Australian Open Men's Tennis Final

[Abraxas]

I'm not a huge fan of Tennis, but when you see two Men hit a ball at each other for almost six hours the courage it takes to just keep standing, holding your racket, is obvious.

The prize money, around $2.4 Million wasn't on these guy's minds, although I bet Novak Djokovic will be feeling a nice tingle about it.

Novak Djokovic def Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic (1)      5   6   6   6   7
Rafael Nadal     (2)      7   4   2   7   5

It's 35 C ( 95 F) here, in Melbourne, Australia and I'm hot, plus it's 2.10 AM !!!

Bloody amazing, oops, truly amazing spectacle. I didn't have the strength to watch the whole match, there's only so many times you can watch a guy hit a ball over a net at another guy, but it was either way for the last hour, either Man could have won.

It just happened, so no links.

[hounddog]

I watched it too!  Amazing match 

They simply are not human the way they can still hit the ball so hard after 5+ hours.  I wanted Nadal to win but Djokovic was the more durable player at the end.  Didn't think anyone can out-physique Nadal but there it is.

[T6]

no, the prize is meaningless on this situation(specially considering the amount of money the winner will get in publicity and from the sponsors    )

i couldn't see the last set, thanks for sharing the results

yes, impressive

[greywolf]

Saw some of it and the highlights. I'm not a big fan of tennis either but you have to admire their skill and athleticism when it is played this well don't you.

Both post-match interviews were very gracious too, especially the winner. Nice to see.

ps: How about the ladies final the day before - battle of the grunters or squealers or whatever you call them, Sharapova & Azarenka. I banned all TV signals from my house that day in case that rubbish found its way into my life. 

greywolf.

[dcwbis]

It was an incredible match.  Some of the points seemed to last forever. 
I really thought that Nadal looked like he had more strength left in the last set, but you have to give Djokovic credit for hanging in and coming up with the big shots when needed.

[Abraxas]

The Slow Motion replays are insane. These top players push every joint beyond it's limit. All sports seem to be heading into the Extreme category, but yes gotta agree that it was an amazing match, as either player really could have won.
Funny, it's raining and cold here in Melbourne today.

After winning the match point, Djokovic fell gently onto his back and just lay there.

He got up, tore his T Shirt a little as he wrenched it off, and paced around the court letting out a primal scream that lasted 30 seconds.

You'd hope their girlfriends would give them both the night off when they get back to their hotels. 
greywolf:

"...ps: How about the ladies final the day before - battle of the grunters or squealers or whatever you call them, Sharapova & Azarenka. I banned all TV signals from my house that day in case that rubbish found its way into my life. 

Agreed. The noise will have to stop, it's just not right, for anyone.

Apparently, as one commentator said as I watched the first ten minutes; an English journalist has compared Sharapova's 'scream' as being: "Like an Owl being hit with a stick."
I suppose he has hit an Owl with a stick to be able to compare the two.
The other, Victoria Azarenka; like "Micky Mouse having an awkward moment."    

sharapova scream