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Post by speedysteve on Mar 12, 2022 9:26:24 GMT
Meanwhile in the Indian Wells desert
Nice win by Emma over form world no 5, Caroline Garcia.
Entertaining 3 set match.
Emma looked much more like her US open champion self. Not fully there yet but on the road.
Onto the 3rd round.
A good day for the Brits.
Murray winning - his 700th on your. Quite a milestone!
Only Fed / Nad / Djok out of current players have also achieved this.
Harriet Dart also through.
Notable win over Elina Svitolina.
The latter has Ukrainian homeland on her mind, no doubt.
All money she wins currently going to the cause.
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Post by Slinger on Mar 12, 2022 16:21:10 GMT
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 12, 2022 16:41:25 GMT
😂 I hit one of those in a match a couple of years ago! Mine was a 2nd serve too👹. In windy conditions the ball can move a lot, miss hits happen. Getting a nice weird ace from it is a rare bonus though. |
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 15, 2022 21:18:16 GMT
Best match I've seen in ages!
Gael Monfils 35 year old showman v new world no 1 Daniil Medvedev.
"Are you not entertained?"
Gael was in epic mode. The ultimate tennis athlete, shrugging off the years!
Highlights;
Gael just hit a 110mph FH down the line winner!🎾
2 underarm winning serves from Gael🙂
Medvedev smashes racquet 3 times.
They change ends..
Gael has to get a towel to clean up Meds racquet smash debris.
Crowd loving it!
He even mock polished the impact area to cheers from the crowd! Showman😀 Made Medvedev smile😉
Gael winning the match on beautiful BH.
3rd set 6-1. Bye bye Med.
The Russian will lose his brief tenure as no 1 next Monday!
I think that win was for his wife Elina (Ukrainian).
He says it's tough seeing her cry herself to sleep every night😪
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 19, 2022 8:49:38 GMT
Today brings the mouthwatering match between Nadal and Alcaraz.
Both Spanish.
The former is playing well, winning by good tennis, mindfulness and fearsome reputation.
Alcatraz is 18, already fully developed physically and has a rounded power game.
He literally tears around the court, getting balls back with interest, not thought possible.
He makes the 18yr old Nadal look rather immature, both physically and mentally.
Is it enough to beat Nadal today? We'll find out soon...🙂
Can he beat Nadal repeatedly, even on clay this year? That remains to be seen!
Nadal's long standing foot injury, which he manages, is not going away.
At 35 he's having to play smarter.
Eventually time will tell, of course.
It's just when?
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 20, 2022 18:20:55 GMT
In very windy conditions which troubled Nadal more than Alcaraz, Nadal was pushed to 3 sets and lots of break points went begging both ways.
Just a bit too awe-inspiring to beat your home country tennis hero at the age of 18.
Alcaraz served better in the 2 & 3rd sets. Gave too much away in the first set.
The balance of Spanish tennis power will soon be shifting I feel.
Nadal will play American Taylor Fritz in the final, later today.
Fritz is a relative outsider at big tournament end stages, has done well to get this far TBH.
American men's tennis is improving in standard greatly.
For years 6'10" John Isner carried the flag, a good top 15-20 player.
Now we have Fritz, Opelka (6'11"), Korda (son of Petra) & Brooksby, all bursting onto the scene and shaping up.
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 22, 2022 21:20:11 GMT
The Indian Wells men's final
Fritz damaged his ankle in morning practise. Hobbled off. Got lots of treatment, injections, who knows what, but not PEDs..
Was able to practise later gingerly.
By match time vs Nadal the drugs / treatment was at peak and he moved okay.
Nadal was clearly bothered by foot or new injury - appeared to be PEC area.
Fritz was able to do enough to beat the injured Nadal in straight sets.
Quite good tennis at times.
Nice for Fritz to win at home - he literally grew up a couple of hours up the roads.
Very emotional about it.
Post match heard that Nadal has a rib stress fracture. Ouch!
Will be out for 6 weeks or so.
He can't seem to hold it together for long runs these days. It's a physical game after all.
Back to Spain for all the treatment money can buy.
There has got to be a time when you think it's not worth it... Not decided by injury or pain though. It's decided by the pain of losing, realising you can no longer compete because you have no competitive edge anymore.
In the serve volley days you were done at the top around 30.
Time waits for no man.
