US Open 2020

velo.2010 · 12-09-2020 7:03pm

Mad to think we'll see the first mens grand slam champion born in the 90's. Many other sports already have champions born in the early 2000's.

Theim to win. His fourth final and has played more consistantly.

Is the future finally here with these two or will the 'big three' still dominate when they return?

12-09-2020 7:17pm

velo.2010 wrote: »

Mad to think we'll see the first mens grand slam champion born in the 90's. Many other sports already have champions born in the early 2000's.

Theim to win. His fourth final and has played more consistantly.

Is the future finally here with these two or will the 'big three' still dominate when they return?

Djokovic still has a couple of years more in him at the top imo assuming he has the mental drive

He would have won here handily enough I would say

Nadal is still planning on taking down the French - let's see.

Federer is gone at the winning-GS level imo but will have to see what happens when he comes back from surgery. Doesn't have the head for it at the top level anymore I would say - threw it away against Djokovic in Wimbledon and blown away in Australia at the start of this year in 3 sets (groin injury affect but unknown how much it influenced it)

Girly Gal · 12-09-2020 8:49pm

Don't think Federer will win another slam, depending on draw semi finals is as far as he'll get. Nadal still the one to beat at FO in few weeks time and for next year or 2, still wouldn't rule him out of winning a slam outside of FO in the next year, unlikely, but, not beyond him. Djokovic still the man to beat outside of FO for next 18 months to 2 years.
As the big 3 begin to fade the younger guys will start to take over in the next 18 months to 2 years. Unfortunately it looks more a case of the big 3 fading due to age than the younger guys actually stepping up and taking over.

12-09-2020 9:47pm

Azarenka could wrap this up within the hour.

Osaka in full Cadbury mode.

MisterAnarchy · 12-09-2020 9:50pm

glasso wrote: »

Azarenka could wrap this up within the hour.

Osaka in full Cadbury mode.

She was lucky to get past Brady ,who should have taken advantage of Osakas lollipop second serve.
Only winning 43% of points on her second serve today.
Azarenka is 100%.

Joe_ Public · 12-09-2020 10:19pm

Different match now.

12-09-2020 10:26pm

In fairness Osaka woke up and Azarenka went down in level a bit.

Already one of the better women's GS finals in recent years.

not that there was a lot of competition.

whiterebel · 12-09-2020 10:33pm

Rjd2 wrote: »

This has been a dismal match and a great argument for abolishing 5 sets.

Hoping Zverev wins, he'd be much more competitive in a final than Pablo.

It became a better argument for retaining the 5 set format.:D

Joe_ Public · 12-09-2020 10:36pm

Osaka serving really well now, think gonna be difficult for aza to break.

MisterAnarchy · 12-09-2020 10:41pm

Azarenkas serve has fallen apart.

Joe_ Public · 12-09-2020 10:45pm

I nearly hexed that! Weird game but think that could be vika done now.

Joe_ Public · 12-09-2020 11:00pm

And now Azarenka does break. Another twist here perchance! Very strange match.

MisterAnarchy · 12-09-2020 11:20pm

First time in a quarter of a century a player has lost the first setup and comeback .

Azarenka seemed to tire and Osaka raised her game.
Azarenka only won 41% of points on her second serve, Osaka 50%.

Amazing that she can win 50% of points on such a weak second serve ,opponents should be all over it .

12-09-2020 11:35pm

glasso wrote: »

Azarenka could wrap this up within the hour.

Osaka in full Cadbury mode.

Osaka realised the cringe factor and it drove her on

"For me, I just thought it would be embarrassing to lose this under an hour."

yerwanthere123 · 12-09-2020 11:35pm

Bitterly disappointed for Azarenka. She was unplayable in the first set but Osaka upped the level massively afterwards. I kept waiting for a dip from Osaka but it never came. Really hope Azarenka gets another chance to win a slam again but difficult not to view this one as the best chance she was ever gonna get.

Osaka's been around a while so I forget how young she is, three grand slams at just 22, and a third consecutive year winning a grand slam. Who knows how much she could end up with, but I think 6 or 7 could be a realistic guess.

yerwanthere123 · 13-09-2020 12:14pm

Not as invested in tonight's match, but I think it *should* be pretty straightforward for Thiem? I think Zverev might win a set but that's it.

For Zverev to win he's gonna have to serve excellently and go for more, none of this passive shíte he so often falls back upon. Thiem in 4 though I think.

lostcat · 13-09-2020 9:32pm

If Zverev 'gives away' the first set, as he is prone to do, it's curtains.
Them should have way too much in the arsenal anyway, but he has lost a couple of slam finals and had had an easy ride here do far, he might get tight if Zverev wins the first set and is on his serve...might be a good match but it will take theses guys a good while to be as interesting to me as the big three, there's just too much epicness and legacy in any big three match for anyone else to compare at present

whiterebel · 13-09-2020 10:10pm

Thiem getting his ass handed to him now. I haven’t seen him play so badly in a long time.

lostcat · 13-09-2020 10:14pm

whiterebel wrote: »

Thiem getting his ass handed to him now. I haven’t seen him play so badly in a long time.

Zverev playing pretty well too, it has to be said, doing what he needs to

yerwanthere123 · 13-09-2020 10:15pm

Well this isn't going as planned :pac: Thiem completely flat but Zverev has been amazing tbf.

13-09-2020 10:19pm

complete collapse

not the match that was expected

lostcat · 13-09-2020 10:42pm

Thiem does not look like a man who can win the next three sets...

pigck29 · 13-09-2020 11:00pm

glasso wrote: »

complete collapse

not the match that was expected

so disappointed .........

whiterebel · 13-09-2020 11:28pm

Thiem pulls one back.......

13-09-2020 11:51pm

weird match

14-09-2020 12:08am

Djokovic must be watching this at home, munching a gluten-free vegan burger and kicking himself.

very flat for a 5-setter, maybe the final set will be interesting.

no crowd not helping particularly with this one.

lostcat · 14-09-2020 12:11am

Well, well, we have a decider

14-09-2020 1:09am

hardly highest quality overall but down to a final set tie-break

14-09-2020 1:15am

Zverev is channelling his inner Muguruza

14-09-2020 1:21am

worst 5-set men's GS final ever.

fair dues to Thiem for hanging in but Djokovic would have wiped the floor with either of them.

Rjd2 · 14-09-2020 1:26am

I had a ok bet on Thiem to win outright so happy that he won but that was not a great match. A fun match but just not much quality.

First 2 sets duds, standard then improved but that fifth set while captivating was very low in quality. That tie break summarised it perfectly, exciting, but Thiem won because Zverev choked more than more than him.

Ah well nice to have a new winner, onto France.

MisterAnarchy · 14-09-2020 1:36am

The fifth set was very exciting and topsy turvy.
Some good tennis in it, both players battling hard.

Zverev has a habit of tightening up on points including his serve and that was ultimately the difference.
He did well to break in the fifth set and then threw the next service game away.

Thiem probably deserved it more, he has lost 3 finals before.

Augme · 14-09-2020 1:38am

Very entertaining game, if not the highest quality. I do feel the lack of a crowd makes a huge difference though. Can't help but feel being able to feed of a crowd must make s big difference to anyone's game.

It will take a long time for Zverev to get over that one though. Hopefully getting that close will help him kick in though.

lostcat · 14-09-2020 8:25am

Fairly uneven tennis but hard to blame them given the circumstances. Zverev will come on a lot from that, congrats to Thiem, his first real test of the tournament and he stayed in it till it turned around.

