2018 Western and Southern Open...ATP 500...Cincinnati, Ohio USA

[stroke]

I watched a great qualifying match last night. There was almost a buzz in the surprisingly lively crowd for the court 11 match between Felix Auger-Aliassime(FAA) and Chris Eubanks(who played #1 singles a Georgia Tech for 3 seasons). I work at Tech and just spoke to Chris last week when he was at campus working out before the US Open qualies. I talked some tennis with him. He is a really personable guy and a real tennis fan. He told me all the players he has talked to told him Nick Vanilla Ice has the hardest serve to return because it is so unreadable(along with the obvious attributes of it). Chris played a very good match losing to FAA in 2 sets. Chris has a lot of firepower, but FAA, who is 18 years old, looks like a player who could make a real impact in tennis soon.

[stroke]

Get it going db. It is time.

[don_budge]

The draw has just come out for the US Open and it isn't a good one for Roger. He's had sublime draws in the last handful of slams but not this time. He could face Kyrgios in round 3. Djokovic, Zverev and Cilic are also in Roger's half. Djokovic and Roger could potentially meet in the quarters.

A gentle reminder from Stotty to get this party started.

[stotty]

The draw has just come out for the US Open and it isn't a good one for Roger. He's had sublime draws in the last handful of slams but not this time. He could face Kyrgios in round 3. Djokovic, Zverev and Cilic are also in Roger's half. Djokovic and Roger could potentially meet in the quarters.

[don_budge]

Even though I am not entirely on the same page as you db. I still liked your post. You own it and you are a great writer.

stroke...the great thing about you is that it isn't necessary to be on the same page to have an interesting and respectful conversation. I'm glad you have upped your participation on the forum as you add another unique perspective. We don't have to agree or disagree on anything as you know. Obviously we both love the game...and the conversation. We just have to call it like we see it. Thanks.

[don_budge]

If he fought tooth and nail at Cincy and took it to three sets and won or lost no one would remember or care years from now.

At the beginning of the second set Federer broke Djokovic to go up 2-0 with Roger serving. He immediately gave the break back with a rather lame effort. To me...he played it soft there instead of putting the pedal to the metal which is what I am accustomed to seeing once he gets up a break. He handed it right back to Djokovic. Very uncharacteristic. I went to bed immediately...not wasting my precious sleep on an obviously losing effort. If there had been honest effort...clawing tooth and nail...I would have hung in there to the bitter end.

[bottle]

stroke...the great thing about you is that it isn't necessary to be on the same page to have an interesting and respectful conversation. I'm glad you have upped your participation on the forum as you add another unique perspective. We don't have to agree or disagree on anything as you know. Obviously we both love the game...and the conversation. We just have to call it like we see it. Thanks.

Ignoring one another works very well. Unfortunately, however, this is not a good example.

[stotty]

Do you know what a gopher ball is?

I didn't, but I do now.

[don_budge]

Sure, but I just got the impression that Roger couldn't keep up. It wasn't a bad day thing it was an age thing. He's still brilliant but at the very top level yesterday his game folded...he couldn't keep up., mentally or physically. It was actually an easy win for Novak...straightforward.

It looked to me as if he played it pretty "soft" from the very beginning. It was almost as if he was pitching batting practice to Djokovic. Just serving up "gopher balls".

Do you know what a gopher ball is?

[don_budge]

The only hope is the new generation. Hope they take over soon....

The emergence of Stefanos Tsitsipas has given the "Next Generation" a glimmer of hope. Let's keep an eye on him. It looks as if he and Alexander Zverev, Francis Tiafoe, Hyceon Chung and Denis Shapovalov are going to see a lot of air time in the near future.

[don_budge]

So it is decline?; Has he lost his edge? Or as don_budge noted is he trying to trick everyone?

I think a bit of both. It is clear that he cannot play three tournaments in a row anymore at the highest level.

Last year he got hurt at the Rogers cup and was not the same after that. Note that not the same still gets him to the quarters at the US Open last year.

At the same time he needs to play in order to get practice.

So the solution is play the master's as if it was match practice.

Roger has a bit of a dilemma. I suspect that there is some truth to all of your points. I thought that he should have played the French as you said...for practice. But the last couple of years have been a bit suspicious from another point of view. There is the question of using substances for performance enhancing. Could the dodgy schedule and the brilliant performances be an indication of some sort of cycling these substances so as to go undetected?

I am not saying he is or even suggesting he is. This is another possibility. Another permutation or combination. He disappears and returns stronger, faster and better than ever. It's a question.

[arturohernandez]

Sure, but I just got the impression that Roger couldn't keep up. It wasn't a bad day thing it was an age thing. He's still brilliant but at the very top level yesterday his game folded...he couldn't keep up., mentally or physically. It was actually an easy win for Novak...straightforward.

Roger has always kept up with anyone in the past, not matter how well they play. Cincinnati is a quick surface and, as don_budge said, Roger can take the racket out of the hand of anyone in that kind of a game. Yet yesterday he was nowhere near doing that. I could be wrong but I think Roger has finally gone past his best.

So it is decline?; Has he lost his edge? Or as don_budge noted is he trying to trick everyone?

I think a bit of both. It is clear that he cannot play three tournaments in a row anymore at the highest level.

Last year he got hurt at the Rogers cup and was not the same after that. Note that not the same still gets him to the quarters at the US Open last year.

At the same time he needs to play in order to get practice.

So the solution is play the master's as if it was match practice.

I mean all week he was winning sets ala Sampras. Just biding his time and holding his serve until the others buckled.

The fire is still in there and I think the US Open will reveal if his plan was to try and take the last GS he has not won in a long time.

If it is physical, then we will also know. He simply won't be able to summon that same level.

His interviews reveal that he felt he needed to rest and that Master's were tough because there was no way to get a rhythm.

All of this points to him kind of tanking. Not losing purposefully but saving himself.

If he fought tooth and nail at Cincy and took it to three sets and won or lost no one would remember or care years from now.

But if he does the same at the US Open whatever the result, it will be much more memorable.

[gzhpcu]

The only hope is the new generation. Hope they take over soon....

[stotty]

It's hard to disagree. But then again, many people said the same when he lost to Nadal in 2008 at Wimbledon. And also when he went on a slide because of injury. And then when he came back off injury and won Aussie Open many chalked it up as a fluke and his last hurrah. He won two more slams after that. It's easy to write him off, and if we keep believing he inevitably be will be. As the saying goes..."A hypochondriac will eventually be justified, at their funeral."

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Sure, but I just got the impression that Roger couldn't keep up. It wasn't a bad day thing it was an age thing. He's still brilliant but at the very top level yesterday his game folded...he couldn't keep up., mentally or physically. It was actually an easy win for Novak...straightforward.

Roger has always kept up with anyone in the past, not matter how well they play. Cincinnati is a quick surface and, as don_budge said, Roger can take the racket out of the hand of anyone in that kind of a game. Yet yesterday he was nowhere near doing that. I could be wrong but I think Roger has finally gone past his best.

[stroke]

Even though I am not entirely on the same page as you db. I still liked your post. You own it and you are a great writer.