Naomi Osaka withdraws from the French Open

[Left Seater]

There are 256 singles players, men and women combined, at the French Open.
Then there are doubles players, mixed doubles players, and juniors.

I would guess there are maybe 500 players there, in total.

Then there are coaches, family, entourages, celebrities, etc.

The media has a shit ton of people to talk to.

And even if they don't, just write your story about the match that you witnessed.

No big deal.

Most of the players don't say shit, and aren't interesting, anyway.

Lots of words that don’t address the point and sound like excuses.

[Softball Bat]

There are 256 singles players, men and women combined, at the French Open.
Then there are doubles players, mixed doubles players, and juniors.

I would guess there are maybe 500 players there, in total.

Then there are coaches, family, entourages, celebrities, etc.

The media has a shit ton of people to talk to.

And even if they don't, just write your story about the match that you witnessed.

No big deal.

Most of the players don't say shit, and aren't interesting, anyway.

Lots of words that don’t address the point and sound like excuses.

The obvious point is that the media does not need to talk to her.

What's funny here is that the very thing you and SM are accusing the player of being (spoiled, self-entitled) applies to -----> the media.

Just leave the girl alone, man.
It isn't a big deal.


Boorish much?

[LTS TRN 2]

Most women's tennis is very boring.

Fixed that for you.

No, Tennis, like baseball, is a genuinely Vitruvian sport, based on the actual properties and dimensions of the human form. Everything, all the distances and even the widths of lines are all threes and multiplications thereof. And of course the Vitruvian sports are not based on clocks and time limits, or a basic system of cheating, as are football and basketball--you know you're not allowed to hold the defensive lineman, but you did and so you shall incur a punishment. You know you're not allowed to take several steps without dribbling (LB) and so you're punished. It's ludicrous

Tennis is brilliance brought forthright to be celebrated. Just like baseball. :grin:

[Screw_Michigan]

The obvious point is that the media does not need to talk to her.

What's funny here is that the very thing you and SM are accusing the player of being (spoiled, self-entitled) applies to -----> the media.

Just leave the girl alone, man.
It isn't a big deal.


Boorish much?

Sure, if she wants to give up 1/3 of her purse.

[Kierland]

“Toe the line!”

You would make a good nazii… oh wait!

I find it sad and really pitiful that you and so many other cowards call others N4zis so flippantly. Osaka isn't being systemically exterminated. She's just acting like a child and you are, I don't know, acting like you're trying to get with her or something.

I got news for you, dude...

That is because you are a little soy boy who they will run over at any opportunity. You are an appeaser and it’s because of soft twats like you that we are in this position in the first place. They just took away a womens bodily rights, so yeah they are naziis and you are Neville Chamberlain.

[Screw_Michigan]

you are a little soy boy

I laffed

[Screw_Michigan]

The obvious point is that the media does not need to talk to her.

What's funny here is that the very thing you and SM are accusing the player of being (spoiled, self-entitled) applies to -----> the media.

Just leave the girl alone, man.
It isn't a big deal.


Boorish much?

What are these hockey coaches and players doing addressing reporters after a game? Don't they know that they don't NEED to do this? They're ruining it for every spoiled boorish immature tennis player who resents having to do something she doesn't want. They're ruining it for EVERYONE!



What's this golfer doing talking to CBS after his round where he blew the PGA Championship on the final hole? Doesn't he know he doesn't NEED to talk to CBS? Hell CBS doesn't NEED to talk to him? Why is he doing this? WHY IS HE RUINING IT FOR EVERYONE?????

[Softball Bat]

I laffed at Neville Chamberlain. :)


As I said, SM, if she talks, that is good.

But if not, pfft...

Oh well.


In my lifetime the sport media has grown more and more intrusive.
Microphones everywhere.
Dudes mic'd up everywhere.

I heard that D. Green was actually mic'd up and giving an interview during warm-up drills of a playoff game.
lol

Give it a rest, man.


I respect the players who go up in front of the media after they lose.
And I would respect Osaka for doing so.

But if she isn't in to it, so be it.

I don't care.

[Kierland]

you are a little soy boy

I laffed

And then raised a white flag.

[Screw_Michigan]

And then raised a white flag.

I don't really care, do you?

[Kierland]

I quite obviously care that you coddle naziis. Otherwise I wouldn’t waste my time calling you out on it.

[Screw_Michigan]

I quite obviously care that you coddle naziis. Otherwise I wouldn’t waste my time calling you out on it.

You need a life

[L45B]

Neville Chamberlain.

This must be your Darkest Hour.

Screwey scores direct hits.

And your pu$$y willows like Neville’s did. Enjoy France.

