United States Open of Tennis (U.S. Open) Official Thread

[bdreason]

Opening ceremony is :wtf:




Playing a bunch of R&B and Hip Hop with a bunch of middle aged white people in the stands like :confusedshrug:






Anyways, my picks to win it are Djoker and Serena. My darkhorses are Tsonga and Azarenka.

[Sarcastic]

I'm pulling for Andy Murray to get the monkey off his back.

[bdreason]

Well, I really shouldn't call Azarenka a 'darkhorse'... she is the #1 ranked player in the World. :oldlol:

[EnoughSaid]

Shiiit Fed is probably going to get this one as well. He had Djoker beat last year but Djoker went crazy at the end. Going to get his 18th major?! :bowdown:

[LamarOdom]

Andy Roddick ftw.

[SourPatchKids]

In Novak and Tsonga I place my trust.

[dude77]

yeah it's about time for murray .. wouldn't mind seeing him break out

[imdaman99]

lets go murray :applause: since nadal is out... dammit his injuries :mad:

[bokes15]

Having Nadal out of the tourny for injuries again SEVERLY lowers my interest in this tournament. I wouldn't be particularly more happy or upset with any winner or loser on the mens draw. But i'd say i'm going for Murray but honestly expecting Fed or Djoker to pull it out and no-one else.

As for the women, i'm still going with Serena.

[gigantes]

I'm a Djoker fan but If I had a choice I'd like to see Murray finally stroke that monkey, or whatever the phrase is. Would also be interesting if Fed won yet another major, because at a certain point he'd inch past Laver in my book as the greatest ever.

Anybody but Serena on the women's side. Anybody. To me it's laughable the idea that she'sbecome the greatest ever. Steffi Graf is still so far ahead of her IMO in majors and most other accomplishments. Matter of fact, would be cool if Venus could win it as a heart-warming comeback story of sorts.

USOPEN.ORG- awesome live online coverage. Even has PIP to watch multiple matches. Throw that on a video projector and you're golden!

[leopoldstotch]

I'm a Sloane Stephens fan. rooting for her to make it big this year :applause:

[EnoughSaid]

I'm a Djoker fan but If I had a choice I'd like to see Murray finally stroke that monkey, or whatever the phrase is. Would also be interesting if Fed won yet another major, because at a certain point he'd inch past Laver in my book as the greatest ever.

Anybody but Serena on the women's side. Anybody. To me it's laughable the idea that she'sbecome the greatest ever. Steffi Graf is still so far ahead of her IMO in majors and most other accomplishments. Matter of fact, would be cool if Venus could win it as a heart-warming comeback story of sorts.

USOPEN.ORG- awesome live online coverage. Even has PIP to watch multiple matches. Throw that on a video projector and you're golden!

Federer is already the GOAT. :bowdown:

[lilbeastnani]

Anyone just saw Pam Shriver slobbering all over Melo's nuts with LaLa right there next to him? All flirting with him and touching him and shit. LMAO.

[lilbeastnani]

I'm a Djoker fan but If I had a choice I'd like to see Murray finally stroke that monkey, or whatever the phrase is. Would also be interesting if Fed won yet another major, because at a certain point he'd inch past Laver in my book as the greatest ever.

Anybody but Serena on the women's side. Anybody. To me it's laughable the idea that she'sbecome the greatest ever. Steffi Graf is still so far ahead of her IMO in majors and most other accomplishments. Matter of fact, would be cool if Venus could win it as a heart-warming comeback story of sorts.

USOPEN.ORG- awesome live online coverage. Even has PIP to watch multiple matches. Throw that on a video projector and you're golden!
Nobody who even moderately follows the sport of tennis considers Serena Williams the greatest womens tennis player of all time. I don't think she'll ever be considered better than Graf or Navrtilova. Some would even argue that Henin-Herdenne was the better player but her career was pretty short lived.

As for the mens game, it's NOT debatable. Every fan, media member, and even a good chunk of the all-time greats including Mcenroe, Sampras, and even Rod Laver himself have come out and said that Roger's the greatest. There's no debate, question, or doubt about it.

[gigantes]

dissenting opinions on laver being the greatest? well, okay... without looking anything up, here is what i remember when i last tried to compare fed, laver and the other tennis greats:


- no other player besides laver went apeshit and won all four slams in a single season, not once but twice.

- no other player dominated the masters and the majors like he did, first as a young scrub, and later, as an old man. his winning percentage was unreal.

- unlike laver, neither fed nor any other modern player was barred from playing the slams for his entire tennis peak, i.e. the five+ years of laver's prime.

- any argument about laver being 'weak on certain surfaces' is rubbish IMO. the man played every available surface in his time, including the new-fangled ones being developed, and dominated them all. you cannot ask more from any athlete in sports, now or in the future.

- laver dominates fed in total tournaments won, 170 or so against something. that's probably the most unambiguous way to measure success across the eras, especially with the way the slams were forbidden to top players for so long.


Q.E.D. -- the research shows that rod laver is probably the most accomplished player in tennis history by all significant measures. of course i didn't believe that at first- my original goal in studying tennis history was to find that pete sampras was better than roger federer. but much to my amazement, i discovered that laver was decisively better than either one.

[gigantes]

Nobody who even moderately follows the sport of tennis considers Serena Williams the greatest womens tennis player of all time.
many tennis experts, writers, news people and so forth have been launching the opinion this year that serena is the greatest ever. from SI, fox, ESPN, various tennis sites, fan opinions and so forth.

no idea what voices you're listening to in particular. i'm not saying it's right, but it's what the body of experts have been saying IME.

[Sarcastic]

Nobody who even moderately follows the sport of tennis considers Serena Williams the greatest womens tennis player of all time. I don't think she'll ever be considered better than Graf or Navrtilova. Some would even argue that Henin-Herdenne was the better player but her career was pretty short lived.

As for the mens game, it's NOT debatable. Every fan, media member, and even a good chunk of the all-time greats including Mcenroe, Sampras, and even Rod Laver himself have come out and said that Roger's the greatest. There's no debate, question, or doubt about it.

If you use the same time machine that we use to compare basketball players, and were to transport Serena Williams to the era of Margaret Court, or Martina Navratilova, or Steffi Graf then do you really doubt that she wouldn't destroy them?

[gigantes]

the thing with the kid was probably agreed to ahead of time (a parody of the steffi graf "will you marry me" famous proposal). OTOH, how many top players would have agreed to be distracted by all that? regardless, the playfulness of this dude makes tennis fun in a way a person rarely sees anywhere. part of why i like djokovic so much:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrf5wKW_FhA

[Sarcastic]

dissenting opinions on laver being the greatest? well, okay... without looking anything up, here is what i remember when i last tried to compare fed, laver and the other tennis greats:


- no other player besides laver went apeshit and won all four slams in a single season, not once but twice.

- no other player dominated the masters and the majors like he did, first as a young scrub, and later, as an old man. his winning percentage was unreal.

- unlike laver, neither fed nor any other modern player was barred from playing the slams for his entire tennis peak, i.e. the five+ years of laver's prime.

- any argument about laver being 'weak on certain surfaces' is rubbish IMO. the man played every available surface in his time, including the new-fangled ones being developed, and dominated them all. you cannot ask more from any athlete in sports, now or in the future.

- laver dominates fed in total tournaments won, 170 or so against something. that's probably the most unambiguous way to measure success across the eras, especially with the way the slams were forbidden to top players for so long.


Q.E.D. -- the research shows that rod laver is probably the most accomplished player in tennis history by all significant measures. of course i didn't believe that at first- my original goal in studying tennis history was to find that pete sampras was better than roger federer. but much to my amazement, i discovered that laver was decisively better than either one.


:applause:


Wow, someone who actually learned about the history of tennis in order to make a decision on GOAT, without just counting up total Slams won.


:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[bdreason]

So much for my Tsonga pick he's playing like garbage and about to lose to a relative nobody.

[lilbeastnani]

If you use the same time machine that we use to compare basketball players, and were to transport Serena Williams to the era of Margaret Court, or Martina Navratilova, or Steffi Graf then do you really doubt that she wouldn't destroy them?
To that I say the same thing that I say when people use the Lebron James debate. "Throw Lebron into the era of 20 years ago and he would dominate because he's so much bigger, stronger, and can jump higher than those guys." Granted that is true. Teleport him into a previous era and he would be bigger, stronger, faster, and fitter than all those guys. But, transport them into this era... Like say, place a 27 year old Jordan into 2012 and he would GET bigger and stronger and faster. That's what the trend is in all sports nowadays. We could use that same argument to say Rafael Nadal would destroy Rod Laver. But we all know that under equal circumstances, aka both guys coming up in the same era with the same technologies, rackets, supplements, and trainers available to each of them, Laver would be the better of the two. In that same sense, Steffi was a much better all around player than Serena and as we have seen from Fed, power isn't as effective against such a great shot maker. That's why someone like a prime Henin gave Serena so much trouble even though she never wanted to admit it.

[DuMa]

Clownga

[raiderfan19]

It's amazing that tsongas not more consistent. He's IMO the most talented of the top guys. Monster serve. Huge off both wings and good touch. He's also a ridiculously good athlete despite being so big.

[lilbeastnani]

Q.E.D. -- the research shows that rod laver is probably the most accomplished player in tennis history by all significant measures. of course i didn't believe that at first- my original goal in studying tennis history was to find that pete sampras was better than roger federer. but much to my amazement, i discovered that laver was decisively better than either one.
I respect that you have done your research. However, I feel as though in debates like this people who have played the game on a professional level are the most qualified to give these opinions. AND, it's not like it's one guy who said this either. Every player in the "greatest ever" debate has said it's Roger. Easily researched if you need proof.


Laver: "Roger Federer certainly is my claim to be the best of all time if there is such a thing," said the 73-year-old Australian.

"Roger's got all the shots, his anticipation is unbelievable, his timing off the groundstrokes with his shots, his single-handed backhand is one of the best there is.

Sampras: "What he's done over the past five years has never, ever been done – and probably will never, ever happen again," Sampras said. "Regardless if he won there or not, he goes down as the greatest ever. This just confirms it."
Now that he's won in Paris, I think it just more solidifies his place in history as the greatest player that played the game, in my opinion," Sampras said. "I'm a huge Laver fan and he had a few years in there where he didn't have an opportunity to win majors. But you can't compare the eras and in this era the competition is much more fierce than Rod's."

Borg:In November 2010, Bjorn Borg said that Federer is the greatest player, but "Rafa has the chance to be the greatest player" if he stays healthy.

John Mcenroe: “Roger is just the greatest player of all time,” he said. “He is the most beautiful player I’ve ever seen and I don’t ever get tired of watching him. Rod Laver is my idol, Pete Sampras is the greatest grass court player ever, but Roger is just the greatest player of all. I think we can all appreciate how incredible he is even more lately, because he’s shown a bit more emotion on court and he’s become a father so he seems a bit more human, more relatable. That makes what he’s doing seem even more amazing.”

Andre Agassi: ''He's changed the game of tennis, he's raised the standard. To me he's the best of all time now - maybe Nadal has a chance in his career to prove differently, but right now I think Roger's the all-time best, and to watch what he did against Djokovic was so special, so good for tennis, and I think win or lose [the final] he has so much to be proud of.''


I don't think you ever see such unanimous support from top guys like that in something that you consider debatable. Even the very guy that you say is better than him is in his corner there.

[yobore]

It's amazing that tsongas not more consistent. He's IMO the most talented of the top guys. Monster serve. Huge off both wings and good touch. He's also a ridiculously good athlete despite being so big.
I knew Tsonga wasn't going to go far because he missed some of the leadup tournaments. He's also nowhere near the most talented of the top 5, he is not as quick and doesn't have a consistent ground game like the others. He'd have been great in the Sampras era when serve and volley was enough.

That said I hope someday he wins one he's one of my favorites. Gotta stay healthy though somehow.

[dude77]

surprised tsonga lost .. definitely way too inconsistent .. shows flashes of greatness .. but that's all .. flashes .. as long as djokovic/federer/murray/nadal are in the draw I doubt he ever gets a slam .. but he has a great shot if some of those guys go down

[bdreason]

To be fair he looked injured. He was serving like 110mph all match where he usually serves 130+.... and a lot of his game is based around his serve.

[C-Webb4]

Wow, Roddick just dropped a bombshell and launched a random press conference saying that this will be his last tourny, and then he's done.

[C-Webb4]

I've hated on my dude A-Rod over the years, but to be fair he played Roger Federer in 4 grand slam finals (Wimbledon 3X, US Open 1X) and lost to him tons of times in ton of other tourneys. 1-13 overall record. He did work his ass off. He had tons of different coaches, diet changes, etc... but ultimately he struggled against the very top guys. It's sad to see him go. Especially with the Americans coming up now being dudes like Isner and Querry. Pretty sad the state of US mens tennis now.

[DuMa]

Isner is never gonna win a major. his return of service is always quite poor and when he does win the matches, he will be too burned out by playing too long and too many tiebreaks.

Andy. I never felt so bad for a player ever when he lost Wimbledon 2009. That major and win over Federer was his. It went the distance. Fed even he loses that match, doesnt really do much for his GOAT career but if Andy won that. he wouldve been a completely different player imho from that point on.

[bdreason]

To me Roddick was always an overachiever. Consistent top 10 World ranking while living and dying off his serve... in an era of defense and ground strokes. He tried to lose weight and improve his movement over the years but he simply lacked the natural abilities of most the top players.




Andy has been one of my favorite players for over a decade, and I'm glad he's chosen to retire before he became a shell of his former self. His game would have fallen off steeply if he wasn't dedicated to his training (nutrition/movement).

[gigantes]

I respect that you have done your research. However, I feel as though in debates like this people who have played the game on a professional level are the most qualified to give these opinions. AND, it's not like it's one guy who said this either. Every player in the "greatest ever" debate has said it's Roger. Easily researched if you need proof.

I don't think you ever see such unanimous support from top guys like that in something that you consider debatable. Even the very guy that you say is better than him is in his corner there.
nice post. repped. i would like to point something out, though--


if people's measurement of "greatest" is the player who currently has the best overall game, like those pros were thinking above, then we can also reasonably say that one day there will be a greater player than federer. same thing happened to sampras. borg before him. laver before him, etc, etc. that's because time does not stand still and athletes and technologies are always improving in tennis and other sports.

the difference is that laver remains the most accomplished player of all time. you might call that "greatest" and you may not, but there's at least a chance that nobody will ever catch laver's records and accomplishments. by contrast, there's very little or zero chance that someone won't surpass federer one day in total skill.

before federer came along, all these pros would have mentioned a different "greatest" player. in the future, i assure you that they will have no problem switching their answer to the new, most skillful player in tennis.

[C-Webb4]

Isner is never gonna win a major. his return of service is always quite poor and when he does win the matches, he will be too burned out by playing too long and too many tiebreaks.

Andy. I never felt so bad for a player ever when he lost Wimbledon 2009. That major and win over Federer was his. It went the distance. Fed even he loses that match, doesnt really do much for his GOAT career but if Andy won that. he wouldve been a completely different player imho from that point on.
I felt really bad for him as well when he lost that tourney. I kind of disagree though about the thought that his career would've been much different if he won that. It would've of course been a great note on his resume, beating the greatest player ever at what is widely considered the best tournament out there, Wimbledon. But then you remember, after one random win by Del potro, Fed/Nadal/Djokovic have won every major since that time. And for the better part of the best decade Nadal/Fed have dominated everything. So maybe from a confidence standpoint it would've done a lot for him but I still think it would have been very tough for him to take home another major after that.

[C-Webb4]

nice post. repped. i would like to point something out, though--


if people's measurement of "greatest" is the player who currently has the best overall game, like those pros were thinking above, then we can also reasonably say that one day there will be a greater player than federer. same thing happened to sampras. borg before him. laver before him, etc, etc. that's because time does not stand still and athletes and technologies are always improving in tennis and other sports.

the difference is that laver remains the most accomplished player of all time. you might call that "greatest" and you may not, but there's at least a chance that nobody will ever catch laver's records and accomplishments. by contrast, there's very little or zero chance that someone won't surpass federer one day in total skill.

before federer came along, all these pros would have mentioned a different "greatest" player. in the future, i assure you that they will have no problem switching their answer to the new, most skillful player in tennis.
My thoughts on your debate:

To me, there is always someone new that comes along that is on fire. Great shot maker, tremendous athlete, etc etc... With Roger though, it's not just one thing about him. He's the greatest shotmaker ever. He's incredibly fit, and in terms of wins and weeks on top I highly highly doubt that in our lifetime we will ever see anyone to match those numbers. And the proof of all that is in the pudding. There's a reason why at 31 with declining athletic ability and tons of wear and tear on his body he's still #1 in the world and still able to challenge and take out top guys. You'll probably realize it 20 years from now.

[gigantes]

To me Roddick was always an overachiever. Consistent top 10 World ranking while living and dying off his serve... in an era of defense and ground strokes. He tried to lose weight and improve his movement over the years but he simply lacked the natural abilities of most the top players.
the broadcast team that was covering roddick from yesterday's(?) match was saying that he developed a terrible habit from his junior days of standing too far beyond the baseline and letting the opponent gradually wrest control of the point away from him. later his new coach came along and immediately said "you have the greatest serve i've ever seen in tennis- why the hell aren't you moving forward and working on your volleying and half-volleying game?"

so he had bad habits ingrained and a stubbornness about not wanting to develop his short game for some reason. not disagreeing with your points above, but maybe it also shows the shortcomings of practicing the wrong way as a junior.

[gigantes]

To me, there is always someone new that comes along that is on fire. Great shot maker, tremendous athlete, etc etc... With Roger though, it's not just one thing about him. He's the greatest shotmaker ever. He's incredibly fit, and in terms of wins and weeks on top I highly highly doubt that in our lifetime we will ever see anyone to match those numbers. And the proof of all that is in the pudding. There's a reason why at 31 with declining athletic ability and tons of wear and tear on his body he's still #1 in the world and still able to challenge and take out top guys. You'll probably realize it 20 years from now.
i don't disagree with you, but similar things were said about the previous greats.

i just don't see time standing still on this issue, no matter how magnificent federer is.

[no pun intended]

Go Sharapova!

[C-Webb4]

i don't disagree with you, but similar things were said about the previous greats.

i just don't see time standing still on this issue, no matter how magnificent federer is.
I think the perfect example of what I mean is Nadal and Djokovic. In 2010 when Nadal took the French, Wimbledon and US Open in the same year, people were widely saying that he was gonna be better than Roger Federer. He had a tremendous stretch on top, but where is he now? Not to say that he won't come back and win some more before it's all said and done but it's clear now that Fed is head and shoulders above him and nobody has had a 5 year stretch of dominance like what he had. Djokovic last year had a one year Federer-like run last year and this year he lost at the French, Wimbledon and the Olympics. People will always draw those comparisons but to match or pass the guy would definitely take a once in a generation, once in a lifetime type of player.

[GatorKid117]

Yea I don't care much for Roddick either but it will be sad to see him go. He had a pretty solid career. Nothing to be ashamed of.

[gigantes]

I think the perfect example of what I mean is Nadal and Djokovic. In 2010 when Nadal took the French, Wimbledon and US Open in the same year, people were widely saying that he was gonna be better than Roger Federer. He had a tremendous stretch on top, but where is he now? Not to say that he won't come back and win some more before it's all said and done but it's clear now that Fed is head and shoulders above him and nobody has had a 5 year stretch of dominance like what he had. Djokovic last year had a one year Federer-like run last year and this year he lost at the French, Wimbledon and the Olympics. People will always draw those comparisons but to match or pass the guy would definitely take a once in a generation, once in a lifetime type of player.
well... i was never one of those guys who thought nadal was a real threat to become greater than fed. his gifts are different and his style is just too hard on the human body IMO.

previous players to be called "greatest," i.e. sampras and borg, both had beautiful, effortless, well-rounded games, but there was a roughly ten year gap between them. that trend even worked before them, to laver, and after them, to federer.

so we could have a little bit of a wait in front of us.

[EnoughSaid]

Great win by Roger to move on to play Verdasco. In my opinion he's going to probably win this, and finish out the year at #1. I honestly just want him to get to 20 majors before he retires, which doesn't sound that challenging if Nadal is still injured and Roger continues to play at this level. Getting another one at RG would be off the charts, but I think right now, he has a chance to hold all 4 if he can get this US Open Title next Sunday.

[GatorKid117]

Crazy match with Venus going on.

Get it together woman! You got this.

[bdreason]

Very entertaining match. Womens Tennis and MMA are the only two sports I'll watch an entire game/match of.

[Maga_1]

Tsonga and Williams chocking in early rounds.

[bdreason]

Kerber is a very good player, and probably the favorite going into that match actually. Tsonga was def hurt I don't think I've ever seen him average 110mph on his serve... but he's always hurt so no excuses.



Roddick match tomorrow night going to have lots of hype. Unfortunately for Andy I don't think he beats Tomic.

[bokes15]

I feel bad for Venus, that was a tough ass L. She had the current #6 player in the world down 4-2 in the third and at her mercy but she couldn't hold serve to save her life. Oh well, i'm happy for her at the same time that she actually put up that much of a fight and almost won the match against a heavily favored opponent. Finally some flashes of the old Venus, because before tonights match I thought she was crazy for not having retired by now.

[bokes15]

Great win by Roger to move on to play Verdasco. In my opinion he's going to probably win this, and finish out the year at #1. I honestly just want him to get to 20 majors before he retires, which doesn't sound that challenging if Nadal is still injured and Roger continues to play at this level. Getting another one at RG would be off the charts, but I think right now, he has a chance to hold all 4 if he can get this US Open Title next Sunday.
I honestly feel like unless it's a career ending injury, there's no way we don't see Nadal back to defend that French Open title.

[bagelred]

Roddick match tomorrow night going to have lots of hype. Unfortunately for Andy I don't think he beats Tomic.

Interesting evening for Roddick. First part of the night he'll be in Queens and later in the night, he'll be in Brooklyn.

[lilbeastnani]

Tomic is getting manhandled by Roddick. Guess he'll live to play another day.

[GatorKid117]

Tomic with a pathetic showing. Get off the court...

[bdreason]

Wow Tomic has really regressed since the last time I saw him play.

[lilbeastnani]

I'm surprised at how poor of a fight he put up. He threw in the towel since early 2nd set.

[lilbeastnani]

love Roddick, but if he makes it through his next match and ends up playing Delpo in the 4th round, tune into that one for sure because it'll be the last match of his pro tennis career.

[gigantes]

love Roddick, but if he makes it through his next match and ends up playing Delpo in the 4th round, tune into that one for sure because it'll be the last match of his pro tennis career.
think clean thoughts, chum. andy can do it!

the rock doesn't exist... i'm walking through the rock. amen!

[lilbeastnani]

think clean thoughts, chum. andy can do it!

the rock doesn't exist... i'm walking through the rock. amen!
They have the same game, Delpo is currently just better at it. Delpo is like a taller, more aggressive version of Roddick. Can Roddickbeat him? Well I suppose it's possible if Roddick plays more aggressively and Delpo's serve percentage is down, but he'd def be the underdog.

[GatorKid117]

Great match.

Fognini gained himself a new fan today. Even though I don't like Roddick, its nice to see him move on.

Delpo next, should be a good one.

[gigantes]

Delpo next, should be a good one.
dunno about that. del potro is a beast... he matches a peak roddick strength-for-strength, plus he's healthy these days... meanwhile roddick's skills are not the same... and he's been straining to keep his ailing body together the last few years. every few days he seems to wake up with some new, random injury, unfortunately.

i'd be very proud of roddick if he won a single set off the big dude.

[GatorKid117]

dunno about that. del potro is a beast... he matches a peak roddick strength-for-strength, plus he's healthy these days... meanwhile roddick's skills are not the same... and he's been straining to keep his ailing body together the last few years. every few days he seems to wake up with some new, random injury, unfortunately.

i'd be very proud of roddick if he won a single set off the big dude.

Oh I agree with all that. I just think it being Andy's last match and all, he'll pull something out of his hat to make it a good match.

I think Delpo wins in a tough 4.

[bdreason]

ya Delpo has looked really good so far. As much as I want Andy to keep winning, I also wouldn't mind seeing Delpo stay healthy and make a run at the title.

[SevereUpInHere]

Tomic with a pathetic showing. Get off the court...

Tomic is such a little brat. He embarrassed Australia. He makes it impossible to root for him.

[B-Easy8]

Tomic is such a little brat. He embarrassed Australia. He makes it impossible to root for him.

The media attention around him has decreased significantly since the Aus Open. It seems that the majority of Australian's already dislike him. He comes across as arrogant and he doesn't really give a shit if he wins or not since he is 19 and living the life.

My man Cilic still going strong. Hard to see anyone beating Fed though. Hopefully Del Potro can have get close.

[yobore]

too bad Roddick is in the opposite side of the draw, it would have been nice to have him end his career with a match vs Federer. To get there he'll have to go through Del Potro, Djokovic and Ferrer, I give him a 2% chance.

[DuMa]

Isner had that match won. he was cruising on his service games last night until series of bad luck went his way and he lost composure and thus the match.

[DaHeezy]

too bad Roddick is in the opposite side of the draw, it would have been nice to have him end his career with a match vs Federer. To get there he'll have to go through Del Potro, Djokovic and Ferrer, I give him a 2% chance.

You never know. US Open has this weird way of setting up the stage for tennis icons to bow out, especially the Americans

[bagelred]

Can't wait for the Fish/Federer match. Been looking forward to this for 2 days. Rearranged everything just so I could watch it.

Fish is going to take it to him. If there's one thing about Fish, he's a mentally tough dude. He'll never quit.


:cheers:

[yobore]

Can't wait for the Fish/Federer match. Been looking forward to this for 2 days. Rearranged everything just so I could watch it.

Fish is going to take it to him. If there's one thing about Fish, he's a mentally tough dude. He'll never quit.


:cheers:
lol :roll:

[bokes15]

No joke, Serena Williams is like the Lebron James of women's tennis. I saw her live before front row, and if you think she looks intimidating on TV, in person it's much much worse. :lol about to pull the double bagel on Avackova, this is embarrassing.

[bagelred]

:lol about to pull the double bagel on Avackova, this is embarrassing.

I've pulled the double bagel on many a woman....if ya know what I mean. :pimp:

[DaHeezy]

I've pulled the double bagel on many a woman....if ya know what I mean. :pimp:

You've struck out?:confusedshrug:

[dude77]

not sure why serena's playing in the wta .. it's for women only

[bagelred]

Radwanska's in trouble, #2 seed.:eek:

It's online so watch right now...hurry.

[gigantes]

Can't wait for the Fish/Federer match. Been looking forward to this for 2 days. Rearranged everything just so I could watch it.
well, what was plan B?

[Vragrant]

Man Ana Ivanovic has to be one of the hottest girls ever on tour
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2008/06/01/AnaIvanovic1.jpg

http://sportindeks.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Ana-Ivanovic.jpg


http://www.quotesby.co.uk/celeb_images/full/A/ana_ivanovic_4.jpg

She is playing well, but to bad she is facing Serena in the next round though. Especially with the way Serena has been playing lately.

[lilbeastnani]

It would take Serena's worst game and Ana's best game for Ana to beat her. Not happening bro.

[DuMa]

beauty vs beast

[SevereUpInHere]

The media attention around him has decreased significantly since the Aus Open. It seems that the majority of Australian's already dislike him. He comes across as arrogant and he doesn't really give a shit if he wins or not since he is 19 and living the life.

My man Cilic still going strong. Hard to see anyone beating Fed though. Hopefully Del Potro can have get close.

I've never been a fan of Hewitt, he comes off as arrogant and a douche, but he tries his f*cking ass off and I've got massive respect for that. Tomic is the opposite.

[C-Webb4]

I've never been a fan of Hewitt, he comes off as arrogant and a douche, but he tries his f*cking ass off and I've got massive respect for that. Tomic is the opposite.
The thing about Hewitt is that a prime pre-injury Hewitt was not very well liked for his brash and arrogant personality. For the things he said in his interviews, his on court demeanor, and just in general how he carried himself. But yeah you're right, even at that stage of his career he was such a fighter that no matter what you thought of all that extra stuff, you had to respect his game. Unlike Tomic who flat out quits when he gets down and thinks he can't beat his opponent.

[imdaman99]

man i always thought ivanovic was the sexiest tennis player.
i think she's a lot finer than kournikova was, or sharapova is now. maybe i just got a thing for brunettes :lol HOT HOT HOT.

[lilbeastnani]

love Roddick, but if he makes it through his next match and ends up playing Delpo in the 4th round, tune into that one for sure because it'll be the last match of his pro tennis career.
Remember this guys. You heard it from me first. Match is tonight at 7pm. Gonna be Andy's last match, book it.

[DuMa]

Belarusian crip walking

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1175186/azarenka_dance_medium.gif

[Heilige]

Belarusian crip walking

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1175186/azarenka_dance_medium.gif



hhhhnnnnnnnnngggggggggg

[gigantes]

cool... the court has been dried off. match is finally starting as of this moment:

andy roddick vs. john martin of the colt.

[bdreason]

Andy looking good early.

[lilbeastnani]

Amazing that NOW when dude is just about to retire he starts playing aggressively and volleying more at the net instead of standing back ant trying to be Nadal. He stands a chance to win if he keeps playing this way.

[gigantes]

Amazing that NOW when dude is just about to retire he starts playing aggressively and volleying more at the net instead of standing back ant trying to be Nadal. He stands a chance to win if he keeps playing this way.
a lot of that is dictated by del potro. roddick is smart enough to know that he has virtually no chance trying to trade at the baseline against the colt.

[lilbeastnani]

Del Potro may not look like it but he's a tactical genius. That little thing he did with wiping the court himself and showing his irritation was his was of regrouping taking a minute, slowing down the momentum and irritating Andy a bit. I've seen it before, hell he did it to Fed when he beat him 3 years ago.

[dude77]

did mcenroe just take a shot at del potro ? "i really thought he was going to be a great player"

[dude77]

rain screwin up the tournament

[lilbeastnani]

did mcenroe just take a shot at del potro ? "i really thought he was going to be a great player"
I don't know but his injuries has been a significant hinderance for him over the years. If not for that, who knows how good he may have become.

[dude77]

I don't know but his injuries has been a significant hinderance for him over the years. If not for that, who knows how good he may have become.

exactly .. and he's 23 .. he can still be 'great' mr. mcenroe

[gigantes]

exactly .. and he's 23 .. he can still be 'great' mr. mcenroe
Exactly, dude and LilB... he had serious injuries to deal with last couple years... bad wrist problems IIRC.

Johnny Mac is a jewel in most ways, but he has a huge mouth and can still be a total PITA.

[lilbeastnani]

Exactly, dude and LilB... he had serious injuries to deal with last couple years... bad wrist problems IIRC.

Johnny Mac is a jewel in most ways, but he has a huge mouth and can still be a total PITA.
What are you talking about bro. Read my post, i'm the one who made mention of his injury problems.

[gigantes]

What are you talking about bro. Read my post, i'm the one who made mention of his injury problems.
sorry, i had no idea how incredibly sensitive you seem to be.

AFAIK, i was trying to give corroborating evidence about del potro's specific injury as well as johnny mac's character. things that were not previously detailed AFAIK.

[lilbeastnani]

I'm not sensitive, I'm just questioning what you were debating with me there as if I have given a stance on John Mcenroe and what I thought of his comments.

[gigantes]

there was never any debate. dude77 mentioned the mcenroe factor and i agreed. i also expanded that to include both of your thoughts about del potro's potential. clear?

[lilbeastnani]

Roddick gave it a good effort there for awhile, but he's done.

[lilbeastnani]

I don't know if you guys have heard that slight banter between Brad Gilbert and John Mcenroe. The other day I looked up if they had played each other in their pro career, and I found out that they played each other several times in their pro career with J-Mac winning all but one and talking a bunch of shit about and to Brad about his game and how they aren't in the same league. And then one time Brad beat him and he was talking a bunch of shit to him during the match and during the changeovers. And then after losing, he retired from the game for 6 months (at age 27) saying: "When I start losing to players like him I've got to reconsider what I'm doing even playing this game".
So they kind of co-exist, but they don't really like each other.

[Balla_Status]

Come on Roddick. You got it buddy.

Decker doesn't look as hot as she does in the magazines.

[lilbeastnani]

Way to go Andy, tough match, tough opponent, great career!

[GatorKid117]

Class act Delpo. Great match; going to be rooting for him the rest of the way.

Roddick, sad to see ya go. I'll miss your douchiness, but your a good guy at heart. Enjoy retirement.

[Balla_Status]

Roddick overused the shit out of the backhand slice.

[IGotACoolStory]

To the tennis followers:

What US tennis player do I follow now? Isner just isn't likeable. He's too tall.

[lilbeastnani]

To the tennis followers:

What US tennis player do I follow now? Isner just isn't likeable. He's too tall.
To answer your question: Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens. :lol

[imdaman99]

fed in trouble. lost the 1st set and down a break in the 2nd set.

let me guess, hes gonna make one of his amazing 2 sets down comeback :facepalm

i want him moving on, cuz i feel he might be the only one who can beat djoker.

AND YES I AM WATCHING FOOTBALL ON TV, and tennis on usopen website :lol

[dude77]

these fkos in the booth need to work on their player pronounciations .. why not just make up your own pronounciations for every player ? idiots .. calling berdych berditch .. last night j. mcenroe was calling del potro del pocho :facepalm

[haterofhaters]

It would be an upset but Berdych has beaten Fed before. He's dangerous.

[bagelred]

Berdych is really handing it to Federerererer. Wowwee.......


On a side note, isn't it amazing how nowadays every player wears a hat or a headband? And they just happen to have a Nike symbol on them? Hmmmmmmm..........

[dude77]

already up a break in the 3rd .. berdych is cruising .. federer is done

[haterofhaters]

Wow, combination of crisp clean power hitting from Berdych and horrible accuracy on Fed's patent forehand. I don't think "new/old" Fed is gonna come back from this one the way a mid 20s indestructable Fed would've done.

[EnoughSaid]

SHIIIT. Come on Fed! Wow those 4 days of rest really sucked for him. :(

[haterofhaters]

Well, there is always the chance of dude choking I guess. Because that's what's going on right now.

[EnoughSaid]

Well, there is always the chance of dude choking I guess. Because that's what's going on right now.

:bowdown: Fed is just too strong mentally. I think by now, when you're 2 sets up, you expect your opponent to let up and sort of accept defeat. But not Fed. COME ON MAAAAN. Get this comeback so you can whoop that son of a bitch Murray. :bowdown:

[EnoughSaid]

YES. Wins 5 straight games to come back from 3-1 down and win the set. Come on FEDD! :rockon:

[bagelred]

Ron Paul to Berdych....."End the Fed!!"

[haterofhaters]

Wow, huge moment for Berdych.

[EnoughSaid]

:cry: NOOOOOOOOO! Fedd noo. Well hopefully we see a Berdych vs. Delpo final!

[plowking]

Suck nuts to the crowd. Cheering on the number 1 in the world over the underdog? Really? lol...

Watching this match on Australian TV was unbearable. All you'd hear about was all of Roger's disadvantages coming into the game, like having the break due to his previous opponent retiring. Then how he was serving second, etc.
I barely heard them utter a word about how dominating Berdych was. Dude was killing on the ground strokes. Was a joy to watch. Yet I was interrupted by stupid banter about Federer and how everything is difficult for him.

[dunksby]

What a match, some badass moments from both Berdych and Federer. I'm rooting for Berdych to beat Murray.

[EnoughSaid]

Suck nuts to the crowd. Cheering on the number 1 in the world over the underdog? Really? lol...

Watching this match on Australian TV was unbearable. All you'd hear about was all of Roger's disadvantages coming into the game, like having the break due to his previous opponent retiring. Then how he was serving second, etc.
I barely heard them utter a word about how dominating Berdych was. Dude was killing on the ground strokes. Was a joy to watch. Yet I was interrupted by stupid banter about Federer and how everything is difficult for him.

Why are you hating on Fed maaan? And what's so bad about cheering for the GOAT and a fantastic competitor? :wtf:

[plowking]

Why are you hating on Fed maaan? And what's so bad about cheering for the GOAT and a fantastic competitor? :wtf:

He is supposed to win. Fantastic competitor? They all are, aren't they?

Cheering for the GOAT? Why not want to see someone else carve out their own legacy, or a no name win it? Why not want someone else come along and better him, and maybe see even more spectacular tennis?

[EnoughSaid]

He is supposed to win. Fantastic competitor? They all are, aren't they?

Cheering for the GOAT? Why not want to see someone else carve out their own legacy, or a no name win it? Why not want someone else come along and better him, and maybe see even more spectacular tennis?

Federer's style of playing is soo much more entertaining to watch, and I prefer him to everyone. He's my favorite guy, but yeah I see what you're saying.

I was rooting for Rosol like a crazed man vs. Nadal. Wanted him to win sooo badly.

[gigantes]

totally awesome.... a chance for the colt or the djoker to win another major. yet their next matchup is right against each other. ouch.

[DuMa]

Murray Delpo final. book it.

[bdreason]

Kind of saw this coming. Berdych has been on fire all tourney, and probably playing the best Tennis of his entire career.

[GoonToAGoblin]

No Fed + No Nadal = NO INTEREST

[plowking]

No Fed + No Nadal = NO INTEREST

Real tennis fans like to watch Nadal? I personally get tired of seeing him lob the ball over the net and wait for his opponents to make mistakes. Coincidentally enough, he keeps winning the tournament that gives him the highest chance of getting to the ball to be able to do that. Interesting...

[bdreason]

Wow watching the highlights of the match now, and I've never seen Fed hit the forehand so poorly. There are no excuses, but I think that 4 days off definitely affected him. That said, I think Berdych would have won anyways. He is playing at a crazy level right now. Wouldn't be surprised if he beats Murray too.

[lilbeastnani]

Wow watching the highlights of the match now, and I've never seen Fed hit the forehand so poorly. There are no excuses, but I think that 4 days off definitely affected him. That said, I think Berdych would have won anyways. He is playing at a crazy level right now. Wouldn't be surprised if he beats Murray too.
I agree that his forehand was really bad against Berdych, but if you've watched Fed over the past 3 years, i'd say that's the part of his game that has declined the most. The accuracy of his forehand used to be stuff of legend. The first time I noticed it was a little below his usual standards 2010 Wimbledon but back then I chalked it up to an off game. But really, it's what has made Roger Federer beatable all of a sudden. Some days he comes out there and hits all his spots, serves great, nice forehand and backhand and shows us flashes of the old dominant Federer that we're used to. And other times he shows us the new Federer filled with unforced errors, forehands into the stands and in the net, and the really human side that we didn't see from 2004-2009 and likely will never see again.

[jamal99]

No Fed + No Nadal = NO INTEREST
Djoker FTW! :rockon:

[dude77]

federer's been getting owned by the top dogs for a while now with the exception of wimbledon .. but he's still playing impressively for being 'over the hill'

[Sarcastic]

Real tennis fans like to watch Nadal? I personally get tired of seeing him lob the ball over the net and wait for his opponents to make mistakes. Coincidentally enough, he keeps winning the tournament that gives him the highest chance of getting to the ball to be able to do that. Interesting...

I agree. Get rid of clay as a surface.

[bdreason]

This Tipsarevic vs. Ferrer match is going to be good. Two real grinders.

[bdreason]

And Djoker vs. DelPo tonight. :applause:

[DuMa]

Nadal, hate on him all you want but his style is the most unique on the tour. dont know how anyone can call him boring because he doesnt try to ballbash and beat you with power. Nor try to make the ball predictable for the other guy to hit. His shots are based on placement, smartness and spin. Being lefty, from being a natural righty as a kid, with that top spin forehand makes that shot the most unique shot in tennis. USO without Nadal is quite boring to be honest.

Too bad his style takes the toll on his knees.

[bdreason]

Great match as expected. Tipsarevic just hit a sick flying forehand.

[bdreason]

Wow match of the tourney so far. Some crazy rallies going on.

[jamal99]

Fuuuuck, so close...

[DuMa]

VAMOS Daveeeed!

[alenleomessi]

wait federer lost? what happened? played like he didnt care again?

[gigantes]

i hope ferrer realises how incredibly lucky he is that tipsarevic slipped and injured himself in the 5th.

[bagelred]

I missed the end. Who won the much anticipated Sandler/McEnroe vs. James/Courier match?

[bdreason]

DelPo came to play, this is going to be a good one. Gonna be hard to live up to that last match though. If you can watch the 3rd set of Tipsarevic vs. Ferrer somehow you should. Tipsarevic hit some amazing shots.

[bdreason]

I missed the end. Who won the much anticipated Sandler/McEnroe vs. James/Courier match?


Technically Sandler/McEnroe won... but they switched teams a couple times towards the end.

[bokes15]

crazy match right now. i'm kind of pulling for Delpo but he may be outmatched.

[bagelred]

played like he didnt care again?

He threw his hands in the air....and he waved them like he just didn't care

[bagelred]

Novak is really really good. His game is no djoke.

[bagelred]

Craziest point ever.

[jamal99]

Gonna be 3-0, Djoker is for real...

[GatorKid117]

Unbelievable level being played by both guys. Djoko too good though.

[bokes15]

Delpo definitely is putting his all into this but Djoker is just too good.

[gigantes]

Awesome 2nd set comeback by the Djoker. Dunno how these guys are going to stand up in the 3rd.

One thing I still don't understand about Djoker is why so often he gives the ball right to the other guy's best wing... not even asking him to move much. As well as why he seems so reluctant to lob... insisting on hitting these long return shots when DelPo's near the net. Even against this very tall guy you still have to lob sometimes.

[DuMa]

Damn great 2nd set. Probably the best set of the year. Delpo played as well but this guy clearly made a deal with the devil to hit so many lines tonight.

[plowking]

Murray Delpo final. book it.

Booked.

[imdaman99]

i miss nadal :(

i love his style, he gets to impossible balls (no homo) and plays great defense. sure its different from the powerful dominant winners everyone loves, but i grew up on knicks in the 90s. defense >>> offense

[Maga_1]

Booked.
:lol

[bdreason]

Djoker's conditioning is just on another level. Even if DelPo pulled off that 2nd set, he wasn't going to win that match, not at that pace.

[lilbeastnani]

Anyone who watched a lot of prime Pete Sampras (I didn't really become a tennis fan until the early 2000's), can someone tell me how it is that with a power game like a Del Potro or a Roddick he was able to win so many matches? Is it because in his era he didn't face a group of defensive players out there with the capabilities of a Murray, Djoker, Nadal, etc?? Or is it because he was ahead of his time from a standpoint of power and accuracy. Because you don't see guys like Del Potro experiencing a lot of success trying that baseline power style against the top guys anymore.

[DuMa]

Anyone who watched a lot of prime Pete Sampras (I didn't really become a tennis fan until the early 2000's), can someone tell me how it is that with a power game like a Del Potro or a Roddick he was able to win so many matches? Is it because in his era he didn't face a group of defensive players out there with the capabilities of a Murray, Djoker, Nadal, etc?? Or is it because he was ahead of his time from a standpoint of power and accuracy. Because you don't see guys like Del Potro experiencing a lot of success trying that baseline power style against the top guys anymore.

The biggest reason why Pete won so many majors and matches, is because the courts were a lot faster back then, save for Clay which is always consistent at neutralizing the serve power. The balls moved through the court on grass and hard courts with relative ease and not giving the returner much bounce to handle the hard serves. Men's tennis rarely was a baseline battle like you see today because many players employed serve and volley tactics. So enter the the greatest serve and volley player ever? Pete Sampras.

He backed up his GOAT serve with the GOAT 2nd serve and GOAT volleys that it became impossible to break him. With an unbreakable serve, he won so many majors and matches on a simple tactic. Nearly everyone who won majors back then was a serve and volleyer.

I wouldnt count Del Potro out yet for winning a major. He can still be lethal if his movement becomes better. He has the best forehand in the game. But that doesnt mean much because guys like Djokovic/Fed/Nadal and Murrary play such good defense on a slower court compared to the 90s, that its hard for Del Potro to keep hitting the ball past them time and time again.

Its a shame they slowed down the courts to appeal to the common fan who want to see more baseline rallies instead of beautiful serve and volley points because i think you would have seen more power guys win majors. Guys like Roddick.

[lilbeastnani]

I read (I admit on Wiki) that he only started implementing a lot of Serve + Volley in the latter half of his career. But anyways thanks for that info. So I wonder why they slowed down the courts. Did they want to see longer more grinding ralleys for the fans and neutralize power players more or something?

As for Del Po, do I think he can win another major? Yeah, definitely. But my whole thing with him is that he's big and awkward and thus not very quick footed defensively. Plus his variety of shot making would have to improve significantly to hang with anyone of those guys in the top 4. He's outslugged Fed/Nadal/Murray/Djoker before but it's extremely hard to do that consistently, and especially in a 5 set match at a grand slam when they have time to adjust to your speed and pace of play.

[bagelred]

I read (I admit on Wiki) that he only started implementing a lot of Serve + Volley in the latter half of his career. But anyways thanks for that info. So I wonder why they slowed down the courts. Did they want to see longer more grinding ralleys for the fans and neutralize power players more or something?


Seems that way. Back in the "old" days (well not the OLD old days, just the older days), men's tennis was boring in that everything was serve and volley, and there weren't any rallies. Women's tennis was actually much more fun to watch because there was much more back and forth.

I haven't watched as much tennis recently until this US Open, and I can see things are different. Men's tennis has MUCH more rallies that are longer. You never see guys approach the net. Which is beyond strange. They use to rush the net all the time.

So in a way....I think they slowed the courts to adjust to the better rackets and stronger players where "serve and volley" was the norm. Personally, I think differences in courts are good. It's great to see differences in clay, hard court, and grass. So making them ALL slow is weird.......

