Running tennis thread for 2023

[UPChip]

The main draw in Melbourne starts this weekend, and Naomi Osaka won't be in it.

 

[John]

I wish her nothing but the best. But I also won't be surprised if we never see her at another tournament.

 

[Alma]

I wish her nothing but the best. But I also won't be surprised if we never see her at another tournament.

She doesn’t need the money, that’s for sure.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Welp, we know who the 2043 Aussie Champion will be ....

 

[UPChip]

Day two in Melbourne and Andy Murray is up two sets to one against Matteo Berrettini, though more importantly, they've invoked the HEAT POLICY!

One of the reasons I love this tournament is hearing everyone talk about how warm it is in Melbourne (97 at time of writing) while I freeze my ass off in Minnesota, though for the record it was 35 and rained all day today here.

 

[da man]

Day two in Melbourne and Andy Murray is up two sets to one against Matteo Berrettini, though more importantly, they've invoked the HEAT POLICY!

One of the reasons I love this tournament is hearing everyone talk about how warm it is in Melbourne (97 at time of writing) while I freeze my ass off in Minnesota, though for the record it was 35 and rained all day today here.

That match turned into one of those 5-hour epics, with the ancient Murray (he’s really only 35, the same age as Djokovic and younger than Nadal) rose from the grave to pull off the win. Berrettini won the fourth in a very tight (and entertaining) tiebreak, after which I had to bail out and went to bed. Woke up to find the once-crippled Murray had outlasted the hard-hitting young feller to win the fifth in another tiebreak.

Zverev almost got ousted, too, by a lucky loser from Peru named Juan Pablo Varillas (ranked 104). Barely hung on to win the fourth in a tiebreak before finally putting him away 6-4 in the fourth.

 

[WriteThinking]

I wish her nothing but the best. But I also won't be surprised if we never see her at another tournament.

Seriously, why would she come back?

 

[BTExpress]

Restlessness. Competitive juices. Craving adulation that's sure to fade.

Now, she seems to have more varied social interests than the typical player who has been banging the ball in a cocoon since before puberty, so maybe she'll find a meaningful direction away from tennis. Motherhood's a good reason for that. But she wouldn't be the first to be pulled back by the forces listed above.

Welp, we know who the 2043 Aussie Champion will be ....

Two decades ago I would have said the same about who would be the 2023 Aussie Open champion.

But Jaden and Jaz Agassi never showed an interest in tennis. Jaden is currently a pitcher at USC.

 

[da man]

I know I shouldn’t get excited about this, but…

Nadal is down two sets to love to young American Mackie McDonald.

 

[da man]

OMG, he did it!

McDonald pulls it off and takes out No. 1 seed and defending champion Nadal in straight sets.

Bye, Rafa. I know it hurts, but you always have Paris.

 

[qtlaw]

Wow Nadal out already!

 

[UPChip]

I didn't have time to watch tonight, but I saw that the trainer was out. Was this one of those "Rafa breaks down again because his default levels of torque and exertion surpass the limits of the body human" losses?

Also, how is it that he's still the No. 1 seed at a slam at this point in his (or anyone's at his age?) career?

 

[Della9250]

I didn't have time to watch tonight, but I saw that the trainer was out. Was this one of those "Rafa breaks down again because his default levels of torque and exertion surpass the limits of the body human" losses?

Also, how is it that he's still the No. 1 seed at a slam at this point in his (or anyone's at his age?) career?

He is No. 2 in the ATP rankings and Alcaraz pulled out with an injury like a week ago. The next three guys in the rankings are Casper Ruud, Tsitsipas and Djokovic

 

[BTExpress]

Saw the end of a match tonight featuring a woman with a name made for tennis: Volynets.

Tennys Sandgren is, of course, the standard-bearer on the men's tour.

This is what Nadal said after his match, during which he aggravated a hip problem. It's why he's won 22 majors and why players like Nick Kyrgios may not win 2.

"I didn't want to retire, to be defending champion here. I didn't want to leave the court with a retirement. Better like this at the end. I lost. Nothing to say. Congratulate the opponent. That's the sport at the same time. Just try your best till the end. Doesn't matter the chances that you have. That's the philosophy of the sport. That's the essence of the sport by itself. I tried to follow that during all my tennis career, and I tried of course to not increase the damage, because I didn't know what's going on.”

 

[Cosmo]

No. 2 seed Casper Ruud seems to be in a bit of danger tonight (today?) too.

 

[da man]

No. 2 seed Casper Ruud seems to be in a bit of danger tonight (today?) too.

He’s done for. Brooksby’s been playing out of his mind and Ruud has spent the entire third set shaking his head in frustration.

 

[UPChip]

Ruud saves three match points to get back on serve in the third set, down 3-6, 5-7.

 

[da man]

He’s done for. Brooksby’s been playing out of his mind and Ruud has spent the entire third set shaking his head in frustration.

I stand corrected. All of a sudden Brooksby looks like he’s about to die.

 

[UPChip]

Thought he might have been cooked after losing the breaker pretty decisively but after Ruud took about 15 minutes in the locker room, Brooksby broke him at love. Long way to go but kind of feels like he might be having a day.

 

[da man]

Thought he might have been cooked after losing the breaker pretty decisively but after Ruud took about 15 minutes in the locker room, Brooksby broke him at love. Long way to go but kind of feels like he might be having a day.

Big mistake by Ruud to let Brooksby rest and recover after struggling just to breathe by the end of set 3.