The Gays and Tennis - Part 40 Grass Court Edition

The fever for Domicakes on grass

Why Domicakes not wear white shorts?

B U M P - my Daniil.

Matteo

Olivaw

Deliciano!

fucking hell. Of course no one can stop Federer. I doubt Goffin will be able to do it in the Halle final tomorrow

how the fuck did Shitmon scrap his way to the Eastbourne final? He should have lost every match this week but the veteran players just keep winning.

Kenin is really becoming a consistent player this season.

I had no idea Barty was so close to #1. crazy but she's in great form now

Simon had a 49 shots rally today. On grass, well, it is supposed to be grass

In all their glory

FAA is only 18 but damn he was 0/8 on bp today against old man Lopez. He beat great players this week only to lose to super old possible match fixer Lopez. ugh

now we got another old man final Lopez vs. Simon. I can't believe that is the final with all the other players who were in the draw

The pushing in that Simon/Medvedev match was disgusting. Not just that rally but in a lot of them (there was another that was 43 shots, and another one over 40). The crowd should ask for a refund, it was like watching Wozniacki vs Kasatkina. And why is the grass there so much slower than it used to be?

I don't have much hope for Goffin in the final against Fed. Even if he plays well, just like RBA and Tsonga this week they will happily bend over when it comes down to the wire. The RBA match ending was truly embarrassing.

Kenin is so unlikeable and her game is boring, but she really does all the basics very well. Serve, forehand, backhand, movement, drop shot. Not fun or pretty to watch but it's been getting the job done, and she's always putting in the effort.

Barty is 36-6 on the year, which is a very good record. Titles in Miami, Paris, and now maybe Birmingham. She doesn't enter many tournaments but goes super deep in every one of them. She still only has one loss to a player outside the top 10. A deserving #1 even if sometimes her endless BH slice bores me to death. Very drama-free and doesn't need a baby sitter and 24hr psychiatric care like Osaka.

Eastbourne womens draw is out, a good field (Barty, Halep, Bertens, Kerber, Stephens, Sabalenka, Svitolina, Hsieh, Pliskova, Sevastova, Konta, Goerges, Wozniacki, Sakkari, Bencic, Vondrousova, and the return of scam artist Camila Giorgi). Serena hasn't played any grass warm ups which is normal, but neither has Kvitova - no matches since Madrid. Could she be looking at missing Wimbledon as well? She was one win away from the #1 ranking herself at the start of the year.

I, for one, love long rallies. To me it’s what makes tennis tennis: elegance and the possibility of awesome and unexpected shots.

Its doubles match with Misery.

I, for one, will savour every single second of Deli on my telly in his final season.

I'm surprised the men's draw in Eastbourne is so weak. I mean most of the top 20 don't have a chance at winning Wimbledon so it's not like they need to take a week off

women's draw much more impressive

Please, please, please, post a link to the next thread before close the last one. And more in a case like this were it's difficult to predict the title of the thread (i thought it would be about Wimbledon, but i suppose we'll wait till the tournament begins).

Feli defeated Felix in the generational match

ESL, the old thread was already closed when I started this one. I woke up, and the other thread was closed. I’m glad you found it though.

A double heartbreaker for FAA considering he beat Simon in straight sets last week in Stuttgart. Felix was rock solid in the first set, especially the game he won with four aces. And he hit some spectacular shots in long rallies, but his consistency still needs to be developed.

Meanwhile we've got possibly a record Methuselah four finalists. There can't have been an older foursome, with both Feli and Fed pushing 38. Even more so if they both win tomorrow. Of course grass is the surface to favor guys who don't move like they used to.

What has caused the difference in mental strength and dominance between the older generation and the current? The former have it while the latter don’t. Is it attitudes? Educational systems?

R17: I'm not ESL, and i'm not blaming the one who started this one, but the one who close the other without the link for the new one.

These are not the chalamet threads or the Brandon/Richard threads when you blink and there's 1200 post, so it would be easy to make a good transition to a new thread.

I'm on several blogs and everybody is thrilled with grass season, but i don't like it at all. In fact i find women's tennis on grass way more interesting than men's (and i am not exactly in love with the wta level right now)

[quote] and i'm not blaming the one who started this one, but the one who close the other without the link for the new one.

I don’t think you quote get it, R20. The old thread was already closed when I started this one. I couldn’t add a link to the new one because it was closed. What someone could have done is start a new thread while the old one was still active and then linked the new thread in the old. Alas I was asleep while the other thread was ending so I couldn’t do it.

Quote = quite

I also find the grass season underwhelming, other than the wearing of Wimbledon whites. Fortunately one blink and it's over, pretty much like most grass points.

Bring back the short shorts!

I like grass season in theory more than in practice. The season is so short that nobody really gets much of a rhythm on it, so the quality isn't amazing. Men just tend to serve-bot (understandably) so I agree that the WTA grass matches are more exciting. Lots of slice, drop shot, variety, net game, and those big shots down the line.

Also, nobody got 8/8 in their SF predictions! Despite the confidence. ;) Finals are now set:

- Halle: [1] Federer vs Goffin

- Queens: Deliciano vs Simon

- Birmingham: [2] Barty vs [8] Goerges

- Mallorca: [3] Bencic vs [7] Kenin

Here's a nice photo of Titsy's chest.

R21: And that's exactly the problem, closing the thread without a new one (and a link to the new one)

Team Elf

Team Deliciano

I thought we already had a Part 40?

Fuck. You’re right, R28. I did a search. I was even the OP of Part 40. Oh well.

R28: And we had, it was the double cover boy edition

This is why we can't have nice things.

Here’s a link to the previous thread. And R24, thanks for the pic of my old boyfriend Johan Kriek.

Its doubles match.

Me wants Feli and white boy Misery to win.

I’m on Misery team.

Me too!

Andy Muwwey

I see Kim Sears is there. I’m sure she’s famished after this long doubles match.

Is Feli clay specialist?

Misery team!

Feli team!

Misery-Feli team!

I wish Misery were somehow able to return to singles.

Murray's said he's aiming to try singles at Glasgow later in the year.

[quote] Murray's said he's aiming to try singles at Glasgow later in the year.

Yay! A miserably city just like him.

What surface is at Glasgow? Broken glass?

Tennis was good today. I liked seeing Misery. I hated his on-court miserable antics but loved his style of play and his off-court persona and views. Down with Margaret Court Court! Recognition for women despite the sucky WTA.

Meanwhile DL fave Eugenie-not-Eugénie Bouchard crashed and burned in the qualifier at Eastbourne against tennis super star Fiona Ferro 6-2 6-0. Mmm 60uchard...

Can I be in the middle?

I watched Feliciano's games and his ass is a thing of beauty.

Granny V. and boyfriend Nicky Hammond haved called it quits after two years of dating

no baby for her anytime soon!

Feli won three matches in one day. Not bad!

I recall reading on a pro tennis message board that Johan Kriek and his wife were swingers.

Who is that op?

It appears that Mahut is not happy about PHH playing doubles with Misery.

Granny V single again? The cougar is back on the hunt.

There was a nice interview with Petra Kvitova in The Guardian, here are some excerpts:

[on Sharapova's grunt]: “No. You don’t notice at the time, you’re just focusing on your play and on the ball. But when I’m watching it on TV, I hate it.”

[on her attacker]: “If he had had the time to think, in the end he would have killed me. I always wanted him to be in jail. So, yes, for me, it’s good that they convicted him, and he’s there.”

[on trust issues]: “I don’t trust in people now. Especially men.” She laughs through her tears. “That is why I’m single, probably."

[when being compared to Seles]: Seles struggled when she returned, I say. “Yes, but she won a grand slam after it!”

It's a great interview

I'd love to see Kvitova win a few more slams. She really deserves it.

ITA R47. He has a bubble butt and he frequently shows it off rather proudly in a jock strap.

I'm actually amazed with how well she's played since coming back. Even if it wasn't specifically an attack to her hand, taking a full year off can really throw off your matchplay rhythm and career momentum permanently. She's won more titles in the last two years than any other player and has made a slam final.

I'll never forget the photo of her hand after the attack, it's amazing what great surgeons can do. I've posted the before and after below, but beware before clicking, it is pretty gruesome!

Hopefully if she's well enough for Wimbledon she can have a deep run.

gramps 😒

Feli's jock

Gramps wins again!

[quote]Who is that OP?

R51 is Whoopi Goldberg

[quote]Gramps wins again!

102 titles and his 10th in Halle. He becomes the oldest player to win a tour-level title since 43-year-old Ken Rosewall at 1977 Hong Kong.

New number 1 in Barty!

Feli team or Gilles team?

Feli for sure. Gilles is a sexist and i doubt he is gay friendly either.

Feli on the other hand reacted perfectly when his ex wife insinuated that he is into guys. He said that he had a lot of offers after that

Feli's ass is a thing of beauty, but he is bulging majorly today. That must be quite a cock.

[quote]New number 1 in Barty!

She joins Osaka and Goolagong as the only WTA #1 players from outside the USA or Europe

I think we have 9 inches over Simon's side of the net vs 8 for for Feli. What a Final!

ATP should require these mens to wear white shorts at every event.

HA! I found the thread!

Stoked for Feli. A fairytale for him to win his favourite tournament in his last year.

Team Feli’s jockstrap!

Barty now has one of the biggest hard court titles on the tour (Miami), one of the biggest grass court titles on the tour (Birmingham), and THE biggest clay court title on the tour (Roland Garros). A deserving #1.

I wonder who will stop her at Wimbledon though (if anyone)? So far this year she's struggled against the more elite counterpunchers (Svitolina, Halep etc.) and can still be hit off the court by the right player (Kvitova). The girls better start practising with their hitting partners how to rally against that slice! I think it'll take someone like a peak Angelique Kerber or Petra Kvitova, Serena serving her ass off, or someone with a tricky game like Hsieh.

I can't believe the old men keep dominating on the ATP. Pathetic

better Lopez than Shitmon though

hopefully a non-slam winner wins Wimbledon. I'm so fucking sick of the older generation. FAA has really stepped up but he's only 18.

Zverev is floundering as are the others. All inconsistent

Didn't know about Simon's douchiness... was admiring his bod in the fitted outfit. Hoping that FAA (dubious but understandable adolescent choices in women aside) can really break through.

R75: In my opinion the problem is his dubious choices in women (maybe that girl is amazing) but posting pics online of someone you barely know is never a good idea. We know what happened with Zverev, and that could have ended way worse.

Felix is young so is perfectly understable that he wants to be in a relationship with a pretty girl, but being a little discreet is a better way to deal with it because even if he doesn't know he is encouraging people to get into his life. One thing is when you are older and it's a consolidated relationship (in that case can even help to be focused in the game).

Of course till now he seems to be doing perfectly fine, and to be fair he is not doing anything most kids his age are doing, and we have a good bunch of players with a lot of online life.

The best thing about Felix till now is his regularity, he is doing the same Tsitsipas did, but faster and with less ups and downs.

