French Open discussion thread

[Danny_1982]

First topic message reminder :

Murray is surely going to go all out attack in the SF. I can't see him beating Nadal who is starting to look close to his peak form. However, if he can give him a tough match that will be very encouraging for Wimbledon.

Yep, it'll be all guns blazing I imagine. Going after every return he can and trying to end points quickly. It'll be fun to watch, but if you offered me a 4 set defeat for Muzza now I'd bite your hand off.

[kingraf]

Yeah, big day in tennis history, tomorrow - either tennis welcomes a new career grand slam family member, or the first man to win five consecutive French Opens, and #14... Don't mind which way it goes, actually - didn't think Nadal would surpass Borg, and I suspect 17 is too far, so everything hes done since the comeback (third world YE #1, five Masters last year, two additional slams) has been gravy.

Think MaSha wins tomorrow, she is the current queen of clay (when Serena isn't on the other side), and today is the coronation. Hope G-Force, Prime Time, or whatever he calls himself is watching.

[sirfredperry]

It's Rafa for me tomorrow, despite Djoko's best efforts. I think as long as Rafa is playing he's gonna be favourite for the French.
Only real chance for Nole is if it's wet and muggy, he plays brilliantly and Rafa is a bit off. Even then, I'd still back Nadal ! It's just a tad unfair on the others that Rafa is so good at RG.

[bogbrush]

I look back to what happened when it went damp in 2012. Was it 1 game in 9 for Nadal?

[walktall2209]

 Hello, everybody. Good to be back on here. Re Sundays's proceedings; as a fellow athlete and competitor let me tell you that, apart from wishful thinking by and large, there isn't much to be expertly prognosticated based on what has thusfar transpired at RG. Playing the rest of the field, these guys just don't bring the same mentality to the table as they do for Sunday lunch. It's not the final of the tournament to them - first ball in and an entirely different event is up an away. One thing I am certain about is that Nole will be playing the match of his life seeing that at this point one cannot see him distracted, lacking motivation or slumping his shoulders. It will all come down to how soon he will get in the zone and if he will be able to close it out from that point. If it comes as late as the third, then we might have a point or two deciding the outcome which is unfurtunate for the feeble hearted like myself.  hope he does it, for I will venture to say it may well determine the rest of his career. All the best to Rafa as well, what a competitor and that is why I wouldn't have it any other way for Nole to take this than by topping Rafa while doing it. Just would't have the same significance and would come down to a mere stat.Good luck to both guys, we are truly blessed with this final, I am sure every true fan feels the same. 

[The Special Juan]

Getting near evens on Nadal. That's like printing money.

[Guest]

I find it strange that despite finding a way to play the likes of Federer and Djokovic that Murray has never quite worked out a gameplan to play Nadal. I do wonder what Lendl's approach would've been.

Lendl is a very good student of the opponent's game. He would have looked at Djokovic-Nadal matches and implemented variations that work to Murray's strengths, like the CC BH or Nadal FH attack (a la Djokovic). If you notice in Murray's comments that he was expecting a lot of long rallies, instead what he got was a bruising attack on his own FH. The UEs did not help either.

I am certain Djokovic is going to push Nadal back to the baseline before the FH breaking CC.

Having watched the match into the early hours this morning Andy's length to the Nadal BH was what cost him dearly. Gave Rafa too many short balls into that side which enabled Rafa to constantly run around and bring his FH into play. I think Lendl would've said to Andy let's pin him up in the BH corner and if he wants to hit his FH he is going to have to hit a high ball. The first set that Ferrer had against Rafa was a classic example of this. Rafa would've bombarded the Murray FH into submission like he did with Ferrer. The difference being that Murray had absolutely nothing working for him yesterday. It was flat and just think he racked up too many miles in the legs. See this is where I miss the old Murray who would've at least tried some form of variation in his play. The key was length and Andy is notorious for many short balls against the better players who eat them up.

As much as Lendl could go to the Djokovic-Nadal archives he would still come to the conclusion that:

1) Andy doesn't have the same flexibility in movement as a Nadal or Djokovic.
2) Andy rarely plays to the small margins that Djokovic can against Nadal.
3) Andy can't outlast or out-rally Nadal like Djokovic can.

I think if Andy is to ever be competative against Nadal then he has to embrace his worst fear and that is try and hit flat when you can. Which unfortunately isn't in the Murray philosophy. He can hit a heavy ball, but being risk adverse like he is, he just doesn't recognise that that part of his game needs to come out against Nadal on Clay. Different on HC and maybe Grass when time is taken away from Nadal, but the same principle is that Andy needs to be more aggressive against Nadal.

[Guest]

Plus I haven't seen Murray that peed off in a press conference

[DJB14]

I think far too much is being made of the rain affecting play on Sunday. Less we forget in the 2012 final it was raining practically the whole match only after it became particularly heavy did Nadal start to struggle and by that point he was 2 sets and a break up if I remember.

I agree that the rain will help Djokovic but not as much people would like to think. My worry with the weather is that the final looks set for delays/interruptions as the forecast get worse the closer we get.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2988507

[Born Slippy]

Didn't see the match yesterday but sounds like Andy didn't adopt the all-out attack strategy most people expected? Very odd given that was how he had played most of the tournament. Sounds like Nadal is approaching peak form though. Should be a great final.

[The Special Juan]

They're showing the 2nd best Wimbledon final of all time on BBC 2 just now (Fed v Nadal, 2008).

[lydian]

Indeed BS, but Murray was intimating that he wasn't able do it due to Nadal's play...

"That's the toughest match I have played against him. He was hitting extremely hard, extremely heavy, returning well, and was hitting it well on the run. He played a great match, missed hardly any balls. As soon as he was inside the court, he was hitting the ball so close to the line. He played great tennis.

You can go out there with all the tactics in the world, but when he's hitting the ball like that, it's very difficult to hit the ball where you want to. His shot was bouncing incredibly high. It was very difficult to do much with the ball. Then when I did have the opportunity, I wanted to make a winner or make him run too much, trying to hit too close to the lines, and ended up making a lot of mistakes.

I don't really think that's down to coaching decisions, a lot of it comes down to how well he plays."

[Josiah Maiestas]

Lydian Nadal playing well is only half of the story. If the person across the net looks flat and like he doesn't think he has a chance then you get those scores. Luckily Djokovic is not Murray on clay   

[CaledonianCraig]

I don't see the point of over analysing things too much from yesterday. Murray played his poorest match of the tournament and Rafa perhaps played his best match of the clay season so far hence the scoreline. One thing is sure - Rafa at his best on clay will beat anyone (including Djokovic) on clay.

[skyeman]

Whoever wins, will have deserved to on the day. Dok in recent times has had the beating of Nadal, but these last two weeks Nadal has looked awesome.

I just want a decent final, if not a classic. These two are more than capable of that.

[kingraf]

Meanwhile MaSha looks invincible on her fiefdom.

[kingraf]

Meanwhile MaSha looks invincible on her fiefdom.

[laverfan]

Bodo posted at tennis.com's site that word from the Nadal camp all week was that Nadal's practices at RG this year have been some of the best ones of his life. Which might explain 3 bagels and a few breadsticks he's dished out this fortnight. It's not to say Djokovic cannot win Sunday; he could. But if Nadal is uttering stuff like this publicly, then Djokovic will probably have to play the match of his life if he wants the title.

Ginepri and Lajovic are not very surprising.

Ferrer is very strange match indeed (winning the first set, but bagel/breadstick in third/fourth), and I am unwilling to offer excuses, but he has had injuries. Acapulco and IW withdrawals are very uncharacteristic.

Murray is similar to Ferrer. Very off day for him, as noted in his own interview.

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/players/overview/atpn409.html

MaSha takes the first set, but I think she has played many (19~) 3-setters and won, but if this a three-setter, law of averages may catch up, KR.

[Josiah Maiestas]

Andy Murray can't compete against Nadal   his easiest match of the tournament.

[skyeman]

Maybe Murray could return the favour on grass.

[CaledonianCraig]

Andy Murray can't compete against Nadal   his easiest match of the tournament.

On this occasion.....no. Murray has competed with Nadal before with success and won and narrowly lost out on clay to him on Rome so don't go using this as your blueprint eh?

[Josiah Maiestas]

Maybe Murray could return the favour on grass.

No, if Nadal gets that far he will do to Murray what he always does. Nadal was rubbish in Rome   

[skyeman]

Just for a laugh. Just read on a blog, someone said that Nadal has evil eyes. It has 167 likes thus far.

Does he have evil eyes?

[skyeman]

Maybe Murray could return the favour on grass.

