Reply With QuoteJust watching Zverev in the Miami open.
Apart from Del Portro not much of a challenge elsewhere for Federer.
Watched Djokovic yesterday and didn't recognise him.
Being a big tennis fan I thought I would start a new thread for like minded people as its been done with other sports and seems to be popular.
What do people think of the season so far and what are your predictions for rest of season?
It's been Federers best ever start to a season winning 17 of his first 18 matches,what do you think the rest of the year has in store for him?
Will Nadal return to his best form going into the clay court season?
Who are the best up and coming players who catch your eye? And what's going to happen with the players returning from injury i.e. Wawrinka,Murray,Djokovic and Nishikori?
Thoughts much appreciated,I hope there's a few tennis fans on the forum!
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Just watching Zverev in the Miami open.
Apart from Del Portro not much of a challenge elsewhere for Federer.
Watched Djokovic yesterday and didn't recognise him.
Zverev is good but I can't help but feel he is just the best of a bad bunch of young players coming up. Last year when he won the Rome masters and Montreal all the pundits were singing his praises saying he's going to be a future multiple slam winner,world number 1 etc but since then he's dropped form and is less talked about now,think it's another case of people heaping too much expectation on the shoulders of someone too young to deal with it.Originally Posted by Lawbreaker5000
Djokovic is only 3 matches in from returning from injury,he just needs time and match practice. Maybe by wimbledon open he will be more recognisable again
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Federer is just an incredible tennis player. I’ve always liked him from the first time I saw him - his style of play, attitude and the person he is off the court. I always felt for him when as the dominant world number 1 a few years ago he gradually struggled against Nadal, then Djokovich. I honestly though he’d never win another slam as his time was over. What we’ve seen from him in the last couple of years has been simply amazing.
I’ve always found Murray a frustration. He should really have at least double the slams and the last 2 or 3 years should have been his. I think injury wise we’ve probably seen the best of him and I’d be surprised if he won another.
I’d like to think Fed will win Wimbledon again this year, but going forward I think it’s wide open to some fresh blood.
Djokovic is only 3 matches in from returning from injury,he just needs time and match practice. Maybe by wimbledon open he will be more recognisable again
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I get that about returning from injury but he looked totally disinterested and very unfit.
I think federers come back at age 36 is incredible,the only other triumph like that I can think of is George foreman regaining the heavyweight world title at 45
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When Nadal returned he looked like a shell of the player he was. A few months later and he won several titles on the spin. That said who knows. Guess time will tell.
Djokovic will undoubtedly get back to his best if he really wants it,I think he's got a few grand slams left in him before he retires,certainly more than murray
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I know Sascha and you're right that he does have a lot on his young shoulders, but he's got game and will come good with some maturity and growing physical skills. Will he win multiple slams - tough for anybody give that that the "big 4" are still going strong and the "big 1" seems to just keep getting better! But I'd expect Sascha to have a slam under his belt before he calls it a day.
Novak has had a lot of personal issues to deal with away from the court - once he works through that I think you'll see him back to his best.
I know they call it the "the big 4" but do you agree that it's really 4? I think people are very very generous to group Murray with 3 slams with Djokovic at 12,nadal at 16 and roger at 20. To me it's always been the big 3
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Got to say I'm disappointed with the young players coming through we've probably been spoilt over the last 10 years and I would say that in my lifetime we won't get another decade of the level of tennis that we've been privelidged to see.
At the moment if Del Potro stays fit I can see him having a good year always enjoyed his game.
Unfortunately I'm out of action at the moment due to an ankle ligament injury with my tennis season 4 weeks away gutted.
Up and coming - Thiem (although you could argue he's already arrived). I'd keep an eye on Rublev, Miomir Kecmanovic, Nicola Kuhn, Bona Devald and Borna Coric.
Yeah, I think it's pretty fair. Andy has lost 21 finals in his career - 16 of which were against the other 3. He's been in 11 Slam finals of which 10 have been against Fed or Novak. For me that pretty much cements him as being way stronger than the rest over the course - hence "big 4".
I agree
Andy mostly comes up short only against the other three.
I think a big four is right.
If we're going by slam results, we'd have to include Wawrinka (Yes I know he's not got as many tour titles as the rest!) ? What the hell, let's have a big 5!
I would put Stan in there but he lacks consistency. However when he plays his best he can play anyone off the court,his game is so brutally offensive. I really do think once the "big 4 (or 3 or 5!!) retire the game will suffer immensely. We've been truly blessed to have 3 players like Novak roger and rafa to be playing at the same time. Each generation of players produce 1 or maybe 2 truly legendary players i.e. Sampras in the 90's but we've had 3 players come along all at once who will be remembered in the history books. Will we ever see a player as gifted as Federer ever again? I highly doubt it
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Hope the ankle gets better quick,I know how frustrating it can be to be out with injury
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Love tennis too and play to an ok division 1 club level.
