| | | Novak, caught with his pants down |
Sometimes the death knell for a season is just a foul ball. The same is true for many sports, more or less. Success or failure can be determined by a simple flub of a ball. Rarely does this happen in professional Tennis. Normally there are many balls, sometimes dozens per game, hundreds per match and set. Rarely does one ball, except for the last, knock a competitor from contention. Hardly ever does one ball prevent a top tennis player from taking the Grand Slam of Tennis. The number one ranked Tennis star in the world, Novak Djokovic, has learned that one simple ball can ruin a season for at least one tennis star, him. Last week, in between competition at the US Open, and almost as an afterthought, Djokovic hit a ball backhanded and off to the side, to get it off the court. Unfortunately he didn't look behind him, to see where the ball would go. Where it went was into the neck of a line judge, who was presumably also taking a break. The look of horror upon Djokovic's face when he realized what had happened was shocking. A hard and fast rule in professional tennis is that if a player strikes an official with a tennis ball, the penalty is instant expulsion from the tournament. This is what happened last week to Novak Djokovic. Elimination with one ball. The US Open has carried on, though, and today features the men's individual championship. German star Alexander Zverev, second ranked in the world, survived a somewhat lackluster performance in the first games of his quarterfinal match, and goes onto play in the finals this afternoon at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Flushing Meadows, New York, New York. He will play Austria's Dominic Thiem, third ranked in the world. Thiem had his own problems, an ill fitting shoe caused him some pain and inflammation, and nearly cost him his place in the tourney. “The two best players in the world are going to be on court,” Zverev said. “From the moment Novak was out of the tournament, it was clear there was going to be a new grand slam champion." Thiem described Zverev as “one of the greatest in the past few years, won all titles.... He will try everything. But it really doesn’t matter whether it’s him or one of the big three. When we step on the court on Sunday, it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s huge for both of us. The most crucial point is the return of his serve. His first serve is one of the best – if not the best – out there. It’s so fast, so precise.” In England's Premier League Soccer, West Bromwich Albion is up against Leicester City at The Hawthorns in the opening match round of the 2020-2021 Premier League. The Foxes won all four Premier League games they played last year at The Hawthorns, having remained winless in all four Premier League home matches versus the Baggies. Formula One racing kicks of their 2020 season, today, with the Tuscan Grand Prix. The race will take place at the Mugello Circuit. Meanwhile, the Indy Car Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, Race 2 will be held this afternoon. This will take place at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. In addition, PBR Bull Riding Ariat Invitational takes place today, from Billings, Montana, as well as hundreds of other baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer games throughout the USA and through the world. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "omnisport" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/omnisport/399420198.1562919.1599970830919%40mail.yahoo.com.
