2022 In Between Grand Slam Thread

yerwanthere123 · 07-06-2022 7:00pm

I'd wonder if she's under pressure to play when she's clearly not able. Having to retire after a few minutes of play today meant she obviously wasn't fit from the gun, so why was she out there in the first place?

Nevertheless I feel sorry for her, 19 years old and having to deal with unrelenting abuse from every internet oddball/Facebook commenter going.

squigglestrebor · 08-06-2022 12:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119170787#Comment_119170787

All for having the absolute gall to win a grand slam without dropping a set.

Girly Gal · 09-06-2022 12:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119169368#Comment_119169368

She's a huge draw now especially in Britain, so probably under pressure to show up even if unfit. The USO might well prove to be a once off, but, she doesn't deserve to be abused because her performances have dropped off.

She's already financially secure for life and has achieved more in her short career than all those trolls put together.

09-06-2022 1:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119178488#Comment_119178488

Yes she has cashed in with the sponsors so is financially set

But equally she has the worst ever performance of any post slam winner ever in the 9 months since the us open

She has been on the tour for a year now.

If she was any good at producing tennis results she wouldn't have any criticism

She makes ostapenko (who actually got to top 5 in the world post slam by producing other results) look like Steffi Graf in comparison

It's not like she's someone who lost their home and had family members killed in the Ukraine due to the despot that is Putin

She's a tennis player who got piles of sponsorship money because she won the us open and was appealing to the sponsors but hasn't remotely backed it up- the same would happen to anyone appearing in all these Nike and evian ads at the same time as being brutal on the court

The attitude from her "team" about completely going-against-the-grain coaching stuff in the light of said awful performance will just add to it obviously

And again if she had even gotten moderate results since there wouldn't be a problem

The fact that her ranking has actually gone up again to number 11 after the French open due to the inconsistency of other players just makes a mockery of the wta and winning a slam in the first place

She hasn't beaten anyone higher than 49 since the us open which is a long time ago now

Girly Gal · 09-06-2022 1:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119178693#Comment_119178693

Still doesn't mean she should be abused, she's probably trying her best, but, that might be her level right now. The USO was 3 or 4 weeks where she played well and anyone she played didn't even win a set, she can't help who she played or the ranking system. There's no way she should be top 20, it's an inflated ranking due to a good 3 week spell at the USO, take that tournament away she'd probably be around the 100 mark and be seen as a promising youngster (which she is), but, because she won the USO she's now judged to a much higher standard. This time last year hardly anyone knew of her, what she achieved was astonishing. She's still young enough to improve and become a legitimate top 20 player, I think that's probably her true level eventually when all the fuss around her eventually dies down. Will she win another slam, I would have my doubts on that, but, with the way the WTA has been over the last 5 or 6 years, literally anyone in the draw can win a slam, so I wouldn't rule her totally out of winning at least 1 more.

09-06-2022 1:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119178856#Comment_119178856

I'm sure that she doesn't manage any social media accounts as the agency would have people to do that tbh so whatever may be going on online she could avoid if she chooses to avoid it

Being honest it could have been "better" in a way for Raducanu if Fernandez won as she was the one who had the much harder run and actually beat the better players at the US Open and then Raducanu would have had less focus but obviously Raducanu beat her

But then again would have gotten less money rolling in so you can't have it both ways

Of course it will get harder in relative terms if points are lost as it goes on because then the player is more likely to face better players even in the initial rounds due to not being seeded whereas she is seeded now and not facing those players

09-06-2022 2:16pm

Shapo goes out in round one on grass in Stuttgart to ATP 61 Otte - not auguring well for his grass-court season.

