Davis Cup 2015 Quarter-Final

Tsonga does so well to stay in the TB but then just gifts sloppy errors to Murray. More set points down.

Tsonga choked that one. Not on his last point but on the many returns he messed up!

This matcj is over and the cricket is going pear shaped as well!

We are left with golf!

Tsonga has been playing all the BPs terribly.

Tsonga is a very good doubles player, great feel for the court!

Great, happy atmosphere.

noleisthebest wrote:Tsonga is a very good doubles player, great feel for the court!

Great, happy atmosphere.

Firget about very good, he is BRILLIANT!!!

Great team with Mahut.

Super set of tennis...some great volleys!

I really miss that in this "modern" baseline era.

Jamie has pulled out some exceptional volleys. Much more adept in that department than Andy.

I agree. Very good with the aggressive, "on the run" ones.

I believe that to be a good volleyer, apart from the hands, you've got to have plenty of heart.

noleisthebest wrote:Do you think he used steroids?

This is a 100% certain. He is implicated in the Freiburg sport university doping scandal. The doctors who worked there, provided the PED programms for cycling team Telekom, for some football teams, Olympic team - and the German Davis Cup team.

http://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/doping-skandal-in-freiburg-spritzen-aus-der-schwarzwaldklinik-a-1021509.html

Translation of relevant content:

"Systematic research and testing of PEDs began, when Klümper and Keul took over. In 1960 Keul, a gifted networker, was promoted to German doctor for the Olympic team for the games in Rome. He kept this position until his death in the year 2000.

He got known nationwide as the doctor of the German Davis Cup team in its big time with Boris Becker as the front man. Keul was everywhere, where sport medicine were concerned in Germany."

His associate Klümper was responsible for the death of a track&field athlete (Birgit Dressel) who died of a toxic shock in 1987, so it's not like they used harmless substances.

France will hopefully win the Dubs as that should likely decide the tie.

GB 2-1 up. Am I the only Brit here?

Thanks for that post AL, v interesting.

Oh well, not to be for France. This will be an up-hill-battle from here on, tough to believe in their chances.

Superb play from J. Murray.

Autumnleaf wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:Do you think he used steroids?

This is a 100% certain. He is implicated in the Freiburg sport university doping scandal. The doctors who worked there, provided the PED programms for cycling team Telekom, for some football teams, Olympic team - and the German Davis Cup team.

http://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/doping-skandal-in-freiburg-spritzen-aus-der-schwarzwaldklinik-a-1021509.html

Translation of relevant content:

"Systematic research and testing of PEDs began, when Klümper and Keul took over. In 1960 Keul, a gifted networker, was promoted to German doctor for the Olympic team for the games in Rome. He kept this position until his death in the year 2000.

He got known nationwide as the doctor of the German Davis Cup team in its big time with Boris Becker as the front man. Keul was everywhere, where sport medicine were concerned in Germany."

His associate Klümper was responsible for the death of a track&field athlete (Birgit Dressel) who died of a toxic shock in 1987, so it's not like they used harmless substances.

I did not know all that..but thanks for confirming. I am always skeptical when someone comes with "amazing" fitness...and Becker was one of them.

luvsports! wrote:GB 2-1 up. Am I the only Brit here?

Sorry to hear!

Autumnleaf wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:Do you think he used steroids?

This is a 100% certain. He is implicated in the Freiburg sport university doping scandal. The doctors who worked there, provided the PED programms for cycling team Telekom, for some football teams, Olympic team - and the German Davis Cup team.

http://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/doping-skandal-in-freiburg-spritzen-aus-der-schwarzwaldklinik-a-1021509.html

Translation of relevant content:

"Systematic research and testing of PEDs began, when Klümper and Keul took over. In 1960 Keul, a gifted networker, was promoted to German doctor for the Olympic team for the games in Rome. He kept this position until his death in the year 2000.

He got known nationwide as the doctor of the German Davis Cup team in its big time with Boris Becker as the front man. Keul was everywhere, where sport medicine were concerned in Germany."

His associate Klümper was responsible for the death of a track&field athlete (Birgit Dressel) who died of a toxic shock in 1987, so it's not like they used harmless substances.

Interesting.

In a way similar to Fuentes (and many others across the world we haven't heard of yet).
Did the doctor go to prison? Were any athletes stripped of what they won?


I suppose behind every successful medal haul there is a "good" doctor now.

luvsports! wrote:GB 2-1 up. Am I the only Brit here?

What happened to Tsonga/Mahut after the first set, they were convincingly better?

Serbia went down the pan in style...0:3!
Apparently, the crowd were so bad Zimonjic lost it and served underhand

Allez Gillou!

You are right Clement has really made the wrong decision.

Yes!!! Simon!

And to answer your question LS, even though I'm British, I prefer the French players

Polly 81 wrote:Yes!!! Simon!

And to answer your question LS, even though I'm British, I prefer the French players

Wow!!!

Even my English husband is supporting the French!

noleisthebest wrote:Even my English husband is supporting the French!

Oh! That's bad!

It's actually quite a good match....despite Murray being knackered.

It's Murray he can't stand. All the foul-mouthing, gamesmanship...

Gillou is a legend!

I'd love him to win this one.

I want to see 20 seconds rule applied here!

Although his game is the least gutsy if all French players, Gillou is the best fighter and toughest competitor of them all.

Murray is the worst tiredness and injury faker ever, yet it's Nole who gets the bad name and publicity.

noleisthebest wrote:I want to see 20 seconds rule applied here!

Difficult with the crowd....but you see how those guys, certainly Murray, are on something. He is on his knees but makes sure he takes enough time between th epoints and can still run like it's the first point.

Murray: foulmouthed, miserable "anyone but England" git....
Muscly pusher - tennis at its worts!
How anyone can like it is beyond me.

How did Gilles lose that set?

Same as Nole lost against Stan.
One brainfreeze/gutless shot he could have put away with an easy volley...yet managed to generously push it back to Murray for a "thank-you-very-much" passing shot.

Enough to let Murray back in and then do his usual soul-destroying Nadal-style retrieving.

Ugly to watch.
I'm off to play.

Urgh! 

I admire the French for the amount of players they produce. Yet so often it's the same thing. Mental capitulation. Simon was playing a corpse for 2 sets and managed to come out at 1-1. 

So lucky I wasn't born French. I would've gone through some TV sets in my time!

legendkillar wrote:Urgh! 

I admire the French for the amount of players they produce. Yet so often it's the same thing. Mental capitulation. Simon was playing a corpse for 2 sets and managed to come out at 1-1. 

So lucky I wasn't born French. I would've gone through some TV sets in my time!

How can you be a corpse at the beginning of the set and 30 long rallies later you are no more a corpse?

Tenez wrote:

legendkillar wrote:Urgh! 

I admire the French for the amount of players they produce. Yet so often it's the same thing. Mental capitulation. Simon was playing a corpse for 2 sets and managed to come out at 1-1. 

So lucky I wasn't born French. I would've gone through some TV sets in my time!

How can you be a corpse at the beginning of the set and 30 long rallies later you are no more a corpse?

He wasn't winning any of the long rallies in those sets. Body language was poor and he was netting just about everything. Simon had everything going for him and squandered it.

legendkillar wrote:

Tenez wrote:

legendkillar wrote:Urgh! 

I admire the French for the amount of players they produce. Yet so often it's the same thing. Mental capitulation. Simon was playing a corpse for 2 sets and managed to come out at 1-1. 

So lucky I wasn't born French. I would've gone through some TV sets in my time!

How can you be a corpse at the beginning of the set and 30 long rallies later you are no more a corpse?

He wasn't winning any of the long rallies in those sets. Body language was poor and he was netting just about everything. Simon had everything going for him and squandered it.

