Calibandar Posted January 26, 2017 Author Share Posted January 26, 2017 Seems like he has a bit of a groin injury from the news, so the question is how much it will trouble him and if it will abate somewhat towards the final. He does have a day extra rest, but that may not mean much. On the other hand it may not be/ does not seem to impactful on the way he currently plays. Stan needs to recover as well apparently. It would be an interesting curveball if Dimitrov beats Nadal. But I don't see it happening, despite Dimitrov's excellent play so far, he will struggle with Nadal's play the same way Federer does, and Nadal will rain heavy topspin balls on his single backhand all day long. My one fear for a Federer vs Nadal final is a Federer mental breakdown, where we once again see him play at a lower level because it's Nadal. If that can be avoided and he can play the best game he's now capable of, we could well be in for a real cracker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 5 hours ago, 3CityApache said: Problem is, both questions are already answered for me. Roger only ever managed to defeat Rafa in Wimbledon in best of five sets and I don't believe it can change here. And Venus for the last time defeated Serena in grand slam match in 2008. I'm glad Federer made it to the final, but I just can't believe he would be able to seriously trouble Nadal. The fact they both are going to meet in a grand slam final again is awesome though. Mainly because Nadal has never been much good in Aus (or hardcourts in general), therefore he never got to play him much as they were normally seeded 1 and 2. If Nadal wins his semi, surely the combined ages of the winners (whoever wins M&F) will be the highest in history? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3CityApache Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 1 hour ago, BigFatCoward said: Mainly because Nadal has never been much good in Aus (or hardcourts in general) Well, you're right in the sense that Nadal has only one AO title, comparing to Federer's four, but at the same time he lifted that trophy after defeating Federer in the final, and he also won both their other matches in this tournament (both semis). So Federer never defeated Nadal in Melbourne, in three meetings. Plus, he simply seems incapable of beating Rafa in majors. It seems unbelievable, bur he has never done it outside of London! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calibandar Posted January 27, 2017 Author Share Posted January 27, 2017 Pretty tough match so far. First set to Nadal, second to Dimitrov. Nadal just broke his serve and Dimitrov broke back instantly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3CityApache Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Yeah, I'm still waiting for Dimitrov to break. So far he's keeping up the pace. Not a bad match, but not great either, they both make quite a lot of mistakes. I guess that's it. Nadal wins 94 percent of the matches he leads 2-1. Edit. Just not always in four sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeor Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Five-setter, you'd have to back Nadal in these. His mental toughness and conditioning are better than Dimitrov. All I hope is that it goes to 25-23 and whoever wins it is too gassed to play Federer in a couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3CityApache Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Like I said. Five hours though, I wonder if it takes its toll on Sunday. Probably not, Nadal is a machine, he will run to the end. My prediction for the final is Nadal in four. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chatywin et al. Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Throwback finals ya'll. Seriously, both of these matches could have happened a decade ago. That's crazy. Almost as crazy as Australia's future time. God this weekend is going to mess with my sleep cycles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mladen Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 This is going to be EPIC. I still remember the 2008 Wimbledon finals... And this one will have the gravitas as even that match can't compare to. History will be made... Go ahead and take the 18th one, Roger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 To be honest, I don't think looking back at the past record is all that helpful for predicting this one. Last time Nadal beat Federer was three years ago. They've only played once since then, Federer won which is not a lot to go off. Age has obviously been catching up with both, but the fact that since that last Nadal win Federer has been to three Slam finals and three Semis, whereas Nadal won the French a few months later and has since then not made it past the quarters until now, suggests Federer has been a lot less affected by it or at least has managed it a lot better. Given that Nadal's dominance over him was in large part due to simply being able to outlast him, point for point and over a match, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3CityApache Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 What a dream final, the tension was unbelievable. I'm so happy to be proved wrong, I was so sure after the fourth set, that Nadal would grab it. Great match, fantastic outcome. Federer may retire now in his prime, just like Sampras did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mladen Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 3 minutes ago, 3CityApache said: What a dream final, the tension was unbelievable. I'm so happy to be proved wrong, I was so sure after the fourth set, that Nadal would grab it. Great match, fantastic outcome. Federer may retire now in his prime, just like Sampras did. Amazing... What an amazing match and what a glorious win. I am thoroughly impressed by both Federer and Nadal and I am sure to remember this match for years to come. Great sportsmen, great match... Truly speechless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3CityApache Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Funny, when I was hoping through years Federer would take the 18th slam at last, I was so sure it would be Wimbledon or US Open. That just proves I know nothing and I'm happy with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Which Tyler Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 My recording gave up at 3:3 in the 5th I wasn't happy. Fortunately I happened to be about half an hour ahead of BBC's highlights, so I managed to watch the rest as well. Safe to say, my man-crush for Roger is alive and well. So glad they were both able to play (really) well, and not end up in a cripple-fight of whoever's less injured Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Selig Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 I am so happy for Federer. This makes up for all these painful losses against Nadal in 2008-2010. His backhand was remarkably stable throughout the match, this is the first time in a Slam match against Nadal when Nadal's tactics of pressuring Federer's backhand with heavy topspin didn't work. And Federer played the big points remarkably well in the fifth. His strategy was great throughout, he stayed aggressive, he mixed up his game constantly he never allowed Nadal to get into his preferred rhythm of predictable backcourt side to side rallies. And the serve of course was crucial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Criston of House Shapper Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Wow. I know I poopooed Federer a lot in this thread back in September, but damn, I was wrong. I guess you should never count him out. In hindsight, this 6-months-break worked extremely well for him, it allowed him to recover physically and more importantly mentally (similar to Ronnie O'Sullivan in Snooker a couple of years ago). In his absence he got to experience life away from the tour and it made him more relaxed than I've ever seen him. He has nothing to prove and thus has no pressure on him now and that makes him stronger than many of the other top players. I'm intrigued to see how far this comeback takes him, but as long as he keeps playing like this, he should continue until he's 40. Djokovic on the other hand, will probably retire soon. Or maybe take a 6-months-break as well, I think he probably needs it at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calibandar Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 The last thing I would want is for him to retire now. Glad to hear he is not even considering it. I just want to see him play. Very tense final. His backhand does indeed look much more formidable and no longer such a glaring point of weakness for opponents. He's hitting genuine winners with it as well. Great to see him back. And Nadal as well. But glad Federer won this. I never understood why people here and elsewhere kept writing him off last year just because he took an extended break for the first time and was 34 years old. If you've seen him play the last two seasons, he doesn't look close to being done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philokles Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Quite some ending to the Canada - Britain Davis Cup tie. Shapovalov defaulted for (unintentionally) hammering the ball into the umpire's face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mladen Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 And another win for Federer against Nadal. What has happened to this guy and why hasn't he done it before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 if Kyrgios ever manages to fully control his demons, he has a chance to fill the big 4 void all by himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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