The Gays and Tennis Part 114: Clay Feet Edition

Old thread:

TY OP!

Rublev team or Sinner team?

Rublev team

Team Rublev

Thanks for the new thread. In addition to his homophobic remark, Rune is just difficult to support in general. Yesterday he took an MTO as soon as he went down a break to stop Ruud's momentum (and it worked, after stopping for a couple of minutes Ruud came out cold and was broken back in the next game). Little things like this, and being obviously coached from the stands... he is young of course but so far i'm not seeing much to root for.

Musetti was playing so well, it's a shame he's out to lil' Diego. He 'suits' this tournament well with his dazzling game and old-school handsome European looks. Would love to see him win it one day. Nobody seems to be playing super well this week. Certainly nobody emerging as a challenge to Rafa at the French, at least.

Is Young Rune a young man of faith and the hateful language not truly who he is?

Rub-a-dub-tub, three men in a tub Team.

I increasingly like Rublev. He's so... DRAMATIC!

The Ginji Wizard seems to be picking up the worst tics from the Tour Arseholes - the excessive fist pumping, aggressive swagger. I liked him more when he was just geeky.

Hubie for the title, please!

You have to hand it to Lil Diego. No-one can soak up pressure like him, and fight his way back from seemingly impossible situations. He absolutely makes the most of what he's got.

Big heart and big cojones.

have a seat on my face, pls

I wish Sinner would be whisked away back to his planet of origin.

Danger, Will Robinson!

I don't like Sinner

Why not, R14? Because he’s a ginge?

I'm sure Rublev was especially pissed at losing today. Remember a couple months ago Medvedev said he and some other Russians troll him that Sinner is his lookalike. Apparently he hates hearing that

Sinner isn't hawt in any possible universe. Rublev is.

Sinner don’t like the name not really Italian

R18 Sinner is from as far north in Italy as you can get but he is still Italian.

Sinner is ethnic Austrian. He's from Tyrol - the part of Italy given to the country after WWI when Austria-Hungary was divided up.

Fuck him, he's not hot.

wow Zverev has a chance to become a slamless #1 this clay season due to Djokovic's early Monte Carlo loss and Medvedev out recovering from hernia surgery.

He'd be the second slamless #1 if that happens, after Rios did it over 20 years ago

Rios was such a nasty cunt that Med looks like Gandhi by comparison.

Which white male players have yellow skin?

Shapo Shelter. Meet Gunner.

Dogz and catz at Shapo Shelter.

DL boyfriends Young Grigor vs Hubie

Young Grigor is the oldest player in the QF

he's got the wrinkles to prove it yikes

Old Grigor now. Aw.

Why so harsh on Sinner? He seems a really nice and innofensive guy

Daddy F takes the first set off of ADF 6-2.

Poor Grigor, he's yesterday's tennis twink.

Davidovich won the second set 64

I'm starting to really like ADF. He's kinda dumb like Shapo, but a lot more intense and a bit amiably kooky.

I'm probabily late but I just saw that our fully shaved god Salisbury is the new World No. 1! Finally a good news.

r25, To open an animal charity LAST WEEK is a pure PR move unless it's to help pets in Ukraine. IRL he's probably the type who would feed a kitten to a pit bull.

I call bull shit on Medvedev's "hernia", an injury no one would ask questions about, it's just a way to escape the press.

Also, Rafa "stress fracture" is bull shit. He/Uncle Toni spent his entire career lying about injuries.

Now that I'm too old to even fantasize about having sex with any of them I'm starting to think that they're all just a bunch of spoiled babies.

Young Grigor's favorite musical acts are Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Madonna (besides Nicole Scherzinger of course). Young Grigor: you can run, but you can't hide.

R37 = Cames

No, r38. R37 is anyone with two brain cells to rub together. Only Hellen Keller would find it hard to see that he’s as queer as the rest of us.

Sinner team or A. Zverev team?

Lil’ Diego team or Tsitsy team?

R39 We don't use the word 'queer' around here. We're not fat teenaged girls.

To day iz my birth day! I’s this many yearz old - 2-3.

Sinner/A. Zverev tie break in third set.

The crowd really hates Zverev and it's beautiful to see.

A. Zverev defeats Sinner.

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Emma also lost all her toenails.

[quote] WINS on Billie Jean King Cup debut

Federation Cup!

Fed Cup name was great. Why the hell they have to change to Billi Jean King cup?

BJ Cup?

It's quite something when the reigning US Open champion beating Tereza Martincova is big news.

Virginia Slims Cup if you ask me.

Love Sinner. Zverev served great, though.

Can Dimitrov, whom I'm in love with, pull this thing off?

Oh Sinner, it was so close

BJK got married to a woman and because she's an old fashion lesbian she choose to keep her husband's name.

Grigor is the sentimental favorite.

VAMOS DIEGOOOOOO!

[quote] Can Dimitrov, whom I'm in love with, pull this thing off?

Pull what off?

Tsitsipas' collapse is complete. He was leading 6-2, 5-2 and he's now down 6-2, 6-7, 0-3. Will he ever grow up mentally? Not a champion at heart. He started playing like shit the moment he had to close the match.

R59 YOU JINXED DIEGO!

Titsy pulls it out.

ADF Team or no longer Young Grigor Team?

Titsy Team or Snarling Sascha Team?

ADF team

Tsitsy team

Zverev can be no.1 this clay season. Gross.

What do we think of Grigor?

I've always loved his game, but he's mostly disappointed me. And he hasn't really aged well. Well, above the neck. Below is still pretty fine.

Is gurl gay?

Grigor is gay but he's no longer hot unfortunately.

did anyone else see Zverev today trying an underhand serve instead of a first serve but missed? Then he tried to hit a second serve and double faulted lmao such a clown

Sinner should have won today

#TeamAnyoneButZverev

yes Tsitsipas' gamesmanship and cheating with his daddy are annoying but abusive Zverev is far worse

#AnyoneButZverevTeam

It's like the prince having to choose between the mean ugly stepsisters.

With my girl friend on my birth day.

Tennis twiiter was on meltdown mode specially after Sasha's win.

Grigor has great shotmaking ability but he's just not a winner. Supremely talented and beautiful backhand motion. He's so fucking cute though. Stop it DL gays he's getting older and has bad hair but he's still cute as a button. You bitches just like being mean.

I used to love our lovely Young Grigor before too. He was so so handsome. He's still cute but terribly aged,

The gossip is that Berrettini is dating US model Meredith Mickelson now.

