2014 Roland Garros SF: Djokovic vs. Gulbis

[Federberg]

^ I don't think he'll be able to either. But he carries with him the memory of beating Novak in the past. This is a new guy, with new belief and application. Do I think he'll beat Novak? No. But I must admit there's a lack of clarity, on my part, as to how the new Gulbis will deal with this match. It could be that his new level is consistent top 10 player, or it could be he's a contender going forward. Friday will show us what he'll become. We saw it with Stan in Australia last year and he hasn't really looked back. For my part, I fervently hope Nole wins the match, as I've wanted him to win the whole tournament from the start (it's why I wasn't fussed at all with Rogers loss )

 

[nehmeth]

We saw it with Stan in Australia last year and he hasn't really looked back.

Nope, he just took a big tumble down from the pinnacle of the sport. By the end of this year we should see where he finally lands. :snigger

 

[Federberg]

We saw it with Stan in Australia last year and he hasn't really looked back.

Nope, he just took a big tumble down from the pinnacle of the sport. By the end of this year we should see where he finally lands. :snigger

You can look at it that way. But he has a major now. He'll never have to look back from that, doesn't matter if he ends the year ranked 40 :blush:

 

[nehmeth]

We saw it with Stan in Australia last year and he hasn't really looked back.

Nope, he just took a big tumble down from the pinnacle of the sport. By the end of this year we should see where he finally lands. :snigger

You can look at it that way. But he has a major now. He'll never have to look back from that, doesn't matter if he ends the year ranked 40 :blush:

You mean like Gaudio? Just pulling your leg fb!

For me, the question is - was his Oz win where he always should have been or was it a fortuitous run where everything clicked, never to be repeated? His tumble since makes me wonder.

 

[Riotbeard]

We saw it with Stan in Australia last year and he hasn't really looked back.

Nope, he just took a big tumble down from the pinnacle of the sport. By the end of this year we should see where he finally lands. :snigger

You can look at it that way. But he has a major now. He'll never have to look back from that, doesn't matter if he ends the year ranked 40 :blush:

You mean like Gaudio? Just pulling your leg fb!

For me, the question is - was his Oz win where he always should have been or was it a fortuitous run where everything clicked, never to be repeated? His tumble since makes me wonder.

He is a question mark, but four months is a short time to put it all together, and has hardly been all bad since the AO.

He remains an unknown quantity.

 

[Moxie]

^ I don't think he'll be able to either. But he carries with him the memory of beating Novak in the past. This is a new guy, with new belief and application. Do I think he'll beat Novak? No. But I must admit there's a lack of clarity, on my part, as to how the new Gulbis will deal with this match. It could be that his new level is consistent top 10 player, or it could be he's a contender going forward. Friday will show us what he'll become. We saw it with Stan in Australia last year and he hasn't really looked back. For my part, I fervently hope Nole wins the match, as I've wanted him to win the whole tournament from the start (it's why I wasn't fussed at all with Rogers loss )

To avoid the clutter, I won't quote the above posts about Stan, but I would be very surprised if he wins another major. I think he'll be a decent threat for the next few years, but will play spoiler more than champ, even in MS. He's more of a Berdych, IMO.

As to Gulbis, (and just to get back on point,) he has matured over the last year. This match may prove he intends to seriously contend, if his head and his game hold up. That said, I went with Djokovic in 4. Could Ernie take him to a 5th set? That would surprise me, but it would say something about the New Gulbis. Even if he loses in straights, it will be respectable if he fights throughout.

 

[Riotbeard]

^ I don't think he'll be able to either. But he carries with him the memory of beating Novak in the past. This is a new guy, with new belief and application. Do I think he'll beat Novak? No. But I must admit there's a lack of clarity, on my part, as to how the new Gulbis will deal with this match. It could be that his new level is consistent top 10 player, or it could be he's a contender going forward. Friday will show us what he'll become. We saw it with Stan in Australia last year and he hasn't really looked back. For my part, I fervently hope Nole wins the match, as I've wanted him to win the whole tournament from the start (it's why I wasn't fussed at all with Rogers loss )

To avoid the clutter, I won't quote the above posts about Stan, but I would be very surprised if he wins another major. I think he'll be a decent threat for the next few years, but will play spoiler more than champ, even in MS. He's more of a Berdych, IMO.

As to Gulbis, (and just to get back on point,) he has matured over the last year. This match may prove he intends to seriously contend, if his head and his game hold up. That said, I went with Djokovic in 4. Could Ernie take him to a 5th set? That would surprise me, but it would say something about the New Gulbis. Even if he loses in straights, it will be respectable if he fights throughout.

I like Ernie. Although, I hope he builds on a sf and not a f or W. Although if the makes it to the final Mox, I will give you a guess at who I am rooting for.

 

[Moxie]

^ I don't think he'll be able to either. But he carries with him the memory of beating Novak in the past. This is a new guy, with new belief and application. Do I think he'll beat Novak? No. But I must admit there's a lack of clarity, on my part, as to how the new Gulbis will deal with this match. It could be that his new level is consistent top 10 player, or it could be he's a contender going forward. Friday will show us what he'll become. We saw it with Stan in Australia last year and he hasn't really looked back. For my part, I fervently hope Nole wins the match, as I've wanted him to win the whole tournament from the start (it's why I wasn't fussed at all with Rogers loss )

To avoid the clutter, I won't quote the above posts about Stan, but I would be very surprised if he wins another major. I think he'll be a decent threat for the next few years, but will play spoiler more than champ, even in MS. He's more of a Berdych, IMO.

As to Gulbis, (and just to get back on point,) he has matured over the last year. This match may prove he intends to seriously contend, if his head and his game hold up. That said, I went with Djokovic in 4. Could Ernie take him to a 5th set? That would surprise me, but it would say something about the New Gulbis. Even if he loses in straights, it will be respectable if he fights throughout.

I like Ernie. Although, I hope he builds on a sf and not a f or W. Although if the makes it to the final Mox, I will give you a guess at who I am rooting for.

The guy's a spoiler not a world-beater. I wouldn't worry about him.

 

[Federberg]

We saw it with Stan in Australia last year and he hasn't really looked back.

Nope, he just took a big tumble down from the pinnacle of the sport. By the end of this year we should see where he finally lands. :snigger

You can look at it that way. But he has a major now. He'll never have to look back from that, doesn't matter if he ends the year ranked 40 :blush:

You mean like Gaudio? Just pulling your leg fb!

For me, the question is - was his Oz win where he always should have been or was it a fortuitous run where everything clicked, never to be repeated? His tumble since makes me wonder.

I hear you, and a part of me wonders the same thing. But the dude won Monte Carlo as well. This is the guy who broke the Rafole streak in masters. It's a bit harsh to say he's tumbled. In fact if we didn't have the history of the last 10 years we would be alright with how he's done. We can't expect Big 4 consistency from him. Side question... are we sub-consciously holding him to a higher standard than Delpo?

 

[nehmeth]

We saw it with Stan in Australia last year and he hasn't really looked back.

Nope, he just took a big tumble down from the pinnacle of the sport. By the end of this year we should see where he finally lands. :snigger

You can look at it that way. But he has a major now. He'll never have to look back from that, doesn't matter if he ends the year ranked 40 :blush:

You mean like Gaudio? Just pulling your leg fb!

For me, the question is - was his Oz win where he always should have been or was it a fortuitous run where everything clicked, never to be repeated? His tumble since makes me wonder.

I hear you, and a part of me wonders the same thing. But the dude won Monte Carlo as well. This is the guy who broke the Rafole streak in masters. It's a bit harsh to say he's tumbled. In fact if we didn't have the history of the last 10 years we would be alright with how he's done. We can't expect Big 4 consistency from him. Side question... are we sub-consciously holding him to a higher standard than Delpo?

Well, let's say I consciously hold him to a higher standard than DP. He's not suffering from a chronic problem with his wrist that has him missing huge swaths of his career due to surgery and rehab, and then not being able to hit the ball the way he did to win his Slam.

Yes Stan did win MC, but got summarily bounced here... with a bagel to boot. I googled "Wawrinka tumbles out of the French Open", and got 7 hits - one from the NYTimes and one from the Guardian, so I must have read it somewhere and liked the way it sounded!

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=wawrinka%20tumbles%20out%20of%20the%20French%20Open

 

[El Dude]

The buck stops here for Ernests. Novak in 4.

 

[britbox]

I'm going for Djoker in 4 also.

 

[Denis]

Listen, I really like Ernie's firepower. His belief admirable. Will he be able to play at the same level against Novak as he did against Tomas? The answer will be Friday.

In a word, no.

Any explanation why you think so? He repeated his performance against Federer against Berdych.

I think Novak is the better player precisely for the reasons BS mentioned, so I think Novak should win.

Btw, Gulbis will reach a career high of no 11 by making the semis.

 

[Denis]

I really like all the data they give you at slams. You can check everything. Serve speed, serve percentage, serve direction, amount of forced errors, lobs, etc. Here is the data on Gulbis -Berdych for example.

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/stats/day15/1503ms.html

 

[tented]

Novak in three.

Explain please..U don't think that Ernest has gotten better

Hi AP,

Sorry it has taken so long to reply, but I assure you I wasn't ignoring you.

Basically, I think it's going to come to physical endurance and the psychology of the situation, both of which give Djokovic the edge.

Gulbis has been playing a lot of tennis lately, including winning Nice the week before RG began. He's not used to playing this much, and I question how much longer he's going to be able to go before running out of gas.

Also, this will be his first GS semifinal -- a huge occasion. Novak has a ton of experience at this level, whereas for Gulbis this will be foreign territory. I've never considered Ernests to be the most level-headed, mentally strong, stable competitor (to put it mildly!), and I think the pressure and stress of the occasion will get to him.

He's going to be playing a beast in Novak, who has the strength (physical and mental), and the game to handle him, unlike Roger. In fact, I'd give Novak a better chance at beating Gulbis than anyone else who has made it to the quarters and beyond.

Gulbis won't be able to hit Djokovic off the court, the way he can so many others. And then what? What will be his Plan B? Hit harder? Hit harder still? :nono

Honestly, if Djokovic drops a set I'll be surprised.

 

[tented]

Listen, I really like Ernie's firepower. His belief admirable. Will he be able to play at the same level against Novak as he did against Tomas? The answer will be Friday.

In a word, no.

Any explanation why you think so? He repeated his performance against Federer against Berdych.

I think Novak is the better player precisely for the reasons BS mentioned, so I think Novak should win.

Btw, Gulbis will reach a career high of no 11 by making the semis.

Clearly, I'm behind in my replies on this thread. See my post above. Let me know if you agree or disagree.

 

[Denis]

Listen, I really like Ernie's firepower. His belief admirable. Will he be able to play at the same level against Novak as he did against Tomas? The answer will be Friday.

In a word, no.

Any explanation why you think so? He repeated his performance against Federer against Berdych.

I think Novak is the better player precisely for the reasons BS mentioned, so I think Novak should win.

Btw, Gulbis will reach a career high of no 11 by making the semis.

Clearly, I'm behind in my replies on this thread. See my post above. Let me know if you agree or disagree.

I agree , don't think Gulbis will be taken by the occasion though somehow. Maybe Im wrong, he does get nervous at times.

 

[tented]

Listen, I really like Ernie's firepower. His belief admirable. Will he be able to play at the same level against Novak as he did against Tomas? The answer will be Friday.

In a word, no.

Any explanation why you think so? He repeated his performance against Federer against Berdych.

I think Novak is the better player precisely for the reasons BS mentioned, so I think Novak should win.

Btw, Gulbis will reach a career high of no 11 by making the semis.

Clearly, I'm behind in my replies on this thread. See my post above. Let me know if you agree or disagree.

I agree , don't think Gulbis will be taken by the occasion though somehow. Maybe Im wrong, he does get nervous at times.

Yeah, I might be wrong. We'll see, of course. But Gulbis has a knack for practically having a nervous breakdown if something goes wrong. Berdych is another one who can do this. And Novak is a savvy enough competitor to know how to take advantage of the situation. If anything, it could calm Novak down, if you know what I mean.

 

[Denis]

In a word, no.

Any explanation why you think so? He repeated his performance against Federer against Berdych.

I think Novak is the better player precisely for the reasons BS mentioned, so I think Novak should win.

Btw, Gulbis will reach a career high of no 11 by making the semis.

Clearly, I'm behind in my replies on this thread. See my post above. Let me know if you agree or disagree.

I agree , don't think Gulbis will be taken by the occasion though somehow. Maybe Im wrong, he does get nervous at times.

Yeah, I might be wrong. We'll see, of course. But Gulbis has a knack for practically having a nervous breakdown if something goes wrong. Berdych is another one who can do this. And Novak is a savvy enough competitor to know how to take advantage of the situation. If anything, it could calm Novak down, if you know what I mean.

That's true. It will help to bring as much back as possible when Gulbis is in charge of the rally. Once he starts overcooking his shots, I'll be watching more comfortably.

 

[tented]

Any explanation why you think so? He repeated his performance against Federer against Berdych.

I think Novak is the better player precisely for the reasons BS mentioned, so I think Novak should win.

Btw, Gulbis will reach a career high of no 11 by making the semis.

Clearly, I'm behind in my replies on this thread. See my post above. Let me know if you agree or disagree.

I agree , don't think Gulbis will be taken by the occasion though somehow. Maybe Im wrong, he does get nervous at times.

Yeah, I might be wrong. We'll see, of course. But Gulbis has a knack for practically having a nervous breakdown if something goes wrong. Berdych is another one who can do this. And Novak is a savvy enough competitor to know how to take advantage of the situation. If anything, it could calm Novak down, if you know what I mean.

That's true. It will help to bring as much back as possible when Gulbis is in charge of the rally. Once he starts overcooking his shots, I'll be watching more comfortably.

Relax, Denisovich. Things will go by script: Djokovic will beat Gulbis, Nadal will beat Murray, Djokovic will beat Nadal.