Catching Up

[andersok]

Some things that have happened lately that don't have anything to do with the most amazing man in the world:
1. My parents and sister went to visit the relatives in Iowa last week so there's been a lot of quality time spent with the puppy.  I don't really know why women want boyfriends; Quiglers loves me unconditionally and licks my hand every time

Comments

[andersok]

I actually found it at Kohls, which usually produces only crap. I was surprised. Does Lane Bryant have good ones? I'll check there sometime.

[restlesshope]

No, non-tennis-lovers like myself still read. Sure, I skim some Roger updates, but I'm still here. Good to read a friend's review of Brokeback. I've yet to find someone who'd watch it with me, but hey, I got E to watch Memoirs of a Geisha without too much arm-twisting or nagging, so who knows? I watched Crash last night--highly recommend.

[rampantwhistler]

I don't really know why women want boyfriends; Quiglers loves me unconditionally and licks my hand every time I walk in the door. Do men do that? I don't think so.

Bwa ha! That's an awesome observation.

They actually had grass courts at the sports centre at the university in St. Andrews. I was tempted to find a racket somewhere and someone to hit with just to try it and see what it's like, but alas. I suppose if nothing else, it'd be easier on the knees than concrete. ;)

And I had a thought when I was watching Roger on Sunday: do players, when training to play on clay, just practice running back and forth and sliding to get used to it so that they don't startle themselves and fall over?

[andersok]

Players have said that the switch from clay to grass is difficult because they're about as opposite as courts can get. Apparently grass is nice on the joints, but with the tendency to serve and volley more you're bending to get more shots and is hard on the back for a week or so. As far as clay prep goes, I know that they have to do more conditioning because it's harder to hit winners and rallies are a few shots longer, so more running during matches. Blake and Roddick have talked a little about the Americans' lack of success on clay and they've mentioned that sliding is a problem, so I'd say that getting comfortable on the surface is a large part of the battle. Also to get used to on clay is the funky ball bounces from the uneven surface when they slide and dig the feet in to get to a shot.