Nadal Bids for Six-Peat at Monte Carlo, But Draw Not Easy

by Sean Randall | April 10th, 2010, 10:18 am
  • 87 Comments

The draw is out for the Monte Carlo Rolex Tennis Masters which begins tomorrow, and the path to a ridiculous sixth straight title for Rafael Nadal is not an easy one. ADHEREL

The event features five of the ATP’s top ten tennis players with Nadal, Novak Djokovic, JW Tsonga, Andy Murray and Marin Cilic. Roger Federer did not take a wildcard, although I haven’t checked the qualifying draw where he might be (ha ha).

On a quick glance, no gimmees really for anyone.


Djokovic is the top seed and in his third round could meet Stan Wawrinka followed by Mikhail Youzhny in the quarterfinals. Accomplished claycourter Tommy Robredo is also in that section and could be a Youzhny foe in the third round. Ernests Gulbis, David Nalbandian and even Horacio Zeballos are also lurking.

In the second quarter, we could have a Cilic v. Fernando Verdasco quarterfinal. Cilic is seeded to meet Marcos Baghdatis in the third round while Verdasco gets a showdown with Tomas Berdych.

The third section is arguably the easiest with Ivan Ljubicic and Murray the top players. Ljubicic is seeded to David Ferrer in the third round while Murray gets Juergen Melzer, although the Scot could open against Tomaz Bellucci.

And in Rafa section, he may have to deal with Eduardo Schwank The Tank, then Juan Monaco followed by Tsonga. In his third round Tsonga might get picked off by the resurgent Juan Carlos Ferrero. Nadal has won 27 straight matches in Monte Carlo including a win over Djokovic in the 2009 final.

In all, tough draws all around. I might give David Ferrer the best chance for reaching the quarterfinal. Cilic’s draw looks good to that stage as well. The top eight seeds get a bye so they probably will not play until Tuesday.

As for the man under the microscope, Nadal, with his road if he can come away with the title, which I think he does, that will set him up nicely for another big clay season.

I read on the other thread and saw the video of how Nadal’s knee apparently flared up in Miami against Roddick. Well, I didn’t see it. And if they had why would he be playing just 10 days later in Monte Carlo? It doesn’t add up. Not after seeing how cautious he was in Australia and not with what’s on the line for him this spring. At least I hope his knees are fine.

Projected seeded path:
3rd RD: (1) Djokovic v. (13) Wawrinka; (12) Robredo v. (7) Youhzny; (4) Cilic v. (16) Baghdatis; (10) Berdych v. (6) Verdasco; (8) Ljubicic v. (11) Ferrer; (15) Melzer v. (3) Murray; (5) Tsonga v. (9) Ferrero; (14) Monaco v. (2) Nadal
QFs: Djokovic v. Youhzny; Cilic v. Verdasco; Ljubicic v. Murray; Tsonga v. Nadal
SFs: Djokvoic v. Cilic; Murray v. Nadal


You Might Like:
Federer Reverses Monte Carlo Decision, Will Take On Nadal
Del Potro Withdraws From Monte Carlo; Kyrgios, Gasquet Also Out
Nadal Tries To Build A Snowman In Monte Carlo, Can Djokovic Stop Him?
Short On Confidence, Rafael Nadal Begins Clay Campaign In Monte Carlo [Video]
Rafael Nadal, Girlfriend Xisca Head to Monte Carlo [Video]

Don't miss any tennis action, stay connected with Tennis-X

Get the FREE TX daily newsletter

87 Comments for Nadal Bids for Six-Peat at Monte Carlo, But Draw Not Easy

#1Rivalry Says:

SF:
Djokovic def. Cilic
Murray def. Nadal
Final:
Djokovic def. Murray

I cannot believe Nadal played Indian Wells and Miami!


Kimmi Says:

Poor Tsonga, he gets nadal in the qtrs again. he can’t beat him on HC, maybe he could just manage on clay..not!

Djoko V wawrinka clay court matches have recently been close.

Cilic V bagdatis is a tough one. In Miami Cilic beats Baggy easy straight sets..could be the same on clay.

Berdy V verdasco..go verdasco..time for revenge!

So Sean, you are predicting my man Murray to reach the semi..oh boy, oh boy! Sean was correct on his Miami final prediction. he could be good here too, right? Go Murray!

I say

Djoko v verdasco
Murray (here is hoping) v Nadal

That will be the end of my prediction too sean.


NELTA Says:

Careful about looking too far ahead. There are some really tough early round matches:

Wawrinka/Hanescu
Baghdatis/Montanes
Kohlscreiber/Bellucci


Kimmi Says:

Contador, have you seen Gulbis? he is playing CHIUDINELLI first. I remember the two playing in IW, Gulbis winning ofcourse.

Gulbis…I route for him here too!


Kimmi Says:

NELTA: i agree with you. You are absolutely correct. We looked too far ahead in IW and Miami and look what happened. I guess we don’t learn, do we?


sar Says:

I just read Delpo is seeing a specialist in the US regarding his wrist.


blank Says:

If Nadal is able to get past Tsonga, Murray and Djokovic (if that does happen), then either he’s in great shape for the season or he’s readying himself to get busted before RG.


jane Says:

Kimmi, I hope Murray gets to through to semis too; remember Murray versus Rafa here last year? It turned out to be a great match, at least in the second set, with a thriller of a tiebreak.

I love the court at Monte Carlo – so beautifully situation.

————————————————
sar, that’s really too bad. I hope JMDP is better soon. He is missed on the tour. Such a lot of firepower.


contador Says:

hello people!

been away from tennis this week and finally home with some time to catch-up….

oh yes, Kimmi. though i swore off EG, couldn’t help seeing his name in the main draw, thank god for small favors. i mean at least he doesn’t have to weave his way through qualifying rounds at the moment. he’ll lose to chewy…..there you have it, moping already, anticipating the worst. Ahhh well, chewy is swiss, after all, can’t be too unhappy about EG losing to a swiss.. : )

the delPo news is a tragedy, imo.

and i checked the casablanca results: hanescu and wawa in the final there tomorrow…

houston? game on! looking for a stream at the moment….

those were fightin’ words from sam…

livescore says odesnik has a break point….and…gets the early break.


contador Says:

looks like i am only going to get masters series golf highlights…

none of the usual streams are showing houston

oh well. sam broke back and i believe sam. he’ll conquer wayne.

AJDE, AJDE NOLE!! can’t wait for MC to start!


NELTA Says:

Wawrinka and Hanescu are playing in the finals of Casablanca then they have to turn around and play each other in the 1st round of MC


contador Says:

that’s kinda ironic: hanescu and wawa in the casablanca final tomorrow, then have to play each other first thing in MC

Kimmi-

really do hope gulbis beats the swiss again. no expectations, of course.

and djoko? expectations are HIGH. ajde and c’mon…get to the final, already nole, you can do it!

but have to pick rafa, considering how well he played er. how much better he did at IW and miami than federer, nole and muzz. sure he should have won IW; anyway, if his confidence was as it was last year but MC is his turf. he owns this one.


contador Says:

Hi NELTA!

i just saw that too….

sheeesh


Kimmi Says:

jane. I remmeber Murray V rafa last year monte carlo. That match gave me a lot of hope. I thought, OK, now Murray knows what to do on clay..this is the way to play.

Then he went back to his defending ways and lost in first round in Rome..aaaarg! I don’t know!

Anyways, can’t fault him too much..go Murray. A lot of points to defend here.


jane Says:

Hi ya conty! : ) Sam better get fighting; he got beat down in the second set.

Kimmi, keep the faith; Murray might’ve lost early in Rome, but he went further than both Djoko and Rafa at the FO last year!


Kimmi Says:

Murray on Twitter:

“What’s up. Hitting with novak. Big weekend for fantasy football… ”

“Playing dubs with rosco here…”

“alex corretja sooo pumped for barca right now.”


jane Says:

I wish I could see Murray and Novak hitting together!! : )

I haven’t checked, but is Nadal playing doubles again at MC?


