Tennis Thread

[truthaboutluv]

And Zverev's out (I guess I should specify it's Alexander, since his brother Mischa is still in the draw). Can't say I'm that surprised. He looked really shaky in his first round. So far it seems like he buckles under the pressure and expectations on the big stage. I guess that's where youth and inexperience factors in. Will be very interesting to see who comes out of that side of the draw, with the top half being so stacked with all the top players. 

[theatremouse]

I don't know about that. He's been shown previously to love the big stage. Coric I'd put in the same category of next big thing as Sasha. He just got beat. He wasn't terrible, but the other guy has the goods. Coric hasn't really broken through as much yet as the younger Zverev, but I think in a year or two they'll both be regulars in slam quarters, if not farther. If anything I think Zverev may have been slightly overconfident.

[truthaboutluv]

27 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

I don't know about that. He's been shown previously to love the big stage.

Yes, he's had two big Masters win but both times when he then came into the Slam with high expectations because of those wins, he's faltered. Yes, admittedly Verdasco is not a great person to draw in the first round because he can suddenly decide to be an old version of himself and be on fire and Coric was amazing today, no question. However, like I said, I thought Alex looked really shaky in his first round and he had many opportunities in the match today that he couldn't capitalize on. I just think he still has some maturing to do with his game, which is understandable as he's only 20., 

[TVbitch]

Shapovalov was in command of Tsonga.

And even though she is too old for him, I could not help but think if Maria married him, she would be Maria Sharapova-Shapovalov. 

[truthaboutluv]

The youngsters making some big moves on the men's side. Dimitrov out, beaten by 19 year-old Rublev. Even with a loss like Tiafoe's, the fact that he made the match as close as it was, was impressive. I am starting to feel like Grigor may go the way of Gasquet. A player who had so much promise, hype and expectation and just never able to pull it all together at the Majors. 

[BitterApple]

I'm not sure what's going on with Federer, but he's not looking too good. Ten sets of tennis in his first two rounds at the age of 36? I wonder if his body will hold up into the next week. The draw is really wide open this year. I'd love to see one of these younger guys break through and win the title. 

[truthaboutluv]

56 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

I'm not sure what's going on with Federer, but he's not looking too good. Ten sets of tennis in his first two rounds at the age of 36? I wonder if his body will hold up into the next week. The draw is really wide open this year. I'd love to see one of these younger guys break through and win the title. 

I think he's not physically a 100 percent and so it's affecting his movement. Will see how long he can squeak out of trouble or if his fitness will magically get better. I want to say that if he had that much trouble with Youzhny then he'll have his hands full with Lopez who looks much sharper than Youzhny but I've expected matches to be tough and the opponent just falls apart. So we shall see. 

Edited September 1, 2017 by truthaboutluv

[SuburbanHangSuite]

My heart won't take too many more Fed Five Setters.

Monfils continues to baffle.  So much talent but such a flake.

Am I the only one who finds CoCo Vandeweghe to be completely insufferable?

[Ohwell]

2 minutes ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

Am I the only one who finds CoCo Vandeweghe to be completely insufferable?

Hell no, you aren't the only one.  I've seen her in interviews and I just want to slap the bitch.

 

4 minutes ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

Monfils continues to baffle.  So much talent but such a flake.

Lol.  Monfils can't "win" even when he wins.  I'm glad he is who he is and just does his thing.

 

43 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

The draw is really wide open this year. I'd love to see one of these younger guys break through and win the title. 

So would I.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

7 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Lol.  Monfils can't "win" even when he wins.  I'm glad he is who he is and just does his thing.

Oh, don't get me wrong.  I love him. But I feel like he just cruises or gets distracted in matches he should win easily.  Not that Donald Young is a gimme.  But I think Monfils is supremely talented and should have a few majors under his belt.  Would love for this to be the year.

[BitterApple]

16 minutes ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

 

Monfils continues to baffle.  So much talent but such a flake.

 

Monfils is one of those guys who makes me want to bang my head against the wall. So much talent and raw athletic ability but he doesn't have the head. If he could've gotten the mental aspect together earlier in his career, he'd easily be a multiple Slam winner and a top five player. 

[Spunkygal]

23 minutes ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

My heart won't take too many more Fed Five Setters.

Monfils continues to baffle.  So much talent but such a flake.

Am I the only one who finds CoCo Vandeweghe to be completely insufferable?

