Your Love Means Nothing

[Dolfan in NYC]

After 10 years, it was time for a new tennis thread.   Let's start out with the amazing stuff that's happening down in Australia:

 

[Cobra Commander]

If Danielle Collins wants to retire to go into wrestling, then:

 

Edited January 16, 2025 by Cobra Commander

[Dolfan in NYC]

Djokovic got pissy about losing the first set of his semifinal against Zverev and retired.  

(Actually he's hurt, but, you know, fuck that guy.)

[Cobra Commander]

Madison Keys won her first major.

Insert “oldest player in the league, a miracle” meme about a women’s tennis player winning her first major at 29

[The Natural]

BBC Sport:

Alexander Zverev was heckled by a spectator over domestic abuse allegations during the Australian Open men's singles trophy ceremony.

The German second seed lost in straight sets to world number one Jannik Sinner in Melbourne.

As he stepped up to receive his runners-up trophy, a spectator loudly shouted: "Australia believes Olya and Brenda."

The 27-year-old was accused of violence by his former girlfriend Olya Sharypova in 2020 and of domestic abuse in 2023 by Brenda Patea, with whom he has a child.

Zverev has repeatedly denied both sets of allegations and a Berlin court case brought by Patea was discontinued last year.

Asked afterwards about the heckles, Zverev said: "Good for her. I think she was the only one in the stadium who believed anything in that moment.

"I believe there are no more accusations. There haven't been for, what, nine months now.

"I think I've done everything I can, and I'm not about to open that subject again."

In October 2020, former girlfriend Sharypova accused Zverev of violence and emotional abuse during their relationship. Zverev denied the allegations and said they were "unfounded".

Sharypova did not press charges, and a 15-month investigation by the men's ATP Tour found there was "insufficient evidence" to substantiate claims made by Sharypova and so Zverev did not face disciplinary action.

In November 2023, Zverev was given a penalty order and fined by a German court after being accused of physically abusing his ex-girlfriend Patea.

Zverev denied the claims and lodged an objection against the order, which resulted in a public trial.

The trial was discontinued in June 2024 after a settlement was agreed between the defendant and the complainant.

At the time, the court told BBC Sport: "The decision is not a verdict and it is not a decision about guilt or innocence."

[Dolfan in NYC]

Davis Cup action had Chile facing Belgium... Specifically Garin vs. Bergs.   Bergs had just broken Garin in the 3rd when this happened:

Garin refused to play after this citing an eye injury and got defaulted. Judging from the pictures Garin posted after, I don't doubt:  a) he was in pain, b) he probably could have continued, c) Bergs hit him completely unintentionally,  AND d) Bergs should have received a match penalty.

[Tabe]

15 hours ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

Davis Cup action had Chile facing Belgium... Specifically Garin vs. Bergs.   Bergs had just broken Garin in the 3rd when this happened:

Garin refused to play after this citing an eye injury and got defaulted. Judging from the pictures Garin posted after, I don't doubt:  a) he was in pain, b) he probably could have continued, c) Bergs hit him completely unintentionally,  AND d) Bergs should have received a match penalty.

Based on that clip, I would agree on all points.

[Dolfan in NYC]

Emma Raducanu had a scary moment in her match in Dubai today. 

Apparently she was confronted by a stalker/fan in a public area before her match.  And he appeared again only a few rows off court during her match. She apparently got very emotional when she spotted him and asked the judge to protect her.

The stalker was ejected for 'displaying fixated behavior' and will be banned from all WTA events pending a 'threat investigation.'

 

---

THIS is the sort of thing that makes me very, very worried that we're really close to getting another Monica Seles situation. 

[odessasteps]

I heard it described on the BBC as if she was hiding behind the umpire during change overs. 

It’s amazing the guy was let back in today after being ID’ed the other day. 

[The Natural]

Lois Boisson is the first player in the Open Era to reach the Women’s Singles semi-finals at the French Open as a wild card.

At 22 years and 9 days, she is the youngest French semi-finalist in a Women’s Singles Grand Slam event since the Roland Garros’ 2025 tournament’s director Amelie Mauresmo in Wimbledon 1999.

And she is the first French semi-finalist at Roland Garros since Marion Bartoli in 2011.

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World #361!

