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Muzza's last stand?

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    Originally posted by ale View Post

    May be a moot point as to whether Djokovic really came of age in 2008. Argument to be had it was more 2011 when he became a consistent trophy winner. Since which he was won 14 to Nadal 8 of which only 2 are away from Paris.
    Prior to 2011 Djokovic was plagued by diet-related physical issues which impeded his ability to play long matches. He attributes his dramatic uptick in performance in 2011 to adopting a gluten-free diet which he has maintained ever since. So yes, it's only since 2011 that he has been really able to bring his best, due to gluten intolerance.

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      All his eight grand slam final wins since the start of 2014 have been pretty comfortable. No five-setters. The semi v Nadal at Wimbledon was the toughest match I can recall for him in those tournaments. Just two losses in finals in that time, both to Warwinka, who also beat him in the 2014 Aus QF.

      I think that, prior to 2015, the others in the big five (including Warwinka) were able to compete with him mentally but since then he's been psychologically extremely tough and thus able to execute his A-game at will when fully fit, and nobody can beat that except Rafa on clay or maybe Roger if he serves like a demon..
      Last edited by Satchmo Distel; 27-01-2019, 15:21.

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        I didn't pay any attention to Danielle Collins' run in the tournament at the time, but in retrospect, having just watched some YouTube footage of a Collins v Sakkari match (clips selected, to be fair, to show poor behaviour on Colllins' part) I'm very glad Kvitova bagelled her in the second set of their SF. She looks like a right obnoxious brat. Not just shrieking celebration of opponents' unforced errors but, get this, celebrating like a winner a point which she won where her ball clipped the net and dropped over. The commentators attributed her behaviour to her years in US college tennis, which kind of reinforces my worst assumptions about the culture of US college sport.

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          Murray has had his operation. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. It's notable that he has not actually ruled out Wimbledon but I would be amazed if he could be back on court within 5 months. He's just had a body part half replaced (although I'm still unclear on how much of the hip is now metal and would welcome some guidance on that).

          Perhaps doubles is the solution here, given how such greats as McEnroe and Navratilova were able to get some Wimbledon love in their swansongs that way?
          Last edited by Satchmo Distel; 29-01-2019, 12:03.

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            It's like a partial hip replacement, instead of the whole bone coming out, two bits of metal replace the ball and socket connecting femur and hip. I'm not aware of any precedents in terms of returning to top level action after such procedures, although I guess footballers have comeback with various bits of plastic and metal in knees, and Klasnić came back for Croatia after a kidney transplant.
            I agree a bit of mixed doubles fun for the next 10 years would seem to be the most realistic option, he's never going to get back to Djokovic/Nadal level, and does he even want to try?

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              Hmm, I don't think US college can really be blamed for Collins behaviour. The most prominent graduate of the programme, John Isner, seems sound enough. As does Cameron Norrie. I've not noticed any of the female graduates be any worse than those who haven't been either.

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                Isner is OK on court. His politics (MAGA), on the other hand...

                But yes, there are quite a few college Tennis graduates on the tour, and there is no noticeable correlation between them and overly aggressive and unsporting on court demeanours. It sounds like the commentators were looking for something other than saying Collins is a piece of work.


                An aside, but can we avoid infantilsing terms like brat (and associated terms like 'tantrums' and the like) for Women players, please? Collins is 25, she isn't a kid anymore. She ought to be given full 'credit' and ownership of her particular brand of unpleasantness. Yes, I know McEnroe was Superbrat, and his outbursts were 'tantrums', but that was intentional and unusual use of language to demean him (male players tirades at umpires/officials are generally term 'rants'). Such infantilising terms are much more commonly and altogether more flippantly used against female players than male.

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                  Fair point. Although I sometimes feel that US culture is extending childhood into a permanent immaturity, we still should have an expectation that a 25 year old is an adult, and we wouldn't call a 25 year old male a brat.

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                    Well, apart from the fact that that's exactly what was done in relation to McEnroe. as Janik conceded above.

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                      But he was only 20 when the Superbrat label was first attached, and it was only done in the UK:

                      https://www.washingtonpost.com/archi...=.997d6d22713e

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                        The Guardian had a clickbait article on a Murray return but I think the quotes from him in the report are far more equivocal ("“I just have to see what happens. I don’t feel any pressure that I need to come back") than the article header ("keen to return") claims:

                        https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...-action-tennis

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