Talk About Tennis 2.0

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 01, 2024 6:17 pm He can get the crowd to adore him. Agassi wrote the book on how to become a FULL crowd favorite.

Agassi had a fan club almost immediately and was an overall beloved figure by the early 90s. Novak has been a villian for twenty years. And he's tried everything - NYFD baseball cap, calling McEnroe down from the booth to play a few points...including copying Agassi with a signature heart salute to the four corners of the crowd and taking it one step further by dragging the ball kids into it...none of it has worked. He doesn't do that anymore....he has no more F***s to give in that department.

FredX wrote: ↑Sun Sep 01, 2024 10:28 pm

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 01, 2024 6:17 pm He can get the crowd to adore him. Agassi wrote the book on how to become a FULL crowd favorite.

Agassi had a fan club almost immediately and was an overall beloved figure by the early 90s. Novak has been a villian for twenty years. And he's tried everything - NYFD baseball cap, calling McEnroe down from the booth to play a few points...including copying Agassi with a signature heart salute to the four corners of the crowd and taking it one step further by dragging the ball kids into it...none of it has worked. He doesn't do that anymore....he has no more F***s to give in that department.

Disagree. Agassi was polarizing. Not completely, but there were many people that disliked his antics. I was one.
By the end, I admit he had become a great ambassador for the game. That is the change I am talking about.

Fair. I'm giving Agassi too much credit too early...he had his fans, but it really wasn't until his 99 run after his rankings fall that he become more universally esteemed. I still don't see that happening with Novak...Agassi's change seemed real, it's not something you can emulate (and Novak's PR team has certainly tried). And it was only a little over a decade after Agassi's debut. Novak's persistent lack of love may be unfair at this point - and it actually surprises me at how much its stuck to him at this point - but I don't see him being able to turn that around now until he has one foot out the door. I also don't get the sense he's trying anymore.

As if having my laptop conk out in the middle of a Survivor Pool wasn’t enough, today DirecTV shutoff all Disney channels, including ESPN, in the middle of the Tiafoe/Popyrin match over some dumb contract dispute.

Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher

Props to Anna Wintour who is not only on-site at 11 am at the US Open but sitting on Grandstand for Paolini vs. Muchova.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 01, 2024 1:14 am Now Sinner 90% , field 10%
Swiatek 60% Sabalenka 35% field 5%

Serious question.
You don't give Muchova any chance against Iga? She played a poor start of the match today against Paolini, but then she turned that corner and played a lovely match.
I say that is a 60-40 match, Iga.

Muchova played great ..didn't expect it! Yes, 40% chance..maybe wishful thinking though