Doha Tournament

[Carol]

Draw

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/scores/current/doha/451/draws

 

[El Dude]

And there's a pulse! Nice to see the season start.

Nadal-Busta could be intriguing. Maybe.

 

[Kieran]

And there's a pulse!

Exactly, "a pulse", and a good event to check that pulse. Nole has Dustin Brown in the first match, Berdy plays Stakhovsky, but it's not a stellar field. Top 4 seeds (Nole, Rafa, Berdy, Ferrer) should all progress to their allocated places...

 

[Front242]

And there's a pulse! Nice to see the season start.

Nadal-Busta could be intriguing. Maybe.

Anyone who busts Nadal is fine with many members here :snicker

 

[herios]

And there's a pulse!

Exactly, "a pulse", and a good event to check that pulse. Nole has Dustin Brown in the first match, Berdy plays Stakhovsky, but it's not a stellar field. Top 4 seeds (Nole, Rafa, Berdy, Ferrer) should all progress to their allocated places...

The reason for not having stellar fields to any of these events is there are 3 in parallel and also Hopman Cup attracts some top players as well.
But that gives opportunities to lower ranked players to make deeper runs if they are up to it.

 

[herios]

Novak starts with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Dustin Brown.

 

[nehmeth]

Novak was off to a 5-0 start within 15 minutes of the first set. It's hard to keep your focus with someone as erratic as Dustin Brown. He makes Monfils look like the model of consistency. :nono

 

[herios]

Tweet from D. Brown:

Had Fun 2day Out There With @DjokerNole... Lets Try It Again Soon Without The Wind, Ill Do Better

EDIT: He added a few smilies, which were not pasted

 

[the AntiPusher]

Novak was off to a 5-0 start within 15 minutes of the first set. It's hard to keep your focus with someone as erratic as Dustin Brown. He makes Monfils look like the model of consistency. :nono

Just doesn't make sense why Rafa has historically struggled with DBrown. :nono

 

[Fiero425]

Novak was off to a 5-0 start within 15 minutes of the first set. It's hard to keep your focus with someone as erratic as Dustin Brown. He makes Monfils look like the model of consistency. :nono

Just doesn't make sense why Rafa has historically struggled with DBrown. :nono

We've been over this before; MATCH-up problems! Every player has someone that gives them "fits" outside of raw ability! I never thought much about Rafa being considered the GOAT until it became more evident "the rivalry" was a sham! Nadal's owned Federer for years with only sporadic losses on a fast court late in the season! Laver was an old man, but still beat Ashe who was the newly minted Wimbledon champ in '75! Djokovic's obviously the best right now, but Roger and Stan still give him heartburn! Right now, we can't be sure if Rafa's problem is with match-up problems or some kind of "decline" that's only becoming more obvious and signals "the end?" :nono :angel: :dodgy: :cover :eyepop

 

[Carol]

Novak was off to a 5-0 start within 15 minutes of the first set. It's hard to keep your focus with someone as erratic as Dustin Brown. He makes Monfils look like the model of consistency. :nono

Just doesn't make sense why Rafa has historically struggled with DBrown. :nono

And that's why Rafa has said that one has been one of his worst defeat. It's incredible how the head has so important roll in this individual sport, more than the game and worse sometimes than the injuries but like he says well let's go to forget that horrible 2015, it's in the pass :cover

 

[herios]

Novak was off to a 5-0 start within 15 minutes of the first set. It's hard to keep your focus with someone as erratic as Dustin Brown. He makes Monfils look like the model of consistency. :nono

Just doesn't make sense why Rafa has historically struggled with DBrown. :nono

What is so surprising? Brown won both his matches on grass early in the events, when Rafa sucks big time in recent years. Or have you not noticed?

 

[herios]

A big upset was pulled by Daniel Munoz de la Nava who defeated Feli Lopez:
3-6, 7-6, 7-5.
Daniel is ranked 75 and he just got into the top 100 at 33y of age. Je basically was a challenger tour player all his career until now.
This defeat could have implications on the seeding at the AO, Lopez is ranked 17 and he was set to get a top 16 seeding due to Gasquet absence. Now that spot is not guaranteed anymore, because the guys below him could pass him.

 

[Front242]

^ He sounds quite like Víctor Estrella Burgos in that respect.

