Tennis Talk 2022: Vol 12 (Monte Carlo, Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers)

The Grigor roar. The big guns continue to drop like flies.

you proud of him Toad?

Dimitrov too easy for him

Of course wisey. He's a legend ! The French Open looks like a cracker. Whose your fancy wisey ?

haven't a clue yet Toad! do you want some random predictions now and then maybe some more during Rome or something?

Apr 13, 2022 -- 11:40PM, SamuelMertensBertens wrote:

I see Coco W retired after losing the first set. Didn't watch so can't tell it was wear and tear from playing a lot last week or another sulk retirement.

oh no Colleen

Toad how do you feel about Musetti doing this to your man Diego?

mama mia!

was that hold GSM Diego?

JM would be seething if he saw that.

Apr 14, 2022 -- 12:39PM, wisewords wrote:

haven't a clue yet Toad! do you want some random predictions now and then maybe some more during Rome or something?

Sounds good to me wisey. I took 8/1 Stefanos at the bookies earlier. Didn't think I would have been backing him until recently.

Apr 14, 2022 -- 1:00PM, wisewords wrote:

Toad how do you feel about Musetti doing this to your man Diego?

It's been a good match wisey, Diego has a tendency to make these comebacks, though today I have not capitalised, how about you mate ?

Also backed Dubai Poet 10/3 in the 1330 Newcastle tomorrow wisey (sorry, not tennis related)

All seeds are falling here, so happy to take on Zverev 1.13 now.

not you too with this ww type strategy
not saying it's a bad play, but how other favorites have done has nothing to do with the outcome of this match.

Stef for RG looks a good play though with question marks looming over both Rafa's and Novak's fitness and winning a Slam at this point might be a step too far for Carlos.

Stands filled in MC on a weekday. So people there are super rich and also don't work?

Apr 14, 2022 -- 2:44PM, SamuelMertensBertens wrote:

not you too with this ww type strategy not saying it's a bad play, but how other favorites have done has nothing to do with the outcome of this match.

no no. totally agree. it's like people in casinos tracking the roulette.

i don't know why I made that statement (I think it might have relevancy if it was a tournament with suspect motivation, but that is not this one). I just wanted to take on the price independently, not gone well admittingly.

Björklund is underdog against some chick that played UTR recently.

these zoom-ins are a delight for the foot fetishists.

Apr 14, 2022 -- 2:26PM, Angela Rebecchi wrote:

Apr 14, 2022 -- 12:39PM, wisewords wrote:haven't a clue yet Toad! do you want some random predictions now and then maybe some more during Rome or something?Sounds good to me wisey. I took 8/1 Stefanos at the bookies earlier. Didn't think I would have been backing him until recently.

let's go with Sakkari and Djokovic

Minella who retired after one game yesterday played today and won her match.

why did she retire yesterday?

Goran isn't worried.

Last year, he started to play well in Rome where he got to the final, then he won the French Open. So I’m not worried. He just needs some continuity, he needs to play more and more matches and he’s going to find his way.

Cold revenge for Oz is still on!

A bit of playing for her country might be just what Leylah needs to get back (again) to winning ways.

Go canada.

Beatriz.

wisey, would you go on a Wim Hof retreat if Masha wanted you both to go ?

Yaroslava Shvedova is the kazakh BJK Cup captain these days.

Apr 14, 2022 -- 9:29PM, Journeyman wrote:

Goran isn't worried.Last year, he started to play well in Rome where he got to the final, then he won the French Open. So I’m not worried. He just needs some continuity, he needs to play more and more matches and he’s going to find his way.Cold revenge for Oz is still on!

Last year he was 10-1 at this point of the season. This season he's 2-2 with back to back losses on two different surfaces against players he should beat easily. But of course Goran will try to put a positive spin on things.

Read on MTF that Novak always sucks when Vajda isn't part of the coaching team.

That is also true.

But when has Vajda not been part of the team?

In 2022

Novak should of course still win Belgrade quite easily if he manages to avoid meeting Krajinovic.

May 2017 to April 2018 was the previous Vajda-less stint.

I see Vajda has been leaving when Novak has been making decisions that's not been in the best interest of Novak's career so it's hard to say if it's the lack of Vajda or the effects of these decisions that is causing Novak to suck.

Martincova fave against Emma? (1.8)

hey edy, have there been any changes to streaming from ITF events on Betfair lately?

Apr 15, 2022 -- 12:46PM, SamuelMertensBertens wrote:

Martincova fave against Emma? (1.8)

this was a bit of a mug comment, regardless of result. How was I supposed to know that the Czechs chose to play on CLAY???

The unique and unprecedented madness of what he was put through Australia has still to fully work its way out of his system. Like a bad prawn!

When it does though you've got a player who clearly and repeatedly runs through his battery across a tennis year so that his level starts decreasing from the first slam he plays in a year to the last (backed up by the eyecatching disparity between his Aus Open titles and his Us open total). And this time the French will be that first slam of the year.

Caveat - I may be doing a sub-Goran and just seeing the positive gloss. But I think there's an element of truth to it.

well it's too early to say after two bad results. Great players have overcome bad patches several times, that's most likely what is going on here. But there comes a time for every player when Father Time catches up with them. There's a small chance that is what's going on with Novak here. Goran should of course say what he is saying.

Apr 15, 2022 -- 1:29PM, SamuelMertensBertens wrote:

hey edy, have there been any changes to streaming from ITF events on Betfair lately?

They stream ITF events?

oh maybe they never have (hipster ITF). I was asking. They used to stream Davis Cup, Fed Cup and Slams which are under ITF's flag, but they are not streaming BJK Cup this season.

Zverev being booed as he walks on court

Good news for Raducanu stans. She digs sliding!

I feel this could be one of my strongest surfaces going forward but of course, it's early days right now. I feel like I have got a lot more potential, physically and I do enjoy sliding.
So, after spending more time on this surface, I'm sure I'll time it better and learn more about the surface but also just the time that the clay brings. I feel like I can really use it and play aggressive.


Good win for her. Seems to be really enjoying the team format. I get that, she's maybe felt a bit separated from everybody else with the spotlight that's been on her since September.

What a mug Zverev.

What is this Robbie Koenig is talking about Zverev went into AO 2nd favourite if Djokovic was going to play, and was favourite once he couldn't play and everyone was talking about him winning it. A) Medvedev was favourite, B) I don't remember anyone talking about Zverev winning it.

.

There were some hype around Zverev, he was clear 2nd fave here, after Medvedev.

one way from a TBOTAJ.

SNAKE DELAY IN PALM HARBOR

Umpire called "let let let let let"

Everyone was confused

"There is a snake on the court!"

Chirico runs for her life.

Overall people had fun with it though and nobody and no snakes were harmed in the process from what I saw.

The snake incident has left the umpire in a bedazzled state. Lee won the point to make it 1-2 in the final set and music starts playing.

Umpire: "Thank you for the music. It is not a changeover"

Confused players stop walking to their chairs.

Umpire: "....it is...."

1.01 vs 1.05

chokers the lot of them

What did Tsitsipas apologise about there at the net?

wasting over an hour of Diego's life by not closing out the match in set 2.

Iga doesn't mess around!

Emma clay GOAT moniker didn't last long.

Czechs bringing in Linda to face Dart in live 4th rubber.

6-0 Dart

Linda always sucks in set 1.

No market here but Linda 9/2 on 365.

6-0, 2-0

This could cause some scars ...

6-0, 3-0

Linda not even winning points anymore.

(real) clay doesn't seem to be her best surface ...

GSM Linda, broke from 40-0 down.

Linda needs to stop with this Taylor Fritz tactics (only start trying when you are way behind).

Super GSM Linda

this was obvious from ADF.

WTA Stuttgart has to have the highest gulp in quality between q draw and main draw. So many mugs playing today. (I take it it's related to BJK Cup)

the word I'm looking for is apparently gulf.

doctor ADF

and physio.

"What for?" asks umpire
"Everything"

but no MTO

although technically it was because he took a pill (in Ibiza).

Scandalous

gulf not gulp in quality caramba

Apr 16, 2022 -- 2:55PM, SamuelMertensBertens wrote:

the word I'm looking for is apparently gulf.

Mandy retired after one game on Wednesday, won matches on consecutive days after that and is now in Stuttgart to play qualifying later today.

good luck Mandy

Does Marta Kostyuk consider herself too big for BJK Cup or is she injured? She would do better than NTF shiller Zavatska.

please play out the set, Sascha!

not watching. is he badly injured?

seems fine to me?

probably not. But had a long match yesterday and treatment for his leg several match and was all "We'll see" when asked about how he thought he would fare physically today. Had some sulking body language at the start of the match, but has done better since. Not like him to retire anyway.

*several times

ok thanks. seems perfectly fine to me

Monte Carlo has been pretty epic this year. I should have done a little better, but I can't complain at all about the topsy turvy matches and the opportunities.

Russell Fuller @russellcfuller
·3h
Emma Raducanu has just had her feet “bathed in surgical spirit” and says she felt “completely redundant and helpless” against Vondrousova. Stuttgart next week is not out of the question, as she seeks a solution to these frequent blisters.

hand blisters; I don't know the solution for. feet blisters; often a product of inadequate footwear

she has both (it was hand blisters in Australia)

yeah I remember in Aus. maybe she only used to do limited practice and now she's gone full pro and they're making her practice and play alot more her skin is breaking down. your skin toughens up over time

Shelby getting owned by an NFT shiller.