Page 56 of 202 FirstFirst ... 646545556575866106156 ... LastLast
Results 551 to 560 of 2012

Thread: Tennis Forever

  1. #551
    Junior Member Senior Hubber
    Join Date
    May 2021
    Location
    Philippines
    Posts
    0
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by Arvind Srinivasan View Post
    Should be one hell of a final. Really looking forward to this. All indicators till now seem to point at a Nadal victory considering the hot form he's in and the way Djokovic's played in the SF. But you might never know.
    Yeah, Nadal is the favourite. He has played his best at The Open this year after 2010, while Djoko has been very inconsistent. Wawrinka should have wrapped it up in straight sets and he conspired to grab defeat from the jaws of victory...much like his Swiss compatriot. It was almost like watching the 2011 semi. :/

  2. # ADS
    Circuit advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many
     

  3. #552
    Senior Member Seasoned Hubber
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Chennai
    Posts
    181
    Post Thanks / Like
    And there's a possibilty of this being a 5 setter if Djokovic plays well. And there is also the question of as to how his body holds up if it goes for 5 sets. And another point worth considering is the versatility of Nadal's play recently. I believe he's using the volley more effectively than he used to say 2 years back and has mixed it up quite nicely all across the tourney. So its an uphill task for Djokovic imho.
    “You never fail until you stop trying.”
    ― Albert Einstein

  4. #553
    Junior Member Senior Hubber
    Join Date
    May 2021
    Location
    Philippines
    Posts
    0
    Post Thanks / Like
    Definitely....I don't think Nadal was too bad at volleying anyway but he was defensive about coming to the net. He is taking more chances now and his reactions are really good. He is also using the drop shot a LOT and he almost never used it before. He will try to use the leftie angle to his advantage to win easy points on serve and pressurise Djoko. Djoko will have to play like his 2011 self again to win this one.

  5. #554
    Senior Member Veteran Hubber
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    1,354
    Post Thanks / Like

    Three thoughts on Nadal's U.S. Open semis domination over Gasquet


    Three thoughts on Nadal's U.S. Open semis domination over Gasquet



    Rafael Nadal will meet Novak Djokovic for an Open-era record 37th time on Monday evening.

    NEW YORK—Three quick thoughts from No. 2 Rafael Nadal's 6-2, 7-6, 6-2 victory over No. 8-seed Richard Gasquet in the second U.S. Open semifinal on Saturday.

    1) This was every bit the turkey shoot you would expect of a match that Nadal entered with a 10-0 edge. Nadal dominated on serve (only one break point conceded, his first in 88 service games), in the return game (4-for-4 on break-point chances) and at net (22 of 28 points won). What's more, Nadal wasn't doing this to some top-25 hack who had no business making it this deep into the draw. He was abusing Gasquet -- the ninth-best player in the world. A man who had won back-to-back five setters — the first against Canada's Milos Raonic, one of the game's most automatic servers; the second against Spain's David Ferrer, the hardest fighting player outside of the top three. Against the rank and file, Gasquet's sturdy serve, immaculate backhand and Astairian footwork would have carried the day. But that alone doesn't beat Nadal. It takes a bit of luck and the nerve to take advantage. Gasquet came upon two such moments in this match: once while facing a chance to break for a 4-3 lead in the second set, and again later in the set when he forced a tiebreaker. He essentially blew them both on double faults. Such is the Nadal aura. He is a cut above.

    2) What more is there to say about Nadal that hasn't already been said? Jimmy Connors put it best: "He plays like he's broke." (Thanks to CBS's Mary Carillo for sharing that gem on the air.) That attitude — desperation, really — has earned Nadal close to $57 million in the 12 years he's been a card-carrying member of the ATP tour; $7 million of that he earned this year alone. He could add another $3.6 million if he beats Djokovic on Monday—the $2.6 million for winning the U.S. Open plus a $1 million bonus for his back-to-back titles in Montreal and Cincinnati, which clinched the U.S. Open series. We should all feel so desperate.

    3) It's enough to make you forget about a time when Nadal was truly desperate, when Djokovic gobbled up every title in sight and kept a weekend residence inside Nadal's head. When Nadal and Djokovic meet on Monday evening, it'll be for an Open-era record 37th time. It will also be to settle a matter between them that's been up for debate since 2009: Quien es mas macho? Nadal's win over Djokovic in the '10 Open final halted a run of three straight Djokovic beatdowns. Djokovic's victory over Nadal in the '11 final was the sixth of seven straight over the Spaniard. Since then, Nadal has held the upper hand, winning five of the last seven — the biggest coming earlier this year in a five-set French Open semifinal. I know what you're thinking: That was on clay. But Nadal hasn't lost on a hard court yet this summer. With the way he's been playing, he might not lose on the stuff again until next summer. By then, he may be rooming inside Nole's noggin.

    Link - http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/ten...pen-semifinal/
    Yennai Arindhaal...

  6. #555
    Senior Member Veteran Hubber
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    1,354
    Post Thanks / Like
    Nadal, please no 5-setter against SUPER-NOVAk. Please reclaim your legacy in 3 sets. I know this is too much of an ask from my side. But you have it in you to do it. You will have to avenge your defeats for the 3 consecutive grand slam final losses to SUPER-NOVAk in Wimbledon 2011, US Open 2011, Aus Open 2012. You have it in you to defeat this guy. Vamos Rafa!!
    Yennai Arindhaal...

  7. #556
    Senior Member Veteran Hubber
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    1,354
    Post Thanks / Like

    More mastery for Rafael Nadal

    COMMENTARY

    More mastery for Rafael Nadal

    Considering his knee travails, US Open final a monumental feat for Spaniard

    Updated: September 7, 2013, 9:02 PM ET
    By Greg Garber | ESPN.com

    NEW YORK -- If Rafael Nadal's knees were a building, they would probably be condemned and written off as an insurance loss.

    After he crashed out of the second round at Wimbledon a year ago, Nadal missed seven months of ATP World Tour action, including the final major of 2012 and the first of 2013.

    His ranking fell to No. 5, the lowest in eight years.



    Rafael Nadal is now a perfect 21-0 on hard courts this season.

    When Rafa returned in February, on the quaint clay-court circuit in South America, no one -- even the ruthlessly optimistic Nadal -- imagined he would return to No. 1 before the season ended. Limping away on those creaky knees, he left this year's Wimbledon in the first round, dialing down expectations even further.Well, suddenly that No. 1 ranking looks like a very good possibility.

    On a glorious Saturday afternoon and evening at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Nadal defeated Richard Gasquet for the 11th time in as many meetings. The result was a predictable 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-2 -- and it was predictably anticlimactic with respect to the gut-wrenching epic that had transpired earlier at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

    Novak Djokovic defeated Stanislas Wawrinka 2-6, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a spectacular match that ran 4 hours, 9 minutes.

    No. 2 seed Nadal next faces No. 1 Djokovic in Monday's final.

    "It's always the biggest challenge that you can have in our sport now," Djokovic said of facing Nadal. "I mean, he's the ultimate competitor out there. He's fighting for every ball, and he's playing probably the best tennis that he ever played on hard courts."

    If Nadal wins -- and, even with a full day off, that brutal semifinal match significantly increases his chances -- he will find himself only 120 points behind Djokovic and will hold a commanding lead in the Race to London. Monday's winner will have won two of the season's majors, giving the US Open champion the inside track on Player of the Year honors.

    Nadal leads the career head-to-head 21-15 and is 7-3 versus Djokovic in majors. But if you subtract his six losses on the clay at Roland Garros, Djokovic has a 3-1 advantage with the two splitting at the US Open; Nadal won the 2010 final in four sets, and Djokovic returned the favor a year later.

    "Just amazing," Nadal said in his on-court interview. "You know after what happened last year to have a chance to play the final Monday is just dream for me."

    This is how deliberate Nadal was against Gasquet: He broke his first service game in each set. He created only three break points and won them all. Gasquet ended the last two sets with double faults.

    Nadal has now won 26 of 30 sets against the stylish Frenchman, including 17 in a row.

    Rafa has won all 21 of his matches on hard courts this season, a personal best. His overall record of 59-3 is an ATP World Tour best and seems destined to conclude as one of the great seasons in history. For context, consider Roger Federer's three seasons from 2004-06: 74-6, 81-4, 92-5.

    How hot is Rafa? This is his 13th tournament of the year, and he's reached 12 finals. The US Open would be title No. 10.

    Nadal's serve has never been one of his leading weapons, but he won his only title here three years ago by ratcheting up the speed and collecting the requisite free points that success in this environment demands. Serving at 2-1 in the second set, Nadal had won all 73 of his service games and had amassed a streak of 88 going back to Cincinnati. But Gasquet, dogged in the breezy conditions, finally broke through -- on the ninth break point against Nadal's serve here in six matches -- to force the set back on serve.

    Serving at 4-3 in the second set, Nadal faced two more break points. He eliminated the first with an ace and the second with another unreturnable serve. Rafa dominated the tiebreaker, winning seven of eight points. Gasquet began the session with his first double fault of the match and closed it with his second.

    Historically, when Nadal is serving this well, he wins the tournament. Last year's French Open, the 2010 US Open and Wimbledons 2008 and 2010 are examples.

    Nadal, 27, will be looking for his 13th Grand Slam singles title Monday, which would break a tie with Roy Emerson and vault him alone into the third overall spot behind Roger Federer (17) and Pete Sampras (14).

    Gasquet was playing in only the second major semifinal of his career and, in the critical moments, seemed to lack the belief necessary to reach the next level.

    Confidence is Rafa's strongest suit. Despite the obstacles his knees present, he has made at least three dramatic comebacks in a span of four years.

    "Seems like after all the things that happened to me," Nadal said before the tournament, "it seems like it's strange somebody can think strange that I will repeat the same. But I think nobody of my family, nobody of my team who is close to me seven months ago thought about comeback like this."
    Djokovic, too, has been impressed.

    "He hasn't lost a match on hard court this year, and we all knew that over the course of last six, seven, eight years, hard court hasn't been his favorite surface," he said. "He has got injuries, many injuries on this surface, but now he looks fit. He lost three matches this year.

    "With no doubt he's the best player in the moment this year, no question about it. I have played him already here twice in the finals. I know what I need to do."
    Link - http://espn.go.com/tennis/usopen13/s...y-rafael-nadal
    Yennai Arindhaal...

  8. #557
    Senior Member Diamond Hubber venkkiram's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    3,178
    Post Thanks / Like
    Paes - Stepanek team got the first serve and leading the second 2-1. Good momentum so far. Hope Paes grabs this US open. The commentators talk about having Paes in the Hall of fame history for the records Paes holding so far in men's doubles and mixed doubles. Inbath thEn vanthu paayuthu kaathinile!
    சொல்லிச் சொல்லி ஆறாது சொன்னா துயர் தீராது...

  9. #558
    Senior Member Diamond Hubber venkkiram's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    3,178
    Post Thanks / Like
    The commentators raised a valid point here. Now with the prize money equalling among men and women's singles.. Still the doubles players sharing the prize money. Instead each one should get the amount what single player gets.
    சொல்லிச் சொல்லி ஆறாது சொன்னா துயர் தீராது...

  10. #559
    Senior Member Seasoned Hubber
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    1,200
    Post Thanks / Like
    Leander Paes (India) & Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) win the US Open Men’s Doubles Crown! Beat Alexander Peya (Austria) & Bruno Soares (Brazil) in the finals 6-1, 6-3. This is Leander's 14th Grand Slam title!

  11. #560
    Senior Member Seasoned Hubber
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Chennai
    Posts
    181
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by venkkiram View Post
    Paes - Stepanek team got the first serve and leading the second 2-1. Good momentum so far. Hope Paes grabs this US open. The commentators talk about having Paes in the Hall of fame history for the records Paes holding so far in men's doubles and mixed doubles. Inbath thEn vanthu paayuthu kaathinile!
    Athilla enna doubt...Paes is an ATG in the doubles game. And the final was very underwhelming. Guess it was further excerbated by Soares' injury.
    “You never fail until you stop trying.”
    ― Albert Einstein

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •