Rio Olympics Official Thread - Men's Tennis

[teddytennisfan]

Novak Djokovic is favourite to come away with the gold medal in Rio with odds of 10/11. Wimbledon champion Andy Murray is backed at 9/4 to be victorious and Rafael Nadal is third-favourite to win gold at 14/1.

what's YOUR feel for this Britbox?

close to the betting people's ?

it looks like that to me too - at least based on their present conditions.
with wawrinka out also - that is an important opening for even nole, andy and nadal - one less rival to worry about.

and there still seems to be no others that have the experience, achievement and , above all consistency and ability to 'raise the stakes'

compared to nole, andy and nadal (presuming all there are in fine physical shape).

nonetheless -- it's EXCITING To see that at least all three of them of the decade-long 'big four" are there.

 

[masterclass]

I wouldn't say that Djokovic is a lock for the gold now. I think he got a tough 1st round, the toughest of any seeded player.

Karlovic beat Djokovic with his big serve, forehand, and slice backhand.
I think a very good serve and variety are the keys to beating Djokovic.
When he can't return at will, as he does against most of the tour, you can see he gets frustrated.
He prefers rhythmic play and is more vulnerable against the slice than the traditional drive.

Del Potro's serve is also quite good, forehand very strong, maybe the best in the game, and his slice backhand by necessity has improved.
His volleying isn't on the order of Karlovic's, but his ground game is significantly better.

One of the keys will be how well Djokovic handles Del Potro's slice. If he can hit enough good drop shots, it might make it tough on the big guy.
Del Potro has been known to out-power his opponents, but players are saying the conditions - Green Set Grand Prix Cushion and AO balls along with higher humidity are playing medium to slow

I think this one will go three sets. Good luck and health to both players in this marquee 1st round match.

Looking at the draw, I think the winner of this match has a great chance to make it to the final.

Respectfully,
masterclass

 

[teddytennisfan]

I wouldn't say that Djokovic is a lock for the gold now. I think he got a tough 1st round, the toughest of any seeded player.

Karlovic beat Djokovic with his big serve, forehand, and slice backhand.
I think a very good serve and variety are the keys to beating Djokovic.
When he can't return at will, as he does against most of the tour, you can see he gets frustrated.
He prefers rhythmic play and is more vulnerable against the slice than the traditional drive.

Del Potro's serve is also quite good, forehand very strong, maybe the best in the game, and his slice backhand by necessity has improved.
His volleying isn't on the order of Karlovic's, but his ground game is significantly better.

One of the keys will be how well Djokovic handles Del Potro's slice. If he can hit enough good drop shots, it might make it tough on the big guy.
Del Potro has been known to out-power his opponents, but players are saying the conditions - Green Set Grand Prix Cushion and AO balls along with higher humidity are playing medium to slow

I think this one will go three sets. Good luck and health to both players in this marquee 1st round match.

Looking at the draw, I think the winner of this match has a great chance to make it to the final.

Respectfully,
masterclass

great points. it's easy to forget about the others - like delpo = who can present a big challenge to any of the top guys -- even the ones as accomplished and in great form like nole and andy right now.

probably Nole has great position right now - at the very least because he really is in a very good place in his career, confidence right now...something which he fully deserves .

yet -- it's true that delpo has the game to surprise even nole.

let's see what happens -- at least let's wish for EACH of the players -- not just the top names - to be in fine shape because the olympics - after all -- is one of the true opportunities for the whole world -- at once -- to see the BEAUTIFUL sport that is tennis -- and another chance for more in the world to fall in love with this game - our tennis athletes and show just how EXCITING and engrossing it can really be when the best players from countries play at their best.

it's another year -- every four years -- for MORE of the world's sports fans and nations to see in full display -- a sport - tennis - how amazingly ATHLETIC it is - yet how INTELLIGENT and
\
not least -- so EXPRESSIVE of human personality and character -- far more than any other sport, imo. isn't it amazing? that's when i feel so proud of being a tennis fan ....

this sport we all love -= and the stars we love --

it displays the highest levels of athleticism, SKILLS, talent, no less the hard work and dedication - how critical every moment is - the ENDURANCE - The power, quickness, speed, reactions, the physical coordination - the GRIT as well as the finesse.....the unpredictability, the emotions, the competing of 'minds' and determination, .

beauty of movement? of lines? ice skating is so beautiful - it's ALL abotu beauty at its most difficult practice -- yet ONE look at FEDERER 'floating'' , or nadal jumping and turning in the air to WHIP a winner..or Nole Stretching inhumanely or andy flicking a wrist as he pivots on the tip of his shoe...or the effortless power of delpo -- they are THINGS OF BEAUTY...of an ATHLETE of a human form in motion with the goal of HITTING A TARGET!! -- MY GOD!

it really should make anyone's hair stand ...

POWER? These ''wiry'' guys hit bullets that can decapitate !! exploding into a run or running all day like ferrer? forget it


i mean ...with all the TIME that gives the spectator the chance to ''get to know" a human being battling it out there - alone with another one with so many facets of athletic and competitive abilities?

my gosh -- what SPORT is there that could really combine ALL that?

tennis, tennis, tennis!! yay! let the world be addicted! hehe.

 

[teddytennisfan]

tennis.com
2016 Olympics Men’s Tennis Preview: Rafael Nadal returns, Novak Djokovic’s gold rush
Steve Tignor
Rafael Nadal returns in Rio, with Novak Djokovic—fresh off a Masters title in Toronto—and a worldwide cast of competitors waiting. (AP)

Tennis players and fans don’t have to wait long for their 2016 Olympics to begin. The draws have already been made, and play starts at the tennis center in Rio on Saturday. With 10 of the world’s Top 20, including Roger Federer, out of the event, this year’s Games obviously begin with a little less anticipation and excitement than they did the last two times, in Beijing and London. Maybe this generation has a been-there, done-that feeling about the Olympic experience by now.

But the two best players in the world, and three of the Big 4—world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, 2012 gold medalist Andy Murray, and 2008 gold medalist Rafael Nadal—have made the trip and sound suitably energized. Two of them, Nadal and Murray, are also carrying their nation's flags.

If this tournament is like most tournaments, once it begins we’ll be talking about who is there, rather than who isn’t. Here’s a look ahead. (FYI: The surface is hard court, and the matches are two-out-of-three sets; the wild card is that there are no tiebreakers in the third.)

*****

First Quarter

Not only does the tennis event start early, its starts with a bang: Djokovic faces Juan Martin del Potro in the first round. In London in 2012, the Argentine beat the Serb for the bronze medal. Could we see a repeat upset this time? Probably not: These two have played some good ones over the last four years, but Djokovic has won seven of eight. If anything, the early challenge should help Djokovic leave the butterflies behind. The first seed he could face is No. 14 Jack Sock, in the third round.

Also here: No. 5 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Semifinalist: Djokovic

*****

Second Quarter

Nadal hasn’t played a match since pulling out of the French Open with a wrist injury, and he only announced he would enter the singles in Rio earlier this week. So who knows what we’re going to see from him. History says it should be pretty good, though; Rafa, who won gold in Beijing but withdrew from Londion, is 6-0 in Olympic singles. He’ll start against 43rd-ranked Federico Delbonis, who Nadal has beaten in both of their career meetings. His second-round match would come against either Andreas Seppi or Illya Marchenko. The first seed he could face would be No. 15 Gilles Simon, and the second-highest seed in this quarter is No. 8 David Goffin. Rafa has a good draw.

First-round match to watch: Simon vs. Borna Coric

Possible quarterfinal to watch: Nadal vs. Goffin. They’ve never played; the Belgian has the shots to win, but does he have the stature and belief?

Surprise American: 156th-ranked Brian Baker

Semifinalist: Nadal

*****

Third Quarter

You know it’s a depleted draw when you see that Gael Monfils is the No. 6 seed. Wouldn’t it be just like La Monf to be playing his best tennis in time to earn an Olympic medal? Actually, it wouldn’t. As it is, he has a potentially tough opener against Vasek Pospisil. Monfils won their meeting in Toronto last week, but Pospisil was in control for much of the first set.

The top seed in this section is No. 4 Kei Nishikori. His manageable path to the medal rounds begins against Albert Ramos-Viñolas; the Spaniard won their last meeting, but they haven’t faced each other in three years.

First-round match to watch: Grigor Dimitrov vs. Marin Cilic. This is an unfortunate opener; both guys have played some solid tennis this summer, and might be in line for a surprise medal run.

Semifinalist: Cilic

*****

Fourth Quarter

What can Murray do to top his botched, and much-watched, attempt to hold the U.K. flag for a team photo on Thursday? Perhaps only a repeat gold-medal run will suffice. The 2012 winner begins his defense against Viktor Troicki; that would be a tough start for anyone other than Murray, who is 7-0 against the Serb, and has won six of those matches in straight sets. Murray’s draw doesn’t look like it gets much tougher from there.

Also here: No. 7 seed David Ferrer

Surprise Aussie: 452nd-ranked Thanasi Kokkinakis

Semifinalist: Murray

*****

Semifinals: Djokovic d. Nadal; Murray d. Cilic

Bronze-medal match: Nadal d. Cilic

Gold-medal match: Djokovic d. Murray

 

[Carol]

Delpo is far away of his best, he needs still time to recovery his game so it's a shame that his first match is against Novak who after to win Toronto will be more motivated.
And talking about medals I would be very happy if Rafa would get a Golden Medal in doubles, mixed or with Lopez, it would be the maximum after to have already one in singles

 

[teddytennisfan]

Delpo is far away of his best, he needs still time to recovery his game so it's a shame that his first match is against Novak who after to win Toronto will be more motivated.
And talking about medals I would be very happy if Rafa would get a Golden Medal in doubles, mixed or with Lopez, it would be the maximum after to have already one in singles

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i think RAFA CAN get a medal -- at the very least -- if his body and game holds up at this point -- being that he has been ''away'' from his best for far too long really --

and evena gold - just like you said.

there is STILL no player, not even novak -- that has shown such VERSATILITY across tennis in the sense of being so good in BOTH singles and DOUBLES.

we are talking here about the kind of accomplishments of the mcenroe's and navratilovas -- and it is often forgotten in discussing our current stars .

and it IS just too bad that NOLE AND DELPO have to meet so early!

 

[teddytennisfan]

i think this is CUTE. although it's dangerous not knowing how to hold the sharp pointed flag -- ANDY' ''fumbling" with it a bit just looks cute.

hehe - i like andy murray a lot. great player, great champ - just nice guy in my opinion.
========================
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2016/08/andy-murray-flag-bearer-great-britain-rio-olympics/59815/

 

[teddytennisfan]

Britbox -- how do you make that video link i put up paste here so people can see it immediately? i don't know how to do those things...but it's cute how andy is trying to figure out how to hold the union jack and covering the princess with it and almost hits some with the pole end...hehe...so funny and cute...but he's trying...as they take a team photo, i guess.

 

[teddytennisfan]

https://www.rt.com/viral/354693-olympic-gifs-ban-reactions/


it appears the IOC -- behaving like a private owning corporation of global scale now insistes NO ONE on earth can use images - moving or photos of the olympics --they may not be shared, unless ''officially approved".

amazing -- the citizens of the world and countries are ruled by a ''committee" of exactly how many individuals in the billions ofpeople on the planet?

people in attendance taking pictures may not share images of the olymics?

when does it reach the point when TELLING each other what you SAW is now ''owned" by some corporate global body?

do people realize what this means? would andy murray not be allowed to send a ''gif'' of himself to his relatives because IOC ''owns" all images taken during RIO - the wall of a facility -- the ground, the tree in brazil is -- for the 'duration' owned by some board somewhere?

because pushed to its final logic THIS is what it means, folks.

it MEANS BRITBOX may not post ''images" of RIO olympics without a say so from some directors somewhere...

 

[britbox]

Britbox -- how do you make that video link i put up paste here so people can see it immediately? i don't know how to do those things...but it's cute how andy is trying to figure out how to hold the union jack and covering the princess with it and almost hits some with the pole end...hehe...so funny and cute...but he's trying...as they take a team photo, i guess.

Hi Teddy,

Youtube Videos are easy, you just paste the web address of the actual video... right click on the video and choose "Get Video URL".

