Tennis Thread

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Resonance: Dec 17, 2002; Don't give me any shit about plumbers, Jan.

Federer has withdrawn from Cincinnati. Nadal will be the world number one next Monday.

# ? Aug 14, 2017 18:37

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 01:14

Puckish Rogue: Jun 24, 2010

Federer allows Nadal the number one in yet another act of kindness by the greatest.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 00:00

oliwan: Jul 20, 2005; by Nyc_Tattoo

So baby bitch kyrgios walked out of a match?

# ? Oct 12, 2017 18:04

Feels Villeneuve: Oct 7, 2007; Setter is Better.

Probably fed up with all the dope cheats imo. Poor lad

# ? Oct 12, 2017 18:06

oliwan: Jul 20, 2005; by Nyc_Tattoo

looks like the GOAT won ANOTHER tournament, beating the GOAD? (=Greatest of all dopers)

drat...

# ? Oct 16, 2017 09:57

Puckish Rogue: Jun 24, 2010

oliwan posted:

looks like the GOAT won ANOTHER tournament, beating the GOAD? (=Greatest of all dopers)

drat...

Federer has more trophies than the entire rest of Switzerland ever has.

Rename it Federerland.

# ? Oct 16, 2017 12:49

oliwan: Jul 20, 2005; by Nyc_Tattoo

As long as Roger still plays, tennis is alive.

When Roger retires, tennis will die. RIP.

# ? Oct 24, 2017 16:38

bollig: Apr 7, 2006; Never Forget.

I am going to be in Basel tomorrow to watch the final of the Swiss Indoors, featuring one Rodger Federer.

# ? Oct 28, 2017 22:03

Sway Grunt: May 15, 2004; Tenochtitlan, looking east.

bollig posted:

I am going to be in Basel tomorrow to watch the final of the Swiss Indoors, featuring one Rodger Federer.

Must be nice to watch it in person. It's been a very intense match considering it's only a 500.

# ? Oct 29, 2017 17:21

bollig: Apr 7, 2006; Never Forget.

Glare Seethe posted:

Must be nice to watch it in person. It's been a very intense match considering it's only a 500.

Yeah it was wild. I really got a sense of the ball speed and just how good/aggressive Federer's return is. Also just how much spin he puts on the ball. And how the players use body language/angle to disguise placement.

I was really hoping to see a racket getting broken IRL, and Federer came pretty close, smacking his bag after blowing the first game of the last set. It was especially awesome because it really took the wind out of the cheering Swiss. They really thought Federer was just going to roll DP and they were really confused in the beginning when F lost a point. The whole thing was an exercise in them realizing his humanity.

It was a bit weird too because it was 100% indoors.

Also Del Potro is really big in person.

# ? Oct 29, 2017 19:07

Sway Grunt: May 15, 2004; Tenochtitlan, looking east.

bollig posted:

Yeah it was wild. I really got a sense of the ball speed and just how good/aggressive Federer's return is. Also just how much spin he puts on the ball.

Yeah that stuff doesn't come across well on television, I was struck by it as well the one time I got to attend an actual tournament. The various ways the ball can move (and be made to move) through the air were so much more palpable. Even your basic topspin groundstrokes seemed so much more impressive in person. Maybe that's just cause I don't play tennis, though.

I wish I lived in a tennis country... I guess I could go watch futures. :effort:

# ? Oct 29, 2017 21:33

Feels Villeneuve: Oct 7, 2007; Setter is Better.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/nov/16/rafael-nadal-damages-over-french-minister-doping-claim

What a joke!

# ? Nov 16, 2017 22:14

Puckish Rogue: Jun 24, 2010

Feels Villeneuve posted:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/nov/16/rafael-nadal-damages-over-french-minister-doping-claim

What a joke!

can buy a shitload of steroids with that

# ? Nov 17, 2017 10:27

Feels Villeneuve: Oct 7, 2007; Setter is Better.

I think my new life goal is to get Rafa to sue me for calling him a dope fraud too often.

# ? Nov 17, 2017 15:06

oliwan: Jul 20, 2005; by Nyc_Tattoo

Roger Federer - the GOAT. He is the best.

# ? Nov 30, 2017 13:20

Josh Lyman: May 24, 2009

oliwan posted:

Roger Federer - the GOAT. He is the best.

Forget about Federer, Tiger the GOAT is teeing off at noon. :woop:

# ? Nov 30, 2017 16:53

Puckish Rogue: Jun 24, 2010

Josh Lyman posted:

Forget about Federer, Tiger the GOAT is teeing off at noon.

tiger, truly the best #2 in any sport.

# ? Dec 1, 2017 19:22

Sway Grunt: May 15, 2004; Tenochtitlan, looking east.

oliwan posted:

Roger Federer - the GOAT. He is the best.

Messed up a big opportunity at the WTF though.

Meanwhile Djokovic has hired Stepanek as a coach apparently.

# ? Dec 2, 2017 11:38

Josh Lyman: May 24, 2009

Glare Seethe posted:

Messed up a big opportunity at the WTF though.

