tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post510841864184311391..comments2024-03-26T22:14:18.179-05:00Comments on Jamie - Fiero425's Personal BLOGs: What's Up? Topic #17; entries 10/15 - 01/16Jamie / Fiero425http://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-34827277742215307072016-01-20T17:51:44.607-06:002016-01-20T17:51:44.607-06:00***“Djokovic looking like 1980s-90s NBA: 1st there...***“Djokovic looking like 1980s-90s NBA: 1st there was Bird, Magic, Isiah, Jordan. Then there was just Jordan. ...esp. w/ Nole playing in the era of Fed & Nadal, 2 of the best players in tennis history.<br /><br />Nole has recorded some of the best ind. seasons ever in the sport the past few yrs, includ. last season when he went 82-6 & finished w/ 3 major titles. At this rate, w/ Nadal’s injury-prone body, the 34-yo Fed past his prime and no obvious contender from the next gen., it's conceivable that Djokovic, owner of 10 GS titles, can match or break Federer’s record of 17.<br /><br />...“Even though Rafa’s got 4 more Slams than Nole, I think Djokovic has better a chance of getting 7 than Rafa has of getting 3.…” ...Djokovic would not win another major title until AO '11. ..."…Djokovic seems to be rising while the other 2 are falling back.”<br /><br />In a conference call w/ reporters last wk, ESPN tennis analyst Brad Gilbert said that Djokovic's “as complete of a tennis player” as he has ever seen. While Federer still holds sev. records, includ. reaching 36 cons. GS 1/4's, Nole's gaining on or surpassing his 2 main rivals in some stats. Acc. to 538’s Carl Bialik & Benj.Morris, “Djokovic is playing @ a level virtually unseen in the sport, topping even Fed’s best yrs a decade ago.”<br /><br />Djokovic has a 22-22 H2H rec. vs Federer & a 24-23 H2H rec. vs Nadal. In 5 seasons that Federer has finished the year at #1, his win-loss record is 376-36 (91.3%). Djokovic has gone 288-32 (90%) in the 4 seasons he has ended as world #1 and Nadal is 228-28 (89.1%) in 3 seasons finishing at the top. Djokovic has a slight lead in career win % vs top 10 players at 66.7% compared to Federer’s 65.7% and Nadal’s 65.4%.<br /><br />...“#1 players, there’s always improvement from the last decade,” Evert said. “I think Djokovic…if he has another 2 or 3 majestic years, he could very well be right up there w/ Federer. We keep saying the best that ever was. He’s certainly looking that way if he stays motivated.”<br /><br />Even the man whose rec. Djokovic's chasing doesn't doubt the Serbian’s chances. “Clearly he can win many of them,” Fed said after his 4-set loss to Djokovic at last yr’s USO. “He already has a ton, so obviously he’s got to stay healthy and all that stuff and hungry, but obviously you would think he will win more after tonite.”<br /><br />A health fanatic, Nole's a relatively young 28. He's known for a restr. diet & wrote in his autobio, “Serve To Win,” that he treated himself to just 1 small square of choc. after his nearly 6-hr victory over Nadal @ AO '12.<br />---<br /><br />Who's the most consistent player of all X? Who keeps on producing good results, match after match, day after day in both big & small tourneys?<br /><br />Out of all stats on the ATP website, the match winning % is the best indicator of consistency across matches of all levels. At this moment, the COAT belongs to Novaaak DJoookovic, by a mile.<br /><br />All X, Rafa's leading atm, but Nole has gained a lot of ground this yr ...so I think Nole will come out on top in this stat when he retires. If he gets the COAT, he will be closer to the GOAT.<br /><br />'15 match winning %:<br /><br /> 1 Djokovic 0.940 - 78-5<br /><br /> 2 Federer 0.855 - 59-10<br /><br /> 3 Murray 0.850 - 68-12<br /><br />Career match winning %:<br /><br /> 1 Nadal 0.828 - 764-159<br /><br /> 2 Borg 0.827 64 609-127<br /><br /> 3 Djokovic 0.825 - 682-145<br /><br /> 4 Connors 0.819 109 1254-278<br /><br /> 5 Lendl 0.818 94 1071-239<br /><br /> 6 Federer 0.817 - 1055-237<br />---<br /><br />According to Fedal fans logic, Novak waited for Fedal (hairs) to decline and now having a weak hair field.***<br /><br />...Nadal's disappears w/ a little sweat these days & Verdasco looked like he could go to a photo-shoot right after the match! Borg's was great back "in the day," Agassi's was the best of his gen. until it came out he wore exten., & I really like Nadal's & Federer's back when they were kids, but my all X fave, having the entire package w/ the best hair, short or long has t/b Feliciano Lopez!Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-36003937654235547412016-01-19T14:28:02.878-06:002016-01-19T14:28:02.878-06:00***“If you're looking at [Nole’s] season, he w...***“If you're looking at [Nole’s] season, he was the most dominant player by far last yr,” Federer said. - So, Fed agrees that tier 1 = slams + Masters. ...Fed's so, so bad w/ words. If he meant that no player really dominates unless they win the 4 slams, then Fed himself never dominated either, lol.<br /><br /> 3 slams, 6 Masters + WTF<br /> Then Murray: 2 Master titles + 1 slam final + 2 Master finals<br /> Fed: 1 Master title + 2 slam finals + WTF final + 2 Master finals<br /><br />...Either Fed was too high/drunk to think or he just stumbled on words (as he usually does) b/c I'm sure he's well aware of that fact.<br />---<br /><br />W/ Nadal's loss last night, he has not made a semi in the last 7 GS. From '05 FO to '15 FO, Nadal was always good enough to have at least reached 1 GS semi in the previous 4. A very solid 10 years. Sampras was also 10 yrs - '92 USO - '02 USO. Federer's streak's active - currently @ 13 yrs, from '03 Wimbledon to '16 Wimbledon. It'll be interesting to see how far Djokovic goes w/ this - currently at a little over 9 yrs - '07 FO to '16 Wimbledon. I know this "streak" seems really obscure, but it basically means being good enough in a given year, to at least reach 1 final weekend of a GS.<br />---<br /><br />Sampras' streak tech. lasted 11 yrs ('92 USO - '03 USO), as it was only after the latter tourn. that he hadn't reached a slam SF in the previous 12 months.- Federer's streak will last until at least the '16 USO, so 13 yrs & 2 months. Also interesting to note that Connors' streak was 12 yrs & 7 months, from the AO '74 to the USO '86. So Federer probably has the longest streak in the Open Era. Mind you, Rosewall went from the AO '53 to the FO '70, i.e. 17 years and 4 months, w/ at least 1 semi in either the traditional GS, or the Pro Slams, during his preceding 12 months of play.<br />---<br /><br />Rafa is done and he and his team knows it. His style of play needs YOUTH. He used to be most diffcult player to hit winners against and approach the net b/c of his amazing passing shots and his ability to turn defence into offense. His decline started 1st on GRASS and now it is on all SURFACES. GAME OVER. - Rafa phisically & mentally not on a level that we're used to seeing from him; a shadow of himself. Verdasco played like he always does and today many shots made it thru.<br />---<br /><br />The days are over where he can consistently use the FH to push opponents off the court. Rafa needs to add a new dimension to his game and I think it's a dimension that Uncle Toni cannot provide. - Nadal seemed to be constantly on the run and 10 feet behind the baseline. Nobody can win playing that way; ssp. at his age. IDK if he gets "pushed" far back by the opponents shots (and losing a step to age), or if he just reverts to that positioning out of habit/nerves/fear etc., but it is killing him. ...If he plays from 10 feet behind the line (and can't hit monster FH's from defensive positions) he's toast.<br />---<br /><br />I don't care if your name's Nadal. Losing in the 2nd, 3rd and 1st rounds of the last 3 majors tells me a player w/ result like those doesn't deserve to be anywhere near the top 5; yet he still is. - ...We only have a top 3, maybe 4 and the rest of the players are so much weaker. In the 90's the top 10 or 20 was much closer. Everyone could win a slam. So that made a more comp. era IMO and much more difficult to win. That doesn't mean that I think, Djokovic, Nadal, Federer & even Murray are better players than in the 90's. But the era is not better. Everyone in the top 20 now could and w/b beaten by the top 20 of the 90's when we had Medvedev, Kafelnikov, Rusedski, Krajickek, Sampras, Agassi, Muster, & Stich.***Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-17138203014090524592016-01-15T21:44:05.049-06:002016-01-15T21:44:05.049-06:00***I'm not saying it was a fluke @ '14 AO....***I'm not saying it was a fluke @ '14 AO. However, Nadal was not @ 100% in that final.***<br /><br />No 1 really beats Rafa; injury's always the excuse! Was he gimpy in Beijing or Doha? I thought he was back! As for Nole at the FO, I wasn't surprised in the least he lost that match! Even when he took the 1st set, he just didn't look settled! Stan steamrolled as he's apt to do periodically; just not enough to get him > in the rankings! Strange phenomenon w/ him behind 2 players w/o a major in the last 3 yrs!<br /><br />***When Nadal loses, he is always injured, no? - Those fatigue excuses are a load of BS. Djokovic luckily got away w/ playing passive, pusher tennis at the AO vs Stan and decided to use the same at RG. However this X Stan was on and didn't let him get away w/ it.<br />---<br /><br />Federer is desperate to win. In his whole career, there has not been such a long Slamless period.***<br /><br />Everyone wants the old guy to "close it out" w/ 1 major; in particular a Wimbledon to set himself on top of Sampras, Borg, & Laver!<br /><br />***Exactly...Djoker isn't as well liked as Federer & never w/b, but his X to get the crowd support will come. Crowd was going nuts for him in the '08 USO (trust me, I was in it). By '07 he was always cheered for no matter the opp., but the heavy support came in '08 when he was declining & vulnerable.***<br /><br />His Wimbledon win in '12 shb his swan song, but the rest of the tour gives him little reason to retire; hanging onto #2 & #3 rankings of late! He still thinks he can win and I think he's playing as well as he ever has, but today's players should still be upsetting him more! If we have a couple more losses like that of Seppi, maybe he'll change his mind b/c only if Nole's upset will Roger even have a chance in the next few yrs at majors! There will have t/b a "Soderling"-type to help him out @ Wimbledon; maybe Anderson finishing Nole off instead of choking away his chance last season!<br /><br />***Completely agree! - Djokovic was very passive in that final and let Wawrinka bully him around the court. He wasn't tired lol. ...Wawrinka was on fire for most of the match and Djokovic was just pushing the ball (and choked a bit as well).***<br /><br />Well all, THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW! Living in the past like me doesn't take away from the fact Nole's not pushing the ball these days! He's taking bludgeoning swipes at each ball hit his way; nothing really defensive even when pushed! Few take defense to offense like him and I'm just not sure who's gonna stop his march through this season and tour; close to '15 effort!<br /><br />***...Becker rallied to win 7-5 6-7 2-6 6-4 6-3 vs Lendl @ Wimb. semi in '89. It was a long and tiring match, but he ended up on a high and he took that momentum into the final, winning the opening set 6-0 vs a very flat Edberg, 6-0 7-6 6-4. Becker would probably have won anyway - although it's worth noting that Edberg had beaten him in the previous year's final and would beat him again in the next year's final - but it's not likely he'd have been on fire at the beginning or that 1st set whb so 1-sided.***<br /><br />Edberg was pretty much "done" after his marathon loss to Chang in the FO just 2 wks before Wimbledon! People will never understand some matches take more out of you than a few wks rest will remedy! Lendl will tell you after all these years that his '84 FO 5 set win over McEnroe almost killed him! He was also done for the rest of the season; winning over players lower in the ranking, but definitely @ a disadvantage vs McEnroe having a career year in '84!