The Gays and Tennis —pt 24

Just so we have a bit of context, here are the last three posts in part 23...

R597:

hahaha deplorable Isner loses again! he's now 2-6 for the year. He had 4-3 0-40 lead on Monfils in the third set, couldn't get the break. Then had match point at 5-4 30-40 couldn't get the break. He gets broken at 15-40 in the next game and Monfils serves it out

Anisimova upsets Kvitova pretty comfortably

—Anonymous

Compelling

R598:

Pouille loses to Bhambri

Nishikori collapse is complete. Again withdrew from the tournament in 12th hour

R599:

As was only to be expected, Ben (of Ben and Courtney fame) is being mercilessly dragged on Twitter for having incorrectly characterised Serena’s response to a question about her TUEs as “heated.” The remarkable thing about this particular dragging is that it’s coming relentlessly from the Serena Army, the SJWs, and, wait for it, the Trumpsters. The latter are in no way interested in sticking up for Serena, obviously, but in tearing into a NYT journo for having mischaracterised someone without having actually been present during the original exchange. A field day for those interested in scoring one against The Liberal Media.

I suspect nothing short of a word in his defence from Serena is going to save his arse in terms of The Army and the SJWs. His goose is looking almost cooked.

Tarito up 5-1 in the third agaisnt Nole

Will he choke?

Radek Stepanek is one of the ugliest peopke alive, but he does have big dick face.

He hasn't

On 30-30 Djokovic could have done more. Daniel needed the second serve (and in the 2 previous second serve Nole hit winning returns) and didn't exactly close the forehand.

Daniel def Djokovic 76 46 61

Who is this Amanda Ashimori?

Next Melanie Oudin

Djokovic looked really out of sorts

Surprisingly, Sloane picks up her first win over Azarenka 6-1 7-5. I saw parts of the match. Sloane didn't play great but Azarenka was pressing too much and seemed off balance a lot on these gritty courts (she's won IW before though). I expected Sloane to choke the match away in the second set when things got tight but she didn't.

Herbert has taken out both Gilles (Simon and today Muller) to reach the rd32.

Ferrer straight sets Sandgren

IW mens draw is wide open now. Anyone can reach final now and get pounded by Roger

Federer's legs are under-rated. Calves are so muscular. Love them.

Delbonis has a weird service toss.

Thomas Fabbiano is on now against Jack Sock. Delicious.

Sock is not delicious lol. he's fug

I meant Fabbiano is delicious.

Roger's legs have always been underrated.

[quote] Roger's legs have always been underrated.

Did someone say legs? Mmmmm, KFC.

Maybe Delpo will get to the final? But probably Cilic. I wonder how early A Zverev will lose?

Coco and Kiki both went down in rather pathetic efforts.

Little Diego got spanked by fat, hairy, old Marcos Baghdatis.

Wow, that girl who almost beat Halep had the most enormous set of knockers.

Sascha sucks so bad right (losing sets to Sousa) and he's such a whiny little brat to boot. How could anyone be a fan?

[quote] had the most enormous set of knockers.

I normally don’t notice those things, but these were unreal. Silicone with a deep valley beneath. But I wouldn’t take a byte of those things. I want the pecs!

I went to Indian Wells on Friday. Awesome day. I saw De Minaur come back against Struff, Giles Simon get dispatched by Hebert, and Bagdhatis move on.

I was really impressed with De Minaur. Struff was hitting super heavy, and man-handling Alex in the first set. I thought it was going to be a short match. De Minaur really fought and won by being crafty and speeding around the court. 135 mph serves are just mind blowing in person.

Also, I think TV coverage should have an optional side view of the rallies. It really shows the variety of shots players use.

Azarenka hasn't played in forever. Sloane will probably lose her next match. Where is Maria?

Serena Stans are the most obnoxious in the history of tennis.

R24 Halep used to have big boobs too until she got a reduction

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

I didn't watch it. Tell me if I am correct....Zverev was leading 5-2 in the first and 4-1 in the third?

Yep Zverev led 5-2 first set, lost 5 straight games.

Led 4-1 final set, lost the last 5 games.

Sousa is such a cutie.

In final set Sasha was leading 4/1 and had a break point for 5/1. Commentators were telling that the point would be virtual match point . But Sousa somehow manged to hold his serve and then Sasha completely collapsed.

A bit off topic but throughout match[after every couple of minutes] Sasha was lifting his shirt and exposing his cute stomach .

I so want to lick his abs

Was Melo there?

[quote]Where is Maria?

she lost to Naomi Osaka in the 1st round

It's common for players to go through a "sophomore slump" after their breakout year. Zverev appears to be experiencing that right now.

Marcelo back supporting Sascha right after losing his own match...cute moment

Kubot/Melo managed to lose to Bautista/Ferrer. I suppose B/F are playing doubles to prepare Davis Cup

Melo was injured so maybe not yet at 100%

Borna Ćorić is a dripping hawt mess on Court 2 right now. And so built this year!

Poor Maria. Guess she really did need to dope up to compete.

Federer destroyed the very hyped Krajinovic

somehow Chardy is into the 4th round. I personally don't think he's that great of a player. He has a nice forehand, ok serve but his backhand and movement suck

Twink daddy Fritz wins a marathon over beefy Verdasco. Nando really flopped in the third set tiebreak

Coric has been in great form so far-winning all 3 of his matches really easily. I'm surprised he lost just 4 games against NOT GAY Bautista Agut

Wozniacki scrapped her way through against Sasnovich

Kasatkina upset Stephens and Suarez Navarro upset Svitolina

Kerber defeated defending champ Vesnina

Garcia def. Gavrilova

Serena always gets so moody when playing Venus lol it's like she reverts to baby sister each time she makes a mistake

Granny!

Domi retired . Lucas pulled out of Miami. Maybe Theim will do the same

Lucas pulled out?

Thiem is a non-factor off of clay. He really sucks

Berdych and Chung battle of nice legs

Berdy is useless. Can't even put away players like Chung

Berdych's ass is spectacular, though.

Virtue/Moir will be on the Ellen Show on March 20th

WTF. Can't they say in Canada?

sorry wrong thread

Go Chung!

Loving Coric's form at IW.

Sock's 'Abe Lincoln' beard. No, just no.

[quote]Sock's 'Abe Lincoln' beard. No, just no.

Actually, on second thought, it might be all he can do

Del Potro is in good form. He's got as good a chance as ever to finally win a Masters

[quote] He's got as good a chance as ever to finally win a Masters

He golfs too? Impressive.

Lopez has become hotter. Sock has become fatter

Sock is pretty good at net . Better than some top ten players who are very vulnerable at net

ESL< do you think because Sock is fatter that has made his play at the net worse?

I am watching the match on and off . But I am not seeing him doing bad at net [as far as I have seen ] May be I have missed some points

KasatKina defeated Woz in straight sets

hahaha OF COURSE Courier is doing commentary for Lopez/Sock match and had to comment on Lopez changing his shirt (the cameraman focused on a middle aged woman's reaction).

He also commented on how sweaty Sock gets, how he often changes clothes once a match and commented, in much detail, regarding the relative "sweatines" and sweat stains of players over the years.

Simona Help is not going ti win a grandslam unless she is going to fire that useless Darren Cahill as her coach . He used to be great coach but not anymore

He's a great tennis commentator though!

Someone should tell Jim that fat people sweat more than thin people . That is why Sock sweats a lot

ESL, what do you have against fat men?

From Sascha's instagram story...are they sharing a room????

I am hoping they are sharing bed too

fraus heads are exploding .

I couldn't find that pic on Sascha's IG a/c, r72. Either it's a dud, or he's scrubbed it from his account...

it's an IG story R75, you have to click on his 'profile picture' to see it

It's a story, not a post, R75, and I took the screen capture myself. It's still there...from 7 hours ago.

so glad Lopez took out Sock and I'm not even a Lopez fan. Hopefully he can do the same to Querrey

Porna has ditched his pink dress

Coric looks really fit. Physically, he's the Nadal of his age group. Most of the other 21 and unders still have very boyish bodies. Tiafoe and Mmoh are the only ones who come close.

What does Mmoh call his mother?

This game between Chung and Cuevas (61 50) is lasting more than the whole match

well, not anymore as Chung has lost 2 serves in a row and he has only a break lead. Cuevas is playing better now (not that he could play worse than what he has done in the first 50 minutes). Chung looks confused.

So R82 and E83, Cuevas isn’t caving?

Cuevas is back at making mistakes. 0-40 on his serve. First 2 break points cancelled but now Chung finally closed the match 61 63

third set between Porna and DaddyFritz

Booo! FUG Deplorable Query won

do we know if Fritz is a deplorable or not? I mean he is from California but that didn't stop Querrey...

Little off topic but after his divorce did Lopez meet any new girl?

Coric was not only showing a nice ass but also a nice bulge too. I’d like to see Daddy Fritz and him in bed. I wonder who would top?

Osaka just destroyed Pliskova. Quite an impressive tournament for her as she straight setted Sharapova, Radwanska and Pliskova. Curious to see what she can do against Halep. Osaka will definitely win at least 1 title this year if her form keeps up

[72] LOL Why keep us guessing? But seriously, I'm a Sascha fan and I've been following his relationship w/Melo. I think it's apparent that they are involved (the photos;the videos;tagging each other on Instagram;Melo's attendance at most of Sascha's matches,and neither one seems to have a girlfriend); but why not come out? Especially when you're being this obvious about it.

Sascha is still very young. He has his family,but is anyone really advising him? Probably the two best options are: to come out now,or wait a few years,and in the interim, for him to keep his personal life private. And what about Melo? He's so much older; I'm surprised he's not being more protective and discreet. But who knows? Maybe I'm wrong;perhaps it's only an intense friendship(haha).

I pretty much agree with all you said, R92. There were rumors Sascha had a gf but honestly nothing to back them up really and there is clearly much more "evidence" he is with Melo.

This picture surprised me though...but I mean he could simply have stayed in his room after a long night of PlayStation or something...but why would Sascha have a double room in the first place? Unless this is not a hotel...

But yes, it is a big age gap...which makes how close they seem interesting whether it is "just" an intense friendship, as you said, or "more". Melo also spends a lot of time in Monaco, so I'd assume he stays with Sascha, who so kindly volunteered the info that he has just a one bedroom apartment...

Anyway, I am intrigued and curious to see if we will ever know for sure if they are involved. I mentioned before that what seems interesting as well is how Sascha's family and team have simply accepted Marcelo into the group...

[R93] Yes, Sascha's family and team seem quite comfortable with Marcelo's presence (he attends a lot of the practice sessions too). He spends a lot of time with them (vacations,travelling from one tourney to the next,etc). They must like him.

We'd probably never know about Marcelo's trips to Monaco if it hadn't been for his and Sascha's activity on social media. One of the reasons why the wealthy prefer Monaco (besides it being a tax haven) is for the privacy it affords its residents. And most likely,Melo does stay with Sascha while he's there.

I think we will find out if they are involved. I hope it's from Sascha. I'd like to see him stay in control of his life and career; I wouldn't want the public to be two or three steps ahead of him. That could be a real distraction for him; he's still so young. I think some people forget that he's still only 20,because he has such a sophisticated facade(well,most of the time).

Fantastic from Osaka. I hope she can beat Halep as well (though I like Simona too)

Yes, R94, exactly. He's with them pretty much all the time, and quite true about Monaco!

I hope you are right that -if they are in fact together- Sascha (and Melo) would be in control of communicating that fact. And yes, I agree that many forget that he is only 20.

Osaka is playing with great confidence. I’m impressed with how aggressively she’s attacking the ball. Good for her and Sasha Bajin. After years of working with Serena, he’s finally teamed up with a new player that has her same type of play.

r96/r94 etc. etc., I was just wondering if everything you say is in fact true (i.e., that Melo and Sascha are an item), then perhaps Zverev's split with Ferrero might be yet another twist to the whole thing? His official quote was

[quote]That argument there involved my whole team and there was a moment where he was very disrespectful towards everybody in my team and that’s why I had to stop the relationship.

Would certainly be very interesting if it were true, but I wouldn't count on anyone coming out any time soon (or ever). This is modern ATP tennis, after all.

R98, I think in the previous thread someone said there were rumors Ferrero may have made some unpleasant remark re Melo floating around Twitter, but I never saw any myself and as a Ferrero fan it would surprise me...but who knows. I said in the previous thread that I could see Ferrero as considering him a distraction for Sascha but not actually being rude about whatever relationship they may have.

I also still think that Marcelo not just attending Mischa's wedding but having a front row seat is intriguing. I think no single thing about them can lead to the conclusion that they are a couple but it's all together that makes it at least worth considering...Marcelo specifically thanking (in addition to friends and family) Sascha for being there when he became number 1, the teasing from the other players, attending almost every match, (flirty) training sessions, trips to train in Monaco, Florida, team and family dinners etc... There is a lot, but in the end it still could be an intense friendship as discussed. But the room for speculation is there for sure.

Do you remember the Sharapova/Camilla Belle thing (years ago, almost a decade now I think)? I get sort of a similar vibe with Sascha and Melo, a really sudden and intense (claimed) friendship that draws a lot of speculation.

I do vaguely remember something like that, R100, but know too little to be able to determine if the situation was similar to Sascha/Marcelo now.

On another note: Some Brazilian and German media are curious about the friendship...but I don't think anyone is going to openly speculate at this point. But surely the suddenness and intensity must make journalists curious as well.

Before reading this thread, Tenimyu was the only thing I knew about gays & tennis in the same breath.

[R 98] [99] I wondered about the split from Ferrero,too. It was a little strange how the story unfolded. It was initially reported in the Spanish newspaper Marca, with unsubstantiated quotes from Juan Carlos. Afterward, there was silence from both camps; the split wasn't confirmed until Sascha's arrival in Acapulco where he replied to Ferrero'd unofficial comments. Juan Carlos was measured in his reply to Sascha's remarks (his main complaint was that Sascha was late to practice a lot).

I can't help but wonder if Marcelo was part of the equation. As a coach, maybe Ferrero felt that there was too much of a commingling between Sascha's personal and private lives. Sascha and Marcelo play many of the same tournaments,so Melo is almost always around. As I said in an earlier post, he's usually at Sascha's practice sessions.

I got the impression that the Zverevs were caught off-guard by the media reports of Ferrero's departure. Players and coaches split up all the time in tennis. It's usually no big deal,but it's usually the player who announces the split. My theory is that after the 'heated argument ' Ferrero returned home to Spain,and the Zverevs left their relationship with him up in the air. It wasn't until the media reports surfaced that they realized Ferrero was finished with them( I know this is at odds with what Sascha has said. He stated he was the one to end the partnership). This is the only way I can explain to myself the Zverev camp's lack of professionalism in dealing with Juan Carlos' departure. Just speculation on my end.

It's possible, R103. Difficult to know for sure.

Speaking of practice sessions, Marcelo heard us and just posted a story with Sascha practicing in the background, haha!

clearly they have an open relationship. Novak seems like a top

[R104] HaHa Too funny

Correction: In my previous post[103], I typed maybe Ferrero felt there was too much of a commingling between Sascha's personal and private lives. I meant to say between his professional and personal lives.

Oh, I didn't even notice that you didn't write that, R 107!

This is from the Maldives wedding trip...so probably Sascha taking the picture?

(I have so much drama at work, this speculation is an excellent distraction)

Oh wow, haha!

[109] hahaha OMG, I think they're reading this thread! Happy to know that they have a sense of humor.

as far as the ladies are concerned, Osaka and Kasatkina are showing the best form at this tournament.

Federer, Del Potro, Chung and Coric are looking the best in the men's draw

Yay Borna!!!!!!! first ever Masters SF and first win over Anderson!

It would be so cool if they were to come out. We wanted Thiem. We wanted Agut. We'll certainly take Melo/Sacha.

If they are reading this thread and teasing us, I like their humor and the tease.

HD is not Chrissie's friend.

Venus or CSN?

(R114) Or Martina’s friend or Fritz’s mother either :(. Fritz’s mom clearly has had some bad work done. Saw Martina in TC earlier in the week and it looked like she’d really aged recently. I guess no surprise with how much they’ve been in the sun. I wonder if former tennis players suffer from skin cancer.

"Radek Stepanek is one of the ugliest peopke alive, but he does have big dick face."

He does. He was notorious for dating/fucking female players including two high-profile players. Some say he ruined Nicole Vaidisova's career.

wow didn't expect Venus to crush Suarez Navarro on these slow ass courts. 6-2 6-2 she saved energy for Kasatkina.

Carla is really growing her hair out btw

R118 his name is Carlo. Get it right.

Actually it was three high profile players - Stepanek was engaged to Martina Hingis, married to Vaidisova (a former No. 7 who was once thought to possibly be a future champion), and Petra Kvitova (2 time Wimbledon champ and current tour player).

You tell him, R119.

First set was competitive but in 2nd set Roger totally destroyed Chung

The Swiss’ best start to a season since 2006 (also 16-0)

So when is someone going to write some erotic Melo/Sashca fanfic?

Haha, yes, R124. There is certainly enough inspiration material there!

Marcelo responded to someone on Twitter that Sascha didn't know that what he was wearing was some kind of monitor (heart etc... probably, like football players) but I can't imagine Sascha not knowing what it was, I think it was just an opportunity to post a "shirtless" photo of Marcelo and tease him! Now Marcelo needs to return the favor.

IF all this is true regarding Sacha and Marcelo (I hope), then let's hope they don't go the JMG of hiding in plain sight. IF Sacha is gay, wouldn't it be terrific if such a high ranked player finally came out? Look at all the out and proud Olympians, some of whom are nicely profiting with endorsements. Maybe it's not the same thing. I don't know. Not my world, ultimately either way. It would just be nice to see Sacha come out and become a role model, perhaps. The out players I grew up with were either obvious lesbians (still with scandals) and the looming/warning/ tragic stories of older players like Tilden and Von Cramm. I would have been satisfied with a veiled JMG.

But if a tease is all I'm going to get, I'll take it. Sigh.

I still can't make up my mind if it's a tease or if there really is more to it! I hope there is as well for sure.

I mean Sascha has a bit of a bromance going with Thiem but the impression I get from their teasing and interactions is quite different. Sascha was surprised when Thiem said Sascha was the best thing about the view during that training excursion in Mexico and both were surprised when the photographer or someone wanted them to hold hands for that article they did together...and that is a strange request honestly. So the subtext to their interactions seems different compared to Sascha and Marcelo...but who knows, could be wishful thinking on my part.

If there really is more to them it would be amazing if they were to come out, absolutely. They would not have to travel to tournaments in intolerant countries for example...and sponsors would be reluctant to drop them these days, I think. But Sascha is also Russian to an extent...though from the way his family has embraced Marcelo, at least they seem unlikely to have an issue. All in theory of course.

Any recommendations on watching live tennis for cord cuttters? I just have a roku and am looking to spend as little as possible. I have had sling in the past for the ESPN2. I got burned by the tennis channel, I assumed it would have live matches. I love watching any tennis but nothing is like watching a Grand Slam play out live

Tennistv is something like $15 a month. You can watch most atp matches at every tournament (sans majors). ESPN streams all the grand slam matches (except the French) plus IW and Miami for free. WTA streaming is separate but probably around $15 a month.

Of course there are several free betting sites you can watch most are Ukrainian.

if you're going to use an unofficial stream, make sure you have anti-virus working. They often put mini screens on top of the stream that you have to click on to make them go away and sometimes those contain viruses.

Sam the loser . I am excited about him

Querrey?

Sam Q collapse is almost complete

Young daddy Taylor Fritz was looking very good at Indian Wells. I really think he will be top ten within the next 3-5 years

[quote] Sam Q collapse is almost complete

Will he ever be president?

Sam Q collapse is complete . He would have become TOP 10 after todays victory . Too bad both the loser could n't lose the match . Next time you guys take a shot at WTA please watch this match

American tennis is all Republican (not surprising). And, it usually has been. Exceptions here and there, but overall Repug.

I know it has been touched upon in previous posts,but what about Sascha's parents? If Sascha's gay, I assume they must know. Their acceptance of Melo indicates that they do know ( I realize the powers of denial can be strong,though). Unfortunately,there's never been a top-ranked ATP player(forget his name,there was a player who reached 60 in the world;but he only came out after retirement). So as a family, I'm curious, did they ever sit down and discuss how they would handle this situation?

