Tennis!

[cotedupy]

Are there any fellow tennis fans here?

And even if you aren't; surely we can all appreciate a simple, child-like, joy in seeing Novak Djokovic being put to the sword by Rafa in Paris once again. Such a pleasure is, I think, a central tenet of the human condition...

22 Vamos!

 

[ian]

Nothing better than seeing Novak nullified. Kom igjen* Casper!




*Norwegians, I was trying to say “come on Casper”. Please correct my literally translated cheer.

 

[Luftmensch]

I dabble... But I am not a super fan.

The Australian Open final was a scrappy slog. There were some good moments but it was a war of attrition. Medvedev put up a great fight. It seems Rafa has an affinity for record-length Australian Open finals! I am glad he won... It was a pleasure to see him earn another major title and inch ahead of Djokovic and Federer.

 

[cotedupy]

Nothing better than seeing Novak nullified. Kom igjen* Casper!




*Norwegians, I was trying to say “come on Casper”. Please correct my literally translated cheer.

I must confess that both Ruud and Rune have rather come out of nowhere for me, I barely knew anything about either two weeks ago.

Though if Jannik Sinner hadn't had to retire I think he would have obliterated that half of the draw. His first set against Rublev was awesome.

I am glad he won... It was a pleasure to see him earn another major title and inch ahead of Djokovic and Federer.

That's the spirit... this is precisely the kind of expert, well-informed, opinion that the Tennis! thread is all about. It was indeed a staggering final, I may have cried a little bit at the end.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

i barely dabble. i also for MANY reasons like women's tennis better.

 

[cotedupy]

Nothing better than seeing Novak nullified. Kom igjen* Casper!




*Norwegians, I was trying to say “come on Casper”. Please correct my literally translated cheer.

Well look at that eh... your expert use of the vernacular has cheered him on to victory.

May the best man (Rafa) win tomorrow!

 

[ian]

Rafa’s an old man. Hell, he’s as old as my younger sister! Noone that old has any business winning majors. Youth 4ever!

 

[cotedupy]

Nonsense! I myself am but a couple of weeks older than Senor Nadal, and confident I still have a couple of majors left in me - I'm just biding my time.

(Biding has always been a strong part of my game).

 

[ian]

Major surgeries, perhaps! Then again, Senior Nadal is good at surprising us.

More seriously, would be a great story if he won tomorrow and then retired, and some speculate he will. Curious what the reveal will be when he speaks about the pain he’s playing with atm. Man’s a beast.

 

[Luftmensch]

i also for MANY reasons like women's tennis better.

Okay... I'll bite! Why?? This is the right thread for it....

I think organisations like the WTA have done a great job at elevating women's tennis. Women's tennis is probably the most developed female sport - and has the smallest pay gap?? At least the grand slams are equal pay - albeit, the other tournaments are not... In recent tournaments, I believe women's tennis attracts more viewers than men's?

On paper, you could credibly argue Serena is the GOAT!

 

[Delat]

i barely dabble. i also for MANY reasons like women's tennis better.

Women’s tennis has improved quite a bit. During the whole Radwanska/Stosur/Azarenka era it was just plain embarrassing and painful to watch. The newer generation is clean in form and ferociously competitive without sounding like a bunch of tortured cats.

(Stosur was an amazing player but omg such a head case, so much unrealized potential there).

 

[Delat]

Major surgeries, perhaps! Then again, Senior Nadal is good at surprising us.

More seriously, would be a great story if he won tomorrow and then retired, and some speculate he will. Curious what the reveal will be when he speaks about the pain he’s playing with atm. Man’s a beast.

Nadal is awesome. I expected him to flame out from injuries years ago; such a freaking beast of a trooper. I worry about long term damage to his body though, I want him to have a long and happy retirement playing golf every day.

 

[Delat]

Are there any fellow tennis fans here?

And even if you aren't; surely we can all appreciate a simple, child-like, joy in seeing Novak Djokovic being put to the sword by Rafa in Paris once again. Such a pleasure is, I think, a central tenet of the human condition...

22 Vamos!

Djokovic: [continuously does jerky things]
Djokovic: [wonders why people think he’s a jerk]

 

[cotedupy]

Djokovic: [continuously does jerky things]
Djokovic: [wonders why people think he’s a jerk]

I live in Aus and I hadn't seen this before... it's spectacularly good!

Very occasionally I start to find myself feeling sorry for Djokovic, and then as you say - he does something else to go out of his way to be an ass****. I've just seen that during all that, the Djokovic family invited Nigel Farage over to stay with them in Serbia. An irony that was not lost on the British media given that Farage is a particularly nasty little man who has spent most of his life campaigning for tougher UK border controls and calling for Eastern Europeans to be deported.

(I'm assuming the above doesn't break any rules about political content given that Nigel Farage isn't a politician anymore. He's just a c***).

 

[cotedupy]

Major surgeries, perhaps! Then again, Senior Nadal is good at surprising us.

More seriously, would be a great story if he won tomorrow and then retired, and some speculate he will. Curious what the reveal will be when he speaks about the pain he’s playing with atm. Man’s a beast.

Yeah I suspect he'll retire at the end of the season. If Djokovic isn't allowed into the US, he should probably have a tilt at Flushing Meadows.

Got to be strong favourite later today I imagine, even if CR has been playing rather well. Though there's been a curious tendency in the last few years for bookmakers and 'experts' to underrate Nadal's chances in competitions, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. I think because on a screen his game doesn't look as aggressive and dominant as NJ and other players'.

But there's a reason that Djokovic looked poor for a lot of the quarter final; because on clay, and particularly on PC, the topspin from the baseline, combined with a superb drop shot, and being the best net player on the tour, make him effectively unplayable. Federer used to jump about two feet in the air for every single shot. Though a lot will probably depend on the conditions, Paris seems to have had some weird-ass weather in the last couple of weeks!

 

[Luftmensch]

Djokovic: [continuously does jerky things]
Djokovic: [wonders why people think he’s a jerk]

Wow!!! Raw!!!

I live in Aus and I hadn't seen this before... it's spectacularly good!

Same!

The whole thing was a debacle. As shyte as Djokovic was... our customs/visa process was also shambles. The various levels of government really created an unnecessary drama by only acting once he had arrived. For such a conspicuous event... this should have been screened before the athletes arrived...

 

[cotedupy]

RN22 VAMOS!!!!!

 

[ian]

Man, hard to extrapolate from 2 games, but I give Ruud a 2% chance of winning

 

[ian]

5%. Further updates to follow every 10 seconds.

 

[cotedupy]

Court and balls are looking properly zingy. Nadal in 3 I think.

(Famous last words... )

 

[ian]

Ah well, congrats to Nadal!

 

[cotedupy]

Slightly uncomfortable viewing that final set. But from the very first game of the match Nadal looked completely dialled in to the court, and like that the result was never really going to be in doubt.

And Ruud joins illustrious company in Roger Federer ('08) and Novak Djokovic ('20) of people who've been bagel-ed by Nadal in a Roland Garros final.

 

[Luftmensch]

Brilliant!

The way Nadal treats his body... I am worried he is pretty much at the end of his streak? I am anxious that Djokovic has more gas left in the tank.

It would be amazing if Nadal could storm Wimbledon and match Serena's 23 but he sounds like he is in a lot of pain

 

[ian]

Slightly uncomfortable viewing that final set. But from the very first game of the match Nadal looked completely dialled in to the court, and like that the result was never really going to be in doubt.

Idk I don’t think he looked that great, by Nadal’s standards, but he seemed mentally all there and was doing all the right stuff. Enough to school Ruud, for sure.

 

[cotedupy]

Yeah this is exactly my hunch... Nadal rarely looks that impressive. And makes it seem like a long run of coincidences, where the opposition just always seem to be below par when they come up against him on Philippe Chartier. Except of course it isn't, he's just unplayable.

The fact that he has only ever been taken to five sets twice in any match in Paris is extraordinary (F A-A this year, and Djokovic in 2013). And if you look at his recent run of finals, the result on Sunday isn't particularly out of the ordinary. Earlier in his career finals often went four sets and were much closer affairs, recently though it's been a different level of dominance. These are the number of games he's lost in his last five RG finals.

'17 - 6
'18 - 9
'19 - 12 (this went four sets, the others are straight sets)
'20 - 7
'22 - 6

I was seriously rooting for Ruud to get at least a couple of games in that last set... would've been nice if he'd done better than Djokovic in 2020 .

 

[cotedupy]

Well, yes, and here we go again...

A slightly strange looking men's draw this year, sans Rublev and Medvedev (not the LTA's finest hour I don't think). I suppose the big questions are: Can Berrettini fulfil his grass court potential? And what is Carlito Alcaraz like on the surface?

Whatever way you spin it, Djokovic has got to look like the overwhelming favourite I think. I was baffled last month when almost everybody had him as favourite going into RG, but in SW19 it's hard to look past him.

My prediction is that we will get a Djokovic-Nadal final, and I think it'll be closer than some people expect, with Nadal taking at least one set, maybe two. The changes in his game in the last five years; improved serve, more dynamic net play &c. suit the surface, and he's performed better in the last few outings than he had done for years. Still, it's Djokovic's to lose I think.

---

For anyone who really wants to get in the mood, you can watch the entire 2008 final (aka The Greatest Match of All Time™) on youtube. Some of the tennis is mind-bending:




I watched this in my local bar in Mallorca, owned by someone who worked for the Nadal family pretty much his whole life. It was electrifying!

 

[ReiHamono]

Well don’t hold your breath it’s Wimbledon now

 

[cotedupy]

Oh how I miss the Great British Summer!

 

[chiffonodd]

Watching Alcaraz/Struff right now. I see Djokovic cruised to an eas(ier) victory after splitting sets with 81st ranked Kwon this morning. Early round matches are always a bit wonky.

Since it's not gonna be Roger, I'm team Rafa %100. ¡Vamos!

 

[cotedupy]

I like seeing Stefanos Tsitsipas lose as much as the next person, and I also quite like Nick Kyrgios. But that match yesterday was a f-ing joke.

And there's almost nobody left in the men's draw. The Djokovic v Alcaraz/Sinner QF game basically looks like the final now.