The Tennis Thread

[chippy17]

psgcarey said:

*sticks head out of duvet to look at QF draw*

Meh, same old.

• sticks head back under duvet*

well you have got Almagro and Chardy who are new to the Aus quarters (Chardy's first qf) but cannot see them getting any further

I too would like to see a couple of youngsters mixing it up but if they are not good enough they are not good enough

[chippy17]

well Murray's easy draw continues as he wipes the floor with Chardy (a man who beat him in Cincy in August) I wonder if his easy draw is good or bad for him as he has not been playing up to his usual high standards so far, I did not watch it but by all accounts this was a good performance, he will need to up his game in the next round...but perhaps he is already starting to peak at the right time and if he does i think he could win this one

[chippy17]

Justices said:

I called Andy's path before his first match. Straightforward wins without any problems, a battle in the semis and the title in 4 sets. Years of backing him finally paying off

Regarding the bet of Andy not winning the slam which Andy delivered (just in time), I'll get the charity name for the £20 donation shortly.


ETA: I do like Tsonga but I really want Federer to come through. Far better opponent for Andy in the semis (for spectators at least). Also, can't take seeing two double-handed backhands on a court, they should be banned

Edited by Justices on Wednesday 23 January 10:30

well after watching Stan's backhand for 5 hours I agree all 2 handers should be banished! nice to see 2 of them in the quarters

Tsonga has troubled Fed for a couple of years now and looks like he is doing it again, not surprised on this slow court, he was always going to struggle with Tsonga's power yes I too like Tsonga but rooting for Rog as always but if Tsonga wins Murray almost a dead cert for final

[chippy17]

Justices said:

Roger the Dodger! It's now the perfect semi final line up.

phew I had visions of Wimbledon 2011, yes except no Nadal which is a shame

[chippy17]

Justices said:

chippy17 said:

well after watching Stan's backhand for 5 hours I agree all 2 handers should be banished! nice to see 2 of them in the quarters

Tsonga has troubled Fed for a couple of years now and looks like he is doing it again, not surprised on this slow court, he was always going to struggle with Tsonga's power yes I too like Tsonga but rooting for Rog as always but if Tsonga wins Murray almost a dead cert for final

Andy has a score to settle with Roger and Novak on the Rod Laver court that's for sure. You've got to face and beat your demons in this game if you are to be a real champion. If he went through these two to take the title.. his mind will click up another gear and he'll get at least 2 more slams this year I'm sure. Love to see him take the French and Wimbledon and hold ALL titles at the same time, Olympics included. Entirely possible with his ability. He is seen in the locker room as one of the toughest guys to beat on the tour. Now his mental game has caught up to the rest of it, he is winning matches before he steps on the court, which is nice

I'm secretly hoping Ferrer does something very special but it's a very, very big ask with Novak having virtually every physical and mental weapon you could ever want at his disposal. I'd then fear David getting a little too nervous if he makes the final and getting rolled as he'll likely be facing someone who has a slam title (or 16 if he can sneak this battle he's in now).

as long as Murray peaks for this next two matches which I think he will yes he could well win it but I think it is now very difficult to call between the 3 of them, a great few matches coming up

I cannot see Ferrer troubling Djokovic in a best of 5

[chippy17]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I think you are right partly due to the incredibly slow court which is a disadvantage to a natural attacker like Fed as the UEs will start building up and plays into the hands of the other two

I agree djoker is the fave he is so mentally strong at the moment, he is right now the clutch king

[chippy17]

Djoker is the worst posible match up for Ferrer does everything Ferrer can do but way better and has proper weapons, not surprised although thought it might have been a bit closer

as said above whoever wins out of Fed and Murray are going to have their work cut out

please atp/itf speed the courts up a bit and let some naturally attacking players have a bit more of a chance, I for one do not want to see another 5/6 hour final it is just too long

[chippy17]

Munka01 said:

Went to the Tsonga - Fed match last night. Murray - Fed should be a good one.

I am jealous, thanks for sharing

[chippy17]

gutted Rog lost but not surprised, always looked like he was playing catch up whilst Andy playing well and brimming with confidence, dare I say it looked a bit old and tired out there footwork fell apart at the end, serve never really got going or was not allowed to etc

I will of course support Murray on Sunday, I think he really can win, very similar styles but I think Murray has better touch than Djoker and I think that will be the difference

[chippy17]

amare32 said:

Another signature win for Murray to make a complete mockery of that stupid Tim Henman mk2 comparison threads doing the rounds here for the last few years

Win it for Scotland Murray

that thread was silly from the very start

I think you will find he is firmly British from now on

[chippy17]

Robbo66 said:

JNW1 said:

Robbo66 said:

Apologies but no.
Murray looked stronger in 1st set, especially at baseline....then Djoko stepped it up, took the ball on the rise and played FAR more aggressively than he had been. Nothing to do with fitness.
Djoko's backhand was tight in the 1st, no backswing or follow through, a poke. Playing conservatively...didn't work.

You must have been watching a different match from me! Djokovic had all the chances in the first set but just failed to convert any of them; I think the disappointment of that then got to him a bit in the tie-break and Murray pinched a set he'd previously never looked like winning. Conversely, Murray was the one applying most of the pressure in the second set but this time he was the one who couldn't convert and Djokovic ended-up winning it; one set all was about right after two sets but each probably won the one they didn't deserve to win! Once Murray lost the second set there looked to be only one winner; some of that could have been injury related but whatever the reason Djokovic was a worthy victor IMO.

Winning in Australia confirms Novak's position as number one and he fully deserves it. However, I've seen another post that says he's easily the best and I'm not so sure about that; Murray has more variety in his game and, while he was beaten fair and square yesterday, I don't think he's that far behind Djokovic. On a faster court I also think Federer can still compete with either if he's playing well; however, there's no doubt that the Djoker is still the one to catch for the moment.

?...not sure now you figure we watched a different game...having re-read it seems we're both in agreement.

As regards Federer, his backhand whilst sublime to watch is a weakness out wide off a kick serve. He chips back mid court and leaves himself open time and again. Players target it.

As regards fitness,watch this space. The next EPO shocker may well come from the tennis circuit. Rumours building.

certainly he deserves his no. 1 spot but was it just me that thought it was all rather boring: rally shot, rally shot, rally shot (a lot of these were short and down the middle) then ue, please please speed the courts up a little bit, it is becoming solely about fitness and not about tennis at all, sure Djoker has a great forehand and a great backhand but the rest of his game is frankly lacking, no touch whatsoever, cannot volley cannot smash etc if the surfaces become more homogonised (sp) then you may as well have one surface, it is as much out of balance now as it was in the heyday of s&v

the 1hbh in general is alway going to be weak out wide esp. shoulder height and above but the advantage of a 1hbh is reach but on these slow courts it is irrelevant thus the dominance of 2hbh which is a real shame, Stan showed how the 1hbh can be used to great effect, Fed still has the best slice in the business if not ever and it can be very effective...

well buttpicker has almost served his silent ban so tell us what rumours you are referring to?

[chippy17]

FourWheelDrift said:

JNW1 said:

Not heard any rumours on this next EPO shocker, care to give us a clue?

There are rumours concerning the eye drops Djokovic takes during a game.

and what do the rumours say about what is in them? what ped drug can you take through your eyes?

[chippy17]

ascayman said:

chippy17 said:

and what do the rumours say about what is in them? what ped drug can you take through your eyes?

Well clearly if you were going to dope, you'd do it courtside....in front of the punters....in view of the cameras.....which beam the pictures to millions

Honestly

I was trying to be sarcy and disingenuous, although they do say sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight

[chippy17]

Robbo66 said:

I play 1hbh and while it looks superb when it works, I wish I learnt 2hbh form the start. You can play the ball far closer to you, not so far out in front and has a better return of serve....just a safer option.

I find it as difficult on slow courts as the kick serve grips more and bounces even higher to my 1hbh.
Stan and Gasquet have glorious 1hbh, but the best 2hbh players can simply punch or pop it back far easier off a fast court.

Rumours about EPO on circuit. Been about for a while, but the 'elephant in the room' is becoming too big to ignore.

so do I as I am old and a product of the old school, and I have always struggled with reliability of that stroke, slice no problem

whilst you are right it is a much more beautiful stroke to look at the question is which is better most would say 2hbh

when hit properly the 1hbh can be devastating tool that I think is still relevant in todays game

match of the tourny: Stan vs Djoker

[chippy17]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I guess just a bad match up; 2 pushers on one court

[chippy17]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I thought the wink might tell you I was teasing, you cannot really call any player at this level a pusher

i have no doubt in my mind that Murray has way better touch than Djoker and will show it on faster courts but cannot agree that he has a more interesting/touch game than Fed

[chippy17]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

sorry misunderstood, yes fair comment, see Olympic final, but as we all know he can easily fall into defensive Murray

although you are right re Fed and attack, he can also draw opponents in in the same way as Murray does, and like Murray Fed loves a target, esp using his short slice bh. In Fed's game you can also see subtle shifts in his strategy

I will add Murrays forehand has improved massively over the last 18 months and really has gone from a bit of a liability into a proper weapon

[chippy17]

not the best quality vid but here are two guys with backhands up there at the top of the best ever list, a 1hbh and a 2hbh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl3Pm4qFFhs

[chippy17]

Robbo66 said:

This is just mesmerizing...simple eh...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeZjBFyDnSo&lis...

my personal fave talking about mesmerising, i love the way it is all very slow and relaxed to begin with and slowly but surely it gets faster and faster:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTjBXVQyiwg

[chippy17]

apart from my shocking display on indoor carpet (which i hate even though fast surfaces suit my game more, almost twisted my ankle several times awful stuff) last night both technically and mentally, I still managed a couple of sublime dtl 1hbh winners this is the way i see it:


1 hander is better for:
a) Low balls
b) More topspin
c) Little bit extra reach
d) More pace than 2 hander
e) more natural slice

2 hander is better for:
a) High balls
b) Return of serve
c) Redirecting hard shots
d) Scooping balls up that land near the feet

the reason 2hbh have become more prevelant is imo to do with pace of courts as they suit slower courts much better, it winds me up massively that coaches now push all juniors to 2hbh, my 9yr struggles with her backhand and I think she has a more natural 1hbh but when i tell her to try it she says her coach forbids it, which is ridiculous

as for bh slice being a cop out shot well I guess you are not doing it correctly...