Adelaide ATP 250

[stroke]

Novak top seed. Medvedev and Sinner also in draw. FAA, Rublev, and Rune go out in first round.

[stroke]

There have been some great matches thus far in this tournament. No big surprises since 1st round. Final 8, Novak vs Denis, Khachanov vs Med, Sinner vs Korda, Nishioka vs Popyrin.

[stroke]

Novak vs Korda in the final. Korda playing great, we will see if he can make a go at it. At the United Cup, 2 great matches on tap, Berenttini vs Fritz and Tiafoe vs Musetti. Fritz in particular looking great and ready to make a real run at AO maybe. Fritz has all the tools except volley skills. His forehand and backhand as good as anyone's, his serve, 1st and 2nd combined, is to me certainly top 5 or 6 out there at least.

[stroke]

Quite the final Novak over Korda. Korda won 1st set in tiebreaker(Novak lost his temper after losing 1st set and rudely screamed at his brother in his box and threw him out of the box, not a good look). Novak won the 2nd set in tiebreaker. Novak gets a service break, the only break of the match, to win 3rd set with Korda serving at 4-5. Korda certainly looks to be a player that should be in top 10 very soon. He really has a nice easy power game.

[stotty]

I didn't see any matches but wish I had. The final sounded like a great match. It bodes well for Novak who seems to be stamping his supremacy in the run up to the AO. Amazing how he squeezes through so many matches like that one against Korda. He's so good at edging players out.

[jimlosaltos]

I didn't see any matches but wish I had. The final sounded like a great match. It bodes well for Novak who seems to be stamping his supremacy in the run up to the AO. Amazing how he squeezes through so many matches like that one against Korda. He's so good at edging players out.

Per a journal/ Bastien Fachan - this is truly astonishing.

Djokovic's 48th MATCH POINT SAVED

05 Garcia-Lopez (6)
07 Chela (2)
09 Serra (5)
09 Stepanek (3)
10 Kohlschreiber (3)
10 Federer (2)
11 Federer (2)
11 Berdych (1)
12 Tsonga (4)
12 Murray (5)
15 Gulbis (2)
17 Verdasco (5)
19 Del Potro (2)
19 Federer (2)
20 Monfils (3)
23 Korda (1)
(https://twitter.com/BastienFachan/st...t9lIWWePQ&s=03)

[jimlosaltos]

On the other hand, for those more into the drama and personality of players, Novak is apparently in mid-season grouch form.

Screamed and pointed repeatedly at this own box, kicking them out after losing the first set. Then after he won the second he took a llloooooonnggggg break. So, the gamesmanship is also on full display. This after Novak mystery injury serving out the semi vs Medvedev, which led to Medy mocking Novak with an imitation of the "glute?" injury. <g>.

Never a dull moment.

Novak #Djokovic yelling to his box in Italian to get out after the first set loss against Korda. Looks like his agents and brother Marko left promptly.

:@sportklub https://t.co/py6d21p1Ir
(https://twitter.com/luksie1/status/1...Ci5gC5Hvg&s=03)

[stotty]

Per a journal/ Bastien Fachan - this is truly astonishing.

Djokovic's 48th MATCH POINT SAVED

05 Garcia-Lopez (6)
07 Chela (2)
09 Serra (5)
09 Stepanek (3)
10 Kohlschreiber (3)
10 Federer (2)
11 Federer (2)
11 Berdych (1)
12 Tsonga (4)
12 Murray (5)
15 Gulbis (2)
17 Verdasco (5)
19 Del Potro (2)
19 Federer (2)
20 Monfils (3)
23 Korda (1)
(https://twitter.com/BastienFachan/st...t9lIWWePQ&s=03)

That's pretty good going. Has any other player matched that?

[doctorhl]

On the other hand, for those more into the drama and personality of players, Novak is apparently in mid-season grouch form.

Screamed and pointed repeatedly at this own box, kicking them out after losing the first set. Then after he won the second he took a llloooooonnggggg break. So, the gamesmanship is also on full display. This after Novak mystery injury serving out the semi vs Medvedev, which led to Medy mocking Novak with an imitation of the "glute?" injury. <g>.

Never a dull moment.

Novak #Djokovic yelling to his box in Italian to get out after the first set loss against Korda. Looks like his agents and brother Marko left promptly.

:@sportklub https://t.co/py6d21p1Ir
(https://twitter.com/luksie1/status/1...Ci5gC5Hvg&s=03)

Jim, you get to observe tennis audiences all over the world. Does this type of behavior elevate or deprecate us in the long run? Or perhaps there is a tendency to overstate the impact of players playing a sport and they just are representative of evolving fan culture?

[stroke]

That's pretty good going. Has any other player matched that?

Talking about a tough out, 48 match points saved. Unbelievable. And speaking of being a tough out, never on display as much in that epic 2019 Wimbledon Final, with the Federer/Davis Cup rubber match atmosphere. To me, the most impressive win of his mind boggling career.

[jimlosaltos]

Talking about a tough out, 48 match points saved. Unbelievable. And speaking of being a tough out, never on display as much in that epic 2019 Wimbledon Final, with the Federer/Davis Cup rubber match atmosphere. To me, the most impressive win of his mind boggling career.

Indeed. Incredible victory. So much at stake. Ability to make the key shot vs match point is astonishing.

On the other hand, as a Fed fan, I must point out that Fed winning Wimbledon at that age, in today's era, after major knee surgery would have been historic. Just sayin' that was far from Peak Fed that outplayed Novak for most of the match.

[jimlosaltos]

Jim, you get to observe tennis audiences all over the world. Does this type of behavior elevate or deprecate us in the long run? Or perhaps there is a tendency to overstate the impact of players playing a sport and they just are representative of evolving fan culture?

Chicken or egg? Novak certainly reflects a culture, both fan & regional. Witness how a subset of Serbian 'Bros that show up at AO act more like soccer hooligans than tennis fans. Personally, I like tennis because it is different than other sports, and see importing hostility and venom from other sports as a negative. Fans of Connors, McEnroe, Kyrgios and Djokovic might disagree with that.

Note that AO Tournament Director Craig Tilley has said he will eject fans that boo Djokovic.

Yet, he's never (rarely, perhaps?) ejected Serbian fans that boo & deliberately distract Djokovic's opponents. Doubt he will this time.

I believe belittling & despersonalizing others - officials, opponents, ball people, fans -- drags us all down. Not a big fan of jingoism in sports, either.

But that's a value judgment. Can it fills seats and make money? I guess.

[don_budge]

So happy to see Richard Gasquet prevail down under against the Brit. Norrie. Gasquet was raked over the coals after he lost to a stellar performance by the great Roger Federer at Wimbledon a few years ago. The forum posters had a field day roasting Gasquet. I was alone in standing up for the obvious...Gasquet has had a wonderful career by any standards and it was no shame to lose to Roger under the circumstances. Under any circumstances. A remarkable performance by the French "Cocaine Lips" Gasquet. What a wonderful one handed backhand he possesses.

[stroke]

I have always loved Gasquet's game. He just had terrible luck having to deal with the big 3 in their prime his whole career. He just could not get past them and he played them so many times as he progressed in draws as they were always there. I watched that win vs Norrie. He really gutted it out in that highly contested 3rd set, and his beautiful backhand lethalness was on full display. His backhand has always been the most lethal to me of all the one handers, even better than Stan's to me. And he has always had a great all court game. His forehand has been a bit of a weakness at his level, but it certainly was not vs Norrie. I don't remember if I was disparaging about Gasquet in that old thread you mentioned, but if I was, I should not have been. Losing to Roger in full flight at Wimbledon can happen real quick, and Gasquet, with his scar tissue vs the big 3, well, that is just a terrible situation for Gasquet. I have a feeling if Gasquet was starting his career now, he would be competing for and probably winning at least a couple of Majors.

[don_budge]

I have always loved Gasquet's game. He just had terrible luck having to deal with the big 3 in their prime his whole career. He just could not get past them and he played them so many times as he progressed in draws as they were always there. I watched that win vs Norrie. He really gutted in out in that highly contested 3rd set, and his beautiful backhand leathulness was on full display. His backhand has always been the most lethal to me of all the one handers, even better than Stan's to me. And he has always had a great all court game. His forehand has been a bit of a weakness at his level, but it certainly was not vs Norrie. I don't remember if I was disparaging about Gasquet in that old thread you mentioned, but if I was, I should not have been. Losing to Roger in full flight at Wimbledon can happen real quick, and Gasquet, with his scar tissue vs the big 3, well, that is just a terrible situation for Gasquet.

Well played stroke. It is no shame to lose to the "Big 3" or the "Big 4" or to any "Big". This guy really showed me something here. He has been hanging in there a long, long time. A lot of guys have come and gone. He is still out there pitching. Wonderful to see. I wonder what he could possilby have left in the tank for the Australian Open. Not a whole lot I would guess. Three out of five is a different ask. But I give him a shot out of a profound respect for a guy who brought it back from the abyss. The drug suspension for kissing some Nicaraguan Babe in a bikini down in MiamI or the Keys where he was drinking Gumba Smashes who had cocaine on her lips. Imagine that? Sounds like me in a former life.