Australian Open Day 10-14 - Djokurray! And others! :P

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Keep him down Andy. No mental lapse.

I'm not tainted by the last 9 game collapse, having been at football, so can perhaps remain a bit more philosophical than my fellow Murray fans.

Novak's game was designed for this court. He loves the conditions, and has an awesome record of 1 defeat in 5 years. What's that, one loss in 33 or 34 matches? He's also world number 1.

A matter of weeks ago Murray was barely able to win a point verses Federer... Now he's in a slam final, matching the world number 1 for 3 hours on his favourite surface. Yes, it looks a pretty spectacular collapse, but I'd have settled for that 2 weeks ago to say the least!

Well done Novak, and well done Andy because he's now back in the conversation at the top table. As for "will Mauresmo be sacked?" Absolutely not. It's been a great 2 weeks for her. Apart from the last 45 mins this has been Andy's best all round slam performance.

Well played both players! Djokovic just has that extra gear. Easy to criticise Murray but he was clearly exhausted from the first 2 sets. Fact is djokovic played more of the tennis, hit more winners and less errors. I am surprised djokovic won serving quite poorly.

Should set up Murray for a good 2015 and hopefully Novak can go one better at the French. Hard to see anybody beating nadal there but if Novak can find his A game, you never know

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:Thing is socal people will get annoyed. 8 finals and still can't handle the pressure during big moments. He has won Slams and it's frustrating that he allows these dips in so frequently.

I am sorry LK, this is what was making me upset with the whole Djoko anomaly thread. There are 500 pros who wish they were playing in a final like Murray. It isn't easy to win that match. Sure going 7-0 in a slam is much better than going 6-1 but look how far he has come since last year.

Exactly. 500 pros who would love to give their all in a slam final.

If Andy hadn't had the success he has, people would be less critical for the lapses in concentration in the big one.

Andy has been in finals. Won them. As such an athlete he should take finals in his stride. Like Federer has, Nadal and even Novak.

Yeah but it isn't that easy. The guy hasn't had it easy with Novak, Nadal, Federer to contend with. And it is a great effort to come from where he was last year struggling to get to the Tour finals to pushing Novak so hard for the final. There is a reason this guy has won this tournament 5-0, its the same thing to a lesser extent that Novak faces when he plays Nadal at RG.

It is socal. 5-5 in the TB in the first and Andy missed that put away. These guys train and practice hard, so it's not like Andy was missing 1/10 shots, it was 9/10 shots IMO.

If Novak had been playing the first set standard throughout the match, hands up yep you can't compete with that. However, the chance was there. Djokovic struggled and stalled. The foot should've been firmly planted down on the throat, but no. Andy goes into even more ultra defensive mode and it's like he wants to flop over the line, rather than sprint through.

Yes Andy has had some very high quality opponents to contend with. It isn't to say he hasn't had opportunities against those players in winning positions. Has happened so many times in his career and he might end up being famed for it.

Yeah but look at it this way. How about Novak's overhead running into the net against Nadal. What about Nadal blowing that routine backhand in the net at AO 2012. What about Federer Poopie away 18 break points against Nadal at wimby 2008? These guys are human and when faced with this kind of pressure sometimes you double fault on match point. Look its the nature of tennis you are never as bad as your worst shot and never as good as you are on your best shot. Andy is behind Novak right now. But it could be worse he could be a zero slam winner. The guy has won 2 slams and 8 finals is an accomplishment not an albatross.

Your talking one point moments. Andy had several in this match alone! Many others before that. Take the second set TB when Andy was 6-3 up. Had a simple BH put away and Novak have him the court to aim at and he missed! Now imagine if Novak took the next 2 points on serve. When Andys shots go amiss he nets them more than he goes long. Instead of trying to reverse the momentum, he goes with it. The great champions of this sport and others can change match losing situations into winning ones. Sadly Andy doesn't do that and it will keep on costing him. Play the game and not the name.

Murray will be happy with the tournament as a whole until the final (he played great), but so so disappointed at his last 2 sets.

Andy had an extra day of rest too?

At least he has Kim to soothe his sore balls, ummm...

I find an extra day's rest to be more of a hindrance than a blessing. Allows more time for thinking.

slashermcguirk wrote:Well played both players! Djokovic just has that extra gear. Easy to criticise Murray but he was clearly exhausted from the first 2 sets. Fact is djokovic played more of the tennis, hit more winners and less errors. I am surprised djokovic won serving quite poorly.

