ATP Cup 1/1 - 1/9 2022

[mick1303]

I'm wondering what is behind Tsitsipas's decision to forego singles and only play doubles.

[meganfernandez]

I see a Georgian player Alexandre Metreveli..wonder if he is related to the near-great of the same name who went to the finals of Wimbledon in 1973...i remember listening to that match on BBC...

Wow, what a memory! Without looking it up, who beat him in the final? What was it like listening to a tennis match on the radio?

[meganfernandez]

I'm wondering what is behind Tsitsipas's decision to forego singles and only play doubles.

i think he's just protecting his body. He had elbow surgery in late November. It was a relatively minor injury, but still, probably just taking it easy out of the gate.

Edit: Yeah, he said as much after his doubles match. Said the elbow isn't 100%.

[ashkor87]

I see a Georgian player Alexandre Metreveli..wonder if he is related to the near-great of the same name who went to the finals of Wimbledon in 1973...i remember listening to that match on BBC...

Wow, what a memory! Without looking it up, who beat him in the final? What was it like listening to a tennis match on the radio?

Jan Kodes, the year of the boycott..
Radio was the all there was, TV hadn't come to our country yet...it was fun, exciting enough...

[ponchi101]

I see a Georgian player Alexandre Metreveli..wonder if he is related to the near-great of the same name who went to the finals of Wimbledon in 1973...i remember listening to that match on BBC...

Wow, what a memory! Without looking it up, who beat him in the final? What was it like listening to a tennis match on the radio?

Metreveli lost the final to Jan Kodes. That was the year of the Wimbledon boycott, when the top players did not go due to differences between the AELTC and the players about prize money. Kodes would have been a true piece of magnificent trivia and has been frequently maligned by people because he won the trophy on the boycott year, but he also won one RG fair and square. He was certainly not a power in tennis, but he was also not totally fluke. Just by a whisker.

[meganfernandez]

Announcer said the 3-minute bathroom break starts when the player reaches the bathroom (and presumably the clock stops when the player leaves the bathroom). So the 3 minutes is time in the bathroom, not including walking to and from. I assume this is the new ATP rule. Can't remember if it will be in effect at the Slams (ITF).

[ashkor87]

I see a Georgian player Alexandre Metreveli..wonder if he is related to the near-great of the same name who went to the finals of Wimbledon in 1973...i remember listening to that match on BBC...

Wow, what a memory! Without looking it up, who beat him in the final? What was it like listening to a tennis match on the radio?

Metreveli lost the final to Jan Kodes. That was the year of the Wimbledon boycott, when the top players did not go due to differences between the AELTC and the players about prize money. Kodes would have been a true piece of magnificent trivia and has been frequently maligned by people because he won the trophy on the boycott year, but he also won one RG fair and square. He was certainly not a power in tennis, but he was also not totally fluke. Just by a whisker.

I did get to see Metreveli later once in an exhibition..he was quick and powerful, decimated the field..at W 1973 he had beaten Connors on the way...of course Connors was very young, but won W the next year so he was pretty good.. as for Kodes, I never saw him but he was good, got to the uSO finals where Smith beat him...

[ashkor87]

Correction..Kodes got to the USO finals twice, beaten by Smith and then Newcombe..he also had already won the French..not too shabby..

[Deuce]

Given that so many things are shut down right now because of the virus, I'd like to be able to enjoy watching some tennis. But even under these circumstances, with little else to do/watch, I can't bring myself to care about the ATP Cup.

What's the situation with fan capacity at the venue? What percentage of capacity is permitted? (I've searched for the answer, but can't find it.) Judging by the number of empty seats, it looks like the fans are taking up only about 7% of the capacity, quite literally.

[ti-amie]

Agree about the ATP Cup. Low attendance and it's on but I just look up every now and then to check the score.

FAA was down 2-6 in the first set tb vs Fritz and came back to win it. Fritz won the second set 6-4 and it's on serve in the third.

Quality of play? I don't know.

[meganfernandez]

Given that so many things are shut down right now because of the virus, I'd like to be able to enjoy watching some tennis. But even under these circumstances, with little else to do/watch, I can't bring myself to care about the ATP Cup.

What's the situation with fan capacity at the venue? What percentage of capacity is permitted? (I've searched for the answer, but can't find it.) Judging by the number of empty seats, it looks like the fans are taking up only about 7% of the capacity, quite literally.

I don't care about the ATP Cup at all, but I'm captivated by this Medvedev-Humbert match anyway. Good stuff for the first day of the year!

Quality of FAA-Fritz was just so-so in the second and third sets. I didn't see the first set. It didn't hold my attention very much.

[ponchi101]

Humbert showing some good tennis. Frustrating Medvedev, who is going for 100% in his 2nd serves, showing that you can get under his skin.

[meganfernandez]

Great win for Humbert over Medvedev, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6. It didn't feel like an exo. Humbert came back from a break down in the second and third sets. He was the more offensive player and, as the announcer said, looked a little fresher in the end. He kept France alive in this tie, too. What a performance. Humbert is now 2-0 vs Medvedev.

[Deuce]

It may not have 'felt like an exhibition', but I guarantee you that the players play these matches differently than they play the Majors, for instance. In general, they are less afraid to lose in these matches. The odds of Humbert beating Medvedev in a match at the Aussie Open in 2 weeks would be quite a bit smaller than the odds of Humbert winning this ATP Cup match.

And these players are certainly good enough to make it look as if they're trying their best when they're not. I'm not saying that they deliberately miss shots (although I'm sure that does occur sometimes)... but going for low percentage shots (higher risk of failure) is certainly more common in these types of events than it is in the Majors.
This also happens in tournaments smaller than the Majors - in varying degrees, usually generally corresponding to the size of the tournament (1000s, 500s, etc.). But I believe it happens more in these types of exhibitions, where the atmosphere is more relaxed and friendly, than in any official tournament.

[meganfernandez]

It may not have 'felt like an exhibition', but I guarantee you that the players play these matches differently than they play the Majors, for instance. In general, they are less afraid to lose in these matches. The odds of Humbert beating Medvedev in a match at the Aussie Open in 2 weeks would be quite a bit smaller than the odds of Humbert winning this ATP Cup match.

And these players are certainly good enough to make it look as if they're trying their best when they're not. I'm not saying that they deliberately miss shots (although I'm sure that does occur sometimes)... but going for low percentage shots (higher risk of failure) is certainly more common in these types of events than it is in the Majors.
This also happens in tournaments smaller than the Majors - in varying degrees, usually generally corresponding to the size of the tournament (1000s, 500s, etc.). But I believe it happens more in these types of exhibitions, where the atmosphere is more relaxed and friendly, than in any official tournament.

Maybe... but if you get to a third-set TB, and the match will seal the tie, why not go ahead and play for the win? Regardless, it was a fantastic match.

Medvedev definitely wasn't going for low-percentage shots. He was on the defensive the whole time. Which I know he's fine with, but he didn't go for any lines. He wasn't just putting it back in play, but Humbert was in control of most of the match, except Meddy's serve... which he was returning pretty well, to Meddy's feet, in the third set.