The Gays and Tennis part 25

lmao after the first set Sloane's coach told her to "secure the bag" I never thought I'd hear that on a tennis court but love it!

R1, I thought the same thing — a great moment!

Where is the link to the previous thread, OP?

R4 here

Responding to something from the old thread:

[quote] 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?

No, we would not. And he probably is in my top ten for tennis players at least.

It's interesting-Ostapenko has a very flat forehand but doesn't like hitting balls that bounce up high on that side. Now I'm far from a pro (I'm about 4.5 level-wise) but I also have a flat forehand. I like hitting shoulder-height balls on that side though and find it to be pretty easy. Not sure why Ostapenko can't handle those.

wow Sloane wins and is now a perfect 6-0 in finals.

She also has now won at least 1 title every year since 2015.

2015: DC

2016: Auckland, Acapulco, Charleston

2017: USO

2018: Miami +...

the next challenge for Sloane is to see if she can keep momentum going for a change. She has lost her next match after winning her first 5 titles, sometimes more than 1 match (like her 8 match losing streak after the USO). I hope she doesn't pull out of Charleston and gets at least 1 win there.

Sloane doesn't buckle under pressure

James Blake has done a great job as tournament director. I loved the moment he had for the Parkland students too

I love James too.

He dumped on Woz though. Said nobody at the tournament heard any of the abuse she said she suffered from in her match with Puig.

Have we discussed the Djoko-Agassi split?

I still think Djokovic needs to gain more weight. They say he gained 10 pounds between when we last saw him in 2017 and January 2018 but it doesn't show much. He needs to get physically stronger. I think in the last several years, his body became seen as THE body that male tennis players should strive for which is a mistake.

Agassi was never that skinny. He was average for the first half of his career and then very fit in the second half. His trainer was also used by Verdasco when Verdasco reached that AO SF and hit the top 10 in 2009 and 2010.

I can see Djokovic and Agassi disagreeing on a lot. Agassi was a lot more proactive in points while Djokovic is a grinder.

We have talked about Zverev possibly linking up with Lendl but has anyone noticed he has hired Murray's old trainer? I think that's a step in the right direction too. Now, Brad Gilbert is overlooked a lot but he deserves credit for getting Murray into lifting weights. Then Murray hired that trainer who took him to a new level of fitness several years ago. Zverev would do well to follow that example.

I don't think this will end well.

Ole Ole Ole Ole Ole DelPo

Love Sloane. Congrats to her!

Charleston and Monterrey main draws are out.

Muguruza really has no excuse not to win Monterrey.

The Charleston field has a lot of the younger top players. Ostapenko withdrew and not is defending her finalist points.

Those Bryan brothers can double team me anytime. Are they as straight laced as they seem?

^ yes, both married to Barbies

Djokovic never seemed particularly mentally stable in general (not referring to game mentality) and seems to have gotten more fringe-y as time has gone on. But it's quiet kind of crazy that you just see the edges of...

From the last thread: PCB's honker doesn't bother me in the least. It suits his face Isner is kinda like a all-American fratboy fantasy - not my thing but nothing most people would kick out of bed.

"Republicunts" coarsens the discourse, but I'll add anti-poor, anti-education, anti-science, anti-gun regulation, regulation-hypocrites to the list. I mean, that's just factual. Never has a party been so wrong on so much. Anyone voting for them, including sports people are either misguided or malevolent.

Isner quibbles about how football players protest racism while James Blake is tackled by police in a hotel lobby.

I really do hear you R22, but as a black man, I don't think being against the mode of protest is so bad necessarily, if you are least acknowledging the reasons why the protests exist as in the first place. I think it's a notable distinction.

I do NOT agree that kneeling during the anthem is wrong, I myself refused to say the anthem on principle often enough in school and got in trouble for it. But I understand how it can offend some people's sense of patriotism. I just don't think that comes close to trumping our right to protest. I think the real problem are people who were attacking the both the kneeling the BLM & assorted causes directly. Isner explicitly says that is not what he is trying to do

Thanks for the pics, Zverev doesnt seem to mind sgowing his pink undies!

Sloane is a very nice young lady. She definitely has a very Madison Ave appeal. She's very pretty.

Nole!

Which NextGen players do we think might be gay?

I really would have guessed Taylor Fritz had he not become a daddy. He pinged to me when I first saw him interviewed.

Happy for Sloane but I kind of started to like Ostapenko, not sure why? Can someone tell me why I like her?

lol they both were choking in the tiebreak. Zverev was able to close. It is a bit windy. Zverev still isn't playing his best. Isner's backhand is such an ugly shot. He stiff arms it the way Roddick and a lot of other forehand-dominant players do.

Isner is a fucking idiot. He deserves to lose.

I am surprised Isner puts so much out there via Twitter...I hate his game but he just broke Zverev. I can't believe he is gassed mid 2nd set. He had a day off. I hope he loses.

This match is crazy. Two amazing points in a row

Zverev lost his focus at the end of the 2nd. I think he thought it was automatic he'd win since he took the first. He really botched his serving game at 4-4.

He was generally serving well this set R34. That was his only point of consistently bad service this match. I agree he came into the second set a little too cocky

Last few points of the 2nd were unreal!

Where's Marcelo? The stalkers have gone quiet.

Hope Zverev wins.

Rooting for Isner. Second game of the third set was his best service all match

Zverev has played him before and won so he should know not to leave loopy, hanging balls to Isner's forehand. Pound his backhand and make him run. Don't hit to his forehand when he can just set up and swing away.

And Isner botches two easy points yet again. He’s an idiot.

Intense deuce

How did Isner "botch easy points"? One of the times he hit it out there review showed the ball less than a finger width away from the line

He didn’t need to hit it that close to the line to win the point.

Zverev is hitting all his backhands cross court. When your opponent is trying to hit forehands from the backhand side like Isner is, that leaves open the down-the-line backhand which Zverev normally loves. Maybe he just doesn't like wind. Still, he's playing stupidly right now

Three break points for Isner! Three lost points for Isner!

HUGE third set

Correction - It was four lost break points for Isner. He gets stupid when it matters.

I want Zverev to win so he can thank Marcelo in his speech

Isner can rely on his serve to get him out of trouble when he needs it

too many sprayed forehands from Zverev. His movement is his most impressive attribute today. His tactics and consistency aren't there.

Credit to Isner for getting the break. For once, he kept his cool.

again terrible play from Zverev. He keeps hoping Isner is going to miss instead of forcing the issue. Then Zverev misses. I don't get his game plan today

Isner with the crucial break!!! Serving for match!

Really, Zverev deserves to be criticized and made fun of for the way he played this match. He basically played right into Isner's hands.

Isner winning a masters is a new low for the ATP. Without the top 4, this has happened as the younger guys haven't elevated their games enough.

The Racist Isner won

Even Sock has a more respectable game than Isner. All the people bashing the WTA can eat crow now. Isner winning such a big title is a hilarious joke.

Zvereva deserved to lose. To play like a pusher against Isner? To refuse to hit backhands down the line?

WOOOO Go Team America!! I thought it was a great match. Zverev's only weak point was his serve as I saw it he played well. Isner was serving near his peak and had some insane forehands.

He signed the camera he "He is risen" I love it but I know it will cause some criticism

R59 you didn't pay attention then. Zverev had too many errors, didn't hit hardly any down-the-line backhands even when the space was open and tried to counter punch against Isner. Way too many shots in Isner's strike zone so he could just flatten forehands. Sure there were some great points but mostly this match was poorly played on Zverev's part. If his coach told him to play this way, he should be fired immediately

R60 yes Isner isi a typical republicunt nutjob. You're cheering for someone who votes against the rights and interests of everyone who's not white, male, heterosexual, rich and xtian

Zverev had faults but they didn't seem excessive to me. It's not like I was expecting Federer level play. I agree he wasn't being aggressive enough but I'd hardly call his performance poor.

tennis twitter, this thread and the boards melt down every time Isner wins

R56, I don’t think Isner is racist. I think he’s simple minded and unsophisticated about the world. He tries to have it all ways and he can’t. Congrats to him for winning.

Ultimately, smarter, better human beings have had bigger careers. And those people will continue to be the legendary representatives of tennis.

I'm a black Christian, I don't think saying "He is Risen" makes you a nutjob and I don't think Isner is racist. I don't agree with his politics but I don't agree with the politics of some of my closest friends, I definitely can tolerate my favorite tennis players having different views lol

R65 true but it's a real shame someone like Isner has now won a masters and then you have intelligent, liberal James Blake who never did. Blake did reach a slam sf once but his titles were all medium and small.

He's a white guy from Georgia who's main hobbies are fishing and sports. Can you really be surprised about his political opinions?

Winning tournaments is about mastery of the sport not rewarding people for being liberal. I love Blake and would cheer for him just as hard but Isner (and Zverev) have played amazingly and Isner earned this win. This was serving at Big 4 levels

Serena thanked Jehovah after wining majors

Isner said James hosted him for months when he moved to Florida. Clearly he doesn't share the views of some here that Isner is awful because of his republican views

Actually Blake never got to slam semi. Played a couple great great quarters at usopen but never won them.

Tennis is NOW DEAD according to twitter. Isner murdered the sport.

Yes. As we’ve noted, Isner detests football players for protest the unfair treatment of black men by police even though his gracious host, James Blake, was tackled and roughed up by police for walking down the street while being half-black.

Reporting back for Marcelo watch duty: Maybe Marcelo needed to be there...stupid Davis Cup practice (and his award) getting in the way, haha...and yes, I was hoping for a Marcelo mention if he had won...but it may not have happened with Marcelo not actually sitting there.

Seriously though, Sascha played alright...not as well as the past couple of matches, but still a lot better than even the first match in Miami.

I liked their speeches, and I am sure Sascha will get over this. He has taken a little pressure off himself with this tournament at least.

Isner said Sascha had "the most amazing team" that keeps in the right place. Did he mean Marcelo?

I dislike Isner mainly because I hate his game. I hate a serverbot, but give Isner a bit of credit because he had some nice winners. The fact that Isner is a vocal Trump supporter and Republicunt just adds to my penchant to root against him.

I don;t like Isner's game style or any servebots but he played the more aggressive game and Sascha preferred too often to wait for Isner's mistakes.

Isner has maybe the best serve of all time. And Nadal for instance has been highly complimentary of him in the past saying John should've been ranked higher and won more. But his return is atrocious and that's what's held him back.

Isner deserved to win. Sascha was pushing the ball in the 3rd, as others have said, and afraid to take the BH down the line. WTF? He waited for Isner to melt, and Isner didn't.

wow first time since 2001 when no Europeans won IW or Miami

Disappointed in the result, but Isner definitely deserved the win. Sports talent and looks and being a wonderful person don't always go hand-in-hand (coughFederercough) but it's fun to cheer against non-wonderful people, just as it's fun to cheer for cute and/or deserving people.

I don't mind servebots, there is beauty in a perfect unreturnable serve. And in being able to hit it consistently. Venus used to be my favorite player.

And I re:isner I would just add that he showed way more nuance and understanding of the people kneeling, even though he thought it was wrong, than any of you are showing towards him being a republican. Never a good look to say anyone without my world view and opinions is completely awful, whether it comes from priests, deplorables, or even democrats. Learn to disagree in peace

“Any of you”? Oh please, R84. You’re generalizing in the same way you’re wrongly accusing everyone else of generalizing.

PS - Didn’t Isner tweet “Pathetic” in response to the football protests? Hardly graceful disagreement. Sure, he tried to clean it up after that. Bravo to him.

Isner is trash. Not sure why a couple posters on here like him.

back to tennis, queens

He said the kneeling was pathetic. He said at the time that he understood their message. He just didn't like kneeling during the anthem. I don't even agree that kneeling during the anthem is wrong. I just don't think feeling that way means your a bad person. If he actually spoke out against Black Lives Matter I would agree that's a sign of poor morals

James Blake must be very happy because all four titles in this year Miami Open went to Americans

WTA singles: Sloane Stephens

ATP doubles: Bryan twins

ATP singles: John Isner

WTA doubles DL favorite Coco W

also lot of Latin American players like r Juan and Monika Puig also did very will . So it must result in very good stadium attendance and local TV rating despite Roger Federer early loss

Americans have been having a good 12 months really. We're 3 out of 4 semifinalists at the US Open American women?

R90 four out four Madison Venus, Sloane Coco

three consecutive first-time Masters 1000 champions:

Paris - Sock

Indian Wells - Del Potro

Miami - Isner

first time this has happened since 2003:

Hamburg - Coria

Rome - Mantilla

Canada - Roddick

Yeah, good for James. So what's the buzz on the new venue? Obviously they couldn't even keep the lights on in this one.

James got a lot of good press for this tournament

The tournament will move from a scenic island and facilities that were aging to what is basically a parking lot beside a freeway. Center Court will be half of the Dolphins' stadium with much of it curtained off.

That doesn't sound so great R95. Can't keep up with Larry Ellison I suppose.

It's time for the Miami Open to say goodbye to this.

New ATP Top 10

1. Nadal

2. Federer

3. Cilic

4. Zverev

5. Dimitrov

6. Del Potro

7. Thiem

8. Anderson

9. Isner

10. Goffin

Here's Cindy Shmerler's Times article on the move. Did the Times fire Ben, by the way?

(Cindy should be a DL Villain - her commentary is awful and super repetitive always telling the same 6 stories but her reporting is fine).

Dimitrov has been such a fucking flop for the first quarter of this year. He won Cincinnati and the WTF last year but has gone back to his sucky, flop ways.

defending Sandgren as "a good dude"

I don't like Isner's politics but that BadToss woman is almost stalker-like in her obsession with Isner. I mean honey get a life and take a walk.

she's just showing his "good southern guy" image is a mask. He supports bigoted corrupt pieces of shit so what does that make him?

Isner used to like O'Reilly before he got fired from Fox "News" too.

He's a republican. He's never tried to mask that.

Tens of millions of people are republicans. Many good people in that bunch. Teacher that made the biggest impact in my life as a young black boy was a white republican. My boss, who is well aware I'm gay is a republican. It's not rational to just decide all of them are worth hating for that alone.

fine so you can continue loving them despite the fact that they're voting against the interests of those are not white, male, heterosexual, rich or xtian. There's also a difference between never-Trumpers and deplorables. Isner may have said he doesn't agree with everything about Trump, but he supports him enough on certain issues. He's trash

and he loves Fox "News" aka a propaganda conspiracy bigoted network. Makes him trashier

Can we go back to the wacky Marcelo/Sascha fan-fic? Anything is better than picking apart Isner's politics.

Seriously, R111!

Marcelo does not seem very enthusiastic about this interviewer wanting to find him a girl, haha.

Frum wasn't "owned" by Scaramucci on Mahr.

Anyway, regardless of his politics, Isner is not a real threat to win big titles. Miami will not be the norm.

I lost interest after petulant, entitled, obnoxious Zverev beat Coric and PCB, and bland, brain-dead Isner beat Chung.

Those referring to the Big Four are living in a time warp. Djokovic is over, Federer has peaked and is too tired for clay, and Murray and Nadal are too injury-prone and dilapidated to be reliable any more.

I really grew up on Big 4 Tennis but happy for a new more competitive era. I enjoy going into tournaments not knowing who makes it into the finals.

The Big 4 are over, it is about time. I have loved their rivalries, matches throughout the years, but, unfortunately, it is over. Time is a bitch.

[quote]fine so you can continue loving them despite the fact that they're voting against the interests of those are not white, male, heterosexual, rich or xtian. There's also a difference between never-Trumpers and deplorables. Isner may have said he doesn't agree with everything about Trump, but he supports him enough on certain issues. He's trash

This sentiment is why I rarely read/post at DL anymore. Or Twitter and Facebook, for that matter. It's been an increasingly popular opinion, especially since the Trump win.

I don't believe that all republicans are racist, sexist, anti-poor, etc. Once upon a time, we recognized the other political party as people who cared about fellow Americans but had different beliefs on the best solutions and fixes to improve people's lives. But we've now reached a point where political parties have to demonize their opponents. It's not enough to say that someone has a different path that they believe in, we now have to tear down those people, call them evil, or accuse them of being sub-human.

If that is truly the way you feel about opposing political parties, we've reached the point of no return. For instance: I can have a rational debate with someone who suggests that affirmative action isn't the best policy for African Americans to improve their position in the world; I can't have a rational debate with a racist who believes all African Americans are lesser as people based on the color of their skin. I see a distinction between those two things, but increasingly many are unable to. It's now common to see/hear Republicans = Racists. Once you've taken that position, there's no longer common ground to work through the issues. We will be unable to progress as a country or a people.

Am I off-topic? Maybe, a little. But not entirely, when I've read posts about not knowing whether you can root for a player until you know their political views or voting records.

Dl missed out on doubles legend Ken Flach dying of pneumonia two weeks ago, part of dl's main generation, 54 or so; couldn't post then after clearing cookies.

R117, you should block that poster. I also have no time for tiresome, repetitive, OCD, name-calling, juvenile unhinged political rants anymore. But please stick around because without at least some sane people, this place really will die, and that would be a shame.

Back to tennis: ITA Isner is not a threat to win many majors, if any. Sascha could be.

Agreed R119 Isner was playing at his peak, I have watched him for years. Sascha was playing about average for him, maybe a little worse in the third set.

Sascha is cute and has great hair. If he gained a little muscle he would be a stunner

Sasha has a delicious well groomed treasure trail and I love his flowing blond locks. He played like shit though. No winners, his whole strategy was to wait out Isner. It didn't work. He needs better coaching or more belief in his game.

I genuinely believe Sasha's serve was fantastic nearly the whole match. It was only hard to notice because Isner's was up there with the best of all time.

But against any other opponent his serve would have seemed superb.

There is such a void at the top right now. As R116 pointed out, the Big 4 aren't really a factor heading into the clay season, at least not right at the moment. Nadal could always have a resurgence during the clay season. Nadal will definitely need a resurgence as he has a ton of points to defend. Federer was looking really off in Miami. Djokovic is having heaps of problems. Murray is injured and maybe out for quite a long time, and who knows about his future.

Despite this opening at the top, no one can seem to take advantage of it. The ATP is starting to remind me of the WTA. Zverev really had a chance to win another Masters 1000, but he loses to Isner? Del Potro was playing well, but he is so fragile. Remember last year at the US Open when he was beating Nadal, won the first set, and then his play dropped dramatically and Nadal swept the next 3 sets?

Maybe regardless of the gender of the tour, we're stuck with the Era of Mental Midgets. When no one can step up and fill the void of The Big 4 or Serena, it makes tennis a bit boring. I hope someone on either tour suddenly starts showing some mental toughness from week to week.

[R121] He has a really nice bone structure and I believe he will get even more good looking as his features start looking a bit more mature and he leaves teenage acne behind. He works on muscle gain but he mentioned he can only do that in off season, so it will take him a couple of years to make a visible difference.