Should set up Murray for a good 2015 and hopefully Novak can go one better at the French. Hard to see anybody beating nadal there but if Novak can find his A game, you never know

Congrats Slasher, nice day to be a Djokovic fan. Always is nice when you join the 8 slam club with players like Connors and Lendl. Time for our guy to get his due. For about 3 sets this was about as good a final as I can remember at he AO. Murray and his fans are I am sure disappointed but there was a lot of positives from this fortnight for Murray.

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:Thing is socal people will get annoyed. 8 finals and still can't handle the pressure during big moments. He has won Slams and it's frustrating that he allows these dips in so frequently.

I am sorry LK, this is what was making me upset with the whole Djoko anomaly thread. There are 500 pros who wish they were playing in a final like Murray. It isn't easy to win that match. Sure going 7-0 in a slam is much better than going 6-1 but look how far he has come since last year.

Exactly. 500 pros who would love to give their all in a slam final.

If Andy hadn't had the success he has, people would be less critical for the lapses in concentration in the big one.

Andy has been in finals. Won them. As such an athlete he should take finals in his stride. Like Federer has, Nadal and even Novak.

Yeah but it isn't that easy. The guy hasn't had it easy with Novak, Nadal, Federer to contend with. And it is a great effort to come from where he was last year struggling to get to the Tour finals to pushing Novak so hard for the final. There is a reason this guy has won this tournament 5-0, its the same thing to a lesser extent that Novak faces when he plays Nadal at RG.

It is socal. 5-5 in the TB in the first and Andy missed that put away. These guys train and practice hard, so it's not like Andy was missing 1/10 shots, it was 9/10 shots IMO.

If Novak had been playing the first set standard throughout the match, hands up yep you can't compete with that. However, the chance was there. Djokovic struggled and stalled. The foot should've been firmly planted down on the throat, but no. Andy goes into even more ultra defensive mode and it's like he wants to flop over the line, rather than sprint through.

Yes Andy has had some very high quality opponents to contend with. It isn't to say he hasn't had opportunities against those players in winning positions. Has happened so many times in his career and he might end up being famed for it.

Yeah but look at it this way. How about Novak's overhead running into the net against Nadal. What about Nadal blowing that routine backhand in the net at AO 2012. What about Federer Poopie away 18 break points against Nadal at wimby 2008? These guys are human and when faced with this kind of pressure sometimes you double fault on match point. Look its the nature of tennis you are never as bad as your worst shot and never as good as you are on your best shot. Andy is behind Novak right now. But it could be worse he could be a zero slam winner. The guy has won 2 slams and 8 finals is an accomplishment not an albatross.

Your talking one point moments. Andy had several in this match alone! Many others before that. Take the second set TB when Andy was 6-3 up. Had a simple BH put away and Novak have him the court to aim at and he missed! Now imagine if Novak took the next 2 points on serve. When Andys shots go amiss he nets them more than he goes long. Instead of trying to reverse the momentum, he goes with it. The great champions of this sport and others can change match losing situations into winning ones. Sadly Andy doesn't do that and it will keep on costing him. Play the game and not the name.

Well Federer wasting 16 or 17 bps against Nadal wasn't a one point thing. Look it is never easy to be on the other side of a losing final. I have been there before myself. But frankly this whole idea of saying Murray has lost 6 slam finals and not looking at the fact that he has had the privilege to be one of the last two guys standing 8 separate times is mind boggling to me. He isn't as good as Fedal, and he isn't as good as Djokovic. But he is still pretty damn good.

He wasted 12, went one of thirteen. Nadal wasted only three less.

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:Thing is socal people will get annoyed. 8 finals and still can't handle the pressure during big moments. He has won Slams and it's frustrating that he allows these dips in so frequently.

I am sorry LK, this is what was making me upset with the whole Djoko anomaly thread. There are 500 pros who wish they were playing in a final like Murray. It isn't easy to win that match. Sure going 7-0 in a slam is much better than going 6-1 but look how far he has come since last year.

Exactly. 500 pros who would love to give their all in a slam final.

If Andy hadn't had the success he has, people would be less critical for the lapses in concentration in the big one.

Andy has been in finals. Won them. As such an athlete he should take finals in his stride. Like Federer has, Nadal and even Novak.

Yeah but it isn't that easy. The guy hasn't had it easy with Novak, Nadal, Federer to contend with. And it is a great effort to come from where he was last year struggling to get to the Tour finals to pushing Novak so hard for the final. There is a reason this guy has won this tournament 5-0, its the same thing to a lesser extent that Novak faces when he plays Nadal at RG.

It is socal. 5-5 in the TB in the first and Andy missed that put away. These guys train and practice hard, so it's not like Andy was missing 1/10 shots, it was 9/10 shots IMO.

If Novak had been playing the first set standard throughout the match, hands up yep you can't compete with that. However, the chance was there. Djokovic struggled and stalled. The foot should've been firmly planted down on the throat, but no. Andy goes into even more ultra defensive mode and it's like he wants to flop over the line, rather than sprint through.

Yes Andy has had some very high quality opponents to contend with. It isn't to say he hasn't had opportunities against those players in winning positions. Has happened so many times in his career and he might end up being famed for it.

Yeah but look at it this way. How about Novak's overhead running into the net against Nadal. What about Nadal blowing that routine backhand in the net at AO 2012. What about Federer Poopie away 18 break points against Nadal at wimby 2008? These guys are human and when faced with this kind of pressure sometimes you double fault on match point. Look its the nature of tennis you are never as bad as your worst shot and never as good as you are on your best shot. Andy is behind Novak right now. But it could be worse he could be a zero slam winner. The guy has won 2 slams and 8 finals is an accomplishment not an albatross.

Your talking one point moments. Andy had several in this match alone! Many others before that. Take the second set TB when Andy was 6-3 up. Had a simple BH put away and Novak have him the court to aim at and he missed! Now imagine if Novak took the next 2 points on serve. When Andys shots go amiss he nets them more than he goes long. Instead of trying to reverse the momentum, he goes with it. The great champions of this sport and others can change match losing situations into winning ones. Sadly Andy doesn't do that and it will keep on costing him. Play the game and not the name.

Well Federer wasting 16 or 17 bps against Nadal wasn't a one point thing. Look it is never easy to be on the other side of a losing final. I have been there before myself. But frankly this whole idea of saying Murray has lost 6 slam finals and not looking at the fact that he has had the privilege to be one of the last two guys standing 8 separate times is mind boggling to me. He isn't as good as Fedal, and he isn't as good as Djokovic. But he is still pretty damn good.

If players went out there with the mentality of being "privileged" to play the other, they wouldn't win anything . I am sure that wasn't McEnroes mindset when faced with Borg and Connors. Any athlete has motivation to be the best. It's time that Andy stopped being passive and defensive and embraced aggression. He has shown he is capable. Needs to do it when it matters. The Olympics was the only time I saw Andy really take an event by the scruff of the neck.

Danny_1982 wrote:I'm not tainted by the last 9 game collapse, having been at football, so can perhaps remain a bit more philosophical than my fellow Murray fans.

Novak's game was designed for this court. He loves the conditions, and has an awesome record of 1 defeat in 5 years. What's that, one loss in 33 or 34 matches? He's also world number 1.

A matter of weeks ago Murray was barely able to win a point verses Federer... Now he's in a slam final, matching the world number 1 for 3 hours on his favourite surface. Yes, it looks a pretty spectacular collapse, but I'd have settled for that 2 weeks ago to say the least!

Well done Novak, and well done Andy because he's now back in the conversation at the top table. As for "will Mauresmo be sacked?" Absolutely not. It's been a great 2 weeks for her. Apart from the last 45 mins this has been Andy's best all round slam performance.

I watched all of the match and I will echo those sentiments. The problem today and in past slam defeats was he slipped too often into passive spells and his first serve never fired to any great degree. His peak moments/points were when he played aggressive but by the end he looked knackered and beaten mentally and physically after having chances to win all of the first three sets. Still as you say pre-tournament I would have been happy with a quarter-final spot and very happy with a semi spot and yet here he reached the final and has many of his fans disappointed it wasn't more. This is the ideal springboard for him now that he is back in the top four and back in slam contention after over a year away.

sirfredperry wrote:Observations.
1. Djoko is a bad match up for Andy in that he can do all the stuff that Andy can do, but better.
2. Look how many points Novak won on his second serve compared with Murray.
3. The AO, in recent years, has NOT been an indicator as to how the year will go. Only once since 2007 has the Melbourne winner won another Slam that year and in some of those years the AO champion has not even reached another Slam final.
4. Djoko won't win the French this year as long as Rafa's playing.
5. Still a good tournament for Murray despite the big dip at the end of the final.

Some good points from sirfred but I strongly disagree with point n.4 as I think Djoko has a real chance to win at the RG this year.

