Paris Olympics Tennis

[stotty]

Alcaraz the strong favorite vs Novak with an implied probability of winning at 71%. Musetti wins the Bronze with a 3 set win over FAA.

It will be interesting tomorrow. Novak can't hit through Carlos because Carlos can blanket the court so well. By contrast Carlos can bide his time and wait to unleash sockdolager forehands and deadly droppers. He has a game that Novak really dislikes and fears. I wonder what Novak can do to counter Carlos that he hasn't tried before.

[jimlosaltos]

It will be interesting tomorrow. Novak can't hit through Carlos because Carlos can blanket the court so well. By contrast Carlos can bide his time and wait to unleash sockdolager forehands and deadly droppers. He has a game that Novak really dislikes and fears. I wonder what Novak can do to counter Carlos that he hasn't tried before.

Carlos has to be supremely confident right now - coming off Roland Garros on this same court, and Wimbledon. If he plays his A game, I can't see Djokovic doing anything to bother him.

But Carlos often does not bring his A game, for whatever reason.

Both started out their last match, the Wimby final, very aggressively, although in quite different ways. It will be interesting to see if one, both or neither does that Sunday.

[stotty]

Carlos has to be supremely confident right now - coming off Roland Garros on this same court, and Wimbledon. If he plays his A game, I can't see Djokovic doing anything to bother him.

But Carlos often does not bring his A game, for whatever reason.

Both started out their last match, the Wimby final, very aggressively, although in quite different ways. It will be interesting to see if one, both or neither does that Sunday.

I am pretty confident Carlos will brings his A game to the final, and if he does it's hard to picture a different outcome to their last match.

[jimlosaltos]

I am pretty confident Carlos will brings his A game to the final, and if he does it's hard to picture a different outcome to their last match.

Me too.
BUT Carlos seems vulnerable to Djokovic's gamesmanship.
Witnesses prior Roland Garros
Look for delays, disruptions, screaming ...

[stroke]

Me too.
BUT Carlos seems vulnerable to Djokovic's gamesmanship.
Witnesses prior Roland Garros
Look for delays, disruptions, screaming ...

Yes I certainly wish the chair umpires could just follow the rules regarding Novaks antics.

[stroke]

Quite the 1st set quality wise, tiebreaker. I would love to see the shot quality numbers, but Mary Carillo just supplies mindless chatter.

[stotty]

Great first set from Novak, winning it against the run of play. The bloke's ability to withstand pressure is quite incredible. But it's not over yet one feels.

[stroke]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NpXG8XMir21sfKsr6

Novak locks it down in tiebreaker. Very tough 1st set loss for Carlos.

[stotty]

Novak is keeping a lid on things in the second. No drop in intensity from him.

[stroke]

Novak is keeping a lid on things in the second. No drop in intensity from him.

Yes no rope-a-dope today. If Novak can get this win, to me, it will be his best win since Fed at Wimbledon, when he just bided his time, with the whole crowd against him, and won tiebreakers. No doubt Novak the best player ever for his age, taking that away from Fed, who took it from Agassi.

[stotty]

Best match he's ever played...didn't let up for a moment...and what a final shot.

[stroke]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/akp1uNJVuinSt4Er7

[jimlosaltos]

Apparently, Collins-Iga weren't the only sparks flying in the women's late round matches. BIllionaire$$ Emma Navarro dissed Qinwen Zheng after the eventual gold-medalist beat her.

"I just told her I didn't respect her as a competitor.”

"I think she goes about things in a pretty cut-throat way. It makes for a locker room that doesn't have a lot of camaraderie, so it's tough to face an opponent like that, who I really don't respect.”

"But, kudos to her, she played some good tennis there at the end. She played better than me, so congrats to her."

Qinwen had this mature response:

"She told me she doesn't know how I have a lot of fans. It looks like she's not happy with my behaviour towards her. If she's not happy about my behaviour, she can come and tell me. I would like to correct it to become a better player and a better person. I’m glad that she told me that. I will not consider it an attack because she lost the match."

Paula Badosa had this opaque, teasing comment in an interview with Spanish press:

"Also, I'm following the drama that's happening with Iga, Collins, Emma Navarro.

Q: Your comments?

"I will not comment (smiling). There's some that have their own reasons, but I'm not going to say who."

Source:https://t.co/HLQycYpLUn

[stroke]

Apparently, Collins-Iga weren't the only sparks flying in the women's late round matches. BIllionaire$$ Emma Navarro dissed Qinwen Zheng after the eventual gold-medalist beat her.

"I just told her I didn't respect her as a competitor.”

"I think she goes about things in a pretty cut-throat way. It makes for a locker room that doesn't have a lot of camaraderie, so it's tough to face an opponent like that, who I really don't respect.”

"But, kudos to her, she played some good tennis there at the end. She played better than me, so congrats to her."

Qinwen had this mature response:

"She told me she doesn't know how I have a lot of fans. It looks like she's not happy with my behaviour towards her. If she's not happy about my behaviour, she can come and tell me. I would like to correct it to become a better player and a better person. I’m glad that she told me that. I will not consider it an attack because she lost the match."

Paula Badosa had this opaque, teasing comment in an interview with Spanish press:

"Also, I'm following the drama that's happening with Iga, Collins, Emma Navarro.

Q: Your comments?

"I will not comment (smiling). There's some that have their own reasons, but I'm not going to say who."

Source:https://t.co/HLQycYpLUn

I guess it is more interesting than their tennis.

[jimlosaltos]

In what I believe is the final tennis match of the Olympics (?) the youngest doubles team entered takes the first set handily.

The double no-flag of Mirra Andreeva 17 yo and Diana Shnader 20 yo have a combined age equal to that of one of their opponents, Sara Errani, who with her partner Jasmine Paolini, Italians who comprise perhaps the most height-disadvanted doubles team in the draw at 5 ft 5 in and 5 ft 4 in. Do I have "lob" from the coaches box?

Update: And the diminutive Italian duo of Errani-Paolini comes from behind and win the women's doubles gold medal n a third set TB 10-7.

Kudos to them and the young no flags Shnader/Andreeva for their silver medal.