Ben Pronin Says:

There’s a youtube clip of Ljubicic and Federer hitting in IW.


Kimmi Says:

havent seen Rafa on doubs draw. But a lot of singles players are on doubs

Djoko/Troicki
Cilic
Youzhny
Murray
Verdasco
Tsonga
Gasquet
bellucci
Kohl
Ljubo
Almagro
Ferrer
F-Lopez

WOW! Almost everybody..good to see singles players playing doubles..thats what doubles tennis needs..more singles player fans can watch doubles.


Ben Pronin Says:

Did anyone else do a double take when they saw Djokovic as the top seed? First time at a Masters.


Kimmi Says:

Its great for Djoko, ben. I think his half of the draw is trickier than nadals though!

just a question. Is MC a masters? Its not mandatory and its category is equivalent to 500 series but still holds 1000 points. very confusing to understbad.


Ben Pronin Says:

Yeah it’s still a Masters 1000 as far as I know. But yeah Djokovic has a tough draw. Guys like Youzhny and Wawrinka have given him plenty of trouble in the past.


Ben Pronin Says:

“Both Murray and Djokovic lost their first matches in Miami, and if they shared a plane trip to Europe I can see them sitting across from each other in First Class, each one trying to look slightly less miserable than the other.”

From Bodo’s clay preview article. Just wanted to share this line because it is absolutely hilarious.


Andrew Miller Says:

If Djokovic of 2008 could come close, no reason Djokovic 2010 cant. I imagine his old coach is in his ear, and as top seed it should be a better draw for Djokovic. Frankly, given his performance this year, outside of Davis Cup,

Djokovic actually BETTER make the final. He’s got to prove it to himself.


Andrew Miller Says:

This is the time to really dethrone Rafa on clay, Djokovic is the one with the tools to do it, at least outside of the majors. Someone’s only inhuman until they are not – Federer’s vulnerable outside of the slams and Rafa’s title-less since last clay season.

Come on Djokovic…recognize an opportunity when you see one. (Sorry, but this really is a good opportunity. Roddick is not so good on clay [a great competitor but shaky on clau], Federer is in no slump but he’s not playing top-flight tennis outside the slams, Del Potro is sick, right?)

And Murray on clay? Maybe, he just hasnt shown it so it’s tough to tell. Better than Roddick on clay and certainly clever enough to do damage, but no results on clay speak to a proven ability to go deep on the dirt.

So Djokovic…dont choke man.


skeezerweezer Says:

“Kimmi Says:

havent seen Rafa on doubs draw.”

Interesting…a health sign…..or?

He was playing doubs in IW and Miami…..

Just sayin..


jane Says:

Ben, funny line from Bodo! Thanks for sharing it. : )


AK-47 Says:

Don’t be surprised if some of these players are upset in the opening
Murray ‘cuz of Kohlschrieber or Belucci
Cilic ‘cuz of his 1-2 at MC and Andreev is no joke
Tsonga ‘cuz Almagro is too good
Berdych ‘cuz F. Lopez is very good on clay
Youzhny ‘cuz Nalbandian can be explosive
Baghdatis ‘cuz Montanes can have good day on clay


andrea Says:

i hope nalbandian has a few surprises up his sleeve.

always thought he was robbed at the US Open semi against roddick years ago…some questionable calls in that match. well before the challenge system.


margot Says:

Ben@8.39: made me laugh too.
kimmi:you think our Andy in semis? My you are an optimist! Me, horribly grateful if he wins a match! What seed is he?
At least I’ll be watching while u guys are snoozing….or sobbing while u guys are snoozing..


Daniel Craig Says:

#1 rivalry, what is your problem? every time, you get on here and say Nadal will lose to somebody. Murray beating Nadal on clay? and Djokovic winning the title? haha you are quite the comedian. I’d like to learn who you’re referring to as part of the number one rivalry. Is it Gaudio and Massu?