To be honest, i would love to watch a new (preferibly young) new champion at Wimbledon, but if there's any chance this year it'll be probably at US Open

Wimby men's qualie draw is out. Ladies tomorrow

And Sinner gets his firs GS qualy. When i first heard about him i thought it was the typical case of someone (very young in this case) in a good phase of wins, but he proved me wrong. He was on the verge of winning several matches on grass, and he is playing atp qualys.

He came from nowhere because he was not a top on juniors or u16 or u14 in the past, but he has game

apparently Andy Murray asked Kristina Mladenovic to play mixed doubles at Wimbledon but she turned him down

R79? Why? She'll be out of the singles after one or two matches.

maybe Thiem would be jealous?

we know he's quite sensitive

R81 Do you really think I would let Thiem decide for me??

LOL, I bet Kiki wears a strap-on

Last time Mladenovic played Mixed was Roland Garros 2018 partnered with somebody called Alexis Musialek

She skipped Mixed GS in 2017.

In 2016 she did RG with Pierre-Hugues Herbert

Kevin Anderson talks about the likely impact of an out gay male tennis player.

Its doubles match.

Doubles suits Misery. He doesn’t seem as miserable. Judy looked happy too.

Sofia Kenin won the Mallorca Open and got an ugly trophy. She's scheduled to play her first round match in Eastbourne tomorrow already, just like runner up Belinda Bencic. Ash Barty's gonna play as well, she must be worn out by the time Wimbledon starts

Somebody asked above if Feli Lopez was a clay specialist. He is one of the few Spaniards that is not a clayista (not a word; I made it up). He is a lefty and has a really big serve and moves forward very well, which makes him good on fast courts, so he has never had most of his wins on clay. It's interesting that he's playing so comparatively well now, when he had years and years of not winning much. I think all of them use performance enhancing substances, so they have these unusual career resurgences out of nowhere (including Federer, who was going downhill at 30ish). It's always attributed to a new racquet or a new coach or trainer, etc. but I imagine it's like all sports, and the PTB will not ever let the truth be known. The only reason it's not a level playing field if they all have access, is that to my knowledge, the richer the athlete (whether out of longevity or success), the higher the rank, the better quality the PEDs.

I spent a lot of time at a defunct website called "Tennis has a Steroid Problem" (never posted there, just read it a lot), ever since 2009 when I noticed how alarmingly Nadal's body had changed from huge at the beginning of that year to so wimpy he didn't win a single game at the year end tournament. There was a lot of good info on that site but I guess it got sued out of existence or something a few years ago. Anyway, I have no insider info, am just a fan who has been watching for a long time (Tennis Channel subscriber) and some things start to look suspicious. But I like to watch Lopez play (and Judy Murray, Andy's mother was a vocal fan of Feli's). I've never been sure if he's gay or straight. He's just as hot now as he ever was.

[quote] I've never been sure if he's gay or straight

probably something like 'straight but not narrow'. He already has a new fiancée lined up and will get married in September. And Nadal in October? To Xisca/Mary/Francesca

What is up with Belinda Bencic and her on court tantrums? Her meltdown in the first set was ridiculous. Crying because you lost three games in a row after winning three games in a row?

Why isn't Andy Murray playing doubles with his brother? I'd think he'd want to do that before hanging it up, and his brother is/was the number one doubles player in the world.

Stalkipas in Eastbourne

Creepios and Underageissimova in London

Lopez always had some of his best results on grass. His backhand is the least attackable on the surface, though still weak. A lot of the younger players just aren't used to someone who plays like him with trips to the next and weak backhands that make you generate the pace. It's still a big surprise he won a title this week. It wouldn't surprise me either way if he had a little run at Wimbledon or crashed out in the first round. I think he's in his last hurrah.

*trips to the net

Hai Ram

He is trending worldwide for all wrong reasons

Sad It's confirmed that more than 80 trophies and memorabilia from Boris Becker will be put up for compulsory sale. A court decided that he is bankrupt.

he is forced to sell trophies to pay the deb

What happnened to all the money which Nole paid him for his coaching for three years

What does that Kyrgios IG caption even mean? Are Amanda Anisimova and Priscilla Hon lezzing off in between him sleeping with her? This whole thing needs to end before it gets out of hand. I'm sure her family will put a stop to it if it starts interfering with her results. He is going to be unseeded at Wimbledon and while i'd LOVE to see him snatch some major wigs in the early rounds (Fed, Nadal, Novak, etc.), I can just as easily see him getting straight-setted by Isner or someone... perhaps he needs to hit rock bottom though.

The Mallorca trophy changes EVERY year. Kenin and Bencic are both nightmare players to watch. The tantrums, racquet smashes, stomping around, teary-eyed fests. I know they're young and feisty but come on. Nobody likes to watch petulant behaviour. At one point Bencic was shrieking at the crowd to be quiet.

R89 I have read that site before as well. Of course you can't confirm or deny anything without evidence, but a lot of it is pretty convincing, and coupled with my own cynicism about top athletes in EVERY sport, it's enough for me. I also wonder how much other athletes know. We've talked in here about Henin before, but obviously rumours have followed Nadal for years and Kyrgios made a LOT of comments alluding to him being on PEDs in Acapulco. TPTB would not be okay with their star athletes getting exposed like that, it would damage the sport and more importantly their pocketbooks.

I noticed when Meldonium finally got banned, a lot of other athletes mysteriously started getting majorly injured or just totally lost their form. Obvious Russian examples like Ekaterina Makarova, but even the long-term injuries like the Berdych one.

Jesus Nick, she is 17.

[quote] while i'd LOVE to see him snatch some major wigs

He’d look fabulous in them!

That's actually a disturbing photo of Kyrgios. He's manial and could turn violent in a second. He reminds me of Oscar Pistorious who shot his girl friend in the bathroom because he thought she was an intruder. Oops!

^maniacal

Unsurprisingly, Barty's pulled out of Eastbourne. Though it's a bit disingenuous to blame it on a shoulder injury when we all know she's saving her energy for Wimbledon.

Who would buy a runner up Wimbledon trophy? Or any of his trophy hardware for that matter? To melt it down I suppose.

Its smart that Barty is not playing this week. Does she have to make up an injury? Can she use exhaustion as a reason?

Goerges withdrew as well.

The two Mallorca finalists however (Bencic, Kenin) intend to play. Their matches were scheduled last for today and just got delayed I think to tomorrow (it's raining), which is a lucky break. Both girls are big vultures but also they might have just wanted to get one UK grass tournament in, or at least a few matches and a tank, as the Mallorca grass is very different to Wimbledon.

I wish Ash and Jules had withdrawn earlier. The top half now has SIX lucky losers (none in the bottom half). Players like Mandy Minella luckily get Barty's spot with a bye in the first round and avoiding a seed in the second round. And yeah I don't know why they aren't just allowed to claim 'exhaustion' instead of having to make an injury up. Especially when Barty said in her on court interview that she would celebrate reaching #1 by "getting in the car and heading to Eastbourne".

Which better: lucky break or lucky loser?

By rule they have to cite injury to pull out because players were scheduling consecutive weeks and then pulling out if they won/made the final.

Svitolina's coach is very handsome.

Link please, R109.

R109 Andrew Bettles? He's okay looking to me but I do find his coaching really effective and well thought out. He doesn't inundate her with information either.

Domi in white wet shorts

Misery rejects the idea of playing with the doper... lol.

Bianca Andreescu has pulled out of Wimbledon due to her ongoing shoulder injury

I think someone on this thread is a bit obsessed with Dominic. He's a nice looking fellow but there are many much hotter and who also look like men, not a boy. Thiem looks looks like he has just reached puberty. He's fun to watch however.

Some of you want to know why the old guys keep winning. Well first because Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic are perhaps the 3 best ever, and on grass- it's so different from the other surfaces that it takes time for the back court specialists learn how to play on it. Those comfortable in the forecourt take to it very quickly. There are few players like that in modern tennis.

[quote] Thiem looks looks like he has just reached puberty.

Aaaaaaaaand?

Nadal does not do as well on grass. In fact, suddenly his knee is bothering him again (it's always fine for Roland Garros), so like Federer on clay, Nadal will probably pull out of Wimby., BTW, it's amazing he's marrying Xisca finally BTW. She's probably okay with whatever he does when she's not around, since they grew up together and she knows he likes boys too. It's like an old fashioned arranged marriage from the 19th century. SO ROMANTIC!

R114 that sucks she played too much in the spring and it has hurt the rest of her year. But better to rest that further aggravate things. Hope she'll be able to play the us open.

Andreescu got $1.35 million for Indian Wells. First big paycheck. Time to heal the shoulder and readjust the lifestyle.

Domi shaves his legs, right?

Dominic Thiem practicing at Roehampton with his coach Nicolas Massu. Fan tells Thiem: ”Dominic, you can't wear these shorts at Wimbledon. They're see-through” 😂

Get Vaseline and put hand between legs

Nadal has two Wimbledon Titles, and last year he lost in the semis with Djokovic in an incredible match. He has reached five (?) finals at Wimbledon and he won Queen's one year. Not great but not too shabby either.

Marcos Baghdatis will retire after Wimbledon, I guess that's why he received a wildcard

Hairy Guy Baghdatis.

Does Taylor Fritz have a black eye?

lmao so after a great week, Mahut loses first round of Wimbledon qualies to old scrub John-Patrick Smith in straight sets! nutty

R127 I watched the match, no love lost between the two. Mahut was complaining about the surface being either too wet or too dry, and in the post-match interview JP was rather boastful and said "he was just trying to get into my head but it didn't work." He seemed very 'sassy' lol.

Also JP kept going straight out onto the court at the changeovers before the umpire even called 'play', and at one point Mahut asked the umpire if it was time to go back on yet, which it was. The (biased Australian) commentators said he was purposely delaying it to try and 'throw JP off' and called him a 'canny veteran' for trying it, but I think he was genuinely confused because his opponent kept getting up early.

Basically they were both bothering each other and it was an unfortunate loss after such a great year for Mahut (especially at RG). He was probably pissed he didn't get a WC and had to qualify. If he had made the SF in queens (as he was SO close to), would he have even been able to make the qualies?

The grand slams are worth so much prize money that we've seen (especially on the WTA side) players tanking in quarter finals the week before so they can still make qualies of the big event. I hope he didn't do the same only to lose to JP Smith....

Upcoming Australian player Destanee Aiava 'liked' Israel Folau's controversial/homophobic Instagram post

[quote]Destanee

oh dear God

[quote]Upcoming Australian player Destanee Aiava 'liked' Israel Folau's controversial/homophobic Instagram post

Very controversial: yellow and orange together really is poor taste.

All islanders sticking together. No love lost there.

She's the promising young junior who was rising fast, came out and said she hated playing tennis and was only going to play long enough to make her family money, then bounce.

As soon as she said that her form dipped dramatically and her potential to break into the top 100 looks less certain.

Aiava is ranked 192 and just lost in the 1st round of Wimbledon qualifying. She did beat Sabalenka on grass a couple of weeks ago, but that probably says more about where Sabalenka is at right now... And Aiava lost her next match pretty easily. Also lost to Urszula Radwanska in Surbiton.

