australian open

[hamletpowpowpow]

i'm not sure if this fits in culture, but i've seen sports talk in here before...

but boy do i have australian open fever. anyone else share my passion?

fantastic match between roddick and djokovic on right now...amazing tennis happening...playing in 120 degree weather. insane.

edit: make that 140 degree heat - djokovic, last year's champion bowed out in the 4th set, due to heat exhaustion. roddick took the fellow down a few pegs, for sure, and did it with class, too.

[pipcleo]

yep and 41 degrees for the next 4 days

[hamletpowpowpow]

i'm not a fan of djokovic, but i think roddick got lucky on this one. until the heat kicked in, it was looking like novak was gonna take him. still - after a real lackluster season last year, it looks like all of roddick's post-season training paid off. watching him play tonight, you'd have no idea it was 140 degrees on the court...

clearly, i'm entertaining myself here.

[editevening]

man i have zero interest in sitting outside for several hours, otherwise i'd try and catch a couple matches this week.

[swami]

Not a big fan of Roddick either Seems like in the second set at 3 all Novak just lost his game...double faults, lame drop shots etc.
I know he is young but he seems a little too full of it too though...Needs to chill out a little and enjoy the game.

[hamletpowpowpow]

oh man, federer DESTROYED del potro - wish i could have seen it, but the match didn't start until about 5am-6am our time. took him in 3 sets! 6-3, 6-0, 6-0! can't stand del potro either...

is it just me, or is the top 8 really lackluster right now? i mean, none of them come close to federer or nadal...

[Spencer]

is it just me, or is the top 8 really lackluster right now? i mean, none of them come close to federer or nadal...

Not just right now, but the past several years. The women's game is certainly more wide open now.

That Del Potro score really surprised me. I thought he was playing well up until that point. And I only caught the first 2 1/2 sets of the Roddick / Djokovic match before bed, and I figured Roddick would make it through. Hopefully he can at least make Federer work.

[hamletpowpowpow]

it's just shocking. there's just a huge divide between players. you have the top 2 - and then everyone else. it's far more competitive between the 3-15 seeds, i think.

i'm also convinced andy murray is a fluke. he got lucky during the us open, that's all.
i don't like these young players - him, del potro, djokovic...all so arrogant.

call me crazy, but i really like marin cilic...i think he's gonna be worth watching over the next few years. he's been making it further and further each slam he's been in. he really gave djokovic a serious run for his money in the us open - it was that match, and mcenroe's praise which brought him to my attention. unfortunately, he went down against del potro in the round of 16.

[hamletpowpowpow]

clearly, i'm the only one who gives a damn about tennis.

but i'll be staying up late tonight to watch roddick and federer go at it...should be a great match...roddick's off to a great start this year. roger, of course, is inhuman.

[Spencer]

No man, I dig it too. Roddick needs to obviously keep his head in the game. Believe that he can beat him. If so, he stands a chance. And Nadal, you just have to like him to roll over Verdasco.

A Nadal Vs Federer/Roddick final I would watch.

A Verdasco Vs Federer/Roddick final I would not.

[hamletpowpowpow]

yeah, i agree with you - the us open finals was one of the worst in recent memory. andy murray making it to the finals was a complete fluke, as proven here in the australian open.

i like verdasco, and his match against tosnga was fantastic. he just beat him into the ground.

but really, i wanna watch federer and nadal go at it, again. i mean - seriously, it's magic watching those two play.

and yeah, while i don't think roddick will beat federer...i'd love to watch him try. you gotta give andy credit, everyone has written him off...and he's been playing brilliantly this slam. he clearly worked his ass off during the off season, and it's paying off.

i'm staying up tonight for this one...gonna be a great match!

[swami]

Did anyone watch the mens final?
I have never seen Fed,s game look so bad. The drop shots, double serves and he pretty much just handed Nadal the last set.
But very good tennis on the most for the first 4 sets.
Fed cried like a baby!

[hamletpowpowpow]

i think that's the first time i've ever seen roger crack under the pressure. i think the idea of him making history was just too much for him. curious to see how the rest of the year goes. next up is the french open, and that's historically rafa's best surface...maybe roger will come back for wimbledon or the us open?

it was kind of amazing to see federer break down...and even more amazing to see how humble nadal was. the two of them are truly awe inspiring players...

Did anyone watch the mens final?
I have never seen Fed,s game look so bad. The drop shots, double serves and he pretty much just handed Nadal the last set.
But very good tennis on the most for the first 4 sets.
Fed cried like a baby!

[philip nod]

bummed i missed the last two games...i need to see roger ball

[hamletpowpowpow]

I'm reviving this, because it's now the French open...

I've yet to start freaking the fuck out - but we're still only in round 1. It won't get too interesting until we get to the round of 16.

Watch Verdasco - I think he's gonna be a contender this time around. Also, Marin Cilic - who was ranked in the 60's a year ago and has entered this slam seeded 13. I saw him play Djokovic in the quarter finals of the US open and it was amazing.

Of course we all know who's gonna win though...