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ekh... semalam... sharapova (6'3") kalah dgn cibulkova (5'3")... i like!
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novak djokovic kecundang... |
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radswanka menang ngan azarenka |
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nadal menang dengan dimitrov...
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federer vs nadal
stan vs berdych
final dua2 swiss |
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semi-final
wawrinka menang dengan berdych |
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semi-final
nadal menang dengan federer
final
nadal vs wawrinka |
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hahahahahahaaha suke tul aku bile nadal kalah |
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Rafael Nadal already 2014 Sportsman Of The Year.
January 27, 2014
If you ever wanted to see a sportsman, you saw one on Sunday as Rafael Nadal gave a master class at the 2014 Australian Open men's final.
A back injury that kept Nadal from playing all out from early in the second set onward was not going to keep him from doing what he had to.
Nadal lost the final match to Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Wawrinka was already bullying the great Rafa before his back went out and spoiled the big media and fan story of Nadal taking his 14th Grand Slam tourney, tying Pete Sampras on the list.
There was majesty in the air, Sampras in the stands ready to hand the trophy to Nadal, but something happened on the way to that result.
Two things occurred in quick succession. Nadal went to the training room and came back, unable to chase down balls hit to the corner, losing more than 30% of his serve velocity. Then Wawrinka couldn't do anything to capitalize on it.
Rafa lost the second set as an observer, watching balls pass him. The crowd that booed him when he came back from the training room realized he was truly injured. No one in their right mind would go down two sets as a stalling tactic.
Wawrinka was stunned after he stirred the waters for the crowd when Rafa left the court. Stan went from pissed he wasn't told why his opponent was taking a break, to a player who couldn't or wouldn't take advantage of the injury.
ESPN commentary went from clueless to guessing games. Each game that Nadal lost in the second set, the guys on the microphone kept thinking would be his last. That was not going to happen.
The pain killers took time to kick in and while Nadal took the third set, he was at 3/4 speed and Wawrinka was still in his confused mental state about what the heck to do.
Nadal stayed on the court when he could have given up and given Wawrinka his first Grand Slam. He didn't. There was his pride, his respect for the game, the great tournament in Melbourne, the paying customers and the millions of fans around the world.
He stuck it out and put up as much of a fight as he could. He wiped away a tear or two after it was over, but gave the speech everyone expected. This was not about him, it was about Stan Wawrinka, who has come from the scrap heap of a few years ago to #3 in the world, out of the shadow of the great Federer.
The guy has always been a class act and proved it once again to those who doubted. Sure he's got his "quirks" as the media delicately calls his OCD-like behavior. And yes, he takes too much time between points, leaves opponents standing their with their rackets and no opponent across the net. But the guy should be the ultimate role model for anyone playing sports.
Gracious in both triumph and defeat, no enemies on the tour and a resume that could end up being the best of all time. He may have lost the match, but he won everything else there was on Sunday in Melbourne.
http://www.examiner.com/article/rafael-nadal
but yeah, haters fail to see. Last edited by Mulan on 28-1-2014 07:14 PM
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http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2 ... 50419/#.UueLRRCwrIU
MELBOURNE—Once this year's Australian Open climbed out of its swampy first days, it was a tournament to cheer, with a new surprise in store each day of the second week. If its two singles finals were underwhelming and unfortunate, in that order, its champions were anything but. Li Na and Stanislas Wawrinka gave tennis a collective breath of fresh air to start the season, and they lead off my report cards from two weeks in Oz. As always, I can’t review everyone; if you see someone or something missing, please give us your grade in the comments.
*****
Li Na
American sportswriter Frank DeFord once named Billie Jean King the “most important athlete of the 20th century.” Could Li Na be the same for the 21st? It’s just a thought for now, and probably a stretch, but her international profile rose higher than ever with her on-court and on-stage performances in Melbourne. Li’s draw wasn’t hard—she didn’t face anyone in the Top 20—but that gave her a chance to show she could win as the favorite, never an easy task for anyone. She’s still inconsistent enough to have nearly gone out to Lucie Safarova in the third round, but this wasn’t a fluke title, either. With the help of Carlos Rodriguez, she has steadied her results remarkably over the last six months. As she said afterward, “Age is nothing.” At a month short of 32, she proved it.
