australian open

[rqstnnlitnmnt]

did anyone see Serena/Sharapova last night??!! my roommate and i were running laps in between games to relieve the tension.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

1. Federer Beaten by Safin!!!

HOLY SHIT!

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=556&e=18&u=/ap/ten_australian_open

Article on how great Federer is expected to be:

http://usatoday.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=USATODAY.com+-+Commentary%3A+Federer+inspires+comparisons+to+all-time+greats&expire=&urlID=11617135&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fsports%2Ftennis%2Fopen%2F2004-09-13-commentary_x.htm&partnerID=1662

[tishaLA]

2. Safin is undoubtedly Federer's biggest competition

just because of the way their games match up. But Federer is the finest tennis player I have ever seen. That used to be John McEnroe, but no more. Federer has everything.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

3. Sampras is the king

with his 14 slams. Federer is supposed to challenge.

[ThorsHammer]

4. Good points

IMO Federer has the complete game, but needs to go on a grand slam tear like Pete did. Hopefully Safin or Roddick can step up as a consistent foil for him, much like Sampras and Agassi.

[tishaLA]

6. Sampras never won a grand slam

You must have confused him with someone else.

[ThorsHammer]

7. Oops, meant a slam tear

In that regard Agassi is more impressive having a career GS, although Pete's WImbledon record is second perhaps only to Borg.

[tishaLA]

5. Yeah he has 14 slams

which he won over a period of 11 years I think (he won his first one in 1990 or 91, IIRC). I love Sampras and I think he did some amazing things, but he doesn't reach the level of McEnroe or what Federer has been able to accomplish in the past couple years.

Federer has been to men's tennis what Martina was to women's tennis twenty years ago. Just least year, Mr. Federer won 3 and one in the previous year. He's only 23. Give him time.

BTW, I don't think majors alone indicate the greatness of a player. Federer is astonishing for a number of reasons. I still hold that McEnroe is a greater player than Sampras, despite his lack of longevity, because he played in a more competitive era and because of the amazing things he could do on the court.

[Phoebe_in_Sydney]

12. Confusion

I think the confusion here is that winning a grand slam is different to winning a grand slam title.

The French Open, Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open are the grand slam events, they are grand slam championships, but to "win the grand slam" you need to win all four -- either consecutively or in a calendar year (some people say it has to be done in a calendar year, some say winning all four within 12 months counts as the same thing. It's so rare, I don't think it's worth quibbling about, quite frankly.)

So nice to find some tennis fans here. I've been barely able to post this past week because I've been fastened to the couch watching tennis non-stop.

Less worrying that wondering if Bush is going for some sort of grand slam (Aghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Syrian Opens?) after the inauguration address :-)

[tishaLA]

13. Yeah, I was sloppy in my post

But then I corrected someone else who said he'd won a slam! Ha! My point, though, was about the length of time Sampras had to win his titles and how early it is in Federer's career.

I should have also said that Federer has also demonstrated that he can play on any surface, which is something Mr. Sampras, as admirable as his career was, could not do.

[Phoebe_in_Sydney]

11. That's two things we've got in common

tishaLA, a Roger Federer/ Wes Clark supporter eh?

Excellent taste in Democrats and tennis players.

I'd drifted away from watching tennis until the past 12 months when I started watching Federer. I saw McEnroe live many years ago, although I think Becker was probably my favourite prior to Federer.

Well done to Safin for beating him yesterday, it was a magnificent match, but I don't think I've ever seen a player with as much all round talent as Federer -- and that's coming from an Aussie who should really be supporting Lleyton Hewitt.

Personally, I won't be disappointed if Roddick beats Hewitt tonight. The Hewitt hype has become almost unbearable in Australia.

[tishaLA]

14. Well, you know I turned against Hewett a couple years ago

When he made snarky comments at the US Open about James Blake that some regarded as racist. Since then, however, I have come to admire him for fighting back from a bad stretch. I love to watch his scrappiness and I admire his game a lot--he has an amazing topspin lob that can break his opponent's ankles!

Atrangely enough, I also like Roddick's game because of its distinctively American qualities--full of bluster, lacking nuance, etc. I hope it's a great match.

[Phoebe_in_Sydney]

15. I was uneasy too

... about that comment to the umpire during the Blake match at that US Open, although I must admit I could never quite work out what he meant by it. It certainly was potentially racist, but I thought the media interpretation suited them for a headline at the time. And I don't trust the media.

I'm not making excuses for Hewitt. I was quite prepared to think the worst of him, but if I remember correctly the comment was fairly non-specific like: "Well, you would, wouldn't you?" Who knows.

