Heh, I'm the exact opposite. Football doesn't start until the US Open is over and boy, am I pissing off my dad by not planning on watching the Giants (and considering my screen name. . .) v. the Eagles.


Yeah, that was my reaction when they said that last night as well.

I think Federer has begun to show more emotion on court lately. In more recent matches you hear him yell “Come On!” in English, Geraman and French and he has been talking to himself more. Heck, yesterday after ht Agassi win he yelled and almost pulled off his shirt. He was also quite emotional after this two Wimbledon wins and was quite expressive with his Matter’s Series Cup win.

When Federer was younger he was supposedly very temperamental on the court and by his own admission, acted like a brat and threw tantrums. These tantrums often got into his head and took him out of the game. It seems that he has learned to control his temper and emotions on the court so they don’t get the better of him and this control allows him to win these five set and four set matches instead of pissing them away like he did earlier in his career. I don’t think that he is the robot-ron that some announcers like to paint him as- he just knows that he can’t let his emotions carry him away. Also- like a previous poster said, we usually can’t see his eyes and there can be a lot of stuff going on there. (I posted this without seeing OoopsSorry 's post and I'm kind of echoing his/her sentiments.)

I like that there are different temperments on the court. I like Safin’s craziness, Massu’s talking to himselfness, Federer’s sereneness that does release itself, Roddick’s loudness, Henman’s steeliness, Coria’s emotionalness, Ferrero’s hangdogness, and Hewitt’s ability to pump himself up even when a whole crowd is cheering against him

Wait, there's something between the Open and hockey season?

I guess I just saw it differently, Distant Sun. To me, his expression never changed; he was just a blonde, attractive robot. And that style of play will just never do it for me. I really never want to see these two play each other again.

OopsSorry, no problem on the typing and your name is so perfect.

Onto the women!


ETA: I'm not sure anyone mentioned it, but that clip last night of the three women laughing and wincing at Michael Barkan was hysterical! I can't believe they showed it and man, must he be pissed off at them. He looks like a guy who takes himself very seriously.

Well, being a die-hard Eagles fan, I'd cut off my foot and eat it before I missed a second of that game. I hate how I have to watch the U.S. Open final during football commercials.

To answer your question Harry24, he got angry at the linesperson because he didn't like the call and when the umpire tried to answer his complaints he mimicked him while making faces the way twelve year-olds do when they don't like what they're hearing. Also, he kept complaining, going on and on and on between points.

Normally I would agree with a lot of you that the type of game that Roddick and Johansson play is extremely borrring. However, I found last night to be a nail-biter purely because of the drama of Roddick losing. It was fun seeing him get beaten at his own game.

Mr. Lonecrane opined that since Johansson and Roddick serve at the same pace it means that Johansson's the better player(or at least the more powerful one). According to him, the Babolat Pure Control racquet that Roddick uses adds a bunch of speed to the serve.

Good job by Kuznetsova. She really bounced back after that abysmal first set. I guess I'll be rooting for her in the final. Since I'm pure evil, I have to add how sad it is when Lindsay is the glamour girl of the matchup.

Unless Capriati pulls something out of her ass, it looks like we'll have an all-Russian final. That would make it four straight years with countrywomen facing off in the final.

He also yelled at people in the audience to sit down when they were a little slow to get back to their seats. The guy is an ass.

Poor Lindsay. I didn't see her get injured--wha' happened?!?

Oh, that's not so bad. My co-worker and I have been calling her Fugnestsova.

What a weird match. I left my office twice for a few minutes and missed just about the entire first two sets. It's really too bad for Davenport. This was really her best chance of winning the whole thing in ages. Now I have no one to root for on the women's side, sigh.

Did I hear what's-his-name (the older guy) call our our next contestant "Dementia?" Ouch.

Oh, Lindsay, I'm so sorry about your injury. Now I, too, have no one to root for in the women's draw. And for the men, GO TIM! I'm another one who doesn't usually mind Andy Roddick, though sometimes he irks me, it's true. But Lleyton Hewitt I don't like. Roger Federer hasn't really excited me yet, but I was never a Sampras fan either. I will watch the men's no matter who's in it.

Watched the late-night tennis coverage on CBS last night. Patrick's new co-anchor is some guy named Ian Eagle. And that's EYE-an, not EEE-an. UGH. Everytime Patrick said EYE-an my hackles went up.

