TENNIS: Dubai, Golden Swing, USA

[JaneJeffer]

Yes he seemed to be doing so well not so long ago Jane - not seen much of PCB recently either

The Roger and Rafa lockdown zoom thing popped up on the my Instagram feed this morning - it always cheers me up - I think Rafa is about as technically competent as me

Aryna’s match is on at about 3pm today - that’s got to be so hard for her I think

Fizzy the Rafa lockdown zoom call seems so long ago now, but it was so funny.

It now seems that Aryna and her bf had split up - but whatever had gone on between them, it is going to be a difficult day. It sounds like Paula Badosa is very supportive, but hard to play against someone under circumstances like those, surely?

I always like watching RBA, he does seem to have just disappeared after having a really good run for a while. He's another who has had a family over the past 3/4 years- so priorities have changed, I think.

Oh dear - it’s pouring down in Miami and the forecast is not looking good for today

It's very frustrating, Fizzy-I had just sat down to watch, and wondered why I was getting a repeat.

Oh that’s a shame, I am home alone tonight and was looking forward to watching some tennis without my family complaining! I do find these extended tournaments very weird, particularly when the top players get byes, it feels like some sort of extended qualifying. But I suppose it helps to have the extra days if it’s going to rain like the clappers.

Play has been delayed again, but I've just seen in Twitter than the courts are being dried and some play should start again soon. I hope so. They are replaying the Rublev match on Sky (that he lost) and it is just about to end- so maybe that' s a sign things are due to start live soon.

Maybe

Why do they not have court covers on hard courts? They have a convoluted process of squeegee machines, and blowers and towels to dry the courts.

Surely covers would help a bit ?

So there has been some play, but the main court (Taylor Fritz) - they came out nearly 30 minutes ago- and have only now decided it's not dry enough to play on , and have gone back in!

This is bonkers- surely by now the centre court must be nearly dry?

Come on Andy! Just won the first set tiebreak 7-0!

Not a great tournament for the Americans so far, Taylor and Foe both lost, Tommy Paul retired.

Well, Tiafoe and Fritz are both out, so after stalling for so long, it didn't take long for Taylor to lose his match. Seyboth Wild has had some big wins- beating Medvedev last year at RG.

x post.

Jack Draper ruining the party for Jonathan Overend, by winning the second set and extending his match, which means Sky is sticking with his match and isn't showing the Murray one

(they were expecting to move to it when the Fernandez match ended, but this match carried on, and they stayed here)

Unfortunately, I can't watch the Sinner match, which would have been nice- so I will have to score watch that.

At least he gets orange towels.

So many simultaneous matches.

And Stef has lost his first set to Denis Shapovalov. He didn't have the best tournament in IW, in fact it's been a fairly low key start to the year.

At least it’s not raining. Sunshine double my a**.

Was always going to be tricky after the rain delays- and now it's too hot!- Jack seems to be suffering a bit, and so does Jarry a bit.

I watched a bit of Stef’s match Raahh, he was playing absolutely dreadfully.

It’s that horrible muggy heat isn’t it. I don’t think Jack copes well with heat, maybe he needs to take up skiing.

Ice he's definitely gone off the boil a bit, Stef. But that has been going on for a while. I don't know if it's that he's hit a wall, and needs to re-group. And then there is his 'off court' life - that may be affecting things.

Shopping trolleys and all that.

Well, it looks like Stef can go and join his mate Djok in Miami, he's just lost.

He can take Paula.

Although i think he might still be in the doubles.

Andy looking really confident.

Yes Andy!