GB vs Australia on BBC1 now.
1-1 after the first day and GB are 2-1 up in the doubles match.
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GB vs Australia on BBC1 now.
1-1 after the first day and GB are 2-1 up in the doubles match.
It's amazing how far you can go with a decent player.
I'd say he's a bit better than decent. Does guarantee you two wins for nowt, mind.
Aye, I'm being a little facetious. Good to see Britain being a force though rather than slumming it in the relegation zones.
First set Murray. We're on.
Belgium or Argentina await in the final.
Murray's schooling the fuck out of Tomic here, a proper dicking.
I'm about 45 mins behind. I love that drop shot on set point, fantastic.
I finished watching just in time for United.
Murray was absolutely in the zone today. Hardly missed a ball, and some of those passing shots were lovely.
Tomic looked tired. The second last point sort of summed it up, he lumbered up to a short ball, actually got there in time but just hit it into the net as if he couldn't bare to play another shot.
So it's Belgium away in the final. What surface is that likely to be played on?
I imagine they'll base their choice on Goffin, but not sure of his best surface.
It's November so they'll probably wind up indoors.
Sky Sports 3: China Open final
Nadal vs Djokovic
Both gave been playing well. Djok was on fire until the semi final where he made more unforced errors than usual and made a meal of closing out the match vs Ferrer (yet still won 6-3, 6-2). Nadal has been looking more like his old self, finding great depth and angles and hitting some brilliant winners.
On court now warming up.
Nadal v Federer in the final in Basel tomorrow. :drool: First final between the two since 2013.
Federer's home city so the crowd will be overwhelmingly in his favour.
Gasquet misses out on the finals in London after losing, which is possibly for the best given his record against the top players.
I'm going to those finals in London and shan't shed a tear at not seeing that tool.
Why don't you like him?
I'm buzzing for this, could be great I think. I'm going Federer in three sets.
Murray-Djokovic in the Paris Masters final at 2pm, Sky Sports 4, for anyone interested.
I'll be watching the Rome derby so will have it recorded for this evening.
http://www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com/en/schedule
The finals in London start on Sunday. I think BBC have one singles match per day and Sky have all the matches bar Murray's first.
You can see the groups and format here. http://www.barclaysatpworldtourfinal...roup-standings Djokovic v Federer is the standout match from the group stage.
I thought Murray was skipping this in favour of the Davis Cup?
He sort of threatened to and then the ATP said "You're contracted to play, dickhead."
Boo. Admittedly, he'll lose to Djokovic but whatever.
By the way he'll still play the Davis Cup, which is after these finals. He just wanted more time to prepare on clay.
Maybe worth a bump given it's the weekend, and the semis and final are coming up.
Murray just lost in straight sets to Wawrinka. Muzz completely lost his head, probably up there with the biggest of his meltdowns. Wawrinka was playing out of his skin during some of that second set, he should give Federer a good match.
Tomorrow's semi-finals:
Djokovic v Nadal, 2pm
Federer v Wawrinka, 8pm
There's the doubles too of course. Andy's brother Jamie Murray and his partner Peers missed out on their chance to finish world no.1, and oddly will change partners next year.
Davis Cup today and the weekend.
Belgium (home) v Great Britain on clay. There are four singles and one doubles.
BBC has all the coverage and they're currently showing the first match.
Today - Goffin v Edmund, then Bemelmans v Andy Murray
Saturday - Coppejans & Darcis v Murray brothers
Sunday - Goffin v Andy Murray, then Bemelmans v Edmund
@Yevrah, who did you see in London?
Edmund is going to run riot.
Saw a shambles of a doubles match and then a pretty good three set group match between Nadal and Ferrer Reg.
It's a really good set up.
3-0 up in the first set so far. Rule Britannia!
If Edmunds wins they may as well just give us the trophy and leave Belgium to the jihadis.
5-0 first set. Noel is going to be delighted.
Goffin has shat the bed here.
What's going on here?! Great how the Davis Cup raises games.
We can pretty much rely on Murray winning both of his singles so that'd be the 3 wins needed.
Heard that match was good. I saw the eventual doubles winners and Murray V Ferrer.
I agree, it's pretty great we have it for another three years as well.
Goffin is back.
Head up Kyle, his fight's gone.
Oh well.
We're in a bit of trouble here.
This is a cracking atmosphere. Big third set to win.
I guess we've won tennis too now.
Wimbledon Champion, Olympic Gold, Davis Cup.
Murray's donned it.
I'm not watching but I can hear the TV from the other room. Whoever just did the national anthem just absolutely butchered it.
Murray has done pretty damn well considering mahow wrote him off. Who are all these mental tennis fans that suddenly made it to the final in Ghent? Are they going to be there on a cold wintery Tuesday in Stoke?
I umpired a pretty low key cricket match last summer at Roehampton where the early round Wimbledon qualifiers were going on in the same sports complex, and I reckon there were more people (15-20) watching our game than all of the tennis combined - and yet EVERY player in those matches was being ferried in and out of the place in official LTA courtesy cars.
It's a completely bollocks sport in terms of setup, it makes golf look inclusive in terms of how snotty the clubs are and all that stuff. If we didn't have Wimbledon it would be a dead sport.
The Australian Open starts Sunday evening our time. Hewitt plays his last ever tournament. Djokovic is the clear favourite, after winning in Qatar with a performance that Nadal described as the best he's ever seen from any player.
The draw has been made; the pick is probably Nadal v Verdasco. Fognini v Muller is another interesting one.
Nadal - Verdasco jumped out at me considering the former's sketchy recent form. Serena has the highest ranked unseeded player as well and is carrying a knock.
I think Nadal's recent form is good enough to beat anyone but 4/5 players at the most. He played well against Djokovic and actually served better than normal; it was just that Djokovic played incredibly.
BBC match fixing investigation bringing tennis down. RIP.
What's left? Rugby?Quote:
Over the last decade 16 players who have ranked in the top 50 have been repeatedly flagged to the tennis integrity unit over suspicions they have thrown matches.
All of the players, including winners of Grand Slam titles, were allowed to continue competing...
The problem of suspicious betting and match fixing is not going away. Eight of the players repeatedly flagged to the TIU over the past decade are due to play in the Australian Open which starts on Monday 18 January.
It's definitely true. Whether anything is done about it is another thing altogether, but I do know that the police have been involved in the UK.
That's fucked up on drugs. It's all gone.
Rugby, with its old school tie networks as embedded as in any sport, will be up to it's neck in this sort of thing. Perhaps not betting (I'm not sure if there's a huge market) but there's definitely corruption. Look at 'bloodgate'.
Football being dodgy is a given. Certainly in relation to drugs. Not sure about match fixinf at the top level because players at least are rich enough already. Mind you, I guess it only takes an addiction or bad investments to wipe that out so no doubt there will be some involved.
Shit, 10 mins too late.
Link anyway: http://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/t...et#.rvdwb9m60P
No wonder Andy Murray managed to win two Grand Slams :eyemouth:
Isn't tennis supposed to be rife with doping as well? They genuinely don't give a shit about testing or anything. Nadal is/was balls deep in it.
No it won't 'rock the game' because nobody cares. Same with athletics, cycling etc.
Yeah, in a long list of things people actually give a shit about, match fixing is pretty low down it.
It'll matter if it transpires Federer's entire career has been orchestrated by some syndicate in China, or whatever. Probably just some spot-fixing but there's been bans for match fixing before. Just they tend to get handed out to guys lower on the card. As for doping, there's been a couple of medium-profile ones but nothing proper for a decade.
Wasn't it common knowledge that Davydenko would throw the odd match?
I'm more interested in whether it's happened in Grand Slams than anything else. Nobody's going to care if Jose Acasuso dropped a couple of sets in an ATP 7000 Series Canada Open Event for Tennis Eventing, but if there were fixes going on in the slams, then people will sit up and take notice.
Also, nothing promotes match-fixing, spot-fixing, etc. more than the proliferation of pointless tournaments that the players have little emotional investment in, but which have plenty of money riding on the outcomes. Cricket figured this out when they realised that basically every franchise T20 league - in which the players have very little attachment to the side, and no particular concern about the tournament - was rife with it.
Tennis has so many tournaments that you find it hard to imagine that the players care about every tinpot cup they're playing in. There's huge gambling stakes on it as well, so it's kind of a perfect storm. It'd be interesting to think about what other sports generate the same accumulation of risk factors; how much do people bet on golf?
In golf the dynamic is different because it's so hard to actually win in the first place. If you win a tour event you not only get the prize money, but also exempt status on that tour for a certain period of time and entry into better tournaments - i.e. career security, which is a lot more than you have to gain from accepting money to not win something you're not going to win anyway. I've never heard of any suspicion of fixing in golf and highly doubt it would happen.
I suppose you could pay people to miss the cut, but miss the cut markets are pointless.
They're there to placate the addicts, mostly. It can't even be very lucrative, doesn't take much money to get markets suspended.
I spend a lot of hours on betfair so the extent of matchfixing is quite apparent to me. Its incredibly obvious who is up to it, and it would be very easy if they actually wanted to crack down on it. Should really happen this decade.
That Albanian team you were posting about in the Europa League was cracking. Ideally you just ban that club from ever participating in any tournament again, and all its players and officials also get life bans. Make the punishment harsher than the benefit of doing it.
I'm 99% convinced that Cameroon, or some of their players fixed the game against Croatia in the last World Cup. This is one of the perils of group stages.
del Potro, I bet.
There's probably gluten in the testing apparatus.
Djokovic's defence of Troicki was disgraceful. He basically blamed everyone else and absolved Troicki of all responsibility.
If you refuse to take a test after a match because you are "scared of needles", expect to face stiff punishment.
If it transpires that Murray is the only clean Top 4/6/8 player :drool:
I've always wondered about Djokovic, for two reasons:
1. Superhuman endurance
2. From a dodgy country
Neither of these constitute evidence, but it's all about the trend lines innit. When Tim Henman is retrospectively awarded 8 Slams we'll know the sport is clean.
Surely the 'they're all rich anyway' defence being applied to football upthread could equally be applied to tennis players of the level this report apparently implicates. Even those marginally inside the top fifty who have never even sniffed the real top of the game will have made a few million in prize money.
Djokovic's 'gluten free' diet turning him into superman (Reg, or others can correct me if i'm wrong, but from what I've seen he has the highest level of endurance on the tour by a mile) is one of the dodgiest, yet in plain sight, things going in sport.
Jimmy Savile's "I hate kids" defence was probably more convincing.
Djokovic doesn't "refuse" to be tested. What do you think they're going to do? Just say "all right then, we won't bother you again"?
Yev, I think that's a rather cynical view. Someone who was eating gluten when they shouldn't have been, and then eats correctly, is going to reap the rewards. Of course it won't be enough to make him the best athlete on tour, that'll be down to the work he puts in. He's known as being very dedicated and taking care of small details.
Not sure if it's worse than Nadal's months long 'injury' breaks to flush everything out of his system, but yeah.
I don't know if he uses that term (I've read his book but can't remember). This article says strongly intolerant to wheat and dairy products. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/t...c-8775333.html
Why so regarding your brother? Food is fuel for our bodies so it seems quite natural to me that it can have extreme effects.
Sorry, I mean I believe that my brother had it and I saw that the effects of it were bad (prior to him being diagnosed) I just fail to see how addressing it (particularly if you're not an actual coeliac), while making you better, makes you all but superhuman.
Why can't this be his natural potential? We see people in other sports with with seemingly freakish abilities/attributes, why not tennis too?
I mean it's not like he was a terrible tennis player before. He was what, no3 in the world before the diet change? He also made other changes including his service action. He's never claimed it is a magic cure. But like you say, the effects of it can be bad, and when your body is crucial to your performance then drastically changing what you eat is going to have big results.
There's probably some value in the idea that if he was training extra hard to be at the same level as everyone else because he was eating shit he shouldn't have been, and then kept training at that level once he'd sorted his diet out that he would be monstrously fit. I have no idea if that's actually what he's claiming, or if he's just claiming that cutting gluten out has been like putting the kryptonite into a lead box.
I long ago reached the point in the development of my cynicism where I just assume all sport is on some level corrupt. It makes the whole thing easier to enjoy and you're not at all surprised when the inevitable news story about match fixing and competitors' piss burning the bottom out of test tubes arrives.
Neil Robertson is on a 'plant based diet', which I'm sure is what enables him to miss the colours each time on those tricky trips back to baulk.
Peter Siddle exists entirely on bananas.
I watched Serena v Giorgi and it was a decent match. About the toughest draw Serena could have got and Giorgi put up a good fight, 6-4, 7-5. She got an impressive amount of aces but was as usual plagued by way too many double faults. It was the usual Giorgi in most other senses too: lots of power, very attacking, some great returns.
But the doubles are such a blindingly obvious weakness that questions have to be asked of her coach. She must be the most talented player on the tour (men's or women's) to lose so many points that way.
In other news Watson and Edmund both fell at the first hurdle; Djokovic, Federer and Nishikori all won comfortably.
http://www.sportdw.com/2016/01/suspi...iu-failed.html
Pretty good read regarding match-fixing stuff.
Quote:
This shows that in the two days before the match, the price on Hyung Taik Lee to win 3-0 was backed all the way from 1.88 (53.2%) into an extraordinary 1.08 (92.6%). What makes this price especially bizarre is that it is actually shorter than the price on Lee to win the match itself.
To repeat that, the market was suggesting that Lee was more likely to win the match 3-0 than he was to win the match itself. As it were described elsewhere, this is analogous to a football team being more likely to win a match 2-0 than it is to win the match. In every possible way, this makes no sense whatsoever.
Watched Hewitt v Ferrer, good match. Fantastic fight from Hewitt but ultimately Ferrer played the same game except better.
Some potentially cracking matches tonight in Federer v Dimitrov and Kyrgios v Berdych (who has ditched H&M after they made him look like someone who picked clothes out of charity shops' rejection bins).
I'll give this a bump as others might like to watch or record the Federer V Djokovic semi final. It's the evening session so 8am UK time.
It's been a good tournament for Britain with Andy Murray, Jamie Murray and Konta through to semi finals.
I really like Nishikori, Raonic and Monfils. I'd like to see one of them win something one day.
Nice to see Konta do so well. The ladies have a decent depth in talent it seems.
Monfils hit a freakish shot against Raonic last night:
https://twitter.com/WeAreTennis/stat...47943957991424
I agree. Raonic seems to have the game most likely to wind up with a slam, although I don't think it's beyond Nishikori, either. He'd need some things to fall his way though, because he was a class below Djokovic in their match.
Well, I'm not sure this can be classed as a bumming. I've never seen a top player so systematically taken apart here before, can we be sure Djokovic isn't doping?
It's the lack of gluten mate.
Oh yeah, how silly of me to forget.
Djok is incredible. Those first two sets and the final against Nadal recently are as good as I've seen anyone play. I'm kinda looking forward to the day Federer stops reaching semis and finals, whether that's when he retires or not, because then maybe the crowds will be behind Djokovic. He deserves it.
Asia likes him a lot better. Asia knows what's up.
I never really understand the format of the Aussie Open. Isn't it fundamentally unfair that one of the finalists gets double the amount of rest before the final? Do they do this at the US as well?
Yeah it seems quite a big advantage. I'm not sure of the US.
Murray just took the second set to make it 1-1. Official Australian Open stream 'available' from Australia, if you get my meaning:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kpKbunOueM
Woof. 2-1 to Raonic now after a tie-break. Murray's second serve continues to let him down in the big games.
Murray rescues 2 break points to serve out for the 4th set. Hard to imagine either of these giving Djokovic many problems, considering the game will likely run over four hours now. Crazy having the semis on different days.
Murray to lose 5 Aussie open finals vs Djok. Must be massively annoying.
Annoying because Murray knows Djok's on a 'gluten free' diet?
It's ok, he can pick them up retrospectively.
Annoying because Djok is either doping or because in another era he'd be a multiple grandslam winner (say 5).
I think Raonic v Djokovic would have been a lot more interesting but we'll see. My guess is Djokovic in 4.
I often wonder what you can do against someone you meet so frequently who just seems to have your number. At least he hasn't got a completely shit record against him like Maria against Serena.
Yet.
That said, he has beaten him in two Grand Slam finals before.
Womens' Final has been really fantastic so far. Kerber serving for the match.
EDIT: And Kerber seems determined to make a game of it, apparently. That was way wide.
EDIT II: And credit to Williams who gives away nothing when the chips are down.
That's a massive upset, and Williams really made her earn it. Huge credit to Kerber for coming back after failing to serve out the match at 5-3. That took huge guts.
That was one of the better games of womens' tennis I've ever seen.
I'm firmly on Team Murray here, but he's getting wiped out. There's only one player in this match at the moment.
Players should be banned from using their towels in-between every single fecking point.
Murray did well to avoid a 6-0 in this first set.
Standard bottling cunt performance.
Why the fuck is this seemingly only on Eurosport?
I got up to watch it thinking it would be on a channel I have. Never mind.
You heard it here first, Djokovic is doping.
I must admit, I find it hard to believe about Djokovic. He's freakishly talented, whereas the dopers surely rely on their athleticism to compensate for their technical deficiencies.
Djokovic just wants it more. Than anyone.
Also, he has the cold, dead eyes of a contract killer. Seriously. If the tennis thing doesn't pan out, he could make a nice side-business.
http://novakdjokovic.com/wp-content/...like//393a.jpg
No Mr Bond. I expect you to die.
I never understood, or agreed, with the idea that "player x just wants it more". Djokovic is just better than Murray. He doesn't want it anymore than him, and any other player on the tour - he's just better at tennis than them.
EDIT: that isn't to say, of course, that there aren't payers who don't give/care/want it as much as others - but I doubt they are anywhere near the top 20 in any sports (except the likes of O'Sullivan).
Yep - Wanting it more is a bollocks concept, which if true would more likely actually lead to doping.
Oh, he's more talented than Murray. Definitely. And anyone else going around at the moment.
But he does seem to have a total dedication to chasing down every single point, which presumably comes from boundless self-belief. He's coupling his extreme talent with being at the far end of the Safin-Hewitt scale of never giving up.
Dyoko definitely looks like he's up for a bit of nationalist fueled ethnic cleansing.
I think he is at the moment. There's nobody else in the game who can convert a defensive position to an offensive position as well as he can. Murray was running him around the court on one of those deuce points, and then he slid in a perfect two-handed backhand winner out of nothing. Murray doesn't have shots like that in his game, and Federer tended to win by controlling points from the start.
Peak Federer was better than Djokovic is now, but he's clearly got more at his disposal presently than either of them.
Djokovic is just better than everyone else, and he has the physical strength and stamina to last as long as everyone else. Peak Federer would beat him on grass and hard, and peak Nadal on clay, but Murray losing the final to Djokovic isn't going to be a disgrace.
It's not just that though. Nobody could chase better than Hewitt, but he didn't have the arsenal to make the most of it. It's one thing to chase points down, but it's another to have the technical ability to take control of the point when you're chasing. No amount of EPO is going to help you with that.
You want to find the EPO? My bet is on the clay specialists who sit on the baseline and return everything until the other player gives up out of boredom.
Watch the sexy Scottish bastard get broken again here...
The interesting thing is whether there are any players coming through who can stop Djokovic from steamrolling all and sundry. I mean, in theory, it's the ones who are a few years younger, like Nishikori and Raonic, etc. should be the ones we're looking towards. But realistically, he seems to have had their numbers. Wawrinka was the only one who looked capable of putting a dent in him, and even then, it's hardly been common.
EDIT: You look at the aged early-20s seeded players and you have Thiem, Tomic, Sock, Kyrgios and Dimitrov. Nothing in that list screams multiple slam champion.
EDIT II: Wawrinka and Tsonga are two years older than Djokovic. :cab:
Serbs are all Nazis or whatever the right word is. I had a Serb landlady once who was normal in many ways, but insisted that Albanians are an unclean sub-race and Kosovo should be re-attached to Serbia by force.
You can't really be losing your serve from 40-0.
The comeback
*Djokovic 6-1 6-5 Murray
David Law
Radio 5 live sports extra commentator
Posted at 10:30
"In games where Djokovic is 40-0 down on an opponent's serve, he comes back to win the game 32% of the time."
That can't be true.
Murray at his best would've won this. Unfortunately he's playing like a twat.
That'll be that.
Aye, stick a fork in this one.
A meek third set was always likely after all that.
Djok is just ridiculous. One day he'll die.
Come on the mint!
Don't immediately lose your serve, at least.
Does winning a set take this out of 'horrific gubbing' territory?
Only if he doesn't get heavily gubbed in the 4th set itself.
I'm not sure Federer's set took him out of Gubville, for example.
Mental disintegration in progress.
Born to runner up.
Is Djokovic the most boring great player ever?
He bores me to death. I was pretty young when Nadal was at his peak though so I'm sure my memories will be rose-tinted (the 2008 Wimbledon final :drool:).
Nadal I'm more certain was doping than Djokovic.
Spanish, with fairly regular injuries throughout the mid 2000's. Holds more wieght than the 'He's really good' argument against Djokovic.
Murray is close to him in stamina, so why isn't he doping?
I don't know why we can't just enjoy and admire a great sportsman.
The thing with Nadal is that at 17 he looked boosted.
With Nadal you can definitely put it in the no smoke without fire drawer, a much visited one over the years as far as doping in sport is concerned. Shame nobody will go back and strike off Miguel Indurain's Tours.
That year he faced Mariano Puerta might've been it if Mariano wasn't doping as well.
Maria Sharapova has confirmed that she failed a drugs test at the Australian Open....
Awesomes. 2 year ban.
Not even TTH can save her this time.
That's an interesting point, actually. Both the subjects of the Save Maria(no) threads have wound up to be drug cheats.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/35750285
I believe her. Silly mistake and irresponsible, but not as bad as 'failing drug test' sounds.
The reason she's gone early on this is to dupe mugs like you.
We'll see as I imagine there will be records of her taking it before the ban.
Russian on the gear. Well I never.
Fair play to her taking full responsibility for this - however, it's such an avoidable issue.
If you're taking a drug that isn't even approved for sale in the US, and you get it imported for "magnesium deficiency" use from overseas - you really need to be on top of it's legaility by WADA.
It's obviously total horseshit. Like a professional athlete earning millions per year (or any of her support/management team of maybe 20-odd people) doesn't bother to get a substance checked which is prescribed by her "family doctor" :D
She's been properly rumbled and my guess is the authorities have given her this excuse as an out.
Yeah, I wouldn't be taking drugs for that kind of shit. I'd be thinking about early retirement.Quote:
"Several health issues" Sharapova was suffering from in 2006 had prompted her to begin taking the drug - including magnesium deficiency, regular bouts of influenza, early indications of diabetes, and "irregular" heart test results
It's such reverse excusing. She just happens to suffer from that particular combination that this medication covers.
"Oh shit, we've been rumbled... er... what is this medication normally used for.. let's just say she suffers from all of them"
Also, her "famly doctor" in the US (she has lived in the US for 22yrs) would not be able to prescribe this drug, given it's not licensed in the US.
I googled it briefly earlier and it didn't seem to be used for any of those things.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meldonium
If I was an elite athlete with a heart defect, I'd call it quits.Quote:
Meldonium is clinically used to treat angina and myocardial infarction.
Much like if I was an asthmatic cyclist.Quote:
Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of banned substances effective 1 January 2016.[33] It was previously on WADA's list of drugs to be monitored.[34][35] WADA considers the drug to be a “metabolic modulator”, similar to insulin
Not to trivialise the point, but she hasn't aged very well.
Russian skin doesn't age well.
Shit, this sounds pretty serious, do go on.Quote:
Sportspeople will die in action as a result of being denied meldonium...
Riiight, ok. As you were.Quote:
... according to the heart drug's inventor.
All Russians should be banned from all professional sports.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/201...e-money-tennis
You've got to admire the Serbs in a way. They just can't help themselves.
Well, he is right.
He definitely isn't. Jonathan Liew destroyed this bollocks in the Telegraph last week.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2...example-of-mo/
What a quote that is by Moore.
I don't agree with that article at all, Jim.
What a ludicrous comparison this is:
Can you put in your own words why you think women tennis players should get equal prize money to men?Quote:
Given that a millionaire contributes more to the economy than the guy who serves your latte in the morning, should their vote count for more?
What Djokovic said was very well expressed and definitely not some sexist soundbite. It makes total sense that men should get more prize money - or at least, there is a valid reason for them to pursue that. Should the Winbledon wheelchair tennis winner get the same amount of money as the Men's singles champion? Obviously not.
If the men are more popular (and they are), then that will get reflected in sponsorship money (and it does).
Build the competitive structures equally, and let the externalities reflect things like interest.
Djokovic has said some uncomfortable things in the past. I remember when he was staunchly against Kosovan independence, and said a bunch of really Serb-nationalist stuff. I mean, I can understand intellectually why he feels that way, but it's hard not to be put off by it.
As a Serb, it's understandable why he'd be opposed to Kosovan independence, despite what we, the better people on the outside, think on the matter.
Because not to do so is a tacit statement on behalf of the tennis authorities that having a penis alone makes you worth more money. As others have said, if they are more popular then the outside market will reflect that, but the sporting federations should hold the game up amongst everyone.
Whilst I generally agree with this - I struggle to make it hold up when looking at other competitors at Wimbledon. The wheelchair doubles winners receive a lot less than the doubles winners - is this not a tacit statement that being disabled means that you are worth less? Even the mixed doubles receive a lot less (20% of) the mens/womens doubles...
They also give the under 12s less prize money, the ageist bastards.
I think it's reasonable that the able bodied singles get a larger piece of the pot because these are bigger competitions with many more entrants and no restrictions other than genitalia/having legs, but within that you cannot as a sport declare that men get more prize money just because they are supposedly more popular. Tennis is actually a long way ahead of most sports in this regard.
Yeah, I was being slightly facetious.
That said, I find it very disingenuous when some people of accused of being sexist for holding these opposing views - you can disagree with "equal" prize money without being a sexist - especially when there are very pertinent arguments to be made. I thought Djokovic made some very good points (assuming his facts are correct), whereas, someone like Moore is clearly just a moronic dinosaur.
Except they're not more popular in a board sense. The top players earn astronomical amounts whilst beyond the top 7 or so earn equal amounts across both genders. BBC floated US viewing figures for the 2014 US Open finals, too. Cilic and Nishikori bringing in half what Serena Williams and Wozniaki brought in terms of audience.
Its a personality driven sport. The least you can do as organisers is say that the achievement is worth the same across both genders. The audience it brings is entirely down to who plays.
@Shindig Right, but why would you separate the top seven when talking about who's more popular?
Ital is right though - those top players get huge deals with sponsors, which fairly compensates them for their status.
Mainly because the comments that sparked this relate to genders as a whole.
Murray is getting a bumming in the first set v Djok.
Novak :cool: he's gonna get the Calendar Slam.
Murray played really well those last two sets.
Yeah Djok was just better as usual. He's such an animal, it'll be a shame when the drug stories are revealed.
Djokovic got schooled by Murray so he chimped out about the weather. :D
At the risk of bringing Mahow in, we have a MASSIVE bottle job going on here.
Of the last 10 games against this French wildcard, Murray has won one.
Does Murray ever go through a tournament comfortably? 5 sets against Stepanek, now struggling against this random Frenchie. He'll win it in five I reckon.
'Mon the Bourgue.
Some of the shots he's plucking out really are brilliant.
I hope this isn't just a case of him just flashing and he's going to push on from here in the future.
Edit: I've got Ł5 on him @ 2.62.
He does like making it hard for himself, Muzz. Had him around joint second favourites before the tournament started but can't see him winning it now. His game seems muddled, as if he's not sure of the balance between his safety game and the kind of depth and pace he needs to beat Djokovic.
Kvitova getting dumped out 6-0, 6-7, 6-0 is proper lol.
Looking likely that the French Open will need an extra day. Play was cancelled for the day a few hours ago and it's meant to be pretty bad tomorrow too.
They're going to try squeeze in both today and tomorrow's play tomorrow apparently. Ferrer-Berdych could be a good match, and Murray's quarter with Gasquet might be good (saw some highlights of his win v Nishikori, looked like he was playing his best tennis).
Thiem is a sure thing for the quarters I reckon. This could be a huge year for him.
Which could probably work if there wasn't so much rain scheduled for tomorrow.
If the forecast is to believed they'll be lucky to get 1 match in.
2020 for the roof at the very earliest, what a shambles the French are.
4 games in a row for Gasquet after Murray jumped out to a commanding lead :drool:
What a glorious set.
So shit that they're having to put both semi-finals on at the same fucking time :(
Fair play to Thiem for not rolling over in the third.
The quality of tennis is stunning. Thiem is playing some really nice stuff and deserve to have won so few games but Djokovic is on fire.
Agreed, some of those rallies were brilliant. Djokovic hardly put a foot wrong, and his mentality and focus is incredible. No other player would have won those 5 games in a row after going a break down when Thiem had started to play really well.
Suck it Stan.
Nah, I like Stanislas but Murray had a brilliant game there. I'm hoping it'll be a classic on Sunday but we know it'll end up being a shitter.
They've both just played, arguably, their best tennis on a clay court in the semis.
Murray beat him last time too.
I think Djokovic in four.
Thiem looks like he'll be a bit special.
Djokovic to win this year, but I'd rather it be Murray. Muguruza to upset WIlliams in the womens' final.
Muguruza has beaten Williams at her own power game here, although Williams wasn't at her best really and hasn't been all tournament.
Well that was enjoyable. Couple of those flat winners, oof. She's only 22, huge potential.
You'd expect Williams will still take Wimbledon to get her 22nd slam and go level with Steffi Graf.
The French has always been her weakest slam ("weakest"), and Muguruza smashed her there two years ago to announce herself to the tennis world. I don't think it's quite as much of an upset as it is certainly being seen as. Muguruza's a big talent though, and I'd be very surprised if she doesn't finish her career with a few more slam titles under her belt.
I haven't got the feeling from people of a real upset, I think there's more hope and excitement because everyone's been waiting for a challenger / succeeder to Serena. Muguruza reached the Wimbledon final and is one of the top ranked players so I don't think it was a shock.
Looking forward to this final, Murray should be in a good mindset.
A lot of news outlets were talking about it being a shock but ultimately it's No. 4 in the world beating No.1 and this is a Serena who hasn't had that absolute air of superiority for a little while now. She's still the favourite in any tournament she enters and it's always good to see a new winner, especially someone who just seems to enjoy the game, she's like the female Tsonga.
Expecting Murray to lose in four, but it's great he reached the final to begin with.
What channel(s) is this on?
Itv?
Correct. ITV.
Mr. Steroids to win in 4 and beg everyone to finally love him at the end.
ITV and Eurosport.
Djokovic in four. Could be a long match.
Ridiculous first game.
Well, I dare say Murray is playing pretty well so far.
Well this is delightful.
'What does Djokovic do from here?'
'He does what he's been doing so far, but better'
Stunning insight there mate. All Djokovic needs to do is play better.
What a point.
I need to do some food shopping but really don't want to be leaving the sofa right now.
This second set is not going to be pretty for Murray.
Murray presumably goes to the wall from here. :moop:
Well this is a turn up for the books.
I'll be amazed if Murray picks up another 5 games in total, even by his standards he's collapsed pretty spectacularly.
Mauresmo effect maybe?
Has Murray ever beaten him in a tournament that actually matters?
Do 2/3 set tournaments count? :harold:
Thought not.
He beat him in the final of the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013.
Edit: ah yes GS is right.
Beat him for a clay title a few weeks ago and the 1000 series tourneys are nothing to be sniffed at.
He's only ever faced Federer and Djokovic in finals, so it's not as if he's lost against shit players. He's clearly not on the level of Federer, Nadal and now Djokovic, but there's no shame in being just a bit shitter than they are.
Loads, just forgot. That Wimbledon final was weird, partly because it was a surprise and partly because I was torn between a Brit winning Wimbledon and Djokovic fandom.
This is true. Still, he should be considered a huge success from a British perspective. He hasn't been losing to wasters - he's lost out to two of the best players ever to play the game. Hopefully there isn't a revisionist effort when his career is over to pretend he wasn't outstanding because he repeatedly struggled to get over the finishing line against Djokovic, who is basically a machine at this point.
There will be a bit because a lot of people look at just the numbers. This is an incredibly unlucky era for him, with three all time greats getting in his way.
A glass half empty man would say he's been unlucky to lose so many finals. A glass half full man would say he's put himself in position to inherit plenty of retrospective titles.
Just needs to cut out all that gluten and he'll rack up some more titles.
Indeed, in Federer and Djokovic you have two of the best in the history of the game (with Federer being simply the best ever) and Nadal, who is the best clay court player ever.
It's a bit shit but I can't help but wonder as well because there's no way a 'gluten-free' diet has helped Djokovic this much and it would probably be the least surprising thing ever to find out he's been doping for a while.
Don't be silly. It's not just his gluten free diet, nobody claims that, it's just the thing you often hear about because it's trendy.
(That said, I don't see why people have trouble accepting that going gluten free can have a huge effect on a person, especially an athlete.)
Yo this is pretty exciting.
I once ate a gluten free ready meal and scored 10 3 pointers in a row. I'd record it but fuck off.
Yeah well I once had a gluten free day and then benched 300kg. You don't need to worry about testing me though, I'm clean.
Did Djokovic really want to win this? I hope they clarify it in the interviews.
I'm not sure I've ever heard him mention it before. He's not usually the type to crave attention or adoration.
I don't know what counts as a coeliac but he was having breathing troubles and sickness during matches. It was a big problem. Now he avoids gluten and dairy and is super careful, and it's not. It's one of the big things that's helped him but it's not the only thing. There's not one shot in his whole game that he hasn't improved, and he's become one of the best servers, as well as now having the best mental game on tour. There's nobody with better focus or fight.
Djok's going to break seventeen wins with ease.
Roddick had one win in five but he also retired super early.
Sharapova's might be a bit dodgy. What a strange career, winning Wimbledon so young and then being a punching bag for Serena (their head to head is ridiculous).
What an embarrassing bottling cunt. Wish he was English.
How many players have done the career grand slam of final losses? It can't be that many. Djokovic is going to end up the best all rounder since Borg/Laver (maybe better) and possibly tending into Waff's GOAT territory, Federer is pretty much the best of all time on grass and Nadal must be that on clay. Great time to win some slams.
Navratilova lost in at least 3 finals in each Slam (total of 14 losses). However she did win 18 so it doesn't matter too much.
Man, that makes the fact she faffed about into her 50s even more depressing.
87 was her last dominant year.
After that she lost 5 finals (88 Wimbledon, 89 Wimbledon, 89 US, 91 US and 94 Wimbledon) and only won once at Wimbledon in 90.
Sharapova has been banned for two years from January 2016.
That's a surprisingly strict ban, I thought they would fudge out and give her a backdated 6 months.
'Tis a surprise indeed.
Federer's played a few games before play was suspended, might restart after work hours if anyone fancies it on Eurosport. Stuttgart on grass.
It's gone a bit Martina Hingis for her, but without the talent.
She's confirmed she'll appeal to CAS, especially given that Cilic and Troicki have had bans reduced in a similar manner. If the hearing is to be believed Sharapova wasn't deliberately trying to gain an advantage but was gulity of gross negligence.
I can't see how CAS can accept that as a reason to reduce the ban, but I'm sure they'll find a way.
Admittedly, trying to see two failed tests two days apart as two offenses is a bit shifty.Quote:
But she claimed the ITF had asked the tribunal to impose a four-year ban, adding it "spent tremendous amounts of time and resources trying to prove I intentionally violated the anti-doping rules".
She's been cheating her entire career (this seems to have been a consideration as well). Not deliberately trying to gain an advantage? Arf. You're supposed to take that drug for a few weeks, not 10 years. A life ban would have been apt. I suppose this is about as good.
I also laughed when I saw that she admitted to taking the drug on every day that she played at the Australian Open.
So she takes a performance enhancing substance on every day that an enhanced performance would make a difference, she didn't tell anyone about it and it was picked up in bulk by her dad who, it is inferred, destroyed everything related to it when shit hit the fan and somehow that's not intentional?
How does that work, I must have slipped and accidentally embarked on a concerted attempt to conceal my actions from almost everyone involved in my career. Whoopsie. Makes me wonder what would be classed as intentional, do you have to actually be shooting up on the court?
Dr Skalny felt Sharapova's immune system needed a boost as her body was not getting enough nutrients from food.
He initially prescribed about 18 different medicines and supplements - a number which had risen to 30 by March 2010.
What the fuck?
Surely you'd question him after about the 6th tablet he prescribed.
I like the bit where she thinks 'This is too many pills, I don't think this guy is a very good doctor........ by the way can I still get just those particular pills please'.
Iceman's heading up the appeal as we speak.
Murray has taken Lendl back on as his coach. Smart move I'd say, I wonder why they split in the first instance.
It was a time thing. Lendl couldn't be there at every tournament, he was playing exhibition matches and things.
This is pretty big for Murray. He won his two Slams and the Olympics with Lendl. There was an interesting quote from Muzz:
http://www.skysports.com/tennis/news...an-lendl-againQuote:
It's about developing your game so when you come up against the big players you are ready to do it and you don't just change your game for one match.
That might be the key. I reckon he needs to get used to playing aggressively in every match, rather than just trying to conjure it up every few weeks. It would also save his energy which could be a massive part of beaking Djok in a Slam.
--
Thiem won in Stuttgart, beating Federer (again) in the semis. Also Queens is this week, it's on BBC and Eurosport.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/36645639
Willis, who came through six rounds of qualifying to earn his debut at the All England Club, will next face seven-time champion Roger Federer in round two.
The 25-year-old from Slough guarantees himself Ł50,000 in prize money.
Willis had won just Ł220 in prize money in 2016 before Wimbledon, and was set to give up playing professionally to coach in the USA earlier this year before his girlfriend persuaded him otherwise.
Fucking hell, what a hero.
His ATP bio is a little lacking but it seems that his career earnings have been $95,000 since turning pro in 2006.
I keep wondering how those guys at the bottom end survive. Turns out its usually through credit and a tennis coaching dad.
Incredible. He doesn't look anything like a tennis player either.
Dressing in all white sports gear and carrying a racket is a good start though.
And that girlfriend looks like the kind you'd leave a steady job for.
"I'm packing this in."
"Aww, don't."
<looks at his Ł220> "You're right."
I'd do whatever she told me.
Of course she's a dentist. :D
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/36655530
Christ almighty. Be done with him inside an hour, Roger.
I'm only here to voice my appreciation for this British wasteman's girlfriend. Hella cute.
Centre court proposal after the match; I would.
It's a nice story but listening to the wanky drivel being spouted on the radio you'd think he was in the final. Also lol at how many different ways they've come up with to avoid saying he's shit, mostly just 'unconventional'.
Apart from Mcenroe. :D
Eugenie Bouchard :drool:
She's looking amazing today.
Reg's boy, Thiem is 2 sets to love down against Vesely.
Radwanska's opponent just cacked her ankle standing on the ball.
She looks devastated.
What a bitch Radwanska is hitting a drop shot.
I would destroy her.
No, I meant actual physical violence. I need a stress ball.
I thought you meant sexually.
@Shindig
He just couldn't deal with Vesely's service game.
Next year should be huge for him.
His backhand return isn't up to the standard it needs to be. He'll have a good run back on the hard courts.
Oh and how can you not like 'Genie' Bouchard:
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2014...CUIJ-jumbo.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4DfrpJV.jpg?1
:drool:
Those pictures are rather flattering but yeah she does look gorgeous there. Her body though? Eh.
She's alreet but definitely in the 'too young for me' camp. Which, unfortunately, is now a thing I have to deal with.
If that second picture from Mahow is representative just wank over Rosamund Pike instead. They're the same person born fifteen years apart.
That sounds like you think there's something wrong with Pike, she's incredible.
Djokovic 2 sets down to Querry.
Decided to see what Dan Cox's total prize money was. In six years, he's taken home $240k. Won 14 ITF titles. Makes me wonder how shit you can be and still make a living.
That defence did Adam Johnson no favours.
Djokovic seems like the sort of consistency machine who should be upset proof. How's that happened? The other bloke just having a stormer?
He lost the second set 6-1. Somehow about gluten?
Well now the rain has stopped play he'll be able to load up on gluten free food overnight.
You can't underestimate that gluten.
Djok 0-2 down and is 4/7 to win. Hahahahaha. That's mental
It's all that gluten.
This Querrey bloke doesn't look too spunky today.
Double break, 4-0.
He's not pissing about today.
I put Ł10 on him at 1.61 last night.
https://youtu.be/4ptj69DzLv0
Seething.
Didn't realise diving existed in tennis.
Come on Djokovic, show us what a gluten-free diet can do.
I watched Dustin Brown v Kyrgios yesterday, and Querrey's drop volleys are awful compared to Brown's.
It was a bizarre match. Brown plays world class shots and then brainless, lowest-percentage-possible tennis. He really could be higher ranked but maybe he thinks more fun > less fun and 10-15 places higher and more money.
Djokovic is playing strangely, it's like he's doesn't give a shit for some points.
Shot selection and execution have been woeful.
Yeah it's weird, it's like he's not really concentrating.
Given Querrey has had a few duff shots, Djokovic could have taken the game by the scruff of it's neck.
Dat return from Querrey though :drool:
That shot from Djokovic leading to a hold should spark him up.
You say that, but Querrey is banging those aces down. He's not going down quietly.
Why isn't he challenging these?
Edit: Fuck the commentators, he has no pissing challenges.
Some of the unforced errors on both sides are mental.
Ron Perlman is blatantly going to bottle this.
Fuck this weather.
I thought #1 Court was supposed to have a roof on it by now?
2019.
It was announced in 2013 so they've clearly hired slow as hell builders.
Probably the same guys that built Wembley.
Watching this Willis interview on BBC now, he should really consider a gluten free diet if he wants to push on.
That was a horrendous challenge there from Querrey.
Fucking MON Querrey.
Djokovic can now concentrate on getting less gluten in his diet.
All this means is that Minty is going to take a shoeing off Federer in the final, which is probably a much less palatable outcome than being glutened to bits.
True, but given that he's not going to be hanging around the top of the rankings for much longer, I wouldn't mind Federer winning another slam.
I just like the continuing mystique over the Grand Slam. Djokovic finally got that French Open and looked to be the guy to do it... then some fella who can serve his way out of trouble stuffs him.
Unfortunately it's now Murray's to lose.
I'd love it if Federer rolled back the years and donned it though.
If Federer gets to the final, he'll have enough to win it. Roanic as an outside bet, Dimitrov obviously needs another dealer now Maria's dad can't come through.
Don't toy with my emotions like that.
Tsonga :drool:
If one of you slags mention a gluten joke/comment again...
We get it. Ok.
I still think Fed would have the mental edge over Murray.
It's the return of Del Potro.
Fed's not been playing near the level he needs to be. Maybe he'll step it up in time, but I think it's Murray's.
We should have a whip round, cheer him up with a nice gift. I've got an old glue tin we can use.
Gluten doesn't lend itself well to puns.
Allez Tsonga :drool:
Fought back from 2 sets down and looking good in the fifth.
Del Potro clearly wanked too much when he was younger.
DAT Tsonga - Isner rally.
God I love Tsonga.
The Frenchies are probably humming seven nation army, chomping on some brie under the Eiffel tower.
30-0 serving for the match and she fucks it badly, fuck female tennis.
Goffin is sticking his balls in Raonic's face hardcore here.
Got money on Kyrgios, I can't see him winning but can see him taking a set or two.
The BBC didn't pick the best picture of Murray for the live text;
Toggle Spoiler
Murray winning a challenge is almost as unbelievable as Leicester winning the title.
Just witnessed history there.
What a mongy volley.
He's so infuriating to watch, hits a great shot with Murray almost out of it and he decides to lazily put it into the net.
His head has now fully gone.
He's such a shambles, Murray won't need to do much to take this now.
Kyrgios is such a horrible little shit. That between-the-legs shot was a complete waste of everybody's time as well.
Hope Murray marmalises him.
When this set finishes hell probably just completely give up.
He looks fucking bored.
The stories the commentators are coming out are amazing.
He throws his brother out of his box at a tennis match, watching Hewitt play doubles before this and pitching up in the player lounge in Queens and waiting there until the tannoy announces him.
The guy is mental and I'm starting to think that the reason he doesn't have a coach is because no fucker wants to work with him.
Kyrgios is a waste of space, whenever I see him he's either doing or saying something utterly twattish.
He was alright last week and was playing some really good shit which is why I thought he'd take a set or two.
He's an insufferable prick no matter how he's playing.
Yeah I don't think he's a bad or untalented player by any stretch. At the point when I said he looked bored he was more than playing his part in a rally looking like he couldn't be arsed.
But that's the point. He's a gobshite.
That was a fucking bonkers return.
He's an absolute dickhead that Kygrios. He could be properly good as well.
Tsonga - Murray next, I might have to get behind the Frenchie :(
It wasn't really grief. He's a mixed bag for me. I think him tanking matches is shameful, and he really doesn't apply himself as he could be twice the player he is already. So I'm pretty much on the 'don't like him' side now, but he can be very watchable. He has a lot of flair and actually has a tactical brain, but unfortunately he's not that fussed about tennis.
If you can't be arsed with an elitist sport, you must the be the world's biggest 'fuck it'.
Berdych is a shambles.
It seems that all the players I've bet on today are simply trying to raise my blood pressure and shorten my life span.
Federer is on the ropes.
Raonic and Cillic are both putting on a bit of a show today.
Wouldn't be surprised to see either win the whole thing, especially when Tsonga shits on Murray.
Fed you dickhead come on
93% first serve points won, 81% won on second serve today.
Raonic is fucking godly today.
I don't actually gloat after results and I did say that Kyrigos wouldn't beat him but could take a set or two. So fuck your mother.
Federer has been putting unforced errors all over the shop, its so uncharacteristic.
Kyrgios is crap, though.
You'd be wanking yourself silly if Tsonga knocked him out.
He's not crap, he's just a massive tool with the mental fortitude of wet toilet paper.
He can play some really good stuff and if he was prepared to put the work in he'd easily be a top 10 guy.
Murray and Djokovic weren't exactly the best mentally too.
Although they weren't tools (Murray is a dick though) and actually worked hard instead of not caring like Kyrigos.
Mahow on Murray is as tedious and predictable as Harold on migrants.
I was going to throw in with Pouille to beat Berdych for the sake of someone different being around, but it turns out he lives in Dubai so he can get to fuck. 3-0 rinsing, please.
Federer :cool:
Raonic against Federer will be tasty as fuck.
Raonic in straights. Fed's gonna be stiffer than wood after this.
Ł10 on Tsonga @ 7.
Allez Tsonga :drool:
That gives Federer the most wins in Grand Slam tournaments. one ahead of Martina Navratilova, who played for three years less than Federer has been alive. :cool:
Tsonga will win this.
While I want Murray to win, I wouldn't mind Tsonga winning if he then went on to win the whole thing. He's a really likable player and gives the impression of someone who plays because he simply enjoys tennis.
Murray in 4.
Christ he's so fucking good when he's on it.
Every time I watch Murray I'm never ever convinced. Should I watch him when he's playing thousandth seed Romanian rent boys instead?
This tiebreak has been great.
Ok that was good.
The Mint. :cool:
Muz will run riot three.
Allez le bottle job.
Tsonga :(
Tsonga :(
Running riot.
Mahow :harold:
Not over yet mongo.
Tsonga will win this in 5.
That was an awesome rally.
Oh and tennis fans are the worst, just shut the fuck up until the point is actually over.
That return at deuce was fucking mega.
Murray is in the shit here.
Randrew :harold:
Hope you've got a fucking migraine.
Bottling cunt.
He's seething :D
He's flaking bad here.
Jamie lost in the doubles earlier too.
Are people genuinely watching this shit over the football?
:(
What. A. Point.
What's happening? Has he fucked it?
Almost got broken in the first game but fought back and has now broken in the second.
2-0 final set.
Murray was never losing this. Anyone who betted on Tsonga would be better just giving me their money.
It's a shame really. With Djokovic out and Federer looking a bit tired this was probably the last good chance Tsonga would get to win a slam.
Christ, does Lendl ever look happy?
It's the hope that kills you Mahow. :sad:
:D
Fucking BOOM.
Happy to be proven wrong but can't see Berdych causing anything like the same kind of problems to Murray.
Superb stuff RL. :D
Murray's still never beaten Fed in a Slam, has he?
Murray's winning this. He's almost the perfect player to play Berdych and Raonic, and if it's Federer I think he'll sneak it in 4/5 tight sets.
Didn't he beat Roger for Gold in London?
Not a slam though.
It's arguably on that level, though.
Less players (half the amount I believe) and all rounds bar the final are best of three.
It's better than other ATP tournaments but not at slam level.
Shit, you're right about the sets. I thought that was best of five throughout. Still, he beat Federer (a man who be all about Olympics and shit) in straight sets.
For sure, especially for Murray himself. It must have been huge for him mentally.
Marion Bartoli's mystery illness sounds really messed up.
Raonic is a beast.
Raonic in 5.
The end is near.
Those Ł21,000 ticket buyers are going to be gutted. Raonic v Berdych incoming.
10-1 for Federer in Wimbledon semi finals now.
Tsonga looked miles better than this joker.
He still tears through the first week of Slams with ease. Just made one ATP final this year, mind.
Anyone watching the women's? This should be good, Kerber hasn't dropped a set in the first 6 rounds and Serena is extra motivated after losing recent slam finals.
Really good start to the women's doubles.
This Australian bloke has no idea how to pronounce names.
Raonic is going to dick Murray :nodd:
No chance.
Jesus Raonic is a fucking beast.
Is the Robinson's for the tennis players? :cool:
Football cunts with all those shit energy drinks.
They bring their own as well, though. Excessive.
Raonic looks like a bully from a children's cartoon.
I fucking love Raonic.
Murray is clearly miles better. Straight sets.
:harold:
Keep telling yourself that.
The cameraman's on top perv form today.
Did you get on Raonic pre tournament Mahow? I punted a fiver at 18/1 so mon the big freak
Muzza. :drool:
Wow check Raonic's family out. They are all extremely clever and educated.
What the fuck is this Sue Barker voiceover all about? She's such a fucking shambles.
Great rally that. He's really good when he runs round his backhand and gets those angles.
Lendl really is the man.
I bet he's never actually smiled in his life.
https://youtu.be/TUFMfeFfF_g
Just look at that reaction from him in 2013.
Listen, I'm up for a class war as much as the next person but a Wales top at Wimbledon is not suitable attire.
The Wimbledon crowd are such cunts.
Big Milos ain't doing shit with my fiver here. Can't make an impression on the Murray serve
Raonic's approach shots have gone to pot. He seems unsure of himself now; leaving that ball down the line instead of putting away the volley is unlike him.
Murray's returns are so good though. Getting a clean hit on a 147mph serve is silly.
Yeah fuck those guys, buying a ticket and enjoying themselves, who do they think they are?
If you had to fill Wimbledon with year-round tennis nuts only, it'd be a very quiet place.
They're such twats people.
Good prediction on Murray so far how
Mahow :D
It's not over yet.
Feel free to lol should Murray win the third set.
You can't deny that the Wimbledon crowd is the pits. Only American golfing tournaments are worse, 'get in the hole'. Ugh
Wife and kid left for a party just before this kicked off. It could be over by the time they get back. :harold:
Who is this fair dinkum cobber on comms?
Lleyton Hewitt?
It's Hewitt, Jim. Favourite ever player.
That return from Raonic was fucking stunning.
You've had an absolute mare this tournament Mahow.
I have? All I've predicted was Thiem to do well, Kyrigos to win a set against Murray, Raonic to beat Federer and then Raonic to win the whole thing.
Hardly a mare.
Maybe I'm just getting confused with your life in general.
Is he reading messages on something in his bag? Are you supposed to do that?
More than likely.
I also forgot about Tsonga, he was probably my biggest tip :(
Shame about Tsonga, he looks quality sometimes but just lacks something.
Who the fuck laughs at a bodyshot serve?
Why does Murray need an entire backroom team, all in dead serious caps and t-shirts? There's only one of him.
:)
I don't know anything about tennis, but to the naked eye the two tie breaks have been a very clear example of a genuine 'bottle'.
First his beard and now this.
Called it.
3 grand slams, an Olympic gold and a Davis cup. Not bad.
I think he was unsure of himself through most of the match and it came out in the tiebreaks in particular. I'm surprised, he has looked confident this year. First time in a slam final though, this probably won't be his last chance.
Credit to Murray though. So few unforced errors. Haven't looked at all the numbers but it's a totally different game to playing Federer in the semis.
Ok, that reaction for Cameron was grand.
The match stank of Raonic not being up to it/just being happy to be there from fairly early in the first set. Which was a shame.
Obviously Murray's the best player in the world not on a gluten free diet, so no shame in losing to him, but it would have been nice to see Raonic make more of a fist of it.
Djokovic v Nishikori in Rogers Cup final, SS3.
Murray Cilic final in Cincinnati. Sky Sports 2.
US Open starts today. Eurosport has all the coverage; they're doing build up from 3:30 today. Edmund v Gasquet starts at 4:30, and there's other good first round ties - the pick probably being Dustin Brown v Raonic.
Edmund to go through I reckon.
Edit: Bet365 also have coverage.
Edit again: Edmund at 4pm.
He raped Gasquet.
:drool:
You can only imagine the French seethe. We'll be taking the piss at the petanque world cup next. What else are they good at?
Djokovic has just lost the second set against the world 242. Arm problems as well.
It's Jerzy Janowicz who has been ranked as high as 14th after getting to the Wimbledon semi in 2013. Injuries have fucked him over though.
Janowicz has a bit of a monster serve as well doesn't he?
Yeah, it's his main weapon.
Edmund bossing it. Two straight set victories.
How on earth did Konta win that?
Murray/Granollers on Eurosport. Murray likes playing lefties and also likes playing guys that come to the net; I'd be surprised if it wasn't straight sets.
He likes playing everyone who isn't called Novak Djokovic doesn't he?
There is that, yeah.
Is the roof on this court retractable?
Edmund.
:cool:
I'm not being funny, but what kind of fix have they called in to get Djokovic into the second week here? Farcical.
That would be the most needless conspiracy in the history of the world.
Edmund and Evans :cool: Edmund will be top 20, no doubt. I've never liked Murray so I'm excited about having a super talented Brit that's likeable.
Shame about Konta, I thought she'd go further.
Murray v Dimitrov tonight at midnight, worth recording - could be a good one.
This tournament has been an absolute shambles in terms of retirements.
This is a real battle between Murray and Nishikori. Murray was on fire first set; since then Nishikori has fought like he always does and Murray's started arguing with the umpire and losing focus and beating himself.
Deciding set definitely worth a watch, Eurosport 1.
Shame. I bet Mahow's trying to drink his own cum as we speak. Djokovic won't have had to work for this slam at all.
Posted at
22:54
Henry Monk: I think it shows why Murray is a grand slam winner by showing grit to get himself to 5-4 first.
Eat shit Henry :harold:
Nishikori is so likeable. So admirable coming back from that. He has one of the best mental games in tennis.
That was class from Nishikori. lol at Murray getting trolled by a butterfly though.
Urgh, that was the old Murray there, tantrums and all.
Mahow needs to fuck off mind you, this obsession is properly :harold:
Didn't see it, but knew Murray had lost as soon as I saw the front page of TTH.
Would love to see Nishikori or Monfils get over the line.
Williams knocked out by Pliskova. Now that Williams is still very, very good but not quite unbeatable, her matches against other top players are really very enthralling. The match against Halep was equally fascinating.
There's actually a rather nifty top five in the women's game at the moment. Williams, Kerber, Muguruza, Radwanska, and Halep. There's a range of different styles there. They all regularly go quite well in tournaments, and are capable of beating the others on their day. None of them are immune to upsets either.
I feel like Muguruza's had nothing but upsets since she won her slam.
Anyone watching this semi? Monfils is bonkers.
Didn't see the semis but watched highlights including Monfils being booed. Did he deserve it, Spoon?
Wouldn't have minded another Kerber-Serena final but tonight's could be decent. Kerber in straight sets, I reckon.
I mean, by the second or third set he didn't seem well physically, he was bending down between every point. But yeah, in the first set down 5-0 he basically tried to throw it away, and this threw off Djokovic so much that he ended up getting it back to 5-3 and nearly getting back on serve. He seemed like he was in a daze for most of the match and wasn't really trying very hard.
The man is fucked mentally. He's won six singles finals out of twenty five. He needs a very talented therapist.
http://ih1.redbubble.net/image.11435...x550,white.jpg
What kind of business card doesn't have a number on it? Damn it.
That's a shame, he's had a good year. When I've watched him I've happened to catch him on good days, but those days haven't been semis or finals (apart from in Monte Carlo, where he was brilliant for the most part). McEnroe reckons he's one of the greatest "athletes" (seems to use that term to refer to all physical and technical attributes) there's ever been in tennis, but is lacking mentally.
Looking forward to the final, I'll have to watch it tomorrow though. Djokovic in four.
On a side note, Jamie Murray won again. Great achievement to win two slams in a year.
Wawrinka has quietly put together three-quarters of a career grand slam. He seems comparatively limited, but he makes it work.
Gets himself back on par with Murray in terms of majors, to boot.
Novak going through a comparative blip is nice to see. At least to tighten up the top back into something nearing a top three.
Was just thinking about that. And it's feasible he could complete it, I know grass isn't his favourite but he could do it.
A strange final with so few first serves going in. Djokovic wasn't near his unbeatable best but Wawrinka was near faultless in the baseline rallies. I don't think Djokovic likes Stan's blocked returns, they're just not very easy to do anything with and it means he gets so many returns into play.
Wawrinka hadn't beaten a top ten player this season before the semis a few days ago. That's quite a surreal stat.
The thing is, it's a strange "top three". The no.2 very rarely beats the no.1, and as above the no.3 very rarely beats anyone even close to the top.
Of the top thirty, I think only Thiem and Zverev have what it takes to become consistent contenders for slams and the no.1 spot. We're going to be in this weird limbo for a while.
Usually get a few Davis Cup posts so might be worth mentioning-
GB v Argentina on BBC and Eurosport today and the weekend (currently Murray vs Del Potro). Semi-final of Davis Cup. 4 singles matches and 1 doubles.
Highlights on Eurosport this evening, a programme each for Murray/Del Potro and Edmund/Pella.
Scorecard suggests that Del Potro v Murray was an outstanding game.
Yeah, I dipped in and out of it and it was very good.
Andy needs to calm down a bit. His temperament's starting to come into question again.
Shaping up for a Del Potro v Edmund winner takes all finale (providing Pella doesn't cause a huge upset in beating Murray).
Let's see what Edmund's like under extreme pressure.
Sharapova has had her ban reduced to 15 months. CAS basically said part of the punishment was unfair because it was about making an example of her as a person rather than punishing a cheater.
Still means she misses everything up to Wimbledon next year.
Yet they'll give match-fixers lifetime bans.
Should be a good couple semis in Beijing. Murray v Ferrer (big result for him knocking out Zverev) and Raonic v Ditrimov (who knocked out Nadal).
Edit- also Konta is playing Madison Keys, that's a really nice tie and clash of styles.
Top 5 have qualified for London now, so 3 spots left.
Shameful stuff from Kyrgios today, tanking another match. Highlights of today's Shanghai matches with Kyrgios around 3:40 minutes in: http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/...-2016-thursday
I watched Wawrinka's match on record and he played some fantastic stuff. These fast courts suit him (and should make for a good final, whoever gets there).
What's the point in krygios? Properly boring man.
I thought Gulbis had a poor attitude at times, but Kyrgios is seriously one of the most pathetic excuses for a top tennis player.
I was saying Kyrgios is a wank early enough that I'd be claiming an e-victory now if I was a dickhead. He's obviously mega talented but he could barely get away with this sort of nonsense if he had Djokovic's trophy cabinet never mind an empty one.
He'll retire at 25 citing no love for the game and then retract it in minutes over twitter or something.
Most top players tank, don't they? Some just do it more subtly than others.
Kyrgios fined and banned till end of season. (He was given the option of a shorter, 3-week ban, if he agreed to work with a sports psychologist. He took the longer ban.)
http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles...s-and-reaction
That sums him up perfectly.
In an exciting twist, Kyrgios takes the psychological help.
For anyone interested there's a huge Murray match currently on Sky Sports 3. Up a set against Berdych. He needs a couple more wins to get to number 1 in the world, as Djokovic lost today (after being very impressive v Dimitrov, super calm throughout - even when a set down).
Break up too
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/37872449
Fucking sickening.
Get back on the gluten, Novak ffs.
Persistence.Quote:
The Briton would also set a record for the most time between becoming number two and number one, having first reached number two in 2009.
He's a topScoBritish lad.
That fucking prick, Raonic has decided to withdraw from the match claiming that he's injured.
At least put an asterisk against his name, ATP.
I don't know what's better, finally having a British No. 1 or seeing Mahow cry over it :harold:
Cracking stuff from Murray.
The final tonight. :drool: Potential to be a classic.
The perfect way to end the year. A straight shootout for no.1 in the world between Murray(1) and Djokovic(2). I'm on Djokovic in three sets (he has been getting his groove back and didn't look too far from his best in the semi yesterday; Murray has had two marathon matches this week and has played a huge amount of tennis recently).
The tennis hasn't been of the best standard this week, in the main. That has been the case for the last few years at the o2, when players are mentally and physically tired.
I went for the Thursday day session and was lucky to see the Bryan bros and Djokovic. Both matches were one-sided but it was a pleasure to see Djokovic - his movement is brilliant. He looks even skinnier in real life.
Sky Sports and BBC for those interested.
Murray's smacking him.
Yep. It'll be really interesting if he can translate it into a couple more grand slams next year. Amazing quality from him to get back to this standard after his back injury.
Watching Murray attempt to close this out from 4-1 has been infuriating.
Very rarely easy with him, but then he was playing Djokovic.
If you'd told me when I first started watching tennis we'd have a British Wimbledon champion, multiple grand slam champion, double Olympic Gold winner and now World Number 1 I'd have never believed it. Fair play to him and Judy.
Quite nuts, when you think about it. Davis Cup winner, as well.
Two British no1s at the same time.
Must be a bug.
Yep, he's won so much I'm starting to forget things.
When I looked up the rankings earlier to see how out of touch I am with who the top players are (very, as it turns out), I noticed there is another British player in the 40s. They have to get another top 20-ish player shortly you would think.
They tend to go through bubbles. Edmund's had a breakthrough year but, at that level, a breakthrough year is a sneaky third-round in a Slam.
Konta is doing well as well in the womens. It's a good time for British tennis.
Edmund will almost undoubtedly get top 20, in my opinion.
It'll be a really interesting start to next year. Djokovic and Murray should both be motivated, the former as he'll want no.1 back and is probably eyeing Federer's slam total, and the latter because he wants both the Australian and French for the first time.
Given the way the rankings work Djokovic is going to have to go some to get the number one spot back in the short term.
Yep, he has a shedload more points to defend. But his record at the Australian will help. I'd be surprised if he won the French again.
It'd be nice to have a new slam winner next year.
Other than the prestige is there any material difference between being 1 or 2? Either gets you out of playing the other until the final. Does the fact that the top seed usually plays first help in terms of fatigue? [/marginal gain]
Wimbledon draws seeds 1 & 3, and 2 & 4, on opposite sides of the draw. So it'd be an advantage being no2 in that case as you'd avoid the 3rd best player. (Obviously seeds don't always correlate to rankings.)
Can't think if that's the general way of doing things.
I think it would always be an advantage being no1 as you aren't playing catch up, and it's less risky to take weeks off.
Remember when Federer's records looked under threat? I actually wondered if Djokovic was challenging him for consecutive weeks at the top. Turns out he's years off that. Years that he might not have.
@Shindig
I had to look up Fed's 302 weeks. That's insane.
I still think Djokovic can get to 17 slams or more. His physical game is near faultless.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38379952
Odds on whoever did that dying in custody? They don't have many sportspeople on that level of ability and fame these days, so if he's ended one he'll be in the shit.
Nah, she'll win another open right-handed.
Anna Ivanovic retires. Awww.
Australian Open draw has been made: full draw, preview stuff.
Djokovic looked like he was on the way back to his best in the Qatar final. Second half of the first set he was fantastic. An early win over Murray should help him. I'd have Murray and Wawrinka as the only two to realistically beat him at the Australian, so it's good for him that Wawrinka's on Murray's half. Verdasco in the 1st round's a bit of a bastard draw though.
I'm going to plump for Djokovic as very slight favourite. Intrigued to see where Federer's at, and high hopes for Dimitrov this tournament.
Okay so my thoughts;
1. Kyrgios to throw his racket at an umpire, swear at spectators and storm off. The Australian press the next day engage in a chorus of 'Aww mate, it's not like that, it's different'
2. Proably Tsonga's last year as a serious competitor (I'm being generous there as well as much as I love him and want him to win a slam)
3. Monfils is either winning the damn thing, or going out in the second round. There's no middle ground with him. I'd actually fancy him if his head is on straight, he's one of the most athletic competitors out there
4. Since when did Raonic move to 3rd in the world?
5. Edmund will go out in the third round against the big, bad Djok. (now 100% more gluten free)
Has Tsonga ever really been a serious competitor? I always thought of him as one of the best non-serious competitors, but I never thought for a moment that he'd win a major, unless the other guys fell over themselves on the way.
I thought he'd attained cult like status due to being a physical beast, but he's never been good enough at the actual tennis part to compete at the top of the game.
By serious competitor I'm going by someone who could feasibly win something, but he would need everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) to go his way.
He's French, so won't win but I'll still be rooting for him.
He just looks like someone that lacks an edge. If you were a particularly shitty mate to him and asked him to put the hammer down, he'd bottle calling you out on it.
Djokovic knocked out by 133rd ranked Uzbek, Denis Istomin :D
Kyrgios mate is currently the most hated Australian I reckon.
What Ital said, Istomin is similar to Del Potro in that injuries have taken their toll on his ranking.
Still, good to see the big bad Djok out. He needs less gluten.
He knocked off some big scalps along the way. He's injury-prone though. He occupies the same territory as, say, Nicholas Mahut in terms of quality, from what I've seen of him. Occasional big scalps, and generally good for a couple of rounds in a slam. Never going to threaten the second week though.
30 is a bit high, I'll grant. But he's certainly capable of pulling that level of performance out, if not on a regular basis.
Istomin was only ranked that low because of all the gluten he eats.
And the drugs he doesn't take.
Istomin already sounds like a PED.
He had a 1 in 32 record against top 10 players, so it's about as big a shock as they come. Particularly since it looked like Djokovic won in Qatar and looked on the way to his best again.
I'm a Djokovic fan but now that he's out I'd like to see a new slam winner this tournament.
Some nice ties coming up - Federer/Berdych, Tsonga/Sock, Tomic/Evans.
Ooof, just seen Nadal will be against Zverev. And Konta v Wozniacki.
I'd like Murray to complete the career grand slam just so Mahow can complete his grand seethe.
He's got as good shot as he'll ever get in the next few months.
That's a quality euphemism for a wanking sock. Tell your mate about it, @igor_balis
Federer rolling back the years against Berdych. This is absolutely vintage stuff. He's in some kind of touch.
Is Federer the last player who I'm going to actually enjoy watching? I used to like Sampras as well. I don't know who else of that ilk is around. Goffin, lol.
I can't stand power/endurance tennis. Nadal = the devil.
Nishikori?
Not seen a lot of him. Tell me he has a single handed backhand.
Watched the Federer match. You're right, Ital. That was pretty unreal.
I don't think you'd like Nishikori, Jim. Catch Dimitrov sometime.
Good of Tomic to turn up in his board shorts. What a pleb. He and Kyrgios must be just about the most 'un-Australian' sportsmen going.
The Nadal Zverev match was a bit of an epic. Zverev got cramps (after a never-ending rally) and looked pretty much done physically and mentally toward the end. He's going to be big though, big big big. Probably world number 1.
The commentator came up with a good stat. Zverev had played 5 matches that had gone 5 sets in his career. Nadal... 331.
The Zverev brothers are both pretty decent. When was the last time two brothers met in a Grand Slam?
So Murray is about to lose to Zverev.
Tsonga's year :drool:
That said, the next round will be seeded carnage. You have;
(3) Raonic vs. (13) Bautista Agut
(5) Nishikori vs. (17) Federer
(6) Monfils vs. (9) Nadal
(8) Thiem vs. (11) Goffin
(12) Tsonga vs. Evans
Deserved for accepting that disgusting knighthood
Mahow knows.
Nadal to power past Federer and we all die a little more inside.
:lol:
Allez Tsonga.
Nadal is great. You'd lose so much if you didn't have clashes of styles.
Just finished Nishikori v Federer. Federer hit winners from all over the place, including one aimed between the umpire's chair and the net post.
On the men's side this must be the most wide open Slam in years now.
Bookies have Federer as favourite. I agree with them as Nadal has Raonic, while Federer has Murray-beater Mischa Zverev.
I watched Nadal-Monfils. Turned into a bit of a battle and Nadal showed his fighting spirit once again. Got to love his attitude. Surely one of the best competitors in any sport ever.
Konta has Serena. Really fun tournament so far but that could be one of the picks.
Last time Federer met this lad he beat him to love. He's five games up already,
Sir Andy Murray?
Federer :cool:
Get fucked Stan.
I'd love Federer to win another slam after being written off.
Federer - Nadal and Williams - Williams. Time to party like it's 2007.
Federer - Nadal here would have a similar feel to Sampras - Agassi in 2002, when both were supposed to be basically finished.
What a crazy couple finals that would be.
Serena 35
Venus 36
Federer 34
Nadal 30
Federer looked really nervous there for him. Didn't play as well as he had in previous matches.
Can't wait for the finals. Serena v Venus and Federer v Nadal. :drool: Schedule. (Australia 11 hours ahead of UK.)
McEnroe said he'd put the Nadal-Dimitrov semi up there with the greatest he's ever seen. Lasted nearly 5 hours.
Been watching Wimbledon 2008 in preperation. Please, please be brilliant.
I'd love Federer to win it. Nadal can sod off.
Only on Eurosport? Any streams available?
Woof, that's a fucking shot from Federer. :drool:
It's been a really good match so far.
This isn't quite 2008 levels, but it's very good
Nadal's doing this in five. :(
Feels that way.
Just woke up.
'Mon Rog.
Nice to see him break back.
Fucking 'mon, Federer.
Fucking come on Fed.
I fucking hate it when the fans wet themselves DURING a fucking rally.
Simmer down you pricks.
Still, Fed :cool:
Oh Roger.
Roger :cool:
:cool:
What a match that was. Eighteen and quite possibly his last Grand Slam :cool:
Roger is the man.
Put Ł20 on Fed @ 3.5 before he broke back in the fifth. Never in doubt :cool:
He could win more.
Top, top stuff.
What a player. I held onto Sampras being the best ever for a while but it's no doubt now that it's Fed. Remarkable player.
Awesome.
Is that the fist time he's beat Nadal in a slam away from grass?
5 years since the last slam. 7 since he last won at Aussie open.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federe..._court_surface
Yes Mel.
Also, lol at this Kia motors guy.
The Kia guy knows how to rally a crowd.
That was fantastic to watch.
Really good match. :nodd:
Loved that rally that finished with Nadal's slice on the stretch.
We've just won a Davis Cup match because some Canadian bairn twatted the umpire in the eye with the ball. :D
Yeah, I just flicked it on as that had happened and wondered what the fuck was going on. Absolutely nailed him.
He really whacked it. The umpire's eye looked awful.
France in the quarters should be a good tie.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38876724
Fucking hell it looks bad.
I bet that umpire is seething as well. Ball in the face provokes ultra violence.
I think you can safely say Djokovic is BACK. Great match with Del Potro (who could win a slam this year). It'll take a while for him to shift Murray off no.1 but I think it's happening.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/score...daily-schedule WOOF. Kyrgios v Djokovic (again) and Nadal v Federer just in case the world hasn't had enough of those. That half of the draw was insane.
I know people hate Kyrgios but against Zverev he played some absurd/brilliant shots worth sharing:
https://www.facebook.com/TennisTV/vi...video_guests=0
He seems to have knuckled down this year. Recording him taking on Federer to watch tomorrow.
Also Konta is in the final tomorrow.
He'll have a chimpout against Federer when things start going against him.
He did have a go at a lines judge in the Zverev match (when actually he benefited from being allowed to challenge stupidly late) just when I was warming to him.
But he honestly looks really focused. I'm glad he's still got the entertainer in him though. Be nice if he smiled when he won matches...
He clearly sounds like he'd rather be doing something else. Like, as in he only does this because it's a thing he's good at.
Federer v Kyrgios was truly fantastic. One of the best matches I've seen in the last few years. And one of the most tense. Kyrgios looks like he really cares; I've been in the 'he's not going to win Slams' camp for a while but it'd be a big surprise if he doesn't now. He's sporting too - this week he's told Zverev and Federer to challenge calls (rightly) and conceded a point to Federer when a call was slightly late and was going to be replayed.
Okay, the Fed Cup finally gets interesting with Nastase going full racist and Joanna Konta having to leave the court in tears. Her sports psychologist offed himself so she's not in the best of minds to begin with. Meanwhile, Sharapova's agent is having a go at players younger than Maria for being 'journeymen out to get a Grand Slam'.
The fucking state.
I don't want to sound like a dick (but I'm probably going to...), but Konta crying because Nastase called her a "bitch" is a bit weird... I mean surely you just ignore the crazy old fucker - why on earth would you start crying?
I could kinda get it if her psychologist died last week... but he died last year.. so this just seems a tad weird. Despite all this, Nastase is clearly a massive cunt.
Not much of a psychologist if he topped himself.
He died last year but the inquest into his death was this week.
Ah, ok - that makes a little more sense.
At a news conference to preview the tie in Constanta, which starts Saturday, Romania's captain was heard to say of Williams' baby, due in the autumn: "Let's see what colour it has. Chocolate with milk?"
:lol:
That is brilliant.
Not really...
Or at all. Nastase sounds like a fucking dickhead.
I wonder what he does to his own players?Quote:
Nastase swore at the umpire before abusing Johanna Konta and GB captain Anne Keothavong - calling them both "a bitch" multiple times - leaving Konta reduced to tears.
Before the tie began, he also put his arm tightly around Keothavong and asked for her room number, in earshot of the watching media.
Luckily, he knows their room numbers.
Nadal has won 93% of matches on clay. :cab:
What a dude. Huge favourite for the French.
Saying that makes you realise how off the boil Djokovic has been.
Doesn't look like he's enjoying it anymore to me. Needs to get the love back.
French Open started yesterday. ITV4 and Eurosport 1&2 for anyone interested.
Kerber (world no. 1) going out is the one shock so far.
It seems like the women's world no. 1 gets knocked out of nearly every grand slam early on. Unless it's Serena Williams.
Kerber's not a clay-court player at all, right?
Muguruza could drop out of the top ten entirely if she doesn't get a good result in this tournament. She seemed to be fantastic, too.
Anyone know of good free streaming sites where I can find streams of this?
11 French players on the men's side have gone out so far, including Simon. Tsonga currently in trouble as well - 2 sets down although serving for the 3rd.
Stuck some cash on Tsonga, which was stupid. He looks really unfocused.
Woof. The end (for now) of that Tsonga match was great. Lovely volleys and forehands from Tsonga, and some drop shot flair from both of them. The match will finish tomorrow - it's too dark tonight.
The ITV4 presenter has just made a great point - with any changes to the tennis scoring system, getting rid of duece and all that nonsense, you would lose so much drama and exciting back and forth.
http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/40103968
She's absolutely mental.
I mean, two of the most successful women players ever were openly gay.
I have absolutely no idea who's going to win the womens' event. Maybe Muguruza again?
I'd fancy Halep to win it, but in reality there's about 15 women who could, the women's draw is always a bit mad without Serena or Sharapova.
The state of the crowd at the Djokovic match, keeping a Mexican wave going for a full minute while the players are at the line waiting to go.
It does my head when tennis players wait for silence when playing. Just fucking get on with it.
That said, the Mexican wave is fucking shit.
Feel sorry for Schwartzman. Take one of the greatest players ever to a fifth set, and then your bloody ribs screw you over.
The time violation thing is a bit of a problem in tennis. Either enforce it as a rule consistently or stop pretending it is one.
Out today. I thought she'd do well too. But I heard on the commentary today that she'd 'failed to build any type of clay court season', going out early in previous tournaments. Looking it up she actually did well in Rome but that's pretty much it.
Really nice tie tomorrow in Wawrinka v Monfils.
She got done by the crowd a bit as well.
Yeah I saw a set and a bit of it and I was surprised by the crowd - overtly bias and there was even a bit of a football ground feel with the chants.
Did they give Muguruza stick directly?
I guess Halep must be the favourite now?
Yeah, must be. She beat Navarro 6-1, 6-1 today so it's looking good for her.
Thiem v Djokovic tomorrow. :drool:
Men's quarter-finals:
Murray v Nishikori
Wawrinka v Cilic
Carreno Busta v Nadal
Thiem v Djokovic
Nadal v Djokovic would be some semi. Murray's got a decent shot, this year may be his best chance of winning it.
I'd agree but I still think he'll get humped by Stanislas.
Djokovic out. The meldonium ban must've hit him hard. Nadal's still daft on clay so I'd have him down as favourite.
Djokovic hasn't got the belief at the moment. Long road ahead, but hopefully he can build something great with Agassi.
Thiem played well though, and he beat Nadal in Rome so he's got a good chance.
That vegan diet must have lost its magic.
Did you mean 'no gluten', or was that the joke?
Halep's playing excellently. This is her year.
Ostapenko (20 years old, 19 for most of this tournament) got through to the final.
edit- Jesus. Incredible movement from Halep.
Definitely Halep for me, she deserves a Slam.
I suspect Ostapenko will pick one up herself soon, with Sharapova having to work her way back up and Serena out for the forseeable future, this is going to be the best oppotunity for some people to pick up their first Slams.
I'd be really surprised if Sharapova won another. Already been a few years since her last. I think Muguruza or Halep will probably have the longest stay at no1 in the next few years.
Only got on for the tiebreaker but it's been serious quality with a smattering of derp at times.
Stan is on fire right now, it's a joy to watch.
A seriously high quality match.
Pity, as I'd like Andy to get closer to the career slam. Nadal's gonna earn it.
Some big players crumbling in the final set this tournament.
Looking forward to the finals, both the women's and men's should be a treat.
Stan was almost unplayable from the second half of the fourth set to the end of the match.
The final should be a cracker.
Rafa just too good! Not far off the perfect performance. I don't think he was as good as in the Aus final, as he wasn't pushed like he was by Federer. Stan unfortunately far from his best.
The women's final yesterday was good fun. I thought it'd be too much for Ostapenko but she made a good comeback. Really unorthodox form, you'd never coach her forehand especially. Gets her in holes sometimes but she hits plenty of cracking shots. I love the stats, they sum up the styles perfectly:
Ostapenko with 54 winners and 54 unforced errors;
Halep with 8 winners and 10 unforced errors.
Murray :harold:
Andy Mahowry :harold:
Aljaz Bedene's fault entirely.
Bizarrely, Murray, Wawrinka and Raonic (the top three seeds) are all out.
The next four - Cilic, Tsonga, Dimitrov, Berdych - are still in. I'd pick one of Cilic / Dimitrov, who have both won it before.
It's Tsonga's year :nodd:
Dan Evans explaining he took cocaine out of competition like it means something. Top. Man.
How do you mean?
A ban can be up to 4 years. Wonder how this will go down.
"I want to stress, this was taken out of competition." I mean, that's fine for performance enhancers. Recreational drugs, it doesn't hold much. Unless he was hoping it was out of his system. Hingis got two years for it. Dan is not Martina Hingis.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40452270
Ms Williams' car suddenly darted into their path and was unable to clear the junction in time due to traffic jams, according to witness statements in a police report obtained by US media.
Mrs Barson was also taken to hospital but survived.
"[Ms Williams] is at fault for violating the right of way of [the other driver]," the report said, adding that there were no other factors like drugs, alcohol or mobile phone distractions.
I wonder how far this will go.
Being America it's going to cost her a great deal of money, but it doesn't sound like there's a lot more to it.
Should be a fun day at Eastbourne tomorrow. Djokovic/Monfils will be tasty, providing Monfils hangs in there long enough. http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/score...daily-schedule
I thought they didn't allow men at Eastbourne?
I feel bad for lolling at a radio reporter for saying 'No Murray at Eastbourne' earlier in the week.
Yeah it's been women only traditionally. Djokovic was a wildcard - he doesn't usually play any grass tourneys before Wimbledon. Could work out perfectly for him.
Already some rain :drool:
We should give Laura Robson back to Australia.
8 appearances at Wimbledon, 6 times she's lost in the first round with 3 of those being in consecutive years.
She hasn't won a match at any Grand Slam (including Qualifiers for the Aussie Open) since 2013 although she has missed 7 through injury.
She sounds quintessentially British to me.
Stan is 1 set down but he's up a break in the second.
Edit: Won the second but dropped the third.
Wawrinka looks a bit wobbly.
Broken in the fourth. Medvedev is playing some great stuff.
Stan on the ropes.
Pretty much thrown in the towel, double break.
First match at the actual draw of Wimbledon and he's smacked Stan the Man. 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Looked great too, hope he goes far.
Only saw the last half hour or so but felt sorry for Stan, clearly hindered by injury. Medvedev seems a nice chap though.
The amount of flying ants :sick:
I'd fucking hate to be there.
Murray vs Brown should be fun a little later. Dustin Brown is great to watch.
Donna Vekic :wub:
Agreed.
Watched the end of Konta, and the whole of Murray/Brown (at various times).
Konta must be one of the faves.
Murray's the most awkward player in the world for Brown. I actually skimmed the start of this thread recently and read myself saying Murray struggled against net players, no clue what that was in reference to. He's a nightmare for a player like Brown or Karlovic. Brown obviously a lot more unpredictable but it'd be a huge shock if he beat Murray really. Making just 5 unforced errors in 3 sets is brilliant.
'Today at Wimbledon' has been pretty good these first few days. It was good seeing Pat Cash and Navratilova slate Tomic (who was "bored", lacked motivation - for Wimbledon ffs, and admitted to faking a medical timeout).
Tomic might be the least popular person in Australia at the moment. :D
Which is some going to beat Kygrios.
John McEnroe implying Djokovic's marriage is on the rocks. :|
Tomic has lost his racquet sponsor off the back of this. If he was being genuine with his comments he should just pack it in.
He's earned almost 5 million US dollars, in prize money alone, for coasting on a third of his potential. He'll carry on turning up and not caring.
God that Mattek-Sands knee injury looked horrible.
Yeah that was a gruesome injury, and to one of the nicest and most colourful players on the tour as well.
This Rogers playing Kerber of a beast.
Come ooooon Djok. I like Agassi. He seemed very cheerful just then. Interesting that he says, "I wouldn't call it 'coach'". Just some pointers etc.
Ł5 on Gulbis to beat Djokovic @ 9
Ł2.50 E/W on Cillic and Muguruza to win Wimbledon.
What a fucking winner that was to secure the break.
Didn't exactly look tight with nerves thumping those winners.
I think his serve will break down. Harder to keep your rhythm with such a high ball toss. Although this is the first full match I'm watching of his, so the serve may be great and I may be talking bollocks.
He's done.
I thought the authorities were going to stop this whole getting your towel after every serve shit? It's a complete joke.
Pissing hell.
It must be getting on for about 90% of your posts just pissing and moaning about everything.
Because I'm a moany, joyless cunt, etc. It's the specificity I'm remarking on.
You spent six months arguing with yourself using various accounts. A thousand years could pass and you still wouldn't have put enough distance between yourself and that episode to be anything other than a laughing stock. Off you pop.
Yeah, but I don't act a shitbag to everyone i meet
This has been great.
Zverev looks handy.
Men's last 16:
Murray v Paire
Querrey v Anderson
Nadal v Muller
Bautista Agut v Cilic
Raonic v A. Zverev
Dimitrov v Federer
Thiem v Berdych
Mannarino v Djokovic
--------
My guesses: Murray, Querrey, Nadal, Cilic ; Zverev, Federer, Thiem, Djokovic
Raonic hasn't had the best year and Zverev will make him defend if they get into longer rallies.
Berdych more accustomed to grass than Thiem, but the former struggles under pressure sometimes and Thiem is a fighter and one of the best players now.
Yeah I go with that.
Querrey/Anderson is the closest for me, the rest seem pretty cut and dry.
I do think that one of the big four will be going out sooner rather than later.
Yeah 2/3 tiebreaks at least in that one, I think.
I think the 4 of them will make the semis.
Assuming our picks are right then you've got Murray with a relatively easy match, Nadal against Cillic (I have Cillic), Federer over Raonic and Thiem against Djokovic and I can see Thiem doing Novak over.
Cillic/Federer final :nodd:
I think it'll be Zverev over Raonic, but yeah Federer's beating either of them.
I've stopped being sure about Novak since wrongly predicting "He's back!" (as in best-in-the-world-back) about six times since November.
Guessing everyone would be up for another Fed-Nadal final; I think they'll both get there.
-----
Monfils being even more Monfils-y than usual :cool: - https://www.facebook.com/wimbledon/v...c_ref=NEWSFEED
Paire seems to swing quite wildly between utterly brilliant and absolute dogshit with little in the middle.
Very strange player. Looks like a tempermant issue. Obviously has a lot of ability but seems quite...French.
i thought Monfils was supposed to be the next big thing
Ages ago. He's a fairly senior figure on the tour these days.
Dominic Thiem is the big up-and-comer. And possibly Nick Kyrgios if he doesn't pitch it all away in a fit of pique.
Don't forget Zverev. The biggest 'next big thing' of all. Future no1 for sure.
Easy for Murray. Hopefully his form is starting to come beck.
Nadal on the ropes here.
First time he's lost a set since the Aussie Open final.
Eh? He's lost matches.
I ripped it from the BBC:
Game and first set - Muller
Nadal 3-6 Muller
Posted at 16:21
Now then.
Gilles Muller has served his way to a first set win over Rafa Nadal. It's the first time since the Australian Open final against Federer that Rafa has dropped a set. That's 10 matches and 28 sets ago...
They actually mean Grand Slam matches. Straight set wins through Roland Garros and then 3 in Wimbledon.
Those 2 serves when he was facing match point were brilliant.
Edit: Make that 4 to win the game.
Muller has a lot more to his game than I thought. Far more than just a big server. Been a brilliant match so far.
This does feel like peak Nadal.
Muller has been playing brilliantly as well mind you.
Such a fucking good match.
Reflective balcony :harold:
Can safely say this is one of the best matches I've watched in a while.
Another Isner-Mahut please :drool:
He's only gone and done it.
Heroic stuff.
Absolutely superb.
Muller to win the whole thing please :drool:
Great stuff and it leaves it with Fed to win.
Muller. :cool:
Only watched the fifth set but it was more than enough, epic match.
I read this article about Kyrgios yesterday, quite interesting: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...star-of-tennis
I have to sympathize with him tbh, I would hate to be a pro tennis player, it sounds like a miserable life unless you truly love the game, which it sounds like he doesn't.
I'm not sure there's anything more depressing than being really, really, really good at a sport you don't particularly like. It'll always be the only career choice you can make but you subject yourself to everything you hate about it every day only for the occasional thing to go your way which is immediately forgotten a week later.
Ooo thanks for that link Spoon, looks good, when the New Yorker get involved in tennis it's good news.
Got to be Fed now. Djokovic now having to play tomorrow puts him at a disadvantage as well.
New Yorker articles on troubled sport stars are always amazing. See this one on Ronnie O'Sullivan.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...the-white-ball
Not a snooker fan, but it'll probably be good, cheers.
edit- "You've read your last complimentary article this month." Poo.
Would it be as simple as deleting a cookie or something?
Do you have a preferred reading format Reg? I could post it here but I find it a nightmare to read longreads on here.
Toggle Spoiler
Can you do attachments these days? Pdfing the whole page would be simple.
If you can be bothered to do it (I can't) upload it to https://www.docdroid.net/
Bugger that, PM me an email address if you like Reg, I'll send it on.
Thanks guys, pm sent Disco. :thbup:
Murray is not moving very well at all here. Limping and missing points he really should be chasing down were he fit.
I reckon he's in danger here, despite having an extra set on Querrey.
Yeah, lump it all on Querrey in 5 sets. Murray is gone at this point.
I've got Ł5 on the lanky bastard @ 2.3
Cillic is looking damn good.
Christ, that 4th set couldn't have been any longer than 20 mins. Murray was pasted.
Murray is totally done.
Just managed to get on at evens before Querry broke in the fifth. This is over.
All aboard the Fed Express.
Could see a bagel in this 5th.
Surprised he managed to get 1 in this set.
That last point was mental.
Ł5 on Federer to win 3-1
Ł6.50 on Cillic to win.
6-1 6-1 final two sets. :| Was he not running at all by the end?
Home in time for Federer. Looking forward to this one.
He wasn't moving too badly (for a normal player, by his standards he was fairly immobile) but he had trouble planting to execute his shots.
Today is the first day I've properly watched any of the event. How has Federer been playing up until now?
Ah, the best day in the sporting calendar finally upon us I see.
If Federer wins this one, he's got to be in top 3-5 sportsman of all time surely?
Andy Blurry. :harold:
Federer making this look too easy.
That was a glorious shot by Raonic.
That shot from Federer to go 5-3 was fucking arousing.
Heheh, that shot was fantastic. Glad that 3rd set had some action after the 1st and 2nd which were a bit flat. Federer played some great shots, that Raonic pass after Federer's drop volley was good as well.
Real shame about Djokovic. :( Can't say I'm thrilled with the semi-finals lineup. Also means my prediction that all of the 'big 4' would make it was, er, 75% wrong.
Going down a twitter wormhole into tennis fans, the fanboys of each of the 'big 4' are fucking bizarre, like football ultras in some cases. Why can't you just enjoy watching all four.
Federer having a renaissance whilst every one else retires injured. Playing til 40, lads.
TBF I have it on good authority that Nadal was told to take a year off in 2014(?) because his PEDs were off the charts and that whole Spanish doping scandal was going on. (This is from someone at the firm who insured him)
Hopp Roger.
Nostalgia trip. :drool:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1yfWb0-jqQ
The tiebreak at the end of the fourth set (14:10) is unreal.
I loved that Nadal. In his vest and pirate pants. The point from 15:19 is great.
Didn't see her match but I'll be stunned if Muguruza doesn't win the whole thing.
Nice to see Muguruza doing well again. She took a tumble in the rankings after a bad French Open.
This is about as good as I've ever seen Williams play.
Feel for Konta, looked like she was going to cry. I thought Konta played very well until serving to stay in the first set. Venus just a bit better at doing the same thing.
It'll be interesting to see whether Muguruza can deal better with Venus' high return position, because Konta was a bit shaken by that I think. Difficult to deal with when she's hardly missing.
Querrey doesn't look like he has much left in him.
Really struggling to hold his serve whilst Cillic is wiping him out quickly on his serve.
Federer isn't human at times.
He shouldn't be playing this well at his age.
Couldn't watch much today but yeah Federer is stupid. Wouldn't be surprised if he wins on Sunday, takes the rest of July off, comes back and wins the two Masters and then the US Open.
Is there anything more boring than Roger Federer?
West Brom. Toast with nothing on it.
How can you find him boring? If you don't like tennis at all then yeah.
I love tennis. He's the most vapid, soulless professional sportsman I've ever seen. Dead behind the eyes.
A team of Marat Safins.
@Adamski Yeah, I thought you did so I was surprised. I'm far from his biggest fan but from a pure tennis perspective he's amazing. One of the most imaginative players (the most?). And his technique is so perfect it's hard not to admire.
Saying that, in 2015 when he was constantly meeting Djokovic in finals I pretty much couldn't stand him. But I'm biased.
Muguruza could be the most dominant female player (and most consistent) since the Williams.
:nodd: Really pleased for her and about the prospect of having another true great. Her game is almost complete already but I think she'll just get better at everything.
Is it left to me to point out that a 6-0 set in a final is a bit shambolic?
I think some of it was to do with how well Muguruza was playing and the rest to do with Venus being shaken mentally after losing the first set. Commentators seemed to think it was physical.
I'll be that guy, I'm slightly in love with Muguruza (and she's brilliant, haven't seen anyone as focused as she was in the semi and final).
Cillic looks nervous.
That backspin shot from Federer was gorgeous.
Cilic muttering away to himself while he's readying to serve and then twats his chair with his racket at just a set down.
He's definitely not shat himself here.
He's gone completely.
Jesus Christ he's fucking crying.
Christ it's tough to watch him crying his eyes out on his chair here :(
Sobbing
Is he playing injured?
EDIT: Turned on to see Doctors out there. Gutted.
How can you not feel sorry for him. One of the biggest moments of his life and it goes like this.
That's all done now surely?
He's just too good.
http://i.imgur.com/v85sJz8.png
Shame Cillic didn't win, would have given me another Ł340 or so.
I dare you to go watch a YouTube compilation of Federer's greatest shots and not enjoy it.
Federer is a bit soulless and hard to root for on a personal level but he's brilliant to watch. I'd watch him ahead of Nadal or Djokovic every time.
3 set final in the men's. They surely should be asking questions after that.
He was injured though.
You can't be that desperate for a conspiracy.
Konspiracy Kiko. :drool:
In before Cilic fails another test.
Aw, Federer in tears at the end there.
Federer 'joining Sue in the studio' in a couple mins. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbctwo
I think people liking Tennis is a conspiracy.
Don't worry, it's over for another year.
Three Wimbledon matches to be reviewed for possible match-fixing.
Two in qualifying, one in main draw.
Tonnes since April, mainly in Challengers etc.
Not surprising considering how easy it is to fix and how little money there is at the lower levels of the game.
Yeah, some players stuck on Challenger events with such a varied income are going to go for it, unfortunately.
Victoria Azarenka's career might be a bit knackered. I could've told her he was a cunt just by looking at him.
Should probably just call off the US Open this year.
It's a time to be excited if anything. The next generation are finally taking over. I'd even have Zverev as favourite, his form is amazing and Federer/Nadal are in the other half of the draw.
I've been having a lot of fun watching this Open. Shapovalov is an incredible player to watch, I can't think of a player quite like him.
I'm also impressed by the physical side of his game, he's got strength and stamina for days. Only 6 foot as well, which is fairly short these days it seems.
I think Nadal has got the best chance, but I wouldn't be surprised if Thiem won, he's been looking so good this year.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/41564893
It's time to just (properly) ban him from the sport now.
It must be strange to be so good at something you really don't give a shit about. That said, fuck him he's a massive thundercunt and just needs to be punted out of the sport.
I was rather against him until reading this: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...star-of-tennis
Where he comes across as someone who genuinely hates his lifestyle but it's all he knows/was allowed to know. Must be tough.
Is he good enough to win big tournaments? Surely if you're that good you just knuckle down for a couple of years and set yourself up for life. It must be better than getting a real job.
Enjoyed that article by the way phonics, had a read when you mentioned it some other time.
Even with all these problems, frustrations, mental weaknesses, whatever, his talent gets him so close to the top. He beat Zverev to reach the final in Beijing on the weekend. Unfortunately a bad line call in the very first game of the final had him miffed for the entire match.
He'll surely get banned for the above. You can't just walk off without an injury.
Troicki v Isner currently being played in a cavernous and almost completely empty stadium. Between games they're piping in little snippets of music, one of which was an excerpt from the Leftovers soundtrack, a wonderful joke if it was deliberate.
Anyone watched any of the Australian Open? It's all on Eurosport (and their Eurosport Player online).
Not that many upsets so far. The Americans had a rough time of it on the first day - 2 of 14 going through (Venus and Isner both out). Wawrinka out early but he was out injured for months.
Zverev out to Chung, one of the 'Next Gen' promising young players. Zverev can't seem to crack the slams, despite finishing last year ranked 4 in the world. Edmund knocked out Anderson in 5 sets.
The matches I've watched in full are Djokovic's first two. He's showing signs of peak Djokovic. There's some talk about whether the organisers should allow the players to continue in these temperatures. He played Monfils in 45-50C (on court) and Monfils was repeatedly keeling over from the heat.
Dimitrov v Kyrgios is on at 8am tomorrow, UK time. @Jimmy Floyd Before you give up hope there's a modern tennis player out there for you, watch Dimitrov.
Order of play: https://ausopen.com/schedules/C7
Kyrgios has been really great so far, and knocked out Tsonga. He's probably looked the form player outside the Big 3. Given Dimitrov's stuttering tournament, he's a very real shot at going further.
Hopefully Edmund keeps his run going, but this really doesn't hold much interest for me. With the top top lads all being injured/old/getting on and the young ones not really seriously challenging (what's left of) them it all feels a bit like that time Johansson (was it?) won it (aka the Hewitt years).
I've seen Dimitrov Reg, I like him. I also like that fancy-footed Belgian (Goffin?).
Goffin is a serious talent, although he got knocked out by Benneteau, who started his career sometime around the Battle of Hastings.
This is probably Kyrgios's best chance of a slam and I'd make him favourite against Dimitrov if he can keep himself from imploding because Dimitrov really hasn't looked brilliant.
He's got more bottle than Tomic, that's for sure.
Kyrgios, Zverev, and Thiem should all win majors in their career. If they don't, they'll have underachieved.
Shapovalov is easily the best of the new crop.
Fucsovics, who's playing Federer in round 4, is actually a dude i know personally. I went to a tennis academy in germany in my heyday and he was a living legend there (he was 18 or so at the time). Was a big name on the junior circuit and all, I remember i played Counter Strike with the whole dorm when he was there.
I've been really encouraged by this tournament. A lot of the really young guys have played years ahead of where they're at. No matter what happens with Chung here, he's been great, as have a number of other players in both the men and women's draw.
EDIT: If you're at all interested, get on this Djokovic-Chung match. There have been some amazing rallies. Chung's retrieval to go up 6-5 in the third was unbelievable.
Pity to see Thiem going out though. I don't think he's figured out hardcourts yet.
Got some highlights recording so will have to check out the Djokovic match.
Did you see Dimitrov v Kyrgios, Ital? I thought Dimitrov kept his cool really well with all of the Kyrgios histrionics going on. Lovely player to watch.
Yep, he is very sporting, Kyrgios. Always willing to tell the other guy to challenge etc. There's some times where I wonder about his groans during important points but lots of them are guilty of that.
Break through as in win a slam? I think Dimitrov will this year. He's turned into a great mixture of Federer and Djokovic, I think, with the single-hander, volleys, slice and elegant play and then the crazy speed and flexibility.
Yeah, win or get to a final, at least. Both of them should do it at some stage.
Apparently the unseeded American who knocked out Thiem is a massive alt-right racist. :face:
Edmund?
:|
Two unseeded players in the semis can't have happened in the mens game for a while.
They could name one of their courts after him.
Nadal should crush Edmund but I'd fancy his chances against Cilic. What a weird time for British tennis. Konta goes off the boil and then Kyle steps it up.
Phil and he probably share a tooth whitener, but I wanted to believe people like Matt Kuchar and Jimmy Walker weren't evil monsters.
Halep v Kerber was sensational. I was particularly impressed when Halep was on song. If she plays like this on her favoured clay, she should walk the French.
Also, it's great to see Kerber playing well again. I was quite disappointed when she went off the boil last year.
Not a great final in terms of quality, which dropped off significantly halfway through. Not that there weren't some amazing shots and rallies, but it was clear that the heat played a high role. But that wasn't really what it was about - there was so much riding on it emotionally from both players (both having lost two major finals before, and never won one), and it was absolutely gripping viewing. Delighted with the choice to watch the whole thing.
It's very different to watching two players with two dozen majors and finals between them. Halep was visibly trying not to cry at the start of the ceremony, but I reckon she'll win the French this year unless something crazy happens. Got it together to give a nice speech, too.
Amazing when you consider that Wozniacki was down 5-1 and 40-15 in the second round third set.
Yeah, the quality did dip but what fantastic tennis in the first set and, as you say, great drama throughout. Really enjoyable final. Both very likable players. They both must absolutely shattered after these two weeks.
Spain v Britain tomorrow and over the weekend. BBC has coverage. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/42565357
Tough tie with Edmund expected to miss all of it now. Need the doubles guys to get a win and a couple of upsets from somewhere. https://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-re...G-M-GBR-ESP-01
The radio news earlier made it sound like a 5-0 drubbing in waiting, with Johnny English and Boris Johnson bravely going down in straight sets to the Duke of Alba and El Cid.
We'll win the Doubles match, but yeah no Edmund and no Murray means we're almost certain to lose.
The wildcard is if Ferrer can't get his zimmerframe across the court quickly enough.
Switched the Djokovic/Cecchinato match off with Djokovic leading 4-1 in the fourth set (The Italian winning 2 sets to 1 though) as Cecchinato looked gone. Just checked and he pulled that fourth set back to win 7-6 and win the match.
Didn’t watch this match in full but I’ve seen the 4th set tiebreak highlights and Cecchinato was on some next level shit. The tension was crazy. This is why RG is so fun to watch, way more randos make it far than in any of the other Slams
The lower tier seats (sponsors, VIPs) are often half empty or worse. Zverev-Thiem, a quarter final, today for example. One of the reasons why it's not my favourite slam. They do appreciate good tennis (when they happen to be watching), though.
That is the French all over. They really dislike the competitive nature of sport, they just attach themselves to it when it suits their poncing-around agenda.
The only proper French sports fans are Olympique Marseille fans and those in club rugby.
Nadal has just dropped his first set at Roland Garros since 2015 against Schwartzman.
Nadal is having his limp wrist taped too, he's losing this.
Ł10 on Schwartzman @ 3.6.
Edit: Nadal only won 48% of his first serve points in the first set. The only other time he's failed to win more than 51% in a set on clay was in 2003. He's on the ropes.
That match is set up nicely for tomorrow. With the break and time to plan with his coach Nadal might storm it.
Muguruza v Sharapova is a nice tie. Such a shame, though, about the potential for eardrum-bursting grunts/screams in any women's match. I caught a few points of Halep today and it was just silly - she's such a fun player to watch otherwise as well. Pure cowardice from the WTA and slams not to crack down on it.
Hasn't that already happened, and it was completely one sided?
Oh shit yeah. I'd actually seen that Halep-Muguruza was one of the semis as well, haha.
Tough to call either of those semis. American tennis on the women's side is having a nice resurgence.
The grunts is why I really can't watch women's tennis, which is strange as you'd assume it would make me like it more.
The first rain break really fucked Schwartzman mentally. Nadal came out stronger but Diego was a dribbling mess who was unable to make any shot.
Up to that point it was all him and I think the slight rain at the time was actually helping him.
Murray's return tomorrow at Queens (BBC and Amazon Prime). He plays Kyrgios.
Really strong lineup. Murray, Djokovic, Raonic and Wawrinka all unseeded.
Wimbledon without Murray but don’t worry Serena is back and looking sensational.
I’ve had a bet on Dennis Shapovalov to win it cos he seems like a dude. :cool: Won his first game, up against Benoit Paige next. Is TTH’s new favourite Canadian likely to beat him? Paire was meant to play Murray wasn’t he?
i'd pick Shapovalov against Paire, but not confidently.
Shapovalov has more talent than anyone since Federer, but he’s maddeningly inconsistent (so is Paire). Dude hits a double fault nearly every service game.
Guido Pella has taken Cilic to a 5th set and I've just switched it on. Never seen Pella play but I don't think I've seen a worse forehand on tour. No idea how he's gotten this far
That forehand by him at match point was fucking laughable.
Fucking hell.
Konta :( Didn't see all the match but in the 2nd set Cibulkova was playing brilliantly.
Shapovalov is indeed super talented. Aesthetically a great player to watch.
Zverev is starting to breeze through Federer-esque one-minute games. I think he could become near impossible to beat when he's on his game.
I think it takes a different sort of talent to be as aggressive as Shapovalov is. Zverev has talent too obviously, but it’s talent in consistency more than anything. Sort of like Djokovic. Shapovalov could either become a #1 player or a perennial top #20 who scalps the top guys a few times a year and then loses the next round. I think it depends on how he’s coached the next few years, I don’t know how realistic it is to expect to be the best player with a game that’s as high risk as his.
He was awful against Paire just now. Missed the first set he breezed through, but the rest of the match he was just missing all the balls he needed to make. I almost feel as though he's regressed since last year.
Yep, he’s out. Kept glaring at his mum, ha.
Is he the one who hit the umpire in the head in the Davis Cup?
Yep. And he cried about it afterwards.
I know female seeds are known for the odd fuck up in grand slams but this is something:
1. Romania Simona Halep (Third round)
2. Denmark Caroline Wozniacki (Second round)
3. Spain Garbińe Muguruza (Second round)
4. United States Sloane Stephens (First round)
5. Ukraine Elina Svitolina (First round)
6. France Caroline Garcia (First round)
7. Czech Republic Karolína Plíšková (Fourth round)
8. Czech Republic Petra Kvitová (First round)
9. United States Venus Williams (Third round)
10. United States Madison Keys (Third round)
It’s because none of them are actually good (ever, or anymore)
Each time I watch women's tennis it seems like more of a total lottery than it was the last time. Service isn't that much of an advantage and any player, of any ranking is only ever one dodgy point away from a ten-game slide.
The fact that Venus, let alone Serena, is still competitive fully 20 years after her peak says it all.
The Women's game is a complete shambles, which is where the argument for equal pay should begin and end. Which is a shame, as when I started watching tennis it was probably better than the men's.
Federer 6-2 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 4-6 11-13 Anderson
Woof.
Federer even had match point at one point.
I was in for Djokovic and Nishikori and after seeing that and Djok-Edmund, I feel confident in saying Djokovic is officially BACK. Him to win it.
Women's tennis is getting stronger, not weaker. There is more depth. Seeds going out isn't always a bad thing.
There is no enjoyment in this game. Just two big twats winning their service games to love.
The other semifinal will be pretty fuckin lit, Anderson is one of the worst players to watch and when you couple him with Isner, you’ll only ever get what you’re describing
This is where tennis gets absolutely ridiculous. The final was already going to be a non-contest, but they may as well not even bother playing it now. And that's assuming this match is finished by 2pm on Sunday.
Funny that it’s bloody Isner at it again. :D
Isner is top 10 (possibly even 5) for his career in first serve percentage won. He's probably the dullest though.
This is such a farce. Why have they not adopted 5th set tie breaks yet? How late can match play go with the roof shut?
Apparently there’s a curfew at 11. There’s a good chance Nadal - Djokovic would go to 5 as well (except through good tennis), so something’s going to have to be rearranged now.
They’re guaranteed a days rest in between too right?
I would be stunned if this didn't break (or at least come close) to the record.
Hopefully it will see the rule get changed. Well it will have to be if this isn't finished tonight.
The record is still a long way off. 70-68 was the last one.
Yeah I know...
I can't imagine we'll get anything less than something in the 40s here.
Give Anderson the match just for that.
I really hope I've jinxed it.
Thank fuck for that.
Isner deserves only misery.