by ponchi101 Because if we felt that for 2021 the blunders would stop, boy, were we wrong!

Iga.jpg
Sofia Kenin, hitting an overhead smash, at the 2020 Australian open.
Wait...
(And this is Reuters)
-->
by ponchi101
Iga.jpg
Sofia Kenin, hitting an overhead smash, at the 2020 Australian open.
Wait...
(And this is Reuters)

by ti-amie But...

by Liamvalid Is that Swiatek? At the French?

by ponchi101
Liamvalid wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:41 pm Is that Swiatek? At the French?
Yes. I started this thread in TAT1.0 as a place to put BAD journalism. A bit of sarcasm, if I may.

by Liamvalid
ponchi101 wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:46 pm
Liamvalid wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:41 pm Is that Swiatek? At the French?
Yes. I started this thread in TAT1.0 as a place to put BAD journalism. A bit of sarcasm, if I may.
Haha yeah I got the sarcasm, but it took me three reads of the post before I realised that the photo wasn’t Kenin :oops: :oops: I’m out of practice

by skatingfan According to City News radio, Andreescu beat Madison Pringle to advance to the next round.

by ponchi101 Pringle crumbled to pieces, I guess...

by skatingfan
ponchi101 wrote: Tue Feb 16, 2021 3:10 am Pringle crumbled to pieces, I guess...
Did you really need to chip in?

Osaka_lesson.jpg
I guess one lesson she can learn it how to DO IT AGAIN. A 23 match win streak does not sound bad.
(The article then goes on to talk about learning about the LOSS to Sakkari, not the streak). -->
by ponchi101
Osaka_lesson.jpg
I guess one lesson she can learn it how to DO IT AGAIN. A 23 match win streak does not sound bad.
(The article then goes on to talk about learning about the LOSS to Sakkari, not the streak).

by ti-amie

Screenshot 2021-07-05 162928.jpg
Little known to his fans, Sampras reclaimed Greek citizenship after his 5th Wimbledon, and his 6th and 7th titles are actually credited to that nation.
Eat that, Stefanos Tsisipas.

(For the 1000th time, and here I sit, unemployed. Who writes this stuff?) -->
by ponchi101 From this article:
Screenshot 2021-07-05 162928.jpg
Little known to his fans, Sampras reclaimed Greek citizenship after his 5th Wimbledon, and his 6th and 7th titles are actually credited to that nation.
Eat that, Stefanos Tsisipas.

(For the 1000th time, and here I sit, unemployed. Who writes this stuff?)

by ti-amie
ponchi101 wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 9:33 pm From this article:

Screenshot 2021-07-05 162928.jpg

Little known to his fans, Sampras reclaimed Greek citizenship after his 5th Wimbledon, and his 6th and 7th titles are actually credited to that nation.
Eat that, Stefanos Tsisipas.

(For the 1000th time, and here I sit, unemployed. Who writes this stuff?)
I didn't know he did that. Did he reclaim it under his real name?

by ponchi101 Petreus Colossus Emeritus Sampras Grandiosus Excelsius.
He shortened it so it would fit in the standard Greek ID.

by ti-amie
ponchi101 wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 9:38 pm Petreus Colossus Emeritus Sampras Grandiosus Excelsius.
He shortened it so it would fit in the standard Greek ID.
:lol: :lol: :lol:

I've always wondered about that since I read years ago "Petros" isn't his real first name.

by dmforever ImageFirst one to spot the mistake gets a prize...C'mon Sports Illustrated. You can do better than this. :)

by ponchi101 It is subtle, but:
They flipped Barty's image. She is not left handed.

by JazzNU
dmforever wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:20 am First one to spot the mistake gets a prize...C'mon Sports Illustrated. You can do better than this. :)
Sports Illustrated?!? Oh dear. I was thinking a random tennis outlet upon seeing that kind of egregious mistake. Yikes!

by 3mlm
ponchi101 wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:31 am It is subtle, but:
They flipped Barty's image. She is not left handed.
They mistakenly used a picture of Kristyna instead of Karolina. Thus the blond hair and left handed grip.

by dave g
ponchi101 wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:31 am It is subtle, but:
They flipped Barty's image. She is not left handed.
3mlm wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 5:38 pm
ponchi101 wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:31 am It is subtle, but:
They flipped Barty's image. She is not left handed.
They mistakenly used a picture of Kristyna instead of Karolina. Thus the blond hair and left handed grip.
:rofl:
Your intentionally wrong guesses at the problem with the photo are hysterical. It is sort of like a variation of the "Caption This" contests, but it would be closer to a "Miscaption This" contest.

by dmforever You get a prize, and you get a prize, and you get a prize...everyone gets a prize. It's........a lifetime subscription to...Sports Illustrated online! Congratulations!!!! :)

by ti-amie

Screenshot 2021-12-12 102428.jpg
So, a story about Amelie Mauresmo and you put a shot of... who is this woman? Is she even a tennis player? (she looks familiar). -->
by ponchi101 And well, Yahoo tries, but they can't get a proper tennis coverage:
Screenshot 2021-12-12 102428.jpg
So, a story about Amelie Mauresmo and you put a shot of... who is this woman? Is she even a tennis player? (she looks familiar).

by skatingfan
ponchi101 wrote: Sun Dec 12, 2021 4:07 pm And well, Yahoo tries, but they can't get a proper tennis coverage:
Screenshot 2021-12-12 102428.jpg

So, a story about Amelie Mauresmo and you put a shot of... who is this woman? Is she even a tennis player? (she looks familiar).
I think it's Alicia Molik. Molik is the current Australian Fed Cup Captain, and the shirt the woman in the photo is wearing says Australian Fed Cup on it.

Image

by ponchi101 Ah, I see. So, somebody made a search for "tennis players with AM initials" and ALICIA comes before AMELIE.
Sole explanation I can think of.

by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote: Sun Dec 12, 2021 5:20 pm Ah, I see. So, somebody made a search for "tennis players with AM initials" and ALICIA comes before AMELIE.
Sole explanation I can think of.
The photo's metadata might be wrong. And it might include "France" if the photo was taken there (but Australia hasn't played a Fed Cup tie in France in recent history, so that's dubious). Maybe the automatic photo editor does use the initials as a search element.

And/or... the photo editor or whoever thought, "yeah, that sound right, there was an A and an M" and called it a day.

Screenshot 2022-04-23 164757.jpg
From MSN. You could find shots from two players.
Too hard, I guess. -->
by ponchi101
Screenshot 2022-04-23 164757.jpg
From MSN. You could find shots from two players.
Too hard, I guess.

Screenshot 2022-05-16 095557.jpg
Not to mention, the ban has not taken effect yet, so he cannot be back in the tour AFTER it. -->
by ponchi101 But, but...
Danillo does not have to worry about the Russian ban for Wimbledon. He is Italian!
Screenshot 2022-05-16 095557.jpg
Not to mention, the ban has not taken effect yet, so he cannot be back in the tour AFTER it.

by ashkor87 Meanwhile a respected journalist tells us, in Tennis magazine, that Strycova won RG last year

by ponchi101 Get your tennis news HERE! We are thorough...
Yes, sometimes some people post some stuff that makes you wonder how come they got their job.

by ti-amie
ashkor87 wrote: Sun Jul 10, 2022 8:25 am Meanwhile a respected journalist tells us, in Tennis magazine, that Strycova won RG last year

by ashkor87 On a positive note, String Theory by David Foster Wallace is a marvellous book of essays on tennis..well worth your time, both in terms of insights and sheer writing..the chapter on Federer has entered tennis lore, but I personally like the one on Tracy Austin best...

by ponchi101 Actually, a book I have never read, and have heard nothing but positive praise.
I really should.

by Cuckoo4Coco
ashkor87 wrote: Mon Jul 25, 2022 11:52 am On a positive note, String Theory by David Foster Wallace is a marvellous book of essays on tennis..well worth your time, both in terms of insights and sheer writing..the chapter on Federer has entered tennis lore, but I personally like the one on Tracy Austin best...
I will have to look for this book. Thanks for sharing about it.

by meganfernandez This IS wonderful creativity. Don’t know where else to put it.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by Deuce
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 1:26 am This IS wonderful creativity. Don’t know where else to put it.


