2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters...ATP 1000...Monte Carlo, Monaco

[stroke]

I love this tournament, the prettiest venue in tennis. It has been great tennis but like Stotty, I even though I certainly could not appreciate any more the greatness of the 3, it seems like it is time for a change, yet they just keep on reiterating that they are stand alone. At this point, to me, there is nothing more to say. Should anyone beat Novak or Nadal in this tournament before they play each other, I will chime back in. Otherwise, well it is what it is here. That being said, should they meet here, particularly after Novak's less than impressive effort vs Nadal at the FO, it would be a compelling matchup. As great as Novak is and all he has accomplished, I was disappointed at what appeared to be his lack of intensity (and what seemed belief) vs Nadal at FO. Nadal could not be more predictable. He is always going to compete as if his life depends on it. All know what is coming.

[don_budge]

Looking forward to Evans vs Hurkacz. I too watched the Lajovic match yesterday and was impressed by Evans's gumption (yet again) and belief in his all-court game. You only have to watch him save break points by serve-volleying on clay to realise he is different. Lajovic (whom I like) was seriously out of sorts and felt the court was against him (net cords, bad bounces, skids off line, etc) with some justification.

As DB has said, plucky Evans is always a good watch. He really competes well, but so does Hurkacz. Evans can get under some players skin, but that will not be in play vs the very even tempered Hurkacz. Hurkacz to me just is a better tennis player, but it should be a competitive match.

I was watching the Stef interview yesterday after his win vs Karatsev. He said his goal was actually to join the legends of the game(implied big 3). He then said "I am nowhere close but that is my goal". We will never hear Fabio say anything like that.

If Daniel Evans isn't careful...well, why should he be. The guy likes to take down the big boys. I remember seeing him take down Karen Khachenov. He, too, was definitely out of sorts after a couple of hours on the court with Evans. Hurkacz was in a similar state of mind towards the end of his match. He'd had enough of Evans pluck. Of the Evans guile. He's a clever boy. I don't understand what the beef is about him getting under player's skin. I know what it is. They don't like his tactics. He doesn't give them the rhythm they like. Bouncy...bouncy...bouncy. They would rather that he stay back like the rest of them. Why does he have to be different?

He's different alright. He is actually playing tennis. He hasn't entered the upper echelon yet. I wonder if he will. It doesn't matter to me. I would rather watch Daniel Evans then any other tennis player out there now. Now that Roger Federer is all but gone. Evans is making me look like a genius. All along everyone has been playing the junior game in the pro ranks and along comes this gigantic character in a small package. He's playing tennis for goodness sake. Utilizing the slice backhand against the power of the two handed backhand. Redefining the word "power" to match the don_budge definition of power. What is power? Control is power. What is control? Control is made up of three elements...spin, speed and placement. Control the ball and you control your opponent. Control your opponent and you control the match. The power of the Evan's game is cerebral. Never give your opponent a shot he likes to hit. No wonder they get all antsy out there playing Daniel Evans. They don't have the patience.

He's up against Novak Djokovic. This is going to be very interesting. Novak destroyed Jannik Sinner in their maiden voyage. Can he do the same to Daniel Evans? Does Evans have anything to offset the seemingly impenetrable human backboard. Djokovic a sly mixture of Mr. Gumby and Harry Houdini. He's a sly one.

Interesting comment by Stefanos Tsitsipas. But better to go out on the court than to sit around jawing about it in the interview room. He is nowhere close to the top echelon. He looks good but he is sorely lacking in a couple of departments. Most of all...consistency. His win over Karatsev was rather impressive though. He has to maintain that level throughout the tournament. Throughout the year.

[don_budge]

2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Open Match of the Day: Novak Djokovic vs. Daniel Evans

I don't have time to write much now. It's off to the golf course for a "quick" eighteen. But Evans has broken Novak in the first game. The bigger they come, the harder they fall. That is the Daniel Evans mantra. He has been waiting for a shot at Novak for a long time now. We will see how it goes. Give me an update...anyone. I might just check my phone at the turn.

[stroke]

Kudos to Evans. Novak certainly not in a squeezing lockdown mood with 45 unforced errors, but Dan did what he needed to do. Dan saves a lot of energy with his very nice slice backhand, which is one of the best after Fed. I just could not help but think what Nadal would do with that thing. Dan would be retrieving balls over in the player box area, kind of where Grigor is headed.

[stroke]

I don't think I have ever seen a player as good as Grigor come out to compete with as little hope as he did today vs Nadal. Nadal, the hope killer.

[stroke]

Nadal match record at FO, 100 wins, 2 losses. On clay career record, 436 wins, 39 losses. To me, the greatest single achievement in all of sports ever.

[stroke]

Match of the day tomorrow, Nadal vs the Goblin. Rublev is a warrior. Oddsmakers have Nadal at an 88% chance of winning. I do not think Rublev has given up all hope though. I like his attitude. He knows what is coming.

[don_budge]

2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Open Match of the Day: David Goffin vs. Daniel Evans

2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Open Match of the Day: Novak Djokovic vs. Daniel Evans

I don't have time to write much now. It's off to the golf course for a "quick" eighteen. But Evans has broken Novak in the first game. The bigger they come, the harder they fall. That is the Daniel Evans mantra. He has been waiting for a shot at Novak for a long time now. We will see how it goes. Give me an update...anyone. I might just check my phone at the turn.

Match of the day tomorrow, Nadal vs the Goblin. Rublev is a warrior. Oddsmakers have Nadal at an 88% chance of winning. I do not think Rublev has given up all hope though. I like his attitude. He knows what is coming.

The quick eighteen turned out to be just that...three hours and ten minutes. Walking. A bit of a surprise...Daniel Evans over Novak Djokovic. The guy is making me look like a genius. For all of the right reasons. Can you imagine if all of the athletes on the tour were playing tennis like Daniel Evans instead of the junior game? I still could do without all of the big racquets. The bazookas. Just a great win for Evans and now for the acid test. The day after. A post Novak win hangover and coming out flat against the "lesser" David Goffin. To handle the emotions in a situation like this is tough. I get the feeling that Evans has an inner strength. He certainly has a nice looking lady pal.

So the intrigue ratchets up a notch. Come on stroke...we know all about "The Detestable One". Who doesn't hate this idiot? My golf partner said he cannot even bear to look at Nadal. This guy is an excellent tennis player himself. There is nothing new under the sun with Nadal. Rublev has yet to prove he is that warrior. He has had some good results but he has yet to do anything on the big stage. If he is going to do something...now would be the time.

Evans is 1-0 head to head over Goffin. Should he make it 2-0 he will have a place in the semi-finals against Stefanos Tsitsipas...presumptuously. Although this Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has other ideas. He didn't show any mercy or fear or respect in toppling Alex de Minaur or Matteo Berrettini or Lucas Pouille to earn his shot at Tsitsipas. Why would he cut Tsitsipas any slack. For Tsitsipas this is another opportunity to show that he deserves to be at the top echelon of the game. Instead of talking about it he has a chance to actually do something about it. Again. He has yet to really convert but he is still being seasoned. It's a process. Sometimes it takes longer than others. One thing that I like about Tsitsipas that I saw from the beginning with him...he has the stomach and the audacity to make it through the valleys in the rollercoaster ride. Perhaps he has a taste for life like Zorba.

Then there is "The Fabulous One" down below who has stealthily snuck through under the radar in lieu of Daniil Medvedev who apparently caught a bug. Three solid wins for Fognini and another solid opponent today in Casper Ruud. A Scandinavian product. Interesting enough...a hot blooded Italian and a polar creature Norwegian. Norway is a splendid country by the way.

[don_budge]

Daniel Evans..."I felt comfortable from the outset".

Novak Djokovic..."He dismantled my game".

