TO INFINITY, AND GO ON!!!--Wimbledon Notes Day 2 & 3

今天（2010-6-24）将因为John Isner和Nicolas Mahut的比赛而被载入史册。他们两个的大战使云变色。一场比赛在天气晴好的情况下被拖到第三天才能完赛。。。。

FACEBOOK 和校内上都成刷屏之势。我最喜欢的几条状态：

59 to 59... 9 hours of playing time and no one has won... yet

soccer players need to take a lesson from tennis: there are no ties, just keep playing until someone drops.

网球打到 59：59，堪比张飞夜战马超于葭萌关

Rafa在FB上留言：watching isner-mahut, UNBELIEVEABLE!!

没文化的小威在Twitter上：All I can say about John Isners match- WOW

罗 迪克不知如何表达惊讶：really really cant believe the match that took place..... will never ever ever happen again... unreal!

而且总是 有他的sardonic humor: seriously..... doesnt anyone have to pee? umpires included.

以和吓唬裁判为乐的麦肯罗在BBC解说时同情裁判："This is one of the few times where I feel bad for the umpire,"

德约科维奇说 "Maybe they should agree on playing a tiebreak if it's 50-all,"

另 据在现场看到天荒地老的张奔斗转述麦肯罗的话 “他惊叹当今球员的体能，同时他表示这场比赛回使他们两人的运动寿命减少半年”。

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似 乎有很多要说的。

第一，技术统计上，我不得不渲染一番。That is what this match will be remembered for.

The match has not only broken but smashed virutally all longest match records. It is exactly ten hours old at this point—the only match in competitive history to go beyond nine, eight or seven hours.

Records set

Longest match: 10 hours (so far)
Previous record: 6 hours, 33 minutes Fabrice Santoro def. Arnaud Clement 1R French Open 2004

Most games played in a match: 163 (注：等于是打了将近13盘！！）

Previous singles record: 112 Pancho Gonzalez （阿加西姐夫，上旋球创始人）def. Charlie Pasarell Wimbledon 1969
Previous doubles record: 122 Stan Smith/Erik Van Dillen def. Patricio Cornejo/Jamie Fillol Davis Cup, 1973

Longest men's singles set in history: 59-59

Previous record: 25-23 John Newombe def. Marty Reissen U.S. Open, 1969

（注： 还记得2003年澳网罗迪克和阿诺乌依的21-19么？）

Most aces served in a match: 98, Isner. 94, Mahut

Previous record: 78 aces Ivo Karlovic, l. to Radek Stepanek SF Davis Cup, 2009

（注：大满贯赛的单场ACE记录保持着也 是卡洛维奇，09年法网的55个。此外，令人印象深刻的还有Pim-Pim Joachim Johansson 05年澳网对阵阿加西四盘抢七负的比赛，发出了51个ACE。03年温网，Mark Philippoussis也是对阵阿加西，the match of his career，发出46 ACES五盘胜。另外，去年温布顿决赛，费德勒也发出了50 ACES。主要都是在第五盘。）

Match statistics

Matchpoints for Isner: 4

Break points for Mahut in the fifth set: 2
Winners hit: 333 for Isner, 318 for Mahut
Unforced errors: 53 for Isner, 56 for Mahut
Aces: 98 for Isner, 94 for Mahut
Points won: 428 for Isner, 448 for Mahut
First medical treatment: 57-56 for Mahut (bandage repair)

