Tennis League All Thread

[aoluain]

snip
Alexander Zverev withdrew from Stuttgart due to fatigue, and I think that's normal after the long schedule since Mutua Madrid got to the French Open, especially since he reached two finals in Rome and the French Open which obviously took a lot of energy, and many top players chose to skip the opening two events of the grass season.
https://www.atptour.com/en/news/zverev-stuttgart-2024-withdrawal

Can totally understand that decision, its a very busy schedule anyway, they need
a break every so often and manage the injury risks.

I'm following the new grass season at Hertogenbosche in The Netherlands, defending
champion Griekspoor is into the quarter finals after beating McDonald in 2 sets, he
is looking good for the title again.

Other top seeds he may have to meet are Korda, Paul and de Minuar...

[aoluain]

Mens Quarter finals are set for today in Rosmalen, s Hertogenbosch.

Korda v Paul - paul to win here, he is seeded 2

Griekspoor v Vukic - defending champion to go through

de Minaur v Raonic - this could very well warrant an under or over bet, Raonic is actually
playing great tennis.

Humbert v Brouwer - havent seen either play, probably fancy the number 3 seed that is Humbert


On the womens side I am delighted and excited that Osaka is playing Andreescu
later today in her quarter final and is big favourite to win @ 1.24 v 4.00

[aoluain]

Finals today at Hertogenbosch

Mens final: De Minaur v Korda, 6-2, 6-4
Womens Final: Andreescu v Samsonova, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7


Next week Alcaraz is playing Queens, Sinner, Zverev and Medvedev are playing Halle,
Looks like Carlos could have it all his own way at Queens but even if he wins that and
Wimbledon he still cant catch Sinner at no.1

[bitbollo]

Nice match by Sinner today. Odds sky rocket after first set arriving up to @1.90 --> Initially it was @1.15
I think it was a real crazy value since Griekspoor is a nice player but not able to fight for a whole match against the 1st player of ranking.
In second and third set there was no match... let's see how the Italian player will perform next, this is not the best surface for him so "surprises" are behind the corners....

[aoluain]

Nice match by Sinner today. Odds sky rocket after first set arriving up to @1.90 --> Initially it was @1.15
I think it was a real crazy value since Griekspoor is a nice player but not able to fight for a whole match against the 1st player of ranking.
In second and third set there was no match... let's see how the Italian player will perform next, this is not the best surface for him so "surprises" are behind the corners....

Yea the first set was great tennis by both players but Sinner only got better as
he quickly got ued to the grass. He made a fantastic shot in the 3rd set, people calling
it the shot of the year. After making that diving winning shot his confidence grew
even more.

Other top seeds as expected won today, Tsitsipas, Zverev, Bublik but the upset of the
day was Rublev losing to Giron...in 2 sets!

He needs to try and manage his mentality, he was so angry and hard on himself
during the match.

[Strongkored]

While many players are trying to get a place to play at the Paris Olympics, there are at least two female tennis players who have stated that they will not play at the Paris Olympics. The surface for the Paris Olympics is clay but after it is finished, all tournaments will immediately switch to hardcourt which makes some of these players need to skip the four-year tournament to avoid injury, or like Aryna Sabalenka who wants to focus on preparation on the hard court.
Tunisia's Jabeur to skip upcoming Olympics, concerned with change of surface
Aryna Sabalenka to skip Paris Olympics to focus on hardcourt swing
However, for Iga Swiatek it is clear that the Paris Olympics will be her favorite place, she has a very big chance of winning a gold medal here. Several top players have confirmed that they will play at the Olympics, such as Novak Djokovic and also Carlos Alcaraz, he is even reported to be playing doubles with Rafael Nadal, but I doubt there will be anything good they can produce because players who are used to playing doubles will have a better chance of winning gold.

[aoluain]

am i missing something? I dont see the issue, there is always going to be an immediate
switch from Hard to Clay to Grass back to Hard court.