I go back and forth on Sasha's face but it's indisputable that he has a lovely rippled torso.

R122 thanks for the interview. The most notable thing was not Marcello's lack of interest in finding a girl but when asked to choose one words to describe himself he chose... LONG. Haha, I was tempted to speculate about that when considering what Sasha might see in him but he actually looks pretty cute and is very engaging in the interview.

You're welcome, R125.

Yes, that was amusing and could play a role, haha! But, I agree, he seems fun and he is cute for sure, so I get why Sascha would enjoy his company/friendship...

Agree Melo is adorable. And he has great taste in music.

Did not realize Zverev is only 20. And he has won 2 Masters titles! I think he will be playing at Big 4 level by his late 20s. This is astounding potential.

Anyone here knows if Romeo Beckham is training to be a professional tennis player? By the amount of tags on tennis gear photos I assume he's already sponsored by Wilson & Adidas (not a surprise given his father connection with the brand), but he also hits from time to time with top players like Wozniacki or Dimitrov. Wonder if it's just a case or privileged kid who's interested in sport or is one of Beckhams' kids actually willing to do some work?

We will know if Romeo is serious if he starts putting in summers at training camps.

How tall is Romeo?

If Nadal is healthy for the clay season, he should clean up. JMDP is the only one I could see beating a healthy Nadal at the French, and I don't think he has the stamina to last that long on clay. Being healthy is a big IF for Nadal, though.

Djokovic is really the biggest unknown. He said that he is finally physically healthy, but his matches at IW and Miami were terrible. There has to be some gossip about Agassi and what the hell happened there.

Is Nole still with Pepe Imaz?

[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.]

great...DL now has Isner apologists and fans. Again, Zverev played like shit with a stupid strategy and too many errors. Isner would have lost otherwise.

Zverev wasn't playing much below his average this season. Sorry if the facts annoy you R135. His serve was actually better

R156 it's more than the serve. If you watched how Zverev played once the point started, you'd know he played like shit. Forehand breaking down, even a missed overhead, only crosscourt backhands...Isner was able to predict where most of his shots were going. When you're playing a slow player and you don't try to make him/her move as much as possible, you're doing something wrong. Never let a big hitter just stand there and hit his/her favorite shot.

Sascha himself said he made too many errors

That's a far cry from "playing like shit". Statiscally he was playing a little below his YTD average on Service and Return games won, he lost only two break points in the match. He defended a huge number of break points. Was only broken twice in the whole match. Was moving well. His only real weak spot was that he wasn't playing aggressively enough.

I agree with you, R139, just sharing his perspective.

get that dick, Venus!

Venus and Serena like tall, broad shouldered white guys. huh

Yeah that Melo dick must be huge. Well, long, at least.

Watching this again: It's funny how Marcelo jokingly asks Sascha how he managed to win in Montreal without him there!

The way Sascha is really sarcastic about their friendship here and where Melo was "coaching" him but keeps naming Marcelo as his best friend on tour (with Domi) makes me think he actually is very attached. I am glad Marcelo seems to get that though, because it seems almost too much in this video.

And yes, happy to serve this thread with more Sascha/Marcelo "fan fiction" as you can see, haha!

R142 I'm not sure about Venus, but Serena has dated several men who don't fit that group including Common, Drake, Stoudemire, etc. There's even Brett Ratner who is short, fat, and ugly (that was definitely a low point for her).

Sloane is only one black American player to date a black guy. Serena, Madison, Venus and Sashia Vickery all have white boyfriends or husbands. Venus only dates white guys.

Who is Sloane's bf?

Jozy Altidore.

Didn't Sloan used to date Jack Sock?

yes several years ago they dated. An odd pairing as he's very ugly and fat for an athlete.

Sloane pulled out of Charleston and is in Toronto now with her bf (he plays soccer there). She is scheduled to play in Stuttgart though.

Jack and Sloane did it raw according to an interview she gave to Elle or Seventeen or something.

^ well that's revealing

I think Venus' guy is cuter than Alex Ohanian and Alex is pretty cute

Venus’ boyfriend comes from money...some big publishing family.

^^^and looks like he can fuck for hours

Taylor Townsend def. Heather Watson 6-3 6-4 in Charleston!

Sara Errani downs Genie Bouchard 6-4 6-4

I love watching Errani play

I love watching Bouchard lose

Sascha back to making fun of Marcelo on his latest instagram post!

Yeah, that's a DL pastime R160!

Jack Sock's got a fat cock, though, I hear

Jack Sock got everything fat

R163, Too bad it is being wasted fucking a woman's pussy

If Muguruza doesn’t win Monterrey with that draw...

Novak Djokovic announces that he has also split with coach Radek Stepanek after just four months.

I mean he needed to do something to shake things up

Jelena Djokovic is destroying Novak 's career

BTW enjoy Lucas butt

WTF is going on with Djokovic? There must be some rumors out there. Almost two years ago, he was #1 by a huge margin and holding all four slams.

Melo reminds me of that guy who own that military gay porn.

Mats Wilander was never the same after winning 3 slams in 1988. He never even reached another slam final. Sometimes they're just burnt out mentally.

R172, that's a good comparison. Djokovic's troubles are giving me a bit of a Wilander vibe. Wilander was never the same after his amazing 3-Slam 1988 season. I thought he'd be fighting for #1 for the next 2-3 years, but instead he mentally checked out of the game. Wilander's mental toughness was part of what made him great, so when he lost that, he was done.

Djokovic was so mentally strong for most of the years between 2011-2016. But after winning Roland Garros, it has been surprising to see his lapses. I know he's struggled with injuries, but he's lacking something mentally, too.

Novak has an eating disorder.

I'm really starting to wonder about Novak having a food issue, too, R174. The gluten-free is one thing, but then that oxygen tank thing... then the guru... I don't know, it just adds up to a guy who is striving for perfection and got totally burned out. Especially after having children. It's remarkable what Federer has done since having children. Andy and Novak just haven't been the same since they started families.

What about twink daddy Taylor Fritz though R175? I have to imagine his best tennis is still well in front of him. And he seems hungry

R175 Djokovic's first kid was born on Oct 2014. He has his best year ever in 2015 and won the first two slams of 2016.

Murray's first kid was born on Feb 2016. He went on to have his best year ever in 2016.

I don't think it's the children unless you think that a young baby had a positive effect but a toddler had a negative effect. Both of them have wives and nannies (probably), so it's not like they are the primary caregivers who are exhausted with child care.

[quote] I don't think it's the children unless you think that a young baby had a positive effect but a toddler had a negative effect.

I'm not r175 but that idea isn't preposterous on it's face. There aren't that many ways a grown man can interact with a young infant. That's much less true for a toddler, who you can play and communicate with.

Toddlers are really distracting.

I thought Wilander’s precipitous fall from grace had a a lot to do with his (ab)use of marching powder?

[quote] Taylor Townsend def. Heather Watson 6-3 6-4 in Charleston

Taylor Townsend will be massive in 2018.

^ well that was an earthquake!

Davis Cup quarterfinals start tomorrow!

There has not been even little improvement in maturity in Petra's game. She is still as volatile as she was in 2010

anyone saw her yesterday t match against Pliskova?

Does John Isner have a foot long wiener?

More like a Vienna sausage

Marcelo taking photos of sleeping, half naked teammates dreaming of him? (To be fair he could mean Real Madrid's Marcelo)

Day 1 DAVIS CUP

Seppi-Pouille

Fognini-Chardy

___

Ferrer-Zverev

Nadal-Kohlschreiber

____

Cilic-Popko

Coric-Kukushkin

___

Isner-De Loore

Querrey-Bemelmans

I think Isner is packing heat, the tall thin ones usually are

so miraculously Nadal is finally healthy! just in time for the clay season!

Some of the pools in Group III taking place this week sound epic

Cyprus (without Baghdatis)-Monaco-San Marino-Andorra

Tomorrow there will be the big fight between Andorra and San Marino

Kuwait-Qatar-Jordan-Syria-Saudi Arabia

Stop trying to make Isner happen around here, r189. Ain’t nobody buying that shit, that’s for sure.

Looks like tennis channel is covering the boring US Davis Cup live and leaving Germany/Spain to late night. No other matches:(. Would love to see the France/Italian tie. Anyone know where I might be able to see that one?

Wow Belgium is really sending their best, aren't they? LOL USA should thank Grigor for taking out Goffin.

Has there ever been a motlier US Davis Cup team?

this is the deplorable roundup of the US DC team

ugh

Cornet def Garcia 57 61 64

Seriously Cornet is one of the ugliest gals on the tour. She has a nasty personality to go with it.

Jim C is short sighted , since Belgium squad is depleted w/o David and Steve, Jim should have included second rung young American tennis players and give them good Davis cup experience like this at big stage [Qf] for future Davis cup ties . Tiafore, Taylor Fritz Macdonald and Mimoh could have hugely benefited from this .

But Jim is lazy . Have you seen him during David cup matches? He always wear full suit and tie like he is doing commentary and not coaching/ captaincy . Even commentators do not t overdress hat much.

Have you seen any David cup caption overdressed that much? They wear same uniform as their players

Zverev easily beats Ferrer

Pouille beats Seppi in 5 sets. Italy still in play though. Fognini can beat both Pouille and Chardy or lose heavily to both of them, depending on his mood.

Was it a kiss of the cheek at 44 second?

[quote]Jim should have included second rang young American tennis players and give them good Davis cup experience

He could have asked Tennys Sandgren, since they're playing in Tennessee and all 😉

Nadal destroys Kohlschreiber...his injury must be all healed!

In Charleston, Goerges upsets defending champ Kasatkina. Yesterday she beat Osaka too. Goerges is like a lesser version of Ivanovic

Could be, R201. Though I am German and watched the match, I don't quite recognize who that is, haha!

[quote]Seriously Cornet is one of the ugliest gals on the tour

The faces she makes always crack me up

Coric loses in 4 sets to fast court specialist Kukushkin on clay...

Grigor

oops

Sir Robert Farah from Colombia

[quote]Coric loses in 4 sets to fast court specialist Kukushkin on clay...

Borna was not happy..

Wow clearly Rafa's chronic injuries have disappeared. Must've gotten a fresh TUE before playing.

Borna is so hot.

“Were Raonic and Rothenberg separated at birth?“

Because they’re both colossally annoying, or...?

Isner hit 81 winners in 4 sets (!). He's coming for Wimbledon ...

Did he manage to lose a set?!

R215 lol he struggled to beat a no name indoors

Isner himself has said he plays better on hard court than grass

Do we have an Isner troll now?

Houston and Marrakesh draws are out...I wonder why Coric isn't defending his title from last year

Croatia and France won the doubles today

Spain and Germany are in the 5th set of the double

Puetz/Struff beat Lopez/Lopez 63 64 36 67 75

On 3-4 in the 5th, Puetz was serving and Germany faced something like 5 break points.

Btw, who is Puetz?

30 years old, best ranking 115 acccording to ATP website

115 best ranking in double. In Singles he never went higher than 163

Please, not another dominant Rafa clay season! But I bet that's exactly what we get. Boring.

I’m afraid that’s exactly what it’s going to be, r225. This year will in all likelihood see his undécima at RG, and the thought horrifies me.

In Monterrey it will be Muguruza vs. Babos for the title tomorrow..Garbine is 4-0 against her but Babos tends to excel in small tournaments

Charleston was rained out today. Goerges and Sevastova had to stop at 4-4 in the first set

Nando nearly naked in Miami

Nadal-Zverev 61 64 64

France beat Italy

R230 what else is new?

Who is the Spanish team's hot daddy coach?

R232 Sergi Bruguera

Kohlscreiber useless as always

Ferrer takes the third set 76

Granpa Ferru will die on court today

Kiki choker Bertens collapse is ALMOST complete

so Nadal just comes out firing right away after his time off. Doesn't drop a set against Kohlschreiber or Zverev

Ferrer breaks. After two big mistakes by Kohlschreiber

GrandPa wins

I wanted Germany to win, but I must admit, this was very cute

Kohlschreiber predictably chokes against Ferrer

Keys out-chokes Bertens

And David Ferrer was playing in his hometown!

I think pro tennis is in serious trouble after the Big Four and Serena retire for good. Zverev going down so easily to Nadal, Federer grabbing more Slams at 35 y/o, all with Djokovic and Murray out. No young gun can rise to the challenge? Keys and Bertens choke-fest in Charleston, Halep at #1 for so long without a Slam (not new on the WTA, I know). Where the stars of the future? They all only seem capable of winning some minor tournaments here and there. I'm not going to watch these choke artists. I expect viewership will go down. Currently it's not looking like pro tennis has a very bright future.

Goerges def. Sevastova. In a few hours it'll be Goerges vs. Bertens for the title in Charleston

R243 - I think even if the Next Gen manages to meet some of the expectations they won't be able to attract so many spectators. Talents as Nadal, Federer and Djokovic won't happen in each generation. The same will probably happen to Barcelona and Real Madrid following once Messi and Ronaldo are retired. People are so invested in them because they see them as GOATs, this attracts people to the screens and to the tournaments - they are not interested as much in tennis as in seeing the greatest of all time. I think that a lot of people who follow Federer were Federer fans first rather than tennis fans.

Rafa grabbed my ass #Metoo

Here is better picture of my harresment

Welcome to the club, Daveed

The GIF of Rafa and Davide hugging got me moist.

Rafa looks like he is promising him a reward! And is David mumbling into his shoulder or kissing it?

Argentina (without Del Potro) def Chile

Colombia def Brazil

India (Paes-Bopanna played together) def China

Uzbekistan def Pakistan

Czech def Israel

Sweden def Portugal

Bosnia def Slovakia

Austria (without Thiem. Jurgen Melzer played the decisive single match) def Russia (with Rublev and Medvedev)

These winners will face those who lost in first round of World Group in the play offs

Bertens destroys Goerges 6-2 6-1 to win her 5th and biggest title in Charleston. Her 4 previous were smaller red clay titles. Keys really blew a chance at a big title today.

Just saw Chris Evert's name is on the arena the US are playing Davis Cup in Nashville. In Charleston - which used to be The Family Circle Cup until it became the Volvo Car Open - she won 8 titles and the centre court is named after Billie Jean King???? The clubhouse court is named after Big Lez Althea Gibson??? Later this year the US Open a statue will be erected for Gibson. Chrissie gets no love from the USTA.

Muguruza finally wins another title...she defeated Babos in 3 sets. It's her 6th title overall but only her second small title.

Well done to Bertens and Garbine.

And sad for Germany, but Spain dserved it.

Glad Croatia pulled through.

You should see what I did to Rafa's ass.

Marrakesh qualification rounds

De Minaur loses to Alexey Vatutin

Noah Rubin loses to Arnaboldi

Paire is playing dressed like this

Is it cold in Morocco?

John Isner is so strong and pectacular.

[quote]Paire is playing dressed like this. Is it cold in Morocco?

I think it is pretty chilly but he took off his pants later on

That's a strong beard at R259

lol Paire was broken 7 times and Simon 5 times in their nutty match. It ended fittingly with a third set tibreak

and the tie break was 5-1 for Paire and ended up 7-5 for Simon

Jesus Christ !

Did Paire racquet survive ?

So this Italian player is on court in Morocco right now, atm losing against known heterosexualist Reeshie Gasquet. Something about his stache made me sit up and sift through his Instagram ;) His second ever posted pic there is a topless shot of Wentworth Miller, posted in March 2013. According to Wikipedia, Miller officially came out in August 2013, but was he widely rumoured to be gay before that?

Yes R264

On the 4-1 in the tie break Simon got a code violation and penalty point. Since then Simon won all points

Umpire said Simon shouted some obscenity. Simon said he just shouted "4 lines" referring to Paire's balls hitting all lines.

Rejoice deplorables! Your icon Sandgren moves to the next round!

R267 and beating Kavcic....in the video below Kavcic at his peak...you can almost see everything at one point

I think Sascha misses Marcelo and has to resort to insulting his fashion sense to get his attention, haha

R14 My husband & I agree with you - Novak needs to gain his weight back. R247 TY!

Chrissie has had way too many dicks in her. If we put her name on a stadium, people might mistake it for a whorehouse.

Haha, I just saw Isner's comment on this old Sascha photo (hearteyes, lip-licking and kiss emojis). I am not a fan but that is cute/funny.

DAMN Sascha looks good in that picture. Wow. And Isner always has a good sense of humor

R258 Pectacular? Even Isner has expressed dissatisfaction with his chest - he said that it's not advantageous for tennis players to build up their chests and after he retired he'd work on it.

What's going on with Zverev's hair there? Heh, the brim of his hat can't contain it?

I think that is fur on top of the hat r274.

Isner's chest looks good at R6 I think but I prefer his arms. And the face of course

Calvin Hemery qho defeated Robredo in Marrakesh qualifying today is a good-looking guy. He's probably the only vegan on tour too

He has all sorts of attributes...

He can attribute me anytime

Djokovic spotted with Marian Vajda in Monte Carlo... hmmm....

R277 and R278 lol

he's starting to play better this year as he also qualified for and won a round in Miami.

Wonder who the photographer is, and what happened next...

And the dark briefs situation.

That idolatry of Fed is why so many players seem to fold against him. But yes, that ass is amazing

Oh and there is a certain Alex in the equation.

Damn if Sasha turns out to be straight it will be a bigger disappointment than another Nadal clay season.

Yes, R285, I agree, haha! I am very invested in this now.

I really don't get gay vibes from Zverev.

Neither do I unfortunately R287

I don't know. I sometimes do and sometimes not at all. Maybe bi? I think he has a certain gentleness with other players sometimes...but that is no real indication. I think without him and Marcelo being so attached at the hip, I would not really consider him being gay as a realistic option.

On that note, I wonder if Marcelo will make fun of his "blanket skirt" today to get revenge for Sascha's "fashion advice" for him yesterday.

R287 R288 - neither do I. But hey, I'm rooting for it anyway! Heh thanks to the Sascha/Melo posters.

At the very least, he's not defensive about his male friendships being misinterpreted, and that's a plus in my book.

I also always loved that Sascha posted this. He really has no issues with his friendships potentially being misinterpreted, as you said, R290.

That's cute R291

Marcelo gets back at Sascha for the fashion advice , haha (it's from Mischa's wedding)

Just saw last two games Steve And Tiafoe. What a awful match by both players . The court was awful too . Bounce was uneven

While R294 was watching the last two games between Steve and Tiafoe,

I watched the last two games between Jaziri and Misha Zevrev.

Well, at least Jaziri was ok. Not he needed to do much.

Johnson annoys me. His backhand is shitty too. Tiafoe just needs more experience.

Ouahab is even fatter than how I remembered him few years ago. He has good shots though. Top 100 material without problems if he had trained

Kohlschreiber managed to lose to him yesterday

Fritz upset Harrison 3-6 6-0 6-3. Fritz won 9 games in a row in the middle of the match

Hell yea daddy Fritz! Gotta check out that match!

Speaking of hot deplorables... man, Ryan Harrison when he was young. Sadly, no more.

Hot deplorables is a contradiction in terms.

God. The commentators during the Sock match went on and on like Sock was a double digit Slam winner.

R302 he won Paris Masters! (aka the one in which a lot of the top 10 doesn't care about since it' s so close to the World Tour Finals but shhhh )

Harrison was hot. Nice face and big ol' booty. He's a surly mofo on court, though.

He occasionally played dubs with his brother Christian, who's pretty cute, too.

I mean, just objectively... he was cute! Sad, but true.

There's clearly a direct correlation between declining cuteness and rising deplorability...

Can we just talk about tennis matches and hot players here without getting into politics? This thread is one if the few non political spaces on DL these days. I get it if a player says something presently and we want to discuss it but it seems like even stuff we have known for years keeps getting brought up

If Taylor Fritz loses to Sock, I'm done watching Houston this year. I don't like any of the other players left. Kyrgios had some arm issue and lost in 3 to Karlovic.

^ hear, hear

I'm happy to stick to tennis and apolitical stuff for those players who don't wear their politics on their sleeves. The others are fair game, just like any other aspect of their image and brand that they choose to advertise.

R310 exactly. If a player speaks out for or against something, he/she opens him/herself up to praise or criticism. The players who don't comment on politics avoid all that. Not sure why it's an issue for some here.

Agreed, R310 and R311.

There are so many twists and turns within our tennis threads that if there's a topic that's going on a bit longer than I'd like, I quickly skip over it or change the subject.

Don't be so damned bossy.

Honestly, I was just looking for an excuse to post that pic (while still making clear that I don't support deplorables, ogling is just fine). With maybe one exception, most of the posts here are pretty cordial. Easy enough to gloss over.

HOUSTON

Fritz-Johnson

Karlovic-Sandgren

MARRAKESH

rain-rain

rain-rain

LUGANO

rain-rain

rain-rain

BOGOTA

Bogdan-Schmliedova

Arrubarena-(Jukopovic-Linette)

What constitutes wearing politics on their sleeve though? Comments made years ago that we've heard nothing about since? Again I would get reacting to something they've recently said but just bringing up someone being a republican at every possible opportunity seems a bit much

Agreed, R315. Something about "the pot calling the kettle black" comes to mind...

This charity match was very entertaining! Nole saying that Sascha was the best-looking tennis player and Sascha answering that Grigor did not like that was quite funny (around 5 minutes into the video, so -12 or so).

Just before that Sascha was being bossy, telling Nole to overrule, haha.

R315, we've had the willfully ignorant, obnoxious, or worse since way back: Nastase, Connors, McEnroe, Court, Spirlea, Stakhovsky, Dolgopolov, Ivanisevic, Tomic, Sandgren, etc. Some turn the tide of public opinion back in their favor, some don't. Does it get tiresome to call out unacceptable behavior from long ago? Yes, but why should players live down what they've created if/when they've done nothing since to change the context?

Marrakesh semifinals

Gasquet-Edmund

Andujar-Sousa

Lugano last 4

Sabalenka

Lapko

Mertens

Voegele

Andujar-Sousa. Yum. That's some good Iberian sausage!

R318 Has Tomic ever said anything political? Or did you just mean his general douchiness?

Fognini is also an exemplary douchebag but it gets forgiven because he's hot (to many people, apparently).

Tomic is a douche but he's hot from the neck down.

G'day

Mate

Bitch stole my look

^ lol! Will be fun to watch Domi's undies in Monte Carlo...

Miss the times when this guy used to be DL favorite . Now he is almost forgotten partly due to his toxic bearding situation with Kiki and partly because rise of Sasha due to his trolling with Melo

Peak Domi

Yes, R321, both Tomic and Fognini don't get out of douchebro jail for free...

R315, why do YOU care what players others support so much? And why do YOU care why they do it? Just cheer for who you want and get on with it.

R330 I wasn't criticizing anyone for supporting anyone. You should read all the posts before you attack someone. I was just requesting that we discuss politics less on the thread. It gets tiresome avoiding bringing up certain players because I don't want to start an argument

....

Mertens vs Sabalenka for the title in Lugano

Edmund easily wins over Gasquet in Marrakesh.

Monte Carlo draw is out. Of course Nadal gets an easy section to the QF.

The Djokovic/Thiem section with Coric in between is the most unpredictable

Cute!

Stopped following Thiem on Insta, he was way too boring.

Why clay court of Houston is so fast , weird and with uneven bounce ?

I thought Andujar was retired

Oh, yes. Yes, I would.

Pablo

Tennys Sandgren beats Ivo Karlovic 76 76, reaches his first ATP final at Houston and breaks into Top-50

Elise Mertens wins Lugano. She will be #17 tomorrow

Pablo Andújar wins Marrakesh 62 62 over Edmund.

I hate fucking racist, PoS, deplorable Sandgren.

A very touching win for Johnson. After he won, he cried on Sandgren's chest at the net/handshake. He then went to his coaches and was sobbing for even longer before the camera ended coverage on Sekastream.

jesus christ, get a hold of your anger, R343

Fuck off R345. Sandgren is an alt-right, neo nazi sympathizer. It is well documented. He is scum.

Ouiser, you should come see somebody down at the Clinic.

Stevie is going to get married soon.

I'm shocked that the whole field in Houston let Johnson get away with his shitty backhand. Yeah he can slice but that's it. It's not like he'll hit a winner off that side. He also leaves the court open since he likes to run around his backhand so much.

Glad Sandgren didn't win though.

The Houston final was underwhelming for so many reasons. At least we can see some decent clay courters now at Monte Carlo.

Any Berdy fans remained in whole world [besides his friends and family off course]. ?The way he imploded after winning first set against semi fit Kei was hilarious . I used to be his big fan years ago . But dropped him couple of years ago . Can't tolerate his nutty game anymore

Yeah the Johnson slice gets old but hey it seems to work for him. I like Stevie's facial expressions too, he seems like a good guy even though he is overtly religious.

Can that twink from Greece maintain his composure and upset Shapovalov ? It would be exciting .

They are playing some very good tennis

Titsi!!!

Jared Donaldson lost his temper...and the match

R355 just deplorables being deplorable

Donaldson certainly has perfected the deplorable rant, bully, whine, and whinge. When's the last time we had such an obnoxious/brain-dead/Wonder Bread (Sock, Sandgren, Donaldson, Harrison, Querrey, Isner) group of Americans in the top 100?

Roddick was a terrible brat on court, so it's not that long ago. Also, there are plenty of non-Americans who can be assholes on court: Fognini is the one who sticks out for current players. Anyone remember Nicholas Kiefer throwing his racquet?

Yeah, but Roddick was hot, once. Kiefer was hot, always -- and hung.

Props to Titsi! Somebody get him a plate of souvlaki and some baklava, gurl needs to eat something.

Who the fuck cares about Donaldson's melt down....just tell me if Jan Michael and Malek were in the stands cheering him on?

^ they were probably in the locker room throwing it on!

JMM is in Montecarlo.

Uhhhhh, never mind.

Tsitsipas vs. Shapovalov was entertaining to watch. I enjoy seeing the next generation of players facing off. Neither has a game especially built for clay.

Herbert vs Lorenzi is like Beauty and the Beast.

PHH is super cute. Poor Lorenzi kinda lost the lottery on looks.

But he could use a Big Mac, or 10...

Kiefer was hot, though.

R357, if you’d drop the obsessive political cuntitude, as people have repeatedly and nicely asked, others would engage with you. People have probably blocked your unpleasant, OCD ass.

Marcelo was watching Mischa's match just now. He really is part of the family/team at this point.

I’ve just rewatched the movie PRINCE OF TENNIS, and shamefully think the college-aged guy who played Choutarou (smirky one with dyed, feathered hair in the grey uniform) is really fucking hot. He can obviously play tennis IRL as he’s the only one in the movie holding his racket and backhanding correctly. Sexy.

Anyway, as you were.

I just looked that kid up R371 (bored, can’t sleep and avoiding work) and found a fun fact for ya: his name is Date Koji, and in 2004/5 season he was ranked as the no. 16 junior player in Japan. A lot of wealthy kids in Japan play tennis so that would have been a big old deal. He may have been seeded/trained for ranking leagues back then, possibly even considered by scouts.

Weirdly though he’s a musician & stage performer now. From Google it seems he was in a rock band for a while and plays a lot of blues music in little clubs and stuff. Guess that tennis stuntwork doesn’t pay? Or he just quit playing, or wasn’t quite that good, or even just didn’t get a sponsor.

He’s 31 and looks like this now. Not exactly typical DL taste but certainly cute enough.

[quote][R357], if you’d drop the obsessive political cuntitude, as people have repeatedly and nicely asked, others would engage with you. People have probably blocked your unpleasant, OCD ass.

Actually no, r369, I’d rather interact with you and your obsessive demand for depoliticised posts. Why don’t you just chat with people about things you like about tennis (like looks, and how pretty some of the boys are, and how nice the game is when you take the real world out of it), instead of butting in to say you can’t stand the antideplorable stance most of us are taking.

I reckon the fact Sandgren’s eyes bleed when he sees people like us in a gay bar and that he says as much for all the world to see is enough for me to chuck as much shit on the individual as I’m allowed to within the bounds of law. I don’t have to sit back and purr about his stellar forehand—assuming he has one—because talking about his deplorable politics irks you.

