The Tennis Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

It’s always been clear to me that the NFL functions like something akin to a modern day plantation system, where team owners act as if they don’t only own the team but as if they own the very human beings that comprise the team. I lost interest in the NFL when I saw that athletes were being diagnosed with CTE and not only did the NFL appear indifferent, they set out to destroy the medical pathologist that was only trying to do his job in making the initial diagnosis. I admit, this has caused me to look at Jessica Pegula a certain way. I know she has trained and worked to get to her ranking but she is definitely a beneficiary of that NFL system and NFL money, which has no doubt, gone to pay coaches, physiotherapist and travel for training and tournaments. Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way trying to take anything away from her, but we know there are many talented players who don’t have the resources to get as accomplished and achieve anything on the level that she has had the opportunity to achieve.

 

I forgot all about Halep. With Twitter being a much diminished platform, it seems like the vibrant conversations that took place years ago when Sharapova was banned are not taking place now with Halep’s ban.

Edited September 12, 2023 by DramatistDreamer

[Soapsuds]

Ben Shelton men's semifinals against Djokovic averaged 2.26 million viewers, while Gauff's semifinals battle with Karolína Muchová  averaged 1.83 million viewers.

[DramatistDreamer]

Uhn, uhn unh.

https://www.tennis.com/baseline/articles/did-serena-williams-just-call-out-simona-halep-supreme-shade-doping-wimbledon

[DramatistDreamer]

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[Fevuh]

The viewership doesn't surprise me - people want to see Coco.  She's got marketability and is a look toward the future, if there is one.  Joker doesn't have that kind of marketability (I've always felt badly for him in that respect, because he's not Federer nor Nadal - and it just "is what it is")  - and Medvedev - has got to be the most drab, dishrag, boring player I've ever seen.  It's like watching an emotionless machine hit a ball.  

[Faulkner]

Coco is American, young, charismatic, historically significant, and has become a massive worldwide star in the making. Just look at how packed her crowds are at events. Novak (whom I remain a fan of due to his tenacity and work ethic—and the breadth of his fan base is underrated) was and always has been most marketable as a spoiler/villain to Federer and Nadal, although his brewing rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz seems to drive a lot of interest.

[Soapsuds]

Women's final  1.9 HH

Semifinal: Djokovic’s win over American Ben Shelton 0.9 HH

Semifinal 2: Medvedev’s upset of Alcaraz 1.3 HH

 

[DramatistDreamer]

Was Davis Cup always this close to the end of the U.S. Open? The only thing that has drawn my attention about Davis Cup is hearing about the argument going on between Stan Wawrinka and Gerard Piqué concerning whether (or not) Piqué has ruined Davis Cup.

[Fevuh]

And that rating was alllllllll Alllllllcaraz so we can see his phine azzzzzzzzzzz. Hahaha 

[Faulkner]

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[DramatistDreamer]

For anyone who doesn’t have the time to read all 126 pages of the tribunal’s conclusions regarding Halep’s ban, BBC summarized it here:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/66805953

 

This article discusses the disparity in results between a volunteer who took the supplement that Halep claimed to have taken and compared it to Halep’s actual results. There were massive disparities in the results.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/sep/14/tennis-simona-halep-tribunal-suspected-blood-doping-wimbledon

Hm, I may just read the full report myself.

Edited September 16, 2023 by DramatistDreamer

[Faulkner]

And certainly Patrick Mouratoglou is under a microscope now as well. I wonder how deep this investigation goes.

[DramatistDreamer]

He, as well as Darrin Cahill, who has vociferously defended Halep over the course of this entire process. Also, I don’t like how closed-mouthed some tennis media entities are being right now but it doesn’t surprise me, as I remember how they were with the Zverev’s DV allegations.

[Soapsuds]

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I guess his plastic girlfriend got him in. I don't know what's worse...his game or this...I say both

[Faulkner]

He looks like the forgotten Jonas brother. I don’t think he looks bad though.