ashkor87 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 7:47 am eager to see if Osaka enters.. depends on Abu Dhabi I suppose..how she does there

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 12:08 pm is the Doha tournament even happening? It is supposed to be before this one, the draw is tomorrow, but I see no activity on their site.. something is off..

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 11, 2024 11:51 am She's injured, right? Like most of the times?

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 18, 2024 10:58 am Siniakova slowly transforming into a good singles player! Steadily advancing, beating good players ..

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 18, 2024 5:07 pm Too many upsets today..BHM, Garcia, Mertens
....wonder if the rapid switch in conditions is too much for them? two high pressure 1000 level events? It is a bit odd...

JTContinental wrote: ↑Sun Feb 18, 2024 4:33 am This will be Gauff's last full tournament as a teenager. She will turn 20 during Indian Wells.

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 2:55 pm

JTContinental wrote: ↑Sun Feb 18, 2024 4:33 am This will be Gauff's last full tournament as a teenager. She will turn 20 during Indian Wells.

Looking forward to hearing about this ad nauseum and TC preempting a match to show birthday tweets from minor celebrities.

atlpam wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 11:52 pm

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 2:55 pm

JTContinental wrote: ↑Sun Feb 18, 2024 4:33 am This will be Gauff's last full tournament as a teenager. She will turn 20 during Indian Wells.

Looking forward to hearing about this ad nauseum and TC preempting a match to show birthday tweets from minor celebrities.

But how big will the cake be?

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 1:40 am

atlpam wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 11:52 pm

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 2:55 pm

Looking forward to hearing about this ad nauseum and TC preempting a match to show birthday tweets from minor celebrities.

But how big will the cake be?

They learned their lesson.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 18, 2024 2:45 am nice to see Vondrousova and Kenin resurfacing.. and, of course, Sabalenka, though I doubt she will do much until IW..

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 2:51 pm Data for my theory that, unless you are a Roger, Novak, Rafa or Serena, you can't take that much time away from this sport. Too tough to come back just like that. Practice will only get you so far.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 1:54 am Sloane played really well against Swiatek.. except for her second serve, which got the treatement it deserves... the court is faster here, helps people like Sloane, who move well and react well..

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 6:15 am Saba losing makes us appreciate Sinner's feat better, doesn't it?

martini4me wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 1:24 pm Gauff has EIGHT double faults in her first three service games.

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 3:30 pm Never occurred to me, but Sinner is consistent. Think he's going to run the table through Miami? I don't.

Suliso wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 5:27 pm She'll be back in form soon enough, I think

Suliso wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 12:57 pm Vondrousova managed to lose from 6-2, 5-2 up

Suliso wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 12:57 pm Vondrousova managed to lose from 6-2, 5-2 up

martini4me wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 1:24 pm Gauff has EIGHT double faults in her first three service games.

Fastbackss wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 5:11 pm

martini4me wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 1:24 pm Gauff has EIGHT double faults in her first three service games.

This doesn't seem ideal from the chair.

Suliso wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 5:08 pm 70% chance now of Swiatek completing the desert double. Who is the last to do so?

andyroddick
@andyroddick
This is an absurd exchange for this umpire. 1. He’s completely wrong 2. He’s lying about being wrong. 3. She must have simply said 10 plus times, I’d like the supervisor. That’s not a judgement call. He simply needed to honor that normal request and call the supervisor. Coco did well here. That’s before her opponent also not acknowledging truth (which she certainly didn’t have to do)

ti-amie wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 9:36 pm Following up on what has already been posted about this situation. Andy Roddick agrees it was bush league by the chair.

andyroddick
@andyroddick
This is an absurd exchange for this umpire. 1. He’s completely wrong 2. He’s lying about being wrong. 3. She must have simply said 10 plus times, I’d like the supervisor. That’s not a judgement call. He simply needed to honor that normal request and call the supervisor. Coco did well here. That’s before her opponent also not acknowledging truth (which she certainly didn’t have to do)

Owendonovan wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 5:03 am You can see in the background the lines person signaled it was in as well. So, he was wrong all around.

Suliso wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 2:57 pm Being in the right place at the right time I would say (similar to Podoroska's GS SF) plus not giving up easily.

Suliso wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 3:10 pm Fast certainly and a good fighter, but also small (1.63 m) and underpowered.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 4:53 pm If she beats Swiatek or even takes a set, we will know she has made huge improvements- else we can put it down to a good draw and good play ..

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 3:08 pm

Suliso wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 2:57 pm Being in the right place at the right time I would say (similar to Podoroska's GS SF) plus not giving up easily.

Yeah, she got a walkover from Rybakina in the quarters. And evidently Paolini is playing well at this right place/time. I assume. Haven't seen her matches. Isn't she kind of Sakkari-like? Fast, feisty? Maybe I'm simplifying her game too much.

Her draw was: Haddad Maia, Fernandez, Sakkari, Rybakina, Cirstea. I don't now what happened to BHM in the first round, losing 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. That and the Rybakina W/O were a couple lucky breaks.

