Australian Open

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Just saw a stat on this match I have never seen, "sprints". Thus far it is 40 for Sinner, 21 for Tsitsipas. Both are working very hard out there, but I guess that stat shows Sinner has had to work even harder. Probably the biggest advantage Tsitsipas has over Sinner is net play. Sinner is just not technically good at net play, and it starts with his footwork up there.

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Well that was a really impressive 3rd set by Sinner, showing the level of tennis he is capable of. He really leveled up his game and took it, Tsitsipas did not drop off. Tsitsipas' backhand seems to me to be more effective than ever. I have not seen the winners vs errors stats off that side, but so many times his stats off that side are bad. It does not seem that way tonight.

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Well the Tsitsipas backhand flashing warning signals. Sinner is now definitely getting to it backhand to backhand exchanges.

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On to the 5th set. Sinner just does not get rattled. Oddmakers now have Sinner as slight favorite, with an implied probability of winning at 51%.

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Tsitsipas has hit a purple patch, got a break and up 5-2 in 5th.

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Extraordinary match, great win for Tsitsipas. 2 great tennis players. Tsitsipas rock star mode 5th set.

[jimlosaltos]

Some good bits on Djokovic's injury & Murray's grind in NYT

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/21/sports/tennis/djokovic-murray-australian-open.html?smid=url-share

Excerpts on Djoko:
On Rod Laver Arena, his assassin’s glare has been replaced with the worried look of a man who keeps hearing the same grave diagnosis no matter how many physicians he asks for an opinion.

Djokovic managed his ailments like a guy whose old car has a clutch and choke that needs to be handled just so to get from here to there.

Djokovic has said his leg generally feels fine at the start of the matches, but then a bad move tweaks it and things go downhill from there.

“Pills kick in, some hot cream and stuff, that works for a little bit, then it doesn’t, then works again,” he said. “It’s really a roller coaster, honestly.”

It’s all eerily reminiscent of a moment two years ago, when Djokovic tore an abdominal muscle during his third-round match, then figured out the right combination of rest, painkillers and match management to cruise to his record ninth singles title in Melbourne.


Excerpts on Murray:

Murray, whose rocking pigeon-toed walk has never been pretty, played for nearly 11 hours over 10 sets in his first two matches, the second of which finished after 4 a.m. on Friday. He fell asleep for three hours as the sun was rising, having pulled off a finals week-style all-nighter. Then he returned to Melbourne Park to have seven or eight blisters on his foot drained.

If you have ever watched a friend who has run a marathon try to descend a flight of stairs the next morning, you have a good idea of what Murray looked like during the first set on Friday night, when he lost 6-1 within half an hour. He looked like the Tin Man from “The Wizard of Oz,” his joints desperately in need of oil.

“My legs were actually OK,” Murray said after Bautista Agut had sent him packing in four sets. “I was struggling with my lower back. That was affecting my serve.”

[jimlosaltos]

The Curse of Netflix

Couldn't resist sharing ...

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[don_budge]

The Russian Prevails...

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Great win for Rublev, best he has had in a bit.

[don_budge]

Great win for Rublev, best he has had in a bit.

Yes...and more importantly, he sets the table for Novak "Novax" Djokovic. A dreaded Russian villain and the man who refused to take the dreaded vaccine...a certain hate fest for the Western public. Come to think of it they could hold a "two minutes hate" before the match. I recommend that they do it just before the coin toss.

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

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Novak back to the clinical drama free version tonight, and to say he is routineing the demon would be putting it in best light. Very good win for Paul over the benchmark RBA. And how about Ben Sheldon. A very live arm lefty serve, a big game, and very good defensive skills, a skill set that usually bodes well career wise.

[glacierguy]

Novak back to the clinical drama free version tonight, and to say he is routineing the demon would be putting it in best light. Very good win for Paul over the benchmark RBA. And how about Ben Sheldon. A very live arm lefty serve, a big game, and very good defensive skills, a skill set that usually bodes well career wise.

There was a good interview with Ben Sheldon on Eurosport with Mats Wilander. Mats had played against Ben's dad and uncle. Anyway, Mats mentioned Ben's live arm, and Ben put it down to playing quarterback at football, lots of baseball and generally loving throwing any kind of ball.

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There was a good interview with Ben Sheldon on Eurosport with Mats Wilander. Mats had played against Ben's dad and uncle. Anyway, Mats mentioned Ben's live arm, and Ben put it down to playing quarterback at football, lots of baseball and generally loving throwing any kind of ball.

Yes Ben has a really fast twitch scary motion. His service motion reminds me of Sam Groth, who also had a huge serve.

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Well, after that comprehensive win vs the demon, Novak is the comprehensive favorite vs Rublev, with an implied winning percentage of just over 86%. That is something, and it was certainly something how he made the demon look like a lower level practice partner. The demon is a very good, tough player, who competes for every point. In today's game of such small margains, 4th round of a Major, it is hard to put into words how impressive that was. It is looking like maybe only an in full flight Tsitsipas can really have a chance to beat him.