The Gays and Tennis: THE Official Aussie Open Thread!

I'm glad it's started.

I guess the Shapovalov/Sinner match was the big matchup of the first round since Sinner was actually ranked high enough to be seeded this week, but must missed out because they did the draw the week before (which is totally normal) based on the previous week's rankings.

Zverev was pouty and bitchy and I'm not sure about that sleeveless shirt.

Serena looks better than she has post-pregnancy. In better shape and moving better, but I still can't see her winning a Slam now - except maybe this year's Wimbledon if she serves lights out. I'm just not that excited about the women's draw.

I'm looking forward to discussing the tournament here.

Putin Jr. thinks he's hot stuff

Sinner was gassed. You really have to wonder about the wisdom of playing sooooo much coming into a major. There's a reason Serena, Osaka and Azarenka defaulted last weekend...

Who will be the shock winner on the womens side?

Good point R4, there's probably about 20 women that have the game to win it. The head is another story.

Osaka is the safe bet. Swiatek (?) the French Open champ looked great there, but a lot of recent women's champs or finalists don't always follow it up - a lot of players who are very up and down. Former US Open champ Andreescu is back after a long time away (which predated Covid). Barty obviously a favorite.

Brad Gilbert today picked the top 3 men as Joker, Med, and Titsy. Domi with an outside chance.

I'm good with Med or Titsy. Or Domi.

No boobs, pls.

Serena looked awfully good. Let’s see if she can maintain for seven matches

That's the thing, R7.

What is Serena's potential path to the final?

It looks like Serena's next potential tough match would be Sabalenka in the fourth round. After that, it's either Halep or Swiatek in the QF.

Yep, and Osaka in the semis.

If seeds hold of course, and they never totally hold.

I do wish more of the guys would wear tank tops, especially the ones who have actual bodies. Zverev has tone because he does workout but very small amount of muscles and looks silly showing them off.

Pegula beats Vika

Shapo shirtless.

Day 2 early results

Kenin def. Inglis 7-5 6-4

Muguruza def. Gasparyan 6-4 6-0

Rublev def. Hanfmann 6-3 6-3 6-4

Pegula upsets Azarenka 7-5 6-4 something was wrong with Azarenka but I didn't see what the issue was.

Bencic def. Davis 6-3 4-6 6-1

McDonald def. Cecchinato 3-6 6-3 6-2 6-2

O'connell upsets Struff 7-6(2) 7-6(5) 6-1

A. Li upsets S. Zhang 6-2 6-0

Kanepi crushes Sevastova 6-3 6-1

Coric def. Pella 6-3 7-6(5) 7-5

Mertens def. Fernandez 6-1 6-3

Brady def. Bolsova 6-1 6-2

Harris def. Torpegaard 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-2

"I do wish more of the guys would wear tank tops, especially the ones who have actual bodies. Zverev has tone because he does workout but very small amount of muscles and looks silly showing them off."

I doubt he's trying to show anything off. Players wear sleeveless for heat and comfort. Seeing great guns is always a nice bonus thought if the player has them.

As with Mmoh, though I still hate the look the way Adidas designed it. The shirt billows over the torso and ass like a tablecloth with holes cut out for the neck and sleeves.

love me some Shapo. The fact that he's getting furry is even better.

Watched Thiem last night, wow, what a player. It occurred to me, they keep comparing him to Rafa--fave to win the French some day, so forth--but he really reminds me of Roger. One-handed backhand, fluid, less effortful than Rafa.

Popsicle out to Medvedev. Early eye candy departure.

$499 for that pic at getty images

Popyrin-Goffin is the best match on right now.

Meathead MAGAt Sandgren looking awful - doesn't look like he wants to try to win.

Thanks OP — appreciate the thread. Agree with the poster above who says Serena looks the fittest she has since the baby. Wow that took awhile but she got there. Would love to see her get to 25 just to piss off Reverend Court. Rafa does seem injured which puts AUS in doubt but imagine he’ll get 21 in Paris if he can get healthy. Wondering what will happen when Fed returns...don’t really see him winning another one. Anyway — so happy to have some tennis to watch and talk about.

Bye Sandgren, bye bitch. Sandgren probably couldn't get off the court fast enough to get ready for Trump's inauguration on March 6th.

I was surprised to see Tommy Robredo's name in the qualifying draw (he didn't make it past the 1st round). It'd been so long since I'd heard anything about him, I just assumed he'd retired years ago.

More day 2 results:

Svitolina def. Bouzkova 6-3 7-6(5)

Gauff def. Teichmann 6-3 6-2

Nadal def. Djere 6-3 6-4 6-1

Medvedev def. Pospisil 6-2 6-2 6-4

De Minaur def. Sandgren 7-5 6-1 6-1

M Ymer upsets Hurkacz 3-6 6-3 3-6 7-5 6-3

Albot upsets RBA 6(1)-7 6-0 6-4 7-6(5)

Popyrin upsets Goffin 3-6 6-4 6(4)-7 7-6(6) 6-3

Vekic def. Y Wang 4-6 6-3 6-4

Pliskova def. Paolini 6-0 6-2

Kontaveit def. Sasnovich 7-5 6-2

Cuevas def. Seppi 6-4 4-6 6-2 6-2

Kanepi def. Sevastova 6-3 6-1

Lopez def. Tu 6(1)-7 6-4 7-6(4) 6-4

Khachanov def. Vukic 6-3 6(4)-7 7-6(2) 6-4

Mladenovic upsets Sakkari 6-2 0-6 6-3

Collins def. Bogdan 6-3 6-1

Sonego def. Querrey 7-5 6-4 6-4

Brady def. Bolsova 6-1 6-3

Muchova def. Ostapenko 7-5 6-2

Mmoh looked so hot in the tank top!

Mmoh def. Troicki 7-6(3) 6(3)-7 3-6 7-6(3) 7-5 this was the whackiest match of the day, score-wise. Troicki was up a break in the first. Mmoh was up 4-2 in the second, Troicki served for the match at 5-4 in the fourth and Troicki had a 4-0 lead in the fifth!

Barty def. Kovinic 6-0 6-0 in 44 minutes

Stosur def. Aiava 6-4 6-4

Ruud def. Thompson 6-3 6-3 2-1 ret.

Fognini def. Herbert 6-4 6-2 6-3

Putintseva def. Stephens 4-6 6-2 6-3 Stephens was up an early break 2-1 in both second and third sets...her days of being a top player seem to be over unless she all of a sudden improves her form by a lot. The other day she got trashed by Fernandez too

yellow is in an interesting color on Tsitsipas.

I want Laslo Djere in me quite deeply

[quote] other day she got trashed by Fernandez too

Stephens lost to Gigi Fernández?

[quote] Is Ash Barty dating Margaret Court?

Ash did WHAT? Bitch, Margaret is mine. I haven't spent the last few years tenderly stroking her er Bible and whispering sweet er psalms in her ear for some Ash gash to swoop in and become Second Lady of the Perth Ministry. I'm warning you Ash, back off. Don't make me come over and sit on you. You may think you'd enjoy that but I am the size of Rod Laver Arena now. I'll crush you faster than you can say EGA.

Horny Lez, how did you overcome the fact that Conchita had stolen Gigi's heart from you back in the day?

Yeah I'm sorry Djere's out early. He's purdy.

How's Titsy's booty look? He dismantled Simon, and Simon is almost never an easy out.

R35 His interview with Courier was funny. He honestly said that he was expecting Simon to be so much better that he was surprised it was that easy. The mini-crowd did not take it too well.

I’m digging Tsitsi’s Aussie shorts and shirt - I like the yellow and green - he looks pretty fine. He also looks like he bulked up his backside and the Tsitsi bubble butt could hold its own now against the Domicakes.

Titsy plays the Kokk next! That should be fun and eye-candiful.

R35 - as I reported unthread the Titsy booty is looking extra bubble- butty if not downright bootilicious. It’s REALLY something. And the green shorts are REALLY displaying the glory.

I love Tsitsi, but his ass, with all due respect, in nowhere near close to the Domicakes. It is like comparing a donut to a cinnamon bun.

Well R40 I am a HUGE fan of the Domicakes cakes - make no mistake -that ass is like the goddamn eighth wonder of the world. I bow to it. But I do keep being pleasantly surprised by the high, proud protruding roundness of the Titsy backside. Its apples and oranges I suppose. But both are juicy.

R41 Fine. If you insist, I will say yes to both (in my dreams)!

R42 my point exactly. Line ‘em up and let me go to town.

Djere, had a nice ass and nearly see thru white shorts, also his calves were quite muscular and shapely and sexy..

what no love for that SPECTACULAR bubble butt jutting defying gravity ass of Tiafoe??!!! to see that wet and nude in the shower and locker room! boing! boner inducing!..

