Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
With Nadal and Fed going down early, Andy had a DREAM trip to the final ... while Joker found himself in a DOG FIGHT in the semi ... and, not surprisingly, was a bit flat in the final.
Not to mention the fact that Andy had a HUGE home-court advantage yesterday.
We'll see how Andy handles the PRESSURE at Flushing Meadows later this summer as the defending champ when everyone ... including a (hopefully) healthy Rafa ... will be gunning for his scalp.
Wouldn't be surprised if Andy reverts back to form and comes up short ... again...
Murray has appeared in the finals of the last 4 Grand Slam events he's played in, winning two.
I personally think Murray will NOT win the U.S. Open this year just because he'll be on a such a high from winning Wimbledon and also because Djokovic and Nadal will be extremely hungry (for somewhat different reasons). Additionally, the U.S. Open has been the most wide-open Slam event in recent years, and ALL of the Second Four players (Ferrer, del Potro, Berdych, and Tsonga) are very solid on hard courts (with the first 3 guys listed having played in at least one U.S. Open semifinal in their careers and of course del Potro winning it in 2009), meaning there are more landmines for the top players to negotiate. Having said the above, Murray doesn't have the heavy pressure of expectation on him anymore; he KNOWS he can win a Grand Slam title, and that may enable him to play even better.
The match I'd really like to see at the U.S. Open is Murray/Nadal (preferably in the semifinals because I'm a Djokovic fan); Nadal owned Murray in 2011 when they played in (I think) 3 Slam semifinals and Nadal won all of them. On the other hand, Murray is a better, more confident player in 2013 than he was in 2011 (and Nadal probably isn't as good now as he was in 2011).
I want to see if Lucky Andy can win a Slam more than once ... like all the top guys (Fed, Rafa, Joker) have done in their careers.
He'll get his chance next month in New York City.
My money will be on The Joker...
I personally think Murray will end up with 3-5 Grand Slam titles in his career (probably an Australian Open and another Wimbledon, and if he gets to 5 titles another one of those two or a U.S. Open).
I also think Djokovic will get to around 9-11 Grand Slam titles (another Australian Open, a couple of U.S. Opens, and a French Open, maybe two French Opens).
Of course, only time will tell what Murray's, Djokovic's, and all other players' future accomplishments might be.
Andrew has never won the SAME Slam more than once.
Fed has multiple wins in all Slams except the French Open. Nadal has multiple wins at the French and Wimbledon. Joker has won the Aussie Open several times.
At this point, you could say that Andy is little more than a one-hit wonder...
At the end of the day, Murray is champion and that's all that matters. That's all that he cares about at this moment and that's all that all his fans care about at this moment. It doesn't matter how he did it, his name will be on the winners list at Wimbledon forever.
Interesting , ATP Rankings as of today, Federer has dropped to Number 5, with David Ferrer at a career high of 3 - a reward for consistency. Nadal at Number 4.
Djokovic and Murray are clear at 1 and 2 respectively, and this won't change between now and the US Open, and these will be the Seedings - setting up another classic final.
I actually think Murray would be slight favourite for the US Open now over Joker, as he has elevated his game to a new level. Nadal's form (including Hard Court) since coming back from injury has been impressive up until Wimbledon, winning Indian Wells etc, but he is clearly not as good as the Top 2 are now.
Murray has done a long apprenticeship, and it is now reaping rewards.
In the same way Djokovic spent a long time at Number 3, before 2011 when he took both Federer and Nadal hard and head on, and destroyed their duopoly for good.(winning 3 out of 4 Slams that year plus the 2012 Aus Open).
Murray it seems is now on a similar role.
Guy's been on the tour for TEN YEARS and doesn't have a single Slam...
Probably a little over-inflated, but it's more a reward for the sheer number of tournaments that one competes in over a 12 month period - this guy just seems to get fitter with age!
The below article says exactly what I have been alluding to in previous posts:
They need to re-evaluate the ranking system. Players should get points for beating top players and not making to the quarters, semis, finals, or win due to luck. If they do that, I am sure Tsonga, Berdych, and Del Potro will be in the top 7 above Ferrer.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
