Tennis, anyone?

[texasdave]

Roland Garros was rocking, and it was shaping up to be an epic five-setter between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, when Alcaraz's right leg started cramping up on him. End of epic five-setter. Carlos bravely hobbled on, but had no chance after that. Djokovic is on to the finals. 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 and 6-1. There had been some great tennis played up until Carlos Alcaraz ran smack into that bad break.

[Boston Red]

I'm glad Djokovic is going to win, but it's not the same without Federer and (especially) Nadal.

[Bob Sheed]

Or McEnroe.

[Boston Red]

Ruud came out smoking, and it looked like it was going to be a real battle, but Novak rose to the challenge. Straight sets winner and now all time grand slams leader.

[texasdave]

The G.O.A.T., Novak Djokovic, adds another slam. 24 and counting. He is the only member of the 3 Career Slam Club, showing his versatility. Novak shows no signs of slowing down either, having won 7 of the last 10 slams in which he was eligible to play in.

[Boston Red]

The guy can't be human. Amazing. One more to dethrone Margaret Court.

[Sea Ray]

The G.O.A.T., Novak Djokovic, adds another slam. 24 and counting. He is the only member of the 3 Career Slam Club, showing his versatility. Novak shows no signs of slowing down either, having won 7 of the last 10 slams in which he was eligible to play in.

He's also missed out on tournaments due to the silly vax stuff

https://khelnow.com/tennis/2023-03-tennis-novak-djokovic-list-tournaments-missed-covid-19-unvaccinated-status

[oregonred]

Or McEnroe.
Or Jimmy Connors and Yannick Noah

[Boston Red]

ESPN selecting the "Moderna Shot of the Day" for Djokovic was pretty amusing.

[Redsfaithful]

There were fears the Western and Southern Open would be leaving Cincinnati for Charlotte after the tournament was sold to a Charlotte billionaire, but it will be staying. $200 million in renovations incoming and the tournament will move to 2 weeks in 2025. It's always been up there but this will cement the tournament as one of the premiere tournaments in the world.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/2023/10/10/western-and-southern-open-not-moving-charlotte-staying-cincinnati/71128845007/

Western & Southern Open staying in Cincy, announces news with Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff


The Western & Southern Open tennis tournament is staying in Mason, Ohio.

Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff, the 2023 champions, announced the news in a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, Tuesday.

"Your wonderful tournament is staying in Cincinnati," Djokovic said in the clip.

...

More than $200 million is being invested into improving the Lindner Family Tennis Center, where the tournament has been played since 1979, the two champions said in the video.

"Cincinnati will forever be special to me," Gauff, who became the first teenager to win the tournament in over 50 years, said.

In 2025, the tournament will also expand to two weeks of competition for both men and women.

The tournament's Cincinnati future was in question after the city council in Charlotte, North Carolina, voted to move forward with a proposed $400 million, 40-court tennis complex in hopes of winning over tournament owner Beemok Capital and bringing the event to the state.

[Sea Ray]

I'm amazed they managed to save it but great news for suburban Cincinnati. Good work done by the power brokers of that area and Columbus

[Roy Tucker]

I'm amazed they managed to save it but great news for suburban Cincinnati. Good work done by the power brokers of that area and Columbus

When I first of the potential move to Charlotte, I thought it was a foregone conclusion. But after talking to a few Mason higher ups recently, they told a story of local, regional and state governments really doing a great job in formulating a world class response to keep it here.

[Sea Ray]

When I first of the potential move to Charlotte, I thought it was a foregone conclusion. But after talking to a few Mason higher ups recently, they told a story of local, regional and state governments really doing a great job in formulating a world class response to keep it here.

Love hearing that. Thanks for the inside scoop

[Todd Gack]

When I first of the potential move to Charlotte, I thought it was a foregone conclusion. But after talking to a few Mason higher ups recently, they told a story of local, regional and state governments really doing a great job in formulating a world class response to keep it here.

Great news for the region!

[texasdave]

It has been since 2006, that a US man made the finals of the US Tennis Open. It has been even longer since one won a Grand Slam Final. Andy Roddick is the player that accomplished both, making the finals in 2006, and winning one in 2003.

That could all change this year as the US male contingent is assured a place in the finals this year. Fritz Taylor and Frances Tiafoe are squaring off in one semifinal match.