It's all too often very true.

by ponchi101
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 1:26 am This IS wonderful creativity. Don’t know where else to put it.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Next time somebody says satire is dead....
Brilliant :notworthy: And, as an aspiring writer that will never make it, I roast with envy :fuelfire:

by meganfernandez I wrote this for Milwaukee magazine. You can decide if you think it's great or *great" tennis journalism. :) IMO, it's neither. It's OK. (It's about Essential Tennis's founder, Ian Westermann, who lives and coaches in Wisconsin.)

https://www.milwaukeemag.com/youtubes-m ... milwaukee/

Also, I just started writing for Tennis.com, and I admit this isn't great journalism. :) But I had to find a Baseline story that day while juggling editing other stuff for the website, and this worked. Emma-Serena was the talk of the tennis world.

https://www.tennis.com/baseline/article ... ving-large

by ponchi101 I am really tempted to start a new topic because both articles go completely against the spirit of this topic, which is LOUSY tennis journalism. I really enjoyed the Westermann article; I totally disagree with the "pros" that just feed you balls and never even give you a hint of what you are doing wrong. His approach seems, to me, the correct one.
Two great pieces (I also enjoyed the other, although not as much as the first one). YOU HAVE RUINED THIS TOPIC, MEGAN! Ruined it!
Congrats. Indeed, Great Tennis Journalism :clap: :clap: :clap:

by ptmcmahon Yeah no great journalism allowed in the Great Journalism thread :D

by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 5:04 pm I am really tempted to start a new topic because both articles go completely against the spirit of this topic, which is LOUSY tennis journalism. I really enjoyed the Westermann article; I totally disagree with the "pros" that just feed you balls and never even give you a hint of what you are doing wrong. His approach seems, to me, the correct one.
Two great pieces (I also enjoyed the other, although not as much as the first one). YOU HAVE RUINED THIS TOPIC, MEGAN! Ruined it!
Congrats. Indeed, Great Tennis Journalism :clap: :clap: :clap:
Sorry for spoiling the fun. :) This isn't great tennis journalism, but it's decent. Thanks for reading and for the kind words. I'd love to know what questions you're left with, because I'm going to write a more tennis-focused version of the story pretty soon. This one was a general profile.

I would have put this in Tennis Random, Random before it changed to On Court Only.

I made some true Great Tennis Journalism errors on the Tennis.com page when I was working on Saturday. I posted that Ruud beat Djokovic in the quarters at Toronto last year - nope, it was Rome last year, and I misread the match notes. Also mixed up Team Europe and Team World in a Ruud story, and that one stayed up for hours before I caught it. No one was proofing my stories. To me, the European team scanned as "world," and I just made a mistake. Looked at it 10 times before I caught it. Happens. I was waiting for someone to post those here. :)

by ponchi101 If you have time, which I know it is precious due to deadlines, you can start a topic and we can help you proof-read it. It can be fun.

by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 6:16 pm If you have time, which I know it is precious due to deadlines, you can start a topic and we can help you proof-read it. It can be fun.
I wish there was for outside proof-read before posting. Maybe an hour in some cases... Might try it next time, whenever that is. I appreciate the offer!

Right now, I need new angles on Westermann. Something tennis-centric. Been circling around why tennis teaching pros don't use video more (Ian has never been invited to a coaching conference, for instance, and given his Youtube following, that's odd). Or why club players get so worked up about being a tiny bit better, when there's nothing at stake. That kind of life/identity/tennis intersection, which Ian specializes in.

In the past, I never got responses when I have asked for help with story ideas. Several times. I figured it's just not what people here are into.

by ponchi101 But you have the idea right there. You read your article, and the question is obvious: why don't the other pros do this? Why just the basket of balls? After all, today, everybody has a camcorder in his/her pocket.
So, why and how did Westermann hit on the idea, but other people don't do it? For example, when we go skiing, I always film my GF with my phone, on the 2nd-3rd day. Then I will film her about every two weeks, so she can see her progress.
Why isn't this method adopted, and what other media can be used to enhance teaching?

by dave g I am surprised that other tennis teachers/coaches of club-level players aren't taping the people they are helping. I remember someone telling me that they had gone someplace to take some tennis lessons, and the coach has taped them so they could see what they were doing wrong. And that was 20 years ago.

by ashkor87
meganfernandez wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 4:44 pm I wrote this for Milwaukee magazine. You can decide if you think it's great or *great" tennis journalism. :) IMO, it's neither. It's OK. (It's about Essential Tennis's founder, Ian Westermann, who lives and coaches in Wisconsin.)

https://www.milwaukeemag.com/youtubes-m ... milwaukee/

Also, I just started writing for Tennis.com, and I admit this isn't great journalism. :) But I had to find a Baseline story that day while juggling editing other stuff for the website, and this worked. Emma-Serena was the talk of the tennis world.

https://www.tennis.com/baseline/article ... ving-large
Read it..really excellent...totally relate to watching yourself on video, that is how I teach communication too ..

by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 7:02 pm But you have the idea right there. You read your article, and the question is obvious: why don't the other pros do this? Why just the basket of balls? After all, today, everybody has a camcorder in his/her pocket.
So, why and how did Westermann hit on the idea, but other people don't do it? For example, when we go skiing, I always film my GF with my phone, on the 2nd-3rd day. Then I will film her about every two weeks, so she can see her progress.
Why isn't this method adopted, and what other media can be used to enhance teaching?
dave g wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 10:10 pm I am surprised that other tennis teachers/coaches of club-level players aren't taping the people they are helping. I remember someone telling me that they had gone someplace to take some tennis lessons, and the coach has taped them so they could see what they were doing wrong. And that was 20 years ago.
Yeha, this is probably a viable angle. I just worry about the reporting to determine if Ian's theory is correct and that most teaching pros don't use video. I'm sure they do in junior development. But among 3.0-4.5 club players, he swears they don't.

Why? Skill set is one issue - not everyone is adept with an iPad and video editing. Ian edits videos on the fly, on the court with the student, and shows the clip side by side with a pro player's clip. He can do a lot with the iPad in the moment. That's a totally different skill set than teaching.

Ian would also say that it's because most club players don't want that kind of feedback, so the pro isn't incentivized to provide it. It wouldn't work in a group clinic - it would slow things down too much. I'm guessing some pros use it in private lessons. The problem, as Ian sees it, is that without video, the teaching pro is just guessing about what's really wrong with a stroke or movement. I think most teaching pros would disagree - they would say their eyes are pretty trained, and that they have made many players better without video. But it's also true that most people think they are doing A but really they are doing B. And they never know, and that's at the root of their frustration.

by ponchi101 As a starter, when you visualize yourself on the court, it means nothing for the reality. If you have some analytical capacity, you will immediately see all your faults: the short backswings, the improper footwork, the wrong point of impact.
If you are honest with yourself, just watching the video is an incredible option. But you have to be open to the fact that, in reality, you suck.

by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote:As a starter, when you visualize yourself on the court, it means nothing for the reality. If you have some analytical capacity, you will immediately see all your faults: the short backswings, the improper footwork, the wrong point of impact.
If you are honest with yourself, just watching the video is an incredible option. But you have to be open to the fact that, in reality, you suck.
Right. We aren’t nearly as good as we think we are. But I push back against the idea that we have to see ourselves to improve. I have improved a lot in the last few years without video analysis. Thousands of players reach a 4.5 level without it.

He thinks you can improve in the short term but will usually revert back to your previous form out of habit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by ponchi101 I didn't say that you can't improve without video. But it is a fantastic tool.
You see? We have an entire article going on here :D

by Deuce I was amazed at how lazy I looked on the court when I saw myself on video about 15 years ago.
Sometimes it's best to avoid video :D .

by 3mlm According to the Daily Schedule on the ATP US Open site, Chris Eubanks has defeated Raul Brancacchio 14 times on 9 different courts since 11 am EST today.

by ponchi101 Better than risk it with one lousy, iffy TB. Make sure Eubanks deserves that spot.

Rafanews.jpg
I know they will be linked forever, but this is ridiculous. -->
by ponchi101 Because finding a stock photo of Rafa is almost impossible nowadays:
Rafanews.jpg
I know they will be linked forever, but this is ridiculous.

by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote: Sun Oct 09, 2022 2:38 pm Because finding a stock photo of Rafa is almost impossible nowadays:
Rafanews.jpg

I know they will be linked forever, but this is ridiculous.
This made me laugh. It's like, Fed news is so popular right now they're just going to brazenly slap a photo of him on any story, topic be damned.

