2020 US Open

[Shadowlight]

Normally I would be chomping at the bit but with six out of the top ten women not playing and Nadal and an injured Federer not playing the air has been let out of the balloon big time.

The Western and Southern Open which is a big staple late summer Midwest hard court tournament was played at the Open in Queens rather than Cincinnati due to the virus.

A few days ago Naomi Osaka compared the plight of black Americans to genocide victims. What a clueless self serving spoiled twerp. She helped delay the tournament one day thus forcing players to cram in games and hurt their fitness for the US Open. She withdrew then decided to play the semis before skipping the final due to a tweaked hamstring. As a result veteran Victoria Azarenka was awarded the trophy. She looked like her old self but I don't anticipate her winning here.

But I wouldn't give Osaka the time of day. Half Japanese and half Haitian she is a grandstanding puke. I didn't realize what a shallow ass wipe she was but she is considered the favorite here. Chances of a non white victor here on the women's side have dramatically increased with so many of the top white players pulling out including Simona Halep and last year's champ Bianca Andreescu. Halep scorched Serena at the Wimbledon final last year and Bianca humbled Serena here a year ago.

Karolina Pliskova is cited as a contender. Australian Open Sofia Kennin will play but I will be surprised if she makes the semifinals.

Novak Djokovic won the men's side but had to fight through consecutive long three setters. He is the overwhelming favorite here. I'll be rooting hardest for Greek chick magnet Stefanos Tsitsipas. He has all the tools. But as is the case with these younger players does he have the mental capacity and toughness to take it all. The answer to that question for all the top rising young male players has been no up to now. Why expect that to change?

The courts are apparently playing very fast this year. For those interested in greater details below is a review of both the women and men by Jon Wertheim a tennis writer from SI.

https://www.si.com/tennis/2020/08/27/us-open-2020-mens-seed-reports

https://www.si.com/tennis/2020/08/28/us-open-tennis-2020-women-seed-report

 

[Matra2]

I cancelled all sports channels back in March but I have a visiting relative who can't live without Formula One so I got the sports package back for a couple of weeks. After less than half an an hour of viewing I'm already fed up with it.

Arthur Ashe has not one, not two, not three, but four Black Lives Matter signs in the stands that, presumably, will be visible for the duration of the tournament. No sooner had ESPN's preview begun John McEnroe - still dressing like a teenager - started praising the NBA for fighting racial injustice and now they're sitting there talking about segregation in the 1950s. Seriously. There's no escape. But in a way that may be a good thing in the long run. It will force whites with any sense of dignity to give up on pro-sports, something which we all probably should've done years ago.

BTW Osaka claims blacks are suffering a "genocide" at the hands of the police. It's simply not possible to reason with such people.

 

[Shadowlight]

BTW Osaka claims blacks are suffering a "genocide" at the hands of the police. It's simply not possible to reason with such people.

It has become routine the past week for athletes to speak up on the decidedly bogus BLM stuff but I try to ignore it and move on. Osaka though crossed the lines in more ways than one. That genocide comparison was disgusting.

Plus she played games. In a huff she withdrew from the tournament and forced their hands making them postpone it for a day. Then she decides to play the semis after all but after winning she pulls out of the final with a supposed (?) hamstring injury.

All the while she screwed up the fitness schedule for everyone else who hope to make noise at the US Open. Indeed if Djokovic ends up losing at the Open due to fatigue he can thank this bitch for cocking everything up. Meanwhile her fitness schedule is fine because she skipped the final and is now primed for a long run at the Open.

John McEnroe - still dressing like a teenager

Ha I see what you mean. Up until Johnny Macs knees I would give his loose suit high fashion look an ok score. I don't get to bothered by the hip look. But from the knee down with his pants stopping around there with the grubby looking socks and sneakers it falls apart. I think there is a technical name for his back to the future look. It is called the "I am a grubby teenager alone in my room jerking off" look. Available at most dumpster outlets.

 

[icsept]

Lol, Coco Gauff eliminated in the first round by #31 Sevastova. No fans sure makes a difference. The New York fans are always rabidly pro-black.

 

[Shadowlight]

I watched the match and was happy to see Coco go down. I thought her opponent was on the verge of gagging but she weathered through and hung tough.

The lack of what would have been overwhelming Coco crowd backing might have played a role. Good point.

I look at it this way. It seems inevitable to me Coco will become a multi grand slam winner down the road. But the longer her first major win is prolonged the better. Especially given the fawning media's love fest towards her as they luxuriate in the idea that she is so young and precocious. And black of course.

Coco is a big boned girl. Her parents are thick. I do wonder if she might fatten up down the road too? Has anyone caught a glimpse of Sloane Stephens lately? Looks like she has been hitting the pie rack pretty hard. And her game has disintegrated.

 

[icsept]

Venus Williams eliminated in straight sets in the first round. I’m not sure why she’s still around, embarrassing herself. She looks like somebody’s grandma, as slow as Mrs Butterworth’s.

 

[icsept]

To be fair, watching Kim Clijsters is also cringy. She’s old and out of shape, for sure.

 

[white is right]

To be fair, watching Kim Clijsters is also cringy. She’s old and out of shape, for sure.

Clijsters looked a combination of Ray Lewis Jr and Fred Flintsone. She was leading her match but her body hit the wall in the second set and she mailed it in the third set. I have to think conditioning played a factor in her loss. You would have to think if he she isn't going to return to retirement quickly she should drop 20 pounds or so.

 

[Shadowlight]

Buffet special currently playing at the US Open. It is Sloane vs. Serena in the battle for who gets the next pork chop.

 

[Shadowlight]

Oh my God the earth just moved.

Djokovic has been disqualified for nailing a ball woman in the neck after a point. A heavy very heavy favorite to win it all. This is crazy stuff!!!!

 

[white is right]

Oh my God the earth just moved.

Djokovic has been disqualified for nailing a ball woman in the neck after a point. A heavy very heavy favorite to win it all. This is crazy stuff!!!!

I just saw the replay and he got dq'ed on a technicality?

Does tennis want to become horse racing or worse Faro(look up the history of the popular saloon card game of the 19th century). He wasn't looking at the line judge and routinely hit the ball without thinking to the area where he thought the wall was. Sometimes I wonder if tennis is run by the NCAA, or IOC as nobody seems to care where the game is going as long as the rules are followed.

PS, as far as I know all previous champions in the field are eliminated and we will have a new champion, it's too bad because Joker was on form and would have been a formidable opponent against anybody remaining in the field.

 

[Shadowlight]

This is a full grade tragedy. Novak clearly did not intend to hit the lineswoman. In fact video of the incident clearly shows the horror on his face after he realized he accidentally hit her and she was injured. It is positively surreal. And painful in a way you can't even put into words. The TV analysts are numb but most agree he should have been disqualified.

I have championed tennis and their strict bylaws in the past. This is not the NFL. When they put their foot down they show no mercy and this incident proves it. But by God how can you yank him over an innocent incident? Thankfully I believe the woman will be ok ( the ball hit her in the throat) but it is gut wrenching to think that this heavy favorite was booted in the blink of an eye.

It goes to show in life you can be sailing along on a certain level and then something happens like a car crash or any other sudden jarring change and all of a sudden your whole world is turned upside down.

It can't come at a worse time either. Tennis ratings are way down because of the rearranged sports schedule due to Covid-19. And on the men's side two of the big three are not here. Nadal pulled out like many others worried about safety and Federer is recovering from a knee injury. But the women's side is even worse where more than half of the top 12 players have decided to skip the tournament for safety reasons too. Which irks me because all of the precautions are in place.

One point about Australians. Will we ever see them again? They are not leaving their country.

So here we are. The tennis season has already suffered a near fatal blow when their centerpiece tournament Wimbledon cancelled, unlike the French Open which at least moved their tournament to September.

I feel horrible for Novak. He was well on his way towards his 18th grand slam. He has been on a roll and hasn't lost for ages. The only concern was that bitch Osaka held up the tournament last week which forced Novak to play a condensed schedule as he played two long matches on his way to a victory which would affect his fitness for the US Open.

A dark hour for tennis in a very dark year.

 

[white lightning]

It's a tragedy. Does anyone think they would ever do this to Serena? I think you guys know the answer to that one. Novak deserves better. It was an accident, not intentional. Tennis really screwed this one up!

 

[Matra2]

I don't think anyone else would've got away with hitting a line judge. That it was accidental is irrelevant. Under tennis rules you own it if you hit someone with a ball or racquet, no exceptions. The Djoker has problems controlling his temper. Anyway, I thought the lineswoman looked like an SJW. She's wearing some button on her shirt that looks like it says Black Lives Matter.

Of the players left I'd say Dominic Thiem, beaten finalist in Australia, or Medvedev, who lost in last year's final, will win. Zverev hasn't looked that good.

 

[Shadowlight]

I agree that no matter who did what Novak did they would have been tossed. Serena forfeited the final point in a semi final US Open match in 2009 against Kim Clijsters after she threatened to shove the ball down a lineswomen's throat. In 2018 in the US Open she was docked an entire game in a final against Osaka after she called the chair umpire a thief. I believe in the first incident she was fined close to 100,000 dollars.

As for Matra2's point about rules I have yet to see anyone in the tennis world not agree with the call. Which indicates that tennis has a medieval like grip on certain rules that won't bend in the least. For me personally I would have liked to have seen an all court penalty of some sort called. Anything short of a disqualification. But I am butting heads against an immovable wall here.

Live by the sword and die by the sword I guess. Tennis is an ancient sport and as you can see when they lay down the law it is curtains.

 

[Kaptain]

No, this wouldn't happen to Serena. Not a chance. If for some strange reason it did we would have a week long media parade about how racist the tennis world is.

 

[Matra2]

Tiafoe wearing his Black Lives Matter shirt in the pre-match interview followed by John McEnroe blabbing on about racial injustice. This is why I hate America. Hopefully Medvedev can do what Russian women repeatedly failed to do with Serena and take down the MSM black saviour.

 

[La France Blanche]

I look at it this way. It seems inevitable to me Coco will become a multi grand slam winner down the road. But the longer her first major win is prolonged the better. Especially given the fawning media's love fest towards her as they luxuriate in the idea that she is so young and precocious. And black of course.

Think positive. Coco becoming a multi grand slam winner is by no means inevitable. Young tennis players who go on impressive streaks flame out all the time, especially on the women's side.

Coco is a big boned girl. Her parents are thick. I do wonder if she might fatten up down the road too? Has anyone caught a glimpse of Sloane Stephens lately? Looks like she has been hitting the pie rack pretty hard. And her game has disintegrated.

She may very well fatten up, but that's a matter of discipline (or lack thereof) rather than bone structure. There are plenty of small-boned people who are fat and heavy because they can't stop hitting the pie rack. I have pretty thick wrists, but I only weigh 125 pounds. I know lots of women who are much heavier than me but still have smaller wrists.

 

[Shadowlight]

Coco not winning any majors? That is a happy thought. Ha.

It is amazing to me that tennis of all sports has screwed things up the most. Which I know is hard to believe when MLB is involved in the discussion but it's true. What other pro sport has been so decimated by players opting out? And it is not even close. Here are some comparisons.

NFL-several players opted out but the biggest names like Brady and Mahomes and countless others remain. No one will notice the missing players.

NBA-pretty much everybody came back.

NHL-same as NBA maybe a couple of guys opted out.

Golf-seems like everybody is playing. Or close to it.

MLB-a couple or few opted out although one changed his mind and entered the fray. Granted they have turned the sport into a cross between a summer night softball league and little leagues on top of messing up protocols as multiple teams have had to postpone a lot of games but the fact remains most everybody is out there playing.

NASCAR-as far as I cam tell everybody is racing.

Premier League soccer and other pro soccer leagues-as far as I can tell most everyone is playing.

Which brings me to tennis.

Tennis- half of the top ten women opted out and with so many Europeans missing it seemed like most of the players were either Canadian or American. The men didn't have as many of the top players opt out but a marquee player like Nadal opted out. That is like Tom Brady saying he wasn't going to play this season. And with the Djokovic incident it just rams home the fact this US Open has swirled down the toilet.

Additionally with all the precautions in place for the players there was miniscule danger of contracting the virus. They had already cancelled Wimbledon you would have thought the US Open would give the sport a chance to make some reparations. Instead they blow it by allowing players to skip it without any repercussions. Bad job all the way around. And the number one female player Ashleigh Barty has already announced she will skip the French Open too

Like I said it is nearly inconceivable a sport could top MLB in ineptitude. But Tennis did with flying colors.

 

[Shadowlight]

Rules? Courtesy of sports talk host Chris "Mad Dog" Russo said in anger that Djokovic getting booted was BS. He brought up a few fairly recent incidences where players crossed the "constitutional tennis rule book" and got away with it. One of the incidents was the 2018 US Open where Serena berated officials for far too long. She was axed an entire game but according to Russo she broke the rules by complaining (nastily I might add) for far too long. But it is also important to remember she complained long after the match was over and didn't let up. The chair officials got together and were contemplating not officiating her matches anymore. The result of that would have been Serena kicked off the tour. Her handlers told her to zip it and she did and the whole thing settled down.

But I really think they overreacted to Novak who tapped the ball with no malice intended. Russo suggested he could have been docked a game or some other heavy on court penalty. Most all of the tennis media is behind the forfeit but I, like Russo, feel they overreacted. And Russo is probably the best sports media talk show host when it comes to tennis in the USA. I respect his opinions.

The tournament was already suffering from horrible player deprivation and ousting the top men's player only digs the nail into the coffin even deeper. Like I said previously a real shame. Tennis can't get out of their own way these days.

 

[Shadowlight]

The semifinals are all set. And none of it feels right in this depleted tournament. Women play tonight with finals on Saturday at 4:00 and men play Friday with finals on Sunday at 4:00.

As I had feared it looks like Osaka and Serena are on a collision course for the final. Former 25 year old college player Jennifer Brady plays Osaka. Brady won a tournament recently and has been on good form. Strange gangly build with a mannish type face. Ha.

Serena faces off with another warhorse Azarenka. Neither one is moving exceptionally well but they are big time ball whackers. Both mothers, Kim Clijsters won the Open after having a child back when.

