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Anything can be posted here! We'll talk about politics, some sports (football, basketball, & tennis), Movies, & TV! Posts framed w/ "***" are from other contribs.! - - - (- - - Comments - - -)
Current News: Djokovic def. Moutet in French Open 2nd Rd.! de Minaur & Menšík upset 2nd Rd.! ;-)
***Every X "the right" win the WH, you consider yourself t/b one of the top minds in politics (World). Is that correct @Kieran? When Trump wins, it's the result of poor strategies of the Dems. To your pt., that makes me a political servant when Biden & Obama won the WH! Is that correct? I debunked your fallacy vs President Obama. I challenged you to clarify your beloved Trump who has proved himself t/b nothing but a race baiting pimp in a country that is worried about turning brown w/i the next 5-10 yrs. I challenge you to show evidence of how someone w/ the mental ineptitude of a functioning imbecile is capable of being YOUR world leader. Trump has always been the beneficiary of his Nazi pappy, Fred who was on the same level w/ Hitler. It's your inability to understand another poster's views. Your views are simplistic extreme right-wing at best. You're incapable of seeing the other side b/c you're too closed-minded. When you called Obama stupid, that exposes you from ever being able to have a pol. discussion based on facts. I NEVER lie about what another poster says. I'm not built that way. It doesn't support my narrative.
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@Kieran, you have no clue the mentality of an American citizen who's 3rd gen. military Vet. Have you ever held a political office in the US? Have you served as civil servant? Have you ever taught school @ the university level? That's living life to its fullest. Sir, you have no clue what you're talking about. When it's all said & done, there's not gonna be a left or right, but can you live w/ the life you chose to live & if you're able t/b blessing to others. Otherwise you have been a spectator clinging to some hope that life is gonna reward you b/c of your political preference. There's nothing that Trump offers to you.
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I think Putin is kind of making a monkey out of Trump. His agreeing to almost nothing that Trump proposes is certainly a power play.
Trump has been bragging/insisting for months that if/when he got elected, he'd end the war in Ukraine in 1 day. To this end, he meets w/ Putin & his people twice B4 he ever meets w/ Zelenskyy, puts his thumb on the scale hugely in Russia's favor, promises Putin basically everything he wants, rewrites history to turn Zelensky into a dictator, & the instigator of the war, &, while he's at it, decides he'll extort some mineral resources from Ukraine for his trouble.
For all that Trump is prepared to push on the Russian side of the ledger. Russia doesn't ever agree to a full cease-fire. Trump doesn't like t/b shown up or told "no," & it seems like that's what Putin is doing, doesn't it?***
IDK why people are surprised again that Trump over-promised & he's now having to deal w/ the fall-out! When his actions are defended, they look > & > unhinged! Regret is on the minds of a lot of these Trump-ster, but that won't help us survive the rest of this very new term!
***What? That he’s trying to bring both sides together to talk, instead of spending billions of your $$'s to increase the fighting?
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I don't think that's quite the pt. I'm making. Trump has opened his arms wide to Putin, for yrs. But now it's not just the bromance. Trump has staked some of his political capital on ending that war, & Putin refuses to kiss him back, = though Trump has gift wrapped the pkg. I just wonder if the Prez will have the sense to be insulted. He's gen. pretty thin-skinned.
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But still we have to filter him, & see what he's doing. He's put an offer on the table & Putin rejected it. That wasn't unexpected. It's how people negotiate, although these are highest stakes. Putin has people behind him too, watching like hawks to see what he does. He was hardly going to immediately do what America insists upon. There's a next stage that follows, & that's also part of the filtering. ...Trump may surprise us - hopefully! Also hopefully he won't rise to the bait & feel insulted.***
***I think wood courts went up thru the 60s & = into the early 70s. Ken Rosewall was a bit of a "wood court specialist," I believe.***
ReplyDeleteWood court? Well I taught on it; really a gym floor @ a YMCA & YWCA back in the 70's! I only played a handful of matches in singles & dubs. on it! It was lightning fast needing supreme anticipation! One false move & you were done for the pt.!
***Yeah...so much for the ice water in his veins, huh? Borg lost that 4th set TB to McEnroe 18-16 @ the Wimbl. final in '80, famously.***
Borg's 1st horrible loss of a TB was back in the '76 USO Final vs Connors! OTTH, they split the 1st 2 sets, got into a 3rd set TB where Bjorn got to set pt.! He wasn't being as courageous as he became > later, just looping the ball back! I was screaming @ the TV, "you need to do >" as Connors was "tama-hawking" his shots going for it! Connors finally just took a 2 handed BH rip cross-court, clipping the sideline! Borg lost yet another TB, losing all heart going into the 4th set! This was his best chance, on clay to win the USO he still covets! He blew it!
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...I'm sorry to say TENNIS is a JOKE! I already fell off the game a bit due to the mindless aggression perpetrated on the game by both men & women! The drama going on in the news & behind the scenes w/ Jannik has to give us all pause! The players are openly talking about this = though a shady ruling & punishment finally came down! The drama continues! I long for the exhib./comp. of the World Invitat'l Tennis Classic where they took the top 4 men & women playing in all the disciplines partnering up making it possible for anyone to win the Grand prize! It was lazy tennis w/ chessboard play on clay back in the '70's! I'll take that over today's drek!
***Well, despite giving you a hard X (all in good fun), I somewhat agree. I mean, I sort of see our ("Western") culture in decline overall. I haven't decided as to whether this extends to tennis, but I think it is a valid perspective that the Big 3 were the 'final hurrah' of the Golden Age of OE tennis.
But...I'm excited about the new era. It's > interesting, IMO, than most of the long & overly drawn out last decade or so of the Big 3 era. We have 2 (poss. 3) young superstars who look like all-X >'s; we have a nice range of promising youngsters than we've had in 15+ yrs. Not to mention that over on the women's side, the new "biggish 3" is being disrupted by a 17-yo. So I think it's an exciting X to follow tennis.***
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Just glanced @ the draw & it was a massacre as 1/2 the women seeds "fell by the wayside in Miami!" They all play the same 'ball bashing' game so being seeded means lit'l to nothing! It's not surprising no 1 woman is dom. as the rankings have bounced all over the place for yrs.! The stability of 1 player leading the way for a 2-3 yrs. seems t/b over! I thought Iga'd brk. the cycle! I just don't watch enuf to care that much! If Osaka'd gain momentum I'd come back; m/b not! She's a mother! Few successfully get "all the way back" from that! Players like Court, Goolagong, Clijster, & a few others are rare athletes!
Finally chk'd in to see the men have had their version of a "seeded massacre!" So many "up & comers" being brought back to Earth! Alcaraz, Draper, Lehečka, & Rune; all gone in 2nd Rd.! It appears this w/b the new norm; make a final or 2, then crash & burn in early Rds. the following event! I'm not gonna cry for Shelton! Such a hotdog! My 91 yo Uncle absol. hates the "hand to the ear" crap! We're just old fashion! ANYWHO, surprisingly this Fonseca kid's holding up quite well! Impressive I guess! I've only seen highlites!
***Look @ McFly! Nobody gave Goffin a chance to Def. Alcaraz in the 2nd Rd. of Miami.***
ReplyDeleteThis isn't looking good! Carlos is losing his aura! Letting someone like Goffin to = compete w/ him shows a breakdown in his confidence! Is the pressure finally getting to him? I was gagged enough w/ upset of Daniil! Again the "Big 3" reign supreme avoiding many of these upsets that have become routine w/ today's elite! They're clearing the way for Djokovic to make the final if he can muster the desire! He already has 6 titles (Nadal 0)!
***Novak looking pretty hard to beat. This is the best he's looked all yr., m/b since '23.***
Very impressive! Musetti played well enuf! Novak was just on his game & by the end was lit. toying w/ him! Running down that lob-volley stealing pt. from Lorenzo took me back! I think Nole w/b ready for the clay season if he can get @ least 1 > match win under his belt!
***I think Novak smelled the blood as soon as so many seeded players went down. W/ that being said, Musetti's a good customer & >ly out there vs Novak to get some tennis lessons.
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I normally don't call any player who got to the top 20 range a disappointment, but that's exactly how I feel about Musetti. He still has X though.
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...Gasquet & Dimitrov are basically contemporary versions of players like Cliff Richey & Wotjek Fibak. The only people that know Richey & Fibak are stat nerds like myself or old guys like @Fiero425. Meaning, they w/b >ly forgotten shortly after they retire.
I think part of what makes Musetti a bit disappointing is that he plays beautifully - you want to see him on court in big matches b/c he's nice to watch. In a way, he's a bit of a baby Grigor & m/b'd end up w/ a similar career.
..Tennis' a sport that's centered on ATG's. While I have often used 6 Slams as a quick-&-easy cut-off for true >ness, I do include Andy Murray in that category. For me an ATG's > just a Slam win total - it's a player who was arguably the best player on tour, @ least for a X, & consistently 1 of the best for > a yr. or 2 (I'd put Andy over Courier). Why I consider Andy an ATG kind of comes down to the fact that, for a X, we talked about a Big 4. Even if we always knew that--aside from '16--it was a Big 3 or Big 3 + 1, Andy was remarkable in that he @ least made us think about whether or not he belonged w/ prob. the 3 >est players of the OE.
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Grigor thru. That was quite an intense last few games. He twisted his ankle in the TB, but pulled thru. The crowd was really for him.***
Very impressive & courageous effort by Grigor! He was lit. running on fumes; totally out of gas! Cerundolo's gonna remember blowing this!
***He might not remember it. He's had a few of those, & he hasn't learned yet.***
I'm in shock @ how decimated the men's draw has become! The path has been totally plowed to allow Novak's 100th title t/b a Masters-1000!
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***Zheng's too dense. Out there trying to play hardball w/ Saba. That's why she has a losing rec. vs her. The people who trouble Saba the > are folks who possess variety & can disrupt her rhythm, + it really helps to hold your serve.***
That's become the norm IMO! You have the ball bashing by both men & ladies w/ the elites able to weather the storm of the newcomers! If a player doesn't have a back-up game, there's nothing else that c/b done! The top men like Zverev, Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Ruud, & Rublev don't have a back-up game either! As a result, Novak @ almost 38 yo's still out-lasting them in rallies that are punishingly long!
***...'08-10 was still Fedal w/ Rafa taking the lead, & Novak & Andy a bit behind, esp. in '09-10. In '11 it was Novak jumping ahead w/ Rafa next, then "Fedray." '12 was the > bal. yr. of the Big 4, all 4 winning a Slam, but Novak being 1st among near =s. '13 was Rafa regaining the throne w/ Novak next, then Fedray a bit behind. '14 was Novak returning to 1st among =s, w/ Fedal behind, & then Murray slipping back. '15 was Novak's yr., w/ Roger & Andy a lap or 2 behind. '16 was Djoray, '17 was Fedal Redux, & Andy falling away...
ReplyDeleteIf '08-16 was the Big 4 Era, here are the top 10 players by GOAT pts. during that per. of X:
514 Djokovic
383 Nadal
323 Federer
268 Murray
85 Ferrer
83 Wawrinka
77 Del Potro
68 Berdych
GOAT pts. are imperfect, but they illustrate the pt.: There was a > >ger gap btwn. Andy & the pack, > the >ger 3 & Andy...during the X he was in his prime. The gap becomes larger when we look at their whole careers. But from '08-16, Andy most defin. was part of a "Big 4," of which Novak was the clear leader. Notice that the gap btwn. Nadal & Federer & Fed & Murray is about the same.
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Yeah, Matteo's BH's tragic. He went down in 3 sets to Fritz in QF!***
It's good enuf to keep him in pts.! Matteo's a throwback to my era of "Big Servers!" He mhb > successful if not for running into Novak again & again in Majors; their >gest meeting a 4 set victory for Novak @ '21 Wimbl. Final!
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It's been routine as Djokovic rolls over one of his many pigeons (Dimitrov) he's never lost to; not = a set IIRC! He's looking like the Novak of old; full of confidence & making a lot of 1st serves! Very impressive! Just beat the rain! If Nole wins tmrw., it w/b his 100th title, 73rd Big Title, & 41st Masters! The symmetry to his success is amazing! He's won 12 Majors early & 12 late, 4 X's winning 3 of 4 majors; early & late, then moving the recs. out of reach of anyone to brk.!
***Novak been eyeing that 100th title for a while now & he couldn't have an easier path to it. If he loses, it's on him, but I don't think he is letting this chance go. Weird thing that he w/b #2 in a race if he wins it. It tells > about the state of other players in top 10 > him.***
I think Novak's back again! He's serving well, his court movement is just as good, & his confidence has elevated! He's heaving air after long rallies, but he is almost 38 yrs. old! I can't imagine him being upset by this kid who has nothing to lose I guess! It's a huge moment for him! My blog s/b getting updated after Sunday's final! Novak 41st Masters, 73rd Big title, & 100th Title!
***Predictably, Novak got the brk. back after a slow start, but the kid doesn't show too many nerves for the occasion.***
Turned over to see end of the TB! IDK what went on earlier besides Novak dropping serve! He obviously got the brk. back, but not sure of his confidence! This kid doesn't look "SHOOK!" M/b another one of those situations where a kid upset The GOAT as RUNE & Khachanov have done to win a Masters over Novak!
***Novak's eyes bothering him, too. Sometimes it's the contacts. Mensik serving well, and has upped the 2nd serve pace, too. (He's got work to do on the 2nd, but it's doing OK tonight.) Yes, sometimes the kids have nothing to lose, and 19 is a pretty fearless age.***
I saw an online title mentioning an issue w/ his eyes! I didn't read it thinking just more click-bait to distract! He goes out in Str. sets dropping 3 TB's!
***Once Novak gets over the disap. of today, he'll remember that he didn't so much need to win this title, compared to how much he's playing a LOT >er > he has in ages, so he'll go into the clay season feeling pretty good, I should think.***
ITA! He got a nice workout & recovered some of his stamina! Even though he didn't necess. play any top players, he still looked sharp & his footwork was good! He didn't lose a set en route to yet another Masters Final @ 37+! I think if he gets a good draw in MC, gets some upsets to help out, he can acquire yet another milestone; his 3rd GM's!
***Nothing wrong w/ Rafa's resume. Or Roger's. Sure, Novak managed to hoover up a lot of everything, & >ly after his main comp. was past their 1/2-way marks. Sure, Novak is >. But it doesn't have t/b a 0-sum game. There was a lot of >ness in all of the Big 3...& there's also a reason that it took Novak so long to catch up.***
ReplyDeleteI had to "go there" since you referenced Miami being a "Latin Slam!" I go hard on both Fedal as I see Novak not getting his due = now! That's so disrespectful to any player @ the top like him giving credit to a lack of comp.! Sampras has a lot of comp. back then, but his finals were >ly routine events having lit'l trouble def. his pigeon from '90 USO on, Andre Agassi & other huge adversaries like Phillipousis, Pioline, & Chang! ...As you said, he "hoovered up" many titles, but there's been a bal. from '08-23 (winning 3 of 4 majors for the 4th X)! He won 12 Majors early '08-16, then 12 > late '18-23, +ing 2 > YEC's later in his career after going yrs. w/o a win! His comp. has been strong & steep from beginning to end; Fedal, Lost Gen., Lost Gen. II, now dealing w/ NG's w/ = > talent & games!
***...Stop skewing your #'s. '08-10 Novak won 1 Slam. He bloomed late & there is a reason.***
...Fedal was having no trouble w/ their comp., they were having trouble beating NOVAK! There's a diff.! The Djokovic rec. can't be ??ed or dissected as he owns them all! Sorry the Fedal fans have lit'l to fall back on w/ their GOAT argument!
***...We were talking ..and also pulls in, lots of fans from So. & Central Amer., which I think is a boon for tennis. A lot of > players come from So. America, & so do a lot of fans. They don't = have a MS1000 on the entire continent, so one that's convenient to them, and the Latin diaspora is good for the game, IMO. I think Charlotte w/b a poor subst.***
I think I mhb misunderstood when I mentioned Rafa in respect to Miami have a lot of Latin support! That's the pt. I was trying to make; plenty Spanish support, but unable to win a title there! IMO, a significant hole in Nadal's resume in comparison to Novak!
***No, you were quite clear. You gratuitously made an excuse to say that Nadal had never won Miami, but Novak had, while @ the same X whining that Djokovic doesn't get enuf love. Crowing & complaining in the same post is cheesy.
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But this is how it starts w/ all the greats. They get to a pt., where they can't bring their best on Sundays. If he can't win a M1000 where he didn't have to play any top 10 players, it doesn't bode well for the slams. No Zed, Chuck, Red, etc. in Miami. That'll not always be the case. I can't see those guys consistently coming up lame in the 2nd wk. of Masters & Slams.***
All I can do is SMH! Everyone here are exper. tennis aficionados & know what's what! Novak's no ordinary GREAT! He has risen from the grave > X's > any other player! Gil Gross on YouTube agrees w/ me that he's ahead of sched. compared to the last few yrs.! He ripped the players put in front of him in Miami! He didn't just "hang on" & have some fantastic comebk., he destroyed those players who are quite comp. = if not in the top 10! If Taylor had finished off Mensik, I think Novak might've come thru w/ his 100th win! Mensik was just playing hot & his serve was cooking! It's like we all forgot a few yrs. ago Novak dropping 2 Masters finals to Rune & Khachanov! He's still standing after all these yrs. & I think he has it in him to not only win 1 or 2 > Masters, but a 25th Major!
***Well, he wasn't moving well in the final in Miami, & Mensik was returning his serve well, unless you were watching a diff. final? That was the match that counted & he had a easy draw in Miami. Anyway, Fed remains the oldest player to win a Masters-1000 @ 37 yo. in Miami.***
***I do think Novak is capable of winning another Slam, but I think the odds are stacked vs him, esp. if & when Alcaraz goes into God-mode & Sinner comes back strong. The pups are cut from a diff. cloth than NG (let alone Lost Gen.). They aren't as afraid of Novak, partially b/c Novak in '25 isn't immortal like he was as recently as '23, but partially b/c they just seem to have > stones (> talent) > the Med-Zverev-Tsitsipas-Rublev-Fritz crew.
ReplyDelete...Novak was > as recently as a yr. & a 1/2 ago, @ the end of '23, & he's played well @ X's since then. But the writing is def. on the wall. He turns 38 in < > 2 months, which is the age Roger turned in '19, which was his last close-to-prime yr.
Novak is preternaturally immune to injury, but no one avoids Father X. So if Rafa was essentially done @ 36 & Roger @ 38, I might give Novak an extra yr. or 2, but no > that. I think the best-case scenario is that he's the Old Man Agassi of the tour for '24-26ish. Consider Agassi's Slam wins & losses '99-2003:
Wins: A. Medvedev, Martin, Kafelnikov, Clement, Schuettler.
Losses: Sampras, Sampras, Fed.
...So the ?? for Novak is, can he play well enuf to def. a Sinner or Alcaraz in a Slam final or will he need the Draw Gods to help him out? Even if the latter, he still has a chance. Alcaraz could go walk-about & be taken out early, & m/b Jannik comes back rusty.
I love Fiero, but I've often teased him that he thinks if a player isn't peak Borg, he sucks.***
Typical hypocritical ...the same people slapping Novak in the head about "NO OGM" until last yr.! Mission accomp. in the twilite of his career! They have nothing to fall back on now! The #1 GOAT, BOAT, whatever moniker you want to throw out there has to boomerang around to hit Novak every X as he has the > complete resume out there w/ X chps. @ every venue! That's something no other player; esp. Rafa w/ NO YEC after all those yrs. on the tour! How does that happen? It took Novak 5 or 6 chances to get his OGM! Rafa had a lot > opps. to get a YEC & went bust! I love it! I have no shame in gloating over it! My > apprec. & satisfaction is w/ him busting the faces of all those people out there who undermined him from the start, calling him out character-wise, including Fedal, Roddick, = Kygrios who's come around!
***I've been saying Novak's the GOAT for sev. yrs. now - really = going back to '15 or '16, after he had that crazy run from the end of '14 to mid-'16. IIRC, I @ least opened the door. I didn't give him the undisputed GOAT crown until m/b '21 or '23, but I thought as far back as '15 that he might end up surpassing Fedal. I think Novak's the singular GOAT, w/ Fedal being a close 2-3 in some order.
I do think that the YEC's prob. the >est missing comp. of Rafa's resume. He & Wilander are the only ATGs who don't have a title there. But this doesn't as > tarnish his resume as it does not + to it. He's still 1 of the 3 >est players of the OE, & there's a huge gap btwn. those 3 & #4, who > people agree is Sampras (w/ a few nodding to Borg). And Miami? It barely registers.
But > to the pt.: Why do you insist on picking on Rafa in order to boost Novak? Doesn't Novak's resume speak for itself? I think the gap btwn. him & Fedal is substantial enough--even if not huge--to not require that sort of comparison.***
It's not you; > the tennis world! If I see bullying of any sort, I see red! I can recall after all these yrs. Roger & A-Rod defaming & trying to undermine Novak's character! He obviously fixed the breathing & gluten issue & we saw the diff. w/ great success right away! They've all come around, but it's on vid for all to see! The > thing is NOVAK's a real mensch, who's a good guy, friendly (not standoff-ish or stupid like some on tour), is forgiving, & moves on! I'd of told those jerks like his old man does to "GTH!"
***All Novak Fans are the >est bullies out. LOL! When Alcaraz & Sinner starting def. Novak, they all turned on their fans & still do to this very day.***
***I'll never really understand why Murray inspires so much animosity around here, but I think you're right to give him a "special category." There WAS a X when we talked of a Big 4, & it was longer > people remember. Novak came up to #3 in '07, Murray to #4 in '08, so it was 3 yrs. that Novak & Andy were bunched together below Roger & Rafa B4 Novak's big leap in '11. The gap btwn. Murray & the other 3 did widen after that, but no other player in the Big 3 Era came anything like that close to accompl. as > as he did.***
ReplyDeleteNever cared for Andy's type of play; too defensive! I mentioned it ages ago! He plays that game getting massive satisfaction stealing pts.!
***Yes, I believe you've said this many X's. I don't personally believe that anyone wins 3 Majors being too defensive, & I don't really believe that anyone "steals" pts. They are won & lost. You are w/i your rights not to love his style of play, of course. But he had an excel. career, & he earned it.
