US Open

[stotty]

A bit like Djokovic a few years ago, if a making a volley means anything, Zverev will miss it.

[don_budge]

2020 U. S. Open Men's Semifinal/Quarterfinals

Oddmakers have Novak as the prohibitive favorite to win the tournament at only -125. Medvedev a distant second at +600, followed by Tsitsipas at +700 and Thiem at +750. Berretttni is the #9 favorite or so, but watching him today, I am not so sure he should be the number 2 favorite behind Novak.

Yes...it is a "Brave New World". Aldous Huxley could not have said it any better. Now it comes to fruition and what remains to be seen is can the human condition bring itself out of this severe downward spiral and once again emerge from the muck a more enlightened being. If this tournament is any kind of indicator...it doesn't look good. A major that starts off without two of the primary contenders in Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal is not a major. It is M. I. A..

It was fitting in a way that Novak should exit the tournament in such a freakish manner. The prohibitive favorite...he was the only favorite. Looking invincible compared to the rest of the field, I think only Daniel Medvedev would have stood in his way. Djokovic has some sort of mystical quality that he is just as meteoric as the day I pronounced him so. He never looked back. There have been a few bumps in the road but that being said the level of performance has been stellar. I don't like his game but I have to admire that way in which he applies it. The way that he applies himself. Barring that most exceptional shot to the throat of the line judge he would most likely be preparing for a semifinal with Alexander Zverev as I type.

Zverev for his part seems to be stepping up to the plate and with Djokovic looks to be fully prepared to take care of business in the top half of the draw. His opponent is more than lucky to be there and he knows it. His five set victory over Denis "The Menace" Shapovalov was well deserved but that was maybe an unlikely event in a draw full of all of the usual suspects. But as it is...he gets a shot at the title round and with an upset victory over Zverev should he pull it off. Alexander seems to have righted his ship to the extent that I think he should be able to clear this hurdle to land a lucky spot in a Grand Slam final. But the winner of this tournament will always have an implied asterisk by their name due to the absence of any semblance of reality. This is so surreal. I cannot bear to watch.

I watched minutes of a handful of matches. First of all...the whole "Black Lives Matter" thing has driven this tournament right into the toilet with the tennis world's association with this criminal enterprise. I am not so much surprised as horrified that this is the logical conclusion as it has been with the rest of professional sports not to mention the rest of the corporate world. To think that they are held hostage by an idea as preposterous as the BLM/Antifa movement is straight of Huxley's imagination not to mention Franz Kafka's. I am sending out an SOS from the man in the wilderness...BEWARE. All semblance of logic has been cast to the wind. First this infernal "Pandemic" that some are referring to as a "Scamdemic" coupled with the anarchist behaviours of the obviously well organised dark forces in the streets...you have a recipe for an impending disaster. It is as if it was all orchestrated out of a playbook to "resist" and "destroy" the President of the United States of America. Remember bottle? This is his wet dream. That was a very, very sick individual. But even money says that if he is alive and ticking someplace he is as happy as a little girl. Kafka, Huxley and Orwell are all rolling around in their graves.

Daniel Medvedev for his part marches on...to his own drummer. This is his strength. I listened to "The Ugly American" moan about the behaviour of Medvedev but somehow in this world of the "New Normal" I don't find anything offensive about him. I remember his flipping of the entire New York crowd late one night after they were booing him for their nasty liberalised reaction to some ill conceived offence he supposedly committed. He just told them all to go to hell and burn. He did it in a joking manner. To me...that is a talent. Medvedev's opponent in the quarter is is fellow countryman from the land of Russian collusion. The country that wants so badly to interfere in the American Presidential elections. Supposedly. As if America has not been interfering in elections around the globe all of these years. This quarterfinal is right out of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's playbook. Two brooding and menacing young competitors. Played out on a New York stage without the benefit of a real bonafide audience. Interesting to say the least. Medvedev has this one in his wheelhouse. But Rublev is feeling his oats and will not lay down. Interesting.

Which brings me to "The Dominator" versus "The Demon". It has to be Dominic Thiem. No way this little Tasmanian Devil gets through to the next round. But that being said I haven't seen him play a single point in this tournament and I will say this for him...he has balls. Balls enough to go in against any given opponent and demand that his opponent beat him at his game. If he can get his opponent to play his game he is even money...but if Dominic keeps his nose to the grindstone we should be looking at Dominic Thiem versus Daniel Medvedev in the semi...which would be in a word "interesting". But it is all so surreal. The pandemic. The unrest in the streets. This tournament being played in a separate reality. The looming 2020 Presidential election. The riots that will immediately intensify afterwords barring the mob's choice winning. Hang on to your seats fellow passengers...we are in for a bumpy ride.

[stroke]

Agree completely about Medvedev. Clearly to me a very intelligent and aware guy, very good sense of humor, and likeable. Rublev has the game, desire, and belief also. Should be a great match. The Demon, same as Rublev, a very very tough out, and he is as fast as anyone on the tour. Them has his hands full. And btw, I did not really like bottle either. He just was not super likeable to me.

[stotty]

Horrible match to watch between Zverev and Coric last night....not pretty. Interesting how Zverev gave up on his second serve in the traditional sense...hitting it slower than the 1st to get it in. In the end, after double faulting countless times, he opted for smacking second serves in at around 130mph. Not a bad idea in my view as his second serve is the diciest out there. Wasn't it John Newcombe who said: “Your game is only as good as your second serve.” Zverev seems to have brought a new meaning too John's quote yesterday.

If Zverev plays his hand right, he should get to the final. It's whether he can keep a clear mind. He's a bit like Murray in that he's full of 'angst'.

There may be a silver lining in Novak getting knocked out. It will give him more time to prepare for the FO, which he would have had precious little of had he progressed to the US Open final. I really do fancy Novak could pin Rafa's ears back at the FO. Getting slung out of the US Open will have provide more fuel...greater motivation. He must be absolutely fuming inside.

[stroke]

Horrible match to watch between Zverev and Coric last night....not pretty. Interesting how Zverev gave up on his second serve in the traditional sense...hitting it slower than the 1st to get it in. In the end, after double faulting countless times, he opted for smacking second serves in at around 130mph. Not a bad idea in my view as his second serve is the diciest out there. Wasn't it John Newcombe who said: “Your game is only as good as your second serve.” Zverev seems to have brought a new meaning too John's quote yesterday.

If Zverev plays his hand right, he should get to the final. It's whether he can keep a clear mind. He's a bit like Murray in that he's full of 'angst'.

There may be a silver lining in Novak getting knocked out. It will give him more time to prepare for the FO, which he would have had precious little of had he progressed to the US Open final. I really do fancy Novak could pin Rafa's ears back at the FO. Getting slung out of the US Open will have provide more fuel...greater motivation. He must be absolutely fuming inside.

FO could definitely be more interesting now. Nadal obviously the favorite, but no doubt who is the 2nd favorite. To me, Zverev's 2nd serve woes come down to a lack of an effective reproducible kick serve for his 2nd serve. Thiem by constant has the textbook kick serve. Roger too obviously. Novak tends to have more of a slice/topspin 2nd, which works for him. But to me, once too many doubles start creeping into your 2nd serves, it is time for pretty much exclusive Thiem type 2nd serve kickers.

[don_budge]

FO could definitely be more interesting now. Nadal obviously the favorite, but no doubt who is the 2nd favorite. To me, Zverev's 2nd serve woes come down to a lack of an effective reproducible kick serve for his 2nd serve. Thiem by constant has the textbook kick serve. Roger too obviously. Novak tends to have more of a slice/topspin 2nd, which works for him. But to me, once too many doubles start creeping into your 2nd serves, it is time for pretty much exclusive Thiem type 2nd serve kickers.

My coach...who I would put up against any coach right up to Harry Hopman taught me to be fatalistic about hitting the second. I don't think I let up on it and had the feeling that once I missed the first that the feeling to make the adjustment was fresh in my head and just let it all hang out. Zverev's problem comes from doubt which causes one to become a bit tentative. At his height what does he have to lose. Just go for it. Statistically the odds of him missing two in a row are rather low. Once you get into the zone of feeling fatalistic about it you can surprise yourself in a good way. This brings on confidence. If you are serving well the rest of your game tends to get a lift. It even allows you to take chances on the return if you are holding your serve in a commanding way.

Btw...it is not so much that I didn't like bottle. I just feel a whole lot better now that he isn't around. The reason for that was in his reaction to others which certainly took a morbid turn once Donald Trump became a candidate for the President of the United States of America. But as you know...he was not alone. I just got done watching CNN for twenty minutes and it was actually the "twenty minute Trump hate".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvGmOZ5T6_Y

[stroke]

I am pretty sure I just did not like him, not that it matters,

[arturohernandez]

FO could definitely be more interesting now. Nadal obviously the favorite, but no doubt who is the 2nd favorite. To me, Zverev's 2nd serve woes come down to a lack of an effective reproducible kick serve for his 2nd serve. Thiem by constant has the textbook kick serve. Roger too obviously. Novak tends to have more of a slice/topspin 2nd, which works for him. But to me, once too many doubles start creeping into your 2nd serves, it is time for pretty much exclusive Thiem type 2nd serve kickers.

I just have a sinking feeling that autumn will bring a spike in cases to Europe and that the FO will not be completed. I hope that I am wrong. If it is completed, I think that we may see very different kind of tennis out there. So many things are unpredictable that I cannot even fathom thinking about Nadal and Djokovic in the final.

And it will be cold and possibly rainy. Just not sure what we are going to get.

[stotty]

And it will be cold and possibly rainy.

It could, which in the case of Novak versus Rafa, favours Novak. Long way to go before that matchup can transpire, but you wouldn't bet against it.

[arturohernandez]

It could, which in the case of Novak versus Rafa, favours Novak. Long way to go before that matchup can transpire, but you wouldn't bet against it.

I am just getting this in with the new feeling this year. A year where Amazon and Bezos just run away with the economy and the old world rolls over. Stores are now running 50% off sales and Amazon just keeps plugging along.

I may be wrong but I have a feeling that Fed won't make it back in the same form. This may be retirement for him. 2017 is long gone. Rafa and Novak will just not have the will to keep fighting the young guard. And someone with a GS title and having whiffed the trophy smell will just step up to the plate and knock them all out of the park.

Winning an Oscar is supposed to increase your lifespan. Winning a GS trophy or even thinking you could will inspire the new guard.

It's an army of young players that are hungry and coming for what should have been theirs long ago.

Popeye, Gumby and the Maestro may not be up to fending them off any longer.

[don_budge]

2020 U. S. Open Semifinals...Dominic Thiem versus Daniel Medvedev

Had to share this image.

Forehand Much? Dominic Thiem goes from outside his doubles alley {lower your right in red} to return serve to outside the opposite doubles alley to hit a forehand winner vs FAA. Putting in the miles. Set up match point, which Domi won with an full-tilt open-stance DTL one-handed backhand. {That's the only kind isn't it?} I combined frame caps from ESPN.


filedata/fetch?id=91142&d=1599514645&type=thumb

Did I neglect to mention Alexander Zverev and Pablo Carreno Busta? Well you can have it. A snooze fest in the making. All that is wrong with modern tennis summed up in one of the most potentially boring semifinals at the U. S. Open ever. This semi says it all. The future of tennis. There is nowhere to go. They will have to do something to the game to compensate for what they have done to it. Engineered beyond recognition. I was just saying to my wife this morning at the breakfast table...tennis metaphors life.

In the bottom half of the draw is the flip side to modern tennis. Dominic Thiem being an unlikely defender of the old game with his brilliant one hand backhand. He put "The Demon" right back where he belongs...in a very, very warm place. Which in this case happens to be Australia. Daniel Medvedev did what he does best...he put me to sleep. I watched to 6-5 Rublev. Medvedev looked as if he was just absorbing...absorbing. More absorbing. Standing way back to return serve. I couldn't watch the tie-break. It wasn't interesting enough and I went to sleep without giving it so much as another thought. I was pretty sure that Medvedev would win. He looked to me as if he was dictating the match. Just going along to the tie-break. Yawn.

But Thiem will be another story. Much more explosive. Less time to absorb. Mr. Pencil is a clever fellow. We are going to see just how clever he is. In a tournament of dismal performance this match trumps the rest. The Trump Card. Wins every single time.

[stroke]

New York Post : ESPN analyst under fire for strange Naomi Osaka mask interview at US Open.

https://nypost.com/2020/09/09/us-open-2020-espn-analyst-under-fire-for-naomi-osaka-interview/

[don_budge]

New York Post : ESPN analyst under fire for strange Naomi Osaka mask interview at US Open.
https://nypost.com/2020/09/09/us-ope...aka-interview/

It's very touching what Naomi is accomplishing here. The rest of the BLM movement. Chaos and destruction. Harassment of innocent bystanders. Real class act.

I wrote this about BLM's poster boy George Floyd. What a role model this human being was. Did his life matter?


George Floyd...what does that name mean to you? I didn't know him so I won't try to fake a false sense of empathy for someone so far removed from my existence. After all...if not for this infernal internet I would never have known his name. But here is a thought. Just a thought...not a judgement, as we all know that the foundation of American justice is that a man is innocent until proven guilty. But George came to an end playing the game that he had been playing all of his adult life. Have you ever read Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "The Gambler"? George Floyd was playing the game of "Urban Roulette". You know Russian roulette where you put a single bullet in a gun with multiple chambers and put the game to your head and pull the trigger. How long can you keep winning?

But George has a criminal past and did some time in the slammer. He is no stranger to the word trouble. It seems that he once held a gun to a pregnant WOMAN'S stomach while his comrade's ransacked her house for drugs or loot. Read that again if virtue signalling is your thing. So this was no angel and he was used to playing it fast and loose. He was caught and convicted at least on eight occasions. I have a question...how many times did he not get caught doing something he was guilty of? I wonder if he had actually killed anyone and got away with it. But I don't know George. I won't presume he was guilty of anything other than what he was convicted of. But how can throngs of people make this man their poster boy for justice of any kind?

You cannot follow the mob these days. You must think for yourself. You cannot believe everything you hear...and only half of what you see. My mother said that. Sometimes what you think you saw was only a graphic depiction of reality. It's called virtual reality. It goes hand in hand with virtual morality. See how the virtuous crowd is rioting and looting in honour of this unfortunate soul. Herd mentality. It can get you in all kinds of trouble. Think for yourself. Mainstream Media...a WMD. Weapon of Mass Deception. Here's an interesting thought...those police officer's are innocent until proven guilty and they have not had their day in court. They will have their side of the story. Another video has emerged of that fateful day. Mr. Floyd was acting hysterical and very strangely when the officers were questioning him. Had he cooperated like a sane and rational human being it would have been most likely a different outcome.

Naomi should stick to tennis. Each of the names she has on her mask is most likely someone apprehended in a criminal act. Police are not out to harass those abiding by the law but their job is to apprehend those breaking the law. If you don't come quietly and respect the authority placed in them the outcome is not going to end well. How difficult is that to figure out? Urban Roulette...another term created by don_budge.

[arturohernandez]

2020 U. S. Open Semifinals...Dominic Thiem versus Daniel Medvedev



Did I neglect to mention Alexander Zverev and Pablo Carreno Busta? Well you can have it. A snooze fest in the making. All that is wrong with modern tennis summed up in one of the most potentially boring semifinals at the U. S. Open ever. This semi says it all. The future of tennis. There is nowhere to go. They will have to do something to the game to compensate for what they have done to it. Engineered beyond recognition. I was just saying to my wife this morning at the breakfast table...tennis metaphors life.

In the bottom half of the draw is the flip side to modern tennis. Dominic Thiem being an unlikely defender of the old game with his brilliant one hand backhand. He put "The Demon" right back where he belongs...in a very, very warm place. Which in this case happens to be Australia. Daniel Medvedev did what he does best...he put me to sleep. I watched to 6-5 Rublev. Medvedev looked as if he was just absorbing...absorbing. More absorbing. Standing way back to return serve. I couldn't watch the tie-break. It wasn't interesting enough and I went to sleep without giving it so much as another thought. I was pretty sure that Medvedev would win. He looked to me as if he was dictating the match. Just going along to the tie-break. Yawn.

But Thiem will be another story. Much more explosive. Less time to absorb. Mr. Pencil is a clever fellow. We are going to see just how clever he is. In a tournament of dismal performance this match trumps the rest. The Trump Card. Wins every single time.

I am also surprised by a player that is able to stand way back and just counterpunch. Imagine McEnroe just trying to hit through Borg. There is no way that would have worked. And even Borg was forced to serve and volley and come to the net. He could not win from the back on every point. He had to move forward.

And therein lies the key. Who will make Medvedev step into the court to open up space behind him. And who will be willing to step into the court to put pressure on him. I realize that they can hit balls from way back and put so much topspin that it drops very low. But can they do it 60% or even 55% of the time.

No one is willing to ask the question, never mind answer it, to quote Johnny Mac.

On the other side, I was hoping that Shapo would come through. To me he looks like he will be the next all court player. His net game is improving and with his explosiveness and serve, he might be able to take Fed's place as the only attacking player left. I don't think he will get to double digits in GS trophies. But I could see him winning a few if he continues to develop.

He let Carreño Busta off the hook but at least he recognized it. Zverev will win the match when he finally decides to just hit first serves all the time.

Whoever wins between Medvedev and Thiem will most likely beat Zverev.

Thiem looks really big and he was slicing like crazy last night and then just waiting for his down the line forehand.

He is stronger, bigger and his movement looks even better than before. I am rooting for him to win one after coming close so many times.

This will be a sure test of the height advantage in tennis. In this case, Thiem at 6' 1" would be the heir apparent.

[stroke]

Medvedev and Zverev, at the 6'5 to 6'6" height, have no physical advantage over a 6'1" Thiem with their style of play. Mevedev probably does move better than anyone ever at that height though. He is like a Djokovic lite to me, but multiple Master's 1000's and GS's could change that I suppose, though very unlikely he will ever get close to what Novak has done. I will say he has the most consistent type 2 forehand (to me) I have seen. His backhand is nearly as good as Novak's.