SMB Tennis thread (note there is a specific Wimbledon 22 thread)

We're underdogs for sure...

Absolutely, even if does go 2-2, Japan have doubles specialists for the deciding rubber. The best scenario would be for Jo to somehow get her early-mid 2017 form and win both matches and Watson to sneak past Nara, but I can't really see it. Konta is #41 in the race, so her 2018 form is worse than her current ranking (lots of grass points to defend to avoid slipping further down the rankings).

Still though, Osaka (while in great form) is a bit of a vulnerable character and I don't think she will have played in this home Fed Cup environment where the spotlight and media focus will be massively on her, so it's not a total write off. I just wish it was on at a better time.
 


Apparently there's a decent chance that we may see Sir Andrew Murray play a competitive match of tennis within the next ten days :cool:

Still on the entry list for RG but hopefully he skips it regardless.
 
Stuart Fraser
Rafael Nadal wins his eleventh Monte Carlo title by defeating Kei Nishikori 6-3 6-2. Nadal has now won THIRTY-SIX consecutive sets on clay (stretching back to 2017 Roland Garros 1st round). None of his opponents have won more than four games in any of these sets.

Makes pretty ominous reading for his opponents over the next couple of months.

Apparently there's a decent chance that we may see Sir Andrew Murray play a competitive match of tennis within the next ten days :cool:

Still on the entry list for RG but hopefully he skips it regardless.

Can't wait to see the big man back. He's been badly missed.
 
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Nadal now 4/9 to win the French Open... Waiting on him for £200+ after including him in many multiples over the past couple of weeks when @ 8/11 and 4/6
 
Murray isn't playing next week and Djokovic (a strong wind would knock him off his feet at the minute, looks so thin) loses again looking either half arsed or injured. Boo.

That young kid Aidan McHugh's got a wild card into Glasgow so might get to see him play for the first time.
 
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I have this thread on watch but didn't get these most recent alerts for some reason. Was just going to say tough time for Djokovic at the moment. Geting to the stage now where if you had show court Wimbledon tickets, you'd probably prefer him not to be on your day.

McHugh is a great choice for a Glasgow WC and hopefully Evans comes through qualifying. Shame those 2 ITFs are just for the blokes - would have been ideal for some of the GB women ranked 150-300, rather than all of those heading to Japan for a hard 80k event next week.
 
What's gone wrong with djokovic?
Not been the same since completing the grand slam at the French in 2016.
Motivation? Family? Injury? On the slide (31 years old and most players normally start to go downhill pretty fast after 30-(rafa.roger. Stan(who blossomed at 30 tbf aside)
 
Nadal had to fend off set points today but still came through in straight sets. That looks a cracking win for Tsitsipas, 3 and 2 over Thiem.

Retirement central in the women's events this week with Muguruza, Kerber, Vondrousova and then Wozniacki today ending their matches early.

Stuttgart semi finals:
Vandeweghe vs Garcia
Pavlyuchenkova/Kontaveit vs Ostapenko/Pliskova

Istanbul semi finals:
Sakkari vs Hercog
Parmentier vs Vekic/Begu
 
Calling it now, the Goff to take a set off Rafa tomorrow :cool:

He'll probably get walloped but he's one of maybe five or six who might be able to slightly trouble Rafa at some point on clay this year. Haway the Goff.
 
In the main draw now. If he's serious about a comeback and gets a couple of wildcards for grass tournaments then you'd hope/expect he's back near the top 100 before the end of the year.
 
In the main draw now. If he's serious about a comeback and gets a couple of wildcards for grass tournaments then you'd hope/expect he's back near the top 100 before the end of the year.

Aye. This is a pretty weak field so he could go fairly deep despite the lack of match practice and fitness. He's back in the rankings now. Apparently the BBC website will be streaming some of the matches next week.
 
Aye. This is a pretty weak field so he could go fairly deep despite the lack of match practice and fitness. He's back in the rankings now. Apparently the BBC website will be streaming some of the matches next week.