R134 Her family must be really hungry about now.

She's almost at $100k earned for 2019, so depends on how she spends it. Tennis Australia probably pays for her coaching? Looks like she also hawks some minor brands on her instagram.

I am not surprised that she is homophobic. in fact I would be surprised if she was gay-friendly.

R128: Well, Mahut did well on Roland Garros but he was easily defeated by Davidovich on his first tournament on grass (and Davidovich suffered an embarrasing lost against Goffin after that) and he was on the verge of losing again against Davidovich the following week. Alejandro tanked his match yesterday too. He has a lot of talent, but unless he improves drastically his mental strength he is going to have a hard time breaking into the top 100 (and he never won even a challenger event yet)

[quote]Aiava is ranked 192 and just lost in the 1st round of Wimbledon qualifying

Tee hee!

R129: She is not going to be very popular between her fellow players (i still smile at how Barty avoided to acknowledge Court on her post final interview). Aiava was supposed to be the next big thing when she was 14, but her progression is far from being that impressive. If she really doesn't like to play i doubt she'll make further, she is not that talented to have a great career without commitment.

R123: Not great? it's fucking amazing. I think people is losing perspective, winning two Wimbledons is an amazing achievement (even if you don't win any more GS), and it's even more amazing for someone who doesn't seem naturally skilled on grass. There are greater players on grass? of course, but that doesn't change the fact that he has a pretty great career on grass

R140: Her fellow aussie players

Nole.

Wimbledon seedings are out. No preferential seeding for Serena .Good for them

They usually only give special treatment to the men. Mainly Federer.

On Tennis Channel one of the commentators (I think Tracy Austin) slipped and referred to Halep as “Help”. Does she read our tennis threads?

I am not British but am watching Eastbourne tournament. What is this Nature Valley like? Is it scenic? Nice place to live?

Yes, R146, it's idyllic. Thiem and Goffin live there among the other Keebler elves.

I wonder if Roger paid for the #2 seed? He'd shake down any tournament to get favorable treatment. If Anderson and not Nadal ends up in his half we'll know.

It is a simple formula which has been in use for the past 5 years to determine men's singles seeding

All of your ATP point in last 12 months +100% of your grass courts tournament points in the last 12 months +75% of grass tournament points for the year before that

I thought DL tennis thread was better than this since it has so many knowledgeable people. This kind of post suits on twitter. No personal offense to the above poster. I hope you were joking Formual

But they dont use that formula for the women?

No

They have in the past tinkered with the women's seeds though, haven't they? I'm sure Venus and Serena have had their seedings pushed up before.

Wimbledon organizers are so obnoxious. Either apply the same seeding formula for the women or don't apply it all. I think it's stupid they do it to begin with as no other tournament does. They're so insecure though and constantly want to tell the world they're THE tennis tournament.

and the all white clothing bullshit is stupid too. The 2012 Olympics were so fun with all the colored clothing contrasting the grass.

After losing to Ruben Bemelmans 12-10 in the third, Akira Santillan walked to a secluded spot on the Roehampton field, took out all five of his rackets one by one, and destroyed all of them.

He left with a trail of destruction in his wake.

[quote] The 2012 Olympics were so fun with all the colored clothing contrasting the grass.

I am not a fan of all the bright and day glo colors of tennis outfits. They’re so distracting. For Wimbledon, I like the predominantly white rule. Generally, I wish outfits would be fairly standard and neutral in grey, white or off white, black and dark blue. I’m boring and staid, I know.

Another here who hates the white and loves the color. The brighter the better, personally. Dominic had a purple top earlier this year that looked phenomenal against the red clay.

Why Domicakes not wear purple top with white shorts?

Even better, why does Dominic wear shorts at all?

I also wish they'd make all the men's shirts sleeveless like a lot of the women and shorter shorts

both men and women can dress like sluts it's all good

I love looking at the men in white shorts but the dress code has made the outfits very boring. They're not even allowed to show logos or patterns thicker than an inch or something. It feels like every year they all wear the same thing.

Former finalist Sabine Lisucki is one qualifying win away from making the MD. So are 15 year old prodigy Cori Gauff, former USO semi finalist Yanina Wickmayer, and AVU's girlfriend Greet Minnen (GAY RIGHTS!!). In the mens qualifying I hope Michael Ymer, Alexei Popyrin, Yuichi Sugita (had no idea he was ranked so low now), and Corentin Moutet qualify, they are also through to the final round.

In Eastbourne, Wozniacki was up 5-2 in the final set against Sabalenka and double faulted on match point. Sabalenka came back and won the match. Chubby Tunisian talent Ons Jabeur destroyed Jo Konta in front of the home crowd. Ostapenko retired from her match with an injury... she is defending SF points at Wimbledon next week.

QFs are:

Ons Jabeur vs Alize Cornut

Screamona Help vs Mangelique Kerber

Kiki Bertens vs Aryna Sabalenka

Karolina Pliskbot vs Alexandrova

I agree with the poster who said the different rules for the mens and womens seedings are ridiculous. Is it there for any other reason than to guarantee Roger a deep run? I'm no Nadal fan but i'd be pretty pissed as well, to lose a top 2 seeding that i'd worked my ass off for, especially after just winning a slam.

They give Serena enough special treatment as it is, but at least when she came back from pregnancy and they put her #25, she had won it the last time she played and had a good reason for being ranked low.

Even this year you can make a better case for her than Roger, she was last year's runner up and could *kind of* warrant being moved from #11 to #8 since they're close already and wouldn't fuck up the draw too much (this would also benefit the other top 8 seeds who won't want to play her).

Federer didn't even make it past the QF lol. Ostapenko made the SF last year and is unseeded.

[quote]and the all white clothing bullshit is stupid too.

but, this atrocity!

[quote] to lose a top 2 seeding that i'd worked my ass off for

I hope Nadal doesn’t work his ass off. It’s already quite diminished from its peak form.

[quote] They give Serena enough special treatment as it is, but at least when she came back from pregnancy

?

Is this where we talk about The Boodles?

lmfao @ Kerber being the aggressive one today. That's how passive Halep is. Kerber likes to counterpunch herself but she knew she'd have to take the initiative today and she did.

Halep won't last long at Wimbledon. Kerber probably won't either.

Novak and Grigor with Serena, who is wearing a Mom hat

Maria shows of her home with A.D.

Maria looks a little downsy there^^

Wimbledon DRAWS OUT

Nadal gets Kyrgios round 2 hahahaha

Looks like low Meldonium, R170.

lol Sharapova is in Kerber's section again just like at the AO and just like last week in Mallorca

possible Barty vs. Muguruza 3rd round

Why is Serena wearing a Mom hat, r168?

I think she put accidentally put it on inside out. It's supposed to say WOW.

R174, it's a mystery. Serena does look like she's lost more weight.

Borna pulls out of Wimbledon 🤕

^ oh, no! Well hopefully he's making his first vid with Cocky Boys.

NOOOOO BORNA, DON'T PULL OUT NOW!!!

Borna is filming for Bel Ami

The Boodles.

ugh Pliskova sweeps Kerber for Eastbourne title. I hope she doesn't also win Wimbledon. She is QUEEN of easy early round draws which conserves energy for later on

2 new titlists! yay!!!

young daddy Fritz wins Eastbourne over Querrey!

Sonego def. Kecmanovic in Antalya! Sonego has real personality and spunk for those who haven't seen him yet. He's a showman who likes to compete

Canadian Bacon, Shopbottom and FAA are ready for Wimbledon! 🇨🇦

Brayden Schnur is the lucky loser replacing Porna

McCale replaces Zvonareva

Davis replaces Rodina

Bouzková replaces Cibulkova

[quote]McCale

I don't know her

remember it's the 5 year anniversary of Genie's HISTORIC run to the WImbledon final. Look for her to capture that magic again and go deep in the tournament!

I think Genie WILL reach the 3rd round. Might be the last match she wins all season though.

I hope Titsy is over his break point yips.

Stanimal

Misery

Wimbledon thread (although given how few people are posting on DL it may be redundant).

Stebe

Interesting...looks like we can still post here but the Wimbledon thread is now for paid subscribers only.

I am very confused by the new system. I hope it all settles soon, R194.

yeah very weird.

Yeah I found that too. Wasn't sure if it was already because I posted in that thread a few times.. not sure what the new system is hahah.

Well that move looks to have deep-sixed the Wimby thread.

Riske taking a big risk today.

Riske first rose up into the top 100 during the grass season several years ago. She did well at Birmingham and pushed Sharapova.

She can be very inconsistent and her forehand is a flawed shot but it's effective on grass and sometimes hardcourt. She can't really play at all on clay. I'm not surprised she gave Serena trouble especially as they had never played before

He grunt is really ugly...glad Serena pulled it out.

[quote] glad Serena pulled it out.

Pity her husband didn’t pull out. We wouldn’t have been subjected to her mom talk and baby drama.

What mom talk? What baby?

lmfao at Konta losing to Strycova. Oh Sloane, you could have reached the SF had you not folded last week just 2 games away from victory.

so now we have Serena vs. Strycova and Halep vs. Svitolina

Misery and Serena playing. Its doubles match.

Serena Williams Poses in Unretouched Photo Shoot & Reveals Her Apology Message to Naomi Osaka

Here’s what the 37-year-old tennis star had to say…

On her actions at the 2018 US Open against Naomi Osaka: “I started to think again, ‘What could I have done better? Was I wrong to stand up? Why is it that when women get passionate, they’re labeled emotional, crazy, and irrational, but when men do they’re seen as passionate and strong?’”

On her apology to Naomi: “Days passed, and I still couldn’t find peace. I started seeing a therapist. I was searching for answers, and although I felt like I was making progress, I still wasn’t ready to pick up a racket. Finally I realized that there was only one way for me to move forward. It was time for me to apologize to the person who deserved it the most. I started to type, slowly at first, then faster as if the words were flowing out of me. ‘Hey, Naomi! It’s Serena Williams. As I said on the court, I am so proud of you and I am truly sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing in sticking up for myself. But I had no idea the media would pit us against each other. I would love the chance to live that moment over again. I am, was, and will always be happy for you and supportive of you. I would never, ever want the light to shine away from another female, specifically another black female athlete. I can’t wait for your future, and believe me I will always be watching as a big fan! I wish you only success today and in the future. Once again, I am so proud of you. All my love and your fan, Serena.”

On receiving Naomi’s response to her apology: “When Naomi’s response came through, tears rolled down my face. ‘People can misunderstand anger for strength because they can’t differentiate between the two,’ she said graciously. ‘No one has stood up for themselves the way you have and you need to continue trailblazing.’ It was in this moment that I realized the real reason the US Open was so hard for me to get over: It wasn’t because of the backlash I faced but rather because of what had happened to the young woman who deserved so much more in her special moment. I had felt that it was my fault and that I should have kept my mouth closed. But now, seeing her text putting everything in perspective, I realized she was right.”

