The 2015 In Between Grand Slam Thread

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Rjd2 wrote: »

Agreed, love watching Dolgo play, but he can never get it done, so often I have watched him and admired and then he collapses and loses the match.

He isn't to old, but he never will be a contender for anything, such a shame,:(

He's also a sexist, homophobic twat so... not that much of a shame.

RosyLily

Great performance from Isner!! So confident against Nishikori. If only he kept that form up for half a season...that would be nice.:)

Liked Navarro's response as to who she'd like to play in the final.:D She'd have a fighting chance against Halep. Serena.....maybe not so much!

yerwanthere123

^ Four of the eight sets they've played against each other have been bagels.. slightly one sided h2h.

Pighead

James McGee going well in a challenger clay event in Mexico. Into the quarter finals where he plays an Argentinian ranked lower than him. He beat a top 100 ranked player the other day so looks like he's on form.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

There's a video of McGee's match from the other day HERE

Came back from 0-4 in the 3rd set.

Pighead

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

There's a video of McGee's match from the other day HERE

Came back from 0-4 in the 3rd set.

It's amazing how many tennis matches are available to watch on streams nowadays. Some really low level obscure tournaments. Pleasantly surprised to see McGee's match was available to watch yesterday.

McGee seems very resilient. So many break points on his serve yesterday and he managed to save most of them. Would be great to see him reach the final.

Absoluvely

McGee is in the final four after an easy QF opponent today.

Pighead

Absoluvely wrote: »

McGee is in the final four after an easy QF opponent today.

Good news is the number 1 seed was knocked out. Bad news is McGee plays second seed Paolo Lorenzi.

Lorenzi is 87 in the world and has beaten the likes of Dolgopolov and Belucci this year. However he has had quite a few losses against lower ranked players so McGees in with a shout. Would be huge for him if he reaches the final.

Rjd2

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

He's also a sexist, homophobic twat so... not that much of a shame.

To be fair, not done social media much recently, but just reading, yeah not a nice guy, a bit like Tipsy I suppose, has some rather "odd" matches from a betting viewpoint also like Tipsy from when he was younger. A tool I suppose.:(

The Suarez Navarro v Serena final?

RosyLily

What an anticlimax that was!!! Serena vs. Simona was more final-y that is. CSN still hasn't cracked how to win a set off her. Fingers crossed Novak/Andy is a more competitive affair.

Also have the fingers crossed for McGee!!:D

Absoluvely

McGee takes the first set 6 - 3.

Toilet break before the second set

squadro

Don't leave me this way.

Absoluvely

Gets the business done.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

McGee looking at being around 170 in the rankings after this.

Floppybits

Murray off to a good start here against djokovic

Floppybits

Oh spoke too soon djokovic just broke back in the next game.

squadro

Novak shouting at the crowd. Frightened the bejaysus out of the poor young fella with the towel.

Rjd2

Novak is an atg and will probably win this match, but at times, he comes across as pretty unpleasant.

Why couldn't Del Potro stay fit? He seemed so lovely.:(

RosyLily

Rjd2 wrote: »

Novak is an atg and will probably win this match, but at times, he comes across as pretty unpleasant.

Why couldn't Del Potro stay fit? He seemed so lovely.:(

Djokovic confuses me. Sometimes he seems really nice, joking on and off court. But he can be fiery in a bad way, kinda petulant.

Delpo, on the other hand, I love! Seems lovely and friendly. Somebody give him a Grand Slam!!!:D

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Djokovic used to be a right brat on the court. I remember him throwing fits and there were a number of questionable retirements from matches he was losing
He seemed to have a serious attitude around 2011 but occasionally the old Novak bubbles up.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

RosyLily wrote: »

Delpo, on the other hand, I love! Seems lovely and friendly. Somebody give him a Grand Slam!!!:D

He already has one.

RosyLily

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

He already has one.

I know.

Tough loss for McGee. Hope it's not the last final we see him in. Great breakthrough!

lostcat

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Djokovic used to be a right brat on the court. I remember him throwing fits and there were a number of questionable retirements from matches he was losing
He seemed to have a serious attitude around 2011 but occasionally the old Novak bubbles up.

In fairness to Djokovic, he did post an apology to the unfortunate ballboy who got between boris and him on youtube later on.

As someone who greatly admires the way he eventually pushed his way into the miniscule gap between fed and nadal, I would prefer if he kept a lid on his emotions a bit more, but is seems to just be part of his makup.

Murray, I thought, was pretty close last night, and might be a good shout for Wimbledon if he keeps up up his more attacking game.

Floppybits

Do you ever get the feeling that djokovic is paying with his opponents. It's like he gives them a sniff of a chance of beating him so they wear themselves out to win the set and are wrecked in the next set and can barely put up a challenge. He isn't doing this to just low ranking players, he is doing it to Murray as we saw the other night, he has done it to nadal and Federer as well.

lostcat

I really don't think that any of the top players feel that they can afford to toy with any opponent - even fed in his pomp would only try a very occasional trick shot when well on top in a match.

I have watched Djokovic a lot over the past seven or eight years, and he is a rather complicated individual. I'm not for a moment saying that Federer, Nadal etc. aren't, but they manage to conceal/control it on the court. Djokovic seems to have to go through at least one visible 'crises' per match, he lets the (usually biased) crowd get into his head, he has some real or imagined physical difficulty, he goes mentally walkabout for a couple of games, whatever.

He generally only seems to 'swing freely' either when his back is to the wall, or he has undergone and overcome some crises or other. The fact that when he does he is almost untouchable at the moment might lead one to ask 'why doesn't he play like this all the time?'. I don't know.

I think that against Murray, he has decided that he can physically and mentally outlast him in any given situation and that that is the safest way to win that particular matchup. He has been proven right lately, as Murray seems to have to redline his game to give himself a chance.

When playing Fed (Wimbledon last year being a case in point) he does attack far more, again mirroring his opponent. He seems to be able to play in an number of different ways depending on the opponent, which maybe his greatest strength.

On another matter, I would love to see the new 'serve and volley' Federer play Nadal soon, but the rankings seem to be keeping them apart.

yerwanthere123

Very happy for Andy & Kim, hope they have a long and happy life together

Rjd2

Some people have had the absolute nerve to suggest their may be doping in tennis and not enough been done to stop it.

Well hang your heads in shame, no name is to big.

http://www.itftennis.com/news/203481.aspx

9 April 2015 – London, ENGLAND - The International Tennis Federation announced today that Francois Trawalter has been found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (presence of a Prohibited Substance in a Player’s Sample).
Mr Trawalter, a 44 year-old wheelchair player from France, provided a urine sample on 29 August 2014 in association with his participation in the 2014 US Open USTA Wheelchair Championships event (the “US Wheelchair Open”) held in St Louis, USA. That sample was sent to the WADA-accredited laboratory in Montreal, Canada for analysis, and was found to contain furosemide, which is a Prohibited Substance under section S5 (Diuretics and Other Masking Agents) of the 2014 WADA List of Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods, and is therefore also prohibited under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (the “Programme”). Mr Trawalter was therefore charged with an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Programme.
Mr Trawalter asserted that the furosemide, for which he did not hold a valid TUE, had entered his system through his ingestion of a ‘water pill’, which he was prescribed by his doctor. The ITF accepted that Mr Trawalter had therefore established the source of the prohibited substance and the means by which it entered his system, and that he met the preconditions of Article 10.5 of the 2014 Programme (no fault or negligence, or no significant fault or negligence).
Mr Trawalter’s commission of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Programme was confirmed, and it was determined that he is suspended from participation for a period of eight months, back-dated to commence from 29 August 2014, and so ending at midnight on 28 April 2015. It was also determined that his results at the US Wheelchair Open should be disqualified, with resulting forfeiture of the ranking points and prize money that he won at those events.
The Tennis Anti-Doping Programme is a comprehensive and internationally recognised drug-testing programme that applies to all players competing at Grand Slam tournaments and events sanctioned by the ITF, ATP, and WTA. Players are tested for substances prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency and, upon a finding that an Anti-Doping Rule Violation has been committed, sanctions are imposed in accordance with the requirements of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme and World Anti-Doping Code. More background information on the Programme, sanctions, tennis statistics and related information can be found at www.itftennis.com/antidoping.

Read more at http://www.itftennis.com/news/203481.aspx#bPvvQ2rITJujduGA.99

yerwanthere123

Rjd2 wrote: »

Some people have had the absolute nerve to suggest their may be doping in tennis and not enough been done to stop it.

Well hang your heads in shame, no name is to big.

http://www.itftennis.com/news/203481.aspx

:pac::pac::pac:

Another big name caught!

yerwanthere123

Bit late to comment, but happy to see Kerber win in Charleston. Not only does she overturn her terrible start to the season, but she slightly improves her terrible record in finals. Would have been nice for Madison to win but she's got plenty of time yet to win big titles, and she'll probably win much more than Kerber will.

RosyLily

Looking forward to seeing how Madison's career will go. She's really talented and seems to have a good attitude. I hope she sticks with Davenport too.

Sania Mirza is the first Indian woman to reach No.1 - in singles or doubles. Great achievement! And she's only 28 - could keep going for another 6 or 7 years if she wanted to. Perfect start for her and Hingis this season, 3 titles from 3 tournaments. I'd like to see them play the Williams'.:)

yerwanthere123

Mirza has committed a big tennis faux pas though - getting to no.1 without winning a slam! The way she and Hingis are going though it probably won't be long

Floppybits

So the clay court season has kicked off this week with Monte Carlo. All the big guys are there except Murray. No surprises so far. Nadal crushed some guy from outside the top 100 in his first match yesterday. Today he plays isner which will be a big test for him and will I think give us an idea of where he is at coming towards the french open. I think nadal really needs to win today to build up the confidence for the french.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I hate the clay.

