Tennis League All Thread

[bct_ail]

No I noticed that today about Djokovic, another set dropped and the 3rd set was a
tie break. It sends a message to the likes of Alcaraz, Medvedev, Sinner and Zverev that
Novak is potentially vulnerable ATM.

Alcaraz, Sinner and Zverev are in the other group than Djokovic. Only Medvedev could face him before the final. But ist seems that Zverev did not got the message. There was almost a surprise in his match against Klein (APT rank 163). He had to go over full five sets and only managed to win the match in a match tie-break. 7:5, 3:6, 6:4, 7:6 (7:5), 7:6 (10:7).
He had already ifficulties in his first match against the German player Koepfer. If he does not improve in his next match, he can fly back home.

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[vennali]

Rune(8th seed) in trouble! Down 2 sets to French young Wildcard Arthur Cazaux. Rune is fighting back to win the 3rd as he currently has 2 set points while being up 5-4 and 40-15 up on Cazaux's serve.
Edit: Rune did break and took the 3rd set 6-4. So, the set score currently stands 2-1 in the favor of Cazaux. However, this could be the turn of the tide. It's much harder for unexperienced players to win matches in the long run as they are in unchartered territory of long matches, physically and mentally. Will update how it goes.

[bct_ail]

Rune(8th seed) in trouble! Down 2 sets to French young Wildcard Arthur Cazaux. Rune is fighting back to win the 3rd as he currently has 2 set points while being up 5-4 and 40-15 up on Cazaux's serve.
Edit: Rune did break and took the 3rd set 6-4. So, the set score currently stands 2-1 in the favor of Cazaux. However, this could be the turn of the tide. It's much harder for unexperienced players to win matches in the long run as they are in unchartered territory of long matches, physically and mentally. Will update how it goes.

Interesting match. The young and unexperienced players have nothing to lose and can only win. But as you wrote, it becomes more difficult for them the longer the match is. But
these are all experiences they have to make.

FAA also lost a set in the match between him and Grenier. But now it seems he is back on track and leads with 5:1 in set 3. But FAA is always good for a surprise.

[DanWalker]

Rune(8th seed) in trouble! Down 2 sets to French young Wildcard Arthur Cazaux. Rune is fighting back to win the 3rd as he currently has 2 set points while being up 5-4 and 40-15 up on Cazaux's serve.
Edit: Rune did break and took the 3rd set 6-4. So, the set score currently stands 2-1 in the favor of Cazaux. However, this could be the turn of the tide. It's much harder for unexperienced players to win matches in the long run as they are in unchartered territory of long matches, physically and mentally. Will update how it goes.

Interesting match. The young and unexperienced players have nothing to lose and can only win. But as you wrote, it becomes more difficult for them the longer the match is. But
these are all experiences they have to make.

FAA also lost a set in the match between him and Grenier. But now it seems he is back on track and leads with 5:1 in set 3. But FAA is always good for a surprise.

Rune actually lost the match against Cazuax. That was really unexpected result for me. Not in a million years, I thought he was going to lose this match. he also lost the match pretty convincingly in my opinion. Especially when I think about the opponent that he got. For me this was definitely an accident. No I understand that accidents happen, maybe I am just overreacting. But you have to understand that this was really unexpected for me and that's why I am probably reacting like that.

FAA was able to win the match even though he did lose the second set. And I will say that he was able to win the match pretty comfortably in the end. His next match is on the 21st January.

[vennali]

Absolutely insane thriller of a match between Rybakina vs Blinkova. the 3rd seed Rybakina was ousted by Blinkova in a nail biting 3rd set which went to tie breaker 20-22 points, while it is first to 11 to win(with a difference of 2 points).

[bct_ail]

Absolutely insane thriller of a match between Rybakina vs Blinkova. the 3rd seed Rybakina was ousted by Blinkova in a nail biting 3rd set which went to tie breaker 20-22 points, while it is first to 11 to win(with a difference of 2 points).