 

[Front242]

Novak was off to a 5-0 start within 15 minutes of the first set. It's hard to keep your focus with someone as erratic as Dustin Brown. He makes Monfils look like the model of consistency. :nono

Just doesn't make sense why Rafa has historically struggled with DBrown. :nono

And that's why Rafa has said that one has been one of his worst defeat. It's incredible how the head has so important roll in this individual sport, more than the game and worse sometimes than the injuries but like he says well let's go to forget that horrible 2015, it's in the pass :cover

That loss had nothing to do with his "head". He's had tons of losses like this on grass. He's just not good on grass anymore, simple as that. Even in his best years on grass he's had mighty struggles in the early stages when the grass is fresh and playing faster. He only improves when the grass is all mangled and plays more like clay 'cos the opponents serves aren't as fast then and the balls are much more in his hit zone since the bounce changes dramatically after the baseline gets all mangled, at which stage it's not even playing like grass anymore.

 

[Carol]

Novak was off to a 5-0 start within 15 minutes of the first set. It's hard to keep your focus with someone as erratic as Dustin Brown. He makes Monfils look like the model of consistency. :nono

Just doesn't make sense why Rafa has historically struggled with DBrown. :nono

What is so surprising? Brown won both his matches on grass early in the events, when Rafa sucks big time in recent years. Or have you not noticed?

Even when Rafa suck big time it was a big surprise losing against the #78 ranked ....come on

 

[nehmeth]

Novak was off to a 5-0 start within 15 minutes of the first set. It's hard to keep your focus with someone as erratic as Dustin Brown. He makes Monfils look like the model of consistency. :nono

Just doesn't make sense why Rafa has historically struggled with DBrown. :nono

DB is SO erratic. He can hit winners out of nowhere and double fault the next point. He really does not allow for any kind of rhythm whatsoever. Put him on grass where the points are shorter (and there's less chance of screwing himself up), I can see why he's a tough ask.

Nole had him down 5-0 and then, while losing a lot of points, Brown won the next two games - breaking Novak in the process. :cover It's nigh unto impossible to stay focused against a guy like that.

 

[Carol]

Just doesn't make sense why Rafa has historically struggled with DBrown. :nono

And that's why Rafa has said that one has been one of his worst defeat. It's incredible how the head has so important roll in this individual sport, more than the game and worse sometimes than the injuries but like he says well let's go to forget that horrible 2015, it's in the pass :cover

That loss had nothing to do with his "head". He's had tons of losses like this on grass. He's just not good on grass anymore, simple as that. Even in his best years on grass he's had mighty struggles in the early stages when the grass is fresh and playing faster. He only improves when the grass is all mangled and plays more like clay 'cos the opponents serves aren't as fast then and the balls are much more in his hit zone since the bounce changes dramatically after the baseline gets all mangled, at which stage it's

not even playing like grass anymore.

"He's just not good on grass anymore, simple as that" . I haven't seen a comment so silly (and I read many of you) simple as that. He always was good on grass (two Wimbledon titles) but for different circumstances he lost against players to whom he never had to lose but it doesn't mean he is not going to play well anymore on grass, for your misfortune he will
Now tell me, since when the grass is all mangled and plays more like clay ? maybe since 2008 or maybe
sinc 2011?

 

[nehmeth]

Even in his best years on grass he's had mighty struggles in the early stages when the grass is fresh and playing faster. He only improves when the grass is all mangled and plays more like clay 'cos the opponents serves aren't as fast then and the balls are much more in his hit zone since the bounce changes dramatically after the baseline gets all mangled, at which stage it's
not even playing like grass anymore.

Now tell me, since when the grass is all mangled and plays more like clay ? maybe since 2008 or maybe after 2013?

uzzled :cover :nono

The grass gets worn down and mangled by the second week of the Wimbledon fortnight... not a year.

 

[Carol]

Even in his best years on grass he's had mighty struggles in the early stages when the grass is fresh and playing faster. He only improves when the grass is all mangled and plays more like clay 'cos the opponents serves aren't as fast then and the balls are much more in his hit zone since the bounce changes dramatically after the baseline gets all mangled, at which stage it's
not even playing like grass anymore.

Now tell me, since when the grass is all mangled and plays more like clay ? maybe since 2008 or maybe after 2013?

uzzled :cover :nono

The grass gets worn down and mangled by the second week of the Wimbledon fortnight... not a year.

So it means that the second week the surface become all mangled and playing more like clay......ahhhh :snicker