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

[the AntiPusher]

Mild concussion does not last long, in hindsight maybe Novak should have withdrawn, the edge of the bottle was metal, which forced him to fall down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 for a athlete

Dear MM. .I have tried to play afterwards with concussion..it's an absolute No ! Novak probably didn't have his equilibrium and probably had a bit of post concussion brain fog..unlike NFL football, tennis requires hand and eye coordination and Novak's head most definitely was off today.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Dear MM. .I have tried to play with a concussion..it's an absolute No ! Novak probably didn't have his equilibrium and probably had a bit up post concussion brain fog..unlike NFL football, tennis requires hand and eye coordination and Novak's head most definitely was off today.

You were mad trying to play with concussion? you could have had a serious fall and broke bones?
Anyone that watched his match today could see there was something wrong, he will be okay with a few days rest, though having a head scan is a sensible idea, just to check eveything is okay

 

[Moxie]

Front's father time is the odds on favorite to win this tournament and RG..

I think Father Time has already won Rome. As far as I can tell, the only guy left in the draw over 30 is Dimitrov, who turns 33 on Thurs.

 

[Moxie]

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.

I posted something similar not long ago...that after you've achieved basically everything, where does the motivation keep coming from? I think it might have been after IW, when he withdrew from Miami, saying something about needing to evaluate work/life balance.

As to "reign of dominance," it was mentioned on TC today that performances like this, and a year like he's been having, gives the locker room belief that he's beatable.

 

[Moxie]

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.”

It was reported that he saw doctors after getting bopped on the head. I assumed they'd have done a scan. Perhaps he turned it down, not wanting to make too much of it.

 

[Fiero425]

It was reported that he saw doctors after getting bopped on the head. I assumed they'd have done a scan. Perhaps he turned it down, not wanting to make too much of it.

We should've known it was more serious than led on! That was a heavy metalic bottle falling from a good height! Like an idiot yesterday, I tried jumping a fence! It didn't go well! Took a header! At 67 the spring wasn't there & my foot caught the top of the fence! A bump on the forehead & a couple sprained toes, I survived! I bring this up assuming I'm ok! I could have a concussion, but I don't feel anything; no nausea! It could have been so much worse! The same could be said for Novak who went about his business yesterday, but seeing him play, it was a horrible outing! The DF's alone should let us know where he was in his confidence! This is someone who's really picked up his serving the last several yrs. & gets away w/ 2nd serve aces or S & V play! He's been making adjustments to keep him at the top! It doesn't look good that he hasn't won anything this year, but he hasn't played that much since the end of last season! The only one w/ fewer matches' probably Nadal for obvious reasons!

 

[Moxie]

We should've known it was more serious than led on! That was a heavy metalic bottle falling from a good height! Like an idiot yesterday, I tried jumping a fence! It didn't go well! Took a header! At 67 the spring wasn't there & my foot caught the top of the fence! A bump on the forehead & a couple sprained toes, I survived! I bring this up assuming I'm ok! I could have a concussion, but I don't feel anything; no nausea! It could have been so much worse! The same could be said for Novak who went about his business yesterday, but seeing him play, it was a horrible outing! The DF's alone should let us know where he was in his confidence! This is someone who's really picked up his serving the last several yrs. & gets away w/ 2nd serve aces or S & V play! He's been making adjustments to keep him at the top! It doesn't look good that he hasn't won anything this year, but he hasn't played that much since the end of last season! The only one w/ fewer matches' probably Nadal for obvious reasons!

Nausea is an important indicator. Take care of yourself!

As to Novak, I seriously suspect he's OK. Not to say he was making excuses, but he really did get out-played today. Tabilo deserves his credit, too. That was a clean and calm performance. He was obviously the in-form player.

 

[kskate2]

Order of Play, Monday, May 13, 2024

 

[Nadalfan2013]

Djokovic lost because his endless boring pushing wasn't enough to stop the attacking style of the super talented offensive healthy Nadal-like player Tabilo. Thank you for reading.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

It was reported that he saw doctors after getting bopped on the head. I assumed they'd have done a scan. Perhaps he turned it down, not wanting to make too much of it.

Imaging with a CT Scan or MRI isnt always needed in the early evaluation of concussion by the way. So dont assume that they did a head scan. This is because most of the effects of a concussion arent seen on imaging. However, these imaging tests might be ordered if more serious effects of a concussion is suspected.
I know Novak went to hospital after he got hit by the water bottle, as I posted above he might not have had a CT scan or MRI because the effects of a concussion arent seen on imaging?
If Novak symptons get worse, eg balance, etc then a MRI or CT scan would be advisable, then they would probably show up on a scan, sometimes it is better to wait for a few days for the head to settle before a scan is taken, so it can be clearer on imaging

 

[Front242]

Nausea is an important indicator. Take care of yourself!

As to Novak, I seriously suspect he's OK. Not to say he was making excuses, but he really did get out-played today. Tabilo deserves his credit, too. That was a clean and calm performance. He was obviously the in-form player.

Totally outplayed. Tabilo hit some ridiculously good rocket forehand winners. I'd actually never watched him play before but very impressed. Bop on the head or not, you can't do anything about shots hit that hard and fast. They're not coming back.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Mrzz,

Monteiro will play Shang in the round of 16, I feel he has a good chance to win

 

[mrzz]

Mrzz,

Monteiro will play Shang in the round of 16, I feel he has a good chance to win

I saw a good bit of of Zhang/Shelton. It was played two or three steps bellow the level of Monteiro/Kecmanovic. So, yes, it is looking good.

Having said that, the outcome is decided on court.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Muller upsets Rublev 36 63 62 for his first Top Ten win ( though Rublev was soo ill in Madrid, it is a wonder he did play in Rome)

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Tommy Paul into Rome R16 for the first time, defeating Koepfer 64 63, it is the 2nd time this year Paul has defeated Koepfer, having done so in his Dallas title run

 

[El Dude]

Some nice tennis on display in Baez-Rune. It looks like David vs. Goliath.

 

[El Dude]

Baez has quietly snuck up into being one of the better "Millenial Gen" players. While it is hard seeing him--at 5'7"--being a top player in this era of physical specimens, he could be on the good half of the Ferrer-Schwartzman spectrum. 1 title in 2022, 3 in 2023, 2 already in 2024.

Rune, on the other hand, is just too damned talented not to be an elite player. He's got to get hold of his temper, though.

 

[El Dude]

I've got no expert eye, but it also looks like Holger tries to do too much - like he wants to hit a winner on every return. He's making it too easy on Baez, hitting too many of Baez's second serves into the net, whereas Baez is fighting him on every serve, getting the ball in play. In other words, Holger could learn a lot from the tiny Argentinian.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I've got no expert eye, but it also looks like Holger tries to do too much - like he wants to hit a winner on every return. He's making it too easy on Baez, hitting too many of Baez's second serves into the net, whereas Baez is fighting him on every serve, getting the ball in play. In other words, Holger could learn a lot from the tiny Argentinian.

I feel Rune has to show more patience on clay, there is no need to try to hit a winner on every return, returning the ball back into play, and build your defense/turning into offense when the opportunity arises.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Baez reaches the last 16 at a Masters 1000 for the first time defeats Rune 26 62 63
Rune struggling in 2024, will drop to #13 at best, with RG and Wimbledon QFs to defend