What are your predictions? I think Murray will come out strong winning the first set then Djoko will take over the match. I don't trust Murray's mental game yet. 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-2. This will be Djokos 5th hard court slam, putting him on pace to be the greatest hard court player of all time. Man is almost unbeatable on the surface.
Murrays best chance to win a slam no Rafa or Fed... but Nole( who i think he has a better chance of beating, if he trust his shots... and doesnt go into "pusher" mode) Murray is probably the 2nd best hard court player in the WORLD, behind Nole
The US Open is an absolute ****ing travesty. Flushing Meadows is an embarrassment with it's excuse of "the ground is too soft" to build a roof. The ground is too soft. The ground is too soft. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. 5 straight tournaments with a final on Monday. Rain, wind, and all kinds of other elements (like New Yorkers who can't shut up during serves) are on display turning it into a free for all freak show where talent is nullified. I wouldn't be surprised if tigers were roaming around during the next final with flame throwers... oh it's just a part of the game man. The problem is it's no longer a game. It's called drawing the line between a freak show and the gentleman's game of Tennis. What exactly am I seeing out there? The ball looks like a piece of hay floating around in the wind. When the laws of gravity don't apply, it's anyone's game. Djokovic is miles ahead of Murray in every aspect of his game except clutching his thigh when he loses a point. Would be a great loss for the sport if Murray lucks into this one because of WIND.
Djokovic with all the momentum. If this goes to 5 sets, Djokovic will probably take it. Just can't believe Murray is choking again. Up two sets to love, you gotta be able to play a bit more solid than that. Mind you the wind is definitely a factor! If Murray loses this one, it's going to mentally crushing. You can see the agony on his face each time he loses a point.
If Murray loses when up 2-0. He will be considered one of the biggest chokejobs of all time in tennis.
Uh what? Murray was benefiting from the wind and Djokovic slipping and sliding all over the court. Wind dies down, Novak changes shoes, and he regains dominance. Nothing to do with Murray choking, he's just not capable of hanging in equal conditions. The gap between these guys is not close at all.
If anything, the wind is benefiting Murray more than it is Djokovic. Wind always affects the offensive player more since Djokovic can't blast his serves or ground strokes. Murray's game is based on court coverage and defense, so he's benefiting from Djokovic taking some heat off his strokes. Of course, it's classic choking Murray. I hope Djokovic can finish this off because he's better than Murray. Murray would never be up 2 sets to love if there was no wind.
For once I agree with Ronny. Under regular conditions, and equal rest time, Murray can't hold Djokos jockstrap.
I was saying the wind is definitely a factor for both players. But I agree the wind does have more of an effect on the offensive player, hence, why Djokovic has so many unforced errors in the match. And yep no doubt that Djokovic is the better player. However, learning to deal with the conditions is part of being a good tennis player. If the wind is bad, increase your margin of error so you don't hit it long or into the net as much. Murray played better to the conditions early on but now Djokovic has found his game.
agreed. You can't just say "sorry tennis is only about playing in flat conditions" That's like saying teams that kill in a dome in the NFL shouldn't have to play a Super Bowl outdoors. Or against Green Bay on the road in January. You play and you adjust. It's a sport
Andy nearly goofed playing conservative and he went "pusher" again. But so glad he got aggressive in the 5th set Both players played unde difficult conditions, but Murray is such a difficult player to figure out, if he would just trust his shots more, he would have already won 2 or 3 slams GREAT MATCH
Good for Andy. Happy to see him finally get his Grand Slam win. 2013 is setting up to be a really interesting season. For the first time in a long time, you don't get the feeling that there is one dominant player. Djokovic wasn't able to duplicate his outstanding 2011. He actually looked closer to his pre-2011 form than his 2011 form. He is still supremely talented, but he has moments where he just seems out of it. For example, in the first set of his semi against Ferrer and in the final against Murray, he couldn't deal with the fact that the wind was blowing. He let that get to him. You have to be able to get over that. Federer is probably the player of the year for 2012, but can we bet on him doing it all over again in 2013? Nadal won the French, his pet tournament, but other than that, he had a tough season that ended with an injury. With his physical style of play and the injuries that have plagued him on and off for his entire career, you have to wonder if he can ever get back to the form he showed for much of 2010 and 2011. And now Murray has truly emerged as a threat at every Grand Slam tournament. Coming off a win at the Olympics and the US Open, who's to say that he's not the favorite at the Australian Open in January?
^^ Nah as of now Djoko is still the player to beat on hard court, just like Fed is on grass, and Nadal is on clay.