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

Tennis is in a bit of a strange place at the moment and there really is such a big contrast between the 2 sides.

Djokovic and Nadal were (/are) so far ahead of the rest this tournament and although there was a masterclass on display, even their anticipated final was a bit of a damp squib. The younger generation are generally doing better, but once they faced the finalists, they were all soundly beaten - ADM, Tiafoe, Tsitsipas, Shapovalov, Medvedev. Novak is superb and surely the favourite now to end his career with the most slams, but while clearly respected, he's not loved in the same way as the other 2 and him (in particular) dominating is probably putting people off the sport, certainly on this forum anyway - there's very few regular posters now and while it was obviously one sided and a slightly early start, there was pretty much no activity during that final. Murray barely playing these last 18 months has obviously contributed, but you go on to the NFL thread, when matches are on at 2/3am or even Brighton vs Watford and it's so much more popular than a men's slam final.

It is and has been my favourite sport for a while now and a large part of that is down to the women's side. I get the BO5 thing, the 'principle' of liking women's sports, the less physical / 'put them in with a bloke in the 300's and they'll barely win a point', etc. etc. but at face value, that side is in generally in a lot better position. You've got a 21 year old #1 in Osaka who's just put together back to back slams and who's worldwide profile is so much higher after 'that' US Open final, you've got a 20 year old Sabalenka who's won 3 titles in less than 6 months and will be in the top 10 in tomorrow's rankings. You've got the big names who will put bums on seats in Venus, Serena and Sharapova still winning matches, but not dominating, and you've got a whole host of slam winners in their prime years like Halep, Stephens, Muguruza as well as Kerber and Kvitova who are a few years older. Plus, and probably most crucial, you've got one of the most talented crop of 17/18 year old's that I can remember in a very long time in Yastremska, Anisimova, Andreescu and Potapova who are all currently in the top 80 and won at least one match at the Aussie Open, 2 and 3 matches in some cases. So did 17 year old Swiatek who will be at #140 tomorrow and might just be the best of the lot of them.

Could really do with the likes of Draper, Loffhagen and McHugh (young British male players) progressing and one of those crashing the top 10 and become a genuine contender as the likes of Edmund, Evans and Norrie qualifying for slams and winning a match here and there isn't going to change much.

It’s a strange one with Djokovic as he just doesn’t really get the love the other two get with tennis fans when in reality, he’s probably gunna be right up there with the two of them at the end of his career if not in with a shout of GOAT. He’s playing at an insane level right now and should he continue this run then I honestly don’t think anyone can stop him.
 


Tennis is in a bit of a strange place at the moment and there really is such a big contrast between the 2 sides.

Djokovic and Nadal were (/are) so far ahead of the rest this tournament and although there was a masterclass on display, even their anticipated final was a bit of a damp squib. The younger generation are generally doing better, but once they faced the finalists, they were all soundly beaten - ADM, Tiafoe, Tsitsipas, Shapovalov, Medvedev. Novak is superb and surely the favourite now to end his career with the most slams, but while clearly respected, he's not loved in the same way as the other 2 and him (in particular) dominating is probably putting people off the sport, certainly on this forum anyway - there's very few regular posters now and while it was obviously one sided and a slightly early start, there was pretty much no activity during that final. Murray barely playing these last 18 months has obviously contributed, but you go on to the NFL thread, when matches are on at 2/3am or even Brighton vs Watford and it's so much more popular than a men's slam final.

It is and has been my favourite sport for a while now and a large part of that is down to the women's side. I get the BO5 thing, the 'principle' of liking women's sports, the less physical / 'put them in with a bloke in the 300's and they'll barely win a point', etc. etc. but at face value, that side is in generally in a lot better position. You've got a 21 year old #1 in Osaka who's just put together back to back slams and who's worldwide profile is so much higher after 'that' US Open final, you've got a 20 year old Sabalenka who's won 3 titles in less than 6 months and will be in the top 10 in tomorrow's rankings. You've got the big names who will put bums on seats in Venus, Serena and Sharapova still winning matches, but not dominating, and you've got a whole host of slam winners in their prime years like Halep, Stephens, Muguruza as well as Kerber and Kvitova who are a few years older. Plus, and probably most crucial, you've got one of the most talented crop of 17/18 year old's that I can remember in a very long time in Yastremska, Anisimova, Andreescu and Potapova who are all currently in the top 80 and won at least one match at the Aussie Open, 2 and 3 matches in some cases. So did 17 year old Swiatek who will be at #140 tomorrow and might just be the best of the lot of them.

Could really do with the likes of Draper, Loffhagen and McHugh (young British male players) progressing and one of those crashing the top 10 and become a genuine contender as the likes of Edmund, Evans and Norrie qualifying for slams and winning a match here and there isn't going to change much.

Yeah, there does seem to be a lot less tennis posts / posters than 2-3 years ago. I like both, but the men's is always going to get the most attention and as you say, at the moment the men's landscape isn't brilliant. Novak just too good and a lot of the previous contenders aren't really for whatever reason, mainly injuries.
 
It’s a strange one with Djokovic as he just doesn’t really get the love the other two get with tennis fans when in reality, he’s probably gunna be right up there with the two of them at the end of his career if not in with a shout of GOAT. He’s playing at an insane level right now and should he continue this run then I honestly don’t think anyone can stop him.

Yeah, he probably is the best and I'd be very surprised if he didn't surpass the slam record to properly back that up. He's 'just' 31 as well so plenty more time to even put a bit daylight between, if he can stay injury free. Just seems strange to think that it might not (and probably won't) be Roger who ends up with the most as he's been around pretty much all my life, been more at the forefront here with his Wimbledon success and has been referred to as the GOAT so many times.

Yeah, there does seem to be a lot less tennis posts / posters than 2-3 years ago. I like both, but the men's is always going to get the most attention and as you say, at the moment the men's landscape isn't brilliant. Novak just too good and a lot of the previous contenders aren't really for whatever reason, mainly injuries.

True, you probably do need a healthy men's side for the sport to really prosper and if that's intriguing, then the women's will probably get more attention as a result. I am invested in the women's game and would very much look forward to a future Osaka vs Sabalenka match, but at the same time, while a football fan, I'd have no intention of watching Reading Women vs Arsenal Women on TV today and I guess that's generally a similar story here.
 
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Yeah, he probably is the best and I'd be very surprised if he didn't surpass the slam record to properly back that up. He's 'just' 31 as well so plenty more time to even put a bit daylight between, if he can stay injury free. Just seems strange to think that it might not (and probably won't) be Roger who ends up with the most as he's been around pretty much all my life, been more at the forefront here with his Wimbledon success and has been referred to as the GOAT so many times.



True, you probably do need a healthy men's side for the sport to really prosper and if that's intriguing, then the women's will probably get more attention as a result. I am invested in the women's game and would very much look forward to a future Osaka vs Sabalenka match, but at the same time, while a football fan, I'd have no intention of watching Reading Women vs Arsenal Women on TV today and I guess that's generally a similar story here.

It’s a mad thought but as you say if he stays injury free then you’d have to have him down to win a few more slams at the very least. I just think it’s mad how none of these next gen lot look anywhere near the level of Djokovic and even nadal right now. I think we’ve been spoilt for too long :lol:
 
It’s a mad thought but as you say if he stays injury free then you’d have to have him down to win a few more slams at the very least. I just think it’s mad how none of these next gen lot look anywhere near the level of Djokovic and even nadal right now. I think we’ve been spoilt for too long :lol:

Haha, aye, it's probably not fair, but in 5 or 6 years when they're all gone and Tsitsipas or FAA finally win their first slam we'll be like 'they're shite anyway, they've only won cos Novak isn't around.' Or 'couldn't lace Rafa's boots'.:lol:
 
Look, whatever happened today, there was no good outcome for Federer. Djokovic winning was probably the least the worst outcome of the two.

Had Rafa won today, against Djokovic on his home court, the media would have gone crazy with Nadal closing on Fed's slam record of 20, people would've said its inevitable he would win the French and effectively penciled in No.19 for him, which in that case would leave him only ONE behind Federer heading into Wimbledon.

So instead Djokovic wins, who now has a second shot at holding all 4 slams, continues to chase down Federer's number 1 weeks record and now all the talk is Federer's GOAT title under threat from Novak.

