2020 Tennis

[Shadowlight]

Roger Federer will miss the French Open due to minor knee surgery. He is expected back for Wimbledon. He will turn 39 this summer and he may even opt to play in the Olympics late this summer. Not a total loss. He would likely wear himself out trudging around in the clay ( his worst surface) and needs to be fully rested for Wimbledon.

The last time he had knee surgery was in 2016 and didn't play well in his brief return but after a six month break he came back and won the Aussie Open in 2017 and Wimbledon in 2017 and the Aussie again in 2018.

Last year he came within a hair of winning Wimbledon. Obviously grass is his best surface and I keep thinking when he does finally retire I can't think of a better place to hang it up than Wimbledon. It would be a very emotional scene and perhaps it will take place there in 2021? I can't envision him playing too much longer.

Kim Clijsters at 36 is making her second comeback. She was able to win two US Opens after having a baby (2009, 2010) but she hung it up in the fall of 2012 and has decided to come back again.

Well about a thousand pizzas latter Kim is back. She is huge. But her father was a star soccer player and her mother was a gymnast so she has great athletic pedigree so even at her bulk without seeing her play I imagine she still has some athletic talent leftover.

I guess she figured that the women's game is so far down she could make a move but that won't be easy.

 

[BeyondFedUp]

Good points Shadowlight. I wish Roger would bow out at the end of this year. I know he'll want to play the US Open, but his glorious times at Wimbledon almost dictates he finish there. So, your probably right it will be next year at the All England Club. He is the greatest prime against prime tennis player ever in my opinion. I know we've been blessed to see the Big Three for so many years. I can tell stories to youngsters if they'd only listen to epic tales of Roger's 17-15(!) 5th set Final over Roddick along with other incredible feats of greatness. Wimbledon and The US Open will be interesting with Djokovic the runaway favorite and Nadal will win the French unless he meets, who else, Djokovic. The Women's side at all the Majors left is up for grabs.

 

[Shadowlight]

To do justice to Maria Sharapova I would post one of the longest posts in the history of Caste Football. But I will spare everybody. Maria announced her retirement at the age of 32.

In my opinion the sexiest and prettiest winning female tennis player in my lifetime Maria set the tennis world on fire by upsetting in her prime Serena at the 2004 Wimbledon. One of those golden moments that I will never forget.

Maria won five grand slams but her career arc never followed the expected grand slam pattern apart from the fact she took the 2006 US Open by storm with a brilliant commercial capped off by winning the whole thing. She won the Australian in 2008 and surprisingly won two French Opens later in her career in 2012 and 2014. A grass/hard court power player no one thought she would ever be a major factor on clay but through grit and guile she mastered it against all odds. Her mental toughness and focus were much celebrated.

For years she was always in the running playing deep into the majors. She won a whopping 36 career titles.

Another oddity is after her magnificent 2004 Wimbledon triumph she pretty much couldn't beat Serena losing over 20 times to her and I think winning only one more time against her.

A great biography I suspect awaits and sadly the later stages in her career were marred by injuries and a 15 month suspension which started in 2016. The rest of the tour treated her like an outcast mainly due to blatant jealousy. They didn't like her but they would have traded places with her in a heartbeat.

Her shoulder injuries and other assorted ailments ruined her last ride around the block and in a sports world that has moved on her retirement feels as quiet as her last several years on the court.

But make no mistake. Maria is a pivotal and historically important Hall Of Fame player that for many years was one of if not the biggest face in tennis. With her cute dog commercials and her 5th Avenue high fashion sense Maria really hit the spot. God do I miss those halcyon days!!

I remember the long list of snapping photographers at the 2004 US Courtside desperately trying to get pictures of Maria. She stood above everyone else in beauty, class and style.

Will we ever see another beauty like Maria who takes over the sport?

 

[Shadowlight]

Goodbye Maria! I am picking up a New York Times tomorrow who I am sure will have a nice write up.

