CAMELOT FANTASIES

Federer is showing up very fit this year lady TT.

he also has one of the biggest serves of all time. and then there is his forehand and also his net game. he is quite a threat at the net.

he can just keep you on your toes on quicker hard courts. Federer served big and never allowed Nole any inroads into the match.

he made sure that Nole was not allowed to get into rhythm off the ground.

True. He is very fit and he did keep Nole off rhythm. A few years ago Fed said he was a better player than when he was in his heyday and people scoffed. But I remember saying the very same thing. I don't think he ever lost his skills, just his motivation.

Yeah, I was glad that he won too. He needed to get a title under his belt. I agreed with the commentators that he was at about 70%, but Rafa can make up the distance pretty quickly sometimes. He's still a far cry away from Fed, Andy, and Nole, but these things come with time.

His net skills were on point today.

Wow, Fed spanked Novak today. What is the deal with those two? Is it me, or does Nole seem intimidated by Federer? He makes so many errors when he plays Federer and I think it's psychological. Fed hasn't always treated him so kindly in the past and I think that has stayed with Novak. In a strange way, people like that tend to "respect" those who disdain them and disdain those who respect them. That's my take anyway.

Really?, I'd say Rafa was pretty close to his best overall.  I doubt he wanted to win the final 6-1 6-1 anyway.

About Fed, he's 32, right?.  I don't think that's THAT old really.  Still pretty much prime physically I'd say.  I think his fans have overstated his decline to explain away his loses to Rafa (I mean, they insist he's been on decline since he was 26 ffs, because he lost the Wimbledon final to Rafa).

I was reading the other day that he actually had a better W/UE ratio in the Wimbledon final in 2014 than in 2007 or 2008.

Rafa is back in top 3.


I am still shaking my head: he will go into RG as the #3 seed or lower. and this is the man who has 9 RG crowns.

but things can change in a hurry in tennis. Rafa could win rome, Barcelona, and monte carlo and change the landscape in a hurry.

I just hope and pray that he can stay healthy going into RG. he really needs to hold on to his crown there.

Quote from: Clay Death on March 01, 2015, 11:43:46 pm

congrats to Rafa and all his fans at Camelot.

he ties the mighty Vilas of Argentina for title #46 on clay.


I am so happy for Rafa. he really needed this title to get back on track.


hopefully he can get the matches he needs on clay this year so he can go into RG with full confidence and the best of health.

Yeah, I was glad that he won too. He needed to get a title under his belt. I agreed with the commentators that he was at about 70%, but Rafa can make up the distance pretty quickly sometimes. He's still a far cry away from Fed, Andy, and Nole, but these things come with time.

His net skills were on point today.

Wow, Fed spanked Novak today. What is the deal with those two? Is it me, or does Nole seem intimidated by Federer? He makes so many errors when he plays Federer and I think it's psychological. Fed hasn't always treated him so kindly in the past and I think that has stayed with Novak. In a strange way, people like that tend to "respect" those who disdain them and disdain those who respect them. That's my take anyway.

Roger was ultra aggressive and he has that monster serve. it all paid off in Dubai final.



now Roger has to find a way to get it done against him at a slam. best of 5 sets is a slightly different proposition.

Quote from: Clay Death on March 03, 2015, 01:40:24 pm

Roger is almost 34 Crisstti.

Well, that is only 1 year more than what I thought.

Wonder how old that is for an elite athlete.  I know top basketball players are even in their late 30's.  How old was Jimmy Connors when he was still more or less at the top?.

jimmy Connors manages to stay at near the top for 20 years crisstti. unbelievable achievement. he was around 39 and still making a lot of noise on the tour.

rosewall was playing and competing until he was around 40 years old.





Rafa can easily play until he is 35 but he has to cut back activity on the hard courts. his game is not efficient enough for prolonged activity on the hard courts. it is causing too many injuries for him now. and the hard courts are now killing his ground game.

2013 happened and he made it happen. but it is time to protect the career now. not much time left. he will be forced to exit the sport with the next big injury.


roger will be able to compete well into his 40's. he may even play until he is 45-47.

Quote from: thetruth on March 02, 2015, 02:45:27 am

Yeah, I was glad that he won too. He needed to get a title under his belt. I agreed with the commentators that he was at about 70%, but Rafa can make up the distance pretty quickly sometimes. He's still a far cry away from Fed, Andy, and Nole, but these things come with time.

His net skills were on point today.

Wow, Fed spanked Novak today. What is the deal with those two? Is it me, or does Nole seem intimidated by Federer? He makes so many errors when he plays Federer and I think it's psychological. Fed hasn't always treated him so kindly in the past and I think that has stayed with Novak. In a strange way, people like that tend to "respect" those who disdain them and disdain those who respect them. That's my take anyway.

Really?, I'd say Rafa was pretty close to his best overall.  I doubt he wanted to win the final 6-1 6-1 anyway.

About Fed, he's 32, right?.  I don't think that's THAT old really.  Still pretty much prime physically I'd say.  I think his fans have overstated his decline to explain away his loses to Rafa (I mean, they insist he's been on decline since he was 26 ffs, because he lost the Wimbledon final to Rafa).

I was reading the other day that he actually had a better W/UE ratio in the Wimbledon final in 2014 than in 2007 or 2008.

Really? Nope, he doesn't look that sharp to me and he's playing Tier 3 and 4 players. A far cry from Novak and Fed. There are glimpses of yesteryear, but not the consistency and razor sharp decision-making. I think that will take time. It's hard to think that it will just all come flooding back. So yeah, about 70% to me.

I'm not sure, 32-33 is still kind of old in tennis years to me. I know some people exaggerated his "decline" but like I said I thought it was motivation because he hadn't lost his tennis skills or his speed. He just seemed grumpy to me during that spell. But then, he started working on and fine tuning his game again, and while he isn't as consistent as he used to be (understandably) I think he is a better player now, because he plays a smarter brand of tennis.

Years ago, he reminded me of Dmitrov now. He wanted to be flashy and in his haste often shanked a lot of bills. Now he plays more within himself and I think that's the difference.

I can believe the last part because again, I think Roger was too much of a hot-dogger at that time.

Agassi on Andy Murray:


http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/mar/02/andy-murray-andre-agassi-great-britain-usa

Great article. I think Andy is a complex champion. I think he will win more too. But, at times he does over think. He needs to learn how to simply tap into his talent without being so analytical while he's doing. Sometimes he needs to get let himself go, and then I think he will soar.

Those are great points, christti and CD. With advances in technology and better nutrition and more knowledge, the early and mid-thirties aren't as old as they used to be.

Jimmy Connors and 39. That's unreal. They must really love the game. I guess they would after having devoted most of their life to it. Even Serena, she is surprising me by playing this long. The women seem to retire quicker. But, I'm glad that Serena has hung around. She's still good.