Whatever happened today, Federer's GOAT status was going to be heavily under threat from <insert today's winner here>.

Tbh the only Fed can do is hopefully nick a few more slams, finish in the 22-24 region and just pray that age takes hold of Djokovic and Nadal eventually. I personally am skeptical of the pair of them lasting as long as Federer due to how much of their game revolves around winning lengthy baseline exchanges whereas Federer continues to have a lot of shorter rallies and wins a lot of points with his serve which I think is better suited for 35-40.
 
Indian Wells the next main tournament?

Pretty much. There's a women's Masters 1000 equivalent in Dubai next month as well as the Fed Cup group stage, which is in Britain for the first time since 1993, so that'll be pretty cool and there's 4 ATP 500's, but IW in early March is the next biggie.

Look, whatever happened today, there was no good outcome for Federer. Djokovic winning was probably the least the worst outcome of the two.

Had Rafa won today, against Djokovic on his home court, the media would have gone crazy with Nadal closing on Fed's slam record of 20, people would've said its inevitable he would win the French and effectively penciled in No.19 for him, which in that case would leave him only ONE behind Federer heading into Wimbledon.

So instead Djokovic wins, who now has a second shot at holding all 4 slams, continues to chase down Federer's number 1 weeks record and now all the talk is Federer's GOAT title under threat from Novak.

Whatever happened today, Federer's GOAT status was going to be heavily under threat from <insert today's winner here>.

Tbh the only Fed can do is hopefully nick a few more slams, finish in the 22-24 region and just pray that age takes hold of Djokovic and Nadal eventually. I personally am skeptical of the pair of them lasting as long as Federer due to how much of their game revolves around winning lengthy baseline exchanges whereas Federer continues to have a lot of shorter rallies and wins a lot of points with his serve which I think is better suited for 35-40.

I hope Fed can add a couple more, but I'm not really sure I see it, even at Wimbledon. He obviously skipped clay lat year, so he can add points there whatever events he plays, but the QF, L16, L16 at the last 3 slams means he's now ranked 6th and therefore could face the big 2 in the slam quarters rather than semi's or final that he will have been used to the past 12 months. He didn't win the big points against Tsitsipas and on another day, that could have been a straight sets win, but when you compare that performance to Nadal's and worse, Djokovic today, it does seem a different level. He may add one more, but realistically I think he's relying on Nadal winning the next 2 French (and that's it) and Novak either getting injured / slow down / someone else finally arrives.

I wonder if you could place bets on who finishes their career with the most, who would be the favourite now?
 
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Anyone been following an of the Davis Cup scores?

I've not watched any of the matches, but I was keeping an eye on results. Australia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Italy, Germany, Serbia, Russia, Chile, Belgium, Colombia, Canada and Netherlands join Croatia, France, Spain, USA, GB and Argentina in the main week long tournament in Madrid in November.

A few seeded nations going out, but no real shocks and some good moments like Shapovalov and FAA playing all the rubbers for Canada and coming from behind to win and Felix saying that was the best moment of his (admittedly short) career so far.

I know a few on here don't like the changes, but I'm interested to see how the Finals go. Just wish there wasn't that ATP Cup thing in Australia starting next January.
 
18 year old Dayana Yastremska won her 2nd WTA title in Thailand and will be up to a career high 34 in the next rankings. Bit of controversy as she called for a medical time out when Tomljanovic was about to serve for the match, a double break up at 5-2, and came back to win on the deciding tie break.

Kiki Bertens is currently a set up on Donna Vekic in the St Petersburg Premier final. Live on BT Sport / ESPN (sky channel 423).

Dan Evans about to start his Quimper Challenger final against Barrere. He's up to 147 in the rankings and will climb 15 or so places if he wins. It can be streamed (legally) here - [15] Gregoire Barrere (FRA) vs Daniel Evans (GBR) on Livestream
 

Doesn't sound great as makes you wonder what else is going on at the lower levels. That was one of the main reasons for the introduction of the 'transitional tours' this season, which have had mixed reviews so far.

Will you be tuning into the Fed Cup over the coming days? It's on BT Sport from 4.30pm Wed-Fri and the playoff sometime on Saturday. British Tennis' Facebook page will also be streaming the matches. A few solid players have pulled out who GB would have faced, so Britain will probably be favourite to reach that playoff on Saturday. First time the competition has been in the UK since 1993, so a bit of a big deal and the team is at full strength.

I'm really looking forward to it.
 
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Doesn't sound great as makes you wonder what else is going on at the lower levels. That was one of the main reasons for the introduction of the 'transitional tours' this season, which have had mixed reviews so far.

Will you be tuning into the Fed Cup over the coming days? It's on BT Sport from 4.30pm Wed-Fri and the playoff sometime on Saturday. British Tennis' Facebook page will also be streaming the matches. A few solid players have pulled out who GB would have faced, so Britain will probably be favourite to reach that playoff on Saturday. First time the competition has been in the UK since 1993, so a bit of a big deal and the team is at full strength.

I'm really looking forward to it.
What a transitional tour? I've not heard of that.

I'll try and catch a bit of the fed cup. A lot of evenly match countries in Britains draw. Sakari is decent for Greece.
 
What a transitional tour? I've not heard of that.

I'll try and catch a bit of the fed cup. A lot of evenly match countries in Britains draw. Sakari is decent for Greece.

It was introduced at the start of this year. Basically the $15k events on both tours don't equate to ATP or WTA points any more, but instead ITF points, so only $25k and above events will actually help your official ranking.

On an ITF entry list for the $25k events, 5 places are reserved for ITF entrants, so the better you do in these 15k events, the more likely you are to get into the 25k events

https://www.itftennis.com/procircui...-tournament/info.aspx?tournamentid=1100044573

Quite confusing, but explains more here:

https://www.itftennis.com/news/278962.aspx

It was mainly designed to to whittle down the amount of professional players to around 750 on both sides and make it easier for juniors to progress as well as curbing match fixing. It has left a lot of players in limbo, but jury still out.

What a transitional tour? I've not heard of that.

I'll try and catch a bit of the fed cup. A lot of evenly match countries in Britains draw. Sakari is decent for Greece.

Sakkari will probably be the best player in the whole group (just ahead of Konta), but they are pretty weak after that and Hungary have lost their best 2 players in Babos (capable singles player as well as a great doubles player with Mladenovic) and Stollar to injury, so they are seriously hit. Estonia have lost their doubles specialist who's ranked in the doubles top 20, but they still have a couple of decent players. Think Hungary will probably be just making up the numbers now.
 
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It was introduced at the start of this year. Basically the $15k events on both tours don't equate to ATP or WTA points any more, but instead ITF points, so only $25k and above events will actually help your official ranking.

On an ITF entry list for the $25k events, 5 places are reserved for ITF entrants, so the better you do in these 15k events, the more likely you are to get into the 25k events

https://www.itftennis.com/procircui...-tournament/info.aspx?tournamentid=1100044573

Quite confusing, but explains more here:

https://www.itftennis.com/news/278962.aspx

It was mainly designed to to whittle down the amount of professional players to around 750 on both sides and make it easier for juniors to progress as well as curbing match fixing. It has left a lot of players in limbo, but jury still out.



Sakkari will probably be the best player in the whole group (just ahead of Konta), but they are pretty weak after that and Hungary have lost their best 2 players in Babos (capable singles player as well as a great doubles player with Mladenovic) and Stollar to injury, so they are seriously hit. Estonia have lost their doubles specialist who's ranked in the doubles top 20, but they still have a couple of decent players. Think Hungary will probably be just making up the numbers now.
Hopefully Britain win the group but I don't think they can rely on Konta at the moment. I assume Boulter is playing?
 
Hopefully Britain win the group but I don't think they can rely on Konta at the moment. I assume Boulter is playing?

Aye, the team is Konta, Boulter, Watson, Dart and Swan.

Can't see Swan getting much of a look in, only really if they were 2-0 or 0-2 down and the last rubber was academic. I'm pretty sure Konta will play a single's match in each tie, but Anne K will have a decision whether Boulter or Watson is top choice for the other single rubber. Watson has the Fed Cup experience, but form and ranking would definitely suggest Boulter. Watson and Dart are decent enough at doubles, so can imagine they'll be the doubles pairing and Konta and Boulter would play most of the single's.

Bump (if I can).
 
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