OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by F308GTB »

wco81 wrote: Serena's domination in the women's side may also suggest that the last 10 years have been fallow for the tennis academies and the talent pipeline.

Are talented young athletes going into golf or soccer instead?
What about the new women's world #1? I am sure Naomi Osaka would have a few words about this. And actually, I think in general the women's game is more balanced between Serena and "the field" of youth. Serena is simply an amazing athlete to still have the dominance she has at her age, but there is some great young talent on the women's side. Plus I think the women play a more entertaining brand of tennis.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by 10spro »

Serena is indeed a special breed, Naomi is the complete opposite so calm under pressure. I thought the women had a great tournament in Melbourne, here's a name you guys will want to remember.

They call her the "jersey girl". Amanda Anisimova, only 17, a future star in the makings. I was very impressed with her game.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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F308GTB wrote:
wco81 wrote: Serena's domination in the women's side may also suggest that the last 10 years have been fallow for the tennis academies and the talent pipeline.

Are talented young athletes going into golf or soccer instead?
What about the new women's world #1? I am sure Naomi Osaka would have a few words about this. And actually, I think in general the women's game is more balanced between Serena and "the field" of youth. Serena is simply an amazing athlete to still have the dominance she has at her age, but there is some great young talent on the women's side. Plus I think the women play a more entertaining brand of tennis.
Naomi Osaka has really made waves over the last eight or nine months. Back-to-back slams and an Indian Wells title speak volumes. Her press conferences and victory speeches are quite refreshing in an age where many sports people give the impression of having trained in the "art" of public speaking. The women's game has been more open than the men's game for ages now, with the exception of Serena at times. Maybe Naomi can dominate...time will tell. But it's not going to be easy. Kudos to Danielle Collins too, a latecomer to the circuit having gone through the university system. it'll be interesting to see how she goes over the rest of this year.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by rhymes450 »

Federer's return to clay court tennis has gone pretty well. Definitely second favorite against Rafa on Friday but as he pointed out in his pressie, the matches have to be played and you never know.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by 10spro »

rhymes450 wrote:Federer's return to clay court tennis has gone pretty well. Definitely second favorite against Rafa on Friday but as he pointed out in his pressie, the matches have to be played and you never know.
Really looking forward to the semis. I think Rafa definitely has the edge, expected more from Nishikori but that shows you how business like Nadal has been so far. For Fed, this is already a big win for him already to reach the semis after missing the tournament for so many years.

Nole should be facing Thiem in the other encounter if there’s no upsets in their quarters. Exciting weekend in Paris.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

I've seen highlights but is ESPN broadcasting the games this year?

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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wco81 wrote:I've seen highlights but is ESPN broadcasting the games this year?
Been watching on the Tennis Channel and NBC.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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I was up at 4 AM to watch these two legends of the sport. The King of Clay was just too much for Federer under very tough playing conditions. Surprisingly both served very well with the wind especially lefty and despite the straight sets victory, the first two could have gone either way.

Federer just could not convert on his break points. It was Rafa’s uncanny ability to scramble while getting out of trouble that set him apart today. His movement, from defense to attacking tennis was perfect. His whipping forehand was ferocious, with that wind at times it seemed that his left arm would come off the socket, that’s how hard he was hitting it out there.

On the third set, Federer just knew that it wasn’t going to be his day, he served and volley a few times too, but there was no way that him or any other player would beat Rafa on this day.

Thiem is giving Nole a run for his money in the other semis. Tough conditions today.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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10spro wrote:I was up at 4 AM to watch these two legends of the sport. The King of Clay was just too much for Federer under very tough playing conditions. Surprisingly both served very well with the wind especially lefty and despite the straight sets victory, the first two could have gone either way.

Federer just could not convert on his break points. It was Rafa’s uncanny ability to scramble while getting out of trouble that set him apart today. His movement, from defense to attacking tennis was perfect. His whipping forehand was ferocious, with that wind at times it seemed that his left arm would come off the socket, that’s how hard he was hitting it out there.

On the third set, Federer just knew that it wasn’t going to be his day, he served and volley a few times too, but there was no way that him or any other player would beat Rafa on this day.

Thiem is giving Nole a run for his money in the other semis. Tough conditions today.
Phew...fair dues on the 4 am outta bed effort 10s...not sure I can muster that commitment anymore :?

The quality of the tennis in the Federer v Nadal match was pretty amazing given the extremely windy conditions. Fed really didn't give too much away today and had some mini opportunities in the first two sets but Nadal playing well seems just too much for any other player over five sets on this surface. Wasn't able to catch any of the other semi but I feel that windy conditions favor the physically stronger player and Thiem is very strong. It's going to be fascinating to see if Djokovic can overcome a 3-1 deficit in the third set tomorrow but both of these players look to be the best equipped to stop Rafa taking his 12th (how insane is that?) French Open title.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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That’s crazy stuff rhymes. That’s what I keep telling myself, you don’t know how much longer these two have in the tank, so any match between them I am up for it despite us west coaster being some 8-9 hours behind Europe.

Any GS they add to their repertoire is an incredible feat, nothing short of amazing and to be fair, I grew up with the Vilas, Borg, Connors generation and frankly I don’t know if we’ll ever see this type of longevity as these two legends keep battling each other as long as they had.

Second rain delay for Nole this week, the rain delay may favor him, as Thiem was in a bit of a roll.

No matter what, Rafa will be favored.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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The King of clay did it again, for the 12th time in fact. An unbelievable feat, a record that will be difficult to beat in a long time. Kudos to D. Thiem for grabbing the second set, with all the rain delays he experienced this past week, it’s tough to play four days in a row at a high level while beating the number one player in the world during the semis. A great effort for the Austrian.

Great tournament, all four seeds advancing to the semis as predicted, the season changes to grass now where all eyes will be on Roger as the chase for GS titles continue for these two guys. Djoko with all due respect will be hungry too.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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The first two sets were gruelling and Thiem is as strong as an ox but Rafa just ground him down. Thought Rafa was hitting his backhand great today and his serve, especially from the ad court, created a lot of openings. 12 Roland Garros and counting...frightening achievement.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Wimbledon time and I guess the big match of the first week was the the confrontation between the controversial Nick Kyrgios and Rafa Nadal. No love lost between these two and the build up to the match was fraught to say the least. You only have to go to the official website and check out the press conferences in the "News" section to see that. Nadal got the job done in the tightest of four sets and now faces a tough battle against Tsonga, who's been injury-hit recently but really knows his way around a grass court and could be a huge threat to Rafa.

The big news is probably the emergence of Coco Guaff on the women's side. The 15-year-old looks like a supreme athlete and tennis player. Amazing combination of power and agility. She's sure to win big titles in the future. The big question is whether she's ready to win this title here and now.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

I would think Djoko would be favorite and mainly by virtue of being the youngest?

I would have like to see Federer and Nadal in their prime years, maybe 10 years ago, vs. Djoko in his prime, which is more like 5-7 years ago?

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Nadal didn’t hide his emotions when he was seeded third behind Federer. A bit controversial you may say, but Wimbledon just likes it to do their way. That was a good match for the Mallorcan to get his blood pumping in a surface that just doesn’t favor him. But apparently the courts feel slower this year, the rallies seem longer, so everyone has a good chance among the top 8.

Look at the women’s draw, with Kerber out, it’s wide open again for anyone, including Serena.

NOT sure when Kyrgious will grow up because he’s so talented, but unless he has his head straight in tennis he’ll never be top ten material.

Federer did drop a set surprising already, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the top two seeds meet in the finals.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

They've been talking about that guy Kyrgious growing up for like 10 years now.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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I pointed out last week that this is the tournament that Serena wants again badly after the top seeds were falling apart earlier, I see her going all the way unless Halep stops her cold.

Friday is the day I’ll be watching yet another exciting semis between Rafa and Federer. I really think that the courts are playing slower this year, perhaps it’s the balls but watching Nadal cruise in this tournament has been rather impressive. He’ll be proving locals why he should have been seeded head of the Swiss. Pretty sure Federer wants his revenge after Paris.

Hard to believe it’s their first encounter since that memorable finals back in 08 at the big W.

No brutal conditions expected for Friday although they may close the roof for possible rain, should be a dandy.

No matter the outcome, I have Nole winning W this year but the top three just keep chugging along after all these years. Unbelievable feat.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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10spro wrote:I pointed out last week that this is the tournament that Serena wants again badly after the top seeds were falling apart earlier, I see her going all the way unless Halep stops her cold.

Friday is the day I’ll be watching yet another exciting semis between Rafa and Federer. I really think that the courts are playing slower this year, perhaps it’s the balls but watching Nadal cruise in this tournament has been rather impressive. He’ll be proving locals why he should have been seeded head of the Swiss. Pretty sure Federer wants his revenge after Paris.

Hard to believe it’s their first encounter since that memorable finals back in 08 at the big W.

No brutal conditions expected for Friday although they may close the roof for possible rain, should be a dandy.

No matter the outcome, I have Nole winning W this year but the top three just keep chugging along after all these years. Unbelievable feat.
It'll be interesting to see if Serena can do it. She struggled for long periods against Riske, who played a great match, and was amazing on return and changing directions so quickly. Not sure I've ever seen any player so eager to go down the line ASAP.

The Roger/Rafa semi promises to be a very important chapter in their head-to-head matches. No prediction from me on this one...I just don't know what's going to happen. Would expect it to go to four sets at least. Djokovic should make it comfortably to the final but watch out for RBA. He's a fighter, a beast physically and that continental/eastern forehand grip seems to work pretty well on the grass. And he's had at least one win over the Serb this year that I can remember.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

Seems like Djoko has a real easy side of the bracket.

What happened, the #4 seed got upset early on?

Way it may play out, the winner of Nadal/Federer may be too beat up by the time he faces Djoko.

If it's a 5-setter with a tiebreak, he may as well not bother.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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wco81 wrote:Seems like Djoko has a real easy side of the bracket.

What happened, the #4 seed got upset early on?

Way it may play out, the winner of Nadal/Federer may be too beat up by the time he faces Djoko.

If it's a 5-setter with a tiebreak, he may as well not bother.
Yeah, all the "big name players" on Djokovic's side of the draw bit the dust. Mind you, thus far, none of the semi-finalists have really been pushed, apart from Rafa against Kygrios and that didn't go to five sets either. So maybe this Wimbledon is not going to be decided on physical fatigue as much as on who plays best on the day.

Roberto Bautista has two wins over Novak this year and it was interesting to read between the lines in the pressie yesterday. He doesn't strike me as a guy who's going to be going out with a negative attitude. On the contrary, he seems to feel that his game stacks up pretty well against Djokovic's:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvbAM-oDqg4.

He addresses the semis against Djokovic around minute 5.20 of the press conference. One thing of which I'm pretty sure is that this guy is not going to crumble on the big stage. Maybe the most Borg-like of the semi-finalists, IMO, he'll be ready to take full advantage if Djoko doesn't bring it on the day.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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My buddy and I were breathless. Especially during the last 10 minutes of the great match between Federer and Nadal. It was a battle despite the four sets without going the full distance. You don’t often hear the Swiss saying ‘I was exhausted’. He served very well and managed to time his backhand returns on the AD side with great aplomb.

See, that’s one improvement I noticed on Nadal’s game this year at Wimbledon where he got so many free points without sacrificing on his ground strokes. The ad side with his lefty hook has pulled many opponents wide and did so many times vs Federer when he was in trouble but the Swiss adjusted admirably. Federer’s return of serve was the difference along his patience during the longer rallies which usually favors the Spaniard.

Key moments of the match was during the third set when he scrambled three times to hold serve with break points for Rafa. Much like the Djoko-B.A the third set could have gone either way. By the way B.A was solid in his first GS semis.

Looking forward to the great finals on Sunday, deep inside I’d like Federer to pull another W under his keep plugging but I did pick Nole to win it all. Hope, I am wrong he’s a few years younger and still got time to add to his arsenal of trophies.

Make no mistake folks. These three players are the best of our era, the hard work they put on, the way they keep plugging along, beating the up and coming youngsters for the past 6-8 years when many claimed they were done especially with Federer being older is just a great accomplishment. Their rivalries is just unmatched.

Simply the best.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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10spro wrote:My buddy and I were breathless. Especially during the last 10 minutes of the great match between Federer and Nadal. It was a battle despite the four sets without going the full distance. You don’t often hear the Swiss saying ‘I was exhausted’. He served very well and managed to time his backhand returns on the AD side with great aplomb.

See, that’s one improvement I noticed on Nadal’s game this year at Wimbledon where he got so many free points without sacrificing on his ground strokes. The ad side with his lefty hook has pulled many opponents wide and did so many times vs Federer when he was in trouble but the Swiss adjusted admirably.

Key moments of the match was during the third set when he scrambled three times to hold serve. Much like the Djoko-B.A the third set could have gone either way.

Looking forward to the great finals on Sunday, deep inside I’d like Federer to pull another W under his belt but I did pick Nole to win it all. Hope, I am wrong he’s a few years younger and still got time to add to his arsenal of trophies.

Make no mistake folks. These three players are the best of our era, the hard work they put on, the way they keep beating the up and coming for the past 6-8 years when many claimed they were done especially Federer it’s a great accomplishment. Their rivalry is unmatched.

Simply the best.
Pretty much endorse all of what you've said there 10s. Only caught the first two sets of the RBA v Djoko match and thought Roberto did great to emerge from a poor first set to force Djokovic to dig deep and produce the goods.

From the snippets I saw of Rafa v Fed, mainly the end of the third and beginning of the fourth, I thought Federer was returning brilliantly, almost off the bounce in many instances. Closing out that last game, with so many deuces must have been mentally exhausting (and I was just watching the live scores...a sad way to watch tennis, but hey, it was the only option I had).

Sunday's final will be interesting, to say the least. Having watched most of the recent press conferences, and reading between the lines, I think all of the big three are focused on trying to end their careers with the record of most major titles won.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Today’s epic finals may have just topped the championship between Federer and Nadal back in 07. I mean the longest match is in now in the history books of Wimbledon, what a match, a brutal fight of emotions, backhands, serves not to mention thee physical aspect that a five setter demands from your body.

A point here and there, a damn shame someone had to win really as both players deserved the trophy. The Joker is number one for one reason though. He’s won the last 4 GS of his last 5 played and deserves to be the number 1. He’s on to Nadal now, the chase for most GS titles now is narrower between these three great players.

They both played just outstanding tennis today, Djoko was outstanding saving two break points at 11 all in the fifth set, that was so key when Federer was dictating the rallies. The battle between Federer’s slicing backhand to Djoko’s flatter backhand was beautiful to watch.

I felt it was kind of unfair to let the tiebreaker decide this epic match in the fifth set, but it is what it is. Djoko was just a bit better in all three tiebreakers. If they played on until someone broke serve, I would have given the slight advantage to Federer.

This was equal to a game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals in triple OT

I am drained now, what a match.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

Didn't see the last set.

But his service game is an absolute advantage for Djoko.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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wco81 wrote:Didn't see the last set.

But his service game is an absolute advantage for Djoko.
You missed the best part. His service into the Swiss mid section was damn effective when in trouble.

This finals will be remembered for years. What a marathon.

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