Week 18 - WTA $235K - Oeiras, Portugal Clay

Spectator · All-time great

RE: Week 18 - WTA $235K - Oeiras, Portugal Clay

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Spectator wrote:
Indeed! Nicely put, Indiana. (From another person who thinks doubles, well played, are exciting and lovely to watch)

And who could forget last year's men's doubles final at Wimbledon... wink Cloud # nine emoticon

RBBOT · Futures qualifying

korriban wrote:

Laura would have only had 4 or 5 serving games today anyway. Furthermore, with No Ad scoring, unlike her usual service games which often stretch to 10 or more points, the maximum here is 7 points per game.

Stop spoiling things by making sensible points.

korriban · Challenger level

Golly!

I love playing doubles, and I love watching high quality doubles at Grand Slams and other big events. It's great fun, fast and very skillful. And I do follow the fortunes of our GB doubles specialists with great interest.

I also think its brilliant that the likes of Stircrazy keep us up to speed on all things doubles on this forum, just as David does an amazing job with juniors. Everyone to their own.

All I was alluding to is that if singles players at $10ks decide to team up with a scratch partner and play a bit of doubles, often with one of their mates, to earn a few extra dollars and have some late afternoon fun and court time, its great but I can't get too excited about the significance of the results. And not all of them take it that seriously either. I'm happy for Laura if she wins a scratch doubles match as well, but I'm not too fussed if she loses.....and I suspect many of the players will feel the same way.

It's my OPINION. Nothing more. I haven't said anything negative about anyone or asked anyone to change anything. Indy, as you often point out, this internet thing leads people to over-analyse and mis-interpret and I think this is another example of precisely that.

Stircrazy. We salute you!

indiana · Tennis legend

korriban, I hadn't a problem with anything you said. As you say, you just expressed your opinion and you didn't diss doubles in general.

I guess I should have been more aware again how things can indeed be misinterpreted on this internetty thing. It was more Ratty and his ( or her ! ) how anyone can be excited by doubles ( and some past comments ). I just didn't name him / her because I guess I was trying to avoid some ongoing discourse in that direction !

By the way, Gee whizz beats Golly ( well, in my opinion ).

murray_2k9 · Challenger qualifying

The problem people has is comparing doubles with singles - they're totally different and for me I dont have to like one at the expense of the other. Exciting doubles matches live, especially, are awesome and well suited to the majors and DC/FC

Ratty · County player

Well, yes, I don't enjoy watching doubles - but then I don't feel the need to bore you with how I don't enjoy watching Golf, Formula 1, The Voice - oh and many, many other things ...

This is what p*sses me off about doubles. Whatever you might think about, er "poor role models" like Luis Suarez getting paid £6 million pa, that's the price we pay for the operation of free markets. His employer clearly thinks he's good value for what they pay him, and that's all there is to be said.

But tennis doubles players seem to have bucked the free market, and as an amateur economist, that annoys me. The audience for their product is tiny compared to that for singles, and yet they seem to have negotiated a curiously high proportion of the prize money. And as others have pointed out, it's far easier to make money as a doubles player than as a singles player - and you can play for many more years, too.

Somehow, this just doesn't seem "right" to me.

indiana · Tennis legend

Personally, I'd pretty much agree with all that, Ratty.

Sorry, what more got me earlier was just your "can anyone ?" get excited by doubles, although I guess you didn't mean it literally.

Like you, there are sports that I don't like. Not that many, but basketball is one. I wouldn't though question anyone getting excited about it and it clearly has a big fanbase ( more than tennis doubles ! ).

So was just making a little shoutout for the doubles likers out there ( not really me although I can enjoy top level doubles at times ). If they enjoy it, fair enough ( which is separate from questions re are the doubles players comparatively overpaid, overfunded etc. )

But as I said, I agree your more general thoughts on doubles.

murray_2k9 · Challenger qualifying

I do agree with you to an extent, that doubles does very much appear to survive off the back of singles.

You seem to almost answer your own question though - the ATP/WTA/ITF are not charities and wouldnt pay doubles players what they pay them if they didnt see some sort of return on their money. Likewise, I have never heard singles players attacking doubles players salaries either and despite a lot of lower level players being very vocal in their attack of the funding structure, they too don't seem bothered by doubles players salaries.

The fact doubles players can play until their older is of little consequence, since single players are more than welcome to switch to doubles once they feel too old for singles, should they wish.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Saw a bit of Morita in action during her 2nd round match and she was very impressive. It's probably fair to say that she was a much tougher opponent than we first thought for Laura.

steven · Tennis legend

Worrying (in the sense that it may suggest she'll be out for a while) that JoKo tweeted earlier "I really don't like MRI's..." and a few hours later "Well today was a positively crap day...."

Then again, the two tweets could be unconnected ...

philwrig · Hall of fame

No I think you're right to be worried, I thought you might have tweeted her directly to find what the prognosis was.

steven · Tennis legend

I know it's frustrating when people hint at stuff without being clear, but they have every right to do so. I'd be very surprised if the two tweets weren't connected but I thought that if she wanted to tell people exactly what was wrong, she probably would have ... or maybe one of the players (i.e. someone she actually knew) would have asked and got a reply.

I have been known to say things hoping to provoke a response if my info is wrong (it usually works) but I'm not inclined to ask questions like that directly and put players on the spot unless I've had enough interaction with the player concerned in the past to know they're not likely to mind.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Quite wise Steven, I don't think I would have asked directly either.

murray_2k9 · Challenger qualifying

Its very common with social media nowadays, particularly facebook where people update statuses with comments like 'Worst day of my life' knowing people will comment and ask whats wrong etc. I've always thought of it as random attention seeking, which isnt what I think Jo is doing at all, but I do wonder what people hope to achieve through giving half a story that simply confuses matters further!!

That said, I really hope Jo is OK and recovers soon and I dont for a second think she has to divulge any private information if she doesnt want to. I do think it would be kind to fans to at least state there is an injury and give an approximate recovery time - its not like we are looking to criticise or blame, merely wishing her the best!