Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

An absolute epic. Once in a while you get sporting contests that don't deserve a winner. This one didn't deserve a loser. Fantastic match. One of the best I've seen in my life. :tu:

Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

agreed, i dont normaly like tennis but this was a good match

Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

Have to agree. This was a briliant match to end Wimbledon on.
Great play :tu:

Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

Nadal should really have been disqualified for consistent and repeated time violations. The umpire only had the balls to give him one warning.

Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

Don't agree with that at all..... I don't recall Nadal consistently going over the time limit to serve , especially considering the wind and noise from the audience throughout the game.

He got one code violation - which even the commentators thought was harsh at the time.

Yes Federer did seem agitated once or twice in the final set by the length of time Nadal was taking to serve, but I'm sure it was all within the laws of the game.

Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

You must not know the rules, then.

He did. Odd that Federer didn't, considering the conditions were the same for him.

What, Henman and Castle? Yes, a fine pair those two are.

It wasn't. You didn't even need a stop watch to catch him. It was quite ridiculous. The inexperienced umpire simply didn't do his job. I don't expect he will be allowed to umpire another GS any time soon.

Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

As far as I know players have 20 seconds to serve from the moment they receive the ball.

There is nothing against the rules for slowing down a game. I would say that the umpire, match referee and the commentators are in a far better position than yourself to commentate on interpretation of the rules during the match.... Unl;ess I am missin something and you are actually an umpire.

Plus I dont see Federer making any comments regarding gamesmanship now or during the game.

Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

Nadal often took up to 40 and even 50 seconds.

This is something other commentators have often pointed out. Castle even yammered on about it when Nadal played Murray at last year's AO. Funny how it's an issue when there's a Brit involved.

It's well known that Nadal keeps breaking the rules, and that umpires protect him, because he's a top draw. The only thing that made the warning strange was the timing, since he had broken the rules throughout the entire match, and continued to do so afterwards.

Do you have to be a policeman to recognize someone speeding?

Too much class.

Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

On the program that was played whilst the rain was on about Federer, there was talk about Nadal and his slowness between serves, saying he has always been consistantly slow, it's just the way he plays. He doesn't do it for effect to put off others, just one of his formalities I suppose. Federer says it can be annoying but it's him and he respects him at the end of the day.

Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

But it's against the rules. What if Federer consistently felt like having 3 serves instead of 2? Or maybe stood a few feet inside the baseline to serve? Not to give himself an advantage, of course, but just because that's the way he plays? Formalities, I suppose. Rules are there for a reason, and the umpire didn't do his job.

Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

Either we're not a nation of racist xenophobes or all the posters here are flaming foreigners :D

Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

Pascal Maria (or however you spell his name) is a vastly experienced umpire, in actual fact.

Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

looks like someones a bit miffed that their man lost.........

Re: Wimbledon 2008
 

It was his first Wimbledon's men's final, in actual fact. It's not like the weekly grind on the tour, you expect the best of the best in a final like this. A shame he came up short. Sure, it was a long day for everyone, so maybe they should consider changing the umpire between sets, just like line judges and ballboys/girls are routinely replaced.