BARCELONA ATP 500 - 20th April to 26th April

[GameSetAndMath]

OK. Nadalites, look forward. The Convention of Spanish Dirtballers begins in couple of days.
This is a 48 player draw tourney with top 16 getting byes.

Here are the top 8 seeds.


1 Nishikori, Kei
2. Nadal, Rafael
3 Ferrer, David
4 Cilic, Marin
5 Lopez, Feliciano
6. Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried
7. Bautista, Agut, Roberto
8. Gulbis, Ernests

Other notables: Robredo, Fog, Dog, Verdasco, Almagro, Klizan and Thiem.

News Flash: Nick Kyrgios gets a wild card in to the tourney

Actually, the draw is out.


Projected Quarterfinals are

Nishikori ---- RBA
Cilic --- Tsonga
Gulbis --- Ferrer
Lopez --- Rafa

Rafa's has a tough line up of potential opponents:

Rd2: Almagro (who beat him here last year)
Rd3: Fog (who beat him in Rio this year)
QF: Deliciano Lopez (who beat him in Shanghai last year)
SF: Ferrer (who beat him in MC last year)
F: Nishikori (who beat him in Madrid last year) (OK almost )

 

[herios]

Happy to see Milos withdrew. He needs to get healed before the bigger events.

 

[Mile]

Who defends ?

 

[Riotbeard]

Who defends ?

Kei.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

surely little wafa wants to win this tourney, no ?.

he just lost so will be in the mental frame to play the valiant underdog card and triumph.

or as howard jones warbled in 1983.."dont crack up, see both sides, bend your brain, throw off your mental chains..ooh ooh ooooh".

 

[Moxie]

Rafa's has a tough line up of potential opponents:

Rd2: Almagro (who beat him here last year)
Rd3: Fog (who beat him in Rio this year)
QF: Deliciano Lopez (who beat him in Shanghai last year)
SF: Ferrer (who beat him in MC last year)
F: Nishikori (who beat him in Madrid last year) (OK almost )

On paper, it shouldn't get tough until SF and F. We shall see.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Rafa's has a tough line up of potential opponents:

Rd2: Almagro (who beat him here last year)
Rd3: Fog (who beat him in Rio this year)
QF: Deliciano Lopez (who beat him in Shanghai last year)
SF: Ferrer (who beat him in MC last year)
F: Nishikori (who beat him in Madrid last year) (OK almost )

On paper, it shouldn't get tough until SF and F. We shall see.

I agree with you. Almagro is currently ranked in the 90s and is coming back from an
injury himself. Fog probably cannot beat Rafa twice in the same year. Deliciano is a
strange Spaniard who prefers Grass courts to Clay courts.

But, I think Ferru might do him in SF.

Also, it could be Verdasco instead of Fog in R3 who recently defeated Rafa
and it could be Pablo Andujar instead of Deliciano in QF.

It is certainly safe to say that there is no gimme opponent for Rafa in this tourney
despite it being a small 500 event.

 

[Moxie]

Perhaps you mean "no" gimme opponent? Fair enough. Rafa used to sail through Barcelona if he played it, until last year. Another trial for him.

 

[Billie]

Perhaps you mean "no" gimme opponent? Fair enough. Rafa used to sail through Barcelona if he played it, until last year. Another trial for him.

All good things eventually come to an end.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Perhaps you mean "no" gimme opponent? Fair enough. Rafa used to sail through Barcelona if he played it, until last year. Another trial for him.

I missed the "no", no. Fixed it now.

 

[Moxie]

Perhaps you mean "no" gimme opponent? Fair enough. Rafa used to sail through Barcelona if he played it, until last year. Another trial for him.

All good things eventually come to an end.

Just a question of when, Billie. You're the one that pointed out that tennis players are not robots. Nadal winning and gaining back tournaments that he has owned may be an up and down proposition. No reason to think that he can't win Barcelona again.

 

[Billie]

Perhaps you mean "no" gimme opponent? Fair enough. Rafa used to sail through Barcelona if he played it, until last year. Another trial for him.

All good things eventually come to an end.

Just a question of when, friend.

Paris would be nice.

 

[Billie]

Perhaps you mean "no" gimme opponent? Fair enough. Rafa used to sail through Barcelona if he played it, until last year. Another trial for him.

