2021 Tennis Thread

[Nadal Fan]

Djokovic was in God mode, no one was beating him with him playing like that. But it seemed like Medvedev had a noticable decline in play between this match and the semis. Djokovic was also very clutch in pressure points, he never seems to get nervous the way Nadal did against Medvedev in the US Open finals.

This next generation is not young anymore, and while they are making progress they are still a rung below the big 3. Would anyone be surprised if Federer came back and constantly beat them and returns to world #3? I sure won't be.

The only player I have faith in outside Nadal and Federer to challenge Djokovic consistently is Thiem but he's 27! That's the same age Federer was in 2008 when he played that epic Wimbledon final. Tsitsipas and Medvedev maybe but they would have to improve their play or hope Djokovic play drops.

25 Grand Slams Senator would be nuts, I think he is the favorite at every non clay slam and it certainly looks possible now, baring injury.

[dash_pinched]

Medvedev was in position to at least force a tie-breaker in the opening set serving at 5-6, but was broken rather easily by Djoker and that essentially was the match. He just seemed incredibly rattled last night and was playing at a frenetic pace (like he had dinner reservations that couldn't be changed). He broke Novak to set start 2 and then was immediately broken back by the Serb.

The major difference though between the Big Three and the rest of the guys is their ability to raise their level when they need to and snuff out any thoughts of a comeback from their opponent. Medvedev was playing well in the third set even though he was down a break with Novak serving at 4-2 and looked like he was poised to get back on serve, but Novak just put the hammer down and played some fabulous tennis to hold serve. He just has the mental edge to his game that few others do.

[You Need a Thneed]

I watched most of the match, cause I couldn’t sleep - until near the end where I could barely keep my eyes open, but kept watching because it was clear it was going to be over quick.

Medvedev only won 9 games out of 28, and it was obvious that Novak didn’t even try to win a few of those 9. One game in the second set in particular at 4-1 I think, Novak hit the return straight into the net, or way out of bounds on all 4 shots.

It also looked like Novak won every game that he was trying to win.

[dash_pinched]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1363445113968615425

[GirlySports]

Only because Djoker hit a linesman.

[Izzle]

Watched highlights. Looked like Djokovic didn't want to get into extended rallies. Did a lot of slices to bring Medvedev forward. Unfortunately, Medvedev's net game was below par. It was fully exploited by Djokovic. In the second and third sets Medvedev couldn't cope mentally.

[dash_pinched]

This guy is a pretty good follow on twitter as he provides some excellent analysis...Novak is just a master at taking away time and space from his opponents with not just how many returns he gets back in play, but how he takes control of points with the consistency and depth of his returns.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1357523041010540545

[Nadal Fan]

Djokovic said his abdominal tear was at 17mm but increased to 25mm after the finals

I don't know how he managed the pain or what this means for his schedule going forward as I assume this will require surgery to fix.

[Izzle]

Originally Posted by Nadal Fan

Djokovic said his abdominal tear was at 17mm but increased to 25mm after the finals



I don't know how he managed the pain or what this means for his schedule going forward as I assume this will require surgery to fix.

He said he'd take some time off to heal. Also going forward he's going to focus more on the Grand Slams now that he's guaranteed to overtake Federer for total weeks as No1.

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by Nadal Fan

Djokovic said his abdominal tear was at 17mm but increased to 25mm after the finals

I don't know how he managed the pain or what this means for his schedule going forward as I assume this will require surgery to fix.

It certainly didn't seem to impact his movement around the court very much. Also, he was serving harder than usual (of course, maybe he was trying to get as many free points as possible).

[dash_pinched]

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is back playing after being out for a year+ with a back injury. He had a tough match against Sebastian Korda however and the young American won it in straight sets 6-4 6-2. Of all the young Americans out on tour (Tommy Paul, Marcus Giron, JJ Wolf), I think Korda is the one who has the brightest future (as in potential top 20 down the road).

[Karl]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is back playing after being out for a year+ with a back injury. He had a tough match against Sebastian Korda however and the young American won it in straight sets 6-4 6-2. Of all the young Americans out on tour (Tommy Paul, Marcus Giron, JJ Wolf), I think Korda is the one who has the brightest future (as in potential top 20 down the road).

Where do you rank Frances Tiafoe in comparison to that group?

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by Karl

Where do you rank Frances Tiafoe in comparison to that group?

I would put Tiafoe hovering around a 30-50 ranking for the bulk of his career. I think he's better than his current #62 ranking and like a lot of guys, it's consistency that he needs to work on. I like the fact that he's not adverse to coming to net, but that backhand can be a little wonky at times.

[GirlySports]

Tiafoe's forehand is ####, top players continue to key on it

[dash_pinched]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1363966089370206208

[Mango]

She's got some good athletic genes.

Wow! Time flies! Remember when Jada was a little girl, when her mama won the US Open?

[dash_pinched]

Andy Murray one and done today at the Open Sud de France tourney in Montpellier as he lost to Egor Gerasimov 7-6(8) 6-1. He played quite well in the opening set (and was moving well) but lost a tough tie-breaker. Things went off the rails in the second set.

[Karl]

Another rough loss for Joao Sousa too. Loses 6-3, 6-1 to challenger clay specialist Roberto Carballes Baena in ATP Cordoba 250.

Could be game over figuratively speaking for the long time Portugese #1.

[Karl]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

I would put Tiafoe hovering around a 30-50 ranking for the bulk of his career. I think he's better than his current #62 ranking and like a lot of guys, it's consistency that he needs to work on. I like the fact that he's not adverse to coming to net, but that backhand can be a little wonky at times.

Cool. I think that's reasonable. I would argue that Tiafoe is the 2nd most promising American behind Korda ahead of Wolf and Paul.

I would also say that I don't believe Marcos Giron has the potential that Korda, Tiafoe, Wolf or Paul have. In fact, I think Mackenzie McDonald is a better prospect than Giron.

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by Karl

Cool. I think that's reasonable. I would argue that Tiafoe is the 2nd most promising American behind Korda ahead of Wolf and Paul.

I would also say that I don't believe Marcos Giron has the potential that Korda, Tiafoe, Wolf or Paul have. In fact, I think Mackenzie McDonald is a better prospect than Giron.

Yeah, Giron is a little older at 27 than McDonald at 25 (interesting that both attended UCLA). I would say that Giron has a little bigger game than McDonald (better weapons) which is crucial at the top level of tennis. I think both guys will be able to have a successful career on tour, but I don't think either guy will be competing for the top trophies.

I've watched a few of Korda's matches though and I really like his game, big serve, great groundstrokes, and excellent court coverage. I think his dad passed down some fantastic tennis genes.