2015 Australian Open Quarterfinals: Djokovic v. Raonic

[calitennis127]

I have to go with Raonic in this one. He is at the vanguard of the great new generation which shows just much more "physical" the game has become in the last 10 years due to Nadal's influence. He's going to take Novak down and rep for New Balance!!!!!!!

Well at least this is tongue-in-cheek, unlike your 2013 Montreal final prediction

Yeah, that really was a case of wishful thinking, because it was so hard to cope with the reality of such mediocrity as Nadal was exhibiting, winning match after match after match. You had to think it was going to stop at some point.

Actually, the way that he beat Janowicz is case and point for why he would have been fine competing in the final this year against Novak. Nadal had no business beating Janowicz in the round of 16 and he looked like his weasel self, scratching out points in the pettiest way imaginable. Then Djokovic came out on Saturday night and played like junk in the first set. It really is amazing how many tournaments Nadal has won in the lamest fashion.

 

[Kieran]

I have to go with Raonic in this one. He is at the vanguard of the great new generation which shows just much more "physical" the game has become in the last 10 years due to Nadal's influence. He's going to take Novak down and rep for New Balance!!!!!!!

Well at least this is tongue-in-cheek, unlike your 2013 Montreal final prediction

Yeah, that really was a case of wishful thinking, because it was so hard to cope with the reality of such mediocrity as Nadal was exhibiting, winning match after match after match. You had to think it was going to stop at some point.

Actually, the way that he beat Janowicz is case and point for why he would have been fine competing in the final this year against Novak. Nadal had no business beating Janowicz in the round of 16 and he looked like his weasel self, scratching out points in the pettiest way imaginable. Then Djokovic came out on Saturday night and played like junk in the first set. It really is amazing how many tournaments Nadal has won in the lamest fashion.

Mediocrity? He beat Novak in the semis the day before!

 

[calitennis127]

Well at least this is tongue-in-cheek, unlike your 2013 Montreal final prediction

Yeah, that really was a case of wishful thinking, because it was so hard to cope with the reality of such mediocrity as Nadal was exhibiting, winning match after match after match. You had to think it was going to stop at some point.

Actually, the way that he beat Janowicz is case and point for why he would have been fine competing in the final this year against Novak. Nadal had no business beating Janowicz in the round of 16 and he looked like his weasel self, scratching out points in the pettiest way imaginable. Then Djokovic came out on Saturday night and played like junk in the first set. It really is amazing how many tournaments Nadal has won in the lamest fashion.

Mediocrity? He beat Novak in the semis the day before!

Because Novak underperformed miserably and was going through a tough patch, as evidenced by his ugly loss to Isner a couple days later.

 

[Kieran]

Yeah, that really was a case of wishful thinking, because it was so hard to cope with the reality of such mediocrity as Nadal was exhibiting, winning match after match after match. You had to think it was going to stop at some point.

Actually, the way that he beat Janowicz is case and point for why he would have been fine competing in the final this year against Novak. Nadal had no business beating Janowicz in the round of 16 and he looked like his weasel self, scratching out points in the pettiest way imaginable. Then Djokovic came out on Saturday night and played like junk in the first set. It really is amazing how many tournaments Nadal has won in the lamest fashion.

Mediocrity? He beat Novak in the semis the day before!

Because Novak underperformed miserably and was going through a tough patch, as evidenced by his ugly loss to Isner a couple days later.

This is the new myth, that Rafa the Great can only win against Novak when Novak underperforms... :cover

 

[calitennis127]

Mediocrity? He beat Novak in the semis the day before!

Because Novak underperformed miserably and was going through a tough patch, as evidenced by his ugly loss to Isner a couple days later.

This is the new myth, that Rafa the Great can only win against Novak when Novak underperforms... :cover

Can you prove that it's wrong? Do you really want to argue that Djokovic played well in the first set of the 2013 US Open final?

 

[Kieran]

Prove it's wrong? What proof will you accept? An under-performing Rafa beating Nole in Paris the last two years? An under-performing Rafa almost beating Novak in Oz in 2012? Novak beating an under-performing Rafa on big finals? How are you measuring this? Do you measure it like this: Rafa won, therefore Novak underperformed?

These are elite players. It's not impossible that one of them beats the other by just being better on the day...

 

[calitennis127]

Prove it's wrong? What proof will you accept? An under-performing Rafa beating Nole in Paris the last two years? An under-performing Rafa almost beating Novak in Oz in 2012? Novak beating an under-performing Rafa on big finals? How are you measuring this? Do you measure it like this: Rafa won, therefore Novak underperformed?

These are elite players. It's not impossible that one of them beats the other by just being better on the day...

The proof that I will accept is the efficacy of the shots. Djokovic simply flipped a switch of aggression in sets 2 and 3 of their recent US Open final and his winner count went from 5 in the first set to just under 20 in both sets 2 and 3.

2012 Oz? Djokovic failed to close Nadal out, as he so often as.

The reason I was pessimistic about Novak's chances at the French last year was that even in Miami he let Nadal linger when Nadal did not belong on the same court with him tennis-wise.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Yeah, that really was a case of wishful thinking, because it was so hard to cope with the reality of such mediocrity as Nadal was exhibiting, winning match after match after match. You had to think it was going to stop at some point.

Actually, the way that he beat Janowicz is case and point for why he would have been fine competing in the final this year against Novak. Nadal had no business beating Janowicz in the round of 16 and he looked like his weasel self, scratching out points in the pettiest way imaginable. Then Djokovic came out on Saturday night and played like junk in the first set. It really is amazing how many tournaments Nadal has won in the lamest fashion.

Mediocrity? He beat Novak in the semis the day before!

Because Novak underperformed miserably and was going through a tough patch, as evidenced by his ugly loss to Isner a couple days later.

...then Novak reached the US Open final a month later, and lost to Nadal.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Also, while I don't think Novak necessarily played his absolute best in Montreal that year, nobody in their right mind would call that "greatly underperformed," not with the quality of tennis displayed from the second set onwards by both. In fact, even Cali himself did not spread that narrative after the loss back then...but I guess it's easy to do it a year and a half later when people might have forgotten about the details of the match.

 

[calitennis127]

Also, while I don't think Novak necessarily played his absolute best in Montreal that year, nobody in their right mind would call that "greatly underperformed," not with the quality of tennis displayed from the second set onwards by both. In fact, even Cali himself did not spread that narrative after the loss back then...but I guess it's easy to do it a year and a half later when people might have forgotten about the details of the match.

No, I was very forceful at the time in saying what I thought of Djokovic's (non)start to the match.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Also, while I don't think Novak necessarily played his absolute best in Montreal that year, nobody in their right mind would call that "greatly underperformed," not with the quality of tennis displayed from the second set onwards by both. In fact, even Cali himself did not spread that narrative after the loss back then...but I guess it's easy to do it a year and a half later when people might have forgotten about the details of the match.

No, I was very forceful at the time in saying what I thought of Djokovic's (non)start to the match.

What about sets 2 and 3?

 

[brokenshoelace]

Also, Cali, my man, they can teach a whole course about logical fallacies using some of your analogies. Saying Nadal would have had a chance against Djokovic at this year's Australian Open because he beat...Janowicz (!) in Montreal 2013 is, well, odd.

 

[Carol]

If Raonic keeps focus and good serve then he would have a chance to beat Novak, why not?

 

[herios]

If you are wondering who voted for Milos, that was not me:nono

Milos has reached his first QF at the AO and that was the goal I set for him, once I saw him in Nole's bracket. I am all Nole from here on, because I want him to capitalize on his 8th slam.
I want however to see Milos play well, to have an increased confidence going forward, that he is "close" to beat number 1 player in the world...

 

[tented]

If you are wondering who voted for Milos, that was not me:nono

The polls are public. Click the "Show Results" link (right below the vote count), and you will see who everyone voted for.

 

[tented]

I don't think anyone has mentioned 3/4 of their matches were on clay:

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=D643&oId=R975

The Paris/Bercy final was the only one on a hard court.

 

[auto-pilot]

After what happened at the US Open, very hard to predict any of these up-and-comers.

 

[nehmeth]

Really nice lob over Raonic's head by Novak... Nalbandianesque in it's precision.

 

[pavlik89]

Novak Djokovic vs Milos Raonic 1/4 LIVE HD Australian Open 2015

http://www.tennishdhighlights.com/live-hd/

 

[Kieran]

Raonic looks like an impostor at this level. He has about two things going for him. Eventually Novak will roll him, even if Iron Arm wins the opening set in a tiebreak. He's the most gruesome, functional, boring player to watch...