US open... the tennis version...

[senorchipotle]

For some reason or other, I love watching tennis. A couple good matchups tonight, venus williams is playing right now and my favorite player, rafa nadal will take the court later. any other tennis fans out there?

[sean_miller]

For some reason or other, I love watching tennis. A couple good matchups tonight, venus williams is playing right now and my favorite player, rafa nadal will take the court later. any other tennis fans out there?

Love it. I enjoyed Wozniacki v. Gullickson for obvious reasons . . . mmm . . . and unlike some other gals, I didn't have to watch with the audio turned off. Rafa had a good test for a 3-setter in round 1 - fitness was the difference there.

FYi - if you're using an older browser and checking out the draws, select "inactive draws" the "active" version will drive you nuts. http://www.usopen.org/en_US/index.html

[senorchipotle]

just finished watching venus v. some hot chick from luxembourg. wozniacki is very enjoyable to watch in more ways than one.

[jamo]

I like watching tennis. Rafa's my favorite. I don't really watch women's, for some reason in mixed company it just feels dirty....

[Shanks A Million]

I was watching, a bit. I saw Nadal, good match. Enjoyed watching the young American kid knock out one of the seeds. I used to hit a tennis ball against a wall daily as a kid, but never really learned much about the game itself. Still enjoy the concept though.

[Chilli Dipper]

This Istomin guy Nadal's playing tonight is not letting him advance easily to the fourth round.

Somewhere, there's a jaded old tennis fan who's pissed that the hurricane isn't going to wash out play tomorrow, causing CBS to run the Connors-Krickstein* match from '91 during the rain delay for the hundredth time.

*Aaron Krickstein had a good footnote career. His entry in "Now That's Interesting: an Unabridged Resource of What's Good to Know about Sports" will list three things: won a tournament in Tel Aviv when he was 16, and that's still the record for the youngest man to win a professional event; he was on the losing end of a match that CBS will inexplicably continue to re-air a hundred years from now; and his niece is Morgan Pressel, and is therefore the second teen phenom his parents have raised. Now that's interesting.

[max power]

Loved Lendyl and Becker as a kid, and I followed tennis when I played on my high school team, and then about 5 years later when I picked up the game again for a while. I still enjoy watching a bit here and there, though the women's game has become more fun to watch (yes I'm talking from a tennis standpoint- ).

[jamo]

Nadal's match was great. He isn't just a great player, but he always puts on a good show. He matches are alwayas fun to watch. Federer too, but I think Nadal more. Except for Federer's between the legs shot a few days ago. That was nasty!

[Chilli Dipper]

Sharapova just destroyed poor Beatrice Capra; I really feel bad for the girl. The draw has set up for a Maria-Caroline Wozniacki match Labor Day afternoon, which may be epic if both ladies play like they did today. You can probably pencil in the winner of that match all the way to the final.

[sean_miller]

Sharapova . . . bad . . . girl . . . pencil in . . . all the way. . .

I love tennis!!

[Chilli Dipper]

I love tennis!!

You frighten me...and your methods frighten me...and

you frighten me.

[sean_miller]

You frighten me...and your methods frighten me...and

It was a metaphor.

[Chilli Dipper]

It was a metaphor.

"It was symbolism! He was angry!"

[sean_miller]

"It was symbolism! He was angry!"

Well, I thought it was a metaphor.

[Chilli Dipper]

Well, I thought it was a metaphor.

Actually, it read more like a mad lib.

[Grndslmhttr3]

Wozniacki vs. Sharapova... mmmmmmm

[Shanks A Million]

I lived for many years right damn near center of the Tennis world, between Boca and Delray. A girl I went to camp with had Steffi Graf as her babysitter, and Chris Everett as her neighbor. I used to go and retrieve balls as a kid for the local tennis players. Venus and Serena Williams lived and trained near by. I grew up at least knowing the names, I had to. But to really understand what kind of talent it takes to play the game at that level, just amazing.

[max power]

I lived for many years right damn near center of the Tennis world, between Boca and Delray. A girl I went to camp with had Steffi Graf as her babysitter, and Chris Everett as her neighbor. I used to go and retrieve balls as a kid for the local tennis players. Venus and Serena Williams lived and trained near by. I grew up at least knowing the names, I had to. But to really understand what kind of talent it takes to play the game at that level, just amazing.

I started playing tennis in 8th grade, and then got on the high school team the next year. I was a decent player, and actually won a division championship in doubles. I picked it up again 5 or 6 years after high school and used to play with a co-worker after work a couple days a week. Sometimes we'd play on an open court at San Diego State University, often next to some girls from the college team practicing. The speed and precision of their shots was unreal-and these girls, although clearly talented, were not going to become pros, just compete in college (and look good doing it). There was also one guy on my high school team who had near pro-level talent-warming up/playing with him and/or watching those girls hit made it seem like an entirely different game. Still good fun and exercise though.