2021 In Between Grand Slam Thread

josip · 14-10-2021 5:19pm

Is what the ATP show on their main points page out of date or what?

https://www.atptour.com/en/rankings/single

14-10-2021 8:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118020682#Comment_118020682

"Race to Turin" (formerly London ATP Finals) is current year points.

Whoever has most current year points at the end of the year (after Turin) is end-of-year world number one. It shows the World 1 race standings.

that ATP Singles link includes points from last season events (such as ATP Finals 2020)

So "Race to Turin" standings show what you're looking for if your considering who is going to be end-of-year number 1.

ATP Singles standings if you want to know who is No. 1 etc right now.

lostcat · 14-10-2021 11:27pm

Dimitrov having a moment, pity he could never string enough of them together to back up his talent on a consistent basis

16-10-2021 3:12am

Zverev and Tsitsipas have surprising losses

Taylor Fritz with 3 Top 10 wins in a row (saves MP's against Zverev)

Jabeur into the the WTA Top 10 next week

klr87 · 17-10-2021 10:33pm

Badosa takes the first against Azarenka 7-6(5) in 1 hour 20 minutes. It's survival of the fittest.

Royale with Cheese · 17-10-2021 10:34pm

Azarenka didn't look the fittest there at the end. She could have got to the winner Badosa hit, it was well inside the line. She didn't even try.

klr87 · 17-10-2021 11:04pm

2nd set 6-2 to Azarenka in 33 minutes.

klr87 · 18-10-2021 12:23am

Badosa wins 7-6(5) 2-6 7-6(2) in 3 hours 6 minutes. Azarenka must be wondering how she lost it when serving for the match at 5-4 30-0.

Badosa has been threatening to deliver a huge performance this season, and is now 8th in the race for the WTA tour finals in Guadalajara.

Royale with Cheese · 18-10-2021 9:21am

Cam Norrie wins Indian Wells. What is happening.

klr87 · 18-10-2021 9:30am

Well, the best that can be said about the men's final is that it went to three sets. Basilashvili was like a third- or fourth-rate Ostapenko. In the final set, he hit over 3 unforced errors per game. All Norrie had to do was to get the ball back and wait for the error, and he knew it. The first Briton to win Indian Wells!

yerwanthere123 · 18-10-2021 4:59pm

Norrie & Badosa winning Indian Wells, don't think many saw that coming.

Very disappointed for Azarenka, although having watched the first set I can understand why she's never really gotten back to her best post-pregnancy. I don't know if it's a confidence issue or what but so many shots of hers landed way inside the baseline, she's seemingly content to hit these weird loopy forehands with zero penetration. It's a shame cause winning this match would've put her right in the race to reach the WTA finals for the first time since 2013, and ten years after she made the final back in 2011.

Norrie is something of a mystery to me, he's had a very fine year at the smaller tournaments but this is the first big breakthrough at a big tournament. Tbf to him he was quite unlucky to draw Federer, Alcaraz and Nadal twice at the slams this year, so maybe next year he might be more of a factor when it matters most.

18-10-2021 6:51pm

Surely Djokovic has the year-end No.1 Spot in the bag now with Medved having a poor Indian Wells

He mightn't even need to bother to turn up for the ATP Finals in Turin in mid-November if he's so inclined

Although he will surely go there - in with a chance to go clear and take another record with 7 titles (joint 6 at the moment)

(something Nadal has never won - has only made it to the last 2 twice and lost both, last time way back in 2013)

Would not be the favourite to win the event though

Djokovic still has his best advantage over 5 sets and hasn't won the ATP Finals since 2015

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATP_Finals#Singles

18-10-2021 7:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118034898#Comment_118034898

Between his current girlfriend and his ex wife Basilashvilli has an eye for a good-looking girl in any case!

whiterebel · 19-10-2021 10:18am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117996074#Comment_117996074

Now he's saying he may not be able to defend the AO, according to the news this morning. They are linking it to the mandatory vaccination in Victoria, of course.

josip · 19-10-2021 11:02am

"I will not reveal my status whether I have been vaccinated or not, it is a private matter and an inappropriate inquiry".

So you could conceivably have a situation where Djokovic is vaccinated, but won't play in Melbourne because doing so would reveal that he's vaccinated.

His sponsors will be delighted.

whiterebel · 19-10-2021 11:27am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040842#Comment_118040842

Strange situation alright. He may have thought he was in the clear after getting it once.

19-10-2021 12:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040842#Comment_118040842

Gobshyte in fairness on the vaccine issue.

He's obviously not vaccinated.

He may well be correct about natural immunity (since he's had Covid) but should really be considering the bigger picture.

I suppose that he's being questioned about it rather than broadcasting the fact but still.

Big storm in the NBA who have a vaccine mandate with the Irving guy who is making a massive public issue about it (which may happen with Djokovic wrt to the Australian Open as it comes closer - the Australians will stick to their guns I would say 'cos they are Aussies)

There have been a fair number of athletes who have had cases of covid or long covid that have impacted them but haven't heard of anything about an athlete who was impacted similarly by getting a vaccine

yerwanthere123 · 19-10-2021 4:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040842#Comment_118040842

The only people who have a problem revealing their vaccine status are the ones who're not vaccinated, as is very obviously the case with Djokovic.

He's not the only one, plenty of holdouts on both the ATP and WTA. When push comes to shove though will they really refuse it if it meant missing a grand slam? Might be a decision a lesser player is willing to make, but a player chasing history as Djokovic is? Surely he wouldn't be so stupid. Although when we're talking about a man who believes having arguments at the dinner table causes food to lose nutrition, I wouldn't be so sure.

