Thiem Beats Medvedev: Zverev Next

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. …

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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 …

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Gen Z @ the Business End of a Major

I said this a few days ago: “Zverev looked bad today against Coric, who is as likable as a Trump supporter. My god. Zverev resorted to a casual weekend club match effort with his BFF. Zverev has results, a potentially big and dangerous game. But he’s not in historical USO final four form.“ Again today, …

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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 …

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The Djokovic Default

Happy Labor Day from the States (SoCal for you American honks). Currently, our weather temps remain high as fires continue to engulf the countryside, wildlife and human civilization (which sounds so ironic at this point: human civilization -- ha ha). Not good. So how about this tournament, the second major of 2020, a year that's …

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Day 4 USO: A Look at the ATP Parity . . . I Mean Future

Wake-up. You all heard me say that I would be especially interested in watching Djokovic, but you know my eyes and tennis sense cover far more ground than such a comment might imply. Listen-up. This kid Davidovich Fokina is a potential natural disaster for his draw. I am pleased to see him get a solid …

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Sport Has Returned

I'm a bit late on this, granted. I watched what I could last week as the men competed for  the Western and Southern Open (the Cincinnati Masters) in New York City in front of empty seats. Such is the state of the game. My take on the empty seats, does this mean much, should we …

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Thoughts Post USO 2019 Part II

Yesterday's Part I simply clarified that this year's U.S. Open gave us another rendition of tennis in the Djokodal era. Who gets the better draw (who gets Federer -- which in these Bo5 tournaments, other than WB, means less and less)? Who has the most health? The history of tennis in the 21st century involves …

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Thoughts Post USO 2019 Part I

First, congrats to Rafa on winning his fourth U.S. Open, and his second major of the year, giving him, as we all know, 19 majors overall. Some are calling Rafa a 2019 year-end #1, as well. I suppose if Novak is really injured, then that's a fair assessment, but there is a lot of tennis …

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