2019 Australian Open

[Shadowlight]

Starting this Sunday as Djokovic and Halep are the number one seeds. They were deservedly the male and female players of the year for 2018.

Serena went the entire year without bagging a major and the hope is she continues to decline into eventual oblivion. Move over big mouth.

Every year there is speculation surrounding the next big things and will the old order finally dissipate? Last year especially on the men's side the old order held to form. I and others keep wondering when that dam will finally break but maybe this is the year all havoc and turnover takes place.

That said one of the old order Andy Murray, unlike Djokovic who recovered from his injuries in grand style, hasn't been able to shake his hip injury so he just announced he plans to retire perhaps as early as after the Australian Open. Just 31 at one time he was a gold card carrying member of the "big four." He won the US Open in 2012, two historic Wimbledon titles in 2013 and 2016 and two Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016.

He also played and lost in five Australian Open finals and lost one French open final. He was a superb mover and tactician and at one time was the best player in the world.

Shame that he can't overcome his physical maladies. He may try and stick it out until Wimbledon which would be a more fitting place for him to say his goodbyes. HOF player whose career went sideways due to injuries in his prime no less.
It is really too bad.

 

[BeyondFedUp]

Good observations, Shadowlight.

Speaking of retiring, I also believe Fed will retire sometime this year, possibly after Wimbledon and not even enter the US Open. We'll see. He's probably the GOAT for doing what he has for so long at such a high level of success for the past two decades.

 

[Shadowlight]

For obvious reasons the "home boy" Murray would like to stick around and retire at Wimbledon.

As for Roger if his slippage continues from the back half of last year it isn't out of the question he might call it a day at Wimbledon and how fitting that would be since that his is "home" as well.

If both players retire at Wimbledon the emotions would be overwhelming. There won't be a dry eye in the house. You can bet on it.

 

[Don Wassall]

Halep was nearly defeated in the second round by American Sophia Kenin, winning 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4.

I read about it in the sports section of the local paper and had never heard of Kenin before. Couldn't guess her racial background with precision given her name but figured she was yet another beefy black or mixed female as so many leading players from the U.S. are now. But was happy to see she's an All-American girl. Well, actually she's a Russian, born there but moved to America shortly thereafter and after starting to play tennis at age 5 she was sent to the tennis training mills in Florida to develop. According to Wikipedia her idol is Maria Sharapova. She just turned 20 in November.

 

[BeyondFedUp]

Halep was nearly defeated in the second round by American Sophia Kenin, winning 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4.

I read about it in the sports section of the local paper and had never heard of Kenin before. Couldn't guess her racial background with precision given her name but figured she was yet another beefy black or mixed female as so many leading players from the U.S. are now. But was happy to see she's an All-American girl. Well, actually she's a Russian, born there but moved to America shortly thereafter and after starting to play tennis at age 5 she was sent to the tennis training mills in Florida to develop. According to Wikipedia her idol is Maria Sharapova. She just turned 20 in November.

To make matters possibly "worse", Halep has to play Venus later today (Saturday down under) and if she prevails she plays the Linebacker next if she wins her match, which is likely, unfortunately. The Linebacker is seeded 16th but that's the way the draw worked out. Could be interesting.

 

[Shadowlight]

I watched the Halep match this morning. They replayed it. She looked sharp and dominated Venus. Was particularly impressed with her return of serve. Of course next up is the big bad one but hopefully Simona disposes of her. Serena is like a drain clog and you just can't wait to clear her out of the way.

 

[Shadowlight]

Also playing this morning was Camila Giorgi who in typical fashion flashed talent but lost anyway. She can move and smack the ball with the best of them despite being on the smallish side. She also plays a particularly brainless style of tennis which is why she has never made giant inroads. Back a while Kim Clijsters was criticized for similar traits but she eventually overcame them and became a big time champ even after her first retirement.

Girogi though is arguably the most attractive gal on tour now and to say she is photogenic isn't saying enough. Her ethnic background is murky. Italian mother from Argentina but she is also described as being Jewish. Maybe both? I haven't figured it out. Whatever I don't foresee Giorgi ever making a mark. She doesn't strategize and tennis like golf is a very mental sport. All she does is "see ball smack ball."

I have seen her play in person and watched her practice back when her long haired dad used to coach her for want of a better word. Ha. She is a terrific athlete though and has a nice build to go along with her pretty face.

 

[Odysseus]

Stefanos Tsitsipas (the future G.O.A.T.) just eliminated the current G.O.A.T. in an incredible match. I always knew that Greeks would excel in any kind of sport there is if they would show interest and money's invested (which Stefanos's father had because if he waited from the filthy Greek goverment and state, his son would never make it to the top 1000000000). Pete Sampras is more Greek than Tsitsipas in blood (Stefanos is half Russian through his mom) and he's the greatest player in America's history. If Pete was born in Sparta, he would most likely end up being a farmer or something. Imagine if the broken economy of Greece (and other European countries) had all the support and money Ameriqwua 2019 invests to produce the next African golfer, tennis player and quarterback!

One way or another, if Stefanos Tsitsipas doesn't end up being the greatest player in the history of the sport in 15 years from now, I will be TERRIBLY dissapointed at him. He's of Spartan origin from his dad's side and Siberian from his mom's. There's no better or more lethal genetic combination on the planet than the one's running in this 20-year old kid's veins! He could literally play any sport he likes and excels at it (he has the attitude matching his genes too).

PS. The filthy liberals should love him since he's the offspring of a beautiful mix/blend/diversity couple, shouldn't they? I forgot, if the mix doesn't include coal skinned and low IQ subhumans is not considered a blend in Ameriqwua 2019. Europe has by far the most cultural, historical and genetic blend there can be and in my book TRUE EUROPEANS can mix with each other as much as they desire. No need for mixing and blending with non-Europeans (in blood) though, we are DIVERSE enough already! Tsitsipas is a perfect example of marvelous HUMAN blending!

 

[La France Blanche]

This year's "American" delegation to the Australian Open (singles tournament):

Men: 13 whites, 3 blacks ("Milk with Coffee")
Women: 8 whites, 7 blacks ("Straight Outta Baltimore")

 

[Don Wassall]

Svitolina knocks off Madison Keys to advance to the quarterfinals.

 

[Don Wassall]

Rafa Nadel dispatched black American Frances Tiafoe in straight sets to advance to the semis. I didn't know anything about Tiafoe before the tournament, turns out he just turned 21 and is ranked 38th in the world. Was born in Sierra Leone, came to the U.S. at the age of five. One trend I've noticed, at least in the area where I live, is that lots and lots of black Africans and blacks from the Caribbean countries have been brought in in recent years.

Tiafoe advanced to the quarters before facing Nadal, so he may be the next great black hope among American men. Maybe Andy Roddick will turn out to be the last top White American male player for quite a while.

 

[CrazyFinn]

Karolina Pliskova has defeated the obese linebacker, coming back from down 5-1 in the third set! This is an epic choke job and after at least 5 years of repeating it, is the end finally near for Serena? This is great news on top of Nadal knocking out that African from Amerika, a good day of tennis for sure.

 

[icsept]

Lol. Serena in her press conference with a mustache and receding hairline. Hideous.

 

[Shadowlight]

Well my prediction of Serena not bagging another major is still intact. Her biggest opponent is father time which plays tricks on the concentration level.

I don't care to belittle other people's builds etc. but a level of compassion for the viewing public is expected from athletes and people who parade around in the public eye. In other words Serena should try and cover up the frankly hideous parts of her body.

What does she do? The opposite. Decked out in some ludicrous Kermit the Frog jumpsuit that accentuates her already gigantic bulbous ass, it is just too much. Sure there is always some nut cake out there "who likes that look" but for the average Joe it is torture. Hell if I want to catch a horror show I could skip on down to my local multiplex and catch the latest gore fest playing.

American Danielle Collins (now she has a nice figure that should be accentuated) is the new face in the semifinals and a couple of men too including what looks to be the next chick magnet (they will swarm if he starts bagging majors) ST the Greek who Odysseus describes above.

 

[Don Wassall]

Lol. Serena in her press conference with a mustache and receding hairline. Hideous.

I just watched the third set for the second time, and it was great viewing. Mary Carillo and Mary Jo Fernandez made lots of excuses for Brutus -- she was called for a foot fault on her first match point, and both girls declared that if the foot fault hadn't been called the serve was going to be an ace, match over. Well, it sure didn't look like it was going to be an ace to me, it was served right in the middle of the receiving court for Pliskova to hit. Then right after that Williams slightly rolled an ankle, and that was repeatedly used as an excuse by the announcers as she wilted.

Pliskova won because she played with ice water in her veins after falling behind 1-5 in the third, hitting lots of winners and no unforced errors, staving off four match points. As Pliskova neared victory, Carillo moaned, "This is such a shame because Serena came into this event fitter, faster and more focused than before." Fitter and faster?? Fast for someone rapidly approaching full-blown sumo status maybe.

And Shadowlight is right about her outfit, gross stuff. But of course she's not allowed to be criticized, after all she's a big, beautiful, powerful black woman and everyone in the corporate media knows that voicing honest criticism of various aspects of Serena Williams will likely lead to their being "deplatformed."

 

[BeyondFedUp]

Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic! A total joy to watch. All above comments from you guys are right on target. That third set was an epic comeback, and especially the pain it inflicted on The Linebacker. Good riddance.

 

[Don Wassall]

Pliskova narrowly loses to the half-Haitian half-Japanese Naomi Osaka, who won the U.S. Open last summer over Brutus in the final and is going for her second straight Slam title. Petra Kvitova looks in top form so it should be a compelling final to watch.

 

[Shadowlight]

Osaka beats Kvitova. She had her but lost her grip but then recovered in a long three set affair. Not thrilled with the result. She is polite and thankfully not American but she dulls the hell out of me. And she is not white which is the dividing line for me.

In an ironic twist Kvitova is probably the closest thing to a Serena stand in with her powerful strokes but loses to Osaka in the final just like Serena did in the US Open.

Nadal-Djokovic final coming. What is this part 187? They dispatched the youngsters in the semifinals in embarrassing
short order. I guess the kids aren't quite there yet. I still say the lack of mental toughness in this younger generation is part of the problem. They get spoiled too early now and it curbs their drive. I know these once in a lifetime stars are among the greatest of all time but young men should be rising to the forefront with their young legs.

Speaking of youngsters Italy's Lorenzo Musetti won the boys juniors over American Emilio Nava. Couldn't make out Nava. Mexican heritage?

On the girl's side Dane Clara Touson disposed of mixed L Fernandez. Ha.

Musetti is won to keep an eye on. Just 16 he has been steadily climbing. Touson too.

 

[Don Wassall]

There had been seven different winners of women's Grand Slam events since Serena's last title, and Osaka becomes the first to win two titles, and back to back yet. Women's tennis continues to be very frustrating to watch when looking for a dominant White player, not just from the U.S. but from any country.

Osaka will be treated as black by the media despite her mixed background, just as Tiger Woods always has been. At least she's not American, which will dampen the media worship some here. Her rise to superstardom is not a good thing for Japan, which suffers from an aging and declining population and is under a lot of pressure from the usual nation-destroying suspects to embrace "diversity," which it apparently has slowly begun doing though not anywhere near "acceptable" levels yet.

I won't be getting up at 3:30 am Eastern time to watch the men, so I'll try to catch some or all of it when it repeats later in the day tomorrow on the Tennis Channel. I'll be happy no matter whether Rafa or Novak wins but will be pulling for Rafa to win another non-French Slam title.

 

[Don Wassall]

Had trouble sleeping and turned on the boob tube to find Djokovic was up a set and leading the second set and then watched him destroy Nadal in straight sets. The Joker was "in the zone," doing whatever he wanted, almost toying with Nadal, who looked slow and sluggish by comparison but no player would have given Novak a close match the way he was playing, effortlessly moving all over the court and hitting one precise shot after another.

So Djokovic wins his record 7th Australian Open title and now has 15 Grand Slam titles overall. As John McEnroe noted during the match, Pete Sampras set the record in 2002 with 14 titles, and no one would have dreamed that in just the 17 years since that three men would have surpassed that mark. Federer has 20, Nadal 17, and Djokovic now has 15. This has been a great era for men's tennis, but just like with Brady and Belichick, most of it is in the rearview mirror now. Enjoy it while it lasts!

 

[white lightning]

Had trouble sleeping and turned on the boob tube to find Djokovic was up a set and leading the second set and then watched him destroy Nadal in straight sets. The Joker was "in the zone," doing whatever he wanted, almost toying with Nadal, who looked slow and sluggish by comparison but no player would have given Novak a close match the way he was playing, effortlessly moving all over the court and hitting one precise shot after another.

So Djokovic wins his record 7th Australian Open title and now has 15 Grand Slam titles overall. As John McEnroe noted during the match, Pete Sampras set the record in 2002 with 14 titles, and no one would have dreamed that in just the 17 years since that three men would have surpassed that mark. Federer has 20, Nadal 17, and Djokovic now has 15. This has been a great era for men's tennis, but just like with Brady and Belichick, most of it is in the rearview mirror now. Enjoy it while it lasts!

We are in the best age of mens tennis ever. To see all 3 of these legends competing over the last decade plus has been a joy to watch and still is. It never gets old.

I've always thought Federer was the best I ever saw and still do but if anyone can eclipse him it would be Djokovic. The Joker has a complete all around game on all of the
surfaces in my opinion. Djokovic has now won 3 straight grandslams from last year to this year. He is amazing and a better all around player than Nadal. I love R.Nadal but
he in my opinion he is slightly less talented all around than Fed and Jok. Either way I hope for continued success for all 3 of them but I think we are about to see Fed ride
off into the sunset after this year.

 

[CrazyFinn]

I would’ve bet good money that we would see a 5-setter similar to their 2012 match, so quite shocking to see a drubbing like this. Djokovic appears primed for another run in the next 1-2 years where he can quite possibly win 4-5 majors and have a serious claim to the title of G.O.A.T. It will depend on his health, and not much else honestly. He seems to have Nadal’s number everywhere except clay, Federer finally appears to be done after his remarkable resurgence the last 2 years, and the so-called new challengers aren’t quite ready.

My predictions as to final major numbers:

1. Federer 20, he will not win another one
2. Djokovic 19, can win 3/4 this year, with an outside shot at a grand slam
3. Nadal 18, he will win one more French Open, but no others

2019 will most likely be last year we get to see the big 3 still dominating atop men’s tennis. By 2020, Father Time and the next generation will eventually arrive.

 

[BeyondFedUp]

Djokovic is truly remarkable. I remember watching him play back in 2010 or so and thinking his groundstrokes and abilities all around could make him the GOAT one day. I was floored by him even back then, looking at him objectively as I am a former player of HS Varsity tennis. This is back when Fed was still running away with Slams left and right, and in his prime, and at the top of his game in the 2000's (Fed arguably and probably is the greatest if you go "prime against prime"). But, like Nadal injuries and timing have caught up with him.

Djokovic could indeed catch Fed one day. His body holding up will be key. I never thought any male would get 20 Majors as Fed has, but Djokovic may be the one to do it. He is truly phenomenal and has the mental toughness which is a huge part of singles temnis. He is lights out now.

I believe Federer will/should retire after Wimbledon later this year. It's sad to see and say but his best days are past and he should go out in the best way to remember him by, at the king of all Majors, Wimbledon, where his unbelievable career took hold on the world of tennis for decades. He is one of the most admirable and respectable athletes of all time. A true Great of Greats. If anyone can catch him, Djokovic can.