Obliteration in the first set
Tennis 2018
- Thread starter Raoul
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Good start to the second set for Zverev.
What the feck is going on? Rafa down 0-4? Is he injured?
What a fightback from Zverev
No. Zverev decided he gives no fecks anymore.
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This will be a massive moment for Zverev's career if he takes this.
Early break in the third for Zverev..
Holy feck broke again first game 
Zverev is in fecking beast mode right now
Absolutely amazing, especially given that he's been dealing with minor injuries.
Can Sascha actually win? 
Definitely. Since the first set he's had all the momentum. Maybe the rain break will disturb that but he has a break advantage.Can Sascha actually win?
Expect Rafa to turn it around after the break. The kid was running on adrenaline and he might start to feel the fatigue and nerves.
I hate rain.
Back underway again shortly.
the Mayor of Rome getting booed when on screenGot to feel for Zverev, would have been a huge win for him if the rain had held off.
Zverev lost all his momentum with the break. Unfortunate.
Amazing performance from Zverev. Didn't think he had it in him. Rafa is by no means a lock to win the French at this point.
Feel Zverev would have won or at least made it a bit closer if not for the rain delay.
Still not beaten Nadal, but his first time winning a set against him on clay, so positives to be taken for him.
Rafa now back to world no.1
Still not beaten Nadal, but his first time winning a set against him on clay, so positives to be taken for him.
Rafa now back to world no.1
Hopefully Zverev makes a deep run in a slam now and FO is good opportunity to do so.
It's never a lock, but he's won Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome.
Probably not as good as he was last year, but he came into the clay court season coming back from injury.
He's beaten all of his main contenders too.
Fingers crossed. With his ranking he should be able to make a good run at Wimbledon too.
I think he’s a lock. This match was good for him because it allows him to work on any weaknesses. I’m surprised Moyà wasn’t there.
Zverev is gonna have to go for another two weeks. So if he wants to win the French open he’s gotta be playing for 5 out of 6 weeks. Then you adding in you have to be playing best of 5.
Also taking 3 sets from Rafa is going to be some effort.
Thiem is playing next week.
Surprised Thiem is playing next week.
Also Raonic has pulled out of the French Open. Doubt he would have made any impact, not sure of the extent but more a shame for Wimbledon.
Also Raonic has pulled out of the French Open. Doubt he would have made any impact, not sure of the extent but more a shame for Wimbledon.
United lost, Mumbai knocked out of the IPL, atleast Rafa won.
Was so close to this being a completely disastrous weekend, but thanks to the rain gods, Rafa pulled it back.
Was so close to this being a completely disastrous weekend, but thanks to the rain gods, Rafa pulled it back.
He has been unfortunate with injuries since the 2016 final.
With each year there is a bit of degradation and a bit more of a challenge from random opponents. This year that will be from Thiem and Zverev imo. Zverev right now is playing the best tennis of his career and could easily take a slam.
Yes and slams is best of 5 affair. To take 3 sets from Nadal on clay, at RG, especially when he is playing good overall is a mammoth, almost impossible task. Only prime Djokovic can do/hope to do that imo. Else it will take a miracle.
That must be so frustrating for Zverev. He's playing arguably the most dominant player ever on a single court and even the gods give him a break at the right time.
With Zverev, if he beats Nadal, it will have to be in the final. I doubt he'll win his first slam (never made a QF at any) at RG vs Nadal.
Depends which half of the draw Thiem and Djokovic end up with I guess.
For me, irrespective of his past slam results, its a matter of if not when for Zverev to win a slam. He's playing the best tennis on the tour alongside Rafa right now and is nearing that point in his young career where he takes a slam. This match today should've been one that Rafa took fairly comfortably after a fatigued, slightly injured Zverev barely made it to the final and yet it nearly went to Zverev. The complete implosion in the 2nd set is a warning sign to Rafa that the French isn't going to be gifted to him any more.
Last year he won the thing dropping only 35 games. Roland Garos is just different ball game against Nadal. It took Djokovic years and a substantial Nadal decline to beat him there, even when he was beating Nadal on clay on the other masters.
Even prime Djokovic struggled to do that.
I know he did it in 2015, but Nadal was awful during that period.
But between 2012-2014 he kept losing to Nadal despite beating him at other clay events.
He's definitely the clear favorite but it won't be the sort of dominant performances we've seen in the past. He just recently lost to Thiem and has been pushed very hard three setters this tournament.
He lost to Thiem last year in Rome too. Then went on to put one of his best French open performances ever.
Zverev has been winning masters for a year. But he’s not stepped up in grand slams.
He's still not beaten him at all yet. I just don't see him beating Rafa in the final. If someone knocks him out, he's favorite, but won't be until then.
I think Zverev will win his first slam either this year or next, but I don't think it will be on his first deep run in a slam. I think he'll lose in a SF or F first before doing so.
Yes, that's why I added 'hope to do so.." part
. I guess even vs Soderling he wasn't fully fit when he lost.Btw, Wawrinka, Djokovic, Nishikori are all going to be seeded outside 16. That means a potential 3rd round match vs big players. Just hoping they don't come up vs Nadal, Zverev and Thiem. It will be waste of a good match early. Wawrinka is still getting back but Nishikori and Djokovic are playing good and nobody will want to face them in 3rd round.
Thiem beat him fairly convincingly too in Rome. He destroyed Novak in the QFs at RG and went into that SF having won his most recent encounter with Nadal, but ending up getting destroyed.
Yes, that's why I added 'hope to do so.." part
Btw, Wawrinka, Djokovic, Nishikori are all going to be seeded outside 16. That means a potential 3rd round match vs big players. Just hoping they don't come up vs Nadal, Zverev and Thiem. It will be waste of a good match early. Wawrinka is still getting back but Nishikori and Djokovic are playing good and nobody will want to face them in 3rd round.
Could be a strange as the first week could potentially have better matches than the second week. Wawrinka is playing next week, but he needs that. I would be surprised if he gets far. But you never know with Stan as all it can take is one match for him to be hitting someone out the court and he could have some momentum.
Speaking of comebacks. Kyrgios is playing doubles next week too. He’s had a elbow injury, I was wondering where he has got to in the last two months.
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