| The 'Big Four' | |
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| Jan 6, 2009 16:39 |   |
 | What do you folks think of the 'Big Four'? Finally, after many years, four players have risen to the top of the men's tennis world, and **clearly distanced themselves from the rest**. Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are the 'Big Four'. This year will be a fascinating one in men's pro tennis. No one can predict with any degree of certainty who will win the four Grand Slam tournaments this year. Of the four, the French Open is a little easier to predict a winner (Nadal), but even that one is not a sure thing this year. What do you think of Andy Murray and his new-found status near the top of the standings? I like his game very much. Actually, of the four top champions, my game of tennis resembles Murray's game more than the other three. We have similar styles of play. It will be interesting to hear your opinions of these players now and who you think will win each of the slams. |
| Jan 6, 2009 19:18 | #1 |
| What do you folks think of the 'Big Four'? Nadal and Federer have been rivals for years. The competition between them will continue as long as Federer plays tennis. Undoubtedly, they are two of the greatest tennis players in history. The Wimbledon final between them will be remembered by all people. Nadal has grown up very quickly. Originally, he was only playing tennis very well on the clay. But now, he has become versatile. He has proved that he can also play well on green grass. As for Federer, he is nearly perfect. The biggest regret for him is that he hasn't won the most important match on the clay---French Open. He has advanced to the final of the French Open two times but finally lost to Nadal. What a pity! Personally, I am not fond of Novak Djokovic. He is not stable. Sometimes he plays very well, sometimes not. In other words, he can't maintain his good form. I was impressed by his mimicking skills. But I hope that he can focus on tennis instead of other things. Murray is a hard-working tennis player. His tennis is not graceful but very practical. I think that he will soon take place of Djokovic to be World No.3. Frankly, I am happy to see the "Big Four". In earlier time, it was Nadal and Federer who competed for the No.1. Later on, Djokovic appeared. Then Big Three appeared. Now Murray becomes mature. The former Big Three should take care of themselves. I'd like to see more and more talented tennis players appear. It is they who bring us more exciting tennis matches. |
| Jan 6, 2009 23:59 | #2 |
| >>Frankly, I am happy to see the "Big Four". In earlier time, it was Nadal and Federer who competed for the No.1. Later on, Djokovic appeared. Then Big Three appeared. Now Murray becomes mature. The former Big Three should take care of themselves. I'd like to see more and more talented tennis players appear. It is they who bring us more exciting tennis matches.<< Very well-stated Katrina, I agree with you. But it is not enough to be talented on its own. For we have Wilfred Tsonga and David Nalbandian as just two examples (there are many more) of players who have immense talent. But they have failed thus far to take their game to the _next level. That is why the 'Big Four' are so special now. They have all reached the highest level, and any one of them can realistically win any tournament they now play. |
| Jan 14, 2009 19:41 | #3 |
| That is why the 'Big Four' are so special now. They have all reached the highest level, and any one of them can realistically win any tournament they now play. Canadaguy, the Australian Open will kick off next Monday. Can you predict who will claim the titles of Men and Women's Singles?  |
| Jan 15, 2009 15:22 | #4 |
| >>Canadaguy, the Australian Open will kick off next Monday. Can you predict who will claim the titles of Men and Women's Singles? Katrina I will be watching the AO very keenly. You have asked a very good question. This year is much more difficult to make a prediction with confidence, on either the men's or the women's side. The best I can say is that there is a 95%+ chance that the men's winner will be one of the Big Four. On the women's side, even though I'm not a fan of theirs, one of the William's sisters would be a good choice. As you probably heard, Sharapova won't be playing at this year's AO. |
| Jan 16, 2009 21:10 | #5 |
| The best I can say is that there is a 95%+ chance that the men's winner will be one of the Big Four. Agreed. My predication is that Murray will claim the title of the Australian Open. He is in shape for fighting the Australian Open. He has already beaten Federer two times at the beginning of 2009. Djokovic and Nadal don't seem to be in form. I don't think that Djokovic can defend his champion successfully. On the women's side, the champion is very likely to appear among Williams Sisters, Jankovic and Safina. They are the "Big Four" in women's tennis. It is really a pity that Sharapova couldn't play the Australian Open. |
| Jan 17, 2009 14:58 | #6 |
| Hi Kevin, I agree with your analysis on both the men's and women's side. I would say there is a possibility that a 'no-name' player will win on the men's side, but this would happen only if the Big Four were all eliminated fairly early in the tournament, and this is quite unlikely. I agree that the Big Four on the women's side all have a good chance. It will be interesting to see if there are any big upsets in the first few days. We are at an interesting juncture in tennis now because it is difficult to predict winners now on either side (men/women) with any degree of certainty. |
| Jan 19, 2009 20:52 | #7 |
| I would say there is a possibility that a 'no-name' player will win on the men's side, but this would happen only if the Big Four were all eliminated fairly early in the tournament, and this is quite unlikely. It is possible, Canadaguy. But the possibility that all the Big Four are eliminated is very rare. At least, Murray won't be eliminated so easily. In his first debut, he defeated his rival very easily. Can you believe that his first serve in the first set of that match was 100% successful? He is in shape now. If Federer and Murray meet again in the quarter finals, Federer might lose again. I am not cursing at Federer. Just look at his first debut at 2009 Australian Open. He won that match in a difficult way. So did Djokovic. |
| Jan 19, 2009 22:03 | #8 |
| >...At least, Murray won't be eliminated so easily. In his first debut, he defeated his rival very easily. Can you believe that his first serve in the first set of that match was 100% successful? Well, his opponent wasn't nearly as strong as Seppi and he also defaulted the match very early to Murray, so it wasn't difficult for Murray at all. I didn't see the match, but if you play someone who can't harm your serve, you can slow down your first serve a bit to make sure it goes in. That might explain that 100% success rate. > He is in shape now. If Federer and Murray meet again in the quarter finals, Federer might lose again. I am not cursing at Federer. Just look at his first debut at 2009 Australian Open. He won that match in a difficult way. So did Djokovic. I saw the first two sets of the Federer Seppi match. Federer was playing most of the match quite cautiously/defensively, waiting for Seppi to make errors. Seppi made just enough errors for Fed to continue with this strategy. If he plays someone who is more consistent with their groundstrokes, then he will have to change his strategy and become more aggressive. Federer is an interesting player, in that he almost always starts in first gear, and then keeps increasing his gears, but *only if necessary*. When he plays someone like Nadal, he jumps very quickly from 1st to 4th or 5th gear. |
| Jan 20, 2009 19:21 | #9 |
| Federer is an interesting player, in that he almost always starts in first gear, and then keeps increasing his gears, but *only if necessary*. When he plays someone like Nadal, he jumps very quickly from 1st to 4th or 5th gear. So he saves energy for future games? Good! All he need to do is to make sure that he can win the match. |
| Jan 21, 2009 22:54 | #10 |
| >So he saves energy for future games? Good! All he need to do is to make sure that he can win the match. Yes Kevin, that appears to be the reason he does this. It's a smart strategy. There are many players on the tour who waste energy needlessly. But there's another reason he does this. Going for big shots/outright winners early in a match is a risky strategy. It's risky even when you have warmed up, but especially so when you are just starting. You'll find a lot of 'young guns' who play Federer these days are going for broke right from the very first ball strike, because they feel that's their best chance of beating him. If they hang back and play conservatively they know Federer will just wear them down and outplay them. |
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