Tennis

[Irondan]

Re:

In other news, doping scandals are apparently impossible in Russian tennis, at least according to the Russian Tennis Federation ...."Tennis is the purest sport"

"Nothing threatens Russian tennis players’ participation in the 2016 Summer Olympics, the president of the Russian Tennis Federation says. This is just ruled out, tennis is the purest sport. So nothing threatens our players’ participation in the 2016 Summer Olympics."

(Source is an article from tass, and I can't post the link, it as it flags as spam)

State owned ITAR TASS news agency files report that "doping scandals are apparently impossible in Russian tennis".

Well then, nothing to see here we should all just move along...

 

[Benotti69]

not normal

https://mobile.twitter.com/JamesSilver3/status/686123817547083778/photo/1

 

[BullsFan22]

Re:

not normal

https://mobile.twitter.com/JamesSilver3/status/686123817547083778/photo/1

Wow. I hope that was photoshopped.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Stosur and Serena are ridiculous, but where will Sloane end up?

From Auckland this year.

 

[sniper]

Both Hingis and Davenport once commented at a press conference that Mauresmo played/looked like a man.

It's funny that Serena and Stosur aren't garnering similar comments.

It's not reassuring that there is no outcry among lower ranked players. My bet is everybody in, say, the top 100 (maybe top 200) is on the juice.

Those photos from Ivanovic are scary. She and Djoker look Aicar-ish.

 

[blackcat]

Re:

Both Hingis and Davenport once commented at a press conference that Mauresmo played/looked like a man.

It's funny that Serena and Stosur aren't garnering similar comments.

It's not reassuring that there is no outcry among lower ranked players. My bet is everybody in, say, the top 100 (maybe top 200) is on the juice.

Those photos from Ivanovic are scary. She and Djoker look Aicar-ish.

actually, someone said the same thing about Sam Stosur.

the devil's advocate is, they were referring to "she serves like a man/male" re: Sam Stosur's second serve which has a male pro equivalent "kick" in the bounce. She gets the serve to really jump high on the bounce. Ofcourse, if she hits her first serve with a kick tactic, it will be a little quicker, and may even "kick" higher...

 

[sniper]

Richard Krajicek back in the 90s took a lot of flack when he compared some players in the ladies game to 'pigs'.
In his eyes many were simply too fat and untrained.
Seems some ladies took his comments to heart.

 

[blackcat]

Re:

Richard Krajicek back in the 90s took a lot of flack when he compared some players in the ladies game to 'pigs'.
In his eyes many were simply too fat and untrained.
Seems some ladies took his comments to heart.

heheheh

#misogyny
#krajicek
#dutch
#cheese

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Richard Krajicek back in the 90s took a lot of flack when he compared some players in the ladies game to 'pigs'.
In his eyes many were simply too fat and untrained.
Seems some ladies took his comments to heart.

heheheh

#misogyny
#krajicek
#dutch
#cheese

He apologised for that. He then said that not 80%, but 75% of the WTA tour were pigs

 

[sniper]

Re: Re:

Richard Krajicek back in the 90s took a lot of flack when he compared some players in the ladies game to 'pigs'.
In his eyes many were simply too fat and untrained.
Seems some ladies took his comments to heart.

heheheh

#misogyny
#krajicek
#dutch
#cheese

He apologised for that. He then said that not 80%, but 75% of the WTA tour were pigs

he should have picked his words more carefully, but he had a point if you realize that women like Conchita Martinez were able to win slams.

it's funny, in those days Dutchie Brenda Schultz was considered one of the most powerful players in the ladies circuit. Look how undefined (underdefined?) her muscles were compared to what we see these days from the likes of Stosur and Williams.
Good old days.

 

[arcus]

Federer carefully measures his words when asked about doping in Tennis

"It's important to keep the game clean. I think tennis has a pretty good image to be quite honest and I think we should make sure that remains the case. That's why we're in favour for more [testing], but I know you need a lot of money for that, to chase down all the guys all around the world, it's not an easy thing to do.It was very loose back in the day [and] today it's much more tight, which is good to see."

