French Open discussion thread

by Mad for Chelsea Mon 26 May - 13:16

First topic message reminder :

I thought it was about time we got one of these started. While Federer surprisingly (cough cough) had the advantage of starting his campaign nice and early on day 1, Djokovic is currently in action against Sousa of Portugal. Also on at the moment we have everyone's favourite Briton... James Ward. He's been handed a tough draw against Tommy Robredo, but is battling hard, despite being a break down in the first.

We're also due our first major upset over on court 1, with Nishikori on his way out against Klizan. Injury issues? Finally we have Mahut vs Kukushkin in a pleasant match between two talented shot-makers. That one's at one set all, with the intriguing possibility of the winner meeting Isner in R2.

EDIT: in the time it took me to write this one, Ward has broken back, and is level at 3-3, well done that man clap

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by CaledonianCraig Tue 3 Jun - 21:18

kingraf wrote:
CaledonianCraig wrote:
naxroy wrote:the 8 times champion again playing on leglen

its funny

Again? It is his only his second time in five mtches this year? First Round he was on Lenglen but he was playing a wildcard in Robby Ginepri and tomorrow when we pretty much know what sort of a match it will be V Ferrer hence it is on Lenglen as a home player taking on Murray as seen as a more exciting match-up which is fair enough.

Think it's his fourteenth match there now. Nearly a quarter of his career has been spent on the secondary court.

Actually much closer to a fifth of all his RG matches but as has been pointed out it is purely so a Frenchman gets centre stage. It can also be presumed that a lot of his past Lenglen matches have been to make may for Tsonga or Gasquet or another French player and we know there are plenty of them. So it is nothing at all personal against Rafa.

by HM Murdock Tue 3 Jun - 21:45

The Special Juan wrote:
HM Murdoch wrote:If Raonic brings the performance he brought in Rome, this could be tighter than comfortable.

We are approaching the stage of a slam where Novak usually gets drawn into an unneccessarily painful 5 set bloodbath!

Was it ever in doubt? The most one dimensional player I've ever seen (yes, I'm including Ivo) against the best returner ever. He could have bagelled him in the last set if not for a couple of timely aces and a mini Chokovic.

First two sets were tight. Raonic didn't offer much but Novak was struggling to make a dent on the serve. He only had about 3 break points in the first 2 sets. It wouldn't have taken a huge swing in fortune for him to be in a tricky situation!

I'm really impressed with how Novak is playing though. He's not without problems (still a few sloppy losses of serve, especially at the end of sets), but I've never seen him so calm and focused.

by CaledonianCraig Tue 3 Jun - 21:54

Raonic needs to develop a better all-round game. His serve alone will not get him over the line against the top players in slams.

by The Special Juan Tue 3 Jun - 22:05

HM Murdoch wrote:
The Special Juan wrote:
HM Murdoch wrote:If Raonic brings the performance he brought in Rome, this could be tighter than comfortable.

We are approaching the stage of a slam where Novak usually gets drawn into an unneccessarily painful 5 set bloodbath!

Was it ever in doubt? The most one dimensional player I've ever seen (yes, I'm including Ivo) against the best returner ever. He could have bagelled him in the last set if not for a couple of timely aces and a mini Chokovic.
First two sets were tight. Raonic didn't offer much but Novak was struggling to make a dent on the serve. He only had about 3 break points in the first 2 sets. It wouldn't have taken a huge swing in fortune for him to be in a tricky situation!

I'm really impressed with how Novak is playing though. He's not without problems (still a few sloppy losses of serve, especially at the end of sets), but I've never seen him so calm and focused.

I only say the 2nd set TB onwards but he did look really good, especially in the middle of the 3rd. I'd say it's the best I've seen him play this year. Wimbledon's shaping up to be a cracker!!

Edit: Aside from the Rome final, of course.

by TopoftheChops Tue 3 Jun - 22:10

He needs to spend a month on backhands, his game is too predictable. Embarassing that he's the 8th seed

by lydian Tue 3 Jun - 22:36

Chatrier will suit Monfils better....quicker & bigger. Won't make much difference though, he's not solid enough over 5 to beat "big 4".

