm not sure why Zverev features so large though, unless they know something we don't?! No offence Sascha

Private I was just coming on to post about that! I mean - come on! I've been pretty pissed off (and have deleted several posts ) ever since it was announced that Fed was playing in Madrid anyway, and his inclusion there was met with a 'return of the Prodigal Son' like fanfare. They were making out suddenly the tournament is worth something again, . Bloody insulting, to all the other competitors, imo.
(and there's still time for him to withdraw).
Anyway. Rant over.

MagiI'm glad some things have sorted themselves. Feel free to moan/rant away, however vaguely .

Raahh it's annoying isn't it?! But there is no reason to give Fed top billing on clay. At all. He's barely played on it for the last few years. And he's my even No1 at the mo. I mean technically, that picture should have Stan in it to reflect his achievement in winning RG more recently than Roger!! Sigh.

not even No1 that should say. Why do I ever only notice typos immediately after posting!

It's years since Fed last won a tournament on clay. About 4? And that was just a minor one. Will they be using Rafa to advertise the American hardcourt swing? Of course not. It's just the ATP , once again, licking his boots. It's very, very boring. I don't care who he is . .

They will probably have to do a poster with him advertising the grass season to make up for it, bless. .

I would approve of that as long as they included all the other Wimbledon quarter finalists as well!

In the interest balance- it's also 4 years since Rafa a tournament on grass,(Stuttgart was that year) in case anyone was to accuse me of bias .

magi glad things have improved a bit for you. Sorry to hear about your relative. I know it's very stressful having been through similar with DF. It would be nice to be able to chat more freely on here but I agree it's best to be vague if necessary. Too many journalists lurking. TBF I am fairly vague in real life too (away with the fairies)

Private I love the new improved picture. The fecking cheek of them not to have Rafa as the main man in the first place though!

Jane I know - what were they thinking?! At least they saw the error of their ways (or should I say, had it pointed out to them!).

for you for your DF

Thanks Private

Jane I was just thinking how you were saying it would have been better if another one of the TV sports channels was showing men's tennis. I was reminded about it as I was checking the start date for Madrid - for no reason at all other than Delpo has his name down for it

And I remembered that it's a wta tournament as well. And then I was thinking that it's stupid showing men's and women's on separate channels/"platforms" as you are only getting half the tournament, and the best thing would have been for one channel to take both with a red button set up so they could show both. Wouldn't that be the most obvious fan-friendly way to do it? Sigh.

Anyway. I'd better go and watch that video of Delpo practising on clay again make lunch

Did anyone see the story a couple of days ago about Tara Moore winning a match from 0-6 0-5 30-40 match point down? Apparently, she saved the match point with a shot that clipped the net and bounced onto the outside edge of the line! I bet her opponent wanted to run away and hide after that

That's amazing kazza maybe her opponent got complacent.

You're right Private I hadn't really thought about it but imagine if there was athletics on and they showed the men on one network and the women on another. Everybody would be saying WTF!

kazza I read about Tara tbh I feel more sorry for the opponent than anything, can you imagine?!

I suppose the difficulty with one channel/network showing a tournament is whose match will they prioritise. The red button (or equivalent) is not always available. An article I read last summer showed up Wimbledon for being the worst offender for showing more men's than women's matches on the show (televised) courts, for example.

At least splitting the tours gives people who want to watch women's matches only, the option to do so. Without having to listen to commentators waffling about the men (unless you happened to be watching Eastbourne last year, that is ).

Not saying it's right, but it might be a reason.

Oh, and money. It's usually about money. .

And Tara- wow! winning a match from that scoreline.

That will be quiz question somewhere in years to come, and Jessika Ponchet may be remembered for all the wrong reasons, poor woman!

Yes, soon to become a Sporcle question!

But there's been an even worse one according to Charlie Eccleshare (the guy who is on the Tennis Podcast sometimes) on twitter:

"It turns out there has been a greater comeback than Tara Moore's from 0-6, 0-5, 30-40 yesterday.

At the 1983 US Open Barbie Bramblett was 0-6, 0-5, 0-40 down and won against Ann Hulbert in the second round of qualies! She saved 18 match points in total.

Thank you
@ ITF_Tennis"

Barbie Bramblett is such a great name as well, I love it!