Suliso wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 3:47 pm Paolini is Cibulkova size, but not as powerful. Sakkari is only a bit below average for a tennis player.

mick1303 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 6:59 pm This is one of those cases when I feel that ELO does a better job than conventional ranking. It almost seems "unfair" when one finalist does a heavy lifting, eliminating the string of favorites, while other reaps the reward, because by the final his/her opponent is emotionally (and maybe physically) spent.

mick1303 wrote:This is one of those cases when I feel that ELO does a better job than conventional ranking. It almost seems "unfair" when one finalist does a heavy lifting, eliminating the string of favorites, while other reaps the reward, because by the final his/her opponent is emotionally (and maybe physically) spent.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 11:25 am What happened to Chang when he decided to bulk up? He was still as fast, and reached three slam finals. But he was still the smallest of the top four Americans at the moment, and his lack of height was always a liability.
You are totally right that the extremes make it difficult to be a top player. Amanda Coetzer, as good as she was, always played at a disadvantage. So did Kei and Diego, and so did Isner, at the opposite extreme.
Paolini is having a good week, and she is proving she belongs as a top player. Does she belong as a very top player, a top 10? That is till a long way from where she is. These cases happen every once in a while, and we should not make much of them (see, Diego beating Rafa in Rome a few years ago).

ti-amie wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 8:20 pm

mick1303 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 6:59 pm This is one of those cases when I feel that ELO does a better job than conventional ranking. It almost seems "unfair" when one finalist does a heavy lifting, eliminating the string of favorites, while other reaps the reward, because by the final his/her opponent is emotionally (and maybe physically) spent.

You mean like that US Open where Leylah-Annie went through Murderers Row while Raducanu romped?

ti-amie wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 8:20 pm

mick1303 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 6:59 pm This is one of those cases when I feel that ELO does a better job than conventional ranking. It almost seems "unfair" when one finalist does a heavy lifting, eliminating the string of favorites, while other reaps the reward, because by the final his/her opponent is emotionally (and maybe physically) spent.

You mean like that US Open where Leylah-Annie went through Murderers Row while Raducanu romped?

ashkor87 wrote:

ti-amie wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 8:20 pm

mick1303 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 6:59 pm This is one of those cases when I feel that ELO does a better job than conventional ranking. It almost seems "unfair" when one finalist does a heavy lifting, eliminating the string of favorites, while other reaps the reward, because by the final his/her opponent is emotionally (and maybe physically) spent.

You mean like that US Open where Leylah-Annie went through Murderers Row while Raducanu romped?

Raducanu had to get past Bencic, who had just beaten Swiatek..Bencic is as formidable as they come, on hard courts... I am quite convince the 'odd' results that USO were because the court was exceptionally fast - young guns like Leylah and Raducanu are quicker, have better reflexes, and better eyesight. It will never happen again, of course, because courts will only get slower

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 9:29 pm

mick1303 wrote:This is one of those cases when I feel that ELO does a better job than conventional ranking. It almost seems "unfair" when one finalist does a heavy lifting, eliminating the string of favorites, while other reaps the reward, because by the final his/her opponent is emotionally (and maybe physically) spent.

Is that why Kalinskaya couldn’t close from 5-3 up in the third and didn’t win another game?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 3:30 pm

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 6:15 am Saba losing makes us appreciate Sinner's feat better, doesn't it?

Never occurred to me, but Sinner is consistent. Think he's going to run the table through Miami? I don't.

Suliso wrote: ↑Thu Feb 29, 2024 1:10 pm What makes you think he's for sure going to do worse than last year (SF and F) in IW and Miami?

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 4:20 pm Frankly, I don't see court speed as a bigger factor than, say, innate ability. It is probably no more than 5-10. % but can make the diffrence at the margin. It is just that few people even recognise that it is a factor at all.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 4:17 pm Ball difference is interesting..example?

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 5:48 pm

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 4:17 pm Ball difference is interesting..example?

The HEAD/PENN balls are different from the Wilson's. Slazenger/Dunlops are way harder than either one. I have not played with babolats, but I suspect they are good for clay, meaning they are heavy.
Because of the altitude, I have been playing with Tretorn's or the Wilson's Trinity. Great balls, but you can feel they are not as lively as a pressured ball.
I would say the fastest balls out there are the Slazenger/Dunlops. Very hard and light, good for S&V tennis. Then Wilson. The slower, although I have not played with them in years, are the HEAD/PENNs. So, for players with lots of spin, I would prefer the latest. Flat hitters, the Wilsons.
But if a monkey like me can get used to a ball in just one hitting session, I also wonder how much of a difference that makes.

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 4:33 pm

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 4:20 pm Frankly, I don't see court speed as a bigger factor than, say, innate ability. It is probably no more than 5-10. % but can make the diffrence at the margin. It is just that few people even recognise that it is a factor at all.

I think it's definitely a factor. It's just really hard to gauge the impact of it any given week. Players who might seem at a disadvantage can adjust, and players can waste their court-speed advantage with other deficiencies that day.

There are so many factors to a match, it's hard to isolate anything as a determining factor other than ability and health. But I'd love to know how often your court-speed projections bear out in the end.

Tennis is definitely a game of margins.