French Open 2019 - Thread II

haha great cover boy gif OP

lol OP the end of last thread was getting quite uncivil not sure why that happened

Serena just dumped the first set 2-6

Kenin is playing well. I didn't expect it as she had a hard first round against a no-name

Serena looks off-balance and unsteady

What’s the story behind the gif, op?

Why is no one talking about Jordan Thompson in sweaty white shorts and tight blue briefs?

In memoriam of Borna's choke today, here is his ass.

someone needs to help Coric get a more steady forehand when he's under pressure. He decelerates and it turns into a mess

I caught just the last set of one of Serena's matches last week that went three sets and she looked better than today. But Kenin is playing well, too, so that's a factor.

But I thought Serena was going to be handed the trophy ........

So is Halep going to shit the bed next? It's anyone's Slam to win on the womens side.

Serena is out of shape and doesn’t want to hit more than three shots. That’s not gonna work esp on clay.

Borna’s future is with Cocky Boys.

Jordan Thompson in white shorts and blue briefs!

R13 He deserves that Sean Cody money!!

I'm glad Serena is out but someone still need someone to get rid of that bratty tennis robot Kenin. Hopefully in the next round Barty steamrolls her in another 'good defeats evil' win and gets rid of Screamona Halep as well.

Future hall of famer [[in baseball]] Madison Keys can still cause damage too. I know she's not in good form but if her cannonballs are landing in she can take out anyone.

Bolsova continues her dream run. Gay rights!!!!

Anisimova about to beat Begu even though she's not playing well at all.

Help Shriver find a MAN????

Is Kenin yet another American deplorable like Coco? Does anyone know?

Can’t you cunt about politics on some other thread R17?

She's Russian so more likely to be a Putin lover like Shapo.

Soooo happy that Serena is out...will this make the network news? I know hardly any of you watch it, but NBC News follows and reports on Princess Serena as if she were president.

Don't mind the politics talk but research it yourself first and tell us!

Serena needs to get fitter. You can just see the inertia in her movement. She can't just rely on her strength for speed.

R20, the BBC reported Osaka's loss earlier today. I don't know about American television.

Why Domicakes not wear white shorts still?

As soon as Osaka lost, the commentators started focusing on Serena. Now that she's out, they'll have to find something else to warble about.

Serena is almost 38 years old, R21. That's 68 in tennis years. She's not going to get any faster - it's all downhill from here.

Well, a quick scan of Kenin's social media shows nothing even remotely political, it's pretty much only tennis.

Its doubles match.

[quote] they'll have to find something else to warble about.

Hingis?

Halep the overwhelming favorite? And shes beatable.

WTH!

I guess they want to go to Madrid to watch the final of Champions League tonight. Go go go Liverpool!!!

Serena's chances on Wimbledon will be higher. She was never that good on clay (well, not that good by her standards in other surfaces)

I’d love to see Kanepi win a major before her body just completely stops working. Alternatively, the only remaining ladies I’m willing to root for are Sloane, Barty, Anisimova, and Sevastova. Maybe Swiatek.

I really don't care who wins on the women's side now.

I'm torn between Domicakes and Le Monf. I like Domi's ass and Monfils' personality.

Are you Domicakes team or Monf team?

I'd love to see Anisimova or Sloane win. R33 Sorry your girl Serena lost.

COYS!

I'm not usually a Fognini fan, but I hope he beats Flopos.

[quote] Sorry your girl Serena lost.

She's not my girl, but I do want to see her beat Margaret Court's so-called record.

I am a Sloane fan. I forget she was still around. Go Sloane!

Sloane team.

Titsy team or Stan team?

Titsy. I don't think STan has a chance against Federer while i think Stefanos could beat him

Serena's loss may be due to baby after effects.

Can Serena do it at Wimbledon? She needs to hit the damn gym over the next month!

[quote] Can Serena do it at Wimbledon?

Have a baby? I believe human gestation takes about nine months, but you never know with Serena!

I'm Team Sloane, too. She needs to win another GS so she isn't just a one hit wonder.

Serena might not have the motivation or ability to get the fitness level that's required to win one of these again.

[quote] She needs to win another GS so she isn't just a one hit wonder.

At the very least she'll be in the hall of fame!

Sloane Team

Sloane has a tough match against Muguruza up next but on paper she has as good a chance as any to get to the final on that bottom half. Konta looks good too though.

R34, La Monf, also quite callipygous.

[quote] Konta looks good too though.

Lesbian spotted!

R50 lol. Meant her level of play but I love these posts. I really want Serena to beat that homophobic bitch's record.

"Serena's loss may be due to baby after effects."

Yeah, it affected her MIND.

Serena is a mother? I had NO idea. Why doesn't she ever talk about it?

The pregnancy was hysterical.

Domi all the way, wiping back to front.

I think the odds-on favorite at Wimbledon is Kumkhum.

R56 A Luksika Kumkhum vs. Cagla Buyukakcay final is what I'm hoping for.

How about a Swiatek vs Bolsova French Open final? It would be sooo good.

Has Domi's ass got smaller or is it the damn black shorts?!

now we really need the ATP big 3 to lose.

R58: Bolsova has a test on the university that day (she joked she had to skip the final in case she got there, that and start to study for the test)

R60: But that's very hard in normal circumstances and even more when the 3 had cake walk draws. Compare their rivals with Tsitsipas or Thiem draw and you'll se a big difference

Titsi team!

Bryan/Byran lose to Rojer/Tecau

Kubot/Melo lose to Chardy/Martin

I used to be such a Sloane fan (especially her breakout win over Serena in Melbourne). But I cannot root for someone so lazy and spoiled lol... also she's really turned into a pusher since she came back and is very basic (personality wise).

The top half is clearly between Barty, Keys, and Halep. Barty can definitely beat Simona and even win the whole thing (best serve still in the tournament), but she will convince herself she can't. I kinda want to support MLB star Keys going all the way because it's just so fun to watch her literally beat down her opponents (the rare occasions when she's in form), and she's always supporting LGBT causes on Instagram. Bolsova and Swiatek would be cute rags-to-riches stories but the teenager is already injured and the lesbian hasn't faced even one good player yet.

The favourite for the bottom half finalist has to be the winner of Sloane/Garbine, but as long as Konta doesn't go further i'm happy. Sevastova and Vondrousova play beautiful, classic clay tennis and would play a much nicer match for the final (Martic too). I just know they'll flop though. Would love to see Kaia Kanepi in a GS final. One of the purest ball striking talents since Lindsay Davenport, but her body never co-operated.

Poor girl peaking in every slam to pay her hospital bills the rest of the year.

Mixed doubles look promising as the heaven for random people...

so far the first 3 teams qualified for quarters are

Melichar/Soares

Rosolska/Mektic

Kichenok/Qureshi

And the Kichenok with Qureshi is Nadila

Because Lydmyla Kichenok still has to play his Round16 match with Santiago Gonzales against Amandine Hesse/Benjamin Bonzi

So glad that Serena lost

Glad Serena’s out, also. I can’t stand her attitude. Wish Venus had been the one with all the success.

"I am not a junior player anymore"

@ThiemDomi was not amused as he had to leave the main Interview room because Serena Williams did not want to wait.

When he realized why he got treated like that he also quite press room 2 and didn't give any interviews for tv etc

Wait!! All top 10 seeds in men's side have reached final 16. This has happened first time in French open. and only the third time in an open era. That huge

Domi is pissed which rarely happens off the court

......

....

So they moved him to the room across the hall to complete interviews in German, while the main tennis media were already set up in the main room and waiting for Serena?

Why is he being such a mary about it? I see players rushed out of the press room all the time because the next winner/loser is coming through. Especially at the slams.

So now both Henin and Kenin have positive H2H vs. Serena at slams.

So glad Kenin got rid of that disgusting and rude Serena . We will not have to see her face on RG

Can Kenin beat Barty? I like both just asking the chances for her. Maybe she'll have a let down after beating Serena. Was she actually playing well or did Serena play like crap?

r77, I hope so. Serena was not playing well and Sofia took full advantage of that, That what a good lower ranked player should do. Serena was also playing very bad last year against Barty and she was injured too but Barty just handed the match to Serena and Barty was much higher ranked player. And instead of feeling sad or ashamed for her performance she was fawning over Serena on Twitter. "oh it was such great honor to share the court with you "

Sofia should get the reward for mental toughness, not that vulture Barty

I don't think so. Serena played like crap (she was barely moving and dumping every return into the net) and Kenin-Kardenne was, well... just okay. She won more on energy and just generally being a hyperactive brat (which is actually not a bad way to beat Serena) than on any game style. She must have had 10 red bulls before coming on court.

Barty hasn't dropped a set yet this tournament. She's only lost this year against Kvitova (x2), Halep, Pliskova, Svitolina (in a 3hr 3-setter) and has ONE loss against Mladenovic on clay. She also has some of the best serve stats. Kenin has nothing to hurt her with.

Serena dress

According to French Eurosport, when Williams asked who was in the interview room and was told it was Thiem, she answered: "then it's possible to remove him". Is there history btw Serena and Thiem?

[quote]while the main tennis media were already set up in the main room and waiting for Serena?

Who said that? No media person have said anything about this. They were not waiting for Serena. She was asked to wait but she refused to wait. So they removed Thiem

I will revenge little Dominic

I was looking forward to an Osaka-Keys rematch. Shame Naomi fucked up.

Maybe Serena would like to play Dominic on the court and see how it goes.

Bigger ass: Serena or Dominic?

Definitely Serena. She outweighs him by at least 30 pounds.

I'm thrilled to see Serena get roasted.

Why does anyone even talk about the WTA? It's a debacle.

Yes, the debacle is what makes it interesting, dear.

R89 it's just so compelling to talk about Djokovic, Nadal and Federer winning and dominating well into their 30s

Kudos to OP for his gif of the terminally entitled, unsportsmanlike, pissy Djokovic

"Serena is a mother? I had NO idea. Why doesn't she ever talk about it?"

Where have you been, R53? Serena talks about the kid ad ad nauseam, they've been photographed for Vogue...Serena has questioned why she lost her #1 ranking for "giving birth." Excuses excuses excuses. This arrogant bitch is like no other. She's an entitled mutherfucker, and as much as I hate Margaret Court for her anti-gay antics, at least Court never pulled the crap ON COURT that spoiled Serena did at the US Open final in 2018.

[Quote] What’s the story behind the gif, op?

Well? Anyone know?

Yeah, R93, he already knows. It's a long running bit here.

I'm not OP, R94, but that seems to be from the 2013 Rogers Cup semi-final, when Nadal beat Djokovic. The two were sort of friendly until Djokovic started regularly defeating Nadal; it's been a hate-fest between them ever since.

Serena got defeated by her tacky outfits.

R75 So do Mary Joe Fernandez and Arantxa. Ha ha! Both wins at the FO.

R79 Serena was +9 (aces/DFs). She played just fine. It was the quick tempo of the rallies and Serena's shitty footwork that beat her over and over. And most importantly on the serve, Kenin was firing up the T the majority of the match. All the losers that roll over for Serena when leading ALWAYS feed her that forehand crosscourt winner in the deuce court and pretend like they don't where the return is going...and they do it multiple times. Pure idiocy! Kenin only gave Serena one the entire match. Thus, giving her little to scream her head off about.

R75 And Capriati too!

If her footwork was shitty then she didnt play well. That's the foundation for good tennis.

...like they don't KNOW where...