I cannot stand her! I root for anyone she is playing. She was so rude to her opponent tonight....shaking the chair umpire's hand before her defeated opponent did. 

[SuburbanHangSuite]

1 minute ago, Spunkygal said:

I cannot stand her! I root for anyone she is playing. She was so rude to her opponent tonight....

LOL.  me too!  And did you catch her post-match interview?  Completely dismissed Jabeur's play.  She made some comment about having played her a few years ago but, "I didn't remember that at all" like Jabeur was too inconsequential for her memory.  Bish needs to learn some humility but quickly.

[truthaboutluv]

I wish someone would muzzle McEnroe. So Rafa and Daniel play a total of two games and McEnroe's dumb ass starts crowing about how this will be so ugly and brutal because essentially Rafa was just going to steamroll Daniel. Yeah, he's now down a set. Thanks a lot, dumbass. 

[theatremouse]

Rafa could take a cab to the baseline from where he's returning.

[GeminiDancer]

Coco, if you have to proclaim so much about how much of a New Yorker you are, you are not a New Yorker. STFU, you try-hard. No one there was checking for you.

She was extremely rude when talking about her opponent, not just with the "I don't remember her" but also saying that she had an awkward style of play. In the words of Kendrick Lamar, "Be humble. Sit down."

[truthaboutluv]

2 hours ago, theatremouse said:

Rafa could take a cab to the baseline from where he's returning.

lol. Lleyton Hewitt used to stand that far behind the baseline as well and it never made sense to me then either. I know I'm not the professional but it just seems like standing that far back requires the player to work so much harder. 

Speaking of Rafa, it's kind of fascinating watching him so far in the Open. This is a guy who has 15 Grand Slam titles, is currently number one again and he's clearly so tense and nervous at the start of both of his first two matches. That's why he's had these slow starts in both of his matches and mis-hitting all over the place. You can practically feel the tension coming off him. I have a feeling it's probably because he didn't exactly have the summer hardcourt performance he wanted. 

Btw, I was on twitter during the match and some people were saying that they almost wished Rafa would lose just because the commentators were that annoying. Now clearly I would never hope for any such thing but I saw their point about the annoying commentary. McEnroe was ready to write Daniel off after two games and to Daniel's credit, he made the match competitive. Yet as soon as Rafa was back in control McEnroe and company were so dismissive of Daniel, making snide comments, cracks, etc. That's just rude. Yes, obviously Rafa is a better player than the guy and a legend but I hate how they are sometimes such assholes to these lower ranked players. 

And now let me chime in on the CoCo conversation. I agree with all the comments on her smugness but my real gripe right now and I admit it's a shallow one, is that she looks hideous. Seriously, can someone help fix that horribly fried blonde hair? Just saying...

Edited September 1, 2017 by truthaboutluv

[NUguy514]

Re CoCo:

I have some feelings about her.

[caracas1914]

Maybe it's nerves; Rafa looked tentative out there for long stretches, but kudos to Daniel for hanging in there for as long as he did.

Carlos Moya is back I'm glad to see in the friends box but it seems Rafa has reverted back to some of that passive play that clung to him the last few calls years.

Edited September 1, 2017 by caracas1914

[khyber]

13 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

Am I the only one who finds CoCo Vandeweghe to be completely insufferable?

The amount of pandering she was doing in the after match interview was epic. I took an instant dislike to her.

[Qoass]

I use my beloved TiVo to watch tennis so I can fast forward all the stuff between points, especially McEnroe and company's endless yammering. They just cannot wait to jump in and talk and they seldom have anything useful to say. I also freeze the frame when the camera shot includes the scoreboard behind the players. It's so much easier to read than that teeny weeny box the network puts in the bottom corner. (I have a television screen that used to be considered average sized but is now considered to be abnormally small.)

[Jillibean]

Quote

Monfils is one of those guys who makes me want to bang my head against the wall. So much talent and raw athletic ability but he doesn't have the head. If he could've gotten the mental aspect together earlier in his career, he'd easily be a multiple Slam winner and a top five player. 

It's really interesting to me how many of the top men's players seem to really struggle mentally--looking at all the players who have lost in the past couple days, one wonders what these guys do to improve their mental game. Once upon a time, Federer was also a basket case. And then one day he suddenly got it together and was practically unbeatable for years. Same thing for Justine Henin. A Zverev or Dmitrov might really benefit from some focus on getting their heads together, not just their strokes. 

