Author Archives: Jesse Pentecost
Fancy Chances
Olympic Games, Day Six The four semifinalists of the Olympic tennis event have been decided, following a day of men’s quarterfinals almost entirely devoid of drama. None of the four matches extended into a third hour, or a deciding set, … Continue reading
Filed under ITF
Believe in the Stars
Olympic Games, Day Four (2) Djokovic d. Roddick, 6/2 6/1 “’Believe in the stars’ . . . It’s like that doesn’t even mean anything anymore.†The disillusioned words of Kenneth Ellen Parcell rang in my ears as Andy Roddick’s celestially … Continue reading
Filed under ITF
A Gibbering Wreck
Olympic Games, Day Three My patriotic commitment to follow the planet’s least understated sporting festival in real time was always going to result in total exhaustion eventually, given the cruel decision to stage it ten time zones in the past. … Continue reading
Filed under ITF
Anything Can Happen
Olympic Games, Day One Darcis d. (6) Berdych, 6/4 6/4 Giraldo d. Harrison, 7/5 6/3 It didn’t take long for my contention that Tomas Berdych is currently vulnerable in early rounds to be proved correct, although my equally assured conviction … Continue reading
Filed under ITF
Luck of the Draw: Olympics 2012
The first thing to be said about the draw for the Men’s Singles event at the 2012 London Olympics is that Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have not been drawn in the same half. This is in direct contravention of … Continue reading
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A Miraculous Message
Hamburg, Final (3) Monaco d. Haas, 7/5 6/4 For better or worse, online gambling on tennis is now an intrinsic part of the sport. This was clear enough during Channel Seven’s coverage of Wimbledon, which would periodically cross to the … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
A Day In The Life
I read the news today (oh boy) about an unlucky man whose knees had failed. And though the news was rather sad, some folks just had to laugh. They posted photographs. It is difficult to convey to the younger generation … Continue reading
Filed under ITF
Great Matches You’ve Probably Never Heard Of #7
Hamburg, 2001, Final (Q) Portas d. (8) Ferrero, 4/6 6/2 0/6 7/6 7/5 There is a reasonable case to be made that Albert Portas’ victory at the 2001 Hamburg Masters constituted the decade’s most unexpected result, while the ATP’s later … Continue reading
Filed under Great Matches
Tantalisingly Here
Several hours ago, the clocks in London reached midnight, and Roger Federer commenced his 287th week as the planet’s highest ranked tennis player. As with so much else, he is the only man to have done this. As I write, … Continue reading
Filed under Players
These Callow Brutes
BÃ¥stad, Semifinals (1) Ferrer d. (6) Dimitrov, 6/2 7/5 I am always intrigued by the odd narratives that congeal around a given tennis player. David Ferrer won his fiftieth match of 2012 in luscious BÃ¥stad today, although I should clear … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour