{"id":35796,"date":"2018-09-11T16:00:30","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/?p=35796"},"modified":"2018-09-11T16:00:30","modified_gmt":"2018-09-11T16:00:30","slug":"tennis-us-open-wrap-up-2018-part-ii-everything-else-about-this-tourney-that-serenas-tantrum-overshadowed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/tennis-us-open-wrap-up-2018-part-ii-everything-else-about-this-tourney-that-serenas-tantrum-overshadowed\/","title":{"rendered":"TENNIS: US OPEN WRAP-UP 2018 PART II\u2014EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT THIS TOURNEY, THAT SERENA\u2019S TANTRUM OVERSHADOWED"},"content":{"rendered":"

US OPEN WRAP-UP 2018 PART II\u2014EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT THIS TOURNEY, THAT SERENA\u2019S TANTRUM OVERSHADOWED<\/h1>\n

If you missed yesterday\u2019s column, which broke down the entire Serena Williams meltdown this past week-end, you can read it here: itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/tennis-us-open-2018-wrap-up-part-i-the-Serena-williams-controversy<\/a>. More about her to follow, but there was so much more to this last Major tennis tournament of the year, so let\u2019s get to all of that already!<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>

This is the kind of stuff you’re missing out on if you don’t follow me on Twitter! Dominika Cibulkova’s unfortunate choice of underwear. Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the big one at the top of this page.<\/p><\/div>\n

Once The Stranger I Love Most, Roger Federer, suffered a devastating loss in the Round of 16, my heart went out of this year\u2019s US Open.\u00a0 I still have several thoughts on the proceedings, but not nearly as many as usual.\u00a0 Most of them are in my tweets, (which, in case you don\u2019t already follow me on Twitter, you can still read there, @MajorCelebrity<\/strong>,) but here are some longer musings on the subject, in general, followed by some in order of play.<\/p>\n

GENERAL NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n

~ I\u2019m sick about Roger not only not winning the Championship, but going out soooo much earlier than expected. I still can’t even discuss it, so…moving on.<\/p>\n

~ The heat there was disgusting. I<\/em> can\u2019t even step outside<\/em> in conditions like that!\u00a0 Not only is it beyond awful for the players<\/em>, but also for the spectators<\/em>. Even though ESPN (don\u2019t get me started on them) kept announcing record crowds, the stands were pretty empty more often than not! And what about how inhumane the brutal conditions were to the lines-people? Those poor men and women were down there on the over-one-hundred degree courts, standing the whole time, in long pants and often long sleeves or jackets!!! I can’t even imagine. (Yes, I know<\/em> it\u2019s not the fault of the tourney, but they need to provide air-conditioning, or at the very least, fans. Or else the players will also be devoid of their human<\/em> fans next time!)<\/p>\n

\"More<\/a>

More weird weather at the Open! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

And, according to the commentators, the humidity<\/em> was even worse than the actual heat<\/em>! They kept saying that it was especially stifling in Ashe, the main stadium there. Those are\u00a0very dangerous conditions.\u00a0 I\u2019m<\/em> prone to heatstroke, and I had serious consequences two times in my adult life, so I know a bit of what those people are going through. Heat like that is actually life-threatening.<\/p>\n

~ I\u2019ve never seen this situation at any<\/em> tennis tournament anywhere<\/em> before\u2014they kept letting people come in and walk around\u2026during matches!!!\u00a0 That was so crazy that the ushers didn\u2019t do their jobs..at a Major<\/em>!\u00a0 So many players were annoyed by that.<\/p>\n

\"Sloane<\/a>

Sloane stephens, with one of the very many potbellies I noticed there. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

~ This happens at tennis matches everywhere\u2014the commentators always rag on the lines-people for calling foot faults.\u00a0 But that\u2019s their job!!!\u00a0 They\u2019re\u00a0supposed<\/em>\u00a0to call them, even if it\u2019s only once in a player\u2019s lifetime!\u00a0 The ESPN peeps need to stop abusing those people for doing the right thing.<\/p>\n

~ I\u2019m always scratching my head over how so many female athletes there have pot bellies, when they need their cores so much in this game.\u00a0 How is that even possible?!\u00a0 And so many of\u00a0both<\/em>\u00a0sexes are uber-hunched-over, which is strange since they\u2019re world-class athletes!!!\u00a0 No one is worse in\u00a0that category than controversial Aussie Nick Kyrgios. \u00a0I think in\u00a0his<\/em>\u00a0case, it may be because he\u2019s always so trouble-laden.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The resemblance between Carla Suarez-Navarro and Alfred E. Newman. This pic isn\u2019t to make of her; I think she’s cute. And I was rooting for her all the way!<\/p><\/div>\n

~ I think my favorite match was the one where poor little Alfred E. Newman doppleganger, sweet Carla Suarez-Navarro, beat obnoxious supermodel Maria Sharapova.\u00a0 The crowd seemed to be thrilled, too.\u00a0 It was Carla\u2019s thirtieth birthday, and she hit some of the most incredible shots I\u2019ve ever seen!\u00a0 So, Happy Birthday, Carla!<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s get to some action on specific days:<\/p>\n

FIRST THURSDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the best, and most pleasant, (if also a tad weird,) chair umpires, Mohamed Lahyani, did one of the most bizarre things I\u2019ve ever seen done in a tennis match. Nutty but excellent player, Aussie Nick Kyrgios, was losing badly in the second set to a much, much, much lower-ranked opponent (Nick was #30, while the other guy was #75) in a second-round match. So, on a crossover, the ump got out of his chair and gave Nick what amounts to a pep talk!!! That is so not the job of an official!<\/p>\n

Mohamed claims that he was just asking if Nick was okay, because he was so lethargic and not trying very hard, and that he came down from his chair to talk to him because he thought Nick couldn\u2019t hear him from so far above the court, (where the umps sit.)<\/p>\n

All that well may be, but that\u2019s still not his job. And it was very odd. Worse yet for Lahyani, Nick went on to win that match, so everybody, (except for the Aussies!,) were upset with him! Many felt he should have been suspended, but he got a worse punishment than that\u2014he was banished to the side-most courts to referee…a doubles match!<\/p>\n

FIRST FRIDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

~ I was super-impressed with the play of young Russian, Karen Khachanov, (especially because we \u201cKaren\u201ds have to stick together.) He gave Rafa Nadal a run for his money, for sure. And then he made sure the correct fan got his Sharpie back, after he signed autographs when leaving the court, so that endeared him to me even more.<\/p>\n

\"Serena<\/a>

Serena Williams’ “daytime” tutu. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

~ The ESPN idiots made such a fuss over the Williams sisters\u2019 third-round match, and then Venus won just three<\/em> games!\u00a0 Even with Serena rolling her ankle early on! Boy, did\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0fizzle out. (And the commentators just sort-of swept Venus\u2019 big embarrassing loss under the rug.)<\/p>\n

~ Let\u2019s talk about Serena Williams\u2019 beyond dreadful outfits. They reminded me of a little girl who just loves wearing what she loves, and doesn\u2019t care what she looks like. Those \u201ctutu\u201d dresses of hers make her look so much worse than she already does. To paraphrase what one of my good friends said to me when we were shopping one day, and looking in a mirror, I was shocked to see how heavy I had become: doesn\u2019t Serena have any mirrors in her house???<\/p>\n

\"Serena<\/a>

Serena Williams’ fishnet tights. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

And those are not<\/em> compression tights she\u2019s wearing for health<\/em> purposes, as she claims\u2014they\u2019re fishnets, totally for making one\u2019s legs look better. That woman has told so many lies over the years* that I can\u2019t believe a word she says anymore. Maybe she did<\/em> have a blood clot scare when she was having her baby, but she\u2019s cried wolf so many times that I\u2019m not listening now. *[Note: Remember that one about missing the 2010 US Open because she supposedly cut her foot on broken glass when leaving a restaurant in Germany? But she couldn\u2019t even remember the name<\/em> of the place, and didn\u2019t sue them even though she missed millions of dollars over the injury, if it was true, which I\u2019m sure it was not. The truth is more likely that she didn\u2019t want to go back to the tournament that year because she knew everyone would be talking about her threatening a lines-woman the year before with shoving a ball down her throat for a foot fault call!!! This<\/em> way, she changed the narrative from \u201cevil Serena\u201d to \u201cpoor Serena.\u201d]<\/p>\n

FIRST SATURDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

~ I loved that Roger Federer not only beat the pants off erratic up-and-comer, Nick Kyrgios, but played some stunning points for the ages doing so!<\/p>\n

I\u00a0<\/em>know exactly how to help Nick right his ship, but it seems that he listens to no one, so oh well.<\/p>\n

\"Aussie<\/a>

Aussie Next Gen star, Alex de Minaur. He’s nineteen, but doesn’t he look to be about twelve??? Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

~ All I can say about the late night third-round five-set match between #7 seed, and former Champion here, Marin Cilic and nineteen-year-old #45 in the world, Aussie Alex de Minaur is \u201cWow!!!\u201d It literally took my breath away at times! (But I\u2019m glad that the older guy persevered, especially since most of the time, it looked like he would not<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

But ESPN commentators Jason Goodall and Darren Cahill were disgusting in their rooting for Alex!\u00a0 On-air personnel are supposed to be totally impartial.\u00a0 I often see their true colors come out when Americans are playing, but this was ridiculous cheering for an Aussie over a Croat. Stay out of it, guys!!!<\/p>\n

SECOND MONDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

The heat got to Roger, in a big way. He could not even get a first serve in! He said later that he could not get a breath on the court. And post-match, he couldn\u2019t even make it to the locker room! He had to go right into a little holding room right off the court, and have medical personnel come tend to him. I told<\/em> you that heat was dangerous!!!<\/p>\n

SECOND TUESDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Bethanie<\/a>

Bethanie Mattek-Sands. (I hope you’re wearing shades to view this pic!) Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

I like new-ish commentator, (and still current player,) Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and you know how critical I am of not-bright teeth, but her<\/em> choppers are just waaaay too fakely white! It\u2019s hard to listen to what she\u2019s saying, when all I can concentrate on is that mouthful of light!<\/p>\n

SECOND WEDNESDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

~ Marin Cilic is always the nicest guy being interviewed before the competitors walk out onto the court.\u00a0 He listens to the questions and gives actual detailed, thoughtful answers.\u00a0 He\u2019s the anti-Williams in that regard.<\/p>\n

\"Bucky<\/a>

Bucky Beaver and…<\/p><\/div>\n

\"...Madison<\/a>

…Madison Keys. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

~ This was a tad bizarre. As Carla Suarez-Navarro and Madison Keys were playing, commentator Cliff Drysdale said, \u201cNeither player has gotten her teeth into this match yet.\u201d\u00a0 Poor choice of words about the two girls with the strangest teeth on the tour!\u00a0 One has Alfred E. Newman\u2019s and the other one Bucky Beaver\u2019s. Ouch, Cliff.<\/p>\n

~ At this point, I started to dislike every<\/em> ESPN commentator!\u00a0 They are soooo partial, it\u2019s disgusting. That\u2019s not part of their job description to be so.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a news flash for them\u2014not everyone<\/em> in the United States is blindly rooting for Americans!\u00a0 The TV peeps need to just comment<\/em> on the action and keep their rooting<\/em> to themselves!\u00a0 They\u2019re getting really hard to listen to, even my favorite one, Mary Jo Fernandez, I\u2019m sad to say.<\/p>\n

\"Dominic<\/a>

Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal embracing after their dramatic match! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

~ I have never before seen Rafael Nadal get bagelled in a set! But that\u2019s just what Austria\u2019s Dominic Thiem did to him in the Quarter Final. This was an absolutely fascinating match, one of the best I\u2019ve ever seen, but sadly, Rafa pulled it out in five sets. Darn.<\/p>\n

WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Major congrats to Ladies Champion, Naomi Osaka!!! It\u2019s such a shame the entire experience was ruined for her by the petulance and super-poor sportsmanship of creepy Serena Williams. (Remember, you can read all about that incident here: itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/tennis-us-open-2018-wrap-up-part-i-the-Serena-williams-controversy<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

I love this comment that someone wrote on-line about the situation (because she accused the ump of being a \u201cthief\u201d because he fined her a point for two code violations): \u201cWho’s<\/em> the thief? You<\/em> Serena–you stole and robbed that girl of her moment. You should be ashamed of yourself!\u201d (But we all know that she\u2019s not the least bit.)<\/p>\n

MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP<\/strong><\/p>\n

And lastly, I am so so so sad for Juan Martin del Potro to have lost that Final match. I was really rooting for him, as was apparently about ninety percent of the crowd! I hope he has another chance soon to win another Major. (He won this one in 2009.) Just never against Roger!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also a tad sad for Champion again, Novak Djokovic, to have barely anyone there cheering for him, despite this being his fourteenth Major win!<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s a wrap for this year\u2019s US Open! I\u2019m glad that I hold myself back from watching January\u2019s Aussie open and May\u2019s French Open because tennis is more often than not just way too painful for my Empath self.<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s on to cheering for my Yankees in these final two months of baseball season. Let\u2019s go, Bombers!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US OPEN WRAP-UP 2018 PART II\u2014EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT THIS TOURNEY, THAT SERENA\u2019S TANTRUM OVERSHADOWED If you missed yesterday\u2019s column, which broke down the entire Serena Williams meltdown this past week-end, you can read it here: itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/tennis-us-open-2018-wrap-up-part-i-the-Serena-williams-controversy. More about her to follow, but there was so much more to this last Major tennis tournament of the<\/p>\n

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