Today, Fan Favorite Janko Tipsarevic lost in Montreal in straight sets to Denis Istomin.
He was defending last year’s semifinal points from Toronto, and will now likely be out of the top 20. (Over 1/3 of his current points (2,000) came from his 360 points from the semifinals in Toronto and the 360 points from his quarterfinal at the U.S. Open.)
It’s been a rough few months for Tipsarevic, who has only won one match since Roland Garros, over No. 153 Ruben Bemelmans in Bogota, is 14-16 on the year and 7-15 since retiring in the fourth round of the Australian Open. Ouch.
All of this must be really frustrating for the former No. 8, and after his loss today he vented his frustration on Twitter:
Playing my worst tennis in a long,long,long,long,long,long time….
— Janko Tipsarevic (@TipsarevicJanko) August 6, 2013
The saddest part is that I am practicing really well and have lost like 1 practice match since Madrid…but who gives a shit about that…
— Janko Tipsarevic (@TipsarevicJanko) August 6, 2013
Yes, Tipsy. You are right. Nobody gives a shit.
Fernando says just last year Tipsy was playing the best tennis of his life and now what? It is the psychology of reaching the top of the mountain. When you have accomplished more than you have ever imagined, the truly great ones are not satisfied and strive for more while others stop, smell the roses and lose their edge. It is not just sheer physical talent that makes a champion. It is a mindset.
I am Fernando @vivafernando
Some of the posts on this website are brilliant. Juan Jose’s dissection of shots and tactics are a joy to read. Others – and it comes across too in some writers’ Twitter feeds – come across as needlessly snide and bitchy. This is one example, unfortunately, and it’s just really tacky.
Though I enjoyed this post mainly because it has an interesting parallel in Indian cricket, I agree with the general opinion in this comment about the twitter feeds.
Snark and laughter have always been a big part of how I enjoy everything, especially tennis. While I recognize that there is a time and place for everything, I’ve always found my personal twitter and blog to be an appropriate outlet. That being said, I totally recognize that it’s a tone that everyone is not a fan of, which is fine. I write plenty of serious things for this blog as well.
And I agree that Juan Jose’s posts are a joy to read, and I hope that even if you keep skipping over my articles, you will keep coming back for those =)
I get that and I’ve not really had a big problem with this so far. And I also know that it has been toned down by a lot since this website started – for starters we don’t see #Jacket or Pasty Mofo anymore 😉
All said and done, this is a great website and you guys are doing a good job and I agree with MattV that it is better than many mainstream sites.
Here I must leap to Lindsays defence – these posts are exactly what make The Changeover different from other (rather boring) tennis blogs. I think a nice mix of serious analysis, jokes and gossip as well as musings on the various psychological sides on tennis is the perfect kind of website for a tennis fan – well, at least for me.
Sucks for Tipsy, he is indeed a fan favorite, I hope he gets his shit together.
Also, the DelPo Isner Bromance text was HILLARIOUS….hahahah
Totally agree that DelPo Isner was hilarious. Really enjoyed that, and by no means am slating Lindsay as a writer. I’ve enjoyed plenty of her posts, so not a reflection on her or the site as a whole.
I just saw that after a guy basically posted a depressed tweet about not doing very well at his job lately despite trying really hard, her Twitter feed said “Ohmygod I am laughing SO HARD right now. #jankosigh” then on here “Nobody gives a shit” and thought it was a bit much.
I’m not really a fan of Tipsarevic. He seems quite backward in some of his views and the #sigh thing is a bit ridiculous, but I’m still of the opinion this was a bit snide rather than snarky, and I’ve thought that a few times about stuff here or on writers’ Twitter feeds.
Thanks for the platform anyway.
As regards snark and bitchiness (bitchyness?), the question is whether or not said snark/bitch comment is proffered with an implied wink and a nod, or straight up. The former can be fun (and funny), while the latter usually comes across as just mean. Also, the wink and a nod (W&N) comments frequently include some illuminating concept by virtue of irony or juxtaposition, which makes them valuable (even).
Then again, sometimes the W&N cracks aren’t written clearly enough to distinguish them from their lesser brethren and sisters. I suspect that was the case here.
As regards Tipsarevic’s comment that no one gives a shit, I say we give him credit for exposing an all too common frustration amongst tennis players (evidently at every level), *and* the fundamental flaw with that frustration. You walk away from a practice feeling great about your game, and then find it to be meaningless in competition as you exhibit all the intestinal fortitude of a squashed worm.
It’s hard to feel good about your practices, regardless of how they turn out, when that’s the situation in which you find yourself stuck. I give the guy credit for letting us in on it, which is to say *all* of it.
And in other news…did you know he and his wife are expecting a baby? Maybe his mind is elsewhere. Though he’s been pretty lackluster all season.
I have to say, reading about this yesterday or the day before on Twitter, I did think the general meanness over Tipsarevic’s comment was unwarranted.
But then Tipsarevic seems to get more than his fair share of meanness generally. I guess he’s made himself unpopular with his views on equal pay and some actions – but should that mean it is open season on him, all the time?
I totally agree about the rudeness of this post. You’re basically kicking a struggling tennis player when he’s down. I don’t know if this is a tit-for-tat thing with Janko’s unpopular opinions (and that’s just what they are). It’s not like he’s kicking puppies or anything.