...also at Halle this week in the mens doubles Sinner and Hurkacz are playing together.
They beat the #3 seeds Withrow and Lammons yesterday and play Reboul and Doumbia in
the quarter finals today. There is definitely a ramp up of activity in doubles this year
prior to the Olympics but I dont know who is playing for sure yet.


We all know Medvedev isnt really that effective on grass, Zhang beat him yesterday in
three sets. Also big names through, Zverev, Berrettini, Tsitsipas and Sinner.

[bitbollo]

funny match by Sinner today.
The first set was really easy... but in the second and third set he suffered the match against Struff.
Probably today he has shown what means be the number one. Keep calm and follow the target... now there's the semi-final with Zhang. Unpublished match... the Chinese player demonstrated that he is no weak at all...

[aoluain]

funny match by Sinner today.
The first set was really easy... but in the second and third set he suffered the match against Struff.
Probably today he has shown what means be the number one. Keep calm and follow the target... now there's the semi-final with Zhang. Unpublished match... the Chinese player demonstrated that he is no weak at all...

In fairness though Sinner has been playing really well at Halle. I think his confidence
on the grass court is growing. I'm not sure todays match against Struff was going to be
easy but he made it look so in the first set, winning it in just over half an hour, but Struff
came back into it and Jannik found a way to get it to a tie break and win it. He plays Zhang
next while Zverev plays Hurkacz. Its looking like a Zverev v Sinner final.

Over at Queens Alcaraz was beaten by Draper ... in 2 sets! thats the defending champion
out of the running and points lost, Sinner could widen the gap between himself and Alcaraz
in the rankings by winning Halle.

[aoluain]

A great win today for Sinner at Halle, he beat his good friend Hurkacz in two
tie break sets.

Hurkacz was playing great tennis himself to beat in form Zverev in his semi final
but Sinner seems extremely comfortable on grass. Big expectations for him going
into Wimbledon in just over a week. He has to be favourite?

Over at Queens it was Paul who triumphed against Musetti in 2 sets. Overall
4 players to watch going into Wimbledon

[bitbollo]

...
Sinner seems extremely comfortable on grass
...

this is not Sinner favorite surface but he achieved his first trophy here!
Getting a win in this tournament and against an opponent of Hurkacz's caliber (he didn't lose a set throughout the tournament) shows how much he deserves this record in the ATP. I personally doubt that he can win Wimbledon, but he can reach top 4/8 for sure.

[aoluain]

...
Sinner seems extremely comfortable on grass
...

this is not Sinner favorite surface but he achieved is first trophy here!
Getting a win in this tournament and against an opponent of Hurkacz's caliber (he didn't lose a set throughout the tournament) shows how much he deserves this record in the ATP. I personally doubt that he can win Wimbledon, but he can reach top 4/8 for sure.

Who would be your favourite for Wimbledon then bitbollo?

[mv1986]

...
Sinner seems extremely comfortable on grass
...

this is not Sinner favorite surface but he achieved is first trophy here!
Getting a win in this tournament and against an opponent of Hurkacz's caliber (he didn't lose a set throughout the tournament) shows how much he deserves this record in the ATP. I personally doubt that he can win Wimbledon, but he can reach top 4/8 for sure.

I wonder as well who would be your favorite then. Alcaraz is the same thing, it is not his best surface but by all means could he win the tournament. I have quite often counted on Djokovic in the recent past, but I think his career is slowly coming to an end the same way Federer's and Nadal's came to an end. Doesn't mean he can't win it either, but I noticed that it is not the same frequency anymore with which he is a reliable bet. Sinner has become very consistent and hence I think he is always a favorite from now on. One of the favorites so to say, like Alcaraz. I wouldn't know who else would have much bigger chances and be a standalone favorite. Djokovic not anymore.