I have to imagine the tournament officials needed a constant intake of Tums yesterday with Federer's five setter and then the Nadal first set scare. They've lost so many big names already.

Speaking of--Wozniacki complained about being scheduled as the fifth match on an outside court and implied it contributed to her loss (even though she acknowledged the court actually ended up being played on 17, which is a stadium court). I don't disagree necessarily about the scheduling, BUT...that was the day that they had to jam two days of matches into one, and a lot of people got wonky assignments. Kvitova was also on an outside court. Sam Querrey, one of the top Americans, was on the same court five Caro was originally scheduled for. She's the only one who complained. It just seemed a bit tacky.

I can't bring myself to like Coco. How is her awful attitude not a bigger liability for sponsorships? In the opposite of what usually happens in double standards, I actually think she'd be called to task more if she were a male player exhibiting these same behaviors.

[clb1016]

27 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

It's really interesting to me how many of the top men's players seem to really struggle mentally--looking at all the players who have lost in the past couple days, one wonders what these guys do to improve their mental game. Once upon a time, Federer was also a basket case. And then one day he suddenly got it together and was practically unbeatable for years. Same thing for Justine Henin. A Zverev or Dmitrov might really benefit from some focus on getting their heads together, not just their strokes. 

I have to imagine the tournament officials needed a constant intake of Tums yesterday with Federer's five setter and then the Nadal first set scare. They've lost so many big names already.

Speaking of--Wozniacki complained about being scheduled as the fifth match on an outside court and implied it contributed to her loss (even though she acknowledged the court actually ended up being played on 17, which is a stadium court). I don't disagree necessarily about the scheduling, BUT...that was the day that they had to jam two days of matches into one, and a lot of people got wonky assignments. Kvitova was also on an outside court. Sam Querrey, one of the top Americans, was on the same court five Caro was originally scheduled for. She's the only one who complained. It just seemed a bit tacky.

I can't bring myself to like Coco. How is her awful attitude not a bigger liability for sponsorships? In the opposite of what usually happens in double standards, I actually think she'd be called to task more if she were a male player exhibiting these same behaviors.

I think the point Wozniacki was trying to make was that Sharapova is playing all her matches on Ashe, even though she's coming back as a wild card after a PED offense.  I'm not Wozniacki's biggest fan, but I have to agree with her on this one.

[theatremouse]

Yeah, it seemed Caroline definitely meant it in that context, not just why was she personally on a far flung court. 

[Spunkygal]

It's a girl! Congrats to Serena and Alexis! And we now know who will be dominating ladies tennis in 2037!

[BitterApple]

Yay for Serena! Hope all went well and I can't wait to see pictures!

Regarding Caroline, I can see both sides of the argument. On the one hand, a professional really shouldn't be griping about where they play their match, but on the other, I can understand why the players are sick and tired of the red carpet being rolled out for Maria like she took a two year layoff to cure cancer or something.

She shouldn't even have been given the Wild Card let alone have the plum court assignments for all her matches. 

[truthaboutluv]

7 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Regarding Caroline, I can see both sides of the argument. On the one hand, a professional really shouldn't be griping about where they play their match, but on the other, I can understand why the players are sick and tired of the red carpet being rolled out for Maria like she took a two year layoff to cure cancer or something.

She shouldn't even have been given the Wild Card let alone have the plum court assignments for all her matches. 

Some people on Twitter, in response to Muguruza's win today and how she continues to just steamroll, sarcastically said, "it's almost like she deserves to be on Ashe unlike some people". I'm sure the tournament organizers will say it's about money and who draws the crowd. But as many fans as Maria has, I feel like there were quite a few who were not here for her being given that wildcard. Social media has been pretty divisive about her since she returned to the game.

[dcalley]

20 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

She was so rude to her opponent tonight....shaking the chair umpire's hand before her defeated opponent did. 

I had no idea the order was one of tennis's many traditions!

Gaël Monfils Hits Miraculous Shots. Why Can’t He Win? By BEN AUSTEN AUG. 24, 2017

[Jillibean]

6 hours ago, clb1016 said:

I think the point Wozniacki was trying to make was that Sharapova is playing all her matches on Ashe, even though she's coming back as a wild card after a PED offense.  I'm not Wozniacki's biggest fan, but I have to agree with her on this one.

