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Post by Panda on Jan 5, 2022 23:08:11 GMT 1
Let's all laugh at Novak Let's all laugh at Novak Na-na-na-na Na-na-na-na
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on Jan 6, 2022 2:10:38 GMT 1
If he wants respect, I just wish he was more open with his health and his vaccine status
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on Jan 10, 2022 15:06:24 GMT 1
Djokovic wins his court battle to reverse the cancellation of his Australian visa. He's scheduled to play in the AO now and has been training.
The fact that Farage has stuck his beak in by travelling to Serbia to show his support (ironically!) shows how badly handled this whole thing is.
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on Jan 15, 2022 4:26:04 GMT 1
Once again Djokovic's visa has been cancelled for a 2nd time - this time by the Australian government on health grounds related to his COVID vaccine status. Another hearing will be held on Sunday and will be harder to convince than the one last week.
I'll be amazed at this point if he actually plays his match on Monday.
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on Jan 16, 2022 22:28:55 GMT 1
Djokovic is on his way home from Australia after losing this court appeal. Can't say I'm too surprised about the decision but it has been farcical how all this has been handled. Some tough draws for the Brits at the Australian Open: - Mens- Cam Norrie - Seeded #12. First round against Seb Korda. A tough opener but Korda has been hampered after catching a bout of COVID. If he gets through this match and if he emulates his form from last year, it could be a smooth road to the 4th round with a potential meeting with either Berrettini or Alcaraz
- Andy Murray - In the tournament as a wild card. First round against the hard ball hitting #21 seed Basilashvili, who he did beat on the way to the final in Sydney this week. He could have the opportunities to climb the rankings should he win this match if his Sydney form continues.
- Dan Evans - Seeded #24. First round against David Goffin, who's arguably not the player he was previously after a few injuries and some bad results but still a tough match. Should he get to the 3rd round, a difficult match potentially against Felix Double A (Auger-Aliassime).
- Liam Broady - Went through qualifying stages but faces a tough prospect in Nick Kyrgios (and the home crowd) in the first round.
Womens- Emma Raducanu - Seeded #17 but tough 1st round match against Sloane Stephens. Preparation has been hampered by her getting COVID and hasn't had the best results since her USO win. She playing with expectation on her shoulders so be interesting to see how she handles it. Tough draw too with a potential meeting with Halep in the 3rd round.
- Heather Watson - Plays against Egyptian player Mayar Sherif in the first round, who herself hasn't had the best GS record. Can she finally get a 1st round win in a Grand Slam?
- Harriet Dart - Went through the qualifying stages and faces a tough 1st round against Iga Swiatek. Still has been a brilliant week for her to qualify but will be a bonus if she gets through her 1st round.
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Post by rubcale on Jan 18, 2022 12:46:23 GMT 1
Great win for Andy Murray over the #21 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1 3-6 6-4 6-7(5) 6-4.
I thought he was gone when he lost the 4th set 7-5 on a tie break.
How much energy has he used up though? At least he has a day to recover before playing Taro Daniel (whom I have never heard of before)in the second round on Thursday.
For some reason Murray was booed by the crowd.
I've given up knowing what to expect from either Dan Evans or Cameron Norrie - both are so unpredictable.
This time Evans stormed in to the second round with a 6-4 6-3 6-0 win over David Goffin.
When I saw the draw although Sloane Stephens isn't the player she once was, she does have a lot of experience and I thought Emma Raducanu would be toast.
Well so far so good, Emma has just steamrollered through the 1st set 6-0!