Yay! The two deplorables, Querey and Sandgren are out.

Thiems ass is disgusting, like a duck

Boys! Sometimes you feel like a donut, and sometimes you feel like a cinnamon roll.

Danielle Rose Collins has some Aussie admirers

Did America's sweetheart get gangbanged afterwards?

Is Cim Jourier still pretending to be a happily married straight dad while flirting with every good looking male player he lays his eyes on?

Is Cim Jourier still pretending to be a happily married straight dad while shamelessly flirting with and openly lusting after every goodlooking male player in the draw?

Shocker! Once again, the draw favors the tournament. Rafa surrounded by qualifiers while Djoker gets Chardy/Raonic/Wawrinka.

r48, speaking of Trump fans in Australia... This guy has a wild story of a gay/trump dinner party.

Nice to see Kenin back on court looking as sour and miserable as ever.

On the men's side I'd like to see one of the younger players win, but I'm not holding my breath. They continue to disappoint. Had Djokovic not been defaulted from the US Open last year, I think he would have won it. Anyone but Rafa winning would be fine, but he looks like he has a cakewalk to the quarters.

On the women's side, who knows? It's whoever catches fire during the tournament. We've seen that countless times now. I can't see Serena winning, but it's not impossible.

How many of Rafa's 20 Slams have been the result of him being repeatedly gifted creampuff draws?

r32. She's hot. Did you ever meet her? Around 1990, I sat next to her on a first class flight to Miami on Eastern Airlines. She seemed like a typical Boricua, disarmingly warm and friendly, very chatty and authentic. An almost completely unknown Grand Slam winner.

R55, I'm no fan of Nadal, but the guy is one of the best ever. He has had a few easy draws, particularly since 2017, and likely some in the past, but so have Djokovic and Federer. Easy or not, his draws don't matter much at the French. He's just nearly unbeatable there. I expect if he doesn't get to 21 Slams at this AO, he'll get there at the French this year. I can't see anyone beating him in five sets on the red clay.

he dopes

Interesting about Nadal, he has only won the Aussie Open once and never won the year-end championships. So I dunno, edge to Roger, perhaps. I think Novak overtakes them both when it's all said-and-done.

Love Djere, god, he's beautiful.

I have the Kokk cock pic, it's lovely. I wish Pospisil nudes would leak.

They threw him out once from AO because he doped.

R59, again not a Nadal fan here, but the only one Aussie argument against Nadal doesn't currently work because Federer and Djokovic have only won the French once each. Thus, the Aussie argument against Nadal applies equally to Federer and Djokovic regarding their records at the French. Indeed, Nadal's Aussie win was against Federer, whereas Federer and Djokovic won against lesser opponents because Nadal was ousted in the earlier rounds. Djokovic has defeated Nadal at the French (in the quarters), but he lost the final that year to Wawrinka. Federer has never beaten Nadal at the French.

I think the one argument against Nadal is that his Slam resume is so heavily one-sided at the French. His 20 Slams are 12 French, 4 Us Open, 2 Wimbledon, and 1 Aussie Open. Regardless, if Nadal ends up with the most Slams, he'll probably likely be considered the GOAT no matter how heavily his Slam resume is tilted toward the French. Another win at the Aussie Open would likely wipe out those arguments.

It amuses me the Aussie crowd has more respect for Gilles Simon than it does for Tomic.

Tomic has consistently ruined whatever goodwill towards him ever existed at one time. What a waste.

*Federer and Djokovic won THE FRENCH against lesser opponents

Probably obvious, but just to clarify.

I don't like Djokovic, so Nadal having a better draw I'm totally fine with.

That said, I think Novak will probably win; Nadal won't win.

If Djokovic doesn't win, it will be because of someone like Thiem or Medvedev, not Nadal.

[quote] but the only one Aussie argument against Nadal doesn't currently work because Federer and Djokovic have only won the French once each.

The number of Aussie Open wins should be heavily weighted in considering GOAT status! It’s in scripture.

are they still doing doping test at random?

is nadal going to win the french when he's 40 and 40 plus? because you know it's quite common for such a player to outlast men half his age on 3 out of 5 sets 7 rounds on slow clay! nothing suspicious at all! (personally i think he has always taken e.p.o.)....

R61 Djokovic needs three more GS and that's not that easy. Right now he has the edge over the other two (with the exception of clay) but he is the most vulnerable of the three to other players

R54 Did you watch Djokovic match against Carreño? because he was hysterical just in the first set, with that mindset there's no way he would had won the US Open. And people tend to forget it because he played a crappy final, but in the previous rounds Thiem was fairly superior to all the rest.

And talking about cakewalks for Rafa is absurd. You don't won GS just because you have easy rivals in the first two rounds (it's not that Nole or Federer have problems in the early stages of GS). And in Australia Federer received the premium treatment avoiding the day sessions the years it was too hot.

I don't think Rafa has a chance this year. Problems or not problems if he has to face Tsitsipas and Medvedev there's no way he will win the final, even if it's not against Nole.

It's really surprising that only three teens (Sinner, Machac and Alcaraz) were on the draw. Not so long ago it was that rare to get into top 100 being a teen, in fact you didn't need to be labeled a future champion to get there, but not anymore

R67 He is not the only one.

Last year's Roland Garros semifinals, Tsitsipas ended exhausted while Nole was perfectly ok and he is more than a decade older.

And frankly your example is not the best because Rafa barely has to make any effort on Roland Garros, he won a lot of his titles without dropping a set (or just one or two)

Jeebus! Canada and their athletes, sheesh! Fun fact: Canadians win more summer Olympic gold medals by challenging results and obtaining them by default, than they do by actually winning. That's right. Canadians literally WHINE their way through the summer Olympics. The other countries and Olympic officials are so exhausted by them, they actually order and keep on hand extra medals just to award via challenges to results because the Canadians will NOT give up when they lose. Which is nearly every event.

They're exhausting.

"It's really surprising that only three teens (Sinner, Machac and Alcaraz) were on the draw. Not so long ago it was that rare to get into top 100 being a teen, in fact you didn't need to be labeled a future champion to get there, but not anymore "

Yeah, the era of the teen champion is over. And it happened relatively quickly. Guys hit their stride now mid 20s and there's a lot of 30-ish players playing their best tennis. Plus of course there's the mid and late 30s guys competing at the top level. Super high level mid and late 30s is not the norm, age is still a thing, but more and more guys are doing it.

Retiring by 30, even 28, was not abnormal at all in previous generations. And look at the ages when players when their last Slam. One example, Edberg won his first Slam as a teen and last at age 26. That wasn't uncommon at all.

The reason oftgen given is the slowing of the surfaces (less serve and volley, less short points), poly string increasing spin and extending rallies, among other things - all increasing the physicality of the sport. And while physical explosiveness peaks younger, physical endurance peaks later.

Which matches are the most compelling tonight (US time)?

God how I would love to see Med or Titsy or even Rublev win. Tons of talent in each one.

Hate me but I love watching Rublev play.

Hey R72 was wondering the same thing. Bianca and Serena both play today (not each other) so those should be fun to watch. The match that should be compelling is Young Grigor against Aussie WC Alex Bolt — but it’s not until much later tonight. Amazingly easy to get sucked into whatever they are showing.

Andreescu is playing Hsieh, who can sometimes be tricky.

Hsieh is fun to watch. She's a junkyard. It would be fun to see Bianca try to hit through that.

Hsieh is super fun to watch. Casual fans might be like WTF? She's certainly unique.

Blast from the past. Group photo at 1988 Nabsico Masters (today's ATP Tour Finals).

"Which matches are the most compelling tonight (US time)?"

Shapovalov v. Tomic could be good and dramatic. Shapo is a big shotmaker, Tomic is - well nobody really knows what he is on a given day, or if he'll even show up to compete. But if he does, it could be very interesting.

Feliciano Lopez, who has been around forever and plays chip and charge tennis v. the young Italian No. 31 seed Sonego should be fun. But not sure if that's starting late tonight or not.

The always entertaining and bratty Nick Kyrgios plays the No. 29 seed Humbert from France, who is a very good young player.

Often emotional and bitchy Alex Zverev plays Maxime Cressy - who is only ranked in the 150s, but likes to attack the net, which is a style you don't see that much anymore.

The latter two matches start after midnight though.

I'm always looking for good matches in the early rounds, not a top player destroying someone.

Huh. Andreescu in early trouble...

She's back after a big layoff. And Hsieh is a player that NO ONE wants to see early. Lots of variety, weird timing, trick shots - just doesn't let her opponent get in a consistent rhythm.

R61 I totally follow you and you make good points for sure. When Rafa ends up with the all-time GS singles record, I think he'll have serious claim to the GOAT moniker, for sure.

