Australian Open thread

[DAF86]

I have Murray beating Nadal in a semi and Federer def. Djokovic in the other.

Murray takes the tittle winning the final in 4 sets.

Jelena Jankovic will win in the women's side.

Anybody else likes tennis?

[dbreiden83080]

Murray has emerged as a major force now, we'll see how Fed starts out the year, he owned this slam until last year. I think Fed will pull it out, should be good..

[DAF86]

Murray has emerged as a major force now, we'll see how Fed starts out the year, he owned this slam until last year. I think Fed will pull it out, should be good..

I hope Fed can win it. But I just don't see him playing well. I've watched some of his matches in Kooyong and he looks desinterested and tired.

[sonic21]

my favourite to win the AO
1-Murray
2-Federer
3-Tsonga :wow
4-Nadal
5 Djokovic

[DAF86]

my favourite to win the AO
1-Murray
2-Federer
3-Tsonga :wow
4-Nadal
5 Djokovic

Tsonga is a little bit injured I don't think he'll get far.

[milkyway21]

I want Federer to win his #14 Grand Slam.

He had a long night beating the 24-yr 34th seed Italian Seppi (amazed me, Seppi is good), last night.

:tu ARod(no, not Alex Rodriguez:D), but Andy Roddick. He played beautifully in his 1st match.

[DAF86]

I want Federer to win his #14 Gram Slam.

He had a long night beating the 24-yr 34th seed Italian Seppi (amazed me, Seppi is good), last night.

:tu ARod(no, not Alex Rodriguez:D), but Andy Roddick. He played beautifully in his 1st match.

A-Rod looks in great shape now that he lost some weight, I think he could get at least to the quarters and if Djokovic keeps playing like in recent matches (not even at half of his posibilities) Andy has a great chance against him.

[dbreiden83080]

Roddick is a mess. He's got talent but he burns through coaches like nobodies business because he is suppsoedly so pig-headed. He also is a mental midget in a big spot. His career has been a huge dissaspointment from where he was supposed to be after he won the US Open years ago..

[dbreiden83080]

I want Federer to win his #14 Gram Slam.

He had a long night beating the 24-yr 34th seed Italian Seppi (amazed me, Seppi is good), last night.

:tu ARod(no, not Alex Rodriguez:D), but Andy Roddick. He played beautifully in his 1st match.

The Field is really strong these days. Fed may not be able to dominate like he did 2 or 3 years ago but i'd be shocked if he doesn't get #14 this year..

[DAF86]

Roddick is a mess. He's got talent but he burns through coaches like nobodies business because he is suppsoedly so pig-headed. He also is a mental midget in a big spot. His career has been a huge dissaspointment from where he was supposed to be after he won the US Open years ago..

Roddick biggest problem was Federer, he could have won a lot more GS and stay in the number one spot for a lot of time if it wasn't for the Swiss. However I also think that he's a little bit overrated by the US media (specially ESPN) Andy has arguably the best serve in the history of the sport, that alone helps him to be a top ten player, but outside of that he's a pretty average player. I don't agree with you regarding his mental toughness, I think that the serve and mind are his strongest atributes.

[milkyway21]

Roddick is a mess. He's got talent but he burns through coaches like nobodies business because he is suppsoedly so pig-headed. He also is a mental midget in a big spot. His career has been a huge dissaspointment from where he was supposed to be after he won the US Open years ago..well, this new coach of his could have changed things for him bec he really improved his game, which I don't usually see in his last matches in the last couple of yrs.

[dbreiden83080]

Andy has arguably the best serve in the history of the sport, that alone helps him to be a top ten player, but outside of that he's a pretty average player. I don't agree with you regarding his mental toughness, I think that the serve and mind are his strongest atributes.

Whoa Whoa tap the breaks, "Best Serve ever" Hitting it damn hard doesn't make it the best ever. The title goes to Pete Sampras hands down. Best first and second serve of all time. Insane % of 1st and 2nd service pts won thanks to his Serve and Volley.. Any type of spin, anywhere he wanted to place it on the court. Roddick 2nd serve is mediore and he never leaves the backcout.. Statistically Fed had a better serve i believe last year than Roddick, in terms of % pts won...

[DAF86]

Whoa Whoa tap the breaks, "Best Serve ever" Hitting it damn hard doesn't make it the best ever. The title goes to Pete Sampras hands down. Best first and second serve of all time. Insane % of 1st and 2nd service pts won thanks to his Serve and Volley.. Any type of spin, anywhere he wanted to place it on the court. Roddick 2nd serve is mediore and he never leaves the backcout.. Statistically Fed had a better serve i believe last year than Roddick, in terms of % pts won...

