French Open is underway and we discussed the Australian Open in another thread.
Currently see that Nadal, who I don’t think is fully 100% healthy now, is leading over Djokovic. Realize, they have met in the Quarterfinals, a stunningly early meetup for the top players in tennis.
I saw the other day that John McEnroe suggested Federer will playin in Basel this year and announce his retirement there. I actually thought he might attempt Wimbledon and announce his retirement if(or when, I think at this point) he loses there.
I think Roger does not have another one in him now. Nadal or Novak will be the leaders of Grand Slams when this is all over.
Hey, so I didn’t follow. France just allowed un-vaccinated players into the country this time? I just saw Novak was there. Did they just allow everyone in?
And John McEnroe has climbed so far up Novak’s ass, it’s staggering. It seems as if Johnny Mac has pretty much only one purpose in life these days. Wonder what Kompromat Nolo has on him.
Has he? I don’t get to see a lot of commentary theses days and I always like McEnroe. Ugh, he should be scathingly critiquing Novak and his pathetic choice not to vaccinate.
I hope Nadal wins this. Will unvaccinated players be allowed at Wimbledon?
I didn’t catch the match but was absolutely delighted to read about Nadal’s victory an hour after he did it. It sounds like I should look for a clip of the highlights.
And I’m celebrating the ousting of Djokovic! In the quarterfinals too!!
I was happy, too. I kind of think Djoker lost it for me with his Covid crap. I actually found him kind of fun and funny. I guess he still is, but I just don’t support him anymore. I was hoping France, England, and the US would ban people who refused the vaccine and he would have to sit out.
Anyway, I’m hoping Nadal wins the whole thing because at the end of all this, I’m really happy if Nadal is the top grand slam winner. I think it would be reasonable to say Nadal is the best of all time, even though my heart still insists it is Roger, partly because Roger was first to play at this level and was followed by the other two(and Andy for a bit).
Anyway, I’m cheering for Nadal and will be also cheering for him at Wimbledon and the US Open, assuming Roger sits out both of those.
Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek, the 2020 champion and current world #1, in the women’s final.
“Gauff, who turned 18 in March, is the youngest player to reach the final in Paris since Kim Clijsters in 2001. She’s also the youngest finalist at any Grand Slam since a 17-year-old Maria Sharapova stormed to the Wimbledon title in 2004.” If she wins, she’ll be the first American since Serena W. in 2015.
And I saw the highlights of the Nadal-Djoko match. Nadal was in great form, didn’t look like he was feeling the effects of his injury. However, Zverev is supposedly looking very good too.
Sad to see what looked like an exciting match end in ankle injury for Zverev, around 3:50 in the video. I have to say I don’t remember when I last heard an athlete screaming in pain
His brother Mischa Zverev, a respected tennis pro himself, commented live on German TV: “He never cries. Alex NEVER cries!”. So it must’ve been painful, physically and mentally.
Iga Swiatek beats Coco Gauff in straight sets, for the women’s championship.
"Swiatek, now 21 and the No. 1 seed from Poland, cemented her status as the game’s dominant player by defeating Coco Gauff of the United States, 6-1, 6-3, in Saturday’s women’s final in just over an hour . . . . [She] has been an irresistible force on every surface for the last four months, racking up lopsided victories with her cap pulled low and her intensity cranked up high. . . .
She took command of the final from the start to win her 35th straight match and sixth straight tournament. . . . Her winning streak is the longest on the WTA Tour in more than 20 years, equaling Venus Williams’s 35-match streak in 2000."
From the NY Times article, which may be paywalled: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/04/sports/tennis/iga-swiatek-french-open-champion.html
In a nutshell, sure. Up until maybe three or four years ago I was still holding out for Roger to go uncontested as the all-time winnnigest (and hence, greatest), but at that point, started to realise such a wish would be unsustainable.
Everything’s so up in the air right now with NoVax that it makes it impossible to speculate how his career will arc from here, going forward, whereas with Raffa - at least a few more FO under his belt, maybe another Wimbledon, US Open or Aussie O.
If NoVax continues with this “you’re not the boss of me!” childishness I can’t really see him catching up to Raffa in tourney wins. Sad / frustrating as all get-out to see what might have been potentially the greastest, shooting himself in the foot like that.
Sure, Raffa’s a gleaming sportsman, with always upstanding behaviour and never anything bad to say about anyone, but his dogged style (“I maybe prefer fighting over winning”) just never pleased me on an aesthetic level the way Federer’s graceful, fluid, (heh, and quiet!) game played out.
Yeah McEnroe is starting to really go south.
Just stick to the technical aspects of the game, there, dude.
Yes, I prefer Federer’s play style to both of the other guys. I also really like his personality, though I also enjoy the fact that Nadal is this shyish guy and the fact that Nadal has always seemed quite nice.
I enjoyed Djokovic back in 2010 or so. I thought he was a goofy, funny guy. I now realize…well, I don’t much care for him. I do admire his skill, though. He really is great.
