feather_ghyll (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
feather_ghyll) wrote2012-06-17 08:15 am
feather_ghyll) wrote2012-06-17 08:15 am
TENNIS: Queen's so far
The last time I wrote, Tipsarevic was still in the championship. Oh, dear. Suddenly, we were approaching the semi finals and the no. 6 seed was the top seed left and he was Cilic. Queen’s has been mentioned in tones of pity, inevitably, what with all the seeds going out, the weather and the comparison with the other ATP event going on.
I’d thought the Beeb’s coverage over the week hadn’t been all that great. Admittedly, I was comparing it with ITV Sport eagerly trying to prove it could do a grand slam. Furthermore, I was catching late evening coverage on the red button channel, which was fine if there was play, but they didn’t tell you what was going on if there wasn’t play i.e. whether another match was being shown online or how long you’d have to wait for play to resume. Things got better on Saturday, except that they weren't the semi-final match-ups that anyone expected. Andrew Castle went too far in trying to make out that the glass was three-quarters full. It was a Grand Slam semi finalist against a Previous Queen’s Champion and then a Wimbledon finalist against a Rising Young Star/The Ballgirls’ Favourite. All true, of course, and sounding good until you thought about what could have been.
And then there were the Difficult Conditions. At the worst moments, the camera was shaking. I was more invested in the first semi-final, wanting Cilic to win, because I thought that he had more dimensions to his game. You also had two players trying to come back to their highest rankings and maybe better them. Although there were probably more and better rallies in the second match, it didn’t capture my attention as closely, because I didn’t care who won. I hadn’t seen Dimitrov play before, or not at this tournament; I know Nalbandian is a difficult opponent and, at times, excellent player. Yesterday, he was wilier and coped better with the conditions. There will be a new Queen's champion, but will that really make a difference for Wimbledon? Yes, it will give them confidence, but does being in form on this surface make such a difference these days?
I’d thought the Beeb’s coverage over the week hadn’t been all that great. Admittedly, I was comparing it with ITV Sport eagerly trying to prove it could do a grand slam. Furthermore, I was catching late evening coverage on the red button channel, which was fine if there was play, but they didn’t tell you what was going on if there wasn’t play i.e. whether another match was being shown online or how long you’d have to wait for play to resume. Things got better on Saturday, except that they weren't the semi-final match-ups that anyone expected. Andrew Castle went too far in trying to make out that the glass was three-quarters full. It was a Grand Slam semi finalist against a Previous Queen’s Champion and then a Wimbledon finalist against a Rising Young Star/The Ballgirls’ Favourite. All true, of course, and sounding good until you thought about what could have been.
And then there were the Difficult Conditions. At the worst moments, the camera was shaking. I was more invested in the first semi-final, wanting Cilic to win, because I thought that he had more dimensions to his game. You also had two players trying to come back to their highest rankings and maybe better them. Although there were probably more and better rallies in the second match, it didn’t capture my attention as closely, because I didn’t care who won. I hadn’t seen Dimitrov play before, or not at this tournament; I know Nalbandian is a difficult opponent and, at times, excellent player. Yesterday, he was wilier and coped better with the conditions. There will be a new Queen's champion, but will that really make a difference for Wimbledon? Yes, it will give them confidence, but does being in form on this surface make such a difference these days?