2022 USO Final: Ruud vs. Alcaraz

[Vince Evert]

OK my friends , I'm out of here, need to get prepared for a crucial SPECSAVERS eyes check-up. Stay safe and happy and I'll catch you later. BYE...

 

[Moxie]

Oops I thought you were Spanish, see I learnt something new today

Nope, I'm a Yank. New Yorker.

 

[Moxie]

Post-gaming it. @El Dude said it wouldn't matter if Charlie won this match or not, that he was still our next best teenager. But it DOES matter, does it not, that he won it? Getting to #1 so quick, given the weirdnesses of this year and the last few, may be an anomaly. But winning his first attempt at a Major, that does matter, right? The earlier you start, the more chances you have at hitting a high number. Plus, winning in your first try puts you in more elite company, I think. Nadal did. I think Roger did. Novak won on his 2nd try. On top of that, it does give the confidence for the next one. Who knows how long Carlos will maintain his #1, at this point, or how he'll deal with it, but I'm pretty sure there are more than a few majors and weeks at #1 in his future. Starting early is the first requirement for having an All-Time-Great resume. He's got a long way to go, but he's got a very good start.

 

[El Dude]

Post-gaming it. @El Dude said it wouldn't matter if Charlie won this match or not, that he was still our next best teenager. But it DOES matter, does it not, that he won it? Getting to #1 so quick, given the weirdnesses of this year and the last few, may be an anomaly. But winning his first attempt at a Major, that does matter, right? The earlier you start, the more chances you have at hitting a high number. Plus, winning in your first try puts you in more elite company, I think. Nadal did. I think Roger did. Novak won on his 2nd try. On top of that, it does give the confidence for the next one. Who knows how long Carlos will maintain his #1, at this point, or how he'll deal with it, but I'm pretty sure there are more than a few majors and weeks at #1 in his future. Starting early is the first requirement for having an All-Time-Great resume. He's got a long way to go, but he's got a very good start.

I only meant that if he didn't win it, it wouldn't impact his chances of being an ATG. Nothing to worry about, in other words. The win just starts the clock very quickly, so to speak.

Winning as a teen is nice, but not a pre-requisite for greatness. The #1 thing is interesting, because he's the youngest ever. And he's the youngest GS winner since Mats Wilander in 1983. So he's technically off to a faster start than even Rafa, at least from a certain angle.

Let's just hope he stays healthy, because right now things look very, very promising.

 

[Moxie]

I only meant that if he didn't win it, it wouldn't impact his chances of being an ATG. Nothing to worry about, in other words. The win just starts the clock very quickly, so to speak.

Winning as a teen is nice, but not a pre-requisite for greatness. The #1 thing is interesting, because he's the youngest ever. And he's the youngest GS winner since Mats Wilander in 1983. So he's technically off to a faster start than even Rafa, at least from a certain angle.

Let's just hope he stays healthy, because right now things look very, very promising.

I'm not downgrading what you said, just really emphasizing it, because Alcaraz DID win. And maybe he is off to a faster start than Rafa, given that Nadal had one young Federer firmly entrenched in front of him, and Alcaraz, while there may be a bit left in the Big 2/3, he mostly has a wide open field. Yes, good health to him. But he's also lucky in Juan Carlos Ferrero, I think. He's like an Uncle Toni for him. He's lucky to have a smart, caring, guiding hand. The future looks bright.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Shout out to Nick K he did say before the start of the USO....Alcaraz would win lol!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Casper Ruud was asked what does he need to win a slam?

" I guess I hope don't play a Spanish player if I ever reach another slam final.They know what they're doing in a slam final's".

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Juan Carlos Ferreo,

" Sinner and Carlos could dominate the tour for maybe the next 10 years, from the level I saw the other day. Of course there's other players like Zverev, Casper, Thiem and Tsitsipas, they going to be there.But with all respect, that's what I think."

 

[Sundaymorningguy]

Juan Carlos Ferreo,

" Sinner and Carlos could dominate the tour for maybe the next 10 years, from the level I saw the other day. Of course there's other players like Zverev, Casper, Thiem and Tsitsipas, they going to be there.But with all respect, that's what I think."

He should definitely worry about Sinner. If Sinner even improves his serve even a fraction better of what it is, Carlos could have problems. We also don’t know how Carlos will react to having a big target on his back either. He didn’t react well to having expectations on him after he won Miami and Madrid.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Juan Carlos Ferreo,

He should definitely worry about Sinner. If Sinner even improves his serve even a fraction better of what it is, Carlos could have problems. We also don’t know how Carlos will react to having a big target on his back either. He didn’t react well to having expectations on him after he won Miami and Madrid.

Well hopefully Sinner's serve does improve, as I have the confidence in Cahill as Sinner's coach,that will eventuate. It will be interesting going forward to see how Alcaraz reacts now, as he of course will have bigger expectations, as the No1 player.

 

[Vince Evert]

 

[Moxie]

Juan Carlos Ferreo,

" Sinner and Carlos could dominate the tour for maybe the next 10 years, from the level I saw the other day. Of course there's other players like Zverev, Casper, Thiem and Tsitsipas, they going to be there.But with all respect, that's what I think."

Good argument for Alcaraz and Sinner to be a major rivalry going forward. I'm wondering how many (Lost Gen...forget them,) Next Gen guys must be pissed-off right now (or embarrassed, as they should be.) At least Next Next Gen is still in. Surely I'm looking at Tsitsipas and Zverev. And Thiem, though I'm sorry for his injury woes. And Zverev's. Even Medvedev has become an after-thought right now. Maybe we need a thread for this, and surely @El Dude is great at rating the current fortunes. I'm not ready to completely have recency bias, but isn't Thiem all but down for the count? One Major and done? One more, at best? Everyone thought he'd eventually get his RG, when Rafa quits, but now there's Ruud, and others. Zverev and Tsitsipas seem like the biggest losers in this time of getting passed by others. They're still top 5-6, but for how long? Anyone still think Zverev will win a Major? I don't. Tsitsipas? Looking less and less likely. I'd give Kyrgios a shot over him. Medvedev isn't done, for sure, but he's a shaky champion. And I still like Berrettini for a Major, when healthy. All I'm saying is, I think there are a few guys at home right now, looking at themselves in the bathroom mirror wondering what happened.

 

[Sundaymorningguy]

Well to be fair to Medvedev, Wimbledon really did him wrong he missed out on ranking points and a slam opportunity. I am sure that really messed with him. I know it did Rublev who was quite unhappy about it. It also screwed Nadal out of being ranked number 1 because he certainly would have with those SF points. It also screwed with the seedings for the US Open. Kyrgios, Norrie, Sinner, Tiafoe and maybe a couple others would have been seeded differently causing the draw to more than likely be different which could have helped or hurt players. Wimbledon will forever be a trash slam for that.

 

[atttomole]

Alcaraz just looks too good. He has this quality of overwhelming pressure, that reminds me of Rafa and Roger.

His technique is already excellent and he is only 19. What a player!!

 

[Moxie]

Well to be fair to Medvedev, Wimbledon really did him wrong he missed out on ranking points and a slam opportunity. I am sure that really messed with him. I know it did Rublev who was quite unhappy about it. It also screwed Nadal out of being ranked number 1 because he certainly would have with those SF points. It also screwed with the seedings for the US Open. Kyrgios, Norrie, Sinner, Tiafoe and maybe a couple others would have been seeded differently causing the draw to more than likely be different which could have helped or hurt players. Wimbledon will forever be a trash slam for that.

Yes, but in fairness that's mostly just rankings points, not how they played in this fortnight. Rublev, IMO, is really just a mid-high tier guy. He wasn't going to have done better even if he'd had the grass season under his belt. Medvedev is a more complicated question, but Kyrgios got him, and it's hard to argue that might have gone differently. Rafa was undercooked due to injury.

I agree that the Wimbledon debacle messed up the year for rankings, at the very least. That was a two-headed disaster. Wimbledon decided to exclude Russian and Belarusian players, which, I think we can all agree had NO effect on the war. In retaliation, the ATP/WTA decided to strip Wimbledon of points. No winners on either side, in terms of that pissing game.

As a committed Nadal fan, I have to refuse to care, at this point. Way too many variables, so it is what it is. Play the hand you're dealt. It's all they can do, basically for the past 2 years. Hopefully 2023 brings us back to normal, is all I can say.

 

[Vince Evert]

ALCARAZ and RUUD respective Press conference after the final.

 

[Vince Evert]

i reckon the young spainard is ALREADY a better player than NADAL on hardcourt surface and the potential is there to get even better. I don't know if he will become as dominant on clay however.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

i reckon the young spainard is ALREADY a better player than NADAL on hardcourt surface and the potential is there to get even better. I don't know if he will become as dominant on clay however.

Lets see he Alcaraz goes on grass, next year I am looking to him to improve on that surface as well.
A lot of us at TF did agree that the USO could be Alcaraz first GS title and he proved us correct.

 

[Vince Evert]

His technique is already excellent and he is only 19. What a player!!

He so reminds me of Pete SAMPRAS also at the age of 18 and 19 in the U S Open 1989 and particularly 1990 championships. They had great technique , attitude and movement about the court well beyond their years.

 

[Vince Evert]

Lets see he Alcaraz goes on grass, next year I am looking to him to improve on that surface as well.
A lot of us at TF did agree that the USO could be Alcaraz first GS title and he proved us correct.

Without jumping on the ALCARAZ bandwagon, i expect his game is more suited to hardcourt and could end up win multiple US and australian opens. Margaret tonight am going to watch the game in full, which i didn't do LIVE. I have recorded this one on DVD hard drive , however DVD recorders are considered past and near obsolete.