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on Jan 19, 2022 2:31:33 GMT 1
Great win for Andy Murray over the #21 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1 3-6 6-4 6-7(5) 6-4. I thought he was gone when he lost the 4th set 7-5 on a tie break. How much energy has he used up though? At least he has a day to recover before playing Taro Daniel (whom I have never heard of before)in the second round on Thursday. For some reason Murray was booed by the crowd. I've given up knowing what to expect from either Dan Evans or Cameron Norrie - both are so unpredictable. This time Evans stormed in to the second round with a 6-4 6-3 6-0 win over David Goffin. When I saw the draw although Sloane Stephens isn't the player she once was, she does have a lot of experience and I thought Emma Raducanu would be toast. Well so far so good, Emma has just steamrollered through the 1st set 6-0! Great win from Murray against a tough opponent and in 5 sets, so soon after his final appearance in Sydney over the weekend. Apparently the "booing" wasn't booing but was the sound of "Siuuuuu..." - similar to the Cristiano Ronaldo cheer. All very confusing!
Taro Daniel rang a faint bell in my head as I'm sure I heard the name before. It was when I looked him up, he won against Djokovic in the 1st round of IW in 2017. He's a bit of a journeyman though and on paper, it should be a comfortable win for Murray.
Emma Raducanu through to the 2nd round against Sloane Stephens in 3 sets 6-0 2-6 6-1. It felt like a watching a repeat of some of her US Open matches - winning the first set emphatically but struggling in the 2nd set. I was fearing for her given the limelight and the poor preparation prior to the AO but a good win. She next faces Danka Kovinic, who's currently just in the top 100.
A nice comfortable win for Evans too. He next faces Arthur Rinderknech, who is someone I've never heard of but recently broke into the top 50.
And finally a win for Heather Watson against Mayar Sharif to end her streak of first round losses in GS, although she had to do it in 3 sets 6-3 5-7 6-2. She'll next play the 29th seed Tamara Zidansek.
Unfortunately Cam Norrie surprisingly lost to Seb Korda 3-6 0-6 4-6. Bit of a disappointment in his first outing in a GS as British #1.
And to round off the Brits 1st round performances - Qualifiers Harriet Dart and Liam Broady lost their respective matches.
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Post by rubcale on Jan 19, 2022 14:22:08 GMT 1
As I said you just can't tell with Norrie (or Evans) - but that scoreline is very disappointing - I wonder if there was an underlying problem?
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on Jan 20, 2022 1:19:22 GMT 1
Cam did catch COVID not long after the Davis Cup, so his off-season prep has been hampered. His performances in the run up to the AO wasn't spectacular either.
However Seb Korda wasn't an easy opponent either but I expected him to at least win a set and definitely not get "bageled" in the 2nd set.
This is his 2nd 1st round GS exit in succession after his 1st round exit to Alcaraz in the USO. Hopefully not a sign of things to come...
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on Jan 21, 2022 2:19:41 GMT 1
Dan Evans is the last Brit standing in the AO after receiving a walkover as Arthur Rinderknech withdrew due to a wrist injury. He now faces the 9th seed Felix AA in the 3rd round on Saturday.
Andy Murray looked lethargic in his match against Taro Daniel after losing in straight sets 6-4 6-4 6-4. Despite Murray saying he was physically fine, I think the number of matches he's played in a short period of time and his 5 setter in the first round took its toll. Still some positive signs for Murray fitness-wise
Heather Watson lost her match against Tamara Zidansek 7-6(4) 6-4
Emma Raducanu lost against Danka Kovinic in 3 sets 6-4 4-6 6-3 but was struggling with a blister on her racquet (right) hand. From the bits I saw and heard, it looked an exciting match and was clearly trying to manage the blister by playing more forehand slice shots rather than her usual power shots.
Still some invaluable experience gained managing the situation and forcing herself to play her 'B' game.
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Post by rubcale on Jan 21, 2022 12:11:30 GMT 1
I can't really see AndyM making it back to anything like his forner standard.
Not really expecting a lot from Emma Raducanu this year but hopefully she can gain lots of experience for the future.
I don't think there's any doubt the hand blister was a big factor.
Al least until Wimbledon she hasn't many points to lose!
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on Jan 25, 2022 2:51:58 GMT 1
If Andy makes it in the top 30 or at least does enough to be seeded in the upcoming slams this year - most likely by Wimbledon and stays injury free, I would call that a successful comeback. I think he's proven he can still compete with these players.
Just to round off the weekends results for the Brits - Dan Evans lost to Felix AA in straight sets.
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Post by Pablo on Feb 8, 2022 1:12:08 GMT 1
Just to round off the Australian Open results - Rafa edges ahead of Federer and Djokovic and becomes the most successful mens player by winning his 21st Grand Slam and only his 2nd AO title in a thrilling match against Medvedev. Ash Barty won the Ladies and her 3rd Grand Slam.
A quiet few months for Andy, as he has decided to skip the clay season and French Open and focusing on the upcoming grass tournaments in June.
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on May 21, 2022 0:38:52 GMT 1
Masses of tennis news since I last updated this, which includes - Former tennis player Boris Becker jailed for breaking his bankruptcy terms
- Ash Barty's unexpected retirement from tennis as Women's world #1
- Cam Norrie being the new British #1
- Laura Robson (finally) retiring from playing tennis at the age of 28.
- Emma Raducanu's tough first year start on the WTA tour and struggles with injury - in particular blisters on her hands and feet which hampered her performances at the AO and the BJK cup
- An inexperienced BJK cup team of Emma Raducanu, Harriet Dart, Katie Swan and Sonay Kartal losing a spirited tie against heavy favourites but a weakened Czech Republic 3-2. GB will be back playing in the BJK cup as hosts or in a play off tie in November.
- Emma Raducanu's constant search for a permanent coach after Torben Beltz left after a few months in the role.
- And finally - the growing resentment from other players on Emma Raducanu apparent "diva status" with some comments around her growing commitments to her sponsorship deals and not enough commitment on her tennis.
The French Open starts this weekend, which I may post some periodic updates. 5 Brits in the draw - Emma Raducanu, Harriet Dart, Heather Watson, Cam Norrie and Dan Evans. No Andy Murray of course, even though he qualified automatically, as he's opted out of playing.
The big news though is the announcement that due to the decision by the All England Lawn Tennis Club to ban all Russian and Belarusian players from competing next month at all grass court events in the UK, the ATP and WTA have stripped Wimbledon of handling out ranking points to players competing. Given it's a grand slam tournament which hands out a huge chunk of ranking points, which effectively means it will be played as a exhibition event. Other grass court events are unaffected and will still issue ranking points.
This will have huge effects to the current rankings and it will mean anyone who was in the later stages last year will suffer.
Things could still change though, personally the call to ban the athletes in the first place was a little abrupt and was a sudden reaction to the war. It was bound to cause controversy. Hope some compromise is in place before it starts.
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on Jun 27, 2022 23:38:35 GMT 1
We reach the point of the year where most of us either pretend to be (or are) tennis fans or get annoyed at the tennis for 2 weeks. Wimbledon time!
This year watching Wimbledon feels strange and significant for a number of reasons: -
- Changing of the guard - could this be one of the last times we see the likes of Nadal, Murray, Serena play at Wimbledon and especially at Centre Court?
- Lack of Russian and Belarusian players - most notably Medvedev in the Men's draw and Sabalenka and Azarenka in the women's draw and subsequently no ranking points being awarded. Most notably the losers of this will be finalists last year and this years.
- Breaking away from tradition - Middle Sunday is in the schedule for the first time, final set tie-breaks and the clock in between points is now in force.
- Sue Barker's final time being the main presenter
A lot of Brits in the draw this year and some of them (mainly the Wildcard'ers) have had a reasonably decent grass court season so far. They are
- Mens - Cam Norrie, Dan Evans, Andy Murray and Jack Draper.
- Men WC - Jay Clarke, Ryan Peniston, Liam Broady, Paul Jubb and Alistair Gray
- Womens - Emma Raducanu, Harriet Dart and Heather Watson
- Womens WC - Sonny Kartal, Katie Boulter, Katie Swan, Lily Miyazaki, Jodie Burrage
Hoping to see perhaps a breakthrough for 1 of the Wildcard'ers to progress to the 2nd round and beyond.
