2017 Australian Open

[Green Wave Dukie]

Yes, I think Federer's strokes are more compact than Stan's. Stan's huge strokes are a big part of why Wimbledon is his weakest major; imo, he just can't time the ball right and is useless on return. If Tsonga doesn't knock Stan out tonight, I love Federer to beat Stan.

Things have opened up nicely for Fed. Now he just needs someone to knock out Nadal and Raonic from the other half of the bracket.

Just awoke around 4:30am and watched the last 2 games of Federer-Zverez. Fed was amazing. Vintage. 65 winners in a quick 3 set match. 30 in the third set alone. Oldest Aussie semi-finalist since Ashe in '78.

And I would not have guessed, but he has a stellar 18-3 record against Stan. Love to see his run continue. I think a quick match today, after a 5 setter against Nishikori, might be important if he's to win the next 2 matches.

[Troublemaker]

Just awoke around 4:30am and watched the last 2 games of Federer-Zverez. Fed was amazing. Vintage. 65 winners in a quick 3 set match. 30 in the third set alone. Oldest Aussie semi-finalist since Ashe in '78.

And I would not have guessed, but he has a stellar 18-3 record against Stan. Love to see his run continue. I think a quick match today, after a 5 setter against Nishikori, might be important if he's to win the next 2 matches.

Yeah, I'm really thrilled with how well Fed is playing. This could be an amazing, amazing weekend if he plays in the final. It's already been an amazing tournament.

The Serena / Konta QF match tonight is arguably the real final on the women's side. I would make the winner the favorite. If Serena wins, we might get a throwback Serena / Venus Grand Slam final.

[snowdenscold]

Finally catching up on this thread and able to post, since usually I'm watching on DVR a whole day behind and avoiding spoilers.

The women's semis will be interesting as I watched Coco Vandeweghe absolutely blow her last two opponents off the court, particularly Muguruza. It was absolutely frightening how hard she seemed to be hitting the ball. Venus has a tough match in store, as Coco seems to enjoy the big stage and bright lights. Still, I love the run Venus is on at 36, easy draw notwithstanding.

Then you have Serena and Lucic-Baroni, who last played in 1998!! Brad Gilbert suggested that might be a record between H2H tour-level matches, and I'd be interested in seeing that stat confirmed. Thankfully the 7 PM hoops game ended just about on time, so we were able to see match point and MLB's emotional interview afterward.

I'm actually liking Fed's chances except if Rafa also makes the final. The H2H there is not good, but then again, it's been a couple years, which is significant at their ages (and Nadal is an old 30), so who knows. This whole tournament has been a giant turn-back-the-clock affair. But I wouldn't be shocked if Fed lost to Stan either.

And speaking of turn-back-the-clock, how nice and different was it to watch Mischa Zverev play against Murray and Fed? I mean, Serve and Volley 100% of the time? It was almost weird to see, but kinda cool. I don't think I'd want to have every match be like that, but several now and then (particularly since it's basically non-existent these days) would be a good change of pace from baseline slugfests.


Will check back in after I am next caught up on the DVR, which given my work schedule, might be a couple days!

[CDu]

Nadal and Dimitrov win in straight sets. The chances of a Federer/Nadal final are real!

[Troublemaker]

Nadal and Dimitrov win in straight sets. The chances of a Federer/Nadal final are real!

Loving it!

Raonic gave a really poor performance against Rafa, as he couldn't impose his will with his big weapon the serve, and his volleying was atrocious. I wrote above that it was "now or never" for Raonic to win a Grand Slam, and that performance screamed "never." Then again, Wawrinka started being clutch and winning majors later on in his career, so who knows with tennis anymore.

Credit to Nadal, too, for being able to stand close to the baseline on the return and block back the serves, cutting off angles. That speaks to his tennis talent, which sometimes gets overlooked in favor of the narrative that he's the most insane grinder in history.

[CDu]

Loving it!

Raonic gave a really poor performance against Rafa, as he couldn't impose his will with his big weapon the serve, and his volleying was atrocious. I wrote above that it was "now or never" for Raonic to win a Grand Slam, and that performance screamed "never." Then again, Wawrinka started being clutch and winning majors later on in his career, so who knows with tennis anymore.

Credit to Nadal, too, for being able to stand close to the baseline on the return and block back the serves, cutting off angles. That speaks to his tennis talent, which sometimes gets overlooked in favor of the narrative that he's the most insane grinder in history.

Yeah, that's the thing with Raonic. He is a serve-and-volleyer with an emphasis on the "serve." Nadal was able to take away the serve to a decent enough extent to beat him with the other aspects of his game.

A healthy-ish and able Nadal can just be brutal on a serve-and-volleyer. If he gets the timing down on your serve, he has a real advantage in grinding out rallies against players less comfortable on the baseline. That's probably a big reason why he has had such success against serve-and-volley guys but has struggled (relatively so) against a guy like Djokovic (who can match his ground strokes and athleticism).

