Raonic and Bouchard 2016 edition

[guymez]

A new tennis season so it deserves a new thread.


Bouchard has a big hill to climb from her disappointing 2015 season.
In 2016 she made it to the quarter finals in the Shenzhen Open and lost to Timea Babos...a player ranked well below Bouchard.
I thought she looked a little mentally fragile at the Aussie open but she did lose to a very good player in Radwanska.

Here's hoping she can take some positive steps this year.

Raonic has looked very good so far this season. He beat Federer in straight sets (6-4, 6-4) at the Brisbane International and won the tournament. Not a big name tournament to be sure but that was a very impressive win.

Ranked at 13th he has looked very good at the Aussie Open so far. He seems more mobile than I have ever seen him and his net play (especially lobs) is much improved. He has a very good chance to beat Wawrinka in tonight's match.

Click to read more...

 

[Tyrolean]

Aren't there specific tennis forums?

 

[guymez]

Aren't there specific tennis forums?

Not sure what your point is...there has always been a tennis related thread on this board when it was warranted.

Some people may want to comment as they always have before.
If there is no interest the thread will disappear.

Not sure why you think this thread is an an issue.

 

[rboomercat90]

Raonic has looked very good to start the year. He won a tournament already by beating Federer in the final. He seems to be more willing to engage in a rally when he isn't serving now. Im looking forward to his match against Wawrinka tonight.

Bouchard is still the head case she was last year. She made it to the finals in Hobart, playing against weak competition. I can't comment on how she played before the final because I didn't see those matches. The final against Alize Cornet was televised and I did watch it. She was heavily favored and she lost 6-2,6-1. She did what she always does when things aren't going her way. She started to pout and she just quit playing. She stopped going after balls and looked like she just wanted to get out of there again.
I thought she was better in her loss to Radwanska. She actually did put up a bit of a fight in that one when Radwanska started to take over so that's a step in the right direction for her.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Not sure what your point is...there has always been a tennis related thread on this board when it was warranted.

Some people may want to comment as they always have before.
If there is no interest the thread will disappear.

Not sure why you think this thread is an an issue.

not always

seems only to be a tennis thread when someone has good games--other then that it is very rarely talked about--this thread ALWAYS dies a quick death

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

I'm stoked to be going to the second semi-final game this Friday!
Never been before. Would be cool to see Roanic but he'll be in tough today against Wawrinka

 

[rboomercat90]

I'm stoked to be going to the second semi-final game this Friday!
Never been before. Would be cool to see Roanic but he'll be in tough today against Wawrinka

I'm curious what a ticket to an event like this costs.

 

[GMofOilers]

I like boring Roanics game this year. He has turned it up a notch and is going for it!

Also Genie gone in second round but she played a good game, I expect and am looking forward to big things from her this year.

 

[Stud Muffin]

I'll watch Tennis over football or basketball everyday of the week.

 

[Dimensha]

I'm curious what a ticket to an event like this costs.

Ive never been to Australia myself, but I have been to Wimbledon and it was about £50-60 for No. 2 court seats about midway through the tournament. prices rise as the tournament progresses, and are higher for the larger courts.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

I'm curious what a ticket to an event like this costs.

As the previous poster said, the prices raise as the tournament progresses.

I think during the first 4 rounds it's about ~80-200 a ticket.
For the semifinal I paid about 250 and that's for the whole day, which included the women's doubles final.
AUD and CDN are pretty equal currencies

Prices are here
http://event.ausopen.com/tickets?rendermode=mobile

 

[guymez]

For anyone that would like to watch the Raonic match against Wawrinka its starts on TSN 3 and 4 in about 10 minutes.

 

[rboomercat90]

As the previous poster said, the prices raise as the tournament progresses.

I think during the first 4 rounds it's about ~80-200 a ticket.
For the semifinal I paid about 250 and that's for the whole day, which included the women's doubles final.
AUD and CDN are pretty equal currencies

Prices are here
http://event.ausopen.com/tickets?rendermode=mobile

Seems like a similar price to an Oilers game. I thought they'd be much higher considering it's such a prestigious event. Maybe we're being asked to pay too much here.

 

[rboomercat90]

Raonic is rolling early on against Wawrinka. He won the first set 6-4. After getting broken by Wawrinka early in the second set, Roanic has now taken over and leads 4-2. He's looking like a much more all around player so far this season. His return game is much better and he doesn't look like he's content with getting every set to a tie breaker anymore.

 

[guymez]

Raonic is rolling early on against Wawrinka. He won the first set 6-4. After getting broken by Wawrinka early in the second set, Roanic has now taken over and leads 4-2. He's looking like a much more all around player so far this season. His return game is much better and he doesn't look like he's content with getting every set to a tie breaker anymore.

Completely agree. His dedication to improving his game has to be applauded. This is the best all around game I have ever seen from Raonic.
I didnt think he could elevate his game to this level.

He just beat a top 5 player...I am very impressed.

 

[molsonmuscle360]

Completely agree. His dedication to improving his game has to be applauded. This is the best all around game I have ever seen from Raonic.
I didnt think he could elevate his game to this level.

He just beat a top 5 player...I am very impressed.

A healthy Milos is a top 5 player. I think the last couple of years he's been hurt a lot more than healthy and it's shown. This year he seems to mean business. Didn't he beat Nadal last week in a smaller tourney? Or was it Federer?

 

[guymez]

A healthy Milos is a top 5 player. I think the last couple of years he's been hurt a lot more than healthy and it's shown. This year he seems to mean business. Didn't he beat Nadal last week in a smaller tourney? Or was it Federer?

It was Federer that he beat...mentioned it in the OP.

Raonic has definitely improved his game from the last couple of years...i dont think this is just being healthy. His decision making, returns and volleys are all better. His mobility is better too and that might be what you are referring to as I think he had foot surgery.

In any event he is a pleasure to watch.

 

[missinthejets]

It was Federer that he beat...mentioned it in the OP.

Raonic has definitely improved his game from the last couple of years...i dont think this is just being healthy. His decision making, returns and volleys are all better. His mobility is better too and that might be what you are referring to as I think he had foot surgery.

In any event he is a pleasure to watch.

I think being healthy has a big impact. Remember that 2 years ago he was pretty solidly a top 10 player even getting into the top 5 for a while right? Then he was hurt so much of last year and the ranking slipped but now he looks like he's back on track. Yeah the change in his game is making a difference too but he's been getting better all around for a while now. I think what he was always missing before was some aggression and willingness to try and hit winners from shots other than his serve and he seems willing now to try and take it to guys rather than leaning on the serve so much.

 

[rboomercat90]

I think being healthy has a big impact. Remember that 2 years ago he was pretty solidly a top 10 player even getting into the top 5 for a while right? Then he was hurt so much of last year and the ranking slipped but now he looks like he's back on track. Yeah the change in his game is making a difference too but he's been getting better all around for a while now. I think what he was always missing before was some aggression and willingness to try and hit winners from shots other than his serve and he seems willing now to try and take it to guys rather than leaning on the serve so much.

Being healthy makes him a top 5 player. I think his skill and consistency over the last few years makes that legitimate. He rarely loses to guys ranked lower than him. His problem is that his game, as it was, never allowed him to beat the upper tier of players. Because of that it looked like he had plateaued. The changes to his game this year give him a chance to move up the ladder for the first time.

 

[BleedingOil]

Raonic and Monfils starts at 130, winner faces Andy Murray in semis. Federer gets Djokovic in the other. Would be awesome to see Milos win a grand slam

 

[Mcnofool6110]

Raonic takes the third set!

Monfils played a shot basically sitting down, gets back up and hit the winner for the second set. What a match!

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

Guess I'll be seeing Raonic on Friday, cool!

I'm a bit of of an Andy Murray fan, so I guess I'll be pretty neutral at this one.

 

[Replacement*]

Should this just be the Raonic thread? Is Bouchard even a calibre player worth talking about anymore?

 

[joestevens29]

I'll just leave this here

 

[CupofOil]

Should this just be the Raonic thread? Is Bouchard even a calibre player worth talking about anymore?

Yes and Nope.

It's amazing how much better Raonic looks this season, it's as if the light switch just went on all of a sudden. He's moving well, going to the net a lot with confidence and his backhander looks a lot better. Totally different player.

He's still a pretty boring player IMO, a bit too robotic for my liking but he has the type of game that can really bother the top players. Murray will be a huge test for him obviously to see how far he really has come.