Not that he needs to be told, but tell your dad he's onto a good thing with lleytsie.

Hey, I could've been first, but this first! business is getting to be too ordinary. I was waiting to see who would take the bait:-)

i see a bait i pounce. it's not a bad deal if you don't actually get trapped.

Nice post Heidi. Your dad reminds me a lot of my mom. She doesn't even really understand how they score in tennis(yet). My dad and I(who are tennis fanatics) are trying to teach her. And just like your dad, she sometimes says tennis related stuff that I'm amazed by. But the only difference is the that she really only watches tennis because she thinks Rafa is hott.:-)

Lleyton looks like Clinton? no - I am afraid I don't see that one
but it is interesting

That tailgate had about 25 people in total. It was a bunch of fun putting "handles" with faces. The TAT people and the TW folks were really cool. OK I'm back to lurking again.

GV Girl:Wait, Rafa was at the same event, but you thought the highlight was talking with Cahill? I'm sorry girl, but I just can't wrap my head around that one. If I ever saw Rafa in real life, I'd melt on the spot or have a heart attack. Or both.

I LOVE Darren C.

My Casual Fan friends generally expect Federer to win everything under the sun. They love Marcos Baghdatis and think Lleyton Hewitt is a tool, Fernando Gonzalez is hott and women's tennis has seen better days. None of this, you'll note, runs counter to conventional wisdom. They just lack a lot of the details, the nuances, and the counterpoints.

... also a Casual Fan I went to the Sydney tournament with fell instantly, hopelessly in love with Elena Dementieva who was at the time double-faulting her way through a hideous match against Sugiyama. But being really cute about it.

Daren Cahill was an immense pleasure to meet. A very friendly, nice person.

I'm SO with you on Casual Tennis Fan, Heidi. But it still doesn't beat

1) Fans who know about the sport but not about the pro sport. Prime example, the very chatty lady that sat behind us during Blake-Koubek. "Oooh, that's a serve!" "How can they hit so hard and make the ball stay inside the court? I would never have been able to keep it inside the court!" Followed by, "That serve is just UN-BELIEVABLE!"

and

2) Drunk casual fans, who come in two varieties

A. Drunk young men. See J-Block for examples

B. Southern (always Southern for some reason) ladies who get drunk on the wine and forget they are at a live tennis match not a TV one, so it's not actually OK to speak loudly while someone is serving. It's also imperative that they let everyone know if one or both of the players are attractive.

Good evening all.

Celia,

This was not the first time that I've seen Rafa in person. He was there for a 5 minute photo op- no interviews- and looked cute as usual and was very gracious. In fact he bumped smack into me as he was coming in with his body guard. (Celia- I guess you would have fainted then)

Cahill was at the event as a "regular" person but took time out to chat with FM and myself about tennis when he didn't have to. Kudos to him! He's cuter in person too! What can I say, I like older men.

It was a fun event to raise money for charity.

Hello Lurker,

Glad that you had fun at the tailgate see you next year- 8/30/08

Hey LA folks, did you ever have your Super Saturday party?

Now I understand GV Girl. And yes, I would have fainted. It's not fair! I've never seen any pro tennis player in real life. Not a one!

LOL...i can say now that my sister has been fully trained. but boy can it be hard watching a match with a casual fan. your sitting there stressing (at times) and here they are asking a million questions

GVGirl - looks like you had a blast . Meeting Cahill would be cool. At least Rafa was gracious when he bumped into you !
as for the LA event - well we did not have a big one, very small interest, but Jenn and I did not let that deter us - we had our own Super Saturday viewing of the first semifinal, complete with mimosas , croissants and fruit at my house.
It was a very fun morning.
We made plans to meet up at the USC/UCLA game , and at Indian Wells next year.

Heidi, great post! My dad would be a very casual tennis fan - he likes Federer because of the link with Tiger and his dominance, proclaims to dislike Rafa - I think mainly to annoy his daughter, but he does have major issues with the piratas, now likes Djokovic solely because he made fun of Rafa (my dad has yet to see Djokovic play a point but has now proclaimed him his favorite tennis player), and his observation from this USO was that Justine is what he considers a true tennis player.

