Talk About Tennis 2.0

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 25, 2024 8:34 am Potential upsets (more than 40% probability) ..Siniakova over Keys, Nakashima over Rune

You called the Nakashima upset.
One has to start wondering about Rune. I know, there has been an incessant change of coaches; mom remains glued to the chair and one has to wonder if she is the one calling all shots.
But, eventually, if you are really good the results come, even if sporadically. Is Rune good? The serve is not bad but it is hardly impressive. All the strokes are solid, but nothing is outstanding. Is he like a Gasquet, who was expected to win majors and a lot of other tournaments, and then didn't?
I know, too early. But he has been in the tour for a few years now. And the recent results are extremely pedestrian.

Rune has no real weapons, I feel...he is at best like Bautista Agut..

and Nakashima is a seriously underrated player..

Rune has a lot of weapons. The last two posts are recency bias at its worst.

He just needs to get his head on straight, which is no guarantee. He moves a heck of a lot better than Gasquet, who was a below-average athlete.

That Stephens-Burel debacle is right up there with a Venus Williams-Mertens match on clay from about five years ago as the single-worst match I've ever watched.

Stephens was up 6-0, 3-0 and two breaks, then 6-0, 4-1 and two breaks, blew that lead with shockingly awful tennis, then was up 2-0 and 4-2 in the third set and served for the match at 5-4 before losing 0-6, 7-5, 7-5.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2024 6:24 pm And Thiem has retired.
Over, under or just the correct achievements?
I always felt that he ran around his excellent BH too much.

Under - the fact that he never won the French - had he stayed healthy he would have had more chances.

Impressive debut by Jovic! Looking forward to more but hope we give her time and space, she is absurdly young...

jazzyg wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2024 1:19 am Rune has a lot of weapons. The last two posts are recency bias at its worst.

He just needs to get his head on straight, which is no guarantee. He moves a heck of a lot better than Gasquet, who was a below-average athlete.

Could be, I haven't watched Rune much lately, probably nobody has...

jazzyg wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2024 1:19 am Rune has a lot of weapons. The last two posts are recency bias at its worst.

He just needs to get his head on straight, which is no guarantee. He moves a heck of a lot better than Gasquet, who was a below-average athlete.

I am not putting you on here. But please, tell me what are Rune's weapons. I don't see them.
And about recency bias. RECENTLY, he made the Semis in Cincy. But before that, he has done nothing for quite a while. Which is why I am asking.

jazzyg wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2024 1:33 am That Stephens-Burel debacle is right up there with a Venus Williams-Mertens match on clay from about five years ago as the single-worst match I've ever watched.

Stephens was up 6-0, 3-0 and two breaks, then 6-0, 4-1 and two breaks, blew that lead with shockingly awful tennis, then was up 2-0 and 4-2 in the third set and served for the match at 5-4 before losing 0-6, 7-5, 7-5.

It was bleeping terrible. It was one of the worst matches I watched. They took turns being awful for stretches. It was coupled with seeming "experimentation" by ESPN where they wouldn't show the score for points at a time.

Thankfully Tiafoe was playing on the other ESPN channel.

A very shaky performance by Tiafoe. His play is as sloppy as the way he manages his belongings during a match. A sweaty and disorganized mess haphazardly strewn in a pile on the floor.

Fastbackss wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2024 12:57 pm It was bleeping terrible. It was one of the worst matches I watched. They took turns being awful for stretches. It was coupled with seeming "experimentation" by ESPN where they wouldn't show the score for points at a time.

Thankfully Tiafoe was playing on the other ESPN channel.

ESPN had a power outage that knocked out most of the cameras, and equipment for a period of time last night.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2024 4:43 am
I am not putting you on here. But please, tell me what are Rune's weapons. I don't see them.
And about recency bias. RECENTLY, he made the Semis in Cincy. But before that, he has done nothing for quite a while. Which is why I am asking.

He moves really well. His forehand and backhand can do damage. He has good court sense. He's the total package. You don't win 19 matches out of 21 in a month with four consecutive finals, including a 1000 tourney win with consecutive victories against Wawrinka, Hurkacz, Rublev, Alcarez, Auger-Aliassime and Djokovic, as he did late in 2022 without having a big game. He also is a big head case who does not look to be giving it his all in a lot of matches, and I'm not sure that's totally correctable. We will find out in the next few years.

FredX wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2024 2:49 pm A very shaky performance by Tiafoe. His play is as sloppy as the way he manages his belongings during a match. A sweaty and disorganized mess haphazardly strewn in a pile on the floor.

But he got an extended close-up of the Cadillac logo on his signature Big Foe sneakers that he only wears to/fro the court

jazzyg wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2024 7:01 pm

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2024 4:43 am
I am not putting you on here. But please, tell me what are Rune's weapons. I don't see them.
And about recency bias. RECENTLY, he made the Semis in Cincy. But before that, he has done nothing for quite a while. Which is why I am asking.

He moves really well. His forehand and backhand can do damage. He has good court sense. He's the total package. You don't win 19 matches out of 21 in a month with four consecutive finals, including a 1000 tourney win with consecutive victories against Wawrinka, Hurkacz, Rublev, Alcarez, Auger-Aliassime and Djokovic, as he did late in 2022 without having a big game. He also is a big head case who does not look to be giving it his all in a lot of matches, and I'm not sure that's totally correctable. We will find out in the next few years.

Yes, 2022. Which is the point. He seemed really promising and that run at the Paris Masters brought big expectations.
And now he is losing in the 1st round of a surface that suits him. A mystery to me.