AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2017

I should not have gone to get milk

miracle counterpunching - and fed applauds

one.more.set - for both of them

Brutal 1st game on both sides - Fed has one more BP to save

and broken :-(

what a response, 2xBP back

Saves 3 BPs and gets through

another BH for another BP chance - come on!!

fed ends with a bullet BH for the longest rally in the match

Nadal's resistance vs Fed's is such a great winding of the clock back. Nostalgia evaporates.

Another BP but will he take it?

missed the line - back on serve!!

rattling through the next game - lets believe once again

jesus @ that return on the 2nd serve - another 3 BPs saved!

jesus christ - 26 shot god rally - will this break rafa

no

never in doubt lmao

and then finally finally finally

to serve for the match

Hes like 58-42 on points this set. About time he got something to show.

Nadal is such an incredible big point player.

jesus FH for deuce

CP!!

wow at that challenge

back to the deuce

ace for another cp

lol challenge

its in! 18th slam title - the greatest of them all!

I was way too tense to look at this thread, much less post on it, for the duration of that match. Astonishing stuff.

Lol at Fed blocking his fanboy Goffin from the top ten

God Basil Zempilas is an inept TV host and an embarrassing MC

Missed most of the final set cause I was chasing a story but yay, old man Fed! Fabulous match.

Sorely needed this, and Serena's win, after the utterly dispiriting news of the past couple of days.

Yeah its lifted my spirits too.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2017 [Started by johnny crunch in January 2017, last updated twenty-one minutes ago by xyzzzz__] 142 new answers
What age do you intend to retire? [Started by Bob Six (bobbysix) in July 2006, last updated one hour ago by Dr Drudge (Bob Six)] 3 new answers

"I decide" -- Johan Cruyff

Match definitely came alive at the right time - not a lot of drama until the fifth set, each set decided by an early lead, but it delivered and then some once it was there.

First Slam champion to have won three five-setters en route since Gaston Gaudio, RG 2004. Illustrious company.

This match goes quite some way to pushing back against the Nadal h2h being the weak point in Federer's resumé - at this stage of their careers, to overcome that in 5 sets in a Slam final is a real statement. Fed's BH was a revelation, after 12 years he finally solved Nadal's topspin into that corner all day long by taking it ridic early all the time. His FH reminded me of Venus's yesterday, either an astounding winner or a terrible error, but obviously his ratio was a bit better...

couple of points to take away:

- wonder if the TBT Slam will be seen as a last hurrah or a return of the titans in six months' time? Could go either way
- wonder if tennis as a major sport might actually die when in five years time Raonic and Pliskova are contesting Slam finals while thousands of fans would rather pay top dollar to watch Federer vs Nadal legends' exhibitions

I doubt raonic will be at the top of the game in 5 years. The 22 and under group is going to obliterate that generation.

Federer backhand just vicious today. Every now and then he'd decide OK, now I'm putting rocket boosters on it, SEEYA. So glad I tuned in. Rafa looked properly upset, poor ol Rafa.

The baseline rallies were so intense - maximum effort, each guy punishing the ball - and then somehow Fed would see an angle, take his backhand early - done

I feel like Federer figured out that BH a while ago - he beat Nadal indoors at the WTFs twice playing like that (once three and love). Great vicious early ball sweeps off the high ball. I don't think he got much of a chance while he's been regularly outperforming Nadal in the late autumn of their careers (particularly the last 2.5 years) to test it out and improve that h2h.

So pleased. Fed seemed doomed at the very start of the third and after that horrible fourth.

Federer was able to hit the backhand like that because the court was fast. That's always what it's about with this matchup.

The interesting wrinkle to me is that instead of slicing the backhand in defensive positions he used moonballs and it was very effective

He also seemed to hit every return deep and right at Rafa's feet

I felt Rafa didn't change up his gameplan much in response - thought he was on to something at the start of the second set when he started coming to net and varying height/depth a lot, but he didn't really continue that

The 22 and under group is going to obliterate that generation.

― Matt Armstrong, Sunday, January 29, 2017 2:42 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I need them to start getting on w/it. But Thiem is killing his career by overplaying, I think Kyrgios will win Slams but he won't be a dominant figure, the first wave of 1996 kids have all turned out to be permanently injured (Kokkinakis, Chung) or not that good (Coric), and who knows what effect fatherhood will have on Fritz's career. Rublev is insanely talented but has such a poor attitude. Tiafoe's technique is sooooo ugly. Opelka will reprise Isner's career.

Zverev is the best hope to me but he'll turn 20 without having been to the second week of a Slam. Some of the teenagers look really promising - Ruud, Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime - but they're a while off being on tour...

The WTA seems to be in much the same situation re: a paucity of young stars. Bencic and Bellis both seem injury-prone, sadly. Aiava looks good, as well as her fellow 2000 girls Andreescu, Yastremska and Pervushina.

Or maybe the new model of "underwhelming results until your mid-20s, bag 1-2 Slams" is really here to stay and what we've seen is the last of the truly dominant champions