Love, Balls and Courting: Tennis V

Rafa is my favourite by a very long way but I don’t think he’ll ever hold the record now - I think that chance went last Friday :fragile:

Favourites aside, all 3 players are obviously amazing. Just imagine what the stats would be like if there had only been only 1 or 2 of them in this era :eek:
 
miffy said:
Rafa is my favourite by a very long way but I don’t think he’ll ever hold the record now - I think that chance went last Friday :fragile:

Favourites aside, all 3 players are obviously amazing. Just imagine what the stats would be like if there had only been only 1 or 2 of them in this era :eek:
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Fed used to be amazing! He got schooled today by FAA "big time" today at Halle! This was grass so doubly amazing! :confused:
 
miffy said:
Rafa is my favourite by a very long way but I don’t think he’ll ever hold the record now - I think that chance went last Friday :fragile:

Favourites aside, all 3 players are obviously amazing. Just imagine what the stats would be like if there had only been only 1 or 2 of them in this era :eek:
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I was just thinking about that the other day. If one were to drop off, then the other two would have THIRTY slams. If two weren't there, he'd have SIXTY slams!!!!! Their combined slams amounts to FIFTEEN YEARS of them winning every slam. Their dominance is unheard of.
 
Not really a Djokovic fan, much prefer Rafa and Roger due to their personalities over Novak's, but there is no denying the inevitable reality. Novak will get the record for the most number of Grand Slams, and with his H2H winning record over Rafa and Roger, he will be the true GOAT, although not the fan favourite by any means.

On a side note, WOW totally shocked to see Felix beat Roger in Halle! Did not expect to see that one coming with Felix's inconsistent play as of late and coming off an 8th consecutive Final loss. :eek: Makes me a bit worried about how early on in the Wimbledon draw Roger may exit. :( But bittersweet as I am also happy for Felix and hope he can ride this win with more confidence going forward.
 
Rafa will always be my favorite but it’s pretty inevitable at this point that Novak will hold all of the records. He really wants to be the clear #1 of all time so I don’t see him losing motivation like he did in 2016 after holding all four slams.

I just want to see Rafa get a second AO after all of his heartbreak there but I think his big chances were 2014/2017 and it’s unlikely he’ll have another unless someone else knocks out Novak.
 
Rafa is the reason I watch tennis (not follow it so much, there are just certain players I like). I always thought of tennis as rather stodgy but one day I was flipping channels and here’s this super gorgeous guy in a sleeveless bright colour shirt, long shorts past his knee, head band barely containing his flowing locks and I’m like, whoa, who’s THIS?!?!
And I was hooked because he was cute and the INTENSITY of his style was so much fun to watch. Still my favorite, and also Federer, Monfils, a few others, and now Tsitsipas and Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime are the young ones coming up that I really enjoy. Absolutely not a purist, I’m here for the entertainment, showmanship, style, and personality. I love of course, when my favourites win, but I don’t keep track of how many titles they have.


And I see that Rafa is pulling out of Wimbledon and the Olympics. Not surprised.
 
Thiem is also out of the Olympics, which is a bummer for me as he’s one of my top favorites. He is planning to play Wimbledon.

I expect Wimbledon to be a cakewalk for Novak. He may have more of a challenge at The Olympics as he’s more prone to an upset in best of 3.
 
Aaron MB Fan said:
And now Osaka also out of Wimbledon, but will play at the Olympics.

www.tsn.ca

Osaka withdraws from Wimbledon, will compete at Olympics - TSN.ca

Naomi Osaka’s agent says the four-time Grand Slam champion will sit out Wimbledon and compete at the Tokyo Olympics.
www.tsn.ca www.tsn.ca
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I think this is smart. She's already won a slam this year, so the only other HUGE event for her to win this year is the Olympics where she will be playing for her home country which pays her the big $$$$$$$. She wins Olympic Gold for Japan, her earnings will skyrocket even more and she's already the highest paid female athlete in the world. It must be a ton of pressure for her.
 
Probably best for Osaka to skip Wimbledon and focus on the Olympics.

However, it's a shame she took herself out of contention to win two more grand slams this year. These are Naomi's prime years as an elite player where youth and physical health are on her side. These are the years to capitalize on, when she's at her peak. I know she's still very young and has many years ahead of her, but you just never know how a career will unfold.

But, on the other hand, if you're struggling mentally, I get that none of that matters. I just hope these struggles don't keep Naomi from realizing her fullest potential during a window of time where she's most capable (physically speaking) of doing so.
 
DBZ said:
Probably best for Osaka to skip Wimbledon and focus on the Olympics.

However, it's a shame she took herself out of contention to win two more grand slams this year. These are Naomi's prime years as an elite player where youth and physical health are on her side. These are the years to capitalize on, when she's at her peak. I know she's still very young and has many years ahead of her, but you just never know how a career will unfold.

But, on the other hand, if you're struggling mentally, I get that none of that matters. I just hope these struggles don't keep Naomi from realizing her fullest potential during a window of time where she's most capable (physically speaking) of doing so.
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This wasn't on that young lady! It was the whole world descending on her for no other reason than she balked at having inane and redundant press conferences! I never watch them because as educated and articulate as these reporters are, their questions are about as well thought out as any 4 or 5 year old! I'm embarrassed for the athletes when I hear the same questions over and over again; esp. after a loss! "How do you feel after blowing that sitter volley on MP enabling your opponent to come all the way back to beat you for the 10th straight time? BTW, your kid's sitting right next to you!" A-holes; ALL! The Tournament officials and WTA "powers that be" decided they'd teach her a lesson and put her on the spot to be more forthcoming and detailed with her reasoning for bowing out! Now she's gone for 2 straight majors; one of the most well spoken, informed, & thoughtful young ladies on the tour! We're all such idiots! She doesn't need this $#!t! She makes more than any of these clowns trying to bring her down! Her endorsements alone could buy a small nation! I don't blame her for just "walking away!" It's hyperbole, but it really irks me when this stuff goes on behind the scenes, much less made into an international incident! We're so desperate to b!tch about something I guess! :wall:
 
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Turning back to men's tennis --

What's curious about some posts in this thread are the plaudits for Tsitsipas reaching a final at a "young" age. He's 22, he is in the prime of his tennis life. He won two sets at Roland Garros and couldn't close it out. How many slams did Fed, Rafa, Pete, etc. win by age 22? Roddick won his U.S. Open at 20 or 21, Andre won Wimbledon at 21 or 22, the list goes on. A male tennis player's best years are about 21-28. Obviously Rafa and Nole have extended that greatly, partly through superior conditioning and medical treatment, partly because of pure will and determination. Still, guys like Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Zuerev should have been able to step up and win slams by now. Thiem broke through at the Open, probably due to Djokovic's disqualification, but the final there was a mess and now, at 27, his best days may be behind him.
 
DBZ said:
Probably best for Osaka to skip Wimbledon and focus on the Olympics.

However, it's a shame she took herself out of contention to win two more grand slams this year. These are Naomi's prime years as an elite player where youth and physical health are on her side. These are the years to capitalize on, when she's at her peak. I know she's still very young and has many years ahead of her, but you just never know how a career will unfold.

But, on the other hand, if you're struggling mentally, I get that none of that matters. I just hope these struggles don't keep Naomi from realizing her fullest potential during a window of time where she's most capable (physically speaking) of doing so.
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I think about this with Serena Williams when she took time off for the fashion stuff and whatever else she did. She was in the prime of her career and she probably could have more Grand Slams now if she hadn’t taken that time off. I always wonder if she regrets taking the time off, hindsight is 20/20.
 
