The (Unofficial) 2013 Aussie Open Thread

#26
#26
I haven't seen Murray's form yet so don't know if he picked up from where he left off last season, but I suspect he did.

I've seen Federer and Djokovic play. I"m not sure Djoker can be beaten right now even if he isn't playing his absolute best. Mentally, he cannot be broken down right now.

Federer is playing well, but the draw is just too much to ask. IF he gets past Tsonga, he has Murray, and then Djokovic. I would call it 50/50 on the Tsonga match, and then RF is the underdog the rest of the way.

Almagro's brain cramped in the third and 4th sets. Im not sure how many chances he had to serve the match out, but it was more than I've ever seen the eventual loser have. I love Almagro's backhand. He has nothing upstairs though.

Heading down the stretch, I see a Djoker v. Murray final. I give the slight edge to Djoker for reasons stated, but Murray is the momentum pick.
 
#27
#27
DyronNix said:
I haven't seen Murray's form yet so don't know if he picked up from where he left off last season, but I suspect he did.

I've seen Federer and Djokovic play. I"m not sure Djoker can be beaten right now even if he isn't playing his absolute best. Mentally, he cannot be broken down right now.

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Djoker cannot be beaten right now.


DyronNix said:
Federer is playing well, but the draw is just too much to ask. IF he gets past Tsonga, he has Murray, and then Djokovic. I would call it 50/50 on the Tsonga match, and then RF is the underdog the rest of the way.

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I completely agree. There is no way he is beating Tsonga and then Murray and then Djokovic. It's not happening. But I do think he'll beat Tsonga.



DyronNix said:
Almagro's brain cramped in the third and 4th sets. Im not sure how many chances he had to serve the match out, but it was more than I've ever seen the eventual loser have. I love Almagro's backhand. He has nothing upstairs though.
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Yeah, Almagro is a really good player. But he is also a known choke artist. And yesterday was one of his best efforts in that regard. Here is another:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcGYhfeMEx4[/youtube]




DyronNix said:
Heading down the stretch, I see a Djoker v. Murray final. I give the slight edge to Djoker for reasons stated, but Murray is the momentum pick.
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I give Djoker more than a slight edge. Murray is playing well, but I very much believe that Djoker's best is better than Murray's best. I think Djoker wins it in four.
 
#28
#28
And if Ferrer can win a set off Djokovic, he should consider it a moral victory because he certainly isn't winning the match.
 
#29
#29
DyronNix said:
I haven't seen Murray's form yet so don't know if he picked up from where he left off last season, but I suspect he did.

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I actually haven't seen Murray yet play either. But I just can't imagine him beating Djoker the way Djoker is playing right now.

He won 44% of the points when Berdych was serving. That's just silly.
 
#30
#30
I agree about Djokovic. You'd thought he would struggle against Berdych after the 5-hour slugfest against Wawrinka. Novak is now the most mentally tough player on tour. He explains it as "not being afraid to lose" in big matches and on big points. As anyone that has played competitive tennis on any level can attest, that is a HUGE state of mind.

I also think the Murray of 2013 is a player to be reckoned with. It remains to be seen, but I think the Olympic gold plus his first slam title changes everything for him. He can now play slam matches without the weight of unfulfilled expectations holding him back.

All I know from this point on, I will be losing lots of sleep to watch the AO unfold.
 
#31
#31
kidbourbon said:
I don't follow the women's game too too much, but I might try to watch Sloane Stephens vs. Serena. Serena is playing out of her mind right now, I don't give Stephens much of a chance, but it will be interesting to see if she can at least make a match of it.
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Injured. Again.

Seems like she is "injured" every time I see her play these days.
 
#33
#33
DyronNix said:
I agree about Djokovic. You'd thought he would struggle against Berdych after the 5-hour slugfest against Wawrinka. Novak is now the most mentally tough player on tour. He explains it as "not being afraid to lose" in big matches and on big points. As anyone that has played competitive tennis on any level can attest, that is a HUGE state of mind.

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Yeah, hitting a shot with a mindset of "I can't wait to paint the line with this crosscourt backhand" is much preferred over "I hope I can paint the line with this crosscourt backhand".

It's the equivalent of the basketball player who desperately wants to take the last shot because he knows he'll make it. That's Djokovic right now.
 
#34
#34
kidbourbon said:
Dude, she won Wimbledon and the US Open. Her match record in 2012 was 58-4.
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I am aware of her accomplishments. It just seems weird that every time she loses, she's playing with an injury that pops up during the match.

Can you think of another athlete with a similar injury/loss correlation?
 
#35
#35
Djokovic to be tested by Ferrer tonight. Not. Actually I think Ferrer will play close (a break) for two sets but then Nole will end it with a mercy kill. Wouldn't surprise me if Ferrer sneaked a set. But it won't really be all that close.

Apparently Murray has played no one this tournament and faces his first true test against Fed in the semi. I just feel Murray is a different player after last year and is of the right mindset to get it done.

Federer MUST get his first serve working if he is to win more than a set off of Murray. As his first serve goes, so goes his chances in the semi. I pick Murray in 4.
 
#36
#36
Velo Vol said:
I am aware of her accomplishments. It just seems weird that every time she loses, she's playing with an injury that pops up during the match.

Can you think of another athlete with a similar injury/loss correlation?
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1. Did you watch the match? She wasn't faking. She pulled a muscle -- or something similar -- in her back while going for a drop shot. The occurrence of the injury was unmistakable, and the change in her game immediate (she hit only second serves from there on out).

2. You'll have to enlighten me on this subject, as I can't recall a single other instance where Serena had an injury during a match that she lost.

3. So, yes. Many more.
 
#37
#37
DyronNix said:
Djokovic to be tested by Ferrer tonight. Not. Actually I think Ferrer will play close (a break) for two sets but then Nole will end it with a mercy kill. Wouldn't surprise me if Ferrer sneaked a set. But it won't really be all that close.

Apparently Murray has played no one this tournament and faces his first true test against Fed in the semi. I just feel Murray is a different player after last year and is of the right mindset to get it done.

Federer MUST get his first serve working if he is to win more than a set off of Murray. As his first serve goes, so goes his chances in the semi. I pick Murray in 4.
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I pretty much agree with all of this.

For Djoker/Ferrer, I'm going with Djoker 6-4, 7-6, 6-2.


For Federer/Murray,, I'm going Murray 5-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-4.
 
#38
#38
Sloane Stephens is getting her ass handed to her. Oh well, it was a good run for her. She has a bright future.
 
#39
#39
Is it wrong of me to hate Azarenka? I don't even watch women's tennis. A thirty second highlight with her grunting as the soundtrack is enough to convince me. Still can't believe she gets away with that noise.

I'm going David Bowie for the women's final and pulling for the little china girl.
 
#42
#42
zjcvols said:
How we feel about the Azarenka injury timeout?
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Don't like it. At all. Fake injury in an air conditioned room while Sloan made the mistake of just sitting on the sideline drinking Gatorade in the heat. Head games for a head case. She will not receive a warm reception in the finals. The Aussie crowd already don't like her for the shrieking. I hope Na kicks her ass, personally.
 
#43
#43
I've never figured out the rules for taking breaks in tennis. If they allow players to take them, why fault players for doing so?

No one faults coaches for taking time outs in other sports (unless the contest is clearly decided).
 
#45
#45
I watched very little of the Muzzah-Federer match, but apparently only saw the parts of the match were Murray dictated control of the points and Federer tried his best to defend. Murray just pushed Federer around the court. It also appeared Fed's serve was not anywhere close to where it needed to be to win this match.

Having said that, Fed showed some fight and spirit to get to the 5th set. I didn't expect him to get past this match when the draw came out, but I think he should still consider it a good tournament. His days of domination are past, but he can still consistently beat all but 3 players on tour right now.

I'll stick with my pick of Djokovic in the final, but I'm more convinced than ever that Murray version 2013 is a complete player ready to win multiple slams.
 
#46
#46
DyronNix said:
I watched very little of the Muzzah-Federer match, but apparently only saw the parts of the match were Murray dictated control of the points and Federer tried his best to defend. Murray just pushed Federer around the court. It also appeared Fed's serve was not anywhere close to where it needed to be to win this match.

Having said that, Fed showed some fight and spirit to get to the 5th set. I didn't expect him to get past this match when the draw came out, but I think he should still consider it a good tournament. His days of domination are past, but he can still consistently beat all but 3 players on tour right now.

I'll stick with my pick of Djokovic in the final, but I'm more convinced than ever that Murray version 2013 is a complete player ready to win multiple slams.
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Yeah, the scoreline is a bit misleading. Murray dominated Fed in basically every facet of the game. Murray served unbelievably.

Fed didn't appear to have any offensive initiative. And you know this because he was attempting boatloads of drop shots. He only does that when he is reeling and out of answers.

It wasn't Fed's best match by any stretch of the imagination. This really shouldn't be a surprise. As you get older it becomes more difficult for the body to recover. Two five setters in a row may be a little bit too much to ask of him.
 
#48
#48
MphsBlues said:
Don't like it. At all. Fake injury in an air conditioned room while Sloan made the mistake of just sitting on the sideline drinking Gatorade in the heat. Head games for a head case. She will not receive a warm reception in the finals. The Aussie crowd already don't like her for the shrieking. I hope Na kicks her ass, personally.
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Where the heck you been hiding?
 
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