My favourite Grand Slam is here!! I love it because of the night matches. Hopefully we'll see a lot of 5 setters that end around 12am.

21 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

Wait, what?

Pam is the only ESPN commentator in Australia. She's not even calling matches but doing courtside commentary and post match interviews. They have her doing those fluff look I'm with the Aussie crowd pieces. Everyone else is back in NY covering it from there. It's a mess. 

Edited January 19, 20232 yr by Soapsuds

36 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

RBA went five too. Is that who he's playing? 

Andy should've lost in the first round. Matteo had a very very very easy backhand for the win and he hits it way below the net. It was comical. Even Matteo had to laugh. 

And Koka... that clip of attempted smashes is ridiculous. No wonder Murray won the point and match.  I suspect Murray is barely going to bed.😂. I doubt he has anything left after two five set matches. I've never cared for Murray and even more so when he threw his atp competitors under the bus.  Btw who actually watched this match? It was on way too late and lasted over five hours.

ESPN once again is doing a horrific job of covering this major. None of the complaints from last year sunk in. Very to little matches on the air. All on ESPN plus? Why buy the rights to air it? And you send no one to cover it except Pam Shriver?😂. Lord what a mess!!

I must say I was thrilled that the robot lost.😂  I guess like the US Open he thought he was winning the Australian Open.😂  The Aussie fans giving him a big hand as he left the court. No acknowledgement from Fritz. He was pissed as he left.😂. Bad sport!!!😂😂😂😂

Was Pam there on behalf of ESPN? I heard she has been coaching a WTA player.

I agree about ESPN+ being ridiculous, which is why I refuse to subscribe to that service. I don’t think that either ESPN or Tennis Channel with their bogus TTC+ service deserve the rights to stream tennis, they are both flops and do a disservice to the intent to “grow the game”, if tennis even cares about their stated goals to make the sport more accessible anymore. 
 

The scheduling of some of these matches is ridiculous and I haven’t made the effort to watch even a fraction of them. Tennis Australia was never perfect, they had some scheduling gaffes in the past but this year has already shown to be questionable. Three roofs and they still have players having to play three days in a row??

I wasn’t going to watch that Murray/Kokkinakis match but I tuned in for part of the 3rd and final sets. In the third set, I honestly thought that if Thanasi didn’t close out the match in straight sets, he would never win it. I was right. I think he’s going to have night terrors about that match for some time to come.

7 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

Pam is the only ESPN commentator in Australia. She's not even calling matches but doing courtside commentary and post match interviews. They have her doing those fluff look I'm with the Aussie crowd pieces. Everyone else is back in NY covering it from there. It's a mess. 

The ESPN headquarters is in Bristol, CT and from all accounts, they are a drain on the state’s taxpayers.

Murray/Kokkinakis...I mean Conners/Haarhuis...

 

 

Just now, Soapsuds said:

Murray/Kokkinakis...I mean Conners/Haarhuis...

 

 

😂

I knew some of these former professional players would start playing pickle ball. Watch these pickle ball tournaments start pulling in higher ratings than tennis.🙃

Yes!!!!!

No talent Cam Norrie has lost!!🤣

Medvedev has really lost the plot since he lost last year’s AO final to Nadal from two sets up.

14 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

I knew some of these former professional players would start playing pickle ball. Watch these pickle ball tournaments start pulling in higher ratings than tennis.🙃

My gym (a very expensive one) - basically ditched all of their basketball courts - indoor - very nice - 3 of them.  for 6 or 9 pickleball courts instead, and they are always busy.  

I don't mean to be mean, but.....well, maybe I do. And I say this from experience.  I come from a gigantic gaggle of volleyball and tennis players as friends.  Played volleyball at the Open level for many years.  Well, as we've aged.......

All of them now play pickleball.  It's another cult activity like volleyball was.  I'm being totally honest.  They are ATE UP with it as we country folk would say.  And I mean ATE 8 UP with it.  

So - again not to be mean, but it's another sport for fat people to think they're workin' out.  So many of the people at the gym, you can tell - no athletic ability whatsoever in the case of my gym - so they're not going to be great players.  But they have the best time from what I see - and they come out talking about what a GREAT workout that was!

And they stood there swinging a paddle for about 30 minutes due to the court time booking.  There's not a ton of running because of the space, honestly.  And it's not like you're jumping to the moon like you would in volleyball.  I think it's a farce.

But switch gears back to my competitive friends, and they're ALL up in the $200 and $300 pickleball paddles.  I laugh at them and have made my feelings known.  Ok y'all.  It's not a better paddle.  It's not versitile.  It's not more "meneuverable".  It's not more more more more BETTER because of all the kevlar in it.  What are you going to do, hit someone with it?  That's why it's $300 and is BUILT TO LAST!??  Um, WHAT?

It's a paddle y'all.  And should cost about $20.  And to prove it, tell me the rules, what do I do?  Well, I played with all of my pickleball fanatic friends who are 8 UP with it, and completely kicked some of their asses. 2 of them have their Pickleball Pro card.  Whatever that means.  No, I'm not joking, they're certified.

All that to say - it'll be popular because everyone can think they're athletic.  And it's not that great, but that's just me.

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Damn Cilic has long legs.🤣

ESPN had mentioned he was injured. I wonder what tournament he got injured on??

He'll be out for most if not all the year. Look at Stan. He's had trouble returning after his knee surgeries.

Year end ranking for the year of 1990

 

@Soapsuds

 

 

Yikes at this Nishioka/Khachanov score:

Nishioka only won TWO points in the second set.

Edited January 22, 20232 yr by Faulkner

I can’t bring myself to get up or stay up for any of these weekend matches. This the most sleep I’ve ever gotten during an Australian Open tournament.