Below is a photo of her after her 2008 Australian Open championship. She wins the Grand Slam and the Beauty Contest. That is what is called a real Daily Double!



And Maria away from the court looking quite fetching. Good Lord!

 

[BeyondFedUp]

Good thoughts Shadowlight. I agree 100%. And that 2004 Wimbledon win over the Linebacker is my absolute favorite moment in Women's Tennis history. I watched the entire match like a smitten schoolboy! I cheered like one too!

 

[Shadowlight]

Breaking news. The tennis tournament at Indian Wells, one of the biggest outside a major that routinely draws 450,000 fans over a two week period has been called off due to concerns about the COVID-19 virus. It was scheduled to begin this week so this is a late last minute announcement.

I am not going to speculate on the virus because it seems to me the authorities are still wrestling with it and apparently not making any progress on it since the number of people who are known to have it climbs everyday.

This tournament is a big deal so it doesn't take a genius to extrapolate from this cancellation that more big sporting events could get cancelled or adjusted in one way or another. Players like Nadal, Djokovic, Serena and Coco were scheduled to play.

And of course with the Summer Olympics looming this summer you can cut the world wide anxiety with a knife right now.

Stay tuned and hope for the best.

 

[BeyondFedUp]

Pure, unadulterated, media-generated hysteria. They decide what makes a story or what fear-inducing crap gets nonstop cycling. The string-pullers in high places have their reasons for doing this I'm sure. They always do. It's a distraction and it is nefarious no doubt.

 

[LucasBryant]

Sharapova was a great player with average athleticism however she wasn’t anywhere close to being the prettiest female tennis player...not even close to being the prettiest Russian female tennis player.

Goodbye Maria! I am picking up a New York Times tomorrow who I am sure will have a nice write up.

Below is a photo of her after her 2008 Australian Open championship. She wins the Grand Slam and the Beauty Contest. That is what is called a real Daily Double!

View attachment 2725

And Maria away from the court looking quite fetching. Good Lord!



Nothing personal but Maria isn’t close to as beautiful as Anna K. Yes, Maria was a better player but not in Anna’s league in beauty.

To do justice to Maria Sharapova I would post one of the longest posts in the history of Caste Football. But I will spare everybody. Maria announced her retirement at the age of 32.

In my opinion the sexiest and prettiest winning female tennis player in my lifetime Maria set the tennis world on fire by upsetting in her prime Serena at the 2004 Wimbledon. One of those golden moments that I will never forget.

Maria won five grand slams but her career arc never followed the expected grand slam pattern apart from the fact she took the 2006 US Open by storm with a brilliant commercial capped off by winning the whole thing. She won the Australian in 2008 and surprisingly won two French Opens later in her career in 2012 and 2014. A grass/hard court power player no one thought she would ever be a major factor on clay but through grit and guile she mastered it against all odds. Her mental toughness and focus were much celebrated.

For years she was always in the running playing deep into the majors. She won a whopping 36 career titles.

Another oddity is after her magnificent 2004 Wimbledon triumph she pretty much couldn't beat Serena losing over 20 times to her and I think winning only one more time against her.

A great biography I suspect awaits and sadly the later stages in her career were marred by injuries and a 15 month suspension which started in 2016. The rest of the tour treated her like an outcast mainly due to blatant jealousy. They didn't like her but they would have traded places with her in a heartbeat.

Her shoulder injuries and other assorted ailments ruined her last ride around the block and in a sports world that has moved on her retirement feels as quiet as her last several years on the court.

But make no mistake. Maria is a pivotal and historically important Hall Of Fame player that for many years was one of if not the biggest face in tennis. With her cute dog commercials and her 5th Avenue high fashion sense Maria really hit the spot. God do I miss those halcyon days!!

I remember the long list of snapping photographers at the 2004 US Courtside desperately trying to get pictures of Maria. She stood above everyone else in beauty, class and style.

Will we ever see another beauty like Maria who takes over the sport?

 

[LucasBryant]

Goodbye Maria! I am picking up a New York Times tomorrow who I am sure will have a nice write up.

Below is a photo of her after her 2008 Australian Open championship. She wins the Grand Slam and the Beauty Contest. That is what is called a real Daily Double!

View attachment 2725

And Maria away from the court looking quite fetching. Good Lord!

To do justice to Maria Sharapova I would post one of the longest posts in the history of Caste Football. But I will spare everybody. Maria announced her retirement at the age of 32.

In my opinion the sexiest and prettiest winning female tennis player in my lifetime Maria set the tennis world on fire by upsetting in her prime Serena at the 2004 Wimbledon. One of those golden moments that I will never forget.

Maria won five grand slams but her career arc never followed the expected grand slam pattern apart from the fact she took the 2006 US Open by storm with a brilliant commercial capped off by winning the whole thing. She won the Australian in 2008 and surprisingly won two French Opens later in her career in 2012 and 2014. A grass/hard court power player no one thought she would ever be a major factor on clay but through grit and guile she mastered it against all odds. Her mental toughness and focus were much celebrated.

For years she was always in the running playing deep into the majors. She won a whopping 36 career titles.

Another oddity is after her magnificent 2004 Wimbledon triumph she pretty much couldn't beat Serena losing over 20 times to her and I think winning only one more time against her.

A great biography I suspect awaits and sadly the later stages in her career were marred by injuries and a 15 month suspension which started in 2016. The rest of the tour treated her like an outcast mainly due to blatant jealousy. They didn't like her but they would have traded places with her in a heartbeat.

Her shoulder injuries and other assorted ailments ruined her last ride around the block and in a sports world that has moved on her retirement feels as quiet as her last several years on the court.

But make no mistake. Maria is a pivotal and historically important Hall Of Fame player that for many years was one of if not the biggest face in tennis. With her cute dog commercials and her 5th Avenue high fashion sense Maria really hit the spot. God do I miss those halcyon days!!

I remember the long list of snapping photographers at the 2004 US Courtside desperately trying to get pictures of Maria. She stood above everyone else in beauty, class and style.

Will we ever see another beauty like Maria who takes over the sport?

Maria never took over tennis but she was great and usually mentally tough. However Anna K was definitely more beautiful!

Goodbye Maria! I am picking up a New York Times tomorrow who I am sure will have a nice write up.

Below is a photo of her after her 2008 Australian Open championship. She wins the Grand Slam and the Beauty Contest. That is what is called a real Daily Double!

View attachment 2725

And Maria away from the court looking quite fetching. Good Lord!

 

[Shadowlight]

I am probably in the minority but I feel Maria is prettier than Anna K. In fact I never liked Anna. She cared more about how men viewed her than being a serious athlete. I recall an up and coming gal who some were comparing to Maria. Her name escapes me ( she was pretty tall) but she lost her temper once at the US Open by smacking a ball into the crowd. Caused quite an uproar. Her career suddenly stalled and I think I know why. I happened to catch her act at a tennis tournament I was attending and could not help but notice she lacked focus. And this was when she was still considered a rising star. It was obvious as hell as I watched her around the practice courts etc. that her real focus was men. Preferably other male tennis players. She became a lost cause. Her libido overwhelmed her. Ha.

Speaking of looker in my opinion ( sure to be shot down) Camila Giorgi is arguably the hottest looking chick on the tour today. She has reached the semifinals at Palermo and is set to play within the hour or so. She is not a brainy player but is a terrific athlete with a great body to boot. Her dad Sergio is one weird dude.

 

[Shadowlight]

Sadly Giorgi goes down in three hard fought sets. She came blasting out of the gate but the tide turned. What else is new with her?

The US Open is scheduled to play in a few weeks and the French Open has been suspended until September. Like golf they will get in three majors. But of course a year without Wimbledon is tough to swallow.

I got to thinking about another gorgeous tennis player named Maria who came up around the time of Sharapova. Out of tennis now she got engaged to hockey superstar Alexander Ovechkin ( talk about beauty and the beast) but eventually married some Putin patsy. I speak of Maria Kirilenko. I have seen her play in person more than any other tennis player ( stalker much, ha). She was a good but not great tennis player who didn't have enough power and overall craftiness to go that extra step. Her best results were reaching three quarterfinals in three different majors. She bolted the tour around 2014.

 

[LucasBryant]

I am probably in the minority but I feel Maria is prettier than Anna K. In fact I never liked Anna. She cared more about how men viewed her than being a serious athlete. I recall an up and coming gal who some were comparing to Maria. Her name escapes me ( she was pretty tall) but she lost her temper once at the US Open by smacking a ball into the crowd. Caused quite an uproar. Her career suddenly stalled and I think I know why. I happened to catch her act at a tennis tournament I was attending and could not help but notice she lacked focus. And this was when she was still considered a rising star. It was obvious as hell as I watched her around the practice courts etc. that her real focus was men. Preferably other male tennis players. She became a lost cause. Her libido overwhelmed her. Ha.

Speaking of looker in my opinion ( sure to be shot down) Camila Giorgi is arguably the hottest looking chick on the tour today. She has reached the semifinals at Palermo and is set to play within the hour or so. She is not a brainy player but is a terrific athlete with a great body to boot. Her dad Sergio is one weird dude.

View attachment 3039

camila is hot! Maria as a player easily over Anna

but you know Anna was more gorgeous but you won’t admit

 

[Shadowlight]

Simona Halep moments ago won her 21st WTA title in a smashing return after a six month layoff. She looked sharp and fit. It was a clay court tournament in Prague with even some fans in the stands. The one noticeable change is that the ball kids don't have to handle the players' sweaty towels anymore. I hope they make that practice permanent. I never liked it in the first place.

Halep will announce whether she will play the US Open or not tomorrow. She is still deliberating. Give me a break. Stop being such a baby and get your ass over to the states pronto. Everything is made safe for the tennis players so all this fear of the virus smells like a vacant excuse to me. It also exposes their lack of competitive drive.

In fact five out of the top ten women players have already pulled out of the Open. That includes defending champ Bianca Andreescu and number one player Ashleigh Barty. I am all for safety but this is ridiculous. Talk about a baby brigade? Their chances of catching COVID on the carefully put together tennis tour is very tiny. It is a very safe environment and to think that players are skipping such a premier event after having five months off is stupefying. Nadal also pulled out of the Open.

All of the top female pull outs are White by the way. With the cupboard so bare don't be surprised to see a Coco - Serena (or Osaka) final which would give the media an orgasm.

These pull outs only demonstrate the pampered nature of young tennis players. Surrounded by yes men and gofers young tennis players are spoiled brats. And what other sport has ball kids handle their sweaty towels?

 

[Shadowlight]

Well folks the US Open , at least on the women's side, is a full fledged joke now. Simona Halep won't play which means six out of the top 8 women have pulled out. All of them are White. Funny how it worked out that way as Serena is stalking a record and media darling Coco Gauff is looking for her gigantic breakthrough?

Sure the winner will have some associated taint but it will still count as a major win in the record book. And a few years from now the winner will be what is discussed in glowing terms, not the ravaged field. If the six top players didn't pull out I would say Serena's chances weren't good. But the odds just went up in her favor now? Even if neither Coco or Serena wins chances significantly went up that a non White player will win the trophy. As far as I know the top black players are raring to go.

As much as I want to see a tennis major, under these new scarcity laden circumstances I would prefer they canned it.

On the men's side Nadal pulled out and Roger is injured. Djokovic will play. Not certain but I believe apart from Nadal and that nut Kyrgios from Australia, there have been less defections from top players on the men's side. But I would need to research that further.

