2017 Australian Open

[nuraman00]

Just a heads up, for the rest of the tourney everything is on ESPN. DO NOT TURN IT TO ESPN2

Agree. Starting with the Men's Final, everything shifts to ESPN.

From 2013, ESPN, and not ESPN 2, has televised the Men's SF and Finals.

ESPN — Not ESPN2 — to Air Australian Open Finals — Sports Media Watch

 

[nuraman00]

you can also watch any of the matches online on watchespn/espn3. you can watch them live or on replay.

i have directv, and when i try to log in to watchespn, it just opens a new window having me log in to directv. i assume it's the same for those with other cable providers.

Agree, it is.

I have Comcast and it's the same thing.

 

[Old Lion]

remember when 18 yr olds used to win the majors? There has been a MAJOR shift in that in the last decade or so. It's pretty cool. It's like players aren't hitting their prime until later in their careers.

Gives me hope

Its actually been 2 decades easily. Lendyl changed tennis forever in the 80s by becoming a gym rat. Now everyone is in ridiculous shape. Teenagers can not reach the level of fitness adults can. Womens side saw it not too much later too.

 

[nuraman00]

Nadal is the youngest of them.

There weren't that many teenagers anyways.

Age Records of Slam Winners

 

[ElTexan]

Nadal is the youngest of them.

There weren't that many teenagers anyways.

Age Records of Slam Winners

You didn't include the women.
That Chang-Edberg match still haunts me. I think I still have that on VHS

 

[ElTexan]

I predicted Fed in 5 and Nadal in straight. I'm half-way home.

 

[cezero]

no tennis until tomorrow for me. going to be difficult to not find out the winner of the nadal/dimitrov match, but i'm going to try so i can watch it all tomorrow after work.

 

[ElTexan]

Dimitrov's shots are breaking down in the middle of the fourth. Like my golf swing after about 14 holes.

 

[Old Lion]

Dimitrov comes back to win 4th set. 5th set. Could be a long time before we know who Fed plays. This has been back and forth.

 

[ill]

what a battle. Pissed I had to come into work for a 0630 meeting, otherwise my ass would be on the couch watching

 

[bksballer89]

Wow what a match that was

 

[Old Lion]

Yup, Looks like the final piece of the geriatric open is complete. All 4 singles finalists are 30+

 

[ElTexan]

 

[ill]

slacker

 

[Hs0022]

Its actually been 2 decades easily. Lendyl changed tennis forever in the 80s by becoming a gym rat. Now everyone is in ridiculous shape. Teenagers can not reach the level of fitness adults can. Womens side saw it not too much later too.

Lendyl??!

 

[Old Lion]

Lendyl??!

Damn auto correct.

 

[Hs0022]

I am counting on Venus to tank and let her lil sis win, to get the record just to be on the safe side. Serena will most likely win more slams but why risk it. I say big sis concedes. Neither lose anything. It stays in the family. Title and money.

 

[bksballer89]

Last time Fed/Nadal played here in Australia, it was a straight forward easy win for Rafa.

 

[bksballer89]

For you Fed fans, is there a good reason you can explain Rafa dominance over Fed?

 

[cezero]

For you Fed fans, is there a good reason you can explain Rafa dominance over Fed?

It's very easy to explain.

With a one-handed backhand, it's exhausting For Fed to hit all of the shots that bounce up around his ears. Rafa's topspin forehand goes right to Fed's biggest weakness. Kyrptonite. Rafa just turns up the topspin an extra notch against Fed because he cannot deal with it.

Two handers on the backhand side don't struggle nearly as much dealing with Nadal's backhand.

Fed has been able to deal with it in best of 3 matches on hard courts from time to time, but best of 5 makes it much harder.

Watch for Rafa to attack Fed's backhand from ball 1. The sets that Dimitrov won, he was hitting his backhand consistently deep to Rafa. If Fed can do that, then he might have a chance. But Fed has shown year after year after year that he can't do that for more than a couple of sets against Rafa.