2022 WTA Tour
2022 ATP Tour
Qualies action should begin tomorrow (December 31st) so time to get the thread underway.
Here's to hoping we'll see some great tennis/storylines this year.
looks like prime only had the WTA side of the Sydney Classic
I find that primevideo.com is the easiest way to use it
Read the Del Potro story last night and meant to post it here. Jesus, after everything he's gone through on court with never ending injuries and surgeries only to then find out he doesn't have a whole lot left at the end. Must be a bitter pill to swallow, the father was obviously a scumbag.
In other sad news, Chris Evert has received a stage 1 ovarian cancer diagnosis. As far as I know such an early diagnosis for this particular type of cancer is quite rare and was only spotted after a precautionary hysterectomy. She should be fine, but probably a nasty shock to get a diagnosis of the same thing that killed one of her sisters less than two years ago.
Back to on court news, didn't see any of this mornings action but happy to see Kokkinakis win his first ever title. Up to #103 now, would be interesting to see how high he can go if all the injury woes are behind him.
Saw the photo of Murray lifting a trophy this morning and assumed he was the champion 😢 Nice run to the final I guess but if he can't beat Karatsev over best of 3 then I don't envisage him going very far in Melbourne.
Badosa wins Sydney in a three set tussle against Krejcikova, she surely should be one of the... um, 20 or so players who could lift the trophy in Melbourne 😅 She's still something of a mystery to me, haven't seen a lot of her play.
Another thing about the Del Potro case is that the father was actually having his girlfriend investigated as a "financial threat" when obviously he was the actual one who fcuked over his own son
Juan Martin del Potro's father, Daniel, served as the Argentine's manager for a large part of his career, taking care of his investments and accounts. He passed away in January 2021.
Luis Ventura, meanwhile, claimed that del Potro's father used to "investigate" his son's ex-girlfriend, Sofia Jimenez, perceiving her as a financial threat who could "steal" from the former US Open champion.
"Jujuy (Sofia Jimenez) without going any further, was investigated by the father because in a moment she became an enemy, in the sense of 'she is the one who comes to steal her fortune," mentioned Ventura.
It's worth noting that when Djokovic was stopped last week the issue was apparently proving his medical exemption
But the Australian immigration minister Hawke yesterday conceded that Djokovic actually had a valid medical exemption when he arrived last week
In a radical reframing of the case against the Serbian tennis star, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke concedes the unvaccinated Djokovic entered Australia with a valid medical exemption and poses a low risk of contracting the virus while in Australia and passing it on to others due to his recent infection.
Which considering that last week that was the very reason what they stopped him at the airport and cancelled his visa is a complete about turn / moving the goalposts on their part
Now he's a "health risk" how it's unsure as Hawke also conceded that Djokovic is not a spread risk for Covid given recent immunity and Omicron raging across Melbourne
and a "good order" risk due to the risk of exciting anti-vaxxers which for a guy that hasn't made an anti-vaccine proclamation in nearly 2 years (in fact to the contrary) before real vaccines were not even near available and organised a vaccine drive in 2021 at the Serbian Open -> doesn't really stack up
I won't lose sleep over it,,,but those reasons stated to deport Novak are very flimsy. If the medical exemption was flawed then yeah get rid, but it was fine he is been deported for political poll numbers which is dire.
Its not much different than China, Hungary or Russia deporting people who criticize their evil regimes.
And before someone moans,, I am vaccinated and boosted and will take as many needed no bother.
Djokovic's appeal starting now. I thought this was an interesting thread on Twitter explaining the case
All going well, we shouldn't be waiting too long for a decision.
Coming up to 10am now in Melbourne, so hopefully inside the next 3 to 4 hours?
the thing is that this law provides no recourse for natural justice
it's just "at my discretion" on "what I think without challenge" law
Djokovic has lost his appeal. A unanimous decision by all three Federal judges (I nearly said umpires).
... reasoning due later (give us a bloody break mate, it's Sunday)
Duplicate comment
Not anymore he isn't 😎
It's a law with no recourse to arguments of natural justice so he never had a chance there by definition.
Djokovic was shafted here. Medical exemption was valid concedes the government. The others let in ahead of him.
Possibly the most galling thing is the Morrison slimeball saying that this decision is about "protecting sacrifices" which is pandering to the idea that djokovic should be booted out to appeal to the big hero who had to sit on their couch that time (prior government pandemic decisions) and nothing to do with the current reality where omicron is everywhere in the Eastern states.or indeed nothing to do with Djokovic. Pure political opportunism.
Long term damage to the reputation of the tournament and Australia imo. It's gone off some tourist lists for sure (even if you've been there you'd know that there is not much to it).
Somebody will write a good article or even book on all this.
This picture hits differently now 😎
The right decision, now we can get on with the actual tennis.
Has Australia gone off your tourist list @Flying Fox? There's not much to it apparently 😂
Bono and the Biddy
Australia - a few cities, sh1thole towns, beaches, too hot a lot of the time, lots of nothingness, sparse culture, no historical architecture, a population bearing the fruits and personality traits of prison guards and convicts, went there for short work projects a couple of times and saw some of it after also, hugely over-priced and poor service, not much to recommend it before or after this! So many far more interesting and worthwhile places to go to basically.
This whole debacle has fatigued and over-shadowed anything to do with the tournament and brought negative and polarising vibes to the tennis picture.
The government couldn't find fault with his medical exemption, the court agreed with him and he was only deported for eventual reasons stated by the government that don't stand up to any logical regard under what is effectively a totalitarian law with no recourse to natural justice.
Gas. 😂
I spent a year there in my younger days and would love to go back. Wonderful country!
Are you ok glasso? Think you might need a lie down.
I'd wondered why he'd been relatively quiet on here. Have you seen the thread on After Hours? He's getting rinsed 🤣
Although I shouldn't laugh, it's actually a bit worrying to be honest.
Anyway, Australian Open thread here.
well after hours is populated by yahoos who can't articulate much and tend to repeat the same rubbish.
probably shouldn't have bothered
but there were less desolate biddies per capita there at least!
I think the After Hours thread has held up pretty well actually, and multiple posters there have layed it out pretty clearly why the deportation is justified and why you're posting absolute scutter.
hun if you're saving up for a packet of popcorn you're just never going to understand Djokovic's world
I mean that is just desperate stuff. Seriously, take the loss, try and muster some bit of self-respect and move on.
that poster had gone off piste first
Still makes more sense than the logic given by the immigration minister Hawke!
The scary thing is that there's even worse out there, like the guy who claimed Novak is bigger than Australia 🤣
Can we leave the after hours thread to itself folks?
Have you ever been to the Bungle Bungles? The most otherworldly place I've been to other than Southwestern Bolivia.
Australia is full of the most amazing natural sites and jawdropping scenery.
No but have been to that part of Bolivia you're talking about.
Now there is a country worth going to!
So much culture, fascinating cities and towns from La Paz to Sucre to Potosi to Rurrenabaque to Oruro , unique things like mountain-biking from El Alto to Coroico, Shamens, the animals, the ancient and colonial architecture - huge variety of natural beauty (from the Salar to the pantanal to lake Titicaca) in a more compact area than Australia etc
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