[somspaple]

Not concerning the rules per say - but why can't these 'officials' and ball boys wear protective gear. They are almost sitting ducks at different positions and that tennis ball is a missile in the hands of these top class players.

And coming to rules - IMO they should change them [+ protective gear for other people on ground]. When it is established that these actions are not intended and are mere accidents - why should a player suffer. Just imagine a low ranked/newbee working hard to reach a semi-final and had to 'defaulted' due to one such incident.

Do we have any such rules in Cricket[with Umpires]?

[gusfring]

Novak totally deserves the default. Of course, it was ill luck there, but the punishment meted out is correct. Tennis Twitter is blasting the decision saying Federer or Nadal may have escaped unpunished after such an incident, but frankly I think not. Nor are they frequently prone to such small displays of frustration as most others (Novak does break racquets fairly often). I still don't understand why Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong stadiums need ballkids in the first place; makes total sense to take of them completely and subject players to the same error margins (like Cincinnati Masters the week before)

Do we have any such rules in Cricket[with Umpires]?

Umpires have been hit sometimes, in cricket, and borne the brunt of it too. They do have protective gear now, and bear the brunt of it too.

I think protective gear can be given some thought, but what exactly should they be provided with? Generally, line judges possess great reflexes just for such evasion purposes. Case in point, the incident yesterday happened during a changeover, when the line judge was possibly not alert.

As for the rules, I think it should continue to exist. I don't think some player won't want to take advantage of changed rules and try to nonchalantly hit the umpires.

[somspaple]

Originally Posted by gusfring

As for the rules, I think it should continue to exist. I don't think some player won't want to take advantage of changed rules and try to nonchalantly hit the umpires.

Well in that case how many cricketers have taken advantage of such rule not being present?

Rules must be there against aggressive behavior, but not against unintended mishaps. I'm not referring only to this particular incident -rather I was not aware of such rule until this incident.

[gusfring]

Originally Posted by somspaple

Well in that case how many cricketers have taken advantage of such rule not being present?

Rules must be there against aggressive behavior, but not against unintended mishaps. I'm not referring only to this particular incident -rather I was not aware of such rule until this incident.

Yeah well. Cricket is a team sport, wherein an entire team can cushion an individual's emotions fundamentally... Agassi describes in his book how really lonely it is for a tennis player in comparison... Hence the impulse to act out is kinda higher. The rule has previously impacted Shapovalov and Nalbandian... I remember how much impact the latter caused, and the umpire in question even had blood oozing out.

Of course it is unintended, but players are also trained to avoid exactly these incidents. Plus, I think any player who does something like this will plead not guilty anyway, hence said that the default should be there. The fine levied anyway depends on impact to the umpire and the player's intent. As far as I can recall, Nalbandian was handed out a huge fine.

One (possibly) good thing out of this incident is that it will now lead to a first time men's GS champion in 6 years, after Cilic at the 2014 USO. I'm sure Thiem, Medvedev and Zverev are happy, cause I don't see this happening again, wherein the Big Three are all out of the business end of a slam.

[hemanth.anand]

And Rafael Nadal wins his 13th French Open title!

He did it with a 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 win over Novak Djokovic today.
That makes it his 20th Grand Slam Nadal which is the same number of Grand Slams that Roger Federer has won. This was also Nadal's 100th victory in Roland Garros against just two defeats! With back to back wins in 2005-2008, 2010-2014 and 2017-2020, he is truly the king of clay!

[gusfring]

Looks like 2021 is starting out super weird already. Indian Wells off it's usual slot, AO in February, 12 teams in a shortened ATP Cup, Roger out till atleast late February. And yeah, common tournament denominations, but the women get more points than men in most places, and lesser pay :|

Maybe, IW will eat into the Laver Cup slot this time. Rumors are that it will be held after US Open, so there's only that slot since the Chinese swing begins for the women immediately after. The Pune ATP250 event is also searching for new dates it seems, but don't know if they will be able to get players in since it is not in the usual slot.

[VWAllstar]

Are there any good Applications or Websites to watch Tennis? Especially the past glories and complete matches? Like Cricinfo I am sure there would be some ardent website focused on Tennis.

[Emvi]

King of Clay, Rafa, wins his 12th Barcelona Open title beating Tsitsipas in a hotly contested final. This guy is just unbeatable on clay!

[Emvi]

Alexander Zverev won his second Madrid Open title yesterday. After defeating Thiem in the semis and Nadal in the quarters, Zverev definitely is one of the title favourites in this edition of French Open. Of course, Nadal as always remains the top contender for the title.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

Are there any good Applications or Websites to watch Tennis? Especially the past glories and complete matches? Like Cricinfo I am sure there would be some ardent website focused on Tennis.

Pardon me if you already know this. There are many YouTube channels like Australian Open TV and Wimbledon that have complete matches. They have recent ones too like the 2019 Federer Nadal Wimbledon semifinals.

[Emvi]

Serena Williams knocked out in the second round of Italian Open, which incidentally is the landmark 1000th WTA tour-level match of her career! Nadia Podoroska trumped Serena in straight sets 7-6, 7-5

[Emvi]

Djokovic and Nadal played against each other for the first time way back in 2006. It's now 2021 and these two gladiators are battling it out in the Rome Masters final! Incredible!

Meanwhile, in the women's edition, polish teenager Iga Swiatek blanked Pliskova 6-0,6-0 to win the title.

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by Emvi

Djokovic and Nadal played against each other for the first time way back in 2006. It's now 2021 and these two gladiators are battling it out in the Rome Masters final!

Update:
"King of Clay" reigns supreme in Rome. Even Djokovic could not stop Nadal from lifting his 10th Rome masters title!

[Emvi]

Great news for Roger Federer fans(including me)
RF is back in action after a gap of more than a year!!

And now, the "not so great" news.
RF lost the opening match of the Geneva Open to a lower ranked Spaniard Pablo Andujar 4-6, 6-4, 4-6

[Emvi]

Hello tennis fans, how many of you missed yesterday's French Open men's semis? Incredible matches back to back. First Tsitsipas stopped Zverev in a pulsating 5 setter(6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3) to become the first ever Greek in a grand slam final. This was followed by a Nadal-Djokovic slugfest. After trailing 0-5 in the opening set and eventually losing it, Djokovic reeled off 6 games on a trot in the fourth to dismantle the King of Clay in an incredible 4 setter 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2. Including this, Rafa now has only 3 losses at the French Open, and Djokovic has had Rafa's number twice.

Sunday's final promises more. Djokovic eying to become only the third man in the history to win all the 4 majors atleast twice, while Tsitsipas looks no less motivated to lift his maiden GrandSlam trophy!