Thoughts on the Australian Open

[Winners or Errors]

First, the boy who cried wolf actually saw one today and no one believed him, including many on this board even after he clearly demonstrated he was playing injured. The timing of the MTO was not surprising to anyone, and the booing was appropriate, if not for today then for the many previous times it has been simply a tactic to break the concentration of a hot opponent. Nadal got what he deserved.

Second, even uninjured, given how clean Stan Wawrinka came out hitting from the start, Nadal wasn't winning this match. It is very nice to add one more to the list of guys who can get hot and take out the top players. Yay for Stan! I'd like to see more added to the list, like Dimitrov who seems close. I can't think of any others at the moment. Some exciting news on the challenger front!

Third, this tournament showed on the men's side just how difficult it will be to reach some of Federer's records. 17 slams - maybe Nadal will make it, but I'm not so sure at this point. Semi-final streak: some earlier poster was talking about Djokovic's streak and how he just had to do it for nearly two more years to equal Fed - that was ironically right before he lost to Wawrinka. Whoever equals or surpasses Federer's records will have to do something special to get there for a very long time.

Fourth, I really enjoyed watching the runs by Cibulkova and Li on the women's side, and hope for four different winners this year in the WTA. I'm curious how well Serena will respond, and if she, too, will be showing signs of her aging body this year.

Fifth, I rarely tune in for the doubles, but the level at which doubles was being played in this tournament had me watching several matches. It is amazing how well these guys play doubles, and the parity among top doubles teams is something that makes it worth watching. The quickness, the anticipation, the strategy. Just... wow! I was sad to see the Bryan brothers go out early, but not surprising when I saw the team that beat them make the final.

Sixth, the only match I got up for that wasn't worth watching (I didn't watch the women's final) was the Fedal match.

Just a very cool Australian open...

 

[Solo]

Surprising tournament and results.

Never ever expected Li Na and Stan to win the tournament. I fully expected Novak to win and Serena to win (even though I am not a fan of her) from the beginning.

 

[Overheadsmash]

Let's put it this way. Stan was like a cat, and Rafa was like a ball of yarn.

Even if Rafa had not tweaked his back, he was not stopping Stan today. Stan just had too much firepower off each side and he was opening up the court.

Rafa getting booed is understandable, simply because in the past he HAS taken medical timeouts when he was losing and the other player had momentum. So, the precedent has been set already.

Stan played great though and he is a totally deserving champion just on the fact that he beat Djokovic, let alone beating six other players.

 

[SLD76]

First, the boy who cried wolf actually saw one today and no one believed him, including many on this board even after he clearly demonstrated he was playing injured. The timing of the MTO was not surprising to anyone, and the booing was appropriate, if not for today then for the many previous times it has been simply a tactic to break the concentration of a hot opponent. Nadal got what he deserved.

Second, even uninjured, given how clean Stan Wawrinka came out hitting from the start, Nadal wasn't winning this match. It is very nice to add one more to the list of guys who can get hot and take out the top players. Yay for Stan! I'd like to see more added to the list, like Dimitrov who seems close. I can't think of any others at the moment. Some exciting news on the challenger front!

Third, this tournament showed on the men's side just how difficult it will be to reach some of Federer's records. 17 slams - maybe Nadal will make it, but I'm not so sure at this point. Semi-final streak: some earlier poster was talking about Djokovic's streak and how he just had to do it for nearly two more years to equal Fed - that was ironically right before he lost to Wawrinka. Whoever equals or surpasses Federer's records will have to do something special to get there for a very long time.

Fourth, I really enjoyed watching the runs by Cibulkova and Li on the women's side, and hope for four different winners this year in the WTA. I'm curious how well Serena will respond, and if she, too, will be showing signs of her aging body this year.

Fifth, I rarely tune in for the doubles, but the level at which doubles was being played in this tournament had me watching several matches. It is amazing how well these guys play doubles, and the parity among top doubles teams is something that makes it worth watching. The quickness, the anticipation, the strategy. Just... wow! I was sad to see the Bryan brothers go out early, but not surprising when I saw the team that beat them make the final.

Sixth, the only match I got up for that wasn't worth watching (I didn't watch the women's final) was the Fedal match.

Just a very cool Australian open...

I agree completely, best slam in ages. Lots of upsets and suprises and finally Fedalmurrovic didnt win the slam.

 

[pound cat]

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/...ng-nadal-recovery-triumph-111617314--ten.html


Sad pair of finalists...Nadal and Wawrinka

This was a picture of the gloomiest pair of finalists in a tournament ever seen, Eurosport.co.uk removed it from their site. Both of them looked close to tears holding their trophies It's now a happy Wawrinka...

 

[purple-n-gold]

I'm still grinning

 

[purple-n-gold]

I agree completely, best slam in ages. Lots of upsets and suprises and finally Fedalmurrovic didnt win the slam.

Yes, could not agree more.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/...ng-nadal-recovery-triumph-111617314--ten.html

Just noticed that Rafa was not grunting hardly at all, interesting..


Sad pair of finalists...Nadal and Wawrinka

This was a picture of the gloomiest pair of finalists in a tournament ever seen, Eurosport.co.uk removed it from their site. Both of them looked close to tears holding their trophies It's now a happy Wawrinka...

 

[Mustard]

The Nadal haters are ridiculous. They think we Nadal fans are obsessed with him getting to 17 majors. We aren't. We're Nadal fans because we like his style of play and his determination.

 

[PMChambers]

1. The end was not that surprising in mens, I went Novak for the obvious and Wawrinka for dark horse. The seeds lined up well in the end except for Del Potro. Novak v Waw is now 3x5 set in grand slams. Fed played well, Murry played better than I thought, big servers struggles on slower hard courts even with hot weather and marginally fast balls. Tsonga, Berdych & Ferrer all showed that there are two three teirs in mens tennis and they're 2nd, beating the field but not the Nadal, Federer & Novak's.

2. Women are all over the place, matches are based on metal attitude on the day.

3. Doubles should be dropped from GS tennis. No one watches it, no one really cares. $520k subsided cheque. Money could go towards juniors (free flights etc), qualifiers, and split up to main draw aiming at R1, R2 etc.

4. Mixed doubles should be dropped from GS tennis. No one watches it, no one really cares. $135.5k subsided cheque.

5. The extreme heat day where outside matches started at 4pm was worth trialling as Round 2 draw, giving all players the ability to play at night instead of the privileged seeds. This will allow larger crowds as outside of working hours, and also other time zones.

6. Umpires are dodging confrontation at the expense of the rules. The rules allow for extensions where needed, not every point, the 30 seconds between points becoming tiresome.

7. Australian Open could be played later in the year maybe 3rd week February allowing the top players more time to rest between the ATP Finals and AO build up events. Better weather, etc.

8. Slightly faster balls and hot weather did not speed up the game too much, there needs to be a slow hard court GS - AO and a faster hard court GS - USO. These should remain distinct.

9. Ch.7 commentary needs to drop Bruice on the mens matches and Woodbridge. They should not have a ex-swimmer interviewing players at the end of the match, there are plenty of great tennis players who can do this.

10. Womens dress are getting too short and those nappy things they wear underneath look ridiculous. Length the dress or wear something feminine, not incontinence pants.

11. They need early on to show camera angles from behind the players so people get an idea of pace and spin. Pigeon cam makes the game look slower than it is.

12. Corporate Boxes that are regularly empty should not be, not sure what to do but it's looks bad and is bad to the tennis public. Also these people tend to wander in very slowly holding up play, when the umpire says take a seat, the nearest seat, do it.

13. These are only my points, they are neither right nor wrong, just my view without deep analysis.

14. Stop making the players hold Koala's, they're dirty, flee carriers which can shred your face apart if they can be bothered. It's like giving some one a federal possum to hold. Give them cute pygmy sugar gliders. The baby wombat was cute, even if nearly dropped once.

 

[kishnabe]

The Nadal haters are ridiculous. They think we Nadal fans are obsessed with him getting to 17 majors. We aren't. We're Nadal fans because we like his style of play and his determination.

Not all of you guys....just like the few bad apples in the Fed Fan base, there are some in the Nadal fan base.

 

[forzamilan90]

The Nadal haters are ridiculous. They think we Nadal fans are obsessed with him getting to 17 majors. We aren't. We're Nadal fans because we like his style of play and his determination.

screw the major count, it's the other things that **** us off. Never seen a great player in any sport be such a suspicious character and annoying on court (butt picking, time wasting, bending rules). So many reasons to hate him. It's a reason he's so polarizing, his fans love him, but everyone else knows that he is rotten.

 

[Mustard]

screw the major count, it's the other things that **** us off. Never seen a great player in any sport be such a suspicious character and annoying on court (butt picking, time wasting, bending rules). So many reasons to hate him. It's a reason he's so polarizing, his fans love him, but everyone else knows that he is rotten.

People only care about that because of Nadal's wins over his biggest rivals on the biggest stages over the years, and the fact that he threatens Federer's record. For similar reasons, some people used to hound Seles about grunting.

 

[forzamilan90]

People only care about that because of Nadal's wins over his biggest rivals on the biggest stages over the years, and the fact that he threatens Federer's record.

ok let's assume that a newcomer rises in the tennis ranks, he's just as annoying and suspicious, pulls the same crap nadal does, but isn't threatening the record...we're not gonna express our discontent with that?

 

[Mustard]

ok let's assume that a newcomer rises in the tennis ranks, he's just as annoying and suspicious, pulls the same crap nadal does, but isn't threatening the record...we're not gonna express our discontent with that?

Not to the poisonous extent we see with some of Nadal's haters, no.

 

[Wynter]

If I was forced to watch him as much as some watch Nadal, aka top ten so prime time tele, yes I honestly would.

Mind you I like nadal, probably my 9th favorite player.

 

[PeteD]

Kinda sums it up . . .

 

[Winners or Errors]

The Nadal haters are ridiculous. They think we Nadal fans are obsessed with him getting to 17 majors. We aren't. We're Nadal fans because we like his style of play and his determination.

To whom are you directing that at... me? I have always enjoyed watching Nadal. At the same time, I tend to prefer underdogs, so I tend to root for them.

I just like good tennis. I mentioned the Federer records because they are astonishing. Against the field, there has never been a player as great as Federer. That may not be the case anymore, but it certainly was during his semi-final streak at the majors. If you can't admit that, you're just being stubborn.

On the other hand, if I had to pick a player who, the deeper he went in a tournament the more likely he was to win it, I'd probably choose Nadal. When he makes it into the late rounds, it seems inevitable that he will win tournaments. He is maybe the best big match player of all time, and he always works hard on court. When there was a Fedal rivalry, and I think that time has passed, the way he would "break" Federer mentally just astounded me. He is amazing. I don't think he's "rotten."

I don't know where Djokovic sits in that discussion, because he has had flashes of brilliance, and pretty good consistency, but hasn't been as much of a lock as either, outside of his amazing 2011.

Why oversimplify this? Is it just to get a rise out of people?

 

[Raging Buddha]

I'm glad that at least one of the threads created in the wake of the match is constructive, non-hating and appreciative of the many interesting things that had occurred. You have my kudos, TC.

 

[Nostradamus]

it was BAD. only good match was Stan vs Novak. only decent match of the tourney

 

[Winners or Errors]

it was BAD. only good match was Stan vs Novak. only decent match of the tourney

Wow. All that hard work put in by all those players, and that's all you got?

 

[Winners or Errors]

I'm glad that at least one of the threads created in the wake of the match is constructive, non-hating and appreciative of the many interesting things that had occurred. You have my kudos, TC.

Thanks. I enjoy watching professional tennis. It is a great way to get ideas on how to play the game, for better or for worse, and always full of lessons. It can be hard to be constructive around here.

 

[Day Tripper]

The Nadal haters are ridiculous. They think we Nadal fans are obsessed with him getting to 17 majors. We aren't. We're Nadal fans because we like his style of play and his determination.

That is fair enough. As someone who clearly knows a lot about the game and is a huge nadal fan I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on 'the boy who cried wolf' scenario that arose last night.

The Aust crowd clearly didnt believe nadal. This a crowd that is usually one of his most supportive. I think nadal fans need to ask themselves why this is the case.

Nadal is a great player no doubt but I think it is about time that nadal fans acknowledged that his level of sportsmanship has been sadly lacking at times and seems to be getting worse as his career progresses.

I think last night marked a real tipping point for a lot of neutral fans and even some less fervent nadal fans in their attitude toward nadal.

certainly we have seen a tipping point in regard to umpires attitudes toward nadal this aust open.

 

[Winners or Errors]

Nice post, Day Tripper

 

[Nostradamus]

Wow. All that hard work put in by all those players, and that's all you got?

did you see another good match in this tournament ?? if so which one ?? I must have missed it. hard work ?? players are responsible for entertaining the viewer and audiences......that is their responsibility

 

[poofytail]

Great tournament, especialy the women. Some stories:

-Na finally gets the 2nd slam she has been knocking on the door of for awhile, and proves beyond a doubt she is not another one off or slightly flukish 1 slam winner (I dont think a 1 slam winner should hardly ever be considered that, but in the womens game lately we have had some unusually weak ones).

For it to happen at the slam she first had anyone notice her, taking Serena to 3 sets in an early round in 2006, and first really came to prominence as a contender (semis in 2010, final in 2011) is all the more fitting.


-Ivanovic shows she might be on the way back to being a real contender again, and a possible top 10 perennial or even top 5 player, with huge win over Serena.

-Bouchard with her breakthrough, making the semis, and cementing the hype around her as an emerging top player and Canada's possible first slam winner (along with Raonic but I honestly think Bouchard is ore likely) is for real.

-Serena showing sublime form in early rounds that suggest she could have another multi slam year and continue her chase of history, even if she fell to inspired Ivanovic.

-Wawrinka's huge breakthrough which he has been building to, especialy in the last year. Also stepping out of Federer's shadow for the first time ever.

-Nadal building his points lead in the rankings to a chasm and with a strong start to his 2014 campaign.

-Murray with a decent performance in his comeback event, and promise of perhaps better things to come.

-The surprisingly strong tourament of Federer, showing perhaps he isnt totally done yet.

-The continued emergence of the games two most promising young players- Nishikori and Dimitrov, lending hopes both could be top 10 regulars (atleast) this year, and possibly a future slam winner.

-The dream tournament of Cibulkova, who could perhaps carry on and do more big things as many of the surprise womens slam performers in recent years have.

 

[Winners or Errors]

I enjoyed all of those things, too.

 

[Winners or Errors]

did you see another good match in this tournament ?? if so which one ?? I must have missed it. hard work ?? players are responsible for entertaining the viewer and audiences......that is their responsibility

I find your standards unreasonable.

1. Federer played beautifully against Murray.
2. Cibulkova played solid tennis in many matches.
3. Murray looked healthy, which I thought was encouraging for the remainder of the year, silly back-grabbing during the Federer match excepted.
4. Wawrinka played inspired tennis pretty much until the Nadal MTO.
5. Dimitrov looked good in several matches.
6. Na Li's backhand in the match with Bouchard was a thing of beauty.
7. Seeing Serena, Shriekapova, and Shriekarenka defeated = they can't just show up and expect to win, nice - and quieter finish to the tournament.
8. Men's doubles: Butorac/Klaasen played beautifully when I saw them play Nestor/Zimonjic, and I suspect there were other excellent matches involving them, as they made the final.

You'll probably disagree, but if you can only find one entertaining match in a huge tournament, you may want to start watching another sport.

 

[Blinkism]

ok let's assume that a newcomer rises in the tennis ranks, he's just as annoying and suspicious, pulls the same crap nadal does, but isn't threatening the record...we're not gonna express our discontent with that?

Let's further your hypothesis with; and he beats Nadal in a grand slam.

Discontent will quickly turn to TT's new hero and what you call "annoying" and "suspicious" will be endearing to many.

(Disclaimer: before anyone accuses me of this - I am not equating Stan with this at all. Instead, I'm referring to the deplorable and unremarkable players that have taken momentary spotlights on these boards in the past as revealers and illuminators. The one's who've finally "figured out and shown the tennis world how to beat Nadal" by playing, for a brief time, literally the kind of tennis that beats ANYONE. The ones who eventually fade into obscurity and irrelevancy whilst Nadal proceeds to be a pinnacle of consistency and excellence to the annoyance and unexplained juvenile rage of many poster on these fine, fine boards).