Tennis Thread

[Sew Sumi]

Novak's shoulder injury is with his left shoulder. I think a back injury would be far more debilitating. Novak would use his off-shoulder in the ball toss and two-handed backhand. Your back? In constant use. 

[TVbitch]

Wow, I didn't even recognize Grigor. Did he lean out a bit? His face looks different. And didn't he have a big bald spot on the back of his head last time I saw him? In any case, it was nice to see him smiling again, sounds like he has been through a lot. 

My goodness the looks on some of those people's faces in that fourth set. You would have think Girgor drove a bus over their dog! I don't know why everyone wants a Roger/Rafa match up. I'm pretty sure Rafa wins that hands down. 

[Mrs. P.]

And now it looks like Rafa will win his 19th major. That's fine with me.

[BitterApple]

56 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

 I don't know why everyone wants a Roger/Rafa match up. I'm pretty sure Rafa wins that hands down. 

I don't get it either. Roger vs. Rafa in a best of five on hard courts? Unless Rafa is injured or having a horribly bad day, there's no way he doesn't win that match. Federer hasn't won a U.S. Open title in eleven years. That's a pretty strong indicator of the toll this tournament takes on an aging body.

[BlackberryJam]

Roger and Rafa have played in every major but the USO. They have played a final in every major but the USO. It was the Fedal Major Meeting Slam.

[sacrebleu]

Quote

Roger and Rafa have played in every major but the USO.

something always seems to happen to prevent it (Tommy Effin' Robredo #stillbitter)

[TVbitch]

Good Lord, the men are petering out all over the place!

If it ends up being Medvedev in the final, I hope has been getting rest, IVs, and a couple more rolls of that black tape so he can at least put up a decent fight.  

[xaxat]

Berrettini's box was about as bro'y as you can get.

[Ohwell]

Sorry Monfils, it was nice while it lasted though.    

[khyber]

Berrettini/Monfils , now that was an entertaining match. I hope he stands a chance against Nadal, who I assume will win his QF.

[LilWharveyGal]

Wow...that's some outfit Bianca's mom is wearing.

[Sew Sumi]

2 hours ago, LilWharveyGal said:

Wow...that's some outfit Bianca's mom is wearing.

Was that her real hair? 😯

[Jillibean]

11 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Sorry Monfils, it was nice while it lasted though.    

A little crazy how he was able to run all over the place saving multiple match points but couldn’t get a serve over the net by the end. It’s interesting how, as he presumably draws to the end of his career (since he’s 33), he’s only recently seemed like he’s willing to take this seriously. For me, he’s probably the person on the men’s tour who most significantly never lived up to his potential.

 I’ll be interested to see how Berrettini looks against Nadal, if it’s going to be a competitive match or if Nadal is just going to dispatch him in 3. 

[sacrebleu]

I caught the tail end of the Monfils-Berrettini replay this morning. God damn! That was one of those matches where its a shame somebody has to lose.

[blackwing]

Obviously there is a white dress code at Wimbledon, but I'm wondering if there is a dress code for other tournaments.  I remember Serena's cat suit getting banned.  So why is an outfit like the one Elise Mertens wore deemed OK?  I thought it was loud and distracting and it had streaks of yellow in it.  What's to stop someone from wearing all yellow?  There's a slim chance that the ball would blend with the yellow clothes somewhat and the opponent would misjudge the spin or the angle.

I watched the Mixed Doubles Semifinal on the ESPN app because I wanted to see the Chan sisters play each other.  I felt bad for both teams... there were like 20 people in the stands total since everyone was over at Ashe watching Nadal.  I'm really pulling for Angel to win the final, she doesn't have any Slam wins while Latisha already has multiple wins with Hingis and Dodig.

[TVbitch]

Diego put up a lot more fight than I was expecting against Nadal. I was getting annoyed at the announcers calling him "little man." 