Grigor used to be cute from any angle, but these days you gotta look hard to find a shot of his face that's flattering.

Here he looks like a swarthy and unappealing like some 9/11 terrorist.

Despite still being young (he's just 30!) he hasn't aged like we expected, but he's still a really hot guy. Plus, am I the only one who thinks that him and porn star Ian Greene look like twins? Separated at birth.

Oh, MY -- aren't Joe's nips perky under that white shirt!

Do we think he shaves his hole?

Wow, Davidovich’s nips are so hard at the beginning of this second set they’re almost piercing through his Diadora T.

R77 I want to believe he does. Joe shaves even the upper and inner part of the thigh and even forearms. FOREARMS. How can he not shave his hole?

Davidovich CHOKINA really should have finished this off in two. He's lucky to not be a double break down after that 15 minute long service hold.

I want a Fokina/Stef final.

Emma Raducanu just got destroyed by Vondrousova 6-1 6-1 on clay in the BJ Cup. Poor girl is probably only in for more reality checks this clay season. I think she won her slam prematurely and it was a bit of a fluke, but I just hope she doesn't *totally* flop when Wimbledon comes around because the cruel British press will be watching her every move..

Tsitsy team or A. Zverev team?

Titsy Team

Team Titsy

Titsy beats Zverev in straights to defend his Monte Carlo title. Not a great match, particularly from Zverev who made a lot of errors.

Any match that Zverev loses is a great match.

ADF, bitches

[quote] ADF, bitches

Davidovich team or Fokina team?

Is ADF really Spanish? He looks Scandinavian.

Russian and Swedish I think but somehow he grew up in Spain.

Alcaraz team or Garfia team?

ADF Team or Titsy Team?

ADF team.

ADF looks Russian

Moved on to Barcelona team.

ADF is Russian.

Tsitsipas has an incredible defense to offense ability on clay courts. In today's match Zverev hit a few great shots but Tsitsipas was able to come up with great angled passes.

Barcelona draw looks fun. It's a shame Nadal won't be there though

Tsitsipas and DImitrov on a third round collision course. Lots of other fun seeds too

Musetti vs. Baez could be the standout first round

they gave a WC to Robredo? lol the last few years he's been losing in challengers. Is he retiring or something so it's a sendoff?

the Belgrade draw is also out

Djokovic of course is top seed and will open against a Serbian countryman

freefalling Thiem opens against Millman

slumping Garin draws Rune

Both ADF and Tsitsi have the tendency to choke or switch the brain off during a match. It's quite unpredictable. Seems more like a WTA match.

R94 No, he was born in Malaga and lived there all his life. You only need to listen him talk to know he is spanish

R96 Robredo is going to retire in this tournament. The wc is logic and well deserved

r99- BOTH his parents are Russian all you have to do is Google to know that.

Also, Rafa and his wife are still gay.

R101 And? He was born in Malaga so he is spanish

R99 A cat can be born in a stable, but that doesn't make it a horse.

R104 He was born and lived all his life in Spain.

Saying he is russian is the same that saying blacks can't be europeans because their ancestors lived in Africa

[quote]Davidovich Fokina was born and raised in La Cala del Moral, Rincón de la Victoria, about 10 km away from Málaga, to a Russian-Swedish father, Edvard Mark Davidovich, and a Russian mother, Tatiana Fokina.

JFC, bishes. It's not that hard.

But is ADF Russian?

He is Spanish citizen or Russian-Swedish heritage.

Either way Rafa is STILL gay.

^ great photos

amazing how FEW females appear in them

Our Joe's first tournament as a world #1 and he wins it! Salisbury and Rajeev Ram def. the two hunky Lebanese Colombians, 10-7 in the match tiebreaker.

Is anyone even excited for Bianca Vanessa's return in Stuttgart? It seems like only a year or two ago she was being touted as the next player to fill the vacuum at the top of the game since Serena got preg (or at least a great rival to Barty and Osaka).

I was team ADF but I love the way Tsitsipas plays on clay. It’s really old school with the angles and point construction, lots of cat and mouse. I much prefer it to the Rafa/Stan/Domi/Henin/Stosur/Swiatek era of clay tennis with the super heavy topspin and endless baseline grinding (as great as those players are).

I always thought Tsitsi’s best surface would be grass because of the big serve, great overhead, and willingness to come to the net a la Navratilova / Federer / Venus. But he’s starting to position himself as the heir of the clay throne once the likes of Nadal and Djokovic retire (although who knows how soon Alcaraz will leapfrog him).

Tsitsi wins in straight sets. Not a great quality match. As R98 notes, both players have a tendency to choke or switch the brain off during a match. Several examples of that throughout this match. This isn't the quality of tennis that can take down Nadal at Roland Garros. The rest of the players are going to have to hope Nadal isn't 100%. Then again, Nadal wasn't 100% in Australia and he still won. I wish someone in the younger generations would step up.

This tournament was a big disappointment from the Next-Next Gen, too. Alcaraz falling to Seb Korda, who then fell to Taylor Fritz, who then fell to Davidovitch Fokina. Sinner lost to Zverev. Musetti lost to Schwartzman. I hope they acquit themselves better as the clay season progresses.

I’m a fan of ADF after this week. Such an exciting player and hot as fuck.

Titsy is such a weird dude lol

r113, WW for acquit.

R111 Great news! I love that we know pay attention to the doubles because of Our (shaved) Joe. Finally a DL fave getting to World No. 1.

[quote] Titsy is such a weird dude lol

LoL! :)

For R117. There are no capitalization rules for LOL. Traditionally, acronyms, at least in the US, are capitalized. So, please stop with the LoL plus wink posts.

Lolz! ;)

ADF seems sweet and nervous when talking so far. He obviously hasn't been interviewed or spoken at trophy presentations yet. He definitely has a Spanish accent and not a Russian one. He is no different than any other first generation immigrant.

What would a 23 and Me test reveal, his accent?

Q. Why does he look Russian?

A. Because he is.

He is not, the same way Zverev or Shapovalov are not russians

Tsitsipas defends his Masters title which is something most first time Masters' winners don't do. Zverev who has multiple Masters never defended any of them yet.

ADF will be winning clay events soon possibly this season.

The Stuttgart draw has potential for fun matches this week. Swiatek has the easiest section though. No way will Raducanu or Giorgi bother her on clay

Pliskova vs. Kvitova 1st round!

