Tennis Thread - Official

[Eazy E]

I think i'm right in saying that Federer and Roddick are the only previous Slam winners left in the draw. Guys like Murray, Gonzales, Tsonga, Del Potro and Verdasco must be thinking this could be my chance to get that first Major.

And Federer must be thinking.... there will never be a better chance to take the title of "Best Player that has ever lived". Many say his failure to win the French (much like Sampras) is the only thing that people hold against him for that accolade.

I'm sure it would have meant a lot more if he had been able to knock off Nadal in a finals match at the French, but you can't get picky.  Like you said though, a lot of guys will be hungry for that first major...Novak & Rafa's elimination will just fuel that... Still not an easy road for Federer by any means.

[Ignatius]

What can I say really...

This is the biggest upset in tennis in the past few years. I really was not expecting Nadal to be out of the French on week one. Shocking.

Soderling played incredible tennis today. He dominated the rallies, serves, volleys... Nadal was just standing 2 meters off the baseline trying to hit back the swede's bombs and that was not enough today. Robin has balls, he kept cool when he needed it to.

Even Rafa said it today, he didnt play aggressive enough but that's credit to Robin. Rafa usually has had problems facing these type of players; Tsong?, Blake, Berdych...players who hit very flat and in a very, very good day, they can beat anybody. In a normal day, Nadal would've beaten this guy 6-0 6-1 like he did last month in Rome.

Now the draw is wide open. I'm hoping Fedex gets it, but like Eazy said, if Roger wins it will not have meant as much as it'd had been had he knocked off Nadal in the final. However, it's not done for Roger yet. Roddick is playing well on that side of the draw. Same as the german guy who beat the djoker.

Then on the other side we have Muzza, Davidenko and the mighty swede.... Tough for Muzza as well since he'll most likely have difficulties against either the russian or the swede, but I have a feeling he'll survive his way to the final.

On a brighter side, Nadal now has one more week to prepare Wimbledon 

[Gnrfan]

What can I say really...

This is the biggest upset in tennis in the past few years. I really was not expecting Nadal to be out of the French on week one. Shocking.

Soderling played incredible tennis today. He dominated the rallies, serves, volleys... Nadal was just standing 2 meters off the baseline trying to hit back the swede's bombs and that was not enough today. Robin has balls, he kept cool when he needed it to.

Even Rafa said it today, he didnt play aggressive enough but that's credit to Robin. Rafa usually has had problems facing these type of players; Tsong?, Blake, Berdych...players who hit very flat and in a very, very good day, they can beat anybody. In a normal day, Nadal would've beaten this guy 6-0 6-1 like he did last month in Rome.

Now the draw is wide open. I'm hoping Fedex gets it, but like Eazy said, if Roger wins it will not have meant as much as it'd had been had he knocked off Nadal in the final. However, it's not done for Roger yet. Roddick is playing well on that side of the draw. Same as the german guy who beat the djoker.

Then on the other side we have Muzza, Davidenko and the mighty swede.... Tough for Muzza as well since he'll most likely have difficulties against either the russian or the swede, but I have a feeling he'll survive his way to the final.

On a brighter side, Nadal now has one more week to prepare Wimbledon 

I have to say i think Del Potro and Davydenko seem like the favourites to me right now. Federer is two sets down and looks out. Sink or Swim Roger!!!! Davydenko was really impressive in his defeat of Verdasco.

Murray hates clay and i'm sure he wishes he could have this situation a the US Open. I think Gonsales is a massive test for Murray and i have my doubts whether he'll win. There are only 3 players left in the draw that i think Murray will struggle with and that Del Potro, Davydenko and Gonsales and something tells me he'll have to play all three to win it and i'm not convinced he'll be able to do that.

I'd love a Federer vs Murray final as i feel that i couldn't lose there. But looks like Federer is on is way out, which i think will kill Federer inside.

If Murray gets to the final then anything can happen but i'm hoping that Davydenko and Del Potro get knocked out coz i think Murray will struggle big time against them on clay

[Gnrfan]

Federer Survives!!!!!!!

