I wish that TV would show more doubles action. For the French, they only showed a portion of the doubles championship because they had extra time. It's too bad. We rarely get to see whole matches.

Does anyone know what happened to the #1 women's doubles team of Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez? They just won the French and I think Wimbledon is the only major they have not won. But they are not in the draw, and a 17th seed has replaced them.

Also, why does Martina keep changing partners? What happened to Arantxa? Gave up after the French? Didn't Martina play with Lindsay at least once last year? And Lisa Raymond before that? Lisa seems to have gone back to her longtime success, Rennae Stubbs.

Srichaphan.... sigh

Its not only him in Asia that's doing bad. Asagoe and Sugiyama are already been knocked off the first round. Remember last year, when Sugiyama got all the way to the quarter finals, and was pretty close in beating Sharapova? Now she can barely survive the first rounds in all the recent tournaments.

None of the Chinese ladies for tennis are present. Kind of disappointing, since there is a expectation of a Chinese revolution to start in a couple of years.

Not a good year for Asian Tennis players :(

Suarez has a hip injury

As far as Srichaphan goes, I don't know why he has dropped off generally but today Safin was just way too good for him. It was one of those days when Safin's head turns up along with the rest of him and when that happens there aren't many who can compete with him.

Could someone tell Brad Gilbert to shut the fuck up! i hate it when he commentates on a match. I don't whose worse commentating him or Chris Fowler!

I had to chuckle when it was 5-5 (i think?) during the Blake match and Brad said that he can "sense" a break coming by James (or something that effect). It didn't happen and he had egg all over his ugly face.

It's not only Gilbert's comments that are a problem, the man can't sit still on camera. I was watching a studio segment during the 7 am show and was so distracted by Gilbert's fidgets I couldn't pay attention to what Fowler was saying. Most second bananas just look at the guy talking with neutral expression, but Gilbert looks like he's trying to find an opening to interrupt. It's really distracting. They must assign a producer to remain within Gilbert's line of vision to keep him quiet.

Exactly!

Man, fuck ESPN! They barely showed any Sharapova, the defending champion, yet I have to suffer through Andy Roddick.

Getting on the Gilbert train, I cannot stand the way he pronounces Kuerten "Queerton." It drives me fucking nuts.

And others. Stepanek, for instance. Fowler seemed to be trying to drop the not-so-subtle hint this morning that BG was butchering it, but I really don't think Gilbert gives a damn. That's the most annoying part to me. Struggle with a name - okay, forgiven. Blatantly refuse to learn how to pronounce names that are not "American" enough for you - gross.

Are they showing the Henman match? Poor folks on Henman hill, they must be biting all their nails off.

Yep, I'm watching it as we type.

What a great match by Henman. He had me worried there for a while. Why does he always seem to have so many come from behind 5 set victories? The only other player in recent history I remember with so many was Michael Chang.

Glad to see that the Belgian Ice Queen Justine Henin is O-U-T. Glee!

Actually, I went home at lunch to watch Tim and they were showing Justine. And while I like Justine, I found myself rooting for Eleni. Go figure. Good for her.

Love that the women's players (JHH?) always criticize the Williams sisters for not playing a full season and then popping in for the big tournaments/Slams and winning the pot. Then here is Justine, who hasn't played on grass in two years, and she is out in the first round. Bittersweet baby!

I was stunned when the commentator said Tim never came from 2 sets down in Wimbledon. When it comes to the crowd, absolutely nothing beats the excitement of the Brits.

I am watching Serena now and I love the energy. Angela Haynes is so pumped up to play someone she grew up with and is giving a great show, regardless of the result. As I was typing this, Angela won the 1st set tiebreak 14-12

Anyone else wishing Taylor Dent would make a good run here just so that commercial with NotJaden would finally be retired?

Hardly the same thing, JHH missed most of the season last year because of the virus she had and not because she decided she was going to focus on acting/fashion or whatever. Eleni was a tough 1st round opponent for anyone, she's great on grass and has beaten JHH before.

I went home for lunch and was surprised to find live tennis coverage on ESPN. Angela Haynes was playing Serena. When I saw the match listed, I figured it would be quick, but was I ever wrong.

Damn. Screw you Serena!

Did ESPN show any of mmmmmmmmmMax Mirnyi's match? He beat Rainer Schuettler in their first round match. In straight sets no less. Sad that both mmmmmmmmMax and Rainer are unseeded players this year. Although I'm sure Max is seeded in doubles.

noclam: Good point re: JHH's illness.

I see your Michael Chang and raise you a Todd Martin :)

I've taped today's coverage so hopefully I had enough tape space to capture whatever parts they showed of the Henman match. I had part of the last game of the final set up on radio Wimbledon and the crowd sounded incredible.

I was just coming here to ask that exact same question (I know, what a surprise). And yes, Max and Jonas are seeded #1. Of course, the match was the same time as Nadal's (straights by him, no less) so I'm guessing that trumped Max's match.


HA! And so, so true.

Thank goodness they showed Sharapova taped instead of Nalbandian live. I needed to hate ESPN for something and they've been so good this year.

Oh c'mon, they did? Had they or ESPN Classic already shown Sharapova? Fine, I'm missing all the ESPN2 coverage starting Thursday so I'm GLAD they are still pulling crap. (I'm kidding of course, I would not wish that upon any of you.)

They barely showed any Sharapova live from what I remember. They showed a lot of stupid Andy during that time. I don't recall the taped Sharapova though, unless that was at the end of the 10 hours. I switched channels after Serena/Haynes

When I left home this morning they were showing Sharapova live. Not sure how much of it they showed. The taped match was this evening after Willams/Haynes.

Hi, Brad Gilbert, when Andy Roddick pops in for five minutes and does a better analysis than you, theres a problem. Mainly, get off my tv.

ETA: Lucy Henman seems really nice and pretty. Too bad I'd totally mack on her husband in front of her.

Two days into Wimbledon, and I am really not happy with the coverage. Surprise, surprise. As long as Roger three peats, I figure I'll survive.

It wasn't trumped by the Nadal match (which got around 2 minutes of coverage total). Thy showed almost all of the Serena/Angela Haynes match during that time. Good for Angela, I remember her from the USO and she seems like a sweet, good girl.

Would have loved to have seen more of Nadal though, and have been able to more properly assess his transition to grass. And of course Max is always lovely. Also would have loved to have gotten a peek at David N. the and Sebastian/ Michael match. Gasquet also. Can't find a stich of the Coria win, which would have been nice to see because, dude, fellow only had 6 unforced errors during the match, which is remarkable! (My little Rafa only had 8 as well.)

I realy think that Pam and Brad hate one another. And I think that Chris Fowler and Sue Motts (is that her name) secretly love one another.

I was watching on and off all day and caught the last point of that match. I'm pretty sure that is all they showed.

Considering the coverage is on for 10 hours a day, they really don't show a whole lot. I much preferred HBO's coverage because they showed a lot of matches and they used BBC announcers who don't talk through the points. Gah! Luke Jensen was driving me nuts for the few minutes I unmuted during the Andy Murray match. The mute button is your friend.

I caught the late night highlights last night, and wow, Suzy Kalber seriously annoys me. First of all, the woman always looks like she's squinting. Also, I know technically the Russian pronunciation is Shuh-RAH-puh-va, but I thought that Maria Anglicized the pronunciation and says it Shahr-uh-POE-va. Why does Suzy Kalber say it SHARE-uh-poe-va? Which is it? I also can't stand the way she seems to relish saying "Justine EnnonahrDEN"

Akward Moment of the Day: Chris Fowler is in the studio doing an interview with Kim Clijsters. The interview ends and cuts to Lleyton Hewitt warming up before his match. Fowler says something like there's a man that was in your memory and now you want to erase. Unfortunately there was no reaction shot but I can't imagine Kim could have been happy with Fowler.

Also, the pronunciation that has really been killing me is Dementieva. I can't figure out if it is Dement-I-EVA or Dement-cheva. They say it both ways and I really want to know which one is correct.

I really hope Sharapova loses tomorrow. Not because I dislike her, but because I dislike all the fawning coverage about her. She isn't that hot and she leaves quite a bit to be desired with her tennis game. I really miss Martina Hingis. And Marat honey, it's time for a haircut.

Huh, no "Today at Wimbledon" on ESPN2 tonight? I was really looking forward to seeing some snippets of Greg Rusedski's match. I've been a fan of his for a long time. I remember when he was runner up at the US Open and reached #4 in the world. Who knew that would have been when he peaked? Now, it seems like he is lucky to get out of the first round and even more unlikely to get out of the second. Sadly, I think this might be the last time we see him at Wimbledon.

It's on later tonight at 1:00 am et. I wish they would stick to the same schedule though. It is frustrating hopping around for coverage.



I think Dement-cheva is probably the correct pronunciation, but it seems most foreign player seem to prefer the Americanized version once they get popular in the US. Seles was originally pronounced Sel-ish, but asked to have it pronounced Sel-es once she became successful. I've heard Sharapova has requested the same. Of course even if the player doesn't make a particular request, announcers will usually choose the Americanized version. No one ever pronounces Navratilova as Nav-ra-tee-lova as it should be either.

You guys will never believe that ESPN was showing Rafael Nadal's doubles match (with Feliciano Lopez) LIVE Wednesday! I am serious. I went home for lunch and decided I would be late back to work because they were showing doubles. Doubles! On TV! Live! Of course, 2 minutes of the court shot and then switched back to singles coverage. Bastards! At least I got to work on time. *sigh*

Somebody should tell Brad Gilbert that the monochromatic t-shirt under a suit jacket is so year 2000. It may still be ok for a night out on the town, but it's not appropriate for a broadcaster and lacks professionalism.

As much as I am a Henman fan, I hated his assertation that Henman would win 6-4. How the heck does he know? Is he clairvoyant? That's like me saying that the Pistons will win tonight 92-88. There's absolutely no basis for that. As of now, I see that it's 6-6 in the 5th, so take that idiot Gilbert.

Well Tim, do you still need that coke and umbrella?