[The Natural]

Rafael Nadal 112-4 at the French Open. Rafa Nadal won 14 and never lost a final there. In a retirement ceremony at Court Philippe-Chatrier, a plaque with his footprint is permanently embedded into the clay. Nadal won 5 in a row and 4 in a row twice.

Edited June 4, 2025 by The Natural

[The Natural]

Rafael Nadal's 112 match wins are the most of any man at an individual Grand Slam event, with Roger Federer’s 105 Wimbledon match wins the next best across all four majors.

Nadal famously tasted just four defeats at Roland Garros, starting with his shock loss to Robin Soderling in the fourth round back in 2009. This led to Federer winning his lone French Open to complete the Career Grand Slam.

That was followed by losses to Novak Djokovic in the 2015 quarter-final and 2021 semi-final, before falling to Alexander Zverev in the opening round in 2024.

However, he ended his career with a staggering 112-4 record in Paris – an astonishing win percentage of 96.55% at the event.I

That is the highest win percentage among men at the French Open, narrowly ahead of Borg’s record of 96.08%.

It is also the highest win percentage for any man at an individual Grand Slam event.

[ohtani's jacket]

Man, the French delivered this year with Coco beating the sore loser and Alcaraz and Sinner delivering arguably the best men's final ever. 

[The Natural]

4 minutes ago, ohtani's jacket said:

Man, the French delivered this year with Coco beating the sore loser and Alcaraz and Sinner delivering arguably the best men's final ever. 

Glad Coco Gauff won beating a sore loser in Aryna Sabalenka and especially Carlos Alcaraz beating Jannik Sinner. Sinner testing positive twice and accepting a three month ban so conveniently he was back for this Grand Slam was fucking bullshit.

[The Natural]

Alcaraz vs. Sinner stats:

Alcaraz is 5-0 in Grand Slam Men's Singles Finals.

Alcaraz becomes the first man to win each of his first five Grand Slam singles finals in the Open era.

Alcaraz is only the eighth man in the Open era to win back-to-back French Open titles.

Alcaraz recovered from two sets down saving three championship points on the way.

Alcaraz is the first man to win a Grand Slam title after saving match point since Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon final.

Alcaraz had never previously won a match after losing the opening two sets.

5 hours and 29 minutes, the longest French Open final.

Alcaraz is the fourth player this century to win a men’s singles Grand Slam title for four consecutive years - 2022-2025 - after the 'Big Three' (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic).

Only Bjorn Borg (six) has won more men’s singles Grand Slam titles than Carlos Alcaraz (five - level with Rod Laver and John McEnroe) after his first 17 appearances in such events in the Open Era.

[odessasteps]

This week, I learned there is fan fiction out there shipping Raducanu and Alcaraz like it was the late 90s and they are Buffy and Angel or the people from Twilight. 
 

Since you can find everything on the internet, I’m sure there is all kinds of sports fiction, for every kind of preference and/or fetidh. Pleas no links. 

[Dolfan in NYC]

 

[The Natural]

British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool become first all-British pair to win Wimbledon men's doubles title since 1936!

[The Natural]

Brilliant scenes from Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool as they win a maiden Grand Slam title and the first for an all-British men's pair since 1936.

That's 89 years ago!

[The Natural]

Wimbledon Ladies Singles Final has just ended. Iga Swiatek has destroyed Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in only 57 minutes. Six Grand Slams for Swiatek: Four French, one US and one Wimbledon. Never lost a final. Feel for Anisimova getting embarrassed like that.

Edited July 12, 2025 by The Natural

[Travis Sheldon]

I starting to get the feeling Swiatek may be pretty good.

[Dolfan in NYC]

 

[Dolfan in NYC]

25 seed Jelena Ostapenko got straight setted, 5 and 1 in the 2nd round yesterday, losing 9 straight games at one point.

Taylor Townsend and her apparently got into an argument because Ostapenko said TT had "no education and no class".  And that "we'll see what happens when you're not in the US"

Taylor's response was "you need to learn how to take a loss better."  Which is probably the right answer to some ... thinly veiled comments. 

[hammerva]

I don't know if using the net as an advantage on your game some unwritten rule in tennis that is frowned upon and has a legit issue or just a cheap excuse that she used to go off on her class, education, and probably one other thing 

[odessasteps]

I imagine it would take a lot of skill to be able to hit net cord shots to your advantage on a regular basis.