Tennis League All Thread

[Daniel91]

Trofo, very good analysis, congratulations  
I found some more information about Thiem but also Jennifer Brady:
''Austrian world number 15 Dominic Thiem has pulled out of January's Australian Open with a long-standing wrist injury.''
''Tournament organisers are still unsure if defending men's champion Novak Djokovic will play, while women's 2021 runner-up Jennifer Brady has also withdrawn because of a foot injury.''

Source: https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/59808266

Does anyone have information on Serena? When she will perform again?
It seems that this GS tournament in Australia will really be weakened due to the large number of absences of the world's best tennis players.
Of course Djokovic is still the main story of the day  

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[aoluain]

^
Just because the top three may not be there or performing at their top doesnt mean
there wont be interesting matches. TBH I'll be looking forward to watching Sinner,
Zverev and Medvedev.

Thats some good analysis by Trofo, I think the title is looking good for Medvedev
or Zverev.

[Kemarit]

^
Just because the top three may not be there or performing at their top doesnt mean
there wont be interesting matches. TBH I'll be looking forward to watching Sinner,
Zverev and Medvedev.

Thats some good analysis by Trofo, I think the title is looking good for Medvedev
or Zverev.

Yep, Medvedev and Zverev are now my best bet next year.

I'm still a fan of Tsitsipas but as @Trofo as has said, he is out of form from last year and it was surprising to see that he still maintains this spot in the top 4.

And it will be interesting to see Thiem making a comeback and disrupting the momentum of Medvedev and Zverev in trying to catch up or challenge Djokovic every tournament.

[aoluain]

^
Its amazing how a significant injury can set a player back. Thiem will have a tough
road back especially if he is not ready for the AO, the main concern will be not to get
injured while pushing to get back to top form.

Ah Tsitsipas is a great player with so much potential but 2021 was a frustrating
one for him I recon and for us who lost Satoshi's with him.

[Trofo]

I'm still a fan of Tsitsipas but as @Trofo as has said, he is out of form from last year and it was surprising to see that he still maintains this spot in the top 4.

And it will be interesting to see Thiem making a comeback and disrupting the momentum of Medvedev and Zverev in trying to catch up or challenge Djokovic every tournament.

You are forgetting first part of the season, actually clay part of the season (March-May) when he was playing his best tennis. Plenty of points to get nice ranking. Sorry if I got something wrong since it is mostly from the memory with a little help of google.
Acapulco final lost to Zverev
Monte Carlo winner
Barcelona final lost to Nadal
Lyon winner
RG final lost to Djoko

Both Tsitispas and Thiem will target their form/come back for clay season where they are strongest. If Tsitispas does not find the form on clay that will be the time when he will loose a lot of points. He has to defend all those titles/runner up positions and i expect he will not be able to do it that well. That will be the time for his ranking to take a hit. But it also works in opposite direction and he will have a lot of chances to get it back towards the end of season when he has no points to defend.

[Cnut237]

Does anyone have information on Serena? When she will perform again?

It's difficult to gauge when someone will come back after a long injury lay-off. Probably no-one knows for sure yet, not even her medical team.

But what is important to her, now? She's achieved almost everything in the game. She just needs that elusive next slam title. So I'm sure she will do everything she can to put herself in the best position to win the French... which might mean sitting out some lesser tournaments until she's back at 100%, and then focusing on the clay season, followed by Wimbledon.

In short, we don't know... but I wouldn't be surprised if her return was delayed a bit further.

[babygun]

Does anyone have information on Serena? When she will perform again?

It's difficult to gauge when someone will come back after a long injury lay-off. Probably no-one knows for sure yet, not even her medical team.

But what is important to her, now? She's achieved almost everything in the game. She just needs that elusive next slam title. So I'm sure she will do everything she can to put herself in the best position to win the French... which might mean sitting out some lesser tournaments until she's back at 100%, and then focusing on the clay season, followed by Wimbledon.

In short, we don't know... but I wouldn't be surprised if her return was delayed a bit further.

The question is if she will be able to reach again a grand slam final and win it. She lost her last 4 finals against different opponents and she keeps having injury after injury. In my opinion her winning days are over and it seems time to say goodbye and retire.

[Cnut237]

The question is if she will be able to reach again a grand slam final and win it. She lost her last 4 finals against different opponents and she keeps having injury after injury. In my opinion her winning days are over and it seems time to say goodbye and retire.

