Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Spain 2026 - ATP 500

[El Dude]

I didn't mean "King" literally! It's the way I see Rublev; near, never able to rise to the occasion as he has only the 1 Masters after all these yrs.!

Two! And consider that only about 90 men have 2+ big titles in the Open Era...so there's no shame in that.

Anyhow, I think Rublev is who he is and has done a good job of it. Not everyone can be a great. He's a Berdych type and finished in the top 10 for five years in a row. It seems he's slipped to being more of a top 10-20 guy, but he's had a very good career. If there's one knock on him is that he can never get past the QF of a Slam. I think that speaks more to his lack of dimension than it does to an inability to "rise to the occasion." Meaning, he's not a Zverev who "should" have a Slam or two.

 

[Fiero425]

Two! And consider that only about 90 men have 2+ Big Titles in the Open Era...so there's no shame in that.

Anyhow, I think Rublev is who he is and has done a good job of it. Not everyone can be a great. He's a Berdych type and finished in the top 10 for five years in a row. It seems he's slipped to being more of a top 10-20 guy, but he's had a very good career. If there's one knock on him is that he can never get past the QF of a Slam. I think that speaks more to his lack of dimension than it does to an inability to "rise to the occasion." Meaning, he's not a Zverev who "should" have a Slam or two.

OIC! By '24, I had really cut back on watching tennis, esp. that Summer even when Djokovic won his OGM in Paris! Everyone upset or WD Madrid! ;-)

 

[britbox]

 

[britbox]

Arthur Fils' acceptance speech after winning a trophy in Barcelona.

Here are the key points (Leo AI Summary):

• Victory and Relief: Fils expresses immense happiness and gratitude for winning the trophy, noting it was an "unbelievable week" and a "great thing" to return to the final.
• Overcoming Adversity: He highlights that the month was difficult because he was struggling with an injury, but he is thrilled to be back on the court and victorious.
• Team and City Thanks: He credits his team for doing a "hell of a job" and extends a special thank you to Barcelona, a city he loves.
• Specific Acknowledgments: He mentions practicing in the city with Sergi Bruguera (who was present in the stands) and thanks the tournament organizers ("TMY") and everyone involved.

The speech is a mix of English and Spanish, reflecting the multilingual nature of the event.

 

[tented]

Two! And consider that only about 90 men have 2+ big titles in the Open Era...so there's no shame in that.

Anyhow, I think Rublev is who he is and has done a good job of it. Not everyone can be a great. He's a Berdych type and finished in the top 10 for five years in a row. It seems he's slipped to being more of a top 10-20 guy, but he's had a very good career. If there's one knock on him is that he can never get past the QF of a Slam. I think that speaks more to his lack of dimension than it does to an inability to "rise to the occasion." Meaning, he's not a Zverev who "should" have a Slam or two.

I don’t think Rublev has the mental stamina and discipline to win a major, nevertheless the ability to beat Sinner or Alcaraz (and it would have to be at least one of them, unless something unusual were to happen).

 

[El Dude]

I don’t think Rublev has the mental stamina and discipline to win a major, nevertheless the ability to beat Sinner or Alcaraz (and it would have to be at least one of them, unless something unusual were to happen).

Agreed. I think it is also his skill-set. It is really hard to win a major these days without a well-rounded game, not to mention to be a great. I suppose it is possible - Cilic snuck one out, but was maxed out (he was basically Stanimal for that one tournament).

In a way, I see Rublev as sort of the opposite of a pusher. He's a basher. There's no artistry, no finesse - just raw agression.

 

[Fiero425]

Agreed. I think it is also his skill-set. It is really hard to win a major these days without a well-rounded game, not to mention to be a great. I suppose it is possible - Cilic snuck one out, but was maxed out (he was basically Stanimal for that one tournament).

In a way, I see Rublev as sort of the opposite of a pusher. He's a basher. There's no artistry, no finesse - just raw agression.

It's an ailment of most players; esp. The Lost Gens of Zverev, Tsitsipas, Mevedev, Raonic, & so many others! They pretty much just bash the ball w/ little to no back up game! It's the reason players like Ruud & Rublev are called 250 & 500 Kings by me; truly unable to get over the hump in Major events!

 

[El Dude]

It's an ailment of most players; esp. The Lost Gens of Zverev, Tsitsipas, Mevedev, Raonic, & so many others! They pretty much just bash the ball w/ little to no back up game! It's the reason players like Ruud & Rublev are called 250 & 500 Kings by me; truly unable to get over the hump in Major events!

As I've said before, not everyone can be greats. The thing is, though, and where we might find more agreement, is that it seems like the modern context sees a greater gap between the greats and the field. On one hand, tennis has always been ruled by a small handful of kings. On the other, it does seem that before the Big Three, there were more guys who could sneak out a Slam or two, or at least had a short like peak in which they vied (and won) Slams. I suppose we've had Medvedev, Thiem, Cilic, Wawrinka, and of course Andy Murray.

Maybe the reason this phenomena seems more prevalent than it actually is, is because we haven't seen the next wave of those guys emerge. The baton was passed from Djokodal to Sincaraz with no gap, and no one (yet) grabbing a Slam. I mean, Sincaraz is now at 9 in a row.

The guys who seem like they could be "in-betweeners" have all failed thus far, in various ways: Draper, Rune, FAA, etc.

Maybe Fils and Shelton will get there. Tien is also possible. But I also wouldn't be surprised if these guys are stuck at winning Masters. Fonzie is the only young player for whom Slam titles seem inevitable. Jodar is promising, but I'd like to see more first.

 

[the AntiPusher]

As I've said before, not everyone can be greats. The thing is, though, and where we might find more agreement, is that it seems like the modern context sees a greater gap between the greats and the field. On one hand, tennis has always been ruled by a small handful of kings. On the other, it does seem that before the Big Three, there were more guys who could sneak out a Slam or two, or at least had a short like peak in which they vied (and won) Slams. I suppose we've had Medvedev, Thiem, Cilic, Wawrinka, and of course Andy Murray.

Maybe the reason this phenomena seems more prevalent than it actually is, is because we haven't seen the next wave of those guys emerge. The baton was passed from Djokodal to Sincaraz with no gap, and no one (yet) grabbing a Slam. I mean, Sincaraz is now at 9 in a row.

The guys who seem like they could be "in-betweeners" have all failed thus far, in various ways: Draper, Rune, FAA, etc.

Maybe Fils and Shelton will get there. Tien is also possible. But I also wouldn't be surprised if these guys are stuck at winning Masters. Fonzie is the only young player for whom Slam titles seem inevitable. Jodar is promising, but I'd like to see more first.

Good Post Dude.. Here's my two cents.. I thought Holger Rune was going to be the one and FAA really needs to go see the Wizard for everything he has to offer. Arthur Fils may be the one and here is my reasoning. Fils isnt afraid of Carlos or Jannik. Fils has the game that can rob those guys of thier precious timing (Arthur Fils hits the ball hard as they can but without the consistency.) Yet, Fils is a very smart server meaning unlike Big Ben Shelton who is trying to blast everyone off the court with his serve, Fils is smart enough to body serve his opponents to get position, similar to Rafa but a much bigger serve. There's a few youtube documentary where Fils father shows how he took his young son to the worse courts in town to make Arthur realize although they were financially stable as a family, Arthur still need to learn to appreciate the little things of life. In essence its the same formula as Uncle Toni and Richard Williams.

 

[El Dude]

Good Post Dude.. Here's my two cents.. I thought Holger Rune was going to be the one and FAA really needs to go see the Wizard for everything he has to offer. Arthur Fils may be the one and here is my reasoning. Fils isnt afraid of Carlos or Jannik. Fils has the game that can rob those guys of thier precious timing (Arthur Fils hits the ball hard as they can but without the consistency.) Yet, Fils is a very smart server meaning unlike Big Ben Shelton who is trying to blast everyone off the court with his serve, Fils is smart enough to body serve his opponents to get position, similar to Rafa but a much bigger serve. There's a few youtube documentary where Fils father shows how he took his young son to the worse courts in town to make Arthur realize although they were financially stable as a family, Arthur still need to learn to appreciate the little things of life. In essence its the same formula as Uncle Toni and Richard Williams.

Good to see you here, AP. I thought Holger was showing tiny signs of maybe getting back on track, but then he got hurt. I'm crossing my fingers that he can come back healthy and, with more maturity, can take it up a notch. But I'm not counting my blessings, as they say ,and I think the ship has sailed on greatness.

I like what you said about Fils, plus...the 'fro is awesome (reminds me of my 20s). He's been playing well this year and is my top candidate for new Masters winner this year. He also does seem to have the grit you mention, and an overall winning mentality.

Shelton has the talent, but I wonder if he'll ever polish the edges enough to win a Slam ...at least against SIncaraz.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Good to see you here, AP. I thought Holger was showing tiny signs of maybe getting back on track, but then he got hurt. I'm crossing my fingers that he can come back healthy and, with more maturity, can take it up a notch. But I'm not counting my blessings, as they say ,and I think the ship has sailed on greatness.

I like what you said about Fils, plus...the 'fro is awesome (reminds me of my 20s). He's been playing well this year and is my top candidate for new Masters winner this year. He also does seem to have the grit you mention, and an overall winning mentality.

Shelton has the talent, but I wonder if he'll ever polish the edges enough to win a Slam ...at least against SIncaraz.

Good to see ya too.. As for Ben, I know his dad Brian is tweaking his game but i dont know if Ben believes he can defeat Sincaraz. Let's face it , it take someone who is willing to suffer for example Novak is the current King of laying it all out there but strategically. I think Goran knows better than any coach currently the mentality that I player needs to be at the top. (we saw very quickly Stefanos did not have the heart and inner fortitude to get back to the top.) As for Holger, I think he has learned a lot from watching on the sidelines. Felix, unfortunately is gonna be the JoWillieTs of this era..I hope I am WRONG.

 

[kskate2]

Good to see ya too.. As for Ben, I know his dad Brian is tweaking his game but i dont know if Ben believes he can defeat Sincaraz. Let's face it , it take someone who is willing to suffer for example Novak is the current King of laying it all out there but strategically. I think Goran knows better than any coach currently the mentality that I player needs to be at the top. (we saw very quickly Stefanos did not have the heart and inner fortitude to get back to the top.) As for Holger, I think he has learned a lot from watching on the sidelines. Felix, unfortunately is gonna be the JoWillieTs of this era..I hope I am WRONG.

He'll never have the belief as long as daddy drives the bus. He needs a real coach that can help him polish those rough edges, further develop his return and improve his point construction.

 

[the AntiPusher]

He'll never have the belief as long as daddy drives the bus. He needs a real coach that can help him polish those rough edges, further develop his return and improve his point construction.

As I mentioned before Fils has Goran and also still talks with Sebastian G. I think Arthur learned a lot from watching on the sidelines. Although I think the injury made him " hungry", dude lost about 13 -15 lbs and got ripped. look at his abs. I'm jealous.. jajaja.. I got to get on his diet or my woman will be looking past me to get glimpse at the young fella..jajaja