Federer Lands In Djokovic’s Half (Again) As Nadal Enjoys Comfy Path To Seventh French Open Final

by Sean Randall | May 25th, 2012, 10:27 am
  • 167 Comments

The last player who needed an easy draw at the French Open was Rafael Nadal, so naturally that’s what he got! Released this morning, the draw heavily favors the Spaniard to rack up a record seventh French Open title when all is said and done.

Seeded second after winning Monday in Rome. Nadal might not lose a set until the semifinals. In fact it might be an upset if he did lose a set. In his quarter he’ll contend with Florian Mayer, Milos Raonic, Juan Monaco, Nicolas Alamgro, Philipp Kohlscreiber and Janko Tipsarevic. Raonic is the best and most dangerous of the bunch, but the Canadian will first have to beat veteran clay courter Ruben Rameriz Hidalgo and possible Juan Monaco in the third round just to face Rafa.

Awaiting Nadal in the semifinals could be either David Ferrer or Andy Murray, who the two class seeds in the third quarter and both have good draws. Ferrer might have the deadly John Isner in the fourth round. Murray, who’s been slumping of late, could have a tough second rounder with Jarkko Nieminen or Igor Andreev before a potential meeting with Bernard Tomic and then either Richard Gasquet of Alexandr Dolgoplov.


For me, I think the time is right for Ferrer to finally get his first French Open semifinal, and he’ll beat Murray to get there.

In the top half, Novak Djokovic has to be happy with his early draw. Djokovic could have a rematch in the third round with Jurgen Melzer who beat him last year. Then the improving Fernando Verdasco with a potential quarterfinal opponent among Gilles Simon, Stan Wawrinka and JW Tsonga. Djokovic should get through.

In my opinion, Roger Federer’s quarter is the toughest. The Swiss might have to contend with David Nalbandian in the second and then in the quarterfinals a run in with either Juan Martin Del Potro and Tomas Berdych. Wow. Berdych v. Del Potro to possibly play Federer. That’s hard to pick but right now I think Del Potro emerges.

In the end, my semifinals look like Djokovic v. Del Potro and Nadal v. Ferrer. And I’ll take Nadal over Djokovic for the title! That’s for now, but I need to sleep on Del Potro another few days. I’m not 100% sure he can do what’s required. Regardless, it looks like a Nadal title.

My Semifinals
Djokovic d. Del Potro
Nadal d. Ferrer

My Finals
Nadal d. Djokovic

Quarterfinals by seeding:
1 Djokovic v. 5 Tsonga
3 Federer v. Berdych
6 Ferrer v. Murray
8 Tipsarevic v. Nadal

There are many good first round matches including Donald Young-Grigor Dimitrov, Janko Tipsarevic-Sam Querrey, Andreas Seppi-Nikolay Davydenko, Gilles Simon-Ryan Harrison, Nicolas Mahut-Andy Roddick, Juan Martin Del Potro-Albert Montanes and Viktor Troicki-Thomas Bellucci.

Matches start Sunday on the Tennis Channel, NBC and ESPN2.


You Might Like:
French Open Draw: Rafael Nadal Lands In Novak Djokovic’s Quarter!
Novak Djokovic: Right Now I’m Feeling Very Close My Peak Form
Djokovic Lands in Federer Half; Nadal Could Get Roddick at Wimbledon
Murray Lands in Nadal’s Half, Djokovic With Federer at US Open
Indian Wells Draw: Federer Lands With Nadal, Murray Gets Djokovic Again

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167 Comments for Federer Lands In Djokovic’s Half (Again) As Nadal Enjoys Comfy Path To Seventh French Open Final

jane Says:

“There are many good first round matches including…” Yeah, thanks for pointing those out Sean: sometimes the early rounds of slams are the most exciting due to the dramatic matches. Not always, but sometimes.


Brando Says:

Sean, delpotro MAY be carrying a knee injury, AND he also lost to tsonga- convincingly- in rome. Jo’s probably the weakest top 8 player on clay too.

I expect a federer v berdych QTR. That’s a tough one to call, BUT i’m going to go with fed in that one, since FACT is post miami he played madrid and won there and lost ONLY to novak at rome in the SF.

By the time of the QTRS, his game should be tight and firing IMO.

ALSO i think this year the conditions maybe slower than last year- which SHOULD suit federer IMHO.

Fed v Novak in SFs for me. Rafa v ferrer in the other.


Tennis Vagabond Says:

There are no real tough draws for any of the top three, because they are so much better than the field on clay right now.

Fed will face a threat in Del Potro or Berdych in the quarters. Of the two, Fed has handled Del Potro fairly well in their MANY recent matches. Berdych very nearly upset him in Madrid, but I think over 5 sets Berdych will have too many choke moments. Nole’s draw looks quite easy for him, and Rafa will have a possible work out against Raonic or Monaco, otherwise he’ll sail to the semis.
It is a testament to our low expectations for Murray that Tomic is considered a challenge for him on clay.

I think the Nole/Fed semi could be another classic; Nole has the momentum of course, but I wouldn’t write Fed out of this matchup. Rafa will breeze to the finals, which is VERY bad news for whomever meets him there.

I hope to see a great Raonic/ Rafa match!


Tennis Vagabond Says:

And I too will pick Ferrer over Murray, if Murray makes it that far.


Maso Says:

It’s fairly hard for Nadal not to get an easy draw considering he is so dominant on the clay. Other than having Del Potro in his quarter, I don’t see who else you could put in front of Rafa to keep him from going all the way to the finals, and even then Del Po would have to play his absolute best and Nadal would have to make some mistakes. (Considering Juan Martin wound up on Fed’s aside again, can’t count on that) Only thing that can beat Rafa on the way there is Rafa, and that doesn’t happen on good ol’ terre battue. Maybe Raonic can give him an interesting match if he does make it to the 4th round, but that’s a big if.


Katarina Says:

I’m very disapointed in your pick! Even you son Brutus? :)


green900 Says:

what the hell! federer has the worst draw :(


GB Says:

I wouldn’t mind sleeping on Del Potro…


RZ Says:

As a Federer fan, I say bring on the tough draw! If he pulls out a second RG title, it’ll be all the more sweeter due to the hard road.

Should be interesting to see how the players against Nadal hold up mentally. Ferrer, Almagro, Raonic, and Monaco have the game to challenge him – but will they? Or will they come into the match already defeated and be happy to get a few games along the way?


Jatt Says:

Chapter closed for French open. They should mail the trophy to Rafa and not to waste the 2 weeks…


Polo Says:

I don’t think any of the top 3 would lose to any player outside of that triumvurate. Only they can beat each other at the French.


mat4 Says:

Why am I not surprised that Roger and Novak are, once again, in the same half? But that apart, I don’t think the rest of the draw was “improved”.

My take: there is no way Novak can lose the final. If he loses, it will be in the QF, semi, or even earlier, but not in the final.


zola Says:

GB,

Loved your comment: *** I wouldn’t mind sleeping on Del Potro…****

I agree that none of the top three can have a tough draw as they are so dominant. Apart from federer, who is a challenge for Djoko? ( and he beat fed in Rome!)

Rafa has all the big hitters in his half. Raonic, Karlovic, Isner ( who has given Rafa a scare before).

Perdsonally I think Rafa does better when he has a tougher draw. I also agree that among the top three, Fed has the toughest draw. But he is a GOAT candidate. So no worries!

The top 3 are doing so well, it is just exciting to watch. Each win would be a new mark in history. I hope Rafa can write his this time with his seventh RG title.


Brando Says:

@Zola:

Personally, i am very PLEASED with rafa’s draw. He can now play himself into the tourny, expend VERY LITTLE energy most probably until the SF, where most likely he’ll face ferrer- a brilliant tune up for the final.

