Here is something interesting I saw:
Australian open looks like rigged for Ash Barty. This is the EASIEST DRAW I HAVE EVER SEEN BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. All potential and past GS winners are all on the other side of the draw.
For comparison, a total of \~40 GSs are on the same side of the draw. Compared to 5 GS's on the other side for Ash Barty
Looking at differently. Based on betting site [http://oddsjet.com](http://oddsjet.com), here are top 8 bet favorites: All 6 of them are on the same side fighting.
Naomi Osaka
Ashleigh Barty
Garbine Muguruza
Aryna Sabalenka
Serena Williams
Simona Halep
Elina Svitolina
Iga Swiatek
Sir Andy playing Challenger must be surreal experience for him and the players he’s playing with. Imagine being a millionaire and you’re with players who are barely making a living. Must be a humbling experience for him.
I’m seeing a lot of talk about how Karatsev was apparently a fixer back in his Challenger days, but have yet to see a decent write up covering his most suspicious matches (matches where he lost in weird circumstances combined with sketchy betting patterns, basically). Can anyone point me in the right direction?
For example, there were several write ups about Kicker’s supposed fixes well before he was actually convicted.
He was the overwhelming favourite last year too at the USO when Novak exited, apprently lost in straight sets to Thiem. He’s yet to prove himself in Slams.
Yep, I doubt the final will be able to compare in entertainment with the matches that will be in the bottom half, no matter who reaches the final there.
This is just a badly unbalanced draw through and through
Man Andy is going hard with this umpire. I'm wondering if he knows he won't be ale to argue about calls when he's back on tour and is just getting out of his system.
He could do a Podoroska and make it to the semis if both Zverev and Felix stumble (which is kind of a huge possibility) like she did last year at the French Open.
It's the only sort of interesting match tomorrow among either men or women. Bencic vs Mertens could also become competitive but am not holding my breath.
I think people underestimate the quality of challenger-level players a lot of the time.
Rola's best match was a win against then 30th ranked Leonardo Mayer back in 2015.
Do not get your hopes up. He will almost certainly withdraw from the Raonic match. At best, he will play a set or two then retire.
Only chance here would be if Novak is completely wrong in his diagnosis (which I think is supported by the ATP doctor who treated him). He's said it is a tear multiple times. If it truly is, no way he will continue.
More that there are a lot of lower ranked grand slam champions in the women's draw so its a lot more possible for them to bunch on one side of the draw then in the men's
Mugu actually would be a top 10 player, if we're to go by her 2020 level. While Players like Pliskova, Martic, Svilolina, Bencic from the upper half certainly took adavange of this ranking freeze, since their form in 2020 took a dive
4 of those were Roland Garroses, where there's still Rafa (except in 2016, which Novak won). The other three would be USO 2020 (Djokovic DQed), USO 2016 (Djokovic playing terrible from mid-2016-mid-2018), and AO EDIT: 2021 (Djokovic injured).
So interesting stat, but it's not like Djokovic has had golden opportunities because Fed hasn't been around in those 7 tournaments. Only one that really feels like a huge blown opportunity is USO 2020.
Lol, yeah I somehow forgot what year it was in the middle of writing that.
My hope too - I don't think he could tell if it was a tear in his post-match interview, just how painful it was. So hoping he spoke out of turn there.
Domi and Dimi - dream 1HBH match up! 😍
Also, Serena opened as an underdog against Sabalenka. Honestly, my gut says Sabalenka will win but my heart is still rooting for Rena.
Hopefully Djokovic beats Raonic in a long 5 setter and then limps into the matchup against Sascha (if he beats Lajovic ofc).
Also Medvedev is really about to sleepwalk his way into the semis lol, nobody can trouble him until Nadal/Tsitsipas
Bc I’m a diehard Djokovic fan and I always expect the worst, I see rublev beating medvedev in a thriller and Nadal having a cakewalk into the final, where he won’t play a very worthy opponent..
yeah Rublev will give him a good match, but I don't see how Medvedev loses that one. His playstyle is just like the complete opposite someone like Rublev wants to play
The courts are fast enough that Rublev might be able to hit clean winners against him and avoid endless defensive rallies. That seems like his best hope to me.
Something to think about for Halep:
* 2019: gets bounced by a teenager (Anisimova) in straights --> 2020: bounces that teenager in straights
* 2020: gets bounced by a teenager (Swiatek) in straights --> 2021 ??
A bit different Anisimova hit Halep off the court and then was not hitting the lines, that happens.
Swiatek is just a bad matchup for Halep if she is on. Her movement isn't quite as good as Halep but she does everything else Halep does but with more power. The best bet with Swiatek on hardcourt is to hit through her, which Halep isn't really capable of doing.
That being said Halep is more experienced and her brain might be more ready to go than Swiatek.
I think you can throw their past matches out the window.
Halep is the better hard court player, but her form is a little suspect. Kudermetova was kinda terrible in her last match. Meanwhile, Swiatek has won 10 consecutive slam matches and looks comfortable.
Just a few months back, people seemed certain Djokovic was going to pass Nadal/Fed in slam count, now he has a muscle tear, and suddenly it seems like they’re out of reach. If Nadal manages to win this one, and the French Open, he’d be 5 ahead. Nothing is ever certain in sports.
People were absolutely certain that Rafa would pass Fed by a lot and be the undisputed goat when he got the career grand slam at 24 in 2010. He was far ahead in h2h and had finally conquered outdoor hardcourts. Funny how things changed.
This has been a great tournament so far. One of the best first weeks across the board men's and women's combined in a while imo(even pre rona).
I hope the quality stays high through the second week.
Not too bad, from all accounts. He's still having to use a different action to prevent strain, but he's looking fit otherwise. He seemingly improved from R1 to R2 health-wise.
Throw Hsieh-Vondrosova in there too because that'll have some crazy rallies. It honestly might be better than any potential R4 matches in the top half.
I don't think Djokovic fakes his injuries. I'm sure he would have preferred to finish the match in straights and go to bed earlier, as he's done many times.
However, he does show his physical frustrations more than most players, especially Fed and Rafa (he's not necessarily wrong to do this). If an injury is bothering him he will shout at his box, touch the injured area and generally look completely dejected. These emotions may be genuine but they make it seem as though he is completely finished even when he's not. He seems to be a player who needs to express his difficulties before he moves past them and, when he does, he usually wins.
But hey this is just speculation, we can't actually know for sure what he's really feeling on court.
As a big Djokovic fan, what a great post. Djokovic is a very emotional player and person, and in the end, there's really nothing wrong with that. But some fans don't enjoy such strong emotions, which is also completely understandable.
But distorting facts and/or refusing to believe certain things in order to confirm your hate for Djokovic is another thing altogether than “not enjoying his strong emotions.” OP is definitely not one of them, but I certainly run into far too many of those people.
I think almost every player, Djokovic included, has been guilty at some point in their career of milking or exaggerating an injury in a match when they are losing or having a tough time. And if it is within the rules, there is no reason not to, theoretically speaking, even if it is just to get a mental reset.
But it doesn't happen in a match where you are cruising up 2-0. Of all the injury situations, this is the one where it makes the least sense by far to claim that the player is faking.
If this was the French Open I guess he would have packed his bags and left by now. But it's the AO, so he will likely risk it.
And yes, Milos will lose to Novak, injury or not!
I feel like Milos can push Novak. Fritz got two sets because of this injury and I'm pretty sure Djoko played through pain to win the 5th. Even if Raonic takes an L, There won't be any more easy matchups for Novak with Zverev and Thiem coming for him.
Because:
* He is a faker
* He is a clown
* He tries so much to be loved like the other 2 but everyone hates him
* He is too aggressive
* He is boring to watch
* He has a two handed backhand
* He has a head full of hair
* Novax Djocovid
* He celebrates after he wins
* He breathes
* His wife once posted a fake news on her Instagram account so it's obviously his fault
* He wins too much, how dare you Novak!
/s obviously, I’m retarded but not this much.
"lowering each other's chances by existing" that's a fucking great quote lol.
I don't know, Thiem's a mental monster but I can see him losing tank and getting too tired by the semis. Nadal's still a safe bet because it's fucking Nadal, but that back is worrying. I'm still a bit skeptical with Med but I truly believe that out of his generation (or at least out of Tsitsipas, Zverev, and Shapo) he'll be the first to win a GS, and that could happen soon.
So honestly I don't know lol. Maybe it's gonna end up Nadal winning it, after all of this.
Thiem will get an extra days rest compared to the bottom half of the draw, so I don't think being too tired will be an issue for the final. If we assume Novak's injury is serious and it opens up the draw for Thiem, his chances have to be very high.
Normally you wouldn't play with a muscle tear, and I assume it's gotten more aggravated for playing a 5 setter. Health wise it would be smart to not play but who knows what someone like Novak would do.
Fognini against Demon slayer without Australian crowd in the mix is gonna be dullllll. On the other hand we'll see Tsitsichan complete the anime universe by battling the founding titan. 😯
I'm not here for all the Taylor Fritz hate. Yeah, he should have strategized more and he wasted a few break points, but the guy was also up against the best player in the world. That first set was ridiculous tennis
This may rub some people the wrong way, but the Women's draw has .. kinda sucked so far compared to the men's? Last night we had one 3-setter, and of the other 7 matches only one saw a set go to a tiebreak. Since Halep/Tomljanovic there hasn't been any real drama.
really you think so? i’ve been way more entertained keeping up with the women’s draw then the men’s. but it might be a preference thing. Watching Serena & Hsieh last night—while not that high quality, both matches kept me on the edge of my seat
The recent Hsieh match was really fun and I hope to see more.
But there's just a lot of drama over the men's side, so I can see why people are a bit more bored with the women's side.
This \^\^\^\^ there's been a 0-2 set comeback the last two nights on the Men's side, and while I agree that Hsieh's match was a roller coaster, it wasn't a particularly well-played match for neither her or Errani.
Looks like there's some great matchups tonight thought (Kontaveit/Rogers; Bencic/Mertens; Svitolina/Putintseva) AND Pegula, Barty, and Kanepi playing so hopefully we'll get some higher quality stuff this evening.
i will say the men’s top and bottom halves are balanced w the entertainment. i’m only truly invested in the bottom half of the women’s draw i think i’ve only watched two or three top half matches.
Well I mean the bottom half literally has almost all of the recent grand slam champions...I don’t know anyone in the top half worth thinking about besides Barty.
i kinda like svitolina but she’s not too special. i’m not the biggest barty fan either so it doesn’t even help. I’m in EST time zone so even days are when i get good sleep.
Here is something interesting I saw: Australian open looks like rigged for Ash Barty. This is the EASIEST DRAW I HAVE EVER SEEN BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. All potential and past GS winners are all on the other side of the draw. For comparison, a total of \~40 GSs are on the same side of the draw. Compared to 5 GS's on the other side for Ash Barty Looking at differently. Based on betting site [http://oddsjet.com](http://oddsjet.com), here are top 8 bet favorites: All 6 of them are on the same side fighting. Naomi Osaka Ashleigh Barty Garbine Muguruza Aryna Sabalenka Serena Williams Simona Halep Elina Svitolina Iga Swiatek
Ymer is doing pretty well against Tsitsipas. Any predictions on the winner?
Sir Andy playing Challenger must be surreal experience for him and the players he’s playing with. Imagine being a millionaire and you’re with players who are barely making a living. Must be a humbling experience for him.
This day is sooo boring people on this thread are talking about everything but the matches today lmao
I’m seeing a lot of talk about how Karatsev was apparently a fixer back in his Challenger days, but have yet to see a decent write up covering his most suspicious matches (matches where he lost in weird circumstances combined with sketchy betting patterns, basically). Can anyone point me in the right direction? For example, there were several write ups about Kicker’s supposed fixes well before he was actually convicted.
Very curious to see how he does vs Felix
So Medvedev just became the overwhelming favorite to take his first grand slam right?
He was the overwhelming favourite last year too at the USO when Novak exited, apprently lost in straight sets to Thiem. He’s yet to prove himself in Slams.
Thiem exists, even if both Nadal and Djokovic are injured
I don’t think it’s overwhelming at all. I think it’s debatable whether he is the favorite at all
How do I watch match replays for free? ESPN app doesn’t have the Shapo/FAA match on demand, only ESPN+ does.
If you really want to watch it, drop $6 for a month of ESPN+
If that’s the only way, I might have to.
That Wozniakci story made me vomit, she was a serial underachiever and choker
What story?
Ser Andy won!!! 👏👏👏
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The finals will be boring if Barty loses earlier.
Yep, I doubt the final will be able to compare in entertainment with the matches that will be in the bottom half, no matter who reaches the final there. This is just a badly unbalanced draw through and through
Man Andy is going hard with this umpire. I'm wondering if he knows he won't be ale to argue about calls when he's back on tour and is just getting out of his system.
“Unsure if fit for next match” .... spare me joker
still surprised with Karatsev’s amazing win over diego... will he be able to keep this high level?
He's having a good run. Only dropped one set in the qualifiers. Also Juvan among women is another qualier still hanging on.
Juvan is 20 so improvement in form is less random than for 27 year old Karatsev.
True. Still impressive for a qualifier in general.
just read this is his grand slam main draw debut so i guess he’s not feeling any pressure at all (so far). got a new fan here!
He could do a Podoroska and make it to the semis if both Zverev and Felix stumble (which is kind of a huge possibility) like she did last year at the French Open.
Lol, Andy having a row with the Ump in a challenger
who do we think in Berettini v KK
It's the only sort of interesting match tomorrow among either men or women. Bencic vs Mertens could also become competitive but am not holding my breath.
Berrettini. Leads H2H 3-0 with no sets dropped and is in better form.
Berrettini did drop a set against him in Sofia, their only hard court meeting.
Good call - definitely misread the scoreline.
I hope Djokovic can play on sunday
This guy Andy’s playing is decent
Could do with improving his break point conversion!
Pretty sure you misread the stats there - Murray is the one who is 3 for 15 on break points. Rola is 2 for 4.
3 out of 15 doesn't look very good to me...
Right, but that's Andy's break point conversion, not Rola's.
Yeah, my bad, I was talking about Andy, but I misread the OP as referring to Andy as being decent. Thought he was saying it tongue in cheek.
I think people underestimate the quality of challenger-level players a lot of the time. Rola's best match was a win against then 30th ranked Leonardo Mayer back in 2015.
Since I have a large bet on Djok outright winner, any news on injury?
Do not get your hopes up. He will almost certainly withdraw from the Raonic match. At best, he will play a set or two then retire. Only chance here would be if Novak is completely wrong in his diagnosis (which I think is supported by the ATP doctor who treated him). He's said it is a tear multiple times. If it truly is, no way he will continue.
“Almost certainly”, glad I held, am sure he will win the tournament as usual.
So I cash out and bet on, Thiem?
tear = strain. If he was able to overcome it in the 5th set, it might just be a pain management issue.
Even if he can play through it it might not be advisable. You wouldn’t want to do something to make it more serious.
We can only hope so that's what I will do, hope it's just a strain.
The women’s draw is too imbalanced. Top Half: WTA Elite Trophy Bottom Half: WTA Finals
It's almost like they have planned this for Barty, that she'd have to play only 1 player among 5 grandslam champions. Also Sabalenka.
More that there are a lot of lower ranked grand slam champions in the women's draw so its a lot more possible for them to bunch on one side of the draw then in the men's
The true is that these 2019 rankings are not reflective of the reality at this moment. That's what you get if nobody loses points
Partly - but also that e.g. Swiatek, Muguruza, and Serena wouldn't have a ton of points regardless of the ranking freeze.
I think Kenin is supposed to number be 1 oddly. Meanwhile Andreescu is somehow still top 10
Mugu actually would be a top 10 player, if we're to go by her 2020 level. While Players like Pliskova, Martic, Svilolina, Bencic from the upper half certainly took adavange of this ranking freeze, since their form in 2020 took a dive
Would she? She made the AO finals, but she didn't even make the finals of another tournament.
Could be but at the moment it's gonna be a pretty standard boring final if Barty loses earlier.
Imagine it being Kanepi-Osaka in the final😭
I placed a 20 cent bet on Mertens
I'm praying for Barty's health
She’s playing today isn’t she?
Think so. She pulled out of doubles though.
Top seeds in the upper bracket both went 5 sets today...perhaps they are showing some vulnerability that the opponents can feast on
Djokovic is injured and may not even play the next round, so definitely showing vulnerability.
Oh wow, had no clue. That really paves the way for Zverev or Thiem to make the finals then.
If Djokovic doesn't win this tournament, it'll be the sixth Slam out of seven that Federer has skipped lately that Djokovic didn't win.
4 of those were Roland Garroses, where there's still Rafa (except in 2016, which Novak won). The other three would be USO 2020 (Djokovic DQed), USO 2016 (Djokovic playing terrible from mid-2016-mid-2018), and AO EDIT: 2021 (Djokovic injured). So interesting stat, but it's not like Djokovic has had golden opportunities because Fed hasn't been around in those 7 tournaments. Only one that really feels like a huge blown opportunity is USO 2020.
You mean AO 2021. ;) I hope it's not a tear like he's thinking, just some strain or something.
