Australian Open Thread

[FiveFiveFive]

Indeed. "Mike and Mike can been seen on ESPN2 following tennis."

 

[cheessus]

I hope so. There is no way I could believe that ESPN would switch out this match FOR A FREAKING RADIO SHOW. They may be dumb, but they can't be absolutely marsupialed.

 

[AR_Six]

Federer is starting to look really good, and Nadal is starting to get a little sluggish (though he can still hit winners on a dead run even when his feet are heavy). If Fed can pick up the 1st serve %age I think he's got it, but until then he is still vulnerable. Rafa's too good to keep giving him looks like this.

 

[cheessus]

This is going to be epic!

 

[AR_Six]

He really needs to listen to Cahill on stepping around the 2nd serve.

 

[FiveFiveFive]

Djokovic would've thrown in the towel by now.

 

[cheessus]

If Nadal is going to serve under 90MPH on his second serve, Federer has GOT to step around them and smash some forehands! What is his deal with slapping back those weak ass backhands!?!?!

 

[AR_Six]

The thing is, the more Fed can stretch the points out on Nadal's serve the more he wins the games in the long run... Nadal will tire in the 4th. On his serve, he wants the short points. On Rafa's, he wants longer rallies that make Rafa play defense... but on the 2nd serve, a forehand once in a while wouldn't kill him.

EDIT: Look at that, Rafa going for broke now. That's a bad sign for him.

 

[FiveFiveFive]

I'd like to see Federer rip one here on 0-40. You got three break points. Mash one.

Edit: JESUS, are you kidding me? Another lame backhand return.

 

[cheessus]

^^^^Nadal's legs look really tired, especially on his serves. Federer doesn't want to stretch points out in hopes that Nadal will tire. That is just a bad strategy. He needs to end points when he has the chance.

MFer! Three bad points in a row!

 

[AR_Six]

^^I said the same thing. Instead he lets Rafa build momentum... that's why he has such a low conversion rate on the break pts.

 

[FiveFiveFive]

WOW. Goes without saying, but I would've collapsed out of exhaustion if I were Federer after that overhead backhand volley.

 

[cheessus]

If Nadal wins this match, it was all because of that game. Federer had a huge brain fart there.

 

[michaeljkrell]

WOW!!

 

[AR_Six]

This is the thing though... that sucks for fed that he lost those 3 break points, but if Rafa doesn't pull out this set somehow, that game is going to keep hurting him next set. The harder he has to fight to hold serve the harder it's going to get next time.