Merry Christmas - 2022 Slam Predictions

[stotty]

Merry Christmas to all on the forum! It's gone deathly quiet the last week or so.

What will happen this year in the slams? Who will feature and who will win?

Novak has to be favourite for the Aussie Open if he is eligible and decides to play. Failing that, Meddy would be my bet. Novak and Meddy are about level at the moment but Novak always plays his best down under.

Rafa and Novak will be equal favourites for me at the FO but I honestly think Novak might just have his nose in front if they meet there again.

Novak must be favourite at SW19. He plays so well and grass and has gotten better each year.

I would put Meddy down for the US Open...or one of the other newcomers.

I think Roger is probably all done and would be surprised if he can put himself into any kind of contention.

[glacierguy]

Happy Christmas stotty! Not sure about the Slams, but already looking forward to the Aussie Open. Think I might post some stroke video in the New Year and wake up this forum!

[stotty]

hink I might post some stroke video in the New Year and wake up this forum!

Good idea!

[glacierguy]

OK, I will. Have been working on both groundstrokes, so might be interesting to see (I haven't videoed them at all yet).

Best wishes to forum.

[jimlosaltos]

Merry Christmas to all on the forum! It's gone deathly quiet the last week or so.

What will happen this year in the slams? Who will feature and who will win?

Novak has to be favourite for the Aussie Open if he is eligible and decides to play. Failing that, Meddy would be my bet. Novak and Meddy are about level at the moment but Novak always plays his best down under.

Rafa and Novak will be equal favourites for me at the FO but I honestly think Novak might just have his nose in front if they meet there again.

Novak must be favourite at SW19. He plays so well and grass and has gotten better each year.

I would put Meddy down for the US Open...or one of the other newcomers.

I think Roger is probably all done and would be surprised if he can put himself into any kind of contention.

Merry Christmas back at you!

I find it hard to predict any event before the draws.

Sure, Novak's the favorite until someone proves otherwise, but with more questions than ever. I

honestly don't know what to make of the situation with Novak.

When Novak lost at the Olympics he complained of being in "so much pain, so many medications" -- although he had only played 7 events going into Tokyo. Was he really in physical distress or was it all about the pressure?

Overall, he only played 62 matches across 14 events in the entire year.

In Paris, he looked unbeatable in taking out Meddy in the finals. So, he had righted the ship and everything is fine!

Then in Turin, Novak was completely overwhelmed by Zverev.

He has withdrawn from the ATP Cup.

I don't know how to add all that up.

[jimlosaltos]

As for Roger, my best guess is that he makes a comeback at the Laver Cup to say goodbye to fans, and to promote his homage to Rod Laver (which is very important to Fed) and maybe signs off at his home event in Basel.

He's already called Wimbledon unlikely, so if Fed truly feels the knee is up to a major, the US Open might be the only chance next year.

[stotty]

Merry Christmas back at you!

I find it hard to predict any event before the draws.

Sure, Novak's the favorite until someone proves otherwise, but with more questions than ever. I

honestly don't know what to make of the situation with Novak.

When Novak lost at the Olympics he complained of being in "so much pain, so many medications" -- although he had only played 7 events going into Tokyo. Was he really in physical distress or was it all about the pressure?

Overall, he only played 62 matches across 14 events in the entire year.

In Paris, he looked unbeatable in taking out Meddy in the finals. So, he had righted the ship and everything is fine!

Then in Turin, Novak was completely overwhelmed by Zverev.

He has withdrawn from the ATP Cup.

I don't know how to add all that up.

I don't think anyone knows what to make of Novak. He's a strange one. stroke and a few other posters think it's his way of dealing with pressure...they are probably right. At 34 he isn't in a position where he can pick and choose when to turn it on. He is dicing with his legacy in my view. He needs to play the Aussie Open and win it.

