Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, 2022 - Masters 1000

MargaretMcAleer

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I think you are too hard on FAA.. besides Daniil's win at the USO ( thank the LORD) who has reached their full potential in this era. Thiem is the only other. FAA just haven't won on Sundays. He has a decent H2H vs The next Gen( Medvedev, Zverev, Tsitipas and the big hair dude Rublev). FAA owns Sharpo and the rest. Sharpo is the one who hasn't reached his full potential.
I am not too hard when I say reaching his full potential I mean winning GS titles which FFA has not done yet? I feel his best chance soo far would be at Wimbledon just my thoughts.BTW FAA has more upside in his game than Shapo and dosent carry on like a 'spoilt brat" on court,FAA is very mature for his age.
 

Fiero425

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I am not too hard when I say reaching his full potential. I mean winning GS titles which FFA has not done yet? I feel his best chance soo far would be at Wimbledon just my thoughts. BTW FAA has more upside in his game than Shapo and doesn't carry on like a 'spoilt brat" on court. AA is very mature for his age.

Y'all are giving me more & more reason to turn on FAA! :astonished-face: Him not completing the deal in upsetting Med at the USO last year may be the final straw! :face-with-tears-of-joy: FAA could have changed tennis history in so many ways but for that weak effort! :face-with-hand-over-mouth: I said early on that Novak wasn't sharp enough and he needed someone to defeat Daniil who was the only player that concerned me in that USO Final! I was right and it wasn't even close! That wasted emotional journey to and from Japan would haunt him the rest of the season! His lone highlight the Paris Master to complete the French Double of RG & Bercy! :clap: :partying-face::face-with-tears-of-joy:
 

MargaretMcAleer

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Y'all are giving me more & more reason to turn on FAA! :astonished-face: Him not completing the deal in upsetting Med at the USO last year may be the final straw! :face-with-tears-of-joy: FAA could have changed tennis history in so many ways but for that weak effort! :face-with-hand-over-mouth: I said early on that Novak wasn't sharp enough and he needed someone to defeat Daniil who was the only player that concerned me in that USO Final! I was right and it wasn't even close! That wasted emotional journey to and from Japan would haunt him the rest of the season! His lone highlight the Paris Master to complete the French Double of RG & Bercy! :clap: :partying-face::face-with-tears-of-joy:
That is your opinion not mine:)...all players develop at their own pace not ours remember:)
 
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Kieran

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This bloke Alcaraz, sometimes he’s like a combo of the best of Rafa - and Novak. He doesn’t have an obviously terrifying one-shot killer weapon like Rafa’s forehand, but he has the tenacity and resilience of Novak for chasing and playing clean shots, without also the weaker backhand Rafa had at that age. He reminds me more of Novak, really, than of Rafa, except that he seems to have Rafa’s consistently tough mentality, whereas Novak can be ruthless at times, but brittle and gone AWOL at other times. Rafa’s more complete in this regard, and Carlito seems to be similar.

I don’t know, he’s a young lad and he’s yet to face the hardship young players face where they’re expected to win, when they have the target in their back - but he’s getting there now, and he’s smiling and enjoying it. Generally you’d say that Novak is hot favourite today, and he is, but he’s not facing a youngster who’ll be overawed, or crushed if he loses. He’s facing a younger version of himself, in a lot of ways.

I read a stupid post on social media today where somebody was wondering why Rafa doesn’t just retire, he’s old enough to be Carlos dad FFS - but amid the stupidity and short term memory problems of this post, it did bring it home to me that the Big 3 have seen off to many futile and cowardly generations of has-beens, never-beens and now, never-will-beens, that it’s chronologically inevitable that someday they’ll just get too old, and start facing youngsters who never suffered against them when the Big 3 were masters of the whole sporting world. Youngsters who don’t know them, except as legends from the past who’d make a cute notch on the bedpost. That they start facing kids who have their own preoccupations, hunger and hurry to succeed. This kid might be the best of them, or only just one more of them, but it’s a bit of a reminder and wake up for me, that when great players start to decline, it can be at the exact moment that great players start to rise, and that the end for the former can come come swift and brutally at the hands of the latter..
 

Kieran

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7E6A597D-CA30-4758-8A19-CBA1654506B1.jpeg
 
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the AntiPusher

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This bloke Alcaraz, sometimes he’s like a combo of the best of Rafa - and Novak. He doesn’t have an obviously terrifying one-shot killer weapon like Rafa’s forehand, but he has the tenacity and resilience of Novak for chasing and playing clean shots, without also the weaker backhand Rafa had at that age. He reminds me more of Novak, really, than of Rafa, except that he seems to have Rafa’s consistently tough mentality, whereas Novak can be ruthless at times, but brittle and gone AWOL at other times. Rafa’s more complete in this regard, and Carlito seems to be similar.

I don’t know, he’s a young lad and he’s yet to face the hardship young players face where they’re expected to win, when they have the target in their back - but he’s getting there now, and he’s smiling and enjoying it. Generally you’d say that Novak is hot favourite today, and he is, but he’s not facing a youngster who’ll be overawed, or crushed if he loses. He’s facing a younger version of himself, in a lot of ways.

I read a stupid post on social media today where somebody was wondering why Rafa doesn’t just retire, he’s old enough to be Carlos dad FFS - but amid the stupidity and short term memory problems of this post, it did bring it home to me that the Big 3 have seen off to many futile and cowardly generations of has-beens, never-beens and now, never-will-beens, that it’s chronologically inevitable that someday they’ll just get too old, and start facing youngsters who never suffered against them when the Big 3 were masters of the whole sporting world. Youngsters who don’t know them, except as legends from the past who’d make a cute notch on the bedpost. That they start facing kids who have their own preoccupations, hunger and hurry to succeed. This kid might be the best of them, or only just one more of them, but it’s a bit of a reminder and wake up for me, that when great players start to decline, it can be at the exact moment that great players start to rise, and that the end for the former can come come swift and brutally at the hands of the latter..
Good post Kieran, sounds like you are like me. You like Carlos aka baby Rafa but you are not ready to hand him keys to the Ferrari yet.
RG is a total different type of surface. The ball bounces high and ball travels slower due to the heavy clay dirt. I have played hundreds of matches over the years on different surfaces but the one match I recall was on clay. A tournament championship match that I would have won very easily on hardcourt turned into a mental exercise of futility. My serve and volley game was neutralize as well as my attempt to shorten the match by playing first strike combos. The way I won the match was when I finally had to accept that it was going to be a total grinding effort that I had to commit to mentally. This is what makes Nadal the champion he is because he makes the mental commitment. Notice players like Nick K avoids that surface because it is too much of a mental exercise. IMO
 
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Kieran

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Good post Kieran, sounds like you are like me. You like Carlos aka baby Rafa but you are not ready to hand him keys to the Ferrari yet.
RG is a total different type of surface. The ball bounces high and ball travels slower due to the heavy clay dirt. I have played hundreds of matches over the years on different surfaces but the one match I recall was on clay. A tournament championship match that I would have won very easily on hardcourt turned into a mental exercise of futility. My serve and volley game was neutralize as well as my attempt to shorten the match by playing first strike combos. The way I won the match was when I finally had to accept that it was going to be a total grinding effort that I had to commit to mentally. This is what makes Nadal the champion he is because he makes the mental commitment. Notice players like Nick K avoids that surface because it is too much of a mental exercise. IMO
Well, we’re probably similar in that for Paris, I’d have Rafa as favourite, Novak as number two and Carlos as number 3, but what I’m also saying is that is just as likely that we’re seeing the complete end of the Big 3. A bit melodramatic maybe, but not impossible, that it could all end swiftly in a succession of sweep-aside defeats at the hands of a younger, faster, more brilliant youngster.

I’m not saying it’s going to happen, I’m not going to overhype Carlos, let him grow and we’ll see, and they could go away in dribs and drabs, but reflecting on that stupid social media post, there was a grain of something in there made me think, the Big 3 are currently relying upon the goodwill of the weaker generation, such as Novak’s 3 slam victories last year where a great and brutal player would have beaten him each time, and Rafa’s comeback against danii in Oz, which would be more or less impossible against a fellow great…
 

the AntiPusher

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If Rafa says that his foot doesn't bother him at Paris , he will win because noOne can defeat him in a best of 5 format. IMO
 
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kskate2

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You're talking about our Sista Miss KELI. Watching "Nads " getting outplayed has got to be entertaining. That's fair. Rafa will problem solve but he has got to quit hitting the ball so short against this young man who is a monster..Rafa knows better.
I never said this match meant a lot. Right now Carlos isn't taking any prisoners. With the right defeat, he might come back down to earth, but I'm enjoying the ride while it lasts.
 

the AntiPusher

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Listen, don't get salty w/ me because he was shown the door. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Carlito is collecting many a scalp.
No doubt young Carlos is the top Indian brave of the ATP tour these days. I wasn't getting salty with you, you know me better than that. Young Carlos will hopefully have his chance to face Rafa at RG and we can go at this again.
 

the AntiPusher

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I never said this match meant a lot. Right now Carlos isn't taking any prisoners. With the right defeat, he might come back down to earth, but I'm enjoying the ride while it lasts.
No doubt. Question Still can't believe being down mp at that moment seeing Rafa misplayed that point yesterday. Why does he still play with so much margin? I don't understand why now afterwards what occurred at AO. It is what it what it is.
 
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kskate2

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One suggestion for the tour: move Madrid to the first of the three clay Masters. Get it out of the way, then play MC and Rome, tournaments which better simulate the conditions in Paris.
I don't think they will move it again. Remember it was the 3rd clay masters played right before RG and the players complained that the surface didn't mimic RG enough so they swapped places with Roma and now Roma is the final masters.
 

the AntiPusher

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What does Wilbom know about tennis? You and I know more than he does and he actually gets paid.

Wilburn loves Nadal but I guess he was just being a TV personality. I don't think Carlos will defeat Novak today. I can't recall too many players who has defeated Nadal and Novak back to back especially on clay.
 
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kskate2

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Wilburn loves Nadal but I guess he was just being a TV personality. I don't think Carlos will defeat Novak today. I can't recall too many players who has defeated Nadal and Novak back to back.
If you think about it, it's actually the perfect storm for it to happen right now. Nads coming back from injury, Djoke light on matches and confidence himself. Plus we saw what happened when he faced a top 10 in Belgrade.
 

kskate2

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No doubt young Carlos is the top Indian brave of the ATP tour these days. I wasn't getting salty with you, you know me better than that. Young Carlos will hopefully have his chance to face Rafa at RG and we can go at this again.
I know. And you should know me well enough by now to know when I'm just giving you the business even w/o using emoticons.
 
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kskate2

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This bloke Alcaraz, sometimes he’s like a combo of the best of Rafa - and Novak. He doesn’t have an obviously terrifying one-shot killer weapon like Rafa’s forehand, but he has the tenacity and resilience of Novak for chasing and playing clean shots, without also the weaker backhand Rafa had at that age. He reminds me more of Novak, really, than of Rafa, except that he seems to have Rafa’s consistently tough mentality, whereas Novak can be ruthless at times, but brittle and gone AWOL at other times. Rafa’s more complete in this regard, and Carlito seems to be similar.

I don’t know, he’s a young lad and he’s yet to face the hardship young players face where they’re expected to win, when they have the target in their back - but he’s getting there now, and he’s smiling and enjoying it. Generally you’d say that Novak is hot favourite today, and he is, but he’s not facing a youngster who’ll be overawed, or crushed if he loses. He’s facing a younger version of himself, in a lot of ways.

I read a stupid post on social media today where somebody was wondering why Rafa doesn’t just retire, he’s old enough to be Carlos dad FFS - but amid the stupidity and short term memory problems of this post, it did bring it home to me that the Big 3 have seen off to many futile and cowardly generations of has-beens, never-beens and now, never-will-beens, that it’s chronologically inevitable that someday they’ll just get too old, and start facing youngsters who never suffered against them when the Big 3 were masters of the whole sporting world. Youngsters who don’t know them, except as legends from the past who’d make a cute notch on the bedpost. That they start facing kids who have their own preoccupations, hunger and hurry to succeed. This kid might be the best of them, or only just one more of them, but it’s a bit of a reminder and wake up for me, that when great players start to decline, it can be at the exact moment that great players start to rise, and that the end for the former can come come swift and brutally at the hands of the latter..
To be honest his aggression reminds me of Fed. What's actually scary is he could be a culmination of the Big 3. Taking strengths from each of them which is why he doesn't have a glaring weakness.