The 2024 Missing in Action stakes. Raducanu, Osaka, Anisimova, Kyrgios

UTS

With Naomi going out in Miami I'll post the March update now.

Even for the three years when she was virtually unbeatable in Hard Court slams she didn't get past the third round at the French (or SW19) and so as we move into the clay season she should probably stay interested long enough to play the six matches required but there's always that tiny doubt.

Almost home and dry though.

Raducanu 50% loading
Osaka 70% loading
Amanda 30% no change since February update
Kyrgios 0% (but this week announced 'BACK ON COURT')

BACK ON COURT! YES! YES! YES! YES!

Does BJK Cup count for the purpose of this?
Same question about the Olympics.

YES! (hopefully!)

The main qualifying criteria is 'competitive singles matches' so yes to both.

thanks for confirming.

Raducanu 75% loading
Osaka YES book closed
Amanda 40%. After dingying* the sunshine double she played a couple of matches at Charleston for the lolz

And Kyrgios?
Some important informatuion thrown away in the pointless wilderness of the megathread.
Retrieved and posted here.

edy • April 21, 2024 10:35 PM BST
Kyrgios posted a video of himself hitting a tennis ball. The comeback is nearing.
edy • April 21, 2024 10:35 PM BST
Posted it on his OnlyFans.


Naomi notched up a losing first round match and a BJK cup cameo to take her to 80%.
I'm going to assume that four more matches are inevitable so the first to go out in the inaugural Missing in Action stakes is me.

Note that your ultimate placing in the table is decided by the order in which you get knocked out, not bare points.

1 _________ (Inaugural champion)
2 _________
3 _________
4 _________
5 _________
6 JM

* Scots word. look it up.

I've just realised the above scoring system sucks becasue it favours yes pickers.
So just going back to the way it should be. ie Whoever gets 4 points (or the closest to it) wins.

Amanda with WC and 1st round losses isn't gonna get it done

one little run at some hard court tournament and she'll be there

that's true but it would help if she played some vulture events.

Playing only the biggest events is exactly the right strategy imo.

edy • May 10, 2024 11:07 PM BST
Playing only the biggest events is exactly the right strategy imo.

Exactly the right strategy for you and braindeadjockeys to jointly win the inaugual MIA stakes.
This is the month when she finally chucked it last year. She's not entering events. The candle is flickering imo.

YES! YES! YES! YES!

John Horn @SportsHorn
Looks like Nick Kyrgios is aiming to return to tennis this year for the US hardcourt swing #ATP

not sure where he is getting his info, but he is a tennis commentator.
This doesn't give NK much room to play 20 matches, but will depend on how he does and how much he'll we willing to play post US Open, which in the past hasn't been much.

For comparison, when Sloane came back in 2017, played her 1st match at Wimbledon and then her next one in Washington, she went on an insane run (Toronto SF, Cincy SF, USO win) and then played the Asian swing but didn't do well there she managed to get to 25 matches before the year was over.

Raducanu 90% loading
Osaka YES. Book closed
Amanda 50%.
Nick 0%

Emma binning off the French (I know she's only binned off the qualies but ...) leaves her tantalisingly close.
Anyone questioning her commitment to tennis will be reassured by her Guardian interview today.

"I met a group of HSBC trainees and it was fun seeing what they were doing," she explained. "In 15 years it will all be reversed and they will be super high up and I will just be starting. My parents were academic and they always led me down the finance route.
I am seeing the operations behind the scenes and something I would potentially want to do in the future.
A hundred per cent for me - life starts after tennis. I am actually looking forward to the next chapter , which is funny to say at this age.
But there are so many things I want to do in this life and I just don't have enough time."

She's basically one laptop injury in the HSBC canteen away from decimating the field.

Emma is 80%. Not that it is likely to matter. She would need to completely flop the grass season and give up on the whole season as a a result.

Thanks. I'd double counted the BJK cup matches.

I don't share your view that the four remaining competitive matches are in the bag. She hasn't played since having her backside handed to her a month ago by some Argentinian in Madrid, saying she's 'mentally and emotionally exhausted’ after 4 months of the year (after taking 8 months out).

She was one of the top earners on the planet for playing a grand total of seven matches last year so there's actually a threat to her brand if she's seen losing matches to mugs on very big stages.

As pointed out by the Daily Mail she hasn't confirmed her schedule for the grass season.
She's still doing her gruelling training sessions as well according to the Express.

I thought she was great in the BJK cup matches but turning up her nose at the qualies for a slam (when her whole life was changed by playing qualies in a slam) is very very eyecatching to me.

* I'm not calling carle a mug btw, I'm saying she doesn't want to be seen getting bad early shock losses in actual slams

She has the Nottingham WC. She'll get one for Wimbledon and another grass one if she wants. She would need three losses and a sulky fit or another injury to not reach 20. I'm not arguing your point about her commitment though :)

While Roland Garros chunders on, Emma posted that she enjoyed her Dior shoot in Scotland. (The photos look great btw)

She has entered Wimbledon qualifying. Some interesting quotes from her recent Grazia interview which was brought to attention by the express.

'The more I think of it, the more I think I have a span of maybe ten years max where I have to go all out for it. Whereas my peers in their 20s, that’s when their careers just start to take off – in their 30s and 40s – then they can work until they retire. And with me, I’ve got to go all guns blazing. It’s like a 100m race for 10 years, then I can stop' .../... Raducanu is spending ten hours a day training for Wimbledon, going home to eat and sleep, only to wake up and do the same again. .../... How is she feeling about Wimbledon? ‘I feel good. I’m playing well and I’m training really hard, I’m doing a lot of good things and I know it’s going to happen. If not this Wimbledon, the next Wimbledon.’

source https://graziadaily.co.uk/celebrity/news/emma-raducanu-wimbledon/

Death, taxes and Raducanu in the gym.

"then I can stop"

not really something someone who is passionate about tennis would say.

Probably just fetishizes being in the gym. Just like the British in their anglican protestant tradition have a fetish for doing lots and lots and lots of work hours, but being somewhat inefficient in them. Should spend barely any official work hours like the Germans, but make those hours count.

Raducanu's future forecast and expectations remind me of the Jo Durie long term ambitions   

Ok. Amanda is scheduled to play Birmingham qualies and is four withdrawals off MD entry.

One way or another I think she has to trap here if she is going to get to 20.

Doesn't she have summer break parties to attend ffs?

Emma's turned down a wildcard at the Olympics. Don't buy the whole 'change of surface putting stress on my body' excuse, she's not turning up because there's no prize money or ranking points, same reason why so many players in the past haven't turned up, gone down in my estimation that she doesn't want to represent her country and clearly doesn't value the Olympics.  Don't understand these players, I'd value the gold medal as much as a slam. Didn't deserve a wildcard anyway, Boulter qualified automatically so will be supporting her, at least she's earned her place.

It's possible she doesn't care about the Olympics, but I see this as a slight sign that she's planning to stick around til 2028 and likes her chances better at a hard court Olympics. If she was planning on joining The HBSC trading team in 2026 she might have played this one to not miss out on the once in a lifetime opportunity. Then again, with her fragile body she might be done with tennis within the next three years and not get another chance.

It's quite rare for players in this era to not play the Olympics and those who have skipped it are mainly no-hopers, Thiem being an exception but I believe he was in a decline at the time. Other than this it's journeymen like Opelka type players who'd rather pick up a SF cheque at a 250 event than crashing out in R2 at the Olympics.

few players skipped 2016, blaming zika virus, Andreescu, Kenin, Kerber, Keys, Kasatkina, Martic, Teichmann, Shap, Bautista Agut, Ruud, Garin, Dimitrov (said it wasn't his priority because he's played it a few times) Sinner, Norrie (played Atlanta instead same week), Isner, Fritz (played Atlanta as well) Lajovic (said he rather stay in Europe and play clay instead), Krajinovic same reason, Korda, Delbonis, Kyrgios (didn't want to play in an empty stadium), a few of that blamed covic, even though it was safe.

Truth is, no prize money, no ranking points, they're not interested.

2020^ from Andreescu

2020 (2021) is irrelevant because no crowd & covid restrictions = not the real Olympics experience. Let's see how many players skip 2024, so far we have Raducanu & Sabalenka of which the latter is a big name as she's a threat to win any tournament.

it's not irrelevant as some where playing other tournaments as said, Jabeur missing this year as well and making excuses about switching surfaces lol.

getting away from the point anyway, Emma's fit but just deciding to skip it and giving flimsy excuses, if the tournament had prize money and rankings points it would be different.

You play other tournaments for prize money and ranking points. You play Olympics for the experience and the prestige. No crowd non-Olympic events still offered prize money and ranking points in 2021. A no crowd Olympic event did not offer the Olympic experience, so less reason to play.
As for 2024, it surprises me that Jabeur isn't playing since she loves to go on about how important it is to represent her country and she's a top contender on clay. But the surface change excuse is valid, it's the same reason Rafa isn't playing Wimbledon. So if you are made out of glass, I can see why a player is careful. For the Russians and Belarussians there's less reason to play this time when they can not represent their country.
For a few players points and prize money do play a part though, so tennis authorities are mugs for at least not offering ranking points as they should do everything in their power to ensure players are playing and tennis is being represented in the best possible way.

Anyway, sorry JM, will no longer spam your thread with non-off topic stuff.

Non-off topic stuff means on topic stuff surely

Emma's snubbing the Olympics hot off snubbing the French Open is relevant anyway as she's sitting at 95% and could yet pull the ultimate psyche manoevure.
I'm expecting to see her at Wimbledon but not closing the book as she is unreadable and also glass.

Amanda pulled out of Birmingham and has nothing on her schedule.
She's still needing seven matches which is a lot when we're past the half way point of the serious tennis season and she hasn't touched down in Blighty yet.

Quite an interesting take on Emma snubbing the Olympics by the Telegraph. Tennis is a tourist sport.

'We can identify two different kinds of Olympic sports. The hardcore disciplines are the ones like gymnastics or eventing, which disappear completely from view in the middle of the cycle. Track and field, these days, is almost in the same position.
These sports stand at the heart of the Games. Teetering on the edge of a 10-metre board, you know that a botched dive will scotch your chances for another four years. It’s that mind-bending, blood-curdling pressure which gives Olympic competition its secret sauce.

Category two includes the tourist sports. Tennis players, footballers and golfers often seem to enjoy the Games more, because they are not dealing with such crushing expectations.
“I’ve always loved going around chatting to the other athletes,” said Andy Murray on Sunday. “You collect their flags, you get a bag of pins and attach them to your accreditation.”
None of this prevented Murray from competing ferociously, as anyone who witnessed his four-hour struggle against Juan Martin del Potro in the Rio final will attest. But it underlines the sense in which the Games are a delightful extra attraction for tennis players, rather than the core business itself.../... Yet when you look at Raducanu’s position – No165 in the world, with a history of injuries – her argument makes plenty of sense. On outdoor clay courts, which is her least favoured surface, she is never going to come away with a medal. So why not play Washington instead, and make rankings hay while the big names are in Paris?

“I’m very single-minded,” Raducanu said on Sunday. In this case, her logic is impeccable.'

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2024/06/18/emma-raducanu-withdrawing-paris-olympics-does-not-belong/

I don't like the term tourist sport. But other than that the author raises some good points.
Also, did you know watching tennis at the Olympics at age 5 is the reason Daniela became a tennis player?

In 2020 there was a full Olympic field for ATP and WTA, men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, mixed doubles.
All these players turned up to represent their country despite covid restrictions, despite not having the so called full olympic experience, despite the long travel, despite the changing of surfaces. Yet all those players listed below in the 21:58 post, refused to play either citing covid restrictions or as in Norrie and Fritz's case, wanted to play another tournament, so players will use excuses not to go, same as in 2016 with the likes of Halep, Raonic, Berdych blaming Zika when it was deemed safe to play (There have been 17,000 international athletes, volunteers and staff involved in test events in the Brazillian capital and so far none has contracted Zika.), again, it didn't stop an entire field filling up the draw, players that did want to represent their country.

Truth is many players just don't rate the tournament and don't consider it important, thankfully the top top players, Federer, Nadal, Novak, Murray, Serena, Venus, Sharapova, did really want to win gold and it's probably them and the the traction they brought to it's inclusion onto the list of Olympic events, that has helped to keep it's place as it could easily lose it as not ever sport is included.

Article seems weak and pandering to me, logic is impeccable, what peculiar phraseology is that, have you ever heard of logic being described as impeccable before ffs, guys a Simp
And he's also creating his own narrative by cherry picking an Andy Murray quote to help fit in with his own sentiments which is weak and lazy journalism.

She's also complaining about the balls being too heavy for her wrists during the grass court season and wants a uniform ball for each swing, so she wants the tour tailored to her needs because of her injuries?

I still think she hasn't reached her ceiling and could win another slam but am starting to believe she already thinks she's made it and might not have the hunger to fulfil her potential, that's what sudden fame and huge fortune can do. At the minute I am unfortunantly however leaning towards her having a Bouchard type career. Sharp rise, sudden fall, plateau, ITF obscurity.

Kind Regards.

Category two includes the tourist sports. Tennis players, footballers and golfers often seem to enjoy the Games more, because they are not dealing with such crushing expectations.

The korean men disagree.

Korean doves also not enjoying the Olympic games.

Some hope for Caramba. Amanda is actually in the qualifying draw for Wimbledon.

WW wins if Nick plays 20 regardless of what Anisimova does (according to my dodgy maths) so the only contestant actually dependant on Anisimova is the one who has probably posted most about her over the years.

Anyway lets see if she turns up. At least she's not holding a selfie stick in Cancun.

At the grand old age of 21, Emma is back in love with tennis.

Go Amanda!

At the grand old age of 21, Emma is back in love with tennis.

Today has genuinely been the most ridiculous Raducanu media day (and there has been a lot of competition).

Every UK paper going in on her 'my own pace' message signed on the camera lens, justifying the coverage by having finally won her first WTA tourna... (checks notes) ... having won a first round match.
Does she read the phorum btw?

'Even though I might get challenged or questioned for not playing certain tournaments like the French Open or the Olympics, that is just part of doing things at my own speed and doing things how I want to rather than how everyone else thinks is best for me.../.. The most important thing for me is playing when I'm ready, When I'm fresh and when I want to, because there have been certain tournaments where I didn't necessarily want to play and it's showed in my game.'

Raducanu was positively glowing here on Monday as she described how she had 'rekindled a fire inside of me'.

'Good things are 100 per cent going to happen,' she said, and that big talk was backed up by a big performance yesterday. Raducanu hit 13 winners and one unforced error in the second set as she dispatched an increasingly uninterested Stephens. '

Source the Daily Mail but the Telegraph, Guardian and Express are no less joyous in their headlines.

They forgot to include the real news which is that Emma hit her 20 matches.
Therefore following me out the door, Blecathra finishes in fifth.

Emma  YES Book closed
Naomi YES book closed
Amanda 70% loading
Nick    0% loading, missing Wimbledon, but playing UTS (which doesn't count)

when's Nick coming back to ace me to glory?

aka YES! YES! YES! YES!

January 2025.

hahaha you wish!

I wish for January 2035.

no you don't. you pretend to hate him but secretly you love how entertaining he is for men's tennis

Believe me, the hate is for real. This is not an edy/Danielle situation. He is good for wettquotens, but I would rather never hear from him again.

He was also good for this comp. The No on him was so predictable :)

you disgust me. YES! YES! YES! YES!

You can tell from the UK headlines the press are weirded out by Emma ditching the mixed.

However having included her in the MIA thread and ruminated on her commitment it would be remis not to back her decision here from a winning mindset pov.  It makes sense. This is a player that is going to have a clear shot at a slam once in about 36 months when there's a crossover between her glass body holding up and the draw falling her way and this is one of those fleeting opportunities to win the whole thing.

Regardless of whether Iga beats Putinseva she's looking no threat. Sabalenka out, Rybakina a ghost of her former form and a virtual cakewalk to the semis. An extra layer of diplomacy and pandering to the Muzza passing out parade might have been nice but take home the title and the strawberries and cream home counties set aren't going to complain.

The press will write what their readers want to hear.
I don't think Emma should have accepted if she wasn't near 100% about going through with it, but at the same Andy could have gone with a different option as there was always the chance Emma was gonna a) get injured again, or 2) do well in singles and wanting to focus on that. We also don't know what was said between the two going in and whether this was important to Andy or not or if doubles with his brother his main priority when he couldn't play singles and mixed just icing on the cake. But it's fun drama!

Iga is no threat indeed, but I could do with her going out to cause some havoc in the outright market.

I think the winner in Muzza will respect it anyway. His legacy will be unaffected by whatever dumb 'Cliff Richard and bunting' nonsense would have been rolled out.

The crowd in week 2 will be interesting. Buoyed up by England in the Euros and the way that Emma has started battering opponents again circa USO21 there will be an intimidating atmosphere for whoever is on the other side of the net. Who can handle that? Rybakina or Keys I don't think so. I was thinking maybe only DRC (who has just come back from 4-0 down to take the first set aginst Bea). Collins has no singles grass pedigree ofc but she has the winner's mindset and she should look at this tournament with all the seeds leaking out as her big opportunity to end her career with a slam, not hold anything back for New York because this one is the golden opportunity now.

Navratilova putting the boot in

The optics aren't good but Emma is 100% correct to do this.
Remember she made millions last year in endorsements for playing seven matches. A second slam would be worth the best part of a billion surely.

Meanwhile Amanda has been unsighted near a tennis court since Wimbledon and has just pulled out of the W75 Lexington scheduled to start on Monday 29th. No reason given, no reports of injuries.

Nick confirmed he has some doubles planned when speaking to the express after Wimbledon.

"Honestly seeing all this makes me want to get back out there that much. I was so close [in 2022] but he (Alcaraz) is going to be there and he's going to be standing in the way. So I'm not so sure anymore! "

Kyrgios was a Wimbledon finalist in 2022 but suffered a defeat against Djokovic on Centre Court. He admitted that he had enjoyed punditry but wants to get back on the court and win a Grand Slam before he hangs up his racket.

"I'm going to play some doubles later in the year that's for sure. I can't wait to get back out there. Look, tennis is all I've done since I was seven years old, I've watched it, I've played it."

He's still scheduled to start his UTS matches in less than a month. Neither UTS nor doubles counts for the MIA stakes.
He has still to play a single competitive singles match in 2024.

Jul 26, 2024 -- 6:29PM, Journeyman wrote:

Meanwhile Amanda has been unsighted near a tennis court since Wimbledon and has just pulled out of the W75 Lexington scheduled to start on Monday 29th. No reason given, no reports of injuries.Nick confirmed he has some doubles planned when speaking to the express after Wimbledon."Honestly seeing all this makes me want to get back out there that much. I was so close [in 2022] but he (Alcaraz) is going to be there and he's going to be standing in the way. So I'm not so sure anymore! "Kyrgios was a Wimbledon finalist in 2022 but suffered a defeat against Djokovic on Centre Court. He admitted that he had enjoyed punditry but wants to get back on the court and win a Grand Slam before he hangs up his racket."I'm going to play some doubles later in the year that's for sure. I can't wait to get back out there. Look, tennis is all I've done since I was seven years old, I've watched it, I've played it."He's still scheduled to start his UTS matches in less than a month. Neither UTS nor doubles counts for the MIA stakes.He has still to play a single competitive singles match in 2024.

QWC to Washington for Amanda! Playing Bektas.

Okay that's massive tbh and is a good enough reason for binning off a Kentucky tinpot

Due on court in 2 hours, let's see.
If she turns up for this I think we're pretty much going to be down to you versus Wise depending on what Nick does.
If she doesn't then it's advantage edy and bdj.

Effectively today will almost decide this.

I would have preferred the Kentucky tinpot as there would have meant higher chances of winning matches, but the fact that she's still out there playing is still good news to me.

17 matches completed and advancing. Had an MTO in the 1st set which is a slight concern, but hopefully it was only one of her tactical TMTO's.

18 down and advancing.

Pretty much only an injury in R1 of Washington can stop her now. With or without upcoming WC's as her ranking is good enough to get into USO qualifying.

Eva Lys could have done her countryman a favour by wrecking Amanda's hopes in the third Wimbledon qualies. Anisimova then hit vacation mode and based on last year's pattern could have given the US swing a pass.

It's great that she's going to hit her 20 (albeit it's going to take her over seven months!) as her lasor guided groundstrokes make me reminisce about the prime Daniela vs Masha years of the early 21st century.

If you had included Murray and Nadal, Murray would have just made 20! And Rafa would have been at 19 after today's loss to Djokovic and with his future uncertain.

Just an interesting observation. No complaints about the ones you did include as they were all good choices :) (Everything that gets split picks is).

Nadal and Muzza would have been good.

What this comp has shown is how challenging it can be to get to 20 competitive singles matches in a year if your motivation is in question or you're glass or both!

indeed.
Osaka (history of not being motivated, but was this year so cruised)
Raducanu (BOTH, but somehow made it to 30 by mid summer)
Anisimova (bit of BOTH, looks like she's gonna get it done)
Kyrgios (BOTH, unlikely to get it done)

YES! YES! YES! YES!

Amanda just has to turn up on court against Pav so I'm closing the book.

Raducanu YES! Book closed
Osaka YES! Book closed
Amanda YES! Book closed
Nick 0% loading

Edy and braindeadjockeys go out in a respectable 3rd equal placing.

Now it's over the the bad boy of tennis to decide whether Caramba or Wise wins the inaugural MIA stakes.

US Open with a big nod to the MIA crew, only Emma missing.
https://x.com/usopen/status/1826042295545630720

Nick in the house! YES! YES! YES! YES!

10% loading! YES! YES! YES! YES!

stalled already !!

Nick impressing in Mouratoglou's UTS format reports Tennis 365.

'I wasn’t expecting to play this well at all,' said Kyrgios in response to the 17-8, 21-9, 15-11 victory over Ruud. 'Coming out here and still having that level, it’s amazing. What a way to come back.../... Obviously pretty emotional, it’s been a brutal 11 months. I didn’t know if I was going to play tennis again with the state of my wrist. It was literally conversations of never playing again.'
The Australian declared that he was 'surprised, but not that surprise'd' at his level at UTS New York and is pleased with how his wrist held up in his first match of the year. 'I’ve been putting in some serious work, every single day back home' he added.

Meanwhile Bublik got a bit carried away with the praise for UTS after beating Stef..
“The most nervous match I’ve ever played in my life,” (Bublik) said after winning.
“This was crazy, it was a rollercoaster. So tense. I’ve played some big finals in my life, but nothing like this.../...The sudden death killed me, it took five years off my life.../... I feel such a need to win in this format. I felt more tension in this match than when I was serving for the Halle final.'

suggestion: have an elimination question for the 2025 version, since there's a decent change more than one person will pick the same and win.
bdj and edy wouldn't have tied if Amanda hadn't gotten over the hump. Such a question could be: How many qualifying matches will Emma Raducanu play in 2025? But maybe not that since everyone will pick zero.

Xavier @SConde
·1h
I know Nick Kyrgios has been giving commentary during the Open, but holy smokes my man is made for this role. First time listening, the Aussie accent plus his knowledge and takes on the game/matches is pure

Nicholas Kyrgios @NickKyrgios
Yup! Here to stay

Until he confirms he's done for the year or until there aren't enough competitive matches left I can't close the book but it's looking like a couple of days playing in The Mastermind's novelty event is going to be his total tennis played!

I'm starting to think about names for next year and any suggestions welcomed. Rybakina is almost a cert.
What about Halep, Wawrinka

Fair enough re NK.

Rybakina a good choice.

I've also been thinking Halep.

Ons?

Maybe Rafa if he doesn't announce retirement in the next months.

Unless you have an anti-repeat policy, maybe NK again.

There's not as many this year where you can question both motivation and fitness.

next year suggestions: Kyrgios, Rybakina, Halep, Raducanu, Bianca?

KaPlis is another option, she just had surgery. A lot of these are wait and see how the remaining four months of the year develop.

Some good suggestions guys. Yes Pliskova a possibility. Bianca is interesting, she got to the third round of two slams and to a tour final in June and yet she's still short of 20 for this year and can turn to glass at any point. Nadal if he doesn't announce anything by December is too big a name to ignore.

I'm not sure about repeaters, maybe leave it a year before using Emma or Nick again to keep things fresh.

I'd like to include a Raducau style wildcard sulker though and am giving Raonic some thought (refused to play qualies for Wimbledon).

Genie would be fun for this comp: 23 matches in 2023, 15 matches in 2022, 11 matches in 2021, 23 matches in 2020, 26 matches in 2019, but as long as she's in pickleball land and only treats tennis like a hobby there could me more 4 matches per season years like this one.

I take it with this comp it means matches per season and that if a match is played on December 30th, it counts for the following year, but maybe this can be clarified to avoid controversy?

Wozniacki will probably make the 20 comfortably, she's already on 29 this year, but she does play a limited schedule and a Kerber type retirement where she realizes she's not getting the results she used to is not out of the question. She's turning 35 next summer.

Standard tennis season as per calender on ATP/WTA websites. Interesting interview with Roger about Nadal which indicates to me Rafa is planning to do something in 2025. Rybakina, Halep and Nadal are probably bankers now for the 2025 MIA, big names too which is good.

'I actually just spoke to him this last week. He wanted to ask me something, and we had a chat," Federer said. "I felt a little bit sorry for him that his summer didn't go as well as planned, because at the French Open, he had a tough draw. At the Olympics, he had tough draw as well. He was hoping also to make a medal of course with [Carlos] Alcaraz in the doubles.../...
But overall he can do whatever he wants. He's been one of the most iconic tennis players we've ever had in our sport and that's also what I told him. So I just hope he can go out on his terms and the way he wants to. But he's a great guy, great career, and I'm happy we had so many moments with Novak [Djokovic], [Andy] Murray, me, the four of us.'
Source MSN

Also good to see Fed still thinks in terms of a big 4 not just the three.

https://x.com/RaducanuNews/status/1835289741907865615

these two trying to persuade Priscilla to play less tennis!

We have a winner.

'Nick Kyrgios has been away from the tennis courts for a long time, although in recent weeks he has not been completely disconnected from this sport, as he has taken on journalistic duties at the US Open, for example. However, the Australian has now broken his silence, revealing the date on which he plans to return to competition: the 2024 Australian Open. He announced this in a live broadcast on his Instagram account, although he is hoping to play some events before to prepare.'
Source puntodebreak.com

Congratulations to Caramba, winning the inaugural Missing In Action stakes.

The final percentages

Emma   YES Book closed
Naomi  YES book closed
Amanda YES Book closed
Nick    0% Good to see him at UTS but it doesn't count due to the Mastermind's novelty format

The final table

1 Caramba aka SaMeBe (Inaugural champion!)
2 Wisewords (Silver spoon)
3= edy
3= braindeadjockeys
5 Blencathra
6 Journeyman (Wooden spoon)

High five, braindeadjockeys! We got bronze!

Oh, and congratulations to SaMeBe for having won yet another forum comp, to wisewords for finishing second ahead of two brilliant bronze medalists, to Blencathra for finishing just behind two brilliant bronze medalists and last, but not least to Journeyman for....uhm...well 6th place world-wide is still good.

Thank you Journeyman for masterminding the comp.

BOOM!

(Although if Nick has invented a time traveling machine, and intends to play at the 2024 Australian Open, ww has a shot after all.)

Thanks JM for hosting this fun comp and I look forward to more of them.