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Novak Djokovic celebrates defeating Roger Federer in the men's singles final match of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 14, 2019.Kirsty Wigglesworth/The Associated Press

Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Try to keep letters to fewer than 150 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com

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The score on Djokovic

Re Djokovic Triumphs Against Federer But Fails To Win Over Crowd (July 15): Where was the appreciation of tennis in the crowd at the Wimbledon men’s singles championship, or in The Globe and Mail’s Cathal Kelly?

Since when has tennis become a popularity contest?

John Thompson, Guelph, Ont.

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Although I am, and will remain, devastated by the result, the Wimbledon men’s final was truly epic, and richly deserved its front-page status, as did Cathal Kelly’s column. Mr. Kelly’s writing – penetrating, amusing and uniquely insightful – has been a real delight over the two weeks of an exciting and eventful tournament, and now helps to place a bewildering loss in perspective, which, believe me, is no small feat.

Andrew Milner, Peterborough, Ont.

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What nonsense: The audience enjoyed every second of this superb match and was celebrating Novak Djokovic’s game as much as Roger Federer’s. This match will go down in history as one of the best ever. Perhaps Cathal Kelly was watching something else?

Or is it that he was out to criticize Mr. Djokovic because he just doesn’t like him?

Trina McLeod, Burlington, Ont.

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C’mon, Cathal. It isn’t enough that Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in the Wimbledon men’s final, he’s also got to get the crowd to love him? A love score takes on a whole new meaning.

Trish Crowe, Kingston

Political Justice, M.I.A.

Re Trump Tells Congresswomen Of Colour To Leave The United States (July 15): Alexis de Tocqueville toured the then-nascent United States of America and warned about the tyranny of the majority.

Some two centuries later, in today’s fear-fashioned Excited States of America, where the President tweets racist venom to four congresswomen of colour, it has never been more important to protect minority rights through the rule of law, and the system of legislative and judicial checks and balances on the executive branch, which is held in Donald Trump’s Bismarckian grip.

Where are the principled Republicans willing to challenge this President and curb the tyranny of one self-absorbed man, who claims to speak for the majority? The silence is deafening.

Brooke Broadbent, Ottawa

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The British ambassador to the U.S. is forced to resign over comments he made about the Trump administration that were utterly correct.

Donald Trump, unpresidential as usual, goes unpunished for his vicious, false tweets about four Congresswomen. Is there no justice in the political realm?

Jim Boyd, West Vancouver

Single-family homes

Re The Era Of The Single-Family Home Is Over (July 13): Your editorial argues that when it comes to housing affordability in big Canadian cities, “the core problem is the allocation of land” – specifically, too much single-detached zoning. There is no good evidence or peer-reviewed studies that support this in the Canadian context.

The prevalence of single-detached zoning is essentially irrelevant to housing affordability in an urban area. That’s why Vancouver, with the lowest share of single-detached houses, is the most unaffordable market in the country, while Winnipeg, Calgary and Halifax, with among the highest shares, are among the most affordable.

The housing crises in Toronto and Vancouver are mainly the product of a recent surge of foreign demand and speculation – single-detached zoning is a misdirection. Vancouver is seeing affordability improving, largely due to provincial policies addressing those “core problems.” If Toronto wants relief, the Ontario government should try the same thing.

Josh Gordon, assistant professor, School of Public Policy, Simon Fraser University

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In a free society, what people want should matter.

Of those seeking homes in the GTA recently, 89 per cent told Ipsos-Reid they wanted grade-related housing. Yet last year, due to restrictive government policies, 72 per cent of GTA housing starts were apartments.

This mismatch, caused by policy, is crushing the legitimate dreams of thousands of families - especially newcomers hoping to share in the Canadian dream of a house to raise their family.

Apparently, that is now a privilege to be hoarded by those inheriting the property wealth of previous generations. Young people are blocked from starting their own families by their inability to buy a house. More than 46 per cent of adult children (aged 20-34) in the GTA live at home with their parents. Fifteen years ago, only 30 per cent did.

The policy causing these problems is Ontario’s Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, a provincial scheme launched in 2006 that blocks the construction of single-family homes that people want. This plan requires a majority of all new housing to be built in apartments in the built-up area, while also severely choking off the number of units of traditional houses that can be built elsewhere.

It is this policy-induced shortage of detached housing that has driven housing prices out of reach. The answer is not more of the same – but to restore some freedom to our housing market, and allow it to build the homes people so desperately want.

Peter Van Loan, Sutton, Ont.

Ageism? destestable

“Hapless” Joe Biden, “acting like every one of his 76 years” (Would Trudeau Or Scheer Do A Better Job Of Handling A Second Term Of Trump? – July 15).

Joe Biden may be “hapless,” but not because he is 76 years old.

I am 76 years old, and I can assure you that I am a lot smarter than when I was 66 – including spotting detestable ageist comments.

Beatrice Tellier, Victoria

Listen up …

Re Audiobooks Come of Age (July 13): I’ve been an avid user of audiobooks for many years. It’s one of the reasons that I look forward to my morning walks.

Although I still usually prefer actual physical books, you can’t beat an audiobook for enabling you to “read” a novel in a train dome car while watching Canada go by outside the window.

It’s also a good way to get engrossed in a book while sitting in the dark by a campfire.

Don Orloff, Winnipeg

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The nuance that can be missed in reading comes through when listening to audiobooks, especially the humour.

One can become a fan of certain readers, such as Will Patton reading James Lee Burke novels. Or listening to Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs stories, and then reading them and hearing the voice. Or the pain and depth in the voices of the women, the mother and her four daughters, in Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible.

Susan Abell, Port Hope, Ont.

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