Sport thread

[jess]

*sneaks into conversation*

I'm happy An-deh finally won another match against Djoker... it was getting depressing for a while there post-TO, as an Andy fan.

I very much agree that Andy/Novak matches are pretty much the worst. It is always funny to me that the media hype them so much & they're nearly always dramatic as fuck shit shows with more mind games/dramatics than tennis skills (from both of them).

[internetakeover]

Diversity of opinion makes things interesting, hunnyftw, don't worry about that I don't actively dislike Nole, just really love Andy and Rafa! So delighted for Andy's win, wish I'd been able to watch it all.

Novak and Wawrinka is a great match up to watch, their Roland Garros final last year was incredible. Novak really seems to bring out Stan's best form, which is kind of tough for him as Stan can be so variable.

[hunnyftw]

*sneaks into conversation*

I'm happy An-deh finally won another match against Djoker... it was getting depressing for a while there post-TO, as an Andy fan.

I very much agree that Andy/Novak matches are pretty much the worst. It is always funny to me that the media hype them so much & they're nearly always dramatic as fuck shit shows with more mind games/dramatics than tennis skills (from both of them).

While I'm certainly not happy that Novak lost, I'm also not really sad. It happens. I'm more sad for the fact that the match was quite... meh. Nole was rather bad and unfocused, Andy was obviously better but... when only one is kind of good and the other is just bad, it can't create an exciting match. And I got used to media overhyping their games. They have to hype something, don't they?

internetakeover, would you agree with me that Wawrinka can be a very black and white player? What I mean is that there's rarely an inbetween with him. He's often either totally ON FIRE (eg rolland garros 2015) or he's a mess, hitting every other ball out.

[internetakeover]

*sneaks into conversation*

I'm happy An-deh finally won another match against Djoker... it was getting depressing for a while there post-TO, as an Andy fan.

I very much agree that Andy/Novak matches are pretty much the worst. It is always funny to me that the media hype them so much & they're nearly always dramatic as fuck shit shows with more mind games/dramatics than tennis skills (from both of them).

While I'm certainly not happy that Novak lost, I'm also not really sad. It happens. I'm more sad for the fact that the match was quite... meh. Nole was rather bad and unfocused, Andy was obviously better but... when only one is kind of good and the other is just bad, it can't create an exciting match. And I got used to media overhyping their games. They have to hype something, don't they?

internetakeover, would you agree with me that Wawrinka can be a very black and white player? What I mean is that there's rarely an inbetween with him. He's often either totally ON FIRE (eg rolland garros 2015) or he's a mess, hitting every other ball out.

Yeah, absolutely! His last few Roland Garros tournaments are good examples of this - RG 2015 was obviously outstanding, yet in 2014 he was bagelled by Garcia Lopez in the first round, and in 2013 he had a beautiful match hitting nearly 100 winners (it was 90 something but can't remember exactly what!) beating Gasquet in the fourth round. Somehow his first serve percentage can float around 50% even when he's playing well though, which I will never understand. That kind of variation in form must be mental, I think, it's something you can see in players like Benoit Paire too.

It kind of fits in with what jess said about the Murray-Djokovic match up devolving into mind games, and the example of Novak getting derailed today - Stan has previously played so well against Novak that he now expects to, and conversely Andy has lost to him so often that he surely must almost expect to, and gets annoyed when he sees a match going down the same route. Novak getting distracted and worked up over the weather today could have been worsened by his expectations of winning easily being overturned. I'm sure they'd all deny these assumptions if asked - and also do recognise that it's reaching a bit! - but subconsciously there must be a lot going on.

[daphenaxa]

A disclaimer: I'm not an uncritical type of fan. His behaviour today was over the top from time to time, especially the way he was arguing with the umpire. His mind was everywhere but on the tennis court. But hey, I'm a creature of habit and in spite of his (very human) flaws I still like his tennis when he's got a good day.

Why I don't like their matchup? For starters, I really don't like Andy's game. And then I think that Andy's and Nole's worst game can be similar and sadly it seems that their matchup tends to bring out their worst in both of them, both in terms of their play (they become "grinders", to use your term) and in terms of their energy on the court. They both become pointlessly frustrated and unenergetic.
Actually, maybe parts of it are quite similar to your assessment of the situation, soz
I guess I just can't agree with you that they're normally "grinders with no attack", especially not Nole. Nearly everybody can see that he has an incredible defence, but people often overlook the fact that: 1) defence is rarely his first option, he tries to attack first 2)when he does have to defense it still tends to be very offensive and he's looking to counterattack all the time.

Anyway, these days a good example of a far more interesting matchup for me would be Nole and Federer or Nole and Wawrinka. Their style of game is quite different (both when they're at their worst and when they're at their best) but also I find the energy that they bring out in each other much better; over the years I found that the energy factor, although very subjective and hard to explain, is crucial for my enjoyment of a match.

Mmm Đoković is a counter puncher. I would still say he is a grinder but an aggressive grinder. For example he is not like a Ferrer or 2005 Nadal who just grind everything, save and bring back every ball and finally win the point usually on an error of the opponent.
His defense is so solid that while defending he can still be aggressive and have his opponent misplaced on the court and further and further from the ball bit by bit. But he is not an attack player like Stan or Fed or Kyrgios or even Nadal now who tends to be more offensive. His net play and trick shot skills are actually weaker than those of Fed, Rafa, Andy even Nishikori but his groundstrokes, especially his backhand, his change of directions and his movement are so solid that he does not need that touch.
Novak needs to be pair to an offensive player that will get him out of those groundstroke rhythm for the match to be remotely interesting, that is why a matchup against Stan or Fed are usually good.
all this imo

Stan the man doesn't seem to be in the best shape honestly but hey he is an inconsistent player with a lot of self doubt so he is the kind of player who can beat anyone on a certain day and lose against anyone on another.

[jess]

Stan the man doesn't seem to be in the best shape honestly but hey he is an inconsistent player with a lot of self doubt so he is the kind of player who can beat anyone on a certain day and lose against anyone on another.

I think you all are spot on with the Stan observations. He can be a very frustrating player to watch when he's frustrated because he can completely beat himself mentally (Andy is the same!). When Stan in on though, he is amazing to watch.

Stan has previously played so well against Novak that he now expects to, and conversely Andy has lost to him so often that he surely must almost expect to, and gets annoyed when he sees a match going down the same route. Novak getting distracted and worked up over the weather today could have been worsened by his expectations of winning easily being overturned. I'm sure they'd all deny these assumptions if asked - and also do recognise that it's reaching a bit! - but subconsciously there must be a lot going on.

Psychoanalyzing tennis players is one of the reasons I got so hooked on tennis a few years back. There's so much going on inside their heads & mental sharpness, distraction, etc. can completely make or break a match. It is fascinating to pick them all apart!

One thing I will always give Novak is that he is a champion of a runner up... he is so gracious, well-spoken (in so many languages!!!), & honestly seems to be happy for whomever beat him. As much as he can drive me nuts during a match, he makes it better if/when he loses by being such a good sportsman about it.

[hunnyftw]

Stan has previously played so well against Novak that he now expects to, and conversely Andy has lost to him so often that he surely must almost expect to, and gets annoyed when he sees a match going down the same route. Novak getting distracted and worked up over the weather today could have been worsened by his expectations of winning easily being overturned. I'm sure they'd all deny these assumptions if asked - and also do recognise that it's reaching a bit! - but subconsciously there must be a lot going on.

Psychoanalyzing tennis players is one of the reasons I got so hooked on tennis a few years back. There's so much going on inside their heads & mental sharpness, distraction, etc. can completely make or break a match. It is fascinating to pick them all apart!

One thing I will always give Novak is that he is a champion of a runner up... he is so gracious, well-spoken (in so many languages!!!), & honestly seems to be happy for whomever beat him. As much as he can drive me nuts during a match, he makes it better if/when he loses by being such a good sportsman about it.

Oh yes, I also enjoy the psychoanalysis part of the game as well and admire the players who are strong mentally. If I were them, I'd be a total shaky mess. Agree that Novak is a gracious loser when the match is over. But he could work a bit on his behaviour while he's losing 'cause he can be a nasty brat sometimes
And internetakeover while your analysis of the reasons for Novak's mental state during the Rome finale is interesting... don't you think it would be slightly naive of him to expect and easy match with Andy, given the way he'd played during the tournament? I only saw his matches with Nadal and Nishikori, but it seemed like he was struggling quite a bit and his form wasn't the best.

[daphenaxa]

So add to the whole WADA and IOC drama (meldonium ban, doping scandal in Russian athletics, alleged swap of samples at Sochi):

[daphenaxa]

Rafa just pulled out of Roland Garros because his wrist is nearly broken. I am so fucking sad for him

[DryCereal]

So add to the whole WADA and IOC drama (meldonium ban, doping scandal in Russian athletics, alleged swap of samples at Sochi):

23 competitors samples from London 2012 also tested positive... http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/36391896

[hunnyftw]

Rafa just pulled out of Roland Garros because his wrist is nearly broken. I am so fucking sad for him

I can't pretend that Rafa is my favourite but it's always a very sad news when a player has any health problems Wrists, knees, ankles... their vulnerability is terrifying, man. Do you know the details? Is it very serious? Is it possible to estimate how long the recovery may take?

[DryCereal]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-36401150
Have the Olympics ever been moved before? I know they were cancelled in 1940, but...

[offtopic]I know my partner isn't keen on me travelling to meet his extended family at the moment, or other travel plans we had for this year (prior to my whoopsie in January!) "until he knows more about it" - hey, gives me more time to improve my conversation skills I guess! (oh, and neither are we actively trying rn. Yet. #oversharing )[/offtopic]

[internetakeover]

Rafa just pulled out of Roland Garros because his wrist is nearly broken. I am so fucking sad for him

I can't pretend that Rafa is my favourite but it's always a very sad news when a player has any health problems Wrists, knees, ankles... their vulnerability is terrifying, man. Do you know the details? Is it very serious? Is it possible to estimate how long the recovery may take?

I am... unreasonably sad about this. Like, I may have actually cried. ...twice

He said it was inflammation in his tendon sheath, and that it would break if he kept playing, but also that it wasn't very serious and should just take a few weeks or a month of rest to fix, and that he's still hopeful for Wimbledon. I guess we'll see!

also I'm so sorry hunnyftw idk how I missed your response to my Novak overanalysis - I'm blaming my final year uni exams! It definitely would have been naive of Novak to expect to win easily given Rome conditions, and again I doubt that he'd ever have thought any of those things consciously or said that he would expect a victory, but subconsciously it would seem like a shake up of the normal order and he'd maybe be unsettled b/c he knows that he can and regularly does beat Andy, yet couldn't make it work for a change. But again, I freely admit that this is silly overanalysis and I can never really have any idea of any player's mental state.

IckleMissMayhem - I'd be very surprised if they did move the Olympics at this point, it seems pretty close to the actual event now, and I'm definitely not aware of them having being moved before. Also as it is primarily a pregnancy related issue it doesn't seem likely that it would impact too many athletes, making them less likely to relocate the whole event. But you never know!

[hunnyftw]

He said it was inflammation in his tendon sheath, and that it would break if he kept playing, but also that it wasn't very serious and should just take a few weeks or a month of rest to fix, and that he's still hopeful for Wimbledon. I guess we'll see!

also I'm so sorry hunnyftw idk how I missed your response to my Novak overanalysis - I'm blaming my final year uni exams!

Don't worry about it. I hope your exams go well And thanks for the Rafa info.
Who do you think will win Roland Garros now? Is this finally Nole's year? I'd hope so, but I haven't got a chance to watch him play this week so I don't know what form he is in.

[internetakeover]

He said it was inflammation in his tendon sheath, and that it would break if he kept playing, but also that it wasn't very serious and should just take a few weeks or a month of rest to fix, and that he's still hopeful for Wimbledon. I guess we'll see!

also I'm so sorry hunnyftw idk how I missed your response to my Novak overanalysis - I'm blaming my final year uni exams!

Don't worry about it. I hope your exams go well And thanks for the Rafa info.
Who do you think will win Roland Garros now? Is this finally Nole's year? I'd hope so, but I haven't got a chance to watch him play this week so I don't know what form he is in.

Thank you! They're over now, and were hopefully okay? No problem

I think it probably is Nole's year (finally!), though either Stan or Andy could definitely make things tough for him. I've not seen much of Novak this week, but he's looked in pretty good form when I have. I don't mean to dismiss the seeds in Novak's half of the draw (especially Ferrer), but it might be a disadvantage to him if he ends up not having a real challenge until the final, whereas whichever of Stan or Andy makes it there will have had at least the other to give them a proper test on the way, never mind their difficult earlier rounds! Then again, he might be far more well rested and benefit from that, it goes both ways.

[hunnyftw]

internetakeover I have nothing to add because I totally agree with your take on this years Roland Garros
I just came here to vent a little bit after today's fiasco. Whole day cancelled because of rain? What a fail, seriously It's late spring and it tends to rain quite a bit in this part of the world. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. The organizers make millions every year, can't they be FORCED to install some lights and build a roof on at least one court? Wtf. Now the finales will probably take place on Monday, not to mention the fact that some players got really screwed over. For example Radwanska should've ended her match yesterday, she will have to finish it tomorrow. Ugh.

Edit. This post turned me into a sad dimple. How fitting.

[daphenaxa]

internetakeover I have nothing to add because I totally agree with your take on this years Roland Garros
I just came here to vent a little bit after today's fiasco. Whole day cancelled because of rain? What a fail, seriously It's late spring and it tends to rain quite a bit in this part of the world. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. The organizers make millions every year, can't they be FORCED to install some lights and build a roof on at least one court? Wtf. Now the finales will probably take place on Monday, not to mention the fact that some players got really screwed over. For example Radwanska should've ended her match yesterday, she will have to finish it tomorrow. Ugh.

Edit. This post turned me into a sad dimple. How fitting.

yeah they've been talking about building a roof to Roland Garros two main courts for years and years now...

also mark my words, this year is Gasquet's year lol

[DryCereal]

Well, AFC Wimbledon have been promoted to D1. Bring on what is likely to be the biggest grudge match in English football history!

[shikaritrash]

internetakeover I have nothing to add because I totally agree with your take on this years Roland Garros
I just came here to vent a little bit after today's fiasco. Whole day cancelled because of rain? What a fail, seriously It's late spring and it tends to rain quite a bit in this part of the world. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. The organizers make millions every year, can't they be FORCED to install some lights and build a roof on at least one court? Wtf. Now the finales will probably take place on Monday, not to mention the fact that some players got really screwed over. For example Radwanska should've ended her match yesterday, she will have to finish it tomorrow. Ugh.

Edit. This post turned me into a sad dimple. How fitting.

yeah they've been talking about building a roof to Roland Garros two main courts for years and years now...

also mark my words, this year is Gasquet's year lol

Usually weather's not so bad though. Such a bad weather situation hadn't happened since the 70s apparently. It really is the first or second worse RG and it tends not to rain this much. Of course it's going to be cancelled, the weather is literal chaos in this part of France right now. At least it's not flooded...

Makes me a bit sad still. With all those players leaving during the first week and this chaotic raining the second week...Unfortunately I don't really think tomorrow will get better but we'll see. Not to mention the effect it has on players. Must be tough to keep a good rythm.

I hope Djokovic will finally win RG this year!

[daphenaxa]

internetakeover I have nothing to add because I totally agree with your take on this years Roland Garros
I just came here to vent a little bit after today's fiasco. Whole day cancelled because of rain? What a fail, seriously It's late spring and it tends to rain quite a bit in this part of the world. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. The organizers make millions every year, can't they be FORCED to install some lights and build a roof on at least one court? Wtf. Now the finales will probably take place on Monday, not to mention the fact that some players got really screwed over. For example Radwanska should've ended her match yesterday, she will have to finish it tomorrow. Ugh.

Edit. This post turned me into a sad dimple. How fitting.

yeah they've been talking about building a roof to Roland Garros two main courts for years and years now...

also mark my words, this year is Gasquet's year lol

Usually weather's not so bad though. Such a bad weather situation hadn't happened since the 70s apparently. It really is the first or second worse RG and it tends not to rain this much. Of course it's going to be cancelled, the weather is literal chaos in this part of France right now. At least it's not flooded...

Makes me a bit sad still. With all those players leaving during the first week and this chaotic raining the second week...Unfortunately I don't really think tomorrow will get better but we'll see. Not to mention the effect it has on players. Must be tough to keep a good rythm.

I hope Djokovic will finally win RG this year!

yeah obviously it is an exceptional year with all the rain. But it doesn't change the fact that they have been talking about the roof for years and still have built nothing. Why? Because yes, previous years were not that bad but they knew they needed the roof anyways.
I can say from experience that playing under the rain is HORRIBLE. The ball is different, you can't see anything and you usually don't move much as you are scared to slip and get injured. You're cold and wet as well... obviously the interruptions are even worse because you have to do your whole concentration routine again and stay in your match etc.

ahah perso moi je suis pour une petite finale Gasquet/Thiem :mrgreen:

[shikaritrash]

Je stan légèrement Djoko depuis quelques années donc don't mind me je pense et j'espère que c'est enfin son année.

I always say I will keep updated with tennis throughout the year when RG is happening because I really get into it but I never keep my promises. But I love RG so I'm a bit of a #fakefan but whatever. It makes me mad because if I enjoy RG I should enjoy the other tournaments but I'm just...lazy. I don't do sports and I can't even follow sports news, damn me.

Yeah that roof is really needed to be honest it would be about time. At least on one court!

[jess]

Andy Murray...

[hunnyftw]

^^^
Novak Djokovic!
Sorry, I had to. I'll stop being obnoxious now

[jess]

^^^
Novak Djokovic!
Sorry, I had to. I'll stop being obnoxious now

Disappointment/frustration is a pretty big part of being a Murray fan, so I'm used to it.

[internetakeover]

Did anyone watch Le Mans over the weekend? Absolutely heartbreaking stuff - the #5 Toyota broke down just after starting its last lap, managed to start again and finish in second, only to be DQ'd for taking over 6 minutes to finish its final lap! Felt so bad for all the drivers.

Also ahhh it's nearly Wimbledon!! This time next week I'll be sat on... well, either Centre Court or Court 1, depending on order of play, but the point is that I'll be there! Can't wait