Tennis: Australian Open 2019

[sfvega]

That ended abruptly.

 

[MsMeow]

Well dammit Roger. I think we can safely say he won't win another major, his aura isn't anywhere near as intimidating to the younger guys and hasn't been to Rafa and Nole in a long time.

 

[Novak Djokovic]

Didn't see the match. Was it Stefanos playing really well, or Fed with UE after UE?

Real upset chance for Medvedev tonight, IMO.

 

[kihei]

Just saw extended excerpts of the match, but it looks like Roger played well and Stefanos played brilliantly. I was impressed as hell that Tsitsipas recovered from losing the first set tie breaker, 11-13, which would have sunk many players for the rest of the match. Some of the powerful crosscourt wide angles to Roger's backhand side that Stefanos hit looked indistinguishable from what Roger did in the past to Nadal and Djokovic--in fact, in many of the highlights Stefanos played on a vintage Roger level. Here's a brief stats package from EuroSport:

14-Tsitsipas 3-Federer
Aces 20 12
Double faults 1 0
Break points won 1/3 0/12
Net points won 48/68 50/66
Winners 62 61
Unforced errors 36 55
Total points won 178 166
Match duration: three hours and 45 minutes

That net play number for Tsitsipas is especially impressive and revealing of how quickly Stefanos has grown as a player.

 

[kihei]

Unless Nishikori goes absolutely crazy, Roger will very likely end the tournament ranked #6 in the world. He just lost on his best hard court surface, so there may be no return from this decline.

For those interested:

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

Well dammit Roger. I think we can safely say he won't win another major,

The same thing was said for a long period before he snatched #18, #19 and #20. Same for Nadal.

Any such declaration is premature until he decides to retire. Will be competitive at Wimbledon until he's 40 if he decides to keep playing.

 

[Maestro84]

With Federer, Cilic and Dimitrov all bowing out, the road to the finals seems as clear as daylight for Rafa, who just ambushed an old pal of his in Berdych, as the remaining three guys in the bottom half are all surely gassed, while also playing in their first slam quarterfinal.

On the top half, Djokovic is still heavily favoured to reach the finals although he will have to work his way through Medvedev, Nishikori, Raonic/Zverev/Coric to get to yet another AO final

If Rafa can pull off #18 next sunday, not only will he become the first player in open era to win 2+ slams at all four majors, but he’ll be 2 shy of Federer’s 20 with RG being the next major this coming May. Exciting times in tennis indeed

 

[Hadoop]

Just got back from a week in Costa Rica. Not too upset about Fed's elimination really, not just because it was only a matter of (father) time, but also because Tsitsipas' combination of flair, control and poise is just plain fun to watch.

 

[Hadoop]

With Federer, Cilic and Dimitrov all bowing out, the road to the finals seems as clear as daylight for Rafa, who just ambushed an old pal of his in Berdych, as the remaining three guys in the bottom half are all surely gassed, while also playing in their first slam quarterfinal.

On the top half, Djokovic is still heavily favoured to reach the finals although he will have to work his way through Medvedev, Nishikori, Raonic/Zverev/Coric to get to yet another AO final

If Rafa can pull off #18 next sunday, not only will he become the first player in open era to win 2+ slams at all four majors, but he’ll be 2 shy of Federer’s 20 with RG being the next major this coming May. Exciting times in tennis indeed

It's always a shock to me now short the off-season is in tennis. Anyways 12 predictions for 2019 (the two big story-lines for me will be 1) how the GOAT generation adds to their legacy and 2) how much better the next gen will become and whether or not one or more of them will make a GS breakthrough)

- Djokovic will win the AO
- Rafa and Nole will meet in 2 of the 4 GS finals
- Not sure how he'll do, but Father time will not be kind to Father Fed this year

VERY early days, but a few of my big 2019 predictions from 3 weeks ago are looking rather promising so far.

 

[Maestro84]

Just got back from a week in Costa Rica. Not too upset about Fed's elimination really, not just because it was only a matter of (father) time, but also because Tsitsipas' combination of flair, control and poise is just plain fun to watch.

Not gonna lie, the next gen players are starting to grow on me. I still think the last 10-15 years has been the absolute golden era for men's tennis, but the players born in the late 90's actually give the sport a good amount of hope once the golden era players all hang up their rackets. Players like Zverev, Shapovalov, Tiafoe, Stefanos, FAA, Chung, de Minaur, and Coric all have the potential to be great players in the future.

Players born between 1989-1995 (AKA: the lost gen) are likely going down as the biggest underachieving generation tho

 

[Hadoop]

RE: Stefanos - There's also this nugget I posted last year during his run at the Rogers Cup.... so yeah he is definitely becoming one of my favourite players already.

Zverev looks like he's destined for greatness when he's focused and loose, but closing matches continues to be his biggest weakness at this stage of his career. That said a lot of the credit should go to Tsitsipas. In terms of already having a little bit of everything (the ability to hit winners, grind from the baseline, hit with different pace, spin, placement, hit a variety shots including drop shots and volleys, and improving mental toughness) he might be the most complete player among the Next Gen.

 

[tony d]

Raonic plays tonight vs. Zverev. Should be a good match. As to Federer, he's 38 this yr. so time may be catching up with him. Still one of the better tennis players ever.

 

[TCTC]

I have a feeling Federer is going to retire at the end of the year.

I'm sure he has a few more years left in the tank but I don't see him dominating anymore and he's too competitive to just play for fun.

 

[rangerssharks414]

I have a feeling Federer is going to retire at the end of the year.

I'm sure he has a few more years left in the tank but I don't see him dominating anymore and he's too competitive to just play for fun.

I have that feeling too.

 

[Asheville]

As to Federer, he's 38 this yr. so time may be catching up with him. Still one of the better tennis players ever.

How generous of you. I'm in the Rafa camp, and even I can see that Federer is the GOAT.

 

[Know Your Enemy]

Zverev sucks today

 

[MsMeow]

Anyone that calls Milos a servebot anymore is bullshitting. I'm so impressed with the way he's rounded out his game. When he was with Carlos Moya he was all serve, forehand and passive play. His backhand is so much better and so are his volleys, footwork and touch. I don't know if he'll ever win a major but he's worked his ass off on his weaknesses.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Zverev sucks today

He does this every slam. 0-7 vs. top 20 players in slams.

At what point is it that he can’t perform in the biggest events? He’s a big talent. He’s the best out there outside of the big 4, but he has shown so far that he can’t perform up to his usual level in the four biggest tournaments of the year. I don’t know why this isn’t a big storyline. He’s supposed to be the next one in Men’s Tennis, and his record backs it up, except for four events each year. These are the four events that all the best players have to perform in.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

Man, what a match. Amazing performance by Serena and Halep. Wonderful quality of tennis. That's probably the match of the tournament on the women's side.

 

[MsMeow]

Woke up to see the Medvedev/Djokovic match ending, too bad Medvedev didn't win but it will be interesting to see if Djokovic is injured. He didn't look great in the last couple of games.

 

[kihei]

I have a feeling Federer is going to retire at the end of the year.

I'm sure he has a few more years left in the tank but I don't see him dominating anymore and he's too competitive to just play for fun.

I think he will hold on until the Olympics, but that's certainly no sure thing.

 

[MsMeow]

I think he will hold on until the Olympics, but that's certainly no sure thing.

If he starts losing early round matches I think that will change his mind. Right now it seems he can go a few rounds but when he hits the latter rounds, he has trouble.

 

[Beau Knows]

If he starts losing early round matches I think that will change his mind. Right now it seems he can go a few rounds but when he hits the latter rounds, he has trouble.

I expect Federer to do a retirement tour though, if he was going to retire this year I would have expected him to announce it before the Australian Open. Maybe he gets forced into retirement by getting crushed this year, but I see him being competitive at least at Wimbledon.

If he skips the French there's no way he's planning on retiring this year.

 

[MsMeow]

I expect Federer to do a retirement tour though, if he was going to retire this year I would have expected him to announce it before the Australian Open. Maybe he gets forced into retirement by getting crushed this year, but I see him being competitive at least at Wimbledon.

If he skips the French there's no way he's planning on retiring this year.

He said he's playing the clay court season but I don't think he's committed to the French. I hope he plays.

 

[JetsWillFly4Ever]

I don't understand why Zverev can't perform in majors but happy for Milos! Plays Pouille next with a chance to get to the semis.

If he can stay healthy, as the Big 3 age he could steal a major or two imo.