View Full Version : BARCELONA 2017, 24th - 30th April. Main thread.
Sallydaisy
21-04-2017, 13:38
Andy's playing ...
Sallydaisy
21-04-2017, 13:38
Per Stu Fraser
Stuart FraserVerified account @stu_fraser 52m52 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/stu_fraser/status/855401895925567488) Confirmation through that Andy Murray has decided to play in the Barcelona Open next week.
themass15
21-04-2017, 13:42
Can't wait. Very strong field there.
sir coolerking
21-04-2017, 13:59
Andy's entry will push Rafa down to number 3 seed with Nishikori at 2.
I wonder if the fact Barca is a 500 as opposed to Budapest only a 250 had a bearing?
I wonder if the fact Barca is a 500 as opposed to Budapest only a 250 had a bearing?
Possibly but it also means less distance to travel to Madrid. Has Nishikori been injured?
Sallydaisy
21-04-2017, 14:31
Andy'll have the company of Dan and Kyle who are both on the Entry List.
1300
Barcelona Entry List/Fact Sheet
BARCELONA OPEN BANC SABADELL, REAL CLUB DE TENIS BARCELONA 1899
BOSCH I GIMPERA 5-13, 08034 BARCELONA, BARCELONA, SPAIN
WEB SITE: Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell | 65º Trofeo Conde de Godó (http://www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com/)
Dates: 24–30 APRIL 2017
Qualifying draw: Friday, April 21, 9:00 p.m.
Main draw: Saturday, April 22, Noon
Doubles draw: Saturday, April 22, 2:00 p.m.
Qualifying doubles draw: Saturday, April 22, 2:00 p.m.
48 DRAW (Q24)
SURFACE: CLAY
BALL: DUNLOP FORT CLAY COURT
ATP Ranking Points
W: 500, F: 300, SF: 180, QF: 90, R16: 45, R32: 20 (Seeds: 0), R64: 0, Q: +10, Q12: 4, Q24: 0
Entry deadline and Ranking on : March 13, 2017
Seeding based on Rankings at April 17, 2017
1 Nishikori, Kei JPN 5
2 Nadal, Rafael ESP 6
3 Thiem, Dominic AUT 9
4 Goffin, David BEL 12
5 Berdych, Tomas CZE 14
6 Bautista Agut, Roberto ESP 17
7 Gasquet, Richard FRA 19
8 Carreno Busta, Pablo ESP 23
9 Ramos-Vinolas, Albert ESP 24
10 Cuevas, Pablo URU 30
11 Kohlschreiber, Philipp GER 31
12 Ferrer, David ESP 32
13 Zverev, Mischa GER 33
14 Lopez, Feliciano ESP 34
15 Granollers, Marcel ESP 36
16 Sousa, Joao POR 37
17 Paire, Benoit FRA 40
18 Evans, Daniel GBR 41
19 Tomic, Bernard AUS 42
20 Edmund, Kyle GBR 46
21 Khachanov, Karen RUS 52
22 Jaziri, Malek TUN 53
23 Basilashvili, Nikoloz GEO 55
24 Almagro, Nicolas ESP 57
OUT Young, Donald USA 60
26 Struff, Jan-Lennard GER 63
27 Berlocq, Carlos ARG 68
28 Istomin, Denis UZB 69
OUT Nishioka, Yoshihito JPN 70
30 Bellucci, Thomaz BRA 71
31 Monaco, Juan ARG 72
32 Zeballos, Horacio ARG 73
33 Herbert, Pierre-Hugues FRA 74
34 Seppi, Andreas ITA 75
35 Anderson, Kevin RSA 79
36 Chardy, Jeremy FRA 80
37 (SE)
38 (Q)
39 (Q)
40 (Q)
41 (Q)
42 (Q)
43 (Q)
44 (WC) Robredo, Tommy ESP
45 (WC)
46 (WC)
47 (WC)
48 (WC)
Alternates
OUT Robert, Stephane FRA 81
IN Brown, Dustin GER 82
OUT Bagnis, Facundo ARG 83
IN Youzhny, Mikhail RUS 84
IN Dutra Silva, Rogerio BRA 85
1. Albot, Radu MDA 87
2. Olivo, Renzo ARG 88
3. Garcia-Lopez, Guillermo ESP 89
OUT Tursunov, Dmitry RUS @89
4. Kukushkin, Mikhail KAZ 90
5. Estrella Burgos, Victor DOM 91
6. Pavlasek, Adam CZE 94
7. Janowicz, Jerzy POL @94
OUT Elias, Gastao POR 95
OUT Stepanek, Radek CZE 98
Berdych has withdrawn and A.Zverev has received a wild card.
The 16 seeds as it stands now:
1.Andy Murray
2.Kei Nishikori
3.Rafael Nadal
4.Dominic Thiem
5.David Goffin
6.Roberto Bautista
7.Pablo Carreño
8.Alexander Zverev
9.Richard Gasquet
10.Albert Ramos
11.Pablo Cuevas
12.Philipp Kohlschreiber
13.David Ferrer
14.Mischa Zverev
15.Joao Sousa
16.Feliciano López
I'm off to Barcelona first thing in the morning! I'm there for the whole tournament.
Fantastic, Linda! Split loyalties? ;)
I'm off to Barcelona first thing in the morning! I'm there for the whole tournament.
Have a great time!
goldfish
21-04-2017, 18:37
Have a great week Linda. Will you be wearing your AMFF t-shirt so we can pick you out?
Wow, lucky you, Linda! Enjoy.
Sallydaisy
21-04-2017, 22:35
I'm off to Barcelona first thing in the morning! I'm there for the whole tournament.
blog please!
:thumbup:
Sallydaisy
21-04-2017, 22:37
Berdych has withdrawn and A.Zverev has received a wild card.
The 16 seeds as it stands now:
1.Andy Murray
2.Kei Nishikori
3.Rafael Nadal
4.Dominic Thiem
5.David Goffin
6.Roberto Bautista
7.Pablo Carreño
8.Alexander Zverev
9.Richard Gasquet
10.Albert Ramos
11.Pablo Cuevas
12.Philipp Kohlschreiber
13.David Ferrer
14.Mischa Zverev
15.Joao Sousa
16.Feliciano López
Evo only 4 places from being a seed!
Sorry for Berdy, it's not been a good year for him...hopefully whatever caused him to withdraw is sorted before Madrid. I wonder if goff will still play if he wins this weekend
Andy' prospective route:
R1: Bye
R2: Tomic/Brown
R3: Lopez
QF: Ramos Vinolas/RBA
SF: Thiem
F: Nadal/Keith
Kyle v Chardy & Dan v Qualifier.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C-Ao5mqXkAAI-qU.jpg
I wonder if Sir Andy's hoping he won't have to play Vino again.
Nishikori has withdrawn.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C-BYbiQXkAAN-n3.jpg
Shame and equally a shame he didn't announce his withdrawal before the draw was made. I think the procedure is that the next highest ranked player (Paire) takes his place and his position is filled by a lucky loser.
Kei is so injury prone - such a shame for him. It doesn't seem to be a bad draw for Andy.
Wish all players if they are going to withdraw before the start of play, could do it before the draw. Especially in this case we he didn't pull out long after it was made. Shame for Kev though, like Berdy there seems to be a lot of withdrawals for him so far this year. He will drop 300 points as he reached the final last year
goldfish
22-04-2017, 14:27
Think there should be a penalty if players withdraw once the draw has been made unless there is a very good reason. Very unlikely in this case that Kei didn't know a few hours earlier. Annoying for the organisers and the seeds.
To be fair to Keith apparently he did practice yesterday and this morning so can only assume the decision was to play and then in the last few hours the decision to withdraw was made. As a seed I believe he still has to fulfil his obligations to the tournament and remain on site for a period. He's well used to this procedure. ;)
From the Barcelona Open website. Nishikori injured his wrist at practice this morning so I assume too late to withdraw before the draw was made at 11am.
http://i67.tinypic.com/fonp7s.png
That's horrible for him, I presumed it was the injury he had before. Poor guy.
goldfish
22-04-2017, 18:47
Very unfortunate for him but he didn't plan to stay on site for very long. Hope he gets some good treatment very soon.
