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Sep/16

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WADA Doping Hack Story is Blowing Up

Serena[1]Read this: https://www.rt.com/sport/359215-wada-substances-williams-biles/

Well this is BIG. Really BIG. Russian computer hackers penetrated the World Anti-Doping Agency’s athlete database and publicly revealed private medical information about three of the United States’ most famous athletes.

The hackers published documents this week showing that Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Simone Biles received medical exemptions to use banned drugs. The simmering suspicions that the Williams sisters have used illegal PEDs to gain and maintain there edge on their competition have just gained a lot of momentum with this breaking story.
What catches my attention is the “therapeutic use exemption” which is similar to the A and B sample / “inadvertant use” exemption which has been used to protect certain star boxers http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/8522413/erik-morales-fails-drug-test-fight-danny-garcia-barclays-center-saturday-sources-say   –  via USADA which is not the most trustworthy organization — read this http://www.sbnation.com/longform/2015/9/9/9271811/can-boxing-trust-usada
The lingering thought here is: It could be entirely possible that super elite athletes fabricate illnesses and diseases and “syndromes” in order to allow themselves to use illegal PEDs to maintain their edge and to extend their careers and earning power – Anyone who would totally rule out that possibility of sophisticated corruption is either naive or stupid. I need to think about this story further to share more thoughts and comments but one thing is for sure – this could be a turning point in the tennis & PED issue and it’s possible that the powers that be are ready to sacrifice the Williams sisters.

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118 comments

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2016 at 2:09 pm

    How does Garin look? He hit a rough stretch in his career and has struggled – had a big ATP win as a fifteen year old but has not become the force such an early big win would suggest he was capable of – Can see Shapovalov being the top ranked lefty someday –

  • Hartt · September 18, 2016 at 2:18 pm

    I thought Garin was solid but not spectacular. He did take the first set to a TB and Denis had some work to win the TB. In the 2nd set Garin got a break but in the next game Denis broke back at 0 and then got another break. Garin was looking discouraged by the end of the match.

    Generally Denis played well for a 17-year-old and served very well. But he was far from unbeatable so it is telling that Garin could not get the win.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2016 at 2:46 pm

    Thanks Hartt for the Garin update – sounds like it was another very tough discouraging loss for Garin –

  • Andrew Miller · September 18, 2016 at 3:31 pm

    Mayer d. Evans, Argentina vs Croatia in finals.

    Hartt, yes, I think Shapovalov’s a lot better than the practice session I watched. Hard to put any stock in any practice session ever, it’s just a fragment of information that says little to nothing about a player, the whole of their training, how they actually match up to opponents, etc. He was just goofing off with McKenzie MacDonald, spraying balls everywhere when I saw him. But he did show a big serve and a reckless abandon when charging the net. I didn’t get much of a sense of his footwork, something that separates the boys from the men.

    Scoop, no player SHOULD give up but many do, that’s just reality. Especially among the college ranks, where NCAA champs sadly fare very poorly on the tour. Look no further than UCLA’s players in the last couple of years. They’ve fielded teams with
    Denis Kosakowski of the sweet backhand
    MacKenzie MacDonald, NCAA champ this year
    Novikov
    Marcos Giron, NCAA champ in 2014.

    Of the UCLA guys alone, two of these four are now off tour, with Kosakowski considering a comeback and Giron now on the UCLA coaching staff, recovering from hip surgery. Sure we say, well, they’re injured. But could also say the tour’s rigors are such, if you aren’t training and getting your body right you won’t be able to stay out there.

    Another college player, Brad Klahn, is dying to get back to the court. Who knows if the Stanford grad will make it back.

    The always formidable JJ from UVa, mere years from nearly qualifying for the US Open and almost another slam, has gone from around #200 to the low #700s.

    USC’s Steve Johnson is a total freak in my opinion – he’s the winningest player in NCAA mens tennis history and that’s why he’s top 25 despite not having an Isner-like serve, or even a nice, compound game. Johnson just knows how to win way better than other players that like Shapovalov has said – such a veteran statement – that players hit the tour and suddenly, rather than losing a handful of times per year, are losing every week.

    That’s why when I look at college tennis now, I don’t think it’s as “viable” as folks say it is. For every “freak” like Steve Johnson or Noah Rubin (I think Noah’s going to have a career, he’s just so mentally tough), you have a whole host of players with great games who won’t be able to break through and stay there.

    Tour’s got tons of them. They are staying on the challengers and futures. It’s a unique life, but many are destined to stay around there – if they are lucky.

    One college player I think WILL make it actually is Danielle Collins, who just won her 2nd NCAA title. She plays the game in a fearless way and has been based in Bradenton for a long time. I think if she gets her physio up watch out, she’s good.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2016 at 5:51 pm

    Every player gives up eventually – Agassi knew when it was time to give up – for certain players like Agassi Soderling Norman Kuerten and Capriati it’s the body that breaks down and they were forced to give up their careers – then it’s other players who cant win enough to make the $ to keep going – Tough business tough sport tough life –

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2016 at 5:54 pm

    I was very impressed watching the NCAA Invitational event at the US Open with Redlicki Kwiatkowski Eubanks etc – High quality talents but if one of the players invited to play that US Open Invitational make it as ATP players they will be considered very fortunate – Just so many great players out there – NCAA tennis is becoming the junkyard (for lack of a better word) for junior star players not quite good enough to turn pro –

  • Dan Markowitz · September 19, 2016 at 6:01 am

    I don’t think every star junior player looks at playing college tennis as the junkyard of pro tennis. Many to I imagine most college tennis players look at college tennis as the landing spot for the culmination of their dreams. I know with my son, if he were to garner a college scholarship or his tennis was a big reason why he got into a top school, that’s the dream. Then he gets to play big time college tennis while attending a great school.

