Qinwen Zheng after QF loss to Aryna Sabalenka: “I will say this. How can you scream when you hit the ball but you still screaming when I hit the ball? This is hindrance. I could have played better, but we need to change the rule. If not, OK. I will scream when she hits next time we play.”
Alexander Bublik’s Grand Slam philosophy: “In order for me to win against the best of the best…And I proved I’m capable of that…I have to find ways to outplay them because they will outwork me, outrun me, I’m not gonna be able to play five and a half hours against Jack (Draper) ..so I have to work my way through the other parts. I have a lot in terms of arsenal of shots, shot selection.”
Nick Kyrgios had a “small setback” in his recovery and has withdrawn from playing Wimbledon.
Alexander Zverev has won his defamation lawsuit vs Ben Rothenberg.
Today Lorenzo Musetti accidentally kicked a ball which hit a linesperson during his match vs Frances Tiafoe and he was not defaulted like Novak Djokovic was at US Open.
Tiafoe spoke about the hypocrisy: “He did that and nothing happened. I think that’s comical. It is what it is. Nothing happened. So there’s nothing to talk about. Obviously it’s not consistent. It is what it is.”
JIm Courier announced on air today during TNT coverage that Andre Agassi is en route to Paris and revved up to begin his broadcasting role on Thursday.
Artwork by Joel Blanc.
Steve · June 3, 2025 at 8:12 pm
Electronic line calls on clay will bite them in the ass. The only thing that is 100% accurate is the Mac-cam, cameras trained right on the lines which they still use in some Asian tournaments.
Shot-spot/eletronic line calling is a cheap facsimile of reality and is wrong 5% of the time. Eventually it will be found out on a gigantic break point or tie break that it just is not good enough.
Musetti has been playing great. Glad the uniqueness of the French Open which did not cancel during Covid allows for more freedom for the players and the fans to be human.
Scoop Malinowski · June 3, 2025 at 9:17 pm
Miss the McEnroe tirades. But the ball zips faster now. Musetti may catch fire but is a longshot like Gaudio and Guga.
Steve · June 3, 2025 at 11:19 pm
I like this guy’s artwork you’re featuring.
catherine · June 4, 2025 at 3:56 am
Players and spectators have been complaining about Sabalenka’s screaming ever since she emerged as a prominent player.
Officialdom has remained silent. Presumably Aryna’s vocalising is not considered a hindrance. Solution: earplugs all round.
Scoop Malinowski · June 4, 2025 at 7:24 am
Steve, it’s Joel Blanc, it’s incredible. Reminds me of Raoul Dufy, also a great French artist.
Scoop Malinowski · June 4, 2025 at 7:25 am
Qinwen is going to do what needs to be done, next time they play. That’s the only solution. It’ll be a screamshow.
Steve · June 4, 2025 at 11:34 am
Lois Boisson, ranked 361, is into the semis! Wiki says she made a total of $149 grand in prize monies in her career so far. This tournament is quite a change. She’ll make roughly $788k for her semi-final match.
Amazing story. Even though this is WTA John Yandell once said you have a better chance of being attacked by a great white shark than to make a living on the ATP.
Scoop Malinowski · June 4, 2025 at 12:22 pm
It’s another Emma Raducanu shock the world result in a Grand Slam and it’s not even over with yet. Whether it’s scripted or not, we are here for this against all odds story. Does she look a little like she could be Richard Gasquet’s sister? Similar facial mannerisms.
Steve · June 4, 2025 at 12:24 pm
If Reeshar had her physique and fitness he would have 10 slams.
Scoop Malinowski · June 4, 2025 at 12:37 pm
Whether “she” has an adam’s apple or not “she” is a powerhouse. ) If you catch my drift
Steve · June 4, 2025 at 5:56 pm
I wonder what Zverev’s conversations with his father/coach are like after these gigantic & notable losses. “Hey, Pops, maybe we shoulda kept Lendl.” or “That David Ferrer guy was pretty good, maybe we shouldn’t have scared him away.”
Scoop Malinowski · June 4, 2025 at 9:11 pm
Steve, I don’t see Zverev having that obsession to be the best. A player told me Zverev makes $20m a year. He seems content with that. Great player certainly capable of winning majors but I don’t see him having that freakish desire and hunger to do it. He doesn’t really want it enough. He’s 2 in the world making a fortune. Yes he’s in the toughest era ever, but even in a different era who knows if he would have won a major. Maybe he’s destined to be a Todd Martin, Coria, Ferrer, Henman, Rios, Leconte, Nishikori, Roscoe Tanner, Corretja type.
Sam · June 5, 2025 at 4:49 am
Scoop, do you think Musetti should have been disqualified for kicking the ball?
Scoop Malinowski · June 5, 2025 at 7:39 am
Sam, according to the rules yes. I don’t understand what he was trying to do kicking that ball in the general direction of the linesperson, it looked intentional. I don’t know what the context of the match was, if he was frustrated or in control. I’d guess frustrated. But I also understand players can crack under pressure and vent frustration and the linesperson was not hurt by the strike. Judgement call letting him continue makes sense too. The dirty part is another Italian got a special privilege that Novak certainly did not.
Sam · June 13, 2025 at 4:40 am
Sounds like there’s way too much wiggle room to selectively enforce the rules then. Just one more strike against the optics of tennis. 🤮
Whether a linesman is injured should be irrelevant, because it’s normally out of the player’s control. I mean, this incident from a couple years ago was nuts: 🤪
https://picks-s6.cbssports.com/tennis/news/french-open-2023-doubles-team-disqualified-after-accidentally-hitting-ball-girl-during-third-round-match/
Scoop Malinowski · June 13, 2025 at 8:22 am
Sam, I remember that mess. But Kato hit that ball not softly and she knew the kid was there. She expected the kid to catch it and did not take into consideration she was not paying attention. Maybe she did it in purpose to challenge the kid, driven by anger fro losing the match. Rule are rules she learned the hard way.
Sam · June 20, 2025 at 5:43 am
Scoop, so are you saying that they got disqualified because there seemed to be an element of negligence or intentionality from Kato?
Scoop Malinowski · June 20, 2025 at 7:57 am
Hard to say exactly Sam, rage in tennis is weird. Nice guy Corretja once smashed all his racquets on court after a doubles WIN. We don’t know what is in these players heads. Carlos Moya once threw his sweaty Nike shirt in the face of a ballboy after a Miami Open loss (I now the ex ballboy, he used to be a comment maker on the old Tennis Week.com site).
Sam · June 27, 2025 at 11:24 pm
Hard to say exactly Sam, rage in tennis is weird. Nice guy Corretja once smashed all his racquets on court after a doubles WIN. We don’t know what is in these players heads.
Well, the “rules” may be rules, Scoop, but far too often, they don’t seem to make any sense. 🤪
Carlos Moya once threw his sweaty Nike shirt in the face of a ballboy after a Miami Open loss (I now the ex ballboy, he used to be a comment maker on the old Tennis Week.com site).
Ouch! And did he receive any fine for that? 😬