There's not much at challenger level in general right now to be honest, most of the better players in the last few years have been the younger Americans and the good ones seem to have made the step up recently. Bloke he's playing tomorrow is the eighth seed and from a quick glance it looks like he's only won about five challenger matches in his life. If Cam Norrie can waltz through the challengers like he did last year then a focused Dan Evans should be alright.
 
What's gone wrong with djokovic?
Not been the same since completing the grand slam at the French in 2016.
Motivation? Family? Injury? On the slide (31 years old and most players normally start to go downhill pretty fast after 30-(rafa.roger. Stan(who blossomed at 30 tbf aside)
His struggles began around the same time as meladonium
What's gone wrong with djokovic?
Not been the same since completing the grand slam at the French in 2016.
Motivation? Family? Injury? On the slide (31 years old and most players normally start to go downhill pretty fast after 30-(rafa.roger. Stan(who blossomed at 30 tbf aside)[/QUOTE
Meladonium got put on the banned drugs list the same time Djokovics struggles began. Maybe it just a coincidence.
 
Dan Evans won the first set of his first round match, but went on a losing run from 6-2 1-0 to 6-1 2-6 0-2 in no time, so lost 8 of 9 games and was looking out on his feet. Did OK to get back into the 3rd set, but lost 2-6 6-2 6-4 in the end. Still, 5 points so he has a ranking again and should be back for Loughborough, but a bit of an opportunity missed here after that first set. Lloyd Glasspool won his first round match in straight sets.

Yet another defeat for Heather Watson, this time in Prague. She's going to have to have a great grass season again just to stay in the top 100, can see a massive drop in the rankings for her.

6 British women (and basically all the prospects) involved in an $80k event in Japan this week. Katie Boulter faces Harriet Dart in the first round and the winner might face Gabi Taylor in the 2nd round. Katy Dunne vs the top seed Nara, Laura Robson vs the 5th seed and Naomi Broady plays a local wildcard where she is 1/80 to win, so a chance for a few of those to gain some significant points given it's worth more than the usual $25k events that most of those have been competing in of late.
 
Dan Evans won the first set of his first round match, but went on a losing run from 6-2 1-0 to 6-1 2-6 0-2 in no time, so lost 8 of 9 games and was looking out on his feet. Did OK to get back into the 3rd set, but lost 2-6 6-2 6-4 in the end. Still, 5 points so he has a ranking again and should be back for Loughborough, but a bit of an opportunity missed here after that first set. Lloyd Glasspool won his first round match in straight sets.

Yet another defeat for Heather Watson, this time in Prague. She's going to have to have a great grass season again just to stay in the top 100, can see a massive drop in the rankings for her.

6 British women (and basically all the prospects) involved in an $80k event in Japan this week. Katie Boulter faces Harriet Dart in the first round and the winner might face Gabi Taylor in the 2nd round. Katy Dunne vs the top seed Nara, Laura Robson vs the 5th seed and Naomi Broady plays a local wildcard where she is 1/80 to win, so a chance for a few of those to gain some significant points given it's worth more than the usual $25k events that most of those have been competing in of late.

Disappointing but not surprising for Evans. Watson will drop big time... Broady is edging to the top 100 though. The whole Boulter/Dart/Taylor ting will hopefully bring in decent ranking points for someone.
 
Disappointing but not surprising for Evans. Watson will drop big time... Broady is edging to the top 100 though. The whole Boulter/Dart/Taylor ting will hopefully bring in decent ranking points for someone.

Aye, Broady had a good week in a Chinese event last week reaching the semi final so went from around 140 to 120ish, a good run here would put her towards the top 100, but the French Open entry list has already been finalised so she, along with Taylor and Boulter will have to go through qualifying (can't see the B's doing much on clay at all).

Love this time of year when you have the French Open, 3 weeks of British grass events and then Wimbledon all within 6/7 weeks of each other. Obviously the World Cup this time as well, but it's not too bad as it's the first 2 weeks when the group games come thick and fast and by the time Wimbledon starts you have reached the WC knockout stages and most of the games are in the evenings / weekend so should work out pretty well. I think I will just about still be prioritising Wimbledon, but after yesterday's out of the blue news, I suddenly have a much greater interest in football again :).
 

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