2017 ATP season begins with a Novak win ...

Pinseeker said:

From what I've seen so far the Big 4 won't be ripe for the taking this year. And if I was going to pick a dark horse it certainly wouldn't be Delpo - he's not mobile enough and apparently his wrist still bothers him. I didn't see much of Raonic's match but in the little I did see I wasn't impressed. If anybody's going to break through the Big 4 I'd go with Zverev.

Click to expand...

Only Federer left as Djokovich retires hurt and Murray can't beat Query on one leg. Hard to see beyond Federer right now.

mynameisearl11 said:

Not sure if he realized that and he could be running out of time to be no.1 in the world in the near future.

Click to expand...

No shame in being world #4 or #5. Jimmy Connors kept playing when he fell from #1 to #3.

teassoc said:

Only Federer left as Djokovich retires hurt and Murray can't beat Query on one leg. Hard to see beyond Federer right now.

Click to expand...

The tennis Roger displayed in the second set today against Raonic was just breathtaking. It was other-worldly The effortless power, the touch, the angles, the purity of the strike. He was as they say "in the zone". I felt sorry for Milos as it looked like a man playing a boy. To Milos's credit (or not depending on your POV) he took a bathroom break and that was enough to clip Roger's wings a little.

Barring injury, I can't see anything keeping Roger from his 19th major. Cilic can be a force but his game is very similar to Raonic = didn't faze Roger much today.

raptorizedguy said:

Let me get this straight .. Roger is off for months and comes back to win Aussie Open . Skips French Open and is now kicking ass . This has been one crazy tennis season that nobody could have predicted ..God would love to see him win this week ...

Click to expand...

Only thing anyone could predict was that someone was going to be injured. That looked more likely for Nadal. Luckily for Federer it wasn't him.

Slightly devalues the achievement.

If I wear a Federer mask, will that give me half a chance with Caroline Cameron?

Mick Jagger sang, time waits for no one. It's time for youth to prevail over age, time for Mugu to take down Venus. She's a future No.1, her future is now. It will bring some measure of joy to her birth country (Venezuela)...and it's also good for my wallet. Seeded 14th, it was a steal.

Both Roger and Venus could be in for a tough time this weekend. Cilic and Mugu have already won a Slam, that added pressure isn't on their shoulders. A change could be a commin.

Mugu dropped out of the top ten due to an ankle injury, something Genie is currently dealing with. She was ranked No. 2 when it happened.

Regine change baby!

Venus Williams is a great player but at 37, did she really have a chance against a 23 year old with topspin. The first set was close, power vs power, then Mugu started slicing the ball and the pressure mounted on VW. I wasn't expected complete demolition in the second set, VW couldn't handle the topspin and the ferocious return of serve. Something she's never sen from an opponent before.

During the Rome tourney she talked about how difficult it was to pick Spain over Venezuela as her representative nation. Rightly so, she doesn't look Spanish at all. Could this be the beginning of a Grand Slam run...who's going to stop her?

https://heavy.com/sports/2017/07/garbine-muguruza-family-nationality-mom-dad-brothers-parents/

I think Federer will win Wimbledon. In addition to all his other weapons, I was amazed at his footspeed. Maybe there is life after age 35.

I think Arthur Ashe holds the current record for oldest male to win Wimbledon. He beat the "unbeatable" Jimmy Connors in 1975.

A couple of these records could last forever. Who is ever going to win 8 Wimbledon and/or 10 French?

Federer in his old age is pacing himself. Skipping a few tournaments to focus on the majors.

Not sure this one will live long in people's memories. Nothing like previous years epics involving the other big 3 players.

Of course, he had to stay fit and healthy to win it. His strategy of being very selective with his choice of tournaments has paid off with the biggest prize of all.

Sad once more not to see any of the younger guys pushing on.

teassoc said:

Not sure this one will live long in people's memories. Nothing like previous years epics involving the other big 3 players.

Of course, he had to stay fit and healthy to win it. His strategy of being very selective with his choice of tournaments has paid off with the biggest prize of all.

Sad once more not to see any of the younger guys pushing on.

Click to expand...

Yeah this was definitely not a classic. Lord knows I was rooting for Fed all the way but at the same time I wanted to see him challenged. Cilic might have done this except for the injury, or breakdown, or whatever the heck happened.

And yes there's no doubt being selective with his schedule, along with his extended layoff last year, has paid off. I'm sure the rest of the Big 4 have taken note and we'll be seeing it from them as well. You can't play at an elite level if you don't preserve your body.

As for the younger guys I think within a year (or two at most) one will break through - likely Zverev or Thiem.

Ken Rosewall made the finals of both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open at age 39 and was destroyed by a 21 year old Jimmy Connors in both.

Winning the Australian and Wimbledon is amazing but imagine if he also wins the U.S. Open. Can't blame him for skipping the French.

Federer's longevity can be attributed to not relying on power to win matches. He plays tennis like a diamond cutter, it's all precision. He makes shots that other players wouldn't even contemplate, I wouldn't put it past him to win the US Open.

I admit that I got lucky with the Women's draw. Mugu was seeded 14th and potentially dropping. The ankle injury she sustained in 2016 really put a bugaboo in her game. She had played erratically since the 2016 US Open. I didn't even know about the ankle when I picked her, nor the meltdown at this year's French Open.

There's a movie out about the McEnroe/Borg rivalry.

Also, a movie about Billie Jean King versus Bobby Riggs in the can. I think Riggs was allowed only one serve and had to cover the doubles court.

Borg/McEnroe looks to be centered around Shia Lobeauf, I've never heard of Sverrin Gudnason. It could be a bomb.

Battle of the Sexes has Steve Carrell is Bobby Riggs (good choice) and Emma Stone (???) as Billie Jean King. Billie Jean must feel highly flattered.

Martina Navratilova still has it goin on, did anyone check out her wife at Wimbledon...holy shit!