ScoMo should be a no, no to work with Abdo

On the first, bravo Kyrgios. Love him or hate him, love/hate him, he plays the best tennis of his career consistently making shots that others can barely think of let alone do – and there has to be some satisfaction in finally achieving something of his always astonishing potential.

Even his most bitter critics recognize that he is a talent like no other, and as stated by Matt Futterman in The New York Times this week he is “a dangerous and disruptive force who has so much pure talent, but is so temperamental and incendiary, and so drawn to and disgusted by his chosen profession that the sport cannot control or ignore him . . . He is both the worst The sport’s nightmare as its meal voucher: hard to watch, but also hard not to.”

As to the second issue, it goes without saying that he can be presumed innocent until found guilty. The allegations are shocking. Some have tried to minimize the seriousness of the charge by pointing out that on the domestic violence scale, the charge against him is at the bottom – grabbing, rather than hitting.

In response to this, I am reminded of Hollywood actor Matt Damon who, in light of all that has come out of the #MeToo movement, wanted to make it clear that there were degrees of severity in sexual harassment and assault, that some types are more grave than others.

He was quickly overwhelmed by the resistance, in return Damon was informed from all sides: all forms of assault and harassment are serious and he quickly climbed down, apologized and said he realized this was a time for men to listen, not speak. For his part, Kyrgios, through his lawyer, has acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and noted that he takes their necessity very seriously.

All in all, the whole thing – the duality of genius play that comes at the same time with shockingly ugly headlines – is quintessentially Kyrgios. It is unprecedented at Wimbledon and I suspect unprecedented in modern tennis. We don’t know how it will end.

He has spoken openly about his struggles with mental health, to the point of saying he contemplated suicide in 2019. (Lifeline 13 11 14Whatever his guilt or innocence on the charge, he is unquestionably a turbulent soul to a level rarely, if ever, seen in Australian sport. Can you think of anyone else in our sporting history who looks even remotely like him? Me neither.

The whole thing – in the sense of the mix of fantastic and very ugly heads at once – is just so very, very Kyrgios. “Hard to watch, but also hard not to.”

White is out of order on SW19

And speaking of hard, gentlemen, put it in tight. Very tight. Only U.S. This week an interesting problem arose in women’s sports that I had absolutely no idea about. Australian women’s tennis star Daria Saville told my journalist daughter Billi: “It’s true, I myself had to skip my period around Wimbledon because I didn’t want to worry about bleeding. We have enough stress already.”

It has resulted in about six articles on the subject, including in the Herald†

I know? Che?

Well, it turns out that Wimbledon’s all-white dress code enacted by men a century ago is an absolute nightmare for women when it’s that time of the month. Why discuss such a delicate matter out loud? Because – I’ve been told very clearly by women – it’s men who turn away and say, “I don’t want to talk or even know anything about nasty things,” such a ridiculous rule has perpetuated for 100 years. How hard can it be to change the all-white rule for women?

The problem with their periods is clearly something that women in sports want to talk about openly. Just a few months ago, after New Zealand’s Lydia Ko finished third in her quest for her 18th LPGA Tour title, she explained to live TV audiences, “It’s that time of the month.”

When the male interviewer faded, she laughed.

“I know the ladies watching are probably thinking ‘yes, I’ve got you.’ So when that happens, my back gets really tight and I’m all confused . . . So yeah, there you go.”

“Uhhh…thanks,” said the interviewer, Jerry Foltz.

“I know you’re lost Jerry….honesty it is.”

Honesty it is. Gentlemen, in my ignorance I had no idea of ​​the first number, and less idea than I should have of the second number. If you are the same, consider yourself, like me, more informed now.

Cummins helps make a difference

Ten years ago, after getting into trouble again, young fast bowler Pat Cummins knew who to turn to for advice when he went to the legendary Dennis Lillee.

Lillee diagnosed the problem, gave him great bowling and life advice that got Cummins on his way, and both men lived happily ever after – Lillee as the enduring cricketing legend of his day, Cummins as a great fast bowler and Australian cricket captain.

So there’s a certain symmetry in Cummins being the guest speaker at the Chappell Foundation’s annual dinner at the SCG on Aug. 10, as Lillee is one of the esteemed patrons of the foundation, which supports seven other frontline charities in improving of homelessness among young people. Despite the pandemic, TCF has raised $4 million for the work of their charitable partners over the past five years. If you want to be there, google and go-go.

what they said

The NYT’s @MattFutterman on Nick Kyrgios: “And then there is Kyrgios, a dangerous and disruptive force who has so much pure talent, but is so temperamental and flammable, and so drawn to and disgusted by his chosen profession that the sport cannot control or ignore him.. He is both the The sport’s worst nightmare as its meal voucher: hard to watch, but also hard not to.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas, after losing to Nick Kyrgios: “It’s constant bullying; that’s what he does. He bullies the opponents. He was probably a bully himself at school. I don’t like bullies. I don’t like people who put other people down. He also has some good qualities in his character, but … he also has a very bad side about him which if exposed, it can really do a lot of harm and bad to the people around him.”

Kyrgios after beating Tsitsipas: “Everywhere I go, I see full stadiums. The media likes to write that I am bad for the sport, but clearly not.”

@Wimbledon on #Kyrgios: “Unwritten. Unfiltered. Indispensable.”

Usain Bolt on his stint as a football player with the Central Coast Mariners: “I made a mistake. When I stopped athletics, I didn’t want to stay in Europe because of the media. I went to Australia, but the football level was not good there. I should have stayed in Europe. After a year of trials, I said just, you know what, let’s just get on with that, so I moved on.” He actually played two regular games and didn’t come back from vacation.

Veteran football writer Ray Gatt in response to Bolt: “During training, he couldn’t keep up. His touch was terrible, positioning terrible. From its depths.”

UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries in a speech promoting the arrival of the Rugby League World Cup – who knew? – Nov: “I’ve always really liked the idea of ​​rugby league. My old memory is that drop goal from 2003. We were drinking Bloody Marys back then. Wow, what a moment that was.”

Dorries, later on Twitter. “Like Jason Robinson, I may have switched codes in my speech.” Genius comeback line, but highly unlikely it was written by her.

Mark Ella on the Captain Cook trophy being renamed Ella-Mobbs: ‘I said, ‘Of course you’re talking about my twin brother Glen and my younger brother Gary? Like we all played rugby for Australia’. [Rugby Australia] said ‘no, there’s an Englishman who played in the early 1900’s called ‘Mobbs’.’ I immediately thought of ‘crowd’ as part of the Aboriginal community.”

Robbie Williams on his entry into this season’s AFL Grand Final: “I am so excited to perform for you on the sacred turf of the MCG. I can’t wait to see you all on the last Saturday of September, at the biggest sporting event in the country. No, the world.” Is it just me, or does that sound like it was written by the third PR person from the left?

Australian pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, Liam Hendriks, on another US mass shooting: “As a non-American, I can walk into a store and buy a gun in certain states. That baffles me. I had to take a driving test while I was here. I don’t have to take a test if I want a weapon. That is stupid. Anyone who thought that was a great idea is an idiot.”

Simon Clarke can also mix metaphors with the best after his stage win in the Tour de France shows: “This season I have come out swinging in every race all year round.”

Clive Woodward reaches for the long handle, on his successor Eddie Jones: “England has been on a downward spiral since the 2019 World Cup final and the defeat to a 14-man Australian squad in Perth has not changed that. That fact is obvious to anyone who has a real passion for English rugby.”

Team of the week

Simon Clarke. The 35-year-old Victorian, riding for Israel-Premier Tech, won the fifth stage of the Tour de France, the veteran’s first such stage win in his career.

Nick Kyrgios† At the end of a typically turbulent week, the Canberran is in the Wimbledon final.

Wallabies. Big win over England in the first test, in a match that was spectacularly dull in the first half and fantastic in the second.

Cadeyrn Neville. When he made his debut for the Wallabies at age 33, in the second row, he played a cracker.

Jordan Petaia, was also a star at the age of 19. (The next time I see you, remember to tell the story of sharing an elevator with Declan Curran and David Knox, with a similar age difference, when we went to Ballymore.)

Iga Swiatek. Her 37-game winning streak, in which she won six consecutive tournaments, including her second French Open title, is over. And I don’t mean this unkindly, but is she kind of the least known World #1 since Lindsay Davenport?

Twitter: @Peter_Fitz

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