As for Nadal's skill, I think he is underappreciated in a lot of ways. As you mentioned, he's a great returner. You don't get to be a great grinder without a great return game. He is on the very short list of best returners. That is how he has won 5 majors away from Roland Garros and is trying to become just the second man (Laver) in the modern era to win all four slams twice. On top of that, I don't think his groundstrokes and volley game get enough credit. As with the return of serve, you don't succeed as a grinder without having great groundstrokes. Nadal is happy to grind out points, but his heavy groundstrokes are a very underappreciated weapon. As is his net game. His will and effort are certainly a big part of his success, but his skill shouldn't be ignored.

[Green Wave Dukie]

Nadal and Dimitrov win in straight sets. The chances of a Federer/Nadal final are real!

Fed just beat Stanimal in 5. Unusual match. Fed was up 2 sets, having like a 69-2 record in Majors being up 2 sets to none. Stan goes to the training room for a few moments, gets his knee taped, seems to somewhat throw abandon to the wind and comes out slugging. Next thing you know it's 2 sets all and Fed is in the training room.

8 minutes later the 5th set starts. "Big Match Stan", who should be applauded for coming back after both McEnroes basically left him for dead 75 minutes earlier after he lost the second set, seemed to go back to playing a bit more tentative and played a lousy service game at 2-3 and that was pretty much it. I thought the 5th set was actually the highest caliber of tennis and in the end felt Fed won it more than Stan the Man gave it away. But just a weird match nonetheless, with a few good plot turns.

I'm a big Fed fan, and just amazed he's doing what he is doing.

And shout out to Williams sisters who will meet early Saturday morning in the Women's final.

[Troublemaker]

And speaking of turn-back-the-clock, how nice and different was it to watch Mischa Zverev play against Murray and Fed? I mean, Serve and Volley 100% of the time? It was almost weird to see, but kinda cool. I don't think I'd want to have every match be like that, but several now and then (particularly since it's basically non-existent these days) would be a good change of pace from baseline slugfests.

Fed and Stan just played a 3-hour 5-set match under these fast conditions. A lot of first-strike tennis. Kind of crazy when you compare to the 6-hour 5-setter that Djoker and Nadal played a few years ago at the Aussie Open.

[Troublemaker]

Fed just beat Stanimal in 5. Unusual match. Fed was up 2 sets, having like a 69-2 record in Majors being up 2 sets to none. Stan goes to the training room for a few moments, gets his knee taped, seems to somewhat throw abandon to the wind and comes out slugging. Next thing you know it's 2 sets all and Fed is in the training room.

8 minutes later the 5th set starts. "Big Match Stan", who should be applauded for coming back after both McEnroes basically left him for dead 75 minutes earlier after he lost the second set, seemed to go back to playing a bit more tentative and played a lousy service game at 2-3 and that was pretty much it. I thought the 5th set was actually the highest caliber of tennis and in the end felt Fed won it more than Stan the Man gave it away. But just a weird match nonetheless, with a few good plot turns.

I'm a big Fed fan, and just amazed he's doing what he is doing.

And shout out to Williams sisters who will meet early Saturday morning in the Women's final.

Yeah, I'm thrilled that Fed advanced. I agree with you that the 5th set was the only set when both players were on at the same time. Fed had to become really sharp with his first-serves to stave off the Stanimal.

Now let's see if Nadal can create two throwback finals -- Fedal and the Williams sisters. I'm not as confident as McEnroe that it will happen, although I agree that Nadal should be favored. McEnroe considers Rafa to be in top form but I don't see that at all. The Raonic scoreline was misleading in that Raonic played awful, and Dimitrov has been playing great this season so far, winning the tuneup event in Brisbane. Rafa is still a bit nervy and dropping balls short. That said, he should feel very comfortable that he only has to go against one-handed backhands the rest of the way, and that comfort may raise his level.

[elvis14]

I only got to see the 5th set of the Fed/Stan match. It was fun to watch. So happy to see Federer back in the finals. That double fault for the break in the 5th set really cost Stan. There definitely seemed to be some gamesmanship on the part of Federer when he hit the training room before the 5th.

The post match interview with Courier was hilarious..."When it's the upper leg you treat it in the training room" (not an exact quote but close).

[Green Wave Dukie]

Turned on Dimitrov-Nadal at 5 all in the fourth. Dimitrov just won the tiebreaker in the 4th. This is AMAZING tennis.

[Troublemaker]

Turned on Dimitrov-Nadal at 5 all in the fourth. Dimitrov just won the tiebreaker in the 4th. This is AMAZING tennis.

Agreed. This is the best Rafa has played this tournament, easily, and Dimitrov is playing great as well. Despite their current rankings, this is a Top 5 vs Top 5 quality match.

[Troublemaker]

Wow, incredible hold by Rafa serving 15-40 at 3-4. Could've been over for him there.

[Troublemaker]

Wow, incredible hold by Rafa serving 15-40 at 3-4. Could've been over for him there.

And, of course, that clutch hold leads to a break and then leads to Rafa serving it out (not without difficulty, as Dimitrov fought to deuce twice) for the 5-hour 5-set, win.

Great, great match. Best of the tournament, best of the young season so far. Dimitrov is ready to win majors, man.

[CDu]

And, of course, that clutch hold leads to a break and then leads to Rafa serving it out (not without difficulty, as Dimitrov fought to deuce twice) for the 5-hour 5-set, win.

Great, great match. Best of the tournament, best of the young season so far. Dimitrov is ready to win majors, man.

Oldest Finals ever!!!

It is fun seeing Nadal and Federer playing great again. Hope the Final is this good.

[Troublemaker]

Oldest Finals ever!!!

It is fun seeing Nadal and Federer playing great again. Hope the Final is this good.

It'll be history no matter who wins. #18 for Fed or a double career Grand Slam for Rafa.

I'm seeing that Nadal has opened as a slight favorite (1.2 to 1) over Fed but I don't really believe it. I understand the logic -- extra day of rest for Fed, Rafa just played 5 hours, the conditions are fast -- but still, it's really hard to pick Fed to beat Nadal here. I'd make Fed more of a 3 to 1 underdog.

[CDu]

It'll be history no matter who wins. #18 for Fed or a double career Grand Slam for Rafa.

I'm seeing that Nadal has opened as a slight favorite (1.2 to 1) over Fed but I don't really believe it. I understand the logic -- extra day of rest for Fed, Rafa just played 5 hours, the conditions are fast -- but still, it's really hard to pick Fed to beat Nadal here. I'd make Fed more of a 3 to 1 underdog.

Yeah, historically it's true that Nadal has won over Federer 6-2 in grand slam finals. But, as you said, Federer has about a 26-hr edge in terms of rest. And while both played 5 sets, but Nadal's match was a bit more grueling. I do kind of feel like it is close-ish to 50/50.

But I'm just hopeful for a classic. As you said, huge historical implications. If Nadal wins, he becomes just the second man in the modern era to complete the career slam twice. Plus, he'd be only 2 slams behind Federer with the French looming. If Federer wins, he probably puts himself out of Nadal's reach and makes it tougher on Djokovic to catch him. Andy Roddick said that this might be the most significant Aussie Final ever.

And that's ignoring that there are two 30-somethings on the women's side too. Serena going for the all-time record. Venus trying to turn back the clock. I have my suspicions about the outcome of the women's match, though. I have a feeling that one will be less compelling (historically, the two haven't gone at it fiercely head to head). But what a historic two days coming up!

[duke79]

Yeah, historically it's true that Nadal has won over Federer 6-2 in grand slam finals. But, as you said, Federer has about a 26-hr edge in terms of rest. And while both played 5 sets, but Nadal's match was a bit more grueling. I do kind of feel like it is close-ish to 50/50.

But I'm just hopeful for a classic. As you said, huge historical implications. If Nadal wins, he becomes just the second man in the modern era to complete the career slam twice. Plus, he'd be only 2 slams behind Federer with the French looming. If Federer wins, he probably puts himself out of Nadal's reach and makes it tougher on Djokovic to catch him. Andy Roddick said that this might be the most significant Aussie Final ever.

And that's ignoring that there are two 30-somethings on the women's side too. Serena going for the all-time record. Venus trying to turn back the clock. I have my suspicions about the outcome of the women's match, though. I have a feeling that one will be less compelling (historically, the two haven't gone at it fiercely head to head). But what a historic two days coming up!

I am always confused with the Australian Open about the time difference. When will the final be played? East Coast, USA time and day please?

[Troublemaker]

I am always confused with the Australian Open about the time difference. When will the final be played? East Coast, USA time and day please?

Early Sunday morning at 3:30am. Yeah, you have a tough one. Stay up late Sat night, or get up early Sun morning? Or DVR it and avoid spoilers?

[Troublemaker]

Yeah, historically it's true that Nadal has won over Federer 6-2 in grand slam finals. But, as you said, Federer has about a 26-hr edge in terms of rest. And while both played 5 sets, but Nadal's match was a bit more grueling. I do kind of feel like it is close-ish to 50/50.

But I'm just hopeful for a classic. As you said, huge historical implications. If Nadal wins, he becomes just the second man in the modern era to complete the career slam twice. Plus, he'd be only 2 slams behind Federer with the French looming. If Federer wins, he probably puts himself out of Nadal's reach and makes it tougher on Djokovic to catch him. Andy Roddick said that this might be the most significant Aussie Final ever.

And that's ignoring that there are two 30-somethings on the women's side too. Serena going for the all-time record. Venus trying to turn back the clock. I have my suspicions about the outcome of the women's match, though. I have a feeling that one will be less compelling (historically, the two haven't gone at it fiercely head to head). But what a historic two days coming up!

Yeah, I'm very happy with this tournament. Considering how ho-hum I was when starting this thread.