Roland Garros 2018 + The Draw

luvsports! wrote:Was about to do a post on this but saw that this thread was here so I thought better of it.
Imo, the names who could trouble Rafa.
http://richard-mills-sports.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/can-anyone-stop-rafael-nadal-from.html

Yo brooo!!!!!

Nice one.

You have progressed from Apple Tango to Proseco!

You know me....I am a tough critic...

I had to chuckle at the mention of Chung (how much did Tenez pay you to mention him?)

And of course the Norrie guy...if ever there was a dark horse!!!

Anyway, when I start thinking about who may beat Nadal, I can’t wait for RG to finish...
But you know what...maybe all this will work like some super jinx...you know the end is nigh when I say Nadal is favourite...

Jahu wrote:No he is not going  to Paris for that. More of a I hope I'll do good in Paris and by W even better.

Don't think he is fond of that trophy much, it started his downhill 

No way. He is going to Paris for trophy. He doesn’t know any ither way.

naxroy wrote:We all have the same few names on mind but I have the feeling that maybe someone totally unherad of may do it


in the end, it has to happen someday

I think it has to be a team effort. If he plays multiple players who can tire him (los picadores) , then one will slay him with the muleta!

Ole!

bogbrush wrote:Would Fed get a place if he applied now?

We all know and say that it would be crazy for Fed to play, and that we do not want him to.  Yet, deep down, we all wish he played...

noleisthebest wrote:I had to chuckle at the mention of Chung (how much did Tenez pay you to mention him?)

I think that if healthy, Chung has as good a chance as anyone (still a long shot, of course).

He plays the right kind of game - steady off both wings, defends well.  He played really well vs Zverev up to 4:1 in the first set (and that with Zverev himself playing well too).  He then started making too many errors, but he may have had health issues.

He is just the right height - taller than Goffin and Nishi (who are too short) and shorter than Zverev (who is too tall).  He is the same height as Nole, and has a little more firepower.

luvsports! wrote:Was about to do a post on this but saw that this thread was here so I thought better of it.
Imo, the names who could trouble Rafa.
http://richard-mills-sports.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/can-anyone-stop-rafael-nadal-from.html

This so called Richard Mills has no clue on tennis, been reading him lately 

I agree that 2 long tough heavy big hitter matches in a row for Rafa might be his end at RG. Don't think he is at even 90% of last years form.

Chung wont play Roland Garros

summerblues wrote:
I think that if healthy, Chung has as good a chance as anyone (still a long shot, of course

It’s all nice in theory, but when was Chung last healthy and fit? (in NextGen WTF last November, btw).

He is the new Nishi minus Nishi’s talent.

He comes actoss as a player who can’t physically string more than 3-4 matches.
He is too heavy to be playing Nole’s game.

noleisthebest wrote:

summerblues wrote:
I think that if healthy, Chung has as good a chance as anyone (still a long shot, of course

It’s all nice in theory, but when was Chung last healthy and fit? (in NextGen WTF last November, btw).

No. When he beat Nole at the AO earlier!

And what happened in the next match?
He retired with blisters....

noleisthebest wrote:And what happened in the next match?
He retired with blisters....

If he can take Rafa out and retire the next match, I am happy.

Tenez wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:And what happened in the next match?
He retired with blisters....

If he can take Rafa out and retire the next match, I am happy.

I forgot about that!
Still, as we heard, he isn't even playing RG...It'll have to be Norrie!

noleisthebest wrote:

Tenez wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:And what happened in the next match?
He retired with blisters....

If he can take Rafa out and retire the next match, I am happy.

I forgot about that!
Still, as we heard, he isn't even playing RG...It'll have to be Norrie!

Isn't Chung playing the French?

which is the hardest possible route you can imagine for Nadal?

naxroy wrote:Chung wont play Roland Garros

no he wont

naxroy wrote:

naxroy wrote:Chung wont play Roland Garros

no he wont

Annoying I can see he retired from this week's tournament in spite of having won the first round 61 61.

he certainly has missed a lot of tournaments so far!

Tenez wrote:

naxroy wrote:

naxroy wrote:Chung wont play Roland Garros

no he wont

Annoying I can see he retired from this week's tournament in spite of having won the first round 61 61.

he certainly has missed a lot of tournaments so far!

My mistake. He did not enter this week. He was projected to play but did not. The match I was referring to was 2 weeks ago in Munich.

Draw tomorrow at 7pm.

Current odds:

Rafael Nadal 1/2
Dominic Thiem 12/1
Novak Djokovic 12/1
Alexander Zverev 22/1
Juan Martin del Potro 22/1 (I thought he wasn't playing???)

naxroy wrote:Chung wont play Roland Garros

Oh No!  Our last best hope, our secret weapon, where are you?    

naxroy wrote:which is the hardest possible route you can imagine for Nadal?

Rd 1:  Coric
Rd 2: Tsitsipas
Rd 3: Rublev
Rd 4: Djokovic (who would need to beat someone seeded above him to get there)
QF: Thiem
SF: Dimitrov (or maybe Goffin after beating someone seeding above him)
F: Zverev

summerblues wrote:

naxroy wrote:which is the hardest possible route you can imagine for Nadal?

Rd 1:  Coric
Rd 2: Tsitsipas
Rd 3: Rublev
Rd 4: Djokovic (who would need to beat someone seeded above him to get there)
QF: Thiem
SF: Dimitrov (or maybe Goffin after beating someone seeding above him)
F: Zverev

Even if this was the actual draw, I have very serious doubts Dimi and Zverev will make this far to face Nadal.

I would like to mix someone Nadal hasn't played before and has a strong but unique game. Tiafoe. I would have Fognini too somewhere in the path.

I can guarantee one thing - Nadal will have an easy draw and Nole won’t.
Always has been always will be!

summerblues wrote:

bogbrush wrote:Would Fed get a place if he applied now?

We all know and say that it would be crazy for Fed to play, and that we do not want him to.  Yet, deep down, we all wish he played...

That's what I was thinking.

I am imagining him secure in the opposite side, with Nadal facing Chung, Thiem, Zverev in increasingly arduous battles, scraping through to face afresh Fed in the final who uses a most aggressive approach to clean him out in three.

I would actually swap my much hoped for Champions League win for Liverpool for that!

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:Even if this was the actual draw, I have very serious doubts Dimi and Zverev will make this far to face Nadal.

Agree for dimi...but why not Zverev? He has had bad results at slams in the past but doesn;t mean it will always be the case. Similar to his ability to beat Nadal on clay. You might have thought the case impossible 2 months ago...but by Rome he was a real threat to Nadal. At this age, things can change quickly.

I would like to mix someone Nadal hasn't played before and has a strong but unique game. Tiafoe. I would have Fognini too somewhere in the path.

Good point about Tifaoe. but in my view a good Goffin can do damages too...as frankly he should have beaten Zverev in Rome.

Use underarm serves: https://www.news18.com/news/sports/underarm-serve-the-way-to-stop-rafael-nadal-when-all-else-fails-why-not-1758219.html?ref=hp_ht_pos_7

Th way Nadal stands 10m behind, this is not a bad ploy. Just that its considered too low among players that they never try it.

Give big moon-balls, high deep ones which are difficult to time.

You have to keep Nadal guessing and moving. Its difficult on clay, but this is the only way he can lose.

Goffin lacks a good serve in the armory. He need to put some more spin to add some safety on shots. His fitness is also doubtful. Unless injury-free beating a fit Nadal on clay is out of question.

summerblues wrote:

naxroy wrote:which is the hardest possible route you can imagine for Nadal?

Rd 1:  Coric
Rd 2: Tsitsipas
Rd 3: Rublev
Rd 4: Djokovic (who would need to beat someone seeded above him to get there)
QF: Thiem
SF: Dimitrov (or maybe Goffin after beating someone seeding above him)
F: Zverev

pfff, if this is his toughest route, why even bother?
Dimi won't get to the semi and with Nole there are no certainties either.

bogbrush wrote:

summerblues wrote:

bogbrush wrote:Would Fed get a place if he applied now?

We all know and say that it would be crazy for Fed to play, and that we do not want him to.  Yet, deep down, we all wish he played...

That's what I was thinking.

I am imagining him secure in the opposite side, with Nadal facing Chung, Thiem, Zverev in increasingly arduous battles, scraping through to face afresh Fed in the final who uses a most aggressive approach to clean him out in three.

I would actually swap my much hoped for Champions League win for Liverpool for that!

Told you guys, that is the only challenge (Nadal in 5) left for Federer. Beating him there without even winning the FO would be nicer than another Wimby title.

I am pretty sure Fed would fancy that challenge except for the 6 matches he has to play beforehand.

Maybe next year if he (or both) goes down the ranking, he will have a go.

gallery play wrote:

summerblues wrote:

naxroy wrote:which is the hardest possible route you can imagine for Nadal?

Rd 1:  Coric
Rd 2: Tsitsipas
Rd 3: Rublev
Rd 4: Djokovic (who would need to beat someone seeded above him to get there)
QF: Thiem
SF: Dimitrov (or maybe Goffin after beating someone seeding above him)
F: Zverev

pfff, if this is his toughest route, why even bother?
Dimi won't get to the semi and with Nole there are no certainties either.

I woudl sign for that....but with Nadal luck we are likely to have

1 - unknown qualifier, 2 - unknown qualifier, 3 - Berloq's finding form, 4th Smyczek ....

Tenez wrote:

gallery play wrote:

summerblues wrote:

naxroy wrote:which is the hardest possible route you can imagine for Nadal?

Rd 1:  Coric
Rd 2: Tsitsipas
Rd 3: Rublev
Rd 4: Djokovic (who would need to beat someone seeded above him to get there)
QF: Thiem
SF: Dimitrov (or maybe Goffin after beating someone seeding above him)
F: Zverev

pfff, if this is his toughest route, why even bother?
Dimi won't get to the semi and with Nole there are no certainties either.

I woudl sign for that....but with Nadal luck we are likely to have

1 - unknown qualifier, 2 - unknown qualifier, 3 - Berloq's finding form,  4th Smyczek ....

Yeah, and don't forget the surprise finalist, type Anderson

An underarm serve can throw an opponent into a surprise. If standing 8m behind the BL is success formula for Nadal, his opponents have to drag him forward.

https://vimeo.com/266748395



https://www.braingametennis.com/whats-wrong-with-an-underarm-serve/

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:An underarm serve can throw an opponent into a surprise. If standing 8m behind the BL is success formula for Nadal, his opponents have to drag him forward.

https://vimeo.com/266748395



https://www.braingametennis.com/whats-wrong-with-an-underarm-serve/

For a couple of points maybe...but over 3 sets v Nadal? doubt it!

Tenez wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:An underarm serve can throw an opponent into a surprise. If standing 8m behind the BL is success formula for Nadal, his opponents have to drag him forward.

https://vimeo.com/266748395



https://www.braingametennis.com/whats-wrong-with-an-underarm-serve/

For a couple of points maybe...but over 3 sets v Nadal? doubt it!

A couple of points can make or break a couple of sets, margins are very thin in tennis. Its adds some doubts in Nadal's mind, he can get uncomfortable and jittery and his plan is disrupted. Its totally worth to get those.

Else if Nadal gets what he wants (The BIG Chatrier court, slow clay and slow balls are already with him), the opponent has NO chance. Take a chance to win than a route with no chance at all.

gallery play wrote:

Yeah, and don't forget the surprise finalist, type Anderson

or type djokovic or federer as it happened 16 times out of 23 finals

Why would they give Chatrier to the 10 times champion and world number 1, right?

naxroy wrote:

gallery play wrote:

Yeah, and don't forget the surprise finalist, type Anderson

or type djokovic or federer as it happened 16 times out of 23 finals

Who are the type Djokovices or Federers here? 

There aren't any, are they?

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:

Tenez wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:An underarm serve can throw an opponent into a surprise. If standing 8m behind the BL is success formula for Nadal, his opponents have to drag him forward.

https://vimeo.com/266748395



https://www.braingametennis.com/whats-wrong-with-an-underarm-serve/

For a couple of points maybe...but over 3 sets v Nadal? doubt it!

A couple of points can make or break a couple of sets, margins are very thin in tennis. Its adds some doubts in Nadal's mind, he can get uncomfortable and jittery and his plan is disrupted. Its totally worth to get those.

Else if Nadal gets what he wants (The BIG Chatrier court, slow clay and slow balls are already with him), the opponent has NO chance. Take a chance to win than a route with no chance at all.

No one --besides Rosol - has the balls to pull it off. They all know how much fuss Nadal would be making during and after the match. "Disrespectful", "very very bad", "bad for tennis"... blah blah blah

gallery play wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:

Tenez wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:An underarm serve can throw an opponent into a surprise. If standing 8m behind the BL is success formula for Nadal, his opponents have to drag him forward.
https://vimeo.com/266748395
https://www.braingametennis.com/whats-wrong-with-an-underarm-serve/

For a couple of points maybe...but over 3 sets v Nadal? doubt it!

A couple of points can make or break a couple of sets, margins are very thin in tennis. Its adds some doubts in Nadal's mind, he can get uncomfortable and jittery and his plan is disrupted. Its totally worth to get those.
Else if Nadal gets what he wants (The BIG Chatrier court, slow clay and slow balls are already with him), the opponent has NO chance. Take a chance to win than a route with no chance at all.

No one --besides Rosol - has the balls to pull it off. They all know how much fuss Nadal would be making during and after the match. "Disrespectful", "very very bad", "bad for tennis"... blah blah blah

I thought along the same lines!
Only Czechs are crazy enough - Stepanek, Klizan...

Everyone else is so servile it makes me sick.

the good news is that Nadal also returns like this on grass. So anyone with a decent volley and a brain can take him out. Which is always a pleasant view. On grass he can not inject the same amount of spin and should be too late to the right position to play the rally. The right position on grass that is.

gallery play wrote:the good news is that Nadal also returns like this on grass. So anyone with a decent volley and a brain can take him out. Which is always a pleasant view. On grass he can not inject the same amount of spin and should be too late to the right position to play the rally. The right position on grass that is.

I think Nadal doesn't have a chance on grass any more.
Many players can take him out now in week one, so many it's difficult to even rig a draw for him!

The thing that annoys me is how scared everyone is of him, I can only think the players are either thick or are brainwashed by ATP to worship him "who has done so much for tennis", almost as if he is putting bread on their table.

naxroy wrote:

gallery play wrote:

Yeah, and don't forget the surprise finalist, type Anderson

or type djokovic or federer as it happened 16 times out of 23 finals

The key is how many times had to go trough both Federer and Djokovic in the semis en route to his finals.
Especially in USO (or AO?Wimbledon for that matter...)


And I am sure Nole faced Fedal (or "big 3") in finals more than Nadal.
He never had cakewalk finals like Nadal, eg Berdych in Wimbledon '10, last USO etc.


Nadal has been a very protected player from very early on.

So much so, I am convinced he actually hands in the list of players he doesn't want to face in his draw to TDs.
Toni must have done so much backstage elbowing for his nephew...all in the name of The Show, of course.

Tenez wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:An underarm serve can throw an opponent into a surprise. If standing 8m behind the BL is success formula for Nadal, his opponents have to drag him forward.

https://vimeo.com/266748395



https://www.braingametennis.com/whats-wrong-with-an-underarm-serve/

For a couple of points maybe...but over 3 sets v Nadal? doubt it!

The trick isn't to win the points, it's to cause him to play a different game. If he decides he has to step in you've already "won" on game plan, and hopefully other points will follow if you get a good first serve in to him standing in.

Live updates on RG draw.

First pair drawn - Nadal-Dolgo!

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2018/05/24/french-open-2018-draw-live-updates/

SHAPAVALOV

Here we go, “Nadal’s path to glory”:

R1: Dolgopolov
R2: Sousa/Pella
R3: Gasquet
R4: Shapovalov/Sock
QF: Schwartzman/Anderson
SF: Cilic
F:   Zverev




Let’s see....how many wins vs Nadal do all these players have put together...on any surface?




Zverev, Thiem and Nole all in the same half...now what a surprise that is!

Nole’s route:

R1 – qualifier (I bet it’s going to be Klizan!)
R2 – David Ferrer
R3 – Roberto Bautista Agut
R4 – Grigor Dimitrov
1/4 final – David Goffin
1/2 final – Dominic Thiem /Alexandar Zverev
final - Rafael Nadal

noleisthebest wrote:Nole’s route:

R1 – qualifier (I bet it’s going to be Klizan!)
R2 – David Ferrer
R3 – Roberto Bautista Agut
R4 – Grigor Dimitrov
1/4 final – David Goffin
1/2 final – Dominic Thiem /Alexandar Zverev
final - Rafael Nadal

Tasty draw

Happy that the most prestigious slam is only a couple of days ahead of us