Tennis

[yaco]

Re:

Any comment on Mirjana Lučić-Baroni? Finally reaches the QF of Aus at 34. I know she had personal problems and took years out, but biology doesn't stop just because you don't play tennis for five years.

History has shown in the last 5 years that tennis is a sport for those from 25 to 35 - Look at the men's top 100 - Averaged around 3 or 4 under 21's in the top 100's - How many men have won a Grand Slam under 25 in the last 5 years ? And the women's game is heading in the same direction - The reasons for this are varied.

 

[Blakeslee]

Just when you thought those days were over, another Williams vs Williams final. Sigh...

 

[sniper]

I think we all know what the right thing to do is: don't watch it.

 

[The Hitch]

Re:

I think we all know what the right thing to do is: don't watch it.

Weird

I thought Venus had retired tbh. She's been crap for like a decade. I remember Venus being in a bunch of finals a lifetime ago, and winning Wimbledon a few times but the last one must have been like 10 years ago. Haven't seen her up there in a decade.

And now she's back.

Edit, look at this:

Australian Open F (2003, 2017)

That's like the japanese guy who won a medal in the ski jumping in 1994, then again in 2014

 

[DanielSong39]

Williams vs. Williams, Federer, Nadal.

I think we all know what's going on.

 

[Red Rick]

^Well, i have a two-fold view on that: (a) she's highly dodgy; (b) tennis is a joke

^^interesting Zebadee about Zverev.
What's your view on Djoker's second round loss against istomin? Would you exclude fixing?

Zverev brothers seem to both have peaked at the same tournament.

I had missed your point. Only just found out Mischa is ten years older than Alex. So yes, seeing them peak together at same tournament is a nice 'coincidence'.

Unless people had dirt on Djokovic and extorted him, I'd definitely exclude fixing.

 

[Benotti69]

Re: Re:

I think we all know what the right thing to do is: don't watch it.

Weird

I thought Venus had retired tbh. She's been crap for like a decade. I remember Venus being in a bunch of finals a lifetime ago, and winning Wimbledon a few times but the last one must have been like 10 years ago. Haven't seen her up there in a decade.

And now she's back.

Edit, look at this:

Australian Open F (2003, 2017)

That's like the japanese guy who won a medal in the ski jumping in 1994, then again in 2014

Maybe Venus needs the money?

 

[kingjr]

Hitch, but you are not seriously comparing Ski Jumping to Tennis, are you?

 

[Red Rick]

WTA tennis such a freaking mess. On one hand I have very little doubt people are using but on the other hand the level and consistency of the entire field is an absolute joke.

 

[yaco]

Good to see the misinformation continues even in non-cycling threads - Venus Williams has done an astonishing job to reach the Australian Open Tennis and get back into the top 10 - Especially when you consider she was diagnosed with Sjogrens Diseasein 2011 which is a debilitating illness - I am surprised she can still play on tour.

 

[TMP402]

So the question is: how did all four of the old-timers get their "peak" right at the same tournament? What are the chances of that?

 

[sniper]

it's a tough one to answer, for sure.

especially nadal&venus.
smart money was on them being finished.

 

[mike75]

Re:

Good to see the misinformation continues even in non-cycling threads - Venus Williams has done an astonishing job to reach the Australian Open Tennis and get back into the top 10 - Especially when you consider she was diagnosed with Sjogrens Diseasein 2011 which is a debilitating illness - I am surprised she can still play on tour.

Well I think that's kind of the point. She's been pretty bad for a while now, and then all of a sudden she's in a final again, even with her recent poor play and illnesses.

 

[djpbaltimore]

Autoimmune diseases are periodic and often have lengthy periods of remission. But it does depend on the individual and the severity of the disease.

 

[sniper]

What's the evidence that she has sjoegren?
right, she says so, must be true.

Fool me once, shame on you.

 

[djpbaltimore]

It is not really that much of a stretch to believe her. 4 million Americans have it and 90% of those are women. I knew someone who was diagnosed with Sjogrens and she experienced the same type of symptoms as Venus talks about in her interviews.

 

[The Hitch]

Re:

It is not really that much of a stretch to believe her. 4 million Americans have it and 90% of those are women. I knew someone who was diagnosed with Sjogrens and she experienced the same type of symptoms as Venus talks about in her interviews.

I wonder though, if Venus had described symptoms that were wildly different from normal, in fact symptoms which directly contradicted what every doctor in history had said about the disease, would you still defend her on it?

 

[sniper]

Re: Re:

It is not really that much of a stretch to believe her. 4 million Americans have it and 90% of those are women. I knew someone who was diagnosed with Sjogrens and she experienced the same type of symptoms as Venus talks about in her interviews.

I wonder though, if Venus had described symptoms that were wildly different from normal, in fact symptoms which directly contradicted what every doctor in history had said about the disease, would you still defend her on it?

It's not difficult to see how Sjoegren could be used as an excuse to account for dodgy blood values and/or as an alibi to use a variety of PEDs, so when one of the world's topathletes in one of the most demanding sports says she has sjoegren you have to be sceptical.

If she really has Sjoegren, I don't see a plausible scenario where she reaches the finals of a Slam on paniagua.

 

[djpbaltimore]

Re: Re:

It is not really that much of a stretch to believe her. 4 million Americans have it and 90% of those are women. I knew someone who was diagnosed with Sjogrens and she experienced the same type of symptoms as Venus talks about in her interviews.

I wonder though, if Venus had described symptoms that were wildly different from normal, in fact symptoms which directly contradicted what every doctor in history had said about the disease, would you still defend her on it?

Too bad we will never know the answer to that hypothetical. I guess you will have to use your imagination.

And whether she has Sjogrens is totally independent of whether she currently dopes or not. You can be a clean world class athlete with one functioning kidney, so I don't see why you can't do likewise with Sjogrens as long as it is under control.

 

[heart_attack_man]

Re:

Good to see the misinformation continues even in non-cycling threads - Venus Williams has done an astonishing job to reach the Australian Open Tennis and get back into the top 10 - Especially when you consider she was diagnosed with Sjogrens Diseasein 2011 which is a debilitating illness - I am surprised she can still play on tour.

You do realise what the treatment is for Sjogrens, right? TUE FTW!

 

[42x16ss]

Federer is ridiculous. He's 35. 15 years ago prime top players in their mid 20's would struggle in 5 set matches. These days he's still killing it and has no problem going the distance.

Federer had a major hiccup in the 3rd and 4th sets against Wawrinka last night, and was lucky to get out of jail in the 5th to be honest. He was uncharacteristically out of touch at times, hitting balls long and even the occasional one off the frame.

The normally unrivalled skill was a bit patchy, with something like 50 unforced errors. 10 years ago he wouldn't have made that many in an entire tournament.

 

[TMP402]

Federer is ridiculous. He's 35. 15 years ago prime top players in their mid 20's would struggle in 5 set matches. These days he's still killing it and has no problem going the distance.

Federer had a major hiccup in the 3rd and 4th sets against Wawrinka last night, and was lucky to get out of jail in the 5th to be honest. He was uncharacteristically out of touch at times, hitting balls long and even the occasional one off the frame.

The normally unrivalled skill was a bit patchy, with something like 50 unforced errors. 10 years ago he wouldn't have made that many in an entire tournament.

So his skill has declined but his endurance hasn't. Well that all sounds totally natural.

 

[Random Direction]

Is there a new immortality drug out there that is getting used by the old folks in tennis? If so, should see quite the year from the aging cycling cohort. Probably just good ol EPO though.

 

[yaco]

Re: Re:

Good to see the misinformation continues even in non-cycling threads - Venus Williams has done an astonishing job to reach the Australian Open Tennis and get back into the top 10 - Especially when you consider she was diagnosed with Sjogrens Diseasein 2011 which is a debilitating illness - I am surprised she can still play on tour.

Well I think that's kind of the point. She's been pretty bad for a while now, and then all of a sudden she's in a final again, even with her recent poor play and illnesses.

Don't worry about the Australian Open - Venus had the softest draw imaginable - 2 opponents outside 100, 2 between 50 to 100 and 2 under 50 - Her highest ranked opponent was 25 - Very Similar run to Li Na a few years ago.

But she's still done a good job to compete at a high level with Sjogren's disease.

 

[yaco]

Re:

So the question is: how did all four of the old-timers get their "peak" right at the same tournament? What are the chances of that?

Federer hardly played at all in 2016 - Australian Open, one or two tournaments in April, lead up tournament before Wimbledon and Wimbledon itself - Nadal had an injury interrupted preparation in 2016 - Missed nearly 3 months in the middle of year through injury.

Think some are missing the underlying theme in modern day tennis - It now suits older player - few under 21's make the top 100.