Tennis

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Does Murray actually have a popsicles chance in hell of making any sort of comeback? He seems to have been struggling with injury and as a result form for about the last 5 years. Perhaps 5 years is an overstatement but its a long time.

I wouldn’t even bet a penny on it. Won’t happen. A real shame as I’ve seen him lots of times on centre court and the atmosphere is amazing.
 

fez

fez

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I wouldn’t even bet a penny on it. Won’t happen. A real shame as I’ve seen him lots of times on centre court and the atmosphere is amazing.

He was one of the best players in the world at a time when we have 3 of the greatest players ever playing. Props to the guy. Just a shame his career highs were so short lived.
 
Associate
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Murray's career has been great by any standards outside of the big 3 for sure. That said it's also been incredibly frustrating as a fan (no doubt more so for him!) because there have been multiple times when he finally managed to break through to being more or less on the level of the big 3 only to get immediately derailed by serious injuries. I think if not for those injuries he might've doubled or more his slam count...sad really.
 
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He made his comeback a long time ago and has been playing regularly this year. Hasn’t been making the later rounds of most tournaments but he’s up to 47 in the rankings and is still finding his game.

He picked up an injury in Stuttgart simply due to the amount of tennis he played. If it’s not too serious there’s no reason he won’t keep improving.
You definitely make some good and positive points. I wish I had your optimism!
 

fez

fez

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And an incredibly high pain threshold.

I don't think that comes into it. By the time you get to a high pain threshold being relevant its very unlikely that you are able to perform at a high enough level to beat another professional of similar talent. Professional athletes play with pain a lot and take a lot of drugs and painkillers but if you are facing high levels of pain even with those drugs then you ain't at your best and a few % at the elite level is the difference between winning and not coming close.
 
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No doubt Murray would have won a lot more in a different era. I would have been curious if he could have won another slam without the injury

I think he would have, he was at his career peak when the hip really deteriorated. He'd just won Wimbledon, the Olympics, ATP tour finals and was year end number 1.
 
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I don't think that comes into it. By the time you get to a high pain threshold being relevant its very unlikely that you are able to perform at a high enough level to beat another professional of similar talent. Professional athletes play with pain a lot and take a lot of drugs and painkillers but if you are facing high levels of pain even with those drugs then you ain't at your best and a few % at the elite level is the difference between winning and not coming close.
They just have a different mind set too.

Nadal apparently has some degenerative thing in his foot.
He won the French open with no feeling in it and was being given steroid type injections all the way through.
 

fez

fez

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They just have a different mind set too.

Nadal apparently has some degenerative thing in his foot.
He won the French open with no feeling in it and was being given steroid type injections all the way through.

Yeah, they all play on painkillers etc but the pain will come later when those meds wear off and they have to suffer the consequences of dulling the bodies paid signals and treating an injured limb like its not injured.

Anyone who has played a lot of sport and suffered in later years because of it knows that you don't want to play injured. Its not big. Its not clever and unless you are earning your living from it, its not worth it.

Your body is OK until it isn't and you don't always get a warning that it isn't until its too late.
 
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Berrettini is an absolute machine on grass, bit odd for an Italian but I guess his game suits it well. It would be nice to have a new winner at Wimbledon this year and I'm not sure anyone other than Djokovic can stop him.
 
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Murray's just lost in 3 sets to Norrie, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Cincinnati Masters and Raducanu's just won her first set against Azarenka 6-0.

Hope she can string some matches together this week and find some form ahead of the US Open.

Edit: And she wins 6-0, 6-2. Azarenka's not he player she once was but she's still ranked 22 and picking up wins regularly.
 
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