Tag: Roger Federer

Living Legends Continue To Impress

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 7 Comments

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72. Combined age of Roger Federer (35) and Venus Williams (37). 22. Combined semifinals appearances at Wimbledon for Federer (12) and Williams (10). 4. Number of hours I slept last night. I know that’s irrelevant, but let’s just say 4:15 A.M. came quicker than I had hoped. Anywayyyyyy…….

Venus Williams will square off with Johanna Konta today at 10 A.M. EST. Federer will take on Tomas Berdych on Friday morning (time is TBD). If Venus is able to get past Konta, she’ll be pleased not to see her sister on the other side of the net (Serena is 4-1 vs. Venus in Grand Slam Finals). As for Federer, he is the odds on favorite to win the tournament. With Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic both losing Wednesday, Federer went to bed with a smile on his face.

It is incredible both Williams and Federer are still competing at such a high level. Williams made her professional debut 23 years ago. Insane!! She now holds 7 Grand Slam titles, and is looking for lucky number 8. Federer has already won 18 Grand Slam titles (most of all-time). This would give him 19 total Grand Slams and would be his 8th Wimbledon!! Again..Insane!!

I will be watching every second of every match because no one knows how much longer these living legends will be able to compete at this level. Federer will treat Berdych like a stroll in the park. I’d be surprised if Federer doesn’t win in straight sets. As for Venus, Konta is a tough match-up. At age 26, she is a tough player with a good all-around game. I see this being a highly competitive, 3-set match. Don’t be surprised with a 28-26 finish in the 3rd set.

Dave’s Predictions: Venus wins 6-4, 4-6, 10-8. Federer wins 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.

Whether I’m right or wrong (obviously I’ll be right), my tired eyeballs will be glued to the television. It’s like spending time with your children, you need to cherish these moments, because they won’t last forever.

 

Will Roger Federer and Venus Williams both advance to the Finals at Wimbledon?? Post your prediction in the comment section below??

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One Liner Friday’s

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

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Hello and welcome to another edition of One Liner Friday’s. Here you can find the past week in sports wrapped up in one line and one line only. Enjoy!!

Peyton Manning is very very very very very good at football.

Hey Flacco, I hope you had your notepad and pencil out while Mr. Manning was taking you to school (nice contract Ravens).

Seriously though, everyone should stop doubting Manning and his arm strength and his age and should just realize that he is one of the best to ever do it (NO, NOT 6, 7, 7 IS THE NUMBER!).

Something About Mary?

Oh Yankees, every time I think you’re going to return to form and storm your way into the playoffs, you go and do something like that.

In case you missed it, Big Mo blew a save (obviously against the Red Sox) and then who else but Joba the hut would go on to lose the game.

I still think the Yankees land the final Wild Card spot in the playoffs this year, watch.

I’ve said it about 10 times now, and I will say it again, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be handed his first ever loss by Canelo Alvarez on Saturday September 14th.

I am looking forward to 50 Cent and Justin Bieber performing for Mayweather as he walks to the ring though (how stupid is that).

Nobody thinks that Cary Williams wanted to fight Riley Cooper because he is a blatant racist do they??

Because that would be absurd!

Hey, uh, Geno Smith, we passed on you just like everyone else in the 1st round of the draft, and we are actually going to play Mark ‘the worst quarterback in the history of the world’ Sanchez over you, but now that ummm, oh man this is awkward, now that he happens to be hurt THIS IS YOUR OFFENSE AND IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN!!

Yeah, I think he believes you and he’s buying the vote of confidence.

And if he’s not I certainly am.

It has been one of the most spectacular and impressive careers in the history of sports, but Roger Federer is officially on the Decline.

2013 became the first year he hasn’t reached a single Grand Slam Final since 2002 (back before he was the R-FED).

His career is not over, and I think he will make a comeback and have a nice showing in 2014 before he rides off into the sunset, but this is the first of many tributes to one of the finest athletes of all time.

Hey, uh, Andy Murray, I know you’re really busy being the ugliest man in the world, but a player of your stature should never lose in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

You know, instead of suspending Ryan Braun for the rest of the season, they should have just suspended him for 4.5 innings.

No?

Oh, that only works for privileged stuck up little children in College Football, my bad.

Who gives out a suspension of half of a game?!?!?