Fed had a better % of pts won in serve, 'cause he is a better player and no matter how much he gets from his serve he'll win the point from the baseline.
And I said "arguably", to me Sampras had a better serve also but Roddicks is right up there too. It isn't just power, he has a monster kick serve and a wicked sliced one. And you're crazy if you think that Andy's second serve is mediocre, 60% of the ATP players would love to have A-Rod's 2nd serve as their 1st.

[sonic21]

and Nalbandian can win the AO. he can win against anyone ( but he can also lose against anyone though)

And i hope Safin (my favourite player) will go far.

[Purple & Gold]

:clap:clap Tennis season has started again.

I want Ivanovic but she's been playing like shit. I doubt she will win it. Probably one of the Williams sisters. I'd also like to see Federer win it. Tired of Sampras fans boasting for all these years.

[milkyway21]

Sampras fans boasting for all these years.


well, he has 14 Grand Slams to back it up. What can I say, he's still my all-time favorite tennis player on & off the court.

:wow to a powerful game from the lefty Nadal last night.

[DAF86]

and Nalbandian can win the AO. he can win against anyone ( but he can also lose against anyone though)

And i hope Safin (my favourite player) will go far.

Yeah, my boy fatso Dave can beat anybody when he's on, and he's been playing well lately, so who knows? maybe...

And sorry but I don't see Marat going far, even though he's one of my faves too.

[DAF86]

well, he has 14 Grand Slams to back it up. What can I say, he's still my all-time favorite tennis player on & off the court.

:wow to a powerful game from the lefty Nadal last night.

Nice win but remember he was playing 5'8 C. Rochus that's as easy as it gets for a 1st round matchup.

[DAF86]

:clap:clap Tennis season has started again.

I want Ivanovic but she's been playing like shit. I doubt she will win it. Probably one of the Williams sisters. I'd also like to see Federer win it. Tired of Sampras fans boasting for all these years.

I'm watching Ana right now, she's looking good, a set up and 3-0 in the second.

[milkyway21]

L.Hewitt lost his chance(again) for a comeback this yr.

Update:

MARAT & SAFINA won. ANNA too.


MELBOURNE (AFP) - - World number one Jelena Jankovic and men's defending champion Novak Djokovic showed glimpses of their best form as they marched into the Australian Open third round.


They were joined by fellow Serb Ana Ivanavic, third seed Dinara Safina and her brother Marat Safin, who is likely to face Roger Federer next up.

The top-seeded Jankovic battled past Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 7-5 as she upped the ante in her quest for a maiden Grand Slam.

"It's good to have someone push you so you know what you have to work on when you step back on the practice court," said Jankovic, who will play Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama on Friday.

Djokovic dismissed Jeremy Chardy of France 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 in impressive style and appears to be hitting form after a slow start to the season and occasional lapses in his opening match here against Italian qualifier Andrea Stoppini.

"I feel very nice and comfortable on this court," he said. "The first round was tricky, I didn't play such great tennis, but today was another story.

"Hopefully it can get better in the next match."

Third seed Safina recovered from a slow start to dominate fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-0 while fifth seed Ivanovic overcame early nerves to crush Alberta Brianti of Italy 6-3, 6-2.

The two women, who could meet in the last eight, were joined in the next round by 10th seed Nadia Petrova, a quarter-finalist here in 2006, after she ended the comeback from injury of India's Sania Mirza.

Safina has lost only once this year, to compatriot Elena Dementieva in the final of the Sydney International, and is in the tournament after a breakthrough 2008 in which she snared four titles plus Olympic silver.

"She played a very good match. She gave me a hard time," Safina admitted. "But when I lost the first set I raised my level and that's why I won quite easily after that.

"We don't know each other, I've never played her and I've never seen her play. That's maybe why I had to find out in the first set how to play her."

Next up for Safina is Estonian 25th seed Kaia Kanepi, who ended Austrian Patricia Mayr's hopes by advancing in straight sets.

Ivanovic made the final here last year where she lost to Maria Sharapova, but her late-season form in 2008 left plenty to be desired.

The 21-year-old though seems to be getting into her groove in Melbourne, where she feels at home with family and friends living here. It helped her produce a convincing display against Brianti.

"I think I improved a lot since my first match and I'm very pleased with that," said the former world number one.

"But there are still some areas that I have to work on and improve on.

"As you progress through the tournament you come against tougher opponents, so you automatically raise your level. I think I still have to work a little bit on my serve."

Former champion Safin, in what could be his last Australian Open, downed Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.

It set up a mouthwatering potential showdown with Federer, whom he beat in the 2005 semi-finals here en route to winning the title.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Safin.

"We know each other pretty well. He knows how to play against me; I know how to play against him."

Spanish 11th seed David Ferrer also booked his place in the third round, thrashing Slovakian veteran Dominik Hrbaty 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Geez, FEDERER VS SAFIN.

I am also looking forward to it :D

[DAF86]

Yeah, my boy fatso Dave can beat anybody when he's on, and he's been playing well lately, so who knows? maybe...

And sorry but I don't see Marat going far, even though he's one of my faves too.

Forget what I said, you can't ever count on Nalbandian.

[sonic21]

ok federer vs safin friday
i hope safin will win

[sonic21]

and go Ivanovic

[sonic21]

Tsonga is a little bit injured I don't think he'll get far.

he's feeling better and had a good 1st game

[DAF86]

he's feeling better and had a good 1st game

Yeah, I saw that match against Monaco, he looked impressive.

[dbreiden83080]

i hope safin will win

Won a few slams but a huge waste of talent he turned out to be..

[DAF86]

Biggest upset 'till now: Suarez Navarro def. Venus Williams 7-5 in the third, VW had match points in SN serve and served for the match but couldn't close it out. Venus was the favorite among specialist to win the tittle so this is a major, major surprise.
Suarez Navarro's game reminds me of Justin Henin, just for that she's become my favorite player in the WTA

[mystargtr34]

Marin Cilic into the 4th round with a convincing display against 11 seed Ferrer.

2 Croats remaining :hat

[Purple & Gold]

Watching Ivanovic losing here and she just looks lost. She has no confidence in her serve and goes for way to many big shots. How about playing proper tennis and not trying to make every hit a winner. She has all the talent but is falling in love with her power. Play proper tennis and use those mechanics you were taught as a kid. Even if she wins this match no way she wins it all unless she makes some huge adjustments.

[Purple & Gold]

Biggest upset 'till now: Suarez Navarro def. Venus Williams 7-5 in the third, VW had match points in SN serve and served for the match but couldn't close it out. Venus was the favorite among specialist to win the tittle so this is a major, major surprise.
Suarez Navarro's game reminds me of Justin Henin, just for that she's become my favorite player in the WTA

That was a great match last night. Watched it live from beginning to end. She played smart against Venus. Kept the ball in play and got some big winners when she could. She is in the mold of Henin a counterpuncher with a big shot. I think she'll make it to the semis but not farther than that. She still looks shell shocked about the whole experience. I have a feeling nerves will catch up with her in this tournament as it goes on.

[Purple & Gold]

well, he has 14 Grand Slams to back it up. What can I say, he's still my all-time favorite tennis player on & off the court.

Oh yeah I can admit he's an all-time great, on of the best ever, although he did pad his stats on one tournament mainly. I always liked Agassi better though and thought Brooke fucked up his career. A minus against Sampras' legacy IMO (although no fault to him).

[1Parker1]

I got Federer or Djokovic winning it all.

BTW, What's all this Andy Murray love? I get that he be a finalist and he had a great end to the season last year, but he has yet to even win a grand slam. It's a lot to expect him to win against 3 proven players (Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic).

[DAF86]

I got Federer or Djokovic winning it all.

BTW, What's all this Andy Murray love? I get that he be a finalist and he had a great end to the season last year, but he has yet to even win a grand slam. It's a lot to expect him to win against 3 proven players (Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic).

He's the one playing the best tennis right now and has already beaten those 3 proven players:

vs Federer- won the last 4
vs Nadal- won the last 2
vs Djokovic- won the last 2

[DAF86]

Watching Ivanovic losing here and she just looks lost. She has no confidence in her serve and goes for way to many big shots. How about playing proper tennis and not trying to make every hit a winner. She has all the talent but is falling in love with her power. Play proper tennis and use those mechanics you were taught as a kid. Even if she wins this match no way she wins it all unless she makes some huge adjustments.

Since her Roland Garros tittle, she hasn't been the same

[DAF86]

Marin Cilic into the 4th round with a convincing display against 11 seed Ferrer.

2 Croats remaining :hat

He'll play against the only Argie remaining, Del potro-Cilic should be a great one: the battle of the future guns.

[1Parker1]

He's the one playing the best tennis right now and has already beaten those 3 proven players:

vs Federer- won the last 4
vs Nadal- won the last 2
vs Djokovic- won the last 2

Yea, but those were tournaments. Again, he's reached one grand slam final if I'm not mistaken, it's a lot of competition ahead of him. Not saying he can't do it, but the fact that so many people like his chances a lot more than say a Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic winning the Aussie Open doesn't make much sense to me.


:lol Watch I'm jinxing him so badly, he's going to end up winning it now....

[dbreiden83080]

I hate how the Aussie Open matches are on so damn late. I taped the Fed match and he looked awesome against Safin. If Federer plays like that, he will win this slam. When that Fed shows up, he is the best hardcourt player in the world, period..

[milkyway21]

I hate how the Aussie Open matches are on so damn late. I taped the Fed match and he looked awesome against Safin. If Federer plays like that, he will win this slam. When that Fed shows up, he is the best hardcourt player in the world, period..what a great 3rd set there. Safin in the 3rd almost survived. But Fed won.

:lol to Safin almost losing his cool. What was that Safin said in the press con "do something else" -he's thinking retirement already? He's only 28.

[dbreiden83080]

what a great 3rd set there. Safin in the 3rd almost survived. But Fed won.

:lol to Safin almost losing his cool. What was that Safin said in the press con "do something else" -he's thinking retirement already? He's only 28.

Safin has said this is "his last year on tour". On the telecast Pat Mcenroe was saying "He has expressed some regret about not getting more out of his talent" Safin has only himself to blame for that. Won 2 slams and, had he ever focused 100% on tennis and not being a headcase on the court, or letting outside nonsense get in his way, he'd be a legend in the game. 6'4, great power and movement, huge ground strokes and serve.. However Safin burned through coaches, broke countless rackets and partied as much or more than he played during his career. I guess it's one of those things when you are 20 or 21 you don't think about much, but when you are almost 30 you have regrets.. I guess it's not fun for him anymore, so he is getting out..

[sonic21]

french players

monfils, simon and tsonga in the 4th round.
gasquet will play later.

:smokin

[DAF86]

french players

monfils, simon and tsonga in the 4th round.
gasquet will play later.

:smokin

Gasquet out against Gonzalez in the best match I've seen of this tournament 'till now (I didn't see Muller beating Lopez 16-14 in the 5th)

Gonzalez def. Gasquet 3-6 / 3-6 / 7-6 / 6-2 / 12-10

[mystargtr34]

Damn what a match that was. Gasquet was on fire in the first two sets, Gonzalez kept looking up to his box thinking what do i do after Gasquet hit winner after winner.

Great fight back. There was something like 170 winners not including aces in that match. Unbelievable.

[mystargtr34]

He'll play against the only Argie remaining, Del potro-Cilic should be a great one: the battle of the future guns.

Yea i like Del Potro. He and Cilic are real similar. Del Potro is one day older, theyre both about 6'6" and same slight build and similar games.

Theyve played against each other since they were 14 in Junior tournaments.

[DAF86]

Yea i like Del Potro. He and Cilic are real similar. Del Potro is one day older, theyre both about 6'6" and same slight build and similar games.

Theyve played against each other since they were 14 in Junior tournaments.

Yep, they played two matches as juniors, one in the final of the "orange bowl" and the other was another final (they've been good since a long time) Del Potro won both but now is a lot different, neither of them were 6'6 back then :lol.

[DAF86]

Bartoli def. Jankovic 6-1 / 6-4, and there goes my pick for the women side :fight

[mystargtr34]

Cilic :depressed

[DAF86]

Cilic :depressed

Sorry about your loss mystargtr34, I watched the match and I have to say: It didn't meet my expectations, I think the wheather may had something to do with it. Did you watch it?

[carina_gino20]

What's up with Roger? He's not doing very well today. Got broken twice in the first set. Now gets a double fault. He broke Berdych in the 2nd set, then got broken on the very next game.

[DAF86]

what's wrong with roger? Got broken twice in the first set. Now gets a double fault. He broke Berdych in the 2nd set, then got broken on the very next game.

I never saw him making so many DF's.

[mystargtr34]

Sorry about your loss mystargtr34, I watched the match and I have to say: It didn't meet my expectations, I think the wheather may had something to do with it. Did you watch it?

Yea i did. I thought Cilic could pull it out after the first set, i thought he was on top and had confidence and momentum. After that though, Del Potro showed hes still a class above Cilic.

Oh well.

[carina_gino20]

I never saw him making so many DF's.

Or losing his serve so many times.

[sonic21]

Bartoli def. Jankovic 6-1 / 6-4, and there goes my pick for the women side :fight

go Marion!! :toast
and Alizé Cornet had 2 match point against Safina but she lost. :depressed

[1Parker1]

Federer had a verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry close call today. :wow His forehand was absolutely atrocious. I had written him off after he lost the first two sets and wasn't pulling away at the begining of the 3rd. But then in typical Fed fashion, he somehow, slowly but surely made his way back into the game and won 3 straight sets to win the round.

[sonic21]

1 to 8th seed are all in the QF except Murray.
Nadal and Tsonga look really impressive so far, but we'll see.

[sonic21]

i'm looking forward to Federer vs Del Potro

[DAF86]

i'm looking forward to Federer vs Del Potro

Easy win for Federer, Del Potro's game matches horribly against his. I'm thinking something like 6-3/ 6-3/ 6-2

[DAF86]

1 to 8th seed are all in the QF except Murray.
Nadal and Tsonga look really impressive so far, but we'll see.

Murray and Jankovic both out before the Quarters... yep I'm great at making predictions :oops

[mffl89]

Djokovic just retired too.

[milkyway21]

Djokovic will not repeat.
Australian Open will have a NEW champion.
(again, like that of Azarenka, the 2005 Australian junior champion from Belarus, who retired vs Serena, the scorching HEAT might be one of the reasons)

MELBOURNE (AFP) - - American Andy Roddick powered into the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday when defending champion Novak Djokovic pulled out ill trailing 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 2-6, 1-2.

The Serbian world number three broke through for his first Grand Slam win on this day last year, but he looked a forlorn figure as he conceded to Roddick after becoming more and more distressed on a scorching hot day.

Roddick, who has now reached the semi-finals in Melbourne four times, was playing high class tennis when Djokovic withdrew and may well have progressed regardless.

But he said he still had a hollow feeling.

"I feel for Novak because he worked so hard to win the title and for him not to get a fair chance to defend it, it's too bad," Roddick said.

There was no indication that Djokovic had any problems over the early stages and he looked firmly in control as he took a tight first set.

He continued to show no signs of illness as he and Roddick slugged out the second set, however, he appeared to begin to try and shorten the points as the set wore on.

Roddick broke him for the first time in the match in the seventh game and went on to claim the set 6-4 to level the match.

At the start of the third set Djokovic started looking towards the players' box between each point and at the first change of ends he called for a medical time out.

He came back out but promptly lost his serve, hitting some lethargic shots as Roddick attacked.

It looked at that stage that Djokovic would call an end, but he battled on and actually broke Roddick for the fist time in the match.

But the American broke twice more in the set to take a commanding lead as Djokovic again asked for the doctor at the change of ends.

Djokovic struggled to hold the first serve of the fourth set, saving five break points, only for Roddick to come out and win his serve to love, then break the defending champion to love to go ahead 2-1.

Djokovic talked to the doctor once more and decided he couldn't continue, his title defence over.

[DAF86]

Easy win for Federer, Del Potro's game matches horribly against his. I'm thinking something like 6-3/ 6-3/ 6-2

6-3/6-0/6-0 It was worst than I thought.

[1Parker1]

:lol Yea...good call on the Federer vs. Del Potro match.

Anyways, I'm interested in seeing how the Federer vs. Roddick matchup will hold. Career-wise Federer has a 15-2 advantage in their head to head stats. However, Roddick did break through and finally beat Federer last year. Add to it, Roddick has lost like 15 pounds this offseason and is playing some really great tennis right now, it should be an interesting match.

I'm looking forward, perhaps too prematurely, to a Nadal vs. Federer finals at the Aussie Open. Nadal is continuing to play out of his mind, only player who has yet to drop a set at this Open.

[DAF86]

Semis: Zvonareva def Safina and Dementieva def Serena

Final: Dementieva def. Zvonareva.

Semis: Federer def Roddick and Nadal def Verdasco

Final: Nadal def. Federer

I hope to get it right this time :D

[1Parker1]

noooo! I will be crushed if Nadal ends up beating Federer in the finals should they meet again. It would definitely be a sign of the end of the Federer era, officially, as we know it. Last year you could at least perhaps semi-point to his injuries and Mono problems. This year there would be no excuses!

[DAF86]

noooo! I will be crushed if Nadal ends up beating Federer in the finals should they meet again. It would definitely be a sign of the end of the Federer era, officially, as we know it. Last year you could at least perhaps semi-point to his injuries and Mono problems. This year there would be no excuses!

I don't want to see that either. I'm a Fed fan so I lied when I said that I hope to get it right :lol

However I don't think that a loss against the number 1 player in the world means he's done. I'm pretty positive about his chances of winning Wimbledon this year.

[1Parker1]

^Oh I don't mean done as in he'll never win a major again, I think he'll easily be able to win at least 2 more majors to break Sampras's record before it's all said and done.

I meant done as in his dominance over the rest of the tennis world. Nadal was awesome last year, but I thought it was an anamoly that he went injury free for so long last season and that Federer was never really able to fully recover from that French Open loss and his Mono. If Nadal beats him in the Aussie Open as well, I'm not too sure Federer will be able to ever regain his #1 status...

[Purple & Gold]

Unless Federer has a meltdown no way I don't see him winning the Final. I don't see Nadal beating him on the hardcourt. This is Federer's to lose. Roddick's serve might have something to say about it, but I doubt it. Federer should tie Sampras with this one.

[DAF86]

Semis: Zvonareva def Safina and Dementieva def Serena

Final: Dementieva def. Zvonareva.

Semis: Federer def Roddick and Nadal def Verdasco

Final: Nadal def. Federer

I hope to get it right this time :D

Serena def Dementieva 6-3/6-4

Safina def Zvonareva 6-3/7-6

:lol I'm done with the predictions

[DAF86]

Unless Federer has a meltdown no way I don't see him winning the Final. I don't see Nadal beating him on the hardcourt. This is Federer's to lose. Roddick's serve might have something to say about it, but I doubt it. Federer should tie Sampras with this one.

Nadal is playing the best tennis I've seen from him in a hard court and Federer isn't playing his best, that and the matchup problem that Roger has against Rafa make me think that Rafa is the favorite in that possible final. I hope I'm wrong though like most of the times in this thread :lol

[TDMVPDPOY]

i doubt roddick would beat fed, fed was trained to play in this weather, he trains iN DuBAI in the off season.....

[DAF86]

i doubt roddick would beat fed, fed was trained to play in this weather, he trains iN DuBAI in the off season.....

That's not the only reason why is doubtful that Roddick would beat Federer.

[1Parker1]

Fed beats Roddick easily. Looking more and more like a Nadal vs Federer final. Nadal is playing out of his mind...hasnt dropped a set yet!

[TheProfessor]

Looking forward to Safina and Serena. I haven't been watching for a while, Safina has worked hard and looks so much fitter out there. But fate seems to be favoring Serena - opponents retiring, the roof getting closed at just the right time. And she owns Safina heads up.

[DAF86]

Looking forward to Safina and Serena. I haven't been watching for a while, Safina has worked hard and looks so much fitter out there. But fate seems to be favoring Serena - opponents retiring, the roof getting closed at just the right time. And she owns Safina heads up.

Yep if Serena hasn't lost yet, she won't lose now. The winner of this match will become the number one player in the world.

[milkyway21]

Nadal is playing the best tennis I've seen from him in a hard court and Federer isn't playing his best, not after that scary Sunday, I agree.
We saw the brilliance of Federer on the court in the last 2 matches- vs Potro & vs Roddick. He hasn't lost a set either.

[mavsfan1000]

Unbelievable match between Nadal and Verdasco.

[sonic21]

Nadal def. Verdasco 6/7 6/4 7/6 6/7 6/4
wow i'm really impressed by Verdasco

[1Parker1]

Oh wow...Federer vs Nadal...first time final on hard courts? This is going to be verrrrry interesting. When's the last time Federer beat Nadal in a Major head to head?

[sonic21]

Oh wow...Federer vs Nadal...first time final on hard courts? This is going to be verrrrry interesting. When's the last time Federer beat Nadal in a Major head to head?

wimbleddon 2007 in 5 sets i think

[1Parker1]

Yea, more than a year ago, last two times they met head to head, Nadal beat him. Pretty impressive streak going there.

Federer has a really great edge though, Nadal will only have a day's rest, if that, after a 5 hour semi final match. Meanwhile, Federer should be well rested which should be a huge bonus for him, especially given that usually his matches with Nadal are often long and grueling (except at the French Opens :lol)

[DAF86]

wimbleddon 2007 in 5 sets i think

Yep

[DAF86]

Nadal def. Verdasco 6/7 6/4 7/6 6/7 6/4
wow i'm really impressed by Verdasco

Too bad he couldn't win it. I really hope Fed can beat Nadal in the final.

[sonic21]

i think Nadal will win in 4 sets

[milkyway21]

Unbelievable match between Nadal and Verdasco. :wow

what was thhhhhhhhat? it lasted 5 hrs, i think.

Verdasco was great. But Nadal won't just give up his #1 just yet. It would be so embarrassing...

next Federer vs Nadal. I expect a lonnnnnnnng match(again).

[milkyway21]

Sampras thinks Federer could wind up with as many as 18 or 19 major championships

Federer owns 13 as of now, and he can equal Sampras’ career total by beating nemesis Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final Sunday. Sampras gives Federer a slight edge in what he called “a pick-‘em match”—“60-40 for Roger,” Sampras said, “but Nadal’s an animal. This guy, he won’t quit.”


As he has in the past, Sampras noted that if anyone was going to match or surpass him, it might as well be Federer, someone he considers a friend.



http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3069499#post3069499



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[ad12]

and Serena takes it... she's won the Australian Open in 2003, 2005, 2007 and now 2009... good omen? :)

[TDMVPDPOY]

and Serena takes it... she's won the Australian Open in 2003, 2005, 2007 and now 2009... good omen? :)

spurs biatches

[DAF86]

and Serena takes it... she's won the Australian Open in 2003, 2005, 2007 and now 2009... good omen? :)

It wasn't close either: 6-0 / 6-3

[Purple & Gold]

Can't wait for this match. I don't see any way Federer can lose this especially after the Nadal/Verdasco epic match. That was a great match and had me glued to the TV all night. It finished a little before work and had me dying the next day but it was worth it. That match can only hurt Nadal even though he's in top physical shape. Verdasco also showed the danger and the power of the serve and forehand on a hard court. As great as I think Nadal is, and he is already an all-time great, he still needs to improve his serve and the amount of winners he gets if he wants to compete on the hardcourt. His main advantage over others, his roadrunner speed and ability to get to every ball, is a little compromised on this surface. On clay he's probably already the best ever and on grass he's proven that he can pull it off against Roger at the top of his game. But on the hardcourt is where his lack of a top serve can be exposed against the top players. The men's game is at an all-time best since Sampras, Agassi, Courier, etc. where doing their thing. Should be a great one.

[Purple & Gold]

And props to Serena for another title :toast

[SAtown]

Go Federer!

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Fuck you federer, go nadal

[DAF86]

7/5 Nadal, 6/3 Federer, let's go Roger.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Screw Roger, his 14th title can wait.

Nadal needs to win this one.

[DAF86]

Screw Roger, his 14th title can wait.

Nadal needs to win this one.

Why's that?

[Penya]

2-1 for Rafa... Roger needs psychological help :lol

[DAF86]

7/5 3/6 7/6 Nadal.

Fuck, Federer let that 3rd set go, he had several chances to break Rafa (including 0-40 at 4 all, and 15-40 at 5 all) but he couldn't convert.

[DAF86]

And when he finally breaks he can't hold his serve :bang

[DAF86]

6/3 the 4th for Fed, this IMO is already a better final than the one in Wimbledon last year.

[resistanze]

6/3 the 4th for Fed, this IMO is already a better final than the one in Wimbledon last year.

Not after that pitiful 5th set.

[resistanze]

Damn @ Roger breaking down.

[ace3g]

Roger just couldn't serve the entire match, I've never seen that from him before usually it is his forehand or backhand that gives him trouble, I think the attempt to get that 14th is really getting to him, it seemed like he might of had a speech ready and that is why he was disappointed at the stand, because he has to wait now atleast one more final...

[Purple & Gold]

Wow I've never seen a break down like that. And I'm not even talking about him crying. I understand how emotional this is for him and this could be possibly devastating for him. That last game was one of the worst I've seen. Roger basically gave away 2 sets. And big props to Rafa for letting Roger speak. He's a great champion and proved me wrong. I still thinks he needs to work on his serve a bit, but damn does he mentally break down players though. Two truly great Champions with all the class in the World. I hope this isn't the last we see of Federer cause this loss can be the types that end careers.

Again big props to Rafa for a great and gracious victory :toast

[Purple & Gold]

Roger just couldn't serve the entire match, I've never seen that from him before usually it is his forehand or backhand that gives him trouble, I think the attempt to get that 14th is really getting to him, it seemed like he might of had a speech ready and that is why he was disappointed at the stand, because he has to wait now atleast one more final...

Yeah I've never seen a break down like that ever. He gave away the last set. That last game he couldn't get his first serve over not even once. Huge mental breakdown. Very uncharacteristic.

[carina_gino20]

Awesome match. Congrats to Rafa.

[ace3g]

I don't think this is the end of his career, I mean he started to struggle the end of last season and ended up winning the US Open. The thing Federer needs to learn to do is to adjust his game depending on the pace of the match, something he rarely does even when he was dominant.

Like the commentators said, in his prime he would play the same way and would win even if he fell down a set or two.

Now that Nadal seems to have his number, Federer needs to adjust his game and work his backhand, which doesn't seem to work well against left handed players and their spins, because his backhand as far as I knew (when he would dominate players) was one of his strong points.

Another thing is that Nadal has shown at his prime age (right now) that he can be beaten or almost beaten : Murray at the US Open and Verdasco at the Aussie Open as a few examples that Nadal might not be as dominant as Federer was in his prime, mostly due to now there are even more great players ranked 3rd - 6th

But the key is for Federer to modify his backhand for left handed players, hire a coach like the Spurs have Chip England; and to learn to make in match adjustments

[Purple & Gold]

I agree he needs to hire a coach and gameplan against Rafa and other lefties. Rafa can still be had on the hardcourt like you said. But Federer is getting older and the new guys are only getting better. Mental loses like these can be devastating. I don't think it will affect him as much because of the type of player he is, but you never know. It's not the first time were a loss like this ended a career. But I think he'll pass Sampras with just longevity. He only needs 2 more and he is relatively young.

[DAF86]

Not after that pitiful 5th set.

Agreed

[ace3g]

I also felt bad for Federer because a few times during the 5th set, some fans would call "out or in" and interrupt his shot, granted he was still down 2-5 in the set but still, that messed up his concentration as well

[DAF86]

Congrats to Rafa, but Roger lost this one IMO, he should've won it 5/7 6/3 6/4 6/3.

He will be thinking about that 0-40 untill he wins another slam.

[ace3g]

Agreed

couldn't agree more, plus this sort of thing happened during the Nadal Verdasco match

the commentators started saying how Verdasco had a problem of double faulting on his serves, and of course right after that , he double faults and Nadal wins the match, it ruined that match for me

[1Parker1]

OUCHHHHHHHHHHHHH, WTF was that Roger in the 3rd set? Double faulting to give Nadal the set?

:pctoss I was really rooting for Federer. This is gonna take him a miraculously turn around to beat Nadal now. Nadal up 2 sets, we're in the 4th set now.

[Warlord23]

OUCHHHHHHHHHHHHH, WTF was that Roger in the 3rd set? Double faulting to give Nadal the set?

:pctoss I was really rooting for Federer. This is gonna take him a miraculously turn around to beat Nadal now. Nadal up 2 sets, we're in the 4th set now.

WTF? You watching a rerun or something?

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Why's that?

I respect both of them, cuz they're both humble guys, but Roger has an easy opening to win up to 18 titles.
Rafa, even though he's 22, fights more for these, and it's too early to know if he can even have as many as Roger does now. He's had One great year while Roger's accomplished three.

With this win now Rafa can possibly put together two great years.

Also the media hype around Roger lately has been annoying me, every time Rafa wins they look at it as Roger's "loss" they need to check themselves. The commentators were practically crying along with Roger, they should appreciate Nadal better.

[sonic21]

so who thinks rafa can win 4 gran slams in 1 season ?
i think he's the favourite to win rolland and wimbledon, but there's 4 or 5 players who can beat him on hard.

[DAF86]

so who thinks rafa can win 4 gran slams in 1 season ?
i think he's the favourite to win rolland and wimbledon, but there's 4 or 5 players who can beat him on hard.

Rafa will win RG, but I think he will not get to the final in Wimbledon, so I have Fed winning that, and the Spaniard never gets in good shape to the US Open.

[TheProfessor]

Rafa will win RG, but I think he will not get to the final in Wimbledon, so I have Fed winning that, and the Spaniard never gets in good shape to the US Open.
After watching Nadal come back from that 5-setter against Verdasco to beat Federer, I think he's got a chance. Depends how he holds up going to the US Open, I just don't think it's physically possible to play at that level through the entire season. But it's no longer about the surface.

[DAF86]

After watching Nadal come back from that 5-setter against Verdasco to beat Federer, I think he's got a chance. Depends how he holds up going to the US Open, I just don't think it's physically possible to play at that level through the entire season. But it's no longer about the surface.

I agree, it's no longer about the surface, it's about his body.

[dbreiden83080]

Roger's career is really at a crossroads here. I can't believe he lost that match to Nadal when, Rafa came in so beat up from that 5 setter. I still think he is better than Rafa on Hard-courts, but he choked hard in that 5th set.. Roger is 27 years old, he only has a few years left to emerge as the best ever and if he doesn't figure out how to beat Nadal in some big spots and i mean soon, he's not going down as the best ever. We know the French is likely out for him so he better get it together for Wimbledon and the US Open, that's for sure...

[DAF86]

Roger's career is really at a crossroads here. I can't believe he lost that match to Nadal when, Rafa came in so beat up from that 5 setter. I still think he is better than Rafa on Hard-courts, but he choked hard in that 5th set.. Roger is 27 years old, he only has a few years left to emerge as the best ever and if he doesn't figure out how to beat Nadal in some big spots and i mean soon, he's not going down as the best ever. We know the French is likely out for him so he better get it together for Wimbledon and the US Open, that's for sure...

To me Roger is already the best ever, I'm just waiting for number 14 to make it official. Without Nadal, Federer would have 19 Slams (including 2 or 4 years of winning the 4 in the same season).