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2020 In Between Grand Slam Thread

yerwanthere123

Third day of the new year and the thread hasn't been started yet :eek:

The WTA side start their year in Brisbane (Premier level), Shenzhen and Auckland (both International) as usual.

Most of the big names on the ATP side will be playing this brand new ATP Cup exho thing. Sounds like a load of sh*te but maybe it'll be good? It'll be played along side the usual 250 event in Qatar, whilst Brisbane is no more. Pune has been tossed aside to the first week of February after the Australian Open.

The Hopman Cup, meanwhile, is no more.

I hope it's a good season, last year's was my least favourite in almost a decade of following the sport.

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Rjd2

I don't mind tennis happening atm, lots of other sports happening, but this event their seems to have been no precautions taken and at times it felt like Novak was saying **** you to those worried about it.

Novak if he were to get it will be absolutely fine, heck he may not even know he even had it, but does he not realise that everyone he bumps into these big gathering simply are nowhere as healthy as he is?

josip

I'm surprised any of the top guys risked it.
Even a small amount of lung scarring will severely impact a high level athlete.

lostcat

Rjd2 wrote: »

I don't mind tennis happening atm, lots of other sports happening, but this event their seems to have been no precautions taken and at times it felt like Novak was saying **** you to those worried about it.

Novak if he were to get it will be absolutely fine, heck he may not even know he even had it, but does he not realise that everyone he bumps into these big gathering simply are nowhere as healthy as he is?

In fairness anyone who is worried about it didnt have to come. There is a very different attitute to this in the Balkans, 25k turned up for the belgrade soccer derby last week. Big gatherings are happening with or without the tennis.

I would have expected a bit more cop on from the players in fairness, and apart from maybe Zverev they are old enough to know better. Djokovic was looking for a good news story, but this has really blown up in his face. Given that he spent a good deal of the lockdown in Spain and so would have been well aware of the horrors there, its hard to know how he rationalised this. I dont agree with much of what Kyrgios says, but his 'boneheaded' tweet is spot on.

josip

(Very) unconfirmed word on the ground is that Djokovic has tested positive for Covid but I can't find it on any news feed yet.

[Update] Now confirmed.
https://sport.blic.rs/tenis/korona-virus-adria-tour-novak-djokovic-vesti-ima-koronu-pozitivan/lpgwnfm

yerwanthere123

Yep, and his wife too. Also Viktor Troicki if that wasn't already mentioned. Dumb idiots all round. This is gonna be hugely, hugely damaging to Djokovic, don't think he'll ever live this down. At the very minimum his position on the ATP council is no longer tenable.

dominatinMC

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Yep, and his wife too. Also Viktor Troicki if that wasn't already mentioned. Dumb idiots all round. This is gonna be hugely, hugely damaging to Djokovic, don't think he'll ever live this down. At the very minimum his position on the ATP council is no longer tenable.

One would wonder how the disease will impact on his physical performance too. I know he is a finely-tuned, extremely fit athlete, but there is some evidence that Covid-19 can lead to lung scarring and other long-term consequences.

josip

Maybe this was his plan all along to get immunity, like a chicken pox party

velo.2010

What a prat. He (and the organisers) has put the return of tennis this year in danger of not happening. Talk of him being voted out of the players council head role.

Apparently, he is anti-vaccine and has spouted a lot of pseudoscience nonsense recently. I wonder if this postive test wil change his mind... probably not.

Gwynplaine

No matter how good he does for the rest of his career, this will haunt him forever. A foolish man.

Royale with Cheese

Maybe now he can stop trying so hard to be loved like Federer and Nadal, stop doing his stupid boob throw celebration and can embrace being the villain.

mzungu

No great shock that this happened. No idea what he was thinking tbh.

lostcat

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

Maybe now he can stop trying so hard to be loved like Federer and Nadal, stop doing his stupid boob throw celebration and can embrace being the villain.

the fact that this 'tour' was taking place party to promote places where he is pretty well loved and respected wuold suggest that it wasn't necessarily 'self promotion' he was aiming for. He ended up getting somewhat more self promotion than he bargained for...

This will have some legacy issues I would think, but it will fade into the ether in time, if he gets to 20 odd slams, he can hang his hat on that.

Between this and the recent 'magical powers with a snake oil salesman' social media stuff, it would be preferable if someone with such influence kept his questionable health and wellness ideas to himself.

yerwanthere123

All this is made even worse by the fact that Serbia has massively under-reported their figures. Twice as many have died than the government announced and hundred more infected.

Girly Gal

josip wrote: »

Maybe this was his plan all along to get immunity, like a chicken pox party

Wouldn't be a bit surprised by that at all. He'll be recovered in time and probably cleared to play for the US and French opens, if he were to win both, this episode will be long forgotten about. It'll only be brought up if he fails to win either.

walshb

BBC2 1.30 the next while is Wimbledon Rewind. I missed it yesterday. Anyone know what they showed? Today they revisit four U.S. champions; Evert, Navratilova, Davenport and Venus Williams.

yerwanthere123

Now Tiafoe has tested positive for Covid-19, had been playing an all-American exhibition event in Atlanta. More question marks for the US Open.

Hector Savage

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/53048847

Vote for your favourite womens Wimbledon final.
I voted for 1998 Novotna v Tauziat purely for what it meant for Jana after that 1993 heartbreaking final against Graf - even Graf was crying!!

