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

[don_budge]

Another real tournament...back to back authentic clay court tournaments. Roger Federer in the house once again in his dry run to Roland Garros. Last weeks tournament was a total win for him as he got the much needed feel for the clay back. He lost to one of the top clay court players in the world deep into the third set and he even had a couple of match points. Losing that match was just a matter of fact as he left the rest of the tourney to the other lions while he went his merry way to repair any damage he did to his body. He is counting his steps to Roland Garros. Getting a finger on his own pulse to see what he has in the tank before he makes his last determined run at the French Open.

Depending upon how he feels we will see how deep he goes here. If he is so inclined it will be Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarters...God willing.

Just as in Madrid this tournament has all of the makings of another gala event. Last weeks tournament took a lot of people by surprise as to how good it actually was. But that was no mistake. That is evidence that we have turned the corner into the next culmination point in tennis. The post Roger Federer Era. The good news is really good. For the last ten years or so the game has really suffered for a lack of depth and one dimensional play. If the tournament in Madrid is any true indication of things to come then the future is a bit brighter than it appeared to be even a year ago. I think that with the emergence of Stefanos Tsitsipas and also Dominic Thiem some balance just might be restored to the game.

The change puts everyone on their guard and forces them to up the ante. No longer is it the "Big Four" that assured of semi-final and final berths in every single tournament. Now it becomes an adventure and the luck of the draw. There are upsets in the offing. Anyone that thinks that Novak Djokovic is still the boss has another thing coming. He is going to be one of the contenders but nothing will be guaranteed. He lucked out a bit in Madrid in getting a walkover from Marin Cilic but if Cilic shows up and gives him a battle Djokovic might just have been a bit more vulnerable to Thiem who had his hands full with Federer the day before. As it was Thiem put a lot of pressure on Djokovic and the margin of victory was a slim 7-6, 7-6 score.

So here's the draw and the projections are going to be interesting into the quarterfinals where we saw the action get hot in Madrid. Look for much of the same here in Rome. That twenty six inch sword is looking to be right at home to the nearby ancient colosseum. Gladiators...start your engines.

https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/current/rome/416/draws?matchtype=singles

[stroke]

Fognini has Tsonga in 2nd round and maybe Stefanos in 3rd, winner to get maybe Fed in 4th. Thiem vs Nadal in 4th possibly. Zverev has a favorable draw until the maybe the semis, it he makes it that far, which would be a reach to predict that at this point with him. Del Po gets Stan or Goffin in 2nd round. Tough out there.

[don_budge]

Fognini has Tsonga in 2nd round and maybe Stefanos in 3rd, winner to get maybe Fed in 4th. Thiem vs Nadal in 4th possibly. Zverev has a favorable draw until the maybe the semis, it he makes it that far, which would be a reach to predict that at this point with him. Del Po gets Stan or Goffin in 2nd round. Tough out there.

The "Fabulous One" won't be counting his chickens before they hatch with Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. Tsonga owns him 4-1 head to head. Alexander Zverev best not make any arrangements either pending the results of his first match. Matteo Berrettini might just prove to be a handful for the struggling young man Zverev. Berrettini lost the only match on record between the two but coincidentally it was at last years Italian Open. Zverev was still riding the wave of some good results in 2017, including the winner of this tournament. But Matteo was ranked #103 last year at this time compared to #33 now. He has been rapidly climbing the ranks. He is among a bunch of up and comers who are suddenly sprouting wings.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has a fascinating proposition as well. Jannik Sinner is only seventeen years old and he already has dispatched American Steve Johnson, ranked #59, to the next destination. Sinner is also Italian so he will be the darling of the tournament trying to steal Tsitsipas' thunder.

This is the deepest that I have seen the field in the ten years or so that I have been participating on the forum. Lots and lots of fresh talent and young faces. I believe that this tournament can only get better than the last one as the drama will build on top of each tournament until the French Open.

[stotty]

The draw looks very bottom heavy to me...form-wise. The Living Proof will have his work cut out as will Nadal. As don_budge suggests there are new players around who finally have a game and some belief...and who are snapping at the heels. Will the Living Proof soon become the Dying Proof? That's inevitable, of course, but can he last a little longer? As Paul Newman said in the film Hombre: "We all gotta’ die, it’s only a matter of when."

Another good tournament coming up. I just love the clay court swing.