The same goes for the Cocos and the Querreys and the Isners and the Harrisons and the Socks and the Donaldsons. May their eyes bleed forever.

bye felicia

it is fair to point out a player's stance on social and political issues. The first time I saw Dolgopolov play, I was a fan. I love his forehand and speed around the court as well as his willingness to go for unsafe shots. Then I saw his homophobic social media posts and I can't be a fan of his. Maybe some of you can but I wouldn't be able to respect myself. I'm glad he hasn't become a top player

I am actually not sure anymore that it was Marcelo watching Mischa after all...and he was not watching Sascha today. Trouble in paradise? I hope not, haha.

I am sure there is a perfectly rational explanation such as practice etc...!

Why "Bye Felicia", r374? I presume you're referring to r373... If you are, then consider you can happily post about players being "hot from the head down" (I'd like to see what you'd have to say about any het who said anything like that about your sister...) and telling them to "eat a burger, gurl" and worry about who "Sloan'es boyfriend is". That's fine—personally, I love it. Just leave others to talk about tennis [italic]their[/] way, too.

IMO R373 is either mentally unhinged or a troll. It's not normal to have so much anger and hatred for people simply because they don't agree with your politics. I'm tired of reading his damage.

I too wanted the politics to stop. I was the one who asked at R307. It'd be nice to have one sanctuary away from it where we all just talked about a sport we love. But some posters really want to bring it up any time an American player is mentioned in any context and I don't want to block anyone because I suspect its just a handful of us speaking on this thread. It's something I'm just going to try and ignore.

back to tennis.

sadly, DL Fave Coric crashed out to Nole in two tight sets, and Rafa eased by cutie Bedene

Sorry but politics is part of character and I prefer my sportsman to be of good character, not deplorable. Fortunately none of the Americans are hot.

Kiki is so sappy

Has Nadal dropped a set on clay yet?

Djokovic in decent form as he beat Djokovic-lite Coric in 2 tough sets today

[quote]Sorry but politics is part of character and I prefer my sportsman to be of good character, not deplorable.

The problem I have with that statement is that it's saying anyone who doesn't agree with your politics is not of good character. I don't understand why we automatically assume that the 46-47% of American voters who voted for Trump are horrible people. I grew up in a time where you could disagree with someone on a political issue without immediately being called racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. I didnt vote the same way that, say, John Isner did, but I've never seen or heard John Isner do anything that makes me think he's a deplorable person.

Honestly, it feels like a punch in the gut, and saddens me - I truly have lost all hope for the United States, and it's the little things like this (comments in a tennis thread) that remind me every day about the divide in our country.

R385, it's people like you, who aren't caught in hate-filled echo chambers, who conduct themselves with maturity and dignity, who are the reason for hope. There need to be more like you. *kiss*

Thiem-Joker should be very interesting. A real test of each player's form.

I really regret things going this far, I don't think that poster is at all a bad person, if misguided. But I think we just have to block him. We've asked nicely if we can keep the conversation to tennis but that person doesn't care and wants to derail the thread and make it all about him. I don't want to keep having the same argument or be unable to discuss american players without the conversation instantly dying as soon as he sees the post. Even if you'd rather not block him let's agree to just not respond anymore. All this arguing is what he wants

Agreed, R387. Me, I'll block.

Rafa in shorts. Mmmmm.

R385 I don't care if the player is Republican or Conservative but if they're on the record as racist and homophobic then of course it is a non-starter.

Clay is my least favorite season. The courts are pretty but so many injuries, such slow play. I usually am just waiting for it to end so we can get to the grass season. Clay is also the least competitive season in recent years. It suits the smallest amount of play styles

^ I love the clay. Longer points, great rallies, and I love the sliding. Went to RG once and it was really intimate (cramped?) and fun. I agree there's been too much Rafa domination, though. I really hope somebody else comes through this year.

love clay as well. It's slower and more strategic. More serve and volley=more fun.

I feel like it rewards athleticism less. Both because it is slower so not so much sprinting. But also because player feel less safe diving and doing risky maneuvers because the chance of injury is so much higher

That may be true R394. But it certainly rewards conditioning more than any other surface. You have to be beast to go 5 on clay.

R387: I'm not at all the poster who is uber militant against the Trump supporters in the ATP, but I have posted a few barbs against them. I stand by my comments, many of which I'm sure were trite, primarily because the players could have been mum, but chose to be vocal. That being said, I'm even inclined to give even Sandgren some slack ( I said some) because he has shown more awareness and a willingness to reconsider his views--Jon Wertheim's column this week is well written on this point, and I agree with him.

My primary reason for this post, R387, is to say that you articulated your points very well, and you make good sense.

Many posters on here aren't disinclined to bring politics into the discussion when appropriate. Maybe 15-20% of my infrequent posts involve any mention of politics, yet a few of you grow apoplectically averse to any political commentary whatsoever even though this board was founded by those historically confined to the margins of society. And it's unconvincing when someone who accuses others of being unpleasant does so by throwing epithets like "cuntitude" around as a beacon of tolerance and pleasantry. For the record, I am not anti-American at all, love Tiafoe, Escobedo, Rubin, McDonald, Mmoh, Venus, Keys, Bellis, Stephens, Collins and among retired players Davenport, Fernandez, Seles, Blake, Fish, Martin, Grabb, Gerulatis, Rostagno, etc. It's bullies and bigots and those aligned with them who deserve to be reviled, regardless of their nationality.

Domi should be ashamed

There are many areas on this site to discus politics to your hearts content. This is the only area where we can discuss tennis.

I think it's just common courtesy. We have already wasted 50 posts arguing about this. We used to fill up a thread with just tennis commentary. There only arguments we had were about the game. Now there is continual strife between. It's not even as if the discussion is changing. Just saying the word deplorable as much as possible. Are you so enamored with you own opinion that it's worth making everyone else feel uncomfortable and taking away from their enjoyment of the thread? It's not even like we disagree with you all. I'm willing to bet we are all liberals here, we just don't want to talk about it constantly.

Imagine if during the tournaments, the commentators just used every third remark to talk about politics. That would be horrible, I would have to mute them.

Agreed, R399--if only the players too would keep intolerance out of their commentary, then we'd all be happy.

What R399 said.

Now can we get back to tennis 🎾?

....

How many of you have been to a grand slam in person? I jealous of the poster upthread who has been to RG. Those are the most beautiful courts in the world. I've been to the US Open a few times and Wimbledon once

Where has Marcelo disappeared to? He wasn't there today either for Sascha's match!

Glad Sascha managed to win...he really does go through the whole range of emotions in one match! His non-stop chatting with Lahyani was amusing though, haha!!

Now let's hope Mischa can beat Gasquet and we get a Zverev brothers match on Sascha's birthday!

Domi should have won the match 6//2/6/2. Has anyone saw the game when he was serving for first set at 5/3?

Two set points wasted. Two double faults in same game . Plus 4 huge unforced errors.

Totally tanked in tie breaker.

He is still a break up in final set.only one game needed . One serve hold and he will win the match .

But rest assured he will choke big time at 5/4

15 breaks in 30 games played between Zverev and Struff. . WTA like thing

Thanks Nole for gifting the match to my sweet Domi

R404, Ritchie played great match yesterday against little Diego. I have not seen Richard playing such a high quality tennis in a long time . He totally crushed, killed and destroyed little Diego on clay which is impressive

R406 Yes that is typical for Zverev - it is like a rollercoaster - he breaks the opponent and in a minute he goes down 0-40 in his own game and has to defend 3 BP. This is weird for a player who with his height and speed of serve could just serve his way through his own games.

Thiem signs the camera by drawing a heart around a K @KikiMladenovic

Lets continue the charade

no handshake between Djokovic and Carlos Bernardes

Nadal must be happy .

^ 🤢

I’m over him.

Is it just me of or does Djoko seem less happy when he plays generally now?

Milos against got injured. He will not play Rd16. Cilic got walkover

I only caught the end of the Domi-Novak match, what happened between ND and Bernardes?

nice shot of Nole

Gumby indeed R416.

Is he still hanging out with Pepe Imaz, anyone know?

Apparently Nole was spewing expletives[to no one particular] many times . Carlos is a no nonsense umpire. He gave Nole a proper code violation .He didn't give any bad decision unlike ridiculous unjust line call decision by Gabas to Jared Doanldson[Not condoning Jared's extremely aggressive behavior afterwards ]

Infact Carlos was very lenient on Nole. Many time Nole took more then 25 seconds between two serves [specially when he lost the points]and not once Carlos gave him an informal warning

But one time code violation for repetitive spewing expletives had triggered Nole

These three big three[Nole, Rafa, Misery] are actually three big bullies too.

very few umpires actually stood up to these three big three. Carlos is one of them .

[R418], you can add Fed to that group. The moment he doesn't like something the umpire says or does, or perceives that he hasn't received all the kowtowing that someone of his standing should, he gets shitty. Witness his pathetic behavior towards the ump in the Indian Wells final. And the replay showed that the umpire was correct and his Fedness was 100% wrong.

Today, Sekastream doesn't seem to be showing any tennis matches. Anyone noticing that? Since someone on here alerted me last year about Seka, I've seen many great matches, for free, even though at times I lose the streaming.

It might be time again for me to start searching for a paid site, either ATP or Tennis Channel online, I guess.

Don't do that R420. This week I am not watching seka since my official provider is broadcasting Montecarlo Masters. but last week I totally relied on Seka .for Morocco and Houston

Seka sometimes goes down due to various reason but regularly gets back after few days .

There is no need for signing Tennis TV or WTA as their ridiculously over priced

I was about to say the same thing pretty much, R419. Federer is no less of a bully.

TennisTV is great, R420.

I think Sekastream is working again now (sekastream6.com)

Not to be for Mischa and that potential match against Sascha. I think Sascha will probably be glad. He said in December that he doesn't want to play against Mischa even though he said today he hoped Mischa would win his match obviously.

Classic in black

Fed is more of a prick behind the scenes. The cushy scheduling and the way he never says a word about the pro Fed crowd giving agony to his opponents speaks volumes of that fairy fucking princess.

I haven't been able to watch much this week...is Zverev hitting his backhand-down-the-line again? Did the press ever ask him why he didn't use it against Isner in that pathetic Miami final? Again, if his coach told him to not use it, that person should have been fired immediately. It's Zverev's best shot

Nice to see Kei on the comeback trail, but Nike's brown and yellow...not so much.

you're not going to dictate who can say what. If someone feels like posting about players' political or social stances, that's their right. There are maybe 2 posters here who have complained but at least 3 posters who have discussed politics. So if you start blocking everyone you won't have many to talk to. Your choice. Just stop acting like you run this thread-no one does

Kei’s outfit really is unfortunate

My signature was purely in jest, R429. I am fully in support of free speech on this and any other thread. It takes less than no effort to move on to the next post if someone doesn't like where a commentary is headed.

Haha, Marcelo is alive and well with Sascha in a hotel room...losing to him in FIFA, haha. (Sascha's Instagram story)

Actually, it seems that is Sascha's apartment (in case anyone here still cares, haha)

Nadal appears to be cruising to ANOTHER Monte Carlo win. Hopefully someone can stop him. How does one go from being injured for months to dominant right away? I could understand if he was fighting his way to victory but this is ridiculous. Then after Roland Garros he'll mysteriously get injured again...

Let's see tomorrow, so far his rivals were not really demanding. Hopefully Thiem can at least make it a three set match.

I agree about Nole he has lost his joy. He used to be a lot of fun even if his desperation was annoying. I really wonder what happened to him?

R436, Nole's harem was taken from him. That can be dispiriting.

How is lil David playing? Pretty well, I'd guess, if he took down RBA. His match versus Grigor could be really good.

I am just amused they will be playing together and against each other on the same day, R438!

Anyone following doubles? It looks to me like Melo/Kubot haven't reached QF of any decent tournament for a while. For a number 1 doubles this looks weird - is Melo still struggling with an injury?

He himself is saying they are playing well overall but not being decisive enough, winning the important points, need confidence etc..., R440. I watched their Monte Carlo match and they played the first set really well, then things just started going wrong. I hope they can turn things around soon.

R440 Since Australian Open Kubot/Melo have

lost in QF (meaning they won only 1 match)

lost in QF (again only 1 win to reach QF)

round 1

round 1

round 1

The track record includes losing to Molteni/Zeballos.

Clearly Melo needs a new doubles partner. I wonder who might be a good candidate........?

Isn’t it hard to just drop & pick up doubles partners? I always thought (maybe too romantically) that one had to synchronise with someone to make a good double..

Maybe he and Mischa should team up...I think Sascha's singles focus would get in the way, R443.

But yes, I agree, R444.

Who picked these outfits?

Clearly someone who hates them, R446.

lol...those Fed Cup frocks usually look horrible...I think they let the US team choose their own outfit

And now Romania...

Germany

Australia's outfits are the worst lol

Dear God. Halep @ R449 looks like she's wearing a Glad bag.

Simone Bolelli and The Fog are playing dubs in Monte Carlo.

Hell, yeah!

That is Help?She is almost unrecognizable in non sports outfit

I've also been following the dismal doubles record this year of Kubot and Mello.

I try to figure out the reasons for teams. Are some of it circumstantial hunches? Personal bonding? Are there catfights? How far in advance as they arrange for partners?

Domi already down two breaks to Rafa.

Jesus H.

So far 5-0, Nadal up. In the, by far more importantly, battle of the perfect ass, I think Nadal wins. Technical advantage to white shorts (Nadal) vs. black shorts (thiem)

6-0! I cannot watch - is it Nadal that is so good or is it Domi playing like shit?

My clay prince will fight back!

Dominic had 38% first serve in 1st set. 2:0 in the 2nd now. This is a mauling. :0

R457 the Nadal ass really is something special. Timeless.

But his face

60 62

Ass score: 6-0, 6-0....Nadal. Game, Cheek, Ass

Probably another Nadal French Open victory and he holds on to #1 by defending all his clay season points. Wake me when the nightmare is over.

Is Murray going to play RG?

He's on the entry list I think, R466

R465 a bit dramatic don’t ya think? You must have a hard time getting through life

It is just so boooooring. I really like Rafa but the lack of strong competition for him season after season make the whole thing unwatchable.

Two options for mr Thiem: Either you need to stop sexing so much with your female ( not probable) Or You need to get your man to forgive you so that you can have the best makeup sex ever, letting off som steam. Put on the blue briefs and start playing good.

Domi pre Kiki...

Those briefs are in need more material to cover the tremendous tuckus.

surprise surprise that Thiem got his ass kicked. Yawn. I can't believe that Nadal is still dominating clay all these years later. Dimitrov is up next...he only has 1 victory against him and many losses so it will likely be another blowout tomorrow.

Nishikori came through in a tough match against Cilic. He'll play the winner of Zverev/Gasquet. Nishikori of course can become injured at any time so he's not a likely foil for Nadal either

Zverev has clearly forgotten how to serve.

Zverev should be dead tired tomorrow. Nishikori can blow any advantage though

holy shit Gasquet looks like shit. He can't be early 40s. He looks almost 40

I think you mean early 30's R475? He'll be 32 in June

Great job by Sascha!! I am really glad he won and I hope he will now stop thinking he always loses on his birthday, haha!

....

Agree, R469. Last year was also unwatchable as player after player folded to Nadal, and Wawrinka played like shit in the final. Nadal is awesome on clay, so it will take someone playing well to beat him. The ATP pussies roll over left and right, so Nadal will likely cakewalk to his 11th French title. Yawn. I’m not watching it.

If I were still playing, I'd give that bitch a tussle!

Murray is aiming to come back for the grasscourt season.

Nadal-Dimitrov: 6-4, 5-1. A boring match and, after losing the first set, Dimitrov just gave up. Vallverdu looked pretty.

this is pathetic - I understand Rafa is the best clay player, but Thiem and Dimitrov are top 10 players and it looks like they don't even try...

Domi's princess Kiki or DL? favorite Coco ? Which beautiful ,polite kind, lady is going to make her country proud by winning the match today ? Who will be behave more lady like on the court ?

Who is extremely handsome guy in brown glasses is Sasha 's box . He is not Mello. Sasha should date him

I think there is something wrong inside Coco's head

For the first time ever, Sloane wins her next match following a title win. She defeated Parmentier in 2 tough sets.

Nishikori def. Zverev in 3...wonder if he'll even challenge Nadal in the final

Stuttgart draw out!! A few brutal first rounds!

Surprisingly there are several top names in Istanbul as well.

Barcelona has a lot of top players in it as well

Budapest is quite empty with Pouille as #1 seed

What idiot decided to play Coco? She's only won one match the whole year. Where's granny Venus? Even obese Serena would've been better.

R488 It's Nishikori, he will probably get injured in the final

wow Yannick Noah is not aging well at all. He looks older than 57

R485, is this the guy you mean? (Melo already left for Barcelona yesterday...very disappointing, haha)

Yes R493, that only . Any idea who that is ?

No clue, I'm afraid, R494.

Actually I'm wondering if that is Arturs Kazijevs now, R494, since he has an accreditation. He looks a bit different though so I am not quite sure.

Azarenka is in Monte Carlo cheering on Sascha.

Good for Sloane. Hope she keeps winning.

I like Kei a lot and think he has loads of talent and great legs, but he's like 2-9 against Rafa. He did win Barcelona a few years ago if I recall. He has shot, but it's a long shot.

+ Key played two demanding 3 set matches in QF & SF while Nadal probably did not even notice he played his.

Still can't tell if it's the same guy, but here are Sascha and Kazijevs "dancing".

true, Kei is likely far more gassed.

A bit more of their dance

R497 I thought that was Djokovic with a hat and earrings for a second

Here's 'Azarenka' with young Grigor...she looks like she's related to Jay Leno

Yes, please...

Wow that's the best Azarenka has looked in a long time.

What Vika is looking so mannish in these photos ? She looks pretty femme on court during matches . And why her head is looking so big ?

Kei's legs are killah

Nadal will face Kei in Barcelona in 3rd round next week then he will meet Nole in QF

If Kei does not retire....yesterday, he looked so tired during the third set (they both did) that it was anyone's game. We will see if Nole can make it that far. Hopefully he will. The problem will be if there is a Role-Nadal QF, and then they meet Dimitrov or Thiem for the SF or F. I know that is the way rankings/draws work but, if it were to happen, the primetime match takes place on a Friday.

Grigor is fading. How long before Dani moves on to Borna?

Kei-Nadal..... Can you imagine having paid a lot of money to watch this shitty final?

Nadal's bulge is looking tremendous....

Nadal’s ass was looking tremendous too.

Rafa wins 6-3 6-2. 11th Monte Carlo title. Pretty incredible.

If he wins FO that will be 17 and that he and Fed have won last 6 slams.

Congrats to Rafa, but actually he’s not really playing THAT well

No wonder Roger skipped clay season. This shit is boring.

Wow Sloane was harder on Kiki than Domi.

Wozniacki threatening to boycott Miami next year because Puig's fans allegedly threatened her and her family and the tournament didn't apologize or protect her. She compares her situation with that of James Blake who was tackled by a cop in New York a few years ago.

