Aus open prediction game: Day 12

Double points if you guess correct sets. 

Pouille (80) vs Djokovic (15)

Djoko in 4

Pouille in 5

(wishful thinking)

Pouille in 4.

naxroy wrote:Pouille in 5

(wishful thinking)

Has Nadal not had an easy enough draw for you? 

Novak in 3 - Pouille is weaponless at this level. Check out his results against Murray (pre injury) if you want to see how this is likely to go.

Daniel2 wrote:

naxroy wrote:Pouille in 5

(wishful thinking)

Has Nadal not had an easy enough draw for you? 

I fear djokovic a lot

Why? He ain't catching Nadal's 17 GS or 18, don't worry...

I m tempted to root for a very fit Djoko....sadly.

Jahu wrote:Why? He ain't catching Nadal's 17 GS or 18, don't worry...

I dont know about that, but losing a grand slam final is always sad and hard for a tennis player and his/her fans.

and djokovic of course is the greatest threat along with federer


but it is also truth that one thing is what one expects and the other what finally happens. nadal was strong favourite against wawrinka in 2014 and then wawrinka beat him, and I remember cheering for stan when he played djokovic in that tournament

Tenez wrote:I m tempted to root for a very fit Djoko....sadly.

You are beginning to turn into a Mr Sad.

Let me brighten your day:

you will be cheering for someone who plays for and under the flag of a country that has been defying NATO and still does.
As well as the Jezuit boot.

You simply can't go wrong.

Djokovic will melt Pouille. 

Cue Sunday. Not sure Nadal will relish Djokovic standing the other side.

Tenez wrote:I m tempted to root for a very fit Djoko....sadly.

Unfortunately it's the only rational decision.

Apart from anything else, don't we thing Nadal should be asked to play at least one top 10 player to win a Slam? Two years ago Federer had to get past four of them.

Beautiful tennis from Nole.
Amazing precision and placement.

I just blinked, and it's as good as over isn't it?

White flag in the first set?

Not surprised from someone whose gf is wearing a "Viking" t-shirt.

I see we are watching another example of a second tier player not having the “fitness” to compete against an ATG.

barrystar wrote:I just blinked, and it's as good as over isn't it?

It was over in the locker room, the match is to just complete the formalities and provide Djokovic some practice.

 SF in a Slam will be cherished by Pouille for a long time. He is a journeyman basically.

Well played Pouille. Excellent hold.

Slippy wrote:I see we are watching another example of a second tier player not having the “fitness” to compete against an ATG.

If you take off our fan glasses, you'll see more clearly.

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:

barrystar wrote:I just blinked, and it's as good as over isn't it?

It was over in the locker room, the match is to just complete the formalities and provide Djokovic some practice.

 SF in a Slam will be cherished by Pouille for a long time. He is a journeyman basically.

Agreed. Lucas has nice basic groundstrokes and that's about it.
Movement, grit, variety...are not there.

Pouille and his sparring friend Djoko made a good deal to not tire Djoko too much for the Final 

A bit too fake this 6:0 5:2, but a €500k envelope is real 

Well that was a formality for sure!

60,62,62 in 75 min, what a joke.

Well good luck Nadal. He's gonna need it!

noleisthebest wrote:

Tenez wrote:I m tempted to root for a very fit Djoko....sadly.

You are beginning to turn into a Mr Sad.

Let me brighten your day:

you will be cheering for someone who plays for and under the flag of a country that has been defying NATO and still does.
As well as the Jezuit boot.

You simply can't go wrong.

LOL! I am not that patriotic when it comes to tennis.

I am just glad Djoko saved some energy here. I did not watch the match.

Was Pouille that bad or Djoko very good?

Nadal is 100% fucked, time to put a 4 figure sum bet in Djokovic, free cash.

Tenez wrote:Was Pouille that bad or Djoko very good?

A bit of both.
Pouille capitulated in the 2nd game.
The rest was an exo for Nole, and he enjoyed it!

noleisthebest wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:

barrystar wrote:I just blinked, and it's as good as over isn't it?

It was over in the locker room, the match is to just complete the formalities and provide Djokovic some practice.

 SF in a Slam will be cherished by Pouille for a long time. He is a journeyman basically.

Agreed. Lucas has nice basic groundstrokes and that's about it.
Movement, grit, variety...are not there.

You are a bit harsh you two. 2 QFs and a semi at 24....not many have achieved that in his generation.

I agree that he is not nearly as fit as he should. But let's not forget he made Nadal look poor and not many youngsters have achieved that feat.

Tenez wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:

barrystar wrote:I just blinked, and it's as good as over isn't it?

It was over in the locker room, the match is to just complete the formalities and provide Djokovic some practice.SF in a Slam will be cherished by Pouille for a long time. He is a journeyman basically.

Agreed. Lucas has nice basic groundstrokes and that's about it.
Movement, grit, variety...are not there.

You are a bit harsh you two. 2 QFs and a semi at 24....not many have achieved that in his generation.
I agree that he is not nearly as fit as he should. But let's not forget he made Nadal look poor and not many youngsters have achieved that feat.

Bottom line is he played better in 2015 than now. And as time goes by his movement will make him look slower and more 1d unless he loses some weight and employs a Paganini or a Gigi.
Those feet are heavy for modern tennis, and his hands aren't particularly quick either.
Plus there is that small matter of corazon, too.
p.s.
just reread this...cooo, I am ruthless...

legendkillar wrote:Well good luck Nadal. He's gonna need it!

Not as impressive as Rafa yesterday but a massive step up from Novak. Sets up what looks an absolute blockbuster of a final, with a lot on the line. Most interested I’ve been in a slam final since Fedal in 2017.

Slippy wrote:

legendkillar wrote:Well good luck Nadal. He's gonna need it!

Not as impressive as Rafa yesterday but a massive step up from Novak. Sets up what looks an absolute blockbuster of a final, with a lot on the line. Most interested I’ve been in a slam final since Fedal in 2017.

Are you kidding? 5 UE's in the whole match! You can make the point that Pouille didn't do much, but Djokovic had him on a rope from point 1. That was pure control.

Slippy wrote:

legendkillar wrote:Well good luck Nadal. He's gonna need it!

Not as impressive as Rafa yesterday but a massive step up from Novak. Sets up what looks an absolute blockbuster of a final, with a lot on the line. Most interested I’ve been in a slam final since Fedal in 2017.

Drama wise, yes...tennis wise it is going to be a bore like all their matches (I have not watched Wimby 18).

I think Nadal is going to take a hiding. I'll explain why:

- his game now is based more on a realistic assessment that he has to hit flatter and take more risks.
- against ordinary players this works fine because he gets the pay-off
- he will try to do this against Djokovic, but he will retrieve most of this and unlike other opponents, force Nadal to do this two or three times to win points
- he will not be able to sustain the level of low-error aggression and the unforced errors will start to mount up
- he may well therefore revert at some point to rallying and run out of gas

Fully agree with Bogbrush.
Nadal has also lost pace, won’t be able to cope being moved round.

Djoko in 4 on Sunday, lets cut the drama 

DEC1M7 wrote:Fully agree with Bogbrush.
Nadal has also lost pace, won’t be able to cope being moved round.

Lol - you must be extremely confident about tomorrow. The anti-jinxing you do usually is directly proportionate to how good you think Rafa’s chances are and you are doing a lot on this occasion!

Anyone know the least number of games lost at a hardcourt slam? Just noting that Rafa has only dropped 48 so far, an average of 2.66 a set. In comparison, when Fed won in 2007 without dropping a set he had dropped 58 at this stage, and 72 after the final.

Slippy wrote:Anyone know the least number of games lost at a hardcourt slam? Just noting that Rafa has only dropped 48 so far, an average of 2.66 a set. In comparison, when Fed won in 2007 without dropping a set he had dropped 58 at this stage, and 72 after the final.

Djokovic dropped 60 sets winning the 2011 AO.

naxroy wrote:

Jahu wrote:Why? He ain't catching Nadal's 17 GS or 18, don't worry...

I dont know about that, but losing a grand slam final is always sad and hard for a tennis player and his/her fans.

and djokovic of course is the greatest threat along with federer


but it is also truth that one thing is what one expects and the other what finally happens. nadal was strong favourite against wawrinka in 2014 and then wawrinka beat him, and I remember cheering for stan when he played djokovic in that tournament

In fairness, Rafa would have lost to most players in the top 100 given the back issues he had in that match. Stan beating Novak probably avoided a drubbing/retirement, so was still the better outcome.

bogbrush wrote:I think Nadal is going to take a hiding. I'll explain why:

- his game now is based more on a realistic assessment that he has to hit flatter and take more risks.
- against ordinary players this works fine because he gets the pay-off
- he will try to do this against Djokovic, but he will retrieve most of this and unlike other opponents, force Nadal to do this two or three times to win points
- he will not be able to sustain the level of low-error aggression and the unforced errors will start to mount up
- he may well therefore revert at some point to rallying and run out of gas

Spot on.

If any of the useless lot he faced had any game plan or consistency, he'd have already been found out.  His approach is doomed v Djok.

eager to see the outcome of the final

We need Nole once again:

Idemo Majstore!

Agree with BB that Nole will most likely win, possibly quite easily.

I only saw a little bit of Nole in one of the early rounds, but he looked very steady and very comfortable defending ad infinitum.  That, plus his score vs Pouille, suggest that he is near top form, and that should be enough as I think that Nole at his best beats Rafa at his best - certainly in Australia.

In addition, I do not necessarily think that Rafa's aggressive game means he is better than before.  I agree with those who say he is playing aggressively out of necessity.  I still think he would be better playing passively - but he can no longer sustain it.  He only plays aggressively because his A plan no longer works.  It is to his credit he is able to do as well with his current style as he is doing, but I do not expect it to be enough vs Nole.  Let's also remember that Rafa did not face any really tough opponents.

The only question in my mind is whether one day rest will be enough for Nole to recover from his exertions vs Nishi and Pouille.

summerblues wrote:We need Nole once again:

Idemo Majstore!

Just curious but, if Novak wins here, will you switch to being a Nadal supporter at RG if it’s a repeat final?

Just watching the junior final. The top seed, Musetti, has a very stylish one handed backhand. Currently a break down but looks to have a strong all round game.

Slippy wrote:

summerblues wrote:We need Nole once again:

Idemo Majstore!

Just curious but, if Novak wins here, will you switch to being a Nadal supporter at RG if it’s a repeat final?

Nah. Say Djokovic wins AO and RG, puts him on 16. I think Fed fans will be satisfied with a Nadal slamless year and would even take 2 new slam winners at Wimbledon and USO respectively. 

However, both scenarios look very unlikely.

Slippy wrote:

summerblues wrote:We need Nole once again:

Idemo Majstore!

Just curious but, if Novak wins here, will you switch to being a Nadal supporter at RG if it’s a repeat final?

No.

I have been thinking what it would take for me to root for Rafa. I suspect if Nole were to win AO, RG and W and then they met in the USO final with Nole aiming for slam #18 and a CYGS, I would then probably find myself rooting for Rafa.

But I do not expect that to happen, and I expect RG 2012 final will forever remain the only match where I was hoping Rafa would win.

summerblues wrote:

Slippy wrote:

summerblues wrote:We need Nole once again:

Idemo Majstore!

Just curious but, if Novak wins here, will you switch to being a Nadal supporter at RG if it’s a repeat final?

No.

I have been thinking what it would take for me to root for Rafa.  I suspect if Nole were to win AO, RG and W and then they met in the USO final with Nole aiming for slam #18 and a CYGS, I would then probably find myself rooting for Rafa.

But I do not expect that to happen, and I expect RG 2012 final will forever remain the only match where I was hoping Rafa would win.

Interesting, I’m very surprised you wouldn’t switch even if Nole had won Oz and RG and they met in the Wimbledon final. Feels to me tomorrow is Nadal’s final chance to stay within range of Fed. If Novak were to get to 16 after RG, he’d then be by far the clear and present danger to Fed’s slam record.