Tennis

[the sceptic]

the field is pretty weak at the moment which makes Djokovic look better than he really is. Nadal is limited by not being able to juice up to 70% hematocrit anymore, Federer is way past his peak and still #2 in the world. Murray is Murray.

But yes, Djokovic is pefectly suited to modern tennis. On faster mid 2000s courts he would still get his ass kicked by Federer most of the time.

 

[frenchfry]

In long sleeves Serena Williams looks almost human.

When you can see her steroid-pumped shoulders....

 

[Billie]

Re: Re:

Djokovic is really the perfect tennis player, and he's probably the one over the past few years who has reached the highest level that has ever been reached in tennis. His shotmaking is no worse than prime Federer's, in fact his backhand is significantly better, and his movement is now better than even prime Nadal's. Add his weird flexibility (see below) that allows him to reach even more balls and his infinite endurance and you get unstopability.

Its probably between 2011 Djoko vs 2010 Nadal.

Then 07 Fed.

Murray would be way behind the lot of them imo, and I'd take late 2012 over 2013.
Del Potro 09 as a sort of Riis 1 hit wonder in 5th.
Guys like 14 Warinka, 09 Roddick would complete out the top 10

Guys from the 1990's don't come close. Forget top 10 all time, Prime Sampras would have struggled to make the top 10 generally in the current era.

Which begs the question, why are doped superstars so much better in tennis now than the 1990's, while in cycling the perception is the opposite.

Was there no doping in the 1990's. lol Tennis was probably just as bad as cycling if not worse. But cycling has done enough on the anti doping front to keep doping more or less static as drugs improve. Tennis has no controls so with every new drug the players improve. EPO in 1990's, super steroids in the 2000's they keep adding onto it and the sport is becoming more hulkish.

Read somewhere last week that new era strings are that much better. Especially this big banger that allows players to play topspin from 2 metres behind the base line. Atleast that's the excuse the americans use to explain why they suck nowadays

 

[mikkemus23]

A great day for tennis

 

[SeriousSam]

Re: Re:

@Hitch: Forgot about 2010 Nadal. Remember being shocked how good his serve was at the US open. He's got a claim, but I feel Djokovic has eclipsed him.


Why does everyone seem to hate Nadal? Please tell me it's not because he's on roids but the others are clean.

I like him. Quite sad today.

 

[the sceptic]

A great day for tennis

lol! yeah, great to see Nadal get a taste of his own medicine.

 

[del1962]

Nadal has been poor this year though, Murray destroyed him on clay in Madrid and now this, as for Murray I actually think 2015 Murray is the best I have seen him, though he will probably lose to Novak in the semi, Murray if he picks up no injuries will most likely be world number 2 this year.

 

[the delgados]

Re: Re:

@Hitch: Forgot about 2010 Nadal. Remember being shocked how good his serve was at the US open. He's got a claim, but I feel Djokovic has eclipsed him.


Why does everyone seem to hate Nadal? Please tell me it's not because he's on roids but the others are clean.

I like him. Quite sad today.

Hate is too strong a word, but I don't like him for two reasons.
One has to do with the fact I hate watching him pick his ass and smell his fingers before every serve. The guy is a beast, but he looks like an infant. Someone is his camp should bring this up with Rafa.
Two, he lacks the grace of someone like Federer. I know next to nothing about tennis, but I prefer watching someone like Federer glide around the court and set up winning shots as opposed to watching Nadal beat the living hell out of his opponent on sheer strength alone.

 

[IamIronMan]

Re: Re:

@Hitch: Forgot about 2010 Nadal. Remember being shocked how good his serve was at the US open. He's got a claim, but I feel Djokovic has eclipsed him.


Why does everyone seem to hate Nadal? Please tell me it's not because he's on roids but the others are clean.

I like him. Quite sad today.

Hate is too strong a word, but I don't like him for two reasons.
One has to do with the fact I hate watching him pick his ass and smell his fingers before every serve. The guy is a beast, but he looks like an infant. Someone is his camp should bring this up with Rafa.
Two, he lacks the grace of someone like Federer. I know next to nothing about tennis, but I prefer watching someone like Federer glide around the court and set up winning shots as opposed to watching Nadal beat the living hell out of his opponent on sheer strength alone.

This made me laugh out loud while sitting at my desk at work!

I don't follow tennis enough to say I know much about any of these guys, but I also don't get the general dislike of Rafa by many/most tennis fans. I rather like his energy, but I suppose if you normally don't like him, that could get on your nerves. Nole is a nice enough guy (from what we can see), but his progression is so over the top as to be sickening. Taking personalities aside, and realizing most of the sports world is full of dopers, these "super doper" robots are kind of over the top in my opinion. Indurain, Armstrong, Froome, Djokovic, Gatlin, etc...too much of a turn off to be superhero good. At least pretend to be weak at times!

 

[SeriousSam]

Tennis is a skill sport, though, remember. Basic physical attributes (strength, speed, endurance) are necessary but not sufficient to succeed. We can tell Djokovic and Nadal have prodigious talent even if their basic physical attributes are greatly enhanced by illegal means. By contrast, we can't so easily tell that Froome is prodigiously talented at anything other than responding to chemicals.

I remember Djokovic before he morphed into his current self in 2011. Was not a nice guy back then. Federer, on the other hand, seemed like a good guy until he started declining. Revealed himself to be quite non-nice since then. By contrast, Nadal has been a good guy as far back as I can remember. Murray too, even though he's a dour Scot.

 

[thrawn]

Re:

Djokovic is really the perfect tennis player, and he's probably the one over the past few years who has reached the highest level that has ever been reached in tennis. His shotmaking is no worse than prime Federer's, in fact his backhand is significantly better, and his movement is now better than even prime Nadal's. Add his weird flexibility (see below) that allows him to reach even more balls and his infinite endurance and you get unstopability.

Eh not really. In a close match you just keep hitting it to his forehand. He has surprisingly poor balance on his forehand side when not on the stretch and under pressure.

 

[blackcat]

Re:

Tennis is a skill sport, though, remember. Basic physical attributes (strength, speed, endurance) are necessary but not sufficient to succeed. We can tell Djokovic and Nadal have prodigious talent even if their basic physical attributes are greatly enhanced by illegal means. By contrast, we can't so easily tell that Froome is prodigiously talented at anything other than responding to chemicals.

I remember Djokovic before he morphed into his current self in 2011. Was not a nice guy back then. Federer, on the other hand, seemed like a good guy until he started declining. Revealed himself to be quite non-nice since then. By contrast, Nadal has been a good guy as far back as I can remember. Murray too, even though he's a dour Scot.

was not Federer a *** before he started winning, when he was 18 19 20 21?

 

[blackcat]

Re:

Nadal has been a good guy as far back as I can remember. Murray too, even though he's a dour Scot.

but Nadal's sportsmanship, or gamesmanship to put his competitor off, is akin to Mcenroe innit, he just delays, makes you wait, and takes toilet breaks, and gets uncle toni to yell instruction

 

[red_flanders]

Re: Re:

@Hitch: Forgot about 2010 Nadal. Remember being shocked how good his serve was at the US open. He's got a claim, but I feel Djokovic has eclipsed him.


Why does everyone seem to hate Nadal? Please tell me it's not because he's on roids but the others are clean.

I like him. Quite sad today.

Hate is too strong a word, but I don't like him for two reasons.
One has to do with the fact I hate watching him pick his ass and smell his fingers before every serve. The guy is a beast, but he looks like an infant. Someone is his camp should bring this up with Rafa.
Two, he lacks the grace of someone like Federer. I know next to nothing about tennis, but I prefer watching someone like Federer glide around the court and set up winning shots as opposed to watching Nadal beat the living hell out of his opponent on sheer strength alone.

Particularly when you know his strength is a result of chemicals. That and he looks like a rat. Never liked him.

 

[blackcat]

A great day for tennis

is uncle toni blowing him?

 

[the delgados]

A great day for tennis

is uncle toni blowing him?

Oh, Uncle Toni. Not now.

 

[Red Rick]

Yesterday I realised that when Nadal won his first title at Roland Garros, Armstrong had yet to win his 7th Tour and retire.

My mind completely blew up

 

[blackcat]

Re:

Yesterday I realised that when Nadal won his first title at Roland Garros, Armstrong had yet to win his 7th Tour and retire.

My mind completely blew up

did you put it back together?
humpty dumpty?

 

[Red Rick]

Yesterday I realised that when Nadal won his first title at Roland Garros, Armstrong had yet to win his 7th Tour and retire.

My mind completely blew up

did you put it back together?
humpty dumpty?

Jup

 

[peloton]

Re:

Tennis is a skill sport, though, remember. Basic physical attributes (strength, speed, endurance) are necessary but not sufficient to succeed. We can tell Djokovic and Nadal have prodigious talent even if their basic physical attributes are greatly enhanced by illegal means. By contrast, we can't so easily tell that Froome is prodigiously talented at anything other than responding to chemicals.

I remember Djokovic before he morphed into his current self in 2011. Was not a nice guy back then. Federer, on the other hand, seemed like a good guy until he started declining. Revealed himself to be quite non-nice since then. By contrast, Nadal has been a good guy as far back as I can remember. Murray too, even though he's a dour Scot.

Federer was smashing at least 3 rackets per match in his younger days, he had a temper that makes Murray look pale today

But agree with the rest of your of post, more or less. Rafa, even on his most ridiculous hormone diet, never did any tantrums on court and is well liked by most players on tour. Bummed he lost, but that record had to get broken anyway.

Nole will mess Murrays head tomorrw, ala Serena today, wanna bet?

 

[SeriousSam]

Stan is hitting it absolutely huge. So much power, it's incredible.

 

[mrhender]

Live now?

edit: nvm... Found it..

 

[blackcat]

that youtube clip where Gasquet plays Nadal as a 14yo, it demonstrates the innate talents. it is an insight, how Nadal brought a steroid and oxygen vector game to the game and the game is lesser for it. he was not the first, he just raised the game. I assume Lendl was the first to bring and take advantage of a PED game, maybe then Chang and Becker. Then Courier brought a steroid game. And Muster went to number 1 on clay, and gave Uncle Toni the schema to enact. Ofcourse, I think Sergi Brugera was the first Spaniard to bring this current era online, tho it is arguable if it was Aranxta Sanchez Vicario's brother, Sanchez who was a forerunner, ofcourse he never won a Roland Garros.

I wanna see Fed v Gasquet as 14yo's, I wanna know how much advantage Fed got from PEDs, my opinion is, he got aid, but he needed to get some aid just to compete with the Nadal era of roided monsters. So I dont think Fed got any benefit.

And Gasquet, I am sure he is on stuff too, just not much. He is Reeshard cocaine kiss and sugar lips afterall.

Thing about Gasquet, his lasoo backhand, which requires preparation, and recoil from recovery, has turned from a weapon/advantage, into almost a disadvantage, as it takes time out of the rally, the prep, the recovery, it sets him on the backfoot.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/aug/05/tennis-richard-gasquet-drugs-ban

ol'cocainekiss gas gay

 

[The Hitch]

Damn. Novak missed his chance to win a gs without dropping a set.

Looking at the stats of when that has been done - fed done it in ao 2007 though there wad no competition compared to what we have seen last 5 years.

Nadal did it at rg 08 and 10 but in 2010 he won 10% more games, so maybe 2008 nadal, who then beat prime fed on grass, is best version ever.

 

[SeriousSam]

Yes! Tennis needs Murray to win this. Watching Novak melt down would exceed my wildest expectations for RG.