Talk About Tennis 2.0

Suliso wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:27 pm

the Moz wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:03 pm Tennis shouldn't be in the Olympics, or if it is the athletes should be amateurs, not entitled and overpaid professionals

You've got to be kidding. 70-80% of all Olympic athletes are full time professionals. From countries like mine closer to 90%. Whether they earn 25k or 25 million is a secondary question.

Nope. Just my opinion.

In a perfect world the Olympics should feature amateur athletes only. Alas, we do not live in a perfect world.

Aslan really curbing his enthusiasm...

Reading today Novak used the non-excuse of “I wish I could help myself, but that’s just who I am.”

JTContinental wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 7:58 pm Reading today Novak used the non-excuse of “I wish I could help myself, but that’s just who I am.”

Indeed he did.

"It's part of, I guess, who I am,'' Djokovic said. "I don't like doing these things. I'm sorry for sending this kind of message, but we're all human beings and sometimes it's difficult to control your emotions.''



https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/i ... ws-racquet

And I liked this part too:
"I'm sorry to Nina for not being able to play, but my body just gave up,'' Djokovic said, adding that he has "several'' injuries. "I played under medicines, unbelievable pain and exhaustion.''

So, he won the Aussie after he was nearly forced to retire due to is chest/abdominal injury, and here he was also in deep pain, after cruising in his first four matches and winning Wimbledon, his most recent tournament, with ease.

I want a proper definition of "unbelievable pain".

the Moz wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:59 pm

Suliso wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:27 pm

the Moz wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:03 pm Tennis shouldn't be in the Olympics, or if it is the athletes should be amateurs, not entitled and overpaid professionals

You've got to be kidding. 70-80% of all Olympic athletes are full time professionals. From countries like mine closer to 90%. Whether they earn 25k or 25 million is a secondary question.

Nope. Just my opinion.

In a perfect world the Olympics should feature amateur athletes only. Alas, we do not live in a perfect world.

^ As mentioned, it's not just in tennis where very rich professional athletes are competing in the Olympics - such is the case in many (a growing number) of sports.
As I recall, there was years long debate about whether NHL hockey players should be playing in the Olympics (before they were permitted to play in the Olympics). One side of the argument was that, if the Olympics are meant to be the pinnacle of sport, the best players in the world should be participating.
The other side of the argument was that the Olympics were designed to be the pinnacle of AMATEUR sport, and so should be restricted to amateur participants, excluding professionals.

Of course, there is far more professional sport now than when the Olympics were created. Back then, pretty much everything was an amateur sport. More recently, the powers that be (which never includes selfless people working for the greater good) decided that there is a huge sum of money to be made from professionals participating in the Olympics - and so the floodgates were opened.
As well, the line between amateur sport and professional sport has been getting more and more blurry every year.

A very valid argument can certainly be made that professional sports already get many opportunities for exposure (which is why there's an obscene amount of money in pro sports)... and so to give them even more of the spotlight in the Olympics is massive overkill - when the Olympics could be a stage to give amateur sports the recognition they deserve, and so rarely receive.