Kyle first up tomorrow morning on the main court (v Chardy!!!) and Dan second on Court 1. (v Qualifier)
themass15
23-04-2017, 14:54
Let's hope Kyle can build on Monte Carlo.
Kyle and Chardy have the honour of playing the first tour match on Pista Rafa Nadal. Take the hint Wimbledon. :p
http://i65.tinypic.com/sepow5.png
Sallydaisy
23-04-2017, 16:43
Kyle and Chardy have the honour of playing the first tour match on Pista Rafa Nadal. Take the hint Wimbledon. :p
I just can't see anything changing from the current Centre and numbers ...
... but they could perhaps (for all dog carrying tennis players) instigate
a Doggy Drinks Lawn/Pooch Parlour called "Maggie & Rusty's Joint".
;)
Dan plays Brazilian Thiago Monteiro, ranked 80 and obviously a clay court specialist although Dan did beat him in the first round of Sydney this year in 3 sets.
Kyle on court now against chardy...futher match chat on his feed. Hopefully he will finish before te first match on pista 1 so then sky can show Dan's match too. Then he could get the win in time for Jamie's match starting, that would be ace lol
Sallydaisy
24-04-2017, 11:03
Kyle and Chardy have the honour of playing the first tour match on Pista Rafa Nadal. Take the hint Wimbledon. :p
... especially for Bardot!
;)
Genny SS @genny_ss 13m13 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/genny_ss/status/856459991448006657) Oh!...Just heard on Teledeporte that the Sanchez-Casal Academy
have named one of their courts "Andy Murray" (cc @stu_fraser (https://twitter.com/stu_fraser))
:sirandy:
Kyle on court now against chardy...futher match chat on his feed. Hopefully he will finish before te first match on pista 1 so then sky can show Dan's match too. Then he could get the win in time for Jamie's match starting, that would be ace lol
Sky not showing Dan's match :sad: They have Robredo/Sugita
Dan serving for the first set 5-4
... especially for Bardot!
;)
:sirandy:
How many hints does Wimbledon need? :p
Kyle & Dan top and tailing the schedule.
http://i64.tinypic.com/nzk7yp.png
Most inconvenient. :grrr: I was hoping for half a day sightseeing.
Most inconvenient. :grrr: I was hoping for half a day sightseeing.
At least they're not both on at the same time!
themass15
24-04-2017, 20:04
Most inconvenient. :grrr: I was hoping for half a day sightseeing.
Can't you see Kyle's match and come back later for Dan
Yes, think I might do that.
Yes, think I might do that.
Have a good day Linda!
I'm looking for you on TV!
Andy will play Tomic in round 2 who's just beaten Brown in 3 sets which could be classed as a shock as Brown was a strong favourite with the bookies and Bernie had lost in the first round of his last 5 tournaments and doesn't have a good record on clay.
As soon as Kyle's match finished, I watched the rest of the Tomic/Brown match (most of 3rd set). Brown came across to me as disinterested and didn't seem to play with his usual verve and vigour, despite winning the second set to level the match. Tomic didn't do anything all that special IMO.
Zverev (Sascha) has just won the first set on a TB, but he has his hands full with Almagro!! Good match.
Sorry about brown, tomic is my least favourite player of all time. Hopefully Murray can give him a thrashing no matter what cheating antics he tries. This is a guy who faked an injury in one match, then bragged about it in an interview, who makes sly digs at his opponents during play and has a number of distraction tactics rehearsed. Note to Andy, unless he shouts challenge and the umpire then says that he is challenging - don't stop play. No matter how much he gestures play on, otherwise he will only say he didn't. ;)
Hoping for a win for zverev over almagro. It will make his family happy when his older brother loses to dan later ;) lol
Completely agree on Tomic Jerry, I can't abide him either!
RosieBear
25-04-2017, 13:49
I've always felt a bit sorry for Bernie because his dad is such an A-grade pain in the @***. A total bully. Must be difficult to have a father from hell like that. I know Tomic jnr can be a bit of a brat, but must admit I didn't know about anything more dubious he may have done.
Well that's my second favourite player out.....David Ferrer...love watching him play....beaten by Kevin Anderson!
Didn't get to see the 3rd set of Sascha's match. I had to go out as I wanted to be back for Dan's match. Made it! So Sascha 'got' Almagro in the end! Good for him. And Gasquet is out! And sorry to see Ferrer go.
Andy second on Pista Rafa Nadal not before 12.30 local (11.30am UK)
http://i63.tinypic.com/kp4ax.png
Weather forecast looking a bit dodgy for tomorrow and even more so for Thursday. Conditions will be heavier and colder.
Hmm I will most likely miss a good bit of Andy's match.
themass15
25-04-2017, 16:58
Perhaps the weather that is in the UK is headed that way.
Poor Daveeed.
José Morais @ZezeAM
Ferrer after today's loss: "Right now it's impossible to get back the David from the best of the times. I can't train like before"
He'e not done yet however and has asked for a wild card into Estoril next week which will probably mean Kyle is no longer seeded.
Saw Kyle's match, then went on City Tour Bus (both routes) & got back just in time for most of Dan's match! Exhausted now!
But a nice way to spend a day Linda!
Rosalind
26-04-2017, 09:19
looks like it's rainy in Barcelona. Two lone spectators in head-to-toe cagoules on Pista Rafa waiting for the match before Andy. :rain:
edit ... oooh there are more gathering in cagoules now! is that a good or bad sign? :shrug:
themass15
26-04-2017, 10:00
Also rain forecast for tomorrow. Linda will not be happy.
Sallydaisy
26-04-2017, 11:07
looks like it's rainy in Barcelona. Two lone spectators in head-to-toe cagoules on Pista Rafa waiting for the match before Andy. :rain:
edit ... oooh there are more gathering in cagoules now! is that a good or bad sign? :shrug:
Andy's got a w/o so if they're waiting for him I hope someone has mentioned he won't be playing today!
:pingu:
I think Sir Andy will be slightly pleased about the walkover, because of today's weather.
Keep hearing that Lopez also withdrew but his match is still on the schedule and listed on the app. I know it's raining at the mo but is Lopez playing or not?
No play due til 2 because of rain
It says Dan's match v Thiem is 9am tomorrow. Is that right? I assume it'll be 10am over there. Go Dan!!
greatunclebulgaria
26-04-2017, 13:44
Lopez v Montanes on court now, so no walk-over
greatunclebulgaria
26-04-2017, 14:32
looking like Andy's opponent will be Lopez as he is leading a set (6-2) and 4-1 in under 50mins
yep Lopez 6-2 6-2 in an hour
By the size of his gut, it looks like Montanes has prepared well for retirement. He'll be disappointed there's no cake in the presentation. ;)
Kohli being sensible and avoids having MPs before losing. Chung wins 6-3 6-4.
I think Sir Andy will be slightly pleased about the walkover, because of today's weather.
On the contrary, I think Andy would have preferred a match. The reason he choose to play here in the first place was for match play!
Just seen that Goff won 7-5 6-0 when I last had a chance to check he was 2-0 down in the first set! No tennis for me today just occasional checks of the app. GO GOFFIN!! :) :)
http://i65.tinypic.com/dbh2bs.png
It's due to rain heavily tomorrow, so no guarantee he will play tomorrow either.
The TD must have been very happy that Tomic withdrew, otherwise there would be more matches carried over. Have been cold & wet all day waiting for play. Won't go tomorrow until I hear play has begun.
themass15
26-04-2017, 18:39
Hope the weather is kind to you Linda
Happy for khachanov who got the win over cuevas in two tie break sets. He played well at the back end of last year but I haven't had a chance to see much of him so far this season.
Zeballos came through against Sousa.
RoastLamb
26-04-2017, 23:09
The TD must have been very happy that Tomic withdrew, otherwise there would be more matches carried over. Have been cold & wet all day waiting for play. Won't go tomorrow until I hear play has begun.
How miserable for you and all the other fans. :grouphug:
Vino df ruud 7-6 6-4
BA df struff 6-1 6-3
The TD must have been very happy that Tomic withdrew, otherwise there would be more matches carried over. Have been cold & wet all day waiting for play. Won't go tomorrow until I hear play has begun.
Feeling so sorry for you Linda that the weather has been so difficult. Stay dry and warm today. I hope you may get to see some tennis later x
No play on any court at the moment (11.20 UK time.)
themass15
27-04-2017, 10:40
Looks like play will not start before 4 p.m. local time. 8 degrees v cold for tennis!!!
I'm looking at a webcam of Barcelona, it's absolutely tipping down.
themass15
27-04-2017, 11:29
Now due to go on to 8 p.m. Oh dear
:taz::taz: and I have dashed home from shopping, didn't get everything either so will have to go back....grrr!
Rescheduled OOP has Andy now second up after Rafa, with play starting at 3pm.
As far as I can see play starts at 3pm Spain time, which is 2pm in the UK.
Whilst waiting for Andy et al to play today, I got to imagining what these guys would be doing if they hadn't joined the tennis circus. I have Novak still in sport but as a gymnast, Rafa as a matador, Fed as a banker, and Andy as a vet ( although perhaps not Supervet!); still plenty of time before the tennis starts to think of other worthy professions for the rest of the top ten and beyond, so what do you see them as?
http://i63.tinypic.com/ngcxus.png
Josephine
27-04-2017, 12:49
Andy should have gone to Budapest for matches.
Guess they lured him to Barcelona with promise of renaming a court at Sanchez-Casal after him. ;);)
RosieBear
27-04-2017, 13:15
Whilst waiting for Andy et al to play today, I got to imagining what these guys would be doing if they hadn't joined the tennis circus. I have Novak still in sport but as a gymnast, Rafa as a matador, Fed as a banker, and Andy as a vet ( although perhaps not Supervet!); still plenty of time before the tennis starts to think of other worthy professions for the rest of the top ten and beyond, so what do you see them as?
:rolling:...good game, Clancy :thumbup:
Novak = actor in one of those cheesy touring theatre workshops that visit schools etc.
Rafa = Pope (natch ;))
Fed = Hitman
Andy = definitely agree, vet/ animal welfare :love:
:rolling:
Getting back to Barca..... these delays are driving me crazy.... must be a nightmare for the players.
Finally ......back to the serious stuff!!
Dan Evans match has just started on Pista 1.
Any more of this rain and it'll be Pista off again.
Can't see the Nadal/Anderson match taking long so Andy up pretty soon I reckon!!
themass15
27-04-2017, 14:14
They must all be really cold. It is only about 10 degrees at present in Barca.
Barcelona is on my bucket list but would hope for higher temperatures!
Lucky loser Sugita (#91) who is only in the draw because Nishikori was a late withdrawal has surprisingly beaten 7th seed Carreno Busta 6-3 6-3 and will play Thiem in the QF.
Zverev saves a break point to win the first game.
Goffin, last week, beats Djolovic. He now seems to be struggling against Khachanov, now 2 - 3.
Goff has got to be tired after last week - emotionally as much as physically.
Goffin breaks back to make it 3 - 3.
Chung beating Zverev 3 - 1 in the first set.
Chung wins the first set 6 - 1.
Goffin wins the first set 7 - 6 (9 -7).
Zverev breaks Chung's serve, now 4 - 5.
Alexander Zverev loses 1 - 6, 4 - 6.
Khachanov one game away from levelling the match.
Khachanov wins the second set 6 - 3.
Khachanov winning the third set 3 - 1.
themass15
27-04-2017, 17:33
Looks like Goff is going to lose but I am watching Andy!
RosieBear
27-04-2017, 17:45
C'mon Goffin!
RosieBear
27-04-2017, 17:49
Break point, come on David!
Ughhh - deuce.
:sad: Belgie is out :sad:
Remaining in Nadal's half of the draw are Chung, Khachanov, Zeballos & Paire. :laugh:
Who's left in Andy's half?
ARV showing Andy how to handle a 4-0 lead in a set, he's now 5-0. :p
ARV, RBA, Thiem & Sugita are in Andy's half.
Surprised that Andy's QF is on second tomorrow given ARV & RBA are still playing.
http://i64.tinypic.com/33k9md1.png
themass15
27-04-2017, 18:37
Hopefully that will give Andy a bit of an advantage. Looks like ARV is on fire. Come on Roberto!
JAMES4578
27-04-2017, 18:39
Nadal not needing much luck and now looks straightforward in bottom half,most surprised Sacha succumbed in straights to Chung .
