Tennis Thread

[CountryGirl]

I was going to try to stay up and watch the entire match but with the way set two went, I went to bed. I knew it was going to be the same old Djoker drops the first set, wins the next three. 

I cannot bring myself to root for Zverev, considering. 

I'm happy for Sakkari as I like her a lot more than Plishkova, although I will be rooting for the youngsters (Raducanu and Fernandez) to win their semis.

I'm also rooting for FAA in the semis with Medvedev. Although I do like Medvedev. But I have a soft spot for FAA. 

[blackwing]

Such a promising start for Berrettini but then the same tired result with Novaxx.  Novaxx drops the first set and then dominates the rest, same old story.  Zzzzzzz.

I like FAA over Medvedev but I don't think there's any way that he beats Novaxx so at this point I'd have to root for Medvedev.

[truthaboutluv]

Not personally rooting for him in any way but unfortunately for many, from what I've seen this Open, I actually believe Zverev has the best possibility of upsetting Djokovic and even that's a massive maybe. I actually would not be surprised if Felix pulls off the upset and beats Medvedev. 

Edited September 9, 2021 by truthaboutluv

[TVbitch]

I think the only way Dj loses this tournament is if he gets thrown out for spiking a ball and hitting a ball kid or something. He came close last night, and I wouldn't put it past him. Not that I want a ball kid to be injured, but, I mean, maybe if it was just a tiny bruise they could take one for the ABN team. I keed, of course. Kind of. 

Otherwise, Felix has a good game, but Novak's is better, and Med's style is just not diverse enough. Sasha would have a chance IF he stayed totally consistent at the top of his ability throughout the entire match, but that never happens. 

 

[CountryGirl]

2 hours ago, CouchTater said:

The one good thing about Djokovic completing the slam (assuming he does) is that commentators can then remove this narrative from their script.  I'm so sick of hearing about it, much like Serena trying to get slam #24 (although I'd like to see her do that).  Of course, then there'd be some other narrative to replace it, I suppose.  Like Emma Raducanu is a tennis phenom after essentially 2 tournaments (eye roll).

The only player left for me is Daniil Medvedev.  I love his post-match interviews.  I don't have any vested interest in anyone who's left, male or female.

Oh, wait!  Go Team Coco and Caty!!!

I'd like to think this, but I think if he does, we will hear about it as much, if not more, than we are now. I can just hear it: Novak Djokovic. First of His Name, Winner of 21 Grand Slam Titles, Holder of a Calendar Grand Slam, Thrower of First Sets, and Sorest of Losers. 

[Crashcourse]

Even though I'm sorry they're out due to injuries, I'm kind of glad that Roger and Rafa aren't playing in the Open.  If Djoker does win, I do think there will always be the "what if?" speculation about whether he would have won if they had played, and that would drive Djoker crazy.  

[blackwing]

47 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

Even though I'm sorry they're out due to injuries, I'm kind of glad that Roger and Rafa aren't playing in the Open.  If Djoker does win, I do think there will always be the "what if?" speculation about whether he would have won if they had played, and that would drive Djoker crazy.  

I'm not so sure... he seems arrogant enough to have the view that he was more fit and had more mental toughness than all of those other losers and that's why he got the Grand Slam and they couldn't.  And the media is slobbering all over him, so that doesn't help.  The article on the US Open site after he beat Berrettini labelled him as "the greatest player to ever play the game" or something like that.

I agree that if he wins, we will never hear the end of it.  I mean, even years later, there is still talk about the "Serena Slam", so much that I think it's actually turned into a generic term for that feat. 

It's just such a shame that he has become so unlikeable.  I remember in his early years, he had all these impressions of other players, and he was hilarious.  And I recall that his signature move after he won (like how Venus does the Venus twirl) was that he would whip his shirt off and throw it into the crowd.  Not sure at exactly what point that funny and likeable guy turned into the ass that he is now.

[Danny Franks]

Djokovic can win as many Slams as he wants, he'll always be remembered less fondly and less well than Federer. Perhaps than Rafa as well, but definitely Federer, who is everything good about tennis as well as being a genuinely nice person that everyone loves.

