I am accepting your argument that he has difficulty recovering between matches but not your conclusion. Grand Slams are special in a way that you get a day of rest in between matches. Shouldn't that work marvelously for him?
The day off between matches will work in his favour, but the fact that slams are best of five sets will work against him. I'd suggest that if he wins a dramatic and lengthy five-set match against a tough seed on say a Wednesday, the chances of him being fully recovered and ready to repeat again in the next round by the Friday are very low. And the chances of him winning seven best-of-five-set matches in two weeks, which is what it takes to win a slam, is extremely low. IMHO the only way he could win Wimbledon is if every match is easy and he wins them all quickly... but this doesn't seem that likely. There are some tough grass players out there, and it's difficult to break serve on grass, which can make matches longer. I should add that I'm from the UK, and desperately want Murray to win... but can't see it happening. You got a point there but it doesn't make me change my strategy of forcing him at this moment. We have a privilege of seeing how his previous matches went before betting on next one. If he has two 5 setters in a row I am skipping him for next match 100%. I still think that one day of rest means more than possibility of 5 sets. Especially if he manages to keep matches short. Then I think we pretty much agree. A fresh Murray on grass and in current form is likely to win against most players... but the longer he goes and the longer and tougher the matches get, the more of a challenge he has to recover. I suppose the big question for betting is what happens if he wins Stuttgart? Presumably the odds on him winning a match at Wimbledon will become less favourable. And this might be the case already, just with him beating Tsitsipas and reaching the final. |
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Leclerc is quick! He should win the race tomorrow. I can't see how he doesn't win it unless some technical issue arises or bad weather, track conditions. And it's really looking like Perez is flipping the script. Lol. He out pips Verstappen again! He looks alright about it now but let's see if he feels the same way after 3 - 5 GP's.  I still think my earlier point is valid, and it's been the case many times already this season: Ferrari have the fastest car over a single lap in qualifying set-up, but Red Bull have the fastest car over a full race distance. I don't know what the reason is, could be differing set-ups, could be the cars behaving differently with a full tank of fuel, could be tyre deg... but we've seen it many times, Leclerc starts off ahead and an RB slowly reels him in... and then Leclerc can't catch them. |
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I am accepting your argument that he has difficulty recovering between matches but not your conclusion. Grand Slams are special in a way that you get a day of rest in between matches. Shouldn't that work marvelously for him?
The day off between matches will work in his favour, but the fact that slams are best of five sets will work against him. I'd suggest that if he wins a dramatic and lengthy five-set match against a tough seed on say a Wednesday, the chances of him being fully recovered and ready to repeat again in the next round by the Friday are very low. And the chances of him winning seven best-of-five-set matches in two weeks, which is what it takes to win a slam, is extremely low. IMHO the only way he could win Wimbledon is if every match is easy and he wins them all quickly... but this doesn't seem that likely. There are some tough grass players out there, and it's difficult to break serve on grass, which can make matches longer. I should add that I'm from the UK, and desperately want Murray to win... but can't see it happening. |
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I'm back and forth for this GP. Lol. The books has Verstappen as the favorite but we know the best car out there with the best power unit are the Ferraris.
Do we? I'm pretty sure that in general the fastest car in qualifying set-up is the Ferrari, and the fastest car in full-race pace is the Red Bull. There will be fluctuations from circuit to circuit of course, but if Perez can get that close to Leclerc in FP2, after beating him in FP1, then it's quite an ominous sign that the RBs will dominate here. Mercs nowhere again, as expected. Nice to see Alonso up in fourth in FP2 ahead of Sainz - still got it. |
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I think the +4.5 is a safe bet for Murray, but the odds are not that very attractive. But if it's a sure win, then why not?
Hope some of you cashed in on that my prediction. Handicap passed super easy and even ML was not really in doubt at any point. I love beginnings of grass season, so many opportunities to play against people not used to that surface. There will be shitload of players who don't know how to stand on grass in Wimbledon qualification and first rounds. Gotta hone my skills before that. Yep, this is a valid point. One thing we do need to be aware of with Murray specifically though, is his difficulty in progressing deep in big tournaments. A one-off match when he's rested, and particularly on grass, he can still beat almost anyone... the difficulty comes in his body not being able to recover between matches. At Wimbledon he might come up with one or even two great wins, but he's unlikely to progress deep into the tournament. |
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If they're far anything, they aren't main stream - by definition.
When the mainstream is far left, and the definitions of it are far left... well, you don't need me to explain it to you.  This isn't about anyone's definitions of anything, it's about your apparent inability to understand a basic concept. |
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I believe that Mane doesn’t want to stay but Liverpool is trying to get maximum money on this deal, hence they’re rejecting Bayern's offer in the hope that Bayern will pay more for Mane. Also I feel that if Liverpool secure the signing of Nunez then they’ll allow Mane to leave, and in the long run I strongly believe that Nunez can fill Mane’s shoes.
Liverpool are in a difficult negotiating position on the Mane transfer. They know he doesn't have long left on his contract, so would normally only have a small transfer fee... but equally they know that Bayern are desperate for a world-class striker with the departure of Lewandowski, and so may be willing to pay over the odds. It's a tough one to call, but if Liverpool do manage to sign Nunez, then that strengthens their hand on the Mane deal. |
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By the way there is not much time left for the next race in Azerbaijan. This is one of the beloved tracks by many people in Formula 1. I also like the track a lot and it is thankfully not as boring as the Monaco track too. I just want to see a tough competition among the drivers and many overtakes. The Monaco GP wasn't able to give that to us of course but the Azerbaijan GP can. My favourite driver to win the race here is Charles Leclerc. I expect him to take the pole position as well.
I think I'd expect the same pattern we are seeing for most of the season to continue... Leclerc takes pole with the fastest single-lap car, and then Verstappen wins the race with the fastest full-race-distance car. I expect Mercedes to struggle again, and be fighting for P5 or P6 at best, unless Sainz or Perez mess up - which has been known to happen in the past. What RB and Ferrari really need is a strong second driver, so they can dominate the other team and force them on pit strategy... but Sainz and Perez aren't good enough. |
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I don't really know why Peru is so strongly favoured against Australia. I don't think that they're that much better. If I would have to predict, I would say that this game will got o Extra Time and maybe penalties. And yeah,
Costa Rica isn't something special, but they're still much better than New Zealand.
I don't think Peru are massively better, but they are certainly somewhat better. Anyone who can make it through to the play-offs from the South American section is a strong team. They have to be favourites. Agree on Costa Rica vs New Zealand. Costa Rica are merely an okay team, nothing special, but New Zealand are generally not very good, and would be expected to lose. NZ losing is a clearer outcome for me than Australia losing, but I think both are likely. |
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Not sure about Cilic as well, hmm, I'm thinking Medvedev or a healthy Zverev can give Djokovic a problem? Djokovic competitive spirit though might have woken again seeing Nadal raising the GS trophy one more time. He will get back for sure and wanted a GS this year.
Čilić actually has the game which suits grass surface best and he could go far this year. Djoković is a big favourite with all those top players missing out. Nadal is currently undergoing some special treatment for the foot and he hopes to be ready in time but he said he will not play if he had to take same numbing drugs as in RG. Zverev is out for sure and I don't think Wimbledon will buckle up and ler Russians play. Cilic is a possibility and he does indeed have a good grass game. But I think his results flatter him a little this year, he has progressed quite far in the big tournaments, but generally this has been because he's made the most of a favourable draw. I don't think he's as good as he used to be, and winning Wimbledon may be beyond him - unless of course the draw really opens up and gives him an easy route. I agree that Wimbledon won't back down, and Medvedev won't play. No-one has really mentioned Alcaraz, I think he remains a possibility. He has pulled out of Queen's this morning, but is expected to be fit for Wimbledon. |
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After Zverev twisted his ankle in the semi-final against Nadal at the French Open he underwent a surgery yesterday. Since all three lateral ligaments in his right ankle were torn the operation was the best choice. He will definitely not be able to play in Wimbledon. Now we have to see when he can start training again. I hope that he will be able to play again in July. But he should be healthy at the time of the US Open.
So Zverev is out of Wimbledon, and Medvedev is banned from Wimbledon. And maybe some other top players will choose to skip it because there are no ranking points. But what about Nadal and Djokovic, both chasing more slam titles to be the greatest ever? Presumably they will play, as it's a great opportunity for them to get a relatively easy route through to the final... and for Nadal in particular, chasing the calendar slam. If there was not the chance for calendar slam I would be quite sure that Nadal is skipping Wimbledon. As it stands now with Zverev and Medvedev missing I am thinking he is liking his chances very much and that he will do anything to play in it. Even if it means risking a bigger injury since he is aware this is his last chance to get that calendar slam, time is not on his side. Yes, that's what I think, too. Wimbledon may be possible as the grass could be quite an okay surface for his bad foot... but I think Nadal winning the US Open would really be quite unlikely, as it's a hard court, and unlike the AO which was at the start of the season when he's had a bit of a rest, the US Open is towards the end of the season when his foot is already suffering a lot. |
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After Zverev twisted his ankle in the semi-final against Nadal at the French Open he underwent a surgery yesterday. Since all three lateral ligaments in his right ankle were torn the operation was the best choice. He will definitely not be able to play in Wimbledon. Now we have to see when he can start training again. I hope that he will be able to play again in July. But he should be healthy at the time of the US Open.
So Zverev is out of Wimbledon, and Medvedev is banned from Wimbledon. And maybe some other top players will choose to skip it because there are no ranking points. But what about Nadal and Djokovic, both chasing more slam titles to be the greatest ever? Presumably they will play, as it's a great opportunity for them to get a relatively easy route through to the final... and for Nadal in particular, chasing the calendar slam. |
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Peru's pretty good, mind you, they've been solid players in the Concacaf games -- both will want to continue their WC final appearance but yeah, Aussie's got the weight of history behind them, appearing in every edition I've ever watched except the first (1998, where they lost the playoff to Iran) Who else thinks a Kiwi-Aussie acca is worth the money? I think a lot of people underestimate Peru, just because historically they've not been great... but one important thing to note is that they finished above Colombia in the South American qualification table, and most people would regard Colombia as a good team and probably favourites to beat Australia. Similarly I think Australia are a little over-rated, just because they've been quite good in the past. I may be in the minority, but I actually fancy Peru to qualify. |
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you probably aren't an American
Yes, I've explained before, I'm not American. Or else you are a die-hard mainstream media far left nerd.
"Mainstream media far left" is quite the oxymoron. Do you think "mainstream media" consists primarily of: a) Tiny independent companies desperately trying to destroy capitalism and bring about some communist dystopia? or b) A few giant corporations acting to further their own interests and line their own pockets? If you think 'a', then you're even more delusional than I thought. If you think 'b', then why on Earth would you believe that giant corporations would try to destroy themselves by pursuing a 'far left' agenda? There is of course a third option: c) You haven't thought this through. |
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Mmmm.. I'd like to see him at Aston Martin for a couple more years tbh. It hasn't really been great since the rebrand from pink to green but I have a feeling they'll get it right next year. The revised 2022 specs wasn't really good timing for them. But think about it, just a couple of years before the rebrand, they were a midtable team who was always fighting for the top spots outside Reb Bull and Mercedes.
But yeah, my guess is it's over for Vettel. He'll retire after this season as his contract ends this year.
I suppose it seems quite likely he'll go, but it just depends on his mindset. Some drivers, notably Raikkonen, just carry on for years even though they're not going to win races any more. Vettel still performs at a decent level, and I'm sure there will be a drive for him somewhere if he wants it, although maybe not on a mega-salary. Basically it's in his hands, if he has the hunger and will to carry on, he will. If he wants to leave F1 and pursue other stuff, he'll do that instead. But I think it will be his decision, he won't be forced out. |
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China seems to be quite serious about taking Taiwan back completely. The US has promised protection for Taiwan.
Yes. Besides China being a world power, the US does a lot of trade with both, China and Taiwan. Protecting Taiwan from China jeopardizes US trade relations with China, in addition to potentially making China an active enemy.
Yes. Enter Russia. Under top secret agreements with Russia, the US is supplying her with military equipment and funds to start a war with China (if necessary), to take China's eyes off Taiwan.
What? You're suggesting that Putin works for Biden, and that Putin is willing to plunge his country into poverty and sanctions, make himself an international pariah, humiliate himself by failing to take Ukraine, sacrifice huge numbers of soldiers and military equipment, and start a war with the one country that can stand with Russia in opposing the US... in exchange for what? Military equipment and funds that can only ever partly offset the huge loss of military equipment and funds that he's suffered due to the invasion? Seems implausible. |
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Barcelona's financial matters for salaries or others I think this season Barcelona is not like the previous season which experienced a financial crisis and also Barcelona is ready to release some of its players who have high salaries to cover other things.
Barca have already got rid of Coutinho, I think he was on over 500k per week, so that alone would probably be enough to cover Lewandowski - I believe this amount is more than Lewandowski's current wage. Barca may have huge financial constraints, but they remain a massive club with huge pulling power. The best players will still be willing to go there, if Barca can just find the money. It's kind of the opposite situation to Man United, who have the money but will struggle to attract players as they can't offer Champions League football. |
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If Sebastian Vettel was racing just for money, he would do everything he can not to lose his place in Ferrari. He had a quite big yearly salary at Ferrari as far as I can remember now. He must be earning 40 million dollars per year then. But now he is earning even less than the half of that money, 15 million dollars. He still wants to be a part of this sport by racing for another team. He is having big problems with the car at Aston Martin for now but he must be still enjoying his time in F1.
It's the same for other drivers, too. Notably Hamilton this year... but if we think longer-term, there's no better example than Alonso, a multiple world champion stuck in a car that isn't good enough for him, and can't challenge for wins... but he still sticks it out, he still races. There are very few spots available at big teams, and they don't come up often... and there is also the team-mate to consider, who may not want Vettel or Alonso as a team-mate, and might instead prefer someone they know they can beat. |
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Another qualifying match will be UAE against Australia today. The match is very important for both teams because the winner can go to the World Cup. The UAE national team is playing unproductive. In ten matches, the team has only seven goals scored. Australia play more productive football than the UAE and have top league players, unlike the UAE. I think Australia will win today.
It's good point about UAE, they're low scoring team, they rarely score more than 1 goal. I doubt that today we can expect to see high scoring game. Australia is significant favorite, but UAE already made one big upset by kicking out South Korea in semifinal. Yep, the UAE might be tough to break down. Six of their ten games in the previous stage ended 1-0, and there was a 0-0 in there, too. I'd expect the UAE to play quite defensively and try to hit Australia on the break. Australia will no doubt start as the favourites, but it's a tough match to call. Australia are not as good as they used to be. |
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could you imagine Nadal winning all four grand slams this year and doing what Djokovic failed to do last year ? it's seems too good to be true but maybe  I'm not sure it's that likely. A lot depends on how his foot holds up, and there's also the question of whether it's worse on different surfaces. He was just about okay on clay, and might be okay on grass at Wimbledon, but I'm not sure about hard courts at the US Open, particularly coming after the rest of the hard court season. AO is perhaps harder to assess as it was after the brief end-of-year rest break, and his foot problem didn't seem so bad then. |
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