2025 Tennis thread

[Erick Estrada]

I was never the biggest Sampras fan (I gravitated to Agassi) but it's impossible to ignore just how good Pistol Pete was grass and hardcourt.

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I was never the biggest Sampras fan (I gravitated to Agassi) but it's impossible to ignore just how good Pistol Pete was grass and hardcourt.

Pete has said he should have switched to a racquet with a larger head size in the latter years of his career, it's gotta be tough when you've had so much success with the same stick.

[Inglewood Jack]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

Pete has said he should have switched to a racquet with a larger head size in the latter years of his career, it's gotta be tough when you've had so much success with the same stick.

Roger should have done the same once the pattern of losses against Rafa was getting established.

[dash_pinched]

Geez, such tough news regarding Monica Seles - She was on track to smash the grand slams record until she was stabbed in Germany. She attempted a comeback, but was never quite the same player after that fateful day. Now this latest ailment...

https://twitter.com/user/status/1955260585152479362

[puffnstuff]

Watched the Sampras clip...looks like he was wearing cargo shorts and enough material for two shirts.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Inglewood Jack

Roger should have done the same once the pattern of losses against Rafa was getting established.

He did go from 95 to 97 in head size I believe. Changing frames is a big deal to a pro that's been using the same setup for years but it seems like players today are more willing to try different racquets. Khachanov has been on a run of late since switching to the mystery Wilson black frame which is supposedly based on the old Kobra Tour mold.

[Inglewood Jack]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

He did go from 95 to 97 in head size I believe. Changing frames is a big deal to a pro that's been using the same setup for years but it seems like players today are more willing to try different racquets. Khachanov has been on a run of late since switching to the mystery Wilson black frame which is supposedly based on the old Kobra Tour mold.

I think Roger's main stick during his prime was 90 sq in. He waited until 2013 to start playing around with a bigger head, it was a relatively terrible year for him for reasons in addition to the outdated racquet technology. When he finally adjusted he was back to battling for big trophies from 2014 onwards, but this was already quite far out of his prime.

I know he was still racking up many wins in 2008-2012 to risk making a drastic change but I honestly think it would have helped him break up the Rafa-Novak duopoly that was forming at the time. Maybe encouraged him to introduce the Neo Backhand 5-7 years earlier, which I'm sad we only got to witness for about a year.

[Erick Estrada]

I actually used to use the K Factor Six One Pro Staff back in the day. Was a pretty good frame and a 95 I think.

[dash_pinched]

With all the money Cincinnati spent on renovations, maybe they should have invested some money in a roof for at least Center Court?

[CedarMeter]

Felix!

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by CedarMeter

Felix!

That was some pretty clean tennis from FAA taking out Bonzi 6-4 6-3. He'll give Sinner a stern test if he can bring that same level in their quarter-final match.

[dash_pinched]

Yikes, Felix might not win a game today.

Edit: After getting bageled, Felix breaks to start set 2.

[CedarMeter]

That was an ugly 1st

[Erick Estrada]

Looks like Felix is going to lose to Sinner for the first time today. I was hoping it would be more competitive but Felix just doesn't match up well against top 10 players.

[dash_pinched]

Serve was terrible, forehand was horrific as was the backhand. 5 winners to 29 unforced errors, that's not going to beat anybody in the top 100.

[dash_pinched]

At least Gaby and Erin have advanced to the semi-finals in women's doubles and are now solidly in 7th place in the WTA doubles race.

[Erick Estrada]

Where did this Atmane come from? He looked impressive against Fonseca but I figured it would just be maybe a one of career match but he’s been balling all week. Wasn’t even competitive against Rune.

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Where did this Atmane come from? He looked impressive against Fonseca but I figured it would just be maybe a one of career match but he’s been balling all week. Wasn’t even competitive against Rune.

That's two impressive outings in a row for Atmane as he played a superb match versus Fritz prior to eliminating Rune last night. Rune is developing a reputation for pulling the chute when things aren't going his way.

[dash_pinched]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1956445419556262244

[dash_pinched]

Charlie was there for the taking today, but Andrey couldn't get it over the line (including a double fault on match point).