Allow me to make a similar prediction for the French:

SF:
Djokovic d. Nadal
Hewitt d. Federer
Final:
Hewitt d. Djokovic

LOL


Dee Says:

I think it is fingers crossed again fans.. a friend of mine is is Monaco. Has seen him in training not looking happy.. Left knee is taped and seems he wasn´t on good terms with Uncle T.
If he is fit then he should win .. but the question is .. Is he ???


Dee Says:

If Djokovic of 2008 could come close,

————————————-

Yes and IF RAFA could find the form of 2008 also he wouldn´t stand a hope…
Face it.. for both of them this is 2010.. Rafa still struggling with injury and form..
Djoko….STRUGGLING period..


krishnan.t.s. Says:

clay season gonna start for nadal…. from here on it will be Rafa’s yard…. he will get some confidence from this tourney even if does not win this Monte Carlo for the 6th straight time(which i hope he does of course)…. this will be the yardstick for his performance in FO…. n i don’t think wawrinka can challenge nad on clay… Rafa is too strong there…. Murray though has no chance here against nad… he’ll get pounded hammered n crushed by nad


NELTA Says:

AK-47 Says:
Don’t be surprised if some of these players are upset in the opening
Murray ‘cuz of Kohlschrieber or Belucci
Cilic ‘cuz of his 1-2 at MC and Andreev is no joke
Tsonga ‘cuz Almagro is too good
Berdych ‘cuz F. Lopez is very good on clay
Youzhny ‘cuz Nalbandian can be explosive
Baghdatis ‘cuz Montanes can have good day on clay

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Yup. There’s no reason to think there won’t be more upsets like in IW and Miami. I like Almagro over Tsonga if they meet in I think the 4th round. They had a 5 set war at the AO this year that Tsonga won, but the clay will take the edge of Tsonga’s attacking style and give Almagro more time to take big swings from the baseline.


Dee Says:

Almagro´s biggest oponent is Almagro..He has the talent, and the game..but not the mental strength.. too prone to choking.


NELTA Says:

Almagro definitely has issues upstairs, but Tsonga isn’t exactly a pillar of consistency especially on clay. I think it’s worth a gamble to pick him for the upset.

Hey I’m in 1st place in the draw challenge out of 14027 entrants. I have 2 points and am probably tied with 10k other people for 1st as well. LOL


Dee Says:

Yep most of the Spanish contingent are sound on clay.. though Nando and Lopez were both brought up on hard court. But Ferrer and Ferrero.. are capable of upsetting the best.


Kimmi Says:

lol NELTA, Good luck.

I can see now why you said its no use to pick qtrs and semi. At least Hanescu v wawrinka match today will give you the idea..they are just on court!


NELTA Says:

On the MC web site there was a blurb about how Tsonga is preparing for a title run here. ha ha. Don’t get me wrong. I think he is a great player, but he has 12 career wins on clay and 0 titles since turning pro in 2004. Almagro has 114 wins on clay and 5 titles since 2003.


Kimmi Says:

great interview, thanks for posting.

he made an error though and the interviewer did not correct him, federer has 16 GS not 15.


Dee Says:

Almagro has 114 wins on clay and 5 titles since 2003.

——————–

Precisely ONLY 5 tiles in 7 yrs…??? Albeit his overall wins are much greater.. Shame I like Nico..I live only approx 14miles from his hometown.. Would love to see him bring home a Masters.. BUT sadly he has to overcome those issues that beset him everytime he gets near to the BIG one


jane Says:

It’s great that Roddick sounds so confident about Wimbledon in that interview, and he should based on the year he’s had so far. Thanks for posting that andrea.


AK-47 Says:

NELTA
Tsonga is playing Almagro in the opening round.


Kimmi Says:

NELTA,

Wawrinka is 6-2 4-1 up against hanescu.


Kimmi Says:

I can’t believe wawrinka has won only one title in his career. When was that year he broke thru into top ten..I thought he should have more than just one.

