The Gays and Tennis Part 120: Start of the Grass season

Previous thread.

Rumours saying WTA may accord half ranking points for Wimbledon.

The Grass Season, aka the 420 high...

The stupidity of the British LTA continues to astound. Allow the Russians to play. They are not in Putin's army. Rubelev spoke out in opposition to the invasion before most other players. Wimbledon runs the very true risk of becoming obsolete. Grass is not a surface that up and coming players give a damn about. Dinosaurs like Federer are soon to be gone, so the beautiful style of play he had, will never be replicated. It's a cold, hard world of power groundies and everyone playing hard.

British doubles star Tara Moore is suspended from tennis provisionally after testing positive for a banned substance in April... but insists she has 'never knowingly' taken a prohibited item and will prove she is a 'clean athlete'

Her A sample contained Nandrolone metabolites and Boldenone and its metabolite, which are prohibited on the WADA list.

A statement from the ITIA said: 'The player is ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis events organised by the governing bodies of the sport from the start of the provisional suspension on 27 May.'

Boldenone was also the substance which led former men's number one Robert Farah to be banned in 2020, which he successfully claimed was accidentally ingested through eating contaminated beef.

Moore, once regarded as a highly promising singles player but now concentrating mainly on doubles, reached the final in Bogota with partner Emina Bektas.

The Hong Kong-born British player issued a statement on her social media, saying: 'I have never knowingly taken a banned substance in my career. I am investigating how the positive test could have occurred and look forward to proving that I am a clean athlete.

'I am deeply saddened by the provisional suspension and hope to be back on the court as soon as possible.'

holy cow, so fat!

World No 5 Maria Sakkari claims US Open champion Emma Raducanu 'doesn't get enough credit' as the injured Brit celebrates her first 12 months on the WTA circuit this week

Sakkari's comments came ahead of her Nottingham Open first round match, after Raducanu retired injured in her opener as players prepare for the grass court season.

Nottingham top seed Sakkari, 26, said: 'I don’t really know her that well, but people don’t give enough credit to her. She has been playing good.

'It is not easy, if you exclude the US Open, she is 19. It takes time. The level at WTA is very, very high, so it is going to take time for her and every young player just to get used to the level.

'She had a three-week tournament in New York and I think now what she is doing is the right thing.

Raducanu has come under criticism at times since joining the Tour as she has struggled with her fitness, and the Nottingham Open is the latest tournament she has had to retire from with injury.

She has also found it hard to compete with the more seasoned pros, and her lack of consistency has lead many to question whether she can replicate her US Open heroics.

The British No 1 announced herself on the scene last summer by reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon in impressive fashion, before retiring due to illness.

But the crowning moment of her fledgling career came just a few months later when she stunned the sporting world to become the first qualifier to win a major tournament.

However, she has found it tough to compete in her first year as she navigates the WTA Tour for the first time in her career.

The physical demands of such a congested schedule have definitely taken their toll on the 19-year-old as her body learns to cope with the strain of the tour and she has suffered numerous injuries in the past 12 months.

Her latest injury - suffered half an hour into her opening match at the Nottingham Open yesterday against Swiss Viktorija Golubic - has left question marks over whether she will be able to play in front of the home crowd at Wimbledon for the first time since her dramatic victory at Flushing Meadows.

On top of that Raducanu finds herself thrust into the limelight at such a young age, meaning as well as the matter of negotiating her first year on the Tour, she has also got to deal with the pressures of becoming an overnight phenomenon.

However, Sakkari revealed that her WTA rival is not alone in struggling to get used to the demands of the year-round Tour.

Sakkari added: 'It took me a lot of time because my breakthrough was later than other players. Everyone has different times to break through.

'For me it was two or three years until I got used to the Tour – it always takes time.'

Nice of Sakkari to say that about Emma, but.....Emma apparently went the exho route, instead of practice. She has had issues with her coaching team and motivation.

Sorry, but as much as I don’t think medvedev, rublev, etc have done anything wrong, I do think disallowing Russian athletes from major sports competition is effective in pressuring Putin.

r4 Just stop it.

thanks for the new thread OP

week 1 of grass and it's already been raining at some of the events

Rain is good for the grass.

Thank you for the new thread as well, OP.

The US Open should go back to grass.

I agree, R14, as should the Australian Open.

I detest grass. All serve and net play and the points are usually over quickly, often without much strategy or construction.

Some grass champs.

Nothing is worse than watching 2 fembots groundstroking on grass. Between their stupid buns under their visors, their tall, thin build lacking any grace or subtley, their play is boring. Give me Greer Stevens over any of these bores.

What type of grass they use for tennis courts

R19 I thought you were kidding but there's even a whole National Geographic article about it:

"Early Wimbledon grass was a mix of native species, planted carefully atop a firm soil surface and trimmed by a horse dragging a small mower. But the turf was unruly. Dandelions and daisies would sometimes pop up, fairy rings occasionally bloomed, and the constant wear from players skipping across the grass meant it had to be replaced often.

By the mid-20th century, agricultural sciences were booming, and the sports world benefited. Researchers around the world were looking carefully at how to breed and manage grasses to make them more nutritious for grazing animals; more resistant to pests; faster growing; ever greener; and more perfect for lawns and fodder.

After the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI), in Bingley, England, took over development of Wimbledon grass in 1951, they attacked the grass courts with science. They tested pesticides to kill worms and herbicides to kill the daisies, new soil mixes to change the firmness of the ground (which affects how high the ball bounces), and fertilizers to make the grass grow faster, greener, more predictably.

But the key work started when they realized they could pick and choose the grass itself. Plant breeders sent them hundreds of slightly different types of seeds—“Limousine” and “Bingo,” “Jupiter” and “Barlindo”—that they grew into little patches and systematically tried to wear out.

The team built a machine—essentially a fake foot, complete with tennis shoe—that would stomp and slide and smear across the grass. They’d set it up, turn it on, and come back later to see whether “Brightstar” could take the stress, or if “Rambo” held up better.

“We made most of the progress in the 1990s,” says Mark Ferguson, the head of research at STRI. “We made huge strides initially, and we’ve not quite hit the ceiling yet.” But in his opinion, the current grass carpet—made up of 100-percent ryegrass with short, fine, dense blades and a firm root bed—is close to perfect."

R19 Oscar Otte (just beaten Shapo in Stuttgart) has the answer!

I feel a little sad that we can't have some stray dandelions and daisies any more though.

Tommy on the grass

Will Serena play at USAOpen?

serena isn't even interested in tennis anymore.

Wimbledon grass is far slower than it used to be many years ago. It has been pointed out by many players themselves and commentators alike. That's why Djokovic is able to win there. Nothing like carpet, which was really really fast.

As for Sakkari, "the level of WTA is very very high" bitch please it's at its lowest ever, apart from Swiatek. The sole fact that someone like Raducanu could win a slam without having won a single WTA match is the proof. Kontaveit #2? These girls would have been not even top 50 when Sharapova, Jankovic, Ivanovic, Zvonareva, Wozniacki, Henin, Clijsters, Safina, or Dementieva, Kvitova, Serena or Venus were at their top.

Isn't the Wimbledon grass supposed to be marginally faster now than it was in the early 2010s, when Nadal won there? I remember players initially complaining about it then, that it was slower than hard courts.

R4 Wimbledon has increased prize money to a record £40.3m (up from £35m last year). That money is mostly not made from die-hard tennis fans who follow players week in and out but from corporate sponsors and tickets, TV rights.

Wimbledon isn't becoming obsolete - and the decision to not risk how bad it would look to casual fans if a Russian/Belarusian won was likely commercial as well as political.

A russian had zero chances to win, at least in the male competition (on wta you never know)

Zero? I'd say that a player like Medvedev is definitely possible if a draw falls apart.

R29 That's nonsense and you know it.

GAME, SET & MATCH Sue Barker to step down from BBC after 30 years with TV legend quitting after Wimbledon next month

The 66-year-old has spent the last 30 years as a huge part of the broadcaster's coverage in SW19.

Apart from Wimbledon, Barker also famously spent time hosting A Question of Sport, and was part of the BBC's coverage of the Olympics, Grand National, Sports Personality of the Year and more.

A statement from Barker said: "What a wonderful time I’ve had working on some of the biggest sporting events around the world.

"I will miss it terribly but after 30 years I feel the time is right for me.

"I’ve worked with the best of the best."

Barker first joined the BBC's Wimbledon coverage in 1993 and has anchored coverage of the tournament since 2000.

Her last day in the job will be Sunday, July 10 for the men's final.

Barker played tennis professionally before beginning her career in broadcasting following her retirement in 1984.

She won the 1976 French Open - the last Briton to do so - but her best result at Wimbledon was reaching the semi-finals in 1976.

Director of BBC Sport Barbara Slater labelled Barker as a "national treasure" and revealed the broadcaster had wanted her to continue in the job past this year's tournament.

She said: "Sue is a national treasure and we'd have loved for her to continue in her role for many years to come.

"We do of course respect her decision and understand why, after 30 years of leading Wimbledon presentation, she's ready to make this year her last.

"We thank Sue for the remarkable contribution she has made to sports broadcasting during what has been a truly extraordinary and illustrious career.

"A consummate professional who audiences will remember for her skill, authority and warmth on screen, Sue will be equally remembered with fondness and affection by colleagues who had the privilege to work alongside her, experiencing the same professionalism and warmth behind the scenes.”

Meanwhile BBC director-general Tim Davie said: "Sue Barker has been the face and voice of Wimbledon for three decades.

"Many of our viewers will not know of a summer in SW19 without her.

"She is a consummate professional, an outstanding presenter and a wonderful colleague, loved by current and former players, all of us at the BBC and audiences across the UK and beyond.

"Her contribution to tennis, the BBC, sports presenting and for blazing a trail for women in broadcasting cannot be overstated.

"We are looking forward to her leading our coverage, with all the style, warmth and knowledge she has displayed for the last 30 years, and we will say farewell with heavy hearts at the end of the tournament."

In the interests of pointless bitchery, Sue Barker has long been rumoured to have taken Tim Henman's virginity.

I'm new to the tennis threads, so forgive me if it's been discussed. But why are Rafa and his sister so unbeleebeeably close? It's rather eyebrow raising to peruse her Instagram account and see them draped all over one another.

wow some interesting results today!

Kyrgios tough win over Basilashvili

Fucsovics surprising upset over Hurkacz

Murray over Bublik again

Otte upsetting Shapovalov

some potential drama Friday as Murray plays Tsitsipas

surprising upset of grass loving Giorgi by UK's own Dart

the young Dutchie who upset Fritz is cute

He is, R356. He has a relatively nice ass too.

's-Hertogenbosch

Say it ain’t so.

Mackie and Vandy Zandy are playing dubs

I enjoyed watching the young Dutchie in white shorts.

Sakkari hates her racket. I do enjoy a good bit of racket abuse.

How does this impact Djokovic:

[quote] US to lift COVID testing requirement for air travelers entering country: White House official

R43 First impression is that this is about testing but has the vaccine requirement been lifted? Djokovic is happy to be tested but not vaccinated.

