2012 Australian Open Discussion

[GatorKid117]

Del Potro looks much skinnier than I remember.

Liking Verdasco's shirt too. It fits his game.

[gigantes]

speaking of del potro, it'll be interesting to see how far he goes. now that his wrist's all healed up it seems he's back to having the most feared FH in the game.

also, nice to see fed versus nadal opposite the draw of the djoker. that should be a barn-burner, assuming neither trips up on the way.

[Kobe Jnr]

Shiet Tomic beat Verdasco

[alenleomessi]

Good start for Federer

[CardiacKemba]

Tomic is an arrogant f#*( and I'm beginning to hate him. Should have seen his post match interview :facepalm

Oh, and I shouldn't be saying this. I'm Australian and he is meant to be the future of our game here.

[B-Easy8]

Tomic is an arrogant f#*( and I'm beginning to hate him. Should have seen his post match interview :facepalm

Oh, and I shouldn't be saying this. I'm Australian and he is meant to be the future of our game here.

What did he say that was bad?

I heard the interview and he seemed very grounded and I didn't hear anything arrogant.

[Sarcastic]

The Rafa/Federer rivalry gets even more juicy (http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/01/15/rafael-nadal-slams-silent-roger-federer-as-strike-talk-ignites-at-australian/)

[bdreason]

I love watching Aussie open matches late at night.


I haven't been following Tennis the past couple months, so I'm not really sure who is hot or not.




Roddick match just started. :cheers:

[bdreason]

The Rafa/Federer rivalry gets even more juicy (http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/01/15/rafael-nadal-slams-silent-roger-federer-as-strike-talk-ignites-at-australian/)


Tennis players, especially the average ones, have been getting raped for years. I'll never understand why the players recieve only 10-15% of the profits, while the people who organize the event clear 85-90%.

The real issue is that a Tennis players career is short, maybe 10 years. Someone ranked in the 50-100 range their entire career will essentially retire with nothing, and a small pension, unless they manage to make money from endorsements.


I'm sorry, but a top 100 Tennis player in the World shouldn't have to worry about making rent. Average Golf players (PGA tour) make more than double what average Tennis players make, despite the sport being less popular and producing less revenue.

[bdreason]

And even though Roger is my fav Tennis player ever, I agree with Nadal. Unless the big names step up, nothing will ever change. The average pro Tennis player doesn't have the leverage to provoke change.

[gigantes]

Tennis players, especially the average ones, have been getting raped for years. I'll never understand why the players recieve only 10-15% of the profits, while the people who organize the event clear 85-90%.

The real issue is that a Tennis players career is short, maybe 10 years. Someone ranked in the 50-100 range their entire career will essentially retire with nothing, and a small pension, unless they manage to make money from endorsements.

I'm sorry, but a top 100 Tennis player in the World shouldn't have to worry about making rent. Average Golf players (PGA tour) make more than double what average Tennis players make, despite the sport being less popular and producing less revenue.
well said.

i'm not totally clear on the back-history and all, but my understanding is that the ATP represents both the players AND the events. a weird arrangement to nobody's real satisfaction, but it definitely seems to swing in favor of the slams.

and i'm not even sure if the average pro even manages ten years. they don't generally start making money until their late teens (or later), and by the time they're in their mid-twenties, their careers are winding down... probably because of the prolonged pounding on their knees and all the little tears and injuries accumulated from playing the modern power game. so, barring the outliers, we may only be talking 6-7 years of trying to make hay.

[entropy35]

Hopefully my man gasquet does well this tournament.

[GatorKid117]

Not a great day for Americans so far; Fish and Young are out with Isner on the ropes. Hopefully he can pull it out, Nalby is a tough out no matter his rank.

[gigantes]

s'all good. americans weren't going anywhere, anyway.

[GatorKid117]

I feel bad for Nalby, he got robbed pretty badly. What an incompetent chair umpire.

[B-Easy8]

I feel bad for Nalby, he got robbed pretty badly. What an incompetent chair umpire.

Yeah the chair umpire completely stuffed that up, he will probably get demoted or fired now.

[gigantes]

wow... ryan sweeting (USA) really took it to #5 ferrer in five sets. was spin-killing the hell out of the ball. just came up a little short in the touch and experience departments.

[The_Yearning]

As long as Andy Murray continues to lose :roll: :roll:

[RaininThrees]

Another win for Milllloosss!!

[bdreason]

I feel bad for Nalby, he got robbed pretty badly. What an incompetent chair umpire.


That was highway robbery, and that ump should be fired. He literally cost Nalbandian the match.




Watching Roddick v Hewitt last night... felt like it was 2001. :oldlol:

[Kobe Jnr]

Let's go Karlovic!

[bdreason]

Let's go Karlovic!


He played a great match, but Fed was just too much in the end.

[bdreason]

Another night of Aussie Open starts right now. Lots of hype on this Aussie kid Tomic. Playing Fed right now...

[gigantes]

excellent, thanks for the heads up.

watching it on the aussie open website with an assist from my video projector.

[Trademan]

Tomic is like a 19 year old Jesus.

[bdreason]

Great first set. Tomic played well... just a couple mistakes though and Fed capitalizes as usual.




Honestly, I think Fed is the most clutch player in all of sports, maybe of all time. They did a poll on most clutch player in any sport on ESPN maybe 6 months back and his named wasn't even mentioned. :confusedshrug:

[IlliniFan]

Great first set. Tomic played well... just a couple mistakes though and Fed capitalizes as usual.




