ATP 250 Doha

[TennisFanatic7]

A great match, a shame about the result as Andy had chances to really grab the momentum earlier in the final set.

Didn't think this was going to be a really important match for either player in terms of psychological advantages going into Australia. However, it became important for Novak to find a way to win as losing from match point up in the second set could have knocked him mentally.

Either way, both of them have to get to the final in Melbourne before we start talking about psychological high grounds. Both of them look in good shape to do so though based on this match.

 

[BIG3]

Novak played his A game most of the match and barely won. In WTF final, his games between A and B, got straighted. Andy really has raised his game from last year.

Tennis Channel analyst kept saying that Andy had matchup problem with Nole, at the end of the match. I really didn't get it. He has better 1st serve, better netplay, stronger legs and more pops (IF he goes for it). I expect many more final encounters this season.

 

[Front242]

I dunno, to be honest Novak should have won this in straight sets and played a poor game in the 2nd set when he tried to serve it out. His A game almost won him the match in 2. Their matches were often close in the past save for the occasional dud.

 

[BIG3]

I don't buy "should have". Andy played brilliantly late 2nd set. He escaped being straighted by aggressive play. Among first 3 championship points, Nole only gifted one and Andy earned the other two.

 

[Fiero425]

Congrats to Nole on ending Andy's 28 matches in a row,on to the Australian Open?will these guys meet again in the Final.

Gawd, I hope not! Nole needs some fresh blood in the final; maybe Theim, Zverev, Pouille, or Kei!! :clap :ras:

- - http://fiero4251.blogspot.com/2016/08/fan-page-novak-nole-djokovic.html - -

 

[the AntiPusher]

Well played Novak - great match, great win! :clap






Horrible t-shirt :snicker

It was his nighty T-shirt

 

[Kieran]

Congrats to Nole on ending Andy's 28 matches in a row,on to the Australian Open?will these guys meet again in the Final.

Gawd, I hope not! Nole needs some fresh blood in the final; maybe Theim, Zverev, Pouille, or Kei!! :clap :ras:

- - http://fiero4251.blogspot.com/2016/08/fan-page-novak-nole-djokovic.html - -

Novak won't reach the Oz final: he'll slide outta there in the fourth round, or the quarters.

Heard it first here...

 

[El Dude]

Sounds like wishful thinking, Kieran.

 

[Kieran]

A hunch. He looks gaunt, tired, more edgy, wired in some way - but in a wrong way. I get the impression he's not going to be the man he was. He's hit the wall and things will start to get really tough for him now. Novak's attritional style of play promotes burnout as an added extra...

 

[lacatch]

Wow Kieran--I think you are WAY too premature in your Novak prediction.. Andy plays an attritional style as well--and played a lot more tennis than Novak in the latter part of '16. I predicted that Novak would play this match like his life depended on it (which he in fact did other than blip at end of 2nd set). He's determined to get back on top---and IMHO there's no contest when it comes to sheer mental strength as between Novak and Andy.

 

[Fiero425]

A hunch. He looks gaunt, tired, more edgy, wired in some way - but in a wrong way. I get the impression he's not going to be the man he was. He's hit the wall and things will start to get really tough for him now. Novak's attritional style of play promotes burnout as an added extra...

The same could be said of the ugly game of Andy Murray! He really gets juiced outlasting his opponents in those long rallies! I think he looks like an idiot running "suicides" back and forth 20 yards behind the baseline! I faded in and out while telecast running this morning, but he seemed to attack more and finish off points at the net! I've been saying all players should do more of that to eliminate 3-4 hour contests due to long rallies, routine stalling and toweling off, and time taken for replays which are "throw-aways" just to suck some air! I just don't appreciate how the game's played these days; MTO's SOP! Anything short of cramping into a ball should not get attention! This is supposed to be a game of strength, skill, and a lot of luck! Blisters, backaches, and twisted ankles are a hazard of the game and shouldn't get attention just so a contest can be extended another half hour waiting for them to steady themselves! :nono :angel: :cover

 

[the AntiPusher]

I dunno, to be honest Novak should have won this in straight sets and played a poor game in the 2nd set when he tried to serve it out. His A game almost won him the match in 2. Their matches were often close in the past save for the occasional dud.

Novak should have Lost to Verdasco..how many players survive 5 match points in a tiebreaker

 

[Fiero425]

I dunno, to be honest Novak should have won this in straight sets and played a poor game in the 2nd set when he tried to serve it out. His A game almost won him the match in 2. Their matches were often close in the past save for the occasional dud.

Novak should have Lost to Verdasco..how many players survive 5 match points in a tiebreaker

Happens more than you think; even against Nadal! It's not necessarily a "choke," but it's strange how all the breaks can switch to the other side of the net! Same with "serving for a match! It ain't over until it's over! Momentum can change on a dime! :nono :cover

 

[sid]

Congrats to Nole on ending Andy's 28 matches in a row,on to the Australian Open?will these guys meet again in the Final.

Gawd, I hope not! Nole needs some fresh blood in the final; maybe Theim, Zverev, Pouille, or Kei!! :clap :ras:

- - http://fiero4251.blogspot.com/2016/08/fan-page-novak-nole-djokovic.html - -

Chill Ivan Lendl will by with Murray @ Australian Open btw anyone seen Boris Becker:snicker

 

[the AntiPusher]

Congrats to Nole on ending Andy's 28 matches in a row,on to the Australian Open?will these guys meet again in the Final.

Gawd, I hope not! Nole needs some fresh blood in the final; maybe Theim, Zverev, Pouille, or Kei!! :clap :ras:

- - http://fiero4251.blogspot.com/2016/08/fan-page-novak-nole-djokovic.html - -

Chill Ivan Lendl will by with Murray @ Australian Open btw anyone seen Boris Becker:snicker

Becker has been vanquished to twitter

 

[Backhand_DTL]

Novak played his A game most of the match and barely won. In WTF final, his games between A and B, got straighted. Andy really has raised his game from last year.

Tennis Channel analyst kept saying that Andy had matchup problem with Nole, at the end of the match. I really didn't get it. He has better 1st serve, better netplay, stronger legs and more pops (IF he goes for it). I expect many more final encounters this season.

In my opinion in the WTF final Novak was more between his B and his C game as he really had trouble finding the court from the middle of the first to the middle of the second set.

Novak is usually better at generating angles and changing direction from the forehand than Andy so playing with controlled aggresion comes more natural to Novak and when he is confident in his down the line shots he will usually dictate the majority of rallies in this match-up. Additionally my impression is that Novak's strokes and movement require less effort than Andy's so in a war of attrition Novak is more often than not the one who can keep up a higher level for longer.

Overall I think it was a quite positive week for Novak. His level of play was nothing special before the final but it usually doesn't need to be until at least the semis and in the moments of crisis (at 1:5 down in the first round and trailing 2:6 in the tiebreak against Verdasco) he seemed calm and believed that playing with good quality but well within himself will be enough to turn those situations around. Then in the final he was able to raise his level significantly and winning it the way he did might even be more valuable than a routine 6:3 6:4 victory would have been as it also showed that the ability to more or less immediately bounce back from huge disappointments within a match, which in my opinion played an important role in his dominant period between Wimbledon 2014 and RG 2016, is still there when he's in a good place mentally.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Novak played his A game most of the match and barely won. In WTF final, his games between A and B, got straighted. Andy really has raised his game from last year.

Tennis Channel analyst kept saying that Andy had matchup problem with Nole, at the end of the match. I really didn't get it. He has better 1st serve, better netplay, stronger legs and more pops (IF he goes for it). I expect many more final encounters this season.

In my opinion in the WTF final Novak was more between his B and his C game as he really had trouble finding the court from the middle of the first to the middle of the second set.

Novak is usually better at generating angles and changing direction from the forehand than Andy so playing with controlled aggresion comes more natural to Novak and when he is confident in his down the line shots he will usually dictate the majority of rallies in this match-up. Additionally my impression is that Novak's strokes and movement require less effort than Andy's so in a war of attrition Novak is more often than not the one who can keep up a higher level for longer.

