For sure. Then there's his poor touch, his poor return game, his subpar footwork, etc... I like Roddick and pull for him but he's just not a fun player to watch because of all the holes in his game.
Speaking of backhands, I'm sure a lot of people here remember Gustavo Kuerten. That guy had one of the nicest looking backhands I've ever seen. He was one of my favorite players. Federer also has great form with his backhand. Shoot, Federer has great form in every aspect of his game.
They called it this morning on ESPN. They had Federer and Nadal losing. I can't remember who said it, but he said one is definitely going home, and picked both to lose.
Bound to happen eventually. Tennis is a young sport. Federer turns 29 in a month or two. At his age, the fact that he's still considered a favorite to win any tournament on any given day is a feat in itself. There are a few players who managed to remain competitive and win consistently well into their 30s, but for the most part a tennis career starts to drop off drastically after 28.
How do the draws work in tennis? How did the #2 and #4 seeds end up on one side, and the #1 and #3 seeds on the other side? Wouldn't you want #1 vs #4 and #2 vs #3 in the semis (if the seeds held)?
High drama in the Nadal - Murray match. Spoiler Nadal up 2 sets to none, taking the second in a fierce tiebreaker
Gumbi! I remember when he won that first French Open title, and no one knew who he was. That guy was great. He had an awesome personality too.
Spoiler Spanish Bull gores William Wallace in the nads. No cry for freedom is heard because the bull steps on his throat and breaks his windpipe.
I feel sick for Murray. He played almost flawlessly and loses in 3 straight. All the credit to Nadal because he was equally flawless and more clutch. Murray needed that 2nd set tiebreaker and had it on his racquet but was forced to use his 2nd serve and Nadal was able to get back in it then win it. Murray breaks Nadal at love to start the 3rd which was a nice response from him. Nadal let his guard down momentarily but got it back together as the set progressed before breaking Murray's final 2 service games. There were some amazing shots by both players, starting in the 1st set. They both played incredibly well. Nadal was just a little bit better. The look on Murray's face right after the match was one of hopelessness. Federer out. This was his time. The will and skill of Nadal just didn't allow it.
So you only look at guys who you consider good-looking? :grin: I was actually rooting for Nadal but just felt bad for Murray. To me, with Federer's career winding down in the next couple of years, I believe this guy will win multiple majors and have a long reign at #1, health permitting. He's an incredible all-around player. His biggest weaknesses to me right now are his 2nd serve and inconsistent mental strength. I think he is the most talented player on tour at the moment outside of Federer. Yes, even more talented in terms of his overall skillset than Nadal. Nadal is the king of clay and mental strength but even with his improvements on non-clay surfaces, he still has some relative weaknesses in his game, in my opinion.
It hurts me to look at Murray. I do agree that he has bad mental fortitude. He gets frustrated way too often, but that's instinct considering he's an angry Scot. To me, he has the speed and talent to be a good defensive player, but that's all I see. He isn't that great on offense. He doesn't hit those winners we see from other top ranked players nor does he force his opponent to go on the run. He's consistent, which is a plus. But I don't see him beating Nadal, who is more consistent, better defensively and offensively, nor Federer who can end a point before Murray can get the unforced error out of him.
Vamos Rafa!!! *Fist Pump* I thought he had little chance when this tournament started after having not played much on grass since 2008 and getting a pretty tough draw. Not only did he win but other than a poor start in the 1st set against Soderling, he largely made it look easy against 3 very good players with big serves. You have to wonder, had Rafa been mentally and physically healthy post-Australian 2009, he could have been sitting at 10+ majors right now having just turned 24-years-old. Only Borg would have accomplished as much by that point in a career. Having said that, Federer was battling mono and back issues in 2008-9 so you could make "what if" statements about that period for him as well. Maybe he's sitting at 18 or 19 majors now instead of 16. Either way, tremendous resurgency by Nadal this year after stumbling so suddenly and unexpectedly in 2009 and early 2010.
Yeah I remember he'd always wear Brazilian soccer shirts to games. Then he kinda fell off the map pretty quickly. Congrats to Rafa, but that game was over before it even started. Would've loved to see Rafa/Fed finals again. Goran Ivanisevic vs Pat Rafter was probably one of the best final of all times. IMHO.
