The Tennis Thread

[Gbspurs]

How. The. Fuck.

What amazes me most about Murray is pretty much for his whole career he has looked like he is about to collapse any minute but he always has more in the tank. Deserved more slams.

 

[aliyid]

What amazes me most about Murray is pretty much for his whole career he has looked like he is about to collapse any minute but he always has more in the tank. Deserved more slams.

He looks like he hurts in places he never knew existed.

Always say at the top level every player is good enough to win, it’s about who has the heart, desire and belief to push that extra 1%

 

[TheHodFather]

What amazes me most about Murray is pretty much for his whole career he has looked like he is about to collapse any minute but he always has more in the tank. Deserved more slams.

Any other era and he would have. Very unfortunate to have his career coincide with those of Federer, Nadal & Djokovic.

 

[Gbspurs]

Any other era and he would have. Very unfortunate to have his career coincide with those of Federer, Nadal & Djokovic.

It's tricky though as who is to say that it wasn't those guys that forced him to train harder and raise his level etc.

On the flip side that might have afforded him the opportunity to not ruin his body pushing for the top.

 

[TheHodFather]

It's tricky though as who is to say that it wasn't those guys that forced him to train harder and raise his level etc.

On the flip side that might have afforded him the opportunity to not ruin his body pushing for the top.

Yeah I suspect there's definitely something in the argument that the competition raised all of their levels.

 

[Amo]

Day ruined.
And I thought it was mid-afternoon

turns out it’s still morning.

 

[aliyid]

Love this

 

[ajspurs]

Am so glad it's a Tsitsipas and Dojokovic final, will hopefully be a good match. I think Tsitsipas is capable of beating anyone if he's really on his game but Djokovic really has the capability to make such players look rather average when he's playing well too. Whichever way it goes I just hope it's not a straight sets victory!

 

[aliyid]

Am so glad it's a Tsitsipas and Dojokovic final, will hopefully be a good match. I think Tsitsipas is capable of beating anyone if he's really on his game but Djokovic really has the capability to make such players look rather average when he's playing well too. Whichever way it goes I just hope it's not a straight sets victory!

I like Tsitsipas but always feel in these big games that he lacks the belief he can actually do it. There’s just something in his eyes where he looks defeated and just accepts his fate.

Can see it going to 4 sets but can’t see anything other than a Djokovic win.

 

[ajspurs]

I like Tsitsipas but always feel in these big games that he lacks the belief he can actually do it. There’s just something in his eyes where he looks defeated and just accepts his fate.

Can see it going to 4 sets but can’t see anything other than a Djokovic win.

Yeah I'm not sure with Tsitsipas. I just think he can strike a bit hot and cold. There was a time where it looked like it was only a matter of time before he'd win a grand slam and then he had a bit of a dip.

I think he has the initial belief but most players could boast that I guess. It's if you still have the belief after going one or two sets down or even if you can cross the line in being 2 sets up like he was in the French Open final. Hopefully we'll see a similar contest.

 

[aussiespursguy]

Don't normally watch the women ,but this is a good match.
Anyone who doesn't moan is alright in my book!

 

[aliyid]

Watching this so far (only lost two points on his own serve in that first set) and trying to work out if Djokovic is getting better with age or is his opposition getting easier?

My mind always drifts back not to battles against Fed, Nadal or Murray but those epic battles he used to play against Stan Wawrinka.

He’s always been one of the fittest players on court but he appears to play consistently closer to the lines nowadays making him tough to play against.

Has he stepped up a level in his self belief or is it that he’s just not being put under pressure so has the time to make his shots rather that scrambling to get the ball back?

 

[Mark_147]

Don't normally watch the women ,but this is a good match.
Anyone who doesn't moan is alright in my book!

Don't you like a woman that moans.

 

[aussiespursguy]

Don't you like a woman that moans.

Ah but not every point.

 

[aussiespursguy]

This one goes min 4 sets.
At least i think

 

[Darth Vega]

Watching this so far (only lost two points on his own serve in that first set) and trying to work out if Djokovic is getting better with age or is his opposition getting easier?

My mind always drifts back not to battles against Fed, Nadal or Murray but those epic battles he used to play against Stan Wawrinka.

He’s always been one of the fittest players on court but he appears to play consistently closer to the lines nowadays making him tough to play against.

Has he stepped up a level in his self belief or is it that he’s just not being put under pressure so has the time to make his shots rather that scrambling to get the ball back?

Probably the latter. I'm Greek so I watch Stef almost every week and a lot of his strengths are perfectly nullified by Djokovic's (forehand into the Djokovic backhand) and the same is true of his weaknesses; Djokovic has the perfect game to just obliterate Stef's backhand, it's a terrible matchup. It's like how Djokovic used to dominate Federer except Tsitsipas isn't as good. On hard court I'd only really back Nadal, Medvedev and Alcaraz to beat Novak.

 

[ralvy]

Yeah, also consider that in the past Novak had to battle against peak Federer, Nadal, Murray, Wawrinka and Del Potro, so of course this generation is not as strong as that one. Kyrgios and Zverev, for example, can reach such levels from time to time, but probably not as consistently.

Before his wrist injury, Thiem looked like he was about to become the main challenger of Djokovic and Nadal. So sad to see the direction his career has taken after that.

 

[PrettyColors]

It’s a weird one with Novak, he is clearly going to end up the most accomplished player of all time, and is the most consistently great player I’ve ever seen. He just does tennis right 9 times out of 10, he takes no days off throughout the season, he plays incredibly smart and agile tennis.

On the other hand that 2012-2014 period right in his prime was chock full of bad losses and poor mentality, and unlike Nadal, he never beat Federer at his peak. I honestly think Federer is a slightly better player at his best than Novak, that attacking game and serve makes for a more unstoppable player. Nadal as well is amazing.

I don’t believe in a GOAT for tennis because of how much the game has changed by era. Laver and Borg played with wood racquets, it’s not even a comparable sport to 40 years ago. I will say that Djokovic is the best day-in, day-out player ever, and perhaps that’s what matters most.

 

[ralvy]

It’s a weird one with Novak, he is clearly going to end up the most accomplished player of all time, and is the most consistently great player I’ve ever seen. He just does tennis right 9 times out of 10, he takes no days off throughout the season, he plays incredibly smart and agile tennis.

On the other hand that 2012-2014 period right in his prime was chock full of bad losses and poor mentality, and unlike Nadal, he never beat Federer at his peak. I honestly think Federer is a slightly better player at his best than Novak, that attacking game and serve makes for a more unstoppable player. Nadal as well is amazing.

I don’t believe in a GOAT for tennis because of how much the game has changed by era. Laver and Borg played with wood racquets, it’s not even a comparable sport to 40 years ago. I will say that Djokovic is the best day-in, day-out player ever, and perhaps that’s what matters most.

What exactly do you mean by Federer at his peak? I seem to recall him defeating Roger in a masters 1000 final around 2006 or 2007 (I remember because I think it was the first time I noticed Djokovic existence).

I do think he's at least the greatest player of the past 20 years or so, but he was aided significantly by Murray's injuries. At the time he started getting chronically injured, he was already Djokovic's main challenger for the top prices, and he was already overtaking him in a few fronts. If Murray had stayed healthy probably non of Roger, Rafa and Nole would have reached the 20 GS mark. And no, I'm not British or event a Murray fanboy.

 

[Arnoldtoo]

Incredible, Andy Murray!

Beats Lehecka after having match points against him, again. 8-6 in the 3rd set tie-break. Unbelievable.

Best match I've seen this year so far.