On to the (way too short) grass season...culminating with Wimbledon

[cezero]

I'm wondering just how much Murray has been conserving energy for defending his Wimbledon title...or if maybe the insane pressure he's about to be under for the next few weeks has weighed on him a bit.

On the women's side, I'm hoping to see Serena come out with a purpose right away. Sharapova has a harder time moving to her right and getting good contact on the forehand side unless she has the time that a slow hard court or clay gives her, so I just don't see her doing all that great at Wimbledon. We'll see soon enough.

 

[nuraman00]

I'm wondering just how much Murray has been conserving energy for defending his Wimbledon title...or if maybe the insane pressure he's about to be under for the next few weeks has weighed on him a bit.

IMO, I think Murray's own expectations are high. He wants to win more majors, period. So I don't think he's been conserving energy.

He's been trying his best, and he did reasonably well at the FO. He played better against Nadal than the 2011 FO match IMO.

Sometimes his game isn't good enough, as he's a more erratic server (especially with 1st serve %).

 

[cezero]

Yeah, you're probably right about Murray. The mind is a strange contraption, though. It prioritizes things without you even knowing it sometimes.

 

[cezero]

Vika's coming back after 3 months off next week. YAY!

 

[RJD11]

Vika's coming back after 3 months off next week. YAY!

Hope she hasn't been too Fooed

 

[nuraman00]

I'd like to see Murray win an AO. He's lost in 3 Finals, and another SF. That's a lot of great runs, can't recall many others to have been that good, and not eventually win one.

I think Murray will win a clay title at some point. I feel he's in the hunt. Not as good as Djokovic, Nadal, or probably Federer there. Perhaps not as good as Wawrinka. But sort of like how Sharapova hung around on clay between 2008-2011, I think Murray is similar. And he's a good enough overall player, he can do it. Once in a while.

 

[bksballer89]

I absolutely how long clay court season is and how short grass season.....Just doesn't seem fair to me.

Both only have 1 major but yet clay court season is a 1.5 months-2 months long while grass court season is like 2 weeks long

 

[Old Lion]

Grass court season is about a month. Usually 1 tuneup then 2 weeks of Wimby then the anti climatic HOF

 

[bksballer89]

Still too short imo. Look how many clay court tourneys we have leading up to the french

 

[Old Lion]

Agreed. You are preaching to choir though. I wont even watch Clay court tennis. Saw almost none of the French.

 

[nuraman00]

Grass court season is about a month. Usually 1 tuneup then 2 weeks of Wimby then the anti climatic HOF

LOL. While I watch that Cambell's HOF tourney, it's true, it is anti-clamatic.

 

[nuraman00]

I don't think Federer played that well in the championship match at Halle. He should not need tiebreakers, especially two, to beat Falla. He needs to break others more easily.

 

[cezero]

Fed's at the tail end of his career, and it's never unusual to see him struggle to win titles anymore, no matter his opponents.

He got a VERY nice quarter of the draw for Wimbledon, so I'd be surprised if he didn't at least make the QF. You just never know with him anymore, though.

And besides HS, you won't find a bigger Fed fan than I am.

 

[nuraman00]

And besides HS, you won't find a bigger Fed fan than I am.

I am too.

I'd like to see him win the things he has the least of, though. Accomplish things he hasn't done as much of.

Like more AO, FO.

I also want him to beat Nadal at the FO, just because of how many times he's lost to him there. Just beat him once. As unlikely it keeps looking year after year. I also think he'd have to play amazing to do it, which would be fun to watch.

Monte Carlo, Rome are other ones. He's been to a lot of Finals for them.

I know those tourneys, especially if Nadal plays, is tough, but I just want to see him breaking new ground, or winning more of the ones he hasn't won as much. Makes for an even more well-rounded career.

I also liked the way he played Wimbledon a lot earlier in his career, from 2003-2007. He was able to finish points differently than now.

It's understandable given his age and declining speed, but I'd rather have him not need so many tiebreakers to win sets.

We'll see what happens.

 

[cezero]

his best hope is on grass. he might just be able to eke out 1 more major on it if things unfold just right for him.

he'll never win the french again unless rafa goes out early, and there are too many hard court players who have caught up with or surpassed him for him to seriously contend at the aussie or us open again.

at this point in his career, trying to win more of things he has the least of is probably around number 99 on a list of 100 priorities.

 

[nuraman00]

his best hope is on grass. he might just be able to eke out 1 more major on it if things unfold just right for him.

he'll never win the french again unless rafa goes out early, and there are too many hard court players who have caught up with or surpassed him for him to seriously contend at the aussie or us open again.

at this point in his career, trying to win more of things he has the least of is probably around number 99 on a list of 100 priorities.

I don't mean he should try extra hard. Because usually I feel that if he's in it, he tries his best. He doesn't take them any less seriously. I don't mean he should do something drastically different to try to win those.

I just hope gets in a position to have a chance, kind of like he did in Monte Carlo by getting to the Finals, or at the AO by beating good players like Tsonga and Murray.

My fear at Wimbledon is that he'll have a lot of matches where he breaks others less than the number of sets needed to win (3). Meaning a lot of tiebreakers, which are a dangerous way to live.

He might be the best at tiebreakers in ATP history, but given the less margin for error he has now, it makes it dicey.

I'd like to see more 6-3 or 6-2 sets, than 7-6 or 7-5.

Also, I know Djokovic, Nadal are better on hardcourts right now, and someone like Berdych can beat him, along with some random players (Gulbis), but do you think he could at least get to Finals late in his career, like Sampras did at the USO, and Agassi did at the AO and USO?

+++++++++++++++++++


Performance Tie-breakers
Current* Index Career Index

1. Roger Federer .514 .648
2. John Isner .662 .646
3. Novak Djokovic .640 .641
4. Pete Sampras .000 .637
5. Rafael Nadal .677 .632