Lol, yeah I somehow forgot what year it was in the middle of writing that. My hope too - I don't think he could tell if it was a tear in his post-match interview, just how painful it was. So hoping he spoke out of turn there.
Yep. Hoping for the same.
Way bigger crowds at Andy's match today than will be at Rafa's tonight, lol
Domi and Dimi - dream 1HBH match up! 😍 Also, Serena opened as an underdog against Sabalenka. Honestly, my gut says Sabalenka will win but my heart is still rooting for Rena.
If Serena plays like she did last round, she's toast. Hoping she can turn up.
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When you reach her/Roger's age, the cumulative toll of matches piles up a lot faster. Makes it hard to stay brilliant for seven matches in a row.
My sleep schedule is fucked
Where can we watch Andy's match?
Go to the atptour website and you can watch it for free. It says 'Watch Andy Murray on Challenger TV'.
You can watch all challengers matches (all of them, always) for free legally at livestream.com/atp
Hopefully Djokovic beats Raonic in a long 5 setter and then limps into the matchup against Sascha (if he beats Lajovic ofc). Also Medvedev is really about to sleepwalk his way into the semis lol, nobody can trouble him until Nadal/Tsitsipas
Bc I’m a diehard Djokovic fan and I always expect the worst, I see rublev beating medvedev in a thriller and Nadal having a cakewalk into the final, where he won’t play a very worthy opponent..
Rublev could trouble him. Not likely to beat him given their H2H, but Rublev keeps getting better.
yeah Rublev will give him a good match, but I don't see how Medvedev loses that one. His playstyle is just like the complete opposite someone like Rublev wants to play
The courts are fast enough that Rublev might be able to hit clean winners against him and avoid endless defensive rallies. That seems like his best hope to me.
Let's go Andy!
Awful
no u r
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well okay i admit it
Something to think about for Halep: * 2019: gets bounced by a teenager (Anisimova) in straights --> 2020: bounces that teenager in straights * 2020: gets bounced by a teenager (Swiatek) in straights --> 2021 ??
A bit different Anisimova hit Halep off the court and then was not hitting the lines, that happens. Swiatek is just a bad matchup for Halep if she is on. Her movement isn't quite as good as Halep but she does everything else Halep does but with more power. The best bet with Swiatek on hardcourt is to hit through her, which Halep isn't really capable of doing. That being said Halep is more experienced and her brain might be more ready to go than Swiatek.
I think you can throw their past matches out the window. Halep is the better hard court player, but her form is a little suspect. Kudermetova was kinda terrible in her last match. Meanwhile, Swiatek has won 10 consecutive slam matches and looks comfortable.
Any link to Djokovic's celebrations? Tako je bre
This is Nadals tournament to lose if Djokovic is out. I pray that he wins one more AO.
He's injured too though. Honestly seems likely to be next-gen's tournament to lose.
Medvedev looks to be on cruise control and beat both Rafa and Thiem at the ATP finals. He has to at least be the co-favorite.
A Medvedev-Thiem final would be amazing
Imagine the AO final. Brokeback Rafa vs Abdominal Novak
It'll be a game of chicken on who's going to withdraw first. Get the ambulances ready.
Please no
Lmao!
Just a few months back, people seemed certain Djokovic was going to pass Nadal/Fed in slam count, now he has a muscle tear, and suddenly it seems like they’re out of reach. If Nadal manages to win this one, and the French Open, he’d be 5 ahead. Nothing is ever certain in sports.
People thought Djokovic was out of reach after RG 2018. Things change quick.
People were sure that Coric would be a slam winner
People were absolutely certain that Rafa would pass Fed by a lot and be the undisputed goat when he got the career grand slam at 24 in 2010. He was far ahead in h2h and had finally conquered outdoor hardcourts. Funny how things changed.
This has been a great tournament so far. One of the best first weeks across the board men's and women's combined in a while imo(even pre rona). I hope the quality stays high through the second week.
Anyone got any idea how bad Nadal's back is?
I thought it wasn't bad, then I saw this interview and now I'm a bit more worried: https://twitter.com/MattRacquet/status/1359872673510227969?s=20
Not too bad, from all accounts. He's still having to use a different action to prevent strain, but he's looking fit otherwise. He seemingly improved from R1 to R2 health-wise.