First bathroom break: 58-58

第二，我想 有必要说些网易和新浪记者不说的，介绍一下我所知道的这两位选手。

John Isner是一个成长轨迹很另类的选手。他来自一个比较富裕的家庭，父亲是营造商，母亲是家庭主妇，他吃母亲做的一日三餐一直到年大学。他从来没想过不读 完本科就去打网球为生(Source: the bodo article "the articulate bulldog")。所以他真正正念了四年大学（2004-07），在Univerity of Georgia 以speech communication专业文学学士毕业。最后一年率领校队拿下了NCAA冠军，个人拿下单打亚军，双打冠军。大学生球员的生活和职业球员还是很不一 样，最大的不一样大概就是在大学城会有很多艳遇，而职业球员的生活是孤单饥渴的。拥有发球，正手，和高中大学八年校队的磨练，他在职业赛迅速打开局面，现 在已经来到世界前25名。他给我印象最深的是两场五盘大战——去年在US OPEN那个梦剧场，决胜盘抢七（只有US OPEN采取此制度）战胜罗迪克，以及今年戴维斯杯客场对德约科维奇，红土上战满五盘输球。John Isner 2.06米的身高是他出类拔萃的基础。他打的大鹏展翅的网球。发球-正手的one-two punch潇洒，由于双打打得很多，网前手感很好。接发球差，而移动灵活性由于受到身高的限制也不怎么样。天生的万人迷（至少我这么认为）造型和阳光气质 通过一组照片来表现吧。

Nicolas Mahut似乎是一位善打草地的球员。职业生涯仅有的两次巡回赛单打决赛经历都是来自草地。我看过他和罗迪克的女王杯决赛，罗迪克第三盘抢七险胜。他也是 1.90米的身高，正手和单手反手都非常犀利。而且，他有那么一点索德林般的悍匪气质。

最后，来探讨一下为什么比赛可以打得这么长以及为什么打得这么长是不可思议的。

客观上有很 多理由使得这场比赛变为可能：

首先，第一天的时候，这是最后一场比赛，有了“因天色过暗延期”。当时比赛进行了两个多小时。Mahut 2-1领先。

第二，伦敦气候凉爽，湿度不大。对球员体能的要求比墨尔本和纽约少很多。

第三，草地网球保发球局容易。

第 四，这两个人的发球都太好，而接发球水平，尤其是Isner，太差，以致形成deadlock。

但是，“不可思议”更多。

两 位都是非常高大的选手，大家都知道，人高马大的人在来回跑动后是小个子更容易累的——长跑的根本没有1.8以上很多肌肉的。这两位居然正常没抽筋没晕厥只 有叫了医疗暂停（仅有一个医疗暂停也是体育道德高的表现），真的是奇迹。

破发球局并非不可能，我看的片段中，我似乎好几次嗅到了双方发球局 的cracks，不知道是发球者神经太大条还是接发球者打出一个好球后就再没力打出第二第三个。那种能够结束比赛的flicker总是转瞬即止，始终没有 0-40那种死地。

John Isner看起来是完全的力竭，走都走不动了，表情非常痛苦。我不理解有了那种表情怎么可能还能撑着打40局。

不可思议他们怎么还能发出 190KMH+的发球，在30+/30+之后。
Mahut资格赛打上来的。我看了下面的记录，更加觉得他在重新定义人类体能极限！！！！！！

Mahut's last three matches
Current 1R: vs. Isner 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(7), 6-7(3), 59-59
Qualifying 3R: d. Stefan Koubek 6-7(8), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Qualifying 2R: d. Alex Bogdanovic 3-6, 6-3, 24-22

这 场比赛对于除美网之后的大满贯决胜盘长盘决胜（一方必须连赢两局才可以获胜）的制度提出了合理的质疑。但是我十分希望，在唯转播商是从的美网改制之后，在 ATP废除大师赛决赛五盘三胜制，使得戴维斯杯和大满贯单打和温布顿男子双打成为唯一能看到五盘三胜制比赛的地方之后，不要再让这个传统成为电视转播商业 化需要的牺牲品。因为比赛的伟大程度永远与它展开的深度正相关。还没有开头，就匆匆煞了尾，没有逼到那个极限，就要轮盘赌定胜负，是很大的遗憾。非金球制 的加时赛和长盘决胜都是放宽限制，给人更多机会的制度。虽然，土耳其对克罗地亚，伊斯内尔对马胡，都是千载难逢，但也 值得为这种千载难逢，保留这种制度，因为展现于体育中的人的精神， 而并非技术，才是最能打动人心的。

Wimbledon's "NEVER-ENDING" match:

TO INFINITY, AND GO ON~~~~

Flags are still there---Wimbledon Notes Day 4, 5 and 6

美国国歌歌词中有一句我每次听到都感觉摄人心魄

“Gave proof through the night

that our flag was still there”

