|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 24, 2022 10:22:45 GMT
Not as big a day today but Djoko was pretty impressive and on cruise control yesterday only dropping 4 games ..... 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 over Nishioka. In the 2nd set he started pumping himself up by staring down Nishioka who I think he thought was showing him up - and then sort of exaggerating his own celebrations which got him booed at exactly 1 or 2 games in the 2nd in his opening match.  Basically you can kind of see his plan - conserve his energy - turn it on when he has to - until a QF match with Nadal where he tries to make him run all over the court and test the health of his foot and maybe have some kind of response to Alcaraz serve which killed him in Madrid. Not sure if any of that will that will work......and if he's losing his cool a bit already just wait until he gets to those 2.......he always has a fine line between playing the villain and psyching himself up .........or being overly in his own head and breaking down on court and psyching himself out of things.......meanwhile all the guys in the other bracket are perfectly content to watch those 3 guys tire each other out anyway....   |
|
cherry68
Based
Man is unhappy because he doesn't know he's happy. It's only that.
Posts: 3,409 
Likes: 1,929
|
Post by cherry68 on May 24, 2022 22:37:40 GMT
It's a pity for Musetti that Roland Garros has 5 sets.
|
|
cherry68
Based
Man is unhappy because he doesn't know he's happy. It's only that.
Posts: 3,409
Likes: 1,929
|
Post by cherry68 on May 25, 2022 16:18:15 GMT
Baez missed his match point and Zverev got the game back.
I was surprised to see there are 30 centimetres between the two.
|
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 25, 2022 16:42:06 GMT
Djoko in straight sets - hasn't lost a set since Madrid to Alcaraz - all on clay, his worst surface - Bad-Ass
Alcaraz has lost 2 sets today so he'll have to pull a quasi -Tsitsipas/Zverev/FAA today.....though he won his 1st set .....hmmmmm
The Balding Zorro plays later......
Raducanu and Sakkari lost today on the ladies side
|
|
|
|
Post by themoviesinner on May 25, 2022 16:51:03 GMT
Raducanu and Sakkari lost today on the ladies side This is probably the first Grand Slam in forever that the women's side has a very clear favorite. I think that anything other than Swiatek winning this without losing a single set will be a huge surprise. The men's side looks very interesting so far. No one looks really dominant and we could have a few upsets. |
|
|
|
Post by pupdurcs on May 25, 2022 17:09:44 GMT
It's a curse to be right so often, but watching Alcaraz struggle so badly against Vinolas (who should have won their match already, but choked on his serve when serving for the match) is what I said we still had to wait for in all the hype of installing him second favorite for the French Open....how he could cope with the pressure of slams and 5 sets, which is a totally different beast from Masters & 3 sets (where he does look like a GOAT in the making). As talented and precocious as he is, he might not have that gene to dominate the 5 set format like the Big 3....or it might take him awhile to get there. Like the Zverevs of the world, who are world beaters in 3 set matches, but look so beatable over 5 sets.
Regardless of if Alcaraz loses or pulls off an escape act, if he was playing someone better than Vinolas, he'd already be on the plane home to Spain by now. He's not looking like a Champion-elect based on this showing, when he should be cruising. Presuming we get a Djokovic/Nadal quarter final, I think the winner of that match probably wins the whole tournament.
I still think Alcaraz will likely be a slam winner at some point and be one of his generations best, but we may need to pump the breaks on the "he's already greater than the Big 3" hyperbole some breathless media chatterboxs are drumming up to generate clicks.
