US Open Tennis Championships

[Softball Bat]

Matches begin on Tuesday (8/29).

Of note, the United States has lifted its Covid vaccine mandate for entry into the country.
As such, NoVax Djokovic will now be allowed to compete again.

If the top 8 seeds all make it to the quarterfinals, which they won't, it will look like this...

(1) C. Alcaraz
(6) J. Sinner

(3) A, Medvedev
(8) A. Rublev

(5) C. Ruud
(4) H. Rune

(7) S. Tsitsipas
(2) N. Djokovic

https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/curre ... /560/draws




Thoughts on the event?

[Screw_Michigan]

In general tennis tournaments, what is the difference between an open and a "normal" tournament?

[Softball Bat]

The Open Era in tennis, which began in 1968, allowed all players, amateur or professional, to compete at the four Grand Slam events.
The change ushered in the modern sport of tennis as we know it...


Full explanation is here -----> https://tenniscompanion.org/open-era-in-tennis/

[Softball Bat]

It is a good question.

Seeds 1 and 2 are automatically placed at the very top and very bottom of the draw.
Seeds 3 and 4 are then placed in sections of the draw that will allow for them to meet either seed 1 or seed 2 in the semifinals, if they get there.
I assume the sections 3 and 4 are placed in are determined by a coin flip, or some other similar method.

Then seeds 5, 6, 7, and 8 are placed, by coin flip (or some other method) into the sections of the draw that will allow them to not meet seeds 1, 2, 3 or 4 until the quarterfinals, if they get there.


Your method is more simple, Jsc.

[Screw_Michigan]

The Open Era in tennis, which began in 1968, allowed all players, amateur or professional, to compete at the four Grand Slam events.
The change ushered in the modern sport of tennis as we know it...


Full explanation is here -----> https://tenniscompanion.org/open-era-in-tennis/

OK, but what about the instance I provided? What would be the difference between the Men's Open and the NTRP Men's 3.0 18 and over?

[Softball Bat]

Men's Open means any male player, with any rating, or of any age, can enter.
In a typical USTA tournament, the best players will be playing in the Men's Open division.

NTRP 3.0 18 & over means that if you have been rated higher than 3.0 (3.5 or above), you may not enter.
Anyone who has been rated 3.0 or lower may enter.
Also, if you are under 18, you may not enter.

[Kierland]

I’ll be watching the Vuelta. Not sure how watching people ride a bike is a better use of my time that watching different people hit a ball back and forth but to me it is.

Ok I lied it’s the crashes.

[Screw_Michigan]

Men's Open means any male player, with any rating, or of any age, can enter.
In a typical USTA tournament, the best players will be playing in the Men's Open division.

NTRP 3.0 18 & over means that if you have been rated higher than 3.0 (3.5 or above), you may not enter.
Anyone who has been rated 3.0 or lower may enter.
Also, if you are under 18, you may not enter.

Ah, OK. Thanks for explaining!

[Mikey]

Want to live a healthier life? Turn off the TV occasionally.

[L45B]

Shouldn't it be 1 vs 8 and 3 vs 6 in the quarterfinals?

Tennis tournaments release draws, not March Madness brackets. World rankings usually reflect tournament seedings, and although rankings are subtly changing from week to week, if every tournament used the logical MM format (ie 1v16, 2v15, 3v14, etc) it’s possible there would be a lot of tournaments that would look the same every week.

Both men’s and women’s tennis have always had the draw format (1-4 can randomly play any 5-8 in the quarterfinals). I don’t remember when they started seeding 17-32, but that was not prevalent in the 90s and before. Same premise though— in the round of 32, #1 seed can draw #29-32.

Hence, the “luck of the draw.”

[L45B]

Want to live a healthier life? Turn off the TV occasionally.

Word. Here’s some PET from weekend practice rounds. The Open officially begins Monday at 11am EST .


Alexander Zverev (and his gf sitting solo top right of stairs)


Andrey Rublev (hitting with Jarry)


Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis hitting with Dominic Thiem (2020 champion)


Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova on an outer practice court

[Screw_Michigan]

Very nice. I attended an ITF junior tour tournament at my club last week. Best under 18s in the world, both boys and girls. Went for Rd of 16 and semifinals. Was blown away by the quality of play. I wish I had 1/4 the talent and skill of these players.

Was really amazed with how far these guys leap forward on their serves. I know all the power is in the legs, but to also be able to hit each side of the box is impressive too.

[Softball Bat]

RACK L45B and SM!

Love it.

[Screw_Michigan]

So what is the definition of coaching? The manual for my tournament said in bold letters: No coaching allowed.

But the parents sat in the corners of the courts and talked to the players. Coaches did the same thing. They were mostly words of encouragement. But they were clearly talking to each other.

Thoughts?

[Mikey]

Thoughts?

Lock them up!!!

Oh, sorry. Wrong thread.

[Softball Bat]

Alexander Zverev (and his gf sitting solo top right of stairs)

We might need to see more pictures of Zverev's gf.

[Softball Bat]

Thoughts?

Lock them up!!!

Oh, sorry. Wrong thread.

lol

[Softball Bat]

So what is the definition of coaching? The manual for my tournament said in bold letters: No coaching allowed.

But the parents sat in the corners of the courts and talked to the players. Coaches did the same thing. They were mostly words of encouragement. But they were clearly talking to each other.

Thoughts?

I assume there is an ITF rules booklet somewhere that goes into some detail on this.

"Coaching" in the junior ranks, ITF or USTA is very subjective.

As you say, SM, there are often "words of encouragement" spoken by supporters of a given player.
At what point does it cross the line and become coaching?

In most cases, the line is is probably crossed after someone else complains about the "coaching" they see happening.


Coaching isn't happening unless someone is complaining about it.

When a tree falls in the woods, there is no sound unless someone is there to hear it.

[Mikey]

Alexander Zverev (and his gf sitting solo top right of stairs)

We might need to see more pictures of Zverev's gf.

Yeah it looks like she’s about 6’8” and well tatted. Could be interesting.

[Kierland]

[Screw_Michigan]

I assume there is an ITF rules booklet somewhere that goes into some detail on this.

"Coaching" in the junior ranks, ITF or USTA is very subjective.

As you say, SM, there are often "words of encouragement" spoken by supporters of a given player.
At what point does it cross the line and become coaching?

In most cases, the line is is probably crossed after someone else complains about the "coaching" they see happening.


Coaching isn't happening unless someone is complaining about it.

When a tree falls in the woods, there is no sound unless someone is there to hear it.

Thanks. I was walking around and there was a guy sitting in the corner of one of the courts, behind the fence and behind the black backdrop. A USTA official was giving him the "do it again and you're gonna have to leave," so what probably happened is exactly what you said.

[Screw_Michigan]

I was also surprised to learn that much of competitive junior tennis is officiated on the honor system. While these kids are not playing for money, they are REALLY good and have a lot on the line. Can you imagine any other US sport being officiated on the honor system?

They brought in chair umpires and line judges for the semis and finals. But I just thought it was wild that you could have a match come down to the final point and have the players call it with honor and fairness. I guess that's a thing in tennis, like golf.

[Screw_Michigan]

Poptart, L45B, what are these sticks in the doubles alley that tournaments are using during singles matches? I haven't seen these before. Noticed they were using them in my tournament too.

[Softball Bat]

They are called Singles Sticks.

They are sticks that are used when a singles match is being played on a doubles court.

As you can see in the picture you posted, the sticks makes the net higher on the sides of the court compared to the middle of the court.

I will say that the overwhelming majority of my singles tennis was played on courts with NO singles sticks.

More on Singles Sticks here -----> https://www.allstartennissupply.com/blo ... they-used/

[Softball Bat]

I was also surprised to learn that much of competitive junior tennis is officiated on the honor system. While these kids are not playing for money, they are REALLY good and have a lot on the line. Can you imagine any other US sport being officiated on the honor system?

99% of matches I played were played with no official(s) on the court.

USTA Sanctioned Junior Tournaments
High school tennis.
College tennis.
USTA Sanctioned Adult Tournaments
USTA League Tennis
Satellite Tour (low level pro) tennis.

I believe the Satellite Tour (or Futures Tour) might now use a chair umpire for all matches, but I am not sure.

When I played, it was honor system.
If a player felt he was getting robbed, he could request an official.
And at that time, most events had a chair umpire for semifinals and finals.
Some events had a full line crew for the semifinals and finals.

I played a whole lot of matches, since I played competitively from about age 10 to age 40.
As you might imagine, I was unfortunately involved in some controversies. It came with the territory, and you learned to deal with it.
L45B no doubt has his own stories to tell when it comes to playing matches with no officials on the court.

Tempers sometimes flare.

[Kierland]

Another epic day yesterday at the Vuelta. The course was so wet and shitty they neutralized race for the GC guys at 9k to go and still the top contender crashed before we even got close to 9k to go. I wonder how the race organizers are going to fuck up today? Goats on the course? Maybe race thru a flood?

[Meat Head]

Best tennis thread in a long time.

[Screw_Michigan]

I was also surprised to learn that much of competitive junior tennis is officiated on the honor system. While these kids are not playing for money, they are REALLY good and have a lot on the line. Can you imagine any other US sport being officiated on the honor system?

99% of matches I played were played with no official(s) on the court.

USTA Sanctioned Junior Tournaments
High school tennis.
College tennis.
USTA Sanctioned Adult Tournaments
USTA League Tennis
Satellite Tour (low level pro) tennis.

I believe the Satellite Tour (or Futures Tour) might now use a chair umpire for all matches, but I am not sure.

When I played, it was honor system.
If a player felt he was getting robbed, he could request an official.
And at that time, most events had a chair umpire for semifinals and finals.
Some events had a full line crew for the semifinals and finals.

I played a whole lot of matches, since I played competitively from about age 10 to age 40.
As you might imagine, I was unfortunately involved in some controversies. It came with the territory, and you learned to deal with it.
L45B no doubt has his own stories to tell when it comes to playing matches with no officials on the court.

Tempers sometimes flare.

Thanks for sharing. I asked someone wearing a Penn tennis shirt at the tournament about the honor system and he definitely shot me a weird look. I as clearly brand new to the sport.

[Screw_Michigan]

#5 Casper Ruud escapes qualifier Emilio Nava in a tightly fought 3 sets to 1. Incredible match. Nava was taking it to Ruud from the beginning.

[Softball Bat]

Fifth seed Ruud does his best work on clay, so it won't surprise me if he goes out before the quarterfinals.

S. Korda could be a tough opponent for him in the 3rd round.
If he gets to the round of 16 he might face F. Tiafoe, which could be a struggle.

[Screw_Michigan]

This is wild. Coco Gauff came from behind to kick the shit out of Siegemund, but because her opponent is slowing things down both with her serve and receiving, she's not Gauff flipping and melting down to the umpire (who btw looks like a freak). Entertaining stuff.

[Kierland]

Another great race this time into Andorra, for those from Alabama that’s a country in between France and Spain. A few guys were out front for most of the 158k race with the last one getting caught in the last 1.5k. Race was won by last years overall winner who promptly ran into a female spectator who was somehow allowed near the finish line and got a nice bloody gash on his eye.

The shit show continues!

[Screw_Michigan]

Another great race this time into Andorra, for those from Alabama that’s a country in between France and Spain. A few guys were out front for most of the 158k race with the last one getting caught in the last 1.5k. Race was won by last years overall winner who promptly ran into a female spectator who was somehow allowed near the finish line and got a nice bloody gash on his eye.

The shit show continues!

Wrong thread

[Screw_Michigan]

What the fuck is Caroline Wozniacki wearing out there? She's wearing a god damn blue leotard. Definitely not sexy.

[L45B]

Fifth seed Ruud does his best work on clay, so it won't surprise me if he goes out before the quarterfinals.

He’s been struggling this summer (at least since Roland Garros), but not nearly as bad as Felix. Nonetheless, I don’t think the other players fear Ruud like they do Djoker, Alcaraz, Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Rublev, Sinner, etc. He’s gonna slip in the rankings after US Open is done.

S. Korda could be a tough opponent for him in the 3rd round

Too bad he got fuczed by the muscle man today.

[L45B]

More PET from Round 1 from around the grounds…


Eubanks def Kwon (Grandstand)


McDonald def Auger-Aliassime (Ct 5)


Fucsovics def Korda (Ct 11)


Varillas def Kecmanovic (Ct 10)


Vesely def Couacaud (Ct 8]


Bonzi def Halys (Ct 7)

No pictures of Michelle Obama but hopefully they can land equal pay for equal work for some of those WNBA players next.

[Softball Bat]

S. Korda could be a tough opponent for him in the 3rd round

Too bad he got fuczed by the muscle man today.

Damn, a 5 setter.

Sorry to see that.
I like to see the Americans advance.

[Softball Bat]

Great stuff, L45B!

You must be having a fun time!

[L45B]

Great stuff, L45B!

You must be having a fun time!

Yessir Bat! Opening week of a slam is more action than a casino. I’m lucky to be at one

[Screw_Michigan]

Awesome photos, L45B. Once day, I'll make it there.