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May/22

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Why is there an anti Novak media agenda?

Novak Djokovic has been enjoying the adoration and love from fans in Rome this week just like his other tournaments in 2022 after the traumatic experience in Australia. The very positive fan reaction to Djokovic lately contradicts what the controlled media tried to make us believe, that Djokovic is not popular anywhere, he’s an ogre and he’s not well liked except for in Serbia.

The fake news media hate agenda against Novak Djokovic is obscenely obvious at this point. There are too many examples to mention, subtle, blatant, social media, etc. But the reality is Djokovic is receiving a tremendously positive reception in Rome and at every tournament he plays and the fake news media is ignoring that story, ignoring Djokovic’s huge popularity, ignoring admitting it was wrong to villainize Djokovic as just a Serbian hero.

It’s really disgusting that the tennis media is so false, so corrupt and so biased against Djokovic. It’s even more sickening that nothing is being done about it and the worst hack writers who peddle the lies and fake news anti Djokovic agenda are given media credentials and access to the sport and players.

The hate against Djokovic continues. Here’s the latest attack job by Tennis Channel analyst Pam Shriver: “Alcaraz does everything Novak can do but maybe even a little better.” Sure, Shriver wants to discredit and diminish Djokovic – that’s what her media masters want. But if Pam was really an honest journalist without biases to try to manipulate the masses, she would have also said Alcaraz does everything Federer and Nadal can do but maybe even a little better. But no, Pam only wants to take a shot at Djokovic.

The media pattern of misportrayal of Djokovic is clear by now: Djokovic is his own worst enemy, he should just take the drug shot that doesn’t work and needs 15 boosters…. Djokovic’s bad temper is out of control… Djokovic is a phony who only does nice things when the cameras are rolling.

This pattern of anti Novak media manipulation is corrupt and damaging the integrity of the sport. The ATP should not be playing favorites and manipulating anything, just let the Greatest of all Time drama play out naturally on a level playing field.

Why is it so important to try to block Djokovic from making history? It could mean the ones who profit the most by defying Djokovic, may be the ones who have actually orchestrated this virulent, vicious anti Novak Djokovic smear campaign agenda. And you know who those two are.

Remember what ATP champion Reilly Opelka said: “The tennis media is awful, the worst.”

Remember, I had this exchance with a former ATP board member…

Me: It’s obvious by now there is a conspiracy by hidden forces to assassinate Djokovic’s character and destroy his quest for most Grand Slams. The big question is, Who is orchestrating it – Federer, his agent Godsick, Nadal, ATP?

Former ATP board member: “At this point they all benefit from it.”

· · ·

41 comments

  • catherine · May 11, 2022 at 11:19 am

    I hadn’t noticed. Examples ? Citation ? Mostly it’s about Alcaraz these days. Carlito sells.

    Maybe I’m reading different media to you.

  • catherine · May 11, 2022 at 11:24 am

  • Bill McGill · May 11, 2022 at 12:15 pm

    I don’t regularly attend tennis tournaments in Europe, but a couple of observations:

    1. I attended the 2021 US Open final and the crowd was overwhelmingly pro-Djokovic (not anti-Medvedev, just pro Djoker), despite the fact that Medvedev is an extremely likable and genuine character with very unique play patterns.

    2. Over the years, i have seen Djoker play several matches at Cinci, Miami and Rogers Cup, including matches against Americans like Isner, Sock and Harrison and Djokovic was the fan favorite at each. I also saw his 2014 US Open final with Murray and, while it was less lopsided, a majority of the crowd was with Djokovic.

    3. To my shame, I’ve never seen Djokovic play either Federer or Nadal, but it’s obvious even on TV that he is less popular than both. I don’t read too much into that. Federer came along first and while Djokovic is the same age as Nadal, Nadal was a big winner at a younger age. Real tennis fans had already picked “their guy” by the time Djokovic was a serious contender for big titles. This is an under appreciated factor in his popularity relative to Fed and Nadal.

    4. While more recently some of his press coverage has become overtly political – and biased – in the beginning I think the media just manufactured a narrative that they never got tired of repeating.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 11, 2022 at 12:21 pm

    Media establishment downplaying ignoring Novak’s 369 weeks at no. 1 but celebrating all of Nadal’s weeks in top 10… surely you notice the establishment media going crazy over young Carlos success but they did not do the same when 18-19 year old Novak burst on the scene taking out Federer Nadal, totally different treatment… if you haven’t noticed the media treatment of Novak is heavily negative instead of positive you will now that you are awake to it. Wertheim, Rothenberger, Shriver, Martina, Gilbert, Clarey, Briggs are the most obvious blatant offenders.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 11, 2022 at 12:21 pm

    Good site, they are fair and balanced from what I ‘ve seen so far.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 11, 2022 at 12:28 pm

    Bill, you make it seem like the media negativity for Djokovic is just kind of happening naturally. It’s by design. Nadal showed no regard in Madrid when the fan fainted (vs Carlos), he wanted to hurry up and continue the match with no compassion for the well being or health of the collapsed fan. Could you imagine the media attacks on Djokovic’s character if he did the same? Can you imagine the media attacks if it was not Nadal but Novak who picked his butt before every single point of his tennis career? Djokovic’s injuries are always suspected as fake but Nadal’s are always believed. Nadal is telling us he has a chronic foot issue but then why does he do those high jump leaps on concrete before every match? No sign of any injury. The double standards of how the media treat Nadal Federer compared to Novak is blatant hypocrisy and unfair. But smart fans around the world are awakening to the bias and agendas of the fake news controlled agenda driven media.

  • Bill McGill · May 11, 2022 at 5:35 pm

    I don’t think the press’ coverage of him has been the same throughout his career. I feel like general tenor of media coverage when he first started having significant success on the tour was negative, focusing on Federer and Nadal’s supposed dislike of him, implying that the players on the tour found his jokes and imitations annoying and maybe covering some of his jackass parents’ antics more than was strictly necessary.

    After winning his first slam, it was assumed he was going to be routinely challenging for every big title; but he struggled in 2009, losing all the important finals and 2010, when he failed to even make a Masters 1000 final. He also had some controversial early retirements that players like Roddick and Federer made snide remarks about. During this time period, I feel like the general tenor of media coverage of Djokovic was that he was lost, struggling, lacking in self-confidence, not living up to his potential. This is fairly typical of his coverage during the period: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/142787-novak-djokovic-too-much-too-soon

    Then, of course, he had this remarkable stretch of sheer dominance, where coverage of him was “all hail the new king,” but mixed with stories about him maybe being a little weird (blood spinning, questionable gluten allergy diagnosis by a quack, hyperbaric chambers and, later, weird spiritual guru). By 2015, with his wins over Federer at Wimbledon and US Open, I thought his coverage was actually fairly favorable.

    Then it turned negative again lat 2016 and early 2017, when, amid rumors of marital issues, he appeared to lose focus on tennis, suffered elbow injuries, more controversial retirements when his elbow injury wasn’t quite as readily apparent as Fed’s back or Nadal’s knees.

    When he returned to form in the second half of 2018, after the magical season that Fed and Nadal had in 2017, the story was just fairly relentless: the crowds want Federer and Nadal to keep winning like in 2017. Which is sort of true. And the controversial retirements didn’t entirely end. I was at his 2019 US Open R16 match with Wawrinka. It wasn’t just the press. The whole crowd thought he quit because he was losing. Not saying that’s a fair assessment, just saying that it wasn’t just the press. It didn’t help when, a couple of days later, Fed clearly injured his back playing Dimitrov. Fed was up 2 sets to 1, but in the fourth set was barely able to get down for volleys. He gamely finished out the match without overly exerting himself. People seem to appreciate that about Federer.

    And then covid came and the media seized on his tax stance and his coverage just became overtly standard right/left American politics in ways that seem completely ridiculous to me.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 11, 2022 at 7:25 pm

    Good solid comprehensive review Bill. It really turned negative as Novak was on the verge of 21 and the Grand Slam, they used Covid or corona or whatever they call that thing that replaced the flu, as the target issue to attack attack attack. Novak has been the best thing for tennis, amazing athlete, funny guy, imitations, hot temper like McEnroe, crazy moments which are good (controversy sells), but being from Serbia Yugoslavia region like Seles doesn’t sell as well like USA UK Spain Germany France regions. I know a guy at my club who hated Djokovic after sitting next to his parents at US Open on grandstand about 15 years ago when he was young, he said the way his father was acting was “disgusting.” But now after the way Novak stood up for what he believes in about the shot, this same guy suddenly has reversed his opinion for Djokovic and now loves him, huge respect. I just talked to him about this last night at the club, his name is Walter Kapinos. I was surprised to learn such an anti Novak guy could now become totally supportive of him. Out of curiosity I asked him about Djokovic last night and how he feels about him and learned the pleasant surprise. I think this phenomenon is happening on a huge scale.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 12, 2022 at 8:11 am

    Look at how quickly the anti Novak Djokovic tennis establishment is in a rush to cancel Djokovic…

    Former world No. 1 Martina Navratilova dropped a big praise on Carlos Alcaraz, calling the 19-year-old Spaniard “a better version of Novak Djokovic. For me he’s a better version of Djokovic. He moves like Novak but he hits a better ball out wide. More powerful than I’ve ever seen. He’s defying the laws of gravity out there.”

    20 Grand Slams, 369 weeks at no.1 ( a full year better than Federer), etc., and Navratilova already is saying young Carlos is better than Djokovic. At least she’s indirectly admitting Novak is better than Federer and Nadal. Lost a lot of respect for Martina, who is just a donkey propagandist for the establishment. She’s a sell out.

  • MATT SEGEL · May 12, 2022 at 10:54 am

    Scoop on a roll!

    It’s hard to be compared to Fed. He checked all the boxes and was a fan favorite and many players have only nice things to say about him.

    Rafa is almost a curiosity for the media. They kind of treat him like a rambunctious little boy. His autobiography was very interesting by the way.

    I think they liked writing those stories and were annoyed having to heap praise on Novak. They didn’t like his ambition. He should have known his place.

    That and his counter cultural beliefs (traditional mixed with alternative) were just easy targets.

    Now it’s Alcarez! Doesn’t matter Novak is STILL #1. He’s been replaced by someone better!

    The King is not done yet though. Look out Carlos!

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 12, 2022 at 11:16 am

    Matt, Carlos almost seems like a blend of the best qualities of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, the offensive aggression of Fed, the fighting spirit and intensity of Nadal, the machine like efficiency and precision and technical excellence of Novak. Carlos is almost like a sort of Frankenstein tennis monster and don’t take that the wrong way, I love Boris Karloff as Frankenstein movies ) My observations from the Carlos vs Novak Madrid match were that Novak played it casual and like just another match, minimal intensity, no emotional adrenaline, just feeling the kid out and learning his game, collecting info. Carlos played it like the match of his life, grunting from the very first game. Great match but I see Novak playing him in Paris with FULL intensity and emtional adrenaline to the maximum and if Carlos can beat that he’s el hombre.

  • MATT SEGEL · May 12, 2022 at 12:02 pm

    Don’t get me wrong. Alcarez is amazing. Just amazing. The physicality and speed are rare and special. The coordination is also fantastic. He’s natural and is a special competitor.

    SO FAR! Del Potro was a special player once upon a time so was Sasha.

    I thought last year his serve was an issue, then by the fall he’s hitting 135…scary. He’s a fun player to root for and I hope he takes the crown from the two greats.

    The others are just waiting until they retire.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 12, 2022 at 10:18 pm

    True Matt, Alcaraz respectfully wants to take out Rafa and Novak, and if it takes brutality and viciousness, whatever it takes. Also what I like about Alcaraz is he has a nice demeanor on court, in his entire career now to thie end, he will never get a code violation, you can be sure of that. Well mannered nice person. Even when Tsitsipas tried to hit him in the head twice this year in Miami and Monte Carlo, Alcaraz made no issue of it, just looked at him silently. There is nothing I don’t like about him.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 13, 2022 at 1:17 pm

    Remember Nadal tried to accuse Novak Djokovic of having an unhealthy obsession with breaking records? He tried to vilainize Djokovic as a freak maniac, yet time revealed it was Novak who put his health ahead of winning AO by refusing to take the drug shot that doesn’t work. Time has revealed it’s Rafa fighting through countless injuries and risking permanent health damage all because he wants to keep winning Grand Slams. The mainstream tennis media ignored the hypocrisy.

    Nadal 2021 :
    “Novak is more obsessed about this, more focused. Like he’s always saying and talking about these records and well done for him, but it’s not my approach to my tennis career. I have a healthy ambition.”

  • Sam · May 13, 2022 at 3:06 pm

    Nadal and hypocrisy. I mean, what’s new? He probably didn’t get jabbed, but seems to expect everyone else to. 🤡

    By the way, do you think he was really injured yesterday, or just faking an injury to save face? 🤔

    Either way, he doesn’t really look like the favorite for the French Open at this point. The top two seem to be Alcaraz and Djokovic, and right now I’d give the advantage to the latter.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 13, 2022 at 6:36 pm

    Sam, no I think he faked it yesterday, he was fine until he started losing. If he was really injured he would have retired and rehabbed till French Open. If he was really injured with a chronic foot problem he would not do those standing high jumps on concrete before every match. I think Rafa’s tennis ego is so huge and sensitive that he must fabricate injuries to protect that ego and his image and aura. Media protects this Rafa illusion, whereas they crucify Djokovic whenever they think he fakes any injury. Blatant hypocrisy. Headline: Shapovalov defeats ailing Nadal in Rome… Alcaraz defeats world no. 1 Djokovic in Madrid.

  • Sam · May 13, 2022 at 10:50 pm

    I think you’re right, Scoop. What I don’t really get, though, is why so few people—even those who don’t like Nadal—never seem to question his injury claims. I mean, are they really that naive? 🐑

    As for the mainstream media, anyone with half a brain knows it’s nothing but a propaganda machine. 📣

    Seems to me that Nadal is running scared. He can’t be feeling too confident after getting bounced out of the two lead-up tournaments where he usually breezes through. Roland Garros is shaping up to be interesting indeed. 🍿

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 14, 2022 at 6:41 am

    Sam, most people have been taught from childhood to memorize and obey orders. Most people are afraid to question anything or to rock the boat. Most people are weak and comply with what they are told or manipulated by the media to do, to buy, to believe.

    Rafa knows he’s at the end and he won’t win RG.

    “One must shed the bad taste of wanting to agree with many. Whatever can be common always has little value. In the end it must be as it is and always has been. Great things remain for the great, abysses for the profound, nuances and shudders for the refined and, in brief, all that is rare for the rare.” – Friedrich Nietzche

  • Sam · May 14, 2022 at 7:27 am

    So true, Scoop. Unquestioning obedience is baked into our entire culture! 👨🏻‍🍳

    I guess we’ll see how Nadal’s desperation plays out in Paris. As always, the draw should tell us the story. I hope it’s fairly balanced at least.

    Interesting quote by Nietzsche, though a bit opaque. 😏 Although that dude was messed up in so many ways, he did make a lot of astute observations, and that seems to be one of them. 👍

  • Harold · May 14, 2022 at 10:23 am

    Does Nadal really have something to prove at the French? He’s won it 13 times.. When Nadal turned pro, Sampras’s 14 was the benchmark for total Slams. Nadal has 13 of one slam.
    Did you watch the Nadal/ Shap match. First off Shap caught fire. Would have beaten anybody..Nadal was wincing all over the place. Anyone else would have retired, Nadal played through. Think he deserves some credit for not pulling the rip cord, and letting Shap get the win.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 14, 2022 at 6:03 pm

    Sam, expect a very very hard draw for Djokovic, it always seems to work out that way. Alcaraz Nadal Tsitispas Zverev Vesely Rune Busta will surely all be in Djokovic’s half or section.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 14, 2022 at 6:09 pm

    Harold, Rafa wants 14 French Opens, maybe 15. He’s obsessed. But it’s a healthy obsession, so he says. Why does he deserve credit for risking further damaging the alleged injury? The injury or alleged injury stole some of the shine off Shapo’s stunning masterpiece win. Best move would have been to retire from the match, if there really was an injury. I suspect this foot injury, when someone is injured they don’t grunt and roar and fight as hard as Nadal did in the third set. It’s not wise to potentially further damage the foot or destroy the foot for the rest of the year. Nothing wrong with injury faking or exaggerating, and there’s nothing wrong about suspecting fakery. As has been said, “Show strength when you feel weak, show weakness when you feel strong.” Boxing is 90 percent bluffs, once said former WBO Heavyweight boxing champion Michael Bentt, and I say it applies to tennis too. “If you can bluff em you can beat em,” said Bernard Hopkins, all time great middleweight champion.

  • Sam · May 14, 2022 at 6:15 pm

    Sam, expect a very very hard draw for Djokovic, it always seems to work out that way.

    Oh, you’re talking about hanky-panky, Scoop? 😼

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2022 at 7:48 am

    Sam Im talking it can’t be perpetual coincidences how Djokovic always has the hardest draws.

  • Harold · May 15, 2022 at 9:42 am

    A little research and you find Djokovic’s draw in 2021 at the French
    Round 1- Sandgren
    2 Cuevas
    3 Berankis
    4 Musetti
    Not exactly murders row
    By the Quarters you’re playing seeds.. everyone has to beat seeds

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2022 at 11:19 am

    Harold, there was no one they could give him in the first two rounds, Musetti was a tough one. Just watch what happens this year.

  • Sam · May 15, 2022 at 1:22 pm

    Scoop, well, it wouldn’t be the first time a draw was rigged. About 10 years ago, a detailed study uncovered draw rigging at the U.S. Open. In terms of statistical significance, the case was very strong. 💪

    https://www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/6850893/espn-analysis-finds-top-seeds-tennis-us-open-had-easier-draw-statistically-likely

    Anyway, I guess we’ll see what happens in about four days. While I wouldn’t bet the ranch on them rigging the draw, I wouldn’t exactly be shocked by it either. 😏

    The thing is, though, these shenanigans can sometimes backfire. 🪃 Even if they may think they’re stacking the deck against Djokovic, they could be actually be undermining their own favorite players. 😆

    Anyway, Djokovic looks the like the man to beat now in Paris. 🥷🏻

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2022 at 7:33 pm

    Sam, another thing to consider is have you noticed how certain players seemed to play the best tennis of their career against Djokovic in slams – Stan, Zverev, Busta, Agut, etc. Have to wonder if certain players or whatever, are offering bonuses to players if they can beat Djokovic. Anything is possible. Heard about bounties in football and hockey to get certain key players out of the big game by cheap shot.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2022 at 7:41 pm

    Wins against the top 10 players en route to 1000 wins:
    DJOKOVIC 231
    FEDERER 182
    NADAL 172
    LENDL 160
    CONNORS 139
    These stats would suggest Djokovic may have been given intentionally tougher draws. Or it’s just a coincidence he had to play 5o more top ten players than Fed and 60 more than Rafa. Hmmm,

  • Bill McGill · May 15, 2022 at 8:49 pm

    I suspect the reason Djokovic has more top 10 wins en route to winning masters 1000s is because a hugely disproportionate number of Nadal’s Masters 1000 wins are in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome. I think, historically, more of the top clay court competitors have spent time outside the top 10 than the top hard court players, simply because there are a lot more ranking points for hard court tournaments.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 16, 2022 at 7:32 am

    Bill, how do you explain 50 more top ten wins than Federer?

  • Sam · May 16, 2022 at 11:12 am

    Former ATP board member: “At this point they all benefit from it.”

    Scoop, I can understand why other top players would benefit, but does the ATP itself really benefit from such an agenda?

    have you noticed how certain players seemed to play the best tennis of their career against Djokovic in slams . . . Heard about bounties in football and hockey

    Very interesting, Scoop. It was always very strange to see Stanimal appear out of nowhere. Of course, he does seem to peak for Slams regardless, but still. I think you may be onto something here. 🤔

    Wins against the top 10 players en route to 1000 wins: DJOKOVIC 231 FEDERER 182 NADAL 172 LENDL 160 CONNORS 139

    Where did you find this data?

    Fascinating. I’d like to see some sort of statistical analysis of these numbers. I mean, what are the odds that this all happened “randomly”?? 🧐

  • Sam · May 16, 2022 at 11:26 am

    Scoop, something else to think about: Besides offering bounties, certain factions could be supplying players like Stan, Busta, etc., with the . . . um . . . wherewithal to beat Djokovic too, if you get my drift. 😉

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 16, 2022 at 11:33 am

    Sam, When Graf and Becker were on top, Germany tennis hosted a ton of tournaments, sponsorship was up, there was so much demand to see pro tennis in Germany, remember the $2m Compaq Grand Slam Cup exo where the winner won $2m? Tennis was the rage. Then Seles took over and it’s possible it hurt German tennis profit machine which needed Graf back at the top. Coincidentally and conveniently Seles was nearly stabbed to death in Hamburg Germany and the would be murderer never spent a night in jail. Now apply the same business formula to Djokovic unseating money machines Fed and Rafa… How many tournaments are played in Serbia compared to Spain and Switzerland, not to mention Rafa and Fed’s pull at the box office around the world.

    At US OPen last year it did seem all the players played Djokovic with extra incentive and perhaps to drain him physically as much as possible in each match. No way to prove it but at this point, with how obvious the anti Novak agenda is, nothing can be ruled out.

    These top ten stats were posted on twitter. With how much money is on the line now in sports I don’t think anything or hardly anything is random anymore. Look at all the NBA and NHL playoff series extend to seven games for max revenues. Dallas just crushed Phoenix in game seven last night by over 20 points IN PHOENIX. Odd how the last game was a blowout for such a supposedly close series.

  • Sam · May 16, 2022 at 11:40 am

    Scoop, if bounties are being offered to take out Djokovic, then it stands to reason that bounties might be offered to lose to Nadal and Federer too. 😏

  • Bill McGill · May 16, 2022 at 11:55 am

    I’l give you some interesting stats. Federer has been in 31 ATP 500 finals and 34 ATP 250 finals in his career. Djokovic has been in 17 and 15, respectively. They have been in the same number of GS finals and Djokovic has been in more Masters 1000 finals. You are going to face more top 10 players en route to Masters 1000 finals than an ATP 250 or 500 final (and actually, usually more than en route to GS finals too, because of the byes). That’s just a fact. Federer played way more of these lesser tournaments en route to 1,000 wins than Djokovic for a variety of reasons:

    1. Federer’s lucrative Halle appearance fee contract (opposite Queen’s Club, which historically attracted the better players);
    2. There have been a lot more tournaments in Basel/Swiss Indoors than Belgrade;
    3. Federer matured just a little later in age than Djokovic, so had more early years winning events like Sydney, Milan, Stockholm, Vienna, Rotterdam.
    4. A lot of years, Fed played not just Halle but also Stuttgart to get two grass warm-ups prior to Wimbledon.
    5. Federer played a larger portion of his career at a time when the top players weren’t automatically locking up the semis of every major tournament. Look at the early Federer era where GS and Masters 1000 semis in a given year would have two dozen different players. By 2009, it was pretty much only the top 10 players in every semi.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 16, 2022 at 1:05 pm

    Sam, Not saying bounties are being offered, no concrete evidence of it but anything is possible at this point. Especially after hearing Svitolina say at US open a few years ago she had her flight booked to China already before her SF vs Serena. She actually said this at the post match press conference. It’s in the asap site press conference transcipts too. Of course the media totally ignored this startling revelation. Highly doubt this was the only time in a grand slam a b side player played soft for an a side superstar.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 16, 2022 at 1:08 pm

    Bill your research and explanations are certainly plausible. Still not totally convinced and so it’s just another aspect of intrigue about the sport. Would be cool to see Djokovic try to play Basel later this year and what would Federer’s reaction be )

  • Sam · May 16, 2022 at 6:53 pm

    Then Seles took over and it’s possible it hurt German tennis profit machine which needed Graf back at the top. . . . Now apply the same business formula to Djokovic unseating money machines Fed and Rafa…

    Good argument, Scoop. 👍

    With how much money is on the line now in sports I don’t think anything or hardly anything is random anymore.

    That’s entirely logical.

    Sam, Not saying bounties are being offered, no concrete evidence of it

    Right, Scoop—that’s why I used the qualifying word if. 😉

    but anything is possible at this point.

    Indeed. For that reason, I wouldn’t be afraid to discuss a D-factor either. 💉

    Highly doubt this was the only time in a grand slam a b side player played soft for an a side superstar.

    Remember when you also felt that an on-fire Pironkova just tanked to Serena at the U.S. Open?

    Federer has been in 31 ATP 500 finals and 34 ATP 250 finals in his career. Djokovic has been in 17 and 15, respectively.

    Thoughtful and well-reasoned analysis, Bill. 👏

    To get closer to the truth, it seems we need more data, such as:

    1) A yearly breakdown of all the wins against top-ten players.

    2) The number (or percentage) of wins against top-ten players at Grand Slams only.

    3) The number (or percentage) of wins against top-ten players at Masters 1000s only.

    So . . . maybe some industrious tennis statistician could dig these nuggets up? 😄

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 16, 2022 at 8:14 pm

    ATP stat info guru Greg Sharko probably has these numbers in a file on his desk right now ) Pironkova sure did look like she rolled over for Serena that match, then shortly after she started her own clothing line Pironetic. Wonder where the funding money came from to do a high risk venture such as that? She signed Kenin to wear Pironetic early this year but that ended quickly… You here it again and again, sports are not just sports anymore, it’s sports AND Business and politics pushing.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 16, 2022 at 8:24 pm

    Pavvy G
    @pavyg
    ·
    14h
    Roger Federer whose barely played a match in the last 2 years is still ranked in the Top 50.

    Serena whose been injured for a year is down to 275. Thiem whose been injured for a year is down to 190 and Wawrinka also injured for a year is down to 256.

    Make of that what you will.

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