2021 In Between Grand Slam Thread

whiterebel · 09-11-2021 10:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118143410#Comment_118143410

Makes sense, hadn't heard that.

yerwanthere123 · 09-11-2021 11:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118143586#Comment_118143586

Confirmed tonight she's working with Torben Beltz going forward, who's just parted ways with Kerber for the second time (!). With a proper pre season behind her and more actual WTA-level experience, it'll be interesting to see where she'll go.

10-11-2021 4:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118107776#Comment_118107776

...

https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/idRCV00AFM0

10-11-2021 6:17pm

Alcaraz channelling his inner Djokovic

Seems to have quickly moved on from that "nationalistic" frog crowd last week

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8KL7fRQvfI

yerwanthere123 · 10-11-2021 8:46pm

Good win for Murray in Stockholm, beats Sinner 7-6 6-3. That must be his highest ranked win in a while.

Or maybe not that long ago after all, he beat Hurkacz in Vienna.

10-11-2021 9:39pm

Murray really should have a good chance now of breaking his big 2021 two-match streak - well he will have to match it first!

He got a great draw facing Sinner if you were in the know as I will now explain!

Sinner was only at Stockholm in the hope that he would still be in the running for the ATP Finals which was his big aim and that a result of getting points there could count to give him a chance but that "race" is run so....

He is also going to Turin as first alternate and with Tsitsipas having an injury doubt hanging over him after pulling out last week so I'm only about 4% surprised that Sinner "goes" out early in Stockholm to head over to Turin to chill and for light practice with the other big guns in the hope that he gets in as a player for the ATP finals in his home country which start on Sunday

Hell where he's from is not from all far from Turin - it would almost be a home-city thing - huge.

In other news, Xinyu couldn't Wang-le even a set out of veteran wta plodder Riske in the follow-up to beating ER and is out on her ear in the singles in Linz

yerwanthere123 · 10-11-2021 11:05pm

Right. Scratch off Murray's result then so 🙄

Had a brief look at the WTA finals match earlier, sad to see it being played on such a small court with about 100 people in attendance, kind of like a throwback to the Doha days. Although obviously not too surprising given the field, and the fact that it was 2pm on a Wednesday afternoon.

Kontaveit is the form player so I'm guessing it's between her and Sabalenka for the title. Would've given Krejcikova a chance also but I read she's carrying some injury or other.

10-11-2021 11:37pm

Well of course Murray will take it and he has a good chance now for himself to get a few badly-needed ATP points (only a 250 event) to boost up his own prospects for next year.

And actually as he had already played a match yesterday against a qualifier he only has to win his next match now to have his best run all year in a tournament by hitting 3 wins

He has to show some consistency in stringing matches together if he's going to consider himself a proper contender

His next match is vs ATP 52 Tommy Paul so he really should be beating him most of the time...

As it was only 2 sets against Sinner the usual crash-and-burn after a tough match should not apply for the next round.

I wonder will Tsistsipas make it back for the finals?

Maybe Sinner had some inside info on that - who knows?

Sinner didn't look too crestfallen at the end of the match vs Murray :)

11-11-2021 4:53pm

Well there is a penalty for Sinner losing to Murray after all.

Because of the Current Year Points ("Race to Turin") only counting for the Year-End Number 1 spot (should really count for all now) as the Covid Points Scheme is still in operation for other placings, even though Sinner is a good bit ahead of FAA in current year, FAA will now go into the Top 10 at the expense of Sinner because he (FAA) won his match yesterday in Stockholm, due to this counting of old results (more than 52 weeks old) on the weighed basis formula thingy that you have to read up on if you want.

Sinner would now have to hope that Tsitsipas is out of the ATP Finals, that he gets in as the first alternate and also win at least 1 group match.

FAA of course, sort of famously at this stage, has not won an ATP Title yet.

8 finals, 8 "Runner-ups"

Sinner has 5 titles (including 4 this year)

yerwanthere123 · 11-11-2021 5:09pm

Can't wait for the rankings to go back to normal.

Stat from Twitter; Alcaraz becomes the youngest player to earn 30 wins in a season since Nadal back in 2004. Really hope Alcaraz is the real real, we've had too many false dawns over the years.

I see Pliskova beat Muguruza last night, improving her winning h2h to 9-2. I suppose it must purely be mental at this stage, cause I really don't know what it is exactly about Pliskova's game that would particularly trouble Muguruza.

11-11-2021 6:38pm

would be a surprise if Alcaraz doesn't become a consistent Top 5 player (should be top 10 or near that by end 2022 unless he stalls) at least and most likely better (barring injury of course) - he's already able to beat Top 10 or even Top 5 on his day.

needs to improve his serve consistency and placement but should be possible

nobody so young has done the things that he has done in a long time.

there has been development in the last year on other players to a decent level - Tsitsipas (even tho fell off in latter half), Medved (good enough to challenge and beat Djokovic) and even Zverev all improved even if none are going to be all-time greats or anything but they don't come along every day.

Not sure if Sinner will ever be top top - he has great striking technique but doesn't have USP features like Alcaraz's movement or forehand.

11-11-2021 8:38pm

Murray's max win streak on the ATP for 2021 closes out at 2.

The whinging during a match has definitely become noticeably worse since before his hip operation imo

12-11-2021 4:39pm

Djokovic Dwarfed by the big lads on either side of him and he's not far off 6' 2"

Rublev looks like a random skater kid who blagged his way into the photo

12-11-2021 6:32pm

WTA went more ... formal

josip · 12-11-2021 8:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118156735#Comment_118156735

Palčić 🙂

yerwanthere123 · 14-11-2021 4:30pm

Forgot ATP finals was starting today. Courts apparently playing fast, which is good.

klr87 · 14-11-2021 9:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118157218#Comment_118157218

The general consensus seems to be that Swiatek (second from right) went for the dressing gown/bathrobe look.

klr87 · 14-11-2021 10:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118148598#Comment_118148598

2pm on weekdays isn't really a great time at all for spectators, especially given the finals were moved to Guadalajara at relatively short notice. The evening matches have been much better attended (and generally been better matches as well).

klr87 · 14-11-2021 11:52pm

So ... in the all-Czech match in Guadalajara, Krejickova fed a bagel (6-0 ) to Pliskova in the first set, had break points at 4-2 in the second to serve for the match, but Pliskova won 0-6, 6-4, 6-4. Krejickova is out, Kontaveit tops the group. Muguruza needs to beat Kontaveit in the late match (set score is irrelevant) to take second place, otherwise Pliskova goes through.

In the men's event in Turin, I see Berrettini retired 6-7 0-1 against Zverev. The only consolation for the organisers is that he'll get replaced by another Italian, Sinner.

josip · 15-11-2021 12:34am

No offence to Sinner but Berrettini was always going to look better in the original photoshoot. 🙂

Rikand · 15-11-2021 12:37am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118166565#Comment_118166565

It works for me !

whiterebel · 15-11-2021 1:17pm

Poor Berettini was gutted last night. I felt very sorry for him, it seemed to mean so much to him in his own country.

15-11-2021 3:06pm

So Sinner might get in after all but not through Tsitsipas as seemed more likely originally but through Berrettini

If he could win a match he could end up in the year-end top 10 despite losing out to FAA purely on the Covid points system

Slashermcguirk · 15-11-2021 6:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118156735#Comment_118156735

That picture is hilarious, so bad. Dont know where to start............Medvedev looks like he is off to an ice hockey game, Djokovic looks like he just got out of the scratcher and put on the first clothes he could find, Tsitsipas looks like a hipster, Ruud looks like he is in an ad for that leather retail store UNIQUE, Rublev is trying to be cool but doesnt pull it off and Hurkasz looks like he is on his way to a ski chalet.

klr87 · 16-11-2021 10:50pm

So, Sinner beats Hurkacz easily 6-2 6-2. Despite being an alternate, he would qualify for the semi finals if he were to beat Medvedev, and Hurkacz were to beat Zverev. Medvedev has already won the group, so heat might ease off against Sinner. Zverev will probably beat Hurkacz though.

While it's possible for Sinner, Zverev and Hurkacz to all finish with 1 win each, Sinner would be ranked 3rd of those three. If players are tied on match wins, then the first tie breaker is matches played, which is specifically designed to make it difficult for an alternate who plays just two matches to progress.

16-11-2021 11:03pm

Sinner will finish the year in the Top 10 year-end I think with that win to defeat the stupid Covid points system and gets to play at the ATP Finals so not too bad a result for him in the end even if he doesn't get to the semis

Can't really see him beating Medved AND Hurk beating Zverev

Improbable double outcome

Can't see Medved taking it easy on anyone as it's 200 ATP points for the match and he wants to be in the hunt for No. 1 spot over the next year

Winners are awarded up to a maximum of 1500 ranking points. Participating players win 200 points for each round robin match win, 400 for a semi-final win, and 500 for the winning the final.

yerwanthere123 · 16-11-2021 11:39pm

Great to see Muguruza ending the year strongly, into the season ending final. Really hope she lifts the trophy, would be a fantastic end to a largely great season riddled with some rotten luck at the slams. That loss to Osaka still hurts me. Of course would love to watch the match and cheer her on tomorrow night but the WTA have scheduled it for... 1.30am?!

Meanwhile, Sinner is surprisingly the first alternate to win a match at the ATP finals since 2011.

17-11-2021 1:22am

Two Italian men finish in the Year-End Top 10 for the first time since rankings began in 1973

Sinner gets revenge over Hurk for the Miami Open Master 1000 final

Royale with Cheese · 17-11-2021 11:51am

https://www.rte.ie/sport/tennis/2021/1117/1260425-federer-to-skip-australian-open-could-miss-wimbledon/

Might miss Wimbledon... just before he turns 41. Might be time to call it a day Rog.

yerwanthere123 · 17-11-2021 12:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118179691#Comment_118179691

Whilst I was never really a fan, it would be sad if he never got to retire on his own terms i.e on a tennis court. If he's not even sure he'll be ready by Wimbledon 2022 then perhaps he'll bow out at the US Open? Don't even know what his ranking would be like but I think he'd probably be ok for a wild card.

2021 In Between Grand Slam Thread

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