Whenever a professional golfer has a super round and they talk about it afterwards in an interview they invariably say..."I felt comfortable over the ball today". The comment by Djokovic is telling and it goes right along the story line I have been writing about Daniel Evans. He doesn't overpower his opponents...he tactically defeats them. But in that sense he is overpowering them in the subtle subterfuge of tactical tennis. I noticed the same sort of frustrated look on Novak early on in the match that I saw with Hurkacz the day before.

I believe that there are inherent weaknesses in the modern game paradigm and a player like Evans has the tools to "dismantle" it. The match with Goffin is going to be very, very interesting. Psychologically and tactically.

[stroke]

One thing I have found interesting is following the RPS(rotations per second) of all the players in this tournament, which is being supplied by TennisTV. The heaviest have been Berrettini, Nadal, Tsitsipas, Ruud, Fognini, and Karatsev. One thing that is not measured is what appears to be Nadal's unique hook spin that expands the court east west, particularly of course to the ad side.

[stroke]

Very impressive 1st set taken by Ruud vs Fognini. 2 of the top 6 clay courters in the world going at it. Both have such heavy forehands.

[stroke]

Rublev, one of the most impressive wins I have ever seen.

[seano]

Rublev's mental toughness to take over the 3rd set after being up a break in the 2nd set, was very impressive. Rublev was aggressive the whole match and hit some really big forehands. Great win

[stroke]

Oddmakers have Rublev as a strong favorite over Ruud. Rublev just had 2 very physically demanding wins back to back. Now he has Ruud, a young top shelf clay courter on tap. This would be a great time to bet on Ruud.

[don_budge]

2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Open...Semifinals (Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Daniel Evans and Andrey Rublev vs. Caspar Ruud)

I love this tournament, the prettiest venue in tennis. It has been great tennis but like Stotty, I even thought I certainly could not appreciate any more the greatness of the 3, it seems like it is time for a change, yet they just keep on reiterating that they are stand alone. At this point, to me, there is nothing more to say. Should anyone beat Novak or Nadal in this tournament before they play each other, I will chime back in. Otherwise, well it is what it is here. That being said, should they meet here, particularly after Novak's less than impressive effort vs Nadal at the FO, it would be a compelling matchup. As great as Novak is and all he has accomplished, I was disappointed at what appeared to be his lack of intensity (and what seemed belief) vs Nadal at FO. Nadal could not be more predictable. He is always going to compete as if his life depends on it. All know what is coming.

All know what is coming...or do we?

This tournament is starting to grow on me too. What a great venue for Rafael to take a great fall. Still having to fetch his own towel. He has to be careful about over doing it. He has to pick and choose his trip to the rag now. The clock is working against him. Much as Father Time is. He might not be done just yet. stroke has him penciled in winning another French Open. But Andrei Rublev showed him the door. Now that was a beautiful thing.

In the top half we have two one-handed backhands in Daniel Evans and Stefanos Tsitsipas. When was the last time this occurred at an ATP 1000 event? Who knows what to make of Daniel's chances? Nobody gave him a chance against Novak Djokovic. Well, almost nobody. Tsitsipas for his part seems to be trying to convince himself that he belongs at the top echelon of the game and once again he has an opportunity. A golden opportunity. He's cruising along. He has an opponent that he overwhelms in ranking. He has overwhelmed said opponent twice, including once on clay. This is the point where a young up and coming champion comes of age. But it is one match at a time. IF he gets by Mr. Evans, he just might get the conqueror of the Conquistador.

Rublev has had a couple tough three setters and this shouldn't be a problem for him. This is what makes you tougher. He has to dig in for another dog fight with Caspar Ruud...the Norwegian Labrador Retriever. He's gong to run everything down and return it with interest. Rublev showed yesterday he is capable of retiring "The Greatest Clay Court Player" ever. This could get interesting...as if it hasn't been already.

Two clear favourites and two players chomping at the bit. The likely outcome is Tsitsipas vs. Rublev. A win, win situation. This tournament has been a success on a level that we haven't seen in a long, long time.