Tennis Talk 2023: Vol 38 (BJK Cup Finals, Metz, Sofia)

Simon Cambers @scambers73
·1h
Among the new rules in @nextgenfinals is one that could well come in on the @atptour soon.....
"Shot-Clock Reductions: A new maximum of eight seconds will be introduced between first and second serves. This also applies after a let on first or second serve."

The Carota Boys movement is growing!
https://twitter.com/quindicizero/status/1722718905313923282


SOMEONE FETCH THE WEEDKILLER!

Really good win for Sabine beating lat week's finalist. Now plays Hovde who lost to Kerkhove last week.
Just a bunch of girls stuck in Canada playing each other in a perpetual loop.

Yasmin Syed @yasminstefsyed
·1m
Andy Murray and Ivan Lendl have split for the third time.

Mark Hilton and Jonny O’Mara will share coaching duties for Andy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4iX5D9Z64&ab_channel=TaylorSwiftVEVO

There's an article in the Guardian suggesting their interaction had become minimal anyway.

Despite everything Andy's achieved (and he's achieved a lot) I think one of the main reasons he carries on is the feeling of having been short changed. It's the flipside, the darker side of the endless dominance of Fed, Nadal and Novak.

When I was watching Grigor getting emotional after losing to Novak I think it was that same feeling of being short changed. Like really? I can't even have this? You've won three slams this year, I'm playing the best I've played in years and you can't even let me have the Paris Masters? REALLY???

Maybe the only one that doesn't feel short changed is Stan. I think he got exactly the best he could have hoped for. No complaints.

Are they trying to tell me interaction with an Ivan Lendl can be something other than minimal?

I felt a bit sorry for Danilina. She was probably looking forward to playing some fun dead doubles rubbers and hanging with the big 'Kazakh' stars but then Rybakina can't recover from the horrors of Cancun, Danilina ends up having to step into the singles spotlight and obviously get humiliated.

She looked absolutely crushed in the Juvan match.

I know everyone has been worrying about what Kyrgios is up to. The Express reported this week he's going to be a commentator for the finals in Turin on the Tennis Channel.

The new role suggests Kyrgios may be considering his next steps after recently revealing that he hasn't got much time left in the sport due to the worsening condition of his body after 'all the drinking and partying' he has done during his wild career. 'No f***ing chance. No way. Bro, there's no chance I'm playing until 33 / The schedule is out of control. I'm getting old, I'm getting old. Twenty-eight, yeah - but all the drinking and partying, I'm like 57 It's a lot of training, a lot of work, and I just want to be able to eat whatever I want, drink what I want to drink. It's a hard lifestyle. The dedication these guys show... I did a bit of that last year to show the world I'm still one of the best.

ATP fashion
https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/554885dddcff5b717fed276b76f082ab

The Billie Jean King Cup website is very sexist.

https://www.billiejeankingcup.com/en/draws--results?stage=FC-FLS&year=2023®ion=W-FC-2023-FLS

If you scroll to the "Team Nominations" section, it only mentions/lists the captain if they are female.

They are total MERFS imo.

They're also ageist, listing more recent WTA players but not listing someone like Kathy Rinaldi who played in the 80's and 90's and has a career high ranking of world no 7.

oh look it's Anett!
https://twitter.com/Diego_Barbiani/status/1723342888744923282

Sabine Katharina Lisicki (German pronunciation: [zaˈbiːnə lɪˈzɪki]) will later today play in her first final since 2018 (destroyed by Luksika at the offseason lightning quick indoors WTA125 Taipei) and might even win her first singles title since 2014 (womanhandled KaPlis in Hong Kong (would now be WTA250)). Opponent will be local hero Stacey Fung, who will have an ever raucous canadian crowd behind her.

Fung, from what I can tell, is a surname primarily associated with Hong Kong (and the regions around it), which....is totes a SIGN with Sabine's last title having come in Hong Kong.

Sabine's best hope to defend against the crowd is that Canada-Italy in the BJK Cup will either not be finished yet (Calgary final starts 6h30min after the first BJK Cup final match), or everyone will be too deflated and sad to attend after an Italian victory.

Everybody is gonna rush to flag Stakusic on January 1st at this rate.

Yeah it's annoying. I've been quietly building my team of talented young Canadians and then BJK thrusts her onto the world stage too soon.

But this weekend is going to be transformative for Leylah, and Leylah GOATing is more important to me than the flag comp.

Nov 7, 2023 -- 9:51AM, n88uk wrote:

Anyway it will be cue some very questionable captain decisions this week I imagine as ever in Fed Cup.

Funny, as when I wrote this, one of the expected muggery's of the week I had down was Canada wouldn't play Stakusic. Canada captain obviously very shrewd though.

Well, it's Heidi El-Tabakh. If you know her from her playing days, you just know she is the smartest woman ever to exist (or you'd have told her she is anyway).

Keothavong made her first shrewd decision of the week in kicking Burrage out of the singles

Well she basically had to do that with what Burrage did yesterday.

I don't think it was necessarily a gimme. Burrage younger, having the best year of her career and into the top 100, nearly won a 250. Dart was basically here in a doubles capacity. Burrage would be at Anne's shoulder chomping at the bit for another crack.

It all worked out in the end though.

Does anyone know what Lisicki was actually doing between August and Novemeber? Recuperating? Training?

If it's something she can emulate in the run up to Wimbledon (while making sure to get a Wc) then it's something to think about because she's ripping up trees at the moment.

It's been announced that Krejcikova/Siniakova are splitting next season on the initiative of Siniakova.

Double break LAF!  Bencic-like of joy just a set away

* Bencic-like scream of joy.

Speaking of Leylah - it has also been announced that the WTA250 in Hamburg will be held in a new location next season. More central, more park-y/nature-y (and I would very much imagine smaller than Rothenbaum).

Nov 12, 2023 -- 5:14PM, edy wrote:

It's been announced that Krejcikova/Siniakova are splitting next season on the initiative of Siniakova.

some of these double players must really hate winning.

https://twitter.com/stanwawrinka/status/1723747330011152775/photo/2
Stan with the same type of walking boot I had in the summer.

Siniakova wants to grow as a tennis player and as a human being by leaving her comfort zone.

Nov 12, 2023 -- 5:49PM, SamuelMertensBertens wrote:

https://twitter.com/stanwawrinka/status/1723747330011152775/photo/2Stan with the same type of walking boot I had in the summer.

I see Stan is a big fan of former 76ers GM Sam Hinkie.

Canada the champions!

maple syrup for everyone tonight!

Respect to Rebecca Marino. Takes out half of the suicide comp in one day then two months later she's a world champ without hitting a ball.

The names of Fernandez, Stakusic, Rebecca Marino, Eugenie Boucard and Gabriela Dabrowski will now reverberate around the world

Billiejeankingcup.com

Bouchard's contribution shouldn't be overlooked. Okay she played two 'dead' doubles rubbers but won them convincingly, thereby allowing LAF to commit 100% to beating Marketa in the singles knowing there was a proven backup in the doubles.

Genie = back.

That short changes Marino a bit and does her injustice. She hit plent of balls and played a vital role in them qualifying for the finals to begin with in a very close tie against Belgium.

Only because Marino had tired Bonaventure out the day before in a tough 3-set loss was Leylah able to come back against and grind the same opponent down after everyone's favourite curly girl had been down a set and a break. With the tie ending 3-2 in Canada's favour, that point was crucialer than crucial.

What Genie did in 2014, and Milos on the men's side around the same time, should not be undersold when analyzing Canada's success ~10 years later. The Björn Borgs of Canadian tennis.

That short changes Marino a bit and does her injustice.

Yeah quite right. I was being kinda flippant, didn't mean to be mean. Also tbf she was the loudest and most animated cheerleader last night in the two LAF matches.

The real MVP is Bianca imo. Won a slam and set a level for the current women to target, heavily involved with Tennis Canada supporting the upcoming players like Mboko and Staksuic. She put up 50,000 CAD of her own money in a match funding campaign.

Was Bibi actually there this week? I only saw pictures of her taking some onoare document this week in what I presume to have happened in Romania.

I didn't see her.

Must have felt it would have stolen the girls' light.

Is she injured?

The default answer to that is always "yes".

Nov 12, 2023 -- 6:48PM, Journeyman wrote:

The real MVP is Bianca imo. Won a slam and set a level for the current women to target, heavily involved with Tennis Canada supporting the upcoming players like Mboko and Staksuic. She put up 50,000 CAD of her own money in a match funding campaign.

the younger players will also have been inspired by reading Bibi's got game!

Nov 12, 2023 -- 6:53PM, edy wrote:

The default answer to that is always "yes".

I didn't even realize she hasn't played since Montreal.

Romania to win the BJK Cup in a few years with Bibi's book having been translated to and published in their native language?

With Todoni assuming Leylah's role of squad grandma to a yet to be defined younger upstart.

Though Todoni hasn't really played on hard court ever to assume she could lead Romania during what will likely be indoor hard BJK Cup Finals for the forseeable future.

Nov 12, 2023 -- 6:56PM, edy wrote:

Romania to win the BJK Cup in a few years with Bibi's book having been translated to and published in their native language?

good shout! (if Romanians are big fans of hers in the first place I should add)

I think Romanians are generally fond of their diaspora members.

Both parents Romanian so I guess it's like all the countries that think Emma is really theirs

I wonder if Emma will send Leylah a text tonight. They used to be close (and Leylah's mum made her take cupcakes to the locker room before they played the USO final).

Romanians must like Bibi. As mentioned earlier, they gave her an onoare document recently.

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

Bibi's Instagram post from yesterday of her book signing in Bucharest and Vaideeni and her receiving her onoare diploma.

Vicky Mboko years ago with her 'idol'.

The Austria-Mexico playoff tie goes to the TBOTAJ in the decisive doubles.

But let's not get carried away with these team wins for Canada. You can only beat what's ahead of you but if these events were handled better, had a better calendar slot, and would have attracted the best players, Canadian victories would be very unlikely.

Nay-sayers gonna nay-say say say say.

Turns out it wasn't actually a TBOTAJ.

Nov 12, 2023 -- 7:50PM, edy wrote:

Nay-sayers gonna nay-say say say say.

I was gonna let it slide until I saw my twitter feed full of posts about their win, but no-one saying that the emperor is naked.

At slams they play TBOTAJ at 6-6 in doubles in the final set. At BJK Cup playoffs they play tiebreaks to 7. At BJK Finals the entire final set is just a tiebreak to 10.

Why?

Same reason the WTA finals were being played in Cancun during hurricane season.

Big suitcases full of cash for the Magda?

Attempting to order large maple syrup and bacon pizza to celebrate.
Attempting to explain due to Canada winning Billie jean king cup.
Attempting to explain must be Papajohns because tennis phorum.
Failing so far.

But let's not get carried away with these team wins for Canada. You can only beat what's ahead of you but if these events were handled better, had a better calendar slot, and would have attracted the best players, Canadian victories would be very unlikely.

This is interesting though, is that really the reason? To what extent are players divided between those driven by personal ambition and those that step up when playing for their country. I saw that Aga is attacking Iga for not being here. The jury's out on Rybakina, she was out of cancun earlyish, did she really have falre up of her back issue?

Then there's Bencic, achieved every conceivable honour for her country, will be remebered as having underachieved at a personal level.

It's not like Davis Cup or BJK Cup will become a top priority for all players if changes are being made, but just to name a few Alcaraz, Djokovic, Swiatek and Pegula are all happy to play under the right circumstances, that is when it doesn't interfere with their singles careers too much. With a better calendar slot, I think it's fair to assume that Jess and Iga play the BJK Cup finals for sure, most likely Coco as well. Czechia did pretty much field their best line-up this year, but with both Marketa and BK playing Cancun the week before, what percentage of their best were they? Haven't read Aga's comments, but Iga has perfectly good reasons to not play. She WANTS to play, not just when the schedule is idiotic.

Why do Canadians never know when they are beaten?

To be fair, it's probably the worst day in history to be playing a Canadian in a womens tennis final in Canada

Why do Danes never know when they are beaten?

Novak goes 6-0 down in TB !!

The crowds have generally been really good from what I've seen, at least when Canadians played. When Alexia Jacobs got close to upsetting Liv Hovde early in the tournament on the tournament's second court, that might well have been the loudest I had seen on the ITF tour. Intimacy and it being indoors will have helped, but I was still impressed. All too often ITF events are Ghostville.

Though especially north americans seem to enjoy ITF events at times and the intimacy at the club they possibly play at. The USA are also the only place I remember seeing people of well advanced pension age work/volunteer as ballpeople. Sadly for them, one thing the Swedes often give their ballkids hasn't made it to the States - spoon nets. Would make it so much easier for the backs of the old people, and look oh ever so cool, if they could just scoop around with their nets.

Also - yay Sabeen!

Is there a fabled story handed down among Swedes about the usage of ball picking nets in Swedish tournaments?

Novak smashes racket !

Rackets !

Great result for Sabine. A special day all round.

Oh and Brenda won her 10000th ITF tournamnt of the year.

Still nowhere near the record.

No, but I found this (translated from the Swedish Ilie Nastase page)

Năstase, despite his mood swings on the court, was appreciated by the tennis public, he was considered entertaining and could amuse with gestures and facial expressions. Many remember when, with a dejected expression, he borrowed a ball picking net from one of the ball boys when he was about to receive a serve from Björn Borg in the royal tennis hall during the Stockholm Open.

For all the clowns on tour these days, I can't believe none of them has done this in recent years.

Saw earlier today that Linda F. is going to Japan for the two upcoming W100s.

Even the clowns are too professional and robotic these days.

Pretty much everyone in the UK knew who Nastase was. Henri Leconte very well known and loved as well.

They just don't know their history imo and are not creative enough to come up with this. There doesn't seem to be any recordings of Nastase doing this.
Reading now Ilie didn't do this just to clown, he was also trying to ruin Borg's concentration.

The Open Era can really be divided into two parts - BL and AL - before and after Lendl.

Before Lendl, players had fun on court and off the court they could be party like The Great Gatsby every day while still being top players. They just had to show up to court. Didn't really matter if they had snored coke all night before.

Then along came Lendl with his.....professionalism and ended the age of being a tennis player being fun.

Leconte is still making himself popular through his exhibition doubles. Biggest legend of exhibition doubles after Bahrami.

Leconte the most unfunny clown ever. Whenever I watch old legends with him involved everyone else is funny but with him it's so cringe. Was a good player though.

If you are the unfunny clown you are the one who has truly mastered the art.

Nov 12, 2023 -- 11:04PM, edy wrote:

The Open Era can really be divided into two parts - BL and AL - before and after Lendl.Before Lendl, players had fun on court and off the court they could be party like The Great Gatsby every day while still being top players. They just had to show up to court. Didn't really matter if they had snored coke all night before.Then along came Lendl with his.....professionalism and ended the age of being a tennis player being fun.Leconte is still making himself popular through his exhibition doubles. Biggest legend of exhibition doubles after Bahrami.

This was 1991!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcRvIMk6PnY&ab_channel=TennisTV

A very Hamburg crowd with their big warm jackets in the middle of summer.

I love that most of the comments on that clip are about Kyrgios

I love that Noah actually won the match.

Nov 12, 2023 -- 11:16PM, edy wrote:

I love that Noah actually won the match.

he suckered the Swede in.

1.26            £1,000.00
1.27            £1,770.83

Kopefer backers

edy • September 28, 2023 10:50 PM BST
Found a tennis player whose first action in pro tennis tournaments came when she was almost 23 years old in 2021. Has no junior record in ITF sanctioned junior events either. Now she is almost top 500 in the WTA after compiling a 51/22 record so far this season (mostly at W15 level, mind). Her official website suggests that she attended university in Japan, so I guess that's what she spent her time on before she turned pro.

It's never too late to make your dreams come true - Miho Kamurochi.

This woman, whose actual name is Miho Kuramochi, is also one of the more conservative schedulers. Possibly for monetary constraints.

In her career that started in 2021 she tends to either play in Japan or play tournaments in blocks.

2021 - started her pro career by playing five consecutive weeks in Cairo, followed by four consecutive weeks in Cancun after a month break.

2022 - 4 events Monastir -> 3 events Cancun -> 2 weeks South Korea -> 4 events Japan

2023 - 7 events Monastir -> 3 events Antalya -> 9 events Japan -> 1 (!) event Thailand -> 1 (!) event Japan, 2 events Thailand, 4 (and counting) events in Japan.

#PlayingOnABudget

She could earn some additional travel funds by offering to be Nao Hibino's Doppelgänger if the bigger japanese star doesn't feel like doing PR stuff.

all Japanese look the same to you

That's not true. I can tell Razor Ramon HG and Nao Hibino apart.

When you least expect it, Kuramochi shows up to play the W60 in Brisbane as a direct entrant instead of in the qualifying draw of  the W100 Takasaki (played the first Takasaki event last week)