Roger Federer retires

Yeah, if Rafa can heal and somehow win the US Open, that could be crucial in the race to finish with the most grand slams. That would again put him two ahead of Novak, and there's no telling if Novak will even be able to participate in the Australia Open to start next year (as Australia has been extremely strict about the vaccine). If Novak misses the next two and Rafa wins them both, that would put him three ahead of Novak before the French, which, of course, we all know Rafa would be the favorite for. If things fall just the right way for Rafa, he could be four grand slams up come Wimbledon next year, the same that Roger Federer is hoping to make a run at.

I'm begining to wonder if Nadal pulled out of the semis of Wimbledon knowing full well that even if he made the final that he was unlikely to beat Novak if he was not at full fitness and decided to save himself for the US Open and then the Australian.

I hear Roger Federer is making a comeback, I can't see him winning Wimbledon to be honest, that title is Novaks to lose in an upset of monumental proportions which I can't see happening as he is clearly better than anyone else at the moment on grass.

The US Open is happening at the moment. The most significant storylines have been:

- Novak was banned from entering the US because of his vaccination status, so he could not play
- Serena has retired from tennis. She was playing at a pretty high level, but lost a high-quality 3rd round match in over 3 hours
- Rafa got defeated in the 4th round. He was not convincing all tournament
- Medvedev got defeated by Kyrgios, but Kyrgios lost in the next round

There will be a first-time GS winner for the men. For the women, only one GS-winner is left (#1 Iga Swiatek). But it's still a pretty strong field on both sides.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Sep 7th 2022 »

Rafa did not look right. Probably still hurt.

US Open has been underwhelming as a whole.

Looks like Novak got lucky Rafa is still injured otherwise he would have fallen further behind in the all-time grand slam listings. I have no doubt that a fit and health Rafa wins the US Open.

What is wrong with Nick Kyrgios? He threw a tantrum the other day when he wrecked two rackets, he spits at his box, and throws water bottles at the umpire. Distubing behaviour, I get he is upset because he wants to win badly but the way he acts underlines a serious problem with his personality.

I'm glad we've seen the last of Serena Williams, I always thought she was arrogant. She's another one that throws a tantrum when things don't go her way, unfortunately during her career that rarely happened.

Wow. Federer is finally retiring. End of an era.

19-year old Carlos Alcaraz won the US Open, saving match point in the quarterfinals after his opponent served for the match. His tennis is good, but he has superior mentality.

Last year in July, Dennis said:

Matt give me the name of the next woman's and men's superstar. Someone for me to keep an eye on as they rise through the ranks.

Last year in July, I said:

Future - Carlos Alcaraz (18yr old Spaniad, current world #72, 1 GS 4R)
Carlos Alcaraz is a very good player given his age. He first played in a senior GS when he was 17, which is unheard of these days. He's already reached a 4th round of the French Open.

World #1 Iga Swiatek won her third grand slam. She was unconvincing all tournament, but found a way to win ugly, as champions do.

And of course, Roger is retiring. He will play the Laver Cup (exhibition) later this month, but that will be the end. His knee injury kept coming back. Ironic that in his last professional match, he was bagelled at Wimbledon. 8-7 40-15 will always haunt him, but he should be proud at winning 3 grand slams from 2017-2018 so late in his career.

In other news, Emma Raducanu is outside the top 70 in the world, and just lost to a player outside the top 200. And Buffalo Bills owner's daughter Jessica Pegula has broke into the top 5, making three grand slam QFs this year.

Good call Matt on picking out Carlos Alcaraz being a future talent. It's hard to grasp he is only 18 and beating fully grown men on the mens pro circuit. Is he going to be another Nadal or a one Grand Slam wonder?

Federer finally retires, seems like he has been around forever. I remember him winning Wimbledon's when I lived in the UK and that's almost twenty years ago.

« Last edited by Sanzano on Sep 17th 2022 »

I was hoping Federer would do one more Wimbledon, but I get it. His body is shot, tennis wise.

Federer has no chance now against the younger players now that are physically in their prime and loaded with talent. I'll always remember Federer for having the Rolls Royce of backhands, the motion was simply a thing of beauty, it was silky smooth.

Alcaraz will NOT be a one-slam wonder. Not at all. He is nowhere near his prime, and he already has a grand slam, other big titles & wins/great matches against top players. He also has an 8-1 record in matches that go to a 5th set.

He has already beat Novak, and played a 3-hour classic against Rafa which he narrowly lost.

Clay is arguably his best surface as well, yet he has had the most success on hard courts (US Open title & Miami title). He is poor on grass, but that's very common for the next gen these days.

Oh, and he also the new world #1.

Looks like Alcaraz will take over from Nadal and be Spains next sporting legend, I'm see that kids face everywhere I go now. He's has already won over 9 million dollars in prize money. I will lay odds he eclipses that amount with endorsements. I didn't realise there was so much money in Tennis. I always though the big money sports were boxing, F1 and golf.

Do you think Emma Raducanu will be a one Grand Slam wonder? Now that Sharapova has retired could she become the face of womens tennis?

The endorsements in tennis are huge. Naomi Osaka is ranked outside the top 40 and is a part-time player (winning 0 titles in the past 18 months), yet she earns the most money out of anyone in the women's game.

Logic says Raducanu she will probably be a one-slam wonder, but the WTA is so random these days (apart from Swiatek) that maybe she could win again. We have to also remember that she is 19 and has been playing on the main circuit for less than 18 months. She won her GS way too early, and still has natural development to come.

The face of women's tennis is clearly Iga Swiatek. While she doesn't have the beauty of a Sharapova, she is dominating the competition. This year alone she has:
- Had a 36 match winning streak, which is the longest since Serena 7 years ago
- Won the French Open & US Open and reached the semis in Australia
- Won a combined 7 titles

I agree with you 100% Matt, Iga Swiatek is no Maria Sharapova when it comes to looks. Decent women's Tennis player though.



« Last edited by Sanzano on Sep 22nd 2022 »

Happy to see Nadal teaming with Federer for his final match.

Aldila Sutjiadi and Miyu Kato were disqualified from their doubles match at Roland-Garros after the latter struck a ball to the opposite end of the court between points and accidentally hit a ball girl, leaving her in tears.

I thought the disqualification was a bit harsh to be honest, it was an accident. Kato just whacked the ball without looking to the other end of the court out of frustration and the 'ball boy' it was actually a girl just so happened to be in the way. I felt sorry for the young girl though, she was obviously shocked by what had happened.

I have not been watching much Tennis lately with Rafa injured and Roger enjoying retirement. Joker won his 23rd grand slam, making him now the leader all time. Not really saying much, though, as he has no competition to stop him from racking them up.