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New Balls Please - the tennis thread

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Comments

  • Yes, perhaps.
    As often with professional sport, the hypocrisy is troubling. It is not just Australians who turn out to see Kyrgios. Outside of the so-called big four, he is probably the most well-known men's tennis player, precisely because of his antics. The tournaments are happy to benefit from this fiscally, but still want to sanction him.
    And it is particularly hypocritical of American tennis commentators, as in the past we have seen some of the most disgraceful behaviour in the game's history from American men. Particularly US Open heroes John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors.
    I will try and find a NY Times piece I read on this, which led me to reflect on this.
    In other news - good to see Stan is through.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    That's a fair point - back in the "good old days", players like McEnroe were popular because their tantrums were such a contrast to Borg, who was so quietly efficient (and gentlemanly).
  • Here is the New York Times piece I mentioned.
  • In other news - good to see Stan is through.

    OMG, that took me back in time!

  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    I think that's who sprang to my mind too (meaning no disrespect to the gentleman to whom DK was referring).
  • Ha! I meant Wawrinka.

    Looks like Kyrgios has been dumped in straight sets.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Ah - I'd forgotten about him; I really haven't been following what's going on.
  • Now the forgotten man has taken out the Djoka!
  • No, No, No! The Djoka retired because he was nursing an injury - how dare you suggest that he retired because he was being outplayed!

    ION Johanna Konta is through to the QFs, first British woman to do that since 1983 and, because she has managed at stage at the other 3 Slam events now qualifies for the QFs Club - players who get better locker rooms, etc.
  • CaissaCaissa Shipmate
    edited September 2019
    The Andreescu- Townsend match should be a good one.
  • No, No, No! The Djoka retired because he was nursing an injury - how dare you suggest that he retired because he was being outplayed!

    He was being outplayed. He got thumped in the first two sets, and only retired in the third. Wawrinka has form, he has beaten all of the Big Three before.

    In other news, looks like Osaka is out.
  • And Andreescu is off to the quarter finals.
  • Yes, Konta out with a pedestrian performance. Shame.
  • And there goes Fed. Only Rafa left of the big 3 now.
    Carn Barty!
  • With a bit of struggle, Andreescu won in 3 sets. Next stop semi-final. Would love to see a Williams- Andreescu final.
  • With Barty gone, I no longer have a horse in the singles. May the best win. I just hope she isn't a one-slam wonder like Sam Stosur
  • Williams-Andreescu final. Although I will be cheering for the Canadian, a Williams victory will not upset me.
  • Don't worry - Serena will have her good friend Meghan in her corner.
  • Was anyone worried?
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Caissa wrote: »
    ... Would love to see a Williams- Andreescu final.
    Your wish has been granted - good luck to Ms. Andreescu!

    No harm to Ms. Williams - she's a great player and a superb athlete - but it would be remiss of me not to cheer for the Canadian lady, and maybe it's time for the top spot to be handed over to a new generation.

  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    I've just seen the results - well done Ms. Andreescu!
  • Well done indeed!
  • She's an impressive young woman. She gives good interviewers and is gracious and kind within. A pleasure to watch. And she is Canadian.
  • My poor girl Barty couldn't even win the women's doubles. She did make the finals, though.
    And Nadal won. The Big Three still rule men's tennis.
    Roll on the Oz.
  • The men's final was epic. I thought Medvedev had it in the 5th but Nadal found another gear.
  • Nick Kyrgios has been suspended for six months. Cleverly, however, this only applies to ATP events - not grand slams. So he could play in the Oz. And, if he's healthy, I'm sure will. Plus, he is injured, so he is effectively being sidelined while sidelined. I suppose the injury is unlikely to keep him out for six months, however.

    ION - I note they have completely changed the format of the Davis Cup. It looks like some kind of World Cup now, instead of teams traveling around the world to face each other in five match rubbers. I am saddened by this, as the old format was unique and meant one had an odd chance of catching some world class tennis close to home. I remember fondly the Australia-Ecuador match here in Perth in 2001, played on the grass at King's Park to take advantage of Pat Rafter's sublime net game. Sigh.
  • I watched Roger Federer being magnificent again tonight, He never looks any older. I was in awe of the way he plays and I hope he can still compete for another couple of years.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    He's 38 - by his age most players would be in the "veterans" category!
  • What to say about The Fed, other than to note that, like yours truly, he's a father of twins - in his case two sets :grin:
  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Anyone watching the Australian Open?

    I am seeing quite a lot on account of early-start gardeners and consequent requirement to be up and vaguely conscious by about 6.30.
  • Just how good do people think Coco Gauff is? She has plenty of shots and I think she might be too young to have any no nerves!

  • Saw Serena defeated today. The way the commentators are almost hushed in awe whenever it looks like she is in trouble (as she frequently was today against Wang Quiang before looking like she would come back and then finally bowing out) demonstrates better than any metrics could just how dominant she has been in tennis for so long. That may be over now. But if anyone can cheat time, it's her. However, her Oz is over.
  • Caroline Wozniacki also got knocked out. She had already announced that the Australian Open was to be her last tournament before retiring so they made a big thing of it, giving her flowers, etc.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    She's only 29 - she could have had years in front of her!
  • But she has rheumatoid arthritis ...
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    O my goodness - poor girl! What an awful thing to happen to an athlete. :cry:
  • Kyrgios defeated by his nemesis Rafa today. Both models of class in the parts I saw. Maybe Kyrgios has finally been chastened.
  • TukaiTukai Shipmate
    Saw Serena defeated today. [snip] But if anyone can cheat time, it's her. However, her Oz is over.
    To my eye, Serena is looking too slow on her feet to "cheat time". Muscle power alone is unlikely to be enough for her to beat the best of the next generation.

    Speaking of which, Ash Barty is now through to the semi-finals. Her opponent today , Petra Kvitova, like Barty but unlike Serena, comes across as a remarkably likeable person . She (Kvitova) plays and gets on with life pretty well for someone who had her shoulder slashed and indeed was nearly killed by a knife-wielding home invader a couple of years ago.

    As for Kyrgios, he has nothing to be ashamed of as a player in losing to Nadal after 4 close sets. And he has won quite a lot of respect from the Australian public for being the first sportsman to donate a slice of his earnings to bushfire relief, and successfully encouraging others to do likewise.
  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Epic match between Sandgren and Federer. Who would have guessed the outcome in the 4th set? But that's Federer: that's what he does.
  • Lets hear it for fathers of twins :grin:
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    If Mr. Federer keeps going much longer, he'll be playing against his twin sons ...

    [tangent]
    I just Googled him (to check if he had sons) and not only has he got two sets of twins, but his sister has a set of twins as well - that surely must defy most statistics?
    [/tangent]
  • TheOrganistTheOrganist Shipmate
    edited January 2020
    Statistics maybe but not in some families. In my own, one great aunt had 3 sets of identical twins in under 4 years: in fact in her generation twin pregnancies outnumbered singles by nearly 3 to 1.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Crikey!
  • Rafa Nadal has just been knocked out by Dominic Thiem, who'll play Zverev in the SF.
  • No idea how Barty lost that match. Very disappointing.
  • Disappointing match for Federer. It looked as if his groin injury was causing more problems.
  • TukaiTukai Shipmate
    The women's final was hard-fought, which is often not the case as one of the finalists is just so pleased to get that far that she underperforms. Kenin, who had beaten Ash Barty by playing her best on the big points did it again in the final and deserved to win.

    Playing your best on the big points is one of the defining characteristics of a champion, and no-one exemplifies this better than Novak Djokovic. So few were surprised that he won the mens' singles in the Australian Open for his eighth (!) time. However, Thiem made a match of it - 5 sets worth.
  • Francesca Jones has made it through to the main draw of the Australian Open - not bad for anyone but especially good for someone with ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia syndrome.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Wow - good for her!
  • British no 1, Dan Evans, ranked 33 in the world, has just beaten Novak Djokovic on clay at the Monte Carlo Masters. He did it in straight sets too - 6-4 7-5 😄
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