With so many top women MIA it only reinforces the idea that many of the white female tennis players lack motivation. I have detected that trend for the past decade plus.This provides ample proof of that notion. Any tennis athlete worth her salt should be aching to get back to play especially at the Open. Safety fears are a flimsy excuse. Lazy assed spoiled brats. I feel they are safer playing at the US Open with their personal suites and their "special" hotels along with step by step safety protocols put into place that ensure no one contracts COVID than they would be lounging around in their European hometowns. Simona Halep I am looking at you!

On the Novak free men's side too bad Medvedev plays Thiem in the semis instead of the finals. Medvedev gave Nadal a run for his money at the Open last year and Thiem pushed Djokovic to the brink at the Australian earlier this year. Whoever wins this match I will root for in the final. Both excellent talents who haven't managed to climb past the big three. But they were getting close. The idea behind the brackets was to have either Thiem or Medvedev face off against Djokovic in the final.
.
The other semifinal features Carreno Busta, the lucky winner over Novak and Russian Zverev ( not a fan).

But ultimately nothing feels right here at the open with Novak being hastily dumped and an overwhelmingly depleted women's field. I am pretty sure if the top players were here Serena would have been knocked off by now.

Sad state of affairs. Very disappointed in tennis. By the way I wonder if they could have squeezed in Wimbledon this year in August? But the big boys at Wimbledon weren't overly motivated. They have a gigantic insurance policy so those Brits than run it stayed fat and happy despite Wimbledon being cancelled.

 

[Shadowlight]

If there ever was a time my long held prediction , which pre dates the entire tennis media, that Serena was not going to win another major would prove false , now was the time with a depleted women's field and fast courts. But it didn't happen as 31 year old veteran and two time grand slam winner Victoria Azarenka showed coolness in coming back from a set down to knock off the beefy one. Good for her, now a mommy of a little boy. I missed the final clinching set.

The window for Serena just got a hell of a lot smaller. Clay is her worst surface and one has to think more top players will be at the upcoming French Open so it looks like the Australian would be her next big opportunity except those courts are slower than the US Open courts. Not looking good for her. Seems like she has been around forever. In fact it has been forever.

That said there have been a few occasions where I have rooted for Serena to win. Ha. That would be the times she played her sister Venus in finals. Those were the only times I assure you. I don't like either one of them.

Typically I don't pay much mind to a player's political persuasion but Osaka, who won her semi over Brady, has crossed the line with me with her genocide talk and her manipulation of the tournament prior to the US Open where she forced other players like Djokovic to play a condensed schedule all the while she conveniently pulls out of the final citing a ( fake) hammy injury. She is a complete fraud and sadly I would have been rooting for Serena if they had played in the final. That is how far this jerk Osaka has fallen. Imagine that? Rooting for Serena?

Not going to be an easy task for Azarenka but at least she has the mental toughness and will be prepared to battle. I suspect she will make Osaka earn it. Osaka is not unbeatable.

 

[Shadowlight]

Thiem took down Medvedev in three difficult and close sets and will face Zverev in the final. Zverev was impressive coming back two sets down to win going away. Medvedev got a little wonky arguing a call in the first set when he turned smartass but he didn't let his anger linger. He did get screwed on that call though.

I'll be rooting for Dominic Thiem. This will be his fourth final and hopefully this time he crosses the finish line. The tall Zverev has been touted as he next big thing ( along with a couple of other youngsters) for what seems like ages now but he is only 23. He has a fluid big game that can lift him to victory. Then again Zverev hasn't played the toughest opponents to get here either. I can't envision him beating Novak who was on his side of the bracket.

Thiem , who just turned 27, plays a kinetic brash style that emphasizes movement and athleticism. His one handed back hands down the line are impressive. That is one of the toughest shots in tennis. At 6'1" 180 you can feel the violent athleticism that Thiem plays with although I am a little concerned because he tweaked his ankle against the tall and rangy Medvedev, an unorthodox player who is difficult to beat. But he is a fierce warrior and comes from the Nadal school of ruffian play which is why he has made the French finals twice. He can grind with the best of them.

Thiem has shown he has the fight. I just hope he can keep his nerve and withstand the power that will be coming his way. The faster courts here help Zverev. Should be a spirited match although one can't help but thinking master Djokovic should be on the other side of the net for this one.

 

[icsept]

I’d like to see Thiem win. He’s been on the cusp for so long. I love his style of play with the speed and one-handed backhand. Once he breaks through with this first major, I expect him to win 2-3 more.

 

[Don Wassall]

I've watched very little of the U.S. Open this year but will also be rooting for Thiem. And great news about the Hulking Linebacker losing yet again in the semis or finals of a Slam event, which has been the pattern the past few years as she remains stuck at 23. Hang in there Margaret Court!