Amylu - apparently , even a fantasy guy is not good enough for Daddy's girl!
does he give JJ a hard time as well ?
Mark does the same kind of thing to irritate Missie, and it works every time
HIs taunts are also about the piratas!

He made similar disparaging remarks about Roger's attire , but as it got no disagreement from either me or Missie, he gave up on that one.
Seems like mainstream American men are not into avant garde tennis fashion -
Who knew?

Beth, LOL on the fashion. :-)

He and JJ haven't met yet - they will in October, which should be interesting. Although I'm thinking the may bond over Djokovic now, which hopefully will help. Both love to make fun of Rafa so that should also be a bonding point for the two of them. :-)

That will be an interesting meeting
don't forget - they also have the fact that they both love you
That can make for a good bond!

Well my tennis nonloving father likes Rafa. Cause he looks like he could hit a fastball.

"But I don't like that kids pants"
"Dad, what is the difference between them and baseball pants?"
"Those are baseball pants"

My dad, difinitive as always.

They do look like old school baseball pants ! Just no long socks covering the rest of the leg
And I have heard so many traditionalists say they prefer the shorter baseball pants to the long baggy ones in favor these days

Just to respond to your Dad's comment on Justine -- I think that she is prettier now that she seems happier. With a good stylist, who knows....

> Seems like mainstream American men are not into avant garde tennis fashion -
> Who knew?

:-D

Aaron
Abramson
Acton
Addington
....

Great laughs, Heidi. Thanks. :-)

Rudy3 - lol...

Hey what the hail is Don Imus doing around here? Now that's NOT funny...not unless we can vote him off the island.... way WAY off.

all right - got to go for the night
dinner is not gonna cook itself !

As for casual fan I always like those who ask me "Is that Federer any good? What part of the US is he from?"

LOL GVgirl! I have a friend who is a casual fan who only likes American players. When I mentioned that I root for Federer, she said very flatly, "I don't like Federer, he's not American".

Sam,

If Fed were American, he would have so many more endorsements! Fedex for one!

Actually, I'm surprised FedEx hasn't gotten him yet. They're a worldwide company.

Lovely post Heidi :)
Your Dad sounds like my Mum.

If we watch a match together I'm expected to answer the question "Who's winning?" umpteen times.

Gvgirl- I envy u. I adore Cahill :)

Thanks, Heidi ... that was fun reading ... love your dad.

Here's some interesting reading material from tennisweek.com ... to wile away the hours until the next big tournament:

http://tinyurl.com/ypat9k

Well my "dad" moment came with my Aunt. I had to stay on the phone with her foro about 30 minutes trying to explain why the first point was worth "15 points", the 2nd point doubled that to "30", but the 4th was only 10 more at "40"... And then I tried to explain which 'lines' were used. Try doing that on the telephone - she didn't know the doubles from the singles and I found myself at a loss for words as to how to explain which lines were 'out' and which were 'good'. I gave up. I told her... "Next time, why don't you just come to my house and we'll watch it together, then I'll explain everything". She agreed. Now I just hope she doesn't come over when Roger is playing a match!

"Now I just hope she doesn't come over when Roger is playing a match! "

Lol...I feel your pain :-)

Oy between me and my dad I'd for sure be the Casual Fan. I'm not making this up, there's an actual usta tournament named after him.

Handsome, brilliant, AND a total sweetheart, no wonder they call him The Killer.

Oy FoT, my brother's gf, the one who famously (in my mind) asked me, during a Ljubicic-TMF match, "How do you tell them apart?" Last time I stayed with them, I spent the better part of an evening - like, hours - watching the nanner/montanes RG match on video and trying to explain to her the concept of winning-by-two. It was just insane, like, and I was so delighted that she was all showing an earnest interest and all that, and I was trying to be patient and occasionally my brother would try to help translate a little, but I found myself wondering, after a while, if she wasn't maybe doing an oscar-worthy job of completely messing with my head. Cuz I mean, she's smart, at least usually.

I feel your pain Snoo Foo...and I do remember that comment by her about which one was whom...! That cracked me up that someone wouldn't know the difference between Ljubicic and Federer! lol!

Heidi,

So funny. "Dad" sounds so much like my grandmother (God rest her her comicical soul) who touted the glories of both Boxing and Tennis, because they were "man-to-man" and none of that "team-crap," while never truly developing an incisive dissection of either sports machinations. And her take on both Mac and Connors was classic: "Someone just need to slap the shit out of him!" Chrissie, of course, was "Such a nice girl." Ahhh ... in a way, those really were the days.

what a great post and great comments. heidi you exposed some of us who are casual fans, but good laugh any way.

Heidi - enjoyed your picture of your Dad. It drives us tennis nuts mad when our nearest and dearest who swan in and out of our obsession can be bang on the money sometimes.... Just out of interest, why is Djokovic the Tennis Court Djester starting to drive Dad mad??

Not sure where to post this, but it's very cute (Justin Gimelstob interviewing players for the Tonight Show):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq7H8l2KVOA

Lindsay took out Jelena in 3 earlier today: 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. Look at the stats and this is the one stood out for me. Lindsay was 8 for 13 in break point conversions today. Now, Lindsay should go ahead and win Bali but she may be emotionally flat tomorrow against Errani, who destroyed Nakamura in 2. On the bottom half of the draw, Lindsay doubles partner and blogger on the WTA website this week, Hantuchova, is on to the semifinals against the winner of Cirstea/Gallovits.

Schwab,

I just saw Lindsay won in 3!!!!!! I'm so excited for her! I agree with you, hopefully she won't go down tomorrow after a big win. If Dani/Lindsay win Bali in doubles I wonder if they will continue a doubles relationship?

Why wasn't this match on the tennis channel...............ugh!

Mark,
I second the comment on why that match was not on TTC. TTC is scheduled to show the Fed Cup final b/w Russia and Italy tomorrow from 6am-10am with replays twice later.

the very casual fans i know agree almost completely on the following:
- dementieva is hott
- sharapova is hott
- serena, mauresmo and capriati are errh "not feminine enough to be
attractive" (to say it euphemistic, i can´t repeat their opinions
on them here word for word, would get edited i think)
- fed wins everything, his character/appeal is dull
- nadal wins the rest, his pants are ridiculous
- most of the time something more interesting than tennis is on tv,
so no "need" to watch it
- in the good old time tennis was more interesting (becker, graf)

LD´s next match is vs errani, right?
lindsay can have a post big win letdown as big as it gets and will still win.
errani has no game.

Look at ESPN's recap of Lindsay/Jelena. Jelena got emotional once again:

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=3018932

highpockets: thanks for the link. just what I needed for a dispiriting train journey....

for lleyton : agreed, he certainly doesn't look like chirac or sarko-napoleon...the clinton resemblance on the other hand...(the nose is problematic IMO, clinton has -with utmost respect- a sort of schnozz that is, hum quite potato-big. lleyton's in comparison looks like one of a girl)

Correction - Lindsay was 6/9 on BP chances. Jelena had 13 chances to break KD but converted only 5. Bismarck corrected me on another thread. Its rough getting up early in the morning to catch a surprise.

I kinda laughed when I read the article. I never had a time when I was a casual fan. Around RG and Wimbledon 2006 I barely knew how the score works, or what a DF was. And then one day I just got into it, first women tennis in RG, and then men tennis in last year USO.

A year later, and I can recite the h2h for a good nunber of players, give the score for many matches, got many hours on on youtube for not only Roger highlights, but Sampras-Agassi, Jmac and borg, and know enough about the tennis itself to enjoy a match without commentators and figure out what is going on, and find out that what I think of the match when I watch it by myself is pretty much the same as many experienced Tribe members here.

Nice work, Heidi. These casual fans are the ones who, if they keep looking in, will help the rest of us to continue to see tennis on TV. I smile (and frown) at them often, and I thank heavens for them -- every day! :)

When there are matches going on on the other side of the world, I always check the tennis results page for the "early" scores in the morning, right after checking my e-mail, and right before visiting TW. Today, I'm thrilled to see players who couldn't or didn't play in the USO (Monfils, Davenport) or exited the USO earlier than expected (Hantuchova, Fernandez) having a good week in the week following USO. They're all in the semis of their current tourneys.

Jelena needs a rest, and I think I read somewhere that she'll take some time off after Bali. Good.

What a win for Lindsay!

Ruth,
Think Jelena took a wildcard to play Beijing next week. Read that under the Henin withdrawal story on ESPN.