For more from Serena, head to HarpersBazaar.com.

I'm glad they have communicated since that match. Serena wasn't wrong to defend herself but she went too far in the heat of the moment. She should have fired Patrick for starting the whole mess anyway.

Why is Serena playing with that loser Misery of all people?

Serena is on Misery team.

R207: Serena is playing with another legend.

It's curious that when she seemed almost over she has a really great opportunity to catch Margaret Court (not that anybody thinks Court is the goat anyway, but i will be happy if she doesn't get the record alone anymore)

[quote] not that anybody thinks Court is the goat anyway

You must be a lesbian.

You actually buy the PR hoo-hah at r205, r206? Serena’s got a formidable PR team, but she’s also got tons of gullible fans who’d swallow anything.

I don't buy it at, R211. I just posted it. Po

R210: Margaret, everybody hates you (except Aiava)

Why would Destanee Aiava, who is of Polynesian descent, like Margaret Court?

R214: It seems she is a bible thumper. He liked Folau's tweets, so i suppose she loves Margaret too

Well RBA versus Pella for me is the match of the day tomorrow.

I wonder how many games total the big 3 will lose tomorrow. Wouldn't shock me if none of them even loses a set

I'd love to be wrong though

There was huge, fat cow of a lines person at the Kunta/Strycova match. Reminded me of the DL fave from This is Us.

I have to say there is one thing that I truly love about Serena: she just takes whichever ball the ball kids throw to her and she serves with it. I hate to see the guys getting at least four balls and then obsessively look through them and drop the extras on the ground for the ball kids to have to pick up before every damn point. They aren't that different, fellas. Just serve already for the love of God.

Nole.

Hunky Guido and gay rights supporter RBA is my match of the day too! I kind of hope RBA gets the win and goes on to destroy Djokovic. His creaming of him in Doha at the start of the year was incredible. At least for some surprise.

I've come around to Serena a bit this Wimbledon. She's still annoying and I can't stand watching her opponents wilt just because she screams (at least feisty Strycova won't!), but god it's great to have a top player who performs like one.

When you look at the likes of Kerber/Sloane/Muguruza/Osaka/Pliskova, other recent slam winners and hack #1s... tanking and collapsing and needing to be coached to every point. She's like 40 and still just so much better and hungrier for the win than the rest of them. I guess what i'm trying to say is that it's just good to watch someone who is actually good at their job, lol. We already got a glimpse of the vacuum at the top of the game when she was out, hopefully someone steps up before she retires.

Take that homophobe's 'record'!

219 - couldn't agree more. Was saying just yesterday the same thing yesterday. I love how Serena just.serves with whatever ball she gets 1st. And still aces it. And I ain't even much of a fan but I agree she does play to win always and that's commendable.

Guido is dreamy. I love it when they camera shows his lovely 'manspread'.

*slurrrrrrp*

Goffin-Nole first set was so typical of a big 3 match against another top player. Very tight till the important moments come and then the predictable result

Elf team

Elf is sinking big time on the second set

"Former World No.1 Garbiñe Muguruza took to social media on Tuesday to announce that she will no longer be working with longtime coach Sam Sumyk, with whom she captured two major titles and topped the WTA rankings"

It was about time.

Last two years were very very bad for Garbiñe

dreamy Guido!

Serena and Misery lost to Melichar/Soares

First slam SF for RBA! I hope he beats Novak again. Funny that he wore his rainbow gay pride shoelaces in Dubai but wouldn't be able to get away with them at Wimbledon.

Nishikori and Gramps at one set each. Can Kei cause the upset?

I'm cheering for RBA to go all the way here but I know that will never happen.

The big 3 seem unstoppable which is PATHETIC for the men's game

R232 they are too good. I honestly dont see them falling off or there being a shift mens tennis for another 5 years. It's that bad.

I don't care what the cheerleading tennis commentators and journalists write. It is a VERY BAD look for the game that the same 3 guys have been dominating for a decade and they're all well into their 30s. 1 of them is almost 40. Slam after fucking slam 1 of them might get upset but not the other 2. The guys who should be peaking in their mid 20s just don't have it.

Nishikori even came in well rested and all he could muster was 1 set.

Querrey is pretty useless today against Nadal too.

Goffin was blown off court

The men's game is not in a good state. It would be different if the big 3 were simply in the mix for slams. Their continued and relentless domination is not good. It's going to look very bad if no one else wins before they retire. They have no reason to retire either if they keep dominating. I hope someone starts beating them before their injuries start again. That would look even worse otherwise

meanwhile, Genie B. visited Manuela Maleeva in Switzerland!

Brad Gilbert said something about Berrittini in his match against Fed. Something like when you say someone is your idol, you usually lose.

RBA is our last hope!

Honestly even though I can't stand all 3 of them, if one of them HAS to win I hope it's Nadal. It would be a big 'fuck you' after bumping his seeding down to #3, and he's at least had an ALMOST respectable draw with opponents like Kyrgios and Tsonga. If he beats Federer in the SF that will perhaps put a dent in Federer's armour and create a mental block for him winning another slam. It might also slow Gimelstob supporter Novak's confidence (if he managed to easily pick up 3 of the last 4 imagine how many he is going to win when Fed and Nadal retire).

R233: They are in fact extraordinary but that's only part of the equation, the rest being weak (specially on the mental aspect of the game) is a big part of their success too.

Generally when new players appear they lost with the top players but after a while they rise their level and they are able to beat the top players, but right now, the other players are not able to do it, or at least not at the best of five sets.

In the last two years the number of upsets on GS is minimal. Nole suffered two during his slump, and Federer was the most vulnerable during that phase.

I simply can't believe they don't have off days, but the rest are not even good enough to take profit of that.

And the way Berretini expressed himself after his match is part of the problem, one thing is admire them and other very different not wanting to kick their asses when you are on court. Most of them are happy enough if they give a fight, and sometimes they seem they only one to share the court with them for a while.

At least Tsitsipas is able to show he is upset when he lose

yeah too many of the other men are just "honored" to share the same court! Grow some fucking balls and take them out. It would be more of an honor to beat them, not just play them

Exactly there is way to much hero worship going on...that's the problem.

They are easier to beat in best of 3 which is odd, because you would think a younger play could last longer. However I suppose the mental aspect the big 3 have is so important cause in 5 sets they have more time to fight toward the win. What was so disappointing is the matches today were fairly easy for them. I hope the US Open is a different story but I know it wont be.

Yeah, here's hoping for an RBA miracle.

fuck me, he's still hot

spam posted by ip address 5.226.139.164 removed.

^ wow, a DL spam bot!

shirtless Pella

R243 Yes, Yes he most certainly is.

Sorry bitches. Guido is engaged.

Is he a Guido?

Hall of Fame

Well I sure as fuck didn't vote for him.

Just the first two games have been played by Halep and Svitolina, and it's already taken 20 minutes..... the endless pushing/grinding, grunting loudly even though they're just hitting puffballs. We could be here for days. Someone tell these girls it's not a clay court!

^ How the tide turned after the first two games, lol. Happy to be proven wrong. Still not really impressed by Halep's level, although it was good to see her take more initiative. Poor Strycova couldn't do much out there today, it looked like the best match Serena has played since she came back. If she brings that form tomorrow I don't think there's much Halep can do.

If Serena is serving and returning serve well, Halep won't have a chance to get into many points.

but we've seen Serena get very nervous the last couple years so who knows. She was very bad last year while Kerber was solid

I doubt Serena will be nervous on grass against Halep.

One thing is Kerber or Osaka who are players who control their nerves (and Kerber even knows what it was defeat Serena on a GS final) and other very different Halep, who is clearly the bets clay player in recent years but it was able to choke against Ostapenko (and on the verge of defeat against Stephens). Woz even won her only GS against her.

Halep has weapons to compete, but on grass she is in clear dissadvantage and mentally she is not strong enough. Serena needs to do really bad with her serve or Halep very inspired or this will be Serena's 24th

Help!

Seems like the grass is playing like clay so Help and Rafa have a good chance.

Yeah they say it's pretty slow this year, which could help Halep.

Is Help clay specialist?

Is Help clay specialist?

R260 it's her best surface

Thanks you, R261.

how many games do we think RBA will get? I say he it'll be something like 12-14

That would be s respectable showing, but I'm hoping for a miracle.

Gleb

spam posted by shitbags at gaybar69 virus russian bullshit.com removed.

If you blink, this kind of looks like Federer taking a pic of his thong-clad ass.

R263: The last two times they played RBA kicked Nole's ass, and both were this year with Nole being the clear number one. On grass he has a clear advantage but RBA is not one of those players you could assume is going to be defeated even before being on court.

And no, no matter how slow the grass is this year, this is not clay and Nadal has no advantage (what it doesn't have is a dissadvantage). Federer defeated him the last five times they met on hard courts so i don't expect this being RG reloaded.

In my oppinion it's Novak the one to beat, Nadal seemed very strong in Australia an Nole destroyed him in the final

from your lips to God's ears, R268

RBA!

The boys semis between two of the most promising teens born in 2003 had one of the weirdest score, Mochizuki defeated Damm 61 06 108

^ WTA scoreline: COMPELLING!

[quote]shirtless Pella

He can breastfeed me anytime.

Jude Law is in the house bitches!

Dreadful first set from RBA but he's waking up now with a break in set 2! What is this random delay though? It better not fuck up his momentum.

[quote] Mochizuki defeated Damm 61 06 108

Damm!

[quote] Jude Law is in the house bitches!

Link please. I adore him.

RBA team.

[quote]Link please. I adore him.

Your wish is my command

Thank you so much, R278.

The cold, Wintoury cunt is in the pic too.

RBA!

I loathed Djokovic’s fake reaction when he lost the set.

Go RBA!

1 set all.

Does anybody know why Djokovic was doing the 'make some more noise' hand gestures after he lost the 2nd set? I couldn't tell if he meant that the crowd wasn't supporting him enough, or if he was sarcastically saying 'go on, cheer for that' because RBA won on a lucky netcord.

[quote]or if he was sarcastically saying 'go on, cheer for that' because RBA won on a lucky netcord.

I think that was it

"An auction to settle part of Boris Becker's bankruptcy has raised nearly £700,000, with hundreds of bidders taking part"

Well Boris Becker is a legend (unfortunately not a smart one)

Boris Becker has been doing the Wimbledon pre-show in Australia, and i'm shocked at how poorly he has aged. Of course he no longer looks like the adonis with the buzz cut, but it wasn't even THAT long ago he looked like this (mid-late 00s or so).

These days he is very bloated and red. Does he have a condition?

Mid 00's is more than a decade ago. People age, everybody does

I believe that condition is called "excessive self-indulgence", R285.

I was worried about that match, but so glad Novak is through to the final!!!

Ew. At least RBA made it somewhat competitive. It was really a battle of RBA trying to make them play forehand to forehand, and Nole trying to get them to play backhand to backhand. He got his way and won the match.

