2025 (Bold or not) Predictions

[El Dude]

Didn't Novak just lose 3 matches in a row before Miami?

Yes, but he seems to have warmed up and/or turned a corner. Just watch the highlights vs. Musetti.

Now whether he can maintain this remains to be seen. The dude is 37 years old, after all.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Well, my hope is Sascha final brings home a Slam trophy and RG is his probably his best chance. I know he's a bit of a whiny prick (and won't win any Boyfriend of the Year awards), but I do feel for the guy. It is really a deep mental hole he's in, and as much as a player shouldn't talk the way he did after losing to Jannik about him simply not being good enough to beat the #1, he wasn't wrong and was actually refreshingly honest (if in a Poor Me sort of way). For him to win a Slam at this point, he needs a perfect convergence:

- Jannik and Carlos get upset and/or hurt and/or inexplicably play poorly, AND
- Novak to lose access to the fountain of youth, AND
- Keep focused and un-stressed in a Slam final.

Even playing his absolute best, he can't beat those three if they're playing reasonably close to their peak level, and when was the last time any of them hadn't done that in a Slam final? Neither Jannik nor Carlos has (yet) lost a Slam final, and Novak hasn't lost a Slam final to anyone but those two since Daniil in 2021. But Sascha can, on a good day, beat anyone else...if he doesn't lose his head, which he almost always does.

What about Tsitsipas I feel clay is his best surface, he is a headcase

 

[don_fabio]

Well, my hope is Sascha final brings home a Slam trophy and RG is his probably his best chance. I know he's a bit of a whiny prick (and won't win any Boyfriend of the Year awards), but I do feel for the guy. It is really a deep mental hole he's in, and as much as a player shouldn't talk the way he did after losing to Jannik about him simply not being good enough to beat the #1, he wasn't wrong and was actually refreshingly honest (if in a Poor Me sort of way). For him to win a Slam at this point, he needs a perfect convergence:

- Jannik and Carlos get upset and/or hurt and/or inexplicably play poorly, AND
- Novak to lose access to the fountain of youth, AND
- Keep focused and un-stressed in a Slam final.

Even playing his absolute best, he can't beat those three if they're playing reasonably close to their peak level, and when was the last time any of them hadn't done that in a Slam final? Neither Jannik nor Carlos has (yet) lost a Slam final, and Novak hasn't lost a Slam final to anyone but those two since Daniil in 2021. But Sascha can, on a good day, beat anyone else...if he doesn't lose his head, which he almost always does.

Let's just hand him the trophy .

I also feel for him a bit, but his performance in AO final was disappointing in so many ways. Not been able to put up a fight regardless of Sinner's level was embarrassing. If he wants that slam as much as he talks, then he might as well fight for it until the last drop of blood, sweat and tears.

If he keeps waiting for the stars to align for him then before he knows it he'll be too old and slow. There will be at least 2 guys from the Sinner/Alcaraz/Novak trio fighting to win RG this year and Sacha will have to go through at least one of them. Not to mention other players who can be on fire on a given day..Sacha was supposed to lose to Griekspoor last year, Dutch was inches away from the win.

He better learn to play on the net and improve his game, then he might be good enough, who knows.