Barcelona 2019

by Jahu Sun Apr 21, 2019 9:34 pm

Draw about same as in MC. http://www.protennislive.com/posting/2019/425/mds.pdf

Live Scores: https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/current/barcelona/425/live-scores

Come on Thiem, win it !!!

by summerblues Mon Apr 22, 2019 3:40 am

I second that - time for Thiem to step up. It is now or never.

Very strong field in Barcelona. It could be a good tournament - and fun too if Rafa loses.

Almost nobody playing in Budapest. Coric really the only guy I will be keeping an eye on. Cilic is doing nothing this year and all other names are small potatoes (no disrespect to MS1000 finalist Lajovic).

by Tenez Mon Apr 22, 2019 5:44 am

I don't like Thiem. All brawn no brain. I will never forgive him his loss to Nadal last year in spite of being fitter than Nadal that day.

by raiders_of_the_lost_ark Mon Apr 22, 2019 7:36 am

Tenez wrote:I don't like Thiem. All brawn no brain. I will never forgive him his loss to Nadal last year in spite of being fitter than Nadal that day.

I would like him just on the fact that he plays SHBH in the modern era. Currently he has all the brawn, some brains will come with time. He is not going to be a GOAT contender, so his progress will have leaps and bounds.

He has parted ways with Gunter and for Massu as his new coach. Maybe this can fix something.

He has the game and firepower to beat anyone out there.

by raiders_of_the_lost_ark Mon Apr 22, 2019 7:37 am

summerblues wrote:I second that - time for Thiem to step up. It is now or never.

Anything less than RG win for him is not a satisfactory result for me.

by noleisthebest Mon Apr 22, 2019 9:28 am

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:
summerblues wrote:I second that - time for Thiem to step up. It is now or never.

Anything less than RG win for him is not a satisfactory result for me.

LOL rotla, never realised you had this Lendl-esque side to yourself!

by Daniel2 Mon Apr 22, 2019 11:30 am

Tenez wrote:I don't like Thiem. All brawn no brain. I will never forgive him his loss to Nadal last year in spite of being fitter than Nadal that day.

Yeah cause tennis is all about running... Oh wait, that's the 5000m event.

by bogbrush Tue Apr 23, 2019 9:15 am

noleisthebest wrote:
raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:
summerblues wrote:I second that - time for Thiem to step up. It is now or never.

Anything less than RG win for him is not a satisfactory result for me.

LOL rotla, never realised you had this Lendl-esque side to yourself!

Lendl would be the dream coach for Thiem.

by Jahu Tue Apr 23, 2019 9:59 am

Yep, he would kill the mommy boy crap Thiem is still on and man up Thiem a little.

Norman would do too I guess, coming from about same style of Stan.

by Tenez Tue Apr 23, 2019 11:39 am

Jahu wrote:Yep, he would kill the mommy boy crap Thiem is still on and man up Thiem a little.

Norman would do too I guess, coming from about same style of Stan.

Stan is a great player.

by Jahu Tue Apr 23, 2019 5:33 pm

Happy Zverev went home hahaha, grass no good, clay no good, he sucksss

by bogbrush Tue Apr 23, 2019 9:18 pm

I see Nadal is playing. I’m so relieved that he was not injured last week, after his interview comments I felt sure he must have been badly impaired.

by N2D2L Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:14 pm

bogbrush wrote:after his interview comments I felt sure he must have been badly impaired.

What are you talking about?

by Jahu Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:58 pm

“I had a bad feeling, it was a tough day. I’m coming from low moments in terms of injuries, and in terms of the mental side it has not been easy to accept all the things that have been going on during recent weeks.

by Daniel2 Tue Apr 23, 2019 11:29 pm

Nadal translator "I lost and, as usual, my narcissistic side won't let it go - so here's my injury excuse bullshit yet again"

He really is the most lousy player ever to have graced Earth.

by N2D2L Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:23 am

I watched the whole interview.
He's not saying he's injured, he's saying the recent injuries were low moments.
That's a normal human reaction.

by Daniel2 Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:48 am

Why does he always mention it when he's lost then? That's not human reaction and you know it. It's a deliberate insinuation that he lost because of injury and his oh so bad luck. That's the absolute implication and it's undeniable.

by N2D2L Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:54 am

You're spinning his words like one of those hysterical journalist hacks.
He was asked numerous times if he was injured. He said he wasn't. He said when he had been injured recently he was sad about it, which isn't easy on him. That's not the same.

by raiders_of_the_lost_ark Wed Apr 24, 2019 7:17 am

DEC1M7 wrote:I watched the whole interview.
He's not saying he's injured, he's saying the recent injuries were low moments.
That's a normal human reaction.

Who are you, his apologist? always trying his best advocate Nadal's defence.

by N2D2L Wed Apr 24, 2019 11:59 am

I'm just reading the words he said, it's not exactly a difficult defence.

I am however starting to get increasingly frustrated with tennis journalists online. Quality declining.
Eg Nadal this week was asked in an interview if he's playing with pain. Nadal said a more suitable question to ask is if he's playing without limitation rather than pain, as all tennis players face pain and he's always had pain. However what's actually relevant is whether one can play without limitation, and he was very happy this week because he was playing with 0 limitation.
Then the headlines online were along the lines of 'Nadal SHOCK as he ADMITS he's playing with PAIN in Monte Carlo.' Selective quoting totally changing the meaning.

by bogbrush Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:13 pm

Bloody journalists again, making him talk about his injuries and how they affect his performance. The poor guy only wanted to talk about forehands and serves, and how he just got tonked, but they force him to spin injuries into the discussion.

Obviously they totally spun it and those quotation marks around the statements are complete fabrication, or perhaps his words were taken out of context. Perhaps he was talking about fishing injuries and how it was tough to accept not getting a bite at all.

by N2D2L Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:20 pm

He didn't say he was injured currently. He's made that completely clear in his interviews all week. As for the quote Jahu posted, are you pretending you can't do basic english comprehension in order to misinterpret what he said?

by Tenez Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:36 pm

In pain or with limitation is not very important. I personally never minded much about players talking about injuries....unless it happens too often which has certainly be the case of nadal and once Djokovic. Murray on the other side has always made it bloody obvious when injured or hampered.

Bottom line, Nadal played poorly v Fognini. I am not sure how much Fog played a role there. Quite a bit is the answer but would that have been enough to beat a fully fit or confident Nadal, I am not sure.

Nadal did not look as much injured as lacking real confidence. the clue was his overdoing the lasso FH. This usually happens when Nadal faces pacy shots and tries to contain instead of dictate which he can usually do on clay.

I would not be surprised if he were to regain confidence and form very soon.

by N2D2L Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:40 pm

No one with a basic level of english can watch this and claim he's saying he's injured right now.

by N2D2L Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:43 pm

Tenez wrote:In pain or with limitation is not very important. I personally never minded much about players talking about injuries....unless it happens too often which has certainly be the case of nadal and once Djokovic. Murray on the other side has always made it bloody obvious when injured or hampered.

Bottom line, Nadal played poorly v Fognini. I am not sure how much Fog played a role there. Quite a bit is the answer but would that have been enough to beat a fully fit or confident Nadal, I am not sure.

Nadal did not look as much injured as lacking real confidence. the clue was his overdoing the lasso FH. This usually happens when Nadal faces pacy shots and tries to contain instead of dictate which he can usually do on clay.

I would not be surprised if he were to regain confidence and form very soon.

Fully agree. Thumbs Up

by Daniel2 Wed Apr 24, 2019 1:46 pm

Never heard so much nonsense.

Whichever way you spin it, Nadal is constantly mentioning injuries and "bad luck" at every turn. Every loss. Every single loss has him talking out of both sides of his mouth.

You know it's bad when DECIMA and Tenez are agreeing lmao!

by N2D2L Wed Apr 24, 2019 2:03 pm

Daniel2 wrote:Never heard so much nonsense.

That's not very specific rebuttal, is it?
Watching the video there's 2 possible interpretations: that he's talking about the fact he was sad at injuries in the recent past and that mental toll, or he's injured right now. Just admit my interpretation was obviously correct.

Daniel2 wrote:
Whichever way you spin it, Nadal is constantly mentioning injuries and "bad luck" at every turn.

Perhaps so, but frankly I don't mind it. Djokovic said both times after his loss to Zverev and Kachanov that he had been below his best because he had flu. Where was your outrage then? Federer in Basel last year said he had been below his best during both the grass and north american hard court swing in 2018 due to injury.

by bogbrush Wed Apr 24, 2019 2:08 pm

Right, thanks for clearing that all up! He wasn't injured at all but found himself talking about injuries and their effects during the interview. Yes, can happen to any of us when we find ourselves discussing things that have absolutely no bearing on what's relevant to the subject in hand but which appear to explain our position.

by N2D2L Wed Apr 24, 2019 2:15 pm

bogbrush wrote:He wasn't injured at all but found himself talking about injuries and their effects during the interview.

Correct, sarcasm not needed.
And of course previous physical issues can take a mental toll which in turn affects confidence. By the way Federer said exactly the same thing in 2013. He said even when he was back injury free in the latter part of 2013, the fact he had been injured and his training was affected meant he lacked confidence.

by Jahu Wed Apr 24, 2019 2:18 pm

Lets not forget DEC1 is a doctor too, so he knows this stuff about injuries.

Shame LK gone awol, since he can prescribe the medicines too Laugh

by N2D2L Wed Apr 24, 2019 2:26 pm

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/03/federer-back-injury-was-scarring/50926/

Federer returned mostly pain-free in Madrid after a seven-week break last spring, but had mixed results.

"Just maybe feeling that training was lacking from the weeks I lost in April," he said. "Just I could feel for a while I was playing the wrong way. Little things crept into my game that shouldn't have and probably wouldn't have had [I] felt better."

by Daniel2 Wed Apr 24, 2019 4:05 pm

Federer does it rarely and throughout his career has hardly ever cited injury worries. He's also in his late 30s.

Nadal has done it after every loss. As usual, you cling to bullshit one offs as an appeasement and apologism. Plus Federer isn't blaming injury there in any way the same as Nadal does.

by Jahu Wed Apr 24, 2019 5:47 pm

Nadal scrapes a win in 3 past Mayer.

Come on Dimi!!!

by Daniel2 Wed Apr 24, 2019 8:14 pm

https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Rafael_Nadal/60109/rafa-nadal-you-can-t-compare-my-injuries-to-roger-federer-djokovic-s/

He can't and will not complain.... He says while whining that his injuries are "worse".

by N2D2L Thu Apr 25, 2019 1:54 am

Well that's just a fact, he does have more injuries than Federer and Djokovic. You seem to have an obsession over it.

by summerblues Thu Apr 25, 2019 2:36 am

These last couple of months 2015 Rafa and 2017 Nole reappeared. Long may it last!

I wonder is Federer is taking his clay court practice more seriously now than he was a couple of weeks ago.

by raiders_of_the_lost_ark Thu Apr 25, 2019 9:37 am

DEC1M7 wrote:Well that's just a fact, he does have more injuries than Federer and Djokovic. You seem to have an obsession over it.

The only one obsessed here is you. You have the obsession of trying to defend Nadal at every corner, even some of the most nonsense Nadal has uttered regarding his injuries.

You even tried to defend a clear lie, "CLEAR'. Of course, you wouldn't remember any of it.

by raiders_of_the_lost_ark Thu Apr 25, 2019 9:41 am

summerblues wrote:These last couple of months 2015 Rafa and 2017 Nole reappeared. Long may it last!

I wonder is Federer is taking his clay court practice more seriously now than he was a couple of weeks ago.

Now onwards, I want every slam to be won by someone in their 20s, someone who makes their own space. I want to see some new slam winners, some first-time winners.

I've had enough of slams being raked by Nadal/Djoko and even Fed.

For RG, I would want Thiem to win it.

by Jahu Thu Apr 25, 2019 10:04 am

Felix seems confident on clay, Shapo and clay dont seem to be working out at all, sadly.

Hope Ferrer beats Nadal today.

There will be a new RG Champion this year, Fed or Thiem smiley

by Tenez Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:04 am

Thiem winning the French would be a sad continuation of Nadal's game success on clay. Brut force no flair! I know he has a SHBH....but so had Muster...and there was nothing creative about it.

by noleisthebest Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:07 am

Tenez wrote:Thiem winning the French would be a sad continuation of Nadal's game success on clay. Brut force no flair! I know he has a SHBH....but so had Muster...and there was nothing creative about it.

Agreed.
Thiem is such a dullard.
Like a robot. There is nothing alive in his game.

Not to mention the sweat. First time I saw him live at Boodles (he played Sock) both had to change their tshirts three times in the space of one hour of exo...I couldn't believe it.

by bogbrush Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:19 am

Clay is a happy hunting ground for dullards, there's nothing new about this.

by Jahu Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:18 pm

Yep, and it will never change, a surface made for muscle, fit and hard hittig guys 5 metres behind the base line.

by noleisthebest Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:27 pm

bogbrush wrote:Clay is a happy hunting ground for dullards, there's nothing new about this.

Jahu wrote:Yep, and it will never change, a surface made for muscle, fit and hard hittig guys 5 metres behind the base line.

clay is certainly no grass, but on the other hand certain players will make even ice play like clay.

Clay has got bed rap because of Nadal who turned it into a personal physical mudwrestle ring.

Most players have fun games on clay, look no further than magical Fognini, Paire, Simon etc....it's such an elegant surface, in fact.

by Jahu Thu Apr 25, 2019 4:39 pm

Rafa wins in 2.

Dimi fuks up again, takes 1st set then loses in 3.

by Tenez Thu Apr 25, 2019 5:37 pm

I much prefer natural surfaces even if they both can be dull. Grass resolved the issue by providing bigger balls but it made finals even duller than clay with Nadal and Djoko winning 7 slams there recently. Big balls on no-more-grass courts are even worse. Clay could me fun if they were to provide faster balls.

by Jahu Thu Apr 25, 2019 6:49 pm

Super Struff kicking Tsi's ass, beats him in 3.

by summerblues Fri Apr 26, 2019 2:15 am

I don't mind Struff, he is quite fun to watch, but he is not the Next Big Thing, so I would have preferred Tsitsipas to win.

It looks like Tsitsipas, Zverev, Dimitrov and Shapovalov are all taking Nole's approach to the FO prep: lose early in the warm up tournaments and make a big splash at the RG.

by summerblues Fri Apr 26, 2019 2:20 am

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:I've had enough of slams being raked by Nadal/Djoko and even Fed.

"and even Fed"? Oh dear, cannot be. Sad

I am with Jahu smiley

Jahu wrote:There will be a new RG Champion this year, Fed or Thiem

by raiders_of_the_lost_ark Fri Apr 26, 2019 11:15 am

summerblues wrote:
raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:I've had enough of slams being raked by Nadal/Djoko and even Fed.
"and even Fed"? Oh dear, cannot be.

I am with Jahu

Jahu wrote:There will be a new RG Champion this year, Fed or Thiem

Yes I wouldn't mind if Fed/Nadal/Djo stay on their current slam counts for the rest of their careers.

Back in 2015-16, I remember an interview when Fed was asked how many slams would be would like to end up with. And he said 20. Well, he has 20 for more than a year now.

Even as a fan on that day, I would have signed up for him to win 20. I didn't believe Fed would get to 20. But I didn't even believe Nadal would get to 17 or Djokovic to 15. And they all have got their desired numbers.

These 30s guys are over-staying at the top.

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