ATP Masters 1000: Rome

Mind you, I do like Kyrg's big game, he wastes no shots at all.
A rare breed at the moment.

Lovely tennis from Lopez.

Evolution:
Stan The Man
Stanimal
Stan Down The Pan

Stan digs himself out of the hole...good win for him, Monaco was a set and 4:1 up in the second!

Nole time

Nole looking sharp.
Gioco Giocovic!

Almagro is a funny player.
He can serve and strike the ball so well yet dead scared to step into court and actually play the game with a bit of heart.

I think he is a big talent groundstroke wise, but lacks a lot of guts.

He certainly has talent but is a bit emotional and loses his temper too easily. Plus he has not got quick hands. key to bring many balls back when not ideally placed, hence poor at returning. So a good FH and BH (and sometimes a good serve) but poor mouvement and poor everything else.

Yet....wins the second set against a puzzled Djoko.

He has a great serve. I think in 2012 or 2013 after half the year he was no1 for aces.

He, he, I go iut for 15 mns....and Nole's lost the set, I don't mind, I missed him in Madrid, so this makes up for it

Well I did enjoy it...

There is this happy vibe about Roma, the red faced smiling Boris next to chubby faced smiling Vajda..the silly disco music nobody knows but is happy to swing to...almost like being on a beach...just eeeeeasy...

Tenez wrote:He certainly has talent but is a bit emotional and loses his temper too easily. Plus he has not got quick hands. key to bring many balls back when not ideally placed, hence poor at returning. So a good FH and BH (and sometimes a good serve) but poor mouvement and poor everything else.

Yet....wins the second set against a puzzled Djoko.

Now that I read this properly, this is such a good description of a player, any player!
Like an x-ray: talent, hands (and how it affects other things), movement, emotions...

Well, thanks!

He reminds me a lot Tony Drago the snooker player. Talented but as soon as he was building higher breaks got carried away by his own talent, and the crowd cheering and it often ended up by an easy careless mistake costing him frame and match.

If a player like Almagro had the same will power, discipline and emotionally stable as Djoko and Nadal, it would be a very different story ..but at te same time he probably would not be as skilled.

It's much easier to be hard working when that's all you have.

Yes, talent is only good in an athletic body and clever head...looks easy but so rare to find.

Just look at Nishi...he's got the talent to end all talents but not much heart, and not a 6ft 1 body.

Imagine Federer with those Japanese legs!

Excellent day of tennis today:

Murray-Chardy
Nadal-Ilhan
Federer-Cuevas
Goffin-Tsonga
Fognini-Dimitrov
Dolgopolov-GG Lopez
Troicki-Lopez
Thiem-Simon
Nishikori-Vesely

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

  Good one. He is available as a pan-cake on court these days.. Just come and eat him as per your convenience.

noleisthebest wrote:Excellent day of tennis today:

Murray-Chardy
Nadal-Ilhan
Federer-Cuevas
Goffin-Tsonga
Fognini-Dimitrov
Dolgopolov-GG Lopez
Troicki-Lopez
Thiem-Simon
Nishikori-Vesely

 Can Fed win Rome? One of the 3 masters he has never won.. time is running out for him.. and  fast... 

what will it take for Fed to win Rome MS?

A very tough first round for Federer. Cuevas is number 24...and improving week in week out.

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:Can Fed win Rome? One of the 3 masters he has never won.. time is running out for him.. and  fast... 
what will it take for Fed to win Rome MS?

I think there are only two he never won. MC and Rome. Had a few occasions though as he had at least 3 finals in each, I think? Nadal has also two : Miami he never won but had a few finals on and Shanghai, where he had one final there. Djokovic only has Cinci he never won...

Federer had even championship point in Rome! and was so close in MC versus Stan last year.

But frankly it doesn't really matter.

Nadal looked in great form though.

Magnificent, flairful, courageous Fognini takes the first set against Dimitrov in the TB (saving 3 set points).

Tennis spring in Europe doesn't get better than wtching him play on clay in front of his warm and passionate home crowd.

The real king of clay!

Nice player - Cuevas.
Didn't realise he was a SBH-er!

There is something lovely and special about winning your home tournament.

Andy Murray managed to win both Wimbledon and Olympic gold in front of his crowd.

Roger has his Basel where he once used to be a ball-boy. He orders pizzas for them now.

Poor Nole had to buy and carve out his own tournament in order to have the pleasure but he did. And switch from Wilson to Head in order to be able to afford it...

Nadal has Barcelona, Madrid...

How much French players would love to win Roland Garros!
Still, even they have smaller tournaments and win them from time to time...

But imagine, oooooh imagine how wonderful and magical it would be for Fabio Fognini to win Rome!
Imagine the collective energy of love in that stadium...imagine the tennis he'd play, the few extra inches of height he'd gain walking to the trophy, the little invisible wings he'd grow in his heart.....

Seppi was a  local hero three days a few years ago...

Go Fabio!!!!  

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d_mLFHLSULw

We can always dream but never to happen. Again way too emotional and inconsistent.

Murray pulls out of ROme, citing "fatigue".

Thiem Stan should be good.

Murray was right to pull out. One can't play 3 weeks in a row ....on clay nowadays.

I woudl like him to be a force at the FO.

So Carlos Bernardes the referee was not welcome in Madrid (where he was nowhere to be seen) but back in Rome where Nadal has, it seems, less influence. However Carlos has yet to referee Nadal since their altercation in mid Feb.

Feds served for the match twice from 5-2 and 5-4. Won it 7-5 vs KA :/

Yes I think he was even 40/15 up at 5/2 up!!! Seemed irritated at the end. That would be a lost match had it been rafa or Djoko on the other side!

Tenez wrote:We can always dream but never to happen. Again way too emotional and inconsistent.

Killjoy!


I have decided I'm going to Rome next year...I want to go crazy watching Fabio with Italians...

Anyone watching Berd-Fabio?


Sublime tennis and atmosphere...Pietrangeli never fails to deliver.

MAMMA MIA!!!!!!!

Fognini has hit that many gutsy shots he's walking on water now!

There's going to be a collective heart attack on that stadium any minute now!

When in Rome do as Romans do (even in spirit! )


FA-BI-O! FA-BI-O!!

Tie-break

Tenez wrote:Murray was right to pull out. One can't play 3 weeks in a row ....on clay nowadays.

I woudl like him to be a force at the FO.

Wow...all this coming out of closet in one day!
Tenez is not a dreamer and likes ball-muscling "winners"...

luvsports! wrote:Murray pulls out of ROme, citing "fatigue".

Very selfish of Murray, should've given another player a chance to compete...

luvsports! wrote: Stan should be good.

I saw some of it, it was like watching Stan vs Baby Stan a bit.

Glad the Dad Stan won...a simpler but smoother player.
Thiem's level of muscling is a bit of a turn-off.
He is so tense.

Bellucci - a grunting basher, what a turn off....

noleisthebest wrote:

Tenez wrote:Murray was right to pull out. One can't play 3 weeks in a row ....on clay nowadays.

I woudl like him to be a force at the FO.

Wow...all this coming out of closet in one day!
Tenez is not a dreamer and likes ball-muscling "winners"...

If no-one can beat the ball muscling players, then I want the ball muscling players to fight against each other. I would hate a no hope Fognini facing any Road runner in the final. In the same way I supported Djoko to get nadal, I want Murray to be part of the mix.

Ouch Djoko turning into the kind of moonballing.

Clay in Rome looks beautiful!

Its a beautiful city.......I visited it 32 years ago and loved it. I felt it was part of my dna.

Djoko breaking without doing much.....thanks to Bellu handing it to him.

Well, this was what Nole needed to shake the rust off...plenty of baseline hitting against pace.

Nishi tomorrow.

After watching him bs  Troicki, I had my doubts confirmed about Nishi: he gets really nervous if a player stand up to him.
That's. why Murray was able to beat him so convincingly last week.

I have no recollection of how Nole lost to him in USO last year.
He must've been extremely tired.

noleisthebest wrote:I have no recollection of how Nole lost to him in USO last year.
He must've been extremely tired.

I think Nishi is the anti djko like Djko is the anti nadal. He takes the ball earlier and dicates.

Federer starting at 2pm and Nadal at 9pm! Rome is trying to help Roger....as they have helped Nadal.

Tenez wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:I have no recollection of how Nole lost to him in USO last year.
He must've been extremely tired.

I think Nishi is the anti djko like Djko is the anti nadal. He takes the ball earlier and dicates.

]Yes...except that Nishi doesn't have much heart. But it's good to have him around. No grunting and no muscling is always welcome.

Tenez wrote:Federer starting at 2pm and Nadal at 9pm!  Rome is trying to help Roger....as they have helped Nadal.

I am tired of Federer-Berdych match-up. I just hope Fed gets on with it and does not start fading in the second set.
I didn't watch him against Anderson today, but that would've been good preparation.
The other matches...equally uninspiring.
Hopefully Stan will play well. He hit himself into some good form/tennis against Thiem today.
Nishi-Nole could be nice on clay.

But all in all...as my dream died with Fognini...only my ghost will be present till the end of the tournament...

It was a wonderful match and I am so sad he lost it. The crowd was equally beautiful.
It was all like watching a sunset....

Tenez wrote:Federer starting at 2pm and Nadal at 9pm!  Rome is trying to help Roger....as they have helped Nadal.

Oh, it's only this morning it dawned on me we could be in for another Fedal!!!

Dunno what to think all of a sudden!

Do we want it or do we not?

OK, here's some loud thinking....stream of counsciousness kind of thing...so...Fed is fresh. Fact.
He is playing the first slot and it's against Berd. It should not be a long match.
Fed should win and still be fresh enough for tomorrow.

Nadal...moving very well in Rome. Ball-striking...not sure...against Nole not enough...against Stan - enough...but what if Stanimal kind of suddenly snaps out of hybernation? He did have moments of pride yesterday...you never know...but on paper this is Nadal's to lose. Fact.
So...a semi-fresh, fakely confident Nadal (fakely coming from the fact he is playing raw SBH-ing Federer....)
Mmmmm....mmmm.....mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....again I'm having to delve into my dreaming well here!

noleisthebest wrote:

Tenez wrote:Federer starting at 2pm and Nadal at 9pm!  Rome is trying to help Roger....as they have helped Nadal.

Oh, it's only this morning it dawned on me we could be in for another Fedal!!!

Dunno what to think all of a sudden!

Do we want it or do we not?

Yes I'd like to see it. I know that will give Nadal a boost of confidence. But I woudl still like to see how Fed plays him then.

noleisthebest wrote:OK, here's some loud thinking....stream of counsciousness kind of thing...so...Fed is fresh. Fact.
He is playing the first slot and it's against Berd. It should not be a long match.
Fed should win and still be fresh enough for tomorrow.

Nadal...moving very well in Rome. Ball-striking...not sure...against Nole not enough...against Stan - enough...but what if Stanimal kind of suddenly snaps out of hybernation? He did have moments of pride yesterday...you never know...but on paper this is Nadal's to lose. Fact.
So...a semi-fresh, fakely confident Nadal (fakely coming from the fact he is playing raw SBH-ing Federer....)
Mmmmm....mmmm.....mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....again I'm having to delve into my dreaming well here!

Nadal is going to obliterate Stan....sadly.