WTA 1000 ATP 1000 Miami 3/21 - 4/2 2023

[Fastbackss]

]
You're welcome.
You owe me 25 cents.

Do you think Mannarino will write a book on tennis and call it 'Winning Uglier'?

Oh man, I just gave Megan a star in another thread. Expensive day so far (thank goodness for current exchange rate).

And that's funny about the book "sequel." I enjoyed Brad's book since I am devoid of innate talent haha

[ponchi101]

...

100%. Yet another crazy match. Casper's quality of play has very dramatically fallen so far this year. It would not at all have surprised me if his level had dropped some. But, sheeeeesh.

Join Thiem on the Challenger Tour? I mean, LOL, at least Casper has won some matches this year. But, while they both many times had some great rallies- van de Zandschulp was also nowhere near playing his best. Casper just choked more.

Funny- I don't recall it that Ferrero's career went downhill after his Roland Garros win. Of all things, he had a US Open final, an Aussie SF and two Wimbledon QF's after his 2003 Roland Garros win, and was winning titles and making finals until 2011. However, he was no longer a factor at Roland Garros after his win- never again making it past R3.

Ferrero was never the same after being out for awhile with a bad case of chicken pox.

I had totally forgotten about the chicken pox issue. Vague recollections of that now.
And, as Nelslus says, sure, he did not go from #1 to #150 in months. But he was never the same. Casper is not going out of the top 50 anytime soon; he is too good for that. But with this quality of play, he is heading straight out of the top 10 in a very short while.

[Suliso]

Good win for Sinner over a higher ranked opponent.

[ponchi101]

And it was not even close. Sinner was pummeling strokes all over.

[Fastbackss]

And it was not even close. Sinner was pummeling strokes all over.

I thought it was going to be a good match. It was far from it.

I felt like I was watching USTA match where someone has to play up a level. Rublev was consistently kept on his back foot and punished

[ti-amie]

Thanks for the full video of the Bianca incident Deuce.

[ponchi101]

I knew that Trevisan would not beat Elena. But, I thought I would have time to at least see the end of the 2nd set.
---0---
Why am I rooting against Carlitos? What's wrong with me?

[ti-amie]

I knew that Trevisan would not beat Elena. But, I thought I would have time to at least see the end of the 2nd set.
---0---
Why am I rooting against Carlitos? What's wrong with me?

Seriously though it's your right. I wanted Trevisan to do more than she did today too. Oh well.

[ponchi101]

I just don't want him to rule the sport with no competition. But of course I root for him.
But, I like Paul a lot. So, today, go Tommy.

[ti-amie]

[nelslus]

I watched the Ruud/BVDZ match completely. Ruud is in problems (and Botic may be in problems too).
it is not the loss, it was the quality of play. There was a stretch around 3-3 in the third in which Casper missed, in succession, one easy FH approach (into the net), one swinging volley (long), could not put away an easy smash, and then missed a regular volley, wide by a few feet. As per above, the final point was a signature of what had happened, as he hit a smash right back at Botic, who returned it only for Casper to dump it into the net. G, S & M BVDZ.
I think Casper is a very good player; his results last year say so. But I started to wonder: what if Casper's 2022 is something like JC Ferrero's 2003? (RG, USO F, #1 ranking). And from that high, it all went downhill.
Sole consolation for him: Casper kept fighting. But he needs to start winning a few matches to get back into winning form.

100%. Yet another crazy match. Casper's quality of play has very dramatically fallen so far this year. It would not at all have surprised me if his level had dropped some. But, sheeeeesh.

Join Thiem on the Challenger Tour? I mean, LOL, at least Casper has won some from matches this year. But, while they both many times had some great rallies- van de Zandschulp was also nowhere near playing his best. Casper just choked more.

Funny- I don't recall it that Ferrero's career went downhill after his Roland Garros win. Of all things, he had a US Open final, an Aussie SF and two Wimbledon QF's after his 2003 Roland Garros win, and was winning titles and making finals until 2011. However, he was no longer a factor at Roland Garros after his win- never again making it past R3.

Ferrero was never the same after being out for awhile with a bad case of chicken pox.

AH, OK, and looking at his rankings after his chicken pox at IW in 2004, his ranking sure did slide. Having said that- he did have a career resurgence rankings-wise as of 2005- 2008 (rankings from #15- 23 through June 2008, and again, from August 2009 through Feb. 2011- rankings from #14- 29. And, post chicken pox, he had the two Wimbledon QF's- and won five titles. I wouldn't call this any kind of "going downhill"- especially factoring Roger/Rafa/Novak/Murry/Roddick and others into this picture. So, maybe his career was gonna decline anyway? Who knows? But, thanks for this- I forgot all about that.

[nelslus]

I just don't want him to rule the sport with no competition. But of course I root for him.
But, I like Paul a lot. So, today, go Tommy.

Pffffffffffffft. You got your Rafa, I got my Roger. Time for some Carlos tour slaughter, I sez.

SERIOUSLY, though- I don't think Carlos is going anywhere near Novak/Rafa/Roger level of owning the tour. The likes of Sinner, Medvedev, probably Rune, etc. are gonna get their Slam titles. (*AND, one US Open title for Tiafoe, please!) And, I think it's gonna take a minute for Alcaraz to seriously contend at Wimbledon.

OH- and there's.....ummmmm.....Novak.

AND- let's remember the women's tour....Naomi's gonna take over the tour....then Barty.....then Iga.....then Rybakina, no, it's Sabalenka, no, we were right the first, it's Rybakina....

We are all gonna have to wait and see. (Still- GO ALCARAZ!!!!!!! Dominate, baby!!!!!)

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

Something to do with Fernando Alonso.

[mick1303]

Rybakina back to her normal level. It just took her a couple of matches to shake adjust to these courts.

Adrian Mannarino. You would never want to play like Adrian Mannarino. But you should want to play like Adrian Mannarino, because that is the kind of game that can actually be imitated (you will NEVER, in a million years, hit one FH like Roger, Rafa or Novak).
He took the first set from Hurkacz. By just playing smart.

I would never want to play AGAINST Mannarino!
He is this generation's Brad Gilbert.
He just beat Hurkacz in 2 tiebreak sets (blanking him in the 2nd).

Don't see many parallels with Brad Gilbert. Of course, I did not watch Gilbert all that much - the tennis on TV in the Soviet Union was not often. But still I saw some of his matches towards the end of his career, I guess. From my memory it was boring. Mannarino is far from boring. He takes the ball extremely early to make up for the lack of pace. He puts balls in uncomfortable positions for opponents. Do not see his game at all as ugly. It is different - yes. But far from ugly.