FAA team or K. Hemsworth team?

FAA team

R40 cute couple

FAA all the way.

Wow, Murray beat Tsitsipas 7-6(4), 6-3. I did not see that one coming.

Misery's revenge for Loogate.

He rammed Pissypants's head down the proverbial and kept flushing in that second set!

Yay! Misery team.

Tsitsipas needs to do something to get back on track. He's not been the same since he lost the French Open in 2021 to Djokovic. He was playing Slam winning tennis for two sets, then he froze. He did well this season on clay, but then he wasn't playing that well at RG and lost early. I like his game, if not his antics, and would like to see him improve. It's pretty clear what he needs to do--get a slice backhand and work on his return game. But I think a lot of his problems are between his ears. That's harder to improve.

Titsy is weak mentally. So is Sascha. That's going to make it hard for either of them to win majors.

Tsitsy’s bladder is also apparently very weak.

I hope Zverev will drop out of top 10 after his injury.

Tim van Rijthoven inspired by a home crowd. Bye bye Felix.. another overrated 'Next Gen?'

Sexy Dutchie Tim dumps out Felix in 's Hertengobosch semi!

Murray sneaks the first set off Kyrgios.

Cue meltdown? Nick's already got a Code Violation.

Wow, Van Rijthoven had 0 ATP main draw wins before this tournament. His coach is former Dutch player Igor Sijsling

Every time I see Tim's name I think of the alleged German air ace Manfred von Richthofen.

R59 This new guy has BDF.

Overrated how, R56? Felix is unlikely to reach GOAT contention but is probably going to have a solid Wawrinka/Murray/Smith/Ashe sort of career. He's still the only player under 24 to have made it to the round of 16 or better in each Slam, and only second-coming-of-Nadal Alcaraz is ranked higher than Felix in that age group. Plus it was an awfully close match.

On a separate note, a very bad look for Wimby to see Medvedev likely to clinch one of their warm-ups.

I's got a haircut!

Haircut video.

Haircut video 2.

Which name do you prefer, and why?

's-Hertogenbosch

Rosmalen Grass Court Championships

Libéma Open

Kyrgios with another meltdown. So mentally weak, jesus.

love the new Shapo look. He's hawt.

Jesus! Calling on the mole patrol to evaluate R63. That idiot is going to have skin cancer by the time he is 40.

Jack Draper being gorgeous and adorable.

They have pickleball on Tennis Channel right now. Rolls eyes.

Pickleball is spreading like kudzu.

's-Hertogenbosch ladies final will be between a Belarussian and a Russian lol Sabalenka vs. Alexandrova

while Medvedev is obviously the favorite for the men's title

[quote] Pickleball is spreading like kudzu.

Wright/Newman team or Loong/Dawson team?

Wimbledon *doesn't* want to have a Russian winner so they will be breathing a sigh of relief looking at Russian/Belarusian champions of warm-up tournaments. So many of you don't seem to get this about Wimbledon's decision. It would be awkward and a bad look for them if a Russian won especially to the kind of casual fan they make most of their money from. Putin who uses sport regularly to promote and take pride in the state would gloat. And so on.

I am 100 percent in agreement with the Wimbledon decision.

It's easy to understand Wimbledon's position, R74. It's also easy to understand how troubling it is. Of course what Putin has done and continues to do is insane and reprehensible. He should have been defenestrated long ago, which applies to many corrupt dictators. Nor should anyone accommodate inhumane govemments and countries who put profit and power before people. The respective measures that the UK has taken against Russia are laudable. However, banning athletes who are unfortunate enough to be citizens of those countries is also inhumane, subsuming individuality in nationality. It also makes the AELTC look petty and pathetic. Along their lines of reasoning, why not take it one step further and ban Shapo for idolizing Putin and the Serbian players for Serbia's ties with Russia?

So the Incredible Hulk girl isn't playing right?

I thought she played earlier today?

She's playing the 's-Hertogenbosch/Rosmalen/Libéma Open final but not Wimbledon

R56. Losing to a guy ranked 205

There is a reason people call him Flop Ass Assume.

Wow, you're a bastion of wit, R80 and the only "people" I've seen use that lame name. So what do you call Taylor Fritz for losing to that same guy? Anyone can have a bad day.

Is this where we talk about Select Medical Orange County Cup?

[quote]Is this where we talk about Select Medical Orange County Cup?

I want to talk about the cinch Championships!

Did Tommy find love in Amsterdam? (lol I think it's his physio?)

R74 why would Wimbledon be breathing a sigh of relief if Russians and Belarussians win the warmup events outside the UK? I support their decision but if the Russians and Medvedev win the non-UK grass events then it's going to appear like they might have had a shot at winning Wimbledon. It would have looked better if none of them reached the final.

Medvedev is also playing playing Halle (which doesn't seem real without Federer there) along with Rublev, Khachanov, Karatsev and Ivashka. You'd think Wimbledon hopes none of them win there either.

Smith and ova, Koval won the Select Medical Orange County Cup.

When do tickets for the Australian Open typically go on sale?

My guess would be a lot closer to January, R86.

Moment furious Nick Kyrgios takes on a tennis fan after he called him a 'little black sheep' during tennis match against Andy Murray

Nick Kyrgios has asked 'when is this going to stop?' after alleging that he racially abused by a member of the crowd in his Stuttgart Open defeat to Andy Murray.

The Australian tennis star said that he was called a 'little black sheep' and told to 'shut up and play' in his straight sets defeat to Murray.

Posting on Instagram after the match, Kyrgios said that comments directed at him during the match with Murray were 'not acceptable'.

He wrote: 'When is this going to stop? Dealing with racial slurs from the crowd?

'I understand my behaviour isn't the best all the time - but "you little black sheep, shut up and play", little comments like this are not acceptable.'

Kyrgios added: 'When I retaliate to the crowd I get penalised. This is messed up.'

Kyrgios has previously revealed what an impact racist abuse had on him, driving him into a 'dark place' with his resilience being the only thing that stood between him and further internal hurt.

'I feel like I'm just resilient,' he said previously.

'If someone is not as resilient as me mentally, the amount of hate I got, the amount of racism I got, the amount of bulls**t that I got from the tour, from fans, from everything, I could have been..

'I was dealing with, like, not even close to the amount of stuff that was going on. That's what I think.

'Instead of outcasting and almost crucifying a personality, you say, "Okay, this guy is different, let's act a certain way, let's not treat him like a Roger Federer or like a Marin Cilic. He's his own person".

'I'm just saying this sport could have driven me into a place of dark, which it did for a bit, how mentally tough it was for 18, being one of the most well-known players in Australia, getting absolutely hammered by the media. It's not so easy.'

Kyrgios was impacted by the abuse he suffered from a member of the crowd, having performed well in the first set, narrowly losing in a tie-break, he fell to a 6-2 defeat in the second and decisive set.

The Australian grew to be unsettled in the second set as a result of the abuse he allegedly suffered at the hands of a member of the crowd.

Murray said after his win: 'I was just a little more solid in the tie-break. I asked the questions.

'On these courts, when it is playing quick, the set often comes down to one or two points and I was a little more secure at the end of the first set.'

The British number three, currently ranked 68 in the world, will take on Italian world number 10 Matteo Berrettini in the final on Sunday.

Oh shut up, Nick you nutjob. You only get 'bullshit' from fans because you serve up bullshit on and off the court.

The crowd were loving him until he started bringing the crazy at the end of the first set, when the going started to get tougher.

He is such a sulk when things aren't going his way. I can't believe he's worse at dealing with an unruly crowd than say... 15 year old Martina Hingis. The kind of stuff they used to yell at Venus & Serena & Ashe & Gibson, an underage Kournikova being sexually harassed and wolf-whistled by the crowd, homophobic comments to Mauresmo, BJK, and Navratilova. And NONE of them whined as much as this clown.

While I don't disagree with the Wimbledon policy, it actually does put more of an asterisk on their slam if you have Medvedev, Sabalenka, Alexandrova etc. winning the warmup tournaments. These are now some of the in-form grass competitors and they are not allowed to compete.

The warm-ups this week seem to have rather weak fields. Not sure h9w that relates to Wimbledon.

Kyrgios is ridiculous, black sheep (at leas in spanish has zero racial meaning) and shut up and play is just a wish everybody watchinng is matches has

Kyrgios is nuts and everyone knows it, including him in his lucid moments.

Anybody who supports the banning of Russians and Belarusians is borderline criminal and equally anti-democratic, anti-tolerance and anti-human rights. Then ban all Chinese, ban all people from Muslim countries, ban all Americans because of all the wars they did in the world, ban Serbians and Indian because they are still buying Russian gas, ban Filipinos because Duterte. It's a neverending toxic loop. The values of sport should never be poisoned with politics. NEVER.

This was started by those Australian nutjobs and their failed zero covid policy who expelled Djokovic because "letting him play would have meant anti-vax propaganda". lmao

ESL.

R94 Bullshit. How is it fair that Djokovic can enter Australia unvaccinated while everyone else can't? P.S. this isn't just limited to Covid vaccines - there are other countries that require visitors to be vaccinated for other things e.g. some countries require proof of vaccination for yellow fever or malaria.

Anyway, in tennis news, Hulkina and indoor hard court queen Alexandrova were competitive in the first set but then when she lost the set, Hulkina had a mental breakdown and got bagelled in the 2nd.

R96 Because other players had already entered the country unvaccinated with a special exemption. Djokovic was given the special exemption on an anonimous form, like the panel required and when Australian institutions were ridiculed for letting him play they retaliated by banning him with the personal intervention of the Minister of Immigration with the excuse of "he may foster anti-vax sentiment", not because there was an actual danger in him not being vaccinated. It was political, not sanitary.

R97 Only one and she was booted out before she got to play for the same reason.

Neither she nor Djokovic were ever legally allowed to enter unvaccinated. I will grant that they were probably misled by Craig Tiley. And if Djokovic hadn't made the mistake of taking a photo and bragging about getting to enter unvaccinated I wouldn't be shocked if it would have slipped under the radar. Djokovic made it public and, therefore, political. But regardless, the law is that he was not allowed to enter unvaccinated.

Tim Van Ripped-hoven on a tear against Medvedev.

4-0 up in the second set.

Tim is INSPIRED.

Wow, when Tim fell over backwards to celebrate winning, he showed a very impressive VPL.

Tim Tales winning shows that there isn't much technical difference between the top players and lower ranked ones. It's mostly mentality.

Link to the bulge. IT'S HUGE!

He's beaten world no. 2 Medvedev, no. 9 Auger-Aliassime, and no. 14 Fritz.

Titanic Tim shoots to #1 in the DL Boyfriend Rankings!

So this guy destroys Medvedev and takes out Fritz, yet FAA gets all the derision on here for getting edged by him by a couple of points in the third-set tie-breaker. I don't get it.

they aren't familiar with hims game since he's so new

Tim is 25-years-old, so not exactly 'new'. Just lowly ranked.

