Roland Garros Update

[arturohernandez]

Djokovic might take issue with your post, arturohernandez, since he's beaten Roger in three Wimbledon finals! Novak is an extremely good grass court player and even better on the surface than Roger it seems.

True. On the new Wimbledon grass with the new balls. I always wonder what would have happened had they kept true S&V conditions that did not favor just staying back and bashing ball after ball.

It hurts to admit that Novak and Nadal surpassed Federer.

[arturohernandez]

Shapo to me is not a favorite for anything I would go with Novak and Nadal.

I wish I could disagree with you. He is so talented but something just does not click. Maybe too hotheaded.

[jimlosaltos]

Might as well cross-pollinate TPN content. Here's our photo album of Iga who meet Coco for the title tomorrow (Saturday).

https://www.tennisplayer.nethttps://www.tennisplayer.net/article/jim-fawcette-iga-swiatek/

All of my photos of Iga here are from her title run at Indian Wells in March, besting Maria Sakkara in the final.

[jimlosaltos]

Zverev

[stotty]

So Rafa gets a free pass into the final...so gets all the luck as well it seems. Poor Zverev...he was in the fight. I don't think I will watch the final. It'll be a rout.

[jimlosaltos]

I just turned on the Tennis Channel broadcast to hear "We are not allowed to show the replay, it's that bad."

Apparently, Zverev tore ligaments BUT that is not official, medical word yet.

Shocking. Sad.

Minutes later: "You can hear the groans from the people outside the stadium as the replay is shown."

Zverev comes out on crutches, shakes the chair's hand, then hugs with Rafa.

[stroke]

Nadal of course a strong favorite vs Zverev with an implied winning probability of 74%. Ruud a solid favorite vs Cilic with an implied probability of 67% of winning. Zverev has the backhand, probably the best one in tennis to possibly to do damage to the Nadal swerve hook forehand. He will certainly need to consistently go down the line with it, and serve very well, a high percentage on 1st serves, to have a chance of taking out the now 36 year old Nadal. He also needs to actively complain to the umpire about Nadals shot clock antics. His complaints may fall on deaf ears, but now is not the time to be a nice guy and take the high road. Not if he wants to take out Nadal at the FO, the toughest ask in sports.

[stroke]

I must object !

Djokovic never played Peak Fed at Wimbledon, when Fed won five (5) consecutive Wimbledon titles from 2003-2007, and finished with 7 out of 10. Sorry. Nope.

That Fed won in 2017 after knee surgery and then at 37 yo got to match points vs the 5 years younger Novak in 2019 are amazing cherries atop the best grass career in open era history.

I would say they are 2 of the greatest grass court players of all time. But not as good as Nadal on clay.

[jimlosaltos]

Djokovic might take issue with your post, arturohernandez, since he's beaten Roger in three Wimbledon finals! Novak is an extremely good grass court player and even better on the surface than Roger it seems.

I must object !

Djokovic never played Peak Fed at Wimbledon, when Fed won five (5) consecutive Wimbledon titles from 2003-2007, and finished with 7 out of 10. Sorry. Nope.

That Fed won in 2017 after knee surgery and then at 37 yo got to match points vs the 5 years younger Novak in 2019 are amazing cherries atop the best grass career in open era history.

[stroke]

Wimbledon should be very interesting! No clear grass court player at this point without Fed. So that leaves maybe Shapo if he can get his head screwed on straight. Otherwise, there is no grass heir apparent in my book.

Alcaraz might prefer a fast slick surface as well. He has plenty of game and feel at the net.

Djokovic is always a threat at Wimbledon despite it not being his favorite surface.

That would leave Nadal as my favorite if healthy. He knows grass as well as anyone and his net game is very good.

Could Nadal S&V his way to a Wimbledon title? Okay, maybe not S&V but a lot of V a la Fed?

If Nadal is healthy, could he take the calendar year slam?

Shapo to me is not a favorite for anything I would go with Novak and Nadal.

[stotty]

Wimbledon should be very interesting! No clear grass court player at this point without Fed.

Alcaraz might prefer a fast slick surface as well. He has plenty of game and feel at the net.

Djokovic is always a threat at Wimbledon despite it not being his favorite surface.

That would leave Nadal as my favorite if healthy. He knows grass as well as anyone and his net game is very good.

Could Nadal S&V his way to a Wimbledon title? Okay, maybe not S&V but a lot of V a la Fed?

If Nadal is healthy, could he take the calendar year slam?

Djokovic might take issue with your post, arturohernandez, since he's beaten Roger in three Wimbledon finals! Novak is an extremely good grass court player and even better on the surface than Roger it seems.

[arturohernandez]

By the middle of the fourth set, and despite being being 2-5 down, Rafa started to play so well that you felt he was going after that fourth set and believed he could win it. He was ultra aggressive, which he needs to be against Novak, and was hitting a terrific length and using the full width of the court. Novak had his moments but never found his precision and hit down the middle much too often. As Jim pointed out Novak was not effective enough in many of the mid-court situations. It became about width in the end, and Rafa was pulling Novak around so well Novak couldn't always get a foothold in the rallies, especially towards the end.

Stalling is part of Rafa's game and it's all a ploy to recuperate one imagines. Down to umpires to fix that one. They are holding the rule book after all.

Good game. See what Wimbledon brings. Novak needs to win it to stay in the slam tally race with Rafa. Bet he's regretting the Aussie Open fiasco right now.

Wimbledon should be very interesting! No clear grass court player at this point without Fed. So that leaves maybe Shapo if he can get his head screwed on straight. Otherwise, there is no grass heir apparent in my book.

Alcaraz might prefer a fast slick surface as well. He has plenty of game and feel at the net.

Djokovic is always a threat at Wimbledon despite it not being his favorite surface.

That would leave Nadal as my favorite if healthy. He knows grass as well as anyone and his net game is very good.

Could Nadal S&V his way to a Wimbledon title? Okay, maybe not S&V but a lot of V a la Fed?

If Nadal is healthy, could he take the calendar year slam?

[arturohernandez]

So much for "Sasha Zverev can't close out matches". Could easily have folded after losing his mini break lead in the final tiebreak. DIdn't.

My take: Zverev's backhand beat Alcaraz's backhand. More winners and pushed the Spaniard back.

Alcaraz was in the match because of his drop shots. Hit 43 drop shots and had 12 outright winners.

But Zverev was hitting groundstrokes deeper and hard enough to push Alcaraz back. Announcer Petchy posted this:

"Mark Petchey/ Tactically why did Carlos go down the line with his BH just 27% of the time? Surely got to play Sascha as though he is a left hander? Got to find Sascha FH more often. Ended up hitting his BH 0.6 meters deeper today behind his baseline than rest of the tournament"

As for Zverev's oft unreliable second serve (& oft criticized here among other places), yes he had 6 double faults in four sets, yes he hit a couple of slow ones in the fourth set that Alcaraz just tee'd off on for winners, but Zverev won 58% behind his second serve vs 49% for Alcaraz -- and since he got more first serves in, he didn't have to hit as many seconds as Alcaraz.

When Alcaraz beat Zverev in a final only weeks ago, Zverev had to return from a late night match. Hadn't lost a step by the end.

Let the whispers begin. Of course, Zverev will face someone who will pick on his forehand. I am sure that Nadal will not make the same mistake.

[stroke]

Nadal's swerve forehand was menacing as usual.

[stotty]

By the middle of the fourth set, and despite being being 2-5 down, Rafa started to play so well that you felt he was going after that fourth set and believed he could win it. He was ultra aggressive, which he needs to be against Novak, and was hitting a terrific length and using the full width of the court. Novak had his moments but never found his precision and hit down the middle much too often. As Jim pointed out Novak was not effective enough in many of the mid-court situations. It became about width in the end, and Rafa was pulling Novak around so well Novak couldn't always get a foothold in the rallies, especially towards the end.

Stalling is part of Rafa's game and it's all a ploy to recuperate one imagines. Down to umpires to fix that one. They are holding the rule book after all.

Good game. See what Wimbledon brings. Novak needs to win it to stay in the slam tally race with Rafa. Bet he's regretting the Aussie Open fiasco right now.