Tennis Thread

[truthaboutluv]

14 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Ostapenko played that badly. Tons of double faults and unforced errors. Sharapova's gonna get slaughtered as soon as she lands a player who can run and hit more than three balls in a row.

Thanks. That's kind of what I figured. 

[TVbitch]

  Holy crap, Cilic/de Minaur was spectacular! Gut wrenching! Crazy pants! I really wanted them both to win! I've never seen that kid before, but I can't wait to see him again.  Plus it came with a side of Lleyton Hewitt! 

[truthaboutluv]

6 hours ago, TVbitch said:

I've never seen that kid before, but I can't wait to see him again. 

I first heard about him when he played Rafa in the third round I think, at Wimbledon. McEnroe and the other commentators were really talking him up in their commentary and there seems to be some major expectations of great things from him in the future. I couldn't tell much about his skill from that match because Rafa kind of eviscerated him. Pity I missed his and Cilic's match because I did hear it was pretty amazing. 

[theatremouse]

He ran down everything. Shots that seemed like sure winners off the racquet. He just went everywhere. In the end it's probably why he lost. You could tell his legs were a bit tired by the end. And his first serve sort of evaporated (I think because he was gassed and kept going for more on the serve). There were quite a few long rallies where just ran all over the place getting to balls it seemed like he'd have no chance of getting to...only to finally lose the point after doing that five consecutive times. It was very impressive but by the end you could tell Cilic had more energy left.

[BitterApple]

That was an insane effort from De Minaur. I was actually screaming and cheering in my living room during that 5-2 game in the fifth when he was running down ball after ball and saving all those match points. I love his competitive spirit because it would've been so easy to pack it in at 0-40.

I don't know what it is, but similar to the Nadal/Khachanov match, the top players just know how to find that extra gear when they need it. Of course it helps that Cilic has a big serve, but he was a bit fresher and smarter with his shot selection at the very end.

[TVbitch]

At two sets down, Cilic really woke up, cranked it to 12, and started playing smarter --so all credit to him. They both gave it everything they had. De Minaur's tank was nearing empty and he probably needs to work on better energy distribution in 5-setters.

In the after match interview you could tell Cilic was moved by the match and the crowd, and it was something special for him, too. I love a match like that, where it just goes electric. They have been rare at this US Open. 

[mojoween]

I’m watching DelPo and my hubby is in the room, and he only watches tennis if he’s in the room and it’s on, and he remarks (about DelPo) “wow if this kid gets some control that forehand could really be something.  He could be a champion!”

[Harry24]

I'm really hoping for a Serena-Sloane semi.  That could be a wonderful match.  I'm so impressed with Sloane's skills.

Speaking of impressed, I was so impressed with Basilashvili's fighting spirit today.  He was so overmatched by Rafa, but he hung in there valiantly even though he was on fumes in the third set.

[TVbitch]

Sloane/Serena will (hopefully) be a great match ... ... as long as Sloane wins. :)

[BitterApple]

Watching the end of the Sabalenka/Osaka match, I feel like umpires should be able to dock players who do weird grunting to throw their opponents off. Sabalenka was grunting the whole match but didn't start making high-pitched coyote yelps until she was down three match points. I'm glad she lost.

[Ohwell]

I feel the same way about Serena's "COME ON!"s.  Yeah, I know other players do it to pump themselves up but they're not as loud.  I think Serena does it to rattle her opponent, and she knows the crowd will go crazy for her. 

[NowVoyager]

Osaka played well & she seems like a nice young lady. But, yeesh, the uptalk in her interviews made me crazy. Or maybe I'm just old.

[Ohwell]

13 minutes ago, NowVoyager said:

Osaka played well & she seems like a nice young lady. But, yeesh, the uptalk in her interviews made me crazy. Or maybe I'm just old.

Yeah, the uptalk made me crazy, also the "um"s at the beginning of every sentence.  However, I cut her some slack because I thought she was really nervous, her first quarterfinal, and she is still young.  She might cringe when she sees the interview though. 

[truthaboutluv]

On 9/2/2018 at 12:24 AM, BitterApple said:

Sharapova's gonna get slaughtered as soon as she lands a player who can run and hit more than three balls in a row.

