French Open.

[hibeg]

Surprised SDG hasn’t started a thread yet :greengrin

Early days with the big matches to come in the men’s singles.

I remember last year at Wimbledon saying I enjoyed the woman’s game more as they were more competitive. Scratch that, Iga Switek is on a 29 match winning streak and looks unstoppable
Just watched her bagel her latest victim in the first set for the loss of 8 points in total
I think she has only dropped one or two sets in the winning run which is incredible
I know Ashley Barty retired, maybe she knew what was coming round the corner !

[Sir David Gray]

Surprised SDG hasn’t started a thread yet :greengrin

Early days with the big matches to come in the men’s singles.

I remember last year at Wimbledon saying I enjoyed the woman’s game more as they were more competitive. Scratch that, Iga Switek is on a 29 match winning streak and looks unstoppable
Just watched her bagel her latest victim in the first set for the loss of 8 points in total
I think she has only dropped one or two sets in the winning run which is incredible
I know Ashley Barty retired, maybe she knew what was coming round the corner !

Haven't really seen much of it so far to be honest, caught the end of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's last ever match as a professional the other day which was quite emotional.

All the big boys are still in it, including Cam Norrie. He plays tomorrow afternoon v Karen Khachanov.

My tip is Carlos Alcaraz although Djokovic and Nadal obviously can't be discounted.

[HibbyAndy]

Haven't really seen much of it so far to be honest, caught the end of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's last ever match as a professional the other day which was quite emotional.

All the big boys are still in it, including Cam Norrie. He plays tomorrow afternoon v Karen Khachanov.

My tip is Carlos Alcaraz although Djokovic and Nadal obviously can't be discounted.

This guy is 2nd favourite ahead of Nadal :confused: Can't say i know to much about him , I think he's the Spanish wonder kid ? Novak quite rightly favourite , Nadal must be due to meet Novak in the coming rounds for Alcaraz to be 2nd favourite

[hibeg]

Yeh Alcaraz looks the real deal, the new Rafa.
He will play Norrie if they both win their 3d round matches.

[hibeg]

This guy is 2nd favourite ahead of Nadal :confused: Can't say i know to much about him , I think he's the Spanish wonder kid ? Novak quite rightly favourite , Nadal must be due to meet Novak in the coming rounds for Alcaraz to be 2nd favourite

If they keep winning then Rafa and Novak will meet in the quarters and Alcaraz, if he keeps winning, will play the winner in the semis. The top half of the draw is very strong
Alcaraz has already won 2 masters 1000 titles this year and has beaten both Rafa and Novak.
If he can hold his nerve he has a great chance to win his first major

[Sir David Gray]

This guy is 2nd favourite ahead of Nadal :confused: Can't say i know to much about him , I think he's the Spanish wonder kid ? Novak quite rightly favourite , Nadal must be due to meet Novak in the coming rounds for Alcaraz to be 2nd favourite

Alcaraz looks the real deal, very good prospect and only a matter of time before he wins a Grand Slam, I'd say.

[HibbyAndy]

If they keep winning then Rafa and Novak will meet in the quarters and Alcaraz, if he keeps winning, will play the winner in the semis. The top half of the draw is very strong
Alcaraz has already won 2 masters 1000 titles this year and has beaten both Rafa and Novak.
If he can hold his nerve he has a great chance to win his first major


Alcaraz looks the real deal, very good prospect and only a matter of time before he wins a Grand Slam, I'd say.

:aok:


Will keep an eye on this guy and try catch his matches

[Sir David Gray]

Cam Norrie struggling against Karen Khachanov - currently two sets down.

Carlos Alcaraz one set up v Sebastian Korda.

[DaveF]

Norrie 2-0 down and just been broken in the 3rd to go to 2-3 behind.

[hibeg]

Norrie 2-0 down and just been broken in the 3rd to go to 2-3 behind.

Was hoping he would go a bit further but unfortunately not.
Well beaten in the end.

[Sir David Gray]

Poor result for Norrie, really disappointing.

[He's here!]

