I'm watching the match right now, and so far each has taken a set (7-6, 6-4) and Djoko is up 2-1 on the third. I have to say Roddick is playing better than him, converted 2/3 breakpoints while Djoko has not.
There's a commotion right now on Djoko's bench. He's called the trainer it seems. Oh man. BAD move. After what happened on the last USO? Just a bad move. I try to like him, I really do try, but he makes it so terribly hard.
This is the first match of Roddick I've watched on this AO and I cannot believe it, but he is playing superbly against Nole. Would be an interesting match if our boy meets him.
UPDATE: Still in 3rd set, Andy is up another 2 breakpoints and Nole has called the officials again. If he retires in this match, I will lose all respect for him. Terrible sportsmanship.
UPDATE 2: surprise surprise, Nole retired. 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2 2-1. We all saw it coming with all the subtlety of an elephant dancing ballet. Some Nole fanatics will probably slam me for this, but I'm sorry. He is just so obvious. At this point it does not matter if he really has injured himself or not. He does this ALL the time.
I hope Andy continues to play as well as he did today. Easy matches makes for boring ones methinks.
Match Stats
Of course he retired. He's Djoker and he was losing... Never retires when he's winning. And given that the problem seemed to be that he was tired, he of course couldn't hang in there for Roddick to beat him...
ReplyDeletePP - exactly. I get so frustrated with Nole. All that talent, abilities, outbalanced by weak spirit. If I was a ticket paying spectator - I would've been furious.
ReplyDeleteI hope I don't get smacked for this, but I kinda believe Nole in this case. *hides under bed*
ReplyDeleteHe's had problems with extreme heat before - I think it's his circulation. I can relate to that, as I'm having a hard time with the same thing when it's extremely hot and humid.
Also, I don't think he likes not being able to defend his title, and he's lost without retiring a lot more times.
I just don't want to believe he'd be that unfair - he always seemed like such a sportsman to me, applauding his opponents after good points etc.
OK... I'm ready for my smack now... x_x
Sonja: *smacK*
ReplyDeleteLOL no I'm just joking. Everyone's entitled to their opinion babe. If that is yours, then you have at it. As for me, well he does this all the time, and I am not the only one that has noticed, and it does not sit right with me.
I have mixed emotions on this. It's too long to get into, and I would have to bore you to tears with personal details. So I'm going to go shower and wait for my UPS man. Much better to focus on him instead. He's bringing me a new toy this week! Squeeeeeeeee!!!
ReplyDeleteYou and your UPS man. Dammit. Should I start ordering naughty toys online just to get a hot UPS man knocking on my door? The state of my single life is depressing, I tell you.
ReplyDeleteGreet him in a new position this time - like from the kamasutra page 384 or something.
p.s: I'd love to hear your thoughts, however long it is. I watched the match and, although I try not to be biased against Nole (I have hated his retirement act for a long time now) he was still hitting winners on the 3rd set, vicious backhands too. I just think the way he retired was in very poor taste.
OMG Babz! I have the kamasutra memorized! Do you think we were part of the same embryo?
ReplyDeleteCall UPS and ask for Mark, the hot guy who looks like Rafa's older brother with a slight paunch. I'm sure they'll know where to find him. But really, just love yourself. You know what you like. If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with! ;)
Alright, onto Nole. Yes, I think he's been coddled and a bit of a whiner. However, the heat can be a entirely different factor.
I teach Bikram yoga. It is done under very hot and very humid conditions. I see firsthand the effect it has on different people. Moreover, I teach it to both athletes and very wealthy ppl, and to chronically ill and disabled ppl. (I tell the first group I am gouging them on price so that I can offer my skills to those in the second group for little or no cost). My second group are always affected by heat and humidity. It is incredible to watch these poor ppl who have to suffer daily, struggle in the heat and still maintain their health. They can literally almost pass out in a pose, then be able to transition into the next with little problem once they take a break. I lower both the heat and humidity for this group. But they still need exposure to it for short periods of time. I have also been in the position to watch disabled people in a regular class, where the instructor doesn't take their afflictions into consideration, and watched them get very ill very quickly. In my experience, healthy ppl tend not to show compassion to anyone else who looks healthy.
I also have a friend who is a Type 1 diabetic. She's got many complications, and she can't even be in the upper 70'sF on a humid day without getting very ill. In summer, when it's 90'sF outside, she is still ill in her air-conditioned house, because of the outside temp and humidity. She also looks like a normal person, and people are constantly judging her. I'm not saying Nole falls into this category, but he could have an ailment that we don't know about (maybe he doesn't either.)
In my first group, there still are ppl who can't tolerate higher heat and humidity. I don't know whether it's an endocrine, pulmonary, or circulatory condition, or maybe it's a combo of all three. Heat just affects ppl differently.
Back to Nole. I saw him struggling to breathe I think in the first set. I think he's also had some type of surgery on his sinuses. All the symptoms he displayed? That's what anyone suffering in my class does. I can't say he was or wasn't suffering. I also can't say he couldn't go on. The only thing I can say is that none of us live in his body, so we'll never know. For most of his injuries, I am on the "big baby" side. But for this one, I can't be. Heat is a very dangerous thing. Maybe if he came to Melbourne a week or two early, he wouldn't have gotten ill, but none of us know that is a certainty.
Alright, that's enough of that. Time to read the Kama Sutra to Rafa. Chapter 7.
"When a woman sees that her lover is fatigued by constant congress, without having his desire satisfied, she should, with his permission, lay him down upon his back, and give his assistance by acting his part. She may also do this to satisfy the curiosity of her lover, or her own desire of novelty."
What's that, Raf? You're feeling curious...???
I don't think Nole fakes this up. Seriously, he can't gain anything by doing this on purpose but he has a lot to lose. So why people think he's faking it? I find these accusations very serious and harming. People should respect and understand some of the extreme conditions most tennis players play under and what they do is nothing short of superhuman. Haven't you heard about all the sudden deaths in football (soccer)? A lot of elite athletes die due to the extreme workout on their bodies, that has been widely reported in the news. So before you start doubting Djokovic about his injuries and retirements, you should try to do what he does under extreme conditions. I wonder why tennis players don't die more often on court due to heat exposure or overload... this is a serious matter. Every body reacts differently to heat and I heard that Novak has a breathing problem so that should explain it all. Anyway i find it's bad taste to doubt a super player like Nole and make fun of someone's health condition.
ReplyDelete