The Tennis Thread

[robmatic]

And she will make a shitload of sponsorship money in China.

First Mandarin-speaking tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament?

[Enzedder]

I for one am not sorry that Laver's achievements remain unique.

[Calculon]

And she will make a shitload of sponsorship money in China.

First Mandarin-speaking tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament?

Li Na won two grand slams. I know a few Chinese people(well teenage boys, hh) who have become fans of her but I think she is still pretty unknown in China.

[BnM]

Ok it's been a shit final but booing

Nah , Mednedev was fantastic , the crowd however .........

Crowd was disgraceful

[Rhubarb & Custard]

I for one am not sorry that Laver's achievements remain unique.

In what sense? That Laver is the only Laver? He's not the only man to win all the slam events in one season, the first was Dom Budge. Laver did have the period out of the game, sort of, when turning pro so his record might have been even more impressive, then again back in the day a number of people who might have won a season grand slam didn't travel to Australia because the travel took so long

ETA - might have been Don Budge

[Openside]

Some more insane stats:

Emma’s professional tennis career only began in full three months ago.
She has never been a direct entrant to a grand slam main draw.
she is yet to play a tour-level three set match and she has not even won a match at a WTA tour event.
She started the summer ranked 366th and the 12th-ranked British player; She is now the world No 23 and the British No. 1
This is only her second grand slam main draw appearance and no woman in the Open era had ever won in so few attempts.
She is the first British woman to win a grand slam title since Virginia Wade’s Wimbledon victory in 1977.
She is the first qualifier, man or woman, to win a grand slam title.
At 18, she is the youngest grand slam champion since Maria Sharapova in 2004.

Becker in 85?

Becker was ranked no 20 when he won Wimbledon.

at 17?? I find that hard to believe

[Rhubarb & Custard]

Becker had just won Queens hadn't he going into the Wimbledon he won, it's hardly surprising he was reasonably well ranked

[Dinsdale Piranha]

Becker in 85?

Becker was ranked no 20 when he won Wimbledon.

at 17?? I find that hard to believe

He turned pro in 1984 and had won Queens just before which moved him from 29th to 20th.

[eldanielfire]

Better comparison is Mark Edmonson. He was ranked outside the top 200 when he won the Australian open.

I think Kim Clijsters was unranked after her return from pregnancy when she won the US Open. Obviously Goran Ivanisevic was a wild card entry when he won Wimbledon with a low ranking. But Raducanu's run from qualifiers has no historical match really. It's pretty incredible.

[eldanielfire]

And she will make a shitload of sponsorship money in China.

First Mandarin-speaking tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament?

Li Na won two grand slams. I know a few Chinese people(well teenage boys, hh) who have become fans of her but I think she is still pretty unknown in China.

Depending where you read, 116 to 300 million people in China watched her win her first Grand Slam win. It was the most watched sporting event of the year in China. Maybe her fame was fleeting but she probably wasn't pretty unknown.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv ... es-196704/

[Calculon]

First Mandarin-speaking tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament?

Li Na won two grand slams. I know a few Chinese people(well teenage boys, hh) who have become fans of her but I think she is still pretty unknown in China.

Depending where you read, 116 to 300 million people in China watched her win her first Grand Slam win. It was the most watched sporting event of the year in China. Maybe her fame was fleeting but she probably wasn't pretty unknown.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv ... es-196704/

I was referring to raducanu in the second sentence. In terms of grand slam winning Chinese speakers maybe also Michael Chang

[eldanielfire]

Li Na won two grand slams. I know a few Chinese people(well teenage boys, hh) who have become fans of her but I think she is still pretty unknown in China.

Depending where you read, 116 to 300 million people in China watched her win her first Grand Slam win. It was the most watched sporting event of the year in China. Maybe her fame was fleeting but she probably wasn't pretty unknown.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv ... es-196704/

I was referring to raducanu in the second sentence. In terms of grand slam winning Chinese speakers maybe also Michael Chang

In that I agree then and made similar sentiments that just being a foreigner speaking the language isn't exactly going to magically endear you to Chinese people.

Though it's weird that on twitter it's being presented as something amazing as well. I think there's often a fixation with sports stars "appeal" to China or the USA. Half the stars of the Premiership speak 2 languages after all.

[Calculon]

I think she has the personality, heritage and looks to appeal to a lot of Chinese fans. For a, as the Chinese would say, "mixed breed", she looks quite Chinese. Obviously she would need to remain successful and not talk about politics but she seems sensible enough to do the latter. I think the fixation on China is just because it is such a big market, or potential market. The language thing because most Brits and yanks are only fluent in one language.

[Kawazaki]

The sports marketing top brass are describing Raducanu as a 'Unicorn' event in sport. For comparison, the last Unicorn in sport was Tiger Woods when he won the US Masters in 1997 aged 21 by a record 12 shots.

If she stays fit, keeps winning, keeps smiling and doesn't offend the Twitterati by eating a hamburger, using the wrong pronoun or saying she's proud to be British etc then she will be worth 100s of £millions before she hits 25.

[Grandpa]

So someone like Roger Federer or Serena Williams wouldn't be considered the same?

[PCPhil]

So someone like Roger Federer or Serena Williams wouldn't be considered the same?

Doubt it. Serena tapped into a very large new following but not global and Venus had come before her so she didn’t really burst on the scene. Everyone loves Fed but a fairly mature following and not brand new, just exceptional.

Raducanu
Bursts onto scene as unknown doing what no one has ever done before in winning grand slam as qualifier.
Does it at USA slam. Immediate global exposure and 24x7 coverage.
British accent (even the yanks that pretend not to care love it).
Speaks Mandarin Chinese.
Looks like a supermodel, okay always subjective but if you don’t think so you f’in weird so there.
Really smart
Etc etc

[Grandpa]

So someone like Roger Federer or Serena Williams wouldn't be considered the same?

Doubt it. Serena tapped into a very large new following but not global and Venus had come before her so she didn’t really burst on the scene. Everyone loves Fed but a fairly mature following and not brand new, just exceptional.

Raducanu
Bursts onto scene as unknown doing what no one has ever done before in winning grand slam as qualifier.
Does it at USA slam. Immediate global exposure and 24x7 coverage.
British accent (even the yanks that pretend not to care love it).
Speaks Mandarin Chinese.
Looks like a supermodel, okay always subjective but if you don’t think so you f’in weird so there.
Really smart
Etc etc

I meant Federer when he burst on the scene.... not now...

Well let's hope that she continues to handle it well... from virtual unknown to world superstar in a week is pretty scary... Fernandez may be the lucky one in all this...

[PCPhil]

I remember watching the Federer v Roddick semi final before his 1st Wimbledon win. Was working at home office and stopped for some lunch with the telly on to watch tennis and remained on sofa to watch skill I had never seen before. But it still wasn’t a true connected world back then and by the time China started swinging rackets he was an established figure.

[Lobby]

The sports marketing top brass are describing Raducanu as a 'Unicorn' event in sport. For comparison, the last Unicorn in sport was Tiger Woods when he won the US Masters in 1997 aged 21 by a record 12 shots.

If she stays fit, keeps winning, keeps smiling and doesn't offend the Twitterati by eating a hamburger, using the wrong pronoun or saying she's proud to be British etc then she will be worth 100s of £millions before she hits 25.

There are several sports PR types predicting she'll be the first British sports star to be worth $1bn. This is not just because of her success on the court, but also her social media presence:

"Another measure of Raducanu’s burgeoning popularity with young audiences came over the weekend as she doubled her number of Instagram followers to 1.4 million in less than 48 hours. Charlie Beall of the digital consultants Seven League – whose clients include the NBA and Barcelona and which is part of Raducanu’s management group IMG – noticed something else in the data too.

“In the last week she has had an Instagram interaction rate of 38%, which is extraordinary,” he said. “Essentially, it is the percentage of people who like, share, or view your content and shows how engaged your audiences are. To put it into context, most brands would be delighted with 1%.”

Tess O’Sullivan, who has apparently brokered commercial deals for David Beckham and Usain Bolt, was interviewed on Radio 4 and said:

“I think, quite quickly, her sponsorship earnings off the court will dwarf her prize money on the court. She is the most marketable British athlete since David Beckham, because she is the complete package: she’s young; she’s already winning millions of social media followers, which increases her influence as a brand; she has a multicultural background; and she won her grand slam in America, one of the most important consumer markets in the world."

[Grandpa]

The only elephant in the room.. is that she needs to keep on winning.... become average and it will all vanish as quickly as it appeared...

[yermum]

The only elephant in the room.. is that she needs to keep on winning.... become average and it will all vanish as quickly as it appeared...

Anna Kournikova did alright.

Ace King in poker is now colloquially known as Anna Kournikova because it looks better than it performs.

[Grandpa]

The only elephant in the room.. is that she needs to keep on winning.... become average and it will all vanish as quickly as it appeared...

Anna Kournikova did alright.

Ace King in poker is now colloquially known as Anna Kournikova because it looks better than it performs.

She did ok for a short while... but in the end was more about her looks than her talent... hopefully Emma doesn't end up like that. She seems to have good people around her... butt the next year will be telling...

[Lobby]

The only elephant in the room.. is that she needs to keep on winning.... become average and it will all vanish as quickly as it appeared...

Anna Kournikova did alright.

Ace King in poker is now colloquially known as Anna Kournikova because it looks better than it performs.

She did ok for a short while... but in the end was more about her looks than her talent... hopefully Emma doesn't end up like that. She seems to have good people around her... butt the next year will be telling...

Kournikova‘s fame was always about her looks, and she never won a singles title, Raducanu is already a more successful tennis player than she ever was.

I agree that a lot depends on whether she can continue to be successful, but given the way she progressed through the US Open, and the quality of tennis she produced there is every reason to believe she is capable of winning many more titles in the coming years.

Excellent Freudian slip in your final sentence.

[Grandpa]

Anna Kournikova did alright.

Ace King in poker is now colloquially known as Anna Kournikova because it looks better than it performs.

She did ok for a short while... but in the end was more about her looks than her talent... hopefully Emma doesn't end up like that. She seems to have good people around her... butt the next year will be telling...

Kournikova‘s fame was always about her looks, and she never won a singles title, Raducanu is already a more successful tennis player than she ever was.

I agree that a lot depends on whether she can continue to be successful, but given the way she progressed through the US Open, and the quality of tennis she produced there is every reason to believe she is capable of winning many more titles in the coming years.

Excellent Freudian slip in your final sentence.

I left it in to see if it was noticed...

Emma does seem to have the ready made ability... then Fernandez isn't far away either...

[Openside]

Becker was ranked no 20 when he won Wimbledon.

at 17?? I find that hard to believe

He turned pro in 1984 and had won Queens just before which moved him from 29th to 20th.

Fair enough so not quite the bolt from the blue touted then.

[frodder]

at 17?? I find that hard to believe

He turned pro in 1984 and had won Queens just before which moved him from 29th to 20th.

Fair enough so not quite the bolt from the blue touted then.

Yes, there was quite the clamour to seed him to get an easier draw

[Ymx]

No mention of Cameron Norrie.

I think we all have a claim on him. From Toddler to adult in NZ though, his formative time.

Norrie was born in 1995 in Johannesburg, South Africa to a Scottish father from Glasgow and a Welsh mother who were both microbiologists.[3] After a burglary incident in 1998, when Norrie was three, he and his family moved to Auckland, New Zealand, where his parents still live.[4] In 2011, at age 16 he moved to London where he lived for three years before attending Texas Christian University in Fort Worth from 2014 to 2017. In June 2017 he ended his studies at TCU to turn professional during the grass court season of the 2017 ATP Tour.[5][6]

[eldanielfire]

No mention of Cameron Norrie.

I think we all have a claim on him. From Toddler to adult in NZ though, his formative time.

Norrie was born in 1995 in Johannesburg, South Africa to a Scottish father from Glasgow and a Welsh mother who were both microbiologists.[3] After a burglary incident in 1998, when Norrie was three, he and his family moved to Auckland, New Zealand, where his parents still live.[4] In 2011, at age 16 he moved to London where he lived for three years before attending Texas Christian University in Fort Worth from 2014 to 2017. In June 2017 he ended his studies at TCU to turn professional during the grass court season of the 2017 ATP Tour.[5][6]

The Brit done good

[Ymx]

So
SA - 3 years
NZ - 13 years
UK - 3 years
US - 3 years
ATP - joined at this point.

And he’s a Brit?

[Lobby]

So
SA - 3 years
NZ - 13 years
UK - 3 years
US - 3 years
ATP - joined at this point.

And he’s a Brit?

Well, both his parents are British, and he’s decided to represent GB (and is now officially the British no 1), so I think it’s reasonable to refer to him as British.

[Ymx]

A blatant and disgraceful poach.

No doubt on some sports scholarship he went to Britain for his brief stint there.

Have a listen to the kiwi boy

[Grandpa]

I wonder what he thinks himself as? Similar to me.. I was born overseas but came to NZ at a young age... and then left to explore the world as a young adult.. but I still feel like a Kiwi even though I have lived in the UK longer than in NZ... my formative years were in NZ... and I still have a strong Kiwi accent.

But GB have provided him with the means to make it... so fair enough.

[Ymx]

I wonder what he thinks himself as? Similar to me.. I was born overseas but came to NZ at a young age... and then left to explore the world as a young adult.. but I still feel like a Kiwi even though I have lived in the UK longer than in NZ... my formative years were in NZ... and I still have a strong Kiwi accent.

But GB have provided him with the means to make it... so fair enough.

I was born in NZ. But just totting it up, I’ve lived half my life in the UK.

[Ymx]

The key thing there with our lad, is he is largely telling stories about being in NZ with an undeniable accent.

But the key indicator here is that he rightly calls it soccer.

The Brit thing is just a business decision.

[Grandpa]

The key thing there with our lad, is he is largely telling stories about being in NZ with an undeniable accent.

But the key indicator here is that he rightly calls it soccer.

The Brit thing is just a business decision.

A bit of the Greg Rusedski...

[Ymx]

Emma with injury.

Needs to break to stay in the match.

[Ymx]

Wang with match point

[Ymx]

Deuce

[Ymx]

Class from Emma Raducanu

[Ymx]

Emma broke back.
5-5

ER on serve