Wimbledon

The Aussie Bad Boy, Kyrgios vs Djokovic who tried to back door his way into the Aussie Open?

A challenging choice as to who to barrack for.

Who do you barrack for?  I'm barracking for the Aussie.

Who wins?  Kyrgios to win; he has beaten Dyokovic the two times they have played.

Edited July 9, 20223 yr by Lucifers Hero

17 hours ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Wimbledon

The Aussie Bad Boy, Kyrgios vs Djokovic who tried to back door his way into the Aussie Open?

A challenging choice as to who to barrack for.

Who do you barrack for?  I'm barracking for the Aussie.

Who wins?  Kyrgios to win; he has beaten Dyokovic the two times they have played.

If Nick wasn't so abrasive I'd be a huge fan because his actual tennis is fantastic to watch

One of the past greats was talking about how he can change the speed of his forehand from 100k's to 160's without any discernible difference in hitting style ... similar on the backhand.  He's got game alright

With trepidation, I'll be supporting Nick tonight because I reckon (oddly enough) that winning might be a wake up call

But to be honest, Novak is a better player and should win (but it should be a real contest)

Against that, Nick's record against the better players is very good.  Often, players who are ranked outside of the top 20 or 30 can't seem to trouble the best.  But Nick can trouble the best.  And he'll be well rested

Looking forward to the match, LH

Just now, Macca said:

If Nick wasn't so abrasive I'd be a huge fan because his actual tennis is fantastic to watch

One of the past greats was talking about how he can change the speed of his forehand from 100k's to 160's without any discernible difference in hitting style ... similar on the backhand.  He's got game alright

With trepidation, I'll be supporting Nick tonight because I reckon (oddly enough) that winning might be a wake up call

But to be honest, Novak is a better player and should win (but it should be a real contest)

Against that, Nick's record against the better players is very good.  Often, players who are ranked outside of the top 20 or 30 can't seem to trouble the best.  But Nick can trouble the best.  And he'll be well rested

Looking forward to the match, LH

I'm also not a fan of his antics.  I'll watch with the volume off.

Despite the posturing by commentators etc networks and venues love him because he brings fans in. 

If Nick was playing Federer or Nadal I might be torn for whom to barrack.  But Novak?  Easy choice:  Nick.

Nick trumps all. Volume down, problems aside. 

Tennis is about entertainers as much as ability. It ain't pretty but Nick does that, sort of.

32 minutes ago, layzie said:

Nick trumps all. Volume down, problems aside. 

Tennis is about entertainers as much as ability. It ain't pretty but Nick does that, sort of.

Federer not being a feature leaves a large void.  A true gentleman but a great player and a tremendous talent to watch

Nadal & Novak are both great to watch as well but after that, there's not that many drawcards in men's tennis.  And in Australia at least, Ash Barty retiring takes a lot of interest out of women's tennis

So in steps Nick to spark up interest (in his own inevitable way) He alienates many but at the same time, he's a drawcard for many (esp those who aren't super fans of tennis)

Tennis needs personalities much like golf does and in both sports, the personality factor is nowhere near as high as it used to be

I remember a time when Lendl & Borg were regarded as a tad boring but both players were still huge drawcards.  Lendl was the villian whilst Borg was just a freak who never seemed to break out in a sweat.  Apparently Borg had a resting pulse rate of 35!!

And of course, McEnroe & Connors were the brash yanks who brought the fans in as well

"A true gentleman" this is the bloke who wished Alan Jones well in his retirement and pumps for the fossil fuel industry

Djokovic looks worried, love it

Kyrgrios has to externalize, looking for someone to blame?

He's playing the better shots

Nick is complaining about a drunk woman in the crowd heckling him  haha

You couldn't make this stuff up

"Looks like she's had 700 drinks"

 

Edited July 10, 20223 yr by Macca

Sitting next to a bloke wearing an Akubra, any chance it's Sharlene or Sharon?

3rd world war's begun, they've nuked London

Well there you go. Evil triumps over nut job 

4 hours ago, layzie said:

Well there you go. Evil triumps over nut job 

Pure evil or anti-vax evil !?!  😁

Nick put up the good fight.  He was great until the second set when he was 4/0 down and started shouting.

When that started, Novak had a fleeting twitch of the lips/wry smile as if to say:  I have you now.

If only Nick could keep himself settled.

I watched the first 2 sets and then listened in for the rest of the match and on radio all the talk was about Nick yapping away constantly to himself or his entourage (in a weird, demanding way)

His outbursts are compulsive and all those outbursts do is distract from the task at hand ... I don't believe he is a bad person.  He needs help 

But Novak was just too good anyway ... his return of serve and groundcourt volleys etc were overpowering (and Nick knew it)

It's probably not important to Nick but if he got himself a mind coach or mentor, he'd be way better off.  And he needs a tennis coach regardless

He won't win big until he gets his mind right, he's certainly got the talent and we saw that on display in the first set

19 hours ago, Macca said:

I watched the first 2 sets and then listened in for the rest of the match and on radio all the talk was about Nick yapping away constantly to himself or his entourage (in a weird, demanding way)

His outbursts are compulsive and all those outbursts do is distract from the task at hand ... I don't believe he is a bad person.  He needs help 

But Novak was just too good anyway ... his return of serve and groundcourt volleys etc were overpowering (and Nick knew it)

It's probably not important to Nick but if he got himself a mind coach or mentor, he'd be way better off.  And he needs a tennis coach regardless

He won't win big until he gets his mind right, he's certainly got the talent and we saw that on display in the first set

Has Nick ever won any of these matches when he has a full on meltdown? Started in barnstorming fashion and then 0-40 (or 40-0 can’t remember) turning point and Novak knew he had the psychological edge from then on.

His behaviour was so cringeworthy. The icing on the cake was getting annoyed with a woman in the crowd he thought was drunk who seemed to be a fan of his anyway.

He has all the tools, players around the world would kill to have that serve. He absolutely needs a coach and a mentor to guide him and help him mature. As long as I can remember he’s never had a coach, you would know better than me Macca if he’s maybe had one here and there but very few players are Roger Federer and winning Grand Slams without one.   

I’ve wanted to like him and I’ve really wanted to see him succeed but he just isn’t the athlete we wanted him to be and it’s not what he wants to be. Good on him for making the final but it could have been so much more, so far a bit of a waste.

Loving the Australian Open and the coverage by Ch9 is first rate! 

Watched Medvedev last night and he was in awesome form.  Murray got through late this arvo but the long match might help him

Tsitsipas looked great tonight as well.  The short odds on Novak prevailing now in question (although he is the player to beat) Medvedev in great form again tonight as well ... Casper Ruud the up and comer is in the mix too

No point Kyrgios having a coach. Would he listen to anything he says?

Will always struggle to win a slam because his ego is even bigger than Tomic's.

Another wasted aussie talent.

Novak has got a fight on his hands here ... the young punk in Prizmic is taking it up to the champ

 

Edit:  True to form, Prizmic hasn't won a game since

Edited January 14, 20241 yr by Macca

This young bloke Alcaraz is very impressive.  A tremendous all round game and a killer drop shot

And the commentary from John McEnroe is excellent ... supreme knowledge along with dry humour 

Edited January 16, 20241 yr by Macca

What's with the Aussie players wearing board shorts ... Kokkinakos and Purcell?

Apparently the cheapest ticket to the Australian Open Mens final is $2000 ranging up to $6000!  That's for one seat and it's in the bleachers

A glass of bubbly is $30, a beer $15 and a hot dog $18.  Chocolate bar $6

 

On 24/01/2024 at 23:45, Macca said:

Apparently the cheapest ticket to the Australian Open Mens final is $2000 ranging up to $6000!  That's for one seat and it's in the bleachers

A glass of bubbly is $30, a beer $15 and a hot dog $18.  Chocolate bar $6

 

Seems extortionate but I'm wondering how it compares to the other Slams.

WADA has decided to appeal to CAS re the ITIA's decision to clear Yannik Sinner's failed drug test (Steroids) Happening in a few months just prior to the French Open

Most will be familiar with WADA & CAS, but the ITIA is a Tennis  organisation/committee set up by the ATP, WTA & the Grand Slam tournaments to safeguard the integrity of tennis

Sinner could face a ban ranging from 1 month and up to 2 years if found guilty

The Sinner original defence surrounded a cream applied to a cut which contained the anabolic steroid

However, he did fail a drug test on 2 separate occasions with the reading being less than a billionth of a gram.