Tennis

[thrawn]

So what percentage do most in here believe is an accurate depiction of how many are doping?

30%, 50%, 70%, 98%?

I'll be interested to hear some responses.

Of the top 100? I'd say at least 50%.

 

[iejeecee]

Another brilliant BBC article with the following headline

Rafael Nadal's incredible run of form on hard courts prompts the question: have the Spaniard's knee problems made him a better player?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/24011898

Why don't sport journalists start writing about UFO's or the Lochness monster or something?
It would be more credible and believable as the **** they are trying to shove down the public's throat to excuse obvious dopers.

 

[sniper]

another brilliant bbc article with the following headline

rafael nadal's incredible run of form on hard courts prompts the question: Have the spaniard's knee problems made him a better player?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/24011898

why don't sport journalists start writing about ufo's or the lochness monster or something?
It would be more credible and believable as the **** they are trying to shove down the public's throat to excuse obvious dopers.

+100000000

 

[robow7]

From the tables above, those were not a complete service speed average from all participants but more a sampling. Many pros do and have served harder than Fed's 109 and 115 1st averages. Heck, Serena can belt them out in the 120's.

I'm not saying Fed may have not used steroids to help recover, but his play his based on timing and touch more than anything, not brute force (not that he can't flatten out the forehand). He's not an obvious Agassi who came back bulked up or a Nadal that show an enormous rippling of forearm and bicep muscles.

Maybe today we'll get a US Open final that can show off what blood doping can do for endurance when Nadal and Djoker are out there for 5 hours blasting away a 20 stroke point each time.

 

[red_flanders]

Nadal looks and plays like people did before steroids took over the sport. I find it easy to believe he's clean.

Nadal is preposterous.

 

[fuzzydunlop3]

how does someone with knees like Nadal remain the fittest player on tour? surely his injuries have affected his ability to train as much. how can that be explained?

 

[poupou]

Nadal looks and plays like people did before steroids took over the sport. I find it easy to believe he's clean.

Nadal is preposterous.

He is just playing like Borg or Wilander, just 2 times faster and can keep that speed 2 times longer.

 

[Bicycle]

how does someone with knees like Nadal remain the fittest player on tour? surely his injuries have affected his ability to train as much. how can that be explained?

I've never believed the knees story if they were that bad he would have packed the game in. It;s just an excuse to explain withdrawals and downtimes and also a reason for some exotic TUEs.

Just heard tennis commentator on BBC radio say that Nadal is playing more aggressive to protect his knees. Do these guys actually believe what they're saying? These knees are the most absurd injury ever.

 

[Bicycle]

Another brilliant BBC article with the following headline

Rafael Nadal's incredible run of form on hard courts prompts the question: have the Spaniard's knee problems made him a better player?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/24011898

Why don't sport journalists start writing about UFO's or the Lochness monster or something?
It would be more credible and believable as the **** they are trying to shove down the public's throat to excuse obvious dopers.

I've heard it all now.

 

[sniper]

dylan was right

the times they are a changing

 

[the sceptic]

I've never believed the knees story if they were that bad he would have packed the game in. It;s just an excuse to explain withdrawals and downtimes and also a reason for some exotic TUEs.

Just heard tennis commentator on BBC radio say that Nadal is playing more aggressive to protect his knees. Do these guys actually believe what they're saying? These knees are the most absurd injury ever.

Agree. It seems like the most plausible explanation.

By the way, how on earth is Nadal going to beat the Biopassport when he does things like this? Seems like the equivalent of a cyclist showing up at the tour with Riis level of hematocrit.

 

[HappyCycling]

Joined because I can't discuss doping matters in tennis over at MTF. Frankly, I am sick of seeing this Nadal soap opera play out. He is doped to the gills and I am sick of him making a mockery of the sport I love. ****ing moonballer.

 

[the sceptic]

Joined because I can't discuss doping matters in tennis over at MTF. Frankly, I am sick of seeing this Nadal soap opera play out. He is doped to the gills and I am sick of him making a mockery of the sport I love. ****ing moonballer.

Welcome.

Looks like Nadal upped the game. Will be interesting to see how Djokovic responds. (remember in 2010 he got owned by Nadal similarly and then he transformed himself before the 2011 season)

I bet Nadal will get "injured" soon. I doubt he can keep this level going for the rest of the season.

 

[HappyCycling]

Thanks, I think I will stick around here. At least cycling fans see the light. Most people on tennis forums insist on pulling the wool over their eyes, just like the ATP tell them to.

Does anyone here see a serious doping scandal/leak developing any time soon? You hear so many rumours and only have to look at the sheer insanity of these matches to see its not physiologically possible. Surely someone fairly reputable can speak up, like Walsh did after the Sestriere climb.

 

[BroDeal]

I think doping ruined tennis. The game is all about a massive, dope fueled serve. I don't see how a guy like Michael Chang could survive anymore.

 

[robow7]

You know, if Nadal spent a ton of time at the gym working out with weights and such, then at least one could be maybe a little skeptical but when both he and the people around him say he spends little if any time weight training, I just have to roll my eyes because no one else in the history of the game has exhibited a body of that nature. (nor probably the stamina as well)

 

[robow7]

David Ferrer is the modern day Chang, again with even better stamina.

 

[HappyCycling]

Djokovic's 2011 jump is the most unbelievable dramatic increase in endurance I have ever seen.

 

[robow7]

Djokovic's 2011 jump is the most unbelievable dramatic increase in endurance I have ever seen.

True, he went from someone who had relatively poor endurance to one who has just about the greatest endurance, and of course all due to a gluten free diet.

 

[zebedee]

Another good article from Tom English in the Scotsman, keeping the pressure on an inept ITF

http://www.scotsman.com/news/tom-english-andy-murray-s-words-on-doping-important-1-3081915

Personally, I think Murray was acting a bit disingenuously with his comments:-

http://straightsets.blogs.nytimes.c...urray-on-beating-cheating/?smid=tw-share&_r=1

The "stuff" stuff is Murray feigning ignorance of what dopers actually get up to. I imagine he is as well-informed as anyone on the methodologies and that doctors are not always constantly in attendance. Deflecting perhaps.

 

[Bicycle]

Welcome.

Looks like Nadal upped the game. Will be interesting to see how Djokovic responds. (remember in 2010 he got owned by Nadal similarly and then he transformed himself before the 2011 season)

I bet Nadal will get "injured" soon. I doubt he can keep this level going for the rest of the season.

He will definitely need downtime in order to cycle up again for the 2014 slams. Question is when that will be as his year did not start until February - plus he effectively skipped Wimbledon.

 

[sniper]

that was one of the sickest doped performances i've ever seen of any athlete.

mutant stuff from nadal.

simply looked like he was on extaxy or speed, but full-time.
so ridiculously intensive non-stop.

as brodeal said. doping has ruined this sport.

@happycycling: i don't see any big scandal growing anyday soon. The omerta in tennis is second to none, and many of the players don't even know what the doctor gives them (cf. Del Potro's comments at wimbledon). Also, the money is so big in tennis, that any threat of a scandal will be put to sleep by means of big bucks.

 

[jonasnielsen]

What a disgrace

The commentators was hailing it as a fantastic match while i could only think this is not humanly possible

I used to love tennis back when serve and volley players stood a chance but today? Pump yourself full of doping and stay on the back line as much as possible

 

[zastomito]

True, he went from someone who had relatively poor endurance to one who has just about the greatest endurance, and of course all due to a gluten free diet.

Not really. He had a breathing problems which plague him to this day (I believe that explanation is 'exercise induced asthma'), you can see that after long points he is breathing heavily. Despite all that he managed to play 90+ matches in 2009.
People seem to think that he was basically withdrawal waiting to happen despite the fact that if we exclude odd match now and than he is able to play in consistent form with some fluctuations throughout his whole career.
I still don't think that he has such a great endurance seeing how he is unable to stay with Nadal. Federer for example never had that problem.

 

[EnacheV]

starting with serena "steroid" williams and finishing with dudes that can run like rabbits for 3 hours, tennis world is making an awesome work on keeping the "clean" label.

imo doping in tennis is like EPO in cycling, LA era