[dude77]

they just stated on cbs that this is the first grand slam semifinal without federer or nadal since 2004 :eek:

[lilbeastnani]

Yessir! Lets go Azarenka, take this thing to a third set... Only thing is that annoying ass shreiking, save that shit for the bedroom

[bagelred]

Why aren't Bryan and Bryan bigger stars? Many double championships, identical twins, American, all American good looks no homo.....does anyone even know who they are?


Strange, I tells ya.

[lilbeastnani]

^^because they don't feature many doubles matches on national TV coverage. I for example are well aware of who they are but have seen nothing more than short snippets of when they're playing. Like for instance when there's down time before a big singles match and they put them on or when they put it on them during a random big point.

[gigantes]

@bagelred,
i don't see how anyone can say that serve-and-volley is more boring than long rallies. there's just so many more tactical possibilities when one has a net presence. nor that rallies are some kind of recent phenomenon. whachu talkin' 'bout, bruce willis? baselining as a style has been around since the dawn of tennis... the volleyer-vs-baseliner style is one of the classic battles in tennis. think borg-mcenroe or agassi-sampras.


re: pete sampras,
andre agassi had probably the greatest return in tennis history, and pete said that he was the greatest player he ever faced. so there was absolutely a defensive tennis beast in the era of sampras... one who took the ball of the bounce better than anyone else in the game.


anyway, with the increased average size and power of the players combined with the enormous, gargantuan increase in racquet power... that's the main reason to me why there's so much less net approaches today. speed of the courts is significant but not as significant as those. great champions like laver and connors (a big-time baseliner) were only about 5'8" each, using small wooden racquets. put them against today's pros using drastically different technology and they would barely be able to make a living at the game as competitors.


re: del potro,
he still has a lot of upside IMO. in that match with djokovic, he was incredibly passive to start the first set and clearly lost composure when he was dominating the 2nd. he's also shaky against slice and doesn't always dictate play with his height the way that he could. all these things can be fixed IMO.

don't count out from being reaching #1 sometime in the future. he's only 23, coming off a couple prime years of lost play and lost development.

[FinishHim!]

I'm so glad Sharapova is out. Never been a fan of hers and the hype machine behind her.

[C-Webb4]

It's funny, a combination of Serena actually giving a damn about tennis and the women's game being pretty weak outside of the top 3, this might be the easiest run to the finals i've ever seen. Its like the matches actually got easier for her in the quarters and semi's. I want Serena to win ultimately but I hope Azerenka gives her a fight.

[bdreason]

Why aren't Bryan and Bryan bigger stars? Many double championships, identical twins, American, all American good looks no homo.....does anyone even know who they are?


Strange, I tells ya.



Because doubles Tennis is a joke for the most part.

[lilbeastnani]

lol at the comments that Errani made after her match with Serena


The latest woman to absorb a lopsided loss against Serena Williams thinks the 14-time Grand Slam champion should take on a new challenge.

"Given that men are always quick to say women are a lot worse ... I'd love to see her play in a (lower-level) men's tournament and see how they deal with her. It's easy to talk. On the court, it would be different," the 10th-seeded Sara Errani said.

"I've practiced with a lot of guys ranked 400th or 500th," Errani said. "I've never played with a man who hits as hard as she does."

Indeed, Errani found some satisfaction in forcing Williams to stay on court for more than an hour.

"My objective," Errani said, "was to prolong the match as much as possible."
I somehow feel like that wasn't really a complement. It wasn't like "she's so good she could beat a low level man" it was more like "I feel like I played a man out there, so what can I do?"

[bdreason]

She's right though. Serena could hang with some high ranked men. Her serve is, by far, the greatest Women's serve in the history of the sport, and her forehand approaches 100mph. Against any of the say top 50-100 ranked men she would have a serious disadvantage as far as lateral movement and defense goes though.

[raiderfan19]

Eh I wouldn't say any. Shes a better mover than ivo or isner

[imdaman99]

there is no way she could return the 120+ mph serves that those men would be hitting at her. the reason she dominates is because no other woman has as a powerful serve as her. she would get creamed by anyone under 200.

[gigantes]

i wouldn't be surprised if serena was some kind of XXY person like caster semenya who belonged in their own gender class.

serena's level of natural muscle mass is beyond ridiculous...

[C-Webb4]

i wouldn't be surprised if serena was some kind of XXY person like caster semenya who belonged in their own gender class.

serena's level of natural muscle mass is beyond ridiculous...
I agree. Outside of a body builder or someone who fights for a living i've never seen that muscular of a woman before. Her borderline man body and power is just too diesel for anyone on the women's side to handle.

[soadrules]

She's right though. Serena could hang with some high ranked men. Her serve is, by far, the greatest Women's serve in the history of the sport, and her forehand approaches 100mph. Against any of the say top 50-100 ranked men she would have a serious disadvantage as far as lateral movement and defense goes though.

"In 1998, 203rd ranked male player Karsten Braasch took on Venus Williams and beat her 6

[Grinder]

She's right though. Serena could hang with some high ranked men. Her serve is, by far, the greatest Women's serve in the history of the sport, and her forehand approaches 100mph. Against any of the say top 50-100 ranked men she would have a serious disadvantage as far as lateral movement and defense goes though.

Errani's comments are so off base, it's not even funny. No way Serena could hang with anyone in the top 400-500 and that's a conservative estimate. Look at the firepower and serves NCAA guys like Novikov (ranked outside the top 1000) and Klahn that are ranked well outside the top 500 have. Both guys advanced to the second round and were beaten fairly routinely by average top 100 guys once they got there. When Lindsay Davenport was #1 in the world, she said her husband who was a good university player defeats her regularly.

Serena's game looks a lot better than it is thanks the low quality players in the WTA right now. They play with little to no variety, have poor movement, and atrocious second serves for the most part.

About that Karsten Braasch story, I believe he was smoking cigarettes during changeovers and was pushing 40 at the time too. :oldlol:

[lilbeastnani]

While I agree that Serena would have trouble beating even a lower level man due to the differences between men and women in power, speed and lateral movement, etc... There is also a major difference between Serena at 16 and Serena at 31. At the very least she'd be able to match a lower level guy serve for serve.

http://www.furinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/brian-smith-venus-serena-williams-young-photos.jpg

vs.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/09/06/article-2198816-14DBF5DB000005DC-870_306x457.jpg

[FinishHim!]

Berdych is choking this set away man... He had a shot at being right back into it... match point Murray.

I feel really bad for Berdych, who knows if he'll ever get another shot this good at a final. But at the end of the day Murray deserves it. Hopefully he takes home his first grand slam.

[bdreason]

You guys are right, Serena would probably get smoked by anyone top 300. Like I said earlier, her lateral movement and defense is nowhere close to the men's game.







And Djoker came out playing like garbage. Ferrer is taking this first set fairly easily.

[bdreason]

Postponed until tomorrow.



Every Major should be required to have at least one indoor court. Wimbeldon finally learned their lesson, not it's time for the U.S. Open to do the same. 4th year in a row with a weather delay and Monday Final.

[DuMa]

WHAT A ****ING JOKE. they shouldve at least let ferrer try to serve out the first set. it would have taken only 5-8 mins at the most.

Also a joke that they didnt let both SF matches play out at the same time. Every year it keeps happening to the USO and yet they still dont build a roof.

USTA = foolish officials running that tournament

[Black Joker]

Novak is just wrecking Ferrer this set

[imdaman99]

djoker smells blood and is taking it to ferrer. it's gonna be an easy 4th set

[jamal99]

This was pure domination. Probably helped him that match got postponed yesterday tho...

[alenleomessi]

how many finals has murray lost? :oldlol:

[ukplayer4]

how many finals has murray lost? :oldlol:



all 3 to federer.

[dunksby]

all 3 to federer.
Murray lost the Aussie Open to Djokovic last year 3-0.

[dude77]

shit .. missed the match .. caught up with football .. ferrer got screwed by the weather .. he had serious momentum going back from the tipsarevic match .. lucky break for you nd .. I'm going for murray .. he's due for a grand slam already

[gigantes]

murray's a better player since AUS '11, and the djoker's cooled off a little. should be a great match.


EDIT: i would not call it a "lucky break" for novak. that's why they play best-of-five. the idea that he wouldn't have made adjustments if they'd played it all in one day does not hold much water IMO.

no, the better man usually wins, except when he slips and injures himself, ala tipsarevic.

[dude77]

murray's a better player since AUS '11, and the djoker's cooled off a little. should be a great match.


EDIT: i would not call it a "lucky break" for novak. that's why they play best-of-five. the idea that he wouldn't have made adjustments if they'd played it all in one day does not hold much water IMO.

no, the better man usually wins, except when he slips and injures himself, ala tipsarevic.

well, it's surely a bad break for ferrer .. ferrer had serious momentum and djokovic was flustered .. you're acting like ferrer is some scrub that djokovic would easily adjust to during the same match without any resistance .. in essence they played two matches .. the one where ferrer was kicking ass and had all the momentum was cut off and they started another fresh one on a different day .. perfect for djokovic .. gave him a chance to reset and get his shit together which he did ..

you could say djokovic would've adjusted but it's also possible ferrer would've continued with the momentum he had .. just like nadal caught a lucky break in the french open final when it got delayed because he was on his way to losing that match .. sucks for ferrer but ultimately can't use it as an excuse ..

and not sure where you're getting that tipsarevic is the better player ?? .. tipsarevic has basically won nothing in his career .. ferrer has a 3-1 record against him and is a much more accomplished player .. has 16 titles in 12 yrs and 200+ more match wins .. tipsarevic has 3 titles in his 10 yr career and 200 less match wins .. so what makes you think tipsarevic is the better player ?

[jamal99]

and not sure where you're getting that tipsarevic is the better player ?? .. tipsarevic has basically won nothing in his career .. ferrer has a 3-1 record against him and is a much more accomplished player .. has 16 titles in 12 yrs and 200+ more match wins .. tipsarevic has 3 titles in his 10 yr career and 200 less match wins .. so what makes you think tipsarevic is the better player ?
He might not be the better player, but he should have won this last match...

[dude77]

He might not be the better player, but he should have won this last match...

you're saying that because of the injury ? .. well the injury probably hurt him but he had no guarantee of winning that match .. it was close throughout

[gigantes]

.. you're acting like ferrer is some scrub that djokovic would easily adjust to during the same match without any resistance ..
i'm acting like nothing of the kind. i neither said nor implied that "ferrer is some scrub."

lots of players lose the first set and come back. djokovic himself has a strong history of starting the day poorly, then coming back and pulling out the match. not all players have equal ability to make dramatic adjustments, either. ferrer in particular does not have as dynamic a game as most- as a short topspinning baseliner, his main adjustment ability is to simply 'play harder'. djokovic, on the other hand, with his height can add a lot of efficient net play when needed and with his amazing serve return can put a whole lot more pressure on the opponent by adjusting his timing and swing and so forth.

ferrer is a great player IMO but he's probably the biggest overachiever in the top ranks. i can't think of a bigger one ATM.

anyway, i think it's safe to say that most experts would say that a match between djokovic and ferrer in which the latter won the first set would still be a very close match, maybe 50-50. i just don't see the rain delay being a significant factor after a single set down. two sets down and i'd agree with you. that would definitely mean that ferrer was in firm control. but not one set down.

again, that's why they play best of five. not best of one.



and not sure where you're getting that tipsarevic is the better player ??
i didn't say that and i didn't imply that. how about sticking to the facts next time?

the fact is that regardless of the difference in skill between ferrer and tipsarevic, tipsy was rolling in the final set 4-1 before slipping and falling. all things being equal, the chances of him finishing out the match were higher by almost any measure than of ferrer finding a way to come back. that is all. neither more nor less.

you mentioned "luck," and i showed you a recent, strong example of luck. that is all.

[imdaman99]

lets go azarenka... make this shit interesting please.

not that ill be watching much with the 49ers and packers game on :lol

[DuMa]

Vika broke beast 2 times in that 2nd set. thats amazing

[GatorKid117]

Great match going on.

Even though Serena looks, off.

[IGotACoolStory]

Azarenka sounds like a hunter doing a bird call. It's driving me nuts.

Serena wins!

[DuMa]

what a choke.

[FinishHim!]

That was one of the most epic women's tennis finals i've ever seen. A steal in every sense of the word. One of Serena's most sloppy, nervy, error filled finals but she has so much damn heart that she still pulled it out. CONGRATS!

[IGOTGAME]

what a choke.

choke or one of the best that has ever done it stepped it up and she couldn't hang?

Serena is all heart and fight. Great match.

[FinishHim!]

choke or one of the best that has ever done it stepped it up and she couldn't hang?

Serena is all heart and fight. Great match.
both. a combination of one of the greatest champions ever coming up with the goods when she needed it and her opponent not being able to overcome her nerves when it counted.

[plowking]

choke or one of the best that has ever done it stepped it up and she couldn't hang?

Serena is all heart and fight. Great match.

Really? Has nothing to do with her being stronger, faster, quicker, better, and the fact she serves as quick as the men do?
All I get out there from her is this feeling of self entitlement and like she is owed something.

[IGOTGAME]

Really? Has nothing to do with her being stronger, faster, quicker, better, and the fact she serves as quick as the men do?
All I get out there from her is this feeling of self entitlement and like she is owed something.

she isn't faster, quicker than everyone she plays. And by the logic than Jordan wasn't a great fighter or competitor neither because he athletic advantages we just as great.

really have you watched her career? she is considered one of the great fighers and imposes her will on opponents through adversity on the court. She has come back from only hopeless positions and rallied for wins several times. Some people crack in these situation no matter how talented, some people rise to the occasion...Serena has one that continued to rise to the occasion her whole career.

Self entitlement? what are you talking about. She works hard and she is gifted. She expects to win.

[plowking]

she isn't faster, quicker than everyone she plays. And by the logic than Jordan wasn't a great fighter or competitor neither because he athletic advantages we just as great.

really have you watched her career? she is considered one of the great fighers and imposes her will on opponents through adversity on the court. She has come back from only hopeless positions and rallied for wins several times. Some people crack in these situation no matter how talented, some people rise to the occasion...Serena has one that continued to rise to the occasion her whole career.

Self entitlement? what are you talking about. She works hard and she is gifted. She expects to win.

Jordan didn't play with a smug look on his face and put a half assed effort in either. Serena could have blown her out of the water, yet she plays flat footed, and with a feeling of entitlement.

Look at her 'comeback' today. It was all her own fault. There is no adversity there. Its her lazy play that sets her back, and then she actually starts playing to the level we know all know she can, and there she is again creaming the competition.

Self entitlement; the bit where she is strutting around, making faces, trying to hit one hitter quitters, playing flat footed, etc.

[IGOTGAME]

Jordan didn't play with a smug look on his face and put a half assed effort in either. Serena could have blown her out of the water, yet she plays flat footed, and with a feeling of entitlement.

Look at her 'comeback' today. It was all her own fault. There is no adversity there. Its her lazy play that sets her back, and then she actually starts playing to the level we know all know she can, and there she is again creaming the competition.

Self entitlement; the bit where she is strutting around, making faces, trying to hit one hitter quitters, playing flat footed, etc.


oh, ok. you dont like the look on her face or the fact that you think she should have won easier. give her opponent some credit. she played very well. some of those shots she was hitting were top notch.

obviously she can never win in your mind based on that post. To you she is susposed to dominate every player in the world and if she doesn't she is "lazy" and playing with a "feeling of entitlement."

you don't like Serena that is fine. Just don't try hide behind some reason like "self entitlement."

[FinishHim!]

Jordan didn't play with a smug look on his face and put a half assed effort in either. Serena could have blown her out of the water, yet she plays flat footed, and with a feeling of entitlement.

Look at her 'comeback' today. It was all her own fault. There is no adversity there. Its her lazy play that sets her back, and then she actually starts playing to the level we know all know she can, and there she is again creaming the competition.

Self entitlement; the bit where she is strutting around, making faces, trying to hit one hitter quitters, playing flat footed, etc.
:biggums: The dude shot FT's with his eyes closed.

[plowking]

oh, ok. you dont like the look on her face or the fact that you think she should have won easier. give her opponent some credit. she played very well. some of those shots she was hitting were top notch.

obviously she can never win in your mind based on that post. To you she is susposed to dominate every player in the world and if she doesn't she is "lazy" and playing with a "feeling of entitlement."

you don't like Serena that is fine. Just don't try hide behind some reason like "self entitlement."

I don't like or dislike her. I don't care for women's tennis. Shes probably my favorite if anything because shes the only one worth watching.
Women's tennis is in a tragic state though and she has no challengers, so she can afford to play lazy.

[plowking]

:biggums: The dude shot FT's with his eyes closed.

There is nothing wrong with arrogance. I'm more talking about her demeanor on the court. Just screams pompous, "I don't have to even work for this" type attitude.

[FinishHim!]

There is nothing wrong with arrogance. I'm more talking about her demeanor on the court. Just screams pompous, "I don't have to even work for this" type attitude.
Of course she has to work for it though. Everyone talks about her "man like" body. Do you think that she got it that way without spending a countless amount of hours at the gym? And she's not gonna come out there and beat the #1 player in the world without working hard as a tennis player. She didn't have her A game today, clearly, but she didn't come out there not giving a shit and just make the match as close and tight as it was to prove how good she was. Azarenka served for the match in the 3rd set. You think she would really allow it to get to that point because she was so confident that she could come back?

[gigantes]

Azarenka sounds like a hunter doing a bird call. It's driving me nuts.

Serena wins!
just my opinion, but tennis is incredibly annoying when the best pro women players are shrieking their lungs out, point after point. i'm not a serena fan in general, but i'm happy that she won and neither shriekarenka or shriekapova did.

shrieking as you hit the ball is proven to be a large tactical advantage over non-shrieking... it disguises the bounce and the hit, and by varying the sound, the shrieker can add more uncertainty and chaos to what the opponent is listening to. it's pretty much a masterful way to add deception and uncertainty to the game, and it's as unsportsmanlike as it gets IMO.

well done, serena!

[C-Webb4]

Really? Has nothing to do with her being stronger, faster, quicker, better, and the fact she serves as quick as the men do?
All I get out there from her is this feeling of self entitlement and like she is owed something.
She's not the fastest woman on tour though or the quickest laterally. Most powerful, yes. So you can keep "stronger" and "better" in there and take the other 2 out.

[raiderfan19]

just my opinion, but tennis is incredibly annoying when the best pro women players are shrieking their lungs out, point after point. i'm not a serena fan in general, but i'm happy that she won and neither shriekarenka or shriekapova did.

shrieking as you hit the ball is proven to be a large tactical advantage over non-shrieking... it disguises the bounce and the hit, and by varying the sound, the shrieker can add more uncertainty and chaos to what the opponent is listening to. it's pretty much a masterful way to add deception and uncertainty to the game, and it's as unsportsmanlike as it gets IMO.

well done, serena!
And its against the rules. The era just doesn't enforce it

[GatorKid117]

I've purposely tried yelling after I hit each ball and its difficult. It feels so unnatural. I don't really see the physical need of it.

It was quite funny though. Couldn't keep a straight face.

[bdreason]

I have to agree that Serena seems very unlikeable. Like the type of person who treats her assistants/etc. like garbage. I also don't like her attitude on the court, it's very disrespectful sometimes. She's even been kicked out of matches and fined for her behavior in the past.



That said, when she's on her game, she's the best Tennis player in the World.

[bdreason]

And the match tomorrow should be great. Probably the two best defensive players in the World. I expect to see some amazing rallies.



I'm pulling for Murray to win his first Major.

[Smoke117]

Djokovic is going to plow Murray. He actually can attack and play offensively. Murray is all defense and that is his weakness and why he will never win a major.

[C-Webb4]

I have to agree that Serena seems very unlikeable. Like the type of person who treats her assistants/etc. like garbage. I also don't like her attitude on the court, it's very disrespectful sometimes. She's even been kicked out of matches and fined for her behavior in the past.



That said, when she's on her game, she's the best Tennis player in the World.
I like Serena, BUT I can fully admit she's not a gracious loser, or a humble winner. She's at times disrespectful, whether it be to the officials, the linesman, her opponent, and she has her faults and flaws. But at the end of the day we are looking at one of the greatest tennis players to ever grace those courts, and at almost 31 I think most tennis fans should be able to appreciate what she's doing and the age at which she's doing it.

As for tomorrows match, the great thing about Djoker (even though i'm not really too fond of the guy) is that even though he CAN play great defense, he has a bigger offensive game and goes for his shots more often than Murray. The Murray that showed up against Federer in the Olympics could very well take home that title tomorrow in a hard fought match. The Murray that showed beat Berdych on the other hand would not be enough to get it done. Defense only will NOT win against Djoker, my man Nadal proved that 7 times in a row last year.

Just as an FYI to anyone curious, I looked up their head to head record. They've played 14 times Djokovic leads 8-6. They've played 4 times this year (if you count the olympics) and split 2-2. Their only Grand Slam meetings were 2 Aussie opens with Djoker winning both. The 2nd of those was this year and it was a tough hard fought 5 setter. So in all honesty, Murray IMO has the tools and the game to beat Djoker. BUT, it's just a matter of whether he changes his "get into rally's and let my opponent beat himself" mentality because it won't work for someone like him. You have to beat him, he won't beat himself.

[bdreason]

Half hour until the Final. Going to walk the dog and pick up some lunch!

[imdaman99]

Serena is the kinda player that NEVER gives credit to the other player. It's always about her, never loses with class. Yes she is the best, but be graceful when you get beat. And that outbreak she had against the umpire, that was disgraceful.

She reminds me of Mike Tyson. Tyson was a lot more likeable to me, but if you get her in a corner and don't back down, she will crumble with her temper. Moot point since she dominated this year and won the tourney. But she is not likeable at ALL for me, and I root against her every match :lol

That being said, lets go Murray :applause: get that monkey off your back man, come join the other 3 best players in the world already!

[bdreason]

Djoker seems to have a real issue playing with the wind. He's looking like he did against Ferrer the other day in similar conditions.

[bdreason]

54 shot rally.

[bokes15]

crazy match so far. IMO the best mover and defensive player in the game (Djokovic) vs. the 2nd best mover and defensive player, Murray. It's anybody's game though because they are quite evenly matched. It's more of a mental game at this point. Hope Murray can pull it out.

[bagelred]

Boy was I wrong. I thought slowing the game down would be good. But that last point shows you its not. It's BORING. It's impossible to get a winner. These two guys hit it back and forth 30 times until someone makes a "mistake".

It's like watching 2 guys play ping pong who don't know how to hit winners. So they just lob in over the net to each other. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........

Bring serve and volley back...or at least a little variety.

[bokes15]

Honestly if you are bored by this match I don't know how you consider yourself a tennis fan.

[imdaman99]

wow great first set. murray's got it :applause:

[bagelred]

Honestly if you are bored by this match I don't know how you consider yourself a tennis fan.

Well the match is close, that's exciting obviously. I mean the individual points. No one can hit a winner. They just go back and forth until someone makes a mistake. You can't hit a passing shot.....

As I type...here we go again........

[bdreason]

The points are extended because a) it's windy, and players aren't aiming at lines, and b) these are two of the best defenders in the history of the sport.





I don't see how watching players hit aces all match is more exciting, but to each his own.

[imdaman99]

djoker looks out of synch. maybe we will see one of his dramatic down 2-0 comebacks. it doesnt look like it but we will see. to the victor go the spoils, aka murray.

[bokes15]

The points are extended because a) it's windy, and players aren't aiming at lines, and b) these are two of the best defenders in the history of the sport.





I don't see how watching players hit aces all match is more exciting, but to each his own.
Agree on both counts. That they are going for less winners because of the windy conditions and also that I don't see a Pete Sampras type of match where his service games were almost never ending in rally's where the server was broken like once per set as more exciting than a match with extended rally's where they go back and forth until one of them croaks.

edit: and don't get me wrong. I liked watching Pete because Pete was a dominant winner. In terms of excitement though, I much preferred say, a guy like Federer because he can beat you in so many different ways.

[bokes15]

I hope that Murray doesn't let his foot off the gas pedal. I've never seen a tennis player more adept at pulling a rope a dope on you than Djoker. Where he acts like he's totally out and then out of nowhere starts playing out of his mind.

[Rysio]

murray is the biggest choker of all time.

[imdaman99]

I hope that Murray doesn't let his foot off the gas pedal. I've never seen a tennis player more adept at pulling a rope a dope on you than Djoker. Where he acts like he's totally out and then out of nowhere starts playing out of his mind.
looks like he is back, just broke murray again and will serve to tie up the 2nd set at 5. the man is amazing.

although i've seen fed come back down 2 sets a lot more often

[bokes15]

looks like he is back, just broke murray again and will serve to tie up the 2nd set at 5. the man is amazing.

although i've seen fed come back down 2 sets a lot more often
The difference is, the times i've seen it happen with Fed it's not because he stops trying. It's because he doesn't have his A game. With Djoker, it's like he lulls you into thinking he's ripe for the taking and all you'll have to do is play him off the court. Then you drop your intensity just a little and he picks his way up and he steamrolls you. I don't know if he does it on purpose or if it's just part of his quirky nature, but he does it so often, especially in big finals.

[bagelred]

It's refreshing not to see the hat/headband Nike forces the players to wear, for every Nike-owned player.

Sucks to be you Nike. :oldlol:


Crowd chanting Novak......discount triple check!!!!:rockon:

[imdaman99]

wow murray :applause: uno mas!

djoker comeback cut short...
he can still do it, at times he looks dominating out there, even on murrays serves. but it will be a long road back.

[bokes15]

It's so amazing to me to see the new and improved Murray. The old Murray's biggest flaw used to be his lack of ability to handle adversity. How everything needed to be going right for him to win and the minute things go wrong, he would droop his shoulders and give up. "Gloomy Murray" they used to call him. The new Murray has more confidence in himself than that, and it's great to see him come full circle. He deserves this, he's worked hard for it and he's had a LOT of shots at it. He's had to work his ass off and beat the best (Fed, Djoker, Nadal) to get there. Come on Murray, take this home!

[bagelred]

Saw Wayne Brady in the stands. He looked pissed. "Is Wayne Brady going to have to Djokovic?!"

:biggums:

[imdaman99]

Djoker is not done. Won the 3rd set easily 6-2...and looks sharp as he already breaks Murray 1st game 4th set.

[The Ownage]

Come on Murray don't choke this!

[alenleomessi]

seriously if murray chokes this one too ...

[bokes15]

Djokovic is never done, I called this before he started his comeback. If anyone has a sense of entitlement it's that man. He feels he can come back whenever he so chooses, and that sad part is most of the time he's right.

[Qwyjibo]

Reason #57 why I can't stand Djokovic. His father should sit his dumb ass down.

I'm not sure if that situation itself warranted a time warning but I'm happy it happened given his usual pace.

[IGotACoolStory]

That was some ****ing rally :applause:

[DuMa]

Invisible hands around Andy's neck. squeezing the life out of him

[veilside23]

if novak gets this 4th set .. i dont know if murray can overcome the frustration to win the 5th set i guess we will find out.

[veilside23]

5 -3 Go Novak!!!!!!!

[Smoke117]

Murray is such a choker. Djoker has got this.

[Black Joker]

Cmon Novak!

[veilside23]

back to square one... andy whats wrong ??

[imdaman99]

yesssssssssssssssssssss murray breaks 1st. im sure this 5th set is gonna have like 5-6 breaks :facepalm