Wimbledon 2014: MOTD Day 11 Fri 03/07/2014 Gentlemen's Semi-final

Selection for tomorrow (remember to designate your joker pick):

Novak Djokovic  (SRB) [23]
v
Grigor Dimitrov  (BUL) [33]


Roger Federer  (SUI) [29]
v
Milos Raonic  (CAN) [33]


Bob Bryan  (USA) [22]
Mike Bryan (USA) [22]
v
Michael Llodra  (FRA) [33]
Nicolas Mahut (FRA) [33]


Leander Paes  (IND) [5]
Radek Stepanek (CZE) [5]
v
Vasek Pospisil  (CAN) [33]
Jack Sock (USA) [33]

to all of us

Roger

Dimi

My picks:

Dimitrov (ok, maybe heart over head here, but I do think he has a chance)
Federer (joker)
Llodra/Mahut
Pospisil/Sock

Dimi
Federer (joker)
Llodra Mahut
Paes Stepanek

Wouldn't it be so fitting to have Federer-Dimitrov final. Whatever happens in the final, it would be good. Also Halle-Queens winners. Fitting.

Polly 81 wrote:Wouldn't it be so fitting to have Federer-Dimitrov final. Whatever happens in the final, it would be good. Also Halle-Queens winners. Fitting.

Indeed.  Just sit back, relax and enjoy.  Forgot about the Halle/Queens connection.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves.  The other two guys could still spoil the party

I know  One can dream though.

Dimi
Federer

1. Grigor Dimitrov  (BUL) [33] A fearless Dimi can pull this off.
2. Roger Federer  (SUI) [29] :JOKER He needs to keep his serving top level and returns too. Don't expect lot of long rallies, but Raonic is a formidable opponent. [


3. Leander Paes  (IND) [5]
Radek Stepanek (CZE) [5]

4. Bob Bryan  (USA) [22]
Mike Bryan (USA) [22]

I think Federer coudl have beaten Dimi and Rao coudl have beaten Djoko.....but as is, Rao and Djoko will get through. Fed's only chance is Rao getting VERY nervous.

Rao coudl go all the way if relax.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/28154057
This article made me laugh....this in particular. Only the BBC coudl come up with that:

"Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray have arguably taken the men's game to unprecedented levels. They have won 35 of the past 38 Grand Slams and contested some of the sport's most memorable matches."

The fact is 33 out of the last 38 GS were won by 3 players!..though I agree
Murray was a regular semi finalist in slams. He did very little to bother the other 3.

They are always trying to elevate Murray to the same heights.

1. Dimitrov - It will likely be a very close match, possibly a 5setter and I think Murray's weakness made Dimitrov appear stronger than he is. I still remember the Dolgopolov match. Djokovic so far also not at his best which is why I think it will be close, just give Dimitrov the edge there, although not a fan of him.

2. Federer (joker) - Raonic can probably overpower him, but Fed made it through Wawrinka, I believe he can make it through Raonic by making Raonic uncomfortable. Serve (and return) will be key in that match. Raonic was broken twice this tournament by Kyrgios and by Nishikori; Fed once by Wawrinka. I give Raonic the edge, should it go to five.

3. Michael Llodra  (FRA) [33]
Nicolas Mahut (FRA) [33]


4. Vasek Pospisil  (CAN) [33]
Jack Sock (USA) [33]


Going off to work twice as hard now to spare the time to watch the semis.

Nole (Djoker ), Federer, Llodra/Mahut, Sock/Pospisil

There is some nice and meaningful symmetry & poise to today's SFs: 2 SBHs vs 2 DBHs, two young guns trying to take down the big ones. On the biggest stage if all!