I just think Novak is so physically impressive--like Roger, few injuries--and his flexibility... I really do think he will end up with the record. And I always feel like Novak has that extra mental edge; when I think of those GS finals where he really seemed out of it and managed to claw back. I think he has a few more in him. But we'll see.

Andreescu is rattled now

Bianca hanging on for dear life.

Hi gays!!!!! What a sizzling first couple of days down under we've gotten this year huh? And I'm not just talking about the weather either. Have you boys noticed just how many amazingly hot dudes are in the draw this year??!! I mean it's like a buffet of man meat. Just a delectable sausage selection on display. Oh, it just makes my nether regions tingle with electricity. It's like I was discussing with the all girls when we all quarantined in a suite together for 14 days without being able to leave the premises. We talked boys for hours on end. What else were we crazy fun hetro gals gonna do to pass the time? We got soooo much girl time in. Just me, Martina, Renee, Billie Jean, Conchita and Jamie Hampton who brought Jen Brady along to quarantine with the fun chicks. We also played games like rock, paper, SCISSORS, Mother May I, and Twister. Lots of truth or dare too and let me just tell you...there was a lot of truth and ALOT of dares. Just us crazy girls in quarantine. We snuck out a few nights to roam the hallways in the hotel and maybe run into one of the hot ATP guys maybe looking to isolate with us. If you know what I mean.. I'll get back to you all once I bag my first hottie of the tournament. I already have my eye on a few I plan lasso into my wagon before the end of the event.. Tootles for now!

Hsieh def. AndreesGOAT 6-3 6-2 Bianca is a great player but she needed to be humbled quite frankly. Even before she won the USO she was acting like an all-time great

Sabalenka def. Kasatkina 7-6(5) 6-3

Vondrousova def. Marino 6-1 7-5

Karatsev def. Gerasimov 6-0 6-1 6-0 WTF happened there? was he injured? men's matches never go like this otherwise

A. Li def. Cornet 6-2 7-6(6)

I don’t know why I get such pleasure out of watching Cornet lose... but I just do. I’m taking pleasure where and when it can be found these days...

Fucsovics taking it to Stan

And Miss Courier is quite smitten

Stan team or Fucksovics team?

Fucksovics is looking quite good tonight. I agree with Jim Courier.

Stanimal team. I have a kind of inexplicable love for him. But yeah Fucsovics really looking strong.

Stan making a comeback. Good match that will likely go to a fifth.

Has Fucsovics always been such a babe? Very handsome guy. But there’s something about Stan’s...I don’t know...thickness, I guess might be the word —I find very appealing. Happy if this goes to a 5th — watching on a bit of a delay — so apologies if they are already there. Annacone now waxing about Stan’s “barrel chested competitiveness...”

Fucksovics has always been good looking in an Aryan archetype way, but this Aussie Open he seems to have blossomed into more than generic attractiveness.

I've always found Stan's "thickness" attractive especially his ass. I even overlook his pockmarked face because of his ass. He also seems very charming, self-deprecating and funny on Instagram.

R95 totally agree about Stan’s attractiveness and today am admiring his butt in particular —He’s looking good in those shorts. Also follow him on IG and agree he seems quite charming. They just started the 5th so I’m almost caught up..

Was it Stan who dumped his wife right after she gave birth?

Awwwwwww.

5th set tiebreak.

"I don’t know why I get such pleasure out of watching Cornet lose... but I just do. I’m taking pleasure where and when it can be found these days... "

I always liked Cornet though, simply for her surly and competitive demeanor. She's a little bit of a character. Solid, solid career, even though she's never had any sort of breakthrough huge result.

Fucksovics finally wins. 11-9 in the tiebreak.

R101 That was an INTENSE tie-break. I was hoping for a Stan win.

More results:

Fucsovics upsets Wawrinka 7-5 6-1 4-6 2-6 7-6(9) Fucsovics served for it in the 5th but failed. Wawrinka then had match points in the tiebreak but blew it.

Cirstea upsets Kvitova 6-4 1-6 6-1

Serena def. Stojanovic 6-3 6-0

Schwartzman def. A. Muller 6-2 6-0 6-3

FAA def. Duckworth 6-4 6-1 6-2

Muguruza def. Samsomova 6-3 6-1

Jabeur def. Schmiedlova 6-3 6-2

Raonic def. Moutet 6(1)-7 6-1 6-1 6-4

Ferro upsets Rybakina 6-4 6-4

R97 not right after but eventually he wanted to focus more on his career. He went from having an older woman to barely legal Vekic. Are Stan and Donna still together?

Stan and Donna apparently ended things a year or so ago. Stan’s wife Ilhar released a statement blaming the dissolution of their marriage on Stan’s serial cheating and lying about it - said she no longer could trust him. Stan and Donna started dating before his divorce which obviously didn’t help matters. I think our Stan might actually be a bit of a dog...

Late to the party but WOW what a 5th set nail biter tiebreaker that was. Was pulling for Stan but well done Marton for hanging in there after getting down in the breaker. Stan had a handful of match points and couldn’t seal the deal. Great match and an unexpected 2nd round treat, at least for me.

Big Marton fan. He's super hot. Check out his Instagram. He is always dressed very sporty but very neatly and looks great.

Poor Granny Vee is falling apart in front of us. That ankle injury looked brutal.

Are they going to put a curtain around her and shoot her to put her down right there on the court?

Venus is gimpy and losing bigly.

Jesus, she's still playing. I hope Errani makes her run.

Is Errani more of a dwarf or a gnome?

Tiafoe is hanging in there.

Errani is more of a gnome

Djokovid is gonna take it unfortunately.

I'm just glad Tiafoe has made Djokovic work for a change. Maybe it'll cost him later on in the tournament. Is he allowed to bring his recovery hyperbaric chamber with him on the road?

R115, I’m on Thiem team/Domicakes team.

God, these announcers live up the Williams' asses.

I can respect Venus for wanting to finish the match, but this is sort of ridiculous.

I mean this isn't dropping out of a huge late-round matchup with another star. Plus, she's actually injured.

She probably tore her ACL or MCL and this will be her last match of '21.

I was maybe thinking she's going to retire from tennis after this match, and she didn't want to end her career on an injury default. If not, there was no reason to go on after the injury. I mean, she's seriously injured.

Opelka looks absolutely disgusting with that lumberjack beard

Shriver at R85, you and the rest of those sinful women who are that thing I shall not say out loud are EVIL! FILTH! Each of you has strayed from the path decided for us humble, God-fearing women, who submit to our husbands even if our backhand overheads can send those poor men to hospital for a week with broken bones and black eyes.

You sinners have led women's tennis astray and turned it into Sodom and Gomorrah. I yearn for the days when real women like the elegant Mrs Lloyd-Mill-Norman and I ruled the game instead of that King creature and her NavrotiLOVER.

If you will excuse me I need to read my Bible and pray for your souls and ask the Lord to restore the women's game to real, heterosexual, happily married women, preferably of Northern and Western European origin.

I shall take your leave now. I am, as you may know, quarantined with the lovely Wendy Turnbull, and we are both doing the Lord's work in the missionary position. I mean, in the missionary role, not position.

Does anyone know who the guy with gayvoice is who’s now commenting the Giorgi–Sviatek match on Eurosport? So many purses! Love it!

Was tough to watch Granny try to play through the injuries— but I found her determination pretty moving. Most people would have just retired from the match so her stubbornness and commitment to finishing I think is to be admired. She’s a 7 time GS champion for Pete’s sake and she’s earned the right to go out however she sees fit. God love her — say what you will about the Williams sisters but Venus has always been a class act.

Why the FUCK is OP’s thread opener now crossed out?! Can anyone shed some light as I truly do not understand this place sometimes.

Poor Granny V. I didn't watch the match. Did she hurt herself during the match or before?

I hope she gets to return to the tour and end her career on a more positive note. I don't want this horrible loss to be the way her career ends.

She injured herself during the first set — down 1 - 5. Moving into net it lshe rolled her right ankle trying to do a split step. Her left knee was already taped and so she did a number on both knee and ankle. She was literally hobbled and weeping. Was painful to watch. Everyone assumed she would immediately retire so the fact that she finished the match while clearly injured was pretty remarkable. And Errani kept drop shotting her when it was clear Vee couldn’t move. As one of the commentators on ESPN noted (Mary Joe?) it seemed cruel.

It wasn't nice to watch. Oddly, the umpire didn't do anything until Errani told him to get involved.

Errani is such a fucking troll. I mean she gets the most out of her petite size but she's annoying to watch. Her next match with Hsieh is going to be insane lol

lmfao Tomljanovic is just that player who ALWAYS chokes. I can't think of a time when she actually won an important close match against a top player in her career. She's choked serving for the match over and over and over again throughout her career. WTF is wrong with her. Her latest tonight is blowing 5-2 against Halep becoming 5-7 in the third set. Simply pathetic

Yeah I really thought Simona was going down tonight. 5-2 in the 3rd and can’t close. Gotta suck to be Ajla tonight. That’s gotta leave a mark.

djoko is lucky again, boring pusher won, real tennis lost today.

R126 I don't see OP's post struck through. Do you still see it that way?

Humbert is a string bean. But damn he can hit the ball.

R134 yes the OP post is struck through on my iPad - similar to what is done with our trolls. Very strange. Humbert IS a string bean and he can smack the bejesus out of the ball. He’s stealthy sexy imho.

Weird R135. Muriel is PMSing again.

What was Tiafoe getting all worked up about today? I was watching the match with German commentary so was a bit lost.

Ugh. And now Humbert Kygrios into a 5th set. I need to go to sleep but I can’t stop watching. R137 - missed most of that match so not sure what was happening with Tiafoe...

This Kyrgios - Humbert match is incredible.

r135, have you set your Flames & Freaks to Asbestos Eyeballs? That might clear the problem for you.

My problem with this thread is that it won't stay in my Wathced list.

Shapo gives a smackdown to Tomic 1, 3 and 2.

*snigger*

R105 it is 2 years now.. ayway, that wife of his baby- trapped him and she was playing a victim? She got married with 10 years younger guy and what she expected?

R140 - I don’t know how to set FF to AE. Can you explain? This thread also does not appear in my watch list. Any suggestions re: activating the watch feature - I don’t even know if there is one or where it is? This site could use a FAQ section I think.

r143, go to "Settings", find the Flames & Freaks slider and slide it all the way up to Asbestos Eyeballs. Can't be sure that's why you're seeing the OP post crossed out, but it might be.

"What was Tiafoe getting all worked up about today? I was watching the match with German commentary so was a bit lost. "

He was really hanging in for a long time vs Djokovic and on his serve, I think at 3-3 in the fourth set, he got a time violation for not serving soon enough resulting in a lost first serve and he really got pissed and yelled at the chair umpire, threw a "fucking" in there somewhere. He was arguing that without the normal set up where ball kids bring players their towel when they motion for it, they have to walk all the way to the back of the court to dry off and then back to the service line, which is a couple more seconds - and he didn't make it to the line to serve before the "shot clock" expired so he lost a first serve.

While his point about the setup without the ball kids bringing towels is true, the time rule was known beforehand, the clock is right there for him to see, and he had made it to the line on time the rest of the match. So he really didn't have a great argument.

I think he was just emotional in a pressure situation and venting. He lost that point and then on the ensuing break point, he had a sitter at midcourt, but he chose the wrong direction, Djokovic was sitting on it and passed him up the line for the break of serve. So, Tiafoe was yammering a bit after that, clearly frustrated, Djokovic held the next game and then broke again to win the match.

Tiafoe probably played better than he ever has against Djokovic or a top player generally - he really showed some improvement and really hung in for a long time. So I think he was just frustrated and emotional and went off. He's generally a pretty happy-go-lucky guy.

HOW IN THE WORLD does stan lose that tie-breaker?! leading the entire way, up 9-6, 3 match points, 2 on his serve, and he loses 5 points in a row? really? REALLY? AND he never got a damn first serve in that entire tiebreaker! talk about giving it away....

on a side note, IF I NEVER EVER EVER hear chris fowler, and the mcenroe brothers EVER again, it will be awesome! and drysdale is still there too??!!...

yapping, yapping, yapping, yapping and more yapping! i actually turn down the volume to watch these matches when they are "cough, cough" commentating..

Also, in the last game or second to last game, there was a ball at the baseline that sort of looked out it wasn't called by the automatic system and that increased Tiafoe's frustration because he had no way to challenge it as would usually be the case.

I was on a tennis forum while watching it and plenty of people thought it looked out, but it was probably one of those ones where if you saw the replay it nicked the line (or not). Anyway, it was close and there's no challenges during this AO, so he was wired about that too - but it was just continuation of the frustration of seeing a well-played match against a big player slip away.

Granny V is now Great Granny V.

The announcers always talk up Serena. What's different is that they seemed to have cooled a bit on Gauff, though that will no doubt pick up if she wins her next match.

why waw cannot have dimitriev draw?

And her next match is against Svitolina so she'll win. Elina is a nice girl but she always finds a way to dissapoint at GS

When will Venus retire? The decision must come soon but I bet she will hold on for dear life to keep playing.

Venus made $150,000. by staying in that match till the end. Why bother retiring when you can rack up that kind of money for a match? Pride be damned, I'd play until they dragged me off the court.

R153 That's peanuts to her. I don't think she did it for the money.

$150K is probably change to Venus. I'm guessing it has something to do with her endorsement contracts, which probably run into the millions a year. She probably has to keep playing per the terms of the contracts. Otherwise it doesn't make sense. She's embarrassing herself.

R155 No endorsement contract is going to say 'you must continue to play a match even if you're injured'. She continued to play because, whether this is mentally healthy or not, tennis is her life and love. I'll agree someone probably needs to have a word with her and that she's coming across a bit strange now.

That said, as we all know, a healthy Venus could still take out half the tour.

R156 I'm referring to her playing at all. Hasn't she crashed out first round in like her last four majors?

R157 Financially, she has no need to ever set foot on court again and could easily hand back any money from sponsors were she to breach any contracts. She doesn't have that kind of pressure on her.

I'd kind of agree with you were she some struggling teen living hand to mouth, but she's not.

She may be rich enough to not need $150,000, but she's not gonna let that amount slip through her fingers either. $150k is $150k, even rich people know the value of a dollar.

R157 I don't understand why she' still showing up, then. Her record over the last 3 years is terrible, mostly 1st and 2nd round losses at the majors. It's a bit embarrassing for a 7-time major winner.

Former pro Daniela Hantchucova, among others, played for a long time after her prime. She seemed to enjoy the travel, seeing what she could do at a tournament (knowing she was past her prime), and just simply playing - in addition to the extra cash she could pick up.

I understand players playing for these reasons past their prime - it makes sense. Maybe Venus is doing that. But, doing it while you're injured and look miserable makes less sense. Also, Hantchucova wasn't an all time great, multiple Slam champion like Venus. Some people say Venus should retire to "protect her legacy." I don't really think that's an issue. Legacy, IMO, is about peak achievement and adding post-peak poor results doesn't change that. The luster of the Venus Era - when she was winning Slams, going deep in others, was ranked No. 1 or in the Top 5, winning lots of regular tournament titles, Olympic medals, doesn't dull IMO just because she's still playing and having poor results.

She has hung on longer than I thought she would, but I'm fine with it. Hopefully she can get healthy before she continues (if she continues).

Tennis is all Venus has ever known. It's often like that for a lot of athletes. It's not the money. They've spent their whole lives dedicated to their sport; it's what makes them happy. They are also used to having the fame and adulation. I'm sure it's very hard to admit that, essentially, you're washed up, and you need to figure out something else to do.

And tennis enables players to play longer if they are at a certain ranking - Venus is still high enough to get automatic entry into the Slams; doesn't have to play qualifying tournament. They don't have to make a team or sign a contract. And, even though Venus has no money concerns, so she technically doesn't have to do anything, that's a lot of athletes' biggest fear. They'd be miserable having day after day of doing nothing.

This is all speculation. I don't know what's driving Venus. Just hope she's happy and works it out.

Interesting matchups coming up today:

Ka. Pliskova vs. Collins rematch of last week when Collins won

Bencic vs. Kuznetsova

Rublev vs. Monteiro

Kenin vs. Kanepi

Tsitsipas vs. Kokkinakis who will the Aussie-Greeks cheer for?

Berrettini vs. Machac

Svitolina vs. Gauff

Nadal vs. Mmoh-gun show!

Popyrin vs. Harris

Coric vs. McDonald

Ruud vs. Paul

M. Ymer vs. Alcaraz

At least Venus isn't stooping to taking wild cards to get into the majors. When she's at that point, then yeah, time to retire.

Venus would got her 150,000 even if she had retired hurt. Does the loser need to complete the match to earn her share of the pot?

Wozniacki is going to have a BABY!

[quote]Wozniacki is going to have a BABY!

Mommy has a Kermit voice, hope it doesn't scare the kid.

[quote] Wozniacki is going to have a BABY!

A what?

