2018 Australian Open, Melbourne - ATP GRAND SLAM

[Denis]

That was big time from Grigor. I'm very impressed. That was champions tennis right there

What he did at 5-3 was inexcusable though. Kyrgios was on s major meltdown and he gave the brake back with 4 errors or so.

 

[Federberg]

What he did at 5-3 was inexcusable though. Kyrgios was on s major meltdown and he gave the brake back with 4 errors or so.

meh... sometimes you have a brain fart and lose concentration. The fact that he locked back in and forgot about it is very impressive to me. I've seen Federer get broken like that before. It happens

 

[Front242]

never heard this before. Can you post a link?

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/mcenroe-i-was-given-steroids-but-did-not-know-5544615.html

"For six years I was unaware I was being given a form of steroid of the legal kind they used to give horses until they decided it was too strong even for horses." McEnroe did not reveal who gave him the steroids or for what reason.
McEnroe was implicated in a doping scandal two years ago when his former wife, Tatum O'Neil, claimed the former No 1 had used steroids late in his career. McEnroe later called O'Neil's statements "ridiculous."

Drug testing in tennis started in the late 1980s, conducted by the Men's International Professional Tennis Council. The testing at that time was for recreational drugs only and not for those that were considered performance-enhancing.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...abolic-steroids-recreational-drugs-prednisone

"Let me be clear," McEnroe told the site. "They were anti-inflammatories."

McEnroe, who announced this week that he will be hosting a prime-time one-hour show that debuts next spring on CNBC, said he was given two drugs--Butazolidin and prednisone--for six years. Butazolidin is a nonsteriodal inflammatory drug, while prednisone is a corticosteroid.

"Years later, after I had stomach ulcer issues, I found out that Butazolidin was no longer being prescribed to horses because it was too strong," he told the site.

McEnroe, who retired in 1991, spent the majority of his career untested for performance-enhancing drugs as the tennis anti-doping program did not begin those types of tests until the ATP Tour was formed in 1990. Before then, the focus was only on recreational drugs.

 

[Moxie]

What he did at 5-3 was inexcusable though. Kyrgios was on s major meltdown and he gave the brake back with 4 errors or so.

He made errors, but if you've been watching Kyrios at all, I don't think this can be called anything like a meltdown. The better player was Dimitrov, just simple as that.

 

[I.Haychew]

For me, McEnroe wasn't a spoiled brat. He was arrogant and ill-behaved, I'll give you that. He used that kind of thing to his advantage though. A "spoiled brat" is Tomic.

Both were/are arrogant and ill-behaved. What makes one, and not the other, a spoiled brat. I'm not sure of each guy's upbringing, but I am under the assumption that both come from fairly "well-to-do" families. What makes one more of a spoiled brat than the other? Tennis resume? It's a genuine question. I want to be informed.

 

[britbox]

Match of the tournament so far....

 

[Federberg]

Match of the tournament so far....

no question..

 

[I.Haychew]

The way you disapproved of Nick's behaviour, I would have been surprised if you were a Mac fan over someone like Lendl

Misunderstood at first. Now understood.

 

[britbox]

Both were/are arrogant and ill-behaved. What makes one, and not the other, a spoiled brat. I'm not sure of each guy's upbringing, but I am under the assumption that both come from fairly "well-to-do" families. What makes one more of a spoiled brat than the other? Tennis resume? It's a genuine question. I want to be informed.

I don't think Kyrgios is arrogant at heart. Petulant maybe, but not arrogant and he has a lot of redeeming features.

 

[Moxie]

Both were/are arrogant and ill-behaved. What makes one, and not the other, a spoiled brat. I'm not sure of each guy's upbringing, but I am under the assumption that both come from fairly "well-to-do" families. What makes one more of a spoiled brat than the other? Tennis resume? It's a genuine question. I want to be informed.

I'm pretty sure both came from middle-upper-middle class families. I think we define "spoiled brat" differently. To my way of thinking, that is a person who thinks himself entitled to what he has, and inclined to complain when it doesn't all come easily. That, to me, is Tomic. John McEnroe, by contrast, worked hard at his tennis. I don't think he expected anything, especially. But on-court, he gave umpires and the crowd a hard time. He was sharp-elbowing his way into the top of tennis. It was brash and rude. He's a New Yorker. Around here we wouldn't call him a "spoiled brat." We'd call him an "asshole," and I don't think he'd dispute that he was, in his playing days, though I do think he's soften with age into merely "opinionated."

 

[Federberg]

I'm pretty sure both came from middle-upper-middle class families. I think we define "spoiled brat" differently. To my way of thinking, that is a person who thinks himself entitled to what he has, and inclined to complain when it doesn't all come easily. That, to me, is Tomic. John McEnroe, by contrast, worked hard at his tennis. I don't think he expected anything, especially. But on-court, he gave umpires and the crowd a hard time. He was sharp-elbowing his way into the top of tennis. It was brash and rude. He's a New Yorker. Around here we wouldn't call him a "spoiled brat." We'd call him an "asshole," and I don't think he'd dispute that he was, in his playing days, and can still be, now.

completely agree

 

[Moxie]

Match of the tournament so far....