All good things eventually come to an end.

Just a question of when, Billie. You're the one that pointed out that tennis players are not robots. Nadal winning and gaining back tournaments that he has owned may be an up and down proposition. No reason to think that he can't win Barcelona again.

Sorry I quoted your post before you modified it. I don't have a problem with Rafa winning in Barcelona, I actually think he is a big favorite there and in other clay tournaments. All this girl wants is just one big win in Paris for her guy. One can always hope.

 

[Kieran]

OK. Nadalites, look forward. The Convention of Spanish Dirtballers begins in couple of days.
This is a 48 player draw tourney with top 16 getting byes.

Here are the top 8 seeds.


1 Nishikori, Kei
2. Nadal, Rafael
3 Ferrer, David
4 Cilic, Marin
5 Lopez, Feliciano
6. Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried
7. Bautista, Agut, Roberto
8. Gulbis, Ernests

Other notables: Robredo, Fog, Dog, Verdasco, Almagro, Klizan and Thiem.

News Flash: Nick Kyrgios gets a wild card in to the tourney

Actually, the draw is out.


Projected Quarterfinals are

Nishikori ---- RBA
Cilic --- Tsonga
Gulbis --- Ferrer
Lopez --- Rafa

Rafa's has a tough line up of potential opponents:

Rd2: Almagro (who beat him here last year)
Rd3: Fog (who beat him in Rio this year)
QF: Deliciano Lopez (who beat him in Shanghai last year)
SF: Ferrer (who beat him in MC last year)
F: Nishikori (who beat him in Madrid last year) (OK almost )

Well done, you done your research! Actually, I'm glad you did cos that looks like a great draw for Rafa because there's nobody who's a six inch putt. They're all blokes who might think they can get something out of him, which means he can also get something out of this draw.

They need to scratch their heads in the seeding house though. Samurai is #1 seed? :lolz: :lolz:

 

[Moxie]

All good things eventually come to an end.

Just a question of when, Billie. You're the one that pointed out that tennis players are not robots. Nadal winning and gaining back tournaments that he has owned may be an up and down proposition. No reason to think that he can't win Barcelona again.

Sorry I quoted your post before you modified it. I don't have a problem with Rafa winning in Barcelona, I actually think he is a big favorite there and in other clay tournaments. All this girl wants is just one big win in Paris for her guy. One can always hope.

It doesn't change anything, my modification, which was just an elaboration. Yes, you want Novak to get Paris. And we Nadal fans want him to keep holding the fortress. It's actually very exciting, this all-chips on the table that they've done in the last few years. Let's hope that it's a good one, again, should they meet. :hug

 

[herios]

They need to scratch their heads in the seeding house though. Samurai is #1 seed? :lolz: :lolz:

They go by the official ATP and Rafa will move back to #4 only on Monday. Or toy thought that they are cooking the ranking like the folks in London?

 

[Fiero425]

They need to scratch their heads in the seeding house though. Samurai is #1 seed? :lolz: :lolz:

They go by the official ATP and Rafa will move back to #4 only on Monday. Or toy thought that they are cooking the ranking like the folks in London?

It always something; IIRC didn't Rafa fall to #5 a couple years ago, but Murray didn't play at FO so the seedings were saved? :angel: :dodgy:

 

[Kieran]

They need to scratch their heads in the seeding house though. Samurai is #1 seed? :lolz: :lolz:

They go by the official ATP and Rafa will move back to #4 only on Monday. Or toy thought that they are cooking the ranking like the folks in London?

I was kidding about that, of course they go by the rankings but it shows how far Rafa has fallen away since Wimbledon, and how much he needs to do to get back.

It's still hilarious seeing samurai as #1 seed ahead of the king of clay...

 

[nehmeth]

It's still hilarious seeing samurai as #1 seed ahead of the king of clay...

Even more to see the Samurai stay healthy and take the king down... :snicker

 

[Kieran]

It's still hilarious seeing samurai as #1 seed ahead of the king of clay...

Even more to see the Samurai stay healthy and take the king down... :snicker

There's neither of them very likely, unfortunately for him in the first place, and fortunately for young Ralph in the second...