French Open

Djokovic was 2 sets down and looked off his game, and then he managed to claw his way back to win.
Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic have all proved to be able to dig in when in matters and find hidden resources. The only guy to do well against them was Andy Murray at his peak.

I've been waiting for the next generation to push through. But as seen today the old guard still win the big matches.

(13-06-2021 21:39 )Charlemagne Wrote:  Djokovic was 2 sets down and looked off his game, and then he managed to claw his way back to win.
Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic have all proved to be able to dig in when in matters and find hidden resources. The only guy to do well against them was Andy Murray at his peak.

I've been waiting for the next generation to push through. But as seen today the old guard still win the big matches.

I'd say Wawrinka held his own and did relatively well against the big 3 too. Although not quite as consistently as Murray did and his record is probably slightly worse against them compared to Murray but he won 3 grand slams, same as Murray, and I think he was the first (possibly still the only) to beat all 3 in the same grand slam tournament on his way to winning (I think it was) the Australian Open.

Just imagine how many slams Andy would have won if he hadn't been competing in the same era as the 3 greatest tennis players of all time.

Imagine how much MORE competitive it could have been if Del Potro never had those long term injuries, definitely think he could have grabbed a handful of slams instead of just the one.

An awesome win for Novak Djokovic. His defiance and defence in the face of seemingly impossible odds is second to none. He's simply never beaten...until he's beaten. Of course that applies to everybody (LOL) but I just have to admire the guy for winning that from such an inferior position in the match, especially after going through the mill in wins over Musetti, Berrettini and Nadal in his three previous rounds.

When you look at how dominant the big three have been, it's incredible that Murray and Wawrinka were able to win multiple slams in this era, and that Thiem, Del Potro and Marin Cilic were able to win a slam each. Yes, injuries have been a factor for many of those players. I'd also point to Lleyton Hewitt's record of the era slightly before, and with all the injuries he had. Without those I believe he would have won more slams and been able to compete in majors against the big three for many more years.

I think there are signs that younger players are emerging and beginning to make inroads against these guys. But there's life in the old GOATS yet, and their overall stranglehold on the slams - and specific dominance on different surfaces - in particular Djokovic on hard court, Nadal on clay and Federer on grass - still holding firm, it shows that this new generation still has a long road to catch up.

I would agree and Murray is attempting comeback at Queens this week. I'd say give Dan Evans Cameron Norrie & Kyle Edmond at least another two years they should start to close in on the titles more

Zut Alors! Recent hot cert Ons Jabeur lost her 1st round match in something of a shock.

Naomi Osaka got beat by Anisimova, I think.

Emma Raducanu had to go the distance to win, whilst Harriet Dart and Heather Watson got tonked in straight sets.

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga lost a 4 set match to Casper Ruud, and retired. He's suffered badly with injuries (including in this match) and had already said this would be his last tournament.