People love her sense of humor, but what they really love, I think, is how real Li is. Her husband snores, her boss (Rodriguez) is overbearing, she wishes she could quit her job, and she wants to be rich—I'm guessing all of us can relate to at least one of those things. I hope to hear her accepting more trophies in the near future. Li Na gives tennis a very different, and very good, name. A+
Stanislas Wawrinka
Why Stan? Why not Jo or Tomas or Ferrer or Delpo this time around? It’s hard to say, really; as Wawrinka mentioned over and over last night, he never seriously believed winning a major was possible until it happened. And for good reason; the man now known as the Stanimal has never even won a Masters title, and before this tournament he was 3-44 against the Big 3. Now he’s 5-44.
Last year Wawrinka hooked up with a good coach in Magnus Norman, and began by improving physically. Then, as his new “fail better” tattoo instructed him, he took his lumps and bided his time. Wawrinka says the fact that no one was challenging the big guns made his failures easier to bear; there was nothing to do but lose and “go back to the court.” But while a major title is indeed a stunner, Wawrinka's rise in the rankings isn’t. When he came up in 2005-2006, his name was right next to Novak Djokovic’s among the sure-shot prospects for the future. Stan's potential—the heavy shots, the rifle forehand, the much-lauded backhand—has been obvious for years, but it took him until he was 28 to realize it. The fact that he was the younger countryman of Roger Federer may have kept him from asserting himself in the past—talk about a Fedipal Complex—but Federer’s support and belief inspired him last night. Wawrinka won a physical battle with Djokovic in the quarters, and a psychological one with Nadal—and himself—in the final. He earned it.
Even better, while Wawrinka won big for the first time, he acted like he had done it all before. He’s learned his lessons from the top names well, as a player and a comrade. It will make the tour a more interesting and likable place if he can join them at the top. A+
Rafael Nadal
Rafa is snake-bitten in Australia. He's had to skip the tournament with injuries at least twice, he lost a final here from 4-2 up in the fifth, and this is the third time he has hurt himself in a losing effort Down Under. The last two weeks were especially painful—first there was the blister you could see from Mars, then there was the back that brought him to a tearful standstill and got him booed in Rod Laver Arena. It was a tough end for Rafa, who could have tied Pete Sampras in career Slam titles, and become the only man in the Open era to win each major twice—a big accomplishment.
Still, if he can forget the ending, Nadal had his moments to remember. He won without his best against Nishikori and Dimitrov, and then won with his very best against Federer. Perhaps more memorable was the way he lost. Nadal played on in pain, and, when the pain lessened, even gave himself a decent chance to win.
Afterward, his words to describe his disappointment were eloquent: “Is tough to see yourself during the whole year you are working for a moment like this, and arrives the moment and you feel that you are not able to play your best.”
And so were his words for the fans who booed him when he left the court for a medical timeout: “They paid ticket to watch the best match possible, and I was not able to offer that to them for moments. You won't hear me say anything bad about the crowd here.”
