2021 Rolex Paris Masters...ATP 1000...Paris, France

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See how his is channeling his inner "Baby Fed"...with the slice. Zverev is having a momentary serving lapse and Grigor needs to take advantage of it. The opportunity might not present itself again.

Smallest of margains. But in our dreams, who among us would not prefer to look like Grigor out there technique wise?

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I think maybe the bottom line is Alex has a top tier 1sr serve, and and a backhand that is 2nd to maybe only Novak, and his forehand in also nearly as good as Novak's. Like Novak, there is not a whole lot of room to attack.

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Ruud is so tough. I have him as the 4th favorite at FO behind Nadal, Novak, Alcaraz.

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Seb wins the 1st set vs Medvedev looking like the way better tennis player, but still a ways to go. We will see.

[stotty]

Disappointing the way Korda fell away in the third set. I've seen him fall away a number of times in matches now. Talented player and nice to watch so let's hope he comes through in the next year or two. Medvedev was playing close to his best by the end of the match and rolled out the comfortable winner with room to spare.

[jimlosaltos]

Ruud is so tough. I have him as the 4th favorite at FO behind Nadal, Novak, Alcaraz.

No Thiem? Think he won't be match ready?

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Hey Jim, I am not an oddsmaker. Just my opinion.

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Match of the day Novak vs Fritz. Novak is of course the heavy favorite, but Fritz is really playing well and seems to really believe in himself now. I would certainly not be shocked if Taylor could pull off a big upset here. Zverev vs Ruud looks very enticing also. Ruud is really playing well, as is Zverev obviously.

[stotty]

I really like the way Zverev is playing at the moment. He's aggressive off the ground and his court positioning is way better than it was. Strange the way his second serve lands him in trouble and his first serve gets him out of it. He's still suspect in a crisis, though, and you never feel you can rely on him to get through the tougher parts of a match. Just love his backhand and I'm beginning to think it's the best out there.

[stroke]

I really like the way Zverev is playing at the moment. He's aggressive off the ground and his court positioning is way better than it was. Strange the way his second serve lands him in trouble and his first serve gets him out of it. He's still suspect in a crisis, though, and you never feel you can rely on him to get through the tougher parts of a match. Just love his backhand and I'm beginning to think it's the best out there.

It is right there with Novak. It has more impact when he goes for it, but I do not think he can lock it down like Novak. Certainly, his return off the bh is not on Noval level.

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Match of the day no doubt Zverev vs Medvedev. Medvedev a slight favorite with a 56.5% implied probability of winning. Zverev certainly seems to have good value as an underdog bet here.

[don_budge]

Three really solid wins from Taylor Fritz coming off a big week in Russia. He beats #27 Lorenzo Sonego in the first round and follows it up with a straight set over Ruska Rublev who is #6. Norrie was ranked #13 as Taylor takes him down in straight sets as well to get the match he wanted once the draw was made. He gets a shot at the top player in the world who could possibly be in for a big surprise. Novak hasn't had a lot of match play recently and his last match opted out for something a bit more cozy than Djokovic. I seriously doubt "The Amazing Mr. Monfils" had any qualms about playing Djokovic other than whatever it is that is ailing him. Monfils doesn't give me that impression. He would just as soon play the top player rather than putting his reputation on the line against lesser known quantities.

Taylor has done a remarkable job as of late lifting American tennis up by the boot laces. Now it is to his compadres to do the same. They need to take a deep breath and tell themselves that this is not enough. Marcos Giron ranked #57, has to like what he has in the next round. He gets a shot at a Top Ten player in Casper Ruud ranked #6. He has got absolutely nothing to lose in this matchup and he needs to come out of the gates acting like he belongs in the same building as the upper echelon. He has already defeated Frances Tiafoe #41 and Diego Schwartzman #15. Possibly a big match for Giron if he can make it one. Sebastian Korda also has some big steak on his plate in the world's #2 in Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev also has not played a lot of matches lately so there is just a tad of a question mark regarding his form. Korda has to come out strong and make Medvedev ask himself the existential questions.

Korda took down Marin Cilic and Aslan Karatsev in back to back matches. The #13 and #28 ranked players respectively. Sebastian can send a big, big message to the tennis world if he can catch Medvedev off guard just a bit and surprise him with his arsenal. Big day for American tennis. The numbers of the players that they have taken down so far is impressive and if they can each do their part here it is going to make waves in the tennis world.

Good to see some Americans mixing it up in the quarters with the elite players. They did themselves proud and have nothing to hang their heads down for. Tiafoe the week before was trying to show he belongs too. This is an interesting development and it looks as if Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda have joined Opelka and Isner as players to be taken seriously. It is all in the process. How will they process their performances and what will they take from the experience? This is where a good coach...a good cornerman can be most helpful. It's a mental game and believing that you belong there is one thing and believing that you deserve to win is another. Levels of the game...that is what Arthur Ashe called it in his book by the same name.

[don_budge]

Match of the day no doubt Zverev vs Medvedev. Medvedev a slight favorite with a 56.5% implied probability of winning. Zverev certainly seems to have good value as an underdog bet here.

Definitely the marquis attraction. Endless backcourt duels no doubt. On a side note...I didn't see the Caspar Ruud match with Alexander Zverev but it looks to have been fairly tight. Ruud's stock has really gone up in the past year. A steep climb.

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Good to see some Americans mixing it up in the quarters with the elite players. They did themselves proud and have nothing to hang their heads down for. Tiafoe the week before was trying to show he belongs too. This is an interesting development and it looks as if Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda have joined Opelka and Isner as players to be taken seriously. It is all in the process. How will they process their performances and what will they take from the experience? This is where a good coach...a good cornerman can be most helpful. It's a mental game and believing that you belong there is one thing and believing that you deserve to win is another. Levels of the game...that is what Arthur Ashe called it in his book by the same name.

Fritz has been playing well. Novak, well he looked like a guy that has won 20 Majors and all the 1000's twice.

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Definitely the marquis attraction. Endless backcourt duels no doubt. On a side note...I didn't see the Caspar Ruud match with Alexander Zverev but it looks to have been fairly tight. Ruud's stock has really gone up in the past year. A steep climb.

Ruud no doubt. A real professional who wants to get all he can out of his career. I think he is the 4th favorite at RG after Nadal, Novak, and Alcaraz.