Honestly, I think Fed is the most clutch player in all of sports, maybe of all time. They did a poll on most clutch player in any sport on ESPN maybe 6 months back and his named wasn't even mentioned. :confusedshrug:
Maybe because he's choked away almost every major tournament the past couple years.

[bdreason]

Old Fed losing to Nadal and Djoker isn't choking. Fed has had more clutch moments in his career than perhaps any pro athlete. That's why he has 16 titles, and something like an 83% career win percentage. :eek:


And the #1 player on the poll was Tiger Woods. Certainly a clutch player, but clearly not as clutch or as decorated as Fed.

[gigantes]

bit of a disappointing match so far. not sure how much longer i'll watch.

tomic' youth and inexperience seems pretty obvious. he's being caught underprepared over and over again by roger. and i'm not seeing much intensity or killer mentality on the opportunities he gets. looks kind of like a naturally-talented, big-hitting dude who has little idea what to do when in a real fight.

of course, some (or a lot) of that is roger- he's playing very smart, skillfully and intensely. still gotta be somewhat intimidating to face him, even for a pro.


EDIT: yea... tomic plays too woodenly for my taste. he's not using enough of the power that's generated by swiveling hips, bent knees, bodily contortions and so forth. not sure how far he can go until he fixes some of those issues.

[dunksby]

My boy Djokovic is gonna cruise this :rockon:

[bdreason]

Tomic really needed the first set. He has lost belief at this point. Probably doesn't help that Fed is his idol, and it's his first time playing him.

[SourPatchKids]

http://i54.tinypic.com/2ylo5tg.gif

[GatorKid117]

Watching Fed play makes me want to go play tennis.

[LJJ]

Got damn that Julia G

[gigantes]

a great day for tennis! serena williams and her piss-poor attitude are knocked out of the tournament.

now we can start listening to the excuses and how she was unfairly discriminated against yet again...

[bdreason]

Sharapova on in about 45 minutes.



Quick funny story. Last year during the Aussie open I was watching a womens match late night (like tonight) in the living room and my gf, who was asleep, came barging in the room talking about how she thought I was watching porn because she heard women grunting. :oldlol:


I have also got in trouble for watching womens volleyball... even though I actually play beach vball and claim to watch it for technique. :cheers:

[Kobe Jnr]

Letgo Lisicki

Her skin looks so smooth. Noice

[All Net]

Be surprised if it isn't a Fed/Nadal Djok/Murray semis...like it is every slam :lol

Hope Murray can finally get his first.

[Andrei89]

Be surprised if it isn't a Fed/Nadal Djok/Murray semis...like it is every slam :lol

Hope Murray can finally get his first.

temper

temper

temper

the 3 reasons why he can't win

[LiLharvard]

Can Hewitt take a set off jkovic ? I want to watch at least an hour of tennis

[B-Easy8]

Can Hewitt take a set off jkovic ? I want to watch at least an hour of tennis

He is playing extremely well.

[ManlyStanley69]

http://www.doyouwanna.ru/files/articles/doyouwanna.rafa-nadal-sexy-article-rafael-nadal-15722940-1860-2560.jpg
Go RAFA!

[alenleomessi]

First real test for FedEx tonight- Del Potro

[dude77]

First real test for FedEx tonight- Del Potro

fedex is going down

[dude77]

I must say Azarenka's looking good .. I'm likin'

[bdreason]

fedex is going down



pfff old man Fed is handling prime DLP right now.

[Kobe Jnr]

Federer doin work

[gigantes]

fedex is going down
i would have enjoyed that, but fed looked so damn excellent out there. every single area of his game at an elite level, like old times. i'm tempted to say that the old roger is back with a vengeance. we'll see.

[bdreason]

Are you a Nadal fan, gigantes?!?




I respect his game, but I've never liked the guy. Hopefully Berdych can at least take him 5 sets.

[gigantes]

not a fan of either, but i lean towards nadal between the two of them. not for his game, but for his personality. because he's colorful, friendly and humble. and granted, roger's a pretty nice guy, but he comes off as kind of aloof, arrogant and humorless at times.

roger's game is amazing, though. he's really the standard which most mortals should aim for. meanwhile, people like nadal and del potro have unusual physical advantages or extreme techniques that are not good models for the average player IMO.

when djoker came along years ago i was an instant fan for his spirit, sense of humor and wicked impressions. a nice successor for andre agassi, who was my favorite player before him.

damn, now i feel like going out and hitting some balls around. all i've done this winter is play table tennis... :/

[Kobe Jnr]

Good game going on. Rooting for Thomas. Pretty tired though, don't think I can watch the whole match.. Could be a marathon

[alenleomessi]

Berdych is doing great job so far, i think it goes 5 sets

[dude77]

yeah safe to say that match left me shocked .. no way I thought del potro would get his ass kicked like that .. that was scary .. this makes the nadal federer semifinal look really good .. can't wait ... gonna be awesome to watch and the final as well

[EnoughSaid]

I think this is Fed's to lose. Dude is probably playing his best tennis in a year or so, let's see how it goes down.

[gigantes]

lol at nishikori's outfit against murray- red shirt with stripes and a big "ramen cup o' noodles" logo on his sleeve.

if it was me i'd just cut to the chase and have a "cocoa puffs" logo on the front of my shirt and a giant picture of fred flintstone on the back.

[Sarcastic]

When is the Rafa Fed match?

[bdreason]

When is the Rafa Fed match?


Tonight (or technically tomorrow) at 12:30 AM PST, or 3:30 AM EST.


I'm going to try and stay up for it, but I doubt I make it past the first 2 sets.

[gigantes]

kvitova tied 1-1 in the 3rd set with sharapova. sure hope the ugly duckling can shut the annoying shrieker up...

[GatorKid117]

Ugh, anybody but Sharapova.

I do give her props on a well played match though. Now go get smoked in the Finals.

[gigantes]

crap... now we have an all-shriekers final.

[Kobe Jnr]

So many Russian female tennis players. Their taking over


How do they do hawkeye? Works so fast..

[bdreason]

Great match so far. Nadal just took the 3rd set though, and I think Fed will probably fade now. Bedtime for me.

[Brunch@Five]

you gotta love Feder vs Nadal. Always deliver great Tennis.

[East_Stone_Ya]

yep looks like Nadal will take it yet again:(

[Maga_1]

Yep, looks like another Nadal x Djokovic final.

And i think Djoko will take this one too.
Federer is way more difficult to Djoko at this point, in my opinion.

[The_Yearning]

Roger lacks the mental fortitude to hang with the likes of Djokovic and especially Nadal.

[alenleomessi]

...

http://pic.mk/images/OQn3C.png

:facepalm

[gigantes]

the margin between federer and the djoker is still pretty much nonexistent, and the one between fed and nadal is razor thin. nadal wins most matchups, but they're still extremely close.

i don't think many people realise how difficult it is to play nadal. his enormous topspin means he has the luxury of making fairly average shots in terms of placement. meanwhile, federer has to play a higher-risk style in order to counter that, going for tougher angles and net-kissing balls. that leads to errors. at the same time, when it's working, it looks incredibly easy, like in the first set. nobody else makes it look so easy to take points off of nadal other than roger. even the djoker has to work harder.

so it's not any lack of mental fortitude on roger's part IMO. rather it's a style executed at the very highest level that just manages to better his own style. federer's game and willpower is still phenomenal, however. if you watched his play and didn't see greatness, you don't understand tennis very much. says i.

[Sarcastic]

So this will be Rafa's 11th GS now?

[Maga_1]

So this will be Rafa's 11th GS now?

11th GS final.

[The_Yearning]

the margin between federer and the djoker is still pretty much nonexistent, and the one between fed and nadal is razor thin. nadal wins most matchups, but they're still extremely close.

i don't think many people realise how difficult it is to play nadal. his enormous topspin means he has the luxury of making fairly average shots in terms of placement. meanwhile, federer has to play a higher-risk style in order to counter that, going for tougher angles and net-kissing balls. that leads to errors. at the same time, when it's working, it looks incredibly easy, like in the first set. nobody else makes it look so easy to take points off of nadal other than roger. even the djoker has to work harder.

so it's not any lack of mental fortitude on roger's part IMO. rather it's a style executed at the very highest level that just manages to better his own style. federer's game and willpower is still phenomenal, however. if you watched his play and didn't see greatness, you don't understand tennis very much. says i.

That is just the science behind the game. Looking deeper into the surface, it is clear Rafa has a mental edge on Roger, the same way Djoker has the edge on Rafa, and the same way Roger has an edge on Murray.

It's all mental with these guys.

[gigantes]

it's just a cliche' to say things are all mental. the reality is that many things go into the mix... natural talent, intelligence, desire, opportunity, personality, size, strength, financial resources, coaching... and the style of game that comes out of all of these things.

and djoker's edge over nadal is light years different from any edge nadal has over federer. one is a dominating edge, one is paper thin.

[dude77]

...

http://pic.mk/images/OQn3C.png

:facepalm

nadal is in his head .. permanently

[dude77]

it's just a cliche' to say things are all mental. the reality is that many things go into the mix... natural talent, intelligence, desire, opportunity, personality, size, strength, financial resources, coaching... and the style of game that comes out of all of these things.

and djoker's edge over nadal is light years different from any edge nadal has over federer. one is a dominating edge, one is paper thin.


nadal is 18-9 against federer .. 13-6 in finals .. 8-2 in slam matches .. 6-2 in slam finals .. beat him in the last 5 consecutive slam finals .. Nadal has been dominating federer for years .. that's not the case with joker and nadal .. nadal actual has a winning record against the joker 16-13 and beat him 5 straight at one point .. federer's never beaten nadal more than 2 consecutive matches .. joker's streak against nadal started this past year .. whether that will continue for 'years' however is speculation .. you can correct your post now

[gigantes]

nadal is 18-9 against federer .. 13-6 in finals .. 8-2 in slam matches .. 6-2 in slam finals .. beat him in the last 5 consecutive slam finals .. Nadal has been dominating federer for years .. that's not the case with joker and nadal .. nadal actual has a winning record against the joker 16-13 and beat him 5 straight at one point .. federer's never beaten nadal more than 2 consecutive matches .. joker's streak against nadal started this past year .. whether that will continue for 'years' however is speculation .. you can correct your post now
like i already said, nadal has a stylistic advantage over federer, even though the matches are usually very close. the other factor is that nadal is very, very consistent against roger, which gives him the 2-1 edge in matches. but if it was truly as one-sided as you and many others delude yourselves into thinking, there would be no point in watching nadal-fed matches. instead, it's still the marquee matchup in tennis, with roger always right there with nadal every step of the way.

another way of looking at it is- if nadal tried to play fed's style of game, he would be ranked nowhere where he is now. and nobody would be talking about 'nadal's mental edge' because it would disappear from view. and if federer tried to play nadal's style of game, then he would constantly be out with injuries to his shoulder, knees, etc.


nadal actual has a winning record against the joker 16-13 and beat him 5 straight at one point ..
sounds like you haven't been following tennis the past couple years. djoker is a different player from a year+ ago. like i said, he dominates nadal and is in his head now in a way that nadal has never done to federer.

you guys just don't seem to understand- if you want to beat nadal, you have to go for precise, often risky shots. if you take no risks then you won't show up with lots of unforced errors, but you'll also go quietly 6-2 and the like. most people don't understand that an unforced error is a sketchy stat, especially at the higher levels. it represents more a winner attempt that missed rather than a shank shot or misjudgement.

[Maga_1]

like i already said, nadal has a stylistic advantage over federer, even though the matches are usually very close. the other factor is that nadal is very, very consistent against roger, which gives him the 2-1 edge in matches. but if it was truly as one-sided as you and many others delude yourselves into thinking, there would be no point in watching nadal-fed matches. instead, it's still the marquee matchup in tennis, with roger always right there with nadal every step of the way.

another way of looking at it is- if nadal tried to play fed's style of game, he would be ranked nowhere where he is now. and nobody would be talking about 'nadal's mental edge' because it would disappear from view. and if federer tried to play nadal's style of game, then he would constantly be out with injuries to his shoulder, knees, etc.


sounds like you haven't been following tennis the past couple years. djoker is a different player from a year+ ago. like i said, he dominates nadal and is in his head now in a way that nadal has never done to federer.

you guys just don't seem to understand- if you want to beat nadal, you have to go for precise, often risky shots. if you take no risks then you won't show up with lots of unforced errors, but you'll also go quietly 6-2 and the like. most people don't understand that an unforced error is a sketchy stat, especially at the higher levels. it represents more a winner attempt that missed rather than a shank shot or misjudgement.

Main point on Nadal - Djoko matchups for me.
You can see Djoko very often taking a risk on the 2nd serve, just against Nadal. The backhanded plays are much more often in their matchups than in another game. Stuff like that.

[dude77]

but if it was truly as one-sided as you and many others delude yourselves into thinking, there would be no point in watching nadal-fed matches. instead, it's still the marquee matchup in tennis, with roger always right there with nadal every step of the way

incorrect .. it's still the marquee matchup because it's nadal federer :facepalm federer's one of the best of all time .. he always has a chance of winning


another way of looking at it is- if nadal tried to play fed's style of game, he would be ranked nowhere where he is now


again irrelevant .. if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle ..


how convenient you ignore the factual evidence I showed you .. suddenly nadals winning record and consistent success against joker no longer counts now that the joker has the upperhand .. how convenient .. like it never happened huh ? .. almost like the joker has been dominating him for years .. oh wait ..

.. apparently you have some personal bias against nadal .. you don't like him or his game for whatever reason but that doesn't change the fact that nadal has dominated federer thoroughly and more impressively than djokovic has done to nadal .. what if nadal turns the tables on joker this year ? .. you nor I know what will happen .. but the fact remains that at one point nadal won 5 straight against joker .. federer never did that to nadal ..

beating someone 18 out of 27 times and 5 times consecutively in a span of years is domination .. it's not 'luck' or 'getting a few breaks' .. it's domination .. and yes unforced errors are sketchy .. but they're definitely caused by the opponent more times than you think .. federer has fits with nadal's high bouncing groundstrokes .. the fact that federer's unforced errors go up when he faces nadal aren't a coincidence ..

federer looked dominant and absolutely on top of his game coming into the nadal match .. it's no coincidence federer suddenly looked ordinary against nadal ..

nadal's domination has been more thorough because it's been sustained a lot longer .. as I said earlier, djokovic got the upperhand on nadal this past year, while nadal has owned federer for YEARS .. you nor I know if the joker's edge over nadal will continue .. it's all speculation but we know for a fact nadal has owned federer for years .. I'll wait a little longer to proclaim the joker's run as impressive as nadal's edge over federer ..

[gigantes]

@dude77,
i think the best way for you to get a reality check is to take your collection of opinions and actually head on over to a tennis webforums where experienced players hang out. assuming they give you the time of day then you might be lucky enough to learn something about the game you hadn't realised before. you, and the huge gang who are looking down on federer with such bias right now.

and no, as with most of your points, you couldn't be more wrong about my disliking nadal. if you had been reading this thread you would have seen me explaining a day or two ago why i like nadal more than federer.

[dude77]

@dude77,
i think the best way for you to get a reality check is to take your collection of opinions and actually head on over to a tennis webforums where experienced players hang out. assuming they give you the time of day then you might be lucky enough to learn something about the game you hadn't realised before. you, and the huge gang who are looking down on federer with such bias right now.

and no, as with most of your points, you couldn't be more wrong about my disliking nadal. if you had been reading this thread you would have seen me explaining a day or two ago why i like nadal more than federer.

nice personal shot there .. it seems everytime someone on here starts losing an argument, they get flustered and frustrated and turn to belittling and personal shots .. weak ..

by the way factual data aren't opinions :hammerhead: .. I'm not looking down on Federer .. you would know this if you read my post .. I'm well aware of his skill and capabilities .. when you minimize nadal's domination over federer you lose credibility

[The_Yearning]

it's just a cliche' to say things are all mental. the reality is that many things go into the mix... natural talent, intelligence, desire, opportunity, personality, size, strength, financial resources, coaching... and the style of game that comes out of all of these things.

and djoker's edge over nadal is light years different from any edge nadal has over federer. one is a dominating edge, one is paper thin.

Just quit while you are embarrassing yourself. Financial resources? :facepalm

And everything else I bolded is in favor of Federer and what I didn't bold is all Nadal... all mental aspects of the game. Learn your definitions.

[gigantes]

i stand by what i said earlier- if you guys really think you're right in your assessments, take them to a real forums with hardcore fans and veteran players. or if you just want to wallow in your confirmation bias, feel free to keep beating your chests right here. just forgive me if move on.

[bdreason]

Nadal is supposed to beat Federer at this stage of their careers, don't get it twisted.

We're talking about a prime Nadal, and an old Federer. So please, stop acting like Nadal is "in his head" or anything like that. Federer is simply a step slower than 5 years ago, and that step costs him against the best Tennis players in the World (Nadal isn't the only player he loses to these days).



And for anyone who actually watched the match, it still came down to a couple points here or there, and Nadal made some spectacular plays. Also for those pointing at Unforced errors, you should also check out WINNERS, for which Federer doubled up Nadal. That's how Federer has to play Nadal these days. He has to take risks, and aim for lines, because Nadal is just too physical for Fed to rally with all night long. Federer's best chance is to shorten points and hit winners, which also leads to more unforced errors.



We will see how prime Nadal does against prime Djoker (assuming he beats Murray tonight). My money is on Djoker.

[bdreason]

The Nadal dominating Federer myth is just that, a myth.


The majority of their meetings while Roger was in his prime came on CLAY, because Nadal wasn't even good enough to make it the Finals of anything but the French Open. By the time Nadal become good enough to even reach the Finals of anything other than the French, Fed was already on the decline.


So yes, Nadal has a great record against Federer, and the majority of it is circumstantial. Now, I'm not saying Nadal isn't a great player, who is certainly capable of beat Federer... but looking at their H2H matches and claiming Nadal > Federer is laughable at best.


ps- I bet Nadal (25) isn't even playing Tennis in 6 years, when he's Federer's age (31). Let alone competing for Majors.

[The_Yearning]

i stand by what i said earlier- if you guys really think you're right in your assessments, take them to a real forums with hardcore fans and veteran players. or if you just want to wallow in your confirmation bias, feel free to keep beating your chests right here. just forgive me if move on.

Please, join in clown.

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=410893

Is that hardcore enough for you? :facepalm

Seems like you have mental problems as well. Retardation...

[gigantes]

i was afraid of this... djoker is up, but having trouble breathing.

murray is too good a player for him to do his typical 'i'll hit the ball right to you and dare you to find an angle' thing if he's not close to 100%. :/


EDIT: murray is definitely a better player than he was. you can see him getting irritated by little things as usual, but now he seems better at pulling things back together quickly. his FH also seems a little more aggressive in power and in placement than it used to be. no surprise, since he's getting coached by ivan lendl now?

[gigantes]

Please, join in clown.

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=410893

Is that hardcore enough for you? :facepalm

Seems like you have mental problems as well. Retardation...
oh, congratulations... you found another forum full of armchair parrots repeating the same simplistic conclusions.

rafa is in roger's head *squawk* roger just falls apart for no good reason *squawk* roger isn't even close to roger as a real competitor... total domination, dude! *squawk*

i think there might have been ONE guy in there who actually showed how to break down the technique of the game and how that affected the outcome, re: fed's 1H BH. but what i was talking about was some group of people who sound like they actually play tennis or know how to analyse the game.

[The_Yearning]

oh, congratulations... you found another forum full of armchair parrots repeating the same simplistic conclusions.

rafa is in roger's head *squawk* roger just falls apart for no good reason *squawk* roger isn't even close to roger as a real competitor... total domination, dude! *squawk*

i think there might have been ONE guy in there who actually showed how to break down the technique of the game and how that affected the outcome, re: fed's 1H BH. but what i was talking about was some group of people who sound like they actually play tennis or know how to analyse the game.

Blah blah blah put up or shut up. Continue rambling clown :roll:

I can feel the itch behind your back each time you make a weak response like this.

[dude77]

I wake up to an epic match .. no way did I think it would still be on now .. and as I type .. Murray's choking away the last set, gets broken .. damn it

[gigantes]

wow... this has been a great match. murray gassed a bit and novak found another gear. every time the djoker looked like he was crumpling, he somehow found new strength and new energy. 5-2 in the fifth. one more game now and it's over.

EDIT: and murray comes back and makes a game of it. AWESOME MATCH!

[dunksby]

Novak!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111111

[dunksby]

Breathtakingly close match but my boy Novak got through in the end :rockon:

[dude77]

Nadal is supposed to beat Federer at this stage of their careers, don't get it twisted.

We're talking about a prime Nadal, and an old Federer. So please , stop acting like Nadal is "in his head" or anything like that. Federer is simply a step slower than 5 years ago, and that step costs him against the best Tennis players in the World (Nadal isn't the only player he loses to these days).



And for anyone who actually watched the match, it still came down to a couple points here or there, and Nadal made some spectacular plays. Also for those pointing at Unforced errors, you should also check out WINNERS, for which Federer doubled up Nadal. That's how Federer has to play Nadal these days. He has to take risks, and aim for lines, because Nadal is just too physical for Fed to rally with all night long. Federer's best chance is to shorten points and hit winners, which also leads to more unforced errors.



We will see how prime Nadal does against prime Djoker (assuming he beats Murray tonight). My money is on Djoker.

what nonsense is this ? :facepalm your facts are completely wrong man .. what's up with the blatant lies ? or maybe you're just not aware ? ..

nadal's been beating federer since 2004 :facepalm .. his consistency against federer goes back 7 years when federer was 23-24 .. he beat him in their first ever match up on a HARD COURT .. he has a bunch of wins on clay .. has made federer his bitch on clay .. and has a good amount of wins on other surfaces 4-5 hard, 1-2 on grass .. federer has NO EDGE on any nonclay surface .. nadal has shown he can beat him on ANY surface and owns him on one surface .. nadal has had the edge over federer since federer was in his PRIME ..

[dude77]

The Nadal dominating Federer myth is just that, a myth.


The majority of their meetings while Roger was in his prime came on CLAY, because Nadal wasn't even good enough to make it the Finals of anything but the French Open. By the time Nadal become good enough to even reach the Finals of anything other than the French, Fed was already on the decline.


So yes, Nadal has a great record against Federer, and the majority of it is circumstantial. Now, I'm not saying Nadal isn't a great player, who is certainly capable of beat Federer... but looking at their H2H matches and claiming Nadal > Federer is laughable at best.


ps- I bet Nadal (25) isn't even playing Tennis in 6 years, when he's Federer's age (31). Let alone competing for Majors.

certainly capable of beating him ? :oldlol:

your anti nadal bias is shining through .. how convenient you disregard nadal's clay success to prop up federer in their head to head :no: .. sorry can't do that .. clay matches count .. federer's one of the best all time .. he's supposed to beat nadal on CLAY or anywhere else .. if federer had that same level of dominance over nadal on hard or grass you'd be praising federer and saying how he owns nadal :hammerhead: ..

the facts don't lie .. nadal has had federer's number more times than not while federer has no clear advantage on any nonclay surface .. this is like talking to 'baghdad bob' .. 'no matter the truth, deny deny deny' .. too funny

[raiderfan19]

Feds prime ended 3 years ago. Nadal wasnt good enough to make finals on other surfaces at feds peak while fed was always the second best clay courter

[dude77]

another epic match coming up .. can't wait .. I see djokovic winning but I won't count out nadal

[dude77]

Feds prime ended 3 years ago. Nadal wasnt good enough to make finals on other surfaces at feds peak while fed was always the second best clay courter

we're talking head to head .. stop uttering nonsense .. nadal beat federer way back when fed was in his 'prime' in their first match, on a HARD COURT and has had the edge ever since .. the fact that they've met more times on clay doesn't diminish nadal's dominance .. you can't be selective with surfaces .. if federer had been the one dominating him on clay .. you'd all be lauding federer's 'dominance' .. get the f outta here with that garbage .. leave your bias out of it

[donald_trump]

i see nadal taking the final to be honest. just basing this on form. novak is the champ and all, but it doesnt count for much come the last day. the only thing i see holding rafa back is nerves and the fact that novak has been dismantling him the last 6 times they met.

i think its rafa's to lose. hes in great form, novak isn't.

[dude77]

i see nadal taking the final to be honest. just basing this on form. novak is the champ and all, but it doesnt count for much come the last day. the only thing i see holding rafa back is nerves and the fact that novak has been dismantling him the last 6 times they met.

i think its rafa's to lose. hes in great form, novak isn't.

that's kind of a significant factor there :oldlol: .. he's in nadal's head .. I guess we'll see if nadal has been able to get him out of it

[dunksby]

Novak is gonna school Nadal yet again.

[Maga_1]

Murray played is best game ever and still manage to lose against a very tired or whatever you want to call Djokovic.
Djoko missed a lot of crucial break points that would had help him a lot in terms of fatigue.

I bet Djokovic to win, but he's my favorite player.

[dude77]

Murray was impressive .. we're talking about a guy who got eaten alive by joker in the final last year .. very impressive .. looks like lendl is working some magic with his coaching

[Sarcastic]

Feds prime ended 3 years ago. Nadal wasnt good enough to make finals on other surfaces at feds peak while fed was always the second best clay courter

Fed's peak started in 2004, when Nadal was only 18. At that age he was way too young to compete with Federer, except on clay.

Nadal's peak started in 2008 when he was 22, which is the age when most tennis players start to take off.

Roger won his first Slam in 2003, when he was 21 about to be 22.

[ChuckOakley]

Wow.. I really thought Murray was going to pull this off going in with the way he has been playing, and he's seemingly due for a break. Can't wait to watch the DVR of this.

Nadal, IMO, is the favorite in the final. Even though I haven't watched the match yet, I'm assuming Novak is going to be exhausted and played his match one day later than Nadal. Nadal looks to be in top form and played some of the best tennis I've seen from him against Federer, who was playing very well himself. It's time for Nadal to break his losing streak against Novak, and play with confidence. My guess, Nadal in 4.

And, as repetitive as it may be.. I love seeing these 4 in the semis.

[BurningHammer]

Djoker so serious he will win.

[raiderfan19]

Fed's peak started in 2004, when Nadal was only 18. At that age he was way too young to compete with Federer, except on clay.

Nadal's peak started in 2008 when he was 22, which is the age when most tennis players start to take off.

Roger won his first Slam in 2003, when he was 21 about to be 22.
So nadals peak lasted a year and a half?

[Sarcastic]

So nadals peak lasted a year and a half?

Just because he only won 1 major last year, doesn't mean he is still not at his peak. He can very easily win 2 or 3 this year.

[GatorKid117]

Only was able to watch until half of the 3rd. Shame I'm not going to get to see the finish. Wish Murray could get over the hump. Oh well.

I like Djoko in the Final.

[enayes]

It's a new year, I'm feeling Nadal on this one.

And I'm willing to make a $200 bet with anyone and everyone.

[dude77]

It's a new year, I'm feeling Nadal on this one.

And I'm willing to make a $200 bet with anyone and everyone.


I'm thinking the same .. it's just the mental aspect .. I'm afraid djokovic may still be in his head .. I mean we're talking 6 straight losses to him and the last 2 slams .. but Nadal looked good taking Federer who had just destroyed dp so lets see .. he needs to break this now and get back on track .. djokovic is very beatable

[Sarcastic]

Novak also played a 5 set match. He could be tired.

[gigantes]

Wish Murray could get over the hump. Oh well.
murray took an obvious step up here, and in his post-match comments, talked about how he's gained maturity and how he's going to go after the big three in the coming months.

so don't feel too bad about murray. he's already an elite player who is showing signs of addressing his two biggest weaknesses: lack of offense and mental consistency.

i think the big three will have their hands full with him in the future, and most other players run the risk of getting destroyed by him.

[BurningHammer]

Novak also played a 5 set match. He could be tired.
Doesn't last year win streak prove something about Djokovic's stamina? He basically played more matches than most of top pro players and still won.

[gigantes]

Doesn't last year win streak prove something about Djokovic's stamina? He basically played more matches than most of top pro players and still won.
he also flamed out after the US open and sort of lost the chance to have the greatest men's tennis year in history. not that i blame him in the slightest... just sayin.

[bdreason]

Womens Final coming on now. I don't really know enough about Azarenka to make an educated prediction. Maria has the experience, so I'll pick her. I'll be looking for Maria's first server %. She has to serve well to win.

[bdreason]

And I wasn't overly impressed with Djokers performance against Murray, while Nadal was in the zone against Fed. I still think Djoker is a style matchup problem for Nadal... but Nadal's intensity and focus is unmatched.


I'll still go with Djoker in the final, but the Semi's put some doubt in my mind.

[The_Yearning]

Novak also played a 5 set match. He could be tired.

Not really. I wouldn't be surprised if this guy was doping. He's a good actor with all that breathing though.

[YAWN]

damn that is short.
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/1593/u19m.png

[dunksby]

Not really. I wouldn't be surprised if this guy was doping. He's a good actor with all that breathing though.
5 hours of intense and relentless fight for a place in the finals of a grand slam is not excuse enough for breathing alot?

[Sarcastic]

Azarenka wins the women's draw.

Martina Hingis looks much better as a woman (at the award ceremony), than her playing days when she was young.

[bdreason]

Game on.


C'mon Djoker, send this capri-pants wearing, butt-picking, Spaniard back to Spain!

[Maga_1]

Game on.


C'mon Djoker, send this capri-pants wearing, butt-picking, Spaniard back to Spain!

Jesus, i thought the game was getting started already and i missed something :lol

Fukcing 8.00am and i'm awake to watch this, i'm proud of myself.

[gigantes]

C'mon Djoker, send this capri-pants wearing, butt-picking, Spaniard back to Spain!
your post embarrasses me as a fellow fed appreciator.

this is not the right way to talk about nadal.

[Brunch@Five]

I'm excited :banana:
Hoping for less than 4h30, because that's all the time I got. :oldlol:

[Maga_1]

Anyone have some guesses?

I bet Djokovic in 3-1.

[alenleomessi]

Nole in 5

[Brunch@Five]

Djoker is one of those guys that can unleash incredible force when he gets angry and still be accurate

[imdaman99]

lets go RAFA!!!!!! :applause:

wins the 1st set 7-5, breaking joker twice

[imdaman99]

goddammit, nadal breaks joker only to double fault the set away :facepalm

the umpire sucks in this game, too many challenges won

[Rysio]

goddamit why cant federer play like this against nadal? :(

[Quickening]

goddamit why cant federer play like this against nadal? :(

Becauuse he has a completely different game to Djokovic maybe.... doesn't have his stamina, speed around the court, double handed backhand etc

[Maga_1]

Becauuse he has a completely different game to Djokovic maybe.... doesn't have his stamina, speed around the court, double handed backhand etc
:applause:

[alenleomessi]

Well head to head, Nadal leads Federer, Djokovic leads Nadal and Federer leads Djokovic


There is no clear cut best player, but it can be argued that right now its the Djoker

[FinishHim!]

The cameraman LOVES Novak's girl.

[Maga_1]

Well head to head, Nadal leads Federer, Djokovic leads Nadal and Federer leads Djokovic


There is no clear cut best player, but it can be argued that right now its the Djoker

and Murray will be very tough to beat on the next grand slams, in my opinion if he didn't lost against Djoko and the way he was playing he could had win it all.

[FinishHim!]

come on NADAL!!! this is for all the marbles.

[Quickening]

I really hope Djoko wins, can't stand Nadal antics and his moonballing.

[Kobe Jnr]

Si Si Si Si

[CeltsGarlic]

Nadal will take this one.

[TaLvsCuaL]

Nadal is a warrior, a ****ing legend.

[donald_trump]

nadal plays boring tennis. not sure how he has fans.

he's like a more athletic prime hewitt. just blocks the balls back and waits for his opponents to make a mistake.

[TaLvsCuaL]

nadal plays boring tennis. not sure how he has fans.

he's like a more athletic prime hewitt. just blocks the balls back and waits for his opponents to make a mistake.
:facepalm

[Quickening]

nadal plays boring tennis. not sure how he has fans.

he's like a more athletic prime hewitt. just blocks the balls back and waits for his opponents to make a mistake.

Exactly..... moonballer, can you imagine if the next generation of players were all like him, atheletes with little imagination.

Very tedious player to watch.

[donald_trump]

:facepalm

dont know what youre face palming about. the fact that even the 6-2 game was almost an hour long proves my point.

[TaLvsCuaL]

Exactly..... moonballer, can you imagine if the next generation of players were all like him, atheletes with little imagination.

Very tedious player to watch.
He is one of the most talented players of all time. And he have some of the most imaginatives shots ive ever seen.

[Quickening]

He is one of the most talented players of all time. And he have some of the most imaginatives shots ive ever seen.

Mooballer has imaginative shots?

Hit high over the net with lots of spin, and pace........ waits for opponent to make mistake or become tired.

Yes very imaginative.

[Abd El-Krim]

Somebody get Djoker a cup of coffee.

[yobore]

He is one of the most talented players of all time. And he have some of the most imaginatives shots ive ever seen.
Very few and far between, nowhere near the creativity of Fed and Djokovic. He has fans because people admire how hard he plays, he is a real pusher but to play like that you have to run down shot after shot after shot. It's blue collar tennis

To me in a vacuum Djokovic would be my favorite he has more personality and is an entertainer, but since the other two came first I already liked their rivalry. I like all three for different reasons.

[b1imtf]

Eurosport riding Nadal's dick like crazy

[Quickening]

Nadal good argument..... someone in crowd shouted out so we replay point yes?

[Maga_1]

Eurosport riding Nadal's dick like crazy

H

[Quickening]

Great job Djoko!

[Black Joker]

Djokovic!

[Abd El-Krim]

lol Vlade Divac

[b1imtf]

[QUOTE=Maga_1]H

[alenleomessi]

Nole in 5
should have bet on this one
oh well

epic game though, nole is number one right now :applause:

[TaLvsCuaL]

Epic game, Nadal did everything he could and still could not win. Djokovic is much better player at this moment. Desiring to see the next final of these two monsters.

[Black Joker]

that's seven straight wins for Djoker against Nadal

[Abd El-Krim]

:roll:

**** this man. Djoker and Nadal can barely stand, and these wordy rich bastards won't stop talking.

edit - finally brought them chairs and water. Guess they plan to keep going for a while.

[dunksby]

Novak was just relentless the whole match, he dominated Nadal on every level, Djokovic deserved to win this completely. :cheers:

[dunksby]

The commentating team were shameless in their homerism for Nadal :facepalm

[Teanett]

there are better tennis players than him, but raffa nadal is a force of nature.
great job by djoko.
:bowdown:

[Maga_1]

[QUOTE=b1imtf]N

[gigantes]

great comeback by the djoker. it looked like nadal had wrestled the match away, up 4-2 in the fifth.

the distance between the big four is tighter than ever after this tournament. all four of them are a whisker away from losing or beating the others. which is great news for tennis, obviously.

no comments about the sponsors and bigwigs who tortured the microphones afterwards. no comments about the people here putting down nadal...

[bdreason]

your post embarrasses me as a fellow fed appreciator.

this is not the right way to talk about nadal.


I was just playing around. My apologies if I offended you.

[b1imtf]

[QUOTE=Maga_1]Eu estava a ver na British tamb

[bdreason]

As for the match, all I can say is WOW. One of the best Tennis matches I've ever seen.

Nadal is a true warrior, and I thought he had it in the 5th. What a difficult loss, and I honestly feel bad that anyone had to lose that match. I felt as bad for Nadal losing that match, as I did for Fed losing that match to Nadal at Wimbeldon.



And making those guys stand there at the end was ridiculous. You could tell both were beat and probably cramping up. At least they got them some chairs after a few minutes. :confusedshrug:

[raiderfan19]

great comeback by the djoker. it looked like nadal had wrestled the match away, up 4-2 in the fifth.

the distance between the big four is tighter than ever after this tournament. all four of them are a whisker away from losing or beating the others. which is great news for tennis, obviously.

no comments about the sponsors and bigwigs who tortured the microphones afterwards. no comments about the people here putting down nadal...
There is no big 4. Until murray wins multiple slams its incredibly disrespectful to the other 3 to lump him in with them

[gigantes]

I was just playing around. My apologies if I offended you.
okay, thanks. sorry if i overreacted. there's been too much cheap smashing of various players, which i should probably just ignore in future.



There is no big 4. Until murray wins multiple slams its incredibly disrespectful to the other 3 to lump him in with them
i wasn't implying that murray's accomplishments are on par with the others. that's only one way of looking at it.

big 'big four', i mean that those four are on another level compared to the rest of the field right now. also, that they are all playing very close to one another at the moment. not too long ago you couldn't have said that about murray and the djoker. now you can.

[ballerz]

What a match. Really seems like Djokovic has nadals number