Friday, May 01, 2020

Transmissions from a Tennis Bunker

(Static)..."Hello?"...(Static)..."Grbahdhjkg" (garbled)..."Come in, come in"...(fine-tuning)



Hello? Ah, there we go. Okay, let's do this...

Some sports *are* back or edging in that direction, with professional bull riding quietly making its re-debut last weekend, NASCAR looking to re-start in mid-May, and the PGA planning for a June schedule (for now), all without fans. Meanwhile, MLB's latest floated idea is a three-division, regionalized set up that would require minimal travel, and the notion of the NBA (w/ much smaller rosters than the other major sports) being staged from a *single* site is once again being whispered about.

The global nature of tennis, though, makes it *far* less easy to do the same.


Now, if something could be done to conduct a month-or-more run of events from a single tennis site (ala the many ITF challengers held in the same place over a span of consecutive weeks), say at a facility like the one in Indian Wells, or on the U.S. Open or RG grounds (aside from a scheduled slam), maybe that travel/carrier/testing obstacle could be overcome this summer. Right?

Not to sound like a stream-of-consciousness idea touting reality TV star, con man/businessman or make-believe world leader -- or, you know, all at once -- or anything.
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Amidst it all, it *was* nice to realize a few weeks ago that the rest of the major tennis organizations hate the FFT as much as everyone should.
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Does this count as having entered the third realm of existence?


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Anyone who was surprised that after Billie Jean King, one of the most influential people in sports history ever (but also a woman), has called for a combined tours concept for decades to little avail, many media members and players -- both male and female -- seemed to want to jump on board as soon as Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal (not women) brought up the notion as if it was an original concept, really hasn't been paying attention.

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Simona's "ability to chill" is now being put to the test. Just sayin'.
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So, Kyrgios won't play in a tournament without fans? Fine, then. Don't. (And I generally like him, too.)
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Sebastian Smee's "Great Works, in Focus" pieces are *the* best thing in the Washington Post.
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Yeah, somehow this comes as *no* surprise. And therein, quite possibly, lies the lingering problem with Svitolina.



Of course, some things *don't* change...



Ha, and you thought that no actual tennis would mean zero eye rolls directed toward Elina? Wrong.

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Speaking of...



I bow to her.
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I truly miss watching Simona Halep play, and Bianca Andreescu (but that was the case *before* March), too. And, umm... well, I think that's it. That's the list.
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Anyone who was surprised that the same boorish, uncaring, misogynistic, condescending and arrogant shade was thrown around by some former and current ATP players (many of them usual suspects) in the midst of talk of combining tours and plans to help "lesser" players survive -- some of it rich in hypocritical, unintentional hilarity, such as bemoaning the lack of consistency in the WTA Top 10 and admitting to not knowing the names of who's actually currently ranked there... when the last two decades of men's tennis has seen less than a handful of players obliterate a field of drifters, never-have-beens and inconsistent multi-millionaires who consistently act "above their raisin'" -- haven't really been paying attention, either.

via GIPHY


You know, the more Thiem opens his mouth, the more the whole relationship with Mladenovic that began a couple of years ago now makes perfect sense. One has *maybe* started to grow up a little since (or at least discovered a conscious), but the other not so much.
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QUARANTINE CONFIRMATION: Dasha Gavrilova is a goof ball. But we already knew that.
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So, Djokovic might not play if a compulsory vaccination is required? Fine, then. Don't. (And I know that "Numbers Guy" referred to on occasion on ATP Backspin, too.)
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DID YOU KNOW?: It's been five months since wheelchair #1 Diede de Groot won a singles match.


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During this pandemic, Chris Evert's social media engagement has been far more political in nature (accompanied, naturally, by the general hue-and-cry over such things from expected corners of Twitter about that fact). How great is that?

I mean, it's not on the level of, say, Martina Navratilova... but, still.


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Craving a list (2020)...

*MOST WTA FINALS (ACTIVE), 2018-20*
10 - 3/6/1 Ash Barty (7-3)
10 - 5/4/1 Petra Kvitova (7-3)
10 - 4/5/1 Kiki Bertens (6-4)
10 - 6/3/1 Simona Halep (5-5)
9 - 3/5/1 Karolina Pliskova (7-2)
9 - 4/4/1 Aryna Sabalenka (6-3)

When we last...

