WTF Final: [6] Tsitsipas vs. [5] Thiem

[TheTennisReporter]

Nadal will destroy any of these 2 in a slam final.. Just don't have the relentless intensity to compete with him

Its what happened this year at the French. Thiem was able to keep up with Nadal and even win the second set, but faltered during the 3rd and 4th.

 

[Steve0904]

The start to this set is why I still have major doubts that Timmy could beat RAFA in a RG final. This has been a huge let down in level. You can't afford to do hat against the legends and expect to get away with it. Timmy won the 2nd set this year, and then preceded to lose the 3rd and 4th set 6-1, 6-1.

This is why I'm not sure Thiem will win any majors. Logically he should win at least one RG after Rafa retires or he beats really really old Rafa, but if he doesn't get it at RG, I wouldn't exactly bet on him to win either HC slam and definitely not Wimbledon.

 

[40L0VE]

The fact Thiem is now 4-0 down in the second set after winning an intense 1st set in the tiebreak shows how much emotionally (temporarily?) it drained him. This happens a lot in tennis at all levels where the winner of a tough set has an emotional break from the intensity of the match in progress having just gained a set lead.

 

[Meles]

As good as this match has been wish these courts were slowerer.

 

[mightyjeditribble]

The dinosaur stroke, the one handed backhand, is well represented in this years final.

3/4 Semi finalists, too.

Sooo 1972.

Yeah I was thinking about that. The renaissance of the shbh is surely part of Federer's legacy. It looked for a while as though it was a dying stroke indeed.

(Sent from my mobile phone, apologies for typos!)

 

[RokasLTU]

.

 

[Meles]

This is why I'm not sure Thiem will win any majors. Logically he should win at least one RG after Rafa retires or he beats really really old Rafa, but if he doesn't get it at RG, I wouldn't exactly bet on him to win either HC slam and definitely not Wimbledon.

mto for Thiem incoming; sick

 

[megamind]

this set's been a snooze fest

 

[Steve0904]

As good as this match has been wish these courts were slowerer.

Slow courts? Haven't we got enough of those?

 

[NoleFam]

This is why I'm not sure Thiem will win any majors. Logically he should win at least one RG after Rafa retires or he beats really really old Rafa, but if he doesn't get it at RG, I wouldn't exactly bet on him to win either HC slam and definitely not Wimbledon.

Wimbledon is out of the question. My bet is RG and and the USO. I think that USO is wide open these days and will be even more so in a couple of years.

 

[speedysteve]

Theim dip yes, but Tsitsi has had a think and is returning harder.

 

[40L0VE]

If Tsitsipas wins this set with no more breaks for either player then I'd say the advantage is strongly in Tsitsipas's favour. Afterall he's drawn level winning the set without the intensity Thiem had to go through in winning the 1st set. He should start the 3rd set emotionally better than Thiem started the 2nd.

 

[NatF]

Thiem holding his serve a couple of times is very good for the third set. Breaks the momentum at bit.

 

[The Blond Blur]

Timmy is going to have to get his daily dose of fiber somewhere else since he avoids a bagel and a breadstick.

 

[speedysteve]

Breadstick saved

 

[Meles]

this set's been a snooze fest

Welcome to fast court tennis.

 

[Steve0904]

Wimbledon is out of the question. My bet is RG and and the USO. I think that USO is wide open these days and will be even more so in a couple of years.

Yeah, USO is pretty wide open. Nadal won't win there forever. Fed's too old to win the last major and Djoker is up and down there so it looks like a nice bet.

 

[Meles]

Slow courts? Haven't we got enough of those?

They've all been juiced to fast this year.

 

[speedysteve]

Welcome to fast court tennis.

I'm sure there's a clay challenger somewhere you can stream [emoji1]

 

[JohnnyMac Fan!]

Lol, at this rate the only that beat Steffy was Nadal , that didnt qualified for the semis. Oh well

 

[Terenigma]

Destruction in the second set from Tsitsipas. Bring on the 3rd!

 

[speedysteve]

Got what I wanted a 3 setter.
Don't care who wins now..