I'm sure it's just another automatic image search error (Rafa's in the keywords somewhere), but it's still funny.

by Owendonovan Be prepared for plenty of pictures of Serena when Venus retires.

by ponchi101 For sure...

by meganfernandez Tennis magazine is going out of print. It's dead. The end of an era! I have read it all my life. The digital content will continue.

In the late 80s and early 90s, I used to check out back issues at my school library. I photocopied favorite stories, like Michael Chang winning the French and a poem called "The Night Before Wimbledon," a riff on "The Night Before Christmas." Actually, a few years ago I randomly met the person who wrote that poem! It must have been 30 years ago, at least.

by Deuce
meganfernandez wrote: Mon Oct 24, 2022 4:59 pm Tennis magazine is going out of print. It's dead. The end of an era! I have read it all my life. The digital content will continue.

In the late 80s and early 90s, I used to check out back issues at my school library. I photocopied favorite stories, like Michael Chang winning the French and a poem called "The Night Before Wimbledon," a riff on "The Night Before Christmas." Actually, a few years ago I randomly met the person who wrote that poem! It must have been 30 years ago, at least.
Yes, I also remember the days when Tennis Magazine and World Tennis were competing against each other... Tennis Magazine was almost always the better of the two.

Not surprising that they are ceasing the printed version. Many long established newspapers are doing the same thing.
Good for the environment, but not good for society.

by ponchi101 With so little tennis shown in Venezuela at the time, I had to rely on Tennis Mag for info. It was a favorite read.
As a person that still does not have a Kindle, because I like the feel of paper on my hands when I read, it will be missed. Not that I can find it here in Bogota. Some excellent writing through the ages.

by skatingfan
ashkor87 wrote: Sun Nov 27, 2022 6:33 am Meanwhile, Tennis.com informs us that Musetti beat shapovalov..poor Sonego, can't even get credit...I suppose all Italians are the same to some journalists...
This clearly belongs here.

https://www.tennis.com/news/videos/matc ... -finals-sf

by meganfernandez
skatingfan wrote: Sun Nov 27, 2022 7:51 am
ashkor87 wrote: Sun Nov 27, 2022 6:33 am Meanwhile, Tennis.com informs us that Musetti beat shapovalov..poor Sonego, can't even get credit...I suppose all Italians are the same to some journalists...
This clearly belongs here.

https://www.tennis.com/news/videos/matc ... -finals-sf
Spoiling the fun by repeating my reply to the original post in the Davis Cup thread:

It's a mistake, but when I have freelanced for Tennis.com producing the website, I have published several mistakes. And I think I'm pretty good! One's attention is divided into about 100 different shards. It's sloppy, but having been there, I understand how it happens. It's shockingly easy to make what looks like a really stupid mistake. Probably the pressure of getting stuff up fast and not having two sets of eyes on things.

Having edited for 25 years, I know it's possible to stare at an error for an hour and not see it, no matter how good you are. Confirmation bias, tired brains, etc.

I don't think I have ever used the wrong player's name, but I bet I will eventually. It can be updated. Not the end of the world.

by Deuce Sorry, Megan - but when a well known entity like Tennis.com makes such an obvious error... and STILL has not corrected it, the criticism is both legitimate and valid.

This is very different than one of us posting a similar error here in this forum. I imagine that a company as significant as Tennis.com is not a one person show - they have more than just one writer employed at a given time. They are well established in the field, and there is no excuse to allow such an error still being present 12 hours (and more) after it was first (widely) noticed.

Tennis.com has taken on the responsibility of properly and accurately informing its readers. It has been favourably compensated for doing such over the years. When they fail in such a glaring fashion as this, and neglect to correct the error that many others have noted, there is no legitimate excuse.

by Owendonovan I couldn't grab it fast enough but People magazine had a picture of Serena up for Venus's AO withdrawal.

by ponchi101 One could say it is progress if they took it down fast enough... sigh.

by ti-amie This didn't age well...


by ponchi101 Why didn't it age well? He is risky, I would agree with that. The sports biggest draw could be challenged, but he does draw people (maybe Rafa is a larger draw).
What's your take? He had to withdraw from the Aussie, so the risk was there. What do you say?

by ti-amie
ponchi101 wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 7:51 pm Why didn't it age well? He is risky, I would agree with that. The sports biggest draw could be challenged, but he does draw people (maybe Rafa is a larger draw).
What's your take? He had to withdraw from the Aussie, so the risk was there. What do you say?
I don't see a byline on this which means this press release was just published as news. The US tennis establishment is firmly behind pushing Kyrgios as The One to save tennis and this is in line with that point of view.

Kyrgios record over 11 years is one major final and two quarter finals.

He is not, nor does he want to be, the face of tennis in my opinion. If this was posted to bring new fans to the sport I hope they stick around and see some of the really new faces of tennis.

by ponchi101
ti-amie wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 8:02 pm
ponchi101 wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 7:51 pm Why didn't it age well? He is risky, I would agree with that. The sports biggest draw could be challenged, but he does draw people (maybe Rafa is a larger draw).
What's your take? He had to withdraw from the Aussie, so the risk was there. What do you say?
I don't see a byline on this which means this press release was just published as news. The US tennis establishment is firmly behind pushing Kyrgios as The One to save tennis and this is in line with that point of view.

Kyrgios record over 11 years is one major final and two quarter finals.

He is not, nor does he want to be, the face of tennis in my opinion. If this was posted to bring new fans to the sport I hope they stick around and see some of the really new faces of tennis.
Ok. I agree. I have also said it. If the ATP wants him to be the face of tennis, there are other palatable faces now that are more reliable. And come with less controversy.

by ashkor87 Tennis.com informs us in a headline that Swiatek dropped just two matches in the tournament! How does one stay in the tournament dropping two MATCHES?

by ponchi101 Uhm.... if you are in the WTA finals (or the ATP finals), you can still be in.
But yes, that is very sloppy. Better stay here at TAT2.0.
(How come we don't have a gazillion members? :? )

by ashkor87 You would expect the editors at Tennis.com to know the difference between a game and a match!

by Deuce
ponchi101 wrote: Sat Feb 18, 2023 4:14 pm Uhm.... if you are in the WTA finals (or the ATP finals), you can still be in.
But yes, that is very sloppy. Better stay here at TAT2.0.
(How come we don't have a gazillion members? :? )
Quality is always preferable over quantity.
I hope we remain this way.

by ti-amie Ed Salmon
@fogmount@mas.to
Reminder to commentator Elliot Richardson: “Párrizas” is not an Italian name and does not rhyme with “pizzas”.

https://mas.to/@fogmount/109955809650011626

by ponchi101 Ah... it is not an italian name, indeed. But it does rhyme with pizzas ;)

by ti-amie

I didn't always agree with him but he is the one journalist at a top US newspaper who focused on tennis. He will be missed.

by ponchi101 Roger Federer: The Master.
Rafael Nadal: The Warrior.
Novak Djokovic: The... :?

by ashkor87
ponchi101 wrote: Tue May 16, 2023 8:43 pm Roger Federer: The Master.
Rafael Nadal: The Warrior.
Novak Djokovic: The... :?
Whiner? Grinder?Wall?

by mmmm8
ponchi101 wrote: Tue May 16, 2023 8:43 pm Roger Federer: The Master.
Rafael Nadal: The Warrior.
Novak Djokovic: The... :?
The Joker, naturally.

by ponchi101 I thought of that, but can you really put that as the title of a book if that player is also the GOAT?
I would, but you know IATA. ;)

Muchova_Sabalenka.jpg
-->
by ponchi101 They do identify Sabalenka properly, but, TODAY OF ALL DAYS, you are going to tell me you could not find a shot of Muchova?
Muchova_Sabalenka.jpg

by ashkor87 nice article on Coco..

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/ ... -wimbledon

by ponchi101 Indeed.
But remember that this topic is about sarcastic GREAT tennis journalism ;)

Wimby.jpg
-->
by ponchi101 I know, I know, I know.
Martina is now a US Citizen. But, when she won her first Wimbledon, she was Czech, right?
So: Martina, Jana, Petra and Marketa.
Wimby.jpg

by skatingfan
ponchi101 wrote: Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:35 pm I know, I know, I know.
Martina is now a US Citizen. But, when she won her first Wimbledon, she was Czech, right?
So: Martina, Jana, Petra and Marketa.

