Tennis Thread

[roseha]

He has since tested negative.  Why they are not testing players daily before each match (and on off days) I have no idea.

Edited October 5, 2020 by roseha
added parenthetical

[emmawoodhouse]

33 minutes ago, roseha said:

He has since tested negative.  Why they are not testing players daily before each match I have no idea.

When was he tested? Today? 

Of course, it's possible he has a common cold. Or he's using being "sick" as an excuse for the upset.

[roseha]

On 10/5/2020 at 5:52 PM, emmawoodhouse said:

When was he tested? Today? 

Of course, it's possible he has a common cold. Or he's using being "sick" as an excuse for the upset.

He posted that he just got a negative result a few hours ago so I believe that means the last 24 hours?  Clearly he should not have played although he said that his physio did inform the FFT doctors of his symptoms at some point prior to the match as I understand it.

I do think that if the FFT had used protocols as strict as the USTA's situations like this could have been avoided.

Also I read that Thiem was feeling unwell yesterday - stomach issue? -though I hope it's nothing serious.

Edited October 10, 2020 by roseha

[emmawoodhouse]

Okay, so he was really sick. Hard to fake in this environment, but cynic that I am, I tend to think the worst. 😁

Glad he doesn't have it.

[theatremouse]

Apparently they're being tested every five days at the French. They were tested daily in NY. The hotel in Paris is also not really a bubble. It has regular guests, not just tournament people.

[emmawoodhouse]

4 hours ago, theatremouse said:

Apparently they're being tested every five days at the French. They were tested daily in NY. The hotel in Paris is also not really a bubble. It has regular guests, not just tournament people.

That's just asking for trouble. Yes, Rafa owns the French, but he didn't go to the US Open citing virus concerns. But this is okay for him? I guess so when there's a greater chance of winning. 

And I adore Rafa. 

[SuburbanHangSuite]

A Collins v Kenin Quarterfinal?  I don't know which is more deranged and unlikeable.

[BitterApple]

5 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

A Collins v Kenin Quarterfinal?  I don't know which is more deranged and unlikeable.

Seriously, it's like watching Jodi Arias vs. Amy Dunne. 

[BlackberryJam]

Well, my resolve to support Kenin as she seems just awkward and weird has just dissolved. 

[blackwing]

7 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

A Collins v Kenin Quarterfinal?  I don't know which is more deranged and unlikeable.

Agreed.  I'm thinking I dislike Collins more.  But the antics of Kenin's father in her match were deplorable.  He seems like a crazy control freak.  The tennis authorities should consider banning him from attending matches.

At this point, I want anyone besides Colins/Kenin to win.  As much as I like the Cinderella stories of the two qualifiers and Iga Swiatek, I really am pulling for Petra to win.  Her career got off track after that knife attack during the burglary, and I've been rooting for her.

Crap.  Thiem just lost.  Was looking forward to a Thiem/Nadal rematch and then hopefully the winner was going to spank Djokovic.  At this point, I'm all about anyone but Djokovic.  My fear is that Schwartzman gets lucky against Nadal but then crumples against Djokovic.

[roseha]

3 hours ago, blackwing said:

 

At this point, I want anyone besides Colins/Kenin to win.  As much as I like the Cinderella stories of the two qualifiers and Iga Swiatek, I really am pulling for Petra to win.  Her career got off track after that knife attack during the burglary, and I've been rooting for her.

I really hope Petra will win this.  It would be such an amazing story after she suffered that terrible attack and slow clay isn’t even her best surface.  To add the French to her two Wimbledon titles would be so great for her after all she went through.

[truthaboutluv]

On 10/5/2020 at 11:39 PM, emmawoodhouse said:

That's just asking for trouble. Yes, Rafa owns the French, but he didn't go to the US Open citing virus concerns. But this is okay for him? I guess so when there's a greater chance of winning. 

And I adore Rafa. 

In Rafa's defense, his concern was about the travel aspect of getting to the U.S., not the measures the USTA had taken to ensure everyone's safety. And I mean, not for nothing, but the U.S. IS currently a hot ass mess regarding COVID-19. 

Now that's not to say I don't agree that the French officials are being way too lax with those rules. I mean every 5 days - how the hell does that make sense when the whole damn tournament is only 14 days. 

 

On 10/6/2020 at 7:16 AM, SuburbanHangSuite said:

A Collins v Kenin Quarterfinal?  I don't know which is more deranged and unlikeable.

lmao...it'll be a battle to see which one can out-crazy the other. 

 

On 10/6/2020 at 2:43 PM, blackwing said:

Crap.  Thiem just lost. 

Thiem had so many chances to win that match and I felt like today showed signs of the wear and tear of coming off the US Open run and he did have a tough 4th Round match as well. But I liked how gracious he was in defeat and seemingly very happy for Diego. 

I may end up with egg on my face but after being concerned coming in, I actually feel fairly confident now that Rafa'll make the Finals. I actually Djokovic might be the surprise upset. I can see it being Carreno Busta or Tsitsipas, if he gets through his Quarterfinal and doesn't lose his mind in the semi-final match as he's wont to do in the past. 

But I'm sure French Open officials are hoping for a Rafa/Djokovic final. 

Edited October 8, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[blackwing]

Disappointed that Kenin beat Petra... but now I can wholeheartedly root for Iga.  Go Iga!

I'm still puzzled at the antics of Kenin's dad.  I know she got fined, but that money is a drop in the bucket to her.  If I were that chair umpire, I would have had security escort her dad out of the arena, immediately.

Carreno Busta called out Djokovic on the medical timeouts: http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=30068136.  So true... he seems to ALWAYS do this.  Whenever he's in trouble, he claims something hurts and he needs the trainer.  I've seen others do this and get criticised by opponents for it, but it seems like it's a regular course of practice for Djokovic.

[roseha]

I havent even watched Iga but I will root for her because I cant stand Kenin’s behavior.  She seems to be the ultimate bad winner.  I dont know if her crazy dad is partly to blame but all I can say is go Iga.

[truthaboutluv]

38 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I'm still puzzled at the antics of Kenin's dad.  I know she got fined, but that money is a drop in the bucket to her.  If I were that chair umpire, I would have had security escort her dad out of the arena, immediately.

I feel like I'm always missing all the tea. No clue what this is about but it sounds like I missed some good drama. 

Speaking of missing drama, I only saw a set and a half of Djokovic vs. Carreno Busta but saw all the comments on social media about Djokovic's fake injuries and timely medical timeouts. The thing is, as I've said before, I rarely like to accuse players of faking injuries, knowing the toll this sport takes on these players' body.

And I did notice him wearing some neck patch from the start of the match. The thing is, Djokovic is just so unlikeable to so many people that the benefit of the doubt they might give to other players is rarely given to him. Meanwhile his fans (yes, he does have them) are being super obnoxious online declaring sure victory for him if he makes it to the Final, and my favorite, "So he can get the Grand Slam that was stolen from him at the US Open". No words. 

[theatremouse]

He has an established pattern of doing the thing with the medical timeouts. (So does Vika for that matter) He also has established his beliefs about modern medicine do not always involve...believing in modern medicine. So unless he were showing any sign of physical problem, such as favoring one side or limping or not showing his usual range of motion with his arm/shoulder/head/neck or visibly wincing, etc, even though yes surely this sport can thrash your body, I'd be more inclined to suspect him of faking an injury than other players because while the evidence is generally circumstantial, at a certain point it adds up to side eye.

[truthaboutluv]

20 hours ago, theatremouse said:

He has an established pattern of doing the thing with the medical timeouts. (So does Vika for that matter) He also has established his beliefs about modern medicine do not always involve...believing in modern medicine. So unless he were showing any sign of physical problem, such as favoring one side or limping or not showing his usual range of motion with his arm/shoulder/head/neck or visibly wincing, etc, even though yes surely this sport can thrash your body, I'd be more inclined to suspect him of faking an injury than other players because while the evidence is generally circumstantial, at a certain point it adds up to side eye.

I hear you. And just to be clear, I have no issues with people dragging Djokovic all day long. It's just a personal thing for me, where I try not to immediately assume a player is faking an injury. That said, Djokovic was the one who gave us that doozy at the US Open, when he was getting his ass handed to him by Stan and he called the trainer to look at his toes. So yeah...

Edited October 9, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[emmawoodhouse]

Stefanos is taking Novaxx to a 5th set! Knock the bum out, Tsitsipas!

[akiss]

Go Tsitsipas!

[akiss]

I jinxed it.

[emmawoodhouse]

No, I jinxed it. Screw Novaxx (and kudos to whomever came up with that. It's perfect!)

Damn, it's 5-1. 😢

[theatremouse]

Well fuck.

[emmawoodhouse]

Vamos Rafa!

[truthaboutluv]

Stefanos did really well to take this to five sets, with the way he was all but blown off the court in the first two sets. I was particularly impressed with his winning that fourth set, after having to fight off so many break points. But he just ran out of gas at the end and had nothing left. 