Anyways, he is so close to win his second title here. Hanescu is no contest today.

hang on..hanescu is fighting back. chocking by wawrinka


Kimmi Says:

wawrinka was 5-1 in the second set, serving for the match..hanescu came back now 5-3 wawrinka

another chance to serve for it

oh boy, not looking good for wawrinka

hanescu 2 break chance points


Kimmi Says:

hahah wawrinka fights back, saves break points and wins his 2nd title 6-2 6-3


Kimmi Says:

first time Wawrinka beats Hanescu..H2H before todays match was 2-0 in favour of hanescu. I guess if I had to predict before the macth, I would have given an edge to hanescu…

NELTA, I hope you get better score on your draw challenge in MC.


Dee Says:

Stan the man… well done !!!!


NELTA Says:

Dee says:
Precisely ONLY 5 tiles in 7 yrs…??? Albeit his overall wins are much greater.. Shame I like Nico..I live only approx 14miles from his hometown.. Would love to see him bring home a Masters.. BUT sadly he has to overcome those issues that beset him everytime he gets near to the BIG one.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

5 clay titles in 7 years is a good number unless you are comparing him to Rafa. He also has won 5 of the 7 clay finals he has been in which is an excellent winning % for finals. Ferrer also has 5 clay titles, but it took him 10 years and 160 wins. Ferrero has 11 clay titles in 12 years(less than 1 per year and that counts 2 this year) so his title number isn’t much better than Almagro.

I’m not making Almagro out to be more than he is, just looking at the facts. Ferrero and Ferrer are better players. They have had better careers. I’m just pointing out that 5 titles in 7 years isn’t bad. I know it seems like it is, but titles are very hard to come by even for good players.


NELTA Says:

Hi Kimmi

In the Miami challenge I finished 3976 out of 17833 which isn’t too bad. I picked Roddick to beat Rafa so I made a big jump in the rankings because everyone and their abuela picked Rafa to go all the way. Now that the clay season is here picking Rafa is a good bet. Hoping to do a little better in MC.


jane Says:

Congrats to Wawarinka on another title! I didn’t watch the match, but clay does seem to be his best surface doesn’t it? I guess he is a bit streaky, though, and can be dangerous anywhere if all his shots are firing (that backhand!). He played great on hard at the Davis Cup versus the USA, and he played great on grass versus Murray last year. He just doesn’t seem to be a highly consistent player.


funches Says:

Monte Carlo is not a Masters event, but it counts as a 1000-point tournament as part of the compromise that avoided legal action. Originally they were going to reduce its points to 500.

The top players are not obligated to play in Monte Carlo, though, which is why it has only five of the top 10. The eight mandatory Masters events are Indian Wells, Miami, Rome, Madrid, Toronto/Montreal, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris.


jane Says:

NELTA: “everyone and their abuela ” LOL, do you really think a lot of grandma’s are taking the ATP bracket challenge!? ; D


funches Says:

As for the discussion on Almagro, he is too slow to win major titles. Case closed.

He has big shots, but it is impossible to be a legitimate slam contender without good wheels. The same problem affects Berdych and Soderling, who has come nowhere near to winning a slam other than his lone run at Roland Garros last year.


NELTA Says:

What’s a little unusual about Almagro is that his best surface is clay, but he doesn’t play good defense and as funches mentioned part of that is related to his speed around the court. The other thing I think is he just doesn’t have that intangible ability to hit shots from awkward positions. He is a great ball striker when he has time and it’s in his strike zone.


NELTA Says:

In my challenge draw I have Almagro beating Tsonga then I have Ferrero beating Almagro in the next round.


Kimmi Says:

funches, thanks for clarifying.

On my post @ 8:19pm above, this is what I was trying to say that MC is not a masters. It is a 500 series tournament that has 1000 points.

The problem is they are still calling it a “Masters” which is where the confusion for us fans comes in. If they were able to downgrade Humburg masters by changing the name and reducing points and prize money, why not MC? what legal actions had to be avoided? curious!


Dee Says:

NELTA: “everyone and their abuela ” LOL, do you really think a lot of grandma’s are taking the ATP bracket challenge!? ; D

—————————

Not many Jane.. pero soy una abuela y tengo

As for the comments regarding Nico.. I do not agree .. Almagro (apart from Rafa) could be as good as most of the Spanish players if he had the mentality.. sadly and frustratingly he gets a win in his sights and chokes.


jane Says:

Dee, how cool that you have.