So said, so done. Congrats to Suarez-Navarro.

 

20 hours ago, Harry24 said:

I'm really hoping for a Serena-Sloane semi.  That could be a wonderful match.  I'm so impressed with Sloane's skills.

Yeah that one could be really good. As of now, I'd tentatively put my money on Sloane. I know Serena's been winning her matches but I still feel when watching her that she seems a step or two slower that she used to be. And for someone like Sloane who seems able to get just about everything back, that would be a problem. 

 

20 hours ago, Harry24 said:

Speaking of impressed, I was so impressed with Basilashvili's fighting spirit today.  He was so overmatched by Rafa, but he hung in there valiantly even though he was on fumes in the third set.

Not taking anything away from Basilashvili but I feel like Rafa made that match more complicated than it needed to be. Basilashvili certainly came up with some beautiful shots at a few crucial moments but Rafa's first serve went to shit in the last two sets and he had a few uncharacteristic forehand errors.

Watching those last two sets didn't make me too confident for his chances against Thiem. That said, it'd be just like Rafa to completely brush that match off and show up in total beast mode tomorrow night and destroy Thiem. Either way, should be an interesting one. 

Edited September 4, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[TVbitch]

CSN makes me smile. I think in part, cuz every time I see her I am reminded of Joanie from Happy Days. But I am also charmed by her admission that she is trying to navigate the world on "on court displays" and how too much fist pumping makes her feel embarrassed. Um, no need for worry when you are playing shrieky Sharapova, Carla!  

Is anybody picking a winner?

Edited September 4, 2018 by TVbitch

[mojoween]

I was amused after the Sharapova match when one of the ladies ( I was listening and not watching) said that Maria “is not playing as well as she was before the drug suspension.”

Yeah, I get what Maria said about the med she was on but still.  Talk about your obvious observation.

ESPN.  I like Roger.  But declaring Federer/Djokovic a dream quarterfinal before ROGER STEPS FOOT ON THE COURT is super gross.

[truthaboutluv]

2 hours ago, mojoween said:

ESPN.  I like Roger.  But declaring Federer/Djokovic a dream quarterfinal before ROGER STEPS FOOT ON THE COURT is super gross.

Especially since you'd think they'd learn for the number of times the dream Federer/Rafa match up has been thwarted.

eta: And well, well, well...Millman is currently up 2 sets to 1. I wouldn't be surprised if Federer pulls this out but I have to say, I don't know why his fans in the stands are freaking out so much because even if he wins, it'll only be to lose to Djokovic in two days. Oh yeah, I said it - Federer's not beating Djokovic. Assuming he even gets through this match.

Edited September 4, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[theatremouse]

There seems to be something wrong with Federer. It's not just that he's playing poorly. He's playing a very specific pattern and not breaking from it. Someone less experienced I can see that just happening, but not from him. It doesn't make sense. He keeps going to that big serve out wide even though he can't seem to get it in. If he were confident in his ability to run out the point, there'd be no reason to do that; he'd just get any serve in and go from there. Same for the too-cute drop shots he's done well a few times but he's getting extremely predictable. Millman's not making anywhere near enough mistakes for this to be good enough. But if Roger were capable of doing something else at this point, I can't fathom a reason why he wouldn't. It's weird to watch. It's like he's the video game AI version of Roger Federer rather than a real human Roger Federer, and we've seen the extent of the loop the programming allows.

[NowVoyager]

GET OUT. Roger lost to.... who?!?

I stayed up to watch this one. I fell asleep on Muguruza & woke up baffled.

Edited September 4, 2018 by NowVoyager

[BitterApple]

Daaaammmnnnnn.

I watched the first set, figured this was going to be a dud and tuned out to watch a movie. When I switched back to regular tv, Roger's out there swinging and they're in the fourth set.

What happened? Roger looked like he was on his way to a pedestrian three set victory. And how badly are the tournament directors cussing the fact that they're not getting the Roger/Joker quarterfinal?

[truthaboutluv]

1 hour ago, theatremouse said:

There seems to be something wrong with Federer. It's not just that he's playing poorly. He's playing a very specific pattern and not breaking from it.

At the start of the third set, Patrick and Darren were both discussing how something just seemed off and not right with him. They said they didn't think it was physical but just like mentally, he seemed not himself. 

 

20 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

What happened? Roger looked like he was on his way to a pedestrian three set victory.

In a nutshell, he blew three set points in the second set, when he could have gone up two sets to love. Blew set points after being up 40-15 in the game. That put Millman back on serve in the set and at 6-5, Federer serving to take the set to a tiebreak, he got broken, again after being up 40-15 in the game. At that point, Millman's confidence was strong and it showed in his serve percentages which were really good.

Meanwhile, Federer started serving a little better but was still making a ton of errors. Millman at that point really just had to stay calm and steady, hold his serve and that was it. By the way, Federer fans are losing their minds in the comments on the US Open Instagram account. Apparently Millman is now an arrogant asshole who they look forward to getting destroyed by Djokovic on Wednesday. Good times...

Edited September 4, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[BitterApple]

I just looked at Instagram and Facebook, and Fed fans are losing their shit. So far they've blamed the humidity, crowd noise, heat and Millman making "faces" at Roger for the loss.

[truthaboutluv]

4 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

I just looked at Instagram and Facebook, and Fed fans are losing their shit. So far they've blamed the humidity, crowd noise, heat and Millman making "faces" at Roger for the loss.

lmao... Like I said, good times. The funny thing about the griping about the noise is that most of it were his fans in the stands trying to cheer him on and many times rudely jeering and heckling while Millman was serving. The umpire had to ask the crowd to quiet down multiple times during Millman's service games. 

[dcalley]

6 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Federer fans are losing their minds in the comments on the US Open Instagram account. Apparently Millman is now an arrogant asshole who they look forward to getting destroyed by Djokovic on Wednesday. Good times...

That's too bad. It sounds like he's a good, well-liked person on the tour. Good on him to keep it together his first time on Ashe, and with a hostile crowd. 

Federer: "I Struggled In The Conditions" ATPWorldTour.com

I've sat in Ashe under the new roof and even at the top there is no air circulation even when it's open. It was pretty hot and very humid and must have been stifling. Millman is used to those conditions, being from Brisbane.

[sacrebleu]

I'll express a (probably) unpopular opinion, and that is-- I'm kind of relieved that Fed lost. The deification from all the announcers gets a little wearing after a while. While, at the same time, I was kind of hoping for that never-realized dream of the Fed-Nadal US Open final.

 

(time for me to remind everyone that in 2013, my friend and I had tickets to three fourth round sessions-- and when it looked like Fed and Nadal would meet in the quarters-- I sold them to buy tickets for both quarterfinal night sessions-- then Fed lost to Tommy Fuckin' Robrado in the fourth round.. I still hold a grudge, against Fed and Tommy Fuckin' Robredo) On the plus side, at one of the quarterfinal matches, they gave out free hats! (so, I still have the hat, and the grudge : )

[TVbitch]

ESPN did a good job of showing the devastated Fed worshippers. I cracked up a few times. Good Lord, I've seen less despair at funerals!

Umpire did well keeping that crowd in check. 

I thought for sure Millman was going to start cramping any moment the way he was racing after even unnecessary and ungettable balls. Good on him. It's not really THAT big of a deal, cuz neither of these guys would get through Novak. Glad Millman had his time in the spotlight, sounds like he earned it.

I'll probably skip the Isner/Delpo serve-a-thon.  

[theatremouse]

9 hours ago, BitterApple said:

What happened? Roger looked like he was on his way to a pedestrian three set victory. 

10 double faults. First serve % in the 30s. Something like 80 unforced errors? He kept going for aces out wide and missing. He kept running in to net and not putting it away so Millman got him with easy passing shots. He kept going for the lines and missing. And he missed a ton of easy-gimme-routine put aways at net. He had set point at 40-15 in the second and third and failed to put it away. He had set point at 40-0 in the fourth and failed to put it away. Then continued with the unforced error parade in the two tiebreaks.

[BitterApple]

2 hours ago, dcalley said:

That's too bad. It sounds like he's a good, well-liked person on the tour. Good on him to keep it together his first time on Ashe, and with a hostile crowd. 