<br /><br />***Edberg dropped serve in his opening service game, it reminded him of the Chang match, b/c he'd lost the 1st set there 6-1, so I agree that there was a connection btw the 2.***Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-81633803610276913062016-01-15T13:12:35.496-06:002016-01-15T13:12:35.496-06:00***Hoping Rafa doesn't get surprised along the...***Hoping Rafa doesn't get surprised along the way and raises his level enough to face Djokovic "down under."***<br /><br />Does Rafa even have it in his heart to hang out there as long as it takes? You can't live on your laurels at this level! Nole seems t/b on a mission to not only win his matches, but to punish his detractors and rivals! I think he's releasing a lot of steam & frustration for not doing enough to really get his due! It's still all about Fedal even when no real rivalry exists! Unless Djokovic wins the Golden CYGS this year, it'll still be about Rafa and Roger even though Nole's name in the record-book is pushing theirs off the page!<br /><br />***I think it's safe to say Fiero's having a hard X avoiding RAFA. Something about RAFA has really got inside of him. Nobody can save Fiero now.***<br /><br />Never cared for Rafa's entire act on court! I've ranted about it enough! Karma, justice, fate; whatever you want to call it has come to past and Rafa's not looking too "GOAT"-like! In fact, he's looked fairly horrible, throwing everything at Nole and getting it back in "spades!" It's been quite enjoyable seeing Nadal get some of his treatment thrown back at him! Other players felt helpless @ one X during Rafa's era; X's change!<br /><br />***Not a Rafa fan either, but I think another Wimbledon would add more to his legacy. Think about him having at least 3 slams on each of the 3 surfaces. Nobody's done that; Open or pre-Open era.***<br /><br />Well that's not going to happen if he can't even make a 1/4 at Wimbledon!! It's not like Rafa's being handled by the top echelon! Since '11 final vs Nole, I've joked about the qualifiers, WC's, & "never-weres" who have knocked the "clay GOAT" out of the most prestigious tourney in our sport all too early for the last sev. yrs! Rosol c/b chalked up to the chaos of rain delays and turning into an "indoor" match late when they closed the roof! Fine, he had a gimpy leg against Darcy along w/ a dozen other players on both tours! The last 2 tourneys have seen him "blown off the court" by players not in the top 100 at the top! After a while this begins to look like a trend to me! I'd be very surprised if Rafa gets more than a sniff at any major outside of Paris! I'll give him credit for maybe having a good run on his best surface, but after last season, you never know! He hasn't even been competitive vs Nole the last year & 1/2!<br /><br />***Is a double Career Slam really that big a deal...would be great if Nadal could get another Wimbledon to have 3 CGS.***<br /><br />...It's an accomplishment; no doubt about it, but it's nothing like a CYGS w/ many chances of late; 3 for Fed, 2 w/ Nole, and even 1 X Rafa won 3 majors! No one's been closer than Djokovic w/ a dominance seldom seen in an era w/ plenty of talent, but just as many "head-cases" that can't seem to get their act together to finish off an upset; no matter how many opportunities the top players give them! Instances like '09 & '14 USO, '14 AO, & '15 FO are truly few and far btw w/ our current Big 4 owning the majors & Masters events for the last 10+ yrs!<br /><br />***14 Slams + Double CS + Olympics Singles Gold + 23-11 H2H > 17 Slams + Single Career Slam + Oly. Doubles' Gold - W/ the Double CGS, even if RAFA didn't have the Gold Medal & H2H lead, I'd still put him ahead of Federer.***Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-44994638543684600122016-01-14T02:37:58.390-06:002016-01-14T02:37:58.390-06:00***W/ Djokovic's USO title last year, he becam...***W/ Djokovic's USO title last year, he became the 3rd player of this gen. to reach at least 10 GS victories, joining Federer (17) & Nadal (14). To put that in perspective, just 2 other men have won double-digit Slams, all of which have come since the start of the Open era (since '68): Borg (11) & Pete Sampras (14). And they didn't overlap.<br /><br />Borg started winning majors in '74 and was done by '81. Sampras won his 1st in '90 & culminated his career at the '02 USO w/ his 14th major trophy. It s/b noted that Laver won 11 majors, but 6 came before the Open era. Federer's 17 Slam wins are the most of all X. Nadal has won 2/3 of his H-to-H encounters w/ Federer (23-11). And now Djokovic, though w/ 7 < Slams than Federer, has dominated both his rivals, winning 9 of his past 10 matches vs Nadal and beating Federer in 2 major finals last season.<br /><br />Last season, Djokovic won 3 GS titles. Amazingly, it was the 2nd X in his career he has pulled off this feat ('11). So dominant was Djokovic that he nearly doubled #2 Murray in rankings pts. The Serb reached the final of the last 15 events he played in '15 and accum. an 82-6 record along the way. Perhaps more impressive, he went 31-5 versus top-10 players. His > victim was Federer, who lost in the finals of Wimbledon and the USO to Djokovic.<br /><br />For the 1st X in a decade, Nadal failed to advance to a major final. He has 14 GS titles, but there are ??s as to whether the Spaniard will add to his total. If he does, it'll most likely come at the FO, an event he has won 9 X's. No player in history has won more Slam titles at a single event than Nadal at RG.<br /><br />In the decade that started in '06, Nadal, Djokovic & Federer have combined to win 34 of 40 GS titles. This Big 3 has accounted for 58 of the 80 GS final berths since '06. Hard to believe, but in 10 years of tennis dominated by the Big 3, only del Potro, Murray, Wawrinka & Cilic have been able to overcome their dominance and win a major event. And in only 1 major since '06 has there been a final consisting of 2 players not named Nadal, Djokovic or Federer -- that was in '14 when Cilic beat Kei Nishikori at the USO.<br /><br />The Serb should enjoy the pinnacle of his career for at least another 2 years, but keep in mind, he turns 32 in 3 years, and only 3 players have won a Slam title in the Open era after that age. As for Fed, although he failed to win a major title, he did secure his spot as Nole's main rival, falling to the world #1 in the Wimbledon & USO finals. Fed handed Djokovic 3 of his 6 losses in '15. The ?? is: Can he finally take the next step and win a major, something he hasn't done since '12? He's 34 yo; no men's player has won a major @ that age since Andres Gimeno in the '72 FO. No matter what happens, the Big 3 has created an unmovable stranglehold in the game for a decade. The greatest era ever? Hard to argue against it.<br />---<br /><br />...Why isn't a 34 yo dominating the ATP then? Seriously WTA's a joke. Old woman won 3 slams and so far ahead of any in prime player. As far as I'm concerned, 34 yo won 3 slams in WTA, 34 yo won 0 slams in ATP. lol. in the past 5 yrs, 30+ non-GOAT woman won 8 slams compared to 30+ ATP GOAT won 1.***<br /><br />Like Agassi, Serena didn't get serious w/ her training until later in her career! Believe it or not, I say she underachieved & the injuries were from just trying to play top flight tennis w/o really training! How many X's did she arrive at the AO overweight and "played herself" into the tournament as they would say? She really did miss out on a lot of tennis and probably could have set the record to heights unimaginable! Like Agassi, she blew it in a way! Both could and shd so much more IMO!Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-86394528153750761722016-01-13T13:13:47.439-06:002016-01-13T13:13:47.439-06:00***It's 5 yrs since the gluten cover-up, yet w...***It's 5 yrs since the gluten cover-up, yet we hear the excuse of baby Novak for all the losses he had btw '08-'10.***<br /><br />We demand perfection from our ATG's so excuses abound; heaven knows Rafa had enough of them! One moment he's running like a deer, but hit a few winners and he's flexing his legs!<br /><br />***In '13 Nadal won the most titles, was in the most finals, had the most pts and won the most $$$. For the ITF to come along and say, "no, we say someone else is #1" is pretty damned arrogant.***<br /><br />Used to happen in the early Open era all the X! Back in '77, Vilas won 2 majors, was a finalist in another, won over 130 matches, & beat Connors @ USO; still odd man out behind Borg & Connors!<br /><br />***Was there watching matches during that X, so I remember it very well. But I think it's much more clear-cut now. 1 player might edge out another w/ pts and yet have a slightly worse record at slams, i.e. At the beginning of the Open era, there was so much confusion; competing tours & slams skipped. $$ was so different w/ WTC tourneys paying way more than slams. The way pts are set up, it's almost impossible for slam winners to get edged out for #1 by non-winners. Even someone like Stan is an anomaly b/c he only got to #4 w/ a slam win, coming in behind Fed & Murray who won none. His yr was otherwise so weak.<br />===<br /><br />Djokovic won WTF again, beating his 2 biggest rivals along the way. 9th X this yr the great Fedal were 2nd best to 1 man, 45th X overall. Milestones:<br /><br />1st man to win 5 AO titles<br />3rd man w/ Laver & Federer to reach all 4 Slam finals in 1 yr<br />2nd man w/ Fed to have X 3 Slam seasons<br />1st man since Fed in '07 to defend the Wimbledon title<br />1st man to defeat Fed twice @ Wimbledon<br />1st man to defeat Fed 3 X's @ the USO<br />2nd man w/ Soderling to defeat Nadal @ the FO<br />1st man to defeat Nadal in str. sets in BO5 match on clay<br />1st man to defeat both Federer and Nadal @ all 4 GS's<br />1st man to hold a neutral/+ H2H vs Federer @ all 4 GS<br />1st man to knock out all other defending Slam champions in a CY<br />6th man w/ double digit GS titles<br />1st man to win 6 Masters in 1 year<br />1st man to win 6 Masters at least 3 X's (IW, Miami, Rome, Montreal, Shanghai, Bercy)<br />1st man to win 4 Masters at least 4 X's (IW, Miami, Rome, Bercy)<br />1st man to win an IW-Miami double 3 X's<br />1st man to win an AO-IW-Miami triple 2 X's<br />1st man to win 1st 3 Masters of the yr (IW-Miami-MC)<br />Joint-most decorated player @ IW w/ 4 titles<br />Most dec. player at Shanghai Masters w/ 3 titles<br />Most dec. player at Bercy w/ 4 titles<br />1st man to win 3 cons. Bercy titles<br />1st man to participate in 8 Masters finals in a yr<br />1st man to win 5 Masters in 1 yr twice<br />1st man to win 5 cons. Masters in which he participated (done twice)<br />Biggest # of Masters wins in a season – 39<br />Biggest # of HC Masters titles – 19<br />2nd longest Masters winning streak (30, only bettered by his other streak – 31)<br />Biggest amount of pts (16.785)<br />Biggest lead over #2 (8.535)<br />1st #1 not to drop any ATP pts for entire 12 mos, from Shang.'14 semis to '15 WTF RR<br />1st man to beat Nadal @ every big clay tourney<br />1st man to beat Fed 5 X's in 1 season<br />1st man to beat Nadal, Fed & Murray @ least 20 X's each<br />Biggest # of wins vs the rest of the Big 4 in 1 year - 15<br />1st man since Fed in '07 to hold #1 ranking for an entire CY<br />Longest run of final tourn. ap. in 1 season – 15 finals in a row<br />Joint 4th w/ Lendl & McEnroe w/ 4 YE #1 rankings<br />5th all-X player on the list of # of wks spent at #1, entering 174th wk<br />Record # of top 10 wins in a season - 31<br />1st man to have at least 20 wins over top 10 players in 4 seasons<br />1st man to beat all top 10 players in a CY<br />Longest winning run at WTF's – 15 in a row<br />1st man to win 4 WTF titles in a row<br />Highest amount of prize $$ in 1 season ($21,592,125)<br /><br />After so many painful yrs before '11, disappointments in '12-'14, Novak has responded in the best way; having the best season since Laver '69.***Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-89188881299699117762016-01-12T22:21:39.379-06:002016-01-12T22:21:39.379-06:00***...Fed should have won in max 4 even w/ the cra...***...Fed should have won in max 4 even w/ the crap serve w/ a stable presence of mind. He was beating Nadal off the baseline, 12 more points won through the 1st 4 sets; that's a lot. Regardless, he didn't win and that's all that matters, but those mental demons are not present vs anyone else in history so that's still a match you can use to demonstrate his prowess at the event if you just look at level of play. If he had faced anyone beside Nadal in that field in the final, his QF-F performances at the '09 AO w/b legendary. He was unplayable vs JMDP & Roddick. like 90 winners to 25-26 UE in those 2 matches ;-) ***<br /><br />Unfortunately that was then; this is now! In a lot of ways, Fed's playing just as well, but he's cracked in the clutch against Nole due to "X;" had to happen! IMO, his holding onto his ranking says more about the rest of the "gutless" tour allowing this old man to make final after final! It's about X Raonic's come into his own taking a few matches from Roger & Rafa; saving MP's vs Nadal of all people last summer!<br /><br />***Who are arguing Fed is better than Novak at AO?<br /><br /> - Novak won more titles than anyone else at AO<br /> - Novak won more cons. titles than anyone else at AO<br /> - Novak never lost an AO final<br /> - Bar their very 1st encounter, when Novak was a teenager (and ranked only # 15), Fed has never even taken a set from Novak at AO (even though he did from his other nemesis Nadal or X finalist Murray)<br /><br /> - Novak won AO w/ some of the toughest slam draws of Open era. For AO '15, he had to beat 3 top 8, AO '13: 3 top 6, AO '12: 3 top 5 (incl. Murray & Nadal B2B), AO '11: 3 top 6 (incl. previous yr finalists Fed & Murray B2B). While Fed won 1 of his AOs w/ 1 of the biggest joke draws ever seen ('06) where he played only 1 top 10 (Davydenko, notoriously subpar in BO5) and then semi vs #25 & final vs #54. <br />---<br /><br />If Novak wins 11 or 12 more titles this year, he can overtake Nadal in overall titles. Overtaking Fed's HC titles' not so important. He has played 6 yrs more, so will have to wait many more years in order to do justice w/ Novak. Novak already has 60 titles, 7 < than Nadal. Another season like '11 or '15 and he may catch Nadal by the end of the year.***<br /><br />I never tire of looking @ the record books seeing Nole's name take over some categories while "ing up the ladder of others only b/c of Roger's longevity & earlier success of Rafa! In 2 yrs it'll be all about Nole and Roger w/ Rafa way back; esp. being #1! ;-)<br /><br />***Nadal will remain the gold standard on clay w/ a lead that Fed and Djoko could only dream of on any surface. The reason why Nadal lags behind for #1 is b/c clay is a minority surface. All #1 juggernauts were HC specialists (Fed, Sampras, Connors...)***Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-51054000653048184422016-01-11T15:46:47.286-06:002016-01-11T15:46:47.286-06:00***Of the following movie series that have at leas...***Of the following movie series that have at least 3 or more movies, which installment do you find the worst/weakest overall? It doesn't have t/b a movie you dislike, just your least fave. Remakes, crossovers and prequels count in any series that has them. W/ so many new sequels & remakes/reboots out now and coming out, I thought this w/b fun to do.<br />--- <br /><br />Star Wars<br />Indiana Jones<br />Lord Of The Rings<br />Alien<br />Predator<br />Terminator<br />RoboCop<br />Star Trek<br />James Bond<br />Jurassic Park<br />Batman<br />Superman<br />X-Men<br />Spider-Man<br />Marvel Cinematic Universe (overall)<br /><br />-Phase 1<br />-Phase 2 <br /><br />*Iron Man<br />**Captain America<br />*Hulk<br />*Thor<br />Transformers<br />Rambo<br />Rocky<br />The Godfather<br />Die Hard<br />Lethal Weapon<br />Back To The Future<br />Planet Of The Apes<br />The Fast And The Furious<br />The Expendables<br />Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles<br />Godzilla<br />King Kong<br /><br />* Includes The Avengers along w/ their stand-alone films.<br />** - Includes the '90 Captain America film.<br />---<br /><br />My picks:<br /><br />Star Wars - The Phantom Menace<br />Indiana Jones - The Last Crusade. This 1 & Crystal Skull tend to swap for me.<br />Lord of The Rings - Haven't seen any so far.<br />Alien - Alien Vs. Predator<br />Predator - Alien Vs. Predator<br />Terminator - Rise Of The Machines<br />RoboCop - RoboCop 3<br />Star Trek - I've only seen First Contact and liked it.<br />James Bond - Abstain for now.<br />Jurassic Park - Jurassic Park III<br />Batman - Batman & Robin<br />Superman - Only seen Man Of Steel, which I liked a lot.<br />X-Men - The Last Stand<br />Spider-Man - Spider-Man 3<br />Marvel Cinematic Universe (overall) - Like them all a lot and have a hard X picking a least fave. I guess Iron Man 3, but I still enjoy it a lot.<br />Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 1 - Tough choice. I suppose Thor, but I still like it.<br />Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2 - Probably Iron Man 3<br /><br />Iron Man - Probably 3, but I still like it a lot.<br />Captain America - The '90 movie's the only real option. Both the MCU Cap films as well as The Avengers films are amazing.<br /><br />Hulk - Haven't seen the '03 movie, but saw the '08 reboot & The Avengers films; all are great.<br />Thor - Liked them all. Probably the original the least, but it's still very good.<br />Transformers - Original. At least the sequels were dumb fun in a way; original to me was just dumb and boring. <br /><br />Rambo - Rambo III (still love it).<br />Rocky - Abstain<br />The Godfather - Been so long I can't fairly say.<br />Die Hard - A Good Day To Die Hard<br />Lethal Weapon - Prob. Lethal Weapon 3, though it's good.<br />Back To The Future - 3, but I still like it.<br />Planet Of The Apes - Only seen Rise/Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes and loved both.<br /><br />The Fast And The Furious - The original. Not bad, but forgettable IMO.<br />The Expendables - The orig., honesty. Not bad, but doesn't fully utilize the concept IMO.<br />Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Prob. the 3rd, though I don't think it's horrible.<br />Godzilla - The recent '14 film is definitely not the worst.<br />---<br /><br />Forgot these:<br /><br />Jaws - Jaws 3<br />The Mummy - Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor<br />Men In Black - Men In Black II<br />Tremors - Tremors 3<br />Darkman - Darkman II<br />Punisher - War Zone<br />The Crow - Only seen the 1st.<br />Highlander - Only seen the 1st.<br /><br />Also remembered Mission: Impossible, Harry Potter, The Matrix, the Bourne films & Dirty Harry.***Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-3755285775974128552016-01-11T13:15:39.579-06:002016-01-11T13:15:39.579-06:00***Tenn. won the Nat'l Chp. the yr he left. He...***Tenn. won the Nat'l Chp. the yr he left. He played in a dome vs the AFC South; (lol) then in no humidy Denver against the pathetic AFC West. Of coarse his #'s are going to be good; plays in the worst divs in FB. He's terrible in the playoffs against real teams w/ a losing record of (11-13).***<br /><br />ITA! He was lucky my pathetic Bears went up against him in his lone SB win playing that stupid "cover-2" defense w/ a lead! ...So he beat Rex Grossman 9 years ago! ;-)<br /><br />***Peyton lags behind Brady in SB wins & aps yes, but that doesn't mean he was lucky to make 3 SB's and win 1, beating the Chiefs, Ravens, & putting up 38 on the Patriots along the way to your "pathetic" 13-3 Bears. Dan Marino never won a SB, but he's still one of the GOAT.***<br /><br />Peyton, Marino, Favre, and whoever else has QB records no one cares in the age of the Super Bowl can rest on those pathetic laurels while Brady, Staubach, Aikman, Bradshaw, Montana, & Roesthlisberger can rest their heads on multiple trophies! The list of nobodies w/ 1 SB are plentiful like P. Manning, Dilfer, McMahon, Williams; do I need to go on? Even his pathetic brother has 2; winning both his SB over the so called fave in the Patriots! After all is said and done, Peyton w/b a footnote on par w/ other losers like Tarkenton, Marino, and even Favre w/ his 2 appearances! Bret got 1 SB w/ all those completions, games played, and heaven-knows how many interceptions! ;-)<br /><br />***Sure, but everybody that knows the 1st thing about football and is being objective will never put Manning in the same category as any of those guys that you just listed. Manning is actually better than his brother despite having 1 less SB, and he's better than someone like Roethlisberger as well. Whether that translates to having a better overall team in a sudden death scenario is another thing entirely. I do think Brady is the best QB of this gen., but I don't use only SB rings to determine that. It's way too simplistic.***<br /><br />Sure, they aren't in the same category, but 100 years from now, no one's gonna talk about Peyton's tight spiral, his completion rate, or his X MVP's; it's all about the ring after all is said and done! Rodgers' probably better, but it makes no difference if your teammates don't make plays; totally a TEAM SPORT! ;-)<br /><br />***That's not specific to Manning though. In 100 years, nobody from this X will care about Brady, let alone Manning b/c we'll all be passed on; Brady & Manning included.***<br /><br />True, but the commentators just drool over "stat machines" like Manning, Favre, Marino, & others who've done nothing much in the post season! FCS, these guys have losing records when it really counts; that's all I'm saying! Peyton's great, has all the #'s, but having a losing record in the playoffs w/ 1 SB vs my lowly Bears, I wouldn't be salivating over watching him; esp. if I were a fan of the team he's playing on! ;-)<br /><br />***You're still trying too hard to take the shine off that SB while ignoring my point about the Colts beating the Patriots (1st and foremost), Chiefs, and Ravens in a road game against a very good defense. Besides that, they drool over Brady too; just as much if not more in fact. They're not really selective. The only difference is that < people take notice or offence when they do it about Brady b/c him and his teams have won 4 SB's. I'm not saying that's wrong. I'm saying that's the way it is.***<br /><br />Well at least you understand why they talk about Brady; he's actually a winner, has 4 SB's, played 6, has the SM wife, actress baby momma, $$$, looks, & fame! Have I missed anything? lol!Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-1237555352972853102016-01-11T01:03:55.077-06:002016-01-11T01:03:55.077-06:00***And even if Nole doesn't quite to Fed's...***And even if Nole doesn't quite to Fed's 17 majors, he could still be seen in some people's eyes as The GOAT.<br /><br /> Say he gets 15 or 16 slams<br /> Career Slam<br /> Most Masters<br /> Most wks at #1<br /> Most World Tours<br /> Best h2h stats, w/ winning over Nadal & Fed<br /> Maybe Olympic Gold<br /> DC<br /> Record titles (60 cur.)<br /><br />So either way it gonna be close.<br />---<br /><br />Nole needs another multi-Slam year, 1st to pass Borg, then approach Sampras & Nadal. (°͜ʖ°)<br />---<br /><br />Nole remembers what that felt like, and how he never wants to feel that again vs Rafa. ...but put Rafa on court & he "turns it on." The concentration's rock solid. Even in that exho in Bangkok, he just destroyed Rafa. He wants to crush all belief that Rafa may have to turn this around. He is simply not blinking anymore. - Novak is merciless vs Nadal and I love it. W/b fool if he weren't. Rafa beat him in important matches so often.***<br /><br />I do think Nole goes out of his way to punish Nadal; > so than w/ Roger! Nadal has tried to control the pace of matches in the past w/ his stalling and gamesmanship! He's now getting a lot of "it" thrown back in his face! Don't cry for Rafa; how many X's has he run a player to death, maybe up 5-1 in a set, but still calls for a stupid challenge?<br /><br />***Nadal will get no sympathy from me. He's getting beat by someone. It happens. And Fognini was not GOATing at USO. He was good, but probably most of the top 10 would have removed him in 3/5 sets that day.<br />---<br /><br />If Serena does get 5 more majors, she'll be = GOAT. However to be an undisputed GOAT is incredibly difficult, unless she is head and shoulders above all the other GOAT's. W/o the CYGS, Serena cannot say she had a > "peak" than Graf. Graf had won 5 slams in a row. Graf also had 5 dominant yrs (3 slams >) compared to Serena's 2. Graf also lost a few slams against Navratilova and Seles, both > players than any slam finalist Serena ever faced. Graf has an incredible 8 YE #1 compared to Serena's 5. Racking up slams over an ultra long career is >, but obviously Graf has won more slams in a < period of X, against stronger ATG players.<br />---<br /><br />Really? I'd rank Venus & Henin along w/ Seles. Graf faced Navratilova at the end of her prime. Venus & Henin at their peak is certainly > than Navratilova past her prime. The only case you have is Monica. And even then she was taken out of the game and the only reason she was stabbed was to propel Graf back to #1. W/o the stabbing, Graf's #'s whb <. Not to mention Graf retired in just the 2nd year Serena came on tour. At least Evert & Navratilova played in their 30's which allowed Graf to play them. Graf didn't allow that for Serena. So you can't fault Serena if the previous dominant player stopped playing before her 30's.<br />---<br /><br />Much like Serena in her 30s, Navratilova's fully capable of winning many more slams at old age. They met in 6 slam finals and Navratilova won 2 of them. If Martina wasn't playing, Graf could have got 2 extra slams. Again, Serena never had to face a player like that in her entire slam career. The presence of these two ATGs took 5 slams from Graf. There is no such argument for Serena as she never faced a double digit slammer in slam finals. It's quite obvious who's the more dominant player during their respective primes.***Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-39541218415311408452016-01-09T23:03:41.086-06:002016-01-09T23:03:41.086-06:00***Novak has won 9 out of the last 10 matches agai...***Novak has won 9 out of the last 10 matches against Rafa and 10 of the last 11 against Andy. That's not even competitive anymore. And in terms of BO5, you can add Roger to the list of players who are not comp. w/ Novak anymore too. Roger hasn't beaten Novak at a GS for 3 and 1/2 years. He's currently the only 1 of those 3 who can beat Novak at all and the only 1 who has challenged him in any form at a slam recently, so while I agree to an extent, the reality is 34 yo Roger is Novak's toughest opponent at the moment. Besides Roger & Stan, Novak has no challengers right now. Despite his age, the old fart has won 4 of the last 10 vs Novak compared to 1 of 10 for Nadal and 1 of 11 for Murray. So he's still his main challenger along w/ Stan in "Stanimal" mode, not the more frequent disinterested and crap Stan who shows up more often.***<br />---<br /><br />Tech. Nole's been #1 for the last 5 yrs; 2011, '12, '14, 15, & even 2013 when the ITF went w/ him over Nadal w/ his 2 majors!<br /><br />***Yes, I was just saying that '16 for Nole will be better than his super strong '12, '13, & '14.***<br /><br />Fedal's all that commentators talk about! The news magazines can't get enough of them either! One of these days Nole will get his due outside these threads!<br /><br />***Roger automatically leap frogs ahead of Andy back to #2 where he belongs as he lost dismally in the AO 3rd Rd last year while Andy reached the final.***<br /><br />Well that'll be a little late as the seeding has already been solidified for AO! Even though I'm no fan of Murray's, I felt bad for him; performing well the 1st 1/2 of the season w/ a major final, a 500, & Masters win beating Nadal on clay along the way! I saw him winning that SF match @ Wimbledon, but after Roger dismantled him I fell off his bandwagon! Both need t/b consistent to hold onto that #2 for the rest of the season! That'll be the big contest all year along w/ Nadal trying to keep up!<br /><br />***H2H is all that matters right Nadal fans?***<br /><br />Gotta hold on to something b/c it's all falling to dust in Nadaland! Roger proved he wouldn't crash and burn since his game was so effortless, but we all knew w/ how hard Rafa works to win the easiest 1st Rd match, it was going to take its toll; had to happen! Why anyone s/b shocked that it's collapsed so hard and fast is astonishing! I'm surprised it hadn't happened sooner!<br /><br />***I couldn't really care less about H2Hs, but I'm not gonna lie, if you'd told me after the 2013 USO that Nole would win 9 of their next 10 meetings, it definitely would've alleviated my depression at the X. In fact looking back I think that final was pivotal in terms of Novak's mindset in their future encounters. It was really due to that defeat that he hired Becker in the 1st place and I imagine it really hurt him at the X, esp. after what had happened earlier in the year at RG. So much so that it seems he's made it his mission in life to never lose to Nadal ever again on HC's. And if he keeps playing the Spaniard like he did in the Doha final, I suspect he never will! - ...Talking about weak era 03-07?***<br /><br />Well his rival at the X was Roddick? Somehow Roger was able to withstand all that was thrown at him from our #1 ranked player! His major weapon was his serve and Federer was able to blunt that attack by just chipping the ball and getting it back into play! That was all it took; even when Roddick "had him" at Wimbledon in '09 final! IIRC Roddick had 4 set points to go up 2-0 and blew it w/ the 2nd worst choke in Wimbledon history; the 1st being Todd Martin allowing Mal Washington to come back from 1-5 in the 5th set semi!Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-61836664555484684082016-01-09T14:54:04.178-06:002016-01-09T14:54:04.178-06:00***...I don't see Nole repeating 11 titles lik...***...I don't see Nole repeating 11 titles like he did in '15. The only player to put together B2B seasons w/ 10 or more titles is Fed and he did it 3 X's.***<br /><br />I'm not greedy; perfectly happy w/ 2 majors & 4 Masters! The FO & Cincy to complete his resume w/b nice & knock Rafa out of the running of GOAT for all X! He'll never catch up to the records Nole will set in the next 3 yrs IMO!<br /><br />***Novak is just cruising above the tour. He has become as routine and dominating as Roger was in the span of '04 to '07. Novak's playing that well.***<br /><br />"Better" since he OWNS Nadal now! Even on clay, Rafa looks helpless vs Nole! People should have realized, if he's losing sets to kids the way he has, he has no chance against the #1 player! This will soon become like Rafa over Roger; a "non-rivalry" after all is said and done!<br /><br />***Gotta factor in that Roger was facing the ultimate juice warrior back then. ...shoulders, biceps & forearms like a bodybuilder? It's impossible to be that big naturally doing all the cardio tennis players do. So in that respect, it's clear why he had Roger's #.***<br /><br />I concur! Those absences from the tour weren't for injuries and surgery but "under the table" suspensions! Rafa's a steroid freak and it's obvious w/ no other top player "ripped" like that! I have little to no respect for Nadal's record!<br /><br />***That's the gen. consensus alright. - Nadal still has the best H2H results in history due to his performance in slams.***<br /><br />...and the longer he hangs in there, the worse it looks for him! Losing 3 matches to Fognini last year is all you need to know; esp. since 2 of them were on clay, 1 w/ MP's, & the last with a 2 sets to love lead! That's a decline even the most delusional of fan will have to recognize! ;-)<br /><br />***...so you basically agree that neither '14 or '15 were "bad for his legacy." If he was following your advise, he should have hanged the racquet at the end of '13 & '14 or '15 would have never happened.***<br /><br />The perfect goodbye whb his last major win at Wimbledon in '12! Unfortunately he acquired #1 ranking during this great run and it made no sense to retire! He's been a little up and down, but for the most part, the tour has allowed him to hang in there in the top 3 when he shb escorted to "the home" by '13 at the latest! Truly '14 & '15 are amazing, but not for Roger; sorry! J/b the rest of the tour are gutless head-cases doesn't mean it'll eventually get Roger 1 more major!<br /><br />***Another 6 more titles we are looking at Fed being just behind Connors in the MOST TITLES. That's making history and adding to his Legacy. - If anything, him reinventing himself as a more attacking and net player revealed another dim. of his skills & gift which adds to him. I would have hated to not see him play like this, now that I have and am certainly better for it.***<br /><br />I guess I see more talent in Kei, Grigor, Milos, and many others who have the ability, but have been stunted in their mental growth! I just wonder by Roger hanging on w/ his aura, these players haven't made the strides needed to start winning more titles; even majors! He's playing well, no doubt about it, but it isn't getting him anywhere IMO at this stage in his career! W/o the majors, what is he playing for? So far Nole's stopped him in his last 3 finals with not a lot of fuss! Even though Roger represents well in the top 3 it just makes the rest of the tour look bad showing them t/b mental midgets! ;-(<br /><br />***How about the idea that he is just that good, that even the mental giants like Novak have problems dealing w/ him? I certainly haven't heard how exactly winning more matches/titles hurts his legacy. If he continues another 2-3 yrs like he has in the past 2, even Connors' records, achieved partly b/c of his exceptional long career are likely to be taken down FFS.***Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-12612802283300627932016-01-08T17:02:43.652-06:002016-01-08T17:02:43.652-06:00***Nadal was awful today in Doho. I just give up o...***Nadal was awful today in Doho. I just give up on this guy. Getting extended by someone like Kuznetsov. He will get double-bageled and the #1 isn't even playing his best. OMG... He just loses intensity and it becomes a grind-fest at best. If the player is a big hitter, he gets completely blown off the court.***<br /><br />I've been saying this is nothing new! Rafa's style of play has always been mystifying to me of someone thought of as THE GOAT in the past! He's regressed IMO; serve ??-able w/ DF's at crucial X's, FH's dropping very short in the court and sprayed all over the place, and continues to drop sets to players outside the top echelon! Why people are surprised is also a head-scratcher! Haven't people seen his early losses @ Wimbledon the last sev. yrs alone? Why are people shakin' their heads? It's only getting more embarrassing & frequent!<br /><br />***I w/b interested to see what Kieran feels about Rafa play this far b/c I agree, it has been very poor.<br />---<br /><br />...since when is butt-picking & OCD habits against the rules? Who are you to say he can't do that w/i the X limit? And arranging hs bottles is when he sits at the change of ends or before a match. Has Nadal, or anyone, been penalised for X-wasting when they aren't on the court?***<br /><br />Everybody has faves and other players they can do w/o; my list being Rafa, Agassi, Roddick, & Murray! Might be totally irrational, but no fan of their games; all chd more, but don't for different reasons! They are the biggest underachievers in memory! Rafa has his FO, but is stuck at the other majors! I still invoke the biggest criticism being he's never defended a title off the dirt! That's mystifying, embarrassing, and weird since some wanted to bestow Goat-dom! I've always had reservations since Roger was a lot more consistent, having long runs at X majors, and of course held onto the #1 ranking for a record period! He got the most out of his game and more! The same can be said now of Nole who's ruling it like no other player over these last 5 years! What else does he have to do? Very little IMO to surpass Nadal and threaten many of Roger's records! Still a bigger fan of Bjorn Borg and toot his horn to this day, permanently ensconced in the best 6 of ALL TIME!<br /><br />***ATP to Carlos B.: 'Have you learned to let Nadal do anything he wants including stalling, loitering, unnecessary MTOs, OCD cup stacking & infinite butt-picking?'***<br /><br />One of the biggest reasons I HATE his guts! This guy just makes the game unwatchable! I still have nightmares of trying to watch and tape AO in '12 going 5:53! That was criminal and Nole only gets involved in the tactic to get back at Rafa! When he plays other players he doesn't grunt or bark as much and gets on w/ it! To punish Rafa, he gives it all back and maybe that's why I'm such a fan of Nole's now! Heaven knows I prefer a much more aggressive style of play, but he doesn't offend me like some other human backboards; Berdych, Ferrer, Rafa, & Murray!<br /><br />***I still remember that AO final vividly. Not necessarily the match itself, but exactly what I was doing in the background. Got up at 8 am, turned on the TV, had breakfast at 9 am, watched some more, went to the gym for an hour 1/2 later in the morning, came back, had lunch @ 1:30 & it was still going.***<br /><br />Unfortunately I live in the States! The match came on around 2 am or so! ...I watched it from start to finish, unable to get to bed until after 9 am! I was trashed and will never forgive Rafa and his lame gamesmanship just making the world wait for him to be ready to play! He would probably be held under 10 majors if umpires had resisted his BS and made him get his ass back in the service box in a X-ly fashion! He stole many a match from players over the years; esp. Roger @ FO!Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-54473569737620048002016-01-07T02:31:36.717-06:002016-01-07T02:31:36.717-06:00***In '86, the Magazine Inside Tennis made a b...***In '86, the Magazine Inside Tennis made a big poll (and after that a Computer Tourn. w/ the ATP computer) for a all X ranking. 37 people were asked in that poll, including Armitraj, Ashe, Bergelin, Bollettieri, Budge, Dell, Drysdale, Fox, Gardner, Gould, Kramer, Laver, Lutz, Noah, Orantes, Pasarell, Perry, Seixas, Stan Smith, Talbert, Teltscher, Tinling, & Trabert. The 1st 8 w/ #1 nom.: 1 Laver (9). 2 McEnroe (3), 3 Budge (4), 4 Kramer <br /><br />(5), 5 Borg (6), 6 Gonzalez (1), 7 Tilden (6), 8 Hoad (1).<br /><br /> 1) Most of those experts obviously refer to peak play, thus ranking Tilden rather low and McEnroe very high. They seem to neglect achievements, @ least partly.<br /><br /> 2) They are obviously influenced by current and recent performances, thus McEnroe and Borg are very high.<br /><br />...<br /><br /> 6)) Hoad's ranked much too low if we talk about peak play (#1 IMO), also Gonzalez too low.<br /><br /> 7)) How subjective all these rankings and polls are, we can imagine when we see the significant discrepancy btw a player's # in the 8 men rankings & his # of been voted as #1 player. ...whereas McEnroe has got only 3 #1 places, but yet is ranked #2.<br /><br />I have read many all-time rankings and all were significantly different. The main problem is the fact that some experts rank regarding peak level while other experts rank regarding achievements while again other experts rank regarding a "genius factor" including skills and touch. This 3rd group has players like McEnroe in high esteem.<br /><br />My approach to rank the all-X greats is to look at their achievements and valuing them. There are at least 20 - 30 criteria (!)to value achievements, btw, but most fans only consider # of GS tourneys won or yrs of dominating. Of course I also consider playing strength including peak level for a rather short X (Hoad) and peak level for a long X (Tilden, Gonzalez, Rosewall, Laver & Federer). If we add the genius factor (brillance of the game, beauty, ...) we get a rather good picture of the all-X-greats.<br /><br />I believe that Laver, Rosewall, Gonzalez, Tilden, Federer, Borg, Sampras, Nadal & soon also Djokovic were the GOAT's; about in this order.<br />---<br /><br />Djokovic will obviously win some majors in '16, if not all. If the latter, I think it will depend on how well Murray, Federer & Wawrinka perform. I have a feeling we might even see a new face among the Slam champions this year!***<br /><br />It's hard to sustain perfection; usually comes w/ a cost! We can only hope Nole will continue this run of excellence! His '12 seemed lackluster in comparison to '11, but people have to take that AO final into consideration; killer 5:53 that has to stay w/ you! I remember Lendl saying how his 5 setter at the FO in '84 vs McEnroe almost did him in! It took a year to recover which Is why he went on that fitness kick IMO!<br /><br />***Djokovic's in excellent health and that is a major factor in why he can keep up his form and continue to build on it and improve it. Most of his major rivals suffer fitness problems from X to X, but Djokovic has successfully avoided any physical problems. He really is the fittest guy I've ever seen play tennis!***Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-16220628757093342622016-01-06T14:06:00.550-06:002016-01-06T14:06:00.550-06:00***IMO regarding Fed's choice of Ljubicic as c...***IMO regarding Fed's choice of Ljubicic as coach is that maybe Fed realizes his once deadly FH has really gone downhill. Ivan had a pretty damn good FH and his DTL shots were formidable. Just watch the winning shot against Nadal at IW '10. There's not much Roger can do regarding the speed lost due to age as it's obvious he's slower esp. running to his FH side these days, but a good coach who could help him harness back some of the crucial timing he's lost on that shot could work wonders. Cut down on the FH shanks and Roger w/b a real menace to play against even at 35.***<br /><br />I think we're exaggerating what can be done for Roger at this stage in his career! They're replaying '09 AO where he's pulling every trick out of his bag just to stay in the match; went 5 and he was playing well! It just wasn't good enough to beat Nadal even though a semi w/ Verdasco had about "ended him!" Maybe that's why Roger was crying; thought it was a "slam dunk" win after Nadal's troubles getting to the final!<br /><br />***Improving the FH's definitely not out of the ?? IMO for Roger. He's still hungry to improve. In this case, it's vital to improve what was once a deadly shot and even though it'll never be like it was in his prime, even a 3-5% improvement and < shanks w/b the difference btw winning & losing the most important matches. BP conversion too is a major weak point in his game for years and the return is mostly not good enough against the best, though he surprises w/ some crackers at X's.***<br /><br />I think his FH is still quite good! People need to realize who Federer's playing against! Roger's hitting good enough shots, but Nole's the best defender since Nadal in his prime! Donald Dell used a term quite apt when describing Navratilova; "stole a point!" Nole steals points all the X w/ great returns of serve! I played and "counted" on free points from aces! As a jr, I had little to worry about, but in the adult ranks, they're smarter and got the ball back when others were trying to do too much w/ the return! That's what this is about; the ability to hang in there and hope the op. makes a mistake! Roger can't do that; just hang back ripping over his groundstrokes for 20-30 strokes each pt! If you look at the matches of Roger and Nole objectively; wasn't that Roger wasn't playing well, Nole just blunted his attack and made him work extra hard! There's really nothing outside of changing the court surface to "panes of glass" to take X away from Rafa and Nole!<br /><br />***Why is everyone starting the season injured? - B/c there's no real off season in tennis. No X to recover from injuries, no X to rest, no X to have any real semblance of a family life. It's a joke. The players have been complaining about this for decades and nothing has happened. The ATP & WTA use the players to keep 100's of smaller tournaments in business. It's actually quite ridiculous.***<br /><br />Oh there's an off season, but these money HO's can't take advantage of it and actually rest! So many of the top players bitch about the season's length, but in their off X, they're playing exhos and other events like IPTL! I stopped listening when it was obvious players like Roger & Nole were being smarter and avoiding injury like no other player since someone like Lendl; a true pro! The rest of these losers I have no sympathy for; esp. Nadal who works so hard in every match played! WHY play IPTL but for a "money grab?"<br /><br />***Is the AO the most skipped slam? I know plenty of players use to skip it.***<br /><br />But it's been given equal weight now; actually keeping Nole as #1 w/ that lone major in '12! Those days of skipping the AO has been over for 30 odd yrs! Lendl, Wilander, & Edberg started going early 80's! The days of that major being won by also-rans and "never weres" became < & < frequent!Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-61629171727585501552016-01-06T00:00:49.911-06:002016-01-06T00:00:49.911-06:00***...Laver's '69 GS's surely 1 of the...***...Laver's '69 GS's surely 1 of the all-X greatest feats, comparable w/ Federer's 17 majors & Nadal's 9 FO wins.***<br /><br />It's just 1 more match that wasn't achieved by 1/2 dozen other players; OTTH Hoad, Federer, & Nole!<br /><br />***Pancho and Ken were not able to win at Wimbledon, which was a big set-back, for Rosewall esp...like the old monkey-on-the-back growing into an 800 pound gorilla.<br />---<br /><br />...Hoad had great style of play, good wins, but in Pro Era Rosewall and Pancho >>.***<br /><br />Hoad didn't take the game as seriously and he went into the military for a stretch! He could have had some great statistics "if he cared!" All I can remember about the guy was that he owned Laver; winning their 1st 8 matches and was 1 match at the US Nat'l in '56 of completing a CYGS! Rosewall thwarted him IIRC!<br /><br />***Yes, he owned Laver in early '63, according to Laver, Hoad won his 1st 14 matches against the Rocket, which was the entire Aussie tour in Jan. '63. Hoad also won a 2nd tour against Laver in '64. ...New Zealand tour against Laver & Rosewall. - ...Yes, Pancho & Ken had more success than Hoad in the Open era. BUT....which player defeated both Pancho and Ken @ Wimbledon, the only player to do so? Think hard...<br />---<br /><br />Brad Gilbert had good volleys and groundies. He won a Masters title! That is a huge accomplishment.***<br /><br />I think he got up to #4 in the world in '90; won a handful of events over top players, but was usually "wiped out" by the majors! He did upset Becker @ the USO early in the 2nd Rd, then promptly lost! He took Cincy beating Becker, Edberg, & Sampras IIRC! His winning was truly ugly, but it was quite entertaining to see Boris struggling and screaming/ranting when jerked around the court by Brad!<br /><br />***Nadal > Federer (b/c he always beat him when it matters)<br /> Federer > Sampras (b/c he's much better on clay & about the same on grass + HC)<br /> Sampras > Nadal (b/c he'd beat him on HC + grass (except the Nadal of '08 maybe) + also indoor.<br /> - hence there's no GOAT until Djoks reaches 14 ...(he doesnt need 17 b/c he's had much tougher comp. than Feds circa '04-07, & has a much more balanced CV than Nadal, saying that he bores the arse off me)<br />---<br /><br />There's a GOAT & his name's Federer.<br /><br /> Prior to him, it was Laver.<br /> Prior to him, it was Gonzales.<br /> Prior to him, it was Tilden.<br />---<br /><br />Rafa is not better than Fed.<br /><br /> Rafa GS breakdown<br /> 1 AO (1 final)<br /> 9 FO<br /> 2 Wimbledon (3 finals)<br /> 2 USO (2 finals)<br /><br />*YE Tourney (2 finals)<br /><br />Federer GS Breakdown<br /> 4 AO (1 final)<br /> 1 FO (4 finals lost to Nadal)<br /> 7 Wimbledon (3 finals '08, '14 - '15)<br /> 5 USO (2 finals '09 & '15)<br /><br />*YE Tournies 6 (4 finals)<br /><br />Federer Has won more GS, as well as being more competitive in entered tournaments to reach the finals.***<br /><br />Some people think Rafa has to achieve "GOAT-dom" due to owning Roger! I blow it off since everyone has a pigeon where the match-up is bad, but even if Roger never beat Rafa I couldn't elevate him past #3 or 4 since he's never defended a title off the dirt! ;-)Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-47382125366715947502016-01-05T16:30:29.809-06:002016-01-05T16:30:29.809-06:00***Laver seems Tier 1 to 100%:
STYLE - Laver is ....***Laver seems Tier 1 to 100%:<br /><br />STYLE - Laver is ... modern, a perfect style for me.<br /><br /> Laver & Ken although large did not have 1/2 of the historical importance of Borg & Connors or Federer & Nadal.<br /><br /> Laver remain 1 and 2 but Rosewall ...IMO is the weak point; esp. Laver.<br />---<br /><br />It's generally accepted that Federer's peak began in '04. However, I don't think anyone really knows when his peak actually ended. The options:<br /><br /> AO '08 - got crushed in str.t sets by a 20 yo Djokovic, the 1st X he lost before the semis of a slam in almost 3 yrs.<br /><br /> FO '08 - Nadal obviously owned Federer's soul at RG, but this defeat was the most crushing of them all. Winning just 4 games in the entire match and bageled in the final set.<br /><br /> Wimbledon '08 - widely regarded as the greatest tennis match of all-X, Federer finally lost his aura of invincibility at his fave slam, as he was defeated by Nadal in 5 sets and lost the #1 ranking in the process.<br /><br /> AO '09 - Federer threw everything at Nadal and still came up short. Nadal had now owned him on all surfaces and it was clear that he wasn't going to beat Nadal in a slam ever again. He cried at the trophy ceremony b/c he couldn't accept he was no longer the best.<br /><br /> USO '09 - a shock loss to del Potro from 2 sets to 1 up, ending his USO title streak and proving he was now very much beatable over 5 sets by someone other than Nadal.<br /><br /> FO '10 - losing before the semis of a slam for the 1st time since the '04 FO.<br /><br /> Wimbledon '10 - losing to Berdych in the 1/4's and the 1st X he hadn't reached the Wimbledon final since '02.<br /><br /> USO '10 - lost to Djokovic, again from 2 sets to 1 up and bottling 2 MP's in the final set. Now Djokovic, as well as Nadal, had the measure of Federer.<br /><br /> Wimbledon '11 - Federer loses from 2 sets up against Tsonga at Wimbledon when he looked in complete control of the match.<br /><br /> USO '11 - Federer loses again from 2 sets up, this X against Djokovic. He was also 5-3, 40-15 in the final set and somehow crumbled under the pressure to lose 4 str. games.<br />---<br /><br />US '09. ...It was fine Nadal beating him in AO, as Nadal was on fire then. Beating Soderling at the French was as expected, although it was a struggle against Roddick at W. Pretty much the 2nd part of '09 he was probably past his peak, and although he beat Murray in '10 at the AO, he was never going to lose that either. So at least someX in '09 for me.***<br /><br />I agree; '09 was the beginning of the end! He won 2 more majors scattered over a 3 years and I thought he was done! He's been making final after final, but I say the players have just been gutless; esp. Murray allowing the old man to school him in str. sets again & again!<br /><br />***Djokovic doesn't really have any match-up advantage over Nadal. I mean, to think that anyone can have a match-up advantage on a high bouncing court vs Nadal. Djokovic plays best tennis on medium bouncing courts, not high bouncing ones. The results speak for themselves. The only thing that he has, and Federer doesn't have is a much needed 2-handed BH, which can not be exploited as easily as a 1-hander. If we're talking about clay only, Nadal always has a match-up advantage against everyone, not just Federer (although advantage is bigger and much more obvious vs 1-handed BH players).<br />---<br /><br />This is probably the 1st X I heard from a Fedfan about Federer having a match-up advantage over Djokovic.<br />---<br /><br />I have to say I do agree w/ @torpantennis regarding the matchup advantage Federer has over Djokovic. There must be a reason why he still beats Novak so often even at 34 and it's not j/b he's such a great player. It's obviously not as big an advantage as Nadal has over him, but I do think it exists.***<br /><br />That so called advantage is getting smaller and shorter as X goes on! ;-)<br /><br />***Agreed. It's probably a combination of Federer aging and Novak handling the short slice better since hooking up w/ Becker.***Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-89197889042354655702016-01-04T19:29:00.839-06:002016-01-04T19:29:00.839-06:00***Not a post of who is best or better. Just wante...***Not a post of who is best or better. Just wanted to break the best from 1950's - 2015 in 3 Tiers of greatness. No rankings among the Tiers:<br /><br />Tier- 1<br /><br /> Laver, Pancho Gonz, Rosewall, Borg, Sampras, Federer & Nadal<br /><br />Tier-2<br /><br /> Connors, Lendl, Mac, Newcombe, Agassi, Djokovic, Emerson<br /><br />Tier- 3<br /><br /> Wilander, Edberg, Becker, Smith, Ashe, Nastase, Courier<br /><br /><br />Ok just seeing who I need to flip flop or add or subtract. I am sure I missing some obvious ones.***<br /><br />I preferred Lendl over McEnroe & Connors, but even though he accomplished more, the 2 Americans have the Wimbledon titles Ivan wasn't able to garner! No one cared about FO around that X so having a hole in your resume from Paris wasn't a big deal! The CGS was something created to "gloss" Agassi since he wasted so much of his X doing heaven knows what when he shb adding to his records! Idiot!<br /><br />I liked the 4 tiers and wanted to keep Borg up top, but he also has a glaring hole that can't be overlooked! I concur w/ KG:<br /><br />T-1 Laver, Gonzalez, Federer<br /><br />T-2 Rosewall, Connors, Borg (Bjorn w/o USO)<br /><br />T-3 Kramer, Sampras, Nadal (Rafa never defended title off "dirt")<br /><br />T-4 McEnroe, Lendl, Djokovic (w/ Nole having a chance t/b Tier 2)<br /><br />***...You've got Federer who's the GOAT and is the same age as Lleyton; sort of this big shadow and the standard that he's setting is inciting you know the most phenomenal tennis players the world's ever seen and so Lleyton has this changing atmosphere of several great young players. So he's fighting X, injuries - I wouldn't be putting $$ on him, but I wouldn't be counting him out. - ...Guys like Rios, Nastase and Safin fit this perfectly.***<br /><br />I've been the advocate of Nastase and Safin being the most talented ever; here & elsewhere! Federer's on the opposite side of the equation; getting the most out of his talent and being a more complete player! On another thread, the top champions were broken down into tiers where Roger's at the top w/ Laver and Gonzales, while Nadal dropped approp. and languishes in the 3rd! It's not that I don't like the guy, but his so called era of dominance didn't last very long; injury prone and woefully inconsistent and unable to defend a title off dirt! Nadal sits alongside notable champs like Sampras and Kramer! Connors and Borg who have somewhat of a gaping hole in their resumes still more legendary and are up there in the 2nd tier w/ Rosewall!<br /><br />***Just doesn't make sense why Rafa has historically struggled w/ DBrown.***<br /><br />Every player has someone that gives them "fits" outside of raw ability! I never thought much about Rafa being considered the GOAT until it became more evident "the rivalry" was a sham! Nadal's owned Federer for years w/ only sporadic losses on a fast court late in the season! Laver was an old man, but still beat Ashe who was the newly minted Wimbledon champ in '75! Djokovic's obviously the best right now, but Roger & Stan still give him heartburn! Right now, we can't be sure if Rafa's problem is w/ match-up problems or some kind of "decline" that's only becoming more obvious & may signal "the end?" lol!Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-31985104057597174082016-01-04T15:39:45.251-06:002016-01-04T15:39:45.251-06:00***This is the list of all 7 pros that managed to ...***This is the list of all 7 pros that managed to win 1 of the tennis Grails before turning 20:<br /><br />Chang's the youngest player who has ever won a GS, but every thing started w/ Bjorn Borg in '74 Roland Garros. The following yr he defended title in Paris and after that 7 yrs passed before another Swede did it @ RG, but this X at even younger age. That was Mats Wilander, who won at FO debut, lifting Coupe des Mousqu. as 17 yrs, 9 mo. Like Borg, he repeated this sucess, 18 months later in AO, unexpectedly winning on grass.<br /><br />Less than 2 yrs later German Boris Becker conquered Wimbledon, w/ 17 yrs, 7 mo! This remained 1 of the most beautiful tennis stories ever written, & Becker did it again 12 months later. Btw his Wimbledon victories, there's a 3rd Swede in this reminiscent to some different tennis X's, Stefan Edberg who won in Austr. 40 days before 20th BD.<br /><br />The best was yet to come ...by American Michael Chang who won '89 RG @ the mind blowing age of 17 yrs, 3 mo! We didn't wait too long for another teen to shine on biggest tennis stage as Pete Sampras won '90 USO, becoming youngest champ. of this old tourney. ...Modern gladiator Rafael Nadal used all of his skills and almost unreal phiyscal power at that age to win '05 RG @ his debut, just like Wilander did.<br /><br />Borg, Wilander & Becker won 2 GS titles as a teenagers, & Sweden's dominating the list w/ 3 names and 1/2 of the trophies taken. RG was the most fave ground for success of youngsters, w/ 1/2 of these titles being won there, & Sampras' the only player to be victorious outside "natural surfaces," winning on HC. Chang, Becker & Wilander are the only players who won GS before 18th BD.<br /><br />10 yrs later and the list is still intact, w/ slim chances for that to change any X soon. Game became more physical and it's very hard for young players to break through. Even those great talents born btw 1995-98 (Kyrgios, Kokkinakis, Chung, Coric, Rublev, Zverev, Tiafoe & others) didn't came close to think about winning Major (Kyrgios had 2 1/4's w/ no chance to go all the way). In fact, last ATP title won by teenager occurred way back in '08 (Marin Cilic, New Haven) and for the start mentioned players can repeat that, GS's aren't of their reach.<br /><br />'74 RG / Borg:<br /><br />He must be the perfect player to start just about any story considering greatest results of teenagers in Open era. His sumptuous talent was evident after only few mins of watching, w/ amazing ball control from both wings and perfect game plan. He was ready for big things even at very young age, scoring 1st ATP win in Madrid '72 @ the age of 15. Next yr he made MC final and came to RG for his GS debut, still at the age of 16. He presented himself on big tennis scene in great style, reaching last 16 before Adriano Panatta beat him in 4 close sets. Only 2 players after him made GS last 16 appearance before 17th BD, US's Krickstein & Chang. Bjorn was even more impressive few wks later in his 1st Wimbl., making 1/4's @ 17 yrs 27 days to probably forever stay youngest player in the last 8 of most prestigious tournaments.<br /><br />...After lifting trophy in Rome, beating Orantes, Vilas & Nastase in suc., everybody knew he got a shot at RG, no matter he was still very young. In R16 & 1/4, the Swede was forced to play 5-setters, even trailing 2-1 in sets against Ramirez, but he endured all that to beat Solomon in semis 6-4 2-6 6-2 6-1 for his 1st GS final and ultimate test against Orantes. ...From that moment until the end of the match Bjorn won 23 games & Orantes only 4. Bjorn became youngest RG champ. ever (18 yrs 10 days), passing Ken Rosewall's result from '53.<br /><br />'75 RG / Borg:<br /><br />Next yr Bjorn retained his Paris title, as he was an est. Top 5 player. Unlike the previous year, there was no drama in this final, as he toppled great rival Vilas 6-2 6-3 6-4 in 95 mins. ...***Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-7008752084768608052016-01-03T12:25:29.736-06:002016-01-03T12:25:29.736-06:00***...A more relevant role is that of the tech, bu...***...A more relevant role is that of the tech, but modern frames and strings were already pretty developed btw '90's and the early 2000s, so, again, the variety didn't seem to suffer that much. ...The talk about "too slow" courts preceded Djokovic's successes, so it's hardly a knock on him. It has more to do w/ the fact that people started noticing how the game becomes less varied as a result of some decisions.***<br /><br />I don't think Borg, Connors, or any of the ATG needed help, but the genre did, that's for sure! You have to admit the sport, if not certain events try to accommodate them or a set of players! At the USO, they went from grass to clay to HC in just 4 years! The clay surface was killing US men's tennis; fine and dandy for Evert at the X! When we started losing our top players earlier and earlier to "dirters" like Vilas, Orantes, Barazutti, Ramirez, Nastase, & so many others, you have to admit they changed the surface for the US men alone to salvage its relevance! Players like Gottfried, Mayer, Stockton, Connors, and even our own clay specialist like Dibbs, Solomon, Gerulaitis, & later Arias & Krickstein were very vulnerable during the clay summer in No. Am.! Wholesale changes were made; even losing US Clay Champ. going/changing to HC.! Nothing was more self-serving than that sea-change of most, if not all clay history's been wiped out from shore to shining shore! I miss those small clay event ruled by Borg, Vilas, & Nastase!<br /><br />***...move towards HC was due to a more general trend that was going on: the "Americanization" of the sport in North America w/ their HC & technology spreading everywhere.<br /><br />I read Forest Hills had problems maintaining the grass & that explains the move to Har-Tru. The subsequent move to HC at Flushing Meadows was IMO a logical solution in the vein of the above said about the "Americanization" (i.e. rationality, easy of use, concern for the developing US player, etc). To go as far as to say that the changes were made to accommodate Chrissy is a bit overreaching IMO. In the "chaotic" years of the change of venues some might have happened partly b/c of that, but I doubt it.***<br /><br />Just saying that w/ the clay, happenstance made it advantageous and coincidental since Evert was a great clay courter! I was merely referencing how the clay era disappeared as you say calling it the "Americanization" of North American tennis! Again, it may have just been happenstance, it was advantageous for the men to go to "pane" of glass HC speeds! I still remember how Vilas was upset early in '78 USO by 1 of our "no name" players; Butch Walts IIRC! The upset was occurring during their evening highlight show and it coincidently finished w/o them having to extend the coverage due to a 5th set, even though they were prepared to do so! That court was lightning quick and it was no wonder Borg got nowhere early on in '78 & '79; McEnroe personally thwarting him in the finals of '80 & '81!<br /><br />***Fedal's a product of homogenized conditions and benefited more than anyone. This would never have happened in the 90's b/c Nadal would have found it almost impossible to handle a Sampras on Centre Court. If the conditions were resorted back, it will go back to the days of surface specialists dominating their preferred turf and most not really being a factor anywhere else. Unless you have phenom like Borg who can handle both extremes. ...Now you have a more physical sport w/ grueling battles whereas the old days was not as physical b/c the court and balls did most of the work.***<br /><br />This is why I HOLD back when people try to elevate Nadal to GOAT status! We all know Rafa w/b struggling all over the place if he were playing in the 90's! Besides the court speed being up, the comp was more aggressive w/ S & V specialist like Edberg, Becker, Stich, along w/ Sampras! Nadal may have wound up a "no factor" in the grand scheme of things!Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-559178080123330972016-01-02T12:46:49.332-06:002016-01-02T12:46:49.332-06:00***...At some pt in '01 the AEC changed the gr...***...At some pt in '01 the AEC changed the grass surface from 70% rye & 30% fescue to 100% rye grass w/ the goal of making the courts more durable; many contend they've played slower w/ a > bounce since. In gen., a lot of the faster courts on tour have disappeared; carpet going. The last X it was used at the Paris Masters was '06.<br /><br />Each surface they test is awarded a Court Pace Rating (CPR) which is a # from their formula as well as a classification; i.e. Category 1, Category 2... A higher CPR # means a court is generally perceived as playing faster.<br /><br />Masters 1000 Tourneys:<br /><br />IW / Cat. 1: Slow<br /><br />Miami / Cat. 3: Medium<br /><br />MC / Clay / Cat. 1: Slow?<br /><br />Madrid / Clay / Cat. 1: Slow?<br /><br />Rome / Clay / Cat. 1: Slow?<br /><br />Rogers Cup / DecoTurf / Cat. 3: Medium<br /><br />Cinci. / Pro DecoTurf II / Cat. 4: Med-Fast<br /><br />Shanghai / DecoTurf / Cat. 3: Medium<br /><br />Paris / Greenset GP / Cat. 3: Medium<br /><br />ATP WTF's / Greenset GP / Cat. 3: Medium <br />-<br /><br />Grand Slams:<br /><br />AO / Plexicushion Prestige / Cat. 3: Medium<br />FO / Clay / Cat. 1: Slow?<br />Wimbledon / Grass / Cat. 4: Med-Fast?<br />USO / Pro Decoturf II / Cat. 4: Med-Fast<br /><br />Something many people may not realize is that aside from Miami, Paris, & the WTF, all the main HC's are produced by the same company.<br />-<br /><br />According to the ITF guideline which again goes back to 2000, there s/b 3 specific ball types:<br /><br /> -Ball Type 1 (fast speed) is intended for play on slow pace court surfaces<br /><br /> -Ball Type 2 (medium speed) is intended for play on med-slow, medium & med-fast pace court surfaces<br /><br /> -Ball Type 3 (slow speed) is intended for play on fast pace court surfaces<br /><br />Another issue that concerns me is the 32 seed draws. It seems that the FO '01 was the last slam w/ draw of 16 seeds. Even shortening all Masters finals and the WTF to only 3 sets is another thing I wonder about. The 32 seed draw ensures the top players can't meet a hot top 20-30 type early and get upset. The 3 set Masters finals lessen the wear & tear on the players, and make it more realistic to play all the events.***<br /><br />I still call the rest of the tour gutless who aren't able to finish off an upset w/ MP's in their pockets and serving for it! It happens to all players at X's; even perennial winners like Nole! How many X's have we seen him in complete control, w/ a break or 2 up to finish off Rafa or Roger; next thing you know the match is being extended to a 4th & 5th set! W/ the "also-rans" of the tour, they often just give up, resulting in too many tourneys w/ 3 or 4 of the top seeds surviving! That shouldn't happen even w/ the rigged system; esp. the winning of the same players at the top at every major event! In an era long gone, someone ranked 200 could upset Sampras twice! It just doesn't happen any more and it's a bit lame and says a lot about the "HEART" of these very athletic and talented players!<br /><br />***I wasn't aware that the guidelines demanded that balls which counteract the surface's intrinsic speed s/b used.***<br /><br />Being HUMAN, the old saying of "be certain of what you wish for" is so apt! I believe the idea was to slow things down to make the game more enjoyable for the fan! Most matches "way back when" were on grass, carpet, or med-fast HC! It was conducive to the "S & V" game of that era, but along came the great 2-handers of Borg and Connors which revolutionized the game! They spawned a new gen. of baseliners who could blunt the more aggressive players game, but they needed a little help; so over a long period of 20+ years, we have what is called homog. court surfaces which is supposed to be fair to everyone! Today though, most people are saying the courts are too slow, trying to take credit away from what Nole's accomplished of late! By Beijing you'd of thought Nole was out there swirling on another layer to make the court even slower! It was ok when Nadal dominated, but many just kvetch about the speed of court for some reason w/ the latest #1!Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-42738193380539295682016-01-01T16:48:52.910-06:002016-01-01T16:48:52.910-06:00***The last yrs that the Big 3 won 3 slams, they r...***The last yrs that the Big 3 won 3 slams, they reached 3 finals the following year and lost 2.<br /><br /> Fed '07 - wins 3<br /> Fed '08 - 3 slam finals, loses 2<br /><br /> Nadal '10 - wins 3<br /> Nadal '11 - 3 slam finals, loses 2<br /><br /> Djokovic '11 - wins 3<br /> Djokovic '12 - 3 slam finals, loses 2<br /><br /> Djokovic '15 - wins 3<br /> Djokovic '16 - (???) <br />---<br /><br />Djokovic's more likely to do a Federer-esque '07.***<br /><br />Let's just say it wouldn't be a big surprise if Nole's '16 is like Fed's '07 instead of '08 or Nadal's '11! It wasn't like it was close w/ any of his rivals; esp. Nadal who he appears to own now! Why people keep giving Nadal credit and a real chance to win another FO anyX soon still escapes me! He might not even make it to a later round to see if Nole might choke another final against him! Nole proved his mettle in that 1/4-final in June w/ little effort!<br /><br />***Nadal was poor in '15 and probably will not be at such a level this year. I'm not one of those thinking about Rafa forging another amazing comeback, but when looking at how poorly Djokovic plays when getting to latter stages of the FO, nothing would surprise me.<br />---<br /><br />Of course Nadal'll unlikely ever be the odds on raging fave he once was in the French capital, but he should sit very comfortably on 2nd or at worst 3rd line of betting. No doubt if Djokovic continues his rampage into '16 then things for the rest of the tour are going to be difficult & things like a favorable draw &/or banking on Djokovic having a rare off day might be required if others, including Nadal at FO, are going to make a serious claim at the title.***<br /><br />The "bad sport award" should go to the Willaims'! Both are self-entitled and barely give credit to their opponents; BEGRUDGINGLY! I can still hear a young Venus saying on more than 1 occasion to the media, "she didn't beat me, I beat myself!" Just watched Serena going out at '15 USO semi against Vinci; pulled a Graf (shook hands briefly then pulled away quickly so victory slap on the back was a miss)! Martina shrugged it off in '86 semi when Graf did the same thinking she had the old lady! ;-) - No obvious jerks like Nastase, Connors, or McEnroe OK? That w/b too easy! Come up w/ someone not believed to be a spoiled and rotten loser! People have seen Rafa's bad act out there, but no one seems to take it in! He's still so universally loved and admired; along w/ Roger! Nole doesn't do much out there, but like Lendl before him, they're "Darth Vader" villains on the court: such undeserved animus!<br /><br />***... I understand that it was probably a devastating loss, but still. A response like that is just plain rude and unsportsman like.***<br /><br />This is why I like Nole as a person more than someone like Rafa! After a bad loss, he still smiles w/ the victor, hugs him, and speaks for a moment! No 1 does that as consistently as him! Some might say it perpetuates losing or makes him seem content w/ a loss! I say it takes a lot of character and strength to BS w/ someone that just beat you in front of 1000's live & millions on TV!<br /><br />***True. Nole is very gracious in a loss, and always gives his opponents credit. That's 1 of things he has Roger and Rafa beat at. Although, some of his conduct on court isn't always the most sportsman-like.***<br /><br />...I can't throw stones; BROKE MANY A RACKET myself! Over a 30 year career of playing, teaching, and being a tennis historian here and elsewhere, I went through at least 70 rackets! Not all broken, but mostly! Some were rather fragile to begin w/ since I was a devotee of Borg back in the mid 70's! In my Bancroft woody, I had the stringer put them in at 76 #'s of pressure! It held up better than other rackets with that same string job! I only did it for a year; I liked change and went to "chip and charge" style using Head Comp I & II! My last rackets used were gifts from my mom in '92; 2 Wilson Classics made famous by Edberg!Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-7599558601334033722015-12-29T14:14:52.614-06:002015-12-29T14:14:52.614-06:00***If you asked any European, they would always sa...***If you asked any European, they would always say the FO's more prestigious than the USO. If you asked any American they say the USO. ...almost never watch any of the FO (then again I'm biased as I live in US). USO is mentally tougher, but the FO's more physically demanding.***<br /><br />The days of me waking up at 8 am to start watching the FO has been over for years! Nadal did the tourney no favors since I've never cared for the way he plays the game; or his act on court w/ stalling, toweling off, challenging every call, blah, blah, blah! I'm looking forward to Nole completing his CGS, but it's doubtful I'll get up early to see it; more like the replay later "if he wins!" Even though Borg was my fave player, I still wouldn't watch those boring long 5 setters he had w/ Vilas and Orantes back in the mid '70's; went out to play myself! The women's matches were on tape delay when Martina was competing so I didn't bother w/ the losses to Chris in '85 & '86; too painful! '84 I can watch over and over; Martina murdered Chris in "strt's!" If I were guaranteed a pummeling of Nadal like what was done to him in the 1/4's this past tourney, I'd consider setting my alarm!<br /><br />***I thought Nadal played a role in making people care about the FO again. Overall FO has lost it's appeal, cause of lack of infrastructure and lack of challenge system. ...I still think Graf has the #'s.***<br /><br />People neglect to think of how dominant Navratilova was in doubles which gives her 59 majors in the OPEN era; no one else can say that! She's the female Federer w/ tons of records that will NEVER be broken! No matter how many Serena adds, she'll never come close to 59 so forget her, Graf, and anyone who comes along later IMO!<br /><br />***Another good point I must concede. Nobody thinks about doubles achievements, but many of the recent tennis champions don't have many doubles achievements compared to the champs of previous eras. Laver, Mac, etc. were awesome in doubles too, so surely that gives them a leg up over modern champs.***<br /><br />Nole truly has taken tennis to another level, just like Lendl 30 yrs ago!<br /><br />***Exactly! Lendl revolutionised the game back in the 80s w/ his power baseline game. He absorbed the early beatdowns from Mac & Connors, before turning the tables on both of them and carving out his own legacy. In the same way Djoker spent 4 yrs at #3 in Fedal's shadow, before doing the same thing. It's this resilience and fortitude that makes them both so admired.<br />---<br /><br />Arguing for Novak '15:<br /> Unprecedented 6 ATP masters 1000 titles in a season.<br /> Unprecedented, perfect 13 finals at GS, WTF & ATP 1000 level.<br /> Unprecedented 15 cons. finals in a season.<br /> Unprecedented 31 wins vs Top 10 players.<br /> 2 ATP 1000 titles beat 3 ATP 250 titles.<br /> More YE ATP points (converted to today's pt. system).<br /> Won titles on all surfaces (clay, grass, indoor & outdoor HC. Fed missed a clay title. Madrid 'was' indoor HC.)<br /><br />Arguing for Federer '06:<br /> More total # of titles (12 to 11). BTW, Laver '69 had 18, Vilas '77 had 16.<br /> Better W-L ratio (92-5 to 82-6). BTW, McEnroe '84 had 82-3, Connors '74 had 93-4.<br />---<br /><br />Highest Season Winning % (90%+)<br /> 1. John McEnroe ('84) .965 82–3<br /> 2. Jimmy Connors ('74) .959 93–4<br /> 3. Roger Federer ('05) .953 81–4<br /> 4. Roger Federer ('06) .948 92–5<br /> 5. Björn Borg ('79) .933 84–6<br /> 6. Novak Djokovic ('15) .932 82-6<br /> 7. Roger Federer ('04) .925 74–6<br /> = Ivan Lendl ('86) .925 74–6<br /> 9. Ivan Lendl ('85) .923 84–7<br />10. Ivan Lendl ('982) .922 106–9<br />11. Björn Borg ('80) .921 70–6<br />= Novak Djokovic ('11) .921 70-6<br />13. Ivan Lendl ('89) .919 79-7<br />= Jimmy Connors ('75) .919 79-7<br />15. Jimmy Connors ('76) .918 90-8<br />16. Jimmy Connors ('78) .917 66-6<br />17. Björn Borg ('77) .916 76-7<br />18. Rafael Nadal ('13) .915 75-7<br />19. Ivan Lendl ('87) .914 74-7***Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-65356370886588983962015-12-26T23:31:27.419-06:002015-12-26T23:31:27.419-06:00***ITA that Djokovic definitely has Nadal beat in ...***ITA that Djokovic definitely has Nadal beat in terms of skill and overall ability, but Nadal at his best is arguably as good or even better from the baseline. He may not return as well or be as flexible, but he's still faster than Djokovic and can retrieve more balls than anyone I've seen. This obviously allows him to stay in rallies longer and gives him more X to outlast or punish his opponent from the baseline. His FH when "it's on" is also 1 of the heaviest and most lethal shots in the game, and he is able to utilize it both defensively and offensively. This combo, while simple, has dismantled the best players, even Djokovic. So while Djokovic's game is more complete, that doesn't necessarily mean it's better. Nadal does have more weaknesses and areas where he's lacking, but he still makes up for it by focusing on and enhancing his strengths. - Good analysis, but while Nadal is the best defender of all X he's still only a tick better than Djoker at it.<br />---<br /><br />Borg popularized it, Nadal brought a new physicality, but Novak perfected it. - If Federer is the GOAT, then it has to be him. He's an offensive baseliner, not an all court player as some people make him out t/b. Sampras was the greatest exponent of an all court game.<br />---<br /><br />Nadal for my money is the greatest baseliner of all X. He's by far the most dominate clay courter in the history of the game. And clay is all about the baseline. He has also proven himself on all surfaces.***<br /><br />...except in his inability to defend a title off the dirt! That's why I can never anoint Rafa the GOAT! That's just too bizarre! It's 1 thing to have a player's # like he has over a peer like Federer, but these absences from the tour and rankings yo-yoing around isn't a representation of someone totally "GREAT!"<br /><br />***Are you suggesting Nadal is faster than Borg then? I think both have better footspeed than Djoker, but it's made up for quite substantially through Nole's flexibility and efficiency of movement (less small steps and often more seamless lateral transitions). When thinking of how players use their footwork, I think of Djokovic differently to Borg, Fed or Nadal; in that he's slightly < explosive, but makes up for it w/ his various movement idiosyncrasies, w/ the net result being approximately = quickness; in the tennis sense.***<br /><br />Supposedly Borg had the "heart" of a BEAR and it only beat somewhere in the 30's, maybe 38 BPMs! That reportedly made his stamina the best @ the X; maybe ever! Rafa trying to play that game of "stall and wait" wouldn't work; Borg could stay out there all day while Rafa would inevitably melt into the court! The guy starts sweating like a pig after 2 games! Borg barely used his wristbands! <br /><br />***I have to say straight up, when thinking about it, that it's really hard to argue for Djoker being a better baseliner than Nadal, when he hasn't won a single FO - not even 1. That's actually a big deal. So the ?? is: is Djokovic's baseline game already up to standard, and future RG titles are inevitable??***<br /><br />Well I'm definitely 1 of those people who in the past anointed Sampras "THE GOAT" even w/o playing a FO final! At least Fed played a # of amazing finals before finally taking a title of his very own in '09 w/ an assist by Robin Soderling! To this day, I hope Roger was appreciative enough to send the guy a nice gift for Xmas; a car or house whb fitting!<br /><br />***Yeah; seems the standard of the current era has punished Sampras, and we now expect things like CS's and genuine surface versatility, and such.***<br /><br />Punished isn't the 1/2 of it; he dropped several places, including behind the man recognized as a bonafide GOAT w/ 2 CYGS! Laver won 1 as an amateur in '62 and his other at the dawn of the Open era in '69! After all's said and done, Pete might drop below Emerson on the GOAT list!Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-854664721188119454.post-64573150257901899082015-12-26T12:18:07.762-06:002015-12-26T12:18:07.762-06:00***Tennis is the mentally hardest sport...why?***
...***Tennis is the mentally hardest sport...why?***<br /><br />Back in the day, TENNIS was very difficult to learn and play; not like today where someone c/b tourney ready in 6 months! The rackets were little more than STICKS! It took years to get anywhere near battle testing w/ wood in the 70's! Even w/ the tech of today, fitness programs, & sports psychologists, TENNIS is like no other sport IMO! Your brain has t/b like a computer judging wind, pace of shot, and confidence! This is why so many crack serving for a match; even NOLE! He was up 2 breaks in the 4th on Roger @ '14 Wimbledon and ...Rafa's feeling a lot of the latter pressure; actually giving a match to Fabio @ the USO when up 2 sets to 0! It's happening a lot more frequently; MP's in hand and he has begun letting matches get away from him! I figured it would happen a lot sooner! ;-)<br /><br />***No 1 younger to Novak has beaten him since Time Immemorial. The last X someone younger to Novak has beaten him was Nishikori in '14. ...Show some respect.***<br /><br />Respect what; injury prone mental cases that can't seem to finish no matter the lead? In Cinci a few months ago, Dimitrov was up a 2 breaks on Murray in the 2nd set and MP's in the 3rd, but found a way to lose it! All these guys do it to some extent; hence the limited winners of Masters and majors for the last 10 years! It's almost as embarrassing as the old days w/ the women when Martina & Chris divvied up the spoils! You expect a little of that w/ most of the new bloods, but what's going on w/ the veterans that can't seem to finish when they're up as well? Nadal, Federer, and of course Djokovic own so many of the other top players like Ferrer, Berdych, Tsonga, Gasquet, & Cilic! Another 2 years of this and the MEN will official be an embarrassment if someone doesn't break through and take some Masters and at least 1 Slam!<br /><br />***Besides, the youngest player to win a GS, a WTF, & a Master1000 tournament (the 14 most important ITF and ATP trophies) was: Novak Djokovic. He was 19-21. - Since '07, 'The Big 4" won 110/126 of those Tour14 titles. The only players other then these 4 to have won such tourneys were: Nalbandian, Davydenko, Tsonga, Del Potro, Roddick, Soderling, Ljubicic, Ferrer, Cilic & of course, Wawrinka. Only Delpo and Cilic are younger than Novak, and just by 1 year...<br />---<br /><br />Maybe current era is more competitive then ever, a reason why Young Guns (20-26) and other Veterans (27-33) can't excel to the point of reaching finals in big events or vertically climb rankings. This theory is backed by how big tennis has become. Inflation adjusted prize $$, # of pro athletes relative world population and # of countries w/ representation in Top 200 and quantity of cities hosting official ATP/ITF/WTA events. Problem is the Federer, Nadal, Djokovic & Murray are so good and distant from the rest, that any increase in competitiveness may pass unnoticed.<br />---<br /><br />Federer should just skip the FO and concentrate on Wimbledon. I think this represents his only chance of winning a slam next year.***<br /><br />I've been saying that for years! It's his ego and extending the record of major appearances! He'll say it doesn't matter, but why go to Paris at all unless he's planning on tanking it? It's not like he's going to win! Remember, the Olympics are soon after Wimbledon! Why go through all that abuse on clay?<br /><br />***Yes ITA! This will damage his chances at Wimbledon & Olympics. This s/b his goal for '16; clay suit players w/ grinding styles and Roger as he's got older relies mostly on his serve which doesn't suit clay at all. He's probably 5th or 6th fave for RG so why go through that when he's probably going to have a good chance at Wimbledon if he's fresh?***Jamie / Fiero425https://www.blogger.com/profile/09067317321797435654noreply@blogger.com