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Post by Blunashun on May 26, 2018 19:50:26 GMT
No Federer, so...meh.
Roger Federer: Swiss star to skip French Open
Updated 6:00 AM ET, Mon March 26, 2018
(CNN)For French Open fans the news isn't good. Roger Federer is skipping the entire clay-court swing, meaning he will miss Roland Garros for the third straight year.
"I decided not to play," Federer concisely told reporters after suffering an upset loss to Australian qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis in the Miami Open on Saturday.
The men's record 20-time grand slam winner didn't make a knee-jerk reaction in frustration after losing 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to Kokkinakis. Rather he said he had already held discussions with his entourage.
Federer pulled out of the 2016 French Open -- in the midst of knee and back issues -- and last year didn't play the entire clay-court swing as he opted to gear up for Wimbledon. The decision proved a masterstroke, since he didn't drop a set en route to claiming an eighth Wimbledon title.
With no apparent injuries, the 2009 French Open winner is presumably thinking big picture.
If he wanted to compete at the French Open, Federer probably would have had to play in two buildup tournaments in May, Madrid and Rome. The toll on his 36-year-old body could have lingered and impacted not only his grass-court preparations but the rest of 2018 or even beyond.
Tokyo 2020 on his mind?
And if Federer has the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in his sights -- which he might, since the only thing missing from his extensive, glittering resume is an Olympic singles gold -- exercising caution is fully understandable even if his major rivals may be less than 100% at the French Open.
Bypassing this year's French Open though lessens the chances of Federer ever returning to the year's second grand slam, despite co-coach Severin Luthi telling the New York Times last May that he was "very confident" the father of four would return one day.
After starting the year 17-0 -- a run highlighted by winning his 20th major at January's Australian Open -- Federer has lost two matches in a row for the first time since 2014.
Having fallen to Juan Martin del Potro in a tense Indian Wells final -- that too ended in a third-set tiebreak -- Federer blew a set lead against Kokkinakis.
Like Del Potro, Kokkinakis has been hit hard by injuries, the lone reason the big-serving 21-year-old is ranked 175th. He spent time training with Federer in the latter's second home of Dubai earlier in his career.
"He's a cool guy, a cool demeanor," said Federer. "It's a big result for him in his career. I hope it's going to launch him, really getting his ranking up."
Federer will lose his No. 1 ranking to the currently injured Rafael Nadal when Miami concludes.
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Post by Bklyn_LA on May 27, 2018 0:28:56 GMT
solid
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Post by Blunashun on Jun 6, 2018 3:57:56 GMT
DJOKOVIC: I DON'T KNOW WHERE I GO FROM HERE
TUESDAY 5 JUNE 2018 - KATE BATTERSBY
Twelve-time Grand Slam champion bewildered by quarter-final loss to world No.72 Marco Cecchinato.
It was an unusually pained Novak Djokovic who faced the media soon after his four-set quarter-final defeat to world No.72 Marco Cecchinato.
The 12-time Grand Slam champion, who needed repeated on-court treatment to the rear right side of his neck, was visibly unhappy to have fallen short of his first Grand Slam semi-final in 20 months. He led 5-2 in the fourth set, and in the extraordinary tiebreak that followed had three set points to take it into a decider, before the Italian snatched victory on his fourth match point.
“I struggled from the beginning,” Djokovic reflected. “Just a pity that I couldn't capitalise on the chances in the fourth set and some break points that I thought I had in there, but he came back and credit to him.
“Any defeat is difficult in the Grand Slams, especially one that came from months of build-up. I thought I had a great chance to get at least a step further, but it wasn't to be. That's the way it is.
“Yes, it is heartbreaking, but not the most painful defeat of my career. It's never been hard for me to congratulate and hug an opponent. He deserved to win. I know him well. He's a great guy. On the other hand, when you walk off the court, of course, it's a hard one to swallow.”
Asked if had “issues going into this match”, Djokovic replied: “Just couple of things, but nothing major. I don't want to talk about that.” When his inquisitor pressed: “Are you able to articulate…?”, Djokovic replied: “I’m not. I’m sorry, I’m not.”
The Serb, a three-time Wimbledon champion, said he does not know if he will play on grass at all this year.
“I don't know. I don't know what I'm going to do. I just came from the court. Sorry, guys, I can't give you that answer. I cannot give you any answer.”
And perhaps most tellingly, when asked how he will go forward from this defeat, he was at a loss.
“I don't know,” he said. “I'm just not thinking about tennis at the moment.”
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Post by Blunashun on Jun 8, 2018 15:35:06 GMT
Nadal is in the process of taking del Potro apart. 6-4 & 5-0 in the second set. It was pretty even until del Potro hurt his hip midway through the first set. Now it's a slaughter.
