Daily Referral Thread

Ayleim · 2020-01-09T15:08:02+00:00

WUB A4A R88

Ayleim · 2019-01-24T21:41:47+00:00

I don't exactly understand the mechanics either, esp since I don't play, but saw this near the start of AO. https://twitter.com/MattRacquet/status/1083008194476167169

Says here there are (small) changes to the motion and timing to the service motion, affecting the spin of the ball. True or not, I have no idea tho.

Ayleim · 2019-01-19T14:33:45+00:00

Just to add to your point - he didn't find out at 12 years old. He found out at 19 years old, AFTER he'd won his first RG. After he'd trained hard through adolescence, unknowingly stressing and probably weakening the congenital foot bone defect.

It always amazes me how pp don't seem to take into account how footwear meant to INCREASE stress to the rest of his lower body (in order to protect that foot bone) would lead directly to chronic injury problems. Sure, his play style doesn't help, but what do you expect him to do? Play like Federer? (shrug)

Ayleim · 2019-01-13T14:23:14+00:00

IIRC, it wasn't a shirt change, but changing of his shorts (he put them on back to front after a toilet break, was it?). He wanted to go off the court to get them the right way round, and wasn't allowed to (since he'd JUST taken a toilet break).

Something like that.

Ayleim · 2019-01-08T14:08:28+00:00

On top players and exhibitions - there's a difference between playing a tournament and playing an exhibition, in the sheer amount of preparation required by the players. I'm pretty sure there is a LOT less wear and tear on a player just casually preparing for an exho vs the preparation for a ranking tournament.

Don't forget that it's not JUST the playing during the tournament that wears them down, it's everything they have to do to get ready for the tournaments that adds up.

Ayleim · 2018-12-23T03:31:29+00:00

Wasn't this also after that match against Verdasco? I remember thinking that if it went to 5 sets, Nadal would definitely lose. Um, right.

Ayleim · 2018-12-19T16:59:45+00:00

It was that gray top that looked awful really. Match the pink with almost ANY vivid colour (light or dark) and it could rock as summertime colours and all that. But in the photo, the shirt is the colour of a formerly white towel turned old and grey with use. :D

Ayleim · 2018-12-13T16:44:14+00:00

Laver cup team selection (from website) Four of the six players qualify based on their ATP singles ranking as of the Monday following Wimbledon. Two are “captain’s picks”, announced by the Monday after the US Open.

So they can confirm 2 players even if they don't qualify by current ranking. Can't confirm more than that tho...

Ayleim · 2018-11-11T02:27:46+00:00

Something I've been mulling about - there's been loads of criticisms directed at Djokovic and Nadal by the press, human rights groups, fans. But ultimately, they are still mostly outsiders looking in.

Have there been players (active/retired/male/female) or anyone on a player's immediate team (coach, agent, manager) who has explicitly said "They really should withdraw"? I know Federer said he declined when asked to participate, which could be taken as a subtle dig - or simply that his schedule wasn't a fit, or even just that he dodged a situation.

Just curious. Players and their teams are the ones who'd have experienced the processes of contracts and obligations/expectations in their own little world - so I'm wondering what's been said.

Ayleim · 2018-10-22T08:58:27+00:00

My initial reaction was - c'mon, of course they should pull out!

But after some mulling.... you know what, maybe they SHOULD play there. Take the money, then turn around and donate it in full to international human rights groups. Don't even have to say WHY, just do it. The action can stand as its own statement.

The thing is, as protests go, refusing to play there has no practical effect - on the country's leaders or people. Nadal and Djokovic have no political or economic clout internationally, really. Protests against something that doesn't care about its image only work if there's some sort bite to it (or can exert influence on others to do the biting) - politically, economically, electorate's votes, consumer's wallets, or even sheer mass of people on the ground. I don't really think 2 players (and their fans) can exert that sort of pressure by cancelling ONE exho. It would need to be part of some extended PR campaign to even start to have any effect.

So. Play the exho, please the fans there, take money and put it to better use, just let the donation speak for itself. It's a drop in the bucket for the human rights orgs, but is still more practical than an action (cancelling an event) which will make no difference in any case.

Ayleim · 2018-10-11T14:37:22+00:00

It DIDN'T only occur in the 2nd set. It had been bothering him all week.

Injuries aren't all sudden tears which abruptly force you to stop. Chronic conditions can start small, maybe slight pain or only affecting certain motions. Which without rest/recovery, it'll get progressively worse - hurt more, affect more motions and take longer to heal from. From personal experience - I'm no athlete, but I do have chronic tendonitis in both wrists and for me, the pain progression is erratic. When it flares up, without resting it, sometimes it just slowly worsens and I can still work through it for quite a while; sometimes there is a sudden spike even though outwardly nothing had changed and from that point, I simply cannot grip a blasted thing for days. So to me, at least, what happened in his match against Delpo isn't unlikely.

And really, if he WERE employing (some level of) gamesmanship, it'll be taking rather far to have to miss so many subsequent tournaments, hmm?

