The Gays and Tennis Part 119: French Open 2022 On to the Semifinals

Prior thread.

I'd like:

Nadal-Cilic final with Nadal winning.

Swiatek-Gauff final with Swiatek winning.

Same as r2 ☝🏻

Thanks OP for the new thread and getting the volume correct haha

Rune is such a naughty twink. I didn't see this part of the match but apparently against Tsitsipas at 1 point, they were at net and he tagged him in the chest with a ball. Pretty bold for a new guy on tour.

I want to see Rune play Murray, Zverev, Fognini and Kyrgios. There's potential for some real drama there

Definitely want a Nadal/Cilic final. But I like Ruud too.

And while I love Swiatek, I'm actually rooting for CocoGOAT. I like her. And this might be her only chance. Swiatek is going to dominate for years, I bet.

I'd like:

Nadal-Cilic final with Nadal winning.

Kasatkina-Gauff final with Kasatkina winning

Alcaraz and Rune from their junior years just a few years ago

I can already tell that Rune is going to be an annoying little bitch that I'm going to hate and have to put up with for years to come. Ugh.

[quote] Thanks OP for the new thread and getting the volume correct haha

Thanks after forgetting it and messing it up, respectively, for 117 and 118 b

I predicted Rafa to win in 4. Effing brilliant.

I would link it, but it's on the other thread.

I'm predicting Rafa to win FO.

LMFAO Djokovic stirring the pot about Nadal's injuries and ability to play

R10, you were R254 in the prior thread linked at R1 of this thread.

Sour grapes from that sour piece of shit.

Fuck him.

Nadal's response to the same question

There was a Timothee Chalamet-looking twink at the Cilic/Rublev match.

Who was the blond guy in Cilic's box?

Holger Rune's sweaty legs are sexy. Eat that Shapo blond leg hair.

Novak is salty! Lol.

LoL! :)

Ruud is so fucking hot but he needs to start wearing sun screen. Otherwise he will be Grigor 2.0.

What's wrong with Grigor's skin? It's not like Luke Evan's leathery hide.

R19 too late for that. Ruud already has so many wrinkles in the eye and mouth areas. Only his forehead is still young-looking. He looks closer to 30 even though he's what 24?

I suppose he’s already made the choice between his face and his ass.

Did OP post A. Zverev's picture to jinx him?

Not OP here, but I think "Flopos jinx" seems pretty clear in its intent.

Casper could have a face like Keith Richards and I'd still hit it.

[quote]The reporter was rude at times with questions about her humble origins, weight gain, finances and sexuality, but Kasatkina was a good sport about it and gave decent answers anyway.

How can you give a decent answer to what constitutes an abomination? They all are abominable.

Shibahara/Koolhof just on Mixed Double title. Shibahara clearly the best on court today

When Kasatkina wasn't explaining why she likes women (or dismissing the Court-ish idea that other plays cruise the showers), she mentioned the pitfalls of WTA players dating men on their payrolls. She said they all laughed at the infamous Putintseva "flat earth" clip, including Putintseva herself.

[quote]Not OP here, but I think "Flopos jinx" seems pretty clear in its intent

Oops, I missed that part

[quote] Shibahara/Koolhof just Ons Mixed Double title.

Fixed that for you.

Rune is also saying Ruud roared JAAAAA in his face in the locker room ...

Did they have some sort of fight at a change of ends or something? Anyone have the clip?

I did actually record the whole match so I suppose I could just watch the whole thing ...

Anyway, I, too, am now a slut for Casper. I love his slutty butt when he walks over to his towel. I love his slutty lisp. I bet he loves a good prostate orgasm and probably roars JAAAAA when he gets one. Want him to take me for a ride on his longship, want him to take me on a polar expedition, et cetera, et cetera.

On a scale of one to ten, Rune's credibility score is around negative one zillion.

Svee into the final as expected.

OMG, LOOK at what Marion is wearing. It has to be seen to be believed.

Who is the commentator on Tennis Channel along with Martina? She sounds as lifeless as A. Zverev’s future wife after one beating too many.

Twitter on Bartoli.

Answering my own question at R36. It was da Woz. She’s listless.

Amélie and BJK are on Court Chatrier right now. Maybe we're gonna be honored with some inter-generational scissoring action.

Love what the commentators pointed out about Trevisan. She does a long grunt that doesn't start until after she makes contact with the ball.

omg, Bartoli has no friends or anybody who loves her...you don't let your friends or someone you love leave the house like that!

Bartoli's dress is so large you have no idea whether under that tent stands thin Bartoli or fat Bartoli. But I don't care and I love quirky people in general and Marion is nothing if not quirky.

Pic of Bartoli.

I just don't want to see yet another Nadal victory at Roland Garros, so I hope Zverev can take him out. I could see Cilic potentially pulling an upset over Nadal if he plays and serves lights out, but it's unlikely. I can't see Ruud bothering Nadal at all.

I'd like to see a Gauff-Swiatek final. I hope if that's the case that Gauff can give her a match.

coco has no neck.

Seriously, R44? As another poster said on the previous thread, any win for Zverev is a loss for tennis. He shouldn't even be playing right now after his Mexico meltdown.

This fat Italian chick is super annoying. And I know Swiatek is a fantastic player, but I just do not like her. Nevertheless, I think she'll destroy the winner of Gauff-Trevisan.

She’s not fat. Some women are built like that. Serena was (and I’m talking Serena in her prime.)

But she's annoying.

The shriek sure is annoying.

Yay Coco!

Two compelling Women's semi-finals, then...

werq!

Rune is a little shit- homophobic, lying self absorbed hot head. Ruud is a class act pro. I think he’ll beat Cilic. Nadal could be overpowered by a redlining Zverev, but doubt it. He’s also a jerk like Rune.

I'm watching NoVaxxx lose all over again.

For shits and giggles.

But Rune is talented. He reminds me a bit of Nadal in his game -- a great mover, heavy shots, gritty AF.

Rune is a big baby and brat...I can't stand him

Ruud is 23 not much older than Rune

R57 the two aren't mutually exclusive

Rune's odd. Big weapons, a really average mover. Coke-level twitchy.

Did someone say “coke”?

Actually his twitches also reminded me of Rafa.

Who's place, Hingis's or mine?

coke spoon, goddammit

Were there Gasquet coke rumors at one point?

Yes. Pretty sure he failed a doping test b/c of coke. He said he'd ingested it inadvertently at a bar or some such.

I wouldn't be surprised if Hingis was there.

Rafa Team or Sneer Team?

Breed Me Caspter Team or Marin Team?

Every time I see Rune, I see Hingis. The same sneery brattitude, the same moon face, squinty pig eyes, pug nose and absence of lips. Also apparently the same coke dealer.

LMAO. R68's description made me cackle.

Ruud and Rune are the most Norwegian and Danish players ever.

^ fuck you

[quote] LMAO. R68’s description made me cackle.

Cackle cackle.

Great. Now I am sad, R72.

Rafa’s OCD if off the charts. During his Djokovic match, at one point they showed him setting a water bottle on the ground alongside another bottle. He stopped to get the placement precisely right… wanted them lined up diagonally.

But we're talking about Rune - who is tick-y and seems like sort of an ass. He's not even OCD like Rafa, just weird rhythms for no clear reason.

SOOOO happy we're getting a Swiatek vs. Gauff final! I'll be fine with either winning. Swiatek is playing like a #1 should while Gauff is showing everyone that she is the real deal.

loving the Nordic drama that went on between Ruud and Rune. Hopefully the play a lot more this year lol

even more fun that Ruud's father and Rune's mother issued statements

I didn't realize things would be so cold between the Scandinavian neighbors. Sweden has to be pissed now since they have no top players anymore but used to be a tennis superpower

R77, do you have links to the parents’ statements?

What a fucking asshole. Rune. Zero sportsmanship. He's a homophobe and worse. His whole family is probably the same. Such disgusting behavior (like in the locker room) is taught. His parents are assholes. apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Tennis could use a good asshole. I'm serious. I think Novak is an asshole, but he's a robotic one whose every step seems planned. Rune is an old school Jimmy Connors-like emotional asshole.

R78 there's more here but both parents apparently made statements to the press in their home countries of Norway and Denmark. It's a bigger deal there then in the general tennis press

Thank you, R81.

Yea, no, R80--Djokovic, Zverev, Kyrgios, sometimes Medvedev and few motley others make the ATP stench already unbreathable without adding another asshole. I don't miss the days of Connors, Nastase and McEnroe ever.

Ruud denies he yelled "yesss!" in Rune's face in the locker room.

side note, Norwegian sounds quite robotic

At least Zverev is hot.

surely there were other people in the locker room at the time to witness this?

I need to see Rune play Medvedev, Nadal, Zverev, Murray, Kyrgios, Fognini and then Djokovic, Tsitsipas and Ruud again. Just imagine all the possibilities for explosive moments between Rune and these players. Given that he reached the QF of RG in his debut he's going to be more arrogant than ever

[quote] surely there were other people in the locker room at the time to witness this?

Was Pam Shriver there to ogle the mins?

lol if you do a search on twitter for "Rune brat" you'll find countless replies of people tweeting it. He's brand new on tour and most fans who know who he is already hate him. Well done haha

CocoGOAT wrote 'End gun violence' at the end of her semi-final. She's quite the little activist.. fortunately on the right side.

I'm picking Rune to one day hit a ball in anger to the crowd or ball kids and hurt them. You know it's in him

Also the little brat yelled at the mother to leave during the match! "leave, leave, leave!"

Man, could Ruud pull this off? I think he'll beat Cilic, who often chokes in big matches (though he's been playing great.) And Nadal may be physically drained against Zverev,

So Zverev-Ruud, I dunno. Zverev has been playing great, too, such a powerful serve. But mentally, hoo-boy, the boy gets tight as a drum.

If Ruud could pull it off before Thiem, wouldn't that be a story!?

R90 Coco has a great head on her shoulders and overall seems like a good person

How do I get this job on Shapo team?

The nasty little brat better watch out as Casper's new boyfriend, Miomir, will not have him disrespected!

Ruud team or Cilic team?

Nadal team or A. Zverev team?

Ruud shirtless.

ATPhotplayers on Instagram.

I need to see Ruud nude.

R99 that is the worst pic of him ever lol

I think he looks gorgeous in that pic, r101.

I love this.

Must suck to be Holger's mom and know you're raised a fucking monster.

I love the drama between Ruud and Rune. They should hate fuck each other.

I'd like to see Casper and Miomir get their freak on.

CocoGOAT is through to the doubles final as well (with Jessica Pegula). They're having a good tournament.

Does Jim Courier, think he is so gorgeous male model? he acts that way whenever the camera is on him before or after a match... Or is he just a fop?

AND Goodall is annoying too... "we've been expecting Coco to get to the finals of a major and win one for years?" HUH? she's 18. only been on the tour for 3 years! and what he should have said is HOPING, NOT expecting! Was anyone expecting she would be in the finals of a slam or win one when she was 15, 16, 17? Because if so, she wouldn't be currently ranked #18!....

Rafa🤦 Already down a break. Watch him lose this match now.

Finally some ATP drama and rivalry. However something tells me Rune's career will be far bigger than Ruud's.

Zverev will be the least deserving winner in tennis history. That asshole should have gotten a one year ban for his behavior. Instead he's here playing at RG. How is this fair? Watch tennis viewership go down when the big 3 retire. There's no way in hell people will tune in to watch assholes like Zverev win slams.

These three (Gramps, PEDal and Novaxx) won 61 slams in 20 years, not to mention all the Master titles. It's fucking unbelievable. Their talent and legacy are monstrous but, in all honesty, I'm just tired of them. I can't wait to see a new era of tennis opening up with new winners, new faces, new #1s when they retire.

Happy Birthday Nadal! I love you!

R112 I'm not against new players taking over. I'm against new asshole player like Zverev taking over. I just can't root for them when they are horrible people, no matter how good they play, sorry.

Gasquet has a H O T dad butt, I'd fuck coke up his hole.

[quote] Does Jim Courier, think he is so gorgeous male model? he acts that way whenever the camera is on him before or after a match... Or is he just a fop?

He’s Fopos.

Which white male players have yellow skin?

Zverev just choked bad. Missed some sitter shots from Nadal.

Vamos Rafa!!!!

Zverev blows a break lead. If Nadal wins this first set, I expect him to run away with this semi-final.

I think it’s sexy when A. Zverev lifts his “wife beater” (apt). I’m again the ashamed poster attracted to Flopos. I can’t stand him and want him to lose.

Nadal sweats like a pig.

"Finally some ATP drama and rivalry. However something tells me Rune's career will be far bigger than Ruud's."

His movement is too iffy. He'll be capable of big things, deep runs because of his weapons, but he movement and (at least at this point) his temperment will make his results inconsistent. That said, it's not like Ruud has next-level skills.

Amazing point to win the set.

Only one set in and my nerves are shot already. That's ok, Nadal's got this.

Now Nadal will run away with this. Nadal's level rose but Zverev had so many dumb errors on big points.

I figured Zverev would hand too many points to Nadal. I sure hope the 21 and under set starts to rise. I'm oh-so-tired of one of the Big 3 winning everything, and Nadal winning so many French Opens. Yawn.

R127 agreed. I like Nadal but have no interest in watching him win a 14th french. He wouldnt win so much if these dudes could hold it together and not choke. Perfect example being that first set.

Almost all tennis players are at least relatively attractive (not Bublik), but I just don't see it with Zverev. He has horrible hair and a rat face and a tall, shapeless, body which is definitely NOT enhanced by the sleeveless look.

I'm with you, R128. That's what made Alcaraz's level drop against Zverev so frustrating. An in-form Alcaraz likely would have won that first set that Zverev just lost. The 21 and under set can't start winning fast enough. We need new Slam finals.

Zverev has fangs when he opens his mouth.

he lacks mental toughness.

I want to like Nadal, but his OC actions are so fucking annoying and the ugly faces he makes when he's serving are grotesque.....

R132. nobody is perfect. His parents raised him right and he treats everyone with respect and kindness, a good sport. Unlike that ugly brat.

R125, are you Rafanatic?

R132 that is one thing I wont miss when he retires. Also I understand its humid but he asked the umpire for more time between points. Nadal needs more time between points? Ridiculous.

That first set was incredible down 1-6 in the tb. I was like okay that was rough but Nadal will get the 2nd. And he stormed back to take the set 10-8. I'm so impressed.

It's so gross that Zverev chews on his necklaces.

I hate Zverev, used to like him when he was upcoming but is a complete jerk with no mental toughness.

I love Rafa now because this could be his last year and I want him to win it big. Then retire and have babies. He wants to be a father but not while on the tour.

Zverev has fucked up at then net so many times. Just when I get worried he misses. Great break point. Exciting match.

Gritty as his performance has been so far, Rafa looks very beatable. Lucky for him, Zverev's an idiot. Alcaraz must be banging his head against a wall right now.

C'mon Nadal, beat the man in black.

Nadal gets a cheap win

There was something kind of poetic about hearing the girlfriend beater wail in pain.

R133 I agree wholeheartedly.

I put a curse on him by calling him the man in black.

Why did A. Zverev walkover?

Heinous ankle roll, R146. He was taken off in a wheelchair. Jim Courier called it the worst he's seen and issued a warning for squeamish viewers before replaying it.

Never mind. I just saw R143.

Thanks, R147.

Thanks Rafa, for your soul

I'm pretty sure you won't be see Zverev at Wimbledom.

seeing, that is.

R90 I'm like, um, like an activist too. Um like, blck um, live like they like matter.

Is it bad that I'm feeling an immense amount of Schadenfreude at this moment?

I was in exceptional form today!

Wow 😮

Rune is young so his homophobia is perfectly acceptable.

👻 Ruud team or Cilic team?

I was watching most of the match before I ran errands and didn't see the ankle roll. Awful. I wanted Nadal to win, but don't wish this on Zed.

hate Zverev and he'll be getting the equivalent of the time off he should have been banned for earlier this year

that said, holy shit Nadal continues to be the LUCKIEST bastard in tennis history. How many times can things just magically go his way from impossible positions? Zverev had 6-2 in the first set tiebreak and loses it 8-10. Then in the second set Nadal and Zverev comically broke each other's serve 4 fucking times which is quite unusual for a men's match. I don't want to hear about women's serving after that shit. Zverev of course even served for the set at 5-3. Then of course Zverev falls at game point for Nadal to hold for the second set tiebreak. All that took 3 hours and 13 minutes! Nadal is so incredibly lucky. Even if he had won in straight sets which is likely, it would have taken at least another hour and of course longer if Zverev were to win a set. Now he'll be fully rested for the final.

I won't be surprised if Cilic and Ruud go 5 long sets with the winner dead for the final

R134, that wasn't me!

To all of you complaining about Rafa (and Gramps and Novak) winning everything, I think even you guys must admit you miss Fed. I know I do and I HATED him when he was up against Rafa. But current players just pale in comparison. Same thing will happen when Rafa and Novak call it quits.

Greatness is infectious and is sorely missed when it's gone. Look at the WTA right now. With no Serena, Barty or even Osaka? It's boring.

This will most likely be Rafa's last French final (he's already pulled out of Wimby). So at least enjoy it. Greatness like his is rare.

That was me ^^^

I wasn’t looking at the time of the ankle roll and just saw Zverev on the ground and thought he fell. I was like - damn! he is crying like a little bitch! When I saw the replay I realized how bad it was…

Barty is the most overrated player lol she won 3 slams over a 3 year period. I hate that people act like she was the new GOAT. She hadn't proven that at all. Very talented but not dominant

Between Nadal's lucky AO escape and now this RG holy shit men's tennis is still in the toilet but people will rave that Nadal outplayed everyone.

Alcaraz isn't ready yet and the others suck

no way will Cilic or Ruud win a RG final over Nadal even if he's playing with 1 leg and 1 arm

R160, I've always thought that. Graf on the women's side was also one of the luckiest players I've ever seen in terms of competitors folding to her when she was down. Only pre-stabbing Monica Seles stood toe-to-toe with Graf. But Nadal and Graf are also great players who never give/gave up. That competitive spirit is what carried them to wins they shouldn't really have.

If Nadal is out of Wimbledon, I've got to think something is flaring up. Maybe either Cilic or Ruud have an outside shot at winning the title if Nadal is a bit hobbled? More likely, the roof will collapse on the side of Cilic or Ruud crushing them and making Nadal the winner.

Any chance Rafa's setting the stage to announce his retirement if he wins this weekend?

Bullshit to comments that Nadal wont play another French Open. I would bet money the lucky SOB says "see you next year" in his winning speech. Hell he will probably win the next 3 french opens.

R166 But that's not luck, it's mental toughness. Graf, Seles and the big 3 have that intimidating power because their rivals know they are not going to fail at a crucial time.

You need time to develop that, but Alcaraz shows signs he is going to be that kind of player too. So Tsitsipas, Zverev and Medvedev should try to win GS before he increase his level.

I watch players crumbled against Rafa and Nole for years, you have luck once or twice, when it happens everytime it means it's not luck at all

Nadal beat Djokovic who was the fav to win the tournament. And Nadal did win the 1st set while the 2nd was neck to neck when Zverev retired.

Pretty sure Nadal will either retire immediately after the final or announce he will finish later in the year. But I really think it will be the former.

You think he will retire to let Djokovic have no other big 3 to compete for majors with?

Why RuudCilic match suspended?

Anyone who isn't watching right now, there was a crazy disruption that caused the players to be taken off the court. There are probably clips on Twitter; the Tennis Channel refused to show the woman who chained/glued herself to the net.

It would be incredibly stupid to attach yourself to the net. All they have to do is detach it or even just pull up the posts. It isn't like they don't have other ones available within feet of where they are.

