Early Talk about Roland Garros

[nehmeth]

I expect Rafa to improve, and if he does, I don't mind if he faces Novak. It's a better match, and who wants to win majors beating no-hopers? We always want them to beat the best, and Rafa has a great record of doing just that...

This wasn't like Oz 12 though. After that win, even though it was a loss for Ralf, you had that sense he felt that he had solved the puzzle. Today, it looked more like Novak remembered what worked and really settled into that - actually from the middle of the first set onward.

:s

That said it's a much bigger ask to do that over five sets, and it's not guaranteed Novak will make it to the final.

 

[Kieran]

I expect Rafa to improve, and if he does, I don't mind if he faces Novak. It's a better match, and who wants to win majors beating no-hopers? We always want them to beat the best, and Rafa has a great record of doing just that...

This wasn't like Oz 12 though. After that win, even though it was a loss for Ralf, you had that sense he felt that he had solved the puzzle. Today, it looked more like Novak remembered what worked and really settled into that - actually from the middle of the first set onward.

:s

That said it's a much bigger ask to do that over five sets, and it's not guaranteed Novak will make it to the final.

That's true, Novak was the boss today, whereas in Oz, Rafa had his chances. But Novak was the boss last year in Monte Carlo, too.

A strange thing, but if Novak was Rafa's only problem - in other words, if his level was high but he was still outgunned by Nole - I'd probably be more nervous about it all. And it sounds lousy to pin a cap on poor form and hope he's going to shake it, but I think he's shown more this week than in MC, and I expect even better in Paris.

Will it be enough? It should be, but this is why they play the match. Could be Nole's turn, but over five on clay, Rafa is the best bet in tennis. But he needs to buy a fricking serve from somewhere! I think the US customs take it off him at JFK every time he leaves after winning the USO... :snigger

 

[nehmeth]

But he needs to buy a fricking serve from somewhere! I think the US customs take it off him at JFK every time he leaves after winning the USO... :snigger

I'd pay to have Todd Martin fly over and help Ralf out.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

But he needs to buy a fricking serve from somewhere! I think the US customs take it off him at JFK every time he leaves after winning the USO... :snigger

I'd pay to have Todd Martin fly over and help Ralf out.

That was too cruel.............................

 

[Kieran]

Sometimes Rafa serves as if Todd Martin is his secret weapon...

 

[nehmeth]

Sometimes Rafa serves as if Todd Martin is his secret weapon...

or Novak's

overall, his first serve percentage was 75. I was only half joking when I said Novak surviving Raonic serving made it a lot easier to play Rafa's first serve.

 

[tented]

But he needs to buy a fricking serve from somewhere! I think the US customs take it off him at JFK every time he leaves after winning the USO... :snigger

I'd pay to have Todd Martin fly over and help Ralf out.

You have no one to blame but yourself for my posting this:

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ywm916KQq8[/video]

:snigger

 

[Kirijax]

[split] Early Talk about Roland Garros

This week's action has me thinking that Nadal is going to grab yet another French Open title this year. A couple weeks ago I was thinking he had little chance but now he has positioned himself right where he needs to be. I'll be surprised if he fails in winning his 9th French this year.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

But he needs to buy a fricking serve from somewhere! I think the US customs take it off him at JFK every time he leaves after winning the USO... :snigger

I'd pay to have Todd Martin fly over and help Ralf out.

You have no one to blame but yourself for my posting this:

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ywm916KQq8[/video]

:snigger

Oh please that video still does my head in....like what was he thinking??????

 

[nehmeth]

But he needs to buy a fricking serve from somewhere! I think the US customs take it off him at JFK every time he leaves after winning the USO... :snigger

I'd pay to have Todd Martin fly over and help Ralf out.

You have no one to blame but yourself for my posting this:

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ywm916KQq8[/video]

:snigger

:snigger I own it.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

All I can say thank God....Novak got rid of Todd Martin.

 

[nehmeth]

All I can say thank God....Novak got rid of Todd Martin.

I am still thanking God every time I see that video. :angel:

 

[calitennis127]

Based on what I saw today, it really is a toss-up between Djokovic and Nadal at Roland Garros. Djokovic should win but he has a major problem putting Nadal away on all surfaces, and if he lets Nadal hang around or get back into sets at Roland Garros, he will be playing with fire.

 

[the AntiPusher]

I expect Rafa to improve, and if he does, I don't mind if he faces Novak. It's a better match, and who wants to win majors beating no-hopers? We always want them to beat the best, and Rafa has a great record of doing just that...

Agreed, Also all the inspiration Rafa needs is to watch a replay of last year's semi finals vs Djoker at RG. Just begin at 2-4 in the fifth set . He needs to relived those emotions

 

[brokenshoelace]

overall, his first serve percentage was 75.

That should tell you how little he was putting on it for most of the match.

 

[Kieran]

Yeah, I wonder how fast Rafa was serving.

He served 14 service games and lost his serve 6 times. Of the 8 times he held, he was down 0-40 at 4-3 in the first and he saved break points in the third game of the final set. He may have faced breakers in other games where he held, so he was really facing a battle there, to say the least. And this is the rock he'll perish on if he can't get it working in Paris.

Set against this, he did break Novak 4 times, and no matter how poor his form is, he went into the seventh game of the third set with the momentum. It's like fitting the pieces in a jigsaw. Right now, the picture looks bad, but who knows how it'll look if Nadal is still in RG in 3 weeks time?

 

[the AntiPusher]

Yeah, I wonder how fast Rafa was serving.

He served 14 service games and lost his serve 6 times. Of the 8 times he held, he was down 0-40 at 4-3 in the first and he saved break points in the third game of the final set. He may have faced breakers in other games where he held, so he was really facing a battle there, to say the least. And this is the rock he'll perish on if he can't get it working in Paris.

Set against this, he did break Novak 4 times, and no matter how poor his form is, he went into the seventh game of the third set with the momentum. It's like fitting the pieces in a jigsaw. Right now, the picture looks bad, but who knows how it'll look if Nadal is still in RG in 3 weeks time?

I would be very interested to see how the Nadal camp approaches next week. I would say put a lot of emphasis on getting up early in the service games which will require Rafa to practice his 1-2 service combination and establishing his dtl fh early.. otherwise I am ok with the level that he is playing. the pressure is on Djoker, Rafa knows how to Win RG

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

AP, I think his camp has to look at how he has lost the matches he has on clay this year, including the Nishikori win for obvious reasons. People that beat him are on the baseline, taking time away from him and he is 20 feet behind, scrambling all over the place. Even today, during the third set, he decided to hug the baseline for a bit and attack and he had success, broke Nole .
He has to take command of the rallies early and not sit so far back. It will work against %90 of the competition but the rest can punish you for it. Also, he is returning from so far back...I know why he is doing it and when he gets his return nice and deep to neutralize the rally, it works. But his returns for the most part has been so short recently and good players punish him for it.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

djokovic blew the title last year by having mental meltdown when hitting net and wittering on about getting the court watered /brushed in the 5th set to the ump.

I have only seen main parts of 5th set thanks to French tennis (had to go to hospital when 5th set just started) so if ive missed the drift of that ending then ok but djoko lost the plot because rafa wouldn't go away and djoko blew up ? under the mental pressure.

that's what happened is it ?, djoko lost the sf thru mental weakness compared to iron will rafa. so if they meet lets see if that area has improved. but rafa is not as quick nowadays so mental amazingness might not be enough to stop djokovic this time.

I say djoko "blew the title" because I didn't see ferrer in the final as an obstacle. who did ?..no-one.

 

[Kieran]

In fairness, JLLB, if that's the record people are playing, the full twelve inch version shows that the match shoulda been done in four...