He does have great fighting spirit, I wish he'd cut out the "C'maaawwwnn!!!" stuff when his opponents miss a shot though.

Federer is so much classier both in his play and his personality. And I agree with you, he has perhaps the most complete all surface game of any player in living memory.

[ThorsHammer]

16. I don't like Hewitt, but he's definitely an overacheiver

He doesn't have any major weapons (relative to the other top players of course), is pretty small, but still manages t win by heart, grit, and hard work. He's done way more than most others would do with his talent. I'm with you in that I admire his fighting spirit, but do wish that he'd chill a little on the opponent's mistakes, as it looks like he's showing them up. I also have a lot of respect for his Davis Cup work.

Federer might have the cleanest game I've ever seen. Sampras was an excellent player, but Federer is just smoother. I only wish they could have played at Wimbledon in their respective primes.

[SweetLeftFoot]

18. Yeah

The Hewitt hype has become almost unbearable in Australia.

True, bloody South Australians. Maybe we could swap the Kiwis South Australia for the Cook Islands?

[bigwillq]

8. Serena-Sharapova-Amazing Match!

I'm glad Serena won, she's my fave women's player!

My fave male is Hewitt, who plays Roddick late tonight/Fri A.M.

I think Roddick's going to win casue Hewitt had to play so many 5-set matches and Roddick has made it to the semi's in pretty easy fashion.

[anakie]

9. Hewitt may have had a couple of 5 setters

but he has had two days off by the time of tonites match and he is rather fit. Should be a good match with Hewitt coming out on top with the help of the home crowd.

[bigwillq]

10. I hope your predicition is correct

I'm in love with Hewitt in more ways than one!:evilgrin:

[SweetLeftFoot]

19. His Belgian

double has left him now so you could be in with a chance.

[tishaLA]

17. I love Lindasay Davenport but

she's a head case. How did she manage to lose that match? I just don't get it. 6-0 in the final set? You'd think she was Hana Mandlikova or Jana Novatna.

[bigwillq]

20. Go Hewitt!

He's my baby! Good luck!

[kaitykaity]

21. Come on Marat.

Play lovely.

[kaitykaity]

22. Men's Final Results

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1107055727342

Safin beats Hewitt to win Australian Open
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Marat Safin, who felt he was destined to win the Australian Open after two runner-up finishes in the last three years, rallied to down Lleyton Hewitt 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in an acrimonious final Sunday, the tournament's first-ever at night.

It was the second Grand Slam title for the fourth-seeded Russian, who is as mercurial as his record - he won the US Open in 2000 and rose soon afterward to No. 1, then plunged as low as 86th after injuries in 2003. He started his comeback here last year, and ended top-ranked Roger Federer's 26-match winning streak in the semifinals.

[bigwillq]

23. Congrats Safin :(

Safin played well but Hewitt still looked cuter!

[kaitykaity]

24. That's debatable.

Oh, well. To each their own.

;)

[ThorsHammer]

28. Very surprising

I thought Hewitt had him, especially after the first set. To Safin's credit, he finally kept his cool and his focus, and got the job done. Hopefully he can emerge as a consistent rival to Federer.

[tishaLA]

25. So Hewitt got engaged after he lost the Open final

WTF? Poor Kimmy C. Her wrist is shot and now her dignity, too.

Good luck on that rebound relationship, Lleyton.

[bigwillq]

26. Who is Hewitt engaged too?

Also, I didn't know he broke up with Kimmy.

Also, I still think deep down that Hewitt is gay.

[tishaLA]

27. Some soap actress

HEWITT ENGAGED TO SOAP STAR

Australian tennis star LLEYTON HEWITT sweetened his defeat in the AUSTRALIAN OPEN final by proposing to soap star girlfriend REBECCA CARTWRIGHT as soon as he came off court.



The 23-year-old went down on one knee at the Melbourne Tennis Centre and produced a $190,000 diamond engagement ring - the HOME AND AWAY actress said 'yes' immediately.

Hewitt has been dating Cartwright since splitting form former fiancee, Belgian tennis star KIM CLIJSTERS last October (04)
http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/hewitt%20engaged%20to%20soap%20star

[ThorsHammer]

29. Who is Safin's girlfriend?

I've never seen her before, but she's definitely a very attractive young woman.

[bixente]

30. Nathalie Dechy

Did anyone see her match against Davenport? I was so proud of her, no-one expected her to make it to the semi's.

In the end, I was disappointed she failed to make the final...