He SHOULD, hopefully of course, get to the final WITH PLENTY left in the tank. By then his game, strokes, confidence should be at a very good level.

WHOEVER emerges from the other side will MENTALLY and PHYSICALLY be more EXHAUSTED than rafa.

WHOEVER ends up facing him will face a fit, firing and keen nadal- not exactly what ANYONE wants on clay.


jane Says:

Nole will meet Starace first round, a clay veteran you might say.

Nole could meet Hewitt second round; his forte is not clay but he’s never an easy out.

Nole could meet Melzer third round. Melzer beat Nole in 2010 and Fed in 2011, both on slow clay – admittedly he’s not as strong this year, but you never know. Or Seppi, who has been hot on clay this year, is another possible opponent.

Nole could meet Verdasco in the R16. Verdasco just beat Rafa in Madrid, and when he plays well, he can play well! He is a hit and miss player but that streakiness can be daunting. Davydenko, a former FO semifinalist, or Gulbis could maybe come through.

Nole, in the QFs, could meet Tsonga (5th seed), who beat Delpo in Rome; or Simon (11th seed), who has played well on clay this year.

Nole could meet Fed, Delpo or Berdych in the semis.

On paper, and in reality, that’s a tough draw. I hope he can nonetheless come through it and at least reach the semis, equalling his results last year. But he will have to be very very careful and at his best from the get-go.


jane Says:

Brando, I agree with your assessment at 12:07. That’s why it seems to me that there is a 95-99% chance that Rafa will win the event. I can’t see him losing. Even with a tough draw he’s the favourite, so this can only help him as he’ll be full of energy for a fight on that second Sunday, should his opponent have a fight in him.

What about he lady’s draw? I think it’s too bad that Serena and Sharapova are in the same quarter.


dari Says:

glad to hear there is no discussion about rafa and the magnificent cupcake that is his draw!!

i just looked at the tennis channel draw challenge and i forget how HUGE it is

just started randomly clicking so i could save the draft and get outta there!


Gordo Says:

Jatt Says:
Chapter closed for French open. They should mail the trophy to Rafa and not to waste the 2 weeks…

C’mon Jatt – remember the Aerosmith lyrics, “Life’s a journey, not a destination.”

Do you really not enjoy any of the great matches in a tournament because you figure it is ordained that there is a favourite? You really consider the French Open a WASTE OF 2 WEEKS because Rafa is going to probably win it?

May I suggest perhaps you follow another sport?


Brando Says:

@Jane:

Thanks- BUT have faith in your guy. IMHO he’s the ONLY ONE who can do what borg mentioned- play rafa at his own game.

HOWEVER, being as honest as i possibly can be, i have thought all along that IF djokovic is to win RG he would be very good, dominant pre RG- and rafa not so much.

BUT nole has been patchy, IMHO, so far this clay season- for whatever reason. BAR the federer match, in EACH and EVERY match he’s played on clay this year- the opponent has had his CHANCES against him.

Furthermore, rafa has beat him twice already on clay this year- BUT moreso rafa HAS NOT looked mentally weak and susceptible infront of djokovic in those two wins. EVEN in the AO, rafa’s oncourt demeanour has looked DIFFERENT against novak this year. Nole, on the other hand, has seeminlg lost his zen like focus from last year.

In summary, Rafa seems PRIMED to put on a show at RG, whilst novak is STILL looking to find his A game before he can think of rafa and the final. STILL wouldn’t rule out novak though….


skeezer Says:

Gordo,

I ain’t watchin Rafa’s side until the finals. Why? Journey looks awfully boring to me. Can you pick out an exciting matchup Sorry Rafa fans but it is what it is.


Brando Says:

@skeez: it’s understandable- maybe rafa v raonic?


blank Says:

Sean,
You are not going to let go of picking Del Potro, are you?
Lol


Tennis Vagabond Says:

Jane, its cute that you’re worried about all those cats in Nole’s path, but I would relax if I were you. Surely you are following your grandma’s advice in only saying nice things about people, but anyone in the top 100 could probably sound like a world beater with the right PR man touting their fluke wins. Neither Seppi nor starace nor melzer etc are ANY challenge for Novak. We won’t hear from any of them again until that minor league south american swing. Its funny how sometimes we have the least faith in our own favourites.

Rafa’s odds are probably a little up with this draw, but anything can happen in sports. Raonic or Isner could have a great day, Rafa might reach for a hot plate, or be in time-out for talking back to Toni, you just never know.


jane Says:

TV, “Surely you are following your grandma’s advice in only saying nice things about people”

I think it was my mother-in-law. Something about catching more flies with honey as opposed to vinegar. ;)


Dave Says:

Draws like this turn me into a conspiracy theorist.

First we have the various clay, grass, hard and indoor surfaces ‘magically’ becoming relatively homogenized in terms of a ball speed, bounce and consistency.
http://tinyurl.com/7ugpxnh

Then we have Federer and Djokovic drawn into the same half 15 out of 18 times since 2008 Australian Open — even though Federer/Djokovic should have had a 50-50 chance of being drawn in Nadal’s half in the various grand slam tourneys. Who monitors the integrity of the draw process in the Slams?

What an easy draw for Nadal, and a good draw for Djokovic.

Federer has the worst draw of the big five players. Roger cannot afford to get drawn into a long match with Berdych, Del Potro, a resurgent Juan Carlos Ferrero, David Nalbandian, etc. One would think that Delpo would emerge from Berdych v Delpo, but right now Berdych is having one of the best periods of his tennis life — so I have to lean towards Berdych. Plus his Fair PLay trophy (cough) sealed the deal for me. JC Ferrero or Albert Montanes might pull a surprise, so Delpo better watch out.
http://tinyurl.com/csh2tq4

Precisely because Federer has the toughest draw, that’s when Roger focuses more to try to win his matches more quickly. Federer’s ideal path will be Kamke, Nalbandian, Riddick or Martin Klizan, Feliciano Lopez or Lukasz Kubot, Del Potro or JC Ferrero, Djokovic. A Federer-Berdych has the potential to destroy both guys chances if they end up in a mentally draining battle before Djokovic. Federer has to win both his quarterfinal and semifinal efficiently, without dropping more than one set — if he is to be in good condition to face Nadal in the final again.


skeezer Says:

jane,

We already have enough vinegar here, please stay a honey.


jane Says:

Trying for sweetness and light all the way, skeeze, but there’s bound to be a little sour and darkness along the way. Methinks this is okay, mother-in-law’s advice notwithstanding.

TV is right, “anything can happen in sports”.


Tennis Vagabond Says:

Dancevic and Posisil both made the main draw! Frankie Dancer gets the legendary Martin Kizlak before clay court specialist Andy Roddick.
Popsicle gets Roger-Vaselin and then DelPo or Montanes. This is the year we will first hear the term “Canadian Armada”.
Would you believe, Flock of Canadians?
How about Canadian Goodwill Ambassadors?

Come on you syrup chugging poutine loving hosers!


Tennis Vagabond Says:

Wow, who knew James Blake was still playing tennis?


Tennis Vagabond Says:

Milos may get Jesse Levine 2nd round- Levine grew up in Ottawa, a friend of mine coached him as a kid. We could have a rare pseudo-all Canadian grand slam match.


jane Says:

Up with Canucks! As for the rest of em, “take off eh”.


Humble Rafa Says:

I ain’t watchin Rafa’s side until the finals. Why? Journey looks awfully boring to me. Can you pick out an exciting matchup Sorry Rafa fans but it is what it is.

You get your watch the greatest clay court tennis player ever play. I serve bagels and breadsticks everyday. Instead of watching some Arrogant One play for the 3rd place, you might watch a champion play the game the way it is supposed to be played.

