Tennis 2021 Discussion Thread

[Olympian1010 7,976]

 

[Monzanator 4,503]

What else is new. People are losing jobs over technology advance   I wonder when the chair umpires will be deemed expendable? 2045?

[Monzanator 4,503]

Right after Bianca Andreescu pulled out of Strasbourg to raise her withdrawal number to God knows how many in the last 12 months - Naomi Osaka said she's gonna ignore all the media press conferences during RG for "mental health reasons" The WTA Tour of Drama Horrors continues!

 

I wonder will those journalists cry foul over freedom of speech? Usually there are heavy fines for pro athletes who decline interviews and Osaka is bold enough to annouce than even before the first match. I can only speculate she was afraid of questions about her below par performances on clay over the years.

[Nickyc707 382]

7 hours ago, Monzanator said:

Right after Bianca Andreescu pulled out of Strasbourg to raise her withdrawal number to God knows how many in the last 12 months - Naomi Osaka said she's gonna ignore all the media press conferences during RG for "mental health reasons" The WTA Tour of Drama Horrors continues!

 

I wonder will those journalists cry foul over freedom of speech? Usually there are heavy fines for pro athletes who decline interviews and Osaka is bold enough to annouce than even before the first match. I can only speculate she was afraid of questions about her below par performances on clay over the years.

Or perhaps the question of whether or not the Games should go ahead in her home country?

[Monzanator 4,503]

10 hours ago, Nickyc707 said:

Or perhaps the question of whether or not the Games should go ahead in her home country?

 

Tennis is one sport where Olympic gold medal is not the highest achievement in sports. Besides, Tokyo tournament will be played on hard courts so Osaka's favorite surface. She can ignore international journalists in Paris but I don't really think she actually cares what the official line is in Japan - especially that she doesn't even live there to begin with.

[heywoodu 15,141]

Kiki Bertens has announced she'll call it a career after this year. Not surprising at all.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQLhurHnN1D/

[Monzanator 4,503]

Sadly she completely blew it at Roland Garros 2019 when she was one of the faves after winning Madrid. And she never did anything since (save for winning St. Petersburg). Fast forward two years and Krejcikova is a GS champion while Bertens completely missed her 5 seconds of fame window. It was there to be had for Bertens but she couldn't cash in. No wonder she pressed the retirement button, her ship has sailed mentally more than anything.

[heywoodu 15,141]

17 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

Sadly she completely blew it at Roland Garros 2019 when she was one of the faves after winning Madrid. And she never did anything since (save for winning St. Petersburg). Fast forward two years and Krejcikova is a GS champion while Bertens completely missed her 5 seconds of fame window. It was there to be had for Bertens but she couldn't cash in. No wonder she pressed the retirement button, her ship has sailed mentally more than anything.

It went totally downhill after a huge choke against Alison Riske of all people in Rosmalen in 2019. From then on, it was gone, with only a good moment here and there and nothing more.

 

Too bad, she of course has had a career most professionals won't reach (like basically anyone who's been top-10 for a while), but there was much more in it than she got out of it.

[Monzanator 4,503]

21 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

It went totally downhill after a huge choke against Alison Riske of all people in Rosmalen in 2019. From then on, it was gone, with only a good moment here and there and nothing more.

 

Too bad, she of course has had a career most professionals won't reach (like basically anyone who's been top-10 for a while), but there was much more in it than she got out of it.

Riske is a grass speciallist tbh. Bertens should have made her best surface count and she didn't after beating Halep in Madrid final.

[heywoodu 15,141]

29 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

Riske is a grass speciallist tbh. Bertens should have made her best surface count and she didn't after beating Halep in Madrid final.

Grass specialist or not, when you're leading 6-0, 4-1 and even get five matchpoints and you still lose the final (at home), that's really nothing else but a huge, huge choke