OT: Pro Tennis Thread

[rhymes450]

The genie in the bottle is in the finals. First GS finals for Bouchard who outplayed Halep in straight sets. I expected the match to go the distance and when she had a few hiccups during her match points, I thought the Romanian player would push her further.

But Bouchard is so calm and collected nothing bothers her, yet she's got a fire and focus inside that's hard to teach. She was aggressive today, got some easy points with her serve when she needed but the key to her game is how early she takes the ball on the rise especially on her right side.

She moves well and will have to defend well against lefty Kvitova who has a heavy serve.

Maybe Jim Parsons is given her a new confidence.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/cel ... e19432153/

Only caught the last 4 or 5 games and breaker of the 1st set. Bouchard's got a cool head in pressure situations for sure. I think her game is more balanced than Kvitova's. From what I've seen (and I haven't seen her at all this tournament), Kvitova can be very up and down. When her game is on, she can hit winners from anywhere and when it's not happening for her, she can make a lot of mistakes. Mind you, if she's reached the final she must be in good form and she obviously likes grass because she's won at Wimbledon before. Be an amazing culmination to Bouchard's rapid rise to stardom if she can take this on Saturday.

[JackB1]

The genie in the bottle is in the finals. First GS finals for Bouchard who outplayed Halep in straight sets. I expected the match to go the distance and when she had a few hiccups during her match points, I thought the Romanian player would push her further.

But Bouchard is so calm and collected nothing bothers her, yet she's got a fire and focus inside that's hard to teach. She was aggressive today, got some easy points with her serve when she needed but the key to her game is how early she takes the ball on the rise especially on her right side.

She moves well and will have to defend well against lefty Kvitova who has a heavy serve.

Maybe Jim Parsons is given her a new confidence.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/cel ... e19432153/

I'm surprised at how easy she beat Halep. Too bad Sharapova lost....that would have been great to see. But Kvitova also hits pretty hard and it should still be a nice match to watch.

[10spro]

Djokovic dodges a bullet fighting a tough four setter against Dimitrov. I thought that fourth set could have gone either way as Dimitrov certainly elevated his shot making abilities and Djoko was getting visibly uncomfortable. A couple of loose points in the tie breaker and the #1 seed just took full advantage.

Dimitrov has to shorten a bit his swing on grass.

Looking forward to see if Raonic can make Canadian history by advancing to the finals. No pressure, the only obstacle is the best player that ever played the game on the other side.

[rhymes450]

Djokovic dodges a bullet fighting a tough four setter against Dimitrov. I thought that fourth set could have gone either way as Dimitrov certainly elevated his shot making abilities and Djoko was getting visibly uncomfortable. A couple of loose points in the tie breaker and the #1 seed just took full advantage.

Dimitrov has to shorten a bit his swing on grass.

Looking forward to see if Raonic can make Canadian history by advancing to the finals. No pressure, the only obstacle is the best player that ever played the game on the other side.

Seems that Djokovic started the match by putting in 19 consecutive 1st serves. Amazing stat if it's true. Tight match and Dimitrov will be disappointed at not taking it to a 5th set but fair dues to Djokovic, who played some excellent points to close it out. Both men slipping a lot on the grass.

Caught the first 2 sets of Fed dissecting Raonic. Milos returned well the other day but couldn't get a read on the Fed serve. Apparently when Ljubicic (now Raonic's coach) was asked about his own fairly poor record against Fed, he described the Swiss as a player with no fixed pattern of play, making it difficult to know what was coming next. I guess Raonic will know exactly what he meant after today. Fed moves great on grass and in that department I don't think Djokovic is as comfortable on this surface. Might make the difference on Sunday.

[10spro]

Boy, that was a power lesson on grass for Eugenie. Petra's agility, the lefty heavy serve, her returns, her overall precision I mean everyone knew she was the favorite but to beat an upcoming kid that likes to hit on the rise and win Wimbledon in under an hour is impressive. Kudos to Kvitova, if she can maintain her consistency and display that raw power today, she'll win many more Wimbledons.

Hope Bouchard can take something out of this match, the future is very bright for her. She's gotta learn to slice more on grass, improve her serve while adding variety because the way Kvitova returned her serve was the key to being so dominant.

[JackB1]

Wow, that was a lesson for the young upstart. Kvitova put the little Genie back in her bottle without hardly breaking a sweat. She showed her she's still got a lot of work to do if she wants to compete with the top women. I was disappointed it was such a lopsided match and Bouchard needs to learn to adjust sometimes when things aren't working. Kvitova kept the same patterns over and over and Bouchard stubbornly refused to back up or change anything. She showed her inexperience and immaturity today and hopefully she learns from it. She needs a better 2nd serve and better strategy to handle different opponents and how to counter them. I am glad she hit this bump in the road...Bouchard was having things her way a little to easily. It should be a tough climb to the top. She'll get more chances and hopefully will continue to improve.

[rhymes450]

Didn't see that coming at all. Only caught the last game of the match, thinking that I'd probably be tuning in at around the beginning of the 2nd set. I thought Bouchard's consistency might win the day but obviously grass suits big hitters who really go for their shots, and Kvitova certainly fits that description. A big lefty serve doesn't go astray either. Great win for her after a long barren spell. Still a great tournament for Bouchard, who might well be the most consistent female player in the slams this year. I don't see this defeat knocking her out of her stride for too long and I think Canadians will soon be celebrating a grand slam tournament winner.

[wco81]

Federer struggling to stay in the match.

It doesn't seem like he's going to add to his Grand Slam totals.

[rhymes450]

Wow!! Don't want to spoil anybody's fun if they're recording this but...scintillating stuff!!!

[10spro]

Such high quality of tennis for so long. I was hoping that the fifth set would never end. After only one break of serve in three sets, there was perhaps a drop of excellence between both as they broke each other's serve in the fourth set.

But the way Roger fought so hard to conquer match point against him while continuing to play at a high level was amazing.

In the end, Federer's first serve was his aquilles as Djokovic kept putting pressure on his second serve.

He was just cruising while his serve was on. Djokovic also had a break against him in the last set which easily could have swung the match for Federer but the Serbian was solid during the long rallies too.

I still believe in Federer especially at Wimbledon to win another GS, it's going to get harder every year but if he stays healthy, he can still do it. You can see Edberg's influence in him too with the chip and charge. Heck, nobody does it anymore.

Inspirational tennis from both, congrats Djokovic you were mentally so tough.

Great tennis match.

[wco81]

Murray and Nadal both were upset or Federer might not have reached the final.

When did Sampras last win a major and when did he retire?

In a year or two, Federer may be behind not just Murray, Nadal and Djoko but a new generation of players in their early 20s.

[rhymes450]

Such high quality of tennis for so long. I was hoping that the fifth set would never end. After only one break of serve in three sets, there was perhaps a drop of excellence between both as they broke each other's serve in the fourth set.

But the way Roger fought so hard to conquer match point against him while continuing to play at a high level was amazing.

In the end, Federer's first serve was his aquilles as Djokovic kept putting pressure on his second serve.

He was just cruising while his serve was on. Djokovic also had a break against him in the last set which easily could have swung the match for Federer but the Serbian was solid during the long rallies too.

I still believe in Federer especially at Wimbledon to win another GS, it's going to get harder every year but if he stays healthy, he can still do it. You can see Edberg's influence in him too with the chip and charge. Heck, nobody does it anymore.

Inspirational tennis from both, congrats Djokovic you were mentally so tough.

Great tennis match.

Completely agree. Great match! Fed would've loved to have come back from match point down and won it, just as Djokovic did to him twice at the US Open. I don't think he's a big fan of Novak. When Djokovic fell quite heavily at the beginning of the second set, there was no reaction from Fed in terms of enquiring about his wellbeing. Great comeback from Fed in the 4th set and fair dues to Djokovic for putting the disappointment behind him and taking the title. He's very tough mentally. Fed has been moving like a 20-year old this tournament and he looked fairly fresh at the end, though I think grass court tennis is less draining, especially for him because he's so at home on the surface.

[rhymes450]

Murray and Nadal both were upset or Federer might not have reached the final.

When did Sampras last win a major and when did he retire?

In a year or two, Federer may be behind not just Murray, Nadal and Djoko but a new generation of players in their early 20s.

Murray was in Djokovic's half so it was Novak who "benefitted" from his defeat.

Checking on internet, I think Sampras won the US Open in 2002 and retired immediately afterwards. I wasn't watching much tennis around that time.

Fed has been rising in the rankings again this year, while Murray has been falling. I think Monday will see Fed move up to No. 3 and Murray fall outside the top 10 (temporarily I'm sure). It'll be interesting to see when Fed decides to retire. Possibly when he feels another major is beyond reach??

[wco81]

Last major won was in 2012, beating Murray in 4 sets at Wimbledon. He was 30.

He is 32 now and will turn 33 next month.

Sampras was 31 when he won his last major in 2002.

Federer could keep playing but it doesn't seem likely that he's going to win them in his 30s. Like Sampras, Federer's peak years appear to be the early and mid 20s. Probably true of most tennis players.

Djoko is 27 so he's probably got a couple of years left at his peak. At most.


Presumably Serena Williams can dominate the majors in women's tennis because few if any competitors can match her physically, though even she isn't going to be able to sustain it.

[10spro]

[quote="wco81"]Presumably Serena Williams can dominate the majors in women's tennis because few if any competitors can match her physically, though even she isn't going to be able to sustain it.[/quote]

I am worried about Serena. Maybe age is finally catching up to her and there are so many young eastern Europeans on the rise not to mention Eugenie Bouchard.

The way Kvitova played in the finals no one would have had a lick on her.

I honestly think that Federer deep inside thinks he has one more GS in him, probably Wimbledon and then decide to retire.

Sampras retired because physically he was never as well conditioned as the likes of Courier or Agassi in his generation and was also running into back issues the last couple of years.

No rush, with a new racket, and being injury free for most of his life he is top five material for sure. He's got to cut his rallies short though as he ages, Stephan Edberg will be good for him.

Age these days may not be a true factor. After all, the old dog Jimmy Connors still had it in him up to 40 years old.

As rhymes was stating, physically I thought also Roger had more in the tank, it was Djoko's mental strength that made him champion today.

[10spro]

Presumably Serena Williams can dominate the majors in women's tennis because few if any competitors can match her physically, though even she isn't going to be able to sustain it.

I am worried about Serena. Maybe age is finally catching up to her and there are so many young eastern Europeans on the rise not to mention Eugenie Bouchard.

The way Kvitova played in the finals no one would have had a lick on her.

I honestly think that Federer deep inside thinks he has one more GS in him, probably Wimbledon and then decide to retire.

Sampras retired because physically he was never as well conditioned as the likes of Courier or Agassi in his generation and was also running into back issues the last couple of years.

No rush, with a new racket, and being injury free for most of his life he is top five material for sure. He's got to cut his rallies short though as he ages, Stephan Edberg will be good for him.

Age these days may not be a true factor. After all, the old dog Jimmy Connors still had it in him up to 40 years old.

As rhymes was stating, physically I thought also Roger had more in the tank, it was Djoko's mental strength that made him champion today.

[wco81]

Federer seems to be one of the more likable stars. Clearly the crowd was behind him, not Djokovic, today and it's been that way at other Grand Slam venues.

He can make good money and still rank as one of the top players for a few years but what he wants most are to add to his GS totals.

Maybe he just isn't prepared for life after tennis.

[XXXIV]

Sampras retired because physically he was never as well conditioned as the likes of Courier or Agassi in his generation and was also running into back issues the last couple of years.

Sampras did okay against aggassi (winning four out the five times they met in a grand slam final) for a player with his conditioning.

[10spro]

Sampras retired because physically he was never as well conditioned as the likes of Courier or Agassi in his generation and was also running into back issues the last couple of years.

Sampras did okay against aggassi (winning four out the five times they met in a grand slam final) for a player with his conditioning.

I know why you have an allegiance to Sampras. Still despite his great GS, he was never as fit as Agassi.

[XXXIV]

Still he kicked his fit ass!

[10spro]

Still he kicked his fit ass!

Game, set, touche.

[JackB1]

Last major won was in 2012, beating Murray in 4 sets at Wimbledon. He was 30.

He is 32 now and will turn 33 next month.

Sampras was 31 when he won his last major in 2002.

Federer could keep playing but it doesn't seem likely that he's going to win them in his 30s. Like Sampras, Federer's peak years appear to be the early and mid 20s. Probably true of most tennis players.

Djoko is 27 so he's probably got a couple of years left at his peak. At most.

Presumably Serena Williams can dominate the majors in women's tennis because few if any competitors can match her physically, though even she isn't going to be able to sustain it.

I don't see Fed winning any more majors. This Wimbledon, the draw seems to line up perfectly for him and he played about as good as he can possibly play and still was beaten by Djokovich on a day where Novak didn't even play his best. I love Fed, but he clearly seems like he cannot do it anymore.

[10spro]

With Nadal out, the favorites in the men draw are Djokovic and Federer. The women's draw is wide open as the upset happens daily but I like how Sharapova is crushing the ball.

Frenchman G. Monfils is known to be a great athlete and a shot maker. In every match he plays, he's got a hot shot of the day. Check this out out today. Wow.

[rhymes450]

Couldn't open the video of Monfils but I think I've seen the shot elsewhere. Absolutely spectacular! Probably be great for tennis if this guy could win something big because of his athleticism and charisma.

Sharapova v Wozniacki could be good. Wozniacki has been playing well lately.

I'd say Fed and Djokovic won't be sorry not to have to face Karlovic and Isner respectively. Already some big last 16 matches with Murray v Tsonga and Nishikori v Raonic

[JackB1]

Couldn't open the video of Monfils but I think I've seen the shot elsewhere. Absolutely spectacular! Probably be great for tennis if this guy could win something big because of his athleticism and charisma.
Sharapova v Wozniacki could be good. Wozniacki has been playing well lately.

Sharapova and Woz WAS a great match. So good to see Woz hitting the ball so hard now and running down everything in sight. Sharapova is more
than annoying with her elongated screams that are still going while the ball is well into the other side of the court. Why can't one of these umpires grow
a pair and call her out on her b.s.?

I agree about Monfils, but we say that about him year after year. The guy has all the ability in the world but he's a knucklehead. Just shows how much of tennis is mental.
He sure is fun to watch, but I wouldn't bet one penny on him to win.