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Post by Blunashun on Jun 10, 2018 21:58:55 GMT
Nadal just won his record 11th French Open title. He really loves clay. If only he didn't sound like Latka from Taxi. "Thank you very much." That squeaky voice is hilarious.
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Post by Blunashun on May 22, 2019 2:39:35 GMT
When is the 2019 French Open? Date, Time, Field, Bracket, TV Channel
By Tyler Byrum May 20, 2019 5:00 AM
The break between the Australian Open and the French Open is far too long. But, like always the 2019 French Open is a dynamic tournament on the calendar, and besides Rafael Nadal winning the men's singles bracket, there is nothing for certain at Roland-Garros.
Hosted in Paris, France, Roland-Garros is the second stop of the Grand Slams from May 26 to June 9. The tournament will be broadcast on Tennis Channel and NBC.
This season brings in a plethora of storylines, but most importantly it features the return of Roger Federer to clay. The 20-time major champion has missed the previous three French Opens to try and preserve his body instead, for playing on one of the hardest court surfaces. And when Nadal, an 11-time French Open winner, has laid his claim to this major who can blame Federer.
Federer has only won at Roland-Garros once (2009). He has won at all other majors at least five times.
On the women's side, this marks the first repeat major for Serena Williams since the birth of her daughter, Olympia. In the 2018 French Open, Williams made it to the Round of 16.
That year Simona Halep broke through for her first ever major title on clay and has being ranked No. 1 for several months. Since she has struggled at the Grand Slams, not advancing back to the Round of 16 in the three following majors. As the defending champ this could be where Halep returns to form.
When is the 2019 French Open?
The 2019 French Open runs from Sunday, May 26 to Sunday, June 9.
Matches start at 5:00 a.m. ET for First Round through the Round of 16. Quarterfinal matches start at 7:00 a.m. ET on June 4 and 5. The women's semifinals are on June 6 at 8:00 a.m. ET. The men's semifinals are June 7 at 6:00 a.m. ET. Both the women's final (June 8) and the men's final (June 9) are at 9:00 a.m. ET.
Qualifying for the tournament is from May 20-24. The qualifying tournament will determine the final 16 men's singles spots and the final 12 spots for the women's.
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Post by Blunashun on May 22, 2019 2:41:34 GMT
2019 French Open Men's Singles Field (128 slots):
Player, country (ATP world ranking as of April, 15)
-Novak Djokovic, Serbia (1)
-Rafael Nadal, Spain (2)
-Alexander Zverev, Germany (3)
-Roger Federer, Switzerland (4)
-Dominic Thiem, Austria (5)
-Kei Nishikori, Japan (6)
-Kevin Anderson, South Africa (7)
-Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece (8)
-Juan Martin del Potro, Argentina (9)
-John Isner, USA (10) - Withdrew due to injury
-Marin Cilic, Croatia (11)
-Karen Khachanov, Russia (12)
-Borna Coric, Croatia (13)
-Daniil Medvedev, Russia (14)
-Milos Raonic, Canada (15)
-Marco Cecchinato, Italy (16)
-Nikoloz Basilashvili, Georgia (17)
-Fabio Fognini, Italy (18)
-Gael Monfils, France (19)
-Denis Shapovalov, Canada (20)
-David Goffin, Belgium (21)
-Roberto Bautista Agut (22)
-Kyle Edmund, Great Britain (23)
-Diego Schwartzman, Argentina (24)
-Alex de Minaur, Australia (25)
-Giles Simon, France (26)
-Pablo Carreno Busta, Spain (27)
-Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgaria (28)
-Frances Tiafoe, USA (29) - First American
-Richard Gasquet, France (30)
-Lucas Pouille, France (31)
-Laslo Djere, Serbia (32)
-Felix Auger-Aliassimie, Canada (33)
-Nick Kyrgios, Australia (34)
-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, France (34)
-Guido Pella, Argentina (35)
-Stan Wawrinka, Switzerland (36)
-Marton Fucsovics, Hungary (37)
-Fernando Verdasco, Spain (38)
-John Millman, Australia (39)
-Phillipp Kohlschreiber, Germany (40)
-Jeremy Chardy, France (41)
-Mikhail Kukushkin, Kazakhstan (42)
-Benoit Paire, France (43)
-Jan-Lennard Struff, Germany (44)
-Radu Albot, Moldova (45)
-Andreas Seppi, Italy (46)
-Christian Garin, Chile (47)
-Dusan Lajovic, Serbia (48)
-Pierre-Hugues Herbert, France (49)
-Martin Klizan, Slovakia (50)
-Joao Sousa, Portugal (51)
-Hubert Hurkacz, Poland (52)
-Matteo Ebden, Australia (53)
-Damir Dzumhur, Bosnia and Herzegvina (54)
-Matteo Berrettini, Italy (55)
-Cameron Norrie, Great Britain (56)
-Reilly Opelka, USA (57)
-Adrian Mannarino, France (58)
-Steve Johnson, USA (59)
-Mackenzie McDonald, USA (60)
-Jaume, Munar, Spain (61)
-Leonardo Mayer, Argentina (62)
-Robin Haase, Netherlands (63)
-Ugo Humbert, France (64)
-Taylor Fritz, USA (65)
-Sam Querrey, USA (66)
-Jordan Thompson, Australia (67)
-Casper Ruud, Norway (68)
-Yoshihito Nishioka, Japan (69)
-Aljaz Bedene, Slovenia (70)
-Malek Jaziri, Tunisia (71)
-Taro Daniel, Japan (72)
-Bernard Tomic, Australia (73)
-Federico Delbonis, Argentina (74)
-Hugo Dellin, Bolivia (75)
-Ernests Gulbis, Lativa (76)
-Mischa Zverev, Germany (77)
-Marius Copil, Romania (78)
-Juan Ignacio Londero, Argentina (79)
-Prajnesh Gunneswaran, India (80)
-Pablo Cuevas, Uruguay (81)
-Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Spain (82)
-Nicolas Jarry, Chile (83)
-Guido Andreozzi, Argentina (84)
-Denis Kudla, USA (85)
-Jozef Kovalik, Slovakia (85)
-Pablo Anujar, Spain (86)
-Peter Gojowczyk, Germany (87)
-Feliciano Lopez, Spain (88)
-Janko Tipsarevic, Serbia (88)
-Daniel Evans, Great Britian (89)
-Andrey Rublev, Russia (90)
-Miomir Kecmanovic, Serbia (91)
-Bradley Klahn, USA (92)
-Thomas Fabbiano, Italy (93)
-Lloyd Harris, South Africa (94)
-Jiri Vesely, Czech Republic (95)
-Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, Germany (95)
-Lorenzo Sonego, Italy (96)
-Ivo Karlovic, Croatia (97)
-Tomas Berdeych, Czech Republic (98)
-Ricardas Berankis, Lithuania (99)
-Alexander Bublik, Kazakhstan (100)
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Post by Blunashun on May 22, 2019 2:42:46 GMT
2019 French Open Women's Singles Field (128 slots):
Player, country (WTA world ranking as of April, 15)
-Naomi Osaka, Japan (1)
-Simona Halep, Romania (2)
-Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic (3)
-Karolina Pliskova, Czech Republic (4)
-Angelique Kerber, Germany (5)
-Elina Svitolina, Ukraine (6)
-Kiki Bertens, Netherlands (7)
-Sloane Stephens, USA (8)
-Asleigh Barty, Australia (9)
-Aryna Sabalenka, Bulgaria (10)
-Serena Williams, USA (11)
-Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark (12)
-Anastasija Sevastova, Latvia (13)
-Madison Keys, USA (14)
-Anett Kontaveit, Estonia (15)
-Qiang Wang, China (16)
-Julia Goerges, Germany (17)
-Elise Mertens, Belgium (18)
-Garbine Muguruza, Spain (19)
-Belinda Bencic, Switzerland (20)
-Caroline Garcia, France (21)
-Daria Kasatkina, Russia (22)
-Bianca Andreescu, Canada (23)
-Su-Wei Hsieh, Chinese Taipei (24)
-Donna Vekic, Croatia (25)
-Lesia Tsurenko, Ukraine (26)
-Carla Suarez Navarro, Spain (27)
-Maria Sharapova, Russia (28)
-Jelena Ostapenko, Lativa (29)
-Mihaela Buzarnescu, Romainia (30)
-Camila Giorgi, Italy (31)
-Danielle Collins, USA (32)
-Dominika Cibulkova, Slovakia (33)
-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russia (34)
-Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Bulgaria (35)
-Sofia Kenin, USA (36)
-Dayana Yastremska, Ukraine (37)
-Yulia Putintseva, Kahzakstan (38)
-Ajla Tomljanovic, Australia (39)
-Petra Martic, Croatia (40)
-Katerina Siniakova, Czech Republic (41)
-Shuai Zhang, China (42)
-Sasai Zheng, China (43)
-Maria Sakkari, Greece (44)
-Viktoria Kuzmova, Slovakia (45)
-Johanna Konta, Great Britian (46)
-Marketa Vondrousova, Czech Republic (47)
-Barbora Strycova, Czech Republic (48)
-Venus Williams, USA (49)
-Alison Riske, USA (50)
-Yafan Wang, China (51)
-Alison van Uytvanck, Belgium (52)
-Pauline Parmentier, France (53)
-Amanda Anisimova, USA (54)
-Alize Cornet, France (55)
-Ons Jabeur, Tunsinia (56)
-Ekaterina Alexandrova, Russia (57)
-Daria Gavrilova, Australia (58)
-Jristen Flipkens, Belgium (59)
-Tatjana Maria, Germany (60)
-Victoria Azarenka, Bulgaria (61)
-Monica Puig, Puerto Rico (62)
-Aleksandra Krunic, Serbia (63)
-Polona Hercog, Slovenia (64)
-Rebecca Peterson, Sweeden (65)
-Kristina Mladenovic, France (66)
-Tamara Zidansek, Slovenia (67)
-Magdalena Rybarikova, Slovakia (68)
-Evgeniya Rodina, Russia (69)
-Vera Lapko, Bulgaria (70)
-Andrea Petkovic, Germany (71)
-Margarita Gasparyan, Russia (72)
-Vitalia Diatchenko, Russia (73)
-Anastasia Potapova, Russia (74)
-Sara Sorribes Tormo, Spain (75)
-Veronika Kudermetova, Russia (76)
-Samantha Stosur, Australia (77)
-Jessica Pegula, USA (78)
-Kaia Kanepi, Estonia (79)
-Viktorija Golubic, Switzerland (80)
-Eugenie Bouchard, Canada (81)
-Shelby Rogers, USA (81)
-Jennifer Brady, USA (82)
-Irina-Camelia Begu, Romania (83)
-Taylor Townsend, USA (84)
-Vera Zvonareva, Russia (85)
-Katie Boulter, Great Britian (86)
-Kristyna Pliskova, Czech Republic (87)
-Iga Swiatek, Poland (88)
-Magda Linette, Poland (89)
-Mona Barthel, Germany (90)
-Ekaterina Makarova, Russia (91)
-Fiona Ferro, France (92)
-Kateryna Kozlova, Ukraine (93)
-Lin Zhu, China (94)
-Johanna Larsson, Sweeden (95)
-Ivana Jorovic, Serbia (96)
-Madison Brengle, USA (97)
-Luksika Kumkhm, Thailand (98)
-Sorana Cirsta, Romania (99)
-Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia (100)
-Laura Siegemund, Germany (101)
-Astra Sharma, Australia (102)
-Dalila Jakupovic, Slovenia (103)
-Misaki Doi, Japan (104)
-Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Slovakia (105)
-Karolina Muchova, Czech Repubilc (106)
-Zarina Diya, Kazakhstan (107)
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Post by Blunashun on Jun 4, 2019 23:39:47 GMT
Stan Wawrinka hanging tough against Roger Federer. Always makes me nervous when it goes five sets versus Roger. He poops out. Federer called for a rain delay though. Smart move.
Nadal was kicking Nishikori's butt when the rain delay set in. Looked like Rafa wanted to continue. Small wonder.
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Post by Blunashun on Jun 12, 2019 4:02:11 GMT
Almost forgot to mention Rafael Nadal won the French Open, again. That gives him 18 major titles. 12 of them at the French Open.
I had a friend with issues. Don't we all? But he was still my best friend for decades. Mexican-American from Compton. Until he was 17 I swear he thought he was white. He only dated white girls. At 17 he had some sort of twisted epiphany. White people were evil. I got a sort of pass because of my upbringing & the fact I dated black girls. Not that he liked black people though. He would tell me things like - "your daughter has interesting hair." I wouldn't justify that with a comment. He saw her when she was 26. He hadn't seen her since she was ten. He was gushing over himself. After she left he said - "My GOD! She's beautiful. I hope I didn't make a fool of myself." I answered - "too late."
But he would call me a racist (just to spark an argument) because I preferred Pete Sampras over Andre Agassi. He thought Agassi was Italian & so therefore 'Latin.' Sampras was Greek & Jewish. Actually Agassi was an Armenian-Persian. They just changed their surname. What I really didn't like about Andre was, with as much as he accomplished, he was a weak crack addict who wasted years of his career while Sampras kept his nose to the grindstone. I didn't tell my buddy Agassi was a Persian because it was just too much fun screwing with his mind.
Then came the Federer / Nadal rivalry. I preferred Federer because he had that graceful one-handed backhand. Like Sampras did. My buddy Art (the one who initially called my daughter "interesting") chose to see it as yet another example of my blatant racism against Latinos. No. What I didn't like about Nadal (which I didn't really dislike him. I just preferred Federer.) was his nasal Latka from Taxi sounding voice. At least 10 "Thank you very much" quotes in every interview. Art pointed out 12 of Sampras's 15 titles were either at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. The Persian crack addict was more diversified.
Now we see his true Latin hero (Rafa) has 12 of his 18 titles at the slow surfaced French Open. Where is the outcry? Putz.
Kudos to Nadal for winning yet again.
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