The Tennis Thread

[ChitHappens]

 

I think its incredible!

[Faulkner]

Rafa has pulled out of London due to the previously mentioned abdominal injury, plus an ankle issue requiring a surgery taking place *today*, which means Isner is in.

 

I don’t think anyone expected him to play.

 

 

Novak clinches YE No. 1.

Edited November 5, 2018 by Faulkner

[DramatistDreamer]

Ben loves to post tweets like that, probably so that he can watch the infighting between fanbases taking place in his Mentions and subtweets.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Since it's the debut for both Anderson and Isner, maybe they'll both crash out early.  Yes, it sounds mean but their tennis is just not interesting to watch.

[Faulkner]

I think Anderson has become slightly more dynamic in the past year or so IMO, but I agree that I don’t like to watch “ace, move to the left, ace, move to the right” and poor return games. It’s not fun. They can both be so dangerous, of course.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

For me, it's not even about that specifically.  Isner's game is utterly predictable.  If a player can successfully manage the trajectory of the ball coming down from his ball-strike (especially on serve), they can manage his game.  The variety is almost completely non-existent.  It's usually a question of whether his opponent can manage the high bounces coming off his ball-striking. His movement is not as lumbering as it used to be but a crisp shot-maker and a very clean hitter of the ball who can find a target with accuracy and hit the ball right past or behind him pretty consistently. He causes discomfort to some players, mainly because of the trajectory of the ball coming off his serves but a good portion of the Tour is fine with playing him.

 

To a certain extent, you're right about Anderson.  He has shown more variety in his game by adding a bigger arsenal of shots to his game (which is what any player would want to keep opponents off-kilter) but for me, in terms of the sheer entertainment factor, I find Anderson to be lacking. 

It still depends on his opponent, whether I stay attentive or completely zone out in his matches.  He alone, under his own power, cannot keep me interested in watching his matches.

[Faulkner]

I think Isner’s success at the finals depends on the condition of the other players in his group too. He really benefited a lot from a draw full of injured players (Delpo, Chung) in Miami, and this late in the year you’re dealing with a lot of worn-out players (Zverev has that shoulder issue, Fed and Novak look a bit beaten up, Kei looks good but you never know with him), and the serve can get Isner out of trouble if it’s firing. I don’t know if he has another Miami performance in him, but I guess we will see.

[Faulkner]

Interesting...

 

 

Novak has the trickier draw...hmmm. Anderson is the only potential trouble for Rog. Kei just doesn’t know how to play Roger anymore, and Dom on a fast indoor court...

 

Boris picked the draw. Ha!

 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by Faulkner

[Faulkner]

 

 

[Soapsuds]

WTF does this mean? Especially the Federer and Thiem nonsense......

I am glad Novak the devil got the harder draw....seeing Kei and awful Isner there by default is tragic...the sad part is that Isner can gain more points by winning matches...its 200 points every match you win....

 

Everyone is dreading an Anderson vs Isner final.....lawd......I hope there are tiebreakers and lots of caffeine for the insomnia of the match 

[Faulkner]

I’m guessing Zemek means that Roger hasn’t played Dominic much (last time was over two years ago), and his most recent matches were losses. So he gets another shot to “figure him out.”

[Soapsuds]

Ugh and of course with John we know Gimbelstob isn't far behind...you know he is going to make the trip and illegal coach again.

[Soapsuds]

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[Faulkner]

As many expected, Azarenka has reunited with Wim Fissette following his split with Kerber.

 

 

[Faulkner]