The Gays and Tennis 31: Nadal and Federer “Going Down to Saudi” Edition

That is a thick, sexy man.

I know nothing about tennis, so I’ll just sit here in the corner and watch for new pictures of his assets.

^ it's Rafa. And yes, he still does have his assets, though they've depreciated a bit

The truly frustrating thing about the WTA this year was that the first half of the year was pretty strong. Halep really played solid tennis, won her first Slam, very nearly won the Australian too, and didn't have bad loses. Kerber and Kvitova - both proven players in big matches - were back, winning tournaments and playing Top 5 tennis. If those three had maintained their levels and competed for the major titles with Wozniacki, that would have been a very good year.

Instead, Halep started throwing in bad losses again, and at the biggest venues (Hsieh, 3R Wimbledon; Kanepi, 1R US Open). Kerber, after winning Wimbledon, went 7-7 the rest of the year. And Kvitova actually had a losing record after she won the Wimbledon warm-up in Birmingham. The Top Ten players completely crashed out of Wimbledon and the US Open. It was really the second half of the year that was a mess.

And why there are still events being played after the Tour Finals is beyond me. It sometimes feels like WTA strategy and marketing is basically throwing a bunch of stuff up against the wall to see what sticks.

On to 2019.

Vamos!

Is there a thread devoted to Rafa's gorgeous ass?

Shouldn’t it be Rafa and Nole “Going Down to Saudi” Edition?

defending finalist Krajinovic out in the first round to Khachanov. Damn his ranking will drop like a rock

Benoit Paire's dyed his hair pink.

gay?

I don’t mind the hair but the beard is hidjus

R6, you are indeed correct. I think I got confused because Federer trains part of the year in the Middle East.

On a side note, I would’ve called it “Rafa and Novak” or “Nadal and Djokovic”. I don’t like the nickname “Nole”.

[quote]Defending finalist Krajinovic out in the first round to Khachanov. Damn his ranking will drop like a rock

He will drop from #34 to #92....not as bad as Jack Sock if he loses his match against Gasquet

yeah Sock is the one to watch this week given his ranking situation. 1000 points he's trying to defend. He will automatically drop his WTF points from last year as he obviously won't qualify.

[quote] Malek Jaziri's Marvelous Bubble-Butt 😍 (Tennis Tribute)

Manhunt

YESSS R14. Malek is one of the hottest guys on the tour. Also seems to be a really nice bloke and a solid player (especially breaking through so late in his life).

[quote]Benoit Paire's dyed his hair pink.

A German sports journalist has now said that Sascha is single...so the girl who was in his box never was his gf? Or not anymore? Who knows, haha.

Benoit Paire is single too. He just talked about it in the press conf.

Hey Sasha, hey Benoit! I'm single, too!

Carlo is a maneater!

Carlo is just one of the guys.

Nole

Shapovalov has withdrawn from the NextGen Finals. Hubert Hurkacz from Poland will take his place

Did he give a reason, R24?

[quote]Carlo is just one of the gays.

Fixded.

[quote]Did he give a reason, [R24]?

exhaustion...he lost 4 of his last 5 matches so I guess he needs some time off

Thanks, R27.

Shopbottoming is exhausting and taxes the body and mind.

Am I a terrible person for thinking Tsonga is Tiafoe? Or am I just blind?

They don't look alike at all...

R21 Some girls bogart all the great dick!

R29=Hillary

The US is sending a B-team to the Fed Cup Final in Prague: Danielle Collins, Sofia Kenin, Alison Riske & Nicole Melichar

Team CZE: Kvitova, Pliskobot, Strycova, Siniakova

Sasha is so sexy

Mischa is much sexier.

Milos Raonic has withdrawn from Paris with a right elbow injury, handing Federer a walk-over into the third round.

Federer will face Fognini or Fucsovics on Thursday.

Fucsovics has withdrawn which means Fognini will face Roger

Nadal has withdrawn from Paris. Malek will replace him and will play Nando.

Nole is new no.1

nice jinxing OP

Maybe you should put pics of big 4 in every thread and leave Domi aloone

So summary of last 30 min in Paris

Milos has withdrawn, Roger got bye

Roger's oppnent Fognini who was faceing Marton[Marton won thier last match] also got bye

Rafa has withdrawn and Nole is new no. 1

JJACK SOCKS WON A MATCH !!He defeated Richard Gaysquet

Why do they even bother having a tour after the US Open?

Sock played pretty well tbh...only his 8th singles win this year

Nole!

[quote]Nole!

Sock should’ve stuck to Popsicle.

[quote] Maybe you should put pics of big 4 in every thread

Thank you.

Popsicle flashing some thigh

so we had 2 walkovers and another withdrawal leading to a lucky loser in 1 day lol. and this is at a MASTERS

Jaziri def. Verdasco in 3 sets. Nando called himself a "puto" in the third set a few times...

Sock got lucky with his draw because his game matches up well with Gasquet. He owns him now 4-0. Next up he'll play lucky loser Jaziri who he's 2-0 against though both matches went the distance. Sock actually has the draw to reach the SF if he plays decently. This kind of luck could not have come at a better time for him.

Dimitrov got a win today too! he'll play Cilic next

Nishikori and Isner both kept their WTF hopes alive by winning today. Isner barely got by Kukushkin and will next play Khachanov who is 2-0 vs. him. Nishikori def. Mannarino and will next play Anderson who just defeated him in the Vienna final last week

Alright, which one of you bitches wrote John Wertheim about DL Fave (fave whipping girl?) Genie.....

Hi Jon,

I took a quick look at how 2018 has been a big step in the right direction for Genie Bouchard. She’s taken a lot of flack in recent years but deserves some credit for her resilience, too. If you’ve got room to add this to your Mailbag that would be great! —Mike

• Yes, one of those under-the-radar stories—hard to come by when you have 1.8 million Instagram followers—is the improvement of Bouchard. She is back in the top 100. She is enduring the indignity of qualifier rounds and winning matches. She beat Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-0 the other day. She’s still a long way from a return to the top 10. But credit Bouchard for starting the climb.

It seems Nadal and Djokovic are rethinking going to Saudi Arabia.

Nadal has the perfect excuse now that he had to retire from Paris

Given how few points he has to defend in the first half of 2019, Djokovic has a very good chance of holding that No. 1 ranking at least until July (about 35 weeks). That would put him one year behind Federer for the all-time record of weeks at No. 1.

Kachanov beats Isner, 76 in the third

Nishikori almost guaranteed of the Finals spot.

Coric can pass him only if he wins Paris. Fognini can't pass him

Let's see if Nadal shows up though.

What about Dominque?

Has Agassi joined team Dimitrov officially?

I'd guess Nadal has shut it down for the year. Hasn't played since the US Open, does he want to return for one event, especially one that he has a lousy (by his standards) record at? Maybe if he feels OK and still has a shot at Year End No. 1, but I'd take the bet that his year is over.

Only has played nine events in 2018: The four Slams, Monte Carlo, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid and Canada. Serena-esque.

R54: And i think it would the best for him if he keeps playing very few tournaments. Nadal's game is very physical, he had injuries very young, and he has (in the best case scenerio) a couple of good years ahead him. He better reserve himself for the big tournaments

If Nadal withdraws from the Finals, it is Isner who gets in.

Nadal only played 9 tournaments, but he won 5 of them and retired injured from 2 more. His other losses were to Djokovic (10-8 in the fifth at Wimbledon) and Thiem at Madrid. Nadal is still playing at a very high level.

Doubles qualified for London

Marach/Pavic

Cabal/Farah

Kubot/Melo

Murray/Soares

Bryan/Sock

Klaasen/Venus

Mektic/Peya

Herbert/Mahut

I think 12 out of 16 are over 30. Oldest are Bryan (40) and Peya (38)

Among those missing the cut Kontinen/Peers and Tecau/Rojer

Herbert/Mahut!

that third set between Thiem and Coric was a break-fest mess! I'm surprised it didn't go to a tiebreaker.

Karen destroys Sacha

Sock v. Thiem today in Paris. Which ass do you prefer?

Anyone know why Bosnian hottie Damir Dzumhur had to retire against Novak yesterday? I know I could Google it... but I just wanted an excuse to post his pic, truth be told

hahaha Khachanov beat the shit out of Zverev. Glorious

Thiem def. Sock in 3 sets. Thanks to a favorable draw, Sock was able to win 2 rounds with a bye and reach the QF. Winning a masters gets you 1000 points while reaching the QF is just 180. He's going to drop 820 points lol. He's currently around #23 and will fall roughly 30 spots. He will automatically lose 400 points soon as he's obviously not going to be at the WTF, dropping his ranking to around #108...that's right around the cutoff for slam entry. I'm sure he'd get the US WC if needed though. Still to drop that far a year after reaching the top 10 is pretty drastic

R63, back pain. It always hurts more when you are losing.

I bet Karen can throw quite the fuck.

Sascha is really tanking in this end season. It was supposed by now he should be trying to be the top player but he is on a slump (not a big one but no progression at all). Of course none of the younger players are doing better. Even Khachanov and Medveded who are getting some good results are very irregular

Zverev should be motivated for the WTF at least

I hope Sascha's back/shoulder will be fine in time. He had this same issue earlier in the year, I think. I remember him getting treatment during a match for that same area a few months ago. I think it was in Rome.

Paris SF:

Thiem vs. Khachanov

Djokovic vs. Federer

new non-deplorable American entry! Thai-Son Kwiatkowski. He was a college player working his way up the rankings. From believing in climate change, ending Trump's family separation policy to supporting women's tennis, he seems like a great guy

[quote] Thai-Son Kwiatkowski.

Do you love his pad thai?

why are we ignoring the ladies in Zhuhai?

Group Azalea: Kasatkina def Wang; Keys def Kasatkina; Wang def Keys.

Keys goes through because she wons in 2 sets, while the other 2 needed third set in their only wing

Group Camellia: Meguruza def Zhang, Sevastova def Zhang, Muguruza def Sevastova (76 in the third)

Group Orchid: Sebalenka def Barty, Barty def Garcia, Garcia def Sebalenka.

In this mess, Barty goes through because she won 63 64 instead of 64 64

Group Rose: Mertens def Kontaveit, Kontaveit def Goerges, Goerges def Mertens

Goerges goes through because she won in 2 and she lost in 3

Flower groups? Oh my. I want Gardenia group.

R18 I don't get it! Lol. She was in Paris this week. Very curious. But who will Sascha bring to the Maldives this year? Melo, or this girl? Or maybe both?! haha

A. Zverev's rumored gf's last name is Sharypova lol

Haha, yeah, no clue, R74. She too has denied having a boyfriend, so no idea what to make of her near constant presence these last few weeks. It would be absolutely hilarious if both went to the Maldives with Sascha...but maybe Marcelo should bring his own significant other. I will be rooting for Coric to take on that role if necessary, as unrealistic as that may be!

A lot of cute twinks and twunks in Paris.

Boobs out!

R76 Haha, that would be a merry foursome!

The supposed gf does seem to like the attention. Her Instagram page is public; some of Sascha's fans are now following her,lol. I have idea what she does for a living ; but she used to play junior tennis. I'm assuming that's where she crossed paths with Sascha.

[quote] why are we ignoring the ladies in Zhuhai?

Haha.

I'm glad you agree, R79, haha!

Yeah, I have no idea what she does either, but she clearly has a lot of free time, having been in Monaco /Saint Tropez etc... with him/his family after the US Open, then China and now Paris. I mean in German he really sounded quite dismissive of the whole idea, but maybe he is a better actor than I give him credit for.

Ha ha ha! I’ll say.

Oh and the Coric idea is based on them liking each other's shirtless photos, so not out of complete thin air, haha. But it is Kubot who liked this infamous photo of Coric's (using an older verfied account, not the one he seems to use now)...so perhaps a threesome? Hahahaha.

[quote] But it is Kubot

Any relation to Pliskbot?

R83 Hahaha! Oh, I had forgotten about that! It seems like Borna is everybody's dream.

R81 He did sound dismissive and emphatic ('she's not my girlfriend,she's not anything' ). Ouch. Like you said, she's got a lot of free time to travel. The V.I.P. treatment must be nice. :) If she were his gf, I don't why he would deny it.

Haha, yes, it seems like he is, R85!

I agree for sure that there would be no reason to lie, but who knows.

Shouldn't the effect of Ivan Lendl as coach be having an impact by now?

The girl with Zverev could be just a friend. I find very annoying that in 2018 being single is such a drama for a famous. No matter if it's an actor, a singer or an athlete, a guy can't be single. The first time someone the opposite sex is near she became automatically his girlfriend. I don't understand why pr teams waste their time with professional bearding, all a single guy needs is a bunch of female friends and the press will sell that he is a pussy hound no matter if he never touched them

I completely agree, R88. It's pretty ridiculous.

R88 Of course, she could be just a friend. I don't think anyone stated otherwise. I agree, being single isn't easily accepted ( for both men and women). People tend to judge. Many people are single ( by choice) and perfectly content. Let's face it, most people are going to be single at some point in their lives; due to separation, death or simply by choice. God heip the person who doesn't have the inner sources to enjoy being alone.

People are understandably curious about Zverev. He's incredibly beautiful and charismatic. He could have his choice of partners (if he wanted). So when this young woman started traveling the world with him there was the assumption that she was his gf; which wasn't an unreasonable assumption. He's denied it,saying she's a family friend, so we'll leave it at that.

Directeur du tournoi de Bercy de 2007 à 2011, Jean- François Caujolle avait un rêve : que Federer gagne à Paris. Il l’a exaucé, n ʼ hésitant pas à suivre les desiderata du Suisse.

R90: Well, they could ask both before assuming anything.

A tennis player spend most of the time traveling, i find very easy to understand why they could be single, specially the younger ones who are focused on starting their career.

It's true that some of them came to the circuit with a high school girlfriend like Nadal, but that's not enough for the press either. It seems if you don't have a satellite girlfriend whose life only consist in being by your side you are weird and your relationships is questioned.

Being single is not an illness. Zverev, at least till now is only famous between tennis fans so there's no real interest in his personal life to be questioned about who he is dating or not

I agree in principle, R92, but most journalists are not going to ask this question right after a match or at a press conference and players are not likely to issue a press release. This particular journalist has interviewed Sascha often. Sascha has invaded his interview with Struff in the past, jumped on his back etc... so he was comfortable asking and Sascha willing to respond.

As I said, I think it's ridiculous to assume in general, and I actually think being single is great, haha, but I think in this case the assumption was not far-fetched, with her being there on holidays but also at matches so far away from home. So I get both sides. For now I will take both of them at their word that they are not a couple...and time will tell.

well, Keys withdraws.

They called the runner up of group Azalea who was Wang

Wang storms over Muguruza 62 60.

Muguruza had a verbal fight with Sumyk during a coaching.

Barty is the other finalist

Karen is the first finalist. 64 61 to Thiem. Kiki was stone faced

Regarding the compelling "Elite Trophy" in Zhuhai, why is this even a thing? How many people are clamoring to see the players who weren't good enough to be in the tour Finals? If the idea is to give them a chance for some more money and ranking points, then why don't they go back to the 16 player Finals field they used to have? As usual, Keys got hurt and Muguruza had one of her frequent flake outs.

Regarding the men, once Federer leaves the stage and Nadal becomes a part-time player like Federer is now, that tour will be like the women's a couple years ago - Djokovic dominating with a bunch of other players picking up the scraps, but none of them consistent enough to be a frequent contender for titles.

Nole

Anyone watching Fed-Djoko? Djoko takes the first set tiebreak 8-6.

Wang seems to really get motivated when she plays in China. I wonder if she can translate that to success in other countries next year.

Djokovic was too passive in that last game of the second set. Federer stepped up, went for his shots and made them to take it 7-5

Gramps team

Sascha and his maybe gf posting stories from/of the Eiffel tower at the same time! Perfect plan to dispel rumours right there, haha!

[QUOTE] I wonder if she can translate that to success in other countries next year.

R99, you and the world will be watching!

Federer-Djokovic is a very close match. Novak is not quite in perfect form; Gramps is playing very, very well.

What’s orca eating?

Fingernails!

Djokovic is now 25-22 against Federer

I hope Khachanov wins the title. I'm glad Djokovic had to go for 3 long sets today

Nole

Boobs out was totally out of the control after the match. He did that at least 10-12 times

R101101: What rumours? he was very clear saying she is not his girlfriend. I know you could know a lot of things about some people watching their instagram but in other cases the instagram is more fake than half Hollywood relationships

Of course Shawn Mendes did the same and the press still would talk about his romance with the Baldwin girl if she wasn't married to Bieber right now

I was joking, R109. I was the one who first said here that he'd told the journalist he was single. Don't take things so seriously.

R110: Sorry it wasn't my intention to be rude

It seems Garbiñe and his coach ended the relationship is high fashion. Garbiñe is able to be a very polite and articulate woman and very rude and spoiled brat at the same time.

Tsitsipas was rude with a ballgirl in a recent tournament. This was supposed to be a gentlemen and ladies sport, and now even the inteligent ones behave badly

No worries at all, R111! Maybe I should have made it clearer that I was joking :).

And yes, bad manners seem more prevalent these days...or maybe it's just social media that is revealing this bad behaviour. I'm not sure.

I didn't see the Thiem match. Did Khachanov just play out of his mind, or was Domi flat?

Am I a nasty twat for not wanting to see Djoker make a comeback? I just really dislike this man.

WTF happened to Andy Murray? Is he still recovering from everything he went through last year?

I have no fucking clue what is going on with the WTA, because I don't have that Spanish channel that shows all of the matches. I feel like next year could be the last for Shriekapova.

[quote] Am I a nasty twat for not wanting to see Djoker make a comeback? I just really dislike this man.

No, you're not. His comeback may not be long lasting. He is 31. I think he and Nadal will have their ups and downs in the next few years of playing. It's only natural.

R114: It's too late for that, he is already back.

I would love if the youngster starts to really up their game and going for the big titles. I don't think it would be good for the game if new players start to win just because the big four (i don't want Judy to correct me again) start to tank.

Safin is a hothead but he is right when he said Federer/Nadal/Djokovic only dominated so may time because nobody from the younger generations had the mental strenght to challenge them

R113, Khachanov is very strong. I’d go so far as to say he’s suspiciously strong.

R117: Unfortunately for him his mentality is not that strong

R101

You may have already seen this: there was dinner before the sightseeing. :)

I did, but thank you, R119!

Haha.

I really really hate the despicable Roger Federer. Just his arrogance. Knowing that crowds will try to upset his opponent. He went at Novak today and didn't apologize. Roger just hates Nole. That bitch wife munching away during the match.

I still could not find r91’s article in English. Can anyone please help?

R123, I can't give you a full translation right now as I need to sleep, but the tournament director talks about Federer being his favourite player (laughs that he should basically be more neutral) and how he really wanted Federer to win at Bercy once more before he himself left, how when talking to Federer about it Federer mentioned specific surfaces (one particular one produced in Austria for the Vienna tournament that he felt comfortable on) and over time they basically kept trying to adjust the surface for him, finally reaching a surface that helped volleyers more than servers. (He jokes that it was clearly better suited to Federer than to Nadal). He talks about Federer still losing a few close matches there and says maybe the reason were circumstantial or perhaps that after Basel - which is important to him as his home tournament - it wasn't strange that he'd have a bit of a let down the following week. At the end he is asked what he thinks of Federer's play this year he says he is making a few too many errors, and perhaps hasn't played enough matches. He says that he spoke to some of Federer's entourage who were themselves surprised that he was still very motivated to train in Dubai at 50 C, but that for the first time they had also heard him talk about projects he had in mind for after his career. He himself thinks Federer will play for another year and a half, until the Olympics in Tokyo.

Thanks r124! That’s really helpful.

You're welcome, R125!

Haha, R126!

I get why people don't care for Novak. He has that whole Azarenka "I really want to be loved" vibe going, which is kind of cringe-worthy. But I've said it before, and will repeat it: I will be forever grateful that in 2011, Djokovic took his game to another level and was able to break through the Federer-Nadal stranglehold on the tour. First, it made things more interesting; and second, because I'm so tired of the Federer fan base. Especially the "objective" media and tour officials, case in point:

[quote]...the tournament director talks about Federer being his favourite player (laughs that he should basically be more neutral) and how he really wanted Federer to win at Bercy once more before he himself left...

Ugh. Such a bad look for the ATP where they're basically acknowledging they'll tip the scales in Federer's favor whenever they can legally get away with it. I never expected to become a Djokovic supporter, but at this point, I'm starting to hope he breaks Federer's records just to put his obnoxious fans in their place.

Sorry Roger, I used to be a fan, and it's nothing personally against you, but I just can't stomach the bias and rudeness from your fans.

Re: the Tsitsipas-ballgirl incident: I haven't seen it, but it was discussed on Wertheim's podcast this week. Apparently Tsitsipas apologized for his attitude, and said he didn't realize in the moment that he was being rude, he was caught up in the match. Given that he's never had prior episodes, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

R128, as a longtime Novak fan, reading that interview really annoyed me honestly. I tried to just translate without any judgement, but it's quite ridiculous that this guy was so blatant in his favouritism. And it is implied that Federer was quite alright with that fact, though I'd rather hear his side of the story first before drawing a final conclusion.

Titsy.

Good for him, everybody has a bad day from time to time and it would be a pity that someone who seems nice and inteligent end acting like the rest of spoiled brats on the circuit

Karen takes the first set 7-5!

Is Karen the new WTA star?

Karen has BDF for days

I don’t know. He doesn’t show much on court. Maybe it’s because of the fabric of the shorts?

Karen wins! 😍

finally something different. Good for Khachanov. This year we started seeing more masters winners but that stopped once Djokovic regained his momentum in the summer. I think next year we'll see more masters winners which is good but we really, really need new ATP slam winners.

Khachanov's best surface is indoors so I'm not surprised it's where he won his first masters. Hopefully he won't be like Berdych with just 1 though.

to recap 2018 masters:

Indian Wells- Del Potro (his first masters)

Miami- Isner (his first and hopefully only masters)

Monte Carlo- Nadal

Madrid-Zverev

Rome= Nadal

Canada-Nadal

Cincinnati-Djokovic

Shanghai-Djokovic

Paris-Khachanov

Nole

Guess who has the fewest Top-10 wins in 2018 among all YEC participants and *alternates?

Djokovic 11

Nadal 10

Nishikori 6

*Khachanov 5

Thiem, Zverev 4

Anderson, Cilic, *Isner 3

Federer 2

I hope Nadal can play the WTF. With Del Potro out we don't need another relevant player to withdraw

Roger's cushy scheduling - night matches in the summer - have always galled me. Yeah he's the biggest draw but Roger's 'people' have insisted on it in the past. Tournament directors are only too happy to agree. I think Roger's money makes a lot of things happen. The roof at the US Open - which is awful and makes it hard to watch matches on tv - was tailor made for him and this year he bitched when he lost to Millman. I wish he'd just go away and enjoy his riches.

is this where we talk about the Next Gen Finals?

I have no idea who Hurkacz and Caruana are.

Last year i knew all the players, including Quinzi (who was expected to be the next big thing when he was a boy but his career stalled, he was better than Coric when both were kids)

ok Hurkacz is already a top 100. To be honest i only know Munar because he is spanish and some kind of protegee of Nadal (he had a very good year climbing 200 positions on the ranking).

Caruana is invited by the organization, like Quinzi last year (but Quinzi had a way better ranking)

Here's the Next Gen boys. Munar looks about 15 years too old for this competition.

[quote]Caruana is invited by the organization

Wasn't there some 'wild card playoff' with Italian players that Liam Caruana won? His ranking is #622 so I don't expect much from him

R147 yes he has beaten Raul Brancaccio, Luca Giacomini and Enrico Della Valle for that slot. Whoever they are

Because the tournament is held in Milan, the Wild Card goes to an Italian player.

I find interesting to see why they were at the end of last year

Tsitsipas: current ranking 16. year end ranking in 2007 91 Tiafoe: 44 - 79 Hurkacz: 79 - 238 Munar: 80 - 184 De Miñaur: 33 - 208 Fritz: 49 - 104 Rublev: 76 - 39 Caruana: 622 - 429

Most of them had a very good year. That's not the case of Rublev who show potential very young, he was competing with Zverev for a while as one of the younger players climbing in the rankings but his career didn't exploded.

I don't understand why Shapovalov is not playing here

Rafa's butt is awesome. This commercial is 3 years old but a few close ups of his backside and pubes .... and wait til the very, very end. YUM

I haven't seen Jaume Munar or WC Liam Caruana play before. Is this event still going to do the weird sets again? I was hoping they'd do regular sets

[quote] makes it hard to watch matches on tv

In what ways?

[quote] is this where we talk about the Next Gen Finals?

No. That's talked about in the other thread.

OK so for some reason the new ATP rankings this week have added/subtracted for Paris AND subtracted from last year's WTF. That means you see wild changes.

Djokovic reclaims #1

Nishikori back into the top 10 @ #9

Khachanov rises 7 spots to career high #11

Dimitrov falls out of the top 10 9 spots to #19

Goffin drops 10 places to #22

Jaziri rises 9 spots to career high #46 at age 34

Krajinovic falls 59 spots to #93

Sock falls 82 spots to #105

Yes, the ATP takes the Tour Finals points off after Paris. At least they've been doing it that way for the last 10 or so years.

Peak Rafa

Rafa with his beautiful bod and all has always struck me a slightly asexual for some reason..the ad above is kind of off brand for him but I fully support it!

Rafa has withdrawn from London...having ankle surgery.

Djokovic is YE No. 1 then... only Nadal could have caught him.

Isner into YEC. Looks like Djokovic the favorite, Federer right behind. Then a big drop-off, but Anderson, Nishikori, and Zverev have outside chances. Not seeing Cilic, Theim, or isner winning this.

Thiem is going to triumph, you heard it here first!

The O2 arena has traditionally been a very fast, low bouncing court so perhaps that’ll give Fed a fighting chance to stop Djoker. I think Cilic and possibly Anderson can play well on a faster service. One would think the faster court would help Isner but I think he actually prefers a slower court to help his movement and to set up for his groundies.

While the faster surface should help Cilic's game, he's been a mess mentally the last several months, so I just can't see him winning. Inner does actually prefer a slower hard court, and Theim would rather play on clay. So can't see them coming through.

The court will be a big help for Federer, definitely has a chance to win here. Also, Anderson will be tough. Nishikori can play on a faster court as well.

Isner and his endless luck this year...who would have thought that not 1 but 2 players ranked above him would withdraw from the WTF so he could sneak in? ugh I bet he'll do well too given the court speed.

From last years next gen finals players 5 are top 30 players right now, Quinzi is now way nearer the top 100, the only ones who didn't have a good year were Rublev and Donaldson

Nadal had a surgery today, he is not going to play till next year

There will be no player wearing Nike at the tour finals this year.

Rumor has it that Andy Murray may switch from UA to Nike? His contract with UA expires at the end of this year I think.

Both Sascha and Marcelo posted these photos, but sharing this one for Kokkinakis' comment: "You two are some love story"

Is Lendl still coaching Zverev? If so WHY is he wasting his time on this loser?

[quote]Nole

Khachanov

I stand by what I said upthread that Djokovic's comeback will have ups and downs due to age. His loss yesterday is what I had in mind. I don't know if he was fighting flu, but the fact is that his 31 year old body will handle stresses like that much harder than five years ago.

R168 Scary pic!! LOL Sascha's riposte: Can I smell jealousy? haha

[quote] Kiki, Thiem team

Will we see Lendl in London next week with Sascha? I thought it was a little funny that Lendl left China before Shanghai ( why bother to make the trip at all?) Sascha said he returned home to have wrist surgery. If Sascha doesn't have really good results next season (especially at Grand Slams); I don't expect Lendl to stick around.

Is Domi clay specialist?

No, these days he loves the carpet

[quote]From last years next gen finals players 5 are top 30 players right now, Quinzi is now way nearer the top 100, the only ones who didn't have a good year were Rublev and Donaldson

And both were injured. Rublev missed three months (including the French Open and Wimbledon) with a back injury. Donaldson had to shut his year down after the Canadian with an injury, knee I think. Although he hadn't been having a great year, he was around No. 60 when he stopped.

[quote] after the Canadian

Do you refer to Rogers Cup?

WTF groups announced

Djokovic, Zverev, Cilic, Isner

Federer, Anderson, Thiem, Nishikori

play starts on Sunday

I won the flowers groups thing

Fissette working with Azarenka again apparently. Hopefully this will help her get back to somewhere near her best.

Brooklyn Decker and Andy Roddick's Son, 3, Wore a 'Wildly Inappropriate' Costume on Halloween

Brooklyn is pretty basic looking..

R183 (aka Mirka), you’d like her better if she looked like a Peep or HoHo.

yeah I never got the Brooklyn hype. She's attractive but not a stunner

[quote] She's attractive but not a stunner

Neither is Andy R.

Andy R, with his beady eyes, always looked a little Hillybilly-ish to me.

R187, good nutrition has given him some length of bone.

Nutrition?

R186 and R187 oh I totally agree. I was never attracted to Roddick. I'm just saying Brooklyn made her career as a model and I don't think she's anything special

I recall that Roddick asked his agent to set him up on a date with Brooklyn Decker after seeing/jerking off to her in a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition issue.

R191 that is correct. They met the hollywood way.

R177: In my opinion Rublev has almost everything to be a top player, he even improved his backhand, unfortunateley a strong mentality is not one of his virtues (i don't remember any russian male player who was mentally solid)

Tsitsipas, Tiafoe, De Miñaur and Rublev won their first matches. Some of them were tight, but Caruana better up his game if he doesn't want to be smashed by all his rivals

Nole

[quote]Nole

Gleb

why does the next gen tourney do those weird set scores? Why can't they do regular sets?

[quote] Nole

[quote] Gleb

Nole

R197: They use the tournament as experiment to possible future changes

ATP Finals Championship-Winning Points: 1990-2017

coach Wim Fissette is back working with Azarenka (after splitting up with Kerber)

I really, really want Azarenka to do well again.

I understand she puts a lot of people off with her grunt/awooo but her top tennis is a beauty to watch and she was completely fucked over with that custody shit.

Caruana won his first set, good for him

Tsitsipas, Hurkacz and Fritz won today.

Tsitsipas and Rublev dont' like at all most of the new things at the tournament. Tsitsipas really hated the coaching

De Miñaur won the last match

Titsy.

Rublev defeated Caruana and Munar defeated Tiafoe

Kyrgios finally getting help for his mental problems.

That’s great, R208. I feel for the psychiatrist and other professionals who’ll have to deal with him.

He doesn't have a mental health issue. He is just a brat and there is no mental treatment for that. Though there are various other remedial measures available

R210 - He's said before he struggles with depression.

So Tomic and Kyrgios both suffer from depression? What's up with the Aussies?

It's not exactly a surprise. Kyrgios has some erratic behaviour, in some interviews he even seems a nice guy (he had harsh words to Margaret Court after one of her homophobic diatribes) but he seems unable to deal with the preassure and behaves really bad on court. So maybe there's some hope for him

On the other hand i think Tomic is simply a douchebag

Commentators have long alluded to Kyrgios having mental illness. It's good he's finally admitted to getting some help with it.

Rename Margaret Court Court!

I want Goolagong Arena.

Goolagong was a way cooler tennis player. And she was a mama on the circuit like Serena (but she won a GS after having her baby)

Geritol

R216 Serena has a baby?!

R218: I'm pretty sure she has a baby

I’m shocked, R219. Did not know.

I refuse to believe it. She'd have mentioned something about it by now.

Oh come on, she is a mother, no she is the MOTHER and you know it.

by the way Tsitsipas won the las match on the next gen thing.

The semis: Tsitsipas- Rublev, De Miñaur-Munar

A [italic]baby[/italic], r216?!? Are you sure?!? When did that happen???

It must have just popped out of her during a court change. She must not have known she was pregnant. Was this during the Asian swing?

[quote][R191] that is correct. They met the hollywood way.

Actually, that's closer to being a catalogue bride.

[quote] I recall that Roddick asked his agent to set him up on a date with Brooklyn Decker after seeing/jerking off to her in a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition issue.

Did Andy actually say he jerked off to her image?

I'm loving the way some players are wearing tighter/shorter pants. (Titsy, Edmunds, Basilashvili etc)

R227 = Mima Jausovec

Had to google that. Bring back the short shorts!

Titsy.

I was shocked too to have a baby. I thought I would only pass wind at the change of ends!

Ivan Lendl practically bursting out of his short shorts in the 80s

Well the Saudi exhibition's been cancelled due to Nadal's injury.

R233 Good. At least something good resulted from Rafa's injury.

[quote] Well the Saudi exhibition's been cancelled due to Nadal's injury.

“cancelled due to Nadal’s injury”

R235 - He's had surgery and is on crutches. I doubt that's just an excuse to get out of a controversial exhibition, no matter how convenient it might look.

R232 daaaamn. I confess that I was not able to appreciate them back then... was busy learning to walk. (How does that statement make me STILL OLD?)

R236 I don't think the sarcasm quotes were for Nadal's cancellation but for the tournament cancellation (which ordinarily would probably find a substitute or something?)

So the next gen guys haven't been happy this week having to get their own towels and putting them back on a rack. They miss having the ballkids in between points. I think it'd be funny if they started this at the real tournaments. Could you imagine Nadal having to get his own towel, wipe off AND still be ready in 25 seconds for the next point? He'd go insane

[quote] I doubt that's just an excuse to get out of a controversial exhibition, no matter how convenient it might look.

[quote] I don't think the sarcasm quotes were for Nadal's cancellation but for the tournament cancellation (which ordinarily would probably find a substitute or something?)

Precisely. The quotes were for their using Nadal’s injury as an excuse.

R328 I've always felt bad for the ballkids having to handle those sweaty towels ;and they probably get the towels mixed up from time to time. Gross. Even worse: the players tossing their soiled towels to the fans. I'd toss it back. Lol.

Once at Roland Garros, I watched a double match with Martina Navratilova teaming with a very young Kuzie (elderly lezzie and baby lezzie) on a small court. One crazy italian guy in the crowd kept chanting "Martina, Martinaaaaa" and "Martina, mi amore, I love you". At the end of the match, Martina came to the edge of the court and shout "my towel is only for mi italiano amore!". The guy was litterally crying tears of joy. It was so cute.

Has Kuznetsova ever actually come out?

Also Halep and Cahill have parted ways.

Alex de Miñaur defeated Munar in five sets. Munar did way better than i expected in this tournament

De Minaur also won Newcomer of the Year

[quote] teaming with a very young Kuzie

Kooze.

[quote] Also Halep and Cahill have parted ways.

She no longer needs his help?

Miñaur vs Munar

Is this where we talk about Rogers Fed Cup?

Titsy.

Well, the final is exactly the one expected (that would be a surprise on the wta)

He knows his ass is hot. Still single, huh?

Rafa's world famous ass attracts both sexes.

I've wondered if he ever played around with guys before. He's always seemed a bit asexual, I agree, though. (When he was young, I guess it was all about the hair.)

Moya has tapped it. And Pico.

Lucie Safarova will retire after the Australian Open

[quote] Rafa's world famous ass attracts both sexes.

Why?

Because it’s made of marzipan, Rose.

Rafa gay rumours are all for his unconventional (for the tour) relationship with Xisca or there are other things considered?

Tsitsipas had another angry moment with the coaching, he crashed the headphones. I think he had an angry moment in a match against Medveded some months ago but he should try to calm himself. He is one of those players that look good on interviews but this kind of things are not positive for him on any level

Titsy.

Too bad about Safarova. I've always liked her, and she's very nice in person, too. She had a solid career, but unfortunately once she started playing at her very best in 2015, she contracted the bacterial infection which led to her arthritis.

It's surprising that when Wozniacki announced her arthritis diagnosis a couple of months ago, nobody mentioned Safarova, because that effectively ended her career as a top player. We'll see what happens to Woz.

The B Team of Czech Republic is winning Fed Cup final against the D team of USA

It feels like Safarova has been around forever. Wasn't she a contemporary of Hingis and Dokic back in the 90s?

[quote]against the D team of USA

Did both Lisa Raymond and Ashley Harkleroad lose their singles matches?

ahahaha now that you mentioned her, I just remembered Ashley Harkleroad

Strycova def Kenin 67 61 64

Siniakova def Riske 63 76

Kvitova is there along with Krejcikova. US has Collins and Milichar

The fed cup is even more dead than the Davis cup

They should do away with the Asian swing and replace it with Davis Cup and Fed Cup. Focus on them.

Is this where we talk about Red Rock Pro Open?

R262 no Safarova isn't that old. She was the one who was dating Berdych for a while. I think he may have cheated on her or something but anyway, he moved on FAST while she didn't.

Bird Itch

Tsitsipas won the tournament

Did someone call?

London official photoshot

and us

Those are all universally hot guys in both singles and doubles. Glad to see only three of them were silly enough to wear brown shoes with those blue suits. Sasha is rocking the sockless look as well.

meh none of them look that great.

why the fuck did the photographer put the shortest guy Nishikori at 5'11 in front of the tallest guy Isner 6'10?

Cilic should have shaved

Titsy!

1st match has started Domi and Anderson are playing. I think from this group Roger and Kei will qualify. Kevin will be in third place while poor Domi will be the bottom boy of this group Since fast indoor hard court with low bounce are, not his favorite conditions so he will be banged and spanked mercilessly by rest of three

R251 Seeing him playing live is fantastic. His abs and ass look so much more delicious. Add sounds when he hits the ball and it is perfect erotic sport event.

Team doubles is so much hotter and Isner looks like a damn fool.

Did anyone else see the De Minaur/Tsitsipas NextGen finals last night? I really, really hope this is the future of the ATP. They were both fucking great, and I was truely impressed with De Minaur’s volleying and drop shots. Tsitsipas is just all-around superlative, with an outstanding backhand.

Tsitsipas is for sure a future slam winner. Let’s hope breakthrough happens next year. I DO predict he wins one before Zverev.

The Czech Republic has won the Fed Cup for the 6th time in 9 years. CZE - USA: 3-0

Anderson wins 63 76 against Thiem in the first match

Domi

^ still a winner in my book!

A. Zverev was not pleased a girl kept trying to hug him while taking a picture

The reaction is pretty funny

Siniakova-Kenin lasted 3 hours and 44 minutes

That Zverez gif is amazing, he was all smiles but when she tries to hug him it's like what are you doing bitch?

Kenin is kind of like a new Wozniacki from what I've seen. Not a ton of power but she's scrappy, consistent and moves well

It's a shame that Nadal and Del Potro couldn't have been at the WTF. The matches would be more exciting. I don't need to see Federer def. Nishikori AGAIN

Haha yeah Zverev gif is hilarious! Thanks for sharing.

Kenin was supposed to be a child prodigy when she was very young but then she never delivered. She always was one of the best of her age but nothing more. She is consistent for sure which right now with so many players who destroy themselves is more than enough to get some good results

Kei is on fire. Can he win this group?

Group Azalea?

No, this time are group Kuerten and group Hewitt, but the flowers groups would be a good idea like group Rose and group Orchid or something like that.

I hope Kei realizes that he can defeat Federer because he really can do it

Mirka is looking at her nails ravenously.

Kei wins

wow OK Kei! I take that back. He actually played decently and won. Federer still off though. His form from Paris hasn't improved

Federer is a beatable player for a good while but most players just don't believe they can defeat him

Nishikori is, for once, a big fish in a Kei pond.

Kei is lovely to watch when he's playing well.

Oldsters, what was your favorite Virginia Slims tournament?

Menthol, R303.

How are you watching it in the USA? Is it on ESPN?

The WTF tournament is being shown on the Tennis Channel

LOL E306 The What the Fuck tourney.

R303, most of them throughout the 1970s. Each week, usually, the draws were loaded.

Nole

Kei!

Titsy!

Even in my early teens, I would ask "why the hell are tennis tournaments being sponsored by CIGARETTES?" There used to be a couple of events sponsored by Marlboro on the men's tour.

I remember before she retired, when she was No. 3 in the world, Chris Evert explained that there were days she felt ready to go, but her mind or body just wouldn't comply. She could play great one day, then just come out flat the next day, and that was happening more and more. For most of this year, watching Federer play has reminded me of Evert's retirement comments. Obviously he's still capable of great tennis on any given day, but we'll probably see days like today more frequently.

Guess who has the fewest Top-10 wins in 2018 among all YEC participants and *alternates?

Djokovic 11

Nadal 10

Nishikori 6 *Khachanov 5

Thiem, Zverev 4

Anderson, Cilic, *Isner 3

Federer 2

Zverev defeated Cilic. Cilic was a break up in both sets

And Djokovic defeated Isner

French radio show lifts the veil on Federer

“There’s one player who has issues with Federer getting preferential treatment. And that’s Djokovic,” Salliot said on the radio show.

“At Wimbledon, Djokovic was fed up with systematically being scheduled on Court 1. After his fourth round, in the press conference, he rocked the boat. For the quarterfinals, the organizers moved Federer to Court 1, because they felt almost obligated. What happened? (Federer) lost.”

The journalist told the story of the ATP Tour 500 event in Rotterdam early this year, when Federer had an opportunity to get back the No. 1 ranking.

Federer hadn’t entered. So Godsick called up tournament director Richard Krajicek and asked for a wild card. Except, Godsick told Krajicek, the price had gone up. As Salliot tells it, Krajicek told Godsick, “Let me call my bank (which also happened to be the tournament sponsor).

It was handled. Federer won the tournament, and took back the top spot.

Prior to that, Salliot said a similar conversation had taken place with the tournament organizers in Dubai, where it happens Federer is a part-time resident.

In asking for the wild card for the same reasons (Dubai takes place two weeks after Rotterdam), Godsick told them that the price for Federer’s participation was no longer $1 million. It was $2 million.

wow I didn't know that top players could still demand a higher appearance fee when asking for a WC!!! I thought that was just when they enter a tournament the regular way.

Federer is quite spoiled and pampered.

For clarification, I mean usually smaller tournaments will ask top players to come and play, at which point they'll negotiate an appearance fee. I didn't realize that a top player could also negotiate an appearance fee even if they're asking for a WC at the same time. That seems crazy to me

[quote]“There’s one player who has issues with Federer getting preferential treatment. And that’s Djokovic,” Salliot said on the radio show. “At Wimbledon, Djokovic was fed up with systematically being scheduled on Court 1. After his fourth round, in the press conference, he rocked the boat. For the quarterfinals, the organizers moved Federer to Court 1, because they felt almost obligated. What happened? (Federer) lost.”

Attached is Djokovic's 4R press conference. I'm wondering where, exactly, he rocks the boat.

(Plus, Wimbledon organizers are not going to feel obligated by anyone on scheduling matters. They answer to no one.)

I don't doubt that Djokovic gets annoyed with the preferential treatment for Federer. Hell, it annoys me and I'm not on tour with him. But I very much doubt that he's the "one player" that's annoyed by it.

Federer is such a sore loser even now. His handshake with Kei was pathetic. Even Serena will give a better exchange after a loss (unless it's to Venus).

Federer would go ballistic if he somehow loses to Thiem...probably won't happen but would be hilarious

Boobs out!

Anderson rolls over Nishi. 60 61

Anderson team

WTF Kei?

If Thiem wins later today (I don't think he will) then Federer is eliminated

Thiem team

Team babycakes

was Kei injured? did he just play like shit? or Anderson went GOAT on his ass ?

Yeah I just saw the score and wondered if Kei was injured or if their performances were just polar opposites.

Kei said "I didn’t feel the ball today, it just wasn’t my day".

Rafa has not surrendered his ass to any man - stop lying!

R336: Who said he did?

it was 60 50

former ATP player Rainer Schüttler is Angelique Kerber's new coach

that makes sense. He was a scrapper counter puncher too

Dominick is not even giving a fight.

yes, Federer wins 62 63

[quote]Kei said "I didn’t feel the ball today, it just wasn’t my day".

Bitch couldn't even find the court.

i wonder if these players bet on games. night and day performances.

AMAZING matches today! COMPELLING!

Kei got his period during the match.

Nole

Rainer Schuettler had a nice ass.

Now, R348, THAT is a great pic to begin my day! Thanks!

Radwańska has retired.

Team Rainer Cakes!

[quote]Radwańska has retired.

Djokovic def. A Zverev 6-4, 6-1

[quote] Radwańska has retired.

What a loss of depth in the WTA. Fortunately it has a stable of talent!

I never lumped Radwanska in with the inconsistent headcases because I think she achieved as much out of her talents as she could. I don't think we could realistically look at her career and say she left titles on the table. I save that for players like Kuznetsova, Kvitova, Jankovic, Ivanovic and, so far, Muguruza and Pliskova, who have tons of talent, can win big titles (including Slams), and should have been able to regularly challenge Serena, but also have as many early round losses (or more) than deep runs.

For the little power she had in this era of the power tennis Radwanska did very well.

She was always great fun to watch and made a refreshing change.

Did she win at least one major?

so Djokovic is going to ease his way to another title? Zverev not ready to step up yet.

Is that Nadal in OPs photo? Beautiful rear end!

Nadal's butt is such a good example of a "bubble" butt.

Well said, Novak

what question was he asked? about gays in general or a specific person coming out?

Has he spoken out against Margaret Court Court?

The question is in the tweet before, so a general question, I think. Unless something was said before that...

well it's good to see Djokovic is accepting of gays, at least publicly. That's big for someone from the Balkan.

R355: Sorry, but Radwanska has more talent in her middlefinger than all those brainless ballbashers. Hitting the ball hard is not the same of having talent. Yes, Kvitova and Muguruza are impressive in a good day, but they are painful to watch in a bad one. None of those players would have won a GS if they were competing at the beginning of the 90's.

Radwanska in fact has a lot of talent, unfortunately for her when you don't have killer shots you need to have a brain on your head, and unfortunately that was not her case, but she was able to produce amazing tennis and she has a very good career for someone who in my opinion doesn't like tennis that much (she was there for the money, period and with only that it's very difficult to find motivation once you get enough money)

Zverev is not even there. I don't expect him to beat Nole who is in very good form, but at least he should be able to give him a fight. If Isner has a good day at serve Sascha will be out of the tournament

According to Ben R, in Poland Radwanska was known as 'Andy Murray in a Skirt' as they both used to drop shot so much.

Radwanska's talent and athleticism was indeed great. She was reminiscent of Hingis I think. If you look at her as an old-school 'magician' vs a field of ball-bashers she performed admirably. She received a lot of criticism for refusing to bulk up in order to compete with the hard hitters but I think she knew where her talents lay and didn't want to jeopardise them.

I know she's not been around for a while but I'll miss her. I love how Murray is nearly always the first to reply to other tennis people on twitter/instagram/facebook etc. He's all over that shit.

apparently Murray is attending the the Cilic - Isner match with Dani V.

I don't understand the hate for this guy, at all.

[quote] in Poland Radwanska was known as 'Andy Murray in a Skirt'

My boy would look good in anything including a skirt.

[quote] I love how Murray is nearly always the first to reply to other tennis people on twitter/instagram/facebook etc. He's all over that shit.

That’s my Andy! So empathetic and caring. He survived a school shooting you know? Helped make him the kind man he is today.

R371 - We all know Murray is a good bloke and his mother is a bit over the top, but bringing the Dunblane shooting into it isn't very funny.

Radwanska's serve was a liability and she refused to ever work on it. She just started the point with it which often caused her to start on the defensive against top players. Cibulkova is shorter than her and hits a harder serve. It's about technique.

Nole.

Andy Raw-dick accepting his Lacoste International Crocodile Hall of Fame award.

[quote] He survived a school shooting you know?

Serena had a baby too! Did you know?

R367, I couldn't disagree with you more about Radwanska. I do agree that she had great tennis talent, but to say she didn't have a brain on (sic) her head or was playing only for money and didn't love the sport are wrong calls in my opinion.

I could understand the "love of money" criticism of someone like a Monfils or Kyrgios, players with tons of talent and typically underachieved. But in the nine years between 2008 - 2016, she finished in the Top Ten for eight of those years. (Finished No. 14 in 2009.) She reached the finals of Wimbledon, won a Tour Championship, and reached the QF in Grand Slam events 12 times (and the 4R another 15 occasions). You would not see that level of consistency and professionalism from someone just playing for the money. Additionally, she mentioned she plans to stay involved in the sport, so I think her love of tennis is clear.

As for having a brain, she survived on her brains. She didn't have a kill shot or a huge serve that she could end points with. She had to think through points, maneuver her opponent into positions that made them uncomfortable, and try to throw off the opponent with slices, spins, and placement. The first time I saw Radwanska play in person was the 2007 US Open against Sharapova. She was just 18 years old, but was able to beat Sharapova by out-thinking her. As the match got tighter, and headed to a third set, Radwanska started to step into the baseline to receive the Sharapova second serve, halfway between the service line and baseline. Sharapova started to choke on serve, thrown off by her tactics.

I think it's fair to criticize her for never developing her serve more... to be honest I would probably level that criticism at 75% of the WTA players. But it was clear that she didn't see her path to victory in developing huge power shots, she saw her game based on the variety and guile she brought to every point. I've missed her from the very top of the game the last couple of years while she struggled with injury, and I think her style and variety will be missed now that she's no longer playing.

I may be misremembering but didnt Radwanska say something like she didn’t want to put on any muscle because she wanted to stay looking ‘womanly’?

She was a great shot maker but if those shots had actually had some power behind them she could’ve easily won a major...

Its not as simple as taking a player's game, add power, and voila: you've got a better player. There's always a risk/reward scenario involved.

There are two ways to add power: change technique or change physique. Technique can be changed, but to re-make a shot, you have to learn an entirely different way to hit the ball, new grips, new backswing, new trajectory, new follow through. In doing so, you risk losing your original strokes. (There's also the mental component, where you need conviction to hit that shot in a match when you're down Break point.)

In changing physique, it's the same thing. You can add 10 lbs of muscle to give you more power, but does that extra weight cause you to move slower on the court? Think of the Radwanska game, where she'd get down low to the ground when scrambling for shots. If she's ten lbs heavier, does she lose that flexibility?

I remember when Jankovic finished the year No. 1, in the off-season she worked on bulking up her serve. It was a tremendous fail. With her new technique she could hit it harder, but it was much more inconsistent. While her serve was never a strength, it ended up becoming a bigger liability in her opinion. She went back to her old serve, and the whole process fucked with her confidence. I only played at a high school and college level, but I can attest tinkering with your game can sometimes work, sometimes not.

[quote]I remember when Jankovic finished the year No. 1, in the off-season she worked on bulking up her serve. It was a tremendous fail.

Yes, I remember that as well. She bulked up too much and it messed up her movement and her game beyond just her serve.

On the other hand, you have someone like Wozniacki who did improve her serve and managed to win a slam and get back to #1.

Remember people used to compare Radwanska to Hingis? Hingis was obviously not impressed by the comparison.

I believe they also played against each other once. But I cannot recall what the occasion was. Was it an exhibition match?

Thiem d. Nishikori 61 64. If Federer wins more than 5 games today vs Anderson, he will advance to the semis. (I think)

[quote]I believe they also played against each other once. But I cannot recall what the occasion was. Was it an exhibition match?

Radwanska and Hingis played twice, Radwanska winning both. You might be thinking of the Fed Cup match in 2015, Radwanska won that in straights. Also beat Hingis in Miami 2007, when Radwanska was a teen and Hingis was No. 6 in the world.

I can't believe Nishikori def. Federer in straight sets but then lost easily to both Anderson and Thiem

[quote]Radwanska's serve was a liability and she refused to ever work on it.

She was a stubborn cunt, to be sure. Remember the disastrous “collaboration” with Navratilova, who was supposed to add a more attacking, aggressive dimension to her game? Though I’m sure we’ll never, ever be told the true story behind the end of the collaboration, I’m sure the fact that Radwanska had very little taste for change of any sort, and even less for the hard yards required to change, had a lot to do with it.

As for her intelligence, I always got the impression she wasn’t the brightest tool in the box, by a stretch. She definitely had an instinctive [italic]tennis[/italic] intelligence, but she she was no overall strategist.

Having said all that, I’m sorry to see her go. She’s leaving yet another slot for truly brainless ball bashers to fill.

Radwanska said she's very conservative politically, so whatever intelligence she has can't be that great

R376: I didn't express myself correctly, that's for sure. When i said she didn't have a brain i was thinking on her mental strenght, in fact she was a smart player, but mentally strong she was not.

She expressed several times that she didn't like play tennis, she had zero motivation and that's the reason why she never improved some obvious flaws

R380; Hingis was not impressed for two reasons, first she has a big big ego, and second she was infinitely better than Radwandska. Both had similar strenghts and flaws but Hingis was able to compete against big hitters at their best something that Radwanska was not. Their careers are not exactly similar

I'm rooting for Anderson.

If he eliminates Federer here he would be in Roger's blacklist forever

Anderson team

Anderson is one of those odd ones who's terribly boring on the court and in interviews but seems actually rather cool and more interesting in his real life.

I agree, R389. I feel the same way about Andy Moway.

R390: Murray is more annoying than boring (but his game is a little boring too), sometimes he acts like a spoiled angry brat on court. Out of court he is one of the most inteligent and articulate players.

Fortunately not everyone is Nadal and Federer, i can totally understand why they don't want to be controversial and keep a clean image, but they are incredibly boring off court, and when they have an opinion generally i end thinking it would be better if they just didn't say it

And Federer not only wins but he avoids Djokovic in the semis

Aga leaving feels like the end of an era and is sad in that sense, but it's time. She clearly doesn't care about tennis any more. Last year and this year she lost so much weight to look good for her wedding and also lost her ability to play tennis with it. Her shots were already weak and now they are feeble at best. Movement has never been worse. For a while now she's been more interested in her tacky Radwanska-themed hotels (look them up, they have photos of her all over including in the rooms!) and her continued bad botox and collagen injections. The weirdest part is her sister is still playing ITFs while Aga is the one retiring!

She was fun to watch in her prime but also extremely overrated (winning shot of the year every year, being called 'la professora', ninja, genius etc), just because she was quick and could hit a few sneaky drop shots and got lucky with some improvised shots sometimes. In addition to greats before her like Hingis and Novotna, there are lots of players who play with variety over power. They're not really at the top of the game right now (which these days is more pushers than hitters anyway), but they can definitely beat top players on their day.

Hsieh Su Wei this year has done it so well and so cleverly, she makes Aga look like a ballbasher. Anastasya Sevastova does it too and will probably be in the top ten after the Australian swing. Tatiana Maria, Ons Jabeur, Aleksandra Krunic, Magdalena Rybarikova, Kristen Flipkens, Barbora Strycova.... Kiki Bertens after her improvements has all that Radwanska variety, the wicked backhand slice, flawless dropshots, AND hits one of the weightiest, most topspin-heavy forehands on the tour. With a big serve to boot. None of these players have yet reached the success of Agatha, but most of them are much more dedicated to the sport, and have much more endearing personalities.

[quote] they have photos of her all over including in the rooms!

See! Even in the rooms trying to convert them into lesbians!

It’s being called the Australian swing now? Jaysus. How can one keep up?

R395 I dunno. There are 5 tournaments in Australia (and also Auckland in NZ), also a bunch of exhibitions like the Kooyong Classic. I'd say that's enough to be a swing?

ugh I really don't want another Federer-Djokovic final. Hopefully at least 1 will lose in the SF but that's doubtful. The ATP really has stalled at the top

Titsy.

R391 I find Murray’s game very delicious. Especially the ass and the thighs. The ass!

It does look like it'll be Nole and Federer with the trophy. It'd be nice for KAndy to be a hero but I doubt he has it in him to beat Djokovic here at his first finals appearance.

And neither Cilic nor [2018] Zverev can do much against Federer either, regardless of who makes it out of the group stage.

yesterday king Roger totally showed Kevin Chokerson that who is the boss

Sasha has qualified

Isner went 0-3 hahahaha and indoors should help his game more. He only won 1 set the whole week and that was against Cilic

[quote]Isner went 0-3 hahahaha

at least he has a baby!

R400: Zverev defeated Federer 2 of their 5 matches, and most of them were tight matches.

Federer is not at his best level, neither is Zverev, but saying he can do much against Federer is not true.

Federer is beatable right now, Nishikori (who played really bad after defeating him) prove it. He is the favourite, but no at the same level Djokovic will be in the other semifinal (not even close)

R405 You are right, but with the indoor conditions and the confidence gained from his last two wins? I think it'll be a real uphill battle for Sasha. I'm expecting him to put up a similar sort of game that Thiem did. But we shall see!

R406: I don't think Roger is that confident. Nishikori's match proved that he is not sharp right now. In my opinion it'll depend of Zverev, if he really believes he can defeat Roger, Federer will suffer, but probably Zverev will struggle at the first trouble in the match, so Federer will prevail.

I think Sascha needs to overcome the burden of big tournaments as fast as possible or he'll hit a brick wall anytime he has a big match ahead of him. His raise to the top level was really fast (compared with other promised players around his age) but he could stall if he is unable to deliver everytime.

In my opinion he doesn't need to win the tournament to reach the next level, passing semis will be enough for him to gain confidence (unless he is destroyed in the final after that). Djokovic is simply too strong right now, and he has the mental factor in his favour.

From the big three, Zverev has his best results against Federer so it's an opportunity for him but till reality proves other way Federer is the favourite

[quote] From the big three

Pardon?

Federer's been up against it with the criticism about his scheduling. I'm glad it's finally been said out loud and he's been confronted about it. He came across as an utterly hateful arsehole with his barely concealed rage that anyone would DARE question him.

So many talk about how "classy" Roger is but honestly he's always come across as very self righteous and higher than thou. Cant handle much criticism. His press conferences are aggravating. But I guess most people that live a cushy life with the resources he has could be like that.

R408; Come on Judy, your son is semiretired lately, Zverev didn't have time to really compete against him

Fed gets to play semi no. 1 tomorrow, lol.

R409: The truth is he skipped the question and the "Benetteau is a nice guy" was something like preached from his high pedestral.

In Australia he was clearly favoured, and it was not a question of playing at your favourite time, it was that he didn't have to play when the heat was really a danger.

I think he'll retire soon, i doubt he'll be competitive next year specially if Djokovic and Nadal keep their level and some of the younger ones rise their level

He's lucky the only criticism is the scheduling. I'm sure a lot more bribing and secret handshakes go on behind the scenes. And this blog post from last year explores the possibility/probability of him doping as well.

Which male tennis players are white adjacent?

Group Noles/Nestor

Hingis was awful once the power game came into play regularly. But Radwawnaska would have been toast vs the Serena, Venus, Davenport, Capriati, Clijsters , Henin onslaught. Hingis couldn't hang but Agi would've fared much much worse.

Who does Jack Soxk resemble in face and body?

[quote]And this blog post from last year explores the possibility/probability of him doping as well.

Blog post? Yeah, sure.

Who does Jack Sock resemble in face and body?

Poor Hingis just kept watching bombs blow right past her non stop

[quote]at least he has a baby!

It’s Serena’s (she’s had a BABY!!, haven’t you heard?), and she rents her out when necessary.

Enough with Serena and her baby.

Yeah we're all about the Qai Qai now. Get with the pg, losers!

R417: Hingis was awful because she was stubborn, she thought she was some kind of genius and she could compete without working her ass. With a little improvement in her serve (which was her weakness) and athleticism she could be competitive. In fact she was able to defeat big hitters in GS, the problem was defeat three big hitters on a row. When she faced the third she was totally out of stream

out of steam.

And i'm on team Zverev today. Probably he will dissapoint once more, but i don't want a Nole/Federer final again, it's time to move on greener pastures

It's very easy to criticise Hingis but what she achieved had never been seen before nor will it again. Hell, Saint Clijsters would have got arrogant if she'd achieved so much at such a young age.

I'd go with the 'weak era' explanation for Hingis' run of GS titles if she didn't then come back and (nearly) do as well again in her later career.

Yes, she was a cow. Yes, she's said some outrageous stuff over the years. Yes, she's probably a bad role model etc but when it comes to Hingis you just need to say 'Fuck, that girl was talented'. Her achievements are just breathtaking.

The problem is that HIngis was that arrogant even before achieve anything. Sukova stopped playing doubles with her because she was unsufferable. She was rude to rivals. People keep telling she was unable to compete, but before the injuries she was able to defeat Serena and Venus at the same GS (and Serena was a US Open champion). But she lost her intimidation factor, her serve was weak and in a close match her athleticism was not competitive.

She was incredibly talented, but not a great athlete (and she almost nothing thing to improve that). The fact she was rude to rivals made crowds not wanting to root for her (even when her game was lovable). And she was lucky all that was before social media, because she would be trashed to no end after some of her rude comments

Justine Henin was on a similar position, she was talented but her game made her difficult to compete against big hitters (who already were older than her and with more experience) but she worked hard and she even was the top player for a while

R429 Now you're just being silly. Henin could hit just as hard as anyone. She wasn't as tall as some of her rivals so was seen as being at a disadvantage but she showed that she wasn't. Yes, she had to put a lot of work in but she could compete with anyone.

Hingis and Henin were cunts in different but entertaining ways. Hingis was arrogant, surly, stupid and childish, but a magician with the ball. Henin was gritty, single-minded, and a very hard worker with impeccable ball timing, and willing to do anything to win.

I totally agree with r430. Henin, even despite her smaller size, could go toe-to-toe with all the power hitters of her era. She was amazing in how she could generate such power off both wings as well as on her serve. And, yeah, her one-handed backhand was a thing of beauty. As dour as she could be, I do sorely miss her presence on the tour.

R430: I recomend you to watch Henin's early matches. She became way fitter and stronger after a couple of years on the circuit, she was able to add power without renounce to her game.

Henin was my favourite player of that era, and she seemed destined to be overpowered but she work hard and ended hitting as hard as anyone. She had another advantage over Hingis, she had a good serve

Hingis was arrogant and petulant with an awful personality and work ethic (although far from the likes of Kyrgios), but I think i'd be reluctant to work on my game too if i'd become a multi millionaire and 5 time slam champion by the age of like 18. It's hard to want to put in the effort when you achieve everything so young and so easily. She was a real #1 for years (singles and doubles), won everything, and played like a #1 too. I know most people talk about her against the Williams sisters, but look at a rivalry like hers and Lindsay's. Ultra competitive (Lindsay leads 14-11, for 25 meetings that's very close), and a whopping 16 of those matches IN A ROW were meetings in a final. The tour is sorely missing great rivalries like that these days where they work their way through the draws every week to fiercely battle each other at the end.

I adored Henin's backhand and awesome anticipation, but a bit put off by the fact that she used every dirty trick in the book. So much poor sportsmanship. The infamous Serena hand incident, retiring in the AO final because she 'had a sore tummy' aka was getting thrashed (but all smiles in the trophy ceremony!), the constant illegal coaching from Rodriguez in the stands, frequent suspiciously-timed medical time outs to throw her opponents rhythm (Wozniacki stole this one), her criticising Kim Clijsters and her father at every opportunity, and the very likely probability of her doping and getting that silent ban. She had a beautiful game, and all the drama with her gay scam artist husband Pierre Yves Hardenne was entertaining at the time, but I think people forget that she had zero integrity on and off the court.

R434 - The doping/silent ban is pure rumour and you know it. It's ridiculous to call it 'very likely probable' since there is no proof either way.

Sock in the final

Another thing about Henin -- she and Capriati were the only two women who could really challenge Serena even on Serena's best days.

If it is Fed vs Djok then hopefully it's the last

Oh yeah.

It makes total sense that she retired ONE WEEK before the French Open (her best tournament, she was the #1 seed and had won the previous 3 years in a row - 4 of the last 5! - and was almost guaranteed to win it again). Makes total sense that she specifically requested that they remove her from the rankings even though she was #1 at the time and would have kept clocking up more weeks - she was already only the 7th woman to have held the spot for 12 consecutive months and was on track to keep climbing the all time list. Why be so adamant about removing herself entirely from the rankings? Most players do not (Hingis herself was still doubles #1 almost 8 months after retiring, this year).

The rules specifically state that "If a player officially retires, he or she must re-enter the anti-doping program three months in advance of returning". Which she did EXACTLY 12 months (almost to the day) after immediately, suddenly retiring and relinquishing her #1 spot. You don't think it's suspicious to INSTANTLY remove yourself from the #1 spot before your favourite slam, take your name off the books and rankings for *exactly* 12 months only to immediately re-enter the anti doping program and return after the 3 month period is up?

Again, nothing suspicious about the Womens Tennis Trophy? Where BELGIUM'S OWN SPORTS MINISTER (Claude Eerdekens) reported that one of the four players at the exhibition event (Henin, Dementieva, Kuznetsova, Dechy) had tested positive for a banned substance, but did not name the player or the substance. Dechy and Kuznetsova said at the AO that they had not been notified of positive tests. Dementieva wasn't interviewed because her match was the day after. But guess which player was conveniently skipping the AO that year due to injury? The same player who won that event in Belgium. :///// Another coincidence?

Not to mention her and other incidents like needing an IV drip after her exhausting SF with Capriati (people thought she might walkover) only to come out running like a rabbit and kill Clijsters in the final? Her sudden reappearance in the early 00s as a broad shouldered, buff, much more muscled player after the off-season?

You can call it a rumour if you like, I admit there is no hard proof (remember though that Sharapova got away with using a substance for 10 years) but I refuse to be that naive. She already admitted to cheating in that match against Serena. The tennis press all knew she was doping at the time (she specifically asked them not to bring it up in her retirement press conference - the quotes are out there).

R439 But you admit there's no proof!

R440 I never said there was proof though? I said 'probable' and 'likely'.

R441 The 'evidence' is interesting, certainly. But I'm a huge Henin fan so am very probably biased. An interesting theory I read once (probably on TF) was that Henin's ban was silent because she wasn't the only one found to be using the same substance and that the embarrassment would have been too large for the WTA to ban them all.

I can't remember who else was implicated or any other details than that so I see what a useless post this is.

R442 I'm sure it's a lot more widespread than we'd like to think. Agassi also talked about getting a silent ban in his autobiography of course, they didn't want to damage the reputation of the sport. Which is probably why Sharapova got away with using a substance like that for so long even before it was officially banned (given she is one of the biggest draw cards and cash cows in the womens game). The fact that they banned her at all is pretty shocking, I wonder if they would have gone public with it had they already known Serena was going to be out for the whole year as well. I am sure a lot of money can be exchanged behind the scenes.

For the record I remain a fan of Henin's playing style and a lot of her matches (and ESPECIALLY of that backhand), but the underhanded way she went about things throughout her career, the whining, and the (to me) strong evidence that she was probably doping has definitely soured her a bit for me personally.

Zverev takes first set 7-5.

Zverev being booed!

[quote] Enough with Serena and her baby.

She had a baby?

[quote] Henin was gritty, single-minded, and a very hard worker with impeccable ball timing, and willing to do anything to win.

And she also found the time to star in The Sixth Sense.

[quote] Zverev being booed!

Which one?

[quote] I wonder if they would have gone public with it had they already known Serena was going to be out for the whole year as well.

Why was she out?

That crowd was horrible to Sascha! He did nothing to deserve that and was well within his rights to have that point replayed after the ball kid dropped the ball. He looked quite shocked by the booing and apologized several times instead of of being allowed to enjoy the moment.

I enjoyed Annabel Croft telling the crowd off.

Never been a fan of Novak but Roger's horrible fans make me root for Nole.

And I absolutely love to watch Roger' s stylish game while Nole has a boring grinding game.

I know being reactionary is a bad thing but what can I do? Roger's fan and Mirka have made him unrootable at least for me/

Poor guy

[quote]I know being reactionary is a bad thing but what can I do? Roger's fan and Mirka have made him unrootable at least for me/

That's exactly how I feel, as I've mentioned here before. I can criticize Federer, but those are minor quibbles. I just find it hard to cheer Federer on when many of his fans are cheering his opponents' errors and double faults. I haven't watched the Zverev match yet, but if it's anything like the 2015 US Open Final vs. Djokovic it will be tough to listen to.

nypost is carrying water for Roger

Zverev did nothing wrong and Fed even admitted that.

Though weirdly it looked like at one point Federer was arguing with the ballboy rather than the umpire.

Federer fans are the opposite of what he is or wants to represent.

In the past it was very common that crowds root for the "weak underdog" but not anymore and they don't have a problem bullying a young player if that helps their idol (which by the way never needed that kind of help)

[quote] I know being reactionary is a bad thing but what can I do?

You’re not being reactionary.

Anyone watching Anderson-Djokovic?

62 20, it doesn't seem Anderson has a chance

Anderson team

What I like about Anderson is even he seems embarrassed at his elevated place at the table.

R449 Because during her ban, Serena announced her pregnancy. With the two biggest stars out of the game (three including Vika Azarenka) i'm sure the WTA was shitting themselves about how to market their sport. Probably why they have been shilling so hard for Wozniacki and Halep during that period and since (even before either was a GS champion). Luckily Granny Vee stepped up at the big tournaments that year to lend her star power and name recognition while Serena was pregnant, Vika was having baby daddy drama, and Sharapova was banned / injured / had zero form coming back in.

Hopefully Djokovic doesn't completely dominate next year or it will be a VERY boring season of tennis.

The Federer crowd was horrible. Sometimes I think Zverev puts too much energy into being nice, fair, a good sport, etc. It's just another big pressure on him. I'm not condoning he start cheating or playing dirty, just to relinquish that 'nice guy' pressure from himself. As Djokovic and Serena (and many others) show, sometimes arrogance on the court can be very self motivating. Certainly more so than insecurity and mental pressure. The mens tour could do with a new villain anyway lol...

[quote] Because during her ban, Serena announced her pregnancy

Pregnancy?

R466 Okay I get it now. Congrats on the hilarious joke.

I didn't see the Sasha-Fed match. It looks close; was it good?

[quote]Though weirdly it looked like at one point Federer was arguing with the ballboy rather than the umpire.

I don't think he was arguing with the ball boy but asking him if he really did drop a ball. It was like Federer didn't trust Sasha and the chair umpire.

you could have bet an house on Herbert double faulting that final point

Is that Mahut's last match? I know he's been saying he's retiring all year, but is that from doubles as well or just singles? If it's the former, it would be very frustrating if you have the chance to go out as the ATP Finals champion in your last tournament ever, having had a match point after saving 4 already!

PHH and Jack Sock were both pretty bad in the tiebreak.

Isn't that Sock's last match with Bryan as Bob's feeling better now? I read Bob/Mike approached Sock saying Bob was ready to play with Mike again and Sock said he wanted to carry on.

I doubt that. Sock was always going when bob came back from his injuries and he knew it.

A. Zverev is serving for the first set!

And Zverev won the first set. Nole probably will recover but at least Zverev is showing some progress, he didn't tank his opportunity in the first set.

Unlike Dimitrov win last year, an Zverev victory here it would be a big red sign for the big three

Melo is there too!

Zverev has definitely impressed this week in London.

Surprising result. It isnt over yet but I thought Djokovic would win fairly easily because he's looked somewhat unstoppable.

Zverev needs to start playing better in slams.

Sasha is now two service games away from victory.Please don't choke this away

Sasha is playing extremely well. Novack looks tired, but that’s due to the level of Sasha’s play.

[quote] Novack looks tired, but that’s due to the level of Sasha’s play.

It's also due to Novak's age. He is not immune to the side effects of aging.

I'm very happy for Sascha. I know he is sometimes arrogant and spoiled but he was mistreated yesterday and he was on the verge of tears and he didn't deserve it.

I'm happy Nole is back, but one thing is being back and other winning everything. I hope this is the begining of a change with more players fighting for big titles

R482: He didn't have tight matches the whole week, he won very easily all his previous matches, so unless he is ill or not feeling well, he can't be tired.

Sometimes you don't play your best simply because your rival don't let you play at your best level

Melo was in Sasha;s box

I guess Lendl couldn’t get rid of Melo after all.

[quote][R482]: He didn't have tight matches the whole week, he won very easily all his previous matches, so unless he is ill or not feeling well, he can't be tired.

Of course he can be tired. It's the end of the tennis season and he's played a lot of tennis this year. And he is 31.

"Marcelo, my best friend. He's always with me..."

So nice that Sasha gave a longer thanks to Melo than to Ivan

R487: The end of the season excuse is bullshit. Everybody is tired by the end of the season, and he was a hitting machine the whole week (including yesterday), i don't buy the "he is 31 so he is very tired", he was 31 the whole week and he was destroying his rivals without mercy

But that's just it with aging and sport, R490. You can't have the physical consistency, which also affects mental consistency, at that age. The body is not as dependable. Federer is the same way.

The most important thing about this result is that we now have further proof that Elina Svitolina and Sascha Zverev are the same people.

✅Junior Slam champ

✅Won Rome 2017

✅Won Canada 2017

✅Played 2018 Rome final

✅Won 2018 Year End Finals

✅Career high of #3

✅Never advanced past Slam QF

Well, good luck next year, Sascha.

R494: I don't think anybody expected Dimitrov to win GS after his last year victory (but everybody expected him to do way better than he did).

For Zverev is a stepping stone. He had 3 masters 1000, he had wins against the best players (expect Nadal, but he was able to give him a good fight on clay which is a good sign) but he needed this kind of victory to really believe he can be a GS champion (before Nole, Rafa and Roger retire).

Safin was right, those three are legends but their careers are so long because they never had a younger player that really challenge them. Of course, in a couple of years no matter if a young player step up or not, they are going to retire but it would be great if we had what the wta had at the end of the 90's with new players and legends fighting for the GS

I think zverev is gay

Misha is almost unrecognizable in this pic. Sasha's mother looks like CSN

I believe if he were gay we'd know about it by now.

Zverev looks adopted. He looks German and his parents and brother looks Russian

100% sure that Sascha or tsitsipas is gay. Finally we have top gay tennis players

R498: How? There are a lot of athletes rumoured to be gay, but none of them is confirmed. I'm pretty sure in some cases the rumours are unfounded but not in all cases.

Not having a girlfriend doesn't make you gay (in fact i think most gay sport men have beards) but generally is the main cause of those rumours (at least in recent cases like Marc Márquez the moto gp champion).

Given everybody said most sports enviroments are homophobic is easy to understand why there are no coming outs.

I think tennis is probably the best sport if you are gay (if you are good enough you don't need sponsors, but in case of coming out i think sponsors will show some love for the player) but i doubt a young player want to be the pioneer in coming out because they don't know how that is going to affect their careers

[quote] Sasha's mother looks like CSN

You saying she looka like a man?

[quote] I think zverev is gay

[quote] 100% sure that Sascha or tsitsipas is gay.

I’m not saying it’s not true, but what’s the evidence?

Is ESL back?

Ha. Do you think the fact they're both gay is why Zverev and Tsitsipas hate each other?

R505, you know how bitchy fags can be.

Titsy

Does Tsitsipa speak Russian? His mother is from Russia.

R505: I didn't know they hated each other?

And frankly the proves that they are gay are exactly the same of them being straight

R508 His Wiki says he speaks Russian.

R509 I was listening to the tennis podcast that was discussing Zverev's win over Federer. They discussed how he often comes across as arrogant and cocky but that he showed his vulnerable side when he didn't know how to handle the difficult situation. They discussed how exciting he might be in the future and mentioned his relationship with Tsitsipas as a future rivalry. They said there's no love lost between the two of them and they really dislike each other and haven't been backward in being forward about it.

If I recall both have made unnecessarily negative comments about each other.

Artificial light is not flattering to A. Zverev.

Good for Sascha. Good for Titsy. We need new balls!

This and the speech mention were great!

I still don't think they're a couple but I do like how they're so comfortable being affectionate with each other.

" I go few days vacation Miami. Xica no go for stay work at bank. Better me for concentrate game mine."

Nasal looks really pale in r515. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tsispas was gay. He seems more sensitive in his social media.

[quote] "I go few days vacation Miami. Xica no go for stay work at bank. Better me for concentrate game mine."

With surgery me do better. Next year I beat all white boys. ¡Vamos!

Looking a bit more like a couple

[quote] Looking a bit more like a couple

Which one is the man and which one is the woman?

R518 I thought the same.

Fantastic win for Sascha. I do think he and Melo are a couple ( obviously, just my gut feeling). When I first started entertaining the possibility that they could be a couple, I thought Sascha had two choices: be discreet or come out. Now that attitude seems so old-fashioned to me. I've had such a mind shift. There's a third option (the one Sascha seems to be taking):simply live your life; live it honestly. He's not obligated to talk to us (the public) about his personal life. That ambiguity fuels the rumor mill, though. Even the kids on Twitter and Instagram are now speculating on their relationship; but maybe they (Sascha and Melo ) don't care.

I would love to know what Sascha and Novak talk about and won't share with the class, haha! Marcelo? I mean Novak seems to be good friends with both!

(It's probably about the length of the season etc..., with Novak confirming what Sascha said this week)

I like to think I'm pretty clued up on tennis but the only place I've ever seen speculation about Zverev and Melo is on here.

Zverev is a big enough name (in tennis at least) for that rumour to be well known.

R522 I would love to know that too! haha They both looked a little sheepish.

Sascha kind of makes Novak look tiny here...a little like Delpo does.

r523 The various fan accounts; especially on twitter.

DelPo team

ASL was the Melo-Zverev obsessive here. It's mostly a joke because Melo is so queeny, Zverev's never had a girlfriend and they hang out together way too much.

R439 Now do Serena's lengthy list of cheating and on court histrionics/distractions. That will be about three times longer than your Henin post. You can start with this years US Open final and work backward if you want.

R439 I thought it was common knowledge Henin doped. There is no way that little body was able to do what she did without it. Anyone who saw the US Open semi vs Capriati knows she had to take something to come back a day later and have that much energy. Capriati ran her all around the court for 3 hours. This was an event that was so backed up by rain that Capriati herself played her Round of 16 and QF in the same day and then pushed Henin in a marathon almost 3 hour match.

Not the biggest Zverev but I'm oh so glad he defeated Federer and Djokovic back to back in straight sets for a SF & F win. Zverev of course has shown he can win the big tournaments except for the slams. He had a dip in level earlier this year (re: his horrific loss to Isner in Miami final) but he seems to be back. Will next year be the year that he conquers a slam? This should make the other young guys like Coric, Tsitsipas, Tiafoe, Khachanov etc hungry to win big titles too. All of them have the game and athletics for it.

Djokovic was surprisingly inconsistent today.

R531 It reminded me of the Djokovic/Zverev final, Rome 2017. Novak was lackluster there,too (even though he had absolutely demolished Thiem in the semis). Sascha was able to win the championship easily (his first Masters).

Sascha has beaten Federer three times; he's beaten Novak twice, and has come close to beating Rafa. I'm more curious how he will fare next season against the young guys. Coric has already beaten him a few times ( US Open 2017, Halle 2018); Tsitsipas beat him at the Rogers Cup this year, and Khachanov beat him in Paris. They're nipping at his heels. How will he handle that pressure? And who will become his main rival?

I think Sascha's nerves get the best of him at the Grand Slams. How else to explain some of his losses? It would be nice to have a fresh face win a slam in 2019.

Can anyone lip-read? I'm pretty sure Melo last word is 'chubby'.

Melo is departing for Dubai ( via his IG story). Wherever Sascha goes...

Yes, it definitely seems so, R534. There are more journalists now wondering about their "BFF-ness"...I am curious to see if any will take it one step further and openly speculate about that being one "F" too many! There is one Brazilian journalist who already considers them a couple, haha, based on his comments on Marcelo's posts. Would anyone ever ask them? And how would they react? The next few weeks should be interesting if we do get photos and videos of them from Dubai and/or the Maldives.

I kinda ignored all this Zverev/Melo talk as just fantasy but now I'm looking into it a bit more I can see why people have their suspicions.

"Now is time to get me some hot Cuban cock."

Whether Zverev, Tsitipas or Kchachanov can stand up to best of five vs. soon to be 32 year old Novak remains to be seen.

Boobs flat.

Is this where we talk about year beginning championship?

So, Sascha's non-gf is in Dubai...

R516: Maybe he is sensitive in social media, but he showed several times he has as much bad temper as any youngster. Of course having bad temper is not exclusive of straights.

And about Sascha gayness, the whole puppy thing was gayer than his dedication to Marcelo

R523: Go to youtube and twitter and you'll find plenty of speculation about them.

In fact i never heard anything about him till a watched an insult on a youtube video (the good thing is other users bashed the guy for being an homophobe)

I'm starting to regret trying to find out more about Zverev/Melo. I also had no idea there 's 15 years between them which might not be particularly unusual in a gay relationship, but is a bit unusual in a purely platonic relationship. Your best friend, if not a partner, tends to be someone your own age, right? But then someone on twitter said Zverev/Melo only met a couple of years ago.

Who's the top? The both have pancake asses.

Hopefully Zverev fills out as he gets older. I've never found string beans like him very attractive.

R530 Or she got her ass kicked by Carlos Rodriguez in the off season to get super fit. Li Na later worked with him and said that she had never worked so hard in her life and that he had pushed her beyond her limits. I don't buy the doping accusations. She got stronger to withstand the ball bashing of the less talented players on tour (mainly Serena, but also Davenport, Capriati). Give credit where credit is due. Why do I think you and R439 would be singing a very different tune about the way Henin won the 2003 US Open if it had been Serena instead? It simply would have been all about her "fight" and "what a warrior" she is. Funny how that works.

Henin physical transformation was not overnight. She worked hard to get there. She was always able to hit the ball hard what she lacked was the consistency to fight against big hitters round after round. But with 17 she was on the verge of eliminate Lindsay Davenport at Roland Garros. She was very talented and tough as a rock

I used to be one of those strange creatures who managed to like both Henin and Serena but in recent years I've come to like Serena less. The rival Serena and Henin gangs on tennis forum made it unbearable.

R547 I am no Serena fan, but even still that completely fails to address all the other speculation I wrote in R439. Even if she got in shape authentically with Carlos, how do you explain the sudden retirement before the French Open at #1 and return to the anti doping program exactly 12 months later? The reveal of a doping performer at the Belgian event before she skipped the AO and all the other ladies were accounted for? Why did she specifically refuse to answer those doping allegation questions in her press conference? There are a lot of other articles in French media I didn't even link. Henin admitted to cheating in other ways (like the Serena incident). She was not the little vulnerable fighter she makes herself out to be. Talented, sure. But she was underhanded, used gamesmanship to her advantage, and had no integrity.

Anyway speaking of Li Na, has anyone else seen this new movie they're making about her where Cibulkova is playing herself? I'm sure it's going to be HILARIOUS. They even recreated Melbourne Park in Wuhan. I hope this is as campy as it has the potential to be.

R550, are they keeping the name Margaret Court Arena in the recreated Melbourne Park?

R551 We don't know yet, i'm sure there are licensing issues with that. Otherwise I don't think they'd go to such lengths to recreate it and instead would fly Li Na and Cibulkova to Melbourne to film a scene.

I'm confused. Is this a film where Li Na is playing herself or is it more of a documentary about her career? Otherwise why recreate it? I thought I read they cast a Chinese actress to play her.

It's a biopic R553 apparently Li Na is being played by an unknown Chinese actress who has spent two years receiving professional tennis training!

R554 Who's going to play my baby?!

I wonder if they will get other tennis players to be in it aside from Cibulkova.

That ad/short film with Li Na and her dad was heartbreaking so can't wait for this film.

That's why i'm confused because if you click through Domi's instagram posts there are multiple pictures, and not only is Li Na in costume but also looking at herself in the dailies. So is Li Na only appearing in tennis scenes? Is it like What's Love Got To Do With It where the real Tina comes out at the end to perform? Hmm. It's not like the AO final wasn't filmed from multiple angles in the first place lol.

Hahaha.

R558, do “they” all look alike to you? They’re inscrutable!

[quote] I wonder if they will get other tennis players to be in it aside from Cibulkova.

We’re free!

R541 Lol, I was half-expecting this; I'm sure she'll be posting a lot of pics.

Yeah, it's not surprising, R562. The questions that remain are whether Marcelo and/or the Olya will head to the Maldives too, whether Marcelo has someone with him...and if not, just how awkward this "triangle" will be...

R563 Yes; it seems very awkward. If she is going to the Maldives, someone is bound to feel neglected. Sascha might regret this holiday,haha. I wonder if Olya has anyone accompanying her ( a family member or friend). If she does, then she wouldn't be so reliant on her host's attention.

Forgive me for going off on tangent here: I remember several years ago (at the Hopman Cup), Sascha in a post-match interview, expressed his wariness of social media. He actually got a round of applause from the crowd. They obviously found his comments refreshing ( especially coming from someone so young). Now, several years later, I'm surprised at how much of his personal life he's willing to share on SM. I realize he's not doing all the sharing. Melo posts a lot; but at least he already had a public profile as a top-ranked doubles player. Olya on the other hand...I don't want to be unkind, because she's very young. I'm probably a little jealous; it would be nice to travel the world expense-free, haha.

R550 I'll give you the "what-should-be-obvious" reason Henin retired before the French Open in 2008. She clearly had already mentally retired from the tour and was not playing well -- look at the piss poor effort she put in against Serena in Miami that year. She was distracted, unmotivated, and already had a foot and a half out the door. Why would she play at her favorite slam when she knew she wasn't going to put in her best effort and in all likelihood lose early? Makes more sense to go out with a win (or three in a row).

As for your doping allegation there's this:

Reigning U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has allegedly tested positive for the stimulant ephedrine at an exhibition competition in Belgium in December 2004.

Belgian sports minister Claude Eerdekens announced the positive drug test Monday, just hours after the 19-year-old Russian won her first-round match at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Kuznetsova, the fifth-ranked player in the world, purportedly tested positive during doping checks during the Women's Tennis Trophy on Dec. 18 and 19.

The exhibition tournament in Charleroim, Belgium, also involved Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium, U.S. Open finalist Elena Dementieva of Russia, and Nathalie Dechy of France.

Google's your friend!

Did you stop to think that Clijsters' successful comeback got the competitive juices flowing and that's why she had a change of heart about retirement. Henin announced her return the week following Kim's US Open win, afterall.

PS Stop bringing up the hand incident. That is the single most overblown event in tennis history -- she didn't even cost Serena a point! I've seen Serena steal break and set points so many times yet she doesn't have the reputation of a cheater. How is that possible?

I really don't care about the hand incident. I didn't even originally bring up Serena, the discussion was about Henin and Hingis (after Aga's retirement), and Henin's poor moments as a player. Yes Serena is unsportsmanlike. Anybody with eyes can see that. This is the girl who called her own sister a 'fucking bitch' after getting aced by her on live television. Nobody is arguing it. I suggest you find an outlet for your obsession with her.

I didn't realise Sveta was found as the one who was using the substance! That's interesting because at the time she hadn't been contacted. Thanks for the correction. I still think it's odd Justine skipped the AO after winning that event, but whatever.

You say she had one foot out the door and had lost interest, but she was the #1 player in the world... about to become a 4 time CONSECUTIVE French Open champion, and had said in press she was excited to try and defend her Olympic gold medal in a few months.. she even won two titles that year already! You really buy that she was 'just kinda over it' and didn't want to wait just ONE more week and compete in her favourite event? An event which, at that point, she couldn't even really lose in? Worth millions in prize money and points? At least retire on top? Even if she didn't win the whole thing (which she clearly would have). Are you insane or just completely naive? Why else did she adamantly refuse to answer doping questions and specifically request they take her name completely off the rankings, something I don't think had been done before a retirement before?

In her retirement press conference she said "A new future is ahead and I won't go back on this decision." (amongst other strong 'it's over' statements). She was terrified of being exposed. The BBC tennis journalist Jon Overend at the time even said on the radio: "She's undefeated in that Grand Slam event since 2004, so to retire now is quite jolting and will make people wonder about the true reasons." I remember Jelena Jankovic had made some comment too, people behind the scenes knew exactly what was going on. After it had all died down and 12 EXACT months had passed, she immediately re-entered the anti doping program.

You buy that she got competitive after seeing Clijsters come back? I mean we all know she hated Kim but that was not the reason at all. What, Kim won a slam and she suddenly thought maybe she could keep winning them too? You're suggesting she didn't think that when she was going in to her favourite one as the 3-time defending champion, #1 seed, and favourite just a few months earlier?

I've not been into Zverev but I gotta say now I'm curious about his cock. Those skinny boys usually have huge thick ones...

I had this theory that Henin really just had an obsession with Clijsters - a drive to always out-accomplish her or maybe some weird unstated love for her or something. After Kim retired, Justine suddenly lost her competitive drive. Then Kim comes back to pro tennis, and guess who soon follows? Henin just always struck me as a little unsettled.

She saw dead people.

Nole

Titsy

[quote]I would love to know what Sascha and Novak talk about and won't share with the class

I bet they have really long bitch sessions about His Majesty Roger Federer and how much the other girls really hate him too but pretend to be his friends. That, and which of the boys is the best kisser and who they’d let get to second base.

Maldives is a romantic vacation spot. My guess is they are definitely fucking.

Lots of tennis players go to the Maldives for vacation.

R568 I agree there was some odd obsession there (more like jealousy / hatred although the unrequited romance angle is entertaining). But by the time Kim started winning matches in her comeback, Henin had already re-entered the anti doping program. She was going to come back regardless of Kim's success. Despite so adamantly saying that she wouldn't [exactly] 12 months earlier.

Nice thighs Karen!

Every time I see this thread pop up the top of DL I think what a fucking great ass that is and wonder who it is... Not sure if it's Nadal or Federer but they both have great asses. Nadal's is better though.

Malek Jaziri is an underrated tennis hottie with a great butt.

My issue with these silent ban conspiracy theories is the sheer number of people who'd have to agree to keep quiet about them. If you think the world's No.1 player tested positive for a banned substance that only her, her coach, the drug tester and someone at the WTA would know about it then you're very naive.

Hmmmm.

R579 I mean if Andre Agassi (a much bigger star than Henin and cultural icon of the time) got away with a silent ban then why wouldn't she? Petr Korda's positive drug test remained silent for several months. No investigation, no ongoing testing, they simply found out and just kept it quiet for a while. This was the same year he won the Australian Open (perhaps it was kept quiet because of the bad press and controversy it would draw to the event - Marcelo Rios who he beat in the final was a loose cannon). The ITF kept going back and forth and even tried to appeal their own decision not to ban him from the sport. By the US Open he had retired amid controversy and it just kind of went away.

In fact back in the 90s Marcelo Rios said, "If Agassi or Sampras ever tested positive, you guys in the media would never hear about it because they are too important to the tour." He was right. It took until Agassi actually wrote about it in his book for the info to come out, about a decade or more later. There are other cases... Marin Cilic was 'injured' for several months, missing slams etc., until it was later revealed he had tested positive for a substance before Wimbledon.... no wonder people are suspicious about Soderling and Nadal with all those 'injury' 'time out' periods they took in their careers.

Betthanie Mattek Sands is allowed to take steroids from her bodybuilder doctor under the TUE exemption rules, even though it was not approved several times by WADA (because they found that not taking it didn't actually cause her medical problems she said she would suffer at all) and there was legal back and forth. She had been taking the substance for years, yet none of this came out until Russian hackers revealed it to the public. This information was protected.

I think it takes a LOT for them to actually come forward and reveal that an athlete doped. Remember that Wayne Odesnik, who originally served two year ban for anabolic steroids, and is now banned for 15 years from the sport (I think the biggest ban ever?) after being caught out a second time, was never actually exposed by WADA, ITF, or the ATP. He was caught at Australian customs importing the drug into the country. All of a sudden they agree he was doping and sentence him to a two year ban? How did the drug testers and all the rest of the staff miss ANABOLIC STEROIDS?

Jonas Bjorkman once said, "I have heard of cases of the ITF covering up positive tests." I don't see why they wouldn't. Especially for tennis players like Henin who have won multiple slams (in which case it taints the history of the entire event and kills business). They desperately want to avoid a Lance Artmstrong situation.

[quote]My issue with these silent ban conspiracy theories is the sheer number of people who'd have to agree to keep quiet about them.

There is such a thing as omertà, though. Sometimes a system can be so compromised that it’s simply assumed that those who know or who are fairly certain they know will never blab or talk (the entire system, they fear, will collapse). These legion of people will declare that what people say or imply about doping is mere rumour and unsubstantiated hearsay. People who do talk, or put two and two together forcefully and convincingly, are usually branded as kooks and often ostracised from the “mainstream.”

And it’s not as if tennis hasn’t already done this in the past in terms of other iffy or downright illegal practices. For decades, the “amateur” rule was broken by the very people who publicly stated it was the right rule and were happy to see players of the caliber of Laver spend 8 years earning a decent crust in the professional “wilderness,” well beyond the hallowed grounds of the official “amateur” circuit (including Wimbledon) and were equally happy to either pay under the counter or receive payment under the counter. This went on not for years but for decades, and was hardly ever brought up in the press. Everyone who knew simply didn’t mention it, despite the phenomenon being so widespread that many of the amateurs were actually labeled “shamateurs” sotto voce. Tennis “journalists” themselves, many of whom, just like their modern-day counterparts, were fans with typewriters or in some way invested in the system (conflict of interest is another thing that has plagued and continues to plague the sport), we’re happy to remain silent.

I think we have the same omertà regarding doping today—or at least have had. Maybe the Sharapova case changed things a bit, or at least made people warier of the issue?

R581, R582 You both make good points but if there was so much talk of Henin doping then a positive doping result wouldn't have come as much of a surprise to anyone so while it might have been embarrassing to have a No.1 fail the test, there wouldn't be as much reason to keep it silent. Why did she ask for her ranking to be removed? What did that achieve?

Why wasn't Sharapova's ban kept silent?

R580 The boy's personal life is complicated. I'm through trying to figure it out,lol.

The Russian whore's ban wasn't silent because all the Russian pros in all sports doped. They were exposed. And wouldn't it look weird if 99.9% of them were guilty and the russian tennis whore wasn't?

In the Maldives, homosexuality is illegal.

R586 The UAE too. I hate how the players cozy up to these countries. There is such conformity in the tennis world; it's a small universe. Many of them live in Monaco or some other tax haven (Dubai is becoming almost as popular as Monte Carlo); and so many of them vacation in the Maldives. There are other beautiful places where they could holiday and relax.

I completely agree, R587!

When you are rich human rights seem so unpleasant.

Xavi former Barcelona player said that people are very happy in Dubai. I suppose he only talks with rich men. He sounded completely out of reality. Of course after winning everything in one of the biggest leagues going to play to Emirates or Qatar makes you feel incredibly greedy.

El Pais, a spanish paper, started some months ago a series of articles about good travels for gay people, the first one was about Dubai. People didn't react well and the backlash was really big

Sascha's love life must be very complicated if that girl is still around after he denied being with her several times.

I find curious that some sport men don't feel the need to get a girlfriend after gay rumours arise. Marc Marquez seems to not get a dam about the fact that "he doesn't have a girlfriend" came in every interview or article about him recently. It's true that the source of gay rumours is the italian press which is not exactly reliable, at least the last time it was about his love for being in gay bars (his love for karaokes is well known but that's probably the only thing peole know for sure) and not like last time where the irrefutable prove that he was gay was the fact that he was single and very attached to his mom (coming from an italian that's very funny)

It's not easy to maintain a relationship with the amount of travel they do. I don't think it's possible for anyone to be faithful. Unless the partner travels with them.

New thread:

Nole

Puig!

Titsy

Nole

Puig!

Titsy

Boobs out!

Puig!