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Australian Open

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kingjulian

kingjulian

Well-Known
Member
Can Nadal or Fed bounce back to stop Djokovic?

Or will it be someone fresh walking away with the trophy?

When Nadal ended Federer's reign, Federer struggled to come back and regain the center stage by dislodging Nadal....in a way he never did it. Federer only managed it when Nadal was out injured for majority of a season, which allowed Federer to beat Pistol Pete's grand slam record.

Djokovic is doing to Nadal, what Nadal did to Federer.....i think, if Nadal can bounce back and start dominating again, then it will prove definitively who is the better player between Federer and Nadal. The ability to rise to a challenge is an important quality in a champion.

Tsonga has the potential to upset these three....
 
KJ are you watching on Mio or Starhub? Wanna catch some of the action over the Lunar New Year weekend.
 
Going tonight, got free tickets today. Tomic - Dolgopolov should be interesting.
 
[quote author=Ryan link=topic=48359.msg1466971#msg1466971 date=1327042022]
Going tonight, got free tickets today. Tomic - Dolgopolov should be interesting.
[/quote]

I think Tomic will win with the crowd behind him, should be a good match though!
 
[quote author=kingjulian link=topic=48359.msg1466967#msg1466967 date=1327040650]
Yep...Mio....Channel 115 mate...
[/quote]

Thanks matey. Is it my imagination or does the favourite NOT always win the Australian Open? I am going for someone other than the big 3 to win it. Not Murray too. Tsonga is a good shout, Ferrer?
 
[quote author=kingjulian link=topic=48359.msg1466665#msg1466665 date=1326985690]
Can Nadal or Fed bounce back to stop Djokovic?

Or will it be someone fresh walking away with the trophy?

When Nadal ended Federer's reign, Federer struggled to come back and regain the center stage by dislodging Nadal....in a way he never did it. Federer only managed it when Nadal was out injured for majority of a season, which allowed Federer to beat Pistol Pete's grand slam record.

Djokovic is doing to Nadal, what Nadal did to Federer.....i think, if Nadal can bounce back and start dominating again, then it will prove definitively who is the better player between Federer and Nadal. The ability to rise to a challenge is an important quality in a champion.

Tsonga has the potential to upset these three....
[/quote]

Very few people are ever going to truly promote Nadal as a better player than Federer - at least not seriously unless Nadal comes back in a huge way. Better head to head record or not he's got nowhere near the variety of shot nor the sublime racquet head control that the Swiss has.

The current number one is a slightly different story though. Novak is a weird player; he doesn't look like he has the talent of Federer or the power of Rafa yet he produces a bit of both. For a player who often looks like he's high or wired, Djokovic gets success by playing the really big points really well. If that power ever deserts him he's going to comeback down to earth very quickly.


Other potential champions; Murray has put in some hard yards, he's hitting the ball really well and I can see him beating just about anyone at this point.
 
Tsonga, Murray and Del Potro would be me outside bets for this.

But i think Djokovic will win it without much resistance. Both Nadal (Knee) and Federer (Back) seem to be nursing injuries.
 
Pick of the quarter finals draw for me is

Del Potro vs Federer.

There will be some sumptuous tennis on offer.....wish i could go the match.
 
Federer has made light work of Del Potro. He goes through to Semi Final.

He has played very well this tournament, but the real test is in the next two matches.

He will face winner of Nadal/Berdych match in the other quarterfinal this evening. Berdych is not really an easy opponent by any means.

Hewitt made Djokovic sweat a bit yesterday. He will face the japanese wonder kid who has been a bit of a surprise package and ousted Tsonga from the draw.
 
I haven't managed to watch any of this, but it sounds like it's hotting up brilliantly. Anyone know where I can catch highlights?
 
Dunno abt highlights mate. Should be there on the Australian Open web page itself?

Nadal is through to the finals....who is he going to face...Djokovic or Murray?

It will be a cracking match regardless. Djokovic has the psychological edge over Nadal.
 
Nadal, by the time he retires, will have more grand slams than Federer. He may not have the shot variety (few in the history will) or Federer's class, but many will consider him a better player.
 
He's definitely got Federer's number. He's totally in his head. It's a shame really as it would be great to see both of them on song for an entire match. Federer started with a decent game plan but seemed to abandon it as Rafa got stronger. Not for the first time either.

I really think Federer needs to watch Djokovic (if he beats Murray) against Nadal to see how he moves him around the court and flattens his shots to negate Nadal's speed. That's the recipe for success against him, I think.
 
[quote author=Delinquent link=topic=48359.msg1471298#msg1471298 date=1327598512]
He's definitely got Federer's number. He's totally in his head. It's a shame really as it would be great to see both of them on song for an entire match. Federer started with a decent game plan but seemed to abandon it as Rafa got stronger. Not for the first time either.

I really think Federer needs to watch Djokovic (if he beats Murray) against Nadal to see how he moves him around the court and flattens his shots to negate Nadal's speed. That's the recipe for success against him, I think.
[/quote]

Agree. Do you think he can do it?

Nadal is something else ... He seems to be one of the most driven athletes I've ever seen.
 
The Novak today is the Nadal a couple yrs ago, when he was in his prime.

Federer's prowess' waning and that's probably a big reason why Nadal comes out trumps each time.
But it's still not the 'invincible' Nadal of former years, at this Aussie Open.

Still, it'll be interesting to see if Nadal has figured out a way yet, to beat the unstoppable Novak, assuming he beats Murray, which is almost a certainty, I reckon.
 
The Nadal I saw today was the same as I've seen over the last few years. He was immense. He willed Federer to crumble, and he obliged. The only difference between now and when Nadal was dominating is that Novak has figured out how to beat him. He's proven that Nadal is not invincible, in the same way that Nadal did with Federer. It's sobering for Nadal, and great for the sport as far as I'm concerned. With Murray improving all the time, and the likes of Berdych and Del Potro bringing up the rear, we're witnessing another truly great era for men's tennis. I really need to get my arse to Wimbledon this year.
 
[quote author=Delinquent link=topic=48359.msg1471396#msg1471396 date=1327610242]
The Nadal I saw today was the same as I've seen over the last few years. He was immense. He willed Federer to crumble, and he obliged. The only difference between now and when Nadal was dominating is that Novak has figured out how to beat him. He's proven that Nadal is not invincible, in the same way that Nadal did with Federer. It's sobering for Nadal, and great for the sport as far as I'm concerned. With Murray improving all the time, and the likes of Berdych and Del Potro bringing up the rear, we're witnessing another truly great era for men's tennis. I really need to get my arse to Wimbledon this year.
[/quote]

two questions

1) do you think it can rival the agassi/sampras era (that was the last great era imo)?
2) How long will Federer be a part of it? He seems like he can go on for 3-4 years.
 
1) Absolutely. I think it's already producing some of the most scintillating tennis we've seen in years, and the strength in depth is probably greater than in the Agassi/Sampras era. You only have to look at the last couple of years, where Nadal dominated, then Djokovic, with Federer rediscovering his form at the end of last year when he won the Masters. It just needs Murray to step up and win a slam to really make things interesting. I would add however that I do miss serve and volleyers. The rivalry of a great baseliner against a great serve and vollyer was always intriguing, and sadly missing from the modern game. There's still plenty to love about the modern game, though. In terms of genuine quality, I think it'll prove to be the greatest era to date.


2) I tend to agree. I certainly think he has another two years in him, but I'd be surprised if he's still competing in four years. As I said, I think he's had a resurgence in the last six months, and really believes he can compete again. I think the point at which he feels he can't compete, he'll call it a day. With Athletes like Nadal and Djokovic, there's only so long he can be expected to compete physically. With the way the game is going, it's only going to get harder for him. I'd love him to win another slam before he retires. Perhaps he'll roll back the years at Wimbledon in the same way that Sampras did at the US Open the year before he retired. A final swan song, if you will.
 
I think Murray can do it, I've not really had a feeling he could before, but beating Novak in 4, he'll be much fresher than Rafa going into the final.


Lendl at his side as well, tactics will be drawn up, much better than some of the other coaches he's had.
 
Having watched the Rafa v Roger game, I think Roger lost confidence due to lack of energy/stamina after the first set where he played really well. Rafa is so relentless.
 
Rafa's game is sheer power, power and nothing but mega-power.

Roger's game is art, flair and poise all bundled in one. It's like ballet on a tennis court.
 
It was a brilliant effort from Murray.

Unforced errors seem to cost him in the end. It was such a shame because he bounced back admirably. Mentally he just couldn't keep it going in the same way that the three players above him can.

He'll get there in the end though.
 
[quote author=Squiggles link=topic=48359.msg1471700#msg1471700 date=1327682445]
It was a brilliant effort from Murray.

Unforced errors seem to cost him in the end. It was such a shame because he bounced back admirably. Mentally he just couldn't keep it going in the same way that the three players above him can.

He'll get there in the end though.
[/quote]

Yeah, it was a gargantuan effort. He played out of his skin. He had a real opportunity when he had break points at 5 all in the 5th (particularly as he had the momentum from winning the previous two games), but spurned them unfortunately. Had he taken them he might just have done it. That's the difference at this level I suppose. He's definitely closing the gap, though. He'll be a force at the US Open this year.
 
[quote author=My_Blood_Bleeds_Red link=topic=48359.msg1471533#msg1471533 date=1327654896]
Rafa's game is sheer power, power and nothing but mega-power.

Roger's game is art, flair and poise all bundled in one. It's like ballet on a tennis court.
[/quote]

The part about Rafa is not entirely true....and you know it.

He is a brilliant baseline player and he has got the full array of shots. He doesn't like to come to the net much....but you make him sound like he is a beef cake with no technique.

Federer is smoother on the court, and he has this ability to look good even when losing....but i can't look past the fact that he hasn't managed to win much when presented with consistent challengers in Nadal or Djokovic.He plays well in ATP games where there are only three sets to play for, but in grand slams there are five sets to go and Nadal and Djokovic have almost always found a way to edge him out.
 
That was one hell of a game earlier. For the first time ever, I think Murray has the game over 5 sets in a slam to win one. I never thought that before today. Djokovic celebrated like he'd won the final.
 
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