 

[NatF]

Lol, at this rate the only that beat Steffy was Nadal , that didnt qualified for the semis. Oh well

Lol let it out man. Nadal the moral winner.

 

[Rafa.the.Magnificent]

What will the third bring?!

 

[NoleFam]

Yeah, USO is pretty wide open. Nadal won't win there forever. Fed's too old to win the last major and Djoker is up and down there so it looks like a nice bet.

Plus it's probably Thiem's 2nd best major. He plays really well there.

 

[speedysteve]

Lol, at this rate the only that beat Steffy was Nadal , that didnt qualified for the semis. Oh well

Was a dead rubber (for Tsitsi) of course..

 

[megamind]

Welcome to fast court tennis.

fun to play

not as fun to watch

 

[Djokovic2011]

Here's hoping Dominic can regroup in the 3rd.

 

[The Blond Blur]

If Timmy wins in straights, I'll change my avi to an actual pic on meh with a mustache until the AO starts.

 

[toby55555]

Thiem second set second serves won 0%

 

[Meles]

I'm sure there's a clay challenger somewhere you can stream [emoji1]

Paris was a bit of a snooze fest. People in here bored. I don't like grass either.

What irks me is every tournament juicing their courts to prop up the Big 3. Veteran players have better serves and fast courts help great servers the most. Big 3 good for the bottom line which is why they do it, but its wrong.

 

[megamind]

Thiem didn't win a single point off his second serve

 

[Meles]

Thiem second set second serves won 0%

Sub Zedrot numbers. Really says he's not right at all at this point.

 

[NatF]

Thiem really upped the rpm on his backhand that set, maybe conserving energy by not bombing every shot.

 

[EllieK]

Shootout now. Who has the big guns?

 

[The Blond Blur]

Thiem didn't win a single point off his second serve

 

[tudwell]

Thiem to go on a coke-fueled run to the title in the third!

 

[40L0VE]

Lol, at this rate the only that beat Steffy was Nadal , that didnt qualified for the semis. Oh well

The 1st stage of the WTF is effectively a league format so performance against the entire field in terms of matches won, and set and game win/loss ratios determines who goes through. Nadal against the whole field was simply outperformed.

 

[speedysteve]

Paris was a bit of a snooze fest. People in here bored. I don't like grass either.

What irks me is every tournament juicing their courts to prop up the Big 3. Veteran players have better serves and fast courts help great servers the most. Big 3 good for the bottom line which is why they do it, but its wrong.

I don't see it that way.
There are many slow courts still and only a year or two ago everything seemed super slow..
Need a balence.

Here we go .

 

[NoleFam]

This is why I slightly favored Tsists as to who I thought would win. He's been even keeled and high level all week, and even in a dead rubber match. Thiem has played a very high level as well but had a letdown against Berretini.

 

[MeatTornado]

They've all been juiced to fast this year.

When Thiem won IW over Fed he credited the surface as playing like a clay court.

The USO was slightly faster than recent years, but the AO was also a hair slower (although mainly due to the ball change, I think)

Wimbledon complaints were more widespread than I've ever seen them

 

[mightyjeditribble]

Paris was a bit of a snooze fest. People in here bored. I don't like grass either.

What irks me is every tournament juicing their courts to prop up the Big 3. Veteran players have better serves and fast courts help great servers the most. Big 3 good for the bottom line which is why they do it, but its wrong.

Doesn't seem to have hurt the NextGen this tournament.

(Sent from my mobile phone, apologies for typos!)

 

[robert.s]

Tsitsipas is quite gifted as a returner.

 

[tennisjedi]

What a return by Achilles.

 

[robert.s]

Really bad passing shot by Thiem there.

 

[The Blond Blur]

Thiem to go on a coke-fueled run to the title in the third!

 

[tennisjedi]

please don't get broken Thiem.

 

[Rafa.the.Magnificent]

What a battle!!

 

[MeatTornado]

Point of the match, so far.

 

[40L0VE]

I would've never thought 4 years ago that I was going to see a final at the O2 Arena between two guys who hit one handed backhands and neither is named Federer or Wawrinka.

Let's hope the trend is repeated in all slam finals next year and every other year onwards.