Tennis, anyone.....?

[Bruce Rioja]

Murray is probably the best (Scottish) Brit we've had since Fred Perry. Unfortunately, he plays in the same era as Federer, Nadal and Djokoviv. Came back well from two sets down, but Djokovic steam-rollered him in the last.

Whereas that's undoubtedly true, I'm struggling to think of a period in my lifetime in which there wasn't at least one player who was superior to Murray.

[TANGODANCER]

Murray is probably the best (Scottish) Brit we've had since Fred Perry. Unfortunately, he plays in the same era as Federer, Nadal and Djokoviv. Came back well from two sets down, but Djokovic steam-rollered him in the last.

Whereas that's undoubtedly true, I'm struggling to think of a period in my lifetime in which there wasn't at least one player who was superior to Murray.

Really? Brit players? We've had some decent ones including our adopted Greg Ruzedski, but I can't reall think of one who would cope with the pace and power of the modern game.

[Bruce Rioja]

Murray is probably the best (Scottish) Brit we've had since Fred Perry. Unfortunately, he plays in the same era as Federer, Nadal and Djokoviv. Came back well from two sets down, but Djokovic steam-rollered him in the last.

Whereas that's undoubtedly true, I'm struggling to think of a period in my lifetime in which there wasn't at least one player who was superior to Murray.

Really? Brit players? We've had some decent ones including our adopted Greg Ruzedski, but I can't reall think of one who would cope with the pace and power of the modern game.

I didn't say British players, Tango. In the same way that, as you mention, Federer, Nadal and Djocovic are currently on the circuit, I personally don't think that Murray would have been any more successful in any other era in my lifetime. A period which has seen the likes of Connors, McEnroe, Borg, Becker, Sampras and so on.

[Prufrock]

Rarely more than one at once though. I don't think he'd have been the best player in those times necessarily, but he'd have won more than 2 majors.

[Bruce Rioja]

Rarely more than one at once though. I don't think he'd have been the best player in those times necessarily, but he'd have won more than 2 majors.

I disagree. At which points do you think he'd have won more than two majors?

[Montreal Wanderer]

Rarely more than one at once though. I don't think he'd have been the best player in those times necessarily, but he'd have won more than 2 majors.

I'm not sure you can really compare different eras. For example, modern equipment from shoes to racket make a huge
difference. How would Murray perform with a heavy wooden racket strung with catgut?

[Prufrock]

Rarely more than one at once though. I don't think he'd have been the best player in those times necessarily, but he'd have won more than 2 majors.

I disagree. At which points do you think he'd have won more than two majors?

Any other time.

Murray turned pro a month before Nadal won his first major. In the ten years since, only five major finals have been won by somebody other than Nadal Federer or Djokovic. Murray has two (a US Open and Wimbledon), Del Potro has a US Open, Cilic has a US Open and Wawrinka has an Australian Open. That's it, in ten years. Cilic's US Open is the only major final in the last ten years not to feature at least one of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal.

In the 90s when Agassi and Sampras were around at virtually the same time, Agassi won his first in 1992, two years after Sampras won his first. Agassi won his last in 2003, months after Sampras' last. So we're talking a similar period of around ten years, with two greats at the top of their game. In that ten years, 20 majors were won by somebody other than Agassi or Sampras. I reckon Murray would have picked up a couple of those.

The nearest period I can see is 78-88, where you have the back end of Connors and Bjorg and then the start of McEnroe Lendl and Becker. Then only 12 players won majors, but even then they were more evenly spread and that's still far more than the last ten years. Even then I'd fancy Murray to have have nicked a couple against Stefan Edberg, or Mats Wilander, never mind Johan Kriek, Yannick Noah or Pat Cash.

[Bruce Rioja]

Rarely more than one at once though. I don't think he'd have been the best player in those times necessarily, but he'd have won more than 2 majors.

I disagree. At which points do you think he'd have won more than two majors?

Any other time.

I'll stop you there.

[Prufrock]

Can you tell I have an exam Tuesday I'm procrastinating for ?!

[KeyserSoze]

Murray breezes through to the third round. Fellow Brit James Ward also makes it through. Bedene next to make it three brits into the third round for the first time since...?

Heather Watson is also in the third round, where she faces Serena Williams.

[jaffka]

Nadal knocked out by bob marley lookalike dustin brown

[Bruce Rioja]

Nadal knocked out by bob marley lookalike dustin brown

Is that him that does magic tricks?

[jaffka]

Nadal knocked out by bob marley lookalike dustin brown

Is that him that does magic tricks?

I don't know about that and I am by no means a tennis expert but from what I saw earlier I think its fair to say he has a flamboyant style.

[Montreal Wanderer]

Watson just tied the match with Serena. Impressive.

[Burnden Paddock]

A break up in the third set now!

[Burnden Paddock]

Double break!! Come on Heather!!

[thebish]

blimey!! it's 370 days since anyone beat Serena in a grand slam, and the last brit woman to beat a world number one was Sue Barker v Chris Evert in 1979!!

[Burnden Paddock]

fecking hell. 3-0 up. Then 4-3 down. Now 5-4 up!

[Montreal Wanderer]

If Heather could put a first serve in she could have won running away. Great match but what a disappointment.

[bobo the clown]

I'm looking forward to returning to Blighty if only to watch this W1A parody with Clare Balding.

Is it as bad as I'm reading ?