Tennis 2018
- Thread starter Raoul
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Rusty in general or something specific?
He played better as the match wore on. Just had to dust the cobwebs off after being so long.
Ok. Over two weeks till Wimbledon, so plenty of time for him.
He has at least one more match in Stuttgart and will play Halle next. So, yes, he should be ready by then.
Tbh, I don't get why people are so bothered by this. When you read some of the rumours etc. about how much it takes to get him on Court and in the right condition for RG - including the physical toll it takes on his body after the tournament - it's little wonder that he's not willing to potentially cause himself greater issues by going hell for leather on the grass court swing.
His focus, quite obviously, is the French. By my reckoning, Nadal is pretty unlikely to win Wimbledon without the draw absolutely collapsing around him and, even then, it's hard to imagine. Federer, without Nadal in the draw, might fancy himself to go close in RG. But it would seriously impinge on his chances at Wimbledon, which is his main focus.
I think people just have to adjust to the new normal. There are going to be guys who don't want to play a 50 week season and who will simply tailor their schedules with the slams and maybe a half dozen others in mind.
Who knows....Rafa still might be plagued by some injury (hand?) and doesn't want to exacerbate it before hard court season.
Though when you break it down that's due to injuries. He didn't play Brisbane because he was recovering from his knee injury.
After the AO he didn't play in Indian Wells or Miami because of the hip injury he sustained at the AO, so aside from Queens, none of it has been out of choice.
I don't think it's injury as he did the same thing last year and was fit at Wimbledon.
I personally think he'd be better off skipping one of the clay court masters (e.g. Madrid) in order to be fresh enough to play a warm up on grass.
Though I doubt he's winning Wimbledon anyway, so he probably thinks his chances are about the same with or without playing Queens.
Federer's selective scheduling had him skipping a 2 month clay season 2 years in row. If he wants to skip everything except RG on clay, or only play limited part of clay season, no one will blame.
If selective scheduling has players missing non-slam, non-masters events but playing slams/masters when fit then there isn't anything to blame. If Rafa directly plays Wimbledon, it is him who is at disadvantage because of not playing any event to get accustomed to surface.
If selective scheduling has players missing non-slam, non-masters events but playing slams/masters when fit then there isn't anything to blame. If Rafa directly plays Wimbledon, it is him who is at disadvantage because of not playing any event to get accustomed to surface.
You'd hope Rafa's learned his lesson from his terrible scheduling last year, wouldn't be surprised if he skipped Wimbledon and a fair few hard court tournaments as well. With a very healthy lead in the race it's not like he needs to exert himself to secure YE#1. Not sure Queen's will appreciate the annual sign up, pull out routine though.
It’s only an issue because rabid fans make it so, who thrive on latching on the most damnably trivial thing to talk down one or the other’s achievement. I won’t bother to name names but we have our own here.
The fact is at their age, injury record and personal endeavors outside of playing professionally, it’s expected that they would take liberties with scheduling that weren’t viable or convenient in the past. I’d rather we see the best tennis they can still offer over fewer tournaments than see them slogging through the calendar alongside the younger, fitter players and maybe hanging up their racquets a year or two earlier as a result.
However, one thing has to be said, if either of them expect not to compete or be fit for a tournament then pull out immediately, we don’t want a Murray fiasco like last USO.
Considering Rafa is playing Wimbledon, I doubt pulling out at of Queens is doing him any favours. Also by competing at Queens it would have helped him in the number 1 race because he didn’t play there last season.
I think he would have played if those issues in the final set against Thiem didn’t come about. That probably made him rethink.
He also skipped Indian Wells and Miami when he pulled out the Acapulco open on the day he was supposed to be playing. Hardly decided before the season started that he was going to skip these events.
I just read the responses and most of them having a go at Ben for shoddy reporting.
That’s ridiculous.
Plus the pretentious twats at Wimbledon need to push it back a week so we get a longer grass season.
Plus the pretentious twats at Wimbledon need to push it back a week so we get a longer grass season.
Fed will be quick, no worries, people.
Fed wins a hard fought straight set QF against Guido Pella. Not as easy as his first match but Pella put up a hard fight.
Plays Kyrgios next
Plays Kyrgios next
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Murray confirmed he will play at Queens. First round...Nick Kyrgios.
Kyrgios playing Federer later today today too.
Kyrgios playing Federer later today today too.
Is there anyway we can stream the match between Federer and Kyrgios?