Wimbledon经历了wacky的一周，一些听说过但从未看到过的，和从未听说 过的，陆续无所畏惧的登场，力图以颠覆秩序的大冷门与Isner-Mahut试比娇。试想：如果昨天Petzschner真的爆掉了Rafa，或者 Roger在前两轮被击败了，Isner-Mahut必然会更早的被交付到档案馆。

秩序受到了严峻挑战，但终未被颠覆。Flags are still there!!Roger的发球和定力，Rafa一如既往的意志力让他们晋级第二周。但是他们面临着不同的前途。PH Mathieu和Soderling都是big hitters，在伤情扑朔迷离的情况下，Rafa要有坚决主动进攻的胆决方能过关；而Roger首先对阵实力不济的Melzer，还可以期待 Berdych的意外出局。

从上届世界杯以来的第一次，人们似乎并不是从第一天起就心心念念Roger-Rafa的终极对决。Roger的 确出现了一些troubling signs，移动远不及当年，甚至去年，但是他第三轮似乎适度回应了质疑，不过不知道对手奉送胜利的成分有多大。Rafa的第二第三轮比赛连续1-2落后 被拖入五盘。第二轮对Hasse，对手的神勇发挥是他不能左右的，他始终主控节奏，play cleanly and keep the points short表现出强烈的进取心，五盘也不到三小时。第三轮的Petzschner真的是展现了为什么他可以排名世界三十九。和Hasse一样出色的发球和 explosive forehand，加上了更好的战术意识和连续进攻能力，比赛看起来更焦灼。Rafa赛中显出的左臂肌肉和膝盖不适令人大大调低他夺冠的几率。因为他没有 完美的状态，在Wimbledon对阵Murray或者Soderling，胜算不大。伤停是真是假？他伤停之后移动完美，立刻破发，但是他赛后宣布退出 下月的戴维斯杯赛休养，还大爆其迈阿密赛和蒙特卡洛赛后受伤的情形。 我想，不管怎样，自爆伤情是非常不智的，因为那样只能让你的对手增强击败你的信念。隐藏伤情，是顶尖选手保持震慑力和神秘感的重要手段。Roger对于 mono和背伤的处理就是很好的例子。

不管怎样，似乎不少人，包括我，已经做好了没有Roger也没有Rafa的Wimbledon决赛的 准备，虽然那会是莫大的遗憾，也必然会大大降低比赛的观赏性和历史意义。

在那些flags中，两个Andy的状态都不错。女王的驾临似乎给 Murray带来了好运，苏格兰人职业生涯第二次在大满贯前三轮不失一盘（第一次是在今年澳网）and never went close to lose one。他让我琢磨不定，因为每次觉得IT IS HIS TIME的时候，他总是让我失望。而且和他所最痛恨的英格兰（足球）队一样，他在最关键的时刻，总是没有那种冲破压力，疯狂进攻的胆决。在英格兰队出局之 后，全英国的压力更加集中地聚于他肩。击败Roger，把“since 1936”的重担once and for all地抛掉将是最好的戏码，但需要他在周一对阵Sam给我这个信心。

而the American Andy对阵Llorda和Kohlschreiber都顺利经过了考验。四盘拿下完全是意料之中。周一他恐怕是心态最放松的一个。

在有 ESPN3.COM之前从来看不到的双打也出现了一个冷门，英国的一对选手击败了世界排名第一，卫冕冠军Zimojic+Nester。。。

That's all for the first week in Wimbledon, a week full of drama, but without a single drop of rain.

在Wimbledon的诸多传统中，Middle Sunday是一个：为养护草坪计，除非下雨严重拖延赛程，第一周的星期日不安排比赛。所以也就造就了一天内进行男女各八场round of 16的Magic Monday. 因为签表，今年的Magic Monday是truly magical.

The Fall of Constantinople--Wimbledon Notes Day 9

More entitled than Rome, the truly "city of eternity" is Constantinople. Its build-up came at the downfall of Rome, marking the start of the "Middle Ages". For more a thousand years, it is the biggest, crowdiest and the wealthiest city in the Western civilization. The walls of Constantinople could only be threatend by earthquakes.

