Wimbledon - Mens Semi Final Day 12

First topic message reminder :

Well here we are at the business end. Centre Court will be the gladitorial theatre. Here's hoping for some blockbuster encounters and winners by the bucketloads!

Novak Djokovic v Juan Martin Del Potro

Andy Murray v Jerzy Janowicz

The first one certainly the pick of the matches.

The money is on another Andy v Novak final. Can Delpo and Jerzy cause the top seeds a massive upset to rival the biggest upsets?

bogbrush wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:Lets remember he dispatched Youznhy in straight sets a couple of weeks after the same player had stretched grass master Federer to three sets in Halle in the final. Also he out-served the greatest server at this Wimbledon in Janowicz so there have been potentially tough matches there.

Oh ffs, I thought if there was one thing we learned this Wimbledon it was that 2013 Federer is not the guy who won 17 Slams.

Fair enough but Youznhy did well enough on grass to reach the final there so obviously no grass court mug though he couldn't make inroads against Murray is the point I am trying to make. And Janowicz has been the serve king of Wimbledon this year and Murray managed to out-serve him tonight and break the Pole's serve - worthy of credit surely. I would still very narrowly just make Novak favourite but it could go either way.

bogbrush wrote:Disappointing meet at the net for those hoping for a frosty reaction.

Yes I know that they will both play to the limits and try to mentally annoy each other during the match but showing respect once the game is over is what sport is about. I expect Murray recognises JJ as a serious threat to him any time they meet.

Great day's Tennis

I still can't get over JJ thinking early in the 3rd set, that the roof that was always going to be slower than today's outside conditons against a player that loves perfect conditons was a good tactic!!

banbrotam wrote:Great day's Tennis

I still can't get over JJ thinking early in the 3rd set, that the roof that was always going to be slower than today's outside conditons against a player that loves perfect conditons was a good tactic!!

It was odd. As Tim pointed out he was asking about the roof to be closed when leading 4-1 in the third set. Why? Everything was going swimmingly so if it were me I'd want conditions to stay exactly the same way.

banbrotam wrote:

Not certain how Rafa can be seen as a threat to Murray at the remaining hard courts. He's fair game now away for clay, I'd maintain that Verdasco (if he'd forgotten who he was playing) and JJ would both have beaten him. Let's face it, he no longer has the knees to face hard hitters away from clay

Even if he gets that far I fail to see how a more aggessive Murray (who incidentally beat him last time they met) can be second best against a player who isn't as good on hard courts as he was in 2011

I'd relish seeing it to be honest -  but we can't keep bigging Nadal up if he can't get past players he should be beating

Are you serious? Except you're part of Rafa's inside team, you've made a host of wild assertions there based on precious little evidence. Nadal has played one hard court tournament since his return - a major title which he actually won - and you think you've seen enough to conclude he's finished on the surface? You may be reading too much into his Wimbledon exit - just like people read too much into his late 2009 run of form after his injury absence. He may have been inhibited after an intense, physically punishing clay season or he may have just been caught cold on a day where his lack of practise on the grass was exposed. I wouldn't yet draw conclusions about his HC prospects until the season actually begins.

My biggest concern MThierry is that Nadal has not finished a hardcourt season without injury for a number of years. I think if Nadal is healthy he can beat anyone on any surface if he is playing well. Conversely, Djoko and Murray have grown as players and I would probably favor both these guys over Nadal on the faster surfaces. Still, I have been one of those that have repeatedly cautioned over the years to not count Nadal out. I predicted he would have a great comeback and be right in the thick of things if healthy. And I think if he can put together a complete hardcourt campaign he can be number 1 again, but we have not seen that now in a number of years.

We will probably all have questions regarding Nadal and just what he can and can't do. I certainly had numerous questions about his comeback. Most of them have been answered positively. Can he still play? Can he win? Can he beat the big names? Can he win off clay? Can he win another Slam?

But one of the questions I also asked is "Can he do this after playing for 6 months?" Can he compete on hard/grass after the clay season?. Truth is until Nadal turns up on a hard court we're not going to know. I wonder if he would have an extremely slim schedule just playing Toronto/US Open/Shanghai/WTF

What I'd hate to see would be the ATP punishing one of the sports great players for not physically being able to compete at every hard court tournie.

They aren't punishing him Ryan, this has been the nature of the tour for many years and has nothing to do with Nadal. Other players have been able to play a full schedule like Fed, Djoko, and Murray. However for whatever particular reason, namely his legs, Nadal has not completed a season of hardcourt tennis in a great many years.

I'm sure I'd read about the 1000's being compulsory, though Nadal through his success can miss a few. What I'm saying though is that if Nadal isn't phsyically up to a full season of hard court, then the ATP are just going to have to accept that he might have to miss more than he is supposed to.

I can't see Rafa doing that terrible 5 week slog of Canada/Cincy and US Open and surviving intact

I don't think anyone has won all three and I've noticed that those who win Cincy often don't win the US Open

Del Potro had the best idea in 2009 when he avoided Cincy

It's a brutal sadistic sequence - totally unjustified

Not to mention playing tennis outdoors in Cincy in August in the middle of the day is sadistic as you put it. The humidity that time of the year in that part of the country must make you feel like your playing tennis inside a warm shower. I hope Nadal can do a full seasons again, but I wouldn't bet on it at this stage. Just like everyone else we just have to wait and see.