RosyLily

I think it's great that Nadal said he is nervous on court after coming back from injury. Not a lot of players would say that. Good to hear even the top guys suffer from nerves.:)

Will be interesting to see how he plays on clay. I wonder will Djokovic complete the career Grand Slam this year.

yerwanthere123

RosyLily wrote: »

I think it's great that Nadal said he is nervous on court after coming back from injury. Not a lot of players would say that. Good to hear even the top guys suffer from nerves.:)

Will be interesting to see how he plays on clay. I wonder will Djokovic complete the career Grand Slam this year.

I imagine he's just trying to lower expectations so that if he messes up he'll have an excuse to fall back upon. I fully expect him to win the French next month, as usual. Would love to be wrong though.

Should be interesting to see how Sharapova plays throughout the clay season, especially given her questionable health at the moment. I really hope she's not putting all her eggs in the French Open basket, cause I've a feeling that she could mess it up this year. Personally, I'd take an earlier exit at the French if it meant she'd go far at Wimbledon. I also hope she uses her brain and plays a grass warmup this year, but I don't think it's going to happen

RosyLily

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

I imagine he's just trying to lower expectations so that if he messes up he'll have an excuse to fall back upon. I fully expect him to win the French next month, as usual. Would love to be wrong though.

Maybe so. But you'd rarely hear them discuss nerves as a reason for a loss, especially in a average match. Some of Nadal's losses this year have been a bit, "Why is he losing to him." At least for me anyway...maybe I just expect him to win.:pac:

Ireland will host 3 ITF tournaments, according to some players on Twitter. Really exciting news!! Hopefully, in a few years time, we could get a main tour tournament.

Pighead

James McGee's excellent form in S. America continues with a win today in Sarasota. Beat Arguello to reach the quarter finals. He was 4-2 down in the 3rd set as well. Plays sixth seed Bagnis next. Hopefully he can reach another final.

Also that second set today between Ferrer and Simon was top class. The amount of running both men did was ridiculous. Simon edged it but used up all his energy in doing so and was easily bet in the third.

RosyLily

Brilliant set, I don't know how they kept going!! Ferrer especially seems to be able to run forever. Hopefully he isn't too depleted for his match tomorrow!

Fed Cup SFs start the weekend. Russia vs. Germany and Czech Republic vs. France. Was impressed by Mladenovic and Garcia in France's last tie against Italy.

Davis Cup QFs aren't til July....they seem to drag on. 4 month gap between the first round and QFs then SFs aren't til September. Would DC not consider reducing the number of countries in the World Group? Fed Cup only have 8.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Martina Hingis is playing singles in Fed Cup tomorrow against Radwanska. Might have to tune in for that.

Rjd2

Nadal v Ferrer again?:(:(:(

Floppybits

What happened to Federer yesterday? I havent had a chance to see any of Monte Carlo since Tuesday.

Rjd2

Floppybits wrote: »

What happened to Federer yesterday? I havent had a chance to see any of Monte Carlo since Tuesday.

Watched it in the background, Monfils was very good.

Not a huge shock, Monfils best surface and Rogers worst and of course it was in France.

yerwanthere123

Bouchard refused to shake hands at the Fed Cup again. Pretty dumb thing to do.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Bouchard refused to shake hands at the Fed Cup again. Pretty dumb thing to do.

It is such a bizarre thing to take such a strong stance over. Unless you have zero immune system and physical contact with another human being might kill you I really can see no logic for it.

I do feel she gets a lot of unnecessary stick for a lot of other things she says and does but I have no defense on this one, it's just weird and rude.

Stevecw

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Martina Hingis is playing singles in Fed Cup tomorrow against Radwanska. Might have to tune in for that.

Watching it here, she just lost the 1st set 6-4 to Aga Radwanska. Playing well though for someone who hasn't played singles in so long.
Great to see her play again, feels like going back in time!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Stevecw wrote: »

Watching it here, she just lost the 1st set 6-4 to Aga Radwanska. Playing well though for someone who hasn't played singles in so long.
Great to see her play again, feels like going back in time!

She could probably make top 10 easily if she came back to singles full time.

Stevecw

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

She could probably make top 10 easily if she came back to singles full time.

Getting outplayed a bit here now in 2nd set, but I reckon if she was back full time she'd get very close to top 10 anyway. Such a pity she didn't come back to singles at same time as doubles.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Dulgheru beat Bouchard in straight sets then did a fake handshake celebration with her team. Amazing.

RosyLily

^:D

I know this question has probably been asked before but why doesn't Bouchard shake hands?

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

RosyLily wrote: »

^:D

I know this question has probably been asked before but why doesn't Bouchard shake hands?

Her reasoning seems to be that because she doesn't actually wish her opponent well before she plays them that to shake hands and say good luck or whatever would be fake and lying. I mean.... If that's how she feels that's how she feels but, as I said before, it's such an odd thing to take such a strong stance over. It's just a traditional thing to do before a match. Dulgheru said in her presser after that it motivated her more to win and that she felt Bouchard's stance on the handshake went against everything Fed Cup stands for. Which is hard to argue with.

A couple of other players have been re tweeting the gif of Dulgheru's celebration and applauding her for it. Bouchard not doing herself any favours at all.