Day 5 French Open predictions

Cilic (3) v Hurkacz (33)
Halep (1) v Townsend (33)
Benneteau (33) v Del Potro (5)
Serena (33) v Barty (17)
Jaziri (33) v Gasquet (27)
Nadal (1) v Pella (33)
Shapo (24) v Marterer (33)
Sharapova (28) v Vecic (33)
Fucsovics (33) v Edmund (16)

Cilic, Townsend, Benneteau, Serena, Gasquet, Nadal, Shapo, Sharapova, Edmund

Hurkacz (33)
Townsend (33)
Benneteau (33)
Barty (17)
Gasquet (27)
Nadal (1) 
Marterer (33)
Sharapova (28) 
Fucsovics (33)

Luvsports: Hurk, Townsend, benne, serena, gasq, paella , shapo, sharapova, Edmund over fucks sake

Mikey: Cilic, Halep, Delpo, Booty, Gasq, Nadal, Shap, Shara, Ed

Cilic (3)
Townsend (33)
Benneteau (33)
Serena (33)
Gasquet (27)
Pella (33)
Shapo (24)
Sharapova (28)
Edmund (16)

Cilic, Halep, Delpotro, Serena, Gasquet, Pella, Shapo, Sharapova, Edmund

Cilic (3) 
Halep (1) 
Del Potro (5)
Barty (17)
Jaziri (33)
Nadal (1) 
Shapo (24)
Sharapova (28) 
Edmund (16)

Who is this Hurzack? How did he manage to get to the second round. He is giving Cilic an easy ride.

Shapo from 3/0 up to 3/4 down in that second set.

Clay can quickly turn into quicksand.

Tenez wrote:Shapo from 3/0 up to 3/4 down in that second set.

Clay can quickly turn into quicksand.

He seemed to have turned it around, though!
Watching the TB now. What horror basher this Marterer is....imagination of a broken fridge.

Shapo misses quite a few opps to get a grip on this match. He still goes for too much unecessarily.

well at least he will start to train earlier on grass.

Tenez wrote:Shapo misses quite a few opps to get a grip on this match. He still goes for too much unecessarily.

Just saw the score...he’s got a bit of growing up to do, that’s for sure!
To lose his own service game to stay in the match to love to this robotic German is very disappointing.

noleisthebest wrote:

Tenez wrote:Shapo misses quite a few opps to get a grip on this match. He still goes for too much unecessarily.

Just saw the score...he’s got a bit of growing up to do, that’s for sure!
To lose his own service game to stay in the match to love to this robotic German is very disappointing.

Robots go quite far on clay! Look at Nadal!

another time violation for Nadal. Looks like the referees are under strict order this year...well at least to warn him ...not sure if he is ever going to lose a point there.

first set for nadal

better today than against bolelli, but not yet in his good form

pella might no be what bolelli was the other day either

Just tuned in...this Pellla is pathetic...tuning out....

The next player who gives me hope is Fognini in the SF...if he can make it there...he should if he can somehow focus and realise Paris is not a scene for an opera.

Shapo, what a joke.

noleisthebest wrote:The next player who gives me hope is Fognini in the SF...if he can make it there...he should if he can somehow focus and realise Paris is not a scene for an opera.

fognini can beat nadal in best of 3 on clay

he even beat nadal in bo5 on hard

but on clay... I seriously doubt it. But I understand you can see him as a hero for your hopes.


I think Delpo, if fit, has a more realistic chance... and still I doubt it

it all depends on rafa really. if he is in good level, there is no other winner, unless Nole is reborn this week

I agree that Delpo on form would be a better chance than Fognini.

Nadal is playing top level again. But he is helped by the fact he has an easy ball to time so that certainly helps Nadal's confidence. A faster ball would force him to loop more and be safer on his shots.

Wilander throwing interesting stats about last year's Nadal/Muller match at Wimbledon.

Nadal lost convincingly the first 2 sets cause he was trying to return close to the baseline. His returns were not as consistent and not as pacy than when returning further back (the next 2 sets he won). Gilles ended up winning but it was a fairer contest.

This shows how important it is for Nadal to hit a slower ball...that allows him to inject all his power....certainly easier than to return -or take the ball - early!

I wouldn't mind Delpo....so long as it's not Cilic from that quarter.

Delpo has the steadiest head there, but I think he is carrying an injury, he was iffy even to start RG.

The whole half, and let's be honest, draw are very weak this year.

Nole may actually have the best chance if he can get his act together, he has been making some really weird statements recently, I can't relate to him any more almost.

noleisthebest wrote:
Nole may actually have the best chance if he can get his act together, he has been making some really weird statements recently, I can't relate to him any more almost.

such as?

Tenez wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:
Nole may actually have the best chance if he can get his act together, he has been making some really weird statements recently, I can't relate to him any more almost.

such as?

Things like:
journalists asking him how his elbow is, he replies there worse problems to talk about in this world, such as millions starving...
then he goes into Serena warship women's rights mode how she is a wonderful model for everyone, how she inspires him as a woman who has given birth and is playing tennis, how much she loves the game...such boring cliches, who cares!!!

It doesn't sound odd to you probably, but that is not the old Nole...this one has gone to pot, his mind is all over the place...next thing he'll do is become a monk in Tibet...he's lost the plot!

Very nice words from Nole about Serena

noleisthebest wrote:

Tenez wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:
Nole may actually have the best chance if he can get his act together, he has been making some really weird statements recently, I can't relate to him any more almost.

such as?

Things like:
journalists asking him how his elbow is, he replies there worse problems to talk about in this world, such as millions starving...
then he goes into Serena warship women's rights mode how she is a wonderful model for everyone, how she inspires him as a woman who has given birth and is playing tennis, how much she loves the game...such boring cliches, who cares!!!

It doesn't sound odd to you probably, but that is not the old Nole...this one has gone to pot, his mind is all over the place...next thing he'll do is become a monk in Tibet...he's lost the plot!

yep...all over the place! Maybe when he says Serena, he may still have in mind her cook!

I can't muster any interest in RG this year at all.  Even if the draw were not pitifully lop-sided, which it is, it feels like one is merely waiting to see if Nadal will trip over himself.  There is some interest in seeing whether Zverev and Thiem step up, but what a shame they are drawn to meet in the QF and otherwise......  maybe Kyle Edmunds for a Brit, or Djoko's progress (hmmm).  The usual musings involving triumph of hope vs. expectation as to who might give Nadal a match are not doing it for me.  

I'm too one-eyed to appreciate whether this is how Wimbledon 2017 or Aus 2018 looked to non-Fed fans, but on any view I hope this period of 'inevi-slams' where only one of the former 'big 4' turns up as a true challenger and the rest of the field are waiting to make their move doesn't last beyond this year's Wimbledon.....

Delpo on fire

barrystar wrote:I can't muster any interest in RG this year at all.  Even if the draw were not pitifully lop-sided, which it is, it feels like one is merely waiting to see if Nadal will trip over himself.  There is some interest in seeing whether Zverev and Thiem step up, but what a shame they are drawn to meet in the QF and otherwise......  maybe Kyle Edmunds for a Brit, or Djoko's progress (hmmm).  The usual musings involving triumph of hope vs. expectation as to who might give Nadal a match are not doing it for me.  

I'm too one-eyed to appreciate whether this is how Wimbledon 2017 or Aus 2018 looked to non-Fed fans, but on any view I hope this period of 'inevi-slams' where only one of the former 'big 4' turns up as a true challenger and the rest of the field are waiting to make their move doesn't last beyond this year's Wimbledon.....

Yeah, well said.

I find clay pretty boring at the best of times but honestly this is right down there with the worst of 90’s Wimbledon serve fests. The draw could hardly be more lopsided which really makes this more or less a challenge event where the decent players run a tournament to play last years chanpion.

Tenez wrote:Wilander throwing interesting stats about last year's Nadal/Muller match at Wimbledon.

Nadal lost convincingly the first 2 sets cause he was trying to return close to the baseline. His returns were not as consistent and not as pacy than when returning further back (the next 2 sets he won). Gilles ended up winning but it was a fairer contest.

This shows how important it is for Nadal to hit a slower ball...that allows him to inject all his power....certainly easier than to return -or take the ball - early!

Another reason Federer troubles him, because he will happily serve slow and wide and put him in the crowd. Nadal knows this and must step up.

naxroy wrote:Delpo on fire

What's Delpo's fire for Nadal's Supersoaker...

You guys won't be moaning about this tournament so much when Nadal loses and is sent home packing to fish in Mallorca.

barrystar wrote:I can't muster any interest in RG this year at all.  Even if the draw were not pitifully lop-sided, which it is, it feels like one is merely waiting to see if Nadal will trip over himself.  There is some interest in seeing whether Zverev and Thiem step up, but what a shame they are drawn to meet in the QF and otherwise......  maybe Kyle Edmunds for a Brit, or Djoko's progress (hmmm).  The usual musings involving triumph of hope vs. expectation as to who might give Nadal a match are not doing it for me.  

I'm too one-eyed to appreciate whether this is how Wimbledon 2017 or Aus 2018 looked to non-Fed fans, but on any view I hope this period of 'inevi-slams' where only one of the former 'big 4' turns up as a true challenger and the rest of the field are waiting to make their move doesn't last beyond this year's Wimbledon.....

I feel your pain, Barry!

Everything is so weak and lame, even Nadal!

At the same time, we are all kind of tennis addicts so just like the tour even we fans go through the motions...

Let's hope we get at least one or two decent matches, clay is made for drama!

DECIMA wrote:You guys won't be moaning about this tournament so much when Nadal loses and is sent home packing to fish in Mallorca.

Tbh, Dec, that would be a decent thing from Nadal....to send himself fishing to Malorca...I bet even he is sick of himself playing his moonballing tennis through rigged draws all these years....

Anyway, let him know of our OTF proposal...you never know!
That way you don't need to change your nick!

noleisthebest wrote:Tbh, Dec, that would be a decent thing from Nadal....to send himself fishing to Malorca.

Unfortunately NITB, he will have no choice in the matter.

Nearly aged 32 his tennis is on the decline, a lucky rain break boosted his Masters results (would have been 0/2 from last 2 clay tournaments), and even trumpfan said that he's not playing nearly as well as last year.

On the other hand Del Potro looked at his ferocious best today, Thiem is surpassing his Madrid QF form with a set vs Tsit where he didn't drop a point on serve, and meanwhile Djokovic could start focusing on tennis very soon as he's on the verge of finishing his analysis of world poverty... all in all with the rainy weather added on top... Adíos Rafito

barrystar wrote:Even if the draw were not pitifully lop-sided, which it is, it feels like one is merely waiting to see if Nadal will trip over himself.

Until the last ball is played, I will be hoping.

barrystar wrote:I hope this period of 'inevi-slams' where only one of the former 'big 4' turns up as a true challenger and the rest of the field are waiting to make their move doesn't last beyond this year's Wimbledon.....

But you could handle it at this year's Wimbledon.

noleisthebest wrote:Everything is so weak and lame, even Nadal!

Even Nadal is lame?

I will be hoping Nadal loses, but even I wonder if my hoping can take a break for next two rounds:  Rafa plays Gasquet next (current H2H 15-0 and Gasquet has not won a set since 2008) and then Marterer or Zopp.

QF could be Schwartzman, Coric or Anderson.  Either Schwartzman or Coric could be somewhat interesting.  I thought Coric could do better on clay this year after good HCs but then he did poorly and even retired from a match.  Maybe he is in better form again?