The state of tennis...

[wangs78]

I just have to say I truly feel blessed to be a tennis fan today because we are witnessing a sort of golden age that is becoming more and more rare in any sport, where parity seems more than norm than ever. Whereas in men's tennis, today we have true kings of the sport. Roger and Rafa have both demonstrated the talent and the commitment to the sport to take their sport to new heights. Without giving away the results of today's semifinals at the WTF, I just have to say today's results just make it very clear who the men and the boys are in the sport. I will say that the next best players (the ones who lost today) have demonstrated their talent and resolve as well and may yet succeed Roger and Rafa, but we are clearly seeing history being made every few weeks with Roger and Rafa reaching new heights regularly.

In comparison, the WTA is just a sham. Gone are the great champions like Graf, Navratilova, Evert and then even the other semi-greats like Seles, etc.
Thank god players like Henin and Clijsters came back to inject some respectability to the sport. And even though Sharapova may never win another slam, her commitment to the sport is unquestionable. For the rest it is like a revolving door every year to see who's in the top 10. I should put the Williams in the list of greats, but Serena, despite all her talent, just doesn't have the commitment that we see on the men's side and that's disappointing. I frankly have more respect for someone like Roddick who works his butt off for that second slam than for Serena who can make a slam look like a cakewalk but who frankly treats her chosen field like a joke sometimes. Plus I still do think it's unfair given she has twice the muscle mass of any other female player

 

[TomorrowNeverComes]

Golden era of tennis dawned when Federer first time stepped on tennis court and will end with the last point he played on tour.

Everything\one else is irrelevant.

 

[BreakPoint]

Plus I still do think it's unfair given she has twice the muscle mass of any other female player

Or male player for that matter. ;-)

 

[sureshs]

I just have to say today's results just make it very clear who the men and the boys are in the sport.

No, there is only one man and the rest are boys.

Don't lump Rafa and Fed together. Rafa has won all the Slams Fed has, plus the Olympics singles, plus has a dominating H2H. He stands way higher than anyone else. In January, he will have won 4 Slams in a row.

Fed was dominant in the era before Rafa had matured. That was the era of Hewitts, Nalbandians and Roddicks. When real competition came, he became #2.

 

[wangs78]

No, there is only one man and the rest are boys.

Don't lump Rafa and Fed together. Rafa has won all the Slams Fed has, plus the Olympics singles, plus has a dominating H2H. He stands way higher than anyone else. In January, he will have won 4 Slams in a row.

Fed was dominant in the era before Rafa had matured. That was the era of Hewitts, Nalbandians and Roddicks. When real competition came, he became #2.

Yes, real competition came when he became an old man in tennis years. Let's not make this thread a flame war ok? I showed respect Nadal so please show respect for Federer.

 

[Dreamer]

This is a great time to be a fan. It really is astounding how strong the rivalry is between Fed-Nadal. How they pull away from the rest of the field time and time again is just astounding.

I'm also glad that the conversation has grown. From Fed and Grand Slams to Fed and Rafa and Grand Slams. Now we have contenders in Murray and Djoker. Rafa and Fed are special, but 3 and 4 are also capable of winning tennis. I hope they do step up on the slam stage. The game today was very well contended and I hope there will be a conversation in the future rather than a singular dominant force.

 

[sureshs]

Yes, real competition came when he became an old man in tennis years. Let's not make this thread a flame war ok? I showed respect Nadal so please show respect for Federer.

Why? You can respect whoever you want to, that is your business. I will go with the #1.

 

[wangs78]

Why? You can respect whoever you want to, that is your business. I will go with the #1.

You may be going with tomorrow's loser, whereas I'm ok if either wins. Good luck to you.

 

[accidental]

lol if you didnt already know the winner, the OP's post gives it away in an incredibly obvious way

 

[Messarger]

No, there is only one man and the rest are boys.

Don't lump Rafa and Fed together. Rafa has won all the Slams Fed has, plus the Olympics singles, plus has a dominating H2H. He stands way higher than anyone else. In January, he will have won 4 Slams in a row.

Fed was dominant in the era before Rafa had matured. That was the era of Hewitts, Nalbandians and Roddicks. When real competition came, he became #2.

suresh trying to overtake on turn 4...

 

[cork_screw]

If it wasn't for nadal or fed I would not be watching ATP. It would be boring, I mean Djokovic #1 seed. He's good, but I remember when #1 meant something special. Like Sampras, Agassi, Laver, Lendl, McEnroe. These guys had something nobody could touch, at least as long as they were healthy and still in their prime. I see a lot of boring college level tennis that doesn't really separate itself in the states, it's pretty much the same level and to watch it is a little predictable and boring. Fed's old school fused with the modern game is really delight to watch because nobody plays it. And nobody plays the way nadal abuses his opponents and the ball. How he finishes up above his shoulders and his head and his topspin game. I would really love to see more unique players that have something special. I think murray is starting to change his game. I don't know in what direction. He's playing well but he's hitting a lot of loopy tumbling ball strokes. BTW, if murray took his chances when they were presented to him, he would have won the match.

 

[Gaudio2004]

This generation is great, and of course, the Fed-Nadal and the Fed-Nadal-Djokovic-Murray rivalry is brilliant... but well and truly, the best years of modern tennis (2000 and further) were 2004-2007, and that's mainly because of Federer showing absolute tennis at its best, but the emergence of Nadal in 2005, Safin at the Australian Open in 2005 and a key of other factors.

Court-side, imagine watching Federer play Nadal at the 2006 Rome Masters.

That's truly being blessed.