Remarkable non-GB performances

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

RE: Remarkable non-GB performances

indiana · Tennis legend

Robin wrote:
Watched the Hewitt/Tomic match , you've got to admire Lleytons fight, he just never gives up. Thoroughly enjoyed the fight back from 2 sets and a break down. Nearly the end of a career of a player that was much maligned in his early days but has become a crowd favourite in the end, a bit like Lendl at his last few Wimbledon's.

Yes, got to admire Hewitt's persistence and drive ( as you say most people have come to ), particularly having been plagued for so many years by injury.

Hewitt said that it was not a match he was looking forward to, and I hadn't realised that he and Tomic were such mates with Hewitt almost a mentor ( that from infamously less than auspicious beginnings when Hewitt on at least one occasion wasn't apparently good enough to practice with a young Tomc, though I think Tomic senior was the real issue ).

But it seems they managed to serve up a bit of an epic and it is an Aussie mate he lost out to.

BradMarx90 · County player

Will miss Lleyton on the tour. A great fighter, and great champion, and a player I never tire of watching. Hope to see many players of his ilk in years to come.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

A mega HUGE shout out for 89-year-old Angelo Sala who took up tennis at age 75 (bless!) and within ten years was world number 1

Having practised for 2 hours a day with a ball machine.....

And about to outgrow the world championships because he'll turn 90 and there's no 90+ category....

Currently defending his title at the world championships (having driven 400km or so to get there), there's a super little article about him:

www.itftennis.com/news/215577.aspx

I love the quote:

'So what ambitions does he have left, short of proving himself in the States next year, funds permitting. I have no ambitions, he said. Whether its football or tennis all I ever see is the ball.'

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Fantastic, thanks for that, hope for us all. We need to have a nonagenarians thread. Who are our elite over 90's. I didn't realise we had an elite under 90's player. This forum is not what it was...

Spectator · All-time great

Never mind a nonagenarians thread; we clearly need a nonagenarians championship! Lovely. Thanks, CD. And hope they get that championship going.

Spectator · All-time great

On the other side from the nonagenarians, a quick hurrah for Hyeon Chung and Nao Hibino (EWS doubles partner at times of late) The former made the QFs at Kuala Lumpur and is now ranked 55 (2nd highest ranked teenager in the ATP ... not that you'd guess it from the amounts of publicity he gets relative to some of the lower ranked ones!) and the latter (aged 20) won her first WTA title at the Tashkent Open. Well done to both!

Also, while I wish they hadn't won (since Ms EWS was in the opposition), well done to Ms Xu and Ms You for their $50,000 Zhuhai doubles title - not bad for 17 and 19.

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Just a word for Timea Bacsinszky, and triumph over adversity.
On Monday, she will find herself a top 10 player for the first time, following a run to the finals of Beijing; which, given her well documented history, is pretty remarkable and heart warming.

Spectator · All-time great

17-year-old (though almost 18) Taylor Fritz joined Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro, Tomas Berdych, Bernard Tomic and Richard Gasquet in winning two (or more) Challengers before 18. Decent company.

Spectator · All-time great

At the other end of the scale, Jarkko Nieminen, who always comes across as one of the loveliest players on the tour, has ended his ATP singles career: www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/nieminen-plays-final-singles-match. He still is in doubles (and alas faces Mr Marray and Mr Qureshi ... couldn't it have been anyone else?) ... but a first hurrah to him for his singles: 400+ singles wins, two singles titles, three Grand Slam QFs. Well done to him, and may retirement be a joy for him and his wife.

-- Edited by Spectator on Wednesday 21st of October 2015 08:15:21 AM

Oakland2002 · All-time great

U.S. Junior champion 1999 right through to 2015 peaking in 2006 as world no 13. What a fantastic career OG eat your heart out.

wolf · Tennis legend

Marcelo Melo will become the new world doubles number one in a weeks time. Amazing achievement for a fine and likeable player.

A shame it is not achieved in cohesion with his regular partner Ivan Dodig. I wish I could find a video of their French Open victory somewhere on the internet, I think the French Open is particularly against such videos being posted. But how can people become interested if they can't watch?

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Eva Asderaki leaves the WTA and umpiring behind her this week, to take up a position with the ITF.

I've always thought her about the best official on any tour over the last ten years or so and her ability to deal with even the biggest egos in a calm and straightforward manner will be greatly missed. To say nothing of her, sometimes seemingly infallible, judgment.
Happily the new role apparently provides dispensation for her to officiate some tour level tournaments on the odd occasion, so we may yet see her pop up some more.

My congratulations and gratitude to Mrs. Asderaki-Moore, as she now is, for being a paragon sports official, and all the best.

Spectator · All-time great

Hear, hear.

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

A big loss to umpiring. By far the best, IMO.