Soldato
Lol, he said they'll finish the tiebreak. So that could go on till 3am 
Wimbledon 2018
- Thread starter marc2003
- Start date
Caporegime
**** it! 
Soldato
I knew that last serve would win it.
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 21 Nov 2004
- Posts
- 46,107
Amazing stuff. Stunning play. Nadal needs to regather his thoughts. It is so close between them.
Associate
- Joined
- 6 Jul 2015
- Posts
- 127
What a day!! I thought the Anderson battle was never going to end and now we have to wait till tomorrow with Rafa and Novak
This. It's taken Novak almost two years to return to his best and this is the match where he's peaked again. Simply incredible from both.
I'm only a part time tennis fan but the level of competition in mens tennis over the last 10 years is arguably the greatest of any sport, certainly in my lifetime. The way Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have pushed each other on and still are, never ceases to amaze me. I cannot think of another sport that's had this level of competition over such a sustained period.
Caporegime
Great stuff!
I agree. It's unparalleled. I'm an avid fan and to see Novak and Nadal both at their best, reigniting the greatest rivalry in the sport is a dream come true. Long may it last.
If anyone gets a craving for more of the same, my favourite match of all time is the 2012 Australian Open final between the same two players. It's available in full too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQxS_oYJx3Q
It kicks off again at 1pm - BEFORE the ladies final on centre court.
Ladies final will almost certainly be delayed. I'm hoping for a looong five set match!
Current opinion is that the roof would stay on unless both players agree to begin without it. Novak will probably prefer to continue playing 'indoors' so consensus might be hard to reach. Seems stupid to play with it on with it being a hot, sunny day, but the preference is to always to finish the way it began. In this case, with the roof on. Let's see.
In a way i'm glad we got more of this match today. It's something exciting to look forward to.
Soldato
- Joined
- 2 Apr 2006
- Posts
- 3,738
The fitness levels of these top players is amazing. I know it's a completely different sport but I wonder how they stack up against a top pro footballer.
Gael Monfils could outrun any football player. Murray could probably do the first ten yards faster than Monfils. Rafa could probably pick both of them up so that they can't run, and Roger would serenely glide past all of them without ever breaking a sweat.
Soldato
- Joined
- 2 Apr 2006
- Posts
- 3,738
So individually, they all have their strengths. It's their stamina and their powers of recovery that impresses the most, something footballers could learn from.
Permabanned
We are indeed blessed, would that that was apparent in the women's game, the dominance of the Williamses [?] has
debased their game for years.
So, with the risk of annoying professional big 'ead McEnroe, is it fair to say any of the current top 5 men , even on a bad day, could easily trounce
the likes of Borg, Connors, McEnroe, Cash, at their peak ?
So individually, they all have their strengths. It's their stamina and their powers of recovery that impresses the most, something footballers could learn from.
Considering my terrible state of fitness, i'd hate to sit on the sidelines and denigrate any particular athlete, or group of athletes. My own granny could probably outrun me at this point.
Tennis is largely burst effort rather than sustained. Five hours of Tennis, with it's myriad sprints, rapid changes of direction and overall work rate is grueling for anyone, and punishing on the body. I've never seen Novak look particularly fatigued though, and he seems able to keep going day in, day out with barely a sign that he's ever out of breath.
There are probably people who are fitter. Rowing and Cross Country Skiing are known to have the highest demands in terms of cardio output. Pro Cycling on a grand tour is mental for the GC contenders in the mountain stages. Any of those sports is trumps for sustained output, with the likes of Chris Froome being able to throw in short bursts of greater effort, even on top of the ridiculously high level already being put in.
Caporegime
I reckon some of the tennis players should claim they've got asthma and get on that magical pro cyclist asthma sauce
Really looking forward to both games today, although I might miss the women's final in favour of the football. I'll certainly watch it back after though.
I'd rather see the roof open so a little bit more heat gets on the court to help Rafa's spin but it would be fairer on both if it stayed closed.
Sunbathing, more tennis, footie, then a BBQ, bring on Saturday
Really looking forward to both games today, although I might miss the women's final in favour of the football. I'll certainly watch it back after though.
I'd rather see the roof open so a little bit more heat gets on the court to help Rafa's spin but it would be fairer on both if it stayed closed.
Sunbathing, more tennis, footie, then a BBQ, bring on Saturday
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 21 Nov 2004
- Posts
- 46,107
It kicks off again at 1pm - BEFORE the ladies final on centre court.
The ladies will no doubt have to wait then. I hope it goes to a fifth set and carries on with the performance of last night. The best tennis I have seen.
I'm not sure it would be easy. Modern players would win most of the time with their power, but the finesse, shot placement and net play of the likes of Borg could give a baseline player a little bit of trouble. Of course the old generation would need time to adjust to serves coming at them 30mph faster than they are used to. It's be a miracle if they could get any back in play!
Delpo in the fifth set of his Quarter was throwing himself around at the net like he was Boris Becker, and has a large wing-span, so he might be the perfect person to put up against a Connors.