Yes - absolutely unbelievable. I thought both guys were cooked multiple times
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Thought itād be a long time before anyone ever matched Fed/Rafa/Djoker. But these two guys are same level elite. Theyāre changing the game again. Really is no strictly defensive tennis with them. They can pop a winner from anywhere.
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Getting ready to watch it now ā¦
Iām smiling, shaking my head and laughing all at the same time at these two guys ridiculous
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Also unreal soccer game between Portugal and Spain today
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Alcaraz was down 2-0 in the 4th set tiebreaker, and came back to win 7-3, and then took the 5th set tiebreaker 10-2. 17 out of the last 20 points in deciding moments to Alcaraz. Absolutely clutch.
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Any theories on why the crowd was so pro-Alcaraz? Hangover from Sinnerās doping suspension? A reflection of Franceās relative sentiment towards Spain vs Italy? Rooting for a 5-setter and then just keeping on with cheering for the same guy once he got there?
Iām still a little peeved at Sinner for the whole drug thing. Iāll probably not root for him the rest of his career, maybe not root against him, but not active for him. I donāt think thatās an uncommon sentiment and would guess the crowd reaction went that way, but that could be me projecting too.
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The drug thing for sure but I just think that with Alcaraz and his personality are just more fun. I love what he did with the ball boys/girls after the match.
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I thought the anti-doping authorities said that Sinnerās case was unintentional doping, with amounts too small to have any beneficial effect. I know, I knowā¦ but they did make strong statements to that effect.
In any case, I was rooting for Alcaraz to extend the match, but after Sinner choked away triple match pointā¦ and even then he was still up a set and a break and just had to hold serveā¦ I wanted him to win because a collapse like that can destroy your psyche. I was happy to see him break Alcaraz with the match on the line, at least. Got his mojo back before the end.
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Have no context or clue about the situation but IMO theres no such thing as accidental doping at the professional level. The accident is you got caught
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If you believe the story, Sinnerās trainer applied OTC ointment to a cut on his own hand, then later massaged Sinnerā¦ resulting in minute amounts of that ointment to transfer. That OTC ointment contains a banned steroid which was absorbed into his skin.
But yeah, ultimately the player has to be held responsible no matter what happens. Which is why he was given a 3-month ban and served it without complaint. (He also fired his trainer, but thatās par for the course.) I just donāt think the details (unless one disbelieves them, which is fair enough given how these things often go) warrant treating him as a ābad guyā for life.
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Wasnāt it the same trainer who got caught doping Halep? Makes the accidental piece awfully suspect
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Widely accepted that Sinnerās positive was careless/accidental. His massage therapist was treating a cut on his own hand with a spray that is over-the-counter in Italy. Then some of the banned ingredient contacted Sinner through massage without him being aware. The level detected was so low as to corroborate his story and support no credible attempt at doping.
The commonality between Sinner and Halep is their coach Darren Cahill who is roughly tennisā equivalent of Tony Bennett in terms of character and credibility. Sinnerās team figured out what happened, but donāt think Halep ever figured out why although many in tennis believe her. Also, Cahill was no longer coaching her at that point.
The crowd favoring Alcaraz is straightforward. He is electric and people respond to brilliance and flair. Sinner is also phenomenal but seen more of a machine than Alcaraz, who wears his emotions clearly (most always positive and joyful). Both are tremendous sportsmen with huge respect for each other. Each conceded multiple points to the other for errant line calls. Also, Sinner was up 2 sets and so everyone wanted a dramatic comeback, to which we were all treated with tennis at elite level.
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Slightly OT I guess, but this conversation reminded of when Bobby Portis Jr of the Milwaukee Bucks tested positive for tramadol and was suspended 25 games (too harsh IMO).
Not sure I totally buy this but
"Portisā agent stated that Portis unintentionally took Tramadol, mistaking it for Toradol, an approved pain medication he had used before. Portis also stated he was using an NBA-approved medication for pain and inflammation related to an elbow injury and made an honest mistake by taking a different pill. "
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I want this story to be true. Portis seems like that sort of character
The story was that his assistant gave it to him and said āyeah, itās Toradol.ā Which raises an additional question about your assistant just handing you a controlled medication.
From what I can tell, itās not totally clear that Tramadol is performance enhancing per se, but banned under the idea that athletes would take too much of it to push through pain, and that would have safety concerns.
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Rodesch qualifies for the main draw at Wimbledon! Took out Fucsovics (very solid veteran) in 4
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Whoa, that is impressive. Fucsovics was top seeded in the qualifying, one ranking spot away from automatic main draw entry. Heās a fitness beast too and very good player. Surprised his ranking dropped that low, was in the 30ās at one point. Good on Rodesch. Watch him get Alcaraz in round 1.
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