Kontaveit vs. Kerber 1st round!

Andreescu finally returning and gets a German WC with Sabalenka awaiting the winner

Jabeur vs. Vondrousova 1st round!

Someone's excited!!!!!!

As if Swiatek needs the help of a good draw she hasnt had a difficult match in awhile. Winning every match fairly comfortably or straight up destroying these girls on the court.

[quote] Someone's excited!!!!!! —!

Must be Ben and Courtney.

Why Iga is playing a WTA 500 event? She had won three 1000 events then played a fed Cup tie against Romania She also has to play Rome and Madrid.

Doesn't she wants to do well in French Open?

These Bitches are so thirsty for WTA bonus prize money and apearence fees that they don't look at the grand slams.

Porsche owns Stuttgart and sponsors most of the players. Which is why it always gets good entry lists and players feel like they have to commit. Although with the amount of withdrawing, tanking, retiring, and not showing up to events (i'm looking at Barty/Osaka/Andreescu/Serena and ALL of them), I don't think we should criticise any WTA player for adding an extra tournament... lol.

Swiatek has such an easy draw that she should really cruise to the title, anyway. Two of the top ten highest ranked players are in the top half, and eight are in the bottom. The conditions are also terrible preparation for RG, the clay is so different and it's indoors.

In Barcelona, Musetti waltzes over Boez. 7-5 7-5

I think Fokina is hot as fuck. I love when he (of late) lifts up his shirt after a win.

I'd like him to do it after each set.

And game.

I'd like to do HIM after each set.

And game.

Sad to see Tommy Robredo finally bow out in Barcelona.

I remember watching him on an outside court at Wimbledon - three very hot guys appeared to be part of his 'team'. There were always strong gay rumours, but then he went and got married (to a woman) a couple of years ago - long after you would have thought that he would need to for his career.

Still, always a fun player to watch.

Shapo blond leg hair video.

R133 His 2013 US Open win over Federer was one of the most exciting matches I've ever seen. As for his homosexuality, I don't know, I read comments about BJK outing him in a meeting or something like that, there were also rumors about Reichen Lehmkhul with him at a party, but now he's married to a woman... Who knows.

ADF is really cute and hot. All that blonde fur on his arms, jesus. And big flat, red nipples. Hawt.

R135 it wasn't a rumor. I forget what show it was maybe even something on the Tennis Channel but there was a clip of them together. I think Robredo opened the door to let the cameramen in or something and Reichen was with him.

ok found a brief recap:

[quote]For example, I recently caught a snippet of Murphy Jensen’s Tennis Channel show, Murphy’s Guide, where Jensen pretends to sneak into a party for Spanish player Tommy Robredo, only to be “thrown out” by the host...Reichen Lehmkuhl.

I remember seeing in the clip it was clear the 2 were quite friendly with each other

Tommy had a lovely game, he just wasn't big enough or strong enough to win against the top guys.

And Tommy was/is cute.

in Belgrade

Garin continues his awful slump with a 3-6 1-6 beatdown by Rune. Rune is obviously a promising player but Garin shouldn't be losing so easily on clay

Kecmanovic maintains his good form this season and thumps Gasquet 6-0 6-3

Sebi Korda bageled in Barcelona by journeyman Taberner. Bit of a shock.

Watching Thiem–Millman at the Serbian Open. Either Thiem's wearing baggier shorts, or he's lost a bit of junk back there. Maybe he just has to get a few more glute-building matches under his belt?

I thought the same thing R142, the ass is nowhere to be found. And I do not think the shorts are that baggy either. Either way, I am worried. And hopefully he will beat (journeyman) Millman in the third but he looks like a challenger.... so sad about what happened to our boy.

Thiem lost!

Andreescu makes a winning return over a German WC

andreescu is so fat!!!

no, she's just big-boned

The Siberian ice-cunt is pregnant. Her fiance is Alexander Gilkes, some dude with rich parents. What do you reckon, gay?

Only on DL does a guy impregnate a woman, and a poster questions whether he’s gay. It’s a possibility, of course, but contrary to available evidence.

Reuters are reporting that Sportico are saying that they've been told privately that it has been decided that Russian players can't play at Wimbledon. It's hard to know if this is real but apparently the people working for Sportico are well-connected which I guess is why Reuters reported it.

Rumor mongering . Nothing more.

R151 I bet it's true. The idea was floated a few weeks ago. They are afraid of Medvedev winning and the national pride that it would engender.

Samsonova will be trying to get her Italian citizenship back. She won the grass 500 event last year and made the second week of Wimbledon.

Everyone's reporting it now. I was a bit skeptical at first but it seems to be true.

Absolutely terrible decision. Really unfair. They're playing as individuals, not for their country. Wimbledon isn't the Olympics.

But, r154, by winning they’d be letting themselves be used for domestic propaganda. Unless they abjure Putin and the war, which some would never do for fear of the consequences, and others because they are Putin fans and think the war is just special ops to save Ukraine from slathering, drug-addled nazis.

Remember how many “brave” Russian players actually said anything about Putin’s antigay laws? Crickets for years.

R155 RG is letting them play as long as they are 'neutral' ie playing without their flags like they have been for weeks in several tournaments in several countries.

Medvedev, for example, has lived in France since he was young. Azarenka has lived in the US for years. They're hardly propping up the Putin regime.

Top 100 players that this ban would affect:

Russian Men: Medvedev, Rublev, Khachanov, Karatsev

Russian Women: Alphabet soup, Kasatkina, Kudermetova, Samsonova, Alexandrova, Sasnovich, Gracheva, Kalinskaya, Rakhimova, Zvonareva

Belarusian Men: Ivashka

Belarusian Women: She-Hulk, Azarenka

There is some precedent - Wimbledon barred players from Germany, Japan and other nations over WWII.

[quote] They're hardly propping up the Putin regime.

We’re not talking about what these players themselves may or may not be propping up. We’re talking about the way a regime desperate for domestic (and international) legitimation will use any sporting victory. But I think you know how Russia used Sochi, state-sanctioned doping, and any sorting victory. And we’re talking about the most important tennis event in the calendar and how they’ve decided not to allow this to happen. Not rocket science.

On the other hand, I’m sure that if any of the Russian/Belorussian players came out against the regime and the war, Wimbledon would let them play flagless. That would be a real anti-Putin propaganda coup.

Yes, fuck the Russians.