[quote]Link to the bulge. IT'S HUGE!

Isn't it a tennis ball in his pocket?

Yes, R109, he had a ball in his pocket.

R109 This angle makes it look far more penis-like

I checked out is insta profile yesterday, he only had like over 3500 followers, today he has almost 8000! LOL

That's a tennis ball not VPL senile gay men.

Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia wins her first tournament against American Alison Riske in Nottingham. She's quite good at doubles, that must have transferred some to grass.

FAA getting edged?

Speaking for all of DL's (male) tennis fans.

Daniil was gracious and personable in his post-match on-court comments as he always is. He's a thousand times more likeable than Novak.

Misery takes the second set against Berrettini.

Should he win this, he might well go high enough in the rankings to be seeded at Wimbledon

Maybe you should use addition instead, R117, since a thousand times zero still equals zero.

Federer admits 'things moving slowly' in recovery

Roger Federer admitted Saturday that "things are moving slowly" in his attempt to recover from knee surgery.

The 20-time Grand Slam title winner and former world number one has not played since a quarter-final defeat at Wimbledon almost a year ago.

He then underwent a third surgery on his knee while his world ranking has slumped to 50, his lowest in 22 years.

Federer told Swiss broadcaster SRF that he "plays from time to time" with his four children, but "things are moving slowly".

He still intends to return to action at the Laver Cup in London at the end of September when he will have already celebrated his 41st birthday.

"I had surgery at the end of August and people ask me 'So, how does it look?'. And each time I have to answer that it will take a little more time," he said.

Federer said he is "currently focusing on (his) physical condition, so that there is no overload" and goes to the gym "five to six times a week."

"I just have to stay patient, I'm making constant progress."

After the Laver Cup from September 23-25, Federer has already said he intends to play in his hometown tournament of Basel from October 24-30.

Federer, the winner of 103 trophies over his career, played only 13 matches in 2021 and just six in 2020.

At this point I think we're more likely to see Laver play at the Laver Cup.

If you're in need of a laugh...

^^ and yup, in a sport chock full of variables, Novak takes the ball hit personally, as if Nadal did it intentionally, and refuses Nadal's apology ...

Andy Murray suffers defeat by Italian Matteo Berrettini in his first grass-court final since his 2016 Wimbledon win at the Stuttgart Open as he agonisingly misses out on 47th title

More concerning, though, was an apparent left hip problem for which he twice sought treatment in the third set before succumbing to a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 defeat against last year's Wimbledon runner-up.

This has been one of Murray's best weeks since his hip problems came to the fore in 2017, with the Scot defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios to reach his first grass-court final since he won his second Wimbledon title in 2016.

The resurfacing operation Murray underwent in 2019 was to his right hip, but he then struggled with a number of troublesome niggles in his pelvic area.

The 35-year-old called the physio to the court after dropping serve to start the deciding set and then requested treatment mid-game at 2-4.

It appeared Murray might decide to retire but he fought on until the finish line, which came when Berrettini broke for a second time in the set.

With only two weeks until Wimbledon, and with Murray due to play at Queen's Club next week, the Scot must hope this is not an issue that will put him back on the sidelines.

He had fought back very well to force a decider after dropping serve in the third game of the match as Berrettini, playing in his first tournament since March following hand surgery, showed again how well suited his game is to grass.

Speaking in an on-court interview broadcast by Tennis Channel, Murray said: 'It's been an incredible week here. I really enjoyed it. I'd like to congratulate Matteo and his team on a fantastic week.

'He's just come back from a surgery and it's never easy. He played extremely well today and deserved the win. Finally thank you to my team here and my team back home.

'Sorry I couldn't get over the line today, but there's been a lot of progress the last few weeks. I'm looking forward to what the future has to hold, I'm feeling a lot better about my game. Hopefully my body can hold up a little while longer so I can keep playing matches like this.'

Tournament organisers, meanwhile, announced they are investigating Kyrgios' claims that he received racial abuse from the stands during Saturday's semi-final.

Has DL icon and the world's most famous heterosexual Spam Shriver landed herself a man yet? She's been as hungry for some peen as our Darfur Orphan has been for moth pancakes.

Is NaUMi Osaka playing Wimbledon Open? Is she doubles?

[quote]Has DL icon and the world's most famous heterosexual Spam Shriver landed herself a man yet?

Pam is looking for love at the Louvre

Waters team or Todd team?

Poor Pammie really is unfortunate-looking.

Osaka recently claimed that she's motivated by points and ranking but has withdrawn from today's WTA 500 grass warm up tournament...

She's having a mental health week.

yes, she's still affected by that fake gun shots incident at the boxing match in barclays center in brooklyn

Loved the fairytale story for van Rijthoven in 's-Hertogenbosch this week. It's something we used to see a lot more often in the turbulent period of the late 90s and early 00s on the men's tour but has been largely absent since the big 3 took over. We need more shock winners like this on the men's side at big events. Hoping someone gets it done at Wimbledon

I'll always love how the wildly inconsistent Dustin Brown is 2-0 against Nadal with both matches being on grass. He's the only player 2-0 against him which has to feel good

Any "tea' about this new Dutch guy?

Is he gay?

From a certain point of view.

He gave a big hug and kiss to a pretty girl in his player's box, R134, so it is looking very unlikely. He's cute.

R83 i would really wanna know what happened later that night.

According to his social media page, he's got the same gf since 2016 and now has over 15k followers. it was only 3k the other day

Are the WTA players mostly straight these days? Who are the lezzies left on the women's tour now that a certain Slam winning Australian player has retired from singles?

[quote] Who are the lezzies left on the women's tour

All of them!

Margaret Court R140, who was the queen bee among the lezzie players in your day? Was it you or Billy Jean Drag King?

R139 Barty does ping but she's engaged to a golfer called Garry Kissick. I know that doesn't necessarily mean that she's straight but on balance she probably is since it's not really a big deal for WTA players in general unless they're from a v. homophobic country (props to Kasatkina for being out).

[quote] Margaret Court R140, who was the queen bee among the lezzie players in your day?

Well Evonne Goolagong of course. She was not only a vegemite abo but also in a sham marriage to cover up her sinful, slattern ways.

R142, I wasn't referring to Barty. It was another Aussie who won a Slam and has now retired from singles play. As far as I know she was in the closet for a very long time but most people assumed she was lez.

R144 Who then?

R145, I was referring to Sam Stosur.

My lezdar isn't finely tuned but Barty never pinged to me. She always seemed more like a sporty, laidback straight girl to me.

R146 Ahkay, I understand. Sam Stosur did 'retire' but played singles at Strasbourg (link). Plus played doubles at RG, and Nottingham this week.

Stosur is on her farewell doubles tour. Out, current WTA players:

The recently suspended Tara Moore, her wife Emina Bektas, Demi Schuurs, Kasatkina (bi), Alyson Van Uytvanck, Greet Minnen (they're still on a break), Petra Martic (not really 'out' but was in a relationship with her former coach Sandra Zaniewska), Aleksandra Krunic, Astra Sharma, Lucie Hradecka. I think there are a few more on the doubles tour, and obviously a few more who aren't out, and many more who are now retired.

Others that ping to me include SWIATEK and her mental coach, Muguruza, Garcia (she is always hanging around her lesbian soccer team friends), Mangelique Kerber, Jil Teichmann, Marketa Vondrousova, Karolina Muchova, Zhang Shuai, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Arantxa Rus, Hailey Baptiste, Tereza Martincova, one of those Wang girls. I would love Kanepi to be a power lesbian but I think she's straight.

Mary! Carillo at R129, have you and Pammie ever done it? Did you close your eyes and think of Masha Cuntapova or Gabby Sabatini when you did it with Pampers?

I had no idea that Krunic . Lucie Hrdecka and Astra Sharma are lesbians.

Well DL always comes up with info you never gets anywhere else.

Great to see PCB stamp on that bratty little upstart, Rune, in Halle.

Bossed him around with that big bulge in 2 sets.

Daddy Fritz Team or Dreamy Draper Team?

Rooting for the American

Draper team

I'm seeing ads for US open for the past week or 2

PCB's big nose is so fucking sexy.

[quote]Draper team

Draper won! Not a good grass season for Fritz so far

B. Andreescu got some highlights in her hair for the bett1open in Berlin

Jack Draper: Future Superman

The U-GOAT has won a match in Halle... surely now a shoo-in to retain his title!

I see Draper is also fond of wearing more than one necklace at a time.

Draper is cute. Not a fan of the cross necklace, tho, that's rarely a good sign for the gays.

Medvedev back up to #1 while Zverev reaches career high #2

Djokovic falls to #3 and just 245 points ahead of #4 Nadal

no significant changes in the WTA rankings

[quote] Former tennis star Jelena Dokic relives recent suicide attempt: ‘Everything is blurry’

hopefully she gets the help she needs immediately

Are any of you going to Wimbledon or USA Open?

I'm going to the Open. I've been like 20 years running. It's still fun.

Poor Dokic. Her father fucked her up.

Sexy Legs Grigor was strutting around earlier and Andrew Castle commented on how hot he is, basically, and said that 'years ago he was chased around Acapulco by hordes of women, and he wasn't too upset about it, he's had many high profile girlfriends'

... not our Grigor!

I'm going to the US Open too. I'm the poster who works in midtown and have seen players around their hotels. I've even seen Boris Becker walking back to his hotel alone, he was actually drunk and wasn't too steady on his feet...he was Djokovic's coach at the time lol.

Here's a real cool Reddit AMA with the head groundskeeper at Wimbledon.

R168, do you have any other stories or observations of players?

Rio de Janeiro Olympics gold medallist Monica Puig! announced her retirement from professional tennis at age 28 via a post on social media Monday.

"After a tough 3 year fight with injuries and 4 surgeries, my body had enough,”

Puig!

Thank you for that link, R169.

¡Puig! ¿What happened?

Nole

Is Nadal going to "limp" his way to a Grand Slam this year? The stories about how he's practically unable to move one leg are so over the top.

Mee hurt sooooo mush.

R167, did Andrew Castle drool over Not So Young Gaygor the way DL fave Cames Jourier often used to?

OK DL, are y'all ready for CoCo GOAT to annihilate the opposition and DOMINATE tennis for the next 20 years? Wimbleton will be the start of an unbeaten run as the GOAT wins her next 2,000 matches in a row leaving even the Big Three as footnotes. Well, except for Roger who is the other GOAT.

Make way for CoCo GOAT!

[quote]Wimbleton will be the start of an unbeaten run as the GOAT

Over Genie's dead bikini body! She's set for a comeback at Wimbledon so it's time to sharpen your pencil

R180, is it really you? Chrissy Evert Lloyd Mill Norman Navratil, the world's worst commentator?

Who wears short shorts?

So Serena is going to play Wimbledon?

Hm, it does look like it. She posted this on instagram: "SW and SW19. It's a date. 2022 See you there."

Unless she's attending as a non-player but I doubt it.

She tagged Eastbourne and her tennis kit sponsors in that post as well.

