Talk About Tennis 2.0

More on Medvedev's monologue

So:
First, he plays the NATIONALITY card. "I am Russian, people don't like me"
Second, he plays the "Crowd never roots for me" card.
When does somebody tell him: "You have behaved like a total ass on several occasions. This is what happens".

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 30, 2022 11:21 pm So:
First, he plays the NATIONALITY card. "I am Russian, people don't like me"
Second, he plays the "Crowd never roots for me" card.
When does somebody tell him: "You have behaved like a total ass on several occasions. This is what happens".

SEVERAL occasions. What goes around comes around. I have no idea why he's suddenly acting like he's got amnesia about his actions and why people aren't rooting loudly for him, he's been doing this for a handful of years now and typically apologizing soon after saying he'll do better, but never actually doing anything different. It's not this Aussie Open, he's had stuff for several years now, at the very least dating back to when he was cursing loudly at Tsitsipas and trying to start a fight at the Miami Open.

And Rublev, also Russian last I checked, has no problem with fans, everyone is just waiting for him to take the next step. But he's had very few occasions of acting like a complete ass on court to my knowledge.

And taking frustrations out on ball kids is never a good idea, people are barely going to want to tolerate you after BS like that, can take years of good behavior to make up for that.

I was thinking about who of the "bad guys" ever really made it unscathed from their attitude. The sole one I can come up with is Connors, and that was because he was beloved in NYC and at the USO, because he really gave it all there.
But: Rios eventually got burned. So did Mac. We know how the Kyrgios routine has worked out to make him, at a minimum, controversial. We can see how the less gifted players like Moutet can't gain traction.
Roger and Rafa simply understood that from the beginning and know that, when serving for the match at 6-5 in the fifth, that little extra that the crowd gives you can be the defining fact. Let's even, for a moment, call them hypocrites: it does not matter. They play knowing that it is always good to be the crowd favorite.
About being Russian. Go tell that to Sharapova.

My reaction to Medvedev's comment about not being loved because he's Russian: Safin

MJ2004 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2022 1:21 am My reaction to Medvedev's comment about not being loved because he's Russian: Safin

I was thinking about that, and Marat was not the holiest of all players on court. Plus, his two Slams were against Sampras at the USO and Hewitt at the Aussie. Talk about being a villain. Yet, he was not seen that way by the fans.

Also, pretty much any player (except Federer) playing Nadal in the Final today would have had the crowd against them - both because of the occasion of #21 and because Nadal was behind the entire match, and the crowd will always encourage the one who's behind because they want to see more tennis.
And because he's Nadal, with his history.

So there are several reasons that the crowd was not on Medvedev's side. For him to expect them to be (if he truly expected anything different than what happened) is foolish.

As for Sharapova, she was obviously more American than she was Russian (just as Osaka is more American than Japanese). I'm sure that most casual tennis fans (as well as non tennis fans) thought Sharapova was American.

Deuce wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2022 1:29 am As for Sharapova, she was obviously more American than she was Russian (just as Osaka is more American than Japanese).

As another first-generation immigrant who sounds "American", I can see Osaka and Sharapova both disagreeing with this statement and even taking offense at it. Let's please just leave it at that.

And yes, I get that you said this in the context of how a player is perceived by the general public, but possibly inadvertently you worded it rather differently.

MJ2004 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2022 1:46 am

Deuce wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2022 1:29 am As for Sharapova, she was obviously more American than she was Russian (just as Osaka is more American than Japanese).

As another first-generation immigrant who sounds "American", I can see Osaka and Sharapova both disagreeing with this statement and even taking offense at it. Let's please just leave it at that.

And yes, I get that you said this in the context of how a player is perceived by the general public, but possibly inadvertently you worded it rather differently.

No – I meant it the way I wrote it.
Osaka doesn’t even speak Japanese.
They've both lived in the U.S. for a long time, and have very much taken on the American lifestyle.
Of course, they have roots in Russia and Japan respectively, and are familiar with the culture. And they respect that, of course - and that's fine. But their daily lives are much more American than they are Russian or Japanese.

People 'take offense' to everything today, anyway, no matter what anyone says...

Deuce wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2022 2:13 am People 'take offense' to everything today, anyway, no matter what anyone says...

People have generally always taken offense to having their identity questioned.

skatingfan wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2022 6:50 am

Deuce wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2022 2:13 am People 'take offense' to everything today, anyway, no matter what anyone says...

People have generally always taken offense to having their identity questioned.

No... people twist things to suit their own 'politically correct' agenda, desperately trying to twist benign matters into something 'offensive'.
I make a basic observation on a matter which seems very obvious to me, and you two twist it into me 'questioning their identity'. Incredible.

As I said - people will 'take offense' to anything today in order to 'support' whatever their agenda is. And these same people - these same intolerant people - are the ones who preach tolerance the most.
The contradiction is as evident as it is mind boggling. It doesn't require 20/20 vision to see that such people who preach tolerance the most are only 'tolerant' of others who share their view, and are completely intolerant of all others.

If you wish to believe that Sharapova and Osaka's lifestyles and behaviours are more in tune with Russian and Japanese cultures respectively, you are certainly free to believe that.
I believe that the facts very clearly demonstrate that their comportments are significantly more consistent with American culture than they are with the Russian or Japanese cultures. And I am as free to believe that as you are to believe whatever it is that you believe.

Visibly limping should've been added. And sitting down to sign a ball for someone.

I didn't vote in the poll. It's hard for me to rank this one in a Best Match context, I'd have to really think about it. Although I haven't watched it in a very long time, I'm pretty sure my favorite (and best) Aussie Open match (not a final) remains in tact despite being thrilled with this result.

Had the poll been the about the Best Comeback Win, I'd feel very comfortable putting this in the Top 5 right now without thinking about it much.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 30, 2022 11:21 pm So:
First, he plays the NATIONALITY card. "I am Russian, people don't like me"
Second, he plays the "Crowd never roots for me" card.
When does somebody tell him: "You have behaved like a total ass on several occasions. This is what happens".

Lol, what a crab. If he got rid of that ever-present sneer on his face that looks like he is continuously belching, I think that would go a long way toward people warming to him.