15 Responses

  1. GoranVR
    GoranVR July 4, 2013 at 6:51 pm |

    Losing is a part of the job… losing graciously is a sign of success.

    1. Katwhale
      Katwhale July 4, 2013 at 9:19 pm |

      Excellent. Well said.
      The best recent comparison is Verdasco’s handshake after his heartbreaker against Murry

  2. Jon
    Jon July 4, 2013 at 7:05 pm |

    With regard to the Sabine/Aga handshake controversy; I will ask, for what seems like the thirtieth time today, what was Aga expected to do? She lost a heart-breaker, she was pissed off, she DID shake hands, and she got off the court. Case closed. As much as Sabine wears her heart on her sleeve on the court, Aga wears hers off the court. The match was superb, and cannot be compared to Janowicz/Kubot.

  3. Max
    Max July 4, 2013 at 7:11 pm |

    Lisicki is all smiles when she’s winning but gives poor handshakes when she loses.
    I’m not fooled.

    For all the negative press they get, the likes of Serena and Maria will give you a proper handshake when they lose.

  4. Steve
    Steve July 4, 2013 at 8:00 pm |

    I wouldn’t put it at controversy level, but it is a sign of poor sportsmanship and an unfortunate display.

  5. Nicole
    Nicole July 4, 2013 at 8:22 pm |

    In my mind, handshakes like Aga’s are the norm: you give the quickest handshake possible and get the heck off the court when you have a painful loss. It’s the least expected of you, and if you do that, fine.

    But if, after a painful loss, you can find it in yourself to congratulate your conqueror warmly and wait for them before you leave the court? You’ve gone beyond the call of duty and have shown exemplary sportsmanship.

    Instead of laying into someone who’s done the least expected of them, let’s just give great kudos to those who go beyond. (and give the others a break.)

  6. Nicole
    Nicole July 4, 2013 at 8:23 pm |

    One more comment: this tournament has truly been amazing to watch.

  7. Poorna
    Poorna July 5, 2013 at 2:13 am |

    Nicely said, Nicole! As always, we can’t expect everyone to be so steady and smiling after a crushing defeat. Maybe she wanted to cry her hearts out, not in front of an audience, but in solace. And that’s why some players leave the court immediately.

  8. Jewell
    Jewell July 5, 2013 at 2:24 am |

    In this age of all-surface competence, Lisicki’s grass & Wimbledon specialism is rather fun.

  9. Joshua
    Joshua July 5, 2013 at 3:43 am |

    I guess I’m not all that interested in handshakes, but really, dudes, what’s more unsporting? Giving a brief, clinical handshake and getting the heck out of there, or rolling around on the grass like a laughing idiot for five minutes while your vanquished opponent is required by etiquette to stand there and watch you?

    And I’ve been obsessed with Bartoli for a long time, but she answers Tom Rinaldi’s stupefaction at her habit of napping before matches (deserved stupefaction! who on Earth naps before the Wimbledon semi? Marion, that’s who!) with “I don’t know, maybe there’s a cat inside me,” I was totally in love again. Not to mention her dismissive response to their attempts at “intellectual” questions. (“Even Brad would’ve gotten that!”)

  10. Master Ace
    Master Ace July 5, 2013 at 8:16 am |

    Linz,
    On that handshake, I was disappointed on how A Radwanska shook Lisicki’s hand with her back turned. Reason for that is she has been voted the WTA fan favorite for the last 2 years. Also, she can get very snarky. During the Fed Cup tie, her answer to a question was less than one minute and left promptly because she did not like the Israeli crowd, who are known to be very rude to opposition(ie – Chakvetadze doing that famous chicken reaction in front of them after Peer told the crowd to distract Safina the prior day). She could have been more professional than that in my opinion. Overall, I understand that A Radwanska was disappointed that she missed her chances and I feel that this was A Radwanska last chance of winning a Slam. Reason I say this is when Wozniacki lost to Li at 2011 AO SF after having a chance to serve out the match, I thought Wozniacki would be a familiar face in the latter stages but instead, regressed and now if she makes a Slam QF, that would be a huge accomplishment.

  11. marcela
    marcela July 5, 2013 at 11:59 am |

    I’ve loved Marion since 2007 when she was losing her match to Henin and saw 007 Pierce Brosnan in the stands. “I was focusing on Pierce Brosnan because he is so beautiful. I was just watching him. He was the only one – I said to myself, it’s not possible I play so badly in front of him.” The next day, prior to the final with Venus, she received flowers from Brosnan. Also, is she a Flashdance fan? first her back-bend at the end of the match and then exposing her shoulder during the interview…

    RE: handshake. Do this happen more frequently among women? Most recently, in the FO, Madison Keys gave a very cold handshake to Monica Puig after her loss, and they’re supposed to be friends. Very disappointing in both cases.
    By the way, love this blog. Thanks.

  12. Sabey
    Sabey July 5, 2013 at 3:18 pm |

    Contrast Radwanska’s awfully cold post match reaction with Serena’s. Serena is warm and friendly to Lisicki at the net and then waits to walk out with her. Some how, it’s Serena who gets flak for being a bad sport while everyone makes excuses for Radwanska. Go figure.

  13. Ray
    Ray July 6, 2013 at 12:05 am |

    It has been almost two days and I still have not been able to get over Aga’s loss. I hope she will be able to because man what a loss. I don’t think I’ve been this upset since Andy lost the Wimbledon final in ’09. Actually I was probably more upset then. Anyway I hope that Marion wins tomorrow and Sabine can’t come on(auf gehts) after every single point she wins.

  14. nyc
    nyc July 6, 2013 at 10:57 pm |

    For starters, both Lindsay Davenport and Martina Navratilova criticized Radwanska’s poor sportsmanship. As Martina said, “I can’t imagine not looking my opponent in the eye after a match.”

    Are we really at the point where a disappointing loss warrants poor sportsmanship. That is exactly when real sportsmanship should shine through.

    Del Potro was gutted after losing his 5 set semifinal to Nole the next day, but he hugged Djokovic. So was Janowicz, but he and Murray also embraced. And remember Serena Williams’ warm words to Lisicki after the big upset.

    Aga has a great, thoughtful game and seems a delightful young woman when interviewed off court. But please stop making excuses for this bad behavior.

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