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Fedal are no longer “relevant;” they've left the building. When a player retires its emotional for a fan b/c they're no longer in the mix. As > as they were, they're yesterday’s news. So Fiero can praise Djokovic, but it makes no sense to say it's only as a response to Fedal fandom. The same thing will happen to Novak. Even if his career stats are never surpassed, once he’s “gone,” the 24 GS, double GM's, etc are in the past tense. Sinner, Alcaraz, & co. w/b the actual tennis convo.***
Well that's easy for you to say, but out there on the internet, World-wide, fans are fighting feverishly for Fedal as Co-GOATs! The truly knowledgeable tennis fan knows >er, but it's hard giving up that romance of "The Greatest Match Ever" @ Wimbl. in '08! I've proved it c/b ignored as I couldn't tell you anything about that match except it went 5 sets! I was so bored of the Fedal Show by then & how they were elevated to God-Status! That was why I glommed onto Novak! I saw his potential & followed him to the top of the GAME for all X w/ recs. that may never be broken! I couldn't have been > entertained as Novak met Rafa in final after final in '11 on, just beating him, = on his beloved clay!
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Fedfans are truly "begging" trying to come up w/ anything noteworthy to pump up their boy. Novak has just about every rec. worth anything. Fed has to rely on his longevity staying @ the top of the ranks. His hold on the ATP tour was broken in '09 needing assistance to win his only FO 👑 & surviving the colossal choke of A-Rod in the Wimbl. final. He had spurts of his past >ness in '12 & '17 to get back to #1, but his dom. was over, only asserting itself when Nadovic were playing under-par or injured.
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***I guess I'm the only one so far who chose Memola to win Europeans.***
I just saw the performance here in the States; Chgo. really! I can't imagine trying to do these jumps being 6'4"! A true performance of a lifeX for both Memola & Britschgi coming from 5th & 8th resp. to medal Silver & Gold! That was a huge jump for 2 skaters to medal; very impressive!
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***The %% of Negroes in MLB has declined in the past 30 yrs.
That's been the case for yrs. & was a crisis decades ago! Even though there's potential in making big bucks in baseball, the "lion share" of the pot/ad $$'s still go to the elite players! "Also-rans" in other sports can make millions so why use their abilities in such a boring sport, > of the X standing around scratching their nutz?
***So Lit'l Holger has decided to “slow down” the tempo by taking pace off the ball, on serve at 5-4 vs Carlito in Barcelona. - Rune closes the 1st. Nice set of tennis. Holger wins TB.***
ReplyDeleteAlcaraz looks broken by Rune! Holger's closing out his 5th title in real style brk'n Carlito twice in the 2nd set; 7-6,6-2! Zverev holds onto #2 ranking winning Munich vs Shelton!
***Great win for Holger! He played > today! - Been a while since Rune won a tourn. Great wk. for him & from what I've seen today, well deserved too.
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I was impressed w/ Rune today, TBH. I knew he'd generate pace, but what struck me was the he was able to hit deeper > Alcaraz himself! He was consistently pushing Carlos a step or 2 behind the baseline. I mean, they were obviously doing this to each other, but he was getting the upper hand > often > not, & that was something I surely didn't expect. Let's see if he can keep that up.***
Carlito WD's Madrid after loss in Barcelona final to Rune! Djokovic drops 2nd Rd. to Arnaldi! FAA loses, then Rune retires in the 2nd Rd.!
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***When considering clay >ness, we have to sort of forget Rafa. The only player who came vaguely close to his clay/RG dominance was Borg, albeit in a very diff. era & = he "only" won 85.7% of clay matches (vs. Rafa's 90.5%). According to Elo, Borg's peak was about as good as Rafa's on clay, but again, we're talking 331 matches vs. 541 for Rafa.
Below those guys you have "garden variety" ATG clay players like Lendl, Djokovic, Vilas, Wilander, etc. I think this is the level we can potentially hope to see from Alcaraz (or poss. Someone Else, if he's as good on clay as we hope he w/b). Meaning, guys who win X RG titles, & a handful of clay Masters, & double-digit titles on clay.
The next tier w/b guys like Roger on clay, Nastase, Muster, etc: what we'd call clay players. I think Tsitsipas, Zverev (or Thiem) chb on this level, but for various reasons never got there. This might also be the level we can hope to see from Sinner.
As you say, Alcaraz's the only guy who figures t/b a truly > clay player. I think Sinner'd get there, or @ least be good enuf to win a RG or 2. Really, we haven't seen peak Sinner on clay yet. He had that dip last yr. that encapsulated clay season ...get past a SF @ any clay big title. The next cand.'s Fonzie, but that's jumping the gun. I don't see clay >ness from anyone else. Yet.
Ruud's a really good player & a top 5 clay player, but let's face it, he's 0-6 in Big Title finals &'s really the kind of player that'll only win a Big Title by default; that is, if none of the very best players are there &/or playing well. He's kind of a micro-Ferrer.
When I look @ the current field, I see a bunch of guys who I'd see surprising & winning RG. I think Alcaraz, Sinner, & Djokovic are still the Top 3 faves--& prob. in that order, but all w/ big ??'s for this yr. Zverev & Tsitsipas are next on paper, but they're both head-cases. The next group gets interesting, b/c you've a bunch of guys who'd surprise & sneak it out: Berrettini, Rune, Musetti, Ruud. Who knows, m/bn = someone like Cerundolo. The draw'd really have to open up for him, though, as I think all those mentioned above--+ a few others like Rublev, Fils, m/b = Fonzie, have a >er chance.***
***Novak has been feast of famine this yr. Either he makes a deep run (AO, Miami) or loses in the 1st Rd. I still think that until Novak loses early @ Wimbl., he deserves the benefit of the doubt there. After all, he's made the final the last 6 X's it's been played.
ReplyDeleteNow, do I think Novak will win Wimbl.? Probably not. However, I'd not be surprised if he did. After all, he has the best track rec. of anyone there. If he shows up to Wimbl. w/ his form @ Miami, he's going t/b very tough to beat. But that's a big IF.
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He's in no physical state or mental state to go deep @ RG. The youngsters aren't afraid of him. ...If you think winning 2 matches on clay so far this yr., & now WD'ing from Rome. He's going to run deep @ RG your kidding yourself for starters. Novak needs to ask for a WC @ either Hamburg or Geneva B4 playing RG. Wimbl.'s too far away to talk @ present.
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For >er or worse, it seems like the end is nigh for Novak. Y'all know I've done a rather asperger's-esque amt. of research on various trends, & by & large players go thru the following phases:
Develop. (towards prime) - usually 16-20
Peak - 21-25
Early/Slow Decline (Plateau) - 26-31
Late/Quick Decline - 32+
(I consider "Prime" to overlap w/ peak & > of the plateau phase, usually roughly 21-28ish).
The age ranges vary, but all players go thru the same phases. The Big 3 ext.'d their prime yrs. &/or had a very long, slow decline. They also all revived themselves after ext.'d periods in which it looked like they were about to fall off a cliff. I mean, imagine if Pete Sampras had come back in '03 & gone deep in Slams for another 6 yrs., winning @ least a few >, retiring around 2010...that's kind of what the Big 3 accomp.'d. Sampras' last Slam & retirement @ 31 seems early comparatively, but was actually later > guys like Edberg & Becker.
It also seems pretty clear that the new gen. (Sincaraz) is >er > Next & Lost Gens. Where the Big 4 steam-rolled Lost Gen, Next Gen @ least cut into the Masters, but Sincaraz are of a diff. order.
B4 this season, I said that I think the best Novak'd hope for, @ this pt., is t/b Old Man Agassi for a yr. or 2. Now = that seems unlikely.***
Perhaps an end of an era! Novak had a nice run in Miami, looking as if he was ahead of sched. going into clay season! WTF happened? 3 > losses in a row! I've been saying today's players are a lot > comp. > past gens. w/ > on auto-pilot just bashing the Hell out of the ball! I'm gonna give Novak grace thru Wimbl. as he proved us all FOOLS getting to Wimbl. final, then completing his trophy case w/ OGM in Paris! Edberg & Becker burned out early since their success was unpecedented as teenagers! Becker won 2 Wimbl.s, while Edberg had already won a Jr. GS & OGM B4 turning 19! Novak has already done the "Old Man Agassi" yrs., banned from 2 majors & needing the practice in qualifying for YEC in '22 going to places like Astana & Tele Viv! He just was > successful @ it > Andre taking 2 > YEC's setting new rec. w/ 7, 3 > majors in '23, & wrapping it all up w/ OGM in '24! We'll see if this NG of Sincaraz can represent 1/2 as well!
***Early success for Edberg & Becker mhh a hand in their rel. early decline. Certainly, Borg & Wilander were burnt out &/or done as elite players by age 25 & 24, resp., & they were elite guys @ 17 yo. But...we have Rafa, who was elite @ 18 (like Alcaraz, now), but won his last Slam around his 36th BD.
My pt. was > that the Big 3 are exceptions, in terms of the latter 1/2 of their careers. Mere mortal >s are >ly done as elite players by their early 30s, often in their late 20s. But = Roger started a very slow decline @ age 26, w/ '08 being a big drop-off from '04-07. Novak was > in '18-23, but stats aside, m/b not as > as he was in '11-16. Similarly w/ Rafa in '17-22 vs his earlier peak of '08-13. All 3 rose back to a >er level > anyone other > each other (& Andy) - partially b/c a fall-off from their very best was still very high, but also partially b/c of being followed by 2 of the weakest gens. of the OE.***
***Shedeur Sanders drops to the 5th Rd. of the draft, finally selected by Cleveland. His daddy & the whole circus that comes w/ the Sanders family cost him in so many ways. NFL teams don’t want their backup QB being a media darling. They don’t want that distraction.***
ReplyDeleteThat famous Sanders' ego has t/b totally deflated! It was one thing to have Elway & Manning telling the league where they weren't going to play 'back in the day!' Sanders was going t/b the last 1 to "call the shots" w/ these owners! I love it that Shedeur's "face cracked" as he dropped down in the draft further > he thought possible! Mel Kiper, Jr. needs to get over himself being outraged over the whole situation!
It was a 3-headed monster for this kid:
1. His Dad went on X shows in Jan. & said there were certain teams they wouldn’t play for, & they would dictate things. The bad teams that heard that assumed it was them, & listened.
2. Sanders reportedly didn’t represent himself well in interviews at all. You’d think Deion'd coach his kid up t/b what teams want, not t/b something they don’t.
3. The sports media had a hand in it. Deion worked for all the big names, & I think his friends and colleagues didn’t want to harm Deion’s kid b/c they like Deion. So they all sat back & didn’t say anything & let the lie remain.
All-in-all.. Deion largely directly or indirectly caused his kid to fall. That being said, Sanders has all the motivation in the world to come out & prove everyone wrong. As a Browns fan, I’m fine w/ getting him @ 144 in the 5th Rd.
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1. Most NBA players say Jordan's The GOAT
2. Jordan's considered the GOAT of all athletes, not just NBA. This is why I came back to this. LeBron's ranked 10th. This is my evidence.
If Lebron & Jordan played in an NBA finals, > people'd bet on Jordan.
If you put LeBron w/ Wade & Bosch, the best team he played on, any of Jordan's 6 Chp. teams would've beat them.
You suggesting that if LeBron was in the league, Jordan'd've only won 5 Rings? GTFO!
LeBron'll never get anywhere near the comp. rep. of these other ">s!" By the X he got to the NBA, the East had fallen on hard X's! The "super teams" of The Bulls, Celtics, Knicks, 76'rs, & Pistons had aged out! The West was "feasting" on the East & cont. the trend as they spend > $$ & make smarter decisions! I was visiting Chgo. during '02 season "AJ;" where they were struggling, languishing under .500! That was "no shame" around then as the East was lame AF! After a month of play in Dec., only 2 teams were above .500, while the West just got fat when they played inter-conf. games! LeBron was able to succeed = w/o a "Robin," getting to X Conf. Finals w/ 2 teams! The oppos. just wasn't there IMO!
***Great pt. Lebron got to the finals EASY. Name the tough teams they had to get past to get to the finals. Then they got smoked every X. Very good pt. Lebron was >, but Jordan was >er. He won the whole thing East & West 6 X's. Boston won last yr. The East doesn't always lose. But I know what you're saying. The teams (plural) are always >er out West. Occasionally a > team like Detroit, the Heat, Bulls, or Boston win, but usually it's the West.
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Halliburton's Dad confronts Giannis after Bucks OT loss. - ...Shaq says his father's behavior was okay after the game, but Chuck and Kenny are right. It was a class< move. Giannis' a class act & Halliburton's father shouldn't have = been on the court.***
This looked insane! Dad s/b banned for all X for these games! Giannis held it together fine!
***Tyrese Haliburton's dad taunted Giannis w/ a towel showing his son's face & shouting variations of "this is what we F-ing do" after the Pacers won Game 5. Giannis considered the gesture & language t/b disrespectful.
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If Nikola Jokic's brothers still get to attend games, Haloburton's dad should get a pass for this latest incident. No one ended up in the hospital this yr.
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It's X to put a wall around the court. And enlarge the court by @ least 10% in length & width. And raise the basket @ least a foot. If they want > do it. Get ready for the future.***
***Shannon Sharpe Accused of Anally Raping Woman in Lawsuit: 'He Demanded Complete Control'***
ReplyDeleteIt's just plain disgusting; a grandfather fornicating w/ someone who just graduated HS! It was a consensual relationship! Shannon offered $10 M to settle lawsuit, but Diddy's case got his victim $30 M! I'd of grabbed the $10 M & moved on, but greed will prob. cost her! Her rep.'s already in the toilet being an "Only Fans" model! Texts & VM's have been revealed! This is only going to get uglier as X goes on!
***AOC announces plans to poss. run for President in '28.***
This fk'n country's too ass-backwards to ever elect a woman anyX soon! They don't = trust or like 1 another! Elevating 1 w/b incomprehensible by naturally jealous, envious, selfish, & pathological creatures! I can almost understand passing over Harris, but Clinton was the > qualifed candidate ever! I was no fan of the woman, but'd prefer having an adult in the job, not an overgrown, petulant child! Instead, this depraved country elected a con artst & degenerate LIAR to the >est office in the land & m/b the World! Our democracy's been turned upside down in 2 just months! Will we survive a full 4 yr. term? I'm just glad I'm a Sr. & don't have to necess. listen or care about the chaos going on!
***I disagree. If a competent, smart, intel., charismatic woman w/ compelling credentials emerges as a candidate, & there's nobody male or female who looks a lot >er challenging her, I think Americans'd vote for her w/o any reservations @ all. There are few world leaders smart Americans admire > Maggie Thatcher or Golda Meir. We w/b honored to elect the 1st woman of that caliber t/b President of the US.
...The fact that AOC is being presented as a poss. presidential contender--& she would not be parodied in that way if she was not--strongly illustrates how very thin the Dem. bench is for leadership these days. (Honestly, I think pretty > all death threats we hear about, if they actually happened, are made from the progr. left whether as leftists or leftists pretending t/b MAGAs.)
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The 1st woman POTUS w/b a Rep.***
Agreed, which really shows how Fk'd up this country has become! Let's go all the way w/ MTG!
***Bill Maher succumbs to Trump, proving he’s just another sycophant, writes John Casey. He sold out yrs. ago.***
So did Dennis Miller. His act ripped Reagan & Bush, then after Hollywood tossed him, he went hardcore cons. along w/ Ron Silver. I'm disgusted w/ all of them.
