2018 Australian Open, Melbourne - ATP GRAND SLAM

[Denis]

So I guess Chung is the only player left in the tournament that you are like. How about Nadal, Cilic or Dimitar?

That's right. Chung and I can see myself liking Tennys Sandgren and Kyle Edmund if I have to. Edmund has a nice game actually. Generally I would prefer Nadal over Cilic, but I don't want Nadal to win slams so that's a bit of a train wreck matchup for me. If its a Fedal final, I'll find other things to do.

 

[Federberg]

That's right. Chung and I can see myself liking Tennys Sandgren and Kyle Edmund if I have to. Edmund has a nice game actually. Generally I would prefer Nadal over Cilic, but I don't want Nadal to win slams so that's a bit of a train wreck matchup for me. If its a Fedal final, I'll find other things to do.

out of curiosity, even if you refuse to watch a potential Fedal final. What would be more palatable for you, a Rafa or Roger win?

 

[Denis]

out of curiosity, even if you refuse to watch a potential Fedal final. What would be more palatable for you, a Rafa or Roger win?

I really really would not like to see it, and I know its cliche, but if it does happen I would like the better player to win. I've preferred Fed in the past just because I disliked Rafa so much, but he's grown on me a bit more and I've started to appreciate his game more on hards. So surface matters too I guess. On grass I'd probably prefer Fed, on clay Rafa is a machine and I enjoy him taking Fed to the shed. Hards is a complete tossup. Didn't watch last year either.

 

[atttomole]

I really really would not like to see it, and I know its cliche, but if it does happen I would like the better player to win. I've preferred Fed in the past just because I disliked Rafa so much, but he's grown on me a bit more and I've started to appreciate his game more on hards. So surface matters too I guess. On grass I'd probably prefer Fed, on clay Rafa is a machine and I enjoy him taking Fed to the shed. Hards is a complete tossup. Didn't watch last year either.

It must be really hard for you Djokovic fans to choose between Rafa and Roger. You have to think hard who to choose, and even when you make the choice, it is kind of painful. I do understand you situation.

 

[mrzz]

@Denis, I can offer you some possibilities to root for in case of Fedal final:

1) Nadal fires a shot in Federer's chest, old man dies. Nadal is disqualified, nobody wins the tournament.

2) Federer fires a shot in Nadal's chest, it bounces back and hits the umpire. Federer is disqualified. Nadal jumps the net and physically assaults Federer. Nadal is disqualified too. Nobody wins the tournament.

3) Federer is leading by two sets to love. Carol invades the court, throw some kisses to the wind in Nadal's direction, and empties a 9 mm in Federer's body. Just afterwards she asks Nadal to marry her, he refuses, she grabs a second pistol, shoots him the knee, ask again, he refuses, the process goes on and he finally is killed. Nobody wins the tournament.

4) Nadal is leading by two sets to love. Darth and Front invade the court and Nadal dies with 1324 stabs on chest, face, biceps, eyes and naughty bits. Old man Federer has a heart attack when they run in his direction to hug him. Nobody wins the tournament.

5) Nadal and Federer decide to share the trophy because they are besties. The ARMA (Australian Real Macho Association) beats both guys to death before the joint trophy ceremony. Nobody wins the tournament.

6) Federer had beaten Chung in the semis. Somebody tells Kim Jong Un Chung has North Korean grand parents, and that he planned to dedicate the trophy to the almighty DPRK. He nukes Melbourne in revenge. Nobody wins the tournament.

7) Federer had beaten Tennys in the semis. Somebody tells Trump Federer is a libtard who hates white America, and always plays well against white Americans, showing him videos of the Roddick matches. He sends the CIA to kill Federer. They kill Nadal by mistake, but the Russians finish the job, seizing the opportunity (go Rublev!). Nobody wins the tournament.

8) Aliens land on earth before the final. Jesus Christ returns. Elvis returns (argh). The sun turns into a bubble gum of astronomic proportions. Maradona walks on water. Laws of physics change and Carbon-12 becomes an unstable nucleus. The end of all times arrives, and, most importantly, nobody wins the tournament.

See? A lot of things to root for. You people just have too little faith.

 

[Busted]

Got up this morning and saw that Chung and Sandgren took out Djokovic & Thiem...and just kind of laughed. I really thought Nole would be licking his chops knowing that he didn't have to play Zverev. I didn't see the match but I read a story on the ATP site that said Djokovic had a bunch of errors.

Roger wasn't exactly storming the castle in his match against Fucsovics so he's going to have to play better against Berdych or he'll be out of the tournament, too.

On another note - Chung...how upset do you think Sascha Zverev is going to be if one of his contemporaries makes it to a Slam SF or Final before he does? He skipped the NextGen finals to play in the tour finals. That was a bust. The Hopman Cup was a bust. The AO was a bust. Chung won the NextGen title and now is one win away from making a Slam SF. Irony can be a cruel bitch. Could be a long year of disappointments for Zverev - especially with those 2 Master titles to defend.

 

[Denis]

@Denis, I can offer you some possibilities to root for in case of Fedal final:

1) Nadal fires a shot in Federer's chest, old man dies. Nadal is disqualified, nobody wins the tournament.

2) Federer fires a shot in Nadal's chest, it bounces back and hits the umpire. Federer is disqualified. Nadal jumps the net and physically assaults Federer. Nadal is disqualified too. Nobody wins the tournament.

3) Federer is leading by two sets to love. Carol invades the court, throw some kisses to the wind in Nadal's direction, and empties a 9 mm in Federer's body. Just afterwards she asks Nadal to marry her, he refuses, she grabs a second pistol, shoots him the knee, ask again, he refuses, the process goes on and he finally is killed. Nobody wins the tournament.

4) Nadal is leading by two sets to love. Darth and Front invade the court and Nadal dies with 1324 stabs on chest, face, biceps, eyes and naughty bits. Old man Federer has a heart attack when they run in his direction to hug him. Nobody wins the tournament.

5) Nadal and Federer decide to share the trophy because they are besties. The ARMA (Australian Real Macho Association) beats both guys to death before the joint trophy ceremony. Nobody wins the tournament.

6) Federer had beaten Chung in the semis. Somebody tells Kim Jong Un Chung has North Korean grand parents, and that he planned to dedicate the trophy to the almighty DPRK. He nukes Melbourne in revenge. Nobody wins the tournament.

7) Federer had beaten Tennys in the semis. Somebody tells Trump Federer is a libtard who hates white America, and always plays well against white Americans, showing him videos of the Roddick matches. He sends the CIA to kill Federer. They kill Nadal by mistake, but the Russians finish the job, seizing the opportunity (go Rublev!). Nobody wins the tournament.

8) Aliens land on earth before the final. Jesus Christ returns. Elvis returns (argh). The sun turns into a bubble gum of astronomic proportions. Maradona walks on water. Laws of physics change and Carbon-12 becomes an unstable nucleus. The end of all times arrives, and, most importantly, nobody wins the tournament.

See? A lot of things to root for. You people just have too little faith.

Thanks @mrzz

 

[Fiero425]

out of curiosity, even if you refuse to watch a potential Fedal final. What would be more palatable for you, a Rafa or Roger win?

Roger of course! Never cared for Nadal & that hideously boring game of his! I had enough of the human backboards with Borg & Lendl!

 

[Fiero425]

It must be really hard for you Djokovic fans to choose between Rafa and Roger. You have to think hard who to choose, and even when you make the choice, it is kind of painful. I do understand you situation.

Not at all! Fed's the GOAT and if I had to choose, he would be the one I'd prefer to win yet another major! If Satan was the other choice, I'd still pick against Nadal! He's amazing arrogant and self-entitled with too many strikes against him that make him the most unlikeable person on the tour IMO! :whistle:

 

[Busted]

The commentators kept saying, and showing where he seemed to cringe and favor that arm. Novak has said his elbow wasn't 100%. But, yeah, now I am mostly just poking at you. LOL.

I've seen a couple of stories that said Djokovic's elbow was an issue in the match, so the question is - where does he go from here? Does he take more time off? Someone on ESPN said earlier in the tournament that surgery was a possibility. Either way - it doesn't sound good.. I don't know what his schedule is but if he doesn't play again until Indian Wells that'll give him about 6 more weeks for the elbow to get better.