 

[DWF Upside]

Surely someone will go back to Chrissy Everett but for me Martina Hingis was the first hot chick in tennis to excel. She didn't benefit from the provocative outfits like others after her. Not only gorgeous she was incredibly smooth on the court. Prior to her you had some woofers.

Sometime around 2001 I saw a poster up on the wall of a blonde in a blue outfit and assumed it was a model. Anna K was the first super hot Russian but Id put her as an even push with Maria S. Its not a true comparison though because today they get dressed up like strippers and Martina never got much into that.

 

[LucasBryant]

Gabriela Sabatini was quite possibly the hottest of all time but she’s at least in the top tier without a doubt! Smoking hot, Sabatini was absolutely gorgeous and a great player!

We definitely don’t need to go back to Chrissy and Hingis was decent but not any where close to AnnaK or Gabriela .
https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/gabriela-sabatini
https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/gabriela-sabatini

 

[Shadowlight]

Congratulations to Simona Halep and Novak Djokovic for their recent 2020 US Open championships. They followed up those winning ways with victories today on French Open clay court warm up tournament The Italian Open. Good job both.

OK on to the French Open in another week. Wait. What? Simona Halep played the role of "I'm a baby" and didn't attend the US Open for fear of catching COVID even though that was probably one of the last places one could contract it.

And Djokovic was there but bounced early for accidently
puffing a soft lightweight fuzzy little tennis ball at about two MPH that nicked a linewomen which caused about ten minutes worth of concern?

Taking their cues form MLB tennis has gone full pansy.

 

[Don Wassall]

Sabatini always struck me as a lesbian, which she is. There definitely was an allure to her when she was young, but any woman who can't appreciate a man's appreciation of her is a non-starter to me.

 

[LucasBryant]

Sabatini always struck me as a lesbian, which she is. There definitely was an allure to her when she was young, but any woman who can't appreciate a man's appreciation of her is a non-starter to me.

As of now, I’ve seen only rumors or accusations of Gaby being lesbian. She’s had numerous boyfriends over the years including Michael Bolton and The Donald so she may swing both ways but regardless she’s stil gorgeous and the most strikingly beautiful tennis player I’ve seen yet although a couple others would be in her tier.

 

[Shadowlight]

Check mark the calendar. The Australian Open is on and will be played January 18th through the 31st. That is only three months away. I think anticipation for 2021 is at a very high level. The young Pole who won the French Iga Swiatek has star qualities. And the drive for winning the most Grand Slams in history will give Nadal and Djokovic plenty of inspiration next year. And the return of the beloved Roger Federer will be a welcome sight despite his advancing age. He will turn 40 over the summer.

Out of the young male players Denis Shapovalov (21) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (22) are players I like enough and they made some headway towards the end this year. I like Dominic Thiem too but he is 27 already.

In soccer the Italian national team is the team without question I root for most in international events. But when it comes to Italian tennis players I haven't found much to like. Sure on the women's side the past decade plus we have seen some sporadic grand slam champs but now it seems there is a rise on the Italian men's side.

Fognini ( who is married to former US Open champ Flavia Pannetta) is ranked 15th but his on court demeanor is disgusting. Berrettini (24) is ranked 9th. And this French Open 19 year old sensation Jannik Sinner made big noise. Although as discussed he is from Italy but isn't ethnic Italian.

But I think I finally found a young player I can put my full weight behind. He did not play in the French Open due to falling short on bogus qualification rules ( did they apply the same standard to Coco a while back?) but made noise beating both ranked players Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori at the French warm up clay tournament in Rome last month. He was runner up at the 2018 US Open juniors and won the 2019 Australian Open juniors crown. He is 18 years old and currently ranked 138th.

With his gorgeous one handed back hand ( not one top 100 female player uses a one handed back hand) and smoothly stylish game there are even whispers ( let's get not get crazy here) that he has Federer characteristics. Who the hell am I talking about? Lorenzo Musetti. Remember the name. He is 100% Italian.