2024 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Rome, Italy - Masters 1000

[MargaretMcAleer]

BTW looks like noone will go to RG as favorite though Stef is still in the draw in Rome a title he said he wants to win?
Sinner has just started to practice again, not 100% sure if he will play? to me he is still a progress on clay
Alcaraz is still a unknown quantity at this point in time still if he is healthy he is a player that can play himself into form he has the weapons to do so

 

[don_fabio]

I really thought he would do well here and find his clay legs before RG.

Same. He didn't play bad in Monte Carlo and coming here I expected him to do more.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

We're way overdue a surprise Grand Slam champion on the Men's side. This French Open will mark 20 years since the last, with Gaston Gaudio.

 

[nehmeth]

So which loss in Rome is worse, Nadal or Novak? I'd say Novak.

Djoker looked like a top 50 player out there today. His head is not in the game, and he’s been like this all of 2024. Depending on the draw for Roland Garros, he could exit in the 2nd or 3rd round. Nadal has been out of the running for some time and we’ve been hoping for a farewell tour where he wins a tournament or two. Djokovic is coming off a 3 slam year and one set away from winning all four. Much worse for him than Rafa.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Don't depress me. I think you might be right, though. Rafa still peppered in some great shots. Novak looked flat all day. They just said that of the 4 BPs that Tabilo won games off of him, Novak DF'd on 3 of them, including match point. His feet never got under him.

Rafa lost his mojo during the first four games of the match vs Hubie H.. Front's father time is the odds on favorite to win this tournament and RG..

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Don Fabio,
There are smaller clay tournaments Geneva or Lyon Novak could enter to get more match play before RG, so all is not lost

 

[El Dude]

One thing to consider about Novak is that a major driver for him has always been catching and surpassing Roger and Rafa - the chip he formed in 2007-10 when he was the perennial third wheel. At the end of 2023, it was hard imagining that he could be on the verge of collapse, but I do wonder if, now that it is clear that Rafa is truly nearing the end, Novak has lost another element of drive. And of course he did finally surpass Rafa's Slam count last year, and now has a nice +2 padding.

I don't think Novak is finished, but it does seem likely that his reign of dominance is over. I'd even say that it is likely that he rallies and wins another Slam or even two and a handful of big titles, but 2023 was almost certainly the last year that he was THE guy. If he sticks around for another year or two, he's going to be more like Andre Agassi in his last four or five years that what he's been for the last decade plus.

 

[Front242]

"Ah, it's my doping alarm!" Funny.

 

[don_fabio]

Djoker looked like a top 50 player out there today. His head is not in the game, and he’s been like this all of 2024. Depending on the draw for Roland Garros, he could exit in the 2nd or 3rd round.

He is clearly having motivational issues this season. Whether it is due to last season that took a huge toll on him or he is slowly coming to realization that it is getting increasingly harder for him to keep the pace with the youngsters. Probably is the mixture of both. It's like he went all in last year and has nothing left in a tank now, but I also wonder how hard is he really trying. When someone like him doesn't show emotions on the court it means he simply doesn't care.

 

[don_fabio]

Don Fabio,
There are smaller clay tournaments Geneva or Lyon Novak could enter to get more match play before RG, so all is not lost

He could (and I would if I were him), but I don't think he will.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I have just rewatched highlights of the Novak match, to me the most alarming factor was his balance which was off? he is such a balanced athlete and when I first came onto the post when the match was in progress I did ask is this because of the water bottle incident? I had computer troubles and didnt see the match until the 2nd set
Quite frankly ( I am putting on my medical hat ) he could have some delayed concussion issues, he was hit hard by that water bottle to his head and fell to the ground?
Novak looked out of sorts to me, in this match, when you compared his game and play in his first round match, he is not the same player

 

[don_fabio]

I have just rewatched highlights of the Novak match, to me the most alarming factor was his balance which was off? he is such a balanced athlete and when I first came onto the post when the match was in progress I did ask is this because of the water bottle incident? I had computer troubles and didnt see the match until the 2nd set
Quite frankly ( I am putting on my medical hat ) he could have some delayed concussion issues, he was hit hard by that water bottle to his head and fell to the ground?

He said in the interview that he will have to do a full scan of the head now, but wasn't he supposed to do it right after? If the hit was strong and it looked like it was?

He is down on luck too, combined with everything else.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

He said in the interview that he will have to do a full scan of the head now, but wasn't he supposed to do it right after? If the hit was strong and it looked like it was?

He is down on luck too, combined with everything else.

He is correct you have to wait a couple of days after to get a full head scan which I think is a good idea, just to make sure.

 

[nehmeth]

'Seems impossible': Rafa Nadal makes sad French Open call after Italian Open defeat

Not what tennis fans wanted to hear about Rafa Nadal.

au.sports.yahoo.com

This is bad. I hope he plays at RG.

 

[the AntiPusher]

He is clearly having motivational issues this season. Whether it is due to last season that took a huge toll on him or he is slowly coming to realization that it is getting increasingly harder for him to keep the pace with the youngsters. Probably is the mixture of both. It's like he went all in last year and has nothing left in a tank now, but I also wonder how hard is he really trying. When someone like him doesn't show emotions on the court it means he simply doesn't care.

Novak's head was off today.. probably suffering from a mild concussion symptoms. Let's give the GS titles leader a break, at least he tried to compete instead of withdrawal

 

[the AntiPusher]

'Seems impossible': Rafa Nadal makes sad French Open call after Italian Open defeat

Not what tennis fans wanted to hear about Rafa Nadal.

au.sports.yahoo.com

This is bad.

He not going to play. Regroup and delay retirement for another year afterwards recovering from the injury and getting his tennis legs back

 

[don_fabio]

Novak Djokovic on if the bottle incident affected him today during his loss:

“I don't know, to be honest. I have to check that. Training was different, I was going for kind of easy training yesterday. I didn't feel anything, but I also didn't feel the same.

Today under high stress, it was quite bad, not in terms of pain, but in terms of this balance. Just no coordination. Completely different player from what it was two nights ago.

Could be. I don't know. I have to do medical checkups and see what's going on.”

 

[nehmeth]

He not going to play. Regroup and delay retirement for another year afterwards recovering from the injury and getting his tennis legs back

I hadn’t read the news and did not know he was considering withdrawing.

 

[the AntiPusher]

I hadn’t read the news and did not know he was considering withdrawing.

He said he had some doubts which isn't positive. Tennis requires total confidence. Remember what Sampras said " you CAN'T pass the ball " playing tennis.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Mild concussion does not last long, in hindsight maybe Novak should have withdrawn, the edge of the bottle was metal, which forced him to fall down
Novak will be okay, with a few days rest, when I saw he was off balanced I knew then something was not right, mild concussion anything that hits your head, does force you to lose your balance., especially bad if you are a athlete competing in sports