Murray wins the US Open!

[Stavros]

who cares and american didn't

America has produced some of the finest tennis players in history, I won't list them on the assumption they are household names. In the UK we have not had a grand slam winner since the 1930s, but it hasn't stopped Wimbledon being the top tournament and thus a multi-national as well as British audience has justifiably gone wild for players of quality wherever they come from. Sporting excellence transcends national identity.

[Prospero]

Sporting excellence transcends national identity.

I agree. But is in some ways shaped by the resources and opportunities available to young players. And to national attitudes to the sport. Hence how many great Indian or Pakistani tennis player are there on the world stage?

[Stavros]

There are a few Indians around, mostly more successful in doubles; but the question is, with all its resources, where are the new generation of Americans coming from? The Williams sisters do not appear to have inspired young Black americans even though they trained on public courts, and are both now in their 30s -Australia too used to produce great players on a regular basis. Desire must be part of it, as well as resources.

[reformedcharacter]

highlights from next year's wimbledon

[Jericho]

who cares and american didn't

What a churlish attitude.

[broncofan]

who cares and american didn't

I'm an American and though I haven't followed tennis as much in the past six or seven years I did care. I haven't always been an Andy Murray fan but I did sense the strain he was under. He persevered in spite of all that pressure. He also has a tremendous ground game, a big heart, and he employed the services of a tennis great to help him get over that hump.

Pete Sampras, not a bad player in his own right, ranks Ivan Lendl in his top five players of all time. Lendl does not have the best conversion rate in grand slam finals (8/19 I think?), nor did he win Wimbledon, but he had a great forehand, excellent technique on the backhand when he decided to come over it and not just chip it. He was also tough as nails and one of the fittest players of all-time. Now you take this tennis great and you pit him with a talented player who hasn't yet reached his potential and that player starts winning, it's exciting. But that's only the case if you like tennis.

[Stavros]

Sunday's final of the Australian Open will be between two friends, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Both seem to be in sparkling form so I wonder if Murray will be able to follow his US Open success with another? Just as I wonder how much longer Federer will keep playing if he doesn't win a grand slam.

Li Na for the women's title.

[Prospero]

Nice to see a Scot win his game on Burns night. I am sure he'll be scoffing some haggis and neaps tonight. And maybe downing a wee dram.

[robertlouis]

Nice to see a Scot win his game on Burns night. I am sure he'll be scoffing some haggis and neaps tonight. And maybe downing a wee dram.

Indeed. The final on Sunday should be utterly enthralling, whoever wins. This is a wonderful time for men's tennis, with arguably the finest quartet of rivals in the entire open era.

Let's just hope that those who can't forgive Murray for not having been born in Surrey can get over their prejudices and recognise him for the supreme athlete that he is.

That's not to decry the achievements of Sampras, , McEnroe, Borg, Becker, Edberg, Agassi et al, but the four men at the top of the world game right now offer a consistent mix of power and skill that the game has never seen before.

Shame we can't say the same for the women's game. I'd like to have seen the young American Sloane Stephens in the final, but her time will come.

[robertlouis]

Good competitive match. Murray didn't disappoint, but Djokovic deserved the victory.

Are Djokovic and Murray now the new big two in the game?