The power this sequence of birthdays (anniversaries) has:
March 23 - Chaka Khan
March 25 - Aretha Franklin
March 26 - Diana Ross
March 27 - Mariah Carey
While playing victim this whole time -- despite being the main author of his predicament -- Djokovic still hasn't uttered a word about the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees in Australia
BREAKING: After stunting, scheming with buddy Craig, jumping through loopholes, playing in our faces, and deploying the full weight of his privilege, Novak Djokovic will be deported from Australia
6-0 6-2 Serena over T. Maria.
Serena says Olympia and Tatjana's daughter are friends and that Tatjana's daughter was helping Olympia out at Wimbledon. Says they live near each other in Florida and visit each other all the time.
What Rafael Nadal did to win the Davis Cup, at this point in the season, was simply outrageous:
d Khachanov 63 76
d Gojo 64 63
d Dodig/Pavic 63 64
d Schwartzman 61 62
d Gonzalez/Mayer 64 46 63
d Evans 64 60
d Murray/Skupski 76 76
d Shapovalov 63 76
Wins 8 matches in 6 days
Tennis has gone to great lengths to ignore and, in some cases, suppress the allegations made against Zverev. Now
@LaverCup
is blocking people who bring it up in response to a tweet celebrating his "memories" from their event where some of the abuse allegedly took place. Abhorrent
Dominic Thiem, after losing a heartbreaker in a 5th set tiebreak to Nadal, smiles at the chair while shaking his hand and says, "thank you."
All class.
Alexander Zverev has played in 25 Slam main draws, been ranked as high as
#3
in the world, won 17 ATP titles, and is STILL yet to beat a top ten player at any of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, or
#USOpen
I don't know how you can read any of the reporting about the Zverev domestic abuse case and be like let me give that man the benefit of the doubt. Especially after all the men have had all the benefits of the doubt since forever
Countries w at least 1 ATP & WTA player in top 25:
ESP: 12 Muguruza 3 Nadal
GRE: 20 Sakkari 5 Tsitsipas
SUI: 13 Bencic 7 Federer
POL: 16 Swiatek 16 Hurkacz
GER: 25 Kerber 6 AZ
BEL: 17 Mertens 14 Goffin
CAN: 6 Andreescu 19 Raonic
AUS: 1 Barty 25 de Minaur
BRING BACK HOPMAN CUP
I think Craig miscalculated how many players would actually get vaccinated. Turns out, they pretty much ALL did. Which means all his efforts were PLAINLY in service of Novak. Nowhere to hide
We take for granted Nadal's utter dominance at Roland Garros, but it's even more remarkable that he's still able to do this after all the injuries. Might explain Rafa showing more emotion than usual. Only he knows the full extent of what he's been through to still be here.
Nadal has been spot on when talking about the pandemic and keeping tennis in the proper perspective since the restart. Behaving like a grown up amidst a sea of children.
Rafael Nadal was asked about travelling to Australia: "We are nobody to say what they feel is better for [their] country, no? We just need to be patient and accept the situation that we are facing."
✔ Become first ever Japanese Slam champion
✔ Crack the top 10 for the first time
✔ Hold her nerve under absurd, unprecedented circumstances, in her 1st Slam final, and against her idol
✔ Secure the bag
Naomi Osaka gave a brilliant account of herself and her game today.
BREAKING: In a landmark victory for GAY RIGHTS, Roger Federer saves SEVEN match points against Tennys Sandgren in the 4th set, advances to the
#AusOpen
semifinals.
6-3 2-6 2-6 7-6 6-3
Nadal is close friends with Julio Iglesias and his daughter-in-law that controls US and the Democratic party, so they want to protect him as much as possible and give him every chance to win and not allow Novak Djokovic to win.
Bianca Andreescu (18) started the year ranked
#152
and is now up to
#23
Félix Auger-Aliassime (18) started the year ranked
#108
and is now up to
#33
#CanadaRising
Roger cussed, got snitched on by line judge. Veljovic issues warning. Fed is like, WHET?
Veljovic says line judge heard u clear as day, homie. Fed steps to line judge who says, I GET PAID TO SNITCH, WHAT OF IT
Fed walks to Veljovic who unscrews mic, leans forward & HANDLES IT
May we all be fortunate enough to have the clarity, self-awareness, and means to chart the path that's best for us like Ash did today. I'll miss her dearly. Brava!
A career that has inspired the world 💙
Thank you
@ashbarty
, for everything. We wish you the best in your retirement, and we’ll always be here cheering you on for the next chapter.
Forever a champion 🏆
Given everything the USTA did to Taylor under Patrick's leadership as head of player development, having him do the trophy ceremony is the height of brazenness
I hope Andy Murray's imminent retirement serves as a reminder to appreciate our favs while we still have them on court. Revel in their unique awesomeness. It's a much better use of time than warring with other fandoms on these Twitter streets.
Y'all, if you EVER see someone say the WTA is messier than the ATP or some such nonsense to denigrate women's sport, just remember this quarantine. These men are out of CONTROL.
So so much to unpack here. I think this clip is instructive of a lot of what Venus and Serena have dealt with in their careers: constantly having to push back against what the media, players, and fans project onto them. Meanwhile, they're just trying to live and WIN
Novak could have easily sat there and said nothing. Instead, this is yet another layer of defence for Zverev even though "we don't know what happened truly" as Nole said today. It's Zverev who gets the (very public) benefits of the doubt/support from men in power.
Always a pleasure sharing the court with you Sasha
@AlexZverev
. Great ending of the season for you. Best wishes in what awaits you on and off the court. Stay strong.
Happy to qualify for Semi-finals in the last year of
#ATPFinals
here in O2. Idemooo for tomorrow 💪🙏
Could it be YOUR time to take the allegations of domestic violence made against him seriously? All I've seen is ignore, promote him, hope it will go away. Is the plan to hope he wins so that it will go away?
"She won 11 Australian Opens when nobody was going down there cause it was Christmas. So let's just get that out there."
- Chrissie on Margaret Court's 24
What's most frustrating about this for me is: if an ATP player actually did this -- not as a response to being called out for homophobia -- but as a genuine statement acknowledging & supporting tennis' gay fans who are often treated as invisible, it would be so damn powerful
Happy New Year! Wishing you all health, love & joy in every moment & may you feel love & respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet.
I’ve spent fantastic quality time with loved ones over break & today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022!
Somewhere there are a whole bunch of middling ATP men who will never in their life achieve what these two women did tonight and still believe they deserve more money than them. Bless.
This statement is a testament to the sheer VOLUME of his fuck ups that left him with no choice but to cop to a chosen few that would be least damaging. Spoiler: still RANCID
A day of tennis that featured Serena, Coco, Venus, and Sloane back-to-back-to-back-to-back. Truly, what a moment. The fruition of so many who fought long ago, who are still fighting, and who will fight going forward. Representation matters, never let them tell you otherwise.
Ash Barty & Naomi Osaka played in the 3rd rd of last year's Aus Open. It felt like a peek into the future of the WTA.
The future is now: they've combined to win the last 3 Slams and become the top two ranked players in the world!
#RG19
Hopefully this serves as a wake-up call for all players. For Djokovic, something like this was only a matter of time. Hell, it could have happened the game prior. Intent doesn't matter. As James Blake said, the moment you swing, you take the chance something like this can happen.
So many black tennis players, past and present, suffered in silence as the white tennis media wrote and said whatever tf they wanted, scripted whatever lazy narrative was tried and true. Those who protested were villified. We need more diverse voices covering our sport. Period.
Serena's improved fitness has made every difference to her overall game. She just went toe-to-toe with Simona Halep and neutralized her biggest weapon. She can rely on all aspects of her game now, not just the serve. Best she's played since 2017 and it's not even close.
Craig Tiley strikes again. Previously, he fashioned himself a weather god, was responsible for players collapsing on court due to smoke inhalation. This year, he thought he could bend immigration rules to let in the unvaccinated during a pandemic crisis. The narcissism is unreal
In 1998, Patty Schnyder upset Steffi Graf in the 4th round of the
#USOpen
. 20 years later, Schnyder wins three matches in qualifying and will face Maria Sharapova in the 1st round.
TENNIS IS WILD.
Love it or hate it, love her or hate her, Serena walking onto Center Court to begin a Slam and reveal her kit is one of the true showstopping moments in all of tennis.
You rarely see Ash Barty get this emotional. In a dress inspired by Evonne Goolagong, on the 50th anniversary of Evonne's win, Ash Barty realizes her own dream on Centre Court at
#Wimbledon
Remembering Gael in tears earlier in the year after all the losses kept piling up, and now he's putting it together again and just got his 500th win 👏👏
Simona
#Halep
has been derided as feeble-minded, a slamless
#1
, cowed by the big moments, and lacking courage. She stared down all those demons, put her foot on the gas, and seized her moment in time.
#RG18
Victoria Azarenka won't be playing Stuttgart next week as she'll be receiving her first covid-19 vaccine. Great to see more players going public about taking the vaccine, especially a player with Vika's reach.
Victoria Azarenka started her
#USOpen
journey with a hapless loss to Venus Williams in Kentucky.
She dug deep to find her best form, won Cincinnati, beat Serena Williams for the first time at a Slam, and made her first Slam final in 7 years. An incredible run.