I'm pretty sure it was Rune's Mama still protesting Ruud's locker room misbehavior.

Frence has shit security. And that shit show with the Champions League final the other day as well. They are so ill prepared for anything.

a picture of the crazy cunt on twitter

German asshole's ankle in this picture...

the protester is kinda pretty

but dumb even if her climate cause is good

Vamos Ruud

hahahaha Rune is not finished yet!

he eye rolled Ruud's response

Glad Rafa will be rested up for his final.

Zverev might have won that, but I doubt it. Rafa had the first set and was going into a tie break -- again. And Rafa came from behind with his sneaky little moves. He's truly the chess player of the tennis world.

Tennis Podcast does daily shows during the majors. They are fun and worth a listen. Some good analysis.

Suck that Holger

Nadal must be very happy when the other finalist is a member of his academy

Does protesting like that ever actually work? Do people look at someone being an asshole and think 'oh yeah, that's right, I'm converted to your cause'. At best they mostly see it as some entertainment.

Nadal will no doubt pummel Ruud's backhand. He gets the most topspin on that shot out of just about anyone. If he hits it short it just sits up high which leaves it vulnerable.

Ruud will have to serve well and try to get as many forehands as possible. He can run with Nadal

I'll be surprised if Ruud wins a set honestly. He plays so defensively especially when returning serve so Nadal will drop shot him (which is what others should do to Nadal more often after he returns serve)

It would be a shock if Nadal gets broken multiple times like he did today

Casper's confused himbo expression when your woman came on the court !

Thought he was gonna have his creamy bumcrack handed to him, can't believe he played so well.

How do you know it’s creamy, R188?

R182 AHAH say what you want but Rune is the spicy flavour we needed. He's like Hewitt and Ostapenko's lovechild.

Spicy Dane.

I think Putinseva is the real mother

Serena is not on the entry list for Wimbledon.

Flopos flopping.

Ruud is not 1 of my favorite players but it would be lovely to see him win RG since he's a nice guy. It'd be funny if Ruud won a slam before the likes of Tsitsipas and Zverev

reaching the final is a big step up for him because he has only won smaller tournaments before. Now earlier this year of course he reached the Miami masters final and he also reached the Rome masters SF but I just hope he doesn't feel too nervous. I hope he goes into the final with the mindset that the pressure is all on Nadal.

Some grass updates:

Murray has been in good form so far in Surbiton

I thought Simon was retiring? Well he's entered in qualies at 's-Hertogenbosch

also interesting that despite being down to #417 in the rankings, Tomic was given a WC into the qualies and has drawn top seed Querrey whom he's 3-0 against but they haven't played in 7 years

lol the ATP leading story and photo is this one of Zverev lying in agony

What was the Russian swear word Zverev said?

Simon's going to try to finish out the year, if his body holds up that long.

if someone can sound-it-out I know some Russian swear words

suka = bitch

blyat = fuck

Sascha

R169, when the other player is beating you and makes mistakes to give it away, that's luck, not skill. The mental toughness is a quality that some players have. Nadal has it in spades. I'm not saying that isn't why Graf and Nadal could win those matches, but they also needed help from their opponents who were beating them. That's the luck part. The mental toughness played a part in that they didn't give up and kept trying. Even Graf acknowledged during her career that a little bit of luck helps and she would say when she thought she got lucky. The Novotna Wimbledon meltdown in 1993 is probably the most classic example. I played tennis and I'd recognize when the other player had a walkabout and gave me points. I jumped on that.

Clearly the NextGen don't have mental toughness. I hope the 21-and-under club has it. Felix isn't showing promising signs. Alcaraz does have it, I think. I hope he wins a Slam in the next year or so.

Did brown boy beat white boy today?

Felix gave Nadal his greatest challenge at RG this year, Ruud notwithstanding, and is one of the few to have ever taken him to five sets there. He's made it to the USO semis and the quarters at Wimbledon and AO, and he's still just 21. That's not unpromising. Not GOAT level, but that collective Slam record is unsurpassed among his peers under 25. It'll be interesting to see who gets a Slam first, Felix or Alcaraz.

So do we know the extent of his injury? He was crying like a baby.

When he came out to in crutches, his ankle didn't look swollen to me at all, at least not to me.

Mary C looked good in blue today, matched Johnny Mac's tie.

R160, how do things magically go Nadal’s way from impossible positions? Because he plays brilliant shots and is incredibly mentally strong. You put it down to luck if you want. Those of us who know something about tennis knows it’s not luck.

Some things are just meant to happen. The stars align for something...it's meant to be or not meant to be. "god" works in mysterious ways...

German asshole was obviously not meant to win the French Open.

R206 so it was not luck today that Zverev served at 5-3 and hit 3 double faults to give the game away? Then had 15-30 at 5-4 but misses a routine forehand shot. Then at 30-30 misses a routine overhead to which Nadal pumped his fist and shouted vamos as if he did something great in that point. You don't think that's lucky?

It wasn't lucky for Nadal that Zverev then rolled his ankle which resulted in the match being over? You're delusional and don't know about tennis.

No one is saying Nadal isn't amazingly talented and an amazing athlete. It's very clear to most except his most ardent fan boys and girls that he has had a lot of luck in his career. There's a difference when someone plays amazing tennis to win matches (which Nadal has certainly done at other times in his career) and then times when he should have lost but a lucky twist of fate reversed the course of a match

At this year's AO he got very lucky against both Shapovalov and Medvedev as well

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

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

He probably has a sprain which will keep him out for about six weeks. Depending on the severity, it could take longer. I have had that injury and it hurts like fuck.

I feel so bad for him! Oh wait, no I don't.

God damn it!

Rafa was asked after one of his matches this week if he would assure the French fans that he would be back next year. Rafa replied that he would only say that he would be back on Chatrier two days hence... I will be very saddened if he announces his retirement on Sunday.

Svee-i-tek team or Coco team?

it will look horrible for the state of men's tennis if Nadal wins RG on Sunday and then retires because it will mean that even at the age of 36 the tour hasn't caught up to him. Everyone will say when new players win slams "well if Nadal was still playing..."

so as someone who is not a Nadal fan I hope he does not retire after this RG.

For a decade now I've been hoping for other players to start fucking taking down the big 3 but the only one consistent enough to do it so far has been Father Time.

I hope that injury fucks up Zverev's career.

Team coco

haha loving the lack of sympathy for that asshole

I doubt it would fuck up his career

True, he's done well enough fucking up his career on his own.

I won’t be that sad when Nadal retires. He’s obviously a great champion, but he’s 36 and has an illustrious career in his rear-view mirror. All good things come to an end. If he can go out with a bang, winning this year’s FO, all the better. He won’t have to quietly exit stage right, like Serena and Federer seem to be doing. He can say, proudly, that he’s accomplished everything he wanted as a tennis player and that he’s going to stop before his quality slips and he causes long-lasting damage to his body.

I love all the big champs from the past twenty years (maybe excepting Boobs Out), but you can’t stop the hands of time. I loved Navratilova and Graf and Seles, but I learned to move on when younger, healthier players rose to dominance.

Notification: Ruud has a small, largely unobtrusive, mole on his neck on the left side.

We thought you should be aware.

What the DL do without you, R223?

Omg I'm so happy! This is huge for Norway and Norwegian tennis!

Ruud is love.

Love is Ruud.

Casper bought his dad a Porsche, he wanted to show him gratitude after everything he has done for him. That is so sweet! Casper is boyfried material for sure.

r167, no not after this RG. He will likely play through the year and keep playing unless his foot injury or other injuries come back. I think he is not going to make another comeback but will play as long as he is healthy.

R208 No, that's not luck, that's a player who is unable to endure the pressure. Novak and Rafa are always there to profit of other players being unable to close the matches (or sets)

R216 Sampras retired after winning the US Open and unlike Nadal he was in clear decline when he did

R216

People will make that point regardless - if a young player beats Nadal today or next year, then it doesn't really count, because he's ancient and defeating him should be no great accomplishment at this stage.

Praising Felix for taking him to five sets is pathetic. Not just because Nadal is old and Felix lost, but because that was the match the day after the Champions League final - Felix was tucked up in bed, focused ... while grandad was off gallivanting around Paris, painting the town red, not a care in the world.

More accurate to say that Nadal took Nadal to five sets. And they were five leisurely sets.

American media hype for CoCo is in full flight. NuBalance plans to revive the 'Call Me CoCo' campaign. She has commented on the violent school shooting in Texas, and she probably will seek a political career in the next ten years. Good for CoCo. The problem is, until she play - and beat Serena - she can never know if she deserves it.

Serena? She’s done. She doesn’t have any big wins left in her.

I thought it was hilarious the way Nadal walked over to Zverev when he was on the floor wailing ... I'd say the last thing you want to see in that situation is Rafael Nadal looming over you on his way to a fourteenth final.

And then when he went up to the umpire and said "Excuse me, if I do a piss, is it counting?"

Howling.

Also, that actually WAS Sienna Miller looking aghast behind Zverev on the ground.

Serena is training for Wimbledon. No clue who is coaching her, with Patrick gone. Imagine she and Iga playing there. Serena's exit last year, with the goodbye to Centre Court cannot be the end she wants. Serena has said she takes inspiration from Phil Mickaleson.

Rune is still an asshole.

Rune is the male Fernandez.. total punk spoiled brat....

Are the commentators giving Swiatek any chance against GOAT Coco?

coco is playing poorly. it's gonna be a cakewalk for Iga

This is the worst Coco has played so far this tournament. Yes Iga is solid and hit really great but this isnt the same level Gauff had in previous matches.

This is first time Coco has played a top 31 player in this tournament.

Highest rank player she played was No 32Elise Merten who had come back after a recurring injury.

This is the first quality opponent she has played this tournament.

She will probably never lose again. Who would beat her and where? Streaks like this are impressive but ultimately I think not good for the sport.

Give me a Svee!

Give me an i!

Give me a tek!

Svee-i-tek!

Hopefully the final tomorrow will be more riveting because that was a snooze.

