The Tennis Thread

I'm hoping Ferrer finally gets that 1 Slam. I'm rooting for Ferrer all the way. He's such a great guy. He's a hard player and goes for every shot with such passion for the game. Spaniards sure love their Tennis. Hell, he does better than all the other young Spaniards not named Nadal.

Facing off against Djokovic will be a challenge indeed. Ferrer just wins by taking it on. He really lacks strategy at times. He's just a baseline to baseline return player. A majority of his wins are from clear winners or from the opponent making lots of errors.

As for Berdych and Murray - not quite sure about this one. I don't think I've ever seen them play. Let's see if Murray can pull off the shots Federer couldn't.

In the back of my mind, I'd honestly like to see a Ferrer vs. Berdych final, but I honestly don't want Berdych to win a slam; he's a total douche (the crowd shushing incident against Nadal years ago and the not-shaking-hands of Almagro at the Aussie Open).

Much like how Sharapova was able to win the French, any dark horse player needs to face off against another dark horse player (or lower) to win a slam. They need to get lucky. Sharapova against Errani was lucky. So if it came down to Ferrer vs. Berdych, I'm hoping Ferrer gets this and can retire that much happier.

Speaking about the women, I was a bit disappointed at Sharapova for losing yesterday. I cant stand Azarenka. She think she's hot shit. Did you see that stupid dance she did on the court after winning? Yeah, you're no Petkovic -- stop dancing (mmm, Petkovic<3).

As for Williams lol and Errani: what can I say? 6/1, 6/2. That pretty much answers that. I mean, honestly, did you think Errani would stand a bit of a chance? She should have played so much smarter to take down that man of a woman Williams. She needed to risk the match since we all figured she was going to lose anyway. Move her from side to side; get that big woman movin'. Do a lot of drop shots, then get ready up at the net. Get some serve/volley tactics in your game. She was just playing Williams game by staying in the baseline and returning what she thought were powerful forehand shots. Her strongest forehands were like swatting cotton balls for Williams. Let's see if Azarenka will use these tactics at the final. But in this case, I hate Azarenka more, and I'd rather have Williams (and being an American to boot) to win the Open.

And yes, it's quite sad to see two of my favorite players go. Goodbye to Clijsters and Roddick; you will be missed very much. You both had such great personalities and gave us plenty of fun matches to be entertained by throughout your careers. Couldn't have asked for more.

~ Aether Nexus
 
I'm hoping Ferrer finally gets that 1 Slam. I'm rooting for Ferrer all the way. He's such a great guy. He's a hard player and goes for every shot with such passion for the game. Spaniards sure love their Tennis. Hell, he does better than all the other young Spaniards not named Nadal.

Facing off against Djokovic will be a challenge indeed. Ferrer just wins by taking it on. He really lacks strategy at times. He's just a baseline to baseline return player. A majority of his wins are from clear winners or from the opponent making lots of errors.

As for Berdych and Murray - not quite sure about this one. I don't think I've ever seen them play. Let's see if Murray can pull off the shots Federer couldn't.

In the back of my mind, I'd honestly like to see a Ferrer vs. Berdych final, but I honestly don't want Berdych to win a slam; he's a total douche (the crowd shushing incident against Nadal years ago and the not-shaking-hands of Almagro at the Aussie Open).

Much like how Sharapova was able to win the French, any dark horse player needs to face off against another dark horse player (or lower) to win a slam. They need to get lucky. Sharapova against Errani was lucky. So if it came down to Ferrer vs. Berdych, I'm hoping Ferrer gets this and can retire that much happier.

Speaking about the women, I was a bit disappointed at Sharapova for losing yesterday. I cant stand Azarenka. She think she's hot shit. Did you see that stupid dance she did on the court after winning? Yeah, you're no Petkovic -- stop dancing (mmm, Petkovic<3).

As for Williams lol and Errani: what can I say? 6/1, 6/2. That pretty much answers that. I mean, honestly, did you think Errani would stand a bit of a chance? She should have played so much smarter to take down that man of a woman Williams. She needed to risk the match since we all figured she was going to lose anyway. Move her from side to side; get that big woman movin'. Do a lot of drop shots, then get ready up at the net. Get some serve/volley tactics in your game. She was just playing Williams game by staying in the baseline and returning what she thought were powerful forehand shots. Her strongest forehands were like swatting cotton balls for Williams. Let's see if Azarenka will use these tactics at the final. But in this case, I hate Azarenka more, and I'd rather have Williams (and being an American to boot) to win the Open.

And yes, it's quite sad to see two of my favorite players go. Goodbye to Clijsters and Roddick; you will be missed very much. You both had such great personalities and gave us plenty of fun matches to be entertained by throughout your careers. Couldn't have asked for more.

~ Aether Nexus
Sharapova dark horse at the French? Sharapova isn't a dark horse anywhere and she was considered a favorite by many to win the French after Serena's first round disaster - by some (me) even before that. Clay still isn't her favorite surface but she's very capable of beating anyone in any slam when she brings her A game - she brought it to the clay season. To be honest though Sharapova's draw for the French was easy for a slam but that sucks because I think she could have handled anybody.

I was rooting for Sharapova and I've never been a big Vika fan but really: Williams and Azarenka are the two best players in the world right now, and it should be a good final. I'm sick of Maria looking absolutely feeble against Serena though, and it would have been nice to see her make it to the final and actually make it a match, but you can't really count on that happening. Again, Maria needs to remember Wimbledon 2004.

As a side not, I'm really starting to enjoy watching Errani play, but like everybody I saw her loss to Serena coming.

Oh and go Berdych/Ferrer!!! :O
 
The Tipsarevic vs Ferrer match was one of the best matches I've watched this season. Great quarterfinal. Would've loved to see Janko go through, but realistically after a 5 setter like that, Ferrer probably has a better chance of getting a result today than Tipsa would've had against Djokovic. I'm rooting for a Berdych/Ferrer final as well, but I can't really see it happening.
 

junior

jet fuel can't melt steel beams
is a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Champion
Vika is a dog cunt and I hate how Maria has a mental block against her too. Always double faulting 21387213782173 times and brainlessly bashes the ball against her, like she does against Serena. They've both gotten into her head. Vika is only the third person to have beaten Maria at least 5 times (Justine Henin 7 and Serena Williams 9).

Seriously though, Vika is just a glorified pusher. She hit 19 winners in such a long match but still managed to beat Maria who hit 44 winners lol because Maria kept spraying everything long and wide. It was disgusting. Ugh. So fucking torn over this loss. It was her final, despite what their previous track record against them was.

The key losses that broke Maria against Serena:
- 2005 Australian Open semifinal where she held match points but lost
- 2007 Australian Open final where she was heavy favourite and lost 1-6 2-6
- 2007 Key Biscayne fourth round where she got beaten down 1-6 1-6
the recent Olympics loss doesn't help either although she was affected by a stomach virus.

Anyways, I'm definitely rooting for Serena to take her 15th slam title. Vika is such an overachiever. Never would she have won a slam or reached no. 1 had she played in the Evert/Navratilova, Graf/Seles, Hingis/Davenport, WS/Henin era, just everyone is so shit now. I'm waiting for Maria and Kvitova to finally actually live up to their potential and start dominating because they ARE better players than Vika.

Maria was a dark horse in the French Open? Not at all. She was unbeaten on red clay going into the French Open, taking out Azarenka, Kvitova, Stosur, Na, Kerber, Venus, Ivanovic etc. The only person stopping her was Serena and she bombed out to Razzano in R1.

On the subject of Clijsters, REALLY sad to see her go. I was upset for a good hour or two afterwards. She's really a great competitor and great for the sport. It was a shame she had to go. It was appropriate she lost to the promising Laura Robson though (touted for greatness at a young age, got an Adidas contract at 11). Like, the whole future prospect taking out the old guard.

As for Andy, definitely sad he retired too but I'm not cut up about it. He's funny off court but on court he was a douchebag, hated his attitude.

I want Nole to win the US Open now. Ferrer's game is very dull to watch, as is Murray's.
 
SERENA GOAT

ok not necessarily but i'd definitely put her in my top three with navratilova and graf

Women's tennis really needed a final like this.
 