[stroke]

Medvedev plays Nick 1st round. Who knows if Nick will want to go to work. Medvedev will.

[don_budge]

Medvedev plays Nick 1st round. Who knows if Nick will want to go to work. Medvedev will.

Denis "The Menace" Shapovalov to play Novak Djokovic first round. So many names...relatively new names. If a guy like Shapovalov can catch fire...if Nick could get his head on straight. It is becoming a long list. It is the new culmination point. Delayed a couple of years with Federer's resurgence.

[gzhpcu]

The Italian Tennis Federation has irked fans by doubling the price of tickets as soon as Roger said he would play. They justified it by saying it was to reward the fans who bought tickets before Roger announced he would play!

[nytennisaddict]

The Italian Tennis Federation has irked fans by doubling the price of tickets as soon as Roger said he would play. They justified it by saying it was to reward the fans who bought tickets before Roger announced he would play!

will be interesting to see how folks will vote with their money....

[don_budge]

It's a bizness...all about the Benjamin's. But it's bang for the buck and even though this sounds a bit cynical...Roger is worth it. They are cashing in on the cash cow. Only Roger can command such high esteem and marquee billing. You will see just how right I am and always have been...this guy carried the tour the last ten years. Forget about Djokovic and Nadal...they were the supporting cast. This guy is "The Living Proof" and he is going to last beyond his playing years. His distinct impression that he has left on the game. To single handedly carry on the traditions of the sport. It is all in the teaching paradigm of don_budge.

Then there was Stefanos Tsitsipas. Even though there is a whole lot to do for him to live up to the billing as Roger has.

[stroke]

Nick beats Medvedev, no easy ask, making it look like an exhibition match at times. He really could beat anyone on clay(or any other surface) any time(I think even Novak). It will be interesting to see if he wants to compete for this title. His serve is so good, still raining down aces even on clay. And of course he has movement, touch, and power. As Scotty would say, I cannot warm up to him, but he is as talented as Federer to me. He could see Novak in the quarters.

[stroke]

Alex loses his 1st match of the tournament to Berrettini, an "upset" that a lot of folks were anticipating. Alex definitely looked like the 2nd best player out there. It is tough out there. When I watch Alex play after seeing Nick, I am thinking that the only thing Alex has tennis wise on Nick is maybe a slightly better backhand. Nick can do everything else, 1st and 2nd serve, forehand, volley, movement, touch, taking the return of serve early, clearly better.

[don_budge]

It's a tournament alright. The action is already heating up and I think that this is just a continuation of the week before. The players are still simmering from last weeks matches and it is carrying over into this week. I haven't seen this sort of phenomena in a long, long time. One more thing..."The Next Generation" is "The Now Generation". You can just about lay off the hype now because it is ready to fly on its own volition.

Action. Right from the get go today. But already in the early rounds we are seeing casualties. Stan Wawrinka gone. Alex Zverev gone. Daniil Medvedev gone. Gael Monfils gone. Grigor Dimitrov gone. On and on it goes. Today just brings the temperature to a boil. Last weeks heroes become this weeks targets. Every one is facing the heat.

The tournament saw its stock increase when Roger Federer showed up. The old don_budge saying of "it's not a tournament unless Federer is in the draw" may becoming less and less relevant with his new charges Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem in the house. But still it is Federer's house...when he shows up. The tournament paying homage to the greatness and the charisma of Roger as they up the price of admission...and fittingly so. It is what the market will bear and when Roger is in the draw at this point in his career it is top dollar.

Starting off the day at 11 AM here in Europe is will be none other than Roger playing against Joao Sousa. Interestingly enough it just keeps on getting better the whole day long until it is Novak Djokovic playing Denis "The Menace" Shapovalov in the night venue. This is what you call depth in a tournament. Now you have real depth and not the same old same old of the past ten years. It's sort of crazy how so many top names of yesterday have disappeared or are missing in action yet their places are being filled with fresh and eager faces. I am stunned how quickly the new culmination point has taken place. You can mark "The Madrid Open" as the point when the worm turned. The French Open is going to be a donnybrook.

[stroke]

a donnybrook alright, I love the physical nature of the clay court swing, always have, but this year it does seem to be at a zenith

[stroke]

Well, this rain delay is obviously going to be a big factor in this tournament. Someone, like maybe Fed, may be a benefit from other players having to deal with some very quick turnarounds on matches

[don_budge]

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.