Topic: 2012 Olympics Men's Singles Gold - First Take

[mav140]

olympics which began in 776 BC is the great grand mother of all sporting events........not even football world cup can match the historical greatness and hugeness(debatable) of olympics........in my very honest opinion, olympics tennis falls only behind grandslams and davis cup titles in tennis........this is how i see the order of importance and greatness of events in tennis.......

1. grandslams

2. davis cup

3. olympic gold

4. masters 1000 titles

5. 500 titles

6. historical 250s umag, queen's club 

7. world toast finals (year end championship)

  Is that because your favorite has NEVER won the year end - is this why you ranked it even below a 250?   The Year end is what the players are playing for all year.  It's an 'honor' to make the top 8.  I can't help it if a certain player can't play on indoor carpet.

LOL.. My thought exactly!!!! That is just hilarious.. I mean, I couldn't get out of my chair when I saw Shank rank the Tour Finals even below 250s... just hilarious... 

[Start da Game]

olympics which began in 776 BC is the great grand mother of all sporting events........not even football world cup can match the historical greatness and hugeness(debatable) of olympics........in my very honest opinion, olympics tennis falls only behind grandslams and davis cup titles in tennis........this is how i see the order of importance and greatness of events in tennis.......

1. grandslams

2. davis cup

3. olympic gold

4. masters 1000 titles

5. 500 titles

6. historical 250s umag, queen's club 

7. world toast finals (year end championship)

  Is that because your favorite has NEVER won the year end - is this why you ranked it even below a 250?   The Year end is what the players are playing for all year.  It's an 'honor' to make the top 8.  I can't help it if a certain player can't play on indoor carpet.

LOL.. My thought exactly!!!! That is just hilarious.. I mean, I couldn't get out of my chair when I saw Shank rank the Tour Finals even below 250s... just hilarious... 

fedfans can keep laughing all you want but that is what it has been reduced to - an insignificant event of eight toasted players playing that crap event just for the heck of it........ATP assigned it 1500 points just to save its existence and even then most top players don't seem to care about it........

the event has been consistently losing its charm since 2001........until the 90s, the event was really famous with the existence of carpet and varied game styles........

after that the sport started becoming physical.........with completely increased physical requirements of the sport, the calender these days practically ends after us open........post us open period is just a show of fatigued, mentally exhausted top guns........that was not the case until 2000s when the matches used to end quite quickly and the work load was no where as much as what the top players put in these days......... 

the last year world toast finals was at its worse........djokovic, nadal and murray looked totally disinterested and wanted to get the hell out of that place and holiday long and hard........federer consistently targets this weak period to make his bread on the tour these days........


 

[Start da Game]

olympics which began in 776 BC is the great grand mother of all sporting events........

Modern Olympic Games began in 1896, have nothing to do with the ancient ones. God your dumb.

you are plain idiotic.......the thought of olympics takes any olympian right back into the BC times........and learn to write.......it's you're, not your.......

[mav140]

olympics which began in 776 BC is the great grand mother of all sporting events........not even football world cup can match the historical greatness and hugeness(debatable) of olympics........in my very honest opinion, olympics tennis falls only behind grandslams and davis cup titles in tennis........this is how i see the order of importance and greatness of events in tennis.......

1. grandslams

2. davis cup

3. olympic gold

4. masters 1000 titles

5. 500 titles

6. historical 250s umag, queen's club 

7. world toast finals (year end championship)

  Is that because your favorite has NEVER won the year end - is this why you ranked it even below a 250?   The Year end is what the players are playing for all year.  It's an 'honor' to make the top 8.  I can't help it if a certain player can't play on indoor carpet.

LOL.. My thought exactly!!!! That is just hilarious.. I mean, I couldn't get out of my chair when I saw Shank rank the Tour Finals even below 250s... just hilarious... 

fedfans can keep laughing all you want but that is what it has been reduced to - an insignificant event of eight toasted players playing that crap event just for the heck of it........ATP assigned it 1500 points just to save its existence and even then most top players don't seem to care about it........

the event has been consistently losing its charm since 2001........until the 90s, the event was really famous with the existence of carpet and varied game styles........

after that the sport started becoming physical.........with completely increased physical requirements of the sport, the calender these days practically ends after us open........post us open period is just a show of fatigued, mentally exhausted top guns........that was not the case until 2000s when the matches used to end quite quickly and the work load was no where as much as what the top players put in these days......... 

the last year world toast finals was at its worse........djokovic, nadal and murray looked totally disinterested and wanted to get the hell out of that place and holiday long and hard........federer consistently targets this weak period to make his bread on the tour these days........

