SMB Tennis thread (note there is a specific Wimbledon 22 thread)

Augustus Winthrop said:
Totally agree that Djokovic is a knacker and statistically he will be the best but I still rate Federer above him.
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Is arguments for any of them being the goat really but I actually rate Nadal above Federer to be honest , Nadal at his peak beat Federer at his peak at Wimbledon 08 and Australia open 09 which should have been impossible really for a supposed clay court specialist .Djokovic has never had to face Federer at his peak at Wimbledon .Only fair way of splitting them is whoever wins the most slams really . I think Nadal would also probably have won about 25 slams by now if it wasn’t for injuries but that’s part and parcel of his game .
 


Nadal and Djokovic have been on the PEDs for years though surely? Federer has always seemed the most naturally gifted of the three IMO (with my admittedly limited tennis knowledge).
 
It's interesting that people think Nadal and Djokovic take PED's but not the bloke who has serious back and knee issues who came back and was supposedly playing the best tennis of his career in 2017 with veins popping out his arms and legs even though he'd never been in that shape in his 20's.

He's elegant and hits a nice one handed backhand and beat Sampras at Wimbledon though so never mind.
 
Fletch73 said:
Not sure I'd want Zverev to be the man to top men's tennis. Say what you want about Djokovic but he's never been accused of this:
slate.com

A Tennis Star’s Ex-Girlfriend Accused Him of Domestic Abuse. Why Hasn’t the Tour Addressed It?

“Every day, I was crying.”
slate.com slate.com
www.theguardian.com

Lessons to be learned from ATP handling of Alexander Zverev abuse allegations | Tumaini Carayol

Tennis has failed to provide an environment and culture that allows alleged victims to feel comfortable reporting abuse
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

"Olga Sharypova, his ex-girlfriend, has spoken further about abuse she says she experienced in a comprehensive interview in the US publication Slate. Last November, in a lengthy interview in Racquet magazine, Sharypova alleged Zverev would punch and choke her during their relationship, leading eventually to her attempting suicide by injecting herself with insulin in Geneva during the 2019 Laver Cup.
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Innocent until proven guilty, he's always denied it (as you'd expect)
Augustus Winthrop said:
Totally agree that Djokovic is a knacker and statistically he will be the best but I still rate Federer above him.
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:cool:
 
Blue_Monday said:
Is arguments for any of them being the goat really but I actually rate Nadal above Federer to be honest , Nadal at his peak beat Federer at his peak at Wimbledon 08 and Australia open 09 which should have been impossible really for a supposed clay court specialist .Djokovic has never had to face Federer at his peak at Wimbledon .Only fair way of splitting them is whoever wins the most slams really . I think Nadal would also probably have won about 25 slams by now if it wasn’t for injuries but that’s part and parcel of his game .
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He did in 2012 Wimbledon, Federer beat him in 4 in the semis before beating Murray in the final (who played great and should have been 2 sets up before the roof came on)....granted 2012 is a stretch to say he was still at his peak but this is a year after Djokovic dominated 2011 with arguably the highest level of tennis ever seen.
MarcoG said:
It's interesting that people think Nadal and Djokovic take PED's but not the bloke who has serious back and knee issues who came back and was supposedly playing the best tennis of his career in 2017 with veins popping out his arms and legs even though he'd never been in that shape in his 20's.

He's elegant and hits a nice one handed backhand and beat Sampras at Wimbledon though so never mind.
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Tbf Nadal got named in the big doping scandal related to Lance Armstrong...nothing ever came from it. And his play style has taken its toll on him physically...part and parcel like you say.

Djokovic got mentioned by Murray himself in relation to his ability to play 5 your matches back to back repeatedly...fitness can only go so far...look at him now, 34 years old playing 20 shot rallies repeatedly and not even tired...

On the Nadal being better then Federer, it's a good arguement, would also be interesting to see if Federer would have beaten him with his new backhand that he debuted in 2017 (since then he's dominated Nadal) back then
 
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scotch said:
He did in 2012 Wimbledon, Federer beat him in 4 in the semis before beating Murray in the final (who played great and should have been 2 sets up before the roof came on)....granted 2012 is a stretch to say he was still at his peak but this is a year after Djokovic dominated 2011 with arguably the highest level of tennis ever seen.

Tbf Nadal got named in the big doping scandal related to Lance Armstrong...nothing ever came from it. And his play style has taken its toll on him physically...part and parcel like you say.

Djokovic got mentioned by Murray himself in relation to his ability to play 5 your matches back to back repeatedly...fitness can only go so far...look at him now, 34 years old playing 20 shot rallies repeatedly and not even tired...

On the Nadal being better then Federer, it's a good arguement, would also be interesting to see if Federer would have beaten him with his new backhand that he debuted in 2017 (since then he's dominated Nadal) back then
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I couldn't give a shite if any of them are doping to be honest :lol: if they have been then great, it made the tennis even better! Makes no odds to me if none, one, two or all three of them are. The fitness thing about Djokovic could easily be said about Federer in 2017 as well, the bloke barely broke a sweat all year at 35 year old after being a crock! If it comes out that one of them has been at it then it wouldn't really change my view on any of them. They're all phenomenal and we're very lucky to get an era with all three of them, Murray, del Potro, Wawrinka, Ferrer, Cilic, Nishikori, Berdych, Tsonga etc at the same time.

If any of them latter names were coming through right now they'd probably be the second best player in the world at the minute to be honest.
 