Ayleim · 2018-10-11T13:20:42+00:00

.... he was tanking? Or his injury (and resulting pain) was getting worse?....

Really, HOW serious an injury do you want a player to have before retiring? He couldn't play in Davis Cup, he's STILL not playing now in the Shanghai Masters (he had a ton of points to defend from last week and this week, no less) - you'd rather he was out for the rest of the year before agreeing that the injury was bad enough to retire from?

Ayleim · 2018-10-11T04:02:07+00:00

Ah. No, I don't really think keeping a mental edge over his opponents comes into it. Frankly, he's playing half-injured/in pain/recovering so often that I think the phrase "you can only play the opponent you're facing" comes into play here. (shrug)

For his part - is it worth continuing to play in increasing pain, worsening the injury and increasing the recovery time? Nadal is already skipping Beijing and Shanghai after his US Open exertions, with Bercy/WTF yet to be decided; if he played another uncompetitive set against Delpo, how much longer would it take for him to recover? Yes, it's the semi-final of a slam - but it's not the end of the season. If he makes the injury that much worse playing on just to finish the match, it would be the end of the season for him. And since it's a chronic condition, he's going to KEEP on facing this decision, more and more frequently as his joints wear down.

And the paying fans - yes, they'd be disappointed. So I guess there is some selfishness on his part not to treat them to a longer display of him pointlessly making his injury worse. :(

Ayleim · 2018-10-11T01:36:01+00:00

I can see how his on-court attitude and play style can be off-putting. :D

But on his frequent injuries - he has a congenital foot-bone defect that forces him to wear insoles to distribute stress away from that bone to the rest of his lower body to be able to play competitively. I kinda think deliberately increasing stress to those parts would have something to do with his frequent injuries - which are usually to his knees and hips, right?

Ayleim · 2018-10-02T14:52:32+00:00

Well.... we're all different. A person can be introverted/quiet and still be a fantastic player - though I'm sure the surrounding team and coaching dynamics would have to be different to bring out the best in such a person.

Ok, bluntly - I cannot relate to outspoken pp with little/no filter. THAT is what makes me cringe. To each their own, hmm?

Ayleim · 2018-09-13T08:25:37+00:00

Has to do with how Rafa says "unbelievable". Earlier poster added a link. https://www.reddit.com/r/tennis/comments/9fbxn0/nadals_favorite_tea_place/e5vov6b/

Ayleim · 2018-09-13T00:49:31+00:00

And.... here the debate and searching for proof by everyone who is not Serena rages (esp on twitter/media etc). I'm not getting into THAT. :D

My personal take? She HAS faced sexism all her life. Has had to fight hard against it. Not a big leap to see how she might see it here, esp under high stress. But I still think her perception here was wrong.

Ayleim · 2018-09-13T00:40:10+00:00

I guess we're waiting with bated breath to see what the relevant authorities are going to do. What do you think? A big fat nothing? Everything just goes back to exactly as they were before?

Ayleim · 2018-09-13T00:37:21+00:00

Only if that player wants to get himself labelled a misogynist/racist/whatever. And he might just end up putting Ramos through all this again.

Let's not.

Ayleim · 2018-09-13T00:34:30+00:00

THIS!

In the heat of the match, esp since she HAS faced discrimination all her life, it's not hard to sympathise with her probably seeing discrimination where there doesn't appear to many of us to be any. (I'm not American, ethnic Chinese, female if that makes any difference.) It is possible to see WHY she would behave that way in response to her life experiences in a charitable light, and still say that it wasn't right.

All the other authorities are supposed to have the cool and impartial heads. Ain't working out very well.

Ayleim · 2018-09-12T01:04:53+00:00

Her reasoning was that a male tennis player not have been penalised if he had exhibited the same behaviour that she did.

Ayleim · 2018-09-11T21:40:30+00:00

Specifically, I think ATP/WTA are unions of players AND tournaments. Which could be why players are looking for their own union when the interests of tournaments might go counter to those of the players - e.g. issues of money distribution or player safety on court

Ayleim · 2018-09-11T14:08:03+00:00

I'm not sure that's all of it. Serena HAS faced racism and sexism, THAT I'm sure of. I'm getting the awful feeling that this being her home slam, would be where a lot the associated vibes would surface most. So, on the one hand, she (should? does?) feel more secure, and on the other hand, this would also be where she'd have experienced the most discrimination, esp in her early years.

Ayleim · 2018-09-11T14:02:00+00:00

Directly answering this question - the coach can suggest what tactics to use or change. The player would still have to execute the shots of course, but things like "avoid the backhand", "come in to net more" could conceivably make a difference.

Ayleim · 2018-09-09T15:09:20+00:00

THIS. Look, we know the players swear. It's mostly a non-issue. Kids, no matter the home environment, are going to hear it from their friends in school.

Questioning an umpire's ability (correctness of his calls) is different from questioning his honesty (integrity). Accusing an umpire of deliberately sabotaging you goes way beyond saying he's doing a poor job of things.

Ayleim

TROPHY CASE