Jessica Pegula currently playing 4th round match at Australian Open!

[Augie]

8 minutes ago, Gugny said:

The average age of the top 5 Women's tennis players is 25 years old.   

 

 

Throw in the next 6 players, which includes #11 Serena (who is actually a top 5 but just plays so little) and the average is 28 years old. Four of those six players are 28 or older. 

[Turbo44]

19 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

At least we know where the Pegula plane may be😎

I don’t think her parents are in Australia. For the negatives here, she won an ATP tournament in DC last year, a real one, not a satellite one 

  

[Big Turk]

45 minutes ago, Gugny said:

The average age of the top 5 Women's tennis players is 25 years old.   

 

 

What was the average age of those players when they became top 5 players?  I think you would be hard pressed to find an example of someone who was ranked in the 60s or higher at age 26 that suddenly turned into an elite player in the top 10 consistently. May never have happened before.

36 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

Throw in the next 6 players, which includes #11 Serena (who is actually a top 5 but just plays so little) and the average is 28 years old. Four of those six players are 28 or older. 

 

My entire point is that Serena was elite by age 16 or earlier.  She didn't rank in the 60-120 range until her mid 20s and then suddenly start winning a bunch of majors.

[2ForMacAdoo]

I watched the match and after match point the announcer says: "Time for the Bills and Sabres to move over. It's Buffalo's Jessica Pegula!"  I know, I know, he could have said, "Boca Raton's Jessica Pegula"

 

Still, it made me beam with pride. So happy for Terry and Kim.

 

 

[Augie]

21 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

What was the average age of those players when they became top 5 players?  I think you would be hard pressed to find an example of someone who was ranked in the 60s or higher at age 26 that suddenly turned into an elite player in the top 10 consistently. May never have happened before.

 

My entire point is that Serena was elite by age 16 or earlier.  She didn't rank in the 60-120 range until her mid 20s and then suddenly start winning a bunch of majors.

 

How closely do you follow tennis? She made the round of 16 at the US Open last year. That is impressive so this tournament is not a freak event. 

 

So Serena Williams, possibly the most dominant athlete of all time regardless of sport or gender, is the bar? Serena blows away Wayne Gretzky and Tom Brady in terms of dominance, IMO. It’s an individual sport, and as much as I don’t like her as a person (both in person on occasion and on TV, long story there), I’ve never seen anything quite like her. There will be soccer or wrestling suggestions, but I can’t speak to them. Tennis has been my sport for 40+ years. 

 

Don’t try to say she’s not Serena. Nobody else is either. 

 

Jessica Pegula is having a great Major, even better than the run she had last year. I’ll just appreciate that and be happy for her. 

 

 

. 

Edited February 15, 2021 by Augie

[Big Turk]

22 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

How closely do you follow tennis?

 

So Serena Williams, possibly the most dominant athlete of all time regardless of sport or gender, is the bar? Serena blows away Wayne Gretzky and Tom Brady in terms of dominance, IMO. It’s an individual sport, and as much as I don’t like her as a person (both in person on occasion and on TV, long story there), I’ve never seen anything quite like her. There will be soccer or wrestling suggestions, but I can’t speak to them. Tennis has been my sport for 40+ years. 

 

Don’t try to say she’s not Serena. Nobody else is either. 

 

Jessica Pegula is having a great Major, even better than the run she had last year. I’ll just appreciate that and be happy for her. 

 

I'm not saying she isn't having a great major. She definitely is.

 

Simply pointing out that tennis is a sport where almost all the great players are great from an early age and then play at that level for a long time. Since you have watched tennis for that long can you tell me about any players that rose from relative obscurity to be a top 10 player for any length of time starting at age 26? I am actually curious because I don't think there is one.

 

Here is her ranking history. Her career high ranking prior to this tournament was 55 in August of 2019.

 

https://www.wtatennis.com/players/316956/jessica-pegula/rankings-history

 

The closest I see in comparison is Kiki Bertens who is ranked 10th right now...she didn't enter the top 25 until she was 24. All the others were in the top 25 by the time they were 21 and most were in the top 25 by their teens.

 

Not saying it can't happen, just that it would be exceedingly rare.

Edited February 15, 2021 by Big Turk

[Augie]

2 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

I'm not saying she isn't having a great major. She definitely is.

 

Simply pointing out that tennis is a sport where almost all the great players are great from an early age and then play at that level for a long time. Since you have watched tennis for that long can you tell me about any players that rose from relative obscurity to be a top 10 player for any length of time starting at age 26? I am actually curious because I don't think there is one.

 

The times they are a changin’! Since when do 43 year old QB’s take teams to Super Bowl victories? I’m NOT saying she’s going to #1 and dominate the world by any means, but she had a couple injury plagued years (2017 and 2019?) and she had a deep run at the US Open just last year. This is NOT like her winning the lottery, she got almost this far less than a year ago. She is NOT a flash in the pan, you just didn’t know about her. 

 

As noted above, the average age of the top 5 players is 25 and the top 6-11  28. That squashes your argument.  Her AGE is not the issue. I think the mention of a new coach may be more important. Tennis history is littered with players changing coaches and seeing different results. It’s as much mental as physical. Actually, having said that, while watching the match tonight (did YOU actually watch the match?) they said she had been working on strengthening her knees for better movement. She has a great return game which helps against the big servers, so it levels the field. 

 

I’ve spent WAY too much time defending what is obvious. She’s a great player and has had a VERY nice run. I’m happy for her and the Pegula family. This is the result of incredibly hard work!!! 

[Big Turk]

10 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

The times they are a changin’! Since when do 43 year old QB’s take teams to Super Bowl victories? I’m NOT saying she’s going to #1 and dominate the world by any means, but she had a couple injury plagued years (2017 and 2019?) and she had a deep run at the US Open just last year. This is NOT like her winning the lottery, she got almost this far less than a year ago. She is NOT a flash in the pan, you just didn’t know about her. 

 

As noted above, the average age of the top 5 players is 25 and the top 6-11  28. That squashes your argument.  Her AGE is not the issue. I think the mention of a new coach may be more important. Tennis history is littered with players changing coaches and seeing different results. It’s as much mental as physical. Actually, having said that, while watching the match tonight (did YOU actually watch the match?) they said she had been working on strengthening her knees for better movement. She has a great return game which helps against the big servers, so it levels the field. 

 

I’ve spent WAY too much time defending what is obvious. She’s a great player and has had a VERY nice run. I’m happy for her and the Pegula family. This is the result of incredibly hard work!!! 

 

No it doesn't squash my argument, you simply are misunderstanding what I am saying and not using the data correctly.

 

9 of the top 11 players in the rankings were ranked in the top 20 by age 21. One was in the top 25 by age 21 and the other(Bertens currently ranked 10th) cracked the top 25 when she was 24.

 

The argument is that players don't suddenly crack the top 25 and then get into the top 10 at age 26. None of those "stats" provided of the people currently in the top 10 say otherwise, they simply prove what I am saying....that almost all of them were great by their teens, they didn't suddenly become great at 25. Just because they average age 25 or 28 if you include Serena is meaningless because my argument wasn't that a top 10 player couldn't be 26, it was that they don't go from being ranked in the 60s- 120s for their whole career prior to top 10 at age 26.

 

Your Tom Brady argument is the same thing. He didn't suddenly become great at age 43. He has been great since age 23 or 24. Again proving my point instead of disproving it.

[US Egg]

18 minutes ago, Augie said:

She’s a great player and has had a VERY nice run. I’m happy for her and the Pegula family. This is the result of incredibly hard work!!! 

Agree, and it is existentially Buffalo related.

[Augie]

3 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

No it doesn't squash my argument, you simply are misunderstanding what I am saying and not using the data correctly.

 

9 of the top 11 players in the rankings were ranked in the top 20 by age 21. One was in the top 25 by age 21 and the other(Bertens currently ranked 10th) cracked the top 25 when she was 24.

 

The argument is that players don't suddenly crack the top 25 and then get into the top 10 at age 26. None of those "stats" provided of the people currently in the top 10 say otherwise, they simply prove what I am saying....that almost all of them were great by their teens, they didn't suddenly become great at 25. Just because they average age 25 or 28 if you include Serena is meaningless because my argument wasn't that a top 10 player couldn't be 26, it was that they don't go from being ranked in the 60s- 120s for their whole career prior to top 10 at age 26.

 

Your Tom Brady argument is the same thing. He didn't suddenly become great at age 43. He has been great since age 23 or 24. Again proving my point instead of disproving it.

 

Brady was not great young. Defense won the first years he was in the pros. He was not special until later. He was a 6th round pick. He struggled to start in college. Then he later became the best of all time.

 

Jessica will not be that by any means, but she’s trending up and doing very well. YOU put to much emphasis on age. I think Mardy Fish was a better player later in his career. Same with Martina Navratilova. Plenty of the young flashes burn out. Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis were stars as teenagers, then they were gone. That list is long. There is not one single path to success. 

 

 I’m sick of going back and forth, this is tiresome and silly. I’m just happy for her and her family. You do NOT have to be great at 16 to have a great career. You are trying to prove your point and I’m not buying it. If not for a couple injury plagued years, this might have happened sooner. 

 

Have a nice night. 

 

[Pasaluki]

Really impressive all the way around. To have the drive and willpower to succeed to that level in any sport is commendable. Perhaps more so because let's face it, she's a daughter of a billionaire. 

[Buftex]

There is just that element in the Buffalo fan base (probably in all) that immediately has to find the most negative spin on everything and anything...it's as if joy and enjoyment are such limited qualities, we have to ration them...it gets tiresome.  

[Motorin']

3 hours ago, Big Turk said:

 

What was the average age of those players when they became top 5 players?  I think you would be hard pressed to find an example of someone who was ranked in the 60s or higher at age 26 that suddenly turned into an elite player in the top 10 consistently. May never have happened before.

 

My entire point is that Serena was elite by age 16 or earlier.  She didn't rank in the 60-120 range until her mid 20s and then suddenly start winning a bunch of majors.

 

Way to look for the negatives in this, jesus.

 

She is a bit of a late bloomer though as she battled through severe injuries earlier in her career.  All the more reason to be proud and excited for her!

 

 

[MJS]

4 hours ago, Big Turk said:

 

Well, she is ranked 61st in the world.  Not exactly elite, but pretty good.  She is going to need to show this consistently and prove this isn't a one off "tournament of her life" performance if she wants to keep climbing and enter elite status, which in my eyes would be inside the top 10.  I kind of feel this might be a one off considering she is 26 years old and most women tennis players are at their best in their late teens and early 20s.

Anyone playing at the level in a sport is an elite athlete compared to the rest of us. They are elite athletes because they are good enough to compete at that level, regardless of their ranking among the other elites they play with.

 

Anyone who makes it to the NFL and plays is an elite athlete. There are millions of athletes who don't even have a chance to get there.

 

That's the point that you missed. Now, you can argue she is not elite compared to her peers, but that's a different discussion.

[machine gun kelly]

Congrats to Jessica and I’m sure proud parents in the Pegulas.

[Freddie's Dead]

7 hours ago, Big Turk said:

Wonder if Jason Croom has her on speed dial now?

 

I think Boy Toy went out with Kelly Pegs.

[BillsIsrael]

Speaking of Brady - Jessica's next opponent is Jennifer Brady - no relations though

[SydneyBillsFan]

Fantastic news!!

 

Hope she can make it to the semi final.

[Malazan]

Congrats to her. Impressive. 

[whatdrought]

meeting of the coalition of negative Nancy’s: 
 

Negative Nancy president: “well boys, the bills season is officially over. It was a very good season to remind everyone how much they suck. People think things like winning define a good sports experience, but we showed them. Now. What’s next?”
 

Assistant to the negative Nancy: “well, the Sabres suck, but that feels like a dead horse. I am getting something about... hang on, let me check my notes.... ah yes. Female tennis. Something about unprecedented success on a world stage. I don’t think we really know anything about tennis, or females for that matter, but this the best we’ve got.”

 

president: *rubbing hands together* “it’s perfect...”