2024 Tennis

[the1andonly3003]

If you think football off-seasons are non-existent, then you don't know tennis. Australian Open prep tournaments are ongoing in AU and NZ. It looks like Rafa Nadal is a doubt after his ongoing injury flared up.

Emma Radacanu is back.

Time to prepare our clocks for overnight tennis!

 

[jon abbey]

Yep, Nadal pulls out with a muscle tear, bummer.

 

[jon abbey]

Starting tonight!

 

[jon abbey]

#5 Rublev fighting for his life after blowing a 2 set lead, in a 5th set tiebreak now.

 

[jon abbey]

He was down 4-1 in the tiebreak but rolled from there and took it 10-6, 9 of the final 11 points. He can't be happy about that overall, but survive and advance.

 

[jon abbey]

Djokovic getting all he can handle against 18 year old Croatian Dino Prizmic, the French Open junior champion last year. Djokovic won an easy first set 6-2, but Prizmic started hitting harder, Novak got a little sloppy, Prizmic took the second set tiebreaker and they've traded breaks early in the third.

 

[jon abbey]

Quite a third set, Djokovic rebounded from the tiebreaker loss by going up 2-0, then the kid fought back with three straight games including two breaks. Djokovic then changed his shirt mid-set (I don’t remember him doing this before), pulled it together, and won four straight games, up 2 sets to 1 now. He could use an easy 4th, they’re over 3 hours already.

 

[jon abbey]

This is the first time Djokovic has gone past three hours in a first round match at a Grand Slam since the 2010 US Open (Troicki). They’re at 3:27 now but it will be done soon (4-0 Novak in the 4th).

 

[jon abbey]

Prizmic not done yet, three straight games to pull it to 4-3 Djokovic, still up a break but teetering.

 

[jezza1918]

Hot take: djokovic will make the finals (at least) and still have less on court time than his opponent.

 

[jon abbey]

Took him seven match points and just over 4 hours but he gets through, longest first round Grand Slam match of his career.

 

[jezza1918]

Took him seven match points and just over 4 hours but he gets through, longest first round Grand Slam match of his career.

Low key cool moment at the end of the match with Novak making sure the youngster got his praise.
Crazy that the now second longest opening round grand slam match for Novak was nearly 20 years ago at the 2005 U.S. open against another guy still playing…monfils.

 

[jon abbey]

Anyone waking up now, not sure if ESPN2 will stick with it but Sabalenka will start soon.

 

[the1andonly3003]

McEnroe-Kygrios calling Tsitsipas-Bergs

 

[jon abbey]

Naomi Osaka's big return in a few minutes, she drew Caroline Garcia, fun first round match.

 

[jezza1918]

I’ve watched a lot of Caro matches last few years and I can’t recall her serving like this. Pretty incredible display.

 

[jon abbey]

I’ve watched a lot of Caro matches last few years and I can’t recall her serving like this. Pretty incredible display.

Yeah, that was amazing. Osaka played pretty well but didn’t really have a chance.

 

[jezza1918]

Yeah, that was amazing. Osaka played pretty well but didn’t really have a chance.

She only made 59% of her first serves but won 89% of those points. Not gonna lose often with those numbers.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Struff and Hijikata approaching 4 hours and 4-4 in the 5th set.

 

[shawnrbu]

Struff won the tiebreaker 10-8.

Auger-Aliassime and Thiem went for 5 hours. Thiem unable to complete the two set comeback. Felix broke serve the 2nd game of the 5th set and held serve the rest of the way.

 

[jon abbey]

Just turned it on (ESPN+) but Kenin just broke Swiatek to go up 5-4 in the 1st.

 

[shawnrbu]

18 five set matches in the 1st Round so far, an Open era record.

 

[StupendousMan]

I wanted to let @jon abbey and the other regular posters here know how much I appreciate their reports. I can't follow tennis directly as much as I did in the past, but coming here allows me to catch up on the latest action. Thanks so much!

 

[ifmanis5]

Rafa, come on man.
View: https://twitter.com/thedailybeast/status/1747342977117085743

Rafael Nadal announced Monday that he’ll now promote Saudi Arabia via social media and visits to the kingdom, which plans to open a “Rafa Nadal Academy” for aspiring tennis players.

 

[shawnrbu]

16 year old Mirra Andreeva wins the 1st set 6-0 against Ons Jabeur.

 

[jon abbey]

16 year old Mirra Andreeva wins the 1st set 6-0 against Ons Jabeur.

And already up 5-1 in set 2, just 49 minutes in!!! What a statement.

 

[jon abbey]

6-0, 6-2, 54 minutes against Andreeva’s favorite player. Incredible!!

 

[jezza1918]

Was this more jabeur being off or Andreeva playing too strong? What a result!

 

[zak1013]

Yeah, this one threw me. The oddsmakers actually had Andreeva favored. What gives?

 

[HomeRunBaker]

6-0, 6-2, 54 minutes against Andreeva’s favorite player. Incredible!!

First set in 20 min. Ons with the complete no-show. That’s amazing.

 

[jon abbey]

I barely saw any of it but it was the first match of the day and Andreeva is 16 to Jabeur's 29. Seems like by the time Ons woke up, she was already deep in a hole in the second even though it was just 40 minutes in. Usually if it takes you 40 minutes to get into things, it is still the first set.

 

[jon abbey]

Andreeva is the second youngest woman ever to beat a top 10 player at a Grand Slam, Coco beating Osaka in the third round here in 2020 was still not 16 yet.

This is overstating the case but it is not so far from when a 19 year old Federer knocked a 29 year old Sampras out of Wimbledon in 2001, that could be a serious changing of the guard moment although there is a very tough top four to crack, above Jabeur.

 

[jezza1918]

Hot take: djokovic will make the finals (at least) and still have less on court time than his opponent.

Ok the second part of this hot take could definitely be off…he’s up 2 sets to 1 on popyrin but is really having to grind. Served his way out of a 0-40 at 4-5 in third set by the way.

 

[jon abbey]

Ok the second part of this hot take could definitely be off…he’s up 2 sets to 1 on popyrin but is really having to grind. Served his way out of a 0-40 at 4-5 in third set by the way.

That was an unbelievable escape, he is definitely not playing great today, surprisingly passive a lot of the time.

 

[jon abbey]

Djokovic gets through, 6-2 in the 4th. He hasn’t played great here so far, but survive and advance.

 

[jon abbey]

Top half of the men’s draw (round of 32):

[1] Djokovic vs. [30] Etcheverry
[16] Shelton vs. [20] Mannarino

[12] Fritz vs. Marozsan
[7] Tsitsipas vs. Van Assche

[4] Sinner vs. [26] Baez
[15] Khachanov vs. Machac

[10] De Minaur vs. [Q] Cobolli
[5] Rublev vs. [29] Korda

 

[the1andonly3003]

Not a fan of ESPN's TV coverage starting at 9 ET
I'm watching the replays on Tennis Channel

 

[jon abbey]

Not a fan of ESPN's TV coverage starting at 9 ET
I'm watching the replays on Tennis Channel

ESPN+ shows everything live, you can pick whatever match you want to see in full.

 

[zak1013]

Top half of the men’s draw (round of 32):

[1] Djokovic vs. [30] Etcheverry
[16] Shelton vs. [20] Mannarino

[12] Fritz vs. Marozsan
[7] Tsitsipas vs. Van Assche

[4] Sinner vs. [26] Baez
[15] Khachanov vs. Machac

[10] De Minaur vs. [Q] Cobolli
[5] Rublev vs. [29] Korda

Looking forward to a Djokovic/Shelton rematch. And assuming ND holds it together, potentially another Djokovic/Sinner matchup in the semis. Good stuff.

 

[shawnrbu]

Danielle Freakin’ Collins wins the 2nd set against Swiatek.

 

[ernieshore]

And Collins is now up a break in the 3rd.

 

[shawnrbu]

Zverev/Klein going to a 5th set. Zverev only had 3 second serve points in the 4th set. 34/37 for a 92% 1st serve percentage.

 

[Mr. Wednesday]

And Collins is now up a break in the 3rd.

Now up two breaks! Serving at 4 - 1 up.

 

[ifmanis5]

This is crazy. Can Swiatek survive this?

 

[shawnrbu]

This is crazy. Can Swiatek survive this?

If she could return every game the rest of the way, yes. Swiatek has only won 41 out of 84 points on her serve.

 

[ifmanis5]

There's one break.

 

[Mr. Wednesday]

Collins was just broken back at love, and I think Swiatek is fully capable of running off five in a row.

 

[Arroyo Con Frijoles]

Collins looks like a headcase, if Iga gets close, Collins will fold.

 

[ernieshore]

Match is taking forever and I step away for three minutes to play with the cats and miss quite a bit.

 

[ifmanis5]

Big hold for Iga.