2016 Barclays ATP World Tour Championships...ATP ???...London, England

[klacr]

Murray and Raonic was a classic. And by classic I mean long. and by long I mean a 3 hour and 38 minute match...indoors. Wow! That should not happen. Raonic had a match point as well. Murray wins 5-7, 7-6, 7-6.

Djokovic making Nishikori look like an amateur right now. Up 6-1, 4-0 as I type this. Should've put me in. I'll get to the net.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA,
Boca Raton

[stotty]

Djokovic is now looking ominous. Today was the first time I have seen him play this well since, well, Roland Garros. He was aggressive and completely dominated Nishikori with no lapses. Nishikori hardly had room to breath.

Djokovic sent out a message to Murray. Murray has had a great run but hasn't played a Federer, Nadal or Djokovic yet.

It's a boring match-up for the final, but psychologically it will be interesting.

Has Murray got the balls?

Stotty

[gzhpcu]

Murray says he is exhsusted for the final. Cool. Sportsmanship.

[stotty]

Murray says he is exhsusted for the final. Cool. Sportsmanship.

Well Djokovic certainly won't be....be exhausted that is. The thing with Djokovic, Nadal and Roger, is they can cut through top tour players like a knife at times. I am not sure Murray has ever been able to do that in the same way.

Murray really wants it. The number 1 spot and Djokovic's scalp along with it. Let's see....

Stotty

[klacr]

Winner gets #1. May the best neutralizing baseline player win.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Where Oh Where Has Our Roger Federer (living proof of classic tennis) Gone...

Winner gets #1. May the best neutralizing baseline player win.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

klacr...I sense some rather pronounced discontent with the "Modern Game" of tennis lately. Could it be that you see the post Roger Federer Era of tennis as a culmination point that has nowhere to go? I personally can understand your angst. I just wonder what, if anything, can be done to further "rig" the game.

This is what is left...Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. Not necessarily in that order.

It's sort of ironic that the Number One ranking will be decided today with Murray being absent of his legs which Milos Raonic took out from under him yesterday. It would not seem possible to bounce back for todays match unless modern medicine has some mixture that I am not award of and the drug testing is not aware of either. Look for Murray to come up lame. If he answers the bell and shows heart, he will silence a lot of his critics.

A couple of years ago...Roger Federer had a similar circumstance and for one of the rare times in his career he could not answer the bell the next day against Novak Djokovic. Federer beat Stan Wawrinka in a riveting three setter that I called the best match of the year. That was the night match so he had even fewer hours to recover than Murray does today.

This is what modern tennis looks like. I rarely if ever say that I am right and of course never say I am wrong. But in 1981 I was screaming bloody murder at the direction that the game of tennis was taking. The best neutralizing baseline player...that's a nice way of putting it. I may have said something like...this really sucks.

[don_budge]

Where Oh Where Has Our Roger Federer (living proof of classic tennis) Gone...

This is what modern tennis looks like. I rarely if ever say that I am right and of course never say I am wrong. But in 1981 I was screaming bloody murder at the direction that the game of tennis was taking. The best neutralizing baseline player...that's a nice way of putting it. I may have said something like...this really sucks.

This really sucks...

[stotty]

Strange final. Djokovic started ok then faded away. Even so you felt if he'd have just made Murray work a little harder to win the match he might have turned it around. A terrible anti-climax of a final in my view. Not pretty to watch.

Stotty

[klacr]

B-R-U-T-A-L. Thats my take on the final.

The modern game? l love when people put time labels on the game. The optimist that I am, it tells me that it won't last. What happens in 10 years, their games will no longer be "modern"and we move to something else, then they become "classic"?

The key is to have timeless strokes and a timeless game. A game that could've won in any era, because it is an all-court game. Djokovic and Murray may have timeless backhands, but it may end there.

I give loads of credit to Murray. He's earned it. But I wish the Djokovic "A" game would have shown up.

yes don_budge, you are right...this really sucks.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Culmination Point...Post Roger Federer Era

B-R-U-T-A-L. Thats my take on the final.

The modern game? l love when people put time labels on the game. The optimist that I am, it tells me that it won't last. What happens in 10 years, their games will no longer be "modern"and we move to something else, then they become "classic"?

The key is to have timeless strokes and a timeless game. A game that could've won in any era, because it is an all-court game. Djokovic and Murray may have timeless backhands, but it may end there.

I give loads of credit to Murray. He's earned it. But I wish the Djokovic "A" game would have shown up.

yes don_budge, you are right...this really sucks.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

I repeat myself. Like a good tennis instructor. Repeating the fundamentals. Culmination point theory...1968 Open Era begins...1984 New Equipment takes over...2001 Further Engineering to Slow Down the Game...2017 Nowhere to go.

Here is Boris Becker trying to breathe some life into a game that is on life support. No amount of sheer and utter nonsense is going to cut it now and Boris cannot bring it upon himself to breathe the truth. Perhaps he has drank the KoolAid too. I think he may have. Listen to this one as he gloats about his charge...the less than great Novak Djokovic.

"Novak is a competitor at heart. If I have one guy who has to play for my life, I would pick Djokovic. That's how much I trust him," the six-time grand slam champion said.

Gee...where have I heard that before. Jimmy Connors talking about the Greatest Player of All Time...Richard Gonzales.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/22/tennis/boris-becker-novak-djokovic-atp-world-finals-tennis/index.html

The game used to go in cycles. From aggressive net play to more defensive play to more all court play. But it looks to me that this game has nowhere to go. Dead end. We'll see. I have been wrong before...haven't I?