I will miss Karatsev's thick thighs. And I do find She-Hulk fun to watch. Aside from that it's not a huge loss to the tournament tbh. Azarenka is already on an extended sabbatical I think. None of those guys are amazing on grass. I do feel for Zvonareva who finally got her ranking back to grand slam level and is 37 years old, a former Wimbledon finalist. But that's it.

I wonder if this will affect future Wimbledons though. The grass season is already so short, with no 1000 events. Will any of these players bother with the grass warm-ups knowing there is no slam for them to play? Will they refuse to play it in future out of protest? (and will others join them?). You may have a situation where Wimbledon devolves into the way it was during the 90s and early 00s where a large group of the players (usually clay courters etc) don't even bother entering.

It's unforch for the players (I'll missy Karen K's hairy hawtness, and ginge pageboy Rublev), but fuck Russia. There should be consequences, and maybe a thousand decisions like this one will help de-legitimize Pootey and bring him down.

Will porcine Milos Raonic ever return?

R163 Let's hope not. We already have Bibi back to fill (and generously so) our Canadian fatties quota for the tour.

Wimbledon will be perfectly fine without the Russians.

Speaking of Raonic R163 , he just got married in Italy

But we can still play Wimby if we love Putin and we're not Russian, right?

R153 Samsonova never had the citizenship. She was allowed to represent Italy as a junior because the laws there allow so. She's a cunt. She lied to the press saying that the application for naturalization was too complicated, attacking the Italian procedure (despite being one of the easiest in Europe) and said she was disappointed, then she said she still felt Russian and that the Russian citizenship was better for tax issues. Fuck her.

That is such a weird composition, she looks like a melted candle and he looks like malformed centaur and the minister is an elf and there's a giant in the background.

Drake Draper got a WC to play Madrid Open

Where is Roger Federer going to be? Asking for a friend.

DL fave Pam Shriver has just published an article (see link) about her ‘inappropriate’ relationship with her (male!) coach Don Candy. She wants the tennis world to seriously address the problematic nature of coach/player relationships.

omg, she told the coach, I'm falling in love with you!!

They didn't have intercourse until she was 20.

Wait a minute...what?

Did Sharapova have baby?

2 absolutely massive chokes from Djere let NoVaxx off the hook in Belgrade. Fucking typical.

Big shade to Kudermetova and her coach/husband, who definitely got together when she was underage.

That Djokovic/Djere match was painful to watch. Sexy Laslo was coming up with brilliant shotmaking and countless winners, but the clown was pushing like his name is Wozniacki. It's effective, but embarrassing to see the world #1 playing not to lose rather than playing to win. Unfortunately Djere choked from a set and 4-2 up and Novaxx turned it into one of his hideous battles of artrition. Delay tactics, shameless selective grunting, complaints about netcords... Djere chokes once again from a mini break up in the deciding tiebreak.

I hope Aslan beats his ass here again like he did last year.

Unless Nole is able to increase dramatically his level he has zero chances to defeat Kecmanovic.

Awful match from Alcaraz but he was able to win anyway

Rafa is about to fart his way to another RG title. And i'm honestly here for it, if nobody else has the stones to step up and play at a high quality level.

In Stuttgart, Kontaveit def. Kerber and Pliskova def. Kvitova, both in three sets (Kvitova was ahead in all 3 of them, and even in the deciding tiebreak). You have to wonder how much longer some of these veteran ladies will hang around. Mertens seems to be in decline too, she retired from her match in Istanbul.

Nole

Shriver's piece is a topic that needs to be discussed though

I know in the last 15 years there were other inappropriate coach-player relationships such as with Meghann Shaughnessy and her coach then Anna-Lena Groenefeld and her coach.

There was even a rumor about Yastremska and Sascha Bajin and also Sabalenka with Tursunov

This really should be discussed.

I think Kudermetova and her coach-husband may have split up because he was her coach from 2012 until 2021, when she got a new one..

Chris Eubanks was commentating on Tennis Channel and I thought he was a natural. The anti-Woz!

R184 I thought he was great too. All the British guys have just been blending together for me this week. I switched over to Stuttgart and it sounded like the same guy from Belgrade. They all have the same speech patterns and cadence. More Eubanks please!

And from wiki: 'Kudermetova is married to tennis coach and former player Sergei Demekhine. They started dating in 2015 despite Demekhine returning to being her coach again since 2012, on which Kudermetova commented in 2020: "At the age of 16 I just liked him but I didn't even think about anything more. Probably, it's my upbringing that affected. Such thoughts had been unacceptable to me"

I love how they supposedly started dating in 2015 which is exactly when she turned 18, even though he'd already been coaching her for 3 years at that point. How convenient. Sounds like another Celine Dion / Rene Angelil situation. I'm actually glad Pam is speaking out because it happens a lot, especially at the lower levels of the sport.

Guys, I have just googled Kudermedova's husband Sergei Demekhine and the pictures are ahem, making me understand why she got with him...

lol it's not going to get any easier for Novaxx. His next opponent is on-fire Kecmanovic

looking forward to Tiafoe vs. FAA and Andreescu vs. Sabalenka

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[quote] outspoken American player Reilly Opelka. The more cerebral Australian pro, John Millman

Opelka aka “dumb American” if one reads the Mail between the lines

As I understand it, Wimbledon is a private club who gets to choose who competes so I'm not sure what feasible legal action can be taken. The ranking points thing, okay, but that won't stop the crowds and the other players participating in Wimbledon. I think the players are stuck with this. Kostyuk will be happy though!

R190 so will Svitolina. She just put up a post on Instagram basically saying other tournaments should follow Wimbledon's lead.

R191 You're right, the Ukrainian players are happy with this (understandably so).

“Yes, until they stop their criminal government, [R]ussia should be banned from the free world in anything possible, including all sports,” tweeted Aleksandr Dolgopolov, the recently retired player who was Ukraine’s best men’s tennis player this century, and who returned to Ukraine to join the war efforts. Ukrainian players Elina Svitolina, Marta Kostyuk, and Sergiy Stakhovsky also shared a joint open letter which called for further bans. “We demand to exclude and ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in any international event, as Wimbledon already done,” the statement read. “There comes a time when silence is betrayal and that time is now.”

I feel bad for this athletes who are having their careers affected by being born in these countries. I get it's awful what Russia is doing but I dont think these athletes should be punished for that. They've taken their flag and the country name and that's not enough?