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MarcoG said:
I couldn't give a shite if any of them are doping to be honest :lol: if they have been then great, it made the tennis even better! Makes no odds to me if none, one, two or all three of them are. The fitness thing about Djokovic could easily be said about Federer in 2017 as well, the bloke barely broke a sweat all year at 35 year old after being a crock! If it comes out that one of them has been at it then it wouldn't really change my view on any of them. They're all phenomenal and we're very lucky to get an era with all three of them, Murray, del Potro, Wawrinka, Ferrer, Cilic, Nishikori, Berdych, Tsonga etc at the same time.

If any of them latter names were coming through right now they'd probably be the second best player in the world at the minute to be honest.
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Berdych...the guy who beat Federer, then beat Djokovic, just to get Nadal next in the final and lose at Wimbledon (talk about wrong place wrong time)
 
Just watched Raducanu become the first qualifier to reach a grand slam final. Two totally unexpected
players in the final. Bookies have her as odds on in the final, not surprising how she has played this fortnight.
She could have been 4-0 down in the first set but she has so much composure on the big points.
 
Reflektor said:
I read through these the other day when you posted it, great insight looking back mate

Bet you are buzzing with how she's gone this year.

Good luck tonight Emma!
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Just a bit mate :lol:, but just to be clear, I never expected anything like this to happen so soon. I watched her match but can't get to sleep now, far too hyper.

I saw her play at Silksworth last February when she made an ITF final, but she didn't play for another 16 months due to the pandemic and studies, but you never know when a future grand slam champion will be near enough on your doorstep.

Hard to believe that one of the most promising young players in world tennis is actually British.
Meant finalist not champion, but hopefully the latter as well.
 
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scotch said:
He did in 2012 Wimbledon, Federer beat him in 4 in the semis before beating Murray in the final (who played great and should have been 2 sets up before the roof came on)....granted 2012 is a stretch to say he was still at his peak but this is a year after Djokovic dominated 2011 with arguably the highest level of tennis ever seen.

Tbf Nadal got named in the big doping scandal related to Lance Armstrong...nothing ever came from it. And his play style has taken its toll on him physically...part and parcel like you say.

Djokovic got mentioned by Murray himself in relation to his ability to play 5 your matches back to back repeatedly...fitness can only go so far...look at him now, 34 years old playing 20 shot rallies repeatedly and not even tired...

On the Nadal being better then Federer, it's a good arguement, would also be interesting to see if Federer would have beaten him with his new backhand that he debuted in 2017 (since then he's dominated Nadal) back then
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I think peak Nadal got the better of Federer due to his speed, he was so quick and could outrun and chase anything down, by 2017 he no longer had that electric pace and I think that's a big factor as to why Federer has dominated him since then.

Djokovic has definitely benefited more than anyone from the lack of competent young tennis players, its not his fault but he has hoovered up a fair few slams because of this.
 
scotch said:
Berdych...the guy who beat Federer, then beat Djokovic, just to get Nadal next in the final and lose at Wimbledon (talk about wrong place wrong time)
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Reckon Felix has a chance against Meddy tonight?

He's only 21, is in a Slam semi final on the back off the back of a quarter final at Wimbledon and I still can't help feeling somewhat let down. He's just so boring to watch. Uncle Toni seems to have helped results since he joined his team though so fair play. Just can't see him having enough consistency to beat Medvedev.
 
Such a tough final, Fernandez has had one of the toughest runs I can remember a player having to win a tournament.
Osaka, kerber, svitolina, Sabalenka (and her 1st round was a former US Open QF, her 2nd was a 6x Slam Quarter Finalist)
She is battle tough and hitting crazy angles and doing a Djokovic by returning everything and has a very good 2nd serve.

Raducanu has been brilliant and has on average lost something like 2.26 games per set since the start of qualifying and not lost a set in 9 matches.
The first person mens or Womens to make a slam final from qualifying.
Great depth on shots, great backhand and a very good return game

This final will be tough, can Raducanu handle the nerves, can she play as she has done if it gets close, will her fitness be there if 3 sets is needed.
 
MarcoG said:
Reckon Felix has a chance against Meddy tonight?

He's only 21, is in a Slam semi final on the back off the back of a quarter final at Wimbledon and I still can't help feeling somewhat let down. He's just so boring to watch. Uncle Toni seems to have helped results since he joined his team though so fair play. Just can't see him having enough consistency to beat Medvedev.
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Yes, if he plays at his best serving wise and if Medvedev has a dip in his level like he did in the Quarter final match (which if he wins tonight will be a help as he will at least have been tested before the final)

Given that A) I like Medvedev & B) FAA has played 8 finals and won 0 sets let alone matches

It's better for Medvedev to make the final to at least challenge Djokovic (assuming he beats Zverev, which whilst not a foregone conclusion, Zverev has never beaten a top 10 players in a slam despite playing for the last 5 years)
 
scotch said:
Yes, if he plays at his best serving wise and if Medvedev has a dip in his level like he did in the Quarter final match (which if he wins tonight will be a help as he will at least have been tested before the final)

Given that A) I like Medvedev & B) FAA has played 8 finals and won 0 sets let alone matches

It's better for Medvedev to make the final to at least challenge Djokovic (assuming he beats Zverev, which whilst not a foregone conclusion, Zverev has never beaten a top 10 players in a slam despite playing for the last 5 years)
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Meddy and Zverev are the best (only?) challengers to Djokovic at the minute to be fair. Only ones who aren't just fully serve and forehand.

What Zverev did on Harris' set point the other night was worse than anything Tsitsipas did against Murray, hopefully Djokovic smacks the lad about as much as Zverev loves smacking wom... never mind.
 
Joe Salisbury and partner won the Men's doubles and he is in the final of the mixed doubles too.

The doubles events obviously don't get the same coverage but I enjoy watching and playing them.
It's always good to have someone else to blame when you lose :lol:
 

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