Wait! What's that? I didn't see that! Explain.

Poor, poor Lindsay. Hip flexor injury is no fun at all. I wanted to cry for her. Here is a weird opinion, that probably no one will agree with and maybe I'm just high, but I think John McEnroe is a better commentator for the women's matches than the men's. For the women, he basically coaches the players through us, the viewers, and explains what shots will work best against their opponent. Maybe he shouldn't have told us how much Kuznetsova weighs (or qualified that amount with a "is what her sheet says" all sarcastic-like) but he seemed like he wanted to be down there coaching the two and I don't really get that when he is working a men's match.

And, oh boy, CBS must have gone past plotzing straight into suicidal--especially with Capriati being bageled in the first set! Oh, and Castallack? It's probably really good that you are going to the men's final because, I don't know about other markets, but I can guarantee that without American players CBS will stay on the post-show (or, god forbid, overtime) of the Jets game instead of going over to the final.

Oh, it was pretty hysterical. They showed a slo-mo shot of Barkan waddling down the stairs to greet (and subsequently interview) Eric Heiden. As he's grinningly making his way there, these three women sitting behind Heiden catch sight of him. One of them starts laughing contemptuously, the second shields her eyes with her hand in an "OMG, I can't believe it's that guy" gesture, and the third also laughs.

Do you mean that they aren't going to show the men's final or they will cut into it late? I want to see the men's final-- I'm in Texas so they may show the whole thing but that would be horrendous if they don't bother to show the men's final at all in NY.

I think one of those three women was Ann Coulter and they thought they were going to get interviewed.

I sort of like Roddick because of that American Express commercial where a big trophy hits him in the head. It's cute.

I like McEnroe's commentating, but I do think he's especially good with the women. He just seems like a natural.

So bummed about Lindsay's injury. I see LT has experience with hip flexor injuries, definitely no fun. You can't pivot worth a darn and it hurts to run on it.

Now I have to root extra hard for Tim Henman. I'm thinkin' that Mr. Hewitt looks awfully sharp though, better than he did when he was #1.

If Capriati pulls this one out she'll have my undying respect and allegiance through the final.

I think it was funnier the way McEnroe presented it" "look at the reaction Barkan gets!"

As others have pointed out, that is the funniest moment of a very funny commercial.

I have this nightmare of baking in the sun in utter boredom as I'm assuming they won't start the final until long after football is over. And who knows how long the actual game will go in the first place?

Wow, this is actually turning into a match.

I have a lot of respect for Capriati for getting back in it, but I still can't see her winning. It started out just like I expected, but then Dementieva started going crazy. Still, Elena isn't Hingis and she isn't going to wilt.

So sad for Lindsay. Is she definitely retiring? That's too bad she couldn't go out with her last Slam. And to make it worse, now that Lindsay has lost, the new number one player in the world will be Amelie Mauresmo. Amelie Mauresmo?!?!?! Does anyone really think this woman is the best player in the world? She never seems to be able to put it together, and I just can't buy that she's better than Serena or Justine. Mauresmo owes her ranking to their injuries.

When is Kim Clijsters coming back, and have she and Hewitt gotten married yet?

Kuznetsova really is quite painful to look at. Her sleepy eyes and squarish face make her kind of look like Frankenstein's monster. Or a creature in a wax museum.

So regarding my earlier comment about Al Trautwig talking about "Dementia" as a player rather than a condition, I found this Q&A by SI's Jon Wertheim:

Who is Al Trautwig? Does he have an extensive background with pro tennis? Every time I see him interview players, something doesn't seem right. The other night he botched Maria Sharapova's name. It's one thing to mispronounce her name, but to call her "Shaparova" more than once was embarrassing. What's your take on Al?
-- Paul T., Houston
Trautwig is a long-time and well-respected sports TV personality in New York. Many of you probably also know him from the gymnastics coverage at the Olympics. So his credentials are legit. But a number of you wrote in with similar gripes, and I think they're well-founded. Apparently Trautwig claimed that Sharapova was French, and I happened to catch him butchering Anna Chakvetadze's name beyond recognition.

According to Hewitt's post-match interview the other day, the invitations aren't even in the mail yet. I've heard varying dates for Clijster's comeback, however.

As Castallack mentioned, sometimes they start the actual final late. I sit in my house telling them to shut up and go to tennis or at least tell us what is going on. This, by the way, has only been for the past few years. During the years between CBS losing the NFC and getting the AFC they were super good to tennis with all sorts of last-day coverage.


Yeah, I'm afraid my right side is ridiculously inflexible thanks to the hip flexor. It makes my pilates instructor laugh (not in a mean way) when my leg locks in the middle of an exercise. I'm thinking acupuncture.

Oh man, third set tiebreak. Can Jennifer do this? Oy. I spoke too soon.

I finally realized who Patrick (non-John) McEnroe reminds me of...the son from The Nanny.

The time announced by CBS during last weekend's coverage for the Final? "After football!" Ooooh, that's specific, thanks.

Wow! So if a different Russian wins each slam does Putin win a trophy?

Sorry, CBS, but you deserve this! Mwahahahahahahahaha.

To me, he looks like George Bush. I think it is the beady little eyes.

And this one must be discussed a lot since it is really obvious, but Roddick looks like Nick Lachey.

Dementieva/Capriati was an amazing tennis match...or an amazing third set. Dementieva hit some net points like I've never seen before. I probably won't watch the final though - I don't care who wins.

Wow Capriati has now lost three US Open Semi-finals 7-6 in the third set. This must be devastating for her. I know she doesn't have a lot of fans on this board, but I can't help but feel for her.

And the worst is that it is after all the early AFC games so if one game goes into overtime. . .

Also, with the Dolphins and Titans playing tomorrow instead of Sunday (I feel so much for those Floridians) will those two markets not get the mens' semi-finals?

Actually, I like Jennifer. Loved her as a kid, loved her when she first came back, didn't like her one bit when she was on the "vitamins" and started lashing out at everything on and off the court, and like her again now.

(Disclaimer: No, I do not know that Jennifer was taking supplements--but by her size and, more telling, her attitude, it was just really obvious.)

I just realized something. For the first time in two weeks I won't be rushing home to turn on USA. Damn. Now I'm sad.

Castallack, have a great time on Sunday. Maybe I'll call to see what is going on when the tv people don't tell me.

Heh. I called it. Capriati fails to come through yet again. Thank God, because I was going to explode if I heard the crowd cheer for another fault! That is too irritating for words.

Kudos again to Jennifer for fighting back. Still, I think she better be happy with two Australians and a French, because that's all she's going to get.

Dementieva's the Hewitt (or Nalbandian) of the WTA, but she has even more heart. This should be a great, hard-hitting final. I don't particularly care who wins, but I'm going to enjoy it.

Damn, all of the Americans are gone. Thanks again, Ms. Alves and company. Serena wouldn't have lost to Dementieva.

Wow, what a third set.
I feel bad for Capriati because she's lost once again in a third set tie-breaker at the semis. I'm happy for Dementieva though. Boy does that girl fight.
I never realized what a great forehand Dementieva has. Is it too late for someone to do something with her serve?
It was nice seeing those long rallies, which are harder to come by in men's tennis.

As for Amelie Mauresmo, although I agree that she doesn't deserve her #1 ranking since she's never won a Slam, I do think she has the game to be a great player. She's got all the shots.
There's someone who really needs to see a sports psychologist.

Well, that's kind of a tricky situation there. Here in Nashville, if you get the local cable company channels, The Men's semis will be shown on cable channel 50, which is a sort of local companion to the CBS affiliate. From what I understand though, one can only get tthat channel through Comcast here in Nashville. So, if you live out in the sticks but normally get Nashville's CBS affiliate, but no Comcast, you're SOL.

Loved the coverage today! Go Elena! Grunt and nothing serve your way to your first Slam, Girl!

Mauresmo deserves the #1 ranking as much as Clijsters did. She's been consistently good, but she's only #1 because of injuries. Then again, that's how Henin-Hardenne got there as well. Davenport would be at the top if she hadn't fallen apart in the Wimbledon semis.

Speaking of rankings, it'll be interesting next week. Venus, Serena, and the two finalists are all adding a lot of points.


She already is.

I maintain that Capriati was a victim of karma.