If they keep winning then Rafa and Novak will meet in the quarters and Alcaraz, if he keeps winning, will play the winner in the semis. The top half of the draw is very strong
Alcaraz has already won 2 masters 1000 titles this year and has beaten both Rafa and Novak.
If he can hold his nerve he has a great chance to win his first major

Be good to see a new face coming through to usurp the old guard at long last but you can never write off Rafa in Paris.

Main hope is that that tool Djokovic gets knocked out.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal in a bit of a slog just now v Felix Auger Aliassime.

Nadal is two sets to one up but is 2-5 down in the fourth set.

Looks like a fifth set is coming up and Nadal's got some work to do if he's going to set up a quarter final v Djokovic.

[Sir David Gray]

Auger-Aliassime wins the fourth set so we're going to a decider.

[Sir David Gray]

What an outstanding champion Rafael Nadal is.

He wins 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 after nearly 4 and a half hours.

Incredible player, one of a kind, particularly on this surface.

What a quarter final - Nadal v Djokovic. I hope it doesn't clash with work.

[He's here!]

What an outstanding champion Rafael Nadal is.

He wins 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 after nearly 4 and a half hours.

Incredible player, one of a kind, particularly on this surface.

What a quarter final - Nadal v Djokovic. I hope it doesn't clash with work.


As you say, incredible player - especially bearing in mind his age and injury record.

Crowd will be roaring him on and booing Djokovic's every touch although Djokovic tends to thrive on that.

[Sir David Gray]

As you say, incredible player - especially bearing in mind his age and injury record.

Crowd will be roaring him on and booing Djokovic's every touch although Djokovic tends to thrive on that.

Djokovic's name was booed by the crowd during Nadal's on court interview after his match tonight when he was asked about his next match.

I haven't watched any of Djokovic's previous matches at this tournament so I don't know how he's being treated. I think it may affect him a bit in this match though as the treatment he'll get in comparison with Nadal will pretty much sum up his entire career. He has never been as liked as Nadal or Federer and I think that bothers him which is why you see him with the "love gestures" at the end of every match that he wins.

I hope Nadal wins this one but not sure that he will.

[He's here!]

Djokovic's name was booed by the crowd during Nadal's on court interview after his match tonight when he was asked about his next match.

I haven't watched any of Djokovic's previous matches at this tournament so I don't know how he's being treated. I think it may affect him a bit in this match though as the treatment he'll get in comparison with Nadal will pretty much sum up his entire career. He has never been as liked as Nadal or Federer and I think that bothers him which is why you see him with the "love gestures" at the end of every match that he wins.

I hope Nadal wins this one but not sure that he will.

I avoid watching Djokovic. I hate the way he plays. However, the BBC report on the Nadal match today also covered the Djokovic match and apparently he was booed throughout. As you say a tough ask for Nadal, especially after such a gruelling match today - plus Djokivic will feel he has a point to prove after what he will perceive (wrongly) as unjust treatment in getting deported from Australia.

[Sir David Gray]

Carlos Alcaraz gets through to the quarter finals in straight sets v Karen Khachanov.

He now plays Sascha Zverev in the last 8 which should be another cracker.

That boy can definitely play.

[Sir David Gray]

Tsitsipas and Medvedev out!

[DaveF]

The grunters are doing my head in at this tournament. Sonego was a shocker, making a noise so late his opponent was almost striking the ball and he was squealing.

Today we have Trevisan on the women's draw who is so loud that I've muted the telly.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal v Djokovic on at 7.45pm BST tonight.

Cannot wait.

[Hiber-nation]

The grunters are doing my head in at this tournament. Sonego was a shocker, making a noise so late his opponent was almost striking the ball and he was squealing.

Today we have Trevisan on the women's draw who is so loud that I've muted the telly.

I thought she was absolutely brilliant! The noise doesn't seem to bother me nowadays for some reason. Nadal bouncing the ball 32 times is another matter though but I hope he wins tonight.

[DaveF]

I thought she was absolutely brilliant! The noise doesn't seem to bother me nowadays for some reason. Nadal bouncing the ball 32 times is another matter though but I hope he wins tonight.

