2020 Tennis Thread

[atb]

Man the quality of this match has been absurdly good

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Originally Posted by atb

Man the quality of this match has been absurdly good

Geez, Muguruza saved her best tennis for those last two games. Excellent tennis match.

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Fed saves a couple of break points to hold serve and then breaks Djoker to lead 2-0 early in the opening set.

Edit: Roger fails to consolidate however.

[Inglewood Jack]

Well...at least the match completion streak remains untarnished. Heal up Roger for spring hardcourts, you picked up a few extra ATP points and more street fighter cred.

Now Nole/young gun, I'm gonna wake up super early Sunday for you, make it worth the effort. No Djoker vs Murray-like slumberfest from the previous decade.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Gotta hope for a Thiem win tonight if you want any sort of drama. Zverev/Djokovic could be really ugly. No disrespect to Zverev or anything, but beating Novak when he is dialed in requires firepower and Zverev doesn't have nearly enough. I also find it hilarious that Muguraza basically shows up every 6-8 majors and wins one, and then disappears into hopeless mediocrity (or worse) in between. Perfectly sums up the women's game really.

[Nadal Fan]

If Zverev ends up playing Djokovic in the finals, can Nadal and Federer coach him again? "No negative #### ####"

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Makes no sense to me, Djoker is a hell of a player and what's wrong with showing emotion. I think as tennis fans we should just be grateful that we've been able to enjoy superlative tennis for the last 15+ years.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1222946866800795648

[Senator Clay Davis]

The hate Novak gets is so wildly undeserved, and it's primarily because he beats Roger and Rafa so much. The only thing he does that's annoying is take 72 bounces before serving.

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Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

The hate Novak gets is so wildly undeserved, and it's primarily because he beats Roger and Rafa so much. The only thing he does that's annoying is take 72 bounces before serving.

Also known as 'The Cilic'

[Inglewood Jack]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

The hate Novak gets is so wildly undeserved, and it's primarily because he beats Roger and Rafa so much. The only thing he does that's annoying is take 72 bounces before serving.

I don't think he gets that much hate, but I think it bothers Djokovic and his fans that he will never be as beloved as Roger and Rafa, no matter how many slams he wins. hate to admit it, but Kyrgios spoke truth on this one.

I'd say it's mostly due to him not having as strong a signature characteristic as the other two that fans can identify with. Roger is loved for his beautiful/elegant game and demeanor, and Rafa for his fire and unbreakable will. This comparison has been made before, but cheering for Djoker is kind of like cheering for an android. a game with zero weaknesses but not as much personality is just not everyone's cup of tea.

that being said, a couple more majors and if anyone wants to crown him GOAT then and there (or Rafa), this Fedfan won't protest. I know who my greatest will always be, but it's close enough now that it's simply a matter of taste.

[Senator Clay Davis]

No doubt it seriously bugs Novak that he doesn't get the love of Roger and Rafa. But that hatred (or lack of love) has been a major asset in his ascent to likely ending as the greatest with virtually all the biggest records his. It seems like the more the crowd is against him, the better he plays. Wasn't always like that earlier in his career, but since that 2011 demolition season he's used the hate to fuel him better than any athlete I can remember.

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I think he certainly gets the most love at the Aussie Open compared to the other grand slam events. Probably has a lot to do with the large Serbian community (more in Sydney than in Melbourne) that reside in Australia.

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TSN5 has the mixed doubles semi-final match featuring Gaby Dabrowski and her partner Henri Kontinen.

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Wow, quite the comeback in that last service game (down love-40) to win four straight points and close out the first set 6-3. Dabrowski/Kontinen one set away from the finals.

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Match tie-break required to decide who's going to the mixed doubles finals.

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Well poop, they played very well in the first set, but not so great after that.

[Nadal Fan]

Thiem with a huge win, but give Zverev credit he played very well. It was only a matter of time before he figured out playing best of 5 matches and I'm confident he has given his run here in Australia. If he doesn't win a major in the next 2 years I will be shocked.

How much gas does Thiem have left is the question after playing for 7 hrs his last 2 matches while Djokovic has pretty much cruised the entire tournament. When Nadal won his only AO title he defeated Verdasco in a 5hr classic before taking out Fed in another 4 hr classic so it can be done. Poor Thiem he has made 3 finals in his career and they just happen to be against Nadal at the French twice and Djokovic at the AO. For an encore he now has to play Federer at Wimbledon to complete the hat trick of GOATs in their natural habitats.

If Thiem wins, he will move to world #3 and cement his status as one of the best players playing today and the first of the next gen to win a major.

If Djokovic wins he will win his 17th Grand Slam and will put him in great position to pass Federer's 20 Grand Slams. As well he will return to world #1 and have a great shot at beating Fed's record weeks at #1.

My prediction is Thiem in a 5 set classic that we will be talking about for years. I feel his one handed backhand will give Djokovic trouble much like Wawrinka's and Thiem can take confidence from beating Djokovic at the French and World Tour Finals last year.

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The Aussie Open is the only grand slam that plays the men's semi-finals matches on different days. How much of an advantage does Djoker have with an extra day of rest?

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https://twitter.com/user/status/1223224180407074819

[Inglewood Jack]

not a whole lot of positive spin can be put on Thiem's side, but you had to force it you could say that he's been battle tested in high pressure situations, while Djoker hasn't really needed to use his highest gear yet.

I think I'm gonna cheer for the one handed backhand guy, gives me a bit of that vintage Stanimal feeling.