The Official Tennis Thread

[Angelo]

What context? 'would have'?

The context is that Federer made hay in a weak era and it's hard to make any reasoned argument that he would have 20 slams at this point of his career if he was born 4 or 5 years later.

Your opinion, that's fine. He wasn't born 4 or five years later, so that is another opinion. He'd have been younger and possibly fitter or as fit as Nadal and Novak.

With that reasoning he could have had more than 20

Not an opinion, it's based on facts. Hewitt/Roddick/Nalbandian were top 4 players in the early stages of Federer's career. Hewitt and Roddick had slams won at the age of 20/21. Nalbandian and Roddick were younger than Federer, Hewitt about a year older. All these players were more or less washed up and has beens in the mid 20s when the likes of Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Tsonga, Berdych, Del Potro, Wawrinka etc entered the scene.

Federer himself struggled really badly from 2007 onwards.

No, the fact is he won 20 slams, who he beat were slam winners, not chumps..

Berdych never won a slam, Del Potro has won one, Tsonga none.....

Yet they did left the likes of Hewitt, Roddick and Nalbandian as washed up has beens in their mid 20s and those guys were Federer's main rivals when he was clearing up slams 03-07.

So slam winners are rubbish?

Well it seems to be clear tennis was at a low ebb from around the time Sampras and Agassi wound down to before Nadal and Djokovic established themselves on the scene. Federer won 12 of his 12 slams in that 4.25 year period. After that they began to dry up very quickly.

[Mikhail Prokhorov]

What context? 'would have'?

The context is that Federer made hay in a weak era and it's hard to make any reasoned argument that he would have 20 slams at this point of his career if he was born 4 or 5 years later.

Your opinion, that's fine. He wasn't born 4 or five years later, so that is another opinion. He'd have been younger and possibly fitter or as fit as Nadal and Novak.

With that reasoning he could have had more than 20

Not an opinion, it's based on facts. Hewitt/Roddick/Nalbandian were top 4 players in the early stages of Federer's career. Hewitt and Roddick had slams won at the age of 20/21. Nalbandian and Roddick were younger than Federer, Hewitt about a year older. All these players were more or less washed up and has beens in the mid 20s when the likes of Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Tsonga, Berdych, Del Potro, Wawrinka etc entered the scene.

Federer himself struggled really badly from 2007 onwards.

No, the fact is he won 20 slams, who he beat were slam winners, not chumps..

Berdych never won a slam, Del Potro has won one, Tsonga none.....

Yet they did left the likes of Hewitt, Roddick and Nalbandian as washed up has beens in their mid 20s and those guys were Federer's main rivals when he was clearing up slams 03-07.

So slam winners are rubbish?

Well it seems to be clear tennis was at a low ebb from around the time Sampras and Agassi wound down to before Nadal and Djokovic established themselves on the scene. Federer won 12 of his 12 slams in that 4.25 year period. After that they began to dry up very quickly.

i concur, fed mopped up easy slams with next to no competition in the early days, he's a clear 3rd on the all time list 

the goat imo is novak but there's a case to be made for rafa

[Milltown Row2]

What context? 'would have'?

The context is that Federer made hay in a weak era and it's hard to make any reasoned argument that he would have 20 slams at this point of his career if he was born 4 or 5 years later.

Your opinion, that's fine. He wasn't born 4 or five years later, so that is another opinion. He'd have been younger and possibly fitter or as fit as Nadal and Novak.

With that reasoning he could have had more than 20

Not an opinion, it's based on facts. Hewitt/Roddick/Nalbandian were top 4 players in the early stages of Federer's career. Hewitt and Roddick had slams won at the age of 20/21. Nalbandian and Roddick were younger than Federer, Hewitt about a year older. All these players were more or less washed up and has beens in the mid 20s when the likes of Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Tsonga, Berdych, Del Potro, Wawrinka etc entered the scene.

Federer himself struggled really badly from 2007 onwards.

No, the fact is he won 20 slams, who he beat were slam winners, not chumps..

Berdych never won a slam, Del Potro has won one, Tsonga none.....

Yet they did left the likes of Hewitt, Roddick and Nalbandian as washed up has beens in their mid 20s and those guys were Federer's main rivals when he was clearing up slams 03-07.

So after 2007 he won 8 more against, when you said he didn't do well!

What context? 'would have'?

The context is that Federer made hay in a weak era and it's hard to make any reasoned argument that he would have 20 slams at this point of his career if he was born 4 or 5 years later.

Your opinion, that's fine. He wasn't born 4 or five years later, so that is another opinion. He'd have been younger and possibly fitter or as fit as Nadal and Novak.

With that reasoning he could have had more than 20

Not an opinion, it's based on facts. Hewitt/Roddick/Nalbandian were top 4 players in the early stages of Federer's career. Hewitt and Roddick had slams won at the age of 20/21. Nalbandian and Roddick were younger than Federer, Hewitt about a year older. All these players were more or less washed up and has beens in the mid 20s when the likes of Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Tsonga, Berdych, Del Potro, Wawrinka etc entered the scene.

Federer himself struggled really badly from 2007 onwards.

I love that, struggled on to win 8 finals probably appeared in 8 also! You're a gas

[gallsman]

Nadal and Djokovic putting on a bit of a classic here.

[Tatler Jack]

Nadal and Djokovic putting on a bit of a classic here.

Sensational and riveting stuff. 3rd set had some amazing tennis.

[Nanderson]

Nadal has been the one to put Novak out of Rolland Garros 6 times when he went on to win tournament. If those results were reversed we'd be talking about Novak being one of the all time clay court greats

[Tatler Jack]

4th set a bit of anti climax after the earlier stuff. Nadal seemed to run out of steam. Great entertainment.

[Milltown Row2]

Nadal has been the one to put Novak out of Rolland Garros 6 times when he went on to win tournament. If those results were reversed we'd be talking about Novak being one of the all time clay court greats

Nadal is done, Angelo will be throwing himself in front of a bus tonight, in some backwater Tyrone village!

[Nanderson]

4th set a bit of anti climax after the earlier stuff. Nadal seemed to run out of steam. Great entertainment.

Looked to have picked up an ankle injury. Definitely wasn't as mobile towards the end of 4th set

[gallsman]

When he went 2-0 up at the start I thought we were going 5 for sure but Novak was absolutely blistering.

Nadal had set point in the 3rd and pushed an easy volley long in the breaker.

Can't see Tsitsipas doing much against him, cracking player though he is on the clay.

[Gold]

Nadal and Djokovic putting on a bit of a classic here.

Sensational and riveting stuff. 3rd set had some amazing tennis.

Absolutely and utterly incredible

[Nanderson]

Novak will almost certainly streak past Nadal and Federers 20 grand slams now. If he stays injury free he will probably finish on 22-24 i reckon

[GiveItToTheShooters]

Sure Nadal is a busted flush

[Estimator]

Tsitsipas two sets up. Hard to see Novak pulling it back the way he is playing.

[Rich Ricci]

When I turned it over Tsitsipas had just gone 2 sets up and the commentators had it all but over. Djokovic has found something from nothing here now and with a little help from Tsitsipas there only looks one winner now. Hopefully he can get back into in the 5th set.