We expect Nadal to win, but when he doesn’t, we expect him to accept defeat with grace and perspective. In the end, while he wasn’t the champion, Rafa didn’t disappoint. A
Dominika Cibulkova
She punched far above her weight and height for two weeks, and at 24 delivered the best tournament of her career. Cibulkova says her high spirits are “my gift,” and anyone who has seen her laser a forehand in victory or flash her smile in defeat understands what she means. Hopefully she can keep giving it. A
Genie Bouchard
The future is, ever slow slowly, getting here. Last year 19-year-old Sloane Stephens made her mark in Melbourne; this time it was the 19-year-old Bouchard’s turn. The Canadian’s subtly versatile backhand rewards repeated viewings, and it’s a pleasure to see put her shots and thoughts together to create a whole game that’s greater than the sum of its parts. The fact that this Grace Kelly-with-a-Babolat wants to date Justin Bieber is not the worst thing in the world. It reminds us that she’s young, and we should be able to watch her for a while. A-
Grigor Dimitrov
There’s substance beneath the style, a backhand that can hold up under duress, and a young man who is able to hit and move with anyone. Dimitrov is Eastern European, but he's already a Nike-sponsored, celebrity-dating citizen of the world, and in that sense he could be a transformative star. But while he’s working hard at leaving the Baby Fed nickname behind, the parallels never seem to go away. Dimitrov left Melbourne the way his stylistic father once did, in tears after losing to Nadal. A-
Nick Kyrgios
The Aussie teen has the spring and hop of the basketball player he was going to become, and he already knows how to put on a show. The climb up the rankings may take a few years, but he has tennis’ version of the X factor: Kyrios plays without fear, he acts like he owns the court, and he puts chair umpires in their places. A-
Roger Federer
It’s getting to be a January tradition. Federer comes to the Aussie open, blows away a few solid opponents, and has us wondering if it's 2006 again. Then time-travel stops and reality sets in again in the semifinals—in 2011 Federer lost to Djokovic there; it 2012 it was to Nadal; in 2013 it was to Murray; in 2014, it was to Nadal again, all in the semis. Federer's old supreme confidence and mastery can be summoned against the second-tier, but he can't sustain it against the game's fastest, most consistent players—they ask him questions he can't find the answers to. Still, this tournament has to be seen as a positive for Federer. He played great tennis for five rounds, he executed an attacking game, he had success with a new racquet, and he said he felt fully healthy again. Plus, he made a lot of people happy by bringing Stefan Edberg back to the sport. He hasn’t solved Rafa, but Federer appears to have turned the page on 2013. B+
Ana Ivanovic
Who had Ivanovic beating Serena Williams in their bracket? Anyone? Ivanovic, gripping and ripping like the teen phenom she once was, gave us flashbacks with her three-set wins over Stosur and Serena, and reminded us of what a ball-striker she can be. Her all-Serb team is getting more out of her, for the moment. Judging by the reaction in Laver Arena to her run, fans hope the moment lasts. B+
Tomas Berdych
Talk about a tradition. The Birdman may have played the best tennis of anyone on the men’s side into the semifinals—then he tightened up at all the wrong times against Wawrinka. At 28, he’s still improving and maturing, but whether that’s actually getting him closer to an important title seems doubtful. There’s a lot to his game, but there’s always something missing.
Upped half a grade for daring to go with H&M’s Jail-Berd blue-striped shirt, and defending it even after the reviews were in. B
Agnieszka Radwanska
From the ritz to the rubble. Radwanska blew up the Twitter tennis world with her masterful third-set dismantling of her nemesis, Victoria Azarenka. Is there such a thing as “witty tennis?” If so, Aga played it against Vika. Then, the next day, she played two of the worst, most dispiriting sets of her career to lose to Cibulkova. As she did after her semifinal loss at Wimbledon last year, Radwanska blamed the loss on her previous three-set matches, and the lack of a rest day. Fair enough. But winning Grand Slams means managing your way around those obstacles, and managing your game and schedule to peak for those moments. B
Novak Djokovic
Strictly from the perspective of scores, he didn't do much worse than last year. In 2013, Djokovic beat Stan Wawrinka 12-10 in the fifth set; in 2014 he lost to Wawrinka 9-7 in the fifth. And the three-time defending champion seemed to recognize he isn't going to win all of those types of ultra-close marathons, or every Aussie Open. The problem is that he hasn't been winning the biggest matches for some time now. Djokovic's only Slam wins since his No. 1 year of 2011 are his 2012 and 2013 titles in Melbourne. Whether this will motivate him to replace it with another major, or hurt his confidence against other lower-ranked players remains to be seen. Boris Becker or no Boris Becker, the extremely high level Djokovic reached at the end of last year won't vanish forever. B
