Australian Open 2020

[PaulP]

What a blessed relief it is to see Kyrgios looking like a focused, serious, committed tennis player (i.e like pretty much everyone else on tour), rather than a brittle, half-arsed, temperamental brat.

Well played NK. Hopefully this is the future and not just a flash-in-the-pan moment.

[flyboy77]

Was the better player a lot of the match.... needs a good coach to improve tactically.

Thought he needed to attack Nadal's serve more - Nadal's likely to win the point once it enters rally mode.

Nadal did what Nadal does - few unforced errors, plays the percentages extremely well and works bloody hard.

Thiem should have his chances.

[LP]

I suppose I picked a sh1t time to stop watching tennis!
[img width=250]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GeI5ke0BENw/maxresdefault.jpg[/img]
The other day Djokovic carried on about age(by that he meant old age) is only a number, and that "they"(Nadal, Djokovic and Federer) know something others don't. We'll the truth is this, age(old age) is only a number, specifically for "them"(Nadal, Djokovic and Federer), and nobody gets to avoid it!  (You can add Williams to that list!)

[PaulP]

Sandgren is bloody hopeless. Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[Mav]

I'm sure his social media friends and he can advance alternative facts: he won the match and only the deep state says otherwise. Or maybe George Soros and Hillary's Pizzagate Paedophile Ring is to blame.

[sandsmere]

Sandgren is bloody hopeless. Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Other way around I reckon.
Federer snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Roger never gives up.

[Thryleon]

^^

Its a common theme amongst the more recent Grand Slam winners (and also AFL premiers).

That never say die attitude seems to be the one that gets them across the line more frequently.  It actually becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.  Because you never give up, you are never out of the contest. Because you know you dont give up, when you win one of these points it fuels the belief that no matter how badly you are being beaten at the time, you are never really out of it.  This becomes something that makes others worried about you.  That mentality is the hardest thing for these guys to overcome.

Ive seen my fair share of tennis players.  They are all capable of playing great tennis, and most of them are carbon copies of each other these days with varying strengths and weaknesses, but the one thing that the champions have over everyone else, is an unwaivering belief that they can win.  This is a double advantage, because most of their opponents don't believe they can beat them because of that exact same factor.

[LP]

Listening on radio.

The feeling I get from the commentary is that this is Barty's final, even if she claws her way back will an epic recovery leave her with enough in the tank to overcome Halep in 48hrs from now?

I feel that if Halep can produce a quick result, she is in prime position to win the final.

[madbluboy]

Barty capitulated, out of the open.

[Professer E]

Rolled over very fast, either affected by heat or chucked it in.