# Tennis 2014 Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 31, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561 "2013-12-31T13:42:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**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 18, 2014, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/181 "2014-08-18T12:13:06Z")
I read in the free paper this morning (which didn’t have the result due to the time difference) that up to that point, Fed was 15-0 against Ferrer. Now 16-0, I guess. That seems like a pretty unusual stat to me, at least between two top ten players. I wonder what the best/worst win/loss record is on the tour? Or in other words, has anyone got more wins and zero losses against a single opponent than Fed against Ferrer? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/182 "2014-08-18T14:24:42Z")
There are probably some similar cases. For the last decade men’s tennis has been dominated by two to four guys, and most of the guys in the next tier have terrible records against those players. Ferrer is 6-22 against Nadal, for example, and Andy Roddick was 3-21 against Federer. [This blog post lists some players with very bad records against Federer and Nadal:](http://heavytopspin.com/category/head-to-heads/) > [@](#): > > Almagro’s triumph [over Nadal in Barcelona] leaves us with exactly ten remaining undefeated tour-level head-to-heads of ten matches or more. Federer and Nadal figure heavily here, as well. Roger owns five of the ten, against Mikhail Youzhny (15-0), Ferrer (14-0), Jarkko Nieminen (14-0), Feliciano Lopez (10-0), and Andreas Seppi (10-0). Rafa represents another two: Richard Gasquet (12-0) and Paul Henri Mathieu (10-0). Djokovic is 10-0 against Seppi, and Tomas Berdych is 10-0 against Kevin Anderson. > > Almagro, however, remains at the top of this ignominious list, having lost all 15 of his matches with Ferrer. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/183 "2014-08-18T15:00:21Z")
[Nadal withdraws from the U.S. Open with an injury to his right wrist.](http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/11369850/rafael-nadal-withdraws-us-open-right-wrist-injury) He was hurt while practicing about three weeks ago and skipped the tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati as a result. So this isn’t totally unexpected, but it’s a big deal. It’s less of a surprise that [del Potro is also out](http://www.si.com/tennis/2014/08/15/juan-martin-del-potro-pulls-out-us-open). ---
**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 18, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/184 "2014-08-18T16:50:10Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > There are probably some similar cases. For the last decade men’s tennis has been dominated by two to four guys, and most of the guys in the next tier have terrible records against those players. Ferrer is 6-22 against Nadal, for example, and Andy Roddick was 3-21 against Federer. [This blog post lists some players with very bad records against Federer and Nadal:](http://heavytopspin.com/category/head-to-heads/) Nice - evidently this is more common than I thought, but it seems Fed/Ferrer is among the leaders (if not outright top now, depending on how many of those matchups have occurred since that post was written). The most surprising one is probably Ferrer/Almagro. I wonder if a bad left wrist would force Fed to withdraw from a tournament? My guess is it wouldn’t affect him too badly, as long as it wasn’t so bad as to ruin his ball toss for the serves. I don’t think he ever plays a two-handed backhand, does he? ---
**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 18, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/185 "2014-08-18T17:09:39Z")
This may be Tsonga’s best chance for a Grand Slam, then. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/186 "2014-08-18T17:18:22Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > I wonder if a bad left wrist would force Fed to withdraw from a tournament? My guess is it wouldn’t affect him too badly, as long as it wasn’t so bad as to ruin his ball toss for the serves. I don’t think he ever plays a two-handed backhand, does he? No, he doesn’t. So you’re right that he’d probably play through it unless it affected his toss or something like that. Nadal does play two-handed, and so do most of the other top guys other than Federer and Wawrinka. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/187 "2014-08-18T17:47:16Z")
You’d have to say Djokovic and Federer are the favorites right now, since Murray still hasn’t played his best. This is also an opportunity for guys like Dimitrov and Raonic to build on their performances at Wimbledon. ---
**Author:** ![piepiepie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@piepiepie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/piepiepie)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/188 "2014-08-18T19:43:41Z")
I really want another AO result. I love Rafa and he’s my favorite player on the ATP, but i love seeing new people win the hardware. I think Dimi has a better chance than Milooosh, but I want Tsonga or Monfils to make it deep. One can dream. I just don’t want the usual suspects to win, I guess? I want Grigor and Milos to make the leap and prove they can beat the old guard. I feel Dimitrov has a better chance of doing that over Raonic, but they’re both pretty suspect with their consistency. I hope Serena is able to defend. She looked much better in the Cincy final and she already won the bonus again. I’m not sure who has the best chance of winning in NY besides her (as usual). Maybe Aga finally takes a major? I’d like that. Woz looked good but if she has to play Serena then forget it. After the year she and Rory have had, i think she’s due some spoils. ---
**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 19, 2014, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/189 "2014-08-19T07:40:01Z")
As I’ve said earlier in this thread, I’d like to see Fed win and then retire at the top of his game (or near enough). I don’t think Rafa will get to 18, what with his injuries and new blood coming through. New guys just end up wanting it more. ---
**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 25, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/190 "2014-08-25T14:10:52Z")
Amazingly, Roger enters the tournament as the favorite. I think he has a good shot, though I also don’t think he should retire if he wins. He should continue as long as he is happy and top 10. And after that, he may play doubles. I think he loves the sport and could be a good doubles partner. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/191 "2014-08-25T18:14:31Z")
Youzhny Kyrgios a barn burner! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/192 "2014-08-25T18:21:38Z")
I’m going to the night session tonight. I was hoping for Federer, but instead we’ll get Sharapova vs. Kirilenko and Djokovic vs. Schwartzman. I don’t think I’ve seen Djokovic in person before, so at least I can have that experience. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/193 "2014-08-25T18:45:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’m going to the night session tonight. I was hoping for Federer, but instead we’ll get Sharapova vs. Kirilenko and Djokovic vs. Schwartzman. I don’t think I’ve seen Djokovic in person before, so at least I can have that experience. Bring your ear plugs for Sharapova 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/194 "2014-08-25T18:47:55Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > Bring your ear plugs for Sharapova 😃 I’ll be far enough away that it shouldn’t hurt too much. Anyway I’ve seen her play once or twice before, so I’m used to it. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/195 "2014-08-25T21:28:46Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’ll be far enough away that it shouldn’t hurt too much. Anyway I’ve seen her play once or twice before, so I’m used to it. Yes, I’ve seen her as well as Azerinka. Woo :eek: ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/196 "2014-08-25T22:29:29Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’ll be far enough away that it shouldn’t hurt too much. Anyway I’ve seen her play once or twice before, so I’m used to it. > [@eenerms](#): > > Yes, I’ve seen her as well as Azerinka. Woo :eek: I’d prefer to listen to Sharapova than Azarenka. Moist annoying noise ever. Enjoy yourself Marley! I tuned in just in time to see the Murray match turn in his favour. Both he & Haas looked thoroughly miserable on court. & aren’t Date Krumm & Venus amazing. Saw the tale end of theirs with both women playing some amazing shots. Loved both women’s outfits. Venus has come a long way as a designer. LOved what Murray,Tsonga & especially Wawrinka were wearing. ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/197 "2014-08-26T20:09:07Z")
Erakovic beat Kuznetzova! & her first win ever in the singles at the AO! ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/198 "2014-08-26T23:10:59Z")
Jared Donaldson is doing well against Monfils. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/199 "2014-08-27T19:46:16Z")
A couple of upsets so far today: Aga Randwanska lost to Shuai Peng and Sloane Stephens is still struggling, as she lost to Johanna Larsson of Sweden. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561/200 "2014-08-27T22:08:07Z")
Steve Johnson /Ito match is painful to watch. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2014-thread/677561.md?page=11)