Tennis Thread

[youngbob]

Not massive on tennis but I watch Wimbledon every year and the Olympics when they come round. Murray has to be the greatest living British sportsman. Three grand slams (would have been a whole lot more had he been born five years earlier or five years later), two Gold medals, a host of other titles. And some marvelous, marvelous memories down the years.

I remember being in the US when he won his first Wimbledon title in 2013. We arrived in the States at the end of June and flew back to England at 8pm (US time) on the day of the final. All through our holiday, whether we were in New York or Philadelphia, we stopped by sports bars and watched every match he played in. The Yanks loved him as well.

And then the day of the final came. I watched it with my parents, my dad's sister (who lives out there), and her husband. We're all Brits. When he won we were all so happy but simultaneously we'd never felt so far from home. A British man had finally won Wimbledon and we were 3,000 miles away, desperate to come home and celebrate.

I remember staying up until stupid o'clock in the morning to watch him win that US Open. I remember choking up when he burst into tears on the BBC after the 2012 Wimbledon final and it seemed like Federer would always better him when push came to shove. A wonderful sportsman and role model who should be knighted twice if it's possible.

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

Not massive on tennis but I watch Wimbledon every year and the Olympics when they come round. Murray has to be the greatest living British sportsman. Three grand slams (would have been a whole lot more had he been born five years earlier or five years later), two Gold medals, a host of other titles. And some marvelous, marvelous memories down the years.

Indeed, and Andy made it the "Big Four" during the first part of the 2010's, especially once he got rolling between those two Olympic Golds. Just some brilliant memories during that time.

I remember being in the US when he won his first Wimbledon title in 2013. We arrived in the States at the end of June and flew back to England at 8pm (US time) on the day of the final. All through our holiday, whether we were in New York or Philadelphia, we stopped by sports bars and watched every match he played in. The Yanks loved him as well.

Indeed we do. We didn't care about the whole Scottish/British angle as much as those in the UK would point out or discuss. Andy was just the latest UK/GBR player we would root for to finally win Wimbledon, and mostly against two other players that were more than getting "their fair share" of wins on the grass there.

And then the day of the final came. I watched it with my parents, my dad's sister (who lives out there), and her husband. We're all Brits. When he won we were all so happy but simultaneously we'd never felt so far from home. A British man had finally won Wimbledon and we were 3,000 miles away, desperate to come home and celebrate.

I get that. I remember exactly where I was that same Sunday AM, watching every single point, cheering him on against Novak in that 3 setter to finally win what he worked so hard for. Just an amazing effort and memory, taking nothing for granted until the final point given who his opponent was and was capable of.

I remember staying up until stupid o'clock in the morning to watch him win that US Open. I remember choking up when he burst into tears on the BBC after the 2012 Wimbledon final and it seemed like Federer would always better him when push came to shove. A wonderful sportsman and role model who should be knighted twice if it's possible.

I'd second that too.

That 2012 US Open final was a near 5 hour, 5 set marathon and was so gratifying for his first Slam a few months after the Wimbledon heartbreak, but right after his first Gold medal. That's also what made 2013's Wimbledon so special, given everything that had happened prior and the even increased pressure we knew was there on a yearly basis.

Those of us in the US who were also Andy Roddick fans the decade prior were used to our favourites usually falling just short in Wimbledon, so it was great for the UK Andy to finally win it, and have his home country get to celebrate that with and for him.

An end of an amazing era today. Glad I got to see him up close and play a few years ago in the W-S Open. A full crowd was there for that, of course.

 

[KS55]

Indeed, and Andy made it the "Big Four" during the first part of the 2010's, especially once he got rolling between those two Olympic Golds. Just some brilliant memories during that time.


Indeed we do. We didn't care about the whole Scottish/British angle as much as those in the UK would point out or discuss. Andy was just the latest UK/GBR player we would root for to finally win Wimbledon, and mostly against two other players that were more than getting "their fair share" of wins on the grass there.

I get that. I remember exactly where I was that same Sunday AM, watching every single point, cheering him on against Novak in that 3 setter to finally win what he worked so hard for. Just an amazing effort and memory, taking nothing for granted until the final point given who his opponent was and was capable of.


I'd second that too.

That 2012 US Open final was a near 5 hour, 5 set marathon and was so gratifying for his first Slam a few months after the Wimbledon heartbreak, but right after his first Gold medal. That's also what made 2013's Wimbledon so special, given everything that had happened prior and the even increased pressure we knew was there on a yearly basis.

Those of us in the US who were also Andy Roddick fans the decade prior were used to our favourites usually falling just short in Wimbledon, so it was great for the UK Andy to finally win it, and have his home country get to celebrate that with and for him.

An end of an amazing era today. Glad I got to see him up close and play a few years ago in the W-S Open. A full crowd was there for that, of course.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, but do you think his sliced backhand on clay courts was all it should have been?

 

[RobMCFC]

I think maybe when Andy looks backs back on his career, he may be a little disappointed that he didn't win a couple of those Australian Open finals, but what a career.

- 3 Grand Slams
- 8 other Grand Slam finals - he did at least complete the Grand Slam of losses in all four finals :)
- Two Olympic Golds
- 14 Masters 1000 series titles - which is 5th on the all-time list
- World #1
- Member of the Davis Cup winning team

A British sporting legend, no doubt about it. I'd be surprised if a British tennis player eclipsed this achievement in the next 50 years.

 

[WickyWain]

I think maybe when Andy looks backs back on his career, he may be a little disappointed that he didn't win a couple of those Australian Open finals, but what a career.

- 3 Grand Slams
- 8 other Grand Slam finals - he did at least complete the Grand Slam of losses in all four finals :)
- Two Olympic Golds
- 14 Masters 1000 series titles - which is 5th on the all-time list
- World #1
- Member of the Davis Cup winning team

A British sporting legend, no doubt about it. I'd be surprised if a British tennis player eclipsed this achievement in the next 50 years.

Plus an Olympic silver medal and he also won the tour finals.

 

[KS55]

Top man. Pity about injury spoiling his last few years. Well respected by Joko.

 

[domalino]

I think maybe when Andy looks backs back on his career, he may be a little disappointed that he didn't win a couple of those Australian Open finals, but what a career.

- 3 Grand Slams
- 8 other Grand Slam finals - he did at least complete the Grand Slam of losses in all four finals :)
- Two Olympic Golds
- 14 Masters 1000 series titles - which is 5th on the all-time list
- World #1
- Member of the Davis Cup winning team

A British sporting legend, no doubt about it. I'd be surprised if a British tennis player eclipsed this achievement in the next 50 years.

No one's ever going to get close to that, because even if they do get similar numbers, it won't mean anything like as much as Murray doing it vs. the 3 greatest players of all time.

 

[MCFC Wirral]

Sitting down to watch Emma Raducanu play. It’s on Sky Sports Tennis.

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

Nice win for Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul to get the Bronze medal in men's doubles today over Czech team Tomas Machac and Adam Pavlásek (a Jason Isbell doppelganger, I kid you not).

The Gold medal match was a very close one that went to the 3rd set tiebreaker of 10, where Australia's Matthew Ebden and John Peers defeated the United States' Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram 6–7(6–8), 7–6(7–1), [10–8]. The US team was up 4-2 games in the 2nd set, but just couldn't close it out and got broken back. The Aussie duo also played much better in both tiebreakers.

In the the 3rd "set" tiebreaker to 10, they were up 9-5 and the US team nearly pulled off the Murray/Evans comeback, but the Aussie team closed it out serving as it got tight at 9-8.

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

Here's the list of Golden Slam winners in singles tennis and the year and their age when they completed the feat:

1. Steffi Graf became the first player to win all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold when she claimed all five of the huge titles in a staggering season in 1988. She turned 19 in June of 1988 and had won her only Major prior to that year at the 1987 French Open. The 22-time Grand Slam winner remains the only player to achieve a Golden Slam in a calendar year.
2. Andre Agassi became the first man to complete a career Golden Slam when he claimed his only French Open title to finish the set in 1999 at the age of 29. He won the Singles Olympic Gold in 1996 in Atlanta.
3. Rafael Nadal is (currently) the youngest man to achieve a career Golden Slam, as well as a career Grand Slam, having completed the collection at the age of 24 in 2010 (US Open). Nadal won his Singles Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
4. Serena Williams was the last player to win all four Major titles and an Olympic gold medal in singles, having sealed the impressive feat at the 2012 London Olympics at the age of 30.

If Novak Djokovic wins the singles Gold medal on Sunday, he'd immediately join this list at the age of 37 in 2024 having already won all 4 Grand Slams. As seen in the list of 4 above, Novak would join it as the oldest player when completed.

If Carlos Alcaraz wins the singles Gold medal on Sunday, he'd just need to win the Australian Open to complete the Golden Slam having already won the other 3 Major Slams. He's 21 now, and could first accomplish it at the same age in Jan 2025 to become the youngest man to complete it then if he does (Rafael is currently the youngest at 24 years).

Let that all marinate a bit. Either way, we're looking at history on Sunday or likely inevitable history in the future to be made in Australia (when that takes place).