The Austrian needs to finish this run at the 2020 U.S. Open. Even if Novak had recorded his 18th major in NYC this year, no way would we have held the empty seats or the Fedal/Wawrinka-less field against him. Some fanboys would have, but that is just low-IQ noise that only his/her fellow fantards understand. …
Category: Dominic Thiem
Thiem is Too Nice to Win
This match is too early to make such a call (Thiem taking the first set 6-2, Medvedev 5-3 in the second with the break), but Thiem may have just given the Russian this match there at the start of this second set. There was the scratchy umpire "interference" (aka shitty call) where Thiem secured the …
2020 U.S. Open Semi-finals
Nice to see Thiem squash the overmatched Aussie scrambler in Wednesday's QF. De Minaur has heart, a decent lineage (his mentor Lleyton was a similar kind of two-handed wretchedness) and a future in this sport. He will make a weaker soul weep in loss like we've seen him do, already, many times. In the third …
Djokovic Wins 8th Aussie Open
We're late on our Aussie final commentary, but there's almost not much to say (which sounds ridiculous coming from me since I always have plenty to say). Still, Novak outlasted the up-and-comer who'd probably shot his load getting to the final. Remember, in this era of THE THREE GREATEST PLAYERS TO EVER PLAY, you'll have …
2020 AO Final: Djokovic vs. Thiem
I don't have enough bloody time to get into this right now, but what exactly is there to get into? We are going to hopefully see a great match, with a couple of turning-points, shifts in momentum, etc. Time to watch tennis. A straight-set clinic from the Serb would be a let down. To be …
Quick Note on Zverev/Thiem Before a Nap
Wish I could write my full response to the Djokovic win over Federer last night; I have a lot to say about that "scene." Obviously, the result is the least of our concern. I want to meditate on the Federer legacy; this is a bit complicated since I have already begun work on said legacy …
Zverev vs. Thiem in SF #2
We split on these last QF match predictions. If I was told I had to come-up with my "sure bet" from yesterday, I would have leaned Wawrinka to take-out Zverev. The Thiem win is as big as the drama that unfolded in that later match. Holy shit. A little bit on this Wawrinka vs. Zverev …
Ding Dong: Aussie Quarter-finals
So, how'd we do in those R16 matches? Nadal/Kyrgios: "For the sake of the Kyrgios’ recent rise in character, let’s see him advance, though even a great match would help him in this greater cause. #bushfire" I figured he'd lose exactly how that played-out. I didn't even watch much of this match. We were past …
Roger Dodger
This is an appropriate title given Federer's form today (his somewhat typical pattern in big matches we might call failing to rise to the occasion or simply missing big opportunities -- either with the match in general, or with certain key spots in a big match, which are often breakpoints); it's also an appropriate title …
Story-lines of the ATP Finals
These story-lines reach beyond this season finale in London. Of course. 1. I guess you see what you want to see. I never fell in-line with the Medvedev mob, those loving his tennis and/or his edginess (though I do respect his willingness to give people the finger). He became more and more of a threat …
