OT: Pro Tennis Thread

[10spro]

What an epic semis between Nadal and Djoko. Equivalent to a game 7 in hockey these two dudes went the distance in the fifth set where no tie breakers are allowed. I really thought that this would be the year that the Serbian player would finally conquer Paris but Nadal kept pulling shots out of his a$$ (literally) and even down a break, eventually broke Djoko in the always crucial game 7 of the last set. The way the #1 player was returning serves just gave me enough reasons to put him in the Agassi-Connors category and you could tell that Nadal was trying to avoid that backhand return.

But as usual, the Spaniard just keeps plugging away, never ever gives up and was stronger mentally to absorb the pressure of this match. Both were physically healthy, Djokovic just had a slight mental fatigue on his serve in the last game, and the Spaniard looks good again to conquer his 8th terre-battue trophy. This match should have been the finals.

Instead it could be an all Spanish finals.

[rhymes450]

Missed most of the 1st and 3rd sets but caught all of the rest. I get the feeling that Rafa probably should have closed it out earlier and was the better player, especially in the early stages, but Djoko put in a great finish to the 2nd and 4th sets to force a 5th and then had a great chance to win it. That point where he put away the high volley and then crashed into the net before the ball had bounced twice came at a pretty vital moment. Really enjoying the tournament, with some great performances from the likes of Robredo, Monfils, Isner, Wawrinka, Simon. Be interesting to see what Ferrer can come up with in the final. Looking forward to the women's final between Serena and Sharapova too.

[rhymes450]

Nadal's 8th French Open was a pretty extraordinary sporting achievement. After a shaky enough start, he ended up playing some great stuff at the business end of the tournament.

[wco81]

So is Rafa competitive outside the French any more?

He's played a lot of tennis and that body has broken down a few times, despite his age.

Is he saving it all for the French every year?

[rhymes450]

So is Rafa competitive outside the French any more?

He's played a lot of tennis and that body has broken down a few times, despite his age.

Is he saving it all for the French every year?

Early to say, I'd guess. Of all the wins since his comeback, probably the one on hard at Indian Wells was the least expected. Even his participation was surprising really. Great victory in the circumstances but it could be reasonably argued that he faced an obviously unfit Federer in the quarters, added to the fact that Del Potro took out both Djokovic and Murray and then ran out of gas when he was a set and a break up on Rafa in the final. I think Nadal will find both Wimbledon and the US Open tougher than the French for sure, where only Djokovic seemed to have a real chance against him from the outset. And the American hard court season could take its toll on the knee as well. In a way all the big four have something to prove in the next few months...Fed that he's not a spent force, Rafa that his body is up to playing a full season, Djokovic that he's still the top dog and Murray that he can build on his win at Flushing Meadows last year.

[10spro]

Sergey Stakhosvky. Who? Number #116 in the world, never ever beat a top 10 ranked player in his career and yet in round two at the big W, he pulled the biggest upset yet in years. He beat the legendary Roger Federer in 4 tight sets in his house while playing a style of game that I don't witness much these days. The serve and volley. A lot of upsets today in both the women and men's draw and of course R. Nadal lost already in another shocker a couple of days ago.

Federer hasn't lost in a Majors so early dating back to 2003, and has been reaching at least the quarters of a major event until today. A model of consistency and domination about to call it an end of an era for the great Swiss?

He may still win some other ATP tourneys but the road is much harder for him from now on. This is where he feels he could still win a majors, his favorite tournament and to see him upset so early was just shocking to watch.

Wimbledon is for Djokovic and Murray to take now, especially for the Scott, this is a great chance. But thus far, it's been a rash of upsets and we are only watching round 2 games.

[rhymes450]

Sergey Stakhosvky. Who? Number #116 in the world, never ever beat a top 10 ranked player in his career and yet in round two at the big W, he pulled the biggest upset yet in years. He beat the legendary Roger Federer in 4 tight sets in his house while playing a style of game that I don't witness much these days. The serve and volley. A lot of upsets today in both the women and men's draw and of course R. Nadal lost already in another shocker a couple of days ago.

