2012 French Open Championships...Paris, France

[stotty]

But I really wonder about Roger and Björn and Ivan and Jimmy and Johnny and Richard Gonzales. It was not that long ago...historically speaking.

In what sense?

[don_budge]

The Finals of the 2012 French Open

Once again...predictability breeds boredom. Most of the time. In this case it may be the most exciting thing to happen in what otherwise has been a rather ho hum event. Except for a brief flare up in the quarters the drama at the French Open has been lacking. The little bit of charisma that was present left the stadium yesterday.

It's too bad that the Djokovic vs. Federer semi final clash could not live up to its build up. Both players had survived scares in their previous rounds but survived. I hoped that both would sort of peak for some sort of titanic struggle but it was not to be. Djokovic is a little too strong and a little too quick for a Federer who is in the twilight of his career...and refuses to change equipment and perhaps lost half a step in the process. Federer came out flat for this match...he couldn't muster the energy that the occasion demanded.

I was always told that the two most important pieces of equipment of a tennis player was his racquet and his shoes. I remember watching some old clips of Richard Gonzales putting on some pair of flimsy canvas sneakers (remember Olof's, bottle?) after taping up his battered toes. I will forever remember Roger Federer playing out the last years of his career with yesterdays technology in his racquet. For the life of me I cannot figure out why he doesn't change to another racquet. To begin with his racquet is more than ten percent smaller than either Djokovic's, Nadal's or Murray's. Do you have any idea what ten percent more hitting surface means to a professional tennis player? It changes everything and it showed yesterday afternoon in gay Paris as Federer repeatedly mishit balls that didn't seem to be so difficult to hit. In a game like modern tennis where it is being played at a zillion miles per hour...practically at the speed of light compared to classic tennis, every little bit counts and ten percent hitting surface is too much for an "aging" champion tennis player to give away to his younger rivals.

It's strange why he would hang on to his obsolete equipment. Old champions are like that somehow. Ivan Lendl was playing with smaller racquets than what his rivals used for most of his career. Jimmy Connors was one of the last to switch to oversize or midsize as was John McEnroe. Björn Borg never did make the switch and instead chose to disappear into the woodwork. He probably would of had at least a couple of more French titles in his collection of trophies had he made the "prudent" decision to switch. I myself...good old don_budge was the very last to switch from the old wood and gut apparatus...my excuse was my love for the game. I did it for passion's sake. Silly me. Even now I play golf with Mizuno mp33 blades and all of my golf buddies constantly are on me about my dinosaurs...my golf clubs.

Federer is the last thing that we have that resembles a classic tennis player and he still clings to his dinosaur...his Wilson Excalibur. It's a shame really that someone close to him cannot get him to change. It may of cost him a couple of majors. Maybe zillions of dollars to boot. Certainly some of his close calls may of been turned around if the equipment factor was equal. Here I go again...I think that the area of a tennis racquet in the hands of a professional tennis player should be limited to 80 square inches. Let's take the equipment argument out of play...even though nobody seems to notice it but me. There was nothing more fair than two guys going at each other with a couple of wood sticks in their hands. So much for equipment.

You know...it is an interesting phenomena the tennis equipment. Nowadays...if you talk about this kind of stuff people think you are obsolete and some kind of old crackpot. It is sort of like talking to young people about an age of man where electronic gizmos didn't rule their lives. They look at you and wonder how could anyone exist in such a boring world. Everyone is so convinced that somehow these things make life better but I am not so sure. These things certainly make things faster...just like modern tennis equipment. Is faster necessarily better? Does everyone seem to be so much happier? Are we content with our game...with our life? True some things become a bit more convenient but on the other hand mankind survived without it for how many years? Do we truly understand what effect this technology will have on the race in the future? Tennis is a nice little microcosm here. A metaphor for life...while some laud the changes in the game, those who know better realize that something of significance was lost. Traditionally speaking that is. Things are happening very quickly as I see it...from my vantage point out here in the woods. Yesterday I witnessed a proud doe taking her new little fawn on a walk through our fields into the woods. As wonder will have it my wife just called me to the window to see the two of them again...out in our fields. Nobody was there to catch it on their Ipod...therefore did it really happen? Not much changes in the woods. Don't the critters get bored? Oh well...I will give it a rest for now. Suffice it to say that I still "love" tennis even though I feel she has betrayed me. Just a little, little bit.

But I really wonder about Roger and Björn and Ivan and Jimmy and Johnny and Richard Gonzales. It was not that long ago...historically speaking.

Djokovic vs. Nadal? I like Djokovic...just a little bit better than I don't like Nadal. That is not to say that Nadal does not look to be invincible. He has chewed up the field and spit them out with disdain...even though he keeps apologizing out of one side of his mouth to his Spanish and Latin buddies. He relishes a good old fashioned knockout just like any other good heavyweight would. This should be a donnybrook...with no love lost.

Here's one for the "old geezers" out there. The over 45 legends doubles semi final to be played today is Mats Wilander and Mikael Pernfors against the McEnroe brothers. Very cool. I will take the McEnroe's in this one but if the Swedes win that will be alright too.

[tennis_chiro]

Obviously, Nadal hasn't been tested.

Nadal played the best ever in his Ferrer semi...amazing tennis...missed so little. His forehand was out of this world.

Federer still seems to play well against anyone other than Nadal/Djokovic. He is starting to look a weaker player against those two, and looking like a spent force as regards winning another slam. He will need good fortune and a following wind to win another slam.

Is it me or is his forehand not the shot it was?

I wouldn't bet against Nadal winning but if anyone has a chance it's Djokovic. If Djokovic can get off to a good start it may jog Nadal's memory over events that happened in 2011...maybe unnerve him. It's psychologically critical Djokovic gets of to a flyer...to bring back those memories.

Your thoughts, don_budge and tennis_chiro...anyone else?

I only saw a little, but Rafa did look awful good. I still think Djoker has a good chance because nobody has really tested him. By that I mean there are only a few players that hit the ball deep enough and consistently enough to push Nadal back. That's what Soderling did. The only guys that hit that well are Djoker, Roger, Murray, Tsonga, Del Potro and Berdych and Djokovic is really the only one that is steady enough and complete enough to deal with the barrage Rafa is putting out right now. Maybe Murray if he has a good day, but I don't think he's demonstrated that he could do that on the big stage for 5 sets yet. Academic right now anyway.

But I do think when Rafa plays Nole, it will look different than all the matches he's been playing this year at RG. But if Nole can't get the backhand down the line to work like it used to (it hasn't been that good lately), it won't be enough for him either.

don

[stotty]

Nadal v Djokovic

Nadal played the best ever in his Ferrer semi...amazing tennis...missed so little. His forehand was out of this world.

Federer still seems to play well against anyone other than Nadal/Djokovic. He is starting to look a weaker player against those two, and looking like a spent force as regards winning another slam. He will need good fortune and a following wind to win another slam.

Is it me or is his forehand not the shot it was?

I wouldn't bet against Nadal winning but if anyone has a chance it's Djokovic. If Djokovic can get off to a good start it may jog Nadal's memory over events that happened in 2011...maybe unnerve him. It's psychologically critical Djokovic gets of to a flyer...to bring back those memories.

Your thoughts, don_budge and tennis_chiro...anyone else?

[don_budge]

Predictably Disappointing...

I had a full day and missed Murray/Ferrer. What happened don_budge/tennis_chiro??? I saw only two games. Murray was 3-1 down in the 3rd and played scintillating tennis to level things at 3-3. It looked like Murray was really motoring....

Nadal/Ferrer is going to be a grind out...not my type of game...Murray/Nadal would have been more interesting.

Sorry to say Stotty...in a word you would have to say the performance of Andy Murray was extremely disappointing. Extremely. He simply did not rise to the occasion at all. He lacks passion...for the game. He has demonstrated this lack of a key ingredient in the makeup of a champion many times in the past and I certainly wonder how those that are "fans" of his are able to get hopeful for him. He is predictably disappointing and keeping in mind that predictability is the killer of passion it is a wonder that he has any fans. He is kind of a sad character. I wonder what Ivan Lendl is thinking about his charge now. He has probably seen enough to realize this, seeing as he was such a great champion himself.

Very disappointing. He never really looked like he was in the match. Not really. Of course he won his share of points but they were never the important ones. Too often he got behind on his service game and allowed Ferrer to whittle away at him...in fact that is what David Ferrer did to him. He whittled away at him until he reduced him to a mere stick which broke under the pressure of a big event...again. Murray was missing shots that I thought that perhaps even I could make. He was not missing because of the pressure from his opponent but he just was not mentally prepared for the occasion. This is not to take anything away from Ferrer because as usual he was prepared and it showed.

So there we have it. Federer vs. Djokovic in the top half and Nadal vs. Ferrer in the bottom. Any questions? Of course there are...but they are being narrowed down to one. Who will play Nadal in the final?

