Tennis Thread

[truthaboutluv]

32 minutes ago, Gillian Rosh said:

I half-watched highlights of Ruud/Cilic. Why was the crowd booing Ruud?

lol, they weren't booing him. They where screaming "Ruud" but it sounded like "boo." 

[emmawoodhouse]

I heard that a protestor halted the Cilic/Ruud match. Did anyone see what happened?

[Rickster]

6 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

I heard that a protestor halted the Cilic/Ruud match. Did anyone see what happened?

A young woman (believe she was a climate change activist) ran on the court and tied herself to one of the net posts, I think with wire, maybe around her neck (coverage deliberately did not show many close ups). Security took quite a while to deal with her. Initially I think they were checking to make sure other protesters did not come out of the stands, too. The players left the court for a few minutes.

[Carey]

I don't believe one could make a bet on the length of a match, but I might have hit the lottery if I had a parlay with the visiting team for Game 1 of the NBA Finals and Women's Final Total Time.

Great things going forward for Coco while greatness continues for Iga Swiatek.  The 2022 Champion just had places to go.  If there actually was a time length wager, I'd probably would've avoided it, as it would've been disrespectful to Gauff if I went under 45 minutes

Edited June 4, 2022 by Carey

[TVbitch]

I figured by the time I got up this morning, the women's final would be over. Aside from Iga, it's such an inconsistent and lop-sided group, it's kind of hard for me to get into. 

The men's semis were certainly dramatic. In the words of Jim Courier who did not realize his mike was live coming back from commercial after Sasha's fall: "God dammit!" I was enjoying that match.

I don't know how to feel about Sasha, but he truly was playing his peak tennis this tournament. Rafa was very kind and they seem to be pretty close, so I'm sure it was hard for him. I don't think Ruud will be a total pushover, but I'm glad Rafa did not have to exhaust himself in a 5-setter. I don't know how he plays dripping wet like that. I would not be able to stand it! 

[nittany cougar]

I thought Gauff did really well, considering that it was her first major final.  She looked pretty nervous in the first set and seemed to get more comfortable and adjust over time, just not soon enough. 

From what the commentators were saying, Swiatek's forehand is very hard to hit.  She also seems to have a lot of lateral speed in the back court.  I am excited to see more matches between these two players. Considering that they are only 18 and 21 years old, this could be an exciting rivalry.

I'm definitely tuning in to see Gauff and Pegula in the doubles championship tomorrow.

[truthaboutluv]

7 hours ago, TVbitch said:

I don't know how he plays dripping wet like that. I would not be able to stand it! 

He barely could, which is why he got broken four times in the second set. Rafa always naturally sweats a lot but with the humidity and the roof closed, it was out of control.

And it was affecting his shot making because he was having problems gripping the racket the way he's used to. I know it's supposed to rain again tomorrow and so the roof may be closed. Hopefully the humidity isn't as high. 

Edited June 4, 2022 by truthaboutluv

[mojoween]

Happy Men’s Finals Day!  I know we are supposed to have Breakfast at Wimbledon but I am having breakfast at the French - leftover fries from The Cheesecake Factory.

It may be weird because it’s not fancy, but I absolutely love Mary’s blue sweater/blue dress shirt combo.  She looks great in it and I would wear that 100%.

Edited June 5, 2022 by mojoween

[Carey]

Prior to Nadal 14th and 22nd, I had to laugh for a second at a quick dialogue between Hicks and Carillo.  "Rudd's never lost six to love.  Rudd's never faced this guy."

ETA: McInroe may have added to that, but I believe he said that Rafe may have been stunned about how he won, not that he won

Edited June 5, 2022 by Carey

[truthaboutluv]

And the King remains supreme. Just sheer brilliance. 

[Carey]

1 minute ago, truthaboutluv said:

And the King remains supreme. Just sheer brilliance. 

While it feels like the competition is getting (or has gotten better on the men's side), I think he has a rather decent shot to catch & maybe surpass Court

[mojoween]

Do Rafa’s eight on the other three surfaces vault him as the G.O.A.T over the other two?  I think it does*.

* I didn’t look up how many French Novak has won, and I won’t, because to hell with him.

[Carey]

I'm not going to look it up either.  I have other things to do (that are more important).  I will if I plan to post an accurate number since I'm a fan of facts & research when it comes to one's totals.  Plus, I didn't look up how many French The Joke has because 22 > 20.