It's a satisfying line up, and I am genuinely happy for any of the 4 to go all the way, naturally some more than the others

Fed, this may not but could be his last chance to win Wimbledon. He's been healthy, fit and playing well and must want it badly, the crowd will be behind him ferociously (though, doubt they can beat the fire of Parisiens' passion ). The combination of all those plus Fed's experience will be the tipping factor.
Raonic, I haven't seen him at all this Wimbledon bar a few points vs Kyrg.
He's got the serve, maybe even belief, but bottom line - not the composure.
Having said that, things really happen fast on grass and more than on any other surface, it's hard to come back esp if you are an instinctive, attacking player.
I have no doubt Fed will fly today.
The key will be consistency of Raonic's serve, there I can easily see him lose head.
His only chance is to take the first set and grow in confidence.

Fed has been serving well and I don't think that aspect of his game will change today unless his back packs up, which I hope it doesn't.

Nole-Dimi...much less close than Fed-Raonic.
Nole is a man on the mission here. He is getting married on the 10th of July and from what I've seen of him live vs Tsonga, he is in good shape and form. If he wins the whole thing, he also takes over number one spot from Nadal.
Dimi has a gentle disposition and his game is still pretty toothless to bother Nole.
He'd have to go for his shots, so it will be interesting to see how good he is under pressure. Having said that, I watched him against Mayer on Monday and he did look very natural and one with the surface, but then again, Mayer is not The Wall.
CC is slow, but it's still grass and the ball does not bounce that high.
Baseline is basically clay/dust at the moment, so perfect for Nole's movement.
I saw the two play on grass last summer at Boodles, the real, fresh grass and even there all Dimi was able to do was pull off an occasional winner DTL on his FH.
For him to win today, he'll really have to play like Baby-Fed, but I think all of us incl Dimi have decided that that bit of hype is a thing of the past.

So....my dream final would be Fed-Nole.
Ultimate attacker vs the ultimate defender. Both wanting and needing it. No love lost between the two. Plenty of testosterone, fire and desire.

The young ones can try, and it will be interesting to see how they both go.

To another glorious day at Wimbledon....because every day in Wimbledon without Nadal is glorious

Autumnleaf wrote:1. Dimitrov - It will likely be a very close match, possibly a 5setter and I think Murray's weakness made Dimitrov appear stronger than he is. I still remember the Dolgopolov match. Djokovic so far also not at his best which is why I think it will be close, just give Dimitrov the edge there, although not a fan of him.

I'd say 3 or 4 sets max for Djoko.

2. Federer (joker) - Raonic can probably overpower him, but Fed made it through Wawrinka, I believe he can make it through Raonic by making Raonic uncomfortable. Serve (and return) will be key in that match. Raonic was broken twice this tournament by Kyrgios and by Nishikori; Fed once by Wawrinka. I give Raonic the edge, should it go to five.

I think Rao can win the whole thing. I am hoping Federer's day rest mayhave helped him.

ROTLA, you around? You missed one of the doubles - you only picked winners in three matches.

Also, you did not assign your joker to anyone.

noleisthebest wrote:There is some nice and meaningful symmetry & poise to today's SFs: 2 SBHs vs 2 DBHs, two young guns trying to take down the big ones. On the biggest stage if all!

It's a satisfying line up, and I am genuinely happy for any of the 4 to go all the way, naturally some more than the others

Agree with all that. Very nice line-up. Also one of the match-ups has the old guy playing SHBH, while in the other one it is the young guy.

Like you, I will be reasonably happy no matter what happens. My worst case scenario is Nole beating Rao in the final (apologies ), and even that is not so horrible.

I think Fed should be able to win against Rao. Fed struggled against Stan but I think Stan was playing really well the first two sets. He may have been the strongest among all quarterfinalists, yet Fed was still 1-1 after two sets.

Unlike you, I would expect the other SF to be closer. Dimi has been playing well, Nole struggling a bit. Also, Nole is not all that comfortable on grass - Dimi's game suits the surface better. In spite of all that, I still make Nole the favorite. He is the better overall player still (using my meaning of the word "better", with your meaning I would have Dimi as the "better" player ).

summerblues wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:There is some nice and meaningful symmetry & poise to today's SFs: 2 SBHs vs 2 DBHs, two young guns trying to take down the big ones. On the biggest stage if all!

It's a satisfying line up, and I am genuinely happy for any of the 4 to go all the way, naturally some more than the others

Agree with all that.  Very nice line-up.  Also one of the match-ups has the old guy playing SHBH, while in the other one it is the young guy.

Like you, I will be reasonably happy no matter what happens.  My worst case scenario is Nole beating Rao in the final (apologies ), and even that is not so horrible.

I think Fed should be able to win against Rao.  Fed struggled against Stan but I think Stan was playing really well the first two sets.  He may have been the strongest among all quarterfinalists, yet Fed was still 1-1 after two sets.

Unlike you, I would expect the other SF to be closer.  Dimi has been playing well, Nole struggling a bit.  Also, Nole is not all that comfortable on grass - Dimi's game suits the surface better.  In spite of all that, I still make Nole the favorite.  He is the better overall player still (using my meaning of the word "better", with your meaning I would have Dimi as the "better" player ).

 
Dimi is the better player....but not just yet. Do you really believe Dimi can trouble Djoko now? No way!

Some have mentioned that Nole hasn't been playing his best in Wimbledon.
Let me reassure all of you: he IS playing his best. He is s good as he can be on grass right now.
I think people are getting confused with the fact that Nole does not have the game for grass and that the tour has improved and caught up with fitness and percentage ball-striking.
It's getting harder for Nole to outrally others, esp on grass.
Cilic match was a good example.
I saw Cilic beat a very good Chardy a few days ago. His serve has improved a lot under Goran and Goran has certainly taught him how to play FH on grass, he has shaped him into a decent, dangerous grass player.
Same will be the case against Dimi...there will be long rallies so from that point the match may appear close to some, but Nole still has the edge from the baseline, if not for fitness and his natural athleticism, than definitely with his return and BH.

summerblues wrote:ROTLA, you around?  You missed one of the doubles - you only picked winners in three matches.

Also, you did not assign your joker to anyone.

 Yes.. done now.. thanks for reminding..

Grigor

The last time two SHBHs were in the Wimbledon final was 11 years ago (Federer vs Philippoussis), which is also the last year that a SHBH other than Fed made it into the final.

Long way to go, but let's keep our fingers crossed.

summerblues wrote: Grigor

The last time two SHBHs were in the Wimbledon final was 11 years ago (Federer vs Philippoussis), which is also the last year that a SHBH other than Fed made it into the final.

Long way to go, but let's keep our fingers crossed.

I'll certainly hope I am wrong on the predictions.

Windy there today

Hey, anyone else spotted Tony Godsick in Dimitrov's box?
That's good to see. Apparently the Firm is called "Team8". Interesting.

Too bad for that horrible service game.  Nole looks better overall, so would have likely won the set anyway, but Dimi just about gave it away for free.

Polly 81 wrote:Windy there today

Hey, anyone else spotted Tony Godsick in Dimitrov's box?
That's good to see. Apparently the Firm is called "Team8". Interesting.

yes, is Fed in his team?

Well Federer and Tony Godsick set the firm up together to represent athletes. I think Delpo is being represented as well. Was it something to do with leaving IMG or something? Can't remember now.

Disappointing match so far.

Not looking very hopeful here.  Dimi looks very nervous out there.

Allez Dimi.....prove me wrong......

Alright then......looking good now! Come on Dimi!!

Very very impressive from Grigor.  He was a break down, looking nervous, rattled by the wind, yet he managed to find a way.  He slowed it down, started slicing, unsettled Nole a bit.

Nole may still win it, but things are looking up.

Happy with Dimitrov's overheads. Hate watching overheads, cause I thinks they're all going out, and you get that 'ooooh' reaction from the crowd. Urgh.

Dimitrov has a very solid overhead from what I remember. He does not miss too many.

summerblues wrote:Dimitrov has a very solid overhead from what I remember.  He does not miss too many.

Exactly, that's what I like. I don't get that 'uh oh' feeling with him, so I'm starting to enjoy overheads a bit more when he's playing.

tennis on display is not very elegant. Dimi is wasting lots of energy.

They have a good excuse though as the conds are terrible.

It's going to be tough for Fed to retrieve with such a wind. He had trouble in his Wimby final v Roddick and today is very similar....except that Rao will serve even bigger.

Dimi settled down. He does not shank every other shot anymore.

Good TB from Nole and a poor one from Dimi.

TB went with the flow of play - Nole was again starting to look the better player towards the end of the third set.

massive choke job by dimitrov in the tie break,but not a bad debut in a grand slam semi final.
im beginning to really enjoy watching him play

MAJSTOREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!                            

Congrats to Nole, he has done it in the end.  Dimi was right there with him throughout, but he needs to cut out those mental lapses - like double faults in both TBs and a game with three DFs in a row.

All in all, it was kind of what I expected.  Fairly close but with Nole winning in the end - unfortunately.

NITB, congrats to your man and everything, but how can you prefer Nole to Dimi, other than perhaps because of being Serbian?

Nole did look solid - about as good as I have seen him play on grass (except for a couple of mental wobbles of his own).  But he was very solid when he had to be.

Also, he was serving really well.  He will be the favorite for the final regardless of who he is facing there.  It does not mean he will win it - I could imagine either Federer or Raonic beating him - but he will be the favorite.

I was thinking of asking you the same question, what do you like about Dimi's game exactly, I see him as a scrambler and that's a disgrace for a SBH-er. Are you Bulgarian?
I admit I was first busy so didn't see any of the first two sets, and then spent most of the time behind the sofa, but every time I tuned in Dimi was either doing splits or running around & scrambling.
Great defence, but it looks wrong for a SBH-er.

I only saw one good shot, FHDTL from him. Didn't listen to any commentary, as i prefer to have a clear mind when watching Nole.
It was windy and those conditions are twice as hard for Nole, as he is not a loose player so very tough for his way of playing, he had no rhythm and I am impressed with the way he survived today.

Over to you....

It would be great to see metres covered stat for this match, just to confirm who the road-runner was in this match.

I stand by my original statement that Dim needs a proper coach.
Rasheed has done his job well, Dimi is now fit and strong.

It's time for him to find someone to simplify his game, cut out the scrambling and start playing properly and aggressively.
He's got all the ingredients he needs: tall, fit, loose, decent competitor.
As he is now, I can't  say I'd be waking up at 3 AM to watch him during AO or USO.
I do like Kyrgios and Pierre Herbert, they've got the spark about them.

...in the meantime, since I'm one of those who always lives in and for the moment, I'll let the future worry about itself and enjoy the glorious Maestro dance and fly his finest tennis on this sunny CC
Raonic nervous, as expected, Fed milking it in style...

What a BHDTL from Federer.....that's the way to play as a SBH-er.

noleisthebest wrote:It would be great to see metres covered stat for this match, just to confirm who the road-runner was in this match.

Agree. They were both RRs!

...and another one for the break!

Tenez wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:It would be great to see metres covered stat for this match, just to confirm who the road-runner was in this match.

Agree. They were both RRs!

Yes, but only one gets the stick for it all the time.

noleisthebest wrote:I stand by my original statement that Dim needs a proper coach.
Rasheed has done his job well, Dimi is now fit and strong.

It's time for him to find someone to simplify his game, cut out the scrambling and start playing properly and aggressively.
He's got all the ingredients he needs: tall, fit, loose, decent competitor.
As he is now, I can't  say I'd be waking up at 3 AM to watch him during AO or USO.
I do like Kyrgios and Pierre Herbert, they've got the spark about them.

I agree actually....except that he should not need a coach for that. It should come from him.