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The real Tennis thread.

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Maybe my memory just fails me but that is maybe the best matches I ever saw. I'm sure federer djokovic this year was better(I missed good parts of it) but this was just crazy.



Mentally rafa was cracking everytime he got near the win and Medvedev kept coming back. The atmosphere was hot. I though it was destiny he would win actually.

The number of games that went to deuce or at least 30-30 was ridiculous esecialy in the last set. Medvedev was incredible for a guy who two matches ago looked like he was about to retire.
You won't see many more dramatic Slam finals, but there's been plenty of better matches imo.
 
You won't see many more dramatic Slam finals, but there's been plenty of better matches imo.

yeah, was referring to drama. Maybe similar to Rafter Ivanisevic.

Federer Roddick comes to mind but in the 5th set Roddick i never felt Roddick had a chance. He was clearly more tired.

From memory even 5th set classics like Fed Nadal 2008, 2009, 2017 or Fed Djok, Djok Nadal, didn't have these kind of swings where whoever is down just starts playing video game tennis and inevitably comes back
 
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Up until 2 weeks ago I thought Djokovic would surpass both easy. Now it looks like he could finish last. 1 and half years ago after AO it looked like Fed would finish way in front. These thinks can change quickly.

Hell, one ace 2 months ago and Fed would have been also much more comfortable.

I'm not entirely sure Djoker and Nadal will continue winning slams till 40 like Fed. They showed way more physical weaknesses their whole career. Fed is pretty much the first to ever do it. Almost everyone else from his generation had normal career paths and faded in their 30's.

The way Medvedev pushed Nadal today, the next gen getting a little more experienced every day and the old gen getting closer to Father time, im not so sure they will have it that easy in the 2020's.

I can definately see Medvedev becoming like a new Murray from now on (someone who can beat any of the top 3 even in straight sets in the GS's and eventually world number 1). I wouldnt be surprised if he even wins the AO.


RR how do you think the year end number 1 plays out? As Djokovic is also closing on Fed in the total weeks at number 1 race. If he can hold it till Melbourne he will cut the gap (42) almost in half. Nadal has no chance to win that race so he would just be slowing Djoker.
 
yeah, was referring to drama. Maybe similar to Rafter Ivanisevic.

Federer Roddick comes to mind but in the 5th set Roddick i never felt Roddick had a chance. He was clearly more tired.

From memory even 5th set classics like Fed Nadal 2008, 2009, 2017 or Fed Djok, Djok Nadal, didn't have these kind of swings where whoever is down just starts playing video game tennis and inevitably comes back
Roddick had 2 bps at 9-9 in the 5th I think? But overall Fed had clearly better stats that match and Roddick was incredibly clutch to make it that far, and Fed didn't really have a history of choking matches away against anyone except maybe against Nadal. Anyway, I think their 2004 match was higher quality and people sleep on that match cause it didn't go 5 sets but I think that match pretty much broke Roddick and propelled Fed into winning 3 Slams a year for a good stretch.

As for momentum swings, the RG semi of 2013 was crazy.
 
Up until 2 weeks ago I thought Djokovic would surpass both easy. Now it looks like he could finish last. 1 and half years ago after AO it looked like Fed would finish way in front. These thinks can change quickly.

Hell, one ace 2 months ago and Fed would have been also much more comfortable.

I'm not entirely sure Djoker and Nadal will continue winning slams till 40 like Fed. They showed way more physical weaknesses their whole career. Fed is pretty much the first to ever do it. Almost everyone else from his generation had normal career paths and faded in their 30's.

The way Medvedev pushed Nadal today, the next gen getting a little more experienced every day and the old gen getting closer to Father time, im not so sure they will have it that easy in the 2020's.


RR how do you think the year end number 1 plays out? As Djokovic is also closing on Fed in the total weeks at number 1 race. If he can hold it till Melbourne he will cut the gap (42) almost in half. Nadal has no chance to win that race so he would just be slowing Djoker.
Slam race is madness at this point. Lot of different thing could happen there.

As for the race to #1, Nadal is getting married this fall and is skipping a part of the fall season as a result. Djokovic is playing Tokyo. I think YE#1 is up in the air. Usually I'd expect Djokovic to close it quite easily but he hasn't been himself outside of Slams this year.

Ultimately, I still strongly favour Djokovic to take that record from Federer, but I also think it's the most overrated record in tennis. It's so much about timing it's unfunny. Sampras has like twice the time at #1 Nadal has because Nadal has finished 2nd like 4 years with better results than most of Sampras #1 years. All of the Big 4 have by the way.

Ultimately I think time at #1 isn't a result, but a distribution of results compared to the distribution of other players which is ultimately irrelevant. It's really cool as a milestone for players, but I don't care for the record.
 
Roddick had 2 bps at 9-9 in the 5th I think? But overall Fed had clearly better stats that match and Roddick was incredibly clutch to make it that far, and Fed didn't really have a history of choking matches away against anyone except maybe against Nadal. Anyway, I think their 2004 match was higher quality and people sleep on that match cause it didn't go 5 sets but I think that match pretty much broke Roddick and propelled Fed into winning 3 Slams a year for a good stretch.

As for momentum swings, the RG semi of 2013 was crazy.
my recollection as someone who was cheering very hard for Roddick, was that by the mid of the 5th set he wasn't even bothering to return Federers serves unless they were easy to get back. He was so cracked.

In that match Fed broke Roddick once and Roddick broke Federer twice in what was basically 7 sets of tennis.

By comparison yesterday, every game seemed like 50: 50 regardless who was serving.
 
Slam race is madness at this point. Lot of different thing could happen there.

As for the race to #1, Nadal is getting married this fall and is skipping a part of the fall season as a result. Djokovic is playing Tokyo. I think YE#1 is up in the air. Usually I'd expect Djokovic to close it quite easily but he hasn't been himself outside of Slams this year.

Ultimately, I still strongly favour Djokovic to take that record from Federer, but I also think it's the most overrated record in tennis. It's so much about timing it's unfunny. Sampras has like twice the time at #1 Nadal has because Nadal has finished 2nd like 4 years with better results than most of Sampras #1 years. All of the Big 4 have by the way.

Ultimately I think time at #1 isn't a result, but a distribution of results compared to the distribution of other players which is ultimately irrelevant. It's really cool as a milestone for players, but I don't care for the record.
yeah, good points. With that in mind wouldn't Djok having the record be even more an example of how great he was though?
Amassing so many weeks at number 1 during the big 4 era.
 
my recollection as someone who was cheering very hard for Roddick, was that by the mid of the 5th set he wasn't even bothering to return Federers serves unless they were easy to get back. He was so cracked.

In that match Fed broke Roddick once and Roddick broke Federer twice in what was basically 7 sets of tennis.

By comparison yesterday, every game seemed like 50: 50 regardless who was serving.
Yeah Roddick held 37 consecutive times while Fed won 28% of return points, which is way less breaks than you'd expect. Roddick broke twice winning 21% of return points.

yeah, good points. With that in mind wouldn't Djok having the record be even more an example of how great he was though?
Amassing so many weeks at number 1 during the big 4 era.
I consider Nadals weeks at #1 a greater achievement than Sampras' amount of weeks at #1. But if you take all that into account weeks at #1 don't tell you anything the number of Slams, titles and winning% and all that stuff don't already tell you.
 
Saying Roddick was extremely clutch in a match where he lost a set in which he was leading 6-2 in the tie-break doesn't seem right.
He was clutch in not getting broken and and overall preventing a lot of break points even. He converts in set 2 and everything happens the same he wins in 4 with heavily dominated stats.

Overall Roddick was infuriating to watch with 0 Grand Slam match wins with <1 dominance ratio while getting like 8 losses with a >1 DR.


Anyway, I'm seeing rumors Djokovic requires surgery and could be out for the season. Really hope they're untrue.
 
He was clutch in not getting broken and and overall preventing a lot of break points even. He converts in set 2 and everything happens the same he wins in 4 with heavily dominated stats.

Overall Roddick was infuriating to watch with 0 Grand Slam match wins with <1 dominance ratio while getting like 8 losses with a >1 DR.


Anyway, I'm seeing rumors Djokovic requires surgery and could be out for the season. Really hope they're untrue.
Out for the season as in this season? Well thats ok. He'll lose the 1 spot and wont appear at WTF and a couple of masters, but most of the season is already over.

Next season is what is important. 4 more GS chances before he gets too old and an olympics
 
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Out for the season as in this season? Well thats ok. He'll lose the 1 spot and wont appear at WTF and a couple of masters, but most of the season is already over.

Next season is what is important. 4 more GS chances before he gets too old and an olympics
Yeah it would be out for 2019.

That injury may decide the Slam race in the end. I though Djokovic needed all non clay Slams this year.
 
He needs all non clay slams in 2020 but with this injury... I really don't know. Federer has a chance of a lifetime to increase the gap again to Nadal in the 2020 australian open.
Wouldn't call it the chance of a lifetime. He kinda missed that at Wimbly and this USO. I think Federer is suffering from playing much more than the past 2 years despite being even older now.

For the first time I think the gap to Nadal is the bigger problem for Djokovic. I agree winning 2 doesn't cut it if Fed and Rafi win the other 2.

And while Medvedev made a giant leap into Slam contention, the others are lagging way, way behind.
 
Wouldn't call it the chance of a lifetime. He kinda missed that at Wimbly and this USO. I think Federer is suffering from playing much more than the past 2 years despite being even older now.

For the first time I think the gap to Nadal is the bigger problem for Djokovic. I agree winning 2 doesn't cut it if Fed and Rafi win the other 2.

And while Medvedev made a giant leap into Slam contention, the others are lagging way, way behind.
Nadal will win the 2020 french open so if federer don't win the australian open, Nadal will be equal in GS titles
 
He's only like the 3rd tallest tennis player.
haha, my favorite topic again.

The nATPba.

For me Del Potro, for that brief period of time (2009) before injuries *** him up, offered the best combination of otherworldly height, and strong tennis skills. Maybe Medvedev is similar today, hard to judge, but Del Potro at 2009 RG and then smashing past prime Fed and Nadal at the USO, is still the standard bearer.
 

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