The Tennis Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

Not that I usually pay attention to him, but what's going on with Milos Raonic this season?

[ChitHappens]

 

Who?

 

Mo money...mo money...mo money!

 

http://www.wtatennis.com/news/australian-open-announces-prize-money-boost-2019?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral

[Faulkner]

The serve clock is a big flop so far. Instead of making the game faster, it’s made some players realize how much time they have to serve and use the 25 seconds more tactically. It’s made the pace of play slower if anything. And the clock doesn’t restart for second serves.

Edited October 9, 2018 by Faulkner

[DramatistDreamer]

The Australian Open would've done better to focus on a decently humane heat policy.  I'm tired of seeing players staggering around on court.

[Soapsuds]

I've always thought he sucked...serve only....but could he be injured again? And why did Grigor withdraw from the Masters tourney?

 

And lawd the courts at this weeks Masters tourney are so fast.....saw Thiem's match and the speed is way too fast...no wonder Thiem never does well and Roger wins it a lot and always plays it.....seemed even faster than a grass court tourney......

[DramatistDreamer]

 

TBH, a faster surface at the end of the season is kinder than a slow grinding court.  Yeah, the flip side is that guys like Rafa and Thiem who do well on slower surfaces are usually at a distinct disadvantage but most of the year the hard courts tend to be slow, which is a disadvantage to anyone who prefers a faster hard court.  

 

Cilic lost to Nicolas Jarry of Argentina.  I didn't see the match so I can't figure out what happened.  Cilic can sometimes be perplexing.  He has a big serve but it can sometimes go off and become wildly inconsistent.  Also, he's subject to nerves and plain old unsteady play when you least expect it. He seemed to be like, a game away from taking the match when I checked the score--the next time I checked, he had lost, LOL.

[Soapsuds]

Now I know why Rafa skipped the tourney. When someone like Ebden who sucks usually on tour is smashing aces and serving and volleying on almost every point.....you know something is terribly wrong with the courts. Some of his volleys were so bad yet they would drop over and had zero bounce to it....awful.

 

I saw the Cilic and Jarry match. I was so happy Jarry won. I like his game. Once Cilic missed a serve Jarry had the advantage on the rallies as Cilic would miss shots or get overpowered by Jarry. 

Edited October 9, 2018 by Soapsuds

[Faulkner]

 

 

[DramatistDreamer]

Damn Kei!

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I could just imagine how rocking that crowd must have been when Wu won that first set!  Wu is one of those players that I usually only see at Chinese tournaments and he seems to love to play at home tournaments.

 

Yes, there tends to be a rivalry between China and Japan but I think it tends not to extend to tennis, a highly individualized sport.  I mean, Kei has Michael Chang who is a Chinese-American.

[Faulkner]

I know he’s done well in juniors, but Wu could be a real force on the ATP tour with some seasoning. He’s got star quality. It’s exciting for tennis.

 

Novak vs. Cecchinato French Open rematch incoming...

 

[DramatistDreamer]

Oops.

 

[DramatistDreamer]

The Saudi Arabia invite is causing a lot of controversy but when I heard about the floods affecting Mallorca, I immediately though of Nadal and knew he'd be helping somehow.

 

[I Am A Swede]

Something for the future perhaps: Leo Borg, the 15-year old son of Björn Borg, was given a wild-card to the pre-qualification tournament for the Stockholm Open this year. Although he lost, the mere fact that the name of Borg is back on the tennis circuit is titillating. Wimbledon 2025?  

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[DramatistDreamer]

 

Didn't he play his father as a boy in that movie?

[Soapsuds]

Thank gawd that Ebden, Anderson and Kei all loss. Anderson is bad for tennis ratings.

Edited October 12, 2018 by Soapsuds