Faulkner

Ha. I saw that in the post-match interview. Novak must have been thinking, “WTF?” She’s just endlessly amusing. She has this combination of goofy “no filter” awkwardness and maturity. (Her answers about how she handled Serena and the occasion were really sharp.) And she’s absolutely steely on a tennis court. I adore her. Interesting. I wonder when the last time this happened in the ATP was (If ever):

A nice story amidst all the hullabaloo. And this is sweet from Naomi:

An interesting set of champs. Will be interested to see if Naomi does a better job than recent champs of following up her GS success.

I was wondering if you were watching this year, especially with the courts so slow. It’s been a sh!tshow with the unsafe heat conditions making play sloppy and umpires inserting themselves into matches in questionable ways (Cornet, Kyrgios, Serena). But I thought Nadal/Thiem and Cilic/De Minaur were all-time classic matches. Great shotmaking and fight, especially from the youngsters. The women unfortunately disappointed, aside from Osaka/Sabalenka and today in spite of the madness.

She would have never been losing to Sharapova, but I take your point. And Naomi just isn’t hateable in the same way Maria is. But just going back to the match. Naomi absolutely took the racquet out of Serena’s hands. She was better, full stop. She’s an amazing player and a deserving Grand Slam champion. I wonder if there will be a rift between Serena and Patrick. In the press conference, Serena seemed pissed that he admitted coaching. But it was a misunderstanding. It wasn’t about Serena “cheating”; it was about Patrick’s behavior. The rules aren’t clear to the players. Note that Jared Donaldson wasn’t penalized for physically getting in an umpire’s face. Saw this:

I know your blood is boiling. The Serena haters are definitely out in force in a way I haven’t seen since before the calendar year grand slam hunt. It’s going to get VERY ugly on social media.

This is just ugly and awful. Very upsetting.

Yep. There’s no way this doesn’t lead to changes in how umpires operate. Osaka has impressed me with her class and composure both during and after the match. And Serena was good to show she wasn’t angry at *Naomi* when they hugged. Good on Serena for telling the crowd to stop booing. Naomi doesn’t deserve that.

Yikes. Such drama for Serena at the USO again. If Osaka has to win this way, this is unfortunate. Patrick admits to coaching, but says everyone else does it.

Looks like Nadal is going to pack it in for most of the rest of the year. Maybe just Paris and the WTF.

There’s so much to talk about with Nina and a lot that I haven’t explored fully after the late ‘60s/early ‘70s. She deserves her own thread.

Nina’s version is great! More upbeat and a little eccentric. I loved Leonard Cohen and his voice, but it’s nice to hear his songs done by people who can really sing.

His IG:

An Arethafied version of Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne.” Never heard this before.

Heart of a Ho? Title of your memoir, @vetsoapfan?

!!!!, @YRBB.

She’s gone now. Bring on Naomi vs. Serena!

Naomi faced 13 break points. Saved all 13 on her way to a 6-2, 6-4 victory. This was insane. Madison and Naomi were just blasting balls at each other.

Good tactical shift. This Keys/Osaka match is just so error-riddled. Especially from Madison.

OMG. What Andy Murray gets up to in his down time.