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on Jun 28, 2022 2:16:29 GMT 1
Not sure if Tom will post updates on Wimbledon this year but I'll post some results from the Brit players
Day 1
Jodie Burrage [WC] lost to Lesia Tsurenko in 2 sets 6-2 6-3
Tough opponent but should be pleased with her progress this month especially her result at Eastbourne last week where she reached the 3rd round and beating the world #4 Paula Badosa in the process. Unfortunately the match was more memorable with the ball boy fainting on court.
Lily Miyazaki [WC] lost to Caroline Garcia (ranked #55) in 3 sets 4-6 6-1 7-6 (10-4) Only granted to represent GB back in March 2022 and currently ranked just outside the top 200. To put a competitive performance like that against an experienced tour campaigner on debut, I can see Lily challenging for the top 100. She's taken a similar route to Cam Norrie by going to university over in the states and her ranking has been improving consistently the last few years.
Emma Raducanu (10) beat Alison van Uytvanck in 2 sets 6-4 6-4 It was a gutsy performance by Emma on her Centre Court debut hampered by injury setbacks over the last few weeks in the run up to Wimbledon. Also Alison is a difficult experienced opponent who is no stranger to pulling upsets on the Wimbledon stage. Having not watched Emma at all this year, it's great to see her relishing the atmosphere of a show court once again after her triumph at the US Open. She'll next play Caroline Garcia on Wednesday.
Andy Murray beat James Duckworth in 4 sets 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 Bit of a slow start by Andy and his serving, particularly his 2nd serve let him down early in the match. Look to be close to his best towards the latter part of the match and showed no sign of his injury. He next plays big serving (Wimbledon Legend) John Isner, where hopefully it's not the last match on Centre Court.
Cam Norrie (9) beat Pablo Andujar in 3 sets 6-0 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 Comfortable win for Cam and felt a bit under the radar with the media naturally focusing on Murray and Raducanu. Felt sorry for him really not playing on a show court today despite being British #1 and had to endure Court 2 instead. He plays Jaume Munar in the 2nd round.
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Post by rubcale on Jun 28, 2022 11:33:28 GMT 1
Hard to know what Norrie may do - it's impossible to call him but he does have the game to succeed.
It's about time AndyM was given an earlier start and not be held a hostage to the BBC.
In the circumstances you'd have to say Isner should win but we can only hope - tbh I didn't expect to see Andy at Wimby again.
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on Jun 29, 2022 0:06:05 GMT 1
Hard to know what Norrie may do - it's impossible to call him but he does have the game to succeed. It's about time AndyM was given an earlier start and not be held a hostage to the BBC. In the circumstances you'd have to say Isner should win but we can only hope - tbh I didn't expect to see Andy at Wimby again. Norrie arguably has a kind draw so in theory has a good chance of making the 2nd week. I agree he's a bit of a dark horse though given his less than impressive performances at Grand Slams.
I think this time last year we all didn't expect Andy to play a competitive singles match again. I was certain he would perhaps dabble in the doubles. Still a long road but he's done pretty well to get back in the top 100.
It'll be a close match with Isner and on paper, he's the favourite. Murray's serve will need to be on point and I think Murray still has a winning H2H record against him.
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Post by Pablo on Jun 29, 2022 1:40:04 GMT 1
Day 2 Brit result
Heather Watson beats Tamara Korpatsch in 3 sets 6-7 (7-9) 7-5 6-2 A match that was carried over from last night after Heather won the 2nd set and finished around 10:30pm on Court 1, which was moved after the rain delay impacted the schedule last night. I watched some of this last night and it felt like deja vu from last year where Heather wasn't taking her chances and too many errors. I didn't watch the continuation today but sounded like she played to her best. I get the feeling she doesn't like playing in the evening sessions under the roof at Wimbledon. She next plays Qiang Wang of China fresh from beating Belinda Bencic (seeded 14) and winning the 3-day grass event in Liverpool.
