Tennis

Page 59 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Aug 16, 2012
275
0
0
The Hitch said:
Its notable who Nadal is playing.
Klizan.

The player who a few years ago hinted he thought Nadal was doping

http://isport.blesk.cz/clanek/tenis...enskeho-tenisty-klizana-nadal-bere-drogy.html



Its a very valid excuse though.

Grass is totally different, even today when there isn't such a big difference.

Its not just at wimbledon. 2 weeks ago he lost his opening game in Halle. This was 2 days after he wont he French.Its not like he lost all his power in those 2 days.

I really doubt the reasons Nadal plays crap in early rounds is because he's not doping. The players there are so much worse than what he beats later in the competition.

It would also fail to explain why at the French he finds early rounds so easy.

it's not enough to explain losses to guys who aren;t ranked in the top 100. There's more going on here than a difficulty adapting to grass.
 
Jul 21, 2012
9,860
3
0
I would agree. It seems obvious to me that Nadal is always "peaking" for the last rounds of the slams. If Nadal gets by the first 3 rounds here he is almost certain to win wimbledon imo.
 
May 2, 2010
1,692
0
0
the sceptic said:
I would agree. It seems obvious to me that Nadal is always "peaking" for the last rounds of the slams. If Nadal gets by the first 3 rounds here he is almost certain to win wimbledon imo.

I agree with your last sentence. He's lost the first set again today.
 
Mystery of Serena Williams' Wimbledon meltdown deepens... with doubts cast over her 'viral illness' explanation
Serena Williams withdrew from ladies doubles event at Wimbledon
Former champion has claimed she was suffering from a viral illness
World No 1 was partnering sister Venus but only lasted three games
Williams appeared disorientated and served four consecutive double faults
Sources claim her vital statistics were normal after visit from court doctor
Medical sources claim bug wouldn't have affected co-ordination in that way
Half-sister Isha Price said that she did not appear ill before the match
Womens No 1 seed has been romantically linked with coach Patrick Mouratoglou in the past - he also said she looked 'fine' before the match
Sister Venus appeared more frustrated than concerned during the incident
Williams took a lengthy layoff after 2010 Championships due to stepping on broken glass at an unidentified Munich restaurant
32-year-old was also reported to have hidden from drug tester visiting her home in 2011, claiming she thought it was an intruder

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/te...Wimbledon-meltdown-deepens.html#ixzz36NONiITF

Probably just needed predisone & a fast tracked TUE.
 
Jul 15, 2013
550
0
0
I suspect something happened recently in her relationship with mouratoglou, she's been seen socialising with wozniacki and lebron james in recent weeks. More likely she was drunk than doped (for a doubles match?), although it could have been recreational drugs too.
 
Feb 28, 2010
1,661
0
0
bewildered said:
I suspect something happened recently in her relationship with mouratoglou, she's been seen socialising with wozniacki and lebron james in recent weeks. More likely she was drunk than doped (for a doubles match?), although it could have been recreational drugs too.

It's the last bullet-point that is the interesting one, I think the incident was pretty well documented. The drug tester turned up, and Serena locked herself in her safe room.
 
Aug 16, 2012
275
0
0
Think Murray is off the juice now he's won Wimbledon - he's won nothing since and it's perhaps not worth the risk. Dimitrov on the other hand has bulked up hugely in the last 12 months.
 
Aug 31, 2012
7,550
3
0
Yeah, Peds are why Murray lost and Dimitrov won. I guess Nadal is off the juice now as well but this Kyrigos is jacked up. He probably stopped doping for the Raonic match though. Also, remarkable consistency from Djokovic, must be on a permanent high octane (ie low gluten) program. :rolleyes:
 
Aug 16, 2012
275
0
0
Murray's not been the same since his injury - could be that his back still isn't right and he simply can't regain his old form and might never again. Can't be denied though Dimitrov has become much physically stronger recently.
 
Jan 24, 2012
1,169
0
0
Bicycle said:
Murray's not been the same since his injury - could be that his back still isn't right and he simply can't regain his old form and might never again. Can't be denied though Dimitrov has become much physically stronger recently.

Yea, Murray had a somewhat serious back injury? Surely that affects his speed, power and flexibility, in turn messing with his training and stamina. Does it matter though? He won the US Open to end the GS drought and won Wimbledon to end the Wimbledon drought. I would not have been surprised in the least had he retired last summer, or after his injury.

I am curious about Dimitrov, he has been touted for a few years as being one of the next big talents, but it seems like he took a big step this year...
 
Jul 15, 2013
550
0
0
i think Murray will need at least 8 months on tour to fully recover from his back surgery, so no surprise really.

But I think he had a major row with his girlfriend before the dmitrov match, she left separately and he left straight after the interviews without even showering. He swore at his box twice during the match too (could have been at his coach but I reckon his girlfriend). He was told something by one or the other 5 mins before the match and it completely put him off his game. I don't buy the story that because Halep demolished lisicki beforehand he only had 5 minutes notice before the start. You wouldn't swear at your box in the third set about something like that.

I don't think you can read too much into dmitrov's performance but he is playing well.
 
Aug 31, 2012
7,550
3
0
Murray played really well before he lost to Dimitrov. Moved exceptionally well. The back surgery didn't seem to affect him at all. Dimitrov played really well too and can probably, at this point, beat anyone. Not Djokovic though.


you appear to be right about there being some problem. apparently he yelled "shut the **** up" and "5 minutes before the ****ing match" towards his own box
 
Jun 27, 2013
44
0
0
bewildered said:
i think Murray will need at least 8 months on tour to fully recover from his back surgery, so no surprise really.

But I think he had a major row with his girlfriend before the dmitrov match, she left separately and he left straight after the interviews without even showering. He swore at his box twice during the match too (could have been at his coach but I reckon his girlfriend). He was told something by one or the other 5 mins before the match and it completely put him off his game. I don't buy the story that because Halep demolished lisicki beforehand he only had 5 minutes notice before the start. You wouldn't swear at your box in the third set about something like that.

I don't think you can read too much into dmitrov's performance but he is playing well.

Think you're reading too much into the 5 minutes thing. Lots of instances of players screaming abuse at their box even though their box had nothing to do with it (see Murray early in his career after difficult points) - in the heat of the moment the box seems to be a stress release whether or not they're actually to blame…

As for Dimitrov, not sure this run is proof of anything. If we look at the logic test we'd apply to cyclists making this sort of 'breakthrough', he certainly has the strong junior pedigree, and he certainly has had the slow and steady progression through the rankings. Plus 'getting stronger' as a 23 year old isn't exactly a smoking gun - I would agree with you if he was a 40-year-old middle-of-the-pack guy suddenly pulling off his best ever performances to win a Grand Slam/Vuelta.
 
Jul 15, 2013
550
0
0
I don't think I'm reading too much into it. Murray was playing quite well on clay a few months ago and even better in the earlier rounds of Wimbledon. He has made a lot of improvement since his return. You might shout at your box as he is known for but not when he does it like that, playing like he did and leaves afterwards like he did there was obviously something very wrong there. Even his opponent referred to it. It was obvious to him before the match even started.

Tennis players are well used to hanging around indefinitely when they are not up first, having to remain focused for hours and not knowing exactly when they are going to play. The media story re the 5 minutes makes no sense and now we have Henman his 'friend and confidant' saying he has spoken to him and there's 'nothing to see here, move on' :rolleyes:
 
Jul 21, 2012
9,860
3
0
Since Nadal has had so many career ending injuries but always keeps coming back stronger I dont really trust injuries in tennis.
 
Mar 13, 2009
16,853
2
0
SeriousSam said:
Yeah, Peds are why Murray lost and Dimitrov won. I guess Nadal is off the juice now as well but this Kyrigos is jacked up. He probably stopped doping for the Raonic match though. Also, remarkable consistency from Djokovic, must be on a permanent high octane (ie low gluten) program. :rolleyes:
the doping that counts for tennis is done in the months before, getting to new threshold.

and it has less of a demand for the recovery doping of cycling.

yes, if you go into the econd week and have a tough 5 setter, a testosterone patch on your nuts and some insulin will help greatly. But not like it does in cycling.

So, doping matters, but not in-competition doping. That is why it is only OOC testing that matters for tennis. no one needs to risk it in the sport, to be doping during the event. maybe murray at home, for wimbledon, cos he is in his home country (ok so not scotland) and access to his doctors for some testo and insulin, mebbe blood or epo for recovery,not for the o2threshold
 
May 2, 2010
1,692
0
0
blackcat said:
the doping that counts for tennis is done in the months before, getting to new threshold.

and it has less of a demand for the recovery doping of cycling.

yes, if you go into the econd week and have a tough 5 setter, a testosterone patch on your nuts and some insulin will help greatly. But not like it does in cycling.

So, doping matters, but not in-competition doping. That is why it is only OOC testing that matters for tennis. no one needs to risk it in the sport, to be doping during the event. maybe murray at home, for wimbledon, cos he is in his home country (ok so not scotland) and access to his doctors for some testo and insulin, mebbe blood or epo for recovery,not for the o2threshold

I thought they freely doped through the first week of a slam (at least the big guys), as the ITF has a history of only doping people who lose at the slams.

I would have thought a blood bag somewhere halfway through the tournament would be greatly helpful, hence Rafa's tendency to be significantly stronger in the 2nd week of a slam.
 
Jul 15, 2013
550
0
0
not anymore. Wozniacki tweeted (surprised) that she was tested after a loss at Eastbourne last year. Around that time (just before Wimbledon 2013) there was a definite change in testing policy and IC blood tests were also significantly increased around then too I think. At Wimbledon 2013 we saw a load of players go out early due to mysterious injuries/illnesses and shock losses.
 
Jul 17, 2012
2,051
0
0
the sceptic said:
Since Nadal has had so many career ending injuries but always keeps coming back stronger I dont really trust injuries in tennis.

Murray had surgery on his spine. You don't have surgery on your spine unless there really is no alternative, so I'm pretty sure that injury was genuine.
 
May 2, 2010
1,692
0
0
Wallace and Gromit said:
Murray had surgery on his spine. You don't have surgery on your spine unless there really is no alternative, so I'm pretty sure that injury was genuine.

I'm pretty sure Murray's injury was genuine too. He's also noticeably worse this year than he was last year, unlike Rafa who was even better on comeback.
 
Dec 30, 2010
850
0
0
I am certain that tennis players are doping in-competition.

1) Everyone knows when they are going to be tested in-competition (only after their match, if they lose, or after the final, if they win). Note that the ITF no longer publicizes when they test the players, since everyone knows their testing regime is ineffective.

2) Some players stamina, and strength improves in the second week of slams, where they play the better players. Nadal has often played back to back five setters in the semi, and final, running faster, and serving harder in the final, than he did in the first match of the tournament. This isn't possible without an in-competition recharge, especially with his gruelling style of play.

3) There is normally 48 hours between matches at a grand slam, and there are substances (testosterone patches, EPO) that are "hot" for only 12 hours or less. With their consulting doping doctors (some who are affiliated with the ITF) knowing when they will be tested, they can dope without any chance of testing positive.