Aye, the Nadal patter of arse crack, shirt, hair, bounce is the one thing I won't miss when he retires. But the squealing from Trevisan was too much. I won't be watching her again.

[JeMeSouviens]

Nadal v Djokovic on at 7.45pm BST tonight.

Cannot wait.

That's 8.45 Paris time. Unlikely to finish till about 2am on past form!

[DaveF]

Zverev serving for the match against Alcaraz.

[DaveF]

What a game from Alcaraz who breaks back and it's 5-5 in the 4th.

[DaveF]

Zverev takes the tie break and the match.

[Sir David Gray]

Didn't see any of the match tonight but obviously a lesson for Alcaraz to learn.

Great win for Zverev which I didn't expect him to get.

[HibbyAndy]

Cmon Djokovic ! ...This guy revels when the crowd boo him


Can't stand Nadal with his 30 odd bounces off the ball and his picking his erse rubbing his head picking his nose etc


Mon the GOAT which is Novak Djokovic

[Sir David Gray]

Here we go folks, see you all again at midnight!

Fingers crossed it's a classic.

Vamos Rafa!

[HibbyAndy]

What a horrible despicable crowd ! You just would not see that much hatred for a player in any other tournament across the world , Support Rafa by all means but the booing walking onto court is cringeworthy


Your feeding into Novaks hands , Heres hoping for a 5 setter :greengrin

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal breaks in the first game of the match which lasts 10 minutes!

I suspect we're going to be in for a long night!

[Sir David Gray]

What a horrible despicable crowd ! You just would not see that much hatred for a player in any other tournament across the world , Support Rafa by all means but the booing walking onto court is cringeworthy


Your feeding into Novaks hands , Heres hoping for a 5 setter :greengrin

Djokovic has brought this on himself for me. He was never too popular but his behaviour in Australia has changed a lot of people's views on him from complete ambivalence to outright hostililty.

[HibbyAndy]

Nadal playing oot his skin !!! Can he maintain this level ?

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal saves two break points to go 3-1 up and then breaks for a second time to lead 4-1.

Unreal so far!

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal takes the first set 6-2.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal breaks in the opening game of the second set.

One way traffic so far.

[HibbyAndy]

Is Nadal on steroids ? lol...I've never seen him play better !!

[Sir David Gray]

Rafael Nadal is absolutely phenomenal.

Not only one of the greatest tennis players to ever walk the earth but one of the greatest athletes.

[Sir David Gray]

Nah stop this Rafa! 😂😂

3-0 second set.

[Sir David Gray]

Djokovic breaks to get it back to 3-1.

Turning point?

[Sir David Gray]

18 minute marathon game eventually results in Djokovic winning his third game in a row to level at 3-3 in the second set.

Huge game and potentially a huge turning point in this match.

[HibbyAndy]

Nadal wiltering , No danger could he have kept up this standard

I fully expect ND to win from here on in


Nadal warned for the proverbial time wasting that he does , Stop picking your erse you fool

[Sir David Gray]

4 games in a row for Djokovic.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal stops the rot and levels the second set at 4-4.

[DaveF]

Love listening to McEnroe on the commentary. "Jesus, shut these guys up" when the crowd are calling out 😂

[Sir David Gray]

An hour ago I posted Nadal was 3-0 up in this set.

They've played 7 games in an hour! 😂

[Sir David Gray]

Djokovic takes the second set 6-4.

[DaveF]

Brilliant from Djokovic to take set 2. Who knows what time this will finish.

[HibbyAndy]

2nd set Novak after being 3-0 down and 2 breaks down

[Sir David Gray]

Brilliant from Djokovic to take set 2. Who knows what time this will finish.

I think I was being quite optimistic by saying midnight.

At this sort of rate if it goes to 5 sets it will be at least 1am before it finishes.

[HibbyAndy]

I'm off to bed


No danger Nadal is winning this he has ran oot of steam , Hopefully wake up to a Djokovic win , Nadal does my ****ing heid in with his rituals !!! He gets away with plenty !! Will not miss his idiotic rituals when he has gone

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal breaks first game of the third set.