First off: CONGRATULATIONS TO ANDY MURRAY FOR WINING THE U.S. OPEN AND HIS FIRST SLAM! It's about damn time. Should have won straight sets, though. Damn Novak for his amazing comeback. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Murray lost lol. It's happened before. We've all seen it.

Anyway! I didn't state Sharapova as being the dark horse player. What I meant was that the only way for a dark horse player to win a slam is if they play another dark horse player or lower to get that slam. Like if Ferrer was in the final and played against Fish or someone. And yes, that Ferrer/Tipsy match was amazing! Worth the watch. Shame Novak destroyed Ferrer, even though I was excited he got the 1st set on him.

I hate Azarenka. I kind of hate Serena too, but I'm glad she won instead. I just cant stand Azarenka; she thinks she's hot shit. She's just annoying. I will never forgive Sharapova for that shitty-ass Aussie Open final this year. What was it -- like 1/6, 0/6? Terrible.

True about the women's circuit not having many good players, though. It's really unpredictable in the women's circuit, as one day someone will kick ass, then they slide into obscurity. I think once both the Williams sisters retire, Sharapova will have a few more slams in the near future. Then, when she retires, I'm not quite sure who would rise up. Also, talking about falling into obscurity: what the hell happened to Wozniacki? I haven't heard her name once since she dropped #1.

So what's next? Davis Cup, Masters, then Tennis takes a break? I should look up who's in the top 10. And it also seems Nadal will be sitting out from the Davis Cup too. Ferrer will be pitching in for him. Dammit, Nadal, it's not as entertaining without you. Get well soon, you Spanish bastard!

~ Aether Nexus
 

TrollFreak

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is a Contributor Alumnus




I learned patience, perseverance, and dedication. Now I really know myself, and I know my voice. It's a voice of pain and victory.
- Anthony Hamilton

One of the best matches I've seen in years, almost thought the Joker would come back. But alas, Britain finally regained its crown. Congratz to Andy Murray, great victory!
 

junior

jet fuel can't melt steel beams
is a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Champion
Andy Murray is one of my least favourite players but really happy that he won. He really deserved a slam after so many close shots at the titles. Not to mention he was easily the most accomplished slamless player before the US Open run.

When I was watching the match, I didn't actually care who would win, but I thought it would be hilarious if Andy became the first person to lose in the US Open final 2-0 sets up.

But despite that soooo stoked for him. :) How could you not be after seeing someone look so happy?

I hate Azarenka. I kind of hate Serena too, but I'm glad she won instead. I just cant stand Azarenka; she thinks she's hot shit. She's just annoying. I will never forgive Sharapova for that shitty-ass Aussie Open final this year. What was it -- like 1/6, 0/6? Terrible.
I'm definitely not a fan of Serena but you cannot deny that she is a wonderful person/ality both on and off court outside a couple of incidences (USO 09, USO 11). So glad she won the title. To me she saved tennis.

I think the final was overrated. It was high quality in terms of the drama, but definitely not the tennis. Serena played soooo horribly in both the Wimbledon and US Open finals but scraped a win, which is really the story of her career these days (outside the Olympics where it was like peak Serve-rena). She can no longer deliver consistent good tennis like during her peak years.

Azarenka definitely has one of the least dislikable personalities amongst slam champions imo. Her attitude is just downright obnoxious and uninteresting. I mean, Serena, Hingis, Roddick etc. are definitely not renowned for their gracious comments but they have flare and charm and give you amazing quotes etc. Vika is just bad attitude with nothing on the side.

as for the scoreline, Maria lost 06 16 to Serena in the OG final and to be real, that was probably the best Serena has played since quite possibly the 2007 Australian Open final. Even Rena fans dubbed it as very close to peak Serena. Maria was pretty bad though of course, missing so many routine shots. It could've been more competitive but that kind of Serena would lay a beatdown on any other player as well.

As for the Australian Open final this year, that was honestly the most humiliating loss Maria has had since the Davenport fiasco in Miami in 2005. Ignoring the scoreline, Maria looked like she was going to routine Azarenka for a good 3 games before completely tailing off and playing like a club level player. Broke my heart.

True about the women's circuit not having many good players, though. It's really unpredictable in the women's circuit, as one day someone will kick ass, then they slide into obscurity. I think once both the Williams sisters retire, Sharapova will have a few more slams in the near future. Then, when she retires, I'm not quite sure who would rise up. Also, talking about falling into obscurity: what the hell happened to Wozniacki? I haven't heard her name once since she dropped #1.
Wozniacki has become irrelevant pretty swiftly. Guesses are she burned out ala Jankovic but instead of slowly fading away into obscurity she was freefalling and is now outside the top 10.

And even as a big big big fan of Venus, she's no longer relevant in singles. :( Hate seeing her losing to people she never would've lost to during her better years.

The future is all Serena, Sharapova, Azarenka, and Kvitova right now. They should definitely make somewhat of a big 4 in the next couple of years. I think it's definitely great for tennis that these 4 in particular have been stepping up since 2011 and set themselves well above the rest of the field. Also what makes this set of names more interesting is the fact that they represent the best across 2 different generations. Maria and Serena being the undisputed top 5 players of the 00s, and Vika and Kvitty being the undisputed top 2 players of their generation.

So what's next? Davis Cup, Masters, then Tennis takes a break? I should look up who's in the top 10. And it also seems Nadal will be sitting out from the Davis Cup too. Ferrer will be pitching in for him. Dammit, Nadal, it's not as entertaining without you. Get well soon, you Spanish bastard!

~ Aether Nexus
Yep, asian swing, indoors "season" and that's it for the year. Biggest tournaments left are Tokyo, Beijing, Istanbul for women, and Shanghai, Paris, London for mens. Davis/Fed cup too of course.

Azarenka, Sharapova were the first to qualify for Istanbul. Serena qualified a week later than them after winning the US Open. If I had to take a guess of the rest of the field, it would probably be Radwanska, Kvitova, Kerber, Errani and toss up between Na/Stosur for 8th spot and 1st alternative. 2nd alternative is most likely Bartoli.

Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, Murray have all qualified for London, but with Nadal pulling out, it'll free up another spot. I'd guess the rest of the field would be Ferrer, Del Potro, Berdych, Tsonga, Tipsarevic to round off the 8 qualifiers. Alternatives 1 and 2 are still a massive toss up.
 
Anyone here played tennis in high school? o:
I'm taking it right now and i'm in my first year .-.
Do you guys think its wise to take it all of high school?
I would consider myself to be decent at it
 
Federer's just ensured he'll be number 1 for at least 300 weeks. Awesome, just awesome.

Hoping he finishes strongly and ends the year at number one!
 
Yeah lol how many matches has he already won after saving match points, with the opponent SERVING? This one, vs Federer USO SF, vs Tsonga RG QF, vs Berdych WTF RR, and thats only counting the macthes against top players, and all these in just 1 year! Really impressive. Honestly, Federer could've been number one for a lot of more weeks had Djokovic lost the first three matches. Not to mention that Nadal led Djokovic *4-2 30-15 in AO 2012 final...

Don't know how many slams he will win before retiring but Djokovic will definitely go down in history as the best player at winning matches after being multiple match points down lol
 
really excited for this Williams/Sharapova match. I have high hopes Maria can actually get it together for once against her...
 

Fabbles

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is a Contributor Alumnus
So Djokovic will for sure end the year at #1 now that Federer lost in the Basel final to Del Potro and subsequently pulled out of Paris. As a Federer fan, and as a fan of the history of the game, I would have loved to see a 31 year old Federer end the year at #1 for the 6th time. But Federer has always managed his playing remarkably well, better than any other tennis player, which is why he has suffered so few injuries. He is considering his future over the slim possibility of him passing Djokovic for year end #1. I think this is the right decision. Congrats to Djokovic as the year end #1!

All in all pretty darn satisfied with this year of men's tennis. Would have loved it even more if Rafa didn't lose to Rosol and get injured, of course. Probably the only thing that Federer fans would have wanted would be the Gold Medal match... but just to see how happy Federer was to get that Silver Medal for the first time, I don't think it is too bad.

I know Djokovic and Murray really have not played too well at the WTF since 08 really (Murray played well against Nadal in '10 though), but I would think one of them is going to win it. I just don't see Federer being able to win it for a 7th time, which is really just mind boggling. It looks like for sure Tsonga and most likely Tipsarevic will be joining the top 8.

This Top 8 has me thinking (with Rafa > Tipsy, obviously)... is this one of the best top 8 ever? I know that only 5 of them have won a slam, and Ferrer has never made a GS final (only 3 semi's), but honestly these 8 players are just so dominant against the rest of the field of tennis. Nearly everyone in the top 8 is having a career year or is playing at their peak. Some other top 8s I would consider being up there are in 85, where the top 6 were Lendl, McEnroe, Wilander, Conners, Edberg, Becker. Or potentially in 92 when the top 10 was Courier, Edberg, Sampras, Invanisevic, Becker, Chang, Korda, Lendl, Agassi, Krajicek. Definitely an interesting topic to think about. What I find really cool is that almost everyone in the top 8 (with Tipsy instead of Nadal) will most likely hit the 60 wins mark. Surprisingly Murray is behind everyone with only 53 wins. Tipsy, Tsonga, and Berdych still need a few more wins as well.
 

junior

jet fuel can't melt steel beams
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really excited for this Williams/Sharapova match. I have high hopes Maria can actually get it together for once against her...
hahahahaha us masha stans would've been happy if she won 4 games. So glad she made it semi-competitive at least but of course Serena would play out of her mind again against Mash

So Djokovic will for sure end the year at #1 now that Federer lost in the Basel final to Del Potro and subsequently pulled out of Paris. As a Federer fan, and as a fan of the history of the game, I would have loved to see a 31 year old Federer end the year at #1 for the 6th time. But Federer has always managed his playing remarkably well, better than any other tennis player, which is why he has suffered so few injuries. He is considering his future over the slim possibility of him passing Djokovic for year end #1. I think this is the right decision. Congrats to Djokovic as the year end #1!

All in all pretty darn satisfied with this year of men's tennis. Would have loved it even more if Rafa didn't lose to Rosol and get injured, of course. Probably the only thing that Federer fans would have wanted would be the Gold Medal match... but just to see how happy Federer was to get that Silver Medal for the first time, I don't think it is too bad.

I know Djokovic and Murray really have not played too well at the WTF since 08 really (Murray played well against Nadal in '10 though), but I would think one of them is going to win it. I just don't see Federer being able to win it for a 7th time, which is really just mind boggling. It looks like for sure Tsonga and most likely Tipsarevic will be joining the top 8.

This Top 8 has me thinking (with Rafa > Tipsy, obviously)... is this one of the best top 8 ever? I know that only 5 of them have won a slam, and Ferrer has never made a GS final (only 3 semi's), but honestly these 8 players are just so dominant against the rest of the field of tennis. Nearly everyone in the top 8 is having a career year or is playing at their peak. Some other top 8s I would consider being up there are in 85, where the top 6 were Lendl, McEnroe, Wilander, Conners, Edberg, Becker. Or potentially in 92 when the top 10 was Courier, Edberg, Sampras, Invanisevic, Becker, Chang, Korda, Lendl, Agassi, Krajicek. Definitely an interesting topic to think about. What I find really cool is that almost everyone in the top 8 (with Tipsy instead of Nadal) will most likely hit the 60 wins mark. Surprisingly Murray is behind everyone with only 53 wins. Tipsy, Tsonga, and Berdych still need a few more wins as well.
That's not true at this top 8 being the best top 8; I think there was more depth in the 90s but this is definitely the best top 4 men's tennis has had. I say this because the top 4's dominance is unlike anything we've seen, and I'm not just talking about 2012, but for year after year after year. I mean the year end top 4 hasn't changed since 2008 perhaps which is a long time.

However as for the bottom half of the top 8, they really need to step up their game. Sure they've shown potential to beat the top echelon over and over (in particular Berdych and Tsonga; I don't include Ferrer because while he has easily the best result of anyone outside the top 4, he can't challenge them) but they've never shown that they can do it on the biggest of stages.

