Wimbledon 2010 Unofficial Thread

[DyronNix]

I'm in my mid-thirties so it was quite embarassing to be carrying around one of those big tennis balls for autographs a couple years ago at the Cincy tournament. I ran into Federer coming off a practice court that day and have never been happier to get someone's autograph. The guy behind me asked RF if he could shake hands with the greatest ever. Fed smiled and they shook hands. Why didn't I think of that!

Also, seeing Nadal in person is crazy. I've stood next to him and he is so much larger in real life than he appears on tv. He is built like a linebacker.

While Nadal is playing, he is constantly talking to the people in his box. It doesn't really come across on tv how much he looks to his box for "advice" during a match. He has a continuous conversation with his peeps in between points. Made me wish I had paid attention in Spanish class in high school.

 

[kidbourbon]

I'm in my mid-thirties so it was quite embarassing to be carrying around one of those big tennis balls for autographs a couple years ago at the Cincy tournament. I ran into Federer coming off a practice court that day and have never been happier to get someone's autograph. The guy behind me asked RF if he could shake hands with the greatest ever. Fed smiled and they shook hands. Why didn't I think of that!

Also, seeing Nadal in person is crazy. I've stood next to him and he is so much larger in real life than he appears on tv. He is built like a linebacker.

While Nadal is playing, he is constantly talking to the people in his box. It doesn't really come across on tv how much he looks to his box for "advice" during a match. He has a continuous conversation with his peeps in between points. Made me wish I had paid attention in Spanish class in high school.

1. I'd get Fed's autograph, but I would probably go with a regular sized ball.

2(a). Athletically, Nadal is a freak of nature. Everybody with an informed opinion and a microphone/column says the same thing. His strength and speed is unprecedented. His speed is why I want to see him in person. He plays the way I play with his ability to cover the court and get to balls nobody else could get to.* So, yeah, I appreciate Nadal's game moreso than others because it's just a much much much much better version of my own game.

2(b). He gets a lot of criticism for that. He got a warning during wimbledon and you could see him giving the "zip up" to his Uncle Toni. But this doesn't bother me at all. There isn't anything you can say to a guy during a tennis match to make him win the points. The players know the strategy going into to the match. It just comes down to mental focus and execution.

*This statement is obviously comparative. I was a good high school player (all-state), who could have played at a smaller college or maybe even at a lower tier D-1 college.** I was faster than the guys I played with in a manner similar to the way Nadal is faster than the guys he plays against now. But by no means do I think I ever had anything close to Nadal's speed.

**After I visited UT and saw what the girls looked like, I decided to give up on chasing a tennis dream that was likely never going to amount to much anyway. Chasing cute girls seemed like a better option.