I telly you what, i am really enjoying the Wimbledon doubles this year. I've always kind of taken them for granted a little bit watching them on TV, but i'm really starting to appreciate the great showcase these doubles provide. I've just watched a thoroughly entertaining match containing the big Nav, and they beat myskina and likhotseva 7-5 6-0 with some great magic from Huber and the legend that is martina. There is also a great match on at the moment featuring Henri Leconte and ivanisevic which i am finding hillarious roflmao

Anyone else enjoying the doubles this year?

Me!

I used to think that it was so boooooooooooring, but I've been surprsingly enjoying it this year!

I lOVE doubles, but sadly there has nto bene much on. Thanx fo rthat, I am now watchign Goran :D

I bet you're enjoying that SB ;) roflmao

I love watching goran's serve, what a lovely motion........

oh and I meant to add Goran is looking good. Nice hair :D

Oh yes, I reckon he has a great stroke! roflmao

Sadly it has just finished so i hardly saw any, but wish I had bene there as he let some woman grab hold fo him for photos! Lucky cow! roflmao

You know, I got caught up in an argument on a thread on the beeb site about doubles. Found myself defending it against a petulant rabble. Grrr!! :ban:

In doubles there are more drop shots/ cross-court-dinks, volleys and lobs than in any of the singles matches, so a good chance to see players show the full range of their skills. I've seen far more variety from the top players when they've been in doubles compared with when they've played singles.

So, thumbs up about the doubles too! :ok: Haven't seen much at SW19 yet, but look forward to catching a few matches now that the singles matches are thinning out :)

Hear, hear! :ok: :ok: :ok:

Ignore thos eidiots on the BBC, they onyl seem to think that good tennis involves media darlings on the baseline in singles!

On the subject of doubles, Knowles/Nestor and Aspelin/Perry are 21 all in the fifth set! :o

It was 11-11 in the 5th when they started today!

Overall the match has lasted 6 hours!

Knowles/Nestor break, and will serve for the match at 22-21 :)

GSM Knowles/Nestor, 5-7 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3 23-21, after 6 hours and 9 minutes.

:clap:

Doubles match on court 3 could go the same way currently

Damm/Paes vs Hanley/Ullyett 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 7-6, 1-1!

Only 1 break a piece in the entire match!

Only three break points in the whole match!

Well my daughter started her doubles match toninght at 6.30 and is still playing and they only play 3 sets. Wimbledon eat your heart out roflmao

Well, I am currently thoroughly enjoying some doubles that I recorded from earlier today, between Leander Paes & Sam Stosur against Venus Williams and Bob Bryan.

Superlative doubles, absolutely compelling viewing! Mind you, with the quality on display, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise :)

I've thoroughly enjoyed Paes play in the past along with Bupathi, and it's a joy to watch him playing again. Venus has come to the party too (ooh, she just got hit.. ouch! :o), and Stosur and Bryan are both showing their class.

I'm late onto the doubles, but this has players worthy of a final :) More of the same, please!!


Oh saw some of Myrni & Zheng against Lichotseva & Nestor. The long and short of it (groan!) was that Myrni and Zheng were a class apart! :D

max and zheng are such a comical sight on court. she's so tiny and he's so tall. he looks like a dad who's taken his daughter out for a picnic. ;)

Well, it's now Zheng and Mirnyi against Bryan and Williams this evening.. Ah, all good.. :)

Venus Williams and Bob Bryan to take on Cara and Wayne Black in mixed doubles final.. Just watched end of the Blacks' semi final.. think it was 11-9 in the decider??

Should be a good final too.. what a weekend of tennis ahead!! :yahoo: :clap:

Well done VeeBob :yahoo:

Veebob that's cute! :D

I watched a bit of the first set and venus was drilling some powerful forehand returns at a somewhat frightened Mirnyi roflmao

I hope they win now, they're definitely playing the best of any team at Wimbledon IMO :ok:

Go venus!!! :yahoo: :clap:

And Bob of course.......... ;)

Ah the 'veebob' team are on TV in the mixed doubles final right now! :)

Their class will probably see them through :)

However, am impressed with Vera Zvonereva, and Andy Ram is looking like a bit of a livewire.

Venus is giving the ball some welly!!!! :D

Well, wimbledon coverage was due to finish at 8pm, and now they're continuing coverage until the conclusion of the mixed doubles match!

A rare case of tennis (and doubles at that!) being given precedence..

Yee ha!!! :yahoo:

Ram and Zvonereva are playing superbly, and are a set up. Venus and Bob have just gone for the same ball and missed it..

oh my gosh.. some stunning tennis being played all round.. great stuff!!!

Oops, meant that veebob went for the same overhead, left it for each other.. haven't seen that in a long time.

And Andy Ram shouted 'mine!' for one and Vera just ignored him, went for it, and won!

All great stuff :)

And Vera Zvonereva and Andy Ram have won!! 6-3, 6-2..

Fantastic tennis!

I've seen Vera Zvnoereva before and always thought that she was a class act.. and Vera was absolutely stunning.. Best player on court by a country mile!

Vera was outhitting both Venus Williams and Bob Bryant from the basline, from the net, everywhere.. That's just how good she was!

And that's a couple of grass court titles in a matter of weeks for Vera after Birmingham..

What a bonus to be able to catch this.. !

:clap: :yahoo:

Commiserations to veebob.. they played well, but really they were blown off court by Ram and Zvonereva.

Im sorry i missed this match. It goes to show though that the high profile partnerships are not always the best. I would have liked Venus to have got a title this year though :(

Oh Venus! :(

I thought her and bob played pretty well actually, but Zvonareva/Ram( in particular Vera) were absolutely top drawer. They had all the answers and venus came up short, shame really as they were really setting the standard in the doubles i thought, but you win some you lose some...........still a trophy for Veebob :D

Well done vera and ram though, superb doubles play :ok:

Well, back to the doubles.. And it's the first set to Jheng and Yan in the women's doubles final.

Haven't quite got into this one yet..

:lol: at Paola's scream!

It was a great scream!!

My nomination for shriek of the tournament! roflmao

It's certainly the loudest I've heard this year roflmao

The Chinese pair are now a set and a break up...

O that match was great! Vera was superb :ok: What made me laugh was the mistakes in the teamwork sid emade by Venus and Bryan - they collided and missed, and left a few gaps for the volley to slip through, it was a bi tshockign really considerign that they hav eboth won so many doubles titles. I think it was more Venus's fault that Bryan's but I did enjoy that match. i also enjoyed Mirnyi - he si just brill, shame he did nto make the final.

And the most sustained too!! She hung all her emotions out on that one!

Jheng and Yan are certainly looking the more solid partnership right now..


Ooh, one of the points of the match! lots of strategic moonballing!!!

Hey SB :)

It was a cracker, wasn't it! I loved it when Bryan handed over his racquet and wristbands and borrowed Venus' racquet too..

And yes, Mirnyi was a giant in the tournament in more ways that one, wasn't he! :)

I knwo it was funny! :D

I love the doubles, my partner is hooked on it, he's watching the match right now. I wish we'd seen more of Mirnyi on TV, as his single smatches were nto covered much. I onyl saw bits and pieces, but in that match the other day (was it with Zehng?) he was great. An aside but i notice he wears the same top as Nadal, and it looks so different on him (better in my mind!) In fact what a body he has, I might becoem a fan in more ways than one! roflmao

Yeah, the doubles is great, isn't it! :) Not surprised your partner is addicted to it.. some cracking rallies going on right now..

There's something about the name 'Max Mirnyi' that has that pulp novel character name (or cheesy hollywood blockbuster!), plus the fact that he is the self named 'Beast of Belarus' also adds the box office draw element :)

He does look different in his sleeveless top compared to Rafa, doesn't he!! Makes his arms look very long, and shows some good toning. More beech trees compared to Nadal's Oaks (or something like that..) ;)

Ooh, Zheng has quite a grunt on her when she is hitting her groundstrokes..! :o

Haven't seen so much strategic moonballing in a while either.. :blush:

This looks like it's winding up to be a good final set! Yan and Jheng break back to make it 1-1

Looks pretty attritional out there, both teams trying to outgrind the other.. :wacko:

5-1 to the Chinese pair, serving for the match...it's deuce at the moment.

But they're broken; a clever lob by Suarez forces an error out of Zheng, and we're back to 5-2...

Meanwhile, Kleybanova and Pavlyuchenkova, the number 2 seeds, have just wrapped up the girls' doubles title with a 6-1 6-2 win over the top seeds, Antoniychuk and Dulgheru.

Those names are impossible to pronounce! roflmao

Yes.. and the quality of the tennis has gone up a few notches too.. some really good rallies..