Whoops, I guess Brad Gilbert was wrong about that one. Henman and Nadal are now both out. Too bad for Tim - I think this is his earliest Wimbledon exit in about 10 years.

And I agree, Brad Gilbert looked horrible.

I've been listening to Radio Wimbledon during the day at work. At lunch yesterday I went into a pub because they had a giant screen showing the end of Davenport's match. It was so bizarre to go from hearing the match and not being able to see it to seeing it and not being able to hear it (music was on instead of TV audio).

I was glad to see the Dent/Graf/Agassi Genworth ad making a comeback. I know they showed the checkbook one as well, but the first one is so superior.

Poor Tim, but with 22 break chances, you wonder why he didn't win the match easily. He is one person I would love to see win Wimbledon. The other was Patrick Rafter.

Alas, I suppose last year will remain Tim's best year.

Extra-earlyl choke from Tigger Timmy this year. Can we please now have an end to the nonsense that follows him around?

It's older than that. It's that Miami Vice look that was so popular with the kids. In 1984.

Caught a bit of the coverage this morning. So, of course, I got to see Sharavpova and Venus play and the obligatory Roddick fawning over his upcoming match. For the commentators on the scene, I'm far more interested in what's happening on the courts than the fact that you can see all of them.

It seemed that we are not the only ones annoyed with all that "calling" nonsense - Pam was downright forthright in her aggravation at his arrogance, and Mary Jo rolled her eyes a couple of times.

Is too much to hope that everyone will team up to demand that he be fired? It's just ridiculous to have to put up with him - attire and all.

The Sharapova match was too early but I really wanted to see her and the younger Bulgarian chick battle on the court. I love it when there's some personal rivalry going on! It looks like I didn't miss much though. Maria clobbered the kitten. I guess it'll be next year til we see a full fledged catfight.

I've been listening to Radio Wimbledon at work and I love the commentating. Plus they switch between matches on all courts.

At espn.com, you can open "Wimbldeon Central." It has the scores from all courts plus a chat area. Todd Martin, Mary Joe Fernandez and Max Mirnyi have all answered questions on chat today.


This is exactly what I thought when I saw his outfit.

Re: the conversation upthread about Gilbert misprouncing names. He also pronounced "Ginepri" wrong the other day.


Yes, so true. Plus, Andy knew that Bracciali uses a two-handed backhand for returns but a one-handed backhand the rest of the time. Fowler was like, "He does?"

As far as Brad's wardrobe goes, I think he just looks completely uncomfortable in a jacket. It's as if the jacket is an afterthought. He would look much better with just a plain T-shirt on.

I too am listening to Radio Wimbledon at work but I have the advantage to going home for lunch and watching the match. ESPN2 was showing the Serena-Santangelo match. Santangelo was going just great in that first set. Loved Mary Carillo's comment that when Venus or Serena lose to an up & comer, their standard line is "Oh, I had never heard of her before." Mary pointed that out as bad preparation and embarassing, which I agree with.

Brad's comment re: Henman's loss and Andy Murray's win was that they would begin calling Henman Hill, "Murray Mound." That's actually pretty funny. He gets one (and we're at day four so that tells you how his commentary is coming off.)

Watts: We prefer to call Mirnyi, mmmmmmmmMax Mirnyi on this board, for obvious reasons. LOL.

Also heard Nick Bolletierri did an interview with CNN re: the grunting at Wimbledon. Considering Maria Sharapova (and Seles too) is a protegee of his, that should be interesting. He said he was doing the interview in NY, I swear he said at Forest Hills but maybe he said the National Tennis Center.

I love it when Mary calls them on their ish.

Radio Wimbledon after Henman's loss:
"It was a poor display and he got nothing less than he deserves."

Wow. How fast they turn. The moderator on chat at ESPN said that the local tv broadcasters in London are already looking ahead to the 2012 Olympics and saying that Andrew Murray is going to win the gold medal.

Star Sports here in Asia does a great job of covering the Slams. They don't just show the big matches, but also the smaller ones (especially if one or both players are Asian). And Vijay Armitraj and his group are good, knowledgeable, non-intrusive commentators. So after reading all these complaints about US coverage and commentators, I guess we Asians are relatively lucky.

This is the first time I've seen Mara Santangelo play, and I refuse to watch any more of her matches. She was driving me nuts with her monumentally slow service motion. It was so irritating. I could feel the Earth's rotation while waiting for her to get going every single time.

I'm a guy, so I'd prefer just "Max". I'll save my m's for mmmmmmmmMaria Sharapova!

Are they showing any of Bjorkman/Mirnyi's match? They're the number 1 doubles team and just won the French. BTW, I know Bjorkman used to play with Woodbridge, but in the words of John McEnroe at the French, "dropped him because he figured Woodbridge wasn't getting any younger." Is that really the reason? Doesn't seem very loyal. Then again, there's none in tennis. Who did Mirnyi used to play with? Wasn't it Leander Paes? Or the other one?

If by "the other one", you mean Mahesh Bhupathi, then yes, "the other one." ;-)

Actually, I think mmmmmmmmMax played mixed doubles a few times with Serena. I loved that.