AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2017

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