Your Humble Highness


Kimberly Says:

I am running the Tennis X Fans Racquet Bracket :: French Open ATP contest. This is your invitation to join this contest.

Submit your bracket here:
http://www.tourneytopia.com/RacquetBracketFrenchOpenATP/tennisxfansforever/default.aspx.

The deadline to enter is 5/27/2012 5:00 AM Eastern Standard Time.


Kimberly Says:

and for the ladies bracket

Submit your bracket here:
http://www.tourneytopia.com/RacquetBracketFrenchOpenWTA/tennisxxxx/default.aspx.

The deadline to enter is 5/27/2012 5:00 AM Eastern Standard Time.


Kimberly Says:

Dave, i have invited you before to join our bracket challenge and you don’t. Come on! You have such an interesting analysis of tennis I would love to see how it plays out in a contest for points! Its all for fun.


Kimberly Says:

Jane, Sharapova and Serena being in the same quarter almost required me to have a drink at 9am in the morning.


Kimberly Says:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
and im a non-drinking vegetarian


van orten Says:

only fools count federer out..he still has the game to reach the semis ..and vs djoker everything is possible..fed will need one fine performance again ..but the hole stadium will roar for him…i am looking forward to a fantastic RG!!!!


Wheeler Says:

AND THE DRAW FIXING IN ITF CONTINUES. FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME, FEDERER AND DJOKOVIC HAVE BEEN DRAWN INTO THE SAME HALF. THEY NEED TO EVENLY SPLIT THE DRAWS RATHER THAN KEEPING IT “RANDOM” (SECRETLY FIXED). VERY FEW TIMES NADAL HAS REQUIRED TO DEFEAT BOTH OF THEM AT A GRAND SLAM. FEDERER, DJOKOVIC, TSONGA, BERDYCH, DEL POTRO ALL IN THE SAME HALF. ITF PLEASE GO TO HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Brando Says:

I am SURPRISED at the number of experts NOT PREDICTING federer to even make SFs. Strange.


dari Says:

berdych has been insane on clay this year. no title, but giving the big three big trouble.

i know fed can get past him, do, but i think tomas is itching for a scalp and of the big three, he has troubled fed the most

at any rate, once a slam starts, i always feel like i will be rooting for roger, no matter how impossible.

this year will be the same

great attitude van orten!

wheeler, and other conspiracy theorists, i know it is insane djokovic and fed in same half so much, but do you think that itf is really rigging draws for the fedal final even now in 2012 when there is a bit less fizzle to their matches?

and don’t you think that the french would throw a little mud on rafa and give him a tough draw at RG, they don’t exactly love him and always gets fantastically generous draws. doesn’t add up to rigging, imo


madmax Says:

Brando Says:
@skeez: it’s understandable- maybe rafa v raonic?

May 25th, 2012 at 12:42 pm

Brando, I had read that Raonic is injured, or carrying some sort of injury so no way is he going to be a threat and I really don’t think he has the movement on clay. Yes, he’s got the serve, but that is not going to be the weapon that wins in my view.

Easy path for rafa to the final. I don’t really know how this can be argued.

Federer, well, we always hope for the Federer machine to come through. I always aim for the first round first (especially after Falla/wimbledon), my heart stopped. But I just hope this FO is not going to be as boring as hell and that we have some cat fights along the way.

Federer I believe will make it to the SFs again, take rafa out, and win the FO – how about that federer fans.

Kimberley, so am I!


Steffianna Says:

These articles make me laugh. When it was Nole having to sit back and watch a Roger/Rafa semi-final no one said Djokovic has an easy draw. To suggest the draw is fixed is pulling straws at best because it is usually carefully monitored. I think the fan structure and fan support is very emotional on the mens’ side so you are either a supporter of Rafa or Roger or Nole or a supporter respector one one of the other two. I don’t see Murray in the mix, I still think he is rusty from health issues. I can see an unexpected in a semi-final mix but my wish is to see Borg and Evert there when Rafa lifts a 7th trophy. Vamos Rafa.


andrea Says:

aside from raonic, nadal’s draw is devoid of the heavy hitters that can do damage with big flat shots. would have been nice to see a berdych or delpo give him some grief. but the reality is, who can really derail the guy who is arguably the best clay courter ever? he leaves everyone in the dust so the draws seem somewhat insignificant. however, history has proven that given the right mix of elements – weather/conditions, opponent playing lights out, nadal not at his peak – he’s not infallible. it’s just happened so rarely, particularly in the best of five (once?), that none of us even consider an upset.


Brando Says:

@Dari:

I AGREE re rigging, ALSO they are PUBLIC DRAWS- carried out by the previous years champion- so this year rafa and Li Na did the draw. Photos of the ceremony are everywhere on the internet.

IF people still believe it to be a rigged event, then they NEED TO ASK THEMSELVES: am i ONLY thinking this because my fav has a rough draw?

further why hasn’t ATLEAST a single player came forward and said such a thing?

why hasn’t there been a REAL MEDIA STORM about this? why has the LEAST liked of the top 3 seemingly benefited in a supposedly rigged event? etc


skeezer Says:

Brando,

Look at the minefield draw he(Fed) has to go through. They could have evened out the draw a little. But no, tradition for your man at FO prevails. What has changed at FO with Rafa being ranked #1 or #2 at the FO draw? Anyone? For Fed, My concern is not that Fed isn’t in great form, but is going to last through all those potential tough matches?

I am sure it will be a great tourney for your guy ;)


Steffianna Says:

Brando:
You are dreaming. I too like and respect Roger but you think Nadal is going to loose? Only if he gets a medical issue. He is as motivated to win as is Roger or Nole but seriously, I think Roger is thinking more Wimbledon or Olympics. The gold has only been in Rafa’s hands so far.


Brando Says:

@Madmax:

THANKS for the info re raonic- hope he is well.

I got to say this: i ADMIRE fed fans like yourself, Dave, dari etc who ARE BACKING FED to do really well here. Good to see that your backing your fav rather than crying over the draw.

PERSONALLY, i think this is the draw fed NEEDS: he NEEDS to be SWITCHED ON from the start, focused from early on, since he seemingly DOES WELL in tough draws, and STRUGGLES in the easier ones.

REGARDLESS, GOOD LUCK TO FED!


Steve 27 Says:

Precisely because Federer has the toughest draw, that’s when Roger focuses more to try to win his matches more quickly. Federer’s ideal path will be Kamke, Nalbandian, Riddick or Martin Klizan, Feliciano Lopez or Lukasz Kubot, Del Potro or JC Ferrero, Djokovic.

It happened to this guy for him, the Swiss have always difficult draws. Let’s see:
Kamke. Anyone knows him?
Nalbandian, “The ethics of professionalism,” his level is lower in clay than hardcourt where Nadal faced in the third round in the past U.S. Open
Roddick? WTF? What did this guy ever on clay? His best performance was 3 years ago and is nearing completion. Faced Nadal in the quarterfinals last year on hard courts, where it is definitely better.
Feliciano Lopez another WTF? The worst spaniard in recent times on clay, is even worse than Roddick. Nadal faced in Australia this year in the fourth round, after the grass, is his best surface.
Del Potro play against Berdych in the fourth round, where presumably the winner reached the quarterfinals very tired, which would affect its level in the next phase. Nadal faced Berdych this year in the quarterfinals in Australia, where he plays best (so far) on hard courts.
Only Djokovic, is his great rival to be in the final, it’s the only one who can stand up, after all, is not the GOAT for his fans?

Nadal faced the best Soderling in the quarterfinals, the best Murray on clay in the semifinals, the same Federer at its best at the French Open, and the spaniard playing poorly, especially agaknst the Scottish and against the Swiss, he lost only one set.
Therefore, it is incorrect to say that Nadal may have problems with this player on clay, simply has no rivals.


