Tennis Thread

[BitterApple]

1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

The Coco hype is a bit much, and I wonder if that is even "good" for her. She does know fans/media can be fair-weathered, right? For now, she seems to be handling it well. 

I was just thinking the same thing. Coco seems like a great kid and she has the talent to do big things, but I wonder if all these celebrities fawning over her has the potential to backfire. For now it's fine, because she's essentially playing with house money. If she wins great, if she loses, well she's only 15. That'll work for a while but eventually expectations and pressure will come into play. I hope she has good people around her to keep her focused.

I also notice Patrick has glommed onto her. I guess he's figuring she'll be his new cash cow after Serena retires. 

[Ohwell]

26 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

I also notice Patrick has glommed onto her. I guess he's figuring she'll be his new cash cow after Serena retires. 

That's exactly what I was thinking.  I just have never liked the guy. 

From what I've seen and heard about Coco's mom and dad, they seem like they can keep her focused.

[theatremouse]

I'm not sure what you mean by Patrick has glommed onto her? My understanding is she's been training at his academy since she was 10. He has longstanding reason to be at her matches.

[dcalley]

Good for Taylor Townsend. The USTA did her dirty in 2012. And in her on-court post-match interview she said she didn't get to practice on Ashe before her match, so it sounds like the USTA is still not treating her right.

[truthaboutluv]

Just now, dcalley said:

And in her on-court post-match interview she said she didn't get to practice on Ashe before her match

Do the players practice on Ashe though? Only asking because seems to me I always see the players on the outer courts, including the top names like Serena, Federer and Nadal. Wait, I guess they do the week before the tournament starts because now that I think about it, I do remember seeing pictures of Federer, Rafa and Novak all practicing there at one point, last week. 

[BlackberryJam]

I think at the majors, if a player hasn't played before on the main court, but makes the final, they let that player practice on the main court so they can get a feel for it. But as far as regularly practicing on the main court, I don't know. Wimbledon grass gets trashed just with the matches, I doubt they'd let people practice on it absent extraordinary circumstances. 

The practice courts are there for a reason

[dcalley]

1 minute ago, truthaboutluv said:

Do the players practice on Ashe though?

It seemed like she had thought it was a possibility, since she mentioned it.

[BitterApple]

Does anyone know what's going on in the Medvedev/Lopez match? I tuned in to watch the entire crowd booing when Medvedev won the first set tiebreaker. 

[BlackberryJam]

Medvedev snatched a towel rudely from a ball boy and got a warning. He’s misbehaved on and off since, including flipping off some fans. 

[Pallas]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/tennis/us-open-daniil-medvedev-snaps-at-ball-boy-flips-off-the-crowd/news-story/8e245917a29dd1e5d04d859730c499bc?from=htc_rss

Not shrewd. 

[BitterApple]

Thanks for the info! 

I'm annoyed we're stuck with this boring ass Djokovic match when all kinds of good drama is happening over at Armstrong.

Edited August 31, 2019 by BitterApple

[BlackberryJam]

Agreed. Djokovic is a snore.

I’m not that familiar with Medvedev but they keep saying he’s cranky. He’s not Kyrgios level but the crowd does not like when you’re nasty to a ball kid. There is just no excuse for it. Hopefully this is a one off bad night for him.

[Jillibean]

9 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Do the players practice on Ashe though? Only asking because seems to me I always see the players on the outer courts, including the top names like Serena, Federer and Nadal. Wait, I guess they do the week before the tournament starts because now that I think about it, I do remember seeing pictures of Federer, Rafa and Novak all practicing there at one point, last week. 

I go to fan week every year, and as far as I know players do not practice on Ashe. Players can practice on pretty much any court other than Ashe during the week before the Open, including the designated practice courts. Ashe is closed except for the Kids’ Day concert, and a practice schedule goes up on the website every day so fans know where to go to watch their favorites practice.

I hope Madison feels better soon. What a terrible time to come down with what looked like a pretty unpleasant illness. 

[Sew Sumi]

Well, the crowd has definitely been backing Lopez since the incidents. Even McEnroe thought Med should have been penalized for the middle finger incident. He did it by his ear, maybe out of the ref's line of vision.

eta: Madison scared me. I hope she recovers after a good night's rest. Not good when the doctor is out there taking your BP in the middle of a match!

Edited August 31, 2019 by Sew Sumi

[BitterApple]

Is Medvedev trolling the crowd in that post-match interview?!

[Pallas]

After winning the match, Medvedev barely brushed hands with the umpire, turned away and wiped his hand on his shorts. He then sauntered around the court and gestured for the spectators to bring it on. During the interview, he taunted the booing crowd, saying that "the energy you showed me, helped me win the match."  And told them to go home and think about that. And added -- as the boos continued -- that this reaction would carry him through another five (sic) matches. 

[NUguy514]

Daniil, baby,

[Crs97]

If I were the ball person at his next match, I would make sure Medvedev wants the towel before I bring it.  Like maybe I should have him ask twice just to be sure I wasn’t mistaken the first time.  Maybe then I will move slowly so he has the opportunity to change his mind before I get to him.  Just in case.

[BlackberryJam]

Kyrgios gonna be mad. He has competition for the biggest jerk in tennis.   

[Ohwell]

I'd only seen him play a few times before last night, but Medvedev surprised me last night.  I didn't know he was an ass. 

There seems to be more younger whiny asshole babies playing now:  Kyrgios tops the list, but also Tsitsipas, Shapavalor, Zverev, and probably a few others whose names I've forgotten.  I don't know what it is with these young'uns.    

[theatremouse]

I think younger people in general are more likely to be bratty, just among humans, and many grow out of it or at least reduce those tendencies significantly as they age. When you add fame and money and sports to it, it exacerbates it. Some of the currently bratty players will get older, be wiser, and be embarrassed about some of their on court hissy fits later. Others are just assholes and won't change. But when they're 17-22ish, it's hard to tell who will go which way. (Although I think it's almost definite Kyrgios is not going to change.)

[TVbitch]

WHAT IS HAPPENING!!! Fed says he is "tired of this shit" in a press conference, Dj wants to fight a spectator while practicing, and now Medvedev turns into Andy Kaufman during his match!!!!!

Ay yi yi. I am a fan, so I watched the entire Medvedev match from start to finish. He was harsh yanking the towel from the ball kid, which is never ever called for, and almost a dealbreaker for me. The crowd came down on him hard. He then tried to flip off the crowd surreptitiously, but a camerman caught it and they showed it on the big screen. (Was that really wise?) The crowd went totally apeshit. After that Daniil just kept his head down and did not make a peep and played tennis. Lopez knew the crowd the 100% behind him and he was working that. (In a totally swarthy and ungodly handsome way. Jeez that dude is so manly. Whew.)

Anyways, at the net, Daniil apologized to Lopez. I was like, okay, he blew up, he's sorry, and now he will apologize to the crowd. But no! He DOUBLED DOWN!!  Egged the crowd to boo him some more, and told them when they go to sleep tonight to remember that they're jeers kept him energized and made his win possible.  

I don't know what is going on with him. In his last match, he accused the umpire of treating him unfairly saying: "it's probably because you are French!" That is straight out of a Monty Python skit. Last night I was wondering how much of that was theatre. Maybe he studied McEnroe and knows the sport loves a bad boy. Or maybe he deals with being called out by turning into some mustache twirling villain.  

He doesn't have a post match interview up so I can't check it out. This morning he is quoted as saying: "I am working on myself and hopefully I will be better next time." I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt ...for now. 

[Ohwell]

13 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

WHAT IS HAPPENING!!! Fed says he is "tired of this shit" in a press conference,

Wait. What?  What's happened with Fed?

Lopez and those dreamboat eyes...... *sigh*

[BitterApple]

11 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

 Lopez knew the crowd the 100% behind him and he was working that. (In a totally swarthy and ungodly handsome way. Jeez that dude is so 

Part of the reason I was so pissed they switched back to the Djokovic match was because ESPN denied me maximum opportunity to ogle Lopez. He's aging like a fine wine.

[Ohwell]

22 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

I think younger people in general are more likely to be bratty, just among humans, and many grow out of it or at least reduce those tendencies significantly as they age. When you add fame and money and sports to it, it exacerbates it.

I'd also add media hype to the mix.  When they're young they tend to believe the hype about themselves, or feel the pressure.