|
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 26, 2022 0:54:55 GMT
Raducanu and Sakkari lost today on the ladies side This is probably the first Grand Slam in forever that the women's side has a very clear favorite. I think that anything other than Swiatek winning this without losing a single set will be a huge surprise. Swiatek may not ever lose a set again - um, kidding, but............ That's one reason the Barty retirement stings so much .....could have been a rivalry for years.......I'm pulling for the Paula Badosa upset so I can include her in the Celebrity Crush thread ...... who am I kidding - she is going to make it a ton of times in that thread - even if she never wins a major   |
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 27, 2022 8:46:12 GMT
Some pretty good matchups today in the 3rd round on the men's side - Nadal and Alcaraz play van de Zandschulp and Korda respectively which are sorta tough 3rd round matches..........that they should win though obviously - Nadal has yet to drop a set....... Djoko plays Bedene which should be an easier draw for him ...... Świątek domination continued to roll yesterday 6-0; 6-2....30 straight match wins atm   |
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 28, 2022 9:54:55 GMT
Badosa and Świątek both have matches today but tomorrow is a tremendous Sunday on the men's side: Nadal vs. FAA - Nadal still hasn't dropped a set, shows no signs of a foot problem, FAA will have to pounce on him quick if he wants to win a set, if he wins a set he can maybe drag the match out. But.......doubt it. FAA is the highest ranked opponent for Baldzelbub - or for any of the Big Three @ RG - so if weaknesses are in his game atm (or injury) evidence could be seen here....but is needed too....because Nadal is breezing at RG so far. Djoko vs. Schwartzman - The biggest problem on Sunday for these 3 here because Schwartzman will get balls back and sort of dare Djoko to make unforced errors. I see Djoko losing his first set here....... and possibly this is a very frustrating match for him. But.....he's the world #1 for a reason......Djoko has been clinical so far but he's been so clinical he's almost been rote. Alcaraz vs. Khachanov - Another sorta tough matchup - but not like the other 2 ^ - I think Alcaraz is just too complete in his game here..... So again, all 3 should be wins, but you never know - all 3 won their 3rd round matches in straight sets.....that sets up the first Djoko / Nadal head to head match up since RG last year in the QF....unless something is revealed in Nadal's match with FAA, I can't see "picking" Djoko here atm and I'm the biggest stan for the man, but we'll see... getting a little ahead of the game atm..... 
|
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 28, 2022 14:55:05 GMT
What's wrong with this girl's legs? Yeah, exactly - absolutely nothing - she's totally flawless - pffft ........ but she hurt one of her knees so Badosa is now out: Kudermetova 6-3; 2-1 retires.  ......I don't think there's any females left in the top 10 except Świątek who keeps on rolling along....31 matches in a row now. All the competition and chatter will be around the guys it seems......   |
|
cherry68
Based
Man is unhappy because he doesn't know he's happy. It's only that.
Posts: 3,409
Likes: 1,929
|
Post by cherry68 on May 28, 2022 19:54:52 GMT
Sonego (#32) lost to Ruud (#8).
He takes more risks thus he makes more mistakes, but he's a far more interesting player than Ruud. If you saw a game Ruud vs Ruud, you'd die of boredom.
|
|
|
|
Post by themoviesinner on May 29, 2022 14:14:53 GMT
Well that was disappointing. I definitely expected more from this match. Djokovic defeated Schwartzmann easily 3-0 sets, but it was more thanks to Schwartzmann being complete trash than him displaying a very high level of tennis. The Serb didn't step out of 2nd gear, but he didn't need to, as his opponent gifted him a lot of points with some terrible unforced errors. Djokovic hasn't been tested yet in this tournament and I dont know if that will be to his advantage in the quarter-final with (unless something extraordinary happens) Nadal.  |
|
|
|
Post by themoviesinner on May 29, 2022 15:21:30 GMT
Auger-Aliassime won the first set against Nadal quite easily  . The Canadian played some great tennis out there, but he isn't known for his consistency, so I expect his level to drop as the match goes on. Nadal didn't look good, he was very sluggish, but I definitely expect him to improve. I still don't see him losing this.
|
|
|
|
Post by themoviesinner on May 29, 2022 16:14:09 GMT
2nd set was a lot better from Nadal. He was quite solid and reduced his unforced errors by a lot. Aliassime is still playing quite well, but I think he is starting to lose his composure. Nadal will probably win in 4 by the looks of it. Also, that match between Zverev and Zapata Miralles has been a complete trainwreck. There have been more than 80 unforced errors combined and the 2nd set still isn't over yet. |
|
|
|
Post by pupdurcs on May 29, 2022 16:58:37 GMT
Yeah, Nadal won the 3rd set comfortably and is looking unstoppable at the moment. Unless Nadal has a complete collapse and FAA starts finding some answers, then we are going to get the Djokovic/Nadal quarter final.
