2022 In Between Grand Slam Thread

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119783564#Comment_119783564

A very sad end indeed and her reputation will never recover, it'll cast a huge shadow over all her achievements, a real shame if it was accidental.

dublin49

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119785143#Comment_119785143

there always accidents according to the caught out.

RobertKK

Simona Halep is my favourite female tennis player.

It makes me sad that this has happened to her. I still feel she is innocent and in this article the people that know her say she obsessed about not taking anything that could cause potential problems. That she would ask her doctor before taking anything even vitamin tablets.

https://www.romania-insider.com/outpouring-support-simona-halep-doping-accusation-2022

"The WTA is looking into whether or not she took the banned substance, Roxadustat, knowingly. Used to treat anemia, the substance facilitates the circulation of oxygen in the blood and boosts resilience, according to Digisport."

triddles

The tennis world's defense of Halep is utterly pathetic. Where was it for Sharapova?

triddles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119788025#Comment_119788025

Yeah and that's exactly how Id react around people regarding taking substances if I was knowingly taking an illegal one.

poppy37

I was shocked to hear the news about Halep, however I was just as stunned when she teamed up with Mouratoglou and subsequently sacked all her team including her long term agent.

She can protest her innocence til the cows come home but the onus is on her to prove her innocence, innocent until proven guilty doesn’t apply here, Roxadustat was found in her system, albeit a minuscule amount and that raises questions as to whether it was at the end of a doping period and whomever was responsible for administering it got the timings wrong or they weren’t banking on Halep losing in the first round and thus being tested.

Tennis players have escaped bans with questionable explanations, Gasquet claiming his positive test for cocaine came from kissing and Yastremska’s claim that her contaminated sample was as a result of ingesting bodily fluids from her partner, was(pardon the pun) hard to swallow but they were found to have no cases to answer so I’m sure if Halep can come up with a plausible explanation it will be believed but her reputation won’t recover. She did have a mini renaissance under Mouratoglou reaching the semis of Wimbledon and winning Toronto and finishing the season back in the top ten, those stats don’t go in her favour either, lending credence to advantages gained from a prohibited substance.

If there’s one thing to be learned from the different narratives surrounding Halep and Sharapova’s cases it’s be nice and friendly to your competitors on the way up as you will need their support on the way back down.

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119792674#Comment_119792674

It also brings into question Mouratoglou's methods

poppy37

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119792693#Comment_119792693

Exactly, Halep, for all her success comes across as an insecure, vulnerable young woman. Her marriage break up hasn’t helped the situation. I’ve always felt Mouratoglou has a Svengali like aura. His statement of ‘support’ hasn't been very heartfelt either.

gmisk

I watched a bit of the Jack Draper/Carlos Alcaraz match....he gave him a very decent contest really encouraging for him.

yerwanthere123

After entering the year 0-8 in finals, Auger-Aliassime has now won four of the five he's played this year. Beats Rune in Basel to win his third title in three weeks, and qualify for Turin in the process. Also had a great win over Alcaraz this week.

Whilst I don't think he's gonna be a threat at the grand slams next year, it's always nice to see players overcome significant mental hurdles.

https://twitter.com/Tennis_Now/status/1586750115787681792?t=7A98c0lhCkxRbihxkt-KnA&s=19

whiterebel

Still young and improving. He may win a slam or two yet.

dominatinMC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119812463#Comment_119812463

Definitely a contender at the AO in my opinion. Ran Nadal close at the FO earlier this year and is now on form

yerwanthere123

I think he's got a pretty solid all round game but there doesn't appear to be one big, definitive weapon. Also need to remember he's yet to win anything above 500 level. I think he'll be solid at the slams next year without actually being a threat at the business end of it. Will be happy to be proven wrong though!

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119814294#Comment_119814294

We'll see a lot of different winners at grand slam level with Nadal and Djokovic both either in decline or unable to compete.

yerwanthere123

WTA finals start tonight

https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1586172499120619520

To be honest I'm not sure it's a lineup that most will be getting excited about. Anything other than a Swiatek win will be a big surprise.

whiterebel

Sinner gets well beaten in Paris by no 61 in the world.

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119816015#Comment_119816015

Why wasn't Rybakina as a grand slam winner not included, or is it only in the men's finals that hold places for the grand slam winners or was Wimbledon not officially recognized as a slam this season?

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119816871#Comment_119816871

The WTA doesn't have the same exception that the ATP does. And even if it did, Rybakina didn't actually finish in the top 20, which the ATP rule says they have to qualify for the exception.

I feel very sorry for her, won the most famous grand slam there is and essentially has nothing to show for it. Don't know if she even got any endorsements or the usual fanfare a slam champion gets, nobody wanted to celebrate a Russian achievement this year (even if she plays for Kazakhstan).

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119817024#Comment_119817024

Had she got the ranking points for winning Wimbledon she would have definitely finished inside the top 20 and possibly top 8. I agree she's been very hard done by, it's almost as if people want to just forget she even won Wimbledon. It was fairly obvious no one really wanted her to win the final at the time, it was one of the reasons I was happy she won it. I'd love if she actually comes back and wins it again next year.

hawley

Fognini lost in the final round of qualifying for the Paris Masters and now is playing the same player again in the First round proper of the event. That is ludicrous.

RobertKK

https://www.tennismajors.com/wta-tour-news/wta-chief-steve-simon-backs-simona-halep-i-believe-her-that-she-didnt-intentionally-do-something-i-would-never-question-her-integrity-633244.html

Strong endorsement from the head of the WTA for Halep.

whiterebel

Alcatraz withdrew injured against Rune in Paris. Looks a bad place to have an injury, might not make Turin.

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119836731#Comment_119836731

He's largely an idiot though. He'd probably say the same thing even if Halep was found with a syringe hanging out her arm.

Alcaraz now confirmed out of Turin. A shame, but at 19 he's got many years left ahead of him.

whiterebel

Some shock in Paris, Rune takes down ND in 3.

dublin49

Rune showing the older new generation how to do it,Tsitipas ,Zverez,Berrettini et al have really disappointed over the last few years whereby the favourite for a major are still 2 x 35 year olds.

josip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119843504#Comment_119843504

Ruud was bolloxed at the end of the 3rd set, constantly going for the towel to try and get a breather. Looked heavy and sluggish around the court. I wouldn't be putting any money on him in a 5 setter.

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119843525#Comment_119843525

Why are the players in their twenties not able to sustain their performance for 5 sets, yet guys a decade older seem to have much less trouble doing it, normally you'd expect it to be the other way around especially with elite athletes

Royale with Cheese

This explains quite a lot of Raducanu's recent troubles.

yerwanthere123

In Turin, Djokovic beats Tsitsipas for the fourth time this year and ninth in a row. Tsitsipas initially led the h2h 2-1, he now trails 2-10. Difficult to see him winning again to be honest.

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119875584#Comment_119875584

Tsitsipas seems to be on a downward spiral, doesn't seem to have gotten over letting that 2 set lead slip away against Djokovic at last year's FO. Next year is a big year for him, if he's form doesn't pick up, you'd have to wonder is that it for him.