French Open 2021

ffs now is not the time to be throwing out the doping sour grapes accusations imo

skill and pure force of will and heart were the defining characteristics tonight and no drug can give you either

walshb wrote: »

That’s complete bull..

What's bull is thinking these people are clean.

Furze99

Age & wear tear catches up on Nadal, he wasn’t going to manage a fifth set/ hour. Lessons there for younger players taking him on.

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

I'm not saying he is taking something but how many times have we seen him get fresher as matches go on.
I've never seen anything like it in any sport.

Is he still on the gluten free diet ?

How can you tell he is “fresher” from watching tv?

And what exactly does fresher mean?

Can athletes not get warmer, faster, more flowing etc as they endure?

It’s not long distance running. It’s tennis. Plenty rests/breaks/refreshments..

Iv'e got nothing against juicing by the way, it's everywhere and in every sport and the majority all do it.

lostcat

mzungu wrote: »

A great match.

That third set should be framed, masterpiece

Slashermcguirk

Djokovic went into absolute beast mode in sets 3 and 4. His peak level is just extraordinary. His return of serve is out of this world

Sandor Clegane wrote: »

What's bull is thinking these people are clean.

So Roger/Rafa/Nadal and other elite players are all cheaters?

Really?

Again, this attitude is ignorant bull.

walshb wrote: »

So Roger/Rafa/Nadal and other elite players are all cheaters?

Really?

Again, this attitude is ignorant bull.

It's not, it's incredibly naïve to think top level athletes earning millions wouldn't take advantage of the benefits juicing's gives, look at MMA, boxing, cycling, running for example, you hear all the time people getting caught, it's rampant in every sport.

Sandor Clegane wrote: »

Iv'e got nothing against juicing by the way, it's everywhere and in every sport and the majority all do it.

I agree with part of this..

I have nothing against it either.

But there are plenty greats that are honest and dignified and playing by the rules.

Floppybits

I can't believe it Hector was wrong.

Sandor Clegane wrote: »

It's not, it's incredibly naïve to think top level athletes earning millions wouldn't take advantage of the benefits juicing's gives, look at MMA, boxing, cycling for example, you hear all the time people getting caught, it's rampant in every sport.

I never said elites don’t juice..

You’re matter fact claim that they all do is ignorant..

So what time is the Whothehellareya (33) vs Fookedifiknowya (32) match on at tomorrow?

SlickRic

I never have and never will be able to take to Novak.

He's always come across as smug, insecure and insincere. and that's well before all of the anti-vax stuff. I just don't buy into his nice guy routine at all.

But, in my opinion, he is the best tennis player there has ever been.

mzungu

Tsitsipas is really going to need his A game on Sunday.

For his sake, in his first GS Final, I hope he makes a match of it.

Rob2D

And in the end it fizzles out. A few hype games in the 3rd and that was it.

And so the Nadal fans go to sit with the 2019 Fed fans. At least Rog took it to match points.....

glasso wrote: »

Some people have even turned it off and are rewatching Pistol Pete Wimby matches instead.

And whoever does would learn a lot more.

So it looks like the slav train may be unstoppable again this year. Hard to see him not winning in London.

yerwanthere123

SlickRic wrote: »

I never have and never will be able to take to Novak.

He's always come across as smug, insecure and insincere. and that's well before all of the anti-vax stuff. I just don't buy into his nice guy routine at all.

But, in my opinion, he is the best tennis player there has ever been.

Yep, the desperation to be liked is so off-putting. Had he just accepted from the off that he'd never be as popular as Federer and Nadal and was just himself I think he'd probably be more popular than he is. And that was before his rogue superspreader event in Serbia..

Hoping for a Tsitsipas win on Sunday! :pac:

Girly Gal

Extraordinary match, 2 extraordinary players, wasn't expecting a conversation about doping on here after that magnificent spectacle. There's a time and a place for that, not tonight, let people enjoy the match for what it was a magnificent match between 2 of the greatest players ever.

walshb wrote: »

I never said elites don’t juice..

You’re matter fact claim that they all do is ignorant..

I think it's safer to assume any top level, elite athlete is on them tbh, Id say the same in any sport Tennis being no different, wasn't Sharapova caught a while back?

As I said there isn't a sport it's not rampant in and I find it incredibly hard to accept the top highest paid guys wouldn't take advantage of them.

Slashermcguirk

Why do so many of the players like him then? Murray, Wawrinka, Thiem, Zverev, Medvedev, Tsitsipas etc. Have heard numerous top players he the most approachable of the big 3 players off court. Even watch Medvedev runner up speech in Australia.

I would take the word of other players, Murray and Wawrinka say he is a top bloke off court

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Yep, the desperation to be liked is so off-putting. Had he just accepted from the off that he'd never be as popular as Federer and Nadal and was just himself I think he'd probably be more popular than he is. And that was before his rogue superspreader event in Serbia..

Hoping for a Tsitsipas win on Sunday! :pac:

Rob2D wrote: »

And in the end it fizzles out. A few hype games in the 3rd and that was it.

And so the Nadal fans go to sit with the 2019 Fed fans. At least Rog took it to match points.....

So it looks like the slav train may be unstoppable again this year. Hard to see him not winning in London.

Lol, keep telling yourself that.

in the final set a break and two games down was turned around completely in dramatic fashion

trying to continue deny that that was a great match is a bit of a joke at this stage.

first time Nadal has ever lost at RG when he got to the semi, a man with a 98.5% record on clay over 5

even ND said that he never played better at RG than tonight.

especially given the Nadal start, it was a hugely impressive performance.

klr87

Hmmm ... Djokovic has won all 3 matches against Tsitsipas on clay: Madrid 2019, French Open semi last year, and Rome QF four weeks ago. The French Open match went to 5 sets before Tsitsipas ran out of gas. In Rome, Djokovic won 4-6 7-5 7-5.

HeidiHeidi

dominatinMC wrote: »

Yep, getting harder to argue against that now. He will inevitibly get #19 on Sunday, then will win Wimbledon to get to #20. Combined with his weeks at #1, H2H records, and M1000 records, there's not much left to be said.

And yet more wild predictions, stated with absolute certainty!

Is there no room in yer heads for the odd upset - like tonight, for instance??

This is sport, after all.....

If I had nothing better to do tomorrow I'd go back through this thread (even only since I joined it) and pick out all the bald, incontrovertible, absolute, but wildly incorrect statements and predictions that were made.

But thankfully there's a boat with my name on it going out racing, so I do have something far better to do!

Slashermcguirk

I would think all the players are drug tested regularly. To be honest regardless the top 3 would win anyway because they are quite simply better tennis players! In a sport like cycling or long distance running it’s pure stamina, in tennis a drug won’t make you a better tennis player. Sure you could build stamina but these guys are just unbelievably good tennis players. You could pump every other player up, they still won’t be as good

Sandor Clegane wrote: »

I think it's safer to assume any top level, elite athlete is on them tbh, Id say the same in any sport Tennis being no different, wasn't Sharapova caught a while back?

As I said there isn't a sport it's not rampant in and I find it incredibly hard to accept the top highest paid guys wouldn't take advantage of them.

yerwanthere123

Slashermcguirk wrote: »

Why do so many of the players like him then? Murray, Wawrinka, Thiem, Zverev, Medvedev, Tsitsipas etc. Have heard numerous top players he the most approachable of the big 3 players off court. Even watch Medvedev runner up speech in Australia.

I would take the word of other players, Murray and Wawrinka say he is a top bloke off court

I meant fans in general, not fellow players. Not denying he's popular, just nowhere near the level he so desperately craves.

seligehgit

Well done Djokovic,superb display.

Gutted for Rafa.

Slashermcguirk wrote: »

Why do so many of the players like him then? Murray, Wawrinka, Thiem, Zverev, Medvedev, Tsitsipas etc. Have heard numerous top players he the most approachable of the big 3 players off court. Even watch Medvedev runner up speech in Australia.

I would take the word of other players, Murray and Wawrinka say he is a top bloke off court

Djokovic has been the most outspoken of all the top players over the years - in Australia again this year for example with the quarantine debacle

the vax thing I certainly don't agree with and the love heart gesture rubbish is hopefully gone forever but he has put himself more on the line in an honest way than a multitude of other saccharine-tongued fakes ever have and fought for rights for all tennis players more than the rest too

MisterAnarchy

Slashermcguirk wrote: »

Why do so many of the players like him then? Murray, Wawrinka, Thiem, Zverev, Medvedev, Tsitsipas etc. Have heard numerous top players he the most approachable of the big 3 players off court. Even watch Medvedev runner up speech in Australia.

I would take the word of other players, Murray and Wawrinka say he is a top bloke off court

Yes, he seems very well liked on tour.