Ugh. Zverev in a grand slam final is worst case scenario, and I certainly won't be watching (we usually watch at least a replay when the time differences are stark). It is wild to me that there is hardly any discourse around the things he's done. Alternatively, I've seen many packages on Tennis TV and others where he is talking about being a "role model" for kids. It's great that he has been able to play tennis while being diabetic, but his actions off the court should disqualify him from being included in those kinds of celebratory spots from tennis media.
Sadly, i think the vast majority of the audience doesn’t even know about the DVerev situation. The tennis media has protected him by never mentioning it. Sigh…
I think risk of a dud ticket would be minimised if they didn’t have seperate day & night sessions for SF’s (Wimbledon has them all as one ticket)
In general I think now having day/night sessions on RLA/MCA/JCA for most of the tournament means if you have a stadium ticket the most you’ll ever see is 2 matches - it used to be up to 4-5 in JCA, and 3 in the day sessions for RLA/MCA
This also has an effect on the value of grounds passes…..with seperate day/night sessions and a lot of the matches on the stadiums finishing early and having big gaps before the night session begins (plus night ticket holders entering the grounds) - it means there’s so many more people trying to watch matches on the outside courts….and the overcrowding means unless you get in early and don’t move - you don’t really get to watch a lot of tennis with a groundspass either.
I was annoyed with it last year, but it was even worse this year. It’s greed driving these decisions, not the fan experience.
Rothenberg watch your p’s and q’s. Zverev has already humiliated you in a public setting as your corporate partners left you high and dry and your writing career nearly came to an end as you had very little cash to protect your inaccurate claims in European courts. If tennis fans don’t like watching him, how come his matches show no dip in television ratings? Your anecdotal evidence is a pathetic way of showing that You’re still angry about how Zverev roughed you up so acutely. I’d be embarrassed were I you. Ben Shelton already called you an embarrassment for your stupid questions that you ask, how dare you write an article about Zverev that is based on nothing real, that is based on no sourcing, it’s based on nothing but your pathetic ego being sullied. That’s pathetic Rothenberg! You are really showing just how unprofessional and delusional that you truly are.
I disagree with the idea that players in a situation like Djokovic's should put on a performance before retiring. Yes, a retirement, especially early in a match, is jarring and disappointing for fans. But there's always a risk that an injury at anytime will curtail the match. (And in this specific instance, most of the people in the stands -- setting aside people who don't pay attention to tennis and would have missed Djokovic's previous match -- would have known that he came into this match in dicey shape.)
As bitter as it may be, the fans just have to accept the disappointment. Would they be much less disappointed if the players acted a little bit before retiring? I doubt it. It's bad enough now that conspiratorial fans are skeptical of players' injuries. Making the players act would just create more skepticism--those fans would then start criticizing the players' acting.
Maybe the tournament can do something in the moment after a retirement to add some entertainment value. Have the winner answer questions from the crowd. Or pluck some fans from the crowd and have the winner rally with them, or give them an impromptu lesson and some pointers. But it shouldn't be on injured players to act well enough to make it clear to everyone that they're really hurt.
(Making the sport less physical would reduce the number of retirements, but that's a whole different discussion that no one in tennis seems to want to have.)
Ugh. Zverev in a grand slam final is worst case scenario, and I certainly won't be watching (we usually watch at least a replay when the time differences are stark). It is wild to me that there is hardly any discourse around the things he's done. Alternatively, I've seen many packages on Tennis TV and others where he is talking about being a "role model" for kids. It's great that he has been able to play tennis while being diabetic, but his actions off the court should disqualify him from being included in those kinds of celebratory spots from tennis media.
Sadly, i think the vast majority of the audience doesn’t even know about the DVerev situation. The tennis media has protected him by never mentioning it. Sigh…
I think risk of a dud ticket would be minimised if they didn’t have seperate day & night sessions for SF’s (Wimbledon has them all as one ticket)
In general I think now having day/night sessions on RLA/MCA/JCA for most of the tournament means if you have a stadium ticket the most you’ll ever see is 2 matches - it used to be up to 4-5 in JCA, and 3 in the day sessions for RLA/MCA
This also has an effect on the value of grounds passes…..with seperate day/night sessions and a lot of the matches on the stadiums finishing early and having big gaps before the night session begins (plus night ticket holders entering the grounds) - it means there’s so many more people trying to watch matches on the outside courts….and the overcrowding means unless you get in early and don’t move - you don’t really get to watch a lot of tennis with a groundspass either.
I was annoyed with it last year, but it was even worse this year. It’s greed driving these decisions, not the fan experience.
Round 1 being spread over 3 days adds to this - as there’s just not enough tennis happening to accommodate the number of people on site.
Rothenberg watch your p’s and q’s. Zverev has already humiliated you in a public setting as your corporate partners left you high and dry and your writing career nearly came to an end as you had very little cash to protect your inaccurate claims in European courts. If tennis fans don’t like watching him, how come his matches show no dip in television ratings? Your anecdotal evidence is a pathetic way of showing that You’re still angry about how Zverev roughed you up so acutely. I’d be embarrassed were I you. Ben Shelton already called you an embarrassment for your stupid questions that you ask, how dare you write an article about Zverev that is based on nothing real, that is based on no sourcing, it’s based on nothing but your pathetic ego being sullied. That’s pathetic Rothenberg! You are really showing just how unprofessional and delusional that you truly are.
I disagree with the idea that players in a situation like Djokovic's should put on a performance before retiring. Yes, a retirement, especially early in a match, is jarring and disappointing for fans. But there's always a risk that an injury at anytime will curtail the match. (And in this specific instance, most of the people in the stands -- setting aside people who don't pay attention to tennis and would have missed Djokovic's previous match -- would have known that he came into this match in dicey shape.)
As bitter as it may be, the fans just have to accept the disappointment. Would they be much less disappointed if the players acted a little bit before retiring? I doubt it. It's bad enough now that conspiratorial fans are skeptical of players' injuries. Making the players act would just create more skepticism--those fans would then start criticizing the players' acting.
Maybe the tournament can do something in the moment after a retirement to add some entertainment value. Have the winner answer questions from the crowd. Or pluck some fans from the crowd and have the winner rally with them, or give them an impromptu lesson and some pointers. But it shouldn't be on injured players to act well enough to make it clear to everyone that they're really hurt.
(Making the sport less physical would reduce the number of retirements, but that's a whole different discussion that no one in tennis seems to want to have.)
I had a great time streaming women's doubles last night (USA). Two great matches, and Ostapenko only abuses the electronic line calling.