[jimlosaltos]

A friend assessed Novak's behavior as "situational narcissism", where people that are experts in some subject believe that makes them always right on every subject. Like, ex Apple CEO Sculley who thought being CEO of a soft drink company made him a tech expert. So, when "Australia" stands up to Djokovic, he is offended and feels a need to take a stand against what's wrong.

I don't know. Don't have a better idea.

Here's what Rublev said in Eurosport RU

Rublev, who got vaccinated 'right after Davis Cup Finals,' on Djokovic/AO suspense: Judging by the news, we shouldn't expect him to go. But they seem to be playing a poker game — who blinks first. I think it will all end with him not going to Australia.

[jimlosaltos]

Meanwhile, add Rublev to the list of players testing positive for Covid after Doha. {Doha is turning into the Adria Tour Redux}.

Most if not all of those players were vaccinated. Two report significant symptoms, Bencic is "ill", can't recall who the second one with bad symptoms is.

Shapo traveled to Australia before testing positive and now in isolation there.

Andrey Rublev in turn positive for Covid-19. After Raducanu, Bencic, Jabeur, Nadal and Shapovalov, the Russian is the 6th player who was present in Abu Dhabi to have contracted the virus.

With the contagion levels of Omicron approaching those of the measles the Australian events will be "interesting'.

[stotty]

Meanwhile, add Rublev to the list of players testing positive for Covid after Doha. {Doha is turning into the Adria Tour Redux}.

Most if not all of those players were vaccinated. Two report significant symptoms, Bencic is "ill", can't recall who the second one with bad symptoms is.

Shapo traveled to Australia before testing positive and now in isolation there.

Andrey Rublev in turn positive for Covid-19. After Raducanu, Bencic, Jabeur, Nadal and Shapovalov, the Russian is the 6th player who was present in Abu Dhabi to have contracted the virus.

With the contagion levels of Omicron approaching those of the measles the Australian events will be "interesting'.

Well I should have flown to America yesterday to visit my 89-year-old mother who lives in Maine. I was all packed and ready to go but then got a text at 3am in the morning telling me the flight to Philadelphia (the first leg of my journey before flying on to Bangor) was cancelled due to the flight crew testing positive. There was no option to rebook without long layovers so I had to cancel my trip.

It's annoying because every time I fly to my mother's I usually have to fly right over her house and a further 500 miles to Philadelphia only to then get a propellor plane back again, which takes a further two hours. Next time I was thinking of flying to Boston (just 7 hours form Heathrow) then getting the train from Boston to Bangor. I think it might work out quicker. I don't like Philadelphia airport either because getting anything decent to eat is a challenge. I did stop over at Detroit airport once which was significantly better.

Boston looks a nice place. I was reading about it this afternoon oddly enough.

Maine is scenic but bloody cold at this time of year.

What part of the country are you from, Jim, if you don't mind my asking?

[jimlosaltos]

Well I should have flown to America yesterday to visit my 89-year-old mother who lives in Maine. I was all packed and ready to go but then got a text at 3am in the morning telling me the flight to Philadelphia (the first leg of my journey before flying on to Bangor) was cancelled due to the flight crew testing positive. There was no option to rebook without long layovers so I had to cancel my trip.

It's annoying because every time I fly to my mother's I usually have to fly right over her house and a further 500 miles to Philadelphia only to then get a propellor plane back again, which takes a further two hours. Next time I was thinking of flying to Boston (just 7 hours form Heathrow) then getting the train from Boston to Bangor. I think it might work out quicker. I don't like Philadelphia airport either because getting anything decent to eat is a challenge. I did stop over at Detroit airport once which was significantly better.

Boston looks a nice place. I was reading about it this afternoon oddly enough.

Maine is scenic but bloody cold at this time of year.

What part of the country are you from, Jim, if you don't mind my asking?

Not at all, California. Silicon Valley to be more specific.

Pouring rain here the last week or so. Unusually cold (for this region, anyway) so loads of snow in nearby Tahoe, normally a few hours drive away.

Some would-be weekend skiers spent 26 hours in their cars, stopped on the road to Tahoe. Makes cleaning the leaves out of the rain gutters seem less a pain <g>.

But in a years' long drought, it's all good. We could use more British weather. Or Maine's

[klacr]

Merry Christmas to all on the forum! It's gone deathly quiet the last week or so.

What will happen this year in the slams? Who will feature and who will win?

Novak has to be favourite for the Aussie Open if he is eligible and decides to play. Failing that, Meddy would be my bet. Novak and Meddy are about level at the moment but Novak always plays his best down under.

Rafa and Novak will be equal favourites for me at the FO but I honestly think Novak might just have his nose in front if they meet there again.

Novak must be favourite at SW19. He plays so well and grass and has gotten better each year.

I would put Meddy down for the US Open...or one of the other newcomers.

I think Roger is probably all done and would be surprised if he can put himself into any kind of contention.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Apologies for not being consistent enough on this forum. 2021 has been a wildly busy and prosperous year. I cannot wait for 2022 to be even bigger and better.

Here are my predictions: Australian Open: Medvedev/Muguruza
French Open: Djokovic/Badosa
Wimbledon: Federer/Barty
US Open: Djokovic/Pliskova


Kyle LaCroix USPTA, PTR
Delray Beach
SETS Consulting

http://www.setsconsult.org

[jimlosaltos]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Apologies for not being consistent enough on this forum. 2021 has been a wildly busy and prosperous year. I cannot wait for 2022 to be even bigger and better.

Here are my predictions: Australian Open: Medvedev/Muguruza
French Open: Djokovic/Badosa
Wimbledon: Federer/Barty
US Open: Djokovic/Pliskova


Kyle LaCroix USPTA, PTR
Delray Beach
SETS Consulting

http://www.setsconsult.org

Against my better judgment I'll jump in. Normally, I am reluctant to make projections for any event before I see the draws, let alone months in advance, but I'll be a good sport and stick my neck out < g >.
.
.

Australian: Medvedev / Barty
French: Nadal / Badosa or Świątek
Wimbledon: Djokovic / Barty
US Open: Zverev / Osaka

I almost picked Tsitsipas for Roland Garros after his great run this year and his 2 set lead of Novak there before succumbing. Thiem's comeback from injury seems impossible for me to judge. He might win the French or have his career truncated. I don't know. I wanted to pick someone to break through for the men at Wimbledon, but none of the 20-something's seems to move and return well on grass, for whatever reason.

As for Fed, I hope Kyle's bold prediction is right. It would be historic. But Fed's said coming back by Wimbledon would be difficult and -- it's his fourth knee operation. Fourth/ 3 on this one. It would be a miracle. We don't know what the surgery was. By 3/4 it must be regenerative surgery. The record of elite athletes coming back from microfracture is dismal, but the record for grafting a slim slice of bone top from a cadaver -- with a "seed" of cartilage -- is supposedly better. {That's reportedly what NFL 49ers star running back Raheem Mostert had early this year.}.

My guess is that we'll be fortunate to see Fed by the Laver Cup, perhaps with a swan song back home in Basil. Sorry if that's too negative.

#

[stotty]

Predictions are great fun...nothing wrong in sticking one's neck out. God knows what Novak is playing at and why he won't let fans and organisers know his intentions...bizarre. He can't leave it any longer, surely. Nadal must be licking his lips at the mere thought of Novak being absent...and the rest of the pack.

[stroke]

Predictions are great fun...nothing wrong in sticking one's neck out. God knows what Novak is playing at and why he won't let fans and organisers know his intentions...bizarre. He can't leave it any longer, surely. Nadal must be licking his lips at the mere thought of Novak being absent...and the rest of the pack.

I certainly like to make predictions, which are almost always wrong. I am picking Alcaraz to win the FO.