The Tennis Thread

[I Am A Swede]

If they're still ranked 1 & 2 then that won't be a problem.

I didn't think Alcaraz could do it at Wimbledon, on grass... but he played great.

I guess we're really seeing the end of the Federer/Nadal/Djokovic era. It's lasted a very long time.

[Soapsuds]

Why would they? They are #1 and #2. At the French I believe Novak had fallen to #3.

Novak has no points to defend this summer so he should stay #2.

I just love how it hurts for Novak.

[I Am A Swede]

With Djokovic not getting any younger, and Alacaraz still so young and with so much potential growth I wonder if Novak will manage to get that elusive 24th Major and tie with Margaret Court, or if he will end up, like Serena, on 23.

This loss today also mean that he again misses out on the chance to complete a real, calendar year Grand Slam.

[DramatistDreamer]

Because the match was interminable, I was only able to watch in parts but from what I saw, it seemed as though Carlos did to Novak what Novak usually does to other opponents. Carlos really played a composed match overall, again, from what I could see.

On a separate note, we’re there any interesting Wimbledon fashions, at all? I didn’t see any but I didn’t see most matches. The current era might be a lost era in terms of fashion, the way the late 1980s was. Speaking of a bygone era, that hopefully will prove temporary, surface diversity…it seems like surfaces are vastly more alike than they are different at present.

‘Congratulations to Carlos ‘Carlitos’ Alcaraz. Hopefully some of these other young ATP players (and a few maybe not so young) will take note and get serious about staking their claim to big titles.

[Toups]

Even if they're not #1 or #2, if one of them falls to #3 or #4 for example, the tournament organizers shouldn't put them in the same side of the draw.  The organizers need to setup the best possible finals match.   Now, I don't know the rules. Do the organizers need to follow the ATP rankings for seeding, or can they make judgment calls when it comes to seeding?

[Broderick]

They can "up-seed" a player if they want to.  But I doubt there's any danger.  There are about 1,500 points separating them from the #3 & #4 players.  

[Faulkner]

I think Novak is still in the position to win more major titles, barring a serious injury that makes him take a step back like Rafa, Roger, and Serena. (Serena also took time off to have a kid and went through a challenging pregnancy during probably her last prime playing years and still made some finals upon her return.) Novak’s still relatively healthy, even with the stress of going deep into tournaments on his aging body, and I’m not sure there are players other than Carlos and maybe Medvedev who are knocking on the door to stringing seven best-of-five matches together imminently. We shall see CA inspires his peers to step up or even motivates older folks like Zverev and Tsitsipas, who both seem to have regressed a lot. I hope Eubanks can build on what he’s accomplished recently.

Also, we will see if Carlos’s next few years are similar to Roger’s 2003-07, after Sampras retired and Agassi was winding down, when there was a dearth of all-time greats in the sport aside from Rafa on clay (CA’s play is very physical, so I wonder how much his body will hold up), but I think Novak might remain in the mix for at least another year, putting him in contention for 4-5+ more titles. No one knows what the future holds, of course…but that’s my thinking.

Edited July 16, 2023 by Faulkner

[Soapsuds]

I'm just glad Novak and his smug family lost. I just can't stand him and his family.

[wonderwoman1951]

i tuned in at the beginning of the 3rd set already knowing the outcome. plenty of suspense  watching how this single game turned out, though.

Edited July 17, 2023 by wonderwoman1951

[Soapsuds]

Wow!!

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2023/07/wimbledon-ratings-alcaraz-djokovic-viewership-espn-vondrousova-jabeur/

A much-anticipated men’s final that lived up to the hype, Carlos Alcaraz’ defeat of Novak Djokovic delivered one of the largest Wimbledon audiences in the past decade.

Sunday’s Carlos Alcaraz-Novak Djokovic Wimbledon men’s final averaged a 1.7 rating and 3.20 million viewers on ESPN, trailing only Djokovic-Roger Federer in 2019 (3.83M) as the most-watched Wimbledon singles final in more than a decade — since Federer-Andy Murray in 2012 (3.93M).

[Faulkner]

Zverev abuse allegations back in the news as prosecutors in Berlin have applied to issue “a criminal order” against him:

 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Faulkner

[DramatistDreamer]

Try as the tennis media may to avoid discussion of Zverev’s DV/assault allegations, this consistent recurrence of such charges will make it that much more difficult for them to keep avoiding them and the implications.

Edited July 19, 2023 by DramatistDreamer

[Soapsuds]

The irony the irony. I can't recall if it was Courier, Haber or Annacone that just recently said he was cleared of any charges. I just rolled my eyes when they said it. 

He has a pattern of abusing his girlfriends. 

[DramatistDreamer]

It’s really sad. This girlfriend has a child with him so she’s truly tied to him.

[Soapsuds]

Please register in order to view this content