Entertainment For Lively Minds
Mario Balotelli, Joey Barton etc were you watching Murray and Djokovic?
The moles had a hard day in London yesterday so spent the morning light e-mailing in front of Murray v Djokovic. And as there's little posting about tennis on the blog I thought I would stick up for the sport. What a match. First Djokovic appeared to be set to win in three, then Murray turned it right around, then Djokovic rolled over him in the fourth and was 5-2 up at the last. Then Murray incredibly came back again and had breaks for 6-5 before being finally battered into submission.
Firstly, how lucky are we to be watching these four (Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, Murray) - right from the Sampras-Federer in 2001 at Wimbledon when the old guard was blown away men's tennis has been getting better and better. There are rivalries, periods of domination, classic matches, and in Federer's case a compelling dying of the light of the old champion that must match any sporting rivalry anywhere.
Second, how fit are they? I play tennis quite a bit and after two hours of singles I am shattered. That match was almost five hours with many side to side rallies of over twenty shots. And then, when footballers complain about playing 90 mins twice a week they have to get up and do it again 48 hours later. Rather like Eddie Izzard and his marathons one is just in awe of the human physique's capacity to endure.
And lastly, Murray is nobody's angel but both of them behaved like true athletes - giving everything they had until one came out on top.
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Hear, and what's more, hear
Murray gets a hard time because he's a bit grumpy, but he's serious about his profession and he's dedicated too. This is the best and most consistent top four we've had for years.
I'm a proper football fan, but my heart sinks when I hear Balotelli's agent say, "The FA need to be sensitive to him or I'm afraid he'll leave the Premier League."
I'll get his fucking coat.
Tennis
Glad you enjoyed it. Don't understand the dig at football.
Likewise
Particularly the fitness point. How can you compare contact and non-contact sports?
I agree that the level of athleticism shown by tennis players is extraordinary, but speak to anyone who's actually played football at a reasonable level and you'll find there are very good reasons to try to avoid playing more than one game a week if at all possible.
I'm guessing the OP is having a go...
...at the footballers who make a career out of being all-round twats, cheats and whingers, not the vast majority of them. Hence the two all-round twats, cheats and whingers mentioned in the headline.
I'll get Barton's coat while I'm at it, and the rest of his stuff, and chuck it on to the Westway.
While you're at it
Have a slash on it too
I will
I'll have one for you as well, mate.
Fitness
Different sports require different kinds of fitness. When Novak Djokovic beat Radek Stepanek at the U.S. Open in 2007, he ran three and a half miles over the course of five sets. A footballer will run twice that in ninety minutes, but, either way, it's not comparing like with like. There won't be many professional sports where the top athletes operate at anything less than the absolute peak of physical fitness.
However Fraser
It would be uncontroversial to point out that several sports feature extremely rich men operating at significantly less than their absolute peak of moral fitness
I hate it when
people compare sports like this. As Fraser says to be a top footballer these days you have to be pretty fit. It's played non-stop on a more energy-sapping surface and they don't get to sit down for two minutes every five.
I've got great admiration for the top tennis players, not least because it's a very solitary sport. But to say they're fitter than footballers is just pointless.
Rain
... and normally when it rains, the namby pamby tennisers nip back indoors to stay dry.
Not my intention to have a dig at football
As a City fan (for whom both of those mentioned have had great games as well as behaving on the field like complete idiots, what they do off the field is their own business). And Murray can be surly, childish and rude.
Love football, at times hate what the players do on the pitch in the name of winning the game.
And the points about different sports requiring different types of fitness are well made. Just marvelling at how those guys can keep playing like that for five hours, then 48 hours later get up and go for another four or five.
Tennis has much wrong with it, but hawk-eye appears an unqualified success. Murray used his three challenges early on in the last set, and when a debatable point came up later all he could do was look ruefully at the umpire and get on with the game.
As the commentators remarked more than once the happiest person was probably Nadal on his hotel bed.
I suspect
That isn't a physical fitness issue that's been raised.
It's the total commitment element - giving it everything for the duration of the game.
Not checking out because it's getting tough; or you didn't fancy tracking back; or you feel the opposition aren't worthy of your 100% effort.
It's a basic moral equation: earn your fucking paycheck.
I'll forgive Scotland teams many things (I have to) - getting cuffed, not qualifying. I will never, ever a forgive a team or player for not trying.
Good point
I felt that was the general thrust of the post, too.
Having said that, I've seen some tennis pros give up on a match in a none-too-edifying manner. I think most sports, like most areas of life, have the odd shirker or two.
Let's not forget, though, it's a bit easier to hide on a football pitch, if you're clever with it. For a while, anyway. On a tennis court, you can blame no-one but you. You're basically a self-employed businessman.
I suspect
Sepp "perhaps lady football players should wear tight little shorts" Blatter might prefer ladies' tennis..