Tennis Random, Random (On Court)

[Suliso]

Fabiola Zuluaga also used only that. How about other Colombian players. Can't think of another one now...

[JazzNU]

I'm thinking either her or her team is thinking of how she'll be marketing herself in general, not just in Colombia. Though three initial names are common enough, so I assume this is what she just thought was best. She's super cute, I could easily see her getting attention from more companies outside of Colombia if she starts getting more results.

Other Colombian players I can think of use a mix. Alejandro Falla, Santiago Giraldo, and the doubles pair of Cabal and Farah (which I believe is Juan Sebastian and Robert, respectively). Struggling to come up with another WTA player.

[Deuce]

And then in a second article, Fabio is calling out Sinner and saying he was completely wrong to not represent Italy at the Olympics and that bad decisions such as that have consequences. And there's a former Italian Davis Cup team captain (Barrazutti is the name I think) calling him out as well, wondering about his values.

Of course, Fabio has a reputation for doing and saying stupid things. This qualifies.
You don't criticize anyone for deciding not to go to an Olympics - and a crowded Olympic village - in the middle of a global health emergency/pandemic.
Were there no pandemic to be concerned about, I'd say fine - feel free to criticize someone for not representing your country at the Olympics.
But if a person chooses to keep him/her self safe and to not go to the Olympics in the middle of an unpredictable pandemic, criticizing them is simply foolish.
This isn't Fabio's first foray into the realm of idiocy - nor will it be his last, surely.

[ti-amie]

Should I ask if Bouchard had any similar problems re funding from TC?

[Deuce]

From what I know, Tennis Canada wanted to take Leylah onboard at one point (after she showed promise on the international Junior scene), but they wanted to have full control over her. Leylah's dad would not give them that control - which is understandable, as A) she was doing well without Tennis Canada, and B) it's difficult for a father to give control of his daughter over to a nameless entity.
Yes, Tennis Canada gave them some money, which they used to pay some independent coaches, etc., and I suppose she has received some 'coaching' help from them in the form of Nathalie Tauziat, namely with her Fed Cup participations, but also a bit outside of that environment, I believe.

In a related comment, it doesn't look like Tennis Canada will be doing any sort of 'official congratulations' for Leylah regarding her U.S. Open success. They did hold an official 'congratulations' for Andreescu when she won the U.S. Open, and also for Genie when she made the Final of Wimbledon in 2014.
Now, they're sort of using the pandemic as a reason for not doing anything for Leylah - and I suppose it's a legitimate reason. But I get the sense that the true reason they won't do anything for Leylah is because she is not a product of their system - and so recognizing her achievement would be like them saying that one can achieve this success without any help from them - and they probably don't want to remind people of that.

As far as Louis Borfiga goes... he's a nice man - very down to Earth. A little more than 2 years ago, I asked him where he thought Andreescu will be in 3 years. He said "Oh, she'll be #1 or #2 in the world for sure." Then I asked him where he thought Leylah would be in 3 years. He said "Around #50, maybe."
I told him that in 3 years from then, Andreescu will be around #30 - #40 in the world, and that Leylah will be ranked ahead of her.
At this point, my prediction looks more accurate than his.

[ti-amie]

Ash Barty done for season, won't defend her WTA Finals title

Associated Press
October 22, 2021, 7:45 PM

BRISBANE -- World No. 1-ranked Ash Barty won't defend her season-ending WTA Finals title and is done for the year due to continuing COVID-19 travel and quarantine restrictions.

"I wanted to let everyone know that I won't be competing in any further tournaments in 2021, including the WTA Finals in Mexico," Barty said in a statement on Saturday. "It was a difficult decision but I need to prioritize my body and my recovery from our 2021 season."

Barty hasn't played since the U.S. Open in September and says her focus now is on preparing for another attempt at winning her home Australian Open in Melbourne in January.

The 25-year-old Barty won five titles this season, including a second major at Wimbledon in July, and is assured of ending as year-end No. 1.

Barty won the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China in 2019 before last year's edition was not played because of the pandemic.

She had to undergo two weeks of quarantine when she returned to her Brisbane home in September after the U.S. Open and doesn't want to do the same again if she travels to the relocated WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico from Nov. 10-17.

"With ongoing challenges of traveling back to Queensland and quarantine requirements, I am not willing to compromise my preparation for January," Barty said.

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https://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/article ... als-title/

[ashkor87]

Djoko playing Paris is itself a sign he intends to skip the AO..seems to be padding his lead in the rankings in case he loses all his AO points?

[ponchi101]

Hadn't thought of that, but makes sense. I really don't think that he will skip it unless he misses some deadlines and finds out too late that he can't go, but if he really decides not to get vaccinated, then this move is as you say.

[meganfernandez]

Hadn't thought of that, but makes sense. I really don't think that he will skip it unless he misses some deadlines and finds out too late that he can't go, but if he really decides not to get vaccinated, then this move is as you say.

I think he won’t play it. I think he cares more about his body and health (his views, not mine) and knows he will have other chances for 21. Wimbledon, for instance, unless all tournaments require the vaccine. But in my opinion, the 21 isn't guaranteed. It's not even 90% now, with vaccine mandates potentially looming and the rest of the field getting better. You just never know how things will turn. Rafa wasn't 100% at last year's French - if he's healthy this year, he's the favorite for me there.

Anyway, my money is on Djokovic not bending on the vaccine.

[mick1303]

Sorry if this was already discussed here. But what is your opinion on the notion that "Open Era effectively ended"? This is with regard to Australian authorities prohibiting all non-vaccinated players to participate. Shouldn't they remove the "Open" from their title then?

[ponchi101]

I have not heard that, but totally untrue. Nobody is prohibiting anybody from participating. They are asking for a regulation that gets easier and easier to comply with.
Heck, if you want to travel to Africa or most of L. America, you need to have a yellow fever vaccine. I see no difference.

[JazzNU]

Anyway, my money is on Djokovic not bending on the vaccine.

I'd place my bet on him getting it, just not before for the Aussie Open.

[JazzNU]

[ponchi101]

I think he will make a great coach, if he goes that way. A hard worker, and a player that spanned two of the best generations (Sampras/Agassi and the big three). Hope he enjoys his next venture.

[meganfernandez]

I think he will make a great coach, if he goes that way. A hard worker, and a player that spanned two of the best generations (Sampras/Agassi and the big three). Hope he enjoys his next venture.

Kind of shocked that he is just now retiring. I would have guessed he retired ages ago, since I don't pay a lot of attention to doubles. Also would have guessed that he's older than 40 and that he made the French semi run a lot longer than 11 years ago.