Tennis: All Purpose Tennis Thread XIV

[Tuggy]

FAA starts the year in typical fashion, blowing a set lead to Fritz in the ATP Cup. Will do no favours to his already screwed confidence.

He did beat Norrie next.

He and Denis also won their doubles match.

 

[MsMeow]

From Ben Rothenberg on twitter:

More #AusOpennews: Two-time quarterfinalist Tennys Sandgren (2018, 2020) is pulling out of the #AusOpenbecause of the vaccination requirement here. Sandgren did not try to apply for any medical exemption, he told me, because he did not meet any of the criteria listed for one.

 

[kihei]

From Ben Rothenberg on twitter:

More #AusOpennews: Two-time quarterfinalist Tennys Sandgren (2018, 2020) is pulling out of the #AusOpenbecause of the vaccination requirement here. Sandgren did not try to apply for any medical exemption, he told me, because he did not meet any of the criteria listed for one.

No surprise there

 

[NJDevs26]

Djokovic got an exemption per his statement on Twitter. Unreal.

Yep…what a crock of shit

 

[Beau Knows]

Wow. What did he do? Get the Serbian government to make something up for him? Seems pretty unlikely/convenient that he has a real need for an exemption.

 

[NJDevs26]

Wow. What did he do? Get the Serbian government to make something up for him? Seems pretty unlikely/convenient that he has a real need for an exemption.

Simple, the Aussie Open needs him more than he needs them. If a world-class athlete in his early 30's had a legitimate medical reason to not take the vaccine it would be in everyone's best interests to spell it out and not try to hide behind 'muh privacy'

 

[MsMeow]

Simple, the Aussie Open needs him more than he needs them. If a world-class athlete in his early 30's had a legitimate medical reason to not take the vaccine it would be in everyone's best interests to spell it out and not try to hide behind 'muh privacy'

Judging by the comments I've seen on Twitter, most people are fuming. He may be in for a very rude awakening when he arrives.

Tennis world reacts to Djokovic's exemption for Australian Open

 

[Ben Grimm]

Sloane Stephens married Jozy Altadore.

 

[kihei]

What a total, complete cave in by the tough-talking Australian politicians who in the end look like fools. So one of the healthiest men on the planet gets a health exemption to not take the Covid vaccine. Maybe Sandgren should re-apply. He obviously had too much respect for what he thought were the rules. Absolutely humiliating.

 

[MsMeow]

Novak Djokovic could be barred from Australia, says PM in vaccine row | News | The Times


Novak Djokovic could be barred from Australia, says PM in vaccine row


This would be interesting. I'm still not convinced he steps foot on a court after all this, and the only way he comes out looking slightly good is if he says he's pulling out for the good of the sport. There is nothing he can do to come out looking great. He can win another 10 majors and he'll never be looked on the same again. Roger and Rafa just have to sit back, not say a word about this and let him dig his own grave.

 

[John Price]

Aus. PM to Djokovic: Prove exemption or go home

 

[kihei]

Don't know so much if he courts controversy or it just follows him around. I agree with Laver that Nole needs to explain why he was given the exemption. This is not the time to be stubborn or tone deaf, both of which he can be.

 

[MsMeow]

Things are changing by the minute. It seems a member of his team screwed something up and now he's not allowed to enter. Sorry, can't post links as I'm about to drive.

 

[Tuggy]

 

[John Price]

To be fair if he can't get into the country and play I have no issue

if you wanted to play get vaccinated lol it's not hard

 

[Foppberg]

Hahahaha. Karma.

 

[Beau Knows]

Djokovic had finally won the crowd over in New York, and now he's gonna to be public enemy #1 in Australia.

 

[Shrimper]

Can't imagine what $x$mption the Aus open were satisified with...

 

[MsMeow]

God how I wish this was on tv!!

 

[Beau Knows]

This just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

God how I wish this was on tv!!

They need to bring back that horrible reality show Airline for this.

 

[discostu]

I don't want to "silver lining" something as horrible as this pandemic, but man, watching this Djokovic story play out is adding a little something to the other side of the scale.

 

[kihei]

And I thought quantam physics was weird....

 

[Beau Knows]

The President of Serbia is getting involved now

 

[kihei]

2021 Predictions

Most improved player: Jannick Sinner (currently #34) (Now #10 in the world, but Alcaraz had greater improvement)
GS winners: Nadal, Djokovic, Medvedev, Thiem (2 our of 4, just so-so)
GS winners: Osaka 2, Barty, Halep (2 out of 4, another so-so)
End of year #1: Djokovic (yup)
End of year #1: Barty (yup)
No one outside of the top eight male players will make a GS final this yearn (Nole, Rafa, Medvedev, Thiem, Tsitsipas, Roger, Rublev, Zverev) (one exception, Berrettini at Wimbledon)
New Top Ten players: Shapo replaces Schwartzman (no other changes) (way, way wrong)
Roger stays in the Top Ten but drops out of the top five (wrong)
Serena stays in the Top Ten (really bad guess as she dropped to #41)
Raonic doesn't return to the Top Ten (yup, currently #69 and fading)
Long shot Top Ten player: Sinner (34) (made it at #10)
Long shot Top Ten player: Swiatek (17) (made it at #8)
Hot newcomer: Carlos Alcaraz (126) (like, yeah, man, made it to #32)
Felix improves somewhat but ends the year no higher than #15 (made it to #11 but I got the "improved somewhat" right)
Gauff (50) makes top 30 (made it to #19)
Fernandez (87) just misses the top 50 (happily wrong, she made it to #24)
Humbert (32), Fritz (33), Bublik (45) and Davidovich Fukina (55) move up (all did, if only slightly in Humbert and Davidovich Fokina's cases)
Schwartzman (9), Monfils (12), Goffin (15), and Wawrinka (20) move down (all went down)

My top ten predictions were brutal; but for the rest, not bad.

 

[kihei]

The President of Serbia is getting involved now

The circus comes to town early this year.