Tennis

Szlia

Szlia

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The big difference with last year's match is that Wawrinka served first in the fifth. In the end, a slice of luck (Wawrinka returning a body serve with a very awkward short ball) and two terrible shots by Djokovic sealed the deal in favor of the swiss. It's a good thing he did not lose this one, because if he did he would have regretted it for a long while: He lost the first set because of a very sluggish start and lost the fourth because he saw the finish line and panicked. Djokovic was also very nervous during the match, struggling with his shots, and he only managed to stretch it thanks to his refusal to lose allowing him to raise his level in a number of key moments. Considering his past success in the AO and the winning streak he was on, it was a tad surprising to see him tense up that much, especially when he got an early lead in the fifth.

The semi will be against Berdych who took care of business without making waves, edging an off-color Ferrer (at least during the set that I saw). Wawrinka won 6 of their last 7 matches stretching back to 2010 and Berdych's only win was in Davis Cup which is a particular beast.


On a side note, today's defeat stopped at 14 the grand slam semi-final streak that Djokovic had going. He had to keep it going until the AO in 2016 to tie Federer, but now he has to start from scratch and reach all the semi until the US Open in 2020 to tie the GOAT... It's safe to say that will not happen!
 
Araxen

Araxen

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AO has been gift wrapped for Nadal unless Fed can pull off a huge upset and beat Nadal.
 
AngryGerbil

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I thought about you the other day Szlia when my local sports radio was talking about american football and how the oft-media-labeled GOAT of football (Peyton Manning) is about to play the biggest game of his life in two weeks. But what they were really talking about was how there is no such thing as a GOAT in anything that has any age to it and there never will be. How can you compare cross-generational talent? Results are one thing, but talent itself can't compared. Throw technology into the mix and it's almost kinda not even the same sport. Sure maybe we can safely say Federer or Djokovic would beat Agassi or Becker or even Sampras. But Conners? Borg? Laver? It's not really the same game anymore when you go back far enough....or ahead enough.

I like to think of GOATs not as a singular title that one man possesses at any moment in time, but as a semi-generational medal that we collectively pin on the chest of a very very select few over the years and generations.

What I mean is; Rafa rulez and Fedick droolz!!!m HAHA

Also, Vika needs to keep winning so I can keep eye fucking her through my TV.
 
Szlia

Szlia

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@Araxen: The Nadal that played Nishikori cannot beat Wawrinka nor Berdych: Their game is too big if he can't defend properly. I guess we'll see in a couple hours what kind of Nadal we get: the regular one who is the favorite for the title, or the semi-injured one who might very well lose against Dimitrov.
 
AngryGerbil

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Aggie is dismantling Vika.

Edit*
That was a bit of a meltdown there at the end for Azarenka, but that shouldn't detract from the fact that Radwanska played great.
 
Szlia

Szlia

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Nadal managed to escape another match that he could have lost in straight sets. The blisters he has in the palm of his left hand also turned into a bloody crater, which is probably not too pleasant, but he soldiered through it.

Federer made a stunning display of attacking tennis, but just as Murray gave him a break in the fourth to let him serve for the match he tensed up a bit, became a little more defensive, missed the shots he made easily until that moment and as a result faced his first break points of the match and lost his serve. He also had a lead in the breaker that followed and even two match points, but again he was suddenly passive which allowed Murray to be the aggressor and bag the third. As the swiss failed to convert 6 or seven break points in a 20min game at the beginning of the fourth set, it suddenly felt like the tide could turn. Luckily for the swiss, Murray's fitness level prevented this turn to happen.

Random Federer stat of the day: 11th AO semi-final in a row... whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.


That Nadal vs Federer match will be intriguing. That's a war that will be waged on many fronts: fitness, match up, game plan, psychology... If Federer closed his match against Murray in straight sets with a 1 min special, I would put him as the favorite of that particular match, but this sign of nerves, the fact he became more defensive with the finish line in sight, makes me believe Nadal is once again the favorite for this 9765876th meeting.
 
Szlia

Szlia

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A single break in 45 service games: Wawrinka won 6-3 6-7 7-6 7-6. Berdych will have nightmares about that one, because he gift-wrapped the third and fourth set breakers with 3 double faults.

If Federer also reaches the final, it will be tough for me to watch... let's just hope that, if that happens, Wawrinka manages to at least play a good match and leaves the court without regrets.


On the WTA side, Li stormed past Bouchard and Cibulkova stormed past Radwanska. The canadian was nervous and the pole tired. It should be an entertaining final with two player that produced a very high level of aggressive tennis during these two weeks.
 
AngryGerbil

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Szlia_sl said:
That Nadal vs Federer match will be intriguing. That's a war that will be waged on many fronts: fitness, match up, game plan, psychology... If Federer closed his match against Murray in straight sets with a 1 min special, I would put him as the favorite of that particular match, but this sign of nerves, the fact he became more defensive with the finish line in sight, makes me believe Nadal is once again the favorite for this 9765876th meeting.
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I'm glad you think so. I am feeling much the opposite. Nadal is hanging in there so far but he isn't at his sharpest. That may have to do with the blister on his hand or not, but it is what it is in any case. Federer looks much sharper to me. He looks practiced and more ready overall. I think he will take it in 4 and do the same to Stan for his 5th AO.
 
Zzen

Zzen

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Stan the Man wins the AO regardless of who wins the other semi, he is playing the best tennis. This is the year that the reign on the big 4 is broken.

Berdych's girlfriend...so fine. Hope he goes deep in more majors so I can enjoy the sight of her getting emotional during big matches.
 
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AngryGerbil_sl said:
I'm glad you think so. I am feeling much the opposite. Nadal is hanging in there so far but he isn't at his sharpest. That may have to do with the blister on his hand or not, but it is what it is in any case. Federer looks much sharper to me. He looks practiced and more ready overall. I think he will take it in 4 and do the same to Stan for his 5th AO.
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Nadal's hand doesn't look appetizing.

Rafael Nadals Hands Are Disgusting

I think it's an all-Swiss final. Stan is playing so well that I think it could do either way, but I'd lean towards Fed, too.
 
Szlia

Szlia

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I gave a slight edge to an injured Nadal, but all the problems that plagued him against Nishikori and Dimitrov were magically gone today, maybe because when he plays Federer he has a very clear and methodical game plan that gives him a confidence he might not have against younger opponents that are on the rise. Slight injury + doubt = big problem. Slight injury + confidence = no problem. Federer did not play a terrible match, but he does not have the luxury of a clear game plan against Nadal or at least a game plan that allows him consistently to prevent the spaniard to implement his. As a result he will make poor choices here and there that will give counter-attack opportunities to Nadal on top of unforced errors that come with indecisiveness, poor shot selection and/or trying to do too much. Add to those the points that Nadal milks with a game plan designed to get errors or short balls from very low risk shots and you see the path for Federer against a confident Nadal is very very narrow. That path could have widen a little if Federer managed to plant the proverbial seed of doubt by winning the first set, but he did not.
 
Szlia

Szlia

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Interesting chunk of Nadal's press conference after the semi:

Q. Because you have such a good record against Roger, do you go on court with a very clear mind against him?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, I go on court knowing that is a really tough match and if I am not playing my best, I will not have the chance to win, so...

Every time I go on court I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I will be able to do it or if he will give me the chance to play the way that I want to play.

So, sure, when I go on court, I go with doubts. The doubts are good. Is not a bad thing have doubts before the match. As I say, I know the way that I want to play against him and against everybody, but the problem is I am not able to do it every time that I want.


Q. A couple days ago Roger said that Stefan had a couple ideas on how he should best approach you for this match. Did you notice any different tactics from Roger this time that you hadn't noticed before?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I think he tried to play very aggressive, taking the ball very early. But if you go to YouTube and you see the video of 2012 match, you will see that he was playing very, very aggressive, too. Especially the beginning of the match. So is nothing completely new.

I saw that video today, the morning. I see the way that he will try to play again. But important thing for me is serve well, resist the beginning. I know he will try to go on court going for the winners, taking the ball very early.

So when the match is coming and the match is longer, then that's more difficult. Because physically is very difficult for me, for him, for everybody to play with that intensity of trying to play that aggressive during a few hours, no, because mentally and physically is very tough.

So when the match is going on, I know that I will have the chance to hit a little bit more rallies. That's the position that I want to be. So is very important to resist the score at the beginning.
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Szlia

Szlia

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After a very tight first set with a lot more errors than winners on both sides, Li Na surfed the momentum she acquired by winning the breaker to raise her level to 'unplayable', moving Cibulkova around with her supposedly weaker forehand and turning almost every single backhand into a winner. Known to get nervy when it's time to close matches, there even was none of it today and she raced through a one sided second set for the AO title. Not bad for someone who had to save match points in the third round against Safarova (the only match where she lost a set!).

The chinese player certainly benefited from the many upsets that happened in the draw, but even if she was the favorite in all of her matches, that does not tarnish her victory. After all she managed to do what many others could not: win as the favorite. It should also be noted that her two early matches against unseeded players made her play Ana Konjuh and Belinda Bencic who have been dominating junior tennis for the past couple years (along american Taylor Townsend).
 
AngryGerbil

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Yeah you cannot ever blame a player or a team for beating those in front of them. Vika and Serena going out early is not up to Li. She just has to beat the gal in front of her on any given day. I get it.

Same with Cibulkova. Good for her. Congrats to the Commie.

Stan has already lost, imo. Rafa has revealed the truth to me. The truth of the matter is that when a player selects the One-Handed/Right-Handed backhand, (Swiss or not) he selects the following:

"I hereby select that I will have more pop on my backhand. I select for myself to have more mobility on my backhand. I will have more reach on my backhand. I will have more 'flash' on my backhand. Also, along with all of this, I will also have difficulty with high bouncing balls to my backhand. If it is particularly high bouncing, hard hit, and has a lot of spin, I will pretty much not be able to do anything of any real significance to the ball. In other words, if anyone ever develops a left-handed player with crazy spin and a high bounce who targets my backhand mercilessly, I will always lose to that man."

I know I was against Rafa last time but I am with him this time. His lefty forehand is pretty much the tailor-made counter to onehanded righties.
 
MrHolland420

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Damn was rooting for Nadal, but he is in pain, and I don't see him winning this against the Swiss.
 
Szlia

Szlia

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That must be the toughest mental challenge: play your first grand slam final against the world N?1, play great tennis with amazing focus, lead convincingly and suddenly the opponent gets injured and is forced to play high risk tennis so all the focus, all the game plans go down the drain and the burden of expectation crashes down upon your shoulders... considering how stressful it is to watch, I can't imagine how it must be to play.

Nadal being able to produce a higher standard of play because of the pain killers will hopefully help Wawrinka recover his focus and pushes Nadal toward more usual tennis that will also allow the swiss to fold back on the game plan that put him a set and a break up against a fit Nadal.
 
MrHolland420

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completely agree with you there. Nadal is clearly not even close to 100%. If Nadal wins that would be amazing, but I would not mind Wawranimal winning either because he knocked out Novak(which I don't care for)
 
MrHolland420

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Nadal is not even moving to return anything just about. Looks like Wawrinka might take it in the fourth set(maybe). Nadal is a fucking soldier though, gotta give him that.
 
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