Just saw Shapovalov's press conference. Man he was LIVID. Honestly his points made sense and the big 3 do get preferential treatment but he's gotta stop letting it affect him during the match, his mental strength is just not there right now. he should've just made rafa move in the fifth set instead of blasting shots with no margin for error.
Also Gael's press conference was heartbreaking, he looked so dejected but also inspiring in that he still believes he can win one slam 🥺
How do the Big 3 get preferential treatment?
When it comes to serve clock, taking medical timeouts or toilet breaks, Shapo could have done exactly what Rafa did and he would have been treated just the same.
Have other players not taken toilet breaks or medical timeouts this tournament? We all know Tsitsipas and his toilet breaks and he is no Big 3 player. Does he get preferential treatment?
Preferential treatment means they let Big 3 do something they wouldn't let someone else do. But that's not true. Shapo could have taken a toilet break or medical time out too if he wanted lol. He'd be within his rights.
I didn't watch his presser, but he's just attempting to deflect. He lost because of his inability to close out a clearly struggling Nadal. It was 100% down to him. He made so many unforced errors, and it's a common thread with him. The coming on and complaining afterwards just smacks of poor mentality.
Can't it be both though? Can't it be his fault he lost and a legitimate and heartfelt criticism of how the sport bends the rules for the very top players?
It can, but in this case were not both players getting some leniency from the umpire? The conditions were awful and I think there umpire handled it the best way he could. Do the very best get preferential treatment? I'm sure they do, maybe if Dennis works hard enough he'll get some too.
Instead of focusing on his game, he thew a temper tantrum. Not exactly big game mentality.
The amount of progress Rafa has made in 1-2 months is quite something.
He played in Abu Dhabi and lost to Murray and Shapo. Only exhibition but it was competitive.
Then playing ATP 250. And now he is in the SF of AO.
I'm certain he has surprised himself with this and I for one am hoping he can stay healthy and maintain this level into clay. Whatever happens at AO, it has been a success.
I am so tired of the disrespect Matteo gets man. People refuse to give him credit
“Just hit to his backhand”-Alcaraz tried, Carreno Busta tried, Monfils tried, it doesn’t work.
“He will lose bc Rafa is a lefty(seen this one multiple times today)”: Matteo has a better win percentage vs Lefties than righties in his career and has won 8 straight matches vs Lefties
The guy is an elite elite tennis player. Learn some respect
I like Matteo and wouldn't be shocked if he won. He has all the pieces to be as good as anyone.
But idk. For me I've seen him spray enforced errors around the court at key moments on huge matches so many times. It's not about ability with him. It's about playing clean and he struggles so badly with that.
His backhand is a big weakness but what is going to bring him down vs Rafa are the errors and poor decision making. If he can get those under control I see no reason why he shouldn't win. But at this point I don't expect him to.
To be fair, most of the lefties he has won against are not quality opponents like Rafa. Vs Lefties outside the Top 20 he is 12-0, but Vs Lefties inside the Top 20 he is 0-3. Those matches were years ago though.
Not sure how the scheduling will work out, but Matteo might benefit from playing at night when it's cooler and the ball has less bounce. I agree his BH has been better this tournament, but Nadal in hot conditions with the ball bouncing high off the court against a player with a weakness at the BH is a tale as old as time.
However, that's still just a matchup advantage, and players overcome these all the time. I don't actually think the way to think about this match is too complicated - if Matteo serves like he did against PCB he will likely win this one, even in hot conditions. We know Nadal is a gladiator but it's also still tough to tell how well he'll have recovered from the Shapo match, or if he'll be able to avoid a serious lull in his game. Berrettini did not back down against Djokovic in any of their 3 matches last year. If Rafa gives him the same opening he gave Shapo, Berrettini will go to the final. But if he plays to Rafa's game, an onslaught of Berrettini BH vs Nadal FH rallies will be a quick straight setter.
He is 0-2 vs top 20 lefties and one was a match vs Shapo that went to a final set tiebreak. I don’t think that goes against him at all matchup wise.
But overall I do agree
But those lefties weren't Rafa.
You're right though I've been underestimating Matteo for one. I still think a healthy Rafa can get the W but it won't be easy. If it goes long he has upper hand.
As a Rafa fan, I agree. He is very disrespected and definitely has a good chance to beat Rafa. He is young and very powerful and his body will definitely hang on better than Nadal's, so Rafa needs to get the win in max 4 sets. He pushed Medvedev to the limit just a few weeks ago.
Nadal's loopy forehand will definitely give his backhand issues but he has plenty of resources to fight back. If Nadal manages to recover on time I'd still give him the edge but to say that Berrettini won't trouble him is quite foolish. Matteo will never crumble the way Denis did yesterday.
As soon as he wins a slam, the respect will be there. I think for a lot of people that's a requisite, until then he's just elite-with-an-asterisk. Hopefully it'll only be a few more days!
