TSR Tennis Society III

Can't wait for the grass tournaments to kick on, it'll be very interesting to see:
How Federer plays, and if his game picks up.
If Nadal can continue this amazing form.
If Djokovic can pose a major threat
If Murray can defend Wimbledon.

I'm kind of a newbie to following the ATP world tour. Why are their no ATP1000 events on grass? (or even 500). The grass season just seems to be a couple of 250 events then Wimbledon, whereas both clay and hard have a few 1000 events each.

Yes, Murray has improved on grass but whether or not he has improved more than Rafa is still unknown, as they haven't played there since 2011, so people making blind assumptions should hold on their horses and wait before they actually play and only then should come to a conclusion on who is better on grass.

Also, let me state some factual evidence on why Murray might not still be on Nadal's level on grass. Nadal has won Wimbledon twice and have beaten Murray there 3 times. Plus, we can't gauge much from Nadal's last year's performance at Wimbledon, as he was upset in the 2nd round, and yes it was only an UPSET. It doesn't necessarily mean Nadal has declined drastically below to the level of Murray on grass. If Murray and Nadal are to meet on grass this year, I would still label Nadal as the favourite.

I was about to say something along these lines - there's a lot of blind anti-facts and speculation going on around here regards Murray and Rafa on this surface.

As you've already stated, the facts:

Rafa: 5 Wimbledon finals and 2 titles in the last 7 years. Federer's supremacy at SW19 aside, that's actually incredible consistency.

Murray: QF, 3 straight SFs and a final.

I don't understand, based on this history, how people can say Murray is better on grass. He also has a 0-3 record at Wimbledon against Rafa, winning only one set, in 2011. You can try and judge based on Murray's strong progression as a player last year with his first Grand Slam, the Olympics and first Wimbledon final, but that doesn't say anything relative to how he matches up against Rafa. If anything, Rafa has been a terrible match up for Murray and I would feel most Murray fans would rather he avoid Rafa before the final if they met. Last year since Rafa barely played on the grass there was too little to observe to see if he had actually declined on the surface - he bombed out of his pre-Wimbledon warmup like he usually does (probably the tournament he puts the least effort into all year) and lost to Rosol in a freak match. In terms of current form there's no way you would favour Murray, especially if Rafa wins today - Roland Garros usually sparks off a rampage from Rafa where he enters Wimbledon as one of the top two favourites.

Who has the better grass court game is another matter and shouldn't be confused with who is the better grass court player. Murray might have a better natural grass court game, but Rafa is a fantastic grass courter and the surface seems to complement his game strongly, with his heavy spin being very effective on the surface.

Defend Wimbledon or defend his Runner up points?

Sorry I got the Olympics and Wimbledon confused for a second there. He must still defend his runner up points, though.

Aye, who do you think will get to the final?

Really difficult to say. At present, Federer has done nothing to convince me he'll get to the final, but we'll see what happens at Halle and then perhaps make a more informed judgement.
Murray's chances are perhaps down to his fitness. I don't know the ins and outs of the situation. If he looks well rested and fresh at Queens, then I reckon he can make it.
As we all know, Nadal is on fire and I fully expect his form to carry on into Wimbledon. He's taking a break this week and I think that'll improve his chances. Although will that mean he'll lack match practice on grass? Who knows.
I'm not so sure of what Djokovic is capable of on grass. I know he's won Wimbledon before and he's played some great tennis on the clay. I don't really consider him a favourite but he should get to the quarters at least, most probably the semis.

At this moment in time I'm going to plump for a Nadal/Murray final.

Any idea as to why the grass season is so short? A few 250 events + a slam. Not even a 500 event, talk about a 1000....

Aye, There's 6 masters 1000 on hard court and 3 on clay they should get rid of 2 of the ones that are on hard courts and get at least 2 grass masters.

I guess it's down to the time of year at which Roland Garros and Wimbledon can be played. Unless you do the ATP1000 grass events after Wimbledon, as opposed to before, like what generally happens at other slams.

Who're you thinking will make the Wimbledon final?

Really difficult to say. At present, Federer has done nothing to convince me he'll get to the final, but we'll see what happens at Halle and then perhaps make a more informed judgement.
Murray's chances are perhaps down to his fitness. I don't know the ins and outs of the situation. If he looks well rested and fresh at Queens, then I reckon he can make it.
As we all know, Nadal is on fire and I fully expect his form to carry on into Wimbledon. He's taking a break this week and I think that'll improve his chances. Although will that mean he'll lack match practice on grass? Who knows.
I'm not so sure of what Djokovic is capable of on grass. I know he's won Wimbledon before and he's played some great tennis on the clay. I don't really consider him a favourite but he should get to the quarters at least, most probably the semis.

At this moment in time I'm going to plump for a Nadal/Murray final.

Any idea as to why the grass season is so short? A few 250 events + a slam. Not even a 500 event, talk about a 1000....

So, today's the day. In a matter of hours, Nadal and Ferrer will emerge on court PC. What is everyone's final predictions: will we see a RG 2008 repeat scoreline, or something resembling RG 2011, or will we see an upset?

So, today's the day. In a matter of hours, Nadal and Ferrer will emerge on court PC. What is everyone's final predictions: will we see a RG 2008 repeat scoreline, or something resembling RG 2011, or will we see an upset?

So, today's the day. In a matter of hours, Nadal and Ferrer will emerge on court PC. What is everyone's final predictions: will we see a RG 2008 repeat scoreline, or something resembling RG 2011, or will we see an upset?

The return of the king: 6-2 6-4 6-4