[bitbollo]

...
Sinner seems extremely comfortable on grass
...

this is not Sinner favorite surface but he achieved is first trophy here!
Getting a win in this tournament and against an opponent of Hurkacz's caliber (he didn't lose a set throughout the tournament) shows how much he deserves this record in the ATP. I personally doubt that he can win Wimbledon, but he can reach top 4/8 for sure.

Who would be your favourite for Wimbledon then bitbollo?

hard question to be answered... It wouldn't surprise me if some specialist on this surface would be able to win...
Certainly Alcaraz is one of the favorites (last year's winner). I would also tell you Djokovic, but there is doubt about his physical form.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Zverev and Medvedev at the end of the tournament.
Berrettini "the hammer" could have his moment of glory again...and last but not least Sinner but here we don't know how he will react to the "grass" surface and physical condition after many games he had this year...
@aoluain a satoshi for your tought on the same question?

[aoluain]

...
Sinner seems extremely comfortable on grass
...

this is not Sinner favorite surface but he achieved is first trophy here!
Getting a win in this tournament and against an opponent of Hurkacz's caliber (he didn't lose a set throughout the tournament) shows how much he deserves this record in the ATP. I personally doubt that he can win Wimbledon, but he can reach top 4/8 for sure.

I wonder as well who would be your favorite then. Alcaraz is the same thing, it is not his best surface but by all means could he win the tournament. I have quite often counted on Djokovic in the recent past, but I think his career is slowly coming to an end the same way Federer's and Nadal's came to an end. Doesn't mean he can't win it either, but I noticed that it is not the same frequency anymore with which he is a reliable bet. Sinner has become very consistent and hence I think he is always a favorite from now on. One of the favorites so to say, like Alcaraz. I wouldn't know who else would have much bigger chances and be a standalone favorite. Djokovic not anymore.

I agree with you about Djokovic, He is at Wimbledon now but he cannot confirm
if he is 100% playing. The 5 set format could either help or hinder him but in
the past it has helped him.

As regards Alcaraz we have to bear in mind that he was beaten at Queens already
in the round of 16 by draper in 2 sets, the 5 set format might suit him.

@bitbollo - tea maybe Zverev and Medvedev might be in the mix towards the end
and add in Musetti and Paul perhaps as they went well in Queens.

[mv1986]

I wonder as well who would be your favorite then. Alcaraz is the same thing, it is not his best surface but by all means could he win the tournament. I have quite often counted on Djokovic in the recent past, but I think his career is slowly coming to an end the same way Federer's and Nadal's came to an end. Doesn't mean he can't win it either, but I noticed that it is not the same frequency anymore with which he is a reliable bet. Sinner has become very consistent and hence I think he is always a favorite from now on. One of the favorites so to say, like Alcaraz. I wouldn't know who else would have much bigger chances and be a standalone favorite. Djokovic not anymore.

I agree with you about Djokovic, He is at Wimbledon now but he cannot confirm
if he is 100% playing. The 5 set format could either help or hinder him but in
the past it has helped him.

As regards Alcaraz we have to bear in mind that he was beaten at Queens already
in the round of 16 by draper in 2 sets, the 5 set format might suit him.

@bitbollo - tea maybe Zverev and Medvedev might be in the mix towards the end
and add in Musetti and Paul perhaps as they went well in Queens.

5 sets has always been Djokovic's distance. How often has he been a set down and everyone knew it means nothing. I remember checking the bookmakers and the odds literally didn't even change so to say. At least not by much. But these times are now over.

I don't know what to think about these "preparation" tournaments. I think often the players consider this nothing but preparation and if they make it far, then ok, but if they get kicked out earlier, it is also ok. Of course they have a winner mindset, but I doubt that Alcaraz would try as hard at Queens as he would at Wimbledon.

Zverev and Medvedev might play a role indeed, but both have this extreme volatility within tournaments. Zverev seemed to have become more stable recently though.