Kyrgos takes set 1. Playing very well today
Fed takes charge with a couple of breaks and takes the 2nd relatively easily. Kyrgios is going to have to rebound strongly if he wants to have a chance in the 3rd.
Very strong 3rd set from Kyrgios who took it to a tie breaker where he was actually up a mini break. Fed however stormed back to take it. Back to #1 in the world.
Just seen Fed beat Nick. Looks like it was a good game but unfortunately nowhere to be found on TV
Followed the scores and thought when Fed got broken that was it. Surprised to see he broke back and then won the last set tie break
Followed the scores and thought when Fed got broken that was it. Surprised to see he broke back and then won the last set tie break
Just seen Fed beat Nick. Looks like it was a good game but unfortunately nowhere to be found on TV
Followed the scores and thought when Fed got broken that was it. Surprised to see he broke back and then won the last set tie break
Fed was good but definitely not back at his best yet and Kyrgios was definitely up for it for long stretches during the first and third sets. Still a good test to hone Fed's game before the other grass tournaments begin.
Yeah I thought Fed would lose this. Must be rusty. Pissed off I can't watch the final tomorrow unless I found a stream but my computer doesn't like streams
Be interesting to see if he can cope with servebot Raonic..
Murray is back on Tuesday. Plays Kyrgios in the first round.
Fed takes the Stuttgart Open in straight sets. On to Halle tomorrow.
Just came home and seen the result. Rogie
It's a good win for someone who hasn't played for a while.
It's a good win for someone who hasn't played for a while.
If he wins Halle.....he will go for his 100th singles title at Wimbledon.
I'm extremely conflicted. On the one hand, I want him to get some matches under his belt to be sharp, on the other, with the field being this volatile and Nadal being wank on grass in recent years, a not so tiny part of me just say wrap him in cotton wool until Wimby.
His biggest threat there would probably still be Cilic/Kyrgios, unless Djokovic progresses futher in his recovery.
His biggest threat there would probably still be Cilic/Kyrgios, unless Djokovic progresses futher in his recovery.
He will do well to gain some exposure to increasingly more difficult opposition at Halle before starting Wimbledon imo. I watched all his Stuttgart matches this week and while he was relatively good, he is certainly not at his best (although the Kyrgios and Raonic matches helped sharpen him up towards the end). He could do with a couple of tough matches at Halle to really sharpen his blade before heading to London.
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Good week for Federer, understandably rusty first match but some very solid form since then. Negotiated the Kyrgios and Raonic matches very well considering the level of opposition. Not too concerned about him playing Halle, the field's very weak there this year so he should be able to cruise through most of the tournament if he plays like he did this week and then he'll still have plenty in the tank for Wimbledon. Don't see him winning both of them but I'm more optimistic than I was this time last week.
To be fair Kyrgios and Raonic were rusty too. They haven’t played for months and both missed the French Open through injury.
This has to be done. A few years ago, it was just a two week gap between the French Open final and the start of Wimbledon. It is now a three week, but still ridiculous. Having 3 weeks in between two Majors is ridiculous.
They should schedule the French Open in the last two weeks of May with the Final on the last weekend of the month. Wimbledon can then begin the first Monday of July. This would result in a longer grass season. They should have a grass Masters 1000 event as well. At any convenient time of the year.
Halle needs to be 1000 Masters as Germany don’t have one. They used to have one with Hamburg Masters but that was taken away from them.
Italy, France and Spain have 1000 masters events. France have two in Monte Carlo and Paris Masters as well as a grand slam which is ridiculous. So it’s strange Germany don’t have one considering their is a strong following for tennis in the country.
100% agree with that. Regardless if it is Halle or Queens, we need a grass masters and generally longer grass season. With more tournaments it might encourage more attacking tennis players emerging rather than the conventional young baseline bashers...
Where would the venue be though? I suppose we can push the FO one week earlier and Wimbledon another week later, and in those extra two weeks hold a 500 event and make either Halle/Queens a 1000 event, but which country/community would be interested in investing and maintaining a grass court with the cost involved from scratch?
The American hard court swing actually need a reschedule imo. Two Masters 1000 and a Slam within 1 month leading into another 1000 and the WTF are just too much, seems where most of the injuries happen as well.
Just demote MC, swap it with Rome on the calendar and push FO week or two earlier. It's the worst masters in terms of turnout either way.
THe American hard court swing IMO is ok, just needs one more week before Cincy.
If any clay master that needs to be demoted then it is Madrid. The owner sounds like a right piece of work.
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