2019 Internazionali BNL d'Italia...ATP 1000...Rome, Italy

[don_budge]

Who's it going to be...Fabio or Stefanos. Roger Federer versus Somebody. Tsitsipas got off quickly with a 3-0 and 4-1 lead but Fabio has evened things up and the crowd is really...Italian. They are going nuts for everything that goes Fognini's way. A bit tired now...10:30 PM now. The longer this match goes on the better for Roger tomorrow. I may not see the end of this. But it has the makings of some drama if Fognini can keep his head into it. He has looked absolutely Fabulous at times...after the slow start. Tsitsipas? This kid is hungry. He had a taste and he wants the whole enchilada. He wants more than anything Roger Federer tomorrow.

A step in that direction...Tsitsipas wins the first set. 6-4.

[stroke]

Stefanos looked great out there and handled the soccer like crowd like the pro he is. Too good.

[nytennisaddict]

It's back to business after a day off due to rain. But there is hell to pay. Two matches in one day. I remember in the day when playing tournaments how many matches we played in three days. A draw of 64 to be completed by Sunday starting on Friday. There was hell to pay. If you made it to the finals on Sunday...the pain after you were done made it impossible to feel anything about winning or losing. You only survived.

But at 37 years of age Roger Federer managed somehow to eek out this match against one of his young nemesis'...Borna "Born Again" Coric. Down two match points in the tie-breaker after getting hammered all over the court for three sets...after winning in straight sets earlier in the day. It wasn't pretty. It was gritty clay court play. Just trying to survive and hang around with a chance to finish it. Finish he did. Coric let it slip away. But this is why the match of the day has been Roger Federer vs. Anybody and why a tournament isn't truly a tournament unless Roger is in the house.

Now it is Stefanos Tsitsipas and Fabio "Fabulous" Fognini set to duel in the evening finale. Roger gets the winner. Do you see how Roger drives up the value of a ticket?

On the other hand I watched Dominic Thiem get his shorts handed to him by Fernando Verdasco playing the hot hand. Fernando was rock steady and just hammered young Thiem into submission.

hehe, i recently played a tourney that required me to play back to back 3 set matches... something i hadn't done in a couple decades... it was brutal, especially playing folks in their teens and 20's, with lightning fast recovery times. i had to rest a few days afterwards. I honestly didn't think fed had a chance, against a younger fitter coric on clay. but that's why fed is fed

[edit] given recent news... perhaps the back to back matches took a toll on RF37 after all...

[don_budge]

hehe, i recently played a tourney that required me to play back to back 3 set matches... something i hadn't done in a couple decades... it was brutal, especially playing folks in their teens and 20's, with lightning fast recovery times. i had to rest a few days afterwards. I honestly didn't think fed had a chance, against a younger fitter coric on clay. but that's why fed is fed

[edit] given recent news... perhaps the back to back matches took a toll on RF37 after all...

Back to back three setters? How old are you NYTA? It becomes a matter of recovery in the end. That's crazy.

As Roger Federer...he went into this tournament with only one thing in mind. As usual. Per his standard method of operation. It is all about preparation for the French Open. He proved something to himself and got in some good match play between this tournament and Madrid. This is number one. Winning the tournament wasn't going to be the goal. But he wants to go deep at the French. At least he wants to do his best. The two matches in one day were a great test to see where he is at physically and in terms of form. What he learned was something that he already knows and that is he has to put himself into position to win. That match against Coric was unbelievable. Coric pounded him from one end of the court to the other and somehow he found a way to win. That's enough...just leave it at that. See you at the French.

Stefanos Tsitsipas on the other hand has an interesting match today against a budding nemesis. I wonder what his expectations are for this one. Did he fulfil some dream with his win in Madrid or does he still have some or enough fuel to want to tag him again. I hope so. Nadal, on the other hand, is just as mean and vindictive as they get. As a full blooded narcissist he feels entitled on clay courts and Tsitsipas stole some of his thunder last week. He wants it back and that loss if fueling his desire. He is once more the maniac on clay. Stefanos has grown up so much in this past year. Here is another yardstick to measure his growth by. This match today is a milestone of sorts. A huge step or stumbling block in his development as a tennis player. If he loses there is always another day. But if he wins...he steps up into a whole another category.

Djokovic versus Schwartzman...yawn. The only thing exciting about Djokovic is when he plays a select few. Diego is not one of these...I don't think. I hope he proves me wrong.

[gzhpcu]

To me, Djokovic has a personality which irks me. When he loses, he is far too fake friendly, shaking his head, shaking hands and grinning. Shame DelPo lost against him. He is very likeable. Sure Djokovic is the best baseline player, but he lakes the artistry great champlions have.

[stroke]

Novak to me showed why he is the best vs Del Po. Del Po hit the biggest forehands in that match I think I have ever seen over an entire match, and not many errors, but Novak still pulled it out.

[stroke]

Nadal firm favorite at -375, Tsitsipas is +327. As db said, it will be very interesting to see how Stefanos plays this match vs a nearly rabid Nadal. If he can take down Nadal again, that would be something. Novak right now looks too solid for anyone but things change very quickly sometimes. I am certainly looking forward to match. And how about Diego? Did not see that coming. Obviously would be way more surprised if he could beat Novak. Novak is at -1000, so enough said there.

[stroke]

This has been a very high quality match with Novak and Diego. Novak is playing like Novak and Diego is right there with him.

[stotty]

To me, Djokovic has a personality which irks me. When he loses, he is far too fake friendly, shaking his head, shaking hands and grinning. Shame DelPo lost against him. He is very likeable. Sure Djokovic is the best baseline player, but he lakes the artistry great champlions have.

It's a shame. It's probably why people won't give him the credit he so deserves. But at least he doesn't make excuses or run anyone down after he loses.

Plenty of great champions have lacked artistry in the past. Artistry is a luxury more than a necessity.

This has been a very high quality match with Novak and Diego. Novak is playing like Novak and Diego is right there with him.

It will be a big game psychologically tomorrow. Hard to know who mentally needs the win more with Roland Garros looming up.

[stroke]

It will be big tomorrow as all the matches are with the big 3, but Nadal is in a rabid mood having not won a tournament this season on his beloved clay. He is the favorite. No matter, the outcome will not really make a difference in the FO to me.

[don_budge]

It will be big tomorrow as all the matches are with the big 3, but Nadal is in a rabid mood having not won a tournament this season on his beloved clay. He is the favorite. No matter, the outcome will not really make a difference in the FO to me.

Twiddle dee and Twiddle dum. That is what Nick Kyrgios was heard saying when he found out who was playing in the finals. Do you know how many times these two "jokers" have met each other in competition. Fifty-three times. Djokovic has won thirteen out of the last sixteen by the way. Do you think he is in Nadal's head per chance? I think so. This is one good reason to like Djokovic...he is the lesser of two evils. It is sort of like preferring Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton as I was explaining to a rare visitor at the Ponderosa here in the Swedish countryside. A childhood friend of my wife. Trump is no angel. Ok...there are a lot of things we don't actually know about him. We can suspect all we dare to. Or not. But the alternative...Hillary Clinton? I rest my case.

But back to actual tennis. Once upon a time I wrote an entire thread devoted to Novak's tactics against Nadal and wouldn't you know it? He has been nearly invincible ever since. You could say "meteoric" in a sense. But it is a good reason to like Novak...and I will adore him if he puts this absolute ego maniac in his place. Rabid mood? Maybe he has rabies or some other self inflicted problem. Always disappearing with some injury only to emerge like a super man. If it isn't drugs...what is it?

Fifty three times. Forty-five times it has either been in the finals or the semi-finals. What does that mean? Doesn't anyone else play in these tournaments? Of course they do...so how is that the same two always meet in the last two rounds? Because they do not have any competition. The field has been weak. Dumbed down. Hard to believe isn't it? They hit the ball so hard with so much spin and so close to the lines you need a "Hawkeye" to determine whether it was in or out. It isn't hard to fool the entire crowd. The entire audience. The public at large. This stuff so much metaphors life...just as the Hillary and Donald fiasco continues to do so.

Novak Djokovic. What a player. The best defence and counterpuncher ever. But let's face it...the game was designed for him. Just speed up the surfaces and watch these two cry. Nadal is always crying about the surface being too fast. Djokovic is a fish out of water against the likes of Roger Federer who has the ability to get the quick drop and play some other game than behind the baseline. Jimmy Connors once said in an interview at his reunion match that he is the wrong person to ask regards modern tennis. The public seems to like it he mentioned. Obviously he thought that there was more to the subject than what was being discussed.

Jimbo was right. I rarely say that word. But he wouldn't talk about it. Neither will I. We will watch these two jokers for the 54th time today. It's a clay court but it could be any court these days. Even the hybrid grass at Wimbledon plays the same as the clay in Rome. Come on Novak...I love you baby! Only on these occasions though. Otherwise I find you a tad obnoxious...not to mention as one dimensional as it gets. Not to mention boring. Did I ever tell you about the time that I had to drink five cups of coffee at the French Open watching him play Milos Raonic? Or was it six cups?

[stroke]

In the build up to this match, Novak seemed to have no problem emphasizing that Nadal is his greatest rival. I'm sure Roger just loved that. Gilles Muller is doing the commentary on these Rome matches(and doing a great job) on TennisTV and his fellow commentator asked him about who is the greatest among the big 3. Gilles did not really answer that, but he did say that he felt Novak would end up with more Grand Slams than Roger. Obviously, both Novak and Nadal are ahead of Roger in Master's 1000's. Those 3 in the 1000's are something. Novak in particular, with 33 Masters 1000 titles and winning all 9, to me is even more impressive than his GS accomplishments.

[don_budge]

Here we go...bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy,bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy...

[stroke]

Bouncy thumpy so far. Novak is getting thumped. The Nadal forehand in particular is in full flight. I thought this match would not have a real bearing on the FO, but this one may leave a mark.

[stroke]

Tennis TV just showed the rps numbers for the 1st set. That is their spin rate measurements. Not sure how it relates to rpm's, but Nadal was at 59 on forehands average. That is the highest I have seen.