Tennis Thread

[doodlebug]

20 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I hope they didn't have trouble breathing.  I really think they should have cancelled this year's Open.  They could still do fundraising.

I agree, the crisis is such that postponing the tournament or cancelling it altogether seems reasonable. I hear that rain has come to parts of Australia in the past couple day; perhaps it'll be enough to clean the air a little.

[theatremouse]

Why ESPN thinks I want to watch John McEnroe and Chris McKendry talk about the fires when match play has begun and I already sat through an extra 20 minutes of wrestling waiting for this coverage to begin is beyond me.

I realize missing the first, what, 3-4 games of whatever match they were going to air now (I assume Osaka) is not a big deal in the first round, but seriously, this is tennis coverage. I only want to see People At The Desk between matches. 

[Harry24]

*Great to see Naomi and Petra look great in their debuts.

*Enjoying how well Coco is playing.  Wish it wasn't at Venus's expense.

*Serena was impressive, but she looks so off balance so often these days.

*What the holy eff is Grigor D wearing?  Nike has lost the plot.  Please tell me Rafa isn't going to be wearing something from that line.

 

[shok]

3 hours ago, Harry24 said:

*What the holy eff is Grigor D wearing?  Nike has lost the plot.  Please tell me Rafa isn't going to be wearing something from that line.

 

Rafa's going to be pretty in pink.  😍

[Sew Sumi]

17 hours ago, Harry24 said:

*Great to see Naomi and Petra look great in their debuts.

*Enjoying how well Coco is playing.  Wish it wasn't at Venus's expense.

*Serena was impressive, but she looks so off balance so often these days.

*What the holy eff is Grigor D wearing?  Nike has lost the plot.  Please tell me Rafa isn't going to be wearing something from that line.

 

Grigor's shirt looked like a Rohrschach (sp) test. That was frightening!

[TVbitch]

What on earth is going on with Shopavolov. He was really acting out during his match. Flailing his arms like a toddler at every lost point and getting into it with the chair when he actually could have hurt someone the way he slammed that racquet down. I'm almost glad he's out, cuz that was painful to watch. 

[Sew Sumi]

1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

What on earth is going on with Shopavolov. He was really acting out during his match. Flailing his arms like a toddler at every lost point and getting into it with the chair when he actually could have hurt someone the way he slammed that racquet down. I'm almost glad he's out, cuz that was painful to watch. 

That was a mix of McEnroe and Kyrgios. Where did that come from? 

Edited January 21, 2020 by Sew Sumi

[TVbitch]

I know he had serious anger issues when he was younger, culminating in nearly blinding the chair by striking a ball in anger and hitting the chair in the eye socket. He seemed to be remorseful and humbled by that, and to mature. Now it's like he's regressing. 

[Spunkygal]

Ah, Caroline, what a class act you are, you darling girl. You had me weepy. Hell, your brother had me weepy!  Have a beautiful life with your hunky hubby! He is so much better for you than that a-hole golfer who shall not be named. Go boink your hubby like crazy and have beautiful children. Hope your tennis BFF joins you in retirement soon. 

[Spunkygal]

OMG! Thank you 27th ranked Wang! 

[pennben]

I need hateful Margaret Court removed from the record books forever.  Dammit, Serena, just a couple more wins at majors!  Please! 

[mojoween]

Serena seemed to be her own worst enemy last night.  Maybe I just don’t watch her enough, but she seemed too overly aggressive and it was making her erratic.

[mojoween]

Isn’t it summer in Australia?  How, in the on court interview, is Roger Federer not dripping with sweat after a four hour five set match while wearing long sleeves?

[TVbitch]

Thrilling match between Wang and Serena. (Bye Serena!) Thank God Mary Jo was calling it and not Chrissie so we didn't have to hear non-stop about how Serena "should be" winning. Mary Jo pointed out that Serena was just "expecting" an error from Wang after a big hit. She gave all credit to Wang for handling Serena's power and out-playing her. 

Loved Wangs on-court interview. You go girl! 

Also, what the hell is going on with Thiem's hair! OMG, frosted tips like that only worked in the 80's ...and only if you were in a band called Duran Duran. Not a good look! 

[BitterApple]

6 hours ago, mojoween said:

Serena seemed to be her own worst enemy last night.  Maybe I just don’t watch her enough, but she seemed too overly aggressive and it was making her erratic.

She definitely had some bad misses at the worst possible times. That was a tough loss. 

Wozniacki was another tough one. You could tell she wasn't ready to go out and seemed really upset. I wish the best for her.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

7 hours ago, mojoween said:

Serena seemed to be her own worst enemy last night.  Maybe I just don’t watch her enough, but she seemed too overly aggressive and it was making her erratic.

I feel like this has been her pattern for the last few years and I don't know why she's stubbornly refusing to make some changes.  These young girls are not allowing themselves to be intimidated by her raw power or her, "COME ON!s" that used to work.  I think the younger generation is probably hitting with men to prepare for her pace and they're much more fit.  I'm sorry, Serena needs to get more lean and perhaps focus on just tennis until she gets that elusive next major.

 

[selkie]

I've been following tennis long enough to know the really good reasons why to limit the schedules of 15 year olds but I really wish Coco had enough points for a seed in the tournament because she shouldn't have been playing Osaka before the quarters. 

[Ohwell]

2 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

I feel like this has been her pattern for the last few years and I don't know why she's stubbornly refusing to make some changes.  These young girls are not allowing themselves to be intimidated by her raw power or her, "COME ON!s" that used to work.  I think the younger generation is probably hitting with men to prepare for her pace and they're much more fit.  I'm sorry, Serena needs to get more lean and perhaps focus on just tennis until she gets that elusive next major.

 

Exactly.  There was a time when Serena could and would intimidate the hell out of those women, especially the young ones.  Not anymore.   These young'uns are fit and ready for her.

And while I can't imagine how difficult it is to get in shape after childbirth because I've never had kids, she does need to get in better shape, especially if she wants to beat Margaret Court's record.    

[TVbitch]

Ah, the beautiful greek is gone too soon. I haven't seen him since his amazing win at the ATP finals. Has his level dropped off?  

[truthaboutluv]

So it's Rafa vs. Kyrgios tomorrow. Yeah hard pass. I'll root for Rafa in spirit but I decided that I absolutely refuse to watch Kyrgios anymore. Don't care, will never care, just NO.

And so I damn sure don't want to watch Rafa lose to him if god forbid that's going to happen (sending up good vibes). And if Rafa wins, I'll see him in his Quarterfinal match. 

Edited January 25, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[Ohwell]

I know he's American but I can't wait for Tennys Sandgren to be gone, along with Kyrgios.  Other than those two, I'm fine with anyone else winning the whole thing.

Edited January 26, 2020 by Ohwell

[pennben]

As a primarily “major” tennis watcher almost exclusively on the women’s side, a few years ago I noted I wanted 3 things:

1. Serena to win enough to take out Court: not going to happen this tournament, but can still see it. 
 

2.  Venus to win one more:  I sadly don’t think this will happen. I wanted it for her as win over chronic health issues. I’m thinking her year w/all the finals will have to serve as the victory as well as her still getting out there. 

3. Kvitova to win after awful nearly career-ending assault during break-in: Still think she can do it, and, it seems like this tournament is falling in her favor.  Goooooo Petra!

Loving Coco Gauff now, but think it is likely too early for her to win.  I just want her to continue to develop in this really healthy fashion that has gotten her here. Her career could be extraordinary if all breaks well for her. 

[Harry24]

Watching Coco v. Kenin and I'm feeling a little sorry for Kenin.  Coco is so appealing in many ways, Kenin ... isn't.  It's to the point that I'm actually starting to root for Kenin.  Or should I say "Sofia," since that's what she prefers?

[truthaboutluv]

10 hours ago, Harry24 said:

Coco is so appealing in many ways, Kenin ... isn't.  

I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about her (referring to Kenin) just seems off in a way to me. I remembered thinking this when I watched her French Open match against Serena last year. Also, she really needs to stop hiking up her skirts that are already short, to the point where I'm constantly seeing her ass cheeks. 

[Ohwell]

I had never seen or heard of Kenin before last night, but all I could say was "wow!" (and not in a complimentary way) when I saw her ass cheeks.  I wasn't expecting Coco to win the Australian Open, but I am sorry she lost to this chick. 

Edited January 26, 2020 by Ohwell

[BlackberryJam]

Coco has an abundance of natural charm and apparently a really good family support system. I worry that a lot of weight is being put on her shoulders at such a young age. I don’t want her to get crushed under the weight of expectations. I’d had to see her lose her joy. On the other hand, I really want to see her do well.

I know next to nothing about Sofia Kenin. I liked what I saw of her tennis and she behaved appropriately. She seemed happy and fine and interviews. Is there some goss out there about her I just haven’t heard?

I’d pay a lot to have an ass like hers.

[truthaboutluv]

17 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

Is there some goss out there about her I just haven’t heard?

Not that I'm aware of. Let me be very clear that this was just my feeling when watching her play. But I just remember when watching her French Open match against Serena that she seemed incredibly awkward.

I hate to play armchair psychologist and hate this trend of random people online diagnosing people they don't know but I just noticed how she had this thing of never looking at anyone or anything directly. And when she and Serena shook hands at the end, she had her eyes completely averted. Her demeanor was just odd and noticeable to me. To be fair, I didn't see much of that in her match against Coco.

17 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

I’d pay a lot to have an ass like hers.

Hey one can be as proud of their ass as they want but I just don't want to see ass cheeks when I'm trying to watch a tennis match. From anyone. I don't care how nice of an ass it is. YMMV. 

In other news, Go Rafa. I think he may have finally figured out Kyrgios' game. This is the second match he's won multiple tie-breaks, which is huge considering Kyrgios' serve. 

The top half is shaping up to be much more interesting than the bottom half because for the most part the seeds have all held up. Didn't expect Medevedev to lose to Stan but happy to see Stan continuing to work his way back. 

On the women's side, nice to Muguruza back. It'd be fitting for how her career has gone, if she ends up winning. Because that's all she seems to do. Win a Grand Slam and fall apart in the next year or two and then just show up again and start winning. Rooting for her or Halep. I wouldn't mind a Barty win either. 

Edited January 27, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[BlackberryJam]

47 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

Not that I'm aware of. Let me be very clear that this was just my feeling when watching her play. But I just remember when watching her French Open match against Serena that she seemed incredibly awkward.

I hate to play armchair psychologist and hate this trend of random people online diagnosing people they don't know but I just noticed how she had this thing of never looking at anyone or anything directly. And when she and Serena shook hands at the end, she had her eyes completely averted. Her demeanor was just odd and noticeable to me. To be fair, I didn't see much of that in her match against Coco.

Hey one can be as proud of their ass as they want but I just don't want to see ass cheeks when I'm trying to watch a tennis match. From anyone. I don't care how nice of an ass it is. YMMV. 

In other news, Go Rafa. I think he may have finally figured out Kyrgios' game. This is the second match he's won multiple tie-breaks, which is huge considering Kyrgios' serve. 

The top half is shaping up to be much more interesting than the bottom half because for the most part the seeds have all held up. Didn't expect Medevedev to lose to Stan but happy to see Stan continuing to work his way back. 

On the women's side, nice to Muguruza back. It'd be fitting for how her career has gone, if she ends up winning. Because that's all she seems to do. Win a Grand Slam and fall apart in the next year or two and then just show up again and start winning. Rooting for her or Halep. I wouldn't mind a Barty win either. 

Kenin seems just fine to me, and at 21, she's probably just not comfortable with things yet. I read a little about her background, coming from a not-wealthy Russian family, but showing incredible tennis promise. I might take her under my rooting wing and champion her right along with Coco. 

I woke up this morning and watched the Nick/Rafa highlights on the AO app and bwhahahaha, it was every great shot Nick made and none of Rafa's. And it was like seven minutes. Good thing I recorded it.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

Fed.  That was.....unbelievable.

[mojoween]

Roger’s old bones aren’t going to be able to keep up with these grueling matches for much longer.  I haven’t looked at the draw but I am assuming Novak is next (I know he’s not done today, but Raoncic has a very steep hill to climb).

[BlackberryJam]

Congrats to Fed. I’m not the biggest Fed fan, although he’s grown on me. Sandgren Can fall in a hole.

Kenin is in the semis! 

Martina Navratilova is calling for a renaming of Margaret Court arena. I’m with you, Martina.

[Ohwell]

I didn't watch the match last night but I think they're running it again today at 2:00 on ESPN.  This will be enjoyable to watch, knowing that Sandgren got his ass beat.  

