Blog of Z » Tennis

Tennis Season

zarine — Thu, 12 May 2011 03:17:31 +0000

I wish I have The Tennis Channel, but I don’t think local cable operators (Philippines) offer that. Mostly, I have to rely on online streaming sites to watch tennis because the sports channels my cable provider offers mostly show golf, football, racing, and other sports I don’t really follow. Well, I only watch tennis, so that’s the channel I really want. The day I find it on a network cable tester will be happy day for me. Much like when I found FOX Asia being tested and later on retained.

Tennis is actually a year-round sport but the months of January, June, July, and August/September are the most important ones since those are the months of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Unfortunately, I think Star Sports only cover Wimbledon these past few years, and sometimes the Australian Open. Now that it’s almost time for the French Open, I can only rely on my 1-Mbps internet connection, which frankly is not enough to stream matches, especially the most important ones which a lot of people watch at the same time.

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On Justine Henin’s (Second) Retirement

zarine — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:58:35 +0000

I am almost as big a Justine Henin fan as I am a Roger Federer fan. I love artistry in tennis, and in my mind those two are the ultimate artists of the game. Sure, their athletism is also at the highest levels, and other players have that, too, but their game (how they play) is what I enjoy the most about watching them.

So it is with a heavy heart that I read Justine’s open letter to her fans, which also served as the official announcement of her retirement, after a generally disappointing (for her, for sure) comeback in 2010 — she fell to injury at Wimbledon, soon after a promising start at the Australian Open where she was a finalist. No matter how many retirement gifts come pouring in, I can imagine this is not how she imagined things will play out. Maybe her injury is irreversible, or maybe she didn’t want to deal with the long recovery and attempt to go back to the top, which will surely be an almost impossible task by now, but her fans can only appreciate that she tried to come back and that we got reminded, however briefly, of her brilliance.Similar Posts:

Australian Open Second Week

zarine — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 03:54:46 +0000

I’ve been closely following this year’s Australian Open, thanks to my new “work arrangement” and thanks to Star Sports — I think only the Australian Open and Wimbledon are shown in my cable channels; I have to rely on Internet streaming when it’s time for the French Open and the US Open. As someone who’s been following tennis for a few years, I can say with confidence that the level of play in this first Grand Slam for the year has been really, really good, both in the women’s and the men’s side. There have been a number of interesting matches, but my favorite so far is Francesca Schiavone versus Svetlana Kuznetsova, which made history as the longest women’s match at a Grand Slam (4 h, 44 min). The quality of the tennis there at the end was astounding, considering both women must be dead tired by that last set (3rd).

This is also a time for being reminded of tennis commercials, and one of my classic favorites is that of Steffi Graf using her racket and tennis balls as some sort of cooking tools. These are from the early 90s.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfHKG6ym-lg

www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8yBSLcaD0o

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Rivalry

zarine — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 02:51:13 +0000

This is how tennis’ most important rivalry of the decade looks like outside of the tennis courts:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=94xyOpETYYs

Come on! These guys can sell anything. From half-a-million-dollar watches to cheap auto insurance.To see them having fun together is just an added super bonus. Well, at least if you’re a tennis nut like me. Too bad they’ve taken down the longer version of these outtakes. I saw the 14-minute clip and it was HILARIOUS. Roger just couldn’t stop laughing and Rafa is a bit embarrassed but game. I especially loved the part where Roger’s speaking lines in Spanish and Rafa’s teaching him how to pronounce the words. Great guys, these two. I’m so glad I love tennis.Similar Posts:

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It’s Hard to be a Federer Fan These Days

zarine — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 02:07:53 +0000

I’ve been avoiding making comments in social media sites about this year’s U.S. Open because I’m so scared about Roger Federer’s results, after a quite disappointing year. The media has been writing him off generally and with good reason. So it was a surprise that he was breezing through his matches and you’ll see papers praising him to high heavens again like Nadal wasn’t the first seed. I didn’t think I’d see the day when Roger Federer is the favorite because of his commercial appeal. Rafael Nadal may be the king of all tennis now but he’s nowhere near Roger’s level of charisma and fluency when it comes to being an ambassador for the sport. Well, at least except when Roger’s ~~bitter~~ sad about losing that he’s making comments like “I won’t be watching the final, but I hope Rafa wins” after losing in the semis to Novak Djokovic. Well, I hope Novak wins. Roger can go home to Switzerland now and maybe enjoy his twins, who by the way, just celebrated their 1st birthday, although we didn’t get any 1st birthday invitations. Not that I thought that’s possible.Similar Posts:

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The Sound of A Passing Era

zarine — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:57:51 +0000

That sound you (I) hear is not the vuvuzela. Although World Cup enthusiasts are probably loving that name – it even topped Justin Bieber on trending topics in Twitter – my ears are stinging from the sound of media attack against Roger Federer. It’s worse than a stainless steel drum just because I lack sleep and woke up to harsh write ups and comments.

Sure, Federer was surly, and bitter, and sarcastic, and maybe even self-delusional in his post-game presser after losing his quarterfinal match yesterday. But I’d give the guy a break. It’s, what, a few minutes after a very disappointing loss for him. He shouldn’t have spoken his mind, especially because he was wrong. It maybe was an uncharacteristic loss of cool and class, but don’t bury him like he’s not done anything good all these years. Oh, well. That’s the price of excellence, I guess. You lose it, you (superficially) lose everything.Similar Posts:

Perfect Hair

zarine — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:43:32 +0000

Need I say more?

I’m talking about Roger Federer’s hair, not Robin Soderling’s. The guy may have lost the match; his 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinal streak may have come to an end; he may well lose the no. 1 ranking soon, but, boy, does he have the best hair among all these ballers. Call me a fan, because I certainly am. And call me vain, but side view is Federer’s best side, methinks. It should have its own term life insurance.Similar Posts:

Roland Garros 2010

zarine — Sun, 30 May 2010 15:50:20 +0000

So what have I learned so far from this year’s French Open?

1. I can’t repeat what the umpires are saying, except for deuce and mademoiselle.

2. Of course, it goes without saying that I don’t understand what the umpires are saying.

3. I want Federer to defend his title, with or without Nadal at the other side of the net, so I can hear him speak French in his acceptance speech again. It doesn’t matter that I won’t understand what he’s saying. Though a Federer-Nadal final would make me so nervous I’ll probably pig out while watching and then look for colonix reviews.

4. Justine Henin speaks French, but that’s not why I want her to win. She has a very difficult road to the finals and if she wins anyway, despite that terrible serve (what happened with her serve?), then that will say it all why she’s my favorite.

5. I want to go to France and learn to speak French. But I also want to Spain and learn to speak Spanish. Of course I can always just purchase Rosetta Stone.Similar Posts:

Rafa’s Bling

zarine — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:36:56 +0000

This is the watch that Rafael Nadal is wearing during the French Open (Roland Garros) 2010.

This luxury watch is crafted by luxury watchmaker Richard Mille. How much, you ask? A little more than US$500,000.

Not exactly one of those you’ll call cool gifts for Dads, no?! This article describes what exactly makes this watch cost that much. Regardless, you probably won’t be seeing it anywhere inside your favorite malls. And to wear it while playing a sport like tennis, more so because Rafa is a lefty, seems like wasteful and unnecessary. But who am I to judge? Rafa just wears it and gets paid for it. The brand gets their advertisement and publicity. Then, I get to write about it. I think everyone’s happy.Similar Posts:

Federer Lost in Rome

zarine — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:36:55 +0000

Roger Federer is supposed to meet Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the Rome Masters this week, also as part of their preparation for the upcoming French Open in June. Nadal has been showing signs of his invincible self (at least on clay) again these past week, when he won in Monte Carlo. I watched that final against Fernando Verdasco and it was frustrating for the other Spaniard.

So with all the build-up, and the fact that Federer hasn’t won anything since the Australian Open, this loss to Ernests Gulbis is rather anticlimactic. It also stressed me into eating an unplanned midnight snack. Gee, I need my ephedra diet pills now.Similar Posts: