[wonderbang]

Yeah I'm quite shorter too, so don't get too discouraged.

And not all shorter players necessarily have to rely on speed and defense to play. Sebastian Grosjean was a very flashy shotmaker with a huge serve. I've seen him in person and he's probably about 5'6" or so, though he's listed at 5'9". Also, my coach before was only about 5'3" but he got to the top 15 in the nation (USA) in juniors and is now a regular hitting partner of a former number 4 player in the world who had wins over Connors, Mcenroe, Vilas, etc.

I totally agree; I just meant to say that most pros play that style more often that not. Players like Grosjean and Gasquet definitely have weapons but it would be jarring to label them as power players like a del Potro or a Berdych.

[ShukakuOTS]

I totally agree; I just meant to say that most pros play that style more often that not. Players like Grosjean and Gasquet definitely have weapons but it would be jarring to label them as power players like a del Potro or a Berdych.

Yeah, I wasn't trying to contradict you or anything. I just wanted to encourage mistapooh to know that he CAN compete with the big guys. True that Grosjean and Gasquet aren't necesarily power players like del Potro or Berdych, but I wouldn't exactly say they hit like softies either. Or maybe it's just cause they're French . haha Besides Federer was always known as the guy who played with placement rather than simply overpowering his opponents, and his career wasn't too bad. Anyway, yeah, I just don't want short players to cripple their games with the mentality that their lack of height gives them such a huge disadvantage. Some commentators *cough cough Mcenroe* always nitpick on the short players and make us all feel bad. Geez. =S


PS. Gasquet's short? Ouch I feel like a midget T___T lol

[wonderbang]

lol...you're absolutely right ^^;;

on the recreational level, i think height makes even less of a difference so i'm sure shorter players don't have a noticeable disadvantage.

[ShukakuOTS]

lol...you're absolutely right ^^;;

on the recreational level, i think height makes even less of a difference so i'm sure shorter players don't have a noticeable disadvantage.

Precisely!

Especially in the beginner/intermediate level where the tall players haven't yet quite taken advantage of their height to develop a huge serve or whatnot.

[baobao|bakachan]

omg, i love love love tennis! <3
as a matter of fact, i just played tennis this morning with one of my guy friend
geez, he's so good at it (he's in my school's tennis team) so he totally owned me today
but it was so much fun (: .. but now i think of it, my arms are hurt =///=

[loveprint]

Matching bracelets? :DDD

[dOotsiez]

^ LOL woooooo things heat up between the Fedrinka, Mirka better watch out

[ShukakuOTS]

LOL you fangirls...

Quite funny though I kinda threw up a little in my mouth.

[loveprint]

^
You're going to have to get used to it, I'm afraid.

[wonderbang]

LOL you fangirls...

Quite funny though I kinda threw up a little in my mouth.

lmao....welcome to the thread? there's a fed-ish here definitely.

[dOotsiez]

"fed-ish"? LOLL

yeah people in this thread are so ... fedtarded. me? a fangirl? never! *looks away*




man Im such a perv....

[wonderbang]

^I'm guessing that's from your "special" collection

So here are some interesting things to look forward to next season (courtesy of yahoo sports)

2009 Tennis Season...

1. Can Rafael Nadal win a hardcourt major?

2. Will Justine Henin come out of retirement?

3. Is James Blake fading?

4. Can Maria Sharapova overcome her shoulder injury?

5. What’s wrong with Roger Federer?

6. Can Jelena Jankovic win a Grand Slam?

7. Can Andy Murray win a Grand Slam?

8. How many majors will Venus and Serena Williams win in 2009?

9. Can Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stay healthy for a full season?

10. Can Ana Ivanovic return to the top of the rankings?

Any predictions?

[dOotsiez]

Hahaha my predictions will come back and bite me in the assette^, I do tennis tipping with friends, and I get pwned every time

1. Can Rafael Nadal win a hardcourt major?
Hmmm... reserving judgement, he's one of 4 guys in contention, and unless Nadal really excels, or one of those 4 guys suffer implosions/injuries/brain cramps or just general sub-par play, I don't see it happening. More likely at the Australian than at the US Open anyway.

2. Will Justine Henin come out of retirement?
NO! And the media needs to get over it.

3. Is James Blake fading?
Is that even a question? Blake and Roddick are both fading. RIP American men's tennis.

4. Can Maria Sharapova overcome her shoulder injury?
Yes, she's gone through it before but it might take a few matches for her to get back into things again. More interesting question - can Hewitt overcome those damn hips?

5. What’s wrong with Roger Federer?
Rafael Nadal.

LOL just kidding, sorta. What's wrong with Federer? Where do I start - his forehand left him for Djokovic, his backhand had never existed, he needs to serve better, volley more, serve-and-volley, he needs to stop hanging out with Anna Wintour and start hanging out with Ana Ivanovic, he needs a new coach since Higueras is totally a double agent for Spain, while we're at it, he needs a new girlfriend too ...

give the guy a break.

