ATP Finals

[don_budge]

I have watched bits and pieces of a few of the matches. Nothing to sustain my interest. Saw a bit of Nadal vs. Thiem but it is less than compelling. This is the post modern era of tennis. The patterns of play are mind numbing monotonous and it doesn't seem to matter who takes the court. I was a decent amount of Djokovic and Medvedev and this business of Novak performing less than expected is becoming to be a less than rare event. Now I have seen it a couple of times. This is not a good trend.

Without the audience this event is even less compelling than usual. The only match that really seems to count is the final. The rest of it is sort of like jockeying for position. Then there is the game changer...no Roger Federer. Federer more and more becomes larger than "The Living Proof" status with his absence. The is not one charismatic player left after he leaves the stadium. We all want Stefanos to step up and be that somebody but it doesn't seem to me that he knows how to fill those big shoes. The rest of them? Cookie cutter tennis players. Andrey Rublev? The noise he makes is becoming very familiarly annoying.

The audience now becomes a missing link as well. Little did we know how boring this game has actually become. I had lunch with my protege, Gustaf, who is now pursuing the architecture program at the Gothenburg University. I coached him into this as I assessed his human attributes, experience and temperament. I couldn't be more proud of this young man. His entire family sort of became a Swedish family away from home for me as I wrote almost forty research papers with Gustaf's mother. Now he brings his projects to me to discuss and critique. Not that I know anything about architecture but I do know something about support and motivation. Coaching the game within the game. But he says much the same about a lack of audience and the post modern era. He sees the same thing in his studies...where to go with architecture after the modern era. After the industrial/technology era. My suggestion is to look into the past and connect the dots of the past to the present and into the future. Much as President Putin has exhibited in his restructuring of Russian society.

Maybe I will watch a bit of Tsitsipas and Nadal. I keep looking for that spark in Stefanos. The one where he comes out and just kicks this idiots ass. They had a match down under in the semis of the Aussie Open that seems to have stalled Tsitsipas' career in some respects. He lost and came away saying that Nadal has a way of making you play bad..."that's a talent", he said of Nadal. I would like to see him reverse that trend if only in this exhibition like atmosphere in the Tour Finals. The tournament needs a shot in the arm badly. You cannot underestimate the Federer effect when he is in the draw.

[stroke]

I do also feel like Novak is having a bit too many matches where he is performing below expectations. Thst being said, I just always go back to his record, what he has accomplished playing in an era with Fed and Nadal. I still shake my head at his accomplishments vs those 2. Fed has that stand alone perfect technique, and the mental game to go with it. Nadal to be honest has the left handedness to go with to me the best forehand of all time(which is a lot) along with the strongest mental game ever to me. And yet Novak, he has none of that, but there he is. Like Nadal, there is not much one could say to me he does better than Fed. Nadal the forehand(even though that is up for debate), and Novak, the backhand(even tough that is up for debate), and the return of serve, which is huge, but in the total toolbox of tennis, neither seems to stack up that favorably vs Fed.

[stotty]

Nadal v Stephanos

Nadal 6-4 and 1-1 and looking very formidable at the moment. Nadal looks comfortable while Stephanos's game is on a knife-edge trying to keep up. I'm not sure his backhand is up to the task and I cannot see him breaking Nadal's serve anytime this year. He needs Nadal to have a serving blip.

[stotty]

A blip it is and we're into the third...

[stroke]

Great 2nd set by Stef, and Nadal also. Stef hung around, continued to play every point 100% effort and got rewarded with a break at 5-4 in the 2nd set. He obviously still needs to do the same to give himself a chance in the 3rd. Nadal is not down on himself ha.

[stotty]

Normal service is resumed...5-2...looks like goodnight for Stephanos.

[stroke]

Nadal what can we say. He is just a better tennis player. The only question is when he will ever not win 2 or 3 more FO's. Stef did not give in to me, but he just has no answers to what Nadal is doing out there. What makes it a bit more discouraging out there for these poor opponents is Nadal just does the same thing all the time, he could not be more predictable, and that in his case is a compliment.

[stotty]

Nadal what can we say. He is just a better tennis player. The only question is when he will ever not win 2 or 3 more FO's. Stef did not give in to me, but he just has no answers to what Nadal is doing out there. What makes it a bit more discouraging out there for these poor opponents is Nadal just does the same thing all the time, he could not be more predictable, and that in his case is a compliment.

So true. Most of the tour (and me and you) know exactly where Nadal's shots are going before he's hit them...yet no one can do a darn thing about it.

[stotty]

First up Zverev v Djokovic

Zverev is dangerous when he has little to lose and feels like the underdog so the match might be a challenge for Novak. In his match versus Medvedev it's the first time I have seen Novak look half a step slower than his opponent. Medvedev at one point ran up to a poorly hit drop shot of Novak's then scurried back to the baseline (haven't see that since Berasategui) to continue the rally. Just shows how uncomfortable in the forecourt the guy is.

[stroke]

Medvedev may become the uneasiest on the eye #1 player ever at some point. He hardly ever misses obviously off both sides, his backhand is not pretty and his forehand is just ugly. His serve is ok but certainly not the prettiness of Fed, the fast twice brutality of Roddick, or even the massive swing/spin of Nadal. He reminds me of a more consistent Florian Mayer, but Florian had way better hands.

[don_budge]

Medvedev may become the uneasiest on the eye #1 player ever at some point. He hardly ever misses obviously off both sides, his backhand is not pretty and his forehand is just ugly. His serve is ok but certainly not the prettiness of Fed, the fast twice brutality of Roddick, or even the massive swing/spin of Nadal. He reminds me of a more consistent Florian Mayer, but Florian had way better hands.

That is a pretty darn good comparison stroke. Florian "The Quirk" Mayer. "Mr. Pencil" is a bit quirky himself. Pretty darn good hands to boot.

[stroke]

Novak looking dialed in clinical early on. Up a quick 2-0 with Alex a double for the break. And his 2nd serve looks still shaky.

[stotty]

Yes Novak is laser-focused so far (now a set up and 1-1). Zverev needs to serve bombs and get more aggressive off the ground.

[stroke]

2nd set goes to tiebreaker. Alex has hit like 23 winners to Novak's 3 this ser to get there.

[stotty]

Rock solid in the tie-break as per usual. Shame, Zverev was really playing well in the second set and deserved to win it. Novak just so solid when it counts...as always. Not sure about his backhand bail out drop shot selection at times...bizarre.