Wimby.jpg
No, Navratilova defected in 1975, and won Wimbledon in 1978.

by ponchi101 Yes, but she did not become a US citizen until 1981. I mean, you don't defect and become a citizen the next day, right? ;)

by skatingfan
ponchi101 wrote: Sat Jul 15, 2023 7:45 pm Yes, but she did not become a US citizen until 1981. I mean, you don't defect and become a citizen the next day, right? ;)
No, but they don't let you represent the country once you defect - particularly a Communist-bloc country.

by ponchi101 Ah, didn't know that. Ok, sorry Wimbledon.

by meganfernandez Not sure where else to put this, but here's the latest Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast, which I edit.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h ... 0622399109

by ashkor87 Great! Will follow/subscribe..too few good podcasts on tennis

by JTContinental No one:

Jimmy Arias: From my standpoint, I don't think [Iga Swiatek's] been great for women's tennis, because she wears her hat so low that you can't even see her face or her eyes during a match, so you don't get a connection as much as you could. So, I don't mind her getting angry in some ways, but I want to see her personality.



Perhaps he also thinks she should smile more.

by JTContinental Unrelated, I could compile a decent sized list of players I'd like to wear hats on court so that I can see less of their personality.

by ti-amie
JTContinental wrote: Mon Jul 31, 2023 3:22 am No one:

Jimmy Arias: From my standpoint, I don't think [Iga Swiatek's] been great for women's tennis, because she wears her hat so low that you can't even see her face or her eyes during a match, so you don't get a connection as much as you could. So, I don't mind her getting angry in some ways, but I want to see her personality.



Perhaps he also thinks she should smile more.
To say that Iga isn't good for women's tennis because her hat hides her eyes is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard commentator say about a player let alone the only woman who comes out ready to take names every time she plays. I've always thought Arias is an idiot and he just proved that he is.

by mmmm8 I assume this was said during broadcast and I know they say a lot of dumb things to fill the time but jesus.

by ponchi101 They have to have a journalism class called "Silence 101". It should be for journalists and talking heads that need to be taught a simple rule: You don't have to talk all the time. Let the match/game carry you.
It is not as if Iga is the only one wearing a cap/visor.

by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote: Mon Jul 31, 2023 3:15 pm They have to have a journalism class called "Silence 101". It should be for journalists and talking heads that need to be taught a simple rule: You don't have to talk all the time. Let the match/game carry you.
It is not as if Iga is the only one wearing a cap/visor.
Staying quiet is a classic reporter's trick. Don't rush to fill the dead air - the subject will likely keep talking because dead air is uncomfortable. Usually you want the person to do most of the talking.

Commentating is different, but the best know when to stay mum. I'd guess producers are involved, too.

Regarding Iga's cap, Roddick wore one, too. Someone should tell him it was bad for American tennis.

by patrick Henin also wore a cap and did quite well.

by meganfernandez
patrick wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2023 4:58 pm Henin also wore a cap and did quite well.
Not in the popularity department, though. :) To Arias's point.

by skatingfan
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2023 7:24 am Regarding Iga's cap, Roddick wore one, too. Someone should tell him it was bad for American tennis.
So that's why American men haven't won a Grand Slam title since 2003. :o

by ti-amie
skatingfan wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2023 11:29 pm
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2023 7:24 am Regarding Iga's cap, Roddick wore one, too. Someone should tell him it was bad for American tennis.
So that's why American men haven't won a Grand Slam title since 2003. :o
:lol:

by ashkor87
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2023 7:24 am
ponchi101 wrote: Mon Jul 31, 2023 3:15 pm They have to have a journalism class called "Silence 101". It should be for journalists and talking heads that need to be taught a simple rule: You don't have to talk all the time. Let the match/game carry you.
It is not as if Iga is the only one wearing a cap/visor.
Staying quiet is a classic reporter's trick. Don't rush to fill the dead air - the subject will likely keep talking because dead air is uncomfortable. Usually you want the person to do most of the talking.

Commentating is different, but the best know when to stay mum. I'd guess producers are involved, too.

Regarding Iga's cap, Roddick wore one, too. Someone should tell him it was bad for American tennis.
It is a good rule for salepeople too! The power of silence...

by ashkor87 Tignor predicts Rublev will beat Alcaraz in the semis of cincy and Medvedev will beat Djokovic.. I wonder where he gets such ideas..a tennis expert..really?!

I wonder if it is just the need to say something different at any cost ..

by ponchi101 Maybe create a little narrative that is different. And remember, IF he is wrong, no big deal. But if he is right, he gets bragging rights because people do not keep track of the misses, just of the hits.
Same procedure as astrologers do.

by jazzyg As a member of the media (though rarely covering tennis), there's nothing worse than fans ripping our selections as stupid or calculated or something else.

I assume Tignor made those picks because he thinks that is what will happen. I've read all of his selections over the past several years, and for the most part, he is pretty accurate, although predicting what will happen always is difficult. Wertheim has riffed many times on how his picks create more anger and derision among his readers than anything else, almost to the point that he dreads making picks.

Ashkor, you have plenty of tennis knowledge, but like anyone else would be who tries to predict results, you've been incredibly wrong on a ton of your voluminous predictions over the last several months. I'm a little surprised you are questioning the basis for Tignor's given your own experience.

by meganfernandez
jazzyg wrote: Sun Aug 13, 2023 6:10 pm As a member of the media (though rarely covering tennis), there's nothing worse than fans ripping our selections as stupid or calculated or something else.

I assume Tignor made those picks because he thinks that is what will happen. I've read all of his selections over the past several years, and for the most part, he is pretty accurate, although predicting what will happen always is difficult. Wertheim has riffed many times on how his picks create more anger and derision among his readers than anything else, almost to the point that he dreads making picks.

Ashkor, you have plenty of tennis knowledge, but like anyone else would be who tries to predict results, you've been incredibly wrong on a ton of your voluminous predictions over the last several months. I'm a little surprised you are questioning the basis for Tignor's given your own experience.
Rublev and Medvedev played each other in the Cincy semis two years ago. Tignor is factoring in past performance in Cincy and maybe who might be well-rested after Canada. But I think he's nuts to pick Rublev and Medvedev, given recent results - Rublev has had a good summer, but on grass and clay. Losing if R1 to Mackie McDonals in straights in Canada doesn't scream "long run in Cincy" to me. Unless he is rested.

Tignor didn't explain his semi and finals picks, but he must think Alcaraz was too erratic in Canada. But he was a lot better than Rublev. And I don't think Medvedev this year beats Djokovic. Meddy hasn't had a good year.

by Suliso Do we know what he predicted for this week?

by meganfernandez
Suliso wrote: Sun Aug 13, 2023 9:14 pm Do we know what he predicted for this week?
Semis: Alcaraz over Tsitsipas, Medvedev over Rublev
Final: Alcaraz over Medvedev

So he was way off, and he's doubling down on Meddy and Rublev. :) Predictions in B3 matches are always wild guesses, especially when most top players are changing surfaces. Medvedev talked about the uncertainties of his form in Toronto, being the first hard-court tournament in awhile. Of course, someone's going to do well in Toronto and plenty of top players have come in with guns blazing without any HC prep since Miami, but it's still a variable.

He was off in the women's draw, too - Swiatek over Gauff, Rybakina over Sabalenka, and Swiatek over Rybakina. But again, a lot of predictions are a fool's errand.

by ponchi101 Just look at our own predictions this week. We were way off.

by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote: Sun Aug 13, 2023 9:46 pm Just look at our own predictions this week. We were way off.
fool's errand. I said it once and I'll say it again. :)

by meganfernandez Here's Caitlin Thompson's piece on American tennis for Vanity Fair. Uninspired hyperbole. Written from afar. Mainly about the photos and bare chests. Missed opportunity here. And an easy $5k paycheck.

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/0 ... een-hotter

by ponchi101 NEVER BEEN HOTTER?
How can you say that? The USA has no current Slam holders, and we know the drought on the ATP side is nowhere neat to ending.

by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote: Tue Aug 15, 2023 11:31 pm NEVER BEEN HOTTER?
How can you say that? The USA has no current Slam holders, and we know the drought on the ATP side is nowhere neat to ending.
Exactly. I guess they mean physically hotter, as in sexier? That might be correct, I guess.