[Boston Red]

It's Taylor Fritz. Pretty cool stuff. Could have an American woman in the finals as well. Emma Navarro is already in the semis and Jessica Pegula is still alive (with a tough QF against Swiatek tonight).

[M2]

It has been since 2006, that a US man made the finals of the US Tennis Open. It has been even longer since one won a Grand Slam Final. Andy Roddick is the player that accomplished both, making the finals in 2006, and winning one in 2003.

Staggering to realize it's been that long. I'm mildly surprised John Isner never served his way into a GS final, but the best he did was a Wimbledon semifinal in 2018.

[Ky Fried Redleg]

Staggering to realize it's been that long. I'm mildly surprised John Isner never served his way into a GS final, but the best he did was a Wimbledon semifinal in 2018.

I might be wrong but wasn't Isner one of the guys in that incredible match that went on forever ?

[Boston Red]

Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic are going to play doubles together at a tournament in Australia this month. Now THAT's a pairing of some interesting characters.

[texasdave]

The Kings are dead. Long live the Kings!

It appears as if the long reign of the three-headed tennis monster is over. It's becoming increasingly apparent that there any number of new sheriffs in town. Djokovic retired due to injury for the second time in the last four grand slams. Old age is undefeated. The Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era was most impressive, but all things must pass. I, for one, am going to miss it.

Trivia Note: No US man has won a GS title in tennis since 2003.

[Kingspoint]

The Kings are dead. Long live the Kings!

It appears as if the long reign of the three-headed tennis monster is over. It's becoming increasingly apparent that there any number of new sheriffs in town. Djokovic retired due to injury for the second time in the last four grand slams. Old age is undefeated. The Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era was most impressive, but all things must pass. I, for one, am going to miss it.

Trivia Note: No US man has won a GS title in tennis since 2003.

Djokovic managed to beat Carlos, though.

[Redsfaithful]

Trivia Note: No US man has won a GS title in tennis since 2003.

Sinner feels unstoppable but I think Shelton or Fritz might break through soon. I think Tommy Paul is good enough to win one also if he got hot enough for two weeks.

I'm also really intrigued by the US youth coming up - Michelsen (20), Tien (19), Basavareddy (19) are all worth watching.

[Redsfaithful]

Zverev sucks out loud every time he makes a final. So boring.

Sinner is amazing though - only dropped two sets the whole tournament. Feels like Alcarez is the only guy right now who has any kind of chance against him on a hard court.

Also, have to mention it was really cool to see Madison Keys win her first major 16 years after turning pro.

[Kingspoint]

Zverev sucks out loud every time he makes a final. So boring.

Sinner is amazing though - only dropped two sets the whole tournament. Feels like Alcarez is the only guy right now who has any kind of chance against him on a hard court.

Also, have to mention it was really cool to see Madison Keys win her first major 16 years after turning pro.

Gotta give this a "Like".

[Boston Red]

Venus Williams is going to play Indian Wells in a couple of weeks. That's pretty wild. I was pretty sure she was done. She's 44.

[Kingspoint]

Venus Williams is going to play Indian Wells in a couple of weeks. That's pretty wild. I was pretty sure she was done. She's 44.

With Rafa not there anymore, she's going to be the big draw.

[Redsfaithful]

Venus might play forever, I think she thinks of it like we would think of a USTA league. It's a hobby. And she probably still gets appearance fees to boot.

[Boston Red]

I guess Indian Wells forgot to tell Venus that she was playing in the event. So it turns out she's not. Kind of bizarre, but oh well.

[Kingspoint]

Venus might play forever, I think she thinks of it like we would think of a USTA league. It's a hobby. And she probably still gets appearance fees to boot.

Brandon Phillips won't stop being in the middle of baseball. Love his joy of the game.

[westofyou]

Tennis was so huge 40 years ago, new courts everywhere... a lot of courts in my neighborhood are being converted to Pickleball Courts. Why the decline in popularity for the masses? Pickleball easier, more willing partners, decline in US tennis celebrities and US dominance internationally?

I ask this as someone who pays zero attention to pro tennis beyond the headlines and an occasional article

[Boston Red]

So many more people are capable of playing pickleball passably because it's not nearly as physically demanding. After playing pickleball for a number of years, anytime I go out to hit the tennis ball around with my sons I'm kind of startled by the size of a tennis court.

If you play with/against, the right folks, you can get a fantastic workout playing pickleball. And if you play with a different crowd, you won't even break a sweat on an 80 degree day. But it's pretty easy to throw together a group of 16 people to play a pretty competitive "ladder" session in pickleball. You'll search for months to find a similar group for tennis.

The junior circuit for tennis seems to be very active and healthy from my perspective. Granted, I don't know what it was like 25-30 years ago, but there are a lot of tournaments being played with a lot of very talented juniors. Not sure how that will translate to the US's place on the world stage in the game, but I'm confident tennis isn't dying or anything silly like that people might believe.

[Redsfaithful]

Juniors programs in central Ohio are all full with wait lists and new tennis/pickleball centers are being built, which is pretty unheard of for the last 20 years. I don't know if it's playing out like this in the rest of the country, but there's a fair amount of synergy here between the two.

Tennis is doing fine though, in nice weather in the evenings in central Ohio you're waiting around at any courts you'd consider medium traffic and up. Tennis centers are all as full as I've ever seen them, and I've been playing and teaching for 25 years. That said, adult leagues seem about the same as they've always been, no real boom or drop-off that I've seen. You play in USTA leagues in central Ohio and you get used to seeing the same faces really quickly.

It can't really be overstated how much the killer feature for pickleball is that it's just so easy to pick up. It's like table tennis, you can have a good time even you're not trying to be good. The first time I played I was surprised there was not really a learning curve. I'm a 4.0 USTA player and I could plug right into 4.0-4.5 pickleball pretty much day one. Learning the rules was the hardest part.

Compare that to tennis where you're going to need a fair amount of work just to get to where you can play matches with rallies longer than a shot or two, there's just no comparison. It's a boom right now, just hope it's not a bubble. I'm a big fan of adults being more physically active with low stakes athletics, it's really good for people.

Oh last thing, I think pro tennis is going to take a hit in general interest for a little bit with the big 3 and Serena all retiring. But I'm not sure that pro tennis has been a driver for rec tennis participation in the US for a long time.

[Redsfaithful]

My next big name to pay attention to is Joao Fonseca. Huge power, very entertaining.

[Boston Red]

Seeds dropping like flies at Wimbledon early on. Wonder if that will give an opening for a young gun like Fonseca to go deep (or even pull off the unthinkable). On the women's side, the latest to catch my eye is Katie Volynets (the name definitely was part of what made me start to follow her). She's a relatively young (I think 23 is relatively young on the women's side again) American who's into the second round after a tough three setter in the first round. She was set to be matched up with Pegula in round two, but she seemingly got a break with Pegula going down to a woman outside the top 100. But careful what you wish for, I suppose. We'll see tomorrow morning.

I'm also a Raducanu fan. Would love to see her recapture some of her old magic. She beat up on a poor teenage fellow Brit making her first Grand Slam appearance as a wildcard in round one. Much taller task today against Vondrousova.

[Ky Fried Redleg]

Seeds dropping like flies at Wimbledon early on. Wonder if that will give an opening for a young gun like Fonseca to go deep (or even pull off the unthinkable). On the women's side, the latest to catch my eye is Katie Volynets (the name definitely was part of what made me start to follow her). She's a relatively young (I think 23 is relatively young on the women's side again) American who's into the second round after a tough three setter in the first round. She was set to be matched up with Pegula in round two, but she seemingly got a break with Pegula going down to a woman outside the top 100. But careful what you wish for, I suppose. We'll see tomorrow morning.

I'm also a Raducanu fan. Would love to see her recapture some of her old magic. She beat up on a poor teenage fellow Brit making her first Grand Slam appearance as a wildcard in round one. Much taller task today against Vondrousova.

My mom, stepdad, sister and myself used to go to Tennessee for about 10 or 12 days over the Fourth of July. We'd stay at a condo by the lake and have a good ol' time every year there. One thing I remember about that vacation is that I would always tune in to Wimbledon and watch hours and hours of tennis. McEnroe, Borg, Connors, Lendl, Becker, Man... good times.

[Roy Tucker]

My mom, stepdad, sister and myself used to go to Tennessee for about 10 or 12 days over the Fourth of July. We'd stay at a condo by the lake and have a good ol' time every year there. One thing I remember about that vacation is that I would always tune in to Wimbledon and watch hours and hours of tennis. McEnroe, Borg, Connors, Lendl, Becker, Man... good times.