It's a great opportunity for a player to take her out in the 1st or 2nd round. I can't imagine her getting particularly far, to be honest.

Is she offered a WC? She hasn’t played for quite a while now.

If she wants to play singles it will have to be a wild card since she missed the deadline to enter via a protected ranking. Some are saying it could be doubles or even Legends but tagging Eastbourne makes me think it's singles.

Sometimes the rankings are a bit nuts. How can one not put via Nadal at the top with both the Australian and French in his pocket?

Tennisforum is already desperate for a Serena v Iga or a Serena v Halep (Patrick Mouratoglou dumped her for Halep) or a Serena v Raducanu first round match.

she's so fat and out of shape. she will be huffing and puffing. She isn't fit.

Happy Birthday Steffi Graf! Damn, how time flies...she's 53

Demi cute unknown Brit, Ryan PENISton takes out an uncomfortable looking Casper at Queen's!

Ostapenko again showing us why she's a favorite of the gays and almost no one else.

Novak Djokovic 'is facing a ban from the US Open' with no plans to relax American immigration rules requiring Covid vaccinations for travellers... but Russians 'will be allowed to play' as USTA expect no politically motivated bans

US immigration last week dropped the requirement for all incoming passengers to return a negative Covid test before boarding an aeroplane, but maintained the need for proof of vaccination to be presented on arrival.

R193 She's savage and doesn't give a fuck. Love her.

There's a 'Welcome back Serena' post on Wimbledon's Instagram so I guess it's official

Dutch twink Tim van Rijthoven (who just won the 's-Hertogenbosch tournament) also received a wild card for the main draw

what's the point? she's so fat and out of shape, she's only embarrassing herself.

If she lost like 20 pounds, she could win so many grand slams but NO....she keeps baking pies and stuffing her them in her mouth.

Cinch Championships:

Brooksby team or Krajinovic team?

Kudla team or Sonego team?

Evans team or Berreteami 🐻?

Shapo team or Paul team?

Tiafoe team or Stan team/Wawrinka team?

Kraj More Team

Bi Son Team

Coke Is It Team

Perfect Paul Team

Stan Da Man Team

German(y) Open

Ons team or ova, Munch team?

R188, the ATP rankings are so out of whack now with the Wimbledon debacle that if Nadal were to win his third consecutive Slam, he'd still be ranked #4. How discombobulated is that?

[quote]Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov returns the ball to Britain's Cameron

After having seen the photo posted by R182, I feel that "Bulge-aria's Grigor Dimitrov" would have been warranted.

She's playing doubles first.

Serena Williams will make her comeback on the WTA tour at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne, starting June 19. The 40-year-old has received a wildcard for the women's doubles event of the WTA 500 grasscourt tournament, where she will partner World No. 4 Ons Jabeur.

Ons/Serena team.

Speaking of short shorts, you need to check out Marton Fuscovics' purple plaid Hydrogen number that he's sporting in Halle. Unfortunately I can't find any pics, yet, online.

Tighter than a gnat's chuff, as they say here in the UK.

R205 Also Bublik against Musetti in London had these dangerously high and tight grey shorts you could see his ass crack and (notoriously) popping bulge.

I was on Jubb team. Van de Zandschulp defeated him.

[quote]I was on Jubb team

I'm not too familiar with him, he also received a Wimbledon wild card

Stan looks really heavy for an athlete.

Wawrinka long had a reputation for being perhaps the physically strongest man on the ATP Tour, but he's very unassuming about it and often looks slobby.

Stan's just got that barrel build. Always has done. Norries' the same, and they're two of the fittest players on the tour.

I am hoping for Ree vs CoCo in Round 1. The battle of the GOATs. Mary Joe will break down and kick Pampers Shriver in xir balls if CoCo loses to a pumped up Great Auntie Ree with Granny Vee watching from the stands.

sigh Tiafoe....so talented and hot with a huge ass yet so dumb and a headcase

he was serving at 5-3 30-0 in the third set before another mental lapse. So Wawrinka won in 3 tiebreaks on his worst surface.

Wawrinka has 1 of the most unappealing upper bodies in men's tennis

Wawrinka team.

Wawrinka has always seemed like a good bloke to me. That pic of the massive teddy bear he sent Murray when he had his hip replacement always makes me laugh.

LOL

Lately it’s not a barrel build. Theres lot of flab, including moobs.

Why was Shapo/Paul match suspended?

R218 Fading light. The court's not floodlit.

Thanks, R219.

Shapo in flight

Dreamy Tomm gams

Ons team!

She beat ova, Much.

Stan has that natural tank body that makes my legs lift skyward on command.

Kraj has an epic bulge

R205, just did a google search for a photo but I couldn't find one either. Damn.

looking forward to the potential drama in the Tsitsipas vs. Kyrgios match tomorrow

I'd forgotten how gorgeous Matteo was ... you could spread him over toast like butter.

Andrew Castle was all talk about his billboards around town ... if there's a Grigor v Matteo match, Andrew and I will suffer death by legs.

He also called him a 'six foot five oil tanker', which Sue Barker found hilarious.

It's nice to see Stan back even with his pockmarked face.

Is this where we talk about Cinch Championship?

Nadal and xisca are expecting a baby!

Who's the father, R231?

congrats daddy nadal!

[quote]Who's the father, [R231]?

I'm guessing Rafa's sister.

[quote]I'm guessing Rafa's sister

I think it's uncle Toni!

I wonder what's wrong with Jessica Pegula's mom?

Ons says that she was asked to play doubles with Serena before the French Open... I thought this was a last minute thing but maybe not. From Racquet magazine:

[quote]Ons Jabeur: Doubles specialist! [Laughs] Oof, I’m still over the moon. I found out before the French Open, and it’s an honor and privilege to play with her. I’m actually nervous, but I’m going to try to be the doubles specialist for the next week and hopefully make zero mistakes. [Laughs] But it’s a great honor to play with such a legend, and to be able to really share the court with her is unbelievable because we never played each other and now we’re playing next to each other—we are a team. I’m really excited to be in Eastbourne next week, more and more excited than ever.

[quote]Racquet: Is it possible you might play Eastbourne only in doubles then? Ons Jabeur: Me, I’m playing singles as well, but the focus is on doubles now.

Tsitsy team or Kyrgios team?

Kyrgios is insane

My boyfriend Tommy Paul wins!

Young Grigor beaten at Queens by cute Dutch guy.

[quote]Young Grigor beaten at Queens by cute Dutch guy.

It's BvdZ....Botic van de Zandschulp!

Next up at the cinch Championships is Jack Draper

Hubert defeats Humbert.

More shorts shorts photos please. Thank you.

Kygrios has classic narcissistic personality disorder, Jesus. Cunting around the whole place, claiming mistreatment and victimhood, then giving his racquet to the disabled guy at the end. JESUS.

R213 and R217.. have you never seen Wawrinka's abs? among the best of the tour (at least they were, not seen them for awhile)... also he has a nice ass too...

Glad Fokina won today.

Tiafoe pulled up his shorts but there wasn't much to see

DL boyfriends Felix, Hubie and PCB are all into the Halle quarters today along with villain Kyrgios.

Bublik massively manspreading at each change of ends at Queen's.

If only he'd put a bag over his head.

No love for ADF here?

R251 I have love for ADF - rocking bod, love the on court daredevil acrobatics and the kookiness when he's interviewed.

He come across as very authentic.

Here's ADF changing his shirt

He is very actice on social media. Seems like a nice and fun guy. Hot too.

Is Botic van de Zandschulp the Dutch guy who killed Natalee Holloway in Aruba?

I think that guy's still locked up in some prison in Peru R255 lol

I love Foki's big, red, smooth nips. Looks like he's got a meaty cock, too.

Why is Andrew Castle talking about the male players' looks? Is he like Daddy Cames Jourier, hiding in plain sight?

but without any tennis accomplishments

DL fave Djere on court now in Halle

Djere really is swoonsome!

Wish he could get his head together - seems to always find a way to lose matches he puts himself in a great position to win.

Peak WTA result in Wimbleton final will be Serena beats Ons 1/6, 7/6, 6/0 after saving 42 match points from 1/6, 0/5, 0-40 down and Ons serving 12 double faults in a row in the exciting final set. Very compelling.

R258 the male physique is to be studied, observed and appreciated.

Shirtless Matteo eating pasta like his mama taught him.

Also in Matteo's Instagram stories is his earliest memory of Head.

thiem not playing wimbeldon

That’s too bad. I will miss his play and his Domicakes.

Tommycakes.

Sinner on the cover of Icon magazine. I never noticed he had a mole on his face...

Ryan PENISton, the cheeky British twink/twunk takes out Cerundolo to get through to the Quarters in Queens, 2 day after downing Casper.

[quote] I never noticed he had a mole on his face...

Thank you for the observation, R269. It is precisely such vigilance that will keep us ahead in the struggle.

Tallon (fab name) Griekspoor and RBA are knocking 7 bells out of each other in Halle: 1 set all.

Tallon is another player who seriously needs to invest in shorter and tighter shorts.

Swoon @ R268. All mine bitches!

[quote]All mine bitches!

Not anymore Kiki Passo, you trashy OnlyFans skank!

Ryan PENISton is older than I thought (26)

He had cancer when he was a child and that was the reason he was very short till 16. His junior results were not great so he decided to study in the USA and keep training at tennis. Lately there are a lot of college players finding success at atp level

R269 He looks good in those pics

Tommy Paul just needs to seduce me and be done with it.

MAtteo has a hairy chest he shouldn't shave it

Il Gingio needs to fix those teefs.

r261 Djere got the coxsackie virus? I'd love to have been the guy to give it to him.

Brit tennis rookie Ryan Peniston reveals stunning Queen’s run has been fuelled by Italian food and Love Island binges

Brit tennis rookie Ryan Peniston reveals stunning Queen’s run has been fuelled by Italian food and Love Island binges

Yesterday the Southend southpaw came from a break down in the third set to eliminate tough Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 6-0 4-6 6-4 in two hours on Centre Court.

Against the odds and to the surprise of everyone, the world No 180 is the last Brit standing in the singles competition as the weekend approaches.

As he settled down last night in his hotel room, Peniston switched on ITV for some mind-numbing reality viewing.

Peniston, who is a big Manchester United fan because of his train-driving dad, laughed: “My routines have been exactly the same this week.

“I go to the same Italian restaurant and then I watch an episode of Love Island.

“Why Love Island? It’s an easy watch and it’s nice to chill out with it in the evening.

“I don’t want to wake up from this dream any time soon.

“I didn’t envisage being the last Brit. This is the best week of my life, it has been a rollercoaster so far. I cannot really think of anything that tops it.

“The support has been amazing, I’ve seen all these messages from people like my next door neighbour. It has been amazing.”

Outside of British tennis circles, few Pimm’s-drinking punters had heard of Peniston and this is his ATP Tour debut.

By winning two matches – the wildcard shocked No 1 seed Casper Ruud in the opener – he earned himself at least £50,000 in prize money.