[Crashcourse]

1 hour ago, Danny Franks said:

Djokovic can win as many Slams as he wants, he'll always be remembered less fondly and less well than Federer. Perhaps than Rafa as well, but definitely Federer, who is everything good about tennis as well as being a genuinely nice person that everyone loves.

Yes, and I hope that drives Djokovic absolutely batshit crazy.  Rafa will be remembered more fondly than him, too.     

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

I'm not so sure... he seems arrogant enough to have the view that he was more fit and had more mental toughness than all of those other losers and that's why he got the Grand Slam and they couldn't. 

Oh sure, he can think that about himself, but it'll drive him crazy that others won't think that.

[khyber]

So I'm forced into the position of rooting for Zverev .

[theatremouse]

Still team Felix.

[Crashcourse]

I like Felix but I think Zverev has a better chance of beating Djoker.   Hell I'd even root for Medvedev. 

[CountryGirl]

Go, Leylah, go!

[truthaboutluv]

Leylah seems like a lovely girl and Sabalenka is a player I've always been mostly neutral about (though I'm just glad to see her finally delivering on her ranking by going deep into tournaments, so I can stop being confused as why she's ranked as high as she is) but Leylah's camp is almost making me root against her. 

I don't mind support and I get that this is all exciting but there's a line where it crosses from support and excitement to obnoxious. And her fitness coach especially has reached that for me. She's also glaringly being illegally coached throughout this match. 

Edited September 10, 2021 by truthaboutluv

[CountryGirl]

What an absolute amazing match!

Credit to Sabalenka, who put up quite the fight.

But in the end, Leylah does it again!

She took out the #3 and two-time defending champion.

She took out the #5 seed.

She took out a former champ who had been on a major winning streak.

She took out the #2 seed.

I am thrilled for her and hope she goes all the way.

❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[TVbitch]

Chris Everet drives me nuts.

The whole match: The match is on Sabalenka's racquet. Leylah is not winning this match, Sabalenka is losing it. Losing a set will only make Sabalenka fight harder. Leylah is getting tired. Sabalanka can see she is getting tired. Sabalenka is still in control of this match.

As soon as Leylah wins: Leylah never got tired! She outplayed Sabalenka! Sabelanka was nervous playing a youngster. 

It's like she thinks she knows everything, then when the match proves her wrong, she just re-stories everything she has previously said. 

Chris Everet is gaslighting me! : D

[theatremouse]

My damn DVR cut off at 4-2 in the third!

[CountryGirl]

5 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Chris Everet drives me nuts.

The whole match: The match is on Sabalenka's racquet. Leylah is not winning this match, Sabalenka is losing it. Losing a set will only make Sabalenka fight harder. Leylah is getting tired. Sabalanka can see she is getting tired. Sabalenka is still in control of this match.

As soon as Leylah wins: Leylah never got tired! She outplayed Sabalenka! Sabelanka was nervous playing a youngster. 

It's like she thinks she knows everything, then when the match proves her wrong, she just re-stories everything she has previously said. 

Chris Everet is gaslighting me! : D

I was saying “shut up, Chris!” a lot during the match. And mostly to Evert but Fowler has irritated me since his questionable (at best) remarks following Alcaraz’s walkover. It was also annoying how much all 3 talked and talked and TALKED.  

Although I like to think Leylah somehow heard them and their naysaying (you’d think they’d learn when they ate crow 3 times in a row before the semis) and thought, “You think I can’t? Oh yes I can!”

[SuburbanHangSuite]

7 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Chris Everett drives me nuts.

I can't believe I ever liked this woman but I actually used to cheer for her, especially against Navratilova.  Now, I can't stand her fake ass with her ugly floral dresses each more garish than the last.

Actually, throw the whole commentating crew away.  Alexandra Stevenson's corny, airhead ass makes me want to slit my wrists.

[truthaboutluv]

8 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Chris Everet drives me nuts.

I stopped paying any attention to what Evert has to say during these matches after the 2015 Australian Open women's final. This was the last Grand Slam final Serena and Sharapova competed against each other. 

Evert spent the whole match trying to convince us the viewers that this was such a close contest and every time Maria had a good shot or two, hyping up how she was just so mentally tough and and oh so amazing and this was such a tight match. It wasn't. 

Despite the second set tiebreak score, anyone who watched that match with unbiased eyes knew there was never a moment where Serena was truly in danger of losing. You just never got the sense that Maria had the tools to pull this off because everything she was doing and everything she tried, Serena did it better.

But if you listened to Chrissie, the match was SO close because Maria was SO powerful and mentally tough. Yeah, okay. That's about the time that I decided she commented on these matches through her biased eyes of whoever she was a particular fan of and so I had no interest. 

[Karen Kidd]

For years I’ve muted the women’s matches because of Evert. 

[CountryGirl]

Wow, Emma is on 🔥 this first set. I’m a little surprised as Maria has been so good. I like both ladies so cheering both of them on. Also, Maria is #bodygoals. 

[CountryGirl]

1 hour ago, truthaboutluv said:

Leylah seems like a lovely girl and Sabalenka is a player I've always been mostly neutral about (though I'm just glad to see her finally delivering on her ranking by going deep into tournaments, so I can stop being confused as why she's ranked as high as she is) but Leylah's camp is almost making me root against her. 

I don't mind support and I get that this is all exciting but there's a line where it crosses from support and excitement to obnoxious. And her fitness coach especially has reached that for me. She's also glaringly being illegally coached throughout this match. 

Genuinely curious as to the illegal coaching. I watched the entire match and didn’t see any hint of what I would construe as coaching. For as much as the talking heads prattled on and much of the prattling being an insistence that Sabelanka would win, there was only a single reference to her physio calling out either “breathe” or “relax,” which they couldn’t decide which and isn’t what I would call “coaching” as literally anyone in the stadium could say that and probably some did. With all the flak Stephanos has gotten of late (and rightly so), the commentators would have pounced on that, but they didn’t. I’m not seeing any footage, other commentary, news articles, etc. not my own observations, where Leylah is concerned to demonstrate that anything like this is going on. And with Leyla always turning her face to the wall I’m front of her between points, zoning out in her chair during breaks, I’m really wondering what I’m missing here. 

As for the cheering, this was the quietest crowd she’s had, but I don’t see her box as being OTT or out of line. I would be over the moon if I were in her camp and could not have restrained from standing up and cheering. They never did so at inappropriate points or kept on after the umpire asked for quiet. 

I kind of feel like we were watching two different matches LOL. 

[roseha]

Leylah and Emma, what a final this is going to be!

 

 

[CountryGirl]

7 minutes ago, roseha said:

Leylah and Emma, what a final this is going to be!

 

 

It will be amazing!!!

[truthaboutluv]

And so it is the two unseeded teenagers. Btw, I did not realize that no qualifier has ever made a final in the history of the Open Era. Seems like Emma didn't realize this either when Renae mentioned it. Probably for the best if she didn't know because that might have added more pressure. 

I actually am not sure who I think will win this Final because in many ways Emma and Leylah have had such different paths to the Finals. Emma had to go through Qualifiers, she only faced two seeded players and neither is in the Top 10.

Conventional wisdom will say Leylah's the likelier winner based on the fact that she upset so many top seeded players, has had to battle in multiple matches, proving her mental toughness. However, something about the way Emma has gone about these two weeks reminds me so much of Iga's run at the French. It's all been almost clinical.

She's had none of the theatrics and crowd screaming and attention that Leylah has had because she's gone through every match so, once again, clinically is the best word I can think of. Just efficient and to the point. I do think nerves may come to play for both in the Finals because it's such a big moment but I just hope they deliver an awesome Final. 

That said, with this Final now set, that no one saw coming and yes, we know the women's game is inconsistent and is known to deliver surprising Finals unlike the men's. However, I'm going to go out on a limb here and make a bold prediction. 

I think FAA may win the men's title. Now before you call me crazy, just remember, when Serena was chasing the Grand Slam, of all the people she would lose to, it ended up being Roberta Vinci. A woman she'd never even lost a set to.

*small voice - I totally plan to pretend I never made this post when Novak inevitably and boringly wins.*

Edited September 10, 2021 by truthaboutluv

[truthaboutluv]

51 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

I kind of feel like we were watching two different matches LOL. 

We watched the same match. I wasn't talking about the crowd reaction and their noise level.  I did acknowledge that I'm sure others won't feel as I do and I also noted that yes, I get being excited and proud. However, it's not just cheering with her box and to be fair, it's particularly her fitness coach. 

It's the very loud yelling and gesturing and it's just unpleasant for me. And this is not new or me picking on this young woman and her team. Many couldn't stand Novak's team in his earlier years for this very reason too, especially his parents. It was the obnoxious screaming, gesturing, yelling after damn near every point. 

As for the illegal coaching, there were multiple times when Leylah was down in a service game or had a string of bad mishits that she would clearly stare up at her box, her fitness coach would be gesturing and she'd be nodding at him. Now maybe he was just telling her to relax but because of the rules being what it is, it looks suspicious. 

[Danny Franks]

Man. Emma was a nice story at Wimbledon, with a couple of feelgood wins and a lot of potential, but she's proved herself a star-in-the-making in this tournament. She's building every facet of her game, including mental strength and the ability to overcome adversity.

The first person to ever make it to the final of a Grand Slam as a qualifier. She's not dropped a set. She's on the verge of being in the top thirty. She doesn't turn nineteen for another two months.

The nature of the women's game over the last two decades has been that no one but the Williams sisters were ever able to achieve real dominance, and I don't know whether that's due to the game being so competitive or because of inconsistency in a lot of the top female players - Barty seems susceptible to bizarre losses, Halep is famously mercurial, Osaka has been very open about her own struggles. But it would be very cool if this tournament was the coming out ceremony for two young players who are going to dominate the women's game for a long time.

[Rickster]

5 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

We watched the same match. I wasn't talking about the crowd reaction and their noise level.  I did acknowledge that I'm sure others won't feel as I do and I also noted that yes, I get being excited and proud. However, it's not just cheering with her box and to be fair, it's particularly her fitness coach. 

It's the very loud yelling and gesturing and it's just unpleasant for me. And this is not new or me picking on this young woman and her team. Many couldn't stand Novak's team in his earlier years for this very reason too, especially his parents. It was the obnoxious screaming, gesturing, yelling after damn near every point. 

As for the illegal coaching, there were multiple times when Leylah was down in a service game or had a string of bad mishits that she would clearly stare up at her box, her fitness coach would be gesturing and she'd be nodding at him. Now maybe he was just telling her to relax but because of the rules being what it is, it looks suspicious. 

I would add on a slightly different note, that as much as I’ve enjoyed watching Fernandez play, I’m always bothered by players who intentionally try to rev up the crowd to get them on his/her side. I prefer competitors who focus on their play to get them crowd support.

[CountryGirl]

8 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

However, I'm going to go out on a limb here and make a bold prediction. 

I think FAA may win the men's title. Now before you call me crazy, just remember, when Serena was chasing the Grand Slam, of all the people she would lose to, it ended up being Roberta Vinci. A woman she'd never even lost a set to.

*small voice - I totally plan to pretend I never made this post when Novak inevitably and boringly wins.*

I don't think it's crazy.

I think FAA could beat Medvedev. And I think he could beat Djoker. I know both seem like unsurmountable tasks but you just never know.

He's met Medvedev only once, in 2018, where Medvedev didn't exactly have a resounding victory in the ATP Masters 1000 Canada (3-6, 6-4, 7-6). And, as noted, that was 3 years ago and so much can change. Djokovic has never faced him. 

And speaking of "you just never know," we have two teenagers in the women's final, with a string of upsets in their wake. A  harbinger of what's to come, perhaps, including the very next day?

[Bewitched]

12 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

I don't mind support and I get that this is all exciting but there's a line where it crosses from support and excitement to obnoxious. And her fitness coach especially has reached that for me. She's also glaringly being illegally coached throughout this match. 

