World Tour Finals: Day 4, Wednesday Nov. 12, Order of Play

[DarthFed]

Well what is the cutoff then? All open to interpretation.

Also would you say Roger Federer is currently a "great" player despite not holding a slam in the past 2.5 years? I bet most on here would (I personally wouldn't because slams is where it's all at). To me rankings be damned, Roger had the 5th best year even though he was the most consistent player on tour and played great for large stretches.

 

[Kieran]

Well what is the cutoff then? All open to interpretation.

Also would you say Roger Federer is currently a "great" player despite not holding a slam in the past 2.5 years? I bet most on here would (I personally wouldn't because slams is where it's all at).

I would say that Federer is an exceptional 33 year old, remarkably resilient, physically extraordinary, but in terms of his abilities, I think he's off the pace for winning majors. The stars aligned very well this year for him, but he wasn't good enough. So based on this year, no, he's not great - except when you factor in his age (which you must do)...

 

[mrzz]

Honestly, this year nobody has been great.

 

[mrzz]

Mark Petchey talking his usual tripe on the stream I'm watching. "The world number 2 Roger Federer against the British number 1 tomorrow". Give the British number 1 crap a rest. No one cares about rankings per country, only world rankings.

He only admits to being "Scottish #1" now. Anything else he considers an insult...

One month training I can surely beat the Scottish #2.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Mark Petchey talking his usual tripe on the stream I'm watching. "The world number 2 Roger Federer against the British number 1 tomorrow". Give the British number 1 crap a rest. No one cares about rankings per country, only world rankings.

He only admits to being "Scottish #1" now. Anything else he considers an insult...

One month training I can surely beat the Scottish #2.

You think you can handle Jamie?

 

[mrzz]

You think you can handle Jamie?

Piece of cak... blancmange.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3cKAhL0c-g&feature=youtu.be

 

[Billie]

Good job Nole, I am going to watch the match now, but I liked some highlights that I saw. I thought he would win but not bagel Stan. :eyepop

Berdych did well this morning, I watched that one, he rebounded really well from his first match disaster. :clap

So Nole still has some work to do, I would think, Tomas has a chance if he beats Nole, and Stan would also have 2 wins if he beats Cilic. Then they would all be 2:1 and the sets and games would decide.

 

[Bounce It !!]

Saw the highlight reel of Berdych v. Cilic. Pretty sure the Cough Drop (Marin) will be a one slam wonder.

And Wawrinka.

I think Wawrinka deserves a bit more credit for being named a one slam wonder. He is a great player with a great game. It's already very good of him to win a Slam in this era.

You apparently haven't seen him play very much this year since AO. 3 points on his serve the entire 2nd set. That's on Stan, not Novak's returns.

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

Honestly, this year nobody has been great.

Don't tell that to Nole fans, especially if he wins it.

 

[tented]

Honestly, this year nobody has been great.

Don't tell that to Nole fans, especially if he wins it.

If (which is really more like "when" IMO) Djokovic wins the WTF, I would say he has been the best this year: Wimbledon, four Masters series, the WTF, and No. 1 for the second half of the year, including finishing the year No. 1.

 

[DarthFed]

Well what is the cutoff then? All open to interpretation.

Also would you say Roger Federer is currently a "great" player despite not holding a slam in the past 2.5 years? I bet most on here would (I personally wouldn't because slams is where it's all at).

I would say that Federer is an exceptional 33 year old, remarkably resilient, physically extraordinary, but in terms of his abilities, I think he's off the pace for winning majors. The stars aligned very well this year for him, but he wasn't good enough. So based on this year, no, he's not great - except when you factor in his age (which you must do)...

Well for whatever reason Roger played his worst at slams. Maybe it's best 3 of 5 but I'd argue there's more to it than that because he tore through the first 4 at USO and then suddenly laid an egg vs. Monfils which cost him any chance of winning the tournament. But greatness in tennis is mostly based off slams. I expect Roger to have a great 2015 after 2 straight poor years, then we can say he is still great after all.