Gauff is the big hope, and maybe Pegula in the short term. I don't expect her to maintain this level for years. I don't see one of the guys breaking through with a Slam title soon. Maybe Fritz or Paul with a final, but hard to see them beating Alcaraz or Djokovic in B5.

by ti-amie
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Aug 15, 2023 11:09 pm Here's Caitlin Thompson's piece on American tennis for Vanity Fair. Uninspired hyperbole. Written from afar. Mainly about the photos and bare chests. Missed opportunity here. And an easy $5k paycheck.

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/0 ... een-hotter
I posted the photos but not the article. It's interesting that neither Gauff nor Fritz are featured.

by meganfernandez
ti-amie wrote: Wed Aug 16, 2023 12:13 am
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Aug 15, 2023 11:09 pm Here's Caitlin Thompson's piece on American tennis for Vanity Fair. Uninspired hyperbole. Written from afar. Mainly about the photos and bare chests. Missed opportunity here. And an easy $5k paycheck.

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/0 ... een-hotter
I posted the photos but not the article. It's interesting that neither Gauff nor Fritz are featured.
Guessing they didn't want to do the photo shoots or couldn't make it work with their schedules. Only explanation. Zero reason they wouldn't have been in editorially.

I asked Caitlin on Twitter whether she really thinks this generation will come close to the accomplishments of previous ones, and she said her point is she doesn't care, and neither do they. I can see fans not holding it against them, but the players should be a lot more ambitious than that. I'm disappointed to hear that's true. You won't get anywhere with that thinking, and I'm not even sure it's true. They just needed a premise other than "we wanted to show a bunch of hot 20-somethings."

by ptmcmahon
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Aug 15, 2023 11:49 pm
ponchi101 wrote: Tue Aug 15, 2023 11:31 pm NEVER BEEN HOTTER?
How can you say that? The USA has no current Slam holders, and we know the drought on the ATP side is nowhere neat to ending.
Exactly. I guess they mean physically hotter, as in sexier? That might be correct, I guess.
Yeah Ponchi - get your mind IN the gutter :D

by mmmm8
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Aug 15, 2023 11:09 pm Here's Caitlin Thompson's piece on American tennis for Vanity Fair. Uninspired hyperbole. Written from afar. Mainly about the photos and bare chests. Missed opportunity here. And an easy $5k paycheck.

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/0 ... een-hotter
Caitlin Thompson is the editor/founder of Racquet Magazine and co-hosts a monthly podcast with Rennae Stubbs. I think this is an intentional fluff/puff piece rather than someone that doesn't know tennis.

by nelslus
ti-amie wrote: Wed Aug 16, 2023 12:13 am
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Aug 15, 2023 11:09 pm Here's Caitlin Thompson's piece on American tennis for Vanity Fair. Uninspired hyperbole. Written from afar. Mainly about the photos and bare chests. Missed opportunity here. And an easy $5k paycheck.

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/0 ... een-hotter
I posted the photos but not the article. It's interesting that neither Gauff nor Fritz are featured.
Gotta think that this was by their choices. :?:

I mean, a lot of players are missing here. No Carlos. No Novak in a Prada faux-fox-fur jockstrap, either. :gorgeous:

by meganfernandez
mmmm8 wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 9:40 pm
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Aug 15, 2023 11:09 pm Here's Caitlin Thompson's piece on American tennis for Vanity Fair. Uninspired hyperbole. Written from afar. Mainly about the photos and bare chests. Missed opportunity here. And an easy $5k paycheck.

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/0 ... een-hotter
Caitlin Thompson is the editor/founder of Racquet Magazine and co-hosts a monthly podcast with Rennae Stubbs. I think this is an intentional fluff/puff piece rather than someone that doesn't know tennis.
I asked her about it on Twitter. She said her point is that this generation is known for its swagger and isn't living in the shadow of previous American greats - they don't care and neither does she, as a fan. I do think she was trying to do better than a puff piece. She wouldn't put her name on something she didn't think was decent. She just had to find SOME throughline/angle other than "meet the new generation of American tennis players." She had to try to find some DNA to this generation. I don't get it and I don't think the little bio for each player let her accomplish much. All the heavy lifting was in the intro. And it still had to be for a non-tennis audience. This is an attitude piece. The photos are the main course anyway.

by meganfernandez
nelslus wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 9:54 pm
ti-amie wrote: Wed Aug 16, 2023 12:13 am
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Aug 15, 2023 11:09 pm Here's Caitlin Thompson's piece on American tennis for Vanity Fair. Uninspired hyperbole. Written from afar. Mainly about the photos and bare chests. Missed opportunity here. And an easy $5k paycheck.

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/0 ... een-hotter
I posted the photos but not the article. It's interesting that neither Gauff nor Fritz are featured.
Gotta think that this was by their choices. :?:

I mean, a lot of players are missing here. No Carlos. No Novak in a Prada faux-fox-fur jockstrap, either. :gorgeous:
The story is only Americans.

by ponchi101
meganfernandez wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 9:58 pm ...

I asked her about it on Twitter. She said her point is that this generation is known for its swagger and isn't living in the shadow of previous American greats - they don't care and neither does she, as a fan. I do think she was trying to do better than a puff piece. She wouldn't put her name on something she didn't think was decent. She just had to find SOME throughline/angle other than "meet the new generation of American tennis players." She had to try to find some DNA to this generation. I don't get it and I don't think the little bio for each player let her accomplish much. All the heavy lifting was in the intro. And it still had to be for a non-tennis audience. This is an attitude piece around a fashion story.

And a good clip/paycheck.
Great. This generation may think they are not living in the shadows of the previous great Americans.
But it is the same as with the Aussies. You are an Aussie? The names Laver, Rosewall, Newcombe, Goolagong, the unmentionable one and many others are there to remind you of a great tradition. And so it is with Americans.
Which makes the saying "American tennis has never been hotter" factually wrong.

by nelslus
meganfernandez wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 9:59 pm
nelslus wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 9:54 pm
ti-amie wrote: Wed Aug 16, 2023 12:13 am

I posted the photos but not the article. It's interesting that neither Gauff nor Fritz are featured.
Gotta think that this was by their choices. :?:

I mean, a lot of players are missing here. No Carlos. No Novak in a Prada faux-fox-fur jockstrap, either. :gorgeous:
The story is only Americans.
OH, LOL, of course. SHHEEESH on me!

Revised: No J.J. Wolf. No John Isner in a Prada faux-fox-fur jockstrap, either. :gorgeous:

by meganfernandez
nelslus wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 10:08 pm
meganfernandez wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 9:59 pm
nelslus wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 9:54 pm

Gotta think that this was by their choices. :?:

I mean, a lot of players are missing here. No Carlos. No Novak in a Prada faux-fox-fur jockstrap, either. :gorgeous:
The story is only Americans.
OH, LOL, of course. SHHEEESH on me!

Revised: No J.J. Wolf. No John Isner in a Prada faux-fox-fur jockstrap, either. :gorgeous:
No Fritz or Coco, either. Could have been a scheduling issue. Could have been that they had no interest in an ensemble article - they are solo stars now.

by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 10:03 pm
meganfernandez wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 9:58 pm ...

I asked her about it on Twitter. She said her point is that this generation is known for its swagger and isn't living in the shadow of previous American greats - they don't care and neither does she, as a fan. I do think she was trying to do better than a puff piece. She wouldn't put her name on something she didn't think was decent. She just had to find SOME throughline/angle other than "meet the new generation of American tennis players." She had to try to find some DNA to this generation. I don't get it and I don't think the little bio for each player let her accomplish much. All the heavy lifting was in the intro. And it still had to be for a non-tennis audience. This is an attitude piece around a fashion story.

And a good clip/paycheck.
Great. This generation may think they are not living in the shadows of the previous great Americans.
But it is the same as with the Aussies. You are an Aussie? The names Laver, Rosewall, Newcombe, Goolagong, the unmentionable one and many others are there to remind you of a great tradition. And so it is with Americans.
Which makes the saying "American tennis has never been hotter" factually wrong.
Right, I think angle is a reach and "never been hotter" is wrong unless they mean looks, and even that is dubious."Never been hotter" is just a commercial, low-hanging subhead to get people to read and to connect the photos and the story.

It's irrelevant whether the players are living in any shadows - it just sounds somewhat smart. They should be inspired by the greatness that came before them. That angle is cliche and boring, though.

by nelslus
meganfernandez wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 10:10 pm
nelslus wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 10:08 pm
meganfernandez wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 9:59 pm

The story is only Americans.
OH, LOL, of course. SHHEEESH on me!

Revised: No J.J. Wolf. No John Isner in a Prada faux-fox-fur jockstrap, either. :gorgeous:
No Fritz or Coco, either. Could have been a scheduling issue. Could have been that they had no interest in an ensemble article - they are solo stars now.
My comments started with ti-amie's mention of Fritz and Coco not being included. Just in case you were having a Nelslus-Dizzy moment here. :D

by meganfernandez
nelslus wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 10:13 pm
meganfernandez wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 10:10 pm
nelslus wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 10:08 pm

OH, LOL, of course. SHHEEESH on me!

Revised: No J.J. Wolf. No John Isner in a Prada faux-fox-fur jockstrap, either. :gorgeous:
No Fritz or Coco, either. Could have been a scheduling issue. Could have been that they had no interest in an ensemble article - they are solo stars now.
My comments started with ti-amie's mention of Fritz and Coco not being included. Just in case you were having a Nelslus-Dizzy moment here. :D
Oh, right. Sorry!

by ashkor87 Tignor at it again - predicts Zverev will reach the finals of the USO, beating Alcaraz and Medvedev along the way. I would say that is about a 0.001% chance. On the women's side, he is more reasonable Sabalenka to beat Swiatek in the finals.. that has about a 20% chance of happening, in my view. Although I wonder, if Swiatek can beat Rybakina in the semis (which she never has), why does he think she cannot beat Sabalenka (which she has done several times)?
I wonder how many people here think that is very likely?

by ponchi101 I will not go for 0.001% chance of Zverev beating Carlos/Daniil, but it does seem a bit of a stretch.
That is a bold claim, indeed.

by meganfernandez
ashkor87 wrote: Fri Aug 25, 2023 2:53 pm Tignor at it again - predicts Zverev will reach the finals of the USO, beating Alcaraz and Medvedev along the way. I would say that is about a 0.001% chance. On the women's side, he is more reasonable Sabalenka to beat Swiatek in the finals.. that has about a 20% chance of happening, in my view. Although I wonder, if Swiatek can beat Rybakina in the semis (which she never has), why does he think she cannot beat Sabalenka (which she has done several times)?
I wonder how many people here think that is very likely?
swiatek-sabalenka in the final would be a tossup for me. Maybe 53-47 for Iga based on her big-match performance.

by Fastbackss This is a staggering read.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in ... -sargsyan/

by meganfernandez
Fastbackss wrote:This is a staggering read.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in ... -sargsyan/
Tennis gambling is a $50 BILLION industry?? And the players, who need money so badly the sport is selling out to Saudi Arabia, can’t take sponsors while tournaments can?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by ponchi101 The ethical conundrums are huge. After all, what the person in the article says. You can LOSE ONE GAME and make thousands, and still win the match.
How do you control that?

by skatingfan I can't tell if this is parody, or just AI gone awry.

by ashkor87 Sounds like AI to me..Nadal is 19?! No human media person would be that clueless!

by Owendonovan
ashkor87 wrote: Sun Sep 10, 2023 4:03 am Sounds like AI to me..Nadal is 19?! No human media person would be that clueless!
Have you seen right wing media pundits in America?

by meganfernandez CNN finally deleted the tweet of the Mourtaglou interview where they said Coco was his newest star. Took a couple days. :lol:

https://x.com/MeganFernandez7/status/17 ... 29587?s=20

by ponchi101 Good for you to post that. How clueless could they be?

by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote:Good for you to post that. How clueless could they be?
I guess they took his word for it. They have a history but it has been awhile since he coached her.


It was also probably a breakdown between social media and editorial.

by ashkor87 https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/ca ... ta-preview

Annoys me that people think everyone lives in the US..of course it is Tignor so I don't expect any better

by meganfernandez
ashkor87 wrote:https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/ca ... ta-preview

Annoys me that people think everyone lives in the US..of course it is Tignor so I don't expect any better
Tennis magazine’s audience has traditionally been the US. It was an American magazine. Guessing their demo stats show it’s still the same.

by ponchi101 Pretty bland article, to me. Just announcing what will happen this week.

by ashkor87
ponchi101 wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2023 3:03 am Pretty bland article, to me. Just announcing what will happen this week.
That isn't what annoys me ..he is talking of matches in the middle of the night..for me, this swing is the best, that is where I live!

The USO is the worst for me, middle of the night . I know Tennis is an American magazine but they do have global pretensions. I once wrote to Wertheim complimenting him on being global and unbiased...he is the best at that..

by ponchi101 Ok. I see.

by meganfernandez Not the best place for this, but there's no other obvious thread. Racquet is in trouble. Not necessarily dead, but out of money.


by mmmm8
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Nov 14, 2023 2:35 am Not the best place for this, but there's no other obvious thread. Racquet is in trouble. Not necessarily dead, but out of money.

Very interesting dirt :)

$100 (including shipping) for 4 issues... yes, probably better off to rebrand as a creative agency.

by meganfernandez
mmmm8 wrote:
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Nov 14, 2023 2:35 am Not the best place for this, but there's no other obvious thread. Racquet is in trouble. Not necessarily dead, but out of money.

Very interesting dirt :)

$100 (including shipping) for 4 issues... yes, probably better off to rebrand as a creative agency.
Do you at least get a tote bag?

I bet a lot of people paid it. You pay for the association. A lot of magazines are like that. Aspirational identity.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by mmmm8
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Nov 14, 2023 11:34 pm
mmmm8 wrote:
meganfernandez wrote: Tue Nov 14, 2023 2:35 am Not the best place for this, but there's no other obvious thread. Racquet is in trouble. Not necessarily dead, but out of money.

Very interesting dirt :)

$100 (including shipping) for 4 issues... yes, probably better off to rebrand as a creative agency.
Do you at least get a tote bag?

I bet a lot of people paid it. You pay for the association. A lot of magazines are like that. Aspirational identity.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No tote bag. You can buy one of their merch collaboration totes for US$265.

by ashkor87 https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/at ... itrov-2023

'stardom called and he answered the phone'..very nice!! @meganfernandez

by meganfernandez
ashkor87 wrote:https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/at ... itrov-2023

'stardom called and he answered the phone'..very nice!! @meganfernandez
:) thanks!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by meganfernandez Who remembers the player named Zuzana that Ben was obsessed with when he was just a little tennis TATeur? Was her last name Ondraskova? Craig Shapiro is interviewing Ben today or tomorrow for his next podcast, and I told him to throw out this name, see what he says. Is that the right Zuzana?

by patrick Correct on Ben liking Zuzana before he got famous. Think you got her last name correct.

by meganfernandez
patrick wrote: Mon Dec 04, 2023 4:34 pm Correct on Ben liking Zuzana before he got famous. Think you got her last name correct.
Yeah, I finally dug up an old post of his on a different tennis forum, and that's the right name. Glad someone else remembers! I'll post the podcast episode when it's out in a few days. He was in love with Zuzana.

by ptmcmahon That may be the thing I remember most about Ben! That and 20 question contests.

by meganfernandez
ptmcmahon wrote: Wed Dec 06, 2023 12:54 pm That may be the thing I remember most about Ben! That and 20 question contests.
Craig mentioned Zuzana in the interview and his eyes lit up. It will be on Youtube sometime soon, I think. Thanks! :)

I didn't do the 20 Questions! Sorry I missed it.

by ptmcmahon It could take a long time to fill out .. but was definitely an interesting contest different than just pick winners contests

by meganfernandez Ben’s episode on Craig Shapiro podcast. Zuzana at 53:00.

Cshaptennispod.com


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by skatingfan
meganfernandez wrote: Fri Dec 08, 2023 2:35 pm Ben’s episode on Craig Shapiro podcast. Zuzana at 53:00.

Cshaptennispod.com
https://shows.acast.com/craigtennispod

by ashkor87 Not sure the journalists are to blame here but I really hate the way Tennis shows me last year's stories immediately after this year's ...without looking at the date, I was reading how Zverev best Djokovic at WTL, till I realised it was a Dec 22 story.

by meganfernandez Another actually-good-journalism post - Craig Shapiro launched a newsletter this week. Free and not too long. https://shaptennispod.com/pages/newsletter

I edited it, but he didn't take all my suggestions. Don't blame me. :)

by JTContinental OH at Starbucks: “It’s like that tennis player John McEnroe says—‘why so serious?’l

by meganfernandez
JTContinental wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:13 pm OH at Starbucks: “It’s like that tennis player John McEnroe says—‘why so serious?’l
Close!

by ponchi101 Wow! There is a joke there. Going from Mac to The Joker... it could be found :)

by Fastbackss I notice that a number of journalists and at least one photographer have asked tennis fans not to share and/or interact with tennis "news outlets" that blatantly just copy work of the (primarily freelance) authors and do not attribute it.