6. Can Jelena Jankovic win a Grand Slam?
YES SHE CAN!! (provided the Williams sisters self-destruct) Go JJ

7. Can Andy Murray win a Grand Slam?
Umm... I think so, at one of the hard court slams, but hopefully not, since it means one less to share between Federer and Nadal, who I'm hoping (and doubting) will split things 2 and 2 next year. So I'd rather have no Murray or Djokovic to spoil the party next year please

8. How many majors will Venus and Serena Williams win in 2009?
They are perfectly capable of splitting the slams 2 and 2, even at the French (I mean IVANOVIC has a Roland Garros). but I'm thinking one hard court, and Wimbledon just to be realistic.

9. Can Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stay healthy for a full season?
Doubt it, but hope I'm wrong because he is one of the most exciting players since... Gasquet. Where IS Gasquet?

10. Can Ana Ivanovic return to the top of the rankings?
No. Safina, Jankovic and the Williams sisters are the dominant ones we're looking at right now. And Wozniacki and Azarenka will be right behind Ivanovic, not to mention Vaidisova could rise from the dead, break off that stupid engagement with Radek Stepanek and start focusing on her tennis for a change.



And Yahoo sports totally forgot about Novak Djokovic....he's fine as long as he makes a few semi finals, and then lose to people of Spanish or Swiss nationalities.

Gee... every off-season gets more boring than the last one...

[wonderbang]

^haha...thanks for answering! for some strange reason i love reading other people's predictions..especially Q&A style.

yeah i think the writer left out some other important storylines but it's enough to get us thinking about next season. for all the time i complain about the lack of an off season in tennis, as a fan, i have no idea what to do during decembers. sigh.

[ShukakuOTS]

^
You're going to have to get used to it, I'm afraid.

Uh oh.

lmao....welcome to the thread? there's a fed-ish here definitely.

Yeah, I noticed. This thread needs more WTA pics to compensate!!!


My Predictions

1. Can Rafael Nadal win a hardcourt major?

He CAN. Not sure if he will though.

2. Will Justine Henin come out of retirement?
Don't think so.

3. Is James Blake fading?
In away, but I think Roddick or Ferrer is fading more.

4. Can Maria Sharapova overcome her shoulder injury?
Yes she can, if I could, she can. lol

5. What’s wrong with Roger Federer?

His footwork/footspeed doesn't seem the same as before for some reason. His game heavily relied/relies on his world-class footwork.

6. Can Jelena Jankovic win a Grand Slam?
She can but her main problem is I don't think she's as hungry as the others. I like her game though and hope she does.

7. Can Andy Murray win a Grand Slam?
For sure. I'm going to go on a limb and say he will.

8. How many majors will Venus and Serena Williams win in 2009?
I'm not a fan, but I'd say 1 or 2.

9. Can Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stay healthy for a full season?
He will and his ranking will improve even more. Minor injury possible though but mostly healthy.

*is seriously not sure about this answer and is just typing this for the heck of it*

10. Can Ana Ivanovic return to the top of the rankings?
She could. She just needs to stop crying on court when she's losing and act like no. 1!

[wonderbang]

^thanks for taking the survey! lol

as your reward, here are some WTA pics from the pre-Wimbledon party!

[ShukakuOTS]

^thanks for taking the survey! lol

as your reward, here are some WTA pics from the pre-Wimbledon party!

thanks for granting my request? lol hahaha i didn't think anyone would actually post pics XD

masha and ana are cute there XD heard they're both taken now, though.

[wonderbang]

thanks for granting my request? lol hahaha i didn't think anyone would actually post pics XD

masha and ana are cute there XD heard they're both taken now, though.

haha...i'm here to please

not sure about masha but ana is dating fernando verdasco (another favorite of the fangirls here lol)...they started at the us open.

http://www.sportsya.com/english/news.php/S...3&id=193200

[loveprint]

ATP - VOTE FOR OUR CHAMPION!

The Swiss Athlete of the Year will be elected during the "Credit Suisse Sports Awards" this coming Saturday. For the first time in the event's history it will take place in Basel, Roger's home town.

Roger could become the first athlete ever to win two titles in the same year: he has been nominated for Athlete of the Year as well as Team of the Year together with Stanislas Wawrinka as Olympic doubles champions. It won't be easy for our champ, though, as the other nominees have brilliant references, too: two-time Olympic medal winner (gold and bronze) Fabian Cancellara (cycling), Daniel Albrecht (skiing), Sergei Aschwanden (judo), Didier Cuche (skiing), Daniel Hubmann (orienteering), Stéphane Lambiel (ice-skating), Dominik Meichtry (swimming), Viktor Röthlin (marathon) and Nino Schurter (mountain bike).

Spectators will have the possibility to call during the TV-show and cast their votes. So make sure to tune in and give Roger your support! The show starts at 8:05 p.m. (local time) and is broadcast on SF1, TSR2 and TSI2 (Swiss stations for the German, French and Italian parts). Go Roger!

Federinka team of the year? Yes, please.

And Roger's 2009 schedule:

http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/rogers/schedule/index.cfm

[wonderbang]

orienteering
–noun
a competitive sport, originating in Sweden, that tests the skills of map reading and cross-country running, in which competitors race through an unknown area to find various checkpoints by using only a compass and topographical map, the winner being the finisher with the lowest elapsed time.

you learn something new every day....

and roger's calendar looks about right compared to previous years.....i think he's playing a bit more before the AO than usual though. exhibitions FTW!