Barcelona 2018

Basically same field as Monte Carlo (minus Shapovalov) plus Chung.

Almost the same draw, too:


http://www.protennislive.com/posting/2018/425/mds.pdf

http://www.protennislive.com/posting/2018/425/mds.pd

Yes that should be interesting.

I looked at what Shapo is doing this week and he is playing in Budapest...reaching career high ranking of 43.

It’s a 250 field.

Draw

http://www.protennislive.com/posting/2018/7648/mds.pdf




Federer exactly 100 points behind Nadal which of curse sucks!!!
(Have the points for Barcelona been taken off? if so Fed has no chance of regaining no 1this week?)

The curse of Fed’s lost number one has hit Kokkinakos who lost in R1 of Monte Carlo after tripping on some adds.
In hindsight, must have ben dead tired to have lost to Kokkinakis in R1. 
That sucks, too.  

Ljubicic said that last year they practised for RG but decided against going last minute. This year they apparently didn't even order balls for practice, which I never doubted, anyway.
This OZ/Wimbledon schedule looks like is giving him just enough breathing space.

If he plays next year, I hope Fed skips Miami or the entire “sunshine double”
and does play on clay once more, though I know that is in the realm of science fiction.
I’d love just to physically see him in bright colours sliding, hitting one of those CC putaway FHs...aaaaah.....



Also justice for Llayani who caught his foot in some cables.

As we say in Serbia, over a priest there is a priest!

lol.

No any slip up from Nadal and Fed recovers his number 1 spot.

Klizan kicking ass. A few good points to break Djoko for 5:3 in 3rd.

Djoko should of gone to Bucharest and enjoy some good matches with lower ranked players, and not lose on first round here.

At least Pepe is sitting in the box with a heart on his t-shirt and a heart neckles too, its all about LOVEEEEE

Well, not a surprise.

Didn't watch and if really that idiot Pepe was in the box I am glad he lost.

Looks like Chung pulled out of Barcelona. With Nishi being injured and Djoko lacking confidence, that makes Nadal's draw much easier!

Barcelona ‘18 is so boring I had a look at our old threads...this was my post first post from ‘12:

noleisthebest wrote:First&second round matches of interest:

Stepanek-Gulbis
Davydenko-Berdych
Paire-Nadal
Berankis-Montanes
Simon-Nieminen
Monfils-Fognini

Compate it to this year!

Djokovic will lull Rafa into false sense of security.  And when they meet at RG, Rafa will be tired having played 20+ matches on clay already, but it will only be maybe Nole's 8th or 9th match of the season and he will be bursting with freshness and energy.

Rafa is slipping; dropped 8 games in his first match - far worse than in any of his MC matches.  If he continues to decline like this, he will not win RG and will be ready to retire by the USO.

noleisthebest wrote:I looked at what Shapo is doing this week and he is playing in Budapest...reaching career high ranking of 43.

Can he win it? If he is anyway going to be as great as we hope he would, he should start winning against the field as this. Fed won his first title about 18 years old and came through a much toucher field.

Else its a looooong road..

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:I looked at what Shapo is doing this week and he is playing in Budapest...reaching career high ranking of 43.

Can he win it? If he is anyway going to be as great as we hope he would, he should start winning against the field as this. Fed won his first title about 18 years old and came through a much toucher field.

Else its a looooong road..

Agreed.

He's got the game to do it at a 250 tournament. It doesn't help though that his mother is holding a soft toy in the box to "encourage" him.

I know it's tough out on the court, but it ain't a place for boys.

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:I looked at what Shapo is doing this week and he is playing in Budapest...reaching career high ranking of 43.

Can he win it? If he is anyway going to be as great as we hope he would, he should start winning against the field as this. Fed won his first title about 18 years old and came through a much toucher field.

Else its a looooong road..

But if you had had the same approach in 2000, you would have put your money on Hewitt, not Federer.

Tenez wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:I looked at what Shapo is doing this week and he is playing in Budapest...reaching career high ranking of 43.

Can he win it? If he is anyway going to be as great as we hope he would, he should start winning against the field as this. Fed won his first title about 18 years old and came through a much toucher field.

Else its a looooong road..

But if you had had the same approach in 2000, you would have put your money on Hewitt, not Federer.

In the year 2000, it would have been Hewitt. He was better than Fed in the year 2000. The first major hurdle was crossed in W-2003. Untill then Fed wasn't 'The Fed'.

In 2000, Was I expecting Fed to become this good, win 20 slam and still counting.
No, but when he won the W-2004, he transformed himself into the GOAT league. And I did expect him to be 10+ slam winner and easily. But I didn't sense a certain Nadal emerging.

Maybe Shapo will also transform after he wins a tournament. But if he doesn't that would mean the big hurdle is still not crossed.

summerblues wrote:Djokovic will lull Rafa into false sense of security.  And when they meet at RG, Rafa will be tired having played 20+ matches on clay already, but it will only be maybe Nole's 8th or 9th match of the season and he will be bursting with freshness and energy.

If it’s optimism or humour, it’s a very high level in either.

If it’s serious then you need help.

bogbrush wrote:

summerblues wrote:Djokovic will lull Rafa into false sense of security.  And when they meet at RG, Rafa will be tired having played 20+ matches on clay already, but it will only be maybe Nole's 8th or 9th match of the season and he will be bursting with freshness and energy.

If it’s optimism or humour, it’s a very high level in either.

If it’s serious then you need help.

Never, ever underestimate a Serb.

bogbrush wrote:

summerblues wrote:Djokovic will lull Rafa into false sense of security.  And when they meet at RG, Rafa will be tired having played 20+ matches on clay already, but it will only be maybe Nole's 8th or 9th match of the season and he will be bursting with freshness and energy.

If it’s optimism or humour, it’s a very high level in either.

If it’s serious then you need help.

I read it as humour. ...Though I am sure Djoko coudl switch it on if he faced Nadal.

I remember even before Djoko went down...I always said that Djoko was more likely to lose early than Nadal...but if they were to meet, Djoko would always win (across surfaces).

It's quite interesting to watch this Garcia-Lopez Nadal match. I always like GL's game. A bit lazy but a good shot maker.

However it is evident that those guys know before the match start that there are not physically fit to challenge the Mallorcan. This latter making sure from the first point to show his reluctant power. GL from the very beginning refused to get to run the distance. He does not even try to fight.

Yesterday we had another spanish guy, lowly ranked who did not mind the running and managed to score a few good games and even break Nadal.

So as much as the score can be impressive, most of the matches Nadal wins are won before they start.

This is where Djokovic and Murray were extremely useful. They liked this physical fight and were not afraid of taking Nadal to the distance on clay.

bogbrush wrote:If it’s optimism or humour, it’s a very high level in either.

It was an attempt at humor.

But if Rafa does end up playing Nole at RG, I am sure I will be looking for hope in all corners and I may well start telling myself that surely Rafa at 32 must be tired having played 20+ matches already (nothwithstanding that I should know better than that).  And so will you, and Tenez, and Daniel, and nitb, .....

Jahu, on the other hand, will enjoy the inevitable mauling that Rafa will inflict on Nole.

noleisthebest wrote:Never, ever underestimate a Serb.

I don't know.  From where I stand, it looks like poor Alfie Evans has a better chance of being in shape by RG than Nole does.

- Right now, Nole has 2220 points
- 960 will come off after Rome and Madrid, leaving him with 1260
- 1260 points would currently put him at #40 in the world

- points for players ranked 32 and slightly below currently are:
32. Dzumhur 1415
33. Ferrer 1405
34. Murray 1360
35. Kohlschreiber 1320
36. Verdasco 1305
37. Khachanov 1300

Hard to tell for sure, but two more losses in his opening matches in Rome and Madrid would quite possibly leave him unseeded at RG.  Still a long shot, even in his current form he is bound to win a match here and there, but not impossible.

And if he does end up unseeded, will he be a dangerous floater, or a gimmie?

Shapo lost and badly too.

I’m looking at my 1st round Centre tickets for day 1 and wondering whether I’ll fluke a Federer vs Murray or Djokovic match.

bogbrush wrote:I’m looking at my 1st round Centre tickets for day 1 and wondering whether I’ll fluke a Federer vs Murray or Djokovic match.

If that happens it is unlikely to be fluke. Similar to the Isner Mahut first round match right after their epic of the previous year.

Wow. Impressed by what I saw of Tsitsipas. Never quite watched him and thought he was too much of a retriever....which he still might be but on clay his game came alive!

BTW, where has been Coric? I'd expect him to do well on clay!

I saw him get battered by Shap at the Aus, he was completely outpowered.
But I saw him at Doha and he was thwacking it.
That is a great result as he was a break down in the first vs Thiem.

Yes but since he beat Shapo on clay in MC. So clearly clay seems to suit him as he has not lost a set this week.

Nadal is playing with lots of confidence. His shots are deep and powerful and his BH is pacier.

As much as it annoys me in that case it proves once again, that peaking is closer to 30 than 26.

Amazing rallies from both. Klizan hits harder but of course makes more mistakes.

On the train,  not watching...can Klizan beat Nadal?

He has a mad nerve a la Rosol and def won’t choke.

Come on Martin!!!!

Klizan being robbed at a crucial point. 30/15 instead of 40/0 on his serve. Still manages to win the game and leads 5/3.

Klizan is dead on his leg....will have a 2mn break to recover and serve it out.

And Now Klizan being robbed of a first serve.

Tenez wrote:Klizan being robbed at a crucial point. 30/15 instead of 40/0 on his serve. Still manages to win the game and leads 5/3.

Yes, it’s that extra “help” that often pushes Nadal over the line...which is why that failed HE call on a match point in AO17 final was extra super sweet!

Tenez wrote:And Now Klizan being robbed of a first serve.

How?

And wastes 3 SPs.

5 all.

noleisthebest wrote:

Tenez wrote:And Now Klizan being robbed of a first serve.

How?

A great first serve called out and corrected by ball mark.

Tenez wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:

Tenez wrote:And Now Klizan being robbed of a first serve.

How?

A great first serve called out and corrected by ball mark.

It makes me sick, I can imagine Klizan...

noleisthebest wrote:

Tenez wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:

Tenez wrote:And Now Klizan being robbed of a first serve.

How?

A great first serve called out and corrected by ball mark.

It makes me sick, I can imagine Klizan...

He still got 3 SPs. But in any case he would never had had the fitness to win the 3rd. In fact he lost the second set cause of lack of fitness too.

Tenez wrote:Wow. Impressed by what I saw of Tsitsipas. Never quite watched him and thought he was too much of a retriever....which he still might be but on clay his game came alive!

BTW, where has been Coric? I'd expect him to do well on clay!

Excellent!

He is a confident young player, gritty, as well.

Quite tall so not that quick on the feet but I like his game even though it’s simple.

It’s essentially a SBH-er’s game.

Tenez wrote:He still got 3 SPs

In years to come, this match will be known in the tennis lore of Spring 2019 as "the match when Rafa faced setpoints".

Tenez wrote:BTW, where has been Coric? I'd expect him to do well on clay!

It is still early going and he may have been emotionally tired from the HC swing where he did quite well.  He was beaten by some loser early in MC and he is not playing this week.  He may still do well in Rome/Madrid/RG, but can he beat Rafa?  I don't think so.

David vs Goliath in the SF.  Rafa has played most of the potentially tricky opponents this season already (Thiem, Zverev, Nishi) and destroyed them all.  Goffin is among the remaining few that have not played him yet.

Does Goffin have a chance?  I think he does - ever so tiny, but it is there.  Goffin has the right kind of game, so I will be hoping.

Goffin has a chance in theory.

In practice, there are umpires who allow Nadal to take as much time between the points as he likes and condone linesmen who cheat on important points.

So, Goliath is in pole position without having to lift his little finger and David has to kill him twice to secure a victory.

I don;t think Nadal played Zverev on clay this year. Thiem and Nishi were clearly below par. That's the main problem. We don;t know how good really Nadal is...though I admit he looks very good. But again he gets tested by two players who are 140 in the world.

Tenez wrote:I don;t think Nadal played Zverev on clay this year. Thiem and Nishi were clearly below par. That's the main problem. We don;t know how good really Nadal is...though I admit he looks very good. But again he gets tested by two players who are 140 in the world.

He beat Zverev 6-1 6-4 6-4, i believe, in Davis Cup this year.

Nadal doesn't have a rival on clay.  It's the weakest clay era there has ever been which is bad news for tennis - because Nadal is the best on clay this era (we can debate what he'd be like in Borg's era - but with smaller wooden racquets I am willing to bet he wouldn't dominate this way at all).

So we have one of strongest clay players in history with one of the weakest clay eras. 

Work it out.

The first time I saw Tsitsipas. Quite good looking game with solid firepower off both wings. Not quite as explosive as Shapo, but much more interesting than Thiem. Still a little up and down, but very good for his age. He may even have a chance vs Goffin tomorrow. If Rafa somehow makes the final, he will be too much for Tsitsipas though. Plus that SHBH will be a liability.

Tsitsipas lost a sneaker during one point - never seen that happen before.

So far so good.