[davy67 +]

Looks like Nadal v Novak is going to be a long match

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal breaks again - 4-1 third set.

Did not expect this half an hour ago.

[Sir David Gray]

Djokovic has fallen away here, Nadal well on top.

Djokovic serving to stay in the third set.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal wins the third set 6-2.

[hibeg]

On holiday in Spain and just turned tv on. It’s midnight ffs 😂. This could go on for another hour or 2

[Sir David Gray]

On holiday in Spain and just turned tv on. It’s midnight ffs 😂. This could go on for another hour or 2

If Djokovic wins it's definitely on for a 1am finish at least.

[hibeg]

If Djokovic wins it's definitely on for a 1am finish at least.

Or 2am where I am. 😅

[Sir David Gray]

Or 2am where I am. 😅

True!

[Sir David Gray]

Djokovic breaks to go 2-0 up in the fourth set.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal breaks back and he's back on serve at 4-5 down!

[Sir David Gray]

Fourth set tiebreak as the match goes beyond 4 hours!

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal wins 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6 and will play Sascha Zverev in the semi finals.

Great performance overall by Nadal and he'll now be very confident of winning an unbelievable 14th French Open title on Sunday.

[DaveF]

As I said earlier, his routines are irritating to watch but he is truly world class and the ultimate competitor. A great win and should - if the body holds up - win the tournament.

[Sir David Gray]

Iga Swiatek has just won her 33rd match in a row to reach the semi finals of the French Open and now has the longest winning streak in women's tennis for 9 years.

She still has some way to go to beat the all-time record though, this was set by Martina Navratilova who won an incredible 74 matches in a row back in 1984!

[hibeg]

Iga Swiatek has just won her 33rd match in a row to reach the semi finals of the French Open and now has the longest winning streak in women's tennis for 9 years.

She still has some way to go to beat the all-time record though, this was set by Martina Navratilova who won an incredible 74 matches in a row back in 1984!


As I said in the initial post on the thread she is basically in a class of her own at the moment. Can’t see anyone stopping her from winning her second French Open ( famous last words :greengrin)
I think she has to reach 41 wins to get into the all time top ten which would be an incredible achievement in this era.
Incidentally Martina has 3 other unbeaten runs in the top 10. 40 odd and 2 others in the 50s. She didn’t lose many matches in the 1980s

[Sir David Gray]

As I said in the initial post on the thread she is basically in a class of her own at the moment. Can’t see anyone stopping her from winning her second French Open ( famous last words :greengrin)
I think she has to reach 41 wins to get into the all time top ten which would be an incredible achievement in this era.
Incidentally Martina has 3 other unbeaten runs in the top 10. 40 odd and 2 others in the 50s. She didn’t lose many matches in the 1980s

Correct.

Top 10 longest winning streaks in women's tennis is;

1 - Martina Navratilova - 74 (1984)
2 - Steffi Graf - 66 (1990)
3 - Martina Navratilova - 58 (1987)
4 - Margaret Court - 57 (1972)
5 - Chris Evert - 55 (1974)
6 - Martina Navratilova - 54 (1984)
7 - Steffi Graf - 46 (1988)
8 - Steffi Graf - 45 (1987)
9 - Chris Evert - 41 (1976)
10 - Martina Navratilova - 41 (1982)

Shocked that Serena Williams doesn't feature in there at all.

[Sir David Gray]

Marin Cilic beats Andrey Rublev in five sets earlier tonight, Cilic was two sets to one up but Rublev won the fourth set to take it into a decider and Cilic won it in a tiebreak.

He'll play the winner of Casper Ruud and Holger Rune who are playing just now, Ruud leading two sets to one.

[Sir David Gray]

Casper Ruud gets through to the semis to play Marin Cilic.

Ruud's not someone I've seen much of before this tournament but I like what I've seen and heard of him both on and off the court.

Semi finals;

Nadal v Zverev
Ruud v Cilic

Really hope it's a Nadal v Ruud final.

[Sir David Gray]

Win number 34 in a row for Swiatek as she gets to the French Open final.

