'21 ATP WTA AO 2/8 - 2/21

[ponchi101]

INTERRUPTION: The posts in which the appearance of Mike Tyson in the P. Moratouglu podcast was being discussed have been moved to TENNIS RANDOM RANDOM.

[ponchi101]

Murray is officially out of the Aussie Open

There goes another spot in the AMitS team.
I though that given his previous success there, he had a good chance to go deep, which would have been good for his recovery.
He has been having very tough luck in the last few years.

[JazzNU]

Anett Kontaveit wrote about how it is for her in hard quarantine. It's worth a read if you are getting annoyed with players and their complaining. This is a positive, make the best of the situation read, while giving details about how she's adjusted given she can't leave her room. She also talks about home and what she did when the tour was on hiatus. It's not super polished, so I think this is her just writing her thoughts, it comes across genuine and likable to me.


https://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/ ... 56w68.html

[Deuce]

Anett Kontaveit wrote about how it is for her in hard quarantine. It's worth a read if you are getting annoyed with players and their complaining. This is a positive, make the best of the situation read, while giving details about how she's adjusted given she can't leave her room. She also talks about home and what she did when the tour was on hiatus. It's not super polished, so I think this is her just writing her thoughts, it comes across genuine and likable to me.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/ ... 56w68.html

^ The piece is as you described - it seems very down to Earth and genuine.

Studying psychology surely helps her to deal with the quarantine, as she can observe herself and others who are in the same circumstance, and see how everyone is dealing with the situation.

[ponchi101]

Plenty of reasons there to get to like Annet more.

[meganfernandez]

New podcast recommendation: Check the Marc, by coach Mark Lucero. He's currently coaching Stevie Johnson, has been with Rogers, Riske, Gibbs, Bouchard... It's just 5 or 6 minutes, and he launched it last week and it has been updates from Australia. He's accessible on Twitter and Instagram, too, and wants questions and feedback. Nice guy and really smart insights.

That's where I heard the WTA has added a third event in the week before the Australian Open begins, and it's just for the women who were in hard quarantine.

I asked if he thought hard quarantine will affect the tennis significantly, or if players will be able to bounce back in a week and then play their way into form (for those who win a couple rounds). He said the tennis, ball striking, etc really won't be any different. He's mostly worried about injuries, and in particular the serving shoulder. He said the "violent deceleration" of the shoulder after a serve could cause injuries if a player isn't keeping that up in their room. He thinks players should be serving into a mattress or a sheet a lot.

Wish we had a complete list of players in hard lockdown. I think it's on Twitter somewhere but I would have to dig it up.

[meganfernandez]

Anett Kontaveit wrote about how it is for her in hard quarantine. It's worth a read if you are getting annoyed with players and their complaining. This is a positive, make the best of the situation read, while giving details about how she's adjusted given she can't leave her room. She also talks about home and what she did when the tour was on hiatus. It's not super polished, so I think this is her just writing her thoughts, it comes across genuine and likable to me.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/ ... 56w68.html

^ The piece is as you described - it seems very down to Earth and genuine.

Studying psychology surely helps her to deal with the quarantine, as she can observe herself and others who are in the same circumstance, and see how everyone is dealing with the situation.

Oh my god, I could kiss you for posting this. She's one of the players doing an online degree program through Indiana University (where I live - actually it's my alma mater). I've been wanting to do a story on this for so long, and now seems perfect because a lot of payers are studying during quarantine. But I needed to find some current students - the ones I knew about have graduated. Isn't it so odd that a small IU satellite campus has a program specifically for ATP and WTA players? It started with Venus - she found IU East and go ta business degree online (no idea why she chose it) and then cam the partnership with tours. Rajeev finished his degree this way. He went to Illinois for one year (Craig Tiley was the coach and the team went undefeated) then went pro. He said he was always felt self-conscious that he didn't finish his degree because education is so important to Indians (his words), and he worried he had disappointed his parents, even if they never let on. So being able to graduate was a big deal for him.

[ponchi101]

... He said the tennis, ball striking, etc really won't be any different. He's mostly worried about injuries, and in particular the serving shoulder. He said the "violent deceleration" of the shoulder after a serve could cause injuries if a player isn't keeping that up in their room. He thinks players should be serving into a mattress or a sheet a lot.

...

It seems to be the one thing everybody talks about, the injuries. Here I am, still down because of my Golf Elbow (Epitrocleitis, not Epicondilitis) precisely because of one set too many of serving, way before I was back into shape. But I wonder how could players practice serves in their rooms. With a full extension of the body and racquet, your will hit the ceiling. I mean, I don't know what kind of rooms players are in but that would need some thinking over.

[meganfernandez]

... He said the tennis, ball striking, etc really won't be any different. He's mostly worried about injuries, and in particular the serving shoulder. He said the "violent deceleration" of the shoulder after a serve could cause injuries if a player isn't keeping that up in their room. He thinks players should be serving into a mattress or a sheet a lot.

...

It seems to be the one thing everybody talks about, the injuries. Here I am, still down because of my Golf Elbow (Epitrocleitis, not Epicondilitis) precisely because of one set too many of serving, way before I was back into shape. But I wonder how could players practice serves in their rooms. With a full extension of the body and racquet, your will hit the ceiling. I mean, I don't know what kind of rooms players are in but that would need some thinking over.

So sorry about your elbow. I hope it clears up and you're back on the court soon.

Good question about the ceiling height. Maybe he said do the serving motion and throw the ball as hard as possible. I think I saw someone with really high ceilings, though. A regular room or two-room suite, not one of the big suites.

Wonder if Vika's son is with her and locked down, too.

[ponchi101]

Well, one of the reasons (I think) that Americans usually have a food serve is because of baseball. The throwing motion is very similar. So maybe they can get some cricket balls delivered to their rooms and throw them at mattresses.
BTW: It would be good to know which hotels they are staying in. The mattresses at that place will be shot after the players' stay. No way one should book a room there.

[ti-amie]

[JazzNU]

How does that work exactly? Does anyone know? Was Stevie already in Australia and just isn't healthy enough to play? Are there a group of lucky losers who traveled with the hopes of playing that are just waiting for the call or are Aussies that don't need to go through quarantine going to make up open slots if there's not a field of 128?

[ti-amie]

How does that work exactly? Does anyone know? Was Stevie already in Australia and just isn't healthy enough to play? Are there a group of lucky losers who traveled with the hopes of playing that are just waiting for the call or are Aussies that don't need to go through quarantine going to make up open slots if there's not a field of 128?

I saw it was "personal reasons" that made him withdraw. I'm like you. Did he travel all the way to Australia and decide he wasn't playing? I don't get it.

[meganfernandez]

How does that work exactly? Does anyone know? Was Stevie already in Australia and just isn't healthy enough to play? Are there a group of lucky losers who traveled with the hopes of playing that are just waiting for the call or are Aussies that don't need to go through quarantine going to make up open slots if there's not a field of 128?

I saw it was "personal reasons" that made him withdraw. I'm like you. Did he travel all the way to Australia and decide he wasn't playing? I don't get it.

Sounds like it. His coach is there, suggesting he went there in good faith. The personal reason could be anything. Something made him give up $100,000 (assuming he doesn't get the check - I can't remember the rules on R1 withdrawals). His coach hasn't done his daily podcast in a couple days.

[JTContinental]

They do have lucky losers in quarantine waiting to see if they get into the tournament.