Around that time (mid-late 70’s) when it was a big deal to televise Wimbledon live, I’d have a Bloody Mary breakfast party. I’d cook up a big bowl of scrambled eggs with lots of peppers and onions and we’d watch the matches (my buddies and whoever my main squeeze at the time was). Sometimes we’d drink ouzo shots too. Pass out around noon. Good times.

[Boston Red]

Watching a bit of Zakharova vs Yastremska. It's my preferred way for Russia and Ukraine to do battle.

[Roy Tucker]

Because I wondered how bad my memory was, I looked it up.


NBC began televising Wimbledon live with its "Breakfast at Wimbledon" specials in 1979 for the men's rounds and in 1982 for the women's rounds. Prior to this, coverage was typically tape-delayed.
The concept of "Breakfast at Wimbledon" was introduced by then-NBC Sports executive producer Don Ohlmeyer and associate producer Bob Basche. They convinced NBC executives to air live coverage of the tournament early in the morning (Eastern Time) to accommodate the time difference with the UK. The program name and opening theme were also created to make the coverage appealing to American audiences.
While NBC had been broadcasting Wimbledon since 1969, it was largely with same-day taped coverage. The shift to live coverage for the finals (and eventually more rounds) marked a significant change in how Wimbledon was presented to US viewers.

[Ky Fried Redleg]

Around that time (mid-late 70’s) when it was a big deal to televise Wimbledon live, I’d have a Bloody Mary breakfast party. I’d cook up a big bowl of scrambled eggs with lots of peppers and onions and we’d watch the matches (my buddies and whoever my main squeeze at the time was). Sometimes we’d drink ouzo shots too. Pass out around noon.Good times.


I bet you were quite the ladies man back in the day ...

[Redsfaithful]

The curfew situation needs some common sense introduced, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz have both gotten screwed by it now.

[Roy Tucker]

I bet you were quite the ladies man back in the day ...

Not really lol. I was a serial monogamist. One time when I feeling all full of myself, I tried “seeing” 2 girls. They found out about it pretty quickly. They both booted my butt out and they became friends.

[Ky Fried Redleg]

Not really lol. I was a serial monogamist. One time when I feeling all full of myself, I tried “seeing” 2 girls. They found out about it pretty quickly. They both booted my butt out and they became friends.

Well, it's nice that you helped add some new friendship to the world. The world needs more good guys like that .

[Boston Red]

Sinner might have been cooked, but Dmitrov tore a pec up two sets.

[RedTeamGo!]

I haven't watched tennis in a few years - does Shelton have a chance against Sinner?

[Boston Red]

Sinner should have lost to Dmitrov. Shelton definitely has a shot.

[MWM]

I haven't watched tennis in a few years - does Shelton have a chance against Sinner?

Not if Sinner is healthy

[Redsfaithful]

Shelton has actually beaten him h2h before, in the fall of '23.

Sinner beat him at Wimbledon last year 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (11-9).

Very tough obv if Sinner is healthy, but worth watching. Shelton would really need to have a flawless day serving.

[Boston Red]

Well, Shelton was awful in the first set tiebreak. That's not helpful.

[RedTeamGo!]

welp, 2 sets down - he is done

[Boston Red]

Djokovic keeps delaying the final end of the big 3 era. Pretty amazing, but I don't think he can beat Sinner or Alcarez. Much less both of them in back to back matches.

[MWM]

Anisimova got to match point and just couldn't hit a shot. You can see them tighten up. Maybe she'll still pull it off.

[Boston Red]

She's done it now!

And she hit some FANTASTIC shots in that last game.

[MWM]

Yeah, she regrouped well. Glad to see an American in the final.

[Boston Red]

A fantastic day of tennis planned at Wimbledon today. Hate that I have to work. Hopefully Fritz can win this second set to keep this first match interesting.

And right on cue...

[Boston Red]

Fritz had two set points in the 4th set. Had every chance to get it to a 5th set. Oh, well.

Cheering for Novak in the nightcap.

[Redsfaithful]

Hoping we get a rematch of that French final myself.

[Boston Red]

If this beating continues apace, Novak may consider retirement.

[Boston Red]

Father Time remains undefeated. Are Alcaraz and Sinner going to have an era all to themselves? Or will someone jump up to join them like Djokovic came out of nowhere to join Federer and Nadal at the top of the sport.

[texasdave]

Cheating dog Sinner blasts Djokovic. Too bad.