C'mon Roger! I'd love to see him get this at Roland Garros. Imagine the set up for Wimbledon if he wins the French! 14 Slams and going to try and re-claim his throne on Grass vs the Red hot Rafa. Could be stuff legends are made of.

He'll have to improve though to get passed the likes of Roddick, Pel Potro & Tsonga.

Federer vs Murray final = My Dream

[Ignatius]

Federer Survives!!!!!!!

C'mon Roger! I'd love to see him get this at Roland Garros. Imagine the set up for Wimbledon if he wins the French! 14 Slams and going to try and re-claim his throne on Grass vs the Red hot Rafa. Could be stuff legends are made of.

He'll have to improve though to get passed the likes of Roddick, Pel Potro & Tsonga.

Federer vs Murray final = My Dream

...And he did it so easy...

I started to watch the match when 3 all third set. Haas had a break point with 4-3 up Federer saved with an incredible shot. From then onwards, it was too easy for Roger.

This is why Tommy Haas has never done anything really important in tennis. He just doesnt have the mind for this. He totally blew it...how can someone be so focus for the first one and a half, and then completely get out of the match mentally for the second part. Sets 4th and 5th looked like as if Roger was playing a junior!

Great quaters lined up. We have Davidenko against the mighty swede and Muzza Vs Gonzalez. I'll say Davidenko wins easy in 3 sets and Muzza advances in 5.

On the other half, Del Potro will most likely beat Robredo in 3 or 4 and Federer will advance maybe in 4 or 5. Monfils already gave him hell last year in the semis and he's with confidence after defeating Roddick in 3 yesterday.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind a Roger Vs Muzza final. I'd cheer for the swiss though, but Murray is playing good. Corretja's clay court expertee is paying off.

[Ignatius]

Great quaters lined up. We have Davidenko against the mighty swede and Muzza Vs Gonzalez. I'll say Davidenko wins easy in 3 sets and Muzza advances in 5.

No wonder why I don't bet bet anymore $ in tennis 

SoderKing was impressive again allowing only 5 games against the russian. Davidenko was simply put outplayed.

Muzza didnt really have too many answers against Gonzo's forehand. When the chilean is on a roll, he's almost unstoppable. It'll be interesting to see which of the heavy hitters advance on to the final; The swede or the chilean.  Both will hit a shit load of winners, so I'm thinking the one who makes LESS unforced errors will advance.

Difficult to make predictions for today. I hope Tommy wins and faces Fedex in the semis, but Del Potro is playing pretty decent. Roger Vs Monfils it's going to be a tough call. The frenchman will have 18,000 screaming french supporting him so it'll be like a David's cup match. I still say Roger in 5 though.

[estebanf]

This is the most exciting version of Roland Garros since 2004 edition, when Coria and Gaudio reached the finals.

Federer has destroyed Monfils, and this is his chance to turn himself the best tennis player ever in history. If he wins RG, he will beat Sampras, Borg, Agassi (by total ammount of slams), Connors, Wilander. There will be no more doubts about who's the best in history.

I'm very glad Del Potro is playing solidly. He's not a clay player but he's really on fire. He's 2 sets to 0 against Robredo right now.

I think Del Potro will lose in a very tie match with Federer in sf's, in 5 sets, and Gonzalez will reach the final.

[Ignatius]

This is the most exciting version of Roland Garros since 2004 edition, when Coria and Gaudio reached the finals.

Exciting? Exciting for you because two argentinians played in the final then?   

2004 must've been the most boring year for tennis. Claudio won RG cause Coria choked big time after leading 2 sets to love. After RG, Coria was never the same...we are talking about a guy who would average 11 double faults per match! He had a hot girlfriend/wife though. 

This year RG it's pretty dull too. I understand you think it's exciting cause Del Potro is already in the semis, but to me it's Interesting rather than exciting since 3 of the top 4 players are already out.  Del Potro is playing well, but against Federer he seems to choke everytime he plays him. Fedex destroyed Pony in the Australian and beat him recently in Madrid. The argentian seems like he can't raise his game in the big tournaments. Last year he won 4 or 5 tourneys but the small ones, and was taken out in all the Slams, Masters 1000 and let's not forget, The Davis Cup final. This year we've seen pretty much the same. He won early this year in Auckland I think it was, but he's not really done anything other than beating Nadal in Miami to then lose to Murray in the semis.

Argentinian players have either a lot of talent or a lot of heart, but they rarely have both. Take a look al "gordo" Nalbandian. This guy is probably the most talented player tennis has seen in the past 15 years, but he's  yet to win a GS. He just simply doesnt have the mind and heart for this game. When he's on a roll, he beats everyone, including Nadal, Federer...but it doesnt happen often. Besides, every year after the Christmas break, he's 15 pounds fatter.

Del Potro, has good solid groundstrokes, hits it very hard from both sides. He may be a force though within 2-3 years, but I don't think he will accomplish anything worthwhile this year (I could be wrong and he could end up winning RG and Wimbledon...)

Monaco is awesome. This guy is all HEART. If Nalbandian or Del potro had HALF the heart Juan has, they'd probably be GS winners by now. Monaco, a pretty average player with decent groundstrokes but an iron mentality and a warrior. I like him a lot, he's good friends with Nadal so that's a plus :-)

Then we have Chela, Acasuso, Maximo Gonzalez, Calleri I have seen them all playing live in Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga. Nothing outstanding, I guess they could be just like the spanish Almagro, Granollers, Garcia Hidalgo, Lopez...typical clay courters with a lot of heart who will make you fight hard to beat them. They were more or less top 30 material a while back, but they've dropped big time in the rankings.

[D]

Will this taint Federer's grand slam any if he wins cause he didn't face or defeat Nadal?

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

Will this taint Federer's grand slam any if he wins cause he didn't face or defeat Nadal?

I'm more worried about his steroid use.

[CheapJon]

This is the most exciting version of Roland Garros since 2004 edition, when Coria and Gaudio reached the finals.

Federer has destroyed Monfils, and this is his chance to turn himself the best tennis player ever in history. If he wins RG, he will beat Sampras, Borg, Agassi (by total ammount of slams), Connors, Wilander. There will be no more doubts about who's the best in history.

borg stopped playing at the age of 26, federer turns 28 this year, achieving all that borg did during his short career makes him the best 

[Ignatius]

Will this taint Federer's grand slam any if he wins cause he didn't face or defeat Nadal?

Maybe to some extent.

Why did people talk so much about Wimbledon last year? Because it featured a match between Nadal and Federer. Rafa defeated Roger in a epic final on his favorite surface. Since then, everyone talked about a momentum SWITCH in mens tennis. The clay courter had beaten the grass monster in Wimbledon.

If Roger had beaten Nadal in a RG final we would've probably witnessed the biggest comeback in the history of the sport, not too mention, he would undoubtely, have been honored as the best tennis player in the history.

However, if he wins RG it won't be the fairy tale story everyone would've loved to see. It'll still look awesome on his accomplishments and most of the critics and people will say he's the best ever, but to some (myself included) he will not get some closure until he beats NADAL in RG. Thats just the way it is...Roger has a mental block against Nadal in RG and if he were to beat Rafa, I will have no doubts.

I wish someone had asked Federer who wil he rather play in the final; an stunning Soderling who's able to hit 70 winners with huge serve and forehand or Nadal playing at 50% of his capabilities. I have no doubts even if Nadal was at 10%, Roger would rather played the hottest player on tour and having to play RAFA in another RG final.

So to answer your question, some people and some critics will not give him all the credit.

borg stopped playing at the age of 26, federer turns 28 this year, achieving all that borg did during his short career makes him the best 

He didnt win all 4 GS's...

See the swede had an amazing short run, but he just didnt wrap it up. He retired after a few bad beats against Mcnroe. He won the french and Wimbly so many times but he never won all 4 GS's.

[D]

Who do you consider the best?

Rod Laver
Pete Sampras
Federer


I think if Agassi had kept his head straight for his entire career like he did the last 5-7 years of it, he could've been the best.

[Gnrfan]

Will this taint Federer's grand slam any if he wins cause he didn't face or defeat Nadal?

No! You beat who's in front of you. Simple as that! in 50 years when Federer's record is read out the names of the people he beat won't even come into it.

Yeah for him to beat Nadal it might mean more to him personally much like Nadal beating Federer on grass, but If he wins the French (All the guys still in are playing better than FedEX) i don't think he'll care one bit about who he plays.

Who do you consider the best?

Rod Laver
Pete Sampras
Federer


I think if Agassi had kept his head straight for his entire career like he did the last 5-7 years of it, he could've been the best.

I think Laver has a brilliant record but not the level of competition at the time and i think Laver has even said that himself. But you have to respect the wins.

Sampras for me is the best ever at this moment but people will always question him at the French and why he never won. If Federer wins the French and surpasses Sampras GS record then i think most in the know would admit that Federer will go down as the best ever.

Borg is another one who you can throw into the mix but i think due to his short career i don't think he'll be regarded as the same level of the other 3.

Connors and McENroe were part of a great era of Tennis and probally would have won more if one had toatlly dominated.

I agree about Agassi, brilliant player but consistancy of brilliance was his let down.

The big question in my mind is how many will Nadal win? Could be the first guy to get to 20 GS if his body can last.

[estebanf]

This is the most exciting version of Roland Garros since 2004 edition, when Coria and Gaudio reached the finals.

Exciting? Exciting for you because two argentinians played in the final then?   

mmhh, not necesarily. That tournament featured great players in top form like Moya, Henman, Nalbandian and the greatest clay player ever in  tennis history in my opinion: the great Guga Kuerten. Hewitt did a great tournament, and had two of the most brilliant clay players ever, Gaudio and Coria, in the final. Its not my fault they're argentine. Messi is the best football player in the world, and just because he's argentine am I not allowed to say it? And RG's 2004 final was without any doubts the most exciting and electryfing final ever seen, I think, in history of Grand Slams finals, not only because they were both players from the same country, but because the duration of the match, the two match points Gaudio survived and his incredible 0-2 comeback, the score of the 5th set, and because its worldwide known Gaudio and Coria hate each other with a passion. Plus, they were two clay phenomenons at that moment.

One of the most boring and mediocre Roland Garros ever, in my opinion, was the next one, with nadal and Puerta at the final. See? I can admit when a tournament is boring even if an argentine player is in a decisive match of an important tournament.

And I think you're asking too much to Del Potro. He was 60 in the world last year, he won 4 titles in a row, 5 in total, defeated Nadal, Roddick, and pretty much everyone except Federer, and now is semifinalist of a Grand Slam, 5 in the world (with an incredible oportunity to raise one position if he ends the tournament as champion or runner up). For the record, he's 20 years old.

[Ignatius]

No! You beat who's in front of you. Simple as that! in 50 years when Federer's record is read out the names of the people he beat won't even come into it.

Yeah for him to beat Nadal it might mean more to him personally much like Nadal beating Federer on grass, but If he wins the French (All the guys still in are playing better than FedEX) i don't think he'll care one bit about who he plays.

I  knew GNrfan was going to jump on this one 

There's been lots of tennis discussion here..

I don't really know what's going to happen in 50 years, but I can only imagine what's going to happen if he wins RG and the reactions from the press will be like. 80-90% of the people will give him all the credit, but to some this win will not have the same weight as it'd have been had the swiss beat Nadal.

That tournament featured great players in top form like Moya, Henman, Nalbandian

Oh my God, you mentioned Henman?? a top player on clay? Also Hewitt...another top player on clay? and Moy?...a former 1998 RG winner but WAY past his time.

Esteban, man...really...

and the greatest clay player ever in  tennis history in my opinion: the great Guga Kuerten.

See? Comments like this come from people who may have some hidden agenda against Nadal. What makes Kuerten better than Nadal? Nadal's won more clay court tournaments and more RG than Cuga, so I just don't understand why would someone like Kuerten could be better on clay than somebody who's won many more events than him. You are entitled to have an opinion but I don't think you are being objective. Also you are putting Kuerten on a higher level than Bjorg - who won 6 RG.

This would be like me saying...Stefan Edberg is the greatest grass court player there is when that's a wrong assertion to make when Sampras and Federer have won many more Wimbledon than the swede.

And RG's 2004 final was without any doubts the most exciting and electryfing final ever seen, I think, in history of Grand Slams finals, not only because they were both players from the same country, but because the duration of the match, the two match points Gaudio survived and his incredible 0-2 comeback, the score of the 5th set, and because its worldwide known Gaudio and Coria hate each other with a passion. Plus, they were two clay phenomenons at that moment.

Again, I don't think you've been objective or maybe you haven't seen may GS finals. How can you say something like this when Roger and Nadal played last year what many people refer to as the best final in the history of tennis? Or even the one at Australia this year? I watched that 2004 final and it was interesting to see Claudio fighting back, but then saying that final was the most exciting in GS final goes beyond any logic. It's not only about the nature of the match but also the stake.

Hewitt did a great tournament, and had two of the most brilliant clay players ever, Gaudio and Coria,

You are going too far again, Claudio and Coria were great players then, but not two of the most brilliant clay court players in the history, there're are 30 players that have won many more clay court tournaments than those two..I could name just a few...

Courier
Moya
Ferrero
Kuerten
Muster
Rios
Bruguera
Vilas
Bjorg
Nadal
Chang
Kafelnikov

in the final. Its not my fault they're argentine. Messi is the best football player in the world

You finally admitted it?? I remember not too long ago you thought TEVEZ owned Messi. I remember you even had that in your avatar somewhere,...is funny how things change now.

And I think you're asking too much to Del Potro. He was 60 in the world last year, he won 4 titles in a row, 5 in total, defeated Nadal, Roddick, and pretty much everyone except Federer, and now is semifinalist of a Grand Slam, 5 in the world (with an incredible oportunity to raise one position if he ends the tournament as champion or runner up). For the record, he's 20 years old.

I'm not asking anything. I like Del potro, he's young that's all and he's got problems against Federer and big ocassions...we'll see what happens tomorrow.

[Gnrfan]

This is the most exciting version of Roland Garros since 2004 edition, when Coria and Gaudio reached the finals.

Exciting? Exciting for you because two argentinians played in the final then?   

the greatest clay player ever in  tennis history in my opinion: the great Guga Kuerten.

haha. I think the stats and titles will say otherwise.

Nadal is the best clay courter ever already in my opinion.... and its scary how high he could set the bar. Something tells me he'll win more Clay tournaments than anyone ever.

I  knew GNrfan was going to jump on this one 

There's been lots of tennis discussion here..

I don't really know what's going to happen in 50 years, but I can only imagine what's going to happen if he wins RG and the reactions from the press will be like. 80-90% of the people will give him all the credit, but to some this win will not have the same weight as it'd have been had the swiss beat Nadal.

haha. The papers will talk like always. My point is Federer won't care as long as he wins. Its not Federers fault that Nadal lost! Whoever wins deserves credit coz its not easy to win a slam which is why guys like Sampras, Nadal and Federer are so incredible.

People might say "Well we all know Federer would have lost to Nadal"..... and i'd say "Well Federer is the greatest ever"

I think if you'd have said that Federer would win the French and he would beat Nadal on clay a few weeks before i think many would have said "No Way" but thats Tennis.

I would also like to add that i still don't see Federer as favourite. I fancy him to beat Del Potro but i fancy Gonzo to win the tournament.

[D]

Will anyone look at Nadal getting upset at a sign of possible early burnout?

OR would that be an extreme overreaction.

You know how Tennis is, when it goes, it usually GOES fast.

[Eazy E]

Will anyone look at Nadal getting upset at a sign of possible early burnout?

OR would that be an extreme overreaction.

You know how Tennis is, when it goes, it usually GOES fast.

I think that's jumping the gun.  People were saying Federer had "lost it" after that Wimbledon matchup last year, then he comes out and wins the U.S. Open.  I think it's likely that Rafa's body won't hold up in the long run, but this was just one upset and he's still #1.

[Ignatius]

haha. The papers will talk like always. My point is Federer won't care as long as he wins. Its not Federers fault that Nadal lost! Whoever wins deserves credit coz its not easy to win a slam which is why guys like Sampras, Nadal and Federer are so incredible.

People might say "Well we all know Federer would have lost to Nadal"..... and i'd say "Well Federer is the greatest ever"

I think if you'd have said that Federer would win the French and he would beat Nadal on clay a few weeks before i think many would have said "No Way" but thats Tennis.

I agree with everything you said.

But...this is different. WE've all seen what's happened in the past 4 years. Nadal has pushed Federer to the extreme where the swiss reached a point in which he didnt know how to beat the spaniard on any surface. We are talking about Wimbly and Australia and let's not forget RG 4 years in a row.

Nadal and Federer have a history, same with Bjorg and Mcnroe, Becker & Edberg, Sampras and Agassi...all those rivalries were different from one another. Ever since there's been talks about Federer being labeled as the World's best ever, a majority of press and critics concluded that he needed to win the french, preferably against NADAL. This way,  not only he will win the only GS he doesnt have, but also he will go and defeat his biggest nemesis on his favorite surface. IF Fedex wins this, he will probably be best player in the history in my books, but I still think he needs to beat Nadal one more time in a big event (preferably, the french)

Will anyone look at Nadal getting upset at a sign of possible early burnout?

OR would that be an extreme overreaction.

You know how Tennis is, when it goes, it usually GOES fast.

Believe it or not, there's people already talking about this. This is all what it takes, one early exit at RG and people are talking about how this will be Nadal's end.

Do you want to know why I think Nadal lost so early in RG?

Regardless playing Soderling who is in the best shape of his life, Nadal lost because:

A) He played Madrid one week before RG and he shouldn't have. This is by the way not an excuse from Nadal's camp, but Rafa played 4 clay court finals in one month before going to RG. That's a little bit too much... he should've skipped either Barcelona or Madrid but he couldn't skip either. For those who don't know, there's a big rivalry between those cities, not only just in sports, but also political. Nadal had to play both to keep everyone happy and that in the end, was not beneficial. Also in Madrid, is not the best practice for RG cause the courts are faster due to the city's altitude (more than 600 meters). What this does is make the hard courts faster which favored Federer as he's more comfortable on such conditions.

B) He's changed his game style more to hard courts now. Many tennis players he's faced in the past months on clay are saying Nadal's crosscourt forehand doesn't kick as much as it used to. This means - especially on clay - his forehand will not fly as high so Nadal's opponent can hit the ball more comfortably. This is because Nadal's learned how to flatten his forehand in order to cause more damage on hard courts. On hard courts, the ball flies way faster so high kicks are not as effective as on clay.


I personally don't think losing so early in RG will have a negative effect  on Rafa. If anything, this defeat will make him more of a threat in Wimbledon. For the first time in 5 years, Nadal's early exit in RG will do some good. At least, he's enjoying some days off in Mallorca :-)


Oh and who's the best tennis player ever? Well, I wish I could say Boris Becker (he's the guy who got me into tennis) but right now it's a tie between Roger and the incredible pistol Pete Sampras. Agassi's was not consistent enough...so he's not on that list. Sampras was a beast. It's a shame but sometimes I have a feeling he hasnt got the credit he always deserved...back on his prime, Agassi had more fans cause he was just more charismatic, but Pete was phenomenal.

However, Federer will most likely win the french this year. If he does - man, I still can't say he's the best...eventhough I want him so much to win the french, but I reckon he'll be the GOAT (greatest of all time).


On a side note... man, still 1 hour and a half to the NBA finals kick off....I hope I can make it. Go LAKERS!!