Perhaps Novak and Roger didn't want to over tire themselves ahead of their Davis cup ties this weekend. Roger has won loads of slams but never Davis Cup - and with Stan the man they must be favourites to beat Italy and then the final in November. Novak is off to India.
Well done to Serena on her 18th GS. She's in lofty company now. She rescued a really crappy year GS wise. :cool:
I was really hoping Roger would win - this was surely his best chance of another Slam. I hope this was not his last realistic chance ... but I can't see him getting another one now.
Shame Nishikori was running on empty for the final, looks like the consecutive five setters caught up to him in the end. Cilic played well though.
Wouldn't be surprised if there was a dark undercurrent to this one...
I think this means Murray's out of the top 10 and unlikely to make the WTF. To make WTF, he would now have to win Tokyo/Shanghai and go deep in Paris.
People are far too quick to blame it being 2 non big 4 players making the final as the entire reason it wasn't a classic.
2 non big 4's facing each other in a grand alam final on another day may very well have been a classic, and 2 big 4's making the final would have been no guarantee of a classic.
We underestimate the effect far more than one long 5 setter in a grand slam tournament has had on a player as with Nishikori this US Open. But then again normally the big 4 usually have as many long 5 setters in the same grand slam tournament between them as Nishikori had individually in this one. Perhaps we have just been overly spoiled by the big 4's constant excellence all these years meaning when 2 of them meet and produce an epic final they have not run on empty in the final because they have not had to overexert themselves to keep progressing throughout the championships.
Perhaps Novak and Roger didn't want to over tire themselves ahead of their Davis cup ties this weekend. Roger has won loads of slams but never Davis Cup - and with Stan the man they must be favourites to beat Italy and then the final in November. Novak is off to India.
Think that's very unlikely. If Federer was saving himself for the Davis Cup I doubt he could have raised himself to come back from two sets down and match point down against Monfils. I think that match caught up with him against a revitalised Cilic.
It's like when Lisciki took out Radwanska and Serena at Wimbledon but went down to Marion. It happens. Nishy always lacked stamina so this week he has actually surpassed himself. I wonder if Murray is kicking himself at home though. He never had the luck to face a newbie in the finals.
The grand slam tournament draws will always be based on seedings randomly drawn rather than based on names or reputations, so the US Open draw this year was fair.
Murray and Djokovic shouldn't have been split in the draw just because they have both been big 4 players for such a long time now.
The epics between 2 big 4 players in grand slam finals stick to our minds for a long time afterwards.
But to suggest they are all classics guaranteed is completely wrong. There are far more 3 loves in sets between 2 big 4's in a grand slam semi finals and finals than many people realise.
None of the big 4 performed well enough to make this grand slam final so to dismiss the US Open final as a case of Cilic being the least worse of the 2 bad players in a very poor grand slam final is totally unfair to Cilic and Nishikori.
After all it was those 2 who beat 2 of the big 4 on the way to the final so they deserve respect rather than being rubbished just because it wasn't one of the epic grand slam finals.
Perhaps Novak and Roger didn't want to over tire themselves ahead of their Davis cup ties this weekend. Roger has won loads of slams but never Davis Cup - and with Stan the man they must be favourites to beat Italy and then the final in November. Novak is off to India.
That is complete nonsense. Federer and Djokovic would never go out to lose/throw any grand slam match on purpose. Nobody does.
That would be classed as them being totally unprofessional if they both lost on purpose and they have got far too much pride in their performance to do such a thing. They just were not good enough to beat Cilic or Nishikori on Saturday.
I don't mean to be cruel to the finalists, but it does seem more of a fourth round match than the final.
As for CBS, their ratings won't be sky high tonight....... not really the final they desired!
That's tennis.
I would not wish to see a certain 3 or 4 players certain to not meet each other before the semi finals of a grand slam event regardless of their ranking just because they are the big 4.
Last night's result was no diifferent to Nadal destroying Federer 3-0 sets in the 2008 French Open final, Federer thrashing Murray 3-0 sets in the 2008 US Open final or Murray humiliating Djokovic 3-0 sets in the 2013 Wimbledon final. Nobody can class either of them as epic grand slam finals either and they were big 4 v big 4 heavyweight contests as well.
Perhaps Novak and Roger didn't want to over tire themselves ahead of their Davis cup ties this weekend. Roger has won loads of slams but never Davis Cup - and with Stan the man they must be favourites to beat Italy and then the final in November. Novak is off to India.
Djoko not playing Davis cup. Fatigue ;-) spending time with his wife.
I would not wish to see a certain 3 or 4 players certain to not meet each other before the semi finals of a grand slam event regardless of their ranking just because they are the big 4.
Last night's result was no diifferent to Nadal destroying Federer 3-0 sets in the 2008 French Open final, Federer thrashing Murray 3-0 sets in the 2008 US Open final or Murray humiliating Djokovic 3-0 sets in the 2013 Wimbledon final. Nobody can class either of them as epic grand slam finals either and they were big 4 v big 4 heavyweight contests as well.
The Wimbledon final was close for a 3 setter and pretty long but still 3 sets was still unexpected. Novak thrashed Andy in the AO 2011 final. Murray thrashed Federer in the Olympics. Federer destroyed Andy in all 3 of their matches prior to 2012 Wimbledon.
I agree not all GS matches between the big 4 members are good, sometimes the 4 or 5 setters are woeful matches. I can think of many matches between them where one of them played like rubbish. They certainly aren't all like Djoko vs Fed at Wimbledon!
Well done Cilic, not really the result I wanted. Funny how when a WTA final is one-sided it shows the weakness of the Tour, whilst when an ATP one is, it shows excellent play. Ho-hum.
Petra's performance, so trumped this one in relative quality, yet was called an awful match by some.
Anyway 8 different G-Slam winners this year, not exactly predictable on either side. Except maybe Nadal winning the French.
Well done Marin, a thoroughly top notch performance and fully deserved win.
I was rooting for Kei, but it wasn't meant to be. Good tournament for both players and they should be considered the elite list of favourites for next year's GS.
On the whole I'd say it was a fairly okay USO, maybe not as many spectacular matches that I can remember. Hope Caro takes the positives from her run to the final and continues moving forward, same too for Kei.
Andy defended his points, which was about the limit of my expectations. Roger's fairytale is starting to get old for me, so I can't join in with the hordes who want him "to one just one more grand slam".
Novak is probably disappointed that wilted somewhat in the heat, but as he's been saying lately tennis isn't most important thing in his life (though I still think he has desire).
Considering that he didn't play, I'm not Rafa suffered all that much with this year's USO. His main rivals collectively didn't steal a march on him and he got to recover from his wrist injury.
Other than Serena and Caro, not sure who stood out much on the women's side. The odd upset here and there was followed up with the standard "next round loss". As good as she was winning title number 18, I'm not convinced that Serena's gonna win more than one slam next year (he has too many ups and down these days).
Fairwell to grand slam tennis for another year, roll on the indoor season .
Well done Marin, a thoroughly top notch performance and fully deserved win.
I was rooting for Kei, but it wasn't meant to be. Good tournament for both players and they should be considered the elite list of favourites for next year's GS.
On the whole I'd say it was a fairly okay USO, maybe not as many spectacular matches that I can remember. Hope Caro takes the positives from her run to the final and continues moving forward, same too for Kei.
Andy defended his points, which was about the limit of my expectations. Roger's fairytale is starting to get old for me, so I can't join in with the hordes who want him "to one just one more grand slam".
Novak is probably disappointed that wilted somewhat in the heat, but as he's been saying lately tennis isn't most important thing in his life (though I still think he has desire).
Considering that he didn't play, I'm not Rafa suffered all that much with this year's USO. His main rivals collectively didn't steal a march on him and he got to recover from his wrist injury.
Other than Serena and Caro, not sure who stood out much on the women's side. The odd upset here and there was followed up with the standard "next round loss". As good as she was winning title number 18, I'm not convinced that Serena's gonna win more than one slam next year (he has too many ups and down these days).
Fairwell to grand slam tennis for another year, roll on the indoor season .
Bencic really, 17 year-old did well enough to be looked at seriously next year.
Haven't had a chance get on this in a few days, didn't catch much of final last night
Disappointing for neutrals I guess, thought it had the makings of a classic but credit where it's due to Cilic
Can't really see him going on to win a plethora of slams or anything like that but he took his chance well this week
Nishikori will be back though and I can certainly see him winning one next year if he keeps fit.
Great to see two new names in the final and hopefully it's the start of things to come. Roger looks done with winning slams, Nadal could well be on the way down, Djokovic doesn't have the aura of old and Murray looks done at the top right now. I'd be amazed if Stan wasn't a one-slam wonder
So 2015 should be an interesting year. Madness that the slams of 2014 are done, where has the year gone to?
Not sure I'll watch/follow any more tennis for the rest of the year bar an odd WTF match maybe, but there's still points to be gained for certain players and generally there's good tennis on offer in Asia for those that do watch it.
So yeah, roll on the AO!! 2015 certainly has the potential to be one of the more exciting tennis years in ages. Will Murray improve? Will Novak win the French? WIll Federer slide down the rankings? Is Rafa done winning non-clay majors? Can Nishikori stay fit and make the breakthrough? Can Berdych maybe even win one? Will Gulbis/Monfils actually keep their heads and do something? Could Dimitrov win Wimbledon? Can Cilic add to his tally? Is Del Potro ever going to be a force again?
Cilic becomes the first man since Agassi in Australia 2003 to win the semi and final of a Grand Slam in straight sets without needing a tie-break.
Cilic winning the tournament is remarkable enough in itself, but winning it in such dominant fashion - in a manner not even Federer, Nadal or Djokovic have ever achieved - almost beggars belief.
The Wimbledon final was close for a 3 setter and pretty long but still 3 sets was still unexpected. Novak thrashed Andy in the AO 2011 final. Murray thrashed Federer in the Olympics. Federer destroyed Andy in all 3 of their matches prior to 2012 Wimbledon.
I agree not all GS matches between the big 4 members are good, sometimes the 4 or 5 setters are woeful matches. I can think of many matches between them where one of them played like rubbish. They certainly aren't all like Djoko vs Fed at Wimbledon!
Also on this thread people were talking positively about Djokovic winning 3-0 sets both the semi final and final. But that one didn't work out did it.
But I always notice it's a terrible match after 2 non big 4 met each other in a grand slam final has ended 3-0 sets, but when it's 3-0 sets in a big 4 v big 4 grand slam final suddenly it's alright or it's still epic anyway because the big 4 have met.
3-0 sets is emphatic and not a classic encounter no matter how people try and spin certain contests.
I look forward to his round of interviews and press conferences when he casts himself as a wronged figure, unjustly hounded by the authorities. A bit of a dismal anti-climax to the grand slam season. Maybe when he meets his victorious female counterpart, perhaps she'll tell him to get a panic room next time.
I can't pretend I'm delighted with the outcome myself but we'll only have to go with the "innocent until proven guilty" line for now, in all fairness (until proven "guilty" this time I mean )
In fairness, Cilic has always been hanging around the top 10 and while it sounds incredibly harsh I don't think he did anything unusual this week- he beat no-one.
Berdych, Federer and Nishikori didn't turn up at all
His toughest match was v Simon in round 3 or 4
Just glanced through the thread, I think Irishguy made the point "is this what post Nadal/Federer/Djok era looks like" or something along those lines..
Could well be correct, all 4 are as vulnerable as ever, and the chances of someone winning a slam without having to even beat any of the 4 is increasing
Also beating Federer and right now Murray is a far easier feat than once upon a time
I can't pretend I'm delighted with the outcome myself but we'll only have to go with the "innocent until proven guilty" line for now, in all fairness (until proven "guilty" this time I mean )
In fairness, Cilic has always been hanging around the top 10 and while it sounds incredibly harsh I don't think he did anything unusual this week- he beat no-one.
Berdych, Federer and Nishikori didn't turn up at all
His toughest match was v Simon in round 3 or 4
Just glanced through the thread, I think Irishguy made the point "is this what post Nadal/Federer/Djok era looks like" or something along those lines..
Could well be correct, all 4 are as vulnerable as ever, and the chances of someone winning a slam without having to even beat any of the 4 is increasing
Also beating Federer and right now Murray is a far easier feat than once upon a time
There is a good a chance of future post Nadal/Federer/Djokovic era grand slam semi final or final ending up as a classic just as much as it was a rout last night.
It's not like there's never been a 3-0 sets rout in a grand slam semi final or final before when 2 big 4 players have met.
Shame Nishikori was running on empty for the final, looks like the consecutive five setters caught up to him in the end. Cilic played well though.
Wouldn't be surprised if there was a dark undercurrent to this one...
I think this means Murray's out of the top 10 and unlikely to make the WTF. To make WTF, he would now have to win Tokyo/Shanghai and go deep in Paris.
I wonder is he pushed about it?
I'm leaning towards the thinking it could be a Blessing in disguise. I think a longer rest and a bigger pre-season could be just what the doctor ordered
The other side of the coin is to get into the WTF (and gain more ranking points there) he'd need to win a masters event or two at this stage really and that would mean much more general ranking points too, so obviously I'd rather see him gain as much as he can!
Sort of a catch 22
Ideally though I'd rather him playing as little tennis as he can between now and the end of the year
Murray outside the top 10 is madness though. While he more or less can't have many complaints based on his early 2014 form, surely this is his biggest motivation to get back playing well again
We underestimate the effect far more than one long 5 setter in a grand slam tournament has had on a player as with Nishikori this US Open. But then again normally the big 4 usually have as many long 5 setters in the same grand slam tournament between them as Nishikori had individually in this one.
But the Big 4 got to a level where they were expecting to go far and no doubt trained accordingly. For Kei it was a surprise to have gotten this far, plus he was short of matches prior to the tournament. If he maintains this level going forward expect him to cope better.
But the Big 4 got to a level where they were expecting to go far and no doubt trained accordingly. For Kei it was a surprise to have gotten this far, plus he was short of matches prior to the tournament. If he maintains this level going forward expect him to cope better.
When thinking of a pre-match prediction yesterday one of the things I factored in was nerves and how each would rise to the occasion
I genuinely wondered in both players' heart of hearts did they actually believe they could win the tournament before it? I honestly doubt it!
That is complete nonsense. Federer and Djokovic would never go out to lose/throw any grand slam match on purpose. Nobody does.
That would be classed as them being totally unprofessional if they both lost on purpose and they have got far too much pride in their performance to do such a thing. They just were not good enough to beat Cilic or Nishikori on Saturday.
There's a tendency when one of the big four lose to a Cilic or Nishikori that the Big 4 must have played rubbish, rather than that the opponent played very well. The Big 4 can't be expected to win every time against such opponents - forever.
Comments
Perhaps Novak and Roger didn't want to over tire themselves ahead of their Davis cup ties this weekend. Roger has won loads of slams but never Davis Cup - and with Stan the man they must be favourites to beat Italy and then the final in November. Novak is off to India.
I was really hoping Roger would win - this was surely his best chance of another Slam. I hope this was not his last realistic chance ... but I can't see him getting another one now.
Well done to Cilic too ...
Wouldn't be surprised if there was a dark undercurrent to this one...
I think this means Murray's out of the top 10 and unlikely to make the WTF. To make WTF, he would now have to win Tokyo/Shanghai and go deep in Paris.
People are far too quick to blame it being 2 non big 4 players making the final as the entire reason it wasn't a classic.
2 non big 4's facing each other in a grand alam final on another day may very well have been a classic, and 2 big 4's making the final would have been no guarantee of a classic.
We underestimate the effect far more than one long 5 setter in a grand slam tournament has had on a player as with Nishikori this US Open. But then again normally the big 4 usually have as many long 5 setters in the same grand slam tournament between them as Nishikori had individually in this one. Perhaps we have just been overly spoiled by the big 4's constant excellence all these years meaning when 2 of them meet and produce an epic final they have not run on empty in the final because they have not had to overexert themselves to keep progressing throughout the championships.
Think that's very unlikely. If Federer was saving himself for the Davis Cup I doubt he could have raised himself to come back from two sets down and match point down against Monfils. I think that match caught up with him against a revitalised Cilic.
The grand slam tournament draws will always be based on seedings randomly drawn rather than based on names or reputations, so the US Open draw this year was fair.
Murray and Djokovic shouldn't have been split in the draw just because they have both been big 4 players for such a long time now.
The epics between 2 big 4 players in grand slam finals stick to our minds for a long time afterwards.
But to suggest they are all classics guaranteed is completely wrong. There are far more 3 loves in sets between 2 big 4's in a grand slam semi finals and finals than many people realise.
None of the big 4 performed well enough to make this grand slam final so to dismiss the US Open final as a case of Cilic being the least worse of the 2 bad players in a very poor grand slam final is totally unfair to Cilic and Nishikori.
After all it was those 2 who beat 2 of the big 4 on the way to the final so they deserve respect rather than being rubbished just because it wasn't one of the epic grand slam finals.
That is complete nonsense. Federer and Djokovic would never go out to lose/throw any grand slam match on purpose. Nobody does.
That would be classed as them being totally unprofessional if they both lost on purpose and they have got far too much pride in their performance to do such a thing. They just were not good enough to beat Cilic or Nishikori on Saturday.
That's tennis.
I would not wish to see a certain 3 or 4 players certain to not meet each other before the semi finals of a grand slam event regardless of their ranking just because they are the big 4.
Last night's result was no diifferent to Nadal destroying Federer 3-0 sets in the 2008 French Open final, Federer thrashing Murray 3-0 sets in the 2008 US Open final or Murray humiliating Djokovic 3-0 sets in the 2013 Wimbledon final. Nobody can class either of them as epic grand slam finals either and they were big 4 v big 4 heavyweight contests as well.
Djoko not playing Davis cup. Fatigue ;-) spending time with his wife.
The Wimbledon final was close for a 3 setter and pretty long but still 3 sets was still unexpected. Novak thrashed Andy in the AO 2011 final. Murray thrashed Federer in the Olympics. Federer destroyed Andy in all 3 of their matches prior to 2012 Wimbledon.
I agree not all GS matches between the big 4 members are good, sometimes the 4 or 5 setters are woeful matches. I can think of many matches between them where one of them played like rubbish. They certainly aren't all like Djoko vs Fed at Wimbledon!
Men's Singles: Marin Cilic (Croatia)
Ladies Singles: Serena Williams (USA)
Men's Doubles: Mike & Bob Bryan (USA)
Ladies Doubles: Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina (Russia)
Mixed Doubles: Sania Mirza (India)/Bruno Soares (Brazil)
Boys Singles: Omar Jasika (Australia)
Girls Singles: Marie Bouzkova (Czech Republic)
Boys Doubles: Omar Jasika (Australia)/Naoki Nagawaka (Japan)
Girls Doubles: Ipek Soylu (Turkey)/Jil Teichmann (Switzerland)
Men's Wheelchair Singles: Shingo Kunieda (Japan)
Ladies Wheelchair Singles: Yui Kamiji (Japan
Wheelchair Quad Singles: Andrew Lapthorne (Great Britain)
Men's Wheelchair Doubles: Stephane Houdet (France)/Shingo Kunieda (Japan)
Ladies Wheelchair Doubles: Yui Kamiji (Japan)/Jordanne Whiley (Great Britain)
Wheelchair Quad Doubles: Nick Taylor/David Wagner (USA)
Petra's performance, so trumped this one in relative quality, yet was called an awful match by some.
Anyway 8 different G-Slam winners this year, not exactly predictable on either side. Except maybe Nadal winning the French.
I was rooting for Kei, but it wasn't meant to be. Good tournament for both players and they should be considered the elite list of favourites for next year's GS.
On the whole I'd say it was a fairly okay USO, maybe not as many spectacular matches that I can remember. Hope Caro takes the positives from her run to the final and continues moving forward, same too for Kei.
Andy defended his points, which was about the limit of my expectations. Roger's fairytale is starting to get old for me, so I can't join in with the hordes who want him "to one just one more grand slam".
Novak is probably disappointed that wilted somewhat in the heat, but as he's been saying lately tennis isn't most important thing in his life (though I still think he has desire).
Considering that he didn't play, I'm not Rafa suffered all that much with this year's USO. His main rivals collectively didn't steal a march on him and he got to recover from his wrist injury.
Other than Serena and Caro, not sure who stood out much on the women's side. The odd upset here and there was followed up with the standard "next round loss". As good as she was winning title number 18, I'm not convinced that Serena's gonna win more than one slam next year (he has too many ups and down these days).
Fairwell to grand slam tennis for another year, roll on the indoor season
Bencic really, 17 year-old did well enough to be looked at seriously next year.
Disappointing for neutrals I guess, thought it had the makings of a classic but credit where it's due to Cilic
Can't really see him going on to win a plethora of slams or anything like that but he took his chance well this week
Nishikori will be back though and I can certainly see him winning one next year if he keeps fit.
Great to see two new names in the final and hopefully it's the start of things to come. Roger looks done with winning slams, Nadal could well be on the way down, Djokovic doesn't have the aura of old and Murray looks done at the top right now. I'd be amazed if Stan wasn't a one-slam wonder
So 2015 should be an interesting year. Madness that the slams of 2014 are done, where has the year gone to?
Not sure I'll watch/follow any more tennis for the rest of the year bar an odd WTF match maybe, but there's still points to be gained for certain players and generally there's good tennis on offer in Asia for those that do watch it.
So yeah, roll on the AO!! 2015 certainly has the potential to be one of the more exciting tennis years in ages. Will Murray improve? Will Novak win the French? WIll Federer slide down the rankings? Is Rafa done winning non-clay majors? Can Nishikori stay fit and make the breakthrough? Can Berdych maybe even win one? Will Gulbis/Monfils actually keep their heads and do something? Could Dimitrov win Wimbledon? Can Cilic add to his tally? Is Del Potro ever going to be a force again?
Cilic winning the tournament is remarkable enough in itself, but winning it in such dominant fashion - in a manner not even Federer, Nadal or Djokovic have ever achieved - almost beggars belief.
Also on this thread people were talking positively about Djokovic winning 3-0 sets both the semi final and final. But that one didn't work out did it.
But I always notice it's a terrible match after 2 non big 4 met each other in a grand slam final has ended 3-0 sets, but when it's 3-0 sets in a big 4 v big 4 grand slam final suddenly it's alright or it's still epic anyway because the big 4 have met.
3-0 sets is emphatic and not a classic encounter no matter how people try and spin certain contests.
I can't pretend I'm delighted with the outcome myself but we'll only have to go with the "innocent until proven guilty" line for now, in all fairness (until proven "guilty" this time I mean
In fairness, Cilic has always been hanging around the top 10 and while it sounds incredibly harsh I don't think he did anything unusual this week- he beat no-one.
Berdych, Federer and Nishikori didn't turn up at all
His toughest match was v Simon in round 3 or 4
Just glanced through the thread, I think Irishguy made the point "is this what post Nadal/Federer/Djok era looks like" or something along those lines..
Could well be correct, all 4 are as vulnerable as ever, and the chances of someone winning a slam without having to even beat any of the 4 is increasing
Also beating Federer and right now Murray is a far easier feat than once upon a time
There is a good a chance of future post Nadal/Federer/Djokovic era grand slam semi final or final ending up as a classic just as much as it was a rout last night.
It's not like there's never been a 3-0 sets rout in a grand slam semi final or final before when 2 big 4 players have met.
I wonder is he pushed about it?
I'm leaning towards the thinking it could be a Blessing in disguise. I think a longer rest and a bigger pre-season could be just what the doctor ordered
The other side of the coin is to get into the WTF (and gain more ranking points there) he'd need to win a masters event or two at this stage really and that would mean much more general ranking points too, so obviously I'd rather see him gain as much as he can!
Sort of a catch 22
Ideally though I'd rather him playing as little tennis as he can between now and the end of the year
Murray outside the top 10 is madness though. While he more or less can't have many complaints based on his early 2014 form, surely this is his biggest motivation to get back playing well again
But the Big 4 got to a level where they were expecting to go far and no doubt trained accordingly. For Kei it was a surprise to have gotten this far, plus he was short of matches prior to the tournament. If he maintains this level going forward expect him to cope better.
When thinking of a pre-match prediction yesterday one of the things I factored in was nerves and how each would rise to the occasion
I genuinely wondered in both players' heart of hearts did they actually believe they could win the tournament before it? I honestly doubt it!
So your point about Kei definitely makes sense!
There's a tendency when one of the big four lose to a Cilic or Nishikori that the Big 4 must have played rubbish, rather than that the opponent played very well. The Big 4 can't be expected to win every time against such opponents - forever.