2019 Australian Open...ATP 2000...Melbourne, Australia

[stotty]

Yeah...the odd thing about Nadal is he really does push his opponents around. He bullies them. He dictates and they play to his tempo and play his game. Which of course he does better than anyone. But the guys that beat him actually stand up to him...they stand up to the bully and they lay down the law. He can be "hit off of the court". Djokovic does this. Federer has been doing it. Some big hitters in the past have down it. Cilic had him on the ropes when he cried "no mas". No more.

He is tough to slice and dice...but he can be bossed.

I am not sure Novak and Roger hit Rafa off exactly, not in the route one sense at least. Novak first stands up to Rafa, then out manoeuvres him. Often they cross a point in a rally where Rafa can't win it. I have always found that intriguing. The dynamic did change quite a bit last Wimbledon and Rafa is at least a bit closer to matching Novak. I think Roger just changed the attacking pattern. The beefed up backhand made all the difference. Both players puzzle Rafa at the moment, which isn't difficult as he's not the brightest in my view. But he is an animal and I think he might just savage Roger next time around...not sure he will Novak though.

[stotty]

His forehand alone is worth the price of admission. What a monster of a shot. He did beat Nadal a few years ago in the 1st round of the Aussie Open.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Might have his work cut out this time around, Klacr.

[bman]

I don't think Roger can beat Novak or Nadal in this tournament because of the subpar backhand return. The margins are so slim, and I've seen him dump way too many backhand chip returns in the net. Game looks good otherwise but he has to play almost perfect (Australian 2017, particularly 5th set) to beat either guy. I think Medvedev is the only guy that could stop Novak in his half. Berdych and Bautista Agut could trouble Nadal but not beat him, in my opinion.

[stotty]

I don't think Roger can beat Novak or Nadal in this tournament because of the subpar backhand return. The margins are so slim, and I've seen him dump way too many backhand chip returns in the net. Game looks good otherwise but he has to play almost perfect (Australian 2017, particularly 5th set) to beat either guy. I think Medvedev is the only guy that could stop Novak in his half. Berdych and Bautista Agut could trouble Nadal but not beat him, in my opinion.

A very sound assessment, bman. You could well be right on all counts.

[don_budge]

I don't think Roger can beat Novak or Nadal in this tournament because of the subpar backhand return. The margins are so slim, and I've seen him dump way too many backhand chip returns in the net. Game looks good otherwise but he has to play almost perfect (Australian 2017, particularly 5th set) to beat either guy. I think Medvedev is the only guy that could stop Novak in his half. Berdych and Bautista Agut could trouble Nadal but not beat him, in my opinion.

Unfortunately Berdych hardly troubled Nadal when it counted. Roger has a tough match today against Stefanos Tsitsipas and then, should he win, he must play the winner of Cilic/Baustista-Agut before he can even think about Nadal. Roger's draw wasn't easy at all in the Grand Slam. If he does get to the point where he does play Nadal it will be a question about how much does he have in the tank. He would do himself a huge to dispatch Tsitsipas without undue fuss today. It helps that this is a night match. Roger is measuring his steps. Every year the tight rope act he is engaged in gets to be a bit more tedious. Chipped returns? We'll gage his performance today. Tonight in Melbourne.

Now it is Tiafoe who will face Nadal. The kid gave Dimitrov all kinds of trouble. All kinds.

Daniil Medvedev is going to be asked the question against Novak Djokovic. The existential question. He may prove to be "The Sleeper" in the draw much as Marin Cilic was a number of years ago when he won at Flushing Meadows. But with Novak is just about impossible to penetrate the defence. He takes care of his serve so efficiently and of course his return is just in another planet. Medvedev's slim margin for error may prove to be too much of a liability in this case as it seems to me that Djokovic has more variation of shape in his shots.

This round is revealing more and more "The Shape of Things to Come" at any rate. Federer looked superlative against Fritz...but Fritz is not Djokovic or Nadal. The key for Roger will be the serve. If the serve is 100 or 110 percent he stands a chance. If he serves subpar...it will be more telling than failed chip returns.

[stotty]

Interesting start with Roger and Stefanos. Let's hope it continues and Stefanos grabs the first set to make it really interesting. Shame I have to go to work in 10 minutes time!

[don_budge]

Interesting start with Roger and Stefanos. Let's hope it continues and Stefanos grabs the first set to make it really interesting. Shame I have to go to work in 10 minutes time!

A shame to miss that first set. Federer wins the tie-breaker 11-9 in a beautifully contested final game. Wow! The level of tennis was just exquisite. It seems that I may be right about the modern game. Well...not seems. Tsitsipas is a beautiful player. He has style. So lacking in the modern game. A couple of things that remind me of Björn Borg...the facial hair and the legs. The legs seem to be slightly bowed but he motors around the court beautifully. Very graceful.

What can you say about Federer. Just stayed as calm as a cucumber. I wonder if Stefanos used up a bit more of his nerves in that very, very tight first set. He has shown in the past to show the ability to take a blow, recover and come back and deliver. Perhaps another Borg like quality. Second set...Federer holds at love. He served beautifully the first set and played some very effective sliced returns. Intelligent play...the Federer trademark.

[don_budge]

Interesting start with Roger and Stefanos. Let's hope it continues and Stefanos grabs the first set to make it really interesting. Shame I have to go to work in 10 minutes time!

Further shame to miss the second set. An epic battle. Federer maintaining pressure on the Tsitsipas serve the entire set. Federer never out of his face. Stefanos averaged just under five minutes a service game and Roger was getting it home under one and a half. No matter...Tilden emphasized maintaining pressure on the opponent but there is an equally important facet of tennis psychology that Tsitsipas possesses in abundant quantity...resiliency. He just barely held it together the entire set as he was on the verge of being broken the entire set but once he was in the tie-breaker he just went into a sprint. Roger seemed to falter a bit...perhaps he is feeling a bit fatigued.

This is a quality that Bjorn Borg possessed in resiliency. You could never count him out. I noticed that about Stefanos early last year when I jumped on his wagon. You can get him down but you must put him away. He doesn't go away or throw in the towel early on. I would think that Roger is having his hands full now because it appears to me that Tsitsipas is about to enter another level of stratosphere of confidence level.

[don_budge]

Roger serving at 3-4 in the third is 0 for 12 in converting break points. Stefanos refuses to buckle and Federer perhaps being not assertive enough when he has the opportunity. Cat and mouse.

[gzhpcu]

Reminds me of when 19 year old Federer beat Sampras in Wimbledon.... change of the guard... well played...

[stroke]

That's all it takes to take out Fed in a big match. Fed played like the master champion he is, and Stephanos, obviously a star in born. He is going to be a rock star of tennis. As db has said, and I agree, something about him reminds me of Borg, a 6'4" Borg. He is extremely likeable on the court, so watchable, and extremely good looking, but not in the pretty boy way of Alex. Massive endorsement dollars coming his way. Clearly, he is going to be a threat on all surfaces. He may be even better on clay. Very unusual skill set.

[gzhpcu]

Great that Tsitsipas also embraces net play...

[stroke]

Alex is a very slight favorite vs Milos. Should be a very interesting match. I am very curious to see how Medvedev deals with Novak also. Novak of course is a very strong favorite, but so was Fed.

[stotty]

Alex is a very slight favorite vs Milos. Should be a very interesting match. I am very curious to see how Medvedev deals with Novak also. Novak of course is a very strong favorite, but so was Fed.

Good to see Stefanos take out Roger. We need a change. I am hoping Medvedev can do what everyone says he's capable of and maybe knock out Novak. If not Medvedev then maybe Zverev can do it. The trouble is Stefanos will likely have to get past Nadal and that might be tricky. I left the Roger/Stefanos match after the seventh game and the first thing I noticed is that Stefanos' backhand didn't seem as good as Roger's, or it wasn't until that point. It's almost a handicap to go into the ring against Nadal with a one-handed backhand.

I see Agut won in 5 sets. He must be getting tired despite his fine form of late.

[stroke]

Good to see Stefanos take out Roger. We need a change. I am hoping Medvedev can do what everyone says he's capable of and maybe knock out Novak. If not Medvedev then maybe Zverev can do it. The trouble is Stefanos will likely have to get past Nadal and that might be tricky. I left the Roger/Stefanos match after the seventh game and the first thing I noticed is that Stefanos' backhand didn't seem as good as Roger's, or it wasn't until that point. It's almost a handicap to go into the ring against Nadal with a one-handed backhand.

I see Agut won in 5 sets. He must be getting tired despite his fine form of late.

To me, Stefanos has a top tier one hand backhand but he does not appear to be able to take it on early like Fed can. In fact, I would say no other player with a one hander can take it early like Fed. And I think that is the only way as a right handed one hander to deal with the Nadal hook forehand. Stefanos as you say does not appear to be a good matchup vs Nadal. And Fed's slice bh looks way way better than Stefanos'.