A Tweet a few weeks back. Didn’t pan-out yesterday vs. Ramos but I don’t see Alcaraz getting through his draw. You have to like the winner of the Djokovic Nadal QF to win this major — I know, really went out on a limb there. This has been the story-line for about ten or eleven years, with some older Federer mixed-in for good measure.
Alcaraz more susceptible to an early match and his overall inexperience in Bo5 also gives djokovic an edge. But agree that if they’re both in the SF, on form, will be very interesting.
He has Korda next who beat the Spaniard in Monte Carlo; given Carlos’ clay season, that’s quite the result for the American.
So, let’s see how that match goes, but other than that we’re just waiting on the QF that carries so much historical weight. We keep repeating ourselves like this because they are the only thing, still, worth watching on the ATP.
Sure, we have good tennis here and there, but it all pretty much lacks world class quality. Medvedev is almost unwatchable yet he’s the best of the younger bunch sans Alcaraz who is the outlier, the one seemingly to inherit the weakened throne of men’s professional tennis. Medvedev and Tsitsipas will bring some quality at the business end of a major, and Zverev will stagger in if he’s lucky, but his record in majors against top 10 players is just par for the course for this field.
According to a recent report: “In 11 attempts [Zverev] has yet to beat a top 10 opponent at a grand slam, while his record against top 20 players at the four major tournaments now stands at 4 wins and 15 losses.”
Is Ruud going to find another level on his best surface here at RG? Does FAA have the goods to progress?
The answer is against Nadal or Djokovic, the field is a failure, which has haunted this sport for years.
And then there’s Alcaraz. He’s got the goods, which he displayed for all eyes in Madrid recently. Tough to argue he’s a pretender like the rest of them.
The draw? Wild. Sure this is suspicious but of what? All three in the same half, Djokodal in the same quarter? Ha ha.
The NYT tennis chronicler Chris Clarey said this year’s draw is proof there is no draw rigging because such a lopsided draw has never happened. I can see the reverse of that logic working: these severely ridiculous draws never happen, to this extent, so yes that means this is a rigged draw.
Either way, the winner of Djokodal wins the French. Next.
Obviously, as I said in my last post about not posting on this blog, part of the hesitancy involves other things going on in the world that make these matters of tennis nearly irrelevant.
The slaughter of people in Buffalo and now Uvalde are horrific terrorist attacks that stem from the American political right. Any other view of these events is terribly wrong, racist, unintelligent, etc.
Developing reporting shows the cops failed miserably in Uvalde, actually stood down to allow the murderous 18 year old to enter the elementary school and slaughter 19 students and 2 teachers. Evidence shows they literally decided not to engage (“they” as in multiple officers) the lone terrorist. Criminal, embarrassing, cowardly . . .
This country is imploding. The right is a death cult. That is not an overstatement.
Anyways, yay the French Open is here. Djokodal should be good and there will be few others to watch, as well.
I suspect Tsitsipas and Medvedev to reach that other SF. In five sets, Medvedev, despite is shaky clay chops, still can out-think and out hit opponents in his historically soft draw.
I hear the WTA draw is just a shit show. No surprises.
As for the Wimbledon drama, I am okay with banning the Russians as this does signify a kind of sanction against Putin although he’s probably not reveling much in his empire’s sporting efforts at this point. But that dictator does hold-up his athletes as symbols of Russian cultural achievement, superiority, etc. This ban is in response to his actions. Is there hypocrisy in my view, as an American whose leaders and military have wreaked havoc and death across the globe? Yes. But Putin’s genocide is another level of evil. To say otherwise is to be dense and an asshole.
The points being taken away from the All-England major because of the ban on Russian players? This seems to punish everyone, a kind of gesture toward the banned players as in “we got your back, wink wink.” Why punish the Russians but then everyone else, as well? WB might be over-doing its position on geopolitics of 2022.
Hopefully, I’ll check back soon. Sorry to sound so dour. I’m being honest. The tennis, other than the Big 2, has been crap, for many years and our world is circling the drain, if you know what I mean. Moreoever, Twitter has been so much easier, to engage in the matches, the news; we have the benefit there of live TT banter as well as updates on GOP terrorism going all-in on their murder-suicide of American democracy.
Mcshow Blog 