Jump to content

The Tennis Thread


Toups

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Oh ABSOLUTELY!  

 

Sugarpimp will certainly help the WTA, and maybe, Vika will return midyear. That's a rivalry that will boost majors without Serena. 

 

Osaka?  I can't help but believe she will only move forward like a Radwanska.  No majors and flies under the radar when someone is sleeping. 

 

Puig should really crack the top 10 in 2017. She is really good and enjoyable to watch. 

 

Lots of up and comers but where's the next superstar?  Sasha Zverez is definitely IT for the ATP!

 

Taylor Townsend is such a huge disappointment. Way too much talent but refusing to move away from Garrison was a mistake. Taylor should have been the heir apparent. 

 

And still, America needs a phenom desperately!  The WS only come once in a lifetime but more time needs to be put into the US. Taylor is my pick!  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 12.7k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Soapsuds

    4184

  • Faulkner

    3003

  • DramatistDreamer

    2409

  • ChitHappens

    1615

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Members

 

Sorry to say this but I think the era of phenoms is over for the foreseeable future @ChitHappens The game has changed, the technology and surface tweaks favor those with more experience. Many people were sold on Bencic, thinking she'd be another Martina Hingis but I was always dubious and now I see why...injuries have done her in this year and some serious ones (back is always a serious one for someone so young).

 

Puig is a talent that can go on a run but a person who is on the shorter side she has to be relentless all the time like a Justine Henin, which has its risks (wearing down the body). Had Puig and Bencic come along in the era of Henin and Hingis, I would be more sold on them but who knows, really? When the tour empties of the Williamses, Sharapova and if Azarenka lacks motivation to be consistent, they both could squeeze in there.

 

As for Naomi, we know marketability doesn't always have to do with big wins or there would never have been a Kournikova phenomenon. We know there was a time that Sharapova wasn't winning jack, yet still earning more than Serena. If Naomi hits big in Asia, that's a good chunk of the world market that the WTA is anxious to tap.

I was just mentioning Osaka because she does have power (which needs to be directed properly) and she seems to have good global appeal to many. And like Puig and Bencic, if she gets a tour that has emptied of some of the current stars, who knows?  She's only 18. If Marion Bartoli can pull out a Major, I won't rule out Osaka, LOL.

To me, Elina Svotolina has a game more reminiscent of Radwanska, can do some things well, moves well but no real power in her game, can be hit off the court regularly.

 

Isn't Taylor Townsend being coached by Donald Young's folks? That's worrying, in and of itself. Donald Young once had the potential to be where Kei Nishikori is but he didn't want to move away from Mommy and Daddy, unlike Kei who moved more than 1/2 way around the world to Florida as a teenager. Can you imagine there was a time that Donald had a winning record against Kei? Those times have changed!

 

I haven't mentioned Madison or Sloane because Madison needs to show me that she can stop crying on court when things get complicated and games don't go her way and I have no idea where Sloane is in her health or motivation right now.

Edited by DramatistDreamer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Lol..I thought of Svitolina too. Osaka has a good powerful game but something about her just isn't working for me. But make no mistake, a black/Japanese too player would certainly bring eyes to the sport. 

 

Townsend...she is with Young's parents and I have no idea why!  My point was, she stayed under Garrison for too long.  While commentators were talking about her fitness, Garrison was focused on "love your curves". Great message but not for this sport. 

 

As for Keys and Sloane, like you, I left them out for the same reason. Is Sloane still in the top 100?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Tennis has become so boring with no personalities. The tennis media....yes you ESPN and Tennis Channel continue to pimp the big 4 even though 2 of the four game has declined and the other two are boring to watch. There is no rivalry in the men's or women's tour either.  My favorites are Thiem and Sasha but can they save tennis? I don't really care for Taylor Friz's game. I think he is overrated just like Jack Sock was so many years ago. He was so pimped during the US Open years back. I kept wondering who is this sock player? America needs a male major winner and I don't see that in the near future. Can we at least have a rootable male American who isn't full of himself?? I don't think there is one.

 

As for the women ....without Serena and Venus ....the women's side is rather dull. Madison Keys thinks winning majors is by blasting the ball on every point and when they don't go in she gets frustrated and loses the match by a wide margin. Most of time she loses to players she should overpower and not challenge her.

 

I flove Townsend's game but if she is stuck with DY's team as her coach .....she ain't going anywhere career wise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Sloane Stephens (#35) is down there with CoCo (#36) but I know she had an injury she was dealing with for a part of the year. She's been quiet.

 

By the way, did you all hear that the WTA has yet to work out a streaming deal for next year?  Their CEO Steve Simon (who is quickly becoming one of the worst ever!) says he doesn't know whether there will be any streaming in place before the 3rd Quarter next year!!

How is this allowed to happen?

This makes me feel as if the organization cannot get itself together. If the WTA makes itself even less visible to current fans, don't expect new fans to hop on the bandwagon.

Please register in order to view this content

The pirate websites that do livestream are going to be getting a lot of clicks next year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Since I'm not a big fan of Peter Bodo, I skimmed this article but the section on Novak's Spanish meditation guru was...uhm, interesting. Pepe Imaz, used to be a minor league tennis player. He was in Novak's box during the entire WTF Championships. I wonder whether Novak will keep him, Boris and Marian Vadja on at the same time??

 

The great unraveling of Novak Djokovic

 

Still wondering about what that "personal" problem Novak was having. Was it merely malaise or something in his relationship?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I would love it if Novak retired. I don't think he would be missed. I wish Andy would retire too.....LOL. Novak doesn't seem to be motivated on the court anymore. He looks unhappy though and to me its more than just tennis. Tennis is not giving him the fulfillment it once did and you can tell. I've never cared for his game but if he is going to play less than his best because he is not into it then I'd rather not see him on the court anymore.

Edited by Soapsuds
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Well I hope Novak pulls it together. We saw flashes of the old Novak in WTF semifinal (granted, Kei also played like [!@#$%^&*] most of the time). Perhaps the time off will be rejuvenating.

 

He is inarguably one of the greatest to ever pick up a racquet,   and if he retired tomorrow, his legacy would be set. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • Thank you. That does ring a bell. I remember Theresa and Julian's drunk, giggly fake wedding (with Julian asking "Whassup?" to the minister). Was Bruce tricking the pair as a prank, or did somebody put him up to it? I especially liked Katherine recalling how dashing young Alistair was when he'd pick up Rachel for dates, and how she wished she could be her sister, then feeling guilty once Rachel had her boating accident ...
    • And Kevin Mambo beat Shemar Moore for those two Emmys. I chalk up the wins to the voters not wanting Jonathan Jackson to eventually end up with a five peat (he won 1995, 1998, 1999). These were the 1996 and 1997 Younger Actor races. 1996: Nathan Fillion, Jonathan Jackson, Kevin Mambo (winner), Shemar Moore, Joshua Morrow 1997: Steve Burton, Jonathan Jackson, Kevin Mambo (winner), Shemar Moore, Joshua Morrow
    • https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/denise-alexander-obituary?pid=209074143
    • Today's episode was excellent. Clearly it was confrontation day and they didn't disappoint. I'm glad they didn't forget Mona in all of this and gave us an opportunity to see how she's dealing with this. A major highlight for me were the Kat and Martin scenes. Their chemistry is off the charts and I don't understand why we haven't gotten more of this. I love how they take turns calming each other down. They feel really well matched and believable as siblings. Speaking of siblings, they anvils were dropping strong that Kat and Eva are twins but I do wish someone would mention that they are essentially hood twins which might throw people off the scent.  I'm one of the people who enjoyed Joey and the gambling storyline so it was nice to see him again. It was nice to see different characters like Mona and Eva in that element instead of the usual players. When Doug arrived I don't know what hit me but I just see a funeral in his future. He seems so hopeless and has the worst luck. I just can't see him surviving the year at this rate.
    • In fiction there has become an expectation by some that every Black character should represent excellence and perfection. It's not like we are talking about a Tyler Perry show where none of the characters are happy and everyone hates each other with a passion.
    • And on rewatch, I could've done without the unsubtle praising Matt like he was the only one who ever accepted Van as she was...but TPTB and their agendas.  It was totally in character for Vanessa to shut down emotionally until she was alone. While she could be volatile, both she and Henry believed in keeping emotions private.  Thank God it's still Bryan Buffinton in the role for both Henry's and HB's funerals. It just wouldn't have been the same with Ryan Brown, who couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag. Roll My Eyes.
    • I can probably believe the Spauldings reacting that way, as Alan barely cares about anyone but himself and maybe his family, while Amanda only had that one experience with the Coopers, but I see your point. I do think 1997 was a better year than the last 3-4 before it, for whatever that's worth. You are right about Marcus. Kevin Mambo winning two Emmies (the latter during periods where he had nothing to do) helped.
    • I think @Darn @Faulkner and others have a fair point re: it being an unfortunate look and coincidence. I can see their point about the two Black husbands in rapid succession, without much time in between. Frankly, based on the early casting notices I thought before the show's debut (and I still suspect) that Ted's crimes might be far worse than infidelity or a secret baby. That would've mixed it up more. It's a soap, people are going to cheat, but it might've given them more variety if Nicole was stepping out first. Still, I wouldn't trade the Leslie/Eva reveal material for anything right now. Still, Fanfic Account #3 is just looking for any weapon to attack the show for not accepting his unsolicited scripts. When it's not the husbands it's Martin, or Chelsea or Dani. He's seething it got renewed.
    • I'm pretty sure Lucy and Bridget never even have another scene together for the rest of the time they're both on the show. Bridget isn't even invited to the wedding! The lack of community feeling and continuity of non-romantic relationships during this period is very jarring. Characters suddenly only seem to interact with a handful of other characters, rather than characters across the canvas. I'm deep into 1997 in my watch right now and find that it's even stranger because the show goes back and forth between ignoring history in order to manufacture some kind of separation between characters (for example, at one point Amanda refers to the Coopers as a family that the Spauldings "barely know," despite her and Alan spending the better part of 1996 going to war with Buzz over 5th street, and Alan has absolutely no reaction when he finds out about something bad that's happened to Abby, which seems pretty out of character given how close they were in 95/96) and ignoring history in order to create a sense of community that doesn't quite fit (characters who couldn't stand Amanda are suddenly acting all buddy buddy with her). The wheels really feel like they're coming off in 1997 (although I know some would argue that the wheels started to come off years earlier). Watching the Marcus/Dahlia romance again from a 2025 perspective is so weird. Marcus is a full grown man who must be at least in his mid-20s and he's dating a teenager who is not only still in high school, but is still fully a year away from graduation, and no one says anything about how creepy that is. I feel like the buzz around Marcus gave the illusion that the show was more invested in him than it ever actually was. Even during his "big" story where he's arrested for Cutter's murder, he actually doesn't appear on screen very often. He's imprisoned, Griffin is brought on, other characters make a fuss about trying to get him out, but there's a long stretch of time where he doesn't appear at all. I've been keeping episode counts while I watch and between Cutter's death in mid-November of 1995 and the end of the year Marcus/Mambo only appears 7 times (and of that only twice in December).
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy