[Petronius]

Originally Posted by bruce goose

Petronius,normally I wouldn't argue a post like this b/c the issue is almost totally subjective and not empirically provable...but you are a thoughtful fellow so I decided to give you my input.

In re the competition supposedly being tougher,I say this w/o ANY malice towards you...but I think that's a joke.Excepting one great run by JMDP at the USO,THREE GUYS!!! have won all the Slams for the last EIGHT YEARS!!!!!Aside from the Triumvirate,ATP 'guys' are just about the weakest bunch of pussies I've seen from quasi-'male' athletes.I'd even call European futbol-lers--with all their flopping,whining,and limp-wristed,girlish slapfights--tougher than ATPers.You probably don't watch the NFL,so I'll inform you that even the suckiest teams such as Cleveland "man up" every once in a while and defeat the elites such as the Patriots or Steelers.Besides JMDP,NO ONE seems capable of manning up at Slams in the ATP;the director should hide his face in shame over what a bunch of gutless,swishy punks he has

As for the length of the matches,duration DEFINITELY doesn't equal quality...exhibit #1 being the marathon Horrific Shit-fest of crappy,putrid,one-dimensional tennis known as Isner-Mahut.The only upside to that travesty was that inbred puke Isner was exhausted and sent home quickly after his following match.

In addition...and I say this w/o an ounce of ill will towards the Triumvirate...but they don't even come CLOSE to successfully marketing the sport to non-fans as well as the WS,Sharapova...and even cheesecake eye candy like Kournikova and Slut-vanovic have done.

Lastly...and this is just my opinion,of course...tennis is one of those sports where the elegance of the female players adds a great extra element of beauty that doesn't,or RARELY,exists with the males.In general--basketball,ice hockey,boxing and a few others--are far more watchable when the men are competing...and then there are sports such as volleyball that are sort of in-between.The guys show greater power and athleticism,yet the aesthetic appeal of women's volleyball,well...you don't need an esplanation,do you?Tennis is on the other side of the spectrum with gymnastics and figure skating: I suppose you MIGHT watch men's gymnastics if someone in your family,or from your hometown,were competing but,otherwise,let's be serious.Unless it's Novak,Rafa or Fed on court,the ATP is like watching an all-male ballet...it just feels as though something lovely is missing.

As I said above,I'm not trying to talk down to you at all,Petronius...just wanted to share a different perspective...I'm done for today;seeya later

You make a lot of good points. I was only quoting what Petra said in an interview after she won Wimbledon in 2011.

[pov]

Big difficult. A post match article.

[Excelscior]

Excellent article POV (I read it in GM).

The one thing I'll say about this though is, "what if Azarenka beats Serena?". How will Petra feel then?

Will she think about the missed opportunities, and the more subtle things like slices (that even Chris Evert noticed early, that Petra wasn't doing), volleys, drop shots, re-directing, etc., that could of threw Serena off balance? What could you have done better Petra?

[TennisAddict84]

Originally Posted by pov

Big difficult. A post match article.

Thanks pov. Great article. That's exactly how I saw the match.

[steni]

I read somewhere that Petra is gonna play an exhibition match against Sharapova in Prague.
Someone has more details about it, please?

[Raiden]

^ I have just one detail: it will be on October 29.

[steni]

Originally Posted by Droog

^ I have just one detail: it will be on October 29.

Thanks

[Petronius]

I started a GM thread on the exho, with a bit more info. Check it out, if you wish.

[steni]

Originally Posted by Petronius

I started a GM thread on the exho, with a bit more info. Check it out, if you wish.

Alright thanks!

[paulmara]

Andrea Hlavackova interviewed Petra Kvitova for Tennis Arena. (in Czech)

http://www.tenisportal.cz/zpravy/hla...ausnice-10475/

„Without my talisman, small bear, I´m not going to the tennis courts. I have it in my bag for 3 years."

[bruce goose]

On occasion,Prosto gets jealous of Petra's various Wild Kingdom knick-knacks like the small bear mentioned above;Prosto believes that HE should be the undisputed,#1 animal in Petra's camp.Once,he hid underneath Petra's rackets,before she went on court,while she was using an extra-large duffel bag.Petra thought that the bag felt a bit heavy,but she was so focused on the match that she dismissed it.

Later,during a long rally,Prosto couldn't stand the heat inside the bag anymore,so he ventured out and began sniffing around the chair umpire's tower.The ump was a bit too presumptuous about his animal-handling skills,so he didn't stop and ask Petra for help in fixing this problem as he SHOULD have done.When he tried to pick him up and carry him away,Prosto bit him where.....well,let's just say the ump is lucky that he and his wife already have three children,cuz his 'equipment' no longer functions normally

[paulmara]

Originally Posted by bruce goose

On occasion,Prosto gets jealous of Petra's various Wild Kingdom knick-knacks like the small bear mentioned above;

I was little confused who is Prosto. For a few seconds. There are many sport talismans. Mr. P. is very popular everywhere.

http://oidnes.cz/12/071/org/TEN44649...120706_102.jpg

[bruce goose]

Originally Posted by paulmara

I was little confused who is Prosto. For a few seconds. There are many sport talismans. Mr. P. is very popular everywhere.

http://oidnes.cz/12/071/org/TEN44649...120706_102.jpg

Obviously,I congratulate Mr.P for being nestled between female volleyballers,but Prosto is someone else who's found right in your avy,so named for the C.R. town Prostejov that Petra is so familiar with....Please forgive me,Czechs,if the spelling is wrong

[paulmara]

Originally Posted by bruce goose

I congratulate Mr.P

I started working on a concept of „The true story of the night before Serena-Petra match or : How the world was saved.“ Are you interested? I can hide it somewhere.

[bruce goose]

Originally Posted by paulmara

I started working on a concept of „The true story of the night before Serena-Petra match or : How the world was saved.“ Are you interested? I can hide it somewhere.

Absolutely and,as long as it's not too graphic,you could send it to Petra in her native tongue so that she'd see what creative thought her fans devoted towards her career