I actually completely agree with that point.  While I totally understand why it's happening, the USTA's welcoming Maria back as if she was off at war is disturbing. However, I did find something off-putting about the way Caroline concluded her statement by saying that someone who had battled back from injury to become number five in the world deserved to be on a better court than court 5. It's a bit hard to explain, because I don't even disagree with her. I think it seemed like she was making two points that, while related, were not entirely the same--1) Sharapova shouldn't be on Ashe every match at the expense of other players given the circumstances of her drug ban and 2) also I specifically deserve a better court. And she does...and yet it irks me that she said so. Go figure. 

 

Quote

She was so rude to her opponent tonight....shaking the chair umpire's hand before her defeated opponent did. 

Her previous match (against Riske) I'm fairly sure she didn't shake the umpire's hand at all, so I guess this is a step up?

[Ohwell]

Ugh.  I'm sick of the Sharapova tongue-bathing and she hasn't even played tonight yet.  

[truthaboutluv]

26 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

I actually completely agree with that point.  While I totally understand why it's happening, the USTA's welcoming Maria back as if she was off at war is disturbing. However, I did find something off-putting about the way Caroline concluded her statement by saying that someone who had battled back from injury to become number five in the world deserved to be on a better court than court 5. It's a bit hard to explain, because I don't even disagree with her. I think it seemed like she was making two points that, while related, were not entirely the same--1) Sharapova shouldn't be on Ashe every match at the expense of other players given the circumstances of her drug ban and 2) also I specifically deserve a better court. And she does...and yet it irks me that she said so. Go figure. 

While I can see what you're saying and why it bothered you, since there is an element of entitlement to her believing she deserves a better court, I still think she was absolutely right and had no problem with her comment. I actually liked her referencing her injury and coming back to number five because that is something many who have had an issue with Maria's getting the wildcard have said, i.e. "if this was someone coming back from injury or someone who's showing a lot of promise and is on the cusp of breaking through, etc." Many believe that that is what the wildcards should be for. Not to just allow someone back from a drug suspension to waltz back onto one of the biggest tennis stages.

And regarding the court scheduling, it is definitely even more insulting. They just did a story on ESPN  about some of the players' comments regarding Maria's treatment by the USTA and they showed Caroline's comments and seeing it just made me side with her even more. As I noted above, she too acknowledges that yeah, we get it, this is a business. But she's absolutely right that to have someone back from a drug suspension who was just handed a wildcard, be constantly given prime scheduling for all her matches is unfair. When meawhile Caro, who is seeded number five, is regulated to a lower court and scheduled practically last for the day so she doesn't even hit the court until it's almost midnight. Muguruza who is ranked number three and one of the favorites to win (though you wouldn't know it by how much dust ESPN and others are paying her) has only played one match on Ashe. 

 

26 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

Her previous match (against Riske) I'm fairly sure she didn't shake the umpire's hand at all, so I guess this is a step up?

Right? That was my reaction to reading the comment. Wait, she actually shook the umpire's hand this time?

Edited September 1, 2017 by truthaboutluv

[roseha]

I have to agree on the McEnroe Bros, they ramble all over the place (you're not at the Thanksgiving dinner table guys) and John especially is so condescending to anyone who doesn't meet his lofty standards.  I'm not surprised that they made fun of Daniel.

I came here specifically to comment on Sharapova, and I am glad to see some sanity on the issue here. Watching ESPN tonight, it was as if they had been forbidden to speak the words "drug suspension."  Anyone who doesn't follow tennis would think Sharapova was absent for no reason at all!  Caroline was totally justified in her statement, and Garbine made similar comments that the USTA was giving Maria too much help.  Really, what is their excuse?  They make money hand over fist every year no matter who they put on Ashe, and they still have Venus and a lot of other stars on the women's side. Speaking of, congrats to Serena and baby!

If the US Open really wants a feel good comeback story, why not feature Petra Kvitova on Ashe every night?   Everyone who follows the sport knows that she has just gone through the worst attack since Monica Seles, and she has been bravely improving at this event.  In addition, unlike the insufferable Maria, or for that matter the insufferable CoCo, she appears to be a charming and unassuming person, see this interview:

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interviews/2017-09-01/2017-09-01_petra_kvitova_interview.html?chip=7

[Harry24]

8 hours ago, roseha said:

Watching ESPN tonight, it was as if they had been forbidden to speak the words "drug suspension."