It sounds like they are adding and N to her name and calling her Schwee-aN-tek

[quote] Hopefully the final tomorrow will be more compelling because that was a snooze.

So boring

I know Swiatek won junior Wimbledon but her spinny game doesn't seem like it would be as dominant on grass. We will see.

Who's the guy with Wilander?

Obviously, it would seem grass might be her toughest opponent...If she wins Wimbledon, then she's truly a all court player, although like Osaka, I don't see why players are not dropshotting her like crazy....

His husband.

Vee-lan-der

It had been bugging me, but I finally figured out who Swiatek reminds me of: Oskar Werner, the late Austrian actor.

It’s doubles match.

Dodig/Krajicek team or Arevalo/Rojer team?

R245 Is that not right, though? I looked up a video of Sviatek pronouncing her own name and it sounded like the phantom N was in there ... she was unhelpfully fast saying it and blasé about having to teach the pronunciation ... which is stupid because she'll want fans outside of Poland, and people can't be bothered about people whose names they can't pronounce.

Source: am person who can't be bothered with people whose names I can't pronounce.

R249

Gilles Moretton

Thank you! I don't recall him as a tennis player, but he can get it now.

Toward the end of the match, they had a camera on Iga's box and were discussing her sports psychologist who was in attendance. The man next to the shrink?

My god. Well, he was a god.

Oh, the match sucked. Iga is great. And I think Coco could really be something special. No, not GOAT good. But a couple slams maybe.

Coco seems like a great kid. Glad they are working on her wonky forehand. The media and everyone else need to lay off the hype though. The pressure of it really has gotten her if her post-match interview was any indication.

Don’t get the hate for Fernandez here. Just because she pumps herself up on court doesn’t make her a brat. I’ve never heard anything bad about how she conducts herself. In fact, she and Raducanu apparently like each other.

Her name in Polish is written Iga Świątek, and the tail on the "a" in her last name indicates that it is a nasal vowel, so there should be an n-type sound there, r245 and r256.

R231, you sound like an expert in turning positives into negatives. It must be a real joy to be around you.

Watching Iga's ppst match interview. She's SO charming and likable.

Plus, she's clearly one of us.

I like Iga but the current state of WTA is just pathetic…

Iga is a really amazing clay court player, she is going to win more RG.

And i don't get the comparissions between Fernandez and Rune, she is feisty but i don't remember her being a spoiled brat on court or yelling at her mother. He is a piece of work

You forgot her bitching about Emma receiving treatment for the cut on her leg that left blood all over the court? She's not in the same class of horrid as Rune, but she's still a fucking bitch.

R235 Serena isn't on the entry list for Wimbledon, so it's unlikely she's training for it.

Fernandez isn't either (foot injury)

Hopefully Wimbledon wont be as easy for Iga to potentially win. Streaks are cool but competition is needed to make you care and want to watch.

Sorry but the wta has been a mess for too long. Yes, it's needed competition but it's needed dominant top players. The Raducanu-Fernandez final could be good for ratings but it would have never happened in the 90's and that's because back then the tops were really the ones to beat

R271 key word being players. One dominant player makes the wta look like a joke.

This is one long-ass doubles match.

R267.. exactly about fernandez, including her post match comments stating how she thought she should win against everyone of those (and they were!) upsets over higher ranked opponents like Sablenka who let's face it choked) at the Open , her over the top celebrations on points, her bitchy resting face, her gamesmanship on court, her running to point out a close call is ALWAYS out and so on...

not a single ounce of humbleness or humility within her..

German asshole on social media--

alexzverev123- Hey guys! I am now on my way back home. Based on the first medical checks, it looks like I have torn several lateral ligaments in my right foot. I will be flying to Germany on Monday to make further examinations and to determine the best and quickest way for me to recover. I want to thank everyone all over the world for the kind messages that I have received since yesterday. Your support means a lot to me right now! And many thanks to my friends from @goodwill_private_aviation for taking such good care of me in the given circumstances. I will try to keep you updated as much as possible on further developments. See you next time @rolandgarros!🧡

That sounds like he'll be out of Wimbledon as well?

Thanks R262. I haven't seen her play much or heard commentary, so hearing what didn't match the letters in her name didnt seem "right."

#schadenfreude

Marcelo Arévalo and Jean-Julien Roje won the Double final

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

Casper at 14 watching Nadal winning against Ferrer in the RG final

Hope Casper wins more game against Rafa than David F did that year. Doubtful.

Nadal was not playing his best tennis on semifinals, unfortunately for Casper i think his type of tennis is not the most useful to defeat Rafa (the fact that Rafa is his idol and that they know each other well of playing at the academy doesn't play in his favour either)

Happy for Swiatek because it's nice to have a #1 player playing confidently these days. Barty was a shaky #1 and Osaka was only confident on hardcourts. I do think her win streak will come to an end on the grass though because big servers and hitters will be a factor. What Swiatek has done since her first RG win is massively improve her forehand and develop a safe second serve. Her first serve is solid but nowhere near the biggest on tour and I want to see how she handles a faster surface. She now joins Azarenka and Kvitova as someone who won 2 majors at the same tournament. I expect her to be the favorite for the USO

Coco did not play her best today but at least the second set was more competitive. I expect her to keep improving and I'll be surprised if she doesn't win some slams in the future. People forget she's only just 18 since we've seen her on tour for a few years.

Coco was not at her best, but Iga really exploited that shaky forehand.

if Nadal demolishes Ruud it's going to make the men's tour look worse. I don't agree with the commentators who say it's "amazing" for the sport. I certainly enjoy great champions staying on tour for long periods but it is not a good look to have someone not far from 40 dominating such a physical sport for so many years. Especially given that he has a chronic foot injury and of course the luck he got at the AO and this RG with choking and injured opponents

Ruud has had such an up and down clay season let's just hope he's not too nervous tomorrow. I'll be surprised if he gets a set though with that spinny backhand of his

Emma Radanacu just made a video appearance at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee concert.

She said to the Queen: 'I know what it feels like to feel pressure on court but you have always stayed calm.'

[bold] Week 1 Grass tournament draws are out [/bold]

[bold] ATP [/bold]

[bold] Stuttgart [/bold]

Tsitsipas is top seed and could open against Cressy who I think could be tough on grass with his big serve and volley game

Berrettini is #2 and making his return since surgery.

Hurkacz is #3 and could open against DL fave Fucsovics

Shapovalov is #4 and will open against potentially tricky Germans Otte or Altmaier

#5 Basilashvili vs. Musetti

#6 Sonego vs. Paire

#7 Bublik vs. Kudla who beat Murray today in Surbiton

#8 Humbert vs. Rinderknech

Kyrgios makes his return against newcomer Lehecka

DILF Lopez gets a WC and faces Bonzi

DL fave Giron vs. WC Struff

in the qualies, slumping Karatsev was top seed but lost to Stricker

[bold] 's-Hertogenbosch [/bold]

top 4 seeds with byes: Medvedev, FAA, Fritz, De Minaur

#5 Khachanov

#6 Van De Zandschulp vs. Ruusuvuori

#7 Paul vs. Nakashima

#8 Brooksby

Ivashka vs. McDonald

Robin Haase with a WC

Gaston vs. Kwon

in the qualies, top seed Querrey gets first win over WC Tomic 6-4 6-4

[bold] WTA [/bold]

[bold] 's-Hertogenbosch [/bold]

Sabalenka is top seed

Bencic is #2 and opens against Brengle

Rybakina is #3

#4 Zidansek

#5 Samsonova vs. Li

#6 Kudermetova vs. RG breakout JeanJean

#7 Alexandrova vs. Yastremska

#8 Mertens

grass lovers Van Yutvanck and Flipkens also in the draw

in the qualies Yanina Wickmayer is making a comeback and won today

[bold] Nottingham [/bold]

Sakkari took a WC and is top seed opening against clay lover Osorio

Raducanu took a WC and is #2 opening against last year's Wimbledon breakout Golubic

#3 Giorgi

#4 Zhang

#5 Tomljanovic vs. X. Wang

#6 Riske grass lover

#7 Haddad Maia vs. Q. Wang

#8 Linette

big servers/hitters Marino and Dodin also in the draw

Vekic vs. Dart

poor coco was crying :(

Truly great, dominant players win lots of their matches before the first ball is even served.

I remember Chris Evert talked about it once. During that time in their rivalry when Martina was totally dominating her, she said she would walk on the court already knowing she was going to lose. And this is when she was #2 in the world, one of the GOATs, known for her mental toughness. And yet, Martina was able to intimidate her into that loser mentality.

Lindsey Davenport talked about it as well, in regards to playing against Steffi Graf. She said she was almost afraid to play her best, because she knew Steffi would inevitably lift her level of play in response and destroy her anyway.

I don't think there's a great champion alive that won't admit to being the beneficiary of good luck. It's part of the sport. But a lot of that so-called "luck" comes from doing the hard work and winning big for years, to the point where it affects the opponent's mentality before they ever set foot on the court.

I wanted Nadal to win, but I feel really sorry for Zverev. Is Nadal lucky? of course. Brutal conditions, an opponent who was fighting tooth and nail, advanced age and long matches the previous too rounds. But, it doesn't matter. It's just part of the sport. Look at the Slam draws of many multiple-major champions and you'll see benefiting from a retirement sometime in the tournament isn't that rare. Heck, Ivan Lendl won the Australian Open when Stefan Edberg had to retire in the FINAL after he had previously pulled his stomach muscle and just couldn't make it through the match.

Nadal is obviously the King of Clay and this could very well be his last French Open, but I don't think he's destined to win just because it's a made-for-headlines story if he does. That said, obviously he has a great chance and I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

I meant "previous two rounds."

I’d absolutely love if Ruud could pull off the shock like Wawrinka did at the Australian Open in 2014.

As if Nadal is the only one who's ever benefited from luck. Djokovic won the 2014 ATP World Tour championship in a walkover when Federer couldn't play due to a back injury.

what do we make of the fact that so many Russians and Belarussians are playing the first week of grass despite not being allowed to play at Wimbledon? Obviously it's not good to take a break from the tour if you're not injured, but there's not much point in them playing on grass for 3 weeks since they won't get the benefit of playing at the corresponding major.

