US Open 2014: MOTD Day 7 Sun 31/08/2014

Interesting to see Dimi adjust and actually play aggressively, at least in his service games. His serve is keeping him in the match.

noleisthebest wrote:Interesting to see Dimi adjust and actually play aggressively

I was just going to say you should like this match overall because Dimi is also playing more aggressive than usual.

Goffin's spent, running on fumes now, serve gone... such a shame

Monfils ground poor Gasquet to dust...he was only able to win an occasional point by hitting occasional, super-spectacular BH.

I have not been watching Gasquet - Monfils but I cannot believe how one-sided it was.

Gasquet played too far behind the base-line and that was it...he is "only" a tennis player, mot an athlete.
Really nice to see them do "bisous" at the net

Wow, Goffin gets back to 4:4 having been two breaks down.

This is a very watchable match.

Interesting to see Dimi tiring after only 2 sets...
Looks like it's really warm and humid there.

here's where Goffin's energy more efficient flat-hitting will start to work for him if he wins the 3rd set, despite obviously being the more tired player.

Oh dear, Goffin serves back-to-back DFs

noleisthebest wrote:Interesting to see Dimi tiring after only 2 sets...
Looks like it's really warm and humid there.

here's where Goffin's energy more efficient flat-hitting will start to work for him if he wins the 3rd set, despite obviously being the more tired player.

Yeah, Fed was commenting on how humid it became after the rain delay.

I am not sure I agree that Dimi tired; I think he just got sloppy thinking the match was pretty much done.

yes...he's got nothing left in the tank, such a shame, wonderful player: light feet and quick hands.

Tenez wrote:Why are you so silent now FK? you don;t like what you see?

9 games in a row....and in a beautiful fashion!

Actually I went to bed because I have work today.  But no, I was not impressed.  The massive lapse we saw in the first set would not have happened in his prime (It wasn't just a lapse, but a near enough collapse).  He managed to play well afterwards but against tougher opposition those lapses will cost him.One match win against a low ranked player is hardly cause for wild celebration.  I saw what happened at Wimbledon, it was Federer 2014 in the final.

Also, I don't think you can say this era is stronger than McEnroe's... it was completely different and a lot more skill was needed using wooden racquets with a much smaller head-space.  What I have seen from Federer so far indicates that he could win this Slam, but it's almost the end of him having any chance to add to his tally, so he better do it.  Against Tsonga, Dimitrov and Djokovic, he is going to have to be on his A game.

Honestly, if he meets Djokovic I don't see him winning it.  Whereas in his prime, Djok would have been killed.

Before I dropped off, I only saw two points/score and Granollers winning them at the net...I thought...the end  is nigh, surely!
He has clearly benefitted from his successful doubles play with Lopez.

So only found the highlights (unfortunately no full match available), Fed's FH is back!
Although it was only a short clip, it was interesting to see him play short angles, just as I thought I've seen it all from him...

Match against Agut should be a real treat.

This is what you don't get. eras are getting tougher by the year. the physicality keeps pushing the bar, the number of players trying to make a living out of tennis is 10 fold since McEnroe time, competition is being much harder. the tools are the same for all. McEnroe was plAying against guys who also had wooden racquets. if anything today federer is playing against players who have 20lb extra muscles than guys like Kiefer or other lopez he was playing then. Federer has still a 1990 body but is facing guys who use all the available science to kill whats remain of talent skills.
im afraid you are taking in consideration who Fed plays now, like you only saw the score yesterday but failed to see how great Grano was playing, like you failed to see that Federer was not 100pc in in that first set, not cause of age, but cause he could see big clouds and lightning around him.
Anyone watching Fed yesterday by his amazing footwork, quick hands, and complete array of shots all done on autopilot! real shame you cant see it...simply because today that might not be enough to win!

read:"I'm afraid you NOT are taking in consideration who"...

GP, SB, ROTLA what are your views on yesterday fed's performance?

I only got to watch the match from about midway through the third set, but what I saw I thought was excellent. That was about as good as I have seen Fed play in a very long time. If he can keep it up, he might have a chance against Nole too. After all he came close at Wimbledon and yesterday he was significantly better than there.

good! and set 2 and 3 were Actually better. his returning 130mph serves were outstanding...and all this under the pressure of having lost first serve.

At the end he played As many games as a 75 64 63 3-setter!

...of having lost 1st set....not 1st serve.

Fed's first set was puzzling though. He lost the first 11 points in a row. Has that ever happened before? Granollers played them nice enough, but surely Fed helped him what with being completely unable to return his serves. Wind? Missing concentration because of incoming rain?

Started to get better already before the rainbreak though, I think without the break matters would have developped just the same. Impressed that he managed to finish a 4 set match in 2 hours. That's what happens when both players play swiftly without delay. I quite liked Granollers in the match and that he didn't grunt made the match that much more enjoyable. 

I was surprised at Simon's win over Ferrer. Ferrer hit incredible ca. 50 UFEs which cost him the match, coupled with Simon's great play. But the most astonishing thing was that Ferrer hit the ceiling stamina-wise. He looked horrible, leaned back after a point, looking completely cooked and even checked his pulse. 

Now it seems he will be checked for some kind of sickness.

On that note, anyone else bemused about this part of Federer's interview concerning his thoughts about Bautista-Agut: 


"I would assume he's fit, too, because he comes from the Spanish tennis school, which they just know how to train hard. They never get tired. They're always ready to go."


What a nice compliment right there.  I must wonder whether he is aware of the implications of such a statement... 

Autumnleaf wrote:Fed's first set was puzzling though. He lost the first 11 points in a row. Has that ever happened before? Granollers played them nice enough, but surely Fed helped him what with being completely unable to return his serves. Wind? Missing concentration because of incoming rain?

Started to get better already before the rainbreak though, I think without the break matters would have developped just the same. Impressed that he managed to finish a 4 set match in 2 hours. That's what happens when both players play swiftly without delay. I quite liked Granollers in the match and that he didn't grunt made the match that much more enjoyable. 

As Fed said, it was very windy before the rain break and Grano was playing really well.

Autumnleaf wrote:
"I would assume he's fit, too, because he comes from the Spanish tennis school, which they just know how to train hard. They never get tired. They're always ready to go."


What a nice compliment right there.  I must wonder whether he is aware of the implications of such a statement... 

Excellent!!!