Roland Garros Days 1 and 2 (and a bit of 3)
There's really nothing much to say about days 1 and 2 of the French Open because there was a near complete washout thanks to rain delays. Roger Federer won, Marat Safin won (phew!) and the Williams sisters won. Personally, not all that exciting.
The biggest thing about the French Open this year is that the Tennis Channel has taken over half of the coverage. Now I was really excited because this channel had awesome coverage of the ATP Masters Series Hamburg, with great commentating, and that made me supremely happy. My biggest problem with ESPN (or USA's) coverage of tennis is
The American bias. Yes, I know we're in America but for goodness's sake, there are so many great, high-ranked pros playing at the same time, so show their matches! We know THEM! The commentating is so biased towards the Americans (even if they suck!) and it really, really, really makes me angry.
I thought the Tennis Channel would split away from this but I'm very disappointed and have to say that it's the same old it's always been. The commentators (where's the cool Australian guy who kept his mouth shut for the most part and talked only when he had to?) are Ted Robinson and John McEnroe. I love John McEnroe, but the man doesn't know when to shut up. Seriously, shut the hell up, I'm watching the match, I do not want to listen to you. Now I'm not against American commentators, we're in America for heaven's sake. But we had some good American commentators during the Hamburg tournament. Stupid Grand Slam. It has to take all the "big names" in commentating to drive us mad. SHUT UP FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, I WANT TO WATCH THE POINT!!! (Am watching a match right now and they will not shut up. Shut up John McEnroe! SHUT UP!)
When I switched on the TV about a half hour ago, they were showing Amer Delic (USA) vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP). It's a good thing I like both players (Delic to a certain extent, Ferrero I love a LOT) so it didn't bother me that much. But the whole time Delic was playing, "oh look, Ferrero looks miserable. If Delic gets this point, this set, oh that's it for Ferrero."
Oh my god. Tennis is all about surprises. You never know what's going to happen. So stop with the bias.
I think Delic might lose. And I want him to lose because Ferrero has been sucking like no other for the past two years and to see him win at least the first round of the French Open would be nice.
Now we're watching Andy Roddick's match. I saw two minutes of Richard Gasquet, and that too was when he was close to winning his match and they showed a bit of Justin Gimelstob against Nicolas Almagro. Okay, seriously, Gimelstob sucks. He's playing Almagro, who is Spanish, much younger, and a great clay courter. Gimelstob is full of himself and is probably quite tired from playing the Qualifying rounds last week. Not that a qualifier can't make it to the finals, but not Gimelstob. So don't show us his match. Nobody cares. I'm sure most Americans don't care either. Americans want to watch Roddick or Blake or the Williams sisters. I'm not saying Americans don't like to watch players like Delic--I would watch Delic's match, for sure--but I was looking for a change in the Tennis Channel. I believed in that change when I watched the Hamburg tournament. Why couldn't they go with that same pattern? Great tennis, good commentators, good coverage...I'm sad it didn't carry over to the French Open.
What I'm dreading is the afternoon, when coverage switches over to ESPN and I'll have to listen to Cliff Drysdale and Mary Carillo. I plan on muting it.
ARGH.
The biggest thing about the French Open this year is that the Tennis Channel has taken over half of the coverage. Now I was really excited because this channel had awesome coverage of the ATP Masters Series Hamburg, with great commentating, and that made me supremely happy. My biggest problem with ESPN (or USA's) coverage of tennis is
The American bias. Yes, I know we're in America but for goodness's sake, there are so many great, high-ranked pros playing at the same time, so show their matches! We know THEM! The commentating is so biased towards the Americans (even if they suck!) and it really, really, really makes me angry.
I thought the Tennis Channel would split away from this but I'm very disappointed and have to say that it's the same old it's always been. The commentators (where's the cool Australian guy who kept his mouth shut for the most part and talked only when he had to?) are Ted Robinson and John McEnroe. I love John McEnroe, but the man doesn't know when to shut up. Seriously, shut the hell up, I'm watching the match, I do not want to listen to you. Now I'm not against American commentators, we're in America for heaven's sake. But we had some good American commentators during the Hamburg tournament. Stupid Grand Slam. It has to take all the "big names" in commentating to drive us mad. SHUT UP FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, I WANT TO WATCH THE POINT!!! (Am watching a match right now and they will not shut up. Shut up John McEnroe! SHUT UP!)
When I switched on the TV about a half hour ago, they were showing Amer Delic (USA) vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP). It's a good thing I like both players (Delic to a certain extent, Ferrero I love a LOT) so it didn't bother me that much. But the whole time Delic was playing, "oh look, Ferrero looks miserable. If Delic gets this point, this set, oh that's it for Ferrero."
Oh my god. Tennis is all about surprises. You never know what's going to happen. So stop with the bias.
I think Delic might lose. And I want him to lose because Ferrero has been sucking like no other for the past two years and to see him win at least the first round of the French Open would be nice.
Now we're watching Andy Roddick's match. I saw two minutes of Richard Gasquet, and that too was when he was close to winning his match and they showed a bit of Justin Gimelstob against Nicolas Almagro. Okay, seriously, Gimelstob sucks. He's playing Almagro, who is Spanish, much younger, and a great clay courter. Gimelstob is full of himself and is probably quite tired from playing the Qualifying rounds last week. Not that a qualifier can't make it to the finals, but not Gimelstob. So don't show us his match. Nobody cares. I'm sure most Americans don't care either. Americans want to watch Roddick or Blake or the Williams sisters. I'm not saying Americans don't like to watch players like Delic--I would watch Delic's match, for sure--but I was looking for a change in the Tennis Channel. I believed in that change when I watched the Hamburg tournament. Why couldn't they go with that same pattern? Great tennis, good commentators, good coverage...I'm sad it didn't carry over to the French Open.
What I'm dreading is the afternoon, when coverage switches over to ESPN and I'll have to listen to Cliff Drysdale and Mary Carillo. I plan on muting it.
ARGH.