Rolex Shanghai Masters 2018, China

[Carol]

32nd M1000 title for Djokovic.

Looks like no one will be able to stop him this year

Did you really think that Coric went to win this tournament? you should watch how badly Federer is playing and the overrated Zverev too. Are we going through another weak era? I hope not

 

[The_Grand_Slam]

Did you really think that Coric went to win this tournament? you should watch how badly Federer is playing and the overrated Zverev too. Are we going through another weak era? I hope not

Coric played very well but unlike yesterday his first serve was not getting him enough free points.
I expected Djokovic to win this tournament.He will probably win Bercy and YEC as well.

 

[monfed]

Oh the irony...

Oh the stupidity from zelenafan

 

[herios]

Happy to see Novak victorious on this fast HC.
Bodes well for the end of the season, to reclaim the top spot once again.

 

[DarthFed]

I'm sorry, but you're doing the woulda-coulda-shoulda that more reasonable Fed fans try to avoid. I can appreciate that you wish that he'd done better, but it doesn't change the outcome. You're moaning very loudly that Roger lost, and trying to make it my fault for pointing that out. That everyone should recognize that he should have won those matches. Sorry for not drinking that Kool-Aid. Or for living in the real world.

And you haven't done coulda-woulda-shoulda with Nadal, particularly at AO? Roger does have a lot to regret as he's lost numerous big matches from MP up (05 AO semi, 2010 and 2011 US semi and 2018 Wimbledon QF) and others where he had a seemingly overwhelming lead. Djokovic and Nadal simply have had way less of those particularly deep in majors.

20 slams is great right now but it won't be if Nadal or Djokovic end up with that or more. We'd then be looking at Roger as a slight underachiever.

 

[Carol]

Coric played very well but unlike yesterday his first serve was not getting him enough free points.
I expected Djokovic to win this tournament.He will probably win Bercy and YEC as well.

Looking the level of the Tour I wouldn’t be surprised

 

[roberto]

Looking the level of the Tour I wouldn’t be surprised

Carol--Please give credit where credit is due. The rest of the tour doesn't suck--Djokovic is just playing on a different level than the rest right now. That could certainly change, but he seems extremely dialed in and to have regained his mojo.

 

[Fiero425]

Carol--Please give credit where credit is due. The rest of the tour doesn't suck--Djokovic is just playing on a different level than the rest right now. That could certainly change, but he seems extremely dialed in and to have regained his mojo.

All the poorer for Rafa who's just never been able to hold onto the #1 ranking for any real length of time! I keep looking at the record books and he's woefully behind everyone nearing the top rung! Right now he doesn't register in the category of consecutive weeks at #1 and is about to be cut off again at total of 194 weeks (at the moment)! The mantle should change by next month, maybe before; depending on what happens in Paris! Nole's not defending any points so everything's gravy while Nadal will drop points before having to re-earn them up to the end of the season! It needs to happen now so that "dead period" between Dec. and Feb. will have Djokovic at the top as #1! :whistle:

 

[El Dude]

I think Rafa is guaranteed to get to at least 196-197, as Paris is in two more weeks and he should get a week for the 15th, 22nd, and 29th (not sure whether the 194 includes the 15th).

But yeah, he'll probably lose #1 on Nov 5 after Paris, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's it for him. He has a ton of points to defend in the first half of next year, while Novak has very little. And then Rafa sucks in the second half and Novak is strong.

So it could be smooth sailing for Novak, with a relatively easy 60+ weeks at #1 ahead of him...barring surprises. He has a very good chance of passing Connors (268) and Lendl (270), and should also be able to pass Sampras (286) and even Roger (310) if he's able to maintain his dominance into 2020.

But that's a long time away.

 

[Carol]

Carol--Please give credit where credit is due. The rest of the tour doesn't suck--Djokovic is just playing on a different level than the rest right now. That could certainly change, but he seems extremely dialed in and to have regained his mojo.

Of course he is playing well but....let's go to see this, Federer aging and playing bad including his serve which has helped him so many times, Nadal injured since the USO, Murray still very far of his good game and injured too, Wawrinka "give one of lime an another of sand", Delpo was sick and after the last match also with a fracture of the kneecap, Tsonga also injured. Monfils and Kyrgios are acting like the monkeys. What about the others? well, the young ones and not so young...we have seen how they are playing, pttffff

 

[Carol]

I think Rafa is guaranteed to get to at least 196-197, as Paris is in two more weeks and he should get a week for the 15th, 22nd, and 29th (not sure whether the 194 includes the 15th).

But yeah, he'll probably lose #1 on Nov 5 after Paris, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's it for him. He has a ton of points to defend in the first half of next year, while Novak has very little. And then Rafa sucks in the second half and Novak is strong.

So it could be smooth sailing for Novak, with a relatively easy 60+ weeks at #1 ahead of him...barring surprises. He has a very good chance of passing Connors (268) and Lendl (270), and should also be able to pass Sampras (286) and even Roger (310) if he's able to maintain his dominance into 2020.

But that's a long time away.

It doesn't matter if Rafa lose the #1 which always that number comes and goes but the most important thing is when he is going to comeback to play, I hope he will when he feels in perfect conditions

 

[Moxie]

And you haven't done coulda-woulda-shoulda with Nadal, particularly at AO? Roger does have a lot to regret as he's lost numerous big matches from MP up (05 AO semi, 2010 and 2011 US semi and 2018 Wimbledon QF) and others where he had a seemingly overwhelming lead. Djokovic and Nadal simply have had way less of those particularly deep in majors.

20 slams is great right now but it won't be if Nadal or Djokovic end up with that or more. We'd then be looking at Roger as a slight underachiever.

Once recently, in answer to the question on the forums, which is the loss you most regret by your favorite, I talked about the AO. And I have occasionally put the AO out there as a place Rafa has underperformed, in the face of the Fed fans' rather constant insistence that there are plenty of big matches that he "should" have won/Majors where he "should" have done better. That's in the spirit of "two can play that game." But let's face it, monfed was being nasty at me for not entertaining his fantasies about what Roger would really have won, if, um, well, he hadn't. It's tedious to borderline insulting how much some Federer fans whinge about what he hasn't won. Somebody has to push back.

 

[El Dude]

It doesn't matter if Rafa lose the #1 which always that number comes and goes but the most important thing is when he is going to comeback to play, I hope he will when he feels in perfect conditions

Isn't he coming back for Paris? Or is that in question? What's the latest, Carol?

 

[Carol]

Isn't he coming back for Paris? Or is that in question? What's the latest, Carol?

I haven't read anything about when he is coming back, only when Moya said one week ego that he will be back in Paris o maybe in 2019 but I know that he has started to practice

 

[Moxie]

All the poorer for Rafa who's just never been able to hold onto the #1 ranking for any real length of time! I keep looking at the record books and he's woefully behind everyone nearing the top rung! Right now he doesn't register in the category of consecutive weeks at #1 and is about to be cut off again at total of 194 weeks (at the moment)! The mantle should change by next month, maybe before; depending on what happens in Paris! Nole's not defending any points so everything's gravy while Nadal will drop points before having to re-earn them up to the end of the season! It needs to happen now so that "dead period" between Dec. and Feb. will have Djokovic at the top as #1! :whistle:

You say that Rafa has "never been able to hold onto the #1 ranking for any real length of time." This would surely only be in relation to Roger and Novak. He's #11 on the all-time list for consecutive weeks, with 56. That's over a year, you will note. I'm not sure the measure you're using, but it's a spurious claim by most.

• Most Consecutive weeks as World Number One

Rank Player Consecutive
1. Roger Federer 237
2. Jimmy Connors 160
3. Ivan Lendl 157
4. Novak Djokovic 122
5. Pete Sampras 102
6. Jimmy Connors (2) 84
7. Pete Sampras (2) 82
8. Ivan Lendl (2) 80
9. Lleyton Hewitt 75
10. John McEnroe 58
11. Rafael Nadal 56
12. John McEnroe (2) 53
Novak Djokovic (2) 53
14. Andre Agassi 52
15. Roger Federer (2) 48
Novak Djokovic (3) 48
17. Björn Borg 46
Rafael Nadal (2) 46
19. Andy Murray 41
20. Ilie Năstase 40

 

[Fiero425]

You say that Rafa has "never been able to hold onto the #1 ranking for any real length of time." This would surely only be in relation to Roger and Novak. He's #11 on the all-time list for consecutive weeks, with 56. That's over a year, you will note. I'm not sure the measure you're using, but it's a spurious claim by most.

• Most Consecutive weeks as World Number One

Rank Player Consecutive
1. Roger Federer 237
2. Jimmy Connors 160
3. Ivan Lendl 157
4. Novak Djokovic 122
5. Pete Sampras 102
6. Jimmy Connors (2) 84
7. Pete Sampras (2) 82
8. Ivan Lendl (2) 80
9. Lleyton Hewitt 75
10. John McEnroe 58
11. Rafael Nadal 56

Wiki stopped at #10 for a reason! You want to do that for all categories? I guess that's one way to handle deficiencies!

 

[Moxie]

Wiki stopped at #10 for a reason! You want to do that for all categories? I guess that's one way to handle deficiencies!

Clearly you have no response.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Funny, blue color is only in the explanation and not in the actual chart!

 

[Moxie]

Funny, blue color is only in the explanation and not in the actual chart!

Good point. I guess the notion of "fast" is relative, but plenty have complained that the courts aren't fast anymore. There used to be carpet, which seemed to play like an ice-skating rink. Is Halle not even fast-grass anymore? I'm not clear what a "fast" court is meant to be.

 

[Jelenafan]

I'm never sure what all of this conversation about the pace of the courts is really about. It is a feature of them, but to what point? Federer fans seem to feel that Roger deserved a quicker overall court speed and has somehow been robbed. .

Yes it’s all a “conspiracy” to rob Federer.:scratch: