Williams sisters eye bleach:
Russian Maria Kirilenko
Russian Maria Kirilenko
Quote: (09-07-2017 03:46 PM)Kaizen Wrote:Maybe in 2019 Juan Martin Del Potro may win a Grand Slam. I hope Del Potro proves me wrong by winning the 2018 US Open final against Novak Djokovic.
DelPo might be getting his 2nd us open title this weekend.
Looked impressive in his Fed/Thiem wins.
Quote: (03-23-1983 09:19 PM)delete Wrote:"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after."
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Quote: (09-08-2018 05:32 AM)Kaizen Wrote:
Might be the only time I'm equally interested in a women's final
Im hoping Osaka takes it..
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Novak Djokovic regained the world No. 1 ranking on Monday, having climbed from outside the top 20 at the start of the year.
And the worrying thing for his opponents? He might have only just got started.
Djokovic’s climb back to No. 1 has taken in two Grand Slam titles and a 47-10 win record, leading to a total improvement in his Elo rating* from the start of the year of +265.
NEWS: Nishikori beats erratic Federer in London
Elo ratings are an alternative to more traditional rankings aimed at giving a greater insight into a player’s performance ability.
As impressive as that ratings climb is, it isn’t unprecedented, especially when you consider players who are just coming onto the scene and have the most room to improve over a short period of time.
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[Read full article for ELO ratings & explanation]
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Serb's dazzling serving numbers have underpinned his second-half surge in 2018 and make him the man to beat at the Nitto ATP Finals
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What happens when the game’s best returner suddenly becomes one of the best players at holding serve? Things get scary. Quickly!
Since Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic has been holding serve more than 9 out of 10 times. He continues to break serve almost once every three times. Any mathematician will tell you those are winning numbers.
Having started the year with a 6-6 match record, Djokovic has completed the greatest in-season turnaround by a player to finish the season World No. 1 in ATP Rankings history (since 1973).
Brad Gilbert, the former World No. 4, leading coach and now insightful commentator, traces Djokovic’s resurgence to his epic semi-final win over Nadal at Wimbledon. And, in particular, the Serb’s serving performance that day.
“I thought that was his best-serving match in a long time and that match was the impetus to where he is now. His serve has been the huge difference in his game as he’s gone on this run,” Gilbert says. “He’s not serving massively bigger but, like Rafa, he’s a good spot server who hits the corners. He's hitting service winners and winning a higher percentage of first-serve points.”
Prior to Wimbledon, Djokovic was winning 84.4 percent of service games in 2018. But since Wimbledon the Serb had held serve 90.9 percent of the time leading into Nitto ATP Finals. On a full-season basis, only five players have held serve at 90 percent or better in 2018: John Isner, Ivo Karlovic, Roger Federer, Milos Raonic and Nick Kyrgios. (It must be noted that those marks include the clay season, during which it can be tougher to hold serve. Djokovic’s 90.9 percentage rate has been achieved on grass and hard.)
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You May Also Like: Read & Watch: Djokovic Presented Year-End ATP World Tour No. 1 Trophy
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Caveats aside, Djokovic’s serving numbers underpinned his remarkable 31-1 record from the start of Wimbledon up to his loss in the final of the Rolex Paris Masters to Karen Khachanov. Gilbert believes that the Serb’s second-half run will continue, if not accelerate, in 2019.
“I think he's about to dominate,” Gilbert says. “The freight train has started and it’s full steam ahead.”
Gilbert was coaching Andre Agassi in 1999 when the American worked his way back from a low of No. 14 in May to win two majors [Roland Garros and the US Open] and finish on top of the ATP Rankings. Prior to this year, that same-season comeback was the biggest by a year-end No. 1.
“Novak’s Wimbledon breakthrough and his 31-2 [match record] turnaround totally reminds me of what Andre did in '99 when he won the French, got to the final of Wimbledon and won the US Open. I think Novak is looking at a monster 2019. I could see him winning Australia and all of a sudden he's in play for his second Djoker Slam.
“He’s tying Federer and Connors with five year-end No. 1 finishes. Beating Sampras' six year-enders, finishing his career with 45 Masters 1000 titles… all these things are possible. But right now I'm sure he's just focussed on finishing the year strong and winning the Nitto ATP Finals.”
Did You Know?
Djokovic's 23 aces against Nadal in his five-set victory at Wimbledon this year were a career-high for the Serb.
Quote: (03-23-1983 09:19 PM)delete Wrote:"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after."
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Quote: (11-14-2018 05:11 PM)godfather dust Wrote:
What surface do you guys prefer?
I haven't done grass, just cement and clay.
I like the clay if it has been maintained well, prefer the smaller bounce. Bad clay gives lots of bad bounces however.
Quote: (03-23-1983 09:19 PM)delete Wrote:"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after."
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