As for Nico, I think he sometimes has fitness issues; he had Nadal on the ropes once (was it at Paris last year?) and then he began severely cramping and basically lost the match because of it. Maybe if he was even more fit (one has to be fit to play professional tennis, after all, but there are different levels), he’d get to more balls and win more matches? I agree that he is very talented.


Dee Says:

Jane :-) lol….
I agree for the most part with what you say.. Shame as he has the talent but cant apply it when needed… makes you realise just how good Rafa is eh ???

But then I am biased.. love all the Spanish players.. Spain are indeed fortunate to have such talent in their country.


montecarlo Says:

Monte carlo is still a Masters tournament. Only difference is that its not a mandatory event anymore.

So if Nadal wins this he will equal Federer @ 16 Masters (one behind Agassi’s all time record).


Huh Says:

Why does it happen only to DP? :(


Hartmut Hesse Says:

Monte Carlo Preview by Hartmut Hesse

The clay court season kicks off in Monte Carlo this week and will give a first indication who will be among the contenders for the French Open title this year.
Even though 5 of the top 10 players (Federer needs more rest, Davydenko out with broken wrist, Del Potro also wrist injury and Roddick and Soderling because of ‘ clay allergy…’) are not in the field we will see exciting ATP clay-court tennis.
Djokovic seeded No. 1 and Nadal at 2 are the defending finalists, with Nadal trying to get his 6th consecutive title in Monaco. Murray and Cilic are the othe 2 players who are in the top 4 seedings and should go to the semis.
So, with Federer, Del Potro, Davydenko and Soderling there are 4 players not in the draw who are capable of giving Nadal a hard time on clay. A great opportunity for him to get a good start into his clay-court season and finally winning an ATP-title again after nearly one year of empty hands.
But even with these players out of the draw, there is plenty of competition for Rafa. On his way to a potential final he has to eliminate a few Spanish clay court specialist and maybe Andy Murray in the semi-final. Ferreo, Ferrer, Almagro And Monaco are all in his section of the draw. If he gets through these players he will gain a lot of confidence, but also lose a lot of energy, before he probably faces Verdasco or Djokovic in the final.
In the top half of the draw Djokovic has his hands full as well and will have to battle his way through Wawrinka, Nalbandian or Robredo, before he meets Verdasco, Cilic or maybe red hot Berdych in the semi-final.
If Verdasco is completely recovered from his back injury, I see him as the favorite to reach the semis, and if he gets there he will go through to the final as well.
But it will be very interesting how Berdych will handle he recent success in Miami, where he beat Federer and only lost in the final to Roddick. Was it just another flash of his great talent or was it a final break-through. We will know after this tournament.

Here is my prediction:

Nadal wins in the semis against Ferrer and Djokovic loses against Verdasco. In the final Nadal is too strong for Verdasco again and Nadal will get a record 6th consecutive title at Monte Carlo.
It will give him a lot of confidence back, but it won’t be an indication that he will win the French as well. I still see Federer winning in Roland Garros and getting his first Grand Slam this year. Rafa’s career is slowly going down due to his physical way of playning, his injuries and his tournament planning, but for sure this title will give him a push for the next tournaments.

Let’s see if I am right

Hartmut Hesse
HTT – Hesse Tennis Training
Professional Tennis Training and Coaching for Top Juniors and Tour Players


Kimmi Says:

Chela must be on a resurgent; have not heard about him for a long while

He won title in Houston beating querrey 5-7 6-4 6-3


stu Says:

Among Novak’s 10 possible opponents before the final, (Wawa, EG, Youz, Robredo, Nalby, Troicki, Cilic, Nando, Birdy, Baggy) Robredo is the only one I cannot imagine him losing to :(


Angela Wyatt Dean Says:

I believe you and your readers will enjoy this very unique gift idea. Andy Roddick, Justine Henin & Vera Zvonareva are featured stars at Great Friends Greetings – http://www.greatfriendsgreetings.com. Send beautiful personalized custom printed good wishes from Andy, Justine or Vera to your favorite tennis lover!


Voicemale1 Says:

It would be worth paying attention to Nalbandian during Monte Carlo. He’s got a great game on clay, and he’s in the Top Half with Djokovic. He played well against Nadal in Miami given how he still needs some matches under him. He’s a very dangerous guy when he’s “on”. He plays well on the red stuff, so provided he’s got enough foundation under him coming back from the hip surgery he could inflict some real damage during the clay swing.


Kimmi Says:

yeah, nalbandian. But I think he has a long way to go before he starts challenging top players. He run out off gas against nadal in Miami. I like nalby but I think its too soon to expect anything from him.


Mindy Says:

Voicemale1,

You won’t get any argument from me about how dangerous Nalby can be on clay. But I don’t think he is quite there yet. I am with Kimmi in that regard. I am not saying it isn’t possible, because you can’t put anything past a guy with his talent. I think he just needs more match play to get back to his great form.

We will just have to wait and see how he does.


Michael Says:

I feel that Nadal will be totally a different player on Clay and it will be difficult to dislodge him. He is well on his way to his sixth straight title unless ofcourse his knees plays the spoilsport which I hope does not.


Michael Says:

It is despairing to note that Federer,Del Potro, Davydenko and Soderling are not playing this tournament. These are the players who can give hard time to Nadal on clay and with them ruled out, he is going to definitely breathe easy. The only threat for him as of now in this tournament would be Djokovic or to a lesser extent Cilic.


bstevens Says:

Is this the first time that Djokovic has gone into a major tournament as the #1 seed? Lets hope he lives up to the billing.


nancy Says:

RAFA will be the winner,he knew the prob with his knees better than all of us,he will do very well n come out as winner,come on raf u need to proove them u r on oncourse for RG.


steve Says:

Here’s hoping that Djokovic has used the time off since Miami to rest and practice. Presumably the biggest reason he brought Martin on in the first place was to be able to improve his clay-court game and help him beat Nadal. This is a big opportunity for him.


krishnan Says:

Hartmut Hesse
i think ur predictions r a bit incorrect… u were right abt nadal winning the monte carlo masters…. but u r dead wrong abt fedex winning FO…. this will be the 1st grandslam win 4 nadal in 2010…. perhaps he is not physically fit now bbut he is improving with everygame n that is good news


Kimmi Says:

OMG, very easy matches for gulbis..contador, just saw the results..WOOT!

And nalbandian, way to go buddy!


Kimmi Says:

bellucci is a clay courter. he is up a set against kohl as I type, actually very easy set. hmmm! love bellucci but Murray should watch out!


Kimo Says:

Watching Gasquet vs. Gimeno-Traver right now. It’s the first clay match I watch this year. I always find it amazing how tennis looks totally different on different surfaces. It’s like a totally different sport!!! I get the same feeling also when watching Halle right after Roland Garros. In Halle, the ball barely bounces and points rarely last more than three strokes.


Ben Pronin Says:

Djokovic split with Martin!


Kimo Says:

Ben Pronin said:

“Djokovic split with Martin!”

About time!!! Note to all coaches out there: Don’t impose your game on your players, instead develop their strengths and improve their weaknesses.


Voicemale1 Says:

Ben Pronin Says:

“Djokovic split with Martin!”

————————————————–

Not a surprise, Hopefully Djokovic will just get rid of the need for an entourage. This nonsense of having “extra coaches” doesn’t really help; it hurts if anything. You can’t be coached by a committee.


Sean Randall Says:

Should be good news for Novak. I just posted the story:

http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2010-04-12/3893.php


madmax Says:

Kimmi have you just watched the gasquet match?

Was a bit worried when it went to one set all, but to see some of those backhands again, just wonderful.


Kimmi Says:

madmax, I did not watch gasquet. I am glad he won. I hope he starts to play better and improve his ranking. so much talent, he should be around top 20 right now, fighting to break top 10. Go gasquet.

Top story: Sinner Swallows Up Zverev For Second Straight Australian Open, 3rd Slam