2015 Australian Open (Jan 19-Feb 1) History at stake!

[herios]

Was that JP Smith?

Yes, John-Patrick Smith.

Played college tennis at Tennessee I think it was.

Yes, it makes sense, he just turned pro at 22. He is now 25.

 

[tented]

Let's hope that Nadal and Djokovic are on the same half of the draw. I don't think I could stand to watch another boring six hour final with the two greatest time wasters in the game. In fact I wouldn't bother to.

But a semifinal would be OK, I guess?

 

[Kirijax]

Let's hope that Nadal and Djokovic are on the same half of the draw. I don't think I could stand to watch another boring six hour final with the two greatest time wasters in the game. In fact I wouldn't bother to.

They play such a physical game of tennis, I'm usually ok with giving them a little extra time. Those guys are going at each other for 5, 6 hours. But I don't think Nadal is going to make it as far as the semifinals this year.

But of course he has proven me wrong before...

 

[Vince Evert]

They also play basically the same styles of Tennis.

 

[alanwade]

PureVPN Just published an awesome guide to watch Australian Open live online

 

[shawnbm]

Let's hope that Nadal and Djokovic are on the same half of the draw. I don't think I could stand to watch another boring six hour final with the two greatest time wasters in the game. In fact I wouldn't bother to.

They play such a physical game of tennis, I'm usually ok with giving them a little extra time. Those guys are going at each other for 5, 6 hours. But I don't think Nadal is going to make it as far as the semifinals this year.

But of course he has proven me wrong before...

One can never count Rafael Nadal out until he retires. Roger has shown that as well. These two boys know how to win.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Let's hope that Nadal and Djokovic are on the same half of the draw. I don't think I could stand to watch another boring six hour final with the two greatest time wasters in the game. In fact I wouldn't bother to.

I totally disagree.. I think that watching those two tennis masters displays tennis at its highest level. However, we can agree to disagree.

 

[Federberg]

I have to say.. that AO final was absolutely dire. It really was like watching paint dry. I would say that normally their matches make compelling viewing, but not that one. As it happens their 2011(?) US Open final where Novak won in 4, is an absolute corker of a match. I have re-watched that on youtube many many times... Funnily enough, the Novak - Murray semi-final that year is one of the few of their matches I've actually found enjoyable. Don't know what it is about the Novak-Murray match up, but it's just not my cup of tea. Any of the other big 4 match ups is always worth a watch

 

[Front242]

^ Agreed. Normally I find their matches entertaining also but that match was pure crap.

 

[Vince Evert]

Let's hope that Nadal and Djokovic are on the same half of the draw. I don't think I could stand to watch another boring six hour final with the two greatest time wasters in the game. In fact I wouldn't bother to.

I totally disagree.. I think that watching those two tennis masters displays tennis at its highest level. However, we can agree to disagree.

But most folks out there wanna see a good contrasting, absorbing final. Kinda like Djokovic-Federer at last years Wimbly or Federer-Nadal at the 2009 Australian. A Djokovic-Nadal final where both players games are a mirror image of one another, played on a slow- to -medium surface goes against what tennis should be about. Not to mention their time wasting between points. AS a matter of interest, has anyone done a check on how long the ball was actually in play during that 5 hour and 54 minutes 2012 boring final?

 

[herios]

Other surprising exits in the R1 at the qualifications:
Mahut, Paire, Donsakoy, Devvarman, Ram

 

[Carol]

Let's hope that Nadal and Djokovic are on the same half of the draw. I don't think I could stand to watch another boring six hour final with the two greatest time wasters in the game. In fact I wouldn't bother to.

The best matches (semis and finals) in the AO usually have been the longest ones. The best one? Rafa/Verdasco 2008 :clap

 

[Vince Evert]

2009. Great match. Nadal wasn't a time waster back then as he was in 2012 (and beyond).
Here's a YT link derived from a UK broadcast.

[video=youtube]http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU7QcBjzWfU[/video]

 

[Carol]

2009.

Yep, I meant 2009, it was the best match that I have seen in the AO

 

[brokenshoelace]

2009. Great match. Nadal wasn't a time waster back then as he was in 2012 (and beyond).
Here's a YT link derived from a UK broadcast.

[video=youtube]http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU7QcBjzWfU[/video]

Nadal was worse back then with time wasting. It's just that umpires weren't quite urged to hand out time violations as they are now.

 

[Vince Evert]

Either way you look at it, Nadal's still a time waster. And the umpires are still too lenient, not just Nadal but Djokovic.

 

[Johnsteinbeck]

Let's hope that Nadal and Djokovic are on the same half of the draw. I don't think I could stand to watch another boring six hour final with the two greatest time wasters in the game. In fact I wouldn't bother to.

I totally disagree.. I think that watching those two tennis masters displays tennis at its highest level. However, we can agree to disagree.

But most folks out there wanna see a good contrasting, absorbing final. Kinda like Djokovic-Federer at last years Wimbly or Federer-Nadal at the 2009 Australian. A Djokovic-Nadal final where both players games are a mirror image of one another, played on a slow- to -medium surface goes against what tennis should be about. Not to mention their time wasting between points. AS a matter of interest, has anyone done a check on how long the ball was actually in play during that 5 hour and 54 minutes 2012 boring final?

i can't find the net time, even though there usually are statistics of it (hard to google because "net" "time" "breaks" "ball in play" are all relatively likely to show up in any given article on a tennis match )... but i do recall stats popping up that relativized the record length.

one i did find: a quite harsh article on espn "length didn't add up". apparently, by the end of the second set, they were taking 30/33 secs between points, and the writer (reasonably) assumes that the breaks got longer later on. the conclusion of the article (that with swiss timing, so to say, the match would have lasted 50 mins less, because Fed usually takes around 15 secs between points) is a little crude, as of course we have to respect that this was a long and grueling match, and that AO heat is probably gonna slow everyone down.

nonetheless, i think it's safe to say that if you had swapped just one player's timing for something more along the average(/rules), the match would've been 15 to 30 minutes shorter. would still make it the longest gs final ever.

 

[Johnsteinbeck]

as for the entertainment value of the match: i think when you get close to 6 hours, any match can get hard to watch. yes, a contrasting style on one side would make it easier. and yes, the sheer physicality of their contests makes them even harder to digest - simply human compassion, you feel their pain at some point, kinda like a mountain stage at the tour de france.

 

[Vince Evert]

The best thing that could ever happen for Men's Tennis is for Roger Federer now middle aged (tenniswise) to win the Australian Open implementing the game that his coach Legendary Swede Stefan Edberg has no doubt been encouraging him. That's Shorter points, Serve-Volley (50 percent of the time), certainly avoiding getting into long baseline exchanges with his rivals. Another point, Roger does not take sweet precious time between points which is how tennis should be. GO FEDERER

 

[Kirijax]

I loved the 2012 Aussie final. Djokovic going ahead and Nadal fighting back and you really didn't know who was going to win until the end. And some of the shot-making was just amazing. I loved that match.