Raducanu

[regis80]

I used to call on Siviter Sports in Brierley Hill.

Wow that’s a name which is a blast from the past. I’m sure there was Siviter sports in West Bromwich too? In the old Kings Square.

[BaggieSingh]

Wow that’s a name which is a blast from the past. I’m sure there was Siviter sports in West Bromwich too? In the old Kings Square.

Yes there was Regis remember it well

Also I agree the umpire was hot, definitely looked more like a model with those cheekbones

[BaggieSingh]

Interesting read Mick, ages since I finished a novel 😂

Joking apart, it’s great to hear insights like this, I agree she seems to hit the ball hard and I guess she needs a good base in order to rotate through the shot to generate that power
Also her poise and calmness does seem very Federeesque

Talking of rackets, it was Agassi for me I still have some lovely colourful Donnay rackets and I don’t really play tennis

And Steffi Graf, wow, she had a pair of legs wow, from what I remember, also Gabriella Sabatini what a babe

Cheers BS.

I'll let you into a secret......although only Sports Direct sell more tennis rackets than me in the UK I'm not "into" the whole bulls--t side of tennis, I've never enjoyed dealing with coaches and players and clubs right from when I started at Dunlop back in 1991.

Racket sports were a good choice of career and then business for me because I never got drawn into the "scene" whereas if I'd taken the job I was offered with Puma back in 1990 ( I was offered ex Man Utd and Scotland captain Martin Buchan's job ) I'd have been too distracted by the glitz and the glam and not enough on the product I think.


This is one of the reasons that I hadn't got a clue who Emma Radacanu was during the early part of Wimbledon at the end of June.

I happened to catch some highlights of her on an outside court in the second round I think it was, I presumed the white pasty girl was the Brit and that the lush, elegant young lady with the Asian looks was Eastern European.

So I watched a few points in blissful ignorance whilst I was sat working on my laptop, TV sound was on low so I wasn't really listening to commentary.

As I watched I was transfixed at the way this young beauty moved around, she had the grace of Federer and just seemed to have so much time to decide on every shot, I thought then that this kid was going to be a star.

Anyway, I moved on with my work and they moved on to another match and it was a few days later when she was on TV again the I suddenly realised she was one of ours, like I said earlier, I don't "follow" tennis, in my game it's only the top four men and occasionally the very top female player who attract people to buy rackets so I just have to follow those trends.

Steffi Graph was probably the last female player to attract big sales to a racket with the Dunlop 200G back in the 88-91era and Sharapova a bit in recent years......the Williams brothers had no impact on sales at all.


I digress.


Emma is sponsored by Wilson ( on a very small deal at present I guess ) but she's going to have the biggest impact in the history of UK tennis on racket sales, I've sold a lot of kids rackets online today at a time of year when things are normally pretty slow for tennis.

Wilson are going to have to get the cheque book out pronto or she'll be gone, they've been very lucky/astute to have had her on the books at this point.


The reason I believed she was going to win majors and become a great really comes down to her movement, all great players in every sport have an ease of movement predicated on being in position so early because of how they read the game, same with footballers and many other types of sport.

It's also how she moves, she's like Federer when he was at his peak, she just glides, she doesn't break sweat and when the ball arrives at her racket she seems to have forever in which to dispatch it.


Mentally she's unbelievable, nothing fazes her.


The biggest hurdle she now faces is herself, she needs to not overthink the future.


She could do a "Michael Chang" and never win another but I doubt that, his game was based on chasing everything down, her game is a mix of Federer type poise and grace and Andy Murray's ability to know where the opponent is going to put the ball before the opponent themselves has come to the decision.


Somehow with Emma I just knew she had it within two minutes of watching her.


I sort of feel the same about George Russell in F1 as well, no wonder stroppy pants Lewis Hamilton is p I s s e d that his lapdog Bottas is being replaced by young George, that lad has quality written right through him.


Don't hold your breath for an English up and coming male tennis player though, Broady is a "Billy Big Bo l l ox" from what I'm told and loves himself too much.

Well done Emma though, great night to be British.

[DaveP67 is back!]

Don’t really like watching Tennis at all but was transfixed last night what a performance, what a star!

[boingy]

There are top pros who have been trying for years to get to a final let alone win it. It takes a huge amount of mental toughness. This win is phenomenal. Anne Keothavong a fairly recent British number 1 really hit the ball well, (I know because she was practicing on a court just before our match) us lads couldn’t believe how hard and fast she was hitting the ball with accuracy. Anne often went out in the early rounds of competitions. What Emma has done, so soon, so quick might not be seen again. Only qualifier to win the US open. She was given a chance to play in a major tournament just to give her a bit of experience after impressing at Wimbledon, and she’s only gone and won it!

[regis80]

Interesting read Mick, ages since I finished a novel 😂

Lol i thought the same, Mick sure can write and I’ve always wonder why (or maybe he secretly is) he hasn’t gone into writing on a professional level.

Glad you’ve confirmed BS, Siviter sports was by the toilets and near to the indoor markets right? I’m sure that was where I bought my first pair of Nike huraches.

Agassi was my idol and I remember having the a pair of air max agassi.. but played badminton. I used to beat everyone in it and was too in my school, all because these trainers and agassi inspired me despite different sport. Weird as a kid that’s how you be.

Sabatini.. yes

[mickd1961]

Lol i thought the same, Mick sure can write and I’ve always wonder why (or maybe he secretly is) he hasn’t gone into writing on a professional level.

Glad you’ve confirmed BS, Siviter sports was by the toilets and near to the indoor markets right? I’m sure that was where I bought my first pair of Nike huraches.

Agassi was my idol and I remember having the a pair of air max agassi.. but played badminton. I used to beat everyone in it and was too in my school, all because these trainers and agassi inspired me despite different sport. Weird as a kid that’s how you be.

Sabatini.. yes

I believe in adding depth and context into my writing 😏😎

Siviter had 6 shops at one point in the 80’s and 90’s, great bloke but would skin a f a r t for a halfpenny.

Agassi played with a Donnat racket and then moved to HEAD but like a lot of players of that era all he actually did was have his Donnay frames painted in HEAD cosmetics, in truth it was just a big con perpetrated by a lot of players.

The same has gone on with golf clubs and top players for many years.

[baggieal]

Yes there was Regis remember it well

Also I agree the umpire was hot, definitely looked more like a model with those cheekbones

Me - I was looking at the tennis! Seems others have commented on the umpire and Emma’s legs 😭

[westcountryvillain]

Great writing Mick - I watched it with my wife and said I think she will be the Roger Federer of the women's game, she has got it all on and off the court. She will also get better and dominate for years as long as she has the mental resilience to cope with the limelight & BS that goes on.

I noticed her opponent trying to rush things when she had the momentum but our Emma stayed ice cool and maintained her focus throughout.

Only one negative point to this sensational story and that is that her parents couldn't be there because of Covid restrictions - utter madness & it's gone under the radar.

Well done Emma!

[baggieal]

Great writing Mick - I watched it with my wife and said I think she will be the Roger Federer of the women's game, she has got it all on and off the court. She will also get better and dominate for years as long as she has the mental resilience to cope with the limelight & BS that goes on.

I noticed her opponent trying to rush things when she had the momentum but our Emma stayed ice cool and maintained her focus throughout.

Only one negative point to this sensational story and that is that her parents couldn't be there because of Covid restrictions - utter madness & it's gone under the radar.

Well done Emma!

Such a likeable down to earth girl and unlike many of the footballers she’s well spoken and not up her own backside!

Well done Emma you will inspire so many other youngsters.