The Tennis Thread 2014

[GirlySports]

Weird why cant they show ivanovic-sharapova? 5-5 in the 3rd set.

[dash_pinched]

Well, that was quite disheartening...

[GirlySports]

yeah, can't beat Federer serving 40%

[Senator Clay Davis]

Even if Milos served at 80% it wouldn't have mattered, he just would have lost in two tiebreakers. In 6 matches against Fed, Milos has a whopping 8 break point chances and exactly 1 break of serve in 17 sets. Pospisil plays Federer tougher than Milos, I think Pospisil could even beat Federer but Milos has virtually no chance. Fed is a really bad matchup for Milos but I mean this is 33 year old Federer here, 25 year old Federer probably double bagels Milos. Another testament to Roger's greatness that at 33 he's far better than Milos will ever be at any point in his career.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Even if Milos served at 80% it wouldn't have mattered, he just would have lost in two tiebreakers. In 6 matches against Fed, Milos has a whopping 8 break point chances and exactly 1 break of serve in 17 sets. Pospisil plays Federer tougher than Milos, I think Pospisil could even beat Federer but Milos has virtually no chance. Fed is a really bad matchup for Milos but I mean this is 33 year old Federer here, 25 year old Federer probably double bagels Milos. Another testament to Roger's greatness that at 33 he's far better than Milos will ever be at any point in his career.

Its a tough matchup for Raonic and always will be but let's not get crazy here. Roger is still better then 98% of the top 100 players on tour are now or ever will be. Federer was playing very poorly in the early rounds of the tournament and was lucky to get through the first couple matches. He cleaned up his net game immensely in the back half of the tournament and started serving the lights out which equals essentially no chance for any player on tour. Especially not one that is struggling on serve which is also their primary weapon in Raonic. Milos deserved a much better fate in that second set and can hold his head high that he was able to pick his game up and fight back.

Why do people always feel the need to give Pospisil so many concessions? If the guy hadn't pulled off a miracle run in Washington he'd be borderline out of the top 100 players at this point. There's a big difference to playing a top 10 player in the first rounds of a tournament compared to latter stages when they are firing on all cylanders. He's got a long way to go.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I'm not really saying Pospisil is a better player than Milos per se, just that he's a tougher matchup for the top players than Milos is because Milos is still for the most part a one-trick pony and Pospisil has a more rounded game that can offer more challenges (and he actually even took a set of Federer in a final, in Switzerland, indoors no less, so yeah...). But Milos has to serve at such a nearly perfect level to beat the Federer's and Nadal's of the world. Guys like Ferrer and Berdych and Wawrinka and Del Potro (when healthy) are much more dangerous than Milos to the top guys because they can offer variety. Milos has to serve at nearly 90% not just to win, but to have a chance to win. The margin of error is incredibly thin for Milos.

I mean Ferrer has more set wins and breaks of Roger in the last two weeks than Milos has ever done to him. Milos is improving to be sure, but he's not even in the wave of next guys yet like Berdych and Ferrer because he can't even beat the top guys like those other guys have. Until he develops the full game he can rely upon, other players can expose him badly (namely by working the backhand which Fed did extensively Saturday).

[Senator Clay Davis]

Nadal has pulled out of the US Open

Defending champion Rafael Nadal withdrew from the US Open on Monday because of a right wrist injury that has kept him out of action since Aug. 1.

"I am very sorry to announce I won't be able to play at this year's US Open -- a tournament on which I've played 3 consecutive finals in my last participations," Nadal said in a statement. "I am sure you understand that it is a very tough moment for me since it is a tournament I love and where I have great memories from fans, the night matches, so many things.

"Not much more I can do right now, other than accept the situation and, as always in my case, work hard in order to be able to compete at the highest level once I am back."

http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id...t-wrist-injury

[troutman]

- a tournament on which I've played 3 consecutive finals in my last participations

#humblebrag

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I'm not really saying Pospisil is a better player than Milos per se, just that he's a tougher matchup for the top players than Milos is because Milos is still for the most part a one-trick pony and Pospisil has a more rounded game that can offer more challenges (and he actually even took a set of Federer in a final, in Switzerland, indoors no less, so yeah...). But Milos has to serve at such a nearly perfect level to beat the Federer's and Nadal's of the world. Guys like Ferrer and Berdych and Wawrinka and Del Potro (when healthy) are much more dangerous than Milos to the top guys because they can offer variety. Milos has to serve at nearly 90% not just to win, but to have a chance to win. The margin of error is incredibly thin for Milos.

I mean Ferrer has more set wins and breaks of Roger in the last two weeks than Milos has ever done to him. Milos is improving to be sure, but he's not even in the wave of next guys yet like Berdych and Ferrer because he can't even beat the top guys like those other guys have. Until he develops the full game he can rely upon, other players can expose him badly (namely by working the backhand which Fed did extensively Saturday).

Milos is at that age where he needs to get going. Remember Federer also struggled early in his career. He had that famous Wimbledon win over Sampras in 2001 when he was just short of 20 years old. (Sampras had won 7 of the last 8 Wimbledons) but then lost very next round to Henman.

But then his GS record was poor until he won his first.

2001 Wimbledon QF
2001 US Open 4R
2002 Aus Open 4R
2002 French Open 1R
2002 Wimbledon 1R
2002 US Open 4R
2003 Aus Open 4R
2003 French Open 1R (by this time he was labeled a choker)
2003 Wimbledon WON

Federer year end ranking
2000 - 29th
2001 - 13th
2002 - 6th
2003 - 2nd
2004 - 1st

Then he caught fire. I don't expect Milos to be one of the greats but the progression is similar. But if he doesn't at least make a Grand Slam Final by the end of 2015 he would have regressed and will forever be in the 5-8 category.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Nadal has pulled out of the US Open

http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id...t-wrist-injury

No sleeveless Rafa.

[dash_pinched]

Milos now up to 6th in the ATP rankings (supplanted Berdych and distancing himself from Dimitrov).

[Senator Clay Davis]

Genie gets back into the win column with an easy 6-1 6-1 victory. Let us hope this gets her going on a nice run

[GirlySports]

Interesting decision by Dancevic not to try qualifying for the US Open and instead enter Winston-Salem 250. He won today and will face Donald Young in the Round of 16.

[Resolute 14]

Perhaps hoping to go deep enough to get into the US Open on a special exemption or wild card?

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Perhaps hoping to go deep enough to get into the US Open on a special exemption or wild card?

Can't. You can only get a special exemption for a tourney the same level, thus there are no special exemptions for grand slams. And the wildcards are determined well in advance.

I think he just got sick of trying to qualify anytime so we went for some points.

[Senator Clay Davis]

No confidence boost for Genie going into the US Open, taken down easily by Stosur 6-2, 6-2. Amazing how quickly she has lost all confidence, as soon as she gets broken in sets she gets dejected. Last 8 set losses are 3,0,0,0,4,3,2,2. The mental warrior Genie of early in the year has disappeared.

[dash_pinched]

Stosur played a fine match last night, she was painting lines and hitting winners from all over the court (I think I saw a stat that had the winners at Stosur 20, Bouchard 9 late in set 2). Clay is right though, the confidence that Genie had earlier in the season just isn't there right now and that fight to push through when things aren't going well is missing.

[Resolute 14]

Well, for all intents and purposes, Genie is still a kid. Higher highs and lower lows. Experience will smooth things out over time.

[Senator Clay Davis]

The good news for Milos is he can only play Federer in the final of the US Open. The bad news is he got drawn into the brutal half, from round 3 on could be Rosol, Nishikori, Wawrinka, Djokovic/Murray (yes thats a QF between them, vicious draw for Murray) just to get to the final. Federer meanwhile gift wrapped a trip to the final, only Dimitrov is a threat in his half. Pospisil and Milos can meet in the quarters, Pospisil would get Wawrinka in the 4th round if he can make it.

Genie is in Serena's half with potential to play Cibulkova in the 4th round, Kvitova/Azarenka in the QF and Serena in the SF. Not an easy draw either but the women's game is less predictable so who knows how it'll shake down. Taylor Townsend-Serena in the 1st round sounds utterly fixed by ESPN.

[killer_carlson]

I think Genie needs a vacation.

I think she's only focused on the Grand Slams. I bet she comes out strong at the US Open and goes deep.

But she really needs some time off.