It’s nice to see that Sergiy Stakhovsky followed the grand tennis player tradition of marrying models/actresses/bimbos of a higher grade than they themselves are (I’m looking at you Jack Sock).

The other slams are owned by the country's national federations so if they did the same, I think that players would have more luck overturning it by going to CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport). CAS is very sympathetic to the Russians - they overturned ice skater Kamila Valieva's doping suspension (to the surprise of legal experts).

Boo fucking hoo, 90% of Russians are drug cheats and who knows what else. No great loss.

[quote] and who knows what else

Heart conditions.

grrrr

r196, don't forget homophobes, racists, anti-Semetics and overall assholes, and some I'm sure are very fine people. Like Karatsev, he gets a pass because he's hot and Jewish but I think he should play for Israel.

I think that the players should either come out publicly against the war, give up their citizenship, pick up a rifle and fight for their country or just go away and STFU for awhile and live with the consequences, like Djokovic. Or maybe they all should have hernia operations.

Oh Pam. I love that she made sure to mention how many singles titles she'd won and how many years she spent in the top 10 in that article, even though it didn't really have anything to do with the subject.

Coach Don Candy and Pam Shriver in 1982 (during their affair).

^And the day she beat Martina!

Ew, he was 50 when they started smashing but doesn't look a day over 65...

Maybe it's all the shade she gets on DL over the years, but I really feel quite attached to Pam. She's such a part of the fabric of tennis, and always gives the tea during her interviews (her 'Fantastic Tennis' podcast interview is amazing). I have never been able to say 'Wickmayer' normally since.

Another iconic moment.

I’m also really fond of Pam, I think it’s because she’s been a part of the ESPN broadcasting team for so long. She’s a terrible in-booth commentator, but I love her Court side reporting.

For what it's worth, Opelka is the smarter of the two American giants. Isner is as dumb as a brick.

[quote] Isner is as dumb as a brick.

I’s built like pro verbal brick outhouse.

R193 If they really are against the war they could always renounce their citizenship and play for another country. Many Russian athletes have changed country to be able to play.

R208 So you want them to renounce their citizenship just because of the action of one mad man and also put their friends and family who are still living in Russia at risk?

It's so easy for you to tell them what to do when you dont't know anyone living in Russia.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

It's easy for you to say when you don't know anyone living in UKR.

R199 With Lil Diego, Shapo and Karatsev, Israel would have been a serious threat for Davis and ATP Cup. Huge loss for that federation.

Kecmanovic looking particularly hot in forest green today.

Nole with two beautiful, screaming backhands to win a tough one against Kecmanović in Belgrade.

Kecmanović looking extremely hot today, too.

R213 and R214, I watched part of the match today, and my first thought was while he’s not great looking he’s so much better looking than sour-faced and angry Djokovic.

Miomir is deliciously thiq

....

Novaxx bitching about Russian ban. You just knew he was a Putin Sympathizer

Disagreeing with the Wimbledon decision doesn't make one a Putin supporter.

I don't agree with it...let them play under neutral flag

[quote] A 1555 guide to tennis is among the items on sale at the fair

[quote] A tiny book created by Charlotte Brontë worth $1.25m (£957,393) is among the items for sale at what is being billed the "world's finest antiquarian book fair".

[quote] Also on offer are a guide to tennis published in 1555, handwritten notes from the world's first atom bomb test and Amy Winehouse's library.

[quote] A book believed to be the world's first guide to tennis written by an Italian priest in 1555 ($45,000) and a rare early edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' priced at approximately $360,000 will also be on offer.

Looking forward to Raducanu FINALLY playing someone who's actively in the top 10!!! and none other than #1 Swiatek

this was an interesting match with a lot of power today

I like the Russian players but I agree with the decision to ban them from Wimbledon. Russians are being bombarded with propaganda about how their dictator is eliminating nazis (it's always projection with fascists) and they can't get news from truthful sources.

They should at least have to ask themselves: "Why are our premier athletes no longer welcome around the world?"

It's unfortunate, and I'd vastly rather Med be #1 than Novax, but that's a sacrifice that needs to be made.

Pam Shriver story seems fake. She is a pervert desperate ly trying to gain attention

Barcelona tournament is turning out to be a nightmare due to rain considering next week players have to play in Madrid Masters.

Served those ranking vultures (Stef,Casper ,FAA,Cam) right.

Madrid isnt next week, it's the week after.

I'm all for the sanctions, but I just don't know how much this is going to do to stop Putin, realistically? Is he really sitting around thinking "You banned Varvara Gracheva from a tournament, I will withdraw the Russian forces immediately." I also wonder if many payers will boycott it in support of them, since it doesn't seem a popular decision. WTA and ATP crafted a joint statement condemning the action.

I don't mind the sacrifice though, out of those players I only really like Sabalenka and Sasnovich. Rublev seems nice too but he seems to play every other week of the year anyway and I wasn't exactly expecting him to mop the field up on grass.

R228 It's pretty much a commercial decision on the part of Wimbledon. Die hard tennis fans mostly agree - what the heck does Varvera Gracheva have to do with what Putin decided indeed? Pavs was amazing when she went on CNN to directly denounce what Putin did. I don't think she deserves this either. Rublev seems like a total innocent. But it's casual fans with money and TV viewers (most of whom aren't die hard tennis fans with a connection with players) that Wimbledon makes their £££ from.

On the other hand, I will note that German tennis player Eva Lys who is of Ukrainian heritage and has family in Ukraine said that Russian tennis players made fun of the war and demonstratively pot on Russian tracksuits at an ITF event.

Marta Kostyuk has also complained about how Russian players on the WTA have shown no real concern for Ukraine and have only been concerned about being cut off from banking.

r229, r220 et al just stop it; r225, too. And she wasn't prebubescent nor not an adult.

The Pam Shriver story is odd. I listened to her on The Tennis Podcast and it seems a bit of a non-story. She points out she wasn't abused, she was in love with him and that 'at that time' it wasn't wrong. Even Catherine Whittaker seemed to struggle with Pam's story. It was like she was about to ask "So, Pam, what's the point you're trying to make?".

R232 I read her article in full and it seemed very clear to me that she was saying that it wasn't professional because her relationship with him emotionally affected her and she would play badly when his wife came to watch at slams. She played better when her personal and professional life was separated. But that doesn't even get past just how creepy it is that he was 50 and she was 17.

All in all, it was very good advice. Don't 'shit where you work'. Keep work and personal separate. And much older adults shouldn't be taking advantage of teenagers who are susceptible to a mature person being nice to them.

In the Tennis Podcast, she talked about how it affected future relationships, explaining why she partnered with elderly men.

I think Kostyuk and Svitolina are getting a bit of heat because they posted that letter of demands, but didn't show up to play BJ cup for Ukraine the other day (whereas Yastremska and Zavatska who actually fled Odessa did), nor did they post any messages of support to their countrymates.

Apparently people are also mad that Kostyuk is bitching about the Russian players not showing her respect but she's not even been at tournaments, instead posting bikini pictures and food photos from the Miami parties she's going to. Svitolina posted a new NFT with the monkey wearing a UKR flag, and people are accusing her of trying to profit off the misfortune with the NFT pyramid scheme.

Yastremska is still looking after her younger sister and traveling from tournament to tournament trying to make enough money for them to survive. She did say some Russian players came up to her with words of concern and support. There does seem to be a bit of tension between Yastremska and Kostyuk, even when they play doubles together.

I'm not saying I agree with it, but I think these are some of the reasons people feel it's an empty gesture (both the open letter, and the Wimbledon ban). My family fled war zones and I know things are not always that simple.

R234 Yes, she did. It just seemed a bit of a confused message she was trying to make. She didn't seem to be making a coherent argument or point. It was difficult to listen to as she seemed on the verge of tears but didn't seem to have anything to say. It was like listening to a stream of misery, the kind of which you'd get at an AA meeting. She said she wasn't molested, she made it very apparent she almost threw herself at him and she wasn't underage.

R236 But you can't understand that she was17 and vulnerable? Inexperienced, not mature, etc. He was 50 as well as married and should have known better.

R235 From Reuters a month ago:

"Ukraine's Elina Svitolina has withdrawn from next month's Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers after aggravating a back injury in her determination to play on following Russia's invasion.

'It's been an extremely difficult couple of months for me, not only mentally but also physically,' Svitolina wrote on Twitter.

'For quite a long time I've been struggling with my back. The pain didn't let me prepare for the tournaments at my best.

'Meanwhile, observing with unbearable pain in my heart what is happening in my homeland Ukraine and with how much bravery and courage our Ukrainian people are defending our country, this gave me a huge push to continue and fight on court.

'Now, my body can't handle it anymore and I need to rest. Therefore I'm sad to announce that I will be missing Fed Cup and a few of my favourite tournaments in Europe."

R237 Yes of course I can understand she was young and vulnerable. The point I'm trying to make is that she went to great lengths to point out SHE was in love with him and made the first move and that she didn't think of it as an abusive relationship. I'm not suggesting it wasn't right, but she continually said things like 'it wasn't wrong at the time'. She continually talks about being so in love with him and crying because he had a wife. It's the story of a lovesick teenager, not someone who was the victim of abuse. Her account comes across like a therapy session, not a coherent argument.

R238 I think it's fair enough, especially with the injuries. And I certainly wouldn't be able to go on court under these circumstances myself. But she was sharply declining in form even before and during the invasion (those Mexico matches were awful), people were predicting her retirement before all of this happened.

I think the criticism i've read (and this is mostly on Twitter, tennis forum, etc.) is that she and Kostyuk are calling the shots from Monaco and Geneva/Miami, while the two players who actually fled the invasion have quite a different story and are showing up more in person. And I think the NFT thing rubbed people the wrong way.

R240 Why would the NFT thing be a problem if she is donating the proceeds to Ukraine? I don't get it.

R241 I'm not sure, I don't know anything about them but don't they appreciate in value over time for the owner? Maybe those complaining didn't know she was intending on giving the money to Ukrainian relief. I did like Elina's answer below on CNN (although who did her lip injections? Jelena Jankovic's doctor?), i've posted the video below.

To me I think it's a bigger deal that most of Europe is still taking oil from Russia and giving them economy. And i'm not looking forward to Boris Johnson showboating about this Wimbledon ban as if he had anything to do with it.

Maybe Kastakina and Pavlyuchenkova should join as CNN+ sports journalist st Wimbledon

The closeup they just showed of Tiafoe's cakes as he ran into the changeover seat...

Tennis TV were quick on posting it lol. They know that even their straight bro audience loves to look.

Kostyuk is young and desperately needs a publicist.

Kostyuk doesn’t need to be spending on a publicist when her nation is at war.

A nice send off for Robredo, they all look so old.

Several familiar faces, including now tournament director David Ferrer, former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero and Davis Cup champion teammate Feliciano Lopez, helped send off the 12-time ATP titlist in a moving presentation. Andy Murray, Carlos Moya and David Nalbandian were among those sending in congratulatory video messages. Rafa couldn't record a message because Whatshercara doesn't allow cameras because she's private.

Some great ding-dong battles in Barcelona today. Lil Diego blasts past Felix in 3 to get to the semis. Cam Norrie came through in a typical slugfest with Marton. PCB and Ruud have just gone into a 3rd after a nervy tie-break for both.

I can't stand Raducanu's open mouth when she serves. She looks like a mouth breather. Jelena Doric used to drive me nuts with the same tick.

Little Doric

Who of you mean DL was the one who asked Rune what is his diet when he tops and the diet when he bottoms?

The poor sould didn't realize the mean spirit of the question and asked something about sweets

I guess someone asked him on Twitter? Went right over his head

Disgraceful Tsitsipas fires the ball directly at Alcaraz and immediately turns away, doesn't even offer any apology.

Crowd now absolutely hate him, and Carlos is massacring him in the 2nd set. Karma!

[quote]Disgraceful Tsitsipas fires the ball directly at Alcaraz

Here's a video:

R253 is that the homophobic player that it's ok because he's young?

Demon Team or Stacked Carlos Team?

PCB Team or Lil Diego Team?

Listen, R256, it wasn't said "it's ok because he was young." On another thread I said that I hope his Challenger episode was not representative of who he ultimately becomes. Youthful indiscretion, and I have no idea if he's gay or straight. People change their attitudes as they mature. Maybe you have as well? IF it becomes apparent that he's a phony or indeed a homophobe, then I'd be wrong. It's too soon to know about him until he fully cooks, just like other players, whether they're on the ATP or not.

I hope he matures into a handsome, kind gentleman. Aside from that challenger event from over a year ago, that might be a tall order because I'm seeing a lot of bratty gamesmanship of late. Pretty funny, his response to the above Twitter question about tops/bottoms.