    I think it’s unrealistic for many to most college tennis players or even juniors to think a pro career is viable for them. Look at Stefan Kozlov, for example, this guy’s been on the high road to a pro career for a long time, and he is actually winning matches on the pro tour, all on grass so far if you’re just talking ATP events. He’s 18 and ranked no. 151 which is real good, but if you look at his record this year, he’s won a total of one match against a Top 100 player if you take away his two wins against Top 100 players on grass. One match and that was against Dzumhur in Winston-Salem the week before the Open. He lost in the first round qualis of the Open, Wimbledon and Roland Garros, and didn’t play Aussie O. Is Kozlov going to make Top 50 one day? No damn guarantee and then what’s he going to do? Teach tennis!

  • Hartt · September 19, 2016 at 7:15 am

    A couple final thoughts on Denis Shapovalov. After his match he talked about how much pressure he’d felt playing Davis Cup for his country, hardly sleeping the night before. So a good sign he is able to deal with pressure.

    Scoop, I know you think players should show emotion on the court and Denis certainly does that and the crowd responded. He can also have a bit of fun. After he was run ragged in one point he lay down on the court for a few seconds “rest.”

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 19, 2016 at 8:26 am

    Dan I think all serious juniors aspire to be pros- all the ones who play the junior ITF international event all over the globe are doing it to be ATP and WTA stars not to play NCAA tennis imo – so college tennis is basically the lower minor leagues for the major leagues – every kid who goes to Img and pays the $80k a year to go there has at some point the aspiration to be pro not a college tennis standout –

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 19, 2016 at 8:30 am

    Whoa Hartt – I like that quality in Denis – for a young player to be an uninhibited alpha character on the court is a vital sign – He’s not deferring to the older opponents he’s facing he’s showing everyone it’s his court too and he’s free to be himself which is important – it’s like boxing regarding “ring generalship” – Denis clearly has “court generalship” at such a young age – Love it –

  • Andrew Miller · September 19, 2016 at 10:57 am

    Dan, true. Super elite college players (the best among them) have shown they can at the very least match if not beat the rankings of junior slam winners (e.g., Fratangelo). It’s 50/50, and you’re right – when they twist that ankle, leave the tour or what not, they aren’t limited to the jobs of tennis announcer, usta coach, or club pro. That said, they are also in the best position to be elite coaches, given their experience and (maybe) their education. Maybe. That avenue seems to be closing because of elite players’ preference for coaches that “have been there” at the absolute highest levels of the sport.

  • Andrew Miller · September 19, 2016 at 12:55 pm

    Congratulations McHale for winning Japan Open, against Siniakova no less. Thought McHale was hitting a great ball this summer-saw her bullying around Stosur on practice court-glad to see the hard work paying off. First WTA title.

  • Andrew Miller · September 19, 2016 at 12:56 pm

    MCGEE D. ESCOBEDO FOR FIRST CHALLENGER. Dan’s guy wins.

  • Dan Markowitz · September 19, 2016 at 1:30 pm

    McGee is a fighter. Does IMG really cost $80,000 a year! Wow! A 12-year-old boy that my son played against (and had pretty good success against) actually just got sent to IMG by his parents this year. My son had been in the same junior group clinic as this boy and he was better than Cal, but by not that much and he was two years older.

    Anyway, I can’t imagine his father, who had me come over to his house a couple of times to teach this boy and his older brother yoga, thinks this boy is pro material. He’s really skinny and though he hits a real nice ball, he wasn’t even Top 10 in the 12’s in the East. Now maybe going to IMG he’ll really develop, but I’m a believer in John McEnroe’s philosophy that you don’t have to go to IMG or a Florida academy to become a big time player. Kudla, Tiafoe, Chirico and McHale never did full time, I don’t think so. Actually, my son is doing a two hour clinic at McEnroe’s tonight to see if he qualifies next year for a scholarship. He’s supposed to be put in the same group as the best 10-13 year old kids at McEnroe’s Westchester county academy. I’ll let you know what I think after I take it in.

  • Andrew Miller · September 20, 2016 at 2:31 pm

    Who gets 2017 Davis cup bounce? Will be either an Argentine or a Croatian team member. Every year without fail seemingly someone wins davis cup and rides that emotion into the new year. Wonder if Coric digs deep, should he get the chance. The favorite would be Del Potro, but these teams are evenly matched and I rarely think of jmdp as a dubs hero. Maybe the tie is more on Cilics racquet.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 20, 2016 at 8:17 pm

    Whoever gets the bounce also means someone will suffer the heartbreak and could crash like paul henri mathieu and llodra – Coric could be a hero but so too could Pella – Also can see this being Delpo’s defining moment. One thing is for sure – the Davis Cup does not always follow the script and this will be a helluva final between two nations and star players who REALLY want to win the Davis Cup –

  • Andrew Miller · September 20, 2016 at 8:30 pm

    I think for the rest of the year it’s safe to say that it’s hard to put stock in results unless they are challengers and guys and ladies are putting together their prep for 2017. Sock and SteveJ starred in the indoor part of last year and that certainly reinforced their 2016 campaigns. But for all purposes we are in the relegation part of the year. Money time for players and the snooze button for fans until wtf and Davis cup.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 20, 2016 at 8:43 pm

    I agree to an extent but a lot of players are still scrapping to up their ranking – christina mchale just won her first title in Japan and all of her matches were three sets and the last three were all like 64 64 75 in the third sets – so a lot of players are really serious and eager to do well and ascend up the ranking list – then again certain players are injured and tired and just want to relax and regroup for 2017 –

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