2024 Tennis Thread

[dash_pinched]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1800925471473029309

[dash_pinched]

Shapo loses to Berrettini in straight sets in Stuttgart - I didn't see the entire match, but from what I did see Denis played okay. Matteo was having a excellent serving day and the forehand was working as well.

[Nadal Fan]

Rafa pulls out of Wimbledon and will likely never play it again. I've had such a love/hate relationship with Nadal on grass but I guess at the end of the day you win the greatest match of all time in the dark at Wimbledon it can't be all bad.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

Shapo loses to Berrettini in straight sets in Stuttgart - I didn't see the entire match, but from what I did see Denis played okay. Matteo was having a excellent serving day and the forehand was working as well.

Shapo simply didn't make enough first serves - his numbers were woeful even for his standards.

All in all, he was right there with a terrific grass player so I am hopeful he will be able to give it a run at Wimbledon if he gets some luck with the draw.

[Hot_Flatus]

Milos is looking okay physically against RBA but some of his returns and groundstrokes are just way off today.

Maybe it's rust but I don't like his body language and execution. He seems to be holding back and not really letting fly with his shots. The match is still there for the taking if he steps up and dictates.

[Hot_Flatus]

And just like that Milos seems to have found some life to break RBA and looks poised to push this to a third set.

[dash_pinched]

Milos breaks just before the 3rd set tie-break to send RBA packing. Great stuff from the big man!!

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

Milos breaks just before the 3rd set tie-break to send RBA packing. Great stuff from the big man!!

The turn-around in that match was something else. He looked tentative and off until halfway through the second set before putting the foot down and dictating the rest of the way.

He'll need to play like that to have a chance against DeMinaur in the QF.

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

The turn-around in that match was something else. He looked tentative and off until halfway through the second set before putting the foot down and dictating the rest of the way.

He'll need to play like that to have a chance against DeMinaur in the QF.

Yeah, De Minaur is going to be very tough. Milos will need to have an excellent serving day and the Aussie will be tough to break, I could see two if not three tie-break sets in their match tomorrow.

[dash_pinched]

It is a cold, rainy day in den Bosch in the Netherlands and Milos and De Minaur are currently under a rain delay on serve in the opening set.

[dash_pinched]

Milos looked like he hit the wall today versus De Minaur, a close first set that the Aussie won 7-5 and then he pulled away in set 2 winning it 6-2. Still good to see Milos playing some pretty good tennis, De Minaur is having a great 2024.

[troutman]

Bianca up 3-2 in third set.

Up 4-2 and serving! 5-2.

[troutman]

Oh oh - 5-5.

[dash_pinched]

Bianca takes out Naomi in a 3rd set tie-break (7-3 was the tie-breaker score). Bianca won 5 straight points from 3-2 down in that tie-break.

[troutman]

Bianca big favorite in SF vs. Galfi.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Now that I'm back home and not running around like a maniac like I was the last week of my trip, my French Open experience...

- It was very different from my Wimbledon experience simply because of when I went. The two days I went to Wimbledon where the two busiest days of the tournament, the first Saturday and Manic Monday. So it was chaotic on the grounds, and very packed. At Roland Garros there were only matches on the grandstands, so there were just way fewer people and it was much easier to navigate. But even still Roland Garros just has a bigger footprint for moving around (for now, Wimbledon expansion is coming), so it'd be easier to get around.

- Paris metro is probably the best transport system I've ever used, so actually getting there was way easier than Wimbledon. I was staying in the Wimbledon area so I was able to just walk there, but getting to my accommodations was not fun. The Paris metro system is so good you can stay almost anywhere in the Paris region and get there in 45 minutes or less. It's about a 10 minute walk to the venue from the closest metro station, about the same as Wimbledon.

- Chatrier was a better viewing experience than Centre Court. Centre Court is too wide, so at the back the seats aren't as good as they would be at Chatrier. Felt like I was more on top of the court, and my tickets were pretty comparable locations for each. And while the French fans are dicks it leads to a much better atmosphere. Although with that in mind, I felt so bad for Paolini and Andreeva, basically two thirds of the crowd weren't even there for the start of their match and at most it was half full. I get that Coco and Iga was the main event, but it's still a SF at a major.

- Now in the fans defense you can't actually bring any alcohol into the court. I had to slam my beer as I tried to get into the court after being told no dice (other drinks are fine). I want to say I was allowed on Centre Court, just the glass had to be plastic (Wimbledon actually gives you real glasses, at least they did when I went). Prices were what you'd expect, a pint was the equivalent of $16 CAD, although they have a recycle program where if you return your glass you get €2.00 back (they were hard plastic). A magnum of Moet was going for about $350 CAD, and I saw more than a few tables around Chatrier with them. Food options were very good, lots of variety.

- This being Paris you can, however, smoke when you are inside the stadium. Not like actually in your seats, but if you just went to the terrace outside the entrance to the seats you can fire up your darts and smoke freely. I would advise that if you don't like smoking maybe just avoid Paris. You can't go too far in Paris without someone burning a heater.

- Holy crap is the main store lineup insane. I wanted to go before the first match, but it was probably a good 45 minutes (at least) to get in. I raced there after the first match ended, and even then it took me 20 minutes to get in. It is absolutely massive though, and they did have 30 cashiers pushing people through. Fun fact: The shop is actually directly underneath courts 2 and 3.

- The FO resale service is great because it's run by the tournament, but you gotta stay on that like a hawk. I was trying to score tickets the the second men's SF, and every time any tickets popped up they were gone within seconds. I was refreshing my phone basically every minute and stuff would pop up, but once you tried to get anything they were gone. I did actually get the chance to buy tickets about two hours before the match, but I didn't really feel like paying €300 to watch the abuser.

Overall I would say I enjoyed it a touch more than Wimbledon, it's just that Wimbledon was getting to see Roger on Centre so it'll always mean more to me. But for the overall cost and experience I would say I preferred the French Open.

[Inglewood Jack]

Thanks for the insights Senator, I’ll go ahead and credit you for the happy ending we all got to enjoy.

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by troutman

Bianca big favorite in SF vs. Galfi.

Bianca wins the opening set 6-4

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

Bianca wins the opening set 6-4

She looks really dominant

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

She looks really dominant

Yeah and her opponent is struggling physically (took a MTO in set 2)