Tennis Thread - Grand Slams & The Tour

Looks like she might be coming back to some sort of form at last. She played well against Svitolina who is very high ranking, lets hope it wasn't a flash in the pan,

 

Some people are born fit.
Others are blighted.
Hopefully for her it was a combination of being new to the tour and growing pains.

 

Jordan Thompson beats Rafa.
Saved 3 mps in the second set breaker and wins the longest rally of the match, despite a klaxon sounding twice during it,to win the match.

 

Rafa withdraws from the AO with a muscle injury.

Dimitrov beats the Boy Band to win Brisbane.

 

Uff heartbreaking.

Please can he be fit in time for one last Paris appearance, win it and retire triumphantly into the sunset.

It’s not too much to ask, is it?

 

Good question.
Perhaps until RG?
Injuries on injuries, although I'm astonished he's played for as long as he has.
He's so manual,his knee was shot ten years ago!

 

Bet you £50 that he won't win it.
Hasn't the matchplay in the tank and no sign that he'll be fit in time.
Shame but sport is as Orwell said " war without guns" or was it bullets?
"War minus the shooting".

 

Thanks for the offer but you’ve not paid up yet over my successful US open prediction

Sadly I agree. He has little chance. I was merely expressing my wish!

It throws up an interesting sub topic though. Players retiring after winning the last slam they competed in.

Can you think of any?

The one that springs to mind is Pannetta, who I’m fairly sure never played another competitive match after her shock win at Flushing M.

I think winning Wimbledon was Bartoli’s last ever slam match, but she played a few times afterwards before retiring.

Did Sampras bow out on top too?

 

I think Pistol Pete may have done.
Pennetta played a little longer I think,but not much, could be wrong.

Conversely Coria was finished emotionally having choked RG. He retired a year later, supposedly through injury but in reality with a broken heart.

Liam Broady out of AO with injury. Shame for him as he's playing well.

 

Ah yes you’re right. Pennetta played three more matches after winning the US Open, all in the end of year event. She retired after that. So her final grand slam career match saw her a champion at least.

And yes, Sampras won his last ever singles match to clinch the US Open, but didn’t retire for a further year as he tried to recover from injury. Apparently he is the only male player to never play again after winning a grand slam. Not a bad way to bow out eh. I’d love Rafa to do the same!

Bartoli retired 40 days after winning Wimbledon. So again, another player winning the final slam they entered. The irony of Bartoli is she broke the record for the most slams entered before finally winning one (47) and then never entered another!

 

Extraordinary player Bartoli.
None of her game should work biomechanically,but it did.
Shows what a good doctor can do!

 

Draper doing well in Adelaide.
Dart and Watson out of qualies.
Some very tough first round matches at Melbourne. Tsitsi v Berrettini for one.

 

Jiri Lehechka wins Adelaide, defeating Draper in three.

 

Not always the best thing short term to go late into a warm up event, especially if you've had long matches,which he has.
Soon see.
Five hours and counting...

 

Ruble in five.
Poor Berrettini withdraws with a foot injury.
The replacement in the draw,a Belgian, withdrew in qualies so I'm surprised that the next highest ranked LL wasn't put in.
Odd.

 

Set all between the RG junior champion Primzic and ND.

Not helpful that Eurosport's audio is ahead of our visual!

 

Murray out in three.

How long will he continue for?

Perhaps until Wimbledon.

 

Thiem gets awful draws!

 

Boulter and Norrie win.

 

Oh well

 

Sonego is a tough draw.

 

Absurd from Andreeva.

 

Czech men on the march.
Lehechka winning last week in Adelaide.
Machac beating Tiafoe in three today.

 

Tsitsi takes the legs from home favourite Thompson.
Popyrin takes a set from ND.

 

Draper and Lehechka, runner up and winner last week lose. It's not always a good thing to go deep into a tournament prior to a major. That's why the top players rarely play the week before,save exhibitions.

Boulter out, Raducanu a set and a break down,both to Chinese opponents.

 

Hmm.
Norrie alone and I'd rather de flea Ford and Persephone than watch him!