Girly Gal · 19-10-2021 10:59pm

Djokovic is entitled to do as he pleases, but, it's hard to see him pass up the opportunity to win another AO to take the outright slam lead. While it seems inevitable that he'll add at least 1 or 2 more slams, his opportunities to win them are also limited, form, injuries and upsets could also rob him of some those opportunities.

yerwanthere123 · 19-10-2021 11:26pm

Nice to see Murray get a quick and efficient win over Tiafoe tonight.

josip · 19-10-2021 11:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118045604#Comment_118045604

You forgot Karen.

19-10-2021 11:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118045726#Comment_118045726

Yes will we ever see flushing-meadows Karen again?

Denied of her spotlight this year due to Hawkeye taking over full responsibility at New York.

Her patented three-move-death-drop was something to behold from a quite slow ball that only glanced her neck.

Tbh I didn't miss it - it's sort of bizarre when you think about it - having humans verifying what the camera / software combo does better and then checking with the camera / software combo for the final word if necessary anyway.

klr87 · 20-10-2021 1:06am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118045704#Comment_118045704

3 hours 45 minutes ... while I wish I'd watched it, I'm also kind of glad I didn't, I'd have been exhausted myself at the end.

As for Novaxx and co: This one will run and run, but the Australians are clearly not for budging, not at federal or state level. So it's up to the players. It's odd how so many fabulously wealthy sportspeople seem to strongly anti-vaxx, or at best very hesitant. Only 68% of players in the English Premier League are currently fully vaccinated, although a further 13% are awaiting their second shot. That still leaves almost 20%. If those sorts of numbers are replicated amongst the top 100-150 in both the ATP and WTA rankings, then there'll be a lot of soul-searching over the next month or two.

yerwanthere123 · 20-10-2021 7:54am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118045726#Comment_118045726

You're one of those oddballs too? I expected better josip 😢

@klr87 I expect Djokovic will become 'better informed' over the next couple of months and get his vaccination. Australia surely won't be the only country next year to deny entry to the unvaccinated. Plus would he really want to go down in history as the player who potentially missed out on an indisputable goat claim for being an antivaxxer? I mean that stance might earn him some kudos in Serbia, but outside...

lostcat · 20-10-2021 3:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118046158#Comment_118046158

Not sure about the kudos in Serbia, they basically had walk in vaccine clinics with a menu of evey vaccine 6 months ago and were heavily promoting vaccines. i'm not sure the uptake was as high as they hoped however.

The general vaccine avoidance amongst sports people is odd but really society bent over backwards to facilitate the return of professional sport so they haven't been overly impeded in their day to day 'bubble' ovet the past year. A doctor on a documentary about the death of Michael Jackson some years ago made an interesting point, that the people who get the worst health care are the very poor (for obvious reasons) and the very rich (who can afford to indulge any amount of quacks offering snake oil).

I'm generally inclined to give Djokovic the benefit on the doubt, but thats not possible here, he has bought the snake oil.

Get vaccinated or just chill in Monaco my man.

josip · 20-10-2021 5:19pm

The Balkans are very vaccine skeptic and that extends from Bulgaria over as far as Slovenia.

I don't know much about the reasoning in the other countries, but in Serbia they instinctively don't trust anything they are being told by the state. It doesn't help that the current PM was Milosevic's information minister.

I also know one guy who is badly physically disabled because of some medicine his mother took while pregnant back in the 70s. Although that was a domestic product unlike the current vaccine, things like that don't help engender trust in medicines.

I don't agree with Djokovic's opinion on vaccines, but he's not doing it to get kudos somewhere, he truly believes whatever it is that he believes.

As regards society bending over backwards to help out sports people during the Covid crisis, I don't think there was any benevolence in that. Nor were sports people "prepared to risk everything" for society. Keeping elite sports going during the pandemic was beneficial to both sides. Sports people were able to remain on their massive incomes and having televised live sport, helped encourage people to remain indoors and isolated during lockdown.

20-10-2021 6:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118049149#Comment_118049149

Must have a look at the Tennis Podcast episode descriptions to see if the pearl-clutcher Whitaker has had something to say about Novax.

Surely she won't miss the opportunity to stick her oar in, in-between waxing lyrical about Murrays's metal hip, talking about Zverev's investigation and munching biscuits.

21-10-2021 9:05pm

Murray out early again

He's done in terms of winning ATP tournaments

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/59000564

Except for some sub-ATP challenger-level event back in February he hasn't managed more than 2 wins at a tournament all year

https://www.atptour.com/en/players/andy-murray/mc10/player-activity

klr87 · 25-10-2021 8:40pm

Good win for Murray in Vienna against #5 seed Hurkacz, 6-4 6-7(6) 6-3. He had a match point in the tie-break, but being Murray, got taken to a third set, and had to save two break back points when serving out.

Meanwhile, one of the women's tournaments this week is in Cluj, Romania. Officially, the Transylvania Open. Apparently, the players have all received garlic in their gift packs. After all, the final is on Halloween 😄

25-10-2021 10:22pm

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/59037620

Djokovic and the other Vax holdouts will be at the Aus Open (assuming negative tests)

A lot more than just Djokovic

A significant number of tennis players - including 35% of those on the men's ATP Tour - remain unvaccinated.

2021 In Between Grand Slam Thread

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