Anything can be posted here! We'll talk about politics, some sports (football, basketball, & tennis), Movies, & TV! Posts framed w/ "***" are from other contributors! - - - - - - - (- - - Closed - 100 posts - - -)
Current News: Djokovic wins his 7th Aussie Open & 5th Wimbl. over Fedal! 12/12/19
***...I didn't follow tennis before Nole won his 1st GS let alone knew what it was. ...I hope Nole'll top them all @ the end in GS count.
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Djokovic could earn yet another rec. @ this year’s IW. The World #1 is tied w/ Fed for most titles won at the ATP Masters 1000 event w/ 5, but another big fortnight in the desert could see him break his tie by claiming a 6th chp. Last yr., in his 1st tourn. back from elbow surgery, Djokovic bowed out in his opening Rd. to Japan's Taro Daniel. But the World #1 is in top form having won 45 of his past 49 matches, a stretch during which he has captured 5 tour-level titles ('18 Wimbl., Cinci., USO, Shanghai; '19 AO), & he w/b eager to + another trophy in IW.
1. '08: #3 Djokovic d. Mardy Fish 6-2, 5-7, 6-3
Two months after he clinched his 1st GS crown @ the AO, Djokovic continued to soar in the desert. He raced into the final w/o dropping a set & produced a nearly perfect performance to topple 2nd seed Nadal in the SF 6-3, 6-2, a rematch of the previous yr’s final. Fish was playing in only his 2nd ATP Masters 1000 final & his 1st in 5 yrs, but the American wasn’t awed by the occasion, pushing Djokovic to the brink. But 3rd-seeded Djokovic broke Fish in the 2nd game of the deciding set w/ a BH winner. The slight advantage was all Djokovic needed, & he clinched his 1st title at IW after Fish sent a BH long.
2. '11: #3 Djokovic d. #1 Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Djokovic proved t/b untouchable @ the start of the tournament, dropping just 12 games to reach the SF. He then defeated 2nd seed Federer 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the last 4 to mark his 3rd victory over the Swiss star in 3 months. In the final vs Nadal, the Serbian overcame a slow start & poured it on @ the 1/2-way mark. Djokovic took 10 of the final 13 games for this 3rd IW title. The victory extended his unbeaten run that season to 20 matches & marked his 1st win vs Nadal in an ATP Tour final in 6 attempts.
3. '14: #3 Djokovic d. No. 7 Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3)
Djokovic didn't have it easy during his fortnight in the desert. The Serbian was pushed to 3 sets vs Alejandro Gonzalez (R3), Marin Cilic (R4), & John Isner (SF) en route to the chp. match. In an IW classic vs Fed, Djokovic fought back against inspired play from the Swiss in the early stages of their final. The Serbian served for the title @ 6-5 & was broken, but regrouped to win his 1st ATP Tour title of the season.
4. '15: #1 Djokovic d. #2 Federer 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2
The defending champion that yr., Djokovic continued his IW dominance by powering into the final w/o losing a set. In the SFs, Djokovic dismantled 4th seed Andy Murray 6-3, 6-2. The win marked his 6th straight victory over the Brit, 5 of which had come in the previous 6 months. Fed had won 3 of his 4 most recent FedEx ATP H2H meetings w/ Djokovic going into the final, but had an off day & finished the afternoon w/ 43 UFEs. Djokovic sensed the opportunity & raced thru the last 4 games to successfully defend his chp. “I am @ the prime of my career,” said Djokovic afterwards. “I’m going to try to use every part of this fact to stay where I am & to fight for as many major titles as possible.”
The 2-X defending champ. got his title defence off to a shaky start when he dropped the 1st set of his opening-Rd match vs qualifier Bjorn Fratangelo. It w/b Djokovic's only hiccup for the rest of the tournament. Rounding into form w/ each match, the Serbian defeated 4th seed Nadal in the SF 7-6(5) 6-2. The match marked his 6th str. win over the Spaniard, all of which had come in str.-sets. Djokovic saved his best for last vs Raonic. He won the 1st 4 games of the match & finished w/ a 7-game run, dropping just 3 pts on serve in the 2nd set for his 5th IW title.***
Thx!
I only started hearing about PRO major events after I stopped playing well over 10 yrs ago! Back in the 70's, 80, & 90's, I watched all TV'd matches & listened to all the banter from Braeden, Collins, & Drysdale! None of them ever mentioned Pro Slams until the last decade or so! Why? Anyone? All of a sudden past greats were being elevated in the major count by adding pre-Open era wins along w/ later events taken in these lit'l known Pro events they entered to surpass more recent star players!
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...my projections below:
Gonzales: 5 AOs, 1 FO, 5 Wimbl., 6 USOs ...total = 17
Rosewall: 5 AOs, 6 FOs, 1 Wimbl., 3 USOs ...total = 15
Laver: 4 AOs, 3 FOs, 5 Wimbl., 3 USOs ....total - 15
Hoad: 1 AO, 1 FO, 3 Wimbl. ....total = 5
***These are interesting projections for a hypothetical Open Era.
Gonzales was usually not @ his best @ Wimbl., but I'd give him 4 Wimbl., '50, '52, '54, '55 projecting from his actual performance in those yrs.
Also, Gonzales w/b expected to win @ Forest Hills from '51-59, so I'd give him about 8 of those.
An Open Australian in the 50's w/b tough for a non-Aussie. I'd give Gonzales about 4 of those.
This was a tough era for clay, Gonzales would never be favored, so prob. none. Too many tough clay players to overcome.
So about 16 probable majors in a hypothetical Open tennis world for Gonzales. I'd remove Gonzales' 2 FH titles '48-49 b/c of the Open tennis.
Those 16 projected majors from about '50-60. 11 seasons.
I'd give Hoad about 4 or 5 Wimbl., the same AO, perhaps 1 RG, 1 FH. Total of 10-12 over a period from '56-60. 5 seasons.
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Another way of looking @ the old pro era is to give =alent value for those pro events which approach or = major status.
...By this standard, I would give Gonzales the following pro major wins, which really do look like major wins:
1) '50 Philadelphia U.S. Pro Indoor
2) '52 Philadelphia U.S. Pro Indoor
3) '52 Wembley Pro
4) '54 World Series (vs. Segura Sedgman)
5) '54 U.S. Pro
6) '56 World Series (vs. Trabert)
7) '56 Wembley
8) '57 World Series (vs. Rosewall)
9) '57 Forest Hills TOC
10) '58 World Series (Hoad)
11) '58 Forest Hills TOC
12) '59 World Series (Cooper Anderson)
13) '59 White City TOC
14) '60 World Series (Rosewall Segura Olmedo)
15) '64 White Plains U.S. Pro Indoors
+ 2 regular majors @ Forest Hills in '48 & '49
Total = 17 majors over 15 seasons
For Hoad
1) '58 Kooyong TOC
2) '59 World Series (Ampol)
3) '59 Forest Hills TOC
+ 4 reg. majors '56 Australian, French, Wimbl., '57 Wimbl.
Total = 7 majors over 4 seasons***
***Tucker Carlson refused to apologize Sun. after audio surfaced of him degrading women & airing controversial opinions about statutory rape & underage marriage on a radio program between '06 & '11. Instead, the Fox News host plugged his prime-X show & urged his detractors to come on as guests. Carlson was widely criticized following a report from the nonprofit MMA that compiled & transcribed more than a dozen instances of the host who suggested underage marriage's not as serious as forcible child rape, called rape shield laws “totally unfair” & once said he would “love” a scenario involving young girls sexually experimenting. He also described women as “extremely primitive,” & used words such as “pig” & the c-word. ...This is the same Carlson who I watched make an issue out of a single phrase that appears in Barak Obama's "Dreams From My Father," which was written in '95.***
ReplyDeleteLike most hypocrites, it's always been a "do as I say, not as a do" credo! Been watching & listening to this A-Hole since the old days of "Crossfire!" He's always been insufferable & only got worse w/o being reigned in at all on FNC! He's always ready to pt. the finger @ someone else &'s usually never contrite when busted for doing or saying something himself! When other people are hounded from their home, he isn't quite as sympathetic as when it started happening to him & his family after mouthing off!
They just reported on this & Jennine Perrot's idiotic comments on "Sharia Law" & the undermining of the Constitution b/c Rep. Omar wears a hijab! Such idiots! No wonder FNC has to make their $$ during the day! The evening "so called talent" is running off advertisers & they're scratching to stay on the air; esp. Laura Ingraham!
***Tucker's showing what an idiot he is. He's perfect for the Trump Propaganda Agency.***
FNC night X hosts don't GAF about looking like idiots; totally emulating their hero in the WH! What an embarrassment! I wonder when they'll have to pull back & look for redemption like all the rest who feel so stupid backing Trump to the hilt?
***Seriously, he has 3 daughters. He was playing for the show.***
That's what makes this so disgusting; he has daughters! What a fk'd up A-hole! They must all be so proud of him!
***So we now have Manafort & Cohen NOT found guilty of any form of collusion, nothing as to cheating the election, & Mueller has Roger Stone in jail likely for similar charges or <. Great waste of over $20 M to nab some really shifty tax evaders.***
More was spent on "Whitewater" & the "Benghazi" embassy BS! They got nothing, but turned the country upside down w/ Bill & embarrassed Hillary! They got what they wanted @ a huge cost to us all! FK all Rep. hypocrites! They're more FOS than a loaded baby's diaper from OVERNIGHT!
***Didn't pay much attention to what they were charged w/ & the evidence presented regarding their interactions w/ Russia (& others) did you?***
What it just about always ends up being about; "LYING" to the people investigating an issue! You can't get away w/ that; no matter how minor the lie! Cohen m/b in more trouble since he made a big deal out of saying "I never asked Trump for a 'pardon' & I wouldn't accept it!" Everyone knew that was BS so now the WH is making a HUGE deal out of it to deflect the coming prosecutions of the TRUMP family!
***William H. Macy's wife, Felicity Huffman got caught making bribes to get their dumbass kid admitted to college. Apparently he knew about it b/c he met w/ someone involved, but only the wife was arrested. - Macy's shame< & Lori Loughlin is a Becky.***
ReplyDeleteThey got caught, but it's nothing new! The rich & powerful have been stacking the deck for themselves & their kids since the country was formed! What's shocking is the brazenness involved; bribes, writing it off as charity, pushing their idiot kids into institutions they weren't capable of keeping up w/, but @ the same X giving them the confidence that they earned something! Look @ Trump; been lying to himself about being so smart & gifted since he was a child = w/ the doc. to the contrary showing his ineptitude!
***And isn't it interesting that this President suffers from "bimbo eruptions" too?***
You heard? After putting Clinton thru the grinder, going all the way to the SC asking that Paula Jones suit to go thru, now those same A-holes were prob. fighting to stop an "Apprentice" contestant from suing Trump while in office for sexual assault! He'll have to testify while in office & we'll see if he can tell the truth for a change during the deposition!
***Trump supporter says he was kicked out of a NYC bar for his MAGA hat — but that may not be the whole story. "Make America great again - impeach 45"***
It's not as if Trump was that popular in NY before he was President! He was not part of society; usually made fun of & sneered @ in the upper crust! He was tolerated for the most part & people need to get over the mythology of anything diff.! The only serious people who apprec. his class<ness are other idiots & pigs! The man's a bigot, racist, & misogynist pig who's never been too bright & has only survived thru absolute pomposity of his own mental instability!
***Don't forget the educated class. We made fun of him & sneered @ him as well!
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Its always bothered me how Whoopi refers to President Trump as "the guy in the WH." I feel she disrespects the office when she uses that term. Like it or not, he's the President. And if she doesnt show the proper respect, how are others going to respect the Office?
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You think Meg of "The View" is the absolute worst cohost ever & has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I cant imagine how you'd react to someone on the panel who loves Trump &'s against gay rights.***
The biggest complaint people have about Meg is her egomania trying to relate everything to her & her fk'n dead daddy! No one cares!
***The thing w/ Meg, I actually really like her & her opinions when she's not put on the spot to run her mouth. She oozes white, old school privilege when she's just allowed to say whatever. When she writes things, she has a much more interesting & nuanced viewpt.
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Sorry, but the asshole in the WH showed no respect for the office or President Obama before the asshole in the WH treasoned his way in there. He's shown no respect for the office since entering it. She could just say Trump. He's desecrated that name beyond repair. Although, I prefer Drumpf.***
Amen & Hallelujah to that! Trump has been the most insulting to Obama before, during, & afterwards to this day! He's still throwing blame when the fact is, Obama left the country in such good shape, we haven't collapsed under the incompetence of this fool in the WH to this day! At some pt. it'll all go to shit, but we have a chance to hang on & have him replaced in 2 yrs! The problem is, most people think there w/b no easy transition to another President if he has anything to do w/ it! He may feel entitled to stay in office for a 2nd term to match Obama! He's been trying to measure up since day one; the latest con is to get a Noble Peace Prize that ain't happening! What a d-bag!
***... Garbine Muguruza advances to the next Rd. over Serena.***
ReplyDeleteIt's called being fat, out of shape, & old! Time to go bye-bye! STUPID! So silly to keep dragging this out! Old mothers just can't 'hang!'
***Djokovic is ahead of Sampras in almost everything or tied in a couple like WTF titles, in + to being over in slams. The only thing Sampras is ahead is X @ #1. Djokovic was clearly ahead of Sampras when both had 14 slams as he had a >er overall career. He didn't = need t/b @ 15 t/b ahead of Sampras, he clearly was before that; 15 just makes it = more obvious than it already was. As for Nadal vs Djokovic, Djokovic is ahead of Nadal in everything except slam wins. That's why some (but many still don't) have him ahead 2 slams behind.
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...I feel that Nadal has had the more impressive career. He had to face peak Fed & Djokovic, but for a couple of draws on the weaker side, his Slams were hard earned. Pretty much anything Djokovic wins from now is against a declined field. I don’t think it’ll be possible for Djoker fans to argue w/ that whilst still maintaining that pre '07 was a weak era.
Having said all that, Djokovic deserves immense credit for getting the beating of Nadal so frequently @ Slams. He’s the main reason Nadal hasn’t overtaken Fed on Slams yet. I’m thinking '11 Wimbl., '12 AO. Any other opp. in those finals & Nadal wins them.
But I still come back to thinking that things like wks @ #1, etc., feel a bit inflated, like maybe a few twists of fate (injuries @ the wrong X's for Nadal m/b) can create anomalies in the rankings here & there. Djokovic's certainly making hay right now. Fed’s too old to challenge for it & Rafa can’t stay fit enough. And as we all know, w/ Murray gone, there’s no one else... Ultimately, both great players & both now ahead of Pete; great player that he was! We’ve been spoiled.
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Nadal pulls out of IW SF vs Fed. What a bummer! Where's the tennis commissioner? Change H2H to 23-16 @ least.***
Not likely! Nadal likes having that rec. over the GOAT to reinforce his own claim! Gut<; skipping Miami as well! Ya can't win if you don't play! That's another title he still doesn't possess that Nole has a handful of &'s still the Golden Masters KING! "Such a fan" I know!
***Nice match final w/ Andreescu knocking out Kerber @ IW's.***
I was quite entertained ...hoping for same on the men's side! It just doesn't seem to happen much; if at all! Fedalovic have dom. like no other TRIO in the history of the game! They're converging on or holding just about every significant rec. w/ lit'l stopping them since they took over the tour 10+ yrs ago! Nole has X to make his own recs in the next few yrs! Hope Thiem can brkthru & win over Fed! I'm so tired of the old guy hanging on & having Next-Gen. players donate matches to him!
***WTF happened to Roger? - Blew his chances & allowed Thie to take his 1st Masters.***
I've been saying; small chinks in the armor in the last 2 yrs! No match's a forgone conclusion; no matter the lead! Fed can go off just like that!
***Embarrassing for Fed. Thiem & Zverev both ahead of him in the rankings. Hopefully he gets a top 4 seed @ Wimbl. W/ their ranking system it's possible.***
I've been praying for this moment for so long! The Next Gen'rs had to do it sooner or later; expected a while back, but '17 showed they weren't ready yet! They allowed Roger to take 2 majors & Masters events while Nole & Andy out, then rounded the # to 20 w/ '18 AO! Hope they can keep it up!
***Sad stuff from Roger. Can't handle heavy shots anymore. His movement is so declined it's painful to watch @ X's. Oh well, congrats to Thiem. Wouldn't be surprised if he comes out as the most dominant player of the clay season this yr. His groundstrokes are more powerful than last yr.***
***...Actually Nole '11's statistically superior up to the USO, i.e. if you single out the AO-USO stretch. It has a bit >er stats + fewer losses (w/ both '11 losses occurring in '15 as well). All evidence pts to '11 Djokovic playing @ a >er level while he was healthy enough, but then he crashed while '15 Djokovic had a dom. post-USO Fall season except the RR loss. Before the Fall, the only conditions where '15>'11 was grass, which makes sense as that's where improved serve & net game / versatility paid the most dividends vs the slight decline of the rest of the game.***
ReplyDeleteLooking into the future, most people won't care about the level of comp. = if '11 is statistically tougher for Nole! It's just hard to overlook the glaring #'s of '15; 3 Majors, 6 Masters (2 other finals), 31 wins over top 10 players, & & the YEC! It's gonna be tough to come close to that kind of dom. no matter the comp.! It's just hard to sustain that kind of consistency day in & day out all season long! I personally give Nole more credit for '11 since he had to beat a PRIME Rafa in so many finals! If not for Djokovic, Nadal would've ruled the tour from '10 - mid '12! That's one thing that brings Rafa back to Earth; his lack of durability & an inability to hold the #1 ranking for any real length of X!
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- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54oPNwB_zQY - Men's Rankings '90-'18
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LGU-xZfYGE - Women's Rankings '87-'18
Let me go look @ the "up to the moment" rankings! Dom & Roger should've changed places w/ Thiem going to #4 & Fed dropping to #5!
***This is a rare poetic justice. Often in tennis, the losing player might actually end up high in the rankings & vice versa (due to the way defending pts work) & we've a hard X explaining it to non-tennis fans. But, this X the winning player moved ahead of the losing player & that too by a mere exchange of spots, not affecting other players.
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I was thinking of similarities btw Thiem & Wawrinka, superficially @ least, (very strong guys, one-handers, best on clay) & wondering how poorly Stan has done v. Roger, including just the other day, & yet Thiem just got him on HC (finally). Any insights?
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You have to think that Stan is carrying a heck of a lot of mental baggage w/ him. Besides he beat him in all but name @ the ATP YEC SF in '14.
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/rogerfederer/11235838/Roger-Federers-wife-Mirka-sparked-row-by-heckling-Stan-Wawrinka.html -***
That has t/b hard to forget & forgive regard< of their friendship! Not sure I could've gone thru w/ DC comp. the following wk! I guess I m/b rather small, but friends don't treat each other like that! Protect your wife if you like, but don't justify it by pointing out other players' infractions vs yourself! It's one of the reasons I get ticked off w/ people making out Roger's this living saint or GOD! He can get as obnoxious as any player, once heard giving the "do you know who I am?" admonishment to an umpire yrs ago! His challenges bother me too; esp. when the ball's more than a foot out! It's like "I hit the ball & it must've fallen in for me!" He's hitting Jimmy Connors territory w/ just being more an annoyance than really being comp.! These losses w/ MP's or ops to close out matches is happening a lot more frequently of late! That's not unexpected, but he's not seeing it yet I guess!
***She was def, in the wrong & Roger knows that. But there's a diff. btw Roger agreeing that she was wrong & taking Stan's side in that context. We know things got heated in the locker room & it's safe to say Stan wasn't just saying "Mirka wasn't nice to me Roger." We don't know what was said, but I'm sure Stan was using choice language in regards to Mirka & I don't blame him.***
***I saw some of Djoko match. He seemed disinterested/not really there mentally like his slump phase post FO'16. He's almost 32...is motivation waning? Could be, prob. already has his mind on clay & battles w/ Nadal @ FO.***
ReplyDeleteI thought the same; a lot of winning begets patches like this for Nole these days! After completing his CGS/Nole-Slam in '16, he was really done! The only reason he made that USO Final was thru WD, injuries, & list< opp. along the way! Wawrinka was a wake-up call for the 3rd X over Novak in a Major QF/F! We can't keep assuming he's going to win everything in sight! It's not like he doesn't have X wins btw IW/Miami over the yrs!
***Sorry, but every Nadal loss counts; = FO '09. You sound like Fed fans who try to not count Fed losses b/c he's old.***
I use to fall in that camp making excuses for Fed when his Lord & Master was pummeling him on all surfaces by '08! We thought Roger was safe on grass @ least, but the homogenization was complete by then w/ perfect medium high bounces! Borg would still be winning if he had these courts to play on! The hypocrisy of throwing away a loss due to external influences made about as much sense as Nadal lost in Paris in '09 due to family issues! No one cares then, now, or in the future! ...All of these NG guys would've won X Majors if not for Fedalovic owning the ATP for well over a decade! Fedalovic have been battling & restricting each other from running away w/ all the recs! Roger started it off, then Nadal took over intermittently, continuing now w/ Djokovic reigning supreme @ this X!
***Once you show up on court, nothing matters. Your loss counts as much as your win. Btw it's not '08 when homogenization took place. It took place after 2002. Good post btw.***
...Heaven knows I hark back enough to the 70's & 80's when the comp. was a lit'l stiffer! The great players weren't as untouchable due to surface diffs that were more pronounced than they'll ever be now or ever! People want to see a consistent, acknowledged rivalry & by homogenizing the courts they've guaranteed it w/ Fedalovic battling for supremacy the last 10+ yrs! In another few yrs after Nole's gone, it'll be more "chaotic" w/ X winners of Majors like it is now w/ the ladies! The #1 ranking might just switch permanently to someone outside the "Big 3" finally! We can only hope I guess!
***There are a lot of younger members that never saw a live match before "the big 3" played. I remember men’s tennis in the 80s and 90s (70s was before my X), & I miss those days, but I’ve also enjoyed watching these 3 battle over the yrs.***
You miss it? I still pull out tapes of matches from the 70's; esp. w/ Evonne Goolagong, Evert, Mandlikova, & Navratilova! I miss the TV events produced that exploded the exposure & boom of tennis!
***...and I'm still amazed by the fact that a country that has so much tennis tradition as Sweden still doesn't have a top 100 player for ages now. ...***
They had a long series of stars after Borg left the game w/ X players attaining the #1 ranking, winning quite a few majors, w/ universal respect & popularity! Soderling the last player of note; making more news about upsetting Rafa in '09 FO! Like the USA, they m/b paying penance for having such a long stretch of success in singles & doubles! The US hasn't done much of anything on the men's side of the game since Roddick choked away that Wimbl. title in '09! We have a few guys developing nicely, but aren't really in the class of Tsitsipas, Khachanov, Medvedev, etc.! Spain's overdue for a crash after unprecedented success over decades culm. in a GOAT nominee in Rafa! Their players are aging & I'm not sure the next wave's @ the ready! I'm sure someone has a blog on the topic; read something comparable!
***...I'm hoping that the next-gen will not be based on 3 main players. Wouldn't it be nicer to have a big variety of players that could win a slam?***
ReplyDeleteIt's almost always about 3 main players; we're just seeing the extreme w/ these 3 players of Fedalovic who've owned the tour like no other Big 3 in the history of the game! Back in my day from mid 70's on it was Connors/Borg/Vilas, Borg/McEnroe/Connors, McEnroe/Connors/Lendl, Lendl/Wilander/Agassi, … Sampras/Agassi/Courier, a series of yrs where it was a free-for-all, now it's all about Federer/Nadal/Djokovic; has been for the last 10+ yrs!
***If there w/b 5-10 ATGs active @ the same X then sure! Unfortunately, that likely won't be the case. The key is, can they produce ATG level matches? If not, then slam distribution being all over the place is not better for tennis. Imho, any Sport needs anchor players to truly thrive. The more the >er. I mean, where would basketball be w/o Jordan, Bryant, James, Curry, etc.? In tennis, since '04, it's been the Big 3 mainly, w/ a decent dosage of MuryGOAT & a bit of Stanimal.
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Honestly, the Big 3 have lived for tennis & their shoes are so BIG. They are still there. I've no clue what'll happen after they all retire, but that's another ??. I kinda doubt than anybody for a long X could do anything similar. I like variety too, but one can only think how good they are. Fed, Djokovic & Nadal still rule the tennis world. Yes, it's been like that for almost 11 yrs or so. They are that good.
We've had so many youngsters to challenge them. Sure they won some matches, but ultimately they all failed. Who the heck were world #1's in last 14 yrs? Well, we go, Fed, Fed, Rafa, Nole, Nole, Nole ... Murray was there for a lit'l bit & then again Djokovic, Fed, Nadal in whatever order. I mean, if really an 'older version of Roger' can still win Masters & Majors .... what's really wrong w/ younger tennis players? Djokovic doesn't play for 6 months, had a surgery ... comes back, struggles, gets better & wins last 3 Majors. It's ridiculous. Now, watch Rafa win another RG. It c/b Djokovic or Fed. IDK. Kudos to the Big 3.
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The Big 3 in the trad'l sense existed for a fairly short X. Djokovic only won a single Slam until the '11 season, where by that pt. Fed had 15. And he came back to win his last 3 when Novak was out of contention due to physical injury. How in the Hell is that a Big 3?
It's an illusion, nothing but a marketing pitch. Tennis has always largely been about 1 or 2 guys, for a X the surfaces would separate contenders & certain guys would go on hot streaks like Wilander in '88. But there was never in reality a Big 3 era. That would of had Roger, Rafa & Novak fighting over Slams; winning you'd think more than 2 each over a course of a few seasons, etc.
'12 was by this logic the only yr. that a Big 4 existed. So, in reality for the past 15 yrs we've really had:
'03: Roger-Roddick-Ferrero
'04-06: Roger
'07-08: Fed/Nadal
'09: Federer
'10: Nadal
'11: Djokovic
'12: Big 4
'13: Nadal/Novak
'14-15: Novak
'16: Novak/Murray
'17: Federer/Nadal
'18: Novak/Nadal
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Yes & no. It's not 'an illusion.' It's still going on. I mean, I do like the way you defined diff. seasons. Well done. However, you're also contradicting yourself. The Big 3 era does exist. You have so many Majors where the Big 3 have showed up in the same tourns. It's not all black or white, but it is what it is. Think about it. How many matches have Djokovic, Federer and Nadal played vs one another? Too many.
The 3 make for by far the most dominant group ever in tennis. They have held a virtual monopoly on the big-name tourns. I mean, Djokovic lost @ the USO back in '07 to Fed. He won the SF's @ the AO '08. Now, '19 we watched the last major w/ Djokovic & Nadal in the final.***
So that's the problem w/ prospects: When they 1st show up on the radar it's hard not to hope for--even expect--greatness. But a young player isn't a failure if they never win a Slam or make the top 10. I suppose every jr. player hopes t/b #1 & a Slam winner, but in that grueling gauntlet of development from age 17 to 22ish, we see players separate into tiers. I think by the X a player's 22 or so, we know roughly how good they w/b. There are outliers; In '07, when Stan Wawrinka turned 22, I'm guessing no one expected 3 Slams. But again, he's an exception. He was good enough back then that a big title or 2 c/b hoped for. I suppose similar players now w/b Coric, Medvedev, Khachanov, etc: it's unlikely that they w/b great, but they'll have the potential t/b regulars in the top 10 & big title winners, m/b = win a Slam or 2.
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After this MC lost in the QF to Medvedev, I hope Djokovic will get a deep run in Madrid or Rome so Nadal can beat him to get that horrible AO match out of way. Nole lost a chance to extend his lease of space in Ralph's head. On another note, it looks like Nole is falling down to a variety of up & coming players: Tsitsipas, Khachanov, Sasha, & Medvedev have beaten him in the past 9 months. So, = if Fedal's gone, it appears that Nole will not have his sole dominance. He would have to share the spoils w/ the Next-Gen.
Since being literally unbeatable @ the AO, he has looked quite mortal, more like the '17 version of himself than the resurgent 2nd half '18 version. He's gone 5-3, losing to good, but not great players; RBA, Kohlschrieber, & Medvedev.***
After 30, Fedalovic have been vulnerable to players they normally own! Nole just has a longer list w/ RBA, Wawrinka, Murray, Cilic, Berdych, & Del Po! Now the "Next Gen" is making their predicted move & I already thought Nole wasn't @ his best & prob. going down before the final! We're spoiled w/ the isolated brilliance shown "down under!" He may never be that good again! He still has to work very hard to win = early Rd. matches! The same c/b said for Nadal, but he's < likely to have such a bad day as to go out the way Djokovic has on sev. occasions of late!
***Was he brilliant down under? I just thought Rafa was awful w/ his mental & match up problems. Novak just turned up.***
I normally have eyes glazed over watching a Nole/Rafa match; esp. on clay! When Nole dominates this way; flicking winners out of nowhere, it's very entertaining & I can watch it over and over again! Rafa was playing quite well; spare us that BS! He hadn't been broken by anyone; actually avoiding brk. pts altogether! Nole owned Nadal's service games w/ pinpt. accuracy of his returns, running him back & forth; often not = in camera shot of the winner hit! That was brilliance personified & it was a good thing Fed went out early & wasn't the one embarrassed in that final!
***...I was convinced Novak was going to win in str. sets. Wimbl. last yr. broke Rafa. He didn't present Novak w/ any problems @ all. I might not be a Nadal fan, but one thing he was always able to do was put up some resistance. That was far from the case. Don't get me wrong, if Rafa had done that, I'm sure Novak had it w/i him to raise his level. The fact is he really didn't have to.
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Medvedev never plays crazy good. ...Djokovic always seemed that he was about to turn up the gears & take control of the match, but once the 3rd set came, he simply lost the plot. He had @ least 2 diff. plays going on for him, moving Medveded out of position on the FH side, & the drop shot. At some pt. it seemed that he was in total control... but all of a sudden, 2 games of the 3rd set goes by and he starts missing one shot after the other.***
***Megan McCain dad was involved in disseminating that fake Fusion GPS report.***
ReplyDelete...Hiring his shady kids was bad enough, Trump's still running his businesses from the WHITE Fk'n HOUSE! That's against the Const. if you aren't aware; called the Emolients clause! ...He's made himself a target b/c "he's so wrong!"
***“Fake?" Many things in that report have been verified @ this pt. I wouldn't be surprised if golden shower tapes were an +-on to get the trainwreck media to jump on it & report the rest. But I agree, Fk Meghan. Her father was respectable = if she isn't.***
Trump-sters know Trump's a socio-pathological liar, but they'll support him like he's Lincoln & Washington rolled into one! That's on them after their hypercriticism of other pols like Bill, Hillary, & Barack! They don't seem to care that they're being made fools of j/b they "wanted things shaken up!" Well he's doing it & the whole rest of the world's laughing @ us daily!
***Everyone thinks Ana's not a real Rep. However, she's a Rep. I'm prob. more Rep. in a lot of ways than a Dem., however, she identifies herself as such & has worked on actual pub presidential campaigns.***
Today's Reps aren't honest brokers of truth & fact! She was excommunicated ages ago w/ her criticism of their fearless leader & relative genius @ large; Herr Trump! Many Reps are on a redemption tour on MSNBC, CNN. HBO's "Real X w/ Bill Mahar," & "The Circus" on ShowX! They're all bemoaning the state of the Rep. party & aren't sure how they'll recover b/c "this is Trump's party now!" The majority have lit'l to no problem w/ his antics; embarrassing as they are, the rank & file have "fallen in line!"
***Babs asked Rosie on; the ratings & press were amazing (well amazing in that they were one of the hottest shows on TV). Hard to believe Walters was so against it. ...It's odd that there are really NO sightings of her in yrs. Those supermarket tabloids about her not leaving her Apt. m/b true.***
Babs' a woman & most have to admit "women hate other women!" It's a HUGE myth that there's this "sisterhood" that all women can relate! What else could it be when the most qualified candidate in the history of the country was set t/b the 1st female president w/ women in the majority to put her in office? They didn't do it; couldn't do it! It would mean another woman would've gotten ahead leaving the rest behind I guess! That's the kind of shortsightedness going on & has been going on since the beginning of X more than likely! Barbara would prob. just have the show cancelled than give into the mistake made of allowing Rosie t/b sidelined w/ all kinds of fans that would tune into that retched show! Love JOY, but she's no Rosie! You need someone RAW to go up vs the cons. who come on to preach how they're right & everyone else is wrong!
***I was happy that Joy shot Meg down w/ the “ok, dont worry we’ll focus on that”, when she was pontificating about what the Dems have to do to win. She has the worst delivery, but she’s not completely wrong on a lot of these points. ...One of the ladies has to figure out a way to say “well, where were you when your father was picking Palin?”***
That would tech. be "taking a shot" @ her old man! It's not permissible in any fashion! He was still a Rep. so he'll never be a fave of mines! He went along w/ the insanity more often than not; = when shutting down the gov't periodically & they were in charge! Usually it's the oppo. that causes a snag; Reps shoot each other in the back & head when it suits them! They're always "of one mind" when acquiring power, but when they "own it all" self-destruct like a bad movie that went str. to video! It's such bad acting = in real life!
I'll never understand the obsession "the right" has w/ the Clintons! It's been nonstop since '92 & it's as if they resent the MSM & Dems for allowing them to have standing in the country @ all! I SMH just not being able to discern if it's been something implanted into their DNA or it's just learned behavior like racism, misogyny, or homophobia from here on out?! Bill's been out of office for going on 2 decades & Hillary lost a humiliating political setback over 2 yrs ago, but rightwing commentators can't get thru a segment w/o invoking the Clinton name to this day! It's goes further wanting to prosecute them for mythical offenses! It's hard for me to = speak civilly w/ a Rep. if I know since I'm so appalled w/ the behavior of their leadership! To accept any qtr. of it is to lower my very moral compass! Lying's no longer an issue w/ these people! They think it perfectly reasonable & acceptable for Trump to make up shit as he goes along, deceiving the populous & making us a laughing stock around the world!
ReplyDelete***You can't understand the obsession w/ the Clintons? Think about it! Their 2 kicks @ the cat have been The Shrub & Grabem. Anything that smacks of competency is going to irritate them to no end. It hasn't been long enough yet but, 20 yrs from now, they'll still be whining about Obama & the Clintons.
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There's no obsession w/ the right in regard to the Clintons. ...Gosh guys, get a grip.***
The rationalization to invoke their names is as I said; OBSESSIVE regard< of your benign post! "LEAVE THOSE PEOPLE ALONE" I say to the masses! They're old & out of the spotlight! It kills me to hear cons. go @ Liberals making comment of "you can't accept the election of '16!" Who's still talking about indictment & prosecution of the old people more than Trump?
***...Don't you just love how the right-wing invents their own statistics? Over Obama's terms 11.6M jobs were created & that was after turning around the massive recession & job losses the last incompetent right-winger created. Grabem in the meanX has done nothing but ride on Obama's coat tails & momentum. And that momentum is slowing quickly under Grabem's economic incompetency. There's a reason he's called the King of Bankruptcy &'s in hock up to his neck to the Russians.***
When cons. run their cons, I just don't understand how these people can sleep @ night! In the past = I had respect for some of their consistency in issues, but now like Trump, they're all about being expedient to hold onto power! It's more than a lit'l pathetic & I'm glad t/b old that just don't & can't GAF if there are people in this country who believe Trump's doing the people's work & only thinking about the welfare of the USA! They still parse Bill's words, but can't be bothered keeping Trump accountable to what he says & does!
***Ana Navarro's professional?? She’s a nasty bitch who disdains President Trump b/c he beat her precious Jeb!***
Navarro may just come off a bit more professional in comparison to her ex-cons. buddies like Coulter, Ingraham, Conway, H.-Sanders, & now Meghan McCain! At 1 X, they were in lock step w/ one another! You're not allowed to have your own opinion about Trump, so Navarro's an outcast, but def. looks more stable & professional! What'll these people have to say about Trump's tenure when things go back to normal & truth wins out?
***Ann is always fun to watch & the smartest woman around. Laura's also brilliant & thoroughly professional. ...Meghan's @ that level, but that’s why she’s on "The View."***
Not everyone's meant to hit the big X! That's why individual sport stars are so revered; few are the elite we're talking about = after 100+ yrs of history! Borg was one of maybe 3 or 4 people in the world that everyone knew; = in the most remote of villages! In my day it was Ali, Jordan, & Borg! Now Fed has that mantle, but Borg was the 1st to transcend the sport!
ReplyDelete***I hear you, but a lot of this had to do w/ "sex appeal." There were players before Borg--Laver & Gonzales come to mind--who were =ly or more dominant, but didn't have the mass media appeal that Borg did.
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...Masters are big tourneys, no doubt about it, & the main reason's the full field. But I simply can’t understand how anyone can get an accurate pic of achievements when looking @ the Big title count of top players.
...I imagine we all recognize there's a huge diff. btw Masters & Slams - Bo5 vs Bo3 & 7 instead of 5 matches. We should also agree that WTF can’t be compared to Masters - the main reason is in Masters you might have to play 3 Top 8 players, while in WTF you'll have to play @ least 4-5 of them.
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Players attempting to peak @ slams isn't the same as Masters being mainly for “prep.” That’s an analytical jump that can’t be supported by the actual evidence. ...Btw '05 & '16, the "Big 4" won 87% of all slams & 85% of all Masters. Not much diff. If they truly were just for prep., they should've won significantly < Masters. The evidence indicates the "Big 4" historically treated both types of tourns. very seriously.
Of course things are beginning to change now that they're @ the tail end of their careers. Murray is out. The remaining "Big 3" have the most slams in the Open era. They also have the most Masters in the Open Era. Slams are the most important tournaments so it makes sense for all of them to prioritize winning slams since they already have so many Masters.
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As for the rest of the tour, they s/b fighting w/ their 'lives' to win Masters. We were all happy that Fog won MC. At the end of the day, do you thing that Roger w/b remembered by how many Masters he won? No, It w/b his 20 Majors for now. So, it's a toss up. Also, if you want t/b #1 in the world you have to play well @ Masters too.***
...Nole always softened up Rafa in SF's for Roger to take advantage of in the final; or visa versa! No other "3rd Wheel's" had it tougher dealing w/ Fedal X & X again along the way to his own greatness! That's why I give Nole tons more credit for his accomplishments! Fed started out w/ a weak era of players, his pigeon (A-Rod) helping, then finally got 1 rival that owned him from the start! Nole had to plow thru all that greatness to finally take over the tour himself for a while!
***There you go w/ your BS, "Novak is the >est again." When Fed won in his prime, everyone was weak. When he wins now, Novak had a stomachache. You can't stop yourself.***
Nope! Fed's still the >est for the X being! I'm just giving due salute to Nole who's had to live in the shadow of Fedal for yrs! Everyone back in the day hasn't been weak, but Roger owning the tour for yrs before Nadal coming along gives some credence to my op.! Fed defeating Djokovic the last sev. yrs has proved quite difficult w/ many ops for Roger to make his mark, but he hasn't so your stomachache "read" is moot! Lucky Rafa came back to Earth & Fed has been able to win sev. matches in a row over his so called "closest rival!" Roger's real rival has always been w/ Nole w/ each having success over each other over the last decade or so! The historic GOAT will inevitably be decided btw these 2; Nadal out of the loop due to his unbalanced success w/ most of it on clay!
***The one thing I agree w/ you about is that the discussion is likely to end up btw Novak & Roger. They're both worthy dominators.***
***So, when top players grumble about revenue splits, they need t/b mindful of where the rest of the $$ is going rather than just focusing on %'s. ...Of course, this is weighted heavily in favor of players who develop w/i GS hosting countries.***
ReplyDelete...Fedalovic is cleaning up; Nole'll prob. end up an all X earning leader for yrs to come w/ his intermittent dom. of the tour!
***Moxie, I'm torn about Fiero's statement. On 1 hand I kind of agree w/ him in that I don't think Rafa can do much more on clay to improve his legacy. ...winning another RG or 2 doesn't change that. And just as I think another RG would improve Roger's or Novak's resumes more than any other Slam, so too do I think a non-clay Slam w/b >er for Rafa than another RG. But that's more of a subjective feeling than statistical analysis. In the end, a Slam's a Slam, & it isn't like Rafa was a slouch off clay.
...Nadal's the best there ever was on his best surface - >er than Roger or Pete on grass, Novak or Roger on HC's, etc. And while I know fellow Fedsters like to downplay the '08 Wimbl. final, it was something for him to beat Roger in his own house - something Roger never did to him. At the very least it was symbolic of him surpassing Roger as the overall greatest in the game - something he did when Roger was still just shy of his 27th BD, not exactly an old man (otoh, Roger's dom. of Rafa in '17 earned some of that back).