[Kierland]

Neville Chamberlain.

This must be your Darkest Hour.

Screwey scores direct hits.

And your pu$$y willows like Neville’s did. Enjoy France.

So I know you are Neville Chamberlin but what is SM?

[Kierland]

I quite obviously care that you coddle naziis. Otherwise I wouldn’t waste my time calling you out on it.

You need a life

Ah yes, nothing to see here move along. Spoken like a good little simp.

[Kierland]

You don’t know me very well do you baby eater?

[Softball Bat]

Rafael Nadal pulls out.

...and wipes drapes.

:smile:



The 14 time French Open champion has been out of competition since January.
Injury(s) and age.
Father time is undefeated.

The legend plans to retire next year.

Roland-Garros begins on May 22nd.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/ ... nis-injury

[smackaholic]

Pop, when screwey and lefty are in agreement against you on a topic, you are prolly wrong.

This is real fukking simple.

Professional sports aren’t purely about competition as you seem to think.

They are about that competition AND the fan’s willingness to pay for it. And the press is an integral part of this equation, particularly when it comes to the fan base which is NOT sitting in the stands watching, but the countless millions around the globe who rely partly on the press.

The bottom line here is that it is a business. And as in any business, there are owners and employees.

It is the duty of the employee to do as the owner demands if she wants to be paid.

Any free market person would understand this.

I figured you were part of the free market capitalist side as a “conservative”

You aren’t. You are a socialist who happens to also be very religious.

I’ll make the necessary adjustments to my spreadsheet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Softball Bat]

Hi smackaholc.
Earlier in this thread, Mikey and I had this short exchange...

You (Osaka) get paid a lot of money. It’s (speaking to the media) part of the job. If you feel you can’t do it then find another job.

I understand the take, and a corner of my mind is very comfortable with it.

Your points are understood, smackster, and I know where you are coming from.

I did not *bump* this thread to talk about Osaka.
All of my takes on the issue have already been posted.

Rather than start a new thread on Nadal/French Open, I opted to *bump* this one, so I could note that 14 time French champion Rafa Nadal will not be participating this year.

14 French Open titles is so far beyond insane that no adjective can properly do it justice.

Greatest clay court player of all-time, and there isn't a close 2nd.


Btw, "socialist" misses the mark by a lot.
At my heart, what I am is a purist.

And for what it is worth, I am easily one of the most "conservative" members of this board.

But those are different debates.
I am interesting in Nadal and the French Open here.

[Screw_Michigan]

Pop, when screwey and lefty are in agreement against you on a topic, you are prolly wrong.

This is real fukking simple.

Professional sports aren’t purely about competition as you seem to think.

They are about that competition AND the fan’s willingness to pay for it. And the press is an integral part of this equation, particularly when it comes to the fan base which is NOT sitting in the stands watching, but the countless millions around the globe who rely partly on the press.

The bottom line here is that it is a business. And as in any business, there are owners and employees.

It is the duty of the employee to do as the owner demands if she wants to be paid.

Any free market person would understand this.

I figured you were part of the free market capitalist side as a “conservative”

You aren’t. You are a socialist who happens to also be very religious.

I’ll make the necessary adjustments to my spreadsheet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Amen, Suckaholic. Who said bipartisanship is dead?

My favorite part was when Kierland called me a soy boy

[L45B]

Rafa is the King of Clay. I know nothing of this French Open event just as there is no British Open in tennis.

But Rafa does hold the keys to Roland Garros. In all honesty, if he doesn’t play his last match there, he should hang it up now.

[Softball Bat]

#2 seed A. Medvedev was taken out in the first round.

172nd ranked Thiago Seybolt Wild (qualifier) pulled off the major upset.

https://apnews.com/9c986cb59b5d12c04409d563892eeffc

[Softball Bat]

The top half of the men's draw is looking considerably stronger than the bottom half.

In the top half, Alcaraz(1), Tsitsipas(5), and Djokovic(3) are through to the round of 16.

Alcaraz and Tsitsipas are headed for a quarterfinal showdown, with the winner to then take on Djokovic in the semis.
I like Carlos to take out both of those guys, but back-to-back could be a real challenge for him.
Will be really interesting.

In the bottom half, Rune(6) and Ruud(4) are through to the round of 16.
They are heading for a quarterfinal match, which will be interesting, if it happens.
There is some butthurt in their history together.

[Softball Bat]

The quarterfinal match-ups are set.


(1) Alcaraz v. (5) Tsitsipas
(3) Djokovic v. (11) Khachanov

(6) Rune v. (4) Ruud
(22) Zverev v. Etcheverry


I'll go with Alcaraz, Djokovic, Ruud, and Zverev.

I am most interested in Alcaraz v. Tsitsipas and Rune v. Ruud.

[L45B]

(1) Alcaraz
(3) Djokovic

(6) Rune
(22) Zverev


Djoker over Zverev in the finals

[Softball Bat]

6) Rune

I'd like to see Rune beat Ruud, just for the sake of entertainment.

Rune has not endeared himself to some on the tour, including Ruud.
Rune has a bit of an "attitude."
I don't know if he is a bad guy, but he is young and hyper.

I just question whether he's got enough consistency (yet) to be a real threat to win a major.

[L45B]

I think he’s a bit of a dickhead, as witnessed against Van de Zandschulp in the Munich final. But he’s young and fiery.

And has been punking fools on the red clay this year. Would not surprise me if he made the finals at RG, though I think Zverev has the cool comeback story going. Nothing would shock me at this point.

[Softball Bat]

I think Zverev has the cool comeback story going.

I agree.

I think Zverev makes it to the final.

[Screw_Michigan]

What's the difference between red and green clay?

[Softball Bat]

The red clay is softer. The ball bounces higher. So the pace of the rallies is slower than on the green clay.

The green clay (Har-Tru) is a bit more firm than the red clay. The ball bounces lower, but not as low as on a hard court. The pace of the rallies on green clay is faster than the pace on red clay.

The U.S. Open was played on green clay from 1975 to 1977

Jimmy Connors is the only player in history to win the U.S. Open on 3 different surfaces -- grass ('74), Har-Tru ('76), and hard court ('78, '82, '83).

[Screw_Michigan]

The red clay is softer. The ball bounces higher. So the pace of the rallies is slower than on the green clay.

The green clay (Har-Tru) is a bit more firm than the red clay. The ball bounces lower, but not as low as on a hard court. The pace of the rallies on green clay is faster than the pace on red clay.

The U.S. Open was played on green clay from 1975 to 1977

Jimmy Connors is the only player in history to win the U.S. Open on 3 different surfaces -- grass ('74), Har-Tru ('76), and hard court ('78, '82, '83).

Interesting. I noticed that most clay courts in the US (in my experience) are green while in Colombia and Argentina they are red. Are green clay courts less maintenance? Would make sense, knowing the US.

[Softball Bat]

Bingo.

[Softball Bat]

The quarterfinal match-ups are set.


(1) Alcaraz v. (5) Tsitsipas
(3) Djokovic v. (11) Khachanov

(6) Rune v. (4) Ruud
(22) Zverev v. Etcheverry


I'll go with Alcaraz, Djokovic, Ruud, and Zverev.

I am most interested in Alcaraz v. Tsitsipas and Rune v. Ruud.

Alcaraz rolled in straight sets.
Djokovic came back from a set down to win in four.

I'm really looking forward to this semifinal.
Sounds funny, but I think these two guys have the best drop shots in pro tennis.
Masterful disguise.

[Softball Bat]

6) Rune v. (4) Ruud
(22) Zverev v. Etcheverry

Ruud and Zverev advance.

I still like Zverev to get to the finals.

[Screw_Michigan]

Ruud and Zverev advance.

I still like Zverev to get to the finals.

What happened to your boy Novax?

[Softball Bat]

He's getting ready to square off with Alcaraz.
Buckle up for that one!

[Screw_Michigan]

He's getting ready to square off with Alcaraz.
Buckle up for that one!

I watched the first set of Novax-Alcaraz today. Novax had Alcaraz flustered early and the announcers kept talk about how demonstrative he was.

One thing that blows my mind about elite tennis players is the top spin they get on their shots. Their shots fall off a table like a split finger pitch in baseball. So hard to hit!

[Softball Bat]

Yeah, the topspin is even more pronounced when they play on clay.
The torque Nadal got on his forehand was unreal.

It was too bad Alcaraz got dinged in the Djokovic match, but props to Novax.
He took care of business.

[Softball Bat]

Djokovic v. Ruud in the final.

It might be a historic day.

IF Novax wins, he will move ahead of Rafa Nadal on the all-time majors list (23 to 22).

Novax was prohibited from playing in a few majors because of his refusal to take the Covid vax.
He would have been the favorite, or co-favorite at worst, in the majors he was banned from, so it is easy to see that his career majors number could be higher than it already is.

Next month Djoker will have a chance to move into a tie with R. Federer for most Wimbledon titles. Roger has 8 and Novax has 7,

The case for Djokovic as the tennis GOAT gets stronger.

[Screw_Michigan]

I didn't realize Novax was 35. Tennis is a young man's game.