US Open 2025 [Men] - Grand Slam

[Jelenafan]

Why be amused? You think someone as driven and motivated as he is happy w/ these SF beatdowns? At some point he will face the reality that all the greats have to. Not being able to produce your best when it really matters. Only he knows when enough is enough.

Thank you.

You just restated my main point.

At this stage as a non fan I hope as long as long he enjoys it he plays for a couple more years, Ala Pancho Gonzales.

 

[Fiero425]

Seriously?

Aging champion athletes past their peak who still enjoy playing even with diminishing returns; the horror !!!

If people can’t grasp why jocks like Novak may continue to play….

Rest assured Novak will eventually retire , LOL.

I'd been selfishly trying to push Fedal off the tour when I thought they were well past an "expiration date," but their fans disagreed! The hypocrisy is mind-numbing! We're the same group of people & well know how each think & post on a player or subject!

 

[kskate2]

Thank you.

You just restated my main point.

At this stage I hope as long as long he enjoys it he plays for a couple more years, Ala Pancho Gonzales.

Exactly. And while he's still out there you can sing his praises and I'll be singing something else... LOL

 

[Jelenafan]

Exactly. And while he's still out there you can sing his praises and I'll be singing something else... LOLW

What’s funny is precisely as a Rafa fan is why I’m reacting as I am per the speculative retirement clock on Novak. Novak gets on my nerves more often than not these days I confess..

Just my opinion but I do think both Rafa & Federer retired primarily because their bodies just wore out & were beaten up in a way that until now Novak has avoided. Federer said he just wanted to be able to enjoy walking after tennis and all the injuries Rafa went through his career. ; )

Would Rafa ( or Federer) have continued for a few more years if they were still relatively healthy & were competitive with most of the younger players “only” making SF’s of slams? Would they enjoy playing with lowered expectations? Who knows?

But if it was Rafa who made 4 consecutive Slam SF’s I’d tell everyone “back off! Let Rafa play as long as he wants !! LOL

 

[kskate2]

The funny thing is, he mentioned he thought he could do better in BO3, but in those tourneys, save Miami, he's not getting that far to face the new 2.

 

[Vince Evert]

Sinner wins in 4 sets.

Great recovery by Felix after the first set.

So third straight GS final it will be Alcaraz vs Sinner. Last time that happened was Djokovic-Nadal in 2011/12.

 

[Jelenafan]

The funny thing is, he mentioned he thought he could do better in BO3, but in those tourneys, save Miami, he's not getting that far to face the new 2.

I do wonder if the “off days” of a Slam are precisely why Novak still excels in them, despite being best of five.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Sinner wins in 4 sets.

Great recovery by Felix after the first set.

Jannik picking up an abdominal injury in the 2nd set, didnt help his cause thank goodness he is a good returner, hopefully the ab problem isnt bad
Kudos to Felix he has had a great tournament making the SF
Jannik said on court to James Blakes he dosent think the ab problem is serious, he felt better in the 3rd set.

 

[Vince Evert]

Carlos and Novak's respective Pressers -

 

[Vince Evert]

Novak's basically saying, in the autumn of his career, he doesn't have the level to match either Sinner or Alcaraz "these guys" in the GS over BO5. Only in the Masters and other events where it's BO3.

 

[Vince Evert]

It makes sense for these GS to be reduced to BO3 up to and including the quarters because lets be honest, that's the way the modern game is now, all baseline and offensive baseline, the days of 1993-2010 of Edberg, Sampras, Kraicek, Rafter, and the first incarnation of Roger Federer attacking style are dead and gone (sad to say).

I don't see the return of serve and volleying game, do any of you, my friends?

Also we're seeing more Medical time-outs (some questionable) which has also contributed and slowed the game down from the era i mentioned.

And when you consider that in recent times the Masters stopped B05 finals and Davis Cup moved to BO3 formats, to me is another sign the game needs B03 in the slams.

Bring it on !

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

It makes sense for these GS to be reduced to BO3 up to and including the quarters because lets be honest, that's the way the modern game is now, all baseline and offensive baseline, the days of 1993-2010 of Edberg, Sampras, Kraicek, Rafter, and the first incarnation of Roger Federer attacking style are dead and gone (sad to say).

I don't see the return of serve and volleying game, do any of you, my friends?

Also we're seeing more Medical time-outs (some questionable) which has also contributed and slowed the game down from the era i mentioned.

And when you consider that in recent times the Masters stopped B05 finals and Davis Cup, to me is another sign the game needs B03 in the slams.

Bring it on !

I disagree, Grand Slams on any surface are a complete test of a players' physical and mental ability and as we have all seen in the past, great players have come back from being 2 sets down to win in the best of 5 at a Grand Slam
I dont want to see the best of 3 at any stage in a Grand Slam event, keep that for ATP tournaments, also I wish they would bring back the best of 5 at Masters tournaments in finals like they used to, seeing these days the Masters tournaments are like ' mini Grand Slams'

 

[Vince Evert]

I disagree, Grand Slams on any surface are a complete test of a players' physical and mental ability and as we have all seen in the past, great players have come back from being 2 sets down to win in the best of 5 at a Grand Slam
I dont want to see the best of 3 at any stage in a Grand Slam event, keep that for ATP tournaments, also I wish they would bring back the best of 5 at Masters tournaments in finals like they used to, seeing these days the Masters tournaments are like ' mini Grand Slams'

The GS of the past had a variety of tennis styles and less injuries to what we're seeing in today's physicality standard of tennis.

Option #2 would be:

Decades ago there used to be a 10 minute break (in the Slams and Davis Cup) in the mens tennis once a player was leading 2-sets-1. Maybe bring back that one (and at 1-set all in the women's competition) and ban Medical time-outs, which can be addressed in the 10-minute break.

 

[Vince Evert]

I don't see the return of serve and volleying game, do any of you, my friends?

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

The GS of the past had a variety of tennis styles and less injuries to what we're seeing in today's physicality standard of tennis.

Option #2 would be:

Decades ago there used to be a 10 minute break (in the Slams and Davis Cup) in the mens tennis once a player was leading 2-sets-1. Maybe bring back that one (and at 1-set all in the women's competition) and ban Medical time-outs, which can be addressed in the 10-minute break.

I am against at present changing GS to best of 3 in any time period
What I would like to see is the Masters tournaments go 7 days like they use to, this is where players without a break going into the next tournament picking up unwanted injuries especially before a Major

 

[kskate2]

The GS of the past had a variety of tennis styles and less injuries to what we're seeing in today's physicality standard of tennis.

Option #2 would be:

Decades ago there used to be a 10 minute break (in the Slams and Davis Cup) in the mens tennis once a player was leading 2-sets-1. Maybe bring back that one (and at 1-set all in the women's competition) and ban Medical time-outs, which can be addressed in the 10-minute break.

We kind of already have that. At the end of the set, a player can take a potty break or a kit change. These breaks last anywhere from 6-9 minutes depending on how far away the changing room. During extreme heat, the men can take a 10 min break after the 4th set. The women do it after 2 sets.

 

[Moxie]

What’s funny is precisely as a Rafa fan is why I’m reacting as I am per the speculative retirement clock on Novak. Novak gets on my nerves more often than not these days I confess..

Just my opinion but I do think both Rafa & Federer retired primarily because their bodies just wore out & were beaten up in a way that until now Novak has avoided. Federer said he just wanted to be able to enjoy walking after tennis and all the injuries Rafa went through his career. ; )

Would Rafa ( or Federer) have continued for a few more years if they were still relatively healthy & were competitive with most of the younger players “only” making SF’s of slams? Would they enjoy playing with lowered expectations? Who knows?

But if it was Rafa who made 4 consecutive Slam SF’s I’d tell everyone “back off! Let Rafa play as long as he wants !! LOL

To be clear, I'm not telling him to retire, or gaming for it. I don't mind if he stays around, if he's enjoying it. I just have a hard time believing that he does enjoy the not winning. Though, as I said above, if he's enjoying trying to figure out how to beat them, and thinks he can yet do that, I would believe that as a motivation. But that's not what he said. He has more money than God, and he's won all there is to win. He's not in it because he loves playing tennis. He's in it because he loves playing competitive tennis. Because he loves winning. How much longer will he be happy to be the bridesmaid, is all I'm wondering. If he is, I don't mind. I just don't believe he'll keep it up, if that's the case.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I don't see the return of serve and volleying game, do any of you, my friends?

NO, half the players on the tour cant volley properly for starters lol!
Also Pat Rafter one of the best volley players ever was watching the mens SF live

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

If at any time they change GS to a best of 3 I wont be watching tennis again

 

[Vince Evert]

We kind of already have that. At the end of the set, a player can take a potty break or a kit change. These breaks last anywhere from 6-9 minutes depending on how far away the changing room. During extreme heat, the men can take a 10 min break after the 4th set. The women do it after 2 sets.

Extreme heat or not, there should be a 10-minute break when someone leads two sets to one and at 1 set all in women's singles...Provided.... medical time outs are banned during a match, they can be taken care of during 10 minute break.

That's another factor why the game has slowed down, MTO's.