Ed Hillel said:If you know rain is coming...close the roof?
I'm a pretty hardcore tennis fan. I watch the majors, go to the US Open every year and try to catch some of the smaller tournaments as well. You are absolutely right that the game has changed so. The athleticism these guys display is mind blowing. The shot making is so powerful and quick. The game has transformed into a much faster pace, power game and these guys have to make the mental adjustments needed for that. I grew up watching Connors, Mac and Lendl in the 80's and it's just amazing how it's changed. I love the game now.Deathofthebambino said:I can't remember the last time I watched tennis for an extended length of time, but I was laying around this morning with an empty house (heaven) and happened upon the finals as it started. I had time to watch the first two sets, and man, all I can say is wow. Some of the greatest athletes at the top of their game you will ever see. I imagine most of the sports world is like me and really doesn't watch a ton of tennis, but we really should. The game has changed so much in the past 20 years, kind of like golf, that it's almost impossible to believe some of the shots these guys hit. I remember when it was a big deal for someone to break 100mph with a serve, and now, they are hitting 115-120 on average, and it's being returned. Nearly every point features a shot that's virtually impossible for the average human to even get to, never mind return with the force these guys are able to muster. It was really, really fucking impressive.
Seemed pretty obvious to me though, that even though Federer was able shake off 6 set points in the 2nd set tiebreak, he was really just hanging on against a guy that wasn't making mistakes. Federer wasn't making a lot of mistakes either, but it seemed like the only way Roger was able to get a point was when he literally made a perfect shot or serve, because anything else was absolutely blistered by Novak, with ease. Having guys like Edberg and Becker coaching is also a really cool changing of the guard type of deal. I truly enjoyed that this morning, and I taped it for my 7 year old son, who is just now starting to take tennis lessons.
BigMike said:I would agree, but the reason I think he may win 4-6 more is the shocking lack of development from the next generation. Cilic and Del Potro are GS champions who are younger, but only a year younger. And most of the competition at the top is still older than Novak
Even guys like Raonic and Nishakori are already mid 20s and past the point where special players normally take the step up. Now maybe Krygios or Coric will explode next year and shoot to the top of the rankings
I just see a tennis world where barring a major injury it looks likely that Novak will stay #1 for another 18-36 months, which means he will likely enter another 5-10 GS as the favorite.
epraz said:
I see what you're saying, but right after the Australian Open in 2010, Federer was 28 turning 29, and had won 3 of the last 4 grand slams. Nadal, his only top competition, was dominant on clay but had only won 2 GS on other surfaces. Djokovic was 22, had won the Australian the previous year and was ranked highly, but people questioned his makeup and whether he could compete with Federer or Nadal. It wasn't at all clear that he was about to vault himself into the clear best player in the world he is today. These things have a way of turning.
I think Djoker will still be motivated to win the French to complete a career grand slam. Until he wins that I don't see let up in him.BigMike said:
Yes and no, Nadal was a clay court Champion who had raised his game on every surface to the point where he was an incredibly difficult out on any surface, pushing Roger on his best surfaces even when losing. And Djoker while having some epic meltdowns had surely showed the talent level was as good as anyone for as long as he stayed mentally tough in the match.
Has Nishakori or Raonic showed that? I don't think so. Has someone like Tomic given any reason to believe he can be that 22 year old who lives in the final 4 for the next 5 years?
I think we are exiting the greatest generation the game has ever seen, and Novak has the advantage of being the youngest and healthiest of that group. I suspect he will stay at #1 through all of 2016, and very good chance 2017, which means that while he is beatable, he is going to enter every major for the next 2-3 years as favorite or at least co favorite.
I guess the question with Djoker is will the passion wane. He has the family now. Maybe he will get comfortable and lose some of the anger and competitiveness
Infield Infidel said:Murray is down 2 sets to 0, it's been competitive but he's really looked nervy