Pam Shriver agrees with you

[blackwing]

I like both players and this is the final I wanted once the QF were set.  Two very different styles of play.  I think Leylah thrives on the crowd interaction, whereas Emma quietly does her own thing.  The post-match interview, Renee Stubbs asked her if Leylah winning over a top-ranked player inspired her.  Emma's response was that she just worries about herself at this point.

Will be an exciting match.  I'm sure we are going to hear "this is the future, how many times will these two face each other in the years to come" many many times from the commentators.

10 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

As for the illegal coaching, there were multiple times when Leylah was down in a service game or had a string of bad mishits that she would clearly stare up at her box, her fitness coach would be gesturing and she'd be nodding at him. Now maybe he was just telling her to relax but because of the rules being what it is, it looks suspicious. 

I know that Pam Shriver called her out on it.  I'm not sure if this coach was doing much more than a "calm down" gesture or if he was doing more than that.  If so, there should be an investigation.    But I think there's a huge difference between that versus what Stefanos allegedly did, which was to take his phone into the toilet and have text exchanges which his dad about strategy and style of play.  There was a huge difference in his approach and strategy before and after he came out of the toilet.  

Edited September 10, 2021 by blackwing

[TVbitch]

Well, at least grunting-wise, it will be a pleasantly quiet final!  

Oof poor Saakari, talking about the warrior spirit and being ready to go all "Sparta" in the pre-match interview. She clearly thought she had this match in the bag and was truly stunned. I was thinking when she said that, "Girl, you gonna jinx yourself with that!" Kudos to Emma for twice batting off Rene's attempt to get her to talk about what an inspiration Leylah is! 

[Crashcourse]

6 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Kudos to Emma for twice batting off Rene's attempt to get her to talk about what an inspiration Leylah is! 

Yes, I liked how Emma brushed Rene's comments off.   The interview was about Emma, not Leylah. 

[Danny Franks]

19 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

Yes, I liked how Emma brushed Rene's comments off.   The interview was about Emma, not Leylah. 

They're already trying to create a narrative of 'two friends become rivals' or some nonsense, and Emma has just been very even and non-committal about it - Yes, they were friendly when they were kids on the junior tour, yes they've played a couple of times in the past, no it's not relevant to the match on Saturday.

[CountryGirl]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

I like both players and this is the final I wanted once the QF were set.  Two very different styles of play.  I think Leylah thrives on the crowd interaction, whereas Emma quietly does her own thing.  The post-match interview, Renee Stubbs asked her if Leylah winning over a top-ranked player inspired her.  Emma's response was that she just worries about herself at this point.

Will be an exciting match.  I'm sure we are going to hear "this is the future, how many times will these two face each other in the years to come" many many times from the commentators.

I know that Pam Shriver called her out on it.  I'm not sure if this coach was doing much more than a "calm down" gesture or if he was doing more than that.  If so, there should be an investigation.    But I think there's a huge difference between that versus what Stefanos allegedly did, which was to take his phone into the toilet and have text exchanges which his dad about strategy and style of play.  There was a huge difference in his approach and strategy before and after he came out of the toilet.  

Pam calls out a lot of things as fact as does Chrissie (the constant mentions of Leylah being "tired" LOL) and more often than not, she's way off base as is Chrissie.  I have yet to see any clips that support the "coaching" claims and honestly, that's pretty shitty of Pam to raise a serious allegation that assumes facts clearly not in evidence. There's been this sour grapes undercurrent with Pam of late that has, quite frankly turned me off of her. One example is the match with Svotlina where they were going into a tiebreak and discussing how Leylah had won all of her timebreaks (against Osaka and Kerber) thus far and Pam immediately dismisses those and Leylah's very tough competition in those matches and snits, "Well, this is Svotlina."

As if to say Leylah got lucky in those prior matches, which no.

She outplayed them both and up until the end, both Pam and Chrissie were so sure Osaka (who was pretty vintage Osaka until her meltdown) and Kerber (who had been on a huge winning streak and playing some of her best tennis) would best her. 

