ATP 1000: Rome

The type of points that keep Nadal in a match...simply unbelievable....I can't remember any other player winning the completely "lost" points by scrapping/landing lucky moonballs like that.

noleisthebest wrote:I am astounded the crowd is pro-Nadal.

Everywhere...Spanish, Italians, British....except in Paris!!!!!

Nadal trying to pull winner at the end of a long rally. He goes for longest length, lowest net.....and still misses it.

He is simply not used to going for winners...under pressure.

Tenez wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:I am astounded the crowd is pro-Nadal.

Everywhere...Spanish, Italians, British....except in Paris!!!!!

I hope to join them in that sentiment soon

Gulbis breaks back!

Collossal serving from Gulbis under pressure, hold Earniee!!!!!!!!!!!

And he does it!!!! Oh, YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!

Did I just see Nadal attempt s&v?!!!

Shame Gulbis missed that pass.

Gulbis really squandered all that hard work with that idiotic drop-shot. I just can't believe it.
He handed it on a plate to Nadal.

It's painful to hear the commentators saying that Rafa was not Rafa in the first set and that now now he is playing much better completely igniring the fact that Gulbis is the one droping a level due to tiredness and loss of edge.

Yes it coudl be tough to beat Rafa over 3 sets on clay again this year....unless Djoko is up to the task.

Brilliant serving from Gulbis. Hope it lasts.

Whether he wins or loses today, Gulbis has played one excellent match today.

"Nadal forehand down the line under pressure" says the stupid Sky commentator, where in fact it was an inside out forehand and there was no pressure.
If anyone's under pressure it's Gulbis trying to save 2 MPs....

Poor Earnie....I blame that stupid drop-shot at the end of the second set. Why did he do it?

noleisthebest wrote:Poor Earnie....I blame that stupid drop-shot at the end of the second set. Why did he do it?

And you'd think he'd learn from it... He could have been 5-4 up in the decider had he not tried this again at deuce!!

Anyways, still seems like a good day for tennis with Nole finishing off his match with ease in an hour, Nadal suffering for 2 1/2 hours and scraping the win by just a thread, Paire beating Del Potro in straight sets... Only thing missing to make it a perfect day is for Federer to win in easy straight sets vs. Simon!

sphairistike wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:Poor Earnie....I blame that stupid drop-shot at the end of the second set. Why did he do it?

And you'd think he'd learn from it... He could have been 5-4 up in the decider had he not tried this again at deuce!!

Anyways, still seems like a good day for tennis with Nole finishing off his match with ease in an hour, Nadal suffering for 2 1/2 hours and scraping the win by just a thread, Paire beating Del Potro in straight sets... Only thing missing to make it a perfect day is for Federer to win in easy straight sets vs. Simon!

I look forward to that one. The ultimate attacker versus the ultimate counter-puncher, both very elegant players as well

Ferrer gets a w/o from Kohlschreiber.
Chardy and Granollers toughing it out at the latter stages of the 3rd set.
JJ-Gasquet starting.

I'm sure Nole must be liking his chances right now! Nadal has still a tough road in front and no day of rest. Ferrer next (hopefully) who, if he plays as well as in Madrid, will again push Nadal to 3 sets and yet another 2 1/2 hours of play and then Nole in the SF. Nole could crush Nadal's confidence then by beating him, but the only good thing about Nadal getting as far as the SF and being tired is that the (potential) long match between Nadal and Nole should boost Fed's chances as long as he passes the hurdle that Simon is (to him)...

sphairistike wrote:I'm sure Nole must be liking his chances right now! Nadal has still a tough road in front and no day of rest. Ferrer next (hopefully) who, if he plays as well as in Madrid, will again push Nadal to 3 sets and yet another 2 1/2 hours of play and then Nole in the SF. Nole could crush Nadal's confidence then by beating him, but the only good thing about Nadal getting as far as the SF and being tired is that the (potential) long match between Nadal and Nole should boost Fed's chances as long as he passes the hurdle that Simon is (to him)...

I don't think Nole is worried about having a tired Nadal. If anything, this win will have helped Nadal's confidence. The only player left in the draw to benefit from anyone's fatigue in the top half of the draw is Federer.
Match against Simon will not be easy.

Federer played an excellent match against Stepanek in the first round of Madrid and then managed to lose to Nishikori.

A lot will depend on the wind, too. Don't forget, Federer Simon H2h is 2:2. Simon has played more tennis on clay than Federer and it would not be a big surprise for me if that match went to 3 sets.

And Granollers manages to kill off Chardy 7:5 in the third
He is playing Paire in the QF tomorrow.

I'll never understand how the tennis gods always seem to bless an on the ropes Nadal with a win...... but it is what it is...
The signs that Nadal is going to find clay domination tougher over the next couple seasons are clear though... He's not going to get younger or better, while some of these new guys are... Just as Federer saw guys catch up to him, we're seeing the signs that Nadal is being reeled in too. Just hope it happens sooner than later.

truffin1 wrote:I'll never understand how the tennis gods always seem to bless an on the ropes Nadal with a win...... but it is what it is...
The signs that Nadal is going to find clay domination tougher over the next couple seasons are clear though... He's not going to get younger or better, while some of these new guys are... Just as Federer saw guys catch up to him, we're seeing the signs that Nadal is being reeled in too. Just hope it happens sooner than later.

I agree up to a point that he is going to have hard times, but on the other hand his game is so madly physical, that he is able to play his 90% even after 7 months break and 5 matches. So, he will surely limit amount of his tourneys or leave some hc sessions, but when he will start playing relaxed he can be competitive for a couple good years. Unless Nole crashes him to bits, then amen with him

great win for JJ over gasquet!!! feds or simon next.

And JJ does it again!!!!!!

Really nice to see some new faces in the final stages of tournaments AT LAAAAAST!!!!
I haven't seen the match, just saw the livescore when he was serving for the match at 40:00 and by the time the wretched steam started and all the stupid adds finished, it was all over , all I could see was he still had his shirt on, so no ripping tonight.
Apparently the commentator mentioned an incident with a line call that turned the match. Has anyone seen what happened?

Bad loss for Gasquet who I hope remains in top 10 after this week, and who should be winning these matches.
I bet he chose to stand 2m behind the baseline.

Has anyone seen this match?

And finally time to see Fed-Simon, I can see the score is already 4:1, Federer must be playing well, but the same happened against Nishi in Madrid.

I'd better tune in to see what's going on!

Fed is playing well indeed. I like how he prevents Simon to set up for his famous sudden attack. Fed hardly has hit a neutral ball

gallery play wrote:Fed is playing well indeed. I like how he prevents Simon to set up for his famous sudden attack. Fed hardly has hit a neutral ball

He can afford that against Simon, who is not known for his lightning-speed rallying skills. But I like watching him in that mode, reminds me of the good old days when everybody looked like a match observer on the other side of the net.

GP,
did you get the chance to check out Paire yet?

Not much actually, think i have seen him play twice

Finally watching!
GP, he is not good, he is awesome tonight!!! Poor Gillou doesn't know what's hit him!

noleisthebest wrote:Finally watching!
GP, he is not good, he is awesome tonight!!! Poor Gillou doesn't know what's hit him!

yeah, it's amazing how he raised his game in just a few days.
Don't know if Simon is the right benchmark but i actually think i haven't seen Federer this good this year

hmm, not his best game there

Fed's problem these days, his A game lasts a set. He'll win this match though

What a feast!

6-1 6-2, easy

Hi picked up his level from set one in the end. Good match.

I think Simon said at the net something like: "plenty of time left to go out Roger"

Fed is going to clean Wimbledon if he plays like this. Shame you picked Murray

gallery play wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:Finally watching!
GP, he is not good, he is awesome tonight!!! Poor Gillou doesn't know what's hit him!

yeah, it's amazing how he raised his game in just a few days.
Don't know if Simon is the right benchmark but i actually think i haven't seen Federer this good this year

Simon has been playing well recently, and Fed made him look terribly average and slow.
Some of his shots had so much pace, I struggled to see the ball. He was amazing!

Good to see Fed back hungry and sharp. He looked better on clay today than on US hard courts, times has changed. This was his best match this year. He feels his chance and he should not miss on Sunday.

Tomorrow's matches:

Centrale, 1.00 PM

Djokovic-Berdych
Ferrer-Nadal (NB 3.00 PM)
Janowicz-Federer (8.00 PM)

Supertennis Arena (11.00 AM)

Paire-Granolleres

noleisthebest wrote:Fed is going to clean Wimbledon if he plays like this. Shame you picked Murray

He played really well, but he was allowed to make up the game pretty well, which is not the case of other TOP5. He went for winners asap. But his backhand was sometimes fragile and grass is much faster. The biggest question mark if he is able to serve for 4/5 sets at full gas. If yes, then he is man to beat at Wimbledon.

paulcz wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:Fed is going to clean Wimbledon if he plays like this. Shame you picked Murray

He played really well, but he was allowed to make up the game pretty well, which is not the case of other TOP5. He went for winners asap. But his backhand was sometimes fragile and grass is much faster. The biggest question mark if he is able to serve for 4/5 sets at full gas. If yes, then he is man to beat at Wimbledon.

He looked very fresh tonight, and the serve reflected it. The way he was striking the ball ON CLAY, it's only going to get so much better on grass.
He was bound to miss a few, the way he was playing , that's normal in my view.

Of the other top 4, on grass, Nole's footwork lets him down against Federer who is too fast for him. Nadal would still probably be the most difficult opponent for Fed in Wimbledon but only if he is super super fit and plays out of his mind. Murray cannot last longer than 3 sets.
A lot will also depend on the state of grass, but I really think Murray has zero chance in Wimbers if the other 3 play well.

We may easily see some decent early round upsets, that would be great!!!!

I am really excited about this Wimbledon, I have a feeling it's going to be a really good one with a new generation trying to come through playing good tennis (imagine JJ, Raonic serving lights out!), super hungry Fed and Nole in his prime.

Plus you have Nadal who must be desperate to prove himself on grass again after last year and 2011 demolition loss from Nole.

Murray, I feel sorry for him. Media are going to be crushing him like never before....

noleisthebest wrote:

paulcz wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:Fed is going to clean Wimbledon if he plays like this. Shame you picked Murray

He played really well, but he was allowed to make up the game pretty well, which is not the case of other TOP5. He went for winners asap. But his backhand was sometimes fragile and grass is much faster. The biggest question mark if he is able to serve for 4/5 sets at full gas. If yes, then he is man to beat at Wimbledon.

He looked very fresh tonight, and the serve reflected it. The way he was striking the ball ON CLAY, it's only going to get so much better on grass.
He was bound to miss a few, the way he was playing , that's normal in my view.

Of the other top 4, on grass, Nole's footwork lets him down against Federer who is too fast for him. Nadal would still probably be the most difficult opponent for Fed in Wimbledon but only if he is super super fit and plays out of his mind. Murray cannot last longer than 3 sets.
A lot will also depend on the state of grass, but I really think Murray has zero chance in Wimbers if the other 3 play well.

If Fed meets Nadal, then I do not see a chance for Fed. Today match was not a big test for Fed, everything from Simon is average, as serve, returns, average but consistent base game and poor game on the net. I would not judge his chance at Wimbledon on the base of that match. Fed had really a lot of time on his BH and even he had enough mishits.

His game is there, but he looks too fragile on BH and everything is driven by his effort to go for winners. Great baseline hitters, who are able to go to the net with forcing a pressure on him will be quite enough for him, even Murray at Wimbledon. I hope that we can see final between Nole and Fed on Sunday. On this match we can say more about their chances in RG and a bit more at Wimbledon. That would be really good and my wishful final.

paulcz wrote: If Fed meets Nadal, then I do not see a chance for Fed. Today match was not a big test for Fed, everything from Simon is average, as serve, returns, average but consistent base game and poor game on the net. I would not judge his chance at Wimbledon on the base of that match. Fed had really a lot of time on his BH and even he had enough mishits.

His game is there, but he looks too fragile on BH and everything is driven by his effort to go for winners. Great baseline hitters, who are able to go to the net with forcing a pressure on him will be quite enough for him, even Murray at Wimbledon. I hope that we can see final between Nole and Fed on Sunday. On this match we can say more about their chances in RG and a bit more at Wimbledon. That would be really good and my wishful final.

A lot of things can happen between now and Wimbledon, but as things stand: Federer plays better than last year, Nadal plays worse, Nole is better, Murray is worse.

As for tonight's match, it was not the fact that Simon has no weapons to trouble Federer (their H2H before this match was 2:2) it was the manner in which he demolished Simon and created all the time he needed for his BH. He went for the winners because he didn't want to engage in long rallies with Simon who is a master when it comes to counter-punching. To me, the way Federer was hitting the ball off both wings and played like he had a plane to catch, that is the most difficult way to beat a player, you don't see it every day in these slow conditions, so I enjoyed how he pulled it off tonight.

Of course, the top 4 can slow him down and keep him on the base-line, but on grass, in those big matches, Fed produces his very best, esp now that his time is running out, relatively speaking.

I know a lot of people go on about Murray's win at the Olympics, I actually saw that match live: the court was a MUDPIT (or actually a sandpit), ready for sowing some potatoes on the baseline, Federer was dead tired from his match against Delpo the day before and Murray was on high from team GB support.
He completely physically overwhelmed Federer who never really looked very motivated in that match.

If it was in my power, I'd lay a new layer of grass on Centre Court for the final. It's not impossible. And have a great match.

noleisthebest wrote:

sphairistike wrote:I'm sure Nole must be liking his chances right now! Nadal has still a tough road in front and no day of rest. Ferrer next (hopefully) who, if he plays as well as in Madrid, will again push Nadal to 3 sets and yet another 2 1/2 hours of play and then Nole in the SF. Nole could crush Nadal's confidence then by beating him, but the only good thing about Nadal getting as far as the SF and being tired is that the (potential) long match between Nadal and Nole should boost Fed's chances as long as he passes the hurdle that Simon is (to him)...

I don't think Nole is worried about having a tired Nadal. If anything, this win will have helped Nadal's confidence. The only player left in the draw to benefit from anyone's fatigue in the top half of the draw is Federer.
Match against Simon will not be easy.

Federer played an excellent match against Stepanek in the first round of Madrid and then managed to lose to Nishikori.

A lot will depend on the wind, too. Don't forget, Federer Simon H2h is 2:2. Simon has played more tennis on clay than Federer and it would not be a big surprise for me if that match went to 3 sets.

Fed is on a mission on clay and his post defeat interview in Madrid showed that. He dismantled Simon the proper way and I'm looking forward to his schooling of JJ and I'd love him to meet Paire in SF, which would be nice for Paire too. Then I am not seeing anything less than Fed-Nole final (hopefully) with a Nole who had the later match on Saturday and a longer more tiring match vs. Nadal/Ferrer (the latter can still surprise us all). I would love to see Fed win Rome as he often played well there and got a super close final loss to Nadal in the 5th set TB in 2006. So I think Fed deserves to add this master to his collection of won masters, and it would be a nice 11th title on clay.

By the way, I like the way Gulbis compared himself to Nadal in his post-match interview:

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/05/20/Rome-Thursday-Gulbis-Reaction-On-Nadal-Loss.aspx

sphairistike wrote:By the way, I like the way Gulbis compared himself to Nadal in his post-match interview:

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/05/20/Rome-Thursday-Gulbis-Reaction-On-Nadal-Loss.aspx

A good and honest interview from Gulbis.
It's interesting how he can't see that it was him who gave it to Nadal on a plate in that second set by playing that ridiculous service game which included that terrible drop-shot and even more terrible overhead out.

But it's so, so difficult to be focused all the time, and he lost that focus when he needed it most in that match, when he had to close it out and had all the aces in his spiel.

Tactically , he wasted a lot of that positive "pupmed-up" vibe (as he called it in the interview) he brought into the match and won the first set with by getting involved in long and draining Nadal service games, trying to break him.
That lost him the edge a bit and probably made him panic and think more than he should've.
It's all little things, but they all add up.

Tennis is such a very tough game to play, and he is right that you have to beat Nadal, I think Nadal's unweavering focus is one of his greatest strengths and it showed again today.

His tennis is so average, but that ability to play like a robot with no focus blips and get you in that split second when you do lose focus, that is so demoralising, because as Gulbis said, he was a better player but he still lost the match.

I love the way Nole beats Nadal at his own game, letting Nadal "attack" with his forehand, keeps him on edge with his BH and drains him of all energy, probably the only player Nadal panics and loses the confidence against and as a result - misses.

"I know Italians like a little flair so I played some drop shots and came to the net; I used it more often than I usually do, so I hope you guys enjoyed it,” Federer told the fans.

How very thoughtful

Looks like Fed played a good match. Did not see any of it.

Nadal managed to blunt Gulbis edge as expected cause unlike Djoko he panicked on the key points.

When was the last time Fed got such a nice draw? 1998?