My first choice tomorrow is Titsy and the Kokk. I'll be they show like 5 minutes of it on ESPN.

erm, I'll bet

"At least Venus isn't stooping to taking wild cards to get into the majors. When she's at that point, then yeah, time to retire. "

Despite being a "star" and all-time great, I honestly don't think she'd get a wild card from any major. MAYBE Wimbledon (4-time champ) and/or the US Open (home Slam, 3-time Champ) for ONE single year. But the circumstances would have to be one of two things:

1. that her ranking dropped from automatic entry ranking (which is usually around No. 105) because she was rehabbing her injury and her ranking dropped out of range AND she had played before those majors and showed that she was actually playing better, was healthy. If she continues playing and having poor results and looks bad doing it and drops out or range, I think they'd be hesitant.

2. She straight up asks for a wildcard on the basis that she's retiring and she wants one more go at the two majors where she was multiple-time champion (she never won French or Aussie).

She'll be ranked around 75 after the Aussie Open, so still within auto entry range.

I always liked Woz, so congrats to her.

Serena and Woz are pals - Serena was a bridesmaid at her wedding. Despite her few on-court blow ups and sometimes surly press conferences, Serena is generally well-liked in the locker room and has friends on the tour.

I always admired Woz for bagging McIlroy, at least for a while.

That little girl will probably be really tall. Caroline is 5'10" and the dad is 6'9".

McIlroy basically left Woz at the alter, and she promptly said "yeah, it was nice fucking you" and didn't fret too much about it (at least publicly). The view can be quite different when you have your own life, career, money (not that women who have that have never fretted about such things).

What are the chances of Collins knocking out Plisbot tonight?

R176

But McIlroy is hot. I'd totally hit that.

[quote] What are the chances of Collins knocking out Plisbot tonight?

They’re so good we’ll get tired of seeing them.

Tough to say, R177. Collins runs pretty hot and cold. But she's improved tremendously. She has the game to do it,

R178.... caroline's husband is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAy hotter than rory!....

and at 6'9 you know he has to have a "HUGE ONE!"...

He's a deplorable, who cares how big his dick is.

He may have a big one, and I think he's attractive, but not scorchingly hot. Doesn't he have facial hair now?

Caroline has a weird blonde kinda Morticia Addams thing going on @ R183

Sorry, I meant MORE facial hair.

R177 I mean she did it just last week and seems to be in good form. Pliskova has hit a wall and a lot of players seem to have figured her out. If you can get that serve back, she's in trouble

How many times will DL fave and tennis sweetheart Danielle Collins scream and pump her fist in this match?

I'm watching Pliskova-Collins on ESPN+. Someone upthread had mentioned this delightful queen calling matches. I mean that in the best sense - he seems cool and the bit of purse falling out of mouth is welcoming.

[quote]How many times will DL fave and tennis sweetheart Danielle Collins scream and pump her fist in this match?

She and her players box are already spazzing out.

Babosh.

Awwwwwww.

Not feeling the yellow/olive combo Titsy is sporting.

Kokkinakis looks like a hotter version of Michael Phelps. Major BDF, nice calves, nice package.

Where have posters here seen the Kokk cock? I may be interested in a peek...

DL has horrendous taste in men. Kokk isn't hot at all. BDF, true, but since we're not actually having sex with him, who cares. Plus, has anyone actually confirmed BD?

R195 you are wrong. Cames Jourier has excellent taste in men. Young Grigor is a DL fave of over 10 years. He's still cute as fuck too.

What's BDF?

Kokk looks like an 80s British pop star.

BDF = Big dick face.

What does Big Dick Face imply?

Not just the face, but the shape and size of the head is supposed to imply that the person has a big dick. Often it's true, sometimes not.

Big Droopy Face

I want Cames Jourier. Still find him handsome and sexy after all these years.

Collins out. Kenin Kardenne out. Yes!!

That's two of the arrogant, overrated American cunts out. Now if only the same could happen to Serena, Rogers, Gauff and every other American woman player in the draw.

the bitchfight between Fognini and Caruso at the end with the umpire trying to divide them. Compelling

R204 that was funny as fuck. I thought I heard a "culo" in there too

OMG Mmoh is RRRRRRIPPED!

I'd hit that. Why, yes, I would.

culo means butt in Italian. But it is also used to say you are lucky

Gauff out too. Good day for the Americans. ESPN and Mary Joe must be in tears over the rapid departure of Collins, Kenin and Gauff.

long face - long dick? lol no it is not that easy

HURRY UP YOU OCD FUCK

*gives finger*

so why djoko has small one?

I just watched the Mmoh-Nadal match and Nadal looked pretty good but the big takeaway from me was how beautiful Mmoh is. And that funny lady, an Australian Karen, that kept interrupting Nadal, called him wanker and gave him the finger before she was ejected. Funny stuff.

She showed us what she thinks about nadal preperations

Who is Jessica Pegula and how did she beat the very heterosexual Sam Stosur for the loss of just one game? I am so very sorry to see a good, straight, Australian lose. I hope this Pegula woman isn't on the (Drag) King/Navrotilover/Shriver/Maulezmo team if you know what I mean.

When she's on, Kanepi can hit almost anyone off the court, so Kenin losing is not that big of a surprise. Gauff losing to Svitolina isn't surprising either. Gauff's game has plateaued, and her serve can go off. Plus she no longer has the surprise factor. I do feel sorry for her though. Her parents seem like total assholes who have put all their eggs into the basket of her becoming a tennis superstar.

Pegula is the daughter of the Buffalo Bills owner.

"When she's on, Kanepi can hit almost anyone off the court, so Kenin losing is not that big of a surprise. Gauff losing to Svitolina isn't surprising either. Gauff's game has plateaued, and her serve can go off. Plus she no longer has the surprise factor. I do feel sorry for her though. Her parents seem like total assholes who have put all their eggs into the basket of her becoming a tennis superstar. "

I agree about Gauff's parents. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, she's still only 16, so I understand them wanting to always be there and be involved. But, I have the feeling they're going to always be too involved, not let Coco have her own space, run through coaches if Coco isn't playing well. Simply they're going to be overbearing tennis parents that possibly torpedo a higher level of success than if they stepped aside. Overbearing, crazy, abusive parents are a tennis tradition. TO make sure, all I'm saying is that they're overbearing.

Gauff is 16, she's ranked 47 in the world, so clearly she's a good player. But, nothing about her game comes across as "special" to the degree that I'd predict Top 10 or Slam titles.

Gauff and her parents are obnoxious. The constant 'come on!'s from CoCo are tacky. Her mother and father know she's their meal ticket, Fed and MJ Fernandez's hubby have a piece of her. Andrea Jaeger at 16 was ions above CoCo.

Yeah, Mary Jo Fernandez's husband is Tony Godsick who is a MAJOR tennis agent - for megafirm IMG for a long time and now his own firm. It's nearly a conflict of interest when MJ calls matches of his clients. Lol.

The Gauffs' "come ons" may be annoying but they're hardly the only annoying player box. My concern about them, like I said, is that they're going to torpedo her success by being short-sighted and overbearing.

Oh lord. And the douche supreme Patrick M has his claws in Gauff as well. How many players does he claim to coach?!

Patrick M does seem to spread himself thin for a coach. I assume he has his main client and then maybe consults others at tournaments when everyone is there together? Or maybe he's just a roving consultant. He's definitely crated a "brand" and is cashing in. People seem to want his advice.

who is muguruza's girlfriend?she was on romantic vacation with someone in october

R217 If she is able to solve her serve problems she will be top 10 pretty fast. She has a determination that it's not that usual on the circuit and could make her go way bigger than her groundstrokes show.

Kenin is not that impressive and she won a GS and was a finalist in other

The hype about Gauff is obnoxious. She is being touted as someone who will win more Grand Slams than even Serena Williams. That's a ludicrous prediction to make about a 16-year-old who has so far shown that she is a very good player but nothing exceptional yet. Not to say she won't improve but it's stupid to put that much pressure on a kid by expecting her to win 20+ Slams.

R220 also Tsitsipas. I cannot stand Mourataglou and it annoys me as I like Serena, Tsitsipas and Gauff

so glad more of DL is finally appreciating the hotness of Mmoh

He has a lot to work on but he has potential. He's 6'2, around 200 lbs, moves well and good hands. He needs to lower his ball toss so he can get a few more mph on his serve. He needs to go for more on his groundstrokes too instead of just rolling them in. He was put on the defensive too often against Nadal because he was too cautious

DAYUM

I hope more and more of the next gen do not imitate the skeletal body types of Djokovic and Medvedev. Muscle looks good on anyone

Hopefully we'll see more of Mmoh and others with his build in the next few years

Mmoh team

lol someone translated a transcript of the Fognini-Caruso post match bitchfest

Fog was a complete douche. And I love to watch him play.

interesting how Kyrgios only wants to play on the third biggest court at the AO. He doesn't like going on the 2 biggest ones as he feels too much pressure.

R232 Mental midget, that one.

remember when Fognini posed nude ?

I wish Fucsovics had a tank top to wear. Like Mmoh he has the arms for it

"The hype about Gauff is obnoxious. She is being touted as someone who will win more Grand Slams than even Serena Williams."

