2016 Internazionali BNL d'Italia…ATP 1000…Rome, Italy

[gzhpcu]

My condolences Kyle... Double bagel! Injury?

[klacr]

My condolences Kyle... Double bagel! Injury?

Let's not talk about it!

How's the weather in Lugano?

Like How I'm changing the subject?

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

Try another topic! It has been raining for a week! No tennis!

[don_budge]

Never let anyone beat you 6-0...

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/murray-chardy-berdych-goffin-rome-2016-thursday

"Shows a lot what kind of era this is to have a top 10 player lose in barely any time at all. Especially since Berdych has been in the top 10 for 6.5 consecutive years now. And in that time, only 1 slam final, 3 Masters finals, and lost in the round robin of the ATP Finals 5 of the 6 yeas he qualified. Top 10 indeed."

"Did Berdych just tank the match? What an awful performance and glad he was booed! He will never win a major with that type of performance."

"Was something wrong with Berdych? Injured? Sick?"

The above comments from the ATP article. My sentiments exactly. A double bagel is just beyond comprehension. Last week it was a Grigor Dimitrov meltdown and this week we have Thomas Berdych going down in a double bagel effort…or lack of effort. Something had to have been wrong with him.

I tried to tell one of our junior players to never let your opponent beat you 6-0. It sends the wrong message. The head of our junior committee was there and he contradicted me saying that he had seen many professional players lose 6-0. I politely advised him that I wasn't talking to him and that he was interrupting. Believe me…I wasn't heaping a bunch of pressure on a kid. I was just trying to give him a clue. I was always told that…fight like hell to avoid going down to a bagel.

On another note…Roger Federer goes down to Dominic Thiem. I didn't get to see the match as there is some sort of funny business going on on the website I normally get to see these matches for free.

But I was watching the scores for a while. Apparently Roger went up a break in the first set but gave it back before losing in a tiebreak. From Roger's comments it was pretty predictable that he was going to lose this match as his brain wasn't really in it so how could his heart. I have seen some results from him the past couple of years that are sort of hard to fantom.

This match obviously meant a lot to "Next Generation" Thiem but obviously meaningless to Roger. There have been other "meaningless" losses like I said. I think that this is a poor reflection on the sport in general. If he didn't feel like he could compete why enter? So that he can use the tournament as his personal playground and get some practice? Times have changed if this is so…and not for the better I might add. Big Time Wrestling. Maybe that business down in Australia about the match and score fixing wasn't such a load of bull.

It's over anyways. Roger is for all intents and purposes done. He might have one last hurrah but that doesn't ring the bell of plausibility to me. We'll just have to wait and see. Meanwhile it appears that Rafael Nadal is coming back to life which is another sickening turn of events for the sport…although it makes the fan base happy. These guys are playing with snowshoe sized equipment and their characters are being reduced to a level we haven't seen before. It is devolving…so to speak.

[stotty]

Roger

I wouldn't be too hard on Roger. He has to trek back into form somehow and the only way to do that is through matches. I like the message he sends out. "You may be beating me today but wait a month and you won't be doing it then, because I will be back to form". Youngsters will take victory anyway they can get it. If he lost playing with one leg tied to the other, they'd claim victory.

It's a big test for Roger, however. With millions in the bank does he really have the stomach to climb back up the hill?

[gzhpcu]

It's a big test for Roger, however. With millions in the bank does he really have the stomach to climb back up the hill?

Well, I do not think he is in it for the money. He has said he loves playing in a packed statdium.

[klacr]

Djokovic takes out Nadal. Pouille with walkover. Murray blitzes Goffin. Nishikori and Thiem battling now. Rooting for the young Austrian.


Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

I have watched the first set and a half on replay of the Nadal/Djokovic match. Nadal is getting close to his best form on clay. His forehand deserted him here and there, especially at the end of the first set, but that may have been more down to Novak's pressurising.

Nadal seemed to be having some success standing further along the baseline to serve to the ad court. The rallies sometimes set up better for him by doing this. I can't think why he hasn't down this more often before.

I thought Novak's forehand was quite amazing and looks like it may have gotten a little better lately. He hit lots on winners on that side, and those raking wide ones he hits to pull Nadal off court on his backhand wing are really dismantling.

I notice that Novak has become a little spoilt, in the sense that he has become so accustomed to winning that he gets petulant and breaks a racket when things don't go his way. He really cannot stand losing to Nadal or Murray and he gets really hacked off just because he falls behind in a set. He just expects to beat everyone, period.

[stroke]

Lc, I agree with what you said about Novak. This is some era for tennis with maybe 3 of at least the top 6 players of all time in Fed, Nadal, and Djokovic.

[stotty]

Good win for Djokovic. Nishikori can really play and is one of the few who can match Djokovic in baseline rallies. Nishikori just folded at the critical moment in that last set tie-break.

It's been a tough draw for Djokovic...Nadal...Nishikori...and now Murray. But great preparation for Roland Garros.

Djokovic looked tired in the third set. The final could be Murray's big chance to get a win over his nemesis, having had such a comparatively easy draw.

I won't watch the final. I am not a fan of the match-up and have seen it 20 times if not more. Murray's angst during his matches has become unbearable for me to watch. It's the first time I have ever felt like that about a player, strange.

[klacr]

Djokovic-Murray Final...again. Oh Brother! Let's see Murray's 2nd serve.

Oh and if I was commissioner of tennis, for these two men, I'd make all winning serve and volley points worth 2 points...just because I can for the good of the game.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

Djokovic might be boring to watch, since he has little variation, but he has perfected the baseline game like no other and is very athletic. Nishikori put up a great fight, but lost inevitably.

[stroke]

Lc, your previous post about Novak's evolving "petulance" proves quite prophetic. His behavior/attitude in the final vs Murray was at least that, probably in fact just putting a real positive spin on it.

[klacr]

Murray defeats Djokovic in Rome Finals.
Murray unleashed a 105mph second serve late in 2nd set on critical point.
Murray came to the net early and often. Remained aggressive. Shades of the finals on Montreal in 2015. Jonas Bjorkman must be smiling.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

It's been a tough draw for Djokovic...Nadal...Nishikori...and now Murray. But great preparation for Roland Garros.

Djokovic looked tired in the third set. The final could be Murray's big chance to get a win over his nemesis, having had such a comparatively easy draw.

I won't watch the final. I am not a fan of the match-up and have seen it 20 times if not more. Murray's angst during his matches has become unbearable for me to watch. It's the first time I have ever felt like that about a player, strange.

I was right. Novak wasn't up for it it seems. Not that I watched the match as I didn't fancy it and was working anyway. It seemed a big ask to me to beat three players back-to-back playing out of their skin on clay.

Lc, your previous post about Novak's evolving "petulance" proves quite prophetic. His behavior/attitude in the final vs Murray was at least that, probably in fact just putting a real positive spin on it.

He's always petulant in his matches with Murray, and with Nadal too. Against Nishikori he's fine. I think it just gets under his skin to lose to certain players. I gather he was miffed to be playing in the rain. If you remember some years ago at the French Open, he was knocking Nadal from pillar to post in fairly heavy rain but wasn't complaining then, Nadal was. Nadal got the match halted, and in doing so saved himself from defeat. So Djokovic can play fine in the rain. It just depends whether he's losing or not whether he will complain or not.

Novak's temperament is mostly a strength, but it can be a weakness at times too.

No one can win all the time. Even Roger at his zenith had to lose sometimes. You have to take it in your stride. Roger does that beautifully.

One thing Novak and Roger have in common is they are both capable of playing immaculate tennis. McEnroe could be immaculate. Apparently Lew Hoad could be too. But it's rare, very few players are capable of immaculate performance.