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The real Tennis thread.

Page 28 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Aug 31, 2012
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There's research showing that being tall is a good for you controlling for background characteristics. Hich mentioned personality being what's really important, but I'm all but certain being tall would predict positive outcomes holding constant a personality measure such as the Big Five traits (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits)

You might not think it's a big deal, Brullnux, but research suggests taller version of you would likely be doing better in life.

And be better at tennis.
 
Sep 25, 2009
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SeriousSam said:
There's research showing that being tall is a good for you controlling for background characteristics. Hich mentioned personality being what's really important, but I'm all but certain being tall would predict positive outcomes holding constant a personality measure such as the Big Five traits (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits)

You might not think it's a big deal, Brullnux, but research suggests taller version of you would likely be doing better in life.

And be better at tennis.
i am no expert nor a serious follower of tennis, expect occasionally. that said, it is imo a visual fact as well as common sense that being tall in tennis helps... from having a longer reach to a certain plus due being above the nets edge. when THIS advantage is combined with leg speed, yep you got a winning formula. but quite often i saw (and actually experienced being 195) the instant acceleration was/is a challenge. look at the giraffes running clips to appreciate the point.

as in many things, it boils down to a combination of winning components where the advantage of size may be important but far from sufficient...
 
SeriousSam said:
There's research showing that being tall is a good for you controlling for background characteristics. Hich mentioned personality being what's really important, but I'm all but certain being tall would predict positive outcomes holding constant a personality measure such as the Big Five traits (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits)

You might not think it's a big deal, Brullnux, but research suggests taller version of you would likely be doing better in life.

And be better at tennis.

There's life outside the research lab as well though. Research shows Its bad to smoke but some smokers life to a 100. Research Or logic would give trump no chance of becoming president. And yet...

I'll come out of the closet. Im 171 cm. Most of the people my height I know would claim that as 175 but *** that, I'm gonna be honest it's 171, and To claim otherwise would be to accept the paradigm that smaller is worse.

Knowing several small people I can tell you once you get inside their heads many are insecure as *** about their height. The limiting beliefs it causes are immense.

This is the reason taller people do better imo. Cos small people tend to let it effect their heads. But at the end of the day it's all mental. El chapo is 165 cm. Theirs flaws in using him as an example But At the end of the day that is a brutal industry where small things like height are amplified and he hasn't let it effect him. How much "better" could he have done from his humble beginings if he was taller. What about messi? Yeah I give a 190cm John doe a better chance than a 170cm John doe at life, but the 170cm version can Definately with the right mindset overcome it.

I have a close friend whos about 160. Smallest guy in any room he ever enters. He's also the centre of our social circle and number 1 on anyone's list of people they will remember. He doesn't give a *** about height, or if he did it was long ago he is just confident and a good guy. Or maybe he's smart and knows how to play the game. I rarely meet guys no matter how tall who don't rapidly accept him as the leader.

Also leaving aside personal experience, I reject this simplified idea that any 1 variable automatically guarantees a better life. "Research" as you like to say, after all also shows that money after a certain point Is more likely to contribute to depression than hapiness. If being tall is so much better then small people will confront problems earlier in life, deal with them and become stronger. That's just how life works. Its why people born in *** situations often end up succeeding so much.

Its one of the reasons why I'm so much against the sjw identity politics of "our group is a victim". The world is never that simple.

Personally I rarely find height to be limiting at all. Everyone in the world has weaknesses and most people are insecure. If you learn how to deal with people, manage social situations, be a leader etc the world is your oyster no matter what limitations research claims you may have.

Its such a superficial variable. How people so in life is based on so much else (if they don't let the superficial variables get to them)
 
It's only annoying when there's something on the top shelf of a supermarket with higher than normal shelves. Or when there is an attractive girl 6 inches taller than you. Or at concerts - this might be the worst one actually. But let's be real, 90% of the time you forget about your height. I'm about 170cm too, and I only really think about my height if it's a topic of conversation or whatever, or immediately relevant to the situation (eg I'm playing football and I'm being marked by someone well over six foot for a corner). As hitch says, it can cause a lack of confidence but in some I know, shorter than me, it does the opposite: they make up what they don't have in height with persona and exuberance. Sometimes if you play it wrong then it just becomes irritating, but usually it's fine

I also end up having pretty good acceleration over 10m.

