US open quarters between Sampras-Agassi was better. The one with four tie breakers. Not a single break the while game.
Quality wise even last year's final was better. Federer made too many unforced errors in first three sets.
Wimbledon
- Thread starter KeyserSoze
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Quality wise even last year's final was better. Federer made too many unforced errors in first three sets.
Formers players and commentators keep changing their opinion every year.
Everyone had Federer as the best player in history two years ago, ask them now and they would say they are not sure.
It was great final, one of the best of all time, I just said if you are going by quality of tennis, then it is not up there with some others over the years.
I am gonna back Djokovic to win the US.
What a match this was. The final points.In amount of Drama and Comebacks though .. this one takes the cake I reckon.
The overall quaility of tennis and the drama involved put this match above any I've seen, unforced errors or not, and the fact this was the final puts it above Agassi-Sampras QF, because of the pressures involved.
Yes.
Yeah that's the one I meant. Plus this is also the biggest game in tennis, much more at stake which also makes it more exciting. I think Nadal played much better in this final.
This match was the best ive seen and I admit that I havent seen as much Tennis as I should have.
Yes it probably does. And before others jump on my back as well, I was only commenting about the quality of tennis, especially the first three sets.
I'm standing by Safin/Federer. You lot ought to go buy it on DVD. I believe they made one!
A game against Nadal must be like playing against a brick wall, just keeps coming back until you smack the fecker over.
He's a great player but I don't like his tennis, just think he's the male equivalent of the Williams sisters, strength overpowering skill.
He's a great player but I don't like his tennis, just think he's the male equivalent of the Williams sisters, strength overpowering skill.
Watch the fifth set in last years final or the final before. Federer's had challenges throughout his career. Thats some of the best tennis Nadal's played. Whoever the opposition may be. Form is not about the scoreline. Its about the way your hitting the ball, the errors, the break point conversion rate. Most of that was as good as it gets for Nadal. For Roger it clearly wasnt. He won two sets not really playing at his best. I'm personally of the belief that if Federer has a good day when the error count is low, Nadal wont be able to deal with it. Thats his challenge now for the rest of his career. To dominate for another three years when everyone thought younger, fitter stars were going to take over. Hes capable of it, we all know that. He just has to keep believing.
Just feel this was a chance to get away with not being at his best and still producing one of the great great comebacks and obviously keeping his crown. Such a disappointing finish.
Totally agree. Roger is the better all round player but the brute strength of Nadal overcame him today. But Roger did have chances and on another day could have won.
I'm a huge Roger fan, but have to give Nadal credit. Both are very classy guys too with a lot of respect for each other which is great to see.
Very much in agreement with you there.
I disagree mate.
I think you require a bit more than just strength to beat Roger Federer. Some of his shots today were just of great amounts of skill and intelligence.
For me, he combines great strength with a high amount of skill.
I am on the same boat as yer. That was the best both could have played.
That's probably the best match i've watched. Federer can play a lot better than that, but in terms of highs and lows, comebacks, single moments of brilliance, etc, today just took the piss.
It was an unbelievable game. The quality of tennis on display does not always determine the entertainment factor of a match. Look no further than May 21st to see what i am rambling on about.
It was an unbelievable game. The quality of tennis on display does not always determine the entertainment factor of a match. Look no further than May 21st to see what i am rambling on about.
Indeed. It was Roger Hardboat dreamweaver cnut Federer vs Marat Safin.
No one could have expected that match to have been of such high calibre. Fantastic.
Precisely. If using brute strength can beat Federer, Roddick would have been Wimbledon champion by now.
Nadal was the better player in last year's final as well. He just could not put away Federer in tie breakers.Watch the fifth set in last years final or the final before. Federer's had challenges throughout his career. Thats some of the best tennis Nadal's played. Whoever the opposition may be. Form is not about the scoreline. Its about the way your hitting the ball, the errors, the break point conversion rate. Most of that was as good as it gets for Nadal. For Roger it clearly wasnt. He won two sets not really playing at his best. I'm personally of the belief that if Federer has a good day when the error count is low, Nadal wont be able to deal with it. Thats his challenge now for the rest of his career. To dominate for another three years when everyone thought younger, fitter stars were going to take over. Hes capable of it, we all know that. He just has to keep believing.
Just feel this was a chance to get away with not being at his best and still producing one of the great great comebacks and obviously keeping his crown. Such a disappointing finish.
With Nadal, Federer is forced to go for the break every time. Nadal doesn't play safe, he goes for the winners from baseline more often than not and if Fed's gonna compete with him from the baseline he has to do the same.
And Federer's been in countless big matches now. There was no good reason for him to be below par today. He was simply second best.
Take away his cock from your mouth and you would start thinking clearly.
Agreed !
Yes, and when I also say it is the best match I have ever seen, it is because of these reasons.
Amazing match, well pleased Nadal won, he deserved it, 6 games at least in every set against Federer on grass is immense. The Goran/Rafter final is still my favourite but this one is up there.
I'll have to watch this game some time, not seen it.
I actually missed that one. The only grandslam final of Federer's i've missed! But Safin at his best is capable of that. He can take out anyone. I just dont feel Nadal is that type of player. I still feel if Federer plays at his best, he beats Nadal. Its a mental hurdle. One that will over the next three years or so determine whether hes remembered as the greatest ever or not.
My support for him will only get stronger. As a fan i truly appreciate the fact that he actually fought to come back and take it to five, along with being disappointed that he didnt play to his potential. Maybe he needed this, because he hasnt been at his best this year.
The number of passing shots he made today would say otherwise.
Not a big fan of his game either. But it's also the sheer consistency which is a skill in a way.
Saying that Nadal's biggest advantage against Federer is that he's left handed. Today at times especially the it was Nadal vs Roger Federer's backhand. I seriously doubt he'd trouble Federer as much otherwise
Agree with KingEric on this one.
Tennis rankings work like this: you defend the points you won last season. Since Federer still managed to reach the French final (which he did last year as well) and there's just a bit difference to him being a finalist this year (so he'll lose a couple of hundred points, nadal will gain a couple of hundred since he's gone one further than his result from last year). Federer's lost points from the aussie open (lkast year winner, this year semi), but Nadal's not done amazingly well (although he's gotten closer) during the start of this season.
What Nadal has done now, is defending his shitloads of points (equalled or bested all his result on clay from last year, gone one better at wimbledon this year and gaining points at queens) and actually improving... while Federer has gone a bit backwards. There will not be a massive difference in points gain/loss, since both are getting to finals etc.
Federer now has to defend his US Open crown and all the hard court tournaments he's won around this time last year, whilst Nadal hasn't done that well last year... this is the time for him to be gaining points, no matter what Federer does, if he does well in the hardcourt season Nadal will be no.1.
The championship race (this one is not the true overall rankings, but the ranking that gets reset every year, to show who's actually leading the race to finish the year as no. 1...) is being led by Nadal, which shows he's now in pole position to finish as no. 1 in the overall rankings.
Spot on.
Mental hurdle which has been going on for four years now..
The best player ever, Bjorg was able to defeat the player renown to be the best clay court player of his time Villas. Not to mentions he defeated likes of McEnroe and Connors at Wimbledon.
As it stands, Nadal has closed the gap and overtaken Federer on Grass while also extending his advantage on clay court. A win in hard court GS final might just settle this issue once set for all.
Virtually all of his serves went to Federer's backhand. I think.
Head to head stands at 12-6 to Nadal. Federer just so happened to be "not at his best" every time he plays Nadal? Convenient eh?
Why not take off your Federer-tinted glasses and admit that Federer just could not handled Nadal? It's so friggin obvious that Nadal's leftie forehand is killing Federer's backhand.. and he haven't worked out a work to deal with that. 3 straight losses on clay this year, followed by this loss on grass. Nadal is clearly the better player now.
Agree to an extent. But Fed has played him far too many times to still let him use that as an advantage. He really should counter that by now.
Really? Nadal was better in last years final? Despite losing the final 6-2 or something? Federer was all over him once he kept his serve in a game that he was under threat. He killed it after.
Put Federer away? Watch the two play. The reason their record is such is because Federer struggles to put Nadal away. Nadal sticks in the point till Federer makes an error. Thats why the he has lesser winners and unforced errors. And Federer gets frustrated and loses the plot.
I didnt say it was a big match thing. Its a Rafael Nadal thing. Hes dominated everyone before him so far. And to be fair Rafa hasnt really affected his greatness until this year, apart from the French. This years the first time someones treaded on his shoes. Hes got time on his side and many more opportunities to continue the story of his greatness.
Not too complicated is it? Federer's had one year where hes gone three grandslams without winning one. Sampras has rubbish years as well.
I agree. I would have been gutted if he had lost in 3 sets. At least he pushed Nadal and was within 2 points of winning himself a couple of times. I think the wind bothered him more than Nadal as Roger seemed to have way more miss-hits. Anyway, even if Roger never wins another major he is one of the greatest players ever and what more can you say. Still believe he will catch Sampras though.
Surely thats all what Roddick is about and to be fair Federer murders him most times they play, so it takes alot more than strength to be Federer.
Calderon has been talking to the media about a certain someone at Wimbledon
Yeah but you have to have a bit of a brain too which Roddick doesn't have. Also Roddick only has a serve and forehand whereas Nadal's backhand is fantastic and he is much more athletic than Roddick will ever be.
I think it's like a guy with a rapier facing a guy with a sledgehammer.