The parents have been grooming Sascha to be a tennis champion since he was young boy; and with his looks and personality,he attracts a lot of attention from the media and fans alike. Surely they would have known that the question would come up sooner or later. Even though there is no precedent in the ATP, it still makes the most sense to come out. It wouldn't be easy,but it would be easier than 20,30 yrs. ago.

On the surface, Sascha's parents seem like nice people. Although it's hard to get a sense of what they're really like because they don't interact with the English-speaking press much (parents speak Russian and German,but aren't fluent in English). Mischa comes across as a very nice guy; and he and Sascha seem to have a great relationship. If Sascha has ever confided in anyone (about this,or anything else) it would probably be with Mischa.

[quote]Sam Q collapse is complete . He would have become TOP 10 after todays victory . Too bad both the loser could n't lose the match . Next time you guys take a shot at WTA please watch this match

That's a silly comment. I take shots at the WTA regularly - for inconsistent play/players, for trying to increase co-ed tournaments that will ultimately sideline their product, for grooming players who lack the mental ability to close out matches, etc. Piss poor play on the men's tour doesn't negate any of that; it just means I have to criticize both tours.

The insistence of the WTA and tennis commentators to "dress up" the current tour as successful is self-defeating. Without the Williams sisters and - to a much lesser degree - Sharapova, they have no headliners to sell their sport, their product. Sure, tennis junkies will tune in for Halep-Osaka, many fans are even looking forward to that match. But the sport needs to increase its attendance, fans, viewers, etc. It's not clear to me how they think the current players will accomplish that.

[R134] I agree, I was impressed with Taylor Fritz. He possesses amazing composure. I wish other players could borrow that trait.

R138, I think Sascha and Mischa are very close for sure and Mischa seems very protective of him. So yes, if there is anything to confide, he would be the 1st choice for Sascha. And Mischa seems to like Marcelo.

I don't know about preparing a coming out strategy though...if he is actually gay...how long ago would the parents have found out...only once Marcelo became a permanent fixture in Sascha's and therefore their lives? Do they suspect but not know? Think it can remain a close friendship in the eyes of the public? And maybe it actually is just that, haha. I seem to keep changing my mind, and worry that I am just reading too much into it all. I really hope I'm not though!!

lmfao @ Querrey. He served for the first set 5-4 but then got broken twice to dump it 5-7. Then he rolls through the second set 6-2 and folds under pressure in a tight third. Keep in mind, Raonic is nowhere near his best as he's just coming back from injury and finally getting wins again. Overall their match was not well-played.

Btw, this is very cute...Sascha starting by thanking Marcelo, his smile, Marcelo and everyone else's reactions...

(I will choose to ignore that "buddy")

I like Fritz too. I was at Indian Wells this past week and saw the end of his practice. He signed every autograph request, spoke to everyone who asked him something, took every picture and smiled through it all. He wasn't jaded, obnoxious or didn't ignore everyone like some people (VERDASCO, Fernando). Plus, he's good looking and will be more so once he adds some muscle. I follow him on twitter and there's nothing deplorable and he liked the WTA/ATp equal pay tweets.

R144 good to hear that. Hopefully he'll be another non-deplorable young American, joining Tiafoe, Rubin and Mmoh.

So you saw Verdasco ignoring fans? I'm not surprised he's a diva

[R141] Of course, it's entirely possible that the parents only found out when Marcelo entered into Sascha's life. Sascha's only twenty,perhaps this is his first serious relationship. Maybe they think if we don't make a big deal out of this, no one else will.

If Sascha is gay, my concern is that he'll go through a phase where he'll try to deflect from it by dating a slew of Russian models (lol). Have you ever looked at Sascha's Instagram following count? Many of the people he follows are models(some have dual careers as players/models). He could be a model,though.;he's so beautiful and photogenic. Those photos of him in Style Italia last spring were breathtaking.

[R143] Adorable. That was such a memorable and happy day. Sascha calls a lot of people 'buddy'. Lol. Can't read too much into that.

You can make such a mountain out of a molehill.

Haha, that is a possibility, yes, R146. Maybe it also depends on how things develop and/or end with Melo (again with the caveat that there is something there in the first place). Do we know much about Melo's personal life at all?

And yes, that speech and video is just too cute, R147. And I guess he's not going to call him "love of my life" or so, haha!

R148, if this is about this particular topic, then you could well be right! Still fun to speculate though...I can discuss actual tennis and results anywhere else and no other players are providing anything else of interest to discuss!

He is planning his revenge!

[R150] oh,oh I'm scared, haha

[149] I've glanced at Melo's IG page a few times; noticed pics of his extended family,but no wife or gf. Although I assume most players want some measure of privacy. No one's entire life is going to be on their IG page.

It's hard to understand human relationships from the outside. Sometimes I think Melo has become a surrogate brother to Sascha (although I know no one can take Mischa's place). The brothers don't get to spend as much time together as they used too. Mischa has his own schedule and is newly married. But I don't get why a 34 yr. old man would want to spend this amount of time with a 20 yr. old unless he was infatuated. You can befriend people of all ages,that doesn't mean you want to hang out with them.

If these Melo/Sashca fanatics had investigated the JFK assassination we would've solved that by now.

Osaka or Help?

[quote]If these Melo/Sashca fanatics had investigated the JFK assassination we would've solved that by now.

Hahaha!! True, r153, true.

What I’m really looking forward to now from the propounders of this nascent lave story is some good Sascha–Melo fan fiction. And, please, make it extra dirty!

I don't like Querrey but I actually felt sorry for him for that choke at the end of the first set, he looked so dejected.

About the Sascha/Melo thing: I'm leaning more towards extra intense friendship/bromance though, just because they are so public about it. But I guess we've been reducing it to only two possibilities, either friendship or a relationship, but it could also be just a friendship in the eyes of one of them, while the other is secretly infatuated.

R138, Brian Vahaly was the top 100 player that came out after retirement. But there's also JM Gambill who was close to top 10 at his highest I think, and who seems pretty out to me, even if he hasn't actually announced it in the press or whatever. But he sure doesn't seem to be hiding it.

R156, I did consider that possibility...and thought for a while it could be one-sided from Melo's side but recently thought it could be the opposite, with Sascha seemingly more infatuated right now. All 100% subjective obviously.

Miami sleuths, get on this Sacha/Melo case. Report!

Osaka was great again against Halep. Chris Evert again ripped Halep a new one over not being professional because of her attitude and getting blown out lol

Venus had a chance to beat Kasatkina but the errors came at crucial moments in the second and third sets

I think the final will be decided by how well Osaka serves and returns serve. If she can start most of the points off offensively and shorten them, Kasatkina won't be able to yank her around the court enough.

Lave Story

With

Ali MacGraw

And

Ryan O’Neal

We are not alone, haha (and the original tweet is by a journalist)

Roger loses the first set and is already down a break in the second. We're so getting a Raonic vs. Coric final, aren't we?

Sharapova withdraws from Miami claiming a forearm injury

Thiem withdraws from Miami after suffering a fracture in his ankle during IW. He might miss Monte Carlo too

oh Coric, choking AGAIN. He should have won in straight sets. In both the second and third sets, Coric had control until he served at 4-3 30-30 and then he collapsed, losing the next 3 games. He put up a good fight but he needs to improve his first serve so he can get more free points

I'm so fucking sick of old man Federer. I don't want him to be injured, I just want him to start losing.

17-0 this season!

I am so fucking sick of Federer too, Jesus. I can't stand his fake humility and smugness. The ATP hasn't been this awful since the horrendous period between Sampras and Federer when Hewitt and Safin were winning (kinda). What is the fucking matter with these young players that they cannot step up and win these matches? Pathetic--Coric, Dimitrov, the lot of them. Say what you want about Wawrinka but he sure grabbed his chances when he had them. I admire that.

[quote]Say what you want about Wawrinka but he sure grabbed his chances when he had them.

You don't know the half of it.

Fedfans were whining that Indian Wells was trying to sabotage Federer by putting him at 11:00 (his first match at that time in more than a decade!!!), even though he had a day off (unlike Del Potro and Raonic) and his good fried is the tournament director.

Del Potro looked sharp against Raonic but he was sloppy yesterday so not sure what to expect for the final.

The men's field was very depleted as Nadal, Murray, Wawrinka and Nishikori were all absent and Djokovic is way off form.

I'm hoping Coric made Federer a bit tired

To maintain our investigative credentials: I did a little digging about Melo's personal life using my extremely modest Portuguese skills. There is a vague mention of a girlfriend in 2009, then his mother complaining that he doesn't have one in 2016...so the coast is clear for Sascha, I think, haha.

Well done, R170!

Sad for Coric but encouraged for his future.

So the only player Mischa follows on Instagram other than his brother is Marcelo. He doesn't use it much but still interesting.

Yes, R169. Tennis is getting boring with Federer winning so much again and the competition injured or out of form. No matter how great his achievements, he has simply never grown on me. And the worshipping really gets on my nerves.

I love Fed.

[quote]using my extremely modest Portuguese skills

Sooo, Google translate? ;) ...I kid, I kid! Thank you very much for your service in maintaining the Sascha/Melo ship, R170 :D

Haha, my pleasure, R176. And you're not far off. I used a few words I know and some guesswork to find the articles...then let Google translate do the rest, haha!

[R125] I actually do think that was a heart monitor that Marcelo was wearing in the 'bra' photo. Because in his most recent IG post (the one where he's threatening 'revenge') there's an older guy standing with them with the tag of 'chriszogno'. Turns out this guy is a trainer or promoter of sports technology;and if you click on his profile there's a post of a heart monitor with an athlete wearing the same 'bra'. Still doesn't explain why Sascha was so merciless in posting that pic,haha.

Actually the bed photo surprised me even more (I think I was ready for anything after that one,lol).

R178, yes, I expected it to be something like that and thought Sascha must know what it is but just wanted to post the picture, haha!

And yes, I agree that the bed photo was what was most surprising, especially in the context of other players' and fans' teasing about them being couple. Surely he knew how some would take it?