But as far as the "evidence," let's look at what we have seen and do know.

First, her actual coach (her father) hasn't even been to her matches.

Second, her fitness coach is not a tennis coach, so what exactly would he be coaching her on? He was doing the exact same thing her mother and sister were doing - encouraging her. Next, they'll be accused of coaching her, too. He was motioning with his hands as well as his voice to cheer her on and encourage her. That's not coaching in my book. I mean, "come on" is okay, but "calm down" isn't? I suppose "you can do it!," "fight for it!," and "3 more (points)!" are coaching, too.

But for Pam to make pretty baseless claims (that could be equated with slander) is all kinds of gross and it's casting an undeserved shadow on Leylah's accomplishments.  

[blackwing]

27 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

They're already trying to create a narrative of 'two friends become rivals' or some nonsense, and Emma has just been very even and non-committal about it - Yes, they were friendly when they were kids on the junior tour, yes they've played a couple of times in the past, no it's not relevant to the match on Saturday.

Yep.  The script practically writes itself, I am sure we will be hearing the following at various points (hopefully not repeatedly) during the match:  they are both Canadian citizens (since Emma was born in Canada and left when she was two), they played juniors against each other, they bonded over their shared Canadian connection, they are both multicultural (Romanian/Chinese and Ecuadorian/Filipino).  And above all, Leylah brought cupcakes into the locker room for her birthday and Emma ate one.  CUPCAKES!  Stop the press!  These two are rivals but they are still just two little girls, they ate CUPCAKES together!

I am actually a bit surprised to hear about the cupcakes, I would think any athlete would be very wary of any food of unknown origin, particularly one made by a competitor, no matter how nice she may appear.  What if she's a really bad baker and the cupcake ends up giving them diarrhea?

24 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

Second, her fitness coach is not a tennis coach, so what exactly would he be coaching her on? He was doing the exact same thing her mother and sister were doing - encouraging her. Next, they'll be accused of coaching her, too. He was motioning with his hands as well as his voice to cheer her on and encourage her. That's not coaching in my book. I mean, "come on" is okay, but "calm down" isn't? I suppose "you can do it!," "fight for it!," and "3 more (points)!" are coaching, too.

But for Pam to make pretty baseless claims (that could be equated with slander) is all kinds of gross and it's casting an undeserved shadow on Leylah's accomplishments.  

Agreed, I'm wondering how much coaching a fitness coach can actually do, other than to tell his charge to breathe and relax.  It's not like he would be the one to tell her "go for an ace down the center, she's positioned way outside".  Unless they are alleging that her dad was watching at home and texting this fitness coach, which seems a bit of a stretch.

[CountryGirl]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

Yes, I liked how Emma brushed Rene's comments off.   The interview was about Emma, not Leylah. 

I loved that she did that, although she shouldn’t have had to. Let Emma have her own moment in the spotlight. She’s earned it. 

I don’t know why the need to create a narrative when the truth - two teenagers, one a qualifier, one seeded #73 - is so much more compelling. 

And I feel like we rarely see this on the men’s side, which is a whole other level of problematic. 

[roseha]

I would love to see Felix win the title.  As for Emma and Leylah, I will be happy for either.   I did just happen to remember that Andy Murray won the US Open before he won Wimbledon so who knows if history will repeat with Emma?  Either way it is a great accomplishment for both of them and especially whoever wins of course.

[khyber]

Just watched my recordings. It's the great teenage final that I was hoping for. This has been a truly entertaining Grand Slam.  Many great matches and exciting 5 setters.

[theatremouse]

IIRC Pam Shriver was watching as a spectator, not as media. Which may mean absolutely nothing, I don't recall seeing clearly where she was sitting in relation to player boxes, but my point being her perspective doesn't rely so much on camera angles as the people calling the match and television viewers did.

As for the cupcakes, I was under the impression the tournament provided them for Leylah's birthday; not something she/her family brought. 

[truthaboutluv]

21 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

IIRC Pam Shriver was watching as a spectator, not as media.

