Everybody won with the Nadal-Dimi result

terribleIVAN

terribleIVAN

Hall of Fame
Fed will feel the effects of his 6 matches; his body will hold for 1.5 sets only, and then it will be shanktown.

Time waits for no man.
 
M

Magnus

Legend
Rusty Shackleford said:
Dimitrov proved he is ready to battle the best at the very top.

Nadal proved he is back to a shape we didn't see him in since 2013.

And Federer will win the Final. I don't see Nadal not being affected by this epic marathon of a match.
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In 2009 everyone thought Fed is going to win due to Nadal being tired from that epic with Verdasco. Nadal won't be tired and neither will Fed, these guys are fitness monsters.
 
Ironwood

Ironwood

Professional
Looking forward to the last hurrah final....but, we really do need new faces challenging in majors finals!
 
chut

chut

Professional
Dimitrov lost, and he lost big. He had 2 BP at 4/3, that was his chance and he missed it.

Federer is probably losing on sunday too. 2009, everyone (including me) was already saying he was going to win easily, had more rest, easy road to the final while Nadal struggeled... It didn't matter at all.

You can say that Nadal, the Australian Open, nostalgia and tennis hype won though. And anyone willing to sell his final ticket is certainly going to win more money ;)
 
InsideOut900

InsideOut900

Legend
I am very sad for Dimitrov,I began to develop a soft spot for him some time ago and now that he gets it together he has to take a brutal loss.

Hardly a win situation since Nadal is still on his last legs,while Dimitrov might get broken by it Verdasco style.

On plus side we had an uber match,epic tourney and a hopefully a new Slam contender.

But now I can cope better with Nadal winning the whole thing,he is not vulturing it,but rather earning(assuming Fed doesn't spoil the party :p )
 
Big_Dangerous

Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
Magnus said:
In 2009 everyone thought Fed is going to win due to Nadal being tired from that epic with Verdasco. Nadal won't be tired and neither will Fed, these guys are fitness monsters.
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That was like 8 years ago!


I'd say now, the physicality of that match with Grigor combined with 1 less day of rest will play a factor in the final.
 
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H

hawk eye

Hall of Fame
Dimitrov has a lot more to offer gamewise than Verdasco so i doubt he's going that route.

For the rest, it was a win for tennis today regardless of the outcome. Epic match.

I hope for somthing close to that on sunday because there will more attention than ever on a tennis final.
 
Djokovic2011

Djokovic2011

Bionic Poster
It was a truly great match and a pleasure to watch. I know you're not one of his biggest fans Rusty but I'd like to think you agree with me that Dimi showed a lot of heart out there tonight and deserves a huge amount of respect for his performance. Nadal was a deserving winner but I do feel bad for Grigor right now. :(
 
D

Deleted member 688153

Guest
Fed gets the extra day's rest, but the problem with Nadal is that it just doesn't matter. It never does - literally everything can be working against Nadal and when it comes time to face Federer it goes out the window. It's inhuman.

I don't mind if Nadal wins, but I'm not going to get my hopes up expecting any other result.
 
D

Deleted member 688153

Guest
Djokovic2011 said:
It was a truly great match and a pleasure to watch. I know you're not one of his biggest fans Rusty but I'd like to think you agree with me that Dimi showed a lot of heart out there tonight and deserves a huge amount of respect for his performance. Nadal was a deserving winner but I do feel bad for Grigor right now. :(
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My ears are sore from the crowd. It's 3:02AM here. Nice to see Dimitrov being decent for once.
 
Chanwan

Chanwan

G.O.A.T.
NatF said:
Dimitrov winning the whole event would probably be the best for tennis. I feel for Dimitrov to give his all and come out short. If this match breaks him it will be sad indeed. Still Nadal was just too good, hats off.
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-NN- said:
I think Grigor will be buoyed by this. He can almost sniff it now.
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I think and hope Grigor will treat this like his Wawrinka AO 2013 moment, i.e. proving to himself he can play with the best of them until the very end.

@Rusty Shackleford - Fed def. did not win today. Rafa was moving as good late in the fifth as he was early in the first. And he def. did not look tired.

Fed, on the other hand, was slow all of Thursday and said as much in his interview. Hope he's fit to flow around the court come Sunday, but I doubt it.
 
Chanwan

Chanwan

G.O.A.T.
Firstservingman said:
Fed gets the extra day's rest, but the problem with Nadal is that it just doesn't matter. It never does - literally everything can be working against Nadal and when it comes time to face Federer it goes out the window. It's inhuman.

I don't mind if Nadal wins, but I'm not going to get my hopes up expecting any other result.
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Are you at Rod Laver arena? Congrats, what a match to see live.

As for the rest, I agree. Fed needs to be picture perfect to have a chance against today's Rafa.
 
NatF

NatF

Bionic Poster
Chanwan said:
I think and hope Grigor will treat this like his Wawrinka AO 2013 moment, i.e. proving to himself he can play with the best of them until the very end.

@Rusty Shackleford - Fed def. did not win today. Rafa was moving as good late in the fifth as he was early in the first. And he def. did not look tired.

Fed, on the other hand, was slow all of Thursday and said as much in his interview. Hope he's fit to flow around the court come Sunday, but I doubt it.
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Yup, Nadal has the advantage in the final no matter what anyone says. The physicality of the match today was crazy, if that's what it's going to take to push Nadal the distance then Federer doesn't have it in him. I just hope the serve is working, might be close then.
 
Rusty Shackleford

Rusty Shackleford

G.O.A.T.
Chanwan said:
I think and hope Grigor will treat this like his Wawrinka AO 2013 moment, i.e. proving to himself he can play with the best of them until the very end.

@Rusty Shackleford - Fed def. did not win today. Rafa was moving as good late in the fifth as he was early in the first. And he def. did not look tired.

Fed, on the other hand, was slow all of Thursday and said as much in his interview. Hope he's fit to flow around the court come Sunday, but I doubt it.
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I have been so used to the Nadal of the past 2 years that maybe I'm being overly pessimistic.
 
Chanwan

Chanwan

G.O.A.T.
Rusty Shackleford said:
I have been so used to the Nadal of the past 2 years that maybe I'm being overly pessimistic.
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I can understand and appreciate that, but rest assured - you have no reason whatsoever to worry. He didn't look tired at all, he was serving great, returning great, defending great, hitting his backhand really, really well and vulturing the net whenever the right moment came. And he rose to the challenge when down 15-40 in the fifth and played some exceptional points to stay in the match.

And, not to forget, he's playing Federer, who inspires him to bring his best time and time again

Also, Fed's BH won't hold up as well as Dimi's did.
Firstservingman said:
Yep was there for both.
I have lower level seats for the final and also for the SF just now, but my seat for the other SF wasn't as good.
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Lucky you. Enjoy! Try not to let a Rafa-win spoil your experience ;-). Watching a grand slam final live is a privilege!
 
-NN-

-NN-

G.O.A.T.
Well if we're comparing pure form then I prefer Rafa's package based on his movement (and Fed's lack thereof). But, I think Federer will suddenly move better in the final and that he's been saving himself for the last dance. He had a short period toward the end of the Zverev match where it looked like he was purposely testing his maximum level movement and physicality in chasing down balls. Still, I don't see how Roger penetrates the Rafa wall to win 3 of 5 sets. If he plays the match of his life (within reason given his current state) then he can win for sure. He could even crush Rafa if he does that and Rafa is a bit fatigued but I don't see it. Both will be fresh enough and form>match-up> the rest and Nadal is at least equal on one and owns the other. Actually, in this case, match-up > form. Hence, Rafa gives Roger a good old traditional rekting.

I could talk about other smaller things such as the weather or mental strength but that's boring.
 
T

TahoeTennis

Legend
Like all timeless matches, it's literally one or 2 points that determine the match since both he and Rafa were playing at the highest level of tennis imaginable. Kind of like when Novak saved MP against Fed (THE return) Rafa saving those 2 break points at 15-40, 3-4. This was a top ten match of ALL TIME.
 
Big_Dangerous

Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
Firstservingman said:
Yep was there for both.
I have lower level seats for the final and also for the SF just now, but my seat for the other SF wasn't as good.
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How long is the flight from Canberra to Melbourne? I know when I was there last year, and I went from Sydney to Melbourne, it was only like 90 or so minutes.
 
hoodjem

hoodjem

G.O.A.T.
Rusty Shackleford said:
Dimitrov proved he is ready to battle the best at the very top.

Nadal proved he is back to a shape we didn't see him in since 2013.

And Federer will win the Final. I don't see Nadal not being affected by this epic marathon of a match.
Click to expand...
I watched (part of) the highlights of the Nadal-Dmitrov semi. (I am exhausted from viewing the first third. I will watch the rest in a moment after I catch my breath.)

Wow! Really impressive play from both guys: long baseline rallies, high quality shots, excellent volleys, great movement to the ball, tough endurance test to five sets.
 
Rusty Shackleford

Rusty Shackleford

G.O.A.T.
hoodjem said:
I watched (part of) the highlights of the Nadal-Dmitrov semi. (I am exhausted from viewing the first third. I will watch the rest in a moment after I catch my breath.)

Wow! Really impressive play from both guys: long baseline rallies, high quality shots, excellent volleys, great movement to the ball, tough endurance test to five sets.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it was a classic match. Many chances to take the mach from either guy, it really went to the wire.
 