Did anyone really expect Gulbis to destroy Berdych...even made his game look puny. Like I said, that serve and BH is top 3/4 material. Plus Gulbis has the cojones and self-belief to beat the big guys. He doesnt go into any match thinking he's no chance, so he won't rollover on Friday. Plus the interesting dynamic for Friday is it's going to be hot (27/28c) and dry, making Gulbis serve and shots fly even more. I do believe Djokovic prefers it cooler and damper (like its been) so it acts more like hard court. So could be very interesting (and also if it was Murray/Nadal too).

by CaledonianCraig Tue 3 Jun - 23:00

lydian wrote:Chatrier will suit Monfils better....quicker & bigger. Won't make much difference though, he's not solid enough over 5 to beat "big 4".

Did anyone really expect Gulbis to destroy Berdych...even made his game look puny. Like I said, that serve and BH is top 3/4 material. Plus Gulbis has the cojones and self-belief to beat the big guys. He doesnt go into any match thinking he's no chance, so he won't rollover on Friday. Plus the interesting dynamic for Friday is it's going to be hot (27/28c) and dry, making Gulbis serve and shots fly even more. I do believe Djokovic prefers it cooler and damper (like its been) so it acts more like hard court. So could be very interesting (and also if it was Murray/Nadal too).

I think Fernando Verdasco would disagree with you regards Phillip Chatrier being quicker. After losing to Murray he felt he was disadvantaged as he had got used to Chatrier which he felt was slower than Lenglen which suited Murray.

by naxroy Wed 4 Jun - 0:26

I feel nadal might suffer tomorrow

ferrer beat him last time
ferrer looks sharp right now
nadal is with this back thingy, dont know if its true,but at least he is serving slower than ever
lenglen is a faster surface
weather is not hot and dry as he preferrs

we will see, but I wouldnt be surprised by a 5 setter

by invisiblecoolers Wed 4 Jun - 5:14

Ferrer is a genuine threat in the QF and will fancy his chances big time.

by Born Slippy Wed 4 Jun - 8:27

Yeah Chatrier is supposed to be slower which is an advantage for Gael. He would generally prefer slower conditions against Murray. Also, we have seen before that Andy doesn't like changing between different speed courts mid-tournament. I think most things are in favour of Gael but I'm sure Andy will do his best.

by sirfredperry Wed 4 Jun - 9:12

Murray should be too much for Monfils. This from the guy who forecast Gulbis would lose to Berdych ! Don't agree that Ferrer will prove a problem for Rafa. This is the French, after all. Best Ferrer can hope for is a set.
More intriguing is the thought that if Gulbis keeps up his current form he could be a real handful for Djoko. I thought Nole was quite brilliant for a time in that third set against Raonic before repeating his, for this season, usual trick of dropping serve when serving for the match. He can't afford to do that too often.

by CaledonianCraig Wed 4 Jun - 9:54

It is odd how things can change in ones mind.

Pre-tournament I was adamant I'd be happy with Murray reaching the QF's but now that he is here and about to face Gael Monfils I would be disappointed if Andy loses today. Murray has a better all-round game, better fitness levels an is just more consistent. Troe Monfils can play sparkling tennis but he can go from the heights to the depths in a blink of an eye and that won't get the job done against Murray.

by HM Murdock Wed 4 Jun - 10:15

CaledonianCraig wrote:It is odd how things can change in ones mind.

Pre-tournament I was adamant I'd be happy with Murray reaching the QF's but now that he is here and about to face Gael Monfils I would be disappointed if Andy loses today. Murray has a better all-round game, better fitness levels an is just more consistent. Troe Monfils can play sparkling tennis but he can go from the heights to the depths in a blink of an eye and that won't get the job done against Murray.

That's a product of Murray's improved form.

He didn't look great coming into RG, so a QF would be a good showing.

Now he's playing something near his best, and the way the draw has fallen, it's reasonable to expect him to do better.

I suspect he may deal with Monfils fairly comfortably.

by Guest Wed 4 Jun - 10:21

I think Andy is starting to peak at the right time fitness wise. I was half expecting a poor showing on the Clay and then a Wimbledon hangover. Now I am optimistic that he could well defend his Wimbledon crown.

I think if Monfils can engage his brain and not get caught up in the moment he can hang with Andy. Punishing anything short will be critical.

As for Ferrer v Nadal. Rafa all the way for sure.

by kingraf Wed 4 Jun - 10:31

If Monfils is to win, he has to wipe Murray in straights - He simply lacks the consistency to get into a five set firefight against Murray... Think Monfils gets hot a some but Murray should cruise in four, at the most.

Ferrer Nadal is a little harder to call - ten days out of ten, a hundred days out hundred, and 995 times out a thousand, you'd have backed Nadal.. but I don't know how the back is doing, and I don't think he's been pushed hard enough by anyone for him to know the real answer... I'll go with Rafa in three... Maybe four... No clue.

by HM Murdock Wed 4 Jun - 10:48

Ferrer will make things difficult but I'd be amazed if he took more than set.

by Mad for Chelsea Wed 4 Jun - 10:57

What the Ferrer match will do is give us a decent indication of where exactly Rafa's level is at. While he's been perfectly impressive in the first four matches, he could hardly have wished for an easier run so far (I think all 4 ranked outside the top 100, 3 SHBH, etc.). It's just hard to tell how well he's playing. Ferrer will tell us a lot more about the state of his game.

I don't get why some people are upset that Nadal's had to play on Lenglen a couple of times. The first match was when he played Ginepri, I mean come on! And this one is because there's a Frenchman in the QFs, so hardly surprising either. Murray's played plenty of times off CC at Wimbledon, so has Federer.

As for Murray-Monfils, if Murray plays as well as he did against Verdasco (or indeed for much of the Kohlschreiber match, which I thought was of excellent quality for the most part), then he'll have too much for Monfils. I don't think Monfils has many weapons to hurt Murray (or rather he does, but chooses not to use them) while Murray has been striking the ball well this tournament so far. The crowd could be a factor, but Murray's dealt well with hostile crowds before. Murray in 3 or 4 sets.

by The Special Juan Wed 4 Jun - 11:01

As for the women's matches today..

Errani v Petkovic - Quite how Errani ever made it this far is quite amazing. A player with no serve and limited groundstrokes. Petkovic should have this match fairly easily but I'm getting a feeling Errani will make it to the semis again. Errani in 3.

Halep v Kuzzy - I really want Kuzzy to win this match but I can't see it. Halep has risen from mediocrity to the top and looks every inch the champion-in-waiting. She looks nailed on for the final and if Sharapova plays as woefully as she did yesterday it won't be competitive. Halep in 2.

by Silver Wed 4 Jun - 12:24

HM Murdoch wrote:I'm really impressed with how Novak is playing though. He's not without problems (still a few sloppy losses of serve, especially at the end of sets), but I've never seen him so calm and focused.

Right everyone, pack it up and go home. If HM is saying this sort of thing about Novak, he's guaranteed to win the whole shebang Wink

I think Nadal will crush Ferrer today. As for Murray, he'll win and that's good since he'll be needing the points. Can't see him making a defence of Wimbledon, so I hope he makes the SF to offset any points loss that he'll take on the grass.

It'd be nice to see Petkovic make it to the SF. Didn't she have that awful ankle injury against Azarenka here a few years back?

by sirfredperry Wed 4 Jun - 12:41

Seem to remember Murray doing well at the French a few years back when he was worried about his fitness. There's been no real expectation here and I agree that he should beat Monfils and that he needs the points ahead of Wimbledon.
I think Andy CAN win Wimbledon again, but I'd be surprised if it was this year.

by HM Murdock Wed 4 Jun - 13:14

Silver wrote:Right everyone, pack it up and go home. If HM is saying this sort of thing about Novak, he's guaranteed to win the whole shebang

Yes, I'm experiencing a rare outbreak of positivity! It's amazing what watching a few days of tennis without being routinely taken through the emotional wringer can do for one's disposition.

Of course, I still expect him to mess it all up between now and Sunday evening. I'm not quite willing to cast off the shackles of the last two years of slam disappointments just yet! Wink

by HM Murdock Wed 4 Jun - 13:20

Silver wrote: As for Murray, he'll win and that's good since he'll be needing the points. Can't see him making a defence of Wimbledon

sirfredperry wrote:I think Andy CAN win Wimbledon again, but I'd be surprised if it was this year.

Why not? I'd say he's currently looking like the favourite.

by The Special Juan Wed 4 Jun - 13:35

HM Murdoch wrote:
Silver wrote: As for Murray, he'll win and that's good since he'll be needing the points. Can't see him making a defence of Wimbledon
sirfredperry wrote:I think Andy CAN win Wimbledon again, but I'd be surprised if it was this year.
Why not? I'd say he's currently looking like the favourite.

I agree and there are two reasons why.

1) He's looking sharp again. I was worried up until he pushed Nadal in Rome and his good run in Paris has confirmed that he's finally finding some form, at the right time too. A good showing at Queen's will boost confidence.