[TVbitch]

Just got caught up on tennis. Great to see Stan on fire against Medvedev, but I do like my Med. Gonna root for Stan against Zv. 

I like Kenin. I see ass cheeks with lots of female players who wear the tiny skirts with the tiny shorts underneath. I prefer outfits like Woz and Kvitova. I've always wondered why women shove the ball up their shorts. It always looks weird and uncomfortable. I wear modest length shorts with pockets when I play.  

I thought Kurious/Nadal was a riveting match. Kurious was well-behaved with no shennanigans and no displays of questionable mental health. I hope he can keep it up. Rafa applauded him for that. 

Rafa/Thiem could be a good one. 

[BlackberryJam]

What the hell is going on with Cliff and his weird emphatic “accented” pronunciations? Make it stop.

Edited January 29, 2020 by BlackberryJam

[theatremouse]

He's always done that. I grant you it's irritating, but it's not new. Cliff drives me nuts in a bunch of ways. I find it so odd that he seems to be a long-time tennis commentator yet inevitably every match I watch with him, at some point he says something so out of place it makes me wonder if he even understands the game in the first place. It's almost as though the only time he watches tennis is when he's broadcasting a match from a Grand Slam...and yet even if that were true, he's done so so so so so many, how does he not have more of this stuff in his head already.

[Harry24]

Even though I was rooting for Stan I'm really happy for Sasha.  Especially happy for Garbine too.

[roseha]

4 minutes ago, Harry24 said:

Even though I was rooting for Stan I'm really happy for Sasha.  Especially happy for Garbine too.

HI Harry!

I'm also really happy for Sascha.  If I had a dollar for every time I've heard "he's never made a semi of a Slam"...snarky commentary, thy name is tennis.   He's only 22!  I think between getting practically no attention from the media, and perhaps also his pledge to donate to the Bush Fire Relief with every win in the tournament, he was better able to keep his mind on the tennis and not on why-aren't-you-in-the-semis.  I've liked his game since I first noticed him playing against Krygios in Miami I think it was three years ago and it all seems to be coming together again for him.

I'm very sad for Petra, I wanted to see her win another Slam after her misfortune, but maybe at Wimbledon, it's her best surface.  I am happy for Garbine and her surprising comeback though.  Too bad she and Simona are playing in the semis and not the final.

So glad Roger pulled out the win over Sandgren (ugh). I have to wonder if he will have anything left against Novak though...hope so but it sounds tough.

[Harry24]

1 minute ago, roseha said:

I have to wonder if he will have anything left against Novak though...hope so but it sounds tough.

Hi, Rose!  Long time since we met on the tennis chat room.  Wasn't that fun back then?  A lot more gossip!

Novak-Roger is going to be gruesome.  But I'm still glad Roger beat that turd Sandgren.

[roseha]

Just now, Harry24 said:

Hi, Rose!  Long time since we met on the tennis chat room.  Wasn't that fun back then?  A lot more gossip!

Novak-Roger is going to be gruesome.  But I'm still glad Roger beat that turd Sandgren.

Haha, that's right Harry it was a great chat room!  But I still gawk at all the awful outfits they somehow coax these players into wearing.  The latest is a weird type of oversize spotty op art type thing - I think it's a Nike outfit? -  that both the men and women have on...I think Kyrgios was wearing it?  I couldn't figure out if the men's or the women's was worse.

[Harry24]

Just now, roseha said:

I couldn't figure out if the men's or the women's was worse.

Oh, the women's is worse with that irregular hem that tapers right up towards the crotch.  Ugh.

[truthaboutluv]

8 hours ago, roseha said:

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard "he's never made a semi of a Slam"...snarky commentary, thy name is tennis.   He's only 22!  

Well until last year, it was worse - it was that he'd never even made a Grand Slam Quarterfinal. And to be fair to the commentary, which yes, can be exceedingly annoying, part of the reason for these comments about Sacha was because he had these big wins at Masters tournaments and essentially showed what he was made of at other tournaments. But he'd show up at the Grand Slams and nothing. So yes, it is great to see him finally show up on the truly big stage in tennis. 

And good for Thiem. Although Rafa could have served better, Thiem was pressuring the hell out of him throughout the match, especially in those long rallies. That loss has to be a tough pill for Rafa to swallow - essentially losing in three tiebreaks. On the one hand, he wasn't blown off the court but on the other hand, a point here or there, and the match could have been different. 

