Monte Carlo Masters thread

[It Must Be Love]

First topic message reminder :

http://www.montecarlorolexmasters.mc

All the top players are playing, with the exception of Andy Murray, who's busy getting married.

Beautiful tournament, love scenery, and a nice start to the European Clay Court season.

[biugo]

And Rafa has a new racket  - arguably to provide him with more lift and power...   He will be even more of a nightmare for the opponents on slower courts!

And I agree with HB and don't buy Nadal's self criticism. Yes it feels indeed different this year (imo mostly because of last year's performances) but he's the kid who shouts "fire!". We've heard it so many times that it doesn't compute as a new information. (like other statements: Nadal knees will stop him, Federer is good for retirement, etc.) Of course, it's bound to be true at some point, like a broken watch indicates the right time twice a day.

[Josiah Maiestas]

Easy day for the big names. I thought Federer would struggle at some point against Chardy but he went through seamlessly. Youngest player left in MC is Dimitrov at 23 and he's been around the main tour 6 years now..

[HM Murdock]

I believe the key to djokovic beating nadal on clay is his backhand down the line, but its just been so dodgy for the last 3 years. You could see in the RG final last year he lost confidence in his backhand and the final slipped away from him.

That shot is the big difference between 2011 Djokovic and 2015 Djokovic.

I think every other aspect of Novak's game has improved but, bizarrely, his kill shot seems to have all but vanished.

[Silver]

Rafa has a new racquet? That's reasonably big news if it's a significant deviation from his old one. It certainly didn't slow him down at all today though.

The Swiss both looked good, Novak too. Easy day, as JM said.

[biugo]

Apparently it's a prototype with a wider gap between strings, hence less control but more power and lift created (that's why Rafa isn't so great indoors, his lifts keep bumping onto the roof...)

All top 16 through bar Gulbis, easy day for the big guys indeed.
So to QF, all top 8 through but one: which top 8 seed doesn't make it to QF? Cilic would be the best guess imo - but Roger could bee a question mark as Monfils is capable of great things.

[Jahu]

Also Rafa is using the Babolat thingy with USB transfer to get the stats after the match, it has a blinking LED at the base of the racquet, at least it had it on IW/Miami.

OK confirmed its a Smart Racquet:

Nadal confirms he changed racquet, not strings. Thought of this for a while and now racquet ready. More spin and power, less control.

So even more spin, bit desperate?

It's ok, anything legally is fine, as far as he can trash Djoko

[Jahu]

Congrats to Djoko fans:

"Novak Djokovic wins Laureus Award for sportsman of the year"

[greengoblin]

I believe the key to djokovic beating nadal on clay is his backhand down the line, but its just been so dodgy for the last 3 years. You could see in the RG final last year he lost confidence in his backhand and the final slipped away from him.

That shot is the big difference between 2011 Djokovic and 2015 Djokovic.

I think every other aspect of Novak's game has improved but, bizarrely, his kill shot seems to have all but vanished.

Yeah I'm no expert in technique but it seems he doesn't push through that shot smoothly like a Nalbandian would; it's a lot more jerky, which causes timing issues. What's your take?

[LuvSports!]

He isn't as good at hitting that shot.

[summerblues]

And Rafa has a new racket

Your post was the first I heard about it.  Is this the first tournament ever he is playing with it or has he tried it before?  Was it advertised beforehand or has it come out of the blue?

Quite intriguing.

Looking forward to the next three months - my favorite stretch on the tennis calendar.

[biugo]

And Rafa has a new racket

Your post was the first I heard about it.  Is this the first tournament ever he is playing with it or has he tried it before?  Was it advertised beforehand or has it come out of the blue?

Quite intriguing.

Looking forward to the next three months - my favorite stretch on the tennis calendar.

It was indeed the first tournament where he's playing with it, as it wasn't ready early enough for other tournaments - so pretty much out of the blue I guess. He talked about it in his presser after his game at MC.

http://rafaelnadalfans.com/2015/04/15/rafael-nadal-new-babolat-racquet-monte-carlo-racket-2015-nueva-raqueta-de-nadal/
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/rafael-nadal-new-racket-racquet-monte-carlo-babolat-spin-control-power

«No cambio la raqueta desde hace mucho tiempo, ya no recuerdo cuándo. Es un cambio para tratar de conseguir más efectos. Los agujeros entre las cuerdas son un poco más grandes que en la otra. Es cierto que con esta nueva raqueta probablemente tengo menos control. En teoría, consigo más potencia y más efectos»

[HM Murdock]

I believe the key to djokovic beating nadal on clay is his backhand down the line, but its just been so dodgy for the last 3 years. You could see in the RG final last year he lost confidence in his backhand and the final slipped away from him.

That shot is the big difference between 2011 Djokovic and 2015 Djokovic.

I think every other aspect of Novak's game has improved but, bizarrely, his kill shot seems to have all but vanished.

Yeah I'm no expert in technique but it seems he doesn't push through that shot smoothly like a Nalbandian would; it's a lot more jerky, which causes timing issues. What's your take?

Assessment of technique is really not my forte, but it's my impression that he's simply not hitting the shot as much.

I don't get the sense that he's going for it and messing it up, he just doesn't seem to take the shot on. If he goes down the line, then it's nearly always to set up another shot rather than a winner in its own right.

Which is surprising because winners gushed from that shot in 2011.

I'd like to know if he is avoiding it because he is less confident on it or whether it has become tactically less important to him. He seems more confident in his forehand as an attacking weapon nowadays, which may be a factor.

But it's a strange choice to abandon such a potent shot.

[Belovedluckyboy]

Cant stand Chris Chase! What does he mean by false modesty? Rafa must always be favorite on clay, despite him losing to players he own all along on clay, and despite him narrowly beating an injured opponent to win a title?

Rafa has won three out of the last seven clay tournaments he played, compared to 5 in 7 or 4 in 5 all along. I mean he's not allowed to decline with age or injury and must always be favorite on clay? On the one hand almost everyone is saying that Rafa is in the worst form of his career and is in the decline, yet they dont believe that Rafa is no longer the favorite on clay; still they talk of dangerous opponents like Isner, Ferrer and Novak defeating him on clay!

Many of his fans are not that optimistic, though they hope that Rafa is the favorite in every clay court match that he plays. I do hope Rafa proves that he's still a force to reckon with decline or no decline.

[Belovedluckyboy]

Anyway its Rafa's intention to change his racket as early as at the beginning of the season and not a desparate move after doing poorly at the slow HC season ending at Miami.

[Belovedluckyboy]

I doubt Novak feels that the BHDTL shot is not that important. I feel hes not that confident hitting that shot now for whatever reason(s). Novak doesn't hit his FH the way Rafa and Fed do, ie they do hit their FHs CC I/O quite often, or even DTL at their BH corner (though Rafa does it more often than Fed). So, the BH DTL shot is important to Novak.

[sirfredperry]

Could Monfils upset Fed today? Anything's possible with Gael who really has, IMHO, under-performed for a man of his ability. We could get a blistering performance, or an ultra-defensive one with the Frenchman, as his wont, disappearing miles behind the baseline.
This is a guy with enough talent to have been top five constantly in the last few years. Seems more intent on being a showman rather that a winning tennis player.

[Matchpoint]

Es cierto que con esta nueva raqueta probablemente tengo menos control. En teoría, consigo más potencia y más

"It's certain with this new racquet I have probably LESS control. In theory, with it MORE potential and MORE (results)". ???


Something doesn't add up there. 

[Matchpoint]

Monfils loves to show off especially in front of home audience. A tough one coming up for Federer.

[Belovedluckyboy]

More power and more spin but less control.

[Belovedluckyboy]

What happens to Stan? Not his usual self.

[LuvSports!]

Wow Stan battered 6-1 6-2 by dimi

[sirfredperry]

Anyone see any of the Dimi-Stan match? Was Stan below par or did Dimi play well ? Stats on serve for Stan look awful. In any event, really good win for Dimi. Could kick start his season.

[Belovedluckyboy]

Stan played awfully and Dimi played well enough to win.

[Jahu]

Wake up Fedddd, wtf move it on.

[Josiah Maiestas]

Feds joining his mate Stanley back to the Swiss countryside. No way he comes back from a set down playing like he is.. Zzz

[temporary21]

Monfils takes it on a tb! What a match, Fed played pretty well and Monfils turned up today. One of Le Monfs best performances.

[It Must Be Love]

Prediction:
Nadal will win more points per tournament on average in the North American hard court swing in the summer than the European clay court season.

Not a jinx, because my prediction leaves him to do well or badly in either season- but I think he'll do comparatively better on the north american swing.

[Josiah Maiestas]

Forgetful tournament with both Swiss out, it's all up to Dimitrov to save the face of tennis which is, very unlikely

[temporary21]

Well at the moment Novak is the face of mens tennis, with him and Nadal paying well, the prospect of a semi final blockbuster is well worth sticking about.

[laverfan]

Federer slowly Faderer.

[LuvSports!]

Nah. Clay is just tougher for him now.

[LuvSports!]

Look at Dubai & IW.

[kingraf]

Reckon Monfils missed his best chance to win a Slam last year in New York. Really should have closed the show against Federer, and I would have fancied his chances against Cilic and Nishikori with the New York crowd at his back.

[kingraf]

IMBL - Its well within reason for the summer North American swing to be more fruitful for Rafa than the European clay swing. He's on a 17-match win streak there, and he's got a 20-1 record at the Open since the turn of the millennium

[lags72]

Federer slowly Faderer.

Is that not a bit harsh laverfan ....??

Not sure just how many other guys on the tour (ie other than undisputed No 1 Djoko of course ....) can currently boast a better early season W/L ratio than the old man .... so does that mean everyone else is fading even faster ; OR ....are you saying he is fading when measured against his own once-mercurial standards.....?? I would certainly agree with the latter.

A bad loss when seen in the context of the early season, and the race to London. He will be depressed by this. Came into MC declaring himself in good shape, well-rested, and seemingly trouble-free. Was moving extremely well yesterday v Chardy, and as comfortable on clay as we have seen him in recent years - even if Chardy did not provide as much of a test as he (sometimes) can do. Federer's 1st serve percentage dropped from 76 to 52, total serve points won down from 71% to 59%, and return points won showed similar dips.

Full credit to Monfils

[Silver]

Nice, good win for Monfils and a fantastic one for Dimi. What on earth was up with Stan? He's in freefall at the moment, must surely be nearly out of the top 10 after this.

Not too surprised at Federer losing, but I am surprised he lost in two. Good job Gael  big opportunities for everyone on that side of the draw now.

Rafa on serve against Big John...

[LuvSports!]

If Cilic loses today and Dimi doesn't go far, Stan will stay ninth.

[Belovedluckyboy]

I wonder what Rafa is doing, why is he hitting CC right back at Isner? Make him moves, Isner is not a good mover on clay!

[It Must Be Love]

IMBL - Its well within reason for the summer North American swing to be more fruitful for Rafa than the European clay swing. He's on a 17-match win streak there, and he's got a 20-1 record at the Open since the turn of the millennium

Yep, that's what I think too.
Nadal is probably better these days on outdoor hard court than on clay.

However playing on clay itself, with the memories it brings, may give him a mental boost to confidece.

[Belovedluckyboy]

Yes! VAMOS! First set in the bag. Come on Rafa, take it in two sets!

[Josiah Maiestas]

The guy who does EVERYTHING he can to get an advantage wins the set. Hopefully Ferrer will teach him tennis next round but I doubt it.

[Josiah Maiestas]

Yes! VAMOS! First set in the bag. Come on Rafa, take it in two sets!

Mr Sycophant

[Henman Bill]

Wow, this tournament is really getting going. Some notable wins for Monfils, Dimitrov and Raonic. Although Raonic is 4 to Robredo's 16 in ranking/seeding, I thought this would be close, and even thought Robredo might nick it on clay.

Dimitrov-Monfils could be a good one, but so far it doesn't like ESPN is going to show any highlgihts or repeats in the evening, so I haven't seen any matches yet. It's live tennis only during the working day. At least I work from home incase anything looks really awesome.

[Belovedluckyboy]

JM, what advantage are you talking about? I see no advantage given to Rafa. Don't be so sour when Fed lost!

Please don't call me names, I like Rafa that's all. I'm a Ms, not Mr btw.

[Henman Bill]

Don't feed the trolls!

[Belovedluckyboy]

Disappointing second set by Rafa, played so tentatively when he had 3 BP chances to take to lead to 5-4. Why such nerve at crucial moments and played so passively? Who says Rafa is favorite on clay??

[laverfan]

Federer slowly Faderer.

Is that not a bit harsh laverfan ....??

Not sure just how many other guys on the tour (ie other than undisputed No 1 Djoko of course ....) can currently boast a better early season W/L ratio than the old man .... so does that mean everyone else is fading even faster ; OR ....are you saying he is fading when measured against his own once-mercurial standards.....?? I would certainly agree with the latter.

A bad loss when seen in the context of the early season, and the race to London. He will be depressed by this. Came into MC declaring himself in good shape, well-rested, and seemingly trouble-free. Was moving extremely well yesterday v Chardy, and as comfortable on clay as we have seen him in recent years - even if Chardy did not provide as much of a test as he (sometimes) can do. Federer's 1st serve percentage dropped from 76 to 52, total serve points won down from 71% to 59%, and return points won showed similar dips.

Full credit to Monfils

It is definitely harsh. Monfils can rally all day long, and Federer left his brains in the locker room, and wanted to slug it out from the base line on clay. Very predictable first set. Second set was Russian roulette (and always is in 3-setters) and the Old Man lost it. Even Ferrer has a good W/L.

It is very rare to see Federer struggling in the first set. Even at 2-2 in second set, the writing was on the wall. There were 5+ deuces and 2-3 Bps, IIRC.

Chardy has beaten Federer at Rome, IIRC.

Monfils has/had a game plan, which came from Clement and was on the table at the DC final, the same pattern was played out today.

[Henman Bill]

How did Isner break? Agressive play/Rafa errors? Has there been only 1 break in the match?

[Belovedluckyboy]

Only one break despite all the BPs. Isner played well to break serve but Rafa didnt and wasted 3 BP chances at crucial moments.

[CAS]

that was poor from Fed, he was just rallying with Monfils trying to out backhand him, he just can't winners off that side on clay against a player like Gael. There was a bit of a collapse from 5-3 with 3 UEs, just disappointing overall.

[Sponsored content]