The Tennis Thread

[Faulkner]

 

[Soapsuds]

What was up with Ymer? He was upset and then I heard something about defaulting.

[DramatistDreamer]

Sorry but not even remotely the same thing.

Serena is American, the USO is her "home" tournament. That would be like Novak not getting any regard in Serbia.

By the way, Venus got some of that same low-key hostile reception at the USO (it's pretty obvious why). In a match against Mauresmo, Martina Navratilova once remarked how strange it was to her that the spectators appeared to be cheering for the Frenchwoman over the American (Venus).

When the Williams went to other countries to play they often got high-key hostile receptions but it wasn't talked about. Both were booed in Paris. There was the one time Serena broke down during her match against Henin. Other than that, you didn't hear them whine about it, and the press and commentators certainly never pondered it the way they did with Novak.

Serena got support because all the Great White Hopes that the tennis media had hoped would supplant her (including Sharapova) never did.

People comparing Novak to Serena, someone who got actual death threats seems tiresome and disingenuous. So what if the NYC crowd doesn't like him. He's beloved in Serbia, nobody's pouring out racist vitriol about him in his home country, isn't that what counts? 

EDT: The Isner-Monfils match doesn't compare, any more than the Novak in NYC situation. Isn't has never been close to being #1. Both Williams Sisters had already been #1s and brought in massive television ratings, so much so that CBS made their first final a prime-time match but they were still getting hostility and poor court assignments pretty deep in their careers.

 

 

Edited September 1, 2021 by DramatistDreamer

[Faulkner]

It’s not that deep. All I am saying that Serena got crowd support during her CYGS hunt, and Novak might (perhaps mistakenly) think he could do the same. Not comparing their careers on any level beyond that superficial fact. Done with it lol.

Edited September 1, 2021 by Faulkner

[Soapsuds]

The robots celebrations get on my nerves. He acts like he did something spectacular. What an awful tennis player.

Novak needs to face he'll never get the love Roger and Rafa get. Hell even at Australia two years ago the aussies were pulling for Thiem to win the title. Papa joker was so furious they weren't for his son. I believe he said something like who is this Dominic Thiem? They should be for my son this great multi champion.

Edited September 1, 2021 by Soapsuds

[DramatistDreamer]

And so did Roberta Vinci, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands several rounds before her. I remember, lol. There was plenty of cheering for her opponents.

[Faulkner]

Sorry if I’m being prickly, as I just don’t want to argue about Serena. I’m not trying to diminish or make light of anything she endured in NYC in the past or suggest that things suddenly became easy for her. Certainly I may not be the most cogent in making my points at times, but I am not at odds with you. And certainly I’m not some privileged dude who can’t recognize when someone is being marginalized.

Novak is loathed for a lot of reasons, but we can agree that his skin color isn’t one of them.

This is… unusual.

 

[DramatistDreamer]

No worries, @Faulkner I'm passionate but I don't take these things personally... anymore, lol. When the WS' on court careers were at their heights, it was a different story, lol.

For me, it's the media's infantilism of Novak, as if he is someone who lacks agency. I realize that they are grasping for any type of narrative that feels familiar, since, with so many of the players they usually talk about ad nauseam aren't here, they can't access the usual storylines (as tired as those ones were), and they are fearful of exploring the Zverev, Basilashvili and DV aspects, so they jump on the same trope. It's probably making me a bit cantankerous because it's just tired. It's not going to impact Djokovic's on court goals in any way, it never has. 

[Faulkner]

Sloane took Coco to school tonight.

The Schwartzman/Anderson match is currently delayed for this, in spite of a roof:

 

[Soapsuds]

Glad Sloane won. I can't stand Coco.

The whole situation on Armstrong is ridiculous. A roof yet its pouring inside?

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Edited September 2, 2021 by Soapsuds

[Faulkner]

I love seeing Sloane in full flight dismantling Angie Kerber, whom she might play next.

[Soapsuds]

The Cheat Tsisitpas up next!

[Faulkner]

Diego just fell on his ass due to the wet court on Armstrong.

[Faulkner]

Now it’s raining inside the upper decks of Arthur Ashe.

I’m in NYC now. Can’t remember rain this hard, and we had a tornado warning.

[Vee]

Please stay safe and get off the streets. My heart's breaking for my old town rn