"Cahill was at the event as a "regular" person but took time out to chat with FM and myself about tennis when he didn't have to. Kudos to him! He's cuter in person too! What can I say, I like older men."

I always thought he seemed really pleasant and he's also very attractive which doesn't hurt. I too have a thing for older men (always have). Morgan Freeman is almost twice my age but you'd have to pry me off that beautiful man if I'm ever lucky enough to me him. He (Cahill) reminds me a little bit (mannerisms) of Patrick” sorry mate” Rafter. I miss him.....

JJ needs to take a rest. She's obviously burnt and her emotional meltdown is a sign that she's physically done.

Schwab: I can't believe she is going to play again next week. Maybe she figures since she's already on that side of the globe, she might as well play one more week? She better not pull a Clijsters, play way too much resulting in multiple injuries and burnout just as everyone is starting to enjoy watching her play.

As for Cahill, I enjoy listening to him commentate when he chooses to do so. What was the last event he did anyway? The US Open series? He's easy to listen to and is not annoying like others mentioned on this site. i.e. Carillo and Robinson. He seems like he'd be a cool guy to hangout with, which probably makes him appealing to many people.

JJ wants to be known as the Kolya of the wta. But man that's an awesome win for lindsay, maybe we'll be seeing the return of champagne kimmy this time next year.

HAHAHAHAHA.

You all owe me $5. I said it yesterday - Lindsay would take out JJ in three. ;)

I'm bummed to hear that JJ was arguing and smashing rackets again, though. That girl needs to exhibit some cool in her matches.

Ali C,
Give you credit for picking LD to win in 3.

Mark,
After Beijing, Lindsay won't play any more WTA matches. She will start to prepare for the 2008 AO. But, as we know, that can change at any time.

Snoo Foo,
We will see if Kim have any desire to return to the tour after she had her child.

Wonderful post, Heidi. You are now officially a member of the TennisWorld Literary All-Stars.
Stonada/Raza: the chalice please.
Friedman: the boxing kangaroo green-and-yellow vestments, please.
Tignor: the anointment oils, please.
Let's all chant together now. . .

Tribe: Keep in mind that the Deuce Club posts are all OT or tennis, anything goes.

Wow: tennis AND food AND Mario Ancic?!! How did I miss this event? (Oh, right, I was in Dalmatia collecting recipes..... :-( -- LOL)

Now, if Ancic needs a private chef, that would really make my life complete. Hey, drago, how about some Janjetina ispod peke? And for dessert, mandulat, rozata, or splitska torta? Would you like a nice Dingac from the Peljesac with that? Or perhaps the Mali Plavac from Grgic?

Oh dear, fantasy life over-drive before 11:00 am......

Schwab: I can't believe that JJ will play again next week. I thought that I'd read that she was taking two weeks off after Bali. She has given a lot of cute reasons for playing so much --"it's better than practicing" etc -- but I think that she enjoys having that "entourage" of hers following her around, and it costs a lot to keep them in food, hotel rooms, entertainment (other than her matches) et al! :)

Article from the Bali website on Lindsay's watch:

http://www.bali-wtatour.com/

Oh, sorry - big congrats to everyone who attended this event combining tennis and food - and a good cause, too.

I am completely jealous - but so thankful you've shared with all of us!

Ruth,
Can't believe that neither especially the WTA website did not have her scheduled after Bali but things changed.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=3016700

"too busy watching soccer friendlies on Univision"

unlike Federer's "beautiful game" this entire project is the "beautiful game" so he gets a pass in my book. There is always DVR.

Who is Davenport?

I'd like to offer my conversation and perhaps some comped drinks in exchange for anyone interested in flying me to the Madrid Masters, giving me a ticket, and putting me up in a swank hotel.

oh...and please throw in a ticket to the Real game over at El Estadio Santiago Bernabeu too. You can email me.

Huge win for Lindsay! I adore Jankovic, even with her headcase emotionalism, but big congrats to the new mother! (to be honest, I didn't even know she'd had the kid!)

This is just for Temes:

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2007/09/serena_williams_is_trying_damn.html

Not sure if people caught this on MNP, but it is good news that is worth the risk of overcommunicating.

Congratulations AL.