The new guard are levelling up as the old guard are levelling down, next year will hopefully be interesting as a result.

whiterebel · 14-09-2020 8:33am

Definitely exciting to watch from the 3rd set on. First 2 sets, Zverev had him sussed, and then Thiem started to play, and Sacha started going backwards. It was painful to watch his serve disintegrate. If Thiem had played his usual game he would have destroyed those >70mph second serves. This will haunt Zverev for a long tine, I think seeing as he was serving for the championship and was broken. It goes to show the gulf between the top 3 and the rest, but I do think Thiem was hampered by the injury from the outset.

14-09-2020 10:12am

lostcat wrote: »

The new guard are levelling up as the old guard are levelling down, next year will hopefully be interesting as a result.

Not really in the case of Djokovic imo

He's still above the level of the pack at the hard courts and probably grass too.

Royale with Cheese · 14-09-2020 10:53am

They both served for the match in the fifth and blew it? I stopped watching towards the end of the third set, doesn't exactly sound like a high quality finish.

Girly Gal · 14-09-2020 11:05am

Regarding the quality of tennis tbf to both guys, the circumstances definitely take away from the overall event and performances are bound to have suffered as a result, it's the same for all sports during lockdown, there's just something missing (the crowds) which takes away from the overall experience.

Imagine Nadal v Federer at Wimbledon 08 without a crowd, it definitely wouldn't appear to be as good, also would both players have elevated their play as much without a crowd as the game went on, we'll never know, but, I suspect that without the crowd while the level of tennis would be high, the match itself would not be remembered as the epic match it was.

14-09-2020 11:10am

Girly Gal wrote: »

Regarding the quality of tennis tbf to both guys, the circumstances definitely take away from the overall event and performances are bound to have suffered as a result, it's the same for all sports during lockdown, there's just something missing (the crowds) which takes away from the overall experience.

Imagine Nadal v Federer at Wimbledon 08 without a crowd, it definitely wouldn't appear to be as good, also would both players have elevated their play as much without a crowd as the game went on, we'll never know, but, I suspect that without the crowd while the level of tennis would be high, the match itself would not be remembered as the epic match it was.

There is some affect for sure but it doesn't really excuse the overall level.

It was not great.

Girly Gal · 14-09-2020 11:16am

glasso wrote: »

There is some affect for sure but it doesn't really excuse the overall level.

It was not great.

Agree, we've been spoilt by the big 3 for over a decade and a half, the next generation are clearly a step down even as the big 3 age. It's father time that will eventually finish off the big 3 not the next generation of players

14-09-2020 11:35am

Girly Gal wrote: »

Agree, we've been spoilt by the big 3 for over a decade and a half, the next generation are clearly a step down even as the big 3 age. It's father time that will eventually finish off the big 3 not the next generation of players

It doesn't mean that there won't be better quality finals in the future without the "big 3". There will be and they will play at a better level generally.

The big 3 is already gone, it's Nadal at the French (probably) and Djokovic (at the moment) still at the top.

Girly Gal · 14-09-2020 1:09pm

glasso wrote: »

It doesn't mean that there won't be better quality finals in the future without the "big 3". There will be and they will play at a better level generally.

The big 3 is already gone, it's Nadal at the French (probably) and Djokovic (at the moment) still at the top.

Would agree with that, similar to what I said in an earlier post, Federer is gone, it's between Nadal for next 2 FO and Djokovic all slams for next 2 seasons, one of the younger guys might get one in similar fashion to this US Open, would think after the next 2 seasons both Nadal and Djokovic will have dropped enough for the younger guys to win the slams.
Of course there'e always the possibility of injuries and loss of form from both Djokovic and Nadal allowing the younger guys in earlier.

MisterAnarchy · 14-09-2020 1:26pm

glasso wrote: »

It doesn't mean that there won't be better quality finals in the future without the "big 3". There will be and they will play at a better level generally.

The big 3 is already gone, it's Nadal at the French (probably) and Djokovic (at the moment) still at the top.

Federer still has a good chance at Wimbledon, he should have beaten Djokovic there last year, he was by far the better player in the final.

Its hard to believe that Federer is 39 now, thats a geriatric in tennis terms .
Sampras was 31 when he retired, Agassi 36 .
He still has 4 more years to go to beat the oldest swinger in town Jimmy Connors.

14-09-2020 1:47pm

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Federer still has a good chance at Wimbledon, he should have beaten Djokovic there last year, he was by far the better player in the final.

Its hard to believe that Federer is 39 now, thats a geriatric in tennis terms .
Sampras was 31 when he retired, Agassi 36 .
He still has 4 more years to go to beat the oldest swinger in town Jimmy Connors.

Yes but he seems to have lost it mentally at the top level to throw it away like that at Wimbeldon. It's not just physical. Possibly he might have a chance next year at Wimbledon but I think that it's very conceivable that he could be beaten in the earlier rounds - someone like Tsitsipas for example if they are playing well. That's what has started happening to him - getting beaten before the semis in GS's whereas beforehand he would always get there.

Hector Savage · 14-09-2020 4:38pm

Feel bad for Zverev, but happy for Thiem at the same time, but tough to lose from a 2-0 position, apparently 1st time in USO history in the mens final it's happened.

Girly Gal · 14-09-2020 4:44pm

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Federer still has a good chance at Wimbledon, he should have beaten Djokovic there last year, he was by far the better player in the final.

Its hard to believe that Federer is 39 now, thats a geriatric in tennis terms .
Sampras was 31 when he retired, Agassi 36 .
He still has 4 more years to go to beat the oldest swinger in town Jimmy Connors.

You're right about Federer, he should have won Wimbledon last year, he was the better player on the day, played all the tennis, but, Djokovic hung in there and won most of the big points. I would have given Federer a good chance of winning Wimbledon this year, but, next year, he'll be 40, coming back from a long lay off and it's also 2 years on from that Wimbledon final with Djokovic. I'd love to see Federer win another slam, but, the odds are stacked against him.

14-09-2020 5:16pm

Girly Gal wrote: »

You're right about Federer, he should have won Wimbledon last year, he was the better player on the day, played all the tennis, but, Djokovic hung in there and won most of the big points. I would have given Federer a good chance of winning Wimbledon this year, but, next year, he'll be 40, coming back from a long lay off and it's also 2 years on from that Wimbledon final with Djokovic. I'd love to see Federer win another slam, but, the odds are stacked against him.

that's exactly why Djokovic is amazing - most clutch tennis player ever imo. even if he's not playing at his best he can raise his level for the key parts of the set.

Girly Gal · 14-09-2020 5:28pm

glasso wrote: »

that's exactly why Djokovic is amazing - most clutch tennis player ever imo. even if he's not playing at his best he can raise his level for the key parts of the set.

Djokovic and Nadal both play the big points better than Federer, throughout his career Federer's biggest weakness compared to the other two has been how he plays the big points, he generally got away with it against lesser players but, not against Nadal and Djokovic. Nadal has always had this ability, but, Djokovic has learned this and has even surpassed Nadal.

TFBubendorfer · 14-09-2020 7:10pm

Yesterday's match was no reflection of either Zverev's or Thiem's real quality. They both are much better than that, but the occasion got to both of them and the lack of crowd didn't help either. As they get a bit older they will be more used to those situations and I don't think either will play as badly in a final ever again for a long time.

The big 3 are definitively in their way out. Not out yet, but on their way. Thiem has beaten either of them on occasions, so it's not just waiting for them to disappear, the next generation is already making the step up.

For the time being Djokovic is still the best player in men's tennis, but he is no spring chicken and I don't think he will last anywhere near as long as Federer did.

lostcat · 15-09-2020 3:29pm

It's also the fact that for the majorty of the match only one of them was playing well at a time (and with nerves, inexperience etc., I can accept that)

Matches between the big three/four remain compelling because, generally, whichever two of them are playing generally show up and it takes an exceptional effort to win by the victor.

US Open 2020

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