Cincinnati Masters 2023, Ohio, US - ATP Masters 1000

[nehmeth]

Tented, thank you for posting the videos. I just got done watching them. Impressed by the deep mutual respect shown - not just in words, but body language, facial expressions. It was war, the swings in momentum, the changes in strategy, the places where they both had momentary loss of concentration, the physical attrition. Looking forward to the USOpen.

 

[Kieran]

What’s he doing to miraculously do what he does with such grave physicsl issues. He said he was getting ‘shots’, what’s in those shots?

I did say it would be a bonus that when Novak would win, we’d get his most objective fans too. Hide and Sulk is the tennis form of hide and seek, and you play it so well.

But speaking of taking shots, I’m only joining mid-sentence here, are you talking about Djoker’s drinks? What’s in them? Didn’t he say he’d tell us? Have we heard yet? I don’t think so. But whatever they are, they’d revive a corpse.

Welcome back…

 

[Kieran]

This seems like it was a classic match, with so many twists and bends it was in doubt until the very end. A shame for me to miss it, but Novak showed why he’s Novak and squeaked out the win, and Carlos seems to have grown in this match too. He’s a spectacular kid, growing at the speed of light. So much expected of him and he never lets us down.

I think this is a very encouraging match for him. He wasn’t playing well, he was playing long matches and struggling, but he rose to the occasion, it seems, and was a hairs breath away from beating Novak on his favourite surface. He can’t have any negative feelings after this match, and so it makes the USO much more interesting to see how well he did.

Novak did well too and to be frank, tennis deserves a USO final between the two of them. Not Zverev, not Medvedev, not The Big T’oe. We want big matches, not walkovers.

@Fiero425 suggests that Carlos might be likely to be upset in New York. I’d say this is more likely than Novak being upset. Carlos is still only 20. His defeats are something Djoker fans like to gloat about, but that only shows how much they fear him. But we all have to respect him, he’s not even the finished product yet. Novak at that age was running away from matches, citing phantom injuries. Carlos is the real deal, a breath of fresh air. He’s definitely like the T2, as @don_fabio said. He absorbs lessons so well. His physical trauma at Paris didn’t haunt him at Wimbledon. Looking forward to seeing how he does in New York..

 

[Kieran]

Could you please supply the link where Rafa said he was hobbled at the AO and couldnt walk? or supply a press conference link when he said he felt hobbled? as I never heard him complaining at all that he felt "hobbled' when he was down 2 sets to love in the final when he was playing Meddy or at all during the tournament? as I watched every match Rafa played at the AO?

If my memory is correct didnt Novak address the press this year and say he was dealing with a lot of physical issues but didnt want to elaborate?
I believe Kieran actually posted a link where Novak said he was dealing with a lot of physical issues and didnt want to elaborate, I can always ask him when he comes on to re- post the link

I don’t remember this link but Novak always says a lot of things that sound like he’s lying. I know he’s taking that miracle drink that he said he’d explain but he’ll wait on that now, I presume. He’s shifty, that chap..

 

[Kieran]

In Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz's second classic in as many months, the legend, rather than the phenom, had the final word​

This is great for our sport. And nice words from Novak, paying Carlos the biggest compliment there is:

Djokovic compared playing Alcaraz to playing a countryman of his.

“The feeling that I have on the court reminds me a little bit when I was facing Nadal when we were at our prime of our careers,” said Djokovic, who ripped his shirt off afterward, the way he had ripped it off after winning another marathon, the 2012 Australian Open final, over Rafa.

“Each point is a hustle. Each point is a battle. You feel like you’re not going to get maybe in total five free points in the entire match. You’ve got to basically earn every single point, every single shot, regardless of the conditions.”

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I don’t remember this link but Novak always says a lot of things that sound like he’s lying. I know he’s taking that miracle drink that he said he’d explain but he’ll wait on that now, I presume. He’s shifty, that chap..

Well he was to explain that 'miracle drink' last year wasnt he? lol! we wont hold our breaths

 

[Kieran]

He is a conditioning trainer and he is explaining to Novak how to play the BH .

This is so funny. I wonder if it’s the same bloke who was gesticulating at Novak in Paris? Imagine you’re that man, who’s telling one of the greats how to play the game..

 

[Kieran]

Well he was to explain that 'miracle drink' last year wasnt he? lol! we wont hold our breaths

Forget about it. That was just PR BS. He’s good at that, but that’s all it is. You’ll never hear what’s in that drink. It could revive a centuries old skeleton…

 

[don_fabio]

This is so funny. I wonder if it’s the same bloke who was gesticulating at Novak in Paris? Imagine you’re that man, who’s telling one of the greats how to play the game..

It's some old guy speaking italian. The young guy who was gesticulating in Paris was next to him and he was also pretty active again. Goran was sitting in silence next to these two counslers.

 

[don_fabio]

This seems like it was a classic match, with so many twists and bends it was in doubt until the very end. A shame for me to miss it, but Novak showed why he’s Novak and squeaked out the win, and Carlos seems to have grown in this match too. He’s a spectacular kid, growing at the speed of light. So much expected of him and he never lets us down.

I think this is a very encouraging match for him. He wasn’t playing well, he was playing long matches and struggling, but he rose to the occasion, it seems, and was a hairs breath away from beating Novak on his favourite surface. He can’t have any negative feelings after this match, and so it makes the USO much more interesting to see how well he did.

Novak did well too and to be frank, tennis deserves a USO final between the two of them. Not Zverev, not Medvedev, not The Big T’oe. We want big matches, not walkovers.

@Fiero425 suggests that Carlos might be likely to be upset in New York. I’d say this is more likely than Novak being upset. Carlos is still only 20. His defeats are something Djoker fans like to gloat about, but that only shows how much they fear him. But we all have to respect him, he’s not even the finished product yet. Novak at that age was running away from matches, citing phantom injuries. Carlos is the real deal, a breath of fresh air. He’s definitely like the T2, as @don_fabio said. He absorbs lessons so well. His physical trauma at Paris didn’t haunt him at Wimbledon. Looking forward to seeing how he does in New York..

Yeah, you missed a great match. From 5:3 down in 3rd when Alcaraz served to stay in the match that's when they both elevated their games to another level.

Novak played 2 DFs when he served for the match and one of it was on a MP. @Moxie often mentions when occasion might get to him and yesterday I think he showed nerves in that game which could have cost him the match at the end. Novak also has to play with less margin against Alcaraz on some big points, because the shots that are good against the most of the field don't work against Carlos.

Alcaraz can only take positives from this match and I really do hope we get to see them again in USO.

 

[Kieran]

It's some old guy speaking italian. The young guy who was gesticulating in Paris was next to him and he was also pretty active again. Goran was sitting in silence next to these two counslers.

It’s bizarre, isn’t it? Who are these people? Goran should be in control in the box. I know that Novak got irritated in Paris but he tends to have strange characters in his box. He’s often had to tell his brother to leave, I think…

 

[Kieran]

Yeah, you missed a great match. From 5:3 down in 3rd when Alcaraz served to stay in the match that's when they both elevevated their games to another level.

Novak played 2 DFs when he served for the match, on of it was on a MP. @Moxie often mentions when occasion might get to him and yesterday I think he showed nerves in that game which could cost him th

Alcaraz can only take positives from this match,

Oh yeah. I know it’s all gravy for Novak now but Carlos is also at a stage where it’s all good too. It can’t be held against him that he got over excited in Paris, or even if he gets upset early in New York. He’s in development for the next couple of years.

I was thinking of the similarities with Rafa, which are inevitable given how young they both were when they broke through, but Carlos faces huge expectations everywhere whereas Rafa wasn’t under real any scrutiny on hards until he was about 22. Roger was a dominant number 1 across those early years for Rafa - I still think he’d have benefited if Roger had had a main rival and not some greenhorn kid who was forced into the war too early - but Carlos is at the top already, and although Novak is his main rival, Novak isn’t the future. Carlos alone carries the expectations of his generation, in terms of expectation of immediate success..

 

[don_fabio]

It’s bizarre, isn’t it? Who are these people? Goran should be in control in the box. I know that Novak got irritated in Paris but he tends to have strange characters in his box. He’s often had to tell his brother to leave, I think…

I have no idea too, I had to look it up now.

Okay, in Adelaide this year Novak sent his brother Marko out from the court, but he is not sitting now in his box nor in the last 2-3 slams.

The old italian guy is Marco Panichi, he is a fittness trainer, he worked with italian tennis players and worked with Novak also in 2018-2019.

The "young" guy is Carlos Gomez Herrera, a former ATP pro no one heard about because his highest ranking reached is 268. He is a hitting partner of Novak and he travels with him year round. Novak said he can work with him on some aspects of the game that he can't do while training with the opponents.

 

[Kieran]

I have no idea too, I had to look it up now.

Okay, in Adelaide this year Novak sent his brother Marko out from the court, but he is not sitting now in his box nor in the last 2-3 slams.

The old italian guy is Marco Panichi, he is a fittness trainer, he worked with italian tennis players and worked with Novak also in 2018-2019.

The "young" guy is Carlos Gomez Herrera, a former ATP pro no one heard about because his highest ranking reached is 268. He is a hitting partner of Novak and he travels with him year round. Novak said he can work with him on some aspects of the game that he can't do while training with the opponents.

So Novak basically tries things out with this hitting partner that he won’t try while hitting with potential opponents? Was this “young” man teaching Novak from the stands?

I think the coaching thing is going to be very lacking as an innovation. It’s like a halfways measure anyway and looks ridiculous when they’re all waving their arms about and tugging their earlobes to ‘coach’ a player who ought to have all this ready beforehand…

 

[the AntiPusher]

Well I was unable to watch the match yesterday and just saw a replay of the final a few minutes ago. It appears I missed an instant classic. Congratulations to Novak who has proven he is one of the world's greatest warriors EVER Carlitos is every bit the same type of warrior..BTW Carlitos listen to your non Spanish Uncle AP.. try a bottle of mustard, it gets into the blood stream quicker than everyone's primary holistic solution "pickle juice. Just take a few squeezes and squirts into your mouth.You will learn, it's the cramp equivalent and equalizer.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

The best possible outcome for men's tennis is for Sinner to win the US Open, and beat Alcaraz along the way. That would take the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry to a whole new level. Djokovic winning the US Open would not be as great an outcome, as that would set the game back in time.

 

[nehmeth]

Novak played 2 DFs when he served for the match and one of it was on a MP. @Moxie often mentions when occasion might get to him and yesterday I think he showed nerves in that game which could have cost him the match at the end. Novak also has to play with less margin against Alcaraz on some big points, because the shots that are good against the most of the field don't work against Carlos.

In his press conference he mentioned that game and that he got tight; he gave credit to Carlos and the level of play.

 

[don_fabio]

So Novak basically tries things out with this hitting partner that he won’t try while hitting with potential opponents? Was this “young” man teaching Novak from the stands?

Yes, they train together and the young man gives advices to Novak.

I think the coaching thing is going to be very lacking as an innovation. It’s like a halfways measure anyway and looks ridiculous when they’re all waving their arms about and tugging their earlobes to ‘coach’ a player who ought to have all this ready beforehand…

What's even worse they stick microphones to the players boxes and now half of the match broadcasting is about the coaches. They keep showing their faces, you can hear it all what they say, etc...it's distracting to us as viewers and players don't need all that pep talk between points.

 

[the AntiPusher]

The best possible outcome for men's tennis is for Sinner to win the US Open, and beat Alcaraz along the way. That would take the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry to a whole new level. Djokovic winning the US Open would not be as great an outcome, as that would set the game back in time.

How do you come up with your scenarios? I'm curious

 

[the AntiPusher]

Carlitos lost the match in the 2nd set..he had the ole Lion wounded and near death.. I would have chip and charged at that point to force Novak's mind to feel more pressure..just my two cents worth