Ugh.....turned on ESPN for coverage of the U S Open start, and the damn talking heads have been

[a kennedy]

yapping for a hour. 🤬 🤬 🤬 I know it’s huge this year with Serena announcing this is her last tennis hurrah, but damn it’s been an hour. I want to see tennis.

[Jade Fox]

1. My dad used to call it "pre-game blab"............nt

[a kennedy]

2. Exactly......and hate it. Hate ESPN's coverage anyway, I do like Tennis channels talking heads better

but even then I wish they’d just get to the athletes playing the match.

[tishaLA]

3. I'm watching online because

I have zero interest in hearing what Patrick McEnroe has to say about anything. And I love James Blake, but because of the endless talking I started growing angry about the way he was sitting.....because yes I can be that petty sometimes.

I just watched Andy Murray turn back the clock and beat #24 Carundolo in straight sets, so that was nice. It also made me appreciate how much the game has changed since his heyday--and that wasn't very long ago. Players now use such extreme Western grips now and strike the ball so differently than they did just a decade ago.....it's amazing.

Last thing: MSNBC did a report from the Open and they talked to the tournament director who talked about opening the sport further to greater diversity and economic situations and I literally did a spit take because yesterday I was trying to talk myself out of replacing my racquet and the newest model of the one I currently use, the Yonex ezone 98, sells for $279 *unstrung*. And then look at the cost of decent tennis shoes. Also outrageously expensive. The game is so out of reach now.

[Probatim]

4. Sports talk and pre-game shows are The View for Men.

Nothing more and nothing less. A bunch of yapping that means nothing at all.

I stopped watching sports thanks to all the yammering.

[LisaM]

5. Oh, I love College Game Day.

Where they lost me is with the Departments of Useless Stats and the incessant human interest stories.

[LisaM]

6. Coco Gauff just won and in her post-match interview...

I kid you not, they quickly moved past talking about what she said was her first win on Ashe and started asking her about Serena Williams. (They never even mentioned Gauff's opponent, Jeanjean).

That was really annoying.

[a kennedy]

7. I know.......hated that. Hope Serena will be on her A game.

Simone Halep lost and she’s on Coco’s side of the draw.......keeping fingers crossed Coco can keep it going. Madison Keys is having a bit of a problem with a Ukrainian.

[LisaM]

8. Halop lost to a 20-year old Ukrainian (Snigur)

It was quite emotional, and I felt bad for Halop. All the Serena stuff, then her opponent is wearing a Ukrainian flag ribbon, I can see how she completely lost focus.

[LisaM]

12. They did it again. Coco Gauff just won, and...

They started asking her about Serena.

[tishaLA]

9. Awwww (spoiler)

Dominic Thiem just lost. He had a tough first rounder and he's still trying to regain his form after a wrist injury that had him sidelined for like a year (I hope this isn't one of those Del Potro-like wrist injuries that completely wreck his career).

He has such a beautiful, elegant one-handed backhand IMO.

[Raftergirl]

10. I only watch now on ESPN+

No inane comms talking about everything else but the match. Also, no spoilers! I also like to choose the matches I want to see.

I’ll be at the Open for Labor Day weekend. I sold my seats last year because of the pandemic and sold the first 4 days this year. My seats are in LA now - used to be in AA but I just hate watching tennis in that stadium.

I’m very excited to be going again. I’ve been going since 1990.

[a kennedy]

11. AND I HATE WHEN THEY HAVE FAVORITES TO WATCH when Americans Are playing 🤬 🤬 🤬

Madison Keys is playing in a third set and they’re covering two non American men. Who cares about the men who aren’t American.

[tishaLA]

13. The third set of the Keys match was something else.

I was sure she was done when she was down 5-2, but Giorgi just broke down mentally. And now it'll be Keys-Gauff next round so that'll be intersting.

The Kyrgios match has had a lot of v. good tennis but I just looked at the scores online and it looks like a lot of good matches are happening right now.

[a kennedy]

14. I know, we left for dinner and my friend from Florida, (we text each other during EVERY tennis

tournament) texted me saying she won!!!!!! Couldn’t believe it wish I would have watched it now. 😢 just sooooooooo happy she came back to win it.

[tishaLA]

15. Nadal is looking terrible

No way he's going to win this match (or even win a set) unless he gets it together.

[tishaLA]

16. spoke too soon

came back from 2-4 in the second and now he's on the verge of winning the 3rd