R101 Her footwork is always shitty

Who was the cuntier of the two, Cut A Bitch Jen Jen or Slutty Hingis?

R103 cont. (accidentally posted prematurely)

The fast tempo just exposed it even more and caused her to miss. Although, the statisticians seem to think that Serena can never be forced into an error, so every one is deemed unforced. The stats always make it look like she played worse than she did.

Serena missed a lot of sitter forehands today that had nothing to do with Kenin. Kenin played well but Serena was quite bad.

I realize the crazed Serena hater will keep writing posts acting like Serena has always been lucky to win any pro match though.

Premature posting is the worst.

My vote is with the Swiss Miss, r104. There was a "Mean Girls" edge to Hingis's cuntiness whereas Capriati's cuntiness was more of a straightforward street-toughness.

Wawrinka vs. Tsitsipas and Nishikori vs. Paire are both likely to be much closer and entertaining than Federer vs. L. Mayer and Nadal vs. Londero but of course Federer and Nadal had to be on Chatrier again

Serena possesses many gifts as a tennis player, but great footwork has never been one of them

R106 What sitter forehands did she miss? I remember very few, and she does that in a lot of matches anyway.

R75 And Cornet!

R101 see R110

R107 tell me about it

I actually do remember her missing some forehand sitters. Two especially bad screamers when she was right at the net. One dumped into it, another inside out that flew beyond the tramlines.

She just needs matchplay really, she's out of that rhythm and doesn't know how to play these new girls who are quick, on even slower surfaces than when she left for pregnancy (that she can't hit through as easily). If this was 2001 court speed she would easily servebot her way to Wimbledon and the hard court slams even at this level of poor fitness and footwork.

I think in the press conference it could be heard (through Thiem's sulking from the next room) that she suggested she may play a grass warm-up before Wimbledon. Which I don't think is a bad idea for her.

And I think Capriati is the bigger bitch. Hingis' evil came across more like just typical teenaged bratty Mean Girls shit. Jennifer is that genuine kind of psychotic crazy. The kind of ex you find hiding underneath your car at 3am in the parking lot. Or punching a cop for giving her a speeding ticket. Even her friends would suggest you have to push her off the cliff before she pushes you.

I loved Capriati and Davenport, and Mary Pierce too. If the Willimases hadn’t come along, those three would have dominated the WTA the way that nadal/Fed/djok have dominated the men’s game for the last decade.

If possible, Serena needs to lose about 20lbs of fat. To be clear, she's a fit woman - she's just carrying much more weight than most elite athletes and it's affecting her ability to start/stop/change direction. That being said, I'm an ex-fan, so if she doesn't and continues to lose, I don't really care.

I damn sure miss Capriati.

R104/R115, edge goes to Hingis and her mother.

I sure hope the cover boys are jinxed right out of this tournament

r41, no the loss was due to being OLD.

For fucks sakes, it's not rocket science, bitch is getting old. The body can't recover like it used to play day in and day out. Moves slower and mentally got other shit on the mind. It's not going to get easier.

In a few years she can join my 40+ team and we can go all the way to Nationals.

I'm pretty sure R41 was being sarcastic. The media, tennis commentators and Serena herself talking ad infinitum about her baby and her return to tennis is a joke around here.

R94 Not OP, but iirc that was after Nadal tagged Djoko at the net with a shot and apologised, while Djoko looked very pissed off and turned away without acknowledging the apology.

Meh, heat of the moment thing. They patched things up judging by their exchange at the net. Also I remember the post-match interview, Novak downplayed it. It's a great gif tho, Rafa's face lol

Serena tried to play bam-bam tennis because she's not fit enough to move around the court. It got her through three rounds, but wasn't enough. She might do a round better at Wimby, but she's too fat and inconsistent right now to win. Somebody (Martin N?) needs to say it out loud.

I agree with the poster upthread that Titsy-Stan, and Kei-Paire are more interesting match ups. But of course we have to defer to the great unwashed tennis fans' desire to see 'the legends'. At least Llondero is cute. Maybe Gramps will fall and break a hip to make things interesting.

Fuck that means I won't be able to see Titty-Stan on Eurosport -_- and have to rely on some shitty illegal stream lol

—Robbie Koenig, was butt kisser of misery. what happened to Robbie?

Robbie K is one my favorite commentators. With Cliffie and Paul Annacone. I miss him.

Tatishvili fined her entire prize money (46k euro) for losing 6-1 6-0 to Sakkari in the first round.

This moron hadn't played a tournament in like 2 years. I don't even know how she managed to use the special ranking to get in the draw.

Martic (3 set march with Kanepi, full of mistakes as you would except, lots of wind too) and Konta (62 64 to Vekic) are the first 2 qualified for Quarters of Finals

Koenig commentates on Amazon's coverage here in the UK, alongside Daniela Hantuchova who is very good.

You are wrong R130

Fed rolling over yet another subpar opponent.

The Fed match is a turd with nauseating ass-kissing from JC and IA. Meanwhile, Titsy-Stan is tight and a good match.

Obviously the quality of the match is of zero concern to Tennis Channel.

Im watching tisty-stan on sport zone and the Barty-Vika vs Bencic-Kuzmova doubles match - which the outfits are likely to cause me to have a seizure.

Tennis Channel has had Sitsy and Stan for at least the last 30 minutes. They only switched back to Gramps when he had match point.

Every time Vika is serving and I hear audio for it, I swear I'm hearing fuck. Maybe I'm wrong and she is saying stuff in another language.

I agree with R117. Serena is too heavy and she is suffering for it.

Maybe Serena hates Domi's girlfriend like most people on the WTA?

Titsi!!

Cushy schedule continues for Federer.

Who's the 12noon EST match on NBC? Sloane???

Only after loud complaints R136!

I guess Sloane vs Muguruza R140 ...or else Nishikori vs Paire

r140, Sloane and Garbine

Should be for a seat in the finals.

r142, Who would those men be to the NBC American audience. NEVAH at noon. Please.

Stan is starting to zone

Rafa and Joker have cushy draws, too. The challenging part of the men's draw is the second quarter with Delpo, Monfils, Thiem and Khachanov.

Rafa won't have a real challenge until the semis, per usual.

r145 about to be broken and lose the second set.

Tsitsipas has a nice body. Too bad the Adidas players are in black shorts this tournament.

Who doesn't inspire him? His coach. Tipsy yelled "You don't inspire me at all" behind himself. "You're like a freakin zombie."

OMG massive last point. Tipsy guessed right each time Stan could have put it away.

why they booing Stan? I have no commentators.

He was objecting to Tipsy's time-wasting.

Cheatsipas at it again?

No cheating. Very good tennis. Stanimal kept in that game for over 12 minutes to keep the set alive.

I could never watch Stan without a bit of nausea. He reminds me of Meat Loaf.

Stan is sexy as fuck.

Tsitsipas is making some terrific volleys.

Drama Queen.

HAHAHAHAHHAHAH screaming!

Stan team!

Wawrinka team!

Cheatsipas

This is going to 5, isn't it? I guess it's best for Gramps if these two wear each other out on the hottest day thus far of the tournament.

Stan!

Stef has been sooo bad on BPs in this match. Great battle though.

I would rather see him win only because I fully expect Stan to bend over for his spanking from Rogie in the next round. If Stan wins I want to see him go ALL the way.

I guess that premature posting is better than not being able to post at all, R114.

Team STAN!

Stan team.

Let's go Stef!

Can't stand Stan and his obnoxious finger gestures, ugly tattoos, and the fact that he always rolls over for Fed.

Can't stand cheating narcissist attention whore Stef ¯_(ツ)_/¯

R171 are you sure you have the right player?

I like both, but i prefer Tsitsipas, at least he has a chance against Roger.

Thiem and Tsitsipas had a very tough draw in comparision with the big 3

R165 all of Stan’s wins against Federer 2 in Monte Carlo and 1 in French open have been on clay.

Carlo, what?

R174 I do think Stan is the better clay player in general as his game is more suited to it, but that stat isn't even in his favour.... even on clay Stan is 3-4 in the head to head. He beat Roger at the French Open when he was GOATing his way to the title in 2015 that one time. Roger has beaten him TWICE on the Paris clay.

3-22 with the crowd behind Roger, and Stan having exhausted himself in this 5-set shitfest? Unless he can summon that peak level (doubtful) he will bend over and open wide for his frenemy like he always does. And I say this as a much bigger fan of Stan than Gramps.

Mugu is looking pretty zaftig these days.

Thiem: Serena has a "bad personality." Roger or Rafa would never do that.

R177 You're saying this when 'Spare tyre Sloane' is across the net?

You try bouncing back with something other than chocolate milk, bitch!

Is Sloane having a baby?

Stan deserves to win for his ass alone.

R178 Djokovic fans furious at Thiem for not saying Roger, Rafa and NOVAK would not behave that way.

Tsitsipas is missing too many break points, that generally ends badly

Stan also has very nice nipples.

I'm hoping Sloane Stephens shows up today and Sloth/Slow Anne/Scone Stephens stays at the hotel room.

Carillo typically defending Serena.

Meanwhile Shapo is on Mykonos:

Sloane's thighs are ENORMOUS

R187, the tour organizers may actually be the ones at fault for the interview room snafu.

Doesn't Carillo normally shit on Serena and Venus? She's a Sharapova stan IIRC. It was hilarious in Wimbledon 2005 when she basically kept saying the sisters were finished and that Sharapova would defend her title, and then was completely silent in the commentary booth when Venus went ahead and ended up giving Meldonia a centre court beatdown.

She got ahead of herself at the Australian Open that year too cheering for Lindsay D.

Useless fashion photoshoots are the only thing motivating Mugurutha these days.

Serena fans hate Carillo. They are extra sensitive to any slight. They called her Carillo D'Ville.

R192: Maybe, but she is still good when she is on the mood

Yeah as much as I don't like Serena, some of the other journalists confirmed (via twitter) that it was the organisers at fault. She saw on the screen that Press Room 2 was empty and wanted to go in there to do her press and get it over with (she was probably salty after the loss). The main press room was already set up for most international press and Thiem was then answering only German questions so the organisers moved him and put Serena in the main room where most people go.

It was just Ben Rothenturd stirring up shit, especially with his "in a win for feminism" comment. When will he be fired? He really is that little bitch from the Disney show Recess in human form.

Yeah Serena can be a real pain after a loss, but the RG organizers/PR team screwed up this one.

PUIG!

R188 That's a great pic of Shopbottom. I'd hit it.

I'm missing the Hingis discussion today.

After Serena was told that Thiem was in that room, didn't she say "then he can be removed" or something to that effect?

Serena should have waited her turn like everyone else does.

You can't lose so many break points and win the match.

Till now Tsitsipas is dominating really easy his serve games but i think the moment he has trouble Stan will win the match

R201 there was an empty room there. I don't see why they couldn't have used it (like she suggested) except that the main room is larger and more people wanted to interview her after her loss than wanted to interview Domi after his win.

Stan is living dangerously here. Getting lucky Stef is abysmal on the BPs.

In a WTA match, now Tsitipas will lose the serve and the match

R200, I’m not seeing any report of that.

Stan is gassed.

Tsitsi has arguably the best overhead on the tour right now. Of course it helps having those long levers but the technique is great and he can place it anywhere on the court.

R199

You asked. Martina with her grandchild today.

Tsitsipas really needs to work on his net approaches. He gives his opponents 10 years to set up for a passing shot with weak slices or high bouncing, slow-ish topspin shots that are right in the strike zone. Also, with Stan standing so far back, why not a dropper approach? Poor shot selection, and it may come back to bit Tsitsi in the ass.

