2013 French Open...Roland Garros, Paris, France

[don_budge]

Nadal vs. Nishikori...first set

They showed a replay on Eurosport here of the Nadal vs. Nishikori match. I watched some of the first set and Nishikori had a very nice tactical plan going on but apparently he was unable to sustain it. He played the first set right out of the Novak Djokovic book of tactics versus the left handed Nadal. He had Nadal playing a good part of the time over on the backhand side where Nadal is unable to come with the commanding type of presence that he can muster on the forehand side.

At the same time after exchanging backhands when he got the shot that he liked he moved Nadal to his left and played it aggressively. It seemed to be working rather well but he lost the first set in spite of his tactics. Perhaps he got discouraged and lost sight of his game plan...surely Nadal has a lot to do with this. Even if the opponent is playing his best tennis and playing smart too...if they get behind it is easy to get to discouraged.

I wonder how many points a set being left handed is worth on the Nadal ticket. Even though his serve doesn't look to be the potential weapon that it could be he gets a lot of mileage out of it and it is really tough to break him.

[alexandrafranco]

Fognini's forehand

I watched Fognini play Nadal, and for such a small guy he surely hits many forehand winners and to my surprise it seems to me, that he plays almost upright, not much knee bending and very little backswing.. any comments on how he derives so much power? thank you

[stotty]

SCC and timing

I watched Fognini play Nadal, and for such a small guy he surely hits many forehand winners and to my surprise it seems to me, that he plays almost upright, not much knee bending and very little backswing.. any comments on how he derives so much power? thank you

I, too, was amazed at his shot making, off both wings, not just the forehand. As we now know from Brian Gordon's studies, compactness is a desirable part of a good forehand. Fognini certainly seems to tap into the SCC perfectly. On top of this his timing must be superb.

[lobndropshot]

And then there were four...

NO 4.5 if you include Tsonga

[stotty]

And then there were four...

And then there were two...tomorrow, perhaps none.

[lobndropshot]

or .5

[stotty]

or .5

Ok willing to give Tsonga 0.25...for occasional use.

[DougEng]

Anyone else loving the 8 one-handers left on the men's side?

Yes, noted that. Also 3 of 4 one-handed women made the Rd of 16. And the one-handers vs two-handers in the QFs.

[stotty]

Anyone else loving the 8 one-handers left on the men's side?

And then there were four...

And then there were two...tomorrow, perhaps none.

And then there were none!

Except for Tsonga's occasional one-handed effort.

[stotty]

Match of the century

Well, who's your money on?

The Nadal/Djokovic semi could be the game of the century. If Djokovic gets it right and plays at the top of his game, he will win and there is nothing Nadal can do about it, unless uncle Tony has devised a game plan to combat Djokovic at his best.

It's a massive match. Both men know it. I can't think of a bigger match in the history of tennis other than Federer/Nadal at Wimbledon 2008 and Borg/McEnroe at Wimbledon 1980. The match is that BIG. And it's a semi.

This match will cement Nadal as utterly unconquered, save a blip with Soderling, or it will render him finally conquered by a man who has gradually improved and emerged to become a better player...on any surface.

Djokovic was unlucky last year at RG. He was wiping the floor with Nadal and that match was all over had it not been for that rain delay. I guess we cannot say for sure what might have happened...but it looked for all the world like Nadal was going to have his crown legitimately stolen from under nose.

I hope both players hit top form. I hope it's going to be game it looks on paper.

Can't wait....

I think Tsonga will beat Ferrer. He has the power game and the crowd behind him, and he's too daft to get nervous, which helps. If he can beat Federer, he can certainly beat Ferrer. Tsonga in the final will be interesting, and he has the bigger game to take to Djokovic or Nadal. I really like Tsonga...he seems an awfully nice man...I just hope he makes it.

[tennis_chiro]

Got to agree...almost

Well, who's your money on?

The Nadal/Djokovic semi could be the game of the century. If Djokovic gets it right and plays at the top of his game, he will win and there is nothing Nadal can do about it, unless uncle Tony has devised a game plan to combat Djokovic at his best.

It's a massive match. Both men know it. I can't think of a bigger match in the history of tennis other than Federer/Nadal at Wimbledon 2008 and Borg/McEnroe at Wimbledon 1980. The match is that BIG. And it's a semi.

This match will cement Nadal as utterly unconquered, save a blip with Soderling, or it will render him finally conquered by a man who has gradually improved and emerged to become a better player...on any surface.

Djokovic was unlucky last year at RG. He was wiping the floor with Nadal and that match was all over had it not been for that rain delay. I guess we cannot say for sure what might have happened...but it looked for all the world like Nadal was going to have his crown legitimately stolen from under nose.

I hope both players hit top form. I hope it's going to be game it looks on paper.

Can't wait....

I think Tsonga will beat Ferrer. He has the power game and the crowd behind him, and he's too daft to get nervous, which helps. If he can beat Federer, he can certainly beat Ferrer. Tsonga in the final will be interesting, and he has a bigger game than Ferrer to take to Djokovic or Nadal.

I've got to agree with Stotty that Nadal/Djokovic will be a great match, but I think there are a couple of significant factors. This could be just as long and taxing as the six hour final they played in Australia a year and a half ago. But there is a serious question about Nadal's fitness. He's shown he can handle a lot, but that may simply be too much. On the other hand, I think Djokovic has gotten even stronger physically than he was then and his game has improved. With his special inspiration from the spirit of Jelena Jencic, I think his concentration and focus and commitment for this match will be as good or better than it has ever been before. Also have to note that I think Nadal is playing better tactically than he did before his injury hiatus, and he is playing a little more aggressively; but I still give the edge to Djokovic. I think he will also be consumately committed because he knows how big a match it is.

On the other hand, I don't think Tsonga can take out the Energizer Bunny - Ferrer. Tsonga has massively improved his shot tolerance and is making much wiser choices in how he plays the ball; I think it would have been better than Federer's even if Roger had had a good day (but maybe not a great day). And he certainly has greater power than Ferrer, but I don't think this forum gives Ferrer enough credit for how well he attacks whenever he gets any opportunity. It will also be interesting to see if Tsonga can keep that serve up near and above 130 mph after David runs him around for almost 3 hours and the match is getting down to the "nitty gritty". It's so tough to put him away and tougher still on the red clay. Hot and dry but not too windy will help Tsonga. But if the conditions are a little damp or even windy, I think the odds swing heavily in favor of the Spaniard. I've chosen Ferrer in 4.

Which could be a little unfortunate for the final as it will be a disappointment after two great semis because either Nadal or Djokovic will routine Ferrer for these stakes. Tsonga would be a better match up against them and the French fans would go wild. But I don't think that will come to pass.

don

[don_budge]

The seeding miscue...

Well, who's your money on?
The Nadal/Djokovic semi could be the game of the century. If Djokovic gets it right and plays at the top of his game, he will win and there is nothing Nadal can do about it, unless uncle Tony has devised a game plan to combat Djokovic at his best.

It's a massive match. Both men know it. I can't think of a bigger match in the history of tennis other than Federer/Nadal at Wimbledon 2008 and Borg/McEnroe at Wimbledon 1980. The match is that BIG. And it's a semi.

Djokovic was unlucky last year at RG. He was wiping the floor with Nadal and that match was all over had it not been for that rain delay. I guess we cannot say for sure what might have happened...but it looked for all the world like Nadal was going to have his crown legitimately stolen from under nose.

I've got to agree with Stotty that Nadal/Djokovic will be a great match, but I think there are a couple of significant factors. This could be just as long and taxing as the six hour final they played in Australia a year and a half ago. But there is a serious question about Nadal's fitness.

With his special inspiration from the spirit of Jelena Jencic, I think his concentration and focus and commitment for this match will be as good or better than it has ever been before. Also have to note that I think Nadal is playing better tactically than he did before his injury hiatus, and he is playing a little more aggressively; but I still give the edge to Djokovic.

On the other hand, I don't think Tsonga can take out the Energizer Bunny - Ferrer. Tsonga has massively improved his shot tolerance and is making much wiser choices in how he plays the ball; I think it would have been better than Federer's even if Roger had had a good day (but maybe not a great day). And he certainly has greater power than Ferrer, but I don't think this forum gives Ferrer enough credit for how well he attacks whenever he gets any opportunity.

Which could be a little unfortunate for the final as it will be a disappointment after two great semis because either Nadal or Djokovic will routine Ferrer for these stakes. Tsonga would be a better match up against them and the French fans would go wild. But I don't think that will come to pass.

don

This match should have been the finals. It is due to a failure of the seeding process. #1 should play #4 in the semi's and #2 should play #3...in a perfect world. The discussion is first rate.

tennis_chiro...give us your definition of what you mean by "shot tolerance". I like that term and wish to know the full scope of your definition. Thanks.

[stroke]

This Nadal/Djokovic match does look like it could be a great one. I am very anxious to see how Djokovic deals with king of clay at the FO 3 of 5 format. I picked Fed to make the final, I whiffed on that one, but I still like Nadal in this one. He does have the biggest weapon on the court with his fh.

The other semi has gotten even more interesting. Brad Gilbert mentioned during coverage of the 2 men's quarters yesterday that Tsonga, during his post march win over Fed interview, said that he is bigger and stronger, hits the ball harder, and serves better than Ferret. All that is true, but I'm not so sure he needed to say it.

[lobndropshot]

This match should have been the finals. It is due to a failure of the seeding process. #1 should play #4 in the semi's and #2 should play #3...in a perfect world. The discussion is first rate.

tennis_chiro...give us your definition of what you mean by "shot tolerance". I like that term and wish to know the full scope of your definition. Thanks.

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/...tolerance.html

[bottle]

Don may or may not have something to add, but I think your link here goes a long way toward answering any question anybody has on this topic. Wow, I've been impressed before by Teltscher writing on one-handers. But have been tempted to revise my view into thinking he's just a big lug from watching instructional shorts on Tennis Channel. But here is the very best Teltscher all over again. I also like the last five letters of his name.

-- John Escher

P.S. My friend Jim, the USPTA pro who gave me 60 free lessons but never in his life had a one-on-one lesson or any kind of a lesson for himself (and was captain of Bates College and became a tour player!), used to say that when evaluating an opponent, feed him the same shot and count how many times he successfully returns it before he misses one. Four or five? Then hit it there five or six times when you need a point. He was open to the possibility as well that shot tolerance might end at four or five or whatever regardless of the nature of your shots.