But I'm happy for Thiem who had a horrible year last year at the Slams, save for the French Open. I'm even willing to stop making fun of whatever that thing is on his head (okay not true. The 90's called Dominic - they want their frosted tips back). And speaking of commentary, so much for Brad Gilbert's babbling on about the firing of Muster in the middle of the tournament. Clearly it hasn't affected Thiem's play. 

Looking ahead, not sure if either - Thiem or Zverev - can beat Novak in a best of 5 on the Australian hard courts. I guess I'd maybe give the slight edge to Dominic because I think he might handle the pressure of the moment better. But yeah hard to bet against Novak. Though it would be nice to finally see someone outside of the Top 3 win a Grand Slam.

And yes, I am aware that Djokovic and Federer haven't played yet. But considering Federer had to literally crawl his way to victory against Millman and Sandgren, not holding my breath that he's beating Novak. Again, at the Australian Open no less. But hey, crazier shit has happened. 

8 hours ago, roseha said:

  I am happy for Garbine and her surprising comeback though. 

Story of her career thus far. Win a Grand Slam out of nowhere and then struggle for the next months and then just pop back up and start winning again.

I agree with you about hating that her vs Halep is a semifinal and not the final. I like them both so this is one where I'll just say may the best woman win. 

Edited January 29, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[Ohwell]

17 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

What the hell is going on with Cliff and his weird emphatic “accented” pronunciations? Make it stop.

I cannot stand his voice.  Just. Ugh.  Make it/him go away!

[Sew Sumi]

Oh Rafa. *sigh* I agree, it's Novak's to lose at this point. 

[BlackberryJam]

Down Under has rarely been good to Rafa.  It always seems like he has to play himself into the season to really get going.

[BlackberryJam]

My girl Kenin took the first set from that adorable Ash Barty.

I can’t decide how I feel about Kenin’s personality. She’s like an angry tennis bot, or maybe Justine Henin. She doesn’t seem the type to attract a lot of fans, so unless she goes full flake or says something nasty, she’s got me. I have been waiting for a player on the women’s side with a rock solid mentality, good game and willingness to mow her way through the field.

Serena’s still my fave, but Kenin might have me.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

27 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

I can’t decide how I feel about Kenin’s personality. She’s like an angry tennis bot, or maybe Justine Henin. She doesn’t seem the type to attract a lot of fans, so unless she goes full flake or says something nasty, she’s got me.

Ugh.  You can have her.  I've only really taken notice of her during this tourney and I find her to be very off-putting.  And her skirt is too short.  

If Chris Everett doesn't shut the fuck up.  Talking about how neither player is seizing the moment and how error-riddled the match has been.  Glad Pam Shriver essentially told her to think about how well anyone would perform in 112+ temps.  

Edited January 30, 2020 by SuburbanHangSuite
fix

[Spunkygal]

oops, never mind! I got ahead of myself!

Edited January 30, 2020 by Spunkygal

[truthaboutluv]

Barty had a lot of chances to win that match or at the least bring it to three sets. Granted, Kenin produced some great tennis at some key points but Barty was over hitting all over the place.

It might have been due to the heat but I felt for the first games of the first set, it was only as close as it was because she was serving amazingly and so Kenin couldn't get a chance to even put the ball in play. But once they got into any rally, Barty was just over hitting, dumping balls into the net, etc. 

Happy for Garbine but bummed for Simona. Another match where the latter had their chances but kudos to Muguruza and some of the amazing tennis she came up with at key points. If I were a betting woman, I'd have to go with Muguruza.

Kenin certainly seems hungry as hell but Muguruza has this steely determination in her eyes, coupled with the fact that she's already won two Grand Slams, so those nerves won't get her. As for Djokovic vs Federer - went about exactly as I expected. 

[BlackberryJam]

I am a Muguruza fan and would be happy to see her win. I'm indifferent to Halep after her Nastase support. 

Kenin though...hungry absolutely describes it. She wants to win. She wants to be number one. And she's going to unapologetically plow through the draw. I'm down with that.

[Ohwell]

12 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

And her skirt is too short.  

I agree.  She and Barty were wearing the same outfit, yet Barty's skirt looked a bit longer.  I thought that was strange.