*CURRENT WEEKLY TOP 10 STREAKS [frozen March 18]*
321 - Simona Halep, ROU
184 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE
148 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
80 - Naomi Osaka, JPN
76 - Kiki Bertens, NED
51 - Ash Barty, AUS
38 - Serena Williams, USA
28 - Belinda Bencic, SUI
28 - Bianca Andreescu, CAN
7 - Sofia Kenin, USA
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YOU KNOW...: It turned out that Maria Sharapova's timing was just about perfect, huh? And Wozniacki's, too. The Fed Cup (and, oh, Tsvetana Pironkova's)... not so much.
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Said before, but worth noting again. The NBA's stoppage is generally seen as "the moment" that kicked off the live sports-less landscape in the U.S., but it was really the cancelling of Indian Wells a few days earlier.
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Sofia Kenin. Remember her?



Just checking.
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Credit where credit is majorly due: The @radkaleitmeritz B&W pics of WTA players, many very casual and "real," are imbued with the sort of creativity and heart that the regular WTA tour pic-and-post photography-based marketing campaigns *never* possess. #HerTrueSelf



Maybe this is why...



She Got the Beat.
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Quick! Who won the men's Australian Open title?

(pause)

Umm... ummm... ummm.... ummm. Djokoviiiic, I guess? I think so.

(checked)

Yep.
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JUST A REMINDER: A few weeks ago Margaret Court said she was protected from the coronavirus by "the blood of Jesus."


And, yes, she's *still* got a stadium with her name on it in Melbourne.
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Yep.

via GIPHY

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=ALL-QUARANTINE SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM=
Kristie Ahn
Dasha Gavrilova
Dasha Kasatkina
Heather Watson
Garbine Muguruza
Vika Azarenka
Johanna Konta



=UNDER THE RADAR (i.e. quality over quantity)=
Venus Williams

=ALL-RELATIVE BENCH DEPTH=
Marta Kostyuk's little sister Zoryana



=ALL-RETIRED EMERITAS ALL-STAR=
Maria Sharapova (#SharFamilyHangout)

=REQUIRED ATP PRESENCE (in order to get attention)=
Roger Federer
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Meanwhile, while everyone's attention was elsewhere, disgraced-and-ejected former Hall of Famer Bob Hewitt, a winner of 15 slam titles, was released from prison on parole after serving 3.5 years of a 6-year sentence for child rape, having been convicted of raping underage girls when he was their tennis coach.



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Elena Rybakina. Hmmm, I wonder what feats we've missed out on due to *her* absence from any tennis court for two months? Probably something that'd make us go...

via GIPHY

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Remember how great Simona was in Dubai in maybe *the* best week-long performance of the '20 season?

(waiting)

Yeah, I'm having a hard time doing that, too.
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As spectacular a season as "Better Call Saul" just had, the finale was a little underwhelming (unlike the penultimate ep). I was just expecting *someone* to go down for the count -- Lalo? Kim? Nacho? -- in that final hour. Oh, well... more meat for the farewell season in '21 (or '22), I guess.
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New "Jeopardy!" episodes run out this week. Grrr. But, we got THIS before the clock hit 00:00...


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UNINTENDED TENNIS OFFSHOOTS OF QUARANTINE LIFE:



Might some big (or medium-sized) name -- one who has secretly, or not so secretly, been "on the fence" -- go the *other* way and decide that the time away has led them to realize that they don't need or want to go back to the tour grind? Might an unexpected pregnancy (other than Tatjana Maria's) soon lead to a longer break than anticipated?

Meanwhile, Marjolein Buis seems set to play into 2021 due to the Olympic/Paralympic delay. But what will her WC tour eligibility be otherwise?


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Craving a list (all-time edition)...

*LONG WTA STREAKS*
CLAY: 125 - Chris Evert, 1973-79
HARD: 82 - Steffi Graf, 1988-90
GRASS: 47 - Martina Navratilova, 1985-87
INDOOR CARPET: 48 - Martina Navratilova, 1986-87

*MOST CAREER 35+ MATCH WIN STREAKS IN A SEASON*
5 - Martina Navratilova (1978,82,83,84,86)
3 - Steffi Graf (1987,88,93)
2 - Chris Evert (1974,76)
1 - Martina Hingis (1997)
1 - Monica Seles (1990)
1 - Venus Williams (2000)

*LONG SEASON-OPENING WIN STREAKS*
45 - Steffi Graf, 1987
37 - Martina Hingis, 1997
37 - Martina Navratilova, 1978
36 - Martina Navratilova, 1983
33 - Chris Evert, 1981
32 - Steffi Graf, 1994
32 - Steffi Graf, 1995
31 - Steffi Graf, 1989
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Until further notice...


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Be safe.
All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 12:59 AM 

3 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

This week was a win for Bouchard. With her low ranking, she showed that she has the skills to transition to the booth or studio. Former LPGA golfer and part time model Pearl Sinn actually did commentary on the weekends even when she was still in the tournament. It worked because she wasn't on the leader board.

Not 100% sold on a merger, but both tours need to look at options. Are sponsors in the position to come back? The LPGA is actually increasing purses this year, as sponsors that have already spent money on things are trying to recoup costs.

Stat of the Week- 14- The number of countries that had players win a title in 1990.

In 1980, that number was 4. So to see the growth of the sport was exciting. There also was a changing of the guard, as slam countries Australia and Great Britain did not win any singles titles. France won 1.

The Soviet Union, Bulgaria, South Africa, and Sweden were among the rest. Switzerland did not, though Manuela Maleeva ended the year at 9. Nor did Peru, though Laura Arraya reached a final.

Though the sport was growing, the top of the sport was dominated by 4 countries. Literally. Of the 25 Tier 2 and above titles, they were all won by 4 countries.

West Germany- 8 all Graf
Yugoslavia- 7 all Seles
Argentina- 2 all Sabatini
USA- 8 split 6 Navratilova

Only 2 left, and they were both won by Mary Joe Fernandez.


Quiz Time!
True or false-Did Steffi Graf ever win a title in East Germany?



https://twitter.com/BelindaBencic/status/1254755466825076736


Well, we are talking about 1990, and just before Germany reunified, Leipzig held their debut event in East Germany. Graf won, then won the next 3 years representing Germany. The event lasted until 2003, with Graf winning 5 times.

That event was one of the few Tier 3 events she won that year, also having won a higher tier event in West Germany earlier in the year.

Fri May 01, 09:37:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Diane said...

Leitmeritz's photos are wonderful, and her commentary is very touching, giving people an opportunity (much as Jimmie does on his Twitter account) to grasp what goes on in the photographer's mind during shoots.

I would love to see more photos or videos of the flamingos!

Fri May 01, 01:13:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

C-

At this point, commentary might be Bouchard's best course anyway. Still think she could be a very good doubles player if she *wanted* to be, though.

Frankly, I'd put the chances of a merger at about 1.0%... no, make that 0.0001%, wouldn't you? Just having it be *part* of a discussion -- though only when everyone is bored or desperate -- will likely have to be the *win* here.

There'll be talk, which will at least break the ice a bit, and 5+ years from now they'll get close, then not do anything. Then, maybe in a decade it *might* happen, then everyone will say "Why didn't they do this a long time ago?""

You know, like everything. I mean, look how look it took the NCAA to do a football playoff after it was obviously a good idea for what, 2-3 decades?

Quiz: I felt I had to go with no, just because I couldn't think of a situation (wasn't thinking about post-Wall, pre-unified Germany). But that you even had it as a question made me think there *had* to be some odd little angle where it happened... so I went with yes! These quizzes are almost become psychological puzzles. :)

Ha! That Bencic video was probably more realistic than the "matches." Andreescu did an abbreviated version of the pre-match walk-up, too (including the all-important "finger squats"). Bencic's glance to the camera at the end was a good finish (but it'd been better w/ a closing smirk). ;)


D-

Here's a little more of the flamingos, though it's similar to the link on that tweet.

Fri May 01, 02:11:00 PM EDT  

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