2019 In Between Grand Slam Thread

yerwanthere123 · 27-12-2018 4:26pm #1

Qualies start tomorrow so time to get the thread going.

The WTA start with tournaments in Brisbane, Shenzhen and Auckland, whilst the ATP start in Brisbane, Doha and Pune.

2019 WTA Tour

2019 ATP Tour

yerwanthere123 · 27-12-2018 4:30pm

My one and only hope for the ATP is to have a new grand slam champion, maybe even two. For the WTA I'd like Serena to beat Margaret Court's 'record' and then retire to never be heard of again.

RosyLily · 31-12-2018 9:29pm

Delpo out of Australian Open. Still recovering from injury. Is there a more unlucky player?

yerwanthere123 · 31-12-2018 10:18pm

RosyLily wrote: »

Delpo out of Australian Open. Still recovering from injury. Is there a more unlucky player?

Nishikori? :pac:
He'd certainly give him a run for his money

RosyLily · 31-12-2018 10:30pm

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Nishikori? :pac:
He'd certainly give him a run for his money

Touche!!:D They could compare notes.

Floppybits · 01-01-2019 11:27pm

Good to see Murray and Wawrinka back on court.

yerwanthere123 · 02-01-2019 1:15pm

I don't think Andy Murray has much of a future left in the game, unfortunately. He's saying he's still in pain and was emotional on court the last day whilst admitting he didn't know how much longer he'd able to play. He just lost to Medvedev too, so I don't think it's looking good.

Bubblegummers · 02-01-2019 9:56pm

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

I don't think Andy Murray has much of a future left in the game, unfortunately. He's saying he's still in pain and was emotional on court the last day whilst admitting he didn't know how much longer he'd able to play. He just lost to Medvedev too, so I don't think it's looking good.

In all fairness Medi on Hardcourt after a spell out isn’t an easy run. I believe Andy will play on but will take time to see him grind back to anyway near his past.

Rob2D · 03-01-2019 2:27pm

Yeah Medvedev played a blinder.

If Murray really is in a lot of pain all the time then I can't see him continuing much longer. His style really wouldn't allow for it. It'll only get worse and worse.

Bubblegummers · 04-01-2019 1:33am

Rob2D wrote: »

Yeah Medvedev played a blinder.

If Murray really is in a lot of pain all the time then I can't see him continuing much longer. His style really wouldn't allow for it. It'll only get worse and worse.

He said he was starting to feel fresher on tennis TV so hopefully he improves be an awful shame to see his career dwindle to nothing.

yerwanthere123 · 05-01-2019 3:12pm

Been lots going on the first week of the season. Sabalenka has taken up where she left off, wins the title in Shenzhen, her third in six months and on the cusp of the top ten. Should be dangerous in Melbourne.

18 year-old Canadian qualifier has made the final of Auckland, beating Wozniacki, Venus and Hsieh along the way. Will play Gorges in the final.

Osaka started well in Brisbane but lost her SF to Tsurenko, and has subsequently apologised on Instagram for her terrible attitude during the match. She's now withdrawn from Sydney so unless she's injured it's all a bit odd.

On the ATP side, pleased to see Berdych has made the final of Doha in his first tournament since Queens last year. He'll play Bautista-Agut who managed to take out Djokovic in the SF's.

Medvedev - Nishikori final in Brisbane, whilst in Pune Karolvic and Anderson will contest the talest ever ATP final! Karlovic is also the oldest ATP finalist since 1977. Might we expect a few aces? :pac:

Bubblegummers · 05-01-2019 4:48pm

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Been lots going on the first week of the season. Sabalenka has taken up where she left off, wins the title in Shenzhen, her third in six months and on the cusp of the top ten. Should be dangerous in Melbourne.

18 year-old Canadian qualifier has made the final of Auckland, beating Wozniacki, Venus and Hsieh along the way. Will play Gorges in the final.

Osaka started well in Brisbane but lost her SF to Tsurenko, and has subsequently apologised on Instagram for her terrible attitude during the match. She's now withdrawn from Sydney so unless she's injured it's all a bit odd.

On the ATP side, pleased to see Berdych has made the final of Doha in his first tournament since Queens last year. He'll play Bautista-Agut who managed to take out Djokovic in the SF's.

Medvedev - Nishikori final in Brisbane, whilst in Pune Karolvic and Anderson will contest the talest ever ATP final! Karlovic is also the oldest ATP finalist since 1977. Might we expect a few aces? :pac:

Only 57 aces in the 3 sets is that all hahah.
Brilliant match paid special attention as I’d a bet on over games ha sailed in tie break heaven.

Floppybits · 08-01-2019 10:58am

Sad to see Lisicki beaten in the qualifiers.

yerwanthere123 · 08-01-2019 11:48am

The way Lisicki's career crashed and burned has been really quite something. Now I know she's been injured, but to go from a Wimbledon finalist to utter irrelevance is quite a dramatic fall. Hasn't done much on the tour since 2015, and barely played the last two years at all.

jr86 · 08-01-2019 2:34pm

Laura Robson too. I know she wasn't exactly making slam finals but when she went on the US Open and Wimbledon runs when she was only 18/19 (with a mixed silver at Olympics) I thought she was a certain future slam winner and that tennis had a brand new extremely marketable star in the making who would become one of the faces of the WTA

She's currently ranked 490 in the world, deary me. Would she even make a half-decent living from it anymore? That said I do recall her doing punditry at Wimbledon

Floppybits · 08-01-2019 3:32pm

jr86 wrote: »

Laura Robson too. I know she wasn't exactly making slam finals but when she went on the US Open and Wimbledon runs when she was only 18/19 (with a mixed silver at Olympics) I thought she was a certain future slam winner and that tennis had a brand new extremely marketable star in the making who would become one of the faces of the WTA

She's currently ranked 490 in the world, deary me. Would she even make a half-decent living from it anymore? That said I do recall her doing punditry at Wimbledon

She is doing more punditry according to her twitter feed, does a bit for BTsports. Hard to know whether she has retired or not but she doesn't seem to be playing much tennis.

yerwanthere123 · 08-01-2019 7:18pm

Laura had more surgery just a few months ago, so it'll be a while before she's match fit at any level again, though she's entered an upcoming ITF tournament iirc. Still though, it is remarkable how little progress she made after her comeback from the initial surgery, and this was even with considerable help from the LTA in terms of wildcards/draws etc.

Johnmb · 08-01-2019 7:57pm

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Laura had more surgery just a few months ago, so it'll be a while before she's match fit at any level again, though she's entered an upcoming ITF tournament iirc. Still though, it is remarkable how little progress she made after her comeback from the initial surgery, and this was even with considerable help from the LTA in terms of wildcards/draws etc.

Did she not end up a little like DelPotro? In that every time she came back, she picked up another injury shortly afterwards? I seem to recall her constantly being injured for quite a while after she first tried to come back.

josip · 09-01-2019 1:43pm

Not every day you see this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb74_Z66xq0
Lucky Kyrgios didn't have another meltdown.

yerwanthere123 · 09-01-2019 2:14pm

I imagine that was only allowed because it was an exho, I don't think two balls are allowed on the court at the same time.

Rob2D · 09-01-2019 6:52pm

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

I don't think two balls are allowed on the court at the same time.

Not since the old days, no.

Some of the old guys in my club still serve with 2 balls.

Floppybits · 09-01-2019 10:25pm

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

I imagine that was only allowed because it was an exho, I don't think two balls are allowed on the court at the same time.

You are allowed a ball on the court but not in play but if during a rally the ball on the court is hit then you will lose the point if you dont return it.

If a ball comes on the court from another then you just restart the point. Sometimes this annoys me because you will hit a winner and a ball comes on and the opponent will call ball on court. Head wrecking

Johnmb · 09-01-2019 10:55pm

Floppybits wrote: »

You are allowed a ball on the court but not in play but if during a rally the ball on the court is hit then you will lose the point if you dont return it.

If a ball comes on the court from another then you just restart the point. Sometimes this annoys me because you will hit a winner and a ball comes on and the opponent will call ball on court. Head wrecking

A ball coming on court can be called as a let, but is subject to all the other conditions of a let. i.e. if it's not called immediately, you can't call it later in the rally, and if a clear winner was hit, then a let cannot be called as it had no impact on the outcome of the point.

Floppybits · 10-01-2019 11:15am

The draw has been made for the Australian Open, Murray is up against Bautista-Agut, I can't see him winning that there are reports that he struggled through a practice game with Djokovic the other day. I wouldn't be surprised if he pulls out. Federer plays Istomin that could be a potential banana skin for Federer if he is not on his game. Nadal plays Jack Duckworth, hard to call this one since Nadal hasn't played, would expect Nadal to come through but he could be there for taking if Duckworth has the balls to go for it. Edmund plays Berdych which will be an interesting one. Djokovic plays a qualifier in the first round and then could potentially play Tsonga in the second round.

Raonic vs Kyrgios will be very interesting.

dominatinMC · 10-01-2019 11:19am

Floppybits wrote: »

The draw has been made for the Australian Open, Murray is up against Bautista-Agut, I can't see him winning that there are reports that he struggled through a practice game with Djokovic the other day. I wouldn't be surprised if he pulls out. Federer plays Istomin that could be a potential banana skin for Federer if he is not on his game. Nadal plays Jack Duckworth, hard to call this one since Nadal hasn't played, would expect Nadal to come through but he could be there for taking if Duckworth has the balls to go for it. Edmund plays Berdych which will be an interesting one. Djokovic plays a qualifier in the first round and then could potentially play Tsonga in the second round.

A Coronation Street fan, I assume?!:D He's playing James Duckworth in R1.

Was reading online about the Murray-Djokovic practice match, and he was brutal by all accounts. Badly hampered in his movement. I don't want to write him off, but I would be surprised if he makes it past Bautista-Agut who is playing great stuff at the moment.

All in all, the draw seems well balanced, with plenty of potentially good matches in the opening rounds.

Floppybits · 10-01-2019 11:24am

dominatinMC wrote: »

A Coronation Street fan, I assume?!:D He's playing James Duckworth in R1.

Was reading online about the Murray-Djokovic practice match, and he was brutal by all accounts. Badly hampered in his movement. I don't want to write him off, but I would be surprised if he makes it past Bautista-Agut who is playing great stuff at the moment.

All in all, the draw seems well balanced, with plenty of potentially good matches in the opening rounds.

Oops don't know why I typed Jack.

I like Murray but I cant see him playing much longer. I have a feeling that he is going to call it quits very soon.

dominatinMC · 10-01-2019 11:26am

Floppybits wrote: »

Oops don't know why I typed Jack.

I like Murray but I cant see him playing much longer. I have a feeling that he is going to call it quits very soon.

I agree, I think this could be his last year on tour, barring a miraculous recovery. I don't want to write his epitaph just yet, but making it to Wimbledon would be a fitting swansong.

Floppybits · 10-01-2019 11:29am

dominatinMC wrote: »

I agree, I think this could be his last year on tour, barring a miraculous recovery. I don't want to write his epitaph just yet, but making it to Wimbledon would be a fitting swansong.

I can't see him making it that far, infact I can see him making a decision depending on how he does in Australia. At the moment I cant even see him making his first round match and if he doesn't make it, he could call it a day.

Bubblegummers · 10-01-2019 2:15pm

Floppybits wrote: »

The draw has been made for the Australian Open, Murray is up against Bautista-Agut, I can't see him winning that there are reports that he struggled through a practice game with Djokovic the other day. I wouldn't be surprised if he pulls out. Federer plays Istomin that could be a potential banana skin for Federer if he is not on his game. Nadal plays Jack Duckworth, hard to call this one since Nadal hasn't played, would expect Nadal to come through but he could be there for taking if Duckworth has the balls to go for it. Edmund plays Berdych which will be an interesting one. Djokovic plays a qualifier in the first round and then could potentially play Tsonga in the second round.

Raonic vs Kyrgios will be very interesting.

Fed will destroy isto, Edmund to bear Berdych will be most likely I think.

Bubblegummers · 10-01-2019 3:09pm

Watching millman simon game here it’s quite a good standard for Millmans usual carryon.

jr86 · 10-01-2019 3:15pm

Murray will give it the season anyway I'd say, I don't see him retiring just yet

he's only 31, I'd imagine he'll give himself every chance to get back into some sort of form and consistency. It's such a young age to pack it in these days, he may feel he can get away with a reduced schedule for a few years yet unless his hip is completely goosed

2019 In Between Grand Slam Thread

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