Federer hasn't lost in a Majors so early dating back to 2003, and has been reaching at least the quarters of a major event until today. A model of consistency and domination about to call it an end of an era for the great Swiss?

He may still win some other ATP tourneys but the road is much harder for him from now on. This is where he feels he could still win a majors, his favorite tournament and to see him upset so early was just shocking to watch.

Wimbledon is for Djokovic and Murray to take now, especially for the Scott, this is a great chance. But thus far, it's been a rash of upsets and we are only watching round 2 games.

Stakhovsky hardly put a foot wrong from what I saw. Had Federer converted any of the set points he had in the 2nd or 4th sets, it'd probably have been enough to see him through but Stakhovsky deserved the win. Dustin Brown also beat Hewitt playing serve and volley, showing very nice touch on some of the low volleys. Maybe the more lush grass of the early rounds is more suited to S&V (and players slipping and getting injured...Darcis, Stepanek, Cilic, Tsonga and Azarenka all pulled out with injuries today). And it will be interesting to see where Federer goes from here. As you say, Wimbledon seemed like his best chance of adding to his GS tally.

[wco81]

Federer, Nadal and Sharapova are all on the decline, if not nearing the end.

They're all under 30 but have been on the tour for a long time, through a lot of grueling matches.


Plus what incentives do they have left? Well Federer is chasing a record but the other two aren't going to make history with however much time they have left.

Maybe they have to keep playing to keep certain endorsements and sponsorships going, especially Sharapova.

But these days, are they playing in as many non-major tournaments as they used to at the start of their careers? Or even a few years ago?

[10spro]

Federer, Nadal and Sharapova are all on the decline, if not nearing the end.

They're all under 30 but have been on the tour for a long time, through a lot of grueling matches.


Plus what incentives do they have left? Well Federer is chasing a record but the other two aren't going to make history with however much time they have left.

Maybe they have to keep playing to keep certain endorsements and sponsorships going, especially Sharapova.

But these days, are they playing in as many non-major tournaments as they used to at the start of their careers? Or even a few years ago?

I wouldn't be so hasty as to call in it a career for those three. Not just yet. After the shocker today, Federer clearly mentioned that he planned on playing for many more years and if he's stays healthy (which he has) I don't see why he can't stay competitive for a few more years. He's the only one that you mentioned that is past 30 but unless he wins one more major, I don't think he's packing in yet. Have other players raised their level of play against these guys? Absolutely.

Nadal is still young and so is Sharapova who can make a living just by her endorsements. But look at how dominant Serena Williams is, even at past 30. At one point in Roland garros Chrissy Evert said that maybe she would be ready for a male player the way she's been dominating the women's side.

And Rafa, just won the French, fresh from his knee injury one of the toughest and most enduring GS to win. It is known that grass is not his favorite surface and when you get a couple of hot guys that are just having a blasting day where everything they do just falls in, then the upsets tend to happen.

But let's not forget who have been in the final 4 in the men's draw of a major tournament every year for the past 4-5 years or so. They've been consistently dominating the field and contrary to decades ago, players are obliged to maintain their points and endorsements by playing all the tourneys that they've signed for and these days it's a heck of a lot, bringing more injuries to them.

[10spro]

After almost 5 hours (a record at Wimbledon) of killing each other, Djokovic managed to insert the final stab in his epic, full of drama semis against Delpo. What a match. Both dudes exhausted after jabbing each other yet when you least expected, a KO punch would come out of nowhere. They are talking about the greatest match in this open era, most definitely the most physical match on grass. Just when you thought that the Serbian would pull ahead, Delpo kept punching back, sore knee and all. In the end, mentally and physically Djoko had a bit more left in his tank, but this match was for all the ages. Impressive!

[Rodster]

The finals should be electric now that Murray made it.

[rhymes450]

In the last few years, Djokovic has become the ultimate match player. Delpo stuck with him all the way today and saved the 4th set in spectacular fashion, first by breaking back and then by winning 4 straight points from 4-6 down in the breaker. Some amazing forehand winners by the Argentine, including an inside-in forehand winner at 90 mph to save a set point in the 3rd that was just outrageous. Any doubts I'd have about Delpo's capacity to win these kinds of tournaments would be about stamina.

I thought Murray played brilliantly to get out of that 1-4 deficit in the third and maybe Janowicz lost the plot a bit with the pressure from the crowd, etc.

Great final in prospect.

[10spro]

Any doubts I'd have about Delpo's capacity to win these kinds of tournaments would be about stamina.

Yeah, he's really close to being in the top 4. Remember when Djokovic used to lose always to Federer in the semis and lacked that physical prowess to finish the big matches? I think Delpo is at that stage now. He's got all the shots including a very well disguised killer forehand where he snaps his wrist and can nail it down the line or crosscourt.

Then of course comes the mental part where he can believe he can finish the long matches against a Djokovic, Nadal, or Federer.

That was a helluva semis today. Going for Djokovic to win it all.

[Zeppo]

Amazing. Some unbelievably fantastic points. Just great stuff.

[rhymes450]

Missed a big chunk of the match from 4-3 in the first set to 5-5 in the second but Murray looked rock solid throughout and Djokovic didn't seem to be striking the ball as well as usual. He still had big chances to win the 2nd and 3rd sets and the last game was a mini epic in itself. This looks set to be the big rivalry over the next few years, depending on Nadal's physical state and Federer's battle with advancing years. Hopefully Del Potro will build on this tournament and then there are the younger guys like Janowizc, Tomic and Dimitrov, etc. Men's tennis could really do with a new American star so hopefully that'll happen sooner rather than later.

[10spro]

Once Djokovic broke Murray's serve to go ahead in the third set, I thought that the momentum started to change for the Serbian. Especially the way Murray was seen laboring after long points. He just didn't seem to have it. But here's where he took the next big step besides being coached by the great Ivan. He hired a conditioning coach and just started to hit the ball back at Djoko. As simple as it sounds, point after point he broke Djoko's serve again to pull even and from them on he shifted into another gear.

You can tell he's very fit now and if he doesn't let his temper get to him, he can win a couple of more majors still.

Not an electrifying dramatic match like Djoko-Del Potro but I am sure the UK is very happy with this win.

[Rodster]

Congrats to Andy, well played but Novak admitted that the semi's match took a lot out of him and he was just trying to end the point as quick as possible. The heat didn't help either as Murray looked like he was spent in that last game before he won the match.

[rhymes450]

Interesting to see that after many years with a smaller racquet head size than most of his rivals, Federer is currently experimenting with a bigger racquet head size and doing so in tournaments you wouldn't normally expect to see him play:

http://tennis.si.com/2013/07/16/roger-f ... pionships/

[rhymes450]

Nadal v Federer in Cincinnati is beginning to look interesting. Fed serving to take the 1st set at the moment.

[10spro]

Nadal v Federer in Cincinnati is beginning to look interesting. Fed serving to take the 1st set at the moment.

You could tell that Federer was starting to tighten up on the the crucial 7th game of the second set. At 4-5 that pressure became obvious as his serve started to falter and the forehand started to crack. Nadal somehow plays better the longer a match goes as he seemed in total command after he won the second set. Saw him in Montreal last week and he was was clearly invincible. To me, he should be seeded #2 for the US Open and not Murray as he's struggled since he won the big W.

So much for Fed trying a new racket. Great quarters. Go Delpo.

BTW, I like the fact that umps are tightening up the time violations. Nadal and Djoko were the biggest infractors this week.

[rhymes450]

Nadal v Federer in Cincinnati is beginning to look interesting. Fed serving to take the 1st set at the moment.

You could tell that Federer was starting to tighten up on the the crucial 7th game of the second set. At 4-5 that pressure became obvious as his serve started to falter and the forehand started to crack. Nadal somehow plays better the longer a match goes as he seemed in total command after he won the second set. Saw him in Montreal last week and he was was clearly invincible. To me, he should be seeded #2 for the US Open and not Murray as he's struggled since he won the big W.

So much for Fed trying a new racket. Great quarters. Go Delpo.

BTW, I like the fact that umps are tightening up the time violations. Nadal and Djoko were the biggest infractors this week.

Brilliant match. As you say, Nadal is playing great at the moment so I kind of expected him to win this one comfortably, given that Fed's form has been all over the place. He was lucky to get by Haas yesterday. Today, he was like a different man. At 4-4, 0-30 in the second, Fed looked pretty close to making it but it wasn't to be. He should be heartened by playing so well, despite the loss.

Difficult to relegate Murray from No. 2 seeding, given that he's defending champion, winner of the most recent slam and a finalist in the last 4 slams he's played. Rafa currently does look like the man to beat though.

Agree wrt the time violations. No point having a rule and not enforcing it and the pace at which the game is played out does affect players.

[10spro]

With the Cinci win Rafa officially becomes number 2 in the world and will be seeded as such with the US Open just around the corner. He's been the most consistent player after his return from injury and is my favorite for the last GS of the year. Great tourney for Isner too as he showed a lot of resiliency and will power against Delpo in the semis and fought Nadal hard in the finals.

This week should bring a lot of confidence for the American at the US Open and he should make it to the quarters. We'll see how much is left of Murray as he just struggled since Wimbledon, Djoko should be hungry after a so so year, and Federer as well as Delpo should be among the others threats.

[rhymes450]

With the Cinci win Rafa officially becomes number 2 in the world and will be seeded as such with the US Open just around the corner. He's been the most consistent player after his return from injury and is my favorite for the last GS of the year. Great tourney for Isner too as he showed a lot of resiliency and will power against Delpo in the semis and fought Nadal hard in the finals.

This week should bring a lot of confidence for the American at the US Open and he should make it to the quarters. We'll see how much is left of Murray as he just struggled since Wimbledon, Djoko should be hungry after a so so year, and Federer as well as Delpo should be among the others threats.

Yeah, I didn't realise Rafa could get back to No.2 by winning yesterday. Also means he avoids Djokovic up to the final, though he's clearly broken the hold the Serb had over him in 2011. Ominous for his rivals that he's serving so well. He came up with some great serves to save the two set points against Isner. Great tournament for the American. Nobody will want to be near him in the draw at Flushing Meadows. And Fed continues to tumble in the rankings...down to 7 now, tho' he did play as well as almost anyone against Rafa in the last 2 weeks. Looks like being a great US Open.

[10spro]

If having a Sunday off for the men's final produces the type of finals I saw tonight, I am all for it. What a match between Djokovic and Nadal. Long points, endless games, each player trying to break each other with their backhands. In the end, Djoko definitely had his chances to take the fourth set which he should have won but we all know how you never give anything for granted to the Spaniard.

Nadal was very solid tonight, even when he was broken a couple of times something that no one did until the semis, you could tell that he was still in control.

I was hoping that Djoko would come back in the 4th but he started to spread his forehand wide while Nadal as usual was getting stronger as the match dragged on. He deserves to be the new #1 again, something he should hold on to if he keeps playing like he's been since his knee injury. Just unbeatable.

[rhymes450]

Yeah, it was a pretty spectacular match, with a lot at stake, perhaps even more than a US Open title, as if that wasn't enough in itself.

Rafa started great but Djokovic seemed to have gained complete control of the match with a 3rd consecutive break early in the third before the Spaniard upped the ante again. I though Djoko cracked a bit after Nadal's great recovery from 0-40 at 4-4 in the 3rd set.

Rafa on top of the world, unbeaten on a hard court this year. Who'd've predicted that earlier in the year?