Jeor Posted September 9, 2019 Author Share Posted September 9, 2019 Great fightback by Medvedev, but just didn't quite have enough to take Nadal out. He's definitely a future Slam winner though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chatywin et al. Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Totally torn here. On the one hand, it seems clear that Serena isn’t ever going to break the record. Maybe she’ll tie it, but 25 at this point is unrealistic. On the other hand though, Nadal passing Federer has never been more possible. We can basically pencil in Novak at the Australian and Nadal at the French, so the old man better do some work on grass if he wants to protect his throne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeor Posted September 9, 2019 Author Share Posted September 9, 2019 Yes, I think it's pretty clear now that Fed won't be holding the record for much longer. I doubt he has another Slam left in him unless Nadal/Djokovic fall over at Wimbledon early and he gets to play the rest of the field. Even then, guys like Medvedev et al are coming through as well - they won't make it easy and they're perfectly capable of defeating the Big Three on their day. You'd think Serena and Fed would probably only have two more years tops before the physical nature of the game starts to pass them by. I know they've done well to keep up to now, with the advances in diet, training and conditioning but 40 is pushing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chatywin et al. Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Eh, I think this year will probably be the best either of them can hope for. The youth movement is happening, and one key difference is these youngsters are not afraid of the elite players, unlike the people who've been playing against them for the last decade. I'd argue it's pretty comparable to what's happening in golf with Tiger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 Nice for Murray. Been through a proper shit time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chatywin et al. Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 On 10/20/2019 at 12:46 PM, BigFatCoward said: Nice for Murray. Been through a proper shit time. Last I heard he planned on retiring. Is that not the case now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamjm Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 36 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said: Last I heard he planned on retiring. Is that not the case now? He seems to have recovered from his hip surgery better than anyone (including him) expected. I'm not sure we'll see him making a serious bid to win a Grand Slam again, but he's now able to win tournaments and is planning to play in this year's David Cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Its hardly the organisers fault if the fires have ruined the air quality, if you don't like it don't play. Its not like this is a surprise to anyone. What do they expect the organisers to do to solve the problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeor Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 29 minutes ago, BigFatCoward said: Its hardly the organisers fault if the fires have ruined the air quality, if you don't like it don't play. Its not like this is a surprise to anyone. What do they expect the organisers to do to solve the problem? I think they expect the organisers to cancel or postpone play whenever it's hazy. Which, on the face of it, seems sensible, but it's an organisational nightmare. Unlike rain, which can knock out a day's play but rarely comes in clumps, haze can hover over a city for days. If doctors say it's fine to play through then they should play through it. I was in Adelaide to watch some of the tennis there live. Women's matches more interesting than all the no-name men. Halep got crushed by Sabalenka - had no answer to the power game, which is worrying for her. Yastremska looking in good form too - might be her breakout year. I see the Australian Open draw has Coco Gauff against Venus Williams in the first round! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeor Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share Posted January 24, 2020 Serena Williams is out - while it's an upset, I'm not that surprised. To be sure, she is an incredible athlete with the greatest career in women's tennis, but at this point in time I no longer expect Serena to win Slams. Despite the fact she's reached four finals in the past two years, players on the WTA know that she's beatable and at 38 it's nothing to be ashamed of. Serena can still bring the power game and the tenacity but she now consistently makes a large number of unforced errors each match. These errors are generally the result of her being out of position, unbalanced, or otherwise not set - she's always carried a lot of muscle, perhaps more now than ever, and I think with the passing of time her footwork hasn't been able to keep up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3CityApache Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 And Federer came that freaking close to the same fate. It was kinda unbelievable he was able to come back from 4-8 and two mini breaks down in the fifth set super tie-break. Granted, Millman has done everything he could to help, but still, hard to believe. Next is the conqueror of favourites. Hmmm. Anyway, it was a very bad match for Federer from the very beginning. Multiple half meter long unforced errors, much too much slice, which clearly wasn't working on this surface, not even forehand working properly. If it wasn't a path through hell for him, nothing is. I wonder if he's able to recover in two days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chatywin et al. Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 3 hours ago, Jeor said: Serena Williams is out - while it's an upset, I'm not that surprised. To be sure, she is an incredible athlete with the greatest career in women's tennis, but at this point in time I no longer expect Serena to win Slams. Despite the fact she's reached four finals in the past two years, players on the WTA know that she's beatable and at 38 it's nothing to be ashamed of. Serena can still bring the power game and the tenacity but she now consistently makes a large number of unforced errors each match. These errors are generally the result of her being out of position, unbalanced, or otherwise not set - she's always carried a lot of muscle, perhaps more now than ever, and I think with the passing of time her footwork hasn't been able to keep up. As I said before, I’m resigned to her not breaking the slam record. Her serve, which was the most dangerous thing in tennis, is largely gone at this point, and she can’t move laterally anymore, which also used to be a huge strength. I expect both her and Venus to hang it up after this year. On the plus side, Gauff upset Osaka, which I did not see coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 I dont particularly like Serena, but I'd have liked her to beat that wankhat Court's record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeor Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share Posted January 24, 2020 7 hours ago, Tywin et al. said: As I said before, I’m resigned to her not breaking the slam record. Her serve, which was the most dangerous thing in tennis, is largely gone at this point, and she can’t move laterally anymore, which also used to be a huge strength. I expect both her and Venus to hang it up after this year. Yes, Wang getting 12 break point chances would have been unheard of in the Serena's heyday when the serve was working well. I think she'll stay on at least another year or two, even if just to contest the Slams - the record clearly does mean a lot to her. 7 hours ago, 3CityApache said: And Federer came that freaking close to the same fate. Same as Serena, I don't expect Federer to win a Grand Slam title anymore. And in another similarity, the two of them (Fed and Serena) just make way too many errors. They both always hit a lot of winners but the error count is consistently creeping up on them now. Fed's game is based on taking the ball early, and the high-risk high-return equation paid off in his prime, but I think in his late 30s the reactions and racquet control required to pull it off are not what they once were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeor Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 Halep looked in good touch today - Mertens was playing very well and cracking winners, but she still got the job done in straight sets with only 8 unforced errors all match. I think she has to be favourite for the women's title, although Barty and Kvitova can't be ruled out either. Kyrgios vs Nadal will be a good match to watch, with lots of shotmaking and a raucous atmosphere. Expect Nadal to win in 3, maybe 4. Kyrgios, though he has the brilliance, can't sustain it for long enough in Grand Slam best-of-fives and he still has brain fades, giving away easy points with really bad shot selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Northman Reborn Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Glad Nadal won it, and I’m no Nadal fan. What’s with the sudden media love for Kyrgios though? The guy is a first rate a-hole, but suddenly everyone and his dog is urging on his supposed rehabilitation to rejoin the ranks of decent human beings. With that other a-hole John Mcenroe seemingly the lead cheerleader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3CityApache Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 What just happened in the Federer match? Seven match points saved! Seems like he entertains himself this year coming back from the deepest possible shitholes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Northman Reborn Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Damn crowd supporting Raonic over the 7 time Australian open champion Djokovic. Will never understand this anti- Djokovic sentiment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3CityApache Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Well, he have changed a lot in recent years, but he did used to be a pretty arrogant and over-confident brat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeor Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 11 hours ago, Free Northman Reborn said: Glad Nadal won it, and I’m no Nadal fan. What’s with the sudden media love for Kyrgios though? The guy is a first rate a-hole, but suddenly everyone and his dog is urging on his supposed rehabilitation to rejoin the ranks of decent human beings. It's his home Slam, so everyone wants to write a feel-good story. For me, I don't get it when people say this match shows he's turned a corner. If you can't get fired up in a night match against Nadal in a home crowd, then you're probably a zombie. He was still pretty dismissive of a few points in the match and there were times when Nadal was up 30-0 on his serve and Kyrgios pretty casually went for very low-percentage winners. It was a good match to watch, and I'm glad Kyrgios came ready to play, but it's not a watershed moment or anything like that. 2 hours ago, 3CityApache said: What just happened in the Federer match? Seven match points saved! Seems like he entertains himself this year coming back from the deepest possible shitholes. Fed is going to be destroyed by Djokovic. After a couple of easy rounds, Federer has now played 14 sets in his last three matches. Difficult enough for a 38 year-old to keep producing after those sorts of efforts, virtually impossible against the human wall that is Novak Djokovic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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