2012 French Open Championships...Paris, France

[bman]

Nadal in this form would beat Djokovic 2011, especially on clay. Istomin won maybe 4 or 5 points the whole 3rd set, and he was going all out.

I think Nadal might be able to catch Fed even if he just played french opens for the rest of his career. I believe he has at least 4, maybe 5 or 6 more french opens in him. Who can possibly beat him in this form other than maybe Djokovic? It will be like this for the foreseeable future, as I don't see any new 20 year old Nadals on the horizon.

[stotty]

Nadal

Yes, I never thought of it like that, bman...Nadal winning the French for the next 5 years. Years ago I had Borg down to win 10 slams at Roland Garros, then he retired. It was possible back then...likely even. I just hope Djokovic can find his best form if he makes to the final against Nadal...be a great game if he does.

In a way I hope it's not Federer who makes it to the final against Nadal...it will be a demolition.

[bman]

Yes..I think all fed fans are best off rooting for Djokovic in semi. Then again, Djokovic will likely be facing Berdych, not fed.

[don_budge]

The round of 16...French Open style

The Americans have quietly exited the tournament. The big guy Isner loses 18-16 in the fifth to Paul-Henri Mathieu. Levine meekly surrendered to Raonic. Bing...bang...bye. Johnny Bye Bye.

While there are those that have already handed the title to Raphael Nadal there is still a lot of tennis to be played and some of the match up appear to be quite interesting on paper although it remains to be seen if the actual performance can live up to the expectations. It is not to say that tennis is a boring spectator sport but come on...who wants to sit through five sets and five plus hours of some repetitive low level drama. We definitely need a couple of bad actors to liven things up. Flawed characters can make for a fascinating spectacle...where is the charisma?

Those that are predicting the usual Djokovic vs. Nadal final are probably right in their prognostication. You can't really argue against it. History bears them out...it is on their side. The monotony of having the same two characters slug it out in increasingly epic proportions leave everyone gasping have you ever seen such tennis? Alright, I can understand it. That is not to say that I like it. But until then we have a couple of matches that should be up for grabs. bottle's guy Wawrinka vs. Tsonga is a heavyweight matchup. Del Potro and Berdych should be a slugfest. We have to wait for the bottom half of the draw to catch up to see what pans out in the southern round of 16.

All this being said...it is really an effort to try and conjure up some interest in these preliminaries. That seems to be what they are. Just appetizers before the main course. Just information as it goes. Perhaps one could question how deep the modern game of tennis is if you can already hand over the tournament to one or two players...can we rule out Federer and Murray also? That's just the mens side of things...the women side is just as forgettable. All legs and grunts.

Whew...what an effort! It is tough trying to drum up some interest here. bman is right...so is Stotty. I wonder what the hell Nadal has for strings in his racquet that make it sound as if all of the air is being sucked out of the stadium every time he hits a forehand. I wonder what kind of food they serve at the French Open. What's for lunch?

[don_budge]

Sweet Sixteen...

Now it is pared down to the final sixteen. All of the boys have gone home...packed it in. What is remaining are the generally considered to be the heavyweights and today that means one thing...big forehands. Well there are a couple of other considerations.

Still...even at this stage later in the tournament it seems that the matches are decidedly one sided in most cases. In the top half we have Djokovic vs. Seppi, Wawrinka vs. Tsonga, Federer vs. Goffin and Del Potro vs. Berdych. In the bottom half there is Ferrer vs. Granollers, Gasquet vs. Murray, Tipsarevic vs. Almagro and Monaco vs. Nadal. I am picking those bolded to reach the final eight. Let's just forget about the women for the time being.

Did anything of any interest happen in the round before? Not much considering the final possible outcomes of this tournament. But sure there were interesting events. Fernando Verdasco and Gilles Simon were both defeated and their conquerers move on to face bigger prey in the next round. Andreas Seppi has moved on to become cat food for the menacing Djokovic...while Wawrinka (my wife's favorite) takes on Tsonga. There is some mild interest here. But perhaps the most compelling match in the round of sixteen is between Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Tomas Berdych. Del Potro routinely dispatched Marin Cilic while Berdych struggled to get rid of Kevin Anderson in five sets. bman mused that Berdych may be a factor in the final four...but he won't if Del Potro has anything to do with it now. And so it goes. It is still a struggle to conjure up something that could stoke the imagination in this draw.

I watched some of the Eduardo Schwank vs. Raphael Nadal and this relatively low ranked Schwank actually presented some mild problems for the Spanish scythe in the final set. The Grim Reaper appeared to be just a little off balance as the challenger threw an assortment of off speed stuff and mixed up the depth of play a bit. Eduardo tossed in a couple of nice drop shots and managed to throw a couple of lobs over the head of Nadal. This could be an effective strategy for a greater talent (such as Federer) to contemplate when facing Nadal. Why not use this tactic and bring Nadal to net where he is a bit of a fish out of water? Strategically of course...don't overdo it. Djokovic uses angles and change of speed effectively against Nadal as well. I used to think that the backhand of Nadal was a bit vulnerable but he looks as if he has retooled this side and beefed it up a bit. Same as the serve...he seems to be more aggressive and versatile with his serve now. Nothing so obvious but subtly tactically using it more effectively.

I still wonder what they are eating in Gay ol' Paris. Something that goes good with wine I will bet!

[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.

[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

[bottle]

"the crypt of lost strokes"

Like.

[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

[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.

[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]

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]

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]

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.

[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