Talk About Tennis 2.0

When I hate something or somebody, my comments usually are like this:
The %&%#&%ing piece of $%$#"$% Laver %&%%$$% Cup is &%&%$#$ totally and ##$%%$$%& worthless, and I wish....
You get my point.
I am not truly sold on the Cup. I think it is indeed a test to take away from DC, and it is a glorified Exo. But I have watched them all, and that is my problem with it. I have never seen one in which I did not know, from the first match, that Europe would win. It is lacking something, for me.

I hate few things, and I try to hate few people. That category is reserved to the political class of my country, some sectors of the political class of yours, and particularly loathsome people around the world. About things? Basically broccoli and cauliflower. Other than that, it is a verb that I try not to use.

I don't think at all about Davis Cup when watching Laver Cup. Now the ATP Cup, that feels like it's stealing Davis Cup's thunder, especially in it's new format, but that is at least partly DC's fault for changing the location aspect of the competition and eliminating the home crowd's enthusiasm.

Are you similarly down on the ATP Cup?

Also, I have zero belief you knew how 2019's version would shake out. That Europe would win? Believable. That they would just barely eek out a win and have to overcome Jack Sock winning a singles match? That they'd be losing going into the final match and need a match tiebreak to win LC? That was a very competitive and unpredictable Laver Cup and I don't believe anyone foresaw how it unfolded.

Laver Cup? An exho on steroids. I don't care one way or the other which was why I guess I had such a hard time putting up a thread about it. Don't forget it's on the ATP calendar as an ATP event with no points. Why is it on the ATP calendar if it's nothing more than an exhibition event? I'd rather a Hopman Cup style competition than this.

I don't like it because it - and the ATP Cup - are clearly designed to kill Davis Cup...
And because I believe that the matches are 'fixed'. In previous years, as has been mentioned, it went down to the wire. I think that was very likely pre-arranged - it seemed pretty obvious.
This year, the results were obviously one-sided - but that's what everyone expected, based on the rankings of the players. Had it been close to the finish again, many people would have been claiming it's fixed. So they made sure it didn't happen.
But they still managed to manufacture some drama this year - 80% of the sets played were very close.

It's an exhibition. And exhibitions are fixed in some way.

If they play it with wood racquets, I'd be (slightly) more interested.
If they expand it to be bigger and/or longer (without the wood racquets), I'll very likely find more interesting things to do with my time for the duration of the event.

JazzNU wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:09 pm I don't think at all about Davis Cup when watching Laver Cup. Now the ATP Cup, that feels like it's stealing Davis Cup's thunder, especially in it's new format, but that is at least partly DC's fault for changing the location aspect of the competition and eliminating the home crowd's enthusiasm.

Are you similarly down on the ATP Cup?

Also, I have zero belief you knew how 2019's version would shake out. That Europe would win? Believable. That they would just barely eek out a win and have to overcome Jack Sock winning a singles match? That they'd be losing going into the final match and need a match tiebreak to win LC? That was a very competitive and unpredictable Laver Cup and I don't believe anyone foresaw how it unfolded.

ATP cup also does not mean much to me. I find it is a great warm up event for the players prior to the Aussie and therefore, it is great for them to play it.
I did not know how the 2019 Laver Cup would finish. I knew Europe would win. That's all I said.

Still don't understand the positive way Hopman Cup is talked about versus the much more negative way Laver Cup is. If someone wants to share why this is, I'd love to know. Genuinely don't understand.

Also, Hopman Cup is something that I don't think almost any non-tennis fan outside of Australia has ever heard of, which is a huge problem. I'd even argue that plenty of tennis fans aren't all that familiar with and have rarely watched it. So even if it's great in Australia, it's not doing anything to showcase the sport worldwide.

JazzNU wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 3:46 pm Still don't understand the positive way Hopman Cup is talked about versus the much more negative way Laver Cup is. If someone wants to share why this is, I'd love to know. Genuinely don't understand.

Also, Hopman Cup is something that I don't think almost any non-tennis fan outside of Australia has ever heard of, which is a huge problem. I'd even argue that plenty of tennis fans aren't all that familiar with and have rarely watched it. So even if it's great in Australia, it's not doing anything to showcase the sport worldwide.

Hopman Cup is the tennis event that just didn't take itself that seriously, and I think that it has a special place in the heart's of hardcore tennis fans.
The year Thanasi Kokkinakis played 'the sub' as an example of the quirks that made that event fun to follow.

The Hopman cup was founded in 1989, so it has by now a reasonable run.
But, it is not also to trip over. It clearly states it is an exo, it is a lot of hit and giggles. It is not to be taken son seriously, either.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 4:52 pm The Hopman cup was founded in 1989, so it has by now a reasonable run.
But, it is not also to trip over. It clearly states it is an exo, it is a lot of hit and giggles. It is not to be taken son seriously, either.

Yes, but many have been calling Hopman a competition and have been saying Laver is an exhibition but clearly mean that in a negative way. So just trying to figure out the difference. I thought Hopman looked to be more exo than Laver personally, but I have barely watched it and when I have been able to see it, it's the mixed doubles, which probably isn't the best barometer.

A reasonable run? Okay. But how well known is it outside of Australia? I've seen barely a mention of it outside of Tennis Channel, and even then, only in recent years. Having a great run but very little impact is worth noting and seems to fit here.

I would not disagree with that. It is a little exo, named after a great coach. Again, it was useful for some players to get some playing time before the Aussie.

Maybe it's because the Hopman Cup doesn't pretend to be anything but a fun exhibition, whereas the Laver Cup is an exhibition which tries to be regarded as a serious and legitimate event, with lots of marketing, lots of money spent, etc.

The Laver Cup takes itself very seriously - but realistically, it's a show - and that's it's only purpose.

Possibility for next year.

I am boycotting Laver Cup;; first of all, it is just that Federer wants to play doubles with Nadal, that is all it is about.. Europe versus the RoW is pointless, would make sense if it included the WTA. Otherwise they should just play eastern Europe versus Western Europe or soem such!