Meanwhile Djokovic has hired Stepanek as a coach apparently.

Presumably to help him pick up girls?

# ? Dec 2, 2017 19:23

oliwan: Jul 20, 2005; by Nyc_Tattoo

Roger Federer.

# ? Jan 14, 2018 12:04

Resonance: Dec 17, 2002; Don't give me any shit about plumbers, Jan.

2018 Australian Open Thread

# ? Jan 14, 2018 12:53

Cornflakes: Dec 3, 2006

oliwan posted:

Roger Federer.

He�s back at #1. Incredible

# ? Feb 16, 2018 21:01

Homestar Runner: Oct 9, 2012; This is the best videogame
I have ever played!

For context, Roger Federer is almost 6 months older than noted :corsair:

Dwyane Wade

# ? Feb 17, 2018 01:44

oliwan: Jul 20, 2005; by Nyc_Tattoo

quora posted:

Why is Federer the GOAT?

For starters, I think all three, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are among the best 5 players to ever play the sport of tennis. I am not downplaying any achievements by other players whatsoever. All three as well as the likes of Murray, Agassi and Sampras are inhuman players. Him being part of that exclusive club simply comes down to achievements and records:

Federer held the Nr. 1 spot longer than anyone else ever (302 weeks).
He spent 237 consecutive weeks as the world nr. 1 which is a standalone record
He spent 627 weeks in the world�s top 3
He has won more grand slams than any other player ever (18) and grand slams are considered to be the most important, prestigious and difficult tournaments to win.
He has won all four Grand Slams on four different surfaces, only alongside a handful of other players like Nadal, Agassi, Djokovic.
He has also won the Davis Cup and won a Gold medal in the olympics in doubles (2008) and a silver medal in singles in 2012.
He was the fastest player to win 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,14 and 15 Grand Slams in six years
He reached 27 GS finals between Wimbledon 2003 and the 2015 US Open
He reached 10 consecutive Grand Slam Finals between 2005 Wimbledon and the 2007 US Open
He has reached 40 GS Semi Finals
He reached 36 consecutive Quarter Finals
He holds 5+ titles at two different GS
He holds the record for most consecutive GS appearances (65)
He has won the ATP World Tour Finals a record 6 times
He has won 24 ATP Master titles, the second biggest tournaments on tour
The records above are only the most important ones. For a more detailed list go here:

List of career achievements by Roger Federer - Wikipedia

However, there are a few things that distuingish Federer and therefore give him a slight edge over the other two.

Consistency and longevity- Throughout his career Federer has been unbelievably consistent, more so than any other player to ever play the sport. He has performed at the highest of levels, playing for the biggest trophies in the sport for almost 15 years with 65 (!) consecutive GS appearances and 36 (!) consecutive GS quarter final appearances, which IMO is one of the most incredible records in the history of the sport. Nadal and Djokovic do not come close to these numbers. Nadal in particular, who in 2013/14 was predicted to easily beat Federer's 17 GS trophies, has been extremely prone to injury and confidence issues as a result. He hasn't gone past the fourth round at Wimbledon since 2011, a tournament he's won twice in the past.
Talent- Federer is the most talented and diverse player to ever play the sport. He can play any shot with any given spin from any position on the court. He can attack, defend, play neutral. He adapts to his opponent�s playstyle like no other. For example, big serves are neutralized by blocking them deep, or slicing them into the service box, giving him a neutral position in the rally. He can serve& volley, play long rallies, flatten his serve out or slice or kick it and he even introduced the SABR, an extreme version of chip and charge returns in order to shorten points now that he isn't the youngest anymore. He also adapted to the blue clay of Madrid in 2012 and won the tournament instead of complaining about the surface which is the same for everyone. He also has incredible touch at the net, hits passing shots from any position and has extreme mental power (only surpassed by Nadal and maybe, Djokovic). He also has some of the best shots in the history of the game including his forehand and his underrated serve (which is incredibly accurate and bails him out of difficult situations).
Djokovic ,for instance, on the other hand has clear weaknesses. His smash is extremely inconsistent and so are his volleys. His serve used to be very good before it was changed in 09. The new version is not as good as it used to be. Nadal relies on his physicality to a large extent. His serve, too, is a liability and has seen too many tweaks. Both Djokovic and Nadal have benefited from the slowing down of surfaces over the years. It's subject to debate if Djokovic or Nadal could have prevailed at Wimbledon back in 03 when grass court tennis was mainly serve and volley and very short points. Federer on the other hand won in 03 and 2012. Both wins were achieved with totally different styles of tennis.
Avoidance of injury- Federer does not get injured unlike his competition which goes hand in hand with his incredible consistency.
Style and fluidity of game-One aspect that is not considered enough IMO is the very way Federer plays the sport. In his peak years (04�07) Federer was the perfect tennis player in regards to technique, mental prowess and movement. He moved effortlessly, and his strokes were executed in perfect harmony with his body. This can be said for no other player ever. Especially Djokovic has some very weird looking shots in his repertoire like that hitch he has in his serve.
� Weak era" and match-ups- Some people use the arguments of �weak era� and his negative head to head against Djokovic and Nadal. A �weak era� does not exist. I would even argue that the general level of tennis was higher in 05 than it is today (e.g. watch Federer Safin at the Australian Open 05 or his Wimbledon match against Roddick). The ball striking was out of this world and IMO higher than it is today. He simply outplayed his competition. His negative H2H against Nadal comes down to matchup and age. His one hander against Nadal�s forehand was always a liabilty. And Nadal is also one of the best 3 ever and without a doubt the best clay court player ever. And Federer still beat him twice on clay. If it wasn't for Nadal, another all time greats and the best ever on clay, Federer would have won the French five times as well as he reached the final in 06, 07, 08, won in 09, 2011 and the semis in 05 and 12. He used to dominate the H2H against Djokovic until around 2011 when Federer�s level dropped (a fact that he refuses to admit but it is true when you simply look at his altered technique, worse footwork, more errors etc.). It is impressive that he can still hang with him, one of the other all time greats in years like 2015, when Djokovic absolutely demolished his competition. Out of his five losses, three were at the hands of Federer.
Age- Federer is 35 as of 2016 and has still been making a run for his money at the slams, only losing in the semis and finals against the likes of Djokovic. He also beat him 3 times in 2015 when Djokovic had one of the best seasons ever ( only behind Federer's 06) at 33/34 years of age. Only time will tell if Nadal or Djokovic can be this good when they are in their mid-thirties.
All this, and IMO especially the way his tennis looked when he was at his best, makes him the absolute best ever. Others come close like Djokovic and Nadal and Sampras, but they all have areas of weakness and/or records that elude them. On a side note, I think Agassi could be part of this discussion if he hadn�t squandered so many opportunites like intentionally missing the Australian Open for years. Talent wise, he was right up there with the best of the best.

Edit:

Federer just beat his biggest rival Nadal to win his 18th grand slam at the age of 35. This just consolidates his status as the best player ever.

# ? Feb 17, 2018 09:53

fancyclown: Dec 10, 2012

I love you Roger Federer.

# ? Feb 17, 2018 10:22

Puckish Rogue: Jun 24, 2010

He's gonna add another title soon op

# ? Feb 18, 2018 16:03

Cornflakes: Dec 3, 2006

loving dismantled

# ? Feb 18, 2018 16:39

Puckish Rogue: Jun 24, 2010

Record breaking Rotterdam Open champion, Roger Federer.

# ? Feb 18, 2018 23:46

oliwan: Jul 20, 2005; by Nyc_Tattoo

Just thinking bout Roger Federer, the GOAT.

# ? Feb 21, 2018 16:07

Cornflakes: Dec 3, 2006

he�s gonna win indian wells isn�t he

# ? Mar 14, 2018 08:00

Rhymes With Clue: Nov 18, 2010

Cornflakes posted:

he�s gonna win indian wells isn�t he

He may have to give Chung blisters again.

# ? Mar 15, 2018 00:10

nachos: Jun 27, 2004; Wario Chalmers! WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Roger Federer bitch

# ? Mar 17, 2018 21:29

fancyclown: Dec 10, 2012

Naomi Osaka has won eight matches in a row. What kind of wizard is Sascha Bajin? :stare:

Whoever he trains they just win win win :goatdrugs:

d. Sharapova
d. Radwanska
d. Vickery
d. Sakkari
d. Pliskova
d. Halep
d. Kasatkina
d. Serena Williams

# ? Mar 22, 2018 07:12

Cornflakes: Dec 3, 2006

shame federer and osaka are out but wozniacki�s loss offers some consolation

# ? Mar 25, 2018 10:41

fancyclown: Dec 10, 2012

Where's the Slam thread?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84zY33QZO5o

# ? May 28, 2018 15:53

Sway Grunt: May 15, 2004; Tenochtitlan, looking east.

I took its absence as a sign of the times really. I'm watching (Petko v Mladenovic at the moment), but even I don't remember the last time I was this uninterested in a major.

# ? May 28, 2018 16:16

fancyclown: Dec 10, 2012

Glare Seethe posted:

I took its absence as a sign of the times really. I'm watching (Petko v Mladenovic at the moment), but even I don't remember the last time I was this uninterested in a major.

Yeah, I feel the same actually. Go Caps!

# ? May 28, 2018 18:00

Josh Lyman: May 24, 2009

fancyclown posted:

Where's the Slam thread?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84zY33QZO5o

Unfortunately, I�ve been traveling for the last few days and Roland Garros is difficult to watch for Americans since it�s basically just on Tennis Channel which most of us don�t get.

I�ll definitely be making a thread for Wimbledon though.

# ? May 28, 2018 18:41

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 01:14

Sodium Chloride: Jan 1, 2008

I made a French Open thread as no one else could be arsed to

https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3858321

# ? May 28, 2018 20:38

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > Tennis Thread

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