[BlackberryJam]

Schwartzman really gave it a good shot last night. That scoreline doesn't show it, but in the first set, he battled back from 0-4 to win four straight games and even it. Nadal won that set by breaking Schwartzman to steal the set. Pretty much the same thing happened in Set 2, with Rafa going up and Schwartzman breaking back only for Rafa to steal the set on a break 7-5. 

During the third set, I was only listening and didn't watch, but Rafa got treatment on his right forearm and may have been cramping in his right. Diego just couldn't seem to capitalize. It was a pretty exciting match.

I'm also seeing a rumor that Rafa and Xisca are now engaged and the wedding is planned for mid-October. They have been together 14 years or so now. Good for them. They have always seemed low drama and solid, whatever bumps they had along the way were kept pretty quiet.

[theatremouse]

It's not a rumor. He's been asked on air if he's involved in the wedding planning. He said he's consulted on important things but admitted no he's not really helping much at all because he's traveling and playing.

[truthaboutluv]

3 hours ago, Jillibean said:

 I’ll be interested to see how Berrettini looks against Nadal, if it’s going to be a competitive match or if Nadal is just going to dispatch him in 3. 

I think Berrettini could trouble him if Rafa isn't on his game right from the start. Definitely can't play like he did last night, though I do think part of that was the effects of the humidity. 

[BitterApple]

I didn't know Rafa was finally getting married. Xisca always seems like she's low-profile and low-maintenace, so I'm really happy for them. 

I can't predict which way the semi with Berretini will go. Matteo looked pretty wiped after defeating Monfils, yet Rafa had some pretty big lapses against Schwartzman, so who knows. 

[truthaboutluv]

Just now, BitterApple said:

I didn't know Rafa was finally getting married.

Yeah it leaked early this year. I'd say a week or so after the Australian Open.

[BlackberryJam]

He has always been low profile about his relationship. She is absolutely gorgeous but doesn't seem at all fussed about fashion or makeup. I envy her skin.

I suspect Rafa is more injured than he's showing.

[Sew Sumi]

Dang, Serena made that look easy. The quest to eclipse Court is still alive!

[Harry24]

1 minute ago, Sew Sumi said:

Dang, Serena made that look easy. The quest to eclipse Court is still alive!

A Serena-Andreescu final could be a barn-burner.  I wonder if it would be hard for Andreescu to deal with the crowd being strongly pro-Serena.  She's very young and inexperienced.  She also seems like a powerhouse emotionally, so maybe she could handle it.

That's assuming she beats Bencic, which is no certainty.

[Sew Sumi]

I like Bianca. I'd love to see her bring it against Serena, but as we saw in her last match, she is prone to nerves. 

[theatremouse]

I loved Billie-Jean King's interview. So snarky.

I predict it'll be an Andreescu/Williams final and they'll actually play this time. Usually when Serena loses to someone she's doubly determined to crush them the next time, but that's probably not a factor here since she retired. So it's more a matter of just...playing another player she's not really played before. It's true that when Serena is upset about basically anything she kinda crumbles. But Bianca showed she's not unflappable either. Didn't she have a code violation her last match? Or was it the one before? Anyway she had a minor tantrum also before righting herself. 

So basically, whichever keeps their cool will win. If I'm even right that Bianca will win tonight. But I do think she's the real deal and a lot farther along, upsidewise, than some of her contemporaries.

[truthaboutluv]

2 hours ago, theatremouse said:

I predict it'll be an Andreescu/Williams final

And so it is. 

2 hours ago, Harry24 said:

 I wonder if it would be hard for Andreescu to deal with the crowd being strongly pro-Serena.

I don't know that the crowd will be strongly pro-Serena. Will they be rooting for her, sure. But the New York crowd loves an underdog and I do think Bianca has gained some fans these past two weeks. If she plays some amazing points and shows some real fight, I can very easily see her getting some of the crowd on her side.

I think the only person the New York crowd is very pro, is Federer. In fact, it's why I've since discovered that watching him lose in New York may be one of the most entertaining things. Not because I have anything against Federer per se but the crowd looks so grief stricken and reacts like someone has practically died, it's hilarious. 

7 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

I suspect Rafa is more injured than he's showing.

Why are you putting that bad juju out there, lol? Until we are told otherwise, I'm going to choose to believe that as he said, he was just cramping because of the humidity and nothing else. 

Edited September 6, 2019 by truthaboutluv

[topanga]

2 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

And so it is

Damn. She’s going to be tougher than Bencic would’ve been. Serena can’t go 0-4 in finals. I hope she keeps her cool no matter what. 

[Harry24]

11 minutes ago, topanga said:

 I hope [Serena] keeps her cool no matter what. 

Oh, Lord, yes.

[Jillibean]

8 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

I don't know that the crowd will be strongly pro-Serena. Will they be rooting for her, sure. But the New York crowd loves an underdog and I do think Bianca has gained some fans these past two weeks. If she plays some amazing points and shows some real fight, I can very easily see her getting some of the crowd on her side.

I think the crowd will be heavily pro Serena. She’s an American, and she’s Serena frickin Williams. They were very pro Serena last night even though Elina enjoyed some nice support from them in her earlier matches. And if Serena wins, they’ll be witnessing history. 

There are lots of Canadians and Romanians at the Open, so Andreescu won’t be totally on her own, but I predict the crowd will largely be pulling for Serena. That said, they for sure want to see a match, so if Serena is thrashing her they’ll throw support behind Andreescu.

i’m more of and Armstrong kind of girl, but my experience is that when Serena, Roger, or Rafa are announced on Ashe, you can hear the cheering anywhere in the vicinity of the court. 

[BlackberryJam]

1 hour ago, Jillibean said:

I think the crowd will be heavily pro Serena. She’s an American, and she’s Serena frickin Williams. They were very pro Serena last night even though Elina enjoyed some nice support from them in her earlier matches. And if Serena wins, they’ll be witnessing history. 

There are lots of Canadians and Romanians at the Open, so Andreescu won’t be totally on her own, but I predict the crowd will largely be pulling for Serena. That said, they for sure want to see a match, so if Serena is thrashing her they’ll throw support behind Andreescu.

i’m more of and Armstrong kind of girl, but my experience is that when Serena, Roger, or Rafa are announced on Ashe, you can hear the cheering anywhere in the vicinity of the court. 

Even if someone doesn't like Serena, the need for her to tie and then surpass that bitch Margaret Court is pretty serious pro-Serena motivation. 

I loved BJK's snark about it last night.

[TVbitch]

What was the snark, I missed it?

Andreescu will need to be on her sharpest, most energetic game to beat Serena, and I have not seen that out of her last couple matches. I'm sure she will give it all she's got, but Serena seems unstoppable at this point. Her topping Court aside, I fear another period of total Serena domination if she stays healthy. 

So many of the players seem broken, exhausted, injured or depressed. Is it time to lighten up the schedule a bit? The game is way more punishing than it used to be. 

[BlackberryJam]

I can't find the interview, but BJK talked about Serena getting #24 and how sweet it would be for Serena to get #25 in Australia.

[Ohwell]

I don't even like Serena but I think she is one hell of an athlete and I'd like nothing better than for her to surpass Margaret Court's record.  Then I'd like for Serena to retire sometime next year.  Add in Fed and Venus, too.

[theatremouse]

There was also lots of subtext. Pam Shriver did not say explicitly "for obvious reasons you hate Margaret Court" but it was underlying the whole exchange. Like both Pam and Billie-Jean were conspicuously NOT saying it so it hung there. It was like... Billie said "I'd love to see here tie here in New York and then go on to top it in Australia" but then she said something like "that's what I pray for" or something like that.

[blackwing]

31 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I don't even like Serena but I think she is one hell of an athlete and I'd like nothing better than for her to surpass Margaret Court's record.  Then I'd like for Serena to retire sometime next year.  Add in Fed and Venus, too.

My feeling is that Venus is sticking around so she can play in one last Olympics.  I doubt she will get a singles slot with Serena, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens, Anisimova in the mix.  But she could contend for a doubles and/or mixed doubles slot.

I don't think Serena will be retiring anytime soon.

Federer should be thinking about it however.  He just looked so old and slow against Dimitrov.

Great performance from Andreescu last night.  I'd love for Serena to win but wouldn't be unhappy if Bianca puts in a great effort and pulls out a win.  Hard to believe that Serena won her first U.S. Open 20 years ago and that Andreescu wasn't even alive at the time.  

Edited September 6, 2019 by blackwing

[Ohwell]

17 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I don't think Serena will be retiring anytime soon.

Perhaps not, but that's my wish.

[theatremouse]

Venus has said she intends to play in the next Olympics. It's not just speculation. So I think barring a major injury that'd take too long to recover from, Venus is not retiring until the end of 2020 at the earliest. And I think barring a major injury, Serena will not retire before Venus does.

[Ohwell]

Well I did say "next year" which would be anytime before the end of 2020.  It's a hope, not speculation. 

[Darknight]

I can't believe Medvedev is in the semi finals. He is a prick but I actually can't get enough of him. 

[truthaboutluv]

Just now, Darknight said:

I can't believe Medvedev is in the semi finals.

And the way things are looking right now - make that in the Finals. In fairness, he's just backed up his impressive summer play at the U.S. Open. Because he did make two back to back Masters Finals and won one. 

[TVbitch]

Happy for Daniil! Nice to see him actually smile after a win. I don't think he is bad guy. Yes, he had some outbursts, but he fully admits it and takes responsibility, said the crowd was on him "because of what I did" and he is trying to become a better person. Not sure what more can be asked of him. 

However, unless he is 100% recovered and brings some more tricks other than his "I will get everything back until the other guy misses" strategy, well, Nadal can play that game AND paint the lines AND never get tired. I just hope it is a great match!  

[truthaboutluv]

1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

However, unless he is 100% recovered and brings some more tricks other than his "I will get everything back until the other guy misses" strategy, well, Nadal can play that game AND paint the lines AND never get tired. I just hope it is a great match!  

lol, you realize Rafa hasn't actually won his semifinals yet right?

eta: If Berrettini can manage to keep his cool and not get deflated after losing this set, then he's definitely the real deal. Because that had to be gut wrenching, to save all those break points, have such a big lead in the tiebreak and still lose the set. 

Edited September 7, 2019 by truthaboutluv

[BlackberryJam]

Berrettini is giving it a go.

[Etta Place]

Berrettini has played Rafa tougher than many other opponents. I really thought he was going to take a set for a while there.

[TVbitch]

*sigh* better get my book of crossword puzzles out so I will have something to hold my attention during the finals. I hope I am wrong and at least one will be competitive. 

[khyber]

I'm all in for the upstarts. Tired of watching the same old faces win.

[BitterApple]

I'm predicting a mundane win for Rafa.

The women's final may be a little trickier. I just read Meghan Markle flew in to watch Serena. Given that Serena lost her two previous finals with her BFF in attendance, there may be some sort of Drake Curse brewing. Both Serena and Bianca aren't above emotional meltdowns, so it could get interesting. 

[TVbitch]

I hope so. Andreescu is tired though. And she would need to be at full power and speed to make an impact on Serena. 

I also think Rafa will dispatch Medvedev pretty routinely. Daniil is also super tired and beat up. Rafa will run him to death. ...But, Daniil did come up with a ways to flummox Dj and Stan and take them off their games, so there is a wee chance he might have something up his sleeve for Rafa.  

[theatremouse]

This has been a lot less competitive than I was anticipating, based on the Svitolina match. Not that has remotely the same style of play as Andreescu, but Serena seemed in top form earlier. Today the first serve was just rubbish. And when Serena's serve is off, she won't win. I was expecting more of a battle before it started.