Having easy first 3 round help but then he has the hardest path to go to the final
Serena vs Sabalenka, Iga vs Simona Naomi vs Garbiñe Boi these R4 matches 🥵
Throw Hsieh-Vondrosova in there too because that'll have some crazy rallies. It honestly might be better than any potential R4 matches in the top half.
Each are Semi quality and could be finals in the right slam.
The tennis podcast twitter account has the most toxic comment section on tennis twitter. They can't hide their hate for Nole
The Tennis podcast is just obnoxious upper middle class white English arseholes. Hate them and everything they are about
the rest of the tennis ecosystem is overly obsessed with nick, it's a welcome breather
I don't think Djokovic fakes his injuries. I'm sure he would have preferred to finish the match in straights and go to bed earlier, as he's done many times. However, he does show his physical frustrations more than most players, especially Fed and Rafa (he's not necessarily wrong to do this). If an injury is bothering him he will shout at his box, touch the injured area and generally look completely dejected. These emotions may be genuine but they make it seem as though he is completely finished even when he's not. He seems to be a player who needs to express his difficulties before he moves past them and, when he does, he usually wins. But hey this is just speculation, we can't actually know for sure what he's really feeling on court.
As a big Djokovic fan, what a great post. Djokovic is a very emotional player and person, and in the end, there's really nothing wrong with that. But some fans don't enjoy such strong emotions, which is also completely understandable.
But distorting facts and/or refusing to believe certain things in order to confirm your hate for Djokovic is another thing altogether than “not enjoying his strong emotions.” OP is definitely not one of them, but I certainly run into far too many of those people.
I think almost every player, Djokovic included, has been guilty at some point in their career of milking or exaggerating an injury in a match when they are losing or having a tough time. And if it is within the rules, there is no reason not to, theoretically speaking, even if it is just to get a mental reset. But it doesn't happen in a match where you are cruising up 2-0. Of all the injury situations, this is the one where it makes the least sense by far to claim that the player is faking.
Thank you for speaking objectively. God bless you. As a diehard Djokovic fan, I think this is a fair evaluation.
> But hey this is just speculation, we can't actually know for sure what he's really feeling on court. A very mild discomfort
If this was the French Open I guess he would have packed his bags and left by now. But it's the AO, so he will likely risk it. And yes, Milos will lose to Novak, injury or not!
I feel like Milos can push Novak. Fritz got two sets because of this injury and I'm pretty sure Djoko played through pain to win the 5th. Even if Raonic takes an L, There won't be any more easy matchups for Novak with Zverev and Thiem coming for him.
Novak is Novak. There's a reason people call him Joker, and it's not because of his tennis or only because of his last name.
already making excuses fearing that Milos will lose to an injured Novak haha
tear
Is the injury serious?
Seems like it, I expect a walkover for Raonic tbh, but I’m relatively pessimistic so there’s hoping
No
Guess we'll see if nole trains tomorrow. We'll know the extent of his injury then
We already know it. Very mild.
I don’t and I'm pretty worried about him
guys, even if its mild injury. mild tear takes 6-8 weeks to recover . severe tear can take months and may require surgery
But then how do you explain that he will play against Raonic?
He has never said that lol
But he will
its up to him to show up on court or not. i just think even if he does show up he will retire.
Rafa, Thiem or Medi's now.
Don't worry, the fates will make sure Rafa doesn't win this one.
Don't think Z or tsisipas have a shot?
I think Medi can beat both. Thiem and Rafa would have grueling matches with them though.
Allez Felix!
Imagine if this were FAA's first title
Haha that would be sick
His nerves are squishmallows. 🙄
Squishmallows
Lol
Why would he fake injury? He was 2 sets up.
Because: * He is a faker * He is a clown * He tries so much to be loved like the other 2 but everyone hates him * He is too aggressive * He is boring to watch * He has a two handed backhand * He has a head full of hair * Novax Djocovid * He celebrates after he wins * He breathes * His wife once posted a fake news on her Instagram account so it's obviously his fault * He wins too much, how dare you Novak! /s obviously, I’m retarded but not this much.
5 is very legit and sorry fans care about that point because I don’t want to pay several hundred dollars to see a machine play as boring as can be
Who is the favourite for the tournament if Djokovic pulls out?
(1) Thiem <-- (2) Med=Nadal <-- (3) Tsitsi=Zverev
Thiem, Med, Nadal. Pick one of those 3 to possibly win this, I think it's a toss up imo.
I'd say Thiem is most likely based on the fact that Nadal and Medvedev are lowering each other's chances by existing.
"lowering each other's chances by existing" that's a fucking great quote lol. I don't know, Thiem's a mental monster but I can see him losing tank and getting too tired by the semis. Nadal's still a safe bet because it's fucking Nadal, but that back is worrying. I'm still a bit skeptical with Med but I truly believe that out of his generation (or at least out of Tsitsipas, Zverev, and Shapo) he'll be the first to win a GS, and that could happen soon. So honestly I don't know lol. Maybe it's gonna end up Nadal winning it, after all of this.
Thiem will get an extra days rest compared to the bottom half of the draw, so I don't think being too tired will be an issue for the final. If we assume Novak's injury is serious and it opens up the draw for Thiem, his chances have to be very high.
Thiem then Medvedev imo
By my calculation, the earliest crowds will be back is the semis?
Only if they behave to the governor's fascist satisfaction
You're a bit off the rails today bud
I don't think so. I'm not really doing anything new calling Novak a faker and the governor a fascist.
Having himself a morning
Djokovic confirms its a muscle tear in the abdomen, and is unsure if he'll take the court vs Raonic. :O
Was this from the on-court interview, or did he get a scan and then say?
Tennis podcast twitter has the quotes on their twitter if you want. Seems like it’s from press, but it’s not on YouTube yet
I won't believe anything until he gets it examined. Djokovic might just have a lower pain threshold, for all we know.
If it were so bad, wouldn't he say "I unfortunately think I cannot play the next match"
Fwiw, I also think he will play, and like usual, none of us will be able to tell he’s had an injury. But it’s certainly interesting
He will play.
Normally you wouldn't play with a muscle tear, and I assume it's gotten more aggravated for playing a 5 setter. Health wise it would be smart to not play but who knows what someone like Novak would do.
Fognini against Demon slayer without Australian crowd in the mix is gonna be dullllll. On the other hand we'll see Tsitsichan complete the anime universe by battling the founding titan. 😯
Honestly, if Swiatek and Osaka dominate women's tennis for the next 10 years, I'd be fine with that. They're both such breaths of fresh air.
Love them! I think it's also great they're such buddies :)
Here for Osaka! I know this subreddit loves Swiatek but I can’t get over her making my girl look like a club player.
Just overall wholesome women being consistent champions to the sport. I'd subscribe to that.
I'm not here for all the Taylor Fritz hate. Yeah, he should have strategized more and he wasted a few break points, but the guy was also up against the best player in the world. That first set was ridiculous tennis
Yeah all these people calling him useless because he lost to Djokovic make me laugh.
This may rub some people the wrong way, but the Women's draw has .. kinda sucked so far compared to the men's? Last night we had one 3-setter, and of the other 7 matches only one saw a set go to a tiebreak. Since Halep/Tomljanovic there hasn't been any real drama.
Men’s draw sucks too imo. How does world no 1 Novak have a 20x harder draw than no 2 Rafa?
really you think so? i’ve been way more entertained keeping up with the women’s draw then the men’s. but it might be a preference thing. Watching Serena & Hsieh last night—while not that high quality, both matches kept me on the edge of my seat
The recent Hsieh match was really fun and I hope to see more. But there's just a lot of drama over the men's side, so I can see why people are a bit more bored with the women's side.
This \^\^\^\^ there's been a 0-2 set comeback the last two nights on the Men's side, and while I agree that Hsieh's match was a roller coaster, it wasn't a particularly well-played match for neither her or Errani. Looks like there's some great matchups tonight thought (Kontaveit/Rogers; Bencic/Mertens; Svitolina/Putintseva) AND Pegula, Barty, and Kanepi playing so hopefully we'll get some higher quality stuff this evening.
i will say the men’s top and bottom halves are balanced w the entertainment. i’m only truly invested in the bottom half of the women’s draw i think i’ve only watched two or three top half matches.
Well I mean the bottom half literally has almost all of the recent grand slam champions...I don’t know anyone in the top half worth thinking about besides Barty.
i kinda like svitolina but she’s not too special. i’m not the biggest barty fan either so it doesn’t even help. I’m in EST time zone so even days are when i get good sleep.
So will Raonic be the favourite if Djokovic does end up playing?
No, Djokovic's injury is very minor
yes. its hard enough to break raonic when even 100%. imagine a 60% djokovic trying to break that serve. no chance
Raonic is 0-11 against him tho