Overall I think it was a quite positive week for Novak. His level of play was nothing special before the final but it usually doesn't need to be until at least the semis and in the moments of crisis (at 1:5 down in the first round and trailing 2:6 in the tiebreak against Verdasco) he seemed calm and believed that playing with good quality but well within himself will be enough to turn those situations around. Then in the final he was able to raise his level significantly and winning it the way he did might even be more valuable than a routine 6:3 6:4 victory would have been as it also showed that the ability to more or less immediately bounce back from huge disappointments within a match, which in my opinion played an important role in his dominant period between Wimbledon 2014 and RG 2016, is still there when he's in a good place mentally.

Good analysis, However, Novak may be vulnerable against a hot player like Nishikori, or etc. if the conditions are hot and the ball is bouncing high..

 

[Backhand_DTL]

Novak played his A game most of the match and barely won. In WTF final, his games between A and B, got straighted. Andy really has raised his game from last year.

Tennis Channel analyst kept saying that Andy had matchup problem with Nole, at the end of the match. I really didn't get it. He has better 1st serve, better netplay, stronger legs and more pops (IF he goes for it). I expect many more final encounters this season.

In my opinion in the WTF final Novak was more between his B and his C game as he really had trouble finding the court from the middle of the first to the middle of the second set.

Novak is usually better at generating angles and changing direction from the forehand than Andy so playing with controlled aggresion comes more natural to Novak and when he is confident in his down the line shots he will usually dictate the majority of rallies in this match-up. Additionally my impression is that Novak's strokes and movement require less effort than Andy's so in a war of attrition Novak is more often than not the one who can keep up a higher level for longer.

Overall I think it was a quite positive week for Novak. His level of play was nothing special before the final but it usually doesn't need to be until at least the semis and in the moments of crisis (at 1:5 down in the first round and trailing 2:6 in the tiebreak against Verdasco) he seemed calm and believed that playing with good quality but well within himself will be enough to turn those situations around. Then in the final he was able to raise his level significantly and winning it the way he did might even be more valuable than a routine 6:3 6:4 victory would have been as it also showed that the ability to more or less immediately bounce back from huge disappointments within a match, which in my opinion played an important role in his dominant period between Wimbledon 2014 and RG 2016, is still there when he's in a good place mentally.

Good analysis, However, Novak may be vulnerable against a hot player like Nishikori, or etc. if the conditions are hot and the ball is bouncing high..

But possibly the quarters and definitely the semi final and final will be night matches, so the matches that really matter would most likely be played in conditions that suit Novak quite well.

In a day match quarter final in hot conditions I could only see Cilic and maybe Thiem (a potential QF against Roger or Rafa would certainly be a night match) playing great being dangerous for Novak playing reasonably well. Against Nishikori he seems to have a huge edge right now as he won every match they played since the US Open 2014 apart from Rome last year rather easily and Novak's superiority on serve and his ability to keep a great balance when defending is something Kei really struggles with, so a defeat to him would really surprise me.

Of course on an off day Novak can be vulnerable against many players in the Top 20 or players like Zverev or Verdasco but if he can build on the level he showed today I expect him to be very tough to beat in Melbourne.

 

[BIG3]

Novak played his A game most of the match and barely won. In WTF final, his games between A and B, got straighted. Andy really has raised his game from last year.

Tennis Channel analyst kept saying that Andy had matchup problem with Nole, at the end of the match. I really didn't get it. He has better 1st serve, better netplay, stronger legs and more pops (IF he goes for it). I expect many more final encounters this season.

In my opinion in the WTF final Novak was more between his B and his C game as he really had trouble finding the court from the middle of the first to the middle of the second set.

Novak is usually better at generating angles and changing direction from the forehand than Andy so playing with controlled aggresion comes more natural to Novak and when he is confident in his down the line shots he will usually dictate the majority of rallies in this match-up. Additionally my impression is that Novak's strokes and movement require less effort than Andy's so in a war of attrition Novak is more often than not the one who can keep up a higher level for longer.

Overall I think it was a quite positive week for Novak. His level of play was nothing special before the final but it usually doesn't need to be until at least the semis and in the moments of crisis (at 1:5 down in the first round and trailing 2:6 in the tiebreak against Verdasco) he seemed calm and believed that playing with good quality but well within himself will be enough to turn those situations around. Then in the final he was able to raise his level significantly and winning it the way he did might even be more valuable than a routine 6:3 6:4 victory would have been as it also showed that the ability to more or less immediately bounce back from huge disappointments within a match, which in my opinion played an important role in his dominant period between Wimbledon 2014 and RG 2016, is still there when he's in a good place mentally.

Though Nole changed direction better than Andy and controlled more of the baseline rallies, he couldn't penetrate Andy's defense. He had to come to net to end points, fortunately his smash didn't let me down yesterday. Andy has the sheer power to click the winner from neutral positions, especially from bh. I wouldn't say Andy has upper hand, but he doesn't have matchup problem either.

Playing A game most of the match, Nole couldn't finish in 2, in his own words " you never know until the end against Andy". I don't know whose confidence will be boosted more from this final

 

[Backhand_DTL]

Novak played his A game most of the match and barely won. In WTF final, his games between A and B, got straighted. Andy really has raised his game from last year.

Tennis Channel analyst kept saying that Andy had matchup problem with Nole, at the end of the match. I really didn't get it. He has better 1st serve, better netplay, stronger legs and more pops (IF he goes for it). I expect many more final encounters this season.

In my opinion in the WTF final Novak was more between his B and his C game as he really had trouble finding the court from the middle of the first to the middle of the second set.

Novak is usually better at generating angles and changing direction from the forehand than Andy so playing with controlled aggresion comes more natural to Novak and when he is confident in his down the line shots he will usually dictate the majority of rallies in this match-up. Additionally my impression is that Novak's strokes and movement require less effort than Andy's so in a war of attrition Novak is more often than not the one who can keep up a higher level for longer.

Overall I think it was a quite positive week for Novak. His level of play was nothing special before the final but it usually doesn't need to be until at least the semis and in the moments of crisis (at 1:5 down in the first round and trailing 2:6 in the tiebreak against Verdasco) he seemed calm and believed that playing with good quality but well within himself will be enough to turn those situations around. Then in the final he was able to raise his level significantly and winning it the way he did might even be more valuable than a routine 6:3 6:4 victory would have been as it also showed that the ability to more or less immediately bounce back from huge disappointments within a match, which in my opinion played an important role in his dominant period between Wimbledon 2014 and RG 2016, is still there when he's in a good place mentally.

Though Nole changed direction better than Andy and controlled more of the baseline rallies, he couldn't penetrate Andy's defense. He had to come to net to end points, fortunately his smash didn't let me down yesterday. Andy has the sheer power to click the winner from neutral positions, especially from bh. I wouldn't say Andy has upper hand, but he doesn't have matchup problem either.

Playing A game most of the match, Nole couldn't finish in 2, in his own words " you never know until the end against Andy". I don't know whose confidence will be boosted more from this final

Yes, while Novak is better at taking time away from the opponent by taking the ball early when Andy goes for it he is the one who hits bigger. But he isn't really comfortable using that kind of power hitting especially when he doesn't feel he has to and can end up making many errors if he tries to play very aggressive by his standards.

In yesterday's match I think Andy's anticipation was great so Novak often needed to hit multiple very good shots to hit a baseline winner, force an error or create an opportunity to come to the net. But for example in last year's Roland Garros final Andy wasn't able to read where Novak will place his shots once Novak started playing well and if that happens Novak doesn't have trouble to hit through Andy or force weak replies.

I also wouldn't call it a big match-up problem but when both play more or less equally well by their standards Novak's superiority in dictating play with the forehand and on the second serve (althogh Andy notably improved there since last year) are the biggest difference makers and the reason why he usually wins then in my opinion.

I don't think it's a question that this result will boost Novak's confidence more but apart from maybe missing out on getting a mental edge for their next match against each other (which he most probably would have gained if he won) it won't really hurt Andy either.