2022 In Between Grand Slam Thread

BorneTobyWilde

Heartbreaking scenes with his family 😪😪

HeidiHeidi

Those kids will need counselling after tonight!

The ma, the wife, Rafa all in bits.

And the Da, laughing away - yer grand, lad 🤣

MisterAnarchy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119658063#Comment_119658063

Sock and Tiafoe obviously didnt get the memo, two clowns with their body shots.

They should have thrown the last few points, I think Tiafoe may have with the two points at 7-7 but Sock certainly wasnt playing ball.

An emotional night for the great man, Rafa was balling his eyes out too so their friendship is obviously very deep.

Retirement is inevitable and at 41 Roger has had some run.

Sampras played his last match at 31, Agassi was considered an old guy at 36 and Jimmy Connors was a geriatric at 43.

The game will be much the worse when the big 3 are all retired.

HeidiHeidi

I very much doubt that Federer would have appreciated being patronised by having his final game handed to him.

Itssoeasy

Alexandrova beat Maria in the first semi final in Seoul this morning in just over an hour and at the moment Emma raducanu is one set up against ostapenko and is 2-1 up in the second.

Itssoeasy

Ostapenko took the second set 6-3 and raducanu took a medical time out after the fifth game. Third set just underway.

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119658380#Comment_119658380

Raducanu is so infuriating....lost second set and now down a break in the third...and...Raducanu...retires.

Itssoeasy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119658453#Comment_119658453

Yeah there’s clearly talent there but since the US open in 2021 she’s not able to string it together.

Floppybits

It always seems when she comes under pressure the trainer is called for some injury or other. This has to be a mental block more than physical. If it is physical would she nit be better off just calling a halt to the season now, take a break for a couple of weeks and then put in the work now to be ready for the start of next season. She should also hire a good sports psychologist.

BorneTobyWilde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119658152#Comment_119658152

For sure, but during this match both Nadal and Federer when short of options when midcourt played the ball into space, or over the top, they could have just targeted their opponent and blasted it as hard as they could as their face or body, but they'd not do this, Tiafoe did it to both Nadal and Federer, it's not in the spirit of the game. or the night

BorneTobyWilde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119658488#Comment_119658488

Once very likeable, but now not so much, seen as a bit of a fool

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119659010#Comment_119659010

Oh I'm not arguing that point at all!

Just the notion/suggestion that the opponents should have "thrown the last few points" (presumably so that Fed could bow out on a win).

That's very much not in the spirit of the game either.

HeidiHeidi

This doubles Laver Cup is most disconcerting! I got all caught up in the whole Federer's last match hoohaa last night, but tonight it's the same - looks not unlike our club players playing doubles (at about 3 times the speed, obviously!) - like a lot of things, you don't realise how difficult something is until you see it done not quite perfectly!

And I have never seen anyone look as bored and not into the whole team huddle at the changeovers than Tsitsipas - the eye-rolling is positively epic 🤣

dominatinMC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119661122#Comment_119661122

Tsitsipas is just an all round bell end. Seems to have a really superior attitude, and no tennis to justify it.

yerwanthere123

FAA gets a straight sets win over Djoko in the Laver Cup.

Sonego wins his third career title in Metz with a win over Bublik. Bublik was... not really taking things very seriously.

https://twitter.com/TennisTV/status/1574050140746285061

Djokovic surprisingly playing in Tel Aviv of all places next week, obviously just looking for matches.

cudsy1

rune-sinner at business end of first set in sofia sf, fantastic rallies. delighted to see rune competing with sinner, even if he's a horrid sort. be great to get another trio of young guns.

djok sf tel aviv starting now

astana 250 next week has 7 of top 10 i think. tennis.com article wondering is tennis next for a LIV style takeover

yerwanthere123

Mayar Sherif defeats Sakkari in Parma to win her first ever title, the first Egyptian woman to do so. That's a terrible loss from Sakkari, I mean not being able to vulture a 250 in Parma is just an awful result from her. I know she can't help the ranking system, but it's really quite something that she managed to make it to #3 in the world despite winning one small title in Rabat.

Big opportunity for Shapovalov to win his second title, will play Nishioka in the Seoul final. Denis is too talented to only have one small title to his name, so hopefully he can make it #2 tomorrow.

Djoko-Cilic final in Tel Aviv, although I can't find it on Prime so looks like it might not be available to watch. I thought it a bit odd that Djoko was playing all these small tournaments, even taking into account that he wasn't allowed into America. I'd forgotten that he still needs to ensure qualification to Turin.

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119691129#Comment_119691129

The kiss of death; Nishioka wins 64 76. Shapovalov's record in finals moves to 1-4.

josip

The problem for Djokovic is that even if he wins in Kazahkstan, it's only enough to just get him into 8th above Zverev. And Astana has a much tougher field than Tokyo where Norrie could win and take the 8th spot regardless of what Djokovic does. And Djokovic is defending 1000 points at the Paris Masters, none of the others, from Medvedev in 6th down to say Sinner in 12th are dropping that many points before Turin. So it looks like Djokovic will have to play either Vienna or Basel the week before Paris to give him a realistic shot at Turin. But that's a lot of tennis, assuming he goes deep in all of them, before a potential Turin.

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119694227#Comment_119694227

There's a clause that if a grand slam champion misses out on qualification then they'll get the 8th spot, so long as they finish inside the top 20 in the race. So all Djokovic actually needs is to finish top 20, so he's basically already qualified. Likely just not taking any chances as well as making up for missed matchplay.

Better explanation below:

https://tennisbuzz.net/novak-djokovic-atp-finals-turin-qualify-danger-ranking-points

yerwanthere123

Meanwhile, Kyrgios is trying to get out of assaulting his girlfriend by playing the mental health card

https://twitter.com/JournoAtko/status/1577069076995710976?t=Wg7YprBEYp0SSWyxnrXhVA&s=19

whiterebel

Ruud gone in Tokyo already. Alcatraz fighting back in the first set via Goffin in Astana

josip

As things stand, it doesn't look like Djokovic will be going back to Australia any time soon.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/63225405

His 2 recent titles in Tel Aviv and Astana have seen him close the gap to Nadal's total of 92. Still a good bit of daylight between them and Federer, due to Federer's 250 titles.

gmisk

Nice to see Murray winning a few matches in Gijon quarter final tomorrow

cudsy1

Since french open '17 SF, 6 months after achieving year end number 1, Murray has only made two 250 SF total.

Plays winner of korda bautista agut, in 3rd set now.

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119741209#Comment_119741209

Yeah Murray just doesn't have the fitness really to play so many matches close together it seems.

In European open - Evans with a win, as well as Draper (absolutely hammered Brooksby)

yerwanthere123

Didn't see this one coming. Simona Halep provisionally suspended 👀

https://twitter.com/tumcarayol/status/1583452825492762626?t=lxwu7BekSQkcna01W01q-g&s=19

RobertKK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119775483#Comment_119775483

To me she doesn’t come across as the sort of person that would cheat like this.

I don’t feel she knowingly took a banned substance.

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119780682#Comment_119780682

I'd agree with you there, I'd hope it was unknowingly in her system, but, even if proven innocent, it'll always be there in the background and the damage done to her reputation will not be easily repaired.

yerwanthere123

Halep's statement was interesting, talk of feeling "betrayed" suggests to me that she was prescribed something from her team and blindly trusted that it was safe. Even if this is the case, she's incredibly naïve and monumentally stupid. She's too old to blindly take something and not to do her research as to what's in it.

https://twitter.com/Simona_Halep/status/1583453055307350022

She'll likely face a significant ban for this, and at 31 years of age it could basically spell the end of her career as a competitive force in the game. A sad end to her career.