Off the top of my head, I don't think Novak has that many French.  I remember how he needed it to complete the career grand slam, and that wasn't too long ago.  Before and after that, Nadal was still crushing it.

I believe Novak shines or shined the most at the Australian (similar to how Federer rolled at Wimbledon & Rafa at the French).  Outside of 2004-2008, it's been a title here and there at the US Open for those three.  Though I don't know if Roger won a sixth major in the US outside of a period where he won 5 straight at Wimbledon one-year plus in advance

[Bewitched]

My very unscientific theory is that Djoker has been able to win a lot of  Australians because Roger and Rafa were still finishing rehab from pushing themselves through "their" tournaments and weren't in match shape yet.  (And Murray of course had major injuries that took him out for long periods of time).  Djoker is many things, but one of them is amazingly fit and that would help at the beginning of the season when many people are still getting ready.

[Crashcourse]

Congrats to Rafa!  I'm not surprised he won, but I am surprised that he won so easily.

Ruud gave such a gracious speech and I laughed when he said that he wasn't the only victim.  😅

[CountryGirl]

Vamos, Rafa! The King remains King. 

Obligatory, suck it, Djoker!

[truthaboutluv]

2 hours ago, mojoween said:

Do Rafa’s eight on the other three surfaces vault him as the G.O.A.T over the other two?  I think it does*.

* I didn’t look up how many French Novak has won, and I won’t, because to hell with him.

lol, he has 2. It was the 1 for the longest time, until he beat Rafa in last year's semifinals and then went on to beat Tsitsipas who frankly could have and should have won that match, as he was up 2 sets to love.

The second French Open made him for a time only one of 3 ATP players in history to have multiple wins of all four Grand Slams. Rafa matched that record when he won Australian Open this year. 

[BlackberryJam]

I was nervous. Rafa’s foot worries me. However, you can see how much he loves playing and how much each of these wins means to him. I loved seeing King Felipe and Crown Prince Haakon with Mette-Marit, his wife, all sitting together. I would love Queen Letizia to have been there as well. 

Is Johnny Mac sounding hoarse/drunk to anyone but me?

Also, SUCK IT, NoVaxx!

[I Want My MBTV]

On 6/5/2022 at 8:41 AM, Carey said:

While it feels like the competition is getting (or has gotten better on the men's side), I think he has a rather decent shot to catch & maybe surpass Court

Let's hope so as it certainly doesn't look like Serena is going to especially if she doesn't come back soon.  I just hate that Court's name even has to be mentioned.    

My opinion based on absolutely nothing but my own feelings is that if Rafa can play he'll stick around until the Olympics and play those in Paris and then maybe retire there. That's in two years so several more slam chances to pass that person who's name I'm not going to mention again :-)

[shok]

Here's the best article/interview I've seen with Rafa about his foot (too long to post here so follow the link. It's Rafael Plaza who knows Rafa and his team very well.) What Rafa has gone through with his foot is just hard to believe.

I think they should be able to do something with these treatments. Epidural type treatments have come a long way so deadening the troublesome nerve isn't even radical treatment any more. Vamos Rafa. I hope it works for you.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-brutal-roland-garros-post-mortem

[theatremouse]

For future reference, linking to the article rather than reposting it is the appropriate course of action, regardless of length of the article in question.

[shok]

8 hours ago, theatremouse said:

For future reference, linking to the article rather than reposting it is the appropriate course of action, regardless of length of the article in question.

I'm not sure I understand your post. So are you saying I did the right thing by posting the link? That we shouldn't post articles themselves at any time? How about pertinent parts of articles?

[Carey]

I'm not theatremouse, but I think the situation here was posting a link and then summarizing the contents of the link.  Posting info elsewhere tends to trend toward a negative situation where one's post includes info that wasn't there own (but from the original writer instead).  It's your typical copyright violation; you didn't do anything wrong, shok.  I believe it's just a heads up going forward since someone might post an entire article if said article was very short.

I think a sentence or two (quoting & crediting the author) could work.  I'd be clear with it, but in the past, I've usually just made mention to an outside article instead of posting anything within my posts

[emmawoodhouse]

Actually, a little summary with the link is appreciated. And actually REQUIRED in the celebrity deaths forum. 

