The Gays & Tennis, US Open Thread II 2019

Osaka was so classy last night. Way to show Serena up with class. I hope she defeats her again this year and Serena throws another tantrum and Osaka just rolls her eyes instead of crying.

Yet another thread closed to subscribers only, yet another one opened. Thanks to the OP for starting this one. When will the site administrator learn that making the threads subscriber-only basically kills the thread?

Rublev certainly did fight a lot harder than Kyrgios, which is no surprise. Rublev is an ugly motherfucker! Not a fan of the Russians. They're the deplorable of Europe. Watching Wang destroy Barty right now. Barty is so unimpressive. How is it that she rose to #1? Just the inconsistency of the wreck that is the WTA.

I was not surprised that Coco Gauff lost in straight sets to Osaka last night. I was surprised at how dialed in Osaka was, though. If she keeps playing like that, she could repeat as champion.

Rafa. He likes tight fit, according uncle Tony told him tight fit is better from a young age LOL.

so what happened with Barty and Wang? Wang is a solid hitter but not outstanding. Was she GOATing? or Barty was awful?

Thanks for the new thread! Perhaps someone who can still post in the old one wants to add a link to this one so the others can follow.

Osaka was very dialled in last night. Aside from Bencic next (who was given a walkover and will be fresh), her half is pretty much empty. Getting to the final again would be a big statement.

R4 Mixture of both. Qiang started very well with her counterpunching style, and she wasn't bothered at all by Ash's slice. Obviously girl did her homework, and she came out on top in long rallies. At the end she got a bit nervous and chokey, wasting multiple MPs in multiple games, but she reverted to more of a pushing style. Just getting the ball back. Which was smart, because Barty hit 39 errors and hung herself in the end.

The bad news about all of this is that with another match win or two or three, I believe Karolina Pliskbot will be #1 again when the new rankings come out next week. Even if Osaka defends her title.

Pliskova just gets so lucky with her draws. She really does. I mean she rarely gets someone difficult in the first or second rounds. Konta is in decent form though so their match today could be a tough one

wow but not surprising...Goffin is already getting blown off the court by Federer. Pathetic.

Osaka has to defend her title or she'll lose the #1 ranking. Pliskova got to the quarters last year, so if she loses today, she'll lose points. I'd like to see Konta take out Pliskbot.

so Barty is out of the running for #1 ?

[quote]so Barty is out of the running for #1 ?

I'm not sure, but I think she can still be #1 if the Pliskobot doesn't reach the SF and Osaka doesn't defend her title

I knew OP's tight shorts photo was of Rafa's ass before clicking to confirm.

R5 osaka’s Half is empty? You just have forgotten about BB Andreescu? They could meet in the semifinals and Andreescu got game, and is fearless.

What's going on with Goffin?? I'm team elf but he is struggling unbelievably. I haven't seen anyone struggle this much.

Barry lost to Wang in straight sets. What a bunch of inconsistent losers.

Nice to see quick, calm, steady, crafty de Minaur as the last Aussie standing over loonbat Kyrgios.

Goffin must be injured or sick. He should give back the money he earns because he it looks like he is tanking....

Goffin is Fed's bitch just like Stan. Last year in Cincy Fed was forced to play the night semi on the Sat before the final and Goffin 'defaulted' with an injury. A lot of people speculated Goffin got a few bucks from the Fed team to do so.

R17. actually that thought came to my mind several times today. He is not that bad of a player, unless he is injured or sick.

thank you Konta! Finally did something useful. Bye Pliskbot

Grigor wins. Wow I thought De Minaur would have frustrated him getting back so many balls

I can't believe Serena is wearing tight long sleeves...too hot! Maybe she's trying to sweat the pounds off.

Is this where we talk about Azarenka’s new toy boy?

they are still asking other players "how good do you think coco is?" even though she can't serve for shit.

embarrassing!

What a bad loss for David Muffin. He looked completely tepid and uninspired.

On the other hand Young Grigor looked really good against de Minaur. Wasn't just benefiting from lucky chokes or bad draws or anything, he came in with a plan and executed it really well. Very pumped up.

Konta's tennis is so hideous but at least this means the robot isn't #1 again.

Did they really put Call Me Coco on Louis Armstrong for her doubles match? Dead that they're against Melichar and Kveta Peschke (who is about three times her age at 40+).

I expected more from De Miñaur, but at least he is fully recovered from his injury.

Good for Dimitrov after such bad season

Grandma Serena just rolled her ankle and she's called for the trainer...

no more grand slam for her...

Go for it Osaka!

R25 you sound almost gleeful about someone getting injured

There will be a time in Coco's long career ahead that:

'Call me Coco' becomes 'Call me Choko'

Serena rolls her ankle a lot.

R26, they’re the first ones to talk about class and yet...

R29 even with players I don't like, I don't enjoy seeing someone get injured. I want players to win or lose 100% healthy

at least Serena can push off of her ankle. They added extra support and she's not serving as hard but she's still able to play.

apparently Young Grigor is no longer working with Agassi and Stepanek...looks like it has paid off already!

She looks fine. No problem. I guess it could swell up and be worse tomorrow, though she doesnt play.

If Serens gets 24 here and 25 next year, ya think she'll retire soon after getting the record?

Let's go grandma!!!

Barty being a Grand Slam champion and world No. 1 with a now 1-10 career record vs. Top 20 players at slams........ I mean it's pretty embarrassing. I think she won her slam a few years too early.

Serena makes it through in straights over Martic. Was actually a pretty good match despite the ankle roll. Martic had some great defensive play and both ladies had to get the angles and slices out.

At this point I don't really have anyone I like more in the draw (unless injured Andreescu or S/V Taylor Townsend can go all the way with their funky games). So i'm here for her to snatch the homophobe's record. Though I also wouldn't mind seeing Madison Keys take the title after she handed one to Sloth Stephens two years ago.

She would just tie the homophobes record if she won here.

DL meltdown over Serena's mom comments in 3-2...

Watching Barty, the No. 2 seed, make so many errors and lose, with Alexandra Stevenson doing the match commentary, was so surreal. It was like I was watching the qualifying round for a WTA Challenger tour, instead of the U.S. Open.

Grandma is definitely making the final. Fourth times the charm?

I’d eat that ass all day long!

Wang.

R34: With Osaka and Andreescu still on competition Serena is not even the big favourite

Bruno Soares in Melichar's box... are they dating? He's such an annoying hothead when he plays but he looks hot there with the hat covering his baldness.

Gauff and McNally are really good on doubles

Its doubles match

[quote] Goffin must be injured or sick. He should give back the money he earns because he it looks like he is tanking....

He doesn’t get prize money. He gets a pot ‘o gold at the end of the rainbow.

And a lifetime supply...

Coco and her partner win!

Tehe, R48.

[quote] Is this where we talk about Azarenka’s new toy boy?

We talked a bit about him last thread, but he’s cute. So why not talk more about him?

We are pleased to announce that Arthur Ashe stadium will now be called Coco Gauff Stadium.

Elf’s problem is that he gift his rival too many free points.

R52, will they have a “Call it Coco” naming ceremony?

[quote]Coco and her partner win!

Coco and the MAGA teen will play Azarenka/Barty next

How do we know that McNally is a Trumpette?

American doubles star Mike Bryan was fined $10,000 for making a shooting gesture with his racket, aimed at a linesperson, during a match at Flushing Meadows on Saturday night.

R56 her instagram.

R57 That's in poor taste. I never liked the Bryan brothers but it was more because of their lame dad band than anything else lol.

Yeah Goffin got a beat-down, as BG would say. He clearly has NO belief versus Roger.

I hope Stan can find his form tonight.

[quote] DL meltdown over Serena's mom comments in 3-2...

What were her comments?

[quote] I’d eat that ass all day long!

Whose?

R60 Nothing different than any other new mom (parent) says after they have kids. Changed her life, best accomplishment, etc. I forget if it was Pam or Mary asking the questions, but they did go on and on asking about Olympia.

Koepfer looks like has some nice bounce going on or is that an extra (tennis) ball?

Koepfer's got all the right bulge and bounce.

[quote] but they did go on and on asking about Olympia.

Dukakis?

I don't know how you can't be an Osaka fan after that.

Koepfer is a hottie for sure.

Has tonight's crowd been riding Daniil or has it gone okay?

That's a redundant question, R67.

R62 I think the commentators said it was Olympia's first birthday today. So that may be the reason for the extra 'mom' questions in the interview.

She turned two today, R69. It was Mary Jo Fernandez asking her all of the "mom" questions. Serena sounded just like every other mother anyone has ever known, for better or worse.

[quote] She turned two today

Our agony has lasted that long already?

Why are all the top male players have some kind of "mental Issue"? is their any top male player that is more or less down to earth and normal?..

Svitolina def. Keys in straight sets.

Her game is completely unexciting to watch, but she is playing MUCH better than she did in Wimbledon and could be a surprise contender. She's a backboard. She gets everything back and gets it back DEEP, and will be tough to hit through for anyone left in the draw (including Serena).

The aforementioned Mike Bryan thing

Mike Bryan's apology:

I love Stan Wawrinka’s chest. So damn sexy.

Who made this?!? Lol

It's weird that Stan looks kind of chunky in shirts, but when you see a shirtless pic of him, he is ripped.

I don't find a single thing sexy about Stan Wawrinka.

Stan has poc marks on his face.

Weather is very windy in NYC, not hot. Just came back from supermarket.

Novak looks good. He has really good legs.

I just noticed, does stan have tats? I think I saw something on his forearm

I can't get past Rafa's ass in OPs photo.

Wawrinka has a tattoo on his arm that says 'Ever tried. Ever failed. No Matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better' It's from Samuel Beckett

Tattoos are all stupid.

Wawrinka has a nice lower body.

Vamos, Stan!!!

Novak is pretty much beating himself, though.

Where is the lovely Jelena?

I don't get how Stan has ingratiated himself to the NY crowd more than Djokovic? Why don't they love Novak? What is it about him? In interviews he seems like an intelligent, thoughtful guy.

I don’t get it myself, R90.

I see Novak has gone into victim-mode.

Whahhhh! Whahhhh! They don't like me!

he should have a chat with Medvedev about using that energy, lol

Djoko two sets down. The NY crowd really is rooting against him. There was a standing ovation after he lost the second set.

Novak has never had the crowd on his side. He's the Ivan Lendl of this generation. The crowd is really rooting for Stan. It makes sense. Stan has had a difficult time of it the last couple years. It's good to see him competing at the top of his game again.

Stan seems real. Novak doesn't.

The crowd smells Djokovic being an asshole with that retirement.

"i played super good tennis tonight" stan

Novak looks like a skeletal old man

What a punk ass bitch. Waawaa!

I’m losing so I’ll just leave. What a turd.

No wonder no one likes him. Arrogant asshole.

Djokovic only seems genuine when he's raging at the crowd or threatening or belittling someone. He's a megalomaniac.

some fan asked Stan to sign his forehead LOL

I saw that, R101 😂

[quote]some fan asked Stan to sign his forehead

He got a facial. A Stan facial.

Looks like were marching toward a Federer Nadal final

r104, I have tickets Sunday, and I would love to say I saw them play for a Slam.

That said, I'm not so sure it's inevitable. Medvedev or Stan could take him out in the semis. Moreover, Nadal could be vulnerable if Monfils plays out of his mind (that one I'm not so sure about, but I'm putting it out there).

Djokovic seems like a fucking psycho. His ego is insane so of course people dont like him. What's not to get?

Grandpa Fed seems more vulnerable than Rafa and has tougher opponents on his side.

On the ladies side, I think Osaka has this on lock. Also keeping a close eye on Görges who has been playing an awesome tournament and might finally go the distance. I think Serena can survive Wang, but she’s pretty susceptible against whomever wins Konta/Svitolina. Konta’s game is artless but she is a gadfly who can tire out Serena, and if Svitolina’s serve is clicking the way it did tonight against Madison Keyloids, Serena can’t beat her. #GEMSLife

[quote] I don't find a single thing sexy about Stan Wawrinka.

How about his ass?

Hello, Görges.

[quote] I think Serena can survive Wang

She can’t. None of them can. Only true Christian women who know that the piercing of an open wound is solely for procreation and not pleasure can survive the spear of flesh.

[quote] Djokovic seems like a fucking psycho. His ego is insane so of course people dont like him. What's not to get?

Precisely.

Stan team

Wawrinka team

[quote] Stan seems real. Novak doesn't.

Stan, despite all his personal faults, seems like a genuine person who recognizes his limitations and tries hard to overcome them. Novak, despite being almost inhumanly gifted in his talent, seems like he craves validation by the public yet seems so undeserving of it because his attempts to gain it seem forced and lacking any genuine appreciation for the public from which he seeks “love” and approval. He seems as thin of a human as his body in some photos.

[quote] I can't get past Rafa's ass in OPs photo.

Why not?

Fed now has a dream draw into the finals. Grigor will implode and Stan, who plays lights out against anyone else, bends over happily for Roger.

[quote] Novak looks good. He has really good legs.

I have never seen anything attractive about his legs.

I still think its weird that Djoko's wife is a no show at Slams.

[quote]I have never seen anything attractive about his legs.

I have never seen anything attractive about, full stop.

[quote] I still think its weird that Djoko's wife is a no show at Slams.

She showed up to a recent Wimbledon with their big-headed kid.

Wow - that was the biggest bitch move I’ve ever seen by Novak. He didn’t want to lose in straights and he just didn’t have the ability to dive deep into his mental reserves tonight. He wasn’t injured - he was losing. Let’s not forget early in his career he had more retirements than any top player - always when he was losing. He seemed really sad from the beginning that the crowd was against him and couldn’t get over it. Well - bye bitch.

Coco would have easily beaten Stan tonight

Can’t we someday please have a Bertens/Mertens final?!

Stan, how good is Coco at tennis?

[quote] Can’t we someday please have a Bertens/Mertens final?!

I would’ve loved to have seen Bartolo Colon and Doug Fister, baseball players, against each other.

Djokovic should’ve given up on being a fan favorite like Federer or Nadal and set himself up as the black hat of those three.

Monfils has actually looked super dialled in all tournament. I mean who knows if it will last but it's at least good to see. I am hoping he can at least challenge Nadal.

Unfortunately Federer has looked pretty invincible too after his early 'struggle' rounds. I need Stan to grow a pair and treat this like one of his slam winning runs. Or maybe evil Medvedev or young Grigor can spring back to life and give him a challenge.

At least we're spared another smug Djokovic slam winning speech. His stans here can be mad about another potential Fedal final but Djokovic has won 5 of the last 6 slams lol.

Alex Stevenson doing the match commentary? Seriously? How the fuck did this overrated hack land this gig? Affirmative Action? Her mom blackmailing someone with evidence of predatory lesbians in the locker room? Her dad's connections?

For those wondering why Novak doesn't get the crowd love? He so badly wants to be Fed and Nadal. But he just isn't. Frankly, he's probably more talented than both, but he's not the gazelle that Fed is or the bull that Nadal is. Both have also been consistent in how the deal with matches, crowds, winning and losing. In other words, they are who they are. Novak is constantly trying to change his mood, temperament, etc. It's too try hard.

I'm sick of Djokovic but to be fair his left shoulder has been bothering him. Playing a heavy hitter like Wawrinka couldn't have felt good in that area.

I just hope we don't get a fucking Fedal final again. ANYONE else I'll accept even if I hate Medvedev already. I'm ready for someone different in the men's game

Keys really should have gone for wider angles against Svitolina. Like Nadal she stands far back which means it's hard for players to hit through him with length but it opens up the wide angles. She served solidly and Keys gifted her errors so that resulted in straight sets

R130 Agreed re: Keys and Svitolina. If someone is standing that far back, go for the shorter angles.

Did anyone else catch Rafa being interviewed by Chris McKendry and Darren Cahill about his wedding planning? They asked him about the big day, and he looked confused until they dropped more hints as to what they meant... did he forget that his team are making him get married this year to keep up the charade? Lol.

Keys needs to dial 911 on her backhand. I only saw the last 10 minutes of the match and she made like 10 UE on it. You can't win if you net every other BH.

Keys doesn't have the consistency needed to win a Slam

MADISON KEYS: i need to go to plan B, oh wait, i don't have any plan B! (it's okay maddy, 99% of the other players don't either!).. in all seriousness her strokes/production racket back and follow thru are just too big, perhaps that is what she gets her power from, but it also lends her to mistakes especially on surface that are not uniform like hard court, i.e. grass, clay..

NOVAK: well his arm was hurting BEFORE this match and BEFORE the tournament started, he did receive a m.r.i. and this is the guy who for 2 years had a elbow injury but kept on playing, so i think novak does deserve some credit and certainly NO booing..

STAN: even with his pockmarked face from his youth (why didn't and hasn't he ever done anything about it?) he still is nice looking and attractive features wise... his body looks "chunky" because he LITERALLY is a bull and has the body of a rugby player!... great nips always hard in his sweaty shirt, thick but ripped abs, big legs and a great ass..

How can you be sick of Djokovic? What has he really done to earn the hatred of the crowd? So what if he wants to be loved? I'd say he wants to be appreciated. If he's survived to a potential semi vs. Lord God Roger I can't imagine how boorish the crowd would be against him.

OFF TOPIC: ARE THEIR ANY MORE INSANE RABID FANS THEN THE "FANS" OF SERENA!.. they literally act like trump supporters! on every single video on youtube of serena's matches so far in the u.s. open, you have people calling ANYONE i repeat ANYONE who dares mention anything negative about serena, including for whatever reason their #1 enemy CHRIS EVERT, racists! haters! ignorant! and so on! HUH?????????!

it's actually downright scary reading the comments people are posting like this! i mean the celebrity worshipping is off the charts! and i suspect 99% of them do not even KNOW tennis in the first place!...

you can post over and over and over and over again how evert, more then any other former champion male or female has praised, respected, saluted, given encouragement to serena and her sister, point out EXACTLY in videos where evert has done this for serena, how serena has publicly and privately thanked her, how serena has stated publicly along with BJK and her sister that evert is among the players present and in the past who she respects and admires, point out that it was evert who asked if serena was okay, and hugged her around the waist at last year's u.s. open final debacle, and afterwards stood behind serena vs the umpire argument, and evert literally nearly every match saying serena is the greatest, has the greatest serve of all time and so on and yet? NONE OF THIS GETS THRU TO THESE SERENA PEOPLE! THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT ACTUAL FACTS, RECORDED TRUTHS?! ... and why? because evert doesn't kiss her ass while she commentates and occassionally derides serena's play or praises her opponent's play?

i don't know why this gets to me so bad, but it's unbelievable THAT PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY OUT THERE AND THINK LIKE THIS!! like i said LITERALLY like a trump supporter!...

i suspect many of them are trolls because when you click on their user name on youtube, you see NOTHING, NO CONTENT whatsoever, so what does that say? and yes, truth be told, all of these people who are posting in their over the top serena is a goddess and can never ever ever do anything wrong are how should i say, the same race as her! IS THAT THE REAL TRUTH BEHIND IT ALL?...

I'll give it Evert, she is honest when talking about Serena. Gives her honest opinion when good and bad.

Monfils numbers against Nadal are really really bad. He needs to have an amazing day (like Tsonga at that Australian Open semis) to have a chance.

And Nadal never reacts well when he is questioned about his love life. He was very angry when the wedding day was published.

I'm happy Svilotina is doing well, she seems to be a nice lady, and all her fellow ukranian young players talk wonders about her (given how bitchy are young players that's almost a miracle).

Roger is playing really well, but Medvedev is still alive. Rafa is more a sure shot in the final.

And Osaka has Bencic (1-3 for the swiss on their h2h) and Andreescu on her draw. Not easy at all

You can say the same thing about Fed fans R136. No one can ever criticize their Lord & Saviour Roger

I still think Novak D looks like Norma Shearer.

[paste]And Nadal never reacts well when he is questioned about his love life. He was very angry when the wedding day was published.

Nadal is all class. There he is in an interview courtside at the US fucking Open fully expecting to talk about tennis, which is what he is 1000% dialed in to at the moment, and Chris McKendry tries to gush about his upcoming "special day". And she, like everyone, knows that Nadal considers his personal life his own. It was predatory of her to go after something that she knows full well he wishes to keep between his loved ones. He should have flipped right back and asked her about her wedding day. But he is all class and handled it well.

Some interesting matches on the schedule for today. Osaka-Bencic should be a good one. Bencic has kind of owned Osaka. Osaka is going to have to muster up the level she had against Gauff to win this one. But Bencic at Slams can kind of go off the rails. We'll see.

Nadal-Cilic. Ciilic has a very outside chance. I'd kill to see Nadal go out on the heels of Djokovic going out. If Nadal wins the USO, he'll probably be #1 at the end of the year. Boo!

A. Zverev-Schwartzman. Zverev beat him handily on hard courts last year. But Zverev stands too far behind the baseline and Shwartzman is like a gnat, buzzing around and annoying. Zverev will have to win this because Schwartzman is unlikely to lose it. Count on Zverev to overcomplicate things by playing inconsistently from set to set.

Andreescu-Townsend. I'm really looking forward to this one. Townsend can disconcert the baseline bashers by giving them another look. Andreescu will blast plenty of passing shots by Townsend, but will it wear Bianca down to have the pressure of someone always looming at the net? For those who said Halep should have lobbed Townsend, Cirstea did just that, but Townsend more often than not got back for the overhead. Andreescu has more variety than other baseliners, though. I think Andreescu wins this unless she gets unnerved by the crowd roaring for Townsend and Townsend swarming the net.

Rublev-Berrentini. I hope the Italian takes this one. I can't stand any of the Russians. Rublev, however, seems like he's on a mission. I think he'll get back to the USO quarters.

ALLEGEDLY BENCIC is suffering from 'foot problems" .. whatever that means exactly.. perhaps also the fact that it's the u..s open, it's arthur ashe stadium and the crowd will be utterly be behind osaka will unnerve bencic into brat behavior meltdown play..

#139.. yes federer fans are indeed rabid, but i think for the most part they KNOW the game of tennis and tennis history, they are knowledgeable, it seems (i hope i don't get alot of heat for this here on datalounge!) that serena's rabid fads are more celebrity worshipping, don't know the game or the sport and because of her race (i.e. the race card)..

Why does Wawrinka have such a terrible H2H against Federer (3-23)? Is there something about his game that makes it a bad match up for him, or is it basically a mental thing?

[quote] Why does Wawrinka have such a terrible H2H against Federer (3-23)? Is there something about his game that makes it a bad match up for him, or is it basically a mental thing?

They have a sort of big brother/little brother relationship with Stan being the little brother who is never good enough.

Fed doesn't get celebrity worship???? In what dimension of reality are you living???

Osaka really flat so far against Bencic. Bencic up a break.

Let’s see. In a sport which was almost exclusively dominated by white players, Venus and Serena came from modest backgrounds to change the industry in immeasurable ways. During their rise, they were accused of cheating, accused of being men, called gorillas, apes, the N-word. They were given bad line calls and cheered against because they were beating the fair haired favorites. Their sister was murdered. Serena had meltdowns, affairs and health problems. Each time both sisters came back strong.

So of course, many black tennis fans relate to them and Serena in particular. She’s messy, emotional, imperfect and often wrong. She’s also passionate, fierce and absolutely brilliant when it comes to playing tennis.

I used to actively root against Serena for many of the same reasons I now root for her.

We like who we like and dislike who we like. C’est la vie.

It's worth noting that Goerges and Bencic both GOATed during the indoor season last year. With the roofs closed, these conditions favour them (and their games match up well for the opponent).

R135 How can we be sick of Djokovic?? He won 4 of the last 5 slams!! And comes across as smug and arrogant! Not to mention his aggressive personality, his constant yelling at the fans, and all the Players Council drama which reflected poorly on him. We've gotten sick of other players for a lot less...

Very well-written, r148, especially this: "I used to actively root against Serena for many of the same reasons I now root for her."

I feel the same way about Serena, Djokovic, and Graf. Interestingly, the players I end up liking the most are often ones whom I initially disliked. Go figure.

McEnroe always articulates Novak's desperate need to be liked. He always throws the shade in a subtle way. Svitolina does seem like a nice one. I used not like her but she is a great defensive player.

Is Osaka sick? She's playing like shit

Agree, R152. She's playing with zero energy. Bencic will win this unless Osaka has a dramatic turnaround.

Bencic has her number...she beaten Osaka twice this year...

Yes, Novak's legs are nice. But his upper body looks like a pre-pubescent 12 year old.

osaka's about to lose

Novak DOES look like Norma Shearer.... if she hadn't eaten for 3 months and had suffered with the bubonic plague.

Meanwhile, Lexi Stevenson's latest piece of journalism..

McEnroe does not like Djokovic; he’s always super-bitchy whenever he’s covering one of Djokovic’s matches. It was kind of fun to hear it last night.

#1 of course federer is worshipped celebrity worshipped. however, for the most part as i stated before, these people KNOW the game of tennis and at least (unlike the serena fans) they are not 100% for him, and when asked and given information contrary to their thoughts, opinions and beliefs will understand and accept.. you can tell a serena fan (as i stated previously) who hate on EVERYONE and who hate on chris evert, actual facts, videos and truth and they STILL do not believe it, won't believe it, refuse to believe it and won't accept it!..and that is how they are different and how serena fans are like trump supporters.. when you ask them to point out IN DETAIL, exact words or actions that evert or others are "racists and haters" and disparage serena, NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM WILL (OR CAN?) . what does that say about them?!... when you point out the opposite the actual truth IN FACTUAL FACTS like publications, interviews, videos, they either won't watch it, don't want to watch it or ignore the MOUNTAIN of information completely contrary to their opinion and mindset!... that's the difference between a fed fan and serena fan.. AND YES, RACE PLAYS A HUGE PART IN THE SERENA AS GODDESS WHO CAN'T DO ANY WRONG AND NO ONE EVER DARE TO EVEN THINK SO MINDSET!..

SOME OF SERENA'S ISSUES have also been of her own making...

and yes, serena and venus came from humble beginnings, but the old myth of how they went from compton to playing on the tour with nothing in between and no one to help them is also false...

and yes serena and venus werel not treated the best when they first came on the scene, partly because of their father and his behavior i might add,, HOWEVER, THE VAST MAJORITY DID NOT TREAT THEM BADLY!..so the whole "chip on their shoulder" needs to be retired..

I miss when Djokovic looked like this...

It's truly amazing that you know every single Fed fan and Serena fan.

I don't like Svitolina's game, but she is supposedly a very nice person (which is something in the women's game these days).

Bencic really does own Osaka.

More clear than ever now it’s going to be a Serena Andreescu final. Look for the breakthrough.

Also this clip, she's really coming for Jim Courier's job.

SOME of the Fed fans, especially those who attend his matches, can be VICIOUS. They will actively cheer on a player's double faults and sloppy errors. They will be all decked out cheesily in his paraphernalia and start crying if he's on the verge of losing. They are also very hostile to Nadal and DJokovic. Of course it's not all of them, but a good number. They don't care about tennis-they care about seeing Federer winning all the time and breaking all the records. They hate that 2 other players threaten his place as the GOAT.

but I'm sick of the big 3. I've never been a Murray fan but I'm hoping he can return to his top form and get in the mix again. I can't believe that in 2019 I'm still waiting on someone new to win a slam in the men's game. I thought back in 2014 (5 years ago!!!) that the Cilic-Nishikori USO final would be a turning point for the men's game. That turned out to be just an exception.

I feel for Osaka. Her knee started hurting in Cincinnati and didn't full heal for her defense of the USO.

It looks like we're going to end up with another first time ladies' slam champ

Vekic def. Goerges after Julia had that enormous choke at 5-4 in the second set while serving for the match

so Bencic vs. Vekic for the SF. At least it's 2 more young players not random journeywomen

I'm not hating on Bencic-Vekic, both of whom can have attractive games (but neither of whom is ever too consistent, in keeping with the new WTA).

But much as like both of the players I am about to reference, Ahn-Townsend in a slam quarter would be a disaster for the WTA. A "plus-sized" qualifier and a journeywoman never ranked in the Top 100 (until next week) who got a wildcard in, it'd be spun as a coup for the USTA, but a mess for the tour, which has no one who can consistently win anymore.

I think Swartzman is going to destroy Zverev. He is player way better than Sascha and he is a fighter.

And about Serena fans, i just avoid forums that are full of Serena fans because after five minutes i feel the compulsive need to root for her rival, and i really like Serena. Once you say something that it's not the highest praise you are a hater, or even worse, a racist

Berretini-Rublev should be interesting. It's time for Matteo to translate this great season in a good result at a GS

I'd love to see Andreescu make her way through that top half. I see people on here are talking about injuries but currently she isnt playing like she is injured.

Berretini is really cute.

Did Serena twirl?

And Berrettini wins the first set very easily

Bencic v. Vekic is a Quarter Final not a Semi Final.

berrettini is playgirl/soap opera hunk pretty.. and gotta love his colored BIKINI! underwear under his shorts! ooh la la!... hurray that other players NOT from the u.s. wear and not morally oppressed to wear colored bikini underwear and/or only a jockstrap and nothing else under their shorts!

Berrettini’s Ass is insane for such a big tall dude. Wow

R175 when he is walking away from the camera I cant stop staring at it.

And Berrettini shows that you don't need to be a child prodigy to have a promising career ahead of you. I'm a little tired of watching Kuhn and Davidovich trashed on spanish forums just for don't be at the same level of the hype (and that's not even true for Davidovich who always was good but he won Wimbledon in his last year of junior) and it's totally absurd.

Not everybody progress equally fast. Berrettine never was a top 100 player and he was on the verge of his 22 birthday, and a year and a half later he could be top 20 and go far on a GS

And Swartzman lost his advantage in the second set too

They might as well give the trophy to Serena now. None of the clowns left in the draw stands a chance against her. Serena and Nadal have got to be the overwhelming favorites now.

Serenas not the only one left playing well. But she does have tons of experience(ya know being at least 10 years older than everyone) and the only one who has won a major or even been to a final. That experience will probably win it for her.

Serena has to be concerned only about Andresecu. Townsend who I used to make fun of - like everyone else - if she keeps coming in she'll mess up anyone's game.

R179: As long as Andreescu is there i don't think Serena is the only favourite.

And the same with Federer, on hard courts a good Federer can defeat Nadal

[quote]gotta love his colored BIKINI! underwear under his shorts!

The other day Berrettini was wearing white briefs

apparently Ajla Tomljanovic (Kyrgios' ex-gf) is in his bpx

[quote]in his bpx

box...lol

I don't think it's bad at all for the WTA if TayTo makes a deep run. She's playing inspired tennis, and it's a great 'story' which isn't being told well enough - because everyone is caught up ($$$) in Coco narrowly beating some scrubs in doubles. Nobody else in the draw has won 6 matches like she has, and she's really shaking up the way womens tennis is played (even if it goes no further than her). Also a great fuck you to Patrick McEnroe who banned her from playing here years ago despite being the top ranked junior.

That half of the draw has always been a bit barren though. Donna is lucky to be there today (Julia squandered MPs and hit three DFs serving for the match), and even though Bratty Bencic played awesome today, she still got lucky with the walkover from Kontaveit. Ahn or Mertens just survived the piss-weak part of the draw (neither has beaten a seed yet).

Berrettini is fantastic to watch. Lil' Diego is mostly outplaying Flopos but he keeps letting him off the hook when he has a lead. Having said that, Flopos' FH is a lot better today, it's usually the wing you try to target.

Is Ajla dating Berrettini or just friends?

Who comes out of that top half? Andreescu, Bencic or someone else? They havent won majors but have won premier titles so they shouldnt be overwhelmed.

Berettini has super skinny legs but that ass!

R183: Isn't Alja's cousin FAA supposed girlfriend?

Not judging but seems like girl gets around.

R190 To be fair Kyrgios has been with Ajla, DesiraeKrawczyk, Amanda Anisimova, and now Anna Kalinskaya all in the space of a few months. So it's not just the girls.

Oh I know Kyrgios gets around as well. Definitely a player on the tour.

Speaking of FAA, see Berrettini's comments back to him here...

And looks like Felix is becoming the Shawn Mendes of the ATP...

ewwww! who would want to be with nutjob asinine a-hole krygios! he always looks like he smells and needs to take a long scrubbing shower and bath! not attractive at all in the face, no body to speak of, so it MUST BE the ole old "bad boy" image turn on for women with little to no self respect!...

R194: And that perfectly explains why most nextgen are failing spectacularly.

They come to the circuit with hunger, but after some months or a year they seem more interested in posting pics with hot girls on instagram than winning GS

Kyrgios is sexy. And he's supposedly a sweetheart off the court.

Berretttini is absolutely stunningly beautiful. He's a "Malone" (from the DFTD thread).

I'm so glad Djokovic is gone. Not sure why I dislike him so much, but I always have.

I hope Nadal takes it all. Love his intensity, focus, and respect for the game.

Kyrgios is not even cute

And Berrettini is serving to win.

Till now, way easier than expected

I saw Matteo live last week and he was a sight to see with his see-through shorts. He was wearing white briefs that day.

Berrettini is more a Frankie than a Malone, R197, but very easy on the eyes either way.

And Berrettini lost his serve.

It's a very bad sign not being able to hold serve when you are serving for match, and most young player have a real problem with that

R183 yesm Tomljanovic is shagging Berrettini

I understand they are constatly travelling but they seem very endogamic, some wta players dated half atp and viceversa

And Berrettine finally won. He complicated his life a bit in the end

My dream ATP final is Wawrinka v Berrettini (or LaMonf)..... a pipe dream I know, but just gonna put it out there into the universe.

At the net, Berrettini lifted his shirt and he has very nice abs. He is beautiful. And I am imagining a huge one.

My goodness, that Russkie literally looked like a crack addict.

He looked like shit.

Diego two sets up!!!!! He is adorable.

yes, I did think the Russian looked malnourished the other night but he played so well.

Maybe he's running out of gas...he needs to eat more.

I googled Berrettini, there are pics of him lifting his shirt to show off his abs.

Go Schwartzman!!

he loves to lift his shirt

Thank God Berrenttini beat cadaverous Rublev. I agree with the ESPN commentators that Rublev is too one-dimensional. His answer to everything is hit the ball harder. He only has one plan.

