Tennis: All Purpose Tennis Thread XI

[MsMeow]

Denis withdrew from the Next Gen tourney due to exhaustion. Good move.

Milos beat Tsonga in 3.

 

[Beau Knows]

For sure he's gonna continue playing until he gets to 100 tournament victories (he's at 99 right now). After that it's tough to say because he isn't just the GOAT, but also quite arguably the most beloved player around the world in tennis history.

I thought getting to or surpassing 109 was possible, certainly doesn't look like it anymore.

I think next year will probably be his last, but I hope he keeps playing as long as he's good enough to win some tournaments and stay in or around the top 10 which I think he could do for a couple more years.

 

[Novak Djokovic]

There really isn't a way to predict who will play on the 2nd day of 4th round at French Open, eh? I will have the option of buying tickets for either June 2nd or 3rd in Paris (both 4th round days). I mean, I will buy Philippe-Chartier court tickets since top seeds likely to play there instead of SL court, but I just want to watch Nole play live for once. Missed out on Rogers Cup (played day, bought night SF tickets) and Rome (bought 3rd round, saw Rafa instead).

I guess only guarantee is to buy both days' tickets (and of course, if he makes it to 4th round). That hurts my wallet, haha.

 

[kihei]

There really isn't a way to predict who will play on the 2nd day of 4th round at French Open, eh? I will have the option of buying tickets for either June 2nd or 3rd in Paris (both 4th round days). I mean, I will buy Philippe-Chartier court tickets since top seeds likely to play there instead of SL court, but I just want to watch Nole play live for once. Missed out on Rogers Cup (played day, bought night SF tickets) and Rome (bought 3rd round, saw Rafa instead).

I guess only guarantee is to buy both days' tickets (and of course, if he makes it to 4th round). That hurts my wallet, haha.

Buy 'em both. It's only money. Lucky you, either way.

 

[kihei]

The second half of the Top Twenty is a harbinger of change these days. 11-20 in the rankings consists on no less than eight players who have recently achieved career highs: Coric, Fognini, Edmund, Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Kachanov, Cecchinato, Basilashvili. Fog is 31; Cecchinato and Basilashvili are 26; all the rest are Next Gens.

On the women's side, Anett Kontaveit will finish the year at #19, another career high, one of seven Next Gens in the women's top twenty one.

 

[Tuggy]

Nadal pulls out of Paris (injury).

Djokovic will officially be back at #1 on Monday.

 

[kihei]

Nadal pulls out of Paris (injury).

Djokovic will officially be back at #1 on Monday.

It's an abdomen related injury--hope it's not a tear of some kind or anything related to a hernia--both potential long roads to recovery. A good chance, I assume, that he won't play in London in the ATP finals, a major tournament that he has unbelievably yet to win. As far as his body, it seems as if it is not one thing it is another these days.

 

[MsMeow]

Hopefully Nadal caught it early enough. He should be smart enough by now to listen to his body.

 

[MsMeow]

Speaking of players who are always injured:

TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) | Twitter
Milos Raonic has pulled out of #RolexParisMasters with an elbow injury and Roger Federer is through to round three. New OOP puts Thiem and Simon on Centre Court...

 

[Tuggy]

Sock on his way to defending his title...

Almost back in the top 100 in the live rankings.

 

[kihei]

Coric/Thiem was a good match for two and a half sets. Just when it looked like Coric at 3-1 in the third was ready to pull off a major win against one of his chief competitors, he choked horribly--conveniently, so did Thiem. But try as he might, Dominic couldn't out regurgitate Borna who couldn't keep the ball in play and was just pushing the ball back, just barely keeping the ball in play. So what should have been a significan step forward for Coric instead became a tarnished victory for Thiem.

 

[kihei]

Disastrous opening set for Zverev as he loses all four of his service games, two with a double fault at the end. Khachanov hardly breaks a sweat in his 6-1 win. An arm/shoulder problem may or may not be hampering Sascha.

2nd set: All Karen has to do is keep the ball in play and eventually a mistake will come from Zverev, 6-2 as Khachanov's great break out year continues.

 

[Tuggy]

The dream is over for Sock defending his title...Thiem takes him out.

So Jack sits at 105 in the live rankings and his season is done. Still challengers out there and hopefully Felix can jump over him

Felix will play a CH next week, which I believe will be his last tournament this season. He is right on the edge of direct entry for the Aussie Open and could use a couple more spots to guarantee it.

 

[kihei]

Sock finishes a mystifying 7-21 in singles for the year. He didn't beat any opponent ranked higher than #32 all year (Cuevas at Indian Wells, the only seeded player Sock beat all year). In 2017, Jack was 38-21.

 

[kihei]

Cilic takes the first set 6-4. He played exceptionally well, but Nole didn't play all that badly either, so this match could still turn on a dime.

 

[Novak Djokovic]

Impressive stuff by Cilic. Probably as good as I've ever seen him play. Serving very well, and hitting the lines with his forehand.

 

[kihei]

Pretty much down hill for Marin after the first set, a song we have heard so many times before.

 

[kihei]

Kei goes down 4 and 4 to Roger, Nishikori's sixth straight loss against Federer after a bit of early success. Roger ranged from ordinary to brilliant with some mindboggling drop volleys from ungodly angles that landed three inches over the net.

 

[kihei]

Nole and Roger tomorrow. Worth getting up for--who knows how many more times these two will play against each other?

 

[Hadoop]

Mildly entertaining match between Thiem and Khachanov right now. Evidently the TSN is using a UK feed because one of the commentators just made a cricket analogy that went completely over my head lol.

 

[kihei]

Fed and Nole off to a 1-1 start, but this could be ugly. Nole looking capable of domination at the moment....ur, check that. Roger playing very well, too--damn fine hitting from both players.

 

[Novak Djokovic]

So many break chances not coverted by Novak. Disappointing.

 

[kihei]

Nole takes the tie breaker. Good first set--difference seems to be a matter of younger reflexes versus older reflexes (with one spectacular exception).

 

[Hadoop]

Nole takes the first set with the slimmest of margins. Hard to see Fed win this encounter now.

 

[Novak Djokovic]

Fed is serving extremely high first serve %, it appears.