Rafa Nadal willed his team to Davis Cup win, capping a great year at 32 or whatever age he is. Amazing. Canadian tennis in great shape for the future with Shapovalov and the other guy coming up.
USA? Smh, we don't seem to have much on deck for a while in men's tennis.
She had her day. The suspension, injuries and age caught up to her.
She was a legend but the drugs thing definitely diminished her reputation. She won all four Slams and was great mentally, to a degree beyond many of the top women's players today. Hard to believe she won the French with her relative weakness in movement. I think Serena owned her largely because she took Maria so seriously as a true opponent and always brought her A game. When she won Wimbledon as a teenager I think, I really thought she was going to battle for number one most of her career, but she kept getting taller and her movement never stopped being an issue. I think she grew three inches since that year.
Joined: 25 Apr 2015 Posts: 35601 Location: Anaheim, CA
Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2020 3:14 pm Post subject:
focus wrote:
lakersken80 wrote:
ChickenStu wrote:
Maria Sharapova just announced her retirement.
She had her day. The suspension, injuries and age caught up to her.
She was a legend but the drugs thing definitely diminished her reputation. She won all four Slams and was great mentally, to a degree beyond many of the top women's players today. Hard to believe she won the French with her relative weakness in movement. I think Serena owned her largely because she took Maria so seriously as a true opponent and always brought her A game. When she won Wimbledon as a teenager I think, I really thought she was going to battle for number one most of her career, but she kept getting taller and her movement never stopped being an issue. I think she grew three inches since that year.
Serena took losing that Wimbledon final to her personally. VERY personally. She had an absolute laser focus whenever she played Maria after that. So more than anything else, Serena just willed herself to destroy her whenever they played. She genuinely disliked Maria. Now, if only Serena could make herself believe that she's always playing Maria, because now she gets tight in any close set against virtually any player.
Joined: 15 Nov 2006 Posts: 20320 Location: Prarie & Manchester, high above the western sideline
Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 8:57 pm Post subject:
fed will miss indian wells and the french for surgery...Indian Wells was supposed to be my first time seeing him play _________________ http://chickhearn.ytmnd.com/
Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 18372 Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:32 pm Post subject:
C M B wrote:
fed will miss indian wells and the french for surgery...Indian Wells was supposed to be my first time seeing him play
I feel your pain. First time I went to Indian Wells expecting to see Agassi play, he got a walkover so the match never took place. I did get to see him later that year at the Mercedes Benz Cup at UCLA.
Second time I went, I got a three day weekday pass thinking I'd catch at least one Federer match. As luck would have it, Fed got knocked out of the tournament in an early round. I did get to see Nadal play. _________________ "Suck it up. Don't be a baby. Do your job." - Kobe Bryant
Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 90867 Location: Formerly Known As 24
Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2020 9:40 pm Post subject:
So, was Ivan Lendl’s game an early form of social distancing? _________________ Hoy por ellos, mañana por nosotros
“You see, in this world, there is one awful thing, and that is that everyone has his reasons“
Joined: 15 Nov 2006 Posts: 20320 Location: Prarie & Manchester, high above the western sideline
Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 2:19 am Post subject:
I don't know what clicked in me today, or what was wrong with me before, but something just gave, and I'm suddenly appreciative of Nadal's play style, and have begun binging some of his career best matches. _________________ http://chickhearn.ytmnd.com/
Sister Golden Hair wrote:
LAMAR ODOM is an anagram for ... DOOM ALARM
Last edited by C M B on Tue Sep 29, 2020 8:19 pm; edited 1 time in total
16 Majors doubles titles plus an Olympic gold medal. They're ranked #1 and #2 all-time in individual doubles titles.
I enjoyed playing doubles but never really enjoyed watching it until the Bryan Bros. came along. _________________ "Suck it up. Don't be a baby. Do your job." - Kobe Bryant
Joined: 15 Nov 2006 Posts: 20320 Location: Prarie & Manchester, high above the western sideline
Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2020 2:22 pm Post subject:
FYI tenniswarehouse.com is doing a christmas sale. I got a RF97 autograph for $185 ($250+ msrp). This is the first time I've ever purchased a brand new current gen racquet. I've been playing with the K Factor tour 90 for the last 4 years and before that it was Pete's pro staff 85. Can't wait to take this thing out to the ball machine tonight. _________________ http://chickhearn.ytmnd.com/
But I feel like the game needs some sort of sea change. I was disappointed Medvedev was so meek in the final. Somebody step up and meaningfully challenge these "geezers" come on. At least put a scare in them.
Young guys are failing to embrace the challenge. Daunting, but what a chance to leave a mark. You as the guy who destroys the Big 3 concept.
I guess the truth is that there is no way anyone measures up truly to these guys in sheer born-with-it talent. They are good, talented, but like Rafa came out at 16 and was pretty much better than any of the Medvedev, Zverev, Thiem guys are right now. That's shining star talent. I think Djokovic won at 20 looking uphill at the guys who would be two of the three greatest players of all time. Federer talent genius visible from the getgo in the late Sampras Agassi era at 18-21.
Medvedev......25 now already. Cagey, likely a Slam winner, but not yet
Zverev...........23 big wins, including vs big 3
Thiem............27 solid likely additional Slams here and there
Tsitsipas.........23 probably just not the guy, solid talent pretty much at or below level of guys above.
Youngish Canadians, other Russians, French etc. not bad no Big 3 level talent anywhere
Jannik Sinner...19 big hitter...only guy young enough to maybe make some noise a la Big 3, but too young and inexperienced to actually be the guy to take it from Big 3 in Slams while they are still at the top of the heap.
So Big 3 look to basically rule until the get bored and maybe drop a slam or two every year before they all go to these guys. No one seems to emerge as the best of the crop. Decent competitive tennis with no one but Sinner capable of potentially dominating.
I get the Big 3 as a complete anomaly historically. Bizarre, the three greatest all playing and dominating at the same time for 15 years. But dang let's have some nonBig3 storylines. It's been a decade and a half of this. I'd only be ok with the Lakers having decades of dominance, not in anything else though.
Djokovic is pretty much at or near his peak, Nadal has peak moments, overall. Federer moments of brilliance but can't hold it together for seven matches on nongrass Slams, but clearly the third brightest light in the game or within the top 3. Doesn't any other player get galled by the stagnancy and driven nuts by it? Too many nice guys deferring to their elders.
In other words, dangit Kyrgios. It shoulda been you.
Joined: 15 Nov 2006 Posts: 20320 Location: Prarie & Manchester, high above the western sideline
Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2021 9:54 pm Post subject:
focus wrote:
C M B wrote:
It is so good to see Fed playing again!
Yes I suppose.
But I feel like the game needs some sort of sea change. I was disappointed Medvedev was so meek in the final. Somebody step up and meaningfully challenge these "geezers" come on. At least put a scare in them.
Young guys are failing to embrace the challenge. Daunting, but what a chance to leave a mark. You as the guy who destroys the Big 3 concept.
I guess the truth is that there is no way anyone measures up truly to these guys in sheer born-with-it talent. They are good, talented, but like Rafa came out at 16 and was pretty much better than any of the Medvedev, Zverev, Thiem guys are right now. That's shining star talent. I think Djokovic won at 20 looking uphill at the guys who would be two of the three greatest players of all time. Federer talent genius visible from the getgo in the late Sampras Agassi era at 18-21.
Medvedev......25 now already. Cagey, likely a Slam winner, but not yet
Zverev...........23 big wins, including vs big 3
Thiem............27 solid likely additional Slams here and there
Tsitsipas.........23 probably just not the guy, solid talent pretty much at or below level of guys above.
Youngish Canadians, other Russians, French etc. not bad no Big 3 level talent anywhere
Jannik Sinner...19 big hitter...only guy young enough to maybe make some noise a la Big 3, but too young and inexperienced to actually be the guy to take it from Big 3 in Slams while they are still at the top of the heap.
So Big 3 look to basically rule until the get bored and maybe drop a slam or two every year before they all go to these guys. No one seems to emerge as the best of the crop. Decent competitive tennis with no one but Sinner capable of potentially dominating.
I get the Big 3 as a complete anomaly historically. Bizarre, the three greatest all playing and dominating at the same time for 15 years. But dang let's have some nonBig3 storylines. It's been a decade and a half of this. I'd only be ok with the Lakers having decades of dominance, not in anything else though.
Djokovic is pretty much at or near his peak, Nadal has peak moments, overall. Federer moments of brilliance but can't hold it together for seven matches on nongrass Slams, but clearly the third brightest light in the game or within the top 3. Doesn't any other player get galled by the stagnancy and driven nuts by it? Too many nice guys deferring to their elders.
In other words, dangit Kyrgios. It shoulda been you.
Kyrgios could've been something special with just a little less shaking as a baby. _________________ http://chickhearn.ytmnd.com/
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