Can anyone provide some context for OP's gif? I don't think I saw that match. And what is Djokovic's problem? Never a more unlikeable or faker tennis player imo.

Stephens won the first set if anyone cares.

Tsitsipas tightening up

Stan with two match points.

Sitsy hitting himself needs to be yet another drama queen gif

Stan wins on a crazy backhand shot down the line.

That's what you get when you lose so many break points. Deserved win to Stan and congratulations to Federer who is in semis because there's no way Stan recovers from this

Once again the younger generation just can't take out those veterans at Slams.

Nice embrace between Wawrinka and Tsitsipas at the net.

Stef acts like ball was way out. Umpire checks the mark showing its clearly in.

Why don't they have Hawkeye here? Cheap?

R210 See R123 (from Rogers Cup 2013 iirc)

Stan team!

Wawrinka team!

Yay another older player continues on. Tsitsipas will get his one day! Stan probably wont do shit against Gramps.

All this type of matches when one of the contenders miss so many opportunities end the same way.

Tsitsipas will learn his lesson but this must be the most boring GS ever, one thing is knowing the big 3 are the best players and other very different is not have any challenge till semifinals

Nishi-Paire will only start now, if that goes over 3 sets, there's a good chance of it not being completed today.

One day all these older players wont be as consistent in these majors. Hopefully soon.

Who is more likely to beat Nadal - Kei or Paire?

anyone on here like me actually hoping for a Nadal/Federer semi. I never thought they would ever play on clay again. For sure Nadal has the edge but roger really has nothing to lose in that match.

Great match. I think it was vert clear today why Tsitsipas will be so much better than Zverev - he can change his game and approach during the match. I hope Wimbledon, with his net skills, will bu lucky for him.

If Stan really wanted to be a dick he should default to Roger. (Roger would probably pay him).

Flopos

Roland Garros Embroidery Line

Discover the new collection for the whole family !

Da Mugz.

Ha. Clijsters just called Stephens 'lazy' on Eurosport.

Mocking Stan.

Ha, ha, ha!

Who's got the last laugh now?

Please. Stan would pay Roger for the honor of defaulting to him. Fed will steamroll Bendoverrinka -1, -3, and -2.

R228, I'd like to see that, but only if Roger wins. I think if it happens, the only way Roger has a chance is if he wins the first set. I think he will need that initial belief. But let's face it, there is well over a 95% chance that Nadal would win that match.

It will be no contest but Wawrinka will show up and play the full 3 sets, all of which will range between 6-2 and 6-4, in some order. He definitely will have nothing left, Federer knows it so he'll do what is necessary to wrap up in straight sets without expending too much energy. Then we'll see if Nadal is fully healthy. I am long since ready to see them both retire but like R228 said, it is kind of cool to see them play on clay one more time. I hope it's the last time.

R238 totally agree I think the first set will be key. It will be interesting what Rogers game plan will be.

R227: Kei for sure, Paire's forehand is too weak to give Nadal trouble on clay.

But Kei needs to be very very inspired.

And i think the big 3 will probably be retired if some of the younger (and when i think of the younger i'm not thinking on nextgen but previous generations) really raised their level. It's easy to stay in the game when your chances to win are still that high

Sloane is through, Gruntbine is out. The biggest shock was both of them not playing terribly today. Sloane especially was about 8x the level of her previous matches here. In the post match interview she's talking about her favourite place in Paris being Haagen Dazs.......

Why is Marion Bartoli still allowed to do the interviews when she just completely invents their responses for the French crowd instead of actually translating them.

If Stan does the impossible and beats Roger, Rafa, and Djokovic to take his 2nd title here I will kill Nick Kyrgios in his honour.

Garbiñe always rise her level on Roland Garros but when you are at so low level as she was is impossible that will be enough. If Garbiñe wants to win another GS she needs to be serious and play at constan good level the whole season

I hope Sloane win, she was so close last year

Quit flicking your Garbeañ and get your head in the damn game.

[quote] If Stan does the impossible and beats Roger, Rafa, and Djokovic to take his 2nd title here I will kill Nick Kyrgios in his honour.

Would that it be so.

If it does happen, please describe every moment of killing Kyrgios here if they allow internet access in prison.

R242 ha! I noticed that too about Bartoli. I think her English isn't as good as the other interviewers so perhaps that has something to do with it.

Weirdly, she's actually a very good commentator both in French and English.

I'd love a Sloane/Anisimova final. Doubt Anisimova will get there though. Looking like a rematch of last years womens final. Hopefully with a different result.

Kei Pond team

I root for Benoit because he's the best looking man left by far. And Kei is likely to give a walkover next round anyway.

His beard disgusts me.

love Kei!

Tsitsipas really blew his chances at 5-5 in the 5th with some wild forehand errors. I thought he had that game won but he let Wawrinka off the hook. I agree Federer will certainly roll over him easily.

It's maddening how the big 3 all got very easy draws while their toughest potential challengers have all drawn each other.

Solid win for Stephens. Up next is Konta though who has beaten her twice this year

Is Halep the odds on fav?

Benoit's beard is so unattractive. It looks dirty and disgusting. He's a very handsome man without the beard.

He is also a headcase. Disappoints every single time.

She needs Help, R253.

[quote] Benoit's beard is so unattractive. It looks dirty and disgusting.

I agree.

Tsitsipas is DEVASTATED in his press conference. Greek Mirka is bold to leave for Greece when some caring boy can just swoop right in and console poor Stefanos.

It sucks for him and he obviously wanted to do it this year but he is 20 and he will have many chances to breakthrough. These old guys(for athletes) in their mid 30s are getting there last chances so that's ok.

Paire is also an asshole. It's been a few years but he has thrown some wild temper tantrums in the past. and he disses opponents he thinks shouldn't be beating him

nice first serve and backhand. Decent volleys and good mover for his height. His forehand can be club level and that's why top players usually own him

The good thing is in the past Stefanos learn from his mistakes and there are so many lessong to learn from this match.

I'm very upset because i really think Tsitsipas could defeat Roger and give Nadal some trouble.

The only one who could avoid the Nole-Nadal final is Thiem but he needs to improve a lot to do that

yeah it's frustrating that the #NextGen struggle against the veteran top players.

#LostGen is just hopeless though.

Let's be honest, right now Tsitsipas is the only nextgen who is a real top player.

Zverev never acted like a real top player on GS, he always struggle on the GS.

And the rest, well, the rest are a joke, they are not even consistent second rate players right now. Coric is missing opportunity after opportunity, and Khachanov and Medvedev always struggle after doing a good tournament.

The rest nextgen are not even there.

Maybe if Khachanov or Zverev are able to break big here it will be different but i don't think it'll happen

Maybe the guys that are 10 year olds now will be the ones winning a lot at some point? Nahh, the big 3 will continue well into their 40s.

I think next year will probably the beginning of the end for the big 3, at least for one of them (i can see Nole being a threat for a good while), but that'll only happen if the youngsters star to rise their level.

It's clear that Tsitsipas is already there, he only needs a good draw, a little inspiration and he could make it. Zverev will recover and maybe he'll learn to play better at GS, but the rest are still very far from being real threats to the big 3.

Of course even he is not nextgen maybe Thiem will realize that he can play very well outside clay and step up.

The rest are or too irregular or too young to be a danger for the top 3 in the short run

Will Nadal have a major injury within the next year that will end his career?

"Serena tried to play bam-bam tennis because she's not fit enough to move around the court."

Have any of you played tennis on a clay court? It's difficult because you lose you footing - you slide all over the place. Serena played hardcourt tennis on clay, a mistake. That being said, I hope she loses in the first round of Wimbledon.

What was Paire arguing with the umpire about? His racquet?

R265: He came back from injuries too many times.

The only way he retires is if the injury is a career ending injury or if he is not able to win anymore. He is very determined so he will need to not have a chance to go far on tournaments for a good while even before of thinking in retire.

If he wins here he'll be very close of Federer's record of GS. He is way more vulnerable on grass and hard courts but he showed that with a good draw he become a thread everywhere. Last year he was pretty close of reaching Wimbledon final and i have no doubt he would have defeat Anderson without problem in that final

I don't want the big 3 to lose because of injuries. I want them to start getting beaten outright by the others.

there are a lot of promising players but they just don't have that damn consistency needed. Tsitsipas and Zverev are the only ones so far who have shown some of it

damn Nishikori. He could be walking off the court a winner now if he hadn't blown that second set tiebreak.

Cant see the big 3 losing more from anything besides old age or injury. These younger guys just dont have the ability or it factor like they do.

Paire is one of the few players on tour with a hairy chest.

Paire is obscenely beautiful.

Nadal cruises through the clay court season and into the semis of the FO with total ease. The only way I see him retiring is if someone starts regularly beating him on clay.

It's really hard to believe that the men's draw was not rigged in favor of the big 3. How was it possible that all their biggest threats magically weren't in their first 4 rounds?

It was perfectly set up for all three of them to make the semis. They dont even have to play near their best.

R275 The big 3 had really easy draws while Thiem and Tsitsipas had way tougher ones. They are difficult enough to beat without that advantage

Thank you, R221.

Carillo is right; Benoit really does have fantastic posture. I would think that long beard would be hot and sweaty. He's hot...except for the beard. It would even look fine to have one if it was just trimmed a lot shorter. I'm sure he can rock the scruff look.

The Titsy-Stan match was amazing. Titsy is going to win some majors for sure. His FH and serve are getting better by the day.

Go, Sloane!

[quote]Have any of you played tennis on a clay court? It's difficult because you lose you footing - you slide all over the place.

I’ve been playing regularly on clay for almost 30 years, and I can assure you that you “slide all over the place” only if the court hasn’t been watered down properly or at all. You can, though, slide into shots, which is what the best clay courters do. I personally prefer the bounce and speed of a hard court, but where I live 99% of courts are red clay.

DelPo v Karen is a match of of hot, hairy mins. I'll be in the middle.

R282 I'm looking forward to their embrace at the net.

Fog v Sascha is interesting: can Fog bring it , or is Sascha's confidence back? Both?

So no love for Thiem? I see Titsi, Thiem but not Zverev. I think Zverev will fade the same way Grigor has. Titsi has a great game and is tough mentally. I'm all in for Titsi team!

Definitely Thiem team. And then Khachanov,

I'd love to see Domi win an RG. He's got to go through Novak and probably Rafa, right? Has he beaten Novak on clay?

During Novak's doldrums 2 years ago Domi beat him handily at the French.

I miss the Nole doldrums. Made the tour infinitely more interesting.

Does anyone listen to the Tennis Podcast’s daily Slam recap? I like David Law, but Catherine Whitaker drives me nuts.

Nole!

R115 She missed 3 with one being due to an odd bounce. But she probably averages 2-3 in tight matches like that, so nothing new. Muguruza missed 2 even easier ones against Sloane today.

Teams La Monf, Kei and Jan-Lennard

Serena seems to have given up on beating Margaret Court’s record. She just shows up at the majors to parade around the latest Nike monstrosity and lose.

R290 Yeah I do. I love it. I like Catherine Whitaker a lot. It's so funny seeing the difference between their official television personalities and their real personalities you get on the podcast. I had to feel sorry for her when she was too traumatised to do the podcast the other day when she got caught up in the crush/mini-riot.

He's knowledgable but "Grad Matt" winds me up with his horny teenager act.

Does anyone know the deal with Bartoli? When she was on tour, she was always a little pudgy and soft. Then she retired (suddenly) and within a year or two of her retirement she was about half the size, we're talking Daniela Hantuchova skinny. Whispers of eating disorder. But when I saw her on court yesterday handling the interview, she ballooned up like Wendy Turnbull again.

R296 I think she's deeply troubled. A while back she announced her return to the tour with big fanfare and then never mentioned it again.

Bartoli's father is nuts and had her do unorthodox training so that probably explains her own nuttiness. Even though he's a doctor he even once said she has more power being fat than if she got fit.

Barty and Kenin have split sets

The Fog v Sascha may be very entertaining.

And the La Monf v. Domi cake bake-off.

Kenin doesn't have much 'game' besides a very good drop shot (everything else is pretty stock standard Florida tennis camp), but damn she competes well and is fired up and tenacious. Having said that, are any of these younger American players not extremely obnoxious? Between her, Coco, Collins, and even Anisimova (at least when I was watching her in Bogota) they all have the most horrible on court personalities. Even Jennifer Brady got fined a bunch of prize money for smashing racquets in her match and I thought she was one of the more benign ones.

Madison Keyloid is in another slam QF, overpowering Siniakova. That same asshole posted in the last thread (50 year old man) grabbed the towel out of the kids' hands that she threw it into. She gave him a talking to and got the kids another towel. Lindsay D cheering from the stands.

Barty bagels Kenin-Kardenne in the third set and will play Madison Keyloid in the QF. That could be a good match.

Nishikori seems determined to take this into a 5 set shitfest (no surprise).

Can we not call her Kenin-Kardenne please? You sound like that illiterate Brad Gilbert.

Lauren Davis seems nice.

Special Key down 4-1 in the fifth now.

^Special Kei. Fucking auto-correct.

Kei sera sera

Djokovic delivering the expected mauling of of Struff, I see.

Kei and Benoit is turning into a real choke-off. Though both are playing excellent tennis though.

I want to motorboat Kei’s booty 😋

Holy shit! Just looked at the scores again and Kei pulled it out 7-5 in the fifth. That must have been a see-saw match.

Nice to see Nishikori pull it out in the fifth and deprive R305 of another gloat opportunity.

Matches are delayed.

Ian Eagle’s wig looks so natural!

There was no gloating, R312. In fact, I was rooting for Nishikori. My statement was pretty benign. Interesting how people on here add their own interpretations that are way off base. I'm glad Nishikori won. Now if Kei can take down Nadal, I'll be ecstatic.

Nishikori hasn't got a chance against Nadal if he was taken to five sets by Paire.

Thiem team

"My vote is with the Swiss Miss"

PLEASE do not bring that self aggrandizing, irritating, unfunny Bud Collins back to life. He was such an asshole and I'm glad he's six feet under.

Fog 🌫 Team

Paire had every chance in the world in that fifth set. Just like Kei could easily have closed it when he had multiple match points in the 4th set. But it's just like him to run his body into the ground before he can do any damage to the top seeds.... if he hadn't already played so much he could have at least exhausted one of them.

Flopos Zverev's grunt has changed lately. A bit higher pitched and more of a wincing sound, he genuinely sounds in pain when hitting a routine forehand.

R311: It was the opposite of Stan-Tipsy, while those two fought to win, Benoit and Kei fought to show who was the biggest choker

Hopefully Thiem will end this in three, he needs some rest to be prepared to face Delpo/Karen, because in my opinion he is the only one (besides Rafa) who can stop Djokovic.

It's incredible what an easy draw had the big 3. They are the best but this is a really unfair advantage.

Flopos won the second, i think this match will end in a fifth set bitchfest

Apologies, R315--"Special Kei" sounded pejorative and sounded like one of the posters on here (possibly the former ESL) who revels in insulting players when they're down. I'd love to see Nishikori take down Nadal as well, unlikely as that may be,

I'd love to see a fifth set bitchfest!

R322, Special K is a reference to a United States cereal, and ESL is at R321.

Given Nada's ridiculous draw (quali-quali in the first two rounds?), yes I'd love to see anyone take Nadal down before the final, even if it has to be Kei.

I won't watch it though. I can't stand watching him play. His play has not evolved like it should have by now and he plays with desperation. Unnecessary 5-set grinders over and over. It's an old story.

I'm on a blog and the big 3 fans can't stop bitching about how easy is the other big 3 (apart of the one they are fans) draw.

They have no shame. If there's justice in this world Thiem will win this tournament

I'm aware of that, R324. It's also a term that was used to denigrate "special ed" kids when I was growing up. Anyone who wanted to put someone else down would call the other kid "Special K".

There's a lot of empty seats on women's matches

[quote] There's a lot of empty seats on women's matches

They’re probably all in the locker room trying to engage in sinful, carnal relations with the women players!

^ that's because it was almost dark, 9PM.

Thiem won very easily today

Halep demolishes her opponent in 40 minutes.

Flopos pulls it out

Karen Hemsworth team or DelPo team?

Always Delpo / Eore

Forever Delpo

Today on The View, bringing up the Serena/Dominic press incident, Whoopi said of Thiem. "Listen man, don't nobody know who you are. You may be big in the tennis world...". Jesus. How fucking rude.

Whoopi. The oracle.

Whoopi was team Osaka after the US Open incident, but I hate when they discuss tennis on The View because they clearly don't know the full story or the players (it's like Wendy Williams discussing politics). Also as much as I love her acting, Whoopi these days is a fucking moron.

Halep couldn't have crafted this cakewalk draw more perfectly if she got to make it herself lol. Injured Tsurenko, trembling teenager Swiatek. Someone check the footage to see if she did a Jeff Gillooly to Kvitova or poisoned Bertens!!

Anisimova is about to close out Aliona 'gay rights' Bolsova. Maybe she can actually give Halep something to think about in their QF matchup.

Who gives a fuck how well known she is? Doesnt mean she has the right to be rude or a diva.

She can't retire soon enough. Serena or Whoopi for that matter.

Anisimova reminds me of Vaidisova in terms of her personality and game while looking like a less attractive Kournikova

Butch Hingis is out. At least Anisimova gave her a bagel as a parting gift. That was nice of her.

R342 Anisimova's game is better than Vaidisova's in every way other than her ability to overpower opponents.

That’s not at all how I meant it, R327. I was making a joke out of the cereal. Sad that some people assume some negative motive out of such a benign statement.

"special K" is also the name of a drug lol

I can't get over how much Anisimova looks like Alfred E. Neuman. Not even so much in this picture but just in general.

I don’t say this lightly but whoever designed those Nike tennis outfits should be shot.

Apparently it was the organisers rather than Serena who demanded Thiem be kicked out. She was prepared to go into the second room but the organisers decided she should have the main room.

I know Serena's not been an angel in the past but according to sources, she wasn't in the wrong this time.

[quote] I can't get over how much Anisimova looks like Alfred E. Neuman

Hey! I resembled him before she did.

Did she actually say “then it's possible to remove him"?

LOL, R350, there is no doubt that Carlo wins that lookalike contest!

That's so funny R350, I spit out my drink!

Whoopi is so ignorant, how does the View even allow that?

Kyrgios is grooming Anisimova like Stepanek groomed Vaidisova.

R337: So in Woopi's world you only deserve respect if you are well known. With Serena is always pathetic excuses after pathetic excuses

R354: That didn't end well for Nicole

Sadly, I think Delpo is going to wilt, he'll never get to 5 sets.

Please, don't underestimate Khachanov ability to choke. Delpo even in bad form or tired always fights till the end

R351 No. Serena actually said that it was "impolite" when they said they would move him to another room to complete his interviews with the few remaining German journalists. And again she was the one who suggested the empty room for herself.

Of course she has a long list of atrocious behaviour in the past but the only people at fault here are the organisers. And Ben Rothenburg for spreading false information to create hate towards a player who doesn't like him and embarrassed him in Australia..

And maaaybe Thiem should have waited for the explanation, calmly asked them why, or just not moved (were they going to throw him out? lol). Instead he did agree to move and then went full MARY with his outburst and getting up and storming out (after already agreeing to move) and trashing Serena and comparing her to Roger and Rafa.

Unlike what Woopy says the truth is Thiem is big enough to this being on the news, and he seems not ready to shut up. Today he said that she didn't apologized.

Maybe he is a nice guy, but he is not Osaka who could be bullied and not open her mouth

R359: You blame Ben for this again and again, but the truth is there are multiple reports of the incident, and all blame Serena and the organization (which is the main guilty here because they should never let Serena have her way on this)

Please. She's had a BABY!

Anyone else notice there seems to be a lack of shirtless pics from this year's Open? Usually you get a photo or two of top-ranked men changing their shirts on the court, but this season - nothing.

Actually, if Delpo can drag out and steal this third set from Karen, they may suspend at dusk and that would give Delpo time to regroup overnight.

R361 it's not Ben's fault that Thiem was moved to another room, but the spreading of false information is certainly his fault. He's the reason this became such a big incident online. Also not that this is a crime but he was just generally being a little bitch.

Especially with the tacky opening line: "in a win for feminism - I GUESS..." Putting words in her mouth that she never said here and and actively trying to defame a player (who can do a pretty good job of it on her own lol). At the very least it's unprofessional.

It seems you've still made your mind up that this is her fault. Again, this is not like Serena's hideous display at the US Open (which absolutely WAS her fault). We have the full story now. She herself *asked* to use the empty room, and because Thiem was only speaking to a few German journalists by that point and the international press was already set up in the main room, the organisers - probably trying to just get Serena in and out as quickly as possible - decided to move him to the next room (to which Serena said "that's pretty impolite").

The only people still harping on about this non-incident, or trying to make her the bad guy here, are Rothenburg, her haters (who are almost as annoying as her fans), and sulky Thiem who should stop trash talking her and start focusing because I need him to reach the final from his half lol.

[quote] Please. She's had a BABY!

Come again now.

[quote] And Ben Rothenburg for spreading false information to create hate towards a player who doesn't like him and embarrassed him in Australia..

What happened in Australia?

so basically Serena wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible which is understandable so she said she could go into the smaller second room but the organizers instead moved Thiem into there and now Serena is getting blamed for it. Not surprising but the crazed Serena hater here needs something to fixate on now that she's out of the tournament

Hopefully Serena and Thiem can talk about this at some point so he knows it wasn't her doing. He seems like a drama queen but he's dating Mladenovic so it makes sense.

Team Thiem here. And, so is Roger Federer. Stop with the excuses, R365.

A decent person would have turned down the offer to boot another person in the middle of a press conference and simply would have waited his/her turn. The protocol is the player still in the tournament gets priority. Losers wait their turn. Doesn't matter who you are.

[quote] the crazed Serena hater here needs something to fixate on now that she's out of the tournament

May I suggest discussion of Hingis?

R370 Or perhaps a nice, friendly and polite discussion between Serena and Henin fans? They always go well.

Any Sharapova fans in the house?

Serena does have a bad personality. Time more people knew. I don't care that she does but to go around acting like you are Miss American Sunshine when you are angry, bitter, and have the biggest chip on any shoulder ever is ludicrous. I wish Serena would just own it, she doesn't need the money from her sponsors. Whoopi is old and telling people what she thinks they wanted to hear 10 years ago.

R367 I can't remember what the original questioning was but something about whether she'd played Mouratoglou's iPhone game and she said "I already posted it on my social media... I know you're on social a lot" (in reference to his constant shit-stirring or misrepresenting her on his twitter... he had said something a few days earlier about her). The other journalists could be heard laughing in the press room.

Novak Djokovic also recently made a sarcastic comment about how he "fact checks every piece of information he supposedly finds". They are sick of him. Except perhaps Kyrgios who seems to have come around and did his podcast (though he might be trying to make storylines so nobody pays attention to the fact that he's fucking 17 year old Anisimova)

R372 Has anybody on here ever said Serena has a great personality? You say "it's about time people knew" but who doesn't know by now? Lol.

This is the same girl who visibly mouthed "fucking bitch" on camera when her own sister hit a return-of-serve winner against her in the '03 Australian Open final (after Serena already beat her in 3 GS finals in a row). Nobody is delusional enough to think she's a ray of sunshine.

It still doesn't change the fact that in this situation she didn't do anything wrong.

Was her husband in Paris this week?

[quote] Usually you get a photo or two of top-ranked men changing their shirts on the court, but this season - nothing

Well, there was Porna

Federer commenting on the Thiem press conference debacle.

Karen?

Karen is playing Delpo right now. Karen.

People who don't actually watch the matches or follow tennis R374. People who just read headlines and not articles, and who get most of their tennis information from talk shows that feature players who win big tournaments. People like Whoopi Goldberg.

well Zverev has shown again that RG is his best slam. Now he has the opportunity to prove he's a contender for slams as he faces DJokovic next round.

Who is that large handsome man in the back row of Delpo's box in the beige sweater?

[quote] Who is that large handsome man in the back row of Delpo's box in the beige sweater?

I thought Carlo had left Paris.

R365: Not true, Thiem himself is telling the story everywhere

R368: Thiem blame her because it was her fault. Not only her fault, but she knew he was there and wanted him out because she was on a hurry.

Her fans always make excuses for her bad behaviour and you are a hater if you don't like her (at least here nobody is accused of being a racist if you don't like her, that's only for twitter and youtube)

Khachanov first QF

will face Thiem

it's the ORGANIZERS who are at fault. Keep up with your delusion though

Make your predictions/desires known.

Nole team or A. Zverev “Flopos” team

Thiem team or Karen Hemsworth team

Stan team or Gramps team

Kei pond team or Rafa ass-picker team

[quote]it's the ORGANIZERS who are at fault.

Well then why aren't they doing damage control and getting out in front of this? It's their damn tounament! They're crazy to hang it on Serena and Thiem and let them duke it out in the media.

Anybody but Djokovic. Anybody.

because the tournament knows it's easy to put blame on Serena rather than look bad themselves

The way Khachanov was pumped up for every point, celebrating like he'd just won the whole tournament, and even got the whole long speech thanking his entire team and his wife for supporting him all these years and congratulating Delpo......... you can just tell he's going to lose in the next round lol.

Whenever a player has one of these performances and they and the interviewer both act the same way they do after winning a title, it's usually accompanied by a type of 'hangover' performance.

I'm rooting against the big 3 winning another slam, so: Team Stanimal, Team Kei Pond, Team Karen (I don't mind Thiem either but put off by him being such a whiner and bearding with Rosetta Stone). And reluctantly.... Team Flopos. I expect the exact opposite and the top 4 to all get through. I don't think any of them are even vulnerable in these matchups. Unless Stan plays out of his mind.

Khachanov won (and he played very well, or at least that's what people are saying right now). He is now a top 10 player.

He won the only match (It's curious that they only played one time) he played against Thiem. But it was on hard courts indoor, on clay i think Thiem is the clear favourite

IN fact both are guilty, she for acting like a spoiled diva and them for letting her act like a spoiled diva

Khachanov is HAF. He played really well, just crushing the ball. He's got the kind of game that could give Rafa (and everyone else) problems.

I'm not a fan of Kenin. She looks like a Cabbage Patch kid.

Anybody but Rafa. don't care about Joker. I'd be cool with Gramps winning, it's been awhile.

If Khachanov can keep his forehand consistent, he can beat anybody. The problem is his grip. When he gets nervous he can miss the easiest of forehands. Not as bad as Paire but probably more like Wawrinka.

I still can’t believe someone slept with Serena, but what do I know.

Team Anyone Except Roger. Would prefer Rafa or Karen.

Rafa!

Karen just wants to fornicate with the women players! All of them!

I'm watching the replay of Paire-Nishikori on Tennis Channel. Serving 5-3 in the 5th, Paire couldn't buy a first serve. Then serving at 5-5 in the 5th, Paire double-faulted on game point. Nishikori is hitting the ball really well. I know it's not likely, but it would be amazing if he could knock off Rafa and get to the semis.

Keys has been remarkably consistent in slams for the last couple years. When she's on is wonderful to watch and basically unbeatable. No one bashes like her. But when she's off, it's a huge shit show which is about 70% the case in non-slams these days.

Why Domicakes still not wear white shorts?

I miss Misery.

How dare Nadal hog up all the qualifiers! Usually those are reserved for Fed!

Who are better to play: qualifier or lucky loser?

Glad Domi won. He taught a good lesson to those French people for their insult

Compare and contrast Rafa's, Domi's and Jack Sock's asses please.

WHET to Jack Ass? Did he die?

Jamon in a fluffy bun with lumpy potatoes.

R370 & R371 Henin, Hingis, and Azarenka are so much more talented than Serena that they would run circles around her if not for her serve. Without her 40 free service points a match Serena probably wouldn't get more than 2 games EVER. Discuss!

R406 Me too.

Wimbledon WC?

Is this where we talk about Fever-Tree Championships?

[quote] WHET to Jack Ass? Did he die?

This is what he's up to.

When Khachanov debuts in Top 10 next Monday, it will be the first time in 16 years that Russia has a male top-tenner but not a female one.

Ladies QF predictions

Keys to beat Barty (both are cool but Keys is a better 'big match' player and hits too hard for Barty to use her slice)

Anisimova to beat Halep (the latter always struggles with peaking bashers, like the Mirjana Lucic lashings)

Stephens to beat Kunta (though this one will be tough as Konta is hitting the ball really well, has already beaten her twice this year, and Sloth is still at like 40% fitness)

Vondrousova to beat Martic (stronger mentally, has a bit more variety to her game and will drop shot Martic to death)

[quote]PLEASE do not bring that self aggrandizing, irritating, unfunny Bud Collins back to life. He was such an asshole and I'm glad he's six feet under.

You're a horrid person. I realize Bud's commentating and writing aren't for everyone, and if you weren't a fan of it, fine. But he was the furthest thing from an asshole. He was unfailingly polite to players, officials, fans, and his fellow media. Very often, he was a mentor to other journalists - his competitors, really - because his love of the sport knew no bounds. No one gave to tennis more than Bud Collins.

r413 that's ridiculous. Serena, when she was fit, had the entire game. She not only had the best serve on the women's side she's a phenomenal returner. She could also cover the court, chase down balls, and hit angles that few others could off of both the forehand and backhand side. You don't know the game if you think otherwise. Azarenka, Henin, and Clijsters were her equals except for their serve. That's why you perceive what you think you see.

Now on another note how are we not talking about how hot Thiem's ass still is... We need updated tracking on this.

I mean, come on...

Murray is coming back to play doubles at Queens with Feliciano Lopez.

You just know that was Judy's idea. How uncomfortable for Lopez to know your doubles partner's mum has been getting a frothy gash over you for years :(

"FROTHY GASH"!!!????

Interesting “long read” article on our Benoît in the latest issue of Racquet Magazine. From the below quote I don’t know whether Benoît is gay-signalling it just European and Uber-French:

[quote]A few other things he likes: his sponsor, Lacoste. Louis Vuitton. Brooklyn. Especially Brooklyn lofts. The Marais in Paris. Vintage clothes. David Beckham.

"Gay signalling" depends on whether you're an American or European. As a Swede, I don't know what is signalling gay to you.

Paire dates female singers. He broke up with one years ago and has been dating Shy'm for a while (aka Tamar Marthe). He was suspended by the French Federation because he left the Olympic Village to hang out with her after he lost in the Olympics.

What a thoughtful and lovely link R421. Domi looks better with longer hair, it makes his ears stick out less.

I see Benoit's beard and think about ingrown hairs and bacteria. Please shave that ridiculous monstrosity off.

How the hell have you bitches gone this long and not talked about whatever in the holy hell Chanda has on her head?!?!?!

r385 no one says you're a "hater", what are you 12? The fact that people are making the whole thing into an incident - Whoopi, the reporters, the web - is ridiculous but par for the course in tennis, where "journalists" are always trying to get attention especially more than in other sports. I used to work with the ATP Tour and the US Open and this kind of stuff happens all the time - moving players to other courts, shifting matches, schedules, juggling press conferences, etc. and catering to tennis players' whims, etc. Their egos are huge and whenever one of them gets offended because they think someone is not treating them according to their ranking (including Domi and Serena) the issue is often them, not anyone else that's the cause. I saw one Top 5 player lose it over the fact that a player ranked below him was given more towels more quickly and every fucking time he didn't get to walk ahead of a lower ranked player or something was changed on him he had this "do you know who I am? do you know how much money I make for you?" attitude.

I see the organizers' point. Thiem's press conference was essentially over except for a few German reporters who wanted more time with him. This happens frequently when another player has come off court unexpectedly early and the main press conference is essentially over. The organizers probably wanted to FILM Serena's press conference and make her sit their and comment on her loss on camera, which is probably why she wanted to duck into the empty room. They were not going to let that happen if they did not have cameras set up in the other room or ready to go, or to move a larger number of reporters into a smaller room, if it was indeed just Thiem and a few Germans left over most likely conversing in German, (which no one but a few countries would understand what they were saying) that doesn't demand time on the international feed. This is not unusual.

Thiem was a drama queen about this and still is. I'm no defender of Serena's antics - and many of her antics are way beyond shameful - but it doesn't seem like it's the case here. This is about Thiem feeling put upon, that he, the start, thought this was some great offence to his dignity to ask another player with a reputation for an ego move him out. He should've moved and been an adult about it. I doubt if he would've behaved any differently if someone went in and said "I'm so sorry, we hate to ask you this, but it would really help us out if you could continue this in another room, we're not filming this anymore, Would you mind moving, we'd really appreciate it so much".

With all that goes on in the world, everyone just needs to get over it.

Fuck, the stands are completely empty for Konta/Stephens. I could understand when they were starting matches at 11am but it's nearly 2.30pm in Paris now.

Looks pretty decent to me, only the boxes next to the court are empty. (Or maybe they only choose the filled parts of the stadium for overhead shots...)

Oh I see, now they showed a more empty section, sorry.

Has Sloane had a lobotomy or something?

Everyone is watching Federer/Stan, that's why the stands are pretty empty on Chatrier.

Nobody wants to see Sloth Stephens get eaten alive by Jo Kunta. Well, more by her own lazy footwork and complete inability to actually care about her tennis.

Just tuned in to Tennis Channel and caught the last couple points of Federer winning the first set tiebreak against Stan. Did anyone on here see the first set? How was the level of play?

I've only seen the scores, but Jesus, Konta is thumping Sloane. Looks from the score like a combo of Sloane not playing well and Konta hitting the ball well.

I am SO not interested in that Federer v Wawrinka match, since you know exactly what is going happen. Wawa is a card carrying member of the Fed fan club, after a little bit of resistance in the first set, he'll drop trou and let his master take him any way he wants. Not just him, but all those players from German-speaking countries, current and former. Kind of the life story of Tommy Haas, who, I'm sure, would've sucked Federer's dick on the court had he been allowed to. Tsitsipas would've put up a much better fight here.