Ryan Peniston (WC) beats Henri Laaksonen in 3 sets 6-4 6-3 6-2 Ryan continues his impressive form over the grass court season with QF appearances at Queens, Nottingham and Eastbourne with a comfortable victory over a player ranked 95.
He next plays Steve Johnson - who came through due to injury to Grigor Dimitrov in his first round match.
Jack Draper beats Zizou Bergs (WC) in 3 sets 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-4) A future star in the making as the 20 year old former Wimbledon junior finalist, who's within the top 100 after making the semi final at Eastbourne, makes an impressive start to his Wimbledon campaign. I watched the latter of this match and he's got a good game for grass. Big left hand serves and good general all round play.
He next plays 19th seed Alex De Minaur. Should be a good one to watch.
Liam Broady (WC) beats Lukas Klein (Q) in 5 sets 4-6 6-3 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 Gutsy win to follow up on his 2nd round appearance last year
He next plays 12th seed Diego Schwartzman (who's not had the best of records at Wimbledon reaching the 3rd round twice)
Alastair Gray (WC) beats Tseng Chun-hsin in 3 sets 6-3 6-3 7-6 (7-3) A Grand Slam singles debut for the 24 year old and beating a player almost 200 places above him in the rankings. Also he was former Wimbledon junior champion back in 2018. Good to see his potential is finally being on show.
He next plays Eastbourne champion and 11th seed Taylor Fritz.
Katie Boulter (WC) beats Clara Burel in 2 sets 7-5 6-3 Continuing on her form after Eastbourne, she's into the 2nd round of a Grand Slam for only the 3rd time in her career. Playing someone similar ranked to her.
She next plays either Tereza Martincova or Karolina Pliskova in the 2nd round, whose match was halted due to the 11pm curfew
Jay Clarke (WC) lost to Christian Harrison (Q) in 3 sets 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 7-6 (8-6) Another match that was carried over from last night. Disappointing for Jay to be beaten in straight sets by someone almost 100 places below him in the rankings (maybe due to other circumstances).
Dan Evans (seeded 28) lost to Jason Kubler in 3 sets 6-1 6-4 6-3 Dan hasn't had the best prep this momth nor the best of seasons so far but a shock straight sets defeat nonetheless for Dan.
Paul Jubb (WC) lost to Nick Kygrios in 5 sets 3-6 6-1 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 Another one for the future as Paul makes his 2nd appearance at Wimbledon and almost beat an experienced but volatile campaigner in Nick Kygrios. Again I watched the latter part of this match and I was really impressed with Paul Jubb, ignoring the shenanigans from the other side and really had a solid game. In the end, the lack of experience on the big occasion was the main difference.
Sonny Kartal (WC) lost to Lesley Pattinama-Kerkhove (LL) in 3 sets 6-4 3-6 6-1 Another debut Grand Slam appearance who touted to be one of Emma Raducanu's rivals in years to come. Hopefully this will be good experience for her playing against a bit of a experienced journey(wo)man.
Katie Swan (WC) lost to Marta Kostyuk in 3 sets 4-6 6-4 6-4 A real tight match but Katie on the losing side.
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Pablo
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Post by Pablo on Jun 29, 2022 2:05:43 GMT 1
In other Wimbledon news, last year's finalist Matteo Berrettini and one of the favourites to win has pulled out due to testing positive for Covid-19.
Serena Williams made her singles comeback after her unfortunate fall last year but lost in a thrilling 3 set match to Harmony Tan of France.
The older of their respective siblings - Jamie Murray and Venus Williams are due to team up in the mixed doubles. Andy/Serena teamed up back in 2019.
Finally it's the same "top" players at Centre Court tomorrow. Novak to start then Emma and Andy are the prime time Centre Court centrepieces once again. Cam Norrie is on Court 1.
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