Brando Says:

@Skeez:

I hope your right re my guy:-)

RE fed- i think its feasible that bar maybe the QTR, he could EASILY BEAT all others in straight sets.

Nalby lost to murray at rome- how good has andy been this year on clay? not good at all. Pre QTRS fed should be perfectly fine IMHO.

The qtrs is the TOUGH ONE. BUT i think berdych v delpo will BE A BATTLE- so whoever wins will be tired i imagine from that one.

Delpo seems to STRUGGLE against fed- and he recently lost to tsonga on clay, so i think fed has his number (don’t know why sean thinks otherwise).

BERDYCH IS THE TOUGH ONE- he beat fed at wimby, has been the BEST player outside the top 3 this clay season- BUT i think RG shall SUIT fed more than berdych. Fed in 4 for me in that one.

Then the SF? WHO KNOWS, BUT put it like this i DO NOT expect 40 plus UE from fed this time round, SHOULD HE get there…..


Brando Says:

@Steffianna:

EXACTLY WHERE have i said that rafa shall lose?

i think my guy DOES HAVE THE BEST CHANCE to win- quite obviously IF he plays his best, then his chances look REALLY good, REGARDLESS of who he is playing.

BUT what i have said or suggested is that to feel its a done deal is, quite frankly, a STUPID THING.

Fed is the GOAT- can he pull off a one off herculian effort to beat rafa? i think he CAN.

Can novak beat rafa at RG? well when you beat ANYONE 7 in a row, you ALWAYS have a chance against them ANYWHERE!

So i BACK rafa- i’ts just im not singing the doom and gloom song for the rest…. NOT YET ANYHOW!Let’s just wait and see….


BOSS Says:

okay literally the french open is the most boring slam of all. nadal is gonna win this tourny and lose maybe one or two sets MAX along the way. count on it. I for sure know that I’m not watching this crap. who the heck wants to see a butt-picking spaniard win a tourny over and over again w/ barely any effort? wimby’s the next stop for me…


Steve 27 Says:

Nadal will win his third channel slam ala Borg. Us Open to Djoko or Murray. Olympics maybe Federer


Steve 27 Says:

BOSS or lapdog?


Kimberly Says:

Last Wimbledon and this Australia Nadal had a tough draw. ANd last French he was playing Soderling while Djokovic was playing (or not playing) Fognini, Murray was playing Chela, and Fed was playing Monfils. It all evens out even though in one tournament it can look lopsided.

Fedal did play in the last GS semi in Australia. But Federer and Djokovic generally are joined at the hip.


andrea Says:

i’m a die hard fed fan but even i don’t think he could beat nadal at the FO. he never has and i don’t think he ever will…not if nadal comes into the match with some semblance of health. the FH/BH combo always spells death. i think fed can get to the final if he doesn’t end up in a lot of 5 setters. i have a feeling novak falls before the semis…don’t ask why.


Tennis Vagabond Says:

Steve 27 I agree: Roger’s draw cannot be called tough. Only in comparison with Rafa and Nole’s, precisely because these three are SO FAR above the field on clay, that there are only a couple wild cards out there that can be considered. And the foremost of these are Berdych and Del Potro, who are in Fed’s quarter. So based on that alone, Fed has the tough draw of the Big Three.
Of course, Fed and Nole have a tougher semi prospect than Rafa as well, so we can say Fed’s draw is toughest, Rafa’s is easiest. Except Rafa gets the mini-Del Potro in Raonic, so he and Nole come out even in the end.
That’s science, you can’t argue.

I think Fed can win this title. Of course the odds are against him but he was VERY close to Rafa last year, and he’s playing MUCH better this year and just beat Rafa in their last meeting. The odds are against him- but HE SHALL PREVAIL!


Tennis Vagabond Says:

If Verdasco can beat Rafa, (after being, what 0-13 before?), surely Fed can beat him on clay (being, what 2-12?)

One other note: expect some might beatdowns next week. The Big Three are hot.


Jatt Says:

Gordo

I do enjoy watching tennis matches when the competitors are evenly matched…last year when nole was winning against nadal it was good to see somebody other than Rafa winning on clay..but this year nole is not the same…Fed has not been able to break Rafa at Rolland garros… And when you talk about favorite I am sorry but Rafa is much more than favorite..I hope nole and fed can bring their A game…


Steve 27 Says:

TV let see what happen, would be a surprise if the swiss not reached sf, his quarter apparently with Del potro or Berdych could be interseting, Nole would equal Laver and Nadal would equal Chris Evert, ha!
Like I said, I think Nadal tie his third chanel slam with Borg.
And he tied with Decourgis in 8 RG at the end of his career, surpassing Sampras 7 grand slam on one major.
My prospect Federer 16 or 17. This is his last season! to win majors
Nadal 14 or 15
Djokovic 8 to 10
Murry 2 to 4
Del Potro 2 to 4

Raonic, Tomic, Harrison, Dimitrov, I dont know
What do you think?


Steve 27 Says:

Murray,ha!


Brando Says:

@TV:

federer’s 48-4 POST USO- a STAGGERING NO.! Let’s look at those 4 losses though:

1- Nadal at AO: here rafa played his BEST match of the tourny, fed was competitive- BUT the classic matchup issue. BOTTOMLINE it was rafa at his BEST IMHO.

2- Isner in DC: Fed’s 1st match back after a layoff- i wouldn’t put too much into this loss.

3- Roddick at MI: AGAIN not too much to read here other than a night off for fed.

4 – Djokovic at rome: novak played his BEST clay match this season for me. BUT on the other hand fed was VERY LISTLESS. Some people have other thoughts about this match also (let’s not go into it) BUT i CANNOT see RF making over UE again like that.

So all in all, he’s been pretty good this year, im expecting A DEEP RUN from federer here!


Tennis Vagabond Says:

Yeah, Brando, I’m down. The AO match was very depressing to me in the way Fed just again came up just short at the key times, which is an even worse problem for him than the FH/BH mismatch. In Indian Wells though he showed what I (as an admitted Fed fan) believe: when he is on song, everything else is irrelevant.
He’s just on song a lot less now than he was in 06!

Steve27, as for predictions, I think Rafa gets 13, Fed gets his 17, and Nole will get up to 10. I guess Murray will get 0, and Del Potro, well, he’d better show a semifinal or better this year or I’d say we’ve seen the best of him.
In two years, Raonic will likely be winning multiple Slams, but surely someone will come along- right now his only real peer is Nishikori, but I just can’t see him as a Slam winner. So will Novak and Rafa dominate for 4 more years as Fed did? Or will Raonic get some unexpected company challenging the old lions?


carlo Says:

hey Kimberly. I am in Cali visiting the BF for a long weekend and the internet connection here is messed up. It works for his computer but not for anything of mine. I signed him up. But tournytopia keeps rejecting my log in and not sure why. still trying.


zola Says:

@Brando

***WHOEVER ends up facing him will face a fit, firing and keen nadal- not exactly what ANYONE wants on clay.***

That I agree with. That fire and desire to improve is what makes Rafa the champion he is. He can win a tournament for 6, 7, 8 times, but he never takes any for granted and every time he is more grateful for the win than the previous time.

I see Djoko as the biggest threat to Rafa. Roger has already tired several times and has failed. RAfa beat Roger in the RG final in 2006-2008, when Roger was in his prime. With all respect, Roger’s win in Madrid is meaningless, because that surface had nothing to do with RG.

Raonic is the potential danger. I like the way he carries himself. His serve is just out of this world and he is too young to care about losing against a 6 time champion.