And the two have set a new record. So far, the match between Lesia Tsurenko and Ana Bogdan has been the longest tiebreak. That was 20:18 at Wimbledon in 2023  and now Rybakina and Blinkova have made it to 20:22. Sensational performance from Blinkova. The tiebreak lasted over 30 minutes.

There were generally a lot of match tie-breaks at the Australian Open. And now also a few surprises.
It seems that the young and wild ones are coming.

[temple]

I think he got the timing wrong because as a sportsman I believe during the prime time you earn a lot of money and when it comes to the final years of the career, you hope to still be earning a lot of money, but you should start valuing health more than money. Unless you have done a lot of things wrong with the money, why risk the entire future because of health problems that get only worse with every year these guys keep playing? I would stop immediately. The surgeries he had are surgeries that are supposed to preserve life quality and not to preserve the highest level in professional tennis in your mid 30s.

Well he cant be continuing to play for the money because other than sponsorships
he isnt getting much prize money, being on tour is probably costing him money.

That's what I was talking about and why I don't understand what the reason for him is to waste more of his health at such a young age. There is no wealth without health, literally. You got the tens of millions in the bank but can't play with your kids anymore.

I think Roger Federer was far more considerate about his decision although I understand that Roger was lucky enough to be able to play for so long, but at some point he knew that the prize he would pay for continuing to play would be higher than any money or fame he could gain from it. There is no point in becoming a loser first when you've already been a winner and then decide to leave the stage.

[aoluain]

No I noticed that today about Djokovic, another set dropped and the 3rd set was a
tie break. It sends a message to the likes of Alcaraz, Medvedev, Sinner and Zverev that
Novak is potentially vulnerable ATM.

Alcaraz, Sinner and Zverev are in the other group than Djokovic. Only Medvedev could face him before the final. But ist seems that Zverev did not got the message. There was almost a surprise in his match against Klein (APT rank 163). He had to go over full five sets and only managed to win the match in a match tie-break. 7:5, 3:6, 6:4, 7:6 (7:5), 7:6 (10:7).
He had already ifficulties in his first match against the German player Koepfer. If he does not improve in his next match, he can fly back home.

ah I was thinking any one of them could "eventually" meet him at some stage !!

I think he got the timing wrong because as a sportsman I believe during the prime time you earn a lot of money and when it comes to the final years of the career, you hope to still be earning a lot of money, but you should start valuing health more than money. Unless you have done a lot of things wrong with the money, why risk the entire future because of health problems that get only worse with every year these guys keep playing? I would stop immediately. The surgeries he had are surgeries that are supposed to preserve life quality and not to preserve the highest level in professional tennis in your mid 30s.

Well he cant be continuing to play for the money because other than sponsorships
he isnt getting much prize money, being on tour is probably costing him money.

That's what I was talking about and why I don't understand what the reason for him is to waste more of his health at such a young age. There is no wealth without health, literally. You got the tens of millions in the bank but can't play with your kids anymore.

I think Roger Federer was far more considerate about his decision although I understand that Roger was lucky enough to be able to play for so long, but at some point he knew that the prize he would pay for continuing to play would be higher than any money or fame he could gain from it. There is no point in becoming a loser first when you've already been a winner and then decide to leave the stage.

Yea well I think we are on tha same page about AM, Roger was different, his success
was FAR FAR greater meaning bigger accolades and financial reward so they kind
of dont compare too well in that regard but I know what you are saying, Roger seems
to have realised when the time was up.


In todays mens matches there was two tough days in the office for Medvedev and
Hurkacz, both had 5 set matches with tie breaks and in the case of Hurkacz against a
much lower ranked player.

Next round is obviously a step up,
Medvedev plays Felix AA and Hurkacz plays Humbert

[serveria.com]

Absolutely insane thriller of a match between Rybakina vs Blinkova. the 3rd seed Rybakina was ousted by Blinkova in a nail biting 3rd set which went to tie breaker 20-22 points, while it is first to 11 to win(with a difference of 2 points).

