Tennis Thread - Official

[Ignatius]

ok, this discussion is becoming senseless. You want to believe that the ranking determinates it all, cool. I prefer to take in consideration other aspects like the past, history, skills, and ''moments'' of the players to try to estimate who will win a tournament. Federer won 5 US Opens, one million hard-court master series, he won other 3 titles at the other hard court grand slam, but ''he's not the favourite'' because he is #2 and Rafa, who NEVER won a single US Open trophy and won 7 hard court grand slams less than Federer, is the #1 and ''there nothing more to explain in here: the fact he's one determinates it all''.

I don't just rely on ranking to determine it all, but ranking, among with other factors such as tournament wins are pretty objective criteria when it comes to judge how good a player is. You, on the other hand, are yet to come up with anything that could be labeled as objective, instead you make bold statements such as "the 2004 RG final is the most exciting GS final in recent years" "Coria and Gaudio are amongst the best clay court players in the history" "Del potro was just a few points away to win RG" "Rafa has no charisma" "Nadal is third favorite to win the Us open"...see, all those bold statements are a pretty accurate indication that you are biased towards argentinian players and that you may have an agenda against RAFA. 

Either way it's FINE. You are free to like whoever the fuck you want and say whatever you want, this is a message board and there has to be some kind of discussion going on, but...your arguments come accross as somebody who does let his personal preferences get on the way of objective and solid FACTS.

I don't have nothing against people liking other players. It's ok to diss Nadal, it's ok to think Djokovic has a more aggressive game than Nadal, it's even ok to think Del Potro has a more aggressive game than Nadal...but you seem to take away NADAL's credit simply because you don't like his game or him for that matter.

If THAT is being objective, well, I think I will stay away from objectivity. I still think Federer and Djokovic have more chances to obtain the US Open trophy than Rafa Nadal. They are, in my eyes, more dangerous players in hard courts than Rafa, and ''they've proven to be able to win the tournament'', and Rafa doesn't.

See, you should've checked that before you said it... Rafa has won more HARD COURT tournaments than Novak Djkovic. Rafa has proven he can win in any surface (he's won indoor, hard courts, grass, clay) something that Novak is yet to accomplish (he's yet to win on grass). If you like Novak's game more than you like Rafa? that's ok, I'm not going to get into that, but you saying Novak is more favorite than RAFA it's clear that either you don't know all the facts or you have an agenda against the spaniard.

Oh...one last thing about charisma...

You said Nadal had no charisma or that Guga had more charisma than Nadal...

I've been fortunate enough to attend a few tournaments around the world. I was in the Wimbledon final last year and also the Toronto semis in 2005. Last year at Wimbledon, when Rafa and Roger practiced a few hours before the match in different courts, while Roger's court was half empty, in Rafa's you couldn't even see beyond the thousands of people wanting to see him practice. Nobody came close to Federer while he walked out, but with Rafa he always had 50 kids around him trying to get his autograph. Rafa is not the most talkative person ON COURT but he draws thousands of people who want to see him. He may not have Djokovic or Tsonga's antics, but he's the one everybody wants to see play...and that in my books is charisma.

[estebanf]

I don't just rely on ranking to determine it all, but ranking, among with other factors such as tournament wins are pretty objective criteria when it comes to judge how good a player is. You, on the other hand, are yet to come up with anything that could be labeled as objective, instead you make bold statements such as "the 2004 RG final is the most exciting GS final in recent years" "Coria and Gaudio are amongst the best clay court players in the history" "Del potro was just a few points away to win RG" "Rafa has no charisma" "Nadal is third favorite to win the Us open"...see, all those bold statements are a pretty accurate indication that you are biased towards argentinian players and that you may have an agenda against RAFA. 

Well, let's see if these things may qualify as ''objective'' for you. Why I think Federer and Djokovic are MORE favourite than Nadal to win the US Open?

- Total US Open won: FEDERER 5 / DJOKOVIC 1 / NADAL 0
- Total Hard Court Grand Slams won: FEDERER 8 / DJOKOVIC 1 (the one in question) / NADAL 1

Anyway, the one is Nadal, so It doesnt matter if Federer won 70 US opens instead of 5: he's not one > he's not the favourite. Very good reasoning, objective as hell.

Either way it's FINE. You are free to like whoever the fuck you want and say whatever you want, this is a message board and there has to be some kind of discussion going on, but...your arguments come accross as somebody who does let his personal preferences get on the way of objective and solid FACTS.

Nadal has NEVER won the US Open, and DJOKOVIC AND FEDERER have. You still keep talking about FACTS and objectivity, but you seem unable to see the biggest and most concrete facts available: precedents. As I said before, Kuerten was never the main favourite to win the US open even though he was #1 for a long time. You still think YOU are the one taking facts in consideration. FACT is Nadal never won a US Open. FACT is Federer won way more hard court titles than Rafa. FACT is Federer won 7 hard court grand slams more than Rafa. FACT is Roger won 5 US Opens and Rafa won ZERO. FACT is Roger is the last player to win a Grand Slam title, so the argument ''he won a lot of titles, but he's now over'' cant be used

If you still think Rafa is the favourite, without seeing the other fact (which it is added to the facts in bold) that Federer is #2 and getting closer and closer to the #1, and you think that impression is OBJECTIVE, good for you. Be happy with your fantasy. Rafa is not the favourite to win Wimbledon even though he won the title last year and he's #1 if Roger is there too, same for US Open, and even the Australian Open.

Nadal, talking about Grand Slams, is only the main favourite in Roland Garros. You can say whatever you want but the whole world sees it this way. In the other hand, Rafa can be #15 in the world in May 2010, Federer is the last RG champion and can be #1 at that point, but NADAL will CLEARLY be the favourite to win that 2010 edition of Roland Garros.

Do you really think Spain is ''the main favourite'' to win the next World Cup at southafrica just because FIFA ranks it #1?

See, you should've checked that before you said it... Rafa has won more HARD COURT tournaments than Novak Djkovic. Rafa has proven he can win in any surface (he's won indoor, hard courts, grass, clay) something that Novak is yet to accomplish (he's yet to win on grass). If you like Novak's game more than you like Rafa? that's ok, I'm not going to get into that, but you saying Novak is more favorite than RAFA it's clear that either you don't know all the facts or you have an agenda against the spaniard.

That's absolutely irrelevant. Federer is NOT the current #1 in the ranking, I think he's the favourite to win the US Open, he won more hard titles than Nadal, 7 hard coust grand slams more, 5 US Open titles against ZERO, and I also like Federer's tennis much more than Nadal's.

In the practice, you decide to ignore FACTS (contradicting your theorical speech), and still think Rafa is more favourite than Roger to win the US Open title.

Oh...one last thing about charisma...

You said Nadal had no charisma or that Guga had more charisma than Nadal...

I've been fortunate enough to attend a few tournaments around the world. I was in the Wimbledon final last year and also the Toronto semis in 2005. Last year at Wimbledon, when Rafa and Roger practiced a few hours before the match in different courts, while Roger's court was half empty, in Rafa's you couldn't even see beyond the thousands of people wanting to see him practice. Nobody came close to Federer while he walked out, but with Rafa he always had 50 kids around him trying to get his autograph. Rafa is not the most talkative person ON COURT but he draws thousands of people who want to see him. He may not have Djokovic or Tsonga's antics, but he's the one everybody wants to see play...and that in my books is charisma.

I dont see how this applies to the discussion, but I'm happy for you. I would love to have someday that kind of experience. One of my dreams is to attend a Roland Garros final. Dont worry about what I said (or what lots of people say) about Rafa's lack of charisma. If that happens to be true, who cares? Does that really matter? Yannick Noah is not the best player in tennis history even though he was very charismatic...

[Gnrfan]

I don't just rely on ranking to determine it all, but ranking, among with other factors such as tournament wins are pretty objective criteria when it comes to judge how good a player is. You, on the other hand, are yet to come up with anything that could be labeled as objective, instead you make bold statements such as "the 2004 RG final is the most exciting GS final in recent years" "Coria and Gaudio are amongst the best clay court players in the history" "Del potro was just a few points away to win RG" "Rafa has no charisma" "Nadal is third favorite to win the Us open"...see, all those bold statements are a pretty accurate indication that you are biased towards argentinian players and that you may have an agenda against RAFA. 

Well, let's see if these things may qualify as ''objective'' for you. Why I think Federer and Djokovic are MORE favourite than Nadal to win the US Open?

- Total US Open won: FEDERER 5 / DJOKOVIC 1 / NADAL 0
- Total Hard Court Grand Slams won: FEDERER 8 / DJOKOVIC 1 (the one in question) / NADAL 1

Anyway, the one is Nadal, so It doesnt matter if Federer won 70 US opens instead of 5: he's not one > he's not the favourite. Very good reasoning, objective as hell.

Estaban Buddy, I don't think Novak has won the US Open... you might mean the Austrailian Open.

Nadal has one and so does Djokovic.... but if you then compare Masters events results on hardcourts in the last 2 years Nadal will have won more than anyone.

I can see your point that Federer has won lots more US Opens and he is a formidable oponent.

My question is this.... Uruguay have won as many world cups as Argentina.... Would you consider them joint favourites to win the next world cup? You would assume that Argentina are more likely to win.... Why? ..... because in recent times Argentina have played with more potential than Uruguay. Its the same with Nadal and Federer. Federer has had a good month he has beaten Nadal on Clay and won the French but juding by performances in the last 18 months Nadal is the player to beat on all surfaces.

i'm not here to win arguments... but can you see that point?

Do you really think Spain is ''the main favourite'' to win the next World Cup at southafrica just because FIFA ranks it #1?

i'd honestly say that Spain are the favourites for the World Cup.... and thats from an Englishmen. Them, Argentina & Holland..... and maybe England

[Ignatius]

Well, let's see if these things may qualify as ''objective'' for you. Why I think Federer and Djokovic are MORE favourite than Nadal to win the US Open?

Nadal has NEVER won the US Open, and DJOKOVIC AND FEDERER have.

Wrong.

Djokovic has not won the US open either...so my argument is still solid as a rock and yet you still believe Djokovic is "more favorite". Fair enough but for the rest of the tennis world (with a few exepctions maybe in Argentina) Nadal is more favorite than Djokovic to win ANY tournament as of today.

to the facts in bold) that Federer is #2 and getting closer and closer to the #1, and you think that impression is OBJECTIVE, good for you. Be happy with your fantasy. Rafa is not the favourite to win Wimbledon even though he won the title last year and he's #1 if Roger is there too, same for US Open, and even the Australian Open.

That's ok, Federer has the momentum now and has won 5 US opens so I would consider him just as favorite or even more than Nadal now to win the US...but that was not the main point of the discussion. And as for Wimbledon, well it remains a mistery yet. Rafa is the former Wimbledon Champ and the current #1 so he is with a reasonable doubt one of the main favorites there.

Nadal, talking about Grand Slams, is only the main favourite in Roland Garros. You can say whatever you want but the whole world sees it this way. In the other hand, Rafa can be #15 in the world in May 2010, Federer is the last RG champion and can be #1 at that point, but NADAL will CLEARLY be the favourite to win that 2010 edition of Roland Garros.

The whole world?? Again, you are assuming people think like you. Rafa was one of the favorites to win Australia this year, moreso than Federer, he's the main favorite and RG and now in Wimbledon, Roger maybe the biggest favorite but Nadal is the defending champ and current #1. You are stil stuck in the past, with some other people who still think Nadal is only favorite on clay while Nadal has proved he can win in any surface.

Do you really think Spain is ''the main favourite'' to win the next World Cup at southafrica just because FIFA ranks it #1?

I'd say Spain is one of the favorites yeah, but not because the shit stupid FIFA ranking says so, but because to the majority Spain is the team who's played the best in the past two years. Difference with FIFA rankings and ATP rankings is that no one really cares about the FIFA rankings cause none understands how in the world they work.

That's absolutely irrelevant. Federer is NOT the current #1 in the ranking, I think he's the favourite to win the US Open, he won more hard titles than Nadal, 7 hard coust grand slams more, 5 US Open titles against ZERO, and I also like Federer's tennis much more than Nadal's.

It is relevant...I just dont' understand then why you would think Djokovic could be more favorite than NADAL in any hard court tournament...I have given you evidence that Nadal has won more tournaments than Djokovic in HC, recently, Nadal has also won more tournaments than Djokovic in HC, none of them have won the US open...so in your eyes, what makes Djokovic more favorite? I'm really dying to know...

I dont see how this applies to the discussion, but I'm happy for you. I would love to have someday that kind of experience. One of my dreams is to attend a Roland Garros final. Dont worry about what I said (or what lots of people say) about Rafa's lack of charisma. If that happens to be true, who cares? Does that really matter? Yannick Noah is not the best player in tennis history even though he was very charismatic...

It does apply. You said Rafa lacked charisma and I thought telling you what I saw in Wimbly last year was relevant.  Whether you think that's not enough or tha's not charisma that's ok, then our definitions of charisma are slightly different...

[estebanf]

Sorry for my mistake saying Djokovic won the US Open. He was runner up in 2007 as you might know (still better than best Nadal's result which was SF last year)

Difference between uruguay and federer is uruguay w?on two worlds cup 60 years ago and Federer won the 4 Grand Slam titles in less than 2/3 years.

Anyway, fuck everything I said here: my favourite to win Wimbly is Baghdatis, just because I find him very funny! 

[Ignatius]

Yeah, but runner up is not really worthwhile commenting, is it? Robin Soderling is a RG runner up but that won't make it more a favorite next year than Andy Murray or Novak Djokovic.

Federer as expected withdrew from Halle. That's good news (for us Nadal fans) since he's going to lose the 250 points he earned last year, same with Nadal at Queens, but at least th gap will still be the same as it is now when Wimbledon begins.

I've made some calculations, Nadal needs to reach the semis to maintain the #1 regardless what Roger does. It'll be interesting to see each player's draw...the first few matches are sometimes the most difficult. Difficult match ups for Federer or Nadal (and Murray and Djokovic) in first and second rounds matches could be Gulbis, Hewitt, Kendrick, kiefer, Ancic, Hass, Querry, Ljubicic, Muller...

[Eazy E]

I've made some calculations, Nadal needs to reach the semis to maintain the #1 regardless what Roger does. It'll be interesting to see each player's draw...the first few matches are sometimes the most difficult. Difficult match ups for Federer or Nadal (and Murray and Djokovic) in first and second rounds matches could be Gulbis, Hewitt, Kendrick, kiefer, Ancic, Hass, Querry, Ljubicic, Muller...

Ignatius, what if Nadal withdraws (as is now being reported as a possibility), how far does Roger need to advance to reclaim the #1 spot?  Or, if they both play, is there any chance that Roger passes him?

[Ignatius]

Ignatius, what if Nadal withdraws (as is now being reported as a possibility), how far does Roger need to advance to reclaim the #1 spot?  Or, if they both play, is there any chance that Roger passes him?

If Nadal withdraws and Federer goes all the way and wins Wimbledon, the swiss will get the #1 spot back.

If both play, If Nadal makes it to the semis, Federer won't get the #1 regardless

Here's the point projected breakdown.

Round Projected - Points after Wimbledon

 

        Nadal Federer
R128 10745 9230
R64 10780 9265
R32 10825 9310
R16 10915 9400
QF 11095 9580
SF 11455 9940
F 11935 10420 
W 12735 11220


Nadal lost today in an exhibition match against Leyton Hewitt. He says his knees hurt. It's not looking good 

[Gnrfan]

Nadal lost today in an exhibition match against Leyton Hewitt. He says his knees hurt. It's not looking good 

I just hope that Rafa makes this decision with his head and not his heart. Everyone knows that Rafa would want to play and defend his title. But this is a guy who has a genuine shot at being the greatest of all time if he can stay fit and make his career last another 7 - 10 years. My worry for him is that he'll rush himself back and cause terminal damage to his entire career.

If he thinks he's ok to play then great, Wimbledon will be a better tournament for it, but if not he should pull out and live to fight another day.

[Ignatius]

I just hope that Rafa makes this decision with his head and not his heart. Everyone knows that Rafa would want to play and defend his title. But this is a guy who has a genuine shot at being the greatest of all time if he can stay fit and make his career last another 7 - 10 years. My worry for him is that he'll rush himself back and cause terminal damage to his entire career.

If he thinks he's ok to play then great, Wimbledon will be a better tournament for it, but if not he should pull out and live to fight another day.

Nadal pulls out from Wimbledon!!!

http://www.atpworldtour.com/

This is sad news really. I wanted to see him play so badly but health comes first. Hope he gets some rest. 

Good news is for the other players, Nadal's absence in wimbly is going to open up the draw big time. He was on Murray's side, so now Muzza would play Del Potro -who is not very comfortable on grass - on a hipothetical semi final.

[Eazy E]

It's a shame for the tournament that Nadal isn't playing... but I'm pulling for Roger to reclaim his spot at the top.

[estebanf]

I just hope that Rafa makes this decision with his head and not his heart. Everyone knows that Rafa would want to play and defend his title. But this is a guy who has a genuine shot at being the greatest of all time if he can stay fit and make his career last another 7 - 10 years. My worry for him is that he'll rush himself back and cause terminal damage to his entire career.

If he thinks he's ok to play then great, Wimbledon will be a better tournament for it, but if not he should pull out and live to fight another day.

Nadal pulls out from Wimbledon!!!

http://www.atpworldtour.com/

This is sad news really. I wanted to see him play so badly but health comes first. Hope he gets some rest. 

Good news is for the other players, Nadal's absence in wimbly is going to open up the draw big time. He was on Murray's side, so now Muzza would play Del Potro -who is not very comfortable on grass - on a hipothetical semi final.

Del Potro said last week (just one of a lot of the same kind of comments he done in the past) he feels more confortable in grass than in clay... and he was semi-finalist in Roland Garros. For obvious reasons (strong serve, ball speed, great drive) I think Del Potro has some serious chances to reach, at least, semifinals.

It's pretty clear Federer will be #1 again. And he does deserve it. He's clearly the best player in the world, and in my opinion, by far.

[Gnrfan]

I just hope that Rafa makes this decision with his head and not his heart. Everyone knows that Rafa would want to play and defend his title. But this is a guy who has a genuine shot at being the greatest of all time if he can stay fit and make his career last another 7 - 10 years. My worry for him is that he'll rush himself back and cause terminal damage to his entire career.

If he thinks he's ok to play then great, Wimbledon will be a better tournament for it, but if not he should pull out and live to fight another day.

Nadal pulls out from Wimbledon!!!

http://www.atpworldtour.com/

This is sad news really. I wanted to see him play so badly but health comes first. Hope he gets some rest. 

Good news is for the other players, Nadal's absence in wimbly is going to open up the draw big time. He was on Murray's side, so now Muzza would play Del Potro -who is not very comfortable on grass - on a hipothetical semi final.

It's pretty clear Federer will be #1 again. And he does deserve it. He's clearly the best player in the world, and in my opinion, by far.

Not really sure what you are basing that on.... but i'd also like to see Federer reclaim No1. I think its another thing that can be added to his CV for the freatest of all time. I think a fully fit Nadal probally would of prevented Federer ever re-claming No1 and people could of said "Well he only ever had one period of Dominance" so to re-claim the No1 by winning Wimbledon would be massive for Federer.

Its a shame for Nadal but i think common sense has come through here. I was worried his desire might force him to risk it but i think Nadal and his team have made the correct choice. Even if he has 2 or 3 months off..... just make sure they get it right. Nadal will have plenty of chances to be No1 again (thats if he loses it) and i'm sure plenty of titles are still in his tank. This little break from Tennis could prolong his career by 2 tp 3 years.

The real winner from this is Murray. Looking at the draw there is only Roddick, DavyDenko and Gonzales that look to be of the quality to beat him. Simon is also there but he hasn't had a brilliant year up to now. If Murray can avoid complacency and get through the early rounds then he has a fantastic chance of at least a semi-final. Like always a Federer vs Muray final would be my dream but Murray has so much pressure on him right now i think it might be a bit early.

The thing is Murray can't keep missing great opportunities to win that first major. He under performed in the final of the US Open against Federer, Had a great chance at the French to get to the Final and Now Wimbledon with probally the best draw he could have hoped for. They say the first slam is the hardest and i think this is a great opportunity for Murray, however in guys like Federer, Del Potro, Djokovic playing so well at the moment he certainly isn't favourite.

[Ignatius]

For JMDP grass is not his best surface if you look at previous years, in addition he's facing a difficult draw (playing Clement - a quaterfinalist last year first round, leyton Hewitt on second, Tursunov who just won a title on grass on third, grass specialist Stepanek on fourth and Andy Roddick in the quaters...) not to mention Juan Martin has not played a single match on grass this year.

He does have a good serve and a good forehand, but grass is all about movement, about return of serve, about shortening your swing, slicing the ball...also the ball bounces low and for a tall guy (almost 2 meters) it's more difficult to bend deep. It'll sure be interesing to see how far he goes in here, but like I said, it's not his best surface. If it was Hard courts, he could be a strong contender to reach the semis, but on grass...my guess is that Stepanek or Roddick will take him out.

About Nadal, I agree. He has to take some time off and get some rest. If he loses the #1, he's got plenty of time to get it back. Now Federer is the strong favorite, but I don't think it'll be easy for him. Murray has the pressure, but he's not the same player he was last year when he lost against Nadal in the quaters. He's now the #3 and has a few good important titles under his belt. He can handle it now...and don't forget Djokovic...nobody is really talking about the guy after his early loss at RG, but he's reached the semis here before. He lost early in 2008, but he could be a threat to FedEx if they both get to the semis.

[Gnrfan]

For JMDP grass is not his best surface if you look at previous years, in addition he's facing a difficult draw (playing Clement - a quaterfinalist last year first round, leyton Hewitt on second, Tursunov who just won a title on grass on third, grass specialist Stepanek on fourth and Andy Roddick in the quaters...) not to mention Juan Martin has not played a single match on grass this year.

I think that Del Potro will destroy Stepanek but Hewitt & Roddick could be massive tests to him if he feels at all unconfortable.

About Nadal, I agree. He has to take some time off and get some rest. If he loses the #1, he's got plenty of time to get it back. Now Federer is the strong favorite, but I don't think it'll be easy for him. Murray has the pressure, but he's not the same player he was last year when he lost against Nadal in the quaters. He's now the #3 and has a few good important titles under his belt. He can handle it now...and don't forget Djokovic...nobody is really talking about the guy after his early loss at RG, but he's reached the semis here before. He lost early in 2008, but he could be a threat to FedEx if they both get to the semis.

Oh Djokovic is definatly in with a chance. You almost feel with him if he can get into the second week he'll be the guy to beat. I get the impression with Djoker that sometimes he isn't into the easy matches mentally and it can cost him. So if he gets to the quarters he'll probally be joint favourite with Federer.

I think Federer has to be favourite, with Djokovic and Murray behind him..... my choice as and outsider is Tsonga..... he serves well and is one of the best volleyers around. I wouldn't be suprised to see him go deep into the tournament like Semis maybe even a final.

[estebanf]

well, Ivanisevic and Philippousis were tall players with NOTHING more to offer than a great service and a decent volley, and Ivanisevic won the tournament and Philippousis was runner up if I'm not wrong. Del Potro has a lot more things to offer, so I think he has some serious chances. That's one of the main reasons I hate grass, and specially Wimbledon. That's not the type of tennis I like to see, where perfect nobodies become dangerous players just because of their serve. No rallies, points last 8 or 10 seconds in the best of the cases... boring...

At least there are no master series in grass...

[Ignatius]

I think that Del Potro will destroy Stepanek but Hewitt & Roddick could be massive tests to him if he feels at all unconfortable.

Stepanek beat Del Potro earlier this year in San Jose or Memphis. Radek is a true grass court player...he's a threat to any player here. I wouldn't count him off.

Oh Djokovic is definatly in with a chance. You almost feel with him if he can get into the second week he'll be the guy to beat. I get the impression with Djoker that sometimes he isn't into the easy matches mentally and it can cost him. So if he gets to the quarters he'll probally be joint favourite with Federer.

I agree. Last year he lost in the second round against Safin, if he wins a few matches he'll find his rythm. I'd like to see him doing well...hopefully he'll beat FedEx in the semis 

I think Federer has to be favourite, with Djokovic and Murray behind him..... my choice as and outsider is Tsonga..... he serves well and is one of the best volleyers around. I wouldn't be suprised to see him go deep into the tournament like Semis maybe even a final.

Tsonga could be one of the outsiders, but he's just not consistent enough IMO. I'd say Roddick has more chances...he's got an easier draw up until the quaters.

well, Ivanisevic and Philippousis were tall players with NOTHING more to offer than a great service and a decent volley, and Ivanisevic won the tournament and Philippousis was runner up if I'm not wrong. Del Potro has a lot more things to offer, so I think he has some serious chances. That's one of the main reasons I hate grass, and specially Wimbledon. That's not the type of tennis I like to see, where perfect nobodies become dangerous players just because of their serve. No rallies, points last 8 or 10 seconds in the best of the cases... boring...

You know grass is not what it used to be 5-10 years ago. They did slow the courts (and balls) down cause it became extremely boring. So Del Potro could have a better chance now than if he had to play 10 years ago.

About Invanisevic, he did win Wimbledon indeed and was one of the most talented players I've ever seen play. Far more talented than Del Potro or any player on the tour now with the exeption of Federer. The problem with Goran was in his head. He just didn't have the mind for this game...but he was more than a good serve. He had one of the best volleys on tour and great solid groundstrokes. Del Potro, has good serve and good solid groundstrokes, but he doesnt have the game style that's needed to win Wimbledon, however, neither did Nadal and he managed to win.

Having said that, Rafa won Wimbledon cause he adapted his game to grass, not the quicker grass like Ivanisevic and Philipousis played on 5-10 years ago, more like the newer grass courts; slower but quick enough that obliges you to make modifications on your game. If Del Potro wants to win Wimbledon, he'd have to make those changes. However, I don't see him winning this year...maybe in the future; but to me the strongest favorites are Fedex, Muzza and Djokovic on that order.

On a side note. Wimbly started today. Verdasco strong against the qualifying brit, Djoker needed 4 sets to beat Benettau, Federer through in 3, Tsonga in 4. Blake lost against Seppi.

[estebanf]

Dulko defeated Sharapova 

[Gnrfan]

That's one of the main reasons I hate grass, and specially Wimbledon. That's not the type of tennis I like to see, where perfect nobodies become dangerous players just because of their serve. No rallies, points last 8 or 10 seconds in the best of the cases... boring...

http://uk.askmen.com/top_10/sports/top-10-tennis-matches.html

Some of the greatest ever matches have taken place on Wimbledon and Grass. The link above is the top 10 matches of all time and the top 3 are all at Wimbledon so i think boring is a little off base with common opinion there.

To me its the best tournament in Tennis. Great setting best crowd and just brings out the best in players. You ask 90% of player if they could win just 1 slam and i think the majority will say wimbledon. Just such a classy tournament.... its run fantastically and there is something incredibly pure about the players all wearing white.

[estebanf]

i still think its boring (i stated it was MY opinion), and I think ATP thinks the same because grass tournaments are 5% of the total. And as time goes by there are less grass tournaments (thank God).

anyway, I'm glad with Gisela and Del Potro victories. Now its time for Delpo to erase Hewitt 

edit: http://uk.askmen.com/ by By Dave Golokhov