2016 Roland Garros: Paris Sidewalk Cafe Discussions

[ClayDeath]

thiem and kyrgios combined could not beat djokovic on any surface in a best of 5 sets match.

only player that has a small chance against djokovic in paris is andy murray. and that is only if it is the final and djokovic is flat or off for some reason.

 

[britbox]

thiem and kyrgios combined could not beat djokovic on any surface in a best of 5 sets match.

only player that has a small chance against djokovic in paris is andy murray. and that is only if it is the final and djokovic is flat or off for some reason.

Murray has no chance of beating Djokovic in Paris.

 

[Moxie]

thiem and kyrgios combined could not beat djokovic on any surface in a best of 5 sets match.

only player that has a small chance against djokovic in paris is andy murray. and that is only if it is the final and djokovic is flat or off for some reason.

In my mind, I think of a "spoiler" as beating players above them, but not just one single player.

 

[ClayDeath]

here is the script:
1. take monte carlo : done
2. take Barcelona
3. take rome and defeat djokovic in the process

take it easy in Madrid and just take in a couple of matches.

if he can do this then he can arrive in Paris with a little bit of confidence.

 

[britbox]

Novak Djokovic labels Rafael Nadal as the favourite for the French Open title.

“It is not a surprise that Rafa titled in Monte Carlo, He has already won many titles there. It is true that he had problems with winning big titles in the last two years, but he is still is the best in history on clay. I have a lot of respect for him and I see him as a favorite in every tournament on clay, including the French Open,” Djokovic was quoted by B92.net as saying.

Story:
http://www.ubitennis.net/blog/2016/...al-as-the-favorite-for-the-french-open-title/

 

[Moxie]

Just deflecting a little pressure, which is understandable. He's got the Nole slam in play, too. He'll be the favorite, though Rafa's odds have gotten better in the last couple of weeks. Still, it's unlikely Nadal'll make it to #4 before RG, which could make it a little harder on him.

 

[ClayDeath]

rafa has evidently made a decision to be competitive again.

this will certainly improve his chances for a deeper run at RG.

monte carlo and Barcelona titles were absolutely must.

rome title and djokovic's scalp there in the process is also an absolute must.

 

[ClayDeath]

Novak Djokovic labels Rafael Nadal as the favourite for the French Open title.

“It is not a surprise that Rafa titled in Monte Carlo, He has already won many titles there. It is true that he had problems with winning big titles in the last two years, but he is still is the best in history on clay. I have a lot of respect for him and I see him as a favorite in every tournament on clay, including the French Open,” Djokovic was quoted by B92.net as saying.

Story:
http://www.ubitennis.net/blog/2016/...al-as-the-favorite-for-the-french-open-title/

don't fall for that. djokovic is playing head games.

also he doesn't want the pressure since he is the very heavy favorite there.

 

[Moxie]

Billie recently asked me why I thought the French harbored animosity towards the Spaniards in tennis, with regard to the French ex-Minister who accused Rafa of doping. Here are some interesting stats:

At the French Open, which had in early days been the French Championships, and only open to French nationals, or members of French clubs, French players had long-dominated. But look at the numbers since the Open era:

France: Amateur Era: 37 titles Open Era: 1 (last 1983 - Noah)
Spain: Amateur Era: 2 titles Open Era: 15 (9 Nadal)
Sweden: Amateur Era: 1 title Open Era: 9 (6 Borg)
Czechoslovakia: Amateur Era: 0 Open Era: 5
US: 7-4
Brazil: 0-3
Germany: 0-3
Italy: 1-2
Australia: 9-2

You get the drift. It was a French championship, originally, and they dominated it. Everyone recognizes that no Frenchman has won it in 32 years, but I hadn't quite realized how much it had really been theirs, before the Open Era. And the main country taking it away from them has been Spain. It goes a way to explaining why they're grumpy when it comes to the Spanish, their southern neighbors, and tennis. And why they make cheap and unfounded jabs. I don't know how they generally treated Borg.

 

[ClayDeath]

RG is coming right up.

who is buying the first round of drinks?

 

[ClayDeath]

Rafa is forcing his way into the RG conversation.

 

[britbox]

Rafa is forcing his way into the RG conversation.

He was always in the conversation CD.

