[Bonanzoid]

I'm not a huge tennis fan, but I will be following the year's tournament. Anyhoo, Nadal is currently 2 sets and a break down in the 3rd of his first round match. What the actual bollocks?

[The Deadly]

Who is he playing?

[Bonanzoid]

Steve Darcis.

I totally knew who he was before this match...

[The Deadly]

Yes he is a powerhouse of the tennis world. Nadal must be injured or something.

[Bonanzoid]

He didn't even chase some shots, must have been the knees. So much for the Federer vs Rafa quarter final.

[bmstinton93]

Really strange result. Knocked out in the second round last year as well which was the start of his 7 months off with injury. Since he's come back from injury he's won virtually everything though. I was expecting great things from Nadal again this tournament!

[Yudster]

I don't think Nadal will ever again be the powerhouse he once was. His knees have been * since he was 17, due to overtraining (or at least training in the wrong way) as a junior, and once that catches up with you I don't think you'll ever have more than short periods of being fully fit. I do love him though, along with Federer I don't think you could offer a better sporting role model to any youngster in any sport. They both have such humility and good manners and manage not only to be supremely gracious in defeat, but in victory also which many sportsmen and women forget is also a good thing.

The BBC interview with Murray when he came off court after his win was pathetic (not the press conference, the exclusive BBC one). The interviewer spent the whole time asking him about Nadal, and what he thought of that result - then just at the end said "congratulations on the victory". I expected Murray to say "What, have I played? Did I win? Wow!"

[The Deadly]

I'm so confident every single British woman playing today will lose that if any of them go through I'll post a photo of a very young me with Kriss Akabusi.

[bmstinton93]

I wouldn't completely write off Robson. She has put in fantastic performances in recent slams. At least she's not playing Sharapova this time round which I seem to remember she has for the past 2 Wimbledons.

[flyingbadger]

I'm so confident every single British woman playing today will lose that if any of them go through I'll post a photo of a very young me with Kriss Akabusi.

Ah, the inventor of Awooga.

I'd like that very much.

[The Deadly]

Robson has the best chance of doing well. It's a lot of pressure for her though. I can imagine she would have rather played on a small court rather than court one. Piles on the pressure even more.

[flyingbadger]

Rather that than pressure on the piles.

[Topher]

I don't think Nadal will ever again be the powerhouse he once was. His knees have been * since he was 17, due to overtraining (or at least training in the wrong way) as a junior, and once that catches up with you I don't think you'll ever have more than short periods of being fully fit. I do love him though, along with Federer I don't think you could offer a better sporting role model to any youngster in any sport. They both have such humility and good manners and manage not only to be supremely gracious in defeat, but in victory also which many sportsmen and women forget is also a good thing.

I agree with all that.

Rafa is such a class act, refusing to blame his injury, instead insisting on congratulating his victor.

[bmstinton93]

First time I've seen this:



What a pro. He looks gutted though.

[Bruvva]

In a way I'm glad Nadal went out early, the first week of a grand slam is usually a bit dull with an air of inevitability about it so it's nice to have an upset early on, shame it was him, I kind of like him. And I'd agree with Yuds regarding his injury and his career, anyone who's game is based on power and speed (not that his game SOLELY is but it's a very large part of it) is going to suffer with injuries and probably have a shorter career than someone like Federer whom I actively dislike, mainly because of his eyebrows.

[bmstinton93]

I'm so confident every single British woman playing today will lose that if any of them go through I'll post a photo of a very young me with Kriss Akabusi.

Ahem.

[Bonanzoid]

I'm looking forward to that Deadly. Laura Robson was sublime.

[The Deadly]

Oh no..........

[bmstinton93]

I'm looking forward to that Deadly. Laura Robson was sublime.

I saw about the last 3 games and it was obvious from that! I really hope she goes far!

[The Deadly]

As promised here is a photo of me and Kriss Akabusi.

[chrysostom]

[The Deadly]

Federer has gone too.

[bmstinton93]

There's gotta be a slim chance here that Murray could be first in the world by the end of this tournament if Djokovic goes out

[Bruvva]

There's gotta be a slim chance here that Murray could be first in the world by the end of this tournament if Djokovic goes out

That's a fairly sizeable if really. Djokovic is comfortably ahead.

1 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 11,830
2 Murray, Andy (GBR) 8,560

Anyway, injuries. Don't think there's been a day like yesterday in terms of the number of people dropping out before. But I don't buy the "unsafe" surface theory that people like Sharapova were expounding. For one thing, her opponent didn't fall over and seemed quite sure footed.

[Yudster]

Laura Robson was brilliant. She is the only British prospect out there, and good though she undoubtedly is, she's still not going to be a world beater - probably. Hope I'm wrong, I do like her and she seems to have more desire to do well than all the other British players (except Murray).

Heather Watson annoyed the hell out of me in her post-defeat interview - when asked what she would do now, she said "go away and train better and improve her fitness" and crap like that. She is a heavily funded, incredibly highly paid (for someone who never wins anything - she got £26.000 for losing in the first round at Wimbledon) professional athlete. She has NO excuse for not already doing those things. If she isn't training enough, what the * is she getting paid her funding for?

Andy Murray is interesting as the only exception to Britain's crapness at producing decent tennis players, because he is the only one who has never had any input, funding or advice from the LTA, his career from a very early age was handled independently by his mum and his coaches in Spain. So the moral is, if you are a young, talented, British tennis player, looking to reach the top of the sport (rather than just pick up massive pay checks for being crap, which lets face it is an option in tennis), steer well clear of the LTA and get your support elsewhere.