[tennis_chiro]

couldn't hold it

I had a full day and missed Murray/Ferrer. What happened don_budge/tennis_chiro??? I saw only two games. Murray was 3-1 down in the 3rd and played scintillating tennis to level things at 3-3. It looked like Murray was really motoring....

Nadal/Ferrer is going to be a grind out...not my type of game...Murray/Nadal would have been more interesting.

I also only saw bits and pieces, but through the whole match. It seemed Murray could raise his game to get a break back, but he couldn't hold the level and he would soon lose another break. He always seemed to be just holding on and never for long enough. On the other hand, Ferrer was absolutely relentless. It was not a good day for Murray: niggling back injury, heavy conditions slowing the ball down and blunting his attack. He had to play well,if not his best, to beat Ferrer and Ferrer never gave him a chance to get comfortable in any way. The forehand was not a good servant to Murray today and he needed that little extra shoulder turn we've talked about him not getting, especially with the heavy conditions.

But semis should be pretty exciting. Will Rafa continue his dominance against players who hit deeper? That really means Roger or Nole and although Ferrer should present more of a test than Almagro, it is a test Rafa has passed so easily so many times before. At least the last four all appear to be healthy and Roger and Nole got an extra day after their 5 set matches on Tuesday.

don

[stotty]

Murray

I had a full day and missed Murray/Ferrer. What happened don_budge/tennis_chiro??? I saw only two games. Murray was 3-1 down in the 3rd and played scintillating tennis to level things at 3-3. It looked like Murray was really motoring....

Nadal/Ferrer is going to be a grind out...not my type of game...Murray/Nadal would have been more interesting.

[don_budge]

Suddenly...a fire ignited!

Two scintillating matches. You could almost feel that something had to give. It seemed like a vacuum for the lack of drama then suddenly two (I should say four) characters emerge from the slumber to put on a show of their own.

Djokovic saves four match points against Tsonga to go on to face Federer who did his own little high wire balancing explosive act against Del Potro after being down two sets to zero. Federer screaming at the French crowd to shut up...good one Roger. This half of the draw goes from snoozer to a highly anticipated electric semi final showdown...a repeat performance from last years best match of the tournament. This is what makes tennis the greatest sport in the world...there you have it.

With regards to Tsonga failing to convert four opportunities to win such a big match. That sort of goes back to a comment that tennis_chiro made about playing smart. Surely at such an epic moment of an epic match a great player keeps his head about him to convert one of those opportunities. Instead you saw a great player keeping his head about him to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat. That is the difference between Djokovic, Nadal and Federer at this point from the rest...it is largely a mental factor.

Federer continues to show what has enabled him to dominate the game in the manner he has for much of the past decade. Ever since his defeats at the hands of Del Potro and Djokovic at the successive US Open's he has used those defeats to further stoke that inner fire. It takes a lot of balls to come back from such crushing losses. Even though Roger may be sort of physically running out of gas...at this point in his career and at his age his skills have started to erode, he continues to win because of his mental toughness and his emotional resolve. Despite his outwardly cool exterior...inwards there is some fire raging. He showed some emotion out there against Del Potro and I for one loved it. So it is sort of interesting isn't it? The mental and emotional resolve of the steeled veteran vs. the youth and energy of the current crop. This is the most compelling moment of the tournament so far.

I just hope that the semi final match up of Djokovic and Federer can live up to the setting now. If it does this will be the match of the tournament again. It could be one of the biggest matches of the modern tennis era. I hesitate to say this because I think that comments like this are way overused these days. This may be too much to hope for. The drama is unbelievable if you consider their match at the US Open last year. Their can't be any love lost between these two at this point. I don't think they will be pulling any punches. Do you?

We shall see what the bottom half of the draw produces. Can they match the top in terms of drama? Murray must win in order for them to do it. It may be time for Murray to step up to the plate...it would be perfect timing for him to do so. What with the Olympics being in London this year and all. He is the underdog in the bottom half of the draw...which makes him my favorite over the Spanish Stallion. Sentimentally speaking of course. You would have to be nuts to bet against Nadal at this point. Anybody?

[stotty]

Poor Tsonga

I can just hear Stotty now though...saying that 2 and 1/2 men compares favorably to Wild, Wild West, Bonanza, Green Acres, Bewitched, Lost in Space, Star Trek, Twilight Zone and the rest of the lot. Where is the charisma?

Yes, 2 and 1/2 men compares very favourably to that lot...perhaps not Star Trek, which is in a league of its own.

