Aussie Open

[canefan]

Stan Wawrinka overcomes a young French rising star in 5 crazy sets. Easily the best match of the tournament, it had a rock concert atmosphere

[canefan]

Hmmmm, only in the third set and Jannik Sinner has cramp and called for the trainer. He has some time to go in the match.... He has cramp in his legs and his hands. He's in some trouble. A bit more difficult to perform without the drugs....

[canefan]

I've enjoyed watching some of the youngsters coming through, in particular Mirra Andreeva (I know she's ranked pretty high) and Iva Jovic, both 18 year olds kicking ass right now

[canefan]

Novak is aiming for his 25th GS titles, which will eclipse Margaret Court's record. He's made a bright start in the final so far, but Carlos is a great player and there's a long way to go.

[canefan]

Djoker wins the first set. He's on fire and the gas tank seems full right now

[canefan]

Alcaraz came storming back in the second set, Djoker made a bunch of unforced errors. Comms say Carlos made some tactical changes, maybe Novak's years are catching up with him?

[canefan]

Alcaraz too fit, too good. Novak looking his age now. It's becoming clear that he won't win a GS if he has to beat both Sinner and Alcaraz to do it

[nostrildamus]

@canefan said in Aussie Open:

Alcaraz too fit, too good. Novak looking his age now. It's becoming clear that he won't win a GS if he has to beat both Sinner and Alcaraz to do it

To be fair that would tax most top players...

[canefan]

@nostrildamus said in Aussie Open:

@canefan said in Aussie Open:

Alcaraz too fit, too good. Novak looking his age now. It's becoming clear that he won't win a GS if he has to beat both Sinner and Alcaraz to do it

To be fair that would tax most top players...

He got the perfect run to the final until the last two games. Has anyone beaten both Carlos and Yannik in a GS? I don't think so since they've become GS champions themselves

[nostrildamus]

@canefan said in Aussie Open:

He got the perfect run to the final until the last two games. Has anyone beaten both Carlos and Yannik in a GS? I don't think so since they've become GS champions themselves

You mean one after another? I don't think so.
But there have been players who have beaten both at different Grand Slams. You know at least one. And that Russian drama queen.
is it true that up to now Novak led Carlos H2H with 5-4 wins? Juicy.

[canefan]

@nostrildamus said in Aussie Open:

@canefan said in Aussie Open:

He got the perfect run to the final until the last two games. Has anyone beaten both Carlos and Yannik in a GS? I don't think so since they've become GS champions themselves

You mean one after another? I don't think so.
But there have been players who have beaten both at different Grand Slams. You know at least one. And that Russian drama queen.
is it true that up to now Novak led Carlos H2H with 5-4 wins? Juicy.

One after the other in the same tournament. I don't think it's been done

[canefan]

Carlos has been a wall. And his shot variety is amazing

[nostrildamus]

@canefan said in Aussie Open:

Carlos has been a wall. And his shot variety is amazing

I think he was genetically engineered by AI.

[sparky]

Once Novak retires, Alcarez could dominate the sport for at least a decade. Different gravy.

[canefan]

@sparky said in Aussie Open:

Once Novak retires, Alcarez could dominate the sport for at least a decade. Different gravy.

He and Sinner may continue to split GS titles for a while. I don't see anyone ready to join them

[Bovidae]

Happy to see Alcaraz win. Djokovic had a lot of luck with a walkover and retirement, the latter when he had one foot out the door.

I was even happier that Rybakina won. Proof that you don't need to scream and grunt to generate power.

[Cyclops]

Are career slams getting easier? Feder, Nadal, Djokovic and now Alcaraz. Before them it was Agassi and then you go all the way back to Laver and Emerson (and some before them too). I wouldn't bet against Sinner either (just needs the French open).

[canefan]

@Cyclops said in Aussie Open:

Are career slams getting easier? Feder, Nadal, Djokovic and now Alcaraz. Before them it was Agassi and then you go all the way back to Laver and Emerson (and some before them too). I wouldn't bet against Sinner either (just needs the French open).

Maybe less competition? What is definite is the homogeneous nature of surfaces these days. Even grass and clay are not how I remember in my youth, when those surfaces demanded a more specialised skill set than hardcourts

[KiwiMurph]

I believe since mid 2004 only one male grand slam has been won by a non european. Del Potro in 2009 US Open. 85 of the last 86 male grand slam titles won by europeans.

[canefan]

@KiwiMurph said in Aussie Open:

I believe since mid 2004 only one male grand slam has been won by a non european. Del Potro in 2009 US Open. 85 of the last 86 male grand slam titles won by europeans.

And the majority of those by three men (Roger, Rafa, Djoker), with a sprinkling from a few others (Stan the man and Murray mainly)