*Official* Tennis Thread

[Simon]

Never gotten the Tsonga hype tbh, I think hes reasonable but to me doesn't appear to be a long term top 5 or 10er. Since he beat Hewitt at Queens a few years ago (Lleyton was already in his slump) people have been talking him up but other than a few good runs (Like this years Aus open or Paris masters) he just isnt up there for mine.

 

[Jono]

If Simon beats Stepanek, Federer will have to beat Murray to get through to the semis.

Won't be easy.

 

[Jono]

Federer goes down in three sets despite being a break up in the 3rd. He is now out of the Masters Cup.

Wow. Year to forget for him I reckon.

 

[Anil]

damn!

 

[BoyBrumby]

Is Murray actually the real deal then? Has a serve & a steel about him our Timothy sadly lacked. The clear number 4 just now and, as today has shown, closing on the top three.

 

[Simon]

Federer goes down in three sets despite being a break up in the 3rd. He is now out of the Masters Cup.

Wow. Year to forget for him I reckon.

Year to forget, still won a grand slam made 2 other finals and a semi and is world number number 2, what a guy.

 

[Simon]

Is Murray actually the real deal then? Has a serve & a steel about him our Timothy sadly lacked. The clear number 4 just now and, as today has shown, closing on the top three.

It's hard to say really, in all honesty is still achieved very little and apart from slightly better results than Ljubicic he is pretty much at where he was three years ago. He needs to prove it over a few years, but at the moment it is looking good.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Is Murray actually the real deal then? Has a serve & a steel about him our Timothy sadly lacked.

Dunno about the serve, actually. Might be better than plucky Tim's but certainly not very special - though his second seems ok, doesn't go much down on speed. His strong suit seems to be that he can pick up absolutely everything and wait till his oppo gets injured or makes a mistake.

Might watch a bit of the semis tomorrow if it can squeeze in during the eight-hour day of winter sports. Seems the wrong time of year for tennis tho.

 

[Jono]

Year to forget, still won a grand slam made 2 other finals and a semi and is world number number 2, what a guy.

Figured someone would say that.

Its true, but there's not going to be a resurgence IMO. Federer's performances in the grand slams have been excellent, and its just that he's set the bar so high from 04-07 that only winning one feels poor. However its not his Grand Slams that have been the real issue, but his general ATP performances, which have been fairly ordinary by not only his standards, but the standards of any former world #1 and now world #2.

I hope I'm wrong, but Federer loses an amazing amount of sets to ordinary players nowadays, and loses a lot to players he would have thumped only two years ago.

 

[Jono]

Djokovic through to the final. Hoping Murray beats Davydenko (who has played well this tournament) and we see a kickass final.

 

[Jono]

Haha Davydenko just smashed Murray in straight sets.

Davy vs. Djokovic final. Should be good considering Davydenko pushed him last time and is in good form.

 

[Anil]

djokovic will win...

 

[Jono]

Hopefully. He's not played good tennis all tournament, and still he's beaten Davydenko, Simon and Del Potro. Lost to Tsonga in a dead rubber.

Should lift for the final. Plus Davydenko is a bit of a choke artist.

 

[Simon]

Novak better win this, I'm not gonna bother go on about my Davydenko hate, but masters series champion? please.

 

[Simon]

Figured someone would say that.

Its true, but there's not going to be a resurgence IMO. Federer's performances in the grand slams have been excellent, and its just that he's set the bar so high from 04-07 that only winning one feels poor. However its not his Grand Slams that have been the real issue, but his general ATP performances, which have been fairly ordinary by not only his standards, but the standards of any former world #1 and now world #2.

I hope I'm wrong, but Federer loses an amazing amount of sets to ordinary players nowadays, and loses a lot to players he would have thumped only two years ago.

Depends what you call a resurgence? It's fairly unrealistic to think he will return to the peak he was at, I mean the age tennis players peak at is getting younger, look at guys like Roddick, Hewitt, Ferrero etc... these guys peaked in their early twenties, who is to say the same wont happen to Rafa, Murray, etc... Back to Federer though I've got no doubt he has at least 3 or 4 slams left in him. I'm certain he will win wimbledon in 2009 and he's almost unbeatable at the US. I also think he will win the French at some stage.

 

[Jono]

It'd be great if he wins the French, but out of all the Slams that is for younger tennis players, that's the main one!

 

[Ponting Man]

Hopefully Hewitt & Fed will make the final and have a ripper of game because they both rock

 

[Johnners]

moving right along.

Novak a set and a break up (y)

Oh and can anyone tell me, is the final best of 5 sets? Was under the impression it was.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

Strange thing about Federer is that he won the opening sets against both Simon and Murray, then his service game went to sh-t and he kept having to save break point. He's still capable of some amazing tennis, but too often it comes when he's down a break point. Tired of the injury excuses too. Sampras was tougher than that.

 

[Johnners]

Top stuff from Novak, he must be closing in on the Fed's no.2 spot as well.