Posted by AmyLu 09/13/2007 @ 9:37 PM

Well, we can have GEs on me tonight. I successfully defended my master's thesis today so I'm in a very happy mood.

Congratulations AmyLu!!!!

Party time! Excellent! Whoo whoo! what a totally awesome way to start the weekend. What are you gonna do to celebrate? Or what is AmyLu going to do? If she's not already doing it.

Wicked awesome!

Lol, robbyfan.

Casual fans don't think Serena is hott? Just look at that woman, dammit.

I'm so happy Lindsays back for one more. I really thought she'd retire. And, I 100% knew she would beat Janko. I just knew.

Well since mgmt closed down tari's saloon (what do you have against those of us who imbibe?) I will repeat my belated congratulations to Professor AmyLu here, in the gaming establishment.

AmyLu,
Congrats are in order to you.

good morning
again - congratulations to Amylu
and to Lindsay for an impressive win

Amy Lu - Congatulations! Was is best 2 out of 3 falls?? I'm sure its due in part to the endless advice proffered here as to what to serve at the orig. presentation. Champagne, cavier and choc truffles rule the day again! ;-))

And congratulations to Lindsey... NOW will Jelena take some time off? Maybe she should go mountain climbing with Marat...

Oh and about the Clinton/Lleyton 'resemblance'? Wasn't it as an Agassi match afew years ago that Clinton's arrival at the match coincided with Agassi suddenly playing poorly and losing in the end? Maybe THAT'S the Hewitt resemblance? Heh.

Oh! Congrats, AmyLu! Later, we'll have some kind of fruity martinis with Sour Patch Kids on the rims. Too early now...:))

Well done!

DMS - don't worry - we can just move the party over here
Sam - not a softie -just protective of my little cub - even though he is really not so little any more
Just want to meet the girl that seems to be important to my son
hopefully he will bring her to the home game next week
But - if Jake holds true to form, he will have moved on to a new relationship by next week , and she will not be "the one" anymore
He is a "rent , don't buy" kind of guy

Thanks for the chalice and stuff, Pete! (mentally ducks the splash of oil)

For the record, chloe02, I'm not totally sure what drives my Dad crazy about Djokovic, but he's not into the racket-tossing. And definitely not into the injury time-outs or acting like you're injured -- his philosophy seems to be something like "be a man/woman, bite your lip and play!"

Cannot believe that Lindsay won; can well believe that AmyLu defended. Congrats!

My Dad knew tennis quite well (taught me), just didn't follow tennis.We watched Laver's first Davis Cup match on TV:
"Why are they playing that guy?"
"Dad, he's supposed to be a great prospect."
"Naw, he can't play."

AmyLu - CONGRATS!!!

Glad it went well...was it an oral defense? Ooo, do tell us all the details.

And congrats again! Well done!

JR, lol. That's my dad. The only "up-and-comer" I've ever seen him mildly interested in is probably Isner at this Open.

Pete -- boxing kangaroo??!

Beth: I knew we could count on your mobile saloon skills. I am not holding it against you either that you chose Faulkner over the Tigers, serves you right, as you have seen the result. That song is just now leaving my head.

Rosia - where the hail are you with the candles!

Yes, Heidi, check with Lucy on that. . . or Ptenisnet, our "shadow Lucy".

Lift up your glasses and toast Amy Lu,
A woman who knows how to slam dunk a shoe.
She defended her thesis and that’s quite a feat,
Now it’s time for GE’s at an island retreat.

Don't be too hard on those who struggle figuring tennis out. First time I watched a match I was truly baffled. Took me ages just to figure out that the server's score was always given first. (Since I din't know one player from another it was challenging to say the least.) Once I got past that, there was the whole 'this math does not compute,' moment followed almost immediately by, "Love??? Love who???" And then of course the delightful 'Add' - er ok, Add what to what???? And deuce?? Pffft! these people are nuts. And the whole win by two hiccup yet is another flight into mathmatical surrealism.... Once you get it there is a kind of elegance to it all, (and now I wouldn't have them change if for the world - but tell me how DO we feel about playing 'lets'?),but it sure can be frustrating in the meantime.

there you go Chalie Simic, there you go...nicely done.:)

Hello DMS - haven't see you in awhile!

Here's what's STILL bugging me - L-Dav is a great player. But she comes back, and in her first tourney takes out the No. 3?

I mean, what's with all this up-and-down in the WTA? Some weeks we see inspired play from loads of women, and some weeks it looks like I could beat them. (And I'm still not allowed to run after ankle surgery, soooo...)

Where's the consistency?

Candles? Gosh, sorry for the delay. I've been watching people queuing to get their deposits out of Northern Rock. It's not every day that the Bank of England provides an emergency funding facility to a UK bank - and then there's a run on deposits anyway.

I don't think the world's banking system is in such dire straits yet that the ATP and WTA need to worry about their tournament sponsors - amazing how dependent tennis is on banks for their support....

However, I should have realised that the candles were more important. Heidi, my own recent experience of a casual tennis fan came when I had a conversation with a male colleague. I made the statement that of course, Elena Dementieva, Ana Ivanovic and Maria Kirilenko are the prettiest women on the tour. He gave me a blank look, and said "It's Sharapova for me."

Hey Rosia. My dad likes the looks of Ana Ivanovic -- he thinks she looks like a sweet girl. But yeah, most will vote for Sharapova!

Thank you everyone! What a nice surprise to wake up to this morning! Umm, or this afternoon...yes, my method of celebration was dinner and drinks with friends, and then sleeping. I woke up at 12:45 today. A simply glorious feeling to not wake up to an alarm. :-)

My dad fits the Casual Fan description perfectly, too, though I think he only watches tennis when I'm visiting, which isn't that often. He picks someone he likes (no long-hairs allowed, or tattoos) and just yells out "Give him an ace!" every once in a while.

Oddly, even after Agassi shaved his head, my dad had already made up his mind about him - guess it was the pierced ears.

l'shana tova!

"Sam - not a softie -just protective of my little cub - even though he is really not so little any more "

Beth: I know, just thought it was sweet, and very much a mom thing.

Ros: Agree with your list of prettiest women on tour.

"Hello DMS - haven't see you in awhile!"

Hmmm, perhaps you have installed a camera on my monitor there Dr.?

Hello Ali C!...long time no talk, how are you? I am well, Rajah won, as did you little Walloon, so I hope you are recovering too.

The short answer to your question is, Lindsay is a mom...and we know moms are superheros, so I am not surprised by it at all. How bad do you hate Chelsea?

Oh, forgot Doc Ali, how is your ankle? Pity you cannot run on it, was unaware of your condition, hope that is healing.

On the topic of "fans", I attended my first US Open last week. For the life of me, I cannot understand people wanting to enter/exit rows in the middle of points. Not on changeovers. While a point is being played. Even during tiebreakers. Explain this to me. What is so important that people cannot, at the very least, wait the 15 seconds for the point to be over?

Russ.

Russ: I've seen that both live and when they flash to it on TV. I guess those people are just casual fans - I can't imagine doing that, nor can I imagine the hardcore fans on this blog doing so.

"That girl needs to exhibit some cool in her matches. "

Ali C: I think her mental weakness, more than her weak serve and lack of a knockout shot, is the primary impediment to her moving to the next level.

Heidi,

I envy your patience with the casual tennis fans, as I can't stand to watch matches with them. My husband is one such fan, and his incessant commentary during matches drives me mad:

Husband: Tennis is so boring these days--no serve and volley, no personalities, no Borg.

Me: Well, Borg isn't the only great player from Sweden? What do you think of Mats Big Balls Willander?

Husband: Who's Willander?

Me: Oh, but I thought you simply adored tennis in the 1980s.

Husband: Yea, well I loved McEnroe. He brought personality to the game, and the modern game lacks personality.

Me: Dude, Mac was an ass---e, and I'll do without his personality. Speaking of Mac, what did you think of his service movement? You know, that curious scooping motion of his?

Husband: Uh, yea.

--Liron

codepoke:

did you catch the discussion of our national anthem on NPR yesterday? I wanted to send in an email, but I was in the car at the time of the segment. Nobody mentioned the other verses, but there were a couple of call-ins wishing we'd switch to "America the Beautiful". Mainly because it's easier to sing.

I am stuck with this kind of casual tennis fan (more of an observer)

when Djokovic vs ferrer was going on, the observer observed: Didn't this djokovic guy lose yesterday?

me: that was the jankovic gal.

Sigh..