# Tennis 2012 Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 21, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620 "2012-05-21T16:54:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/381 "2012-08-03T16:14:39Z")
What an amazing match. I will be cheering for Del Potro to win the bronze no matter who he plays. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/382 "2012-08-03T17:34:08Z")
Do people think we are getting more lengthy final sets (than Wimbledon) due to the fact that they only play 3, so both players are fresher and less likely to make mistakes that hand the match to their opponent? As opposed to 5 set matches at Wimbledon, where by the final set at least one player is already exhausted? On the other hand, does that even make sense? I assume there are more long final sets because the surface (grass) means it’s easier to hold your serve even if you’re not playing quite as well as the opponent. I haven’t seen any of the long final sets though - those that have, does this theory look viable? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/383 "2012-08-03T17:55:20Z")
There have been two really long third sets out of (so far) 62 matches, and there was one very long one in the men’s doubles as well. So it’s hard to say there is a specific reason these long sets happened, but everything you said is plausible. Del Potro definitely started having knee problems during his French Open loss to Federer, where he blew a two-set lead, and he looked fine throughout this one. Turns out this was the longest three-set match ever by a wide margin: 4 hours and 26 minutes. The previous recordholder was a Nadal-Djokovic match that lasted 4:03, and those guys play _slow_. The Tsonga-Raonic match probably had a lot more aces and service winners. On the other end of the spectrum, Serena just demolished Azarenka. The score was 6-1, 6-2, and it didn’t even look that close. It was maybe the most impressive hurting I’ve seen Serena put on a top player since her comeback win against Sharapova at the Australian Open a few years ago. Even against another major champion Serena has to be a heavy favorite in the final. Murray and Djokovic have a lot to live up to, but the quality looks good so far. It’s 3-all in the first set. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/384 "2012-08-03T18:18:52Z")
And as Djokovic and Murray head toward a first-set tiebreak, I see the second doubles semifinal - Llodra/Tsonga (France) vs. Ferrer/Lopez (Spain) - is at 14-14 in the third set. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/385 "2012-08-03T19:34:28Z")
Fuck. My. Life. I started the live stream just in time to watch the last ten minutes of Novak/Andy, and I’d have been a lot happier with that if it wasn’t the ugly douche bag Murray winning, in high definition no less. Sigh. Surely I’ll find comfort at the bottom of a Dr Pepper can. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/386 "2012-08-03T19:39:09Z")
Look at that: we’re going to have a rematch. (Figures that I stepped away for one game…) Murray also hit one of the best volleys I’ve ever seen during this one. Near the beginning of the second set he managed to hit a winner while doing a sommersault along the left sideline. Djokovic played better during the Olympics than he did at Wimbledon but he ends up with pretty much the same result. At least this time he gets one more match and a possible medal out of it. He takes representing Serbia very seriously and their Davis Cup win in 2010 helped pave the way for his incredible season last year. Even so, I think the whole thing might mean more to Del Potro. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/387 "2012-08-03T23:26:23Z")
Something important to remember here, and I think it’s good for Federer: the final is going to be best-of-five sets, not three. I forgot about this until just now. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/388 "2012-08-04T00:40:21Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Something important to remember here, and I think it’s good for Federer: the final is going to be best-of-five sets, not three. I forgot about this until just now. Yep, I give Federer the advantage. It would be absolutely huge for Murray to win, but I think Federer is up to the challenge. I’ll be watching live; I assume you folks will be too. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/389 "2012-08-04T00:58:35Z")
Oh, and the Bryan brothers won the Bronze in Beijing. They will be in the final for the gold medal(or silver). Against Tsonga. It’s on tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/390 "2012-08-04T15:35:56Z")
Damn… 6-0 6-1… I timed my cardio today just so I could see who would get the “Golden Slam” first… and to paraphrase my old man… “Serena beat Maria like she stole something”… Just a complete domination… Serena seemed to get whatever she wanted … whenever she wanted… she put so many shots at Maria feet… Sharapova looked clumsy. If this is a glimpse of what’s to come… I think I know who I’m betting on at Flushing!! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/391 "2012-08-04T17:38:56Z")
> [@Chicagojeff](#): > > Damn.. 6-0 6-1.. I timed my cardio today just so I could see who would get the “Golden Slam” first.. and to paraphrase my old man.. “Serena beat Maria like she stole something”.. > Just a complete domination.. Serena seemed to get whatever she wanted .. whenever she wanted.. she put so many shots at Maria feet.. Sharapova looked clumsy. > > If this is a glimpse of what’s to come.. I think I know who I’m betting on at Flushing!! An embarrassing final for Sharapova. The Bryan brothers won gold today as well, which completes their career slam + gold medal. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/392 "2012-08-05T12:32:26Z")
If the roof stays open, I think Murray will win. If the weather forces it to be closed, Federer’s serve will probably be too strong. Without the air swirling around, he really hits the tramlines. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/393 "2012-08-05T13:04:00Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > If the roof stays open, I think Murray will win. If the weather forces it to be closed, Federer’s serve will probably be too strong. Without the air swirling around, he really hits the tramlines. Looks like it was closed, but now they are opening it…delaying the start by 30 minutes or so. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/394 "2012-08-05T13:15:31Z")
Or not, they are out there warming up now. Oh, and the Williams sisters won the gold medal. Both doubles and the female singles were won by Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/395 "2012-08-05T13:57:50Z")
First set Murray. The venue may be the same, but this really isn’t Wimbledon. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/396 "2012-08-05T15:03:52Z")
6-2, 6-1, 4-2 Murray so far. I have never seen Federer do so badly against Murray. Of course, Murray did pretty damn well at Wimbledon this year. Wonder what’s going on? Has Murray levelled up or is Federer tanking the match to make the Brits feel good. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/397 "2012-08-05T15:15:22Z")
Wow, Murray wins the gold. Amazing. Good for him. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/398 "2012-08-05T15:28:54Z")
**MURRACULOUS!** Fed looked genuinely pleased for Murray when they shook hands. It makes me wonder if there was any empathy from Roger during because he just isn’t dominated like that at Wimbledon. Anyways, Murray did play an outstanding match. The Grand Slam Monkey is not completely off his back, but the monkey is thinking about climbing a tree for some bananas. Congratulations to Andy Murray ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/399 "2012-08-05T16:31:35Z")
Make no mistake, Federer wanted the singles gold medal BADLY as it’s the only missing gem in his crown. No way will he be a contender in 2016. However, he’s got a heart and I’m sure that having Andy Murray beat him on the Wimbledon court in front of a pumped up home crowd was the best way to lose. WAY TO GO, little Andy Murray! ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620/400 "2012-08-05T19:26:07Z")
Good for Andy but I felt for Fed… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2012-thread/622620.md?page=21)