And the two have set a new record. So far, the match between Lesia Tsurenko and Ana Bogdan has been the longest tiebreak. That was 20:18 at Wimbledon in 2023  and now Rybakina and Blinkova have made it to 20:22. Sensational performance from Blinkova. The tiebreak lasted over 30 minutes.

There were generally a lot of match tie-breaks at the Australian Open. And now also a few surprises.
It seems that the young and wild ones are coming.

Yes I watched the match it was madness! Blinkova managed to save several (many) crazy match points. I feel she wanted to win more, she was more hungry. That was the reason she finally made it plus Rybakina wasn't having her best match of course. The tie break lasted about 37 mintes I guess, longer than some sets. 

Mirra Andreeva is another youngster capable of shocking the tennis world. She is absolutely awesome. She is going to meet a Frenchwoman Diane Parry in R3 and if you ask me she has good chances to progress further.

[vennali]

The 100 club!! Exclusive club of players that have competed in 100 matches at the Australian open. Novak joins the esteemed group of Federer and Serena. By the looks of it, Novak has a couple more years left in him. That could take him past Federer, if he remains healthy.


Edit: Ben Shelton vs Mannarino has gone into the final set. I think whoever breaks first, is gonna take the match. Lets see how it goes.

[temple]

The 100 club!! Exclusive club of players that have competed in 100 matches at the Australian open. Novak joins the esteemed group of Federer and Serena. By the looks of it, Novak has a couple more years left in him. That could take him past Federer, if he remains healthy.


Edit: Ben Shelton vs Mannarino has gone into the final set. I think whoever breaks first, is gonna take the match. Lets see how it goes.

Quite incredible achievement, no doubt about that.

For the time being I think hardly anyone thinks that Djokovic can be stopped early at the Australian Open. I think players like Sinner or Alcaraz would have to try to push DJokovic into a 5 set match. Maybe this is the way how to play against him successfully since at some point during the game age should become a disadvantage. Not that I really believe Djokovic has that weakness, but he isn't robot either. He can't go at maximum power forever.

[aoluain]

The 100 club!! Exclusive club of players that have competed in 100 matches at the Australian open. Novak joins the esteemed group of Federer and Serena. By the looks of it, Novak has a couple more years left in him. That could take him past Federer, if he remains healthy.


Edit: Ben Shelton vs Mannarino has gone into the final set. I think whoever breaks first, is gonna take the match. Lets see how it goes.

Quite incredible achievement, no doubt about that.

For the time being I think hardly anyone thinks that Djokovic can be stopped early at the Australian Open. I think players like Sinner or Alcaraz would have to try to push DJokovic into a 5 set match. Maybe this is the way how to play against him successfully since at some point during the game age should become a disadvantage. Not that I really believe Djokovic has that weakness, but he isn't robot either. He can't go at maximum power forever.

Another milestone reached, and another record to break by Novak. No doubt he will
add and surpass Roger.


I had 2 bets on this round Dimitrov to beat Borges and Swiatek to beat Noskova and
both were beaten.

Borges beat Dimitrov in 4 sets and 2 tie breaks and Noskova beat Swiatek in 3 sets.

Everyone left on the womens side will be thinking even more now that they have a chance
at the title now that Swiatek is beaten

[vennali]

From my earlier prediction of the last 16 vs who actually went through. Also, the biggest upset of the day was Noskova beating Iga Swiatek, who was primed(along with Sabalenka) to win the Australian Open. Winner in the women's side seems to be very open. As it usually is. Also, Half of the players in the  4th round are born in the 2000s. Boy, do I feel old! 

[babygun]

I didn’t expect that Swiatek would loose against Noskova but right now rhere is nobody on the Women’s side that can really dominate, almost every grand slam there is a different winner. While that is nice, it is also one of the main reasons not to bet on Women’s matches as it is so unpredictable.

[temple]

Another milestone reached, and another record to break by Novak. No doubt he will
add and surpass Roger.


I had 2 bets on this round Dimitrov to beat Borges and Swiatek to beat Noskova and
both were beaten.