It has been a good to great final and I am ready to admit that I have never seen Murray playing this well before in terms of agressivity, sustained pace in rallies and variety, showed throughout the tournament. So credit to Mouresmo for making all this progress happen.

As for the results there is not much surprise at all; in the end the better and fitter player won. Murray could cope with Djokovic, and even outperform him in the first 2 sets, but you could sense that he was slowly going overdrive while Djokovic was still not peaking. Murray inevitably dropped the level as energy ran out like most players do when they play against him.

Always like the Djokovic Fans comments especially socals who can be complimentary without being stupid.

I am disappointed like most Andy fans but can take positives for the rest of the year.

Ther is no doubt that Novak is a hard man to beat and it wouldn't surprise me if he goes on a run like Rafa at the FO with him doing something similar at the AO.

Congratulations to Novak and his fans! that must be a big relief. He stands alone in Oz, this is his court now.

And commiserations to the defeated and his fans. He'll get another slam in the future if he keeps giving himself chances, no doubt. This really is a terrible matchup for him though.

Sadly I missed the match as I was looking after family, but I kept up with the thread on my phone so thanks to everyone who kept updating, it was very helpful

Well I went out & chopped two big trees down, cleared up and logged the lot, and expected to be back for the 5th set.

It looks like Novak made a Lazarus-style recovery from his hand, ankle and cramping problems in the 1st, 2nd & 3rd sets! Who'd have thought it?

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:Thing is socal people will get annoyed. 8 finals and still can't handle the pressure during big moments. He has won Slams and it's frustrating that he allows these dips in so frequently.

I am sorry LK, this is what was making me upset with the whole Djoko anomaly thread. There are 500 pros who wish they were playing in a final like Murray. It isn't easy to win that match. Sure going 7-0 in a slam is much better than going 6-1 but look how far he has come since last year.

Exactly. 500 pros who would love to give their all in a slam final.

If Andy hadn't had the success he has, people would be less critical for the lapses in concentration in the big one.

Andy has been in finals. Won them. As such an athlete he should take finals in his stride. Like Federer has, Nadal and even Novak.

Yeah but it isn't that easy. The guy hasn't had it easy with Novak, Nadal, Federer to contend with. And it is a great effort to come from where he was last year struggling to get to the Tour finals to pushing Novak so hard for the final. There is a reason this guy has won this tournament 5-0, its the same thing to a lesser extent that Novak faces when he plays Nadal at RG.

It is socal. 5-5 in the TB in the first and Andy missed that put away. These guys train and practice hard, so it's not like Andy was missing 1/10 shots, it was 9/10 shots IMO.

If Novak had been playing the first set standard throughout the match, hands up yep you can't compete with that. However, the chance was there. Djokovic struggled and stalled. The foot should've been firmly planted down on the throat, but no. Andy goes into even more ultra defensive mode and it's like he wants to flop over the line, rather than sprint through.

Yes Andy has had some very high quality opponents to contend with. It isn't to say he hasn't had opportunities against those players in winning positions. Has happened so many times in his career and he might end up being famed for it.

Yeah but look at it this way. How about Novak's overhead running into the net against Nadal. What about Nadal blowing that routine backhand in the net at AO 2012. What about Federer Poopie away 18 break points against Nadal at wimby 2008? These guys are human and when faced with this kind of pressure sometimes you double fault on match point. Look its the nature of tennis you are never as bad as your worst shot and never as good as you are on your best shot. Andy is behind Novak right now. But it could be worse he could be a zero slam winner. The guy has won 2 slams and 8 finals is an accomplishment not an albatross.

Your talking one point moments. Andy had several in this match alone! Many others before that. Take the second set TB when Andy was 6-3 up. Had a simple BH put away and Novak have him the court to aim at and he missed! Now imagine if Novak took the next 2 points on serve. When Andys shots go amiss he nets them more than he goes long. Instead of trying to reverse the momentum, he goes with it. The great champions of this sport and others can change match losing situations into winning ones. Sadly Andy doesn't do that and it will keep on costing him. Play the game and not the name.

Well Federer wasting 16 or 17 bps against Nadal wasn't a one point thing. Look it is never easy to be on the other side of a losing final. I have been there before myself. But frankly this whole idea of saying Murray has lost 6 slam finals and not looking at the fact that he has had the privilege to be one of the last two guys standing 8 separate times is mind boggling to me. He isn't as good as Fedal, and he isn't as good as Djokovic. But he is still pretty damn good.

