*Official* Tennis Thread

[Spark]

Carn Stan. Do this.

 

[OverratedSanity]

2 points away now

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

Bracing myself for all the "Stan The Man" headlines.

 

[OverratedSanity]

at wawrinka's celebration. Looked so annoyed that he'd let it go on so long

 

[Spark]

at wawrinka's celebration. Looked so annoyed that he'd let it go on so long

Yeah was the best. Was such a "thank **** for that" moment

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Such a letdown really that the injury will be the main talking point but Stan was on fire before it and Rafa had no answer to it.

Well done Stan.

 

[benchmark00]

How did Bruce get the main gig over Craig Willis?

 

[Jono]

yeah a default is much better than wasting everyone's time with another forty minutes of ridiculously one-sided tennis

Nope.

 

[Jono]

Happy for Stan but gutted for Rafa.

 

[Jono]

Also, the booing of Nadal was just disgusting. Was very disappointed when that happened.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Also, the booing of Nadal was just disgusting. Was very disappointed when that happened.

Well at that point no one was really sure whether it was a legitimately serious injury or he'd just gone in to have a sulk. The crowd got on his side soon enough though

 

[Jassy]

Yeah can't blame them for booing him initially. With his track record of time wasting and all that, his timeout today did seem rather convenient when the said incident happened. Obviously later on it became clear that he was actually having a hard time with his back and when the crowd realized that they cheered for him.

 

[Burgey]

Was so hoping Jono had paid thousands to watch only to see Nadal retire hurt.

Shame they don't allow runners any more

 

[Jono]

Booing Nadal: Why tennis exposes the idiot in every crowd

 

[Ruckus]

Yeah can't blame them for booing him initially. With his track record of time wasting and all that, his timeout today did seem rather convenient when the said incident happened. Obviously later on it became clear that he was actually having a hard time with his back and when the crowd realized that they cheered for him.

Yeah, precisely. Nadal and Djokovic both have a history of annoying time-wasting tactics, so I think it was completely understandable they booed initially tbh. As you said anyway, as soon as it was apparent it was something more serious they completely turned it around and got behind him (a point the article above conveniently ignores). Would the same crowd have booed Federer had he called for an injury timeout? I doubt it.

 

[Jono]

No it looked piss poor, you don't just boo a guy who two years ago gave the same public 6 hours of tennis busting his gut. And you look even worse when the bloke comes out and not only actually has an injury, but then plays on with it and wins a set.

 

[Ruckus]

meh, strategic faking - or at least exaggeration of injuries/afflictions - in tennis is a very real, and unfortunate, aspect of the game. I don't condone booing a player if he takes a MTO, but I can certainly understand why people could feel annoyed about it given the slightly suspicious moment in the game in which it occurred (i.e. a set and a break down in the second). Even Nadal himself said he can appreciate where they were coming from.

That article seems to focus on it being a problem with crowds, but I think it's more to do with an inherent problem in the sport. If players didn't abuse the timeout rules for their own advantage, then you wouldn't have crowds booing players when they, like last night, actually have a legitimate problem. It's the boy who cried wolf syndrome, and a natural reaction is increased skepticism and intolerance towards it. It's the same bull**** that goes on in football with players diving and faking injuries. Needs to be stamped out because it's a facet of sport that's so detrimental to the enjoyment of it

 

[benchmark00]

Not convinced he's even hurt. Just knew he was captaining a sinking ship and tried to save face.

 

[uvelocity]

boomark00 unrepentant

 

[Spikey]

breaking news: sport fans are stupid morons