Nadal has had the much sterner test. FAA is significantly higher ranked than Schwartzman and at this moment in time a much more dangerous opponent. His first set against Rafa showed that. So it's probably a good thing for Rafa to go through a top 10 opponent and win, than for Djokovic to easily beat a guy who hasn't been in his best form for a couple of seasons. Which gives him no barometer in terms of the level of his opponent. Djokovic hasn't been tested yet. Still, they both look in form, so this feels like a match that might be too close to call.
FAA is finding answers in the 4th set though and it may go to a decider. If Nadal survives this, you can't say he won't be battle tested for Djokovic. |
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 29, 2022 17:44:29 GMT
If anybody told me FAA was going to beat Nadal I'd say "Maybe" If anybody told me Nadal would need 4 or close to 5 sets even to beat FAA, I'd say "I could see that" If anybody told me Lucifer would be only 5 of 19 for breaks I would have bet you everything I have that would not be the case |
|
|
|
Post by pupdurcs on May 29, 2022 18:44:03 GMT
Nadal closes out 5th set comfortably. At this stage of a slam to face an opponent as good as Djokovic, he probably needed a test/battle like that against one of the top 10 players in the world in FAA. Can’t say for sure who will win between Nadal & Djokovic (as Nadal is clearly declined on Clay from his prime, but still capable of magic on the dirt), but it should be an intruiging battle between these all-time greats.
|
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 29, 2022 22:15:00 GMT
Their comments before the head to head matchup #59 on Tuesday - Djoko leads head to head 30-28 overall.......Nadal leads on clay by a lot 19-8 though - and Djoko's small lead is from a similarly big hard court advantage Also #3 Zverev and # 6 Alcaraz play on Tuesday which could be great or a mess .........or a great mess .......both were straight set winners today. Świątek plays her 4th round match on Monday.....
|
|
|
|
Post by themoviesinner on May 30, 2022 7:43:37 GMT
Their comments before the head to head matchup #59 on Tuesday - Djoko leads head to head 30-28 overall.......Nadal leads on clay by a lot 19-8 though - and Djoko's small lead is from a similarly big hard court advantage Also #3 Zverev and # 6 Alcaraz play on Tuesday which could be great or a mess .........or a great mess .......both were straight set winners today. Świątek plays her 4th round match on Monday..... Djokovic vs Nadal will be interesting. I think Nadal made a lot of uncharacteristic unforced errors against Aliassime, but in big matches he is always focused. Djokovic looks really solid so I think the match will go to 5 sets, with most of them being pretty close. It will probably be a 4.5 hour epic.  Also Zverev still hasn't won a match against a top 10 opponent in a Grand Slam yet and I doubt Alcaraz on clay will be his first such win. But you never know. In his 4th round match he was atrocious though, despite winning in 3 sets. Made more than 60 unforced errors against an opponent ranked outside the top 100. |
|
|
|
Post by pupdurcs on May 30, 2022 15:15:06 GMT
Well, well, well...looks like this other outstanding 19 year old on the ATP not named Carlos Alcaraz might be the real deal. I'm talking about Holger Rune by the way, as he's knocked out Stefanos Tsitsipas (the favorite to reach the final considering his ability on Clay and the fact the all the other big hitters were on the other half of the draw) in 4 sets.
Know about this kid for awhile (there's a video on YouTube where he says he intends to become World no.1. Can't fault his confidence), but didn't think he'd progress as quickly as Alcaraz. This showing suggests that he might be a big problem for Alcaraz and a real rival.
|
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 30, 2022 17:09:48 GMT
Świątek drops the first set after throwing away multiple chances - Tsitsipas dropping his golden opportunity that he got by overtaking Nadal in the last week in world rankings - Nadal gets Djoko which seems cruel............ and Tsitsipas blows his golden chance after losing a 2 set lead in 2021 in the final........ouch..... |
|
cherry68
Based
Man is unhappy because he doesn't know he's happy. It's only that.
Posts: 3,409
Likes: 1,929
|
Post by cherry68 on May 30, 2022 18:10:02 GMT
Sinner has to give up because of his knee troubles after winning the first set 6 - 1 over Rublev.  |
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 30, 2022 20:48:46 GMT
Tsitsipas # 4 ......out..........Medvedev #2 .........out......... in straight sets to Čilić........#1, #3, #5 and #6 play tomorrow Let's remember these 2 guys ^ from their recent past incident when they almost killed each other and yeah Tsitsipas had called him a " bullshit Russian" you heard that right........good times........good times..........not sure if Tsitsipas can fight or not but again....... as much as I love Tennis........every sport would be better if it was Ice Hockey........ Classic: |
|
|
|
Post by themoviesinner on May 31, 2022 7:34:46 GMT
The ATP seems to have turned into the WTA and will give us a totally random finalist in this year's Roland Garros that no one expected at the start of the tournament. I guess one could say Cilic isn't random, as he has won a Grand Slam in the past, but he hasn't been relevant for years and he's also one of the most inconsistent players out there. He can play some GOAT tier tennis in one match (as he did against Medvedev) and in the next play terrible. Rublev and Ruud are both very competent tennis players, but there is nothing in their game that shows that they can win a Grand Slam (or reach a Grand Slam final). Rune is a great talent and has a bright future ahead of him, but him reaching the quarter-finals of this tournament is definitely unexpected and I don't expect him to keep his high level for three more matches. I'm pretty sure whoever reaches the final from the other half (either Nadal, Djokovic or Alcaraz) will win the title easily.
|
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 31, 2022 10:36:37 GMT
Ok, so no BS, no pacinoyes hysterically funny jokes (um) - who's your pick for Nadal-Djoko #59. I'll go Nadal because I just can't pick against him @ RG but here's a couple ways the match plays out and the ramifications if each wins - Djokovic remains the betting favorite btw......: Match:1. Whoever wins the first set is a big advantage - especially for Nadal who may not be 100% and who may not be able to endure like Djoko. 2. Djoko should hit everything - to Nadal's backhand - if he gets into a "I can deal with your forehand" battle - it's stupid, and risky. He dealt with it last year but......he is supposed to be the master of moving people into bad positions and "taking" their legs......this is exactly that kind of match - on paper. 3. Nadal has to serve better than he did against FAA......that same serve performance is a loss here 4. Djoko didn't lose a set in Rome or in Paris so far - he hasn't been tested in a long time - not since Alcaraz in Madrid.
Ramifications: 1. Nadal wins - he likely wins his 22nd slam too and 14th French - he's harder to beat the further you go - he's halfway towards a Grand Slam - which he's never been at - at this stage. If he loses I think he may sit out until US Open tbh. 2. Djokovic wins - and IF he wins the tournament - which he doesn't always do - he loses in finals (or SF) from time to time - that's 2 wins over Nadal in a row at RG, 3X Grand Slam (no one has that) and probably secured as the 3rd best Clay player ever behind Nadal and Borg - some would argue him as #2 - and of course he's pretty much assumed to be the best player across each surface (Indoor / Outdoor hard court, grass, clay). Side notes: I have said before that Djoko treats Nadal with very little respect now imo - although obviously he respects him in general. He obviously knew Nadal could win AO22 if he didn't play (Nadal did win) and his POV is almost cocky - it's not too far removed from actually saying "I don't care what number Nadal gets to in Slams, I'll play until I pass him" - but nothing like that is guaranteed - Djoko turned 35 last week (Nadal turns 36 on Friday) - Djoko at this point is still not allowed in the US Open - though that may change - and is still atm not allowed in Australia for AO 23. It's very hard to catch up when you're only playing half the Slams .......as I've said before a "tie" in the Slams goes to Djoko imo - he has the biggest tie-breakers (not all)....but he could get swept today if Nadal comes out all fired up and pounces on him. The first set is crucial to Djoko especially......he must control the flow of the match, the longer it goes for him........the better. The crowd will be all in for Nadal.......he better deal with that too......  |
|
......I don't think there's any females left in the top 10 except Świątek who keeps on rolling along....31 matches in a row now. 
. The Canadian played some great tennis out there, but he isn't known for his consistency, so I expect his level to drop as the match goes on. Nadal didn't look good, he was very sluggish, but I definitely expect him to improve. I still don't see him losing this.
