Is Nadal ever going to come back to full strength again? I’m starting to think he is done.
Huh. Alcarez already out. Indeed - a very lucky ND.
Sadly, I concur.
I couldn’t disgree more. Sure, not every five-setter is replete with game-to-game excellence, but this fan (anyway) certainly revels in a good, epic battle, especially between top seeds. Not sure how the importance of sets are diluted in this instance; if anything, I see them as significant building blocks that unveil the course of a match. Surely the most memorable, entertaining matches you recall were 5-setters, no? If there was any issue I had with them, it’s when a fave is playing too many of them in a tourney and risks burn out.
I’ll bet eighteen 20-foot high styrofoam T Rexes that that issue never gets adequately dealt with. Meanwhile, the US Open can get super crazy with late matches.
ETA: Maybe this will finally be Zverev’s first GS?
Just saw a good semi-final tilt between Sabelenka and Gauff. Overall good baseline battle, with AS’s powerful serve game prevailing.
ETA: Now watching unseeded Ukranian in other semi. Go girl!
Random thoughts:
Sabalenka/Gauff is a bonified rivalry. I hope it goes on for years like Evert/Navratilova.
Zverev has always struck me as a guy loaded with talent but lacking in intensity and that gnawing drive to win that is a hallmark of history’s great players. Every once in a while, though, he gets really locked in, and I think this is one of those times. I actually think he is going to win the whole thing.
Yastremska (and the other two Ukrainians as well) has been a pleasure to watch. They have great intensity and aggressive play.
I’d love to see anyone knock off Djokovic, but I don’t think it’s going to happen this tournament. He feels unstoppable, especially this late. I think he’s more likely to be upset in the early rounds, when he’s not in full tournament routine.
I’m the other way. I love history being made like, for example, Tom Brady winning his 7th Super Bowl in his first year with a new team, or Serena winning her 23rd. I really want Djocovic to get that 25th major.
Sinner up 6-1, 6-2 after two sets. Djokovic had two games broken each set. This is a deep hole.
Sinner had one match point in the third set, but Djokovic saved and won on his first set point.
Sinner knocks out Satan!
In contrast, Medvedev lost the first two sets to Zverev, but won the last three to win the match.
Surprised about Djokovic. It’d be great for Sinner to win a Grand Slam.
I will admit it may not be a very interesting final.
Oh Christ on a crutch, Alex.
Haven’t seen it yet, but looks like Sinnner came back from 2 sets down to win the Australian Open.
Woke up at 3:30 for this. Was totally worth it.
If you only care about Djokovic and Alcaraz, it was a snooze.
Today was the Netflix Slam, an exhibition match of Rafa Nadal vs Carlos Alcaraz. You could watch live, or replay whenever. Excellent match (I won’t spoil it)!
Indian Wells started today with the quals. Regular play will have their first matches on Friday, I think. Looking forward to it!
Got back from a long weekend at Indian Wells. Not nearly as hot as in the past, but still just as crowded. A lot of great up-close tennis.
The big news is that Novak Djokovic (1, Serbia) lost to Luca Nardi (Italy). Nardi lost in the qualifiers, but through the Lucky Loser process, was placed in the main draw anyway.
Nadal is back and this leads to the question: Can Nadal win the French Open?
I think we are witnessing the final resurgence of Nadal and I honestly don’t know if he can still win the French. Djokovic might currently be the better player even on clay, though only due to Nadal’s decline health-wise. I suppose writing of Nadal is risky; I thought he was done a few years ago and he came back very strong.
I hope he wins it. Federer was my favorite, but Nadal is a somewhat close second for me.
When Nadal and Djokovic both retire…I’m not sure how I’ll handle it. I thought there would be no life after Sampras, Agassi, Becker, etc. There was. I hope there are others to rise up to Fed-Nadal-Djok level in the future. Maybe that Alcaraz guy.
No, I don’t believe he can. He had the perfect setup just a week ago in Madrid. Djokovic didn’t play, Sinner dropped out due to injury, and Alcaraz lost. Yet, he was still eliminated by the kind of player he used to eat for breakfast. Father Time was, is, and always will be the undefeated and undisputed champion of us all.
Novak lost badly earlier today to Alejandro Tabilo, a Chilean that was born in Toronto. Ranked 38th.
6-2, 6-3.
Probably a one off, but it could be the beginning of a decline.
He looked totally out of sorts. He said he was going to get checked out medically. That knock from the water bottle may have done more damage than he realized.