The Tennis Thread

[Robbo66]

Heavy top to Feds backhand ...Nadal doing this all day and its working. Fed resorting to half volley, but high risk.
Fed 1 up but ominous.

[Leithen]

It's living up to it's promise...

[BlackLabel]

Leithen said:

It's living up to it's promise...

Looks like we could be heading to a 5th.

[BlackLabel]

Haven't seen Nadal hit the ball this cleanly for a few years. Federer too however he can't keep it up and is mixing it up with unforced errors.

[Babw]

Haven't seen a grand slam final with this much tennis for a few years. Usually it's more like an athletics meet with the likes of Murray/Djokovic.

Thank god they made the courts faster, we need to see less defence/running and more tennis at all the tournaments.

[Robbo66]

Feds backhand is phenomenal today..

[NRS]

Babw said:

Haven't seen a grand slam final with this much tennis for a few years. Usually it's more like an athletics meet with the likes of Murray/Djokovic.

Thank god they made the courts faster, we need to see less defence/running and more tennis at all the tournaments.

Have to agree.

Impossible to predict which way this will go.

[RichB]

Babw said:

... they made the courts faster...

How is this achieved?

[Baron Greenback]

Wow that was awesome to listen too! Fed the king of mind games (maybe or maybe not), give him the benefit of doubts!

I did have that down as the final game I must admit!

[Leithen]

Well that was a complete joy to watch. Didn't matter to me who won, neither dropped his head, the smallest of margins decided each set an ultimately the title.

Fan bloody tastic.

[topgunkos]

Epic tennis! Epic result! So happy for Federer, the GOAT for me, a true legend.

[Babw]

RichB said:

How is this achieved?

New surface and faster balls.

Federer epitomises form is temporary class is forever. His technical ability and craft is unmatched to be fair, more athletic players, better forehands, better backhands etc than him but he just makes it look pretty special.

Edited by Babw on Sunday 29th January 12:28

[RichB]

Great match...

[Gandahar]

Formula 1 in it's new age needs some of that "personal" magic.

Summary, two nice chaps won it rather than two overly competitive ones ... crowd goes wild ...

[epom]

Thoroughly enjoyable. Hats off to both..

[Amirhussain]

Fantastic final. Happy that Federer has another grand slam in the bag.

[E24man]

Just off on a tangent, and after watching a ball-boy have to wipe up either a massive bird-poop or Rafa's little 5th set vomit, what are peoples opinions of the ball-boys and girls constantly having to handle players sweaty, snotty, spitty and now possibly vomitty towels?

As well as the health aspect I suspect it it becomes very unpleasant indeed.

I'm also a bit with the Mac in that the almost constant towel wiping seems very unnecessary and I think if the players had to run and fetch their towels themselves it might cut down on some of the more unnecessary use.... or lead to some time penalties for the worst offenders.

[JNW1]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yep, delighted my powers of prediction deserted me yet again! I also agree completely about Federer's backhand looking far less vulnerable; so often in the past it's been his downfall but he was confident to step in and hit it today and got his reward.

Really didn't think Fed would manage another Grand Slam and if he did I thought it would most likely be at Wimbledon - wrong on both counts!

[sidicks]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Indeed! He was able to consistently hit those half-volley backhands and keep the pressure on Nadal, somewhat negating the heavy topspin. Clearly this wider racquet is making much of the difference there.

[Babw]

The towelling is a joke. Caught a bit of a juniors match yesterday and they're even worse!