The video you referenced wasn't the Youtube version, I think they uploaded it to their site, but I found the same one on Youtube:

 

[britbox]

https://www.rt.com/viral/354693-olympic-gifs-ban-reactions/


it appears the IOC -- behaving like a private owning corporation of global scale now insistes NO ONE on earth can use images - moving or photos of the olympics --they may not be shared, unless ''officially approved".

amazing -- the citizens of the world and countries are ruled by a ''committee" of exactly how many individuals in the billions ofpeople on the planet?

people in attendance taking pictures may not share images of the olymics?

when does it reach the point when TELLING each other what you SAW is now ''owned" by some corporate global body?

do people realize what this means? would andy murray not be allowed to send a ''gif'' of himself to his relatives because IOC ''owns" all images taken during RIO - the wall of a facility -- the ground, the tree in brazil is -- for the 'duration' owned by some board somewhere?

because pushed to its final logic THIS is what it means, folks.

it MEANS BRITBOX may not post ''images" of RIO olympics without a say so from some directors somewhere...

Yep, a corporate "grab as much we can" type of ethos.... kind of goes against the Olympic ideals doesn't it? Pure greed.

There were lot of grumblings from Londoners at the last Olympics with regards to souvenirs, T-shirts... even food. I think some cafe was stopped selling "Olympic burgers" or something like that.

 

[teddytennisfan]

THANKS A BUNCH BRITBOX!

that's the vid!

was so funny hearing the person directing the photo shoot telling andy what to do with the flag and he looks so shy. lol.

 

[teddytennisfan]

Yep, a corporate "grab as much we can" type of ethos.... kind of goes against the Olympic ideals doesn't it? Pure greed.

There were lot of grumblings from Londoners at the last Olympics with regards to souvenirs, T-shirts... even food. I think some cafe was stopped selling "Olympic burgers" or something like that.

i know --= it's just too much..how can ordinary folks even just share about the olympics? everything has to be asking permission from the ''copyrighters" and pay some ''rental" ? i mean - even if they say ''1 penny" -- that's a scheme to make gazillions forever - about something that's only existing because countries exist, with people in them - whose money is the one that creates athletes -

so that some organizing committee can claim ''ownership" for an event that's been around for centuries -- the committee declares as ''ours?"

then one of these days -- supposing YOUR website gets sooooo big around the world even more -- and then it catches IOC's eye -- and then they say

britbox has to pay ? or that you can't make money if you want out of your website by using ''images" from olympics that some tennis fans got and gave you ..OR simply just because everyone just wants to do as people normally do -- share stories with pictures ....and still IOC says no one can use them or make money on them -- unless they give a 'cut' to IOC? ....

there so NOTHING wrong with making money if that's what they want -- but they are denying THAT to others or simply the freedom to just share ''experience of olympics' , in this case , through images, that is there for the whole world to share -- FIRST, before money which WILL be made by IOC anyway -- while clearly -- they want to monopolize making money

about an event that wouldn't even exist for them to make money or ''own" IF there were no countries, whose GROUND IOC ''sells" the olyumpics IN. and the soil, the countries are where people are all over the world.

so -- is IOC Now , by extension, also making ''ownership rights' to ''images of brazil" which is the location of the olympics that IOC ''owns"? because pictures SHOW the location which ISN'T even property of the IOC?

what about pictures of the background behind athletes -- such as in the open stadiums -- the sky, the images of people sitting - are those images in the background OWNED by the IOC?

THAT'S what's called abuse of ''copyrights". and ''patents" . because IOC would be nothing unless there were people and an international community of people sharing something that existed long before there was any IOC.

NEXT thing you know -- the entire history of olympics in ''images" is theirs by ''retrospect" and no one can send a picture of andy murray winning his gold 4 years ago!!

that's unfair.

 

[Carol]

Hi Teddy,

Youtube Videos are easy, you just paste the web address of the actual video... right click on the video and choose "Get Video URL".

The video you referenced wasn't the Youtube version, I think they uploaded it to their site, but I found the same one on Youtube:

That's a funny vid

 

[Carol]

Nice picture of three of them after to practice

 

[britbox]

Kyrgios might not be playing the Olympics but he's following proceedings in Rio from afar... seems like he's more interested in the basketball.

 

[britbox]

 

[britbox]

 

[britbox]

 

[britbox]