Quote

Re: McEnroe and company's endless yammering. They just cannot wait to jump in and talk and they seldom have anything useful to say.

I really loathe how packaged the "stories" are on the ESPN broadcasts (although I do enjoy hearing Darren Cahill quietly resist being told what to say).  I wonder if the ESPN producers contemplated making Sharapova and her return a story of "outrage," and trying to turn her into a click-bait villain.  That would have been wonderful.

That said, I'm sure Sharapova's sponsors and the tennis insiders (USTA? WTA?) all pushed heavily for the "champion returning from no-particular-reason-la-la-la-I-can't-hear-you" storyline.  I often wonder how influence like this is actually wielded.  Is it in the form of direct communication between higher-ups?

And re the McEnroe yammering, it's always so instructive to hear commentators like him, Tracy Austin and Lindsay D doing commentary for the BBC, when they are quiet for long stretches.  It's the producers who are deciding how much they talk.  The producers, however, shoulder no blame when it comes to McEnroe's poor quality and lack of preparedness, aside from deciding to hire him in the first place.

I'm so bummed that my two favorite women's players, Kvitova and Muguruza, are playing each other next.  Sigh.

Finally: Cilic lost too?  The highest seed left in the bottom half is Lucas Pouille?!!!!!  I seriously think Shapavalov could win this thing.  He reminds me of Boris Becker (aside from not being a serve-and-volleyer, obviously)

[clb1016]

Dick Vitale?  Yet another reason why I keep my TV on mute and watch (and listen to) the matches I want to see on my computer.  Better commentators and full coverage (no interviews or features--just tennis).

Edited September 2, 2017 by clb1016
typos are embarrassing

[BitterApple]

18 hours ago, dcalley said:

I had no idea the order was one of tennis's many traditions!

Gaël Monfils Hits Miraculous Shots. Why Can’t He Win? By BEN AUSTEN AUG. 24, 2017

Thanks for that article on Gael. He sounds like a really interesting guy, and I respect that it's more important for him to have balance in his life rather than the #1 ranking. 

[khyber]

I'm enjoying all the upsets, its really making for a "what will it be today?" vibe.

[roseha]

Just a further thought...

I was saddened at Sascha Zverev's early exit, but then again he is only 20 and I do feel he has so much potential that he will win a major or more eventually.  On the other hand, as noticed his brother Mischa is still around and I really enjoyed his classic serve and volley in his win over Isner.   I know this is a fantasy, but I would love at this point to see a final between Roger and Mischa.  They could serve and volley for the entire match!

[BitterApple]

Okay, I officially loathe Coco Vandeweghe. Did you guys see her push the staff member when she was trying to make her way back to her chair after high fiving her coach? I was on the phone with my mother, who was also watching, and my mother said "what a bitch". Lol.

[TVbitch]

Aga/CoCo was tough to watch. CoCo is definitely a root for her ...to lose... player. I do not mind some on court mental breakdowns though, keeps things entertaining. I like to have a few "love to hate" players in the draw. Her "I missed some silly shots" explanation for how close it was and her failure to shake hands right after the ending challenge was sketchy as hell!

I have a soft spot for Aga but don't see her being able to handle big power players. And the serve was painful. And, as adorable as she is, I'm pretty sure Tim Gunn would advise her to remove at least one row of ruffles. (less is more)  :) 

[Ohwell]

4 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Okay, I officially loathe Coco Vandeweghe. Did you guys see her push the staff member when she was trying to make her way back to her chair after high fiving her coach? I was on the phone with my mother, who was also watching, and my mother said "what a bitch". Lol.

Hopefully, she'll meet her match soon.  I hate the way the announcers like Chris Evert just shrug it off with a "well, that's Coco for ya, hee!" instead of calling out her obnoxious behavior.  What a bitch, indeed.

Then Monfils retires....oh well. *sigh*

But the bright spot for me was Del Potro winning!

[sally-can-wait]

14 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Okay, I officially loathe Coco Vandeweghe. Did you guys see her push the staff member when she was trying to make her way back to her chair after high fiving her coach? I was on the phone with my mother, who was also watching, and my mother said "what a bitch". Lol.

I can't stand her. I also thought for a second she was going to blow off the handshake with Radwanska because the camera was on Aga and she had a WTF look on her face at the net like CoCo was not going to acknowledge her standing there waiting for her. Blah. I hope she meets Venus and gets her ass kicked.  