I always write a sentence or two and embed my links in the text more often than not. Kills two birds with one stone. 😃

Edited June 8, 2022 by emmawoodhouse

[Rickster]

On 6/7/2022 at 6:00 AM, shok said:

Here's the best article/interview I've seen with Rafa about his foot (too long to post here so follow the link. It's Rafael Plaza who knows Rafa and his team very well.) What Rafa has gone through with his foot is just hard to believe.

I think they should be able to do something with these treatments. Epidural type treatments have come a long way so deadening the troublesome nerve isn't even radical treatment any more. Vamos Rafa. I hope it works for you.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-brutal-roland-garros-post-mortem

After reading this, if I were Rafa, I’d retire. It’s not like he has anything left to prove. 

[BlackberryJam]

19 hours ago, Rickster said:

After reading this, if I were Rafa, I’d retire. It’s not like he has anything left to prove. 

He says he competes because he enjoys it, not because he feels the need to prove anything. He just loves playing tennis competitively. 

[shok]

19 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

He says he competes because he enjoys it, not because he feels the need to prove anything. He just loves playing tennis competitively. 

And he does it very well.  😉

[Harry24]

Well, here’s some big news:

Someone Famous Will be Playing Wimby ....

[KittenPokerCheater]

I would like it is Serena won, just to prove the “mothers can still win majors.”  Then, I’m happy if she retires.

I will always root for Rafa and Federer, even when they are old and gray, hobbling around the court.  

[TVbitch]

Ugh, it must be so unnerving to for players and umpires to look at the draw and see they have Nick Kyrgios. I thought Tsitsipas handled it well. To his credit Nick ran over and gave his smashed racquet to a disabled fan on the other side of the court after the match, but for me, his matches are almost too stressful to watch. 

[CouchTater]

On 6/15/2022 at 12:10 PM, TVbitch said:

Ugh, it must be so unnerving to for players and umpires to look at the draw and see they have Nick Kyrgios. I thought Tsitsipas handled it well. To his credit Nick ran over and gave his smashed racquet to a disabled fan on the other side of the court after the match, but for me, his matches are almost too stressful to watch. 

I agree, I don't enjoy Kyrgios matches anymore, and I was a fan.  Pam Shriver (??) referred to him as neurodivergent yesterday, and I think she may be on to something.  He just can't seem to keep himself reigned in at all.

[truthaboutluv]

That is exactly why I stopped watching any Kyrgios match years ago. It must be two years or so that I have not watched any match involving Kyrgios. Not even if he plays Rafa, who is my fave player, will I watch. I just follow the score online.

As I said before, I never thought Kyrgios' shit was cute and it has gotten increasingly uncomfortable and at times borderline abusive to the lines people, umpires, his opponents, etc. Will not do it. 

Btw, speaking of Rafa, Spanish media is reporting that he and his wife are expecting their first child. No official confirmation from them but that's par the course for Rafa, who rarely comments on his private life. Apparently there were some Pap pictures of them on his yacht that showed her with a slight bump. 

Edited June 16, 2022 by truthaboutluv

[Carey]

Huh.  I thought Rafa already was a father.  If Nadal wanted to keep this quiet until after his delivered, that is totally fair and routine as mentioned.  Taking away the private stuff, there are several people that choose to stay mum when it comes to one's pregnancy (especially if it's early and the sad case of something terrible early or even late).

IIRC, the Mannings didn't disclose the fact that they became fathers until after their wives delivered.  At least I didn't see any news prior with Peyton and Eli.  I guess it wasn't easy for Nadal (but not on the Prince/Duchess level from 2013 IMO).

Speaking of Rafa, as mentioned, the guy plays because of the love of the game.  I'd be surprised if he retires over the injury stuff.  If he's still able to play (at a decent level) he'll go for it.  Especially with the record within reach.

Yeah, I'm always going to root for Federer, Serena, and Nadal too.   In time, I might add Kerber, Barty, and Swiatek, but what an awesome past 20-30-40 years for great legends and matches in the sport!  When it's over for Roger and Rafa, on the men's side, I might treat it like Tiger-less PGA stuff (IOW, rooting for a great tournament)

[emmawoodhouse]

Barty retired. 

[Carey]

Oh yeah; I totally forgot.  I do remember reading that she called it quits.  Just did not when I posted, obviously

[emmawoodhouse]

I just remember because it was such a shock. It came out of nowhere. 