It was two breakers tho it should be said - he wasn't beaten easily

Girly Gal · 09-06-2022 2:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119178939#Comment_119178939

It might well have been "better", but, she might never get to a slam final again, so might as well win it when she have the chance, as for Fernandez, she may well have had the tougher route, but, counts for little when she couldn't win the final. Fernandez may well go on to have a much better career than Raducanu, but, might never get a better opportunity to win a slam herself. It'll be interesting to see where both are in 5 years time!

poppy37 · 09-06-2022 6:05pm

Fernandez had been quietly getting on with climbing the rankings without any major headlines until she got injured in her quarter final with Trevisan. She should have retired from that match and indeed her father was urging her to retire from the player’s box and as a result she will miss Wimbledon and will be struggling to be fit for the US Open. She is a gutsy player, defended her title in Monterrey and has chalked up some good results. She has probably benefitted from less attention on her than Raducanu and also doesn’t have so many sponsorship obligations. Hopefully both are fit for the US Open.

sxt · 10-06-2022 4:03pm

Andy Murray beating tsitipas in straight sets in stuggart. That's embarrassing for #nextgen.

gmisk · 10-06-2022 4:22pm

Big win for Murray against Tsitsipas in Stuttgart Open! Nice to see some life in the old dog yet!

10-06-2022 5:29pm

Tsitsipas not exactly known as a grass court player - his record so far is pretty terrible on grass - even though if he bothered his game and physique should suit it.

He took a late wildcard entry to Stuttgart

3rd game on grass in 3 years for him today as no grass-court season in 2020 and he went straight to Wimbledon last year as a close grandparent died the day of the French Open final without playing any grass first and duly lost in the first round.

Whereas Murray has a long experience of grass to draw on.

It takes a number of years to learn how to play effectively on grass for most players and the pandemic regressed that missing a whole year of it and it being such a short season to begin with.

Even the some of the most renowned players like Sampras and Federer took yeas before they were competitive at Wimbledon (5 times there before they won 1). Sampras is quoted as hating it to start with.

Becker was an exception with his for-the-time huge serve.

Nasty Nick and Berrettini would be the favourites for this lowest of ATP-level tournaments (ATP 250)

Kyrgios and Murray up in the next round.

poppy37 · 10-06-2022 5:42pm

Is there anywhere to watch the Stuttgart Open? It doesn’t seem to be on Prime.

gmisk · 11-06-2022 4:14pm

Murray beats Kyrgios (as he tends to!)

poppy37 · 11-06-2022 4:44pm

Kyrios doing Kyrios things, warning, point penalty, game penalty and then tanking the rest of the match. What a waste of talent.

Berrettini surely favourite to win the final even after all his months out.

yerwanthere123 · 11-06-2022 5:30pm

You'd think Kyrgios might have had respect enough not to pull that sh*t in front of Murray who's he's been somewhat friendly with in the past, but apparently not. Didn't see the match but saw the handshake on Twitter and was wondering why it was somewhat cold.

Anyway, great week for Murray so far, would love him to push on and win the final. Also a great week for Berrettini, good to see him in a final after an absence.

poppy37 · 11-06-2022 7:33pm

Latest from Kyrios, I’m not saying he’s lying but you would be more inclined to believe him if he didn’t have a highlight reel of tanking matches.

yerwanthere123 · 11-06-2022 7:40pm

Since when has "black sheep" been a racial slur 🤔 Perhaps he's simply never heard of the idiom before and is now trying to play the race card.

Augme · 11-06-2022 8:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119189577#Comment_119189577

Would you shout you little black sheep at a black person?

yerwanthere123 · 11-06-2022 8:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119189815#Comment_119189815

No, but I wouldn't shout abuse at anyone anyway. And Kyrgios isn't black.

yerwanthere123 · 12-06-2022 4:02pm

Quite the story in Rosmalen, World #205 and wildcard Tim Van Rijthoven beats Medvedev in the final to win his first ATP title. Beat Fritz and FAA along the way too.

Girly Gal · 12-06-2022 4:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119192315#Comment_119192315

Great win for him, but, probably says more about the state of the men's game right now, that a journeyman beat some of the top players to win.

poppy37 · 12-06-2022 5:08pm

Medvedev new world number 1 tomorrow and beaten by the world 205, not a good look no matter how much he disliked grass.🙄🙄🙄🙄.