[R179] Yes, Sascha's young but savvy; he's no dummy. He must have known the (bed) photo would imply certain things. At the very least, it implies that their sharing accommondations. He did post it late at night( around 1:30 am (his time). Maybe he wasn't thinking. Ah,sometimes people regret things they've done the night before. Especially on social media,lol.

BTW, what about Marcelo's doubles partner, Kubot? Does Marcelo ever practice with him? Or is poor Kubot left alone to his own devices. (Haha) I guess he only sees Marcelo at their matches.

Hahaha, no idea, R181! Maybe only at tournaments where Sascha is not playing!

R180, I kind of feel like he's doing it on purpose now...maybe if there is nothing between them (yet) he is trying to get a reaction out of Marcelo?

[R182] Yes, that was my gut reaction,too. That Sascha wanted to provoke Marcelo (and us!). It worked! LOL

Yes, for us it did for sure! But what about Marcelo? He seemed to only publicly react to the monitor top photo and promise revenge...but maybe the bed photo required a more private reaction!!

But also this earlier video seems more intriguing in retrospect. He seems to be trying to provoke a reaction here too...and Marcelo is forced to adjust himself at least, haha!

Miami update:

OUT: Monfils, Kohlschreiber

Robin Soderling is a white supremacist according to twitter.

R186 That's an unusual thing to be for a Swede (though obviously not undheard of...), why are they saying that? Isn't he coaching one (or both?) of the Ymer brothers (of Ethiopian descent iirc)?

Osaka!

[R184] I've seen this video!! Even though the person filming wasn't that close, I think we can tell what Sascha was trying to do! There are always people around at tournaments,even at closed practice sessions, like this fan ( BTW,I think that's Grigor sitting next to Mama Zverev). And everyone's got a phone. It's like Sascha doesn't care. Marcelo looks uptight,though(haha). As if he's hoping no one will notice that adjustment. Lol

If anyone had told me a year ago,or 6 months ago, that Naomi Osaka would win a Masters 1000, I would have laughed. Good for her!

R189, yes, he doesn't seem to care, he's all in! And yes, Marcelo does not look comfortable there...in both senses, haha...and he almost looks like he's scolding Sascha afterwards!

R190, yes, at least the women are keeping things interesting!!

Naomi Osaka is the new champion in Indian Wells wrapping up an amazing path. Other than the set lost vs Maria Sakkari: 6-4 6-4 vs Sharapova

6-3 6-2 vs Radwanska

6-3 6-3 vs Vickery

6-1 ... 6-1 vs Sakkari

6-2 6-3 vs Pliskova

6-3 6-0 vs Halep

6-3 6-2 vs Kasatkina

Up to Rank 22 in WTA on Monday

So happy for Osaka and Sasha B.

Del Po is going to win this . . Roger is still sleepy . Even 1 Pm is early morning for him

Lisicki-Petkovic in the first round of Miami Qualies .

Gramps is so cranky. He flips out at the chair umpire for not overruling a serve he thought he was way long. Roger challenges it and the serve was in!

third set

oh no!

HA! Gramps is messier than that beard.

Crowd is pathetic than Mirka

third set for real now

What Juan was thinking when he decided to go at the net ?He is not some serve and volley player

Brain fart?

Both Juan and Roger are cranky today . They need some wanky

Fed crowds are the worst doesn't matter where.

Fed put lot of pressure on linesmen too

There is a reason Fed was dead against Hawk eye introduction in the game

They're both so hairy. DL, who has the hairier ass?

It’s like watching two werewolves battle it out.

Naomi Osaka draws Sharapova in 1R IW and now Serena in 1R Miami.

Delpo collapse is almost complete . He has no one else to blame for his misery

should we talk about Mirka's dress?

So 1950

R211, it's pretty shocking. The color does nothing for her . . .

Will there be a handshake after the match ?

And DelPo breaks back.

5-5

This match is becoming personal

Roger bitching and moaning.

Only Roger can give Woz a run for her money in being cunty towards the chair umpires when losing.

Whinerer.

At least they put him on center court . They still put me on court 16 even though I am no 1

Grandpa's collapse is almost complete

Roger collapse is complete

Both guys showed their true colors today

They go for a hug at the net!

Who is Cesar?

Glad to see Juan has recovered from being dumped by yet another girlfriend for cheating.

R226, was he? Well, it must be tough to be cursed with so much natural charm, as Juan clearly is.

r225, Cesar was Juan Martin's dog that recently died.

I hated that fucking hairy dog.

Who is this ugly french guy doing all the talking????

Tommy Haas can direct my tournament anytime he wants.

Does Juan Martin just go by Martin to his buddies on the circuit? I thought Roger referred to him just as Martin when he was giving his runner-up speech.

Heh I noticed that on a couple of occasions JMDP had the opportunity to ping Roger at the net, he didn't (and lost the point). Whereas when Fed had his opportunity, he sent it straight at his opponent, and then fauxpologized. But after that, he kinda fell apart so HA.

Eeyore wins.

Of course, in the ATP tribute video for Tommy Haas Jim C. naturally brings up Haas' looks.

First Masters 1000 at almost 30yo. It took way to long

Federer really behaved like a spoiled brat in today's match. His behavior was such a turnoff. Some of his fans in the crowd were even worse. Just like against Coric, they cheered Del Potro's faults, double faults and errors. They booed any close calls that went against their anointed one. Classless

I'm so glad Del Potro finally won a Masters and stopped the worshiped Federer's streak.

Osaka was impressive but Kasatkina had a great run to the final by defeating 4 slam champs in a row. If Osaka continues to play like she did at IW, she'll win multiple titles this year. Sucks she drew Serena round 1 in Miami but I'm curious to see how Serena handles seeing Sascha come down to coach Naomi midmatch

Was it must to do Mimai WTA draw ceremony on Sunday? They could have waited till Monday till new ranking arrived for new seeding . Now Osaka will still be unseeded . PAthtic .

So happy Roger lost!!!!! He's always been a brat/asshole. He just hid it well.

Looking forward to Serena/Ōsaka.

If Roger feels bad, he can sit on my face all nite.

[quote]If Roger feels bad, he can sit on my face all nite.

oh Mirka, I bet Roger's derrière tastes just like Swiss chocolate

p.s. ESL are you drunk @ R237 ?

Del Potro is a devout Catholic. What are his views on gay marriage?

DelPo is a friend of friends, and while not close friends, I take their word on this:

He's totally straight, and totally cool with other people doing what they do (including gay, and plenty of men hit on him). He's got a bit of a group of the Argentine equivalent of douchebros around him, but apparently he's very "humble" and nice to be around.

Do we have any idea yet when Murray is coming back?

R243 any idea who the hot guy in Del Potro's box was? I noticed him in both the SF and Final matches. If he wasn't a friend, he looked like he could have been a trainer or physio. Handsome, solid build and nice non-wrinkled skin.

R244 I heard the grass season

R245 Thanks, if he is back for Queen's Club that will be nice at least

Thanks for that info, r243. Del Potro always comes across in interviews as being very humble and self-effacing. Nice to know it's not an act.

stud-in-the-making Mmoh gets revenge against Ramanathan, who just beat him in IW qualifying round. Miami courts are quite different than IW.

Bouchard wins her first round qualifying match easily over Kiick

Mackenzie McDonald def. Felix Auger-Aliassime in a third set tiebreak

Darian King upsets top qualie seed Carballes Baena (he won a clay title a few weeks ago too)

Escobedo wins easily

baby Isner Reilly Opelka loses

Casper Ruud loses

De Minaur cruises

Niculescu wins

Wickmayer wins

non-deplorable Gibbs wins easily

Thank you, R243! I always liked DelPo so I am really glad to hear this!

Anymore gossip to share, haha?

men's draw is out...Federer opens up against a qualifier lol let's hope it's De Minaur. His rd16 looks to be a breeze. The unpredictable Kyrgios and lately unpredictable Zverev are both in his half.

Good god. I watched the replay of the IW Women's Final and Osaka's speech at the end was painful. Is she functionally retarded?

Thanks, R243. Glad to know Del Potro is a good guy.

Doing a little more "investigating" and Melo liked this tweet in June...obviously doesn't necessarily mean he's gay. He also likes a lot of Caroline Garcia tweets, who was one of those saying he and Sascha deserved some quality time together while they were in the Maldives. Of course he also likes lots of Sascha and "Saschelo" tweets.

Do you guys favor your home countries? I'll support any American over basically any other player, even Querrey. But I love many non American players

I favor my home country in general (Canada) but if they're playing one of my other favorites then um... I'm a bit fickle.

^that being said... If I were American, I could not support any Trump-supporter. I'd drop Canadians who leaned that way. (Didn't Pospisil say something positive about Tennys Sandgren? He's on my shit list right now, but I haven't investigated further.)

Pre-internet before you could learn more about players from around the world I always rooted hardest for Americans. Chang, Agassi, MalVai, Seles, Gambill, Rubin and later Davenport and Venus were my favorites. American fans were spoiled between 1990-2004. But my favorite females players were Pennetta and Hantuchova (don't ask) in part because between 2004-2015 it was basically just Serena (who I have a tough time with "how 'bout I shove this ball down your fuckin' throat") and Venus (who I love) among the American women. I mean who else was I going to root for? Ashely Harkleroad? Mashona Washington? Jill Craybas?

Personally, I think rooting against someone because of their politics is juvenile. I don't like Isner, though not (*just*) for his political leanings, but for his one dimensional and boring game (the same goes for Raonic or Karlovic who I don't like either and why I was never big on Sampras). And I don't like Coco but mostly because of her terrible attitude. I like most other American players but Sock's mopey attitude and belly lead me to turn the channel.

Got very little else to share (and I asked my friend). There's no rumors at all of him hooking up with guys, and he's interesting in that he's loyal to friends who are rowdy types and loyal to quieter friends alike. He seems to just be easy to get along with, once you are in his circle.

Is it true that both Isner and Sock are big Trump/MAGA supporters?

Isner most certainly is

R256, It was Peter Polansky who defended Sandgren on twitter, haven't heard anything about Pospisil doing so.

Thank you for asking your friend, R258!!

More Sascha/Marcelo:

Isner says he isn't pro trump and didn't support him in the primary but voted for him in the general. I don't know if that's much better but putting it out there.

Their politics often does seal it for me. If they're Trumpsters, I generally won't root for them, yet realize that they probably can be good people. I won't root FOR Isner, but he certainly seems like he's a decent guy--therein lies my own fickle ways. I think it no more juvenile than not liking Sock because of his belly.

I still root for Isner, Querrey, all of them. I get why some people don't like too. But I guess my patriotism outstrips most other emotions when it comes to sports at least

Someone supporting Trump reveals a lot about their character. Why should I cheer for them just because they're American? To me, that's more juvenile than anything.

Douchard Lost

Lille Challenger R1: Antoine Hoang def. Multiple homeowner Bernard Tomic 62 26 64

How do we think Serena fares tomorrow?

Are you guys following Martina/Mcanroe Wimbledon controversy ?

First Martina . Gave this inteview about pay inequality

That interview based on half baked info enraged angry feminist on internet so BBC came up with complete info

Non-European players have now won two straight Masters titles:

Paris - Sock 🇺🇸

Indian Wells - del Potro 🇦🇷

Doesn't seem like much, but before that, European players had won SIXTY-NINE straight Masters titles

Still, surprising that Raonic, Nishikori and previously Delpo never won one considering how long they've been in and around the top ten. And to think that Wawrinka, Cilic and Dmitrov have won just one each.

It's really only a small number of men whose names are not Fed, Nadal, Djoko or Murray who have won Masters over the last decade. Their dominance went deep.

ESL, are you Oleg S.?

R276, I've thought so too. Although ESL doesn't seemed obsessed with Pouille.

By the way, Oleg/ESL, I saw Pouille at Indian Wells last week and the way he jiggles/twerks his ass as he returns serve is truly (if unintentionally) erotic and made even more so by the tight white shorts. Thiem does this, too, although he's not expert at it like Pouille. Herbert is still the hottest Frenchman even if he looks autistic whenever he wears that stupid headband.

Thanks, [261], it's a lot easier to avoid Polansky matches than Pospisil!

Nope R277. You should know this because his English is way better than mine. .

But I get to see his tweets from time to time on twitter since both of us follow lot of same people [Tennis people],

We both like Lucas though

happy to see a handful of under-25 male qualifiers. I hate when it's journeyman who qualify into the draw and lose in the opening round over and over again

The bottom line in the pay discrepancy controversy: Martina has every right to argue about her salary compared to McEnroe, and every right to accept or decline whatever offer the BBC makes. The BBC can choose to offer Martina more, less, or equal the amount they offer McEnroe.

Based on the BBC comments, it doesn't appear they will be paying Martina the same as McEnroe.

Or even paying Martina anything at all from this year on, r281.

In 1995 Martina was instrumental in getting Monica Seles to come back to competition. CBS signed her to a deal - remember they played an exho before Seles played the US Open- and Martina got a deal commentating at the Open. She was great, insightful and many thought she would have a long term spot with CBS. Well CBS decided one female - Mary Carillo - was enough and they replaced Martina with Patrick McEnroe, John's little brother. I don't know if it was over money or what not but Martina was surprised. It was the same thing when Johnny Mac decided Davis Cup and catering to the diva whims of Agassi and Sampras was too much for him. His little brother got the job over more qualified people, most namely Jim Courier who had been a Davis Cup stalwart and MVP. Johnny Mac gets to pull the strings and his tired old shtick is still considered relevant 30 some years after he started shouting at linesmen. .

BMS is making her comeback today

Based on the BBC comments, it doesn't appear they will be paying Martina the same as McEnroe.

We'll see, the BBC is getting a big public backlash, not just about this specific incident but their history of paying female employees less than males. BBC is a public service broadcaster, it's really not a good look for them to be throwing all this $$$ at Mac's washed-up ass. They are even paying him to be "on call" during the duration of Wimbledon. What the hell for? He's a TV commentator, not a surgeon working at a hospital.

Gulbis is a father now!

I didn’t even know he’s married.

I keep wondering why Andy Roddick - who played most of the guys still competing today - is not on a tennis network commentating. I thought he was the typical frat boy bore on the tour but I miss him with the crappy crop of Americans playing now. I think he should replace McEnroe and his little brother on ESPN. They are insufferable. Chris Fowler is a jack ass and smug.

IMO, I don't think anyone is worse than Ted Robison. I don't why the Tennis Channel felt the need to employ him, they have enough commentators. I have to turn the volume down when he is on. He doesn't understand that it's a tennis match,he doesn't have to talk non-stop; and I have yet to hear him make a relevant comment.

Andy did regular commenting for few months for Fox sports .Due to some reason they didn't renew his contracts. He also did some commenting during Wimbledon . Even Roger acknowledged that . And I find his comments more insightful .

During 2016 US open He told that Stan would be the biggest threat to Nole and it turned out to be true . Unlike McNore who is nothing but a lapdog of big 3[Roger, Misery, Nadal]. Andy give lot of accurate predictions and insightful comments .

I never paid much attention to Martina so I don't know how she does as commentator but I am sure she is better than John .

Matts Wilander does some decent commenting for Eurosports

Ryan is barking again ,

What an insightful comment from you r290 as you seem to be constantly yapping.

Ohh look Misery feminist fans have already arrived playing hall monitor

Roddick was a jerk when he played. I only liked seeing him lose. Harrison behaves a lot like him during matches

Harrison is not the only one getting testy, Haase lost the second set and started yelling loudly at officials. :/

Patrick McEnroe and Chris Fowler are the worst! Carrillo is fine. I actually like Martina as a commentator. She tends to not play favorites and calls it like it is. She's certainly better than Evert. Speaking of, I wonder they they've never teamed Chrissie and Martina together in the booth since they are actually friends.

I cannot imagine why BBC would pay somebody so much money for commenting Wimbledon matches. I do enjoy McEnroe commenting, but I would not say he is outstanding comparing to other guys who work on Wimbledon reporting. I doubt anyone tunes in just to hear him talking. The same goes for even more outrageous Alan Shearer salaries for BBC Match of the Day (~£500,000) for 'punditry' which basically equates to a couple of barely cohesive sentences regarding which team he thinks will win the match.

some people tune in just for McEnroe. Even though he's much calmer now, he'll never be able to get rid of his reputation as an explosive personality. I think BBC likes to promote him as a wild card who could say anything.

Martina is obviously much more accomplished though so it's not fair to her at all.

Roddick was so incredibly bitchy with TV commentators and he basically said at one point that sports commentators were the lowest form of human existence. So him becoming one himself would make him look like a big hypocrite.

[quote]Gulbis is a homophobic, sexist father now!

That’s much more accurate now, I think.

wasn't Gulbis the guy who got in trouble at the Stockholm tournament several years ago for hiring a prostitute?

R300,

Yes. And he also called Bautist-Agut a "spoiled little princess" or something.

I would like to move the topic away from Gulbis, because ugh...

Sascha and Nole practising together today reminded me of this, which reminded me of what you said, R105, haha

I miss Dick Enberg and Bud Collins.

Vika won . Will play Granny in next round

Osaka just broke against Serena

What a tool. Isn't Gulbis' father a billionaire?

Serena looked really slooooow

She missed the easiest sitter in the world on match point. Ugh! Serena girl's not quite ready.

Serena got rocked harder than Genie when she slipped on that floor at the US Open.

Serena is nowhere near her best physically or game-wise and had the misfortune of playing Osaka who's currently in her best form. Plus, Osaka obviously got a lot of tips from Sascha. I want to see them play again when/if Serena is firing on all cylinders. That would be fun.

I wonder if Osaka's run to the IW title will inspire Keys to wake up again. Keys has the hardest forehand on tour and should always be in the mix for a non-clay title.

r292 QED

ohhh I missed Osaka match. Serena was totally thrashed by Osaka

Serena skipped press conference after her loss

It's funny, we all have our favorites and least favorites in the commentary box, and it always varies.

My favorites are Carrillo, Cahill, and Cliffie, even though he's not as sharp as he used to be. I think Gilbert has a lot of interesting and insightful comments but you have to put up with a lot of his "shtick" to get it, so there's a trade-off. I like Pammie and her goofiness. I like Annacone, Courier, and Davenport on the Tennis Channel, and I usually like Martina, but sometimes she gets too SJW for my tastes. Austin is decent and underrated.

I miss Tony Trabert, as I always learned something new from his technical commentary. I miss Fred Stolle. And there will never be another Bud Collins, who I miss dearly.

I can't stand Johnny Mac, who many times speaks just to hear himself speak, and I don't think does much preparation for his role. Patrick Mac bugs me. Chrissie is not good, makes a good point once a set, but you have to listen to so much crap and so many contradictions it's not worth it. Gimelstob is horrid.

Blake and MJ Fernandez are like white noise. Nothing really bothersome from either, but not much of interest.

[quote]I wonder if Osaka's run to the IW title will inspire Keys to wake up again. Keys has the hardest forehand on tour and should always be in the mix for a non-clay title.

Keys has so much talent, but can't control anything. Her game reminds me of a junior or first-year pro, she makes far too many errors, and is prone to panic. I thought Davenport would be a good match for her, she had beautiful strokes and easy power, and had to overcome lack of court speed and propensity to get down on herself...not all that different from Keys' game. But at this point, I'd be surprised to see her win a major. I don't see the mentality there.

I cannot stand Cliffie and PatMac. Not only are they very much all in for Federer but they are grating. I love listening to Cahill.

Yeah, Cliff does fawn over Fed. I think my fondness for him is a holdover from when he and Stolle were the ESPN Tennis voices in the 90s.

Is Diego Schwartzman straight? He is such a cute shorty. I would love to see him get sandwiched by Dimitrov and his coach.

I really don't understand Pusholina. She shows such a good consistency and resilience on WTA tour but fall flat in Grand Slams . She lost 6/3,6/0 to Mertens in Aus Open ,

We never see the kind of consistency she is showing right now against Osaka in grand Slams

anyone see the shitfest yesterday between Shapovalov and Troicki? Shapovalov had chances to get a straight set win but lost the second in a tiebreak. Then he served for the match at 5-1 in the third but got broken back twice and they ended up in a tiebreak. It was a seesaw affair until finally Troicki double faulted on match point

Yup. It was painfully hilarious . I had predicted last year that Shapovalov would be bigger success than his contemporaries . Not because he has big shots or he has huge talent but because I thought he was mentally very tough[as he showed during Rogers cup and US open last year.]