I agree that Simon is to blame as well to some extend but Murray did look really tired but yet managed to run like a rabbit on all the key points.....till the end of the 3rd set. I find it really strange when someone built like Murray carrying a 370g racquet outlasting a light frame like Simon.

But hey....nothing new under the sun.

Tenez wrote:

legendkillar wrote:

Tenez wrote:

legendkillar wrote:Urgh! 

I admire the French for the amount of players they produce. Yet so often it's the same thing. Mental capitulation. Simon was playing a corpse for 2 sets and managed to come out at 1-1. 

So lucky I wasn't born French. I would've gone through some TV sets in my time!

How can you be a corpse at the beginning of the set and 30 long rallies later you are no more a corpse?

He wasn't winning any of the long rallies in those sets. Body language was poor and he was netting just about everything. Simon had everything going for him and squandered it.

I agree that Simon is to blame as well to some extend but Murray did look really tired but yet managed to run like a rabbit on all the key points.....till the end of the 3rd set. I find it really strange when someone built like Murray carrying a 370g racquet outlasting a light frame like Simon.

But hey....nothing new under the sun.

I am like you, nothing surprises me anymore.

I would be infuriated with Simon. Murray looked heavy legged and everything. I know he is the master of the bluff, but hey his play was poor and Simon had the kind of rallies he would eat up. Lofted floaty balls with no pace at all and the TB was a killer. Murray barely made any good serves apart from at 6-5.

As for the racquet, well even with such a club of a racquet he can't get anymore weight on his shots, though Raonics string tension boggled my mind. 40lbs!! Work that out.

I don't know how to feel about that. It all came down to Simon. That TB. He wins that he wins the match, loses it he loses the match. Just sad you can set your watch by it.

Not sure who wins it from here. One top 10 player left in the DC. Doesn't excite me.

Rublev slayed Spain which I am sure might bring some forum cheer

legendkillar wrote:I don't know how to feel about that. It all came down to Simon. That TB. He wins that he wins the match, loses it he loses the match. Just sad you can set your watch by it.

Not sure who wins it from here. One top 10 player left in the DC. Doesn't excite me.

Yes Simon....lost focus when he messed up his lead iin teh second set...then I think he got really tired or injured. Murrqy made him run and he obliged.....so I guess that's a fair result.

legendkillar wrote:Rublev slayed Spain which I am sure might bring some forum cheer

Did he?

Wow!

He did.

Russia were 2-0 down and they won 3-2 Rublev winning the deciding rubber against andujar.

legendkillar wrote:Rublev slayed Spain which I am sure might bring some forum cheer

Brilliant!

I love how on Friday, after losing to Robredo he said he'll beat him next year.
Reminded me of Nole's: "Nadal you are beatable."

The boy has incredible fire in him!

GO RUBI!!!!!

Indeed. All a player of that calibre needs is a big momentous victory and hopefully this goes a long way into his developement mentally

There it is:

The 17-year-old Rublev won 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 in his first ever meeting with the Spaniard in two hours to help Russia to battle back from two rubbers down after the first day into the Davis Cup World Group play-offs.

"It`s fantastic! I just cannot keep my emotions under control," Rublev said.

"After the first day I couldn`t imagine that my match with Andujar would matter for something.

"Today I gave all I have for this win. I`ve never played five-setters in my career but our fans` supports gave my plenty of extra energy. On the court I felt I was ready to run again and again."

Rublev and Andujar looked even from the start at the hardcourt of Vladivostok`s Fetisov arena until the seventh game when the Russian teenager broke to take the opening set in 38 minutes.

The opponents traded breaks halfway into the second set, which then went to a tiebreak.

Andujar, who is 37th in the ATP rankings, led the score 3-0 but suddenly lost his nerve allowing Rublev to win four consecutive points to gain a comfortable two-set advantage after one hour 27 minutes on court.

In the third the 29-year-old Spaniard allowed the Muscovite to break his serve at love for a comfortable 3-0 advantage, which he confidently kept through to win the set and the match .