Roland Garros Update

[stotty]

Strange let down from Novak to gift Rafa that third set...didn't see that coming.

[stotty]

Nadal playing really well to break back to make it 4-5 in the fourth....looking like a real tour de force. Novak will have to serve immaculately to stay in this match in my view. Nadal is striking an incredibly length. Don't think I have ever seen him hit his forehand as well as this.

[stroke]

Nadal playing really well to break back to make it 4-5 in the fourth....looking like a real tour de force. Novak will have to serve immaculately to stay in this match in my view. Nadal is striking an incredibly length. Don't think I have ever seen him hit his forehand as well as this.

As I have said before, the best forehand ever.

[stroke]

Novak certainly did not acknowledge the hideous French crowd as he left the court. I certainly cannot blame him. I do think he also may have lost his patience with Nadal's pre serve routine and the pretty much complete lack of rules enforcement by the umpires with regard to the time rules that are in place. That being said, it is very difficult at this point not to crown Nadal as the best player ever, even though Novak is certainly still in the conversation.

[jimlosaltos]

Rafa certainly raised his level of play toward the end.

But Novak's tactics perplexed. Through the second set the TC announcers agreed with what I'd been yelling at the screen -- while Novak was rock solid from the baseline, he wouldn't even try to put away a short, midcourt ball. And his drop shot, and slice backhand? Novak should have just put those clubs back in his bag and. Just. Not. Used. Either.

High quality returns by Novak, high quality groundstrokes by both. Tactics? Perhaps Novak thought Rafa couldn't last so he'd grind from the baseline until Rafa faded, foot in pain?

As for the complaints about Rafa stalling, strange as they may be coming from Novak, he was absolutely right. When Novak was screaming at the ump midway through, I couldn't make it out. But the local {Tennis Channel announcers} said Novak was complaining about the constant delays and the chair basically told him to stop complaining.

Did the Federation Francaise de Tennisjust suspend the rules for this match?

[jimlosaltos]

I fear this match may have been successful enough that Roland Garros will make playing on clay at 1 AM in the morning standard

[jimlosaltos]

An acquaintance tweeted that "On 13 June 2022, Medvedev and Zverev, in whatever order, will form Top 2 in the ATP rankings. This will be the first time since 16 November 2003 that none of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are ranked Top 2.

Only did the math in my head, but looks like he is right. Novak drops a bunch of points. Rafa's at 5,525 so even if he wins he doesn't gain enough to pass either Medy or Sasha.

Semi-historic.

[stroke]

An acquaintance tweeted that "On 13 June 2022, Medvedev and Zverev, in whatever order, will form Top 2 in the ATP rankings. This will be the first time since 16 November 2003 that none of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are ranked Top 2.

Only did the math in my head, but looks like he is right. Novak drops a bunch of points. Rafa's at 5,525 so even if he wins he doesn't gain enough to pass either Medy or Sasha.

Semi-historic.

Sounds about right. If the 3 were 21 again, none of these guys would win any Majors or Master's 1000's.

[stotty]

By the middle of the fourth set, and despite being being 2-5 down, Rafa started to play so well that you felt he was going after that fourth set and believed he could win it. He was ultra aggressive, which he needs to be against Novak, and was hitting a terrific length and using the full width of the court. Novak had his moments but never found his precision and hit down the middle much too often. As Jim pointed out Novak was not effective enough in many of the mid-court situations. It became about width in the end, and Rafa was pulling Novak around so well Novak couldn't always get a foothold in the rallies, especially towards the end.

Stalling is part of Rafa's game and it's all a ploy to recuperate one imagines. Down to umpires to fix that one. They are holding the rule book after all.

Good game. See what Wimbledon brings. Novak needs to win it to stay in the slam tally race with Rafa. Bet he's regretting the Aussie Open fiasco right now.

[stroke]

Nadal's swerve forehand was menacing as usual.

[arturohernandez]

So much for "Sasha Zverev can't close out matches". Could easily have folded after losing his mini break lead in the final tiebreak. DIdn't.

My take: Zverev's backhand beat Alcaraz's backhand. More winners and pushed the Spaniard back.

Alcaraz was in the match because of his drop shots. Hit 43 drop shots and had 12 outright winners.

