2014 Aussie Open QF: Djokovic vs. Wawrinka

[isabelle]

Becker has some work to do with Nole, inside or outside the magical egg....

 

[DarthFed]

Simpson Paradox: Stan won 153 points, Novak 161.

Good thinking :clap I know it is a separate thread but the trend is the same when talking about these kind of matches. Clutch play by the winner and unclutch play by the loser.

 

[Front242]

Last year an awful overhead or ten cost him dearly. This year it's the volleys that are killing him :nono

Wasn't someone supposed to help him with that? :snigger

:s:nono Gotta agree with Darth. Whatever about some crap ones during the match, that match point down....why he didn't leave that one bounce I'll never know.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

djokovic is clunky at the net..he no got soft hands.

 

[Front242]

There were many moments in set 5 where they both were pushing the ball back in play or hitting with no pace or angle straight down the middle. Neither wanted to make the first move. Well, what better time to play it safe than when match point down?! But maybe knocking the volley into the court next door is a better idea. Should've left it bounce...

 

[nehmeth]

Last year an awful overhead or ten cost him dearly. This year it's the volleys that are killing him :nono

Wasn't someone supposed to help him with that? :snigger

:s:nono Gotta agree with Darth. Whatever about some crap ones during the match, that match point down....why he didn't leave that one bounce I'll never know.

What seems to have been lost in this - right after he broke Stan early in the fifth, he forgot how to hit the ball made one error after another and gifted the break back. Didn't that happen in another slam last year??

To me those lapses are way more disconcerting. :nono

 

[Front242]

Last year an awful overhead or ten cost him dearly. This year it's the volleys that are killing him :nono

Wasn't someone supposed to help him with that? :snigger

:s:nono Gotta agree with Darth. Whatever about some crap ones during the match, that match point down....why he didn't leave that one bounce I'll never know.

What seems to have been lost in this - right after he broke Stan early in the fifth, he forgot how to hit the ball made one error after another and gifted the break back. Didn't that happen in another slam last year??

To me those lapses are way more disconcerting. :nono

That was pretty inexplicable alright and pretty sure it did and more than once. Even worse, the shots that he hit into the net there were such powder puff limp wristed weak shots they'd make Sara Errani look like He-Man.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

stan was ice cool in his head..djokovic was erupting volcanic material to zero effect.

stan won the 'mental war'..so what next..if he can keep going, why not win a major ??.

 

[nehmeth]

Last year an awful overhead or ten cost him dearly. This year it's the volleys that are killing him :nono

Wasn't someone supposed to help him with that? :snigger

:s:nono Gotta agree with Darth. Whatever about some crap ones during the match, that match point down....why he didn't leave that one bounce I'll never know.

What seems to have been lost in this - right after he broke Stan early in the fifth, he forgot how to hit the ball made one error after another and gifted the break back. Didn't that happen in another slam last year??

To me those lapses are way more disconcerting. :nono

That was pretty inexplicable alright and pretty sure it did and more than once. Even worse, the shots that he hit into the net there were such powder puff limp wristed weak shots they'd make Sara Errani look like He-Man.

To let go mentally like that, he's shot himself. With that break, Stan was able to steady himself and step it up.

 

[Front242]

stan was ice cool in his head..djokovic was erupting volcanic material to zero effect.

stan won the 'mental war'..so what next..if he can keep going, why not win a major ??.

He'd have a better shot if he hadn't just won 9-7 in the 5th. Gotta be tired after that. At least it was way cooler than last week so there's no added heat sapping his energy. But either way it'll be a tough match to recover from, especially if he plays a much fresher opponent next, which he may or may not do.

 

[isabelle]

Did you see live ATP ranking ? For the moment Stan is N°7, just before Youngderer, I guess it's his best ranking of his career

 

[Front242]

Did you see live ATP ranking ? For the moment Stan is N°7, just before Youngderer, I guess it's his best ranking of his career

For sure and well deserved.

 

[kskate2]

Wow I missed the last games of 5th. Stan deserves alot of credit. Gonads of steel I tell ya. Very happy he was able to get the monkey off his back and outlast Novak in a tough battle. I'll have to catch the replay on ESPN, but brilliant in the clutch. :clap :celeb: I've already created the SF thread...

 

[bobvance]

Wasn't someone supposed to help him with that? :snigger

:s:nono Gotta agree with Darth. Whatever about some crap ones during the match, that match point down....why he didn't leave that one bounce I'll never know.

What seems to have been lost in this - right after he broke Stan early in the fifth, he forgot how to hit the ball made one error after another and gifted the break back. Didn't that happen in another slam last year??

To me those lapses are way more disconcerting. :nono

That was pretty inexplicable alright and pretty sure it did and more than once. Even worse, the shots that he hit into the net there were such powder puff limp wristed weak shots they'd make Sara Errani look like He-Man.

To let go mentally like that, he's shot himself. With that break, Stan was able to steady himself and step it up.

Sorry, Nehmeth. It has to be hard to see Novak not play his best in a match like this. I have to say I liked Stan's quote at the end of the match when he said if Novak plays his best he's better. It was very modest and he acknowledged that Novak could have had a better match.

Maybe this loss will motivate Novak to step it up and be ready for the French.

 

[coban]

About the draws, it shows the importance of the matchups. Wawrinka is a bad matchup for Novak, which made this a not so easy draw although it looked like that on paper.

Although I still feel Rafa's draw is hard. We'll see if he makes it.

"Meh"

Has this been a problem before?

 

[Riotbeard]

I think Serve and Volley was clearly the right decision. He got a sitter, and he missed it. No excuse for that. The idea that he should have let that ball float into a solid deep return is absurd.

 

[Goldenboy]

I think Serve and Volley was clearly the right decision. He got a sitter, and he missed it. No excuse for that. The idea that he should have let that ball float into a solid deep return is absurd.

Stan gets nervous. Novak surely knew this. I am fairly certain he could have drawn an error from Stan in a baseline rally.

That's how Novak played the Tsonga match points at RG 2012.

 

[nehmeth]

Sorry, Nehmeth. It has to be hard to see Novak not play his best in a match like this. I have to say I liked Stan's quote at the end of the match when he said if Novak plays his best he's better. It was very modest and he acknowledged that Novak could have had a better match.

Maybe this loss will motivate Novak to step it up and be ready for the French.

That was a stand-up comment from Wawrinka.

Thanks Bob!

 

[shawnbm]

I saw the match from 3-3 in the fifth set so I can't really comment on so much. I can only say that Stanislas has proved to me that he is now a contender on the big stage--he is no longer to be taken lightly by anyone. I am happy for him and feel for all Nole fans. I have to admit a Nole-Nadal final was what I thought would be best, but we must prepare ourselves for Stan ending up in the final, although I really don't know if he will take Berdych out--tough call. At any rate, this match at least shows that both Novak and Stanislas are tough competitors with a lot of fight--this was their third five set marathon in one year. That is more five set grinders than Novak and Rafa have played in one year!

 

[brokenshoelace]

I think Serve and Volley was clearly the right decision. He got a sitter, and he missed it. No excuse for that. The idea that he should have let that ball float into a solid deep return is absurd.

It would have been absurd if the return was actually going to be solid and deep. But that wasn't the case. The ball would have been short and high bouncing. If this had been Federer, I'd say S & V is the right play. But when you're generally uncomfortable at the net, and don't serve and volley once the entire match, you don't do it on match point because then serving and volleying feels alien.