It's what I feared what would happen with Swiatek-Gauff. Swiatek played like the dominant No. 1 she is. But, I think there's a huge silver lining for Gauff. She took advantage of a busted draw and made a Slam final that no one really saw coming. She got to see and feel that big stage and experience what playing in a final entails. And, she got to see the level of tennis that a champion brings in a big final.

Gauff has pretty well-rounded game, but I'm really wondering what she's going to do with her forehand. When she first came on tour, she was consistently more offensive with it, but also made more errors. She seems to have decided on this super loopy heavy topspin forehand, though she might have been doing that more since she was playing on clay. Anyway, with her current forehand, while she can flatten the trajectory (not as big an arch), she has the Conchita Martinez problem of she needs space and time to do it because of her extreme grip and big swing. What does this mean? She can flatten it out and be more aggressive, but she has to be in position to do so - comfortably in control of the point so she has time for the big swing. She doesn't appear that she can consistently shorten her swing and take the ball on the rise. Instead she has to either step back and wait for it to finish it's arc after the bounce, or she has to just hit it out of the air (volley or swing volley), if she doesn't have space for her full swing. The ability to shorten the regular swing and block a shot off of the bounce is a real asset.

R296 it's about earning money I'd think. And to keep fit and playing.

Right, otherwise they're gonna be off for five weeks instead of just the two weeks of Wimbledon. They could play Challengers or Futures tournaments on different surfaces instead, but those don't pay anywhere near as much.

Most American women do not play well on clay. Only Slutess Chris Evert. Other than her only Capriati and Serena could win on clay. Serena because of her power. Capriati, who won the French for the first time since Evert, could play on clay and won a gold medal vs Graf before and I think it was also her first semifinal at like age 14.

R300, Capriati had an all court game. If she wasn't such a mental case, she could have had 7-10 Slams easy.

Daniil is very cute and personable.

Capriati was very good, but it would never be "easy" even if she had her head screwed on straight. I don't think she would have won 7-10 even if she was. Maybe 5-6. She played when Navratilova was still going and then into the Seles, Graf, Sabatini, Sanchez-Vicario, Novatna, Pierce, Martinez era and then into Hingis, the Williams sisters, Clijsters, Henin, Davenport, Mauresmo, and there's probably others I'm missing like all the Russians and Invanovic. Too many bullets to dodge. Again, very good player, but her skills weren't other worldly.

does RG really not have a stats page like the other 3 slams? You know, the one that shows which male and female players had the most aces, double faults, fastest serve speeds, most break points, highest serve percentage etc?

I looked and couldn't find it.

The RG site really is the shittiest of all the majors especially with their small amount of highlight videos during the opening rounds

R304. They're also super stingy with matches they put up on youtube.

I hate it!

Nadal team or Ruud team?

Team Rafa

The French Open's media is notorious for shitty highlights and coverage. The others post minimum 8 to 10 min highlights. The French does 2 to 3 min highlights.

Pegula/Gauff team or Garcia/Mladenovic team?

Pegula/Gauff

didn't Garcia and Mladenovic used to not like each other? Or there was another French player 1 of them had drama with?

Desperately want Coco and Pegula to win to have a good end. It was a little sad when Coco couldn't name a happiest moment but said that hopefully it would be winning the doubles.

I also watched Iga's interview and a journalist told her that if you put her name in Google translate it translates as 'Christmas' from Polish. And that it also translates Nadal's name as 'Christmas' from Catalan.

Heh the women's tour can't win... now they have a dominant new champion after years of flakiness and it's "boring". I really like Iga, but if other players are getting pissed at her slowing down her opponents' service, then maybe something needs to be done. That being said, I didn't see it happen a lot today. Server should ask ump whether they have to wait for crowd noise to stop or pause when Swiatek wants more time.

Sometimes it does feel like Rafa has horseshoes shoved up his ass. He's a great champion but Zverev rolling his ankle was pure gold for Rafa and... cosmic repayment for Zverev. I felt sorry for him in the moment, but I totally believe Olya (?) especially given Zverev's general behaviour

Also I really respect Olya because if nothing else, hopefully Zverev will never be able to lay a hand on anyone ever again. Can you imagine if another girlfriend ever came forward? He's vulnerable to future accusations now.

Also, sue me, but I really do love how his arms and shoulders look in the wife-beater shirt.

Rafa would likely have beaten Zverev anyway. He was the fav going in and won the first set. He beat Djokovic at night too which is an even bigger deal.

Zverev wasn't giving in and it was close and the conditions were awful for Rafa, but he was leading, if narrowly. He won. It really doesn't matter if he would have won anyway. I guess leading helps the narrative. It's not like if Rafa was down 0-2 in sets and 1-3 in the third and then Zverev rolled his ankle. Then the "luck" and "stolen" narratives would have been crazy. But he was ahead.

R316, I agree it could have gone either way. The conditions were just terrible for Raga.

But let's not fool ourselves: Zverev is the chokiest of all the Next Gen. Shockingly so. And that's saying A LOT!

And obviously Zverev is the biggest head case, or worse. He, Djokovic and Rune need a good exorcist.

R286 To be fair Nadal isn't dominating much anymore. The only surface he's dominating is clay. There's a reason he's skipping Wimbledon. Ruud is unlucky in a way that his best surface is also Nadal's best surface. And to beat Nadal on clay... well it's not easy.

R316 Exactly! Rafa won the first set and it was 6-6 in the second. Who knows what might have happened, but lets not pretend Rafa was down a set.

Misery can not even win a challenger tournament.

Team Nadal. The biggest surprise of Nadal's career was AO this year after trailing two sets one break down against DM. That was the shocker.

R296 It means they are nothing but ranking and appearance fee vultures.

They don't have eyes on bigger prize (US Open) Ir having a long career.

They will continue to play week in week out and then crash and burn in grand slams.

Coco is the weak link but if they win then all the media fawning would be on Coco only.

"They don't have eyes on bigger prize (US Open) Ir having a long career."

Playing the grass warm ups won't significantly hurt their USO chances. They can still start USO prep two weeks early. Why wouldn't you be a rankings vulture. Having a higher ranking helps every aspect of your career.

Garcia and Mlad did have bad blood. They referenced it on the Tennis Podcast. No one seems to know to what extent it’s been resolved.

Coco and Pegula playing terrible doubles - even by "modern" doubles standards.

And by default it makes a point and not a good look if a Russian wins a grass warmup and beats the Wimbledon champion-to-be in the process.

Mladonna made that famous remark about Garcia being stupid while Mladonna speaks, like, 87 languages or something.

Mladonna is a crazy tempermental Serb despite playing for France. She's sort of a bitch - sometimes amusingly, sometimes not.

The Norwegian crown prince and princess will be at Roland Garros to watch the final.

Will Bella Hadid be there?

[quote]She has the Conchita Martinez problem

Conchita was so lazy she would use a cane to switch on her forehand and turn the match.

Rafa would prefer a new foot over winning.

weird first 3 games

R328 totally agree.

error-filled start

Ruud is terrible so far and Nadal isn't even playing his best lol

I know, Ruud has not risen to the occasion. Nerves?

He looks like his dad

R339 I think standing up to an "injured," Rafa for four games is far more difficult than bullying a distraught teen gay twink .in the locker room

maybe he's saving his energy for 2nd set

Ruud's gf and sister look alike wtf

There's no energy. Ruud isn't close and isn't playing well and Rafa isn't playing sublime tennis so you can just enjoy the beatdown. Hopefully things pick up.

I hope Nadal doesn't retire after this slam. I hope he tries for the US Open, I want to see him again!

yes, very disappointing, not competitive at all. This guy isn't winning anytime soon. doesn't have the winning mentality.

compelling first set!!!!!!!!

not

*rolls eyes*

Ruud making way too many errors on his best shot the forehand

But, he sort of has to go for it more and risk more errors, no? He's not going to win loopy topspin battles with Nadal all day.

Nadal said he would rather have a new foot than win the final on sunday.

R350, see R334.

There are rumours he's going to announce his retirement today and Federer will hand over the trophy.

Do we know if Nadal gets injections (cortisone?) for his foot and is it both feet?

I think Ruud would have somewhat of a chance on a faster surface?...

is that really Larry David? Doesn't look like him

What’s Ruud’s skin color?

36 year old Nadal with a oh so painful chronic foot injury running like a deer playing 3 out of 5 set matches, 7 matches in 14 days for hours on slow red clay and no one questions this?? Really?

Casper is so boring on court. probably a boring lay.

They mentioned DL fave and GOAT Margaret Court. I had always thought Serena had the best chance of equaling or beating her record, but it may be Nadal.

this match is so zzz

R357 = Nick Kyrgios

I don't like Nadal but he should not retire.

I mean he can really win 2-3 more French open or probably one more hard court grand slam..

"What’s Ruud’s skin color?"

Not sure what color, but he has a ruddy complexion.

R358, well, they had to talk about something. The match is hardly worth mentioning.

Who was telling the truth between Ruud and Rune? I mean, one of them has to be lying.

Rune is the liar.

men's tennis is SOOOOOOOO compelling!

I wonder how much the tickets were...they are certainly not worth it.

But to watch Nadal possibly win his last slam...that is very good but this match is so boring and not memorable.

Nadal has such a distinctive style of playing. Is it hard to replicate?

hard to get excited about the state of men's tennis with this shitty final

[quote] Is it hard to replicate?

Sí lo es.

Nadal would be crazy not to play Wimbledon. He will be adding points anywhere he plays the rest of the year. He will easily be no. 1 at year's end, with a potential Grand Slam completed. All things Novak craved last year.

I remember when Wimbledon would adjust seedings according to past performance on the surface - Roland Garros should have done that and this could have been a Djokovic final. What do you think?

Ruud is too much of a softie. He doesn't have the guts to figuratively "kill the father". Nadal is his idol, he copies his tactics and playing style and he told the press how he cried when Nadal lost against Tsonga at AO 2008. The double fault on the set point was the nail in the coffin.

My guts tells me that diva Rune was telling the truth.

These nice guys can be really big bullies some times

damn, Nadal has lost soooo much hair at the top.

¿Weel I beat white boy, no? Eet hurt so mush now.

ESL spotted.

Ruud has zero fight in him....so weak!

This is really like a 4th round match for Nadal.

That was beautiful.

Ruud needs to go sit on a fat cock.

Over.

Ruud is so fucking useless

Ruud gave up, he didn't even fight! he should be ashamed

¡Me beated white not!

¡Me beated white boy!

8th seed Ruud would have never reached to the quarter finals if he had to play 9 th seed FAA in the fourth round

The whole bottom half of the draw was a sham.

Right now I just hope that papa cheatipas is not kicking his closet case son's ass

I feel like that he walked onto that court knowing that he'd lose.

Another snooze of a final.

I don't think Ruud directly gave up. He got overwhelmed and didn't know what to do. I can't be certain, but if you've ever played sports, it's just a distinct feeling of helplessness.

billy jean king looks great. loved that her glasses matched her outfit.

caper has cute dimples and nice hair, that's it.

Mentally Ruud is still a junior player in an adult body. This final showed how he doesn't have the fire in him. And now I understand why bloodthirsty Rune was so pissed at having lost against this beta. I would be as well.

who is the man with her? He seems nice and solicitious.

I unabashedly love Rafa and would always prefer that he hold the men’s Slam record over Djocovid - but I can never think of Rafa as the GOAT after so many years of seeing Federer play him head to head. The combination of those two was the GOAT, or it I had to pick one, it would be Gramps.

I also worry about whether Rafa is doping. The most recent NYT write-up of the Rafa/Novaxx match seemed to be to be hinting at that, mentioning that Rafa brought his doctor with him to Paris this year.

Rafa wins in straight sets! His 14th French Open! Sooooo gooooood for tennis! Barf. Ruud is a gutless turd and doesn't have the game to be a Slam winner. I knew this would be the result. I think Rune would have given a better fight, but he would have also lost. Ugh, only if Alcaraz hadn't let the occasion get to him in the quarters. Oh well, on to Wimbledon.

Ruud facially reminds me of Eli Wallach.

He will never shut up

R394, Gilles Moretton. See R257.

Ruud has an unfortunate forehead tan line because of the stupid headband.

He may never get a chance like this again. I felt it was similar with Danielle Collins at the AO.

BJK is dressed for Wimbledon in that purple and green.

[quote] I felt it was similar with Danielle Collins at the AO.

Are we tired of her winning yet?

Danielle Collins hasn't won that much since the AO. Pegula had a nice run this spring. And now obviously Coco making the French final.

guess those rumors are wrong.

he didn't retire

He'd be crazy to retire right now when he can continue padding that lead over Djokovic. But he certainly wrung maximum drama from his foot this fortnight.

Back to our regularly-scheduled program for you Shapo blond leg hair fans.

omg, just noticed the back of casper's hair. it's not cut properly, it's not even at the base! He's not gay

R405 not sure why anyone thought he would. If his foot is as bad as he says it is he will play till it fucking falls off.

the woman interviewing him on nbc is wearing a really nasty wig.

This is the NYT on Rafa’s injuries, which reads a bit like shade to me, but maybe I’m reading into it too much:

[blockquote] Then came the Italian Open, his only other clay-court event before Roland Garros…. in which he hobbled to the finish, grimacing in pain as his chronic left foot condition resurfaced. He was downbeat after that defeat but did not rule out playing in the French Open and arrived in Paris seeded fifth and, unlike in Rome, with his longtime physician, Angel Ruiz-Cotorro. “Having the doctor here you can do things that help,” said Nadal, declining to go into detail on his treatment while continuing to suggest that this could be his final appearance at Roland Garros….“I’m not surprised at all,” Djokovic said after the match. “It’s not the first time that he, you know, is able to a few days after he’s injured and barely walking to come out 100 percent physically fit. You know, he’s done it many times in his career, so I’m not surprised.”

How is this condition treated normally? He gets injections? to numb the pain?

What's Nadal's hair plan going forward?

1. Thinning/bald. I don't think he has the face or head shape to pull it off, but I'm sure his life will be fine regardless.

2. Treatments/transplants

3. Hair piece.

Ruud looks like a white version of James Franco.

Nadal deserves it 100% a great champ and even better person...his parents and uncle tony must be so proud.

Ruud talks weird...his mouth...not sure what's going on...sorry but I can't describe it.

[quote] his parents and uncle tony must be so proud

As must his wife Mary, Merry, Xisha, Maria.

Uncle Toni can get fucked for coaching against his own nephew this tournament!

He will.

Tim Henman had looks potential. A nosejob on the tip of the nose and new teeth and he would have been really handsome, with some tan as well.

Toni openly rooted for Nadal, even against Felix, and said his agreement with FAA stipulated he wouldn't coach against his nephew.

Has Novaxx said he's playing at Wimbledon? He could show Slavic solidarity, but that means only one more GS chance this year.

No one is happier than Rafa when he's with me.

Astounding that some of you here are giving Rune a pass or any credibility after he screamed like a demon at his mother when he told her to leave, and that he tried to sugar-coat yelling "faggot" several times on court.

God, you bitches can be merciless. I was disappointed by Ruud in that final but Rafa stamped on him from the word go - only 2 dodgy games in the match.

Ruud seems to have his head screwed on so may well learn from this and develop. I don't think he's got it in him to be a great, but I could see him come back and win a slam or three in the future.

He doesn't have the winning, fighting spirit. no killer instinct. not expecting great things from him.

R424, I think that person is just a troll. I didn't take it seriously.

R425 you may well turn out to be right, but that was his first final, against Rafa on absolute tear.

I just think it's very premature to make final verdicts on players on that basis of that one result in these circumstances.

Rafa is ugly as the sin.

Which sin, R429.

Look back at his younger years, he was really sexy. But he’s one of those types who seems to shrink as he ages. He’ll be like a little Spanish raisin someday.

R372, 100%. RG screwed themselves with the draw this year. This should have been the QF match. Novak/Rafa the final. Ridiculous.

That said, Rafa is now the GOAT and nobody can tell me otherwise!

[quote] Rafa is now the GOAT and nobody can tell me otherwise!

Otherwise, you abomination!

R395, Rafa brought his doctor to help with his foot. He numbed it. Which is completely legal. Rafa is the one who told everyone that he brought his doc to Paris. It wasn't a secret.

Sure you're an unabashed Rafa fan?

Does Rafa wear shoes that are too small for him? Or are the shoes just stuffed with extra padding?

"Look back at his younger years, he was really sexy. But he’s one of those types who seems to shrink as he ages. He’ll be like a little Spanish raisin someday."

His dad and uncle have aged really well. Granted they're not out there in the beating sun all day and there bodies don't have the miles that Rafa does.

"Does Rafa wear shoes that are too small for him? Or are the shoes just stuffed with extra padding?"

Yes, he wears shows that would technically be considered too small. Not uncommon in tennis (though hardly universal). Some players think it gives them better court feel and even more do it to prevent tennis toe (turf toe in other sports). Given the hard movement and change in direction, feet will inevitably slip in forward in the show and toes get jammed against the front of the shoe. Stuffing feet right up to the front helps prevents the slippage/jamming.

R436 Novak is on the sun all day long too and not much younger, but he looks like Rafa's son.

People age differently is all I got. They showed Stefan Edberg in the stands today and he still looks great even though he's a fair-skinned Swede and is 56.

I like Nadal but I really hope this is his last French and hes not back in a year winning #15.

I really thought he was going to announce retirement after that close-up shot of him looking around the court and tearing up.

I knew Ruud would be crushed by Nadal. I'm not surprised by the end score. It's a horrible match up for him. I actually think he would have played better against Djokovic or Zverev. Funny that I guessed 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. I wasn't that far off. I'm still proud of him though. Ruud is only 23. He has improved and will probably improve further.

R437, Rafa has custom made orthotics in his shoes because of his degenerative foot condition. That’s what causes the shape.

Hardly, R438, Djokovic is looking haggard these days, but I bet he'd add a decade of aging in trade for two more Slam trophies.

Nice choice of colors here 🇺🇦

I predicted rafa to win 3 3 and 2 so I was pretty close..

I still think Novak has the edge of rafa in terms of the goat debate (which is silly because they are countless variables and factors and unknowns for any one person to be considered without a doubt the greatest of all time in a individual sport)... the only record that I know of that rafa has over novak is the grand slam total.. I think novak has every other record over rafa including the head to head....

another argument could be made with the nadal vs federer debate as well as the fact that 14 out of his 22 grand slam wins are all at 1 tournament and 1 surface...

Ruud was pathetic but it's not surprising. He went up a break 3-1 in the second set only to have his serve broken the next 6 times! So Nadal won the last 11 games without even playing nearly his best. Ruud was making errors on rally balls, not when he was going for winners which makes it even worse.

The state of men's tennis is truly horrific but of course the media will just focus on Nadal having 22 slams now. The men's RG was even more disappointing than the AO which is hard to imagine.

How many more times this year will Nadal be lucky enough to have injured or choking opponents in the same tournament?

I won't be surprised if Djokovic now wins Wimbledon and the USO

in your 20s you should be in your prime as an athlete. There's nothing wrong with all-time greats like Nadal and Djokovic being contenders for slams but it absolutely makes the men's field look beyond weak when 2 guys in their mid-30s are the fucking favorites and dominate most everyone else.

Only Alcaraz has shown he can compete with them but he's still young so he's not 100% reliable yet.

Djokovic isn't even playing the USO unless he gets vaccinated or US entry restrictions change.

R424 I even read some people saying it would be better Rune in the final, when Rune is not remotely ready for that, There's a reason Alcaraz is a top 10 player when Rune is top 40 (amazing for his age) when he received tons of wc.

The draw was crap, with Nole, Rafa, Alcaraz and Zverev all in the same part of the draw, it was very obvious the one who reached the final from the half top was going to win unless they play an inspired Tsitsipas

Yet Rune is a week older than Alcaraz, who is light years ahead of Rune when it comes to professionalism.

have crush on Zvervev, looks like a sexy cheetah, them loong arms legs and cock. love rafa, sweet and fun. djovorik is a dickhead, mr non vaxer rune is a rude creep

men tennis players are hot !

Thank you, Miss Swan.

some of you really have low standards when it comes to who you find "hot"

I would love to know what Caroline Wozniacki really thinks about asshat Rune.

The negative comments about Ruud happen not because he lost, but for they way he lost. You can get bageled and yet have an emotional reaction, change strategy, fight for points, showing that you care. Ruud, personality wise, handled the final like a ball boy who was given a racquet to try. Everybody woke up about him not having what it takes to be a champion seeing how passive he was. That a young, healthy 23 year old isn't able to show some form of psychological control over a 36 year old dinosaur on pain killers really tells you a lot.

Thrilled for Rafa! He's the greatest!

R454 she likes him because he said she is his tennis idol and national hero

Yeah I'm not convinced that's how she actually feels r457. He is cringeworthy.

rafa has the best round butt in tennis. rune is indeed a cocky mean bastard. kyrgios is a spoiled punk. ide eat isner out, and andy murphy, and thiem, and ruud. 10% are gay, or more.

To the poster who thinks the Times was hinting that Rafa was doping when they mentioned he’s traveling with his doctor, I think they were trying to say that the state of his foot requires close supervision, and indication that his current path is not sustainable.

He is very expresive which makes him very entertainning to watch. But his levels of brattiness and cockiness are off the charts.

Saying you want to beat Nadal's record at Roland Garros is simply absurd.

I would love to cheer for a gay player, but i think the whole top 10 has girlfriends (except Rublev)

R461 gf? We are married!

Yes, you are married, the rest have a girlfriend. Well, not Alcaraz (whose parents weren't happy when the press started to talk about a supposed girlfriend) and Rublev, but the rest have a girlfriend.

I think the enviroment it's too conservative to get an openly gay player anytime soon, even when some players (Felix, Berrettini) are very gay friendly

Ruud's gf----

Maria Galligani, like Ruud, also hails from Norway.

The pair have been dating since 2018, according to reports.

And brainy Maria is studying for her Master's in Psychology from University of Southern Denmark.

Fritz is damn cute. any pix o hims face??

many have fake gf's to hide their gayness....

[quote] o hims face??

?

R463

Tell me more about Alcaraz's parents and the gay-friendliness of AA and Ber ... Ber actually seemed the type to be homophobic ... I really need to not be so prejudiced !

R463 Also Medvedev gave a very gay friendly answer when asked about the topic. I think most players wouldn't really care at this point.

I think our guy simply isn't there, especially if you want him that highly ranked. To reach those levels among other males you gotta have a very tough and competitive mind, something that kind of lacks in gay teens. I read an article about the amount of gay guys dropping from sports after a while they play/when it's becoming professional: A LOT. Even if there is such guy in the top 200, he probably is afraid to lose the sponsors since tennis is very popular in the whole world, and in many homophobic countries (Arabic, Asia).

R469, most athletes, gay or straight, drop out before making the transition to pro, because it’s expensive and all-consuming. I really doubt that gay men lack competitive fervor. No, there probably are gay players in the top 200, but they are there because they want to win, and that’s all they care about. They don’t want the distraction of coming out.

R446, the Rafa v Fed debate is over.

Rafa came out on top there. Slams are the ultimate decider and Rafa has a two Slam advantage. Game, set, match.

But he also has a much better H2H, a MUCH better H2H in Slams, same number of YE1, an Olympic Gold, a bunch more Master 1000. Fed has weeks at number one and WTF. That's it.

As far is the "one surface" argument? It's utterly silly. A slam is a slam is a slam. Still, the fact he got to 22 when only one slam is on his best surface actually is MORE impressive that Fed or Novak! And, of course, Rafa, like Novak, has the career double slam. That hurts Fed for sure.

It's now Rafa v Novak for GOAT. I do give Novak the tiniest lead here simply because he will almost assuredly win a few more slams and has every other record. Ugh. That's painful to admit!

However, if Novak is somehow done winning Slams? The debate will go on and on!

Outside of Serbia there most definitely won't be a debate about whether Nadal or Djokovic has more fans.

the only 2 big titles Nadal is missing are the World Tour Finals and Miami. Of course most experts will dismiss that stat but it says something that Nadal has been unable to win the final event of the year in which the competitors are all top 8 (unless someone is injured). Indoors has always been his weakest result

R469 we might not have any top 100 player now but I'm sure there are some gays in the top 300

We had a prominent closeted gay with model looks 20 years ago...former #14 Gambill. None of the guys lusted after in these threads compare to him face or body

R473 the lack of a WTF win is a big hole in Rafa's resume for sure. (Though not Miami. No one cares about that.) Granted, it's on his worse surface. By far. But that's no excuse. He's made it to the finals twice and should have a win for sure.

But 2 extra slams more than makes up for that. As does his Olympic Gold.

how Ruud of Casper to ghost the final like that

"But 2 extra slams more than makes up for that. As does his Olympic Gold."

I completely realize most tennis fans and sports fans don't agree with me. Winning the Olympics is amazing, but I feel it's more an elite sporting, general pop culture achievement than a great tennis achievement (very good, don't get me wrong, but not great) It's coattailing on the Olympic brand and the sports where winning Olympic gold is truly the highest achievement in the sport. Due to the per country restrictions on players and the fact that a few top players usually don't play, the Olympics is slightly below a Masters level tournament on paper. But nobody cares because of the cache that "Olympics" brings. Probably 80 percent of people would say "Olympics" is asked if a Wimbledon title or Olympics title was more prestigious. Make that 98 percent for the Olympics vs. the other tennis Slams. IMO the all the majors, the tour finals, and even most of the Masters should rate higher than the Olympics. But that brand name can't be overcome.

I've always wished the hard court slams were clay and grass, clay would suit Australia and grass the United States.

Hard courts are miserable. Paris and Wimbledon carry more prestige in my mind, because of the surfaces alone.

R478, I too wish Australia and U.S. would revert to grass.

R471... everything you posted could be argued because you are posting "SURFACE" information, not digging deeper with context and variables...

I love watching clay court tennis since it requires endurance and the strategy of point construction and an entire arsenal. Grass is the worst, all serve and speed and net play typically over in a flash.

Ruud was so sexy today I could barely stand it. During his post-match interview on NBC the sun was setting and it illuminated his chest hair peeking out from his shirt collar. I almost fainted.

Speaking of Jan Mike, he is still with the sexy architect, Malek? Recent social media from both seem to indicate they split.

Nicky boy is gay.

what a team lol Kyrgios and Bublik are pairing up for doubles this week in Stuttgart. They both play similarly actually but Kyrgios is much better when he's in form. Both huge serves, flashy, unpredictable, crowd pleasing shots, temperamental

R441 I didn't think he would do that there to his loyal French fans. I got the vibe that he might have been thinking he'll never play there again because he will be retiring.

I am thrilled for Rafa.

Oh I hope Jan-Mike and Malik haven't broken up. They seemed happy. And both are HAWT.

I am LOVING that Nadal now has TWO more slams than the others. It gives me hope that Djokovic might not catch up heh. Hopefully Novak slows a bit more and the young ones can take him out before finals.

And yes, I do think Nadal would've probably won against Zverev, but it's still luck that he didn't have to. And yes, he made it past Djokovic which was really the main obstacle.

Heh about the only way Rune will be forgiven is if he actually goes public with a boyfriend. But yeah, his maturity is seriously in question and I don't think anyone would give him the benefit of the doubt against Ruud.

And yet, R490, there's R374, suffering a bout of dyspepsia.

R300 Capriati grew up play Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and Martina. That's why she was never afraid of Serena Williams. For a 13 yr old R303 yeah it was pretty other worldly.

Who will win Wimbledon? Djokovic is the strong fav but I have a feeling someone will beat him (maybe wishful thinking). He's been a little shaky since the AO debacle.

"For a 13 yr old [R303] yeah it was pretty other worldly."

R492, of course her talent was otherworldly for a 13 year old, but she wasn't playing in an age division. She was playing against everyone, and in that context, many players had just as much or more talent as her.

It's often not the most talented player who wins, but the best competitor.

R495, being consistently competitive, having that drive and focus, is a "talent" as much as hitting the ball. What "talent" is most important in tennis? - how to use physical, strategic, mental tools to win. Great strokes, shot making ability serve no great "talent" purpose if not for winning. If there were half-time shows with forehand or serve competitions, like the NBA Slam Dunk contest, then physical talent could be appreciated in a vacuum. And while Capriati was undeniably physically talented, she wasn't any sort of level above and beyond a bunch of players over the generations she played. Any idea that she's a once-in-a-lifetime physical talent who was only held back by her head is ridiculous. Plus, she actually had a good head at her peak; WAS highly competitive and focused.

R493, it's Novak's to lose.

- I assume Rafa won't end up playing. He has a better shot at the Open (Novak can't play there). And if he wants one last run at a Year End number one, he needs to play there as he has zero points to defend. If Rafa plays Wimby and gets hurt? The Open will be out.

- No Medvedev (or Rublev).

- Zverev is out.

Three big threats won't be there.

I could see FAA and Carlos possibly giving Novak trouble. But probably not.

[bold] post-RG rankings updates: [/bold]

[bold] ATP [/bold]

Nadal is only back up to #4 despite holding 2 slams and some other titles

Ruud hits a career high #6

Cilic back to #17

Rune career high #28, will debut at Wimbledon as a seeded player

[bold] WTA [/bold]

Barty's retirement still causing chaos as Swiatek has almost double the amount of points as new #2 Kontaveit (who has pathetic results at the last 4 slams)

Jabeur up to career high #4 despite shock first round RG loss

Pegula debuts in top 10 at #8

Gauff new career high #13 up 10 spots

Krejcikova tumbles from #2 to #14

Trevisan jumps 32 spots to career high #27

That's nuts Nadal is still only #4.