[truthaboutluv]

Rafa confirmed today during a press interview that he will compete at Wimbledon, or at least try to. He also confirmed that yes, his wife is pregnant. 

[blackwing]

I read an article somewhere lamenting that some big names have pulled out of Wimbledon because of injuries but also speculating that the decision to not award ranking points was a factor.

Names cited were Naomi Osaka, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, and.... Eugenie Bouchard.  Really?  Eugenie Bouchard is a "big name"?  She hasn't been relevant and competitive in maybe 8 years.  I used to like her a lot but ever since she started blaming her issues on slipping in the locker room, I just don't care for her.  And then of course she was very vocal against Maria Sharapova, which, really, concentrate on your own game before sqauwking about someone who is more accomplished than you will ever be.

Anyhoo... I bet the ranking points thing has some decision on Thiem.  But Zverev seems genuinely injured.  And Osaka was poised to take yet another mental health break after her embarrassing first round French Open exit anyways.

[CouchTater]

I heard Bouchard say that she can only enter so many tournaments using her protected ranking (or something) and it wouldn't make sense for her to play at a tournament for no ranking points.  Makes sense to me, I guess.

But I agree, she shouldn't be included in a list of "big names" who won't be at Wimbledon.

[theatremouse]

She's a "big name" in the sense of being a famous person, no that she's a major factor in majors right now.

[shok]

I totally agree with what Charly Moya has to say in this interview, especially this comment. “For me, it is essential that the player thinks for himself, the coach’s job is already done. It’s like an exam, the teacher can help you, but once the exam starts you’re on your own."

https://tennishead.net/carlos-moya-totally-against-the-atps-decision-to-test-off-court-coaching/

[truthaboutluv]

Well this Wimbledon is certainly off to a great start. Two players who maybe not favorites to win the whole thing but at least expected to go deep, both out due to COVID. Someone jokingly said on social media that at this point, this title will come down to who isn't Russian/Belarusian, injured and/or has COVID.

[Crashcourse]

Too bad about Berrettini and Cilic testing positive for COVID.

[roseha]

I just read about Berrettini - who had just won 2 straight warmup tournaments - and Cilic.  It is so unfortunate.   Both former finalists who had a serious chance to go far. 

The important thing is that both of them apparently self reported their Covid cases.  It is being stated that both were in close contact with other players. 

Will Wimbledon institute daily testing?  I think they should.

[Crashcourse]

Congratulations to Harmony Tan with her victory over Serena.  Man, that was an entertaining match!  

Serena gave it her all, and kudos to her.  However, I'm watching Pardon the Interruption right now, and Pablo Torre said it best about her:  "I'm tired watching her get tired."  So am I.

[CountryGirl]

10 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Too bad about Berrettini and Cilic testing positive for COVID.

That is a shame. On a shallow note, I’m very sorry not to see the pretty, pretty Berrittini. 

[emmawoodhouse]

3 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Congratulations to Harmony Tan with her victory over Serena.  Man, that was an entertaining match!  

Serena gave it her all, and kudos to her.  However, I'm watching Pardon the Interruption right now, and Pablo Torre said it best about her:  "I'm tired watching her get tired."  So am I.

Will she try again at the US Open, or is she finished? 

[Crashcourse]

12 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

That is a shame. On a shallow note, I’m very sorry not to see the pretty, pretty Berrittini. 

I know. 😢

[Harry24]

6 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

That is a shame. On a shallow note, I’m very sorry not to see the pretty, pretty Berrittini. 

And Cilic ain’t chopped liver either.

[nittany cougar]

ESPN has decided to use the rain delay to rerun Serena's loss to Harmony Tan.  That match was hard to watch because Serena looked uncomfortable and tired.  I have no interest in the "encore" ESPN.

ESPN morning coverage of Wimbledon had an interesting fact: SInce 2000, the only woman to win the French Open and then win Wimbledon the same year was Serena Williams.   They used this stat to question whether Iga Swiatek can pull off the WImbledon win this year.  The top 3 players according to WImbledon oddsmakers are Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, and Petra Kvitova. 

I personally would love to see Kvitova get a third Wimbledon title.

I've heard so much about Swiatek's forehand without any explanation of what makes it special.  Props to Mary Jo Fernandez for this explanation, "It is big and heavy and pushes her opponents back."