***Yip. From what I can tell, 9/11 is what broke Mahar's brain. He lost his show on ABC, "Politically Incorrect" & hasn't been the same since. I used to love his stand up & HBO show a lot.***
It was a preview of Trump's admin. back in '01! "W" & cons. used the same "nationalism tripe" to control discord! "You're either w/ us or against us!" The whole country lost its mind there for a while where you weren't allowed to speak your mind; sorta like now w/ Trump! Bill lost his show on ABC just for his free speech! Of course today, things are = worse snatching immigrants off the fk'n street, putting colleges on guard w/ holding $$, & indiscriminate firings going on in the gov't! We brought it on ourselves so we have no one else to blame!
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Even though Mahar makes fun of religion, he's still part Jewish.
***He says he's not Jewish = though his name appears to be.***
If you're sure fine! I thought I heard him say he was from NJ & was part Jewish & Catholic yrs. ago! I go back to "DC Cab" & Showtime's, "Hard Knocks" days! He was a real fave of mines, but no more!
***After the last show where he was praising Trump, I'm completely finished &'ll never watch him again.***
Perhaps an end of an era! Novak had a nice run in Miami, looking as if he was ahead of sched. going into clay season! WTF happened? 3 > losses in a row! ...Novak has already done the "Old Man Agassi" yrs., banned from 2 majors & needing the practice in qual. for YEC in '22 going to places like Astana & Tele Viv! He just was > successful @ it > Andre taking 2 > YEC's setting new rec. w/ 7, 3 > majors in '23, & wrapping it all up w/ OGM in '24! We'll see if this NG of Sincaraz can represent 1/2 as well!
ReplyDelete***Well said Fiero. It’s going t/b so strange when the last of the Big 3's gone. Can you imagine an era in another sport where, say, Michael Jordan, LeBron James & Oscar Robertson were all playing @ the same X?***
OMG, who's this Diallo hottie? Is there somethin' in the fk'n water? Pospisil, FAA, Shapovalov, now this doll! I've never been so proud to have duel citizenship!
***My friend, "the chickenhawk!"
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Coric's had a lot of injury issues, & the ranking went down, then starts going out 1st Rd., & so it goes. Why is Stan W. playing Challengers? At least Coric's still rel. young.***
Coric's another 1 of those who've come & gone X X's playing the tour! It seems like he's been around forever! The last noteworthy moment was him coming back from surgery yet again, & w/ a PR won '22 Cinci M-1000, def. Nadal in the 2nd Rd. IIRC!
***Coric was part of that early cohort of Next-Gen'rs to show up in the top 100 well B4 Medvedev & the rest. I believe Coric snuck in in late '14. W/ Kyrgios, Pouille, Chung, Kokkinakis, & Zverev were all in the top 100 by the end of '15. Interesting how some of those guys just faded or never amt.'d to >, while NG mainstays like Med, Fritz, Rublev, etc., all took a bit >er.
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Kei was >er > Thiem, Med, or = Zverev. But I'd prob. put him slightly ahead of Dimitrov, Raonic, Rublev, Tsitsipas, etc. It's hard to say, though, & @ least worthy of debate. Elo likes him >er > Thiem, but not quite as > as DM & AZ - but very close. Either way, I do think he's almost certainly the best player of the OE never to win a big title.***
Who knows, I could just be high, but IMO, from what I recall of Kei, he had > ability > all these other guys! His prob. was hitting the scene @ the ht. of the Big 3's powers! His body betrayed him of course, but his raw ability & versatile game were quite impressive! He actually def. Nadal on his precious clay in Spain of all places, then took Bronze medal over Rafa @ the '16 Rio Olympics!
***Draper just looks like the >er player - @ least > consistent as he def. Lorenzo. Musetti reminds me of another italian, Berrettini - aside from also being very good looking. Moments of lovely play interspersed w/ blown chances.***
One of those, "it's too bad 1 had to lose!" The Next-Gen. looks promising w/ comp. so tough, the elites won't have a cakewalk as in the past!
***They seem to have intermittent flashes, dare I say it; “belief?”
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There's a sense of coming back to Earth w/ Fonzie. I don't think we're in a space of "big breakout @ any X" & '25 is going t/b > of a "get used to the ATP tour" yr.***
Watching replay now of Fonzie in Rome! Why do players do this; get all pumped after a simple UFE to get a mini-brk. only to DF twice? What a fk'n idiot!
***M/b it's a way to navigate tension? Get over it. - I know, what an idiot - acting like a teenager. WTF?
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I think Ruud needs to skip Geneva & rest up for RG. He's got a solid chance @ the title, & he doesn't need practice as much as rest. Fritz, OTOH who just lost to Marcos Giron in str. sets needs all the practice on clay he can get.***
IMO, it's about appearance $$ w/ Ruud! He obviously doesn't need the extra work; Djokovic does! Fritz is wasting his X like most Americans!
People totally undermine Djokovic's accomps. He has won "everything;" a lot of the X's > once. His trophy cabinet's complete after taking OG 🥇 last yr. He not only has the men's major rec. of 24 (10 AO's), but 7 YEC's, 8 YE #1's, a DC, an ATP Cup, & the aforementioned OGM. He has a Double GM's & owns 3 career GS. No one else comes close to that complete a rec.
ReplyDelete***I didn't realize the draw from Geneva was out already. But I was wondering if Novak will regret picking then instead of Hamburg, which seems to have lots of comp. players in, whereas everyone has WD from Hamburg, except that Zverev took the WC. Hamburg looks t/b easier pickings. Actually m/b rather pathetic if Zverev doesn't win it.***
You noticed! I looked @ the seeds a few days ago & instantly thought, "these are killers! This w/b some draw for a 250 level event!"
***Jannick's turning it around in Rome. Clutch serving w/ 2 aces when he was 15:40 down to consolidate a brk. He lost the 1st set 1-6 to Paul B4 winning 8 games in a row. Now on serve in the 3rd.***
Is this really entertaining to watch? I suppose by yesteryear's imagination, the way guys are playing is quite impressive, but I still call it "mindless ball-bashing!" Every X I think a pt. s/b over by a > striking of the ball or volley, it ricochets back off the opp.'s racket w/ ease turning defense into offense! As I've said, the women aren't > >er, just whacking away @ the ball! They used t/b my fall-back when the men started going "boom-boon" tennis 40 yrs. ago! The ladies still played chessboard tennis @ X's; esp. w/ Hingis @ the top of the ranks! Sinner's accomplishing a lot; w/ smoke & mirrors IMO! Not sure he can keep it up w/o breaking down both physically & mentally! The game is so grueling! It's automatic for today's players to WD from their next events if they make the SF or Final; = Alcaraz! Paul's getting the > out of his game, but has to "red line" it to make an impression on the elites of the game!
***What you call "mindless ball-bashing," I see > as a kind of power duel btwn. Samurais. Watching how Sinner constructs pts...yes, he largely does it thru power, but w/ crazy angles & putting immense pressure on his opp. In other words, it is a lot of bashing, but not mind<, w/ rather skillful bashing.***
Sinner's due for an upset! I don't think he'll get anywhere near the consistency of the Big 3 making "SF & Final" in every Major event played! I wouldn't doubt either an upset or a WD in Paris by the 4th Rd.! I'm calling it! Sinner won't be the only top player to go down! Winning streaks B4 a Major means lit'l these days w/ the speed of the game taking so > out of players from early Rd.!
***I don't see how being "due for an upset" is going to make it happen. Sinner has consistency, calm, & a >er game > 90%+ of the field. He's proven in Rome that he's not that rusty. I think you can surely book him into the 2nd wk., = w/o seeing the draw. Who're you thinking might take him out B4 Alcaraz? Zverev?