[Sir David Gray]

Swiatek will play Coco Gauff in the final.

[Sir David Gray]

Zverev with an early break v Nadal.

He leads 4-2 in the first set.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal breaks back - 4-4.

[Sir David Gray]

Anyone else watching this?

Absolutely phenomenal from Rafael Nadal as he comes back from 6-2 down in the first set tiebreak to win it!

Simply outstanding.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal breaks at the start of the second set - 1-0.

[OldEast]

Anyone else watching this?

Absolutely phenomenal from Rafael Nadal as he comes back from 6-2 down in the first set tiebreak to win it!

Simply outstanding.

Great player but I can't watch him. Too many twitches and tweaks

[Sir David Gray]

Great player but I can't watch him. Too many twitches and tweaks

Absolutely love watching him, some of his shot making defies belief.

[HibbyAndy]

Great player but I can't watch him. Too many twitches and tweaks

His will to win is unbelievable and shot making is second to none , BUT i can't stand the guy , His ritual at every single point on serve gets on my tits !!! He's slower than a snail serving .

[HibbyAndy]

Zverez 4-2 in the 2nd set , Breaks Nadal 3 times on the trot

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal breaks back 3-4 on serve.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal breaks back again to prolong the second set.

Nadal serving at 4-5.

[Sir David Gray]

5-5

[Sir David Gray]

Match time hits 3 hours long and the second set's not even finished!

[HibbyAndy]

Zverez falls and screaming in agony

[Sir David Gray]

And just like that the match could be over as Zverev goes down whilst playing a shot and is helped into a wheelchair for an injury timeout.

[HibbyAndy]

And just like that the match could be over as Zverev goes down whilst playing a shot and is helped into a wheelchair for an injury timeout.

No danger is he playing when he comes back . He was actually screaming on the ground

[Sir David Gray]

No danger is he playing when he comes back . He was actually screaming on the ground

Yeah he's done, they've just shown a replay and it looks horrible.

Think he's done some serious damage to his ankle.

Such a shame.

[Sir David Gray]

Match is done, such a real pity as it was shaping up to be a classic.

[WeeRussell]

Feel almost guilty for it given all the things going on in the real world, but those scenes tugged on the emotions a bit!

Supporting Rafa as I always do but was gutted for the big fellae there. Hope he’s back fit sooner rather than later.

[Sir David Gray]

Feel almost guilty for it given all the things going on in the real world, but those scenes tugged on the emotions a bit!

Supporting Rafa as I always do but was gutted for the big fellae there. Hope he’s back fit sooner rather than later.

I think he'll struggle to make Wimbledon based on today's scenes.

Never want to see any match finish like that especially one of that standard.

[He's here!]

Great shame for Zverev.

Yet more astonishing play from Nadal to win that first set tho. At 36 his stamina is extraordinary. I suspect his greater experience would have seen him win even if Zverev hadn't got injured.

I've long regarded Federer as the greatest ever, not only due to him being the first to reach 20 slams but due to the all-round perfection of his game. However if Nadal wins on Sunday he'll have pulled two slams clear of him and the way he's playing who would bet against him?

Be good if he could put further distance between himself and that tool Djokovic as well.

[Sir David Gray]

Great shame for Zverev.

Yet more astonishing play from Nadal to win that first set tho. At 36 his stamina is extraordinary. I suspect his greater experience would have seen him win even if Zverev hadn't got injured.

I've long regarded Federer as the greatest ever, not only due to him being the first to reach 20 slams but due to the all-round perfection of his game. However if Nadal wins on Sunday he'll have pulled two slams clear of him and the way he's playing who would bet against him?

Be good if he could put further distance between himself and that tool Djokovic as well.

I also think Nadal would have gone on to win the match today regardless, his shot making at times was absolutely phenomenal. He was 6-2 down in that first set tiebreak and one of the shots in particular, I think it was maybe when he was 6-4 down, was incredible.

At 36 years of age to still play like he did today is quite awe inspiring. His fitness levels are quite unbelievable.

