Wimbledon Running Thread. *Updated--Isner wins 70-68 in 5th*

Yes. It was suspended by darkness...

 

The whole win-by-two thing (in any sport) is bogus, IMO.
In tennis, why can't it simply be: first to six games in each set wins?

Oh, the "serve advantage" argument... If you're at this level, you should be able to break your opponent's serve at least once per set.

What do you think?

 

in tennis, 4-3 or 5-4 or 6-5 on serve is a tie

 

Perhaps you "should" be able to break at least once per set.

But you shouldn't be required to if your opponent doesn't have to. And that's why you have to win by two.

Otherwise, the first server can serve six times, hold six times, and win the set because his opponent only served five times.

It would be like letting a baseball team score a run in the top of the 10th and claim victory without the home team batting in the bottom of the inning.

 

I'm one who actually does appreciate those 20-inning softball games PROVIDED both pitchers are really good and it isn't a product of one great pitcher and one OK pitcher with great fielders facing a poor hitting team.

 

When playing on grass, men should be required to use wooden rackets, like Major League Baseball players are required to use wooden bats. Maybe then you could get some actual rallies, instead of serve, return, volley, point over.

 

Mark, I am old enough to remember when Wimbledon was played with wooden rackets (I own one!!) and there weren't many long rallies then, either. A few more, but not many.

 

I know this is a tennis conversation, but golf's British Open is EXACTLY how the game was meant to be played. Americans are largely responsible for making the game something else by propagating the belief that every blade of grass has to be green, building courses where they don't belong and a hundred other reasons.

 

Really - So when you are looking to go golfing, do you wait to make sure it is windy and rainy or do you try and get out when it is going to be a nice sunny day?

 

Once the ball's in play in tennis, doesn't each player have an equal opportunity to change the direction of the shot and/or the pace of the point?

 

The most fun I've ever had in golf are two trips to Scotland and two to Ireland. I don't need to ride and have a cart girl offering me $4 Gatorades every 45 minutes to enjoy the game.