Tennis anyone? (Wimbledon thread)

No way. Crawling back to Brad Gilbert with his racket between his legs might help, but Andy is no Agassi. I've said this plenty of times, but he's the Jim Courier of his generation. Courier had his inside-out forehand, and Andy has his serve. That's their strength, but all their other shots are too mechanical. Sampras and Agassi were great techincally, but they're also two of the best "feel" players ever. Andy works hard, and can hit the ball like it's being shot out of a cannon, but he doesn't have that innate feel that great players have to have.

I love me some Nadal, but just watching the first three games of this finale, I think Federer is going to grind him up today.

How amazing is it that these two have won seven of the last eight slams?

 

Not amazing, they're by far the two best in the world.
Nadal will get over his nerves, but the first set will be long over.
Federer had to play an incredible game to break him.

And you're right about Roddick. But Gilbert will be gone coaching the Brit/Scot sensation Andy Murray, and the rest of the sad-sack Brit boys for a boatload of pounds sterling, so he won't be available. ;D

 

Do you think he needs to get back with Brad Gilbert. He was playing his best tennis under Gilbert for that short time. But yeah he needs to come up with another weapon besides his overrated serve.

R-Fed is rolling currently, but the second set is where something could happen if it's going to happen.

Double Down: I wouldn't insult Courier like that. Jim has a legitimate love for tennis, he was always in shape, he always gave a top effort out there. He didn't have a long period of being the best but frankly he wasn't as good as Sampras or Agassi, yet his work ethic kept him at that level for as long as it could. Roddick doesn't have the work ethic at all.

 

I believe Becker beat Edberg in the first set of their 1989 final in like 26 minutes, this could be a new record.

 

Nadal was PWNED on that final point.

 

Long way to go here. Nadal ain't gonna throw in the towel.
When the first doubt creeps into Federer's mind (and the first break is a start), it's gonna become a mind game.
Good stuff...

 

I don't think any of us truly realize the amount of high-quality skirts these guys can pull. I'm hoping Safin does his own version of the Bachelor during the U.S. Open and just brings a half dozen super hot chicks with him in each round and let the New Yorkers choose which ones can stay from round-to-round.

Lots of guts shown by Nadal right there.

 

Disagree. I think Andy works hard. I think he worked awfully hard trying to reach a level where he could compete with Federer in back to back Wimbledons, but he just wasn't good enough. He's not an absolute grinder like Courier was (but really, who is?) but I think Andy wanted it pretty bad for awhile. (I think he's kind of lost right now, but for argument's sake, we'll say Roddick of two years ago.) I just don't think he has true tennis talent. I think he's the kind of kid who would have probably been the best athlete at his high school, and lettered in six different sports. He decided to focus on tennis, put a ton of work into it, and won a U.S. Open and made millions of dollars. But I think I remember reading that he didn't really think he'd be a professional tennis player until he was about 12 or 13.

Guys like Agassi, Courier, Sampras, they knew (or at least their parents knew) they'd be pros from about age 5. They didn't waste time playing baseball or basketball.

For what it's worth, I like Andy. I think he's got candor, personality, and I think he's good for tennis. I just don't know if he's got another slam in his future. My comparrison to Courier is in some ways based on their short windows at the top. Courier won his three slams before Sampras' and Agassi's careers really took off. Andy got his U.S. Open before Federer and Nadal started kicking everyone's asses.

 

Double Down: I like Roddick too, I thought he was incredibly funny and charming after his lost to Federer last year. But I always appreciated Courier ability to fight and grind and try to keep himself around the top even after Sampras took over the tennis world. I feel like Roddick has given up. There is no reason why he should be a semifinalist in this tournament. He's probably the second or third best grass court player out there.

Nadal might've blown this match with that lackluster service game at 5-4.

 

No doubt. As resilient as he is, Nadal needs to win this set to have a shot.