If players went out there with the mentality of being "privileged" to play the other, they wouldn't win anything . I am sure that wasn't McEnroes mindset when faced with Borg and Connors. Any athlete has motivation to be the best. It's time that Andy stopped being passive and defensive and embraced aggression. He has shown he is capable. Needs to do it when it matters. The Olympics was the only time I saw Andy really take an event by the scruff of the neck.

Its not about being privileged to play Novak. It is about being a privilege to be in a final and understanding that there are a lot of guys of quality who dropped out before the final. He wasn't passive this whole match and Djokovic wasn't aggressive the whole match. It was an up down affair. Murray could have won but he didn't. He still won six slam matches in a row. And pushed the world #1 on his favorite surface to the limit.

Have no idea why he never changes up his 2nd serve.

How will you celebrate tonight Socal?

Jeremy_Kyle wrote:

sirfredperry wrote:Observations.
1. Djoko is a bad match up for Andy in that he can do all the stuff that Andy can do, but better.
2. Look how many points Novak won on his second serve compared with Murray.
3. The AO, in recent years, has NOT been an indicator as to how the year will go. Only once since 2007 has the Melbourne winner won another Slam that year and in some of those years the AO champion has not even reached another Slam final.
4. Djoko won't win the French this year as long as Rafa's playing.
5. Still a good tournament for Murray despite the big dip at the end of the final.

. Murray could cope with Djokovic, and even  outperform him  in the first 2 sets, but you could sense that he was slowly going overdrive while Djokovic was still not peaking. Murray inevitably dropped the level as energy ran out like most players do when they play against him.

This is what surprises me though. I know Novak is like a spider in the shower and you should NEVER assume he's toast, but I was pretty sure that if it became a war of attrition Murray would be the winner. Novak hasn't looked quite at it physically this week, whereas Murray has.

For Novak to outlast him has really surprised me.

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Have no idea why he never changes up his 2nd serve.

How will you celebrate tonight Socal?

How I celebrate everything JM, with lots of whisky but I got to stay functioning for a date with my homey and couple of Tehran's finest hunnies. PS, Tehran has some freaking remarkable women. Don't believe the media hype.

I'm a bit late to the party (was dipping in and out when the match was live and I wanted to watch some of it properly before commenting) and I haven't read through this thread but I'll offer some thoughts:

- There's a lot of talk about Andy melting down mentally. He clearly did but it looked a physical issue to me that prompted it. I thought he hit the wall physically. It was a gruelling couple of sets and I think he ran out of gas. His shots became very ragged and his timing was all wrong on the forehand particularly. I think this is what prompted the mental meltdown - sheer frustration at his dropping energy levels.

- The nature of Andy's loss will leave a bad taste for Andy and his fans. But at the start of the tournament, runner up would have been viewed as a great outcome after last year. He played some great tennis along the way too, so he is not without reasons for optimism.

- Final point about Andy: that second serve is such a liability. It must be addressed.

- I'm very pleased that my gut was wrong about what to expect from Novak! In my defence, prior to Wimbledon, I'd had 18 months of seeing Novak fizzle out at the sharp end of slams. But that's now two recent slams where a patchy SF has led into a much improved performance in the final. That's very encouraging.

- Whatever happens from now on, I will feel Novak has reached the right place in historical terms. 8 slams moves him alongside some serious names. I believe he can justifiably be discussed along with Agassi, Lendl and Connors now.

Murdoch, my man congrats. The Djoko machine rolls on. Murray fans don't feel too bad, I know its hard to hear but your man really played a great tournament. It is not easy feat to beat this guy at Melbourne. 5 titles in 6 years with one loss coming 9-7 in the fifth to the eventual champion. I am drunk, and loving this 8th slam.

Socal, what time zone are you in? Has the party started for you in Iran or is it the crack of dawn in California?

Danny_1982 wrote:

Jeremy_Kyle wrote:

sirfredperry wrote:Observations.
1. Djoko is a bad match up for Andy in that he can do all the stuff that Andy can do, but better.
2. Look how many points Novak won on his second serve compared with Murray.
3. The AO, in recent years, has NOT been an indicator as to how the year will go. Only once since 2007 has the Melbourne winner won another Slam that year and in some of those years the AO champion has not even reached another Slam final.
4. Djoko won't win the French this year as long as Rafa's playing.
5. Still a good tournament for Murray despite the big dip at the end of the final.

. Murray could cope with Djokovic, and even  outperform him  in the first 2 sets, but you could sense that he was slowly going overdrive while Djokovic was still not peaking. Murray inevitably dropped the level as energy ran out like most players do when they play against him.

This is what surprises me though. I know Novak is like a spider in the shower and you should NEVER assume he's toast, but I was pretty sure that if it became a war of attrition Murray would be the winner. Novak hasn't looked quite at it physically this week, whereas Murray has.

For Novak to outlast him has really surprised me.

Not so surprising to me.....i am not sure if Djokovic wasn't 100% fit but the way he handled wawrinka in the 5th makes me think he was in pretty good form. The truth is that Djokovic can outlast nearly everyone bar Nadal, which is a huge advantage in 5 setters.

sportslover wrote:Always like the Djokovic Fans comments especially socals who can be complimentary without being stupid.

I am disappointed like most Andy fans but can take positives for the rest of the year.

Ther is no doubt that Novak is a hard man to beat and it wouldn't surprise me if he goes on a run like Rafa at the FO with him doing something similar at the AO.

SL it isn't easy winning these matches especially against the 5 time champ. It is similar to what Novak goes through against Nadal at the FO. Andy is right there. And pushed Novak almost to the breaking point. The 6-0 final set does't do Andy justice. The guy played in his 8th slam final he has nothing to feel sorry for and nothing to apologize for.

HM Murdoch wrote:Socal, what time zone are you in? Has the party started for you in Iran or is it the crack of dawn in California?

It is 600pm Tehran time and I am already well on my way to pleasant inebriation.

First to say well done to Novak. 5 AO's is a great feat. Only managed to see first 7 games of the match so can't really comment too much. From what I heard at various times and have read on here the 2nd serve of Andy was still a major problem as was his temperament in the latter stages. Think that near the end of set 1 they said on the radio he was only winning 33% of points on second serve. Unless your getting in first serve in at a high percentage then your not going to win. Disappointed in the final outcome of the match but as others have said the tournament as a whole has been better than expected for him.

Silver wrote:Congratulations to Novak and his fans! that must be a big relief. He stands alone in Oz, this is his court now.

And commiserations to the defeated and his fans. He'll get another slam in the future if he keeps giving himself chances, no doubt. This really is a terrible matchup for him though.

Sadly I missed the match as I was looking after family, but I kept up with the thread on my phone so thanks to everyone who kept updating, it was very helpful

Silver the first two and half sets were truly remarkable I hope you get a chance to watch it. Despite the last set I was a war and Murray and his fans have a lot to feel proud of.

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

socal1976 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:Thing is socal people will get annoyed. 8 finals and still can't handle the pressure during big moments. He has won Slams and it's frustrating that he allows these dips in so frequently.

I am sorry LK, this is what was making me upset with the whole Djoko anomaly thread. There are 500 pros who wish they were playing in a final like Murray. It isn't easy to win that match. Sure going 7-0 in a slam is much better than going 6-1 but look how far he has come since last year.

Exactly. 500 pros who would love to give their all in a slam final.

If Andy hadn't had the success he has, people would be less critical for the lapses in concentration in the big one.

Andy has been in finals. Won them. As such an athlete he should take finals in his stride. Like Federer has, Nadal and even Novak.

Yeah but it isn't that easy. The guy hasn't had it easy with Novak, Nadal, Federer to contend with. And it is a great effort to come from where he was last year struggling to get to the Tour finals to pushing Novak so hard for the final. There is a reason this guy has won this tournament 5-0, its the same thing to a lesser extent that Novak faces when he plays Nadal at RG.

It is socal. 5-5 in the TB in the first and Andy missed that put away. These guys train and practice hard, so it's not like Andy was missing 1/10 shots, it was 9/10 shots IMO.

If Novak had been playing the first set standard throughout the match, hands up yep you can't compete with that. However, the chance was there. Djokovic struggled and stalled. The foot should've been firmly planted down on the throat, but no. Andy goes into even more ultra defensive mode and it's like he wants to flop over the line, rather than sprint through.

Yes Andy has had some very high quality opponents to contend with. It isn't to say he hasn't had opportunities against those players in winning positions. Has happened so many times in his career and he might end up being famed for it.

Yeah but look at it this way. How about Novak's overhead running into the net against Nadal. What about Nadal blowing that routine backhand in the net at AO 2012. What about Federer Poopie away 18 break points against Nadal at wimby 2008? These guys are human and when faced with this kind of pressure sometimes you double fault on match point. Look its the nature of tennis you are never as bad as your worst shot and never as good as you are on your best shot. Andy is behind Novak right now. But it could be worse he could be a zero slam winner. The guy has won 2 slams and 8 finals is an accomplishment not an albatross.

Your talking one point moments. Andy had several in this match alone! Many others before that. Take the second set TB when Andy was 6-3 up. Had a simple BH put away and Novak have him the court to aim at and he missed! Now imagine if Novak took the next 2 points on serve. When Andys shots go amiss he nets them more than he goes long. Instead of trying to reverse the momentum, he goes with it. The great champions of this sport and others can change match losing situations into winning ones. Sadly Andy doesn't do that and it will keep on costing him. Play the game and not the name.

Well Federer wasting 16 or 17 bps against Nadal wasn't a one point thing. Look it is never easy to be on the other side of a losing final. I have been there before myself. But frankly this whole idea of saying Murray has lost 6 slam finals and not looking at the fact that he has had the privilege to be one of the last two guys standing 8 separate times is mind boggling to me. He isn't as good as Fedal, and he isn't as good as Djokovic. But he is still pretty damn good.

If players went out there with the mentality of being "privileged" to play the other, they wouldn't win anything . I am sure that wasn't McEnroes mindset when faced with Borg and Connors. Any athlete has motivation to be the best. It's time that Andy stopped being passive and defensive and embraced aggression. He has shown he is capable. Needs to do it when it matters. The Olympics was the only time I saw Andy really take an event by the scruff of the neck.

Its not about being privileged to play Novak. It is about being a privilege to be in a final and understanding that there are a lot of guys of quality who dropped out before the final. He wasn't passive this whole match and Djokovic wasn't aggressive the whole match. It was an up down affair. Murray could have won but he didn't. He still won six slam matches in a row. And pushed the world #1 on his favorite surface to the limit.

He needs to treat Slam finals like any other match.

That champion mindset. He should have more slams to his name than what he has.

Yeah, LK but there are a lot of people who think Djoko should also have more slams. What does should have mean? I agree with treating the slam final like any other match because if you build it up for yourself you freeze under the pressure. But he is a career 16-8 against Djokovic he wasn't the favorite in this match.

Means that with all the ability he has, should've won more. Same could be applied to the others.

I wouldn't have made Novak favourite into the match. The form going in during the tournament for me favoured Murray. Which I have to say is rare.

socal1976 wrote:

sportslover wrote:Always like the Djokovic Fans comments especially socals who can be complimentary without being stupid.

I am disappointed like most Andy fans but can take positives for the rest of the year.

Ther is no doubt that Novak is a hard man to beat and it wouldn't surprise me if he goes on a run like Rafa at the FO with him doing something similar at the AO.

SL it isn't easy winning these matches especially against the 5 time champ. It is similar to what Novak goes through against Nadal at the FO. Andy is right there. And pushed Novak almost to the breaking point. The 6-0 final set does't do Andy justice. The guy played in his 8th slam final he has nothing to feel sorry for and nothing to apologize for.

As you previously said there are are around 500 players on tour who will never ever make a final of a Slam, so getting there is no easy matter!

Andy is the only British player who is able to compete on tour at this level and I have high hopes that he will add to his Slam total albeit probably from the USO or Wimbledon, RG looks out and the AO is now owned by your man!!!

Well, Novak makes it 5 in Melbourne and stands alone as the standard bearer for the AO. Murray came close, but falls short. Great showing for him given how 2014 ended.

I would think all eyes will be on Rotterdam and then Dubai. Be interesting to see who plays where in the next few weeks.

Congrats Nole. Inching closer to double digits. I always said I expected he would fall short of getting to 10, but maybe I was wrong....

I must have brought bad luck to Andy. When I turned the TV on it was 3:4 on serve in the third.... ....but he would not win a single game thereafter.

Also, I realized once more today how much I am not a fan of current tennis.  As usual, I was planning to get up at 3:30am to watch the final, but I just could not bring myself to do so.  And that in spite of the fact that Nole and Andy are obviously top notch players, and just about the best today's tennis can offer.

I hope tennis will find a way to reduce the emphasis on superb retrieving (without giving too much of an advantage to guys like Raonic, who would bore me even more) or else I may be missing more slam finals down the road

SB, today's match was definitely a bit top heavy on retrieving but I think that was more a result of the match up.

The other two semi finalists - Wawrinka and Berdych - were not retrievers.

Last USO and W finals were not about retrieving.

I do think that things are slowly becoming more balanced.

Thing is SB when you have dined out caviar for so long and then get fed boiled eggs, the blandness is hard to digest

Murray and Djokovic both have similar games, which means their match-up may not be entertaining for many.
I love Nadal-Murray actually; hopefully if Nadal can come back to fitness and Murray can keep this sort of form up- we can have some crackers between those two.

I like Novak but was a bit annoyed at his antics today, falling over every time he missed a shot. It was extremely theatrical, it irritated me and I think it affected Murray.

Novak's theatrics were ridiculous but I really don't think it was part of some psychological ruse to put Andy off.

It's just that sometimes Novak can be... well... ridiculous!

And it's an idiotic thing for Andy to be put off by. There was no MTO called for or delay in the play. Andy just got distracted for no good reason.

Yeah fair enough, there was one they showed the replay of. It was quite embarrassing, he had perfect balance, hit the forehand into the net and then just dropped his racket and fell over, it was like a footballer diving for a penalty. He wanted everyone to know he was hurt. However, Murray has done that himself over the years, grimacing etc

Its just that his recovery seems so sudden, one minute he ca barely stand there all of a sudden he is moving like a god and hitting the ball so cleanly. I guess you could say the physio did he job?

Djoko acts allright, but Andy getting distracted cause of it, instead of crushing Djoko in those moments and then shouting He always does it, makes Andy a little puppy.

Whatever it was it should not have put Andy off. He has seen it often enough before and has done similar himself. So I'm surprised that he let it affect him.

I reckon Andy should've done a Jahu and when it got dramatic, he should've gone and tapped up the ladies

HM Murdoch wrote:SB, today's match was definitely a bit top heavy on retrieving but I think that was more a result of the match up.

I missed almost the whole match but it does not surprise me.  As you say, this match up is likely to produce a lot of retrieving - I suppose that is why I may have found it too difficult to get up for it.

I agree with you that judging by some of the other recent slams it looks there may be a chance tennis might become more balanced giving aggressive play better chance to succeed. I hope it will happen.

There's only so much Spinach Man muzza can achieve when compared to Gods like Djokovic. I cannot and will not watch on as Spinach Man loses his balls.

Therefore in an effort to give muzza the upper hand I have found this pet and will chop off it's testes which will be passed on to muzza as he comes to SW19 http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/uncat/big-balls-squirell-964.jpg

legendkillarV2 wrote:I reckon Andy should've done a Jahu and when it got dramatic, he should've gone and tapped up the ladies

Hahaha, whatever does the job


Djoko nearly passing Nadal for Drama Queen

JHM, stop locking wum/erotic threads!!

Not all of us are tennis experts, let us be nasty a little.

Josiah Maiestas wrote:There's only so much Spinach Man muzza can achieve when compared to Gods like Djokovic. I cannot and will not watch on as Spinach Man loses his balls.

Therefore in an effort to give muzza the upper hand I have found this pet and will chop off it's testes which will be passed on to muzza as he comes to SW19 http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/uncat/big-balls-squirell-964.jpg

O yeah ? A few months ago I said Andy needs nuts, and I was shot by others expert urologists here, saying Andy has plenty of them.

Amongst all the negativity, it's interesting to note, that there is not much credit for Murray actually reaching the final

After all, according to some he was finished. No-one, I can see other than my good self fancied his chances here and that was only because I wondered about Novak's fitness (illness before the event)

So Murray gets himself fully fit and significantly reaches a Slam final. Big tick for me

Yes, the mental meltdown was embarrasing - easily the worst of any of his finals. It's not as though he's not seen this before from Novak or has he forgotten what happened when he wa 5-2 in the 5th at US12.

But in fairness, that element of his game has naturally regreessed as the bigger mental challenge, will he ever be as good as before, took over. For me it would have been one of the biggest comebacks ever, if he'd won - it shows that metal attitude only comes from been a contender all the time

And in fairness Novak was pretty unplayable for 60% of the match and I'm confident would have beaten anyone

A devastating loss for Murray, but not in the context of where he was 5 months ago

Agreed Ban I think IMBL summed it up. It was a tremendous turnaround tourny for Murray after the Federer WTF match... except for the last hour. Only he knows whether thats a serious problem with mental block... or if he was just knackered or "content" with what he managed to do.

I prescribe some R and R... avoid Dubai, come back in the american masters swing, and consider whether or not its worth destroying himself on clay or not