If Roger Federer is a city, he would be Constantinople. A Leo, the Swiss Lion's first roar came after the official annoucement of Sampras "the Rome" :), with the fading Agassi and Kureten and the lackluster generation of Roddicks, Hewitts, Ferreros and Safins as background. He stormed though 2004 in an astonishing fashion that could only be matched by the erected monuments and the grand St Sofia cathedral in Constantinople.

The Byzantine emperors would fortify their capital with accumulated capital, extended frontiers and the Theodosius Wall (outskirt fortifications). In the case of Federer, something more impressive and admirable than the build-up of the empire was taking place analogously: his pursuit of perfection extremified--forehand, backhand, serve, and the basis of these all, the footwork. On court he waltzed, and then he blitzed. His unmatched God-given talent plus his never-stopping progress made onto his game transformed him into the untouchable, not only the king, but the God, except on clay. Thus his ambition extended. His forehand, and then his whole game changed, for Roland Garros, the only Grand Slam that evaded him.

The walls of Constantinople could only be threatend by earthquakes. Just as in the history where the earthquakes to Constantinople were only followed the speedy repairs and further fortifications, earthquakes like the Safin coup in AO 2005, Canas surprises in 2007(?), and later, Djokovic uprising in 2008, seemed only to strengthen him in retrospective. The closet analogy of Rafael Nadal on Roger "the Constantinople" will be "the Crusades": he produced severe damages, but later retreated. Ultimlatey the time, and his growing loss of direction with the Coupe des Mousquetaires (The Musketeers' Trophy) can beat him. And it takes some huge gun power from a Mehmed II, in this case, the 193cm Czech man, Tomas Berdych.

June 30, 2010 is the May 29, 1453 of tennis history. This day, on the most hallowed turf of this sport of string and bat, the colossal Swiss man, the king of grass, and undisputely the GOAT, fell, deterministically, to "Sultan" Tomas Berdych in four sets, ending his regime in Wimbledon, and with it, a "Middle Age" for tennis.

Yes, Roger's regime is a "Middle Age" of tennis. Both times are "Dark Ages" for dissidents, blissful, peaceful times for the pious. The All-Mighty (the Church/Federer) in the center and the trinity (trinity/the three Grand Slams: Oz, USO and Wimby Roger dominated) as its fortresses. He ruled the sport in such a suffocating manner that he amazing had records such as "beating the top 10 players for 26 consecutive times", "advancing to the Grand Slam semifinals for a consecutive 23 times". And he rules for so long that 99% of the post-1985 non-Americans don't even know who else has been the World Number One until August 2008.

All these can be declared "past" NOW. This Berdych win over Roger is the fall of Constantinople. When this great campaign started, Federer's serve was as reliable and steady as the Constantinople walls. He paid for his cracks in one game in the first set. But the inconsistency seemed over-comable. And few clues of a SHOCK. Berdych fired some brilliant gun powders, off both wings, and of course, with the serve. He put pressure on Roger's backhand consistently. And that he pulled himself out of the double-break deficit in the second set, thus not losing the momentum and gaining the "serve first" advantage proved to be crucial in this match.

The third set progressed into the unthinkable. The manner he missed and lost, his sluggish steps, and his futile "Come On"s, all the failed tries to really get into this match symbolized something unreversable. He never stepped up. He showed us what the subtle aging and slightly lower pace could lead to--the loss of magic power, the loss of seamless defense-offense transition, the completion of de-deification, on the ultimate altar!

For the fourth set, I begin to feel for all the Roger fans, like XHL. Both sides played great, and you would always imagine, if you watched LIVE, that Tomas would suddenly wake up, and falter, and choke, but no, it is a matured Berdych, and he is not in a dream. He has the nerves now, and he is recalling Athens 2004. I begin to like him, his shot-making. But still, Roger, with all his versatilities, had every chance to turn it back. But he couldn't make it. A brilliant last game ended with a signiature forehand incide-out winner for Berdych of the Czech Republic. Into the record books it goes: Berdych defeated Federer by 3 sets to 1, 4-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, and it is Berdych vs Djokovic in the seminfinal.te