Tennis Talk 2022: Vol 16 (Rome)

Nobody wins 27 matches in a row from Poland..Or can Iga prove me wrong? Thats the riddle for today,good luck to solve it :)

Sam Stosur is playing singles in Strasbourg on a wild card even though she had retired from singles after the AO.

I can't hate on Iga because she seems super cool, but even Barty had more interesting matches than this

She should have given the first set to Sabalenka just out of courtesy and play a real match from there

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdgWSI7MKhK/

Slide for ice cream picture

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdh4iGxMpZA/

slide for more ice cream of someone else

https://twitter.com/SMSTNS/status/1525466190243672064/photo/2

poor Bianca

https://twitter.com/DonnaVekic/status/1525481742659887110

some drama!

Iga will never lose another match as long as she avoids Collins and Ostapenko, will she?

....on surfaces that aren't for cows anyway.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/tennis/chennai/article38490911.ece/amp/

WTA Chennai (India) 250 announced for September.

Something to finely complement Japan and South Korea.

May 14, 2022 -- 2:09AM, SamuelMertensBertens wrote:

yeah or I could also get owned by some more.Speaking of retirements, Sabine won another match this week but retired from her match yesterday due to food poisoning.

poor Sabine! what sort of mean person poisons such a nice smiley woman?

May 14, 2022 -- 9:45AM, edy wrote:

Sam Stosur is playing singles in Strasbourg on a wild card even though she had retired from singles after the AO.

wow. WOW. how do you feel about her doing this?

I am thrilled.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdi08c4Devz/

Isner and Diego looking happy and holding their official hashtag up.

same person who poisoned Andy Murray. Someone has it in for our phorum faves.

what a mugfest that was. How many games for Ons tomorrow?

That was some ownage from Jabeur on the final four points.

Ons owned Daria hard

May 14, 2022 -- 6:36PM, SamuelMertensBertens wrote:

what a mugfest that was. How many games for Ons tomorrow?

5

Ons is a really really cruel person with no mercy.She is not beating players in a normal way, she is giving them hope to actually win the match, giving double breaks and match points away and then she destroys them :D

funny way to win with the casual drop shot too

May 14, 2022 -- 6:36PM, edy wrote:

May 14, 2022 --  6:36PM, SamuelMertensBertens wrote:what a mugfest that was. How many games for Ons tomorrow?5

Iga food poisoned and retiring 0-5 down?

May 14, 2022 -- 3:49PM, SamuelMertensBertens wrote:

https://twitter.com/SMSTNS/status/1525466190243672064/photo/2poor Bianca

May 14, 2022 -- 5:26PM, edy wrote:

....on surfaces that aren't for cows anyway.

you're a cow

May 14, 2022 -- 6:36PM, SamuelMertensBertens wrote:

what a mugfest that was. How many games for Ons tomorrow?

7

May 14, 2022 -- 6:40PM, wisewords wrote:

May 14, 2022 --  3:49PM, SamuelMertensBertens wrote:https://twitter.com/SMSTNS/status/1525466190243672064/photo/2poor Bianca

https://twitter.com/SMSTNS/status/1525476669028503556/photo/1

haha yeah, I saw that in the comments/replies to the first one you posted!

this is some vulturing by Garbine.
https://twitter.com/MichalSamulski/status/1525550405744205833/photo/1

she's trying to Woz approach to maintain a decent ranking spot

she's trying the* Woz approach to maintain a decent ranking spot!

Probably still going to flop.

I think it's more to get some matches and confidence rather than saving her ranking. Doesn't have lots of points to depend until the fall.

maybe The Mastermind will end up with Garbine after Simona

I think her quota of Frenchmen as coaches is filled for a lifetime.
Although I think Sumyk did a good job with her, they just had awful chemistry.

Svitolina pregnant.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdkxeQ7NbB5/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdjbrw8g4jo/

slide for Coco ice cream

ITF Makarova not making herself popular with the Morderger family this weekend. About to beat the sisters back to back in Strasbourg qualies.

....and just threw in an underhand serve for ultimate humiliation at 5-0, 40-0 in the second set.

May 15, 2022 -- 11:51AM, edy wrote:

Svitolina pregnant.

what a glorious 24 hrs for Ukraine.

https://twitter.com/TheTennisLetter/status/1525439604311986177
classic WTA/wrestling mash-up

I see some books have Naomi fave over Iga for US Open. Doesn't really make sense to me.
I took Iga at 7.00, just hoping she doesn't run into a wall by then.

Marcinko is fav vs Peterson today on her WTA debut in Rabat.

Seems a crazy price really.

Hey edy, maybe your Efremova pick will work out after all with Iga scooping up everything in the next ten years instead of Barty.

May 15, 2022 -- 12:39PM, n88uk wrote:

Marcinko is fav vs Peterson today on her WTA debut in Rabat.

market all over the place with up-and-comers. Sloane was 1.6 against Brenda. Linda was 7 (?) against Mertens.

May 15, 2022 -- 12:40PM, n88uk wrote:

Seems a crazy price really.

At least with her having retired in her most recent match.

Who is the highest ranked player Marcinko first played and then beat. She's barely even played above $25k level.

Seems surprising to then just be default fav vs a regular tour level player.

And there is what Edy said too, she retired only like 10 days ago, but I don't know what with.

Will Kartal ever lose another match at ITF level?

Iga getting super emotional.

Four more games lost by Iga than last year's final.

#slump

ah, that's why she was so sad.

Iga is a self-confessed serial cryer. Sheds tears over everything.

I know, but this is much even for her. It's just Rome. This is winning Wimbledon type of reaction.

I see Betfair messed up the Paris final.

Gilles Simon is about to win back to back matches on clay like it's 2011.

Iga still confused at prize ceremonies. You'd think she knows how this works by now.

"I can't speak Italian yet"

Emphasis on yet!

I know, I was gonna bold it.

wow, Liu-Haddad Maia has been turned in-play

NO WAY!

YA WAY!!

Easy for Marcinko

Is Marcinko free to win Rabat?

Is Marcinko the new Iga?

What losers some of you are for doubting a supreme flag like Marcinko.

Good stuff from those that thought Peterson would be able to trouble Marcinko.

monster 22+ point game here.

What a GOAT Marcinko. Luring them in with the bait and switch, then the reverse.

easy for Petra.

Shame I forgot to flag her (edy's fault). But it's good for the comp that the future GOATs are spread out.

My fault? I pressed you to flag her like three times.

Lol Marcinko's draw is pretty kind looking at her quarter they just brought up.

May 15, 2022 -- 4:21PM, edy wrote:

My fault? I pressed you to flag her like three times.

exactly. and a bunch of other no-hopers.

The clue was in me repeatedly pressing you to flag Marcinko. I don't do that for random no-hopers. They get the one time promotion treatment.

and it's further unfair to blame me because without me had would have never even had heard of Marcinko when n88 flagged her.

why didn't you flag her yourself?

Was out of flags.

I would have known. She won a junior Slam.

C'mon, nobody knows who wins the junior slams.

Zheng Qinwen withdrew due to gastrointestinal illness;

who's food poisoning the players?

ffs

Draws are out for RG qualies.
Make you picks in hipster comp before 10 am UKT tomorrow.
https://community.betfair.com/tennis/go/thread/view/94186/31757115/rg-qualifying-tennis-hipster-challenge#flvWelcomeHeader
,

Links don't work.

I'll try to fix it later. For now go to RG website.

I think they generate a new temporary access key for the PDF draws for every visitor, so linking to the direct pdf draws will be difficult. Link to the HTML draws if you must.

unpopular opinion:

Neither Novak, Rafa or Carlos will win RG this year.

Novak's worst surface. Hasn't been in the best form lately but has started to find it in Madrid and then winning Rome. The most likely of the 3 to win RG 2022

Rafa's troublesome foot. Looks like it's going to be a struggle to be fully fit to play his best.

Carlos' lack of success over best of 5 sets format thus far. He can come unstuck playing too many long matches.

..

This opens the door for a random winner. We haven't had a "random" winner at RG since Stan beat Novak in the 2015 edition. I'm going to think more about this over the coming days. Maybe 2022 is a random men's winner year!

I just feel Novak is timing his rise in form to perfection.

Plus wants revenge for Australia (over and above the obvious slam-counting game) and the pure competitor smells blood with a dodgy looking Rafa.

#flagwatch

Well done to Andreeva senior, reaching the final of a 100k from qualies and a tb away from winning in straight sets.
Hopefully she's still early enough in her development that the whole Russia/Ukraine thing doesn't derail her too much.

One of the new big 3 will win RG. Only way there will be a random winner is if one goes out with injury and the other two has a 7 hr match and nothing left for the following match. I'm not worrying about Carlos's fitness at all and Novak is a completely different player than 2-3 weeks ago. I don't think one foot Rafa will be much of a threat though unless he gets a super easy draw with walking byes until SF.

unpopular opinion:

Neither Novak, Rafa or Carlos will win RG this year.

Novak's worst surface. Hasn't been in the best form lately but has started to find it in Madrid and then winning Rome. The most likely of the 3 to win RG 2022

Rafa's troublesome foot. Looks like it's going to be a struggle to be fully fit to play his best.

Carlos' lack of success over best of 5 sets format thus far. He can come unstuck playing too many long matches.

..

This opens the door for a random winner. We haven't had a "random" winner at RG since Stan beat Novak in the 2015 edition. I'm going to think more about this over the coming days. Maybe 2022 is a random men's winner year!



Like who????

that's the tricky bit. Stefanos Tsitsipas perhaps, although I'm never confident in him because he likes to choke. It would be someone that's proficient on clay as their speciality. To be honest my post is an "unpopular opinion" for a reason, not many think it will happen. Many are expecting the dream Novak v Carlos final and with ATP being the way it is, that will probably be the final.

The draw will be big this year. Carlos, Rafa and Novak could all end up on same side. That could open up for a randomer who then only has to beat big 3 and in best case scenario for them a fatigued one in the final. Tsitsipas the most solid pick outside the new big 3, but I don't see him beating any of them if they are in their best form.

So much ramping on Rafa both ways today. First was finished, now looked good in practice.

Guinard is a headpointer, fingerswagerer and arm waverer