Tennis thread: looking forward to the new season

[PrivateSpidey]

While we dream up our Australian Open advent calendar, the chat continues!

that must have been it.

Qualifying starts today, and the smoke from the bush fires looks pretty grim, in Melbourne itself.

Ernests Gulbis plays in qualifying today, go Ernie!!

Yay sleeveless Rafa - he usually does quite well when he’s sleeveless (and if he doesn’t the view is usually pretty good #fangirl )

I thought that about Serena’s winning being headline news on the bbc - tennis doesn’t usually get much of a mention - the ATP cup definitely didn’t get a mention.

I also wondered about the cape - I wasn’t sure if it was part of the ceremony or not - she is a bit of a fan of a cape though (especially with the words mother and goddess embroidered on them - her daughter is very cute though - yes she’s a Mum!)

The BBC are only aware of one female tennis player (certainly it seems that way when Wimbledon is on)- and tbh, they were probably trying to find a way to connect her to a story about Meghan..

Andreescu is out of the Australian open with a knee injury, I've not heard much about Osaka of late, though Barty has done ok recently. I still have hopes for Halep in Australia. So, of last year's slam winner's, in the women's game- it's all to play for.

Private one day, Gulbis will win big.

I would even allow it , at the expense of Rafa (so long as Fed and Djok lost early).

Sorry, never been a fan of the sleeveless shirt.
But then, I'm not a Rafa fangirl

DH said the BBC only had Serena as a headline so they could tie it in to Meghan.....but they didn't mention her.
However, I did learn that she's a mum

She's a mum?

WTF

Every day's a school day, as they say kazza.

Now, some people can carry off the sleeveless look IMHO, and I would count Rafa among them. Others... not so much. I remember when Dimitrov went sleeveless for a while... As did someone's else who it didn't really work for, now who was it?!? I've forgotten. Delpo also used to go sleeveless in his younger days, but we'll gloss over that

Raahh I hear you about the competition on the women's side. Osaka played well in Brisbane I believe, I think she got to the semis?? It'd be great to see Ash Barty do well at her home Slam, and I love Simona as well. I don't know about Kvitova or Kerber, I think Angie is playing this week. There are definitely loads of contenders. But I'm going to be a Serena Fangirl for the fortnight. I just really want her to smash Margaret Court's "record". Come on Serena!!

Rafa and Delpo can definitely get away with the sleeveless look. Can’t imagine it suiting Djok, Rog or Dan Evans (sorry Kazza ) Wonder if he’s going to stick with the dentist look? Kyle Edmund will be looking like a settee probably!

fizzy Kyle = a settee

No need to apologise about Dan Evans. Totally agree
But he'd probably look better than Rog in a sleeveless shirt

settee

I really hope Nike aren't going to put the poor guy in that pastel kit!

I've just been reading about the qualifying in Melbourne and how one of the players retired from her match after a massive coughing fit.

Apparently the advice was to limit time outside but the tennis still went ahead?

Private I've just taken dd1 to school, and on the radio it said practice had been stopped because of the air quality. I wonder if the tournament will be affected?

Dan played at the ATP thing in blue t-shirt he got from a supermarket, according to one article I read. He no longer has a clothing sponsor. I find it odd that for team competitions, they don't have a 'kit'.

Well done Serena. The firefighters are going to look so on point.

I can't believe Dan doesn't have a sponsor after he did so well at Wimbledon.

they'll look a treat!!

It's odd with sponsors isn't it, remember when Halep didn't have one for a while? Hopefully Dan will get sorted with something - and no chef's whites!!

Meanwhile, Gulbis won his 1R qualifying match - yay!!

I'm wondering if the Aus Open will be affected by the pollution as well. Gilles Simon isn't too happy - he tweeted about being told to play in extreme heat, on slippery grass, so why not smoke? Or something like that

He's got a point.

Why not play in smoky air I mean not why not actually smoke during a match. That could be taking it too far

Well done Ernests (and I'm happy my autocorrect remembers him)

Autocorrect knows where it's at

Just seen the pictures from Melbourne on the news - it looks pretty bad - not sure how it will affect the AO. Don’t know why but I was surprised that it starts on Monday - I knew that it started on 20th Jan but I thought that was ages away! It must be really scary for the people living near the fires with the smoke and the poor air quality.

I’m also surprised that the ATP cup didn’t have a team kit - maybe that explains why PCB was wearing the white top - I’m sure they could have had a whip round for him.

The person who gets Serena’s dress is in for a real treat

According to THIS ARTICLE we are all 'Nick Knockers' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"The Nick knockers veer between sour-faced fogeyism and borderline white supremacy" well Russell Jackson can fuck off.

I'm with this nameless guy "I once told a renowned and articulate former sportswriter that the best Australian sports book not yet written would pierce the surface of Planet Kyrgios. His reply: “Why would anyone want to read about that fuckwit?”"

That article is far too wordy!

Far out, that article made its point in the first paragraph and then repeated it, many, many times

I mean, good on him for kicking off the fundraising. But the article didn't seem to have much else to say...

Nick Knockers!

Well, I am proud to be one, if that's the kind of 'fan' he attracts. Sounds like a really intelligent bloke, Russell.

Though I prefer the term Dick Detector.

They have done the draw for Melbourne! Isn't that a bit earlier than usual?

Off to peruse the details, but noted Rafa will play Kyrgios in R4 should they get there...

That does seem early.

Hopefully Nick will be true to that article, and not play so well as it is an individual event.

We can hope, anyway.
I can't be doing with a week of speculation of a big stand off between Rafa and Dick.

Though I prefer the term Dick Detector.

Am also liking that one! And agree 100% with Jane's view of Russell Jackson.

Will be relying on the best match commentary I know for the Aus Open - you lot!!

I know.

There look to be some good R1s - Medvedev v Tiafoe, Djok v Struff (a struffing on the cards?!), Venus v Coco Gauff and Vekic v Sharapova (wild card) - would think Vekic to win that, she has had a good run up.

Looking forward to Monday!