I have been wondering the same thing for a while now. But if everything comes together, she can win another one, it's not like she's miles away, she is getting to finals still. So it must be very hard for her, and particularly for someone with that winning mentality, to just walk away when she knows she still has a chance, even a reduced chance.

Certainly it is harder for her to win now than it used to be, but even if it's getting more difficult, it is still possible.

[aoluain]

I'm still a fan of Tsitsipas but as @Trofo as has said, he is out of form from last year and it was surprising to see that he still maintains this spot in the top 4.

And it will be interesting to see Thiem making a comeback and disrupting the momentum of Medvedev and Zverev in trying to catch up or challenge Djokovic every tournament.

You are forgetting first part of the season, actually clay part of the season (March-May) when he was playing his best tennis. Plenty of points to get nice ranking. Sorry if I got something wrong since it is mostly from the memory with a little help of google.
Acapulco final lost to Zverev
Monte Carlo winner
Barcelona final lost to Nadal
Lyon winner
RG final lost to Djoko

Both Tsitispas and Thiem will target their form/come back for clay season where they are strongest. If Tsitispas does not find the form on clay that will be the time when he will loose a lot of points. He has to defend all those titles/runner up positions and i expect he will not be able to do it that well. That will be the time for his ranking to take a hit. But it also works in opposite direction and he will have a lot of chances to get it back towards the end of season when he has no points to defend.

Excellent point Trofo, the surface is a key factor in almost all players performance,
except Djokovic's. I have not given this any thought over the last few weeks and
which changes my outlook for Tsitsipas on clay.

[Kemarit]

I'm still a fan of Tsitsipas but as @Trofo as has said, he is out of form from last year and it was surprising to see that he still maintains this spot in the top 4.

And it will be interesting to see Thiem making a comeback and disrupting the momentum of Medvedev and Zverev in trying to catch up or challenge Djokovic every tournament.

You are forgetting first part of the season, actually clay part of the season (March-May) when he was playing his best tennis. Plenty of points to get nice ranking. Sorry if I got something wrong since it is mostly from the memory with a little help of google.
Acapulco final lost to Zverev
Monte Carlo winner
Barcelona final lost to Nadal
Lyon winner
RG final lost to Djoko

Both Tsitispas and Thiem will target their form/come back for clay season where they are strongest. If Tsitispas does not find the form on clay that will be the time when he will loose a lot of points. He has to defend all those titles/runner up positions and i expect he will not be able to do it that well. That will be the time for his ranking to take a hit. But it also works in opposite direction and he will have a lot of chances to get it back towards the end of season when he has no points to defend.

Yep, I know, Tsitsipas is a clay court player, (I wouldn't call him specialist yet).

But after the clay court season, it was really down hill for him, he should be at least consistent and try to really improved in grass and fast surface and be an all around player. That's how great tennis players are define in my opinion and not just focus on one type of court.

[Davidvictorson]

Does anyone have information on Serena? When she will perform again?

It's difficult to gauge when someone will come back after a long injury lay-off. Probably no-one knows for sure yet, not even her medical team.

But what is important to her, now? She's achieved almost everything in the game. She just needs that elusive next slam title. So I'm sure she will do everything she can to put herself in the best position to win the French... which might mean sitting out some lesser tournaments until she's back at 100%, and then focusing on the clay season, followed by Wimbledon.

In short, we don't know... but I wouldn't be surprised if her return was delayed a bit further.

Serena has slowed down a bit due to her age, weight, illness, past injuries and child birth, which is expected. She had all these issues for the last 6 years, except she's a mom and lost her dominate serve. She could've and can win at least 2 or 3 more Slams if she improves her 1st & 2nd service up to at least 70%. If she doesn't, I don't see how she could.

[TravelMug]

I'm still a fan of Tsitsipas but as @Trofo as has said, he is out of form from last year and it was surprising to see that he still maintains this spot in the top 4.

And it will be interesting to see Thiem making a comeback and disrupting the momentum of Medvedev and Zverev in trying to catch up or challenge Djokovic every tournament.

You are forgetting first part of the season, actually clay part of the season (March-May) when he was playing his best tennis. Plenty of points to get nice ranking. Sorry if I got something wrong since it is mostly from the memory with a little help of google.
Acapulco final lost to Zverev
Monte Carlo winner
Barcelona final lost to Nadal
Lyon winner
RG final lost to Djoko

Both Tsitispas and Thiem will target their form/come back for clay season where they are strongest. If Tsitispas does not find the form on clay that will be the time when he will loose a lot of points. He has to defend all those titles/runner up positions and i expect he will not be able to do it that well. That will be the time for his ranking to take a hit. But it also works in opposite direction and he will have a lot of chances to get it back towards the end of season when he has no points to defend.

Yep, I know, Tsitsipas is a clay court player, (I wouldn't call him specialist yet).

But after the clay court season, it was really down hill for him, he should be at least consistent and try to really improved in grass and fast surface and be an all around player. That's how great tennis players are define in my opinion and not just focus on one type of court.

And that's the reason why you shouldn't bet on Tsitsipas on surfaces that is not on clay. I remember making some money on him betting on clay, and then I tried to still bet on him after the clay season and we all know how disappointed that results is. There are times that he will be completely eliminated early even against a low rank player.

Yeah, he could improved his game on other surfaces, but in the last 3 years he seems to be really concentrating on only clay court.

[Kemarit]

Going back to Australian Open,

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova tests positive for COVID-19

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has tested positive for COVID-19, casting doubt on her place in the Australian Open beginning Jan. 17.

The 30-year-old Russian confirmed she has the coronavirus and is isolating after arriving in Australia on Tuesday.

“I was fully vaccinated and was preparing for the start of the season in Dubai,” Pavlyuchenkova said on social media Thursday. “But we live in a very difficult and unpredictable time. Right now I am in complete isolation, in a special hotel and following all the protocols under the supervision of doctors.

“Now it’s important to take care of yourself and the health of others. I'll be back on court when it’s safe for everyone.”

https://ph.news.yahoo.com/anastasia-pavlyuchenkova-tests-positive-covid-070520097.html

So we have one lady already tested positive and likely not going to play in the first Grand Slam of the year. It's really too bad but at least she is fully vaccinated and can recover but it will not be in time for the Australian Open. So it's a good race for the ladies now, minus Pavlyuchenkova and who you think will be the favorite for the women?

[aoluain]

^
Ah I would love to see Osaka going far and taking the title for the second year.
Hopefully she is in a good place mentally and can manage the pressures that
came up last year.

...but we have to give consideration to Muguruza, Barty, Halep and others in
the top 10. Its a difficult one to call, the womens side is very open and competitive.

[Daniel91]

More bad news before GS in Australia:

''Former world No. 29 Urszula Radwanska announced that she tested positive for COVID-19. Radwanska, now ranked at No. 231 in the world, is isolating feeling "strong symptoms" and isolating herself in her hotel room in Melbourne.''
Source:
https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/WTA_Tennis/107019/urszula-radwanska-feeling-strong-symptoms-after-testing-positive-in-melbourne/

''Former world No. 1 Venus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open, per News Corp.''
''For the first time since 1997, neither of the Williams sisters will play at the Australian Open. "While this is never an easy decision to make, I am not where I need to be physically to compete," Serena told the Australian Open.''
Source: https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/WTA_Tennis/107000/venus-williams-decides-to-skip-australian-open/

How many more tennis players will give up their performance at the GS in Australia because of Covid or other reasons?
This tournament will really take place in very difficult circumstances due to the Covid pandemic.

By the way, what do you think about these predictions of former famous tennis players for 2022:
''Martina Navratilova explains why she thinks Garbine Muguruza will have strong 2022''
Source: https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Tennis_Interviews/107008/martina-navratilova-explains-why-she-thinks-garbine-muguruza-will-have-strong-2022/

''Pam Shriver: I'd be surprised if Emma Raducanu is still top-20 at end of 2022''
Source: https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Tennis_Interviews/107002/pam-shriver-i-d-be-surprised-if-emma-raducanu-is-still-top20-at-end-of-2022/

Do you agree with their opinions?
What do you think about the women’s competition in world tennis in 2022. Who will be at the top and whether Serena can go back to the top and win a record GS?

[Jating]

That's a big prediction against Emma, does Pam saying that she is just a one hit wonder? (well this was the case in women's side though, there are some who after winning a grand slam suddenly drops out of the top 10 and was never the top player they are).

But we can see that after the changes coach, her game has deteriorated. But we will have to see, hopefully she can still compose herself and still be like the player that suddenly break into the limelight last year specially winning the US Open.

[Swordsoffreedom]

Going back to Australian Open,

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova tests positive for COVID-19

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has tested positive for COVID-19, casting doubt on her place in the Australian Open beginning Jan. 17.

The 30-year-old Russian confirmed she has the coronavirus and is isolating after arriving in Australia on Tuesday.