One called out by name, by Mr. Rothenberg , is "a tennis letter"

by meganfernandez
Fastbackss wrote: Sun Jan 07, 2024 2:54 pm I notice that a number of journalists and at least one photographer have asked tennis fans not to share and/or interact with tennis "news outlets" that blatantly just copy work of the (primarily freelance) authors and do not attribute it.

One called out by name, by Mr. Rothenberg , is "a tennis letter"
I saw that from Ben yesterday, too. I didn't realize The Tennis Letter does this. It's not good. It's one thing to use a line and link to the original source. But using a large passage is wrong and potentially illegal. The standard for legal plagiarism is "heart of the matter," but I believe the ethical standard is much lower. I won't read The Tennis Letter anymore, or any source that's doing this. They also don't give credit at the top. They don't say, "So-and-so Source is reporting that..." They repeat the info then link to a source at the end, which doesn't even show up in a lot of cases unless you click "more" to see the whole post. It's wrong.

I would like to know what the other accounts are. Does anyone know?

by Fastbackss Ben is doing an AMA on Reddit tomorrow night at 6pm eastern


by dave g AMA? I am assuming you don't mean the American Medical Association, which was Google'a interpretation.

by meganfernandez
dave g wrote: Mon Jan 08, 2024 12:57 am AMA? I am assuming you don't mean the American Medical Association, which was Google'a interpretation.
Ask Me Anything, aka a Q&A interview

by skatingfan
dave g wrote: Mon Jan 08, 2024 12:57 am AMA? I am assuming you don't mean the American Medical Association, which was Google'a interpretation.
Ask Me Anything

by ashkor87 https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/ ... eave-in-us

Guardian is my favorite paper so I was a bit sad to see this - the sports witer doesnt even know that Osaka already has 4 major titles..basic competence..even wikipedia would tell you.

by ponchi101 Indeed. Tennis wise, embarrassing.
But, Naomi... PAID maternity leave is the exception, not the rule. In the majority of the countries in the world, what you get is a few weeks, or you get UNPAID extended leave. Paternity leave is even more rare; the three countries I can vouch for (Vennieland, Colombia and Argentina) do not have it. I am pretty sure that the majority of countries in Asia do not have paternity leave or a long maternity leave.

by atlpam
ponchi101 wrote: Wed Jan 10, 2024 4:36 pm Indeed. Tennis wise, embarrassing.
But, Naomi... PAID maternity leave is the exception, not the rule. In the majority of the countries in the world, what you get is a few weeks, or you get UNPAID extended leave. Paternity leave is even more rare; the three countries I can vouch for (Vennieland, Colombia and Argentina) do not have it. I am pretty sure that the majority of countries in Asia do not have paternity leave or a long maternity leave.
The US does not have a national system, so it is typically dependent on the employer. Most companies provide for anywhere from 6-12 weeks of leave, but the pay would also be dependent on the company policy. US has a family leave policy, but that just allows you to take the time; it is still up to the employer as to any pay (full pay, short term disability, etc.).

The last company I worked for had excellent benefits and provided both maternity & paternity leave as well as leave for adoptions to enable the parents time to bond with the newly adopted child.

by mmmm8
ponchi101 wrote: Wed Jan 10, 2024 4:36 pm Indeed. Tennis wise, embarrassing.
But, Naomi... PAID maternity leave is the exception, not the rule. In the majority of the countries in the world, what you get is a few weeks, or you get UNPAID extended leave. Paternity leave is even more rare; the three countries I can vouch for (Vennieland, Colombia and Argentina) do not have it. I am pretty sure that the majority of countries in Asia do not have paternity leave or a long maternity leave.
This is not quite true for maternity. The vast majority of countries (not US) have paid maternity leave, usually starting at 12 weeks at the lowest (a few countries will have less). There are 7 countries in the world without mandated paid maternity leave requirements - US, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Tonga. 25% of women in the US return to work within 2 weeks of childbirth. This is generally unsafe.

Paid paternity leave is often insufficient although things are changing in a lot of countries. Many countries offer at least a short leave and some provide shared leave (of course a number of countries offer long and often gender-neutral parental leaves).

Colombia has 2 weeks fully paid paternity leave and 6 weeks of maternity leave can be transferred to the father
I think Venezuela also has 2 weeks..
Argentina does only offer 2 days.

Employers can provide more of course.

by meganfernandez
ashkor87 wrote: Wed Jan 10, 2024 4:17 pm https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/ ... eave-in-us

Guardian is my favorite paper so I was a bit sad to see this - the sports witer doesnt even know that Osaka already has 4 major titles..basic competence..even wikipedia would tell you.
I'll have to defend the writer here. It was a simple mistake. Wasn't double-checked. She probably isn't a tennis fan or tennis journalist, and maybe she thought she knew that for sure and was just wrong. It might even be someone else's mistake, like an editor's. But it seems like the Guardian isn't fact-checking anything or everything. I've published mistakes. It happens to everyone. Most of them are harmless. I doubt it means this writer is careless, incompetent, or a bad journalist. Hasn't everyone made a mistake in their jobs?

by ashkor87 As you say, just a mistake, probably not a tennis writer..but why can't they get one?
Given that it doesn't actually say anything worth saying, one wonders if it is a' paid' article, intended to promote Rothenberg's book..quite common in India.
Though I commend the commentary on paid maternity leave in the US, but I am sure everyone is aware of that already, though Svitolina may not have been...

by mmmm8
ashkor87 wrote: Thu Jan 11, 2024 12:23 am As you say, just a mistake, probably not a tennis writer..but why can't they get one?
Given that it doesn't actually say anything worth saying, one wonders if it is a' paid' article, intended to promote Rothenberg's book..quite common in India.
Though I commend the commentary on paid maternity leave in the US, but I am sure everyone is aware of that already, though Svitolina may not have been...
There is no mention of the book in the article at all and her return is a big story so I can't see this being a paid promotion.

I think Osaka (not Svitolina :) ) is/was aware and is just using the opportunity to call out a wrong as she's done with other issues.

by ashkor87
ponchi101 wrote: Wed Jan 10, 2024 4:36 pm Indeed. Tennis wise, embarrassing.
But, Naomi... PAID maternity leave is the exception, not the rule. In the majority of the countries in the world, what you get is a few weeks, or you get UNPAID extended leave. Paternity leave is even more rare; the three countries I can vouch for (Vennieland, Colombia and Argentina) do not have it. I am pretty sure that the majority of countries in Asia do not have paternity leave or a long maternity leave.
in India, it is up to every employer.. some are very generous, some dont have any at all..
most modern companies do have, but it is quite limited..

by ashkor87 re my comment about the tennis writer, it is just part of my plea for journalists who follow, and understand tennis, rather than some football or baseball writer who has been asked to do a story on tennis. We need journalists dedicated to tennis..the error is probably not the fault of the writer - the magazine or news site should get journalists who follow tennis full-time. Nobody who really follows tennis full-time would be ignorant of the fact that Osaka has 4 majors.

by mmmm8
ashkor87 wrote: Thu Jan 11, 2024 4:24 pm
ponchi101 wrote: Wed Jan 10, 2024 4:36 pm Indeed. Tennis wise, embarrassing.
But, Naomi... PAID maternity leave is the exception, not the rule. In the majority of the countries in the world, what you get is a few weeks, or you get UNPAID extended leave. Paternity leave is even more rare; the three countries I can vouch for (Vennieland, Colombia and Argentina) do not have it. I am pretty sure that the majority of countries in Asia do not have paternity leave or a long maternity leave.
in India, it is up to every employer.. some are very generous, some dont have any at all..
most modern companies do have, but it is quite limited..
For paternity. India has a minimum for 26 weeks paid maternity leave for the mother for the first 2 births and 12 weeks if third child or beyond (which is silly because healing, taking care of a new baby, and of 2 other children is more challenging than 1 or 2)

by ashkor87 On paper yes..reality is something else .more than 90 percent of the workforce is in the informal sector, to whom no laws really apply

by ponchi101 Well, but that is a macro issue. M8's point is that, as far as the laws are concerned, maternity leave is in them.

by ashkor87 Sorry to be pedantic but it pains me when I read 'can Sabalenka defend her title?' When what the writer means is 'successfully defend' or 'retain'..,,if Sabalenka so much as steps on the court, she is defending her title.

by ponchi101 Uhm.... a bit on the pedantic indeed, but you have a point.
Sort of when somebody says that somebody won a Grand Slam, meaning only one of the four. I guess by now the idiom has stuck.

by meganfernandez Some people from Racquet split off after the falling out last year and formed a newsletter called The Second Serve. Giri Nathan, their top writer and also with Defector, is one of them.

Last night, I had a watch party in Indy for the Australan Open. A woman came whose daughter is a young ESPN writer. She writes longform about all kinds of sports, and has done some tennis. Good follow - Aishwarya Kumar.

by meganfernandez Tennis player Thai-Son Kwiatkowski called out McEnroe for doing zero research on lower-ranked players - in this case, Zizou Bergs when he played Tsitsipas.

"Insane to me that time and time again J. McEnroe goes on air and just admits he has zero clue who a player is. (Today, bergs, 120 atp) just says to the world, hey guys, I’ve done zero research for my job and I’m just going to disrespect someone who’s top 150 in the world at a job."

https://x.com/thaikwiatkowski/status/17 ... 40570?s=20

by ti-amie
meganfernandez wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 8:58 pm https://x.com/thaikwiatkowski/status/17 ... 40570?s=20
Maybe now that players are speaking up about JMac's ignorance of modern tennis let alone the men and women who play it ESPN will get rid of him (buy out his contract?) and replace not only him but his cronies with men and women who actually follow the sport they're being paid to comment on. He's been like this for years and yet somehow remains.

I'm sure Murray would work for the BBC (JMac also works there) and would be a great commentator. Tennis Channel despite its faults does great commentary and analysis. Pay them the big bucks.

by ponchi101 Murray's mumbling tone may be an issue. Insights? Sure, he would be great. Funny? You know he can be. Understandable? Well, he IS from Scotland...

by ti-amie Isn't Kyrgios commentating? Could he be the tennis version on Stephen A?

by meganfernandez
ti-amie wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:02 pm
Maybe now that players are speaking up about JMac's ignorance of modern tennis let alone the men and women who play it ESPN will get rid of him (buy out his contract?) and replace not only him but his cronies with men and women who actually follow the sport they're being paid to comment on. He's been like this for years and yet somehow remains.

I'm sure Murray would work for the BBC (JMac also works there) and would be a great commentator. Tennis Channel despite its faults does great commentary and analysis. Pay them the big bucks.
TC needs to pony up a few bucks to send a crew to tournaments. They are seriously slacking off. No one in Melbourne now. They didn't have a desk or any talent on the grounds at the US OPEN! Wertheim told me it's because ESPN blocked them - said they didn't want TC to have a presence - but it might also be because TC is cheap.

by meganfernandez
ti-amie wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:06 pm Isn't Kyrgios commentating? Could he be the tennis version on Stephen A?
Yes, he is commentating on ESPN during the Aussie. What/who is Stephen A?

by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:05 pm Murray's mumbling tone may be an issue. Insights? Sure, he would be great. Funny? You know he can be. Understandable? Well, he IS from Scotland...
Subtitles. Fixed. :)

by ti-amie
meganfernandez wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:08 pm
ti-amie wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:02 pm
Maybe now that players are speaking up about JMac's ignorance of modern tennis let alone the men and women who play it ESPN will get rid of him (buy out his contract?) and replace not only him but his cronies with men and women who actually follow the sport they're being paid to comment on. He's been like this for years and yet somehow remains.

I'm sure Murray would work for the BBC (JMac also works there) and would be a great commentator. Tennis Channel despite its faults does great commentary and analysis. Pay them the big bucks.
TC needs to pony up a few bucks to send a crew to tournaments. They are seriously slacking off. No one in Melbourne now. They didn't have a desk or any talent on the grounds at the US OPEN! Wertheim told me it's because ESPN blocked them - said they didn't want TC to have a presence - but it might also be because TC is cheap.
I believe that ESPN ( JMac) would block TC. Murray could be trained to, you know, speak up and stop the mumbling.

by skatingfan
meganfernandez wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:09 pm Yes, he is commentating on ESPN during the Aussie. What/who is Stephen A?
I could try to explain, but I can't do him justice.


by meganfernandez
skatingfan wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:33 pm
meganfernandez wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:09 pm Yes, he is commentating on ESPN during the Aussie. What/who is Stephen A?
I could try to explain, but I can't do him justice.

Oh, yeah, Stephen Smith. Sorry. :)

by jazzyg John McEnroe is the best tennis commentator out there in my opinion.

I get exhausted by the criticism of him. Should he know more about the lesser players? Of course, but here's what he does better than any commentator that ever lived--discard his preconceived notions about a match and view it for what is actually happening once it starts. A lot of people here are weak in that department, so I get that it goes unnoticed.

by meganfernandez
jazzyg wrote: Wed Jan 17, 2024 7:00 am John McEnroe is the best tennis commentator out there in my opinion.

I get exhausted by the criticism of him. Should he know more about the lesser players? Of course, but here's what he does better than any commentator that ever lived--discard his preconceived notions about a match and view it for what is actually happening once it starts. A lot of people here are weak in that department, so I get that it goes unnoticed.
I like him a lot, too, but he could bother to read the cheat sheet they hand him about a player, and watch a couple clips. Takes 10 minutes. :)

Nice point.

by ashkor87 Nice interview of Djokovic with Somdev on the Sony network..Asked what has changed in the game since he started in it, Djokovic thought for a moment and said it is thd fact that the top 10 players are so professionally prepared, from trainers to coaches to psychologists to analytics, they travel with a team that keeps them absolutely ready for every day..I think he was also pointing out that he is not the only one! But certainly every top player is now a finely tuned machine..the gap between them and the rest can only widen....

by ponchi101 If the reason why the top players reach that status is because of the size of the entourage, that will only mean a widening gap at the top.
I am sure not every player can have a 5-member team. By Novak's logic, those players are playing at a disadvantage.

by meganfernandez I interviewed Ben for a friend's media podcast. Took place before the AO, fwiw.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b ... 0642871165

by 3mlm I'm not sure this is journalism but I was on the ATP website and clicked on Hurkacz' name to pull up his page on the site and the picture on the overview page was not Hurkacz but Zverev, the same one as on the Zverev overview page.

by ashkor87 Just checked..you are right..!

by ti-amie And tennis fans drag the WTA site...

by meganfernandez
3mlm wrote: Wed Feb 07, 2024 7:01 am I'm not sure this is journalism but I was on the ATP website and clicked on Hurkacz' name to pull up his page on the site and the picture on the overview page was not Hurkacz but Zverev, the same one as on the Zverev overview page.
I think it's fixed now... of all people to be mistaken for. Yeesh.

by ashkor87 https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/su ... ells-miami
A puerile conversation! Which player wouldn't want to do well in the Sunshine double? Beats me that anyone even thinks it is a question...

by ashkor87 Meanwhile, there is a story about Pegula/Kostyuk and the picture is of Boulter.
https://www.wtatennis.com/news/3920217/ ... iego-final

by ponchi101 Indeed, but Boulter is mentioned all over the article. And you have to admit Boulter is a bit of eye candy.

by Suliso Is she still dating de Minaur?

by ti-amie
ashkor87 wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 2:54 pm https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/su ... ells-miami
A puerile conversation! Which player wouldn't want to do well in the Sunshine double? Beats me that anyone even thinks it is a question...
"Is Alcaraz at a career crossroads?"

I stopped right there.

by ponchi101 Yes. After all, we know he is finished. I am just letting Nelslus start the "Carlitos is washed up" topic.
What a silly question.

by ashkor87
ponchi101 wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 5:27 pm Indeed, but Boulter is mentioned all over the article. And you have to admit Boulter is a bit of eye candy.
So is Kostyuk ..I actually tried the experiment..showed the article to my wife, who knows tennis but is not a junkie like me - asked her lwhose pic that must be ..shd said Kostyuk, because she does know what Pegula looks like..