On the men's side. Halep-Davis on the women's side, or the Wozniaki comeback, too.

 

[I.Haychew]

I don't think Kyrgios is arrogant at heart. Petulant maybe, but not arrogant and he has a lot of redeeming features.

I don't know what's in any of these guys' hearts. I just happen to be repulsed by some of their on-court behavior...Murray, Kyrgios, others, and even Fognini, who happens to be one of my favorites. I really can't explain my F3 fandom, because his on-court attitude and demeanor is pretty well everything I hate. All I can figure is that he's some type of Sith Lord and I've been seduced by the Dark Side.

 

[Horsa]

For me, McEnroe wasn't a spoiled brat. He was arrogant and ill-behaved, I'll give you that. He used that kind of thing to his advantage though. A "spoiled brat" is Tomic.

McEnroe's arguments against authority made his matches more entertaining though with his throwing tennis racquets about & shouting "that wasn't out. It was in". It could have been a bad influence on other people though because if people see other's throwing tantrums & it's seen as o.k. they'll think if they can do it & get away with it, I can. It's not right, I know but that's the message it sends out.

 

[Federberg]

McEnroe's arguments against authority made his matches more entertaining though with his throwing tennis racquets about & shouting "that wasn't out. It was in". It could have been a bad influence on other people though because if people see other's throwing tantrums & it's seen as o.k. they'll think if they can do it & get away with it, I can. It's not right, I know but that's the message it sends out.

Well... I was in my teens when Mac was playing. It didn't encourage me to start throwing my racquet around. I don't worry about such things. I think that people are far less influenced by the actions of others than is claimed to be honest

 

[Horsa]

Agreed. There was a lot of gamesmanship with all Mac's drama. A lot of players were put off balance by it. I remember Connors telling him to behave himself in a match once. It was the perfect response

I actually enjoyed watching his tantrums. It made the matches more interesting in my opinion. It did, however set a bad example to others & it under-mined authority which is the wrong thing to do. Authority is there for a reason. We need to respect it.

 

[I.Haychew]

I'm pretty sure both came from middle-upper-middle class families. I think we define "spoiled brat" differently. To my way of thinking, that is a person who thinks himself entitled to what he has, and inclined to complain when it doesn't all come easily. That, to me, is Tomic. John McEnroe, by contrast, worked hard at his tennis. I don't think he expected anything, especially. But on-court, he gave umpires and the crowd a hard time. He was sharp-elbowing his way into the top of tennis. It was brash and rude. He's a New Yorker. Around here we wouldn't call him a "spoiled brat." We'd call him an "asshole," and I don't think he'd dispute that he was, in his playing days, though I do think he's soften with age into merely "opinionated."

Not being a New Yorker or an Australian, I am willing to accept that: McEnroe is/was an asshole and Tomic is a spoiled brat.

 

[Moxie]

McEnroe's arguments against authority made his matches more entertaining though with his throwing tennis racquets about & shouting "that wasn't out. It was in". It could have been a bad influence on other people though because if people see other's throwing tantrums & it's seen as o.k. they'll think if they can do it & get away with it, I can. It's not right, I know but that's the message it sends out.

I know. McEnroe's famous "chalk flew up!" I can't help it. I love John McEnroe. One thing I will say: if anyone things they should take his lead, they are mostly wrong. McEnroe was able to convert negative energy into power. Most players just waste their own time and energy with it. (See: Safin, Marat; Murray, Andy; Kyrgios, Nick.)

 

[Horsa]

Well... I was in my teens when Mac was playing. It didn't encourage me to start throwing my racquet around. I don't worry about such things. I think that people are far less influenced by the actions of others than is claimed to be honest

Me too. It didn't encourage me to start throwing my tennis racquet around either because it was against my principles & I was too mature for that. I knew it was wrong so didn't do it. I don't worry about things like that either. Some people are influenced a lot by other people, others aren't so much. My point is that for the people who are easily influenced by it, it does set a bad example. For people who know it's wrong so don't do it, it doesn't influence them at all. For people who'll do anything to get their own way, it's tempting.

 

[Moxie]

I don't know what's in any of these guys' hearts. I just happen to be repulsed by some of their on-court behavior...Murray, Kyrgios, others, and even Fognini, who happens to be one of my favorites. I really can't explain my F3 fandom, because his on-court attitude and demeanor is pretty well everything I hate. All I can figure is that he's some type of Sith Lord and I've been seduced by the Dark Side.

At least you admit the inconsistency. We can't always account for our own taste. But Fognini's tennis, when on, is beautiful, and his bad behavior falls into it's own category: he can swing wildly between "I don't care" nonchalance and operatic tragedy. He's a one-off, I'll give him that.