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Post by breezybee on Oct 14, 2009 14:51:01 GMT
I'm still pissed at them lt. They started a contest without securing proper sponsorship and now they've screwed some of the winners. I don't blame them for not getting the sponsorship, I blame them for running the contest at all if they don't have any prizes. Giving one winner $1,000 and the next winner $40 is not ok in my books.
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Post by tikigirl on Oct 14, 2009 16:11:10 GMT
Serena got fugged today. Deservedly. |
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Post by falafaclese on Oct 14, 2009 16:31:42 GMT
I think they could have at least done better than a calendar that's going to be outdated in 3 months. Here's an interesting take on the dispute over the length of the tennis season. I'm torn, because while I agree that the season is very long, and on paper seems a little ridiculous, I wonder why more players don't take more advantage of the natural lulls in the season (after the Aussie Open, after Wimby, and after the USO) to take time off. Also it bothers me that some of the same players who complain about the season are all over the globe doing exos during the off-season. I get that those exos help give the game exposure in locales where there is no tour event, but they are also big sources ogf money for the people who get invited to compete. Of course it goes without saying that I have no idea what it's like to actually live the life of a tour player, but I still wonder if there are poor management issues on both sides of the argument. |
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Post by roseha on Oct 15, 2009 5:54:58 GMT
I certainly don't either fala, but if tennis had a commissioner who could lay down the law you wouldn't have tournament directors making policy. As best I understand it, anyway. Nobody wants to see burnout yet it seems to have happened with every generation ever since the game became profitable.
For one thing, I may have said this before, but when will Davis Cup and Fed Cup become one or two week events instead of dragging all over the calendar and the world? If they took place at one time a la the Olympics, they could really be properly promoted as well. It would be fun if it became a men's / women's event as well.
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lt
Semi Finals
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Post by lt on Oct 15, 2009 20:04:47 GMT
Yes, roseha, to a Commissioner. When the "owners" make policy. . . ugh. A Commissioner's job is to look out for the sport--giving power to the owners, players and the governing body. It's easy to bitch and moan about the men in power for baseball, football, basketball, hockey, etc. but it would be much worse without them. Can you imagine what Donald Fehr would have done to baseball if he hadn't been, at least a little, stopped? The players would all the the size of blimps and dying of steroid-induced diseases.
I didn't like that article from Tennis. The tone was disingenuous and rude. I don't count an exo in Pan Asia as a warm-up for the Australian Open the same thing as an exo in early December. Not that some players don't go to those exos as well, but he was using an exo as an example that makes sense to me. And I HATE the "we'd all kill for their schedules" argument. Guess what, James Martin. I don't destroy my body with incredible impact and training and travel like a fiend for my job. I spend about 8 weeks of the year away from home on business and that can be tough enough. But it doesn't begin to compare to what the players go through. And he doesn't either. And comparing players not wanting to have to go to all these tournaments to baseball teams going through their schedule? With the exception of WBC and some pre-season (and for the NFL, one game in season) games, MLB is in the US and Toronto. Not the same thing at all. After a three-game series in Baltimore (to use his example) the Yankees go back home to NY. And the baseball players have their schedule and travel and hotels and food and everything taken care of for them by employees of the the team. Not true for tennis players. They either hire someone (at their own expense) or have to take care of that stuff themselves.
MAN! That article sure did make me angry! Sorry. Tennis and golf are worlds to themselves when it comes to what the players have to go through to get through their year. Comparing their decisions to team sports or to me, the person sitting on a hotel couch typing on a laptop, is just so stupid.
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Post by breezybee on Oct 15, 2009 23:09:50 GMT
I have trouble feeling sympathy for players like Roddick or Nadal. The elite players can, and do, take time off. Roddick took a month and a half off after Miami, a month off after Wimbledon and a month off after the US Open and he’s won almost 3 million dollars this year. Most of the top players did similar things. If you look at their playing activity you see they’ve played 18-22 tournaments this year. Who I feel bad for is the lower ranked guys. They don’t have a choice but to play without a break because they need to win the money. Daniel Gimeno-Traver is ranked 91 and has played 34 tournaments this year to win $275,000 and I bet he has little left over to show for it. These are the players that don’t get a vacation.
That being said, that article on Tennis.com was in extremely poor taste and went on the attack while ignoring the realities of the sport.
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Post by falafaclese on Oct 16, 2009 15:51:50 GMT
There have been a pretty amazing number of retirements this week:
Mischa Zverev - right wrist
Andy Roddick - left knee
JMdP - right wrist
Tommy Haas - right shoulder
Gael Monfils - back
Stan Wawrinka - abdominal strain
Ivan Ljubicic - something with his leg
More ammo for the pro-shorter season crowd. I'm still torn, but I think I lean more towards wondering why the players don't manage their seasons better. Here's an interesting excerpt from Steve Tignor's blog on Tennis.com:
That said, I do think TPTB could tweak the sched. to open up a few more weeks. I agree though, that the tour needs the mandatory non-major tournaments to maintain a good product, and I can't imagine trying to squeeze them in earlier in the year.
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Post by tikigirl on Oct 16, 2009 21:05:27 GMT
Happy birthday to skyz!
TikiBoy won a local mixed doubles tournament this week. Not with me as his partner, of course. I'm ashamed to admit how long it's been since I was on-court. Then again, I'm ashamed to be seen on court.
That's all I got...
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Post by falafaclese on Oct 16, 2009 22:14:28 GMT
Congrats to Tikiboy! I didn't play in my competetive league all summer, an I was trying to squeeze a season in before the winter, but the weather hasn't been cooperating. In fact, my and the BF's schedules have not allowed for as much tennis this year. I've been feeling deprived.
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lt
Semi Finals
Posts: 3,223
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Post by lt on Oct 17, 2009 3:00:33 GMT
Has everyone looked at the Shanghai draw? Semis: Rafa/Davydenko/Beaker. . . FELI! What the hey? He plays Rafa though. 8 am ET for anyone interested in the stream.
eta: speaking of things I love: I was watching the Cincy/USF football game last night and Chris Fowler was one of the commentators. I don't know if it was Jesse Palmer or Craig James but they were talking about upcoming NASCAR coverage and one of them threw out "Jimmy Johnson is the Roger Federer of NASCAR." Fowler started laughing and said how much he loved when they talked about tennis. Ever since Fowler started doing so much tennis his booth partners for football have made tennis mentions whenever they can. Adorable.
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Post by breezybee on Oct 17, 2009 13:48:36 GMT
I know. I've been following the tournament all the way through and Feli gave Soderling major fits yesterday. I'm happy to see him go somewhere ina tounarment othr than home.
Feli retired in his match against Nadal today though. That makes reitrement #9 for this tournament. Roddick, Del Potro, Wawrinka, Monfils, Ljubicic, Haas, Acasuso, Zverev & Lopez.
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Mpol
3rd Round
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Post by Mpol on Oct 18, 2009 12:03:14 GMT
The season needs re-organsing.
Lets open the tennis season with a BANG. It is the s tart of a new season. The tour shouldn't be starting off with some mild tournaments here. We want big names up at the events. We want the sporting world to take note of the start of each tennis season. I'd move the Sydney International to the first week of Feb, that and teh Qatar tournament and make them the very first tournaments of the year. I'd also upgrade the two to tier ones (or Masters.) I believe each slam should have at least one Tier One event as part of their warm up schedule.
I don't care if the Tennis Australia want the AO in late Jan, people are still taking time off in Feb, and it is still very hot and wonderful in Melbourne. The last two weeks of Fed
You have the hard court season then go on through until the end of April.
Six weeks of Clay, sex weeks of Grass, take you out until the end of July.
Two months on the US hard courts, that will cullminate in the US Open and the season finished at the end of September/eary October.
That means players will get Most of October, November, December and January off.
There may be tournaments that will need to be shifted and culled? Can they do that? And it would be too much shifting all the indoor ones in the middle of the year as it would mean too many top players spread over too many tournaments...
What do you guys suggest?
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Post by acre on Oct 18, 2009 15:58:51 GMT
Stosur won her 1st WTA title in Japan, and Wickmayer and Kvitova made the finals of the WTA event in Austria, beating Penetta and Radwanska respectively. So them making the semis of the US Open is looking less like a fluke. It was still very influenced by multiple upsets but they both seem to be captalizing on improved play and confidence. So, a couple more players to perhaps keep an eye on.
And my goodness, Davydenko beat Rafa, you don't see that too often. Davydenko is one of those guys who just keeps hanging around, hanging around - he certainly doesn't look all that impressive, but he is almost always in the top 10 and sometimes top 5. Guy has serious skills cause he sure as heck isn't doing it by dominating physically. I'm sure he's very strong and fit like they all are, but he is one of those players I watch and try to figure out how he keeps doing it. Even his game doesn't look that impressive, but you can't deny the results. Heh, I just read the other day where Davydenko didn't seem all that motivated to get into the Masters year end event, was just as happy to have the time off - but maybe not so fast!
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Post by breezybee on Oct 18, 2009 23:19:34 GMT
I saw a bit of the final between Davydenko and Nadal. It reminded me a bit of their final last year in Miami. I like finals where I'm good with either player winning. Nadal looked seriously ticked with himself during and after the match.
You're right Acre, there isn't anything about Davydenko that in itself looks impressive. He's got great timing and footwork though and his aim is ridiculous. He really gets the serving yips sometimes but that's his only really big weakness.
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Post by breezybee on Oct 19, 2009 13:35:00 GMT
Apparently two players were arrested for solicitation in Sweden at the If Stockholm Open. Rumor is that they are Spanish and one is well known.
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