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

Uh, no. You try standing down the barrel of a 140-mph serve and say you have an equal opportunity to hit the damn thing, let alone any of that other stuff.

 

Isner out in straight sets to Thiemo de Bakker, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2, in 75 minutes.

 

There weren't many long rallies in the old days, either, because players were unafraid to come to the net to end (win) the point.

One way or another, the point was going to be quick.

Today, the players return so well and can blast winners from everywhere, so going to the net is suicide. A 24-shot baseline rally really isn't any more entertaining than a 3-shot rally where someone stabs a volley for a winner or executes a perfect passing shot.

 

And a few folks are gumbling, "It doesn't seem fair that he had to play so quickly after such a long match."

The way I see it, he controlled his destiny. Win quickly and you can rest all you want.

 

Of course he had to play quickly.

Third round starts today. And today was only his second-round match.

You let Isner wait until Saturday, and it screws up the schedule for his opponent (and any future opponents) because they are faced with having to juggle their schedules and possibly play Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday to catch up to the rest of the field.

 

Yep. And the guy never had a shot to continue. No way he was going to pull out another win.

 

In the long run, he's better off being a part of history rather than going a few more rounds (assuming he wasn't going to win).

 

If Isner or Mahut had 1/10th of percent of Agassi's return game it would have gone 11-9 max. It was less about a marathon and more about two incredibly limited one-dimensional players who have no return games. I don't have a problem with extended 5th sets in Slams, but I believe the early rounds (until the Round of 16) should be fifth-set tiebreakers to avoid this.

 

To change the rules after the first few rounds means you're playing two different tournaments.

 

Well the Round of 16 forward is a much different tournament than the early rounds. I don't believe a championship match should be decided in the fifth set by a tiebreaker. But a first-round match or even a 2nd-3rd round match...Sure.

 

Somehow, the best pros seem to do it on a regular basis. But whatever.

Then let's get rid of "deuce." There's absolutely no reason you should have to win a game by two. ...Is there?

 

What does riding or cart girls have to do with playing the game in the sun and without windy, rainy conditions?

Have you ever played in this country at a course like Oakmont? They don't have carts there so you have to walk it.