That’s like taking a convicted felon and saying, you know what we’re going to do, forget the whole prison thing, we are just going to give you about 25 minutes in the pink timeout chair in the corner (obviously the timeout chair is pink).

Thanks for reading everyone, and if you have your own one liner’s that you want to post, please feel free to do so in the comment section below. Enjoy your weekend everyone!!

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

One Liner Friday’s

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

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Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of One Liner Friday’s. Here you can find the past week in sports wrapped up in one line and one line only. Enjoy!!

Ah yes, I must start with Ryan “Put Him In The Dumpster” Dempster.

I figured it out, The Dumpster thinks he is Batman, and felt taking the law into his own hands was perfectly acceptable (“They’ll have to understand, I’m Batman!”).

You know, it’s a shame Dempster had do this, I actually used to like him thanks to his hysterical Harry Caray impression.

Ryan Braun is O.J. Simpson.

Think about it, if you obviously committed a crime and got away with it, wouldn’t you go hide in a cave somewhere and make sure you never repeated such an egregious error again?

Enough of this Preseason nonsense, let’s bring on the real football already!

Are you ready for some fantasy football??

How bout dem’ Yankees!!

They have now won 5 games in a row, and they’re coming for a playoff spot; watch out everybody.

I know A-Rod has helped the team in their latest surge, but for people not to thank Alfonso Soriano for the teams offensive resurgence is ridiculous.

Tiger keeps playing well before and after Majors, hmmmmmm.

Anybody else tired of hearing about Jhonny Manziel?

Oh okay good, it’s not just me, for a second there I thought everyone was enjoying that drivel.

Roger Federer ranked 7th in the U.S. Open?!?!

It’ll be sad to watch him go, but this is the beginning of the end for the best tennis player in the history of the world.

I bet you didn’t know this, or even know who they are, but the Bryan brothers are the Tiger Woods (if you could clone him) of Men’s Doubles in Tennis.

They are twin brothers, and they currently hold the ‘Tiger Slam’ in tennis and will make it the traditional Grand Slam when they win The U.S. Open and hold all 4 Slam titles in the same calendar year.

By the way Ryan Braun, no one wants your stupid fake apology so just shove it somewhere painful.

Clayton Kershaw is one of the best pitchers baseball has ever seen, his e.r.a. this season is 1.72!

Cliff Paul’s twin brother Chris was named the NBA’s new President of the Player’s Union.

I think it’s a solid move (I mean who wouldn’t want a car insurance agent working for them?).

I know I’m repeating myself with this one, but I want everyone to know who predicted Mayweather’s first loss first.

Canelo Alvarez will take down Floyd Mayweather Jr. on September 14th.

Major League Baseball is getting to the exciting part of the year when the rest of you start watching and football is right around the corner, man this time of the year is great.

Enjoy the rest of your summer everyone!!

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Sir Andy Dubbed Wimbledon Champion

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

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On 7/7, Andy Murray ended a 77 year drought with his victory at Wimbledon. He became the first player from The United Kingdom to win Wimbledon in 77 years. Murray has come close before, losing in the championship match just 365 days prior. This year however, Murray was victorious by a score of 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. It was a straight set victory over Novak Djokovic that lasted just over 3 hours. Djokovic no doubt is a tough opponent, as this straight set win had the feel of a 5 set marathon. The final game of the match lasted for what seemed like an eternity. Djokovic fought off match point after match point, until finally, on his 5th championship point, Murray prevailed. Seconds after Djokovic put a backhand into the net, a roller-coaster of emotions ran through Andy Murray. He immediately turned to his coaching box and through his adrenaline felt excitement beyond his wildest dreams. He put his arms in the hair and clutched them with a powerful feeling that he came within inches of just a year earlier. He then turned and embraced Djokovic and congratulated him on a fine effort. From there it was a surreal moment that I’m sure even Murray can’t put into words. He fell to his knees and put his head in his hands on the grass. He had done it. He had reached the pinnacle of his tennis career, and all he could feel was pure elation. This certainly was a fine year for Mr. Murray. Since his loss at Wimbledon last year, Murray has won a Gold Medal, he was the runner-up to Djokovic at the Australian Open, and he won the U.S Open. I’d say it’s pretty good to be Andy Murray right now.