As far as the "race for GOAT" that Fiero mentions, while I gen. prefer the "herd" approach, if we want to try to order them, Roger still has a solid edge over the other 2, although this is mainly due to longevity & accum. stats. If we cut his career off @ Rafa's age (almost 33) or Novak's (almost 32), their careers are similar:
Rafa (now): 17 Slams, 80 titles, 196 wks @ #1
Roger thru '14 (age 33, about Rafa's age): 17 Slams, 82 titles, 302 wks
Novak (now): 15 Slams, 73 titles, 248 wks @ #1
Roger thru '13 (age 32, about Novak's age): 17 Slams, 77 titles, 302 wks
...The 2 Roger lines are the =alent age of Rafa or Novak later this yr., not right now. But in the end, we don't know how much longer Rafa or Novak w/b able to perform @ an elite level, & thus whether they can come close to Roger's longevity.
...spinning a bit to downplay Novak's greatness. As I've pointed out before, Rafa was every bit as good in '11 as he had been in '10 vs every other player except Novak. In other words, the diff. btw prob. his best yr. ('10) & m/b his 4th or 5th or, @ worst, 6th best yr. ('11) is Novak reaching his prime. And don't forget that Rafa was as good as ever in '13 & Novak held his own vs him. In other words, '11-14 saw both in their peak forms, & Novak edged Rafa 12-7 during that X. We don't have a comparative "shared peak" overlap for Roger-Rafa or Roger-Novak.
I also think that Novak has a >er chance of catching & surpassing Roger than Rafa does in terms of major accomplishments. He has a good shot at 311+ wks @ #1, prob. an = shot at 21+ Slams & 102+ titles. ...I think we'll know a lot more in a yr., but it w/b 2-3 yrs before we have a more def. sense how the overall GOAT rankings will look. My guess, or m/b wishful thinking, is that Roger w/b able to lev. 1 more Slam & 10+ more titles to get #21 & 110+ titles. I think Rafa has another Slam or 2 in him & a handful more titles, but prob. fall short of 20 Slams & 100 titles. And Novak will have spells of dom. over the next 2 or 3 yrs, but they'll be shorter & fewer & farther btwn. Who knows what he'll end up w/, but I suspect 18-19 & 90+ titles, like Rafa, although I think he just sneaks past Roger for wks & #1.
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Good age comparison. Roger has the edge in all the categories. It also shows the main argument vs Rafa; his lack of ranking dom.***
***Federer-Djokovic Slam rivalry in the 2010s. - It's 8:2 Djokovic.
ReplyDelete'10 USO SF HC Djokovic d Federer 5-7 6-1 5-7 6-2 7-5
'11 AO SF HC Djokovic d Federer 7-6(3) 7-5 6-4
'11 FO - RG SF Clay Federer d Djokovic 7-6(5) 6-3 3-6 7-6(5)
'11 USO SF HC Djokovic d Federer 6-7(7) 4-6 6-3 6-2 7-5
'12 FO - RG SF Clay Djokovic d Federer 6-4 7-5 6-3
'12 Wimbl. SF Gr. Federer d Djokovic 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3
'14 Wimbl. F Gr. Djokovic d Federer 6-7(7) 6-4 7-6(4) 5-7 6-4
'15 Wimbl. F Gr. Djokovic d Federer 7-6(1) 6-7(10) 6-4 6-3
'15 USO F HC Djokovic d Federer 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-4
'16 AO SF HC Djokovic d Federer 6-1 6-2 3-6 6-3
But 3 more slams left t/b played.
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Fed's ranking in his Slam losses vs Djokovic: 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4 (avg. 2.44)
Djokovic's ranking in his Slam losses vs Fed: 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 15 (avg. 4.67)
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Yes, Fed was close to his peak = in his 30s, that's why the age excuse in the h2h is weak. - The Fed/Djokovic rivalry follows completely the usual pattern btw ATGs w/ 6 yr. age diff. First the older doms the er ranking of Fed during their matches c/b explained by the weaker field. Djokovic & Fed only faced twice in '06 & starting in '07, Nole was already quite comp. so it isn't that Fed scored wins vs some Baby Nole.
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Fed's 6 yo'r than Nole, right? So '04 - '09 = '10 - '15.
- Novak-Fed '10-15 = 7-2 (Novak ages 22-27, Fed ages 28 - 33)
- Novak-Fed '04-09 = 1-4 (Novak ages 16-21, Fed ages 22 - 27)
Honestly, not that much diff., & if you ask me, I think it's a lot harder for a younger (teenage) player to muscle out an ATG in his prime yrs than it is for a slightly aging tennis player to hang in there w/ an ATG in his prime yrs.
16 compared to 22 isn't = fair.
19-25 is still quite an uphill battle for the teen.
21-27 starts becoming fair ('09)
24-30 stops being fair ('12)
26-32 is an uphill battle for the grandpa.
29-35 isn't fair anymore.
So let's go w/ '09-12.
Djokovic - Fed: 4-3 Djokovic. Almost dead =. Stop w/ all your geriatric talk. They met 7 X's in a fair per. (21-24 vs 27-30).
Hell, if you disagree, you can extend it to '08-12: 5-4 Nole. (20-24 vs 26-30).
'08-13: 5-4 Nole. (20-25 vs 26-31).
'07-12: 6-5 Fed. (19-24 vs 25-30).
No matter what "fair" metric you use for their ages, the slam meetings have them almost dead =. Everyone should see that.***
***...A bit more on gen. definitions. Another way to approach the matter is to look at what's def. 'Lost Gen' vs what's def. 'Next Gen,' then try to figure out what the best line btw the 2 is. I think we can safely say that those players born '96 or later are def. NextGen; Coric, Khachanov, Medvedev, Berretini, Garin, Donaldson, Kokkinakis, Chung, etc. Those players were eligible for the 1st Next Gen Finals in '17.
ReplyDeleteOTOH, I would call '92 def. Lost Gen. Players born in '92 include Tomic, Sock, Schwartzman, Harrison, Cecchinato, Fucsovics, Kudla, etc. Harrison and Tomic are 2 of the most infamous LostGen types, so I think '92 is clearly a Lost Gen yr.
So that leaves us w/ '93-95. Players born in those yrs:
'93: Thiem, Vessely, Daniel, Carballes Baena, Novikov
'94: Pouille, Thompson, Coppejans, Pavlasek
'95: Kyrgios, Edmund, Djere, Nishioka, Norrie***
I've never made that big a deal about the so called "lost gen," but as you're listing them here, I don't think they were that good to begin w/ if you compare him to the "Next Gens!" Collectively they have no real weapons, didn't upset that many top players, & appear t/b just taking up space in a draw! I loved players like Harrison, but I knew from the start he was going nowhere! The "NG's" have done more than impress w/ a big win here & there over elites, but have also collected titles! Sock is the only one I can think of that had a least 1 good stretch & actually accomplished something outside of his doubles prowess!
***Well I only listed '92. 1991 had Dimitrov, Carreno Busta, Kuznetsov; '90 had Raonic, Goffin, Delbonis, Pospisil; '89 had Nishikori, Young, Klizan, Paire, Johnson. When we get to '88 we get to Cilic & del Potro, as well as Gulbis, Bautista Agut, & Dolgopolov. These guys fit more w/ the older gen., I would think, even if Gulbis "feels" a bit LostGennish. So for me LostGen starts in '89. Donald Young, born in July of '89 is a quintessential Lost Gen'r. He set the tone by showing a bit of early promise, reached #100 @ age 18 in '07, but never really developed much.
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Kyrgios looks like like he wants that underarm serve to become something he w/b remembered of :D + to that completely no interest in a fight on the court today, 100 dropshots, a few games w/o winning a single pt. ...just an ordinary day in the office for Nick.***
Give it another few yrs & it'll be a +! Heaven knows overgrown kids isn't anything new on the tour; start w/ Nastase, Connors, & McEnroe! At least they won majors of course, but give him X! Goran Ivanišević won '01 Wimbl. @ the end of his career as a last min. WC entry ranked #125! The Tourn. dir. didn't have to do that! Since he was a multi-finalist, it only made sense! The rest is history! I can see Kyrgios surprising us all one of these days! There's too much talent in him not to have a good stretch; either in a season or for just a Major event like Wimbl. or USO! Like most Aussie, winning "down under" has been a stretch since the "Handsome 8" were ruling the WCT! Rafter & Hewitt won other Majors & attained the #1 ranking, but nere got a sniff of winning their own GS!
***I doubt this guy will last long enough to mature.
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He can still win a GS someday w/o ever becoming mature.***
Who you tellin'? Goran was literally nicknamed "crazy," but took his lone GS in '01; Nick a lot more talented! ;-)
***...If you are the best in your era , you get t/b the GOAT .. Hence Laver, Borg, Pete, & Fed would always be in the conversation.***
ReplyDeleteI understand how you're thinking, but historians aren't going to see it that way! You'd need to go back & give GOAT-dom to the likes of Tilden, Budge, & Kramer who were the best in their respective eras! That's a lot of GOATS! B-ball & other sports would need to do the same rewriting commentary for all X!
***We can't compare team sports & individual sports. The players I mentioned are just Open Era. Sports do improve over X, but there isn't much Borg can't do that Nadal or Djokovic does today.***
I've been arguing the #'s online for almost 2 decades! Numbers are my life & I excelled in math & statistics in school! I saw very early on how "#'s" c/b manipulated to suit the user! Who was it that coined the phrase, "there are lies, damned lies, & then there's statistics?" ITA about ERA Goats; giving due reverence to Laver, Borg, Sampras, then Federer in short order! The problem is GOAT-dom has OTOH dramatically shorten cycles! Laver regarded the best until Sampras! That was a fairly long reign of 30 years maybe! Borg & Sampras took over 10 yrs later respectively! Fed smashed all the #'s in < than 10 yrs, but Rafa & Nole are on his arse just waiting for him to retire w/ = chances to overtake him w/i 2 or 3 yrs of him leaving the game! That's just THE #'S IMO just OTOH!
***Slam-winning range of 6+ Slam winners of Open Era:
'68-72 Rosewall
'68-69 Laver
'70-75 Newcombe
'74-83 Connors
'74-81 Borg
'79-84 McEnroe
'82-87 Wilander
'84-90 Lendl
'85-92 Edberg
'85-96 Becker
'90-02 Sampras
'92-03 Agassi
'03-18 Federer
'05-18 Nadal
'08-19 Djokovic
One thing you might notice is that there's no gap in the spans. Meaning, there has been no yr. in the Open Era that didn't have @ least one 6+ Slam winner w/i his Slam-winning yrs. Furthermore, there's never been a yr. in which a 6+ Slam winner didn't win a Slam. That means it's unlikely that we'll go a yr. w/o an all-X 'great' winning a Slam or being active w/i a Slam-winning phase.
Novak's already won a Slam in '19. If the pattern holds, that means that one of Novak, Rafa, or Roger'll win a Slam in '20 &/or a new 6+ Slam winner will win a Slam. Again, this doesn't mean that the precedent can't be broken, but that it w/b a 50-yr. precedent being broken - & thus is unlikely. This implies one or both of 2 things:
1) Roger, Rafa, & Novak are not done winning Slams for a few yrs yet.
2) The next 6+ Slam winner is close to winning his 1st Slam - someX before the above 3 are done winning Slams.
This +'s wt., I think, to my view that the next next 6+ Slam winner is a name we already know, be it Thiem, Zverev, Tsitisipas, FAA, or someone else.
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There hasn't been a new Slam winner since '14, meaning we've had @ least 4 yrs ('15-18) w/ no new Slam winners, the longest period during the Open Era. In fact, there have only been a few yrs w/o @ least one new Slam winner:
'68-69, '73, '78, '86-87, '94, '99, '06-07, '10-11, '13, '15-19
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I think it boils down to 50 yrs vs. one yr. There's only been one yr. in the X Rafa has played @ the FO (of 14, '05-18) that he didn't win 1 of the 3 clay Slams &/or Barcelona, & that yr. ('15) he didn't win RG. That's virtually meaning<--its just one yr. There have been over 50 yrs of the Open Era & not a single yr. was not w/i the Slam-winning span of a 6+ Slam winner.***
***Congrats to all the Nole fans on his title in Madrid. We have been waiting to see Novak back in form since Feb. Beating El Greco, Nole achieved:
ReplyDelete1. =ed H2H w/ Tsitsipas
2. Won his 74th ATP Tour title
3. Won rec. 33rd Masters title = to Nadal (52nd big title, 2 < than Fed)
4. His 200th top 10 win (so he's now only 18 such wins behind Fed's rec. 218)
5. Widened the pts gap w/ #2 Nadal to 4170
6. Most importantly, came back to his form finally
He also won the title playing only 8 sets = though he had to play the 2 best players of today, Thiem & Tsitsipas. Some people mentioned how he didn't play his trad'l rivals, but they don't seem the best opposition to Nole these days, instead he beat the 2 guys who beat Fed & Nadal.
...I don't say I now expect him to win RG, but it certainly looks more likely than it looked before this tournament. It's still unlikely, b/c ever since slams are how we know them today & it m/b last 40 yrs or more, a streak of 4 in a row has been won only once.
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...What's up w/ Goffin? He seemed to have reached a new level @ the end of '17 when he beat Roger @ the WTF, but then has really struggled since.***
Goffin's yet another player that has to "red-line" to remain = relevant! He has no real weapon & c/b toppled by just about ANYONE in the top 100! I mentioned S. Johnson in that vein yesterday! It's not going to get the job done for very long! They'll disappear just as fast as they make a name for themselves w/ a couple big wins! Better players have fallen by the wayside; Pouille one of them who beat Nadal @ the USO! Where is he? He had a lot of game, but it's the mental side of things that keep Fedalovic rising about the fray = though aging & breaking down! All 3 of them have taken significant X off the tour only to get back to #1 w/ lit'l op. outside of each other! That was unheard of in past eras! Once you lost it, you never got back to the top rung again!
***Just turned on the TV & heard someone on the TCC say Serena has WD from Rome.***
She obviously doesn't want to play Venus! This kind of thing has been going on for over 20 years! It's ridiculous!
***...Serena's prob. exhausted; full X mom, & launching a new business venture. There was a Met Gala appearance & had the knee injury already. With all the travel; she ain't 25 anymore.***
All the more reason to get off the tour! I won't miss her part X act! I barely pay attn. to the ladies; all so generically hitting the ball! I can't = keep up or pronounce their names! I really haven't cared much for the ladies since the days of the Martinas & Justine Henin! It bothers me that Serena can leave & come back as if she never left & they bow to her domineering persona & game! They're beating her more, but she's still thought of as the best player in the world; heard it on ESPN today due to her WD!
***...Serena is a HUGE pull for the game. She knows that. These are actually possibly her prime earning years; @ least off the court. ...Right now it certainly seems like Osaka is the best player (off clay). But she's definitely gonna have some growing pains too. Plenty of room for Serena to show up and show out & make her own opps. ...Osaka has won 2 str. slams now. But she hasn't dominated anywhere else. I'm a huge fan of hers. Have been since she was 18. She's a force & may just take over. But Serena isn't just going to let her have it. Halep couldn't completely dom. = though she was clearly the most consistent player. ...Serena's successor(s) will rise. But the Queen ain't done yet.***
...Ferrer disappointed me again & again allowing Nadal to own him; taking m/b 1 or 2 matches off his DC team mate! It's players like Ferrer who do what we call "playing w/i oneself!" That only meant he never went out of his comfort zone & wasn't more aggressive to win more matches vs the elites! As high as his ranking was, it was more happenstance of him winning when Fedalovic wasn't around! I put him right up there w/ Berdych, Cilic, Verdasco, Nalbandian, & quite a few other players who may have had more weapons, but were mental midgets letting themselves get throttled by more elite players! A smarter person would do SOMETHING to shake up the match up! They never did & now they're retiring one by one w/ few if any big titles!
ReplyDelete***Isner WD from RG due to foot injury suffered @ Miami finals. Apparently it has not healed yet.***
Like Isner was really going to do something in Paris; PLEASE! I long for the days when US men didn't bother un< they had a real expectation of doing well; Chang, Courier, Agassi! McEnroe had 2 chances & blew it w/ his temper in '84! Sampras had 1 or 2 real chances to do something @ the ht. of his powers in the mid 90's, but eventually lost to the inevitable champions like Courier or Kafelnikov! The other trips were a waste of X like Lindsey Davenporte really trying hard over the yrs to get her footwork together to compete! Some players just need those fast courts & free pts on serve you didn't get back then on the slow Terre Battue of RG! They'd have a better chance in Madrid when they had that blue mess (Har-Tru) that the clay specialist like Rafa & Nole hated! Roger ate it up & won his last clay event w/ lit'l trouble since he loved the slippery aspect which gave him an advantage over others @ the X!
***...I agree w/ @Fiero425 that it c/b boring when Rafa destroys everyone in RG or when Novak is too dominant, or Fed was in his prime. When I watch tennis in gen. I mostly root for the close match where only a few pts decide the winner. Those are the matches that stick to the mind & I gladly play it again someX's when I'm in a tennis blues.
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Nole going 3 sets w/ Schwartzman; prob. realizes what awaits him tmrw in the Rome Final vs Rafa.***
I'm sure Nole's scared to death after beating Rafa 12 of the last 15 X's IIRC! Those 3 wins on clay were happenstance going along w/ period when Nole was down; sorta like when Djokovic annihilated Rafa @ the FO in '15! No one gave him credit for that since Rafa was not "himself!" This match means nothing; just like in '11 when Nole defeated Rafa in Madrid & Rome! Roger stopped Nole's match run of a lifeX (43) in the SF of Paris! It's debatable either Nole or Rafa'll = make FO final IMO b/c "the Elites" are being challenged by the NG'rs finally! Someone's going down early & HC; just hope it's Rafa for a change!
***I doubt Nole's "scared to death" about tmrw, but I bet he's tired. Did you see his last 2 matches? He's rarely gotten out of his B-game. He played >er today v. Schwartzman, who played very well indeed, but still, Diego isn't del Potro & neither one of them is Rafa. I fully expect him to rise to the challenge. ...Novak didn't exactly "annihilate" Rafa in RG '15. And it doesn't really mean that much that he beat him, considering that Rafa was getting beaten by everyone & his maiden aunt that yr., & not just on clay.***
***I did an avg. btw the winning %'s on the 3 main surfaces (HC, clay, grass):
ReplyDelete1) Borg 82.35
2) Djokovic 82.24
3) Nadal 82.22
4) Federer 82.16
5) Connors 81.34
6) Laver 81.28
7) Lendl 79.51
8) McEnroe 79.43
9) Murray 77.20
10) Rosewall 76.86
11) Sampras 75.50
12) Becker 75.32
13) Agassi 75.21
14) Edberg 75.17
15) Wilander 74.35
You can see some change w/ the normal winning %:
1) Borg 83.03
2) Nadal 82.86
3) Djokovic 82.69
4) Federer 82.02
5) Connors 81.77
6) McEnroe 81.57
7) Lendl 81.51
8) Laver 80.27
9) Murray 77.63
10) Sampras 77.47
11) Becker 76.91
12) Vilas 76.49
13) Agassi 76.14
14) Ashe 75.69
15) Edberg 74.79
The 1st list is made only by ATGs, arguably the 15 greatest players in the Open Era.***
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I've been saying for a while now that the NG'rs have tested elites & beaten them of late! It's another thing to do it in a BO5, but they've come OHhhh so close; the USO last season has Rafa so spent he had to WD/retire midway to defeat in the SF to Del PO! Khachanov & Thiem had taken Nadal to the limit & he couldn't recover fast enough! ...The body doesn't have infinite reserves; "ya burn the candle too bright, the light'll burn out sooner" IMO! Murray was gone before we knew it! What's so mind-numbing to me is you'd think these master tacticians of tennis would figure out how to close out matches before going 5 sets in early Rds to players we don't = know OTT of our heads! Even Borg realized early on that he wasn't going to win Wimbl. like his FO titles hanging back & allowing players to run him ragged! ...What a waste w/ Del PO who was supposed to join an "Elite 5" instead of keeping the boring "Big 4!" It just never came t/b & I'm so mournful of the possibilities if not for certain players stifled by these GOATs of today!
***...We're lucky enough to watch the 3 GOATS, in the same era, battling each other for yrs now. It seems like evey yr. one of the 3 gets an edge, only to lose it to the other guy a few months later. I honestly think that this debate will never be settled, other than by accepting the fact that there are 3 GOATS, & that the greatest tennis era in history is about to come to an end.
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Five yrs ago I considered Fed the GOAT. Today I consider him the greatest sportsman of all X. - no list is complete w/o Laver, Borg, & Sampras.***
I'd accept that Mt. Rushmore of Tennis Gods; Borg, Laver, Sampras, & Federer! Someone might have to re-work Roger's BUST to give it a facelift to Rafa or Nole w/i the next 5 "more" yrs since this era will continue as long as they're @ the top!
***No, I still think Fed's the GOAT for now, = though IMO we have to wait til '24 or so to see the final GS count of the Big 3. Even though Nadal & Djokovic are becoming older, I still haven't seen any single player of the NG able to stop them in GS's. Maybe this RG Thiem will give the 1st step in that direction, but I doubt it.
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Both dominate H2H's vs Fed, both have higher peaks, both are more dom., both beat Fed @ Wimbl., which is esp. insane for Nadal, who'd been training his whole youth on clay courts. And both are more graceful in defeat. - Winning slams @ 35-6, & beating Rafa 5 X's in a row really boosted Fedr IMO, not that he needed it.***
He needed Djokovic t/b missing in action though! Roger hadn't won a major in 5 yrs; stopped sev. X's by Nole; AO, 2 Wimbls, & a USO! After the Nole-Slam was completed in '16, the fire died in him for a while w/ heaven knows what going on behind the scenes! Roger was able to actually overcome his "so called" rival who really owned him from the beginning; esp. on clay!
***...Your age bracket voted Jill Stein or Bernie. A waste of a vote.***
ReplyDeleteHillary had so much going vs her, but = w/ Russian collusion going on, this nightmare we're in shouldn't be happening! She caught it from all sides; Biden was whining, Bernie wouldn't concede, Jill Stein about as tarnished Flynn, & Comey holding press conferences about Hillary's email situation right before the election! Add to that the gullibility of the populous who actually believed rightwing kooks publishing/promoting that the Clintons were running a child-pedo sex ring out of the basement of a pizza restaurant! I was done! Bad enough it was said = once, this proves we have some real morons out there making it beneficial to say something that stupid! Getting the white women vote will forever make me SMH, but that's women for you!
***Proof that psychopaths can fool = the smartest people. Look how many right-wingers Trump's been able to con. Not that conning right-wingers is a big trick. It's just that by now you'd think they would've started to realize they had been conned.***
They're all in a state of grief/recovery IMO! Reps are quite aware of the state of their party, but feel they have no choice but to "go w/ it" for the X being! They're literally afraid of Trump seeing as how he plays the heartstrings of his supporters; their BASE! Rep. leaders are hoping for the best & have t/b feeling out what their next move s/b when this all begins to crumble around their feet! I can't = smile watching the smartest of cons. relent in every way to the underachieving of Trump & the destructive behavior underlying it all! I'm glad I don't travel abroad anymore; the embarrassment, ??'s, & laughter m/b more than I can take!
***Women need a vacation from Stephen Moore. - Moore, one of President Trump’s many exotic picks to staff the Fed. gov't, declared this wk. that his opps are “pulling a Kavanaugh vs me.”
Moore, Trump’s pick for the Federal Reserve Board, is so convinced he's being treated like Brett Kavanaugh, whose SC confirmation was marred by sexual-misconduct allegations, that he reportedly hired a PR firm that helped Kavanaugh.
...In other writings, Moore defended misbehavior on college campuses: “If [women] were so oppressed & offended by drunken, lustful frat boys, why's it that on Fri. nights they showed up in droves in tight skirts to the keg parties?” He reserved particular derision for his wife. After she voted Dem., he wrote: “Women are sooo malleable! No wonder there’s a gender gap.”
Moore's now divorced from her — & was held in contempt of court in '13 for failing to pay more than $300,000 in child support. There’s a tax lien vs his home b/c he owes the IRS $75,000. In other words, Moore should fit in perfectly w/ his fellow Trump appointees.
...For important jobs, Trump has seen fit to tap the unfit — a cabana boy, a party planner, a bartender, a muffler-shop guy, a judicial nom. who didn’t know the law. (Trump’s previous AG had recently pitched hot tubs.) Even the qualified tend to depart in disgrace: John Kelly, Gary Cohn, Jeff Sessions, Rex Tillerson, Kirstjen Nielsen. Now comes AG Wm. Barr, already trashing his rep. w/ his dishonest unveiling of the Mueller report.
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Some might say the same thing about Mollie Hemingway.***
Something's really wrong w/ Hemingway! Every X I watch/listen to her as an "all-star panelist" on Bret Baier's, "Special Report," I see this woman as truly bent! It's as if she's living in an alt. universe where Trump's a saint being persecuted by unfair media & Dems! She might as well have on her kneepads following the man around she has such adoration for him forever making excuses & justifying his obstruction to common sense! It's truly sick to see; esp. since she's one of those women who defends a pig over her fellow "sisters!"
***'04-09 Nadal vs anyone 'cept Fed:
ReplyDeleteOverall: 373-72 (83.8%)
Grand Slams: 76-12 (86.4%)
vs top10: 46-25 (64.8%)
'11-16 Nadal vs anyone 'cept Nole:
Overall: 327-54 (85.8%)
Grand Slams: 79-10 (88.8%)
vs Top 10: 61-19 (76.25%)
Ok. Now lets look where they actually met and how good was Nadal on given surface.
Clay
'04-09 - 94.7% - matches w/ Fed - 11, 4 GS
'11-16 - 92.2% - matches w/ Djokovic - 12, 4 GS
Grass
'04-09 - 81.8% - matches w/ Fed - 3, 3 GS
'11-16 - 69.2% - matches w/ Djokovic - 1, 1 GS
Hard
'04-09 - 76.3% - matches w/ Fed - 6, 1 GS
'11-16 - 81.3% - matches w/ Djokovic - 13, 3 GS
Seems pretty clear to me. Nadal was >er on clay & so much >er on grass in '04-09 that it isn't = funny. Fed played him there 70% of all of his matches & 86.3% of their GS matches.
OTOH, Nadal was >er on HC in '11-16. Djokovic played him there w/ 50% of all & 36.3% of GS matches.
So in direct comparison Fed faced >er Nadal then Djokovic in 70% of their matches & 86.3% of their GS matches. Djokovic played >er Nadal in 50% of their matches & 36.3% of their GS matches.***
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Nole needs @ least 1 more FO to elevate it over "a fluke!" Murray prob. should've won that '16 match but for him allowing early Rd. matches to drag out to 4 * 5 set contests so unnec.! He was spent after a blistering 1st set! His tongue must've been hanging out of his head as he was run back & forth like a dog by Djokovic w/ end< rallies in the 2nd, 3rd, & ending 4th sets! He got payback by overplaying that season, overtaking Nole for #1 in the last match of the season @ the YEC Final! I've told people Murray & Nadal'll pay for their style of play! Murray; DONE! Nadal still hanging on by a fingernail IMO!
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***The Packers used free agency this yr. to bolster the defense, bringing in a good safety & a couple pass rushing LB's spending A LOT to do it. Now they draft another pass rusher & a safety. It'd be one thing if the team didn't have glaring holes on offense, but it does; starting TE, OL depth, & WR depth. This was def. a good draft for tight ends. Graham's completely washed up, should've drafted one here IMO. M/b they'll take one soon in which case I suggest selecting the biggest, most athletic guy available.***
Well what else should they do, plan ahead & draft another QB? They've lost playoff game after playoff game due to their anemic defense; all flash w/ blondie making a play here & there! You can't fault Rodgers, = though a putz IRL! He's put up stellar #'s only to lose the game due to the player's inability to stop the opp. when it really counted! I live in Bear Country, but had a lot of admiration for him; early on @ least! These last few yrs have exposed his character or lack thereof! He pushes blame to his past coach teammates! That's a "No No" in everyone's book!
***They should try to improve as many weaknesses as they can is the obvious answer. And I hear you about Rodgers. He's definitely become more of a diva over X & < of a leader. He doesn't play w/ the same chip on his shoulder. If Rodgers sucks again next yr. I'd be all for the Packers drafting a QB of the future.***
***...Djokovic, = w/ Thiem getting >er @ going toe to toe w/ him and Nadal on clay for 5 sets, is still the 2nd best clay player in the world. B/c Nole's the best player in the world everywhere except clay. And, I don't think he'll be able t/b this dom. for much longer. But he'll still have a shot @ the FO until he's @ least 35 or 36. IF his body holds up anything like Fed's has, of course. ...I hope Thiem has what it takes right now. But at the moment, '17's an outlier & Djokovic's still the fave to win if they meet up in the semis. He's still the fave vs every possible opp. on clay except Nadal. That may start to look diff. later this yr.
ReplyDelete---
So Fed makes his 1st RG SF since '12. SEVEN yrs; 3 not played. ...We get the match we all love to see. We prob. know the outcome. But the match has t/b played. Hopefully his wins vs Nadal of late will give him some confidence & he'll be able to get a set. Or maybe he can push Nadal to 5 for the 1st X here. W/ Nadal's form though, it's hard to see him winning it.***
If Fed = comes close to making this a contests; what would that say about Nadal who's supposedly been playing "lights out?" I'd love to see Djokovic & Federer in the FINAL, but that's a big ask just to contest yet one more X for a Major Champ.!
***Roger's playing OK, other than the brk pts. OK is of course not going to cut it vs Rafa, but Rafa also has not beaten him in like 4-5 yrs. It may or may not mean much on the clay of RG, but Roger's playing w/ house $$ @ this pt.
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Agree. He has nothing to lose in the SF match & I'm sure he's counting on that 'pressure' is on Rafa & w/b very interesting how it unfolds. I'm really happy to see them face once again.
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If Fed beats Nadal (indep. of whether he goes on to win RG), Nadalites should admit that Fed's their GOAT & savior + Ralph should retire & take up fishing in Mallorca full X.***
Exactly what I was thinking! Would "the end" be more humiliating? He's owned the "old guy," but who winds up on top; FED?
***So close, yet so so far away. Couldn't = reach the Nadal. Thiem has surpassed Djokovic on clay in terms of peak level. ...This Thiem would beat '15-16 Djokovic in a heartbeat; str. sets victory for Thiem written all over it.***
Nothing like hyperbole! Let's see what Thiem does tmrw! I was all for Djokovic getting his 2nd Nole-Slam, but not going to cry over it! I'm not greedy & I don't think Nole is either! If he defends his Wimbl. & USO titles, he w/b happy enough continuing as #1 & +ing more recs to his list of achievements! Every great champion has a deficiency on his resume! Nole has nothing t/b ashamed of! It'd just elevate him even >er if he can take another FO & Cincy Masters! That would round him out nicely = if he doesn't catch Fedal in the Major's count! He's already set himself apart from ALL others!
***Novak Djokovic remains far away from GOAT status.***
If you say so! I still say he's coming up fast w/ Fedal looking @ him over their shoulders w/ worry! I never thought he'd recover after his physical & mental hiatus of '17+, but Nole made up for it winning 3 Majors in a row! He doesn't NEED another FO! Nadal can keep that part of tennis lore to himself! No matter what happens, "Rafa'll always have Paris!" To me the GOAT moniker is destined t/b w/ EITHER Fed or Djokovic! They are the most complete players & have accomplishments far & away above Nadal who's more a CLAY MASTER than anything! If he were to overtake all others w/ 14 FO w/ the remaining 6 or 7 @ other venues, I'd look for more balance that Roger & Nole have been able to achieve!
...It's a big ask for anyone no matter where they are in their career to win 4 str. majors! It took everything out of him the last X w/ a sluggish end to the '16 season; dropping the #1 ranking to Murray after the YEC finals! Is it worth it? YEP! This m/b Nole's last chance to win the FO w/ Thiem coming along nicely & other players like Tsitsipas, Khachanov, & Medvedev pushing the elites = now! Zverev will turn the corner one of these days as well!
ReplyDelete***Nadal wins 12th FO over Thiem! He can pass Federer w/ FO's alone but, that said, you have Djokovic to thank for the fact that this is = a convo. He has underachieved royally @ RG. The loss to Thiem was just the latest chapter in his story of underachieving.***
It's called pressure! Maybe you've heard of it! Even Serena Wms succumbed to it when she was on the precipice of greatness winning her own CYGS a few yrs ago! She was up a set & a brk in the Semi's of the USO & dropped her legacy temp. to a doubles' specialist in Vinci! I can go down the list of players that have faltered when it counted! Nole has nothing t/b ashamed of!
***It's very difficult to envision anyone beating a healthy & determined Nadal in Paris. I say he bags @ least 1 more so anything is poss. Fed @ SW19? He has as good a chance as anyone, but grass is always going t/b susceptible to the upset of = the best ever there (Fed) simply b/c the surface rewards big serving & aggressive shotmaking. Top players can wreak havoc & Nadal's as aware of this as anyone there. Roger's no shoo-in there & he has surprisingly not won in NY in over a decade (hard to fathom looking back). Novak & young Dominic w/b around, but Nadal has a shot.
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I'll never go into this GOAT war b/c there's no room for a single GOAT beside such a dom. player on clay. And vice versa when looking on the success on grass & HC. There are 3 >est POAT & this won't change during our lifeX. We are very lucky b/c of the possibility to witness that life!
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We’re in an unprecedented era w/ an embarrassment of riches. No one could've seen this coming a decade ago — to have 3 of the all-X >est men playing each other @ the same X. The 70s were great w/ Borg, McEnroe, Connors, Evert, Navratilova, etc., but this era is >er w/ Fedal, Djokovic, Serena, & the Bryan BROs. Even as a huge Rafa fan, I think Roger is the GOAT for sev. reasons, but the current Big 3 top the list of all-X greats IMO; esp. b/c they’re playing @ the same X, yet each having tremendous success.
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Passing Roger means 3 more Slams...& that assumes that Roger doesn't win another. To win 3+ is a tall order. He has to stay healthy; not just enough to play, but healthy enough to win. Secondly, the young guys are getting >er. ...The pt. being, Rafa won't get any >er...he'll only lose a bit here & there, while the young guys'll continue to improve.
Now there are 3 other Slams. But while Rafa's still an elite performer off clay, he's a mortal elite player. He might win another USO or AO, but the comp.'s thick & getting thicker. I also wouldn't be surprised of a scenario were Roger, Rafa, & Novak all finish w/ the same #...either 20 or 21. Either way, I do think they'll all end up w/i 2 Slams of each other, so somewhere in the 18-22 range.
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No, I'm giving him a 60% chance of winning 2 or more, 40% of 3 or more. Right now I'd give Roger about a 40% of winning another Slam. If the diff. is 4, Ralph'll most likely not pass Fed. If the diff. is 3, we get into the murky zone where no one'll have any idea what'll happen.
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By winning his 18th Slam today, Nadal's ahead of X relative to when Fed won his 18th Slam.
Age when winning the 18th Slam: - Nadal (33 yo); Fed (35 yo)
Nadal has 3.5 yrs to win @ least 2+ slams (til the '22 USO). I don't think Nadal'll win slams by 35-36 yo.***
***IMO, the most impressive part about the Big 3's dominance is the fact that regardless who they throw @ them, they still find a way to beat them. They dom. Fed's gen as Nadal became #2 @ age 19, while Djoko became #3 behind Fedal @ age 20. Fed obviously proceeded to dom. his peers by rec. margins too of course.
ReplyDeleteThey dom. the Big 4 gen. which included the likes of Murray, Wawrinka, Del Potro, Cilic, Berdych, Tsonga, etc. They clowned the lost gen. which included Raonic, Nishikori, & Dimitrov. And now they're consistently stopping the next gen. players like Thiem, Zverev, Stefanos. & Shapo.
Tech., Fedal beat 5 diff. gens as Fed beat Agassi @ a few majors later on in Andre's career & dethroned Pete @ Wimbl., while Nadal also beat Agassi @ one of his last majors @ Wimby as well as the Canada Cup finals in like '05.
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The rankings continue t/b dom. by older (30+) & younger (<25) players, w/ few in-btwn. Or to use my old "Generational Theory:"
Top 5 Players of Gen Fed (b. '79-83):
- 3. Federer (37)
34. Verdasco (35)
51. Kohlschreiber (35)
86. Karlovic (40)
97. Lorenzi (37)
Top 5 Players of Gen Nadakovic (b. '84-88):
1. Djokovic (32)
2. Nadal (33)
8. Anderson (33)
10. Fognini (32)
11. Isner (34)
Top 5 Players of Lost Gen (b. '89-93):
4. Thiem (25)
7. Nishikori (29)
17. Basilashvili (27)
18. Raonic (28)
21. Schwartzman (26)
Top 5 Players of Next Gen (b.'94-98):
5. Zverev (22)
6. Tsitsipas (20)
9. Khachanov (23)
13. Medvedev (23)
14. Coric (22)
Top 5 Players of Maple Leaf Gen (b. '99-03):
21. Auger-Aliassime (18)
24. De Minaur (20)
25. Shapovalov (20)
83. Kecmanovic (19)
102. Moutet (20)
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It w/b interesting to see on how both Fed & Nadal will fare in these next 3 slams coming up (Wimbl., USO., & '20 AO). They're all getting older & the comp.'s getting >er so it's kinda crucial that they're able to get a slam before they stop winning them @ a consistent basis.
B/c Nadal's the 1 right behind Fed, it's more crucial for him to actually try to win 1 Slam outside of RG in the next 3 slams to increase his chances @ the very least tie Fed. If he's still @ 18 majors by the X '20 RG comes around, then I don't see him passing Fed or maybe = tying him. This is contingent on Fed not winning 1 more Slam. If Fed does win 1 more Slam, then yeah Nadal will not pass him for sure.***
***Djokovic has a game that is close to perfection. He has 1 of the best BHs in the game, ever, & a great FH, but it's based on stepping in, taking the ball early, changing directions, employing a 'death by a 1000 cuts' tactic to dismember opps. The usual Djoker pt. is to hit deep, make opps move, wait for a short ball, & go for winners.
ReplyDelete---
A fairly good characterization of Novak's game. I agree w/ it mostly. ...I enjoy watching Rafa's matches more than Novak's (but am not a fan of either).***
...Rafa taking full advantage of the tech. isn't enough for this joker, he has to run "game" on his opp., stall, & challenge every call as if "it is not possible I miss!" Nole c/b robotic out there, but when "he's on," it's very entertaining! I can watch that AO Final over & over! Love seeing Rafa totally @ sea & unable to = compete though playing quite well! ...Nadal was playing well enough; just couldn't hang w/ the #1 player & has only defeated him on clay the last 5-6 yrs!
***...It shows how important that epic SF was last yr. Such small margins decided that match & if Nadal had won he'd've ATG @ Wimbl. secured for me.
I still think Rafa has a chance to get another over the next 2 yrs. ...Give Novak the tough QF vs Del Potro last yr. & that SF chb completely diff. Nadal had a tough route.***
...Djokovic also has far fewer upsets like Rafa vs the likes of Rosol & Darcis! Rafa owns The FO! His fans s/b quite satisfied w/ that instead of manufacturing >ness w/ just 2 titles @ a major! I love Edberg, but I couldn't put him up there w/ the greats just b/c he has 2 titles @ 3 of the majors! Even you won't give it up to Murray w/ his 2 champs.! Rafa dropping that SF last season @ SW19 really cost him! No doubt he prob. would've found a way to overcome Anderson = though Roger went out to him! No doubt Rafa w/b dangerous for the next 2 yrs, but he's come back a bit = w/ that FO win! By dropping 2 or 3 of his warm-ups; esp. 2 in Spain alone had to shake his fans! I think Fedovic have acquitted themselves well on the surface & if not for 1 player, they prob. would've X titles! All players have that foil! At the USO Borg never overcame Connors = on his fave surface of clay; though Har-Tru! Laver dropped cons. WCT Champs. to Rosewall! ...Rafa was the Chris Evert-Lloyd =lent! If he hangs on much longer, He'll go out like her too & it'll be real embarrassing!
***...Novak won the game & has 4 titles to Nadal’s 2 so no debate. As a Fed fan I’m just happy he has ATG status @ 3 slams w/ no debate whatsoever. One of his >est achievements! - Good argument to say Fed's ATG on clay, so Djokovic is. LMAO
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How's it wrong? I'm only saying my perception (maybe false) was most here viewed Fed an ATG on clay. Djokovic is @ least on Fed's level on clay, & in fact on paper is prob. slightly >er, & most people prob. do rank Djokovic slightly >er on an all X list on clay than Fed @ this pt. So by that logic, @ least if you're one of those who does consider Fed an ATG on clay, it wouldnt make sense to not also regard Djokovic as one.