Hector Savage

..and the mens ..
https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/53052577

2008 Nadal v Federer probably the best for tennis and drama, but had to vote for 2001 Ivansevic v Rafter ... amazing final ..

dominatinMC

Hector Savage wrote: »

..and the mens ..
https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/53052577

2008 Nadal v Federer probably the best for tennis and drama, but had to vote for 2001 Ivansevic v Rafter ... amazing final ..

2008 Fedal all the way for me. Transcended the sport and made a tennis fan for life out of me

Hector Savage

dominatinMC wrote: »

2008 Fedal all the way for me. Transcended the sport and made a tennis fan for life out of me

I'd agree but I was a huge Goran fan .... also can't stand Nadal but yeah still an amazing final ...

Girly Gal

2008 definitely the best final, even though I was rooting for Federer. Goran winning in 2001 is my favourite winner.

mzungu

For both quality and drama you can't go much further than 2008 Fed vs Nadal.

Ivanisevic vs Rafter was a great fairytale.

I'm surprised 1992 Agassi vs Ivanisevic was not in there. That was a good final.

Chivito550

Nice piece here from Sean Ingle in the Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jul/08/the-greatest-roger-federer-balletic-grace-outrageous-effortless?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Messenger

Hector Savage

mzungu wrote: »

For both quality and drama you can't go much further than 2008 Fed vs Nadal.

Ivanisevic vs Rafter was a great fairytale.

I'm surprised 1992 Agassi vs Ivanisevic was not in there. That was a good final.

as a 14 year old kid in 1992, I had never heard of Ivanisevic and like everyone was up for Agassi that day, but Goran had left some impression on me and always supported him from then.
Dissapointing 3rd round exit in 93, horrible boring loss in 94 final to Sampras, but the 1998 final loss to Sampras was absolutely devastating.

5 sets, he had set points in 2nd set to go 2-0 up.

Tragedy of a game.

So it was so deserved when he finally won it in 2001..

Girly Gal

Hector Savage wrote: »

as a 14 year old kid in 1992, I had never heard of Ivanisevic and like everyone was up for Agassi that day, but Goran had left some impression on me and always supported him from then.
Dissapointing 3rd round exit in 93, horrible boring loss in 94 final to Sampras, but the 1998 final loss to Sampras was absolutely devastating.

5 sets, he had set points in 2nd set to go 2-0 up.

Tragedy of a game.

So it was so deserved when he finally won it in 2001..

Remember the 92 final, the crowd wanted Agassi to win as he was the latest tennis heartthrob and cheered when Goran made any mistake. Was hoping Goran would win just to shut up the crowd, felt really sorry for him in last set as the occasion clearly got to him. Sampras was then in his way for rest of 90's and was absolutely delighted he won in 2001, would love to have seen Rafter win one too (at least he'd won US open).
The 2001 final was special for so many reasons, last and best chance for both guys to win Wimbledon, regardless who won or lost people would be happy for the winner and sorry for the loser. The carnival atmosphere as it was played on the Monday.
Would love to see a slam final again like that without the big 3 just to bring something different to the game and freshen things up a bit.

Chivito550

Girly Gal wrote: »

Remember the 92 final, the crowd wanted Agassi to win as he was the latest tennis heartthrob and cheered when Goran made any mistake. Was hoping Goran would win just to shut up the crowd, felt really sorry for him in last set as the occasion clearly got to him. Sampras was then in his way for rest of 90's and was absolutely delighted he won in 2001, would love to have seen Rafter win one too (at least he'd won US open).
The 2001 final was special for so many reasons, last and best chance for both guys to win Wimbledon, regardless who won or lost people would be happy for the winner and sorry for the loser. The carnival atmosphere as it was played on the Monday.
Would love to see a slam final again like that without the big 3 just to bring something different to the game and freshen things up a bit.

2001 for me over 2008. There will never be an atmosphere like it for a Wimbledon final again.

Girly Gal

Chivito550 wrote: »

2001 for me over 2008. There will never be an atmosphere like it for a Wimbledon final again.

Don't think 2001 will be repeated again, the circumstances were just perfect, 2 popular players who both had gone close without winning and it was really the last chance for both, also the final being played on Monday meant that fans who wouldn't normally have gotten to be at the final got to go and this really changed the atmosphere. The only downside for me was I missed the early part of it due to work.

whiterebel

Watched the 2009 final yesterday from BBC replays. How unlucky was Roddick? Didn't drop a service game until the last one in the fifth. Much as I'm a Fed fan, I wouldn't have minded Andy taking that one. His nerve on serves was something else, blasting down 130mph+ serves when under real pressure, and serving his way out of trouble. I wonder if he had had the benefit of someone like Edberg coaching him would he have had the game to take Wimbledon? Volleying really let him down. Fed hit 50 aces in that match too, and over 100 winners. BJK and Ann Jones before it. I had forgotten we used to use white tennis balls, and I didn't realise the T2000 was around in the 60s. Such a gentle game for the ladies back then, Jones won with a powder puff serve. It looked like BJK was going to flatten her after an easy first set, but Jones came back well. Oh, yes, and no seats in the ladies final for the players. Get your own drinks.....Nadal would have a sh*t fit without someone to hold his towels!!

Hector Savage

And I just found ...

almost in tears watching ... the emotion .... amazing

yerwanthere123

Apparently China won't be hosting any international sport events for the rest of the year, which pretty much decimates the WTA for the rest of the year post RG, and a few ATP events too. I dont think the US Open will happen at this stage either, so RG might look pretty stupid if they insist on pushing on with their plans, particularly with spectators in attendance.