ATP Masters 1000: Rome

yes but we know that mouvement and a DHBH make it impossible for a SHBH to win. It's depressing to see the difference in skills being nullified by such fitness.

Tenez wrote:yes but we know that mouvement and a DHBH make it impossible for a SHBH to win. It's depressing to see the difference in skills being nullified by such fitness.

Yes, I know, but did you see that sizzling one DTL just now...it's worth 100 DBH winners.

Nobody hates DBH more than me...but it's there...

Rublev has a DHBH...and will make Djoko pay for beating Federer!

Match was well alive after 8 games.. Now Fed has slowed down and not been aggressive enough. Congrats on defending Rome Novak

Fed would've won this on grass.

AceofDeath wrote:Match was well alive after 8 games.. Now Fed has slowed down and not been aggressive enough. Congrats on defending Rome Novak

But the mental strain to have to play so many genius shots just to win a point is frustrating.

Tenez wrote:

AceofDeath wrote:Match was well alive after 8 games.. Now Fed has slowed down and not been aggressive enough. Congrats on defending Rome Novak

But the mental strain to have to play so many genius shots just to win a point is frustrating.

His back and wrist injuries over time has made the pace of his shot drop down, and age!

However even if they were all peak condition it would be hard against someone in their prime who is very strong off both wings

Tenez wrote:Shame.....she is such a talent!

She played a very long match against Halep yesterday

Sharapova has become so odious with her gamesmanship she's on the same level if not worse than Nadal.

AceofDeath wrote:

Tenez wrote:

AceofDeath wrote:Match was well alive after 8 games.. Now Fed has slowed down and not been aggressive enough. Congrats on defending Rome Novak

But the mental strain to have to play so many genius shots just to win a point is frustrating.

His back and wrist injuries over time has made the pace of his shot drop down, and age!

However even if they were all peak condition it would be hard against someone in their prime who is very strong off both wings

I think he is playing as well on ever. Today he played extremely well. Served great, played great shots. Hi sBH was not great but that has a lot to do to the surface being uneven and Djoko's pace on his BH. Everything else is in my view better than 2007.....easily in fact.

AceofDeath wrote:

Tenez wrote:

AceofDeath wrote:Match was well alive after 8 games.. Now Fed has slowed down and not been aggressive enough. Congrats on defending Rome Novak

But the mental strain to have to play so many genius shots just to win a point is frustrating.

His back and wrist injuries over time has made the pace of his shot drop down, and age!

However even if they were all peak condition it would be hard against someone in their prime who is very strong off both wings

But Fed IS in his tennis prime.

It's just that the balls coming from the opposition are faster and longer now thanks to strings&spin, add DBH and "rallying" fitness and you get a different sport now in which people think that Federer and Nadal have declined.

Djko is simplying 10 times better than in 2007...that's essentially the difference.

Fed's footwork is just so beautiful.

Nole's dad....so proud of his boy....they've been through some stuff to get to this moment...

Well done Nole.  It went roughly as I expected.  I was hoping for a little closer match but still, Fed did not look too bad.

Nole was very very strong.

If he keeps this up he should win RG.  But, can he keep it up?  Especially if he faces Rafa in the final?

Boris has improved Nole's FH.
I noticed a big difference in pace since last Wimbledon

Ok Djokovic is miles better than he was in 2013 and 2014.. deserved to be the #1 this year and will, barring injury or not handling nerves, lift his first RG in June

Final was a better result than I expected for Roger. Paris is next

Congratulations to Nole and also Fed   That has been the best quality possible tennis nowadays.  That was Nole's performace, well done

summerblues wrote:What do we excpect for tomorrow?  Fed looked fairly solid, so I think he can put up a good fight tomorrow.  Still, I favor Novak.  In the end, I doubt Roger will be able to find enough holes to penetrate Nole's defence, and he will be unable to hold his own in long rallies.

It went much like I expected.  Unfortunately.

noleisthebest wrote:Boris has improved Nole's FH.
I noticed a big difference in pace since last Wimbledon

Nole plays his best tennis. But don't forget that both BB with Marian  were sitting on Nole's bench

Masters in Madrid looks like any atp 250 in the comparison with Rome. Italia, grazia

Nole's played very well today, same as in Wimbledon last year.
Fed's played better than in Wimbledon and the score does not reflect how good he was.

The match went so quickly I wasn't able to even notice how he was serving, just that Nole was reading it with ease.

Did Fed get any free points with his serve?

Anyway...for me the main thing is Nadal didn't win.

Ideally, Nole beats him in RG and mission accomplished

I saw as a key in that match that Nole played really aggressive tennis, stopped playing slices and Fed just did not get time for going to the net and was rushed by many balls played into his FH corner.
Otherwise Fed served superbly. 5 aces , 0 DF, 1st serve  over 70%, very confident on his serve.
 
You are right with Nadal, but Nole's win was a real delicious meal for the Sunday. Superb game from both.

Mission, nonmission, commission,   Nole so focused on the game  will sweep out any court with Nadal, but  we  know there are non tennis aspects at RG and the draw will be the first one.

Djokovic will clean this year up as I said from the start, Tenez for some reason I can't see any new serious challengers to Djoko as you predicted.

A very onfire Wawrinka has a chance against even this Djokovic imo everyone else will be chasing shadows. His level hardly drops like it did in the past...

Only person imo who can beat Djoko is Rafa.

Kim Jong-Un wrote:Djokovic will clean this year up as I said from the start, Tenez for some reason I can't see any new serious challengers to Djoko as you predicted.

Fed is not a reference in terms of challenging the Road runners. His SHBH is simply a liability. Djoko struggled more on the way to the final than in the final. Simply because Fed on those slow courts has too much of a disadvantage with his BH. Nishi for instance could have played a bit better. I am not sure Nole will be able to sustain long 5 setters v Nishi...and Nishi is just one of them.

I am please with the way Fed played and to me he played like a real number 2 today...and if Djoko slips on the way to finals be it at FO or Wimbledon, I'd fancy Fed to win.

Tenez wrote:

Kim Jong-Un wrote:Djokovic will clean this year up as I said from the start, Tenez for some reason I can't see any new serious challengers to Djoko as you predicted.

Fed is not a reference in terms of challenging the Road runners. His SHBH is simply a liability. Djoko struggled more on the way to the final than in the final. Simply because Fed on those slow courts has too much of a disadvantage with his BH. Nishi for instance could have played a bit better. I am not sure Nole will be able to sustain long 5 setters v Nishi...and Nishi is just one of them.

Djokovic will easily cope in long 5 stress vs Nishi, in fact Nishi may be the one who tires in a 5 setter.
Unless Fed can turn back the years and play a blinder, or Murray gets over his mental block, no one has a hope in hell of stopping Djokovic in slams this year.

Kim Jong-Un wrote:Djokovic will easily cope in long 5 stress vs Nishi, in fact Nishi may be the one who tires in a 5 setter.

Last time they played a 5 setter it was Djoko who ran out of steam.

Unless Fed can turn back the years and play a blinder, or Murray gets over his mental block, no one has a hope in hell of stopping Djokovic in slams this year.

We'll see!

Kim Jong-Un wrote:Djokovic will clean this year up as I said from the start, Tenez for some reason I can't see any new serious challengers to Djoko as you predicted.

You also said Nadal will play wheelchair doubles so hard to know when you are serious and when not.

That aside, it's early days to predict Nole will win everything this year.
We all know how impotrant draws are...


Let's see if he can win RG first.

noleisthebest wrote:
You also said Nadal will play wheelchair doubles so hard to know when you are serious and when not.

Well that line itself was a joke of course, but my underlying premise that Nadal would struggle to reach his top level in singles was not a joke.

noleisthebest wrote:
That aside, it's early days to predict Nole will win everything this year.
We all know how impotrant draws are...

Frankly at this moment in time, I doubt draws will make a huge difference to Djokovic. Federer is older and may not have the energy for BO5, Nadal is hapless, and all of the young guns are disappointing atm. Murray is up and down, but there are some signs he may take the mantle of challenging Djokovic seriously in the year ahead. If that doesn't happen and Murray can't take off, Djokovic will have no serious competitors for the Grand Slams and cruise to titles.

Tenez wrote:

Unless Fed can turn back the years and play a blinder, or Murray gets over his mental block, no one has a hope in hell of stopping Djokovic in slams this year.

We'll see!

Indeed we will

Perhaps as usual I will be right, and as usual you will be proved wrong with your predictions. Oy maybe I'm being too arrogant. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's see

Kim Jong-Un wrote:
Frankly at this moment in time, I doubt draws will make a huge difference to Djokovic. Federer is older and may not have the energy for BO5, Nadal is hapless, and all of the young guns are disappointing atm. Murray is up and down, but there are some signs he may take the mantle of challenging Djokovic seriously in the year ahead. If that doesn't happen and Murray can't take off, Djokovic will have no serious competitors for the Grand Slams and cruise to titles.

The fact Nole is playing well doesn't mean draws are not important.

They are more important than ever now.

If draws didn't matter, then we'd see Nadal in Nole's quarter, but we aren't going to, are we?

Now you tell me why that is.

noleisthebest wrote:
If draws didn't matter, then we'd see Nadal in Nole's quarter, but we aren't going to, are we?

Well there's a 25% chance that Nadal will be in Djokovic's quarter, isn't there ?

Kim Jong-Un wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:
If draws didn't matter, then we'd see Nadal in Nole's quarter, but we aren't going to, are we?

Well there's a 25% chance that Nadal will be in Djokovic's quarter, isn't there ?

I dunno......not so long ago the chances were 0.024%, a 1000 times less!

Tenez wrote:

Kim Jong-Un wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:
If draws didn't matter, then we'd see Nadal in Nole's quarter, but we aren't going to, are we?

Well there's a 25% chance that Nadal will be in Djokovic's quarter, isn't there ?

I dunno......not so long ago the chances were 0.024%, a 1000 times less!

What are you on about ?

noleisthebest wrote:Evolution:
            Stan The Man
                               Stanimal
                                           Stan Down The Pan

You mess with The Man at your peril.

Oh..Oh...SB is rancunier!