Stacked (And Bouncy Dick) Carlos Team

I'm torn on the second as I love them both, but with a gun to my head I'd have to go Lil Diego Team.

Alcaraz is a big threat at Roland Garros. He’s electric on a big court, and his power can’t be matched.

Hard to decide, R257. I like all of them.

I think I’ll go with Lil’ Diego team.l and Alcaraz (Garfia) team.

Alcaraz all the way here

Carlos and L'il Diego.

I like all four of them as well, but anyone choosing L'il Diego over PCB hasn't seen that pic of PCB in a spandex biking outfit with three friends. It's the best VPL pic ever. (And, no, I don't have it saved; it was on a prior thread, but it has been a while.)

OK some tech savvy gurl here needs to post it again.

have to say I was impressed how Raducau raised her game today. I thought she'd be in danger of getting double bageled but Raducanu put up a decent fight against Swiatek

R253 lol

Tsitsipas is really just a spoiled brat like a number of others on tour. His ego couldn't handle losing to a teenager 3 times in a row

De nada

Here's the PCB spandex pic

PCB team

Hard working Demon team

stacked

Mary Carillo was just on TV talking about the ban. Remember how butch she was when she joined USA Network?

She looks like Fognini.

I think this will be the year of Djokovic's career decline. At 35 every player suddenly flops, happened to Federer as well, it's like a point of no return. You can't fight biology. Add that he has played a couple of matches in over 7 months... doesn't look good. He's struggling to win a simple 250 title, always coming back from a set down, pushing. I feel sorry for him.

R272 I don't. I'm HERE for it. I would much rather Rafael Nadal be the GOAT than him (Federer is done).

I hope Rublev demolishes Djokovic in the final. Schadenfreude over pity for Djokovic every time. Same with Zverev. Vile villains of the sport.

R272, athletes hit their physical peak at about 26-27. If they last past thirty, it’s because they’re smart and know how to manage their resources,. Obviously they’re on borrowed time, but some of them can borrow more time than others. Djokovic has been dropping first sets to lower-ranked players for years; it’s an established pattern. I don’t think that, at this point, you can read the tea leaves one way or another.

We don't need tea leaves to see that Djokovic has been dismal this year. Losses to Vesely and ADF in the only other tournaments he's played in 2022 don't bode well.

That's what made today's win so impressive. Kachanov 10 years younger, 4 inches taller, former number 8, in peak form, knows Novaxx is shaky, takes the first set and then Novak shifted gears and owned every inch of the court.

We haven't seen boobs out in awhile.

In peak form? Karen's win-loss record this year is 11-9 and he's barely clinging on in the Top 30! NoVaxxx fans truly do inhabit an alternate reality!

Still not impressed, R277. Khachanov has been in freefall, hasn't beaten anyone ranked in the top 20 this year, and also lost to Djokovic in Dubai before Vesely took Djokovic out.

I hate Novaxx, but this is what he does. He scrapes by and then suddenly he's Peak Novak again. Ugh. I just want Rafa to win the French and anybody other than Novak to win Wimby and the USO.

Svitolina talking about the Russian players-

According to Svitolina and some other Ukrainian tennis players, Russians do not even greet Ukrainian players anymore. Svitolina's fellow compatriot Marta Kostyuk said Ukrainian players expected to receive support from Russian players in indian Wells but instead they got completely ignored.

"Now it looks like the Russian tennis players try to avoid us, so we won't meet each other or have a conversation. And words of support were expressed by only a few support who asked about my family or if everyone was alive.

It's still a mistery to me how it is possible that you can't show humanity. Although we see each other every week, our communication has gone to zero - even with those who used to say 'Hello,'" Svitolina told Tribuna.

Barcelona's a washout for the day. They'll have to play both the semi and final tomorrow.

I'd rather see anyone other than Nadal and Djokovic winning Slams this year. Alcaraz could ride his confidence high to a French Open crown. I'd love to see Nadal have to face him in the Round of 16 or quarters depending on seedings. Alcaraz, however, is still prone to misfiring for a few games. It's one of the reasons Tsitsipas was able to take the second set yesterday.

Tsitsipas. I love his game, but he seems frequently to find a way to lose when winning, and he always manages to turn the crowd against him by acting like an asshole. I wish he would quit both of those things. It was interesting to watch yesterday when Tsitsipas and Alcaraz were both playing at their higher levels. It was clear to me Alcaraz is already the better player at 18. Quite impressive.

Alcaraz is going to be top 8 by the time of Roland Garros.

He will be number 9 if he defeats De Miñaur and he defends way less points than anybody in the top 10

Alcaraz (18 years, 11 months, 17 days) and Nadal (18 years, 10 months, 22 days) broke into the top 10 at almost exactly the same age.

Sabalenka has suddenly found her form again this week with a solid win over Badosa. I didn't expect Samsonova to trouble Swiatek that much because she's a simple ball basher but she almost pulled it off today.

Swiatek vs. Sabalenka should be a good final

Fucking hell, stop feeling sorry for the Russians. This was the right decision. Putin is using Russian athletes as pawns in his propaganda war. We cannot let them compete.

IF the Russian players still want to play, they can, for another country. Nobody is stopping them. But of course they won't, because they're Russians and probably support war criminal Putin.

Fokina is fluent in Spanish. He was born in Spain. It doesn't matter if his parents are Russian. He plays for Spain, as he should. He is Spanish.

^ I don't think anyone is arguing against that, doll

Plus, he's smoking hot, so who cares?

The last two editions (2022, 2021) of WTA 500 Stuttgart had more matches between Top 10 players than the last 11 Grand Slam tournaments.

thanks R293

DL must be excited for the all-Russian final in Istanbul tomorrow

Kudermetova vs. Potapova

I've always liked Potapova since the Wimbledon junior final. It's a pity she never got to become the player everybody was expecting. Hope she wins her first title today.

R289 As if acquiring a foreign passport is like changing a pair of shoes.

PCB is on the cusp of taking out Lil Diego

Demon took the first set off of Stacked Carlos

Good to see PCB holding it together mentally in that match. He's been struggling all year to close out tight matches.

So happy for PCB.

PCB's dick is quite beautiful as well. It's on LPSG's tennis post page 494.

^ link pls

A gorgeous red Porsche is being rolled down for Swiatek right now. She-Hulk really wanted that Porsche.. too bad for her.