Berrettini beat Murray in 3 sets, Murray picked up an injury early in third set, looked like hip or maybe ab but I think it’s the opposite side to his mechanical hip.

12-06-2022 5:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119192432#Comment_119192432

it's the first ATP grass events of the year and to boot low-level 250s where none of the top players had been playing on the surface this year at all and mainly viewing it as a practice tune-in

the money or points in a single 250 make pretty much no difference to higher-ranked players

Queens and Halle (ATP 500) will see the players more acclimatised

It's quite the abrupt change from clay to grass that many find difficult to handle - especially the speed of some of the courts this week like in Stuttgart

if this guy gets a wildcard for Wimbledon he will be cleared out in no time

He (Van Rijthoven) was playing (along with Murray) in the challenger grass thing on in the UK last week and most likely practicing on grass since he finished there

This was Murray's best chance of an ATP Title, by quitting clay early he was focusing on grass ahead of the main tour players but eventually he met Berrettini who was coming back from injury doing the same thing

Girly Gal · 12-06-2022 6:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119192727#Comment_119192727

Medvedev is going to become world number 1( correct me if I'm wrong here), he got to the final, so had already played a few matches, so was in reasonable form and had adapted somewhat to the court speeds, he should have enough experience at this stage to beat a journeyman player who had already upset FAA, forewarned is forearmed and at that! I've no doubt Van Rijthoven will make little to no impact at Wimbledon if he gets a wildcard. Whatever way you look at it, it's poor from both Medvedev and FAA.

12-06-2022 6:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119192987#Comment_119192987

Medvedev has no record as a grass-court player and was just coming out of the clay court season

Wimbledon is his worst slam and that's considering that he's mocked as being a bad clay-court player

as said this is a just a tune up and a 250 that is of no significance in prize money or points (as one tournament)

the 500 events this week have literally over triple the prize money each with the winner getting 4 times what the winner today gets

this is not a case of 2 nobodies contesting an actual grand slam final like the US Open WTA

look at RG - 6 of the top 8 seeds made the quarter finals

whereas only 1 of the top 10 made the fourth round on the WTA

yerwanthere123 · 12-06-2022 7:09pm

I was wondering how long it would take for this to somehow be spun as criticism of the WTA. Didn't have to wait long 😂

Girly Gal · 12-06-2022 7:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119193064#Comment_119193064

It doesn't have anything to do with the WTA or grand slam level, he should be winning the likes of that match no excuses

12-06-2022 9:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119193277#Comment_119193277

Medvedev is sh1t on grass relative to his hard court skills which actually got him to number 1 (along with "other events") and always has been the case

The same way that someone like Sampras was world number 1 for a record (until last year) 6 year ends but was very poor on clay and never seriously challenged for a clay slam

it's also hardly been the smoothest year for Medvedev with him blowing the AO final, getting injured, undergoing surgery and only a couple of events back (just before the French Open so not exactly at the top of his game) and the whole Russian thing

it's more significant that this guy beat FAA than Medvedev for anyone actually judging the results with knowledge as he's a much better grass-court player even though he's a bit of a choker also as evidenced by all his final losses

in fairness this Dutch guy winning the 250 as an outsider is actually notable because it happens so rarely on the ATP, even in the lowest-level of tour events in contrast to....

That's the story - Medvedev being beaten a few weeks after injury on his worst surface after he was able to get to the final here without having to play anyone of note en route as it's such a minor tournament is not a real surprise at all

that's what makes it in some way a story but it being the first week of a very different surface transition to grass court tennis for the big players is a massive mitigation

dominatinMC · 13-06-2022 10:29am

For a world number 1, Medvedev has a fairly limited game. The guy is 26 years old now and hasn't adapted his game to clay or grass. One could argue that grass is a very specialist surface now, given it's limited window on the ATP circuit, but I still think his reliance on hard courts is a bit damning.

2022 In Between Grand Slam Thread

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