So the women's semi-finals have been postponed today (I assume weather). So tomorrow is a big day, starts at 9am MST with Halep and Pennetta. The men's semis will now only start at 3pm MST the earliest.
__________________
"Think I'm gonna be the scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Sheeee......."
I haven't followed tennis closely for about 15 years now. In fact the Anderson-Murray match was the first one I watched from start to finish probably since Navratilova time...
Anyhow, I was wondering if you aficionados could enlightened me - have there been stories circulating about Serena and HGH/steroids? She looks like she has been to Barry's doctor and I swear she has a 5 o'clock shadow going. Or am I just blinded by visceral dislike?
like every other sport, there's always rumors of certain athletes indulging in extra-curriculars. Serena and Rafa in particular are the obvious targets because of their clearly visible muscle mass advantage over their peers. what has added fuel to conspiracy theorists is both of them have spent long periods off the tour with vague injuries (e.g. one time Serena missed like half a year with what was originally described as a foot cut from broken glass), and some have interpreted these as silent drug suspensions.
officially though, none of the major stars have ever been caught (aside from Agassi and his dealings with Walter White). the ones actually getting punished for chemical enhancement are typically lower ranked players you'd never miss anyways. whether the testing program in professional tennis is adequate is another debate entirely, but at various points you will hear them complain about testers showing up unexpectedly and interfering with their routines, so at least some level of validation is happening.
one thing I briefly mentioned before is how Federer's unprecedented turnaround at a very advanced age (imagine Jagr suddenly contending for the Art Ross again) might be something that would attract a suspicious eye, if he weren't considered a living tennis deity. it helps that he's really skinny but I would not be surprised if there were some detractors who believe it's more than just a new racquet and a few lost pounds.
I sometimes can't believe she hasn't been taking anything. She is built like a tank.
But then again, she hasn't been suspended or expelled so yeah.
Of course though, she is the star of women's tennis so maybe the authorities turn a blind eye? Who knows, but I doubt that. She's just good ol fashioned fit.
I find it curious that if anyone even slightly brings up the possibility that Serena uses PEDs they get labelled racist or sexist. Personally I don't know how anyone can look at her and not at least entertain the possibility she's done something. Especially when physically speaking she appears to be peaking right now, which is obviously unusual for an athlete. Tennis having an awful testing system doesn't help matters
__________________
"Think I'm gonna be the scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Sheeee......."
I find it curious that if anyone even slightly brings up the possibility that Serena uses PEDs they get labelled racist or sexist. Personally I don't know how anyone can look at her and not at least entertain the possibility she's done something. Especially when physically speaking she appears to be peaking right now, which is obviously unusual for an athlete. Tennis having an awful testing system doesn't help matters
The classic social justice warrior will always complain. Remember how non-football fans got indignant Michael Sam went in the 7th round, thinking all the big bad bigot GMs passed over a superstar? Then he goes and plays one professional game in Canada before quitting.
Of course there are racists and sexists out there, but people who are actual sports fans don't have time for that superfluous crap. I don't at least.
one thing I briefly mentioned before is how Federer's unprecedented turnaround at a very advanced age (imagine Jagr suddenly contending for the Art Ross again) might be something that would attract a suspicious eye, if he weren't considered a living tennis deity. it helps that he's really skinny but I would not be surprised if there were some detractors who believe it's more than just a new racquet and a few lost pounds.
I have to disagree with that.
Federer never really dropped off the map. He never even fell out of the top 8 and that was only for a couple of seasons, which happened to also coincide with his daughters being born. I doubt that is a coincidence. It would be more like if Jagr had consistently competed for the Art Ross and then had kids and had his production regress slightly for a couple seasons but still maintained top 10 status in the league and then managed to pick it up again and invent a new type of wrist shot in the process! Roger is a pimp.
Tennis is also a lot different than most sports. If you're as good as Federer was at his peak (GOAT), your body doesn't take much of a beating compared to some other players who have to try harder. This is two fold in that not only is his body holding up well, but his rivals who had to fight for every point to be at his level are now starting to falter as they get older, which in turn reduces the competition for Roger. It's no coincidence that the only younger guy who is at that Roger/Rafa level is absolutely dominant right now.
What I would agree might suspicious is if Federer found another gear and some how started dominating Novak, who is firmly in his prime right now and even then, he would still probably be playing worse than he did in his prime. Lets not forget how incredible he was.
So those $1,500 tickets to the womens final tomorrow scalpers were looking for? Yeah that just went down to $15. Amazing win for Vinci, unfortunately she'll never get any credit for it from ESPN and crew.
__________________
"Think I'm gonna be the scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Sheeee......."