Gary Duane

Gary Duane

Talk Tennis Guru
NatF said:
Dimitrov winning the whole event would probably be the best for tennis. I feel for Dimitrov to give his all and come out short. If this match breaks him it will be sad indeed. Still Nadal was just too good, hats off.
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Those with no amount of empathy will ever understand what it would be like to lose a 5 setter in the last three games of the 5th set.

I was rooting for Nadal, but I felt SO bad for Dimi. This was almost as bad as what Roddick went through at Wimbledon against Fed.
 
veroniquem

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
I am not sure that Dimi proved that much. Yes he's playing better than he has for a while but at 25, he should not "almost" win that type of matches. "Almost" is not good enough. Also, his stamina should be better. In his mid-20s, he should be able to outlast a 30+ player and not run out of gas first.
 
Incognito

Incognito

Legend
veroniquem said:
I am not sure that Dimi proved that much. Yes he's playing better than he has for a while but at 25, he should not "almost" win that type of matches. "Almost" is not good enough. Also, his stamina should be better. In his mid-20s, he should be able to outlast a 30+ player and not run out of gas first.
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It was Rafa who was tired. Dimi said in his interview that he was happy he could play 5 sets without cramping and without getting tired.

Rafa was lucky to break when he did. His legs were about to give up.
 
metsman

metsman

Talk Tennis Guru
NatF said:
Dimitrov winning the whole event would probably be the best for tennis. I feel for Dimitrov to give his all and come out short. If this match breaks him it will be sad indeed. Still Nadal was just too good, hats off.
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I don't think it will. Dimitrov is maturing before our eyes and his reaction to the match was very level headed. He saw it for what it was: his game is now advanced enough to beat anyone even in B05. Physically, he can go the rounds with anyone. What has to get is the killer instinct on the big points, the champion mentality of your bringing your best in the biggest spots. He did an admiral job of that last night when he was down in the 5th set but when he was ahead and looking to put it away (the 0-30 point) the killer instinct was there and that's what has to come. He's gonna win a slam soon...maybe this year and his path to #1 is fairly clear with Djokovic's decline and Murray probably starting to fall off soon too. Hope him and Fed split WImby/USO between them.
 
metsman

metsman

Talk Tennis Guru
veroniquem said:
I am not sure that Dimi proved that much. Yes he's playing better than he has for a while but at 25, he should not "almost" win that type of matches. "Almost" is not good enough. Also, his stamina should be better. In his mid-20s, he should be able to outlast a 30+ player and not run out of gas first.
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he didn't run out of gas. He was fine physically and pushing very hard the last game.

Sure it isn't ideal that you wait until 25 to make your first push but the fact is that this offseason is the first where Dimitrov dedicated himself to maximizing his potential and he rolls into Australia and gets to 4-3 15-40 in 5th set of the semi. Fell just short. Just a month or two of hard work and look at the results. If he continues to work hard he's going to rise to the very top of the current game.
 
metsman

metsman

Talk Tennis Guru
Incognito said:
It was Rafa who was tired. Dimi said in his interview that he was happy he could play 5 sets without cramping and without getting tired.

Rafa was lucky to break when he did. His legs were about to give up.
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Rafa has the battle tested champion's mentality from years of experience. When he felt he was tiring and Dimi was making a push he turned on his offensive switch and closed out the match with a series of winners. Dimitrov couldn't do the same as he tightened up a bit when he had a chance to break and serve for the match.
 
Smasher08

Smasher08

Legend
Rusty Shackleford said:
And Federer will win the Final. I don't see Nadal not being affected by this epic marathon of a match.
Click to expand...

Sorry my friend, Nads will show up without any sign of fatigue whatsoever and proceed to blitz a hobbled Fed. Based on his current form, Fed doesn't appear to have either the footspeed or sheer pace required to win on Sunday.

I genuinely believe there's a reason that your guy seems to have miraculously flipped a switch, and will neither fatigue nor require recovery time.

That said, I would love to be proved wrong.
 
kandamrgam

kandamrgam

Hall of Fame
Who really lost was Djokovic fans. Had Dimi won they would be rooting for him in hopes of preventing another slam for Roger/Rafa. Furthermore, could have made a case for this era's being strong ;)
 
ncgator

ncgator

Rookie
BeatlesFan said:
Not everybody won. Fed fans absolutely lost.
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If Fed can execute his DTL backhand, serves well, and plays aggressive tennis, he can beat Nadal. If he lacks confidence and let's Nadal dictate play, he'll lose in straight sets. Fed can definitely win this match if he believes he can win,but I'm not sure if that's the case.
 
T

TahoeTennis

Legend
This was probably my all time favorite tennis article. Beautifully written and heartfelt. Those who saw this live witnessed a true classic. Heartbroken for Grigor but as title and article suggest. Everyone wins.
 
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