2015 Wimbledon Championships…ATP 2000…London, Great Britain

[stotty]

Stan put a lot of pressure on Novak. But I feel that Novak lost that match more than Stan won it. Novak played a lot of questionable shots. i.e. too many drop shots

I only have one criticism of Djokovic, and that is his decision making can very occasionally be peculiar.


The latest draw sheet:

http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/draws/ms/msdraw.pdf

[stotty]

I think this is the biggest forehand you could ever see...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/33354371

http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/draws/ms/msdraw.pdf

[don_budge]

Nadal…gone

There will be no Federer vs. Nadal semifinal. It was like I thought…he wouldn't have the stomach to be around. His form is noticeably different now. He isn't…or doesn't seem to be the same player that he was.

Federer's draw looks a tad better…although I was longing for this match. Just to see him pin the Spanish hot dog's ears back one more time…would have been priceless.

"Downtown" Dustin Brown is the latest Nadal Wimbledon slayer.

[klacr]

Bad luck for Kohlschreiber. Top 32 players get a seed. Kohlschreiber is #33. Draws Djokovic.

Jeremy Chardy is a tricky opponent for Berdych, but Berdych may be too solid for him in the end, won't be surprised if Chardy takes a set though.

Bottom half is jam packed.
Anyone looking forward to a potential Nadal (#10 seed) 2nd round match with Dustin Brown? Brown beat him in Halle last year. Brown has a very eclectic game with dinks, drop shots, serve and volley and redlining on some groundies that could give Rafa fits due to lack of rhythm.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

*AHEM*

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

Absolutely Kyle, incredibly entertaining match! Go Dustin! Serve and Volley rules!

[klacr]

Thanks Phil. It almost sounds like I know what I'm talking about. Maybe I should do this tennis thing for a living.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

Dustin won 71 of his 99 forays at the net!

[stotty]

Nadal's slump in form

Dustin played well, no question. But let's not be delusional....something is up. Nadal served two doubles in a row at a critical stage in the match. He snatched at all four serves in doing so. Normally, he has the most secure serve on the tour in the way he can grab hold of the ball and stick it in the box. His first serve stats are always high and he rarely double faults.

Stotty is beginning to think Nadal has lost his nerve.

Pat Cash thinks the problem is technical, citing his forehand as the main culprit.

John McEnroe says he cannot quite put his finger quite what the problem is.

Miles Maclagan is stumped also.

The way things are going Nadal could fall outside the top 20 soon....

[don_budge]

The Fishy comings and goings…Rafael Nadal

Dustin played well, no question. But let's not be delusional....something is up.

Pat Cash thinks the problem is technical, citing his forehand as the main culprit.

John McEnroe says he cannot quite put his finger quite what the problem is.

I didn't see the match…only Dustin taking his bow. Pat Cash is an inside guy still trying to milk it for all it's worth. He was another early convert to the Prince racquet…an opportunist. He isn't saying if he knows something and someone has told him to keep his mouth shut. Tennis is a closed community. The ultimate closed community.

If John McEnroe says that he "cannot quite put his finger" on the problem…here is a sure indicator that something is fishy. There has always been a fishy smell to me about Rafa Nadael. It never added up for me. Something stinks here. This guy is playing golf warming up for Wimbledon if we are to believe him.

He has had his wings clipped. He has perhaps broken the rules one too many times and he has been told to stand down. We'll never know…unless one of us is an insider here on the forum. But that insider will have also been told to keep his mouth shut so he ain't talking. It's time for Fafa to take another hiatus. He always seems to at this time of year.

Good riddance…I say. I hear the voices miming what a great sportsman he is and the nonsense. There is something fishy about this guy and it always has been. He keeps the uncle as the coach for one reason mainly…he can be trusted. It's a shame he wasn't around long enough to have the rejuvenated Roger Federer to see him off packing with his tail tucked between his legs. He and all of his infernal twitches.

71 if 99 points won approaching the net? Nobody is that good. If he repeats it against Troiki perhaps it will make a believer of me. But then again Troiki has also been suspended for drug infractions…someone might have some leverage over him also and tell him to stand down. But I don't think "Downtown" Dustin Brown can sustain that level. But if he does…"cool runnings, man".

[klacr]

Et Tu, Brute?

Sure, Nadal may not have played that great, but let's not be completely naive. Dustin Brown had something to do with it. Nadal admitted so in press conference afterwards. Said it was difficult to find his rhtyhm against Brown because Brown was disrupting it. Nadal said he never hit three balls in a row the same way and when it was time to pull the trigger on a particular shot he didn't have confidence to execute it.

Let's give credit to Dustin Brown. Nadal is out of Wimbledon and the assumptions as to his decline could vary but what's done is done. Let's celebrate a game style and player willing to use it.

I come to praise Dustin Brown, not to bury Nadal. Whether Nadal comes back to compete for grand slams or not, his confidence and game have taken huge hits at AELTC, and considering Wimbledon is in fact a historic place and shrine for all tennis, it hurts a bit more. Dustin Brown deserves his 15 minutes and much much more.

Dustin Brown should celebrate tonight.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[GeoffWilliams]

That's what happens when you stop taking your peds, you become a normal person again. The truth is out about it, if you just look for the evidence. Nadal cheated with coaching, bullied everyone any way he could, and took peds like crazy imo and his docs records were sealed by the spanish govt. for what reason?

Before the tournament started, I picked Brown to win against Nadal in the racquet bracket, and am in the top 3% out of 7232 entries.

[don_budge]

Naive…completely naive? Ok...

Sure, Nadal may not have played that great, but let's not be completely naive. Dustin Brown had something to do with it. Nadal admitted so in press conference afterwards. Said it was difficult to find his rhtyhm against Brown because Brown was disrupting it. Nadal said he never hit three balls in a row the same way and when it was time to pull the trigger on a particular shot he didn't have confidence to execute it.

Let's give credit to Dustin Brown. Nadal is out of Wimbledon and the assumptions as to his decline could vary but what's done is done. Let's celebrate a game style and player willing to use it.

I come to praise Dustin Brown, not to bury Nadal. Whether Nadal comes back to compete for grand slams or not, his confidence and game have taken huge hits at AELTC, and considering Wimbledon is in fact a historic place and shrine for all tennis, it hurts a bit more. Dustin Brown deserves his 15 minutes and much much more.

Dustin Brown should celebrate tonight.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

That would be a first…well a first that didn't include a woman in the mix. But true…despite all of the unanswered questions about the "golden boy" Nadal (you can have him although I am certain this isn't your point) it is impossible to forget about the enigmatic "Downtown" Dustin Brown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY42TpedlQU

In this two minute and forty second highlight clip you get all you need to really see to understand that when this guy is on he is one talented and entertaining player to watch. Like I said…I didn't get to see the match so you will have to pardon me…or not…for celebrating the demise of my least favorite tennis player EVER…Rafael Nadal. I find him to be the opposite of Roger Federer…so if Roger is "The Living Proof" what does that make Rafael Nadal.

But you are absolutely right in celebrating Dustin Brown. We actually get to watch this splendid and unique individual slug it out one more time. I was very impressed in the highlight video with his two hand backhand and how he was taking it at Nadal. This is the key to beating Nadal…don't let him bully up on the backhand side as it will present more problems on the other side as well. The quickness of Dustin is another deceptive quality of his game. He is extremely quick and possesses great hands.

I am really looking forwards to seeing "Downtown" in the third round at Wimbledon. There is some real irony in the dreadlocks and the all white atmosphere at Wimbledon. He is going to cause quite a stir if he wins yet another round. It's the irony in life that keeps it interesting.

[gzhpcu]

That's what happens when you stop taking your peds, you become a normal person again. The truth is out about it, if you just look for the evidence. Nadal cheated with coaching, bullied everyone any way he could, and took peds like crazy imo and his docs records were sealed by the spanish govt. for what reason?

Before the tournament started, I picked Brown to win against Nadal in the racquet bracket, and am in the top 3% out of 7232 entries.

You should have bet on Dustin and made a nice profit...

Also: Nadal's game is too one dimensional. Federer's is varied, and, now, thanks to Edberg, he has added the net game to his repertoire.

[stotty]

Good news for Federer fans...

The weather over here in Blighty is set to be hot and sunny for the foreseeable future. The courts are getting faster and the ball is zipping through the air. If the conditions remain the same, it will help Federer no end.

Some players have suggested more grass court tournaments would be a good thing, including Nadal apparently. Why? Because grass is so much easier on the body. Each year Wimbledon only has a fraction of the withdrawals through injury the other slams have. Virtually no-ones pulls out mid contest. Food for thought I'd say....

The draw is starting to pan out not too bad for Roger:

http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/draws/ms/msdraw.pdf

[stotty]

Sure, Nadal may not have played that great, but let's not be completely naive. Dustin Brown had something to do with it. Nadal admitted so in press conference afterwards. Said it was difficult to find his rhtyhm against Brown because Brown was disrupting it. Nadal said he never hit three balls in a row the same way and when it was time to pull the trigger on a particular shot he didn't have confidence to execute it.

Let's give credit to Dustin Brown. Nadal is out of Wimbledon and the assumptions as to his decline could vary but what's done is done. Let's celebrate a game style and player willing to use it.

I come to praise Dustin Brown, not to bury Nadal. Whether Nadal comes back to compete for grand slams or not, his confidence and game have taken huge hits at AELTC, and considering Wimbledon is in fact a historic place and shrine for all tennis, it hurts a bit more. Dustin Brown deserves his 15 minutes and much much more.

Dustin Brown should celebrate tonight.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Sure, we all get this. Dustin played well. But Dustin didn't throw anything at Nadal that hasn't been thrown at Nadal before and which Nadal hasn't comfortably coped with in the past. He can almost expect players to throw everything and the kitchen sink at him, it's normal.

Nadal gave Dustin plenty of opportunities on a plate. Nadal was absolutely rank by his standards. He's vulnerable right now on all surfaces...even clay.