[Boston Red]

I guess Indian Wells forgot to tell Venus that she was playing in the event. So it turns out she's not. Kind of bizarre, but oh well.

This time for REAL for Venus.

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/45717585/venus-williams-45-accepts-wild-card-invitation-dc-open

[Boston Red]

Getting double bageled in the finals is rough.

[MWM]

Tough day for Anisinova. But when Swiatek is on her game, she’s as close to unbeatable as anyone in the world right now.

[RedTeamGo!]

Yikes dawg

[MWM]

Can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a slam final….maybe Federer vs Nadal in the 2017 Aussie final.

[Dom Heffner]

Yawner. Alcaraz showed up and then left early. What a disappointment.

[Boston Red]

I watched from a pub in Rome with my son. Tons of fun because the whole bar was going crazy for Sinner.

[Redsfaithful]

Yawner. Alcaraz showed up and then left early. What a disappointment.

Sinner definitely learned from the last one.

Anyone else planning on going to the Cincinnati Open? Expanding to a 12 day, 96 player draw this year. I like the name change back to Cincinnati Open also.

[Kingspoint]

No Cincinnati Open reports?

[plantmanky]

No Cincinnati Open reports?

My Dad said new facilities suck, Tournament sucks now, its too big. Hes been going since the 80's. Says its too corporate now.

[Kingspoint]

My Dad said new facilities suck, Tournament sucks now, its too big. Hes been going since the 80's. Says its too corporate now.

That's too bad.

[MWM]

My Dad said new facilities suck, Tournament sucks now, its too big. Hes been going since the 80's. Says its too corporate now.

It was either that or it was moving to Charlotte and there wouldn't be one at all. Haven't seen the facilities and the plan was to make it an even bigger event than it was.

[Reds Freak]

My Dad said new facilities suck, Tournament sucks now, its too big. Hes been going since the 80's. Says its too corporate now.

Interesting. Everything I've heard has been rave reviews.

[goreds2]

Umpire scolds Emma Raducanu for asking her to address crying baby in the stands at Cincinnati Open


Raducanu paused play and appeared to ask the chair umpire to address the situation. The umpire's initial response wasn't audible on the broadcast, but prompted Raducanu to respond:

"It's been, like 10 minutes."

The umpire, perplexed, chided back:

"It's a child," she said. "Do you want me to send the child out of the stadium?"

Raducanu didn't have to answer. A round of yeses emanated from the stands in support of the idea. Raducanu just smiled and gestured toward the voices in the stands who supported her.

I can call in," she said. "But we need to continue for the moment."

This drew a round of applause from the stands, and Raducanu continued with her serve and scored a point as Sabalenka failed to hit a volley over the net.

Sabalenka ultimately held to win the match, 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) and the third-round prize money of $60,400 that came with advancing to the fourth round.

It wasn't clear how the issue of the crying baby was resolved.


https://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/breaking-news/article/umpire-scolds-emma-raducanu-for-asking-her-to-address-crying-baby-in-the-stands-at-cincinnati-open-180401703.html

[Ky Fried Redleg]

Umpire scolds Emma Raducanu for asking her to address crying baby in the stands at Cincinnati Open


https://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/breaking-news/article/umpire-scolds-emma-raducanu-for-asking-her-to-address-crying-baby-in-the-stands-at-cincinnati-open-180401703.html

Tennis players have to be the worst damn babies on the planet. All they do is whine about something. Always been that way. Probably felt entitled since they were young kids.

- - - Updated - - -


My Dad said new facilities suck, Tournament sucks now, its too big. Hes been going since the 80's. Says its too corporate now.

Like everything is nowadays.

[Roy Tucker]

My Dad said new facilities suck, Tournament sucks now, its too big. Hes been going since the 80's. Says its too corporate now.

We know some people involved in setting up the new tournament and it was a flat-out sprint this year to get ready with all the new facilities. They have it working but there were a lot of things that got tabled till after the 2025 tournament.

[Kingspoint]

If someone has a crying baby they need to leave. No player should have to put up with that crap, nor any other fan in attendance.

[Redsfaithful]

I go every year, it's 100% fine for people to bring kids and babies in, but they should be walking back out the minute they start having any problems. Putting everything else aside, it's always incredibly awkward when people do this kind of stuff. I've never understood how someone could be so oblivious.

[plantmanky]

My dad said a worker died at the tennis event in Cincy.

