Tennis Thread - Grand Slams & The Tour

Norrie out in three to Fritz.
Barty through in three v Azarenka.
Rublev comprehensive v Fuscovics.

 

Up the Greeks!
Seb Korda is having a good tournament. Son of Aussie Open champion Petr he looks smooth. Karatsev looked like his year so far had caught up with him.
I think the heat has caught up with a few.
Nishikori coming back from multiple injuries had three sets in the round before and lost 1 in the third to Tsitsi.
Rublev clearly has Fuscovi's number.
Very hot and very humid in Miami.

 

Lordy it's hot in Miami!
Pretty hot in Hoddesdon yesterday too but Florida is another matter.
Medvedev v Tiafoe was the tennis version of the Ugly Bugs Ball in terms of game styles.
Interesting approach by Tiafoe,dollying in his serve to catch out Medivet who stands in another state to receive.
Medivet now has the appearance of a villain in a Victorian melodrama.
Tsitsi to play Hurcachz in a repeat of Rotterdam I think.
RBA wins a nail biting 9-7 tie break final set to beat Isner and play Medivet.
Barty wins against an unfortunate Sabalenka who appears to suffer an abdominal injury at 3 all in the third.
Sakari plays Osaka.
In local matters Herts are about a month behind other counties in trying to get competitive tennis organised.
Many clubs,notably Gosling and Letchworth,who cannot use their indoor courts, are reluctant to give up court time and revenue for the three pair Herts League.
Forty years ago this was the only means of play unless you were on the tour. Today there are many options,Team Tennis ( four singles,two doubles second round),National Premier League ( two pair doubles),Hot Rackets ( two pair county leagues.)
I doubt the traditional league will take place this summer.

 

Sakari beats Osaka 0&4.
Sinner through to the semis beating Bublik,who's second serve was akin to that of a little girl.
Nice comment from the very likeable Bublik at the end "You're not human,you're superhuman and only 15!"
He's 18 I think!

 

Batista Agut,always a 7/10 guy,defeats Medvedev 4&2 and there's one less Technifibre racket in the world.
No loss there I think.
Evans and Skupski going strong in the doubles.

 

I don't think I have the stamina to support a tennis player as well as Watford!
I arrive home to watch Tsitsi and he's a set and a break up. 75 minutes later he's blown numerous games when serving at 40 0 and lost 4 in the third and had a complete meltdown akin to Medivet's overnight.
Looks like the heat is getting to them.
I'd be interested in his press conference as he had the match sewn up.

 

Hurkacz wins again.
Defeats Rublev 4&4.

 

fewer?

 

If my nerves at present are the measuring tool then it's definitely less not fewer!

 

Barty a set up on Andrescu.
However Bianca is up in the drinks department,four that I counted plus some kind of smelling vapour and a snack or two. She's a Canadian pop up 'Open All Hours' out there!
Matching her with words and meaningless drivel is Rusedski who never uses one word when he can find ten. Moreover his nasal twang is really off putting.
Be quiet man!

 

The ferocity of the tour and the probability of playing too much too young.
She has been blighted more than most.

 

Evans and Skupski lose a good final 4&4 to Mektic and Pavic.

 

Wasn't the best way to serve for a set but I've seen worse!
Sinner just ran out of gas it seemed although Private Pike was getting very tight from 4-2 onwards in the second.
A penny for Tsitsipas's thoughts right now.
He blew it big time against HH and that sort of baggage is very hard to dismiss from your mind.
That was his tournament to win and he knows it.
Sinner will be one to avoid for most of the tour.
Ten Italian men in the top one hundred tomorrow. That's outstanding for a nation that was on its knees tennis wise fifteen years ago.

 

Players make it here because of themselves not the system.
Mainly due to the endlessly bourgeois goings on in almost all tennis clubs and counties.
I disagree regarding the new players on two counts.
First it shows the incredible skill and desire of RF,RN and ND to keep their love of the game and will for titles.
It also takes many attempts usually to win a major tournament. Lendl and Murray are cases in point.
There are very few Beckers although Sinner reminds me greatly of him.
Medvedev,if his shoulder holds out, will probably be next cab off the rank. He's 25 and the average age on tour is 27.
It's such a physical sport it takes a long time for the men to build up sufficient core strength and robustness.
In my first year of playing full time I was injured for about eight months of it. It is so hard on the bod and I hardly won a match of note!

 

Due to the incredible wealth on the right side of the draw all the elite can manage their schedule so they play a minimum amount.
For fifteen years RF has played the Masters 1000 ( obligatory) Basle ( his home tournament) and Halle,pre Wimbledon where he receives a ridiculous appearance fee ( 2m euros I think). When he wanted to win the Davis Cup he played that too. Olympics every four years,trying to complete the Golden Slam which irks him as Rafa has it and he doesn't.
Some years he has missed Roland Garros,especially since he won it, to concentrate on SW18.
This has prolonged his longevity. Richard Williams had the same idea. Venus and Serena hardly played junior tennis and for years have played very little.
There will be a number of the follow on players who will share titles I'd expect. Medivet,Rublev,Thiem,Sinner,hopefully Tsitsi.

 

I've just been chatting to Mr IBB about 'The Italian Job'.
The Italian federation made a decision fifteen years ago to increase the number of satellite tournaments they held,to increase competitive lower tour opportunities for their players.
The LTA followed suit, Mr IBB and Roger Draper's plan.
When Michael Downey was CEO and Philip Bretherton President they scrapped the majority.
The reason?
Most of the tennis clubs didn't want to give up court time.Same old story.
The Italians were and are happy to see how the game can be played and welcome the players at their clubs.
We want our social tennis and sandwiches.
Club culture over tennis culture.
Hopeless.

 

FFT put Roland Garros back one week to May 30.
Fed Cup this weekend v Mexico. Held at that hotbed of Tequila,the Guadalajara of Roehampton,the National Tennis Centre!

 

You'd hope so.
Evans loses to Musetti in Sardinia.
Evans was no.1 seed.

 

As of Monday in Monte,yes!

 

Fed Cup next weekend.

 

Rain all day in Monte!
Hideous weather.

 

Dan Evans closing in on victory in three over Lajovic.
Garin beats Felix A A.
Interesting Monte all week and then the Kennel on Saturday,what a contrast!
I have located Pablo Ardiles son of Ossie. He is a mathematics teacher at Chauncey in Ware.
Ossie owed me £10 for a lesson circa 1988 so I can claim my fee,plus interest of 250k!

 

Seems to be coping without it!

 

Some of them don't!
Mr IBB has accompanied some luminaries to their AE press conferences. Quite a few are very late and then downright insolent to both the person accompanying them ( AE volunteers) and to the press.
Emtional scenes from the Tsitsipas brothers last night as they defeat 8th seems Tecau and Kraowietz in a champ tee,11-9. The unfortunate Tecau served a double fault at 9 all having squandered an earlier match point.
Petros was almost in tears.
Elder brother Stefanos had earlier defeated Karatsev 3&4 .
Sinner v ND will be interesting.