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Entries Tagged as 'Tennis'

A Day at the Open

January 19th, 2007 · Comments Off on A Day at the Open · Grand Slam Tennis, Tennis

I planned a nice day today at the Australian Open, avoiding the forecast of very hot weather mid-week. However, today the weather has gone too far the other way, and drizzling rain set in for the day.

After some days where the heat policy was put into play, it was now the turn of the wet weather policy to have an effect. Luckily our day ground pass tickets allowed entry to the Vodafone Arena, with its roof closed to the rain.

We could see on the scoreboard that no play was taking place on the outside courts, so we settled in to watch a few games under shelter. There was a strong French theme providing the entertainment: Amelie Mauresmo, Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet.

At the end of the day, the clouds cleared for a short time for us to explore the outer courts and set down to watch the Australian crowd favourite, Wayne Arthurs. The crowd was very excited about the prospect of watching one of the few Aussies left in the draw, however, a misdirected pain-killing injection prior to the match turned his leg numb, and he had to hobble off the court and withdraw only after a couple of games.

It was not the day we expected, but nevertheless very entertaining.

Related Pages: Australian Open, Grand Slam Tennis, Tennis

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First Day Violence

January 15th, 2007 · Comments Off on First Day Violence · Grand Slam Tennis, Tennis

On the first day at the Australian Open, there was lots of action and excitement, but unfortunately, a lot of that took place off the court.

Melbourne is a very multicultural city, with many Australians having European ancestry, including Croats and Serbs. There has been a long history of animosity between Serbs and Croats back home in Croatia, but not here. I don’t know all the details, but some youths from these groups had an altercation in the crowd resulting in them being ejected. These guys have mostly grown up in Australia, so they must have learnt this hatred from their parents.

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It is embarrassing that these images were broadcast around the world – they are painting a bad image of Australia for the world audience, one that is essentially untrue. They have obviously not embraced the spirit of Australia.

The Australian Open has a history of the Swedes being very vocal and colourful, and they have added a unique flavour to this ‘friendly’ tournament. There has never been a serious complaint about their behaviour.

The authorities are going to increase security at the tennis from now on, but the tennis supporters don’t want to see a stop to people dressing up, chanting and showing support for their country or parent’s country.

Related Pages: Australian Open, Grand Slam Tennis, Tennis

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No Grunting Please

November 23rd, 2006 · Comments Off on No Grunting Please · Fitness, Tennis

A New York fitness club, which has outlets nationwide, has a long list of “dos and don’ts” that its members have to follow. That does not sound too bad. However, one of these rules is that no grunting is allowed, apparently to create a non-intimidating environment. And they enforce the rules too.

Recently, one of the club’s members was expelled for grunting. I don’t know if he ended up giving a bit more resistance, but eventually, Police Officers were called in by the management to escort the patron out. He admitted emitting several grunts when he was about to lift 227 kilograms.

I think sometimes you have to make some noise to get the most out of a lift, and it usually feels good too.

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Where they need to stop the grunting is during women’s tennis matches. It really annoys me when I am trying to enjoy watching a game of tennis and all I can hear are the women grunting. The Wimbledon Championship has laid down the law in the past with regulating the clothing people could wear, now they should regulate the sounds the women can make too.

Related Pages: choosing a fitness club, tennis, Wimbledon

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Hewitt in Danger

September 19th, 2006 · No Comments · Tennis

Lleyton Hewitt arrived in Buenos Aires Argentina on Sunday night for a Davis Cup tie, accompanied by two personal security guards. He has previously been abused and felt threatened by the Argentinean supporters, but it seems like overkill to me.

If he was not popular with the Argentinean fans and players before now, this will certainly not make it any better. David Nalbandian, who Hewitt beat to win his Wimbledon title in 2002, has said that none of the other players like Hewitt, and out on the court this animosity may be just the extra fuel that players need to beat him.

Related Pages: Davis Cup, Tennis, Lleyton Hewitt profile

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Agassi Out

September 4th, 2006 · No Comments · Tennis

Andre Agassi’s long and very successful career is now over. He played his final match on Sunday, September 3, 2006, losing to Benjamin Becker in four sets in the third round of the U.S. Open. He is 36 years old, having turned professional at aged 16. I must say that I was not too impressed with him early in his career – he seemed like a spoilt brat. This may have been a result of his missed childhood as he was drilled as a tennis player from an early age. He is reaping the rewards now, and over time he has mellowed to be a very respected player around the world. His bald head will be sadly missed on the tennis court. Now we wait for the day the super player children that he and his wife Steffi Graf have produced to make it to the court.

Related Pages: US Open, Tennis, Andre Agassi profile

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