Anyway, back to tennis. I was half surprised to see Naomi Osaka get knocked out. She absolutely smoked Kerber, but it may have been a bit of a one off. And Carreno Busta still hasn't dropped a set
 
Jan 24, 2012
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172 here, it's not worth giving a *** about even if it's beneficial. Just think, if truly skinny and blessed genetically you could be a mountain goat flying up Montirolo!

I would love to see a JMDP v. PCB final but I think Federer drops JMDP and Nadal. A PCB slam win would be cool though. I believe he's from Gijon where we have stage 19 of the Vuelta finishing. :D

I think JMDP has one slam win left in him.
 
Fed choked that one away from what I saw.4 set points, 2 on your own serve in the 3rd and didnt get it done. Strange unforced errors handing Delp back the match.

Then at 4-5 and 30-30 in the 4th with Del Potro clearly getting choky himself, he misses an easy by his standard volley with Del Potro out of the point, to give Delp the match point.

Still didnt want to see a 36 year old 20 gs winner get another one so glad its not 3 out of 4 for Fed this year.
 
Fed winning 3 out of 4 while injured during the last one at 36 would've been way too ridiculous.

Rublev showed his worth yesterday. Not enough. Yet. It's a very peculiar learning curve to be competitive with some players, and Nadal is one of them. If you can't hit through him and can't approach the net, you're simply getting ***, and it's never a competitive match. It was always gonna happen like this

Weirdest thing to me was that the bookies only gave Delpo two times as much chance to win as Rublev, even though he's an established winner in big matches like these and Federer was nursing injury.


Nadal should be the big favourite right now.
 
BullsFan22 said:
I'd love to see another RG and Wimbledon final between these two. I thought that possibility was long gone, but the way this season turned out, I wouldn't be surprised if it happened in 2018. Wouldn't it be something if Federer took out Nadal at RG next season?
They'd both be *** finals. Nadal would slaughter Federer on clay and Federer would easily beat Nadal on grass. And neither of them are happening. Federer skipped the clay this year, and I doubt he's coming back unless it's his final year on Tour. Even if he tried I doubt Federer is a top 5 player on clay right now, and Nadal slaughered everyone at RG. Nadal hasn't reached the QF of Wimbledon since 2011. Early Wimbledon grass suits him less than 2nd week grass, but still, he's not turning that streak around.

This was an exceptionally weak year, especially post RG, and Federer and Nadal won't dominate like this again. Federer can barely handle back to back Masters events and he's basically won every close match that mattered. He was basically burnt up by the USO after playing 5 tournaments post RG and ended up tanking a slam.

Nadal has seemed physically well all year, but now the knee is playing up again, and he's uncertain for either Basel or Paris.


Last year I said 2017 would be interesting. I was wrong. Younger players have still been uncompetitive at the slams, apart from Rublev and Shapovalov making a QF and a 4th round after beating up weak draws. Dimitrov is playing well but can't beat either Federer or Nadal when it matters. Zverev flukes 2 ATP 1000s and then can't beat a top 50 player in a Bo5 to save his life (hasn't done that ever). Kyrgios still tanks half his tournaments, though he's played Federer, Djokovic and Nadal hard all year. Thiem is useless off clay.

The state of the Tour is rather dire, and Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Stan Wawrinka return soon enough
 
The Hitch said:
Red Rick said:
Gigs_98 said:
Wow, that must have been one of the worst grand slam finals I've ever watched. Chapeau nadal
Biggest train wreck of a slam final is still courtesy of Roger Federer himself
What were you referring to?
Roland Garros 2008 Men's Singles Final

Rafael Nadal d. Roger Federer

6-1 6-3 6-0


He did wreck Hewitt 6-0 7-6 6-0 in the '04 USO though.
 
2018 hasn't even started and it's back raining injuries again.

Nishikori pulled out of Brisbane
Raonic pulled out of Abu Dhabi
Nadal pulled out of Abu Dhabi
Murray is behind on his recovery, unlikely to play Brisbane, and may have hip surgery after all
 
Re:

Red Rick said:
2018 hasn't even started and it's back raining injuries again.

Nishikori pulled out of Brisbane
Raonic pulled out of Abu Dhabi
Nadal pulled out of Abu Dhabi
Murray is behind on his recovery, unlikely to play Brisbane, and may have hip surgery after all

Maybe Murray's mum knows best after all. Six months ago she was predicting retirement from the sport for her son.