“I was fully vaccinated and was preparing for the start of the season in Dubai,” Pavlyuchenkova said on social media Thursday. “But we live in a very difficult and unpredictable time. Right now I am in complete isolation, in a special hotel and following all the protocols under the supervision of doctors.

“Now it’s important to take care of yourself and the health of others. I'll be back on court when it’s safe for everyone.”

https://ph.news.yahoo.com/anastasia-pavlyuchenkova-tests-positive-covid-070520097.html

So we have one lady already tested positive and likely not going to play in the first Grand Slam of the year. It's really too bad but at least she is fully vaccinated and can recover but it will not be in time for the Australian Open. So it's a good race for the ladies now, minus Pavlyuchenkova and who you think will be the favorite for the women?

This is very sad news that Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has got the COVID. She got affected even after she was vaccinated which makes me sadder.

Whatever it is, the show must go on. The first Grand Slam of the year. We have got some very talented young players over the last few years and women's tennis has become somewhat unpredictable. All I can say is -  may the best-deserved player win.

[aoluain]

Going back to Australian Open,

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova tests positive for COVID-19

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has tested positive for COVID-19, casting doubt on her place in the Australian Open beginning Jan. 17.

The 30-year-old Russian confirmed she has the coronavirus and is isolating after arriving in Australia on Tuesday.

“I was fully vaccinated and was preparing for the start of the season in Dubai,” Pavlyuchenkova said on social media Thursday. “But we live in a very difficult and unpredictable time. Right now I am in complete isolation, in a special hotel and following all the protocols under the supervision of doctors.

“Now it’s important to take care of yourself and the health of others. I'll be back on court when it’s safe for everyone.”

https://ph.news.yahoo.com/anastasia-pavlyuchenkova-tests-positive-covid-070520097.html

So we have one lady already tested positive and likely not going to play in the first Grand Slam of the year. It's really too bad but at least she is fully vaccinated and can recover but it will not be in time for the Australian Open. So it's a good race for the ladies now, minus Pavlyuchenkova and who you think will be the favorite for the women?

This is very sad news that Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has got the COVID. She got affected even after she was vaccinated which makes me sadder.

Whatever it is, the show must go on. The first Grand Slam of the year. We have got some very talented young players over the last few years and women's tennis has become somewhat unpredictable. All I can say is -  may the best-deserved player win.

Hopefully though because she is vaccinated the effects of the virus wont be too harsh.

That's a big prediction against Emma, does Pam saying that she is just a one hit wonder? (well this was the case in women's side though, there are some who after winning a grand slam suddenly drops out of the top 10 and was never the top player they are).

But we can see that after the changes coach, her game has deteriorated. But we will have to see, hopefully she can still compose herself and still be like the player that suddenly break into the limelight last year specially winning the US Open.

Oh yes that's a big prediction against Emma, hopefully she  hits the ground running and
puts in a top performance, its a new year for everyone, the points race starts again.
She really needs to build on last years run and I would like to see her do that.

[babygun]

That's a big prediction against Emma, does Pam saying that she is just a one hit wonder? (well this was the case in women's side though, there are some who after winning a grand slam suddenly drops out of the top 10 and was never the top player they are).

But we can see that after the changes coach, her game has deteriorated. But we will have to see, hopefully she can still compose herself and still be like the player that suddenly break into the limelight last year specially winning the US Open.

That are strong words from Pam Shriver but as you say, we will need to wait and see how Raducanu continues to develop this year. She struggled in the tournaments after her US Open as there was a lot more pressure on her (before she was always in the underdog position). Changing her coach was maybe not the best idea, but only time will tell.

[Yaunfitda]

That's a big prediction against Emma, does Pam saying that she is just a one hit wonder? (well this was the case in women's side though, there are some who after winning a grand slam suddenly drops out of the top 10 and was never the top player they are).

But we can see that after the changes coach, her game has deteriorated. But we will have to see, hopefully she can still compose herself and still be like the player that suddenly break into the limelight last year specially winning the US Open.

That are strong words from Pam Shriver but as you say, we will need to wait and see how Raducanu continues to develop this year. She struggled in the tournaments after her US Open as there was a lot more pressure on her (before she was always in the underdog position). Changing her coach was maybe not the best idea, but only time will tell.

I agree, the pressure could be too much to handle for a teenager that's why she completely falter in every tournament after the US open because everyone is looking at her at every angle.

Not sure about the changing of the coach, I read that he was just there to accompany Emma for the tournament and could not be really define as a coach. Anyhow yeah, hopefully she can still have the mentality to be the next women's top seed, who knows.