OT: Pro Tennis Thread

[10spro]

High quality stuff. The crowd wants this game to go the distance and so do I although I am just equally exhausted at watching some of their rallies.

Regardless of who wins, this is one of the most memorable US Open finals ever. There's more fight in Rafa yet.

[rhymes450]

High quality stuff. The crowd wants this game to go the distance and so do I although I am just equally exhausted at watching some of their rallies.

Regardless of who wins, this is one of the most memorable US Open finals ever. There's more fight in Rafa yet.

There sure is. He's beginning to open up the court a bit more with the forehand down the line, a shot he was hardly using in the first 2 sets and he's hitting deeper in general. Is Djoko looking a bit weary to boot?

[10spro]

High quality stuff. The crowd wants this game to go the distance and so do I although I am just equally exhausted at watching some of their rallies.

Regardless of who wins, this is one of the most memorable US Open finals ever. There's more fight in Rafa yet.

There sure is. He's beginning to open up the court a bit more with the forehand down the line, a shot he was hardly using in the first 2 sets and he's hitting deeper in general. Is Djoko looking a bit weary to boot?

I certainly hope an injury would not stop this high quality match. Djoko's short angled forehand is so deceiving and hard to return. You're right about Rafa's forehand. Much steadier down the line. Match is already 4 hours long.

[rhymes450]

High quality stuff. The crowd wants this game to go the distance and so do I although I am just equally exhausted at watching some of their rallies.

Regardless of who wins, this is one of the most memorable US Open finals ever. There's more fight in Rafa yet.

There sure is. He's beginning to open up the court a bit more with the forehand down the line, a shot he was hardly using in the first 2 sets and he's hitting deeper in general. Is Djoko looking a bit weary to boot?

I certainly hope an injury would not stop this high quality match. Djoko's short angled forehand is so deceiving and hard to return. You're right about Rafa's forehand. Much steadier down the line. Match is already 4 hours long.

Rafa's lost the momentum now. Both players looking tired and one break isn't a lot given what we've seen in this match.

[sportdan30]

Djokovic's girlfriend.....sooooo cute!

[10spro]

Just when I was worried whether Djoko's back could hold, it was Nadal that run out of steam. After four hours of play, their serves lost some mileage in the delivery. What a year for the Serbian winning 3 out of 4 GS events, all on different surface. It was a brutal, physical match and it took its toll on these 2 warriors. Fantastic final.

Well deserved for Djokovic, #1 in the world without a doubt. Classy as usual for Nadal to recognize the Serbian's great year.

[rhymes450]

Exciting match. Good fight back by Rafa when he looked dead and buried but he ran out of steam when he failed to break in the 1st game of the 4th. Djoko's the king of the court for 2011. Who'd have expected this dominance at the beginning of the year?
Got a bit lucky against Fed the other day but seems to have Rafa's number for the time being at least.

[JackB1]

Exciting match. Good fight back by Rafa when he looked dead and buried but he ran out of steam when he failed to break in the 1st game of the 4th. Djoko's the king of the court for 2011. Who'd have expected this dominance at the beginning of the year?
Got a bit lucky against Fed the other day but seems to have Rafa's number for the time being at least.

I haven't watched the Final yet (got it recorded) but from the scores, it didn't look very "exciting"?

Djokovich clearly has Rafa's number and it looked like the 4th and deciding set wasn't even close.
What is it about Djokovich that Rafa can't figure out?

[JackB1]

Saw the highlights. Djoko may be #1 but he's so unlikable and taunting the crowd isn't going to help his cause.

And who's shocked that Wozniacki lost today?

Yeah, Serena will take the title today. She's in another world, when healthy.

Don't quit your day job yet "Jimmy the Greek"

Serena was healthy and Stosur beat her rather easily. On a side note, her behavior
after that incident where she yelled before Stosur hit the ball was appalling. The chair
ump was 100% correct in her call and did not deserve the verbal abuse that followed.
For a game like tennis that prides itself on sportsmanship, it seems odd that the players
are allowed to say whatever they like to an official after they disagree with the call.
In baseball, Serena would have been tossed out on her bulbous butt and sent to the
showers. She has this chip on her shoulder like everyone is out to get her. We need
a better representative for the US in women's tennis. But when and who?

[10spro]

Saw the highlights. Djoko may be #1 but he's so unlikable and taunting the crowd isn't going to help his cause.

And who's shocked that Wozniacki lost today?

Yeah, Serena will take the title today. She's in another world, when healthy.

Don't quit your day job yet "Jimmy the Greek"

Serena was healthy and Stosur beat her rather easily. On a side note, her behavior
after that incident where she yelled before Stosur hit the ball was appalling. The chair
ump was 100% correct in her call and did not deserve the verbal abuse that followed.
For a game like tennis that prides itself on sportsmanship, it seems odd that the players
are allowed to say whatever they like to an official after they disagree with the call.
In baseball, Serena would have been tossed out on her bulbous butt and sent to the
showers. She has this chip on her shoulder like everyone is out to get her. We need
a better representative for the US in women's tennis. But when and who?

Yeah, Serena must be one of the most sour losers in the WT. While it paled compared to the tirade she threw a few years ago at the US Open, she was just out of whack for screaming her shot before the point ended. Now, she did lose to Stosur rather easily and obviously whether it was mental or physical, it just wasn't her day. Without taking anything from the Aussie who played great, should they play the next five times, I still think Serena would win 4 out of 5.

[rhymes450]

Exciting match. Good fight back by Rafa when he looked dead and buried but he ran out of steam when he failed to break in the 1st game of the 4th. Djoko's the king of the court for 2011. Who'd have expected this dominance at the beginning of the year?
Got a bit lucky against Fed the other day but seems to have Rafa's number for the time being at least.

I haven't watched the Final yet (got it recorded) but from the scores, it didn't look very "exciting"?

Djokovich clearly has Rafa's number and it looked like the 4th and deciding set wasn't even close.
What is it about Djokovich that Rafa can't figure out?

I think you're unlikely to find it very exciting, especially given that you know the score. I watched a recording of the Djokovic v Dolgopolov breaker but I wasn't really on the edge of my chair 'cos I knew it was going to be 16-14, however exciting that scoreline might sound. I think it was Federer who pointed out in his press conference after the Djoko match that one of the things that makes sport exciting is that we don't know the outcome. If you're looking to get to the "exciting bit", you could just go directly to the 3rd and even the beginning of the 4th, when a comeback looked anything but out of the question.

I think Djokovic's game matches up very well to Rafa's. He can put him under pressure off both wings. His stroke production off the ground is so solid that he doesn't suffer in the long rallies and that maybe makes him one of the very few players against whom Rafa feels the need to make the rallies shorter. Very often, Djoko seems comfortable enough to produce his bread and butter ground strokes, wait from a short ball from Rafa and then just tighten the screws. Matt Cronin observed that Rafa's backhand is a weakness in that he only really leans into it when he's going crosscourt, making easier for Djoko to read it. I feel that Rafa and his team probably know what they would like to do but Rafa isn't Federer. He's not really designed to play the kind of "three-shot-trick" tennis that should have taken Federer to victory in the 5th set of the semis. Horses for courses?

[rhymes450]

Nadal's post match press conference is worth listening to IMO:

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/video/2011- ... promo=home

[JackB1]

Seems like Djokovich figured out Rafa's backhand is easier to handle than his high bouncing,
high spinning forehands, so he kept pounding Rafa's backhand with his forehand until he got
a short ball. His strategy worked perfectly and was very evident in that last set.

[rhymes450]

Seems like Djokovich figured out Rafa's backhand is easier to handle than his high bouncing,
high spinning forehands, so he kept pounding Rafa's backhand with his forehand until he got
a short ball. His strategy worked perfectly and was very evident in that last set.

Fair point. I think Rafa was too tired to run round his backhand in the 4th, which made life easier for Djoko. Djokovic seems very comfortable against Nadal, unless Rafa goes for broke with his down-the-line forehand, like he did in the third. Still required a very commendable, epic performance from Rafa to win that set after being a break down on three different occasions. In Nadal's press conference, he refers to the fact that he needed something form the first 2 sets (presumably, to win at least one of them) and also to the fact that he hardly got any cheap points off his serve thoughout the match, which carries its psychological effects. He seemed to have really got that serve going this time last year but it hasn't looked as effective at all this season IMO. Djoko's brilliant returning is probably part of the problem. The press conference suggests that Rafa's up for the challenge. The other thing that occurs to me is that he could have allies in Federer and Murray. Great season by Djokovic, whatever way you look at it.

[rhymes450]

Nice moment between Del Potro and Tsonga after the Frenchman gets a bit of luck on a vital point in the final set of the Vienna ATP tournament yesterday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq3j-gyv5WA

[rhymes450]

Time moves on. Ten years ago, Roddick and Hewitt would've possibly have been seeded to meet in the final of the Australian Open. In the 2012 edition, they're facing off in Round 2 for a possible 3rd round match-up against new kid on the block Raonic.
Should also be interesting to see how the ever so slightly arrogant, Aussie young gun Tomic goes against Sam Querrey.

Off the court, Nadal has spiced things up a bit by criticizing Federer as regards the ATP schedule:

http://www.tennis.com/articles/template ... 1&zoneid=4

Apparently, Rafa has since apologised for going too far and Fed has also taken the steam out of the situation by saying something along the lines of "we can't be expected to agree about everything. I don't have a problem with Nadal and I hope he hasn't got a problem with me".

[10spro]

Time moves on. Ten years ago, Roddick and Hewitt would've possibly have been seeded to meet in the final of the Australian Open. In the 2012 edition, they're facing off in Round 2 for a possible 3rd round match-up against new kid on the block Raonic.
Should also be interesting to see how the ever so slightly arrogant, Aussie young gun Tomic goes against Sam Querrey.

Off the court, Nadal has spiced things up a bit by criticizing Federer as regards the ATP schedule:

http://www.tennis.com/articles/template ... 1&zoneid=4

Apparently, Rafa has since apologised for going too far and Fed has also taken the steam out of the situation by saying something along the lines of "we can't be expected to agree about everything. I don't have a problem with Nadal and I hope he hasn't got a problem with me".

Yeah, much ado about nothing for Rafa. Just different styles of approaching a critical phase for the tennis Pros. Finding a CEO for the ATP is critical as everyone wants their share of the pie regarding GS events. Among other issues is the schedule of course. But whatever is going behind doors among the players should stay indoors, I am sure Nadal was a bit frustrated at the slow pace of negotiations and not having a proper representative doesn't help. But I am sure all is well among these two dudes.

Watched Tomic upset Verdasco on opening day. That was an incredible match and one I did not see him coming back from 2 sets down. But he served well in the final phases of the match and took it away from the Spaniard who was clearly frustrated. Didn't know he was on the arrogant side though, kid looked thankful to the home crowd and apparently he hasn't lost a match yet in his opening matches at the Aussie Open.

Watch out for the Canadian kid Raonic. He just won a tourney last week in India and with his booming serve he could advance all the way to the 4th round at least.

Roddick should get the slight edge against the counter puncher Hewitt in my view but if it goes to the 5th set, it's a dice roll.

Rhymes, the dude to beat still in my books is Djoko and I am hoping that J. Delpo will have a stellar year.

[rhymes450]

Yeah 10s, Tomic has put together a bit of a track record for for being petulant and before the Verdasco match, he made a couple of comments that could be interpreted as arrogant. Anyway he's young and he sounded a bit more level-headed in the post-match interview after taking out Querrey. More importantly, the kid does walk the walk. He's got an interesting game as well, the way he mixes things up. There'll be plenty of "mixing it up" when he meets the unorthodox Dolgopolov in the next round.

Caught the last few games of Nalbandian v Isner including the controversial hawkeye decision at break point to the Argentine at 8-8 in the 5th, where Isner put a first serve long, it was called out, the umpire over-ruled, Nalbandian questioned the over-rule (taking some time to do so) and when he finally decided to challenge, the umpire deemed that too much time had elapsed and the challenge could not be accepted. Point to Isner and a huge possible effect on the outcome at such a crucial stage.

Fed faces world fastest serve record holder and the man who has registered most aces in a grand slam match, Ivo Karlovic, in round 3. Could it be tricky?

[10spro]

T. Berdych may have won the match against N. Almagro but he certainly made a jackass of himself by not shaking hands at the end of the game. In such a tight game, things happen around the net as he was hit in the arm not intentionally by the Spaniard and even if it was, that's part of the game. You won the match, shake the opponent's hands and move on instead of acting like a spoiled idiot. Hope Rafa rips him apart in the next round.

[rhymes450]

T. Berdych may have won the match against N. Almagro but he certainly made a jackass of himself by not shaking hands at the end of the game. In such a tight game, things happen around the net as he was hit in the arm not intentionally by the Spaniard and even if it was, that's part of the game. You won the match, shake the opponent's hands and move on instead of acting like a spoiled idiot. Hope Rafa rips him apart in the next round.

Haven't seen the incident yet but it's an odd coincidence to complete a kind of triangle. I've seen Safin refuse to shake hands with both Berdych and Almagro:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis ... efeat.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asfOntcILKo

After seeing Tomic's bogus Hawkeye challenge against Dolgopolov, I hope Fed rips him apart too.

[10spro]

T. Berdych may have won the match against N. Almagro but he certainly made a jackass of himself by not shaking hands at the end of the game. In such a tight game, things happen around the net as he was hit in the arm not intentionally by the Spaniard and even if it was, that's part of the game. You won the match, shake the opponent's hands and move on instead of acting like a spoiled idiot. Hope Rafa rips him apart in the next round.

After seeing Tomic's bogus Hawkeye challenge against Dolgopolov, I hope Fed rips him apart too.

Your wish is a reality as the great Fed will face my man in JM Delpo. What a match that would be.

This is what happened with Berdych's match. Dude was showered with boos after the match.

http://www.dropshotdispatch.com/2012/01 ... ter-match/

[rhymes450]

Yep. Berdych has a bit of a history of putting his foot in it. Remember when he beat Rafa in Madrid a few years ago and decided to do this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPUFTajFu1g

Obviously, he still gets his cables crossed from time to time. Legitimate shot by Almagro and he was quick to apologise for hitting Berdych. As the commentator pointed out, it was poor judgement on Berdych's part not to shake hands at the end, especially given that he was in Australia. He's obviously too young to remember that in the glory days of Aussie tennis it was almost obligatory, especially in doubles, to cream guys who hit that type of mickey-mouse volley. Foolish of Berdych but still not on a par with Tomic's phantom hawkeye challenge for me. And yes, my wish did come through and Fed demolished him with some pretty awesome tennis at times. Probably won't put manners on him but thanks anyway Fed!

Fed v Delpo... red-hot ticket!

[10spro]

Wow, Kei Nishikori came to the Aussie tourney to play or what? Well under he radar and under an intense heat he just out dueled Tsonga who was one of the favorites. Both guys were simply running on an empty tank by the 5th set. What I like about the Japanese player is his whipping forehand especially when he dials it down the line, has a decent backhand and is fun to watch.

[rhymes450]

Wow, Kei Nishikori came to the Aussie tourney to play or what? Well under he radar and under an intense heat he just out dueled Tsonga who was one of the favorites. Both guys were simply running on an empty tank by the 5th set. What I like about the Japanese player is his whipping forehand especially when he dials it down the line, has a decent backhand and is fun to watch.

Not sure I've ever seen him play. I remember he took Rafa to a 3rd set on grass at Queen's Club in 2008 and Rafa predicted a bright future for him. Surely his tourney comes to an end now at the hands of Murray?? Slightly sorry to see Tsonga out. He's not my favourite player by any means but he comes across as a great guy.

Whatever you might think of him, it's hard not to admire Hewitt's stubborn refusal to accept his fate when he was down 6-1, 6-3, 3-0 against the tennis machine that is Djokovic. Immense performance to win the 3rd and he even had a break point at the beginning of the 4th. Amazing for a player who's so chronically crocked, he can only play a handful of tournaments per year.

Short straw for Fed in terms of QF opponents, despite Delpo being ranked lower than Ferrer and Berdych. Can Delpo pound him into submission or will Fed slice him up with his all-court precision and power. Might well be whoever serves best. I'd make Fed a slight favourite. Really hope that events allow me to catch this one. Could be great.

[10spro]

Short straw for Fed in terms of QF opponents, despite Delpo being ranked lower than Ferrer and Berdych. Can Delpo pound him into submission or will Fed slice him up with his all-court precision and power. Might well be whoever serves best. I'd make Fed a slight favourite. Really hope that events allow me to catch this one. Could be great.

I also think that the Swiss man will advance to the semis. He's got more game than Delpo and the Argie will have to serve huge to score an upset. But if Fed starts missing his first serves, Juan Martin may just stretch it to five sets and from then on it's anyone's game. Should be a tense match.