Raptors a lock for Canadian sports story of the year?

[life_saver]

a canadian winning a tennis grandslam would be up there. only tennis fans know

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Not many tennis fans out there.

Get out of your cave, there are tons of tennis fans worldwide. It's one of the most popular sports in the world.

Canada didn't care much about tennis in the past because we've historically sucked at it but that's all changing now.

agree...I get that it's tough for casuals to follow individual sports if there aren't any notable athletes from their country excelling in it...with so many exciting young Canadian players, it should become more popular over next decade. It's still the most popular individual sport in the world and is also pretty global...I was checking rankings the other day and top20 in men's tennis consists of players from 17 different nationalities...same thing with women's tennis too. It's a very fun and exciting sport.

[gp2015]

Finals!

[tecumseh18]

Bianca's gone the opposite route of the Raptors. She's had a relatively easy draw to the final, especially with Osaka pulling up lame against Bencic. But there she gets to meet a healthy Serena Williams who's just been dominating the whole tournament. This isn't going to be pretty. Fast, but not pretty. Bianca's ghost of a chance arises out of the fact that Serena actually likes her, and won't engage Terminator mode the way she always seems to against, say, Maria Sharapova.

And if by some miracle Bianca beats Serena on Saturday, well ... there's not going to be two million at the parade. But it would have to be the top CANADIAN sports story of the year.

[gp2015]

Bianca's gone the opposite route of the Raptors. She's had a relatively easy draw to the final, especially with Osaka pulling up lame against Bencic. But there she gets to meet a healthy Serena Williams who's just been dominating the whole tournament. This isn't going to be pretty. Fast, but not pretty. Bianca's ghost of a chance arises out of the fact that Serena actually likes her, and won't engage Terminator mode the way she always seems to against, say, Maria Sharapova.

And if by some miracle Bianca beats Serena on Saturday, well ... there's not going to be two million at the parade. But it would have to be the top CANADIAN sports story of the year.

This isn't the same Serena as before. Although she looks good so far, she hasn't faced anyone like Bianca yet. She's lost her last 3 Major Finals in straight sets.

I give Bianca a 40%-50 chance of winning.

If you think this will be a blowout in Serena's favour then you obviously haven't watched Bianca play or much of the U.S Open. She's a fighter.

[life_saver]

Bianca's gone the opposite route of the Raptors. She's had a relatively easy draw to the final, especially with Osaka pulling up lame against Bencic. But there she gets to meet a healthy Serena Williams who's just been dominating the whole tournament. This isn't going to be pretty. Fast, but not pretty. Bianca's ghost of a chance arises out of the fact that Serena actually likes her, and won't engage Terminator mode the way she always seems to against, say, Maria Sharapova.

And if by some miracle Bianca beats Serena on Saturday, well ... there's not going to be two million at the parade. But it would have to be the top CANADIAN sports story of the year.

don't agree on this..Osaka was fine in that match but Bencic peaked in that match..most importantly Osaka has matchup issue vs Bencic...she lost her last 2 matches vs Bencic earlier this year...I did expect her to lose vs Bencic. Bianca's draw for has been relatively tougher in comparison to Serena's draw. Both Mertens and Bencic have been playing really well in this tournament

Also, Serena won't dominate Bianca like how she dominated other players...tennis is all about matchups and Serena hasn't played anyone like Bianca yet who has lots of variety and also plays aggressive tennis...Serena mostly ended up playing pushers in later rounds who don't really have any weapons to hurt Serena or even shake up her a bit. Bianca has the weapons, variety and she can even move Serena around a lot. Also, lot of players usually get intimidated while playing Serena...Bianca doesn't get intimidated either by opponent or crowd. So, she should be fine in that aspect. Serena also sucked due to nerves in her last 3 slam finals and lost all of them in straight sets. If Bianca can start aggressively and shake up Serena right from start, she can win this match. Serena gets very tense in finals these days. I still have Serena as favorite but Bianca definitely has chance.

[tecumseh18]

Bianca's gone the opposite route of the Raptors. She's had a relatively easy draw to the final, especially with Osaka pulling up lame against Bencic. But there she gets to meet a healthy Serena Williams who's just been dominating the whole tournament. This isn't going to be pretty. Fast, but not pretty. Bianca's ghost of a chance arises out of the fact that Serena actually likes her, and won't engage Terminator mode the way she always seems to against, say, Maria Sharapova.

And if by some miracle Bianca beats Serena on Saturday, well ... there's not going to be two million at the parade. But it would have to be the top CANADIAN sports story of the year.

don't agree on this..Osaka was fine in that match but Bencic peaked in that match..most importantly Osaka has matchup issue vs Bencic...she lost her last 2 matches vs Bencic earlier this year...I did expect her to lose vs Bencic. Bianca's draw for has been relatively tougher in comparison to Serena's draw. Both Mertens and Bencic have been playing really well in this tournament

Also, Serena won't dominate Bianca like how she dominated other players...tennis is all about matchups and Serena hasn't played anyone like Bianca yet who has lots of variety and also plays aggressive tennis...Serena mostly ended up playing pushers in later rounds who don't really have any weapons to hurt Serena or even shake up her a bit. Bianca has the weapons, variety and she can even move Serena around a lot. Also, lot of players usually get intimidated while playing Serena...Bianca doesn't get intimidated either by opponent or crowd. So, she should be fine in that aspect. Serena also sucked due to nerves in her last 3 slam finals and lost all of them in straight sets. If Bianca can start aggressively and shake up Serena right from start, she can win this match. Serena gets very tense in finals these days. I still have Serena as favorite but Bianca definitely has chance.

Osaka was definitely hobbled, that became clearer and the subject of discussion after that match. Bencic based her match strategy on it.

Fair point about Serena playing "pushers", but her own forehand has been spectacular. She keeps her shots lower than Bianca, and the topspin just drives the balls into the turf - in the corners, naturally. In other words, she shoots like Kawhi. I agree Bianca has similar strength to her shots, but they don't look as terrifying. I'm pulling for Bibi, but right now Serena looks all the way "recovered" from motherhood. It takes a while - my wife has had two of them. I'm familiar with the recovery cycle.

[tecumseh18]

Daniel Nestor (legendary Canadian doubles player) knows what time it is.

“These are some of the greatest moments in Canadian sports history. If it wasn’t for the Raptors, I think she’d be the story of 2019, for sure.”

https://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/bianca-andreescus-gutsy-win-gives-chance-u-s-open-history/


But as I've said, if she wins tomorrow, this IMHO will have to be the top CANADIAN sports story of 2019. Winning a slam just doesn't happen to Canadian tennis players, and it being against a healthy Serena would put her over the top. It helps that it also looks sustainable - Bianca isn't Mike Weir (or the Kawhi-less Raptors *sigh*).

[pilkoids]

At first I think it's a no brainer as there really hasn't been anything to rival the championship.

However....

If Bianca Andreescu wins the US Open, I think that's the story of the year. This was debated today on sports radio. What are your thoughts on that?

I'd be fine with either winning, but I think that a lot more stars have to line up (no pun intended) for a team to win an NBA championship

[LLJ]

Bianca's gone the opposite route of the Raptors. She's had a relatively easy draw to the final, especially with Osaka pulling up lame against Bencic. But there she gets to meet a healthy Serena Williams who's just been dominating the whole tournament. This isn't going to be pretty. Fast, but not pretty. Bianca's ghost of a chance arises out of the fact that Serena actually likes her, and won't engage Terminator mode the way she always seems to against, say, Maria Sharapova.

And if by some miracle Bianca beats Serena on Saturday, well ... there's not going to be two million at the parade. But it would have to be the top CANADIAN sports story of the year.

don't agree on this..Osaka was fine in that match but Bencic peaked in that match..most importantly Osaka has matchup issue vs Bencic...she lost her last 2 matches vs Bencic earlier this year...I did expect her to lose vs Bencic. Bianca's draw for has been relatively tougher in comparison to Serena's draw. Both Mertens and Bencic have been playing really well in this tournament

Also, Serena won't dominate Bianca like how she dominated other players...tennis is all about matchups and Serena hasn't played anyone like Bianca yet who has lots of variety and also plays aggressive tennis...Serena mostly ended up playing pushers in later rounds who don't really have any weapons to hurt Serena or even shake up her a bit. Bianca has the weapons, variety and she can even move Serena around a lot. Also, lot of players usually get intimidated while playing Serena...Bianca doesn't get intimidated either by opponent or crowd. So, she should be fine in that aspect. Serena also sucked due to nerves in her last 3 slam finals and lost all of them in straight sets. If Bianca can start aggressively and shake up Serena right from start, she can win this match. Serena gets very tense in finals these days. I still have Serena as favorite but Bianca definitely has chance.

Osaka was definitely hobbled, that became clearer and the subject of discussion after that match. Bencic based her match strategy on it.

Fair point about Serena playing "pushers", but her own forehand has been spectacular. She keeps her shots lower than Bianca, and the topspin just drives the balls into the turf - in the corners, naturally. In other words, she shoots like Kawhi. I agree Bianca has similar strength to her shots, but they don't look as terrifying. I'm pulling for Bibi, but right now Serena looks all the way "recovered" from motherhood. It takes a while - my wife has had two of them. I'm familiar with the recovery cycle.

It's hard to say. I could see Bianca completely getting routed by Serena but you could also say that for any number of matches she had during this streak of hers. If you look at a lot of Bianca's wins over this streak, she doesn't exactly dominate with power. She has power, but she adjusts with her versatility. She has a tendency to size down her opponents and then change up her game to throw them off. In fact you wouldn't think Bianca would have a 33 game win streak or whatever it is just watching her play. Yet she does. Serena just straight overpowers her opponents and they can't stop her, so she gets a lot of easy set wins.

Also, we've seen many times in tennis where someone is rolling through a tournament and then they lose to someone later on who grinded their way through.

Having said that Serena is in the running for the greatest female tennis player of all time so that really can't be overlooked. But Bianca has been the 2nd best female tennis player in the world since Indian Wells.

[kalel123]

All I gotta say about this topic.... if you are a Raptors "fan" and you don't think Raptors and their first championship in 24-25 years history against all odds shouldn't be Canadian sports story of the year then you should ban yourselves from this place. Cause you are the kind of people who won't be here anyway when going gets tough.

I understand there's politricks involved and I don't trust Canadian sports media to do anything right so I don't necessarily think they would be a lock. BUT if you think they shouldn't or somebody else deserves it over the Raptors, you shouldn't really be here.

[gp2015]

All I gotta say about this topic.... if you are a Raptors "fan" and you don't think Raptors and their first championship in 24-25 years history against all odds shouldn't be Canadian sports story of the year then you should ban yourselves from this place. Cause you are the kind of people who won't be here anyway when going gets tough.

I understand there's politricks involved and I don't trust Canadian sports media to do anything right so I don't necessarily think they would be a lock. BUT if you think they shouldn't or somebody else deserves it over the Raptors, you shouldn't really be here.

Settle down man. I've been Raptors fan since day 1 and I can still appreciate the Raptors championship as well as how big of a deal it is to win a tennis major championship. Both are things that have never been done before so both are a big deal in Canadian sports.

One doesn't have to diminish the accomplishment of another.

[slimdiamante]

All I gotta say about this topic.... if you are a Raptors "fan" and you don't think Raptors and their first championship in 24-25 years history against all odds shouldn't be Canadian sports story of the year then you should ban yourselves from this place. Cause you are the kind of people who won't be here anyway when going gets tough.

I understand there's politricks involved and I don't trust Canadian sports media to do anything right so I don't necessarily think they would be a lock. BUT if you think they shouldn't or somebody else deserves it over the Raptors, you shouldn't really be here.

Settle down man. I've been Raptors fan since day 1 and I can still appreciate the Raptors championship as well as how big of a deal it is to win a tennis major championship. Both are things that have never been done before so both are a big deal in Canadian sports.

One doesn't have to diminish the accomplishment of another.

Agree. I'm both a basketball and tennis fan. Watched Raps since their inception and also tennis since the early 90s. If Bianca wins tomorrow both should be nominated for Canadian Sports story of the year. I understand that this is a basketball board so there are some opinions that favours basketball. But keep in mind that if Bianca indeed wins tomorrow, it may have an impact in Canadian tennis just like the Raptors did basketball wise. It may spawn a generation of Canadian kids picking up a tennis racket to play. Just a thought.

[DIEHARD_005]

All I gotta say about this topic.... if you are a Raptors "fan" and you don't think Raptors and their first championship in 24-25 years history against all odds shouldn't be Canadian sports story of the year then you should ban yourselves from this place. Cause you are the kind of people who won't be here anyway when going gets tough.

I understand there's politricks involved and I don't trust Canadian sports media to do anything right so I don't necessarily think they would be a lock. BUT if you think they shouldn't or somebody else deserves it over the Raptors, you shouldn't really be here.

Don't really know if I agree with your post, but you were at 999, so I had to +1 you for #1000.

[Yeezus_]

Is Canadian Sports story of the year an actual award or are yall just debating the bigger story?

[EH15]

Is Canadian Sports story of the year an actual award or are yall just debating the bigger story?

They are debating the bigger story

As dagger already mentioned there's only team of the year, male athlete of the year, female athlete of the year. 'Story of the Year' is a coveted RealGM award.

[pkiskool]

Bianca for sure a lock for #1, then the Raps at #2.
#3 maybe Vlad Guerrero Jr.

[TheRealDeal]

Why can't we just appreciate both instead of having some meaningless sports radio argument that gets us nowhere?

[Bank Shot]

Who **** cares. Enjoy 2019. We're not likely to get a year like this for a long, long time.

[ThatClockWork]

She'll win it more than likely. Moving on.

edit: these threads involving women have exposed a lot of people .. sad.

[The_Hater]

All I gotta say about this topic.... if you are a Raptors "fan" and you don't think Raptors and their first championship in 24-25 years history against all odds shouldn't be Canadian sports story of the year then you should ban yourselves from this place. Cause you are the kind of people who won't be here anyway when going gets tough.

I understand there's politricks involved and I don't trust Canadian sports media to do anything right so I don't necessarily think they would be a lock. BUT if you think they shouldn't or somebody else deserves it over the Raptors, you shouldn't really be here.

This is just a ridiculous opinion on so many levels.

What you think and I think doesn’t matter one bit, neither of us have a vote for this. The question in this thread is who do we think is going to win story of the year, not who would we vote for.

And I don’t care if you’re a Raps fan or not, the Andreescu story has been remarkable and a great story for all Canadians. Either show some respect for her and what she’s accomplished or take the time to educate yourself about her story.