I'm really glad Nole won YEC if only because it "legitimizes" his status as the world's number 1 player. Both Nole and Fed had arguments for and against them being the "real" no. 1 (had Fed won YEC, he would've been world no. 2 with equal number of slams and masters title as Nole, YEC and more overall titles, as well as the OG silver) but the YEC was going to determine who the player of the year in 2012 was.

Would've been shitty for the ATP to have the player of the year go to the second ranked player - I can't remember when the last time POY didn't go to the world no. 1.

And you're right, 2012 was a good year for men's tennis and I'm glad Murray was able to nab the elusive maiden slam even though I hate his guts. I was rooting for him to do so actually.

2012 was also a tremendous season for the WTA. Probably the best top 10 in terms of level and name since 2007 or 2008, and probably the most dominating top 3 since 2006, and I say since 2006 because that was the last time the year-end top 3 (Henin, Sharapova, Mauresmo) won pretty much everything.

In 2006, Amelie took 2 of the slams, and Henin nabbing one of them in four slam final appearance, and Sharapova winning the US Open in dominating fashion. Henin and Amelie did well in the first half of the season, and Maria dominating the US Open series and indoors season until Henin snapped Maria's winning streak by winning the YEC.

In 2012, the first three months of hardcourt tournaments was all about Vika with her 26 match win streak, until she ran out of steam in Miami. And then came the clay season where Maria went undefeated on red clay. Wimbledon onwards was domination from Serena as if it was 2002, taking home the last 3 majors of the year and the OG gold. OG was a complete success in terms of reiterating their prowess with the podium filled with all 3 slam champs of the year.
 

DetroitLolcat

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http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/8721362/roger-federer-limit-schedule-order-play-2016-games

Roger Federer really wants to get that OG it seems. If anyone could win an Olympic Gold at age 35, it's Fed, but damn. Thinking about that, I wonder what the landscape of tennis will look like in four years. Nole and Murray will be 29 and contending for major championships, and Rafa will be 30 (though he may retire early if his injuries are as bad as they seem). Really, the current men's Top 8 will be nearing age 30 by the 2016 Olympics, so the next few years may definitely be the end of this Big Four era. Likely successors are Tomic, Delpo and Raonic, but other than that it's hard to predict who the top competitors at Rio will be.

I doubt Federer could win at Rio if he really makes it that long, but if the next era is weak then he probably has a shot even at 34-35.
 
oh my god it looks like Rafa is pulling out from AO as well. It's because of the same virus that forced him to withdraw from the Abu Dhabi exibition.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/01/Features/Nadal-Delays-ATP-World-Tour-Return.aspx
I couldn't agree more with the top facebook comment there. Tennis doesn't feel the same without Nadal. I would've liked to see another thilling encounter between Federer and Nadal but it seems I'll have to wait... Nad vs Fed is hands down the best rivarly of the current top 4.

On another topic, this is Federer's schedule for 2013. Apparently he's going to miss Miami and Basel. Looks like he's taking things seriously and he really would like to stay until 2016 olympics. Seems like Nadal could retire before Federer honestly.
 
I typically root for Murray and am glad he has done as well as he has this year. I was not expecting him to do as well as he did. I'm disappointed in Nadal's withdrawal from the US Open but I do believe that he will make a great comeback next year. I also do think that the tennis surfaces have a lot to do with the performances and I like to see the players overcome the challenges of playing on surfaces they are not used to.
 
I love Zheng Jie but... seeing Stosur lose that match was up there with seeing Andy Roddick choking away the Wimbledon final for saddest match I've ever witnessed. And it was only a second round match. :(

oh and keep the bagels coming Sharapova
 

junior

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Bernie and Barty are really promising up and comers, and they can win the Australian Open in the future. It's good to note that Bernard actally THRIVES infront of the home crowd unlike all the other Aussies so I have high hopes for him taking the Australian Open title at least once before his career ends. Bernie is THE stand-out potential future great, and Barty has a few competition around her age bracket (Madison Keys (most promising amongst all teens), Donna Vekic to name a couple).
 

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