Running Tennis Thread 2022

I'm not going to dismiss Ruud, his play all the way through the final was powerful, consistent, and just the tiniest bit less electrifying than Alcaraz. He IMHO would have been just as worthy of a champion. Sinner was fantastic too. I was really surprised at Medvedev losing (was it to Ruud?) These new guys are better than the earlier "youngsters", Zverev, Thiem, Raonic. I was somewhat disappointed while thinking about where tennis was headed with the Big 3 (or does Murray make it 4? I think so) leaving the scene, but now I see it as bright as ever.

P.S. I know Djoker wasn't there and he certainly would have been in the mix but given his anti-vax stance I'll ignore him.

 

Medvedev lost to Kyrigos, who has now won four of the five meetings between the two.

 

This looks like the beginning of a heist film or a picture taken before they dine on some sort of illegal wild game.

EDIT: Just for funsies, I counted. There have been eight men not in this picture who have won a Grand Slam tournament since 2004. Name them.

(That's 10 out of a possible 75, or 13.3%)

 

Not sure how I'd feel about being that close to someone who's STILL not vaccinated.

 

Stan has 3, I think. Alcaraz, Thiem, Medvedev ... um, Safin maybe won Australia around '05 (or was it '03?). Blanking on anyone else.

 

All of those are correct, including Stan's three (2014 Aussie, 2015 French, 2016 US Open). Safin did in fact win the 2005 Aussie Open (2003 was actually Andre Agassi's last Slam title).

Three to go...

 

del Potro won the U.S. Open, and I believe Cilic did, too. I'm thinking someone had to win the French before Nadal took charge. Maybe Gaston Gaudio or Carlos Moya (although Moya may have been done by 2004)?

 

There it is, though BT only gets partial credit on that last one. The complete list of slams not won by Nadal, Murray, Djokovic or Federer in the last 18 years:

Gaston Gaudio, 2004 French (lost the first set 6-0 and faced multiple championship points)
Marat Safin, 2005 Australian (beat Federer 9-7 in the fifth in the semifinals after Federer beat Agassi in the quarters)
Juan Martin del Potro, 2009 US (beat Federer in the final and Nadal in straight sets in the semis)
Stan Wawrinka, 2014 Australian (beat Novak in the quarters and Rafa in the final)
Marin Cilic, 2014 US (beat Federer in the semis, Kei Nishikori of all people in the final)
Wawrinka, 2015 French (beat Federer in the quarter, Djokovic in the final)
Wawrinka, 2016 US (beat Murray in the quarters, Djokovic in the final)
Dominic Thiem, 2020 US (none of the big four made the quarters)
Daniil Medvedev, 2021 US (stopped Djokovic Grand Slam in the final)
Carlos Alcaraz, 2022 US

 

Ashamed to have missed del Potro. Always loved watching him play (except beating Fed in NY).

 

Christ. When was the last Wimbledon won by someone else?

 

I wasn’t even old enough to drink yet (for 2 more months). Lleyton Hewitt in 2002.