Following up on the success of my Brisbane International Tennis thread, the Australian Open got under way this morning at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Australian Bernard Tomic is playing Ferdando Verdasco, the lefty Spanish former squeeze of Ana Ivanovic - he is looking extremely fit too as it looks like he has been hammerring the gym, hard. Tomic looks a little underdone prep wise and his legs are not really enabling him to be at the ball to promote clean dominant hitting. He is holding his own nevertheless.

The FedExpress was in fine form at the end of 2011 and I feel he is in strong contention for the title this year. This event is among his favourites and he tends to amp it up due to his love of records, history, nostalgia and his admiration for great former and current Australian players. I think it will be a Fed vs Djokovic final in a tight five setter with the Fed rising to the occasion! :)

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/6602/anaivanovicandfernandovwt3.jpg

Fernando enjoying happy times.

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/images/photos/000/823/037/83558146_crop_650x440.jpg?1268264461

Fernando now after Adam Scott pulled the rug out from underneath him and stole his woman.

"adam, you can have her mate lol"

Tomic ftw!
Hope he beats Verdasco, expect it to be a tough one for Tomic. I think Tomic might even make it past the 4th round!

Oh s***
Looked up foxsports and see that Tomic actually beat him hah nice!

Hell yeah, he got a second wind and Verdasco imploded - he always has had a tendency to do just that. Go Bernard!

Ana 'you somehow didn't manage to cook my egg yolks to my normal standard' Ivanovic you reckon!? :)

Damn, so glad Tomic got through that! Over 4 hours, what a slog! Nice start for Fedex too.

I Watched Ash Barty play at the gym , it was tennis or the golden globes.
Turns out Barty is the youngest cousin in of one of my mates and she goes to my old school

Bernard is in the fight of his life! C'monnnn! :)

He'll win. The yank only has a big server and not much else...

That's not a grunt, send her my way and I'll show her what grunting is all about!@

Haha that Bagdadis smash montage was priceless!!!

That's not a grunt, send her my way and I'll show her what grunting is all about!@

Haha, wow TicMan - did you just say that!?

You've outdone yourself.

:P

Rock on Bernard! Well said Heardy, those really tall guys like Isner, Querrey and Karlovic are hugely inhibited by their height, a supposed advantage - depending on with whom you speak with. Limited movement and agility, normally weaker groundies and more heavily reliant on a massive serve with the ball coming down from the air at a higher angle to the opponent than usual and bouncing as such. They should have stuck to basketball! :)

*Edit: Typo yo.

last edited by Jc_23 at 05:21:38 19/Jan/12

Grunt matcher
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/tennis/whos-grunt-is-that/story-fn793zm5-1226249593139

Tomic's girlfriend is hot. She's only boneing him for his fire orange M3

haha I came here to post about Tomic's hot girl friend too!!

He's going OK 2 sets to 1 up.

Tomic wins, knew he'd get to the fourth round =] Now to take on Roger!

Yeah nah, he's not beating Federer!

roger will win.

too much brains!

nadal wins because he's too fit!

Didn't Tomic take a set of Federer at Davis Cup a while back? He's come a fair way since then so it might be an interesting match, but I doubt it - Tomic may be young but he has already played at least double the tennis Federer has in this event. The FedEx in four! :)

Sharapova is looking good today and sounding even better.

UNNNFFFF

Hell yeah, hawwwt. :)

Hewitt wins! W00t

Hewitt wins! W00t

Indeed. Really solid win too in the end.

Yeah awesome win.

But he ain't beating Jokovic!

