Argentina Open

[Kieran]

Sheesh! Rafa's now so old that there's an article on tennis.com about him - and it's written by Peter Bodo!

:eyepop

 

[nehmeth]

Sheesh! Rafa's now so old that there's an article on tennis.com about him - and it's written by Peter Bodo!

:eyepop

Wow Bodo...

 

[Kieran]

A good article, too!

 

[nehmeth]

A good article, too!

I will be watching the match this evening.

(I caught heck for saying Ralf was battling the "yips". Bodo calls it jittery nerves and it's a good article) :snicker

 

[Kieran]

A good article, too!

I will be watching the match this evening.

(I caught heck for saying Ralf was battling the "yips". Bodo calls it jittery nerves and it's a good article) :snicker

Carol caught heck for mentioning confidence but there's Bodo calling it that too!

 

[Front242]

An aging baldy bollocks out of form playing a guy just back after 7 months off tour due to wrist surgery, who prior to surgery could barely muster up 2 games in 3 sets at RG in 2012 and 1 game 2 years later at Madrid. Should be a cracking match :snicker

They seem to be good "friends" too :cover

 

[GameSetAndMath]

So much for Fog beating Rafa. Fog cleared away very early, in the first round itself.

Dog is gone, Fog is gone. Who will stop Rafa now?

Job is left to Isner and/or Ferru.

We have seen so many times Rafa's draw changing into a cake walk...
Last year, when he won this event, he did not need to deafet any top 50 players.
At least, this year the field is more deep.

Add Big John to the list. He is gone too.

Now, only the Iron man can stop Rafa.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Sheesh! Rafa's now so old that there's an article on tennis.com about him - and it's written by Peter Bodo!

:eyepop

Bodo concludes by saying Rafa cannot hope to get into winner's circle by trying to regain his old strategies of crushing the opponent by venomous FH topspin strokes. He says Rafa needs to learn new tricks to get into winner's circle. Do you agree with Bodo?

 

[nehmeth]

Monaco consolidates his break in the 2nd set. 3-1. He's been successful at drawing some errors off Nadal's backhand.

Rafa turns it around with some help from an imploding Monaco. 6-4, 6-4

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Monaco consolidates his break in the 2nd set. 3-1. He's been successful at drawing some errors off Nadal's backhand.

Rafa turns it around with some help from an imploding Monaco. 6-4, 7-5

I did not see the match. The score is listed as 6-4, 6-4 in live scores section. Who is telling the truth.

 

[nehmeth]

Monaco consolidates his break in the 2nd set. 3-1. He's been successful at drawing some errors off Nadal's backhand.

Rafa turns it around with some help from an imploding Monaco. 6-4, 7-5

I did not see the match. The score is listed as 6-4, 6-4 in live scores section. Who is telling the truth.

Wishful thinking on my part... it was 6-4 in the 2nd. Monaco was about to go up two breaks and then there was this exchange at the net... it seemed to unravel from there.

 

[Fiero425]

Monaco consolidates his break in the 2nd set. 3-1. He's been successful at drawing some errors off Nadal's backhand.

Rafa turns it around with some help from an imploding Monaco. 6-4, 7-5

I did not see the match. The score is listed as 6-4, 6-4 in live scores section. Who is telling the truth.

Wishful thinking on my part... it was 6-4 in the 2nd. Monaco was about to go up two breaks and then there was this exchange at the net... it seemed to unravel from there.

If Nadal's having problems with his "pigeons" in a 250, how is he to compete against the elite in the Masters coming up next month? uzzled :nono :angel: :dodgy: :cover

 

[pavlik89]

PavlikTNS Periscope

https://www.periscope.tv/w/1eaKbDENOBaJX

 

[pavlik89]

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT6QOE9qGSA[/video]

 

[Kieran]

Sheesh! Rafa's now so old that there's an article on tennis.com about him - and it's written by Peter Bodo!

:eyepop

Bodo concludes by saying Rafa cannot hope to get into winner's circle by trying to regain his old strategies of crushing the opponent by venomous FH topspin strokes. He says Rafa needs to learn new tricks to get into winner's circle. Do you agree with Bodo?

Well firstly, it's good to see Bodo back. I thought he'd become victim of some rugged tennis writers cull and been dispatched to filing, or something. In terms of what he said, I don't know if Rafa is going to be able to learn many new tricks. He learnt a big serve for the US Open a couple of times (Big Serve = A Man's Serve) but didn't keep it because it bent the rest of his game out of shape. In his early years, he relearnt the game to an extent so he could challenge on faster surfaces off clay, and succeeded in doing that too.

But if he's going to make wholesale changes now, I don't know if that's possible, or likely. Basically, all versions of his game revolve around "crowding opponents into dark corners where they cowered, their racquets serving as little more than mere shields failing to protect them from the inevitable," as Bodo well states it. The forehand in an "orgiastic fury" worked on all surfaces. Now, what changes could he make to get that same result? I'm not sure. I also agree with Bodo - and Carol - that confidence is a key element. The intensity isn't what it used to be.

But...I still think that Rafa will cling on in some big tourney and grow as it goes on. Federer hasn't beaten Rafa at a slam since 2007, and yet since then Roger's won maybe five slams. Lord knows, Rafa deserves a bit of luck, eventually. I wouldn't count him out just yet...

 

[Carol]

Sheesh! Rafa's now so old that there's an article on tennis.com about him - and it's written by Peter Bodo!

:eyepop

Bodo concludes by saying Rafa cannot hope to get into winner's circle by trying to regain his old strategies of crushing the opponent by venomous FH topspin strokes. He says Rafa needs to learn new tricks to get into winner's circle. Do you agree with Bodo?

Bodo.......one of the most loyal Roger's fans for years :snicker but at least he and me agree not about the same fav and part of the article but about the 'temporary mental weakness issue' which sometimes is more dificult to solve than any injury

 

[herios]

Thiem through, waiting for Nadal.
I am interested in Dominic's improvement on clay, because I think this is the surface where his best chances are to make a real breaktrough. Playing Nadal will be a good barometer.

 

[Front242]

Rafa's forehand is shocking tonight. If he continues like this I'd give Raonic or Murray a chance of knocking him out if not in Roland Garros then at one of the clay masters and clearly he hasn't a prayer against Novak in this vein.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Thiem through, waiting for Nadal.
I am interested in Dominic's improvement on clay, because I think this is the surface where his best chances are to make a real breaktrough. Playing Nadal will be a good barometer.

No, he won't beat Rafa. You can use the number of games he wins as barometer.

 

[Front242]

Just a little fun fact. Juan Monaco won 8 games yesterday against Nadal which is the same number of games he won in 3 full matches previous to last night. Yesterday 6-4 6-4. Prior to that he lost 6-4 6-1 at this same tournament last year, 6-1 6-0 at the 2014 Madrid masters and 6-2 6-0 6-0 at Roland Garros 2012. Now either his wrist surgery was absolutely miraculous or there must be some other reason :snicker