However his inability to prove himself on big points against Tsonga during Aus open , his extremely terrible play on crucial points against Cuevas during IW and his disaster performance yesterday is making me doubtful about my prediction .

He is still a teenager though .

whoa Michael Mmoh!!! Impressive victory over Bautista Agut. By far his biggest win (before this he beat the elder Zverev in Brisbane this year). Mmoh has sucked since Brisbane and has been losing early in challengers and qualifying rounds of ATP events. He qualified his way into Miami, beat wildcard Eubanks and now a win over the current #15.

Mmoh was actually being aggressive today. The matches he's lost this year were ones in which he played too passively/conservatively. If he can play the way he did today on a regular basis he'll be top 50

Donna Vekic upset over Vesnina. That's a surprise.

and Goffin must have come back too soon. He won just 1 game against Sousa.

Novak is done.

Coco loses again?

God I hate tennis.

Novak will come back, mark my words. But there is something oddly self-pitying about the way he's playing. Like he wants to telegraph how low he is so then he can climb to the highest peaks again, blah blah blah. That's the passive-agressive showy side of him I don't care for. But he's my favorite player of all, so I'm rooting hard for him to figure it out. His next tourney is Monte Carlo. Maybe he can win a match there!

Is there a worse website than the Miami Open?

a loss to forehand-less Paire is really pitiful. His forehand is as woeful as the Dementieva second serve. Fucking club-level. Djokovic oddly kept hitting to Paire's very nice backhand. Really bizarre

Robin Hasse is useless. Completely collapsed when serving for set

Anyway Miami crowd is co much behind Delpo continuously interrupting Robin . Same thing happened to Mayer when he was playing against Delp in IW

Remember how prissy Del Po got when crowd was celebrating his errors against Roger? Today he is cheering and riling up the crowd when they are celebrating Robin' error

Yes Robin .

Puig def. Wozniacki!!!!! 0-6 6-4 6-4

Puig! So erratic, though.

R325 Interesting take on Djokovic. I watched a bit of the match and it almost looked like he was expecting to lose. It felt like there was more fight in him last week against Taro Daniel (didn't see the whole of that match either though).

It was bizarre watching Novak continue to hit to Paire’s backhand in the back half of the second set. For a smart player, that strategy was shockingly stupid.

Yeah, it's only ok when the crowd is obnoxiously behind Fed.

In shipping news, Melo is watching Zverev again.

Sasha is so beautiful

Melo has lost in first round again. so he was plenty of time to watch Zverev's matches

Pay attention to Sasha' s ass cheeks. They are looking lit bit wide apart . May be Melo hard work is paying some dividend

Woz: I lost because the Miami crowd was threatening my life and the life of my fiancee!!!!

shocked that Zverev didn't choke away his match today

[quote]Nope [R277]. You should know this because his English is way better than mine.

No, ESL, his English is actually just as bad as yours.

young guns Coric and Tiafoe win in 3 today. Tiafoe's win was quite clutch

Who's hotter JMG (Donaldson's coach) or Robby Ginepri (Tiafoe's coach)? Too bad Robby doesn't have a boyfriend.

Isn’t he married?

The camera showed Melo quite a few times today (and poor Mischa hiding) but the camera people now see him as part of Sascha's entourage for sure. I wonder if Marcelo will stay for as long as Sascha is in the tournament. They sat together away from any other sports people in attendance at that Miami Heat game.(I saw game highlights and Sascha was easy to spot) They don't seem to get sick of each other's company, it's very intriguing.

Puig!

Has Fed had a tantrum yet because his opponent dared to not just gift him the match?

I wonder if Donna Vekic is watching Kokkinakis right now from her hotel room

Kokkinakis takes out Gramps.

Federer announced he won't play Clay.

Rafa returns to #1

Wow for Kokkinakis.

lmao back to back losses for Federer! He's been so arrogant the last 14 months so it's about time he got humbled again. This time it wasn't done by usual foes Nadal, Djokovic and Murray either so that makes it even better.

Kokkinakis has to be thrilled especially given his shoulder surgery at such a young age.

I wish Federer would play on the clay or at least RG. I like it when all the top names are entered in slams and masters

[quote]Tiafoe's win was quite clutch.

Ugh... Can we abolish this ugly, empty term?

Liam

So pleased for the Kokk. Let's hope he can back it up against Verdasco.

it was hilarious to see Mirka crying at the end of the match

Good for the Kock!

R354, you beat me to the punch!

Good taste we have.

Mirka was crying?????????

nice shot of Borna

Mooka was crying because the concession stands were not serving Krispy Kreme.

Since Federer is arrogant enough to take off the next 2 1/2 months like last year, I hope he has a disastrous grass season. There are enough big and young hitters on tour who could trouble him now.

Berten choked

Damn Coric’s ass and thighs. Wow.

Bertens collapse is complete

well to be fair, Venus totally choked the first set. She had 5-0 and served twice for it but lost 7 straight games. It was a bizarre match. Some good points but a lot of wild errors from both. Bertens is a stereotypical big hitter who cannot move.

Monica Pig is unstoppable now in Miami just like she was in Olympics

Vasek played some very good tennis against Cilic. His game is very easy on the eyes. He comes to the net a lot, probably more than 90 percent of players

Delpo totally spanking Nishikori

It's Dimitri-time!

Porna is a wet dream.

Nadal is number one again. YASSS!

Chung of the hot bod cruises into the round of 16.

Woman must throw themselves at Dimitrov. Handsome, famous, talented, rich. Can only imagine ...

^ women?

Like Tebow, Grigor is way too busy with his career to date anyone.

I can assure you he's satisfied.

Can Chardy defeat young Grigor ?

Dimitrov really has a case of "gay smile". He really pings when posing for photos.

For whatever reason he always has trouble with Chardy, who really doesn't have a good backhand and is not a great mover. I think they know each other from Mouratoglou's academy.

Deplorable icon Isner sponsored by Bass Pro Shops

Chardy wins

Grigor out to Chardy lmfao what a joke

Is young Grigor staying in Miami? I hope he's not too upset with his loss. The young man just needs mentor ship.

I would pound Schwartzman to the moon and back. Sexy little guy.

The kid Gambil coaches (Donaldson) said When Atlas Shrugged is his favorite book. What’s Donaldson’s story? That book is the favorite of Paul Ryan and a ton of other Republican losers.

Dimitrov has lost four of his last five matches.

Danni must have been doing it wrong.

R385 which is why we keep side eyeing JMG. It's clear Donaldson is another nutty deplorable. JMG as a gay man should be ashamed but he coached Coco before that too. So what if younger deplorables aren't all homophobic...they're still pieces of shit and bigoted in other ways

Donaldson is another deplorable like Ryan who thinks they made it all on their own without help from anyone.

Wow, r360, Coric's butt and legs are amazing. From the waist down he looks more like a rugby player than a tennis pro.

Coric needs to sit on my face.

pcb WON!

BITCHHHHHHH!

I hope some of you are watching Kokkinakis/Verdasco or can watch it later on youtube...it's a real bitchfest. Verdasco complained in the third about Kokkinakis' dad talking between points during games. He claims he didn't know it was his father. Kokkinakis of course didn't like that. It's not clear if his dad is just cheering Kok on, cheering Verdasco's mistakes or trying to coach from the stands. I can't wait for the handshake.

Kokkinakis was up double break 3-0 in tiebreak but then lost his way and Verdasco prevailed. A quick hand slap at the net no words exchanged

Nando

It was a pretty good match. Verdasco is not as hot as he used to be but damn.

Nando throwing his shirt into the crowd and then hugging lot of men being bare chested yum.

so happy for him

^ verdad

Next match on center court Nick Krygois vs Fabio fognini .

May the best man win

Finally some sweet moments at the end of nando match

Sloane def. Muguruza her best win by far since winning the USO

Anyone watch the Sloane v. Muguruza match? I'm wondering if Sloane is back in USO form, or if Muguruza just played a sloppy match.

Shapo downs Querrey in 3!

I'm trying to find that Nando shirtless hugging as you described, ESL.

Now THAT is a worthwhile search for me.

Nando is always thirsting for drama. Glad he made Kokk go limp.

R402 a mix of both. Sloane had some really nice moments but Muguruza was not at her best

Venus def. defending champ Konta. It should have been in straights as Venus had set point in the first set but blew it. After the first set Konta had issues with her back

Azarenka destroys Radwanska

Shapo!

Querry taken out by teenager!

With that beard, Jack Sock is now the ugliest player on tour.

Does anyone have a link to Federer's tantrum over the service call in the second set tiebreak of the IW final? Have searched but can't find it anywhere. TIA

finally Coric stops choking and defeats Sock. He had 5-3 in all 3 sets but almost lost in straights.

Zverev somehow wins a close match this year...Ferrer seems ready to retire. He's lost his clutchness

Berdy is whinng again . I like him but .. He is being a cunt.

Tiafore on other hand being a newcomer being gracious

Little Diego dancing half naked beside pool

So Marcelo was not at Sascha's match yesterday...I have come to expect him at every match if he's not playing himself. I wonder if he is still in Miami and if yes, if he will turn up to watch Sascha play Kyrgios...

To refresh our memories:

I love pocket jocks, so I would hit lil Diego fuerte!

Yes, I would.

Answering my own question: I think Marcelo may be in Brazil for an award ceremony.

if Isner beats Chung in quarterfinal , after Miami Isner will be the ONLY player to reach 4 Masters 1000 semifinals over the past 52 weeks.

That is current situation of ATP these days which was dominated my big 4 for almost a decade . It is looking more like WTA each day .

Not saying it is good or bad thing

I know he's not well loved on here but Isner is still one of my favorites. Plus I think super tall guys are cute

eew Isner won. Cilic is a mess this year. Hopefully Chung stops him in the next round

I really want young daddy Taylor Fritz to do well more consistently. What parts of his game need the most work?

R421, he's a little too slow and too lanky. He needs to fill out like Murray. Backhand needs to improve.

his forehand, movement and fitness. He's long and lanky. He needs to beef up a bit. His backhand and serve are his best shots. Forehand can go off. I haven't seen him play at net a lot so can't comment on that.

When is Milos retiring?

Why?

wow another beatdown by Sloane on Kerber. Sloane just matches up well against her and knows how what to do. It's interesting she struggles against Halep and Wozniacki instead. Most top players have a harder time against Kerber.

[quote]When is Milos retiring?

After Federer, Murray, Nadal .....

Kerber didn't have anything left in her today after her 3 hour marathon under hot sun in a grueling encounter against stubborn Yafan wang yesterday . She was 2 points away from defeat

I quite like Milos this year.

His volley has improved greatly

John and Taylor looking good

I like Milos too except of his game and personality.

Bad news for Sloane is that after Charleston next week this is the last event in the US until late July. She only plays well in the US (other than that early Aus SF).

I like Milos too except his movement and nose

R433 she did win Auckland and Acapulco in 2016. In 2013 she made the Wimbledon QF too

R435, I guess my tennis analysis is as bad as Chrissie's.

Can Juan win sunshine doubles

Tiafoe!!! yes!

Bye BerdBITCH. What a complainer

Murray has already retired. He just hasn't said it out loud yet.

Hold your tongue R439!!

R439, Are you same guy who said way before US open that Misery was done for the season [2017], way before any official announcement ? If yes then your recent prediction has lot of creditability

what

R439. Are you same guy who said that Misery was done for the season way before US open before any official announcement came ? If yes then your today's prediction has lot of creditability

Sloane Stephens in North America over the past year: 22-5

Sloane Stephens in any other country over the past year: 0-9

For clarification of the whole world. He was NOT Thanasi's father.

Nando is saltiest guy in tennis

Nando replied to Nick Krygois

PCB destroys Verdasco 60 63

Coric wins first set over Shapo

Damn, we gonna have Nick / Nando throw-down?

Wow, Nando shit the the bed in that match.

I adore Shapovalov.

Is Nando the player who is kind of snatchy to fans?

Go Porna! He is still hotter than Shapo.

Great tennis this Borna/Shapo match.

Borna has a sweaty bum

^ proof that God exists

Borna is bulging all over the place in this match. That must be an awesome thick uncut cock. God, let us see it!

Who is the bearded guy in his box. He is fucking hot too!! Damn!

[quote]Who is the bearded guy in his box?

his coach Kristijan Schneider

lmao I love Kyrgios. He's so messy. Verdasco is a fucking diva. I'm glad he lost today.

Coric-Shapovalov was an entertaining match. I was surprised it was so close given the windy conditions. Shapovalov handled the conditions a lot better than I thought he would with those long loopy strokes.

R443 yes I'm that person.

I live in Cincy and attended the Western and Southern(we still call it the ATP Champs) and I heard roundabout (through Andy's brother) that Andy was phoning it in say he'd play the US Open to get the no 2 seed to pretty much meet a sponsor obligation, then pull out once the draw was made. He did and screwed Fed who was ranked 3 and ended up in Nadal's half.

It's more disinterest on Andy's part, in competition than injury. He should just say that and be done with it. He's already done enough with 2 Wimbledons, 2 Golds, the US Open the ATP Year End no. 1 and a Davis Cup victory. He is my favorite player but I'm as frustrated as anyone else.

He still has great legs

Most paste whiteners only remove surface stains

A 90% Zverev beats a 60-70% Kyrgios, I guess no surprise.

Zverev is surprisingly effective against Kyrgios this year. He looks unusually steady when he plays him, whilst Kyrgios goes in self-destruction mode and injuries resurface.

Is no one talking about Danielle Collins? Bitch had a great run at IW and now into the quarters at Miami. Girl got game too!

Just read a profile on her in the Times. Said she started on public courts and comes from humble beginnings. She went to UVA. Lots of talk about "hard work". I hope she isn't a deplorable.

I think Isner finishes the year in the top 10. Glad his career is having a resurgence.

[quote]Sloane Stephens in any other country over the past year: 0-9

Compelling!

Ostapenko is a lunatic

Can Isner hold his nerve and finish this match out by holding his serve? He has never been broken in this match. He should not loose his serve this time.

I don't even remember Isner playing this well the last time he was top 10. He is really in the zone

He will be top 10 on Monday . Also replacing rabbit face Sock as no 1 US player

Always sincerely appreciate your updates ESL

Hmm, I'm surprised that John Isner is almost 33. For some reason, I thought he was younger than Del Potro.

Anyway, when he was playing his best, he actually beat Djokovic (twice!) when he was number 1. I haven't seen his matches this week, but the caliber of his opponents is far from Djokovic at his best.

Chung was terrible today. Isner was OK but Chung didn't make him really work.

[quote]He will be top 10 on Monday

poor Pouille only lasted 2 weeks in the top 10

Agreed R476 This wasn't even Isner at his best. Still though, he has game has been fantastic the last several months. Cute guy too. Shame he's a republican

Super display by Doris Collins . So happy for her.

Also happy for that nutcase Ostapenko

Her name is Danielle. Doris is on RHoNY.

Collins has a lot of power and decent mover. It just makes you wonder why she's struggled since college until now.

I want to see her take on: Sharapova, Azarenka, Osaka, Kvitova and Pliskova.

Larry Ellison gave Collins $100k last year. Good investment.

I love the hilarious transition of Raonic's hair. When he was first on tour, it was like this

then he shaved the sides and pushed the rest back

then a more "ordinary" look

now it's super gel and slicked back

I wonder what he'll do next

Very tight match between Delpo and Raonic right now.

Zverev 's best friend Marcelo Melo got Best Male Athlete award in Brazil tonight. Wonder if he will get back for Zverev's game tomorrow night. Their relationship fascinates me. You would think Melo would get a gf and settle down instead of following Zverev around most of the time.

This Raonic/Delpo match is a nail biter. Enjoying the extended ogling of Raonic's calves though.

Too bad they have to show anything other than Raonic's calves. The rest of the package is beyond fug

R490 I don't think he's all that bad. He's got a wonky nose but I wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating crackers.

I just hope the winner has enough energy to reach the final. This has been a long match

R482, Winner will have one day rest plus he will meet Isner who will probably self destruct

Crowd was cheering at Milos first serve fault not to mention every error Milos made . And its fine . Because that was a partisan crowd do. Hoverer Juan got so prissy when Roger's crowd did same in IW. He repeated bullied umpire to stop the crowd. How can an umpire stop the crowd from cheering if they are not making noise between points ?.

In Miami the crowd cheered harder for Raonic's double faults than the IW crowd for Federer.

Raonic must have an absolutely humongous cock. That bulge is super human.

R488, I am waiting to see if Sascha will react at all to Marcelo's win. I mean he did attend the match when Melo became number one with Kubot. Melo really stressed how happy he was that Sascha was there to support him, so some public acknowledgement of his win would be nice.

I wonder if Melo is actually gay regardless of what his relationship with Sascha is. I mean I already mentioned that he had a gf a while back (I never saw any photos of her though) and his mother said he didn't have one in 2016...and liking that pride photo...could mean nothing though.

Sascha himself travelled to the Maldives with a German comedian "as two singles" in late 2016. The guy was dating Lisicki at some point but also has some rumors himself...but also made some homophobic jokes a couple of times.

Anyway, Marcelo and Sascha are truly fascinating to me and I would love for Marcelo to get back to Miami, but he may head to Davis Cup practice.

I've been watching Isner's post match interviews and I don't think he will self destruct. He seems focused and centered

Nice puff piece on DL fave Coric, showing some skin

Jesus his sister's voice is deeper than his. Her name is Bruna?

[quote]poor Pouille only lasted 2 weeks in the top 10

Amateur!

Murray's planning to play a grass-court tournament in Holland as a to prepare for Wimbledon

*to prepare

Murray has such unfortunate beard growth.

He's a Scot R504

Hated those Argentinians fans last night. (Del Potro VS Raonic) No respect for the game...Where the fuck was the referee ?

South Americans always think they're at a soccer match.

No class at all !

What's up with Sloane's serve? Some of her 1st serves are barely breaking 90 mph, and her 2nd serves are in the 70s.

And what was up with Delpo going all Miss Thang after losing the first set? The Argentinian fans are rude, crude, and unrefined.

What surprised me most was that Delpo was constantly urging the refs to stop other fans in some games.

Delpo could not stand it when Federer's fans were cheering him on and complained many times. Last night he just had a smug little smile. Poor Miss Thing

I want to see Federer play a match with a crowd cheering against him for a change. I want to see how he would react. Maybe he can draw Edmund at Wimbledon this year

R513. Her generally collapses when that happens . That is why he doesn't have that great Davis cup record away from home against top players . He lost to Isner on CLAY in Davis Cup .

He was surprised when Brit crowd cheered heavily against him during Olympic 2012 when he was playing Misery .

Because just 3 weeks prior to that on same court when he played Wimbledon final against Misery, crowd cheered for both Roger and Misery despite the fact that Misery was a home favorite .

However during Olympics thing were altogether different . It was not a Misery/ Roger battle . It was a UK/Swiss battle and naturally Brits crowd were totally partisan against Roger . They cheered when he made errors or double faulted. Roger was not only rattled but very surprised too. "How anyone can one cheer against me"?

R514 Yes, I remember that Olympic match. Roger did look rattled. The Olympic crowd was very different than the genteel Wimbledon crowd, too. They were much louder and more vocal, and Roger was not happy at all.

This sudden collapse of Vika after leading 6/3 2/0 is surprising . What happened? Is she injured ? she lost 10 straight games after having such a good start

Sloane wore her down mentally and physically. Azarenka was up 6-3 2-0. Sloane broke back at love, then held. The crucial game was 2-2 which lasted a while and both had chances to win it. Once Sloane won it, her momentum surged and Azarenka was deflated. In the third set, Azarenka looked like 1 of her legs was getting tired and she couldn't run as much.

Sloane is 5-0 in finals so it'll be interesting to see if she can keep the streak going against Ostapenko/Collins. She hasn't played either of them

Sloane is looking good. Reaching the top ten is a big milestone and probably leads to performance bonuses from her sponsors, too. She has nothing to defend until August, so she can really make a push for top 5 if she can sustain this level.