[Boston Red]

The Medvedev situation got a bit nuts last night at the US Open. Hard to believe the Bonzi guy recovered to win the 5th set after wasting match point in the 3rd and losing 6-0 in the 4th after that debacle with the photographer, Medvedev and the crowd.

[Boston Red]

Venus's second set last night was magic. Imagine winning a set against the #11 seed at 45 years old. Amazing.

The third set was predictable, but it doesn't detract from what happened in that second set.

[Boston Red]

The Townsend second set tiebreaker i just watched was absurd. Lost 15-13. She's lost 8 match points headed to the third set. Would be a real heartbreaker if she loses the third.

[MWM]

I just don't see how anyone can beat Jannik Sinner. Go for broke every shot and hope you're getting them in is probably the only chance for anyone other than Alcaraz. Sinner just doesn't seem human.

[Boston Red]

Not wrong. Bublik was absolutely terrible tonight, though. At least for the first two sets. I switched to football.

[MWM]

Not wrong. Bublik was absolutely terrible tonight, though. At least for the first two sets. I switched to football.

Same. Turned it off 2-10 in the 2nd.

[texasdave]

Novak Djokovic ends Taylor Fritz's US Open run in 4 sets to advance to the semis. If not for the emergence of Sinner and Alcarez, the 38-year-old would no doubt adding to his 25 major tournament victories. He just took out the 4th seed, but has the 2nd-seeded Alcaraz in the semis. If he somehow gets past Alcaraz, the top-seeded Sinner will in all likelihood be waiting.

How is Djokovic a 7-seed? Aside from the top 2 seeds, I would pick him over anyone else, especially with a major title on the line.

[MWM]

He doesn't play hardly any events any more, so he doesn't get the ranking points.

[MWM]

This Osaka - Anisimova match has been high quality so far.

[texasdave]

Why does men's tennis seem to follow form a lot more closely than women's tennis?

[Boston Red]

Why does men's tennis seem to follow form a lot more closely than women's tennis?

It's interesting in that it used to be the opposite, but there are just no dominant women right now. A lot of really good ones but no one dominant. On the other hand, we had a long era where Nokak, Roger and Rafa were just far and away better than everyone else, and we somehow perfectly timed the end of that era with the rise of Alcaraz and Sinner who are both on another planet compared to everyone else.

[Kingspoint]

Alcaraz and Sinner have had the end of Jokovic (and kind of the end of Nadal), but now they need a new 3rd dominant player to rise from the rest of the pack.

[Boston Red]

Alcaraz was fantastic yesterday, and Sinner was just a bit off his game (other than in a short spurt in the middle of the second set). Looking forward to watching these two duke it out many more times over the next decade.

[MWM]

I think Alcaraz looked pretty much unstoppable this whole tournament, so I think he was the probable winner regardless. But at some point in the second set with FAA in the semi, something happened with Sinner and he looked to be laboring the rest of that match. I was actually impressed he regrouped and won that match. But I figured he didn't have much chance in the final after that. If either of these guys is event a few percent off, they're going to get beat by the other. It sure is fun watching them.

[Boston Red]

I just read a rather baffling article in the Athletic complaining about yesterday's "Battle of the Sexes" in Dubai. Who on earth could possibly have been surprised at the result and truly thought it said something about the quality of women's tennis? Are there idiots who really think the top women can compete with the average professional men's tennis player? I generally prefer the women's game (maybe not when it's Sinner against Alcaraz, but other than that), but that's largely because the men are TOO good and hit the ball TOO hard. Those constant quick points and one-trick pony servebots can make for a pretty boring game. The fact that professional men are better than professional women doesn't take anything away from the women's game and isn't the least bit surprising other than to the truly delusional.

[Sea Ray]

I just read a rather baffling article in the Athletic complaining about yesterday's "Battle of the Sexes" in Dubai. Who on earth could possibly have been surprised at the result and truly thought it said something about the quality of women's tennis? Are there idiots who really think the top women can compete with the average professional men's tennis player? I generally prefer the women's game (maybe not when it's Sinner against Alcaraz, but other than that), but that's largely because the men are TOO good and hit the ball TOO hard. Those constant quick points and one-trick pony servebots can make for a pretty boring game. The fact that professional men are better than professional women doesn't take anything away from the women's game and isn't the least bit surprising other than to the truly delusional.