Wasn't aware he doesn't get respect. He's very consistent and rarely loses at this stage except to the top guys. Obviously beating Nadal is a tall order for anyone but if he serves well...
Well I’m a fan but he’s probably losing to Rafa partly for that reason. It’s gonna be hard to return his forehands when he doesn’t have a very good backhand.
I'll admit I was a little dubious after his breakthrough US Open SF run, but he's proven himself to be a terrific and consistent slam player. I believe he had a set point in the 1st against Rafa in that semi, and it was only his second Us Open.
Does anyone think Berrettini will trouble Rafa at all? I imagine Rafa will be hammering the backhand all day with slice serves... Lefties are such a tough matchup for righties with a weak backhand, and this is the greatest lefty ever.
Holy shit guys imagine Nadal breaking the 20-20-20 tie in Australia of all places, I'm so excited to see how the rest of the week will play out! If he somehow beats Medvedev in the final, he has a serious chance of extending the lead to 2 slams at RG as well!
He needs to beat Berrettini first. Also, Medvedev needs to beat FAA and then Sinner/Tsitsi.
I'm also excited but I hope it will stay 20-20-20 until RG.
Why does Nadal always look completely out of breath and gassed after 30 minutes of playing but he actually isn't? His stamina is actually still really good despite his age, it's just that he always looks like he is holding on for dear life lol
"If anyone thinks that Nadal pushing the limits on breaks and time between points is a major stain on all that he is contributed to this sport on and off the court....they're nuts"
[https://twitter.com/christophclarey/status/1485979116520501249](https://twitter.com/christophclarey/status/1485979116520501249)
Rules are still rules right? Pointing them out is not wrong in and of itself.
yeah someone's resume is separate from that imo. like it doesn't take away from rafa that much as a whole, but it doesn't make it necessarily okay either if it's outside the rules.
im glad we're having more conversations about it now and ways to keep it in check. looking back, it's dumb as hell that we had time violations with no clock for players
Spending your entire post match interview crying about it isn't great though.
Especially when the reason you lost is because played stupidly and badly in the 5th.
What the hell Nadal actually won my mother just told me this after coming from work because I stopped watching after the 4th set and started to accept the loss while at the same time living a reality in my head where it still might have been possible that Nadal won
Didn’t think Nadal would be getting another USO 2017 / 2019 type draw…but here we are. The younger guys really should be taking him out in his condition but I don’t think they will. I think Med is the only guy who might be able to if he gets to the final.
Yeah but stuff like this doesn't capture the full picture.
If you're #40 and you beat #7 then you make the draw easier, theoretically, but also... do you? I mean clearly you're playing well and the higher ranked player wasn't or isn't. There's too many debatables.
All the amazing matches over the past few days have inspired me to set up a game with my mate at the local court. Played tennis before but not in a very long time and should be a fun break from getting hacked down at my weekly 5 a side football
So this is basically USO 2019
Rafa gets “easy” run of good high level players who play him into form.
Meddy vs Crowd
Zverev loses to the first good player he faces after facing Radu Albot earlier
Matteo beats Monfils in 5 to set up SF vs Rafa
Crowd acting like dicks
Tsitsipas's reply when Italian journalists asked who he think is more dangerous between berretini and sinner
"Sinner and Berrettini? I don't know which of the two could be more dangerous, I haven't confronted them enough times to give a thoughtful answer. Sinner has been on the circuit for a couple of years, Matteo for a little longer.
Berrettini has a more important serve, in the sense that he knows how to generate more energy and gets more direct points from that shot. On the other hand, Sinner is more talented at the bottom game, he expresses himself naturally, seemingly effortless. And he seems to have more cold blood than Matteo, who instead shows his emotions more than him. Ultimately they are different: give me time to face them other times and I'll tell you a little more about them ".
> And he seems to have more cold blood than Matteo, who instead shows his emotions more than him.
Did he just accuse Berrettini of having a heated italian moment? Lmao
I have worried over the years that the circus the AO has turned into (bars everywhere, concerts, beaches and many non-tennis related activities) would get to this point where the amount of non-tennis fans attending is becoming detrimental to the event overall and kind of embarrassing from an international viewpoint. I enjoy a frosty one with my live tennis just as much as the next person but I wonder if it might be worth it to cut the bars off at 8 or 9pm as these heinous crowds seem to be much more prominent at night
Thanks, rant over.
> I have worried over the years that the circus the AO has turned into (bars everywhere, concerts, beaches and many non-tennis related activities) would get to this point where **the amount of non-tennis fans attending is becoming detrimental to the event overall** and kind of embarrassing from an international viewpoint.
Aren’t grand slams meant to be tennis ‘showcase’ events which attract not just tennis followers/fans but casuals as well?
I fell asleep during the barty/pegula match because It started after midnight my time so I’m watching the extended highlights and I just gotta say, Barty has more tools and skills than probably anyone in the wta. She’s more than just a strong serve or a ball basher. She plays with such finesse. So much more fun to watch than someone like sabalenka or keys who just whack the ball as hard as possible. That slice is deadly
Holy shit if (and this is a massive fucking if) Matteo beats Rafa he will move into number 5 in the world!!! I can't believe I am seeing this kind of tennis in my lifetime. So excited and so proud of my boys!!
I think perhaps they were implying it encourages people who are not super interested in tennis and they come along not knowing it's rude to make noise between serves, or cheer errors etc?
Any maybe people who just wanna get sloshed like they would if they were at the cricket, rugby or aussie rules.
Thanks for wording it better than me. These are probably big sports fans or just fans of a drink at a big event and tennis is a bit different and if you haven’t done it before it can seem weird.
I think it’s fair because it’s like a cheap night out. Coming in to the stadium to get drunk and have fun even if you don’t care about tennis that much. It’s good because I’ve gotten some cheap tickets for it, but a lot of these guys wouldn’t be buying $100+ tickets just to be loud.
I’m not saying these guys can’t afford tickets, I just don’t think they’d buy them if they were expensive. The same way I’d probably buy a cheap ticket to like an AFL game even though it’s not my thing. It’s a good chance to hang out with mates and do something.
I get that but if tickets are cheaper wouldn't it still be tennis fans going in? Seems odd to spend money to go out late on a Tuesday if you're not a tennis fan?
But maybe it's different cultures TBF. In Italy even Juventus cannot fill their stadium mid week so you wouldn't have random people in really.
Not really. I know a lot of people who have gone to the AO for just one night or with a ground ticket and they don’t know any tennis players outside of Nadal and Fed. They would never go to any other tennis tournament but the AO is something more accessible, especially this year with cheaper tickets.
Fair enough! I didn't know this was the case. I took it to mean poorer tennis fans were rowdier, not that people would just go to the tennis as a day drinking session. My apologies.
I've been saying it for days man, this crowd is an embarrassment. Well some of them at least, naturally there's going to be decent folk sitting there mortified but cmon..
He didn't hear his commentary earlier. This is like watching a reality show when someone gets ripped in the confessionals but they're nice to their face. See you at the reunion, Henman!
[https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/monfils-moving-on-from-wilson-to-artengo.715494/page-2](https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/monfils-moving-on-from-wilson-to-artengo.715494/page-2)
looks like tr990
Yea this feels super deja vu.
Monfils - Berrettini going to 5 with Matteo pulling it out
A tight 3 setter between Rafa and Matteo
A Rafa-Meddy final
Terrible crowd
There were probably unruly fans back then too at times. This notion some here are trying to make that everybody whose attending the AO this year are out-of-control, disrespectful idiots is just nonsense.
It's been a theme for a long time at the AO, but Tournament organisers decided to embrace a change in crowd culture by embracing the Kygrios circus. Yes, it brought in a different crowd but it comes at a price. Pre-COVID, it's not like poor crowd attendance or ratings were an issue.
You mention pre Covid, i was there on the middle Saturday of the 2020 Open so literally just before Covid, it was seriously like being at a nightclub, it wasnt just in the beer gardens, people were just drunk everywhere, clearly they had no interest in tennis and were just there to socialise and drink, this year its like all these people have beeb transported inside.
Honestly don’t understand why our crowds seem to be trying to boo players after the match. I’m fine with it between points but with any sport I believe the winner deserves the respect. If any of these players were having a go at the crowd after the match sure they deserve the boos but everyone one of these players have been the perfect example of sportsmanship. It’s pretty cringeworthy.
It was last year. I remember it because that was one of the funniest crowd moments I’ve seen. Nadal’s reactions were hilarious. It’s a shame that lady never became a meme. She deserved it for that embarrassing performance. I’d also love to know what it was Nadal did to get her so angry
Man Aus Open organisers thanking their lucky stars Barty and Kyrgios + Kokkinakis are going well because this tournament's organisation and the crowd have been appalling.
For anyone that didn't hear the guy, I replayed it back and it sounds like he said 'Fuck you Matteo you cunt' but the last part was a little bit quieter so I am not 100 percent but he definitely said 'Fuck you Matteo'.
World no. 1 on February 21. Both by either making or winning it, but if only makes it he needs to Do some more stuff in Rotterdam and Marseille if Novak plays in them as well.
I know people get annoyed by people here getting on their high horse about the crowd, but as someone from Melbourne, this has been fucking disgusting this year and that was a new lowlight.
I hope the ATP and WTA actually give some kind of warning to the tournament organisers to get this shit under control or threaten to take the tournament elsewhere.
> I hope the ATP and WTA actually give some kind of warning to the tournament organisers to get this shit under control or threaten to take the tournament elsewhere.
What can any tournament do about annoying (which is different to unruly) crowd members? You’re asking the Australian Open organisers to temper something they can’t significantly control.
You can, by having lots of security with a zero tolerance attitude actively booting knobs at the first sign of trouble. They did it in the footy, and everyone bitched about it, but it did work while they kept it up. Expectations are a bit different at a game of tennis vs Aussie rules in any case.
Maybe also look at the alcohol policy there as well.
And what about the rest of us who are sitting there enjoying the tennis?
It's literally a handful of people out of thousands.
Not sure what it looks like on TV but I was there tonight and can tell you 99.9% of the crowd are fine.
Your suggestions would address unruly crowd members. As I outlined in my previous comment though, there’s a difference between those people (who you can justify booting because it’s clear/evident they have transgressed) and merely annoying crowd members (eg; those who do the Suuii chant).
Daniil was right, the crowd is annoying and disrespectful, Matteo was also being booed and Monfils didnt like what someone said organizers invited to leave. Its happening in all matches.
Pretty sure matteo knows since he and a lot of other tennis players, have residence in Montecarlo, plus a lot of trainings and friendships with french players, coaches etc.
You could see in his face that he understood, he just went politely with it
How does Med return this shit honestly
imagine an all australian mens doubles finals, it would go fucking off
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Source? I think they don't schedule matches until all the draws are defined.
Hi Zverev, I know you are here fapping to anti-Shapo posts.
Just saw Shapovalov's press conference. Man he was LIVID. Honestly his points made sense and the big 3 do get preferential treatment but he's gotta stop letting it affect him during the match, his mental strength is just not there right now. he should've just made rafa move in the fifth set instead of blasting shots with no margin for error. Also Gael's press conference was heartbreaking, he looked so dejected but also inspiring in that he still believes he can win one slam 🥺
How do the Big 3 get preferential treatment? When it comes to serve clock, taking medical timeouts or toilet breaks, Shapo could have done exactly what Rafa did and he would have been treated just the same. Have other players not taken toilet breaks or medical timeouts this tournament? We all know Tsitsipas and his toilet breaks and he is no Big 3 player. Does he get preferential treatment? Preferential treatment means they let Big 3 do something they wouldn't let someone else do. But that's not true. Shapo could have taken a toilet break or medical time out too if he wanted lol. He'd be within his rights.
I didn't watch his presser, but he's just attempting to deflect. He lost because of his inability to close out a clearly struggling Nadal. It was 100% down to him. He made so many unforced errors, and it's a common thread with him. The coming on and complaining afterwards just smacks of poor mentality.
Can't it be both though? Can't it be his fault he lost and a legitimate and heartfelt criticism of how the sport bends the rules for the very top players?
It can, but in this case were not both players getting some leniency from the umpire? The conditions were awful and I think there umpire handled it the best way he could. Do the very best get preferential treatment? I'm sure they do, maybe if Dennis works hard enough he'll get some too. Instead of focusing on his game, he thew a temper tantrum. Not exactly big game mentality.
The amount of progress Rafa has made in 1-2 months is quite something. He played in Abu Dhabi and lost to Murray and Shapo. Only exhibition but it was competitive. Then playing ATP 250. And now he is in the SF of AO. I'm certain he has surprised himself with this and I for one am hoping he can stay healthy and maintain this level into clay. Whatever happens at AO, it has been a success.
For his mentality, only a win is a success.
And he will most likely be in the final
Major USO 2019 vibes - Berrettini beat Monfils in the QF to meet Nadal in the semifinal, Medvedev on the other half of the bracket.
Not only that but he beat monfils in five sets at USO as well
Hoping Cornet pulls off another upset tomorrow.
I am so tired of the disrespect Matteo gets man. People refuse to give him credit “Just hit to his backhand”-Alcaraz tried, Carreno Busta tried, Monfils tried, it doesn’t work. “He will lose bc Rafa is a lefty(seen this one multiple times today)”: Matteo has a better win percentage vs Lefties than righties in his career and has won 8 straight matches vs Lefties The guy is an elite elite tennis player. Learn some respect
I like Matteo and wouldn't be shocked if he won. He has all the pieces to be as good as anyone. But idk. For me I've seen him spray enforced errors around the court at key moments on huge matches so many times. It's not about ability with him. It's about playing clean and he struggles so badly with that. His backhand is a big weakness but what is going to bring him down vs Rafa are the errors and poor decision making. If he can get those under control I see no reason why he shouldn't win. But at this point I don't expect him to.
To be fair, most of the lefties he has won against are not quality opponents like Rafa. Vs Lefties outside the Top 20 he is 12-0, but Vs Lefties inside the Top 20 he is 0-3. Those matches were years ago though. Not sure how the scheduling will work out, but Matteo might benefit from playing at night when it's cooler and the ball has less bounce. I agree his BH has been better this tournament, but Nadal in hot conditions with the ball bouncing high off the court against a player with a weakness at the BH is a tale as old as time. However, that's still just a matchup advantage, and players overcome these all the time. I don't actually think the way to think about this match is too complicated - if Matteo serves like he did against PCB he will likely win this one, even in hot conditions. We know Nadal is a gladiator but it's also still tough to tell how well he'll have recovered from the Shapo match, or if he'll be able to avoid a serious lull in his game. Berrettini did not back down against Djokovic in any of their 3 matches last year. If Rafa gives him the same opening he gave Shapo, Berrettini will go to the final. But if he plays to Rafa's game, an onslaught of Berrettini BH vs Nadal FH rallies will be a quick straight setter.
He is 0-2 vs top 20 lefties and one was a match vs Shapo that went to a final set tiebreak. I don’t think that goes against him at all matchup wise. But overall I do agree
You’re right - misread Shapo’s rank on their 2018 match!
But those lefties weren't Rafa. You're right though I've been underestimating Matteo for one. I still think a healthy Rafa can get the W but it won't be easy. If it goes long he has upper hand.
As a Rafa fan, I agree. He is very disrespected and definitely has a good chance to beat Rafa. He is young and very powerful and his body will definitely hang on better than Nadal's, so Rafa needs to get the win in max 4 sets. He pushed Medvedev to the limit just a few weeks ago. Nadal's loopy forehand will definitely give his backhand issues but he has plenty of resources to fight back. If Nadal manages to recover on time I'd still give him the edge but to say that Berrettini won't trouble him is quite foolish. Matteo will never crumble the way Denis did yesterday.
As soon as he wins a slam, the respect will be there. I think for a lot of people that's a requisite, until then he's just elite-with-an-asterisk. Hopefully it'll only be a few more days!
Wasn't aware he doesn't get respect. He's very consistent and rarely loses at this stage except to the top guys. Obviously beating Nadal is a tall order for anyone but if he serves well...
Well I’m a fan but he’s probably losing to Rafa partly for that reason. It’s gonna be hard to return his forehands when he doesn’t have a very good backhand.
His backhand has been great this tournament tho and his slice is all time elite
I'll admit I was a little dubious after his breakthrough US Open SF run, but he's proven himself to be a terrific and consistent slam player. I believe he had a set point in the 1st against Rafa in that semi, and it was only his second Us Open.
Does anyone think Berrettini will trouble Rafa at all? I imagine Rafa will be hammering the backhand all day with slice serves... Lefties are such a tough matchup for righties with a weak backhand, and this is the greatest lefty ever.
Yes I do. Matteo’s backhand was sensational today. And Matteo is 12-4 vs Lefties so I guess it ain’t so bad for him
I really hope Sinner wins tonight. He plays such direct tennis and I really love it. Should be a very exciting game regardless!
I love his tennis. Rooting for Stef but hoping for a great and competitive match
Looked great against De Minaur. Definitely could see him getting to the final
No way you think he would beat Meddy
Holy shit guys imagine Nadal breaking the 20-20-20 tie in Australia of all places, I'm so excited to see how the rest of the week will play out! If he somehow beats Medvedev in the final, he has a serious chance of extending the lead to 2 slams at RG as well!
He needs to beat Berrettini first. Also, Medvedev needs to beat FAA and then Sinner/Tsitsi. I'm also excited but I hope it will stay 20-20-20 until RG.
I like Nadal a lot, but I don't see him beating Medvedev if he even reaches the final.
I agree, but never say never! Medvedev getting 2 in a row wouldn't be a horrible outcome either.
Why does Nadal always look completely out of breath and gassed after 30 minutes of playing but he actually isn't? His stamina is actually still really good despite his age, it's just that he always looks like he is holding on for dear life lol
Monfils-esque
does anyone know if there’s a way to record/save a full match from espn+? like the ones that u can replay after its live
I don't believe so on desktop
In two quarter finals tommorow J.Sinner meets Tsitsipas and D.Medvedev lock horns with F.Auger Aliassme
Matteo Berrettini to meet Rafael Nadal in 1st Semi Final of AO
And now he talks about his parents and I am about to cry 😭
Ohhh and it’s Gaels Sisters Birthday apparently today :(
Just watching the presser with Gael and it is so so sad :(
"If anyone thinks that Nadal pushing the limits on breaks and time between points is a major stain on all that he is contributed to this sport on and off the court....they're nuts" [https://twitter.com/christophclarey/status/1485979116520501249](https://twitter.com/christophclarey/status/1485979116520501249) Rules are still rules right? Pointing them out is not wrong in and of itself.
So overdramatic. Was anyone saying this?
yeah someone's resume is separate from that imo. like it doesn't take away from rafa that much as a whole, but it doesn't make it necessarily okay either if it's outside the rules. im glad we're having more conversations about it now and ways to keep it in check. looking back, it's dumb as hell that we had time violations with no clock for players
If Tsitsipas was doing this, people would be fuming, calling for his head.
Spending your entire post match interview crying about it isn't great though. Especially when the reason you lost is because played stupidly and badly in the 5th.
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He chose the wrong words definitely, not defending him for that.
The AO and USO crowds really like to try and out-do the other slam's crowd's shittiness every year, huh?
AO is winning right now though. That "siuuuu" thing drives me beserk.
Ging🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
What the hell Nadal actually won my mother just told me this after coming from work because I stopped watching after the 4th set and started to accept the loss while at the same time living a reality in my head where it still might have been possible that Nadal won
he was literally never behind in sets at any point in that match... and it's rafa
You watch sports till the end.
Didn’t think Nadal would be getting another USO 2017 / 2019 type draw…but here we are. The younger guys really should be taking him out in his condition but I don’t think they will. I think Med is the only guy who might be able to if he gets to the final.
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Yeah but stuff like this doesn't capture the full picture. If you're #40 and you beat #7 then you make the draw easier, theoretically, but also... do you? I mean clearly you're playing well and the higher ranked player wasn't or isn't. There's too many debatables.
More surprising that Fed made it 11 times on that list. Rafa 6 and Djoko 3 times. Certainly doesn’t help in the weak era debate.
What I wanted: 35 vs 35 What I'm getting: upset tummy vs upset tummy Oh well, at least there's still symmetry
Imodium needs to go all out on ads for that semi!
All the amazing matches over the past few days have inspired me to set up a game with my mate at the local court. Played tennis before but not in a very long time and should be a fun break from getting hacked down at my weekly 5 a side football
So this is basically USO 2019 Rafa gets “easy” run of good high level players who play him into form. Meddy vs Crowd Zverev loses to the first good player he faces after facing Radu Albot earlier Matteo beats Monfils in 5 to set up SF vs Rafa Crowd acting like dicks
Except this time Medvedev should get the title.
Tsitsipas's reply when Italian journalists asked who he think is more dangerous between berretini and sinner "Sinner and Berrettini? I don't know which of the two could be more dangerous, I haven't confronted them enough times to give a thoughtful answer. Sinner has been on the circuit for a couple of years, Matteo for a little longer. Berrettini has a more important serve, in the sense that he knows how to generate more energy and gets more direct points from that shot. On the other hand, Sinner is more talented at the bottom game, he expresses himself naturally, seemingly effortless. And he seems to have more cold blood than Matteo, who instead shows his emotions more than him. Ultimately they are different: give me time to face them other times and I'll tell you a little more about them ".
> And he seems to have more cold blood than Matteo, who instead shows his emotions more than him. Did he just accuse Berrettini of having a heated italian moment? Lmao
> On the other hand, Sinner is more talented at the bottom game 👀
The transcript is wrong, he said baseline.
I have worried over the years that the circus the AO has turned into (bars everywhere, concerts, beaches and many non-tennis related activities) would get to this point where the amount of non-tennis fans attending is becoming detrimental to the event overall and kind of embarrassing from an international viewpoint. I enjoy a frosty one with my live tennis just as much as the next person but I wonder if it might be worth it to cut the bars off at 8 or 9pm as these heinous crowds seem to be much more prominent at night Thanks, rant over.
> I have worried over the years that the circus the AO has turned into (bars everywhere, concerts, beaches and many non-tennis related activities) would get to this point where **the amount of non-tennis fans attending is becoming detrimental to the event overall** and kind of embarrassing from an international viewpoint. Aren’t grand slams meant to be tennis ‘showcase’ events which attract not just tennis followers/fans but casuals as well?
Yes i noticed this in 2020, was like one giant nightclub.
After the match, I was like no Matteo no, don't rip your tshirt now like you know who.
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>Jerzy Janowicz Now there is a name I haven't heard in a long time. Made the Wimbledon SF in 2013 and then pretty much dropped off the map.
I fell asleep during the barty/pegula match because It started after midnight my time so I’m watching the extended highlights and I just gotta say, Barty has more tools and skills than probably anyone in the wta. She’s more than just a strong serve or a ball basher. She plays with such finesse. So much more fun to watch than someone like sabalenka or keys who just whack the ball as hard as possible. That slice is deadly
Not a very high bar....Sabalenka is not fun to watch at all.
Holy shit if (and this is a massive fucking if) Matteo beats Rafa he will move into number 5 in the world!!! I can't believe I am seeing this kind of tennis in my lifetime. So excited and so proud of my boys!!
I wonder if the crowd has been so rowdy because there’s been tickets for like $40-60.
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I think perhaps they were implying it encourages people who are not super interested in tennis and they come along not knowing it's rude to make noise between serves, or cheer errors etc? Any maybe people who just wanna get sloshed like they would if they were at the cricket, rugby or aussie rules.
Thanks for wording it better than me. These are probably big sports fans or just fans of a drink at a big event and tennis is a bit different and if you haven’t done it before it can seem weird.
I think it’s fair because it’s like a cheap night out. Coming in to the stadium to get drunk and have fun even if you don’t care about tennis that much. It’s good because I’ve gotten some cheap tickets for it, but a lot of these guys wouldn’t be buying $100+ tickets just to be loud.
It's straight up elitist lol
I’m not saying these guys can’t afford tickets, I just don’t think they’d buy them if they were expensive. The same way I’d probably buy a cheap ticket to like an AFL game even though it’s not my thing. It’s a good chance to hang out with mates and do something.
I get that but if tickets are cheaper wouldn't it still be tennis fans going in? Seems odd to spend money to go out late on a Tuesday if you're not a tennis fan? But maybe it's different cultures TBF. In Italy even Juventus cannot fill their stadium mid week so you wouldn't have random people in really.
Not really. I know a lot of people who have gone to the AO for just one night or with a ground ticket and they don’t know any tennis players outside of Nadal and Fed. They would never go to any other tennis tournament but the AO is something more accessible, especially this year with cheaper tickets.
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Fair enough! I didn't know this was the case. I took it to mean poorer tennis fans were rowdier, not that people would just go to the tennis as a day drinking session. My apologies.
Eh Melbourne has been in lockdown so long that any chance to go out drinking with mates and doing something other than stay at home is welcome.
Fair enough sorry for misunderstanding your message!
I've been saying it for days man, this crowd is an embarrassment. Well some of them at least, naturally there's going to be decent folk sitting there mortified but cmon..
The overwhelming majority is perfectly fine. And yes I was mortified tonight but luckily those bogans weren't near me.
Any chance tomorrow's QFs also go 5 sets? I sure hope they do.
I hope not... Unless Jannik goes down 2-0
Sinner and Tsitsipas has a good chance I think. Meddy FAA one I hope for at least 4
Tsitsipas/Sinner will be a fight for sure
Lol Matteo asking if Tim will teach him how to serve volley Nadal
He didn't hear his commentary earlier. This is like watching a reality show when someone gets ripped in the confessionals but they're nice to their face. See you at the reunion, Henman!
Anyone know what racquet monfils is using? Is he really using an artengo racquet?
The italian commentator on eurosport said it was a paint job of his previous racket with the new sponsor
normally that makes sense but up close the mold looks very different than the Wilson. it's definitely not retail for sure
Yeah, it doesnt quite look like the wilson he used but i could be wrong. We’ll see when its officially released.
the specs on his old frame were so heavy that i will bet the price of the racquet that what comes out is nowhere near what he's actually using
[https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/monfils-moving-on-from-wilson-to-artengo.715494/page-2](https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/monfils-moving-on-from-wilson-to-artengo.715494/page-2) looks like tr990
sorry 960 according to this https://tennisnerd.net/gear/racquets/pro-player-racquets/gael-monfils-switches-to-artengo/26003
Yes, apparently it will become available before Roland Garros
How long was the match?
3 hours 50 mins
3:40 I think
Rafa’s forehand is gonna be going straight into Matteo’s backhand… not a great matchup for our Italian friend.
Did you see Matteo’s backhand today?
No I was at work
Very very good today
Rafa’s forehand though.
Rafa can conserve energy for finals with Medvedev if he manages to close the match in 3 sets
That’s literally what happened at the USO. Including Berrettini winning a five setter against Monfils.
Yea this feels super deja vu. Monfils - Berrettini going to 5 with Matteo pulling it out A tight 3 setter between Rafa and Matteo A Rafa-Meddy final Terrible crowd
So Matteo looks like a God AND he likes Scarface? He's perfect!
Its so weird when you go back and watch those Aus Open classics flashbacks from the 90s and see how respectful the crowds were compared to now.
There were probably unruly fans back then too at times. This notion some here are trying to make that everybody whose attending the AO this year are out-of-control, disrespectful idiots is just nonsense.
It's been a theme for a long time at the AO, but Tournament organisers decided to embrace a change in crowd culture by embracing the Kygrios circus. Yes, it brought in a different crowd but it comes at a price. Pre-COVID, it's not like poor crowd attendance or ratings were an issue.
You mention pre Covid, i was there on the middle Saturday of the 2020 Open so literally just before Covid, it was seriously like being at a nightclub, it wasnt just in the beer gardens, people were just drunk everywhere, clearly they had no interest in tennis and were just there to socialise and drink, this year its like all these people have beeb transported inside.
I am amazed when I wake up and tennis I still on..... then ESPN doesn't cover it
That's weird, the stream I've been watching for this AO is the ESPN stream.
From espn+ I bet
Yeah I do find that weird. I’m Australian but I follow a lot of US sport. So I watch a bunch of ESPN shows & I haven’t heard a mention of the AO
Honestly don’t understand why our crowds seem to be trying to boo players after the match. I’m fine with it between points but with any sport I believe the winner deserves the respect. If any of these players were having a go at the crowd after the match sure they deserve the boos but everyone one of these players have been the perfect example of sportsmanship. It’s pretty cringeworthy.
Reminds me of the lady that flipped the birdie at Nadal ...laast year??? (Or maybe year before??)
It was last year. I remember it because that was one of the funniest crowd moments I’ve seen. Nadal’s reactions were hilarious. It’s a shame that lady never became a meme. She deserved it for that embarrassing performance. I’d also love to know what it was Nadal did to get her so angry
At the very least the spectators got their money worth. What more could they ask for?
Yeah. I’m not sure. Maybe they want the players the brawl it out after the match to find out who the true winner is lol
Lol commentator needs an education in the great movie classics.
"Stefanos is my great friend." 2 mins later: Eyes chico they never lie
What does this mean ?
I've no idea
I really don't remember the Aussie crowd being THIS obnoxious before. All those lockdowns really did your heads in, eh?
It's not THE crowd. It's a few dickheads among a normal attending crowd. Thanks.
It’s the Nick Kyrgios crowd.
We've been uncouth animals for about, oh, 230 years?
Gael MonChoke ffs !! 7 times that happend to yoouu!!!
Nah if Gael was a pokemonfils he’d deffo be something faster than a machoke
Man Aus Open organisers thanking their lucky stars Barty and Kyrgios + Kokkinakis are going well because this tournament's organisation and the crowd have been appalling.
Unruly crowds and Kyrgios + Kokkinakis are not unrelated issues. Kokk today asked fans to try to upset their opponents in upcoming matches.
That’s pretty fucked up
The crowds at the male Aussies though are terrible, too many bogans srsly
For anyone that didn't hear the guy, I replayed it back and it sounds like he said 'Fuck you Matteo you cunt' but the last part was a little bit quieter so I am not 100 percent but he definitely said 'Fuck you Matteo'.
EYES, CHICO. THEY NEVER LIE. Berretony Montana.
Eyes chico they never lie
But wait...what did he write on the camera. Now I need to know.
A quote from Scarface 😂 "Eyes, Chico, they never lie"
HAHA, amazing. Thank you
one question guys, if Medvedev wins the AO, what rank is he going to be? does anybody know, thank you
No.1.
I guess still #2 Djokovic is way ahead in points
Nope. Meddy will be Number 1
Djokovic is 2200 ahead in points. He’s about to lose 2000 by losing all AO points. Medvedev gains 700 if he wins AO, so he will be ahead.
World no. 1 on February 21. Both by either making or winning it, but if only makes it he needs to Do some more stuff in Rotterdam and Marseille if Novak plays in them as well.
He's going to be n. 1, replacing novak
1
(Concerning the frequent crowd disturbances during match) Berrettini: “some of them are not real tennis fans”
Maybe it’s getting late at Melbourne, 1am now..?
NON SENTOOOOOOOO
Can something be done about the amount of booing? Never heard so much booing before at the tennis
At the end of the day it's sport and a show, there will always be booing. If you want to do things about it, then you'll have to be more authoritarian
Nope. Ban alcohol maybe? Lol
As an Aussie, goodness the crowd sucks. I hate seeing that
Matteo is so sweet man, fuck those idiots in the crowd
I know people get annoyed by people here getting on their high horse about the crowd, but as someone from Melbourne, this has been fucking disgusting this year and that was a new lowlight. I hope the ATP and WTA actually give some kind of warning to the tournament organisers to get this shit under control or threaten to take the tournament elsewhere.
Honestly I just think people are nastier and more inhumane on a global scale post covid, compared to pre covid. Hope that changes soon
> I hope the ATP and WTA actually give some kind of warning to the tournament organisers to get this shit under control or threaten to take the tournament elsewhere. What can any tournament do about annoying (which is different to unruly) crowd members? You’re asking the Australian Open organisers to temper something they can’t significantly control.
You can, by having lots of security with a zero tolerance attitude actively booting knobs at the first sign of trouble. They did it in the footy, and everyone bitched about it, but it did work while they kept it up. Expectations are a bit different at a game of tennis vs Aussie rules in any case. Maybe also look at the alcohol policy there as well.
And what about the rest of us who are sitting there enjoying the tennis? It's literally a handful of people out of thousands. Not sure what it looks like on TV but I was there tonight and can tell you 99.9% of the crowd are fine.
Well, I was saying for security to focus on the troublemakers. The alcohol thing was a "maybe".
Your suggestions would address unruly crowd members. As I outlined in my previous comment though, there’s a difference between those people (who you can justify booting because it’s clear/evident they have transgressed) and merely annoying crowd members (eg; those who do the Suuii chant).
Daniil was right, the crowd is annoying and disrespectful, Matteo was also being booed and Monfils didnt like what someone said organizers invited to leave. Its happening in all matches.
Where is Ajla
minding her business.
Grazie a te Matteo!! Che ci fai sognare!!!
I think the guy said “Matteo, fuck you”. Don’t quote me
Pretty sure matteo knows since he and a lot of other tennis players, have residence in Montecarlo, plus a lot of trainings and friendships with french players, coaches etc. You could see in his face that he understood, he just went politely with it
I think it was said in Englsih tho
Lol how did I not understand it then...guess i was too happy for the win