Qatar Exxon Mobil Open - Doha - ATP 250

[Mary]

Bravo Nole, Happy Christmas gift for Serbia!

 

[Mary]

Hehe good idea. Novak takes the break and will have the opportunity to finish it off now. This is turning out to be a pretty important match I'd say. Don't think Novak is going to get the No 1 spot back anytime soon though. Novak won almost everything in the first half year, too much points to defend.

Post FO will be the chance to start moving up but psychologically this is big for him and Murray.

 

[Denis]

Post FO will be the chance to start moving up but psychologically this is big for him and Murray.

Agreed. Important to break the streak too.

 

[Mastoor]

67th title for Nole and 25-11 h2h vs #1. Would sounds surreal that someone else holds 25-11 record against #1 if we didn't know the players in question.

 

[britbox]

Big win for Novak. Sets things up nicely for the season.

6-3 5-7 6-4

 

[Moxie]

Murray mounted an excellent comeback in the 2nd, but couldn't keep it going. Novak is still showing signs of petulance and gets bad behavior warnings. But he hits the first salvo over the bow to begin the year.

 

[Mastoor]

Murray looked to me too good to be true, have you ever seen anyone faster and more capable of hitting winners from any disposition? I have no idea how Novak won but I am happy he did.

Here is the trophy ceremony many complain they didn't see because Eurosport didn't show it in many countries:

 

[britbox]

Don't like that trophy much... not a fan of birds unless they are birds of prey who eat other birds.

 

[Moxie]

Don't like that trophy much... not a fan of birds unless they are birds of prey who eat other birds.

You didn't watch the tourism video. The falcon features prominently, and they are birds of prey. Not sure if they eat other birds, but they eat other tennis players. And perhaps otherwise irreverent ex-pat Brits. Personally, I think it's handsome and apt.

 

[britbox]

You didn't watch the tourism video. The falcon features prominently, and they are birds of prey. Not sure if they eat other birds, but they eat other tennis players. And perhaps otherwise irreverent ex-pat Brits. Personally, I think it's handsome and apt.

Ha ha... falcons do eat other birds... not sure about brits though. You'd need to draft in an Ostrich or Cassowary to have any chance.

 

[Mastoor]

It's special for Novak because his grandfather who often took him to tennis lessons, called him sokole which means falcon in Serbian. That's the reason why Nole has falcons drawn on his gear.

I read comments in Serbian media and you'd find most interesting that some people noticed that Nole's resurrection coincide with Orthodox Christmas. You get the irony? Resurrection on Christmas.

 

[Mary]

It's special for Novak because his grandfather who often took him to tennis lessons, called him sokole which means falcon in Serbian. That's the reason why Nole has falcons drawn on his gear.

I read comments in Serbian media and you'd find most interesting that some people noticed that Nole's resurrection coincide with Orthodox Christmas. You get the irony? Resurrection on Christmas.

Its great this was Orthodox Christmas, are you celebrating? If so have a good one.

You wondered how Nole won. If you have time have another look at the match. Game 7, set 1, Nole's serve and Nole serving again, set 2 game 4. He out thinks Murray totally and Murray looks slow and clumsy. These games show how Nole won. Murray can out hit almost anyone and he is fast when he anticipates but he hasn't Nole's mobility - its like a juggernaut and a Ferrari. I am trying not to be unfair and I know Murray is a great player. But to me he looked tired, heavy in the legs and a bit overweight and slow. His second serve is still unreliable and he has less accuracy. Had it been as windy it would have helped him as he handles wind better but Nole was much more accurate on a calmer day and his serving was so much improved. The two serves he lost were one tensing up at match points and the next with frustration rather than the weak serves he has had the last few months.

On to the next one!

 

[teddytennisfan]

Murray looked to me too good to be true, have you ever seen anyone faster and more capable of hitting winners from any disposition? I have no idea how Novak won but I am happy he did.

Here is the trophy ceremony many complain they didn't see because Eurosport didn't show it in many countries:

i just love teh aura nole exudes when he wins - it has that ''spiritual" look to me - always --s omething more than just ''winning' - hard to pin -- but something...

anyway -- beautiful start to his year.

congrats also to andy for picking up from where he left off - even in a loss -- it IS important as world number one to be in FINALS shape.

 

[teddytennisfan]

It's special for Novak because his grandfather who often took him to tennis lessons, called him sokole which means falcon in Serbian. That's the reason why Nole has falcons drawn on his gear.

I read comments in Serbian media and you'd find most interesting that some people noticed that Nole's resurrection coincide with Orthodox Christmas. You get the irony? Resurrection on Christmas.

i am not serb nor slavic and not orthodox of coruse since i am from a distant other culture --

but i WAS thinking of nole today and the orthodox christmas *yesterdy?* because i just e mailed some that i got to know in st petersburg from last summer trip..to wish them orthodox christmas and happy new year .

but i thought it was special that nole - to my mind yesterday -- reached the finals - and now he wins it. i was thinking along lines of "maybe nole will have a nice christmas and win it".
lol.

 

[teddytennisfan]

the nole serve seems to be in good shape == remember how it was fading noticeably by the end of the season with those nigging shoulder things..i hope that's been addressed -- and that he is adjusted to being back to being ''no boris" . it was a good partnership but probably just ran its course .

 

[teddytennisfan]

Its great this was Orthodox Christmas, are you celebrating? If so have a good one.

You wondered how Nole won. If you have time have another look at the match. Game 7, set 1, Nole's serve and Nole serving again, set 2 game 4. He out thinks Murray totally and Murray looks slow and clumsy. These games show how Nole won. Murray can out hit almost anyone and he is fast when he anticipates but he hasn't Nole's mobility - its like a juggernaut and a Ferrari. I am trying not to be unfair and I know Murray is a great player. But to me he looked tired, heavy in the legs and a bit overweight and slow. His second serve is still unreliable and he has less accuracy. Had it been as windy it would have helped him as he handles wind better but Nole was much more accurate on a calmer day and his serving was so much improved. The two serves he lost were one tensing up at match points and the next with frustration rather than the weak serves he has had the last few months.

On to the next one!

it might also be that whatever lingering effects of their ''change of rank" -- the effect on andy is somehwat heavier -- and it is nole that managed to bring up more of the focus and preparedness..nole being more IN the winning attitude - and succeeding over the break to get rid of the losses last year and feeling sharper and less encumbered .

but youa re right that andy looks a little slower than nole in this match. but we can say last year nole ALSO looked slower or hesitant in THEIR matches.

so - it balances out in some way.

 

[teddytennisfan]

Post FO will be the chance to start moving up but psychologically this is big for him and Murray.

probably bigger for nole -- as he surely would want to give notice to andy .

for andy - it's more tolerable as he would have more points to gain while nole can gain more only after FO.

 

[Billie]

Congratulations to Nole. This is the only match I watched so far this year and it was a good one. Didn't like him failing to convert on the first 3 match points and losing that 2nd set, but it is for humans, it's important to win at the end. He seems in better mind frame, but it is still early. I think AO will give a better picture of where everybody is at the start of the season.

 

[Mastoor]

I think the most important thing is that the Spanish guru obviously didn't make any negative impact on Nole like we hoped for and that he can continue from where he left at Roland Garros.

 

[Moxie]

Whatever happened with Becker, then? On Tennis Channel, during the match, Gimelstob said that Becker was tweeting about the match. He was speculating that Becker wasn't finished coaching him, and that things hadn't really ended happily, for Boris.