*Official* Tennis Thread

[Jono]

also nishi in that list...?! he is a good player and all but he has done squat all to indicate that he will pose a challenge for novak...

He kind of beat him in a Slam which is something Fed and Nadal haven't done n a while.

He had an injury interrupted 2015.

 

[Jono]

Is Fed a bad clutch player? Has a pretty poor record in slam finals against Nadal and Novak.

Gotta be clutch to win Wimbledon 07 and 2011 French semi vs. Novak imo. Sometimes you just lose to good players, and his slam losses to Novak have been when Novak has been the better player.

 

[Anil]

He kind of beat him in a Slam which is something Fed and Nadal haven't done n a while.

He had an injury interrupted 2015.

well...do you really think that one win is enough to put him in the murray/wawrinka class of threats to novak?

 

[vcs]

Right now, Murray is not really a threat to him either. Wawrinka had to play out of his mind whenever he beat him. He's a threat, but it's a 10-20% chance he can sustain that level over 5 sets. He's just a tough, tough guy to get past ATM. Never thought he'd turn out to be so good on grass as well.

 

[Jono]

well...do you really think that one win is enough to put him in the murray/wawrinka class of threats to novak?

You're taking it too literally. I was just naming the best players in the world. After Novak, those players are Fed, Murray, Nadal, Stan and Nishi.

 

[vcs]

Robin Soderling's retired. I will always be grateful to him for this.

 

[Jono]

Will never forget that match for as long as I live. Never been more shocked watching tennis live I reckon.

Sad that his wrist got so ****ed up. He was very good.

 

[vcs]

He had problems with mononucleosis. He was abrasive, but a decent guy I thought. Del Potro is the one with chronic wrist issues.

Quite a few tennis players suffered with that virus, Federer was lucky that his long term career was not affected after he got it in 2008. I think Kvitova also had it recently.

Should tennis be worried about the 'kissing disease'? - CNN.com

 

[Jono]

Sorry yes he went down with mono. Tried a come back a few times right?

Didn't it end Ancic's career?

 

[vcs]

Sorry yes he went down with mono. Tried a come back a few times right?

Didn't it end Ancic's career?

Oh yeah, Ancic also. Loved watching that guy. BTW, he retired and went on to do a post-grad law degree from Columbia University. Awesome!

 

[Magrat Garlick]

On the flip side, Čilić came back and won a Slam.

Former pro Justin Gimelstob isn't surprised that tennis players are susceptible.

The players have to, at times, switch continents on a weekly basis, and they travel 10-11 months in a year.


Unlike golf, cricket or Formula One, others sports that require continual global travel, the players also push themselves to the limit physically.

Yup, that's definitely the main reason tennis players are susceptible...

 

[Jono]

Haha Samuel

 

[Anil]

You're taking it too literally. I was just naming the best players in the world. After Novak, those players are Fed, Murray, Nadal, Stan and Nishi.

sure, all i am saying is that there is quite a chasm between those others and nishi...he has not shown that he is good enough to be bracketed with them for anything, forget being a threat to novak...

 

[Jono]

Its relevant because those are the guys that have beaten Novak in a Slam since he became a God. And he's done it more recently than Rafa, Murray and Fed.

 

[morgieb]

Is Fed a bad clutch player? Has a pretty poor record in slam finals against Nadal and Novak.

His record against Nadal is pretty ****ty on a whole, so you can't consider his losses against Nadal in Slam finals as evidence as him not being clutch, else it would just be Slams where he lost to Nadal. I wonder though if that record would look different if Federer was worse on clay, or if Nadal was better off it - I think that match-up is a bit inflated by a mental block from Nadal beating Federer so much on clay (where his backhand can be exploited easier and Nadal is the better player overall) and to a lesser extent age.

You're on fairer ground with Djokovic, though I think the record might be somewhat different if Djokovic was playing in Federer's peak. For a lot of the losses Djokovic was the better player overall (as in was in better form throughout the tournament and on the tour, in general playing better tennis, etc.).

Overall it's hard to consider a guy who won 17 Slams bad at being clutch, but he's not on Nadal/Djokovic's level IMO.

 

[vcs]

I think he's every bit as mentally tough but it's harder for folks to appreciate when you play technically flawless, attacking tennis and make the game look easy.

Personally, I've never enjoyed following Federer more than over the last two years as a fan. Hardly won much compared to his peak but his adaptability is remarkable. He's thrown everything at Djokovic, changed racquets, improved his volleying, tried chip and charge, everything.

 

[_Ed_]

Naomi Broady's making a hell of a run in the Classic in Auckland this week. She came through the qualifiers, then beat Ana Ivanovic in the first round. Today she lost the first set, came back to take the second and then was 5-2 down in the third before winning it 7-5!

I have to admit I'd barely heard of her before this week.

Meanwhile, Marina Erakovic is up next in her second-round match to once again provide fleeting hope of a NZ champion.

 

[Jono]

It is only the Hopman Cup, but good straights sets win by #nkrising over Murray

 

[_Ed_]

Love the sportsmanship from Jack Sock.

 

[Jono]

Yep. He has a good sole