But Zverev was hitting groundstrokes deeper and hard enough to push Alcaraz back. Announcer Petchy posted this:

"Mark Petchey/ Tactically why did Carlos go down the line with his BH just 27% of the time? Surely got to play Sascha as though he is a left hander? Got to find Sascha FH more often. Ended up hitting his BH 0.6 meters deeper today behind his baseline than rest of the tournament"

As for Zverev's oft unreliable second serve (& oft criticized here among other places), yes he had 6 double faults in four sets, yes he hit a couple of slow ones in the fourth set that Alcaraz just tee'd off on for winners, but Zverev won 58% behind his second serve vs 49% for Alcaraz -- and since he got more first serves in, he didn't have to hit as many seconds as Alcaraz.

When Alcaraz beat Zverev in a final only weeks ago, Zverev had to return from a late night match. Hadn't lost a step by the end.

Let the whispers begin. Of course, Zverev will face someone who will pick on his forehand. I am sure that Nadal will not make the same mistake.

[arturohernandez]

By the middle of the fourth set, and despite being being 2-5 down, Rafa started to play so well that you felt he was going after that fourth set and believed he could win it. He was ultra aggressive, which he needs to be against Novak, and was hitting a terrific length and using the full width of the court. Novak had his moments but never found his precision and hit down the middle much too often. As Jim pointed out Novak was not effective enough in many of the mid-court situations. It became about width in the end, and Rafa was pulling Novak around so well Novak couldn't always get a foothold in the rallies, especially towards the end.

Stalling is part of Rafa's game and it's all a ploy to recuperate one imagines. Down to umpires to fix that one. They are holding the rule book after all.

Good game. See what Wimbledon brings. Novak needs to win it to stay in the slam tally race with Rafa. Bet he's regretting the Aussie Open fiasco right now.

Wimbledon should be very interesting! No clear grass court player at this point without Fed. So that leaves maybe Shapo if he can get his head screwed on straight. Otherwise, there is no grass heir apparent in my book.

Alcaraz might prefer a fast slick surface as well. He has plenty of game and feel at the net.

Djokovic is always a threat at Wimbledon despite it not being his favorite surface.

That would leave Nadal as my favorite if healthy. He knows grass as well as anyone and his net game is very good.

Could Nadal S&V his way to a Wimbledon title? Okay, maybe not S&V but a lot of V a la Fed?

If Nadal is healthy, could he take the calendar year slam?

[stotty]

Wimbledon should be very interesting! No clear grass court player at this point without Fed.

Alcaraz might prefer a fast slick surface as well. He has plenty of game and feel at the net.

Djokovic is always a threat at Wimbledon despite it not being his favorite surface.

That would leave Nadal as my favorite if healthy. He knows grass as well as anyone and his net game is very good.

Could Nadal S&V his way to a Wimbledon title? Okay, maybe not S&V but a lot of V a la Fed?

If Nadal is healthy, could he take the calendar year slam?

Djokovic might take issue with your post, arturohernandez, since he's beaten Roger in three Wimbledon finals! Novak is an extremely good grass court player and even better on the surface than Roger it seems.

[stroke]

Wimbledon should be very interesting! No clear grass court player at this point without Fed. So that leaves maybe Shapo if he can get his head screwed on straight. Otherwise, there is no grass heir apparent in my book.

Alcaraz might prefer a fast slick surface as well. He has plenty of game and feel at the net.

Djokovic is always a threat at Wimbledon despite it not being his favorite surface.

That would leave Nadal as my favorite if healthy. He knows grass as well as anyone and his net game is very good.

Could Nadal S&V his way to a Wimbledon title? Okay, maybe not S&V but a lot of V a la Fed?

If Nadal is healthy, could he take the calendar year slam?

Shapo to me is not a favorite for anything I would go with Novak and Nadal.

[jimlosaltos]

Djokovic might take issue with your post, arturohernandez, since he's beaten Roger in three Wimbledon finals! Novak is an extremely good grass court player and even better on the surface than Roger it seems.

I must object !

Djokovic never played Peak Fed at Wimbledon, when Fed won five (5) consecutive Wimbledon titles from 2003-2007, and finished with 7 out of 10. Sorry. Nope.

That Fed won in 2017 after knee surgery and then at 37 yo got to match points vs the 5 years younger Novak in 2019 are amazing cherries atop the best grass career in open era history.