Konta is playing some brilliant tennis. I don't want to write Stephens off yet but she's going to have to come up with something amazing to beat Konta today.

Konta is serving very well. She might win tournament and also be a huge threat at Wimbledon.

R436 Trying to watch both, one on the TV and one on my laptop.

Wawrinka was playing excellently to start the match, but couldn't really keep it up and Federer's backhand has been amazing reflexively. Getting everything back and very deep. At the moment he's outhitting Stan, who needs to up the aggression more (as we know he can but doesn't seem as comfortable doing it against Roger).

Sloane hasn't 'got going' at any point in the match. Lazy footwork, leaving balls she could reach, and very error strewn. Konta is having an amazing day on serve (I don't think she'll get broken back), and also reading Sloane's serve like a book. For her to get back into this, Konta would need to break herself with a nervous service game and then Sloane needs to put heavier balls in..

R437 no one cares what you think.

Sloane's playing like she's on valium.

Stan team or Gramps team?

[quote] Sloane needs to put heavier balls in..

Not very likely!

Can one of you pricks answer the question about the .gif in OP's post?

Look upthread, R445. Several have already done it.

Okay, thanks R446. I must've scrolled past them.

Konta came out of nowhere on clay. Didnt she barely win a clay court match before this season?

R448 She had never won a single match at the French Open before this year lol. And now she's in the SF.

She has always sucked on clay in the past, and in her round one in Rabat, Wang Yafan had two match points against her before choking them and handing the match to Konta. Imagine if she had converted one of them? I think we can blame the Chinese scrub for creating this monster.

I still think she's benefited from optimal draws though. Had a good 3 set win over Bertens in Rome (who was probably tired from beating every other clay specialist in Madrid and making a SF in Stuttgart), but aside from that, no huge scalps. Even Stephens is an opponent she had already beaten twice this year including 2 weeks ago in Rome.

Stanimal wins second set 6-4!!! Stan team.

[quote] Wang Yafan

Awesome name.

R449 sometimes the draw just goes your way. She still might have to beat Halep who is the best clay court player currently.

So one of Konta, Voundrousova and Martic will be a RG finalist. Halep is a really heavy favourite for the title now, interesting to see how she'll cope with that.

R452 how does she usually do in a situation like that? Has she been in this position before?

R451 That's very true, I just think it's worth noting that in the past few years she would only win 2 or 3 clay matches per season. Even when she was in great form like after her Australian Open SF, mostly round 1 losses on clay.

If Wang Yafan had converted her many opportunities in that Rabat match, it might have been another round 1 loss for her to start the clay season this year. And then her ranking wouldn't have been high enough and she'd have had to play qualies in Rome. And without the run in Rome she wouldn't have been seeded for this draw. Bit of a butterfly effect.

Of course she's playing amazingly and deserves all the credit for taking advantage of these draws and her results. It's just interesting to think about how one little result changed the entire momentum of her year (and frankly her career, which was on the downswing).

Konta isnt like Halep or Wozniacki who play steady tennis. She takes risks and therefore it's not surprising that she has large swings of momentum in her career.

Entry lists are determined 6 weeks before the tournament so Rabat had no bearing on Konta being able to play Rome main draw. But she is definitely a confidence player so losing that match might have perhaps prevented her great clay run anyway.

R453 Well Halep did lose the final to Ostapenko 2 years ago in a famous moment of not being able to cope with it, but having finally got it done last year, maybe she will feel less pressure now despite the favourite status.

R452 Halep is indeed a heavy favourite, my only trepidation is because she has still lost 9 out of her last 12 finals. The girl panics. Especially without Darren Cahill there to coach her through.

I think Barty and Keys are being underestimated too. For the MLB player if she peaks it's lights out for her opponent. I know that's never a guarantee with her (and her H2H against Halep is tragic as she wasn't at her best in any of them) but nothing is a sure thing with her across the net.

Barty has all the classic clay tools, especially the kick serve and backhand slice. For example if she and Konta are in the final Konta is going to be leaking a LOT more errors off that awkward low slice than off Sloane's more regular groundstroke rhythm. That's why Vondrousova and Martic can challenge her a bit more too.

R430: Sorry, but did you really know Serena fans on tennisforum, or even on youtube, because you really sound totally naive. If you don't think she is the best ever and the rest are crap you are a hater (no matter if you like Serena).

And Thiem is not whining, he has reasons to complain, he is the fucking number four in the world and he deserved some respect.

Serena is not the main guilty here, that's true

Nishikori is pathetic. Come on, everybody knows he has no chance but he was unable to hold his first serve two consecutive sets. Nobody expects him to win, but at least give some fight even if it is for 10 minutes

R458 Erm... then go take this nonsense back to tennisforum or youtube and take it up with them, if that's where the problem is?

I don't think anyone on DL likes Serena but she's put up a pretty good argument for being the 'greatest of all time' and you probably aren't going to escape that many places on the internet. I don't mean to be rude but you sound like you could use a few therapy sessions to deal with this obsession with her...

R460: I didn't complain about her greatness, i did complain about her awful behaviour

And maybe you don't want to sound rude but you are such asshole that you can't help

R458 I agree with everything you said except NO ONE likes Serena on DL. Come on that’s not the case.

Nishikori looks all at sea against Nadal in the FOzone. Of the remaining seven contenders, only Elfbot and maybe Khachanov are less obnoxious and arrogant than Nadal.

You can't defeat Nadal if you start every set losing your serve. It's as easy as that.

I understand he is the best on clay, but till now Nishikori's attempts are pathetic. One thing is losing and other very different is bordering the ridicule

Nishikori needs to drop out of the top 50 FFS. Two games?

Is Elfbot Thiem?

Yes, R466. Also Nishikori doesn't seem to be playing bad tennis as much as Nadal is in clay GOAT playing mode. Are Nishikori's UEs higher than usual?

So many elves... Goffin, Thiem, Lauren Davis, even Vesnina had a few elf-like qualities.

Regarding the match, Kei's slight build and stature isn't the best to deal with Rafa's heavy spin in the first place. In some rallies it looks like the ball literally pushes his body backwards and off balance. He just cannot hit it with much depth or clarity when he can't move forward and follow through.

On a side note Kei has to have the most beautiful, smooth skin in the ATP or even the WTA. You cannot even find a single pore. It's probably just the Japanese diet and genetics, but if not... who is his derma!?!? Lol.

r458, I will summarize and repeat what I said before so you can move on. R460 is absolutely right or your victimhood for your issues with Serena. We all have issues with her. Most of us don't have such thin skin about what happens on the net.

As for Thiem, I have worked on the men's tour and at the US Open. What happened in this "drama" was made SOLELY by Thiem and his reaction. Nothing was done TO Thiem. It happens ALL THE TIME. It is standard, routine and procedure to manage the press in the pressroom to accommodate the players that are speaking English for an international press conference that is filmed and put online. Thiem made it an issue, like many of the divas on tour and took it as an affront to him personally, which it was not. It was not "disrespectful" to move him to a smaller room when the filmed international conference was over so he could continue a chitchat with German reporters that would NOT have been broadcast by Roland Garros. And if were to say who deserves more respect, Serena has been on tour since 1995, and has won 23 slams and 4 gold Olympic medals since winning her first slam in 1999. Thiem has won zero. If I were the tournament management and had to make the decision, I would make exactly the same decision and move Thiem if it were for Federer, Nadal, or a player ranked lower than Thiem in Serena's situation, like Andy Murray, if there was an international demand for the main press room over a non-broadcast German chat. The world press is not interested in Domi Thiem as they are in Serena and sure as hell was not interested in his German press chitchat.

And if this is an issue about respect, the Slams and their organizers deserve respect. They made this sport what it is and it doesn't matter how many wins you have on tour, it's the Slams that define who makes history. They pay these players EXTREMELY well. Organizing a tournament is hectic and demanding. You do what you do to make it work for the betterment of everyone. And if the organizers of a Slam say he and the German press should move, they should move and say "Thank you for all you have done for me, of course, we'll move, no problem."

Rain delay. Rafa 2 games from the semis. If Nishikori hadn't had those medical timeouts this would be over and Rafa would get two days of rest.

It was weird to see Federer and Wawrinka getting to decide for themselves that they don't want to play on. Discussing with the tournament supervisor and making the decision that they wanted to stop playing and go inside where they can rest and talk to their teams.

I remember last year both Wozniacki and Kasatkina wanted to stop play because it was too dark and the umpire wouldn't allow them, despite how much Carowhine complained and delayed the time (she was losing, of course).

I don't disagree with the logic, it's 3-3 now and it saves them having to interrupt the match at an important juncture. But since when did players get to decide? Or is it just Roger...

It's not weird. It depends on the circumstances. Rain is different. Players and ball kids can fall. People in the stands can slip and fall. Umbrellas going up and spectators moving is a problem.

I don't remember the Woz match, but if Kasatinka had asked for it, the officials would likely have come out and talked to the players. Levels of darkness are less of a judgment call, depending on cloud cover, but they go by standard timetables for sunset and how light it usually is.

R472 Interesting. Maybe I missed something but from what I saw Roger simply went up to Stan at the end of the game to see if he wanted to as well, and then the organiser came out to discuss with them. The crowd obviously wanted it to continue as they were 'awww'ing at having to halt the match then.

In the Woz match Kasatkina was up a set and a bit IIRC, both were playing shockingly bad. Wozniacki continued to complain and complain and eventually Kasatkina would come up to the umpire and agree with her that they should stop the match, but the umpire didn't budge.

I always just thought it was the umpire's decision (as it was in that match), and not up to the players to decide when play stops and starts.

Cleaning off the courts, play may resume soon.

It's the tournament director's decision, based on input from the players' unions, etc. regarding safety when it comes to rain. If both players refuse to play or want to stop, they can call for the tournament director. The umpire can't penalize them both. In most cases of rain, if both want to stop, they stop.

Rain is always a different situation than darkness. Even on clay, rain can create a situation where players can slip. It can also affect the quality of play as rain can be unpredictable and really throw kinks into the game. Except for clouds, darkness is mostly constant. But if both players want to stop, they can appeal to the tournament director.

R430 which player was this?

[quote] I saw one Top 5 player lose it over the fact that a player ranked below him was given more towels more quickly and every fucking time he didn't get to walk ahead of a lower ranked player or something was changed on him he had this "do you know who I am? do you know how much money I make for you?" attitude.

Hope Federer enjoys the beatdown Nadal will give him.

Wow mens tennis is sooo unexpected and interesting!

Translation, r478: the top players actually play like top players on the ATP. The WTA is a mess of laziness, nerves, passive hitting, and more laziness.

R469: Nobody is talking about Serena not deserving respect. Everybody knows she is a great champion, that's not the question here. The truth is Serena behaviour doesn't match her achivements, she is rude, she is disrespectful and she acts like a spoiled diva all the time. Yes, she can be funny and charming when she wants, but that doesn't change all the rest.

And i'm a little tired that to defend Serena people feel the need to trash Thiem who did nothing wrong. It seems that you even be grateful for the fact that you are treated like trash only to make room to Serena.

And yes, i'm pretty sure that she is not the only one who can act like a jerk on the wta or the atp, but that doesn't change the fact that she acts this way all the time

R479: Yes and no.

