Tennis Thread

[TVbitch]

Daniil is a socially awkward guy for sure, but he does crack me up. At least I find his reactions and antics genuine, which I prefer to the camera-ready stuff and pat answers. He may have been mouthing "boring" as a nerdy way to demonstrate that he found the perfunctory praise to be lame and long-winded. Rafa seems to enjoy him, so he can't be too bad.  

I've been wondering why Med's team doesn't put some muscle on him. Not a full on Zverev transformation, but maybe get him to a Novak level of muscle. It might give him more stamina in the five-setters. 

[caracas1914]

Novaxx better think twice about not getting vaccinated before the FO because if Rafa wins the FO then's he's two up and even Novak can't count on catching up so easily.  

Over the moon over Rafa's win,  3 different ways those heartbreaking losses of  12, 14 and 17 all had to sting very badly .  The Wawrinka loss hurt so much because his back acting up like that before the final when Rafa had been playing so well. 

Can you imagine what were Rafa's thoughts when he was broken when serving for the match at 5-4, 30-0.  Incredible he somehow worked through it.  Wish people would stop acting like Medvedev choked, maybe he used poor shot selection and was a bit gassed, but he was admirably fighting until the end.

Edited February 1, 2022 by caracas1914

[Paws]

Not that i enjoy defending the guy but Is there any reason to think he would have been muttering in English? I think we are putting words into his mouth. For all we know he was muttering in Russian saying I”I’m so hot and tired” .  
 

I am so, so impressed w Rafa. Never really followed him before (I mostly pay attention to women’s tennis and the Williams sisters in particular, when I was pay attention at all) but he is so rock solid, steady, never whining or complaining and practically dying in the heat but never giving up. I hope Novax Djerkovic keeps his unvaccinated ass away from him. Can’t wait to see Rafa in the French Open.

[truthaboutluv]

11 hours ago, caracas1914 said:

Can you imagine what were Rafa's thoughts when he was broken when serving for the match at 5-4, 30-0.

He answered that very question in one of his million post-match interviews and if one was ever curious to hear Rafa say the f'word, here's your chance, lol. 

Post-Match Interview

Edited February 1, 2022 by truthaboutluv

[BlackberryJam]

2 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

He answered that very question in one of his million post-match interviews and if one was ever curious to hear Rafa say the f'word, here's your chance, lol. 

Post-Match Interview

Obviously English is not his first language, and he may curse like a sailor in Spanish, but I think that's the first time I've ever heard him say "fuck."  "Well fuck" was exactly what I would have been thinking as well.

Rafa's ability to come back like that...it reminds me of his first Wimbledon, when he'd been up two sets, they were out there playing in darkness and he pulled out the win in five sets. He's a model for young athletes for "this is how you compete."

3 hours ago, Paws said:

Not that i enjoy defending the guy but Is there any reason to think he would have been muttering in English? I think we are putting words into his mouth. For all we know he was muttering in Russian saying I”I’m so hot and tired” .  

I considered that as well, but it was so clearly, "boring" and it matched his face exactly. Daniil doesn't seem to have the filter he so desperately needs.

Edited February 1, 2022 by BlackberryJam
Typos and missing words.

[shok]

For those of you who enjoyed the Rafa match, you can't compare to this guy.  🥴

 

[BlackberryJam]

What is that music in the clip? I know it but can’t place it….Help! I know it’s from a movie…

[BlackberryJam]

On 2/4/2022 at 6:37 PM, BlackberryJam said:

What is that music in the clip? I know it but can’t place it….Help! I know it’s from a movie…

Quoting myself, it was from Love Actually.

Peng Shuai. Just let her leave, China, just let her run.

[truthaboutluv]

Surprised this hasn't been shared. Looks like Del Potro may be ready to call it quits. Very sad but not surprising. Juan Carlos has definitely been the definition of the spirit is willing but the body just can't. And he definitely had so much talent. 

On another note, it's interesting we were recently discussing obnoxious crowds and I mentioned that IMO, however rude the Australian crowd was this Open, I can't say I haven't seen worse, particularly with the French crowd. Well wouldn't you know it, some YouTuber was kind enough to pull together a video of some their "best moments". 

I remembered the Hingis and Serena incidents very well. The Serena one I especially remembered because it was when I said "fuck Justine Henin" and never liked that woman again right through to her retirement. Because Justine KNEW she put her hand up and to stand there and act like she had no clue what Serena was talking about was plain foul. I was done with her after that match. 

What I didn't remember and surprising since I've been a fan of Rafa's for so long, was that Grosjean match. Talk about a boss move. Booing and jeering for SIX minutes while Rafa was trying to serve and to think, he was 19. So we're talking about a kid. That's awful. But he sure as hell shut their asses up, right up to winning the title. On his first try.

This is why I always say when some mention how loved Rafa is, - that this was not always the case and he earned his respect and adulation over the years. There were a lot of times in those early years when some of these crowds were really hostile against him, especially during some of those big matches against Federer.

Because I've said it before, if there is a person who's been deified in the sport, it's Federer. And after years of his sheer dominance, many weren't so thrilled when the "weird Spanish kid" started showing him up.

Edited February 7, 2022 by truthaboutluv

[Crashcourse]

I'm looking forward to watching Delpo tomorrow. 

[woodstock]

Novak digs in

I’m curious as to what research or info does he have that’s influencing his decision???

 

[theatremouse]

Probably the same quack doctors he's been listening to for years.

[BlackberryJam]

2 hours ago, woodstock said:

Novak digs in

I’m curious as to what research or info does he have that’s influencing his decision???

 

I'm sure it's info he got off Facebook. 

[roseha]

It's been how long now, and there are still so many jerks, Djokovic prominent among them, who still won't acknowledge that the vaccine protects those around you, not only yourself.  He doesn't live in a bubble!

On a brighter note, I watched Felix Auger-Aliassime get his first title victory in a dominant performance against Tsitsipas in Rotterdam.   It would be great to see Felix as a real slam contender.

 

[cambridgeguy]

5 hours ago, woodstock said:

I’m curious as to what research or info does he have that’s influencing his decision???

The pandemic has proven that millions of people missed out on their true calling as an infectious disease specialist.  All of those years of school and training pale in comparison to reading a few internet blurbs.  Novak would no doubt be happy to point to those.

[mojoween]

Novak is such a child.  “Well I didn’t want to play in your dumb tournament ANYway.  Pffffft.”

[BlackberryJam]

4 hours ago, mojoween said:

Novak is such a child.  “Well I didn’t want to play in your dumb tournament ANYway.  Pffffft.”

Countdown to Novak announcing his NoVaxx Open, "The Fifth Grand Slam", tennis tournament in Serbia, where players are encouraged to cough on each other, social distancing is forbidden and masks are banned, to be scheduled the exact same two weeks as the French Open. 

Edited February 16, 2022 by BlackberryJam

[blackwing]

3 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

Countdown to Novak announcing his NoVaxx Open, "The Fifth Grand Slam", tennis tournament in Serbia, where players are encouraged to cough on each other, social distancing is forbidden and masks are banned, to be scheduled the exact same two weeks as the French Open. 

If its rules also include unlimited bathroom breaks and coaching in a native language disguised as encouraging words, then we can get rid of Tsitsipas as well.  I'd be all for it. 

[theatremouse]

I'm actually kind of glad he's doubling down, because it means I won't need to see him on my TV for probably 7 months.

[CountryGirl]

On 2/16/2022 at 3:43 PM, theatremouse said:

I'm actually kind of glad he's doubling down, because it means I won't need to see him on my TV for probably 7 months.

That would be so wonderful.

[shok]

One of the top British tennis writers (sorry I can't think of his name right now) said on twitter that one of the top p.r. firms in London arranged Novak's interview with the BBC (another journalist confirmed it and added other info). Apparently they worked long and hard on what he could be asked and what answers he would give, like the sappy story of his son wanting a photo with Rafa and cheering for Rafa in the AO final. Novak makes me ill at the best of times but seeing a couple of clips from the interview showing Djerk being so humble and normal really made me nauseous. He is so phony, but sure enough, his sappy comments are being quoted all over the place.

[dcalley]

9 hours ago, shok said:

One of the top British tennis writers (sorry I can't think of his name right now) said on twitter that one of the top p.r. firms in London arranged Novak's interview with the BBC

Here:

Also in his feed:

 

[Carey]

Oh well.  I thought he would've been sorta banned from all the tournaments, since they're all in places that are tough with their guidelines.  Can't say I'm shocked with Wimbledon here, but it is a bit surprising and a tad bit lame in my opinion.

I'm happy for Rafa breaking that record.  Didn't get around to saying so earlier; while he might not get to Court's mark by this time in a year, especially with Novak's Wimbledon participation, it's looking okay that he'll extend the men's record real soon

[shok]

No discussion on Zverev's boneheaded tantrum last night? I've never seen anything like it and if he isn't banned/suspended for a substantial period, I'll be right pissed off. Tennis has been so worried about toilet breaks and shot clocks and other such nonsense while they've let racquet smashing and foul language and spitting at umpires go unpunished, and this is what they've gotten.

[TVbitch]

I'm not able to watch this tournament, but I see he was thrown out, thank goodness. That was a violent assault.  

[NUguy514]

I'd point anyone who doubted or maligned Zverev's ex and her claims of physical abuse to that video of him attacking the chair umpire; it's legitimately scary.  He is an abusive asshole, and he should be in jail.

[Crashcourse]

I had never heard of Vesely before this match, but I'm so happy for him stunning Djoker.  And while Medvedev isn't a favorite of mine, I'm practically giddy that he'll take the #1 spot now.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovic-vesely-dubai-2022-thursday

[crimsongrl]

Zverev fined max $40,000 (20k for verbal abuse, 20k for unsportsmanlike conduct). He'll forfeit the Mexcian Open prize money ($31,570) and the incident is under further review by the ATP.

[Harry24]

Quote

I'd point anyone who doubted or maligned Zverev's ex and her claims of physical abuse to that video of him attacking the chair umpire; it's legitimately scary.  He is an abusive asshole, and he should be in jail.

I agree that this is very strong evidence to support her claims.  Shocking, sickening.  But very strong evidence indeed.

[Crashcourse]

Well, Vesely is on a roll defeating Shapavalov and making it to the finals at Dubai.  I always root for qualifiers, so congrats to him. 

[shok]

And Rafa about to win his third championship in three tries. What a beginning of the year he's had. His match against Medvedev tonight was fantastic - he looked like the Rafa of old. I've got my fingers and toes and legs and arms and everything crossed that he stays healthy because who knows what he can achieve when he's not dealing with foot and knee and back maladies. He just looks so relaxed and happy in all the pictures and videos and matches I've seen. Vamos Rafa!!!

[Crashcourse]

Well, it was a good run for Vesely but no surprise that he lost to Rublev, who was very gracious in his victory speech and giving props to Vesely.    

[emmawoodhouse]

Svitolina takes hard stance.

[emmawoodhouse]

Novaxx officially out at Indian Wells and Miami.

Poor baby can't enter the US without being vaxxed. Sadly, it looks like he'll be at the French Open as France has loosened their requirements.

[shok]

11 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Novaxx officially out at Indian Wells and Miami.

Poor baby can't enter the US without being vaxxed. Sadly, it looks like he'll be at the French Open as France has loosened their requirements.

But why didn't the asshole formally withdraw before the draw was held? Instead he leaves his name in there and throws the draw out of whack by having one very weak quarter/half with a lucky loser in there and screws up the qualifying rounds too. Joao Sousa was next on the entry list to get in if someone withdrew but with Djerk not withdrawing, Joao had to try to qualify and he won his first match 5-7 7-6 7-6 and lost his second 6-7 6-7 so will lose a big chunk of money by not making it into the main draw. At least they know far enough ahead of the Miami draw to make sure Djerk isn't included in that one.

[khyber]

4 hours ago, shok said:

But why didn't the asshole formally withdraw before the draw was held? 

Because he's an asshole. 

[cambridgeguy]

A fan yelling "you suck" should not send you into a spiral of despair unless something else is going on

[khyber]

Naomi appears to be a fragile personality. Professional sports is the wrong career for her.  She has said she wants to play as little as possible and she can't deal with the crowd heckling.  Maybe she doesn't want to walk away from the money, etc. but she's got plenty now to live a quiet  life of luxury. 

[theatremouse]

While the person heckling here didn't say anything racist, if you take what Naomi said afterward at face value, she was basically anticipating that after the first heckling. Not in general. Because it was Indian Wells. The incident that caused Venus and Serena to boycott Indian Wells for years? That's what was on her mind. She said as much. 

[cambridgeguy]

That means she should never play at Indian Wells again unless they muzzle all the fans.  Because there's always a chance someone (possibly a racist, possibly just a dick) will yell something next time, especially since they know it will trigger her.  And hopefully the rest of the tournaments she plays at don't have a history of racism because there are going to be some assholes in every crowd who will see this as their cue to have at it.

[Crashcourse]

While the heckling was bad, my issue with Osaka is that she wanted to make comments between games, and I'm glad the umpire wouldn't let her.  It was more appropriate for her to comment after the match.

[pennben]

On 3/13/2022 at 12:32 PM, cambridgeguy said:

That means she should never play at Indian Wells again unless they muzzle all the fans

That is what Venus and Serena did for many years....to the tournament's detriment and great shame.  

 

[shok]

4 hours ago, pennben said:

to the tournament's detriment and great shame.  

???? The tournament carried on quite nicely and quite regularly gets voted by the other players as the best Masters 1000 on tour.

[pennben]

Sure, but for many years was known as the the tournament with the racist fans & despite begging the Williams sisters to come back once they became huge, went without until they chose.  A thing can be successful with a huge stain as this tournament was for many years. 

[Crashcourse]

So Djoker is going to be playing in the French Open.  😒

[emmawoodhouse]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

So Djoker is going to be playing in the French Open.  😒

Yeah, I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that France had lifted its vaccination ban.

[TVbitch]

Finally got to see a few matches. Brooksby played great to get that win over Tsitsipas. Looking forward to his match against Norrie tonight.

And go Taylor! 

[Crashcourse]

While I luv me some Monfils, I like the youngster Alcaraz, too, and I figured he'd run Monfils into the ground.  

[Harry24]

Alcaraz looks like the best of the new generation.  He looks like he WANTS it on a different level from the others, that champion’s obsessed drive.

[truthaboutluv]

On 3/16/2022 at 12:58 PM, Crashcourse said:

So Djoker is going to be playing in the French Open.  😒

The reactions to this by some of Novak's fans were hilarious. My personal favorite was the delusional "many players are terrified now, especially one who we will not name." Yes folks, because Rafa Nadal is so terrified of Djokovic at the French Open. Whatever... 

Speaking of Rafa, a bit worried about his physical condition heading into the clay season after the IW Finals yesterday. I'm hoping it's just fatigue, since he has been going since January and the man is not 21 anymore. 

Not to take anything from Fritz but I don't think it's unreasonable to say that this was Rafa at maybe 50% yesterday. That was a pretty subpar performance from him. 

Edited March 21, 2022 by truthaboutluv