 

[Federberg]

Saw the highlight reel of Berdych v. Cilic. Pretty sure the Cough Drop (Marin) will be a one slam wonder.

He certainly won't be a multi-slam winner. If he puts it together again in a year or 2 I wouldn't be shocked though. Must be tough coming to terms with a pinnacle achievement. It'll probably take him a year to figure out where he goes from here

 

[Federberg]

That's a bit much, considering this is the guy who couldn't get past the first round three tournaments in a row leading up to the Paris Masters -- then lost in the second round there.

And just got beaten 6-3, 6-0 after starting the match up a break, 2-0.

Stan has always been on and off. Your memory is just too short. And his powerful singlehander is a one of a kind.

No, my memory is not too short. I was merely providing examples of his most recent results. We can go back as far as you wish, and see he can't be considered a "great" player because, as you point out, he has always been on and off.

How can a guy who's 1-2 in Masters finals (i.e., only been in three finals), and made it to only one GS final be great? Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic are great; Stan is not.

I have to agree. Primarily because if I concede Stan is a great, then I would have to do the same for Andy Murray :devil

 

[Federberg]

^he sure isn't in that league. But labeling him a one slam wonder is doing him short.

Ok, let us get out of that league. How do you think he compares to Roddick, another
person whom some call one slam wonder. I think Roddick deserves more props than Stan.

I think Wawrinka has a more distinct and entertaining game. But yeah they are in the same league I'd say as roddicks results are better.

Errr... sorry. Stan is not in the same league as Roddick. This is a former world number 1. A perennial slam contender. No no.. no no..

 

[Kieran]

We cheapen the idea of greatness when we allow everybody in. There are genuinely great tennis players playing today, men who've consistently faced the highest challenges and consistently succeeded - thus proving their greatness, and showing that their achievements weren't of a lower level, or a flash in the pan...

 

[Denis]

Ah yes the old debate about what the word 'great' means. That's what is getting everyone here so anxious. And probably the fact that not many people like Wawrinka.

Fine.

I think he's a GREAT player, yet not one of the GREATEST like Djokovic or Federer.

And yeah he is less great than Roddick, I'll concede that, although I like Wawrinka's game better.

 

[Riotbeard]

We cheapen the idea of greatness when we allow everybody in. There are genuinely great tennis players playing today, men who've consistently faced the highest challenges and consistently succeeded - thus proving their greatness, and showing that their achievements weren't of a lower level, or a flash in the pan...

You guys act like 40% of all pro tennis players have one slams, it's less than 1% of 1%. Great is relative. Stan is not great amongst the great, but he is great compared to everybody else.

Tented even described him as just "above average", what a joke. Average is 500 in the rankings. A slam and a masters is far above average even you don't define him as great. Denis was making a pretty bland comment about Stan. It was everybody else who decided to split hairs.

 

[Denis]

Honestly, this year nobody has been great.

Don't tell that to Nole fans, especially if he wins it.

If (which is really more like "when" IMO) Djokovic wins the WTF, I would say he has been the best this year: Wimbledon, four Masters series, the WTF, and No. 1 for the second half of the year, including finishing the year No. 1.

You wouldn't say. :cover

 

[Kieran]

Why don't we just agree that they're all "great?" Some are Great-Great, some are Great-Great-Great, some are Less-Great, and others are Mediocre-Great. I can also be Great, compared to a one year old.

It's kinda like the bored mother who looks are their 5 year olds crayon scrawl and say "it's great sugar!" in the most disinterested tone imagineable...

 

[tented]

Don't tell that to Nole fans, especially if he wins it.

If (which is really more like "when" IMO) Djokovic wins the WTF, I would say he has been the best this year: Wimbledon, four Masters series, the WTF, and No. 1 for the second half of the year, including finishing the year No. 1.

You wouldn't say. :cover

What is that supposed to mean?