Saying tennis has a pretty good image (re:doping) is not the same as saying tennis is clean.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-16/tennis-must-protect-clean-image-roger-federer/7093162

 

[blackcat]

Re:

Federer carefully measures his words when asked about doping in Tennis

"It's important to keep the game clean. I think tennis has a pretty good image to be quite honest and I think we should make sure that remains the case. That's why we're in favour for more [testing], but I know you need a lot of money for that, to chase down all the guys all around the world, it's not an easy thing to do.It was very loose back in the day [and] today it's much more tight, which is good to see."

Saying tennis has a pretty good image (re:doping) is not the same as saying tennis is clean.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-16/tennis-must-protect-clean-image-roger-federer/7093162

they do have a good "image". We are not talking TennisHasAsteroidProblem.blogspot.blogspot.blogspot.blogspot.flyingcows.flyingcows.flyingcows.blackhelicopters.blackhelicopters.blackhelitcopters.conspiracies.conspiracies.conspiracies.tenfoilhats.tinfoilhats.tinfoilhats.fedoraswithfeathers.fedoraswithfeathers.fedoraswithfeathers.com.com.com

conspiracies.conspiracies.conspiracies.tenfoilhats.tinfoilhats.tinfoilhats.fedoraswithfeathers.fedoraswithfeathers.fedoraswithfeathers.com.com.com

 

[arcus]

IDTM, the International Tennis Federation's anti-doping testing company, launches internal inquiry into allegations that it's doping control officer notified a Russian (T+F) athlete in advance of a test, and failed to follow WADA rules re: observing the sample being produced.
"IDTM, the anti-doping agency testing firm employed by FINA, has launched an inquiry into allegations that its officers notified a Russian athlete that they were on the ay to conduct testing and then failed to observe the provision of the sample, as required under rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency. The violation was said to have taken place in athletics."
http://www.swimvortex.com/fina-agent-idtm-investigates-tv-claims-of-testers-on-the-way-warning-in-russia/

For me, this is important because it demonstrated that every segment of the anti-doping process can potentially fail. I think tennis is one of the sports flying lowest under the doping radar, atm.

 

[arcus]

Not doping-related, but about integrity in pro-sport: BBC and buzzfeed go after match fixing in tennis..........
http://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/35319202

"Secret files exposing evidence of widespread suspected match fixing at the top level of world tennis, including at Wimbledon, can be revealed by the BBC and BuzzFeed News.
Over the last decade 16 players who have ranked in the top 50 have been repeatedly flagged to the tennis integrity unit over suspicions they have thrown matches.
All of the players, including winners of Grand Slam titles, were allowed to continue competing.
The Tennis Integrity Unit - set up to police the sport - said it had a zero-tolerance approach to betting-related corruption.
The cache of documents passed to the BBC and Buzzfeed News include the findings of an investigation set up in 2007 by the organising body, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
Hear the whole story on File on 4, Tuesday 20:00 GMT, BBC Radio 4"

 

[iejeecee]

Meh, who cares about intentionally losing matches in a individual sport like tennis. Your not *** over your opponents like taking doping would.

And the people who bet on sports should know better

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

Re:

Meh, who cares about intentionally losing matches in a individual sport like tennis. Your not **** over your opponents like taking doping would.

And the people who bet on sports should know better

By giving you opponent an easy game you might be disadvantaging your opponents next opponent.

 

[avanti]

I've suspected some matches are fixed for years; some for gambling money, but also some top matches between buddies since that can lead to of court rewards (sponsors, lecture circuit, etc).

 

[iejeecee]

Re: Re:

By giving you opponent an easy game you might be disadvantaging your opponents next opponent.

Creative reasoning, but it only makes sense to throw a match when your the favourite. So it is probably offset by the fact that you would have been a much tougher opponent for your opponents next opponent.

 

[arcus]

Re:

Meh, who cares about intentionally losing matches in a individual sport like tennis. Your not **** over your opponents like taking doping would. And the people who bet on sports should know better

Every cent in pro-sports comes from fans, directly or indirectly. If sport's culture is seen as corrupt, and outcomes are perceived as predetermined, then why should fans bother engaging?

The incentive to match-fix dissipates as a player becomes more successful and richer. The incentive to cheat (in other ways) does not. Rather, it escalates. I suspect corruption at a lower level predicts corruption at a higher one.

 

[sniper]

Re:

IDTM, the International Tennis Federation's anti-doping testing company, launches internal inquiry into allegations that it's doping control officer notified a Russian (T+F) athlete in advance of a test, and failed to follow WADA rules re: observing the sample being produced.
"IDTM, the anti-doping agency testing firm employed by FINA, has launched an inquiry into allegations that its officers notified a Russian athlete that they were on the ay to conduct testing and then failed to observe the provision of the sample, as required under rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency. The violation was said to have taken place in athletics."
http://www.swimvortex.com/fina-agent-idtm-investigates-tv-claims-of-testers-on-the-way-warning-in-russia/

For me, this is important because it demonstrated that every segment of the anti-doping process can potentially fail. I think tennis is one of the sports flying lowest under the doping radar, atm.

it also shows that they will do whatever it takes to be "seen to act". I assume they just love to tackle small-time issues such as this one. Great PR along the lines of "look how closely we're monitoring all these developments".
Meanwhile nobody of note tests positive.

 

[sniper]

Re:

Meh, who cares about intentionally losing matches in a individual sport like tennis. Your not **** over your opponents like taking doping would.

And the people who bet on sports should know better

this pretty much.

the elephant in the room is doping.
ridiculous to see the press trying to look all tough by tackling this match fixing scandal but without asking the obvious question: if these guys are willing to fix matches and individual sets just to make some extra bucks, what are the chances that there's anybody in the top, say, 200 who's not juiced to the eyeballs?

arcus: I suspect corruption at a lower level predicts corruption at a higher one.

exactemundo. but the press don't do such logic.

 

[42x16ss]

Re:

Federer carefully measures his words when asked about doping in Tennis

"It's important to keep the game clean. I think tennis has a pretty good image to be quite honest and I think we should make sure that remains the case. That's why we're in favour for more [testing], but I know you need a lot of money for that, to chase down all the guys all around the world, it's not an easy thing to do.It was very loose back in the day [and] today it's much more tight, which is good to see."

Saying tennis has a pretty good image (re:doping) is not the same as saying tennis is clean.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-16/tennis-must-protect-clean-image-roger-federer/7093162

TBH, I've always suspected that Federer has never been too bothered by increased testing unlike some other prominent players. He's always played a game based on pure skill and placement unlike players such as Djokovic, Nadal and Williams who simply crush the return as hard as possible or Hewitt in his pomp who simply ran everything down and forced his opponent to play shots.

If tennis suddenly went clean he'd probably the one with the most to gain IMO. Not saying Feder is clean by any means, just not doing anything as crazy as the other top players. However, I may be totally incorrect and he's as much a chemical creation as anyone, but his otherworldly skill makes me think otherwise.

 

[sniper]

^^ definitely.
they all dope at the top end, but I reckon technicians like Richard Gasquet, Cedric Pioline, Edberg (when they were still playing) and Federer would come out on top in a hypothetical clean playing field. A guy like Edberg, how many slams did he loose to jacked up physical players like Courrier. (although i was a fan of courrier's baseball forehand)

Talking about talent: Sampras, what an incredible natural athlete. Imo better, athletically, than Federer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emPy439hmCQ

 

[Zebadeedee]

Sampras showed a journalist once how he could touch his elbows behind his back. Not many people know that - or could do it. Very mobile shoulder, part of the reason for his imperious serve.

Interesting how the ITF was effectively covering the betting problem up, to the point that whistleblowers went elsewhere with the information. Mirrors its policy with drugs where they say little, reveal nothing and catch nobody - apart from the odd nobody, that is.

 

[frenchfry]

Re:

Not doping-related, but about integrity in pro-sport: BBC and buzzfeed go after match fixing in tennis..........
http://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/35319202

"Secret files exposing evidence of widespread suspected match fixing at the top level of world tennis, including at Wimbledon, can be revealed by the BBC and BuzzFeed News.
Over the last decade 16 players who have ranked in the top 50 have been repeatedly flagged to the tennis integrity unit over suspicions they have thrown matches.
All of the players, including winners of Grand Slam titles, were allowed to continue competing.
The Tennis Integrity Unit - set up to police the sport - said it had a zero-tolerance approach to betting-related corruption.
The cache of documents passed to the BBC and Buzzfeed News include the findings of an investigation set up in 2007 by the organising body, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
Hear the whole story on File on 4, Tuesday 20:00 GMT, BBC Radio 4"

Could this be the reason some top players disappear from activity (Bartoli, Söderling for example)?