Tennis Thread - Grand Slams & The Tour

Have you not seen and read about his actions and comments during the pandemic?

 

Only the talk going into this tournament. Nothing there to get my underpants in a twist over.

 

So organising his own tournament which encouraged the spread of covid and his anti-vax beliefs don’t concern you in any way?

 

Didnt see or hear that in the talk going into this tournament.

 

ATP Rotterdam begins with two British wins in a day of comebacks in many ways.
Cam Norrie beats Basilasvili,who has hardly won a match for a year,having been inside the top thirty.Not very king like.
Andy Murray wins six straight games against fellow wild card and thirty something Robin Haase,to win 6-3 in the third.
Most impressive win of the day belongs to Kei Nishikori,whose last two years have been blighted by injury,hardly surprising as watching his serve makes my shoulder ache!
He defeats Augur Aliassime 7-6 6-1.
Top seeds enter tomorrow with Medvedev ad Tsisipas seeded to meet in the final.
These two really don't like each other so it could be a repeat of the 'Battle of Subutteo Court' that we all suffered on Saturday lunchtime.

 

Interesting post AO defeats for Medvedev v Lajovic and Zverev v I thought Nishikori but that must be wrong,possibly Nishioka.
Murray plays Rublev soon.
Bublik beat Zverev.

 

Murray out hit by Rublev.
Norrie a set down to Khachanov.

 

Norrie out 2&2.

 

Chardy defeats Goffin.
Tsitsi beats the Pole Hurcacz 7-5 in the third.
Hurcacz played well but choked when serving,with three doubles,one at 4-5 that wasn't costly.
Two more at 5-6,on deuce finally did for him.
Hopefully Tsitsi will use the slice backhand more as this disrupted Hurcacz and unsettled him.
Good tennis and Hurcacz played a good match.

 

Another high quality match as Tsitsi beats Khachanov 6-4 in the third,recovering from 3-1 down in the third.
Rublev v Chardy on now.
I would not want to be a tennis ball in Rotterdam. These guys are belting the living daylights out of them!

 

Coric beats Nishikori in two tie breaks.Kei has changed his serve slightly to help his elbow and shoulder but it still looks like a dog's dinner to me!
Paul and Fucsovics are 3 all for the final last four slot.
Tsitsi v Rublev on at 2pm tomorrow,I don't think I can take him playing after us,I'll be exhausted!

 

Rublev into the final over a tired looking Tsitsipas.

 

Fuscovics beats Coric very easily 3&1 to play Rublev.

 

Rublev won in Rotterdam.
Evans beats Chardy in three to play Federer tomorrow in Qatar.

 

Very close match the Evans encounter.
Norrie plays Herbert tomorrow. He starts favourite but if Herbert serves well it could be close.

 

This was by far my best way to win a tournament,bye,walkover,scratch!

 

Basilashvili defeats RF in three in Qatar.
Herbert defeats Norrie in straight in Marseille.

 

On the face of it yes but a tennis player,even one as accomplished as Federer,needs matches.
NB is a strong hitter and apart from a little wobble at 4-5 30-0 when he had a poor shot and a woeful leave and query on Hawkeye or whatever version is being used,he played very well.
Federer looked a little slow,as well he might after 14 months off. If that slowness was down to lack of play he'll be content.
If it was because of knee problems then his return maybe short-lived.
In Marseille Tsitsi wins in straight against another returning former top twenty player in Pouille. He is now converting many more break points and has improved this area of his game since last year.
In the top half Medvedev plays Sinner tomorrow which should be interesting,pity it isn't televised.

 

Batista Agut defeats Thiem in three to finally provide an opponent for Rublev in Qatar.
Federer withdraws from Dubai 500 next week to "practice and be ready for the grass".
Reading between the lines is he accepting that this will be his last Wimbledon and is going to retire after it?

 

The Murray family plan to take over tennis and then the world!
A surprising result,given the run Rublev has been on but he has been playing doubles with Karatsev,due to play the final about now.
Basilashvili beats Fritz to play RBA in the final of Qatar.
Medivet beats Dinner in straight in Marseille.

 

Odds say yes!
Bad loss for Tsitsi to Herbert. My first reaction,not being televised but seeing the stats, is that he may have been injured.
For a player with his serving stats to lose 5/6 of his last service games is unheard of.

 

Basilashvili wins in Qatar.
Medivet in Marseille although Herbert takes him to 4 in the third.

 

Nadal withdraws from Miami with his back problem.
Thiem out in Dubai,losing in straight to Lloyd Harris the Springbok.
Evans out to Karatsev.
Norrie wins in Acapulco.

 

Certainly with Rafa.
Goffin has lost all the form he had,especially after the wretched luck he received in Monte when playing Rafa and then having the detached retina.
Thiem is an odd one.
Perhaps being so manual he's just running out of gas. Takes its toll grinding out points like he does,especially as you approach 30.

 

ANOTHER Italian makes a breakthrough,Musetti defeats Schwartzman in Dubai.
He is a Spezia TC player,Reids territory if I'm not mistaken. This was his first top ten victory and one to add to the growing list of Italians,Fognini,Berrettini,Cechinatto,Sinner,Lorenzo,endless.

 

Good win for Norrie over Fognini.
Musetti beats Tiafoe.
Harriet Dart beats Heather Watson.

 

Aslan roars again!
Karetsev defeats Sinner in three to reach the semi finals in Dubai.
Great to see him building on his success in Melbourne.

 

Musetti beats Dimitrov to play Tsitsi in the semis. Tsitsi defeated Augur Aliassime in three.
All German semi with Zverev playing Koepfer,who beat Norrie.