I've never heard that. I've certainly heard that she's a successor to Serena as an American star and a future Slam champ, which I think is entirely premature. But, I've never heard the commentators say she's going to win as many as Serena.

Lots of good matches tonight (or today depending on where you live).

I wonder how many shots the longest rally between Hsieh and Errani will be

I bet Nadal liked Mmoh, in that way.

Young Grigor team or Carreno Busta team?

Fuck-sovics team or Porcine Raonic team?

Shapo team or FAA team?

Thiem team/Domicakes team or Kyrgios team?

Fog team or Minotaur team?

Karen Hemsworth team or Berretteami?

Rublev team or Feli team?

Jeez this Errani vs Hsieh match is going to being insanely long.

6-1, 6-1 Serena tonight

They just mentioned on ESPN that Serena has a young child. That's news to me. Please explain.

Popsicle shilling stuff.

PCB trolling us with his white shorts and Mr. Happy poking straight out, lol

[quote] Mr. Happy poking straight out, lol

It's Senor Alegria.

Is this board ever going to work again? It's annoying to have to type "tennis" in search, then scroll 200+ posts to see if there are any new since I had to do the the same thing last time I checked.

R61, I can't stand that argument that Rafa's Slam wins somehow don't count as much as Fed's (Or Novak's) because he's won so many at the French.

Fed and Novak get three slams on surfaces that, on paper, they're stronger on than Rafa is. He gets one. He STILL has 20. It's actually more impressive by that argument.

(R172: You were close. Granny is a 5 time Wimby champ and a 2 time US Open champ...)

holy shit did anyone see after Serena won during her on-court interview? I had walked out of the room as it was starting. When I came back I was trying to figure out who was speaking to her. I could not believe Dokic has gained the weight back. She's huge again. Last I saw of her she was into fitness and getting healthy.

wow 2 blockbuster women's matches in the next round- Serena vs. Sabalenka and Osaka vs. Muguruza ! their half of the draw is stacked. Then you look at Svitolina's half and of course it fell totally apart for her

as far as the men are concerned, the Thiem-Schwartzman quarter is the most loaded

It doesn't look good for Lil' Diego at the moment though...2 sets down

Melbourne going into lockdown again and no more fans are going to be allowed at the matches after new cases in Victoria. I can't believe the stupid cunts thought it was a good idea to even conduct the tournament in the first place.

What the hell is Kyrgios wearing? Some kind of sleeve on his left leg for “soreness” apparently but he looks RIDICULOUS. Was already Team Domicakes but Kyrgios looks like a court jester. Ugh. Bummer about the lockdown but educational to see how some other countries are dealing with this. Australia is not afraid of a hard lockdown and that’s the reason they have less than 1,000 deaths. FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY.

Kyrigios has the nicest color skin. Like the the bark of a tree or a rich caramel latte.

Ruh roh—Domicakes down 2 sets to love and doesn’t seem to have an answer to the kitchen sink being served up by Ni

Oops. ck. 🤪 And Thiem just broke to open 3rd set.

Kyrgios is fucking entertaining. No-one else on the planet would even consider underarm serving Thiem on a set point.

Thiem Team/Domicakes Team

It’s true. Kyrgios is great to watch. Maybe not as much fun when he’s losing though. He’s a bit of a pill.

Thiem Team / Domicakes Team Too

omg go FAA! up 7-5 7-5 3-0 against Shapovalov

when did Fritz lighten his hair?

Bad news. Repatriating Australian travelers who have been placed in hotel quarantine after returning home have brought the nasty and highly communicable South African variant into Australia and it has escaped into the community here in Melbourne in the past couple of days. Prior to this we had no community spread for a long time and are basically living as normal.

In an attempt to isolate and control the South African variant, The Victorian government have announced that as of midnight 12.02.2021 (02.12.2021) the entire state of Victoria (includes Melbourne) will go into stage 4 hard lockdown with all residents to remain in their houses until Wednesday midnight. At this stage the tennis matches will go ahead without spectators and will be revised on Saturday morning when daily testing results come back.

Decisions are currently being made as to whether the Australian open will be cancelled altogether.

Looks like it might be cancelled...

R265 They've cancelled having spectators but the tournament will continue.

if they've been under a tennis quarantine bubble why would they need to cancel?

are the hotel and tournament staff part of the bubble too? If not then I understand

What R266 said. So far ESPN reports that tourney will continue WITHOUT SPECTATORS for 5 days and then reevaluate as to whether spectators can be reintroduced. There’s been no talk (that I have heard) of play being cancelled.

lol Djokovic screaming at his box

R267 it’s my understanding that hotel personnel and Open personnel are all in the bubble which I assume is why they are allowing play to continue.

FAA wins!

bye Shapo

An announcement regarding the Australian Open will be made tomorrow by the Premier of Victoria depending on how many new cases there are R266/R268.

I live in Melbourne so unless you're watching our media then STFU. The stage 4 lockdown was only announced late this afternoon and it's 9.36 pm Friday night now.

No love for Daddy Fritz, gurls? I like his new 'do.

It’s 3:30am in San Francisco but this Domicakes Kyrgios 5th set is fantastic. I need to go to sleep but I can’t.

Thiem wins!

Yay Thiem. What a great match.

Great match. Wanted Kyrgios to win but Thiem was impressive. Actually both were impressive. Really hope Kyrgios can stay healthy and keep his shit together in the future.

Thiem's Austrian accent is SO sexy.

Novaxx injured (he slipped). Fifth set. Could it happen?

I don't think Djokovic is injured.

Novaxx just got the break.

I'm blonde now!

Just imagine the reaction if they threw the crowd out like that at the US open.

R283. it would have taken a lot longer for starters....and possibly it would not have happened

can anyone explain to me why 99.9% of the crowd are/were NOT wearing masks and no social distancing whatsoever? not just here at the aussie, but the warm-up tournament the week before in Adelaide??....

by the way, gotta love silver haired daddy goran! who knew he would grow into such a handsome man....

TIME to bring back snug short shorts!..

R285 There have been virtually zero community cases of Covid in weeks. The most recent lockdown was brought in because of Covid being brought in from overseas.

yay! Putin Jr. is out!

On top of being a loon, Kyrgios has the oddest body for a top athlete - toothpick legs and a hunched back.

Goran is a homophobic dickhead who uses the c-word to refer to gay men, so any hotness he may have is nullified, in my opinion.

If Djokovic is injured, I think Nadal just became the heavy favorite.

Novaxx is a big fake

R290, no one would fake an injury in order to drop two sets to Taylor Fritz. That’s just crazy.

Yes, R288, Goran-Novaxx combined is exponential assholery. Ivanisevic was hot in the 90s until his bigotry came out. Still surprised to see hiim with Djokovic since Goran used to hate Serbs too.

Pumped to see Felix in the 4th. Reminds me of the other AA with his cerebral style, social conscience, and court prowess.

R283, I doubt they'd ever do it. They'd let them stay for that session or entire day and then not let spectators enter the grounds the following day.

[quote]I can't stand that argument that Rafa's Slam wins somehow don't count as much as Fed's (Or Novak's) because he's won so many at the French.

Agree!

Federer and Djokovic had every opportunity to win those French Open's; but they didn't.

Totally stoked by FAA's win over Shapo! I love them both, but this is great for FAA's confidence and I hope it pays off.

R291 R291 what ? he just lost 2 first sets , he was not in form, during twose 2 sets he was faking an injury, that he feels bad. it was pathetic...in case of losing he prepared an excuse

I dunno about that "he faked his injury" stuff. I've seen so many long matches over the years where a player really seems out of it, or injured, but after some treatment and/or painkillers, they can get through the match. Adrenaline, too. And then it can impact their opponent mentally, too. But I take everyone's point, as well--Novak is not above using mental games for an advantage.

God I hate Kyrgios. So glad he lost. What a putz.

I like FAA in white shorts; hope he wears them more often!

so glad Hsieh sent Errani back under the bridge

[quote] Totally stoked by FAA's win over Shapo!

I’s still a fan favorit, right?

No point in rejoicing over the wins of FAA or Thiem if they end up folding like cheap suits when they play Djokobitch or PEDal. I am sick of Djok and Rafa and Fed. It's time the lazy cunts of the next generations stepped up and won a fricking major.

Yeah I know Domi won the Open but he did not have to play any of the Big Three to win. OK Gramps Fed is no longer a factor but Domi lucked out by winning a Slam without having to play Djok or Nadal.

"so glad Hsieh sent Errani back under the bridge."

And barely - down 3-5 in the last set and won the last four games.

Errani has usually been a horrible matchup for Hsieh - has dished out a 6-0 set in every one of their previous three matches. Hsieh had never won a set, or even more than 4 games in a set (and then only once) in her prior matches with Errani.

