Early US Open Preview

scoop

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Escobedo suddenly back from the couple month slump. Tiafoe is in need of a decent winning streak too. He needs this win.
 

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jg writes:

Tiafoe no Tommy Paul, at least not this week, he does need a decent run, at least win 2 rounds, Winston Salem may be his best hope.
 

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Duke Carnoustie writes:

Scoop, I agree 100 percent that whiners need to toughen up. But then why defend an excuse-making whiner like Medvedev? Anyway onto your other point about Kyrgios relating to fans. I think it's great and like you said, he doesn't need the media to connect to his fans. It would be great to see him win with his attitude since Fed and Nadal - while obviously all-tie greats - have only helped to make the sport look more elitist and just not fun. Tennis needs to be fun to appeal to the masses and Kyrgios is trying to make it fun for himself. It looks like these guys are enduring an ordeal to play these matches too often. I watch baseball and they do balloon animals in the dugout and wear crazy outfits off the field. One player, Chris Archer, had a hilarious "feud" with a mascot. When is tennis fun like this?
 

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Chazz writes:

Escobedo, like Paul and some other young players, hits a hard clean ball from the baseline. From watching Tiafoe lately, he doesn't seem to have the urgency that he had earlier in the year. That was a really poor 3rd set. Hope he regains the fire.
 

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catherine writes:

Bouchard out to Vekic - Genie doesn't seem to have benefitted from hitting with Agassi recently. Vekic v Kerber - Angie's first match and she can't afford a slow start or could be a fast exit. Donna has improved quite a bit this year. Stan's influence ?
 

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Duke Carnoustie writes:

Scoop, I agree 100 percent that whiners need to toughen up. But then why defend an excuse-making whiner like Medvedev? Anyway onto your other point about Kyrgios relating to fans. I think it's great and like you said, he doesn't need the media to connect to his fans. It would be great to see him win with his attitude since Fed and Nadal - while obviously all-tie greats - have only helped to make the sport look more elitist and just not fun. Tennis needs to be fun to appeal to the masses and Kyrgios is trying to make it fun for himself. It looks like these guys are enduring an ordeal to play these matches too often. I watch baseball and they do balloon animals in the dugout and wear crazy outfits off the field. One player, Chris Archer, had a hilarious "feud" with a mascot. When is tennis fun like this?

I'm sorry, I must be missing something - how did Federer and Nadal make tennis "look more elitist" by being polite, courteous, respectful, gracious, PROFESSIONAL and kind off court while trying to rip each other's heads off on the court? Murray and Djokovic, too, for that matter? Being an asshat because you're a petulant, whiny little child DOES NOT equate to being "fun" or "entertaining" regardless of how much potential he has. If Kyrgios's game can't do his talking for him, then he needs to STHU. But, I'm old school. Walk your talk or just plain walk.

As a fan I'm not spending my hard-earned money to watch spoiled brats whining about how the people who are paying their salaries by buying tickets aren't being "fair" to them or that the media doesn't treat them the same as a 19-20 year veteran who's the all-time greatest tennis player. Sorry, but it's time for Kyrgios and his fellow petulant Aussie Tomic and equally snot-nosed Daniil Medvedev to GTHU, put on their big boy pants and act like adults with a shred of common sense and decency. They're 21-24 MEN not - 11-14 year-old BOYS. If they're not going to grow up and man up - then go work in the real world at a regular job for 6 months and see how they like that. Kyrgios (et. al.) are as privileged and "elitist" as you say Federer and Nadal are - maybe more so. At least Federer and Nadal have EARNED the right to be elitist. What has Kyrgios ever done except be a whinebag and a complainer? And not even a "fun" one at that. At least John McEnroe's brat antics were entertaining up to a point. Nobody can say that about Kyrgios with a straight face.
 
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Duke Carnoustie writes:

We may be too old to appreciate Kyrgios since kids love playing him in tennis, Pokemon and video games and he loves the NBA too which relates to the younger generation. Scoop is right that tennis needs to freshen up with new personalities.
 

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Duke Carnoustie writes:

Ask yourself which pro tennis players are actually having fun and see what your answer is. If tennis isn't fun, how can we expect younger kids to play it?
 

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catherine writes:

Duke Why does everything have to be 'fun'? Doing anything at a high level of skill isn't always 'fun' - either to practise or watch. Doesn't mean it's not entertaining. Just that to reach the top level and stay there, in tennis or any worthwhile activity, requires hard work and dedication, not always qualities associated with 'fun', and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.
 
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Andrew Miller writes:

Scoop, Catherine, it was all good. Rios' mastery of the sport while hitting was more than enough for me. He's a prickly player or was one. I saw it as this is part of the player, you can be a cheerful player and play great, or a prickly player and play great. As a fan the only thing I expect is effort. If a player isn't trying I prefer to switch courts asap. If they are pushing it out there I'm going to root for them.
 

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Andrew Miller writes:

I'd argue Federer is rare. He gets that fans exist. He also loves the game inside out.
 

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Andrew Miller writes:

Nadal too. His love is more for the competition than the sport necessarily. But it is real.
 

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Chazz writes:

Jared Donaldson and Cici Bellis are two youngsters playing really good tennis and will keep moving up the rankings if they play like this.
 

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Andrew Miller writes:

Not much time on summer tennis clock! I'm sure all these guys want to win a few rds at us open.
 

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Andrew Miller writes:

Was I whining or complaining? Scoop, I don't think I did that at all. Rios may be a private person for all I know, and like Catherine said none of us are all that important to players. I'll say it again, the most I expect from a player is to show effort during a match. One reason I go after Coric. Some players couldn't stand Muster. But did anyone work harder during a match?
 

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Andrew Miller writes:

Wta side, more head scratchers. Kudos to Makarova who won the dc tournament and won her early round in Canada. Not so for her opponents. Coco bottoms out to Radwanska. Cirstea falls. Maybe a lot of players writing it off.
 

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Andrew Miller writes:

ATP side how about Sock? Last week be did no favors for himself complaining about court speed, and inviting everyone to stick the fork in Sock. Yet here he is with Donaldson winning early in Montreal with Querrey too, no doubt exhausted from the Mexico tournament. Maybe that's what Scoop was getting at. Sock was whining and complaining about last week's court, but it's as if last week never happened and here he is winning his early round. Nice showing from Shapovalov too. Donaldson isn't flashy but the kid has paid attention to the physio, he is handling the rigors of the tour from tournament to tournament.
 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Andrew, No you didn't whine at all. You took the Rios blow off like a man and carried on and accepted that's just his unique eccentric character. He brushed off my Biofile interview requests similarly back in the late 90s. I didn't lose any respect for him or his game, just accepted it.
 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Think we need to give Medvedev the benefit of the doubt. Maybe just maybe he was getting hooked. I don't think he would fabricate that twice. If he did, shame on him. But it's possible he was getting hooked and he stood up and made his statement. I admire anyone who stands up to corruption and or injustice. Let's keep an eye on Medvedev to see if the pattern continues. We didn't see the two matches in question so we have to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.
 

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Andrew Miller writes:

Scoop, Rios, one of few to hit a ball like few others in history. I was lucky to see it!