Though not a huge tennis fan myself, I thought this deserved a thread for discussion/acknowledgement. Especially considering what is happening this weekend.
Ashleigh Barty becomes the first Aussie in 44 years to win the Australian Open. Congrats! (though she beat an American ACC alum (UVA) for the title)
Rafael Nadal goes for history and the record tomorrow. Or is that today?
Watched this morning. Collins with a gutsy performance, was outplayed the first set and fought her way to a 5-1 lead in the second. Barty blasted 3 forehand winners from down 15-30 one game during the comeback. Well played and well deserved. She is definitely a country hero down there.
Rooting for Meddy in the morning.
I gotta imagine it's going to be a very biased crowd in favor of Nadal. But I could be wrong.
I'm cheering for Rafa myself although I don't have anything against Medvedev really and thought his FIFA video game celebration on his last Grand Slam win was pretty epic...
I will not be waking up at 2:30am to watch the match live....
Same here Green Wave Dukie. The contrast will be how long Nadal takes at the baseline when he serves and Medvedev when he serves. If Medvedev can win points off his serve, I like his chances. He also is in good enough physical shape to hang with Rafa in the long rallies.
Hope you are well.
Unabashedly cheering for Nadal. Hoping someone can keep Djokovic from the all-time mark, and Nadal is one of the most likable guys out there in my opinion. Plus I like that he wins by playing harder than everyone else and not relying on a big serve.
Medvedev is a hell of a young player though. It certainly won’t be easy for Nadal.
Medvedev is favored for a good reason. He has been playing very well, and Nadal didn’t play at all in 2021 after the French open. Nadal had foot surgery, and wasn’t sure if he actually would play tennis again. The fact that he is at the AO and playing fairly well is almost a miracle. So I think Med will have the edge on him in terms of fitness, recent tennis, and confidence.
While I expect Med will win, I will root for Nadal. I like him for his sportsmanship and I relate to all the injuries he has had to overcome. Also, while i think Med is a very talented player, I have not always been impressed with his sportsmanship, and his latest rant when playing Cressy was disappointing (if you didn’t see it, he went on a loud rant during the changeover about how lucky Cressy was).
Good tennis. Meddy just came back a break down twice in the second set. And same with 2 mini breaks in the 2nd set tiebreaker. Meddy’s down the line backhand to Rafa’s backhand is impressive.
2-0 sets down. Will be awful tough for Rafa to come back now. Gilbert just said last time he came back from 2-0 down was 15 years ago.
Meddy is out-Rafaing Rafa.
Big moment here.
Great tennis. On serve 2-1 in the fifth.
Rafa seems fresher. Would have never thought that 2 hours ago.
Medvedev serving huge this set. He is close to cramping and needs to play short points. Big look for Nadal here.
I tuned in for the 5th set. This is incredible.
Can Nadal hold serve 2 more times to complete the comeback?
Holds once. Now two chances for the match.
Med holds, Nadal serving for the match.
Tennis is boxing if there was no final round, no judges and the match had to end in a knockout.
Also tuned in thanks to this thread. Impressive match, quite an opportunity for Nadal to make some history.
2 points from the match. 2 points from being on serve.
Just incredible tennis from Medvedev.