Well, even an on song Tsonga couldn't put a spanner in the works. The boy couldn't have played better...so unlucky...had a great chance on one of the four match points to stick his big forehand down the line...he netted it...it just wasn't to be, was it? Djokovic was awesome on the other three match points...nothing Tsonga could do about it. It was a great game...fourth set was awesome...good as anything you'll see, past or present.

I saw very little of the Federer/Potro game but it seemed Del boy was starting to struggle in the latter stages...looked hampered.

Murray/Ferrer looks like the only possible upset. My money is on Murray but it may prove a taxing win physically, as tennis chiro has already pointed out.

[don_budge]

ho humm...into the quarters

Maybe it's me but I can not remember a Grand Slam tournament that has ever been so boring. I think that my wife is right...don't tell her that I said that, but it may very well be the lack of charismatic players that explains this. The game by its nature of the back and forth rallying is hypnotic and a sleep inducer but this is unprecedented. At any rate, surely this cannot continue into the quarterfinals.

Predictability is the killer of passion. Here we have it again. The Big Four...Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Murray. Same old, same old. It doesn't matter what the surface is anymore it is the same result. The engineering of the game has brought us to this...the surfaces, the equipment and even the balls. This is exciting?

OK...it is what it is. It's Djokovic vs. Tsonga and it's Federer vs. Del Potro in the top half. It's Murray vs. Ferrer and Nadal vs. Almagro in the bottom. Anybody smell an upset here? Not me. For all of you that love tennis played from the backcourt the good news is there won't be much for all court play. Even Federer swings at high volleys these days. Ed Atkinson had it right...the only difference in the mens game from the ladies game...is the clothes.

The most exciting thing that has happened during this tournament was that I got an email from tennis_chiro at the crack of dawn here in sunny Sweden this morning. What great fun to get an email from a great guy who really knows his tennis and his '60s sitcoms from the other side of the planet to start the day. Thanks Don! I have often thought of that angle as well. The decline of the weekly television shows as compared with todays paltry offerings. I can just hear Stotty now though...saying that 2 and 1/2 men compares favorably to Wild, Wild West, Bonanza, Green Acres, Bewitched, Lost in Space, Star Trek, Twilight Zone and the rest of the lot. Where is the charisma?

[stotty]

Nadal

Nadal looks awesome. Not only is he set to beat surpass Borg's record of six titles, he could break Borg's record of winning the title by dropping fewer than 32 games.

Borg won the title in 1978 conceding just 32 games along the way. In 1980 he conceded only 38 games. Nadal has dropped just 19 games in the tournament so far. Surely Nadal cannot break Borg's record in the fast-paced tennis of today...or can he?

Borg won two titles (1978 and 1980) conceding just 70 games in 14 rounds! That's an average of just 5 games a match. Agreed, the game was more about attrition and patience back then, but it is still an amazing record.

I am sure the new revved up Nadal will keep it up throughout the tournament and against the very top opposition. The other top three are definitely stuttering though...

But don't underestimate Murray, tennis_chiro. That boy has the game to beat the whole lot...trust me, I've been watching him play since he was a diddly dot.. Murray's backhand can soak up anything Nadal can throw at it. Ferrer will be a hell of a test though...Murray can do it...he really, really can.

[tennis_chiro]

Crypts, vampires and werewolves!!

Like.

Thanks, Bottle. It might have been more appropriate for Djokovic if you saw my article where I chose the vampire, Djokovic, over the werewolf, Nadal, in the Aussie final, but he doesn't seem to have left anything of value in the dark places; on the contrary, Nole is bringing all his good stuff out just in time.

http://www.10sballs.com/2012/01/28/the-last-man-standing-novak-djokovic-or-rafael-nadal/

don

[bottle]

"the crypt of lost strokes"

Like.

[tennis_chiro]

Doesn't count yet!

Don_Budge is right about the big forehands. It's all about forehands in today's tennis.

Eduardo Schwank did create a few problems for Nadal, too. The first four or five games were amazing...

...

I'm getting worried about Djokovic who seems to be stuttering. Djokovic is the only conceivable threat to Nadal. We need him to play well for entertainment's sake...Nadal will run away with things otherwise.

The successive defeats Djokovic inflicted on Nadal last year have had a supercharging affect on Nadal. Don_Budge is right about Nadal's "beefed up" backhand. He's right, too, about the Nadal's serve. The improvement is almost imperceptible, but it's there...his action is slightly better, direction is much better...reliability is better. But for me it's his forehand which is even better than ever...more aggressive...more splitting...deeper...far less of those ploppy ones that land in the mid-court. This is all thanks to Djokovic. Nadal has geared up his whole game to taking on Djokovic...because Djokovic is the only guy he has to worry about, and Djokovic, after all, is his the only opponent standing in Nadal's way to becoming the greatest player of all time. And Nadal, despite his irritating humbleness, would really, really, really love that accolade...snatched right from under Federer's feet....fascinating times we live in.

There's a number of us who have been calling for Nadal to do exactly what Stotty is suggesting ever since the US Open: hit his forehand deeper and more penetrating, sharpen up the backhand and return to the 2010 serve. He seems to be doing those things although I think the change in the serve is only marginal and he needed to go back to his 2010 form. But it doesn't count until he faces Djokovic, Federer or Murray. And perhaps a handful of other players who appear to absorb the pace and return it as well as these three.

Berdych hits big enough, but he can't get in position as well or as quick as the DFM troika; and he may not even get past Del Potro. Del Potro may be the most likely to join that group, but is he really quick enough. Tsonga can certainly make shots as well as anyone, but he is not as quick in defense as DFM and has not demonstrated the ability to maintain his top level through an entire 7 match slam; he just doesn't really play smart at some of the times that he needs to; but he's playing pretty well now...if he can finish against Wawrinka (I haven't been able to see as much as I'd like this week, but he played some unbelieveable points against Simon). Ferrer has to beat Nadal on heart and he has yet to show anyone he believes he can do that, even those that believe he can. For me, no one else has a chance.

Murray is too fragile to get the job done in a marathon with Nadal; maybe if his back gets a little better, but I don't think it will hold up a for a tough match this week. Federer can generate the pressure to neutralize Nadal, especially the way he has been playing more aggressively with his backhand since the US Open; but he doesn't appear to be at his best by his results so far at RG. That leaves Djokovic who is the one guy who can consistently play the deep ball back to Nadal to force him to revert to that short forehand; the one guy who can consistently return the Nadal serve with depth and precision if Nadal doesn't exhume the 2010 model from the crypt of lost strokes.

There is one thing Federer and Djokovic have going for them if they don't have any significant rain the next couple of days. They play their quarter on Tuesday and will get an extra day of rest before the semis on Friday. That could help Federer with Djokovic. It also helps the winner of their match against Nadal, but only marginally. Still, if Murray or Ferrer extracts a heavy price from Nadal for admission to the final, and the Fed/Nole match is not equally long, that could be an important advantage.

The question remains, will Nadal be able to maintain the deep forehands and more agressive backhands he's been demonstrating when he faces the deep, consistent balls only the very top players will force him to play for more than a few games. If he can, he will get to at least Slam XIII on the French alone. If not, he will struggle to get to an even dozen.

But as overwhelming as the display may seem, it doesn't count against Schwank, Istomin or Bolleli. With Monaco, it starts to count, but until he faces the players I've cited above Nadal 2.0 is still in beta testing mode. But that's what week 2 is all about!

don

[stotty]

Don_Budge is right about the big forehands. It's all about forehands in today's tennis.

Eduardo Schwank did create a few problems for Nadal, too. The first four or five games were amazing...but Nadal won most of 'em. He gives nothing away Nadal if he can help it, not a single point...must have been soul destroying for Schwank (like so many of Nadal's opponents) to battle so hard, match him neck and neck, yet come away with so little. Being stingy with points really pays off in matches like that..and no one is more stingy than Nadal.

I'm getting worried about Djokovic who seems to be stuttering. Djokovic is the only conceivable threat to Nadal. We need him to play well for entertainment's sake...Nadal will run away with things otherwise.

The successive defeats Djokovic inflicted on Nadal last year have had a supercharging affect on Nadal. Don_Budge is right about Nadal's "beefed up" backhand. He's right, too, about the Nadal's serve. The improvement is almost imperceptible, but it's there...his action is slightly better, direction is much better...reliability is better. But for me it's his forehand which is even better than ever...more aggressive...more splitting...deeper...far less of those ploppy ones that land in the mid-court. This is all thanks to Djokovic. Nadal has geared up his whole game to taking on Djokovic...because Djokovic is the only guy he has to worry about, and Djokovic, after all, is his the only opponent standing in Nadal's way to becoming the greatest player of all time. And Nadal, despite his irritating humbleness, would really, really, really love that accolade...snatched right from under Federer's feet....fascinating times we live in.