wco81 wrote:I would think it would be frustrating to be close but not be able to win it.
It is a great feat to be competitive in the majors at his age. Certainly is a lot better than losing in early rounds.
I don't know what his motivations or expectations are now. If just being competitive is good enough for him, then great, more power to him. But since he's had a lot of success in his career, it seems that he'd have pretty high expectations, that he wouldn't just be happy to play well in the majors but not win them.
He's old on the tennis tour but still a young man. Maybe he just hasn't found anything outside of tennis which motivates him as much.
Deep inside he knows that the big W is the only legitimate chance to add another GS title. But again, despite the original disappointment should he lose tomorrow, you have to have a straight head and be truthful to your objectives. He's the #2 player in the entire world and if I am in that position and lost to the best player in the world, it's cool other than the initial disappointment. But that's why there's a ranking system and players try to set their objectives accordingly. Of course he would like to win tomorrow, not sure if it that's easy vs the best player in the world, and all I am saying is that if he can replicate his two week performance and serve extremely well tomorrow, anything is possible including winning another GS. Should he fail, will he try at the US open? Yes, but because he can still play tennis at a high level and is the #2 player in the world. And beyond that. Not because he's just hanging around...because after all and according to Djokovic, he is the best player ever in any era.
And this is a guy who has like 4 kids, does community work and is an example of professionalism to the younger kids.
There's obviously the question of the history of the game and who's going to be remembered and what matches are going to be remembered years down the line and whether there's life after tennis for Federer, etc. etc.
I'm very interested in that too but I have to confess that my main interest in this Wimbledon final is the match itself.
Great contrast between the magician who has all the strokes, wants to attack on almost every ball and sets a blistering pace and the great allrounder who can change from defence to attack in an instant and bases his game on consistently brilliant ball striking.
Two great servers, with a slight edge for Fed on first serve and maybe for Djokovic on second. Djokovic gets my vote as the better returner off both wings.
Fed is generally better in the forehand to forehand battles but his backhand isn't as solid as Djokovic's.
Both are great movers but Djokovic is more likely to run down impossible balls.
Fed is definitely a better volleyer, especially now that he's working with Edberg, but Djokovic has impoved in that department, maybe as a result of working with Becker.
rhymes450 wrote:This final is really coming to the boil. These guys have an incredible capacity to play their best tennis in the most high-pressure situations.
Tremendous tennis. We'll see how everything unfolds once they close the roof. Really high caliber stuff in the second TB with both players feeling the pressure. It should have gone to Djoko but Federer kept fighting. I can see why he ripped his shirt.
If Federer loses that second TB it would have been game over. A bit worried about him though as he's not serving as sharp as the game with Murray and the Serbian has returned everything back to his feet. And he can't attack Nole's second serve either.
Fed is definitely not serving as well as in the semis. Both players with early break point opportunities in the 3rd, with Fed looking to make the most of the initiative but kudos to Djokovic for more than keeping things together. We've had two sets and both players have had set points in each...incredibly tight match. The big question is whether both can maintain the intensity or whether one will succumb. Andy Roddick feels that when he played under the cover, the conditions were slower, which might favour Djokovic. We'll see how it pans out.
rhymes450 wrote:Fed is definitely not serving as well as in the semis. Both players with early break point opportunities in the 3rd, with Fed looking to make the most of the initiative but kudos to Djokovic for more than keeping things together. We've had two sets and both players have had set points in each...incredibly tight match. The big question is whether both can maintain the intensity or whether one will succumb. Andy Roddick feels that when he played under the cover, the conditions were slower, which might favour Djokovic. We'll see how it pans out.
True if that's the case, although the extra rest may also benefit the older guy. Whatever it is, hope they can keep the same intensity as this has been an emotionally draining match on both camps. One more thing rhymes, as the game wears on, I see NOLE attacking more his forehand. I have seen some cracks on the longer rallies. Fantastic stuff.
rhymes450 wrote:Fed is definitely not serving as well as in the semis. Both players with early break point opportunities in the 3rd, with Fed looking to make the most of the initiative but kudos to Djokovic for more than keeping things together. We've had two sets and both players have had set points in each...incredibly tight match. The big question is whether both can maintain the intensity or whether one will succumb. Andy Roddick feels that when he played under the cover, the conditions were slower, which might favour Djokovic. We'll see how it pans out.
True if that's the case, although the extra rest may also benefit the older guy. Whatever it is, hope they can keep the same intensity as this has been an emotionally draining match on both camps. One more thing rhymes, as the game wears on, I see NOLE attacking more his forehand. I have seen some cracks on the longer rallies. Fantastic stuff.
Maybe 10s. The fact that Fed tends to cover his backhand because that's where players generally attack him sometimes makes him vulnerable on the forehand wing, though I guess if Djokovic decides to do that as a general strategy, his execution better be good. Probably a lot of second guessing of the type "he thinks that I think that he thinks..." going on, as is natural between players who know each others' game inside out.
As the game unfolds, I don't see anything that Federer can do to get into Djoko's strong armor. He's giving easy forehand points as I feared all of the sudden. He needs to come to the net more often I think, easier said than done with such a great passer like Djoko. It's a tough hill to climb for him now with yet another break in the 4th set.
10spro wrote:As the game unfolds, I don't see anything that Federer can do to get into Djoko's strong armor. He's giving easy forehand points as I feared all of the sudden. He needs to come to the net more often I think, easier said than done with such a great passer like Djoko. It's a tough hill to climb for him now with yet another break in the 4th set.
Agreed! Fed was lucky not to cough up a second break and Djokovic is on top now. At least he kept within one break so you never know
Great display by Djokovic, coming back from the disappointment of the 2nd set tiebreaker and 2 sets down to Kevin Anderson in the round of 16. 20-20 in the H2H with Fed and 9 Grand Slams and counting. Must be favoured to make it 10 in New York in a couple of months.
rhymes450 wrote:Great display by Djokovic, coming back from the disappointment of the 2nd set tiebreaker and 2 sets down to Kevin Anderson in the round of 16. 20-20 in the H2H with Fed and 9 Grand Slams and counting. Must be favoured to make it 10 in New York in a couple of months.
Yeah, I don't see anything different changing. Semis should include Sawrinka, Murray, Fed and maybe even Rafa. If healthy I don't ever count him out.
Today Djoko served superbly, returned admirably to Federer's heels and was clearly the better player after the second TB. Especially after the rain delay where he served 75%. Roger just couldn't serve with the same consistency as he did in the semis and gave away too many forehand points in the end.
Close in score but Roger didn't seem to be playing his best.
Kind of reminded me of Fed vs Agassi at the tail end of Andre's career. Federer could simply pound the forehand whenever he needed it and Andre couldn't hit as hard.
I can't find stats but I would guess Djoko had way more winners from the baseline. Towards the end of his career, he'll probably find himself similarly outgunned.
I don't know if it means players are unable to hit as hard because they can't get to balls as quickly or each successive generation is getting better at hitting with depth and pace.
Wow, what a fantastic night game between Nadal and Fognini. A classic, high quality night match to be remembered for awhile. Nadal never lost at the U.S. Open after winning the first two sets and then the unthinkable happened. The Italian player started shooting winners out of nowhere and scored the upset of the tournament so far in NYC.
The forehand, just like a magician started to flow and ultimately it was lethal, especially in the last set when both players were exchanging breaks and Nadal had no answer to any of those 4 forehand winners when the game was tied at 4-4 in the fifth set.
This is a guy that hassles for every inch, every point and to watch the spaniard look helpless at those winners shows you how well Fognini played especially in the last two sets.
Didn't see the Rafa/Fognini match but it's just not going his way lately. I caught some of his match against Schwartzman and he was very hot and cold. And Fognini is extremely talented but in normal circumstances you'd never expect him to overturn a two-set deficit against Nadal.
Just looking at the way the courts seem to be playing so fast and the way Federer beat up on both Djokovic and Murray in similar conditions in Cincinnati, I feel that this might be the time for Fed. He looked on another planet against both Mayer and Darcis. The bigger tests are obviously still to come, with John Isner in round 4 looking like a serious obstacle.
Given the conditions, I have a sneaking suspicion that Tsonga is going to go deep in this one, though his next match against Paire (similar game to Fognini in many ways) could be tough.
wco81 wrote:What is interesting is that Serena is having some tough matches in the early rounds, in her quest to win the GS.
She may not admit it, but I know that she's feeling the pressure. She's too tough to lose these early matches though, but a possible encounter with Venus will be the true test for her.
Another fantastic night of Tennis at the U.S. Open with K. Anderson pulling the big upset of the day beating A. Murray in four tight sets. Anderson always was game but I didn't think he was mentally tough enough to believe in himself that he could beat the top guys in the world. He did have Djokovic on the ropes at Wimbledon a couple of moths ago and tonight he served magnificently when the fiery Scot was making a comeback and ultimately used his big serve in key moments of the match.
Murray was at times his worse enemy again cursing often towards his camp and I thought he got away from a few uncalled abuses that the ump let go.
Talking about big serves, no one serves harder than John Isner who had a tough go with Federer. He didn't play badly but as it is usually in his matches with the top players, he can get loose a couple of points, unnecessary drop shots and coming to the net without a real purpose to name a couple that cost him the match.
In fact he did have some chances to break the Swiss man in the second set but failed miserably in the execution. I didn't think that Federer served well in the early going but he was absolutely unstoppable in both tie breakers and also finally breaking John's serve in the last set. I mean who in the world returns 140 mph serves into winners?
He'll be facing another guy who's having a great year and so much for players over 30 not belonging in the power game that it is today. Tactically he outsmart Berdich rather easily in 4 sets. It was good to see Anderson' game pay off too, who at 29 is not a chicken spring either.
10spro wrote:Another fantastic night of Tennis at the U.S. Open with K. Anderson pulling the big upset of the day beating A. Murray in four tight sets. Anderson always was game but I didn't think he was mentally tough enough to believe in himself that he could beat the top guys in the world. He did have Djokovic on the ropes at Wimbledon a couple of moths ago and tonight he served magnificently when the fiery Scot was making a comeback and ultimately used his big serve in key moments of the match.
Murray was at times his worse enemy again cursing often towards his camp and I thought he got away from a few uncalled abuses that the ump let go.
Talking about big serves, no one serves harder than John Isner who had a tough go with Federer. He didn't play badly but as it is usually in his matches with the top players, he can get loose a couple of points, unnecessary drop shots and coming to the net without a real purpose to name a couple that cost him the match.
In fact he did have some chances to break the Swiss man in the second set but failed miserably in the execution. I didn't think that Federer served well in the early going but he was absolutely unstoppable in both tie breakers and also finally breaking John's serve in the last set. I mean who in the world returns 140 mph serves into winners?
He'll be facing another guy who's having a great year and so much for players over 30 not belonging in the power game that it is today. Tactically he outsmart Berdich rather easily in 4 sets. It was good to see Anderson' game pay off too, who at 29 is not a chicken spring either.
Quality matches.
Yeah, really great stuff in general and particularly by Anderson yesterday. Much more than just a serve. As Alex Corretja pointed out on Eurosport, you don't get to number 14 in the world with just a serve and that applies to Isner as well. Anderson surprised me with his movement, his return of serve and his ability to trade groundies with Murray, who was probably expecting him to make a few more mistakes but it seems that the South African has moved onto a different level.
Maybe it's also further evidence that the surface is favouring more offensive players.
Just watching Tsonga against Cilic. I favoured the Frenchman to go very deep into this tournament but I see he's lost his last four matches with the Croat, so it's obviously not the best match-up fo him.
Would like to see the Serena-Venus match later but it's already coming up to midnight here in Madrid and this torunament already has me suffering from jet lag.
One of the most improbable upsets ever in the women's tour. Who would have thought of an all Italian finals in NY? A veteran in the tour, the slice backhand that conquered all the power from Serena. Steffi Graff's record is pretty remarkable and will remain that way for awhile. A 300-1 underdog.
Only caught the last five games but what a performance by Vinci. Serena was clearly nervous and Vinci has been around the block and saw that. Great sliced backand and she's a very accomplished doubles player, which showed in her touch around the net, particularly those fantastic half volleys in the final game. Tough loss for Serena and from the post match interviews you could see that Vinci felt sorry for her but only about as sorry as you can feel for somebody who's won 21 slams. As Roberta said in a contagiously joyous on-court interview, "Sorry...but it's my day".
And Flavia delivered a big surprise also, maybe not because she won, but I doubt Simona has been beaten so comprehensively in quite a while.
Fascinating all Italian final in prospect and further evidence that success in top class tennis after the age of thirty is becoming more of a rule than an exception.
People that don't know much about tennis have been saying that a player is past his/her prime once they reach 30 and beyond. Nonsense. And I've been saying this forever, if you can stay healthy and you play for the love of the sport, you can last for a long while. One of my faves in Jimmy Connors played until they had to run him off the court while he was near 40 and was still competitive among the top ten. People thought that Federer may never win a tournament again once he reached 30 and here he is beating Djokovic and Murray convincingly in Cinci wo weeks ago, as he was preparing for the US open.
And along the Serbian, they've been the most consistent players in the past 2 years. Long gone are the A. Jagger, T. Austin generation where they were forced to play the sport very early in their teens, and obviosuly they didn't have the same love for tennis in their early 20's and that caused a burnout on them.
Today, you're looking at two savvy veterans in the women's final that may not have the power of Serena or a Sharapova, but tactically and mentally they are very tough.
You look at the Men's draw and all the young guns such as Kyrgios, Tomic, have yet to prove themselves. Yet players like Gasquet, Lopez and Ferrer have been hanging around for the longest time and still play competitively.
Some are starting to write off Nadal. And I will say the same thing I've been saying for Federer the past 3-4 years since he last won a GS event. Don't. If he can stay hungry and healthy, Nadal will be back to win a few more tourneys. He may need a new coach in my opinion to give him a new purpose but at nearly 30, he will be back.
Djokovic will be in the US finals again and hopefully will meet Federer in what most fans will want to watch. What a fantastic finals it would be, and again another glorious chance for the Swiss to add to his GS totals the way he's been playing. The faster courts helps and just as in Wimbledon, he needs to serve well. If he does, and chips and charge Nole's second serve, he'll get my vote for upsetting the number 1 player in the world.
I questioned if Federer could win GS, not just regular tourneys where the other top players may not go all out to win.
At Wimbledon, it didn't even come down to a question of stamina or the relative fitness of a 25 year old vs. someone over 30. Federer just crumbled and played poorly, didn't serve as well as he'd been serving.
That's the thing about Djoko. He has that fanatic bulldog mentality to bear down. When he lost a set a few days ago, he was going psycho by himself on the sidelines.
Good thing in this case, the Serb was only a tennis player, not a part of a paramilitary.
Djokovic played very well against an out-of-sorts Cilic but Federer was magnificent against Wawrinka. The "new" strategies of serve and volley, and taking the second serve very early were on view. His defence was outstanding too. Also I noticed that a lot of the time when he ran around his forehand, he played the inside in down the line into Wawrinka's forehand. That worked really well in that it surprised Wawrinka and also, when right handers play the off forehand into Wawrinka's backhand, it leaves Stan with a lot of court in which to weave his magic off that wing.
On this performance, I'd make Fed favourite to take it but I also made him favourite at Wimbledon on the back of his semi-final form against Murray and Djokovic was too strong.
Good observation on Fed's inside down the line forehand rhymes. To be honest the only time that Stan threteaned Roger's serve was on the second game of the first set where he had a couple of breakers. I was surprised at the rather easy stroll that Fedeter took on his compatriot. The only time that Indidnt see him chip and charge on the opponents' second serve in the tournament was against Isner and I don't have to explain you why.
Wawrinka's serve is deceptionally deep and efficient and Federer took his chances at the right time during the match.
Should be a great finals, sentimentally everyone will be rooting for Federer but we are talking about a guy that's making a name for himself in the history book. Djokovic' game rises to another level in GS finals even though he hasn't been playing as well as Federer in NY.
Federer will have to serve well against Djoko, his return of serve is so improved that Roger will feel the pressure to kick it high and deep on the second serve. I hope he can do it, but I will give Nole's defense a good chance at whatever the Swiss man will throw at him tomorrow.
He'll have to in order to win this GS since the big W.