[aoluain]

I wonder as well who would be your favorite then. Alcaraz is the same thing, it is not his best surface but by all means could he win the tournament. I have quite often counted on Djokovic in the recent past, but I think his career is slowly coming to an end the same way Federer's and Nadal's came to an end. Doesn't mean he can't win it either, but I noticed that it is not the same frequency anymore with which he is a reliable bet. Sinner has become very consistent and hence I think he is always a favorite from now on. One of the favorites so to say, like Alcaraz. I wouldn't know who else would have much bigger chances and be a standalone favorite. Djokovic not anymore.

I agree with you about Djokovic, He is at Wimbledon now but he cannot confirm
if he is 100% playing. The 5 set format could either help or hinder him but in
the past it has helped him.

As regards Alcaraz we have to bear in mind that he was beaten at Queens already
in the round of 16 by draper in 2 sets, the 5 set format might suit him.

@bitbollo - tea maybe Zverev and Medvedev might be in the mix towards the end
and add in Musetti and Paul perhaps as they went well in Queens.

5 sets has always been Djokovic's distance. How often has he been a set down and everyone knew it means nothing. I remember checking the bookmakers and the odds literally didn't even change so to say. At least not by much. But these times are now over.

I don't know what to think about these "preparation" tournaments. I think often the players consider this nothing but preparation and if they make it far, then ok, but if they get kicked out earlier, it is also ok. Of course they have a winner mindset, but I doubt that Alcaraz would try as hard at Queens as he would at Wimbledon.

Zverev and Medvedev might play a role indeed, but both have this extreme volatility within tournaments. Zverev seemed to have become more stable recently though.

ah we have seen on a few occasions where Djokovich has given his opponent the first 2 sets in
grand slams and still came back to win, its not surprising from him anymore.

Regarding the preparation tournaments, a lot of them are prestigious enough, Halle and Queens.
Alcaraz had a points to defend at Queens because he won it last year. Other players have to
know they arent winning a grand slam soon so would focus on these tournaments more perhaps.

Yea, Zverev jhas become mor stable and his tennis results show a benefit in that for sure, he is
definitely one with a real chance to at least appear in the final of Wimbledon or grand slam.

[mv1986]

~

ah we have seen on a few occasions where Djokovich has given his opponent the first 2 sets in
grand slams and still came back to win, its not surprising from him anymore.

Regarding the preparation tournaments, a lot of them are prestigious enough, Halle and Queens.
Alcaraz had a points to defend at Queens because he won it last year. Other players have to
know they arent winning a grand slam soon so would focus on these tournaments more perhaps.

Yea, Zverev jhas become mor stable and his tennis results show a benefit in that for sure, he is
definitely one with a real chance to at least appear in the final of Wimbledon or grand slam.

Yes Alcaraz had points to lose and I think what sets someone like Djokovic still apart from Alcaraz is that Djokovic was hungry for success regardless of the outcome of the last tournament. Alcaraz won the French Open and then after such a big success, many sportsmen have a motivational downswing. They are still professional and good of course to win, but they can't play at the same intensity level as they would if it was a Grand Slam. Djokovic, however, has played 99% of his tournaments at his possible maximum. It must be a mindset thing or otherwise Alcaraz wouldn't lose in the round of 16 against Draper. I bet he would never lose the same matchup at Wimbledon.

[aoluain]

Well we will see soon enough, Wimbledon starts next week. We will see how well
he performs on grass with best of 5 sets.


Over on the Grass in Mallorca Spain Tabilo is in the singles final against Ofner and
the Doubles final also.

More interesting is Layla Fernandez is currently playing Kasatkina in the
final, really hoping for Layla to win but she is 1 set down.

[bitbollo]

Nice win today for Fritz against Purcell in Eastbourne. 
I think it was not hard to guess this result and the odd was already "adapted" to the chance (at only @1.22 )
Wimbledon will reserve as usual a lot of emotions... it wous be really interesting see Djokovic performance since he is one of the favorite but who knows the real capability (personally I will not see him as winner or finalist).