Naomi Osaka withdraws from the French Open

[Softball Bat]

Ruud was up 4-1 in the 1st set -- and let is slip away.
Djoker just won the 1st set in a tiebreaker.

Not looking good for Ruud now.

[Screw_Michigan]

Ruud was up 4-1 in the 1st set -- and let is slip away.
Djoker just won the 1st set in a tiebreaker.

Not looking good for Ruud now.

Novax is living in Ruud's dome rent free

[Softball Bat]

Big props to Djoker!

23 and counting...


He'll be the favorite at Wimbledon, right around the corner.

[Softball Bat]

Novax is the only player in history to win each major at least 3 times.
Very impressive.

He has 94 career titles, which is 15 behind the all-time leader, Jimmy Connors (109).

A feather in Jimmy's cap that he has held that record for over 30 years.

[Softball Bat]

Osaka with another French Open meltdown.

Loses in the 1st round and then walks out of the post-match press conference after saying, "WTF is this?"

She appeared on the brink of tears from the moment the presser began.

[L45B]

Professional tennis is a brutal sport on the mind and psyche, for sure. Osaka is just a mess upstairs, she’s got physical gifts and talent but her mental game is amateurish at best. Not sure she can string together enough consistency to ever win a tournament again, let alone get through a press conference without sulking. Jana Novotna at least hoisted a golden plate after she was done crying (and without the assistance of noise canceling headphones or whatever tf that is). Naomi, hmmm, not gonna happen.

[Screw_Michigan]

Osaka with another French Open meltdown.

Loses in the 1st round and then walks out of the post-match press conference after saying, "WTF is this?"

She appeared on the brink of tears from the moment the presser began.

$100 Osaka was thinking to herself "well at least I'm not Emma Navarro" though Navarro has much steeper upside at this point of her career than Osaka.

[Screw_Michigan]

Professional tennis is a brutal sport on the mind and psyche, for sure. Osaka is just a mess upstairs, she’s got physical gifts and talent but her mental game is amateurish at best. Not sure she can string together enough consistency to ever win a tournament again, let alone get through a press conference without sulking. Jana Novotna at least hoisted a golden plate after she was done crying (and without the assistance of noise canceling headphones or whatever tf that is). Naomi, hmmm, not gonna happen.

Was talking with a friend the other day about some Nadal or Federer quote about how the top 1% of elite tennis players are all basically as talented as each other. What separates the contenders from the pretenders is the mental game. Brushing off mistakes. Not yelling at yourself. Focusing on winning the important points, not all points. Etc.

Though you probably know a little better than I because you played more competitive tennis growing up. Would you agree?

[Screw_Michigan]

Osaka with another French Open meltdown.

Loses in the 1st round and then walks out of the post-match press conference after saying, "WTF is this?"

She appeared on the brink of tears from the moment the presser began.

So did she blame any French journalists this time around? Still cannot believe for the life of me a reporter I really respect taking Osaka's side as she smeared reporters for being an immature asshole.

[Softball Bat]

Professional tennis is a brutal sport on the mind and psyche, for sure. Osaka is just a mess upstairs, she’s got physical gifts and talent but her mental game is amateurish at best. Not sure she can string together enough consistency to ever win a tournament again, let alone get through a press conference without sulking. Jana Novotna at least hoisted a golden plate after she was done crying (and without the assistance of noise canceling headphones or whatever tf that is). Naomi, hmmm, not gonna happen.

Was talking with a friend the other day about some Nadal or Federer quote about how the top 1% of elite tennis players are all basically as talented as each other. What separates the contenders from the pretenders is the mental game. Brushing off mistakes. Not yelling at yourself. Focusing on winning the important points, not all points. Etc.

Though you probably know a little better than I because you played more competitive tennis growing up. Would you agree?

When I watch a player hitting the ball, all of his strokes, I can see which stroke(s) will break down under pressure.
I can see which of his strokes are not fundamentally sound.
Stroke production is very important.
There is only so much a player can do to "hide" their weak stroke(s), and it will ultimately rear it's ugly head.

Heart is not easily measured, and someone cannot excel in tennis if they do not have a big heart.
An ability dig real deep and grind, and have an intense hatred of losing.
How bad does someone want it?

Solid stroke production + heart = mental toughness.

[L45B]

Yeah pretty much what Bat said. There is also typically a personality trait of being even-keeled emotionally (not too high, not too low) that you see in the best players. There are exceptions, yes. But Federer, Nadal, Sampras, Borg, Lendl, Graf, Evert all had the ability to just move on and accept the bad outcomes quickly. When you see a guy today like Rublev, you realize a court personality like that just typically ain’t gonna cut it. They’ll flame out. Only dudes like Johnny Mac and Connors could operate at those high swings in emotion. Professional tennis is an emotional and mental weekly grind.

[bungle clone]

Stroke production is very important.

I think Slap agrees in principle

[Softball Bat]

A few interesting matches coming up...


3rd round: J. Fonseca vs. S. Draper (5) - Fonseca is a young, hard-hitting up-and-comer, and Draper is a very solid, tough customer.

4th round: H. Rune (10) vs. L. Musetti (8) - Rune can be a head case, but he can also play really well. Musetti is solid, and he knows his way around a clay court

4th round: B. Shelton (13) vs. C. Alcaraz (2) - Shelton will be doing well to take a set off Carlitos on clay. But I'm pullin' for the Yank!

4th round: T. Paul (12) vs. A. Popyrin (25) - This will probably go 5 sets, imo. Paul, a grinder, will prevail. I like his heart. Go USA!

[HighPlainsGrifter]

Alcaraz to win
Musetti to place
T. Paul to show

[L45B]

Paul is USA’s best clay courter it appears. He’s racked up too many minutes on court this week at Roland Garros and may run out of steam. Hopefully he’s got more in the tank.

[The Seer]

There is also typically a personality trait of being even-keeled emotionally (not too high, not too low) that you see in the best players. Only dudes like Johnny Mac and Connors could operate at those high swings in emotion.

I'd include Djoker to a certain extent in the emotionally expressive successful group.

[Softball Bat]

Yes, Djoker has had a whole lot of epic racquet trashing episodes in his career.

In contrast, I never remember seeing Nadal break a racquet.

[Screw_Michigan]

My boy Frances Tiafoe in the QF at Roland Garros.

[L45B]

My boy Frances Tiafoe in the QF at Roland Garros.

And he has a legit shot at making the SF, given he doesn’t have to play Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev or Djoker next.

Would be first American man to do so at Roland Garros since Agassi in ‘99 (when he won it and competed the career grand slam).

And Frances hasn’t dropped a set yet By far his best grand slam tennis beyond the US Open.

[Softball Bat]

Excellent showing by Tiafoe so far.
I think Musetti will prove to be too much for Frances in the quarters.

Can Tommy Paul make things interesting v. Alcaraz?

[Softball Bat]

Can Tommy Paul make things interesting v. Alcaraz?

Not at all.
Paul had his @ss soundly whooped.

Looking like it's going to be Sinner v. Alcaraz in the final.

[L45B]

Paul was hurt from his five setters this week, though not sure he would’ve fared much better at 100%. Tiafoe had some chances vs Musetti in that third set but missed. Dont count out the Djoker

[FiatLux]

Looking like it's going to be Sinner v. Alcaraz in the final.

Nailed it.

[bungle clone]

Sinner

[Softball Bat]

Sinner

[bungle clone]

[Softball Bat]

Looking like it's going to be Sinner v. Alcaraz in the final.

Nailed it.

I think the surface favors Alcaraz, so I like him to win it in 4.

Looking forward to it!

[L45B]

Looking like it's going to be Sinner v. Alcaraz in the final.

Nailed it.

I think the surface favors Alcaraz, so I like him to win it in 4.

Looking forward to it!

Solid pick Bat. I’ll go with Sinner in 5, Carlitos has had some weird mojo in this tournament. He beat Sinner in Rome, has won their last four meetings. Sinner might be due, despite the surface not being the more favorable hard courts.

[Softball Bat]

Coco Gauff wins!
She put the field animal out of its misery.

Props to the American!


It is a joke that Sabalenka's grunting and screaming hasn't been dealt with.


After the defeat, Zheng expressed her annoyance at Sabalenka's grunts when hitting the ball. "I will say this.
How can you scream when you hit the ball but you still screaming when I hit the ball? This is hindrance," the
2024 gold medalist said. "I could have played better, but we need to change the rule. If not, OK. I will scream
when she hits next time we play."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/tennis ... r-AA1G1DQ7

[Roach]

She put the field animal out of its misery.

[smackaholic]

Ant wait till golfers pick up on the idea of screaming mid swing.

Opponents swing that is.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[L45B]

Coco was calm and collected and played solid all three sets (even the 1st she lost). She deserved that trophy. Sabalenka is a complete sore loserman— before the match, during the match and after the match. Calling it a “terrible” final was a one-sided account of events. Most of us loved all 70 of her unforced errors.

[Screw_Michigan]

I missed much of the match, except for the first few games. Heard my jerk fodder was whining about the wind. Lol, world #1s--they're just like us!

[Screw_Michigan]

Watched 80% of the match today. Wow! Amazing how both guys' serves didn't break down in the final set and tiebreak. Especially Alcaraz, his serve game was absolutely on point in the final set and tiebreak, getting that spin serve as shallow in the service box as possible along the singles sideline toward Sinner's backhand. That really had Sinner off balance.

And that final forehand down the line, on the run! How does he do it. Alcaraz is not human.

Alcaraz is the masters at those drop shots that drop as close to the net as possible. I only wish I could hit a slice with that type of precision.

[Softball Bat]

The fans got their money's worth.
Wow!

Heartbreaking loss for Sinner.
Had 3 match points.

It's a cliche, but its a pity that someone had to lose this match.
Both guys in their prime, and the match goes to a 5th set tiebreaker.
This final is among the best ever played at Roland Garros.

Major props to both guys, but slightly bigger props to Carlitos.

He never stops and he is absolutely fearless.

[Softball Bat]

Alcaraz is the masters at those drop shots that drop as close to the net as possible.

Alcaraz has excellent "continuity of strokes," and that allows for him to have the dropshot mastery that he has.

This is technical talk, but what I mean is that his grip on the forehand is more eastern than most current players.
This allows for great disguise on the dropshot, and it allows him to hit the dropper without having to make a wrist adjustment mid-stroke.
Players that play with a more western grip have to make a wrist adjustment mid-stroke on a drop shot, and this is what causes an error and/or an ineffective drop shot.

Similarly, on the backhand, Carlitos gets a solid change of grip to a backhand grip with his right hand.
This allows excellent continuity of stroke, and with his take-back on the backhand, he has a variety of options at his disposal without having to make a wrist or stroke adjustment.
He can drive the backhand, he can drive it with topspin (by closing the face of the racquet a bit more), he can hit a drop shot, he can hit a flat approach shot, and he can also hit a slice.
Most players these days, because they play with a heavy western forehand grip, do not get a solid grip change for their backhand, and hence, do not have easy ability to pull off a variety of shots on the backhand side, like Alcaraz is able to do.

Novak Djokovic is similar to Alcaraz in that Novak gets a solid grip change with his right hand on the two-handed-backhand, and hence is able to hit tremendous droppers on the backhand wing.
Djoker probably has the best backhand drop shot I have ever seen.