Roland Garros 2011: Day 11

Court Philippe Chatrier 1:00 PM

Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [18]vs.Maria Sharapova (RUS) [2]
Rafael Nadal (ESP) [3]vs.Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) [9]

Court Suzanne Lenglen 1:00 PM

Maria Kirilenko (RUS) [12]vs.Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [3]
Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1]vs.Tommy Haas (GER) [12]

Sharapova, Nadal, Azarenka, Djokovic

Jankovic, Stan ( my wish) Azarenka, Djokovic.

Court Philippe Chatrier 1:00 PM

Maria Sharapova (RUS) [2]
Rafael Nadal (ESP) [3]
Court Suzanne Lenglen 1:00 PM

Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [3]
Novak Djokovic (SRB)

JJ demolishing Shutapova on Chatrier, GO Jelena!!!!

And it's a bagel!

Would love to see arrogant Sharapova out esp after this episode of self-importance:

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/06/jeremy-chardys-girlfriend-smartly-rebuts-maria-sharapova/47785/#.Ua8yunDRfzI

Tennis players react to Federer's announcement of retiring:

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/multimedia/2013-06-05/013f13e462b000000d2f.html?promo=menu_videos

Oh Sharapova...terrible to ask her opponent to wait between 2 serves at MPs. Disgusting really.

Just FYI:

sphairistike wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:Yes, sad is the word. For me the saddest is how he went, the net rushing heroics till the last point. Really impressive. They don't make 'em like that any more!
I hope he bounces back in Wimbledon.

Order of play for tomorrow:

Court Philippe Chatrier 1:00 PM

Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [18]vs.Maria Sharapova (RUS) [2]
Rafael Nadal (ESP) [3]vs.Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) [9]

Court Suzanne Lenglen 1:00 PM

Maria Kirilenko (RUS) [12]vs.Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [3]
Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1]vs.Tommy Haas (GER) [12]

My picks for day 11 (please move them to the proper thread):

Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [18]
Rafael Nadal (ESP) [3]
Maria Kirilenko (RUS) [12]
Tommy Haas (GER) [12]

(funny I wish I'm wrong on all my men matches)

JJ lost

sphairistike wrote:JJ lost

Yes I was for her too.

Watching tennis.. and it not as much fun.

I must say Haas atm plays better than what Fed would be playing against Djokovic or Nadal.

Haas may lose this match but he is putting up some good match.

wawrinka is spent. He has no energy to compete today. Too injured.

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:I must say Haas atm plays better than what Fed would be playing against Djokovic or Nadal.

Haas may lose this match but he is putting up some good match.

Agree he is a very talented player, very nice to watch.

But what I have been saying for a while is that Djoko's problem is that his shots (the quality of his ball) is not really difficult to handle for any player. It's much harder to handle Nadal's ball....which means it's much more difficult for Djoko to reach the later stage of teh FO than it would be for Nadal.

It means for instance that Haas is made look a very good player whereas Stan is made look like a very inconsistent player, a hit and miss nutcase, whereas Haas and Stan are 2 great and similar talents.

Watching both matches simultaneously.

Novak playing "you'll beat me over my dead body" tennis. Completely ready for Nadal who seems to be in the same form as in MC.

The thing is since Haas is a better ball striker than Nadal, Djoko won;t be as bothered by Nadal's shots as he is by Haas.

There was a funny gesture from Haas saying to Djoko kind of "well done, good thinking" after throwing a the longest rallly of the match in the crush time of teh tie break. It gave Djoko the set point and that set point was given to Haas by an UE as a result most probably of that longest rally inteh previous point

Simple...as long as you have the lungs to do it. This is what is awaiting Nadal. Nadal is currently sweating buckets and I feel he is going to be as dry as a sand dust at the end of his match v Djoko.

Tenez wrote:It means for instance that Haas is made look a very good player whereas Stan is made look like a very inconsistent player, a hit and miss nutcase, whereas Haas and Stan are 2 great and similar talents.

Yes but regardless of who are they playing against, Haas is playing better match. Stan was likely to oupt of this RG due to injury. He did well to reach the QF which is his best result.

Mean while Djo is 2 sets a break up. This should get over soon. Nadal's only hurdle is going to be his SF match. Looks like whoever wins that will win RG. Tsonga may put up some fight but if its Ferrer, its going to be the sorry final. Not much tennis class nor any bit of fight.

Why do they still allow Nadal to take 30s on every single point?

This has been sorted out behind closed doors again so he can have it his way.

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:Yes but regardless of who are they playing against, Haas is playing better match. Stan was likely to oupt of this RG due to injury. He did well to reach the QF which is his best result.

WHo you play on clay is everything..especially for a SHBH player like Haas and Stan. I am pretty sure that regardless the injury of Stan (Haas just played 3 5 setters marathons in a row!) both woudl look bad v Nadal.

Tenez wrote:
There was a funny gesture from Haas saying to Djoko kind of "well done, good thinking" after throwing a the longest rallly of the match in the crush time of teh tie break. It gave Djoko the set point and that set point was given to Haas by an UE as a result most probably of that longest rally inteh previous point

.

Bless poor, old Haas who with that booming serve on that very point of his allowed Novak to throw a long rally at him....
Haas is as fit as Novak and quite enjoying long rallies.

I didn't notice him trying to shorten points, I bet Novak has more net points, as well.

Why does Nadal grunt louder (energy!) hits harder and runs faster in the second week of a slam?

43 vs 21 in winners for Novak so far in the match, fewer UEs, too.

Nole is doing well, he 's getting into "Nadal slapping form"

noleisthebest wrote:43 vs 21 in winners for Novak so far in the match, fewer UEs, too.

Actually it's 41:16

gallery play wrote:Nole is doing well, he 's getting into "Nadal slapping form"

He is ready for sweat, blood and tears on Friday. It's going to be either his biggest win over Nadal or his worst loss from him.

I must admit I don't like throwing in of long rallies from Novak, he just got broken because of it.
He doesn't need that junk, and it's not good for his confidence he failed to serve out the match.

That finish with BHDTL was more like it!

noleisthebest wrote:I must admit I don't like throwing in of long rallies from Novak, he just got broken because of it.
He doesn't need that junk, and it's not good for his confidence he failed to serve out the match.

No worries, Nole lost a bit patience and already saw himself being on the court with Nadal. Great match, Nole looks sharp and ready. Very good match from Nole

paulcz wrote:
No worries, Nole lost a bit patience and already saw himself being on the court with Nadal. Great match, Nole looks sharp and ready. Very good match from Nole

Yes, that was a good match from him, getting the job done. I haven't seen him tested in RG yet.
Forecast for Friday is a sunny 20 degrees.
Nole to win in straights or max 4 I think.

noleisthebest wrote:

paulcz wrote:
No worries, Nole lost a bit patience and already saw himself being on the court with Nadal. Great match, Nole looks sharp and ready. Very good match from Nole

Yes, that was a good match from him, getting the job done. I haven't seen him tested in RG yet.
Forecast for Friday is a sunny 20 degrees.
Nole to win in straights or max 4 I think.

But Mats is right here: the sun completely changed Nadal's attitude.

Nadal will definitely be more worried than Novak before the match, sunny or not, he will be hoping his crazy wide FHs don't miss or get returned with interest by Novak's BH.
It will be fascinating to watch Nadal's energy levels drop....and I hope they keep the 20 sec rule.
Somebody in the crowd should demand it, shame I won't be there

noleisthebest wrote:

paulcz wrote:
No worries, Nole lost a bit patience and already saw himself being on the court with Nadal. Great match, Nole looks sharp and ready. Very good match from Nole

Yes, that was a good match from him, getting the job done. I haven't seen him tested in RG yet.
Forecast for Friday is a sunny 20 degrees.
Nole to win in straights or max 4 I think.

I am rather for 3 sets. If Nole plays close to his top, then Nadal will boil himself in his own synthetic juice.

Nadal sprinting around the court like a man possessed telling the world his knee is sore, makes me want to throw up!

paulcz wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:

paulcz wrote:
No worries, Nole lost a bit patience and already saw himself being on the court with Nadal. Great match, Nole looks sharp and ready. Very good match from Nole

Yes, that was a good match from him, getting the job done. I haven't seen him tested in RG yet.
Forecast for Friday is a sunny 20 degrees.
Nole to win in straights or max 4 I think.

I am rather for 3 sets. If Nole plays close to his top, then Nadal will boil himself in his own synthetic juice.

I really hope so. He has a history of making his life difficult by switching his focus off and giving Nadal a set almost every time, though!
I'll be happy with any win, but a straight set demolition a la Monte Carlo would crush Nadal big time.

gallery play wrote: But Mats is right here: the sun completely changed Nadal's attitude.

The fact that he was 18:0 (in sets, now 21:0) against Stan, probably helped towards the attitude.

noleisthebest wrote:

paulcz wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:

paulcz wrote:
No worries, Nole lost a bit patience and already saw himself being on the court with Nadal. Great match, Nole looks sharp and ready. Very good match from Nole

Yes, that was a good match from him, getting the job done. I haven't seen him tested in RG yet.
Forecast for Friday is a sunny 20 degrees.
Nole to win in straights or max 4 I think.

I am rather for 3 sets. If Nole plays close to his top, then Nadal will boil himself in his own synthetic juice.

I really hope so. He has a history of making his life difficult by switching his focus off and giving Nadal a set almost every time, though!
I'll be happy with any win, but a straight set demolition a la Monte Carlo would crush Nadal big time.

Nole needs to start at full gas and just play with his demolishing mode. His return, serve, BL game, move and even net game are better than kneedal's. Nole has improved handling with slices recently. Nole is much better player

paulcz wrote: Nole is much better player

Not relevant against Nadal

gallery play wrote:

paulcz wrote: Nole is much better player

Not relevant against Nadal

Only player is a bearer of the game, no umpires or linesmen

Novak's serving was excellent today: he hit 11 aces and didn't double fault. He won 82 percent of his first serve points and 79 percent of his second serve points. Through the first two sets, he dropped just three points on serve and held at love seven times.

Haas 2/17 at the net, 19 winners 24 UEs.
Nole 22/27, 45 winners, 24 UEs, I'm not a stats fanatic, not bad for someone with just a good pair of lungs.

I've never been a stats fan(atic) & expert, but like the net numbers, as well as the serve looking good.

noleisthebest wrote:Novak's serving was excellent today: he hit 11 aces and didn't double fault. He won 82 percent of his first serve points and 79 percent of his second serve points. Through the first two sets, he dropped just three points on serve and held at love seven times.

Haas 2/17 at the net, 19 winners 24 UEs.
Nole 22/27, 45 winners, 24 UEs, I'm not a stats fanatic, not bad for someone with just a good pair of lungs.

I've never been a stats fan(atic) & expert, but like the net numbers, as well as the serve looking good.

Not really bad

What is amazing on Nole's game, that he still tries and finds new things in his game patterns. His potential is enormous

noleisthebest wrote:Novak's serving was excellent today: he hit 11 aces and didn't double fault. He won 82 percent of his first serve points and 79 percent of his second serve points. Through the first two sets, he dropped just three points on serve and held at love seven times.

Haas 2/17 at the net, 19 winners 24 UEs.
Nole 22/27, 45 winners, 24 UEs, I'm not a stats fanatic, not bad for someone with just a good pair of lungs.

I've never been a stats fan(atic) & expert, but like the net numbers, as well as the serve looking good.

Not to be a pain to your arguments but I'm sure Tenez would ask the same (if he thought about asking it, that is ) as winners might not mean too much if they come at the end of a long rally when you exhausted the other guy. So a better stat would be the number of winners for short rallies (within your own first 3 strokes, I'd say). How do you think those numbers would change then?

sphairistike wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:Novak's serving was excellent today: he hit 11 aces and didn't double fault. He won 82 percent of his first serve points and 79 percent of his second serve points. Through the first two sets, he dropped just three points on serve and held at love seven times.

Haas 2/17 at the net, 19 winners 24 UEs.
Nole 22/27, 45 winners, 24 UEs, I'm not a stats fanatic, not bad for someone with just a good pair of lungs.

I've never been a stats fan(atic) & expert, but like the net numbers, as well as the serve looking good.

Not to be a pain to your arguments but I'm sure Tenez would ask the same (if he thought about asking it, that is ) as winners might not mean too much if they come at the end of a long rally when you exhausted the other guy. So a better stat would be the number of winners for short rallies (within your own first 3 strokes, I'd say). How do you think those numbers would change then?

Since (Tenez ) and you are asking, did you actually see the match?

gallery play wrote:Why does Nadal grunt louder (energy!) hits harder and runs faster in the second week of a slam?

Out of all people I thought you'd be the one who'd know!

gallery play wrote:

paulcz wrote: Nole is much better player

Not relevant against Nadal

So true! It doesn't matter how much better than Nadal you need to be. Brands is better than Nadal...so what? You need to be better over 5 sets.

And there I think Djoko is. I think the 5 setter is gooing to be Nadal's down fall.

sphairistike wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:Novak's serving was excellent today: he hit 11 aces and didn't double fault. He won 82 percent of his first serve points and 79 percent of his second serve points. Through the first two sets, he dropped just three points on serve and held at love seven times.

Haas 2/17 at the net, 19 winners 24 UEs.
Nole 22/27, 45 winners, 24 UEs, I'm not a stats fanatic, not bad for someone with just a good pair of lungs.

I've never been a stats fan(atic) & expert, but like the net numbers, as well as the serve looking good.

Not to be a pain to your arguments but I'm sure Tenez would ask the same (if he thought about asking it, that is ) as winners might not mean too much if they come at the end of a long rally when you exhausted the other guy. So a better stat would be the number of winners for short rallies (within your own first 3 strokes, I'd say). How do you think those numbers would change then?

Yes and the other thing is they make the difference between winners and forced errors. A winner is where the opponent doesn't touch the ball. Problem is that Djoko runs so much that it always touch the ball, which cuts down a lot of winners from Haas.

Bottom line is 35 yo Haas who had ran his life of the last 3 matches still took Djoko to a TB and made peak Djoko look beatable. Haas still looked the more stilish, talented and more creative player.

That's how sad tennis is nowadays. But the good news is that the two breath squeezers are going to meet on Friday!

Tenez wrote:

sphairistike wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:Novak's serving was excellent today: he hit 11 aces and didn't double fault. He won 82 percent of his first serve points and 79 percent of his second serve points. Through the first two sets, he dropped just three points on serve and held at love seven times.

Haas 2/17 at the net, 19 winners 24 UEs.
Nole 22/27, 45 winners, 24 UEs, I'm not a stats fanatic, not bad for someone with just a good pair of lungs.

I've never been a stats fan(atic) & expert, but like the net numbers, as well as the serve looking good.

Not to be a pain to your arguments but I'm sure Tenez would ask the same (if he thought about asking it, that is ) as winners might not mean too much if they come at the end of a long rally when you exhausted the other guy. So a better stat would be the number of winners for short rallies (within your own first 3 strokes, I'd say). How do you think those numbers would change then?

Yes and the other thing is they make the difference between winners and forced errors. A winner is where the opponent doesn't touch the ball. Problem is that Djoko runs so much that it always touch the ball, which cuts down a lot of winners from Haas.

Bottom line is 35 yo Haas who had ran his life of the last 3 matches still took Djoko to a TB and made peak Djoko look beatable. Haas still looked the more stilish, talented and more creative player.

That's how sad tennis is nowadays. But the good news is that the two breath squeezers are going to meet on Friday!

If Nadal would be only a running machine, then all your mentioned well talented players would have won at least one set with him in most of their played matches. But the truth is just somewhere else.

All SHBHers are not able to keep the ball on the court with Nadal, especially Fed. If he is not able to play the ball more than three times from BH in the first set, then it is not definitely problem of lungs, but of timing. That his problem has been discussed many times many years ago with many analyses. Now, it is much worse with him.

So once again, Nole outplays Nadal due to his forecourt stance and more active and precise game. Look at the MC tie-break players' positions again. Problem of Nadal is that he can not rely on his lofty parachute moonballs into Nole's BH, who can handle them easy with delight, which all other players can only dream about.

It would be foolish if Nole played a defensive game against Nadal. I can not imagine that a player could win with Nadal relying on his legs and play metres behind the BL. That would be an utter nonsense.

If you saw yesterday comparisons of players positioning then you would have not said that Haas is more talented player than Nole. Nole was on average about 1-2 metres more at the front of the court than Haas. Nole was much better player on the court in the similar way how Tsonga reigned with Fed. Only trouble Nole had when he lost his patience at the end of the third. But I have forgiven him