To reach the fourth round he's done well.

http://cdn0.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/2809328/137310608_extra_large.jpg

well it doesn't look like any aussies will get through the next round

tomic vs federer

and

hewitt vs djokovic

Nice results! Apart from blowing away Novak in straighties when he first popped onto the scene when he was in his late prime, Lleyton has only taken 2 sets off him in the past 5 meetings/losses to him - I don't think it's going to be pretty, his game hasn't transgressed from half a decade ago and the sport has changed. :) I also don't think it was prudent for for Tomic to be on any tennis court whatsoever in preparation for his Federer match considering how much territory he has coverered in his early matches, though it was noble to turn up for mixed dubs I guess - Jelena is kinda hawt yo. Novak in three(3), Federer in four(4). :)

http://www.thetoptensite.com/images/wta-jankovic.jpg

I don't think it's going to be pretty, his game hasn't transgressed from half a decade ago and the sport has changed

yep its the same sold s*** from hewitt

he really was just the care taker number one between the domination of sampras/agassi era and the federer/nadal domination

at his prime he still pales in comparisson to all of those other players i just mentioned

he was able to beat an aging sampras/agassi and was able to stave off federer very early on in his career for a little while

True that - his work ethic, motivation, dedication and discipline are second to none but he lacked exuberant amounts of natural talent, any notable weapons and an adequate stature to suit the game - his groundies are weakish and lacking dip/spin/penetration, serve is par, eye hand is very good, body is prone to injury, possibly due to being over-worked in part due to his ongoing commitment to Australia's Davis Cup cause (and spending long nights in his spa with Bec :p), which is admirable. He is tennis' equivalent and the epitome of an Aussie battler and despite having the best serve the game has ever seen, Andy Roddick falls into this category as well I think.

Unfortunately for these type of guys, the game has usurped them - to be a top 5 er and a contender in all the slams and 1000's you need to tick most, if not all of the boxes. Federer(rocks no doubt) though, is the exact polar opposite and seems to me to be a little blaze and a smidge too nonchalant about it all these days. None the less the other guys have the jump on him because he struck out on the hotness scale of his WAG comparatively, haha. :)

I think he's playing f***ing well at the mo

His chat with Jim after the game was very humble, and I was surprised to hear him say "I was just hoping my body would hold up", he was moving amazingly

Agreed, by his own standards he is on-top of his game. We will see where he stands though when he takes on an opponent in the upper echelon!

Federer is putting on a clinic! :)

Yer he isn't taking it like a douche though (Tomic), respect to federer just out playing him in general atm.

Tomic getting schooled :/

Few thoughts.

Went to the Australian open two years ago and got to watch Jelena Jankovic in the third round from 3 rows back right on the centreline. Not a great face but a damned fine body.

Totally 100% agree with Pave about Hewitt. Not only was he a sub par number 1 but his game just was not fun to watch. Give me Patty Rafter any day of the week, I absolutely loved watching him play as I was growing up on the court.

Federer = <3 love his game and his attitude, totally prefer him over Nadal.

If I was Hewitt I would retire and just concentrate on banging Bec Cartright as much as possible.


Oh btw quick plug for Virginblue Australian open deals. 2 years ago wife and I arranged flights + 2 nights on little collins street in a 4 star hotel including buffet breakfast, centre court round 3 night session, round 3 Hisense day session and then round 3 night session on centre court. All up I think it only cost us about $1,000. Was absolutely awesome. First night on centre court we got these randomly awesome seats in the middle of the corporate section about 15 rows back right on the centre line looking down the court. Then as mentioned 3 rows back on centre line on hisense. Seats for the second night session were only average though.

Edit: In those matches we managed to see Federer, Murray, Nadal, Clijsters, Jankovic, Henin and I can't remember the other female match.

Smacked :[

tomic should of worn a skirt

schooled by a master

Just listened to the post match interview with Tomic. What a dick, he's got some growing up to do.

What did he say?

I'm only about a year off that top 4

Haha. :)

rofl

I'd do her

and I'm sure she would you

dude she's probably 12

Williams out in two sets to Makarova!

I'm sitll wondering what Tomic said!

http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2012/01/22/1226250/750479-sara-tomic-and-donay-meijer.gif

I know its easy to say it now. If I had have read/commented earlier it would have gone along the lines of:

Tomic and the last fella (long hair pony-tail dude)
That was the most boring/amature game i have seen. I don't watch too much tennis but it seemed like a training run. No class or style. I couldnt even watch the final set.
I usuallY make a point of watching ANY 5th set of a game purely for the drama. I couldnt do it in that one.

Then i read here he is playing Fed.

Easy to say now I know. I just can't see him doing much at all.

Did Tomic fluke his way into that round? or was his draw favourable? or did he actually play heaps good to get to the round before last and the most recent one.

Andy Murray is due right?

How is he playing?

$5.50 for the title.

This is based purely on the fact he is on the opposite side of the draw to fed and nadal.

Sure the joker is on his side of the draw, and Le Le Le LLeyton.

He is a fair go I reckon.

I put 100 space credits on Andy Murray for the Aussie Open.

Easy to say now I know. I just can't see him doing much at all. Did Tomic fluke his way into that round? or was his draw favourable? or did he actually play heaps good to get to the round before last and the most recent one.

No his draw wasn't too favourable I don't think - he has come along in leaps and bounds lately as he has matured into a/his own man and his body has progressed as well. His father has loosened his grip on him somewhat also, alleviating a lot of pressure that tennis parents tend to place on their kids (pupils, haha). At this point he is not really a threat to the big 5 - he just hasn't got the game/power/experience/repertoire/mental prowess yet, but I think this will come with time. His groundies are too weak and flat, his forehand is a little inside out which is strange, and he is a little cocky but this comes with youth. Tennis players are like plants - they need a lot of nurturing. He has what is required to make it big-time though, no doubt. Also, as I mentioned before the match it looked like he was a little overcooked - rookie mistake wasting your time with mixed dubs when so much is on the line in the second week of singles at slams, despite it being relatively low output.

Andy Murray is your classic underachiever - he has made a few slam finals and has admirable records against the big boys at lesser events but usually when push comes to shove on the biggest of stages he gets a bit of stage fright and flails about like a stunned mullet, eventually imploding mentally. His game quickly follows. In essence his foundation is wirey - trick shots, mixing it up from the baseline and changing it up to net play occasionally, lots of backhand slice, return of serve chip charge etc etc. His recruiting of Ivan Lendl as his new coach was a good move I think - Lendl was a steely faced work horse who loved discipline - what he lacked in natural talent and penetration/whip/power he made up for by perfecting the basics/controllable variables and working his way up from there - similar to Murray.

I can't see Murray beating Djokovic at this event considering recent form, work load and what's on the line - The Joker has Murray's entire arsenal at his disposal and he does it all better than him. He is also in never before seen type of form. That's what happens when you hit balls as a kid while air raid sirens are going off!

I put $20 on Lleyton :)

Heheee

I put $20 on Lleyton :)

Heheee

What odds.
I would offer better odds ...
wait a minute....
i looked earlier and he was 15.
How is that possible in tennis?

Hahaha, did you guys see the Berdych incident? What a f***n pussy.

Refuses to handshake guy after the game. Watch on to find out why...

I wouldn't be putting money on Hewitt. Guaranteed loss imo

she makes her feelings known at 1:27.

looks like hes gonna cry lol.
good on the crowd for sticking it to him.

what a third set by lleyton!
guy is making shots he hasn't made in years.
WHATABLOODYBATTLER /froth

C'MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!

this guy won't give up. good on him.

this guy won't give up. good on him.

Got to admire the way he approaches tennis. Dogged determination and unparalleled love of the game. He's certainly done himself proud.

Yeah, did a good job.

Hewitt has grown on me since he matured.

Novak in three(3), Federer in four(4). :)

Damnit, my tennis predicting is following the same path as my cricket predicting! Other way round doh! :) GG Lleyton.

sharapova vs ivanovic

reow

I suppose there is no way of watching the tennis online?? Says live content is not available in Australia. Typical bulls***.

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/video/live.html

Only Optus I think, text tennis to something or other

I know that it was live in the earlier rounds on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/user/australianopentv

Don't know about the 4th rounds and up...

Good riddance to Hewitt. He needs to just give up tennis and leave gracefully rather than be embarrased each time he comes back.

I would hardly call that an embarrassment. Djokavic played an almost perfect match. The guy is an absolute freakshow. The commentators were saying he had dropped just 10 games in his last 11 sets leading up to this fourth round match. The way he was playing, Lleyton would have taken down just about any other player bar the top 3.

Given the amount of people (myself included) who have only developed admiration for Lleyton in his latter years I would say he's done a lot for Australian tennis and clearly isn't just there for the pay cheque.

Good riddance to Hewitt. He needs to just give up tennis and leave gracefully rather than be embarrased each time he comes back.

Someone didn't watch the game.

Federer vs Nadal Semi - Boom! :) Federer in five(5).



last edited by Jc_23 at 06:42:44 25/Jan/12

Yeah, concur

3-2 to Federer I think, Nadal just doesn't look like he is moving that well.

Courier said he thought he was moving fine, but didn't seem to be the case last night?

I didn't see the game, but Berdych is a bit of a freak - his groundies are heavy/pacey, deep, flatish and accurate and he has a killer serve. Combined with his height this tends to take time away from his opponents and it may appear that they are not getting to the ball prompty.

He had Federer two sets to love down and was a break up in the 3rd set in the 2010 Aus Open quarters(I think?) and lost heh.

I'm enjoying Lleyton in the commentary box!

he's commentated before. he could line himself up for a commentating job after retiring.

Pull up your pants, we need an ambulance!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/166918_179841835450099_100002728512204_237532_2112646105_n.jpg


awwwwyeh. ;P



last edited by Jc_23 at 10:35:54 26/Jan/12

mmmmmmm Hingis

http://static.sportressofblogitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/martina_hingis2.jpg

http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/wowy-EdU4Eg/0.jpg

"Cocainum!!"

yeah I had a thing for the Swiss Miss years back mmm Hingis :D

fedexpress vs nadal

epic game

on now

POLICE are outside the Gold Coast home of tennis star Bernard Tomic, waiting to interview him about a suspected traffic infringement on a Southport street.
Five police, including two senior officers and a forensic policeman, were on the road opposite the 19-year-old's house in Lenneburg Street, Southport.

It's believed the forensic officer followed Tomic to his home after tailing his orange high-performance BMW sports car.

The officer was heard telling one of the senior police that he had tried to pull Tomic over but he continued driving to his house.

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/bernard-tomic-in-stand-off-with-police/story-e6frfku0-1226254566432

not pulling over IS doing something wrong,

also there is another thread that is covering P platers and this issue

this has to be as good as it gets.
nadal/fed's strengths and weaknesses* are so perfectly matched for epic viewing.

*lol

This is awesome!

it's too late.
skynet is real and they're building tennis players.

Not a bad match! I think Federer should and could have wrapped it up in straighties - he was all over Nadal like a rash hitting through him and taking away his time - he had a break in each set and failed to consolidate any of them, partly I think due to his realisation that it could never be that easy against a man with whom he has such a poor win-loss ratio. He spent the next set and a half ruing missed opportunity I feel. Deep down he knows he is the better tennis player, but his dedication is perhaps waning - it is obvious who is spending the most time in the gym and doing drills. I guess all his interests and kids take up a fair chunk of his time to be sure too - they say fatherhood sometimes is the beginning of the end for tennis greats. :)

^love it when they get some love from the crowd

Mad skills! :)

Men's singles finals time, 6:30/7:30 pm tonight! Interest seems to wane somewhat at our home event when the Aussie contingent gets eliminated but enthusiasts will be enjoying the 1 vs 2 seed/ranked continuing rivalry that Djokovic and Nadal will be strengthening tonight.

Here is my tip: Don't listen to a word I say when it comes to tennis and cricket tipping! It's anyone's match to be honest - both guys have been worked hard, are carrying slight niggles, are in good form with confidence levels up and are peaking at the correct time - Djokovic in five(5)! :p

Head to Head

16-13 to Nadal

I hope Nadal wins. I really don't like Djokovic.

lousy second set by nadal.
going to be a close third and then walkover by nadal to take it in four!*

novak is looking better and better as the match goes on though :(

*crosses fingers

How good is this mens final!!

Great game so far. How embarrassing was that raining scene though? Nadal had to practically DROWN before they seemed to believe it was actually raining and thought maybe they should close the roof, then they have the slaves mopping the floor with what looked like the world's TINIEST handkerchief

haha I was laughing at that too... we hand mopped it up!!

Surely they can monitor BOM and preemptively close the roof if rain was within a K or so...

I guess at the end of the day it only took a few mins to close the roof.

I think nadal needs to raid djoko's kit bag for his crack filled nose spray to get out of this one :(

I still can't get over the way these top guys slide around the hard court so much without huge injury rate. the strain from planting your foot at such speed and sliding into cracking shots would have to be massive! absolute freakshows.

last edited by reload! at 00:05:36 30/Jan/12

ZOMG EPIC TIE BREAK

nadal with the fight back!
hopefully his awesome five set record holds true.

argh its 12:30am and we are just starting the fifth set!!

I still can't get over the way these top guys slide around the hard court so much without huge injury rate. the strain from planting your foot at such speed and sliding into cracking shots would have to be massive! absolute freakshows.last edited by reload! at 00:05:36 30/Jan/12

this is exactly what I'm thinking as well. bloody hell that must be hard on the ankles and knees.

Yeah so was I, my flatmate and I were talking about that too, all this sliding and no injuries!

they do have their ankles quite heavily taped/strapped but still, even muscles could be injured fairly easily you'd think!

legendary match

Yeah so was I, my flatmate and I were talking about that too, all this sliding and no injuries!

they do have their ankles quite heavily taped/strapped but still, even muscles could be injured fairly easily you'd think!

perhaps their shoe soles are designed with the sliding in mind as well?

Epic!

turning point!~?

novak looks f***ed.
watch him break out the towel for a cheeky bump between games and come out firing.

Yeah, crazy. I would have sworn Djokovic in the fourth but now it's anyone's game. Nadal looking more likely IMO.

BOOM 4-2 Nadal

What a crucial break right there...

Yeah Novak looks gooooooone but so did Rafa at one stage.

yeowwwwwwwwwwwww

Heh, instant break back :-/

Yep!

Bloody hell hurry up I need sleep

So yeah..work tomorrow, I'll be sleeping during lunch!

Yeah, gonna be a few tired peeps in Melbourne considering we're also an hour ahead of you guys ;)

Few tired grandmas too by the look of the crowd there, haha. Good stamina.

Novak looks gassed totally gone physically... but lets see how it plays out.

I am on the same time as you Pinky, it's 1:10am!

It's amazing to me how Rafa plays so far behind the baseline, runs further, and can still be in this. holy crap, what a machine.

Is the next event in a cooler climate? Poor bastards!

whattttttttttttttttttttt
how has djokovic gotten back into this?

INTENSE

yeah I thought Joker was gone!

unbelievable match... earning every cent of the $2.3m they are being paid. Unlike the womans who played for 88 mins in TOTAL and get the same_freaking_prize_money!

These guys have been battling it out for close to 6 hours.

And that's it... Joker wins!!

Epic match

cunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnt

gonna be f***ed tomorrow for nothing!

crazy match

Who was that chick in red they kept showing who has a blue face like a smurf?
Huge game, got lactic acid!

Nadal looks like a ninja turtle

f***, that was an incredible match. Best I've ever seen.

I was saying damn they need to f***ing sit down while the suits were talking on and on during the presentations. Novak was killing for a seat, Nadal was sitting on the net. Then they get given some seats to collapse on haha, great to see that get a good laugh too.

http://i.minus.com/ilbq8vGrDzuQz.gif


last edited by Linker at 02:39:36 30/Jan/12

last edited by Linker at 02:43:55 30/Jan/12

GG Novak, absolute champion - BOOM!! :)

wish i watched the match last night. sounds like it was awesome.

"Djokovic tries to give shirt to a girl in the crowd. [Fat] Lady snatches it."

typical fat female.

Awesome match. I was so stoned by the end of it. Didn't expect it to go that long

Someone should make a gif out of that clip and swap the shirt with a chicken drumstick.

when Rafa was up 4-2 in the 5th he had a major mental/psychological edge over Novak and was going to run him into the ground. Then there was a rally where Rafa went to the net (score was 40-15? to Rafa), the court was wide open, Rafa setup himself up beautifully and goes to the net and back hand smashes the ball down the line which should have gone in but it just lands outside the side line. Everyone thought it was in until Novak challenged it, in the replay the ball lands out and Rafa knew that he should have got simple shot because the court was wide open with Novak to the side. I said to my wife instantly he's gonna crash mentally and lose this match after that major f***up. After that Rafa was playing ordinary, Novak comes back to take win the championship.

it's amazing how one little thing like that can change the outcome of such a historic match..

typical fat female.

it's funny because it's so true

rofl @ youtube comment

"she gave it back after she realised it wasnt food"

Haha news.com.au has started a hunt for the fat perp:

http://www.news.com.au/national/djokovic-shirt-snatcher-shocks-at-tennis-grand-final/story-e6frfkvr-1226257085239

Her name is Yael Rothschild and she is refusing to give the shirt up. I thought Djokovic's press machine would have sent along another shirt for her by now.

The girls mother paid for the shirt:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8413674/teens-mum-buys-back-snatched-djokovic-shirt

novak looks f***ed. watch him break out the towel for a cheeky bump between games and come out firing.

I've been thinking about this. Although I wasn't fortunate enough to see the end stages of the match Novak often harks back to his allergies hindering his performances and breathing. This is all well and good, but If I had to wager a guess he is inhaling a combination of an aqueous antihistamine (claritin etc) to reduce the histamine response that swells up and congests airways in response to a foreign invader/allergen etc, combined with a decongestant derived from the Chinese Ma Hung/Ephedra plant which is in turn manufactured using this plant/yeast method into drugs that possess stimulant properties(pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, etc). Drug running/shopping/cooking Americans were/are forever cracking open those inhalers to produce Methamphetamine etc, and body builders love the ECA stack.

Once those drugs enter the body/blood via the mucous membranes the instant affects resulting from a dopamine/norepinephrine etc release and increased CNS activity can include an increased pain threshhold/awareness of pain, increased levels of alertness, breathing ability/capacity increases allowing more oxygenated blood to engorge muscles etc although vessels often constrict and glycogen is released from muscles enabling instant and prolonged amounts of excessive energy.

The half life is relatively short and the majority of it is excreted via urine I believe - Alot of what I posted would be apparent to some people already I guess. I'd hate to think he was up to mischievous activities! According to The Goods it's illegal above a certain threshold, though if used in lower controlled doses in it's sulfate form with an efficient delivery mechanism (inhaler), this results in a big long legal BOOM. His resurgence was a bit extreme and what he did at the end of the game I found extremely unusual, even considering the preceding match circumstances.

Shrugs! :)

Here is a snippet from Nadal, who seems to have cottonned on to what is going on, taken from a pre-match interview:

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Like Andy Murray before him, Rafael Nadal isn't convinced Novak Djokovic has any breathing problems going into their Australian Open final on Sunday night. During Djokovic's five-set semifinal win over Murray on Friday night, and to a lesser extent during his quarterfinal victory over David Ferrer, the Serbian player showed signs of breathing difficulties, something he's put down to allergies. On Saturday, Nadal told a pre-final news conference that he, like Murray, had seen it all before. Nadal suggested that Djokovic tends to make incredible physical recoveries, even in the latter stages of big matches. "It's funny, no?," Nadal said after a two-hour workout Saturday. "I saw the match yesterday on the TV ... when he was in the fifth set moving fantastically well, and they show images from 2 hours, 50 [minutes] before and seems like he was destroyed. Two hours 50 later he was in perfect condition.

The Goods

Airborne allergies are very real, and treatment is usually with desensitisation over a long time by putting tiny amounts of known allergens into the bodies of sufferers who have had their allergens diagnosed with a prick test previously over a graduated process and a non-sedating non stimulant anti-histamine. Use of pseudoephedrine containing products is usually a last resort due to it's adverse side-affects and tablet forms are usually sustained release to alleviate any of the stimulant properties.

The Joker indeed! :)