2021 Australian Open...ATP 2000...Melbourne, Australia

[don_budge]

I might add that I am watching this spectacle sans volume...the sound effects are just hideous. The word banshee comes to mind. Howling like banshees. The throw in is the announcers drivel.

[stotty]

Well it's sans everything for me. The noise is terrible. The wrong person is winning. I am switching off altogether.

Love glacier guy's bumble bee observation.

[don_budge]

One advantage from my point of view of the empty stadium is we are spared the spectacle of the "curtain call" after the end of the match. Mercifully, this match is over.

[stotty]

I woke up this morning to see Karatsev is STILL moving up on the inside lane. A four set win over the flaky one...with the final two sets being extremely routine. Is he going to go all the way I ask myself.

[stotty]

Zverev v Djokovic

Difficult match to watch this one. Djokovic got off to an inexplicably casual start and it's been up and down ever since. Now a great standard or easy on the eye. Not sure I want to sit this one out any longer. Dull game...can't see it improving.

[stroke]

Zverev v Djokovic

Difficult match to watch this one. Djokovic got off to an inexplicably casual start and it's been up and down ever since. Now a great standard or easy on the eye. Not sure I want to sit this one out any longer. Dull game...can't see it improving.

Novak clearly does not subscribe to the "all points are of equal importance " school of Nadal.

[stroke]

Oddsmakers have Nadal as a 66% chance of winning vs Tsitsipas.

[stotty]

Well, I sat through it...but only because we are in lockdown and there isn't much else to do. I think Novak might be going past his best.

The oddsmaker are probably right about Tsitsipas and Rafa. If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Rafa, but it would be great to see Tsitsipas pull off a win. He has nothing to lose in my view.

[stroke]

Well, I sat through it...but only because we are in lockdown and there isn't much else to do. I think Novak might be going past his best.

The oddsmaker are probably right about Tsitsipas and Rafa. If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Rafa, but it would be great to see Tsitsipas pull off a win. He has nothing to lose in my view.

Agree, just a tough matchup. His backhand will need to be forged in steel. Everyone in the world knows what's coming from Rafa. The oddsmakers actually have Medvedev as very slightly stronger favorite vs Rublev than Nadal is.

[stotty]

Agree, just a tough matchup. His backhand will need to be forged in steel. Everyone in the world knows what's coming from Rafa. The oddsmakers actually have Medvedev as very slightly stronger favorite vs Rublev than Nadal is.

It's hard to see beyond a Medvedev v Rafa semi at the moment. To be, honest I hope it is because it will be a brutal contest.

[stroke]

It's hard to see beyond a Medvedev v Rafa semi at the moment. To be, honest I hope it is because it will be a brutal contest.

I actually think Rublev has a better shot at an upset that Stef. Rublev is another one like Medvedev that will not go away. I really don't see much that separates them weapons wise.

[don_budge]

Foreplay After Thoughts: 2021 Australian Open...Melbourne Australia (cont.)

After blazing through the top half of the draw I came to the bottom half, looked around, and realised I got nothing. Oh, I caught a little here and a little there but no Rublev, no Medvedev and just bits and pieces. No Mackenzie McDonald. A little Berrettini/Khachanov. A tad of "Fabulous" Fabio Fognini...against a touch of de Minaur and again against Nadal. Nadal I avoided out of disinterest. Without Federer to offset his obnoxiousness there is no stomach for his antics. I'm just thankful he has to chase down his own towel. This amuses me most of all. He is such a clown. The tics. The annoying tics. I wonder does he do all that shit when he is practicing? Does he actually practice the tics? It doesn't matter. I don't care. I don't care even if he is losing all of his hair. When is he going to shave his head...ala Andre Agassi. Uncle Fester. There wasn't much in the bottom half. I told you. I got nothing.

But the only reason I missed Daniil Medvedev is because his matches never got the star billing. Due to the time difference between Australia and Sweden...his matches were always finished before I woke up. Before I was done walking the dogs. Feeding the horses. I think I did see one point. A match point. He was just dusting off Filip Krajinovic 6-0 in the fifth. I saw the very last point. Apparently it was the first five set match for both. Fond memories for Daniil. Not so much for Filip. Oh well...that is the way the cookie crumbles. That's the way the ball bounces. Medvedev is an interesting player. Short on charisma...or is he? It's hard to tell. He's a bit of an enigma. Mr. Pencil. He's a tough read. Nobody can really figure him out. At first glance he appears to be a little unorthodox but anyone that doesn't play like the cookie cutter players of today looks unorthodox. But he's tough alright. He's a hard nosed guy who stands up to the bullies. He doesn't like to get pushed around. Rublev is not so interesting. I watched him play Stefan Koslov at the French Open Juniors...he hasn't change all that much. Same scowl. Mother still follows him around the circuit. He's a bit hot and cold.

I think the biggest news in the bottom half and the match that I regret sleeping through the most was between Mikael Ymer and Carlos Alcaraz. Ymer I have seen a number of times. He is the younger brother of Elias. They hail from Sweden just an hour or so from where I live. I believe that they are Ethiopian. The younger brother has overtake the older. Mikael looks to me as if he is more concerned with looking like a rock star than a being a tennis player. The hair style is complicated and is ever changing. It's alright to be an individual of course. But if you press it too far it looks contrived. Sort of like Denis Shapovalov bouncing the ball between his legs on before his serve...it looks too contrived. Too much thought on how to look cool. But anyways...the reason I regret missing the match between Ymer and Alcaraz has nothing to do with Ymer. It was Carlos I wanted to see. He is seventeen and he qualified for this as his first Grand Slam appearance. He won his first round against Botic Van de Zandschulp in straight sets. Botic is the number 151 ranked player in the world. Alcaraz is #151. Carlos is 6' 1" tall. He has the right number there. I wish that I had seen him. He was on at two in the morning. Maybe I should have stayed up for that one. I'm sure I got up around that time for a nature call. Damn...I wanted to see that. Ymer beat him after losing the first set 6-2. He finished him off 6-4, 6-4, 7-6. I think the kid is going to be tough. I think Ymer needs to rethink the hair. It's not a good look for him. Nice looking kid but just a little too much wannabe in the style. Way too much. Anyways...he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas has a good look. I hope that doesn't go to his head. He cannot afford to be self conscious now at this stage of his career. At this stage of the tournament.

[stroke]

Foreplay After Thoughts: 2021 Australian Open...Melbourne Australia (cont.)

After blazing through the top half of the draw I came to the bottom half, looked around, and realised I got nothing. Oh, I caught a little here and a little there but no Rublev, no Medvedev and just bits and pieces. No Mackenzie McDonald. A little Berrettini/Khachanov. A tad of "Fabulous" Fabio Fognini...against a touch of de Minaur and again against Nadal. Nadal I avoided out of disinterest. Without Federer to offset his obnoxiousness there is no stomach for his antics. I'm just thankful he has to chase down his own towel. This amuses me most of all. He is such a clown. The tics. The annoying tics. I wonder does he do all that shit when he is practicing? Does he actually practice the tics? It doesn't matter. I don't care. I don't care even if he is losing all of his hair. When is he going to shave his head...ala Andre Agassi. Uncle Fester. There wasn't much in the bottom half. I told you. I got nothing.

But the only reason I missed Daniil Medvedev is because his matches never got the star billing. Due to the time difference between Australia and Sweden...his matches were always finished before I woke up. Before I was done walking the dogs. Feeding the horses. I think I did see one point. A match point. He was just dusting off Filip Krajinovic 6-0 in the fifth. I saw the very last point. Apparently it was the first five set match for both. Fond memories for Daniil. Not so much for Filip. Oh well...that is the way the cookie crumbles. That's the way the ball bounces. Medvedev is an interesting player. Short on charisma...or is he? It's hard to tell. He's a bit of an enigma. Mr. Pencil. He's a tough read. Nobody can really figure him out. At first glance he appears to be a little unorthodox but anyone that doesn't play like the cookie cutter players of today looks unorthodox. But he's tough alright. He's a hard nosed guy who stands up to the bullies. He doesn't like to get pushed around. Rublev is not so interesting. I watched him play Stefan Koslov at the French Open Juniors...he hasn't change all that much. Same scowl. Mother still follows him around the circuit. He's a bit hot and cold.

I think the biggest news in the bottom half and the match that I regret sleeping through the most was between Mikael Ymer and Carlos Alcaraz. Ymer I have seen a number of times. He is the younger brother of Elias. They hail from Sweden just an hour or so from where I live. I believe that they are Ethiopian. The younger brother has overtake the older. Mikael looks to me as if he is more concerned with looking like a rock star than a being a tennis player. The hair style is complicated and is ever changing. It's alright to be an individual of course. But if you press it too far it looks contrived. Sort of like Denis Shapovalov bouncing the ball between his legs on before his serve...it looks too contrived. Too much thought on how to look cool. But anyways...the reason I regret missing the match between Ymer and Alcaraz has nothing to do with Ymer. It was Carlos I wanted to see. He is seventeen and he qualified for this as his first Grand Slam appearance. He won his first round against Botic Van de Zandschulp in straight sets. Botic is the number 151 ranked player in the world. Alcaraz is #151. Carlos is 6' 1" tall. He has the right number there. I wish that I had seen him. He was on at two in the morning. Maybe I should have stayed up for that one. I'm sure I got up around that time for a nature call. Damn...I wanted to see that. Ymer beat him after losing the first set 6-2. He finished him off 6-4, 6-4, 7-6. I think the kid is going to be tough. I think Ymer needs to rethink the hair. It's not a good look for him. Nice looking kid but just a little too much wannabe in the style. Way too much. Anyways...he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas has a good look. I hope that doesn't go to his head. He cannot afford to be self conscious now at this stage of his career. At this stage of the tournament.

This is an epic match for Stef. He really needs to be able to get past Nadal on a hard court at this point in their respective careers. Nadal, it makes no difference really to his legacy. Except don't tell him that.

[stroke]

Pretty routine 1st set 6-3 for Nadal with one break. No surprises at all. Nadal hitting a lot of forehands, which looks once again the biggest weapon on the court.

[stotty]

Yes routine is about the right word. Even Tsitsipas's best backhands are coming back early on in the second. Such great defence from Nadal, and to make things worse he is lethal in attack as well.

I think Tsitsipas needs to go deeper in the rallies before going for broke. It's very difficult, if not impossible, to play the percentage winners game against Nadal...needs to build first.