With Roger Federer starting his long overdue decline and Rafael Nadal constantly being injured, it seems like it has become the Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic show. For today though it is Andy’s world, and we’re all just living in it. Murray will head
into the U.S. Open as the defending champion and will look to improve on his already stellar year. Behind Murray’s vast improvement and breakthrough at Wimbledon has been one man; Ivan Lendl. Murray hired the former tennis great on New Year’s Eve of last year and since then has taken his game to the next level. The relationship between Lendl and Murray appears to be solid and should last slightly longer than that of Connors and Roddick (haha). How has Lendl helped Murray take his game to the next level you ask? Well, one thing Ivan Lendl will never be confused with is a circus clown. What I mean by that is Lendl is all business all the time. With Lendl there is no time for fun, there is only time for winning. He has helped Murray keep his emotions in check. See, it is easy with the talent of an Andy Murray to make it to the quarter finals or semi finals of Grand Slams consistently, but it is another thing to win multiple Slams. That aspect of championship tennis is strictly mental (and it is also has a little bit to do with your conditioning). What fans don’t always realize is how important the mental component is at the professional level. Lendl has apparently found a way to clearly illustrate this to Murray. The only question now is can Lendl and Murray have continued success as a coach-player tandem? It is also fair to ask if Murray will repeat as U.S. champion? Tell me what you think in the comment section below. Thanks!

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

What In The Wild World Of Wimbledon Is Going On Here?

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

It must have been the shoe change that was forced upon him by Wimbledon officials that threw Roger Federer off his game. I’m obviously kidding, but here’s the thing about this major upset that is so unbelievable: Roger Federer didn’t play that badly. Sergiy Stakhovsky simply outplayed the great Roger Federer. Stakhovsky handed Federer a 2nd round loss Wednesday, adding to the already wild early rounds at this years Wimbledon. Earlier in the day, Maria Sharapova was ousted by Michelle Larcher De Brito (the 131st ranked player in the world). This was following a first round loss by Rafael Nadal as well. While Nadal and Sharapova losing this early in a Grand Slam is major news, the magnitude of Federer’s loss is difficult to comprehend. Let me attempt to put this loss into perspective. Wednesday’s loss broke his streak of 36 consecutive appearances in at least the quarter finals of a grand slam. Do you understand how insane that is? Not to mention that he won 16 of those grand slams in the process. That is absolutely insane!! Now, maybe you have a better grasp of how historic this loss was. On top of Federer’s decorated past, Stakhovsky (the 116th ranked player in the world) was 0 for 20 against top ten players in the world heading into this match. Welcome to the big stage fella. I doubt you’ll be able to handle it but good luck. Now listen up Mr. and Mrs. Casual Fan: This is not a red flag that should suggest the beginning of the end for Roger Federer. He simply was the second best player on the court on Wednesday.

Hello segue, and speaking of these courts, have you ever seen so many professional tennis players slip and fall during a match? I don’t know exactly why we are seeing a huge difference in the grass this year opposed to prior years. I do know that elite players in top physical shape are dropping like flies due to injuries. Is this somehow Wimbledon’s fault? That would be quite an accusation to make at tennis’ oldest and most prestigious Grand Slam now wouldn’t it? Yeah, I think I’ll toss that matzah ball out there (Seinfeld fans anywhere?). I’ve never seen so many players slip and fall and/or have to retire due to injury. The amount of upsets that have occurred so far this week is also unprecedented. It feels like we’re watching March Madness in June. Do the playing conditions have anything to do with the amount of major upsets taking place? I doubt it, but the playing conditions certainly need to be looked at and improved. As for the major upsets, I believe that there needed to be a longer break between the French Open and Wimbledon. This could have allowed injured players such as Rafael Nadal or John Isner to rest longer and be at full strength for the biggest tournament of the year. This extra rest wouldn’t have hurt Roger “old man river” Federer either (I kid the Federer, he’s my favorite player). But, a once deadly bracket filled with Federer, Nadal, and Andy Murray is now looking like a jigsaw puzzle that is missing pieces. At this rate I don’t see how Andy Murray doesn’t make it to the finals, but this tournament has been so crazy so far, who knows what to expect? You can watch the rest of this wild Wimbledon coverage on ESPN2 starting at 7 a.m. EST. Enjoy.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Who Said There’s Nothing To Talk About?