On the topic of who is the GOAT, I think Federer still has a reasonable claim to that title.

Whilst Nadal is currently in possession of the most Grand Slam titles, 13 of his 21 titles have come at the French Open and he has "only" won 4 at the US Open and 2 each at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Whereas on the other hand Federer has won 5+ titles at Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US Open so I think that indicates that he has a bit more variety to his game.

Nadal is undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players to ever pick up a racket and is obviously by far the greatest clay court player ever. I also find him to be a very likeable player and person but for me I would still place Roger Federer as the greatest.

I'm also not a fan of Djokovic but the three of them have taken tennis to an unprecedented level over the last 15 years or so and we are unlikely to see their likes again for a very long time.

They have all pushed one another onto achieving new records and for 3 of them to come along at one time is quite extraordinary.

[Sir David Gray]

Casper Ruud looking good just now v Marin Cilic.

Cilic won the first set but Ruud won set two and is a break up in the third.

[Sir David Gray]

Ruud v Cilic has been paused after a protestor has run onto the court and tied herself to the net.

[Sir David Gray]

Casper Ruud wins in 4 sets v Marin Cilic to set up a French Open final v Rafael Nadal on Sunday.

Ruud becomes the first Norwegian to reach a Grand Slam singles final and is also bidding to become the first Scandinavian man to win a Grand Slam singles title for 20 years.

[WeeRussell]

I think you guys are probably right re Nadal the most likely winner, but had Zverev played and won that tie break it would have been very interesting.

Sadly I agree with SDG about Sacha's chances of being fit for Wimbledon. Unlikely he can recover in time and even more unlikely he’ll be able to do himself justice even if he can make court.

I hope to be watching another Nadal title on Sunday. Also hope it’s a match played to a finish with a deserved winner, and not a repeat of what happened today.

[He's here!]

I also think Nadal would have gone on to win the match today regardless, his shot making at times was absolutely phenomenal. He was 6-2 down in that first set tiebreak and one of the shots in particular, I think it was maybe when he was 6-4 down, was incredible.

At 36 years of age to still play like he did today is quite awe inspiring. His fitness levels are quite unbelievable.

On the topic of who is the GOAT, I think Federer still has a reasonable claim to that title.

Whilst Nadal is currently in possession of the most Grand Slam titles, 13 of his 21 titles have come at the French Open and he has "only" won 4 at the US Open and 2 each at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Whereas on the other hand Federer has won 5+ titles at Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US Open so I think that indicates that he has a bit more variety to his game.

Nadal is undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players to ever pick up a racket and is obviously by far the greatest clay court player ever. I also find him to be a very likeable player and person but for me I would still place Roger Federer as the greatest.

I'm also not a fan of Djokovic but the three of them have taken tennis to an unprecedented level over the last 15 years or so and we are unlikely to see their likes again for a very long time.

They have all pushed one another onto achieving new records and for 3 of them to come along at one time is quite extraordinary.

Yes it's a tough call and I'm inclined to agree Federer remains the greatest. Nevertheless, if Nadal were to win tomorrow then 14 French Open titles (to Federer's solitary Paris title) would be a mind-boggling achievement.

Both are far greater champions on and off the court than Djokovic, whose grinding, human wall tactics are a turn-off, while his arrogant, self-serving off-court behaviour (particularly during Covid/the Australian deportation saga) has justifiably brought about the booing which now accompanies his every appearance.

Shame for Andy Murray that he came to prominence during such an era. I honestly believe he pushed himself so hard in that momentous 2015/2016 spell (Davis Cup, Wimbledon title, Olympic gold, world No 1 spot) that his body simply had no more to give.

[davy67 +]

Fairly one sided women's final , Swiatek a different class

[Sir David Gray]

35 wins in a row for Swiatek as she beats Coco Gauff 6-1 6-3 in just over an hour.

It will be interesting to see if she can continue her winning run over the grass court season.

[hibeg]

35 wins in a row for Swiatek as she beats Coco Gauff 6-1 6-3 in just over an hour.

It will be interesting to see if she can continue her winning run over the grass court season.

She won’t. Superb on hard court and clay but grass is a different matter.
She will win Wimbledon one day I think, but not this year. I assume she will play Eastbourne but the fear factor will not be there from her opponents.

[McD]

Yes it's a tough call and I'm inclined to agree Federer remains the greatest. Nevertheless, if Nadal were to win tomorrow then 14 French Open titles (to Federer's solitary Paris title) would be a mind-boggling achievement.

Both are far greater champions on and off the court than Djokovic, whose grinding, human wall tactics are a turn-off, while his arrogant, self-serving off-court behaviour (particularly during Covid/the Australian deportation saga) has justifiably brought about the booing which now accompanies his every appearance.

Shame for Andy Murray that he came to prominence during such an era. I honestly believe he pushed himself so hard in that momentous 2015/2016 spell (Davis Cup, Wimbledon title, Olympic gold, world No 1 spot) that his body simply had no more to give.


I think Andy would have comfortably made double figures in majors had even one of those three not been there. I also wonder if being British, where not only has he set incredible standards compared to his predecessors, but also carried the weight of expectation of the British crowds, the only one of the four to have a home slam.

I think you’re also right about that period of time where he dominated all, it took such a phenomenal effort.

he should rightly go down as one of britains greatest sportsmen

[Sir David Gray]

I think Andy would have comfortably made double figures in majors had even one of those three not been there. I also wonder if being British, where not only has he set incredible standards compared to his predecessors, but also carried the weight of expectation of the British crowds, the only one of the four to have a home slam.

I think you’re also right about that period of time where he dominated all, it took such a phenomenal effort.

he should rightly go down as one of britains greatest sportsmen

He definitely would have had around 10-12 titles without one of those three.

He's obviously won 3 Grand Slam titles in his career but he's been in a further 8 finals - 3 losses to Federer and 5 to Djokovic.

He's been particularly unlucky in Australia losing 5 times which is actually a record at that Grand Slam. Only Djokovic (6 times at the US Open) has lost more Grand Slam finals at a single event.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal got an early break to lead 2-0 first set but Ruud broke straight back.

Ruud serving at 1-2 first set.

[Sir David Gray]

Rafa breaks again - 3-1.

[Sir David Gray]

First set Nadal 6-3.

[Sir David Gray]

Ruud breaks to go 3-1 up.

He's playing really well just now.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal breaks straight back.

[Sir David Gray]

Second set to Nadal 6-3.

All over now I'd say.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal breaks in the third set - 2-0.

Too easy.

[Sir David Gray]

4-0 Nadal.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal wins 6-3 6-3 6-0.

Very one sided match, Nadal wins an unbelievable 14th French Open title.

[He's here!]

Nadal wins 6-3 6-3 6-0.

Very one sided match, Nadal wins an unbelievable 14th French Open title.

Phenomenal. One of sport's greatest ever champions. Some might say THE greatest.

[Sir David Gray]

Phenomenal. One of sport's greatest ever champions. Some might say THE greatest.

14 titles at one tournament is absolutely incredible, the King of Clay strikes again.

He's only lost three matches in his entire career at Roland Garros and two of these defeats were to Djokovic.

22 victories in 30 Grand Slam finals is also quite an extraordinary record.

[Sir David Gray]

Another incredible achievement today at the French Open was British pair Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett winning their 10th straight Grand Slam title together in the men's wheelchair doubles.

The last Grand Slam title they failed to win was 2019 Wimbledon.

Outstanding.

[He's here!]

Another incredible achievement today at the French Open was British pair Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett winning their 10th straight Grand Slam title together in the men's wheelchair doubles.

The last Grand Slam title they failed to win was 2019 Wimbledon.

Outstanding.

Yep big well done to them. Terrific record.

[hibeg]

14 titles at one tournament is absolutely incredible, the King of Clay strikes again.

He's only lost three matches in his entire career at Roland Garros and two of these defeats were to Djokovic.

22 victories in 30 Grand Slam finals is also quite an extraordinary record.

Once he beat Novak, I thought Sasha would win the semi. We all know what happened
Brilliant tournament from Rafa though.