Roland Garros - 2019

Thiem needs to be careful not to lose his focus.

Ffs.

legendkillar wrote:

Tenez wrote:

legendkillar wrote:At least for almost 2 sets it was competitive enough match. The breaks in the second killed it.

Yes just a shame the conds did not allow Fed to redline like he can do.

The conds whilst an equaliser did negate a more attacking game. I still think Federer will rue some missed key chances. If he had gone 3-0 in the 2nd, might've been a different match altogether. 

Once Nadal got on the front foot, his confidence shot up. For 2 and a bit sets, he looked nervous and played tentatively.

In retrospect when I see how it affects Djokovic who hits the ball a bit flatter than Thiem I think Fed did very well to get close for 2 sets. Playing under stormy conds v Nadal is simply hell. 

I would have loved to see a Fed v Djoko semi and a Thiem v Nadal one.... Could have been very different as we know Djoko hates the wind more than Nadal.

Shame it was not these weather conditions for Fed vs. Nadal with a bit of rain and slightly less wind despite still windy. Fed would have gotten at least a set then, he was so close in set 2 already earlier!

Thiem needs this second set or screech will grind him down

Djokovic will break now

Nole right back in it.

Emancipator wrote:Thiem needs this second set or screech will grind him down

I dunno.  I don't remember ever seeing Thiem tired.

Cmon Novak! Thiem won't beat Nadal... No way.

Match over

Novak played better in the second set, but Thiem also became sloppy.  I think it was going too easily and he lost focus.  I still have hope.

if the draw had been...
if the schedule had been ...
if it had rained
if it had not been windy
if 
if
if

LOL. Nole even got the overhead right and still lost the point.

naxroy wrote:if the draw had been...
if the schedule had been ...
if it had rained
if it had not been windy
if 
if
if

if only somebody - anybody - can beat Rafa on Sunday.

Fabulous overhead from Screech. Another classic

summerblues wrote:

if only somebody - anybody - can beat Rafa on Sunday.

both men in the second semifinal are capable of beating rafa

but I think Nole is the best option for those not wanting another RG for Nadal

summerblues wrote:

Emancipator wrote:Thiem needs this second set or screech will grind him down

I dunno.  I don't remember ever seeing Thiem tired.

Physically he’ll be fine but can he maintain the level required for 5 sets.

naxroy wrote:

summerblues wrote:

if only somebody - anybody - can beat Rafa on Sunday.

both men in the second semifinal are capable of beating rafa

but I think Nole is the best option for those not wanting another RG for Nadal

That is what I would normally think.  But looking at Nole today I am not so sure.  He does not look very convincing at all.

Emancipator wrote:

summerblues wrote:

Emancipator wrote:Thiem needs this second set or screech will grind him down

I dunno.  I don't remember ever seeing Thiem tired.

Physically he’ll be fine but can he maintain the level required for 5 sets.

I do not think he is redlining.  If anything I think he was below par in the second set.  I think he can maintain the level he is playing at right now.

summerblues wrote:

That is what I would normally think.  But looking at Nole today I am not so sure.  He does not look very convincing at all.

I am sure Nadal prefers Thiem in the final

naxroy wrote:

summerblues wrote:

That is what I would normally think.  But looking at Nole today I am not so sure.  He does not look very convincing at all.

I am sure Nadal prefers Thiem in the final

Oh yes - Djokovic is the one player he fears as somebody who can regularly beat him on clay without the stars having to align.

Thiem not bad now, if he can keep it up.

naxroy wrote:

summerblues wrote:

That is what I would normally think.  But looking at Nole today I am not so sure.  He does not look very convincing at all.

I am sure Nadal prefers Thiem in the final

Yeah, I am sure you are right. Even so, cannot bring myself to root for Nole vs Thiem.

Thiem breaks, go go go

Djoko at the Net has to be one of lifes best funny moments.

Rain again, Djoko runs away like a pussy.

EuroSport critisizing Djoko for barely raining while he did a run-off.

Nadal laghing at his Hotel room while having a hot bath.

If Djokovic wins this he'll start his 55th match vs. Nadal, thus far he's on 28-26.  He has played 47 matches vs. Federer and is 25-22.

So that's 101 matches vs. Fedal thus far (53-48) out of his career tally of 1044 matches (864-180).

It's absolutely insane that he has played nearly 10% of his career matches vs. those two, but has still achieved so much success.

Jahu wrote:Nadal laghing at his Hotel room while having a hot bath.

He does not know the power of 2019 Dominator.

barrystar wrote:If Djokovic wins this he'll start his 55th match vs. Nadal, thus far he's on 28-26.  He has played 47 matches vs. Federer and is 25-22.

So that's 101 matches vs. Fedal thus far (53-48) out of his career tally of 1044 matches (864-180).

It's absolutely insane that he has played nearly 10% of his career matches vs. those two, but has still achieved so much success.

Well.  Yay and nay.  You can turn this around, no?  He has played them so much because he has achieved so much success?

barrystar wrote:If Djokovic wins this he'll start his 55th match vs. Nadal, thus far he's on 28-26.  He has played 47 matches vs. Federer and is 25-22.

So that's 101 matches vs. Fedal thus far (53-48) out of his career tally of 1044 matches (864-180).

It's absolutely insane that he has played nearly 10% of his career matches vs. those two, but has still achieved so much success.

massive stat

incredible really what the three of them have achieved, despite having the other two around

which is only explained by the fact that the three of them win 90% of all slams.... hence the frustration with younger generations


but whose fault is it? the new generations or the fact that we have 3 goat level players in the same era? and the three with long careers

Tenez wrote:

legendkillar wrote:

Tenez wrote:

legendkillar wrote:At least for almost 2 sets it was competitive enough match. The breaks in the second killed it.

Yes just a shame the conds did not allow Fed to redline like he can do.

The conds whilst an equaliser did negate a more attacking game. I still think Federer will rue some missed key chances. If he had gone 3-0 in the 2nd, might've been a different match altogether. 

Once Nadal got on the front foot, his confidence shot up. For 2 and a bit sets, he looked nervous and played tentatively.

In retrospect when I see how it affects Djokovic who hits the ball a bit flatter than Thiem I think Fed did very well to get close for 2 sets. Playing under stormy conds v Nadal is simply hell. 

I would have loved to see a Fed v Djoko semi and a Thiem v Nadal one.... Could have been very different as we know Djoko hates the wind more than Nadal.

The conditions negated Nadal's biggest weapon, that FH. He couldn't rip the topspin FH and couldn't flatten it. Interestingly Fed's difficultly with his FH was trying to hit straight, but the wind kept bring the ball closer inside the lines. 

What was interesting was how effective both BH's were. Flat and the CCBH's were burning both players. 

As the match went on the conditions softened, Nadal further put the throttle down. 

Indeed had Federer had Djokovic, might've fancied him more in that match up.

summerblues wrote:

barrystar wrote:If Djokovic wins this he'll start his 55th match vs. Nadal, thus far he's on 28-26.  He has played 47 matches vs. Federer and is 25-22.

So that's 101 matches vs. Fedal thus far (53-48) out of his career tally of 1044 matches (864-180).

It's absolutely insane that he has played nearly 10% of his career matches vs. those two, but has still achieved so much success.

Well.  Yay and nay.  You can turn this around, no?  He has played them so much because he has achieved so much success?

Not quite.  It is true that to get to play them so much he has needed success, but that has been against the rest of the field.  My point was the slightly different one that he has achieved success despite having had to play them and therefore to beat them so often.  For example, he has played 18 finals vs. Fed (12-6) and 26 finals vs. Nadal (15-11), so 44 finals (27-17) against those two out of the total he's played of 108 (74-34).  It's quite extraordinary - neither Federer nor Nadal have had to achieve such a high proportion of their success by beating the other two members of the triumverate.

Done for today. Thiem/Nole have to come back tomorrow.

I suspect ladies are now happier to have played on side courts and completed their matches, then Nole/Thiem are getting to play on Chatrier but coming back tomorrow.

I don't understand it. It does not look to me like it is raining there at all right now. Why not try to see if maybe they can finish tonight?

barrystar wrote:

summerblues wrote:

barrystar wrote:If Djokovic wins this he'll start his 55th match vs. Nadal, thus far he's on 28-26.  He has played 47 matches vs. Federer and is 25-22.

So that's 101 matches vs. Fedal thus far (53-48) out of his career tally of 1044 matches (864-180).

It's absolutely insane that he has played nearly 10% of his career matches vs. those two, but has still achieved so much success.

Well.  Yay and nay.  You can turn this around, no?  He has played them so much because he has achieved so much success?

Not quite.  It is true that to get to play them so much he has needed success, but that has been against the rest of the field.  My point was the slightly different one that he has achieved success despite having had to play them and therefore to beat them so often.  For example, he has played 18 finals vs. Fed (12-6) and 26 finals vs. Nadal (15-11), so 44 finals (27-17) against those two out of the total he's played of 108 (74-34).  It's quite extraordinary - neither Federer nor Nadal have had to achieve such a high proportion of their success by beating the other two members of the triumverate.

Exactly, and that's why...



NOLE IS THE BEST!  

What the fuck is this bullshit

barrystar wrote:

summerblues wrote:

barrystar wrote:If Djokovic wins this he'll start his 55th match vs. Nadal, thus far he's on 28-26.  He has played 47 matches vs. Federer and is 25-22.

So that's 101 matches vs. Fedal thus far (53-48) out of his career tally of 1044 matches (864-180).

It's absolutely insane that he has played nearly 10% of his career matches vs. those two, but has still achieved so much success.

Well.  Yay and nay.  You can turn this around, no?  He has played them so much because he has achieved so much success?

Not quite.  It is true that to get to play them so much he has needed success, but that has been against the rest of the field.  My point was the slightly different one that he has achieved success despite having had to play them and therefore to beat them so often.  For example, he has played 18 finals vs. Fed (12-6) and 26 finals vs. Nadal (15-11), so 44 finals (27-17) against those two out of the total he's played of 108 (74-34).  It's quite extraordinary - neither Federer nor Nadal have had to achieve such a high proportion of their success by beating the other two members of the triumverate.

Is your point not just simply that his career overlapped with the other two more than their careers overlapped with his?

And then, ultimately, is it not just the usual "weak era" discussion - Fed (and here also Nadal) were luckier because they got to play vs lesser players but he had to play vs the two of them?

And the counterarguments are again the same weak era ones - did he get to play the two of them so much because they were so good (and thus this makes him so much more impressive) or because there was darth of any other strong players (and thus this makes him less impressive)?

and around and around we go.

Or am I missing something?

summerblues wrote:
Or am I missing something?

Just a bit of humility to admit the obvious.

noleisthebest wrote:

summerblues wrote:
Or am I missing something?

Just a bit of humility to admit the obvious.

That nole is the best?

I am just going through Amazon looking for the biggest Serbian flag I can find - just in case I need it for Sunday.  So do not be mean to me now.

Eurosport just reported that Djokovic left the venue, but now it's sunny. So instead of DQing him, they just called off play for the day. There's hours left of sunshine.
John McEnroe also said Djokovic tried to get a deal before his semi that if he has to play the semi on saturday, the final will be delayed to monday, threatening to boycott the French Open if they don't do that. Crazy

Yeah the fake princ of Monaco threatening RG hahaah

He knows well that RG sucks Rafas dick for last 10 years with all benefits.

I don't think anyone can explain away the Triumverate or try to rank their respective achievements by attempting silly wee Kiera arguments.  At the end of the day it's the guy with the most slams that has the most important record by which he will be judged vs. the other two.  Full stop.  I think that's more likely to be one of Federer or Nadal given how far back Djoko is, but we'll see.

It is nonetheless impressive that all the way through his period of greatest success Djoko has had to wade through the treacle of Fedal.  That's all.

DEC1M7 wrote:Eurosport just reported that Djokovic left the venue, but now it's sunny. So instead of DQing him, they just called off play for the day. There's hours left of sunshine.
John McEnroe also said Djokovic tried to get a deal before his semi that if he has to play the semi on saturday, the final will be delayed to monday, threatening to boycott the French Open if they don't do that. Crazy

The forecast for Bois de Boulogne is fine all evening.  

Either main possibility is unimpressive, (i) that RG had stupidly permitted Djoko to leave prematurely, or (ii) RG allowed themselves to be boxed in de facto by a decision of Djoko's to leave early.

I guess there is a sort of third way that they'd screwed up with communications so Djoko legitimately thought they'd said play was over and he could leave but they sorta hadn't.

I wonder what Thiem has been doing - if he was ready to go back out he'd have every right to be fuming.

There is no excuse for any of it, and the story remains, quite rightly, RG and their shambolic scheduling.  Don't forget, they start on a Sunday and have a middle Sunday's play and clay is probably the easiest surface to cope with rain.  It's awful.

final will be played on sunday unless they cant still finish tomorrow

and sincerely, I think they could have finished today... but what do I know

The final will probably be moved to Monday, with Djokovic threatening to boycott otherwise according to John McEnroe. Nadal will have had 2 days off twice in a row, that is not good ahead of a final, especially as he didn't play much tennis in the last 2 matches.
It's perfect for Djokovic to get that Sunday off.

DEC1M7 wrote:The final will probably be moved to Monday, with Djokovic threatening to boycott otherwise according to John McEnroe. Nadal will have had 2 days off twice in a row, that is not good ahead of a final, especially as he didn't play much tennis in the last 2 matches.
It's perfect for Djokovic to get that Sunday off.

dont think so, final will be played on sunday if semidinal ends tomorrow and weather allows on sunday, but we will see