The Essex slugger, 26, bagelled the first set in 20 minutes against the man from Buenos Aires, 26, but then had to fight extremely hard for the win.

Between points Peniston reads positive notes while sitting on his chair and he is benefiting from the words of advice given to him by a mental coach.

Peniston, who is a big Rafa Nadal fan, said: “I took a lot of confident from the last match against Casper. So I came out this time all guns blazing.

“The second set it didn’t go to plan, Francisco is a great player, I fought in the third set and got over the line.

“Everyone has doubts at some points, that little voice in your head tells you negative thoughts in the match. You have to fight against it with positive thoughts.

“Mentally it wasn’t as difficult to go again, I took a lot of confidence from the first win.”

Ooooh Tommycakes and Lovely Matteo are 2nd up in London!

*jizzes in pants*

Peniston and Van Rijthoven are 25-26-years-old so it's probably fluke runs for both..

Unrelated, are there many gay coaches/trainers? Do they have relationships with players like that typically happens on the WTA?

[quote]are there many gay coaches/trainers?

Don't look at me!

Rafael Nadal reveals he IS planning to play at Wimbledon for the first time in THREE YEARS despite ongoing foot problem... with the Australian Open and French Open champion planning to fly to London on Monday

'My intention is to play Wimbledon,' Nadal told a press conference in Mallorca.

'I have trained well this week and my departure on Monday for London is to that effect.

'But my foot situation must be evaluated day after day, so at this moment I don't have this certainty of being able to play. I just know that I want to play the tournament, but we must also be careful.'

The Australian Open and French Open champion added: 'Now it's too early to give a definitive answer.

'In the first days I had complicated feelings, day after day I got better. One more week of training in London and I hope to be able to play at Wimbledon and to be competitive to do so.'

Nadal hasn't won Wimbledon since back in 2010 and elected to skip it last season after seeing his body falter at last year's French Open.

Pleased to see Oscar Otte get through to the Semis in Halle.

He's a player who's really worked hard to progress up the rankings, and has a a pretty unique, entertaining game and on-court personality.

Fokina lost again😭

Matteo's coach is ROUGH trade god damn...

There was a shot of him pulling up his shorts with his tan fading up his thighs and then he lifted his shirt up over his treasure trail...

Bet he's got a heavy bull cock with succulent dick skin ... want him to choke me a little too hard and have to call an ambulance.

I love Peniston. He is so cute.

Happy Birthday Granny V!

Hubie team or FAA team?

Ruusuvuori team or Cilic team?

FAA Team; always FAA team

Hubie Doo Team

Ruusovuori Team

R281 OMG I'm dying he says he's watching Love Island. I am as well. I want to ask him what the thinks of Ekin-Su. lol

Hubie is such a grumpy old man on-court, it’s kind of adorable

Shapo isn't too bright. He's complaining that his gf can't train at Queen's Club while an ATP event is going on (and it's grass too, so the surface needs more maintenance).

he's hawt, tho

God divides

Tommy trail

Rafa is smart to give Wimbledon a go--Novak is likely out of the US Open, and Rafa could go for the calendar Slam. What an era we're still in (barely) - Novak one match away from the calendar Slam last year, now Rafa is half-way there.

Makes me think of 1988, when Wilander won 3 of the 4, only missing Wimbledon.

I love Tommy but he would be so handsome and well groomed if he gave a gay a chance. He dresses so basic straight American boy.

Tommy Paul Is very handsome. But he's never gonna be a star.

Sloane's been busy

she's been talking about cyber bullying for years so I'm not surprised she's part of the initiative

definitely the most beautiful slam winner ever

Some Hubie beefcake...

Sloane Square needs to sit her tired, has been ass down. It's MY time now. The CoCo GOAT era of tennis has begun and ain't no stoppin' me now! I am the GOAT of all GOATS. And if you don't believe me ask Mary Joe.

Those overrated hos Uga, Emma, Lay to the Low to the Lah, No-Me Hosaka and Granny Rena all need to step aside for the new Empress of Tennis.

Hey CoCo, let us know when you get a neck - and a forehand.

Octopus Team or Otter Team?

Berreteami Team or SandSlut Team?

I don't think Tommy is handsome. He isn't ugly but maybe a bit above average. You see guys like him walking around a lot.

Tommy makes me think a little of Ryan Lochte.

R309, yes lol

Confirmed: Miss Naomi Osaka is out of Wimbledon!

Please Hubie. You need to CRUSH Nutjob Nick.

This is literally Good Vs. Evil!

EUGENIE BOUCHARD has pulled out of Wimbledon due to the lack of world ranking points on offer in SW19.

In a Twitter post, Bouchard said: “A quick update on my end, I have decided to withdraw from Wimbledon due to the WTA’s decision to not award ranking points at this year’s Championships.

“Due to my shoulder surgery, I get a limited number of protected ranking (PR) entries.

“As much as I love Wimbledon and skipping it makes me sad, using a PR entry at a tournament with no ranking points doesn’t make sense.

R304 Never knew Hubie had that good of a body. Really great physique

Has Roger bailed too? I haven't been paying attention.

Hurk has got COLOSSAL hands and you KNOW what that MEANS.

... and speak of the devil, he's just slapped Prick down with his ten pound floppy monster in the second set.

Hubie team.

Nick KygriFLOP!

I’ve laid off Naomi during her mental struggles.

She’s becoming harder and harder to give a pass to. Now she’s skipping Wimbledon because of injury and the lack of points.

Well, which is it. She hasn’t figured out grass and said she has an injury, so I’m thinking there are probably not many points at stake for her.

Get it together. Play tennis (with regularly) or quit tennis. Right now, she’s more out than in and no longer seems like a threat.

The problem with Osaka is her lack of ambition. She doesn't want to learn to play on grass or on clay, she is more than happy with her hard court skills.

Bouchard will never receive a wc on Wimbledon

Serena and Jabeur will face Sorribes Tormo and Bouzkova

What's Raducanu's injury? she didn't play this week and she's not playing Eastbourne next week either

Medvedev and Kyrgios both playing all 3 weeks of grass as they're in the Mallorca draw

I like the fact that one of the advertisers at Halle is Assmann.

... is no-one going to talk about the fact Krajinovic had a plump semi bursting through his shorts for that entire match.

Does he always have that?

The Dutch Getty Slut on this thread needs to some investigative reporting.

And Matteo better lock his cheeks up tight.

With Genie out, guess Chrissie will have to pencil in someone else for the finals

Yes, R323 it was almost obscene. I don’t think it was a semi just a very large and prominent bulge!

What is going on with Anett Kontaveit? She’s basically disappeared and is RANKED #2?!?!?

If Osaka doesn’t want to play who cares? It’s her decision. I say leave her alone.

Um, I, like, didn’t say I, um, don’t want to, um, play. I just feel like I kind of don’t know if I want to play.

I’m, um, thinking about maybe trying some therapy but don’t know. Maybe. Or not.

Close. But every sentence should have ended with a question mark to hit the nail on the head.

Tommy is CUTE with a great body. Handsome is different.

R314 you really think the sharp DL gays didn't know Hubie was think and jacked when we accepted him as a boyfriend? Girl get with it.

"thick"

Jimmy Garoppolo is "handsome" in the sense of the word.

Tommy is sexy but he needs to stay away from that loon Riley Opelka

Naomi is free to not play if she doesn't want to. What I find annoying is people acting as though her inability to deal with the press conferences is truly some debilitating mental health issue and that she is some kind of heroine for playing only two months a year. Of course we now live in an age where anything a black person says or does is to be lauded as "brave", "iconic", "strong" and "fierce", so I have a suspicion that the same Twitter twats would be crucifying Naomi for her privilege if she had been a white player whining about press conferences.

I'd really love to know what Naomi's sponsors think about all of this though.

Thiem too.

But Thiem is trying. In fact the police went to his house recently because the neighbours complain about someone filming a porno right there, but the moans were only his noises at training

Tommy needs to sit on my face. Then *I* will be the judge of how handsome he is.

Rune is making friends, in an interview said that young Roger was 40 times worst than him (in behaviour). And even Roger was a piece or work i highly doubt he was worst than Rune at all

I still remember watching Federer before it all clicked and he had a temper tantrum, smashing his racket which I haven't seen since but that's totally different to the kind of thing Rune does.

Lloyd Glasspool: hunky doubles specialist and 'love rat' into final at Queen's

They are such a cute couple. Medvedev looks like he has a really long and thin dick while Hubi's dick is shorter but thicker.

Medvedev's coach angrily left mid-match after being yelled at Daniil, whose wife has looked rather miserable at times today.

Here, for any drama fans that missed it.

HUBIE DOES IN HALLE!

Just watched the Queen’s final and came straight here to check for any previous discussion of the Krajinovic bulge. I see it was noted upthread. You bitches don’t miss a thing.

To be fair, it's hard to miss that big fat Serbian sausage bouncing all over the court.

I've never liked Medvedev - he gives me vaguely sociopathic vibes for some reason. Unfair I know since he's a great tennis player but there it is.

Has tennis gone soft on drugs? The world's best players have been allowed to pick their own times for 'random tests', and the ITF are under scrutiny after tests were counted THREE times to give inflated figures

Tennis' ruling body has been accused of going soft on doping, after a Mail on Sunday investigation found the International Tennis Federation lets the world's best players book their own drug tests.

Players were invited to secure time slots for blood-doping tests before this year's Miami Open, a method anti-doping experts say makes a 'huge difference' to cheats seeking to escape detection.

Players were also given notice that blood samples would be taken before the 2019 French Open and last year's US Open. The former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) compared tennis's approach with cycling's much-criticised failure to expose Lance Armstrong's years of drug-taking

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has also been accused of inflating the number of drug tests it conducts, after this newspaper found that it had published 'misleading' data.

'I don't believe that the ITF should announce when they are going to drug test athletes,' said Luis Horta, the former head of Portugal's antidoping agency. 'It's the same thing as in the past in cycling, when they announced that they would test all athletes on the eve of the Tour de France. It's not good.'

Nicole Sapstead is the former chief executive of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) who is now the director of the ITF's anti-doping programme. The Mail on Sunday has obtained evidence that Sapstead wrote to players informing them that they would be tested in the days prior to this year's Miami Open, which began in March.

The ITF also warned players before the 2019 French Open and the 2021 US Open that they would have to submit a blood sample as part of the ITF's athlete biological passport (ABP) programme.

Before the US and Miami Opens, players were invited to book time slots to undergo these tests through the online 'Tennis Anti-Doping Portal'.

One message sent by Sapstead before the Miami Open read: 'Appointments to provide your ABP sample will be between 09:00 and 18:00 on each day (between 19-22nd March 2022) and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis'. This gave players as much as four days' notice of their test.

As part of the ABP, the ITF collects blood samples from players throughout the year to monitor how their blood parameters change over time. Blood doping can be detected by abnormalities in a player's biomarkers.

Athletes can blood dope by taking Erythropoietin (EPO), which increases red blood cell production, or by undergoing blood transfusions. According to the WADA code, athletes should not be warned about up-coming doping tests. The code states that 'save in exceptional and justifiable circumstances, all testing shall be No Advance Notice testing'.

WADA did not clarify what would constitute such circumstances when asked by The Mail on Sunday.

Professor Roger Pielke is the founder of the sports governance centre at the University of Colorado Boulder, and a consultant on sports ethics to international sports bodies. Asked about players being notified of their tests, Prof Pielke said: 'It would seem to be a violation of the "spirit", if not the letter, of the WADA code. It certainly gives an impression of anti-doping theatre.'

The ITF's anti-doping programme has been run by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), an independent body, since January this year.

The ITIA said it warns players of ABP tests before some competitions because it allows them to carry out more tests. Regularly tested players are part of the ITF's registered testing pool and have to provide their location for an hour every day of the year when they can be subject to testing.

'The aim is to gather data from as many players as possible so we have the widest set of data to work from,' the ITIA said in a statement. 'Logistically it makes sense therefore to arrange this in advance once or twice a year, so we can test as many players as we can.

'Because we do this ABP testing on an ongoing basis - both with notice and no-notice - it does not make any difference if players know about it in advance. Adverse levels will show, either with this test or through in-competition or out of competition testing.'

However, Rob Parisotto, an Australian stem-cell scientist who pioneered the first test for EPO and was a member of cycling's expert ABP panel, says that the tennis authorities are potentially allowing cheats to escape detection by warning them they will have to provide a sample.

'The ITIA's statement is a remarkably egregious one,' Parisotto said. 'It does make a huge difference if testing is known in advance with regards to blood doping. A three- to four-day window before a tournament would be the ideal period to "top up" your blood volume to maximise oxygen-carrying capacity and therefore improve endurance and recovery capabilities.'

During the US Anti-Doping Agency's investigation into systematic doping by Armstrong, the cyclist's US Postal team-mates admitted they regularly manipulated their blood parameters using saline infusions when they knew they would be drug tested.

The ITF has also been accused of inflating its testing figures after it emerged that they count every sample taken during an individual doping control as a separate test. If a player submits blood, urine and blood-passport samples at the same time, it is counted as three tests rather than one.

The ITF's own official documents list these figures under 'tests per player', and not 'samples per player'. The testing data which The Mail on Sunday obtained for one Russian player, for example, who has been ranked in the top 20, shows that they were tested three times out of competition 2015. The ITF's official figures state they underwent at least seven.

In 2021, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were tested nine, 12 and 13 times out of competition respectively, according to ITF statistics.

Former WADA president Dick Pound described the way the ITF collate their figures as 'misleading'. He said: 'I have always been suspicious of the federations that rely on the number of tests administered as opposed to targeting the highest risk players. They seek refuge in the statistics, saying, "Oh, we tested 1,000 players".'

Random out-of-competition doping tests increase the chances of catching competitors who choose to dope. In 2021, the ITF warned players that they would be tested for 16 per cent of all ABP tests. The agency says advanced notice of ABP testing presents players 'with a further challenge around how they deal with the prospect of a test in a few days'.

The ITIA states that for all regular urine and blood testing, samples were collected with no advance notice.

The ITF has never sanctioned a player for abnormalities in their ABP nor for an EPO positive. At most, two in-competition ABP tests were performed at grand slams in 2021, effectively meaning the organisation did not use its ABP to gauge whether players were blood doping at the sport's most important tournaments. It did, however, test directly for EPO.

The ITF's fight against doping has often been under scrutiny over the past 20 years. In 2016, Federer revealed that he had been tested only once in 10 years during offseason warm weather training in Dubai.

Similarly, in testing data obtained by this newspaper, eight Russian players, who were given special approval to compete at the 2016 Olympics despite their country's state-run doping programme, were not tested at all in the 2014 and 2015 off-seasons.

Sapstead took charge of the ITIA having been director of operations at UKAD when it allowed British Cycling to perform its own 'unofficial' drug tests after a British Olympic cyclist tested positive for trace amounts of steroids around the time of the 2012 London Olympics.

WADA found UKAD's actions were 'inconsistent' with the WADA rules after The Mail on Sunday unearthed the allegations last year.

Yeah, I have long assumed that tennis is soft on doping given what kind of testing they do. The rumors that they give players 'silent bans' haven't helped.

Disappointing morning for women's finals with both Bencic and Zhang retiring with injuries.

Favourite thing about Queens has been Sue Barker shamelessly wanting to shag Berresteami, today Sue mentioned the fan proposing to Berredreami yesterday and Andrew Castle said 'and we can now reveal that it was you', Sue threw her head back roaring laughing ... after the trophy presentation she was on court and Matteo gingerly came over for another interview, she made bloody sure he was welcome, at the end he said 'I heard about your career, congratulations and good luck for the rest of your beautiful life' ... she absolutely melted.

Some great speeches by Ons and Belinda and Barbara Rittner (the tournament director and a former WTA player).

Berretini could win Stuttgart, Queen’s and Wimbledon and would still drop out of the top 20 in the rankings. And if Nadal wins Wimbledon, thereby sweeping the year’s first 3 majors, he’d still be #4. Hilarious.

Man, watch Hubie win Wimbledon. That would be so sweet, so lovely. Rooting for Nole, but Hubie winning would be really cool.

Given the state of the WTA, I wouldn't be at all surprised if an unprepared, out-of-shape Serena lumbered her way to the title.

Interesting that there's a DLer who's a fan of both Djokovic and Hurkacz. I'd have thought that the two groups were almost entirely contradictory, like being a carnivore and a vegan, or a warmonger and a peacemaker.

definitely did not expect Haddad Maia to dominate the grass season lol with 2 titles (her first 2 singles titles btw). Her win over Halep today is impressive

I'm surprised that Swiatek chose not to play any grass events before Wimbledon. As dominate as she's been I won't be surprised if her win streak comes to an end at Wimbledon especially if she runs into a big server and hitter

Berrettini's comeback from injury has been so impressive with his 2 grass title wins. He has to be top 5 favorite for Wimbledon now.

Hurkacz had a good win today too over Medvedev and he'll be in contention for Wimbledon too. I expect him to at least back up his QF showing last year

*as dominant as she's been

I noticed the Kraj bulge a couple days ago....you bitches need to notice these things

I noticed it, too. Interesting choice in tight shorts.

I mean, I get wanting to show it off for certain people. But the thought that your mom couldn’t help but focus on your dick…

link you lazy hos

Russian Player Changes Nationality To Avoid Wimbledon Ban - Report

A Russian tennis player has avoided a Wimbledon ban on all competitors from her country by changing her nationality to Georgian, according to a report in The Times newspaper.

Natela Dzalamidze, a 29-year-old doubles player ranked No 44 in the world, will compete in the women's doubles with Serbia's Aleksandra Krunic when the tournament starts on June 27.

Wimbledon organisers the All England Club announced in April that players from Russia and Belarus would be barred from competing this year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

But an All England Club spokesman told The Times they were powerless to interfere in Dzalamidze's change of nationality, as this was a matter for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and that she had satisfied the entry requirements.

"Player nationality, defined as the flag they play under at professional events, is an agreed process that is governed by tours and the ITF," the spokesman said.

Wimbledon's ban on players from Russia and Belarus provoked a hostile reaction elsewhere in the tennis world, with the WTA and the ATP, its male equivalent, stripping the tournament of ranking points.

None of the other Grand Slam tournaments have followed Wimbledon's lead, with the US Open announcing last week that Russian and Belarus players will be allowed to compete under a neutral flag.

If the other slams had done that, I bet we'd have seen more defecting. That chick does have a Georgian first and second name so it probably wasn't very hard to switch.

I bet the Hubie dong is at least 8 thick

[quote] That chick does have a Georgian first and second name

Nutella!

The players who sold themselves to Kazakhstan may be thinking 'good choice' now. Rybakina is 100% Russian, for example.

Is Ree Ree back on the juice? Has she stepped out of her panic room to "practice" for Wimbledon?

R262 that sounds like a Nadal match, just add an extra set

Interesting this new 4 day rule. They're not even pretending that tennis is a clean sport any more. And now they'll be able to go on cycles and do stronger stuff. I read this recent thing with Alcaraz and it doesn't take much reading between the lines. I don't think he's the only one, either, but it's just so accepted now.

***

Q: What can you eat during a week with no tournament that you can’t when you’re competing?

A: There aren’t many changes. The only thing that changes is supplements. In pre-season, for example, I have more, but that’s it.

Is Masha Cuntapova going to make a comeback to take advantage of the relaxed testing rules or is she still struggling with a weak heart?

R372 This makes me sad. Alcaraz is one of my favorite new players.

Fucking hell. Bublik on court in Eastbournelooking like he slept in a dumpster!

Bublik team or Tiafoe team?

There is zero evidence that Alcaraz is juicing. Love all these old queens who don’t realize that someone his age can easily add serious muscle.

The Alcaraz juicing stuff came after be beat my foot hurts boy.

I just assume that all top players are doing it..

So, Osaka left IMG in May and launched her own sports agency, EVOLVE, with longtime agent Stuart Duguid.

Guess who the first client to sign with Naomi Osaka and Stuart Duguid’s agency EVOLVE is?

Nick Kyrgios!

The most annoying men's and women's players - neither of whom have any interest in playing tennis unless everything is completely on their terms - under the same agency! Inspired!

I know, I was thinking that IMG probably didn't want to deal with Naomi's shit any more but now she has her own agency for players like her!

R377, actually anyone can if they know what they’re doing.

So this will be an agency for tennis players who don't actually play tennis?

^Or mental midgets united.

JD (Jack Draper) absolutely stamps all over JB (Jenson Brooksby) in Eastbourne: 6-2 6-2

That was seriously impressive.

La Monf, almost 36 and still in fantastic shape...

R379 who are they going to sign next? Holger Rune??

Rune is the golden boy of IMG, he was mister wc for a reason

tomorrow is the day!!!!

Serena returns!

I hope she’s at least put some effort into her conditioning

she's fatter than ever.

This doesn't sound too promising:

At Eastbourne. Just been told that Serena Williams has cancelled her practice for today, according to the tournament she is 'having the day off'.

Wow bought into the Brooksby is the next great American - can't miss - and he can't produce shit. Get rid of the childhood coach. He started losing steam when he lost to Opelka in the Dallas final.

so far Brooksby only seems to play well on hardcourts. He was horrible during the clay season too

So this Wimbledon has to be Serena's farewell tour; I'll be surprised if she plays the US Open. I mean never say never, but I think that's all she wrote.

Yeah, it feels so unlikely that she will have regained the form she once had. Who knows, but if she made it through a few rounds, it could add to the storylines.

[quote]she's fatter than ever

link pls

R397. just you wait and see LOL.

She ain't winning nothing.

Her ass looks pretty big in this.

Has her ass ever looked small?

You two are bigger asses than she has r399 r400.

Serena's ass is almost as legendary as her serve--and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure she'll have both until the day she dies. She can still hit some scorching shots, too. But she can't move, and I don't think that there's anything she can do about that, not anymore.

R399 here R401. Not a hater at all, simply posting for the person above who asked for a link to her being fat. I don't think she's fat, but she's clearly not in prime shape to compete. Bodies change as we age and her ass and boobs are definitely bigger than they used to be. It's not easy to haul that extra weight around in a sport that requires speed, sudden stops/starts and changes of direction, not to mention the overall rustiness of not playing for a year.

Extra weight is also factor in injuring yourself more easily when exercising.

Recently I've had trouble watching her matches because of all the anxiety she has displayed while on court. I think she has more doubt in herself now than ever before, and probably has wanted retire for a while. I can see that she didn't want to retire through the world's distraction with Covid, and now if she can just get one of the two remaining slams this year she will retire with her name in the headlines and hopefully a transference of her icon status to her off court pursuits.

I read a few more of those ATP 'Food Court' interviews after Alcaraz's was posted above, and I'm howling at Grigor:

[quote]Is there something you don’t like seeing on the plate and if so, why?

[quote]I cannot eat bananas. I just cannot stand bananas. That’s the one fruit I just completely can’t. I’m a very good eater, but this is something that I don’t deal too well with.

[bold] top 100 Russian and Belarussian players who won't be in the Wimbledon main draw: [/bold]

[bold] ATP-5 players [/bold]

#1 Medvedev

#8 Rublev

#22 Khachanov

#49 Ivashka

#43 Karatsev

[bold] WTA-11 players [/bold]

#6 Sabalenka

#13 Kasatkina

#20 Azarenka

#22 Kudermetova

#28 Alexandrova

#34 Sasnovich

#47 Samsonova

#69 Gracheva

#78 Kalinskaya

#83 Pavlyuchenkova

#87 Potapova

[bold] top 200 Russian and Belarussian players not in the Wimbledon qualies draw: [/bold]

[bold] ATP-4 players [/bold]

#130 Kotov

#141 Gerasimov

#148 Safiullin

#173 Shevchenko

[bold] WTA-11 players [/bold]

#111 Rakhimova

#115 Diatchenko

#122 Blinkova

#133 Avanesyan

#140 Gasanova

#143 Zvonareva

#159 Zakharova

#166 Amdreeva

#170 Tikhonova

#179 Selekhmeteva

#188 Melnikova

Especially on the women's side since there are more absentees compared to the men, this could definitely result in lower ranked players we've never heard of breaking through the qualies and even some rounds of the main draw

I can certainly assist young Grigor in overcoming his aversion to bananas. I will coach for free.

notable rd1 qualie losers (only men played today)

Simon lost to #236 Duje Ajdukovic 2-6 3-6

Pospisil lost to #184 Dalibor Svrcina 4-6 4-6

Sela lost to !20 Zdenek Kolar 0-6 3-6

Escobedo lost to #282 Zhizhen Zhang 4-6 5-7

Both Alcaraz and Auger Aliassime have matured physically from gangly teens into butch 25 year olds in just the last 6 months.

R409 They are both connected to the no.1 doper in tennis, Nadal.

^eyeroll

Is that a bitter Gramps fan @r410?

Korda withdraws from Wimbledon with shin splints

Calm down, Mary! @ R401.

I like big asses on men. On women, not so much. Actually, I don't really like any woman's ass.

Cheeky Essex Boy, Ryan PENISton, spanks Rune's bratty ass in Eastbourne!

I am glad some of you are waking up on Alcaraz. The photos don't lie.

It's incredible the World No. 1 is banned from Wimbledon because of his nationality, with him not being involved in any way in his country's politics. Shameful episode.

I don't know btw why Medvedev never changed nationality. He stated that the Russian federation never helped him much and was about to switch to Kazakhstan. He's been living most of his life in France and his parents even said they wanted him to play for France. Mystery. He gains nothing by playing for Russia.

R416, is his wife Russian? Maybe she still has a lot of relatives there and might be affected.

Waking up on Alcaraz? Have you never know an athlete his age and watched the difference good eating and hard work in the weight room does for their physiques?

I have. Alcaraz is not at all unusual.

What are you talking about, R409? Felix looks the same as usual and has been out of his teens for a couple of years.

R417 Yes, she is.

R418 It's biologically impossible to develop that amount of muscle mass with that vascularity and 3D definition in just 3 months of "good diet" in the off season. That kid is a walking pharmacy.

Djokovic and Nadal are the No. 1 and 2 seeds for Wimbledon. Berrettini is no. 8.

Brooksby is learning on grass and clay- only comfortable on hardcourts. He’s a good player but not a future slam champ- non of the Americans are- maybe Korda.

Anyone know what these (what appear to be) stickers on Serena's face might be?

Doesn't look like they're on in this pic. Love the looks on their faces. Ons looks happy.

Serena's ass is ginormous, people weren't exaggerating. It's hard to take your eyes off how huge it is.

she hasn't been working on her game. she spends more time in the kitchen. She's only gotten worse with time. it's not like she's in the gym or tennis court every day practicing etc...

not expecting anything from her.

I hope Serena shows up with the nicest aerial tutu.

R420, you’re insane.

I had a friend around that age who ate a protein-rich diet and listed weights and got way bigger than Carlos. Way bigger. And I know for sure he didn’t use.

It’s such a lazy accusation.

[quote]They are both connected to the no.1 doper in tennis, Nadal.

We'll be happy to review the evidence whenever you manage to bring even a shred forward.

EXCLUSIVE: Joe Salisbury is the World No 1 in doubles and the Brit has his sights firmly set on winning Wimbledon for the first time, but there's just one small issue to overcome... he's ALLERGIC to grass!

'If I lie down on grass, I will get a skin reaction and it gets very itchy. It is not like I am dying but I wouldn't sit on grass for too long. I am trying to win Wimbledon for the first time and I'm allergic to grass, I get why it might sound strange.'

I went to Portugal for a friend's wedding a few weeks back after the French Open and got recognised,' he says. 'The point is that isn't something that really happens to me much outside of tennis and I quite like not having the attention.

'I don't even know why I have a Twitter account (a little more than 3,000 followers, not updated since 2019).

'That stuff never interested me. It sounds boring but I always just wanted to focus on my tennis. With more attention and the positive stuff, the nice comments, it potentially also gets you more negative feedback as well and I just don't want that.

'But Portugal was quite funny. I had gone over on this trip and we're all at a restaurant in a little town when some Irish couple said they were fans. They asked for me to have a photo with their kid — my mates were all taking the p*** out of me for it.'

For Salisbury, this is the time of year when his aversions might be tested. It is all about Wimbledon, the BBC, the potential for deep dives into a popular fortnight. To go by ranking, his chances are stronger than any other Brit, following a remarkable surge that has seen him and Ram collect the 2020 Australian Open and the 2021 US Open, to go with Salisbury's mixed doubles titles last year at the French Open and US.

That his twin success at the US Open threw off only the gentlest of echoes over here owes a lot to what Emma Raducanu pulled off in the ladies singles.

His nearest miss on the grass was 2021, when Salisbury and Harriet Dart lost the mixed final, meaning Wimbledon is the only Slam from which he has taken nothing. As a local who first visited the All England Club 'back before I can remember', Salisbury is not suppressing his intentions for the coming weeks.

'Wimbledon is the biggest goal for me now,' he says. 'It is the biggest, most special tournament for me. Even before winning any of the others that would be No 1 on my list. There is no reason we can't win Wimbledon. It is definitely the big one now.'

That he is comfortable wearing a target on his back is a sign of progress in more ways than one. On the most basic front it concerns his rise through the game, which was only occasionally foreshadowed prior to joining forces with Ram in 2019. It was almost fortuitous in how that partnership came about.

'We were very close to not playing together,' says Salisbury. 'He was No 1 on my list to play with and he actually had someone he wanted to play with ahead of me, Marcel Granollers.

'They just won a big tournament but his partner was playing singles and didn't want to commit to four years, so Rajeev committed to playing with me.

'That was the big factor in everything — he has been an amazing partner.'

The second marker of progress comes from how Salisbury has wrestled with success. He admits landing the world No 1 spot in April prompted some voices within.

'It does feel more comfortable now,' he says. 'But when I knew we were going to No 1, it all felt very strange.

'It was a little bit uncomfortable because I almost felt like I didn't quite deserve it. I didn't feel like I was at the level where I should be No 1.

'I think that's partly how I am, my personality. I'm never satisfied, always looking to the next tournament.

'But we are here because we have done well. I'm getting more comfortable with it all.'

The grass is just one more itch to scratch.

Serena and Ons won 13-11 in the third.

Serena made some really great shots in that final tiebreak. Still looks a step slower than she needs to be to go deep at Wimbledon but the shots are there.

Serena really should not have won that match.

But, she came through in the end.

Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka is launching a new media company -- Hana Kuma -- in partnership with NBA star LeBron James' SpringHill Company, she announced on Tuesday. Osaka said that Hana Kuma, which translates to "flower bear" in Japanese, will focus on culturally specific stories -- but also have universal messages. Those stories, she said, would be "bold and playful," like her.

Joe Salisbury needs to sit on my face.

[quote] Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka is launching a new media company -- Hana Kuma

I’m suing.

God that Naomi bitch just um, like grates my fucking nerves.

[quote] Hana Kuma

Hama, yeah, K, um, a. Like yeah.

Honna MonleeKOHva

Shirtless Matteo with his cup.

Paging DL mole patroll (spelling intentional).

The stickers were back during the match. Any guesses? Did she have something removed? There appears to be two moles on her other cheek.

Lovely Matteo

Iga can't be straight. she walks like a man, so unladylike!

Does anyone on here watch Tennis Channel?

I could have sworn that when the French was played in the fall of 2020, Martina N said something about Iga having a partner (female). Does anyone else remember this?

[quote] Does anyone on here watch Tennis Channel?

Nobody here on the Gays and Tennis threads watches the Tennis Channel.

I don't remember but I loved it when Martina N. told Johnny Mac to STFU!

R444 Don't give too much weight to her words for those issues.

She probably thinks that everyone on WTA tour is just like her

Hana Man-LICK-ova

Helena SUCK-ova

Rennata To-MAN-ova

Daniela Han-TUCK-ova

Martina HINGE-is

Sylvia MAN-ika

Claudia Kody KILLs

Bettine BUNGEE

Pascal PARADISE

Wendy Turnbulldyke

Tracy Awfulova

Day 2 qualies (women played today)

only notable loss:

Errani lost to #123 Mirjam Bjorklund 4-6 7-6(7) 6(6)-7

Poor Errani. It’s time she found someone tall enough to hang her racquet up for her.

Is Errani the drug cheat who claimed that her sick mom's cancer medicine accidentally fell into her tortellini somehow and she ate it which is why she showed up positive for banned substances? Or was that some other Italian?

Is the world's worst tennis commentator still single? How long has it been since her Grand Canyon admitted visitors?

Yep, thats her, r451.

The Spanish Armada lower ranked players are losing the qualifying rounds of Wimbledon. Same goes for the Latin American players. The homogenity of the tour continues, where 90 % of the competing players are from eastern europe, aka shithole homophobic countries. Makes it hard to watch and hard to root for them. Thank god Wimbledon banned the Russians.

Brazil's Haddad Maia is having a great run though, 11 match winning streak on grass. She's quick on her feet.

Regarding the men's qualifying draw or the players entered for the main draw, kindly point out "where 90% of the competing players are from eastern europe". And since when have the Spanish Armada or Latin American players made a collective good showing at Wimbledon? Most of them have always been allergic to grass.

R456 was for R454...

There are definitely photographs of Alcaraz where he looks roidy, but for the most part he looks normal. Tennis players surely don't take roids for muscle growth, or if they do it's micro-dosing, because with all the racket swinging, never mind the weight lifting, you'd think they'd have blown up shoulders. Actually I don't understand why their delts are always surprisingly scrawny.

Whether he takes other enhancements is another story :(

But anyway, I still like him because he really does have a champions attitude - confident but respectful and actually ENJOYS tennis can you believe it ... no tantrums, always cheerful, even when he loses ... even when he lost to beanpole, he sprang over to the net and joyously planted his nose in Sascha's pit :)

R458 This is why I prefer watching Spanish players. They are always gay friendly. I mean... they come from gay af Spain, where "everyone" is gay, so I guess they're used to it.

Maxime Cressy is my new favourite player. What a beautiful looking man and great grass court player and he wears short, shorts!!!!!!

I can't find a decent pic tho to upload

Paul team or Sinner team?

Bublik team or Millman team?

Lil’ Diego team or Draper team?

Martinez team or Penis-ton team?

Boyfriend Tommy Team always

Pretty Paul, Macho Millman, Dreamy Draper and PENISton Teams

(tho I do find Pedro Martinez sultrily sexy)

I love all the white attire. You can see a lot !

I've decided that my sexuality is Jack Draper's forehand!

Serena and Ons with a much more straightforward victory today, 2 & 4. Anyone see the match? Did Serena look more comfortable on court today.

She looked great r466. Ons played better today than yesterday.

R466 still looks a little slow but she doesn't need to be as fast for doubles. Serena came up with several clutch serves on break points. Her shot selections were overall pretty great.

Is anyone sick of the commercials they play on tennis channel?

Oh, dear God, R469.

That bitch declining her first job offer and sniffing 'I know what I'm worth" works my very last nerve.

Serena looked less rusty today and Jabeur was a lot less nervous

this is really good practice for Serena. Sure she'll have to move a lot more in singles but if she can end points quickly that will help

Early in today’s match, Serena was serving slowly. The commentators on TC noted that those serves wouldn’t fly at Wimbledon. (I thought she was serving well enough to compete in legends tennis.)

But as that match moved on, she dialed in her serve.

'Nick Kyrgios hit me in the head and I was booted off court by John McEnroe!': Graham Liddle is bowing out after 50 years of Wimbledon officiating with memories of Nastase’s antics and Murray’s glory

When Graham Liddle began his tennis officiating career at Wimbledon Ted Heath was Prime Minister and Ilie Nastase was the scourge of tennis officials everywhere.

It was 1972 and John McEnroe was still at high school in New York but - as Liddle would come to learn first hand - another enfant terrible of the Centre Court was on the way.

Brushes with both, and the many highs such as being a line judge for Andy Murray’s historic 2013 final, are among the features of a remarkable 50-year stint of service that will end at the All England Club in the coming fortnight.

Like the large majority of officials, he has combined an outside career with being a linesman and umpire, first working in local government and for the last two decades as a coach driver.

While there have been concerns this year over standards of player behaviour, Liddle believes it has improved overall. Certainly since the innocent days of the Seventies it was comparatively like the Wild West, with the influx of big money and personalities like Nastase and Jimmy Connnors.

‘The problem was there was no code of conduct back then and the authorities didn’t have the power to clamp down,’ says Liddle, 72, from Hemel Hempstead.

‘It has actually got a lot better now because there are more rules in black and white. There were no weapons at your disposal in the 70s, you felt quite relieved to get through the match.’

He did a lot of umpiring in that decade, and it was not long before his path crossed with the famously temperamental Nastase.

‘He was probably the most difficult. In 1976 I was umpiring the old John Player tournament at Nottingham in the semi-final, playing Stan Smith.

‘Whenever Stan was ready to serve Ilie was deliberately fiddling about. I told him you have got to be ready to receive or I might consider these to be stalling tactics, but we had no power to inflict time violations.

‘The crowd were all pro Smith and against Nastase and his antics. He smashed his racket into the grass, which would now considered a serious offence because it damages the surface. Really all you could do was try and stay calm and appeal to his better nature.’

Five years later he got to experience peak McEnroe, in the summer of his infamous ‘You cannot be serious!’ outburst at Wimbledon.

‘I did one of his matches in 1981 as what we called a ‘court captain’ I was on the side of the court, but not actually part of the line crew. He noticed me for some reason, and asked the umpire what I was doing there.

‘He couldn’t seem to get me out of his head and made more remarks about me being on court. I ended up being asked to leave, which was annoying, but there was not much I could do.

‘But I wouldn’t say anyone has lost it with me. You have to try and be cool when they look you in the face, you are told not to respond. Others like Borg, Federer and Nadal, never a problem, real gentlemen.

‘Connors could be difficult as well but you have to say the crowd loved to see them, and enjoyed it when they blew up. As a crew we never talked about it beforehand, but you could feel a bit more tension and adrenaline before those matches.

‘I had an incident with Nick Kyrgios when he tried to hit the ball back to the ballkid, misdirected it and it hit me on the forehead. It took me by surprise but was never a default situation. He actually apologised and asked me if I was alright.’

There have also been moments of slapstick, such as when he fell from the umpire’s chair when officiating a clay court match on the lower level Futures circuit.

‘The technique is that you have to keep your eye on the mark you are inspecting on clay when the player asks you to check. I came down the chair staring at it, lost my footing and fell off, the whole court found it hilarious.’

His personal highlight was the heady afternoon in 2013, when he had the best seat in the house for Murray becoming the first British male champion in 77 years at Wimbledon.

‘It was a blistering hot day and the atmosphere was brilliant. I’m always apprehensive about making a mistake, you are obviously hoping Andy would win but would never be biased. Andy was incredibly focussed that day. Some days he can be a bit distracted but this time he was so keyed in. The crowd was amazing, it was electric. I never thought he was going to lose on the day and I will always remember that.’

Tennis has, naturally, changed enormously in his time and so has the world of line-judging, now far more professionalised. An example is that his level of official will be paid £182 per day for working at Wimbledon this year, plus allowances for such things as dry cleaning.

As in football the development of technology has brought with it incumbent pressures. Mistakes made when judging hairline decisions, often with a tennis ball landing at speeds of more than 100mph, are instantly highlighted on big screens.

‘Last week at Queen’s I got what we call ‘Hawkeyed’ - I got a couple of close ones wrong, but you have to try and blank it out and you try not to react whatever the screen shows. Your heart is always a bit in your mouth when it gets referred. The umpire will mark you after every match, but it doesn’t necessarily get counted against you if you missed a very close one.’

He cheerfully accepts the rough with the smooth of the modern world, but is more concerned about the trend of big tournaments - such as the Australian and US Opens - using technology to replace line judges altogether.

It does worry me how it is going to affect recruitment at the lower levels. People join up because their ultimate goal is to work the big events. If that is taken away a lot of people will leave, and that is going to affect things like club and county level or the lowest rungs of the circuit.

‘It might save big tournaments money but the grass roots will suffer. I hope Wimbledon and the French don’t do it. It won’t affect me but it could be damaging.’

He will always be able to look back on a phenomenally long career among the sport’s essential supporting cast.

‘I’m really going to miss the camaraderie and the friends I have made. My eyes are still good but my legs get quite sore now so I think it’s time to finish,’ says Liddle, who this weekend will receive a long service award from the Lawn Tennis Association.

‘Only a small percentage can make a living out of this. I’ve met so many interesting people, including players, but there have also been airline pilots, actors, navy, those from every walk of life, it has been a wonderful thing to do.’

Serena Williams and Ons Jabeur. Two Africans joined at the (very wide) hip I see.

The Tennis Channel, which no one here watches, is making far too much of Serena's "return" to tennis.

Why Martinez/Peniston match suspensded?

R478 Fading light

ATP to allow off-court coaching on trial basis, starting with events held after Wimbledon concludes

The ATP announced on Tuesday it will allow off-court coaching during the second half of the season on a trial basis. Starting with events held after the conclusion of Wimbledon in July, coaches will be allowed to sit in designated seats and provide verbal and non-verbal coaching (hand signals) during qualifying and main draw matches.

The trial will run through the year-end ATP Finals in November, and will include the US Open.

"Various coaching rules have been trialed across the sport in recent years, including on-court coaching and coaching via headsets," the ATP said in a statement. "Today's announcement brings alignment for the second half of the season across the ATP Tour, US Open and WTA Tour, where an off-court coaching trial is already in place."

The trial stipulates that coaches must not disrupt play or hinder their opponent, and allows verbal coaching only when the player is on the same end of the court and must be limited to a few words or short phrases. Coaches are still not allowed to speak to their player if and when they leave the court, and penalties are still applicable.

Several past and present players have been outspoken about their desire for coaching to be allowed, including world No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas. "My opinion on that is that coaching should be allowed, there should be certain regulations and certain ways to enhance it into players performance without it becoming too much," he said in 2021.

On Tuesday, ESPN analyst and former player Brad Gilbert tweeted, "Finally," about the news and called it, "long overdue."

But not everyone was enthused about the trial. "There are still players who can't afford to have a coach travel with them," former player Amer Delic tweeted. "What happens in that case?"

Andy Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion, added "Some players share coaches so brings in tough scheduling conflicts as well."

The ATP will assess the trial following the end of the season to determine if such coaching will be allowed on tour going forward.

Serena and Ons are out. Ons injured her right knee

Bummer r481. It was fun watching them play together.

Tsitsy team or Giron team?

Giron team! He's been in a slump for a while (not as bad as shitty Shapo) but lately he's playing better again

Draper v. Cressy tomorrow in a battle of hotties.

Rafael Nadal and Matteo Berrettini made history this lunchtime by being allowed a 45-minute practice on the Centre Court, the first time this has ever happened on a Thursday before the tournament.

The idea is to slightly break in the surface and try to minimise the slipping and sliding often seen in the early rounds.

The decision comes after incidents in recent years which have seen players struggle to keep their footing on the slick virgin surface.

Virgin surface!? Blasphemy!

RBA having a good week in Mallorca: beats Medvedev in straight sets to progress through to the semis.

R488, during that match, the commentators had a distinctly sarcastic edge when they called Meddy the “World No. 1.”

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The absence of the Russians is a boon for Serena. None of them would have won but lots more players who are threats to take her out in the early rounds.