She was doing courtside reporting. And in the interest of fairness, Pam's comments and suspicions are no more or less baseless and out of line as the accusations against Stefanos. Because let us be clear, unless I've missed it, there's been no definitive proof that Stefanos is accepting illegal coaching during those bathroom breaks. 

It was reported he had his phone with him and some reported seeing his dad texting in his seat while Stefanos was in the bathroom, all highly suggestive. But still not irrefutable proof. And yet many have taken it as fact that Stefanos is 100% using gamesmanship tactics with his bathroom breaks and cheating. 

The fact that I, from the comfort of my couch, far away from the stadium thought something was off suggests that Pam's comments weren't made in a complete vacuum. And no, I was in no way influenced by Pam as one, I watch most matches on mute because most of the commentators annoy me and two, I only knew Pam made those comments after posting in this thread. 

At the end of the day, I don't think it's a huge deal and certainly don't think it influenced Leylah's win in any way. However, it's fine for those who think it was happening to call it out the same way many have felt calling out Tsitsipas and other players for any level of gamesmanship. 

Edited September 10, 2021 by truthaboutluv

[CountryGirl]

I'm not one who said Stephanos is absolutely 100% cheating but that it does look highly suspicious. Speculating is one thing. Outright accusing someone of illegal coaching is another and yes, unfounded accusations, can be considered slander. As a tennis fan and an attorney, who has handled plenty of libel and slander cases in my career, I take that very seriously. Pam should know better than that. 

I also don't care for her picking and choosing whom she chooses to target. It's been reported by a number of folks, including some who were at the match, that one of Pam's faves, Kerber, was basically having conversations with her box towards the end of the match with Fernandez, some of which I saw watching it. Mugaruza, another fave of Pam's, was also reported by many to have been getting clear hand signals (some referred to it as sign language) during her match with Krejčíková from Coach Conchita Martinez. Yet Pam hasn't said a peep about them that I can see. Either comment on it for every player or STFU. 

I'm not going to comment on this issue further because I don't want to bog down what has been a lively thread, one that I've really enjoyed. The 2021 US Open has really made me fall in love with tennis all over again (not that I ever fell out of love) and it's been fun discussing.

And on that note - we're all burning sage, throwing salt over our shoulders, et al, that Novaxx is ousted, right? 😉

 

 

[Crashcourse]

9 hours ago, Rickster said:

I would add on a slightly different note, that as much as I’ve enjoyed watching Fernandez play, I’m always bothered by players who intentionally try to rev up the crowd to get them on his/her side. I prefer competitors who focus on their play to get them crowd support.

Yes, I don't mind occasional  fist pumps (not at your opponent) to pump yourself up during a match, but I don't like arms raised during the match, exhorting the crowd to cheer for you.  Tiafoe did that, the crowd cheered wildly for him, but when he lost he sulked off the court, barely acknowledging them.  I know a lot of players do that, but one of the reasons I like Sinner is that he's cool and focused on playing to get the crowd support.   

[khyber]

28 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

 The 2021 US Open has really made me fall in love with tennis all over again (not that I ever fell out of love) and it's been fun discussing.

And on that note - we're all burning sage, throwing salt over our shoulders, et al, that Novaxx is ousted, right? 😉

 

I'm looking up hexes as we speak.

[CountryGirl]

I don't mind players pumping themselves up and drawing in the crowd to help in that regard. The only thing that bugs me is when players (I'm looking at you, Djoker, take it as a personal affront for the crowd to root for their opponent). 

One of my favorite all-time matches was the 1994 Australian Open men's final with Pete Sampras and Todd Martin. At one point during the match, one fan cheered: "Come on, Pete!" Another cheered, "Come on, Todd!" A third cheered, "Come on, both of you!" ❤️

[truthaboutluv]

Felix's serve is letting him down today. Way too many double faults. To Medvedev's credit, he's also applying a lot of pressure by being relentless in some of these rallies. 

[Medicine Crow]

I'm thinking it's all over but the tears ... LOL.

[CountryGirl]

Felix just looks lost out there. 

[CountryGirl]

Well, Medvedev is through.