ROLAND GARROS 2017

I'm jumping the gun on this thread because of breaking news:

http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/19396482/french-open-does-not-extend-wild-card-entry-maria-sharapova

I have a very erudite tweet about this:

Yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo- (1/500) pic.twitter.com/RnCf9jvh8N

— deX! (@djperry1973) May 16, 2017

Hahaha

was just looking for the rolling thread to post that and the other big RG news, which is that federer is skipping the french to focus on grass/hardcourt season

I hope Nadal stays healthy because right now it looks like the men's title is his to lose.

So, can she get into the qualies with a decent run in Rome this week? (I expect her to lose to Lucic-Baroni today...starting right now, in fact).

I don't think so? According to the ESPN/AP story, her ranking is too low and I'm inferring that to mean she can't get into qualies no matter what she does this week.

I assume the qualies start May 22? So perhaps the cut-off was this week (i.e. WTA ranking at May 15). I'm not even sure if Roland Garros has a 128-draw women's singles qualification event (a la Wimbledon), which would mean direct entry down into the early 200s.

She's already 1-3 down to L-B...

I guess she's got a reasonable stab at making it into Roehampton. That's going to make getting in a bit trickier... (it's free and usually you can walk straight in; might be a circus with her there)

by "getting in", I mean, as a spectator...

"But while there can be a wild card for return from injury, there can’t be a wild card for return from doping.”

Well, if we want to get into semantics we can discuss what being a doper means in this case -- the CAS ruled that "under no circumstances" could Sharapova be considered "an intentional doper".

It is certainly further punishment after punishment has been served. WC would be given to a champion and current threat otherwise.

Ultimately it's their choice, though, and we move on.

The haters continue to confirm their hatred of her has never been about principle or rules, though, just glee after a long personal dislike:

@BenRothenberg 30m30 minutes ago
More
One WTA player just now couldn't stop smiling after I told her Sharapova decision:"99% of players are against her, just afraid to say that."

surprised fed is skipping it, was just thinking how sad for rafa idve been if fed beat him there considering all factors building to it

nadal could still def lose to someone @ this, but probably will not; novak looked bad v rafa in madrid

draws are out

paire is good on clay, that is somewhat crazy for nadal in rd 1

I appreciate the headline.

http://deadspin.com/these-players-will-not-beat-rafael-nadal-a-largely-poi-1795560392

Kvitova held her opening serve :D :D :D

I mean she's just playing Boserup but I'll take it.

Petra wasn't too bad!

Kerber, on the other hand, was dreadful. Haven't seen a top-ranked player serve that badly since, uh, the last time Kerber lost in the first round at this tournament alst year.

ferrer 13-11 over dy in the 5th

Konta out vs Hsieh. I blame Nastase.

olivo had been really impressive v tsonga, not fluky

has not had; will see if he can close it tmorrow

or tnight !

wau jo

Olivo's finished off Tsonga on his 4th matchpoint in today's first and only game!

wtg Renzo!! I like this kid

Just scrolling back 10 weeks or so, Renzo O has...

Lost in Lyon qualies (but made the main draw, losing r1, presumably as lucky loser)
Lost in Rome qualies
Lost r1 Aix-en-Provence Challenger
Lost r1 Estoril
Lost r1 Barcelona
Lost r1 Monte Carlo (but came thru qualies)
Lost in Houston qualies
Lost in Miami qualies
Lost r1 Irving Challenger

Talk about a breakthrough!

This fell off New Answers, so just a little bump...

Good to see Carreno-Busta see off Raonic on his 7th m-p after four hours plus so he can be shredded inside 90min tomorrow by Nadal. Rafa really is posting 2008-style wipeouts. Thiem-Djokovic tomorrow too - hard to call. Halep looking very good, but Svitolina toiled epically vs qualifier. Murray found his form. Kei just got bageled by Verdasco.

Kei just got bageled by Verdasco.

yea this is crazy

thiem/nadal part 4 ^_^

Wow, after losing 16 06 in Rome, Thiem beats Djokovic 76 63 60

nadal/thiem 4 matches in ~ 40 days

4/30 Barcelona finals - Nadal 64 61
5/14 Madrid finals - Nadal 76 64
5/19 Rome quarters - Thiem 64 63

Svitolina loses to Halep from 6-3 5-1, bageled in the decider.

Murray getting the runaround from Kei, double-break early on.

what channel is this on in the US? i can't find it

Tennis Channel

so lame that the quarters of a major isn't on national tv

Thankfully, ITV4 have it in the UK. Between that and the election fallout, "working from home" isn't turning out so well today.

Bizarre tie-break between Murray and Wawrinka - 9 of the 14 points went against the serve, both continually failing to finish rallies from winning positions. Looks a bit windy.

Oh, and the crowd are totally not into Murray. Roars for Stan, barely a ripple when Murray took the breaker.

so lame that the quarters of a major isn't on national tv

― k3vin k., Wednesday, June 7, 2017 1:11 PM (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

semis barely also ! nbc doesn't want to preempt the today show so coverage only starts @ 11 est iirc

cant watch but stan looks to have taken control o_o

re-break! going home to catch the remainder.

It's pretty high-grade stuff. Murray just won't fold, despite the ridiculously clean clubbings Stan is landing in the corners. Murray's defence is as good as I've ever seen. 4-4 in the 3rd.

damn yeah murray has rounded into form so nicely this tourney, impressive

What a game.

5th set! Epic match.

Double break for Stan to make it 3-0. Almost 100% winners, amazing level.

rip andy

Incredible. 6-1.

that drop attempt at 0-4, 30-40 by andy was the white flag

andy/stan are p even really, stan just better in big spots

Definitely.
Winners/UE:
Andy 36/36
Stan 87/77
Stan raised his ratio in the 5th from 1/1 to 2/1 and that was it, basically. That, and he hit most of his balls so deep

Also, wow:
https://www.reddit.com/r/tennis/comments/6g1h0x/jelena_ostapenkos_average_forehand_speed_is/

I look forward to watching the replays of both of these matches

Watch Rafa - Thiem first...

Anyone watching the final? Halep was nearly walking this at 3-0 up inthe 2nd

And Ostrapenko has turned it completely around with some sheer aggression and power, now 4-3!!

Ostrapenjo to serve to level this final!!

Momentum swings in this match giving me whiplash. Feels like it's all on Ostapenko's racket though, as impressive as Halep's defence has been.

Yeah its how many lines she is hitting..

Extraordinary rally and win for 3xset points.

Closes it with a gorgeous angled winner - onto a final set!

Just toying with Halep's serve - two BPs

ooh net cord

omh Ostrapenko lets it go at the net - and it was in!!

now adv Halep and gets through that - early in the set, could be huge.

Everytime I think Ostapenko's out of it, she's hit another brilliant winner.

Halep had a break but now back on serve, pouding the court to level up. Experience might be the difference but not sure so far.

xp - yeah.

Halep's defeding just struggling to keep up: 0-30 down

breaks!

Holy shit, that ridiculous net cord.

Just powerless Halep, just hitting the ball back and hoping the Ostrapenko goes over the line and that's not gonna happen.

One game away.

15-30

30-40, 1st CP!!

done it!!

astonishinh hitting, creamed it off the park!

That was just incredible. Ostapenko so aggressive, so fearless. Her first tour title!

and a great final too. Rafa-Stan have their work cut out to match this tomorrow.

Love it when a new country gets a grand slam winner: go Latvia!!

Lol screw you Ernests Gulbis.

What's the feeling for Rafa-Stan?

Stan broken for the first time.

Nadal is a fountain of sweat.

This Nadal FH is totally doing the job rn

1st set.

This final can finish pretty quick at this point. That BH better start firing up soon.

Top stuff fron Nadal - just unplayable.

er..

that was to the 99mph FH from Nadal, Stan held tho'

He's got two service games to break back Nadal.

Two sets up, hasn't been able to string those winners.

Utterly dominant - BH or FH, and outlasting in the rallies. No free points.

Breaks in the 3rd

Nothing as fkn joyless as a Nadal pummeling I can tell ya.

that was to the 99mph FH from Nadal, Stan held tho'

― xyzzzz__, Sunday, June 11, 2017 10:32 AM (twenty-three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this shot was so beautiful

there's only been what, one deuce this entire match?

make that two

Mentally gone - double break

Happy for Rafa, even though that was a mostly boring final. I do love the quirks that the different surfaces add to tennis. I guess other sports have differences between grass and artificial turf, but in team sports you don't get the kind of exaggerated distinction of having a player who's basically unbeatable on one surface and vulnerable on others.

Very curious to see what Rafa does on the grass, seeing as - even in his 2012-14 near-pomp - he was capable of losing to anyone on the surface. At his 2008 peak, he was as tough on grass too.

Here's a thing... is it actually possible Nadal could be #1 mid-way through Wimbledon? With the tournament pushed back a week this year, Murray will be dropping 2500 points (Queens + Wimb) by July 10. If he loses early at Queens, and Nadal reaches a final or wins a title (is he playing anywhere? Halle? Eastbourne? Queens?), Nadal could be top of the rankings by the second Monday - at least for seven days. I guess there's no official ranking list published mid-event (though there are still Futures and Challengers going on, so the calendar keeps ticking over).