He did seem very jittery and on edge though. A few nervous routine errors, some very angry moments (as usual). He doesn't quite look 'impenetrable', although he didn't last year either.

I'm rooting for Rafa next because I think he can at least make it a match against Novak - despite what happened in Melbourne this year. Their Wimbledon contest last year was one of the better matches. Whereas it's been four years since Roger last beat Novak, and SEVEN since he last beat him on grass.

Novak is such a brat when he is losing a set. Hope Nadal or Fed whoop his ass.

Novak is such a brat when he is losing a set. Hope Nadal or Fed whoop his ass.

Mirka is showing off a big shiny stone around her neck.

R292, it’s not a Peeps container?

Mirka looks like a lettuce, today.

[quote] Mirka looks like a lettuce, today.

Ironic - she looks like lettuce but can’t bear eating it.

Gramps team.

Beckham

hugh grant

Pat Cash and Bear Grylls

Jude Law

Damien Lewis

wow security is tight. I never used to see security people on the courts...

More Eurotrash there than in an episode of "Riviera".

R302, where have you been the last quarter decade?

Thanks for the Jude Law pic, R300. He looks good there.

R297: Tattoos on the hands are never a good idea, fortunately he doesn't need to apply for a job

what kind of police are they? those dressed in brown,khaki color?

I don't remember seeing them in the past...

damn, Federer is gonna win.

With Nadal, you never know. He can turn this around on a dime, but needs to be a bit more aggressive on Federer's serve.

What’s Jude Law’s skin color?

Some great play from Nadull but a little too late in the match to really bring it. God Mirka is unbearable, but Gramps was the better player today (especially on serve).

I really think Novak has him in the final though. He just anticipates his patterns so well.

Go back to clay you OCD freak!

[quote]Mirka looks like a lettuce, today.

lettuce pray there's any dinner left

Gramps!

Me no beat white boy. No vamos.

While gramps ate a bread stick, Mirka ate two dozens creaspy kreme bagels. Hopefully Roger will skip all tournaments till the US Open for her to be able to shed off enough of the weight to pass the gates to center court.

I was rooting for Nadal because I think he would have been more of a contender to Djokovic but he committed way too many unforced errors. I think the Big Three is here to stay among us forever...

And ever...

And ever...

...

what a shitty men's tournament this WImbledon has been. Boring as hell

OMG IT'S SO COMPELLING TO SEE THE BIG 3 BATTLE IT OUT AGAIN!!!!!! fuck off.

the #LostGen is truly pathetic. They just aren't good enough

I'm hoping we get a revolution at the USO but who knows. At this rate Federer will be 40 and the other 2 will be mid 30s while still dominating.

LostGen (eg Kei & Tsonga) is good enough to see off NextGen, tough - they've all been doing fuck all for a week

Djokovic will win. Both him and Nadal will reach/surpass 20 GS. Grandpa must be sweating.

I hope you're right, R320!!

I will be rooting for Roger in the final.

I think and hope 1 of the #NextGen guys will step up at the USO. #LostGen is a joke. Thiem will be a 1 slam wonder at some point, maybe in 2-3 years but the guys 18-22 are the most promising

Too many Roger haters on DL...that’s why this win is sweet. That last game almost gave me heart attack. Beckham had the best after match reaction...

I, for one, am a huge Federer fan.

Rafa wasn't serving well. Roger was just too good. I hate Fed fans but I guess I'm team Fed now.

Wimbledon in particular has the been the domain of ATP's old men for a long while now. 31 was the average age of this year's quarterfinalists on the men' side. Have we ever had older? In the last five Wimbledons exactly one player under 25 (Pouille, 22) has reached the quarterfinals.

I wish Tsitsipas could get his act together. A semi with him could have been entertaining

It’s unfortunate Rafa didn’t prevail. Fed will just bend over for Nole on Sunday. Ooo, really captivating! 🙄

R329 DON'T YOU DARE COMPLAIN!!! THIS IS THE GOLDEN ERA OF TENNIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RBA hasn't been a very good match up for Djokovic lately, so I was expecting a tighter match.

Doubles finals are set:

MENS: Cabal / Farah vs Mahut / Roger-Vasselin

WOMENS: Hsieh / Strycova vs Dabrowski / Xu

MIXED: Ostapenko / Lindstedt vs Chan / Dodig

Some good teams remaining. I like Mahut AND the hunky Lebanese-Columbians, not sure who to root for but since he's at the end of his career it would be cool to see Nico get another slam after being ditched for Misery by Pierre Hugues Herbet and not qualifying for the singles at Wimbledon. For the womens i'm rooting for Hsieh and Strycova... fun to watch, tricky players, and would be great for Barbie to cap off perhaps her final Wimbledon with her first doubles grand slam. She would also grab the #1 ranking. What a fortnight she's had. Neither of the mixed teams are very likeable so I don't really care lol.

Its doubles match.

R331: Djokovic was very nervous during the match, a more inspired RBA could be lethal for him. His style of play is like poison for Nole.

And i don't think the final will be easy either. Nole is not invincible by any means and unlike Nadal, Federer never had a real trouble with his game style (it was being in amazing form what make NOle prevail in their matches).

Federer never defeated Nadal and Nole in the same GS.

And i hope the US Open will inject new blood. I live for the day the big three lose in the quaterfinals, i can envision the head of the fans of the big 3 exploding at the same time

I guess it's Williams and Djokovic as the overwhelming favorites to win now.

Williams, maybe, Djokovic is the favourite, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he lose

"Legends" Ladies final

Navratilova/Black vs Bartoli/Hantuchova

I've read on the tennis-warehouse that Federer has not beaten Djokovic in a grand slam tournament since 2012. So of course Djokovic has to be the overwhelming favorite.

I hope the match will at least be competitive.

R338: Being a big favourite doesn't depend of how you performed in the past, it depends of you current form. They only played three times in the last four years, and the last time they played Djokovic won in the tie break of the third set

Novak bothers Fed mentally a lot more than Nadal does. Should be an interesting match.

1st set for Si-moan-a Help 6-2 !

are doubles after the women's final?

[quote]are doubles after the women's final?

yes, first men's doubles and then women's

C'mon Serena, pull out your aces.

Serena ain't winning this.

HAHAHHA Get fucked Serena! I hate this bitch so much. It's even sweeter to see her bad luck charm Meghan is there to witness this.

Wow. This reminds me of that Wimbledon final against Sharapova when Serena seemed completely unprepared.

Simona deserved that. faultlessly executed her plan. Virtually no errors. Shut Serena out totally. I'm impressed.

Shit.

Serena had too many unforced errors. and double faults. She's too damn fat.

Love to see her friend Meghan fake smiling.

Wow, Simona!!!! Good for her!

you can last a bit longer in a sport but you have to lose weight...that's what kobe, Lebron James and others have done. Serena still has the goods, but she's too fat.

Cut her some slack guys, SHE'S A MOTHER!!

Maybe time for a new coach...hopefully she won't fuck him and break up his family.

Not a Serena fan but I also hate seeing Halep win Wimbledon lol. I can't stand her game.... just running along the baseline and shrieking, never coming forward. Never changing up the spins and paces (aside from an occasional drop shot), it's no wonder she never makes any errors because every ball is the same. Just sometimes they're down the line.

Also why did she start grunting? She never did it earlier in her career (when I was actually a big fan) and it's obviously fake. When her ball hits the net her grunt mysteriously stops carrying through.

Serena really wasted her chance here, she's not going to get many easier draws than this to a GS final. I dunno if it's nerves or what but she was serving and returning WAY better in her QF and SF matches. And it's not just the weight gain but her slower reaction times that will need to be improved on if she wants to win again.

She needs to retire not a new coach. She is only in the final this year because the top players in her quarters (Kerber & Barty) shit the bed.

[quote] Cut her some slack guys, SHE'S A MOTHER!!

?

R358, I'm not the poster who wrote that but it's supposed to be a funny joke.

WTA has been in such a sorry state for the past few years that an out-of shape, partially-invested Serena could still win a GS title or two, particularly on faster courts such as the US Open or maybe the Aussie Open. It's not like she has to get past Henin, Clijsters, Davenport, Mauresmo, and their ilk these days, i.e. past the players who could play consistently at a very high level.

Not normally a fan of Halep's game but she was on fire today. Definitely deserved this win, and her post match interview was very endearing too.

Serena was bad in every department but she was truly horrendous at the net. She missed sitter after sitter. But that's what happens when you are 37 years old. You have bad days. Hope tomorrow is not another bad day for another 37 years old.

I hope Naomi pulls herself together and destroys Serena in the USO again.

But at least she was gracious in her defeat, in the speech afterwards. The interviewer asked her if she wanted to say something to her team. She didn't really say much LOL, didn't thank her husband or coach or sister etc.

I love how they go inside and upstairs, to meet her team and the royals.

Where was your god Jehovah today?

Help!

She's going to SHOVE A BALL down someone's fucking throat!!!

Only Kate was there to meet the champ. The other duchess was so salty.

Serena isn't winning shit until she gets serious and gets in shape. She had no game plan other than to hit hard and expect Halep to fold. She was LAZY today. Patrick is doing her no favors and she needs to dump his thirsty ass.

Its doubles match now?

There's only one court left where Serena stands a chance to win another GS tournament. USTA announcement about the new courts at the US Open at 10!

I mean, doesn't he coach tell her to lose weight? She probably doesn't listen...

Less weight would be better for her knees and joints. it's not that hard to figure it out!

she can stay fat

OMG look at hottie Djere's IG post.

Link plesae, R375.

Sorry forgot the link

Thank you, R377.

Mens doubles final is pretty fantastic so far. The score is 7-6, 6-7... not a single break of serve. Mahut got hit square in the face in the first set, needed medical but they went on to win the set.

Roger-Vasselin has been the best player on court but Cabal has been pretty faultless at the net.

Serena girl, no more tutu at the US Open, mmkay?

I really like Simona so i'm happy for her.

It's not like Serena didn't have off days at GS in the finasl in the past (against Sharapova at Wimbledon or against Sam Stosur at the US Open), but she didn't have a chance in her last three GS finals.

She is only getting into finals because top players and incredibly unconsistent and she is mentally tough (and of course when her serve is on she is difficult to beat) but she is not going to win unless she makes a real effort and improve her fitness

And now a wish, i want a US Open where the big 3 lose before semifinals.

I think i have more probabilities of winning the lotery

I don't see Serena firing Patrick. She probably will retire after the USO or YEC in 2020 and doesn't want the stress of wondering whether a new coach will work out. I personally would love to see her move on from him. She already won a ton of slams before Patrick weaseled his way into her life.

I don't know if I'll even watch the men's final. I'm that sick of the big 3. If a new man doesn't break through at the USO I'll be so pissed.

I mean it's time for Nadal to cry injury again until the USO starts

R383 People joked about it was time to claim injury on the semifinal, but i think he is playing well right now and he had a bad time during the clay season so he wants to win another GS (that is not RG) as soon as possible.