Is anyone watching the Nadal/Chung match. Chung is a revelation - going toe to toe with Nadal - now into a first set tie break.
Looking at this, I'm no longer surprised that Sascha lost to Chung. Rafa has his work cut out to win this first set although he has gone 3-0 up in the tie break.
Nadal takes the first set on the tie break. This boy Chung is good though - he's giving Rafa a real run for his money.
JAMES4578
28-04-2017, 16:50
Was expecting pretty easy ride for Nadal but Chung certainly challenged up and impressed, looks like Rafa may have measure of him now though.
Speaking of A.Zverev, Nadal is not happy with him. This is a bit OTT.
José Morais @ZezeAM
“Zverev has to show on court that he’s humble and work. I’m not so sure about that”. Nadal about NextGen’s star.
I've never seen Chung play before - I'm definitely impressed. He was only 20 last week - good things to come for him I think. Nadal has broken in the first game though and will probably run away with it now.
RosieBear
28-04-2017, 17:04
Speaking of A.Zverev, Nadal is not happy with him. This is a bit OTT.
José Morais @ZezeAM
“Zverev has to show on court that he’s humble and work. I’m not so sure about that”. Nadal about NextGen’s star.
Ugh. I'm sure he's a decent guy, but Rafa's Uriah Heep act just knocks me sick sometimes.:ill:
Maggie Thatcher said "power is like being a lady... if you have to tell people you are, you aren't". Maybe Rafa could adopt a similar approach to his 'umbleness.:peace:
Does Nadal really have to make that noise on every shot - it's almost as irritating as Sharapova's shriek.
Nadal now 4-1 up but he'll definitely know he's been in a match.
For context (https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/barcelona-open-rafael-nadal-labels-060043837.html), Nadal objected to Zverev's comments about only playing Barcelona to get a chance to redeem himself after the thrashing in Monte Carlo.
Nadal wins 7-6, 6-2 but, hopefully, Chung will take the positives from that match.
http://i68.tinypic.com/1493885.png
I was sorry for Khachy, after his match against goff, I really thought he could get through zeb. Khachy will have a career high ranking of 42 on Monday though so he'll be happy with that. He will jump a bunch of places in the race to Milan too.
Zeballos asked Nadal for a selfie as he left the court. :ill: That's where Sasha Zverev went wrong. :rolleyes:
roytennisfan
29-04-2017, 17:07
Expecting another Decima from Rafa tomorrow, can't see Thiem stopping him
I cant either roy , just hoping he can play like he did today , make a good match of it , and hopefully push Rafa
Can only see 1 winner tho
i'm not so sure. If Thiem can play like he did today, he could well give Rafa a run for his money.
I do like nadal but thiem played so well yesterday I would love to see him get the title :) I'll be cheering for him
RosieBear
30-04-2017, 11:43
Dom, along with Goff and Kei, is one of the players I'd most love to see break through. I'll be rooting for him all the way today. Good luck kid.:peace:
I think Thiem could well do it........Rafa struggled with the power of Kyle's forehand and from what the commies were saying yesterday, Thiem packs a punch both forehand and backhand. In fact my eyes were on stalks at some of his backhands. I've never seen such power. Just hope it's a good match and not a let down.
RosieBear
30-04-2017, 14:15
Glad to see Mr Bernardes in the chair :thumbup:;) Best of luck, Dom. :cheer:
RosieBear
30-04-2017, 14:24
Wow! Some hitting by both.:clap: Rafa on clay is not always my favourite, but Dom's a little beast himself and can hold his own.
Set point Rafa - c'mon Thiem!
A pity - Dom blinked and Rafa took the first set.
RosieBear
30-04-2017, 15:08
Argh, what a shame, but keep going Dom :cheer:
Thiem put up a good fight in that 1st set !!! Great to see !!
JAMES4578
30-04-2017, 15:12
Certainly Thiem played well but unable to stop Nadal from breaking at the end,hopefully not a dip now and keeps fighting.
RosieBear
30-04-2017, 15:25
Dom battles to the hold. Rafa is relentless though, hope Dom can stay with him.