Is Sloan a future #1? Surprising her winning the USO didn't make her a much bigger star. And she's drop dead gorgeous to boot.

Sloan is inconsistent, like many Americans. I love her but this is the third surge for her I've sat through. I don't have super high hopes

Danielle Collins is the real deal. She should beat Ostepankeno and could beat Sloane as well.

Anderson might take his match with Careno Busta to a third set. Right now, Careno is ahead by a nose.

PCB is ahead of everyone by a nose.

Sloane would probably get to #1 if the WTA was limited to North America.

PCB wins by a nose, 76 in the third

I dig Mr Busta!

PCB survived a massive choke! He had 6-4 5-4 40-15 and blew that service game, then Anderson won the rest of the games of the second set. Both had chances in the third. Anderson choked in the tiebreak. It was a chokefest with some good points here and there

[R497] I'm waiting for Sascha's match to start; curious to see if Melo has flown back from Brazil ( Melo actually had something else to do for once!). For a while there, I thought maybe someone from team Zverev had encouraged him to keep a lower profile.

You can see Busta's nose from Mars.

R528, sadly he just posted an Instagram story from Belo Horizonte. He probably had press to do after winning, and as I imagine he will stay to practice for the Davis Cup.

They will probably be separated for 10 days or so...how will they survive, haha...then maybe Marcelo will head to Monte Carlo to practice there before the tournament there begins. (Yes, I think I am getting too invested in this, haha. Oh well)

[R530] Thanks for the update! Yes,how will they survive!? They spend more time together than most couples. (Wish the match would start. Some delay having to do with the lights).

My pleasure, R531, it's great to have someone to discuss them with, haha! And yeah, the flood light delay is annoying.

And yes, they do indeed. I keep trying to think of other tennis couples and how often they watch each other (when the ATP and WTA are in the same place) etc... but can't say I paid enough attention to make a fair comparison.

I was reading this interview from when Ferrero joined Sascha's team and he clearly saw Marcelo as a part of that team...travelling with them because he was "very close to Sascha".

And by "other tennis couples" I just meant tennis couples. My wishful thinking just got the better of me there!

[R532] This wait must be nerve-racking for the players. I know they're used to waiting around, but this delay was unexpected.

Oh, good! It looks like it will be starting soon.

Ferrero is a very good looking man

Zverev vs. Coric is a rare ATP match in which both players have much better backhands than forehands

But with BO and a surly demeanor, (R535}

Isner is also pretty cute. Only noticed in recent interviews

nice...we've got Stephens vs. Ostapenko for the title. The 2 newest slam winners competing for another big title.

Collins has a bad attitude. She's got a decent game but too much yelling "let's go! C'mon!" like Murray. She stormed off the court just now after losing

I wonder if there is any truth to Lendl being Sacha’s new coach. I think Lendl’s discipline would really help Sacha a lot.

Sloane is the new Jennifer Capriati. They can strike anytime anywhere. As OOur Pammy used to say about Capriati. Nobody wants to face them on a good day. But there's a lot of bad days you can catch them.

On one of Serena's recent matches they mentioned that other than Venus , Capriati has the most career wins over Serena. 7. Which is quite a bit vs Serena. I think Henin has 4 or 5. Those were Serena's actual rivals. Both Jennifer and Justine played up against Serena.

Zverev said an interesting thing in one of his post match interviews - that he gained 4 kilograms of weight comparing to the last season and it takes him a while to learn how his body reacts while he plays, that's why his game was a bit off. It is an interseting point, i guess it is hard toz notice additional musce gain because if how tall and naturally lean he is (having said that though his head is still something he needs to work on).

Sasha and Borna are going to be even hotter as they age.

Next Monday

- Top15 debut for little Diego

- Top20 debut for Hyeon Chung

- Top30 debut for Porna Coric

Just wondering.... Did Zverev and Coric shower together after their match?

Isner took the first set of his match against Delpo 6-1. Second set is tight.

This is 4rth or 5th time[at most ] I saw Isner playing so well through out the whole match .Delpo was not 100 Percent but he was not playing bad . Its just Isner totally blew him off the court.

So happy for Isner .

Isner and Vamos Delpo is trending world wide on twitter

Mardy Fish is praising or throwing shade at Isner? I thought they were friends ?

That's not shade. Everyone on tour respects the Big 4 and knows what a huge opportunity this is. Isner himself is only 4-28 against them, so he knows all too well.

I can't stand Isner but he played better today. The big servers are incredibly boring except Ivo who at least plays serve and volley.

nice hug at the net

Isner is playing well but Del Potro was shit in that first set. He didn't serve well at all in either set. In the second set he had a couple games in which he had chances but didn't. He was clearly tired from both the Raonic match and his win streak since Acapulco.

Zverev is the only hope now to save us from Isner. Carreno Busta won't be able to handle that serve.

DelPo didn't look with it today, but that's not to take away from Isner, who played so well.

Zverev is the hope.

PCB handled Anderson's serve pretty well.

Isner played really well. I wouldn't ordinarily root for him except for all the obnoxious Argentinian fans. Not sure who I'm rooting for... Zverev can beat Isner, but Pablo Carreno BigNose is one of the cutest for me.

The hug was nice. Delpo seemed legitimately happy for him. I was an isner fans years ago and am so excited now

R556 Isner has a bigger and more consistent serve than Anderson. Anderson is prone to double faulting and having a lower first serve percentage.

Wow. Zverev really is obnoxious.

I think Isner is cuter than Pablo

Huge Pablo fan here. I sad.

Cute of Sascha telling Pablo "See you in Valencia"...

He played really well today. I'm glad he is back on track!

So while Marcelo couldn't be there in person, he made sure we knew he was still watching. But Sascha won't be likely to appreciate that question, haha

[561] Isner is conventionally (blandly) good looking... regular features etc. But Pablo is striking with his cheekbones and huge green eyes.

Despite PCB's big nose, I also think he's cute.

Who has bigger cock? Isner/PCB/Delpo/Sacha? I fantasize that it’s PCB

I think Isner is cute. Not sure why he's so hated here. He's really never said anything deplorable. I doubt he's anti gay. You bitches just like being cunts.

Pablo is striking for sure r565 but I think Isner is better than bland. and those lanky guys usually are hung

Hey, I said blandly good looking, not just bland! I'll admit he has a boyish charm.

[R564] That is funny. He just had to let us know,is right (lol). It must be killing Marcelo not being there. [R532] There are numerous friendships on the ATP tour, but I've never seen one like Sascha's and Melo's. Kyrgios will sometimes attend Sock's matches(they're good friends);but only occasionally. Because at some point their lives diverge. They each have families and girlfriends who need their attention,too. Not to mention careers.

When I first heard that Sascha and Ferrero were parting ways I did think of Melo. That maybe Juan Carlos viewed him as a distraction; but I guess not if he saw Melo as part of the team from the start.

Did anyone notice Sascha's pink underwear at the Miami Heat game? He was wearing white jeans and quite bit of it was showing,especially when he served some tennis balls into the crowd( his jeans slipped down).

Sascha and Marcelo need to file a restraining order against some of you who are OBSESSED.

Agassi has ended relationship with Djokovic.

There are also rumors that Lendl may become Zverev’s coach.

[R573] Lighten up

[572] is there a link to see that

Isner is a republicunt so there's that. Not sure why you love him so much. Boring game, republicunt, no thanks

R577 please provide proof that he votes or stands behind anything that infringes on your civil rights.

R577 is the equivalent of the righties that NEVER listen to any reason beyond what they wanna believe. BTW. Lefties do it too.

Did Djokovic's strict diet develop into an eating disorder? He is starting to get that big head, tiny body look.

R580 So hot!

Isner has criticised Kaepernick, but about lgbt issues he had this to say last year:

Why thank you r582! Even I am ambivalent about changing the court name for that. Still if memory serves he came down very hard on the anthem kneelers. Called it "pathetic".

Sascha and Lendl, wow. Wouldn't surprise me. It's rare to see a tall guy like Sascha with such good movement and great groundies. He should be a multiple slam winner for sure.

Yep, r583, he sure did.

After Sacha's win last night over PCB, they did a profile of Sacha with his NBA hero. During the interview with Gilbert, Sacha mentioned how he, Kyrgios, Monfils and others sometimes play basketball in the gym. Basketball is such a het sport, typically. We lost Thiem. We lost Agut. I have a gut we're going to lose Sacha as well.

Still he says he supported the cause. Just not kneeling during the anthem. Some of my friends felt that way

Gettyimages isn't working for me for some reason, but there are a couple of photos at this twitter link R576.

R573, start worrying if anything discussed is not shared by them or readily available on social media! Till then, I think we are still on the sane side, haha!

R571, that is a good point about Ferrero. Perhaps the split really had nothing to do with Melo. And yes, I think he would have loved to still be in Miami, but duty calls. I agree though that I have never seen a tennis player so consistently present at another's matches.

R587, it's possible, but I just think being that tall means basketball is an obvious choice. I like that he doesn't fit a stereotype really. Did you see him carrying Loevik like a baby to his press conference yesterday? Not really the straightest of moves...but again, means absolutely nothing in isolation.

In case you missed it

[R576] Sascha at Miami Heat game.

Can we go back and talk about PCB's nose?

[R589] I hadn't seen that! Lövik is part of the family.

PCB is very cute. I like his nose. It not the size,but the shape of the nose that counts.

What’s wrong with his nose?

I love PCB's blade of a nose. It is very aristocratic looking. He is adorable. Isner does have a cute face, but that's it.

Isner won't make our top 10 for sure, but would any of really object to having him as our next door neighbor who always walks around shirtless, often washing his car?

Inner thinks that Tennys Sandgren is a good dude. Enough said.

PCB fur, yum

PCB looks like a beaver in that picture.

Isner would be better looking if wasn't so freakishly tall.

You guys have to understand that not all republicunts are homophobic. That doesn't mean they're great people though. Vandeweghe had JMG as her coach and has played doubles with Barty this week. She's still a proud Trump voter.

If you vote for most repub politicians, you're endorsing policies that are anti-gay, anti-minority, xenophobic, pro-religious nut jobs etc.