But these guys you see on TV are super good.
Was at Wimbledon final when feds beat Murray and the year after when Murray came back 2 down against verdasco and winning the whole thing . Watched a 1/4 final when Porto was playing ferrer the same year , when you hear & see del Potro''s forehand live it's unbelievable . Think of a sledgehammer , thud it's a 90+ mph winner .
Last week's final with delpo and feds was one of the best matches I've watched for a good while.
Some up comers I like watching are shalapolov , that wee aussie ned kyrgios can beat anyone on his day but looks disinterested half the time which is a shame as he his wasting his talent. Sasha is good to watch and young Korean chung is good on his day. Need to try and watch dom thiem at a tournament live , he looks like the real deal but can he do it over 5 sets and 2 weeks in a slam. He's one I think should get a slam sooner rather than later .
Nishikori is a good good all round player but always seems to get injured when it matters most in the latter stages of big tournaments . Like watching him play as he plays pretty aggressive and exciting tennis.
Liked watching gulbis who was a talent in his time but wasn't dedicated as his dad is a billionaire businessman who flew him in tournaments in a private jet I guess he played for fun rather than having to be dedicated . Gasguet backhand is one of the most beautiful one handed back hands I've ever seen and it's a sight to behold how he can roll over it hit off the side as well as on top of it . Another player which could have done more .
Feds for Wimbledon and us open and Nadal will be back for clay season and french . Doko has issues on and off the court I think so can't see him doing much this season , looks half the player he was .
Look forward to watching / playing more this year :)
Last edited by alanski; 25th March 2018 at 03:41.
For me del potros forehand is one of the best ive ever seen,he hits it so flat and it's so consistent you are actually surprised when he misses.
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Last edited by Rbains0708; 25th March 2018 at 09:12.
So federer surprisingly lost yesterday and has lost his number 1 ranking and wil now skip the clay court season so I guess we won't see him now until Halle in Germany and then Wimbledon. I think that del Porto final really took it out of him,you come away even more drained when you lose.
There are only 100 points between Nadal and Fed but Nadal has just over 4500 points to defend now going into the clay court season so unless he wins Monte Carlo,Barcelona,Madrid,makes the QF of Rome and then wins the French,Federer will get back to number 1 again soon.
Nadals clay court season last year was one of his most dominant,will be very interesting to see if he can do it again after being out with injury for a while now. Last year he wasn't struggling with any injuries at this time in the season,he went into the clay court season after making the Miami final.
Let's hope he gets back to form again soon
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Last edited by Rbains0708; 25th March 2018 at 09:20.
Yup awesome stroke seeing and hearing it I was in total shock how fast it flew through the air .
It literally pummels the opponent like thors hammer, watched ferrer struggle to get it back. Even feds struggled with it last week and could only block it back . It's such a great weapon to possess
After a few days of twitter insults,tantrums and surprise defeats the Miami open is turning into a very interesting tournament. Federer losing early was a bit of a surprise,I knew he was tired after the del Porto loss but I thought he'd go further in the tournament then 2nd round. Kyrgios has been up to his usual attention seeking ways hurling insults at fernando verdasco before being swept aside by Zverev,and Isner beating Cilic in straight sets was a surprise too. I still think it's Del Potros tournament to lose.
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Isner did well to beat zverev today in Miami. Interesting that Djokovic and Agassi have ended their coaching partnership,Agassi said they "had to agree to disagree too many times". I dont think it's ever good when a players keeps chopping and changing his team like Djokovic has been doing. It shows there is something very wrong going on with him at the moment
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My understanding is that there is a lot got on behind the scenes and has been for quite a while.
Yup doko got problems on and off the court . After that epic season and half he had when he couldn't lose , I think it caught up to him . His invincibility is being questioned and will he or won't he come back to that level again ....... if ever ?
I think he has a few slams left in him,just needs to get his head together
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Good win for Dominic thiem today against Djokovic,I wonder when he's going to hit form again?
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Another dominant win for Nadal on the clay today winning the Barcelona open. He's now won 46 sets in a row on the clay. I don't think we will ever see one player so dominant on 1 surface ever again
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Rafa has lost!!!! He had an amazing run on clay winning 50 sets in a row breaking a 34 year old record. Well done to Dominic thiem
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11 French opens now for Rafael Nadal taking him up to 17 grand slam victories. I definitely think that John McEnroe was right this week when he said that beating Nadal over 5 sets on clay is probably the hardest thing to do in any individual sport. Bring on Wimbledon!
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Anyone going to be around at Wimby?
Got CC tickets again this year , will be there 1st Friday 👍
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