Federer: "I Struggled In The Conditions" ATPWorldTour.com

I've sat in Ashe under the new roof and even at the top there is no air circulation even when it's open. It was pretty hot and very humid and must have been stifling. Millman is used to those conditions, being from Brisbane.

I was wondering about that. It seems like with the way the roof awning stretches out over the court, there's practically no opening for the hot air to rise and escape. I noticed a good portion of the crowd was fanning themselves consistently last night and you'd think at ten, eleven o'clock they wouldn't have to do that.

[dcalley]

17 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

ESPN did a good job of showing the devastated Fed worshippers. I cracked up a few times. Good Lord, I've seen less despair at funerals!

I have to admit I laughed too, especially at this guy:

[CouchTater]

1 hour ago, dcalley said:

I have to admit I laughed too, especially at this guy:

Wow, you'd think this guy had just lost!  Or at least a lost a lot of money?  I love tennis as much as the next tennis fan, but I don't live and die with the wins and losses.  Seriously?  Come on now!

 

*I just noticed this reaction is based on a point in the tiebreak, not even the loss of the match!   Wow.  Just wow.

Edited September 4, 2018 by CouchTater

[TVbitch]

Not enjoying Heatstroke Tennis. Stupid Global warming!

Poor Sloane. Is there some reason they can't shut the roof until the court becomes shaded? I have a feeling this is going to be a big problem going forward. 

[truthaboutluv]

3 hours ago, sacrebleu said:

(time for me to remind everyone that in 2013, my friend and I had tickets to three fourth round sessions-- and when it looked like Fed and Nadal would meet in the quarters-- I sold them to buy tickets for both quarterfinal night sessions-- then Fed lost to Tommy Fuckin' Robrado in the fourth round.. I still hold a grudge, against Fed and Tommy Fuckin' Robredo) On the plus side, at one of the quarterfinal matches, they gave out free hats! (so, I still have the hat, and the grudge : )

lol, yeah I remember that year. When the Rafa/Federer quarterfinal seemed a sure thing, only for Federer to randomly lose to an aging Robredo. It was at that point I decided the US Open was just cursed and would never get a Rrafa/Federer match.

 

3 hours ago, dcalley said:

I have to admit I laughed too, especially at this guy:

OMG I remember this guy.  At one point I wondered if he was on something. 

 

1 hour ago, CouchTater said:

I love tennis as much as the next tennis fan, but I don't live and die with the wins and losses.  Seriously?  Come on now!

Yeah my sister and my best friend always rag on me for not being a "true fan" because I tend to be very chill about these things while they get very intense. My sister, back in the day LOVED Andre Agassi, like he was everything to her. And she really, really did not like Pete Sampras. When Sampras tied Laver's record, girl literally took to her bed for the whole day. That's how upset she was. And let's not even talk about all those finals Agassi lost that she boo-hooed over for days. 

Meanwhile, we were at a family wedding when Rafa and Djokovic concluded their Wimbledon semifinal so I didn't see the latter part of the match or knew what happened until later. So at the reception I checked the score and said calmly, "oh Rafa lost". She goes, "oh my god, I'm so sorry". I looked at her and went, "um, nobody died.  It's not that serious." Don't get me wrong, I love Rafa. I'd be fine with him winning everything. But I accept that's not going to happen. So when he loses, it stings maybe for a few hours, hell sometimes only a few minutes, and I'm over it. 

I think it's also because I tend to be a practical person who tries to put things in perspective. So sure, I would have loved to see Rafa win Wimbledon this year, especially after all these horrible early round losses in the last few years. But am I really going to fall apart when one, he lost to Djokovic, not some random nobody, lost in the semifinal after a well fought match and dude has 17 Grand Slams, is the greatest clay court player ever in the sport and will likely go down as one of the greatest to play the sport. 

And that's the same with these Federer fans. I guess I'm more understanding of their reaction in the moment, while the match was happening. But the ridiculous behavior online after was just embarrassing. Federer has 20 Grand Slam titles. Dude is going to end his career likely the greatest male tennis player of all time. Some of his fans seriously need to chill. 

 

15 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Not enjoying Heatstroke Tennis. Stupid Global warming!

Poor Sloane. Is there some reason they can't shut the roof until the court becomes shaded? I have a feeling this is going to be a big problem going forward. 

I imagine if it becomes an ongoing problem and enough top seeded players complain, they may institute a heat rule like they have at the Australian Open.

Edited September 4, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[sally-can-wait]

13 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Not enjoying Heatstroke Tennis. Stupid Global warming!

Poor Sloane. Is there some reason they can't shut the roof until the court becomes shaded? I have a feeling this is going to be a big problem going forward. 

I think it's already a problem and it's a big part of the reason this Open is turning into a dud. It's too bad because it's always one of my favorite events of the year. I know they can't control they weather but I agree the roof needs probably needs to be shut going forward. 

[sacrebleu]

Quote

 I agree the roof needs probably needs to be shut going forward. 

I'm gonna disagree with you on that point. It's not an indoor tournament-- even if the weather is uncooperative-- I'm all for heat-related rules (more breaks and the like)-- but not that. Also-- it puts players not playing on the show courts with roofs at a disadvantage-- they have to play in the heat-- but the marquee names don't?  (unless you're just talking about closing the roof for the QF and beyond-- but even then-- I'd be opposed.

I've been to Flushing nearly every year for the past dozen-- and I've sat through blistering heat and crazy wind, and absolutely gorgeous weather-- part of what makes tennis so fascinating is the ability of the players to adapt to the conditions. 

[sally-can-wait]

1 hour ago, sacrebleu said:

I'm gonna disagree with you on that point. It's not an indoor tournament-- even if the weather is uncooperative-- I'm all for heat-related rules (more breaks and the like)-- but not that. Also-- it puts players not playing on the show courts with roofs at a disadvantage-- they have to play in the heat-- but the marquee names don't?  (unless you're just talking about closing the roof for the QF and beyond-- but even then-- I'd be opposed.

I've been to Flushing nearly every year for the past dozen-- and I've sat through blistering heat and crazy wind, and absolutely gorgeous weather-- part of what makes tennis so fascinating is the ability of the players to adapt to the conditions. 

I actually don’t like watching indoor tennis. It’s a bit like watching indoor football…it just doesn’t seem right. So I agree with you that it’s an outdoor tournament and it should be played outdoors but this year I find that I have to turn away when the players have these heat related issues. I mean last night Fed actually looked a bit shell shocked and imo it had more to do with the stifling heat than his opponent. He appeared mentally out of it and I found it uncomfortable to watch. You are right though that part of what makes the game great is watching players fight through adversity and pushing their bodies to the limits. I guess I just find that this year I’m less inclined to want to watch the suffering :)

Edited September 4, 2018 by sally-can-wait

[TVbitch]

How do they determine where the line is between heat adversity and dangerous conditions that can cause over-heating, vomiting and rapid heart-rates. I don't like watching the suffering either, and selfishly, it's not entertaining to watch Sloane or Fed or Novak play at a fraction of their skill level which is what we have seen. It's not like any of them have sloughed off on their conditioning.

Having said that, I don't care to watch the indoor tournaments either. I don't know what the answer is, except they will have to start playing all the outdoor tournaments in the fall/winter.   

[mojoween]

I live in Syracuse so the conditions here were similar to there, if better because I wasn’t in an enclosed space on a hot court and when I walked out of my front door yesterday, the heat and humidity took my breath away.  It actually surprised me every time I walked outside how hot it was.

Now I am a chunky 44 year old woman with no discernible skills, but I could not imagine trying to play tennis in those conditions.

And there really is something to it affecting you differently as you get older.  That Aussie kid is in is early 20’s, yeah?

I’m not making excuses for Roger, but 83 degrees and 75% humidity is going to affect everyone in some way, conditioning be damned.

[dcalley]

41 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

How do they determine where the line is between heat adversity and dangerous conditions that can cause over-heating, vomiting and rapid heart-rates. I don't like watching the suffering either, and selfishly, it's not entertaining to watch Sloane or Fed or Novak play at a fraction of their skill level which is what we have seen. It's not like any of them have sloughed off on their conditioning.

They only seem to have a hard line for the juniors, and it sounds to me like it's not in the right place.

Edited September 4, 2018 by dcalley

[BitterApple]

2 hours ago, mojoween said:

I live in Syracuse so the conditions here were similar to there, if better because I wasn’t in an enclosed space on a hot court and when I walked out of my front door yesterday, the heat and humidity took my breath away.  It actually surprised me every time I walked outside how hot it was.

Now I am a chunky 44 year old woman with no discernible skills, but I could not imagine trying to play tennis in those conditions.

And there really is something to it affecting you differently as you get older.  That Aussie kid is in is early 20’s, yeah?

I’m not making excuses for Roger, but 83 degrees and 75% humidity is going to affect everyone in some way,

I think the heat definitely takes a greater toll on you as you get older. I moved to Las Vegas in my mid-20s. Even during the hot summer months, I was out and about, at the pool, walking the Strip etc. Now that I'm 40, I need to have all my errands done by 10 am, because I can't tolerate the sun anymore. I can absolutely see the conditions being more of an obstacle for Federer than for his decade-younger opponent.

[TVbitch]

I just can't with Plisbot. She always looks like it is simply far too much of an imposition for her to even try for a ball that is more than 4 feet away from her. 

[Ohwell]

35 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

I think the heat definitely takes a greater toll on you as you get older.

Oh yes, yes it does.  In my 20s I used to love 90+ degree days when I could strut around and wear tank tops and mini skirts.  Now, I literally can't take the heat.

I'm generally amazed that athletes of any sport can perform in hot weather.  I know they stay hydrated, but still...

[Fukui San]

Young NFL players and college football players have literally died of heatstroke training in these types of conditions. Some upper limits have to be set. You can’t just push through everything. 

[truthaboutluv]

So question - when was the last time Rafa got bagelled in a set? Just curious. Something better start working fast for him or this will be over very quickly.

[mojoween]

2006 was the last time in a major, according to the ESPN alert I got.

[truthaboutluv]

13 minutes ago, mojoween said:

2006 was the last time in a major, according to the ESPN alert I got.

Ah. Figured ESPN would pull up the stats as soon as the set was over. 

[SimoneS]

I am struck by how much Serena and Venus look alike now.

[truthaboutluv]

So I guess Rafa and Thiem decided there was too much talk about Millman's upset of Federer and they were going to make this as dramatic as fucking possible? I watched it and I honestly don't even know how Rafa won this. I really thought when Thiem kept saving all these break points in the fifth that he was going to pull it out.

Mad respect for Thiem and this has to hurt but he'll be back. He's been my one to watch for awhile and I think he has what it takes. I really don't know if Rafa has anything left to beat Del Potro. He's now had three straight matches go three hours or more. 

eta: Oh just remembered that both semifinals are played on Friday. So Rafa will have two days of rest before the match.

Edited September 5, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[TVbitch]

Only against Nadal can another player have slayed him 6-0 in the first set and be on serve in the second and I can be thinking, oh no, Thiems on the verge of losing this!!

Thiem was kind of heart-wrenching to watch. He played amazing, just not in the most critical moments, always a point before or a point after the critical moment. 

Nice hug at the end, very sweet. Nadal, get thee to an ice bath! 

[sacrebleu]

I couldn't stay up to watch the whole thing-- went to bed after the third-- taping the rebroadcast on TC this morning to see the final set. I really didn't think Rafa would pull the W off. I feel kinda bad for theim-- second year in a row he's knocked out in a marathon 5th setter. 

[BitterApple]

I wanted to throat punch those hipster assholes in the luxury box who were making noise right before critical points. I noticed they shut up once that security guard entered the box and gave them that death stare.

I don't know how Rafa won either. I thought Thiem played the better match. 

Nothing against Nadal, but my lovable gentle giant Del Potro has had way too many five set heartbreakers against the top players. I'm rooting for him to go all the way and win another title. 

On the women's side I'd be happy to see Keys or Osaka take the trophy. I don't love or hate Serena one way or the other, but I've never found her easy to root for and I'm tired of hearing about her. 

Edited September 5, 2018 by BitterApple