Shank.. Stop it!!!  You are making me pee my pants!!!  Too funny!!!

[swish]

Anyone know when the draw comes out?
 
 

[oracle86]

olympics which began in 776 BC is the great grand mother of all sporting events........not even football world cup can match the historical greatness and hugeness(debatable) of olympics........in my very honest opinion, olympics tennis falls only behind grandslams and davis cup titles in tennis........this is how i see the order of importance and greatness of events in tennis.......

1. grandslams

2. davis cup

3. olympic gold

4. masters 1000 titles

5. 500 titles

6. historical 250s umag, queen's club 

7. world toast finals (year end championship)

  Is that because your favorite has NEVER won the year end - is this why you ranked it even below a 250?   The Year end is what the players are playing for all year.  It's an 'honor' to make the top 8.  I can't help it if a certain player can't play on indoor carpet.

  @ Start da Game's post. No wonder Nadal hasn't won it yet! Because WTF is not important at all, right? 

IMHO, the WTF is the hardest tournament to win. Because a player has to play 5 matches in a week to win the title. And he will face to face Top 8 opponents in ALL 5 matches.

Compare it with a Slam, where a player will theoretically face a Top 8 opponent only 3 times in the 2nd week - QF, SF, F. And even that is only theoretical. If you are lucky, you get to face even less.

Grow up, Start da Game. Even your idol is way more mature than this.

great and classy act by Roger, he declined to be the flagbearer in opening ceremony for a 3rd time in a row saying someone else should get the opportunity. don't know but I think he also has decided not to say again in the olympic village. 

Roger will still be staying in the house they rented for Wimbledon, so no Olympic village for him. Personally, I wish he would carry the flag. So many other tennis players are representing, I hope Roger, as reigning Wimbledon champ and current #1 would represent his country as flag bearer. Who else do the Swiss have?

Well, Roger has already carried the flag at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. So I think it's a great gesture to give someone else an opportunity this time. 

[Start da Game]

why you fedlovers been laughing like this since yesterday, i don't understand....... 

i am only stating truth and it seems to be bothering a few.......oracle, what will you say if rafa wins one toast finals this very year? i am gonna say the same thing.......

i did not rate grandslams lesser because the tally leader is fed, so i don't get the "it's all about nadal" accusation.......

it is about the volatility of the event and how it is fast losing any purpose of existence.......it was once famous but not as famous anymore.......

the physicality of the tour has eaten away this event completely and turned it into a mere off season filler for fans of top guns......that is the only purpose it is being conducted anymore.......

the format of world toast finals is round robin, which means a player can lose his first two matches and yet limp into the semis somehow with one good match......someone reached the semis in that fashion last year.......even in umag, if you lose one match you are out of the competition.......

[conchita]

Anyone know when the draw comes out?

July 26

[Start da Game]

Anyone know when the draw comes out?

July 26

time?

[oracle86]

why you fedlovers been laughing like this since yesterday, i don't understand....... 

i am only stating truth and it seems to be bothering a few.......oracle, what will you say if rafa wins one toast finals this very year? i am gonna say the same thing.......

i did not rate grandslams lesser because the tally leader is fed, so i don't get the "it's all about nadal" accusation.......

it is about the volatility of the event and how it is fast losing any purpose of existence.......it was once famous but not as famous anymore.......

the physicality of the tour has eaten away this event completely and turned it into a mere off season filler for fans of top guns......that is the only purpose it is being conducted anymore.......

the format of world toast finals is round robin, which means a player can lose his first two matches and yet limp into the semis somehow with one good match......someone reached the semis in that fashion last year.......even in umag, if you lose one match you are out of the competition.......

I will still say what I've posted earlier.

The indoor hardcourt is the only surface we have in tennis where there is no interference by any external factors like windy conditions or rain or inadequate light. Just the two players and a tennis ball. That's it.

fedfans can keep laughing all you want but that is what it has been reduced to - an insignificant event of eight toasted players playing that crap event just for the heck of it........ATP assigned it 1500 points just to save its existence and even then most top players don't seem to care about it........

the event has been consistently losing its charm since 2001........until the 90s, the event was really famous with the existence of carpet and varied game styles........

after that the sport started becoming physical.........with completely increased physical requirements of the sport, the calender these days practically ends after us open........post us open period is just a show of fatigued, mentally exhausted top guns........that was not the case until 2000s when the matches used to end quite quickly and the work load was no where as much as what the top players put in these days......... 

Whose fault is it that the top players are "fatigued" and "mentally exhausted"? Their own fault, I guess. After all, the tennis season is from January to November, not till September.

If they want, they can always choose not to play and let the next highest ranked player get a chance. 

the last year world toast finals was at its worse........djokovic, nadal and murray looked totally disinterested and wanted to get the hell out of that place and holiday long and hard........federer consistently targets this weak period to make his bread on the tour these days........

If you are seriously suggesting that Nole, Rafa and Andy DID NOT WANT TO WIN the World Tour Finals last year, then I don't know why we are even having this conversation in the first place. 

[monstertruck]

Shankman is right in stating that by the end of the year most players are completely gassed having expended their energy chasing slams and other titles.  Personally, I don't think that diminshes the value of the YEC.  I like the round robin format and think it's a great test of endurance and consistency.  But ultimately, pro tennis is ALL ABOUT THE SLAMS.

[oracle86]

Shankman is right in stating that by the end of the year most players are completely gassed having expended their energy chasing slams and other titles.  Personally, I don't think that diminshes the value of the YEC.  I like the round robin format and think it's a great test of endurance and consistency.  But ultimately, pro tennis is ALL ABOUT THE SLAMS.

Yeah, I agree that the Slams are the cornerstone of the tennis season. But I think the WTF is easily the next best thing, unlike Start da Game, who feels that WTF is not even as important as 250s like Umag. 

[ashwin#1]

Every player knows that if he's finishing in top8 that year, he has to play WTF..
they have to plan their schedule accordingly..
Nadal, Nole have been terrible in this department IMO..
& shanks, you say as if fed sits idle all the year & starts playing post us open..don't forget, he usually reaches almost every semis or at least QF of every tournament he plays..& yet, he's fresh during these times..

i still can't believe you put WTF behind umag..

[alk11]

Olympic games are not for tennis....

[phoneix]

the format of world toast finals is round robin, which means a player can lose his first two matches and yet limp into the semis somehow with one good match......someone reached the semis in that fashion last year.......even in umag, if you lose one match you are out of the competition.......

All four players in the semis had at least two RR wins last year. I've checked, and the last time a player went through with only 1 win was in 2006, when Nalbandian qualified.

[swish]

the format of world toast finals is round robin, which means a player can lose his first two matches and yet limp into the semis somehow with one good match......someone reached the semis in that fashion last year.......even in umag, if you lose one match you are out of the competition.......

All four players in the semis had at least two RR wins last year. I've checked, and the last time a player went through with only 1 win was in 2006, when Nalbandian qualified.

It can happen now and then, you have to crunch the numbers to see how it works, not fun IMO.
 
In many sports they have similar formats, in the NBA you have the best of seven, you can lose three games and still win. Other sports have similar formats.
 
In early tennis, players had several matches against each other and they could still win after losing a few.
 
I don't have the requirement that if a player loses one game and still has a chance then the tournament is not good. It's just a different format and players have to be ready.
 
 
True that many players get worn out but not all of them, Nadal had taken some additional rest before the 2010 WTF, he wanted this one badly and said so. Fed took him out on three tension filled sets.

[phoneix]

No system is without flaws. The problem with the sudden death format is it's possible to win a tournament without facing any top players, if they get eliminated in prior rounds.

RR means that you'll more than likely have to win 2 matches against top 8 players. And after that it's sudden death anyway.

[FedFanForever]

No I prefer the sudden death format, it keeps it closer to a regular tennis event.

[mav140]

I am quite happy with the RR format... for a year end tournament, this is the way to go.. You are talking about the 8 best players in the world, one perhaps has a "bad" day but can make up with the rest of the matches.. All in all, I think it's a good format and the better player takes the title... Having to play a tournament in which only the top players play the tournament is a good way to end the year!

[monstertruck]

Interesting, different fans like different formats/tourneys.

I think any player with balls would want to go into the YEC and kick some ass.  You can make all the excuses you want, but beating the other top 7 players in the world in a RR format is pretty freakin' cool in my book.

If you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch with your tail between your legs and lick your peas.