And so it's now the Finals I'm sure the French Open officials were praying for. Djokovic's fans have been mighty smug and crowing all over social media since the Open started that if this was the inevitable outcome, Novak is going to destroy and embarrass Rafa worse than he did at the 2019 Australian Open finals.

Pretty ballsy talk about someone who, even while dominating elsewhere, has never won FO final against Rafa. And even after his "wiping the floor" with Rafa at the Australian Open, lost to him in Rome, with one set being a bagel. But they sure seem cocky and confident about their guy. Oh and of course they all believe this will be him getting the Grand Slam number that was "stolen" from him by the USTA. 

So we shall see. After being wary of Rafa's form coming into the tournament, I knew fairly quickly he'd make the Finals. And certainly if there is a formidable foe to go up against, it's Djokovic. But you know, I'm finding myself kind of zen about this whole thing. What will be will be. Even if Rafa finally loses a FO final this Sunday, it is not going to challenge, in my opinion, his legend as the greatest clay court player of all time...period. 

Edited October 10, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[blackwing]

IGA!!!!!!!  What a fantastic win.  She absolutely pasted Kenin in the second set.  Match point was fantastic, and it was fantastic to see Kenin's face, she was so stone cold, especially after her arrogant interviews in which she said the thing she likes best about tennis is "winning". 

Such a great moment for Poland.  It was such a joy to see Iga trying to find her coach and family in the stands.  But as she was trying to find her way to the correct stairs, I can't help but think that the asses who turned their backs on her and refused to move out of her way must have been supporters of Kenin and her ass dad.  There was even one lady who just stood staring with her arms crossed in front of her instead of applauding a champion like most others were doing, just as Iga passed her.  Seems like Kenin fans in the arena might be as much of a sour poor sport as Kenin herself.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

SO happy for Swiatek!  She played so well and didn't let the Kenin shenanigans disrupt her one bit.  Now I'm waiting to see how Kenin blames her loss on her "injury." 😏

[akiss]

Great match for Swiatek! I am so happy for her  

[Bewitched]

I'm no more than a casual fan these days so I hadn't heard much about Iga, but that was really enjoyable.  She hit some incredible shots to close out the 2nd set, really painting the corners.  I love that she doesn't sound media trained and she looks like a 19 year old  who is still growing into her body.  She wasn't showing off her ass like her opponent (really, a flesh colored undergarment?).  There was joy and I guess I really needed to see that.

Now if Rafa can just take out Novak tomorrow I will be happier.

[truthaboutluv]

I had a feeling Iga would win after watching her previous two matches and seeing the way she managed to just destroy her opponents without even looking like she was putting that much effort. It was all so clinical. I knew she wouldn't be the type to let the pressure of the moment get to her. 

[TVbitch]

That was satisfying! Iga's got game! Kenin's dad seems like an ass. Yelling at her after the first set to the point that he broke his mask?! Maybe that's why she is crying all the time and never seems to look like she is enjoying herself. I was cracking up at Mary and John making fun of him and his not so subtle coaching. 

Stefanos really dug deep and brought it yesterday. He raised his level to where he could have won, but then just completely hit the wall physically. That should be fixable by his trainers though ...or maybe h needs to ask for some recipes from Novak's special mixologist. As annoying as he may be, Novak is one fit fuck! 

[Rickster]

Granted, there’s covid and the French Open was at an odd time of year, but I was amazed that an American woman in the final of a major got close to zero coverage in American sports media.

[mojoween]

What’s the over/under on the time when Novak claims injury?

[truthaboutluv]

STILL THE KING... Dang man, 13-0

[mojoween]

DOMINATION.

If Rafa didn’t go “uhhhhh” so much I would root for him unequivocally.  As it is I’m a casual fan when he plays, unless it’s against Roger.

Also I love Rafa’s pink branded mask.  Novak’s is WAY too busy.

Edited October 11, 2020 by mojoween

[blackwing]

That was eminently satisfying.  Especially the first two sets.  Congrats to Nadal!

[emmawoodhouse]

I don't get up at 6am on weekends, but it's great to wake up to see the final throes of Novaxx getting his ass beat. 

[Hudson0325]

Roger made the classiest (of course) comment on Twiter

 

[Hudson0325]

I was up before 7a ( when coverage started here) , made coffee and got the dogs fed in time to sit down for the match. I adore Rafa and really dislike Novak so I was very nervous but it ended up giving my day such a wonderful start. I read a comment somewhere where someone said “Nadal winning the French Open is the first normal thing to happen in 2020”. Maybe it’s a good omen!

[truthaboutluv]

1 hour ago, Hudson0325 said:

Roger made the classiest (of course) comment on Twiter

 

Saw this. Good on Roger for such a gracious statement.

Apparently some Novak fans are all in their feelings about it, stating how Roger's never made such a gracious statement about Novak for any of his accomplishments. Also I think the "greatest rival" thing really stuck in their craw.

Edited October 11, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[BlackberryJam]

Federer is not obligated to be Novak’s bestie, nor is his obligated to stroke Novak’s ego. 

Roger and Rafa have a friendship and a “respectship” that neither of them has with Novak. That’s just the way it is.

I first checked the scores at the end of the first set and what a relief. I hadn’t watched any of Rafa’s matches live this French and didn’t want to curse it by starting with the final.

I am watching it now though, and why is John McEnroe, who is in Malibu, so obsessed with Djokovic “getting the crowd into it.” Does he not get it? I mean...there are people there, but this is not a situation where a powerful crowd can lift a player. They are stymied even from cheering because of masks. Shut up John.

 

[Hudson0325]

Oh for pity’s sake -are the Novak fans really that petty? Scratch that-of course they are. These are the same folks that sent death threats to the US Open lineswoman.

[truthaboutluv]

1 hour ago, Hudson0325 said:

Oh for pity’s sake -are the Novak fans really that petty? Scratch that-of course they are. These are the same folks that sent death threats to the US Open lineswoman.

And kept insisting that this French Open win, which they were positive was going to happen, would be his getting the Grand Slam that was "stolen" from him by the USTA. So yeah...

Edited October 11, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[Hudson0325]

I’m  sure the network wanted a more competitive match. There wasn't a large crowd but the Novak crowd was very vocal. During the 3rd set when I was in another room I could tell when Novak won a point by the crowd.

12 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

am watching it now though, and why is John McEnroe, who is in Malibu, so obsessed with Djokovic “getting the crowd into it.” Does he not get it? I mean...there are people there, but this is not a situation where a powerful crowd can lift a player. They are stymied even from cheering because of masks. Shut up John

[theatremouse]

47 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

Apparently some Novak fans are all in their feelings about it, stating how Roger's never made such a gracious statement about Novak for any of his accomplishments.

Has Novak tied any of Roger's active records (the kind that anyone other than the most stats obsessed tennis fan would even be aware of)? Because to me the statement happened because they're now in a tie. If Roger had 21 right now and Rafa won today, I doubt he'd have said much, if anything. So it's especially absurd to compare that Roger never said anything like that about Novak. Well Novak never did what Rafa just did.

[BlackberryJam]

23 hours ago, Hudson0325 said:

I’m  sure the network wanted a more competitive match. There wasn't a large crowd but the Novak crowd was very vocal. During the 3rd set when I was in another room I could tell when Novak won a point by the crowd.

The crowd was small, but the noise was amplified because the roof was closed. Watching the match, you could tell that this was not a situation where raucous fans were able to inspire and elevate.

Johnny Mac says it it almost all of Novak’s matches, that ND needs to get the crowd behind him. I’d think it was a snarky dig on Novak’s complaining that he doesn’t get the support that Rafa and Roger get, but I don’t think Johnny is that clever.

[TVbitch]

I don't think I've ever seen such a lackluster performance from Novak. (I mean, you know, lackluster at the echelon.) I guess Stefanos wore him out. Nadal was gonna win anyway, but it was hardly the match NBC was hyping it to be.  

[mojoween]

It’s funny how often the things that make sports enjoyable to me are diametrically opposed to what makes the networks happy, heh.

[theatremouse]

5 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

Johnny Mac says it it almost all of Novak’s matches, that ND needs to get the crowd behind him. I’d think it was a snarky dig on Novak’s complaining that he doesn’t get the support that Rafa and Roger get, but I don’t think Johnny is that clever.

I don't think it's intended as a dig. It's more a plain observation that whenever the crowd isn't specifically backing Novak, he bitches about it and seems to get distracted by it during matches.

[crimsongrl]

Sam Querrey Flees Russia on Private Plane After Testing Positive for COVID-19

Its like a movie! I would've left too and I'd accept any fine the ATP gives me.

*how do you insert a tweet/thread?

Edited October 15, 2020 by crimsongrl

[BlackberryJam]

It's just a cut and paste of the link with nothing else.