Who was it a few years back who won the Porsche but couldn't drive?

It was Pliskova R304 I think Navratilova won a Porsche (and the tournament) 6 times, when it was still in Filderstadt

R291 Someone here kept saying he's Russian. I'm just saying he is Spanish, but has Russian parents. He plays for Spain.

Only Venus, Serena, Henin and Azarenka have achieved more consecutive wins than Swiatek's current run.

I should have added 'since 2000'.

Umpire Julie Kjendlie is wearing rainbow socks. Is she..?

Haha old boyfriend v new boyfriend final in Barcelona. I'll be happy no matter who wins there.

I don't think the Russians should be allowed to play but I don't think the personal interactions of the players is really relevant. It's not like they were friends anyway and it seems so many of them were bitchy. I don't think we've seen anything like that out of the ATP players. That being said, while we don't know what pressure the Russians are under, the Ukrainian players definitely get a stress pass, it's just unfortunate.

Nole team or Rublev team?

Rublev team.

Rublev team.

You did well to add “since 2000”, r308. Those numbers are peanuts compared to the top 10 winning streaks on the WTA.

Djokovid in big trouble.

[quote] Djokovid in big trouble.

Yay! I'm so happy. Bagel in the third set.

Jerkoff-Itch BAGELLED in the final set.

AHAHAHAHAHA!

PCB team or Alcaraz (Garfia) team?

I guess the obedient crowd will wait for Djokovic to give them permission to applaud Rublev during the award ceremony.

PCB Team.

Let the bulging begin!

The Serbian open is less an ATP event than a private, Djokovic-family affair. Do they realize how sleazily mafioso this whole closing ceremony is? Rublëv is just standing there as the Djokovices hand out trashy gold mementos to Djokovic’s team and Niki Pilic, who just stated that Djokovic isn’t “one of the best of all time, but the greatest of all time” just before bowing to Djokovic’s parents and bursting into tears.

I hope the PR is working in the Balkans, because it looks like a disaster from out here.

R321 sounds like it's a glimpse of how NoVaxxx thinks every tournament should be. Everyone bowing and scraping before his 'greatness'.

Such an unpleasant family.

Ten years from now he will be in power and raping the Serbian treasury blind.

Djokovic is now entering Norma Desmond territory.

The TC commentators in the studio were making out like Djokovic is climbing back to peak form. Not sure what match they saw. In the third set, he was watching returns sail by him without trying to get to them.

Alcaraz wins!

Yes, their commentary was nothing short of arse-licking, r325.

Thank goodness we’ve just seen Alcaraz, Djokovic’s future nemesis, win in Barcelona and break into the topm10.

Predictions for Madrid. Which team are you on?

Longest trophy ceremony ever

Fourth title in four finals for Alcaraz (five if we count the nextgen finals)

That Porsche trophy looks so fucking ugly! I would use that to shove it up Putin's ass!

Rublev's whiny response about being banned for now from Wimbledon made me dislike him greatly. And I don't even support Wimbledon's position.

this week's draws:

[bold] Munich: [/bold]

Zverev is top seed and he'll face either Lehecka or Rune

#2 Ruud, #3 Opelka who should have an easy openers

#4 Basilashvili opens against McDonald or Ivashka

#5 Garin vs. Krajinovic

#6 Evans vs. Cressy

#7 Kecmanovic vs. German WC

#8 Van de Zandschulp vs. Nakashima

Giron vs. Gaston

[bold] Estoril [/bold]

FAA is top seed and opens against Harris or a LL

#2 Schwartzman opens against Cuevas or Caraballes Baena

#3 Cilic opens against J. Sousa or Baez

#4 ADF opens against F. Coria or Zapata Miralles

#5 Tiafoe vs. Lajovic

#7 Paul vs. Gasquet

#8 Korda vs. Herbert

WC Thiem vs. Bonzi

[bold] Rome challenger [/bold]

Coric is unseeded and playing #3 Cobolli

The worst problem of his response is that nobody liked it. Dolgopolov called him a liar and Tarpishev did some veiled threats probably warning him about not speaking anymore

Naomi got her hair and nails done

Andrey "I'm too stupid to know what is happening" Rublev is giving Denis Shapovalov a run for the title of ATP's biggest idiot.

^ I like Rublev. You're OCD about politics and it isn't pretty.

(My) hunky Mmoh lost in the Challenger final in Tallahassee today. I'm thinking that the tourney next week in Savannah, GA might determine his chances for FO wildcard, American reciprocation thingy. I think JJ Wolf is also in contention.

Mmoh is chiselled. He and Stacked Carlos. And Fucksovic.

JFC!

Will a kind DL gay please give me an update on the DL boyfriends? Like where they are next week

Here's everyone's schedule this week and through the French Open, R341. Look on the Schedule tab to see where they're entered up through Roland Garros.

Not surprised but Venus and Serena unfollow Patrick on ig

the PCB dick video is paywalled on LPSG. Could anyone post a clip or a still? I've fantasized about PCB for years!

I've dreamed of Summer Street!

The comments on LPSG indicate it's likely not him. Apparently the torsos don't match and the face is never shown.

What happened to y'all kweenz?

You're late to the party, Marge.

Who knew that Margaret Court is a paying member of a gay message board? Sinful!

Someone put something spicy in Richard Gasquet's cereal this morning. He was inspired against Tommy Paul in Estoril today.

He's not far off reaching the 600 ATP wins threshold now.

Gay-ish Oscar Otte gets his first Top 30 win over Opelka in Munich and is heading rapidly towards to Top 50.

Confirmed: Hulkina is Anisimova's pigeon - this is the fourth time she's lost to Anisimova. Sabalenka won the Madrid Open last year so this means a lot of lost ranking points too.

Why “ Gay-ish”, R351?

Do I really need to explain 'ish'?

He pings lots of people's Gaydars but there doesn't seem to be any hard evidence that he is.

My Rafa is back in action next week at Madrid. It's his worst clay court Masters. I just want him to get two or three matches in. Sans injury. Rome and RG await.

Absolutely cracking match going on in Estoril between Tiafoe and Korda. Both playing some inspired tennis as they move in to a final set.

Wow and big Foe into the final!

Kasatkina was off to a slow start today but still has Sakkari's number. Osaka's match has been frustrating.

For those who are still posting to this now dead thread, here’s the link to the new(ish) thread: