leicsmac

Care to elaborate?

Of course not, because there's no rational reason for the hatred of a person who has done nothing to you. Annoying.

Back on topic...looks like an interesting QF day for the men. Can't see Fed or Djoko losing their matches (though they may drop a set or two). Kohlschreiber is on form so he might give Tsonga a hard time, that one will be interesting. And then there is Ferrer - Murray. Ferrer looked very impressive against Del P, but then so did Murray against Cilic and I think off clay Ferrer will find it very difficult to grind Murray down and play the kind of game he has used to beat Murray in the past - their H2H is 5-1 in Murrays favour off clay. Expect Murray to come through, but could well go to 5.

Why didn't they put ANYONE on Centre Court to make up some time tonight? Would have made a lot of sense.

Praying the rain stays away at least for a little while today...otherwise there could be an almighty fixture pileup forthcoming.

The thing about the roof is, while it's a good addition in situations like this it can give players an advantage by giving them guaranteed matches and more rest time...and that can lead to controversy.

Decent performance again by Murray - Baghdatis can be a handful on any surface so it was a job well done. Cilic up next - that'll depend a lot on how well he recovers from his marathon match against Querrey.

Tsonga also looking very good - have to expect him to reach the semi-final given the potential opponents he has, but you never know. Not surprised by Rosol's loss...that kind of thing happens often. Actually now that I think about it I would make Kohlschreiber a dark horse for going quite far here...he knows his way around a grass court and if Fish were to beat Tsonga I think Kohli would fancy his chances against Fish in a QF...

Also...is it me or are some of the Wimby crowd utter fvcking morons? Mind you, you get that with all crowds at the Slams - the French probably being the worst in terms of rowdy obnoxiousness. But at least they always get behind French players....

Big upset but will probably lose his next match, as it will be tough for him to get up after that.

Probably. Kohlschrieber is no slouch on grass (actually mentioned him as potential hard work for Nadal) and upsets like this are so often followed by the upsetter bowing out meekly in the following round.

Incredible result. Can't remember the last time there was a shock of that magnitude at Wimbledon. Far bigger than even Tsonga beating Federer last year.

Murray with a big chance now but still a lot of work to do. You've got to make him favourite to reach the final now, but then he bottled it (v Roddick in '09) the last time that was the case. Just needs to take one match at a time.

Not sure I agree with Tsonga beating Murray in the semis...for one I've got a hunch Tsonga will have one bad day and not get that far, and if he does I honestly think Murray and the occasion will have too much for him.

But that one result has really shaken things up - bottom half of the draw can be considered wide open now.

Pretty consummate from Murray there. Karlovic probably next up - will be a different kettle of fish but can't really hurt Murray's serve...shouldn't be a massive obstacle.

Tsonga too good for Hewitt - fair enough, it was just a hunch from me. Nadal took a little while to get going but looked decent enough when he did.

I don't think LH will trouble Tsonga he is probably the best grass court player outside the the top 4, his results have been dire and he's way over the hill.

You're probably right...but I think there's just a small chance. As I said - something seems to fire up inside Hewitt when he steps on to Wimbledon courts.

Hewitt will lose in straight sets, Australian open this year aside he has only won a handful of matches in the last 18 months.

True, but this is Wimbledon, and the normal rules of form don't seem to apply to Hewitt here. They haven't in the last couple of years, anyway. Nearly beat Soderling last year, did beat Del Potro the year before.

Of course I could be wrong but I think a 5-setter is worth going for at a decent price.

Well...Berdych WOULD have been a decent QF opponent for Djoko. Unfortunately he's gone out to everyone's favourite genius/idiot player, Gulbis. Perhaps should have put a few bob on that one because Gulbis can spring shocks like this.

I think as well this highlights an essential difference between Ferrer/Del P/Tsonga/Berdych and Murray - he's far more consistent than any of them at Slams. Yes, any of them can beat him on their day, but often they don't even get to face him in Slams because they've gone out to lesser players. That doesn't happen with Murray now - he's not lost to an unseeded opponent at a Slam since 2008 and last time he lost in a Slam to a player outside the top 10 was nearly two years ago against Wawrinka. That's why I don't hold much truck with the theory that they're catching him up - he's far more consistent. That said, barring a superb performance here he's not gaining on the 3 above him either.

Of course, he could lose to Davydenko tomorrow and make me look a bit silly.

Tip on another match for today - Hewitt/Tsonga to go to 5. Hewitt loves Wimby and nearly always manages to take one big name out every year, or at the least push him close. Don't think he'll beat Tsonga, but he'll run him to the wire.

No Isner/Mahut rematch either.

Potentially tough draw for Murray...fortunately most of the big servers in his area (Karlovic, Anderson et al) move with about the same speed as continental drift, and given that grass courts have been slowed down considerably recently movement as well as serve has become important. Murray should be able to outmanoeuvre them. And barring that result against Hewitt way back in the mists of time Karlovic has been crap at Wimby.

Ferrer is the optimal QF opponent, can't argue with that....much rather him than Berdych/Tsonga. So while his draw is tough...it's not massively so. Still expect him to reach the SF.

As for the others...Fed has a cakewalk to the SF, Djoko nearly the same but Berdych in the QF would be interesting. Nadal has it a bit tougher...potentially Kohlschreiber in R3 who has troubled him before and then Tsonga in the QF who is very, very dangerous on grass.

The tournament director at Queens must be tearing his hair out...two of the biggest draws at his place out after their first match.

Tsonga to win it now, you would think. Murray was utterly dire, but Mahut is no slouch on grass. Roddick is finished.

I remember when Labour got in and started fücking with it as i was in primary school at the time. I think they introduced a "literacy hour" which wasn't my favourite idea. Hope we don't end up like Korea where children work about 14 hours a day to try and keep up but leave school with zero real skills or critical thinking ability.

You have no idea man. I honestly feel for most of the kids here.

Nadal comes through once again...he really is sensational at RG. 7 titles and only one loss in 8 years. Amazing.

Now the serious business begins though....grass court season!

Could be an interesting finale here...still can't see Nadal losing though.

In other news, looks like the first two days of Queens could be washed out...looking like a massive schedule pileup imminent there.

Another Nadal - Djoko final. Ho hum.

Still, I reckon it'll be entertaining in a brutal kind of way.

NB. Is there really any point in any Spanish players playing against Nadal at GS events? They may as well just retire pre-match and give him the walkover because that's what happens anyway. Happens at all the Slams too.

As I called...

Good call - Ferrer is a pain in the arse for just about anyone on clay. Except his old pal Nadal, who he'll promptly roll over for in the semi-final. Another Djokovic - Nadal final coming up, as I called.

Murray made far too many errors. You can't do that against someone of Ferrer's calibre and get away with it....on clay Ferrer is way too consistent. He needs to look to the grasscourt season where he'll be a bit stronger.

Sounds like two fantastic matches there. Told you they'd be difficult to call. Will try to check out the highlights later.

Sort of backs up the point that he is very rarely ever really injured. He just complains he was injured after a defeat, or acts like he's been through 12 rounds with Tyson whilst losing, then as soon as his opponent's game dips and he gets back in it, all his "injuries" disappear.

As for it's sportsmanship and "sport is about mind and body", I sort of see what you're saying. But do you say that every time Drogba goes down and stays down so the ball gets put out of play? Surely that's pretty much the same thing, trying to fool your opponent? Or if it's winding them up that you appreciate, did you congratulate Ronaldo and his antics at the World Cup when he got Rooney sent off? Was that just a good bit of sport?

You seem to be of the opinion that I like it when such things happen. I don't - I dislike gamesmanship, but I don't complain about it because I know it's a part of sport that's going to always be there. Some people find it frustrating, especially when their player or team is on the receiving end...I just shrug. It's a sign of the times. As long as the rules are not broken, it's deemed acceptable. And people (this is not directed at you btw ScouseFox, people I've met IRL) do seem to use 'gamesmanship' as an excuse to have a go at people they don't like, while neglecting the fact that practically all top-level sportspeople indulge in it to a degree - even the ones they support. So it can appear to be a bit hypocritical.

Also I believe that as a top-level sportsman you have to cultivate the mental attitude to deal with any 'mind games' - be it Drogba going down like a sack of spuds, or the Aussies giving you lip when you're at the crease, or Murray appearing injured - that your opponent tries. A true test of a sportsman is to be entirely focussed on the game. Entirely. If a player is worrying too much about what their opponent is doing to focus on what they themselves are doing, they don't deserve to win.

Totally agree with that - it's a pretty good last 8 lineup.

Still can't look past a Nadal win though - bunnies all the way to the final from here (assuming Ferrer beats Murray) and then a final against one of four players who will probably have knackered themselves out in epic clashes in QF and SF (top half of the draw is very even to me). And in what is essentially his own backyard too.

Still, could be wrong. I'm just looking forward to some (hopefully) epic matches!

Not been able to post for a while..

Djokovic looked woeful against Seppi and limped through, will be interesting to see how he plays later against a strong Tsonga who will make Djokovic work in front of a home crowd too,

Goffin was excellent against Federer but just couldn't keep up the buzzing tempo that he started with. Federer could struggle vs Del Potro who seems to be finally returning to his pre-injury form.

Nadal looks pretty unstoppable, although I wouldnt be surprised if Almagro nicked a set or even two, he was very impressive vs Tipsarevic - who himself had done well in the previous rounds.

Ferrer is the favourite for tomorrows match with Murray, very awkward match for Murray, I fancy putting a bet on Murray to 'retire through back spasms' when 2-0 down. Whiny bitch.

Almagro is one of the Spanish bunnies whose sole duty it is is to lay down for Nadal when he plays them in Grand Slams. Lopez, Almagro, Verdasco and Ferrer all do the same thing vs Nadal in GS's - fold. Expect a straight sets victory for Nadal dropping no more than 12 games.

Djoko v Tsonga and Fed v Del P will both be extremely interesting. Wouldn't really want to call either.

And one more thing...in 459 matches on the ATP Tour, Murray has had to retire during a match once. 1 match. And that was because he'd practically broken his wrist during the match (bad sprain which kept him out for six months). So I don't think he'll retire out of this one. Ferrer definitely favourite though...first set will be crucial IMO. Think it'll be either straight sets Ferrer (more likely) or 3-1/3-2 Murray (less likely).

Ferrer will end Andy"I fake back spasms"Murray run.

Was disgusted by Murray's antics against Gasquet, simply not on.

Will have a spaff over Cibulkova tomorrow in preparation for her match against Stosur.

Fair enough mate, but the last time I checked what he did wasn't against the rules, and it's not like the rest of the Tour is whiter than white (Djoko's MTO's, Nadal's excessive time-wasting etc) either.

Don't quite understand why everyone's jumping on Murray's back (no pun intended) for this when gamesmanship is part of sport (as all top-level sportsmen understand) and Gasquet should have had the stones to not let it get to him and close the match out when he had Murray down at the start of the second set. As I said before, sport is about the mind as well as the body. The days of "It's the taking part that counts" are long gone now.

Agree with you about Ferrer beating him next round (in all likelihood) though.

Gasquet was disgraceful, really bloody bad. Hope Murray makes the final and then gets smashed

He won't get that far...if he beats Ferrer Nadal is likely waiting in the semifinal, and that will be where the smashing will probably occur.

Sorry peeps, but sport is about the mind as much as the body...if Gasquet was daft enough to get wound up by Murray's tricks - feigned injury or not - he didn't deserve to win this. Psychological warfare has always been a part of top-level sport, and always will be. I'm not saying I agree with it, but it's a fact. Djoko is partial to the odd tactical injury timeout to put pressure on his opponent too. Gasquet should have used the crowd more too - like Murray did against him in Wimbledon 2008.

Anyhow, brilliant from Murray in the final two sets, but Ferrer will be another few notches up the scale. I'd make Ferrer favourite.

And Nadal looks utterly destructive right now.

Normal business was eventually resumed, but both Federer and Djokovic were given an almighty scare.

Tsonga - Wawrinka and Del P - Berdych have been cracking to watch too, and neither of those matches were completed - they're both going to finish tomorrow. Good day of tennis.

Djoko in all kinds of trouble right now - two sets down to Andreas Seppi.

To be honest I still expect him to come back and win in 5 here but he's making it tough for himself...