2009 French Open TV Schedule

1. Shane

   Posted May 30, 2009 at 1:15 pm

   I am emailing re: the ball hitting Sanchez’ arm, It is very clear that the ball hit her arm.

   I can’t believe the umpire in the game of Serina Williams and Martinez Sanchez. I never write in like this but ***, the umpire and Sanchez are pathetic, I lost respect for Sanchez as a competitor. Whatever she has gone thru in her life does not matter when you are competing and something like this happens. She should have told the ump immediately that the ball hit her arm and the ump should have gotten off his butt to look at her arm for a red mark, in the very least. Sanchez is not a true competitor and is that desperate to win she needs to cheat. If Williams loses this game, she should protest. This is ****!
   GO WILLIAMS!!!
   Sincerely,
   Shane

2. PaulaV

   Posted May 30, 2009 at 8:10 pm

   Shane,

   Initially, I had sided with Serena, but now I’m not so sure. If the tables were turned, would Serena own up to a ball hitting her in the arm if it meant the difference between winning a crucial game or not? I tend to think she would defer to the umpire.

   Here’s another example: if a player hits a ball and it is out, and the opponent sees that it’s out, but the umpire/linesman missed it/didn’t call it, would it be “cheating” if the opponent does not step up and say something?

   Here’s the replay:
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S78TDLLGjc

3. Wilson Spaulding

   Posted May 31, 2009 at 1:09 pm

   PaulaV: In the words of the immortal John McEnroe: YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

   There is absolutely no justification for the egregious display of dishonesty that Sanchez demonstrated on court at Roland Garros in front of the world yesterday; certainly no amount of ludicrous spin can uphold Sanchez’s outright lying.

   And to suggest that Serena would stoop to lying in an twisted attempt to bolster Sanchez’s behavior is despicable. Every objective observer of the sport has praised the Williams Sisters for their on-court fairness and honesty. No one inside tennis has ever intimated that the Williams Sisters would lie or cheat under any circumstances. And Serena was absolutely correct when she labeled Sanchez a cheater; Sanchez will be looked upon as a cheater from now on.

   Mary Carillo said it quite succinctly and effectively on broadcast television yesterday: “Shame on Sanchez!”

   And shame on you PaulaV for suggesting that Serena would lie under similar circumstances; you can say someone is a liar only after they have lied, not before.

4. PaulaV

   Posted May 31, 2009 at 4:27 pm

   Wow, I guess I hit a nerve, here. Sorry…I hear you loud and clear. Definitely wrong of me to make some assumptions about Serena’s character. I would say the blame should indeed be shared by Sanchez and the umpire. Not sure if the umpire was ever questioned post-match.

5. Wilson Spaulding

   Posted May 31, 2009 at 11:08 pm

   PaulaV: The disturbing part about your remarks and similar remarks made by many others concerning Serena and/or Venus has nothing to do with “hitting a nerve”. The disturbing part is that people have the nerve to launch such false, offensive, and abhorrent statements at all.

   As this particular incident shows will jarring clarity, people will even deny the evidence of their own eyes in an almost pathological effort to advance an absurd notion based on little more than “assumptions”. And every day the truth suffers a billion attacks thanks in large part to all these warped psyches floating throughout the blogosphere.

   Your apology is duly noted; a word to the wise: think before you comment.

6. Alex

   Posted June 1, 2009 at 1:54 pm

   Some of the commentating has been completely unprofessional. They were making fun of Soderling and saying he is wacky. And now again they speak of monfils cheering on the crowd too much. These commentators are a complete disgrace to the classy game of tennis. Instead they should be more diplomatic. Please replace those commentators with new ones!!!

7. Tom

   Posted June 2, 2009 at 4:25 pm

   NBC has scheduled 3 hours (taped) for the Mens’ Semifinals while ESPN2 has 5 hours (live) scheduled for the Womens’ Semifinals. It seems that NBC buys the TV rights just so they can antagonize tennis fans. No love lost for NBC!

8. Jerry Parsons

   Posted June 3, 2009 at 7:39 pm

   NBC is painful. Tennis channel is the best. Forget all the talk about other things and stick to the match at hand. We need access to all of the matches.

9. Jerry Parsons

   Posted June 4, 2009 at 6:25 pm

   Dick Enburg said Cibulcova had bad DNA because she could not reach a lob from Safina. That is very wrong. My Daughter is the same height and her DNA is just fine. He should check his DNA for possible problems.

10. Anders

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 7:46 am

    I agree with the statements on the commentary of the matches. Cliff and Mary Carillo I love. Even though, Mary’s Beijing coverage was not cultural journalism at all, more of how crazy are the Chinese from a western POV. Darren and Brad often put in some good points as well but don’t overdo what they know about individual’s games and personalities. Sorry, Pat, Pam and Bud (***, worse than the old 60 minutes guy). And a special ugghh to Justin Gimelstob who needs to take his suggestions from now back in time 10 years. What did he ever do? Come on guys, we all love the game, keep your personal opinions about players to yourselves and lets talk about the live tennis.

11. Alicia

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 11:50 am

    I am amazed that you are not showing the Federer semifinal match. What better story in the French Open than Federer aiming for 14 majors and his own Grand Slam. I am quite regularly disappointed by the way US networks cover tennis. as an avid fan, I am not simply a fan of American players, but want to watch the best on the circuit. The last Federer match was shortened after a long Serena match (though not on NBC). If fans got the chance to see the best tennis, maybe interest in the game would increase!

12. Matt

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 12:25 pm

    It is unbelievable that the french open mens semifinals are not being shown live on tv in the US. NBC should be ashamed.

13. Gina

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    I would like to know the reasoning behind not showing the other mens semifinal. Was the decision made by the same person who put “I’m a celebrity, get me out of here?” on the air?
    I’m very disappointed in NBC’s programming choices.

14. Craig

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 1:27 pm

    I’m guessing you don’t need to be as smart as a rocket scientist to be a television programmer, but what exactly are the criterion for the job? In addition to their primary network, NBC has two cable outlets and ESPN has about 5 different channels and between the two networks, they can’t find a way to broadcast the Federer match? (Kudos to the Roland Garros Radio Network as at least I could listen to the match which was thrilling.) NBC and ESPN have done a very poor job of covering this story and the tournament overall, and that leads me to believe ESPN won’t come close to equaling the extraordinary job USA Network did for years in covering the US Open. The USTA may have made a monetary gain in switching to ESPN for the US Open but if the coverage is poor, it will be at the expense of maintaining interest in and growing the sport.

15. Michele

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 2:12 pm

    I too am VERY frustrated with the choice to show us tape-delayed semi-final matches. WHY do that??

    I am choosing to follow the matches on the internet and not bother to tune in to watch already completed matches.

16. Melody

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    NBC’s coverage of the French Open is pathetic! Especially not broadcasting both Mens semifinals! ESPN has done a much better job! Is there anything we can do to block NBC from future broadcasting?

17. jon

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    You have got to be kidding. I got home with my DVR fully loaded to watch tennis, and the Federer match is not shown? The greatest player of his generation in one of the four big tournaments and NBC doesn’t show it! Please NBC do us all a favor and NEVER go for a tennis contract again. OR anything for that matter. YOU ****.

18. Linda Minster

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 6:01 pm

    I watched the men’s semis on NBC this am & was disappointed that the Federer match wasn’t shown after the Soderling match.
    Will it be shown (replayed)? If so, on what channel & time?
    Thank you.
    Linda Minster

19. Aaress Lawless

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 6:01 pm

    To all those who left feedback regarding ESPN or NBC,

    Thank you for commenting at On the Baseline, however, if you would like to leave a message for ESPN, please do so by visiting this link:

    http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/contact

    Also, NBC Sports’s contact email is nbcsports@nbcuni.com

20. Linda Minster

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 6:02 pm

    will the Federer semis match be shown again? NBC or ESPN?

21. Aaress Lawless

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 6:04 pm

    Linda,

    We only cover women’s tennis news at On the Baseline, so unfortunately I don’t know the answer to your question. However, you might try contacting your local NBC affiliate or ESPN at the link above to see if it will be reaired.

22. Nina

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 9:30 pm

    I was extremely disappointed that the Federer/DelPotro semi-final was not broadcast after the abbreviated airing of the Soderling/Gonzales semi. I cannot imagine what poor thinking process was involved in this decision. As an avid tennis fan I have been consistently disappointed by broadcasting choices over the years but this stands as one of the most egregious decisions I can recall. Federer is one of the greatest players ever and an excellent ambassador for the sport. His star is far brighter then Soderling or Gonzales (though I love them both) and not airing this critical match was an unbelievable decision. NBC owes us an apology especially since what got aired after the thrilling first semi-final was, on the west coast, a soap opera.

23. Nina

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 9:37 pm

    Thank you for providing the references for contacting ESPN and NBC and I apologize for hi-jacking your informative article by venting my spleen about NBC and it’s broadcasting choices.

24. Aaress Lawless

    Posted June 5, 2009 at 9:41 pm

    Nina, no apologies are needed! I enjoy watching tennis on television as well, so I can definitely understand the frustration.

25. Douglas Blair

    Posted June 6, 2009 at 8:25 pm

    If it were only possible to the get the BBC to handle the production and prodcast, they put NBC and ESPN to shame.

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