Paris Olympics Tennis

[stotty]

I thought Novak was awesome today. To withstand what was thrown at him in that first set yet come through and win it was quite something. Carlos isn't that far off Roger in many respects. In fact he has spells where he is even more unplayable than Roger was. He has more power and an even better drop shot in the sense that it's more destructive and game-changing.

Novak knew he couldn't let up for a moment today. Any balls he hit even slightly short Carlos dispatched. That massive forehand he hit in the 2nd set tiebreak was pivotal and gave Carlos a taste of his own medicine. He didn't expect Novak to be so aggressive in a handful of those clutch situations. In the end it was Carlos that buckled under the strain.

Not a single pundit predicted Novak would win that match, and after their match at SW19 three weeks ago you can understand why. Novak went out to play the best he possibly could today. In the end he won't it by playing two lock down tiebreaks and a massive genius forehand.

[jeffreycounts]

I thought Novak was awesome today. To withstand what was thrown at him in that first set yet come through and win it was quite something. Carlos isn't that far off Roger in many respects. In fact he has spells where he is even more unplayable than Roger was. He has more power and an even better drop shot in the sense that it's more destructive and game-changing.

Novak knew he couldn't let up for a moment today. Any balls he hit even slightly short Carlos dispatched. That massive forehand he hit in the 2nd set tiebreak was pivotal and gave Carlos a taste of his own medicine. He didn't expect Novak to be so aggressive in a handful of those clutch situations. In the end it was Carlos that buckled under the strain.

Not a single pundit predicted Novak would win that match, and after their match at SW19 three weeks ago you can understand why. Novak went out to play the best he possibly could today. In the end he won't it by playing two lock down tiebreaks and a massive genius forehand.

I couldn't agree more. I thought Novak's chances were close to, if not actually, zero today. He hasn't won anything all year. He recently had knee surgery and his knee is all taped up. And the last important match with Carlos (Wimbledon finals) he couldn't get a set off him. I'm stunned that he won today. Stunned.

Having said that, he was absolutely brilliant today for all the reasons you mentioned. And yes that forehand in the 2nd set tiebreaker was unbelievable. Novak just took his legacy to another level today.

[jimlosaltos]

Alcaraz says tension of Olympics kept him from playing his best.

Alcaraz, 21, said he had not felt that type of pressure in the four Grand Slam finals that he played -- and won -- so far in his career.
"It was a different type of pressure," Alcaraz said. "Everyone in Spain wanted me to win the gold, and I wanted to win the gold as well."

He said the extra pressure cost him especially in the decisive moments of the game.

"In those difficult moments I usually raise my level, but I wasn't able to do that today," Alcaraz said. "Probably I felt the pressure in those situations. You play four Grand Slams every year, the Olympics is only once every four years."

He said there was still reason for him to be proud after "knowing that I gave everything."

https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/40725788/carlos-alcaraz-says-pressure-got-loss-novak-djokovic

[stotty]

I couldn't agree more. I thought Novak's chances were close to, if not actually, zero today. He hasn't won anything all year. He recently had knee surgery and his knee is all taped up. And the last important match with Carlos (Wimbledon finals) he couldn't get a set off him. I'm stunned that he won today. Stunned.

Having said that, he was absolutely brilliant today for all the reasons you mentioned. And yes that forehand in the 2nd set tiebreaker was unbelievable. Novak just took his legacy to another level today.

A subtle tactic that stood out at times was Novak hitting behind Carlos in the backhand corner, trying to catch him as he recovered to the middle. It's always a good ploy to wrong foot a fast player and it unbalanced Carlos here and there. With small margins these things count.

[jeffreycounts]

A subtle tactic that stood out at times was Novak hitting behind Carlos in the backhand corner, trying to catch him as he recovered to the middle. It's always a good ploy to wrong foot a fast player and it unbalanced Carlos here and there. With small margins these things count.

Good observation. Novak is one of the very best at moving the ball around like that. And yeah, when the score is 7-6, 7-6 you're talking very slim margins.