Nadal breaks , shame :grrr:
Thiem falling apart , credit to Rafa tho , hes a beast isnt he
JAMES4578
30-04-2017, 15:44
As I feared and now double break, Nadal serving for it at 5-1.
RosieBear
30-04-2017, 15:47
Not the result I wanted but congrats and respect to ironman Rafa - he doesn't let up for a single point :clap: They say the Big 4 bring an intensity that lower ranked players can't live with for an entire match, and Rafa has to be the most intense of all.
Bad luck to Dom, but with his quality all court game and willingness to learn it's only a matter of time till a big win comes his way :thumbup:
Well played to both of them. A pity that Thiem couldn't keep up the intensity of the first set but his time will come.
JAMES4578
30-04-2017, 15:50
Nadal certainly proved to be stronger and looking mighty tough on clay this season. Good tournament for Thiem though and should be on upwards curve. Not sure Andy would've done much better.
Come on Uncle Tony! You could at least clap!! Hot first set but the court wasn't long enough for Dom in the second set! Too many balls went long.
lovetennis
30-04-2017, 16:18
Shame Domi folded after putting up a good fight in the first set but clearly a star of the future. Rafa is looking beastly, I'm sure the grunt has gotten louder in the last few years. Not so much a grunt anymore, but more of a bloodcurdling howl
roytennisfan
30-04-2017, 16:22
Well done Rafa, just like buses 2nd decima on the trot but not yet odds on for a third, current best bookie odds for RG....Rafa 13/8 Novak 7/2 Andy 11/2 Stan 10 Roger 15. Anyone fancy a bet on Roger at 15?
Shame Domi folded after putting up a good fight in the first set but clearly a star of the future. Rafa is looking beastly, I'm sure the grunt has gotten louder in the last few years. Not so much a grunt anymore, but more of a bloodcurdling howl
I agree about the grunt - very irritating.
I was also wondering if Rafa was always so noisy, so I went back 8 or so years and watched some footage from then...he was actually pretty noisy then too!!!
lovetennis
30-04-2017, 19:06
I was also wondering if Rafa was always so noisy, so I went back 8 or so years and watched some footage from then...he was actually pretty noisy then too!!!
Maybe it's because I haven't watched too much of him in the last couple of years. I must have forgotten how loud he is, or maybe the on-court mikes are louder now.What is weird is when I saw him live at Wimbledon in 2014 he didn't seem loud at all, and I was only 7 rows from the front. Though maybe I was distracted by my daughter admiring his muscles :laugh:
Maybe it's because I haven't watched too much of him in the last couple of years. I must have forgotten how loud he is, or maybe the on-court mikes are louder now.What is weird is when I saw him live at Wimbledon in 2014 he didn't seem loud at all, and I was only 7 rows from the front. Though maybe I was distracted by my daughter admiring his muscles :laugh:
Although he always did grunt, I do think he has become much louder recently....that's what led me to go back and check!! Wanted to know if I was imagining it or not!! So it must be more marked!
To cheer me up after Andy's loss, I watched the 2012 US Open final last night. What struck me is how much Andy has aged in five years while Djoko doesn't look very much different.
RosieBear
30-04-2017, 22:11
To cheer me up after Andy's loss, I watched the 2012 US Open final last night. What struck me is how much Andy has aged in five years while Djoko doesn't look very much different.
Maybe Novak looked 30 when he was 25.:big grin:
Or Novak has a very old looking picture in the attic ;)
I think AM has suffered more injuries than Djokovic - he went through several years of pain with his back, he also has the patella problem. I suspect he has been in pain for much of his career, and pain ages people.
Although I like the idea of the picture in the attic.....!!!
Well, I'm really happy Rafa won. He has always been a big favourite of mine. However, I do really like Dom, he's great to watch and I'm sure he's a multi clay court winner of the future.
Definitely deserved by Raffa, I would have liked a big win for Dom but he's young and there is plenty of time. Great to see Raffa getting back to his old self after a couple of tough years for him. Hoping all the top guys find their top form for the French :) it will be really exciting if they can :)
themass15
01-05-2017, 15:09
I was really pleased about Rafa too but am warming to Dominic more and more.
Yes, I am very happy for Rafa but also impressed with Dom.
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