Masters 500 Vienna

[stroke]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGum48fB...=1hw4zpz4fwz0f

A lot of good 1st rounders, the demon vs Medvedev, Sinner vs Ruud, Grigor vs Khachanov, Kei vs Thiem, Tsitsipas vs Struff.

[don_budge]

Watching just a bit of Zverev and the little Argentinean...Diego Schwartzman. I can't get over how much the Schwartzman backhand reminds me of Aaron Krickstein's. He just hit a topspin lob over the tall, lanky Zverev and I remember watching a few of those going over my head as my weight was going forwards anticipating a volley. The disguise is just so difficult to read.

[don_budge]

Well that's just about enough of this snooze fest. But I just noticed that they have these rather large lounge chairs surrounding the court. Huge chairs. What do they call those types of chairs? There's a word for them. Never mind. I notice that one guy has his dog with him. The bandana around the dog's neck matches the mask the guy is wearing. It always looks strange to me to see lots of people wearing masks. Here in Sweden nobody wears masks. Very few at any rate. If I go to town and see a thousand people maybe two will be wearing masks. I notice that many people make a statement with their masks. A fashion statement. A political statement. I guess Swedish people are making a statement by not wearing one. It's not necessary. It isn't productive. Can you imagine? Hard to imagine isn't it? It looks strange to me that people are wearing masks. Isn't that odd? Everywhere else people have accepted the fact that people wear masks.

[stroke]

Well that's just about enough of this snooze fest. But I just noticed that they have these rather large lounge chairs surrounding the court. Huge chairs. What do they call those types of chairs? There's a word for them. Never mind. I notice that one guy has his dog with him. The bandana around the dog's neck matches the mask the guy is wearing. It always looks strange to me to see lots of people wearing masks. Here in Sweden nobody wears masks. Very few at any rate. If I go to town and see a thousand people maybe two will be wearing masks. I notice that many people make a statement with their masks. A fashion statement. A political statement. I guess Swedish people are making a statement by not wearing one. It's not necessary. It isn't productive. Can you imagine? Hard to imagine isn't it? It looks strange to me that people are wearing masks. Isn't that odd? Everywhere else people have accepted the fact that people wear masks.

I am not a fan of the masks. In fact, I find wearing them stupid. But I am forced to wear one occasionally in a grocery store or something. But I do wish the "house band" had worn masks.

[stroke]

Alex played about the best match I have ever seen him play in absolutely routineing Diego today in the finals Cologne.

[don_budge]

I am not a fan of the masks. In fact, I find wearing them stupid. But I am forced to wear one occasionally in a grocery store or something. But I do wish the "house band" had worn masks.

The way the information has been disseminated during the course of this "scamdemic" suggest mass manipulation for ulterior motives. To provoke fear. Chaos. It is like the riots of BLM and Antifa...designed to disrupt and to wage war on the minds of ordinary people. To influence an election. All of it. The mainstream media is the singular most deadly Weapon of Mass Deception (WMD). Nothing has been clear from day one. No clear statistical analysis done that doesn't serve the purpose or the agenda. Nobody in Sweden wears masks. Nobody in Sweden wears masks. No lockdowns. No lockdowns. Major Tom to Ground Control...come in. Do you copy? Do you read me?

Good job stroke on the threads but please keep the posts appropriate to the thread. It offends my sense of organisation...and you know what happens when my sense of organisation is befuddled. It makes me very, very touchy. Great job on the threads though. When Roger comes back allow me to once again post the initial post to kick it off. I have had so much fun through the years writing these threads...the whole forum has been a playground. It's interesting to watch some of the kids playing. They get so angry. Temper tantrums. bottle did his best to disrupt. To takedown this forum when he didn't get his way. He left in a huff. Off to write the next great American novel. Took his ball and went home. He had Trump Derangement Syndrome. Just wait for the next election results. What kind of meltdown can we expect if he wins again? Too bad hockeyscout didn't start another election thread. Just think of all the fun we could have had with the Hunter Biden scandal. If Biden can pull this off with all of that baggage...I'm moving to another country. Oh wait...I already did that.

These first rounders are just portends of things to come. Basic foreplay. But there are some matches that are looming that will deserve some commentary should they materialise. Let's try and hang in there and not get lulled to sleep. Snoozers. Snoozers. Snoozers all around.

[stroke]

I agree, the tournament threads are much more effective. I tried to see how muddling things a bit would work out, but I much prefer our old way. I actually prefer you db to start the threads, as your writings are simply way more descriptive and entertaining than mine. As ol Bottle, no doubt temper tantrum, he just lost it as other folks(beside me) on our forum tired of him. And I feel very strongly it was not a Bobby Fischer situation ha. I remember one time when one long gone poster called him out for his Straw Man argument tendencies, which was so spot on. He absolutely lost it.

On a side note, my wife and I have mused about what will happen if Trump wins again. I do not think the WMD media, Antifa, and BLM(and their sheep) can cope with it. Oddsmakers have Biden at a 69.2% of winning the election, but we all know they are just looking to win our money, which they are very savvy at.

[don_budge]

I am not a fan of the masks. In fact, I find wearing them stupid. But I am forced to wear one occasionally in a grocery store or something. But I do wish the "house band" had worn masks.

The misinformation has been staggering...even by fake news standards.

"As the Centre for Disease Control state, the survival rate estimates for people aged 0-19 years for COVID19 is 99.997%, 20-49 years is 99.98%, 50-69 years 99.5%, and 70 years+ 94.6% respectively. And now we have a casedemic where the rates of false positives (89%-94% of positives potentially false) and the PCR test does not even test for COVID19 (See ACU, 2020). Of course, the politicians ignore the fact that the PCR test was never intended to be a diagnostic instrument to be used to inform public health policy, never mind mandate it."

https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/cult-brave-new-normal

[stroke]

The Goblin looked very strong 1st round. He just seems to love to compete and has the game to do so. Monfils, not so much.

[stroke]

Austrian wc Rodionov takes out Denis 1st round and looked good doing it. Denis' tendency for just too many unforced errors on display.

[don_budge]

Australian wc Rodionov takes out Denis 1st round and looked good doing it. Denis' tendency for just too many unforced errors on display.

In all of sports it is a combination of defence and offence that wins. Championship teams often are cited for their exemplary defence. Tennis is much the same. Some of the time a player is able to press the issue and be on the offensive. Some of the time a player is playing to the whim of his opponent and is forced to play defence to stay in a given point, game or set. A match even. Much of the game is about how to turn the tables on an opponent when he has the upper hand and forcing him on the defensive. It is a supreme tactical puzzle and Denis "The Menace" Shapovolav seems to have missed the point. He must have missed school that day. Here is a guy who seems to try and pound his way out of any given situation and as you say he inevitably makes a lot of unforced errors. When a player like Denis is on he is extremely difficult to beat. But if he is playing a guy like Novak Djokovic for instance he is going to have a tough time. Novak withstands the onslaught of the best of them and quickly turns the table. Same with Rafael Nadal. Both are capable of playing incredible defence when it is necessary and they aren't ashamed to do it.

Denis acts like he is almost ashamed to grind it out. Any player that thinks they are going to have that low percentage game of slugging it out day in and day out is in for a rude awakening. It is not sustainable. The great Roger Federer is the master of this in my opinion as he seamlessly morphs from defence on the backhand side to all out aggression on the forehand. But defence is the key to championships and it is no different when it comes to tennis. Denis seems to lack the mental clarity to know exactly when to press the issue and when to merely play with defence in mind to turn the table. Denis is potentially capable of beating the worlds best but equally capable of losing to somebody who is lesser ranked.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/sweden-refuses-impose-new-lockdown-measures-saying-people-have-suffered-enough

The same is true in life. For instance it is advisable when to have aggressive policies to fight a "scamdemic" and when to play cautious and defensive. Sweden has seemingly chosen a correct balance.

[don_budge]

Daniel Evans versus Denis Shapovalov would have made an interesting match up on paper. Evans is a player who understands tactics as well as just about any player. He doesn't have the biggest weapons on the court so he has the mental wherewithal to drag down the more heavily armed opponents to his level where he uses his ammo judiciously. So if Evans manages to get by his first round it will be interesting to see how he handles the player who is ranked #153 who defeated the #12 ranked "Denis the Menace". If Evans loses...it is just another snooze fest.

[stroke]

I do think Denis has made a good move with Youzney as his coach. Youzney certainly knew how to play defense, and all aspects of tennis for that matter. Maybe he will get through to Denis, who knows. But currently, Denis has only one speed as you say.

[stroke]

Grigor really looked good in 1st set 8-6 tiebreaker over Khachanov. Of course, looking good out there is not really an issue for Grigor.

[stroke]

Interesting matches today, Tsitsipas vs Struff, Novak vs Coric, and Sinner vs Ruud. Novak looked a bit out of sorts yesterday's 1st round win. He may still be dealing with the after effects of the Nadal FO beatdown. We will see. Coric is a tough out and playing well. This field is very strong for a 500 tournament.