Simona Halep
I didn’t see much of her this time, but it’s worth noting that so far she has avoided a sophomore slump after her breakout 2013. Halep reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in Oz; being seeded in the Top 16 really does help. Then Cibulkova crushed her. I’ll focus on the positive for now. B
Garbine Muguruza
With her win over Caroline Wozniacki, another face of the WTA’s future finally shook off injury and showed what her heavy-hitting game can do. B
Victoria Azarenka
The two-time defending champion looked ready to bagel Radwanska in the third-set of their quarterfinal; she ended up eating one instead. This is usually Vika’s time of year, but like her fellow past champions here, Serena and Sharapova, she didn’t have it in Oz this time. B-
Sloane Stephens
Sloane is good at two things: Making the middle rounds of majors, and keeping her youthful peers under her thumb. She did both in Melbourne, reaching the fourth round and snuffing out 19-year-old Elina Svitolina along the way. What she isn't good at is beating Top 10 players—she has only one win over one of them since she beat Serena Williams here in 2013. Her rematch with another, Victoria Azarenka, fizzled as Vika showed Stephens what aggressive, purposeful, positive tennis looks like. With that loss Sloane dropped five places in the rankings, to No. 18; meanwhile, Bouchard jumped 12 places, to No. 19. Stephens may not be able to keep her under her thumb for long. B-
Serena Williams
Judging by their near-parallel results over the last year, whatever Serena can do, Rafa can do, too. In 2013, they both dominated the tour; at the 2014 Aussie Open, they both went out with a back injuries. Serena was slowed by hers, but like Rafa, she was also beaten by a hot-hitting player in Ivanovic.
And as with Rafa, this tournament has become a jinx for Serena, an enemy of her game and her health. Do the two of them train too much, or too little, in the off-season? Do they need more matches to prepare their big-swinging styles for the rigors of a hard-court Slam? We may never know. One thing we do know is that losing here didn’t hurt Serena much for the rest of 2012 and 2013. C+
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
After sleepwalking through through the first set and losing the second to Federer, Jo had a fit late in the third. Only then did he play with any kind of aggressive energy. As I wrote at the time, Tsonga might want to get the sluggish warm-up and enraged reaction out of the way before the match in the future. C-
Bernard Tomic
It was a rough tournament for Bernie. Rather than being the toast of the town, as he has been here for the last three years, he was the has-been prodigy, an underachiever spurned by Aussie tennis fans in favor of the younger and hungrier Special Ks, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis. Tomic wasn't wrong to stop playing against Nadal, but his "obviously, I was right" press conference the following day was overkill. C-
Dr. Tim Wood
When the Australian Open wanted to justify keeping players on court in 110-degree heat, it had Wood, its medical officer, explain why. The move backfired. Wood’s comments about ancient antelopes running through Africa in similar conditions sounded painfully irrelevant to what was going on in Melbourne Park. The upside, hopefully, is that all of the criticism will spur the tournament to review its heat policy next year. Or get a new wet bulb for a spokesman. F
Last edited by Mulan on 28-1-2014 07:07 PM
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I think Rafa is a great champ. He's a fantastic fighter. He's got the one shot no one else has and will even try (the lefty hook forehand), and he's a physical wonder - the wonderkid of tennis for me. But looking back at his injuries at the AO, it's pretty straightforward:
1. AO is the slowest hard court slam, almost plays like clay and Rafa plays on it like he plays on clay. That is extremely damaging to him since he needs more time to hit that forehand (he can't hit it on the rise), has a little less time on AO courts, and has to force himself to bring his racquet forward in a way that's un-natural for him, especially on the run where he can't slide. This has to be damaging to his body in many ways.
2. That lefty forehand is an amazingly effective and consistent shot, but Rafa hits it with the same convulsive effort as a club player taking a real hard swing at a ball without relaxing his muscles to smoothen the stroke. Instead of moving forward, his body bends backward to impart full impact on the ball. To prevent strain on his back, his knees have to compensate by taking all the weight when he lunges backward and then lands after the forehand. Doctors will tell you that one part of your body compensating to prevent injuries to another is sometimes worse.
3. Same for his last second lunges when he hits backhands on the stretch, especially passing shots. Djokovic hits the same, but he is actually more relaxed and technically smoother, whereas Rafa's shot is more convulsive and looks like he's tightening instead of relaxing.
4. If he had changed his coach and not let Uncle Toni be the master of him, he'd actually have won many more slams by now and stayed injury free. Toni being so hard on him just pushed him physically and technically I've seen very light modifications so far. Look at Li Na's backand now, it's improved so much technically that once she got confident with it, she can relax and unload from anywhere....Rafa is a 1 in Billion physical specimen (just as Roger is 1 in Billion in terms of balance and technique), and he could have easily picked up technical changes.
Rafa made some very good adjustments in USO to incorporate more slice and try to take it on the rise, but that's not his primary game, so AO just lets him play like on clay and he gets injured anytime he makes a run on hard courts.
I'm a 5.0 player, and I coach other dudes and improve their games technically and mentally. I've been telling kids in neighboring courts that show up with those light Babolats and try to topspin the heck out of the ball like Nadal, that they'll get nowhere trying to play like him. The courage and determination is one thing, but not everybody has physical gifts like him to hit that convulsive stroke every single time. I know 2 guys that injured their wrist and shoulders trying to grab those Babolats and trying to whack the topspin.
If you have alternative analyses, please reply. No emotional outbursts please, we've had plenty of those this is intended to be more analytical from others who have played good tennis for a long time. Thanks.
OneHander
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2 ... 50419/#.UueLRRCwrIU |
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Missing Malaysia flight pains players
Given itinerant lifestyle of tennis players, vanished flight alarming
Updated: March 24, 2014, 6:35 PM ET
By Sandra Harwitt | Special to ESPN.com
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- The tedium of commuting to work is a given, even when you're a famous tennis player. But unlike most people who take a car, bus or train to their jobs, tennis players do the bulk of their travel by plane.
So it comes as no surprise that the bizarre disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which was heading from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, has captivated the attention of many of the players.
"I didn't want to follow it in the very beginning because I didn't want to know about it so much," admitted Roger Federer at the Sony Open on Sunday. "But now I've been following it more the last few days and it's very interesting, to say the least.
"If it was just that we can't find the plane, but we knew it went down, it would be different," said Federer, a day before new satellite data revealed that the missing plane ended in a remote location of the southern Indian Ocean. "Then at least it would be clear. But all the theories that are out and about, it's pretty strange. I know the planet is big, but somehow it feels very small sometimes with aviation becoming as good as it is. For me, as a world traveler, clearly I've started following it quite intensely."
Normally a comfortable flier, Maria Sharapova is of the mindset that a plane just vanishing is far-fetched and beyond the realm of reality. That is, until it happened a little more than two weeks ago.
"It makes me nervous, especially after watching all the seasons of 'Lost,' it really does," said Sharapova, who was a devotee of the TV series that detailed plane-crash survivors on a remote island. "I wake up every morning and check my Twitter feed, whether there's an update, if it was found and what happened."
Andy Murray admits he's not a fan of takeoffs, but otherwise is fine during the remainder of the flight. He's been traveling by plane to play tennis since he was 10, and it's just become a way of life.
The Scotsman has been glued to following the news of Flight 370 and, like Sharapova, finds it inconceivable there's no concrete evidence weeks later of what happened to the Boeing 777.
"Every single day I've been checking to see if anything has happened," Murray said. "You hope that the people survived and everything is OK. It's a pretty amazing story for this amount of time, in this day and age, with all the technology, nothing has been found."
Players who don't particularly enjoy the constant air travel have definitely become more edgy about boarding planes since the Malaysia flight has gone missing.
"I was kind of afraid the last time I flew," said Jelena Jankovic with a nervous laugh. "When I got on the plane, I came from San Diego, I was thinking, 'Oh my God, where is that plane; it's kind of lost and they don't know what happened to it.' When you hear those things you kind of see it in your mind. It's not pleasant because we have to travel every week and you get afraid."
Jankovic, however, is usually a fearless flier: "I don't have that phobia for the planes. It's just life and you don't know what's going to happen. I think planes are actually safer than any other way of transportation. I think the less you think about it, the better it is."
Jankovic's hypothesis is a good one, but it's not going to resonate with everyone. It's certainly not an approach that Serena Williams can wrap her head around. And as Williams puts it, the "freaky" circumstances of the Malaysia flight have not assuaged her fear of flying.
"I really actually hate flying," Williams said. "I don't like it. If there's turbulence, my heart just stops. I always pray before the flight. I just leave it up to that and try to be as relaxed as I can."
Another player who considers flying a necessary evil is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Part of Tsonga's dislike for planes stems from a genetic problem he inherited from his father that has to do with the oxygen in his blood levels, which causes his limbs to swell. The Frenchman tries his best to combat the problem with special compression socks and compresses during flights. But if possible, such as when he's going from tournament to tournament in Europe, he chooses another alternative: "When I can take a car or the train, I'll always take this option even if it's a little bit longer."
Murray believes it's understandable that many players lack an enthusiasm for flying, and not because of long hours spent cramped on flights and the jet lag aftermath. He thinks it has to do with an innate personality trait players have in common.
"As athletes, we like to be in control of situations just because of the nature of what we do," Murray said. "I think a lot of people think just because you travel all the time, you're fine with flying. But I think because we're not in control, it's easy for athletes to be pretty nervous fliers."
Whether a player is an antsy flier or content passenger, there's one thing that is not in doubt. When the Sony Open comes to its conclusion, most of the players will be heading to Miami International Airport, where they'll board planes and move on to their next port of call. |
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assalammualaikum semua. baru join thread ni. apa komen korang dengan performance federer sekarang? hehehe macam mantap je. |
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sapa pegi tgk venus williams & cibulkova mid april ni? hahaa |
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MONACO -- Roger Federer is prepared to skip tournaments -- including possibly the French Open -- to be with his wife when she gives birth again.
Federer, who has twin daughters with wife Mirka, announced on Dec. 24 they are expecting their third child, although they have not said when.
The 32-year-old Federer still does not know the due date.
"So we're just waiting," Federer said Wednesday at the Monte Carlo Masters. "It's a priority for me trying to be there, trying to support my wife. I've played enough tennis matches. Missing a tournament or missing a match wouldn't change anything for me."
Asked if that means he would be prepared to miss the French Open, which runs from May 25 to June 8, the 17-time Grand Slam champion hinted that he would.
"Yeah, let's talk about it when it would happen. At the moment we hope it's not going to be that way," he said after beating Radek Stepanek 6-1, 6-2 in the second round. "If it is, that's what it is, you know." |
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Dah lama tak masuk sini..jom la sembang2 Roland Garros 2014..
the best part is current Australian Champions men and women tersingkir masa pusingan pertama..first time ke berlaku??
Serena Williams and Venus Williams..both terkeluar masa pusingan kedua.
pemain yg dianggap darkhorse kali ni..Grigor Dimitrov pun x ke mana..out masa first round..
Last edited by cyclops_psycho on 30-5-2014 02:28 PM
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cyclops_psycho posted on 30-5-2014 02:26 PM
Dah lama tak masuk sini..jom la sembang2 Roland Garros 2014..
the best part is current Australian C ...
hai awak! sian takde reply... thread ni dah sendu skrg.
RG kali ni ntah.. mcm bosan je. Williamses tu.. kalau Venus mmg dah leh consider retirement.. tapi kalau main cari makan bolehlaaa... nak menang GS takde dah tu. Serena? taktau nak kata.. minah yg pulled the upset tu, Muguruza tu choked against MaSha pulak.. kalau tak mmg dasat upset dia. itupun kalau dia dpt kalahkan MaSha ntah2 kat Final pulak dia choke. Chokeitis ni penyakit pemain baru naik especially pompuan.
At least kali ni, kita ada sorang finalist baru dlm RG 2014.
Lelaki lak.. Raonic, Dimitrov, Janowicz, ni mcm bagus tapi agak lambat nak menang major.
I harap Nadal dpt RG#9. Will be tough for him, though.
I tgk streaming je.. dah potong Astro awal tahun lagi. Mencik Astro!
Nak buat trip ke Paris tahun ni tapi kensel.
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