Shame he couldn't have had the Goffin match, if as you say he was gassed Andy probably could have won that (and then pulled out).
Anyway well done to David for advancing, it's not his fault his opponent pulled out.
Well, better to be on the safe side. He was feeling it in practice this morning. Had Andy played and ignored the warning signs, he'd have prob got injured.
Goffin really needed these points. Mind you, penny for Tsonga's thoughts...he had three MPs against Goffin last night. Tennis can be a cruel sport ;-)
Well what a choke-fest that CSN-genie match was. Much over-used cliche, but really did seem neither of them wanted to win it in the end.
The final set TB was hilarious. CSN getting nervy and not being able to keep the ball in court when she had MPs, then Bouchard throwing in a couple of DFs to out-choke her. :kitty:
The final set TB was hilarious. CSN getting nervy and not being able to keep the ball in court when she had MPs, then Bouchard throwing in a couple of DFs to out-choke her. :kitty:
I thought it was an okay match from what I saw, but the Tie-break hit new depths of real awfulness, I was struggling to comprehend my eyes.
Hugely amusing though:D
BTW we don't see enough of Jovanoski on telly, umm for reasons......
I was actually thinking to myself last night though, that he may well give a w/o in the quarter final once his points had been defended.
I'm a little surprised in a way he's done it now, Goffin is essentially a walking bye, I thought he'd try win that and defend his points
It's probably the sensible thing though, especially if he was feeling fatigued in training. He has played a hell of a lot of tennis recently with some bizarre scheduling thrown in
Anyhow, goes into the French Open unbeaten, doesn't show his 'clay hand' to Novak and gets a nice old rest. All is well
Novak now only really has Nishikori in his way until the final and I'd fancy him all day long in that
Himself v Rafa pretty much a lock. I think ND would have liked a look at Murray in the semi though
Just back to Andy I'm glad he's not doing anything stupid to defend points or just respect opposition or any of that nonsense. He's in the top 4 to stay for a long time, barring an injury- which could have been triggered by playing here
He'll be top 2 going into Autumn most likely anyway
Glad Andy pulled out, no point in taking the chance of getting beaten and having his confidence knocked back, or possibly winning in 3 sets and becoming even more exhausted in the process.
I'm glad he's listening to his body by doing the sensible thing and taking the time to recover from the previous two weeks of tennis.
Wise decision by Andy, no point wrecking his whole summer and the great year he's having so far, by turning the natural wear and tear of a busy few weeks into anything more serious.
Saw the horror tiebreak on youtube. Just goes to show how shot Genie's confidence is that despite Carla's best efforts to help, she still couldn't find a way through. Pleased for Carla, I don't think she would've forgiven herself for that after looking home and dry at 6-2.
Wise decision by Andy, no point wrecking his whole summer and the great year he's having so far, by turning the natural wear and tear of a busy few weeks into anything more serious.
Saw the horror tiebreak on youtube. Just goes to show how shot Genie's confidence is that despite Carla's best efforts to help, she still couldn't find a way through. Pleased for Carla, I don't think she would've forgiven herself for that after looking home and dry at 6-2.
Actually think CSN looked fatigued was nowhere near her recent form. Wouldn't be surprised if she did a Serena/Andy and withdrew now, before the French. She's got Quarter-final points to defend in RG.
Anyhow, goes into the French Open unbeaten, doesn't show his 'clay hand' to Novak and gets a nice old rest. All is well
I was a bit surprised that he chose to enter the tournament tbh. I know the top guys are fit but reaching the final in two successive tournaments and then quickly entering a third is a tough call.
I see Rafa is ranked at 7. If he's still there at the FO that could be dangerous for him in that he might meet a useful opponent in the first week, before he gets going properly.
I was a bit surprised that he chose to enter the tournament tbh. I know the top guys are fit but reaching the final in two successive tournaments and then quickly entering a third is a tough call.
Me too
It clearly wasn't to defend points. Maybe he just needed a match or two at 'sea-level'?
But as I said before, the early rounds at RG are usually enough to get the feel for the surface anyway
When Smude posted on Tuesday confirming his participation, I have to say I was surprised really
I see Rafa is ranked at 7. If he's still there at the FO that could be dangerous for him in that he might meet a useful opponent in the first week, before he gets going properly.
He can become no.4 again if he wins Rome and if Kei and Tomas lose before the semis. So Rafa is hoping Roger takes care of Tomas and either Troicki or Nole take care of Kei for him.
Rafa was awesome today hope he can manage to be just as awesome tomorrow
It's always hard to assess anything against Isner. Once you get him into a rally there's only one winner. His reach is laughable and his movement atrocious. And I won't even get into his returning, Rafa won pretty much all (if not all) first serve points and he's not even a great server
That said it's always a match up you just want to get through in any sort of fashion
Stan is an NID match up as will the semi v Berdych (most likely) so I think we'll see Rafa defend his points alright but I just cannot see a French Open in him
He can become no.4 again if he wins Rome and if Kei and Tomas lose before the semis. So Rafa is hoping Roger takes care of Tomas and either Troicki or Nole take care of Kei for him.
Rafa isn't beating Djok anyway here, so that ends that fanciful prediction! Berdych will be 4 I imagine
Rafa isn't beating Djok anyway here, so that ends that fanciful prediction! Berdych will be 4 I imagine
Nadal could fall outside top 8 for Wimbledon
Only saying what ive read. Tbh its hard to see a win for Rafa but i read that Novak apparenly said after being Almagro that he has a slight arm injury. He's said its not bothering him but who knows the real truth there. I guess we wait and see.
Great match today Tomas v Fognini. Tomas did well to come through in front of a very noisy crowd cheering an on form FF's every move.
What a beautiful court the Pietrangeli is - does anyone know how easy it is to get tickets for it?
I'm pretty sure many on here, like me, anticipated his stroll to the title.
Well I can remember loads of people including the commentators etc some people on here including myself hence I put £20 on Djoko to win and I was very happy when I lost it.:D. In fact I can remember someone on here saying Rafa would pull out of the French to save face in case he got knocked out in the early rounds
Have you all seen that Newzoids program? They do Andy on it, it's a scream
Hi y'all. Good news is that I'm out of hospital . Bad news is that things aren't going well at all. I won't go into details - indeed I wondered whether I should post at all but y'all know how much I love my tennis.:) Thanks to everyone for your supportive messages - meant a lot to me.
I was highly upset today at not being in Rome as I'd been supposed to see my two boys Rafa and John-Boy do battle. I really have no idea why I like John because his style is so anti-tennis but I think he's such a cool guy off court and he is a trier - the improvement in his ground strokes/volleys over the past years is nothing short of incredible.
But seriously the match of the week thus far has to be Fabulous Fabio v Berdych. I've always liked Fab because he is such a maverick and I think a lot of his posturing is due to insecurities. That said, last year he almost lost me - particularly with the "gypsy" comment.
I'm really looking forward to Vika v Maria later and obviously Rafa v Stan - I reckon Stan might rain on Rafa's parade.
I see Serena pulled out - what's the goss? I think Andy made the right decision today though.
Hopefully I'll be around for the FO. I hate following scores on t'internet - especially when Rafa is playing, when, with the delays in updates, you could be excused for thinking a nuclear war has interrupted play!
Novak now only really has Nishikori in his way until the final and I'd fancy him all day long in that
Yes, on ROS Nishikori loves to go after his opponent's 2nd serve - but he's nowhere near as effective neutralising 1st serve. So if you keep your 1st serve % reasonably high and not give him attackable 2nd serves, then you're halfway there. Nishikori gets down on himself when he can't attack an opponent's 2nd serve and becomes nervy in rallies.
Just back to Andy I'm glad he's not doing anything stupid to defend points or just respect opposition or any of that nonsense. He's in the top 4 to stay for a long time, barring an injury- which could have been triggered by playing here
He'll be top 2 going into Autumn most likely anyway
Heh. People are now saying "why'd he play? Withdraw and let someone else have a chance". If he'd withdrawn after the draw, the lucky loser to take his spot in the draw would've been Coric. Andy shouldn't be doing him any favours...
This way, he played the mandatory thereby avoiding a ranking penalty, and hopefully withdrew to avoid injury. Also got in a convincing match at sea level.
I was a bit surprised that he chose to enter the tournament tbh. I know the top guys are fit but reaching the final in two successive tournaments and then quickly entering a third is a tough call.
Well, Rome is a mandatory.
As per the ATP rulebook:
1.08 Reduction of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Commitment
A. A player’s number of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitment tournaments shall be reduced by one (1) tournament for reaching each of the following milestones:
1) 600 matches (as of 1 January of the commitment year);
2) 12 years of service;
3) 31 years of age (as of 1 January of the commitment year).
If all three (3) conditions are met then the player has a complete exemption from the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 player commitment.
B. A player who is eligible for a reduction of his ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitment tournaments must be in good standing with the ATP in order to receive a reduction of required ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitment tournaments.
I reckon Murray meets the second condition, so he would be able to skip one mandatory Masters this year. Monte Carlo doesn't count as it is a non-mandatory Masters.
Federer meets all of the conditions so he is free as a bird...
I was highly upset today at not being in Rome as I'd been supposed to see my two boys Rafa and John-Boy do battle. I really have no idea why I like John because his style is so anti-tennis but I think he's such a cool guy off court and he is a trier - the improvement in his ground strokes/volleys over the past years is nothing short of incredible.
Is John-Boy cool off court? I'd say supporting the GOP and Israel is the opposite of cool, but that's just me.
I'll give you that Isner's volleys have improved, but I see no improvement in his ground game. BH is still shocking and he can only hit the inside out FH well.
But seriously the match of the week thus far has to be Fabulous Fabio v Berdych. I've always liked Fab because he is such a maverick and I think a lot of his posturing is due to insecurities. That said, last year he almost lost me - particularly with the "gypsy" comment.
I agree that Fab is insecure. His ego is so fragile that he can't play at his best and then lose. So he'll give a token effort.
Blatant tanking is never defensible though - so unprofessional and a real insult to the fans.
I'm really looking forward to Vika v Maria later and obviously Rafa v Stan - I reckon Stan might rain on Rafa's parade.
I don't think Stan's form is good enough to be confident in the upset. It is being played at night though, which will neutralise Nadal's topspin and Stan will be able to hit BHs at chest height.
I see Serena pulled out - what's the goss? I think Andy made the right decision today though.
I think Serena's got an elbow injury.
Hopefully I'll be around for the FO. I hate following scores on t'internet - especially when Rafa is playing, when, with the delays in updates, you could be excused for thinking a nuclear war has interrupted play!
Well I can remember loads of people including the commentators etc some people on here including myself hence I put £20 on Djoko to win and I was very happy when I lost it.:D. In fact I can remember someone on here saying Rafa would pull out of the French to save face in case he got knocked out in the early rounds
Have you all seen that Newzoids program? They do Andy on it, it's a scream
That was me. He was playing pretty badly (well for Rafas usual invincible clay court standards anyway) leading up to the FO last year. I didn't say he would pull out of the FO but that he could pull out if he kept losing in the build up tournaments. But he got his act together at the last minute. So it wouldn't surprise me if he does the same again this year.
Yeah I love the Andy Murray puppet on Newzoids. The Happy song was hilarious the other night. I bet even Andy finds it funny.
Well Djoko could have been sent packing tonight but unfortunately Bellucci could not keep it up, Djoko isn't invincible.
Everyone said Rafa wasn't going to win the French last year and he surprised everyone so we will see anything could happen
Haha you have to win two sets to win a match and Bellucci did not come close to winning a second.
I'm sorry but you genuinely confuse me? You were going on all the start of the year about how Djok would win everything and he's 'unstoppable' and suddenly now he's 'not invincible'? You're now talking up Rafa after being pretty much negative all year about his chances, even betting against him!
I'd doubt "everyone" said he wouldn't win it now! Even if they do, who cares once he does win it surely that's the main thing for you
I'll give you that Isner's volleys have improved, but I see no improvement in his ground game. BH is still shocking and he can only hit the inside out FH well.
Sorry jewels have to agree with CC here John's groundstrokes are still very subpar for a top player. Against Kei they were on fire alright at Miami but haven't seen anything much since. Hitting basic mid-court balls into the net or yards over the baseline, even against average defenders like Berdych
His style is just awful in general, like a cow on ice most of the time
Can't see Stan putting it up to Rafa at all myself but who knows
Comments
Goffin really needed these points. Mind you, penny for Tsonga's thoughts...he had three MPs against Goffin last night. Tennis can be a cruel sport ;-)
The final set TB was hilarious. CSN getting nervy and not being able to keep the ball in court when she had MPs, then Bouchard throwing in a couple of DFs to out-choke her. :kitty:
I thought it was an okay match from what I saw, but the Tie-break hit new depths of real awfulness, I was struggling to comprehend my eyes.
Hugely amusing though:D
BTW we don't see enough of Jovanoski on telly, umm for reasons......
That I did!!
I was actually thinking to myself last night though, that he may well give a w/o in the quarter final once his points had been defended.
I'm a little surprised in a way he's done it now, Goffin is essentially a walking bye, I thought he'd try win that and defend his points
It's probably the sensible thing though, especially if he was feeling fatigued in training. He has played a hell of a lot of tennis recently with some bizarre scheduling thrown in
Anyhow, goes into the French Open unbeaten, doesn't show his 'clay hand' to Novak and gets a nice old rest. All is well
Himself v Rafa pretty much a lock. I think ND would have liked a look at Murray in the semi though
Just back to Andy I'm glad he's not doing anything stupid to defend points or just respect opposition or any of that nonsense. He's in the top 4 to stay for a long time, barring an injury- which could have been triggered by playing here
He'll be top 2 going into Autumn most likely anyway
I'm glad he's listening to his body by doing the sensible thing and taking the time to recover from the previous two weeks of tennis.
Saw the horror tiebreak on youtube. Just goes to show how shot Genie's confidence is that despite Carla's best efforts to help, she still couldn't find a way through. Pleased for Carla, I don't think she would've forgiven herself for that after looking home and dry at 6-2.
Actually think CSN looked fatigued was nowhere near her recent form. Wouldn't be surprised if she did a Serena/Andy and withdrew now, before the French. She's got Quarter-final points to defend in RG.
I was a bit surprised that he chose to enter the tournament tbh. I know the top guys are fit but reaching the final in two successive tournaments and then quickly entering a third is a tough call.
Me too
It clearly wasn't to defend points. Maybe he just needed a match or two at 'sea-level'?
But as I said before, the early rounds at RG are usually enough to get the feel for the surface anyway
When Smude posted on Tuesday confirming his participation, I have to say I was surprised really
He can become no.4 again if he wins Rome and if Kei and Tomas lose before the semis. So Rafa is hoping Roger takes care of Tomas and either Troicki or Nole take care of Kei for him.
It's always hard to assess anything against Isner. Once you get him into a rally there's only one winner. His reach is laughable and his movement atrocious. And I won't even get into his returning, Rafa won pretty much all (if not all) first serve points and he's not even a great server
That said it's always a match up you just want to get through in any sort of fashion
Stan is an NID match up as will the semi v Berdych (most likely) so I think we'll see Rafa defend his points alright but I just cannot see a French Open in him
Rafa isn't beating Djok anyway here, so that ends that fanciful prediction! Berdych will be 4 I imagine
Nadal could fall outside top 8 for Wimbledon
Only saying what ive read. Tbh its hard to see a win for Rafa but i read that Novak apparenly said after being Almagro that he has a slight arm injury. He's said its not bothering him but who knows the real truth there. I guess we wait and see.
What a beautiful court the Pietrangeli is - does anyone know how easy it is to get tickets for it?
Well Djoko could have been sent packing tonight but unfortunately Bellucci could not keep it up, Djoko isn't invincible.
Everyone said Rafa wasn't going to win the French last year and he surprised everyone so we will see anything could happen
I'm pretty sure many on here, like me, anticipated his stroll to the title.
Well I can remember loads of people including the commentators etc some people on here including myself hence I put £20 on Djoko to win and I was very happy when I lost it.:D. In fact I can remember someone on here saying Rafa would pull out of the French to save face in case he got knocked out in the early rounds
Have you all seen that Newzoids program? They do Andy on it, it's a scream
I was highly upset today at not being in Rome as I'd been supposed to see my two boys Rafa and John-Boy do battle. I really have no idea why I like John because his style is so anti-tennis but I think he's such a cool guy off court and he is a trier - the improvement in his ground strokes/volleys over the past years is nothing short of incredible.
But seriously the match of the week thus far has to be Fabulous Fabio v Berdych. I've always liked Fab because he is such a maverick and I think a lot of his posturing is due to insecurities. That said, last year he almost lost me - particularly with the "gypsy" comment.
I'm really looking forward to Vika v Maria later and obviously Rafa v Stan - I reckon Stan might rain on Rafa's parade.
I see Serena pulled out - what's the goss? I think Andy made the right decision today though.
Hopefully I'll be around for the FO. I hate following scores on t'internet - especially when Rafa is playing, when, with the delays in updates, you could be excused for thinking a nuclear war has interrupted play!
Yes, on ROS Nishikori loves to go after his opponent's 2nd serve - but he's nowhere near as effective neutralising 1st serve. So if you keep your 1st serve % reasonably high and not give him attackable 2nd serves, then you're halfway there. Nishikori gets down on himself when he can't attack an opponent's 2nd serve and becomes nervy in rallies.
Heh. People are now saying "why'd he play? Withdraw and let someone else have a chance". If he'd withdrawn after the draw, the lucky loser to take his spot in the draw would've been Coric. Andy shouldn't be doing him any favours...
This way, he played the mandatory thereby avoiding a ranking penalty, and hopefully withdrew to avoid injury. Also got in a convincing match at sea level.
Well, Rome is a mandatory.
As per the ATP rulebook:
A. A player’s number of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitment tournaments shall be reduced by one (1) tournament for reaching each of the following milestones:
1) 600 matches (as of 1 January of the commitment year);
2) 12 years of service;
3) 31 years of age (as of 1 January of the commitment year).
If all three (3) conditions are met then the player has a complete exemption from the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 player commitment.
B. A player who is eligible for a reduction of his ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitment tournaments must be in good standing with the ATP in order to receive a reduction of required ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitment tournaments.
Federer meets all of the conditions so he is free as a bird...
Yes I did see Newzoids, it was pretty accurate
Is John-Boy cool off court? I'd say supporting the GOP and Israel is the opposite of cool, but that's just me.
I'll give you that Isner's volleys have improved, but I see no improvement in his ground game. BH is still shocking and he can only hit the inside out FH well.
I agree that Fab is insecure. His ego is so fragile that he can't play at his best and then lose. So he'll give a token effort.
Blatant tanking is never defensible though - so unprofessional and a real insult to the fans.
I don't think Stan's form is good enough to be confident in the upset. It is being played at night though, which will neutralise Nadal's topspin and Stan will be able to hit BHs at chest height.
I think Serena's got an elbow injury.
A nuclear war in Nadal's shorts :cool:
That was me. He was playing pretty badly (well for Rafas usual invincible clay court standards anyway) leading up to the FO last year. I didn't say he would pull out of the FO but that he could pull out if he kept losing in the build up tournaments. But he got his act together at the last minute. So it wouldn't surprise me if he does the same again this year.
Yeah I love the Andy Murray puppet on Newzoids. The Happy song was hilarious the other night. I bet even Andy finds it funny.
Haha you have to win two sets to win a match and Bellucci did not come close to winning a second.
I'm sorry but you genuinely confuse me? You were going on all the start of the year about how Djok would win everything and he's 'unstoppable' and suddenly now he's 'not invincible'? You're now talking up Rafa after being pretty much negative all year about his chances, even betting against him!
I'd doubt "everyone" said he wouldn't win it now! Even if they do, who cares
Sorry jewels have to agree with CC here John's groundstrokes are still very subpar for a top player. Against Kei they were on fire alright at Miami but haven't seen anything much since. Hitting basic mid-court balls into the net or yards over the baseline, even against average defenders like Berdych
His style is just awful in general, like a cow on ice most of the time
Can't see Stan putting it up to Rafa at all myself but who knows