The ladies final was won by Pole Iga Swiatek in straight sets vs Greek Maria Sakkari.
Iga was too good in windy conditions.
I enjoyed the men's doubles final.
American pair big John 6'10" Isner and Jack Sock beat French / Mex team is Vasselin and Gonzalez.
Sad that doubles isn't more popular really.
I suppose it lacks the mano a mano appeal of singles.
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 23, 2022 7:17:09 GMT
Shock that current world no 1 Ash Barty retires from tennis. She's left tennis before, playing professional cricket - she cites she has other interests to pursue. She recently got married to long time boyfriend. Ash, 25, met Garry, 30, a PGA trainee professional golfer, at Brooklands Golf Club in Queensland, in 2016 when she was playing a round of golf  I wish her well Miami ATP 1000 started this week. No Nadal, No Djok, No Fed. I'm really looking forward to it without them tbh! |
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Post by MartinT on Mar 23, 2022 8:00:25 GMT
She has nothing left to prove.
Good luck in her next venture.
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 23, 2022 10:37:26 GMT
Some women have a baby and come back even better ! Almost part of the career now Best to her whatever Some people are too talented !  |
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 25, 2022 11:57:43 GMT
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 25, 2022 13:27:55 GMT
Yes, F'd up her career. Weak justice system of West Germany or something more sinister at play? I was watching that match live! It was a horrible shock. Nutter! She's occasionally on the tour commentating etc. Seems at peace. Other odd happenings. Bet you didn't know Stefan Edberg once hit a line judge in the nuts! He subsequently died! Dick Wertheim was sitting in a chair and officiating at the centre line. The blow knocked him backwards and he fell out of the chair onto the hardcourt surface, striking his head. He had a history of chronic cardiovascular disease having had a heart attack and stroke at age 40 years! The balls were slightly smaller back then and faster! Not by much though. Nowadays they never sit down! Vitas Gerualitis (still sounds like a disease 😂), had lost to cocky Connors a straight 16 times in a row! In the post match press conference after match 17, he famously said; "And let that be lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row"! More to come. |
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 25, 2022 14:24:48 GMT
I hadn't heard about the Edberg incident. What a shocker.
Why is sitting down more dangerous than standing up??
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 25, 2022 15:09:38 GMT
I hadn't heard about the Edberg incident. What a shocker. Why is sitting down more dangerous than standing up?? Hard to run your balls out of the way. Legs channel/funnel the ball that way😂 SPLAT! |
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 25, 2022 17:43:19 GMT
While on the subject of Vitas..
Also sad..
Gerulaitis died on September 17, 1994, at the age of 40. While he was visiting a friend's home in Southampton, New York, an improperly installed pool heater caused carbon monoxide gas to seep into the guesthouse where Gerulaitis was sleeping, causing his death by carbon monoxide poisoning.
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 25, 2022 18:00:19 GMT
I hadn't heard about the Edberg incident. What a shocker. Why is sitting down more dangerous than standing up?? Hard to run your balls out of the way. Legs channel/funnel the ball that way😂 SPLAT! I'd prefer to take my chances sitting - less distance to fall if you're sitting down though ... I'd be wearing a groin protector of course LOL ... |
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 25, 2022 18:48:16 GMT
They rarely get hit, if they do it's side on. They quickly learn to track the ball and avoid.
Sitting is bad idea..
They don't even have chairs any more!
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Post by Slinger on Apr 8, 2022 19:51:33 GMT
Will Bailed Boris Becker Be Banged Up By Britain Over Bankruptcy?The three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker has been found guilty at Southwark crown court in London of four charges under the Insolvency Act and acquitted of a further 20 counts relating to his 2017 bankruptcy. The six-time grand slam winner, 54, was accused of hiding millions of pounds worth of assets, including two Wimbledon trophies, to avoid paying his debts. He was bailed ahead of sentencing at the same court on 29 April and could face a jail sentence carrying a maximum term of seven years for each count. FULL STORYSorry, I just couldn't help myself and had to concoct that headline. 
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Post by MikeMusic on Apr 8, 2022 20:27:02 GMT
Ouch
I always thought he was a good bloke
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Post by speedysteve on Apr 8, 2022 20:51:54 GMT
Ouch I always thought he was a good bloke What bang em' in the broom cupboard Boris? He's nice enough on paper / chatting. I met him over a breakfast buffet once. Made some bad life choices and judgements. |
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