US Open Thread

[Gift]

Dunno what the issue is with the foot fault being called. Its like people saying the free shouldnt have been paid in the Crows game last night because of the 'feel of the game' and how close it was with seconds left.

Sports have rules for a reason. Just because its match point/last 30 seconds doesnt mean that the rules of the sport suddenly become invalid. They know the rules. If she faulted then its her problem to deal with.

Not really... Rutten held Anthonys arm with both his arms which is blantently there.

Id say the footfault call was on the level of placing a hand on the back of the shoulder with a slight nudge and being called for hands in the back, which is technically there but its kind of tight with less than a minute to go to win the game.

 

[RW]

I don't get it. Match point down or not you'd have to be nuts to carry on like that in full view of the cameras. It's still crazy that the line judge would call a foot fault at such a crucial stage (it's a bit different to a free kick because foot faults are quite rare by comparison), but the reaction from Serena was just bizarre. It's almost as if the drama queen in her took over when she knew she was going to lose anyway (second serve at 5-6 and 15-30) and didn't give a crap as long as she took some of the spotlight away from her opponent (Petulant little sister, remember?)

It's a shame because Kim played such a fantastic match. Agree that the foot fault had no bearing on the outcome, as Neil Craig said after the Crows game even if the free against Rutten HAD been wrong, there were still a stack of other incidents during the game that were more relevant, same deal here. Kim was simply better when it counted and I don't think Serena was able to handle that!

 

[Power King]

Unbelievable that someone would mention 1mm doesn't make a different.

It doesn't matter.

Rules are rules and they must be enforced.

When it comes to objective rules where no interpretation or grey area exists, there MUST be zero complacency.

In aussie rules, it would be akin to the ball going out of bounds by 1mm yet allowing play to continue.

The rule is there, and you enforce it.

Lines are the absolute most fundamental element of just about every sport on the face of the planet.

 

[gaelictiogar]

To anyone saying they dont know how the the linesperson could've called it...

Do you really think they would continue to get lines people to mark that position if the lines couldn't be judged to a sufficient level?

Anyway, looking forward to the ACTUAL HIGH QUALITY TENNIS THAT I EXPECT TO SEE IN THE MENS SEMIS.

Precisely. With the mouth watering prospect of a Federer V Nadal and two cracking semis as well the womens is really simply a sideshow getting in the way of scheduling. Give the girls their piggybacking money and get them out of the way in time for the real action.

 

[amer]

Crikey how good is Del Potro? Just monstering Nadal here

Will surely hold the top ranking for a while at some stage.

 

[gaelictiogar]

I'll risk saying what everyone else is thinking....you can take the girl out of the hood but can't take the hood out of the girl. The menacing verbals folowed by the deceptive mendacity when called on it. Classic underclass behaviour. A bully.

 

[Drummond]

Del Potro playing like a freak, serving well, hitting cleanly off both wings. Rafa's just about done here, it's a match-up made in hell for Rafa. Del Potro's height + power = win.

Sad thing is you know should he reach the final, despite playing remarkably well to get there, he'll crumble against Federer.

In other news, Bernard Tomic won the junior boys singles. Must be something special about the name Bernard.

 

[krisholio14]

Rafa is gone.

He's looked well down on his best today, but give Del Potro credit, he's had Nadal 5-10 metres from the baseline for the whole game.

 

[Cruiser23]

Holy mother of god...

What the hell did Del Potro have for breakfast? Absolutely SMASHED Nadal.

 

[Total Power]

juan martin...too good.I agree with drummond above, he will crumble in the finals . but what an incredible performance from jmdp...i have never seen anyone outhit rafa like that. You go boy.....

 

[mr_cellotape]

Am I just sleep-deprived/drunk/both, or did 9 just have a graphic saying they were showing the Fed match starting at 9am? And that therefore the womens final is delayed as well...

 

[Total Power]

Del Potro playing like a freak, serving well, hitting cleanly off both wings. Rafa's just about done here, it's a match-up made in hell for Rafa. Del Potro's height + power = win.

Sad thing is you know should he reach the final, despite playing remarkably well to get there, he'll crumble against Federer.

In other news, Bernard Tomic won the junior boys singles. Must be something special about the name Bernard.

agree, del potro match is a matchup made in hell.He keeps pounding on his backhand side which is his strength unfortunately.I dont want rafa to face Juan martin in a slam ever again...please ...

 

[gaelictiogar]

First set on a tie beak to the Meister. Novak is playing well and will be gutted he couldn't convert the break but 15 unforceds in a set will kill him if he keeps doing it. Still he is competing well as you'd expect here.

 

[CanonNo1]

First set on a tie beak to the Meister. Novak is playing well and will be gutted he couldn't convert the break but 15 unforceds in a set will kill him if he keeps doing it. Still he is competing well as you'd expect here.

Novak hitting them well the last few games ... needs to break here somewhere else another breaker and i'd be backing Roger in those.

