Wimbledon 2019 or US Open 2019

[Indianwells007]

Rafa and Novak fans. If you knew at start of year both would win their pet slam and would win another major as well which would you have preferred USO or W?

As a Rafa fan im happy he got Us Open. 4 titles there makes him a GOAT on hard courts as he one of only a select few with over 3 titles at a Major. Had he won W then he would still 'only' have 3 titles there but not have joined that elite group at US Open.

Perfect year for me as a Rafa fan..how do other Rafa and Novak fans feel?

 

[NoleFam]

I would have chose Wimbledon so glad it happened the way it did.

 

[Nadal_King]

I would have been happy with either but badly want another Wimbledon for Rafa but in this case a Wimbledon for Rafa and us open for djokovic would have meant djokovic tieing nadal there and nadal still behind at Wimbledon so this scenario is best as it occurred.

 

[clayqueen]

Very very difficult to choose because I'm very pleased, ecstatic, in fact that Rafa has won the most USO titles in this decade when for years it was taken as read that Rafa would never win the USO because the court is too fast. But I'll choose Wimbledon because I really wanted Rafa to beat Federer on his way to winning the title, simply to make the Wimbledon organisers eat a huge dollop of humble pie over their stupid ranking formula. The other reason I would have chosen Wimbledon is because Rafa narrowly missed winning it last year. It was a very close match decided on one point and I think all that business about playing the SF indoors was a bit bizarre and it still rankles with me.

 

[Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil]

Great year Slam wise. Crushed Nadal at AO for the record down under, 13-12d Fed at Wimbledon for number 5. Can't complain. He does it in style so often even today.

 

[Deleted member 762343]

Beating the grass GOAT in an epic 5 hours final is great for Djoko’s legacy but he had already beaten him twice prior to this match. Getting an 11th HC slam to equal Federer and become the HC "co-GOAT" is technically more important for his legacy. Still, beating Federer at Wimb in such an epic final is more impressive than beating Medvedev, as well as equaling Borg’s record. So it’s hard to choose but I’d go with Wimbledon.

And although I’m not a Nadal fan, I think a 3rd Wimb title would have been even more epic than a 4th USO title for several reasons :

- at least 3 titles at 3 of the 4 slams
- at least 3 slam titles on all surfaces
- third Channel Slam
- beating Federer and Djokovic back to back (and 2-2 against both of them)
- number 19 sooner (which would have put him in a more comfortable position)

 

[Start da Game]

good that he won the us open......around the time of roma i thought he would muster up the courage and win wimbledon this year but he played like a terrified chicken in the semis and deserved to lose......

 

[MeatTornado]

Very very difficult to choose because I'm very pleased, ecstatic, in fact that Rafa has won the most USO titles in this decade when for years it was taken as read that Rafa would never win the USO because the court is too fast. But I'll choose Wimbledon because I really wanted Rafa to beat Federer on his way to winning the title, simply to make the Wimbledon organisers eat a huge dollop of humble pie over their stupid ranking formula. The other reason I would have chosen Wimbledon is because Rafa narrowly missed winning it last year. It was a very close match decided on one point and I think all that business about playing the SF indoors was a bit bizarre and it still rankles with me.

You say that laughingly like he proved us wrong, even though a big part of why he's been successful is that the courts were slowed down significantly since people were saying that.

 

[King No1e]

I'd rather Djokovic have won USO. Then he'd be ahead of Nadal in both. But I'm not complaining that Djokovic has 5 Wimbledons.

 

[StrongRule]

Definitely USO. Nadal had a great chance to win Wimbledon in 2018, and he missed it. I think he is done at this slam anyway. This year I wasn't really upset about the loss, I was only angry because Nadal played so bad on big points in that semifinal. Especially given that he played a very average Federer.

Winning a fourth USO title was huge. And what makes this win even better is the reaction of Federer trolls. For some reason they are getting totally mad every time when Nadal wins USO, always start crying and making excuses. I doubt he will win a fifth title there, but if he does some of them might get heart attack.

 

[StrongRule]

Beating the grass GOAT in an epic 5 hours final is great for Djoko’s legacy but he had already beaten him twice prior to this match. Getting an 11th HC slam to equal Federer and become the HC "co-GOAT" is technically more important for his legacy. Still, beating Federer at Wimb in such an epic final is more impressive than beating Medvedev, as well as equaling Borg’s record. So it’s hard to choose but I’d go with Wimbledon.

And although I’m not a Nadal fan, I think a 3rd Wimb title would have been even more epic than a 4th USO title for several reasons :

- at least 3 titles at 3 of the 4 slams
- at least 3 slam titles on all surfaces
- third Channel Slam
- beating Federer and Djokovic back to back (and 2-2 against both of them)
- number 19 sooner (which would have put him in a more comfortable position)

Medvedev played great in USO final, people really should stop trying to bring him down. If anything, he already beat Djokovic twice this year, and pushed him in AO. And the most important thing is that he was very mentally clutch in the USO final and didn't choke at all, he was just outplayed.

 

[Indianwells007]

Definitely USO. Nadal had a great chance to win Wimbledon in 2018, and he missed it. I think he is done at this slam anyway. This year I wasn't really upset about the loss, I was only angry because Nadal played so bad on big points in that semifinal. Especially given that he played a very average Federer.

Winning a fourth USO title was huge. And what makes this win even better is the reaction of Federer trolls. For some reason they are getting totally mad every time when Nadal wins USO, always start crying and making excuses. I doubt he will win a fifth title there, but if he does some of them might get heart attack.

I would have also asked federer fans what hurt more ..Nadal winning USO or Djokovic winning W but u can bet that would be deleted.

 

[Deleted member 762343]

Medvedev played great in USO final, people really should stop trying to bring him down. If anything, he already beat Djokovic twice this year, and pushed him in AO. And the most important thing is that he was very mentally clutch in the USO final and didn't choke at all, he was just outplayed.

Who said Medvedev played badly ? Beating Federer, especially at Wimbledon, is just more impressive.

 

[StrongRule]

Who said Medvedev played badly ? Beating Federer, especially at Wimbledon, is just more impressive.

I think USO final had higher quality though. I didn't enjoy Wimbledon final this year. Djokovic played bad, but Federer choked like mad on every big point and couldn't take advantage. Djokovic's best win this year should be AO, as he played great there.

 

[Deleted member 762343]

I would have also asked federer fans what hurt more ..Nadal winning USO or Djokovic winning W but u can bet that would be deleted.

The answer is obvious anyway.

 

[Indianwells007]

Medvedev played great in USO final, people really should stop trying to bring him down. If anything, he already beat Djokovic twice this year, and pushed him in AO. And the most important thing is that he was very mentally clutch in the USO final and didn't choke at all, he was just outplayed.

The USO final was far better quality wise than W final. Medvedev was the best hard court player this season along with Nadal so it was the perfect final.

Djokovic was way below his best in W final yet still won. Federer level was way below the level of Medvedev. Too often people judge matches off the names involved not the form of those playing

 

[Indianwells007]

You say that laughingly like he proved us wrong, even though a big part of why he's been successful is that the courts were slowed down significantly since people were saying that.

Ok lets say thats true. Nobody in 2010 said it was slow at USO. That year Nadal won 3 majors on 3 surfaces so surely that is the biggest achievement in tennis? I mean if Nadal has won the same event when conditions have changed so much is surely amazing?

 

[StrongRule]

The USO final was far better quality wise than W final. Medvedev was the best hard court player this season along with Nadal so it was the perfect final.

Djokovic was way below his best in W final yet still won. Federer level was way below the level of Medvedev. Too often people judge matches off the names involved not the form of those playing

Yes, I agree. Many matches between the big 3 were not really high quality matches, even if they had drama.

 

[Indianwells007]

Very very difficult to choose because I'm very pleased, ecstatic, in fact that Rafa has won the most USO titles in this decade when for years it was taken as read that Rafa would never win the USO because the court is too fast. But I'll choose Wimbledon because I really wanted Rafa to beat Federer on his way to winning the title, simply to make the Wimbledon organisers eat a huge dollop of humble pie over their stupid ranking formula. The other reason I would have chosen Wimbledon is because Rafa narrowly missed winning it last year. It was a very close match decided on one point and I think all that business about playing the SF indoors was a bit bizarre and it still rankles with me.

Wimbledon is very anti Nadal and that seeding formula seems arbitarily used. The roofgate was digraceful. No blame to Djokovic as he was entitled to enforce the law which gave the option to keep roof closed but what sort of event has the logic at an outdoor event when its sunny and 90F outside that they keep roof closed lol.

 

[Deleted member 762343]

I think USO final had higher quality though. I didn't enjoy Wimbledon final this year. Djokovic played bad, but Federer choked like mad on every big point and couldn't take advantage. Djokovic's best win this year should be AO, as he played great there.

I don’t think Djokovic played badly, that’s an overstatement. He just wasn’t at his best but good enough to best an extremely good Federer in important moments.

I did enjoy Medvedev’s showing a lot in the final though.

 

[NoleFam]

The USO final was far better quality wise than W final. Medvedev was the best hard court player this season along with Nadal so it was the perfect final.

Djokovic was way below his best in W final yet still won. Federer level was way below the level of Medvedev. Too often people judge matches off the names involved not the form of those playing

Federer was way below the level of Medvedev? Now that is quite a stretch. I think the USO was a higher quality match because Djokovic didn't play up to his standards but to say Federer was far below the level of Medvedev is reaching. Federer made almost 20 more winners and only 5 more unforced errors than Medvedev.

 

[NoleFam]

Wimbledon is very anti Nadal and that seeding formula seems arbitarily used. The roofgate was digraceful. No blame to Djokovic as he was entitled to enforce the law which gave the option to keep roof closed but what sort of event has the logic at an outdoor event when its sunny and 90F outside that they keep roof closed lol.

Wimbledon is anti Nadal? How exactly? Are we still talking about the roof?

 

[StrongRule]

Federer was way below the level of Medvedev? Now that is quite a stretch. I think the USO was a higher quality match because Djokovic didn't play up to his standards but to say Federer was far below the level of Medvedev is reaching. Federer made almost 20 more winners and only 5 more unforced errors than Medvedev.

You can't compare grass statistics with hardcourt though. Also, a big difference was the mentality. Medvedev was actually clutch in USO final. Federer in Wimbledon final on the other hand never believed he can win.

 

[NoleFam]

You can't compare grass statistics with hardcourt though. Also, a big difference was the mentality. Medvedev was actually clutch in USO final. Federer in Wimbledon final on the other hand never believed he can win.

Medvedev was 5/15 on break points and Federer was 7/13. That's better stats from Federer. Medvedev was helped by Nadal's dismal 6/21 on break points which kept the match closer. So really it was a mix of Nadal not being clutch enough and Medvedev being clutch.

 

[Indianwells007]

Federer was way below the level of Medvedev? Now that is quite a stretch. I think the USO was a higher quality match because Djokovic didn't play up to his standards but to say Federer was far below the level of Medvedev is reaching. Federer made almost 20 more winners and only 5 more unforced errors.

It was the worse ive ever seen Novak and we now know why as he clearly had the shoulder issue. That explains why his serve was poor and his BH return was so off. At the time i thought Novak was choking due to the hostile Brits but now we know he had that shoulder problem for a while which explains him being so off.

On that basis Federer had a shadow Djokovic to play whose best shot (BH return) was not functioning. He still lost which is why i say i felt Federer level was off.

I genuinely believe Novak with his normal return off BH and serving his usual 70 pct 1st serves (he was about 54 per cent in final) wins that match in straight sets.

 

[Indianwells007]

Medvedev was 5/15 on break points and Federer was 7/13. That's better stats from Federer. Medvedev was helped by Nadal's dismal 6/21 on break points which kept the match closer. So really it was a mix of Nadal not being clutch enough and Medvedev being clutch.

I watched the USO final again yesterday. Rafa should have won in straight sets which actually may help him in that h2h going forward. He wss very nervous throughout and did miss alot of chances, one overhead at BP on Medvedev serve in 3rd set springs to mind.

 

[NoleFam]

It was the worse ive ever seen Novak and we now know why as he clearly had the shoulder issue. That explains why his serve was poor and his BH return was so off. At the time i thought Novak was choking due to the hostile Brits but now we know he had that shoulder problem for a while which explains him being so off.

On that basis Federer had a shadow Djokovic to play whose best shot (BH return) was not functioning. He still lost which is why i say i felt Federer level was off.

I genuinely believe Novak with his normal return off BH and serving his usual 70 pct 1st serves (he was about 54 per cent in final) wins that match in straight sets.

That wasn't the worst I have ever seen him and I don't know if it was a shoulder issue. I think he was just off and maybe a little bit nervous trying to win #5. It was strange but I don't know the reason why his level was below the way he played the whole tournament.

Djokovic definitely wasn't a shadow and raised his level everytime his back was against the wall. His backhand was pretty superb as well. The return, on both the forehand and backhand, was off and so was the serve but his backhand down the line is what saved him in that match.

Federer played really well though in both the SF and F and I was very impressed.

 

[Deleted member 762343]

You can't compare grass statistics with hardcourt though. Also, a big difference was the mentality. Medvedev was actually clutch in USO final. Federer in Wimbledon final on the other hand never believed he can win.

Federer got 2 MPs on his serve. Med never got so close to winning his match against Nadal.

 

[Indianwells007]

Wimbledon is anti Nadal? How exactly? Are we still talking about the roof?

I stress here the roof thing is not a dig at Djokovic. Nole totally blameless as he did everything within the rule

But Djokovic can struggle in extreme heat. It was hot that day. Do u think if Nole was playing Federer that day and Federer asked for roof to be open wimbledon would say no? I dont think so.

But please realise there is no animosity to Djokovic. The ire is towards wimbledon who have often treated rafa and nole badly scheduling wise.

 

[Tiki-Taka]

Would have preferred Wimbledon for Nadal if I had the option to choose because he hasn't won it in a long time and because of all the lows he had there between 2011 and 2018. But no complaints. Any Slam is huge now, I watched him live at Roland Garros for the first time, enjoyed the US Open final, he's played some great tennis throughout the year, and the Wimbledon final was fantastic even without him.

 

[NoleFam]

I watched the USO final again yesterday. Rafa should have won in straight sets which actually may help him in that h2h going forward. He wss very nervous throughout and did miss alot of chances, one overhead at BP on Medvedev serve in 3rd set springs to mind.

Nadal did get tight and let Medvedev into the match. He almost paid for it too. It wasn't just Medvedev being clutch. Too soon to predict how the head to head will go since I think Medvedev will trouble them all on hardcourt. I think on clay and grass they should thwart him pretty well.

 

[Indianwells007]

That wasn't the worst I have ever seen him and I don't know if it was a shoulder issue. I think he was just off and maybe a little bit nervous trying to win #5. It was strange but I don't know the reason why his level was below the way he played the whole tournament.

Djokovic definitely wasn't a shadow and raised his level everytime his back was against the wall. His backhand was pretty superb as well. The return, on both the forehand and backhand, was off and so was the serve but his backhand down the line is what saved him in that match.

Federer played really well though in both the SF and F and I was very impressed.

The Djokovic BH return is the key to his game. He breaks guys serve down with it but it just wasnt there in the final or the whole hard court summer. Watch how it is in Tokyo. We will know his first match if there is an issue

 

[NoleFam]

I stress here the roof thing is not a dig at Djokovic. Nole totally blameless as he did everything within the rule

But Djokovic can struggle in extreme heat. It was hot that day. Do u think if Nole was playing Federer that day and Federer asked for roof to be open wimbledon would say no? I dont think so.

But please realise there is no animosity to Djokovic. The ire is towards wimbledon who have often treated rafa and nole badly scheduling wise.

It really wasn't that hot though. It was pretty warm and that's about it. I think it was hotter on the day of the final. It rarely gets that hot in London and it's really humidity that bothers Djokovic, not so much the heat. That's why he's great in Australia heat and not so great in NY. Point taken though,

 

[Indianwells007]

Nadal did get tight and let Medvedev into the match. He almost paid for it too. It wasn't just Medvedev being clutch. Too soon to predict how the head to head will go since I think Medvedev will trouble them all on hardcourt. I think on clay and grass they should thwart him pretty well.

Next year a big year for Medvedev as players will be studying him now. According to russian tennis coaches he is below Khachanov and rublev on talent level.

Will be interesting to see

 

[Indianwells007]

It really wasn't that hot though. It was pretty warm and that's about it. I think it was hotter on the day of the final. It rarely gets that hot in London and it's really humidity that bothers Djokovic, not so much the heat. That's why he's great in Australia heat and not so great in NY. Point taken though,

Anyway hope Novak enjoys tokyo..ive no idea why players play beijing over tokyo. Tokyo best city in world.

 

[NoleFam]

Next year a big year for Medvedev as players will be studying him now. According to russian tennis coaches he is below Khachanov and rublev on talent level.

Will be interesting to see

He has a lot of belief in himself and he is a fighter which is sometimes more important than more talent. I think he will be the best of the Russians because of this.

 

[NoleFam]

Anyway hope Novak enjoys tokyo..ive no idea why players play beijing over tokyo. Tokyo best city in world.

I just hope he doesn't aggravate his shoulder and hope he didn't come back too soon. I think he plays Beijing because he likes the courts there and is 6-0 at that tournament, never lost there.

 

[Indianwells007]

He has a lot of belief in himself and he is a fighter which is sometimes more important than more talent. I think he will be the best of the Russians because of this.

The 3 russians could well dominate like Courier Sampras agassi did as they may push each other. It massively helps to have players from same country up there at the very top.

I thought Rublev was going to be a real problem for Rafa in SF at USO was stunned he lost to Berrettini. Berettini is good on his day but id back rublev normally.

 

[Deleted member 762343]

Nadal did get tight and let Medvedev into the match. He almost paid for it too. It wasn't just Medvedev being clutch. Too soon to predict how the head to head will go since I think Medvedev will trouble them all on hardcourt. I think on clay and grass they should thwart him pretty well.

He has a lot of room to improve on grass though.

 

[Indianwells007]

I just hope he doesn't aggravate his shoulder and hope he didn't come back too soon. I think he plays Beijing because he likes the courts there and is 6-0 at that tournament, never lost there.

I think he genuinely wanted to see Tokyo and prep for next years olympics.

 

[NoleFam]

The 3 russians could well dominate like Courier Sampras agassi did as they may push each other. It massively helps to have players from same country up there at the very top.

I thought Rublev was going to be a real problem for Rafa in SF at USO was stunned he lost to Berrettini. Berettini is good on his day but id back rublev normally.

Rublev impressed me in Cincy and I think is a player a lot of us forgot about. I think he will be really good in the future. Khachanov regressed this year and needs to get back on track. I like Berrettini as well.

 

[NoleFam]

He has a lot of room to improve on grass though.

Yea they all would probably beat him badly on grass. He has room to improve there and clay, although he seems to be improving faster on clay.

 

[Indianwells007]

Rublev impressed me in Cincy and I think is a player a lot of us forgot about. I think he will be really good in the future. Khachanov regressed this year and needs to get back on track. I like Berrettini as well.

Big autumn for Khachanov alot of points to defend.

 

[NoleFam]

I think he genuinely wanted to see Tokyo and prep for next years olympics.

Yea he said he wanted to get a feel for the courts before the Olympics next year.

 

[Indianwells007]

Yea he said he wanted to get a feel for the courts before the Olympics next year.

Nole is very spiritual..he is going to fall in love with Japan.

 

[NoleFam]

Nole is very spiritual..he is going to fall in love with Japan.

Never been to Japan but love Japanese people. My roommate and best friend in college was Japanese. Great people in general.

 

[StrongRule]

Federer got 2 MPs on his serve. Med never got so close to winning his match against Nadal.

And he still lost. As I said he never believed he can win this match. Mentally Djokovic totally owned him.

 

[BeatlesFan]

As a Rafa fan im happy he got Us Open. 4 titles there makes him a GOAT on hard courts

The term "GOAT" has no plurals, it stands alone. Rafa winning 4 USO's is truly a great achievement, but he's far from HC GOAT and to suggest he is is actually laughable. That accolade goes to Fed or Djokovic who have far more titles on HC. Sampras has 5 USO's on HC's, he's also clearly ahead of Nadal on HC. Lendl, Mac and Connors would all have a clear cut case for being ahead of Nadal on HC, despite having fewer USO titles.

Nadal having only one AO title also is an issue in evaluating his greatness on the surface.

 

[clayqueen]

Wimbledon is very anti Nadal and that seeding formula seems arbitarily used. The roofgate was digraceful. No blame to Djokovic as he was entitled to enforce the law which gave the option to keep roof closed but what sort of event has the logic at an outdoor event when its sunny and 90F outside that they keep roof closed lol.

Actually, the seeding used to be determined by a seeding committee but in 2002 they agreed a formula with the ATP that they apply every year. I wrote to them this year to complain. Judging by what Henman was saying about the controversy, I expect them to drop the formula and just go with the ATP rankings from next year.

 

[clayqueen]

The term "GOAT" has no plurals, it stands alone. Rafa winning 4 USO's is truly a great achievement, but he's far from HC GOAT and to suggest he is is actually laughable. That accolade goes to Fed or Djokovic who have far more titles on HC. Sampras has 5 USO's on HC's, he's also clearly ahead of Nadal on HC. Lendl, Mac and Connors would all have a clear cut case for being ahead of Nadal on HC, despite having fewer USO titles.

Nadal having only one AO title also is an issue in evaluating his greatness on the surface.

Wow! Calm down.