2017 Australian Open

[Quiet Speed]

Andy Murray is the #1 seed for the men. Angelique Kerber is #1 for the women, hope she can defend.

 

[Don Wassall]

Shocking upset in the second round as six-time Australian Open champion Djokovic is beaten by Denis Istomin, a 30 year old journeyman from Uzbekistan who is 117th in the world rankings.

It went five sets and almost five hours. Djokovic played well, but Istomin was "in the zone" and never got tired or intimidated by the stage. Will be interesting to see if Istomin can keep playing close to the same level and contends for the title or if he quickly fizzles out.

 

[Rebajlo]

I was overjoyed when the loathsome Greek-Malay mongrel Nick Kyrgios was knocked out in the second round. This grotesque-visaged prick is easily the worst arsehole on the circuit.

You American lads will “love” this. Last week, Kyrgios emerged for a press conference wearing a “**** Donald Trump” t-shirt:

Utter scum...

My teeth grate every time I hear this piece of **** being referred to as an Australian…

Ah, I’ve just checked the latest results and that other so-called “Australian” Bernard Tomic has been eliminated by Daniel Evans. Splendid!

 

[icsept]

Federer tops #10 Berdych in straight sets. On to the 4th round to face #5 Nishikori. At 35, Federer's longevity and consistency is amazing, even better than Jimmy Connors. By the time it is all said and done, he will have had both the highest peak and the greatest longevity in the history of men's tennis. He's at 17 majors, Nadal has 14 and Djokovic 12. These are 3 of the top 4 (Sampras 14) all time, in the same era. Otherwise, Roger could have had 20+. I doubt that Roger has any major titles left in him, but he won't be caught. The GOAT, for sure.

 

[Don Wassall]

First Djokovic was defeated by a journeyman, and now #1 seed Andy Murray is knocked out by 29 year old Mischev Zverev. Zverev's much more highly touted 19 year old brother Alexander nearly knocked off Rafa Nadal, taking him to five sets.

Nadal isn't the player he used to be due to so many injuries, and Federer is ancient for tennis and likely won't win another major. The great era of the Big Three of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, with Murray just a notch below them, is fast becoming a distant memory.

Kerber knocked off also, by American Coco Vandeweghe. She's the niece of former NBA star Kiki Vandeweghe, a two-time All Star who was among the league scoring leaders often during the 1980s. He averaged a career best 29.4 ppg in '83-'84.

 

[Don Wassall]

Nadal takes out Monfils in four sets and moves into the quarterfinals of a major for the first time since the '15 French.

Federer is now the slight betting favorite to take the title with Djokovic and Murray ousted.

 

[white lightning]

I would love to see Federer win the magic 18th grand slam that has been so hard to get. This
might be his best chance. What an amazing career he has had. What a privilege it is to watch him play.

 

[Don Wassall]

Venus Williams is playing well and has made it to the semis of the Australian Open for the first time in 14 years. Sister Brutus, looking brawnier and more testosterone-laden than ever, of course has also made it to the semis, setting up a possible final between the two.

On the positive side, a men's final between Roger and Rafa would be awesome, likely the last time it we'd ever see it in a grand slam event.

 

[newguy]

As much as I like Roger and would like him to win his 18th slam I am actually rooting for Mischa Zverev. I know he is a long shot, but I love his serve and volley and coming to the net style. Tennis has too many boring baseliners. I miss guys like Mcenroe and Edberg who were great serve and volley players. Those type of guys seemed to have disappeared from tennis. McEnroe may have been a nutcase on the court, but he was fun to watch, because he made some of the most amazing shots I have ever seen on the tennis court. This is coming from someone who actually rooted for Connors back in the 70's and 80's.

 

[Don Wassall]

The unseeded Coco Vandeweghe's run of upsets ended in the semis with a three set loss to Venus Williams. Unless there's a huge upset in the other semifinal, it will be a Williams sisters final. It's Venus's first Slam final since '09 and her first at the Australian since '03.

I watched some of the stuff scrolling at the bottom of the screen during the match, and Vandeweghe is the first White American female to reach the semifinals of a grand slam event in 10 years, since Lindsey Davenport was playing. The five Americans to do it in the past decade have all been black. We'll have to see if the 25 year old Vandeweghe continues her ascent or is yet another flash in the pan -- which even Kerber may be as she fell to Vandeweghe two matches earlier (though she does have two majors to her credit). Vandeweghe is 25 and still has "baby fat," which raises questions about her commitment level, as it does with a lot of the female players.

 

[white is right]

It will be an all Williams final and like the other finals one sister should kick ass and take no prisoners of the other. Back when their father used to attend their matches he almost seemed like a corrupt boxing manager who told either sister to lay down for the other. This scene from Gladiator typifies the matches over the years....

 

[Don Wassall]

It will be an all Williams final and like the other finals one sister should kick ass and take no prisoners of the other. Back when their father used to attend their matches he almost seemed like a corrupt boxing manager who told either sister to lay down for the other. This scene from Gladiator typifies the matches over the years....

Some of their matches have looked dubious for sure. But this one is interesting as Venus has found the fountain of youth in this tournament and will be the sentimental favorite and it may be her last Slam final, while Brutus is going for the all-time record for Slam victories, a process that hasn't been as easy as the media thought it would be the past couple of years.

 

[white is right]

The unseeded Coco Vandeweghe's run of upsets ended in the semis with a three set loss to Venus Williams. Unless there's a huge upset in the other semifinal, it will be a Williams sisters final. It's Venus's first Slam final since '09 and her first at the Australian since '03.

I watched some of the stuff scrolling at the bottom of the screen during the match, and Vandeweghe is the first White American female to reach the semifinals of a grand slam event in 10 years, since Lindsey Davenport was playing. The five Americans to do it in the past decade have all been black. We'll have to see if the 25 year old Vandeweghe continues her ascent or is yet another flash in the pan -- which even Kerber may be as she fell to Vandeweghe two matches earlier (though she does have two majors to her credit). Vandeweghe is 25 and still has "baby fat," which raises questions about her commitment level, as it does with a lot of the female players.

I suspect the staying power of Serena is as much a product of a lost generation of female stars as her ability. You would have to think at some point a potential superstar would come along and challenge her but nobody ten years younger+ has emerged on the scene. Probably the last young star has been Sharipova and she is about 30 now and while a future hall of fame member is probably a mild disappointment. I would probably equate her career to something similar to Vince Carter or Vincent Lecavalier.

Ps. Kiki's niece is quite muscular but has a layer of fat but I have seen much fatter than her, from what I saw of her match against Venus she looks like she needs more consistency in her strokes. But of course that's what separates the winners and the also rans. Also White American female tennis players have been probably worse than the men in a similar time frame.

 

[Westside]

BSPN, naturally has crowned Serena the GOAT tennis player. Then goes a step farther by labeling the Venus and Serena as the GOAT affeletic sisters. Oh, the shock of it.

 

[BeyondFedUp]

Federer wins Major number 18, at 35 years of age!

Good points here (believe it or not) from espn staff about just what he did:

Matt WilanskyESPN.com

When you think of all the narratives that could have played out in Australia, this was one of the least likely, considering Federer's long layoff. He beat four top-10 players and prevailed in three five-setters. It'll be some time before we can put his latest title in perspective, but this has to go down as one of the most memorable Grand Slam runs in history.

 

[Shadowlight]

Huge win for Fed. The last time Fed beat Nadal in a major was 2007 Wimbledon. He hadn't won a major in five long years and Nadal has OWNED him in one on one major battles since including the classic 2008 Wimbledon donnybrook. Maybe that 6 month injury time off for Roger did him some good as he looked a little like his old self out there. He usually folds up playing the aggressive Nadal but he took it to Nadal and stayed away from long rallies for the most part. I have not seen the whole match and hope to soon. The tennis world is beaming right now as they should be. Fed is one of the most remarkable athletic figures who has ever lived. Think Jordan and Nicklaus. And he is a classy individual and well admired for his fluid natural grace on the tennis court.
The women's final was a surprise too but less so than the men's. Serena somehow keeps winning and is probably the greatest of all time but unlike the men the past 15 years the competition from the women has been patchy at best. A few other positives to take out of this tournament ( Fed winning has charged me up). Stylish Dimitrov gave Nadal a five set battle in the semis and looks to finally start fulfilling his promise. Marta Kostyuk ,a fourteen year old from the Ukraine, nope that is not a misprint, won the girls junior championship. Is she the next tennis star of the future? While I would like to see someone knock Serena off her perch for good this was still a very positive start to the tennis season. I am always astonished at the level of athleticism, endurance and mental focus it takes to play winning tennis. Tennis players might be the best PURE athletes of all sports. I don't think too many people would argue with that point.
One final thought about Federer. I think this victory where he finally slayed his nemesis and won another major gives him more space to keep on playing. There were rumblings of retirement talk but heck why not play two more full years now that the monkey is off his back? Now you can relax Roger!!! And just enjoy playing and competing.

 

[Don Wassall]

I just watched the last few games of the fifth set, must have been as good as any match to watch ever! The crowd was as loud as I've ever heard at a tennis event, roaring after every point.

I hope Nadal stays healthy, Djokovic gets back to the top of his game, and Roger keeps defying Father Time. This prolonged Big Three era is by far my favorite since I've followed tennis. It makes putting up with the Hulking Linebacker in a Skirt and her adoring media much easier to take. I used to root for Jimmy Connors, but that was in spite of him being a first class *******. John McEnroe -- he should have been punched out on the court by his opponents numerous times.

The Australian Open is also easily my favorite tennis tournament. It's on in the dead of winter in the U.S., so I watch it more than the other Slam events, and it doesn't have a lot of competition right now, just regular season NHL games, the beginning of the PGA Tour, and the windup of the NFL season with the Super Bowl.

 

[white lightning]

Congrats to Roger Federer. Easily the greatest tennis player we have ever seen. Think about how many times he lost in grand slam finals and it makes hie 18 grand slam titles even more impressive. He did it against the toughest competition and always showed class, dignity and respect. I hope he can win another one!

 

[white is right]

I just watched the last few games of the fifth set, must have been as good as any match to watch ever! The crowd was as loud as I've ever heard at a tennis event, roaring after every point.

I hope Nadal stays healthy, Djokovic gets back to the top of his game, and Roger keeps defying Father Time. This prolonged Big Three era is by far my favorite since I've followed tennis. It makes putting up with the Hulking Linebacker in a Skirt and her adoring media much easier to take. I used to root for Jimmy Connors, but that was in spite of him being a first class *******. John McEnroe -- he should have been punched out on the court by his opponents numerous times.

The Australian Open is also easily my favorite tennis tournament. It's on in the dead of winter in the U.S., so I watch it more than the other Slam events, and it doesn't have a lot of competition right now, just regular season NHL games, the beginning of the PGA Tour, and the windup of the NFL season with the Super Bowl.

If it wasn't for the ungodly East Coast hours I would love this tournament. I stayed up for half the first set and stopped trying to defy sleep. When I awoke again to my astonishment it was Federer who was crowned champion. I expected Nadal to grind him down like a soap stone similar to their other major final matches. Nadal even had a break and was on serve for the match, it shows you the champion's resolve of Roger. This win probably save Roger's record of major titles as Nadal would have been two behind entering the French Open where when he is on form he is near perfect.

 

[Don Wassall]

The East Coast hours are definitely brutal if you want to watch certain matches live. The men's final started live at 3 am EST this morning. I purposely didn't look at any sports sites today to find out who won, and turned on BSPN's replay but unfortunately it was already well into the fifth set so I only saw the great ending.

 

[Shadowlight]

Sports Illustrated--who will be on the cover this week? Logic dictates tennis with Serena making history and Roger defying nature. They had their Super Bowl cover last week and not much going on but regular season action in the NBA , college basketball and the NHL. SI has shortchanged Federer throughout his stellar career when it comes to tennis covers especially and in general SI has pulled back from tennis over the past 15 years which is a crying shame. My favorite major by a huge margin is Wimbledon. I am old fashioned and love tradition and to me it might be the greatest event in all of sports. I also love the electricity of the US Open but as Don mentioned it is played in the middle of a ton of key sporting events. But I like all the majors and the fans down under love their tennis.

 

[Jack Lambert]

I wasn't able to watch the match, but it sounds like it was a great one between Federer and Nadal; congrats to Federer for his 18th Grand Slam title! Very happy for Federer, and I hope he can continue to play well.

 

[Quiet Speed]

Just watched a 25 minute highlight package of the match. Absolutely magical stuff. Roger looked a bit leaner, no doubt he is in tremendous shape considering the amount of work he put in this tournament. I swear his strokes looked as crisp and free flowing as ten years ago. I hope he stays healthy the entire year. I look forward to the other majors and top tier tournaments.

 

[CrazyFinn]

I have to admit, when Federer went down 0-2 and 1-3 in the 5th set, I was certain the match was headed for a typical Nadal-Federer 5-setter in which Nadal wears him down, some mental doubts creep in on Federer's part and he loses another one to his nemesis. But almost shockingly, he rallied, tied it at 3-3, and then won 3 more games to close it out. Federer may have been correct in his assessment prior to the match that not having played Rafa for a while made him forget some of those prior losses and he really broke a mental barrier in that 5th set.

This could be Federer's last year on tour. I hope he stays healthy and maybe wins Wimbledon. I think Rafa should win the French, and the US Open could be anyone's to take.

This renewed excitement on the men's side is certainly making up for the complete disaster on the women's side. I have lost count of how many times we have predicted the demise of the Williams sisters, but like a villain in a cheap horror movie that just doesn't die, they keep coming back.

 

[Quiet Speed]

Where I play pickleball, the final was a topic of conversation. Much admiration for the skill that was display. If I ever get the time, I'll have to make an effort to catch a full replay. The French Open is going to be good, can't wait. But before that the BNP Paribas Open takes place in March, all the heavies show up for this event.