Edited September 2, 2017 by double-elvis

[Ohwell]

7 minutes ago, double-elvis said:

I hope she meets Venus and gets her ass kicked. 

From your keyboard to God's ears.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

41 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Okay, I officially loathe Coco Vandeweghe. Did you guys see her push the staff member when she was trying to make her way back to her chair after high fiving her coach? I was on the phone with my mother, who was also watching, and my mother said "what a bitch". Lol.

Then for her encore, she threw her Mixed Doubles partner under the bus in her on-court interview!  I know she'll probably try to say that she was "joking" but that humorless bitch wasn't joking---she believes she carried him in their last match.  If she ever plays Sharapova, I guess I'll just have to root for the court to open up and swallow them both whole.

[caracas1914]

Fognini thrown out for obscene remarks ; he's the one player that makes Kyrgios (almost) like look a choir boy in comparison....potentially he could get fined up to a cool quarter of a million....

[GeminiDancer]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

Hopefully, she'll meet her match soon.  I hate the way the announcers like Chris Evert just shrug it off with a "well, that's Coco for ya, hee!" instead of calling out her obnoxious behavior.  What a bitch, indeed.

And you know that if Serena or Venus acted that way, we would never hear the end of it.

[Spunkygal]

Fognini called an umpire whore in Italian! surely that's a lifetime ban....I hope!

[Ohwell]

Fognini is an ass.  I don't know the Italian word for it though.

[Jillibean]

2 hours ago, double-elvis said:

I can't stand her. I also thought for a second she was going to blow off the handshake with Radwanska because the camera was on Aga and she had a WTF look on her face at the net like CoCo was not going to acknowledge her standing there waiting for her. Blah. I hope she meets Venus and gets her ass kicked.  

It looked like she was going to go do the handshake--and then Aga challenged, Coco did her "seriously?" expression, and then ran back onto the court for...reasons. I think she was probably planning to blow it off until she saw Aga still politely waiting on her way back.

I think the Coco situation is similar to Maria--she's not going anywhere, so they're trying their hardest to make her into an American tennis superstar, which includes tying a pretty bow on all the ugliness. And I get that if you're one of the analysts, you know her personally and presumably have lots of moments of NOT terrible behavior from which you have formed your overall impression of her as a person. But they also should recognize that we as viewers don't have that experience. We only see the bad behavior. For me it would go a long way for them to acknowledge that her behavior is poor and then, if they want, they can tell us stories about a happier/kinder Coco to try to help us understand why we should find her at all likable. 

I've heard a few of code violations called for obscenities this week while watching ESPN3. I wonder if they were told to crack down. The best, of course, was Kyrgios trying to dismiss the linesman reporting his audible-to-everyone-curse-word as "hearsay." 

While they were briefly showing the Querrey match yesterday on primetime I appreciated how Mardy Fish tried to wait until the end of the point to respond to questions he was getting from Brad or to comment. However, it's also probably why he'll never make it into the main booth. 

I think ESPN has a huge influence over scheduling on Ashe court. I remember those few years when they didn't have the rights to the night matches on the first weekend, the players tended to be a bit less well known (definitely no major Americans or any marquee names) but good matches. And obviously those were still big ticket matches since they were Labor Day weekend. The only difference seems to be the TV coverage. So I wouldn't be surprised if Maria's unjust schedule has been as much ESPN's fault as the USTA's, because to ESPN she is ratings and they couldn't care less about the suspension. 

[roseha]

1 hour ago, Jillibean said:

I think ESPN has a huge influence over scheduling on Ashe court. I remember those few years when they didn't have the rights to the night matches on the first weekend, the players tended to be a bit less well known (definitely no major Americans or any marquee names) but good matches. And obviously those were still big ticket matches since they were Labor Day weekend. The only difference seems to be the TV coverage. So I wouldn't be surprised if Maria's unjust schedule has been as much ESPN's fault as the USTA's, because to ESPN she is ratings and they couldn't care less about the suspension. 

I suspect you are right, as I was thinking the USO makes so much money that I don't think it matters to them financially who is on Ashe, but ESPN is probably out for the money.  Shame on them.  But shame on the USTA for allowing it as well. 

Edited September 3, 2017 by roseha

[NUguy514]

Dear Coco,