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Oh pls., do I have to put Sinners stats & his consistency for you to understand? He just came back from 3 months out & this was his 1st loss since coming back making a Masters-1000 Final? He had a 26 cons. win in matches. Carlos' now 15-1 on clay.***
Wow, seems like no one cares about the ladies in Rome! I woke up rather late to find Gauff was upset by that lit'l Italian fireplug, Jasmine Paolini! Will prob. catch the repeat later after the Pickleball's over on TCC! Str. sets too; DONE! I heard comments yesterday musing about Coco getting to #2 in the world! Is she legit or is IGA gonna step back up in Paris?
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Jasmine completed the double by taking the Dubs w/ "old lady" Errani! Back in the day it was common for players to win both events; now a rarity since the days of Serena, Hingis, & Venus! Mon Dieu, what's Sara still doing out there? She was winning over a decade ago w/ an = older now Roberta Vinci who upset Serena Wms. in the '15 USO SF (Stop'd CYGS)!
ReplyDelete***Carlos seemed > measured & steady in the Rome final which, I think, bodes well for consistency going forward. I mentioned Roger's '04 season when he won 11 titles, but went out early in the rest. In '05, he won just as many, but didn't go out early in any of the tourns. he lost. I wonder if we can see a similar shift for Carlos? In truth, that 2nd layer of consistency--how deep you go in tournaments you don't win--is nearly as important for rankings as the tourns. you win.
We really can't compare the eras! As it was "back in the day," the comp. is so > stronger > the prev. era! There's no free ride above being seeded in the top 8 to receive a Bye in the 1st Rd. of tourns.! That certainly helped the Big 3 in tourns. as they owned the tour for 20+ yrs. w/ lit'l resistance from the rest of the players outside of Murray, Wawrinka, & Del Po! I believe Carlos & Jannik are tops, but the game moves too fast &'s too tough to maintain the excel. of the Big 3! Carlos might take 11 tourns. once, m/b = take 3 of 4 Majors, but a significant dropoff is guaranteed as we see players WD almost routinely after going far in a prev. event!
***Wow! Eubanks really flamed out after that one season.***
IMO, it's > common > we're willing to notice & make a note of! Going back, players like Khachanov, Hurkacz, & presently w/ Rune make a splash by winning a big match over a top player or actually take a Masters! The high never seems to last for > players! It just isn't automatic to keep going up a level ever so often like the Big 3 & opps. just below them like Zverev, Tsitsipas, & Medvedev! Other ex. come from the highs & lows of FAA, Tiafoe, & Rublev!
***Novak needs clay matches, lets face it, his clay season has been poor. Personally I think there's > to the story of why Murray & Novaks partnership brk-up. Novak can't expect Murray to come on board & wave his magic wand & the tourn. titles start to appear. Lets see what happens w/ this new coaching arrangement, for now it's only @ Geneva & RG.
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Movak's looking very sharp so far in Geneva...best of this clay season, but that's not saying a lot.***
True enuf! Not sure, but IMO I think Djokovic's laboring! He def. Fucsovics quite comfortably, but he's no threat!
***According to Novak, he doesn't need a coach; so why is he asking anybody anything? Yesterday he was asking the box where he should serve vs Fucs.***
It's an imaginary crutch! Novak just wants a fresh ear to bend as he rants & raves while trying to survive the last gasps of his career! He proved he can surprise us w/ OG last yr.! He = got to the final of Wimbl.! He shocked us all w/ a > run @ Miami this season! Ya just never know! His current form won't do it! Today's players are killers who just go mind<, red-lining all the way to overpower him! Hopefully Amelie won't go brain-dead putting him on in the mid'l of the fk'n nite exacerbating his knee injury in last yr.'s FO!
***Blaming Amelie LOL! "...for exacerbating his knee issues, putting him on in the mid'l of the night?" You're such a treat. :)
Novak has been handed a 'favorable draw in Paris' btw. I can't recall when he had a tough one.
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As I said, there w/b wks. when Novak is on top form, like @ Wimbl., the Olympics, & Miami. During those wks., he w/b a contender to win. However, there w/b wks. now when Novak just doesn't have it, &'ll drop out in the 1st Rd.***
So far vs Norris he's looking ok! Won the 1st set 6-4, serving high %, but dropped serve in the 2nd early! I missed the opening games! Did they mention @ all the tête-à-tête btwn. these 2? It was at the Italian Open 2 yrs. ago! Norris was feeling himself, had def. Alcaraz in Rio earlier in Feb. & thought he'd get away w/ hitting Novak w/ his OH smash right @ him; back of the legs really as the pt. had been conceded!
***The ?? is will Norrie laydown to give Djoker 100? Looks good for your boy.***
Norrie got a reprieve w/ some UFE's by Novak in the TB! It's going 3! He needs the practice anyway BTW, he's not my BOY!
***There's a limitation to 250s that can be played by top players. If Novak wins 100th tmrw., another title somewhere this yr.'d help a lot if he truly has a goal to pass Fed. The thing is he barely plays serious anywhere except the slams these days & X's ticking, until he won't be able to win a title = @ the lowest level tourns.***
ReplyDeleteI just can't believe Novak's thinking > about brk'n Connors' rec. of 109 titles! After OG, his lack of motivation is evident as he's just floated around, not really trying that hard until a major comes along! There are a few attainable recs. that seems to me he just doesn't care! He needs 1 > FO to have 4 CGS's, 1 MC Masters to get to 3rd GM's, & the aforementioned 109 titles was > attainable last yr.! X's run out & I can't imagine him wasting his X @ a bunch of 250 events to = get past Roger's 103! He only played Geneva to get some extra practice in! It's obviously pd.-off as he's pk'd up his serving % & got some real roadwork in just these 3 match wins! He obviously couldn't care < last season as he went w/o a title outside of OGM!
***I absolutely don't believe he doesn't care. But finding motivation when you've achieved practically everything, & @ 38, is understandably difficult. But, w/ RG around the corner, & Wimbl. looming, he got some rest, recharged, & found his game again. I agree he won't be reaching for 109. He may still feel that passing Fed is doable. But it's not going to get him out of bed in the morning, IMO.
The problem isn't just motivation...it's his age. While his chances to do well @ RG have improved this wk. in everyone's est., I'm sure, he's still far from the fave. It w/b interesting to see how he fares over the next 5-6 wks., @ RG & Wimbl.
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Long title drought for Novak's standards as he takes Geneva, acquiring his 100th event. Hard to imagine him winning 9 >, but he'd a chance to pass Fed's 103. If he'd play > serious outside of slams. Lets see, he did say B4 he'd like to stay around until '28 Olympics, but he w/b irrelevant by then.***
Was wondering why Novak only got 150 pts.! Forgot or really didn't recall him taking a WC into Geneva last yr.! So this wasn't the 1st X he went there to get in some practice B4 the FO! I don't or can't understand people ??ing his career choices! The hatin's so crazy! He got all he wanted & needed = though some thought it insane to play Geneva!
***FFS, he needed to play Geneva this yr. His clay performances were Poor going into RG. "The hatin' of Novak is crazy?" Reality chk., not all fans of tennis like Novak, for many reasons. You'll just have to live w/ that fact.***
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Already lost 2 men seeds at FO; shockingly from the US! It's become routine to either retire or WD w/ just a lit'l bit of success B4hand! Amazing that Macháč's gone; Michelsen wasting X = traveling to Paris! Shelton's "holding on" up a brk. in the 5th set!
***Shelton won in the end.***
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Another American bites the dust, errrr clay! Fritz's knocked out by Germany's, Dan Altmaier! Tiafoe got thru yesterday! Amazing!
***Fritz has that Top 5 ranking only b/c he made the USO title. And let's be honest, Fritz only won b/c of Nadal's injury. Nadal might've won the FO, but he clearly was never quite right after IW. Nadal struggled during that clay season & only got worse as the season went along.***
You seem to forget he was injured himself in that IW Final vs Rafa! He prob. was ready to WD it was so bad, but got a shot, was told he couldn't injure it >, & went out there to steal a Masters Title from a so-called ATG!
***Fritz is over-rated. His claim to fame m/b denying Nads IW back in '22 & being Zed's Kryptonite. Other > that, what has he really done to claim a top 5 ranking?***
I already bemoaned this pt. a while back! IMO it's a joke Fritz is = in the top 10! Other players have so many > weapons! He has absolutely nothing that can impress or lean on to get him past >er players! Rafa dropping that IW Final ...his only highlight; his lowlight dropping that Wimbl. QF match while up 2 sets to 1!
***It's tough for the Aussies being away from home for so long. But no top 10 player s/b struggling w/ fatigue. de Minaur needs to manage his schedule >er, not trapsing across the world playing every tourney. If you're injured, you should absol. rest until you are fit to play.***
ReplyDeleteThis is yet another reason I'm put off by tennis & the ATP in particular! It's like these people don't know how privileged they are playing a game, making $$ mil., & picking up worldwide adoration! When we hear about scheduling, the length of the season, & # of events, it's usually the elite top players whinging the most! They already have the advantage of >er management, seeding, $$, & byes in some events, since they win >, they want to cut back their schedules! I can't believe this goes back to McEnroe & Connors era believe it or not! Their complaint was > about $$ & their thinking the men deserved > of "the spoils!" The lower ranked players have always depended on a full schedule of events to make up for their lack of success! Playing 24+ tournaments' a choice! The elites should keep their mouthes shut! It seems like only Djokovic has advocated to trickle down > prize $$$ to earlier Rds. to make up for shortening the schedule!
***Every X Rafa played @ RG (to compl.), either he won the title or the player he lost to @ least made the final.
'05-08: Won title
'09: Lost to Soderling (made final)
'10-14: Won title
'15: Lost to Djokovic (made final)
'17-20: Won title
'21: Lost to Djokovic (won title)
'22: Won title
'24: Lost to Zverev (made final)
'24 Olympics: Lost to Djokovic (won OGM)***
The desperation to elevate this guy knows no bounds! Congrats! You turned a neg. into a meaning< + for him!
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I was 1/2 listening to TCC Live where > includ. Lindsey Dav. thought Tommy Paul should win handily; prob. in str. sets! The curse continues as Paul's fighting for his life vs Fucsovics down 2 sets to 1, & a brk. in the 4th! They'll never learn! We can't predict success like we used to! The "consistency theory" of things just isn't there in today's game w/ today's players! Upsets & WD's have changed the landscape of things! Even w/ the superior talents of Sincaraz, upsets will occur > & > IMO! The top 30-80 players are capable > anyX in the past! Normally after the top 3 or 4, the level of play usually dropped off a cliff! W/ players today, anything can happen on a given day! I was shocked to see Carlos dropping a set today vs Marozsán! WHO? End rant!
***Stefanos gone tits-up. Lost to an Italian qualifier named Gigante.***
I do believe Stefanos will drop out of the Top 20! Wow! What a fall from grace! This has nothing to do w/ an injury! Players like Tsitsipas, Ruud, Rublev, FAA, Tiafoe, Fritz, & others on that 2nd or 3rd tier of players are being overtaken! The depth in men's tennis has improved exponentially, but still isn't watchable IMO!
***Lit'l Holger Rune & Musetti are slated to meet in the Rd. of 16. ...you know someX's we can’t stand certain players, j/b. It happens.***
Amen & hallelujah to that! From the very beginning of my tennis career as an avid player, teacher, & fan, there have been players that I just didn't partic. care for! Plenty of people feel the same; it's "unconscious" @ X's! It c/b there look, the way they play the game, their demeanor on the court, or behavior off of it! My hate list thru the ages: Connors, Evert, McEnroe, Graf, Seles, Agassi, Nadal, now Alcaraz & Sinner! Carlito's the > talented of players I've ever seen; including the time of mastery w/ McEnroe in '84, but there's something that really bugs me about him! It's prob. the channeling of Nadal's arrogance, then being a "hotdog" trying to make the Sport's highlite reel! Sinner's winning w/ mirrors IMO! Ignoring the susp. & the reasons behind it, I can't see him staying @ the top playing this game of attrition just mindlessly bashing the ball! All players are compromised by playing the game like this! A wk. of success guarantees nothing but a poss. upset early or WD the following wk.!
***The Celtics were up by 20 pts. in both games! Unreal they blew both games; now down 0-2. I knew Porzingus being out w/b a factor, but they still should've won both games.***
ReplyDeleteAnother horrendous 4th qtr. for the Celtics! It's amazing for these millionaires out there to demand top $$ to fall on their faces in the clutch when the game's on the line!
***I told you I quit the NBA ~2000 when they cheated SAC vs the Lakers. I had = gone to SAC playoff games in the cheap end zone deck.
And LA (Kobe) vs. The Warriors they lit. rigged the end of game to get LA into the playoffs. But it was blatant no matter the yr., on CA TV.***
I lived in Sacto when they were good! That was a travesty in '01, but Stern had already proved how corrupt he was earlier that season! IIRC, he saw Lakers'd barely make the playoffs as the 8th seed vs the Kings! He changed the BO5 to BO7 in the mid'l of the season! HOW do you change something like that so last min.? The investigation into the refs was a joke as they were never spoken to about how unfair the calls were to Sac. allowing LA to steal that playoff series! Chris Webber didn't need to tip that missed Laker shot back to Robert Horry either in Game 4 of that Conf. Final!
***...MJ's going t/b a “special contributor” for NBC for their NBA games. I’d imagine he w/b interviewing people B4 & after the games, but that’s my guess. ...But imagine him interviewing the OG’s in LeBron, Curry, KD, or new stars & the > Euro players, etc. it’d be awesome. My mind is blown by the MJ thing too. I'm fairly confident that he'll stay away from the GOAT nonsense. I'm so tired of Lebron & his minions pushing that narrative. It's so obviously nonsense. Frankly I can't see how anyone can claim Lebron is a >er player than MJ, Kobe, Kareem, Magic & Steph. Prob. Duncan too.
...I feel so so sorry Tatum, that's just awful luck. I'm obviously = > upset about Steph's injury. I honestly think the Warriors would have taken down the Timberwolves relatively comfortably if he'd been fit. Oh well! As for Giannis... I'd love the Warriors to offer Podziemski, Kuminga, Butler & picks to get Giannis. But it's hard to see that competing w/ what teams like Houston, the Spurs, & poss. the Nets'd offer. I'll just have to hope the Freak is keen to play w/ 30.
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Griner's just stupid for "hating" on Caitlin Clark, but almost everyone already knew that. She s/b kissing Clark's ass for making their game > popular. They're all making > $$ b/c of Clark's popularity.***
Unfortunately it's not just Griner! It's the entire league & ESPN comm. overtly trying to underine Clark, embarrassing themselves as the only reason to watch the WNBA is her! I lived out in Sacr. back in the 90's! The only X I had > to do w/ our local team was running into them @ the airport sev. X's as they had to fly coach! Clark has gotten them charters, filled their arenas, & helped get them endorsements, but these other women are so jealous they can't see str.! It's so sad & pathetic, but all too normal as they prove it in so many ways; "women hate other women!" There are > women voters, & twice they've selected a felon over a woman for President! Nuff said!
***Griner appears to call Caitlin Clark a “trash fk'n White girl” after fouling out.***
I just can't believe this broad isn't as humble as c/b as we went thru a lot to get her out from under Russian authorities/jail when busted for drugs (cannabis oil)! We ended up trading & releasing a mass murderer! This is how she pays back her country?