Borges beat Dimitrov in 4 sets and 2 tie breaks and Noskova beat Swiatek in 3 sets.

Everyone left on the womens side will be thinking even more now that they have a chance
at the title now that Swiatek is beaten

It all depends on his health and if he can go for another three years, he will still be the winner for another three years. But I checked the total number of titles in the Open Era and I didn't remember how far away McEnroe is from everyone else. I didn't look into the details, but he won 155 titles whereas Djokovic is now at 99 titles.


I was about to place a bet just for fun on Noskova as the odds were insanely high when she was one set down. But then I thought that it is not even worth a dollar because it won't happen. There we are and Swiatek is out!

[vennali]

16 year old Miira Andreeva's dreams to win a grand slam get crashed by former Grand Slam Champion Barbora Krejcikova. Who takes the decider set fairly convincingly 6-2, after losing the first set to the teen.

[aoluain]

16 year old Miira Andreeva's dreams to win a grand slam get crashed by former Grand Slam Champion Barbora Krejcikova. Who takes the decider set fairly convincingly 6-2, after losing the first set to the teen.

Krejcikova is actually looking very good, it is a bit much to expect that teenager
Andreeva to beat the top seeds.

Gauff and Sabalenka are looking very strong toi, winning their last rounds quite easy,
at this stage Sabalenka is going to be tough to beat.


Interesting match on ATM de Minaur v Rublev, Rublev has taken the first set and I'm toying
with a bet on the Aussie @ 3.1

[ajanwalker]

After a long time, I watched a tennis match. De Minaur lost the first set to Rublev 4-6. He won the next two sets with the support of the crowd and tiebreaks with scores of 7-6 and 7-6, and took the lead 2-1 in the sets. I especially paid attention to Rublev in the third set, he was demoralized but he controlled his nerves. At one point in the 3rd set, he adjusted his racket by hitting his knee. He was very angry, but then he came to his senses.
He took the 4th set 6-3 and won the set 2-2. Rublev had the wind in the last set, taking the set 6-0 without losing any points and advancing to the quarter-finals by winning the set 3-2.
The match lasted approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes. When De Minaur was also eliminated, there was no host tennis player left in the Australian Open.

[temple]

It is not that I think Mannarino is a particularly strong tennis player, but it was still the round of 16 of the Australian Open and Mannarino is ranked 19 in the world. I did not expect him to have a chance and I did not expect him to win a set either. But the way Djokovic destroyed him is unreal in my opinion. 3-0 in sets and 18-3 in games, what is going on with Djokovic?

Including the breaks in between games and sets, the whole game took 104 minutes and a bit less than 5 minutes per game. I now found out that Andy Murray once beat Alberto Martin 6-0, 6-0, 6-1 in 69 minutes in 2007 at the Australian Open. But still, Djokovic definitely didn't waste any excess energy on this one.

[aoluain]

After a long time, I watched a tennis match. De Minaur lost the first set to Rublev 4-6. He won the next two sets with the support of the crowd and tiebreaks with scores of 7-6 and 7-6, and took the lead 2-1 in the sets. I especially paid attention to Rublev in the third set, he was demoralized but he controlled his nerves. At one point in the 3rd set, he adjusted his racket by hitting his knee. He was very angry, but then he came to his senses.
He took the 4th set 6-3 and won the set 2-2. Rublev had the wind in the last set, taking the set 6-0 without losing any points and advancing to the quarter-finals by winning the set 3-2.
The match lasted approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes. When De Minaur was also eliminated, there was no host tennis player left in the Australian Open.

Yea i lost a bet on de Minaur, it was a good 5 setter but he couldnt do it. Rublev now
has to play Sinner! and Sinner has yet to drop a set in this years tournament and this
is Rublevs second 5 setter!

Sinner is big favourite @ 1.25.

Interestingly they are ranked 4 and 5.


Good win also by Fritz over Tsitsipas, he books himself a spot against Djokovic,
thats a tough draw for him.