I always liked wta because top women used to be more reliable than men. That's obviously not the case anymore.

My problem with atp is not the big 3 being amazing players, it's the rest underperforming. I could not complain about Stan, he gave Roger a good fight even if the circumstances were not the best for him, but the problem is that we watch Nishikori's level performances all the time from supposed top players when they play with the big 3. One thing is to lose (they didn't won so many GS for having lucky draws, they are amazingly good) and other very different being completely useless against them

Or there are a lot of great female players and only 3 superb Male players that are impressive but dont make me interested in watching.

R479 really? You think Nishikori plays like a top player against other top players? He routinely shits the bed. He routinely plays passively and will still make errors. Or Wawrinka always bending over for daddy Federer? You have the big 3 well into their 30s and yet they're still almost unbeatable by guys who should be peaking at age 25. There's still hope in the other half of the draw but damn the bottom half was a disaster. Nadal and Federer didn't have to face anyone noteworthy until the QF

R482: That's not the case. The level is not even that great, and most top females have no plan B if the groundstrokes don't work that day.

Even Serena whose game is based on her power is able to change her game if the match don't go her way (or at least she was able to do it when she was fit), most top players are unable to do anything that keep doing what's not working again and again.

Wta big problem is their top players are unable to keep a great level for more than two weeks

We are in one of wtas weakest eras. The fact that the players are able to hit harder than in the past don't change the fact that most of them have no game plan and they are very inconsistent

R483 I think he's saying just the top 3 play like top players and that's all that matters, but it sucks for the sport.

Excited for more old man tennis. Would love to see them battle out for majors into their 50s. The way things are going they probably will.

R486 but that's the problem. The ATP apologists and super fans act like the big 3 are all that matters. They aren't. It's a bad look when you have the #LostGeneration who should be physically and mentally peaking but can't win a slam. Thiem should be able to win something this year. The #NextGen is coming along better so I won't criticize them just yet.

It's not a good look for the tour when you see guys well into their 30s physically outlasting younger opponents in matches or outhitting them with consistency.

I just find it funny because 15 years ago we had the reverse. The women's game was very predictable with which players would reach the end of big tournaments and even among top players there was a clear pecking order. The WTA got criticized for that while the ATP was deemed "exciting" because you really never knew who was going to win each tournament-whether it was a top player or someone random. Now the same people bashing the WTA back then are doing it now but for opposite reasons and still praising the ATP.

Personally I don't like endless domination on either tour. I am of course very impressed with what Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have been able to do but enough already. It's embarrassing that they are still dominating at the slams. It's obnoxious that most tv commentators openly root for them and very suspect that they had easy draws until the QF

Marat Safin said it very clear, Nadal, Nole and Roger keeps dominating because the players that came after them never rose the level and never reached the mental strenght to compete. In other case probably Federer and Nadal were retired by now (it's not that funny to keep competing when you are not able to win).

It's clear (even if people keep mocking them) that the nextgen is going to retire them, what's not that clear it's the way they'll do. For the atp sake it would be good if they become a real threat soon and start to win big matches, the worst thing possible will be the big 3 winning till they retire.

My problem with nextgen is that till now only Tsitsipas seems to be on his way to become a competitive top player, he is not there yet, but he was not even top 30 this month last year, so he'll need some time but he is going in the right direction.

Zverev has what it's needed to compete, but he never delivered on GS since became a top player. And the rest or they are inconsistent or too young to know their real potential.

Probably Federer and Rafa won't be a threat for too long, but Nole could dominate for years if the young players don't start to be really competitive. The last time a player rose his level to become a top was in 2011 when Nole went from secondary to protagonist overnight (but he got more credentials back then than any of the new players have right now)

how many more French Opens will Nadal win? 6? 7?

r480 I'm not trashing Thiem to defend Serena. For the third time, I worked on the tour and at the US Open as a tour rep. I am criticizing Thiem (which is not "trashing") and rightly so. See the clip. He's overreacting to what is is a COMMON practice to move players from press conference rooms, etc. Thiem's reaction made it as if this was personal to him. You seem to think he was "disrespected" as if Roland Garros would dare to move him when it's done all the time. The fact that you and Thiem seem to be taking this so personally says it's you that have issues. And the fact that you want to keep making this about Serena says that's probably what this is really about. It doesn't make you a "hater", don't get sensitive, but you're being irrational.

In fact, Thiem has said today that he himself is over it (though he still wants to get a dig in at Serena). He says it's "understandable" and "forgotten". See the link. Why are YOU not over this?

I have seen these diva tennis players on the ATP Tour (though I rarely observed Serena behind the scenes except at the US Open). Many of them need an ego check. Thiem has won more than 2 million pounds at the French Open, including more than 100,000 pounds from two second round losses. In short, he has made more money at Roland Garros than at the Australian Open and Wimbledon combined. The French Open has been very good to him. He has no reason whatsoever to be a diva in the press room because he was asked to move. They've paid him well. He could move and be an adult about it.

Vondrousova-Martic is compelling

Oh and let me add, R480. I've seen Rafa moved from a press conference room without any complaints or reaction. Of all the players currently in the Top 10, he is hands down the nicest to the little people and the tournament organizers, followed by Novak. Just saying.

It's not about Thiem doing something "wrong" or being trashed. This is an event of his making and his ego.

So now is Thiem the one with a big ego and not Serena, nice way to rewrite the story

And they didn't paid him well, he earned the money reaching two semis and one final

r476 I won't confirm it, but I'll give you a clue. He won a slam, is active on tour, but I described him as Top 5 because he's never been number 1.

Kei deserves the loss today because he switched from the colourful 'gay rights' kit to a more mainstream UNIQLO look. During pride month?? The French Open should fine him for that.

I want Vondrousova to win. She's the one with more initiative in these rallies and I love her swinging lefty forehand and netplay.

Martic plays nice tennis and I think she's a lesbian, but I also remember a few years ago when she tanked in the opening round of 3 consecutive slams for the paycheque (she's one of the reasons they changed the rules) and she can be very sulky on court.

R483, you certainly do have a way with words.

R491 who was the former top 5 player you once saw getting mad about the towels?

R496 is talking about del Potro.

So either Delpo or Marin 'Oscar the grouch' Cilic.

OK so it's either Del Potro or Cilic lol

I mean Del Potro seems like a nice guy...could he be a diva like that? Seems more like Cilic but who knows

r495 / R496, keep digging your hole. No one ever said Serena has no ego. You seem to be making this all about her, not even Thiem is still going that far. As repeatedly has been said in the press and on here, Serena just asked to go to the empty room. As far as we know, she didn't think it was necessary to move Thiem out before it's time. Some people are criticizing her for not declining to go in the room, but he's the one who overreacted. Not her (this time). He's the one who was filmed getting riled up.

And again, you can say he "earned" his winnings, but Roland Garros did in fact, pay him and pay him well - substantially. They determine how much they pay. All of the ATP / WTA players - including Serena since you're so sensitive about this - are paid a monstrous amount of money. I stand by what I said. He should be grateful for Roland Garros and the ATP Tour and when he's asked to move from a press conference, he should shut up and move. All of them should. And again, I've seen Rafa do it graciously, and he's won the tournament 11 times. That's how a gracious adult behaves.

No, cannot be my future husband Delpo. Cannot be!

so Nadal and Djokovic are nice to the tournament staff which is good to read. Can you name some other top players (male and female) who are nice to tournament staff?

Can you name anyone who's flat out rude?

Rafa = polite and courteous seasoned veteran.

Martina is in heaven again watching lefty Czech Vondrousova win that first set. She has someone to root for now that Kvitova and Kuznetsova are ouot

The czech defeated Halep the two times they played

[quote]No, cannot be my future husband Delpo. Cannot be!

You have a lot of future husbands

Andreescu has got to be rueing the fact that she overplayed in the first half of the season. Yes, she won Indian Wells (an amazing achievement), but if she didn't push her already-injured body to beyond the brink, it could have been her having this run instead of another teenager.

Vondrousova is going to be so much fun to have on the tour for years to come. Since the Australian Open she's made at least the QF in every single tournament (actually made two finals too). Smart scheduling.

R510 And that's exactly what the wta needs, young players who can keep a good level for a good while

So much 'Bro-ing out' in doubles matches with the fist bumps and everything.

WTF...and FAA goes astray

R511 Exactly! Players like her and Barty are being very selective with their tournaments and managing to go deep in all of them (in singles and doubles), only really losing to top players. They also have a lot of variety in their games... I hope to see more young players following this route rather than just the peak results here and there and the flashes in the pan.

I don't know, maybe it's this new generation but i don't find it a good sign when you are posting things about your relationship so soon.

There are two types of players when it comes to relationships, the ones who have a relationship that gives them calm and the ones whose relationships are a big distraction. And frankly this looks like Zverev relationship reloaded, i can't wait to the dance video (someone said that Felix was a good dancer)

FAA: gone the way of the the flesh!

R514: When you keep a good schedule and you go far in every tournament you create a dynamic and sooner or later you do very well on GS.

And that's the problem Garbiñe and Sloane have right now, they are very good, but totally inconsistent, so when they try to rise their game they are able to do it for a while but when one match goes south they end losing more easily than they should

Rafa is just a nice person. Him winning the French Open so much was a bit exhausting (to me as a fan) and so were some of his ticks (he's needy but nervous), but I feel lucky to have talked to him and just see how he treats other people - the people who clean, the people who referee matches, management and so on. He's just a nice person and I know many people felt affection for him as a human. He's genuinely grateful for what he has and knows it. Novak is too quick to take cracks at people and needs an internal editor (or suppressant) but as a general rule, he's considerate. Or he was when I encountered and observed him. I can see why he and Becker teamed up. A surprise to many, but he was generally on tour an affable guy (and that was on his decline when I saw him more frequently).

On the rest, I'm going to dinner so I'm off for a while, but a significant number of the top 100 are spoiled. Flat out rude to everyone all the time? Hard to say, but with their endorsements and obsession with their careers, for many a little inconvenience is treated like a wound that will sideline them for a season (rather than for 5 to 10 minutes) and is the end of the world and a great insult to their dignity. It's not a one-time thing. They whine as if they work in sweatshops. Again, I'm not going to say the ones who I really found distasteful but it's not all you see. Kyrgios is a sad piece of work on many many levels, but I saw him be really kind to some working class people around the tournaments. Roger is a sportsman and is usually in good form but there is an edge to him (the guy he admits he was) that comes across as haughty to a lot of people - but again, he's the all-time Grand Slam winner on the men's side, it's remarkable he's not a complete pain in the ass.

They travel way too much, get injured, work in climates that aren't good for them, and so on. It' s understandable that they're cranky. But you see true character day to day in the good ones and bad character when they should know better. There are plenty of athletes all over the world who go back to regular jobs after the Olympics etc. The wealth that characterizes the game has made tennis a worse game than it was in the 80s.

For the record, I stopped working with the ATP tour a few years ago. I don't miss it. Seeing them every so often and watching as I do now is quite enough.

1 thing is Sloane does not serve as hard as she did back in 2013. Even though she's not very tall, she's actually capable of hitting her first serve 115-118 mph Then either 2013 or 2014 (I forget) she had an abdominal strain and since healing from that, has never served big again. She'll occasionally hit a serve at around 107 mph but often she'll be in the upper 90s.