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I don’t see much diff. btw Djokovic & Fed. The way their game styles are, I’d take Fed peak for peak (due to the FH & variety), but Djoker has done a bit >er vs Nadal & @ Masters due to having a weaker Nadal IMO in '14-16. Both below Nadal, Borg, Lendl, Wilander, & Kuerten. So 6th/7th; you could call that ATG.***
***...Your age bracket voted Jill Stein or Bernie. A waste of a vote.***
ReplyDeleteHillary had so much going vs her, but = w/ Russian collusion going on, this nightmare we're in shouldn't be happening! She caught it from all sides; Biden was whining, Bernie wouldn't concede, Jill Stein about as tarnished Flynn, & Comey holding press conferences about Hillary's email situation right before the election! Add to that the gullibility of the populous who actually believed rightwing kooks publishing/promoting that the Clintons were running a child-pedo sex ring out of the basement of a pizza restaurant! I was done! Bad enough it was said = once, this proves we have some real morons out there making it beneficial to say something that stupid! Getting the white women vote will forever make me SMH, but that's women for you!
***Proof that psychopaths can fool = the smartest people. Look how many right-wingers Trump's been able to con. Not that conning right-wingers is a big trick. It's just that by now you'd think they would've started to realize they had been conned.***
They're all in a state of grief/recovery IMO! Reps are quite aware of the state of their party, but feel they have no choice but to "go w/ it" for the X being! They're literally afraid of Trump seeing as how he plays the heartstrings of his supporters; their BASE! Rep. leaders are hoping for the best & have t/b feeling out what their next move s/b when this all begins to crumble around their feet! I can't = smile watching the smartest of cons. relent in every way to the underachieving of Trump & the destructive behavior underlying it all! I'm glad I don't travel abroad anymore; the embarrassment, ??'s, & laughter m/b more than I can take!
***Women need a vacation from Stephen Moore. - Moore, one of President Trump’s many exotic picks to staff the Fed. gov't, declared this wk. that his opps are “pulling a Kavanaugh vs me.”
Moore, Trump’s pick for the Federal Reserve Board, is so convinced he's being treated like Brett Kavanaugh, whose SC confirmation was marred by sexual-misconduct allegations, that he reportedly hired a PR firm that helped Kavanaugh.
...In other writings, Moore defended misbehavior on college campuses: “If [women] were so oppressed & offended by drunken, lustful frat boys, why's it that on Fri. nights they showed up in droves in tight skirts to the keg parties?” He reserved particular derision for his wife. After she voted Dem., he wrote: “Women are sooo malleable! No wonder there’s a gender gap.”
Moore's now divorced from her — & was held in contempt of court in '13 for failing to pay more than $300,000 in child support. There’s a tax lien vs his home b/c he owes the IRS $75,000. In other words, Moore should fit in perfectly w/ his fellow Trump appointees.
...For important jobs, Trump has seen fit to tap the unfit — a cabana boy, a party planner, a bartender, a muffler-shop guy, a judicial nom. who didn’t know the law. (Trump’s previous AG had recently pitched hot tubs.) Even the qualified tend to depart in disgrace: John Kelly, Gary Cohn, Jeff Sessions, Rex Tillerson, Kirstjen Nielsen. Now comes AG Wm. Barr, already trashing his rep. w/ his dishonest unveiling of the Mueller report.
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Some might say the same thing about Mollie Hemingway.***
Something's really wrong w/ Hemingway! Every X I watch/listen to her as an "all-star panelist" on Bret Baier's, "Special Report," I see this woman as truly bent! It's as if she's living in an alt. universe where Trump's a saint being persecuted by unfair media & Dems! She might as well have on her kneepads following the man around she has such adoration for him forever making excuses & justifying his obstruction to common sense! It's truly sick to see; esp. since she's one of those women who defends a pig over her fellow "sisters!"
***President Trump just hit a major milestone of his presidency. The Wash'ton Post is reporting that he has made more than 10,000 false or misleading claims since he took office...or 828 days. He crossed the mark on Apr. 26th, according to the Post...w/ his rallies before the midterm elections, the partial gov't shutdown & the release of the Mueller report listed as contributing factors.
ReplyDeleteThe Post started the Fact Checker database during his 1st 100 days in office...during that X, he avg'd about 5 misleading or false claims/day. And during the 1st 601 days, he made it to 5K, an avg. of 8 claims/day. But 226 days later on Apr. 26th, he made it to 10,000 which in the 7 month per. btw the 5,000 marks & Apr. 26th, he avg'd 23 claims a day. ...***
That's on his supporters who accept his BS; not the socio-pathological liar!
***The Dow is down 500 pts after China announced retaliatory tariffs vs the United States. China said Mon. that there w/b tariff hikes on $60 B of U.S. imports after the Trump admin. on Fri. raised tariffs on $200 B in Chinese imports from 10%, to 25%. The retaliatory measures were announced about an hour after President Donald Trump tweeted directly to Chinese President Xi Jinping saying: “China w/b hurt very badly if you don’t make a deal b/c companies w/b forced to leave China for other countries.” The Dow & S&P are down more than 2%. The tech heavy Nasdaq is down 2.5%. - Trade wars are easy to win.***
...and we all know what a financial winner Trump's been all his life! Money falls into his lap from DADDY, he invests in something w/ his NAME emblazoned upon it, then he loses his shirt; tech. someone else's shirt since he has no real $$ of his own anymore! He's stolen some, been bought by Russia, & is owned by Deutsche Bank more than likely since they were the last institution to give him capital! He has an economy chugging along nicely, but he just can't help putting his finger in there & now is prob. heading SOUTH! Where else is there to go w/ high GDP, low unemploy., & a rec. brk'n stock market?
***This is a really touchy issue. China has a lot of economic leverage over USA, but the same is true the other way around too, & we are the guy w/ the dead-man's switch. So I don't imagine it'll come down to pulling out the economic nukes -- there w/b too much damage to go around. More likely, we'll have economic low-burning war, which will still hurt plenty bad.***
They have Trump & the US by the short hairs since we get so much in the way of loans from China! It's like Trump & his people don't know that! You can't antagonize them like this; trying to make them look weak! I don't blame them in the least if they punish us for his stupidity! He's deflecting when he makes out he's best buds w/ their leadership! They will cut his throat in a HOT sec. & not = blink! He'll be gone in a yr. or so while China still owns a lot of our debt b/c Trump inflated our deficits & hence the Nat'l Debt! "Thanks Reps; you're so fiscally responsible when in charge!"
***And we have them by = shorter hairs b/c:
1.They rely on us for so much of their exports
2.Their currency reserves are largely in $$-denominated papers, so the collapse of the $ would wipe out their foreign currency reserves
Like I said, the threat of destruction here is mutual. We aren't @ China's mercy.***
I wouldn't test it! Our stock market's volatile, only taking a rumor of some sort on either side for us to lose another 2+% on the DOW!
***Nobody wants to test out the reality of this economic MAD. Everyone in power gets it (I hope...)
The point is, it's simply wrong to claim that we are @ China's mercy.
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He clearly doesn’t get tariffs. - The Reps have become the party of tariffs, picking economic winners, & interfering w/ the Fed.
- Yes, you are the party of Trump. A party turgid w/ hypocrisy.***
***...I think it’s complete misogyny that these Bravo shows have no problem w/ effeminate gay men, but “butch” women are a “problem.”***
ReplyDeleteHoney, I never said it was ok; just stating the facts regard< if you like it or not! I have become more misogynist as I get older due to frustration w/ their stupidity! I keep hearing about this "sisterhood" & we all know we can come up w/ instances & events where it's not true! The ht. of what I'm talking about is when women put Trump in office! That was all on them; = after hearing about how he feels and treats women, the bitches still went for him over one of their own (HILLARY)! I don't ever want to hear women kvetch about a lack of representation when in this patriarchal system, they send old white guys to Wash'ton election cycle after election cycle knowing what they stand for & how they feel about their women constituents! Abortion's being attacked again in Ala. where they're making it illegal to perform the operation = in cases of incest & rape! I have nothing to do w/ that; more to do w/ you than me! They're all fk'n idiots IMO & I'm so done in my old age! I just don't GAF anymore; tired of actually caring!
***Wait, so it's not the men who are @ fault for being total tools, it's the wimmens who are @ fault for letting them get away w/ it?!?
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My niece has decided to give up growing crops on the family farm, thanks to Trump's policies, it's no longer profitable.***
I think that's terrible, but I'm not sure why people are surprised! He told farmers & others what he was going to do & they voted for him; esp. White women! I'm confused there's this regret of his presidency when he's only doing what he said; come down on immigrants, smack the Chinese around for the trade imbalance, & steadfastly go after abortion laws!
***The idea is to get out from under bad trade deals. If that happens we all do >er. Come down on immigrants? What an honest characterization. Smack the Chinese? Beautiful. Let the states decide abortion as it shb before USSC power abuse.***
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It's been rumored that taping's being put on hold indefinitely for the "RHWOA" due to Georgia poss. signing some barbaric abortion bill into LAW! Hollywood brings w/ it 92,000 local jobs & they have no intentions of supporting a state that would do such a thing! They won't be recording anything concerning businesses, sticking to scenes taped outside of the state w/ clips of Porsha, Kenya, & their kids!
***That’s verrrrrry interesting. I guess Andy Cohen's (somewhat) politically minded & knows there's no hiding that the show is made in GA. Obviously the show won’t be cancelled so I imagine they'll do some sort of “we made up for it by hiring all home< mothers as our crew & we’re doing a storyline about the ban this season.” Some sort of “well we did something at least.” - They should have the show focus of Phaedra fighting this law.***
Phaedra's only good for something small & LOW like pickpockets, car thieves, druggies, & Bobby Brown!
***I just caught up on "Pose" & I think this is Murphy's best work. It's clear he's handed over the reigns to trans-women (of color) & it shows. His fingerprints show w/ all this hoopla w/ the 'house' vs 'house,' whose gonna win X award, whose gonna betray which 'house,' etc. The show doesn't need that. The stories & characters are rich enough.
ReplyDeleteI'd love for Blanca to live on. Losing her w/b one of the most emotional deaths they've ever done on TV. There are some people who have had HIV since the 80s & have lived to a pt. where medicine has advanced & it's more manageable. Oh, & I don't really like that new house w/ their sudden mean girl shtick. Feels too convenient for the story. I was liking Candy in the silicone butt implant ep.
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I hope they don't start killing off people from this show. I like the cast as it is now. I watch w/ friends who lived in the 80's & they said back then most of those people would've died from AIDS. That's how rampant the disease was back then in the gay community & that it was taking young beautiful healthy guys & killing them in no X. People read the obituaries regularly to see which of their friends had passed away. Seems like a very sad X t/b living in.
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Just finished this show & I really liked it! The soundtrack is an 80's gay boys wet dream! Was he supposed t/b spectacular? I mean he was a 17 yo kid that wasn't suppose t/b dancing per his parents. ...Maybe I just enjoyed it b/c I love me some Whitney! I remember my Mom went to NYC right when the song came out & she brought me back a record of diff. versions of IWDWS. Damn I wish I still had that! Indya's freakin' gorgeous! Ricky, Damon, & Lil' Papi are cute!***
Just started getting into "POSE" & it really takes me back! Angel successfully auditions for a modeling contest! She = gets a favor from the organizer to get some pics taken @ a discount; but it cost her anyway w/ some special shots taken after the main SHOOT! Elektra's put on the spot when she didn't show up to the protest vs gov't apathy due to the AIDES crisis! Pray Tell read her for filth, embarrassed her @ the club, & threw a trophy in her direction! He then leaves in disgust! Elektra leaves THE HOUSE, joins another, then begins her own!
***I'll go ahead & say it, I didn't like the season 2 Premier @ all. Too much Madonna for my taste. I think part of the appeal of season 1 was the great 80s music. Watching this made me realize that early 90s music kind of sucked. If this were real life, 1/2 the cast would've been dead. If they're going to really try & show what an impact AIDS was on the community, then give it to us raw, real, & start killing off some of the cast & stop pussy footing.***
...My guess is = in NY where the disease went rampant along w/ SF, not all died right away! Living in Chgo., I just remember the bars being a lit'l desolate for a X! Back then I was just a "dancin' queen" & wasn't traipsing home w/ some stranger ever other nite! The music was the best in the late 70's & 80's! Knowing DJ's & going to an import store downtown, I was on top of the latest HITS & collected it all on vinyl, 8-track, & cassette! I had all the bases covered thanks to Columbia Record Club! The leading artists thru that period were Sylvester, Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Dan Hartman, Ashford & Simpson, George Michael (WHAM), Rozalla, Robin S, Stephanie Mills, & Boy George (Culture Club) OTOH! By the mid 90's, it was mostly "headbanger," house music w/ no real character; JUST NOISE!
***I also noticed the 70s music which I loved! I think it was just meant to go w/ what was happening in the scene & not for the era of the show. M/b we got a brk from the horrible 90s overload in the premiere. - This has already been renewed for S3.***
***I'm about to bust a series NUT b/c Warriors lost NBA Final; KD & Klay hurt.***
ReplyDelete...Golden St. prob. shouldn't have = been in contention but for the choking dogs in Houston! I keep trying to give 'props' to Harden, but he disappoints every post season; same w/ gunner CP3! ...It's been the knock on Curry; tons of recs & MVP wins for the season, but in the playoffs he's been getting smacked by detractors until recently!
***I really thought GS had a good shot @ pulling this off. ...I think Draymond shb attacking the rim more & trying to get some fouls @ least.***
...Green was prob. stifled; so close to being suspended for a game! ...he loses his cool & gets a "techs" called on him! He was "1 more call" from an ejection & suspension from = playing G7 if GS made it! ...just as when he blew it for GS a few yrs ago getting thrown out of the final vs Cleve.! This team s/b on a "run for the ages;" maybe 5 in a row, but DIVA behavior or physical breakdown by players has cost them! Curry's been the best of all X allowing someone like Durant to come in & take over "his" team when he shouldn't have to do that for a vet. star! Unfortunately KD wants it's all; "the ball," the accolades, & "the love!" He produces & prob. believes he's deserving & entitled! How do you kvetch behind the scenes as much as this guy, threaten to leave a chp. team, &'s willing to go to a loser team t/b "top dog" alone!
===
***Sale & Pelletier skated perfect at those '02 SLC Olympics. The OGM was given b/c the Russians & French cheated.***
I was more put off by the whinging of Jamie Sale as she & David Pelletier went from TV interview to TV interview for days afterwards talking about how they were robbed! Even if true, it was still sour grapes & she got what she wanted in the end; a pity GOLD medal for her t/b "so proud of!"
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...ultimately going to new scoring system later! Shady goings on continue as far as I'm concerned! Certain skaters have been predetermined to place & something serious like crashing into the wall can only change it! Speaking of crashing, Yagudin slammed into the wall @ '01 Goodwill Games trying to complete a 4T/3T combo in the SP to keep up w/ Plushenko! There was no room, but he'd been dropping comp. after comp. to Yvgeny from the previous season & knew he needed to score as high as possible to give himself a chance! Even though hitting the ice twice & popping his 3A, he still wound up w/ a Bronze medal behind Weiss! It was ridiculous to see Alexei getting rewarded for that performance w/ blood coming out of his ears IIRC! I personally loved "Winter" & felt if he got his act together, lit'l should stop him from having a great season as he ultimately did culminating in OG & World champ. in '02!
***...The comp. in Russia's so brutal, but I hope Medvedeva can stick around nonethe<.***
The last season has been scary looking @ all the talent that exists in Russia on the ladies' side of things! IMO, the men are interchangeable & mediocre @ best! Only where they're from is keeping Kolyada in the top tier of world skaters IMO! World & Olympic ladies champions were being openly challenged by not only other skaters in Mosco, but the media moved on! At one pt. it was only Butyrskaya & Slutskaya, now somone like Elizaveta Tuktamysheva's c/b a World Champ., but the last few yrs it was like "WHO?!" Medvedeva & Zagitova took over & before this comp., it looked as if they'd be supplanted in short order! Good for them they've both bounced back! They s/b very proud of themselves; esp. Alina who wasn't expected to sneak in there & steal Evgenia's thunder last season! It's so Kwan/Lipinski except AZ has backed up her OG win w/ a World title the following season!
Dustin Brown'll ...by being "1" of many to drop Nadal out of the champ. yr. after yr. after yr.!
ReplyDelete***...I don't particularly care for Darcis or Rosol.***
Back in the day, we had many players w/ that game; "slash & dash!" That's the reason Dreddy loses; too out of control! He's not thinking & if he wins, it's usually happenstance! If the shots "fall in" he wins; if flying into the stands he loses! You're listening to one of them everyday in Annacone! He was one w/ a huge serve & when sneaking into the net, took the baseline w/ him; meaning few balls if any actually hit the ground on his side of the court! I can still remember him getting into a final vs McEnroe! He shook John & = w/ his unorthodox play, he made him work for it; JM finally winning 7-5, 7-6!
***Andy Murray's the 4th best player in Fedalkovic era & 1 of 15-20 best players of the Open Era, a 50 yr span. From '06-17, 12 yrs, he finished in the top 20 each yr; '08-16, 8 yrs, finished #6 or >er."
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There is no ?? that Andy's career rec.'s significantly >er >. However, I don't think that makes him part of "Big 4." It just makes him the 4th best player in terms of results. His rec.'s way below that of Big 3.
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Stan beat Novak that same tourn. he beat Nadal in the '14 AO Final. Going back to '11, he's won 6 of 9 & '14 was a way diff. X for Djoker than the other 2 yrs '17 & '18. Massive win, = if you want to make an excuse for Nadal. Stan had a much >er path to his majors than Murray did. But yes, Murray is >er than Stan, but he isn't anywhere near ATG status.
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...The gen. argument was that he m/b way below the Big 3, but way above all the rest. My contention is that = the 2nd part is not true in view of Stan's rec. - Murray was 5-20 in majors vs the Big 3. He was a big threat to them in bo3, but not bo5. So strong resume @ MS & forgettable @ majors +s up to what?
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Yes, Murray's career rec.'s >er > that of Stan's. But the diff. btw Murray & Stan's rec. is miniscule compared to the diff. btw any of Big 3's rec. & Andy's rec. In that sense Andy is not so special. - Andy & Stan both share 3 Slam titles, but Andy has +1 WTF, +2 OG, +13 Masters, +29 titles, & +41 wks @ #1 - not to mention more consistent results @ Slams.
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I actually go back & forth on Murray being an all X great. His resume's INCREDIBLY rich. I mean look @ all the #'s. That's one loaded legacy. It's '19, if we're still simply hung up on blindly looking @ slam #'s w/o context, then yes, 3 slams isn't all that special. But to me, if Wilander is an all X great, then so is Murray. I mean, how many tennis players in history are >er > Murray? I think people mistake "all X great" & "legend." Murray m/b the former, but he's nowhere near the latter. Legends are the type of players who you can't discuss the history of the sport w/o naming; Laver, Borg, Sampras, etc... all X greats include far >. - Holding 2 OGM's is something remarkable.
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...For me, A. Murray was not a pleasure to watch, but I respect him a lot. ...Big 3 also have so many slams b/c Del PO couldn't stay healthy. The way that guy was playing in '09, he was pure fire. If he could sustain that level w/o being injured often he would've +ed a few slams, let-s say 3-4 & Big 3 would have a few < nowadays. Things went their way. Yes they're out of this world class players, but if Murray & Del Po managed to steal a few more slams, we would talk diff. #'s now & Sampras 14 majors wouldn't be surpassed so easily. Big 3 #'s are just ridicoulus & now we only keep talking of chasing Feds 20 slams, but getting a 20 ATP tournaments is a pretty good career already.***
***Always a good idea to remember a few things about the Elo system.
ReplyDelete•Firstly, it wasn't made to compare the absolute strength btw diff. eras. The man who made the system, Arpad Elo, thought this t/b impossible & pointless. It was only made to predict player results btw contemporaries @ a given pt. in X.
•Elo is only calc. thru relative results, not absolute level. So if it really were the case that the whole field somehow improved symmetrically across the board btw '03 & '19, I see no reason how such a thing c/b reflected in the Elo ratings. If a slam draw has a >er avg. Elo rating in '13 than '03, that has no nec. direct relationship w/ the absolute level of the players, but is more likely t/b a statistical artifact.
•In chess, which the system was designed for, there's a pretty widespread perception that Elo ratings tend to inflate over X, & no one really knows why. But it's assumed that "such a steady inflation almost certainly comes from a systematic effect," & not factors such as players improving or the size of the field increasing. Perhaps such an inflation is not present in the UTS ranking that Lew uses, but I don't see why it c/b ruled out. It'd certainly make it unsurprising that the avg. Elo of the slam fields appears to generally get >er w/ X.***
Figuring skating went to a new scoring system (COR), & as you've mentioned here for ELO, the scores are becoming rec. breakers every season! We can say skaters are more skilled & are doing "that much" extra, but I think it's just "increasing over X" which happens w/ the "human element" of subjectivity coming into play!
***...RBA tried hard vs Fed, & was 0/8 coming into this Halle QF match.***
I've already gone on a rant of players who make others' "their bitch!" Fedalovic has owned this era of tennis like no other "Big 3" & a lot of it has to do w/ them "owning" the players of the last 2 or 3-Gens! It's more than a lit'l pathetic since the players have the ability, but are coming up short "psychologically!" They can have X MP's & they just can't close it out for the most part! I can remember Tsonga going up vs Nole in the FO! He must've had 4 MP's in the 4th set of the QF match in '12, & he frittered them all away; includ. chances in the TB losing in 5! Nole's been the only one that has really cracked vs an "also-ran" or 2 who actually had ability & closed the deal; Murray & Wawrinka took 6 majors away from Djokovic! Fedal's been a lit'l more consistent & have won most of their finals if going up vs someone outside of the elites! OTTH, Wawrinka followed up his upset of Djokovic by taking '14 AO Final; though it's believed Rafa was injured! The rec.bks won't give a damn, but his fans have to have "an out!"
***I hate that part too, in those cases I mostly root for the underdogs. I remember Cilic having a 0/13 run vs Djokovic, then he finally got 2 wins, but they played a 5 set match in QF in Wimbl. back in '14 (0/9 @ that X) & CIlic was up 2:1 in sets only to lose last 2 sets 6:2.
Fedalovic are in the heads of many players & mostly when they allow some slip is outside of majors. I can think of Berdych vs Fed. He met him so many X's in majors & never won a match. Clearly he had the ability to do so, but the mental part was missing.
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This is why I think the younger players, esp. can cause trouble. Fedalovic are in the heads of many players over a certain age, and whom they've dominated, but the youngsters have only played on tour when they've been able to see the Big 3 somewhat more vulnerable. I'm sure they admire them, but for the Next Gen, they don't have the same fear factor. They aren't whipped dogs. They have belief.***
***Nobody's claiming Deliciano is on par w/ Novak w/ his 4 grass wins. ...What about Zverev is overrated @ this pt.?***
ReplyDeleteThat isn't always the case! There are plenty of pros from the past & today w/ all kinds of ability, but something in their head holds them back! They all have t/b good t/b in the top 100, but everyone can't reach the hts of Fedalovic no matter how well they strike the ball!
***Sascha certainly has to work on his grass game, but I'd have to go w/ @Fiero425 reply here. It's a setback on his journey & he prob. needs some more X to find the proper balance that makes a diff. btw the great players & the rest.***
...People dispute my argument that many of these players are entering too many tourns! It's not the ct. I'm kvetchin; it's the success they're having to their detriment! Making SF's & finals here & there on the younger players has t/b draining! Fedalovic are obviously accustomed to it & expect to go far each event; not so much Tsitsipas, FAA, & others coming up! They're brk'n down! The WD's are mounting & it started the previous gen. of players w/ Kei & Milos! Chasing pts & $$ will do that to a player & his team! They prob. all need to cut back on their schedules! The top players have already talked about the season being too long, but they're not taking in consideration the "also rans" & other pigeons of the tour are needed to fill a draw! Some wish they'd give more $$ in earlier Rds! The # of events c/b curtailed & the whole season would become more meaningful IMO!
***Who needs this Wimbl. win the most of Fedalovic?***
Being behind in the major count, Nole needs it >! I've already stated my position dealing w/ Fedal! They're almost done IMO & won't be missed by me! For now, they should just play, stop kvetchin', or leave the tour! The whining I'm referring to is coming from their loyal fanbase & delusional following! At this X I don't care about the age discrepancies or being the fave on a certain surface! It'll all be about the rec.bk which Fedalovic OWN now, lock, stock, & barrel! Superlatives are still held by ATG's like Borg, Laver, Budge, Tilden, & = Connors, but the rest is being divvied up amongst the "Big 3" right now! No one in the future will care after glancing briefly @ rec.-bks w/ their names emblazed in just about every category if things hold as they seem right now! Like I've said, they've ruled the tour like no other group of players in the past! It's hard seeing any of the current crop being able to excel that much; maybe get to #1, win a few majors, but it's doubtful anyone will touch Nole's '11 & '15 seasonal recs! I can't pt. out Fed's 3 best seasons since he was literally owned by another player! Nadal's just the clay King so his '08, '10, & '13 are undercut! Djokovic's behind significantly @ the moment, but I really think he has X to catch them!
***The problem is you are over-rating Novak's abilities on grass & underrating Nadal's. ...To me it always seems strange to imagine that Novak next Sunday would likely have as many Wimbl. as Borg & > a lot of great grass court players. He's benefitted from the grass slowing down the most b/c in the 2nd wk. he can just outlast & out-defend everyone. It's impossible to hit thru him. Again Nadal's the weakest out of the Big 3 on grass, but he isn't exactly a mug there. ...I know Fed fans like to see him as the most offensive player in the history of the game, but that's not true. Fed's movement, speed, defense & stamina are all underrated. That's what he does > the ATG of prior eras.***
For a moment it seemed like you were talking about Nadal instead of Nole concerning his defense & being able to outlast everyone!
***Only 6 of the 16 seeds who were supposed to reach R16 actually reached it, leading to a conversion ratio of 37.5%.***
ReplyDeleteI say about X! It's been happening w/ the ladies the last 2 seasons w/ 10 diff. #1's emerging! The top men are holding on, but the players nipping @ their heels are struggling w/ the next wave! ...It's really nothing new when some players have a lot of success, but = w/ all their potential, they can't sustain it due to injury or just forgetting what got them into the top 10 in the 1st place! We got a bit of it in '17 w/ Fedal reestablishing themselves @ the top of the ranks, but by YE, neither influenced the YEC! That continued = w/ Djokovic matching them in '18, but the NG exerted themselves again taking late Masters & the YEC! I was so hoping Nole would take rec. from Fed, but he had his chances; esp. in that final vs Murray which determined the YE #1 ranking in '16! He's allowed too many finals to slip away! You can't win them all, but we get spoiled by excellence & our expectations have been justifiably raised by Fedalovic!
***...Nadal has played >er, to my eyes than either Fed or Djokovic.***
We did hear the same "down under!" Supposedly Fedovic were struggling in comparison to Nadal who had held service 60+ X's in a row! By the X that final rolled around, I'm sure his fans were ready to extol Nadal's 2 X OGCGS! Nothing more traumatic could've happened as Nole drove right over him when both were playing quite well! It was an asskick'n for the ages; right up there w/ Connors over old man Rosewall in '74 W & USO, McEnroe d Connors '84 Wimbl., & Nadal over Roger '08 FO!
***I hear ya, Fiero425, I hear ya. You m/b right, but we won't know until a wk. from today anyway. All we can look @ is what has transpired & Nadal looks damn good. Confidence is a big factor, but = more so for Nadal, than perhaps others. He has to work his way into matches & tournaments. ...he has gotten the monkey off of his back by str.-setting Fed in Paris after suffering 5 losses in a row!
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Yet, = if Kyrgios had won the 3rd set TB, I wouldn’t have been panicked b/c I knew Rafa whb ready to go 5 — Nick, not so much.***
People mention Kyrgios' lack of training & boozing to all hrs! Back in the day, that's how all the Aussie's got it done; & were proud of it! ...The AO was almost illegit. as a major early on in the Open Era! There was limited seeding w/ what seemed like a handful of outsiders while the rest of the draw was packed w/ Aussies! That c/b hyperbole or not, but that's how I remember it! I never saw a telecast on TV until maybe the early 80's; esp. w/ Navratilova & Evert making the yearly pilgrimage "down under!"
***...The # of young players who get called Baby Fed or Baby Djokovic is getting out of hand. Dimitrov has openly said he doesn't like the baby Fedr label & wishes to develop his own style. Clearly he never sought the label & it did no good for his career. Gasquet once got given this label & his development plateued @ a very young age. Unfortunately the same thing is currently happening to Shapo. OTOH these labels can make players deluded, such as Coric who thinks he's a >er player than he is.
Is this sort of ridiculous hype stunting players development? Perhaps we should call these players baby Dimitrov or baby Ferrer, which is a much more realistic goal for them, until they prove themselves by actually winning a major.***
If Grigor wanted to develop his own style, he might not have openly copied everything 'Roger' down to his mannerisms!
***Roger has no chance @ USO. This is important for the legacy, I don't really care about the rank though it's always nice when Rafa's in his proper place of looking up @ Roger in ranking.***
ReplyDeleteRoger made it seem so easy to win the USO taking those 5 in a row, but hasn't played but 2 finals since dropping them both in the last decade! Of course the "choke jobs" in those 2 Semi's vs Nole in '10 & '11 w/ MP's held & serving really hurts/taints the legacy!
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Rafa's behavior ticked me off. In the 2nd set after he served 1st, he kept Roger waiting to serve in the 2nd game. The dirty tactic seemed to work b/c he breezed thru the 2nd set. I have lost all the lit'l respect I had for the guy. He is a punk.***
He's been pulling this crap for yrs! The sad thing is he not only does it vs the elite players, he "games" 'also-rans' as well!
***...ITA that the H2H won't determine legacies, although it might prove t/b a TB in case their final #'s are close. As I said, I think they're co-GOATs - that this goes beyond statistics, beyond resumes. And my view is that no matter how the resumes end up looking when they're all retired, they've already all proved that they are "=ly" great - or @ least close enough that there will always be valid arguments t/b made un<, of course, one of them goes on an abs. reign of terror for the next 2 yrs.
There are #ous ways to support this "co-GOAT" view, but I'm just going w/ a holistic sense of things. It's almost like Rock-Paper-Scissors, although w/ each player having their own unique claim to GOATness.
...Now from a purely statistical perspective, right now Roger has the best resume, but that could change - esp. when you factor in age. For the last 11 yrs Rafa has been closing the gap; for the last 8, Novak has joined him. The gap is there, but has narrowed &'ll almost certainly narrow further, if not disappear altogether.
I'd argue that the 3 main statistical "factors of greatness," in terms of assessing career GOATness, are Slam titles, wks @ #1, & overall titles. Other things--like other big titles, special accomplishments, results @ Slams in non-wins, H2Hs, etc--should factor in, but are < important.
Right now we have:
Roger: 20 slams, 310 wks, 102 titles
Rafa: 18 slams, 196 wks, 82 titles
Novak: 15 slams, 259 wks, 74 titles
Or in terms of Open Era rankings:
Roger: 1st, 1st, 2nd
Rafa: 2nd, 6th, 4th
Novak: 3rd, 5th, 6th
Or vs each other:
Roger: 1st, 1st, 1st
Rafa: 2nd, 3rd, 2nd
Novak: 3rd, 2nd, 3rd
There's virtually no way that Rafa surpasses Roger's wks @ #1, but he has a good chance of doing so w/ Slams. Roger will prob. have the title lead (& Open Era rec.) when all is said & done. Novak w/b hard-pressed to win 6+ more Slams, but has a good chance @ the wks @ #1 rec.
There are #ous ways this could end. At this point, every yr. cts, every title cts, @ esp. every Slam counts. But regard< of the final #'s & rankings, they'll all be =ly great players IMO, b/c >ness goes beyond statistics.
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Roger's the most versatile; Novak the more 'complete' player IMO. I think Novak's A game's devoid of any weaknesses. You can't attack anything. Several have mentioned Novak's A game is the best ever. Nick Bolletieri has said it, players have said it. Players like Thiem, Nadal, Berdych have mentioned Djokovic's A game is prob. best ever. Not b/c he's the most versatile, but the player who tech. is the best & capable to doing everything very, very well.***
Thanks!
***Has Whoopi Goldberg really been famous for yrs? I looked up her IMDB page & saw she's been working for a long X.***
ReplyDeleteWhoopi Goldberg was & continues t/b HUGE, blowing up in the mid 80's! She's 1 of the few EGOT winners; from her role in "The Color Purple" w/ Oprah & then "Ghost" winning an Oscar to her Broadway one woman show & hosting telethon for the home< called "Comic Relief" w/ Billy Crystal & Robin Wms! How can people forget "Sister Act" movies? ...She still took the $$ making a few clunker movies like "Burglar," "Telephone," & "Fatal Beauty!" She's done radio & now leads the talk on "The View!"
***...In a lot of articles about the Bethenny/Sunny situation, people are really dragging Sunny, pting out her “horrible nose job” & saying she’s petty, looking for fame/limelight. She brought up something when they were talking about Bethenny's weird anger/stress problems that related. I 100% believe Sunny & can’t believe people are anything but supportive/interested in the story.***
In today's society, you're not allowed to critique certain people! If you think some went nuts over Bethenny, you should check out the reaction of the "B-Hive;" Beyoncé's freakish cult following! Freedom of speech has been under attack for 2 decades now; making just about any discussion outside of diet & clothes "PI!" ...Bethenny's one to say, "I'm a good person but for childhood trauma! So excuse me if I eviscerate you publicly on a whim!"
***I loved Whoopi shutting that sick bitch, Meghan McCain up this morning. Only too bad Ana wasn’t there the past 2 days to help elevate this show out of the gutter.***
It w/b more meaningful if this wasn't pretty much an everyday occurrence! Meghan's immune to her detractors having to defend the family so much! To me it was a crock; the hero worship & him being a maverick! McCain was a maverick when it suited him! Getting close to an election, he fell in line w/ all the others of his retched party! MM just looks foolish defending so called Rep. principles when it's obvious they have NONE w/ someone like Trump leading them! You can't keep defending the indefensible!
***I see it's another day of hating all things McCain around here.***
She makes it so easy; esp. when "playing the victim" since she's under the gun so often! For someone who hates conflict, blah, blah, blah, she seems to make the rounds on other shows sitting there listening to her detractors ?? her conscience! When babies died in some of those Hell-hole, concentration/dog kennel facilities down in TX/AZ, it shb "game over" for all of America! It's been in the news for over 2 yrs; NOTHING! We've pretty much condoned Trump's behavior & I have lit'l to no sympathy for MM or anyone else who would go along w/ such a travesty of justice! Blaming Obama shouldn't be a legit "out!"
***The reason Trump voters don’t care is b/c they see brown & black people as < human, so their suffering isn’t worthy of consideration. As McCain herself admitted last wk. (the reason she showed her ass), she “hates the same people he hates” = if she doesn’t like Trump.
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If your child's life is important to you, understand that you w/b separated from them if you try to enter this country illegally. I have no sympathy for anyone while there are still people in our country who are far worse off.***
That's such Trump BS! How TF can any of this be illegal if people are turning themselves in @ the border? Get a Fk'n CLUE! When we take people into custody, we make ourselves responsible for creature comforts like food, water, & shelter! Some of these border patrol animals think that's optional! That's the problem w/ many of you; love being lied to & m/b ease what lit'l conscience you have shared amongst yourselves!
***Meghan McCain, Feeling Like an ‘Exhausted, Defeated... Caged Animal,’ May Exit ‘The View’***
ReplyDeleteI have lit'l to no sympathy for the bitch! If she wanted agreement & acquiescence by her co-workers, she should go to FOX NEWs! Go suck up to Hannity & Ingraham! "The View" is ultra liberal & have hosts w/ intelligent arguments unlike Meghan who's following a cult of bigoted, misogynist pigs! How she can defend a party where they tried to elect a child molester down in Al.; I'm just done w/ all of them! As a matter of fact, I heard Moore intends to run again for the Senate! He might just win this X!
***I wouldn’t hate if they got someone in there w/ just as much fire, but was more polished. It’s just hard to find that & find someone who can match the Rosie level fireworks they have now on "The View." You aren’t going to get a lot of fiery cons. who are not anti-lgbt who don’t already have a good job. There are very few cons. women who have the balls to go up vs 3-4 liberals each day....hate Meg/Liz all you want, but you have to give them that.
...I'd really be surprised if Meghan left seeing as ABC brass love her, & not just for the ratings. If anything m/b have Abby “leave to take care of her family” & have a Tomi Laren or another loudmouth FNC type there to take some of the brunt of the attacks.***
Just hire Anna Navarro full X! She's an intelligent Rep. who has some shame & calls out Trump when he does something despicable; unlike Meghan who had lit'l problem accepting anything & everything he says & does!
***I think they need a Trumper & also a more middle of the road-reasonable "buffer" cons. like a Nicolle Wallace in a world where Trump doesn't exist. Someone like a early-on Liz who didn't really go crazy w/ her opinions yet, but still was able to talk about reality shows, shopping & mom stuff....which is basically Abby if she had a < polished personality & > of a human personality.
I don't want to hear non-stop "Trump is great" "Cons. are the best" talk-arguments. I just want there always t/b a (reasonable) presence of a view that a lot of people hold...which Meg isn't, for a lot of reasons. I can't think of one instance of Abby disagreeing w/ Whoopi, Joy or Sunny, so she almost comes off more liberal than Whoopi.
I think everyone agrees Meg has to go, I just think they should (& prob. will) wait until they have an heir that can match the fireworks. The show hasn't been this "hot" since when Rosie was on....people are enjoying watching or the ratings wouldn't be where they are.***
***...You just want a show where they talk fondly of liberal ideals & rarely focus on conservatism?***
ReplyDeleteIt's been the fault of Dems/Libs doing exactly that; allowing misinfo t/b promulgated on the masses & made t/b "alt. facts!" After all the screaming & then the obligatory undermining of the opp.'s IQ, the battle lines are drawn! Few people, no matter how smart c/b sure now what's true or not! When you have a President & an admin. leading the charge of that misinfo., it looks as if the US is doomed t/b a 3rd world entity "morally!" Money, power, & supposed influence may not be enough to bring us back! After "W" the world embraced Obama, but his own country was @ war over it & not supportive!
***...It was nice seeing Whoopi bring a black, female presidential candidate to task about something & not just kiss her ass. And Kamala is really not great if she is not rehearsed....and yeah Trump's an imbecile & horrible and everything, I’m just saying in gen.
And I agree, Abby is pretty much olddddd news @ this pt. I think they’ll bring her back & have a split w/ Ana for that seat, until “ya know guys, I thought I c/b supermom & handle 3 kids under 24 months & this job but....” somewhere around Xmas. Still think they need a 6th floating host, though. I wish Kathy Griffin never went crazy, she whb amazing as an heir to Joy.
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Love, love Kamala. And these ladies can FK off w/ their obsession w/ Joe Biden. They can’t go a day w/o a segment on him, excusing whatever bullshit he’s under fire over @ any given moment. No surprise they’d go in on Kamala who’s nearly matching him in the polls now, possibly jeopardizing their wet dreams of another old, white man in charge. I’m more glad than usual that Sunny’s on this show since I can tell she ain’t feeling Biden either.***
Why should this run be any diff. than previous Biden runs? Don't worry, he'll self-destruct & his name recognition won't mean squat! He m/b the best guy for the job & the most qualified, but he's a real character! He's been around for over 40 yrs & there's so much out there to attack him on! His family tragedies have helped to keep some of it in chk, but he gives more reason to ?? his candidacy when he defends past missteps, then has to apologize later! This is why Dems have been losing to Reps & labeled appeasers! It isn't exactly justified, but they bring it on themselves assuming conscientious & sane people w/b smart enough to see thru sleaze! NOPE; it has t/b pointed out & then drilled home for these knuckleheads to get it! This doesn't work for Trump since he's a walking scandal where the MSM can't keep up! They've been overwhelmed & the masses have been beaten down w/ all the BS from him & the media trying to "get him!" The info's out there & been reported, but Trump has kept all concerned @ bay w/ reck< abandon, not giving a shit what's happening to our standing in the world! Not sure we'll recover from the onslaught of attacks on our fundamental principles & institutions!
***I’m a cons. who'll most likely vote for Donald Trump in '20. The only Dem. running that could possibly change my mind, based on debate performance, is Joe Biden. I know people that think similarly.
...Basically, I’d rather have someone like a sharp-minded Biden, who can settle this rocky ship than Trump. Problem is I don’t think he's that sharp minded anymore, but I need to see them up vs each other. ...The ladies are right that Dem. voters are already going to vote Democratic - go for the big picture & don’t kill each other. ...Biden's the most middle of the road compared to all this farrrrrrrr lefties you have running. You have him & you "could" have the White House....otherwise, I would bet my bottom $$ 4 more yrs.***
...NOVAK would have to have a monumental collapse to allow a player of Goffin's skill level to beat him! I feel the same about RBA who's had some success vs Nole! Those were BO3 @ smaller events, not a major w/ BO5! Just being realistic & no one shb surprised by this result! I'd of been more shocked if a set was gotten to begin w/; SORRY!
ReplyDelete***Wimbl. will put Djokovic/RBA on court 1st on Fri. So Fedal will know for a fact they have to play Djokovic by the X they play each other. That '17 AO match is the only BO5 they've played that Fed could've won since the '14 AO that Rafa won in strs. & the '12 AO that Rafa won in 4 sets. Obviously the RG match last month is irrelevant. The 3 str. sets wins over Rafa on hard HC over the last 2 yrs says a lot. But Rafa w/b ready. Rafa has looked great. And Rafa's prob. fresher than Fed simply b/c of his age. So I'm not big on Fed's chances come Thurs. I think we officially have to say he's the underdog. Obviously he's got close to a 50/50 chance of winning it. ...If Fed wins one of the 1st 2 sets & = if it goes 5, I like his chances. But Rafa is the fave. And then of course there w/b Djokovic waiting in the wings for Sun. Neither's guaranteed to come out of this tourn. a slam richer. - I'm sure Rafa's fans will defend that gamesmanship @ the end vs Roger. Nothing will top the piss break before Roger served for it at IW though.***
It's one of the reasons I've never cared for Rafa = when he was a pup of 15! His tact< gamesmanship obviously was coached/taught by Uncle Tony so I have a prob. w/ the entire family! There's a sense of entitlement w/ these jerks that's been there from the start! The entire entourage ooze contempt for the system & feel justified in doing anything to win! The toweling off, challenging of every call, & Rafa shifting his junk in his underwear has truly gotten OLD! He obviously does need to resort to such tactics @Murat Baslamisli so we shouldn't be surprised he'll end his career on that embarrassing note of gamesmanship! It's inevitable!
***...I have criticized the rest of the tour, esp. the next gens for letting the 'Big 3' continue to win all the big events.***
I've beaten this topic to death here & on my blog! It's been unprecedented dom. by a BIG 3 that's never been seen in the Open Era! They're not only winning all the majors, they're displacing "Next Gen" players in the SF's X & X again! I've lambasted very good players who've underachieved & have broken down physically as well as mentally; Grigor, Kei, Milos, Sascha Z., Thiem, & Medvedev! They all have the skills to win, but when they get close, it's "choke city!" Nole being the most vulnerable, he has lost to "NG'rs" like Zverev, Thiem, Khachanov, & Tsitsipas! I look forward to them showing what they can do when Fedalovic finally step down! Unfortunately for them, they aren't giving them any reason to drop out when they've won the last 11 majors! That is too pathetic for words; the tour just fodder for these 3 great players!
***This is a prob. for all 3 granddaddies (Djokovic, Fed, & Nadal) as they have & continue to rule over 2+ gens--the majority were/are untalented, heart< losers, so any criticism that applies to Djokovic applies to Fedal.
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Djokovic was the >er player in the Wimbl. final. He basically gifted Fed 2 sets! Went away & took a brk. When he was in lock-down mode, Fed couldn’t beat him.
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Novak - KING OF GRASS... beat Federer @ his best & Djokovic went away for 2 sets. Fed could only take sets off when Djokovic stopped playing for 2 sets. Djokovic is KING.***
This is going to haunt Roger for a while; dropping this match w/ 2 MP's serving! Wow; how many X's has he done this now to him?
***Frankly, they both hit some amazing shots '19 Wimbl. final. Roger will forever view this as the worst of all of them. He had to chp. pts on his service and wasn't able to do it. This one hurts worse than the one in '08 IMHO b/c it would’ve been his greatest major victory ever by beating both Rafael & no back to back, to say nothing of being almost 38 yo when he did it.
ReplyDelete---
Roger has 20 slams.. he will move on from this. It’s a stretch to say this was a tougher loss than the '08 loss.. that was a changing of a guard back then, this was just Fed looking for a bonus slam.***
IMO, everything has been a bonus for Fed since '12 Wimbl.! He was making finals, but wasn't getting past either Nole or Rafa until '17 w/ a phenomenal resurgence! Right now, it's Nole's turn; winning 4 of the last 5 majors & moving ever closer to Fedal!
***No bonus @ all. Roger mostly aged poorly & that's why his 20 may end up being crap.***
I won't call "20" majors "crap" since "14" was the GOLD standard until a decade ago! Who would've thought Sampras w/b eclipsed by 3 players so soon? I also had doubts Nole could catch Fedal after '17! Again, it was remarkable that he took his turn in coming back strong & retaking the #1 ranking! He has a legit. chance to overtake both Fedal since he has so many more yrs left in him! He's bound to snag @ least 1 major for the next sev. yrs; maybe 2!
***20 is chopped liver if one or both of them finishes w/ more just like 14 is nothing now. Roger missed out on tons of ops. - 45 SF's & just 20 wins, 12 Wimbl. finals, just 8 wins, etc. He's also been somewhat of a layup in these finals for Djokovic. - ...When both were @ their top level, it was really something to watch. It was =ly matched. Novak clearly had upperhand from basline, w/ Roger on the serve.
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...Last set was tension from the start, it was hard watching... High quality, Novak broke 1st, Fed broke back. Then Fed broke, served for it. One pt. Fed missed a FH, next Novak came up w/ passing shot, Novak could've easily choked & missed it. Kudos to him. Novak faced BP's later, prevented Fed from brk'n. 12-12, Novak handled nerves >er.
...Overall, Novak had control of the baseline by using a consistent attack, Fed looked like he was always defending vs Novak, but @ X's did attack. Fed used good tactics throughout, he served well, used slice intelligently, came to net. His only issue was staying w/ Novak during rallies, Novak had upperhand. Fed played >er tennis throughout the match, but he just couldn't manage nerves > Novak in those TB's.***
I still can't re-watch any of those finals Murray & Wawrinka won over Nole! Those were somewhat missed opps., but they did play well!
***Roger has been worse as far as that's concerned. And he's retardedly easy to beat on his home turf. Yeah, the joke Wimbl. surface hurts him, but 8-4 is ridiculous.
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Thing is Nadal peaked young, in '05. Djokovic broke thru in '08, but then kind of faded away for 3 more yrs & really came thru in ‘11. Despite the age gap, Nadal’s peak falls in btw Fed & Novak. I'd put Roger’s peak as '03-07 (maybe longer to '09, but obfuscated by rise of Nadal) Nadal's as '07-13, & Djokovic '11-16. Nadal was burned out on injuries & done off clay after the '14 AO.
...But for Magnus Norman rebooting Wawrinka’s brain, Djokovic would've had a nearly uncontested era of dom. from someone who broke thru after him, & = then Wawa's older than him & faded 1st. Djokovic has been fortunate, but the bigger prob. is why has there been a 10 yr. talent void?***
***Sampras faced a 10 X's > tougher comp. than Big 3.***
ReplyDeletePeople think of this as being the Golden Age of tennis w/ Fedalovic ruling the tour, taking most of the major events w/ impunity! It wasn't that long ago starting in the 90's w/ the rise of US men, @ any given major you could have 12 players w/ X titles! These days it's a joke & after a decade we're lucky to have 8 who've won @ least 1 major! The overlap of Connors, Lendl, Edberg, Becker, Wilander, & McEnroe w/ Sampras, Courier, Chang, & Agassi made those major draws tough! It was common to lose a top seed on day one! That just doesn't happen w/ Fedalovic!
***Vacuum clay era w/ American hands in so many RG finals. Lendl's ill advised focus on Wimbl. + the whole wood vs early graphite adapters vs eventual power serve game w/ graphite that came to dom. cloud that whole X per.
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Roddick's serve didn't have Isners or Sampras movements. Roger has all the serves. ...ask Fiero. - I still personally think Djokovic will not pass Fed just b/c the amt. of mental pressure to win 5 more slams @ 32 & older.***
Both Fed & Nole have won 4 majors after their 32nd BD! Advan. Nole since it took Fed to 37 to get there!
***Actually, Fed has won 3 majors after his 32nd BD & this is Djokovic's 1st major after his 32nd BD the same # as Nadal.***
I was giving Fed credit for that Wimbl. in '12! He was prob. "almost" there @ 32!
***...The GOAT race is ONLY btw Bull & Fed.
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Nonsense. Djokovic defeated Fed b/c he has the game to do so. This is nothing new btw those 2. If anyone were to make the "this slam does not ct." argument, it w/b best founded on the idea that 3 grandaddies dom. 2+ gens of losers who show up to collect checks, & have no talent, heart, or anything else to do their job. A tour can't rest on 3 people. - This loss is purely b/c Fed didn't have the belief deep w/i him that he can actually beat Novak.
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THIS IS THE GREATNESS of Novak Djokovic! T/b able to defeat the supposed GOAT & 8 X Wimbl. Champ @ his best when he (Djokovic) is below his best. Novak will surpass all recs & own Fedal h2h. He has toppled Fed 3 X's in Wimbl. finals & beaten Nadal @ RG. He's on his way to being undisputed GOAT.
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UFE's in 3 TBs:
Fed 11
Novak 0
This is insane stat.***
When Nole plays this kind of lockdown tennis just hoping to outlast an opp., it's what's cost him more than a few X's when players not of his caliber can hit him off the court! Del Po, Murray, & Wawrinka have snuck up on him in major moments of a tourney & the Olympics! It wasn't b/c he was playing poorly, but they refused to miss & he got frustrated! Nole definitely wasn't @ his best yesterday = though he won! Roger won more pts & wasn't really in danger of being passed @ the net! If anything Roger shh this match sewn up in 4 but for those UFE's in all 3 TB's!
***Djokovic truly showed his greatness; this match was big. Fed was playing extremely well, Djokovic was not. Novak was able to stay w/ Fed, take him to breakers & then played >er in the >er pts. 0 UFEs in 3 TB's? That's ridiculous!
To steal a Wimbl. title from the 8 X Champion like this is GREATNESS. He has now beaten Fed 3 X's in a row in Wimbl. final. NO-ONE ELSE COULD EVEN DREAM OF DOING THIS - Murray, Nadal, NO-ONE! Only Novak could do this. He's beaten Rafa on clay more than anyone else. He has won 4 slams in row, all 9 Masters. He's the GOAT in the making.***
***Now Nole has 5 Wimbl. Most of you would prob. rate him behind Fed & Sampras, but what about Borg?***
ReplyDeleteEven if Nole wins more, Borg will continue being a Wimbl. legend! He's set apart due to not only winning 5 in a row, he played w/ a wood racket, wasn't a real S/V'r, & played on old, choppy, slick grass! He only had a wk. to prepare for grass! He made 6 str. finals just like Fed & lost it in the end, but Roger fortunate enough to hang on & win 3 more past his prime!
***(=ting "grass" w/ Wimbl.), I'd put him just behind Borg...@ least for now. Borg's 5 in a row, & 6 str. finals stands out a lit'l more. Now, if Novak does take a 6th Wimbl., I'd prob. put him just ahead of Borg. He'll have carved out 6 Chps in the Fed era (along w/ Murray & Rafa) although Borg had Jimmy & Mac. Novak, if he wins another, will have also made the QF 12 X's, 10 SF's, 7 Finals, & 6 wins. Not too shabby!
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Man a lot of people are in their feelings over an outcome that isn’t going to change. Djokovic is still going t/b the winner. Federer let Djokovic get by on avg. play @ the end of the day. - Part of what makes this Wimbl. trophy for Novak = > special is b/c he won it ugly. The whole match was mostly about handling the pressure. No one went all in @ any per. in the match. It was much diff. to let's say AO '12 Nadal-Novak. There were periods in that match when they just played w/ nothing to lose approach. ...I still can't believe that Novak did it thru 3 TBs vs Fed. Unreal victory.***
Fed still hung back too much! I see this as the reason he loses to Nadovic; thinking he can tame and defend from the baseline! He's been able to accomplish it a few X's, but mostly it's a colossal failure w/ him dropping matches to them w/ a pt. or 2 to win! It was impressive how both Fedovic were whacking the ball from the 1st rally of the match! I personally whh Roger come in a bit more; Nole not passing that well! He had 2 near the end, but that was happenstance w/ Roger coming into the net more on a bluff! Roger volleys exceptionally well, but drags matches out w/ >er players by not attacking as much as he could! There are enough short balls to pound into a corner to approach the forecourt w/ impunity on grass; = now! If passed, you say "good shot," but continue to apply pressure! Stan & Murray did it their way, but their groundies were consistent enough for them to just outlast Nole a handful of X's in those major finals lost to them!
***I agree. Fed plays too much backcourt tennis vs the best players, esp. Nadal & Novak. Yes, I know he was super close to winning Wimbl., but he needs to come in more. It isn't to his advantage to play baseline games vs those 2 for too long; younger & have better groundstrokes. He should come in much more in the early Rds when he's likely to win anyway so he can get grooved on serve & volley, chip & charge tactics. His new racquet's a help in many facets of his game, but has made his FH, previously his best shot erratic IMO.
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I think Lendl hoped to give the designated crown prince of tennis a bit of mental & tactical coaching to push Zverev over the edge & make him a slam winner like he did w/ Murray. He prob. didn't expect it being that much work. M/b he = now tries to get fired.***
Ivan's been doing it his way his entire career! Outside of tennis, he made things quite comfortable for him & his girls! He doesn't need to take shit from anyone or any entity! I felt his pain being the outsider & not getting "his due" b/c of star power McEnroe, Borg, & Connors exuded! He was & continued t/b the villain of the piece thru John, Jimmy, Bjorn, Wilander, Edberg, Becker, Chang, Agassi, Courier, & Cash! Now Djokovic is having to go thru the same thing being the 3rd wheel behind Fedal = though he's "OWNED" this decade!
***...The guy prob. has Federer voodoo dolls in his home under the bridge.***
ReplyDeleteWell don't we all? Maybe not a effigy of Fed, but one of Nadal or Djokovic! I was one who was a huge fan & placed Roger on a pedestal; = drinking the Kool-Aid that the only reason he was dropping matches to Nadal early on was gamesmanship among other things! You had to like his style of play & his demeanor on & off the court! I never warmed up to Nadal, but Fedal were inextricably linked after their battles started well over a decade ago! Nole was an interloper around '08 & was getting "no love" from anywhere! It so reminded me of Lendl trying to battle the auras of Borg, Connors, & McEnroe almost 40 yrs ago! I had to take pity on him too! That's prob. why I've shifted my allegiance from Roger to the 3rd wheel but present #1 ranked player in the world, Novak Djokovic!
***Yes Fiero, I’m absolutely w/ you. Always fighting against all of them, & still has to, no matter what he did for this sport. He’s always the Fk'n Serb, from an unknown 3rd world country, who didn’t deserve this success & place in this sport.
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Djokovic isn't as quick & agile as he used t/b. His returns aren't anywhere as sharp & he pulls off return ace winners on rare occassions these days. His BP conversion suffered a lot compared to his hay days!***
What is it "early" or "LATE" where you are? I'm thinking the drinks haven't worn off since HAPPY HOUR! I'm not Djokovic's manager or agent, but how can he be "well past his prime?" He still gets to dropshots most players wouldn't = attempt to get to! He not only gets there, he angles off winners totally in control! As for his BP conversion; that's always been poor as well! He can have his opp. surrounded by BP's, but many X's he allows them to escape! He wins eventually due to being such a great returner keeping pressure on the best servers in the game! This is his "hay day!"
***H2H:
- Djokovic & Fed have played 48 X's to date.
•All matches: Djokovic, 26–22◦GS matches: Djokovic, 10–6
◦ATP WTF's matches: Djokovic, 3–2
◦ATP World Tour Masters matches: Djokovic, 11–9
◦BO3 set matches: Djokovic, 16–15
◦BO5 set matches: Djokovic, 10–7
◦Matches lasting 5 sets: Djokovic, 4–0
◦Winning the match after losing 1st set: Djokovic, 7–1
•All Finals: Djokovic, 13–6◦GS Finals: Djokovic, 4–1
◦ATP WTF's Finals: Djokovic, 2–0
◦ATP World Tour Masters Finals: Djokovic, 5–3
◦ATP World Tour 500 series finals: Tied, 2–2
•All sets: Federer, 72–70◦Deciding sets: Djokovic, 14–5
•TB sets: Djokovic, 15–12◦Deciding TB's: Djokovic, 4–0
Results on each court surface
•Clay courts: Tied, 4–4
•HC's: Djokovic, 19–17 ◦Outdoor: Tied, 13–13
◦Indoor: Djokovic, 6–4
•Grass courts: Djokovic, 3–1
So they are tied on clay & outdoor HC's. Novak only leads on indoor Hard & grass courts. Who would have thought?
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...If Djokovic can avoid injuries, i think he'll have no issues w/ motivation, fitness & priorities. I can't see how he doesn't win @ least 4 > slams. Injuries can come out of nowhere, Nadal has lost a couple of years due to them & Novak lost ops to win a few slams around '16-18 due to injuries. It is likely, Nadal & Novak will run into injuries in next few years. Rafa dom. - '08, '10, '13, & '17. He disappeared due to injury in '09, around '14-15, & took some X off last yr. Djokovic dom. in '11, slowed down btw '12-14, dominated around '15-16, suffered injury & went MIA for 2 yrs & then has dom. for about a yr. They haven't been able to maintain this type of level for > than 1-2 yrs, in spurts. This means, if history repeats itself, Novak will slump next yr.***
***It’s possible for a tennis player t/b so dom. over his comp. as to leave no doubt that he’s the best to ever pick up a racquet. But I don’t think anyone in history has done that so far. There are a few guys w/ some pretty good arguments for being rated above the rest, but it’s all so marginal & @ X's just incommensurable, esp. btw far-flung eras.***
ReplyDelete...The Rocket was thought of & continues t/b revered as "The Best Ever!" He's getting credit for being unable to play almost 6 yrs b/c Open tennis didn't come along until the end of '68, just in X for the USO! Ashe wound up winning both am. & pro events! As for Rod, I'm one to also give him that status, but he has the same cloud hanging over him as Fed! He had 2 players that pretty much owned him no matter how well he played! Rosewall got him in 2 classic finals in Houston for the WCT Chp. (=alent to YEC) & I seem to remember Hoad brushed him aside early; starting out H2H @ 8-0! By the mid 70's Borg had come along & the old guy had to deal w/ him too; also losing a 5 setter to the Swede in the '75 SF! Rod prob. would've won the WCT Chp. to complete the circle of available events since "HIS" personal pigeon made the final, Ashe! It would've changed the course of history IMO if Laver had finished off Borg! Bjorn was so dead tired the next day, Arthur just ran him ragged; I thought he was going to cry! Nole may one day reach GOAT status, but out of the BIG 3, he was the most vulnerable to upset by 2nd Tier stars, Wawrinka & Murray! Fedal usually handled them! Nole left some majors on the table & could've passed them both by now!
***Interesting coincidence - @ this moment, Djokovic is 28 match wins from Match Win Leader @ Aussie Open, Wimbl., and US Open
AO - Djokovic - 68, Federer - 97
Wimbl. - Djokovic - 72, Fed - 101
USO - Djokovic - 69, Connors - 98
Man, he's got that many < matches, but has been able to sustain a 9-5 H2H match rec. in those specific slams vs Fed? Pretty incredible.
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...I think that's going on right now.***
That kind of commentary is just hilarious! Truly, what is he doing now? Djokovic has only won 4 of the last 5 majors! He's been snagging them like this in chunks all decade! What's the surprise if he actually does get w/i sniffing distance of the "major rec.?" I certainly won't be one of them!
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Gawd, what happened to this tournament in Antwerp? It was a crown jewel of the ATP way back when! It gave record $$ & offered a solid gold racket w/ diamonds when the event was being held as the ECC! You had to of won an event in Europe to qualify & if a player won 3 out of 5 yrs they got to take the racket! Lendl got 1 of them; almost 2!
***It has been replaced 12 yrs ago by Madrid on the Masters Series. The past is the past.***
It was rhetorical babe! I'm just musing about those old days when this tourn. was relevant indoors & as a clay Masters 1000 event!
***I do think the German's Fed. losing to Spain's has to do w/ the lack of big profile players. After Becker & Stich, they didn't have any big contenders following in their footsteps, while Spain had plenty.***
Oh, that's def. the reason they lost a lot of clout! W/o those men & of course Steffi, Germany's been relegated to 3rd world status! Not that long ago, they were almost as important as the US! At 1 X they had 6 events to 8 in USA; 2 of them the ATP YEC & the now defunct "GS Cup!"
***Even if one or both of Nadovic surpass Fed in major count, someone w/ 20 majors, 6 YEC's, 28 Masters, 100+ titles, a rec. # of wks @ #1 (237 cons.), & so on will never end up looking weak.***
ReplyDeleteMaybe not weak, but Roger'll become more of a footnote if Nadovic both sweep past him in majors, wks @ #1, & poss. more YEC's! IMO since Nole has 5 already w/ @ least 5 more yrs of productive tennis in him, he's in striking distance of a lot of recs presently held by Fed! ...It took decades for Sampras & < a decade for Roger; now both Nadovic may surpass him w/i 2-3 seasons!
***As Fiero pt'd out, we already can't = talk 28 MS as though that's a decent stat for Roger.***
...W/ Nole taking 4 of the last 5 majors, he's back on course to surpass "The (present) GOAT" & m/b change the hearts & minds of most fans who believe tennis revolves around FEDAL!
***I doubt Rafa would trade away any of his FO titles to have a more balanced resume. Winning 12 FO's is his greatest legacy to date.***
To secure some kind of legacy, I'd guess Nadal would give up a couple USO's & + to that 12 FO's! Right now, = though in 2nd place behind Roger in majors, that imbalance makes the experts skip him in deference to Djokovic! He came up so fast; = > so than Roger a decade ago when he overtook Sampras in rec. X! The same will happen to Roger if he were to leave the game today; 2 players might overtake him w/i 3 yrs!
***Federer should reconsider his plan of skipping Montreal. W/ Djokovic not playing he could gain 1000 pts there & it's >er practice for USO anyway.***
I'm glad Nole's cutting back on his sched.! He must want that 2nd Cincy Masters title badly to elevate his resume & complete the circle w/ a 2nd FO in the next 2-3 seasons! He w/b the only player in the game's history who'll have won all 14 major tier events twice! Nadal's just scratching to get another AO so he'll be the 1st Double CGS man w/ a couple OGM! Of Fedalovic, we have to say all have impressive recs, & each has something that can't be broken by the other, but it appears to me Nole will wind up w/ the more complete & rounded resume regard< if he gets to 20+ majors or not!
***The peak viewership for '19 Wimbl was 9.6 M w/ expectations of Roger getting #21. I don't think there whb that many watching if they already knew the outcome, I'm sad to say.***
They figured it was Fed's for the taking since he's supposed t/b @ least the "Grass GOAT!" I'm not saying he should've won, but it was his best chance vs Nole! Like they say, "you can't win them all!" Novak's belying that old adage & making history w/ his dom.; 4 of last 5 majors! Fed had it once, but still had Nadal to keep him in chk! Right now, lit'l is stopping Djokovic from overtaking all the recs besides the ones he holds already! I was one of the herd that thought Fedal would own it all for yrs to come! Nole was just the 3rd wheel until '11; sorta like Lendl 35 yrs ago w/ Borg, Connors, & McEnroe headlining! But like Lendl in '85, he "rise up" & took over completely in '11, pretty much owning this decade w/ a few hiccups along the way allowing Fedal something to brag about! Roger's '04, '06, & '07 were the bomb until now! Djokovic had to fight thru Fedal, but somehow overcame all the odds w/ the media totally behind 2 other players! He had to beat them to gain his accomplishments! He didn't have too many "joke" finals vs pigeons! He had to deal w/ Fedalray @ every event! I have to tip my hat off to him! He has a chance to + to that "legacy decade" w/ a USO victory in a few wks! I won't be too disappointed if he doesn't since it's just so tough there yr. in & yr. out!
***...Thank God, the fake German lost. Arrogant, overrated Giraffe that he is.***
ReplyDeleteOne of the worst underachievers in recent memory! Zverev does have weapons = if there are people who don't think so! He's won some Masters events & the YEC, actually defeating Fedalovic along the way, but in the majors he's horrendous! In smaller events, he struggles to get past "riff raff;" totally playing to the level of his opponent! If the other person across the net is serving poorly or missing easy FH's, Sascha finds a way to outdo the incompetence! He's done a lit'l > Grigor, Kei, & Milos, but they @ least had to deal w/ the Big 3 in their "collective primes!" That gives them a lit'l more cred = though Sascha's won more Tier 1 events!
***Surely he has weapons & is talented. My post reflects my aversion to his personality. Sadly he'll win more big titles, = Slams @ some pt. I hope not many.
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I'm w/ you. I also recognize his accomplishments to date, but my hope is that others will catch up on him & prevent him t/b the leader of the tennis world. -
...Why McEnroe stopped winning Majors @ only 25 yo?***
His talent wasn't limitless & physically he couldn't handle where tennis went w/ the power of Lendl, Becker, & others! He got the most out of what he could do w/ his attacking style! That type of tennis wasn't destined to reign over the tour for too long!
***I agree that Novak is more precise than Nadal. He can just guide the ball to whatever line he wants while looking like it's the easiest shot in the world (which m/b why it doesn't seem as insane to me?).***
I'm still offended by the game of Nadal; all that hideous topspin! So often the ball's dropping inside the service box, someX's barely making it over the net! I'll take Novak's "Gawd-Mode" anyX over Rafa! I never cared for him, his game, or his rotten camp that support & promote his gamesmanship ripping off matches!
***Clearly, Roger played >er @ Wimbl. although Novak ended up winning.***
Nole proved t/b the >er player in the clutch! Roger won 2 easy sets, but if challenged he makes errors (11) while Nole made NONE in those TB's! That's why he won & the GOAT has t/b crushed for yet another "choke job!" We can say Nole won it, but w/ 2 MP's & serving, a simple 1st serve @ 40-15 whd it > likely! Federer w/b making more history & m/b put the "major count" out of reach @ 21! Now it's up for grabs by both Nadovic!
***ITA w/ you about who played >er. I'm only separating who played >er in nearly every measurable aspect & who was the winner or let’s say the >er competitor. Maybe that’s the >er name for what I meant.***
This takes me back 40+ yrs watching a clay final w/ M. Orantes vs J. Alexander! Orantes was playing well, winning his serve easily while Alexander was struggling to hang on by the skin of his teeth! He pulled it out though in the end; 2-6.6-4,6-4! JA was coined by Bud Collins as "Last Of The Mohicans" & a much > successful doubles player! He just "toughed it out" somehow vs MO that day! It happens; someone winning a match when totally out, but takes it anyway!
***I was happy that Mahes Bhupathi's IPTL folded & all players will focus on official events. But Roger plans to play a series of exh. matches in So. America @ the end of season this yr. It's hard to blame him when people pay him a million $$ for one match. Anyway, this prob. means we can forget about him winning AO'20.***
This is what PO's me the most about today's top players! They kvetch about the season being too long, but they play some kind of team tennis along w/ exhib.! I got nothing for them; esp. Roger who doesn't need the $$! Nadal isn't much >er having fun in these things, but when an official event comes around we muse about injury & exhaustion! A-Holes!
***Djokovic fans who are confident he will brk the slam rec. are waiting for it to happen before they call him the GOAT.***
ReplyDeleteConfidence has lit'l to do w/ it; it's about what he's doing & how fast it's occurring! Nole had a bad patch where most thought he was done! That comeback last season was > Fedal's which was also miraculous! We thought he was out of the running for Goat-dom until he's now won 4 of the last 5 majors! Fedal s/b afraid of being eclipsed! Only X'll tell! I've already placed Nole above Nadal due to his limited Goat resume being only on clay! Borg outdid him in so many ways; culm. in taking 5 str. Wimbl.! Nadal can barely make a SF on the slow stuff they've laid down when Borg had to deal w/ quick, un= grass w/ bounces as unpredictable as a ft-ball!
***Fed had knee surgery, hadn't won a slam or was ranked #1 since '12, then won '17 AO, '17 Wimbl., '18 AO, & retained the #1 ranking. Nole's "comeback" was not > that.***
W/ no support from the fans & media, it was quite a comeback for Mr. Djokovic! Nole had his surgery too! What you described is the reason I wondered why Roger hung on til now; going 5+ yrs since his last major win & had 2 players kickin' his ass all thru that X! I understand where you're coming from, but'll still go w/ Nole's comeback being more miraculous! Fed's return to the top only told me he had lost most of his comp. due to injury & retirement!
***How much chance do you give Djokovic to exceed Fed's 20 rec.? It seems that the rec. of more wks as the #1 is about to fall in favor of the Serb.
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He’s the ult. pro that also happens t/b incredibly clutch. He has the perfect build & workout routine to stay healthy for a long X. He'll slow down, but he'll clutch out a few wins vs the younger guys when they battle him tough in a few yrs.
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But you must remember that he's already over 32 yo & having to win @ least 5 Majors, = w/ the current quality of young rivals, will not be easy @ all. We'll see if he maintains a tremendous concentration in achieving his goals in the med. & long term.***
I can't imagine Nole not winning @ least 1 major for the next few yrs; stretching to 2 in the immed. future! He may or may not get there, but this past yr. put Djokovic in a great pos. to overtake Fedal!
***I'll continue to "hold" Fed over Djokovic until he narrows more gaps. It becomes very tricky weighing 2 careers vs each other when there's such a large gap in age; 6 yrs' still huge in tennis. ...One career peaking before '08 & actually declining statisically before somewhere in '07. We can debate why, but for me that's the main pt. in Fed's career. ...Djokovic gets huge pts for playing Fed so closely when he was still quite young. As for his pre-'11 rec. vs Fed, I don't pay it much attn. 2010 was a weak yr. so he gets extra credit for knocking him out @ the AO that yr.
...I don't think Djokovic outplaying an over age 30 Fed counts vs Fed & I do think Djokovic has had pretty much a free ride outside of the Big 3 since he himself turned 30. I throw out '17 when he actually was 30 w/ injuries, but in '18 & '19 he's been mostly unchallenged. That's not his fault, but he's cleaning up right now.
At the moment, OTTH, Djokovic seems t/b faring >er over the age of 30 then Fed did, but I can't ignore the fact that there's NO ONE younger challenging him other than Zverev in the last WTF. If he continues getting more majors, 1 after the other, for me he's the better player when he ties Fed on majors & m/b = a bit lower b/c of all his other recs. But 1st he has to get there. That's the only thing I'm arguing about. He still has 4 more to go, & he was 2 MP's away from 21/15 in a yr. when his older rival was almost 38. So if you want to proclaim him the >er player, please wait until he has earned it.***
***....Poor Murray, just the 4th-best tennis player in arguably the strongest era in history... how'll he cope w/ the shame?***
ReplyDeleteThat was my reward; Sir AM playing during the toughest era in the history of the game! ...If not for Fedalovic, heaven knows how "GREAT" his rec. chb! He woefully underachieved believe it or not! He wore his body out w/ long training sessions & then allowing players outside the top 50 to take him "to the limit" match after match due to his passive style of play!
***...The only big diff. to Murray & Djokovic is: Andy didn't have any major injury in his career, barring some dietary troubles & elbow problems that did not limit his career while Murray's troubles turned very limiting.***
If Djokr's just a pusher, how's he owning Fedal like no other players / rivals in the history of the game? I agree Nole's more a defensive player than aggressor, ...I don't think he stands back dodging linesmen & ball kids due to hanging back so far! He appears t/b able to eclipse most if not all the recs held by ATG's!
***...What if Fed was 6 yrs younger than Nadal & 5 yrs y'ger than Djokovic? He prob. would've started his career w/ 97" racquet, since 90" or < had basically disappeared from the tour except for the fact that Fed still used them. ...A player 5 yrs younger would lose mostly early in his career, but would win most of the X's once he enters prime; the older player declining somewhat. It w/b reasonable to imagine Fed would've entered his prime around '16 & started beating Djokodal most of the X's from then on.
And judging by how much Dajokodal declined from '16 & also the weak field in gen., it whb not totally out of the realm of possibility to imagine Fed could've won something like 5, 6, or = 10 slams in a row from '16 X X's. Peak Fed w/ 97" frame could've possibly achieved CYGS 2 X's. ...Another factor to consider is that b/c Nadakovic elevated the level of tennis, Fed could've followed that & become a top contender = earlier than he did. In reality he set the standard & Djokodal followed, & it's usually harder t/b the pace setter than chaser.
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We all know that "Roger the Dodger" bottled it last month, but what are the other exs of chokers choking on Chp. Pt? The last Wimbl. champ. in front of Djoker, which saved CP & won, was Bob Falkenburg in '48. John Bromwich was his opp. in the Wimbl. final. Laver also managed to win the GS final in which his opp. (Neale Fraser) had CP. It happened @ the Aust. Chps '60, where Laver won his 1st GS title in singles. Djoker & Rod are the only players in the history of men's tennis who've earned @ least 2 GS titles after saved MP.
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FAA losing to silent K is not a bad loss.. Silent KK is a grown ass Man who can hit thru everybody, but Roger & Novak. FAA's still growing into his body & he'll learn how to play off a player the caliber of Silent KK.***
I hate to say it, but I see good things happening w/ the guy! Khachanov's a "Safin clone;" Russian, good looking, tall, powerful, & has limit< potential! He just needs some seasoning; already getting a taste of success w/ his Paris Masters win over Djokovic last fall!
***Very true, very Safin-like, but not as consistent. If he can figure out the 2nd serve & dbl. faults, then he'll really be in full flight mode. I think currently he's forcing himself to hit big 2nd serves instead of naturally just hitting it. He prob. thinks that if he does not hit a big or good 2nd serve he'll lose the pt. In reality, he has a good baseline game so = if he doesn't hit a good 2nd serve he has the game to back it up.***
***...Since Nadal's defend his Canadian title, it’s also worth noting that Fedovic have each only once defended on clay: Novak in Rome & Roger in Hamburg.***
ReplyDeleteNot really! The tennis world & it's history will forever make NOTE of Rafa being the "Clay GOAT!" I still give more props to Borg playing < 1/2 the yrs & w/ wood rackets defending back to back his FO & Wimbl. titles! Do that a few X's, then come back to me! Rafa hasn't hit that plateau of God-Like status! He has too many HOLES in his resume; TOO MANY!
***Federer has the rec. w/ most wks in Top 10 w/ 877 & counting. OTOH, Nadal's 3rd w/ 748 wks @ Top (69 wks behind Connors for 2nd place). However, Nadal is 2nd in terms of cons. wks in Top 10 w/ 748 wks (40 wks behind Connors for 1st place). Basically, if Nadal is in Top 10 by the end of May '20, he w/b in 1st place in cons. wks in Top 10. If Nadal keeps his #2 ranking over Fed for another 12 wks, he w/b ranked in either Top 1 or Top 2 for 529 wks which w/b an all X rec. for men's tennis.***
But it won't last since Nole's hitting his prime! He's going to prob. hold onto the top ranking thru next season & in the top 10 for 5 > yrs @ least! All those recs of Fedal will prob. fall by the wayside before the ink is dry on the rec.-bks!
***Let's face it, Nole's past his "prime," though he does seem t/b finding his best form again, & w/ not so very much comp. in sight. I thought the youngsters were going t/b showing more spunk than they have so far this yr. Next 2 yrs s/b another story though. But, sure, no reason to think that Novak won't be in good shape & good form for another 5 yrs.
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We keep saying the top 3 dominance can’t last forever, but I’m unequivocally stating that someone else will crack into the top spot by the X Rafa or Novak hit 40. I mean it has to happen someX.
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Djokovic isn't winning 7 more slams. It's easy for people to think these top guys are still in their primes in their early 30's, but that isn't the case. They can still play great tennis, win some big titles, & ability-wise they're still way above the youngsters. But this next gen. has potential, part of what has helped the Big 3 is that the guys in their mid-late 20's are tomato cans. I don't think that's happening again.***
Since you posted this last Aug., Nole has won 3 of the last 4 majors; '18 USO, '19 AO, & '19 Wimbl.! It's now 20-18-16; any change of heart?
***Sly lit'l bastard digging this up. Yes, I didn't expect Djoker to win 3 of 4 since then. If he wins this USO, & he's fave to do so, he's an enormous threat that's for sure. Still a threat = if he doesn't. Main issue I've been wrong on is the Next Gen. They're still currently nothing & I thought that'd change by now.
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I haven’t sensed that since JMDP won the USO a decade ago. I thought he was going t/b the next big thing, but his injuries stopped that. Since then? No one comes close to what I sensed in JMDP.***
Yep; Del Po was supposed to join the "Big 4" making it the "Big 5!" He actually played the top players tough, but wasn't cracking them for the most part! His biggest wins outside of '09 USO over Roger came vs Nole; twice in the Olympics! Then there was Wawrinka, but it wasn't = injury that cost him; more his own inconsistency & lack of confidence! Being owned by Roger alone has limited his rec./resume, but dropping early Rd. matches to "also-rans" after winning a major is inexcusable! The latest crop of NG'rs look good & show promise, but we've said it before! I'm gonna wait until they actually do something! I'm gonna keep my eye on Tsitsipas, Thiem, & Medvedev!
***...Borg had the rec. 11 Open Era Slams & retired. Pete came along & retired w/ 14. The current rec. holder may've 1 more slam in him in the next 3-4 yrs.***
ReplyDeleteEven though Borg held the Open rec. @ the X & was a fave player of mines, I never considered him the GOAT! He did amazing things; winning 5 str. Wimbls. & took 6 FO (3 b2b "chan'l slams" '78-80)! I still set other greats well ahead of him like Laver, Rosewall, Gonzalez, Tilden, Budge, Kramer, Hoad, & a few others who had limited X on the tour; = < X than Borg's 8 yrs since Ams. only made expenses playing in those early days!
***Besides the dom. of the Big 3, it appears the order in tennis is returning as "30 somethings" fade away &/or injuries alter their careers. Who would've thought it?***
This is taking me back to the 70's when most of the top players were about 30 or so w/ Borg breaking up the party as the lone kid! Back then the Aussies still ruled w/ Laver, Rosewall, Newcombe, Roche, w/ a few other players like Nastase, Orantes, Vilas, & Connors! Having jrs. on tour was not the norm until the 80's! Before Jaeger, Basset, Temesvári, Graf, Sabatino, & Seles among others, there was just Austin back in '77! Evert was quite young @ 1 X, but few thought of her as a kid; ever!
***The game became more physical w/ new equipment. It looks to me that young guns are now going up the rankings as things were for the past 30+ yrs until the last handful of yrs. They haven't made the breakthru yet vs the Big 3, but other than that it's back to business as usual as far as aging in tennis. Sure, there a few that are still comp. in their 30's, yet their ranking has fallen. It shows that this sport is still a young man's game overall & that Fed's most likely an anomaly b/c of his style & talent, + the inability of lost gen. to do anything @ all vs the Big 3 & push them out.
---
...Nadal's one of the most aggresive players on tour. He only plays defense when he's being attacked, usually b/c opps red line. When he plays a counterpuncher, he's relentlessly aggressive. He powered thru Medvedev.***
IDK WTF you people are talking about! Nadal "C/B" a very offensive player, but for the most part he isn't & doesn't play like that! Why are players outside the top 50 keeping him on court for so long, making him go the distance all too often? Ridiculous! What era of tennis have you guys been watching? If so offensive, why the need to pull out his bag of "gamesmanship" tricks; stalling, challenging every close call, & mysterious MTO's? Come on guys, we've all been around here too long to try & have temp. amnesia just to make a pt!
***Wrong. All you have to do is observe. I dare you to find a match where Nadal simply just rallies when he's not being attacked. ...Next X you watch Nadal, observe how Nadal almost never does this. When given anything he can attack, ATTACKS, ALL THE X. Don't take it from me, just observe yourself.
...Nadal's the worst counterpuncher in the top 10; he's terrible. This is why pace to his FH side works, he's unable to re-direct the opp's pace like Novak, Murray, & Medvedev can. The people who say he's defensive is b/c they're thoroughly confused. Opps red-line vs Rafa so they're constantly attacking him, so Rafa's forced to play defense. Nadal attacks almost every ball he can attack, he goes for winners, goes for the lines, & plays ultra aggressive.
...Since Medvedev's defensive game didn't pressure Nadal or force him to play defense, Nadal was able to dictate play by constantly attacking Medvedev. Daniil will need to play him diff. next X. He'll have to attack > to stop Nadal from dictating so much. One of the reasons players attack Nadal's b/c if they don't, Nadal takes control & brutalizes them. Very few players are as aggressive as Nadal during a neutral rally.***
***OUTSTANDING DRAMA ('18 winner: Game of Thrones)
ReplyDeleteKilling Eve
Pose
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA ('18 winner: Matthew Rhys)
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
Billy Porter, Pose
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA ('18 winner: Claire Foy)
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Robin Wright, House of Cards
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA ('18 winner: Thandie Newton)
Gwendoline Christie, Game of Thrones
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve
Sophie Turner, Game of Thrones
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA ('18 winner: Peter Dinklage)
Alfie Allen, Game Of Thrones
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Game Of Thrones
Michael Kelly, House Of Cards
GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA ('18 winner: Samira Wiley)
Laverne Cox, Orange is the New Black
Jessica Lange, AHS: Apocalypse
Phylicia Rashad, This Is Us
Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away With Murder
Carice van Houten, Game of Thrones
GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA ('18 winner: Ron Cephas Jones)
Kumail Nanjiani, The Twilight Zone
Glynn Turman, How to Get Away With Murder
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale
OUTSTANDING COMEDY ('18 winner: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY ('18 winner: Rachel Brosnahan)
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY ('18 winner: Bill Hader)
Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY ('18 winner: Alex Borstein)
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY ('18 winner: Henry Winkler)
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Henry Winkler, Barry
GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY ('18 winner: SNL host Tiffany Haddish)
Jane Lynch, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Sandra Oh, Saturday Night Live
Maya Rudolph, The Good Place
Kristin Scott Thomas, Fleabag
Fiona Shaw, Fleabag
Emma Thompson, Saturday Night Live
GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY ('18 winner: Katt Williams)
Matt Damon, Sat. Night Live
Robert de Niro, Sat. Night Live
Peter MacNicol, Veep
John Mulaney, Sat. Night Live
Adam Sandler, Sat. Night Live
LIMITED SERIES ('18 winner: The Assass. of Gianni Versace: Amer. Crime Story)
MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE ('18 winner: Black Mirror, “USS Callister”)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE ('18 winner: Merritt Wever)
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE ('18 winner: Jeff Daniels)
REALITY SHOW HOST ('18 winner: RuPaul Charles)
James Corden, The World’s Best
Ellen DeGeneres, Ellen’s Game Of Games
REALITY SHOW COMPETITION ('18 winner: RuPaul’s Drag Race)
The Amazing Race
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
VARIETY SKETCH SERIES ('18 winner: Sat. Night Live)
I Love You, America With Sarah Silverman
Saturday Night Live
VARIETY TALK SERIES ('18 winner: Last Wk. Tonight W/ John Oliver)
The Daily Show W/ Trevor Noah
Full Frontal W/ Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight W/ John Oliver
The Late Late Show With James Corden
The Late Show W/ Stephen Colbert***
Thx!
***Whoopi has this subconscious bias vs other strong women of color. ...Today, one of the conversations was about yesterday's rally & Trump's comments. In the context of Trump's racist comments to the 4 congresswomen & people @ his rallies chanting "send her back" while Trump stood there PROUDLY, Whoopi should've focused on THOSE ITEMS instead of trying to lecture Sunny that these women somehow "deserve" the treatment they are receiving. She HAD to find criticism w/ the women.***
ReplyDeleteThis is really something that pervades all womankind I'm afraid, not just w/ the Black culture! I really have had no real use for women, but marvel @ w/ all their advantages, they literally have done things to undermine their own advancement in "influence/power" in gov't & business! They're all too busy undercutting one another in the work place & in the home with betrayals not imagined amongst this sisterhood! I keep asking why "women hate other women" & the best answer gives blame to a patriarchal society! Fine, be that & more, but women who have all the power they need w/ the ballot insist on staying w/ OLD WHITE GUYS more familiar & comforting = though openly hostile to their basic rights of choice! After the ultimate betrayal w/ women going for Trump over Hillary, I was done! I'll never listen to women kvetch about ANYTHING after this atrocity & course change of history! I'm just glad t/b a senior & don't have to GAF anymore! We're so "past it" in so many ways w/ the present leadership, I'm just not sure how we can recover w/ our basic institutions under relent< attack from Trump & his Troll supporters! The man's openly threatening the welfare of sitting congresswomen & these ANIMALS don't think anything's wrong w/ that! If something happens to any of them, I'm not sure of any real outrage! We're dealing w/ so many scandals, we just keep moving onto the next w/ no real resolution to past indiscretions!
***I hear you Fiero! I see the same thing w/ women in my career. Vicious to each other, but compliant & obedient to their white male counterparts.
---
Muslims & Latinos are having 5-12 kids per couple, & if we don't do anything about that...
As Dem. voters will never care about Fed Debt until their gov't checks bounce, religious people will never care about HUMAN OVERPOPULATION until London has a MUSLIM MAYOR.... oooops, until the planet is unable to feed the human population...***
If it's to our detriment, why are experts complaining about the overall low birth rate here in the States? Economically it'll assist us in the future w/ pending retirements & exps. of seniors! Replacements w/b needed or haven't you thought about that? You w/b encouraging more illegal immigration to do work Americans just won't do! We're lazy AF & prove it all the X kvetchin' about life when compared to the rest of the world, we're living on streets paved w/ GOLD! People just have no idea or don't GAF; unfortunately it's both w/ a large slice of mainland idiots!
***Liberal activists push Pelosi ouster amid AOC feud: ‘She’s going to get left in the dust’***
Trump's crooked admin. has frozen Congress in its tracks! They can't seem to get anything done! I'm wondering what'll happen when it comes to approving a new budget & increase of the Nat'l Debt ceiling? Pelosi isn't going to roll over & Trump is such an a-hole, he doesn't GAF if our credit rating takes a hit; allowed to happen to him personally enough! We all know he's running his business thru the Oval Office w/ impunity! The real shit will come when these same apathetic jerks overcriticize or investigate a Dem. president after ignoring Trump's transgressions! Their middle name sh/b "hypocrites" so I won't be surprised!
***...The roof being closed in that Wimbl. final last yr. vs Rafa was crucial @ the X for Nole.***
ReplyDeleteNole was just coming back from his emotional & physical hiatus; making the final in Queens the tourney before! I was praying the rules w/b in Novak's favor for a change; the roof making the diff. in that Wimbledon SF IMO! Isner did us all a favor by extending his match to well over 5 hrs w/ Anderson! Nadal was on the cusp of taking advantage of Roger being upset & Nole not @ his best! The final whb a formality; so he's gotta be thinking of "what chb" as well as Roger!
***The quality of this yr's final is highly overrated, but still beyond last yr's SF. Djokovic was pretty damn weak that match, the Rafa fans know it which is why it was = more painful. Djoker played pretty weak this final too, making the loss all the more pathetic for Roger.***
I'm not trying to take away from Nole's victory, but he really wasn't playing that well in that final! He was very fortunate to take his 5th Wimbl.; a real gift from Roger! That pendulum swing is freakin' huge; poss. 21-18-15! That might've taken Djokovic out of the running for GOAT but for a missed 1st serve & a passing shot that shouldn't have = been played! "Thanks Roger!"
***Yes, Novak was rather bad in this final & his stats are absol. pathetic. Roger played a decent match for the majority, but was spec.-ed Fed in ALL the key moments.***
You ain't kidding; Nole no UFE's in the 3 TB's while Roger had 11! That was the match! It was his for the taking; esp. w/ MP's!
***...I think Rafa has the toughest draw @ the USO. He could potentially have a tough match every Rd. (for a change after so many cupcake draws coming his way over the yrs). In 1R he faces Milkman, who is certainly a tough opp. for an opener. Assuming Kokk is injury free, he's also tough; opp. in 2R (Kokk beat Fed in Miami last yr). ...Verdasco c/b a tough opp. on HC's for Ralph in 3R. In 4R, Ralph could face Isner or Cilic & that c/b a tough also. In QF, Khachanov could give Ralph a run for $$ (Sasha is the projected QF opp., but I guess he won't make it there).
...Fed has the 2nd easiest draw. There's some chance that Novak would not make it as Novak's Qtr. is tougher than Roger's QTR. Even if both make it, there's reasonable chance that Roger w/b fresher than Novak due to easiness of draw. Whoever wins the top 1/2 most likely will not face Ralph as Ralph's QTR looks tougher than either Novak or Roger. If they face a next / lost gen. in the final, obviously they would have the advantage as they would have already punched beyond their wt. ...Novak has the toughest draw.
---
I think Djokovic is suffocating tennis > Fed right now so why do you want him t/b around & not Fed? I'd be happy if Nadal got back to #1; ANYBODY besides Novak b/c he's been there way too long.***
He's winning so Nole's suffocating tennis? Right! So what w/b the diff. be if Fedal were winning everything again like last season? It sucked to me; "back to the future after a decade!" If I have anything to say about it, keeping Nadal off the top rung s/b the goal w/ his boring ass game! Even w/ all his wins, I see him as a super-underachiever playing back so far on the court he's dodging linesmen & ballboys! He allows players outside the top 100 to extend him to the limit; esp. in majors when he starts out slow & gets down by a set or 2! I'm not sure how he can possibly be thought of as "the best" if he defended his 1st HC title ever recently? If you want to give him "clay GOAT" honors, have @ it people, but that's all he's getting out of me! He's lagging woefully behind in wks @ #1, has a really imbalanced career w/ most of his titles coming on clay, & wimping out when things get tough on other surfaces (WD @ '18 AO & USO SF's)!
***While the likes of Gonzales, Baghdatis, Elderly Agassi, Hewitt, Safin & Roddick were no doubt fearsome, I do tend to rate McEnroe, Lendl, Edberg, Becker, Agassi, & Rafter >er. Sorry.***
ReplyDeleteIt was = > of a Golden Age since the USA had so many good players who'd won or played in major SF's & finals! It was really something w/ Sampras, Courier, Agassi, Chang, Martin, Wash'ton, Mayotte, & other if Fed had retired after that Wimbl. win in '12; finishing off his career by taking the OG on his beloved grass! It didn't happen w/ Murray's last win over the old guyn so here we are 20-18-16 w/ Fedalovic! Fed hung around for 5+ yrs just taking up space as far as I was concerned! If not for Murray & Djokovic overdoing it on '16, neither Fedal would've taken these last majors +ing to their totals in '17 & '18!
***One of reasons Djokovic is still playing after his injury is b/c Federer showed him that it c/b done @ 37. Exactly what Djokovic intentionally poked Fed @ Wimbl. trophy ceremony - "I will follow your ex. & play @ least 6 > yrs.***
It's the reason a lot of these players of sports continue well after their prime! They're being tested & they want to prove something! Back in the day Evert would've retired before 30, but due to the brilliance of Martina, it made her hang around for a few more yrs; actually winning 3 more majors she wouldn't have had if not for her comp.! In Baseball, old geezers hanging on is a way of life, making $$ they don't deserve & taking a spot from some rookie who'll have toil away yrs longer in the MINORS! You have to admit, athletes are a bunch of spoiled, self-entitled ego-maniacs to the last; demanding respect & $$ just for them breathing air!
***Very true, & it's not just Djokodal, many players are still playing now although they shouldn't. Making this era filled w/ old guys hanging around. Everybody's calling this era one of oldest, players making recs in "the oldest" category, but they seem to forget what role in it has most influential player on tour.***
There's too much $$ t/b made to retire; = if losing early in a major! Back in the day, we had old geezers taking up space, but they were the face of the game in every way possible w/ players like Rosewall, Laver, Ashe, & others! It wasn't as offensive back then b/c it was hard to fill a major draw; esp. the women who had 1st Rd. byes!
***Today's players have a tough hurdle, which is made tougher by homogenization. They also lack motivation, willpower, discipline, talent, etc.***
Today's players will never be as hungry as past gens w/ so much $$ being thrown around! First Rd. losers can make enough for the entire next season expenses! Back in the day, the FO had the rec. amt. for the male winner; around $42,500+! That isn't inflation happening as much as greed taking over w/ so much $$ out there t/b had! Actually winning chps just isn't that much of a priority in this gen.'s head IMO! They're much too spoiled!
***Nagal to serve for the 1st set vs Federer. I hope he loses this match so that he can spare us the agony of watching him play so badly.***
Roger's looking physically as ragged as I've ever seen! The beard doesn't help! Grampa's ready to hit that rocker if we're lucky!
***Djokovic vs. Nadal is the >est rivalry in men’s tennis = When they 1st met @ the FO in '06, Nadal & Djokovic had 1 major title btw the 2 of them. Now, Nadal has 18 while Djokovic has 16 — and @ ages 33 & 32, resp., they could both reach or surpass Fed’s current major rec. of 20.
ReplyDelete...Fedal have played 14 matches in majors versus 15 for Nadal & Djokovic. Federer vs. Djokovic is a remarkable rivalry too, but they also have not played as many X's overall (48). And unlike Djokovic & Fed or Fedal, Djokovic & Nadal have met in the final of all 4 GS's. Djokovic is also one of only 2 men to beat Nadal @ the FO; QF's in '15.
...Djokovic & Nadal may meet again soon; if it’s in this U.S.O., a potential 55th match btw the 2 — the event’s top seeds — would come in the final on 9/8. And if not, perhaps b/c of the shoulder injury Djokovic's nursing, there'll likely be many > big matches btw them in the future. They’re still in their primes & they’re just too good to stay away from each other. - Berrettini is a complete player while Rublev is one-trick pony. He has 3 titles, Rublev 1.***
...I'm more concerned about Nole dropping so many pts! I didn't expect him to defend, but this was a very early exit! The #1 ranking is coming into play since he has so many pts to defend this Fall! He might have to let the ranking go to save his arm! He should skip the Asian swing of the tour & end it @ the YEC w/ a 6th title to secure #1 over the long dead period until the AO! I don't like "yahoos" winning such a prestigious event = though it happens per.! Nothing was more bizarre @ the time than Davydenko taking the title in '09 over Fedalovic; Nadal dropping all 3 of his RR matches!
***Your advice is spot on: he's approaching the age where Fed started "saving" himself, = taking 1/2 yr. sabbatical when needed to heal. Joker should learn an off-court lesson from a serious master.
---
...Nalbandian was also more talented than his fellow headcase Safin. In a way, his game was too transcendent & too ideal to mesh w/ the nitty-gritty, practical details of life, but he also bears resp. for not ironing out some of the wrinkles.***
I gave this honor to Safin as you well know! The man had it all; power, touch, & versatility! He was an elevated "Ilie Nastase" IMO!
***Well Safin could serve & he was highly mobile. So I see why you'd say that. But psychologically he was a goofball & in rallies I don't think he was as natural as the other top players. He could hit some great shots, but in terms of lasting in very long pts & playing w/ variety the game didn't come as easily to him as some have suggested.
---
These are the longest win streaks in Slams interrupted by losses to Big 4:
Ferrer 32 (AO12 - WI13)
Nishikori 23 (WI18 - UO19) active streak
Gasquet 19 (RG15 - WI16)
Tsonga 17 (AO14 - RG15) / Del Potro 17 (RG18 - RG19)
Soderling 16 (RG10 - AO11) Berdych 16 (AO16 - RG17) / Wawrinka 16 (UO16 - RG17)
Hewitt 15 (WI04 - AO05) / Cilic 15 (RG14 - RG15)
Del Potro 14 (UO08 - WI09) / Wawrinka 14 (AO15 - WI15)
Roddick 13 (WI06 - AO07)***
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I was just making note of how tough it's been for Nole winning his majors going vs 1 or 2 of the other Big 4; only getting a brk in his 1st AO vs Tsonga & then Anderson last yr. @ Wimbl.! You might group Del Po from his USO final, but @ least he's beaten the other top players in the past! Sampras, Fed, & Nadal have gobbled up many of their majors vs inferior talent or their own personal pigeons! Fed owned Roddick lock, stock, & barrel! Nadal just spanked his good buddy Ferrer & Berdych over the yrs! Then there's Sampras who you listed a bunch of "also rans" & "never-weres" in Pioline, Philippoussis, & Martin!
***Seeing all the seeds falling today to whom I've trusted w/ my life...***
ReplyDeleteI hate to say I told you so; who am I kidding, of course I told you so! When these kids have a lit'l success, start making SF's, finals, winning events, they pay for it eventually when it cts!
***4 out of 5 top 10 seeds excl. Rafa lost in his 1/2 in the 1st Rd. The winner was Zverev in 5.
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Wawrinka vs Djokovic - Djokovic 19-5: Whilst it's true Stan has given Djoker problems, the h2h is still 19-5 in favor of Djokovic which is dom. if you ask me. - This is just match-ups. Djokovic regularly bashes Nadal w/ offense. He can't do the same to Medvedev, but Nadal can. The reason Djokovic can regularly outhit Fedal off the baseline & hit a ton of winners against them is b/c he's able to force short balls from them, then he hits winners. Stan has an ability to hit everything hard, = from defensive positions so he gives Djokovic < to work w/. Djokovic can get many more short balls from Fedal when he attacks them & often bullies them off the baseline.
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Federer fans are worrying far too soon as usual. If Nadal wins tmrw's USO final, he's on 19. Then he has to win 1 of the next 2 slams, which he has a < 50% chance of doing, = if he avoids injuries. ...I think a rested Fed @ AO is still a threat (heck, he won 2 of the last 3 editions). Heck, he won Wimbl. '17 & reached the final in '19. When was Nadals last Wimbl. final or win? Again, I don't see it that Nadal is ahead, they are > or < w/ the ops they have. Nadal has been more consistent as of late, but its only a matter of X before he is bounced in the early Rds of a slam again. You guys are worrying way too much. Wait & see how things play out. One big + to this is that hopefully Nadal replaces Djokovic as #1, which means 1 of Fed's biggest recs remains intact.
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...funny considering Nadal's win % on HC is >er > it is on clay this yr.***
Nadal had an uncharacteristic avg. spring & summer on clay; barely eeked out Masters final over Nole in Rome before winning again in Paris! I thought Nole's ranking was safe after that, but it's going to go down to the wire it seems w/ his early loss trying to defend! He has tons of pts to defend this Fall & if that arm is in a sling, Rafa will finish #1 helping Roger out in that dept. anyway!
***My trolling is not = 1% of Fedovic's trolling... They've done it for decades (esp. Fed fans). Sorry, but it's Karma so stop being a crybaby.***
Back in the day I was as much a devotee of Fed as anyone, but I've moved on! Never cared for Nadal from the beginning, so Nole the lone one standing in the end > likely since he has > X on his side! ...I'm still on board to have the NG'rs make their move! Med did his part & tested Rafa in his 1st major final; nothing t/b ashamed of!
***# of yrs to win @ least 1 slam title:
1. Nadal - 13 yrs
2. Federer - 11 yrs
3. Djokovic - 9 yrs
# of yrs to win @ least 2 titles:
1. Fed - 6 yrs
2. Nadal/Djokovic - 5 yrs
# of yrs to win @ least 3 titles:
1. Fed - 3 yrs
2. Djokovic - 2 yrs
3. Nadal - 1 yr.
---
Most men's slam titles after the age of 30 (Open Era):
1. Nadal - 5 titles
2. Fed/Djokovic/Laver/Rosewall 4 titles
3. Connors/Agassi/Wawrinka 2 titles
# of yrs to win @ least 2 titles:
1. Fed - 6 yrs
2. Nadal/Djokovic - 5 yrs
Most USO titles in the Open Era:
1. Connors/Sampras/Fed - 5 titles
2. McEnroe/Nadal - 4 titles
3. Lendl/Djokovic - 3 titles
Most USO titles in this dec. ('10-19):
1. Nadal - 4 titles
2. Djokovic - 3 titles
3. Murray/Cilic/Wawrinka - 1 title
---
Djokr & Fed are done! That Wimbl. final was their farewell moment. - Serena had her X, & that X's over. Hang it up, go home.***
I don't understand the "effort" or lack thereof the last 2 yrs in these major finals! It's as if Serena forgets how to play, her feet are stuck in quicksand, & has this distressed look on her face the entire X like, "WTF am I doing here?"
***Fowler talked about Berretini as if he was a 5-3 qualifier ranked #600 & had never played an ATP event before.***
ReplyDeleteThat happens bringing in commentators of "all sports" instead of specializing in tennis! Fowler's clue< & I just tune him out! We used to get the same exaggerated tensions yrs ago w/ Pat Summerall working w/ Tony Trabert @ the USO & Dick Enberg trying his hand @ it w/ Bud Collins @ Wimbl.!
***Un< you’re watching the TCC, you’re going to run into “all sports” commentators. And = there, they have a few non-tennis experts. Mostly, though, they have former players and/or coaches (Courier, Annacone, Austin, Martina, etc.)
---
...it must not be easy to see Federer turn into Sampras, but chill out; it's just tennis.***
I take it you're talking about "the decline" of Sampras in this instance! Roger's nowhere near that level yet; still challenging @ Masters & majors! Poor Pete went over 2 yrs w/o a title of any sort from his 2000 Wimbl. victory until his miraculous run @ the '02 USO taking out his pigeon in the final, Agassi! The grind of holding the YE #1 for 6 yrs had aged Sampras before his X; the constant stress taking out his hair before turning 30! On another site someone told me w/o the hair dyes & facial cover-ups, the rigors of the tour would show up > on Federer! Heaven knows Rafa's aged before his X = though he still takes some of the best pics in advert.! Roger's going to hold it together thru the Olympics @ least & have no doubt he'll manage it well while the NG'rs have to continue "waiting their turn!"
***No I’m talking about how Sampras thought he was the GOAT & was surpassed so soon after he retired... Federer might get surpassed while he’s still playing... so it’s the Sampras scenario all over again...
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True, Roger levels is nowhere near Pete’s level. Pete couldn’t win anything for almost 2 yrs & was a non-factor @ AO & RG. Pete had a perfect storm when he won that USO Final. Pete played night matches, defeated I think Haas,Roddick, Greg Lud, & his pigeon Andre. Roger otoh's still a threat although Father X's beginning to catch up w/ his body. Roger has dodged it remarkably & if the other members of the Big 3 aren't across the net. He can capture another slam. (hope he doesn’t)
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It's hilarious how Fed fans for nearly a decade used to always saying 17 > 14 or 20 > 18 or whatever # to shut down any argument by Nadal fans. ...as soon as Fed's slam tally is threatened in a big way, they all of a sudden say "oh slam total isn't everything." Prepare yourselves for 21 > 20 or 23 > 20 or whatever things end up as, you can't change the rules all of a sudden b/c they don't suit you. All Big 3 are fighting for the slam rec. & Fed fans bragged about it for yrs (as well as the media) = disregarding past gens in the process.***
Well that goes w/o saying that each of us as a fan of a player will find the stat that best cuts off debate! I started out being a devotee of Fed's = when Nadal owned him from the early day! H2H it got ugly w/ Rafa taking Fed on grass in '08! Roger's saved himself some embarrassment w/ his efforts of the last 2 seasons, taking down Nadal sev. X's, but coming up short trying to defeat Nole! Even when Djokovic was wallowing around 12 majors, "THE GOAT" talk had already started though well behind Fedal @ the X; prob. 17>14>12! I agreed after his efforts from '11 - '16, completing his Nole Slam! I was still > a Djokovic supporter, but w/ Fedal extending their lead to 20>17>12! I figured Nole was out of it until he rose like the "PHOENIX" & took 4 of 6 majors after stealing this past Wimbl.! The #'s are still scrambling, now 20>19>16; Fed going down in flames w/ the race being decided in the end by Nadovic!
***W/ pretty much all the surfaces being so slow, Rafa has a shot.***
ReplyDeleteThe thing is history says Nadal's due for a fall; @ least a niggling injury to cause some upsets this coming season! He's had a great '17-19 which IMO's longer than most of his good runs! Look @ it this way; '08 his 1st great season, supplanted Roger as #1! It didn't last w/ an '09 to forget, getting upset by Soderling @ his beloved FO res. after 4 yrs of owning it! He recovered in '10 w/ a possibility of extending it thru '12 but for the great run of Djokovic stopping him @ final after final in Masters events & majors! Rafa had a great '13 which led into a horrendous '14-16 dropping FO's 2 of those seasons! No one could foresee both Nole & Murray dropping out of sight in '17, but it gave Fedal their opening to take us "back to the future" w/ them owning it as they did a dec. before! ...I don't see any reason why the tour won't continue t/b owned by Fedalovic regard< for the foreseeable future!
***Optimistic Forecast:
Djokovic'll win 3 of the next 5 titles @ the AO, 2 of the next 5 titles @ Wimbl., & 2 of the next 5 titles @ the USO. That would put his slam total @ 23, & he w/b 37 yo.
- Pessimistic Forecast:
Djokovic'll win 1 of the next 3 titles @ the AO, 1 of the next 3 titles @ Wimbl., & 1 of the next 3 titles @ the USO. That'd put his slam total @ 19, & he w/b 35 yo.
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Djokovic's tough to predict; c/b 16-17 or could = reach 25. It all depends on his health & mental state for the coming future.***
We have to know the extent of his injury! If it brings him back stronger for AO next yr., m/b Nole needs to shut it down for the season! That'd allow Rafa to match Fedovic w/ 5 YE #1's apiece linking them w/ = > superlatives! Sampras' 6 will prob. go by the wayside & he'll lose that honor to both Nadovic eventually!
***Most GS Finals:
30 - Fed
25 - Nadal
24 - Djokovic
19 - Lendl
18 - Sampras
16 - Borg
15 - Connors, Agassi
11 - McEnroe, Wilander, Becker, Edberg, Murray
-8 - Rosewall, Vilas
-7 - Newcombe, Courier
-6 - Laver
-5 - Kodes, Ashe, Nastase, Roddick
-4 - Chang, Ivanisevic, Rafter, Hewitt, Safin, Wawrinka
...If Murray had played in almost any other era he prob. would've won twice as many Slams, + or - a Slam or 2, which is why I consider him just behind the Becker-Edberg-Wilander trio & ahead of Vilas-Courier-Nastase-Ashe.
Similarly, but to a >er extent w/ Roddick, whose 1-4 rec. @ Slams is entirely b/c of Fed. Not only did he lose 4 Slam finals to Roger, but he lost 3 SF & 1 QF to Roger, going 0-8 in later Rd. matches to Fed.
Of course we all have to deal w/ the hand we're delt. ...But looking beyond just Slam titles @ things like Slam finals, various streaks, & other angles gives us a deeper sense of a player. Murray's > just a 3 Slam player; Roddick's > just a 1 Slam player. Etc.***
Poor Murray; thank GAWD for Fedalovic! I wouldn't have been able to stand = 2 or 3 seasons of his boring, sleepmaking play @ the top of the rankings! He cost himself his health & matches by the stupid defensive way he's been playing the game for the last decade! Back in my day, the top player on my shit-list was Connors! I didn't care for his swagger, commentary, or game! I latched onto Borg for some reason as the savior & he stopped Connors from winning many > majors = though he still leads in the overall ct. of tourns. won @ 109! It's just another incentive for Roger to hang on 2 > seasons hoping to eclipse Connors & semi-wipe him from the rec.bks! Jimmy's lone significant claim to fame will end up being his rec. @ the USO; esp. the fact that he won it on 3 diff. surfaces! There has t/b tons of desp. out there to keep harping on Stan winning his 3 above all others when it comes to Djokovic! That's idiotic since his overall rec. vs him is 4 of 5 to 1!
***Here's the ATP Pts for Slams. ...but here's the total. I did the top 21.
ReplyDelete-1. Federer 69595
-2. Nadal 56215
-3. Djokovic 55285
-4. Sampras 40385
-5. Connors 40380
-6. Lendl 39845
-7. Agassi 37675
-8. Borg - 30925
-9. McEnroe 28760
10. Edberg 28525
11. Murray 27970
12. Becker 26525
13. Wilander 25025
14. Vilas - 20360
15. Courier 17980
16. Rosewall 17930
17. Newcombe 17740
18. Wawrinka 17020
19. Hewitt 15975
20. Ashe - 15845
21. Roddick 15690
This def. illustrates just how far ahead of the pack the Big 3 now are.***
It's not really fair to compare past gens to today's stars; esp. since the Big 3 don't miss Majors unlike past gens!
***I agree. It is a bit of a pickle, ain't it? There's one statistical measurement that's relatively stable across eras & that's rankings. If you're #1 you're #1, regard< of era. While ATP rankings only started in '73, we have good data for the entire Open Era ('68-pres.) as people have extrapolated rankings for the early half decade.
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For me Laver Cup's awesome cause I get to see my 2 favs having fun together on the same side of the court.***
Fed's just trying to secure that legacy after his #'s are overtaken by Nadovic; the major's rec. going by the wayside before he has a chance to retire! Don't get me wrong, I was just as much a fan of Roger's during his "hey day" of the last dec.! After '12 Wimbl., I was wondering why he kept going as he didn't win another major for over 5 yrs & was being handled by Novak? Again we thought after winning those extra 3 chps. in '17 & '18 that w/b enough to secure his rec., but it doesn't seem meant "to be!" All he really c/b @ this pt. in his career is a "good will" ambassador un< the "Next Gen" continue to coddle Roger in his senior yrs! I'm hoping he's hanging around just to play 1 > OG next yr., but if he's still in the top 3 or 4, he'll prob. try & go another 2 seasons & hold off the retirement tour!
***LOL! You do realize Djokovic has to actually win 5 > GS's to surpass Fed, right? And that @ the near age of 33 & having more physical issues. Don't get ahead of yourself. Nothing is a given in sports. And last I checked, Federer has been handling Nadal pretty well the past few yrs on grass & HC's.***
I keep trying to understand why of all the players, the youngest is being made t/b superhuman & has to surpass both FEDAL now = though tech. he has sev. > yrs to accomplish what they did! WTF's wrong w/ people? J/B Nadal's doing it to Fed doesn't mean Nole has t/b just as accomplished when he's sev. yrs younger than "Fedal!" He has X; a lot of it!
***He might have sev. > yrs...or he might not. He has a very physical game that's defensive oriented & he uses his wheels to maximum extent. And looking @ his results this yr., he cleared the deck in Aust. which was a great run for him. ...And that's not going to get easier for him w/ his aging body as younger guys start making inroads on him & Fedal. Regard< of the success of the Big 3, they're still getting older & are prone to injury. Djokovic winning another sev. Slams's no guarantee going forward.
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The ATP finals' a mandatory event (for those who qualify).***
Oh please! People still come & go as they please! A lot of the X it's acknowledge that the "Big 3" will "shut it down" & not = bother w/ the last 2 tourneys, including the YEC! The decision's made @ the last min. as well sighting an injury to give cover for not going to London in Nov.! Rules are passed t/b "overlooked" when convenient for the elites! The other players need the pts & $$$ so they'll hobble in regard< while the YEC's lit'l > an exhib. to Fedalovic w/ them owning the chp. as much as any major event! It's a rarity it actually influences the #1, but it can happen this X!
***GS winning %:
ReplyDelete1) '10s Djokovic 89.92 > '70s Borg 88.70 > '00s Federer 88.26 > '90s Sampras 87.22 > '80s Lendl 85.57
2) '10s Nadal 88.89 > '00s Nadal 85.59 > '70s Connors 85.00 > '80s McEnroe 84.40 > '90s Agassi 82.64
3) '10s Federer 84.50 > '80s Wilander 83.89 > '70s Rosewall 83.12 > '00s Agassi 81.31 > '90s Edberg 78.81
4) '10s Murray 83.62 > '80s Connors 82.88 > '70s Newcombe 81.93 > '00s Sampras 80.77 > '90s Becker 78.38
5) '80s Becker 82.61 > '70s Vilas 80.00 > '00s Djokovic 77.65 > '90s Courier 77.24 > '10s Wawrinka 75.84
avg.: '10s (84.55) > '80s (83.77) > '70s (83.75) > '00s (82.72) > '90s (80.86)
GS wins:
1) '10s Djokovic 214 > '00s Federer 188 > '80s Lendl 172 > '90s Sampras 157 > '70s Borg 102
2) '10s Nadal 176 > '80s Wilander 125 > '00s Hewitt 121 > '90s Agassi 119 > '70s Connors 102
3) '10s Federer 169 > '80s Connors 121 > '90s Courier 112 > '00s Roddick 106 > '70s Vilas 92
4) '10s Murray 148 > '80s McEnroe 119 > '00s Nadal 95 > '90s Edberg 93 > '70s Smith 86
5) '10s Wawrinka 113 > '90s Chang 92 > '00s Ferrero 91 > '80s Edberg 85 > '70s Ashe 82
avg.: '10s (164) > '80s (124.4) > '00s (120.2) > '90 (114.6) > '70s (92.8)
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...Did I miss where all 3 players have retired? We don’t have a final tally yet.***
What's > ridiculous is how people expect Djokovic to match Fedal right now = though they have combined yrs of 6 over his initial start to his pro career! I think it's phenomenal that he's this close & that Nadal has just about overtaken Roger w/ 5 yrs to spare! If Djokovic isn't injured too seriously, he'll come back & has plenty of X to catch up!
***Djokovic turned pro in '03. Nadal turned pro in '01 & they’re only 1 yr. apart in terms of age. Why are you making it sound like there’s a whole gen. btw them?***
Oh I'm sorry, I thought I said Fedal, not Nadal! Two yrs on Nadal's like 5 on someone else! He won X majors earlier! Nole came into his own much later after 1st AO in '08! He had a lot to overcome w/ Fedal @ the top of their games! He's right on sched. IMO!
***...once you have 19 slams nobody gives a shit if you've won the WTF. Imagine being "yeah he's got 19 MAJORS, but damn, the lack of WTF is such a glaring weakness." - For argument's sake though if all the Big 3 each had 19 slams, then there are tons of variables to consider & the WTF def. is 1 that stands out. 5, 6, 0, Djokovic, Fed, Nadal in terms of WTF titles.***
It is a glaring weakness! If you want to pt. out the weaknesses in Fedovic's resume like they only have 1 FO & no OGM's in singles, you have to accept the deficiencies of Nadal's! He has no YEC, only 1 AO, most of his majors @ FO, & has defended a tourney on HC only once! That's a lot to take in & overlook! The strain m/b excruciating when pt'd out!
***Yes & Fed has defended a clay title sooooo many X's. ...Also the #1 HC tourn. in the world & history will always be the USO & Nadal has plenty of those.***
I'm disappointed! That deflection was quite inane & child-like; really lashing out instead of taking it all in & saying "hmmmmm!"
***But this yr. Nadal def. had it much tougher @ the USO.***
ReplyDeleteYou're kidding? Nadal's path was cleared very early in the tourn. w/ tons of upsets! He didn't finally get a workout until the final vs Daniil un< I'm living in an alt. universe! ...Rafa should've & could've made his job quite easy by finishing off the final in str. sets up a brk in the 3rd, but he decided he wanted to play for another few hrs! Unbelievable; some GOAT!
***IMO, while Nadal lost big ops in '17 AO (vs Fed) & '18 Wimbl. (vs Nole), IF he does surpasses Federer in the slam ct., both '17 & '19 GS seasons w/b important on why he might surpass him. Now of course Fed failing to convert 2 chp. pts in '19 Wimbl. final's another important reason on why Nadal might surpass Federer.
...All in all, IF Nadal does surpasses Fed, him winning the slams ('17 FO and USO, '18 FO, '19 FO & USO) AFTER his main rivals won the previous slams ('17 AO & Wimbl., '18 AO, '19 AO & Wimbl.) is very important in balancing the race btw the 3 of them. If he does not win those slams (esp. the 2 USO's), he'll not have an op. to = tie or surpass Fed in the slam count 'race." ...IF we were talking about something he can not control, then the '19 Wimb. final's a huge reason IF Nadal does surpasses him.
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I think the majority would say that Nadal has had the >er yr. than Djokovic. He looked more convincing overall (except for early stages of the clay season) & Djokovic was a pt. away from being the 3rd-best player of the yr. Nadal practically has YE #1 in the bag since he has 0 pts to defend from here on out.***
That's if Rafa plays anymore! After Laver Cup, I heard something about a marriage! After that, not sure how much he'll want to play! You know how Rafa is in the FALL; no YEC on his resume after all these yrs! He's too vulnerable in Paris w/ how fast their indoor courts c/b! Shanghai's a crapshoot w/ a lot of NG'rs who might give him trouble as well! It's not wrapped up un< Nole decides to shut it down for the season!
***They’re saving a Nadal/Fed dbls match for later, I’m sure at The Laver Cup this wk.***
This is like so embarrassing @ this X! M/b a few yrs from now after Fedalovic leave the game, there w/b a >er balance of power in tennis! This is ridiculous, Europe is sporting sev. players in the top 11 while the rest of the world is having trouble forming a team that's anywhere near as comp.; scrapping the bttm of the rankings w/ Sock who fell out of the top 200! Call it growing pains; later it m/b really something! Right now it's just a fan event! I just don't want to hear any bellyaching about being tired w/ this crap going on just after the USO!
***TBH, it still seems more like an exh. to me too. The fact that they raised its status & gave it pts seems > about Roger & Godsick being behind it, than anything else. BTW, does anyone know how many pts it's worth & how awarded?
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Ironic that Fed fans accuse anyone of trolling given the posts they put up here!***
Well I wouldn't nec. call all of it trolling since @ one X Federer truly was the un??ed "GOAT!" All the #'s were in his favor sans his H2H w/ Rafa! Roger's streak @ #1 went unabated for yrs until supplanted by Rafa @ Wimbl. in '08! It didn't help that by '11, Nole exploded & took over their rivalry as well! Roger still has tons of longevity recs like making QF, SF, & F in all tournaments, but dropping major's crown has t/b disconcerting to his fans leading to some irrational posts! He's been behind in the rec. for Masters events & isn't likely to challenge there either!
***Wasn’t Fed ever >er than Sampras though? By the X he overtook Sampras Major ct. he was clearly inferior to Nadal outdoors whereas Sampras wasn't inferior to anyone except Becker indoors.***
***...Loved Fed getting the slam rec. in '09, but also really wanted Roddick to win his 1st Wimbl.***
ReplyDeleteI had so lit'l respect for Roddick & his game, but dislike 1 person changing the course of someone's career! Fed stymied A-Rod in every way poss. = though his game quite inferior in comparison, we commiserate w/ AR! Andy prob. would've "blasted" his way thru to a few major titles, but unfort. for him Roger stood in his way! Fed didn't try to muscle back or hit winners off Andy's serve; most of the X just chipping it back anyway he could to "make him play!" There was no contest after that; AR being a throwback player from my gen. w/ limitations that can't overcome someone "always" returning the serve back! Players like that need a lot of free pts & Fed was smart enough to always get the ball back into play to mentally tax the weak mind & game of his opp.!
***Fed single-handedly murdered Andy's career. It's brutal. - I was actually happy just to see Roddick make the final @ Wimbl. in '09. It was nice to see Roddick show that @ least some of "Murray/Big 4" news was just hype, not warranted. It was brutal watching Roddick lose another Wimbl. final, but also awesome seeing Fed grab the slam rec.
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Avg. rank of Big 3 opps in their Slam titles:
WHEN FED WON HIS SLAMS
-Nadal had an avg. ranking (geo. mean) of 3.67
-Djokovic had an avg. ranking of 20.66
WHEN NADAL WON HIS SLAMS
-Fed had an avg. ranking of 2.12
-Djokovic had an avg. ranking of 3.60
WHEN DJOKOVIC WON HIS SLAMS
-Nadal had an avg. ranking of 2.33
-Fed had an avg. ranking of 2.39
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2 of the last 3 slams that Fed has won he has played Cilic in the final.***
Like Rafa, Fed needs a pigeon to assure a major win most of the X! Sampras had a lot of the same dynamics going on w/ him; finalist comp. like Pioline, Phillippoussis, Martin, Ivanisevic, Chang, Courier, & his biggest pigeon Agassi leading the way! Nadovic have had to go thru each other & Roger most of the X! I love Fed & gave him GOAT status 10 yrs ago, but I have to admit his prime yrs were littered w/ weak comp. no matter how many kudos we give to players like Nalbandian, Roddick, & Hewitt! I'll always remember Safin as the GOAT killer; ending Sampras' USO run in 2000 & then defeating Roger in the SF of the '05 AO!
***Good win by Kyrgios & Sock @ The LC...best team won.***
I just can't get over the fake enthusiasm & drama being created trying to make this event relevant! ...It's no secret in tennis that we can choreograph a match; decide who wins a set to create tension making it tight so they can go to that S-TB again & again! I was playing my dentist in the 2nd Rd. of a club chp. when I was prob. about 20 back in '77! I let him build a lead to come back so his ego wasn't bruised by being beat by a kid! That sort of thing goes on all the X; someone overhearing McEnroe & Borg deciding who wins what set before playing "for real" in the 3rd @ a Masters' Final RR match decades ago!
***Hopefully Nadal can do the some thing he did to N. Kyrgios @ Wimbl.***
Being an exh., Nadal's not about t/b going all out! To keep it comp., I can almost guarantee Nadal will let the match slide! Nick's playing well enough to embarrass the old man today by taking that 1st set! It was sloppy play by Roger having a lead in the set, then again in the TB! Too bad Kyrgios' such a headcase b/c when he's "on" it's very impressive play! He made Roger look bad; actually using his "SABR" vs him!
***Nadal not playing Kyrgios BTW Thiem is. S/B a good match. Now Nadal can rest his body.***
Where's the "CHICKEN" emoticon? ;-)
***...I do think Medvedev s/b ashamed that he lost the match.***
ReplyDelete...It's all well & good to actually outlast Nadal in a long rally & = hit a winner to do it, but @ what cost do you keep that up for HRS? I knew a 5th wouldn't have much to do w/ skill by then! It was def. going t/b as what Rafa wanted, a war of attrition! He wasn't going to lose that battle over 5 sets! Nole knows to get that early lead to hold off Rafa! These other knuckleheads that take their X to get going will always end up failing vs him; Thiem & A. Zverev to name just 2!
***...I'm sure the "knuckleheads" know that they should try to get ahead on Rafa. The ??'s if they can do it.
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The only way to make the LC event a success is to make the teams fairly =. We can't do it like Team Europe & Team World or anything like that. At any given moment stronger players m/b coming from the same region & thus make the contest quite un=.***
It's inherent in sports the in=ies in talent, coaching, & experience! It's why they play the game; to see if it c/b overcome (those shortcomings)! Right now the rest of the world "stinks" in comparison to Europe! A lot of it has to do w/ "the talent" & we tip our hats to them, but some of it is apathy from their rivals! They can't really be hungry like Europe once was to catch up to the powerhouses of tennis history like the USA & Aust.! The $$ & outside interests having lit'l or nothing to do w/ tennis has t/b affecting the potential of many players; esp. here in The States!
***I also don't see Novak defending so many pts for the remaining tournaments this season w/ all his health issues that came recently.***
I wasn't sweating it late last season & earlier this yr! I figured Djokovic would pick up some pts in the Spring, but he barely eek'd out 1 Masters win in Madrid w/ a R-up to Nadal in Rome! Now he's going to have to take a huge risk overplaying this FALL to defend so many pts won @ the end of last season! If he doesn't get the YE #1, he still has plenty of X to gain another 1 or 2 since the NG'rs will split the spoils & not challenge his consistency throughout an entire yr. of play! Novak's always in reach of finishing 1st except when he shut it down in '17 before the USO! It's amazing he doesn't have more YE #1's; esp. after his campaign of '16; completed his Nole-Slam @ the FO & was R-up @ the USO, took 4 Masters & still wound up #2 behind Murray! A true travesty! Back in the day a #1 player only needed to win 1 major & not embarrass himself the rest of the season! Now you can work your arse into injury, take 6 major events & R-up @ sev. others & still wind up 2nd best! I'm not saying it b/c I'm a fan of Nole or a "hatah" of Murray; it just made lit'l sense to me regard< of what was done to get there by the end of the YEC! I still "marvel" @ the rec.books scanning down the list of recs & Nole's right there; either on top or right behind Fedal = though he has yrs to match & surpass just anything they've done so far!
***Sure Murray won the YE #1 prize, but basically ran himself into the ground playing & winning EVERYTHING that fall/winter. It was an insane sched. & Murray in hindsight paid a very high price in that he’s never been the same player form-wise. I actually don’t have problems w/ Murray being #1 that yr. b/c while Djokovic made 3 Major finals winning 2, Murray won 1 & also made 2 finals. In +ion he became the 1st ATP player to win a Major, OGM, a Masters title & ATP WTF's all in the same CY. Starting w/ Queens in the grasscourt season, he literally only lost twice in reg. tourn. play for the rest of the yr. spanning a per. of 6 months. The fact that he defeated Djokovic in the finals of the ATP WTF's w/ a 25 tourn. match winning streak to conclude the yr. certainly doesn’t make his YE #1 ranking a fluke, he earned it.***
***Djokovic defeated Nadal in both his best seasons - '15 (2-0 on clay, 4-0 overall) & '11(2-0 on clay, 6-0 overall) - all types of courts, including the other guy's best surface. Not to mention Fed, Murray & Wawrinka (Top5 best of the decade) all have been decisively beaten by Novak in '15 & '11, while in '06 Fed lost H2H confronts vs Murray too. Besides Novak & Laver though, nobody has ever been so dom. as Fed '06 - not = Nadal's bullish yr., not = Sampras' best days.
ReplyDelete---
Both Fedovic won 3 Slams in their best seasons, made all 4 finals, won the WTF, but Djokovic took 6 Masters to Fed's 4 & made 8 Masters finals.
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Choosing the Top 10 GOATs in the present Golden Era, w/ Nadal challenging Fed's GS mark & Djokovic threatening Maestro's #1 Wks, is already very exciting. How about bringing into the =tion Sampras, Agassi, Borg, Connors, Lendl, McEnroe, Edberg, Wilander, Becker - Open Era Greats - & the old-X'rs Laver, Rosewall, Emerson, Pancho; wouldn't it be rather difficult to choose only 10? ..The 4 Mousquetaires led by Lacoste & Borotra, Bill Tilden traversed the land along w/ Vines, Richards, Perry, Budge on tours where they faced each other dozens of X's... Rankings, Titles, H2H confrontations, style & specialized opinions (notable Kramer defined Vines one echelons above Tilden, Laver, Borg yet we haven't quite heard about him til recently), all may ct. as definers of the Top 10 GOAT list.
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Yrs as #1/ Wiki:
Gonzales 6 + 2 as co-#1
W. Renshaw / Tilden 6 + 1
Sampras 6
Laver 5 + 2
Djokovic 5 + 1
Federer 5
Kramer 4 + 2
L. Doherty / Budge 4 + 1
Rosewall 3 + 3
Larned 3 + 2
Borg / Nadal 3 + 1
Cochet / Connors / McEnroe / Lendl 3
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For the 4th X, YE #1 will not have won 60 matches - in '19:
'88 - Wilander - 53
'97 - Sampras - 55
'18 - Djokovic - 53
'19 - Djokovic to date has won 41, Nadal has won 48
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...Even if that person finishes < 10 slams, it w/b massive, & there w/b people who'll put that guy w/ Pete, whether they are worthy or not.***
The thing about Pete unfortunately, as X goes on the > he drops on the list of GOAT's! I was one who jumped on that bandwagon of making Pete "TOP DOG" over 15 yrs ago! ...He had a nice lit'l distribution in comparison to his era, but w/ today's stars, his rec.'s a lit'l wanting; 7 W, 5 USO, 2 AO, & 0 FO (just 1 SF)! His last real hurrah was being tied w/ Djokovic, but now = that's gone! I'll still remember him fondly, but those last 2 seasons were hard to watch!
***Yep, that's why this "tiger" thing is not healthy. Pete was my fave, & Fed has been since Pete, so I'm glad I never committed to this "tiger" debate. I just enjoy the tennis & the player. Both Pete & Fed have given me everything a fan could ask for. So to me, & obviously just my brain/heart, they're the greatest.
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At this point it’s inevitable; every Majors match these guys play is weighted w/ so much pressure, ramifications, Majors career ct., etc. The pressure will not <en for any of these guys; how can it?***
The one that seems the most relaxed is Nole IMO! He won 3 majors in a row out of nowhere; all in str. sets! Then he defended his Wimbl. title w/ MP's vs him! The summer was a bust, but expected = w/o the injury to his shoulder! He's always had trouble repeating in NY; who has since Fed over 10 yrs ago? Hopefully this'll continue t/b a battle btw Nadovic while Roger quietly fades as Med, Thiem, & Tsitsipas make a move w/ a lit'l sprinkling of Khachanov & Coric! It w/b nice anyway!
***You, forever the chp. of the NG til it comes to Novak. Does he really seem the most relaxed? He declared outright that he's chasing the GOAT thingy. And he's behind. Huge pressure on him this AO coming. And it's not like he's never succumbed to pressure.***
***Seems like a stronger field w/b in China. Japan's top seeds Djokovic & Coric!***
ReplyDeleteNole w/b stressing from his 1st match on to accum. wins & pts to finish off this season if he hadn't changed events! China's had Nadovic @ the same X in the past, but the "also ran" weren't as tough as this tourn. IMO! This is some "finishing kick" by the NG'rs who see they have a chance to make a real mark before the season's over I guess! I hope they're not overdoing it; the WD's & injuries are mounting for these kids!
***Top 3 of each shot:
1st Serve: 1) Ivo Karlovic, 2) John Isner, 3) Andy Roddick
2nd Serve: 1) Pete Sampras, 2) Isner, 3) Roger Federer
Return (1st serve): 1) Novak Djokovic, 2) Fed, 3) Andy Murray
Return (2nd serve): 1) Andre Agassi, 2) Djokovic, 3) James Blake
Forehand: 1) Fed, 2) Juan Martin Del Potro, 3) Fernando Gonzales/Blake (tie)
1H Backhand: 1) Stan Wawrinka, 2) Gustavo Kuerten, 3) Stefan Edberg/Fed (tie)
2H Backhand: 1) David Nalbandian, 2) Agassi, 3) Djokovic/Marat Safin (tie)
Slice Backhand: 1) Fed, 2) Ken Rosewall, 3) Murray
Volley: 1) Edberg, 2) John McEnroe, 3) Pat Rafter
Overhead: 1) Sampras, 2) Fed, 3) Roddick
Drop shot: 1) Guillermo Coria, 2) Fed, 3) Fabrice Santoro
Topspin Lob: 1) Lleyton Hewitt, 2) Murray, 3) Agassi/Fed (tie)
---
1st Serve: Karlovic, Sampras, Ivanisevic
2nd Serve: Sampras, Fed, Roddick
Return: Murray, Djokovic, Fed
Return (2nd serve): Djokovic, Fed, Agassi
Forehand: Fed, Nadal, Lendl
1H Backhand: Wawrinka, Fed, Kuerten
2H Backnahd: Djokovic, Agassi, Safin
Slice BH: Fed, Youzhny, Henman
Volley: Sampras, Edberg, McEnoe
Overhead: Sampras, Nadal, Noah
Drop shot: Dolgopolov, Federer, Coria
Topspin Lob: Murray, Hewitt, Fed
Mental strength: Djokovic, Nadal, Sampras
Speed: Monfils, Nadal, De Minaur
Tweeners: Fed, Kyrgios, Paire
Passing shots: Nadal, Djokovic, Fed
Fair play: Edberg, Rafter, Blake
Some guy on this forum yesterday tried to tell me Pete’s 2nd serve wasn’t a weapon. His 2nd was like another 1st serve.***
It was Sampras' 2nd serve that saved him so many X's! His was the top as far as I'm concerned along w/ other historians like Bud Collins IIRC!
***This Monday Roger w/b listed as #3 player for the 200th X. He becomes the 1st player to hold #1, #2, #3 each for @ least 200 wks.***
Just another embarrassment where Fedalovic own most if not all the "records" dealing w/ the ATP & its history! Each NG group that fails to displace them are complicit in them "owning" all of tennis from here on out w/ lit'l chance of any player in our lifeX being able to dom. as they have for well over a dec. & a 1/2!
***Navratalova has an astonishing career as well. Their success makes the likes of the current top players look pathetic.***
I instantly thought about Navratilova last night, but put off posting my thoughts on it since her rec. overall in singles was a bit of a rollercoaster! Obviously she had a "run for the ages;" '82-87, but the problem is, like Fed now, a star gets a lit'l tarnished w/ age! I think she just played too much; singles, doubles, & MD @ every major event alone! It had to wt. on her mentally which may have cost her a few more major wins; 18-14 in finals' "barely above .500" as they say! Her overall rec. is astonishing & no one can match it in the Open Era w/ a lot of Court's success performed as an amateur!
***The Reps are THE epitome of intellectual dishonesty & blatant hypocrisy. The FED gov't's spending's worse > it was under Obama & yet the Tea Partiers are nowhere t/b seen. Why?...
ReplyDeleteEvery other sentence from Trump or someone defending Trump includes a blatant lie. How does anyone respect themselves or respect the President? It's a farcical union fueled by racism. Remember Sarah Fuckabee & her blatant lies about FBI insiders wanting Comey gone & then when she's ??ed by it under oath, she admits she lied & she had nothing. No integrity whatsoever.
Remember when Trump & FNC would rail vs Obama for golfing? Pres. Trump's on course for spending - what is it? 3 X's > $$ & X golfing than Obama? Where's the FNC indignation there?
What if Obama cozied up to Putin, that Saudi prince who killed that journalist, or to Kim Jong Eun.? Reps tend t/b simpletons so that means they tend t/b a lot more self-righteous. There would've already been impeachment orders on Obama.
Hell, I'm pretty sure if the Dems were Pro-choice, American Christians in droves would still be voting for Trump, the trashiest president in the history of the US, b/c they're still united by racism & the illusion that the country needs t/b protected vs Blacks & immigrants.
I side w/ Reps w/ respect to a lot of things. But damn do they ruin their policies w/ the type of craven, dishonest sophism that has become the essence of that political party today. It's everything I hate about people, but it's become the defining characteristic of a political party. Does anyone actually respect a non-pol. who lies every other sentence & grasps onto "alt. facts?" If not, then why respect that from your POTUS?***
You m/b on a path to redemption! ;-)
***Males who were well nurtured maternally, don't usually refer to the gender of their mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, nieces, female cousins & daughters as "HOs."***
You say nurture, I same "sustain!" Call me a misogynist pig, male chauvinist, or just plain hater then! I have a lot of resentment that's only gotten worse w/ what women do to their own; culminating in them voting for Trump over a more qualified woman, Hillary Clinton! Women complain about it being a "man's world," but you see & hear of their own treachery towards one another holding themselves back in the process!! That should tell you something of why I have so much disrespect for "backstabbing, vengeful, & pathetically jealous women!" I tried my best, but they finally fk'd up for the last X w/ me!
***Clinton was impeached in early '98, a lit'l over a yr. after he was reelected (Nov'96). The pubs paid very lit'l for that impeachment despite Clinton having a much higher approval rating than Trump has. ...We have an unpopular President who makes Bill Clinton look like a choir boy.***
I was already disgusted w/ Reps by then! The country was flying high in peace, the economy, & world wide approval! That wasn't enough for them; there was this resentment of the Clintons by Reps that drove them ALL over the edge! They'd just assume we have massive unemployment & the economy crashing than have the Clintons in power! The mass insanity continued w/ Hillary &'s still raging in their "black hearts" making up conspiracies to justify their disgusting behavior! They should've nothing to say about anyone after overlooking & supporting all the crimes perpetrated by Trump as president from DAY ONE! I actually lost a BFF over this; I'm too disgusted to = speak civilly w/ him supporting such an animal!
***...Congress is co-= branch w/ the WH. They have authority for oversight. It's part of the Constitutional system of checks & balances.***
ReplyDeleteThey think the rules, laws, & regs don't pertain to them! The same things they're letting slide now by Trump is what would have their heads exploding if Clinton or Obama were involved! I'm disgusted w/ these people & won't have anything civil to ever speak to them!
***...Pelosi should hold a vote for the inquiry & if required a vote for impeachment in the full House...put their names where their pie holes are. There w/b a vote on impeachment in the House as soon as the investigations are over.***
Those Dems in Red States are not going to spare their jobs like gut< Reps sucking up to Trump! ...Trump & the rest of his clowns will look like total a-holes in history after all this shit is sorted out! JERKS!
***Our moral track rec. is not as > as many believe. We were a country that maintained slavery >er than the British did whom we fancied ourselves superior to. They ended slavery in their colonies about 30 yrs before we did. We also didn't allow women to vote until '20. We've made lots of mistakes & failing to pay attention to the rights of women in dealing w/ the abortion issue.***
This country has always been behind the X's & assbackwards! We define "insanity" by doing the same stupid things over & over again hoping for a diff. result! You can't keep cutting taxes, but @ the same X increase defense spending when nothing's going on to warrant it! We're a special kind of sick since we're always pt.'n fingers @ other countries when we can't get our own shit together!
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Amber Guyger, Ex-Dallas Police Officer, Is Guilty of Murder for Killing Her Neighbor
...An off-duty police officer in Dallas said she came home from work one night last yr., &, believing she had found an intruder inside her apt., shot the man inside. It quickly became clear that the officer, Amber R. Guyger, who is white, was in the wrong apt. And the man she shot was not an intruder, but her neighbor, Botham Shem Jean, a 26-yo black acct. who was watching TV & eating ice cream in the apt. he rented directly above Ms. Guyger’s.
***...If the victim had been a large white male, would you say she should go to jail?***
If the guy was WHITE, she wouldn't have shot him! Please; don't act like race isn't an issue here!
***...Backup shb called & securing the premises more important than clearing. It's a horrible & tragic incident. While her actions were deliberate, I don't believe that she truly intended to kill anyone. Her actions were reck< & she failed to do what, as a pro., she shd. +ally her testimony that she intended to kill Jean was the final tipping pt. in a murder conviction.***
Admitting to being "trained to kill" did help, but I find more problems w/ her lack of effort to = try & save the guy! It whb futile as she shot him in the heart, but she was busy being hysterical & texting her lover instead of tending to this guy! Someone really sorry would take responsibility instead of putting the state thru this use< trial! I'm shocked they convicted really after so many other horrible stories of injustice w/ the Texas police depts! Sandra Bland's still weighing heavily on me; that poor woman!
***...So who are the 20 Rep. Senators who've said they'll vote to remove Trump once the House impeached him? B/c that's what it'll take.***
ReplyDelete...Trump's been fk'n up since day 1! His entire family s/b arrested for diff. offenses vs the country & the Constitution! I stopped counting his LIES @ 10,000! Anyone who thinks that's acceptable for anyone, much < a president's > fk'd up than him! He's a sick, demented a-hole & knows it, but doesn't care! What's the excuse of the masses beside being just as sad & pathetic?
***Rep. Leader Begs Pelosi To Let WH Take Control Of Impeachment Process***
W/ the Dems these days, I wouldn't be surprised if they gave into this demand! Dems have been such a disappointment allowing these a-holes to get away w/ murder for almost 3 yrs!
***The Dems just took the House in Jan. So the GOP let Trump get away w/ things. What could they have done w/ no power?***
You're all fools to not acknowledge the weak-livered Dems allowing Reps to pretty much run rampant = when they're in power! WTF have they done since taking back the HOUSE? Pelosi's passed over 200 bills that'll continue to languish in the Senate & she knows it! ...Trump actually making $$ running his businesses out of the OVAL Office, & LYING well over 12,000 X's about pertinent, relevant facts! Dems have been banging their heads against the wall while past members of Congress openly work for Trump, furthering his lies & corruption! Trump's barely acknowledged them; continuing to undermine them w/ impunity, calling them disgusting names! ...If Clinton or Obama didn't do anything illegal, Reps have a way of making them look bad, = if they have to make up shit & they've continued to get away w/ it! In the last yr. I've cut off the DCCC; I JUST CAN'T ANYMORE! I'll support legit candidates w/ my vote, but I'm not going to throw more $$ their way! The investments been futile since the days of Clinton! Obama might as well have never been in office w/ his signature legis. success, the ACA still under feverish attacks! I'm not sure how the country can recover when the MSM are just as ineffectual allowing Trump to absolutely get away w/ murder!
***Does it bother you when someone compares homophobia & racism? There's a gen. understanding that racism's wrong & shouldn't be allowed or tolerated, but homophobia's > accepted. There are = laws which still exist allowing discrim. vs LGBT, but not allowing racism.***
False =lence is nothing new; esp. in this country! People just aren't very bright & over a X been desensitize to their own bigotry! They find allies all over the place; IRL & online! ...IDK what to tell you; been dealing w/ the BS since the 60's! As a nation we talk a good game, but invariably we're always trying to "pass the buck," deflect, & distract from facts & truth! It's a fk'n mess that just about brings me to tears; not just the country, but m/b the whole world has collectively lost it's minds electing officials w/ no exper. & in our case, destructive tendencies! We've been set back 50 yrs w/ peeps saying & doing things they whb embarrassed to = think just 20 yrs ago! It's not me being pessimistic; > reality setting in that IDK how we get out of this! A Mensa member c/b confused; heaven knows I know a couple & it's been deflating to see!
***It does feel as if we’ve been set back 50 yrs. Watching the news' so depressing. I didn’t think things could get < "W.," but Trump has pulled things down to a level I didn’t think was = poss. anymore. If he isn’t voted out of office next yr., this country — the whole world — will suffer irreparable harm.***
***The pro-choice camp isn't sensible. They just keep moving their goal posts. Sadly, many women do seek abortion.***
ReplyDeleteThis argument shb done & over w/ almost 50 yrs ago when the SC decided it! Why is it ok for the current cons. court to whittle away @ the rights of people while allowing businesses to get away w/ murder, but a past decision about "choice" s/b debated until the end of X? Fk'n idiotic!
***I agree that it shb settled a long X ago w/ the decision in Roe v Wade. I blame the mass media inciting, misleading & not educating people about Roe v Wade & liberals & cons. arguing in ways that were virtually guaranteed to keep the argument going for that not happening. When you have 2 groups arguing about something & they can't = agree about what the premises are, the argument is likely to continue.***
---
I started watching FNC in '97, a yr. after est. where O'Reilly anchored the evening series of programming along w/ Hannity & Combs * Catherine Crier! They hadn't completely lost their collective minds yet & I actually got something out of them! There wasn't the screaming & ranting as we see regularly now! You can say Clinton started them in the direction of news insanity, wanting Bill & Hillary out of the WH in the worst possible way; = if they had to fabricate shit! It's truly embarrassing to see how Americans who're supposed t/b so idealistic & progressive were reverting back to the animals of civil war w/ the North vs the South & Reps hatin' on the Dems! It didn't seem to matter that the country was flying high w/ lit'l unemployment, the economy booming, & the stock market going thru the roof! This let me know love of country & patriotism in gen. was total BS w/ politicians; just buzzwords & TP's! I was pretty much done w/ Reps after that; Dems not much >er, but @ least they weren't openly trashing & attacking their country!
***The biggest ?? will always be who pays & to whom when it comes to reparations. Remember, there were literally 1000's of Black slave owners in the South.***
Mon Dieu! That's what people look @ when it comes to reparations? The owners are out of $$! Really? When I think of reparations, I think of the real victims; the slave labor who were bought & sold, beaten, traded, & told they were < "human beings!" FK all of you's who lament the owners being "out of pocket" over the real victims brought to another country & forced into servitude!
***My comment meant is there a way for the slave owners to forfeit the$$ & give it to the slaves. I wasn’t feeling sorry for the slave owners losses!***
M/b you, but knowing the masses, you c/b assured there are plenty who do feel "owners" were "out $$" when slavery abolished over anything having to do w/ the "rights of man!" This country was founded on hypocrisy & it lives on thru to now accepting Trump's disgusting behavior after lambasting Clinton for only perceived indiscretions!
***I hope you weren’t interpreting my prev. post as being sympathetic to the slave owners. NO WAY!!***
Nyah, but I easily flip out seeing as white nationalist have Trump's ear & they're reveling in it! ;-)
***I’m just thankful you didn’t interpret my post as being sympathetic to slave owners. It’s sickening there are people who would feel bad for their “losses.”***
I'd've said that 2 yrs ago when Djokovic was in a funk & totally @ sea! Winning that Wimbl. in '18 came out of nowhere! Following it up w/ the USO & '19 AO, it put him back in reach to overtake Fedal!
ReplyDelete***LOL @ Djokovic fans still trying to connect Nadal & Djokovic @ the hip. Federer, Nadal, & Djokovic have won the last 12 slams. Federer/Nadal took the 1st 6, & Djokovic/Nadal the last 6. The common factor's Nadal.***
...Trying to separate Nadal is easy when you compare him to Fedovic & their level of consistency over the yrs on all surfaces! Nadal hasn't done as well off the clay surface; no shame in it, but that doesn't make him as complete a player as the other 2!
***When it comes to Slams, Nadal's right there to @ least tie, & Djokovic appears to have another 5 good yrs in him w/o anyone from the young gen. seriously challenging him. When it comes to wks @ #1, it's very hard to see how Djokovic'll not brk it @ this pt.***
It's inevitable un< someone goes "Tanya Harding" on the guy! If he sneaks thru the YE & holds #1 thru the dead per. of the offseason, it w/b no doubt Nole w/b +ing yet another rec. to his resume concerning being a top flight player though Fedal lauded >!
***...That's what separates Rafa: he won a slam each yr., & it's why he's 3 over Nole & w/i 1 of Roger.***
Well another way to look @ it is "Fedal" could've really separated themselves from Djokovic while he was "on the shelf," then injured from the end of '16 until the summer of '18!
***Federer - KING of heartbrk'n losses. Every yr. toughest loss from 2000:
'00 - Oly. Bronze medal match vs Arnaud Di Pasquale 6-7,7-6,3-6
'01 - Wimbl. QF vs Tim Henman 5-7,6-7,6-2,6-7
'02 - WTF SF vs Lleyton Hewitt 5-7,7-5,5-7
'03 - Mont/Can. SF vs Andy Roddick 4-6,6-3,6-7
'04 - RG 3rd Rd. vs Gustavo Kuerten 4-6,4-6,4-6
'05 - AO SF vs Marat Safin 7-5,4-6,7-5,6-7,7-9
'06 - Rome Final vs Rafa Nadal 7-6,6-7,4-6,6-2,6-7
'07 - Can. Final vs Novak Djokovic 6-7,6-2,6-7
'08 - Wimbl. Final vs Nadal 4-6,4-6,7-6,7-6,7-9
'09 - USO Final vs JM Del Potro 6-3,6-7,6-4,6-7,2-6
'10 - USO SF vs Djokovic 7-5,1-6,7-5,2-6,5-7
'11 - USO SF vs Djokovic 7-6,6-4,3-6,2-6,5-7
'12 - Oly. Final vs Andy Murray 2-6,1-6,4-6
'13 - Cinci. QF vs Nadal 7-5,4-6,3-6
'14 - Wimbl. Final vs Djokovic 7-6,4-6,6-7,7-5,4-6
'15 - USO Final vs Djokovic 4-6,7-5,4-6,4-6
'16 - Wimbl. SF vs Milos Raonic 3-6,7-6,6-4,5-7,3-6
'17 - Can. Final vs Alex Zverev 3-6,4-6
'18 - IW Final vs Del Potro 4-6,7-6,6-7
'19 - Wimbl. Final vs Djokovic 6-7,6-1,6-7,6-4,12-13***
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...Not as much the current era being weak as that past "Golden Age of Tennis" was quite strong w/ Sampras! Back then @ any given X in a tourney you could have 6-12 chp. of a major! Winning was a lot > diverse & "huge" comebacks were more notable since players weren't able to artificially survive a good effort from an opp.! I have as much frustration w/ the "also rans" of today allowing 4 players to own an era like no other X in Pro tennis history! There are PLENTY of players who have the ability to brk thru or they wouldn't be in the top 100 in the world, but these ATG's are just showing how far & away they are the best of all X!
***Overall rec. for the 2 prev. GOAT's.
Breakdown for PETE:
- Clay: 77-36 (68.14%)
- HC & Carpet Masters: 127-34 (78.88%)
Wimbl: 58-2 (96.67%)
- HC slems: 80-10 (88.89%)
YEC + GS Cup: 42-14 (75.00%) (GSC's 4 Rds to YEC's 5 matches max & Olym. 6 Rds, =lizing for that gives PETE a slightly >er cumul. % in this category)
- er %. Fed's strong advantage in Masters consistency is pleasant, but obviously much < significant.***
***IMO, all players diminish post 30. There's no ?? that they're no longer in their peak or prime. They lose a step, or a nano-sec. of reaction X. X wears, & injuries come up more often, = for the > rarely-injured Fed & Novak. There are benefits that come w/ age, of course. ...Nole's also more susceptible to injury & upset than he was in, say, '15/early-'16.
ReplyDeleteNovak, Nadal, & Roger have evaded all comers for so long now b/c they are monstrously talented. Even in their 30s, they've brushed the field aside. At a certain pt. though, the sloping down of their curve & the sloping up of the young players will tend to meet > often. M/b that takes a long X. I c/b wrong & Fedalovic will just keep winning big titles & the youngsters are just another field of Manila Folders. To me, that defies logic.
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'05 Safin beat Fed @ the AO, Nadal stopped him on clay & won tourn. on HC's, Nalbandian beat Fed @ the Masters Cup, but according to some "experts" on this board, that was an weak yr.***
OCO, those are still just isolated losses thru that period! Even Borg in his "Hey Day" wasn't perfect & had losses! Fed was still dom., though a late bloomer! W/ his genius & what we consider a weak era, he took over in '04 like no other player in the Open era! Only Nole's come close to winning 3 majors in a season 3 X's like Fed & he did it in a 4 yr. window of excellence! Only Rafa stood in his way of immortality winning X CYGS, but it wasn't meant t/b! His frustration was doubled when Nole came into his own in '11 & started dom. their rivalry as well! Roger mhh 26 majors by now if not for Djokovic's "Houdini act" again & again to thwart his 2nd best rival!
***I wouldn't say that Nole dom. their rivalry already in '11 cause Fed was 2-3 in slams vs him in '11-12.The real dom. started in the last 5 yrs or so. Rafa could've stood in his way = on grass, but Fed was >er & still won in '06-07. It's not like Rafa was > only on clay.***
Again, "absolutes" seem to run rampant around here due to the "bar" being "raised" so high by Fedalovic I guess, but dom. doesn't have t/b "never" losing to a player! WE used to say Rafa dom. Roger for yrs, but the odd loss occurred obviously or the rivalry wouldn't have tightened up in the last 2 seasons!
***...It's true that the overall rivalry turned into Djokovic's favor ever since '11, but that's valid in his overall rivalry w/ Nadal too.
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I think the > likely scenerio is that Rafa & poss. Novak surpasses Roger in Slam ct., Novak surpasses him in wks, but Rafa remains 3rd in that regard. But my hunch's that Rafa will do whatever he has to do to pass Roger's Slam ct., & Novak'll then do whatever he has too to pass Rafa. My guess:
- Slams: Novak 22-23, Rafa 21-22, Roger 20-21.
- Wks @ #1: Novak 350ish, Roger 312, Rafa 230-250ish.
- Titles: Roger 110ish, Rafa 100ish, Novak 100ish.
I know it's crazy to think that Novak @ 32+ can win 6-7 > Slams, but these guys are collectively re-writing the history books.***
SomeX's I feel like I'm in The Twilight Zone w/ only acknowledgement of Fedal on the tennis scene! Nole's put up crazy #'s over the yrs, but barely gets an honorary mention! I saw a news post online when both Fedovic were upset early in Shanghai; Fed's name led the article = though he's dropping to #4 soon! It's just unfathomable to see this go on throughout Nole's career since his rec. has #'s Fedal'll never see & has owned this past decade! It w/b like lauding Connors' effort in the 90's for still playing while Sampras, Courier, Becker, & Edberg were leading the tour! We're all guilty of it, but people still wonder why Djokovic has this attitude of "not being loved" for some reason as if they don't contribute to his sense of being deprived!
***Here’s a list of Fed’s most devastating losses:
ReplyDelete'08 Wimbl.(Nadal I): ...Fed got destroyed @ the FO & then converted only 1 of 13 BP's vs Nadal to lose 1 of the >est matches of all X. Fed continued to struggle that summer, but came back to win the USO.
'09 AO (Nadal II): Famous final where Nadal consoled a teary-eyed Fed after another epic 5-set match. After struggling @ the winter HC events, Fed won Madrid (beating Nadal on clay), the FO (Nadal lost to Soderling), Wimbl., & Cinci. before losing in the finals of the USO to Del PO, ending YE #1.
'10 USO (Djokr I): Fed blew 2 MP's in the USO SF vs Djokr. Fed came back to win Basel & the ATP Finals.
'11 AO (Djokr II): Fed lost in str. sets to Djokr in the SF. He beat Nole @ RG in the SF.
'11 USO (Djokr III): Fed again blew 2 MP's in the USO SF vs Djokr. Fed came back to win his last 3 tourn. of the yr. (Basel, Paris, ATP Finals).
'12 AO (Nadal III): Fed lost to his nemesis again in a Slam, this X in 4 sets. Fed won 6 titles (Rotterdam, Dubai, beat Nadal en route to winning IW's, Madrid, Wimbl., Cinci.) & regained the #1 ranking.
- C in '14 & 6 titles in '15. Fed lost in the '15 USO finals to Djokr & only won 4 of 23 BP's, a pattern that has continued since Wimbl. '08.
'16 (injuries): Fed started the season sick losing to Raonic in the Finals @ Brisbane. He lost to Djokr in 4 sets @ the AO, then hurt his knee the next day.
In '17, Fed came back to win 7 titles (AO, Wimbl., 3 Masters titles (IW, Miami, Shanghai) moved back up to #2 in the world, & BEAT NADAL 4 STR. X'S.
Fed was 10–23 vs Nadal before '17 & 19–17 vs Djokr. Nadal has always been Fed’s bete noire.
...Since Fed turned 33, he's only 3–10 vs Djokr, almost 6 yrs his jr. Even for an ATG like Fed, Djokr has an edge in physical conditioning that continue to grow w/ X.
That’s what made the Wimbl. final so unexpected & exciting - Fed hadn’t pushed Djokovic to a 5th set in 5 yrs ('14 Wimbl).
At almost 38, Fed outplayed Djokovic for most of their 4 hr., 55-min. final (the longest in Wimbl. history). I was amazed just to see him able to hang w/ Nole in the 5th set, let alone get to MP.
...Rosewall m/b the oldest player to win a Slam (Fed's 2nd), but the AO in those days had a 64 draw (Rosewall got a bye) & only 1 top 10 player entered the tournament. Federer beating Nadal in the semis & then getting to MP's vs Djokovic in the finals is the 2nd greatest feat by an old player in history.
...Fed's simply on a level that only Nadal & Djokovic can fully comprehend. While he m/b aware of his tennis mortality, I don’t think we can guess @ his mental state in the heat of the match. Saying things like “Federer has never faced a situation like this now before,” or that “he thinks about his tennis legacy in comparison to Nadal or Djokovic” is simply water cooler talk.
...Federer has lost 22 matches in his career where he has held @ least 1 MP, & they were in the SF's & finals of GS. And yet, he keeps bouncing back.
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Would a non-Big 3 Paris champ be a major sign that a shift is taking place @ the top?
Not nec.:
'19 4/9 or 5/9
'18 5/9
'17 5/9
'16 5/9
'15 7/9
'14 7/9
'13 8/9
'12 8/9
'11 7/9
'10 4/9
'09 6/9
'08 5/9
'07 7/9
'06 6/9 (pre-Djokr)
'05 8/9 (pre-Djokr)
'04 3/9 (pre-Djokr/Nadal)
If Fedalovic win Paris in a few wks, then the Big 3 will once again have a 5/9 just as they have '16-18. Add to that a complete slam sweep 4/4 & Big 3 still are firmly in charge; no significant change. However, Paris' known as the upsets/injuries/skippy event, often won by "outsiders." If Bearerer or someone else wins Paris, then the Big 3 w/b @ just 4/9, which w/b the lowest since '10. Would this be a hint that '20 will give us a 1st major step in Big 3 being dethroned?***
***Djokovic will have 3-5 yrs of prime tennis left. He's fitter than Fedal & much thinner. So his wear & tear's much <. Plus his spiritual exercises & gluten free diet ensures he can last longer than them.***
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately this Next Gen have come to play unlike the "lost" one w/ Kei, Milos, & Grigor! Med, Sascha, & Perseus have nicked Nole in the last yr. or so! It's shocking each X b/c we're so accustomed to young players "choking" away a lead! Fedalovic are famous for holding their nerves & taking ops to save a match! These newbies are saying "screw that, I want this now!"
***...How do you define "peak" or "prime?" Djokovic won Cinci for the 1st X @ age 31, in +tion to doing the Wimbl-USO double. Nadal @ 33 just won the FO, RC, & USO. To win the FO, he beat a guy age 26 & the latter 2 he defeated a 23-yo. ...I think you are getting far too down on Djokovic too soon. I simply don't see Tsitsipas or Zverev or any of the others (includ. Mr. Berretini) becoming a serious prob. for Djokovic on a reg. basis.
...I said that Fed w/b Top 5 until 35 & that Nadal's movement would not be an issue as he approached 30 & I of course thought Djokovic would keep rolling. You have to look @ the play on the court before all else.
...Djokovic lost to Wawrinka in the FO final of '15 & USO final of '16, when you say he was > he is now. Yet all of the same problems we saw him have in those 2 matches appeared again this yr. @ the USO vs Wawrinka. The issue is the match-up. Age is just a lazy, weak-minded, unassertive excuse.
---
What was Daniil ranked @ Stefanos age? Give Stefanos X & he'll begin to flip the script.***
Nyah, the fans are in so much of a rush! You see how people expect Nole to surpass all of Fed's #'s = though Roger has almost 6 yrs on the guy! It's all about the fan & not the "player" on this board & all others I frequent!
***This is a very "what have you done for me lately" kind of board. Djokodalerer have all been written off a dozen X's by the peanut gallery here.***
I spend a lot of X on You Tube & when Nole went on that tear last yr., the commentators went NUTZ! It was like Djokovic became GAWD & could go into "BEAST-mode" @ will to annihilate all oppo.! They used that '19 AO final where he wiped out Nadal as the prime example of how great he is now & how he'll overtake all the recs of Fedal! Then they pulled all the fabulous "gets" & "comeback" clips together making comp. videos! They of course concentrate on Nole's "rise from the grave" in those 2 USO SF's over Roger & Wimbl. this past summer! Having 2 MP's in each of those matches has to haunt a person; esp. when it's being repeated & relived over and over again!
***...Nadal isn't winning the WTF. His game is just brutal on that particular surface. The bounce stays too low & the courts aren't esp. quick, which is actually the worst combo for Nadal as the surface doesn't eat up his spin AND he can't hit thru the court.***
The delusional is "real" w/ all this confidence that after all these yrs of futility, Rafa'll all of a sudden solve his problems w/ the YEC!
***The Big 3 have had their huge run &'ll finally fade to a combo of Father X & Next-Gen gaining consistency & confidence.***
We can only hope! Unfortunately I've been waiting for yrs; so much so there's been created a "lost-gen" that made no impression!
***Of course there are many that'll say until Next-Gen wins slams, they aren't much diff. than Lost-Gen, & to an extent they have a pt. ...Based on what I've seen the last yr., I believe that it'll begin in '20.***
***Medevedev doesn't yet have the ability to turn defense instantly into offense as consistently as Djokodal. He's amazing w/ his squash shot & @ getting the ball back + waiting for an oppo. to gain an adv. in a rally, but doesn't nec. generate his own pace very effectively.***
ReplyDeleteExtending rallies w/ these squash shots has gotten tiresome & old; esp. from Nadal! It's the reason matches have gone into extra innings w/ no real way of cutting them the way things are scored now! If it happened every once in a while I wouldn't object, now it's the "go to" thing to do by some players; = Djokovic I'm sorry to say! I pray that experiment @ the Next-Gen YEC works out, but it'll take a while to fully implement it > likely! Diehards might not want to go that radical! I think if they could speed things up a bit, it might get > fans! It might actually push the elites out faster since their superior conditioning has sustained them for so long & it might not be enough if matches c/b cut in 1/2! TB's worked out from the beginning, but = those have gotten boring IMO due to players like Isner & Doc IVO who depend on them!
***Nadalovic has had one legendary slam final...'12 AO. All of their other slam final meetings were letdowns. Fedal has had 2 legendary Wimbl. finals (m/b 3), 2 legendary AO finals, & their '06 Rome final is the only legendary BO5 clay final Nadal has played vs either Fed or Djokovic.***
Regard<, no one's taking in consideration the age gap which makes a diff. when it comes to "ops!" Roger obviously has X yrs & occasions on Nole to set a standard, make history, & extend his rec.! Again Djokovic has YRS to make up for any shortcoming that c/b thought up while he has surpassed Fedal in so many other ways already = w/ his youth & lack of exper. in comparison!
***Nadal was 9-0 vs Djokovic on clay up til '11 & then Djokovic wins 2 matches & suddenly he's a match for Nadal on clay LOL...'15-16 Nadal was in his worst form ever seen, & this is also seemingly +ing to this myth that Djokovic can compete on clay w/ Nadal, all cos of THAT RG win LOL... 17-6 clay H2H I believe it is in Nadals favor. That's nearly 2/3 of clay matches Nadal has won.***
Frame it anyway you like, it still comes down to Nole taking over their rivalry in just about every way possible! He's the only player to have 2 winning streaks of 7 matches over all the surfaces vs Nadal! Where's that listed in Rafa's resume posted here? If holding onto Nadal's rec. in Paris as the "holy mount" & center of the universe, so be it! Sooner or later you'll have to "let it go!" No doubt Nole has more yrs to go while Roger's on the way out w/ Rafa soon to follow!
***To me, it seems as if Fed’s still affected by the Wimbl. loss, w/ (for him) early losses in all events he’s entered since then (except LC, but that still feels more like an exh.). And so much can happen in a yr. in the early & late stages of a player’s career.***
After his '17 out of nowhere, people should've expected a significant decline! It's going t/b the same thing w/ 2019; '20 w/b hard to defend! Good results always seems to make a top player pay the following season! All you have to do is recall the best pro season of all X, Nole's '15; winning 10 of the 14 elite events & R-up in 2 others! Djokovic tried valiantly to defend his #1 ranking, but ended up falling short = w/ 2 majors & 4 Masters +ed to his resume! Nadal's '10 wasn't a precursor to his '11; Nole legit. beat him out in 6 finals! After '19, I didn't think there w/b this close a race except Nole's Spring was not up to expectations & he didn't pad his lead! It's gonna come down to the very last match of the season again @ the YEC if he's to have any chance of getting his #1 ranking back & to hold it over the "dead period" before the AO in Jan.!
***I must admit that I gained some respect for Eddie w/ the way he was talking to Emily while handling her weigh-in on "RHWOC."
ReplyDeleteWell were you expecting the same treatment Shannon got from her "weigh in" a few yrs ago? OMG, that was hilarious! It's what you say to yourself when a bestie ask you, "does this make me look fat?" The trainer would actually gasp & "exclaim" out loud for the whole world to hear on MIC; "WoW!" He might as well have been on a megaphone mumbling under his breath; "do you see this big, fat beast I have to deal w/?" Shannon heard him & reacted each X, actually shedding tears in frustration of her going from a size 2/4 to whatever TF it is!
***More embarrassing old broads on "Below Deck."***
Reminds me when a friend gave me a ticket to a dinner cruise & I found out when I got there, there were only women who were attending w/ us! Their sexual preference wasn't the problem, it was the fact they were a large group of women who were going t/b loud & obnoxious drunks; I passed! I got back in my car & found something else to do! No way was I going to put up w/ that kind of behavior for = 3 hrs much < 3 days of these losers on "Below Deck!" I could barely watch it, surfing away to watch tennis on ESPN periodically! Why are women so disgusting when they get together? Men you expect it, but WOMEN?
***Penis envy, Dude; penis envy. Freud had it right all along. - - ...Yes, men look >er to (most of) us b/c the culture we live in is telling us that men w/ a few wrinkles & a few grays are still good looking, m/b = > handsome & sexy than those w/o, while women w/ some wrinkles & grays are just old.***
The reasons women are punished > for their looks is due to the illusions & lies perpetrated on all of us thru clothing, make-up, & hair! Men don't have to go thru as much a transformation when they get up out of bed to live life! The older women get, the > it takes to keep living "that lie" which's their appearance! SORRY!
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...That just makes no fk'n sense for me this obsession w/ food on a charter! If I'm on vacation trying to exp. a locale, what I ate w/b the last thing I'd care about! It's easy for me to say since I've started doing "intermittent fasting" & disgustingly caloric food's the last thing I'm putting in my mouth!
***You are impressing me > & >, Fiero.***
Don't be! I'm still yo-yoing like you wouldn't believe w/ my wt.; vacillating w/ the "IF*," changing the eating windows, & @ X's interspersing a lit'l KETO in there starting my day w/ a Bullet/Fat Coffee for brkfast! I was warned the brain can only be overruled for so long when a binge might come over me for 2-3 days inhaling anything in the fridge!
* - Adopting Intermittant Fasting supposedly takes care of a lot of ailments including psoriasis, diabetes, HB pressure, etc.! It also has restorative properties making you look younger! It's very important not to brk the fast by eating = a grape! I usually stop eating around 4 or 5 PM & only drink water, black coffee (no cream/sugar, Stevia ok), & green tea! My last suggestion is to brk the fast w/ a small cup of bone broth! There isn't as much a shock to the system & the insulin levels aren't spiked so many hrs of nothing in your stomach! A good chicken bone broth is just 30-50 calories & that's the 1st thing I have around 11 AM or so! ...Start & pace yourself as you see fit, but the >er results occur w/ most of these suggestions!
***Cal.'s having power blackouts affecting a lot of the state.***
ReplyDeleteInfrastructure issues are going t/b > of a prob. for the entire country geniuses! When Reps are in power, they talk about it, but never come thru since their 1st inclinations are to cut taxes, give > $$ to defense, then divvy up what's left! Getting the word out on Twitter's > important than talk about infrastructure which is crumbling around us all! Lucky I'm an old coot & couldn't give AF any>! ...Minn. lost a lot of people when one of their larger bridges caved in! We'll never learn!
***I agree. However Trump can't do anything w/o the Congress. ...The Reps are just as guilty by their silence as the Dems are. Rule of law has become a farce. - If Graham, as a lawyer doesn't understand a whistleblowing procedure then he s/b disbarred immediately.***
This is why I have no respect for Rep. politicians! They play dumb, but many are quite intelligent & know exactly what they're saying & doing when playing ignorant! Lindsey's a part of JAG IIRC so he should know >er & I pray KARMA catches up to his wrinkled old ass after his being such a hypocrite about Clinton! He wanted Bill gone "j/b" really! The appearance of impropriety was enough back then, but w/ Trump, Graham hasn't seen anything coming close to a level of a need for impeachment; or = an investigation for that matter! Kellyanne Conway's no dope, but goes on news programs defending the indefensible nightly!
***Trump's attempts to defame & destroy the Const. are exactly why the Founders wrote & est. it, as they did!***
I doubt he's = read the thing! His quotes make about as much sense as his Biblical ones that fall flat or inflame!
***GOP doesn’t care about the Constitution either.***
Well obviously not since Trump has been violating it since day one w/ his businesses; the Emolument clause almost trampled out of existence! It's like it wasn't there until he actually mused about the G7 holding their next meeting @ 1 of his CC's down in FLA! The man has no shame & his PARTY obviously doesn't GAF or they would've reigned his old ass in a long X ago! He keeps pushing the envelope until his hand's smacked like a child! It's pathetic to see a president acting this way! IDK how the fk'n country can recover after the bar lowered to these depths!
***It could take many decades for the country to recover, even if Trump loses the 2020 election.
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ITA that Roe v Wade was a bit misleading w/ its reference to the right to privacy since that isn't really the basis for the right of women to obtain an abortion. ...Roe was a careful consideration of competing interests including the state's legit. interest in protecting the unborn as well as the right of women to obtain an early abortion. If it's rescinded by the SC that w/b just another mistake which will need t/b corrected later.
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Hillary has written a book w/ her daughter, Chelsea (3 kids: 1 girl & 2 boys). It's entitled: "The Book of Gutsy Women."***
The Clintons are true gluttons for punishment! Rightwing Pavlov dogs salivate w/ the mention of their names! It'll give them a target to shoot @ while defending Trump when his Impeachment comes down the pike!
***Indeed the Clintons are human, alive & kicking, still breathing, living their lives as concerned U.S. citizens after serving our country (not always perfectly) but devotedly & w/ much > integrity > any # of yahoos in Wash., D.C. these days.
Hillary was = honest enough to admit that her gutsiest personal act was deciding & following thru to stay in her marriage, while her gutsiest public act was running for President, twice. The Clintons have always for myriad & often unfair reasons been used & treated as convenient, polarizing punching bags. Using them as such has gone well beyond getting old.***
***The ultra-high income Pubs don't want small govt: just want govt that works for them. Trump's their boy. They m/b taking a 2nd look finally. The #'s supporting impeachment are climbing among them. They're also all about gov't subsidies for the rich. It's subsidies for the poor they're against. After all, those poor people shouldn’t want charity - charity is for the rich only!***
ReplyDeleteIf it took this long to discover Trump's false face, it m/b too late! These are the same people that allowed themselves t/b swayed by a colossal lie from this man stating Obama wasn't born in the USA! From there it all went downhill w/ people who obviously don't have any common sense & I've given up on them ever straightening themselves out! The country's in trouble w/ nitwits like this balancing out the handful of intellectually sane groups! We are truly slow to see when we're getting screwed!
***Trump's latest attacks on the Constitution make it clear that he believes it t/b "wrong"/doesn't apply to him.***
There's nothing new in that w/ these hypocrites! They're always pointing out faults of others, but self-reflection is non-existent! According to them, the Clintons & the MSM are evil incarnate & the leaders of the "deep state" of DC working to undermine all Rep. & cons.! They pt. out Obama's one of the most prolific liars due to him saying "you can keep your doctor" under his new healthcare plan, the ACA! They're still doing it after all these yrs when Trump can't honestly tell you the sky's blue w/o cue cards! I'm > a lit'l disgusted w/ ALL OF THEM & can't have a civil conversation ever after what this man has done to the country! Not sure how it'll ever be turned around due to how polarized we've become over the yrs!
***If it gets to the Senate, I think Trump w/b removed. Hence the beginning attempts to shut down the process of impeachment all together. I think Reps in the Senate are going to > & > be saying to themselves, "4 > yrs?" And seeing that the country can't survive that there's going t/b no choice. But it's got to get to the Senate.***
If Trump had a brain, he'd tell the world he wasn't running for a 2nd term to avoid all this shit! Since his head only contains helium, he'll force the issue & the Rep. party will go down in flames as it should for = allowing this nut to take them over! It's one thing to turn a blind eye to small infractions of ethics, but Trump's pushed the envelope since day one w/ his own words, his crooked admin., & the willful ignorance of ALL Reps in power!
***...Trump's gone & some of the most extreme of the Trump supporting House Reps face the electorate.***
Trump's already crossed the line w/ veiled threats & insults to witnesses he doesn't = know exist! He's already undermined the process to poison any result! The problem is, = w/ how naïve & stupid quite a few of us are in this country, the blind can see the corruption dripping off this admin.! It's unfortunate Dems have been asleep @ the switch unable or unwilling to do one of their jobs which is to commit to oversight of the president! The man admits to infractions which stomp all over the Constitution! It's just so fk'n sad it took this long for = some of the people to wake up & "fix this!"
***So which Rep. pols are going to step up & defend him on this?***
They've already done it! Have we forgotten Stormy Daniels & all the other women that have been unfortunate enough to cross Trump's path! Rep. hierarchy just need to invoke Clinton's name & they let the imaginations of their sick supporters do the rest! It's > a lit'l sad that Reps w/ sterling reps have been influenced to overlook this behavior & actually defend it @ X's! It's done everyday they go to work b/c the ??s continue to flow asking about Trump!
There's nothing new about these people being hypocrites! They lost their shit over Hillary using her private email acct. as SoSt; pretty much ready to have her shot in front of a firing squad! Of that precedent meant nothing as the entire Trump family used priv. email accts to conspire amongst themselves sending gov't docs back & forth! I just throw up my hands; esp. w/ Lindsey Graham who wanted Clinton out of office for just looking inapprop., but w/ Trump he can't find anything he's done = remotely close to a reason to impeach! I'm disgusted beyond belief by all concerned!
ReplyDelete***Now Barr has started investigation of the Russia investigation. I'm afraid for all those sincere public servants who were just doing their job. SomeX's I dislike Barr = > than Trump.***
The nation's "top cop" s/b on trial himself! The conflicts of interests are X & it's hard to believe he was highly regarded just 2 yrs ago! Barr fell into his role as Trump's, "Roy Cohn" doing his bidding & defending the indefensible! If these people aren't brought down low after all they've done, this country doesn't deserve to recover!
***I'm so disgusted by this whole thing that I turned off the TV. They've invented a conspiracy theory that Obama started this. I don’t = want to hear about what this villain Barr's doing to our country. He's evil. I never thought such ppl could exist.***
They only do it b/c it works! Those same deplorables all bent out of shape that we have so lit'l respect for their IQ wonder why when they accept this kind of nonsense w/ non-stop conspiracies! If you ask them about any of it, the Clintons & Obamas are the nexus & they'll keep beating that horse "until it don't run no >!"
***Hillary didn't call avg. American voters deplorable. She was referring to the racists, misogynists, bigots, & ammosexuals who supported Trump.
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One could argue that Hillary's declaration was rather prescient. Even if you didn't consider Trump supporters t/b deplorable back in '16, you can't deny that they are now. Every single one of them is deplorable.***
Well if they are "they are!" Who supports talking about people & their countries the way Trump does on an everyday basis? He picks & chooses depending if they're sucking up to him or not! His defense of Russia to the detriment of our Nat'l security tells you all you have to know about these people; ALL OF THEM! I wonder who applauded separating babies from their mothers w/ no rec. taking to try & rejoin those families down in AZ. & TX.? Who can forget kids sleeping on the ground in dog cages? I could go on w/ certain "deplorable" acts that can't be taken as anything else but that; DEPLORABLE! If as a group any of these actions c/b condoned, applauded, & made the norm; one can't help but be disgusted by these peeps in so many ways!
***In what ways has having Trump as president improved your life? What has he done that has benefited the US as a country? What specifically makes him worthy of reelection? - "Deep State" as the 1st words = everything following's unfounded right-wing nutbar conspiracy theories.***
Tell me about it!
***Considering that Trump's already admitted to using tax payer $$'s & his office to extort a foreign leader for dirt on a pol. opp. it shouldn't be too difficult to do. Impeachment isn't going to affect his ability to run for re-election; only conviction by the Senate would do so.***
***There was a lot of leaking in '17! At about 3 or 4, m/b 5 o’clock every day or twice a wk. there'd be a new leak.***
ReplyDeleteReps only care about leaks when to their detriment & only bandy around the "treason" card when Dems are in power! It's the hypocritical way they've practiced politics for as long as I can remember! ...This was how they ran the Beghazi "witch trials" for about 5 yrs! Now they're kvetchin' about what Schiff's doing when he's only following their lead! I'm so done making the polarization just about perm. IMO! I'm just not sure how we go back to "business as usual" after all this corruption & the complicity of the Rep. party!
***Trump's supporters & fanatics need t/b reminded over & over that Hillary Clinton received over 3M > public votes than he did!***
A lot of good it did her! As long the South vote as a block, the possibilities of this happening will occur! I didn't think it poss. to happen twice in my lifeX, but Repus have fixed it good so that we need someone akin to a messiah to actually pull some of those hillbillies into the 21st century! They love to throw it out about the liberal North, but we've voted for Reps before; Nixon & Reagan giving them landslides! Dems won w/ "fave sons" like Johnson, Carter & Clinton! Obama's crossover appeal begot Trump so that w/b his legacy along w/ the ACA!
***Deep State Dems & Reps goin' nuts & in a panic trying to figure out how to impeach Trump before he can win again in '20! - If Mattis had promoted 25th Amendment; everyone would've agreed & removed Trump. - I don’t think so.***
True enough! Reps have been gut< dealing w/ Trump! He's undermining DC Intel agencies, the Justice Dept., & The FBI; all in his attempt to forgo being punished for his crimes! They have no excuse when they see his complicity w/ Russia & Putin in particular in making the world a lit'l < safe! I'm just not sure how we're going to recover! Trump's made us a laughing stock & gives other countries no reason to trust us! An "Obama type" might not be enough as much as the world accepted him! Unfortunately other countries are in the same boat as us w/ dictatorial leaders who've gone outside the norm in running things! Britain is still dealing w/ the Brexit issue after all this X = w/ a change of leadership! We m/b screwed for quite a bit longer after Trump's removed!
***The So. Carolina anti-abortion bill has been amended. The exceptions for victims of rape & incest have been removed.
- https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/10/south-carolina-republicans-move-to-extend-their-abortion-ban-to-rape-and-incest-victims/ -
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There are?***
You'd think it would cost Rep. votes & elections, but unfortunately silly women have short memories! The > they get screwed over the > they seem to like it from these "jagoff" on "the right!" Picking Trump over Hillary tells you all you need to know about the "thinking" or mindset of women who talk a good game about = this & that, then they vote against their own interest almost every X! It's ridiculous!
***...Reps fear the Trump supporters' backlash? B/c they are cowards? They are Reps beholden to Trump.***
What's worse is Nat'l security's taken a back seat to their loyalty/fear of Trump! I grew up w/ Reps pounding the "Red" scare & the "communism card," but now have their leader in bed w/ Putin & there's neir a peep out of the rank & file! You'd think McConnell @ least would try & reign this guy in, but he's been cowed due to his own race back in KY getting tight; old news to me! It's so much BS; always talk of McConnell losing, then wins in a landslide! These bastards just lie in POLLS & they can't be taken seriously any> when it comes to politics!
***Even if there's solid evidence vs Trump, Reps will say "that isn't an impeachable offense." Trump'll repeat "No Quid Pro Quo, I'm exonerated completely, Dems failed," then win the '20 election & we w/b doomed forever.***
ReplyDeleteIt's the path chosen by the real idiots of the world! This isn't just happening to us! Italy's had to deal w/ an old, lecherous, & corrupt leader not too long ago! London's still dealing w/ Brexit & their < encouraging leadership! For someone like Trump to = win a few states shows not just some kind of moral decline, but common sense, truth, & patriotism's been tossed out the window! Reps & cons have resorted to attacking military personal who have the audacity to criticize Trump! IDK where these people go after going vs just about every tenant of their ideological bible, save abortion!
***So w/ almost all Reps in the Senate likely to serve 10 to 20 > yrs & Trump 1; why revolve around him so much?***
They're afraid of being "primary'd!" You notice only radical, cons. leaning Reps are in office! Mods have been cast aside by "the right" & designated as appeasers; run out of office! They had opp. running vs them to knock off mods when seen as weak or a lit'l too conciliatory to the other side of the aisle yrs ago!
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...This is why Dems have been swept aside by < outstanding Rep. candidates! We get caught up in fights that can't be won! Then there's the minutia of silly issues that trip up the best of them like Hillary in NY talking about driver's licenses for illegal aliens! Personally it prob. would make sense to encourage some compliance to our laws, but the every day "JOE" doesn't want to hear that stuff! ...I've seen this so often I've totally WD & just can't & don't GAF if people can't learn from their past mistakes! Electing Trump set us back 50 yrs & I'm just not sure how we recover anyX soon before my inevitable "dirt nap!"
***The appeals court has ruled against Trump in one of the tax return cases.
- https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/04/politics/donald-trump-tax-returns-court-ruling/index.html -***
It's obvious Trump has it in his mind that he's placed so many of these judges in their positions that they'll roll over & just dismiss these legit requests for tax recs by the State & House! If he hadn't been such an obnoxious boor giving us this line about an audit, who'd care, but he has to start paying for his deceit! He's all but a mob boss running "OC" right out of the OVAL Office w/ gov't official making excuses for him! Every X I think it can't get any worse, something always comes along to "trump" it; no pun intended!
***I was reading that Kamala Harris is shutting down operations everywhere but Iowa & transferring staff b/c she’s running out of $$. Tick, tick, tick...***
None of these people have a chance! Money isn't what it's all about or Sanders w/b President by now! People; esp. idiotic kids eat up his message = though his name s/b changed to "The Crypt Keeper!" We'd have a >er chance if Hillary were drafted; @ least she's qualified! The rest of these clowns; esp. Beto are media creations & have no substance behind them! Even the shadiest of cons. actually believe in something; though misguided a lot of the X! Dems have really been swaying w/ the wind which is why Reps have been able to make fools of them! When you have someone like Trump in office who lies pathologically & his message is the one that prevails, we get what we deserve!
***...Djokovic has had a well-documented mental walkabout from June'16 -'18. Nadal has never had motivational or mental issues; all been physical w/ him. My bet is Novak will "fail" before Nadal, despite being 1 yr. younger. Many ATG's left the game not b/c of physical maladies, but were mentally fried: Borg, Pete, Wilander, & Courier to name but a few.***
ReplyDeleteIt's always possible! I'm hoping they file out as they arrived; Roger next yr., Rafa in '22, then Nole in '24! I'm totally over Fedalovic's act that's been going on for well over a decade now! No "BIG 3" in tennis history has owned it all like them! I'm really hoping the Next-Gen finally fulfill their promise soon; Thiem, Perseus, Med, Khach, & Sascha!
***Rafa can always recover physically & mentally. His only problem's Djoker & Fed off clay. W/ the new crop of players rising, good chance that they play each other < often. - Djoker'll physically be fine, but he can't be taking mental lapses during slams or parts of the season & still stay @ the top as he ages. If he stays motivated & focused when it matters, then I think Djoker sticks around. Don't know if these young guys have his # or if he just needs some X to figure them out.
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Open Era men's leaders:
Singles Titles
1 Connors 109
2 Federer 103
Singles Finals
1 Connors 164
2 Federer 157
Singles SF's
1 Connors 240
2 Federer 209
Singles matches played
1 Connors 1556
2 Federer 1503
Singles matches won
1 Connors 1274
2 Federer 1235
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'00s Slam finals:
Federer 21
Nadal 8
Roddick 5
Hewitt 4
'10s Slam finals:
Djokovic 23
Nadal 18
Federer 10
Murray 10
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Slam score vs players born since '94:
Djokovic 15-1
Nadal 16-2
Djokovic's prob. has been Thiem which I had to excl. starting in '94, but I don't see him troubling Djokovic outside RG.
Winning % vs over 6'3 tall players:
Djokovic 86.57%
Nadal 82.65%
@ Slams:
Djokovic 88.5%
Nadal 81.3%
I think this is an interesting stat, as the best next-gen. are all very tall (Medvedev, Zverev, Tsitsipas, Berrettini, Khachanov, Auger-Aliassime).***
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...For some strange reason, Djokovic owns a handful of players for the most part, but they've each taken him down in important matches! I don't have to go down the list of bad losses, but they've all come from the likes of Wawrinka, Murray, Cilic, & Del Po! Fedal don't seem to let their pigeons off the hook as often if ever, so I'll give them that! Djokovic's still the most vulnerable of the "Big 3!"
***I know what you mean, but that defeat to Murray in the YEC was for some reason totally weird to me; & still is for that matter.***
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Just looked @ the LIVE rankings to see Nadal's gone ahead w/ a nice lead over Djokovic! Looks as if Nole lost his pts from last season @ Paris & London! Roger has a very good chance of dropping to #4 since he won't be defending his pts this wk.! Medvedev should take over #3 ranking if he does well in Bercy!
***IIRC, the pts for both come off @ once, but the rankings still change after Paris. That means that Rafa will def. get #1 back, if only for a couple wks.
Race rankings & pts:
Nadal 9235
Djokovic 7955
Rafa has a 1,280 lead, w/ up to 2,500 pts up for grabs. Un< Rafa wins Paris &/or Novak goes out early, it should come down to the WTF, m/b = the last match.
Here's #3-5 in the Race rankings:
Federer 6010
Medvedev 5705
Thiem 4945
Thiem prob. doesn't have a shot to move up, but I listed him anyway. Roger has a 305 pt. lead, but isn't playing Paris so that's @ least =ized. My $$'s on Daniil to get to #3, but if Roger's nice & rested for the WTF, he c/b a force & win it.***
***- https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/27955747/novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal-fight-finish-tennis-season-no-1 -
ReplyDelete#1 Djokr has > riding on the outcome of the next 2 wks. If Nadal stumbles on the HC's, Djokovic could join Sampras as a 6X, YE #1.
..."W/ my age & w/ my goals, I can't lose energy or X to [chase] # 1 ranking," Nadal said. ...Nadal's in the lead @ this stage. While Djokovic remains #1 in the official 52-wk. rolling rankings, Nadal leads in the important YTD pts race. He has a cushion of 1280 pts, w/ no pts dropping off in the coming wks. The bind for Djokovic is that he has to defend some 680 pts from last yr's results in Paris & YEC. He won't be able to gain a large # of pts the way Nadal might.
...Rafa hasn't won a title on indoor HC's since '05, & has claimed a grand total of just 2 in his 84 tourn. wins. He hasn't done >er @ the YEC. Nadal managed to grind his way to the finals @ YEC twice, losing on both occasions to his career rivals -- Fed in '10, & Djokovic in '13.
By contrast, Djokovic's the all-X leader in wins (32) @ the Paris Masters. He's powered his way to the title a rec. 4X's. His results @ YEC have been =ly if not > impressive due to the quality of the comp. in the field comprised of the top 8 performers of the yr. Djokovic has claimed the title 5 X's, 1 shy of the rec. held by Fed, going back 11 yrs. Three of those wins have been over the rec. holder. ...Both men are deadly serious about the coming wks, & understand full well the impact the Paris & YE events could have on their legacies. Nadal has put himself in position to complete a career yr.
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Fed started skipping when he was 35 and his first season of skipping was post knee surgery.***
Nadal's been half-assing the Fall season for yrs; hence his abysmal rec. only making 2 finals in Paris & London! He normally shuts it down for all intense purposes after the USO; mentally/emotionally I'd say after the FO award ceremony!
***This Paris final's about as lop-sided as one could imagine. If Shapovalov's going to breakthru & become a great player, this is the type of situation that marks the occasion. I hope he pulls off the upset, but it's hard imagining how he might do it. He really needs Novak to do some of his astral travelling.***
This has traditionally been the upset Masters where we do see those "break-thrus;" last yr. it was Khachanov over Djokovic! - Djokovic's still looking strong & has fewer miles than Nadal. There’s no young players that appear t/b ATG's w/ special talent. Djokovic can continue to win w/ his robotic consistency game. His serve is also winning him free pts.
***Barring injury, there's no way Djokovic's losing this IMO. His level is frightening @ the moment. ...Novak w/b strategizing to blitz him in rallies & take away the X he needs on each ball. Shapovalov's left w/ only 2 options if he expects to beat Nole in Paris: Redline out of his comfort zone & risk overhitting or try & play a defensive game vs a guy with >er stroke mechanics.
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Based on the calc. I'm doing, if Djokovic wins tmrw, he can still gain YE #1 if he wins WTF w/o any losses = if Nadal reaches the WTF final. The only thing is that Nadal must lose a RR match. That would give Nadal 800 pts @ the WTF & he would have 1500 pts. He would clinch it by 60 pts in this scenario. - If Nadal WD's from WTF, & Nole wins Paris, then he needs to reach SF @ WTF to secure YE #1 right?***
So no news on Rafa & the YEC yet! I keep expecting to wake up to the news that he's shutting it down! I guess he's either going to wait til the last moment or see how things shake out w/ the draw & his potential opp. which comes out Tues.! I suppose the tour'll continue allowing Rafa to make his own schedule &'ll play when he damn well pleases!
ReplyDelete***...Seriously Fiero, Rafa's a 33 yo w/ a 37 yo body. Although he still has great cardio, he's gonna be injury prone for the remainder of his career. Rafa has to pick & choose events where he can maximize his ops to win a title. ...When he tries to push it, he always strains or injures other parts of his body.***
W/ as hard as these guys work on the tour, how do they expect them to play in cons. wks; = the KIDS? I doubt we'll ever see someone who qualifies for both the NG-YEC & ATP WTF will ever = try to tough it out! I'm anxious to see this new scoring system @ work! We need anything to cut everything but the heart of these matches out! Ya can't expect the casual fan to get locked into a tennis match for 4-5 hrs! Even the diehards are getting sick of it since a lot of the X wasted is in gamesmanship, toweling off, challenging calls that are ridiculous, & arguing a ruling w/ the umpire they know is fruit 1 group match.
7. If Nadal loses in the SF's having lost 1 group match or if he wins 2 group matches, but doesn't make the SF's, Djokovic c/b YE #1 if he wins the title (no matter whether he loses a group match or = 2 en route), but must win the title.
8. If Nadal loses in the SF's having lost 2 group matches or if he wins 1 group match & doesn't make the SF's, Djokovic c/b YE #1 if he makes the final, so long as he loses no > 1 group match. In this scenarios, Djokovic's guaranteed t/b #1 if he wins the title, = if he loses a group match or = 2 en route.
9. If Nadal wins no matches, Djokovic is #1 if he makes the final & wins 2 group matches en route.
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I think he should play, then WD from the SF vs Djokovic citing another phantom injury that somehow only affects him when he's about to face Fed or Djokovic.***
How many X's does it have to happen for a pattern t/b seen by some fans? I've said for yrs, Nadal doesn't really GAF about the tennis season after the FO award's ceremony! He's only been going thru the motions for the most part in the Summer & Fall w/ a handful of wins that'll never balance out his rec. on clay! He's had just about every scenario occur @ the YEC from dropping all 3 of his RR matches in '09 to losing a couple finals to Fedovic, but never a win! I can't see that changing anyX soon; esp. since Roger & Nole haven't been immune to the upstarts taking them on & beating them of late!
***As a Nadal fan, I see Nadal also def. young Fed @ Wimbl.'08 & AO'09, & has always led the H2H over Fed in outdoor HC, = in '04-07.
ReplyDelete...As a Laver fan, I think Nadal & Djokovic can't match Fed, b/c he has a classic gamestyle, it's artistic; not merely effective.***
Margaret Court's still paying for intolerant attitude about gay marriage after 2 yrs! She's looking for recognition/50th Ann. of her CYGS like Laver earlier this yr. @ the AO tourney! She's beggin' for an invitation that may never come! She'll be lucky if they don't take her name off the existing stadium!
***- https://au.sports.yahoo.com/margaret-courts-call-recognised-aus-open-splits-fans-041814469.html -
'Hypocrite': Margaret Court's controversial recognition call divides tennis world
"Court wants the same recognition that was afforded to Rod Laver's '69 GS anni. @ the AO earlier this yr., & says she won't return to Melbourne Pk. un< she's formally welcomed back.
Court, who holds the all-X rec. of 24 GS singles titles, has not attended the AO since '17, when she was heavily criticized after voicing her opp. to same-sex marriage...."
Even though I don't agree w/ Margaret's views, she has a right to her op.; full stop. I think she should have the same recog. as Laver. Court has 64 GS titles & s/b rewarded for her tennis accompl.***
More power to her and her "right to her opinion!" There are plenty of these people out there who want to indulge in this practice, but then wonder why there are repercussions? ...This was a bad X for Court t/b so upfront & honest about how she feels about GAY people! ...It's not like these people don't realize you can't always get away w/ "free speech!"
***...You should never forget Fed's 6 yrs older & still took Djokovic to Hell in that '19 Wimbl. final.***
Oh, that made all the diff. when holding X MP's! So b/c he was 6 yrs older, he couldn't get a 1st serve in or volley the ball away when he had the chance? Really; that's how you're going to see this? Sad!
***So Fed has been @ his peak for 16 yrs. Impressive.***
Coco Gauff could've stepped in to finish that match off! Call it what it is; another colossal collapse that has tainted Roger's rec.! I've been one of the many who put Fed on a pedestal & thought him the BOAT; the rec. showed it! The thing is, the rec. shows other things too; a lot of it being exposed since he's refused to just retire on top when he could! I was one who thought the best thing for him was to "hit the road" after winning Wimbl. in '12! He had already gone 2 seasons w/o winning a major! It was a miracle both Djokovic & Murray went down w/ injury & en eui in '16 allowing a huge comeback w/ Fedal leading the tour once again after 5+ yrs! Roger picked up 3 more majors w/ lit'l impediment & w/ NG'rs nipping @ his heels is barely treading water IMO! I can't believe they'll allow him to stay in the top 4 or 5! I'm praying 2020 w/b the end once he's had his fling w/ taking Olympic spots from someone else! If he supplies his fans w/ another thrill, FINE, I just hope he doesn't start down that road Connors took just being entertainment & hindering the progress of other players! I was just as much a fan of Navratilova, but = I had to say "it's X" in '94 when she was barely making finals, much < winning anything!
***Thing is, he shouldn’t have t/b fighting for his rec. @ age 38. Yes, he’s had count< chances to put the GOAT debate out of sight, but the young players s/b stepping up & beating 33-34 yo Nadal & Djokovic. Fed's still the best player I’ve seen, @ least off clay anyway. Whether he stays the greatest remains to be seen.***
***Big loss for Roger today at the YEC. It prob. took him out of the SF's since he’ll prob. drop RR to Novak.***
ReplyDeleteI said yesterday Fed needed to win in str. sets; dropping match in strs. just about cancels him for the wkend in the SF! Anything's possible, but I wouldn't be hopeful! He really needed this win over Thiem & I just didn't see it un< Fed attacked early & often! Getting back into that 1st set was key, but he couldn't finish! There's something missing; the fire wasn't there w/ any sense of urgency!
***If he also loses to Novak in strs., that’s it, = if he beats Matteo. And ITA - there did seem t/b something missing today. It wasn’t nerves such as he gets vs Novak. It was > just a lack of motivation.
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If Rafa wants t/b #1 @ YE, he has to fight all by himself & then pray. It's prob. safe to assume Novak will win WTF. In that case, Ralph can't stop Novak from claiming #1, = if he (Ralph) wins all his matches in RR. In order to stop Novak from claiming #1, he needs to do all of the following:
1. Win @ least 2 RR matches
2. Reach SF
3. & win SF
And pray that Novak loses one RR match. In the above scenario, Ralph's lead will become 640 + 400 + 400 = 1440. If Novak wins WTF w/o losing a match, then he gets 1500 pts thus overtaking Rafa. So, Novak needs to lose one RR match & so the prayer. If he wants to do it w/o prayer, Ralph must win all 3 RR matches & then win SF also. Novak can't claim #1 = if he wins WTF w/o losing a single match.
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I get MS1000 change, but WTF/YE final. The only affect w/b on DC Final.***
All I can think of is "who was in charge during these massive changes?" Fed was Prez & Nadal was his VP! They just made life easier for themselves & extended their careers to no end; still going strong! Conspiracy that the ATP Council should look @?
***I'd guess it was more the TV networks $$ became >er & the dom. revenue stream, so they were able to put pressure on tourneys. But no player's council would've resisted this change IMO, as it benefits the players as well. The only ones losing are the fans.***
It's still not playing for the most part! They might as well continue doing tape delayed video playing at 1 am on ESPN! I can imagine most people "don't have" access to TCC! ...I grew up spoiled when tennis was regularly telecast on the networks! One day around '75, BJK was being shown on 3 channels @ the same X; 1 live, 2 taped events! I'm not going to make a big deal about the change in format of tourneys! Even w/ how things have been laid out helping Fedalovic, the new crop won't have the same success = after their retirements! ...Upsets will occur w/ today's players that didn't happen much w/ Fed, Rafa, & Nole! They've been amazing like in no other era before!
***Good pt. on the lack of coverage for ATP events, although I think they're >er covered on Euro channels. I do think if there were a Sampras or Agassi, ESPN (or maybe FSN or something) would've made a bid for some of these events (ATP Finals, IW, Cincy).***
Well that'll always be a foible of America; a serious need t/b relevant in a topic or sporting event! If they can't run the show, "we take our ball & go home!" ...When it comes to tennis, it boomed w/ Evert & Connors! It made sense since both #1 in the world!
***...I just quickly looked @ Connors' stats: 22 US Opens & 20 Wimbl., but he usually didn't play AO or RG.***
ReplyDeleteBack then it was rare to play all 4 majors! It didn't become "the thing to do" until Edberg, Wilander, & Lendl (Navratilova & Evert for the ladies) started going "down under" on a regular basis! It became a premiere event finally, moved from grass to HC in '88, & I feel Nole's fave; & not j/b he's won it 7 X's! The fact they've started playing all 4 events begot more H2H match-ups of these top players these last 35+ yrs!
***True. The main reason I mentioned Connors was to try to compare Fed w/ another ATG who had similar & poss. >, to this pt. - longevity. While only part of their careers were in the OE, other legends who played "forever" included Gonzales & Rosewall.
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Ok. Let me simplify the situation for all since Nole lost RR match to Thiem.
1. If Roger beats Novak, Ralph's guaranteed to finish as YE #1 indep. of what Ralph does.
2. If Roger does not beat Novak, then Novak advances. However, if Novak does not win SF, then again Ralph finishes #1 indep. of what Ralph does.
3. If Novak advances & wins event, then Ralph w/b #1 only if Ralph reaches finals.
4. If Novak reaches finals & loses, Ralph w/b #1 provided he (Ralph) wins @ least 1 RR match. Ralph doesn't need to reach finals or = need to reach SF.
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Congrats to Dom. Not an easy feat these b2b wins.***
It'll sting for a bit, but glad for him! I can't be a hypocrite when kvetchin' about the Next-Gen & their inability to finish! Dom may complete the deal & I'll live! This is Roger's best chance @ some kind of redemption, but I can't see any reason the result s/b any diff.! He's not playing that tough & = when he does, he's proved to have trouble completing the deal! Nole can't win 'em all, but hopeful he can match Roger's rec. here to + yet another item to his resume!
***I've a feeling that Fed'll play this match vs Nole like his life depended on it; not only b/c he'd qualify for the SF, but also b/c he wants to avenge his Wimbl. loss. It also prevents Novak from reaching some of his other recs like WTF & wks @ #1. At least this X it’s just a RR match so m/b he'll play freely & won’t choke.
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They both have a lot to play for. Roger hasn't looked esp. commanding, though I saw only a lit'l of his match today. But Novak has more reason t/b tight.***
This is one of those matches that means a lot to Fed; staying in the YEC, keeping Nole from holding #1 rec. over the dead per. before AO, keeps him in the running for a 7th title, & keeps Nole from getting a 6th to Tie Fed! There's a lot riding on this 1 match!
***I wonder if Rafa w/b in the stands or coaching Roger tonight like he did @ the Lavers Cup.
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I'd take Rafa’s CC BH over anyone’s when it’s on laser guidance. It’s the one shot that can pull the racket out of both Roger & Novak’s FH.***
SomeX's, but obviously Fedovic have gotten their collective acts together & have been "handling" the BULL the last few yrs!
***Agreed. Both have derailed Rafa from dominating the H2H. ...My pt. is the cc bh is the =lizer, but @ X's Rafa loses confidence in it as evidenced @ SW19 vs Fed & AO '19 vs Novak.***
***...Just make WTF a knock out tourney. - They tried that in '82 to '85 & then gave up on that idea.***
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was a colossal mistake by the ATP! I can still remember the GS Cup which was lame as well, but can't recall any matches! ...It's not that surprising the elites are having more trouble w/ the NG'rs! Nadal s/b on his way back on his honeymoon if not for the colossal "choke" of Medvedev!
***I like the RR. You can see Fed has gotten >er by the match. If he got knocked out after playing Thiem we'd have missed out on the Djokovic/Fed match. And Sampras would have zero WTF's b/c he lost in the round RR in all 5 of his WTF wins. Obviously he was playing well enough to go on to win all 5 of the tourns.!
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I guess that w/b diff. if Thiem had not chosen to practice vs Berrettini. It w/b 200 pts >. And as Fiero noticed above there's Brisbane still.***
It finally all caught up w/ Medvedev! ...It seems to have happened later than sooner, dropping all 3 of his RR matches @ the YEC! He was poised to take over #3 ranking from Fed, but had a bad Paris showing losing his 1st match in the 2nd Rd! Daniil has a very good chance of dropping from #4 to #5 which has all kinds of implications in the seedings of protection in the AO next Jan!
***We don't always agree, but I, like you did expect Medvedev to hit some kind of a wall. Rather wish he'd come through today, but no matter. In the usual "recentism," a lot of people expected him to keep going, non-stop. Instead, it's the guys who've been getting some crap across the year that are coming good: Tsitispas, Thiem, & Zverev. Just to remind us all to keep one foot on the floor. Anyway, w/b some drama for who gets the #4 before the AO.***
I have to believe the "Lost Gen" will do something w/i the next 2 yrs to make some kind of mark! There's that crowd w/ Ferrer, Berdych, Tsonga & others, but Cilic did win the USO in '14 & challenged for 2 others along w/ Anderson in the last yr. or 2! I'm very disappointed in Kei & Milos who have all kinds of game, but can't stay on the court > a few wks before brk'n down! The thing is, will they ever be able to hold up to = win anything regard< of their talent & ability! I can't write off the "Big 3" = though I'd love to do it! The NG'rs still have a lit'l reverence or apprehension playing them & can look like rookies @ any given X when they s/b in control of a match! Leads aren't safe w/ any of these new players = though their abilities are off the chart! The game still remains cerebral which's why Fedalovic have ruled for well over a decade! Who saw '17-18 coming? '19 made a lit'l > sense! Let's see what '20 holds for us!
***ITA that the "Lost Gen's" cooked. I think that Roger's done winning Majors. I don't think Rafa & Novak are, but it looks like the real slowing's about to happen. The Greek obviously won the yr. in terms of the young-guns, but good showings from Thiem & Zverev. Medvedev's sink was a bit predictable, but expect him to come back strong.***
Just pulled out a tape that happened to have a clip of the Wimbl. Final! It just came to me, the so called "greatest rivalry had the greatest match" @ Wimbl. - Nadal over Fed in 5 sets! Does '19 match w/ Nole take that over; esp. since it went 5 sets as well & ended in the new TB @ 12-ALL? I don't think ESPN Cl. will auto. go to '08 final so readily! What do others think about it?
***I think the adv. of the '08 final is that the outdoor/elements nature dressed it w/ a dramatic tone that doesn’t exist now @ W. The Fedal final: ...rain delays & a fading sunset which was going to postpone the match for another day due to darkness if play hadn’t concluded soon. Such background drama is missing when you have a roof for the inclement weather.***
***...Roger has surprised his fans by winning GS titles when most people thought he was done.***
ReplyDeleteHe was done for the most part! Fed was wandering the tour w/ just his name & a few Masters victories for 5+ yrs btw '12 Wimbl. win & '18 AO! He wow'd the masses w/ a few major finals, but for the most part lit'l >er than Connors was after his last major win in '83 USO! Jimmy hung on long enough to have that '90 USO run that was so memorable! Federer went it a few >er by actually taking 3 more majors, but I think the run's over! The NG'rs might as well start calling themselves "Lost2" if they allow that old man to work them for > longer!
***Sampras’ legacy is very much intact. He was the best of his era. And had he had > comp. to drive him he'd won > 14 Slams for sure; I'd say 16-17. I consider him firmly in the same company as the Big 3. He just played in an era where players accepted their mortality more readily by the X they were 30. - - New User not impressed by Pete Sampras!***
That's understandable! Newbies don't acknowledge much in the way of history un< they've seen it like the birth of a younger sibling! The older bro or sis are looked @ w/ skepticism by this new gen.! It's not really your fault; well some of it's due to plain ol' laziness, but for the most part the country has systematically "dumbed" all of you down! If you could get away w/ "pass/fail" as the ult. system to elim. the comp. part of life you would! In my day the greatest was Laver, hands down w/ some who still believe it! We proved #'s mean lit'l just by overlooking Emerson w/ his 12 majors j/b he achieved most of his stellar rec. as an am. & didn't have to face the likes of Laver, Rosewall, & Hoad due to the separation of tours! Sampras was given a pass & elevated to GOAT status for many reasons, but outside of his actually hard work, this gen. wanted t/b part of making history by being able to say "I knew him when!" I went along w/ it, but continue to pt. out, he didn't = play a FO final; SORRY! It's hard to overlook that, but many have & continue to overlook it! Sampras' legacy is secure mainly for owning the YE #1 ranking for 6 str. yrs! That's something that prob. won't be surpassed anyX soon or ever! Not sure we can call his rec. comparable to Fedalovic due to his ineptitude on clay! He'd have = < of a chance w/ the homogenized courts today; usually needing court speeds to assist him in powering thru the field w/ his serve, attacking style, & wicked FH!
***He was outstandingly clutch. If people think Nole is clutch, Sampras was god of clutchness. He rarely ever choked; can hardly ever remember it. People said he was a S&V specialist, but he was deadly @ the baseline also. His FH was a gun; his serving spectacular. I'd go ahead & say if he was in Today's era, he'd've gotten well ahead of 14 Slams. He stopped b/c he was far & ahead of comp. during his X. There was no >er reference pt. for him to conquer. If Emerson had gotten 15 slams, Sampras would've gotten 16 or 17. Fed got some advantage out of weak comp. & kind of struggled when Nole & Nadal emerged, but Sampras destroyed comp. in his X.
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Legend to me. Pete brought me & many others to the sport of tennis. Everything he did is still intact except recs. To me, tennis is > recs. Same goes w/ Fed or the "Big 3" if they ever get passed. They've written their legacies in stone not pencil.***
Every era w/b surpassed eventually, but starting w/ me & many others, Borg sorta reigns supreme w/ the way he played, how many streaks he created, & some recs that still hold up today! IMO we start w/ Laver, then progress thru the ages w/ Borg & Sampras, ending w/ Fedalovic for the X being!
***Federer 20 > Nadal 19 > Djokovic 16; and the man is 38+, lol.***
ReplyDeleteWhich gives Nadovic sev. yrs to catch up & surpass "The Sr. GOAT" which is the reason we can't "give it" to Roger not quite yet! It appears the only thing that'll stop a change @ the top of the historic rec. is an act of God or a "Nancy Kerrigan" moment; twice!
***He stayed on top & ahead of them (un)reasonably long. Nadal started winning Majors much much earlier than Federer's own start (age wise) & Djokovic had a basically free ride from younger ATGs for much > any X Fed would've enjoyed as a head start, so, no, no cookie for "having more X" here.
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5th set GS final/SF score:
Borg 8-1 (88.9%)
Wilander 4-1 (80%)
Djokovic 11-3 (78.6%)
Edberg 6-3 (66.7%)
McEnroe 5-3 (62.5%)
Nadal 6-4 (60%)
Agassi 6-5 (54.5%)
Lendl 5-5 (50%)
Murray 3-3 (50%)
Sampras 2-2 (50%)
Federer 6-10 (37.5%)
Becker 1-3 (25%)
Connors 1-5 (16.7%)
Nole's by far the player who won the most 5th set finals/SF's, and among Open Era ATGs only Borg and Wilander top him in winning %.
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IDK many people who watched Sampras that don't think of him very highly despite all the Big 3 have achieved. One of the GOAT's, he'll always be in the convo on grass, HC, carpet, etc...***
The tour prob. couldn't wait to get rid of carpet which promoted a lot > upsets than usual; esp. late in the season! I really think it gut< to elim. the interest brought w/ specialist on diff. surfaces! It almost doesn't matter these days where HC (indoor/outdoor) & grass have been slowed down w/ a lit'l "speed up" on clay! It's what has enabled Fedalovic to own the tour like no other "Big 3" in the history of the game! They've barely given up scraps in the way of 500's & Masters' 1000 events! If not for Wawrinka & Murray, it w/b just about a clean sweep for Fed, Rafa, & Nole the last decade or so!
***Nadal wasn't Goating in '11. Sounds like Djokovic Goating in '12. Djokovic was more consistent in '12 than Nadal in '11.***
Looking back at Nadal's career, '11 would've been his best chance to hold onto the #1 ranking for a prolonged per. of X if not for Nole coming into his own @ the end of '10! Nadal had won 3 majors, but Djokovic carried his countrymen to a Davis Cup when DC was DC! This past event is lit'l > a male version of Fed Cup! I had no idea they had decided on this change! It's just another way to undermine institutional events to herald a new one created by the ATP I guess! Let's hope they're > successful than the ITF's bid to take over the YEC w/ the GS Cup almost 30 yrs ago! What a bust!
The masses don't remember when Roger behaves poorly! More than a few X's he's been salty to umpires; actually going to the "do you know who I am?" card! He's the best of all X prob.; for the X being anyway, but sainthood shouldn't be bestowed upon him as well! Being #1 in anything, being an a-hole comes w/ the package whether we see it or not! Borg was having problems behind the scenes & I had no idea; who did before the movie came out?
***Jay, they let Mr. 40-15 Chokerer get away w/ double standards b/c organisers, mass media, & sponsors, trying their best to cover up his nasty & arrogant personality & force him to on the masses as nice and classy. ...Sabotaging others' careers just to keep these 2 (Fedal) SAFE to get free ride to the finals fresh & rested, while others playing 5 sets & reach the finals exhausted.***
***"The Big 3" will remain the "Big 3" in '20.***
ReplyDeleteNadovic will win @ least 3 of the 4 majors & 2 or 3 Masters each as they did this past season! Fed'll do just enough t/b a nuisance, but the upsets will occur > often w/ losing another step!
***Good post & you're correct, an upset may occur; I feel it w/b the HC. I'd say the USO's the most likely place. Do you think Fed’s purposefully trying to pass Connors' 109 tourn. wins?***
Why not? He's going to give up the TOP recs of Majors & Masters' events to 2 other players > likely! He has to devote his remaining X on tour extending his leads in other areas like cons. Finals, SF, & QF runs, the # of tourns. won, w/ 20+ yrs of sustained excellence!
***Exactly, why not? He's 7 tourn. wins away from passing Jimmy. The MS 1000s is prob. gone. Roger has cons. wks @ #1, which looks like it won't be passed for some long while, too. Roger's best argument is "sustained excellence," as you say, so going for most tourn. wins makes sense & seems achievable.
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Novak's now leading for # of tier 1 events won: 55 (16 slams + 5 WTF + 34 Masters) while both Fedal are tied @ 54. Great job getting in the lead despite being the youngest of the 3! (Nadal: 19 slams + 0 WTF + 35 Masters, Fed: 20 slams + 6 WTF + 28 Masters)***
It made > sense 10 yrs ago to call Fed "The GOAT" since he was able to surpass the major ct. rec. of 14 held by Sampras! He had swept past Pete in just over 8 yrs w/ 3 great seasons winning 3 majors in '04, '06, & '07 accelerating the process! Unfortunately for him he's had 2 rivals who've had lit'l to no trouble catching up to him before he = has a chance to retire! Both Nadovic have > Masters 1000 event wins & are right on his ass in the major ct. w/ their own great seasonal careers picking up majors faster than anyX in the history of the game! It only sounds a lit'l silly now to appt. the moniker of "GOAT" on him @ this X.
***...It's common to not have an umpire @ all & your opp. calls the lines on your shots.***
Officiating's needed unfortunately since the speed of the game has sped up so much! In each match an umpire has corrected a call from his chair, overruling a linesman only t/b challenged by the player to find 'the ump' was wrong! No apology or commiseration is ever forthcoming!
***Which player > likely candidate for GOAT?
Player 1 - 20 Majors (12 Wimbl., 4 RGs, 2 USO, 2 AO)
Player 2 - 20 Majors (12 RGs, 4 Wimbl., 2 USO, 2 AO)
Player 3 - 20 Majors (5 of each Major)
In isolation, the raw # of Majors won is meaning<. Laver, Borg, & Sampras didn't win anywhere near as many Majors as the Big 3 have. Yet those 3 players are revered by everyone who follows the sport. Laver & Sampras frequently figure in GOAT debates.
The Majors Ct. is a modern phenomena. It dumbs down the debate for simpletons who just want to look @ a single # b/c they can't be bothered digging deeper. Hardly anyone cared about the Majors' ct. as a metric until Federer =ed & then surpassed Sampras.
If 2 players are tied in # of Majors, it makes sense to look @ Major distrib. (& other things) to brk the tie. But if Player 3 had 19 Majors (let's say 5 AO, 5 FO's, 5 Wimbl., & 4 USO's), I'd pick either Player 1 or Player 2's career b/c they each have 20 Majors. I agree that historically, raw # of Majors wasn't the be all, end all. But starting w/ Sampras & certainly after Sampras (made AO = more highly regarded), the raw # of Majors has become the primary tennis stat for the GOAT debate.***
"That" & the "CGS" just to give Agassi something to tout back then when so far behind Sampras in the major ct.!
***A president is likely going t/b impeached and removed for withholding foreign aid b/c America got so involved in another country it was possible to ask their president to direct its prosecutors to target Americans.***
ReplyDeleteThis is one Fk'd up mess we're in w/ Reps going all out to defend & protect someone they don't = like; > about Trump being one of them as a Rep. & I think that's pathetic & treasonous! Trump & his admin. have had Russians going up & down their digestive tracks running things & undermining our Nat'l security! It's been blatant & I'm appalled so many have not taken notice & m/b put Trump "on blast" from the "right!" These are the people who normally tout their patriotism & undying loyalty & apprec. of the military! From what they're doing now & continuing to drag McCain out of his grave over a past vote should disgust the party as a whole!
***Vindman is reportedly asking for protection for his family b/c of threats. So sad.***
It's not the 1st X Trump has influenced his minions t/b threatening & = violent! One day it's going t/b linked directly to that a-hole, but it seems Reps don't really GAF b/c they feel attacked & justified!
***I know this is really sad that we think like this, but the GOP going after Pence aide Jenn. Wms was a really bad look for the hard-core Trump supporters. Here's a woman who looks like she just stepped out of Fox & Friends & she's been a loyal Rep. her entire life; Trump & the GOP are attacking her. For hardcore MAGA people pretty white Rep. women are entitled to a certain level of respect that, say, "immigrants" like Sondland aren't.
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At this pt., I don't think there's any ?? that if the impeachment inquiry is the grand jury, the evidence they have uncovered is > enough to indict. Now that doesn't mean "convict" so let the Senate have at it. But you have t/b simply denying reality to claim there isn't enough evidence for impeachment.***
It w/b irresponsible of the House not to bring this up & expose corrupt behavior of the president! They have to do it = though they know the Senate will drop the ball or execute a sham trial ignoring his improprieties!
***So, will Sondland throw Trump under the bus w/ Rudy tmrw? It's amazing how quiet Rudy has become.***
They're both in trouble! Sondland's coming around to "truth" & had to update his testimony saying his memory has been refreshed since others have testified! He doesn't want to get caught up in perjury so I believe he will throw Trump "under a bus" tmrw! He's quite wealthy & can't be dumb enough to try & protect Trump @ this pt.!
***So, Morrison was concerned about the political fallout, but he also wasn't?***
I guess he thinks he'll avoid being excoriated by Trump in a Tweet since he said he didn't see anything wrong though he still reported it! That's one weird way t/b on the fence while testifying to the country!
***But he also said that the call was not "perfect" & so did Volker. Off w/ their heads! As the call was the most perfect telephone call ever made!
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These 2 witnesses are a disaster of GOP. They can't defend anything that happened & aren't = trying, just weaseling out w/ a bunch of "it was inappropriate," "I don't recall," & "I went to the NSC w/ my concerns." Why the GOP thought these dudes would clear Trump is beyond me.***
Nunez thinks they did enough; @ least that the Dems didn't expose anything making this hearing out as a continuation of fake news!
***The US has begun the formal/actual process of WD'ing from the Paris climate agreement.
ReplyDelete- https://www.npr.org/2019/11/04/773474657/u-s-formally-begins-to-leave-the-paris-climate-agreement -***
It's been Trump's reason for life to reverse every proposition, Exec. Order, & law signed by Obama! He's made no secret of it w/ Bannon leading the charge when they 1st est. the admin.! That includes decimating our institutions by running career bureaucrats out of office! Gens, ambassadors, & foreign policy experts are being trashed by Reps & cons alike! What happened to their unflinching support of the military? Our institutions are forever undermined IMO! It's on all of us allowing this charade of a gov't to continue unabated! What happened w/ Reps? They're immersed in the wellbeing of Russia propaganda w/ agents going up & down the digestive tracks of cons & Rep. leadership alike! I'm disgusted & don't understand why > people aren't alarmed w/ Trump's treasonous behavior?
***Trump’s evisceration of the State Dept. is frightening.***
Hey, it was run by Hillary & has t/b destroyed! IDK how Pompeo's supposed to excuse his misquote about being advised about that woman being under attack! I guess his defense is it wasn't a single X, but 3 X's as the guy's testimony shows in transcripts! Lying begets more lying w/ these people! I'm just in awe of the stupidity of the American people & pols in allowing it to go on!
...McCabe & Comey are no heroes! They changed the course of history w/ their leak of investigating Hillary in the middle of the '16 campaign, while not mentioning Trump was also under investigation! Sessions also under scrutiny for perjury about his involvement w/ Russians! The hypocrisy is mind-numbing! "Good luck America!"
***What's the pt. of Trump claiming he doesn't know witnesses? Does he think that if he doesn't know them their testimony can't be accurate or he can't be guilty?***
The real killer's when Trump touts their integrity, IQ, & loyalty 1 day, then as they're being kicked to the curb, it goes from "they're liars, stupid, & disloyal;" finally relegating them to "IDK this person! I never met them!"
***The poetic justice isn't lost on me. Sondland's Trump-lite; Trump w/o the massive personality disorder. So Trump's getting trumped by his own pick for ambassador. Choose a sleazy commercial real estate guy & this is what you get. Sondland's about as loyal to Trump & Trump w/b to him.***
...The way I see it, people like McCabe & Comey smeared their own reps playing politics in the middle of '16 campaign! What FBI leadership holds press conferences; esp. about live investigations, but sleazy admin. of the agency? The real killer was these a-holes not only opened & closed a stupid investigation vs Clinton, they didn't mention Trump was also under scrutiny! I don't ever want to hear about Rep. & cons. "integrity" ever again! They've forfeited the actual use of the moniker! "Good luck America!"
***...I think they've finally realized that Putin's Russia is a totalitarian, white supremacist republic- & they really love it! - @Jay, It's called greed! Greed for power & $$.***
What's explaining Rep. apathy towards Nat'l security, deficits that are out of control, & the Nat'l debt? I just don't understand them constantly kvetchin' about these issues when Obama was president, but nothing from these A-holes in yrs while Trump's opening up the OVAL Office to Putin! They're blaming impeachment on nothing getting done when the fact is Pelosi's sending bills signed, sealed, & delivered over to the Senate!
The Impeachment hearings are quite informative for the lame idiots we breed in this country, but the detraction from Reps & Prof. Turley make the proceeding seem < serious! They're such an embarrassment to overlook the criminal acts of Trump while justifying past impeachment of Clinton for far < offenses!
ReplyDelete***It's X for libs to put their mark down & quit dancing around.***
That's been the prob. for the Dems/Libs for 2 decades; trying t/b all things to all people! The reason Reps are successful = as scummy as they c/b is b/c they stay consistent; esp. when being a-holes! They've 0'd in on 3 or 4 issues & they hit them hard; abortion, Nat'l Debt, the Military, & Foreign Affairs! ...Compromise's a dirty word! The Nat'l Debt's blowing up & there's not a peep heard! They look @ the stock market which means nothing to the working class & they're placated with the low unemployment!
***The Dems have made themselves extremely toxic w/ the way they behave, not at all like civilized folks.***
It's like YOU PEOPLE are looking right into a mirror & purposefully deflecting onto others!
***Libs hate this country to the core.***
Gawd, seek help! The only people who hate the country are Repugs who don't seem to GAF about democracy, free elections, & freedom of speech! They find everything offensive & can't find the + in ANYTHING!
***The D's don't have the votes for Impeachment & they can't get out of the way of their very own train wreck.***
It whb irresponsible for the Dems not to reign in The Big Orange w/ Impeachment! The man's been a crime boss running things from the OVAL Office since day one! He's violated the Emoluments clause of the Const., allowed his criminal cabal to get away w/ violating the Hatch Act among other things, & has systematically undermined every institution in the Capitol! ...The country's doomed w/ them in charge! The Nat'l Debt has just exploded under Trump & McConnell leadership! Who's the Dem designated to save us this X? I wouldn't bother! We're just too fk'd up to see it!
***...Didn’t you try to reverse the election in '98?***
These people can't = have the class t/b embarrassed about '98! To this day, they still think Clinton's Impeachment was justified; = though it was only lying about "a hummer!" That's what we get w/ Rep. & Cons. a-holes; total hypocrisy! I can pick apart everyone of them w/ video showing their hypocrisy, but they really don't GAF! They have no shame & the country has allowed it to get to this pt.!
***Perjury is perjury. It doesn't matter if you are lying about a murder or a traffic ticket, you are under oath in front of a Federal grand jury. Yeah, Clinton was impeached over lying about a BJ. The Dems are trying to impeach over a simple harm< phone call.***
You are out of your fk'n mind! Nuff said! I won't = dignify that stupid comment w/ a list of offenses!
***The Trump admin. has formalized a rule that makes about 688,000 people ineligible for food stamps. Right before Xmas.***
These same fools voted for this idiot! I seem to remember a woman who voted for Trump married to a Mexican immigrant! Within wks of him taking office, her husband was picked up dropping the kids off @ school & was deported! That's some strange Karma; a woman votes against another women for President knowing how he felt about minorities! Nothing like jerks who vote against their own fk'n interest! I'll never understand or care about these women who can't explain why they hate each other so much; "women hate women!"
***If Fedalovic retire w/ 20 or of a WC > the other 2.
ReplyDelete...The problem for the "Big 3" is not only their own aging--which is very slow--but that there are > & > serious road-blocks & possible upsets in their path. This isn't a few yrs ago, when the "spoilers" were guys like Berdych, Tsonga, Raonic & Nishikori. Next Gen is (going t/b) >er those bozos, & they're on the rise. Given all that, I think the Big 3 have something like 3-5 Slam titles left btw them: maybe 2-3 in '20, 1-2 in '21, and 0-1 in '22. How those are spread out remains t/b seen. Ranges are probably 0-1 for Roger, 1-3 for Rafa, & 1-4 for Novak.
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Nothing hurts Fed's dom. He fended them off early to a reasonable degree & then some, so he's not hurt by the later developments. ...Fed had to contend w/ those before him & those after him. The periods in which he & they had to do each of these are vastly advantageous to both Nadovic.***
Fed was helped along the way during that early period by having a very consistent rival & "pigeon" in A-Rod! Poor thing just couldn't brk thru the defenses of Roger in any meaningful match! The closest Andy got was in '09 @ Wimbl! Roddick was up a set w/ @ least 4 set pts to go up 2-0, but inexplicably forgot how to play the game to donate the 2nd set in the TB! He continued to hold serve until very late in the 5th dropping it finally 14-16 IIRC! I was no fan of Roddick's; seeing him as a "slash & dash" type who wouldn't have = gotten to elite status w/o his 1st serve getting free pt. donations! I can't remember anyone being stymied in a worse way; = worse than Gerulaitus being Borg's whipping boy!
***How Nadal & Novak age remains t/b seen, but these guys are not going to give up just like that. They have a champion mentality & they'll find a way. None of them are done & they prob. won't be for another 4-5 yrs. That's 16-20 slams on a table. They want to play as long as possible; same as Roger. The longer they play the >er the chances of winning slams. I don't think Nadal will come to RG '24 looking to go out in R3. Same for Novak in AO/Wimbl. They'll adjust their schedule & peak where they think is best for them to still have chances for winning slams.
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Rafa & Djoker have:
•Won 70% of the slams this dec. including winning the last 7 slams in a row
•Have won 9 of the last 10 YE #1 (Murray the only other player to win it)
•Have held the #1 spot for a combined 82% of the decade
•Djokovic has won the WTF 4 X's w/ the field sharing the rest
•Have won 54% of all M1000's this dec. (w/ Fed & Murray behind winning 23% combined)
Fed's clearly > the rest of the field, but he isn't in the same league as the big 2 & hasn't been for a while.***
***American coach Nick Bollettieri believes the 16-X Major winner Novak Djokovic's the GOAT. Bollettieri, as quoted by Tennis Tonic, said: "He moves well, recovers quickly, plays shortstop, serves, is very intelligent on the field. He's the best & it's great to see him again @ the ht. of his game. What makes a man a champion is when you don’t want to make it to the top.” Djokovic won his 15th & 16th Slams in '19, after claiming the AO & Wimbl. titles.
ReplyDelete---
Court, Martina, Graf, & Evert are the female GOAT's. Serena's #5; look @ her winning % & tourns. won. They arent even close to the others. Then you have her constant use of TUE's. She = got 1 after failing a drug test after winning the FO. Agassi said it best about Nick, "if you wanna see how much he knows about tennis, hit a few balls w/ him."
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Tell me why Serena is ranked above the others. She won 1/2 as many tourns. & matches as Martina. You realize Court has 62 total GS when you factor in doubles? No idea why the non tennis players here disrespect her so much. - Graf & Navratilova, IMO are better than Serena. But there's no doubt that the common consensus is that Serena's the GOAT.
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Kyrgios did reach a Masters Final of Cinci. '17, w/ Dimitrov being the winner.***
It's what set up Dimitrov to make YEC & win it in a tiring season w/ the "Big 4;" Fedal exploding to take all 4 Majors in yrs!
***Since "Big 3" are often said t/b too young or too old in some h2h, let's see only the h2h when they were old enough t/b 1, 2, 3 X's Slam champions or young enough t/b yet to win 1, 2, 3 > Slams.
Btwn their 1st & last Slam title:
Djokovic-Nadal (AO08-WI19) overall 26-20, in Slams 6-6
Djokovic-Fed (AO08-AO18) overall 22-17, in Slams 9-4
Nadal-Fed (RG05-AO18) overall 22-14, in Slams 9-3
Btwn their 1st & last 2 Slam titles:
Djokovic-Nadal (AO11-AO19) overall 21-9, in Slams 6-4
Djokovic-Fed (AO11-WI17) overall 17-9, in Slams 7-2
Nadal-Fed (RG06-WI17) overall 18-13, in Slams 8-3
Btwn their 1st & last 3 Slam titles:
Djokovic-Nadal (WI11-RG18) overall 17-9, in Slams 4-4
Djokovic-Fed (WI11-AO17) overall 14-8, in Slams 7-1
Nadal-Fed (RG07-AO17) overall 16-8, in Slams 7-2***
***Yuzuru says he's really tired & not so focused, so he almost wanted to do the 4A, then retire already. ...He knows that he tends to get injured in the 2nd GP so he w/b careful w/ that. He thinks his ideal skating w/ difficult jumps like the 4lz or 4A are coming together.***
ReplyDeleteIf he's training to do a 4A; get the wheelchair ready! He's already trying to overcome niggling aches & pains; now I hear this! Those harnesses can only do so much so there's going t/b a lot of "crash & burn" to "get there!"
***I think the skaters know the risks > any of us & they want to take risks. It's their life.
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Would it not be interesting to do a PCS comp. Chen v Hanyu? Pick identical music, limit it to triples, 4 spins w/ footwork & let them have @ it.***
You're kidding right? There's no contest; esp. since most US male skaters look like they're performing "w/ a stick up their ass!" There are a few exceptions like Brown, Eldridge, Galindo, & Abbot, but for the most part other countries seem to have our # artistically IMO due to wanting a > "masculine skate" from the guys!
***Hanyu has great speed & edges, wonderful flowout on jumps. But Nathan has superior upper body carriage, >er usage of arms & dancing skills. Hanyu's body carriage is rather loose & he skates w/ his head down a lot. I also find Nathan > of an interesting artist, attempting a >er variety of styles, while Hanyu's rather one-note. It w/b a close contest, IMO.***
Listening to Tara during the Grand Prix, she mentioned the ladies aren't allowed to do QUADs during the SP; WHY? Why is the ISU interfering again & treating them diff. than the men? Not like I care, but it just seems bizarre w/ the abilities of today's kids out there!
***The idea of the SP was that the tech. content was controlled & > limited to allow the judges to make a > apples to apples comparison among the skaters. It doesn't seem applicable as much any>, but also keep in mind that the 1st quad in Sr. ladies was landed March, so there really wasn't much reason to allow quads in the SP b/c no one could do it. It'll prob. be changed for next season.
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Hanyu would cry if he took a year off. I honestly think he's finally hitting a groove & elevating himself into yet another level. He also seems to love competing.***
Hanyu looked "gassed" to me pushing himself to do more techn.! He's not getting any younger & can only skate for so long being pushed by this next gen. of kids; esp. on the ladies' side of things! I hope Chen won't turn out like past greats Browning, Orser, Stojko, & Chan winning Worlds, but R-up @ Olympics again & again! Nathan actually won the LP this past Games, but his SP so awful he didn't medal @ all!
***...Nathan called Raf early the morning of the SP & told him what he was going to do. Raf said he knew Nathan would not do well. He knew what the pressure was like competing @ the Olympics; Raf was right. Had Nathan followed the advice of his coach, he wHH a great SP & likely been Olympic champion. After that fiasco, Nathan's mother doesn't follow him to the comps.***
Just chk'd out Trusova's FS on YouTube! She's just amazing & I can't wait for her to grow into a champion! Her Quads are awe inspiring; no Flutz like "Tara & Emily" from gens past w/ her! She's quite impressive as is! She almost had 100 pts in the Tech. score alone!
***"I Worked for Alex Jones. I Regret It. ...I believed in his worldview. Then I saw what it did to people.***
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of these poor slobs who get caught up w/ con artists & regret it; many don't! Most of them know they're being lied to, but for some reason can rationalize the necessity of it all to save the country! It's all BS b/c it's so insidious & evil the ideas & deeds done by people on "the right" who claim t/b cons.! What's really cons. about being lying slugs?
***Rudy Guiliani flew to Ukraine on Wizz Air. Seems appropriate.***
W/ impunity, Trump & his minions go about there business not caring that they're already under scrutiny; just ignoring the eyes of the world seeing the corruption! They don't seem to care feeling, "we're old, toast, & worm food so it doesn't matter how we leave it!"
***The defeat of America by China in all trade agreements only benefitted some farmers, but most Americans suffered very badly. Now they work for stores that sell Chinese made goods they used to make.***
Congress sold us out ages ago; & continue to talk a good game about fair trade! Heaven knows how they're playing all of this behind the scenes! I gave up yrs ago not stressing myself when it seems we're all complicit by not paying attn. & allowing our repre. to talk out of both sides of their mouth! Both parties should feel shame!
***Trump admin. create plan to throw 700,000 off food stamps. ...SNAP benefits are so low for most people and restrictive in nature, that the "assumptions" of entitlements or living high of the gov't is simply not true. Not that facts are important to certain political populations. ...My husband did the grocery shopping for his 90 yo. disabled dad. I'm sure some people thought he was abusing the system for those $16/month.***
Reps hate welfare, food stamps, & health care for all! Again, fools vote for these scumbags who screw them over 1st chance they get! We deserve t/b hosed continuing to send the same con artist back to their crooked office!
***No, you are wrong. Reps hate welfare & subsidies for the poor & middle class. They are absolutely in favor of "fair & equitable treatment" welfare & subsidies for the wealthy.
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B/C he's the president, he appears to be cognitively impaired, & the VP, Cabinet, & the Reps in The Senate don't seem to want to address the issue.***
It's b/c 1/2 the country has accepted Trump's persona, ego, classlessness, & cultural insanity! It just makes us all look bad in the eyes of the world when we critique everyone else, but can't look @ ourselves! We can't = acknowledge our own bigotry & prejudices w/o losing control, throwing chairs, & insulting someone else's heritage! I've just about given up hope we'll recover after this man destroys all our institutions!
***Here’s Trump accusation: "I think it's terrible if you go w/ what Hillary is saying in the 9th month you can take the baby & rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby. ...And that's not acceptable."***
Anyone who's listening to Trump & his BS isn't worth paying attention to ever! Those types like being lied to & find it acceptable for their party, but will call out the least lit'l mistake by the opp.! Their hypocrisy is mind-numbing! Screw them all! That's how they feel about Dems so please don't reprimand me! They're disgusting animals as far as I'm concerned! That's how we're talked about & being nice isn't doing our Democracy any good it seems! We've been rewarding a-hole tactics & lies for years! "Good luck America; you'll need it!"
***These Reps put greed & power before country. They're traitors. When I say Rep. hate America, it's not hyperbole. They hate everything we have made this country into. They love only a fantasy version, a neo-confed. fascism that they are going to implement if we don't stop them.***
ReplyDeleteNothing new! Reps have been working for Russians in & out office for yrs! Even the organizations that support them like the NRA have been infiltrated by Russians! A Russian woman was just released from jail for the way she was influencing things behinds the scenes during campaign '16! Reps are ALL FOOLS & TRAITORS to their country following TRUMP!
***Do these Reps have a conscience?***
The Reps lost their souls over 20 yrs ago when they went out of their way to undermine Clinton & the country's prosperity when we were in great shape! The Nat'l Debt was actually going down w/ a sur+ as Bill walked out the door of the Oval Office! They didn't care; wanting to destroy him & Hillary so badly, they lost what lit'l conscience they had following the tribalism of Newt Gingrich! Every X I said "they can't possibly" do something, they found a way to do something = worse! They disgust me & there's no going back after what Trump has done to their party!
***Let every Rep. go on the rec. as careerist pol who put themselves ahead of the Constitution they swore an oath to. I don’t think they'll remove him. They'll have to stand up in front of the world & say they don’t see anything wrong.
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A federal judge has issued an injunction blocking Trump from using DOD funds to build his wall.
- https://protectdemocracy.org/update/breaking-judge-issues-nationwide-injunction-blocking-trumps-border-wall/ -
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Trump doesn’t know so much & he also doesn’t care that he doesn’t know. He has said & done exactly what he wants his entire life & always had a crew on minions who follow along behind him to clean up the mess. He has never been held acct.able & doesn’t = realize it. I'm sure he was completely blindsided by all the uproar over his July 25th phone call to the Ukraine. By his def. all his calls are perfect. That is what he has learned over the years because no one has ever suggested anything to the contrary. He has been able to say whatever crazy thought pops into his head, follow whatever conspiracy theory he hears, blatantly lie about easily knowable stuff, & never once, until he decided to run for President, has anyone ever ??ed him. Even now, he has his new fixer Bill Barr. One can only hope he ends up like the original fixer Michael Cohen, or at least under investigation like fixer 2 Rudy Giuliani.***
All true! That's what's been so frustrating! It's not like Trump's trying to hide he's a lying SOS, but Reps & cons. don't seem to care as long as they're in power! It's shocking to see politicians on the "right" I actually had some respect for like Lynsey Graham, but like FNC, they've all drank the Trump Kool-Aid & seem t/b following him over a cliff like lemmings! It's sad for the country & the world who used to respect & see us as a leader! Other leaders are laughing @ him & us shaking their heads in total confusion! The problem is this kind of coot is occurring all over the world where radical leaders have taken over gov'ts like in London where they're in pickle still debating Brexit! Italy has trouble w/ criminal conduct by their president in the past! Putin? Nuff said! Those fools just don't care or understand what they're doing allowing this tyrant to rule like some kind of king! Maybe that's Trump's idea of how he should run things; w/ total impunity telling every1 else where to go when it's ??ed!
***These Reps put everything before country. They're traitors. Ted Cruz just threw his own family "under the bus!"***
ReplyDeleteHard to believe Cruz is = talking to Trump < supporting him to the death! Trump ripped his father, made fun of his wife's looks, & called him all kinds of names like "Lyin' Ted!" I just can't believe anyone would compromise themselves that much & look so weak & stupid! Goes to show Texans have a serious issue electing a-holes to high office going "way back!" They're all such losers = though they win races!
***Your wrong, check it out. You can NOT start a counter intelligence operation w/o White House approval, period. - That’s not what the IG report said.***
Reps & cons. don't GAF about truth, facts, & common sense! It's like "don't pay attn. to this b/c we don't think it was legit. to begin w/!" These fools don't seem to understand justice & the law! If someone is being investigated or arrested for a minor offense, if caught in other illegal acts, they don't just ignore it! Charges are heaped on! Arguing there shouldn't have been an investigation into Trump negating all their findings is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! What else can we expect from such disgusting a-holes I guess?
***If you make a high crime & misdemeanor out of going to the courts – it is an abuse of power. It’s your abuse of power.” Going to the courts w/ frivolous & non-existent claims is an abuse of power. - Congress doesn't need to go to court to impeach a President. They can do it all on their own.***
Trump & his minions do it enough! He keeps getting smacked down by judges he appointed!
***Trump attacks Greta Thunberg for being Time's 'Person of the Year'
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/12/12/trump-mocks-greta-thunberg-being-times-person-year/4407278002/ -***
OMG, this is a child this fool is attacking! Plain & simple, this scumbag's jealous of her! She's made a real name for herself w/o abusing others around her! From the article, "Thunberg has spoken about her diagnosis of Asperger's, a neurological disorder that creates difficulty w/ social & communications skills. She calls it her "superpower." It's bad enough he's been getting away w/ this shit all his life, but for his followers not to chastise & put him on notice t/b > adult & civil; I have no words for these people!
***They didn’t chastise him when he mocked a disabled reporter, an immigrant Dad who lost his son fighting for this country, when he bragged about sexually assaulting women, when he invited foreign powers to help him win his reelection, & the list goes on. Why would they chastise him now?
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Not surprised. His whole pt. of existence is to build himself up @ the expense of putting others down. Just a vile petty man who can't help himself; hence his racism, bigotry, demonizing & vilifying others.***
I find more fault w/ the facilitators & supporters of Trump's racism, bigotry, demonizing, & vilifying of others!
***Yet making a totally innocuous comment about Barron is right up there next to treason.***
She regretted it the moment she said it last wk. invoking Barron's name! That professor knew how petty Reps & Trump in particular are so expected their attacks on her entire testimony! Of course they did in the hearing & then later on FNC all day & into the night!
***Just out of curiosity I looked @ some "right-wing" Twitter accts. & saw what they said about Greta. Some of the comments are really revolting.***
***I dare say in the Open era Ivan had the best grasscourt rec. of those who never won a Major on grass.***
ReplyDeleteW/o = chk'n you're quite correct! You never heard of Lendl being upset early @ Wimbl. or the AO when on grass! He got to where he was supposed t/b & never really had bad losses in early Rds! It was SF & F all the X & it took a grass court specialist to beat him like Edberg, Becker, & of course Cash in the '87 Wimbl. final!
***But Pete routinely lost early on the red dirt.***
True enough! It was one place on clay (@FO) Agassi got from under Pete's thumb in their so called rivalry! He did try, it just wasn't meant t/b for Sampras to = make a FO final! I'm still feeling a bit foolish anointing him THE GOAT when he never came close to FO win!
***Don’t feel foolish! It’s all in context:
In fairness to you, many forget that after Rod Laver, nobody else in the Open Era except for Agassi won all 4 of the Majors as part of their resume. Borg, Mac, Connors, Nastase, Ashe, Newcombe, Lendl, Edberg, Becker, Wilander, etc all had at least “1” Major missing from their bag, not just Pete.
Since Pete “owned “ Agassi (H2H & in Majors), had 6 cons. yrs as #1, (to Agassi's lone yr. as #1) & had a seemingly unsurpassable 14 Majors. Sampras was a logical choice as the GOAT or @ least in the Open Era. The only real challenge was Laver who ended up w/ considerably < Majors.
What nobody foresaw that as soon as Pete retired a 3 headed “beast” Fedalovic would emerge, that would win @ least 16 Majors each, AND win all the Majors; 20, 19 & 16? Who would've thunk?
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Even Fedalovic having won so many slams, none of them have all 4 slams won twice. All of them miss 1 = though they all came close sev. X's. Who has a >er chance here, Nadal for AO or Novak for RG & will it = happen for any of them? This is assuming that Fed has no real chance to win another RG.
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It's ok to not win a particular major, provided you don't suck in it or if there's an alpha dog blocking everyone in that major. Neither was the case for Pete on dirt.***
But people & the media c/b vicious when it comes to that hole in a resume these days! Lendl never got any love for one!
***14 Majors & 6 cons. yrs ranked #1. That last stat prob. may not be surpassed in our lifeX's. - Pete didn't trust his feet on the dirt @ RG. He had the ability to win on clay as evident w/ his leading the DC on clay. I think he beat the reigning RG champ & entire Russian team to capture the DC. Pete chose to save himself to maximize his op. to win Wimbl. instead of capturing the magnificent double RG & Wimbl. w/i the same Summer.***
He wasn't totally inept on clay, actually winning Rome over Becker when he was @ the height of his powers! It just wasn't meant to be!
***Tennis.com just named Novak their male player of the Decade.
- https://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2019/12/mens-player-decade/86094/ -
Excerpt: Djokovic can only be who he is. As he won Wimbl. this yr., he seemed content not to try to win anyone over. There was no fall to the grass or cry of triumph, no attempt to celebrate w/ the fans who had rooted against him. All he could do was win for himself. As Annacone says, “He’s a champion, pure & simple.”***
Thanks! It only makes sense since he literally owned it winning the most Majors & Masters events!
***H2H for each Slam btwm "Big 3"
DJOKOVIC
4 pos. (AO vs both, WI vs both)
2 draws (RG vs Federer, UO vs Federer)
2 neg. (RG/UO vs Nadal)
NADAL
4 pos. (RG vs both, AO vs Federer, UO vs Djokovic)
1 draw (UO vs Federer)
3 neg. (AO/WI vs Djokovic, WI vs Federer)
FEDERER
1 pos. (WI vs Nadal)
3 draws (RG/UO vs Djokovic, UO vs Nadal)
4 neg. (AO/WI vs Djokovic, AO/RG vs Nadal)
H2H for other Big Tournaments (Masters, YEC, Olympics)
DJOKOVIC
9 pos.
7 draws
6 neg.
NADAL
7 pos.
7 draws
8 neg.
FEDERER
6 pos.
8 draws
8 neg.***