Tennis

[hal2000]

Does anybody pay attention to tennis here?

Is the reign of Federer completely finished? Do you see anybody capable of beating Nadal in a year or two?

I don't think that Nadal can be beaten by brute force; he is too strong. The one who beats him will be extremely agile and tricky.

[gyro]

I don't think Nadal can be as consistent as Federer. Roger has certainly slipped a couple of times more than normal, but I'd hardly say he's not at the top. Nadal IS brute force par excellence, but you have to remember he suffers from a recurring knee problem too that won't help his consistency. But, only time will tell .....

[BigIain]

I had thought of posting about his dodgy knees actually, takes after his uncle you know.

Within 2 years Nadal will be on the way down again.

[gyro]

I hope not. Federer is an amazing tennis player, and all credit it to him, but his style can be a bit boring at times. Aside from the obsessive compulsive side of Rafa, he's a far more exciting player to watch.

[BigIain]

I agree, they serve up some very enjoyable games when they meet. And there is really only Andy Murray who seems to be able to beat them regularly at the moment. That is a poor report for tennis.

[gyro]

I don't like Andy Murray; he's a whinging git. But there's so few successful Scottish tennis players, I guess you're duty bound to like him ....

Funny that, I never really support a sportsperson JUST BECAUSE they share my nationality. Not that I'm saying that's what you do, but it's pretty annoyingly common for most Australians.

[Deleted]

I try to never miss a match where Nadal plays Federer. Even though the outcome has been pretty lopsided in recent times, there are constant flashes of brilliance on both sides.

[gyro]

It's only the last year or so though, isn't it ? Up until then, Federer had the upper hand, I'd say. But yeah, they're good matches. I also really enjoyed the Nadal Murray match a couple of years ago. Can't remember where it was, think it may have been either Aus or America.

And I think for both Fed & Rafa, there's MORE than just the flashes of brilliance ...

[hal2000]

Here is the current ATP ranking for the top eight.

1 Rafael Nadal 14360
2 Roger Federer 11000
3 Novak Djokovic 9420
4 Andy Murray 7400
5 Nikolay Davydenko 4955
6 Andy Roddick 4440
7 Juan Martin Del Potro 4290
8 Gilles Simon 3925

[Deleted]

I don't know if the rest of the world saw this, but we thought it was very cute at the French Open the other day.

[bjd]

The ballboy certainly looked thrilled!

[lola]

I was so glad Nadal won. Let Djokovic have it next year.

I had to go to work and so missed the last set of the final. There were plenty of painful moments before then, like one time when Rafa hit it into the net and made me spill coffee on my white shirt.

[Deleted]

Too bad you missed it. One great thing about Parisian fans is that they love both Nadal and Djokovic, so it was a friendly audience for both sides. Nadal has been winning for so long that you almost tend to forget how young he still is... until he cries.

[fumobici]

The match ended exactly as I predicted, Nadal in four sets. He is simply unmatchable on the terre battue over five full sets. If he doesn't win by virtue of his tremendous strokes and creativity, he will on sheer stubborn will.

[lola]

I also hate missing the moment when Nadal's face goes from killer determined focus to joyful smiles.

[Deleted]

[fumobici]

Jun 10, 2014 4:31:08 GMT kerouac2 said:

Thanks I missed that as I was in a hurry to get the dog out after the match ended. Very moving. Is that Serbian?

[Deleted]

Yes, that's a Serbian station.

Djoko beats Rafa in one category as the years go by -- he speaks French almost fluently now.



Rafa still struggles to find his words, but he didn't speak a word of French in the past.

[Deleted]

Oh wow, Djoko has been sent packing by Jo-Wilfried in the Toronto ATP. Jo hadn't beaten Djoko since the Australian Open in 2010.

[fumobici]

I watched that. Novak wasn't having his best day, but Jo-Willy was playing amazingly.

[Deleted]

Tsonga is on a roll - now he's beaten Murray.

[Deleted]

And so in the end Tsonga even beat Roger Federer in the final. Incredible. Do they have drug testing in tennis?

But assuming that it is legit, un très grand bravo à Jo-Wilfried Tsonga!

[mickthecactus]

I think Serena has lost the plot.

[Deleted]

I agree Mick.

That was painful to watch.

I do have to agree with her on many levels. I've seen so many male players throw major temper tantrums and at times threatening like behavior with no consequences.

[mickthecactus]

Wimbledon is underway with ladies quarter finals today. Unfortunately all the grunting and screaming is a bit off putting.

[kerouac2]

In the old days, my mother always thought that Monica Seles was dubbing a porn movie.

[mickthecactus]

The Tunisian Jabeur looks a good outsider.

[mickthecactus]

Sorry, last 16 not quarter finals.

[tod2]

Now I know why my grandsons arrived to stay with their dad at this latter end of the school holidays.....Mom's glued to Wimbledon.
I regret to say I have only glanced at the Tour de France this year. And definitely would only watch the final of the men's at Wimbledon.

[kerouac2]

I confess that I have not yet learned to appreciate tennis on grass. I know that it is just as good as tennis on the other surfaces, but I always feel that they should be playing croquet instead.