Errani is better than I remember (even if she is past her prime) - her career stats speak to how good she is/was. But, her serve is MORE awful than a remember. Kudos to her (even though she annoys me) on all her achievements, despite that serve.

Wasn't Errani the drug cheat who claimed that the banned substances she tested positive for must have somehow ended up in her system from a meal that her mom accidentally added her own cancer medication to? That was even lamer than Dick Gasquet claiming he tested positive for cocaine after kissing a girl in a nightclub.

It was R303. I didn't even remember that. It happened after her prime when she was sometimes in the thick of Slam draws, so I had stopped paying attention to her. But, I just Googled it and yeah, she served a 10-month suspension for that.

I though Kyrgios was zoning today. It's impressive that Domi withstood it and came back to beat him. Zoning Kyrgios is as good as anyone on tour.

For whatever reason, home pressure really gets to Kyrgios. He generally loves the big stage but buckles in Australia and can't even play on the 2 biggest courts

Really looking forward to Berrettini vs. Khachanov. We'll likely see Berrettini trying to break down the Khachanov forehand while Khachanov will be trying to break down the Berrettini backhand. Both have big serves but Berrettini's is bigger. Khachanov is a better mover. What I most want to see is at least a few rallies of Berrettini's forehand vs. Khachanov's backhand because those 2 shots are among the biggest groundstrokes in all of tennis. It'll be awesome to see that power in the same match

I agree he played well, but "zoning" isn't a good way to be a top player. You have to have a very high average level of play so that your 80% can win on most days. Players rarely play their "best." Kyrgios' peak is definitely right up there, but, he's rarely at his peak.

I was happy that he was mentally engaged the whole match though, so maybe there are better things to come. In the past, he's kind of disappeared mentally after losing a lead or a nailbiter set.

Fritz needs to get fitter and faster. He's a good ball striker but if you can't get in position, you'll eventually lose the rally

[quote]Really looking forward to Berrettini vs. Khachanov.

In addition to the reasons you gave, it's gonna be purdy.

Does Rublev kind of look like Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth.

Rublev looks like some creature pulled out from the bottom of the sea floor.

Krajinovic team or Medvedev team?

Rublev team or Feli team?

Karen Hemsworth team or Berrettini team?

Fog team or Minotaur team?

Thiem team/Domicakes team or Young Grigor team?

Nole team or porcine Raonic team?

Rublev team. You bitches really need to look at his game. It's gorgeous.

Ova, much team or Ova plisk team?

Putin’s daughter team or Clitolina team?

Bencic team or Mertens team?

Mugurutha team or Osaka team?

Swiatek team or Help team?

Sabalenka team or Serena team?

[quote] . It's gorgeous.

Unlike him.

r315

noone

Clitolina

Mertens

Osaka

Help

none

Svitolina def. Putintseva 6-4 6-0

Muchova upsets Pliskova 7-5 7-5

The gays don't like tennis anymore?

Pegula crushes Mladenovic 6-2 6-1

I loathe Bencic but I think she'll win over Mertens.

Serena will have her hands full with Sabalenka.

A pox on the porcine Raonik for depriving us of more of the beautiful Fucsovics.

It’s different without the loud Aussies. After watching the Kyrgios match, this Med match feels like it’s being played on the moon.

Let's hear it for cutie Casper Ruud. Split sets with Albot at the moment.

[quote] Split sets with Albot at the moment.

If Albot were Canadian he'd be known as Alboot.

American cutie Mackie McDonald just made it into the 4th round.

Medvedev always reminds me of a surly kewpie.

Speaking of cuteness and how it's all personal - I don't find Mackenzie McDonald that cute, but I DO find Krajinovic cute.

R325 yes he is very cute. A bit thin but cute. He's got a solid game but no big weapons. Nice to see him doing well though

lol is Medvedev doing his best Djokovic impersonation? How the hell is about to go 5 sets?

Daniil is cute and plays well.

He also speaks English very well and is good at being interviewed.

And he's quite creative with the nasty insults.

Medvedev like Zverev is another jerk

R. Daniil Olivaw

I enjoy hearing James Blake. And he is very handsome.

berretinni vs krachanov, will be a battle of 2 of the best looking guys on the circuit,, both LITERALLY could be successful models...

very surprised that Mertens def. Bencic so easily. I thought that would be a close match

I don't think we need have any doubts now. Rublev and Lopez? Hawt!!

Shapovalov/Pospisil beaten by Monroe/Tiafoe

Kokkinakis/Kyrgios beat Harris/Knowle

Cabal/Farah beaten by Bublik/Golubev

___

Strycova/Hsieh beaten by Jurak/Stojanović

The mixed double seeds

Barbora Strýcová / Nikola Mektić

Nicole Melichar / Robert Farah

Gabriela Dabrowski / Mate Pavić

Chan Hao-ching / Juan Sebastián Cabal (beaten on R1 by Krawczyk/Salisbury)

Demi Schuurs / Wesley Koolhof (beaten on R1 by Sanders/Polmans)

Barbora Krejčíková / Rajeev Ram

Latisha Chan / Ivan Dodig (beaten on R1 by Hradecka/Polášek)

Luisa Stefani / Bruno Soares

Is LaTisha Chan a Blasian?

Norrie is fighting more than expected.

And De Miñaur is tanking against Fognini. He always talks about being a top player but the truth is he has a tendency to fail big time when he has the opportunity to go further in a tournament

Norrie indeed has been impressive against Nadal. I wasn't expecting it to be this close.

De Miñaur is tanking big time.

Probably not the best news for Nadall because Fognini is able to push him when he is on the zone

Fognini-Nadal on fourth round. It's going to be interesting

Yes, not much love lost between those two, r345.

R338 They must be really good friends (Rublev speak spanish and live and train in Spain regularly) because he is touching Feli's ass without any shame

And Feli doesn't seem to mind it, either! HAWT!

Grrrrrrrrr Matteo

Who would not want to touch Feli's ass?

Leaving this here for the few who haven't seen it and the rest who have.

Liking the round of 16: Nice Guys v. the 3 Big Jerks, the colossal ego battle of Nadal v. Fog, Callipygians Berrettini v. Tsistipas/Thiem v. Dimitrov, out-of-nowhere Karatsev v. Golden Boy FAA joining NextGens Ruud v. Feli's Good Friend.

James Blake commentates like he has marbles in his mouth. Even with that, he's better than Fowler or retire him already Cliff Drysdale. Where is spaz Alexandra Stevenson???

James is gorgeous, but he always speaks like he just woke up.

James just waking up is hardly a bad thing.

Domi Team or Grigor Team?

I gotta say Domi Team. He showed will in the match against Kyrgios, and Grigor has let me down just too many times.

(Mary!)

FAA team or Aslan 🦁 team?

Thiem team/Domicakes team or Young Grigor team?

A. Zverev team or Lajovic team?

Nole team or porcine Raonic team?

Daniil team team or McDonald team?

Rublev team or Ruud team?

Tsitsy team or Berretiteam?

Fog team or Rafa team?

Domi, Dusan, Milos, Med, Rublev, Titsy, Fog

Team

Mugurutha team or Osaka team?

Hsieh team or Ova, vondrous team?

Serena team or Sabalenka team?

Help team or Swiatek team?

Vekic team or Brady team?

Svitolina team or Pegula team?

Mertens team or Ova, much team?

Barty team or Rogers team?

today has a number of good matches at least on paper

Really looking forward to Osaka vs. Muguruza, Serena vs. Sabalenka, Thiem vs. Dimitrov, Halep vs. Swiatek and Djokovic vs. Raonic

we'll see how bad Djokovic's oblique injury truly is.

I don't think I've ever seen Aslan Karatsev play before, but he was pretty impressive against Lil' Diego

Yeah I didn't see the match but Gilbert also said he played lights out.

it's nice to see some different guys come through in the men's draw

Personally I'd be happy if anyone in the draw won except for Djokovic, Nadal, Medvedev and Zverev. I realize it's hard to see 4 of them losing though

Team Young Grigor!

My picks are almost all the opponents of R356's, other than Rublev and Milos. Too bad Osaka and Mugu are on the same side of the draw, it'd be good to see them in the final. Also pulling for Svitolina

Pulling for scissor sister Mugu. The baby voiced awe shucks chick annoys me to no end

mugu has hair under her nose. lol i dont trust her, to much hormons

Mugu is a very unpleasant person

Young Grigor team

I hope Grigor and Domi both wear white shorts and sweat profusely throughout the match and have to keep changing shirts. They owe that those little cock teases.

fingers crossed, Jim R368 !

R366 Ni kweli

very impressed with how focused and consistent Muguruza has been today. She's been handling Osaka's power much better than I expected

thrilled for Hsieh to reach her first ever slam singles QF! Well deserved and her draw wasn't easy

Hsieh has old lady face already

5-5 in the third what a match! It's living up to the hype

I wish someone would put a sock in Mugu's mouth. That screaming is so fucking annoying.

osaka is amazing

wow Osaka wins 4-6 6-4 7-5

Muguruza led 5-3 in the third and even had match points with break points at 5-3 15-40 but didn't convert. She never had match point when she served for it at 5-4 though

Chilly exchange at the next. Garbine lives up to her cunt reputation.

FAA already up 5-2 on Karatsev

R378, Muguruza really wanted to win this. You don’t always see that kind of intensity from her. That was an amazing match. Osaka, once she is fully focused, is probably unbeatable right now.

Osaka and Hsieh have had the hardest draws to reach the QF of any players left.

Now onto Serena vs. Sabalenka. That should be quite something

[quote] I wish someone would put a sock in Mugu's mouth.

Jack Sock?

Thank god. I can't stand Mugu.

I may be in love with Felix.

[quote]I'll keep you posted.

don't bother

Every time Osaka reached the QF of a Grand Slam in the past, she went on to win the whole tournament

Will Markle Sparkle fly in to support Serena if she's in the final?

Felix is beautiful, for sure. But he's headed for a fifth set!

Shareefra is having a battle out there. Sabalenka ain’t bothered !!

lol Sabalenka just smashed her racket. Funny to see Serena calmly going about the third set in contrast

FAA has really faded after winning the first 2 sets. Still a chance but he's down an early break in the 5th

Serena def. Sabalenka 6-4 2-6 6-4 up and down from both. Incredible power, some great points and also some poor mistakes at times. I'm surprised to hear Sabalenka has not reached a slam QF yet!

Brad Gilbert and Cliff Drysdale together is mind numbingly painful.

Karatsev def. FAA 3-6 1-6 6-3 6-3 6-4

disappointing from FAA but he had a good AO overall getting that first win over Shapovalov

R392, they’re just so boring. It’s like listening to two funeral directors.

I think Sabalenka's time will come but Serena once again willed herself to the win. Can anyone stop her from 24?

Serena hasn't looked this good in years. Her serve is still the ultimate weapon in women's tennis.

Serena's improved fitness is making a big difference

wow that opening set of Thiem/Dimitrov was odd

Doesn't seem like Serena and Rafa are as injured as the announcers were warning us that they were.

omg Kenin just lost to random Aussie teenager Olivia Gadecki in the first round of the smaller WTA event that started this weekend.

Domicakes is losing to Young Grigor. Who will console him?

very odd. Thiem was up an early break in both of the first 2 sets. Then just started playing like shit.

so Dimitrov vs. Karatsev will determine 1 semifinalist

Does anyone know who that young lady with the provocative tiger print face mask in young Grigor's box is? It's Valentine's Day tomorrow and I don't think he needs to be getting distracted or expending unnecessary physical activity before the quarterfinal. He has a great opportunity here. He needs to stay focused.

How long was the third set for Gregor? 18 minutes?

What was going on with Thiem? The ESPN crowd saying Grigor knew Domicakes wasn’t feeling well and was accordingly subdued?

Just tuned in and getting caught up...

R403 probably his oligarch's daughter gf

Definitely something wrong with Thiem today.

Nadal to win yet another major over some pushover like Dimitrov or Raonic in the final then. Yawn! At least Rena will earn her win by getting past Osaka, Halep/Swiatek and Barty.

I'd love to see Raonic demolish "injured" Djokovic.

I just noticed...Andy Murray is in the final of Biella challenger today. He will face Illya Marchenko

I like both Swiatek and Halep so I'm a bit torn but Iga seems to be falling apart out there.

Felix is a big dissapointment. He'll be a good player but not the great champion they tried to convince us he'll be when he appeared on the circuit. He simply lacks a lot of things.

Karatsev is the typical bipolar player who is able to play amazing on a good day but he generally doesn't play that well. If he has to play against Novak he'll be crushed like Martin Verkerk was crushed by Juan Carlos Ferrero in Roland Garros because Aslan won't be albe to hold his nerves.

Against Dimitrov he'll have chances because Dimitrov has a tendency to not close sets and matches he is winning clearly.

And i never thought i would say this, but i'm rooting for Zverev on that part of the draw.

It's pretty obvious Novak and Rafa are not at their best level, but the players who have to dethrone them don't waste time to dissapoint and let them reach the final stages anyway. Hopefully Tsitsipas and Medvedev don't lose in the 4th round

Halep-Serena should be interesting....

God, Raonic is pathetic.

Well, i don't care who wins this but i don't want Nole or Rafa winning it

Thiem, FAA, Raonic are proof why these younger guys will NEVER win against the Top 3 in GS. Pathetic mental midgets.

Djoko & Nadal can be in wheelchairs and still hand them their asses.

Kenin lost to Gadecki at Phillip Island Trophy

Serena and Zverev in the QFs. I want to throw up.

Is this where we talk about Philip Island Trophy?

Young Grigor touches himself when he thinks about Jim C,

Dimitrov is looking old. And he's not even 30 yet. What happened?

he had hair transplat?

Are Grigor and Cames Jourier an item?

R421 he spends a lot of time outside and has sun damage. He's all wrinkly now. He needs to gain about 10 lbs of muscle too

wow, what happened to Thiem? Unreal that he'd lose by that score at at Slam to Grigor, of all people.

Daniil team or McDonald team?

Rublev team or Ruud team?

Fog team or Rafa team?

Tsitsy team or Berretteami?

Young Grigor team or Aslan 🦁 team?

Nole team or A. Zverev team?

Pegula team or Svitolina team?

Vekic team or Brady team?

Mertens team or Ova, much team?

Barty team or Rogers team?

Hsieh team or Osaka team?

Serena team or Help team?

Mackie, Rublev, Rafa, Titsy, Grigor, I don't give a fuck

Team

Nole Vs Zverev = my Hate Match From Hell!

This is probably the first time I'm rooting for A. Zverev since he was an up and comer.

Is there a Zverev playing in this tournament?

R429 at least it's a QF. I hope this match goes 5 sets all tiebreaks so the winner is dead for the SF.

Wow some of the women's matches are actually interesting.

I must be going crazy.

[quote] Wow some of the women's matches are actually interesting.

The correct term is "compelling".

I can't get ova Marsha

Pegula upsets Svitolina 6-4 3-6 6-3

This marks Pegula's first slam QF

Svitolina again falls at a slam even without having to face any top players

Rooting for Djokovic and Zverev to both get injured simultaneously, granting a walkover to get Dimitrov into the final after he demolishes Karatsev.

R416, why so harsh on FAA when you give so many kudos to Wawrinka, who until he was 25 hadn't even reached a GS quarter and had only won one title by default (Umag 2006, Djokovic retired in the first set)?

FAA is still very young. He has plenty of time to get mentally tougher. Lendl was a mental weakling at the beginning of his career too.

Raonic I agree is hopeless but it's more than mental with him. His movement and backhand aren't consistently good enough to beat the best of the best except on rare occasion

Karatsev reeks of PEDs.

[quote] Karatsev reeks of PEDs.

He must have a heart condition.

McDonald needs to get stronger. Solid game and good mover but he's not very big so he can't outhit most of the top 40.

Brady vs. Pegula is now a slam QF match

Is JPeg a lady lake swimmer too?

at least for today Nadal's back seems totally fine . He's hitting like he usually does

Problem with FAA is that beyond improving his mental game (which I assume he will), while his physical game is very good, it's the same game as everyone else. The margins are VERY thin to set yourself apart in pro tennis and get to that Slam champion/contender level.

He's ranked 20 at age 20 - obviously he's good. But, nothing stands out as suggesting he's a definite future Slam champ.

On the other hand, players don't necessarily have to have something about their game that's super uniqu- it can all come down to execution and nerve - can they execute their unoriginal game when it matters most; can they make the right decisions at the right time; can they get out trouble on their serve when they need to.

Why did Rublev retire? I heard the announcers basically calling him a pussy because Granny V finished her match at age 40.

Rublev didn't retire; his opponent Casper Ruud did because of an abdominal strain.

Thank you, I misheard the name obviously.

Da Fog out to Nadal in straight sets.

Berrettini has withdrawn from the tournament as his abdominal injury is worse.

So Tsitsipas walkover and will face Nadal next

Titsy/Rafa and Rublev/Med have potential to be good matches.

Rublev/Med could be an epic battle. Money on Medvedev but Rublev could surprise us.

Medvedev on money...

I read this thread is now paywalled. Here’s the new thread:

So every time the cheapskates get paywalled we have to start a new thread? There's something very annoying about that.