Can You Say 2011??

[Front242]

I woulda liked them at the height of his powers, buddy...

Doesn't work that way I'm afraid Roger beat them at the height of their powers btw and they beat Nadal so what does that say? Imo it says the competition wasn't weak at all actually.

Rafa beat them at the height of his powers too, buddy. Unfortunately, they weren't all he faced...

Of course but you're insinuating it was easy to beat guys like this in their prime? When Rafa beat them they were no longer in their primes, unlike when Roger faced them in the supposed weak times :nono Have a look how easy your guy found it playing this "weak competitor" who Roger swatted away like a fly in his prime.

[video=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=R-eltQDerPc[/video]

 

[Kieran]

I loved James Blake. I think those shots show how talented he was. He's nobody's idea of a US Navy SEAL, he's not going in there to kill at the top level, but I liked him as a sort of middleweight who threw some fancy punches until the heat was on. Rafa's a pup in that one, isn't he? Standing so far back he hit me in the face with his racket. But look at them poppers from Blakey, wow! :clap

 

[Front242]

^ That pup was good enough to beat Roger on hards the first time he met him so that's no excuse. But yeah, amazing forehands.

 

[Kieran]

^ That pup was good enough to beat Roger on hards the first time he met him so that's no excuse. But yeah, amazing forehands.

That's just a match-up thingy, brother, we all know that. :snigger

Blake had huge shots, but as I say, Rafa handled that when he hit his prime. That's not to insult Blake, the guy found his level and in some ways exceeded himself. I liked him, even more after that race controversy involving Hewitt, which I thought Blake handled with a huge amount of class...

 

[Front242]

^ That pup was good enough to beat Roger on hards the first time he met him so that's no excuse. But yeah, amazing forehands.

That's just a match-up thingy, brother, we all know that. :snigger

Blake had huge shots, but as I say, Rafa handled that when he hit his prime. That's not to insult Blake, the guy found his level and in some ways exceeded himself. I liked him, even more after that race controversy involving Hewitt, which I thought Blake handled with a huge amount of class...

That's the thing, everybody handled everybody in their prime because the primes of Roger and Rafa are clearly far superior to Blake and Roddick, etc. But they were certainly NOT weak competition. Federer beat Blake when Blake was hitting those monster forehands with ease against everyone so how exactly can it possibly be deemed a weak era? That guy was destroying Nadal back then and we all know Nadal was good enough to beat Federer in his prime. Roddick was getting the better of Nadal back then too so the weak competition Fed faced is nonsense. Because of the age gap in primes you could never have prime Blake and Roddick against prime Nadal but I'd hazard a guess it wouldn't go as you think it would.

 

[Kieran]

By the way, an interesting feature of Nole's 2011 season what the role winning the Davis Cup played in inspiring it. I look at Pete, and Roger and Rafa, and I don't see them needing any motivation from elsewhere. Nole is different that way. He seems less inwardly focussed, or whatever, and more a team guy, an inclusive personality. Not sure if this is the right way to put it, I wonder what you think...

 

[Kieran]

^ That pup was good enough to beat Roger on hards the first time he met him so that's no excuse. But yeah, amazing forehands.

That's just a match-up thingy, brother, we all know that. :snigger

Blake had huge shots, but as I say, Rafa handled that when he hit his prime. That's not to insult Blake, the guy found his level and in some ways exceeded himself. I liked him, even more after that race controversy involving Hewitt, which I thought Blake handled with a huge amount of class...

That's the thing, everybody handled everybody in their prime because the primes of Roger and Rafa are clearly far superior to Blake and Roddick, etc. But they were certainly NOT weak competition. Federer beat Blake when Blake was hitting those monster forehands with ease against everyone so how exactly can it possibly be deemed a weak era? That guy was destroying Nadal back then and we all know Nadal was good enough to beat Federer in his prime. Roddick was getting the better of Nadal back then too so the weak competition Fed faced is nonsense. Because of the age gap in primes you could never have prime Blake and Roddick against prime Nadal but I'd hazard a guess it wouldn't go as you think it would.

You'd have to find somebody who uses terms like "weak era." They certainly knew how to play tennis, those boys, and Roger was supremely their master. They weren't great players, and I think tennis is more interesting the last few seasons where we have bona fide legends swapping titles and rankings across the seasons, and that includes Roger, late in his career, taking Wimbo and the top spot again in 2012...

 

[Front242]

By the way, an interesting feature of Nole's 2011 season what the role winning the Davis Cup played in inspiring it. I look at Pete, and Roger and Rafa, and I don't see them needing any motivation from elsewhere. Nole is different that way. He seems less inwardly focussed, or whatever, and more a team guy, an inclusive personality. Not sure if this is the right way to put it, I wonder what you think...

Roger's motivation came from being told he could really be someone if he stopped being a brat on court breaking racquets and throwing tantrums and trained harder than ever. That's what he did. Totally amazing transformation really. Only probably one racquet smash against Djokovic a few years ago since then and more or less totally focused.

 

[Front242]

^ That pup was good enough to beat Roger on hards the first time he met him so that's no excuse. But yeah, amazing forehands.

That's just a match-up thingy, brother, we all know that. :snigger

Blake had huge shots, but as I say, Rafa handled that when he hit his prime. That's not to insult Blake, the guy found his level and in some ways exceeded himself. I liked him, even more after that race controversy involving Hewitt, which I thought Blake handled with a huge amount of class...

That's the thing, everybody handled everybody in their prime because the primes of Roger and Rafa are clearly far superior to Blake and Roddick, etc. But they were certainly NOT weak competition. Federer beat Blake when Blake was hitting those monster forehands with ease against everyone so how exactly can it possibly be deemed a weak era? That guy was destroying Nadal back then and we all know Nadal was good enough to beat Federer in his prime. Roddick was getting the better of Nadal back then too so the weak competition Fed faced is nonsense. Because of the age gap in primes you could never have prime Blake and Roddick against prime Nadal but I'd hazard a guess it wouldn't go as you think it would.

You'd have to find somebody who uses terms like "weak era." They certainly knew how to play tennis, those boys, and Roger was supremely their master. They weren't great players, and I think tennis is more interesting the last few seasons where we have bona fide legends swapping titles and rankings across the seasons, and that includes Roger, late in his career, taking Wimbo and the top spot again in 2012...

I disagree completely. Roddick was easily good enough to win more Wimbledons and US Opens if not for the guy who beat him multiple times who happened to be greater. If we could pin Nadal against prime Roddick on grass or the US Open, then we'd see once and for all how weak that competition was. Andy's FH was monstrous in his prime and not what it was like when Nadal was soundly beating him. Nadal never faced that onslaught of monster FH and 140+ mph serve on grass but I for one don't think it'd go as you think it would.

 

[Kieran]

He'd be grand, brother. He beat Federer at Wimbledon, remember? He'd handle A-Rod. And they're all good enough to win these things if it wasn't for the guys that beat them...

 

[Front242]

He'd be grand, brother. He beat Federer at Wimbledon, remember? He'd handle A-Rod. And they're all good enough to win these things if it wasn't for the guys that beat them...

He beat him once with a hugely convincing 9-7 in the fifth at Wimbledon.... I disagree he'd handle prime A-Rod, and even if he did, he certainly wouldn't have won all the semis and finals Federer won against prime A-Rod.

 

[DarthFed]

He'd be grand, brother. He beat Federer at Wimbledon, remember? He'd handle A-Rod. And they're all good enough to win these things if it wasn't for the guys that beat them...

And he also lost to Darcis and Rosol. No way Roddick would have a chance though right :snigger And with Rafa losing to the likes of Tsonga, Gonzo, Ferrer, and Wawrinka over the years he certainly would have it in the bag at AO back in Roger's heyday. So unlucky he is.

 

[Kieran]

Suddenly A-Rod is the benchmark.

We really do need some serious tennis to start again...

 

[Front242]

Suddenly A-Rod is the benchmark.

We really do need some serious tennis to start again...

On grass and hardcourts he was a serious contender in his prime. I stand 100% over my claim that he'd have beaten even prime Nadal on grass and hardcourt if it were possible to setup this match without a games console.

 

[Front242]

You think Nadal would rather a final against Berdych or prime A-Rod on grass? Case closed.

 

[DarthFed]

Suddenly A-Rod is the benchmark.

We really do need some serious tennis to start again...

Nah, he is way weaker than Darcis and Rosol. If only Nadal could have had it so easy in 2012 and 2013...

 

[Kieran]

@Front.

He'd take either, buddy, you know he would. Prime Roddick is a dexterous term. Could happen on a Wednesday, might be Tuesday the following month before you see it again. Really, Roddick was at his best, for me, when he worked with Brad Gilbert. It was the height of stupidity for him to sack Gilbert, though I'm sure he had his reasons. He was at his best then. File that alongside Hewitt sacking Cahill, in the drawer labelled Clever Moves... :nono

 

[brokenshoelace]

You think Nadal would rather a final against Berdych or prime A-Rod on grass? Case closed.

That doesn't mean he'd lose to him. Nadal is an almost worse match-up for Roddick than Federer is from behind the baseline.

Before someone misinterprets that, I'm strictly talking about baseline rallies, not the overall match-up, since Federer reads and returns Roddick's serve like no one else, so obviously, he's the worse match-up.

 

[Kieran]

Suddenly A-Rod is the benchmark.

We really do need some serious tennis to start again...

Nah, he is way weaker than Darcis and Rosol. If only Nadal could have had it so easy in 2012 and 2013...

I'm not sure what you're saying, buddy, that Roddick is worse than Darcis and Rosol? Now, I know you often sound like a weak era proponent, but that's stretching it, I'm sure...

 

[Front242]

@Front.

He'd take either, buddy, you know he would. Prime Roddick is a dexterous term. Could happen on a Wednesday, might be Tuesday the following month before you see it again. Really, Roddick was at his best, for me, when he worked with Brad Gilbert. It was the height of stupidity for him to sack Gilbert, though I'm sure he had his reasons. He was at his best then. File that alongside Hewitt sacking Cahill, in the drawer labelled Clever Moves... :nono

Yeah, agree for sure about him being at his best when he worked with Gilbert. The rest I don't agree with. Prime Roddick's serve and forehand were monstrous and Nadal never faced that kind of Roddick at Wimbledon or the US Open.