Australian Open tennis 2020

[23 YIPPEE!!!]

What does everyone think of kenin

[K]

9 reports: "Luke Saville's racquet dampener flew off mid-point causing the umpire to immediately stop the match and make them replay the point in the men's doubles final."

Should they replay? That was my immediate question.

In the video, the umpire says, "If it happens again, you're gonna lose the point."

Can you give what's in effect a warning for equipment malfunction? It seems, yes! The commentator says it's the same for if your hat comes off. Is that really a distraction for the opponents??

[K]

Newcombe: "I have said they are like the princes trying to replace the three kings.

"Players keep getting to No.4 and then come up against this wall where they look up and see the three kings there and are not sure how to climb the mountain and knock them off."

Thomas Johansson (on a Thiem upset): "I think would be great. I like him a lot. Dominic is one of the nicest and best guys on the tour so I am so happy he is doing well."

Patrick McEnroe: "My money’s on Djokovic but I definitely think Thiem has a chance – I mean he’s beaten him before in some big matches as well."

[K]

Djokovic broke at his first opportunity in the first set.

[Pies4shaw]

1 set all and Thiem leads the third 2:0.

[Pies4shaw]

Thiem leads the third 5:1. He has much more talent than the other bloke, so he probably won’t win.

[K]

Into the fifth set!

Will Thiem have enough energy left?

[Donny]

Djokovic breaks.

Leads 3-1.

[Donny]

And wins the title. His 17th.

6-4 in the fifth set.

[K]

It was a tournament with many good matches. Fortunately, the organizers got very lucky with the conditions (air, heat). Let's hope they're fully prepared in the future. (The decision to play qualifiers in clearly dangerous conditions was absurd.)

[luvdids]

The good ol' "medical" time out for Novak did the trick again.

[Jezza]

^ What are you trying to imply?

[Pies4shaw]

^ That the behaviour was not within the spirit of the contest, I presume.

[K]

Yes, the accusation is also made of Federer (e.g. Aus. Open 2017, vs. Nadal). I'm not sure exactly what can be done about it. Have the doctors file reports, etc.? I don't think that would help any more than having players testify at AFL tribunals helped. Which tournament doctor is going to say on record he thinks one of the stars is making it up?

e.g. Baum on Federer a few days ago:

"But he always comes back, and because he belies tennis’ ever-increasing physical duress in the way he makes it look so easy, and because when fit he is still one of the eternal trinity, Federer’s setbacks are rarely read as ominous signs. They're blips.

It’s the rod he’s made for his own back. When he took a medical time-out en route to beating Nadal in the 2017 Australian Open final, instead of empathising, Pat Cash called it “legal cheating”. To be fair to Cash, Federer is not above a bit of strategic malingering."


[Well, Greg, we all know there's no difference between "strategic malingering" and "legal cheating", so you're agreeing with Pat but trying to cover yourself as a journo.]

[K]

Meawhile, a storm is brewing over Djokovic's other behaviour in the match (touching the ump, swearing at the crowd).

e.g. this:

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/i-don-t-care-if-he-s-a-good-bloke-tennis-should-throw-the-book-at-djokovic-20200203-p53x7c.html

"In rugby league and AFL in recent times, we have seen players suspended even for minor accidental contact, and rightly so."


[And comparisons to Kyrgios, who got a suspended sentence last year.]

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And this:

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/fine-likely-for-hands-on-djokovic-but-other-sports-aren-t-so-forgiving-20200203-p53xde.html