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Simi

Tennis

By Simi, in General Football and Sport

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  • 3 months later...
leicsmac

leicsmac

Posted
Posted

Grand Slam time again folks - this time on the red dirt of Paris. Expect rowdy fans, endless baseline rallies and another Nadal - Djokovic final.

Murray plays Tatsuma Ito of Japan later today in the first round - has a decent draw but he's carrying a back injury (apparently). Got a tough potential quarter final against world no.6 Ferrer who is very handy on clay. Also some potential banana skins earlier on too.

Federer and Djokovic both won their respective 1st rounders yesterday, and Nadal is playing his later today. Federer could potentially play either Del Potro or Berdych in the QF which could be tasty. Djokovic has claycourt specialist Verdasco and home favourite Tsonga in his quarter. Nadal...well, Nadal isn't going to face anyone who can trouble him on this surface until the semifinal, most likely.

Should be a good six weeks coming up - French Open, Queens and Wimbledon!

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Simo86

Simo86

Posted
Posted

Grand Slam time again folks - this time on the red dirt of Paris. Expect rowdy fans, endless baseline rallies and another Nadal - Djokovic final.

Murray plays Tatsuma Ito of Japan later today in the first round - has a decent draw but he's carrying a back injury (apparently). Got a tough potential quarter final against world no.6 Ferrer who is very handy on clay. Also some potential banana skins earlier on too.

Federer and Djokovic both won their respective 1st rounders yesterday, and Nadal is playing his later today. Federer could potentially play either Del Potro or Berdych in the QF which could be tasty. Djokovic has claycourt specialist Verdasco and home favourite Tsonga in his quarter. Nadal...well, Nadal isn't going to face anyone who can trouble him on this surface until the semifinal, most likely.

Should be a good six weeks coming up - French Open, Queens and Wimbledon!

I've backed Djokovic and Serena Williams to win the Mens and Ladies tournaments respectively.

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Father Ted

Father Ted

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I watched Djokovic yesterday and he seems quite weak on clay this season, he seems a bit off the pace... But Starace isn't too bad and was making him work. Djokovic will need to up his game massively if he wants to have a chance of beating Nadal. It's still a possibility though and don't forget that Djokovic beat Nadal last year twice on clay but lost to him at Roland Garros - wouldn't it be nice if the opposite happened this year! :fc:

Also, I am seriously fed up of the commentators who mention Murray in the 'top 4', he is nowhere near good enough to be mentioned in the same breath as Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. Another quarter-final exit beckons.

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leicsmac

leicsmac

Posted
Posted (edited)

I watched Djokovic yesterday and he seems quite weak on clay this season, he seems a bit off the pace... But Starace isn't too bad and was making him work. Djokovic will need to up his game massively if he wants to have a chance of beating Nadal. It's still a possibility though and don't forget that Djokovic beat Nadal last year twice on clay but lost to him at Roland Garros - wouldn't it be nice if the opposite happened this year! :fc:

Also, I am seriously fed up of the commentators who mention Murray in the 'top 4', he is nowhere near good enough to be mentioned in the same breath as Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. Another quarter-final exit beckons.

Quarter to Ferrer or semi to Nadal, I reckon. That's depending one whether the knock he's carrying makes it even more difficult for him

As for the perennial 'top 4' question...here's my take.

Djokovic

Nadal

Federer

DECENT SIZE GAP

Murray

MASSIVE MASSIVE MAHOOOOOOOSSIIIIIVVVEEEE GAP

Everyone else.

Statistically Murray is quite a bit behind the top 3, and way ahead of everyone else. In terms of head-to-heads, the gap between Murray and the top 3 is a little bit closer, and he's further away from everyone else. I saw enough in the Aus Open SF against Djokovic to suggest in one-off encounters the gap might be closing, but whether that's just a flash in the pan remains to be seen.

PS. Know you were being laconic but 'Quarter final exit' is a wee bit disingenuous - when was the last time Murray actually lost in the QF of a Slam?

Edited by leicsmac
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Father Ted

Father Ted

Posted
Posted (edited)

Quarter to Ferrer or semi to Nadal, I reckon. That's depending one whether the knock he's carrying makes it even more difficult for him

As for the perennial 'top 4' question...here's my take.

Djokovic

Nadal

Federer

DECENT SIZE GAP

Murray

MASSIVE MASSIVE MAHOOOOOOOSSIIIIIVVVEEEE GAP

Everyone else.

Statistically Murray is quite a bit behind the top 3, and way ahead of everyone else. In terms of head-to-heads, the gap between Murray and the top 3 is a little bit closer, and he's further away from everyone else. I saw enough in the Aus Open SF against Djokovic to suggest in one-off encounters the gap might be closing, but whether that's just a flash in the pan remains to be seen.

PS. Know you were being laconic but 'Quarter final exit' is a wee bit disingenuous - when was the last time Murray actually lost in the QF of a Slam?

Murray has lost in his last two clay tournaments in the Quarters I believe, he's simply not good enough on clay. If it wasn't for his hard court form he would be struggling to make it into the Top 10 imo. Djokovic, Nadal and Federer are all more rounded and proven players.

EDIT: Last year was the first time that Murray made the semis at Roland Garros. The last time he was knocked out before the semis was at the US Open in 2010.

Edited by Father Ted
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leicsmac

leicsmac

Posted
Posted (edited)

Murray has lost in his last two clay tournaments in the Quarters I believe, he's simply not good enough on clay. If it wasn't for his hard court form he would be struggling to make it into the Top 10 imo. Djokovic, Nadal and Federer are all more rounded and proven players.

I did say in the Quarters of a Slam :P Slams are a different beast, even for Murray, dontcha know. ;)

And incidentally that last time was here in 2010 to Berdych.

Agree with you about him being weak on clay though, Berdych, Ferrer and possibly Del P I'd all put as favourites against him in a match here. It's never been his strongest surface, and I don't think he'll ever get to a standard to challenge the top 3 on it. Grass and the US hardcourts are where it's at for Murray. This is just going to be him trying to make a SF and defend his ranking points.

Edited by leicsmac
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Haydos

Haydos

Posted
Posted

Murray has lost in his last two clay tournaments in the Quarters I believe, he's simply not good enough on clay. If it wasn't for his hard court form he would be struggling to make it into the Top 10 imo. Djokovic, Nadal and Federer are all more rounded and proven players.

EDIT: Last year was the first time that Murray made the semis at Roland Garros. The last time he was knocked out before the semis was at the US Open in 2010.

That comes across as quite childish. It's like saying if it wasn't for Nadal's forehand he wouldn't be No. 1 imo. Obviously the top 3 are more rounded and proven, hence why they're top 3 and not No. 4 like him. He's still better than the rest of the top 10 and that's completely justified.

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