I really like Amelie. For me, she's kind of like Tim. World class player who works really hard and sometimes falters. I'm happy she's number one, because I think it speaks to the interesting nature of the women's circuit right now. Well, besides the injuries -which I wouldn't say are interesting. But I think it's amazing that the last three Slams will be won by Russians, but three different ones! Amazing. I really like the ranking system then, because it speaks to performance. And while we say, "best in the world", it means "best performance overall across this time". And I like that someone not winning the big ones can steadily garner the points to equal any one-hit wonder.

And I actually find her quite feminine. And I think she's quite balanced. I don't know that really, but I like that she has other areas of her life that build her esteem, and that they all seem pretty grounded. Much like Davenport, I guess.

It's like my mentor always told me, and I still have to tell myself when getting frenzied: "Slow and steady wins the race." And if not the race, then at least we haven't lost ourselves along the way.

But I do not like Jennifer. Maybe that's contradictory.

Edited to tell Chesty: she.

I lost so much respect for Capriati after she tried to get that free point. Really, though, she should of known better, especially since what happened in her match against Serena.

Go Dementieva. Show the world that you dont need a good serve to win a Major not on Clay.

It is interesting that all the Russian players have different first names (except for Elena Dementieva, Bovina, and Lihkosetva) - Nadia, Svetlana, Anatasia, Maria, Vera, even Dinara (Safina). Sveta Kusnetsova really has a big game and really should be ahead of Myskina and Dementieva within the next two years.

As for Jennifer, she made the same mistake as Amelie Mauresmo in the QF and that was being too complacent with Elena Dementieva's serve. Jen probably should have approached to net more often - she sure wasn't dictating play from the baseline - Elena is definitely one of the most steadiest "backboards" in women's tennis today.

Even if Jen won this match, I think she would have been drained for the final, which would have been a cakewalk for Svetlana.

I'm gutted for Lindsay moreso than Jennifer, because Lindsay really had the trophy in her grasp before the hip flexor problem (trust me, it is an agonizing injury)

It'll be interesting to see in what physical condition both women will be in - Sveta will probably be the fresher of the two, although Elena lucks out that it is an 8PM start

No doubt. She KNEW what the correct score was but argued to keep the free point that she didn't earn.

All I can say about her loss is: hahahahahahahahahahahaha. I've never been a fan of Capriati and her constant bitchy facial expression.

LMAO!! During the third-set I was thinking to myself: "Serena would never have played like this."

But Dementieva's serve is just horrible. A couple of times I screamed "OMG" as she tried to hit the ball as she threw it in the air. I really do think that it is amazing that she is ranked so high w/that serve. It's telling that even w/the serve, she can still win so why change it?

I did not feel sorry for Jennifer. After having 5 break points in the 5-5 game (i think) and then serving for the match, if you can't close out the match, then you don't deserve to win it.

Oh btw, I finally saw the final game of the Venus/Davenport match (my local CBS affiliate airs the MDA Telethon every Labor Day so I get no tennis) and wow what a last game! Venus had 5 chances to break Lindsay and couldn't do it!!

What happened? This doesn't sound like the Serena thing...right? I didn't tape anything today, and have no idea since I watched the score unfold on the internet....

Edited to say Thanks, Jeannie632!

Basically, it was 30-15 Dementieva, and Dementieva won the point, but the Ump called it 30-30. The Ump then corrected the score to 40-15, and Capriati got in an uproar and yelled, "You can't change the score" or something to that effect.

Yeah. Technically, Capriati was right - you can't change the score once it's been announced by the chair. But way to show poor sportsmanship, Jennifer. And it was stupid, too. Lots of people are already saying she didn't really win the Serena match, and here she is, doing something else that would have people saying the same thing if she had won this one. She doesn't seem to think ahead when she says things, does she (like that interview with Michael Barkann).

I think Jenn's issue was that it was posted on the board during the entire previous point as Jen as having 30. So she played the point thinking it was 30. Which was why she was saying "You can't change it now".

I will be rooting for Elena in the final. She is just so damn scrappy, and in reality the only "bad thing" about her game is the serve. And she is the first to admit that it is not that greatest and that she is trying to improve it.

I really never cared for Jennifer Capriati that much so it didn't bother me that she lost. I was rooting for Linds though, I was sad to see her go.

As for Capriati, I think it is time for her to grow up. She has the mental maturity of a teenager. She is a 28 year old woman now, it is time to stop crying on Mommy's shoulder and toughen up. I think Jennifer is way too dependent on her family, but it is probably too late for her to go out on her own now.

There's something so beautiful about Lleyton Hewitt's tennis. I think it's the way his sneakers actually squeak as he hussles to get to each ball. He's like the Road Runner out there.

Steffi Graf looked so pretty in the Cannon commerical they showed that had the Agassi/Graff tennis camp. I think that is the first time I have seen her with lipstick on and she looks really nice with the stuff.


Yes, Hewitt can just really run to about anything.

ETA- he just won. And JJ didn't play horribly or anything- Hewitt is just on fire during this tournament. I think he would have beaten Roddick in the semis as well if Andy had made it.

Did you guys see Jaslyn Hewitt's reactions during the match? She seemed so pissed that her brother was beating her boyfriend. So funny, she didn't even sit with her parents. Can you imagine her whining to Lleyton, "You never like any of my boyfriends, couldn't you at least have given him a set."

Hewitt was on fire today, he ran down so many shots, it was unbelievable. He seems to match up to Johansson a lot better than Roddick. Roddick plays the same way as Johansson and didn't seems to know what to do.

OK, now I'm conflicted. I still want Tim to win the trophy, but it's going to be almost impossible for him to beat Hewitt. OTOH, Roger should be just fine. Still, my love for Tim is stronger than my dislike of Lleyton (which has all but turned into ambivalence).

Yes, Mr. Hewitt looks extremely sharp. He has been playing better than I've ever seen him...very tidy matches, few errors and a beefed up serve. Federer or Henman will have their hands full and though I would love to see Henman win this thing, Hewitt's gonna win it.

As for the women: It's all OVA for the Americans. Actually I think it will be all EVA...Dementieva refuses to go away and scrappiness wins on hard courts. The fact that Dementieva wins with her bizarro serving is frightening. Yes, it's a puffball, but it's a puffball with lotsa spin making it more difficult to cram back down her throat. I agree with Carillo and McEnroe, come to net on her second serve and volley it for a winner. I do believe that would be illegal though.

I also hope Lindsay heals and is able to play the Australian Open. I too feel her pain because hip flexors hurt. Advice: really rest it, ice/heat in combination, and slow stretching when coming back.

From the sounds of it...I think Dick Enberg is in luuurve with Roger Federer. Or at least really likes him as a person.

The final with Hewitt and Federer is going to be a nail-biting experience. I'm looking forward to it immensely.

I had a question for you guys about the mug shots they use for the players. They're aren't really that flattering. Any of them, I think. But are they the official USO shots? Because I thought USA and CBS were using the same ones.

Poor Timmy. Already my Aunt (from Dorset, Castallack) emailed me to say basically, "well that was expected, but it's sad that Tim always wimps out in the big moments."

Sheesh. I didn't get that feeling at all. And my aunt is a fairly gentle person. I can't imagine how bad the press will get over there. And I'm hoping they show him how proud they are of his hard work, despite injuries, etc.

And.... Good on you, Rogi. Good luck tomorrow; it promises to be quite a day.

Exactly! He missed a lot of first serves, but that's the kind of pressure playing against Federer puts on a player. The British press really are unnecessarily cruel. The smartest thing Pee Mac ever said was that Henman has overachieved in his career. He is truly an excellent volleyer as well as a very good mover, but it's amazing he's such an effective serve-and-volleyer when he really doesn't have enough power (like Sampras) or placement (like Rafter). Tim's going to need a really lucky draw and a lot of breaks to win a Slam. It'll be all but impossible to go through a full-strength Federer, Hewitt, or Agassi. But Goran finally had his day, so I hope Tim will have his.

Hewitt is playing extremely well, but he's going to need an off day from Federer to have a shot. At this point, Federer is on another level.

Yes, she looks great. That whole commercial--too cute! Agassi has a great smile.

I felt conflicted during the Federer-Henman match. I wanted Federer to win it, but I still wanted Heman to do well, at least take it to a fourth set. Still, I think he fought hard. Great job, both guys.

I hope Dementieva wins the women's final. She's really won me over.
And yeah, with all the drama I had forgotten about that scoring thing. I agree that Jennifer needs to grow up. WTF was that? I don't care if it's a scoring error, it's MY point! Sheesh.

ETA cause 'win in' doesn't make sense.