If the Barcelona final was five sets Nadal would have won...

All five sets, with the last two being bagels. 6-4 6-3 6-2 6-0 6-0. Had it been seven sets, Nadal would have won all eight!! And had it been American doubles, with two Almagro clones, Nadal would have beat the both, without serving, IN THE RAIN. You know its true!!

Haha. I was watching the 100m Olympic final last year and thought had it been over 1 mile there's no way Bolt would have won.

Trivia Q: When did Nadal start biting trophies?

I'm tempted to think that he once won a chocolate, or something and then being slightly compulsive, decided to continue doing it...

lydian wrote:Trivia Q: When did Nadal start biting trophies?

I don't know but I wish he'd stop. The single most annoying celebration in sport.

What does he think he's doing? Checking it's real?

Apparently it started at MC 2005...his first major trophy. He did it to show he was hungry for more so the story goes, then like most things in Nadal's OCD-like routine it just became habit. He's probably scared of not doing it now.

To be honest HMM...I find Novak's short ripping and chest beating more annoying but each to their own. Why cant they all just do a Petkovic dance?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtLc528KK-E

lydian wrote:To be honest HMM...I find Novak's short ripping and chest beating more annoying but each to their own.

I'm assuming that's a typo... unless Novak really has started ripping his shorts now?!

Yeah, I'm not keen on the shirt ripping. The one v Rafa was OK as a one-off but I didn't like the one v Stan.

He has done it exactly twice now in like 600 plus matches in regards to the shirt ripping and I hope he doesn't add to the tally.

I quite liked the primal shirt rip the first time. I really felt the emotion, that desperation/relief/joy. The second time I was just like 'Oh, not this again'

You could understand it the first time after playing 11 hours of marathon tennis against Nadal in a final, the second time it seemed contrived.

HM Murdoch wrote:

lydian wrote:To be honest HMM...I find Novak's short ripping and chest beating more annoying but each to their own.

I'm assuming that's a typo... unless Novak really has started ripping his shorts now?!

Yeah, I'm not keen on the shirt ripping. The one v Rafa was OK as a one-off but I didn't like the one v Stan.

Agreed. Against multi slam winning Rafa, after a marathon semi and final, fair enough. I quite liked how gladiatorial it was.

Against a crying Wawrinka, a bit in poor taste.