I think Nadal's days are numbered, it's only a question of time he being unable to compete for the big titles. Right now the big 3 are reaching the last rounds of GS very easily but that'll change, and once you get tough matches on the early rounds their probabilities will drop drastically.

I think Nole will be competitive for a good while, but i can't see the other too remaining as big favourites for too long

R383 Serena's days of playing the YEC or any tournament post US Open are over (and have been for quite some time).

This is an above-average "its double match". No breaks of service.

Tiebreak.

Its doubles match.

Domicakes for ESPN’s farewell Body Issue, let’s make it happen.

Woody Harrelson has entered the court!

On to a fifth set in this episode of "its doubles match".

Cabal has been fucking amazing. This is the best doubles final i've seen in a while. Although I wonder if the girls will still play today? It's after 8pm and they just closed the roof for the men to start set #5. I was keen to cheer on Hsieh/Strycova. Will the organisers let them play before Novak/Roger? Hmm.

Anyway, here's a fun point from the Legends Doubles featuring Martina Navratilova, Cara Black, Ai Sugiyama and Mary Jo Fernandez.

[quote] Cara Black, Ai Sugiyama

Who are they? Lesbians I'm sure.

Will there be the tiebreak in the 5th or this double final will never finish?

This is a terrific doubles match. Cabal-Farah were able to get the first break of the match (after 4 sets and a half) but Cabal collapsed on his own service game and Mahut-Vasselin broke back right away.

Margaret, when was the last time you had sex? Given how obsessed you are with lesbians, I wonder if you are just a frustrated closet case who hasn't had a good shag since 1952.

Poor Nico, got hit in the face yet again and on the next point got hit in the... BALLS!

who cares about Wimbledon?

THE NEWS OF THE DAY is Genie Bouchard makes her triumphant post-Wimbledon return to the tour right away in Lausanne! She will start her tournament facing off against top tier #145 Tamara Korpatsch. It won't be easy but I believe Genie will able to handle that future slam winner.

What a match! Congrats to the hunky Lebanese Colombians! I think they're the first Colombians ever to win a slam? Poor Roger-Vasselin was bawling his eyes out after the loss. I felt Farah was letting Cabal down for most of the match (so many netted returns on their break points!), but he picked up when he needed to.

The mens single final is going to be such a wet blanket after that.

Farah is so beautiful.

Roger Vasselin burst in tears when they sat down after the match.

R377 that's a thing of beauty.

Congrats, Simona! Bitch crushed that ball today.

Farah is a hot flexible Columbian daddy! Of course he has a beard but we, at the DL, can see right through it!

The Colombians are some hot papis.

It’s COLOMBIA, not Columbia!!!!

Speaking of beards, I gather Rafa is finally making an honest woman of Xisca patiently waiting all these years in Manacor. I believe the wedding date is set for October? He is a one-woman man isn't he (and maybe a 500-men man?) Actually, I met a nice straight Spanish guy here in LA in a restaurant who knows Nadal and says he isn't gay. Hard to believe. Anyway, looks like all the Spanish guys of that generation are engaged now (or married?)--Feli, RBA (whose betrothed is a nice looking girl), and Rafa. Who else?

Serena really had her ass handed to her by Halep. She just can’t move these days. I’m in the ‘fire Patrick’ camp, he’s just a sleazy deadweight.

When will this thread become 'pay to post' as well?

we'll just start another when that happens

Here we go! 🏆

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

Looks like Mirka forgot to take off her breakfast bib

God, Chris Fowler's constant babbling is execrable. Please muzzle that annoying fuckhead.

I have no idea who is going to win today. I bet this match is rather seesaw. Federer blew an early chance at a break.

[quote]Looks like Mirka forgot to take off her breakfast bib

what the hell...

Jesus, wretched miss from Federer at 1-1 in the tiebreak.

This might be long tight final

Federer will be 38 next month yet in the final. How is he doing it?

Federer hands Djokovic the tiebreak from 5-3 up with four errors. I think this is probably over now.

I think it's over.

When you dominate but you end losing the set it's never a good sign and Federer needed way more than Nole to win the first set

What’s happening in the second set?

Gramps team

Weird pairing alert! Genie BouBou is working with former world #3 Manuela Maleeva, at least for her current tournament (Lausanne). There are some photos of them together but DL won't let me post them.

R421 see R235 for a picture

Gramps!

I'm hoping Fed wins but I still have a feeling Nole will take it, even after that second set.

Neither is playing very well. Roger is lucky that Novak's level is a bit lower than his.

Federer can't get a ball in the court in the second tiebreak. Where is everyone? Usually there are more people on here for a Grand Slam final.

R425, given that the Wimbledon thread was closed to non-subscribers, people seem not sure where to post. Usually we'd be on our third Wimbledon thread by now.

I'm surprised so many of the posters in the tennis threads won't contribute a measly $2 a month. I thought we were a more classy subset of DL.

R426, why was it closed to non-subscribers? There's no activity on that thread either. Stupid decision by whoever owns this site.

I'm a subscriber and the Wimbledon thread disappeared from my watch list and hasn't loaded new replies since Friday (something occurring on many threads for me). Ever since the new log-in was implemented, this has been happening to more and more threads.

[quote] why was it closed to non-subscribers? There's no activity on that thread either. Stupid decision by whoever owns this site.

It was DL's gambit to close popular and recurring (Henry Cavill, royalty, etc.) threads to non-subscribers in order to get them to subscribe and pay. From what I've seen thus far, people just go to other threads on the same topic (such as this one) or start new ones.

Everything was closed. I didn't realize I could sign in and then post.

r427, you don't even have to pay to register.

ugh, Roger come on

True, R432, but they're still closing the Wimbledon thread to non-subscribers. I signed up without paying and I'm only able to post on certain threads. Stupid thing to do.

Federer really should've won this match already yet I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up losing it.

r435, only if it's a tiebreak in the 5th. 12-12.

He's been the better player but his tiebreak play has been awful.

Novak has played at a surprisingly low level most of the match

Djokovic is craptastic. Horrible.

Fed looks better but can't fully put Nole away.

Federer's play is all over the place in the 5th. WAY too many errors off his backhand and far too tentative on his forehand.

If Djokovic's eyes were any closer together, he'd be a cyclops.

Djoko's got this I fear.

oh god, now the cringeworthy Djokovics antics

So unlikable on so many levels...

Federer blew it.

Still very happy that Nadal didn't win this.

Djokovic's reaction was quite subdued, and he said that Federer was the better player for most of the match.

Novak sucked for most of the match. He is very lucky to have won. Fed played about as well as he could.

Fed statistically did play better, but failed when it mattered the most. He had two match points. I love grampa, but he needs to hang it up.

I'll say it again.

I hope this is the last slam win for any of the big 3.

I am beyond sick of them

SOMEONE NEW needs to fucking step up at the USO and win the damn thing. I'd prefer a #NextGen guy but I'll take any non-deplorable, even a journeyman who never won a title and has a fluke slam run.

I only watched the 5th set of the final. There were some great points but also some awful misses and choking by both.

I was intrigued by Mirka's high ponytail she's been wearing the whole week

Mirka was wearing a huge ring. She has good taste in stones.

I personally would love to see Novak win slams for many years to come! I truly admire his mental strength and it seems he said he decided he would not let the crowd get to him today and that seems to have been an excellent decision.

I only wish Djokovic and Nadal dedicated every GS win to Nick Kyrgios. "I'm holding this trophy and thinking of you... knowing you'll NEVER hold one of these!"

Mirka probably jinxed Roger with that tragic jean jacket.

Joking aside, Federer played at a fairly high level throughout the whole match, Djokovic seesawed with his own level, probably not one of his greatest editions, but he showed the balls and a shockingly cool head when it was most needed. Do you really think any of those #NextGen, etc, would pull that off?

Is this where we'll talk about the Hall of Fame Open?

I think it's not a question of winning (even if one of them wins it will be great) it's a question of stepping up their game.

Roger was able to have opportunities to win in an almost 5 hours match and that's because he was completely unchallenged during the whole competition. Kei and Nadal forced him a bit, but the truth is players who are in the top 30 should be able to give at least a fight to any of the big 3.

It's simply not normal winning a GS without having tough matches, but the only ones who seem able to give them a fight are the other two.

A lot of next gen failed big time on Wimbledon, so it will be good to see if at least some of them are able to up their game and start to do what they are supposed to do (but most of them are only worried about what's the next pic they will upload to instagram)

R449 would rather watch a limp, insouciant three-setter between Thiem and Zverev, say, than a huge epic clash between all-time great players and rivals fighting with intense passion to the end. Do you even like the actual game of tennis? Sure, they made mistakes at the end, which was the only section you watched, but it was a four and a half hour match, for God's sake. I dread when Wimp Generation does take over.

R455: Yeah, they are fantastic and all that jazz, but new faces will be great too (of course if they are able to up their game)

Congratulations my beloved Nole for his 16th Grand Slam win!!! Only 4 more wins to equal Gramp!!! Amazing!!!

R455 who said I want the quality of tennis to go down? It's beyond time for other guys to step up. If you enjoy watching the same 3 players dominate again and again, then ok fine. I don't. It's tiresome and boring to watch them destroy everyone else while their possible rivals lose in the early rounds. Just because I'm not licking the asses of the big 3 doesn't mean "I don't like tennis". That's absurd. The sport is in desperate need of new male slam winners and you know that.

That match was long, but the quality wasn't that high. Something was off about Djokovic today, he seemed half a step slower and appeared to have some issues with his balance, yet he still won.

I think someone in the crowd handed Mirka the jean jacket to cover up that heinous doily she had made into a dress

I've said it before on our tennis threads but let me do it once more: it is a very tough break to have to play in the era of the three best players ever, three players with very rounded games (nobody following tennis would argue that any of them are one dimensional or can only play their best tennis on a particular surface.) Plus, with a possible exception of Nadal who is more injury prone, they have been able or have been reasonably lucky to keep themselves fairly healthy through all these years. I don't think these younger guys have been unsuccessful simply because they haven't wanted it enough, are not talented enough, or some such - they are extremely unfortunate that their careers will or have overlapped with something that's historically and statistically an extremely rare occurrence.

Just look at the WTA: there's been a revolving door of GS champions in the past 3-4 years and has that improved the quality of the actual game or even overall interest? No, not really. Compare this year's FO final to say, one, between Henin and Serena, or the one with Henin and Kuznetsova. The quality has dipped significantly, even though, on the surface, you have far more unpredictable tournaments with seemingly "more depth."

R459: But people generally remember the emotions, the Capriati-Clijsters was not a good final in terms of quality but fans seem to have fond memories of it

R458: Male tennis needs new faces as much as women's tennis need some new stars with charisma.

If the Zverev, Tsitsipas, FAA and company don't rise their level tennis will be in a very bad position the day the big 3 retire. A transition time is needed (with the big 3 and new players competing for the big titles) or the void it will be simply too big

Plus, what I forgot to mention in my previous post that what I really admire among the "Big 3" is that seemingly endless well of motivation, even as they are pushing their way through their 30s. All three have won every trophy in their sport, made enough money to last them for generations and, yet, they are still there, fighting for every major like it's their first one. Someone like Borg could've easily extended his career by several years, racked up a couple of more slams, but he wanted to live the life of a wealthy Eurotrash celebrity. You can't say that about these guys.