The ATP ranking system is so fucked up. Always has been.

As for Rafa, if he's able to play the US Open series. one fall Masters and the WTF, he's almost assured the number one ranking. if he does well, he might get number one just playing three of those.

Wimby has no points this year. So everyone who played it last year will lose tons of points (Rafa loses nothing as he didn't play). Novak is screwed there.

Novak can't play USO. He's loses points there no matter what. Also screwed there too. Well, he screwed himself in this case.

Med has tons of points to defend. Zverev is out for who knows how long.

Novak may still play the USO if they remove the vaccine requirement and there's plenty of time for it to be?

Kontaveit has celebrated her career-high ranking of No.2 by firing Tursunov.

Yeah, that's interesting. She and She-Hulk (whom Tursunov used to coach) both have done very well on the tour but not in slams.

R470 Of course I didn't mean that gay guys lack competitve spirit. I meant (or, better, the article said) that gay men are more likely to drop out because the environment isn't very gay friendly and quite conservative (think of football for example) and so they are not very much encouraged to hold tight. Add that gay males are the overwhelming minority among all males... but I really do hope we can have a young gay player to cheer all for!

Novak's match vs. Nadal at RG was very strange. It seemed Novaxx lost interest mid way. And, as someone said earlier, he does not look good at all.

I have some gossip, a friend was playing tennis with an Italian pro:

Sonego is bisexual - the Italian pro said he pounded him Musetti is apparently hung like horse

Musetti definitely measures up

Musetti is easily the sexiest of the current crop of Italians (Berrettini’s box-like torso is off-putting), but I’d be happy to have a role in the hay with Sonego, tbh.

[quote] I meant (or, better, the article said) that gay men are more likely to drop out because the environment isn't very gay friendly and quite conservative (think of football for example) and so they are not very much encouraged to hold tight.

Its called 'self-exclusion' in psychological vernacular, and is a quite real phenomenon among gay male athletes in all sports.

No point in asking who the pro was, r506, or how your friend ended up playing with him?

Kind of a strange question....why are there no pictures of Suzanne Lenglen or Helen Wills holding the Venus Rosewater plate at Wimbledon? The first player I ever recall a picture of holding it, was Maureen Connolly in the early 50's.

I know nothing about Helen Wills but Suzanne was probably too intoxicated to stand at the end of her matches, let alone holding the trophy plate for a still photo.

According to Lequipe, Zverev is out 6-8 weeks. He hopes to be back for USO.

R506 Who pounded who? Sonego doesn't give me the slightest bottom vibe, or bi for that matter. He has been with his girl for years. If anything, I picture him as a dom top. If that thing is true (a friend of a friend told me) we need more info like R510 asks for.

Sonego pounded the Italian pro

[quote]Sonego pounded the Italian pro

Was it Rico Bellotti?

Not to hijack the thread from Italian tennis pros fucking (mmm.....), but according to Twitter the biggest reason Tursunov was let go because as a Russian passport holder he is limited in his travel ability, r502. Just reading a little bit more about D.T., I saw he's married and just had a kid - I was hoping he was one of the gays. Also hasn't said a peep about the war, which makes him an asshole too.

But please, back to gay sex on the ATP tour. Any more stories?

lmao why does Tursunov not have an American passport? He's been living in the US for decades! He's like Sharapova in that he speaks fluent Russian and his family is from there but most of his life has been in the US.

R518 Passports aren't just handed out and adopting a new nationality isn't quite as simple as filling in a form. Sharapova's 'fluent Russian' has been criticised publicly by her compatriots (Myskina, if I recall correctly?). Defecting, as it would be seen in Russia, would put their family who remained at home in danger.

Azarenka lived in the US for years, Medvedev and Pavy have lived in France since they were teens and speak perfect French. It also becomes more complicated when you've already represented your country before. There was a Balkan player whose name escapes me right now who grew up in the UK and wanted to represent GB but was denied as he'd already represented the country whose passport he held.

Sonego is a cutie but Musetti is beautiful.

Does Novaxx know how much he's hated?

Oh boo hoo, no one has faced as much adversity as Novax.

[quote]"There is no reason to do such a thing – whether you love him or not, you should respect him.

uh, no actually, people make their own decisions as to who they respect, and who they have little respect for.

Feliciano Lopez with his loss today is now 0-10 so far this season! He has not won any singles matches in either main draws or qualifying. Time to retire. He won't be getting WCs forever.

since we're at the halfway point of the year now, here's what the singles race looks like. If the WTF/YEC were held now here's who would be going (if healthy):

[bold] ATP: [/bold]

Nadal

Alcaraz

Tsitsipas

Ruud

Zverev

Rublev

FAA

Medvedev

alternates: Djokovic and Fritz

[bold] WTA [/bold]

Swiatek

Jabeur

Pegula

Gauff

Badosa

Sakkari

Kasatkina

Collins

alternates: Keys and Kudermetova

of course a lot could change the second half of the year and a number of players are close in race points but it's interesting to see how 2022 has shaped up so far

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

Rafael Nadal's 'extreme' remedy for troublesome foot divides medics

Molly McElwee Mon, June 6, 2022 at 4:49 PM Rafa Nadal of Spain celebrates his victory with the Musketeers Cup after the men's final against Casper Ruud of Norway during the Men's Singles Final match on Day 15 of The 2022 French Open at Roland Garros on June 5, 2022 in Paris, France. - GETTY IMAGES Rafa Nadal of Spain celebrates his victory with the Musketeers Cup after the men's final against Casper Ruud of Norway during the Men's Singles Final match on Day 15 of The 2022 French Open at Roland Garros on June 5, 2022 in Paris, France. - GETTY IMAGES

Rafael Nadal’s treatment plan for what could be a career-ending foot injury has divided medical opinion.

Despite winning his 22nd major title at the French Open on Sunday, Nadal’s post-match reaction was centred on how precarious his future remains due to his long-time foot condition.

The latest flare up of pain is due to Mueller-Weiss syndrome, which causes chronic pain in his left foot. Surgery last year proved only a temporary solution and he struggled through daily foot-numbing injections to play at the French Open.

His latest treatment plan is this week to get radiofrequency ablation treatment, which targets and sometimes destroys nerve fibres carrying pain signals to the brain.

Nadal, 36, called it an “extreme” course of action and hinted it may be his only chance of prolonging his career. Initially used to treat back pain, radiofrequency ablation has become more regularly used for joint pain too. But Dr Thomas Haag, a pain management specialist who teaches radiofrequency techniques, said he was surprised Nadal was pursuing the treatment as there is no evidence of its effectiveness in treating Mueller-Weiss syndrome.

“To my knowledge there is no research which established the efficacy of radiofrequency treatment for this condition,” Haag said. “That’s remarkable, when you think that we are dealing with the greatest we know in tennis.

“[The nerves in the affected area of Nadal’s foot] have got sensory as well as motor function. So destroying these nerves using thermal RF would mean that he would risk losing function and I very much doubt that anyone would want to offer this sort of treatment to him. If Nadal knocked at my door I would say that to treat these nerves safely I would do pulsed radiofrequency treatment only – which uses lower temperatures to suppress pain, and has had mixed results, but does not destroy the nerve.”

However Dr Ralph Rogers, a consultant in regenerative orthopaedics and sports medicine and former club doctor at Chelsea Football Club, was more positive about the potential benefits. He has not treated any Mueller-Weiss syndrome patients, but has treated elite athletes with radiofrequency ablation to great effect.

“I don’t think it’s risky doing radiofrequency ablation on this condition, because it’s not aggressive,” he said. “You’re only scrambling the nerve [signals], you’re not destroying the nerve. It is not rocket science, I’ve been doing it for years. It is minimally invasive, non-surgical, it can last, you can repeat it. If it works you may get six or 12 months of pain relief.”

Both specialists did agree that, if successful, Nadal could be back on his feet in time for Wimbledon in three weeks.

Haag added: “Will it cure the condition? No, not really. It could certainly be effective enough for him to last a bit longer on the circuit.”

^^ sorry i messed up the copy and paste job!

We absolve you.

Emma injured yet again, and another pull out. She should retire for good. The number Wimbledon will do on her won't be pretty.

She needs a year out, away from the limelight. Sort her body and her head out.

British Tennis Twitter is relentless - every fucking match, updates every 5 minutes - it's stoking a massive backlash against her.

[quote]Feliciano Lopez with his loss today is now 0-10 so far this season! He has not won any singles matches in either main draws or qualifying.

Deliciano holds a record in the tennis world: he is the player with the biggest number of losses ever on the circuit, 444 according to his wiki entry. And this is a record he's improving any time he loses a match. So I say, in the name of establishing an even higher number of defeats, that nobody will ever be able to touch, Feli, please keep playing to keep losing.

And the eye candy is just a bonus.

Garin flashed some thigh during the French Open

german asshole had surgery today in germany.

R527 very interesting that 2 experts disagreed about what the treatment does. I agree it sounds crazy if it does indeed destroy the nerve but the other guy in favor of it said it just "scrambles nerve signals". Who knows what exactly that means but I wonder if Nadal could end up with permanent loss of feeling in part of his foot at some point?

I just hope Rafa doesn’t incur long-term damage to the foot. Doesn’t matter what you win… no one wants to limp around in middle and old age.

LOPEZ was hot hot last year at that wimbledon grass warm-up tournament where he wore sheer white shorts and his jockstrap was seen as plain as day as well as some ass skin! oh yeah!...

They sometimes have to de-nerve race horses when they break down after too much pounding down the track. That process is referred to as 'nerving'. Their joints go next since they run them to death.

For you Shapo blond leg hair and Shapo Shelter fans. A two-for-one pic.

New thread below. Thanks to OP of the new thread.