ATP MASTERS 1000: Paris Bercy

Wow, Pouille can really play some tennis!
5:4 in the TB on serve!
ALLEZ!!!!!

Match point on Fog's serve!
...
6:6
7:6 Fog's set point, Poull saves it with an ace!
MP Poull, Fog's serve.
Fog chucking a tantrum...
And DFs!!!!!!!

Now quarrelling with the umpire after the handshake.

noleisthebest wrote:I am not surprised.
Being number one is the ultimate achievement, it means you have dominated your peers.
Especially for Fed at 33, with S&V-ing in these dinosaur slow conditions, AFTER the horrid year and heartache he PLAYED through last year.
Not to mention stupid journalists.
He is not just swimming upstream, he's got a strong wind to contend as well. Single handedly.
It's tough beyond imagination.

Yes, I can see it-  a Cilic or Stan can win a Major-  great form for 2 weeks can do it-  but #1 is a 52 week trek of extremely great results.  No one has ever achieved it in the modern era too at his age so that certainly would be a massive achievement.

Fed certainly has enough majors, but he also has more than enough weeks at #1 :-) so I would think he would want to extend the Major record above all else. That's why the mild surprise on my part, but I get it.

And after 4 matches incl qualies, without losing a set, Pouille earns himself a place on the central court tomorrow, playing nobody less than ...Roger Federer!

BRAVO!

......Fognini still arguing with Bernardes....

Robredo The Legend vs Nishikori next, that should be a cracker provided Tommy is not running on fumes.

I expect Monf to beat Isner, would be a good test for him as he'll have to keep his composure and concentration 100% THE ENTIRE match.

Nishi's ball-striking is sensational!
You simply can't beat pure talent.

noleisthebest wrote:I'm happy for Stan. He is a great player.
But I am glad for Thiem as well, you can see he is going to be Stan's successor, only 22, already very good!
Very nice competitor. I hope he works hard in the off-season and has an excellent break-through in 2015.

Not even that he turned 21 recently.

Well, we definitely don't have to worry about the new wave
They may not be Feds, but are all playing nice, attacking tennis.

Robredo's stamina is out of this world!

That aside, what a classy & elegant grinder...

Roger
Monfils

I can't believe Monfils managed to beat Isner in straight sets last night while having fun.
He is quite something.

Some very, very cool matches today:

Djokovic-Monfils
Federer-Pouille
Nishikori-Tsonga
Murray-Dimitrov

So...Stan paid the price of this sandpit against Anderson.
Just having a look at Murray-Dimi now...awful.
Scrambling, retrieving, dull, ugly.

It's so stupid! when you think they made it quite fast a few years ago.....ridiculous to shift back to a sandpit.

Where is everybody?

Djoko Monfils is quite tight....thus far.

Shoot! Djoko contained Monfils.

BTW, the court might not be as slow at it seems. The camera angle is particularly wide making the court small and compressed.

It might still be slow but difficult to gauge from that angle.

I saw very little tennis today.

Apart from that tiny bit of Murray-Dimi, just the first game of the second set of Fed-Pouill and the on and off few games between Nole & Monf.
Nole's FH looked good.

Some interesting matches tomorrow, esp Nishi-Ferrer.

I must say Djoko's draw is mighty tough.

I am in Paris this week and tempted to go to bercy but could only go tomorrow....and not sure how to buy.

I keep getting offers for Bercy tickets from Roland Garros as I'm registered with them, do you want me to have a look if there's anything available for tomorrow?

Try here:

http://bnpparibasmasters.fft-tickets.com/uk/home_billetterie

....et bonne chance!

Monfils

Very disappointed in Dimitrov's season.  I expected him to be comfortably in top 10 by the end of the year - somewhere between 5 and 8.  He played to my expectations - and even beyond perhaps - through Wimbledon, but it all went downhill from there.

Nevertheless, I still expect him to win his first slam next year

Roger
Andy

How did Pouille play last night?

From what I saw against Fognini,  he looks robust and a good athlete with nice disposition & attitude.
Decent tennis skill, too.

I want him to stay!!!

Thx both. Not sure il have time to go at the end.

Enjoy your time there, anyway.
I hope to go next RG.

Stan 

Tenez wrote:BTW, the court might not be as slow at it seems. The camera angle is particularly wide making the court small and compressed.

It might still be slow but difficult to gauge from that angle.

You could be right.
Just had a look at Berdych-Anderson and Berd's fastest mid-court FH looked almost like a push.
Only shots over 150kph appear to have some pace.

Kev up with a break in the third, Fed is going to have an easy one tomorrow.

Poor Nole. I never knew any player to have such continuous horrible draws. I can only remember one decent draw at AO, I think last year.

Tenez wrote:Thx both. Not sure il have time to go at the end.

"both" is actually "nitb" spellchecked with my iphone.

Dimi refuses to go to London as a potential substitute:

"If I go, it is because I deserved to be there, not hope someone gets hurt so I get to play," he told L'Equipe. "So no, I don't think it's my thing."

what a big baby....

Tenez wrote:

Tenez wrote:Thx both. Not sure il have time to go at the end.

"both" is actually "nitb" spellchecked with my iphone.

I was wondering if that meant for both posts....funny NITB got spell-checked like that!

wait...did you say iphone!!!!
Admit it, you love it and can't believe you so stubbornly refused to get one for years

Raonic....I wish he kept that tongue inside his mouth!
As if his ridiculous haircut, stupid sleeve and those obscenely big legs aren't enough of an eyesore...

I love watching how Fed dismantles him, first by slowly getting used to the serve and then moving him about.

What an approach shot and volley from Fed!! Shame he is still a mini-break down...

Gotta save 3 SPs now, tuf... 

Please, Rao, no bomb serve...

Poor Fed, he will have to win in three... again!

What I like though is how relaxed Fed looks, despite the set down. I guess he knows it will occasionally happen with Rao, when the latter plays his best...

Well, at least this one was quick.
Annoyed he let Raonic off the hook several times.
Fed looked unneccesarily cautious, plus that sedated volley miss.

Ah well...two more sets then.

COME ON ROG!!!!  

Slow-motion reel of Fed's BHs in the changeover.....why do I feel like crying...

Looks like it's over 

I actually thought that was a MP!!!

Fed is still alive.

COME OOOOOOON ROGEEEEER!!!!  

Too good from Raonic, at 23 year old around a decade away form his peak,beats a guy at his peak, wow incredible stuff.

(sarcasm alert Tenez)

Fed was tired.

Fed was running on fumes in Round 2...  could see this one coming.  YE #1 prob gone, but at least he can rest up for WTF and DC.   He still is set up for a retake of #1 early next year which would be oldest #1 ever... not bad at all.

Fed looked especially slow today, true. He will welcome this 1 1/2 week of rest. If Murray plays his best and Nole loses focus, we could have an upset on the cards and Fed would be kept at 490 points from Nole. Then, Fed can still end YE #1 by beating Nole there...

I think it's the break he had during clay season because of the new twins that "did the damage" and cut the flow&momentum before Wimbledon.
Then Nole's post-Wimbledon wedding/baby etc... allowed Fed to catch up during US hard court season...and now Basel&Paris back to back caught up with him. Shame.

Look forward to seeing Fed in London.
Very, very much.

I can't believe I am actually watching the Nole-Murray match.

With Murray doing more than the usual pushing, it's actually quite interesting!