To those of us who haven't been following this story, what happened? Give us a full report

[Boston Red]

Nothing really happened. Kyrgios, who is ranked #600 in the world currently (due to some injuries) but is certainly a much better than #600 talent, beat world #1 Sabalenka 6-3, 6-3. The event was a bit of a circus, as these things obviously are (BJ King vs. Bobby Riggs was clearly a circus), but otherwise nothing crazy happened. They set up some rules to even things out a bit (only allowed one serve per point, Sabalenka's side of the court was 9% smaller), but the writer acted like Sabalenka losing was some sort of damning event for women's tennis. Silliness.

[Sea Ray]

I would think it would be demeaning for the female to play under different rules...and then lose. Sure, no one's surprised that male tennis pros are better than the females but why would anyone need to see it proven in such demeaning fashion?

[Boston Red]

There was nothing demeaning about it. They used the rules to even it out and make it a contest, and it was relatively close. Sabalenka and Kyrgios each got paid handsomely. Yay.

[Boston Red]

Just commandeered the office kitchen TV and had a crowd for the last few games of the Djokovic/Sinner match. What a comeback and enormous win for Djokovic. If he beats Alcaraz on Sunday, he should immediately retire.

[Kingspoint]

Has Alcaraz dropped a set?

[Redsfaithful]

Just went 5 in the semifinal.

[Boston Red]

If Alcaraz had not been pushed so hard in the semis, I would think Novak would have no shot. But it may be tough for Alcaraz to recover so quickly coming into tomorrow's match.

I'm going to set an alarm clock, but I'm not sure I'll be able to drag myself out of bed. Could be an epic match.

[Redsfaithful]

Sure sounded like this is Novak's last year. Tennis is going to be really weird with all of the Big 3 gone.

[Reds Freak]

I'm just a casual tennis fan so this might be common knowledge but it's wild to me that the last time someone not named Alcarez or Sinner to win a grand slam was 10 tournaments ago. And an American male hasn't won one since Andy Roddick in 2003.

[Boston Red]

Sinner losing today may be one of the greatest upsets in tennis history. Particularly when you consider he was up 2 sets and one game away from winning in the third (just read he was up 5-1 in the third; crazy!).

There's the opening Djokovic needed to have a shot at one last grand slam title.

[Boston Red]

But just saw that Djokovic plays Fonseca next. THAT should be a fun one.

[texasdave]

Sinner losing today may be one of the greatest upsets in tennis history. Particularly when you consider he was up 2 sets and one game away from winning in the third (just read he was up 5-1 in the third; crazy!).

There's the opening Djokovic needed to have a shot at one last grand slam title.

The last 3 sets went 5-7 1-6 1-6 for Sinner, meaning the top-ranked tennis player in the world dropped 18-20 games to an unranked opponent. The odds of me marrying Sidney Sweeney are shorter than that.

[Boston Red]

Not surprisingly, it seems Sinner was defeated more by the weather than Cerundolo.

[Redsfaithful]

The last 3 sets went 5-7 1-6 1-6 for Sinner, meaning the top-ranked tennis player in the world dropped 18-20 games to an unranked opponent. The odds of me marrying Sidney Sweeney are shorter than that.

That unranked opponent is 56th in the world. It's nowhere near the biggest upset in tennis history. It's like an Ausar Thompson-type taking over a game and outplaying Jokic or whoever you think is the best NBA player for a stretch. Notable and weird but not that insane.

The more insane thing is that he collapsed up two sets and 5-1 but it happens. Probably more on clay than on other surfaces.

[Boston Red]

According to the WSJ, Cerundolo is the lowest-ranked player to topple world No. 1 at the French Open since 1998, when a Paraguayan named Ramon Delgado knocked off Pete Sampras.

[texasdave]

That unranked opponent is 56th in the world. It's nowhere near the biggest upset in tennis history. It's like an Ausar Thompson-type taking over a game and outplaying Jokic or whoever you think is the best NBA player for a stretch. Notable and weird but not that insane.

The more insane thing is that he collapsed up two sets and 5-1 but it happens. Probably more on clay than on other surfaces.

I never called it the biggest upset in tennis history. That was another poster. I said almost exactly what you said. But, whatever. You keep doing you.

[Boston Red]

Sinner had won 30 in a row and was up two sets and 5-1 in the 3rd. Biggest upset or not, I'd like anyone to find me a more stunning result.

[Redsfaithful]

I never called it the biggest upset in tennis history. That was another poster. I said almost exactly what you said. But, whatever. You keep doing you.

Sensitive fella! I was just hopping into the conversation, never claimed you said that.

It's a surprising result, of course. But it does happen. Most people don't understand how good the 56th best player in the world is, it's not as big of a gap as people think. The media acts like it's a single-A guy throwing a no hitter against the Dodgers.

[MWM]

Sensitive fella! I was just hopping into the conversation, never claimed you said that.

It's a surprising result, of course. But it does happen. Most people don't understand how good the 56th best player in the world is, it's not as big of a gap as people think. The media acts like it's a single-A guy throwing a no hitter against the Dodgers.

I get what you're saying, but in the current sport, I think you may be understating the level of upset. I'd be curious to see how many times in the last decade and top 2-3 player lost to a guy ranked in the 50s or lower in a slam. I bet it's incredibly small.

Ultimately, this is just more fuel for what the players have been preaching about the schedule being too much. Sinner won both Inidan Wells and Miami in March, playing 6 matches in each. And with the first round bye, those 6 matches are in about 10 days.

He then played, and won, in Monte Carlo, Mardid, and Rome. And that's been since mid-April. He played, and won, 17 matches over that stretch. His opponent today played only 6 matches in the clay court season. So it's not all that surprising given the heat and how much Sinner has played the last few months that he hit exhaustion. And it's not like he was up 5-4 in the 3rd set. He was mopping the floor with the guy and 1 game away from winning. I think with that as context, it's one of the most surprising results I can think of since I've been following tennis.

[Redsfaithful]

You guys are overdoing it a little, it's a very surprising result (shocking even, sure) and I said that, but my initial post was about someone saying "one of the greatest upsets in history" which just isn't accurate.

[Boston Red]

Fonseca/Djokovic is becoming a classic. Fonseca serving to rally from down two sets to tie it up and send it to a fifth set.

And this fifth set is absolute fire. 5-4 Novak. Both guys already with a break. Very few easy points.

Fonseca was unbelievable. If he plays the rest of the tournament like he played the last three sets, he'll win the title. Down a break point at 6-5 in the fifth, he responded with three straight aces to finish off Djokovic. Amazing.

[Redsfaithful]

Fonseca will win multiple majors I believe. With his power, anytime he gets hot for a couple of weeks he'll be in the mix.

[Betterread]

That unranked opponent is 56th in the world. It's nowhere near the biggest upset in tennis history. It's like an Ausar Thompson-type taking over a game and outplaying Jokic or whoever you think is the best NBA player for a stretch. Notable and weird but not that insane.

The more insane thing is that he collapsed up two sets and 5-1 but it happens. Probably more on clay than on other surfaces.
Thompson will only matchup with Jokic one v one because of a strategic mis-match. So he will never ever even be given a chance to “ outplay” jokic.

[ShyGuy]

It's a fun sport to play and still would prefer it over pickle ball. So be it my body can hold up.


Just is not my cup of tea to watch it though.

[Boston Red]

Serena is back. Was never a huge fan, but I'll certainly be cheering for her in her return. Cool story. I think it's great that she and Venus love the game so much and can't quit it.

[Sea Ray]

Serena is back. Was never a huge fan, but I'll certainly be cheering for her in her return. Cool story. I think it's great that she and Venus love the game so much and can't quit it.

Hopefully it doesn't resemble Willie Mays as a Met or Steve Carlton as a Cleveland Indian. She's lost a lot of muscle on GLP-1

[Boston Red]

I think it could be a lot like Martina Navratilova. Navratilova was almost 50 when she won the mixed doubles title at the US Open. She played in the main draw at Wimbledon in singles for the last time in 2004 at 47 years old and won a first round match in the main draw.

Was just looking at Navratilova's Wiki page, and I knew her feats were impressive...but I had no idea she won 59(!) Grand Slam titles. Absolutely absurd. 18 singles, 31 doubles and 10 mixed doubles. Three mixed doubles titles in her 40s essentially playing as a hobby. No reason Serena couldn't win a couple of mixed doubles titles if she gets the right partner.

[Sea Ray]

I agree. If Serena sticks to doubles she could be fine

[Redsfaithful]

Serena is one of the greatest of all time in doubles. Probably the greatest after Martina?

23 doubles titles, 192–35 doubles record, 14 doubles Majors titles. And she only played doubles really for half her career, and mostly just the Majors. Never lost a Major doubles final.