2) He's the best grass court player about these days.

by Born Slippy Wed 4 Jun - 13:39

Yeah, I'd agree with that. The style of tennis he is playing is also going to be highly effective on the grass. He says he is finally feeling more comfortable with the back. I do wonder whether he has already got a new coach working behind the scenes, such has been the marked change over the last few weeks.

by Guest Wed 4 Jun - 13:40

I think we need to see how Andy fairs at Queens before making him favourite. I wouldn't discount Federer given physically he looks in better shape than last year, plus he has a new racquet and coach to boot.

It will be interesting.

by Guest Wed 4 Jun - 14:00

At this rate I could make it home in time for the Murray-Monfils match!

by sirfredperry Wed 4 Jun - 14:28

Well you could argue that if Andy can win Wimbledon with a bad back there's no reason why he can't win it with a good one. Last year, Fed and Rafa won one match at SW19 between them. Twould be a brave person to reckon they will do as badly this year.
Doubt, also, if Djoko will play as badly if he reaches the final this time. Amid the British euphoria over Murray last year, it's often been overlooked how poor Nole was in that final. Any prospect of play today?

by Guest Wed 4 Jun - 14:55

If we take those 4 players for example and examine where they were exactly. You had Federer who was struggling physically and at the time I think must've been considering his racquet change which was a massive thing to do at that stage in his career and with the success it bought him. I think under those factors it would've been miraculous for him to have retained his crown.

Nadal it was rumoured to have been suffering physically and didn't play Halle or any grass court event leading into Wimbledon and I think Toni did cite the lack of preparation for his early exit. Plus he ran into an inspired Darcis least we forget, who's game seemed more favoured to Grass.

Djokovic was hungover from his defeat to Rafa. Again he had no preparation on Grass prior to Wimbledon.

Andy on the other hand was on the ascendancy having an 11 match winning streak on Grass going into Wimbledon. Set aside his back problems, he was clearly the man in form.

For me now he is on a 18 match winning streak on Grass and I for one would like so see how he fares on the stuff before making him out and out favourite. Also the draw will be interesting if he is not one of the top 4 seeds.

by sirfredperry Wed 4 Jun - 15:09

Of course it could be said that Djoko went into that final, on a very hot day, having played a very tiring five-setter with del Potty in also extremely hot conditions on the Friday.

by Jahu Wed 4 Jun - 15:15

Same can be said for Fed-Delpo SF and loss to Andy on Olympics final.

So many so and if and but.

Come on Ferrer and Murray!!!!

by Born Slippy Wed 4 Jun - 15:21

He will be a top 4 seed. He gets a 3,150 point boost to his ranking points on the grass court formula and is currently only 1,000 points behind Stan. Barring something like Ferrer winning RG he should be seeded 3rd.

by sirfredperry Wed 4 Jun - 15:25

Jahu. Yes, that Gold Medal match was extraordinary, with Fed, who wasn't actually playing too bad, not winning a game for an hour or so at one point.
Both Andy and Rog said how different it was playing in the Olympics than in a GS. Think it did Andy a lot of good in the long run - that victory.

by Jahu Wed 4 Jun - 15:30

Of course, that was a kick in his butt, same was as Djokos DC win long ago.

And good that it came to awaken Andy from his hibernation.

by HM Murdock Wed 4 Jun - 15:50

Looking very much like the men's matches may have to be played over two days (if they even start today).

That means the finalist in this half of the draw will have had to be at the stadium ready to play on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, Djokovic and Gulbis are safely through and have two days off.

by Guest Wed 4 Jun - 15:53

Lucky F***ers!

by banbrotam Wed 4 Jun - 15:55

The Special Juan wrote:
HM Murdoch wrote:
Silver wrote: As for Murray, he'll win and that's good since he'll be needing the points. Can't see him making a defence of Wimbledon
sirfredperry wrote:I think Andy CAN win Wimbledon again, but I'd be surprised if it was this year.
Why not? I'd say he's currently looking like the favourite.

I agree and there are two reasons why.

1) He's looking sharp again. I was worried up until he pushed Nadal in Rome and his good run in Paris has confirmed that he's finally finding some form, at the right time too. A good showing at Queen's will boost confidence.

2) He's the best grass court player about these days.

Another reason why is I think that he thinks he's unbeatable on the grass at the moment. Remember he's improved at Wimbledon every year and hence no reason why he can't defend

A mentally bruising final here, between the top 2 would help immensley as well!!

by banbrotam Wed 4 Jun - 15:58

HM Murdoch wrote:Looking very much like the men's matches may have to be played over two days (if they even start today).

That means the finalist in this half of the draw will have had to be at the stadium ready to play on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, Djokovic and Gulbis are safely through and have two days off.

As a Murray fan this worries me

He's the one player in the Top 10 notoriously sensitive to changes in conditions (probably due to him been the one with arguably the most guile along with Fed) playing on a slower court in very slow conditions

by sportslover Wed 4 Jun - 16:17

Have you seen Andy v Novak at

http://head.com/g/eu/

lol

by CaledonianCraig Wed 4 Jun - 16:33

HM Murdoch wrote:Looking very much like the men's matches may have to be played over two days (if they even start today).

That means the finalist in this half of the draw will have had to be at the stadium ready to play on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, Djokovic and Gulbis are safely through and have two days off.

I don't think we are quite at that point yet. Women's quarters now well underway and the sun is out. I think the men's matches will have around three hours of play so they could finish tonight.

by The Special Juan Wed 4 Jun - 17:01

Hurry up and lose Sara!! (I mean "hurry up and win, Andrea!!")

by The Special Juan Wed 4 Jun - 17:24

It's windy. Murray's quite good in the wind, you know. The second set is key here I believe. If either player goes up 2-0, the other won't have the legs to bring it back (especially with either Nadal or Ferrer awaiting in the semi). If it's 1-1, I'd still fancy Murray, regardless of who ties it up.

by Silver Wed 4 Jun - 17:36

Don't worry HM, he should be fine...although having a rampant Gulbis laying in wait can't be helping your nerves!

RE: Andy at Wimbledon, mostly agree with what others have said. He's a great grass court player, but he won't have the rest of the top guys horribly off-form like last year. He also needs to avoid Federer before the final if possible, he's possibly the biggest danger to Murray on the surface. The pair of them are the grass court luminaries of the last two years, of course. No reason he can't do it, but I just have a sneaking suspicion that he won't.

Murray setting the tone out there already I see, good show.

banbrotam wrote:
HM Murdoch wrote:Looking very much like the men's matches may have to be played over two days (if they even start today).

That means the finalist in this half of the draw will have had to be at the stadium ready to play on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, Djokovic and Gulbis are safely through and have two days off.

He's the one player in the Top 10 notoriously sensitive to changes in conditions (probably due to him been the one with arguably the most guile along with Fed) playing on a slower court in very slow conditions

Do you genuinely believe that they're on a par in terms of guile?

by kingraf Wed 4 Jun - 17:40

Silver wrote:Don't worry HM, he should be fine...although having a rampant Gulbis laying in wait can't be helping your nerves!

RE: Andy at Wimbledon, mostly agree with what others have said. He's a great grass court player, but he won't have the rest of the top guys horribly off-form like last year. He also needs to avoid Federer before the final if possible, he's possibly the biggest danger to Murray on the surface. The pair of them are the grass court luminaries of the last two years, of course. No reason he can't do it, but I just have a sneaking suspicion that he won't.

Murray setting the tone out there already I see, good show.

banbrotam wrote:
HM Murdoch wrote:Looking very much like the men's matches may have to be played over two days (if they even start today).

That means the finalist in this half of the draw will have had to be at the stadium ready to play on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, Djokovic and Gulbis are safely through and have two days off.

He's the one player in the Top 10 notoriously sensitive to changes in conditions (probably due to him been the one with arguably the most guile along with Fed) playing on a slower court in very slow conditions

Do you genuinely believe that they're on a par in terms of guile?

I assume you haven't read Banbros work before.

by The Special Juan Wed 4 Jun - 17:43

The only player I fear as a Murray fan on grass (in the early rounds) is Raonic, mainly because he's a lurker and on grass he could be hard to beat. Federer doesn't scare me as much because I know that a fully fit Murray should be beating him more often than not these days.

by kingraf Wed 4 Jun - 17:53

Hmmm, was sure Murray would only need the solitary break. Seems we have a game.

by Guest Wed 4 Jun - 18:01

Murray just struggling a bit on the FH side. Monfils eating up the court out there.

by Guest Wed 4 Jun - 18:06

Ferrer breaks Nadal

by Jahu Wed 4 Jun - 18:08

Ferrer kicking butt.

by skyeman Wed 4 Jun - 18:09

Gees, definitely a French partizan crowd here. Even a brilliant Murray winner only getting a few claps.

by Jahu Wed 4 Jun - 18:11

A few claps are better then none.

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