I hope to see RAfa lifting the RG trophy for the seventh time !


autoFilter Says:

I’ve noticed that several people have mentioned that Federer’s form has been better than it was at this time last year, and while I generally agree I am wondering if anyone else thought his back was suspect in the Rome final. I’m NOT saying the result was based on that (Djokovic is/played awesome), but if he is struggling with it again then his form of the past several months could be a moot point.

Also, regardless of how he was playing prior to the 2011 French, I’m of the camp that felt he was the one who played the best tennis throughout the tournament… and I’m not convinced that any form going into it is necessarily going to amount to an improvement upon that.


Kimberly Says:

carlo-my email is on the login page. let me know if i can help. Also, as the admistrator I can see you have a user name registered from last RG.


sheila Says:

hoping nadal & djokovic get knocked out b4 final. i would love 2c that happen & 2 other players make it to final.


Dan Martin Says:

http://tennisabides.com/2012/05/25/the-pyrenees-are-no-more-spains-domination-of-roland-garros/ My take on Spanish domination at Roland Garros – I think the trend continues this year (& beyond).


jane Says:

“ANd last French he was playing Soderling while Djokovic was playing (or not playing) Fognini”

Kimberly, Nole had to beat Delpo and Gasquet before meeting Fed in the semis last year, and Gasquet was awesome on clay in Rome and at RG last year. Not easy.

I feel totally depressed about Sharpie/Serena too. :(

Will try to get to those brackets but company arriving imminently…


jane Says:

Sean I can’t tell if you’re being ironic here: you point out Nole has to be “happy” with his early draw, and then you point out the difficulties?

“In the top half, Novak Djokovic has to be happy with his early draw. Djokovic could have a rematch in the third round with Jurgen Melzer who beat him last year. Then the improving Fernando Verdasco with a potential quarterfinal opponent among Gilles Simon, Stan Wawrinka and JW Tsonga. ”

Hotsauce actually has a winning record over Nole on clay: beat him twice in 2010 at MC and Rome.


Dave Says:

Hi Kimberly, thanks a million for the invite. Problem is I’m travelling to Vancouver on business tmrw Saturday till next Thursday. Not sure how much time I have to play during those days. When is the latest I can register?

Brando, who says there wasn’t any crying before the backing started :)

Enjoy the start of the French Open everybody, and may your favorite player continue to the final. Go easy on those comfort foods.


Lisa Says:

Obviously @Sean Randall is baised, he hates Federer so much…..IMO


Kimberly Says:

Dave, the submission window closes 5am eastern time Sunday. We would love to have you. I would love to see your bracketology.


Voicemale1 Says:

It’s the presumed Djokovic appearance in the Final here that seems suspect. This is the only Major where he hasn’t made the Final. Three times dismissed in the Semis, twice in the Quarters and once in the 3rd Round. He’d be asked to win the French Open this year without having won a clay court title this year, which is unusual to say the least. His 2012 isn’t his 2011 to be sure. He’s still having a good year – winning a Major and Miami is never a bad year. But that said, he has backed off noticeably lately. The Serve isn’t what is was a year ago – he ended in Rome with a Double Fault on Championship Point; against Nadal in Monte Carlo he failed to hold his Serve in the entire 2nd Set. The Backhand isn’t as airtight as it was a year ago – it’s leaking more errors now. And the movement is quite as effective. He’s getting to shots, but not in optimum position with his feet often enough to get a clean strike at the ball. So errors pile up. Excluding Madrid for both Djokovic and Nadal, Djokovic has lost sets this clay season to Dolgopolov, Berdych and Monaco. His Draw at Roland Garros has some land mines. Melzer could be a 3rd Round foe, and Melzer sent Djokovic home in the QF two years ago coming back from being down 2 Sets to Love. Verdasco is the 4th Round seed for Djokovic, and Verdasco does have 5 wins over him. Djokovic has a lot of clay court guys who might not necessarily beat him, but they can give him a lot of long matches: Simon, Warinka, Fognini..even Tsonga if he’s not in one of his foul moods. Worst of all is that Djokovic has developed a few yips on the Serve since Australia. In 4 matches from Miami onward he was serving for the match in the 2nd set with a break, only to be broken in that very game all 4 times forcing each set to a tiebreak. He gutted out the tiebreaks, but it’s a dangerous way to live. Failing to close out matches on Serve is nothing but nerves. Why he’s feeling it at those moments is a puzzle. But he yipped it a bit against Ferrer, Monaco and Murray in Miami, and again against Federer in Rome. The stars were aligned for Djokovic to win Roland Garros last year. He was unbeaten going in, had shattered Nadal’s confidence completely, and even got a Walkover into the SF when Fognini pulled out of their QF match the night before. And even with all of that, he never looked like he was ever going to beat Federer that day last year. With history hanging in the balance for him this year winning it, the mountain seems higher. Much higher. He had a week since Rome to find something resembling his 2011 form, and maybe he has. If he hasn’t, then winning this would be nearly impossible.

Nadal on the other hand has to be feeling nothing but happy about his game. The events he won were something like his 2010 form on clay, and his win in Rome can’t be underscored enough. He had to beat three Top 10 guys to win the whole thing. That he did without losing a set to any of them is remarkable. He’s got the kind of form now that it really doesn’t matter who is in his Draw. Raonic might get a Set – tough to see him getting three only because he doesn’t Return that well. Murray? He got to the SF last year playing only 1 seed – Troicki – and almost lost that match. The miracle for him would be to repeat what he did last year and get to SF again. Federer has a few bullets to dodge – Nalbandian early and Berdych later, and Berdych is the one who could actually emerge from the Top Half as The Finalist. But don’t be too surprised if we end up getting Fedal, Chapter 29 a couple of weeks from now.


Tennis Vagabond Says:

autoFilter, an excellent point. Fed played great last year. So his form going in may not be an asset; on the other hand, its better to be playing well than to not.


skeezer Says:

Dave,

I travel also. So No excuse for u, lol. Sign up Buddy no pressure, it’s a fun group. Kimberly runs s good ship.


Krishna Says:

jamie: Who does your psychic predict to win the French Open?


Krishna Says:

One astrologer is predicting Nadal lol..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxHzr2kaZTA


skeezer Says:

Skeezer’s Ass-tro pick,

The skeezer astrological outlook which will trump jamies outlook at FO will be based on the following;

Based on factual star alignment of jupiter and mars and the semi-annual meteor showers of a fourth kind and the Orion belt of the Golden arrow celebrating the arrival of the first ET….

Rafa will win the 2012 FO.

Disclaimer;

We are not responsible for wrong predictions and the claims(however, Rafa IS a guarantee), as a guarantee prediction can change at any moment depending on the wind conditions and humidity. Please check jamies posts for clarifications.

Disclaimer2;

Please note, this is for fun purposes, do not practice at home.

Ass-tronomical-comical productions, LLC


roy Says:

i have to admit federer does have some tough obstacles in this hellfire of a draw.

3rd round seed roddick is in super form after just losing 3 in a row at the world team event, including a loss to go soeda! look out roger!

4th round seed, guys with games perfectly suited to clay…stepanek or lopez! oh my!

what’s that? he has a top ten opponent drawn for the qf? how is that possible!

and what are the odds he has djoker in his half again! maybe 50/50? conspiracy!
so unfair! even though it gives roger a better chance to make the final since he’s actually beaten djoker in 5set clay matches and did so last year!

it’s all rigged!


Dory Says:

Personally I don’t think the draw is fixed given its transparency but I agree with Wheeler that they should be more balanced. If the randomness is creating such an imbalance, maybe the ATP and ITF should purposefully introduce a system so the draws turn out to be more balanced with each of the top 3 players having to play one another more evenly. It is true that very few times Nadal has had to play both Federer and Djokovic in a Slam. For as long as I can remember, most of the times, the semifinal is always been Federer and Djokovic on one side and Murray and Nadal on the other side. So even if the draw is sincerely done, maybe they should do something now to even it out. My two cents.


