OK, if nobody else is going to comment on yesterday afternoon
Well done Andy Murray
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LOL yeah well done that man.
I had the TV on quite a bit during the last week, not really sitting watching but just as background. Seemed quite a lot of the last few matches were keenly fought by the underdogs, even though that wasn't always reflected in the scoreline.
I do like the gentlemanlyness of the game, mostly.
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Forgot it was on until it was on the news. Mind you it's up i don't think I'd be able to watch a full game, watching a tree stump rot would be more interesting.
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On that note, and seeing how this is, allegedly, a motoring forum, why is there no mention of the chap Hamilton?
Or is everybody sick of the wannabe gangsta?
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Good point Ian, there is an F1 thread in Motoring but there's no comment on it. I'll put that right now!!
And while we're at it well done to the Portuguese. I have very little interest in soccer but watched the game and was disappointed when Ronaldo went off as I think he has exceptional skills (despite sometimes being a cry baby, but aren't they all?)
Although for no valid reason I'd have liked France to have won, and it wasn't the best game in the tournament, overall I've enjoyed the Euro soccer.
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>> Good point Ian, there is an F1 thread in Motoring but there's no comment on
>> it. I'll put that right now!!
>>
>>>>
I suspect a distinct lack of interest in seeing two drivers from the same team dominating, with the soap opera bitching as to who was at fault for what becoming bigger news than the race itself.
Wait till it disappears from terrestrial TV for F1 to sink to the same status as speedway.
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I would say at the top level in almost all sports the same people keep winning, or at least you can predict who will fill the top spots. Even Murray has won Wimbledon before.
What sport do you follow that is so unpredictable ROR?
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>> What sport do you follow that is so unpredictable ROR?
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Football, cycling and snooker in the main.
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>> snooker in the main.
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...it'll be the waves that make that unpredictable.....
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I'm not so sure that they are that unpredictable. Usually one of a small handful of people wins, after beating someone else in that same handful don't they?
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>> OK, if nobody else is going to comment on yesterday afternoon
>>
>> Well done Andy Murray
Mumble. Mutter.
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I echo the praise for Murray. He deserves his win and many more.A gladiatorial performance.
Also praise is due to Heather Watson in the mixed doubles and our wheelchair champions.
I have been lucky enough to get Centre Court tickets for the last four years and have even stood on the sacred turf.
TV does not do the sport justice, I have seen Murray, Federer ,Djokovic and Serena among others playing live and it absorbing and enthralling to see the level of skill and control displayed even in an obvious one sided match such as Federer v Willis which we saw .
The atmosphere in there was just great and when Willis won a game the cheering was like he had won the championship.
Getting tickets is problematical but if you get the chance to go,take it.
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That bloke opposing Murray was serving at 140+ mph. How anyone could even see that, let alone return it, is beyond me.
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>> That bloke opposing Murray was serving at 140+ mph. How anyone could even see that,
>> let alone return it, is beyond me.
>>
with about 1/3 of a second to react it has to involve an element of anticipation / "reading the serve" / guesswork and luck
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Yes indeed, well done Andy. Scotland is proud of you...
;-)
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This makes for some interesting reading.... showing much speed is lost thro air resistance and court bounce/drag.
I've now come across an article that shows speed-guns tests back in 1999, on Sampras' 1st serves at point of where ball leaves racquet strings and also where ball leaves ground after impact:
'Down-the-T' serve:
Speed after being hit: 126mph
Speed before hitting court: 89mph
Speed after hitting court: 67mph
Speed at returner's baseline: 58mph
'Wide' serve:
Speed after being hit: 115mph
Speed before hitting court: 84mph
Speed after hitting court: 62mph
Speed at returner's baseline: 52mph
In my youth I must have exceeded 100mph as I recall my flat service being measured at >90mph in my 50s.
Spin at the professional level is what makes for difficulty in returning, 'kick' is difficult to counter for average club players.
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Similar thing with cricket balls: the oft-quoted 90mph is out of the bowler's hand, and it's more like 70 by the time it reaches the batsman. (Shorter distance, heavier ball so smaller losses than tennis.)
But even an 80mph county second XI bowler like Leicestershire's Charlie Dagnell (now of BBC Radio but who coached at my club's winter training 15 or so years ago) seemed unplayably fast to an amateur player, especially since he pretty much knew where each ball was going to go.
Another difference at pro-level that may also apply to tennis is pace and 'carry'. The pitches are so much better prepared and as hard as concrete, meaning the ball loses much less speed on contact. You'll notice in a club game that the keeper might be only 6-8m behind the wicket; at Perth or Old Trafford that could be 20m or more, because the ball will travel that far and still arrive at a comfortable height. On our pitches, if the keeper stood that deep the ball would probably bounce twice after passing the stumps and shoot past him along the ground.
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With a tennis ball I can make it go very fast indeed, or I can have some control over its direction.
The two together is not an available option.
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Wimbledon - Ian (Cape Town)