That reminds me that listening to one of the matches the past couple days on DirecTV, which had multiple matches on different channels, Virginia Wade was commentating. VW mentioned that she thinks the next young women players to break through will need variety. VW thinks the baseline basher days are numbered. Too many play like that, so the next great player with variety will take over the tour. I hope her prediction comes true.

omg, look at this female American, she's wrapped up like a mummy.

Rublev is just like Shapovalov, they are very good shotmakers, but their game lacks variety

His shorts are soaked

who are journeyman/journeywoman left?

Zverev flopping again? What an overrated bore.

Who is the tall adjacent guy?

And the curious thing is this is his best year on GS. I know a quarterfinal and two 4th rounds are not that much for someone who is a top player for quite some time but it's the best he did till now (curiously in his worst year)

F. Zverev

[quote] McEnroe always articulates Novak's desperate need to be liked. He always throws the shade in a subtle way.

He may have not had subtlety in his on-Court behavior, but he can at times be subtle in his comments.

What is Shapo’s skin color?

Rublev is just so unpleasant to watch. Not just his appearance but his surly attitude, that awful Kuznetsova grunt, and the one-dimensional game. He sulks to his box after every point he loses.

I much prefer Basilashvili in terms of headcasey ball bashers. He's easier on the eye and a lot calmer / quieter.

Lil' Diego better not fuck this match up.

R223 is that supposed to be a joke or what

Basically the Russian players are just kind of a-holes.

Berrettini is divine.

Zverev is fucked.

Rublev's plan when he is losing is hitting the ball harder and that only makes him losing faster.

But i like him, he had a lot of injuries and a tough time and he seems determined to succeed.

He used to be the best nextgen behind Zverev and must be tough watching all other youngster getting more success while you are injured

And with all the results at the US Open FAA is outside of top 20 again

Zverev lost a point for shouting an obscenity. Fuck you...but to whom?

[quote] R223 is that supposed to be a joke or what

Not at all. Genuine question.

His own box

6’6 Zverev bending over for 5’7 Shortman. Zverev’s forehand is faster than Shortman’s first serve. How is he losing? Lmao!

Chrissie Evert's pussy

R230: He is blond, take your own conclussions.

R232: Lil Diego is 5' 6

Lovely Matteo and Lil Diego!

What a day!

[quote]omg, look at this female American

Kristie Ahn

yay Lil' Diego!

Schwartzman seems like a really nice guy. Happy for him.

By the looks of his hands, I bet he has a big cock.

I don't think so. stub more likely.

I love me some El Peque. His heart must take up 80% of his 5'6' body mass.

The Argentinian named Schwartzman beat the German named Zverev?

Nope. Those are nice big hands with long fingers.

Diego is adorable and I bet he throws a mean fuck

[quote] I love me some El Peque.

Who?

It's Lil Diego's nickname in Argentina - 'El Peque' = El Pequeño = 'The Little One'

Lil Diego has heart like no one's business. Like Rafa.

[quote]The Argentinian named Schwartzman

I think he's Jewish

[quote]Basically the Russian players are just kind of a-holes.

I think Khachanov is an okay guy.

El Peque! He is constantly blessing us with shirtless / underwear photos on his Instagram stories and now he blesses us with a defeat of the Flopos!

In all seriousness, it's insane to me how defensively Zverev plays considering his height. You're twice the size of your opponent and possess a lot more firepower yet you're 2 metres behind the baseline pushing the ball back in while he dictates? Absurd. It's not just the terrible 2nd serve letting him down, it's the lack of a winning attitude.

R249 Sascha is too thin. I don't think he has power to blast groundies. Even Medvedev has more meat on him.

[quote]Basically the Russian players are just kind of a-holes.

[quote]I think Khachanov is an okay guy.

His wiki page says he's Armenian.

What does Diego think about Coco?

lol R252. Chris McKendry even led her interview with Rafa by asking about Coco.

Ahn...offed.

Glad Li'l Diego won!

I like Djokovic. I don't understand why people fault him for wanting to be loved by the crowd. I'm not at all disputing he does...it's very obvious...but why is that a bad thing? I felt bad for him last night. I'd rather have someone like him than that scum Kyrgios any day of the week.

K. Hemsworth

Djokovic is this generation's Lendl. He's a great player who will just never have the crowd behind him. Lendl just accepted it and singularly focused on winning. Djokovic gets distracted by his neediness. Personally, I'd rather see Djokovic win Slams than Nadal.

[quote] I think he's Jewish

Djokovic looks like mid-20th century Polish Jew in OP pic.

Yes, Djokovic is such a charmer...threatening onlookers that he'll "come find" them, yelling at the crowd to shut the fuck up, supporting Gimelstob, screaming at ballboys. It's a real mystery as to why he's not adulated and adored.

Djokovic is a thousand times more likeable than Ivan Lendl.

I saw Bianca the other day at the Open. She's intense. Focused. She seems to be enjoying it.

Lendl wasn't that bad. He just came to get the job done with a minimum of nonsense.

Connors, however....

R260, you're missing the comparison. I didn't write anything about either's likability. I wrote that the crowd just never supported these two players despite how good they are. But yes, Djokovic is more likable than Lendl.

Lendl wasn't likeable but those two vulgar hoodrat thugs, Connors and McEnroe, we're?

Were, not we're. Damn autocorrect.

I went to many matches in the 1980s. The crowd never rooted for Lendl. They rooted hard for Connors, though. They rooted for McEnroe next. If it was Connors-McEnroe, the crowd rooted for Connors. Whether a player is likable or not doesn't necessarily translate to crowd support.

Connors was the worst scum imaginable...until Nick Kyrgios came along. I like to think about how John McEnroe's entire career would have gone differently if Hawkeye existed during his time. Connors would have been scum no matter what.

Connors and Nastase were the worst blight ever to hit the pro courts. Kyrgios and Medvedev haven't quite gotten that low yet.

Barty and Azarenka committing child abuse on Grandstand and exposing "McCoco". 6-0 6-1.

^ damm, gurls

Matteo

Curse that water bottle!

Rafa in the house!

berrettini! and andujar! whew! what a sexy hot pair! add in krachanov and you have the male dark haired version of charlie's angels! laugh!...

Monfils and Svitolina are clearly helping each other out in more ways than one,

Rafa just asked for the a/c to be turned on at his seat. I had no idea! Very nice.

Berretini isn't really the type I'd go for, but god damn he's hot. I'd punch Jesus Christ in the face for the chance of carnal knowledge.

La Monf Magique!

Le Monf may be the only chance to take out Nadull, and even that is a slim chance. :-(

Matteo's shorts

Tiger woods in the house.

gross

Anyone else recognize the ball/towel boy on the near side of the court? He's been a ball boy for what seems like ten years. He must be in his late 20's by now. He's kinda cute.

Cilic is a pussy who gave away the 3rd set. Nadal is a cunt who will not lose.

Hey bois

Spectacular implosion from Cilic in the third set.

Maybe he shouldn't have spent those seven minutes changing his clothes after he won the second.

I’m at least glad Cilic didn’t let Nadal steamroll him in straight sets. That said, yeah, epic implosion.

At least Cilic won a set, but yeah, it's a complete bitch roll-over right now. Cilic ix showing why h never won another Slam after the 2014 US Open. He basically lucked into a final against another first time Slam finalist (Nishikori), who played like shit. Cilic has reached the finals of a couple others, but he lost because he's a pussy.

Cilic was playing very intelligent tennis, though, during the second set; he was using the angles and making Nadal move all over the court. If he'd kept it up he might've won.

Zverev vs Schwartzmann....when they shook hands/hugged at the end it triggered my size contrast fetish. Wow. Both of them are hot, too.

R288 It had less to do with Cilic's intelligent tennis and more to do with Nadal's passive play in the second set. He was standing a mile behind the baseline to return second serves and his returns were landing inside the service box. He made adjustments and became more aggressive.

I've been enjoying Taylor Towncouncil's run in this tournament, but I'm afraid she's careening towards an epic ass-whooping tonight by Binaca Ceaușescu, whom I think probably has the best shot among all the remaining ladies at winning all the marbles. Although who fucking knows. Any of the remaining gals is capable of choking across the net from any of the other remaining ladies. Mostly I'm just hoping that one of the North Americans wins. Gravy if it's Serena, but that seems very unlikely given how much of a headcase she's turned into since becoming a mother. She had a baby, fyi, and she's a mother first and a tennis player second.

Rafa has the longest smile lines down from the sides of his eyes of any person I've ever seen in my life.

Who is that trash Tiger Woods is with? With all that money and he can't find a decent looking gf?

I adore Rafa.

I adore Rafa, his butt picking and his three dollar weave.

Nadal was actually looking pretty rugged and hot tonight, but his whole look is spoiled by that baldness blitzkrieg.

Lord! Who are these two great big fat women playing now, sweating like pigs?

They are so large I'm shocked they can move about the court.

And neither of them are playing very well.

What do we think Sloane is spiking her chocolate milk with tonight?

R297 He looked great with his shirt off.

Who’s at R285?

Why are journeyman and clay specialist considered funny on DL tennis threads? Why do posters ask about Shapo’s and Borna’s skin colors?

Tiger woods is into trashy woman. The current one is a super fan, she tried to meet him on many occasions and eventually worked in a place he co-owns, met him and sank her trailer trash nails into him.

It's very muggy out there. Townsend probably lost several pounds tonight.

Donald Young Sr. - That is a gay man.

[quote] Alex Stevenson doing the match commentary? Seriously? How the fuck did this overrated hack land this gig? Affirmative Action? Her mom blackmailing someone with evidence of predatory lesbians in the locker room?

Who needs blackmailing? They’re all lesbians. All of them!

R301 Matteo Berrettini

Thanks, R307.

Bianca wins, but not in straight sets. She does seem to be good at grinding out wins. Taylor Townsend (Sigh, Townhouse is so funny) is in better shape than she's ever been... more muscle than fat there now, where it counts.

Anyone else think that Zverev looks a bit like Bel Ami's Kieran Benning? Just me? In case you wanted to see him fucking heh.

I want Serena to win and get closer to shitting on Margaret Court's record, but god I would like to see Andreescu be the other finalist. Everyone else on that side is either a tantrum throwing brat (Bencic), a sulky mental midget (Vekic), or a pushing hack that has gotten to the QF without playing a single top 50 player (Mertens).

Would probably be the best matchup, tennis wise too (nobody wants to see Konta's shonky technique in a slam final).

Margaret Court at R306, what do you think of Coco?

R310 Bianca threw a tantrum tonight in the second set. She hit a ball out into the crowd but her hand was so sweaty that her racket went flying and landed under the chair umpire

she was also aggressively yelling c'mon at some points even when Taylor made a bad error. They did hug at the end. Andreescu seems like a nice person off-court but during matches she's a bit arrogant and off-putting.

Regardless of whether she wins this USO or not, I want to see her playing Sharapova, Halep, Putintseva, Bencic, Osaka and Keys soon. Those would be entertaining matches.

Townsend did well in the second set tonight. She botched a number of game point opportunities in both the first and third sets though. Andreescu's serve was inconsistent but she was never going to lose this match.

I'm so glad Nadal won. Hope he takes it all. And yes, I want Serena to smash Margaret Court's (fake) record. I'm sick of hearing about that homophobic bitch.

Court is a cunt, but why is her record fake? She won her titles fair and square.

The on court interview by Nadal with Rinaldi (Who that?) was very good. Sweet and funny. I think I might be starting to like Nadal again. And the second to last point of the match was epic. One of those beautiful things that Nadal produces often but it matched his energy to that of the crowd and it was exceptional. I never scream at the TV but I did yesterday.

no Fedal final PLEASEEEEEEEEE

Every time I see Rafa, aka Corkito, being interviewed, I hear this:

Rafa when he plays like this is a force of nature. Not sure anyone can beat him in this form. Stan, maybe, if he's peak Stan. I'm not sure Gramps has it in him anymore.

Gramps isn't going to beat Rafa. This title is guaranteed for Nadal.

I kind of want Medvedev to win just to piss off the crowd lol.

R320. that would be too good

R312: Maybe she was a bit annoyed with people in the crowd chanting double fault when she was serving

R319: Gramps beated Rafa everytime they played outside clay in recent years. I think Rafa is the favourite, but it's not a sure shot

depends on how the court plays that day (sunday) in the finals... right now, according to the tennis commentator "experts" that court is playing medium to slow, which helps rafa against roger.......... if for whatever reasons, the court gets fast on that day (closed roof? humidity? etc) this would help roger... roger has the advantage in that he did beat rafa at wimbledon and since 2017 is 6-1 against rafa the only loss at this year's french open on what else clay...

personally, the universe owes roger another u.s. open win after all the years of disappointment at the open (twice losing to novak 2 years in a row when he had matchpoints in both matches!) and the MONUMENTAL disappointment of wimbledon this year!

Can you imagine the crowd behavior if Federer and Medvedev meet in the semis? The crowd is already so pro-Federer, and it's already very anti-Medvedev. The atmosphere would be even more intense than a Davis Cup match.

Gramps isn't beating a rested and in-form Nadal in a best of 5 match on hard courts at this stage of their careers. Best of 3, maybe.Best of 5, unlikely. Rafa will make him cry like a bitch again as he did at the Australian Open once.

It's a tough call. Nadal had some patchy play last night. He hit some great shots, but Cilic was gifting Rafa with a lot of unforced errors. Federer serves better than Cilic and can use the short court better. But Nadal is feisty and Federer will have to play near his best if he has a shot. I think it's a toss-up with a slight advantage to Nadal.

Nadal and Andreescu have these titles - but surely there will be some entertaining matches along the way. Hoping for a serena Bianca final with Bianca showing she would have beaten her in canada fair and square (also - ironically enough I can’t remember a player coming seemingly out of no where right to the top and immediately respected as a favorite since Nadal in 2005). She’s scary good.

Hoping for a Fedal final - not sure why people don’t want it. Sure you may be tired of it, but for such history and the two greatest, it’s only fitting that they would at least play at the US Open one time in their careers. And as Brad Gilbert said, would be the highest rated tennis match of all time perhaps.

Exciting.

Nice, R320/R321. I kind of want Medvedev to meet inadvertently with Gunter Parche.

[quote] Margaret Court at [R306], what do you think of Coco?

Lesbian. Of course.

R314, most of her titles (11) of her titles were Aussie Opens, at a time when hardly any of the top plays played that Slam on any consistent basis. This isn't like Rafa winning 12 French Opens having to play against Fed, Novak, Murray, Stan, etc every year. Granted, she still would have a slew of Slams, just not 24.

To add to R330, for much of the time she played, the winner of the prior Aussie Open automatically went to the final the next year.

Wouldn't humidity slow down a court? Balls are damp etc..?

I do not remember people caring at all about Margaret Court while Steffi Graf was dominating the women's tour.

For Court's first four Aussie titles (1960-1963) she beat Jan Lehane (who?) in the finals.

Yes, tennis historians have always downgraded Margaret Court's 24 total Slams because of what R330 and R331 wrote. Chris Evert's and Martina Navratilova's 18 Slams apiece were considered greater accomplishments than Court's 24. Steffi Graf's 22 was the Gold Standard until Serena beat that.

But many downgraded Steffi's record because Monica Seles, who was dominating the WTA tour and had Steffi's number in the Slams, was stabbed, left the tour for over two years, and was never the same player again. A fat, out of shape Monica almost beat Steffi in her second tournament back (the US Open) despite not playing for two years. I think Steffi would have had far fewer Slams if Monica had stayed in the game.

R335 you think she would have fewer slams? You don’t need a brick to fall on your head to know that a 19 year old that just won 7 out of the 8 previous slams entered would have won more than a few more than she did - and in contrast Graf would have less. Didn’t Graf win the next 4 slams following Seles’s absence and 6 total during the time off? Sure she may have won 1 or 2 of those, but still....

That isn't true, R331. The challenge round draw was long gone by the time Court started playing. She didn't get automatic byes to the finals.

In that case you'd need to penalise Chrissie as well. Every single French Open she won in the 1970s came at the expense of second tier competition like Ruzuci, Morozova, Turnbull and a fat pre-defection Martina. If Court won her titles against poor opposition so did Chrissie.

is Monfils dating svitonlina? He's at the match

R339 welcome to 2019. Or maybe even 2018?

[quote]In that case you'd need to penalise Chrissie as well. Every single French Open she won in the 1970s came at the expense of second tier competition like Ruzuci, Morozova, Turnbull and a fat pre-defection Martina. If Court won her titles against poor opposition so did Chrissie.

But weren't the top-ranked women like Goolagong, Billie Jean King, and also Margaret Court playing at the French during the 1970s?

^^Also, Virginia Wade and Sue Barker were playing in the French during the 1970s.

Goolagong, BJ King and Margaret Court did not play any French Open between 1974 and 1980. In 1974 Goolagong was banned because she played World Team Tennis.

Sue Barker actually won the French, of course.

Without her top rival Goolagong in the field, Chrissie's competition was as laughable as Court's Oz Open fields, Steffi Graff's completion when Monica Seles was stabbed or even Serena's piss poor competition after the Belgians retired and Venus stopped being a contender in the first decade.

The French still had decent competition! Back then it took a LONG time to get to Australia (still does) and not many wanted to travel just to play one or two tournaments. The travel was more expensive than the prize money for most players, even if you won the whole thing in some cases.

The Australian Open also just wasn't very prestigious and didn't draw the top names. Actually the Sydney tournament (which just had its last year in 2019) had more prestige and a longer history, with a bigger audience and coverage back in those days.

Even well into the 80s the AO was still held on grass, in one year was held twice (in Melbourne and the Gold Coast).... even non-slam tournaments like Rome were much more legitimate.

Add to this that most of Margaret Court's AO titles were not in the Open Era, so she didn't have to play any professionals. Literally just a few local amateurs, she was given BYEs into the 2nd rounds, faced a walkover in one final, and never had to win more than 5 matches to get the title (Serena, Steffi, Martina, Chris etc. had to win 7 matches to win all their grand slams).

For this reason (the Open Era thing) nobody counted her record as THE record. When Serena had 22 it was all about beating THE all time record and the graphics they showed on the sports channel referred to Graf. People just decided to say the Margaret Court thing once Serena became the record holder fair and square. They shifted the goalposts.

For comparison's sake, people refer to Federer having the all time record with 20 slams. When actually Ken Rosewall has 23 (8 of which were pre Open Era). Why are Margaret Court's pre-Open Era slams counted to disallow Serena the record, but Rosewall's are not so Roger can have his?

Lol at Sue Barker being regarded as top competition. She won the French Open in a year when even Chris did not play. No Evert, no Martina, no Goolagong, no King. Barker was the frickin top seed that year, the field was that horrible.

Today is Domicakes birthday. How are celebrating?

Konta out!

you should check Dom's insta stories...there is a pic of him with blonde hair and in the pic, he has the same hair, sunglasses and necklace as his male friend. His friend's profile is private so can't link the pic.

[quote] Even well into the 80s the AO was still held on grass

I miss that.

R338 is correct. Evert only won 3 French Opens - 83, 85-86 against top players. Those other years the best women (King, Goolagong) were either playing WTT or pregnant (Court) or as stated Martina was 17/18 and not at peak performance. Evert had a mental thing about playing Goolagong and she lucked out that Evonne was barred from the French by the French Federation who wouldn't allow WTT players to participate.

The aforementioned moment when Berrentini shows his abs.

R346, the Open Era distinction is irrelevant for women because they had no established professional tour whereas on the men's side, a lot of the top men turned pro and were then banned from playing the Grand Slams. For the women the top players were all still amateurs and the same women dominated tennis after they went pro, so I feel BJ King, Court and Bueno's pre 1968 wins are just as relevant. Not so on the men's side. Rod Laver turned pro after completing the Grand Slam in 1962 and then did not play a single Slam until 1968.

He certainly is lovely. Love to see him in a speedo

Here it is R350 . They look like Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Bruno'

R355, he's average. His shorts were soaked in the last match. normal looking bulge.

R325: Gramps was on the verge to defeat an in form Djokovic at Wimbledon. He defeated Rafa five of the last six times they met. Yes, he probably has no chance against Nadal on a fifth set, but he is able to defeat Rafa in four like he did at Wimbledon.

I find amusing that Zverev had the nerve to criticize Medvedev and Tsitsipas for their behaviour on court. He better improve his behaviour first

At the same time, R352, Chris Evert didn't play the French for three years (1976, 77, and 78). Was that because she had also joined the WTT and was banned?

R354: The problem with Court's record is her number of Australian open titles. She was the best on her era, but a lot of her titles came from a GS that most of the other top players didn't play

Is Flopos holding a grudge because Julia Apostoli (Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mother) played and beat Irina Zvereva (Alexander Zverev’s mother) in the 1994 Athens ITF final?

Re: the surface, I don't think the slowness *helps* Rafa's game, but it does *impede* Roger's. Nadal can do well on quick surfaces but he more likes a high bounce

R327: And for sure they have some things in common because Nadal's injuries prevented him from playing RG in 2003 and 2004. In 2005 he went from being 40 or so to be number 4 in just a couple of months after clay season. Andreescu had some ups and downs this season, but if she stays healthy she could be the one to beat from now on

I. Zverev

[quote] He certainly is lovely. Love to see him in a speedo

Rod Laver?

Can Svitolina finally break through at a major? Shes playing well but Serena will probably be too much for her.

Chris did skip the French for a few years because she was playing World Team Tennis. Chris was undefeated on clay for years, so she would have probably won two if not the whole three she skipped. Tennis was in a flux back then with competing tours. Lots of players in the 1970s skipped the French.

serious question. do the ladies take shots like the women in military so they don't get their periods?

Just out of curiosity, was it just the French (and not Wimbledon, the US Open, and Aussie) that was banning WTT players in the 1970s? And, if so, anyone know the reason?

R314 Because Court won half her slams before the open era. She won a bunch of Australian Open when Aussies were the only ones allowed to play. Before this nonsense, Graf was the undisputed GOAT until Serena passed her. Court is irrelevant. Hell, she’s not in the same conversation of greatness wit the likes of Evert and Navratilova, let alone Serena.

Maybe the military women gets shots, I don't know, but when you're on birth control pill the only thing you have to do to NOT have your period on any given day(s) is to keep taking the pill for as long as you don't want to have your period.

Which reminds me that story when Graf had lost the French Open final against Sanchez-Vicario (if memory serves me well) and was asked in the press conf why she looked so at odds that day and her concise answer had been: "period".

only Aussies were allowed to play when Court won her pre-1968 titles ? Where do you people get this nonsense from? How did the American Maureen Connolly complete her Grand Slam in 1953 then?

Someone early said Court automatically went to finals as defending champion back in the 60s but from what I looked up that was bogus as well.

And Graf was the "undisputed" GOAT before Serena? What a joke. She had her biggest rival removed forcibly from the game for more than two years.

If we examine the level of competition every great faced in her prime, Martina is pretty much the only one who consistently played and beat top quality opposition for a majority of her major triumphs. All the others went through long periods without any top opposition.

[quote]If we examine the level of competition every great faced in her prime, Martina is pretty much the only one who consistently played and beat top quality opposition for a majority of her major triumphs. All the others went through long periods without any top opposition.

I think you are right, but it would be interesting to do a quantitative analysis, sorta like they do for college football rankings, in which certain wins are give more weight depending on the strength of the opponent.

i would put evert in the category with martina who faced other great champions for 20 years... evert even better since she NEVER had bad losses (ala martina before martina became MARTINA) in 20 years of tennis at the top... evert and martina went from king, court, goolagong, wade, to austin, jaeger, mandlkova to graf, seles, sabatini... and they started with wood rackets and then had to make the transition to changing rackets and stroke production and athleticism as they got older and the game change to being a great athlete and a great tennis player....

NO WAY NOW HOW was evert NOT going to win those french opens she skipped due to WTT, some state that evert had 2nd class opponents in those 70's french open wins, but they seemingly don't realize that king would never beat evert on clay, by then in the mid 70's court wouldn't either and only goolagong would have been a challenge and goolagong herself hadn't beaten evert on clay since 1973. remember evert had that 125 match winning streak on clay from 1973 to 1979 against any and all.....

evert also only played the aussie 6 times in her entire career!...and got to the finals every year she did play..

and yes, the FRENCH OPEN WAS THE ONLY grand slam that didn't allow players to play it if they were in WTT, shooting off their nose in spite of their face...connors in 1974 possibly could have won the grand slam but he was banned from playing the french that year when he won 3 out of grand slam titles..

in regards to graf vs seles, i tend to believe that graf would have ended up (as she did anyway regardless or not of seles never being the same player she was when she came back) with the head to head edge over seles, i think she was actually starting to get her number.. . and of course it's not graf's fault that seles wasn't the same player (overweight, lack of motivation, etc.)...

R375, we were definitely robbed of what could have been one of the most compelling rivalries in women's tennis: Graf v. Seles. I agree with you that, even though Seles had quite the edge pre-stabbing, Graf would have done something to even the playing field. I think, for example, that Graf might have returned to her topspin backhand, which she had used earlier in her career. Seles would have pushed Graf to up her game, just as Navratilova pushed Evert to reach a new level in fitness.

And speaking of Evert, her record on clay was unbelievable and I don't necessarily buy that she wouldn't have won as many French Opens in the 1970s if all the top women had been playing. Goolagong beat Evert a total of five times but never on clay. BJ King beat her three times, but never on clay.

The Seles-Graf rivaldry was in a very interesting point when the loon attacked Monica. It was pretty clear than the old Graf was back but Monica was a very tough opponent and it could have been the most interesting moment in women tennis.

It seems the domination of the young players on boys competition is going to stop at the US Open. Mochizuki had a lot of problems, Rune is on the verge of elimination, Damm was eliminated and Alcaraz is not even playing here. Only Kodat won easily

JESUS! WATCHING THE 1ST SET OF the wawrinka and medvedev match and it's a contest who can play crappier! medvedev already had a injury time out for his thigh, playing like he is beyond worn out already (due to his previous matches) even though it's only the first set and STAN can't put this guy away! really?!.. ridiculous!. stupid errors, unforced errors and so on on stan's part.. horrible match by both of them so far!...

medvedev is standing on the baseline acting like he doesn't want to or can't move and hitting ridiculous drop shots and then stan is barely getting to them and then medvedev hits lobs over his head for winners! medvedev resorting to hacking and dropshots and wawrinka is dumbfounded and clueless!..it's EMBARRASSING!...early in this set, medvedev his 3 double faults IN A ROW! AND STILL HELD HIS SERVE!..

MEDVEDEV is up/was up 5-2 in the tiebreaker then lost 4 points in a row, wawrinka had set point at 6-5 and serving and blows it with a simple unforced error! comedy of errors this match is too bad it's not funny... AND JUST NOW? another "hack from the baseline drop shot" by medvedev and wawrinka gets to it in plenty of time and pushes it 5 feet over the baseline! MEDEVEDEV WINS THE 1ST SET JUST NOW WITH 21 UNFORCED ERRORS AND 9 DOUBLE FAULTS!!!! SHAMEFUL STAN!..

Clown Era in tennis. The Big Three and then a large company of clowns.

R379, that’s a clown post, bro.

Wawrinka really blew that set. I still think he has an edge though as Medvedev is serving like Ostapenko and physically hampered.

Sometimes I forget just how young and just how good Seles was before the stabbing. She was only 19 and had already won eight grand slams (in fact she won *EIGHT* OF THE LAST NINE she played before the stabbing... the only one she didn't win - Wimbledon - she made the final). That's astounding. Graf was 24 or 25, should have been in her prime slam-winning years, and was being blocked by this young whippersnapper. No wonder her fan stabbed Seles.

I respect Steffi's game but from that early dominance alone and still with quite a raw game, it looked like Monica was about to go on a TEAR, and Steffi didn't *really* bother her. We can't say for certain, but she was young, aggressive, full of confidence, and good on all surfaces. The two handed groundstrokes were hard to read and she would attack any second serve.

It's speculative, but considering how much she dominated them just before the stabbing, I think she takes at least another 8 or so grand slams, most of Steffi's in that period and even ASV's / Sabatini's / Martinez's would have been in jeopardy with Monica at the peak of her powers.

seles and connolly are perhaps the 2 greatest 'what could have been" unknowns in the history of women's tennis... along with lenglen vs wills what would have happened if they played more then that famous 1 time encounter...

in regards to # 376.. goolagong did beat evert on clay at the 1973 italian open. and later that summer at the western open... this western open loss would be the last evert loss on clay for the next 6 years until she lost to austin 7-6 in the 3rd set at the italian open (evert really should have won this match as she was up 4-2 with a point for 5-2 in the 3rd set) and evert would then win 81 more matches in a row on clay before her 1981 loss to mandlikova at the french.. so from 1973 to 1981 a record of 206-1!...

[quote] Only Kodat won easily

A Kodat moment.

R375 on what evidence do you say Graf was starting to get her number? Seles had beat her in 3 out of 4 grand slam finals they played in, including the last one. It was psychological. Seles had her number. End of.

Thanks for the correction R382, and for being so polite about it. I was relying on the website below and, for whatever reason, it doesn't list the '73 Italian Open or Western Open losses. Hmmm...

STAN ABOUT TO LOSE THE 2ND SET TOO! TO A 50 TO 75% PHYSICALLY there MEDVEDEV! are you kidding me with this!.. the whole crowd in arthur ashe is stunned silent!... i've never seen a top professional tennis player playing so so poorly and losing so so badly to a player medvedev who literally isn't physically there except for his 1st serve !medvedev is hardly moving!..the whole audience is for stan too.. even patrick mcenroe is saying medvedev seeming to be totally out of it physically is amazing now up to a 2 set lead!...

stan should be winning this like 6-2 6-2 by now instead as i type this he is down 7-5 6-3!!!!!!!!

R384: On GS Seles was better during those years, but there were very close matches, and outside GS Graf was winning, and Graf was improving on 93, she was playing clearly better. It would be enough to defeat Seles on GS? Who knows. On Wimbledon Graf was probably to have some advantage, on the rest, it will be pretty close (but Seles had a mental advantage).

Graf could have win more GS without her injury, a subpar Graf at 1999 was able to win RG and reach the Wimbledon final

#385... no worries buddy.. chrisevert.net is your/our friend and there is tons of information on that site, match record in singles and doubles for each year as well as alphabetical list of opponents and the head to head with each...

#384:.. graf lead seles 6-4 head to head BEFORE the stabbing and won every match except one against seles afterward..

OH LOOKEY, STAN IS UP 2-0 IN THE 3RD SET (after losing the 1st 2 sets!) and NOW he is raising his arms up trying to get the crowd and himself into it! NOW he wants to do this???!!!!!!!

R387 Graf was playing well that tournament and beat decent players on her way to the final, but she was lucky Hingis exploded when up a set and *5-4. Before all the meltdowns she was being comfortably outplayed, and even after the meltdowns she was about to be defeated before the crowd and Hingis came to a head right when she was about to win.

I think Margaret Court needs a lesbian lover. Who should the sacrificial lamb be?

That 1999 French Open women's final is one of my all-time favorite matches. I remember that, while Graf was recovering from an injury a year or so earlier, Hingis had made some rude comments about the game having passed Graf by. Well, Hingis sure got her comeuppance that day in Paris, and I don't think she was ever the same after that humiliating loss.

Thanks, R388. You are a true gentleman.

#393. i try, i try.. thanks for the compliment!..

[quote]#393

just use R instead of # if you want to reply to a post

394, what does it matter?....not sure though what you mean by just using "R"?..

R389: Yes, she was lucky, but that was a low cost version of Graf, and she was still competitive

R391: Hingis was very talented, but she was a complete bitch on her prime

I just came back from running errands and I saw Mrs. Roger F! She was by her lonesome self. I saw her in 7-11, she was buying drinks and who knows what. Dressed in oversized white shirt and black tights and sneakers. She's taller than I thought she would be.

I crossed the street and waited to see where she would go next and she stopped by many restos, read the menus outside before going into a moroccan and middle eastern joint for food! I wonder if she's been there before coz she went right in without even looking at menu etc. it isn't a fancy place on first ave.

stan is still a teenager, he's got pimples! LOL.

does stan have a brother? there's a guy in the box who looks like him.

[quote] who knows what

I know. It begins with “Ho” and ends with “Hos”. Tehe.

R399 You may be referring to Daniel Vallverdú.

No relation to Stan. Used to coach Misery Murray and more recently Grigor Dimitrov. He was added to Stan's team to help during grass season but seems to have stayed on (with Magnus Norman also coaching Stan)

Always amusing to see the Graf Seles fans argue with each other on any fan board. As an unbiased non-fan of either, it’s OBVIOUS to anyone knowing anything about tennis that Seles was the dominant player. Imagine it like this - when Djokovic was dominating in 2011 and in 2015 he was still playing with Federer and Nadal but in GS finals and big matches, was unbeatable. Now - Seles did that from 1991-1993 until the stabbing. Who’s to say? Maybe Graf would have caught on or Seles injures. Who knows? But to say Graf was getting there isn’t really true. Seles was also more dominant versus the rest of the field at that time than Graf. And If I believe it’s correct 3 of those Graf wins were when Seles was just 15 and Graf #1.

People tend to think that Seles was way more dominant that she really was. She had a good bunch of tough matches on early rounds.

To be honest i remember Seles smashing all the competence when i look for memories of that time, but the truth is she was on the verge of elimination more than one time on GS, and not only against top players

[quote]..not sure though what you mean by just using "R"?

I meant put R in front of the post number you're replying to (no space) instead of # ...never mind

i can't believe this result.

What happened to Stan? He went down 6-1 in the fourth. Medvedev through to the semis.

I kind of like Medvedev

Why, R407? You like rude, condescending, arrogant, dismissive, combative, supercilious racists?

Thread the Third.

New thread.

oi, this thread hasn't been 'locked' yet

Graf had begun to tinker with her game pre-stabbing. She abandoned that post-stabbing. What does that tell you? It's always interesting how the Graf fans claim Steffi's game would improve over time, while ignoring that Monica's game would have done the same had she not been taken out.

So true, R411. Monica had a lot of areas where she was looking to improve--her serve, at the net, etc. No one really came along until the power era who could hit her off the court, although Mary Pierce was powerful but very inconsistent and plagued with injuries. And as I wrote earlier, Monica came back completely out of shape, hadn't played much tennis, and almost beat Graf at the 1995 US Open. The stabbing, though, robbed Monica of that intensity she had. She was never able to get back to her mentally strong self she had been prior to the stabbing. Such a sad story.