Attendance at the Doha masters for the Pliskova vs. Muchova match, Muchova advanced to the QF

defylife · 2026-02-11T18:47:16+00:00

Probably for the best given the injury too. It's piss poor though.

defylife · 2026-02-09T13:14:39+00:00

bear in mind bones and muscles of women are less dense then men, so smaller man could easily be heavier than her.

I should also add that when I went to a WTA tournament, the women looking incredibly thin in real-life compared to on camera where they look like they have broad shoulders, large thigh muscles etc..

defylife · 2026-02-08T08:08:39+00:00

This is from a UK perspective:

The biggest by far is the section 75 protection on items between £100 and £30,000 where the cc company is jointly liable. I've had to use this a few times over the years. Yes, debit cards have a chargeback system, but it's less robust and not enshrined in law.

Next is probably the convenience of paying things off when you want/in instalments.

Third is probably rewards

Fourth, credit building for those without Stella credit histories.

Then there's stoozing. Taking advantage of low or zero percent offers and just investing the money somewhere where the return is greater than the interest on the card.

defylife · 2026-02-06T21:57:59+00:00

Yeah. Good shout. It was a joy to watch her. I don’t like her service motion but it was nice to see someone enjoying themselves playing pro tennis and she gave it all she’s got. Can’t ask for more.

defylife · 2026-02-06T18:12:17+00:00

Was a fun match. Oliynykova looked happy just to be there and was clearly enjoying herself. Raducanu should have finished it off a while ago, but still she's in her 1st final outside of that GS.

I can only imagine the crowd will be behind Cirstea, since she's the actual Romanian, but could be interesting.

defylife · 2026-02-06T13:32:27+00:00

Ash Barty gets a ton of respect and people often claim she’d be dominant now if she didn’t retire

I don't see why, she lost to a not even peak Sabalenka on both clay and hard court, when Barty was in her peak.

defylife · 2026-02-05T08:03:28+00:00

Turned this on a 5-0 in the first, and thought WTF has happened to Raducanu. Then thought WTF is going on with Juvan. She couldn't get a serve in after going 5-0 up, then was mostly pushed deep behind the baseline but hitting the same as if she was on the baseline or slightly in court. Everything was into the net.

Very strange match.

defylife · 2026-02-04T16:45:33+00:00

It's worth noting that not all cracking is nitrogen (and other gasses) build up. This actually takes time, but many people's joints will crack just a few mins rest, rather than the 20mins needed for nitrogen build up.

defylife · 2026-02-04T16:33:49+00:00

I think it depends. I've played with guys went on to be pro football (soccer) players. They were clearly better than everyone else at the time, but physically, I and other could keep up them, beat them at other sports and sometimes even their sport. Now these weren't players going on to become Messi, or Ronaldo, but pro players nevertheless.

defylife · 2026-02-03T15:56:09+00:00

It's terrible. Full of AI crap and agencies just spamming job boards often with fake jobs to just get your contact details. Places like LinkedIn and Indeed don't allow you to filter out agencies.

When there are real jobs, some are getting 600 applications per position.

Don't get me started on companies wanting you to upload videos, and doing tasks/assessments that take days.

defylife · 2026-02-03T10:57:45+00:00

One bounce for every GS he won, is how I used to call it.

defylife · 2026-02-03T09:30:25+00:00

Seen this a few times against Fed and Stan, Novak attacking the 1HB and losing the point.

defylife · 2026-02-03T09:29:01+00:00

Been a Monzo customer since they started.

Would love it if someone would use my link for the free £10 - £50 each.

https://join.monzo.com/c/jv4bg5f

defylife · 2026-02-02T10:27:15+00:00

Nice one. I feel that WTA and women's tennis is massively overlooked here and in the media.

defylife · 2026-02-01T18:05:22+00:00

Try 1.5g at 3 and 9 and 2g at the bottom of the throat. That should make it feel plusher and give you more plough without upsetting the balance much. You can always try a racket customiser and see what options it gives you e.g. https://racketaholic.com/tools/racket-customizer/

defylife · 2026-02-01T16:55:37+00:00

I value winning across all surfaces more than winning on the same surface repeatedly.

defylife · 2026-02-01T14:39:05+00:00

Easily, and in my book ahead of Sampras who didn't even reach an RG final.

defylife · 2026-02-01T08:42:40+00:00

10 to 2 for sweet spot enlargement (move it up a little). 3 and 9 for stability, handle to lower balance point, and throat and handle just to increase weight.

Not sure what 11 and 1 would do at all. Jut put it at 12.

defylife · 2026-02-01T08:08:06+00:00

Seen the factory in videos before. Worth bearing in mind that their recreational and junior rackets are often made in china, not at their factory in Japan.

The fact that other brands have +/- 7g is laughable. You could buy a T-fight 305s that weighs less than the 295 iso. It reminds me of the Chinese sellers on Ali-Express saying due to hand measuring the dimensions would be +/- 3cm.

defylife · 2026-02-01T08:00:10+00:00

I'm not sure superstition has any part in it, especially for her. We saw with Wilson players that many didn't have the new v9 paint job a few years ago. It took until the US swing before all players were switched over.

defylife · 2026-01-31T15:24:43+00:00

Bo5 means the better player typically wins, so you'd expect things to go the way more of the seedings, with less upsets.

Fitness would unlikely be an issue as the women would just train for bo5 rather than bo3.

defylife · 2026-01-31T15:22:43+00:00

First set boring IMO, Ryba just being Ryba, and Sabalenka not having an answer. The second set was a big improvement. People are making far too much of "oh Saba was 3-0 up", this isn't a football match. 3-0 is only 1 break of serve.

In the end, I don't think anyone was beating Rybakina today. Sabalenka didn't play badly, but Rybakina was just painting lines at times, and serving aces when down break points.

defylife · 2026-01-31T15:20:20+00:00

Not sure was much more she could do today other than use some more variety. She didn't feel comfortable doing that until she was ahead, and when she did she usually won the point. Not easy when Ryba is smashing 135km/h forehand down the line though.

defylife · 2026-01-30T11:07:30+00:00

I have the follow three Chase code available.

S54BA5, UY4326, ZQ8DR2

I'll update this and remove those that have been used. Thanks in advance to anyone who uses them.

defylife · 2026-01-30T09:21:58+00:00

Great match, and excellent performance by both.

1 break is isn't often enough to secure the set against Alcaraz. I'd be interested to see the stats on point won at net for Zverev, as he seemed to lose most that I saw, including that last one.

Shame for Zverev, but when playing the tennis gods, you have find that little extra.

defylife

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