The Tennis Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

A sports journalist hinted on her social media accounted that it would be someone who would be the least suspected of this.  And he is a former US Open champion.

 

I think though these are stats of matches that have yielded suspicious betting patterns.  Players don't necessarily have to be directly involved but "match fixers" are sometimes privy to inside information, say about a players health status.  I saw some clip on the BBC website where some professional gambler was interviewed and he mentioned that it was often his practice to try to befriend a player or someone in their entourage and engage them in casual conversations over say, lunch or something, to try to use it to his advantage so that he can calculate certain match outcomes and bet.  He eventually got banned and is trying to fight the charges but in his case, it didn't seem as though the player was complicit.

 

I'm not much of a Hewitt fan (there was a time that I couldn't stand him) but even I have trouble believing he'd purposely tank or something to manipulate a match outcome.  I'm wondering whether his matches carry such suspicious betting patterns because his results dropping off over time despite his reputation as someone who fights to the last.  His speed and endurance are not what they used to be especially after surgeries.  Still, what a surprise!

[Soapsuds]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/federer-thought-tomic-ranked-60th-083700270.html

Loving the digs between Roger and Tomic….LOL...

[I Am A Swede]

Johanna Konta becomes the first British woman to reach the semi-final of a GS-tournament since Jo Durie at the US Open 1983!

[DramatistDreamer]

 

 

Ironically, I hear the BBC elected to cut coverage of the Australian Open this year.  

Edited January 27, 2016 by DramatistDreamer

[Soapsuds]

And Three Brits in the semis….I find that hilarious….LOL

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Isn't it though?!  Oops.

[Soapsuds]

Roger Federer got manhandled by Joker early this morning…so glad Roger lost. I am not a Joker fan but after Fed let go of Edberg for that bozo of coach he deserved to lose…LOL

BTw…Serena played F A B U L O U S……she will tie Steffi on Saturday!

[DramatistDreamer]

I also believe Serena will tie Steffi on Saturday.  Apparently though, the media is trying to create the storyline that Angelique Kerber is going to try to block it in order to preserve Steffi's record because Steffi is her idol.  I guess it's not enough to simply say that Kerber wants to win because it would be her first Major.  You can tell when the tournament is winding down because the media is desperate to create more storyline drama.  I guess the match fixing intrigue isn't interesting enough for them.

 

Honestly, I'd rather see Roger play Stefan than watch Milos play Andy.  No way in hell, am I even going to bother trying to watch that match.  Andy seems like a nice guy, Milos seems reasonable but I often don't enjoy watching Andy play and I find Milos incredibly boring to watch, so this semi-final is a wash to me. Besides, I'm getting too old to wake up at 3:30 in the morning.

 

So @Soapsuds, I guess you're not buying the story that Roger and Stefan's split was mutually agreed upon? Presumably, the word was that Stefan only agreed to like a year and stayed on longer than he had originally agreed to but the choice of Ljubicic is somewhat curious.  Especially since Ivan was once really close with Djokovic, hiring Ljubicic seemed like a move designed to get into Novak's head, in more ways than one.  If that's the case, so far, it doesn't seem to be working.

[I Am A Swede]

Angelique Kerber beats Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to become the first German since Steffi Graf to win a GS-title! 

[DramatistDreamer]

This is the most gracious I've ever seen Serena in defeat.  She wasn't even smiling all that much when her sister Venus beat her!

 

Angelique really stuck to her game plan and never let up.  The net was not Serena's friend today and I don't know why she kept going there.

 

Angie has vowed that if she won, she'd jump into the Yarra River.  Time to make good on that promise, gurrl.  The Yarra, at one time was one of the most polluted bodies of water in the Asian Pacific.  I don't know if it still is but enjoy!

Edited January 30, 2016 by DramatistDreamer

[Soapsuds]

Shocked Serena did not win. She played just like her semis match in NY. She looked very tight and nervous...

[DramatistDreamer]

Did anybody watch the Men's Final?  Anybody?

 

I woke up in time to see that Djokovic was up 2 sets to 0 and seriously wondered whether it was worth it to watch.  Murray had broken back and I decided to try to watch what turned out to be the Final Set, nodding off along the way.  As soon as the last ball had been struck (an Ace by Djokovic), I was already closing out browsers and getting ready to shutdown my computer.  I didn't watch the Trophy presentation, I just went back to sleep.

 

The Women's Final, which I got a chance to watch the last 2 sets was much much more entertaining.  I'm not casting aspersions on either guy, it was what it was and that is not very entertaining and for me, not worth getting up at 5:30 in the morning for.

[Soapsuds]

I watched the first 2 sets and knew Joker was going to win so I turned it off. Murray didnt wake up until he was down 5=0 in the first set. He looked very sluggish. He finally started shouting at his box as usual and started playing a little better. I have never cared for their match ups. They are always boring…even Richard Gasquet said their matches were boring to watch.

Edited January 31, 2016 by Soapsuds

[DramatistDreamer]

For some reason, Murray vs. Djokovic has become a bad match for Murray.  And yes, it has been boring to watch the last several times I've watched them, especially in the Slams.  Funny to think that Simon came the closest to being a real challenge to Nolé during the entire tournament.

 

Seeing the women, not just in Oz but in other tournaments, upset the status quo and go for the upsets, I wonder when the guys are going to do likewise.  The men appear to be too respectful of the hierarchy and status right now.

[Soapsuds]

Simon was trying to out hit Joker during most of the match and realized the way to beat him is to play rope a dope tennis…..thats why Murray beats him in mostly 2 out 3 set matches. Murray gives him junk no pace shots. In a 5 set match it usually doesn't work on Joker though.

Edited February 1, 2016 by Soapsuds