nylynnr said:
Turning back to men's tennis --

What's curious about some posts in this thread are the plaudits for Tsitsipas reaching a final at a "young" age. He's 22, he is in the prime of his tennis life. He won two sets at Roland Garros and couldn't close it out. How many slams did Fed, Rafa, Pete, etc. win by age 22? Roddick won his U.S. Open at 20 or 21, Andre won Wimbledon at 21 or 22, the list goes on. A male tennis player's best years are about 21-28. Obviously Rafa and Nole have extended that greatly, partly through superior conditioning and medical treatment, partly because of pure will and determination. Still, guys like Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Zuerev should have been able to step up and win slams by now. Thiem broke through at the Open, probably due to Djokovic's disqualification, but the final there was a mess and now, at 27, his best days may be behind him.
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Federer was one month off his 22nd birthday when he first won Wimbledon. Nadal won 3 FOs before he was 22, but struggled to consistently break through on other surfaces until then (I was surprised when I was looking all this up how unremarkable his record was on hard courts until 2008). Djokovic won 1 GS when he was 20, but no more until he was 23/24. Sampras roughly similar - one win aged 19, nothing more until he was 22. So, Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Rublev are pretty much on track.

It's a really different game now, strength and power playing a more important role than they did even 15 years ago, so it's harder for a younger guy to break through so quickly & I've never really heard an expert consider 20/21/22 peak years for a tennis player, it's still a mental & physical growing period. Plus players are now able to play for longer, so they are going to pace their careers differently - yes Roddick won a GS aged 21, but from about 2007 nearly every season was disrupted by injury & he was retired by 30. I don't get the impression that any of the Next Gen players want to have careers that short.
 
apnews.com

Yastremska eligible to play tennis after doping ban lifted

LONDON (AP) — Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska's provisional doping suspension was lifted after an independent tribunal ruled that she was not at fault for her violation, the International Tennis Federation said Tuesday.
apnews.com apnews.com
LONDON (AP) — Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska’s provisional doping suspension was lifted after an independent tribunal ruled that she was not at fault for her violation, the International Tennis Federation said Tuesday.
The 21-year-old Yastremska, ranked 37th, had been suspended in January for failing an out-of-competition doping test. She tested positive for mesterolone, a prohibited substance that can be used to boost testosterone.
“Following a hearing, the independent tribunal accepted Ms. Yastremska’s account of how the mesterolone entered her system and determined that she bore no fault or negligence for the violation within the meaning of (the rule),” the ITF said in a statement.
Yastremska will not serve any period of ineligibility for the violation. She has denied using performance enhancers or prohibited substances.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Ms. Yastremska is eligible to resume competition immediately,” the ITF said.
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I wonder if Coco will partner up again with Venus? I'd love to see Venus continue in doubles/mixed(?!?!) for another ten years. She's still a phenomenal player, and Coco could learn a lot from her.
 
She was still so close to winning multiple slams since she gave birth. I mean i always say she is in her Billie Jean king in early 1980’s phase but she is actually much better than that.
 
Just caught up on the Murray (didn’t know he was even competing anymore)vs Shapavolov. Wasn’t sure who to root for, the cocky Canadian kid or the old guy for trying a comeback. Good win for Denis but I really expected more of a fight from Andy.
 
quartz said:
Just caught up on the Murray (didn’t know he was even competing anymore)vs Shapavolov. Wasn’t sure who to root for, the cocky Canadian kid or the old guy for trying a comeback. Good win for Denis but I really expected more of a fight from Andy.
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Long previous two matches sapped the energy out of the old guy with the artificial hip.
 
skatingguy said:
Long previous two matches sapped the energy out of the old guy with the artificial hip.
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For sure! I saw part of the match against Otte and thought he looked pretty gosh darn good, and the crowd was certainly enthusiastic for him. He‘s got some wonky chronic condition with his knees too can’t remember what. I was quite surprised to even see him again - wasn’t the hip surgery like 2 or 3 years ago?
 
We have a British woman through to the second week so British tennis fans can be happy about that! :cheer: And at the risk of sounding shallow, she is so pretty :swoon: Good luck to Emma for Monday.
 
miffy said:
We have a British woman through to the second week so British tennis fans can be happy about that! :cheer: And at the risk of sounding shallow, she is so pretty :swoon: Good luck to Emma for Monday.
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I just saw the very tail end of her match and then her interview - she’s absolutely darling!
 
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