[dcalley]

12 hours ago, Jillibean said:

as far as I know players do not practice on Ashe

They do. Nadal was "the first player to practice under the closed roof" in 2016. Gauff practiced on Ashe this year, and she's ranked below Townsend.

New to Fan Week this year: "Access to Arthur Ashe Stadium: For the first time during Fan Week, fans will be able to register to gain access to Arthur Ashe Stadium which is typically closed to the public prior to the main draw of the US Open. The stadium will feature top player practices and other activities over the course of the week."

You all covered Medvedev pretty well, but not yet mentioned is his racket toss. And it was Tsitsipas who insulted the French as "all weirdos," but maybe Medvedev said something, too. I wouldn't put it past him, and it was the same French umpire as in that Tsitsipas match.

[Ohwell]

12 minutes ago, dcalley said:

You all covered Medvedev pretty well, but not yet mentioned is his racket toss. And it was Tsitsipas who insulted the French as "all weirdos," but maybe Medvedev said something, too. I wouldn't put it past him, and it was the same French umpire as in that Tsitsipas match.

@Pallas posted the link above that mentioned all of his transgressions, including the Tsitsipas reference.

[Ohwell]

Congrats to Taylor Townsend.  Unrelated to tennis, she has a beautiful smile.

[dcalley]

24 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

@Pallas posted the link above that mentioned all of his transgressions, including the Tsitsipas reference.

Ah, I see he repeated the comments. There was too much to keep track of!

[Harry24]

Taylor!!!!!  Keep it up, girl!!!

Also, I'm so glad to see Heyong Chung again.  I really like him and his game.

Edited August 31, 2019 by Harry24

[BitterApple]

Great win for Kristie Ahn! The American ladies are kicking butt!

[TVbitch]

@Ohwell Fed said "I'm tired of this shit" because a reporter asked him something about his opponent being tired from having played the night before and Fed took it as an insinuation that he gets to choose what time his matches are. 

Kurios is using Medvedev's bird flip as his twitter wallpaper. I'm a Rublev fan, so I'll be watching Rublev/Kurios tonight. Better buckle up.  

[Ohwell]

I just finished watching the trio of Chris Evert, Chris McHendry and Alexandra Stevenson.  Then I remembered Stevenson was a tennis player and also Julius Irving's daughter.  I hadn't seen her in years and I wonder if she's going to be an announcer in the future.  I hope not because there's something annoying about her demeanor, kind of too girlish or something. 

Thanks, @TVbitch.  For some reasons, Fed saying "shit" cracks me up.

[dcalley]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

Alexandra Stevenson

Oh, thank you. I'd been hearing an unfamiliar voice on several matches (on ESPN3 or ESPN+) but never caught who it was.

[Darknight]

On 8/30/2019 at 1:37 PM, dcalley said:

Good for Taylor Townsend. The USTA did her dirty in 2012. And in her on-court post-match interview she said she didn't get to practice on Ashe before her match, so it sounds like the USTA is still not treating her right.

They are going in on her technique and weight. Maybe she can switch countries like Osaka did. The USTA doesn't deserve her

Kyrgios has talent but I can't stand him. I don't understand why he even plays tennis at this point. 

[Darknight]

On 8/30/2019 at 8:54 AM, TVbitch said:

The Coco hype is a bit much, and I wonder if that is even "good" for her. She does know fans/media can be fair-weathered, right? For now, she seems to be handling it well. She was great fun to watch. ...unless your name is Danielle Collins and then probably not so much. 

I'm not a fan of Danielle, but that must have sucked as her match featured a ranked player and an American, and they did not even bother to cut over to it during the big points as they often do. Ouch. 

I'm worried about Coco. She is only 15. She is a sweet kid and handles pressure well but she is only 15. Let the girl play in peace and not promote her as the next Serena. 

[Ohwell]

Coco had a good run but I kinda figured she'd lose to Naomi.  I hated that these two had to play each other because I like both of them.

[seltzer3]

Dang massive props for Naomi, to do a duo on court interview with Coco after beating her.

[BitterApple]

Coco had a nice run, but it seemed like the pressure got to her, not to mention Naomi was playing lights out. 

I hope they continue to show Coco in the doubles.

And Brad Gilbert, there was no need to call the match "beatdown city." Yes, it was one-sided, but don't be a dick.

[Ohwell]

4 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

And Brad Gilbert, there was no need to call the match "beatdown city." Yes, it was one-sided, but don't be a dick.

Yeah, like this was the first time ever that there was a one-sided match.  Asshole.

[ombelico]

Maybe I just wasn't paying enough attention before to how problematic Brad Gilbert is, but today I definitely noticed several times that he said really idiotic, insulting things. I don't find him insightful about the game, either. McEnroe and Cahill are much better. 

All the commentators could learn to not be constantly talking, though. It's just this never ending stream of inanity.

[truthaboutluv]

51 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Yes, it was one-sided, but don't be a dick.

That's like asking Brad not to be himself. Naomi played amazing but I also felt like you saw a bit of the pressure and weight of expectations getting to Coco. Definitely got in her head a couple of times in the match and started melting down when things weren't going her way.

The post match moment between her and Naomi was very sweet. All I could think when Chris Evert was going on about what an amazing show of sportsmanship it was and how this is what the sport needs, etc., is "and now we follow it up with having to watch the tool that is Nick Kyrgios, awesome".

Edited September 1, 2019 by truthaboutluv

[BitterApple]

Seven games in and it's already started. Grab your popcorn, kids... 

[theatremouse]

41 minutes ago, seltzer3 said:

Dang massive props for Naomi, to do a duo on court interview with Coco after beating her.

I'm really torn on this. At first I thought, wow classy, but then when Coco actually talked...I donno maybe it was well intentioned of Naomi to ask her to stay and do the interview together, but the kid said no...the kid didn't want to because she knew she'd be crying. And it's not standard for the loser to do that interview anyway. So, on the one hand, it might've seemed like a nice gesture that they stay and get interviewed together, sharing the spotlight a little longer but...it was also sort of probably torturing her a little? Or that's a stronger word than I want but I can't think of a better one. I do think it came from a sweet place, but the effect was probably not actually very nice.

[ombelico]

My impression was that Naomi knew that a lot of the crowd were there to see Coco, and because of that Coco would feel a lot of pressure that she "disappointed" the fans. So she was trying to give Coco an opportunity to hear that the crowd supported her so that she wouldn't take the loss too hard.

I think it came from a good place, though we've all definitely had times where we did or said something with only the best of intentions but it just didn't work out that way.

[BlackberryJam]

 The sight of Kyrgios chewing on his woobie (towel) cracks me up. He’s like a big, mean colicky baby. 

Rublev has quite a serve and he’s making some good shots. Kyrgios has so much raw talent if he could just focus and stop sulking. Then again, I think some of the shots he makes are so risky that he wouldn’t try them if he cared more.

[mojoween]

Kyrgios posted a stupid tweet about Tom Rinaldi so I went into Nick’s twitter to check it out and almost all of the replies were fully in support of Kyrgios and bagging on Tom and it was gross.

[BitterApple]

1 minute ago, mojoween said:

Kyrgios posted a stupid tweet about Tom Rinaldi so I went into Nick’s twitter to check it out and almost all of the replies were fully in support of Kyrgios and bagging on Tom and it was gross.

Seriously, what is it about this guy that makes everyone consistently give him a pass? It's insane. 

[truthaboutluv]

5 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Seriously, what is it about this guy that makes everyone consistently give him a pass? It's insane. 

You should read some of the comments on the US Open's official Instagram account. First of all, they devote entirely too much space to him as far as I'm concerned. But yeah, there's a lot of King Kyrgios bullshit in the comments and how exciting he is to watch and exciting for the game.

In fairness, there usually is a good counter balance of people calling out the fact that he's a massive tool. But yeah way too much propping for my taste. But then I just assume Kyrgios appeals to the immature mind. The ones who do think being obnoxious and an asshole makes one "exciting" and "entertaining". And sadly there are many of those. 

Meanwhile, GO RUBLEV. Even though I swear that boy has some of the skinniest legs I've ever seen. Also, Monfils decided to make his life unnecessarily complicated I see. Though kudos to Shapovalov for digging himself out of that big of a hole. 

Edited September 1, 2019 by truthaboutluv

[BitterApple]

Wow, hell of a match between Monfils and Shapovalov. Gael has a great-looking section of the draw. If he keeps his head together, he should get to the semis.