 

[gaelictiogar]

7-6 7-5. Roger will hope to wrap it up in thre.

Novak is doing well limiting his unforces to 7 that set but at only 19 winners to Roger's 32 he simply doesn't seem to have the guns to compete. Who knows though.

 

[CanonNo1]

ridiculous shot and not a bad forehand on match point either.

Cruisy straight sets victory.

 

[gaelictiogar]

ridiculous shot and not a bad forehand on match point either.

Cruisy straight sets victory.

49 to 31 in the winners count told the story. Novak just didn't have the guns.

Fed has hit 265 winners in the Open so far. He's on fire. Del Potro has a very respectable 226 as well and is on fire. Relatively high unforceds counts for both as well with Del Potro hitting 190 to Fed's 181 - surely he can't beat Fed if hitting as many or more unforceds? The final could be a real shot making shoot out.

 

[CanonNo1]

49 to 31 in the winners count told the story. Novak just didn't have the guns.

Fed has hit 265 winners in the Open so far. He's on fire. Del Potro has a very respectable 226 as well and is on fire. Relatively high unforceds counts for both as well with Del Potro hitting 190 to Fed's 181 - surely he can't beat Fed if hitting as many or more unforceds? The final could be a real shot making shoot out.

If he does win, you've really got to wonder if they'll count it given he didn't have to play Rafa.

 

[matt_897]

Fed showing how much more mentally stronger he is compared to Djoko, it was a fairly close match otherwise but at the end of the sets Roger came through. That shot between his legs was ridculous, might of been one of the best shots I've seen in my life. Djoko can take the positive, that he is hitting the ball a bit better, serving and groundstrokes. just needs to contiune to improve.

 

[watermelonslice]

If he does win, you've really got to wonder if they'll count it given he didn't have to play Rafa.

Federer hasn't had to pay Rafa in most of his Grand Slam victories, because Rafa hasn't been able to go deep enough. It doesn't take anything away from Federer's victories. The guy shouldn't have his achievements be diminished because a certain rival hasn't been good enough to even make it deep enough into the tournament. Del Potro smashed Rafa very convincingly. Rafa spent all day defending, whilst Del Potro actually took the initiative to attack.

Djokovic played well today. Federer just a lot better in the crucial stages of the match.

 

[Hawks1523]

Why should she appologise for a wrong decision in her eyes. Honestly. I hate Serena but she has every right to let the WTA sort it out!

Becuase her blowing up like a clown was disgraceful. If you think it's wrong, you can take it to the ITF or whomever afterwards, there are wrong decisions made every match. She needed to move on from it, rather then act like an idiot.

Bingo, I am not having a go at the line judge. I am having a go at line judges in general having no feel for the game. Plus the rules are way too black and white. There are some rules that should be black and white and others you should be able to use your interpretation of the situation. Currently tennis does not all ow this. It is one change I want to
happen in the future.

The rules are fine the way they are. You can't have something like foot faults, near misses etc be let go just because it's a close game. If your foots on the line, foot fault, you know the rule keep your feet away from the line. If you hit it out, it's out, no near enough is good enough.

What is so wrong about having a warning system in place for foot faults. The crowd (which pays for the sport) do not go to games to watch foot faults. Yes the players do have some responsibility to not do it, but if it only 1mm over then just warn the player and get on with the game. This is called having a "feel" towards the game.

They don't pay to see faults in general. So why not just make it if you get the ball over the net, it's fine. The rule is fine, and the LJ called what she saw, and considering she was a LJ in a semi-final at a grand slam, she would have to be a pretty good LJ to get a run. Serena foot faulted twice, bad luck. The having a feel towards the game should not effect a decision. If you see a violation of a rule, you call it you don't let it slide because it's a close game.

 

[CanonNo1]

Federer hasn't had to pay Rafa in most of his Grand Slam victories, because Rafa hasn't been able to go deep enough. It doesn't take anything away from Federer's victories. The guy shouldn't have his achievements be diminished because a certain rival hasn't been good enough to even make it deep enough into the tournament.

Is this sort of logic allowed to be posted?

 

[pluga_4]

Dunno what the issue is with the foot fault being called. Its like people saying the free shouldnt have been paid in the Crows game last night because of the 'feel of the game' and how close it was with seconds left.

Sports have rules for a reason. Just because its match point/last 30 seconds doesnt mean that the rules of the sport suddenly become invalid. They know the rules. If she faulted then its her problem to deal with.

its like brett lee overstepping the line by a 1mm and clean bowling someone and the umpire no balling him. brett lee ain't saying ohhh c'mon ump but it was only by 1mm.

unfortunately for serena she foot faulted at a crucial stage of the match.

 

[watermelonslice]

Clijsters looks off. So many unforced errors.

 

[CHBench]

Caroline Wozniacki, 2009 US Open champ. Wrong, so wrong.

Kim needs to go to Caro's forehand more.