• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Wimbledon 2012

Status
Not open for further replies.

TGV

Member
Joined
25 Nov 2005
Messages
734
Location
320km/h Voie Libre
Any tennis fans here? Just thought I'd start a Wimbledon thread as that time of year is approaching.

My thoughts are that the mens champion this year could easily be any of the big three with Djokovic as the slight favourite, but it could conceivably be any of them.

I don't think Murray has what it takes when Novak, Rafa or Roger are at their best, although I think Federer is beginning to slow a little - his edge is a little more blunt than it once was - in fact he looked second rate against Novak in the French Open recently. Andy's early exit from Queens was an indicator that we shouldn't expect miracles this year. Will he ever win a slam?

As an outside shot, someone like John Isner or Tsonga could pull a few surprises.

I can't figure out the women's rankings. The No. 1 player of recent years never seems to be the best. It just means she's entered and won more tournaments as far as I can see. I'd rate someone like Lisicki to perhaps pull a surprise now that the dominance of the Williams' sisters has gone. Sharapova is an obvious favourite.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

MidnightFlyer

Veteran Member
Joined
16 May 2010
Messages
12,857
I'll be watching certainly, I love tennis, though for soem reason only on grass.

I think you've summed up the men's pretty well, I don't think Murray has a concrete chance, Federer's losing his way, and Nadal, like Federer, seems to have lost his edge of late. I think, baring him ruining it for himself, it's Djockivic's year again.

As for the women's I agree again, the top seed always seems to fail, I remember it was Safina a couple of years ago, and she lost to one of the Williams sisters 6-1 6-0 early on! Sharapova's coming good of late again, I fancy her (and I think she'll win the tournament too! ;)). As always, any Laura Robson matches I'll be watching :D
 

Ivo

Established Member
Joined
8 Jan 2010
Messages
7,307
Location
Bath (or Southend)
Murray does have a chance, but only in the same way that Henman did (as shown in 2001) - if the other big guns all under-perform. He is almost certainly "best of the rest" though, and the way things are going may be permanently ahead of Federer before too long, but unless something changes Nadal and Djokovic will reign supreme for several years yet. Ultimately, Murray's best chance is on the concrete courts of Flushing Meadows.

Otherwise, I think Roddick has a lot to prove after his showing at Roland Garros, and hope he does well - and that things don't turn out how they did in 2009 (when he lost to Federer 16-14 in the final set in the Final)! I would agree that Tsonga may be a good outside bet.

I can't figure out the women's rankings.

I don't think anyone can :lol:

Sharapova has to be the favourite for me. If she can win at 17 she can win in the prime of her career - especially on the back of Roland Garros.
 

MidnightFlyer

Veteran Member
Joined
16 May 2010
Messages
12,857
I remember the 2009 Men's Final - Roddick had a chance to break Federer and would have needed to hold serve to win the fourth set I think, but he put a slam shot long with Federer defenceless, a shot which 9,999 out of 10,000 any pro would hit in. It turned the match on its head and thereafter there looked like being only one winner.
 

Zoe

Established Member
Joined
22 Aug 2008
Messages
5,905
Murray does have a chance, but only in the same way that Henman did (as shown in 2001)
The big question in 2001 though is if Henman would have beaten Rafter had he made the final, it's not certain at all that he would have done.

In 2002 I think Henman would have won Wimbledon if Hewitt hadn't been around, it was just very likely even before that tourament started that Hewitt was going to knock out anyone that stood in his path. That said if Schalken did come close to knocking Hewitt out in the quarter final and had he done so I think Henman would have had much better chance of beating him than Hewitt. I doubt Nalbandian would have beaten Henman in the final.

I think Henman would have had a reasonable chance in 2003 if he hadn't blown it against Grosjean in the quarter finals. He could have beaten Philipouses in the sem-final as he did the next year in the fourth round and Henman had a very good record against Federer at that time and this continued until early 2004. Henman did have a very good run at the Paris Masters that year, beating Davydenko, Grosjean, Kuerten, Federer, Roddick and Paval to win the title.

From 2004 Federer was unbeatable most of the time until Nadal arrived on the scene although if it hadn't rained in the 2004 Wimbledon final then maybe Roddick would have won.
 

valenta

Member
Joined
20 May 2011
Messages
1,179
Location
The Toon
Though I don't follow tennis all year round, I'm always interested when Wimbledon comes around. Personally I would give Nadal the edge after his win over Djockivic in the French open.
 

Schnellzug

Established Member
Joined
22 Aug 2011
Messages
2,926
Location
Evercreech Junction
I'd forgotten about this. It's rather got sort of squeezed out among everything else, hasn't it. It is one of the spectator sports I can watch for more than 10 minutes without getting bored, perhaps because it's fairly easy to keep track of who's who if there's only two people on the pitch.
 

Zoe

Established Member
Joined
22 Aug 2008
Messages
5,905
The draw has been published. Andy Murray will play former world number 3 Nikolay Davydenko in the first round and it he gest to the semi-final will likely play Rafael Nadal. Defending chapion Novak Djokovic plays former French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero in the first round and could play Roger Federer in the semi-final.
 

Ivo

Established Member
Joined
8 Jan 2010
Messages
7,307
Location
Bath (or Southend)
I had no idea Davydenko had fallen quite so much! :shock:

The BBC have listed the following as his likely route:

Davydenko, Karlovic, Anderson, Gasquet, Ferrer, Nadal, Djokovic

I don't know much about Anderson, but otherwise that looks pretty slippery. And why does he always seem to play Gasquet at Wimbledon? :|

------------ EDIT, a few days later: Anderson is out in Round 1; Gasquet is in a completely different section of the Draw (:roll:), and Nadal is out in Round 2. Tsonga appears to be the big threat on Murray's route to the Final (could it really happen?).
 
Last edited:

Robinson

Member
Joined
1 Aug 2010
Messages
623
Location
Helensburgh
Impressive performance from Murray today; might have been a potential banana skin but he took Davydenko to the cleaners :D

Just wish I hadn't got my hopes up when Nadal was 4 games down against Bellucci :roll:
 

Zoe

Established Member
Joined
22 Aug 2008
Messages
5,905
Impressive performance from Murray today; might have been a potential banana skin but he took Davydenko to the cleaners
It will most likely go like the England football team where people keep talking up his chances of winning until he comes up against a top world class player.
 
Joined
21 Oct 2010
Messages
1,040
Location
Leeds
You do wonder if he goes on court against the big 3 and actually believes he can win, this i feel is his major downfall, not all this fitness, physical strengh....blah,blah,blah.
 

yorksrob

Veteran Member
Joined
6 Aug 2009
Messages
38,830
Location
Yorks
The match appears to have overrun by around five minutes, however for some reason the BBC has deemed it more important to have various commentators waffling on afterwards than to try and regain something close to scheduled programming. I understand that sporting fixtures overrun from time to time, but can't commentators waffle in their own programming time.
 

LE Greys

Established Member
Joined
6 Mar 2010
Messages
5,389
Location
Hitchin
A shock result indeed - I tipped him to win earlier in this thread.

He put up quite a fight at some points, then seemed to fade in others. It looked as though he was not well at times. If things are true to form, Rosol will be out in the next round, tends to happen to people who pull off giant-killing acts.

The match appears to have overrun by around five minutes, however for some reason the BBC has deemed it more important to have various commentators waffling on afterwards than to try and regain something close to scheduled programming. I understand that sporting fixtures overrun from time to time, but can't commentators waffle in their own programming time.

Similar thing with interviews (especially when you can tell the players just want a shower and some rest).
 

Darandio

Established Member
Joined
24 Feb 2007
Messages
10,674
Location
Redcar
The match appears to have overrun by around five minutes, however for some reason the BBC has deemed it more important to have various commentators waffling on afterwards than to try and regain something close to scheduled programming. I understand that sporting fixtures overrun from time to time, but can't commentators waffle in their own programming time.

Prior to that, they had already announced that the following programme was to be shown on Sunday. Presumably they thought it possible that Nadal would hold in there so made a new plan.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

Veteran Member
Joined
17 Apr 2011
Messages
32,271
Location
A semi-rural part of north-west England
I understand that sporting fixtures overrun from time to time, but can't commentators waffle in their own programming time.

It happens because they are full of their own self-imagined importance. Why do you think that so much time is devoted to pre-race time at Formula 1 meetings, so these experts can spout their "words of wisdom" to an unwilling audience.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
***********************************************************************************

I see that the usual xenophobic British media "hype" regarding Heather Watson was well and truly "put to bed" today, as in the third round, she was unfortunate to be drawn against the number 3 seed, Agneszka Radwanska of Poland, who won in less than an hour by a score of 6-0 6-2.
 

Darandio

Established Member
Joined
24 Feb 2007
Messages
10,674
Location
Redcar
Why do you think that so much time is devoted to pre-race time at Formula 1 meetings, so these experts can spout their "words of wisdom" to an unwilling audience.

Not everyone is unwilling, many find it enormously interesting.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top