Week 9 - WTA 250 - Monterrey, Mexico (outdoor hard)

wolf · Tennis legend

Week 9 - WTA 250 - Monterrey, Mexico (outdoor hard)

flamingowings · All-time great

L32: Heather Watson CR 120 (CH =38) Vs (Q) Jule Niemeier (GER) WR 110 (=CH)

-- Edited by flamingowings on Monday 28th of February 2022 12:04:51 AM

jb288 · Satellite level

Interesting to note that if either Heather or Harriet were to do a Sonay and win 2 X 25ks, then all else being equal that would be enough to take them to 101 in the rankings...

Can understand why Heather might be loath to pursue that strategy, but feels like Harriet could easily do it (a strategy that also worked for Mel South and Katie O'Brien in cracking the top 100, if I remember correctly).

indiana · Tennis legend

jb288 wrote:
Interesting to note that if either Heather or Harriet were to do a Sonay and win 2 X 25ks, then all else being equal that would be enough to take them to 101 in the rankings...

Can understand why Heather might be loath to pursue that strategy, but feels like Harriet could easily do it (a strategy that also worked for Mel South and Katie O'Brien in cracking the top 100, if I remember correctly).

Oh, how I do not like that idea re Harriet.

One thing I do like is how Harriet is probably our woman player most prepared to go for it a higher level. Arguably she could moderate that at times and actually she is playing a 60K this week. I certainly wouldn't like to see her at 25K level whatever short term rankings effect it might have.

emmsie69 · Top national player

Harriet has played the odd 25k but, like Indiana, I love that Harriet puts herself in the big tournaments ( although sometimes I do wish she'd moderate her ambitions for the greater good)

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Svitolina has withdrawn, as she was due to play a Russian and pending ITF/WTA/ATP being clear on their approach to Russians taking part in events.

twitter.com/josemorgado/status/1498352290645917699

Well done, Elina

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

And Tsurenko strongly condemning the WTA for lack of action

twitter.com/LTsurenko/status/1498334446810025992/photo/1

She is right, they need to be strong as do all sports organisations. All Russian players should be suspended for now and all tennis events (and sports events) suspended from taking part in Russia

PaulM · Tennis legend

She's not withdrawn yet. She will withdraw if her ask is not met.

Jon I don't think it's fair to exclude Russian players from competing in an individual sport. I agree with them being banned from team events and excluding the federation, so you end up with Elina's position of making them compete without a country affiliation. Which given many of them have spoken out at risk to family still at home seems a fair middle.

-- Edited by PaulM on Monday 28th of February 2022 06:10:01 PM

flamingowings · All-time great

PaulM wrote:
She's not withdrawn yet. She will withdraw if her ask is not met.

Jon I don't think it's fair to exclude Russian players from competing in an individual sport. I agree with them being banned from team events and excluding the federation, so you end up with Elina's position of making them compete without a country affiliation. Which given many of them have spoken out at risk to family still at home seems a fair middle.

-- Edited by PaulM on Monday 28th of February 2022 06:10:01 PM

Russian players may end up not getting visas to play in tournaments anyway...

I'm inclined to agree with Paul here. It's easier in a way if it's a team sport to ban them but the majority of the time tennis is not a team sport.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Its a judgement and I realise they are generally being very supportive as players. I personally dont believe the Russian Tennis Federation moniker means anything, they win the thing, they are Russian and Putin will be pleased to have the reflected glory. Medvedev being number one is awkward right now. Harsh as it may be on them, Id suspend them.

But i understand the reticence. Its a strange and harrowing time we live in.

With a genuine chance of nuclear war, however slim the reality may be, we need all Russians to share the pain and tell Putin to stop.

emmsie69 · Top national player

I'm with Jon. Russian players need to be withdrawn. The more Russians impacted, the more likelihood that Putin will be removed from within.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Me too.

Of course it's not necessarily fair on the Russian individual players.

But that's the whole point of pressure.

The sanctions aren't 'fair' on the normal people of Russia who've suddenly had interest rates doubled overnight.

But, again, that's the point of sanctions.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

And of course the host government could cancel visas of Russians for now. If the USA cancelled those of Medvedev, Rublev et al, it would hit IW and Miami (with Djoko missing as well) but it would certainly be the simplest way.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Very harsh to stop individuals competing from Russia. The majority aren't based in Russia and I suspect the majority are anti war like Rublev.

christ · Futures level

paulisi wrote:
Very harsh to stop individuals competing from Russia. The majority aren't based in Russia and I suspect the majority are anti war like Rublev.

A lot of Ukrainians that are anti-war are currently getting much more harshly treated than a few travelling tennis players.

War mostly hurts innocents. The culprits are almost always insulated from the consequences of their actions.

... therefore winning a war is mostly about how many innocents you are prepared to sacrifice (either literally or figuratively). If few Russians face any consequences for the actions of their leaders, then their leaders will achieve their objectives.

But what this has to do with Monterrey is peripheral at best.