First time in Sloane's career that she has won 8 matches in a row

Bouchard won her fed cup match against Ukraine Turenko in 7/6[32/30] In final set tie breaker. How many match points they saved ?

Quite a few people joking that Sascha must be jealous about this picture, haha...two of his favorite people hanging out without him!

On Twitter I mean

Young daddy Taylor Fritz just retweeted this Kanye Tweet. It surprised me lol

[quote]Those briefs are in need more material to cover the tremendous tuckus.

So glad the more forceful posters here (including the author of this brilliant piece of commentary) cornered the political posters in the playground and persuaded them to stop posting.

I really hope Sloane keeps up the good form. I think she's very exciting to watch when she's on with a great combination of power and precision. Would love to see her make a run at more majors this year. Maybe even at RG?

Does RG suit her? Most Americans play better in faster games

Well she just destroyed Kiki on clay in France, so she can play on it. Though I agree she is probably much more comfortable on faster courts.

Isner is pregnant!

[quote]Isner is pregnant!

Isner....(Sania) Mirza....close enough ;)

R524 no one has been persuaded to stop posting about players and politics. There hasn't been a new story about it yet. The minute another player says or posts something about politics or social issues, we will go back to posting about it as is our right. Fuck off if you don't like it

I'm resigned to another Nadal French Open. The French used to be my favorite tournament. Back in the 90s when Sampras was dominating Wimbledon, the French was the one tournament where you were virtually guaranteed Sampras wouldn't win, or sometimes even make it to the second week. There were many different winners. Now it's just Nadal over and over. I can't wait until his reign is done, but obviously all credit to the greatest clay courter of all time. It's almost a testament to his greatness that many of us are sick of him winning again and again.

Look any comment featuring Thiem's tremendous tuckus is worthy of DL. And, you can thank Justin Gimelstob for that term.

I hate Nadal's dominance but I don't want him to retire until someone starts beating him consistently on clay. It would be a bad look for the tour if Nadal kept up his winning streak but retired anyway and only after that did we get new clay champions.

Barcelona round 1

Sandgren lost to Jaziri

Donaldson lost to Dutra Silva

R534 DOWN WITH THE DEPLORABLES!

[521] interesting placing of the Domi tag, right on the spot

Haha, I didn't even notice that, R536! Poor Sascha must be seething ;).

R533 And we are likely to get another Federer grass season staraight after RG.

Fuck that, R533!

Me toca a MI! It's my turn!

Nice ATP piece on Shapo in Budapest.

shake your bon-bon, Denis!

Maria lost again... Lots of three set losses since her comeback. She seems to be missing something.

Yeah, poor footwork, stamina and a lot of late starts to the ball - you can see where meldonium was helping her before with a naked eye. It seems that poor Maria hasn't found yet a legal and equally effective substitute, which is weird since her heart problem is such a serious issue...

For the first time in her career, Sharapova is now on a 4 match losing streak-Kerber, Niculescu, Osaka and Garcia. Except for Niculescu, those are quality players. Usually Sharapova gets easy draws. We see what happens now when she's unseeded and draws a top player right away.

I really do wonder how much she would have won starting in 2006 had she not started taking meldonium...for those who forget, she started winning titles in small Asian events during the fall of 2003. In 2004 she had that Wimbledon rain delay comeback over Davenport and then swept Serena in the final. Then she she defeated an injured Serena in 3 sets at the YEC final. In 2005 she lost tough matches against all 4 slam champions that year (A0-Serena in which she had match points, RG-Henin, WImbledon-Venus dethroned her and USO Clijsters). Some tennis fans started calling her "Semipova".

In 2006 she began taking Meldonium and went on to the USO over Henin as well as other titles.

so to be clear, Sharapova has not had a win since the Australian Open when she defeated an injured Seveastova in the second round. That was 3 months ago

I am a quality player!!

How is your brother R546?

[quote]Yeah, poor footwork, stamina and a lot of late starts to the ball - you can see where meldonium was helping her before with a naked eye. It seems that poor Maria hasn't found yet a legal and equally effective substitute, which is weird since her heart problem is such a serious issue...[/quote]

Ha! How come no reporter has asked Sharapova about her serious heart condition? Where's Ben the intrepid reporter?

Maria who claims a history of family diabetes, heart issues and other health problems as a reason for taking Melodonium also runs a candy company. That's all you need to know about her medical excuses for taking the drug.

Well, I'm worried about Maria's medical condition! Apparently, it was so serious that it prevented her from writing down the name Meldonium on her doping control forms for ten years. Maria really wanted to report her full medications like the rules state, but every time she tried, she felt some heartache and had to stop.

[quote]How is your brother [R546]?

how dare you, I look nothing like Roger!

lol, it's kinda freaky

Grigor is playing Simon meanwhile Dani V is showing his bulge in stand . He is cut . I thought he would be uncut

Dani need to lay off the Krispy Kremes! Gurl is lookin puffy.

Offcourse Kei retired

He knew he couldn't play still decided to play is first and could complete . and wasted a spot for other player. He always does this .

I can understand some lower rank player does this during grand slam due to prize money but Kei is doing for some opening round in a smaller tournament is just cheep

Useless Pav

Nole?

Nole showed his hole to Martin

Great win for Pav over Maison Keys

Nole lost.....in a 500....first round. What is going on? On another note, I would show my hole to Martin....

Yikes, Nole lost to the 140th-ranked player Klizan. Has there been any good article analyzing what's been wrong with him?

R561 I'd like to read the same thing. There must be some tennis experts who have some insight in what's wrong with Djokovic's game these days. The only thing I've heard is that he is too thin and lacks power on his shots.

Titsi!!!

Another good win

PCB's nose easily beat Paire's beard

I have a felling that instead of treating the injury in traditional way, Djokovic resorted to some 'alternative' medicine which delayed the recovery.

What the fuck happened to Sloane?

she was just pathetic today. She broke Coco in the opening game then didn't win another! So up and down. She just played well in Fed Cup and now this garbage

Paire's beard is an abomination. Klizan is definitely fuckable.

I look at Paire and think ingrown hairs

I think mice and maybe rats

So glad someone uploaded this match to Youtube again. Hard to believe Serena used to be such a choker in big matches but Capriati was such a fighter and was no easy out in 2001.

Jaziri's face is super hot from a distance but merely handsome up close.

Little Diego

Very nice thighs

In Barcelona

Tsitsipas beats Thiem 63 62

and Carreno beats Dimitrov 63 76

Cecchinato and Seppi are the first semifinalists in Budapest

Today Grigor showed his trye salt color .Generally Crowd are behind Grigor but today they were msotly behind PCB for obvious reason / And that made Grgor sulty

/Buty most disgusting part happened in the end . Aftr losing the match during handshake Dimitrov, saying that his [Grigor] service was out only after loosing the point, and at the end of the match telling PCB "If you are a man tell the truth, I'll remember.

What a disgusting man

Dimitrov was pissed as hell

At the end he told PCB "I'll remember this."

Dimitrov served around the line. Carreno didn't reply well. It seemed he was going to check the mark. In the meantime Dimitrov smashed the ball into the net. And at that point Carreno said he hasn't stopped the game (which was technically true, I think).

bully Grigor believes PCB shoud've admitted his (Grigor's) serve was long and he (PCB) stopped the play at 4-2 before bully Grigor netted a smash. In fact, PCB did stop moving after return but did NOT signal anything.

Coco got her groove back 👀

The point was rightly given to PBC's nose.

PCB didn't move towards the line. He was just looking at it

He didn't make any sign to the umpire indicating he was stopping the game. He may have tried to look at the line hoping it was out but he didn't stop the play. He stopped to play like many do in these occasions (it was a lost point without a mistake by Dimitrov).

lol Klizan had set points at 5-4 on his serve in the second set against Nadal. OF COURSE he ended up losing the next 3 games to lose the match 6-0 7-5. Typical ATP. NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO BEAT NADAL ON CLAY. It's a law!

Klizan is very hot.

So PCB won by a nose.?

clip of Grigor letting PCB know!

Missy G states her boundaries!

"as a man"? from Dimitrov? What a cunt. I'd have popped him one.

Drama Queen Grigor.

GD has only himself to blame. PCB rose well above it by looking at GD as if confronted by a giant turd on the court. Now if only PCB could beat Nadal, we'd have a humble champion. Never realized how much GD and Saltypova deserved each other...they must've been quite the fun couple from Hell.

Dis young Grigor alright? If he needs guidance or mentorship he knows who to call.

Tsitsi!

I love PCB. Nose and all, he is really beautiful.

wow the Stuttgart final will be contested between Pliskova and Vandeweghe. Neither player is proficient on clay but the indoors conditions does help them

Istanbul final is between journeywoman Hercog and Parmentier which is shocking

Barcelona we have the breakthrough of young talent Tsitsipas but in the final he runs into Nadal

Budapest we are guaranteed a new ATP titlist! Marco Cecchinato reaches the final. He awaits the winner of Millman/Bedene whose match has just been suspended due to darkness. They just went into a third

Wait, Hercog is still playing? I forgot she actually existed.

Looks like MC is not selling matches this week...we should root for a Cecchinato-Dolgopolov to have fun checking the betting movements....

Meanwhile, Gambill...

I was just about to post that...

JMG needs to put a shirt on.

Gurl, for real.

Uh, JMG can go shirtless any ol' time.

Cute Noah Rubin was a Florida Challenger today. That might propel him to a French Open wildcard.

Does JMG ever wear a shirt?

*won*

Looks fabulous. What's to complain about?