Ayman Hossam Fadel Profile picture
Sep 20, 2020 12 tweets 5 min read Read on X
The @rolandgarros #FrenchOpen2020 #tennis on the men's side is as open as it has been in many years. So many variables have changed. Will this be the year that the King of Clay, @RafaelNadal, is dethroned?
The changes:
1) Change in season from late May to late September. Average temperatures for May & Sep are comparable, but this is the first time that the weather should become colder as the tournament progresses (final is Oct 4) rather than warmer. Cooler temps = less ball bounce
2) Playing at night
Many courts now have artificial lighting. Will Rafa be scheduled for high profile night matches when temperatures will be cooler? Imagine him playing @StefTsitsipas or @ThiemDomi where his ball isn't jumping up on them.
3) Indoors
If it rains and roof is closed, big servers may gain an advantage.
4) No crowds
For the non-legends of the sport, having few in attendance at the big moments in matches against legends such as Rafa & @DjokerNole might improve their chances.
5) Court maintenance
Players seemingly aren't thrilled with the condition of the courts in #ItalianOpen in Rome #Italy this week. Might the courts in Paris not be in the state to which Rafa is accustomed?
6) Matches under the belt
Rafael Nadal is like a Mercedes sedan. You can't leave it in the garage and then expect it to run well. It performs better the more you drive it. The #pandemic has limited Rafa's match play.
7) Obviously, for me, Thiem is the world's 2nd best clay court player. Can he play his best despite conditions he's never experienced before, namely the pressure of being a Grand Slam Champion and no clay court tournament preparation? nytimes.com/2020/09/14/spo…
8) You'd be unwise to count out @DjokerNole. Assuming his shoulder is healthy, my guess is his determination level will be 100%. What a clash of titans a final between him & Rafa would be!
And you'd certainly have your screws completely loose if you were to not have Rafa as a favorite to win his (check) 13th La Coupe des Mousquetaires. Beating him 3 out of 5 sets on clay? Very short is the list of people who have done that.
Nonetheless, conditions for big surprises exist this year. I've cleared my calendar to watch it all! @atptour @TennisChannel @ITF_Tennis

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More from @aymanfadel

Oct 11, 2023
At the Columbia County Library Board Meeting in Evans #Georgia, north of #AugustaGA, the members of the board voted to remove several books. The official meeting minutes aren't available, so these are from my notes. I hope they are accurate, but I was in such shock that I may
have missed some details.

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta @DeanAtta

The Board decided to move it from the Young Adult section to the Adult section. sites.google.com/site/deanatta/…
Image
Link to request it via PINES gapines.org/eg/opac/record…
Read 25 tweets
Jan 13, 2022
It's an awfully poignant & sad allegory for how humanity & #neoliberalism is failing to address both chronic problems like #poverty & #publichealth & existential threats to humanity such as #nuclearweapons, #ClimateCrisis, #biodiversity loss & even approaching asteroids.
The best line is towards the end when @LeoDiCaprio's character, his family & the two scientists who attempted to warn humanity are eating their final dinner together & they are bantering about relatively mundane things like store-bought vs homemade cake & brewing coffee.
Read 14 tweets
Jan 12, 2022
Novak Djokovic issued a statement regarding his #immigration status to #Australia to play #tennis in @AustralianOpen. instagram.com/p/CYnO7cDqbdj/…
How many poor people are in jails because of "administrative mistakes?" How many migrants are languishing in detention facilities or have been deported because of "administrative mistakes?" How many migrants can't actually practice their professions & instead perform much less
remunerative jobs because of laws which restrict their freedom to work? Deporting Novak or preventing him from competing, assuming #publichealth measures such as movement restrictions, masking & regular testing are followed, will neither stop the #pandemic nor relieve the
Read 9 tweets
Dec 5, 2021
I've reviewed the resources @CodePink recommends as part of its #ChinaIsNotOurEnemy campaign regarding #Xinjiang #Uyghurs. codepink.org/china_faq
These resources promote a cultural response to alleged threat of #terrorism from #EastTurkistan/#Xinjiang, and I'm not sure if @CodePink would also approve of governments like #UK #USA #Belgium #France similarly "reeducating" their Muslim minority populations.
Aside from the condescension in the Chinese government documents cited, there is all but a total embrace of pre-crime activities à la Philip K. Dick's "The Minority Report." independent.co.uk/arts-entertain…
Read 9 tweets
Dec 5, 2021
This is an excerpt from a report supportive of Chinese government actions in #Xinjiang #EastTurkestan. It points to an expanded #China #PRC understanding of #CT #counterterrorism #GWOT, namely "cultural security." eurispes.eu/wp-content/upl…
The 2015 Anti-Terrorism Law specifies the government’s opposition "to the use of any form of 'distorted religious doctrines' or other ideologies that incite hatred or discrimination and/or promote violence and other forms of extremism, with the aim of eradicating the ideological
basis of terrorism from society. This should be understood as an attempt on behalf of the Chinese legislator to go beyond the simple prevention of the criminal act as such, in what could be defined a form of preventive prevention or pre-prevention."
Read 5 tweets
Nov 15, 2021
Convince me that artificial reproductive technologies (ARTs) r the right choice for society & individuals to pursue rather than reducing environmental & other risk factors for #infertility & promotion of ethical #fostering & #adoption.
pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vide…
Convince me that having biological issue is worth ART's tremendous expense & medical risks.
If you tell me infertility is causing marital discord, I tell you that that marriage may have bigger problems.
Read 10 tweets

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