So here's a picture taken at RG recently. Most of these players seem to have aged well, though I can't figure out who some of them are. From front row to back row: Cash, Wilander, ?, Bahrami, Leconte, with Pioline (?) and Chang behind them, 2nd row: Woodbridge (?), ?, Blake, Safin, ?, Boetsch, 3rd row: Medevedev, Haas, Philippoussis, Ivanisevic, ?, Bruguera

Who's the tarted up skank with trash-attired Felix?

Do you think Sloane is drowning her sorrows in chocolate malk? Or maybe she had too much before the match?

I suppose it's Tomljanovic's cousin, at least that's the girl he was dating (or at least that's what someone said here)

[quote]Who's the tarted up skank with trash-attired Felix?

Nina Ghaibi (??)

Flopos could never do this, though, R515

But Ugo Humbert can.

Some of nextgen guys are interesting in comparission with the players that came before. I remember a video of the favourite books of top players (i think it was ten years ago) and most of the players come as quite dumb

I remember that. The majority of them said they didn't read or found it boring. David Ferrer obviously has a big collection of books, and I think one or two said 'The Da Vinci Code' which was the biggest book in the world at that time.

There were a few positive surprises, Ivan Ljubicic seemed very fond of books.

On that video you realize how much Federer polished his image though the years, he said that he only read magazines or something like that, i'm pretty sure the answer today would be way more meditated to maximize the positive image

Of course if they do something like that today the results will be similar, while it's quite obvious that some are book readers like Tsitsipas i have serious doubts that some like Shapo read a book in his whole life (i still remember the test of Canadian or american and he failed big time even with some of the biggest stars of his country)

Halep would probably want to play Konta if she gets to the final instead of Vondrousova. Hasnt she beaten her twice this year?

Vondrousova reaches her first slam SF

[quote] still remember the test of Canadian or american and he failed big time even with some of the biggest stars of his country

Did he get Bieber correct?

R528 Didn't he get Céline Dion incorrect and say she was American? Even with that French ass name? What an idiot.

Anyway, i'm happy Marketa V is here to save the tournament!! She did indeed beat Halep in both Indian Wells and Rome. What a lob queen she was in her match today. She is the only player through to the SF without losing a set (Anisimova will try to join her tomorrow).

I'm hoping the ATP will have a surprise winner at Wimbledon this year. Maybe the big 3 all doing well at RG will leave open that possibility even with the extra warmup week

R533 at best Nadal might not be in the, especially if he has a bad first week at Wimbledon like he's had several times. Djokovic and Fed are usually always at the later stages.

Nadal played so well there last year. That was almost tournament winning form if you ask me.

I would love a new Wimbledon winner but i'm afraid that if it's not one of those 3 it will fall into John Isner's servebot hands...

R520 are those playing the Legends tournament?

I think first of second row is Grosjen

The couple for Legends Tournament under 45 are

Blake/Philippusis

Clement/Escudé

Grosjean/Llodra

Kafelnikov/Safin

Ferrero/Medvedev

Haas/Matthieu

Ladies Legends

Dechy/Mauresmo

Martinez/Testud

Bartoli/Majoli

Hantuchova/Tauziat

Davenport/Sanchez

Navratilova/Safina

I'm probably showing my age here but I would absolutely KILL to see any of those legends play.

Some of the usual suspects (Keothavong, Clijsters, Stubbs, Sugiyama, etc.) are missing.

I saw the legends at Wimbledon once and nutty Marion Bartoli was smashing huge forehands directly at her opponent's heads. Hyper aggressive, doing stare-downs, all the rest. It was hysterical. They still lost though as she is pretty much unable to move.

I wish Kimiko Date would play! She's there at the moment for her commentary job (like most of the others) and she only left the tour about a year ago. Mary Pierce and Justine Henin commentate together for French TV and i'd LOVE to see them play the legends dubs together, but sadly I don't think they really pick up their racquets any more even for fun.

Blake/Philippousis - Clement/Escude 63 75

R534: Nadal at Wimbledon depends heavily on the draw. If he faces someone with big serve or a good grass player on the first rounds he will struggle. If not, he'll become more dangerous with every round.

A cake walk like this one on RG and he'll be on semifinals without much problem (or at least quarterfinals)

Doubles Semifinals

Chardy/Martin - Farah/Cabal

Krawietz/Mies - Pella/Schwartzman

___

Flipkens/Larsson - Duan/Zheng

Mladenovic/Babos - (Ostapenko/Kichenok or Sabalenka/Mertens)

____

Melichar/Soares - Chan/Dodig

Kichenov/Qureshi - Dabrowski/Pavic

R518, thank you for sharing some of your experiences with us. Please give us at least a few hints about who on the ATP tour is congeniality challenged. At least a few crumbs...

Judge for yourself, R515...

As things stand now, I think Khachanov is the only hope against a Nole-Rafa final.

Thiem has way more chances than Khachanov

I'd be happy with either

[quote]Didn't he get Céline Dion incorrect and say she was American? Even with that French ass name? What an idiot.

She's Canadian, idiot, not French.

Is Shapo R549?

no, Genie

[quote] Ladies Legends

Ladies Lesbians more like it.

R549 Wow... you really put the J in genius.

A stable jenius.

Nole.

I want Rafa to be winning this tournament until the day he retires.

Konta is kuite kute.

Konta sure has an athletic build, yes.

I was referring to her face, but yes she has a good body. I wonder if her kont is pretty too. Let’s ask Jim Courier his thoughts.

Konta is hitting form at just the right time. Is she. Family? Looks - well not butch but severe and no-nonsense in the British way.

[quote] Is she. Family?

Need you ask?

Konta looks like Andrea Petkovic's less attractive sister.

No idea if she's family but Konta does come across as intelligent in interviews. She gave a talk at either Oxford or Cambridge recently and came across as thoughtful and eloquent. She was born in Australia and you can still hear it in her accent sometimes.

I don't know for sure if Konta is family, but she really does remind me a lot of Virginia Wade.

Looks like rain all day in Paris. If the forecast turns out to be true, I bet we don't get any finished quarterfinals. That's going to hurt this side of the draw. I still don't understand why they don't hold the women's quarters on one day, then the men's on the next. That's how they do the semis.

....but Roger and Rafa get 2 days off for their semi.

No matches today. :(

Yup, rained out. The women's semis have been pushed to Friday.

Rain? Nooooooooooooooooooo!

Is Mirka working her voodoo on this tourney for Rog? Because I think he's gonna beat Rafa on Friday. Rafa is going to be the one with all the pressure and if Rog can get the opening set Rafa may crumble.

But shouldn't the rain make the courts play a little slower, R570? And that should benefit Rafa.

I still think that Rafa is nowhere near the level of previous years. His draw was really easy (to be honest Nole and Roger draws were very easy too).

He has that strategy of starting the match in best mode, but i think if a player is able to hold his serve for a good while there'll be chances of a big upset.

I hope Winbledon draw will be more challenging to the big 3, they are the best but if they reach the final round without any fight it quite unfair to any who wants to challenge them.

I still have hopes Thiem win here

I think Federer should have played RG in 2017. He was playing great that year until his back issues arose at the US Open. I think Federer had a good shot to win that year. The draw fell apart and he'd have only probably had to face Nadal, whom he'd gained an edge on. But of course Nadal is always the favorite at RG, and really on clay period. I can't wait until that's not the case anymore.

Fed has a chance on Friday, but it's a small one. I've seen Fed's matches and I don't think he's at that 2017 level. I agree with R572 that Nadal isn't really at his level from previous years, but it's still his tournament to win I think, unless Fed or Djokovic play really well against him (or one of the young guns does).

R573: I think he was lucky Stan defeated Tsitsipas.

But he has very little to lose against Rafa, and Rafa was not challenged this year, and i am curious about how he is going to react to a tight match

the only positive for me with the Federer/Nadal SF is that 1 of them will be bitterly disappointed lol

good news is legends doubles on now so no rain! Someone should make a new thread btw only 24 replies left in this one

Anisimova is throttling Halep.

Screamona Hapless in big trouble against Anisimova. Currently down 6-2 3-0.

The teenager hits so cleanly but how can any supposed top player screw up this cakewalk draw? This is supposedly the greatest clay courter on the WTA?

What a shame Bertens got the shits two days into the tournament....

Halep is the best current court player but can still be hit off the court by a great player who takes it to her. Shes short so her serve is often a non factor.

R579 oops clay was supposed to be in there after current

R579 I'm not so sure any more. Definitely the best mover on clay but she hasn't won a clay title this year and in the matches she's lost she's been comfortably beaten by either players who play smarter tennis (Vondrousova), players with bigger weapons (Anisimova currently), or both (Bertens).

Today her tactic of just.... running, and occasionally hitting a DTL shot, is being exposed.

Meanwhile Barty is steamrolling Keys.

Anisimova cutta bitch!

bye, Tippy

IMG and Nike cannot wait to give this girl the Sharapova treatment.

Barty or Konta to win it, but prefer Barty. And, Dabrowski in the mixed, whom I hope plays for my team. Simona was just blown off the court.

R586 Dabrowski and Xu really blew a dream draw in the womens dubs. I wonder when Gabby will drop her partner. Maybe she and Schuurs should team up.

I'd love to see Barty or Anisimova win it.

I’d love to see Barty win it cos she just seems so ridiculously lovely but my Britishness means I have to support Konta.

Anisimova can play some great tennis but seems so vapid. I bet the sponsors are falling over themselves trying to get her agent on the phone right now.

Ash Barty is a butch les

I want Barty or Vondrousova. Both seem like lovely girls and have so much variety in their games.

Anyone but Konta would be great though. I still find her tennis borderline unwatchable. Her robotic groundstrokes, mechanical service motion, her many headcase moments, and her various meltdowns throughout the years (including this year's Fed Cup pretending to faint halfway through the match).

R591 we have no idea what you are talking about!

Zverev double-faults to lose the first set to Djokovic, with his second serve hitting the middle of the net.

I fucking hate the current state of mens tennis. Its stagnant and dull.

Has Kyrgios been at Anisimova's matches this week? Someone mentioned he had been there during an early round.

R591, I find Konta's service motion so ugly and distracting. That stupid way she bounces the ball drives me nuts.

R593: I was on the verge of congratulate him for giving a good fight to Djokovic but suddenly he decided to tank the set (when he served to won it).

At least he is not Nishikori

On the other hand Thiem seems very focused today

And Zverev now double-faults to lose the second set, but at least this time the second serve hit the top of the net instead of the middle.

R595 He was there earlier in the week but I believe he's now training on grass (like most people who were knocked out of the French or didn't play).

R596 Me too! Not that she's any more likeable herself, but one of the funniest things was Putintseva imitating the bouncing motion during her match with Konta...

[quote] I fucking hate the current state of mens tennis. Its stagnant and dull.

OK, let's look at the 4 women's semifinalists: Konta, Vondrousova, Anisimova, Barty. I agree, that's not stagnant, that's going right to the bottom of the swamp that is WTA. Men's side might be more predictable but the Big Three are playing exceptionally good tennis, and Thiem is also playing at a very high level match after match.

I thought i was the only one, all her serve motion gets on my nerves.

I hope Zverev is able to give Nole a little more fight. I have to say that i'm surprised that even this low cost Zverev was able to give Nole a scare in the first set

Thiem is very serious now, i still trust that he can defeat Nole in semis (and maybe Rafa in the final)

Konta has reached the SFs at three GS tournaments and was No4 in the rankings so she's obviously a good player, if slightly robotic when serving.

Also there was some footage of the players coming off court and she kissed one bloke on the lips (no idea who it was), so maybe she's not family after all.