No, if Nadal gets that far he will do to Murray what he always does. Nadal was rubbish in Rome   

And rubbish at Wimby last year too.

[Josiah Maiestas]

Maybe Murray could return the favour on grass.

No, if Nadal gets that far he will do to Murray what he always does. Nadal was rubbish in Rome   

And rubbish at Wimby last year too.

He's usually not very good in the first round. Once past the 3rd round its a different story.

[skyeman]

Halep,    well done, broke back for 4-4 in the third.

But the screaming Russian breaks back, serving for her 2nd French.

[CaledonianCraig]

It has been a cracking final and Sharapova holds her nerve to serve it out to win the French Open 6-4 6-7 6-4 in just over three hours. Commiserations to Halep as she fought so hard but many congratulations to Sharapova.

[skyeman]

Well done Sharapova.

[andyi]

Finally! Get in Grunty.

Just need Rafa, the king of RG to be crowned tomorrow for the 23/10 Double.

[laverfan]

Congrats to MaSha!

[skyeman]

Just hope i am saying well done to Djokovic tomorrow. No offence  

[mthierry]

Sad for Halep. Overpowered in the end by the ice queen. May be cliched but I really can't stand Shriekapova's grunting. Borderline gamesmanship that gets louder when her opponent is serving or when facing pressure.

A pretty exciting tournament on the women's side and one of the best, most competitive finals they've had in a long time. Hope to see the likes of Muguruza, the overpromoted Bouchard and Halep continue to challenge.

[mthierry]

As for the men's final, while I think Nadal's peak on this surface has no equal, on a head-to-head basis, Nole would as usual provide a lot of peculiar questions that only he can and I expect Nadal would struggle. On just about every surface these days, I expect Nole to do a number on him.

[laverfan]

Djokovic should try to get it done in 3 or 4. A 5-setter favors Nadal.

[summerblues]

I think if Djokovic plays close to the level he has been at throughout these last two weeks, he will win.  But I would be surprised if he wins in straight sets.  Rafa is too much of a competitor and I think he wll find a way to win at least a set even if he is being outplayed.

[Jahu]

Nadal tomorrow to defend the honor of tennis a win in 4 sets.

[invisiblecoolers]

Djokovic should try to get it done in 3 or 4. A 5-setter favors Nadal.

If Djoko is fit then he can win the 5 setters too like AO 2012, so at the moment I am only worried about the murmurs about his fitness.

I anyways see a 5 set final with Djoko to win. Djoko to win the 1st and 2nd set followed Rafa to win 3rd and 4th set and Djoko coming back to win the 5th set, and ambulance is called to court to take them to near by clinic to make sure both breath well after the encounter is done and dusted.

Djoko will proudly dedicate the biggest win of his career to his unborn baby.

[socal1976]

I agree with the idea that Djoko needs to wrap up the match in 3 or 4, the longer this thing goes the more the pressure builds and the frustration builds for Djokovic the more it favors Nadal. Nadal plays safer and with bigger margins the longer the match goes it favors the player that is more consistent and makes less mistakes and typically that will be Nadal. If Nadal is serving well and hitting the forehand like he did against Murray this will be a long night for Djokovic. I still think Novak will win but I think he will need a masterful performance and a four set or less match.

[Guest]

Weathers Hot ad Dry.. its Rafa weather, which I think is important to make this a good match

[Guest]

I don't see anything than a Rafa victory today. I would love to be proven wrong. Rafa in 4

[Jahu]

Come on Nadal, squash him like a puff pastry.

Go Nadal gooooo

[skyeman]

Dok looking sharp, early doors.

Well, he was!

[lags72]

Rafa all the way for me today.

He has come to peak form with perfect timing, and when you factor in the court and weather conditions, I reckon it's all in his favour.

[NickisBHAFC]

Novak starting off very well.

[Jahu]

Nadal playing deep so far. Keep it up boy.

[Guest]

Just hope that Novak can start to find his range on the Nadal serve.

[Danny_1982]

Great start to the match. Especially Novak who looks right on the money.

Good stuff this.

[socal1976]

Cracking and tense play from both so far in this match. All the conditions favoring Nadal. Novak needs to keep his focus.

[socal1976]

The ball is really bouncing up high that is good for Nadal.

[socal1976]

Novak is so cheeky with that dropper

[socal1976]

5 fh winners to 3 for Nadal early on this set, that is good sign.

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