VAMOS!

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VAMOS!

Postby Skiasaurus Rex » Fri Jan 24, 2014 9:28 am

A few thoughts as we head into the finals of the first Grand Slam of the season for you tennis fans, players, and onlookers.

1. FWIW Wawrinka could win this. It's a long shot, but like in boxing, every puncher has a chance on any given night. Stan is a big hitter and the few big upsets of Rafa's recent career came at the hands of big punchers who went all out and pulled off the unthinkable (the story of his last two Wimbledon experiences, in fact). Wawrinka had never beat Djokovic either until this week, and beating Novak on the blue hard courts is dang near impossible (just ask Nadal)!

2. Ok, There is no BIG 4 in tennis. Murray is not on par with the top players. He's great, but not an all time great. He'll pick off a few more slams before he's done, but, for last 3-4 years there has only been a Big 2 (Rafa and Djokovic) with a tip of the hat to Federer for his brilliant career and consistency giving us our Big 3 in tennis. Seriously, Murray is barely a notch above Ferrer, Tsonga, Del Potro or at this stage of the game Wawrinka--if above them at all.

3. Rivalry: Ok, this has nettled me for years. The Rivalry between Federer and Nadal is among their fans as there is no real rivalry between these two champions. And I am not just referring to the completely lopsided win-loss records of their meetings, which is even more pronounced in Slams and the Olympics. These two have had Brilliant overlapping careers, but neither has defined themselves or changed how they played to beat the other. The real rivalry of this era, and it's the best of any era in tennis, is Nadal/Djokovic.

Djokovic completely changed his game, his body, his focus with the singular purpose of over coming Nadal, which he accomplished in 2011. Nadal, struggled for 2 injury plagued seasons in what appeared to be a losing effort to re-close the gap with Djokovic, but loss after loss made this look hopeless. Then, last season, with a new approach to fitness, a whole new short game and slice, and a reworked serve, he caught up to and passed Djokovic again. However, Novak took the last two masters champions of the season against Nadal.

Check out the rivalry here-they've played the most matches against each other of any top 100 players…and they are pretty even over the last 4 years:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djokovic–Nadal_rivalry I can't get this link to work right-but it should be the wikipedia Djokovic/ Nadal rivalry page

Finally, just watch any match between these two giants, everybody else looks like they are playing in slow motion, and yes, that includes the last several years of Nadal-Federer matches. As epic as the Nadal-Federer Wimbledon battles were, the Djokovic/Nadal battles are even better, more competitive, ferocious, and super-human in their speed.

The Wawrinka-Nadal final should be good, and I wouldn't be shocked to see Stan the 'Other' Swiss man pull off the upset. But, I lament the missed opportunity to watch another Djokovic-Nadal final. In few years it'll be over and we'll never get to see that again. Below are links to two of the best matches in this actual Rivalry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Australian_Open_–_Men's_Singles_final

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tenn ... 50069.html
Skiasaurus Rex
 
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Re: VAMOS!

Postby Max_501 » Fri Jan 24, 2014 10:15 am

As much as I enjoy tennis I think you're in the wrong forum for that level of gusto. :lol:

Try this site: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/
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Re: VAMOS!

Postby Skiasaurus Rex » Fri Jan 24, 2014 11:55 am

Probably true, Max. But, I had just gotten up early to watch that match (and I mean early!), and was feeling pretty jazzed and I knew folks here have some appreciation for tennis (and the techniques of tennis) , and figured Social chatting was as good place as anywhere to throw this out.
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