New Gen players: not the right physique to play tennis, most of them have too long chicken legs; most of them often can be seen wasting their time on social media. The top three's dedication and enthusiasm for their craft is incomparable. And above all, the fucking compression shorts are a drag on your aerodynamics and hideous. Just lose them as the top three never wear them. If they were good for the body, marathon runners would have worn them all the time!

My gut tells me that Serena and Roger will hang around one more year for the Olympics.

I haven't read all of this thread but I am a long-time tennis watcher, and I thought Roger made very bad choices starting in the first set (like when he kept hitting those volleys back down the line to Novak over and over again in set 1) and was obviously nervous and missed a lot of shots that he was putting away easily in the Nadal match. I am a Fed fan but I thought he started badly. I honestly think Djoko tanked the second set (though I couldn't tell you why). I was always sure he was going to win because of how badly Fed played iin the first set. Djoko has been the better player for a long time anyway. Anyway, I also couldn't believe Mirka's dress. Really, Mirka? And at the ending ceremonies, I've never seen Fed seem so contemptuous of an opponent, like he truly hates Djoko (it seemed mutual). The coldest I've ever seen Fed. Maybe it's cuz D went after his body and didn't do the pro forma apology in the third set or whenever it was? Or maybe there is behind-the-scenes stuff from the player's council I don't know about. Anyway, I always want Fed to win but I thought the result could have been predicted before the match.

I don't think being (a little time) on social media is a problem. They are a younger generation and that is part of their lives. And i think having other things to do can even help to keep your interest on the sport and not saturate yourself.

The problem is that some of them don't seem to have the right mentality. If you lose on a GS and the first thing you do is posting pics of your holidays on a beach it's not a good sign. You should be angry and upset because you didn't do well, but some of them don't even seem upset in the press conference.

If lose doesn't hurt there's no way you have the fire to win

A really good press conference in my view. I love the idea of him telling himself the crowd is chanting "Novak" instead of "Roger" haha.

Full disclosure: I am a major Novak fan and have been for over 12 years, R466, and can't really stand Federer. I don't think there ever was or ever will be any love lost between them. I think they do respect each other's accomplishments (Federer probably does so only grudgingly) but it was clear to me during the Laver Cup last year that Novak was not quite buying the new, super-friendly Federer version on display but played along as best he could.

As for apologies or lack thereof, I didn't see the point you mentioned, but Federer very often hits straight at opponents and doesn't apologize, so I doubt that would faze him if that was indeed the case here.

I think the bridges between those two were simply burned very early on and it is difficult for them to ever become truly friendly.

What R469 said. I respect Federer and even rooted for him in the past but, to be perfectly honest here, I never bought that gentleman act the media has been selling us for almost two decades now. I remember being rather disappointed when he started trashing Nadal when the latter was arriving big time back in 2004-2005. Then, he went after Djokovic, as he started making a name for himself in 2007-2008. Then, something about Murray that he's not at the same level as the three of them, again, just as Murray beat him for the very first time at a Miami Open or some tournament like that. I think he's mellowed over time and would probably never say such things again but it does say something about a player's character. I sort of understand having a big ego; it probably comes with the drive to be that successful but, still...

In spite of that: I felt truly bad for him after he lost today even though I would normally root for Nadal or Djokovic when they play him. He actually played really well, came incredibly close, the closest he has in 2 years or so, and still lost such a gruelling match by such a narrow margin. He won't get many chances like this one again...

It was a great match and Fed played great. His BH is better than it's been in his life. He choked serving for the match, seems impossible to say.

[quote] Is this where we'll talk about the Hall of Fame Open?

Yes.

Misery never gets the credit he deserves here for being able, sometimes, to stick it to the Big Three and get to the business end of slams and win a load of tournaments regardless of their presence; plus by winning his two Olympic golds, he's held them off from the missing trophy in their cupboards. He had the mentality and determination early enough to seriously sort out his stamina and resilience, unlike the Next Gen brigade, who seem to try to coast on their (undoubted) talent, rather than develop themselves.

Actually there's a LOT of love for Misery on this board.

Judy is certainly a DL fave.

[quote] Is this where we'll talk about the Hall of Fame Open?

Yes.

[quote] Actually there's a LOT of love for Misery on this board.

I adore him especially off court. I'm not a fan of his on-court behavior so much.

fuck. me.

I'm with R477: he's a really nice guy off court and I wish him all the best and hope he can get back to the tour if his body can handle it. It's difficult to really enjoy his game; there are days (and they tend to happen very often) when he seems to be hating everything and everybody, including himself, during the match, which makes it almost painful to watch him.

just to be precise though, Nadal is missing 2 very important titles. He has never won the WTF or Miami. Granted those aren't the same as the slams or the gold medal but they're the next ones down.

Until he slammed his racket on the chair umpire's microphone, I thought Djokovic was subdued the entire match. The crowd was clearly 90% Federer fans, and ND wasn't pulling any of his usual antics to try to get them to cheer for him.

Fed resents that Novak has come between him and Rafa. He will always look at Novak as an interloper and not the great champion that he is. Federer has always been a sore loser.

Federer knows that his Grand Slam record will get passed by Joker and/or Nadal.

R428

Dumbest decision ever made

Fun match to watch.....I was switching back and forth between the match and TCM and have come to the conclusion that Novak has Norma Shearer's eyes and nose.

The 2019 Champions

Halep has always reminded me of Mighty Mouse. I'm really warming up to her.

Rafa has always been humble and sucked up to Fed; Novak never did that.

Poor grandpa. It was THE match to cement his GOAT status. Djokovic will win at least 3 of the next 5 GS as long as he stays healthy. You need great mental strength in 5 sets but none of the next gen has that.

I was SHOCKED that Federer choked away 2 match points. That was shocking. He got lucky that Djokovic choked up 4-2 but Federer getting broken when he had 40-15 2 match points was the biggest choke of the tournament in the men's or women's draws

If Federer can't beat THAT Novak (on grass, no less), then I don't think he's ever going to beat him. At least not in a big final. Novak was leaking errors (uncharacteristically), not chasing everything down like he normally does, and for a guy with the best return on the tour, could barely get a racquet on Fed's serve for most of the match. Fed has two CONSECUTIVE match points on his own serve? You won't get many more opportunities like that.

Martina N was right, closing out matches becomes infinitely harder when you're older and know you might not have many opportunities left, and it's not just physical degradation. We've seen it with Roger, Serena, Venus the past few Wimbledons.

Womens doubles final was pretty good too. Su-wei Hsieh and Barbora Strycova won, third grand slam for Hsieh and first ever for Barbora Strycova. She also claims the #1 doubles ranking for the first time in her career (at age 33), and having made the SF in singles as well, this has to be the best two weeks of tennis she's ever played.

Here's to Djokovic returning to his 2017 state.

I predict this choke of 2 match points will cost Federer the whole USO hardcourt summer. I don't think he'll reach the finals of Canada, Cincinnati or the USO. He'll be ripe for upsets

I'm with R491. That Federer chocked away two match points on his own serve at Wimbledon does not auger well for his future. Djokovic will walk away from this final brimming with confidence. He stayed in the match and Federer handed it to him on a silver platter. Federer played like total shit when the opportunities were there. No way if Federer doesn't beat this Djokovic that he ever beats him in a Slam final going forward. Djokovic let Federer back into the match many times and practically handed it to him with errors, but Federer couldn't convert. It reminded me of the Federer we say from 2011-2016 who, other than Wimbledon 2012, constantly blew opportunities and/or played inconsistently. 2017 has proven to be an anomaly. The 2017 Federer would have won this match.

Not a high quality match. Each of them was mainly giving points to the other when it mattered more than coming up with awesome shots. But to get to those opportunities there was some good tennis. Not a classic match except for the scoreline. Both semi-finals had higher quality tennis.

^Federer we SAW from 2011-2016

Both Djokovic and Federer are not very photogenic because they looked very handsome last night.

I mean...playing like shit is one thing but playing consistently well for 5 FUCKING hours is another. It needs to be acknowledged that Federer "choked" during the longest WM final in history instead of the flippant shit being posted here by you fat fucks.

R493: He is not going to play Montreal.

R496: He was totally competitive, the problem: he was better most of the match but failed at crucial moments again and again.

This is his best surface, the one he needs less effort to go through round, and he had a quite benign draw, and he solved the tough matches against Kei and Rafa very well, it's very difficult that he get that in the US Open, and if he gets tough matches his options against Nole (and even Rafa) will be way lower. But it's pretty clear that with the right circumstances he is still able to win

It's not disputable that he can put together two strong weeks being in top physical condition (at times, yesterday, he was moving better than 5 or 10 years ago), his serve functioning really well, but the knowledge that the second year in a row, he blew match points in important, tight matches only to lose them in 5 sets must have done some harm to his self confidence.

Federer doesn't even sign autographs now...

Which lost do think is more painful Roger or Serena?

Roger by a landslide. Serena never even had a choice.

r500 That should be "do you think"

Mirka’s pain at the loss was delicious to watch. An entitled, arrogant cunt who was lucky enough to get her claws into a cash-cow. The female twins, just like their mother, seemed to have a bad smell under their noses. Federer has long been the master of the sly nasty putdown - initially excused as English was not his first language. All in all a good day at the office.

Serena isn't really match-fit; it's shocking that she makes it to finals. By contrast, Roger's level of play was extremely high; he could have beaten (almost) anyone. But people who put the loss solely on Roger are discounting the incredible determination of Novak. It wasn't a shock that he won even though he was playing poorly. He's gone from being a basket case to being the most determined person on court.

R503, I kind of like Mirka. She dresses like a Russian gangster's wife -- the outrageous prints, the gigantic jewels -- and I am there for it.

Djokovic is incredibly determined bu there's no question Federer choked on those 2 match points. He suddenly got very tight. It's understandable but it still happened.

I'm with R504: it's almost surreal how someone married to someone that wealthy who hobnobs with the non-gangster jet set, Anna Wintour, and their ilk, can be so clueless in the way she presents herself to the world.

How many more matches Federer still has in him where he's going to have two matchpoints/championship points to Joe Kovic before he bends over backwards and gives him the match? USO 2010, USO 2011 and now WIM 2019...

R504: People put the loss on Roger not because they didn't acknoledge Novak's determination but because Roger had it in his racket and he failed big time. Yes Nole did great points but he lost the match because he failed at the key moments (he played really bad on the three tie breaks).

And it's not the first time he tanked that way against Nole, even before Nole became the multiple GS winner that he is today

R466 Fed is salty because he asked Novak to participate in the Laver cup in Geneva this fall and Novak declined. Plus Novak is head of the ATP Players Council and Roger and Rafa have problems with how Novak is handling that job.

