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Running tennis thread 2016 / 2017

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Gator, Mar 20, 2016.

Page 2 of 30
  1. JC

    JC Well-Known Member

    1996
     
    JC, Mar 22, 2016
    #13
  2. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I'm in 2016. ... where people still get excited to see any combination of Nadal / Murray / Federer / Djokovic play. What woman at the top, other than Serena, is anyone getting excited about? If the point is that the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic-Murray quartet peaked years ago, when they were all younger and healthier, sure. You were seeing a once-in-a-generation confluence of talent. But as long as all of them are still active and playing at a high level (and that includes Nadal -- he is still a top player, even if he isn't the same as he was), this group of players is infinitely more interesting than the women are right now -- fan reaction to the men vs. women's game kind of bears it out, too.

    I don't think it is over for Azarenka. I also think she has never come close to living up to what seemed like endless promise 7 or 8 years ago.
     
    The Big Ragu, Mar 22, 2016
    #14
  3. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    Whatever.

    She twice achieved a No. 1 ranking (for a total of 51 weeks) and is a two-time Grand Slam champion. The same number of Grand Slam titles as Andy Murray, BTW. And she's only 26. She lost a year to injury in 2014.

    Exactly what "should" she have accomplished by now that other players not named Serena have?
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2016
    BTExpress, Mar 22, 2016
    #15
    Lugnuts likes this.
  4. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    There was a lot of hope at one point that she could be the Serena-slayer, and she hasn't been. She has made the most serious challenges to Serena. But she's still not even close. That was my point. She hasn't lived up to that promise.

    Maybe this will be her year. She says she is healthy for the first time in forever. You are right. She is still young enough where she can still do something significant. But her career hasn't been what people thought it might be 7 or 8 years ago.

    Comparing Vika to Andy Murray is forgetting that the men's game has had Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, and that Murray was not the guy anyone had big expectations for. The fact that Murray inserted himself into the conversation even a little speaks to how great the men's game has been for a long time. If Djokovic had never come on and been a serious rival for the other two, maybe that would be a good comparison.
     
    The Big Ragu, Mar 23, 2016
    #16
  5. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    Then the "people" screwed up. Serena is the best of her era, so there is no "slayer." Tiger had no slayer, and neither did Jordan.

    It's a common thing in sports. "Hey, you're not as good as we thought/hoped you'd be. What's wrong with YOU?"
     
    BTExpress, Mar 23, 2016
    #17
  6. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    1) Azarenka not having quite lived up to her promise isn't just about Serena. It's about Azarenka not having lived up to the promise she teased with when she was younger. It doesn't mean that Azarenka is a bad player. When she is healthy she is one of the best women. The reason her name even entered the conversation is that a few years ago a lot of people were hoping that Azarenka might be able to challenge Serena. It hasn't worked out that way.

    2) I also don't get the point about Serena. Federer was the best of his era. The best of all time, actually. He also had to deal with other all-time great players in establishing himself as the best of his era. Nadal has dominated Federer in grand slam tournaments, for example. Serena is Serena. The fact that Azarenka has never posed a serious challenge to her is about Azarenka as much as it is about Serena.
     
    The Big Ragu, Mar 23, 2016
    #18
  7. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    So which is it? "Never coming close" to achieving something seems to be a far cry from "not quite" achieving it. I tend to agree with the second sentiment. It's the first I take issue with.
     
    BTExpress, Mar 23, 2016
    #19
  8. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    Meanwhile . . .

    SI's 2015 Sportsperson of the year has not won a tournament since August.

    And the person who should have won the award has won 8 tournaments since Serena last won.
     
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2016
    BTExpress, Mar 29, 2016
    #20
    Gator likes this.
  9. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    Meanwhile, too . . .

    Azarenka is poised to move into the Top 5 after completing the rare Indian Wells-Miami double championship. Unconfirmed reports have her muttering a "Screw you, Ragu" under her breath at her news conference Saturday.
     
    BTExpress, Apr 3, 2016
    #21
  10. Gator

    Gator Well-Known Member

    And, according to the man who should have been SI's Sportsman of the Year, the Miami Open won't be leaving Key Biscayne. He cites "some reliable sources."
     
    Gator, Apr 4, 2016
    #22
  11. Gator

    Gator Well-Known Member

    A group in Philadelphia is looking to post a historical marker to honor tennis great Bill Tilden, who was a dominant player in the 1920s and 1930s. Except the powers that be in that city said no, citing the fact that Tilden was arrested twice -- and served jail time -- for diddling teenage boys. Who could blame them for denying the request? Well, for one, Frank Deford.

    Not a good look for Mr. Deford here. "Should those two arrests outweigh everything he did as a tennis player? It just seems like a certain amount of charity and forgiveness would play into this."

    Good ol' Frank also wrote this: "Joe Paterno was a football coach all of his long, adult life. Like all coaches, after a while, keeping your players eligible is second nature. When his old assistant was in trouble, that must've kicked in. Joe Paterno kept Jerry Sandusky eligible. If he has a legacy, that's it."

    Jesus Christ.

    Bill Tilden: A US Tennis Hero, but With a Morals Clause
     
    Gator, Apr 28, 2016
    #23
  12. Gator

    Gator Well-Known Member

    Gator, May 19, 2016
    #24
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