 

[ClayDeath]

Billie recently asked me why I thought the French harbored animosity towards the Spaniards in tennis, with regard to the French ex-Minister who accused Rafa of doping. Here are some interesting stats:

At the French Open, which had in early days been the French Championships, and only open to French nationals, or members of French clubs, French players had long-dominated. But look at the numbers since the Open era:

France: Amateur Era: 37 titles Open Era: 1 (last 1983 - Noah)
Spain: Amateur Era: 2 titles Open Era: 15 (9 Nadal)
Sweden: Amateur Era: 1 title Open Era: 9 (6 Borg)
Czechoslovakia: Amateur Era: 0 Open Era: 5
US: 7-4
Brazil: 0-3
Germany: 0-3
Italy: 1-2
Australia: 9-2

You get the drift. It was a French championship, originally, and they dominated it. Everyone recognizes that no Frenchman has won it in 32 years, but I hadn't quite realized how much it had really been theirs, before the Open Era. And the main country taking it away from them has been Spain. It goes a way to explaining why they're grumpy when it comes to the Spanish, their southern neighbors, and tennis. And why they make cheap and unfounded jabs. I don't know how they generally treated Borg.

the Spanish athletes own them (the French) in cycling too.

big mig (Indurain) dominated the tour for 100 years and then there have been others like the mighty Contador.

 

[ClayDeath]

He was always in the conversation CD.

ha ha. I hear ya mate. that is what you had said anyway.


I am not sold yet but a title and a win over djokovic in rome will certainly improve rafa's chances in paris.

I don't really care what happens in Madrid. he just needs to win 2-3 matches then get the hell out of there with no injuries.

it may be time for some rest before rome.

 

[britbox]

the Spanish athletes own them (the French) in cycling too.

big mig (Indurain) dominated the tour for 100 years and then there have been others like the mighty Contador.

Contador was a doper.

 

[ClayDeath]

Contador was a doper.

they all dope.

in one form or another they all dope. and there are endless ways to avoid detection.


that does not mean that lance and contador were not the best cyclists on the planet.

doping does not make you a better cyclist. doping might heal your body faster or help you recover faster but does it really matter since they all dope in one form or another.

 

[ClayDeath]

doping does not make your heart size nearly twice as large as the average person on the planet.

doping does not make your arteries the size of garden hoses.

doping does not give you fast twitch fiber

doping does not grant you the relentless will to fight and win


you have to go out and earn most of that out on the road.

 

[DarthFed]

The greatest cheater is still a cheater. What separates taking illegal drugs for yourself and gaining significant endurance and athletic ability from something like sabotaging your opponents in an illegal way? Both are illegal and both give the cheater a better chance to win.

Taking PED's absolutely does make you a better athlete otherwise people wouldn't risk their health and reputation by taking them. If I started a cycle I would be better in tennis and damn near any athletic thing you can think of in a short time. For every person who still somehow sees people like Lance Armstrong as a great athlete there are thousands upon thousands that think he was a complete fraud.

 

[ClayDeath]

lets just take djokovic:

no amount of doping will buy you his athletic ability

no amount of doping will buy you his backhand

no amount of doping will buy you his forehand

no amount of doping will buy you his relentless hunger and will to win

no amount of doping will buy his relentless and tireless quest to be better at all aspects of his game

no amount of doping will buy you his court coverage

give it up. doping is overrated. as far as cyclists go, they all do it in one form or another because their sport is demanding and requires healing and recovery.

doping does not give them fast twitch fiber

doping does not make their heart twice as large as the average folks in the population

doping does not make their arteries nearly 3 times larger than the average folks in the population

doping does not give them the VO2 MAX they are born with and have to earn out there on the road.

all the elite cyclists are averaging around 30,000 miles a year out on the road.

translation: everything they bring to the battlefield is earned and god given.

people are taking this doping bullshit too damn far.

the reason lance won so much is because he simply outworked everybody. he never missed a day of training. not even after very heavy chemo therapy. he still got on his bike and went for 50-60 mile bike rides.

the reason djokovic owns the planet is because he has god given abilities and also he has a heart of lion that wont stop. and then he is out to outwork everyone under the sun.

he is earning his greatness.


all the money on this planet and all the doping in the world wont buy you rafa's topspin forehand. it was a gift from the gods that he simply perfected to own the tennis universe with.


you can cry all you want about doping but it does not make you a champion.

 

[DarthFed]

You can blow as much hot air as you want bro but you are in the less than 1% that think cheating is no big deal. Cyclists take PED's to help them gain superhuman endurance which is naturally a big deal in that sport. It's easy to have a great will for victory if you barely get tired because you're juiced to the max.

The whole crowd who thinks PED's are overrated are simpletons. In the top level of most sports there is not much difference between the best players, even a small (unfair) edge can make all the difference in the world. These players wouldn't risk their health and reputations if PED's barely helped . Lance and Contador ain't champions. You're in the VAST minority if you think they are.