Official US Open tennis tournament thread.

[_Vcsgrizzfan_]

If Sinner wins, it doesn't count.

I wonder how many other players would have received similar treatment for the steroid issue. I suspect if his name was Joe Smith and he was ranked 93rd in the world, there would have been a 1 year ban. His name is Sinner, he is the number 1 ranked player in the world, and the tennis associations know how their bread is buttered.

[Da Stars.]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAvcccccccccccccccck Not another tennis topic.

FWIW not sure if I have watched tennis since the Chris Evertt days.

FTR I am happy some people like it.

[kobeunderbite]

His missing the Olympics, where they have the strictest testing protocols, with 'sinusitis' really douses the flames of suspicion with gasoline. Even in a best case scenario by precedent he should have been immediately suspended for 6 months. In a fairly similar case, Halep was basically dog walked for a year and even though her suspension was eventually overturned she will never get the year-plus back.

To some degree this has renewed my belief that all of the top players are doping.

[_Vcsgrizzfan_]

His missing the Olympics, where they have the strictest testing protocols, with 'sinusitis' really douses the flames of suspicion with gasoline. Even in a best case scenario by precedent he should have been immediately suspended for 6 months. In a fairly similar case, Halep was basically dog walked for a year and even though her suspension was eventually overturned she will never get the year-plus back.

To some degree this has renewed my belief that all of the top players are doping.

I'm not sure I buy that last sentence. I'm not even sure I think Sinner did something intentionally. I do agree though, that by precendent, he should be paying the piper. And he's not.

[kobeunderbite]

His missing the Olympics, where they have the strictest testing protocols, with 'sinusitis' really douses the flames of suspicion with gasoline. Even in a best case scenario by precedent he should have been immediately suspended for 6 months. In a fairly similar case, Halep was basically dog walked for a year and even though her suspension was eventually overturned she will never get the year-plus back.

To some degree this has renewed my belief that all of the top players are doping.

I'm not sure I buy that last sentence. I'm not even sure I think Sinner did something intentionally. I do agree though, that by precendent, he should be paying the piper. And he's not.

I'm not sure I buy it either, but there is a lot of smoke. Serena, Venus and Rafa are all known to have received therapeutic use exemptions to take certain otherwise banned drugs, we don't know the extent of it and we don't know how legitimate those exemptions were. And the buck definitely doesn't stop there. Djokovic went from very, very good to literally the best athlete in the world in terms of endurance from 2010 to 2011, supposedly just by going gluten free. These guys will do whatever they possibly can to get an edge and get ahead and have access to regimens which are more sophisticated than the testing apparatus in place.

I don't know, I could go either way on it. But nothing would surprise me.

[_Vcsgrizzfan_]

I remember towards the end of the 2022 season, I thought Felix Auger-Aliassime was ready to take the next step and be a consistent winner on the ATP tour. What a letdown since then. Looks like another first round exit at a major for him as he is down 2 sets to 0 and not showing much fight. Canadian tennis in general looked to be ready to take a much bigger stage and, except for a few blips here and there, has just shit the bed. Very disappointing.

[kobeunderbite]

I remember towards the end of the 2022 season, I thought Felix Auger-Aliassime was ready to take the next step and be a consistent winner on the ATP tour. What a letdown since then. Looks like another first round exit at a major for him as he is down 2 sets to 0 and not showing much fight. Canadian tennis in general looked to be ready to take a much bigger stage and, except for a few blips here and there, has just shit the bed. Very disappointing.

Uncle Toni didn't give him the secret sauce. To be fair it isn't just happening to Canadians, look at Rune, what a dismal turn his career has taken.

There are actually four Americans in the top-16 and five in the top-20 for the first time since ~2004, not that any of them have a chance at a slam.

[kobeunderbite]

Another note on the US Open is how outrageously "trendy," and as a result expensive it has become. The get-in price for the Nadal-Anderson Final just seven years ago was about $170, which will also be about the price of the cheapest ticket for the *week 1* Friday night session this year. And these aren't tennis fans converging on Arthur Ashe Stadium, these are tourists and upper middle class people staying fashionable. The kinds of people who wouldn't know a slice from a smash but have no problem laying out $20 for cocktails and $50 for parking, so of course the USTA doesn't mind. Growing up my family could have done the kids day or a week-1 day session at the Open with snacks and a souvenir for probably about 1/8th of what it would run you today, with better access to players and less crowding. Sad state of affairs, and nothing will be done to improve the situation. Theoretically the grounds could be expanded as part of Steve Cohen's plan to redevelop the area, build a casino and a soccer stadium next to the tennis center and Citi Field, but that would be many years off.

[Robceltsfan]

Alcaraz destroyed in straight sets in the second round by.....Botic Van De Zandschulp?

That wasn't on my bingo card.

[kobeunderbite]

He just doesn't possess the week-in, week-out consistency of the ATG's he would like to be as good as despite playing in a weaker era, at least not yet. Ferroro should be fired, Alcaraz has NEVER had a plan B when getting punched in the mouth.

[Robceltsfan]

He just doesn't possess the week-in, week-out consistency of the ATG's he would like to be as good as despite playing in a weaker era, at least not yet. Ferroro should be fired, Alcaraz has NEVER had a plan B when getting punched in the mouth.

Consistency is the best way to put it.

Federer had a 36-major streak of making at least the QF's. Djoker had a 28-major streak of QF mins.

Alcaraz needs someone to teach him how to adjust.

[manchild98]

I saw a story where supposedly a dude bet $25,000 on Alcaraz to win a measly $250. You big dummy.

[Robceltsfan]

Now Djoker is out….wow

[kobeunderbite]

If anything the Olympics was clearly the outlier for him this season, he's looking washed, 1 more slam max.