Overdrive
Legend
You mean like this?
"I taught you well, Azarenka."
Haha.
Where did you get that picture from? Never saw that before.
AO 2013 - Semifinals - Vika Azarenka v. Sloane Stephens
- Thread starter TennisFan436
- Start date
Haha.
Where did you get that picture from? Never saw that before.
beast of mallorca
G.O.A.T.
The rules are not the problem. Azarenka's gamesmanship is.
rk_sports
Hall of Fame
you nailed it... world #1 setting such a wrong example
Relinquis
Hall of Fame
to be honest, they're probably taking this approach because stephens is an amaerican. I'm not condoning or condemning vika, just saying ESPN has a horse in this race.
anyway, it's good to see that Stephens didn't let the hype of her win over Serena to get to her head and she kept her cool. she will go very far if she continues with this mental attitude/toughness (probably needs to embrace her killer instinct a bit more though, on the court that is).
Biggest risk for her now is to become too 'hollywood'.
veroniquem
Bionic Poster
Azarenka could have lied, she could have pretty much said anything she wanted after the match about the MTO. I liked that she was so candid about it instead. She clearly didn't realize how harshly she would be judged for "over-emotionality". And she did sound genuinely rattled. The good thing about this is that this sucky rule may get re-evaluated because of it. The rule is sucky. Nothing to do with Azarenka personally. I agree with Gilbert that a player should NEVER be allowed an MTO before the opponent's serve. I've seen it tons of times and it's just not right. You should be allowed ONLY before your own serve. That makes a lot of sense to me. I don't understand why it doesn't make sense to the tennis powers . But not Azarenka's fault if something is allowed that in the eyes of many people shouldn't be. And in this particular match, Stephens could almost never hold serve (what was it? Once in each set?), so it really didn't make any difference to what was already the typical pattern. No one on earth could convince me that Stephens would have held her serve if Azarenka had not had a panic attack because she wasn't either before the panic attack but of course, in some cases, it could make a difference. There is a valid point in challenging that rule but no need to scapegoat Vika about it.
And overall, Vika was clearly the dominant player in the match.
And overall, Vika was clearly the dominant player in the match.
edmondsm
Legend
All of this is completely irrelevant. There is one issue here. Azarenka basically faked TWO injuries so she could have 10 minutes to settle down after choking away 5 match points. She used the MTO to halt the momentum her opponent had just taken. We have seen similar incidents before, but this was the most disgusting use of the MTO I've ever seen. The rule needs to be done away with entirely. If you're injured, that sucks. Either find a way to play through it or call it a day. If players are allowed to stop play at any time to get treatment for an injury then their will always be those that abuse the rule.
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BreakPoint
Bionic Poster
Then why doesn't it also irrate you when Nadal does the same thing?
BreakPoint
Bionic Poster
So you were watching that Nadal-Petzschner match at Wimbledon, too?
veroniquem
Bionic Poster
I was also watching the Djoko/Wawa match...
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James Bond
Semi-Pro
There's plenty of "She was outplaying Sloane Stephens anyway" chatter going on
Well, Lance Armstrong outplayed the TdF field for 7 years, still doesn't make it right.
Well, Lance Armstrong outplayed the TdF field for 7 years, still doesn't make it right.
rk_sports
Hall of Fame
looks like she got the plot now -- change of story
Azarenka in press:
"I'm being really honest here. When I play and someone else takes a medical timeout, I don't doubt them."
"I shouldn't have put myself in that situation. ... I thought I was going to play through the pain. ... I should have [called a timeout] earlier."
"I was trying to make sure I could breathe. ... I'm experienced enough to know what was wrong. I just couldn't breathe. I think it was obvious that my shots were pretty different. It was stressing me out... I couldn't breathe."
"I understand the situation. I guess it was my bad. A few seconds after the match I couldn't discuss everything. I took it to the point where I couldn't breathe."
"I should of called the trainer earlier. The rib tightened up and it was impossible for me to breathe. I thought I could play through it"
Azarenka in press:
"I'm being really honest here. When I play and someone else takes a medical timeout, I don't doubt them."
"I shouldn't have put myself in that situation. ... I thought I was going to play through the pain. ... I should have [called a timeout] earlier."
"I was trying to make sure I could breathe. ... I'm experienced enough to know what was wrong. I just couldn't breathe. I think it was obvious that my shots were pretty different. It was stressing me out... I couldn't breathe."
"I understand the situation. I guess it was my bad. A few seconds after the match I couldn't discuss everything. I took it to the point where I couldn't breathe."
"I should of called the trainer earlier. The rib tightened up and it was impossible for me to breathe. I thought I could play through it"
Tennis_Hands
Banned
Much like another former #1.
Funny, do not expect to hear the same poster address that.
Anyway, Azarenka is a disgrace.
Say Chi Sin Lo
G.O.A.T.
Well OF COURSE you won't doubt them, you only just pulled the mother of all MTOs.
Say Chi Sin Lo
G.O.A.T.
Then why doesn't it also irrate you when Nadal does the same thing?
Not quite the same thing.
Yes, Nadal did pioneer the practice, but I'm pretty sure Azarenka just out-MTO'd him.
Like I said earlier, Nadal would be proud of tonight's display.
NastyWinners
Hall of Fame
Tennis_Hands
Banned
Has it ever occured to you, that the garbage, that you post here, in the form of personal "beliefs" :roll:, generally accepted facts, that do not fit the context and someone else's opinions, sugarcoated with your cynical thinking, yield responses just because they are just that: garbage?
:roll:
Yes, we know that.
I tend to agree. I noticed that in the quarter with Serena, Serena did just that -- waited until after Sloane's service game to get her MTO.
I also tend to think that Vika was not openly trying to cheat as she would not have so readily admitted it.
I also think Vika would have won the match whether or not she took the MTO, but it does look bad.
And it might affect her final if the crowd gets really against her.
TennisFan436
Semi-Pro
Not might. It will...she has the crowd against her and they will mock her shrieks. Karma is a biatch! :twisted:
Let's go Li Na! Take this cheater out. She has lost so many fans last night.
D
Deleted member 3771
Guest
Vika should have just done a Fed and taken a tactical bathroom break.
Stephens was poor in this match, very defensive and her timing was really bad, she lacked consistent timing and fluidity in her shots and she stands too far back. She has a bit of work to do. Azarenka was basically running her around as she pleased all match long. Hopefully it will be a good final.
Stephens was poor in this match, very defensive and her timing was really bad, she lacked consistent timing and fluidity in her shots and she stands too far back. She has a bit of work to do. Azarenka was basically running her around as she pleased all match long. Hopefully it will be a good final.
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Bhagi Katbamna
Legend
Despite all the distractions, if Stephens would not have made so many forehand errors, she could have gone to the third set.
N
NadalDramaQueen
Guest
A tactical bathroom break between sets? :lol:
Fed was trolling after the match and you took that ball and ran with it for years.
Dedans Penthouse
Legend
Ah, so that's it? Er, ok.
So ESPN should've just entirely avoided reporting and discussing the obvious that occured right before their eyes, i.e. what was clearly a "10" on the bullshlt scale least anyone (possibly with their own prejudices or cynical assumptions in play) think ESPN's picking on poor 'Vika' simply because the kid who was getting royally screwed on the spot happened to be an American?
Is that it?
Azarenka, or 'vika' as you like to call her IMHO would've been called on her blatant cheating regardless of whatever nationality the "getting screwed" victim was. You post sounds like a bit of project and deflect, period.
Oh and Breakpoint and the other fanboys whinning about: pleeeeeze take your Nadal-bashing elsewhere pretty please? Thank you fanboys. ;-)
Just watched the replay of this match.
It's funny that Sloane had to face two opponents (arguably the two best women's players) who both took a convenient time out at 5-4 in the 2nd set after having won the 1st set. If Ms. Stephens has learned anything from this, it's that MTOs are a strategic resource just like challenges, and that what it means to be a top player is to abuse the crap out of them.
Serena is still my enemy #1 for being a classless woman, being so utterly awful in defeat, almost never really giving credit to her opponent. It was indeed very convenient yesterday when she started coming up with injuries just as Sloane started playing well (better than her, even), as a precautionary measure of saving face in case she lost. Serena always seems to blame injuries or bad calls or threatens lineswomen and steals the thunder from her opponent and then pretending in the post-match conference that she "doesn't remember" threatening to shove balls down throats, and haha, I'm using my sweet innocent voice now, don't you feel sorry for me?
Vika I used to sorta root for because her game's good and she's one of the few capable of taking on Serena, but this match's antics were disgusting. Taking a double timeout for nerves on your opponent's serve and making up silly lies to cover for it is beyond the pale. The crowd barely cheered her win, and cheered louder for Sloane the "loser", and you could tell they were pissed off when Vika was answering the question about her medical injury with some blather about how nervous she was. Guess what, Victoria? Your opponent had never even been in a slam quarterfinal before, and she's 19! Do you see her pulling that crap even with how nervous she must have been?
How are the two best players in the women's game this sorry duo? Hope Na double bagels Vika, even though I'd hate for Na to win just because my Chinese friends get so annoyingly nationalistic about it all.
Also, I never thought I'd like Sharapova the best of the big 3, but there you go. Say what you want about her shrieking one dimensional game, but she's at least a decent sportswoman.
And a final congrats on Sloane for making it this far and being composed enough not to smack Vika on her big dumb head at the end and give her a real injury to go with those time outs.
It's funny that Sloane had to face two opponents (arguably the two best women's players) who both took a convenient time out at 5-4 in the 2nd set after having won the 1st set. If Ms. Stephens has learned anything from this, it's that MTOs are a strategic resource just like challenges, and that what it means to be a top player is to abuse the crap out of them.
Serena is still my enemy #1 for being a classless woman, being so utterly awful in defeat, almost never really giving credit to her opponent. It was indeed very convenient yesterday when she started coming up with injuries just as Sloane started playing well (better than her, even), as a precautionary measure of saving face in case she lost. Serena always seems to blame injuries or bad calls or threatens lineswomen and steals the thunder from her opponent and then pretending in the post-match conference that she "doesn't remember" threatening to shove balls down throats, and haha, I'm using my sweet innocent voice now, don't you feel sorry for me?
Vika I used to sorta root for because her game's good and she's one of the few capable of taking on Serena, but this match's antics were disgusting. Taking a double timeout for nerves on your opponent's serve and making up silly lies to cover for it is beyond the pale. The crowd barely cheered her win, and cheered louder for Sloane the "loser", and you could tell they were pissed off when Vika was answering the question about her medical injury with some blather about how nervous she was. Guess what, Victoria? Your opponent had never even been in a slam quarterfinal before, and she's 19! Do you see her pulling that crap even with how nervous she must have been?
How are the two best players in the women's game this sorry duo? Hope Na double bagels Vika, even though I'd hate for Na to win just because my Chinese friends get so annoyingly nationalistic about it all.
Also, I never thought I'd like Sharapova the best of the big 3, but there you go. Say what you want about her shrieking one dimensional game, but she's at least a decent sportswoman.
And a final congrats on Sloane for making it this far and being composed enough not to smack Vika on her big dumb head at the end and give her a real injury to go with those time outs.
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