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

The NBA Finals have come and gone, and baseball hasn’t hit its full stride yet. Within the dog days of summer lie a time with very little to talk about in the world of sports. However, Monday brought about an eventful day of sports news and action. Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals crowned a champion, while a former Wimbledon champion fell unexpectedly. A window of opportunity has opened for the much deserving Brian Shaw. And lastly, as I’m sure you’ve all heard by now, Aaron Hernandez has himself in some hot water.

With Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals being played in Boston, it was almost a certainty that the Bruins would force a decisive Game 7 in Chicago. This series had been so closely contested (with half of its games going to overtime), that a Game 7 seemed inevitable. With just under a minute and a half to play that looked like the case, but the Chicago Blackhawks had other ideas. The Bruins were winning 2-1 after Milan Lucic scored the go ahead goal midway through the 3rd period. They looked like they were going to cruise to a series tying victory until Brian Bickell put in the game tying goal with 1:16 left in the game. Boston had to be deflated but at least they had a chance to win the game in overtime, right? Oh No, no no, they were not granted that opportunity. Just 17 seconds after the game tying goal came, the game winning goal by Dave Bolland followed. And just like that, victory was snatched right out of Boston’s hands. Players are used to losing, but to be so close to victory and lose in heartbreaking fashion is never easy to get past. I’m sure the Bruins players will need some time to fully recover from a loss of this magnitude. Doesn’t it seem eerily similar to the Game 6 loss by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals? When there is a loser there must also be a winner. Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks on winning the 2013 Stanley Cup.

An absolute stunner is the only way to describe Rafael Nadal’s first round loss at Wimbledon. This is the first time he has EVER lost in the first round of a Grand Slam. His loss came in straight sets at the hands of the 135th ranked player in the world, Steve Darcis. Who? Exactly, I’ve never heard of him either. If you watched the match, the camera continued to follow Nadal’s taped up knee, and the commentators kept harping on the fact that he couldn’t track down balls he once called routine gets. Yes, I’ll admit that Nadal did not look his usual gritty self, but injury or not a player of his caliber should NEVER lose to Steve Darcis. Nadal simply did not have any fight in him on Monday, and he simply mailed in his performance once he was down 2 sets to none. While I’ve never personally been a Nadal fan, it still would have been nice to watch the great Roger Federer spank him in the quarter finals. I guess we’ll have to settle with Federer mopping the floor with John Isner in the quarters. Will there be anymore shocking upsets in Wimbledon? Only time will tell, but I see Roger Federer and Andy Murray playing a hard fought semi finals to see who has the right to lose to Novak Djokavic in the finals. Enjoy the tennis.

To the hardwood we go. The second the NBA season ends, head coaches get the ax (deservedly or not). As the off season progresses, those coaching vacancies slowly get filled. Monday, the Denver Nuggets filled their coaching vacancy with a name that has been floating around the rumor mill for quite some time. Brian Shaw, the former assistant of the Indiana Pacers, is now the new head coach of the Denver Nuggets. Shaw’s name has been on many executives lists for coaching possibilities over the past couple of years, but Denver has finally pulled the trigger. Denver just cur their tenure with George Karl short in the same season he won Coach of the Year, so I wouldn’t get too comfortable if I were Shaw. Good luck Brian, you deserve it.

And last but certainly least, we move on to Einstein himself. Nope, sorry, I meant Aaron “the rocket scientist” Hernandez. Aaron Hernandez has been a very good tight end for the New England Patriots, and had a very bright future ahead of himself (emphasis on the word HAD). Rather than use his potential to enjoy his future, he decided to entangle himself in a murder mystery. No, not the make believe Law And Order type of mystery, but the hey I actually murdered someone and tried to cover it up type of mystery. As of right now Hernandez has not been convicted of a crime or has even been arrested, but there has been the possibility of an arrest warrant hanging over his head for about 5 days now. See, Hernandez intelligently destroyed his home surveillance system, smashed his cell phone to unrecognizable pieces, and had a professional cleaning crew come leave his house spotless. Yeah, this should end well. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but I will. Hernandez obviously either murdered this guy, ordered the murder to take place, or has proof of the murder and is trying to cover it up. Either way his life is in shambles, and I highly doubt it’s going to get any better anytime soon. Man, don’t you wish you, an intelligent responsible person, had the talents these numbskulls have? You surely wouldn’t waste it and throw your life back into the sewer that they most likely came from to begin with. It’s such a shame. You can follow ESPN for daily updates on the Hernandez situation.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!