Talk About Tennis 2.0

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:36 pm I do give him credit in the category "love for the game". The few times I have seen him play, I do believe he cares when he is on court. Most do, too, but as we are talking about him, just to point that out.

Agree. Money buys the opportunities, which is a hell of a lot, but ultimately tennis is pretty democratic once the ball is in play - which is the only way to build a career. Wanting it badly is pretty essential to winning your way to the top.

Deuce wrote: ↑Fri Nov 05, 2021 3:00 am Fritz looks like the kind of guy who'd be really upset if his hair went out of place during a point, or one of his shoes got a smudge on it - and may call a medical time-out to fix the 'problem'.
He's probably not like that - but he looks like that type.. Kind of like if JFK Jr. was a pro tennis player.

A player who had a similar 'aura' was Vince Van Patten.

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One of the reasons my BF can't stand David Beckham is during his playing days he would sometimes fix his hair during halftime

Curious factoid: Belinda Bencic is 13-7 in her last 20 matches against top 10 players.

That is indeed curious. A pretty good winning percentage, yet she is still in the mid 10-20 range.

She was top 10 last year, but I think the point here is lack of steadiness. She once beat 4 top 10 players back to back (Dubai or Doha), but then didn't follow it up for a long time.

Also remember what Tursunov said in that recent interview. Lots of players are fine with where they are.

Suliso wrote: ↑Fri Nov 05, 2021 3:34 pm Also remember what Tursunov said in that recent interview. Lots of players are fine with where they are.

True, yet one could unpack this with each player and get a more personalized version, which may or may not include a lack of ambition. Versions could be: They are well-adjusted and happy knowing that they are giving their best every day, yet are still ambitious... ambition ebbs and flows over time, depending on many circumstances... some never thought they would get this far and are truly grateful in a way that holds them back from fulfilling every ounce of potential... they're fine where they are for the time being, but that could change... they have so much scar tissue from trying and failing to get a teensy-weensy bit better, enough to go from Top 20 to Top 5, and are tired of beating themselves up about it... they're young and rich and beautiful and want to have some fun, even though they could get a little better if they practiced or played more (that would be me)... they've learned that their best chance is to not put ranking pressure on themselves, which might translate to a lack of ambition but actually isn't... they truly are fine with where they are and where the chips fall (as he said).

These players are very good at what they do, but psychologically they're still humans similar to us here.

Suliso wrote: ↑Fri Nov 05, 2021 4:15 pm These players are very good at what they do, but psychologically they're still humans similar to us here.

And mostly young humans.

05 Nov 2021

Provisional suspension imposed on Cagla Buyukakcay

Cagla Buyukakcay has been provisionally suspended under Article 7.12.1 of the 2021 Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (the "Programme"), pending determination of the charge against her at a full hearing pursuant to Article 8 of the Programme.

Ms. Buyukakcay, a 32-year-old player from Turkey, provided a urine sample on 3 August 2021 in association with her participation in the WTA Winners Open, played in Cluj-Napoca, Romania from 2-8 August 2021. That sample was sent to the World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”) accredited laboratory in Montreal, Canada for analysis, and was found to contain Ractopamine. Ractopamine is a non-Specified Substance, which is prohibited under category S1 of the 2021 WADA Prohibited List (Anabolic Agents), and therefore also prohibited under the Programme. Positive tests for non-Specified Substances carry a mandatory Provisional Suspension.

Ms. Buyukakcay was sent a pre-charge notice of Anti-Doping Rule Violations under Articles 2.1 and 2.2 of the Programme (presence of a Prohibited Substance in a Player’s Sample, and use of that substance) on 5 October 2021 and exercised her right to apply to the Chair of the Independent Panel for an order that the otherwise applicable Provisional Suspension should not be imposed. The Chair of the Independent Panel issued his decision on 4 November 2021, in which he dismissed the application to not impose the Provisional Suspension.

https://antidoping.itftennis.com/news/322307.aspx

Many of the Turkish players are saying she ate something that caused the positive reaction since the substance is used to promote leaner meat. If that's so why haven't other players not tested positive? Just a thought.

Suliso wrote: ↑Fri Nov 05, 2021 3:34 pm Also remember what Tursunov said in that recent interview. Lots of players are fine with where they are.

I guess that by age 25 or something, you know how much you can expect from your game. For example, Pavs must be fine with where she is. Still a top player, she made a Slams final, she knows she is not going to all of the sudden go scorch earth and win 3 Wimby's and 2 USO's in the next 4 years.
I guess you keep playing because you like it, it is what you do best, and the rewards are fair. Which, as Tursonov says, makes you feel fine.

ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Nov 05, 2021 7:55 pm Many of the Turkish players are saying she ate something that caused the positive reaction since the substance is used to promote leaner meat. If that's so why haven't other players not tested positive? Just a thought.

I have no idea, but if it's other Turkish players mentioning the issue, then maybe it's an ingredient being used more often in Turkey than it is elsewhere? When Farah was suspended before getting it overturned, the discussion was about something that was contaminated in Colombian meat, not just meat in general.

JazzNU wrote: ↑Sat Nov 06, 2021 6:26 pm

ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Nov 05, 2021 7:55 pm Many of the Turkish players are saying she ate something that caused the positive reaction since the substance is used to promote leaner meat. If that's so why haven't other players not tested positive? Just a thought.

I have no idea, but if it's other Turkish players mentioning the issue, then maybe it's an ingredient being used more often in Turkey than it is elsewhere? When Farah was suspended before getting it overturned, the discussion was about something that was contaminated in Colombian meat, not just meat in general.

True

In terms of Bencic - not that curious in terms of her ranking, at least not recently. She's had good wins obviously, but outside of the Olympics, they haven't been in Semi-Finals and Finals much. She's more often than not done the beat Pegula, beat Swiatek, and lose to Raducanu more than you'd think in the last 2 or so years. Her consistency is odd to say the least. She's been doing consistently well playing for Switzerland lately , but also, remember that Leylah got on most non-Canadians radar by beating her in a Fed Cup match in early 2020. Leylah was maybe top 150 at the time.


In terms of player's psyche - I always remember Darren Cahill talking on ESPN about differences between coaching men and women. He was a consultant not coach at the time under Adidas, so he'd worked with a number of WTA players for extended periods of time, but wasn't an official coach yet. He said with the women, it was never about talent, that they were always talented enough to reach the top and win, so it was less about working on getting them better weapons and more about believing in the weapons they had and executing in important moments. And if you think about the players he worked with thru Adidas, that really is true.