 

[Busted]

Roger of course! Never cared for Nadal & that hideously boring game of his! I had enough of the human backboards with Borg & Lendl!

Awww...don't crap on Borg like that. His movement was a thing of beauty. Can't say the same about "human automaton" Ivan Lendl though.

 

[Denis]

I've seen a couple of stories that said Djokovic's elbow was an issue in the match, so the question is - where does he go from here? Does he take more time off? Someone on ESPN said earlier in the tournament that surgery was a possibility. Either way - it doesn't sound good.. I don't know what his schedule is but if he doesn't play again until Indian Wells that'll give him about 6 more weeks for the elbow to get better.

It's all about slams. Ditch IW & Miami if you have to.

The French Open is five months away. This will be Rafa's turf and you need to factor in that you need to play at your very best to beat him there. So that will require playing at least two clay tournaments, preferably masters (Rome and Monaco preferably).

If he does need surgery, better to get ready for either Wimbledon or the USO.

 

[Busted]

Chung you absolute legend. Heroic stuff.
Did you guys catch the on court interview?
Jim asked him how did he feel in that third tie-break when he was in a losing position.
Chung:
I can play at least 2 more sets, I am younger than Novak, no problem. LOL.
Legend. His forehand is awkward at times, but beautiful and potent when on the run. Incredible winners.
As my buddy form college said:
If it looks stupid, but it works, it ain't stupid.
Also, Djokovic is such a jerk. Obviously exaggerating the injury, and the grunting JESUS.

Just look at this footage :

Looks like bad tactics to me. Why'd he keep hitting the ball back to Chung? How much is he paying Craig O'Shaughnessy again? Guess he had O'Shaughnessy so busy looking up stats on Roger and Nadal he didn't get the stats on playing to Chung's backhand? LOL!

Did the kid really say he could play 2 more sets because he's younger than Djokovic? If so...that's some funny shite.

Not gonna lie here...it would sort of make my tennis year - already - if the kid took out Djokovic, Federer and Nadal to win the title. Something nobody else has been able to do.. It's a tall order though. If nothing else you'd think sooner or later the pressure and lack of experience would get to him.

 

[Busted]

It's all about slams. Ditch IW & Miami if you have to.

The French Open is five months away. This will be Rafa's turf and you need to factor in that you need to play at your very best to beat him there. So that will require playing at least two clay tournaments, preferably masters (Rome and Monaco preferably).

If he does need surgery, better to get ready for either Wimbledon or the USO.

I think the AO has proved one thing - Nole needs matches to get his game sharp. There's no point in just entering a Slam if he can't make a deep run. So yeah, he could take off until the final clay 2 Masters event and play Madrid and Rome and then the FO. He doesn't have many points to defend so it's not like he has to worry about his ranking.

 

[Denis]

Looks like bad tactics to me. Why'd he keep hitting the ball back to Chung? How much is he paying Craig O'Shaughnessy again? Guess he had O'Shaughnessy so buys looking up stats on Roger and Nadal he didn't get the stats on playing to Chung's backhand? LOL!

Did the kid really say he could play 2 more sets because he's younger than Djokovic? If so...that's some funny shite.

Not gonna lie here...it would sort of make my tennis year - already - if the kid took out Djokovic, Federer and Nadal to win the title. Something nobody else has been able to do.. It's a tall order though. If nothing else you'd think sooner or later the pressure and lack of experience would get to him.

I guess its not going to happen, but it would indeed also make my year.

Chung has lost regularly against very average players for two years, so I am not sure he can keep putting it together consistently. And as others have remarked the DTL forehand is not great, the forehand in general is a bit shaky if not hit on the run. Also, he is a little short in my opinion to really be able to do what Djokovic does to Fedal.

On the other hand, the kid def has his act together in the mental department. He is clutch and he outdid Djokovic today fighting. Thats going to be great against Fed and will worry Nadal too.

 

[Fiero425]

Awww...don't crap on Borg like that. His movement was a thing of beauty. Can't say the same about "human automaton" Ivan Lendl though.

Don't get me wrong, I still hold Borg at a very high "esteem," but there were matches I couldn't watch due to the same plodding style of Rafa! I never saw those 5 setters he won in Paris over Orantes or Vilas in '74 & '75 respectively! I actually went out to play myself instead of dealing with those marathons! He got better in closing out points and matches after winning Wimbledon in '76 thank Gawd! He was the GOAT before Sampras took over IMO, winning 6 FO's & 5 str. Wimbledons; w/ blog to celebrate him! :whistle:

 

[Busted]

I guess its not going to happen, but it would indeed also make my year.

Chung has lost regularly against very average players for two years, so I am not sure he can keep putting it together consistently. And as others have remarked the DTL forehand is not great, the forehand in general is a bit shaky if not hit on the run. Also, he is a little short in my opinion to really be able to do what Djokovic does to Fedal.

On the other hand, the kid def has his act together in the mental department. He is clutch and he outdid Djokovic today fighting. Thats going to be great against Fed and will worry Nadal too.

I don't know about Chung being "a little short." Brad Gilbert was saying that he's taller than he looks - close to 6'3" - long torso, shorter legs. He's listed at the ATP site as 6'2". I think where he would get in trouble with Roger is - Roger's not going to want to play long rallies. He'll be looking to play shorter points and come forward. Djokovic really needs to get out of the grinding mindset. That's why his elbow is jacked up in the first place. Not every point needs to be 40 shot rally. Even if he's not coming forward he can be aggressive from the baseline and play shorter rallies. I've been saying this for 6 years now. Don't know why he won't listen to me. LOL!

 

[Busted]

Don't get me wrong, I still hold Borg at a very high "esteem," but there were matches I couldn't watch due to the same plodding style of Rafa! I never saw those 5 setters he won in Paris over Orantes or Vilas in '74 & '75 respectively! I actually went out to play myself instead of dealing with those marathons! He got better in closing out points and matches after winning Wimbledon in '76 thank Gawd! He was the GOAT before Sampras took over IMO, winning 6 FO's & 5 str. Wimbledons; w/ blog to celebrate him! :whistle:

LOL! I was still a kid when he played those matches so I'll take your word for how plodding they were. I didn't discover Borg until a few years after that. I think the first final I saw him play was vs. Nastase at Wimbledon in 1976...

 

[Fiero425]

I don't know about Chung being "a little short." Brad Gilbert was saying that he's taller than he looks - close to 6'3" - long torso, shorter legs. He's listed at the ATP site as 6'2". I think where he would get in trouble with Roger is - Roger's not going to want to play long rallies. He'll be looking to play shorter points and come forward. Djokovic really needs to get out of the grinding mindset. That's why his elbow is jacked up in the first place. Not every point needs to be 40 shot rally. Even if he's not coming forward he can be aggressive from the baseline and play shorter rallies. I've been saying this for 6 years now. Don't know why he won't listen to me. LOL!

I think he has been playing more aggressively from the baseline; today's players just aren't missing and their UFE's have come down! Chung legitimately beat him at his own game with the sweetener of being able to attack! I knew this match would be tough; esp. since he won the Next Gen YEC last year! He barely lost a set and took out Nole in "straights!" He's no joke and I hope he can keep it going! We really need some new blood in there! These oldsters who are just hanging around like Berdych, Ferrer, & Tsonga is getting tiresome! I felt the same about Connors and McEnroe way back when! :whistle:

 

[Fiero425]

LOL! I was still a kid when he played those matches so I'll take your word for how plodding they were. I didn't discover Borg until a few years after that. I think the first final I saw him play was vs. Nastase at Wimbledon in 1976...

Borg was one of the players who didn't do warm-up event at Queens; just went into seclusion, practiced, and willed himself to be more aggressive on the grass! He actually hurt his abdomen serving to get it to a place he could win points outright! He used some kind of "freezing spray" on the changeovers! That was the 1st time I can remember someone winning Wimbledon without dropping a set and he literally destroyed his comp., incl. Nastase in the final who hadn't lost a set until then as well!