Wog boy Says:

Betting odds for FO in Aussieland:
Nadal $1.75
Djokovic $3.50
Federer $9
Murray $41

Bett responsibly, please:)


skeezer Says:

roy,

Quit lookin and Feds draw and makin make believe sh!t up. The attention you give the guy borders creepiness.

Look at your worshipness’s draw and see how difficult it is and you’ll hurl in a trash can of guilt.

Rafa’s draw is a Red Velvet Cheesecake, as usual. Unc Toni knows how to pay the bills for victory. He may not have to coach cheat for this GS.

Shaaaammooon!


Michael Says:

Nadal might go all the way to lift his seventh Roland Garros title unless some unexpected turn of events happen in the form of injury or withdrawal the probability of which is remote. The only stumbling block to his achieving glory is Novak Djokovic in the finals if at all he gets there. Against anybody Nadal has it easy but not against Novak even when he has beaten him in straight sets back to back on clay courts. He doesn’t look confident against him like other players and it is Novak who is always on the offensive. However, on this court, you should give a big edge to Nadal and it would be too much pressure on poor Novak who is going for a Grand Slam, an achievement which eluded even Roger and Nadal. So why play the French Open, give the tropy to Nadal straightaway might be very tempting to ask. But let us hope players like Raonic surprises us.


wilfried-b Says:

@Lisa May 25th, 2012 at 8:12 pm
« Obviously @Sean Randall is biased, he hates Federer so much…..IMO »
I share your opinion on Sean Randall. It’s not the first time I noticed his tendency anyway.
He praises the slugfest kinda tennis (cfr. His comment on the AO 2012 final) but refuses to even think or write a second about how these sugfesters manage to maintain their unhuman stamina.


Rick Says:

Hey Fedthugs! It was a fluke that Federina beat Nole last year!


Rick Says:

Federina has an easy draw, he is playing Roddick on clay! You Fedthugs are complaining, because you know that Federina wins rely on his draw to win like he had in 2009 and doubt that Federina could wins against Nole. And the world number one wouldsends him to the nursing home again.


Rick Says:

You Fedthugs are sure worrying that, Nole would send Fed back to where he belongs, because you thugs aware that, Fed has his ass kicked in Rome!


Rick Says:

You guys are wrong about Sean. He is trying to jinx Rafa to had picked him as the winner. LOL


Lisa Says:

Given Murray does make semis(I’m deffinately sure Nadal will be there)…..

I’m off the opinion that he might cause the biggest match of the tournament…..eventually ousting the giant spainard….

Most people think Murrays best chance of GS is Wimbledon……

I say No, I strongly think he can win his first GS here…..2012 FO……

Get the British Press Running Now, lol…:)


Lisa Says:

@Wilfried-b…..thanks, hope more people share the same sentiments…:)

@Rick……off course thats obvious too….jinx rafa…..clearly he loves Novak


alison hodge Says:

Michael if you dont mind me saying that posts a bit contradictory,Novak looks more confident when facing Rafa,than what Rafa does when facing Novak hmm,yet going for a Novak slam might be too much pressure for him hmm again,surely your either confident or your not confident,and hes now the no 1 player,facing what both Rafa and Roger did before him,all new territory for him,time to deal with the pressure that goes with been the no 1 player in the world,nothing worth while ever did come easy after all.


Kimberly Says:

Less than 24 hours to pick! Check the standings to make sure your bracket name appears. If it is not there let me know! We have had trouble a few times in the past.


trufan Says:

Wow, what a sissy draw for Nadal at the French! And Fed again with Djoke. Wow, amazing how that happens every time!

And the butt picker will still come out and say “every match at grand slam very tough, no? you play your best otherwise you lose no?”

No, he dodged EVERY SINGLE bullet. The only tough guy in his quarter is Raonic, who is injured and inexperienced. Missed DelPo, Tsonga, Berdych, Ferrer – aren’t they all top 10? Then how come NONE of them are in Nadal’s quarter???

Defies the laws of probability. I call it fixed. You can call it whatever you want, nadalites.


trufan Says:

Nadal dogded Berdych, DelPo, Isner, Tsonga, and Fed. How is that not fixed???


jamie Says:

@ Krishna

The day of the final, Sunday June 10th 2012, is astrologically a bad day for Nole. If Nole reaches the final, he will lose.


jamie Says:

@geezer

Zzzzzzzz.


jamie Says:

@Krishna

I have been saying since the AO that the winner of RG will be Nadal, according to the psychic.


pablo Says:

great!!!!
i will cash-in in 2 weeks.
i bet a lot for the lucky 7.
just for covering all my bases (in case djokovic remember the old days of smashing nadal easily) i bet a little for nadal reaching the final, that is a giving by looking the draw.
nadal reaching the final is as sure as clay is red, lol, not really nadal is playing in 2 weeks, its money in the bank.
go rafa!!!
go for the lucky 7 !!!!!!


jamie Says:

@Tennis Vagabond

Agree.

Federer 17

Nadal 13

Nole 10


jamie Says:

@Steve 27

Probably 3 more slams for Nadal, 2 FO and 1 Wimbledon.

1 more for Federer, USO.

5 more for Nole, 1 FO, 2 USO and 2 AO.

Murray and Del Potro are harder to predict.

I read on another forum that a psychic said Murray will win his first slam at 27. Ouch, that is in 2014.

Del Potro, Raonic, Tomic, Harrison, Dimitrov, who knows.


dari Says:

Thanks for espn picks Jamie. It is LOL, only drysdale picked nole, the rest chose rafa! For good reason.
Also lol bartoli is men’s early exit and tipsaravic women’s!

Ok must fix draw today, thanks for reminder, Kimberly


Tennis Vagabond Says:

Another thing regarding the randomness of sport: in ’97 there were three or four heavyweight clay champions: 2-time champ Brugera, former champs Muster, Chang and Kafelnikov, all near the top of their games- plus Moya, Rios, Corretja and Costa. The top ten were packed with clay court pedigree.

Then out of nowhere came a 60-something ranked nobody named Guga.


Thava Says:

jamie, why have your predictions changed so much from before? Didnt you say earlier that Fed wouldn’t win another slam, nadal would only win one more, and that murray would possibly win his first slam at wimbly this yr?


jamie Says:

@Thava

They are now based on Chinese Astrology.


jamie Says:

On another forum someone posted this long prediction according to Chinese Astrology, he had gotten this prediction from a poster who had sent him a PM, apparently someone who studied Chinese Astrology.

___________________________________

This year is full of water. Djokovic is weak metal person, metal likes to hog limelight too. Water stress metal, this year he will be incredibly stressed to produce, i doubt there is any slam left in him as the water year starts at feb 4 2012(Chinese regard first day of year start at feb 4th). Last year is strong in metal which aided his weak metal.

For federer Earth person. Federer chart is dominated by metal(talent) with a bit of fire(resource), where fire is never going to burn his metal. The fire in his chart makes him think of funny skills which sometimes lead to his errors and downfall. Water destroy fire in 2012, I think he will follow plan strictly to play against opponent weakness this year. The water also means indirect wealth, he will get a lot of money from commercials this year. He receive some earth this year too which is his self element(he don’t need it). Competitor is as strong and gonna share the wealth with him. But this earth also make his metal stronger, he will rep up performance, hit bigger etc.

For nadal is alot of fire in chart. He is earth person too. Overpowering Fire produce earth which means mental strength and hardwork, this year water stop the fire. His hardwork dropped and mental shape is poorer. However his chance is summer apr, may and june, the period when water is weakest. But he cannot overplay this year, will cause injury easier due to weak mental and stubborn nature to fight(alot of earth, self elements). Also his output is always shortlived due to weaker wood in chart, not enough to fuel fire.

To conclude i think strongly nadal and federer take up the 3 slams. If Nadal don’t take W and RG in summer, he will miss his biggest chance in most fav period, somebody new will take. Either fed or murray. Also Fed is more dangerous player for Nadal than Djokovic this year. The fire weakened in Fed’s chart don’t have adverse effects, in fact better, more focused mentally.


jamie Says:

My friend is too busy with her kids.

She does give predictions before each slam but that’s it.


Tennis Vagabond Says:

OK, I made my picks. I stuck totally to the odds: Fed over Nole on top, and Milos over Isner on the bottom. Probably the same as everyone else.


Rick Says:

Jamie, you are very funny. LOL


Rick Says:

Nalbandian would be easy for Fed! He is like Fed on his way to retirement. I only wish that he is on Murray’s draw. So that he could runs into Isner early! Federina is GOAT! MY BUTT! He was winng his slams playing Roddick or Gonzalez! But Rafa has to deals with Murray and Nole, too!


Rick Says:

And Fedthugs must feels sorry that, Davydenko and Soderling not on Federina’s draw. Because these are the players that their GOAT has pretty good chances against!


Rick Says:

The players that Federina and his thugs want on his draw are Roddick, Bagdatis, Davydenko, Hewitt, Soderling! LOL


Queen Says:

RZ says “As a Federer fan, I say bring on the tough draw! If he pulls out a second RG title,”

YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS?!!


bstevens Says:

Even though Nadal is a pretty big favourite to win the title, I still feel excited when thinking about the French this year. A lot of possible storylines.


bstevens Says:

Rick’s obsession with Federer make me think that deep down inside he loves him.


dari Says:

I prefer fedthug to fedt@*d
Thanks Rick


skeezer Says:

Me thinks Rick needs a Fedhug.


Kimberly Says:

13 hours and 20 something minutes left to pick brackets–men and women. hurry.


Djokowins Says:

Rick is the biggest fed lover.
And skeezer is the biggest rafa butt lover.
They both find it very difficult to come up with posts without mentioning their love.
LOL….interesting times.


Djokowins Says:

Nole’s draw seems to be the toughest of all.
Rafa’s is the easiest.

I dont know how Fed’s draw can be called tough.

Apart from a possible QF with Berdy/Delpo everything else seems to be cherry picked.


skeezer Says:

Djokerloser,

And u don ‘t swim in the same waters? Sure……lol

Interesting times indeed.


Lisa Says:

@Djokowins

That is true, Djokovic has the toughest draw compared to Rafa and Fed……

Is @Sean Randall playing some kind of a game, or is he blind….LOL…:)


Steve 27 Says:

skeezer if you risk your money, who is your pick really? Is Federer or the best clay courter of all time? No sentiments or feeling, think honestly.
Swiss last chance of winning a major is Us Open 2012 and that is it. Laver 31, Us Open, Connors 31, Us Open and Sampras 31, Us Open. All had his last major in NY. If I bet my money for the Swiss will be only in that place. His last chance.


skeezer Says:

Steve. 27,

Although Rafa is looking real good, I’m picking Nole to win. One of the crucial things not discussed here is that imo when Nole and Rafa meet in this years FO final, Nole will still be in Rafa’s head. Its on Noles’s raqcuet, not Rafa’s. One recent win( by Rafa ) does not overcome 7 losses in a row in your head.
Of course I would love to see Fed with an incredible upset beating the current top 2 on his weakest surface. Don’t see it happening here. Always hopeful though, he has proved this fan wrong before!


dari Says:

Kimberly, can you delete my #209… Bracket
I somehow submitted two. thanks!


Kimberly Says:

Your two start with 298 and 304. I can’t see them yet. Confirm I should delete the 298 entry. Or if u want I can wait until the bracket opens and confirm they r both complete entries, lmk.


jane Says:

I picked just one bracket for men’s and ladies’ so far, and i picked on heart not brains. If I have time before I go to bed I might do a second one based on who I think will win.


carlo Says:

Jane, did completely the same ( no brains) in 5 minutes at a starbucks…internet not working in Cali. But did such a fast job – both ATP and WTA – no checking h2h, have not been watching tennis last week…oh, mamma mia!

see everybody in there- Kimberly’s FO brackets! :D


Lisa Says:

@Queen

“YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS?!!”

QUESTION TO YOU! YOU DONT THINK HE CAN WIN FO?!!

ONLY A FOOL WOULD SAY THAT!

GOD WE HAVE TO PUT UP WITH PEOPLE LIKE YOU!


trufan Says:

Federer has virtually zero chance of winning the French. I would say its about 80% Nadal, 19% Djokovic, and 1% someone else.

It would be lovely to have a Djoke Nadal final (even though I am a Fed Fan). Federer can’t beat Nadal in a best of 5 clay match – especially not now, almost 31 years old (Rome 2006 was when he almost did it). Djoke can certainly beat Nadal in a best of 5 – not only is he 1 year younger, he doesn’t have th eliability of a one-handed backhand, doesn’t have Nadal in his head (perhaps the other way around!), and can play as nasty as Nadal plays against others, can play as slow as Nadal plays against others.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see a 7 hour final this time, between the two? Of course, most of that time will be spent butt picking or ball bouncing.

Berdych and Tsonga has the best chance of a surprise upset, or DelPo. Unfortunately, they are all in Djoke’s half – Nadal lucked out, yet again.

Come on – ferrer or Murray in the final? Seriously, they are mentally not fit to beat Nadal. The least the drawmakers (yes, drawmakers, since it is obviously not random) could have done is to have Nadal face Fed in the semi – with less pressure, Fed may have given him a tough fight, more than even last year’s final.

So Nadalites can rejoice – their beast will most likely get his 7th FO, and perhaps his last slam, this time.


queen Says:

@ Lisa, do not waste your energy girl. Save it for rooting for Fed. Bless you!


trufan Says:

BTW, by winning his first match at the French this year, Fed makes 50 wins in each of the 4 slams, the first person to do so.

By winning the second round match, he gets the maximum wins in slams ever, beating Connor’s record.

With 5 or more finals in each of the 4 slams, Fed has by far the most complete and balanced grand slam resume.


queen Says:

LOL at Skeezerwheezer

skeezer Says:
Although Rafa is looking real good, I’m picking Nole to win. One of the crucial things not discussed here is that imo when Nole and Rafa meet in this years FO final, Nole will still be in Rafa’s head.

If you know what is in Nadal’s head you should also know who wins FO? Psychic? LOL


Anna Says:

Skeezer = Guess you haven’t heard. Nole got his eviction notice a few tournaments back. He left a note for Rafa saying he was on extended holiday and shouldn’t expect to hear from him for several months.


skeezer Says:

Queen an Anna,

Ok, guess I deserved that., lol.
Your man should be a shoo-in, epecially with the cakewalk draw. But my post stands if Rafa an Nole meet. Don’t think for a nano second that Nole’s 7 straight wins over Rafa was a fluke.

That said, I am sure u both will enjoy Rafa’s run through the draw against mostly wannabee tour players…..i ain’t watchin that…..Jerry Springer is better watching ;)


Lisa Says:

Sorry guys…..okey Im sure Fed is not going to win( FYI, I didnt expect him to either) maybe he’ll reach Qrts or Semis only…….but to say he has ‘Zero Chance??’…..C’mon…..

This is a guy who has constantly been proving people wrong( While under heavy critizism at times), someone who continously cease to amaze eople thus far( even now)….This is Roger Federer we’re talking about, the ‘Federer Factor’…..You can never know what he can pull out of his bag….. and its always amazing when he does pull something out…

Sad thing is, he doesnt get that much credit for it though….

Although I personally dont give him that much chance also……Then again, as I above mentioned…….You never know…….just by sheer reputation…..you can never count him out..

At least he deserves that much respect.


Rick Says:

Fed already earned what he deserves, that is why people named him Federina for crying when defeated! LOL


Lisa Says:

@Rick, do you even stop and listen to yourself?……All I know (and Im sure everyone does too is) that there is only s#%t comming out……

Seriously dude, it’s getting to a point where people dont value your opinions( you cant substanciate points with valid facts), other then the fact that your some obsessed Federer freak!!


Lisa Says:

Funny how people praise Novak….

Oh Worthy One…King Novak Djokovic, if anyone who is able to beat Rafael Nadal and win FO……Oh worthy Novak….it’s yooouuuu.

Oh Worthy one, you are the 2nd Favourite to win 2012 FO….Oh Worthy Novak, we will see you in the Final, Definately….

Funny, I’m starting to feel an ache in the peat of my stomach…..why? When he loses to Federer in this FO Semis! hahahahah!!(Evil Laugh and Smile)


Mark Says:

Oh Unworthy One , why did you disappoint your worshippers???


Michael Says:

Alison,

Please do not misunderstand me. I have said very clearly that Rafa is the favourite in Rolland Garros and it would take a super human effort to beat him there which was only done by a man named Soderling before. Of all the players, it is evident that Nadal struggles against Novak relatively speaking and therefore if anybody has chance against Rafa, it should only be Novak. But the pressure of a Grand slam should be too much for Novak and he might stumble if at all he again meets Nadal in the finals which is a possibility. This being so, I am wondering where I sounded contradictory to you ?


Lisa Says:

Look okey heres the truth, in reality, if one FO semis is (Federer vs Djokovics)…I give 50/50 chance that either player can win…

Matter of fact is……everyone would expects Novak to win here…..better player/6 years younger/….etc, apparently, should be the fitter player to win……no doubt in my mind too…

So its understandable if Federer losels, the guy has certainly passed hisprime here, he has much more a realistic chance of a GS at USO this year, and most likely will be his last too….Fair enough judgement….

But what if he does win his semis??What if he does win FO beating Rafa?(which would most diffinately NOT happen)…

But what if?…..

As a fan, I’d like to believe it’s possible….only a dream nowadays…. but I will always root for Federer…:)


Dave Says:

Sorry Kimberly, I tried to make the deadline from Vancouver… 90% completed when I accidentally back-clicked… returned to the page but everything was jumbled up (this might have disabled Java script)… fixed everything… resubmitted just after 5am EST but it was too late to submit my picks. Ugh.

If Go Soeda wins, I picked him. Good luck on your picks everybody


Kimmi Says:

i think delpo got a tough first round. montanes is a good clay court player, he is hanging with delpo shot for shot


dari Says:

Up early to play, but we’re rained out! Can’t believe I didnt check the weather for this early a session!
******
K- ok yes, the 298 you can delete thanks!


Kimmi Says:

delpo saving 3 bp there. good hold. now he breaks again. go delpo.


Kimmi Says:

why there is no new thread for the matches? this thread is long enough now.


Kimberly Says:

Dave, we will miss you but no worries u have another opportunity to show us ur skills in wimbledon where I assume u will pick your man roger!


Kimmi Says:

i dont think roddick can turn this around. he is down 2 sets already


jamie Says:

@Steve 27

Yup. Federer’s last chance of winning a major is at the USO this year. Like you said, Laver 31, Us Open, Connors 31, Us Open and Sampras 31, Us Open.


alison hodge Says:

Michael sorry no offence was meant,i just thought it was a strange thing to say,IMO your either confident or your not confident,Novaks the no 1 player in the world,going for 4 in a row,Rafas the no 2 player in the world, going for FO title no 7,both are all out to make history,the pressure goes with the territory for both players.


Dave Says:

Kimberly, Roger has to earn my loyalty before I can consider him for Wimbledon :) Anyways, of the 16 matches completed (17 if Kubot wins, I picked him), I would have gotten 2 wrong, ugh. Berrer on clay shouldn’t have beaten Melzer, but I guess all that clay practice with Federer last month has helped him. And I picked Roddick mostly for sentimental reasons and hoping his ‘champion’s spirit’ would surface, but even so Mahut (only won 6 career clay matches, 23% win-loss on clay) should not have beaten Roddick. Unless Andy tanked the match to prepare for Wimbledon, I’m concerned about him.


Dave Says:

Anyways, for what it’s worth, here are my first round picks in my failed attempt to join Kimberly’s bracket challenge (next time I should do it in a more sober state, not on a Saturday late night after a 6 hour flight):
Djokovic, Hewitt, Devilder, Melzer, Seppi, Gulbis, Muller, Verdasco, Simon, Baker, Andujar, Wawrinka, Bellucci, Fognini, Souza, Tsonga, Federer, Nalbandian, Klizan, Roddick, Stepanek, Clement, Kubot, Lopez, Del Potro, Roger-Vasselin, Ferrero, Cilic, Anderson, Zeballos, Garcia-Lopez, Berdych, Ferrer, Ramos, Dodig, Youzhny, Granollers, Petzschner, Mathieu, Isner, Dolgopolov, Haas, Dimitrov, Gasquet, Tomic, Giraldo, Nieminen, Murray, Tipsarevic, Chardy, Soeda, Benneteau, Kohlscreiber, Rochus, Baghdatis, Almagro, Monaco, Berloqc, Becker, Raonic, Mayer, Karlovic, Istomin, Nadal.


Kimberly Says:

pretty darn good i must say. way better than me!


Kimberly Says:

the person in first place has 13


Kimberly Says:

Jane, santhanmk, alejandrobello tied for first


trufan Says:

I think Fed will lose in the QF this year (at the French), but then go on to clean up the grass court season (Halle, Wimbledon, Olympics). This will be his final push. He will pick up the No. 1 ranking on the way, hold it for a few weeks, break Sampras’s record – then he will just take it easy and collect Longevity and volume type records for another 5 years before he retires.

17 slams. 7 wimbledons. All 4 slams. Olympics Gold. 6 YEC. Most other records one can think of. Some never to be broken (like 18 of 19 slam finals, including 10 in a row, or 237 consecutive weeks at No. 1).

I think that should do it for GOAT.


trufan Says:

BTW, as long as Fed can stay within the top 8, I think he will continue to play (that allows him some chance of winning a big event if luck is on his side). Given that players like Tipsarevic make the top 8, that should be quite easy for him for many years.

Of course, Sampras dropped out of top 8 in 2001, just when he hit 30….


trufan Says:

Also, DelPo is done:

Juan Martin Del Potro survived an injury scare to secure a spot in the second round. Bothered by a left knee injury, the no.9 seed required treatment, dropped a set, before confounding his fans’ fears to close out the match.


Steve 27 Says:

clean up the grass court season
trufan, you really believe it what you talking about? really? I know, feeling and emotions are more powerful than thoughts, but time and experience taught us that some paradise land never returns and things we believe last for ever is only a mind illusions! So, dreams is OK, but fantasying is only for children!


Krishna Says:

thanks @jamie.


alison hodge Says:

Kimberly just wodering where ive gone wrong,i filled out my brackets men and women,yet i dont see my name on the list of the tennis x posters,where have i gone wrong?


trufan Says:

Steve 27

English not your first language ha? read before you press enter the next time… You don’t make sense.


Steve 27 Says:

no trufan, English is not my language, like you know, so your statement is that it makes no sense. Always fantasying. You live in Alice wonderland!.


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