The Early French Open Thread

[Fiero425]

Not a Nadal fan by any means, but a lot of you are righting him off awfully fast. I agree that he is showing signs of going down, but this is Nadal. The man has won the French Open NINE out of the last TEN YEARS. He just made it to a final of a Masters and got beaten by a happy newly wed who has suddenly found some confidence on clay. I think it would be unwise to write off Nadal until the last point is played and he is sent packing. If he loses before the fourth round, then the fat lady needs to start warming up though. IMO, Nadal is the fourth favorite behind Djokovic, Murray, and Nishikori. If he gets a good draw, we could see him in the final.

He has a good draw; his pigeons are in his half including Roger, Stan, and Tomas! :angel: :dodgy:

 

[Kirijax]

Not a Nadal fan by any means, but a lot of you are righting him off awfully fast. I agree that he is showing signs of going down, but this is Nadal. The man has won the French Open NINE out of the last TEN YEARS. He just made it to a final of a Masters and got beaten by a happy newly wed who has suddenly found some confidence on clay. I think it would be unwise to write off Nadal until the last point is played and he is sent packing. If he loses before the fourth round, then the fat lady needs to start warming up though. IMO, Nadal is the fourth favorite behind Djokovic, Murray, and Nishikori. If he gets a good draw, we could see him in the final.

He has a good draw; his pigeons are in his half including Roger, Stan, and Tomas! :angel: :dodgy:

That's for Rome. I was talking about the French.

 

[Moxie]

that's not relevant, last 6 years?..wut?, rafa has been poor for nearly a year..a prolonged period of feebleness.

hope he sharpens up at least and puts up some decent performances.

Not relevant? wut? Rafa may look a bit beleaguered, but he has before. And still won at the French. I hope he sharpens up, too. If he does, everyone but Djokovic is screwed. And even then....

he hasn't before looked this poor for this long though.

Since he was a teenager. I agree it's an uphill climb. But he's a big fighter, and RG is his house. Admit it, though...no one would bet their house against him, even looking squibbly. He's been down before. Lazarus and wut not. Eh?

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

Not relevant? wut? Rafa may look a bit beleaguered, but he has before. And still won at the French. I hope he sharpens up, too. If he does, everyone but Djokovic is screwed. And even then....

he hasn't before looked this poor for this long though.

Since he was a teenager. I agree it's an uphill climb. But he's a big fighter, and RG is his house. Admit it, though...no one would bet their house against him, even looking squibbly. He's been down before. Lazarus and wut not. Eh?

Lazarus and Dracula will rise up from the aching wailing grave and contest the French open final.

bagpuss will be the ump.

 

[Moxie]

he hasn't before looked this poor for this long though.

Since he was a teenager. I agree it's an uphill climb. But he's a big fighter, and RG is his house. Admit it, though...no one would bet their house against him, even looking squibbly. He's been down before. Lazarus and wut not. Eh?

Lazarus and Dracula will rise up from the aching wailing grave and contest the French open final.

bagpuss will be the ump.

Now you're talkin'! I'd nominate Dante as the ump. But it'll probably be Pascal Maria.

 

[sid]

Rafa @ 11/4 is a good price,this won't stay the same.

 

[Front242]

Better off betting on him to lose at Queens or Wimbledon imo. Dustin Brown made me a mint when he took him out at Halle last year.

 

[Denis]

Better off betting on him to lose at Queens or Wimbledon imo. Dustin Brown made me a mint when he took him out at Halle last year.

Bet the odds will not be as good this year.

 

[Front242]

Depends who he plays. I'd back any number of big servers to take him out in the early rounds. Queens will be a bit easier for him than Halle as Halle is much faster and hence why I saw no chance he'd beat Brown there. Guy has a killer serve for grass when he's playing well. The bookies always get things well wrong for grass season. Was the same when Henman was near retirement. Bookies had him 1/8 or 1/10 favourite based on previous semis at Wimbledon but I kept whacking €500 on his opponents at 11/4, 7/4 or 9/4 and he lost every time.

 

[Fiero425]

Depends who he plays. I'd back any number of big servers to take him out in the early rounds. Queens will be a bit easier for him than Halle as Halle is much faster and hence why I saw no chance he'd beat Brown there. Guy has a killer serve for grass when he's playing well. The bookies always get things well wrong for grass season. Was the same when Henman was near retirement. Bookies had him 1/8 or 1/10 favourite based on previous semis at Wimbledon but I kept whacking €500 on his opponents at 11/4, 7/4 or 9/4 and he lost every time.

The earliest memory I have of someone being rewarded for past performances in a major is of Roscoe Tanner! He was barely in the top 10 at time of '77 Wimbledon, but with 2 previous SF appearances including an upset of Jimmy Connors he was elevated to #4! He was promptly upset in the 1st round by John Lloyd; Evert's 1st husband! I can still see the highlights in my head; that's all we got of tennis on the news back then! :angel: :dodgy:

 

[Moxie]

Not a Nadal fan by any means, but a lot of you are writing him off awfully fast. I agree that he is showing signs of going down, but this is Nadal. The man has won the French Open NINE out of the last TEN YEARS. He just made it to a final of a Masters and got beaten by a happy newly wed who has suddenly found some confidence on clay. I think it would be unwise to write off Nadal until the last point is played and he is sent packing. If he loses before the fourth round, then the fat lady needs to start warming up though. IMO, Nadal is the fourth favorite behind Djokovic, Murray, and Nishikori. If he gets a good draw, we could see him in the final.

Fourth favorite behind Murray and Nishikori? And after everything you said previous to that remark?

 

[DarthFed]

I don't care if Rafa loses 6-0, 6-0 in his first match here, he'd still be a clear #2 favorite at RG. Murray had a great couple of weeks on clay but I don't see that as enough to make him the 2nd or even 3rd favorite at RG. Seriously can you picture Murray beating Nadal in the semi or final of RG this year? I can't. Even a Federer-Murray semi I'd favor Roger in.

 

[Kirijax]

Not a Nadal fan by any means, but a lot of you are writing him off awfully fast. I agree that he is showing signs of going down, but this is Nadal. The man has won the French Open NINE out of the last TEN YEARS. He just made it to a final of a Masters and got beaten by a happy newly wed who has suddenly found some confidence on clay. I think it would be unwise to write off Nadal until the last point is played and he is sent packing. If he loses before the fourth round, then the fat lady needs to start warming up though. IMO, Nadal is the fourth favorite behind Djokovic, Murray, and Nishikori. If he gets a good draw, we could see him in the final.

Fourth favorite behind Murray and Nishikori? And after everything you said previous to that remark?

I'm torn! Nadal should be higher, he's the defending champion! But those shanks/tips/whatever in the Madrid final... But this is Roland Garros, his stomping grounds! But then he hasn't won a big title since last year... But this is the GOAT clay courter! But then... Ask me again tomorrow. he may be second, he may be 7th. :cover

 

[Moxie]

I don't care if Rafa loses 6-0, 6-0 in his first match here, he'd still be a clear #2 favorite at RG. Murray had a great couple of weeks on clay but I don't see that as enough to make him the 2nd or even 3rd favorite at RG. Seriously can you picture Murray beating Nadal in the semi or final of RG this year? I can't. Even a Federer-Murray semi I'd favor Roger in.

Knowing you're persuasion, Darth, that's a strong statement. And I agree. Everyone gloms onto a new toy, but a Slam is a different animal. And Roland Garros is no place for the feint of heart.

 

[Kirijax]

I don't care if Rafa loses 6-0, 6-0 in his first match here, he'd still be a clear #2 favorite at RG. Murray had a great couple of weeks on clay but I don't see that as enough to make him the 2nd or even 3rd favorite at RG. Seriously can you picture Murray beating Nadal in the semi or final of RG this year? I can't. Even a Federer-Murray semi I'd favor Roger in.

Knowing you're persuasion, Darth, that's a strong statement. And I agree. Everyone gloms onto a new toy, but a Slam is a different animal. And Roland Garros is no place for the feint of heart.

True. If there is one thing Nadal is not, it is feint (faint?) of heart.

 

[Moxie]

I don't care if Rafa loses 6-0, 6-0 in his first match here, he'd still be a clear #2 favorite at RG. Murray had a great couple of weeks on clay but I don't see that as enough to make him the 2nd or even 3rd favorite at RG. Seriously can you picture Murray beating Nadal in the semi or final of RG this year? I can't. Even a Federer-Murray semi I'd favor Roger in.

Knowing you're persuasion, Darth, that's a strong statement. And I agree. Everyone gloms onto a new toy, but a Slam is a different animal. And Roland Garros is no place for the feint of heart.

True. If there is one thing Nadal is not, it is feint (faint?) of heart.

Maybe a Freudian slip on my part? I was thinking of the feint of a bullfighter's cape...the feint of a veronica. Nadal has slipped past all comers (esp. Djokovic) in the last couple of French Opens. Perhaps he will flourish the cape that hides the dagger again this year. I hope so.

 

[lacatch]

Knowing you're persuasion, Darth, that's a strong statement. And I agree. Everyone gloms onto a new toy, but a Slam is a different animal. And Roland Garros is no place for the feint of heart.

True. If there is one thing Nadal is not, it is feint (faint?) of heart.

Maybe a Freudian slip on my part? I was thinking of the feint of a bullfighter's cape...the feint of a veronica. Nadal has slipped past all comers (esp. Djokovic) in the last couple of French Opens. Perhaps he will flourish the cape that hides the dagger again this year. I hope so.

Poor Moxie---setting yourself up for great disappointment :cry. I don't care that he's won it 9 times--it ain't happening this year for a player whose ball hits the dirt before the net, or who double frames a shot--hard to do----both at these year's Madrid final. We've been hearing that Rafa
s Monte Carlo performance showed great potential--then Barcelona early exit--then Madrid fiasco in the final. We all can be guilty of believing the past is a great predictor of the future--until it isn't.

 

[Moxie]

True. If there is one thing Nadal is not, it is feint (faint?) of heart.

Maybe a Freudian slip on my part? I was thinking of the feint of a bullfighter's cape...the feint of a veronica. Nadal has slipped past all comers (esp. Djokovic) in the last couple of French Opens. Perhaps he will flourish the cape that hides the dagger again this year. I hope so.

Poor Moxie---setting yourself up for great disappointment :cry. I don't care that he's won it 9 times--it ain't happening this year for a player whose ball hits the dirt before the net, or who double frames a shot--hard to do----both at these year's Madrid final. We've been hearing that Rafa
s Monte Carlo performance showed great potential--then Barcelona early exit--then Madrid fiasco in the final. We all can be guilty of believing the past is a great predictor of the future--until it isn't.

Don't feel sorry for me. I'm a fan of the guy who has won the French Open 9 times, and has 14 Majors. I'm not setting myself up for anything. But I think I'm allowed to have faith in a great champion. What else should his fans do...go belly-up and concede before RG? You're welcome to be convinced what you think will happen, and I'm within my rights to hope for what I think might again. You're right, though...the past is a great predictor of the future, until it isn't. Que será será. But whatever happens, I don't think Rafa is done. I'll see you in June!

 

[brokenshoelace]

So many déjà vus from last year. Hopefully it continues, and includes tournament results

 

[Front242]

Nah, I definitely don't see Cilic winning the US Open again.