Rome Masters 2015

[Denis]

The question is whether Nole will go on one of his mental walkabouts in the 2nd and let Kei back in?

Good call. Not sure it was a mental walkabout, but he definitely ceded the baseline to Kei in that 2nd set.

Nishi folded like a cheap tent there. 6-1

Novak has won by scorelines like this a lot this season.

Exactly. I'm suspicious therefore it was folding. Seems like people are going at Novak with everything they've got, only to run out of steam.

Or Novak just went on a little second set walkabout. He has had many of these trips.

Didn't see the match though. But those seem to be the two most plausible explanations on the basis of the past.

 

[pavlik89]

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2ZeZ2iSeN4[/video]

 

[Great Hands]

Good call. Not sure it was a mental walkabout, but he definitely ceded the baseline to Kei in that 2nd set.

Nishi folded like a cheap tent there. 6-1

Novak has won by scorelines like this a lot this season.

Exactly. I'm suspicious therefore it was folding. Seems like people are going at Novak with everything they've got, only to run out of steam.

Or Novak just went on a little second set walkabout. He has had many of these trips.

Didn't see the match though. But those seem to be the two most plausible explanations on the basis of the past.

when you say 'run out of steam', do you think it's physical - i.e. playing novak takes more otu of you physcially, even after 2 sets, or mental - i.e. they have enough belief to win a set, but if they get broken early in the set novak needs to win - they don't have the belief that they can come back?

bit of both, maybe.

and yes, maybe novak could win in straithgs, say, 6-1, 6-0, if he kept his entla cocnentratin. so the other player 'challneging' him is really just becuase novak's form has dipped.

i guess it's probably a combination of all these things.

 

[Great Hands]

Good call. Not sure it was a mental walkabout, but he definitely ceded the baseline to Kei in that 2nd set.

Nishi folded like a cheap tent there. 6-1

Novak has won by scorelines like this a lot this season.

Exactly. I'm suspicious therefore it was folding. Seems like people are going at Novak with everything they've got, only to run out of steam.

Or Novak just went on a little second set walkabout. He has had many of these trips.

Didn't see the match though. But those seem to be the two most plausible explanations on the basis of the past.

When you say 'run out of steam', do you think it's physical - i.e. playing Novak takes more out of you physically than with other players? Or mental - i.e. his opponents have enough belief to win a set, but if they get broken early in the set Novak needs to win - they don't have the belief that they can come back?

Bit of both, maybe. It must be more mental, though, because these guys are super fit.

And yes, maybe Novak could win in straights, say, 6-1, 6-0, if he kept his full mental intensity. So the other player 'challenging' him is really just because Novak's form has dipped.

I guess it's probably a combination of all these things.

 

[nehmeth]

Good call. Not sure it was a mental walkabout, but he definitely ceded the baseline to Kei in that 2nd set.

Nishi folded like a cheap tent there. 6-1

Novak has won by scorelines like this a lot this season.

Exactly. I'm suspicious therefore it was folding. Seems like people are going at Novak with everything they've got, only to run out of steam.

Or Novak just went on a little second set walkabout. He has had many of these trips.

Didn't see the match though. But those seem to be the two most plausible explanations on the basis of the past.

Not the wisest thing to draw conclusions without seeing the match. Most of us have done it though. As I said earlier, Novak ceded the baseline in the 2nd set and Nishi's confidence soared. Last set, Novak regained the hallowed ground. That last game, Nishi hit every return into the net... he had folded.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Sometimes you win in 3 sets instead of straights because tennis pros are good.

 

[Great Hands]

yep. novak at his best will win sets very comfortably a lot of the time. and when he doesn't - it's because he's not quite at his best, and, as you say, tennis pros are good.

i guess i was just analysing that last set today because when the same thing happned to murray it prompted lots of talk about his mental issues. so ii guess kei must eb s mental weakliong too...or maybe novak is just that good, that when he's on, he wins sets wihtout hardly losing a game, or not losing a game at all.

 

[Great Hands]

So does Kei have mental issues? i.e. That's what people said about Murray when the same thing happened to him.

 

[Great Hands]

novak is winning a lot of sets, often the last set, with bagels and breadsticks at the moment. when it happened against murray, it prompted psychoabalysis of his mental demons. but it's happenign with lots of toher players too. so it kei a mental wekaling too? seems only fair to ask the question, since it's asked of murray.

 

[Great Hands]

When this happened to Murray posters criticised his mentality. So is Kei a mental weakling, or does this criticism only apply when it happens to murray?

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Now, I am willing to call Novak's move of skipping Madrid a success even if he goes out
in SF. Don't mistake me. I am not saying he will go out in SF. Most likely he will win the whole tourney. What I am saying is that he does not have to. The only real bad thing that could have happened to Novak is going out early in Rome.

Now, he has played three matches and is guaranteed to play one more and that is more
than enough of a competitive warm-up before RG for Novak.

 

[Great Hands]

Sometimes you win in 3 sets instead of straights because tennis pros are good.

exactly. when novak has baggeledl or breasticked murray recerntly,murray got heaps fo cirtisism for his metnality. but i think novak is getting al these bagels and breasticks because] [he is great enough to bagel/breadtsitck other people when he's at his best, and other pros are good enough to take advantage if he's not.



true, but i was trying to analyse why

it's got more to do with

happned to murray,in the ao final and the miami final,

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

I have not watched the Roger match live, I just saw Pavlik's highlights. I kept waiting for a forehand winner...and inside out one, inside in one, cross court one...I saw maybe one. There might obviously be more but I saw more backhand winners than forehand. That is great to have the solid backhand but Roger is not winning anything serious when his main weapon is not on.

 

[Great Hands]

Sometimes you win in 3 sets instead of straights because tennis pros are good.

so do you think that kei, as a good 'tennis pro', put up a good fight to take the wordl no.1 to 3 sets instead of straihgts, even if he got battered in the final set? do you think that was a creditbale permforznce?
or are there things about kei's gmae/mentality that need to be addressed?

 

[mrzz]

Poor Wawrinka. Right now, if he wants to win the tournament, he must go through Nadal, Federer and most likely Djokovic. What's his combined H2H against them? 8-154?

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Poor Wawrinka. Right now, if he wants to win the tournament, he must go through Nadal, Federer and most likely Djokovic. What's his combined H2H against them? 8-154?

More like 1-161 when the opponent was healthy :snicker

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Poor Wawrinka. Right now, if he wants to win the tournament, he must go through Nadal, Federer and most likely Djokovic. What's his combined H2H against them? 8-154?

In 2007 (or is it 8) Canada Masters Novak beat the then #3, #2 and #1 seeds in a row to
win the tourney (they were Roddick, Rafa and Roger).

 

[Fiero425]

Poor Wawrinka. Right now, if he wants to win the tournament, he must go through Nadal, Federer and most likely Djokovic. What's his combined H2H against them? 8-154?

In 2007 (or is it 8) Canada Masters Novak beat the then #3, #2 and #1 seeds in a row to
win the tourney (they were Roddick, Rafa and Roger).

I heard them mention that stat yesterday on TV; had to be "YEARS" ago with Roddick's name being invoked in such illustrious company! :cover :nono :angel: :dodgy:

 

[Kieran]

What time's Rafa on at? I thought he should be on by now?

EDIT: Oh, I see. The bloody wimmin are still littering the place... :cover

 

[Denis]

Poor Wawrinka. Right now, if he wants to win the tournament, he must go through Nadal, Federer and most likely Djokovic. What's his combined H2H against them? 8-154?

Wawrinka has made it to the final before here. But yeah, the road ends here tonight. I'll gladly support him through it, as this is the first match I can actually see this week. If Nadal loses tonight, I don't see him winning RG.