Genie was playing GOAT tennis until 6-2 4-2 then she lost her way. She was down an early break in the third before an EPIC comeback. She served for the match at 5-4, went down 0-40 brought it to deuce but got broken again. Then she lost 5-7 to future #1 slam winner current #145 Tamara Korpatsch. There's NO question Genie will dominating the summer very soon! She was so close this time!

Chrissie, you forgot to sign your post.

But, let's cut Chrissie some slack: she used to bang this.

Oh, I didn't know that, R509! When was this, do you know?

At Wimbledon, Behind-the-Scenes Tennis Politicking Comes to the Forefront:

good. Djokovic deserves to be bashed to hell for his support of Gimelblob

I hope he has a horrible USO series and the press keeps hounding him

I googled ATP Player's Council this morning and there are several articles from March about the firing of the popular Chris Kermode, the chief ATP exec, by Djokovic and his cohort--very unpopular decision with Fed and Rafa. Kermode was responsible for getting huge winnings upgrades at all levels in almost all tournaments. I'm sure there is much more insider stuff than is available in MSM, but to me it explains the extreme coldness Roger showed Novak after the match. By the way, I once met Gimelstob in my local small Whole Foods in Santa Monica. He was with two little kids. He is way taller than I thought and actually quite good looking in person. I can't stand him on Tennis Channel and I was glad to hear he did something so heinous that I would no longer have to watch him. He's obviously quite the operator and tight with the Tennis Channel owner for some reason, so I expect he'll turn up sooner or later unfortunately.

Apparently Kermode is of the belief that lower-ranked players should have no say or earn enough to make a living through tennis and that is why he was removed.

Here is an interesting thread I linked to on the Wimbledon thread

R517, I imagine that approach would solidify the death-grip the top players have on the sport: it's hard for new players to get the resources that they need to develop.

R496 seems to have some issues. These players are the ones who are supposed to be in good physical condition - it's their job to be ready to play.....if they don't do it, they can take our scorn. I am sure none of them lies awake nights worrying about it.

Serena's loss was tough because it was a blow-out. She might tell herself she had a bad day, but she's having way too many of them. It has to leave her wondering if she can compete anymore.

Roger's loss was tough because he choked psychologically, and because it was so close. As a player I can tell you I fucking HATE losing tie-breaks, at the local club.

wow didn't expect Andreozzi to defeat Karlovic in Newport.

Roger was choking from the first set on. It looked close on paper but I think Djokovic could have beaten him in 3 sets if he'd really wanted to; he was just that much stronger from the beginning. I've watched a lot of tennis for years and Federer doesn't usually make so many unforced errors as he started doing right from the beginning. He expected to lose to Novak I think and he can't stand him, so it made him tight all through the match except maybe toward the end of the fifth set. I think Roger may retire this year actually but who knows.

My favorite part was the British twats holding up their fingers, 1 more when Federer had 2 championship points. Novak took their fingers and shoved it up their assholes. It was delicious.

You sound better suited for roller derby , WWF or scatology, R523.

R522: That's not what it happened at all. Roger was better during most part of the match and even Nole recognized that, but Nole was very superior at the important moments, specially on the tie breaks

Djokovic was not looking stronger throughout, R522. He had not one break point against Federer's serve in the two sets he won by tie-breakers, whereas Roger broke him good and proper in the other two sets..

Has Djokovic given any explanation as to what happened in the 2nd set? He seemed to totally check out, like he was putting in just the minimal effort. I agree that Federer played better throughout the match (and the stats confirm that), but Djokovic played well when he absolutely had to. This victory has got to be giving Djokovic all kinds of confidence, knowing that he can beat Federer in a Wimbledon final without playing his best tennis.

Crazy that Djokovic has now won 4 of the last 5 slams. Federer and Nadal's slam totals are in danger of being overtaken, but at this rate he might be able to catch Serena too.

Djokovic looked exhausted in the 2nd set, he was staggering around.

R527: Djokovic was very nervous on his semis (i think he'll pray not to face RBA at the US Open) and he didn't play his best in the final, and he won anyway. So yes, his confidence must be very very high

I wouldn't count his majors before their won. Novak didn't play well at all; if he plays like that at USO he will lose.

R531: He is better on hard courts than on grass, i doubt Federer really has a chance against him on hardcourts (specially because he would be challenged in previous rounds) but he will be more vulnerable to other players. Playing like he did on Wimbledon, he could lose with Nishikori or a next gen (if they are very inspired).

The previous masters 1000 will show who could be a candidate, but if there's going to be a non big 3 winner the US Open is the GS to watch

FaceApp makeover ATP-style!

part 2

Gramps looks pretty current...

I think fatigue and motivation plays a part into the US Open too. The big 3 have usually already won big titles, had deep runs, played a long season, and in the case of Rafa especially are often showing more wear and tear on the body by this point of the year.

Perhaps this is why it's the slam at which we've seen the most deep runs from other players than the big 3 (Nishikori, Anderson, Cilic, Delpo). Of course the neutral court surface helps too.

those aging face generators are hilarious but who is the guy in the middle in the first group? and who is the bottom left in the second group?

They should make a wta version too

Eubanks upsets defending champ Johnson in Newport. With Karlovic going out yesterday, that's 2 of the last 3 champs out in round 1. Only 2017 champ Isner is still in but he hasn't played yet. I assume he'll unfortunately win again but who knows

[quote]but who is the guy in the middle in the first group? and who is the bottom left in the second group?

I think it's Borna Coric & Karen Khachanov

why does Monfils look like Morgan Freeman there

Is Fed's coach Severin Luthi his REAL love? I detect hostility from Mirka towards Sev.

I don’t detect hostility from Mirka towards Sev, but I do see love in Luthi’s eyes whenever he looks at Federer.

Majchrzak team

Mirka is hostile toward anything that isn't edible

Remember Mirka's playing days? I recall Patty Schnyder was embarrassed to be on the same Fed Cup team as her lol...

It seems that Sakkari was questioned about her relationship with Tsitsipas and she denied they are nothing more than friends

Just had a look at the ATP ranking: Jack Sock is at number 177, about a year and a half after reaching #8!

And Eugenie Bouchard, if she doesn't start winning pronto will be in the 200s in a matter of weeks.

I think Sock will make his comeback at the BB&T Atlanta Open...which starts next week?

Coco V.'s ranking has dropped to #624!

I haven't been keeping up with the travails of the traveling circus that is WTA - whatever happened to Coco the Deplorable?

and don't forget M. Zverev is outside the top 200 too

[quote]whatever happened to Coco the Deplorable?

I think she's been dealing with ankle problems and a foot injury for almost a year now

And, r551, she’s also really hoarse from shouting “Send her back!” endlessly for days now.

Coric embarrassing loss today in his home country to #125 Salvatore Caruso

Borna, CALL ME, bitch!

Borna team

What is Borna’s skin color?

Tsitsipas is so fucking lame. I saw his insta story and it consists of the camera going around the dinner table with his friends showing the lousy deserts and it was just some lame desert that's really not worth instagraming...

he should concentrate on tennis rather than this lame shit.

If you could have one question answered on a DL tennis thread what would it be?

Well, R557, maybe the problem was that they ordered deserts and should have ordered desserts. All that sand was always going to be boring and hard to distinguish one from another.

Sinner is ugly as sin.

Rematch of the 2001 Wimbledon final on the new Ivanisevic clay courts. These two could come back to the tour and beat Zverev....

Thanks for posting that, r561. The video made me miss Rafter and his beautiful game. It's a shame he never won Wimbledon but at least he had the two U.S. Opens.

R560: He is 17 and top 200, he is not a fucking model so what it matters is if he able to play, and the obvious answer is yes.

One of the spanish juniors Mario González is very handsome but unless he improves a lot i don't know if he will be able to make it to pros

Zverev complained about Lendl. He always find a lot of people guilty his faliures

Time for Lendl to jettison the Ziraffe.

Coco has said she was playing Wimbledon, but she seems to be partying instead of training.

[quote]Time for Lendl to jettison the Ziraffe

I think I recently read somewhere Lendl's fee is $5,000 a day....doesn't really seem to be paying off

M. Zverev blown out by Granollers so his record so far in main draws this year is now 3/12 ouch.

House of Zverev is not doing so great this year after a great 2018

The positive note is two of those victories were this week (because the other one was only because Kuhn had to retire in Miami)

Deplorable fat ass Tennys Sandgren could not move at all in his third set against Bubblik in Newport and got booed off the court by the public. He at least ate a delicious bagel in the third set. Yum!

Meanwhile, in another QF across the premises, French up and coming Ugo Humbert just moved past Ivashka and will now likely face Isner in the semi-finals.

I'm very happy Ugo finally gets some wins

Angie Kerber has split up with coach Rainer Schüttler

R569 sad!

R570 lmao damn wish I could see the booing. The reserved Newport crowds don't usually boo. Was he tanking?

Hard to say R573: I was so overjoyed with antideplorable Schadenfreude that I don't know what was going on in Sandgren's head. As for the boos, they were indeed polite subdued boos, but they were still boos! Even though I don't have the stats at hand, Sandgren must have won at most 5 to 7 points in that last set.

Where is Genie? Probably at the Insta-hoe stand but where is it?

[quote]Where is Genie? Probably at the Insta-hoe stand but where is it?

She's at the tattoo parlour!

That is immeasurably tacky.

And immeasurably sad.

She has a stalker.

Is DL fave Jan Michael Gambill still with Malek? No Instagram or Twitter mentions of Malek for months now.

damn, did Jan Michael Gambill get hair plugs? I haven't seen his face in years and he looks quite different.

Sweet

Sweet

we're going to get some first time titlists this weekend. Yay!

Today is Hall of Fame induction day!

In honour of Mary FIERCE being inducted, here are some highlights from her thrashing Steffi Graf at Roland Garros 1994. Potentially the greatest performance a female has ever given on a clay court.

Is she clay court specialist?

I can haz clay.

Rafa defeat many white boys.

Tour Journeyman: Granollers

Granollers.... SLURP

R586: Mary was unstoppable the whole tournament, well, with the exception of the final, of course

R592 Looking at her tournament as a whole, even without winning the title, I don't think anybody has played that well at Roland Garros since. Not Serena, not Henin. Maybe not even Nadal. She had only lost SIX GAMES going into the SF. Handing out beatdowns left and right. That has to be a record, only dropping 6 games across five matches.

Nobody had ever wiped Frau Forehand off the court like that. Graf didn't even play badly (you can see in the highlights how many aces she hits and how well she was defending with her backhand slice), but Mary was just on a whole other level that day.

Such a shame she couldn't finish the job and with her nerves, let Sanchez-Vicario push her to death in the final. She got her revenge at the Australian Open the following year but that '94 Roland Garros really should have been hers.

She didn't defeat her rivals, she destroyed them.

But in the final she was nervous and ASV was a wall (and she really really wanted another RG).

Mary with a better mentality could have been one of the big players of the 90's, but she was like a female Wawrinka, when she is on she was a force to fear but unfortunately for her she was off more often

Loved watching Stabbi get her ass handed to her

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