Andy Murray Is Officially Out Of The French Open

Murray — Rest up & come back strong for Wimbledon!

May 21st, 2013 at 9:34 pm

Murray is irrelevant on clay. Somehow he won a major last year, but there aren’t too many where he comes from.

I hope Nadal doesn’t get another softy draw. We’ll know tomorrow.

I also hope Ferrer is in Fed’s half. Ferrer will lose the semi, if he reaches there, but will tire out whoever he faces. Would be real fun to see a Djoke-Nadal semi when both are fresh. And normal weather please.

Federer must be praying Nadal falls in the other half so that he can make another French final. And who knows – if Djoke beats Nadal in the semi, Fed could actually win another French title!!

May 21st, 2013 at 10:20 pm

Not surprized here. Get well Andy, see u at Wimby, where the real Tennis season begins!!

May 21st, 2013 at 10:29 pm

Rumble,

I am hoping for that to happen:) I definitely think / know Fed has a better chance of beating Nole in RG than Nadal, specially a final where Djoko would be playing for career Slam, always an extra prssure, even so if he beats Nadal in the semis, which may take something from him mentally for the final. That prospect semis can be one for the ages.

We’ll know when the draw is out, if Nadal is in Fed’s side, he better hope for Gulbis to be in Nadal’s side and wake up thinking: today I will pull a Rosoderling! LOL

May 21st, 2013 at 11:40 pm

Huge impact for the draw of the top 4 obviously! Million-dollar question for Nole and Fed: on which side Nadal will land?

May 21st, 2013 at 11:50 pm

The Frenchies will deliver “Rome” in terms of the draw. Fed will get a soft draw to aid him to get another Slam. Rafa and Novak will be in the same half the idea being whoever emerges from their semis brawl will be so tired they will not trouble Fed in the final. Fed will then “only” have Ferru in the semis.

The scenario has some problems however.

Ferru has changed his tactics as we saw in Madrid and Rome. He is no longer content to bunt the ball in play in pure defensive fashion. He has become more aggressive, the same tactics adopted by Fed in the final but which Ferru had more success with compared to Fed. So, a Ferru capitulation at Fed’s hand is no longer a foregone conclusion. I give Ferru the nod in any confrontation with Fed.

Novak has shown himself to be vulnerable to the lower ranked guys in the early rounds, he may not even reach the semis. However, I believe motivation to win RG for the first time will propel him to the semis. Rafa will be there. He will make it 9 finals in a row this season.

Championship Sunday will be contested by 2 Spaniards with Spanish #1 collecting his 8th RG trophy.

May 21st, 2013 at 11:52 pm

Ah, and of course, there will be no shortage of hard-hitting giants in Rafa’s quarter: Gulbis, Isner evn Rosol will be thrown in, all with the express hope of derailing Rafa’s progress. Why, they would drag Soderling out of his sick bed if they could. Rafa will prevail.

#Mr.Sunday

May 21st, 2013 at 11:59 pm

@Nadalista

lol, absolutely cannot see anyone giving Rafa any trouble at FO apart from Novak. Really.

May 22nd, 2013 at 12:18 am

“Rafa will prevail”

then why watch the matches when the outcome is certain? it should be boring

May 22nd, 2013 at 12:25 am

Nadalista,

I hope the draw turns out to be the “softy” draw that you predict. In reality, the past has been opposite. You can look at slam after slam after slam – Nadal gets the softer draw.

If course, given your name, you will obviously be blind to that and will not be able to see it.

Again, I hope some new guy shows up. Its getting boring.

May 22nd, 2013 at 12:29 am

I think Andy took the best decision possible. He knows that he cannot compete on Clay courts and he has instead focussed on his favoured Grass courts. Well, best of luck to Andy. I hope he wins Wimbledon this time around and realize the Britons dream which has not been fulfilled for so long.

May 22nd, 2013 at 12:47 am

In all probability, Novak may meet Rafa in semis. It will literally be the finals if both manages to reach that point.

May 22nd, 2013 at 12:48 am

@Rumble, and of course, you are the epitome of objectivity.

Respect.

May 22nd, 2013 at 1:39 am

I just don’t see Fed busting his guts to progress if he runs into an obstinate opponent, such as Ferru, at RG. At his age, wheere even if he were to make it to the finals he will meet either Novak or Rafa (most likely Rafa) and proceed to lose, makes no sense. Makes more sense to preserve his achy back for Wimby and bust his guts there where he has a better chance of winning, whoever the opponent.

RG2013 is Ferru’s chance to make his breakthrough Slam final………..

May 22nd, 2013 at 1:50 am

Sad for Andy and do hope his back improves enough for him to compete in the all-too-brief grass season.
Get well soon Andy.

May 22nd, 2013 at 2:01 am

Gulbis may meet Fed or Novak in the early rounds. He knows how to beat them as he’s done it before.

That would be such fun!

May 22nd, 2013 at 3:49 am

Wonder where Gulbis will be seeded? Interesting….
though knowing G he’ll either burn or bang.

May 22nd, 2013 at 4:40 am

Nadalista Says:
The Frenchies will deliver “Rome” in terms of the draw. Fed will get a soft draw to aid him to get another Slam. Rafa and Novak will be in the same half the idea being whoever emerges from their semis brawl will be so tired they will not trouble Fed in the final. Fed will then “only” have Ferru in the semis.

Haven’t read all posts here indepth, so someone may well have responded already. Hasn’t Fed been in rafa’s side of the draw for the last 8 years?

Nadalista. Fed has always been in Rafa’s side of the draw for slams and masters, pretty much apart from a month ago in Rome. That was the shocker, that for the first time in absolutely ages, he was on the opposite side.

Don’t make stories up. And a soft draw? Hardly. I think you should look at the variety of ‘soft draws’ , and anyhow, when we all put our objective heads on, whoever rafa/roger/andy/novak play across the net, it’s that opponent their focus is on, at that time, on that day. To look further than that would mean a lack of focus and respect for the opponent.

We could talk about Rosol, we could talk about anyone of the players – the guy who almost took fed out of wimbledon a couple of years ago, Falla, but fed took it to a fifth set.

Seriously, any of the players are in with a chance. Any given day, any thing could happen. I don’t think that the likes of Ranoic, Dolgopolov, tomic, are even remotely frightened of the top 4 any more. They seriously believe they can do it, beat any of the top guys.

Of course fed is getting older, but you know, so is everyone else, the fact he is still playing and still no. 2 “at his age” (or no. 3), shows that he is still immensely strong, fit, super talented, just not the same Fed he was a few years ago, but I am at peace with that.

Anything that Federer wins from now on is a bonus for a fed Fan and I really mean that, along, I guess with my fellow federites.

We just love to see him play.

May 22nd, 2013 at 6:00 am

@madmax. FO 2012 I seem to remember fed being in Joker’s side of the draw!!

May 22nd, 2013 at 7:12 am

Shame to here both Andy and Delpo will not be playing the FO this year,hope both are fully fit for Wimbledon,i share Michaels sentiments been a Brit in that i would love Andy to lift the trophy there,summers so far been a washout here,so it would give dear old blighty a much needed lift.

May 22nd, 2013 at 7:37 am

http://alturl.com/i6wmg
Tennis players react to Nadal’s Rome win over Federer.
Hahaha

May 22nd, 2013 at 7:41 am

Too bad Andy has to withdraw from French Open. Hope that he will be fit and ready for Wimbledon.

May 22nd, 2013 at 8:54 am

Ferrer can beat Federer in RG. Nobody can beat Ferru 15 times in a row!

May 22nd, 2013 at 9:42 am

Delpo is out………..

RT @NeilHarmanTimes: “So now @delpotrojuan withdraws from Roland Garros. Falling like ninepins”

May 22nd, 2013 at 9:48 am

Wow. After all the hooplah about Nadal being out for the past 2 slams and now this. Terrible stuff. Not as significant but a damn shame for sure.

May 22nd, 2013 at 9:54 am

RT @usopen: “Happy 26th Birthday to 2011 #usopen men’s champ @DjokerNole. What’s your all-time favorite Nole match at the Open?’

So, Novak is 26 yrs old today, so is Murray and Rafa and yet people talk about Rafa as if he belongs to a different generation. Well, if he’s past it so are Novak and Andy……

May 22nd, 2013 at 10:03 am

^^ They really are falling out like 9 pins. ATP has to get a grip on the string technology and the playing conditions – 15years back, they were too quick. now they are too slow. ATP needs to find a happy medium.

May 22nd, 2013 at 10:06 am

Nadalista, you just love to gripe about everything. Nadal starting winning slams a whole 3 years before Novak took his first (won’t even mention Murray). Nadal was Federer’s number 2 for all but 1 year when Federer was number 1. He also skipped the juniors and turned pro at an extremely early age unlike Novak and Murray who muddled in the juniors for a few years before going pro. They’re close in real age but a good few years apart in tennis age.

May 22nd, 2013 at 10:20 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlSa-lVFl_g
Happy birthday Djokovic

May 22nd, 2013 at 10:28 am

Sad to hear both Andy and Delpo are out – hope both are well soon; they are the only two slam winners out there besides Fedalovic. : /

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LOVERLY NOLEEEEE! ;)

May 22nd, 2013 at 10:32 am

For Nole’s fans… :)

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ghRMOORLZKU

May 22nd, 2013 at 10:34 am

@Jane:

You are forgetting Mr. Hewitt, who has achieved much more than Murpotro! 2slams, 80 weeks at number1 and Davis Cup, WTF and other such achievements.

May 22nd, 2013 at 10:38 am

“Nadal was Federer’s number 2 for all but 1 year when Federer was number 1”

Yes, its true..throughout there respective careers, in the tennis rankings, according to the rules of Tennis, Fed was Nadal’s Daddy.

BTW Ben nice post explaining the “tennis age” differences. Its obvious most of these Nadal posters either don’t play tennis or know very little of how the game/system works.

Happy Bday to the Rubber Band Man!

May 22nd, 2013 at 10:46 am

@Steve 27 LMAO.
He looks like a street fighter during that barrage of vulgarity to the crowd!!

May 22nd, 2013 at 10:52 am

That is true Danny Morris. Hewitt is still in the field, though he is not in his peak years, as are Delpotro and Murray, arguably.

May 22nd, 2013 at 10:54 am

http://alturl.com/ci9r6
Rafans. Master Nadal. Has a certain ring to it
#VamosKing
#VamosMasterNadal

May 22nd, 2013 at 11:04 am

Yeah lest i forget happy birthday Nole :).

May 22nd, 2013 at 11:15 am

No we don’t (know the game, that is), we think Federer should have won because he had more winners!

May 22nd, 2013 at 11:53 am

“…….according to the rules of Tennis, Fed was Nadal’s Daddy.”

……………………………………

Was? Hell, I could have sworn he IS Nadal’s Daddy the way he was ambling around on Sunday…..

May 22nd, 2013 at 11:55 am

Heal up Andy and bring that Wimbledon trophy home! The Coupe de Mushuateers (or whatever it’s called) can wait for another year.

May 22nd, 2013 at 12:04 pm

^ Ouch, I was looking up the spelling of the French trophy but hit “submit comment” before I was done spelling it properly. LOL. It’s Coupe des Mousquetaires

May 22nd, 2013 at 12:05 pm

@nadalista

Good try. actually, it wasn’t. Read the post over again. OVER THERE CAREERs.
BTW, according to the ranking system, he still IS! LOL…..

Maybe one day yall will read a Tennis Rule book and learn what the game is about. Its not about the Aunty Toni rule book for sure.

May 22nd, 2013 at 12:07 pm

Margot, It’s unlikely that Gulbis would be seeded. He’s ranked 39 this week, so he wouldn’t move up enough to get a seeding. Based on Andy’s and DelPo’s withdrawals, Granollers and Robredo would be seeded. However, if 2 more seeds withdraw, a certain Lukas Rosol would be the #32 seed (he’s ranked 36 this week).

May 22nd, 2013 at 12:09 pm

Happy Birthday Nole!

May 22nd, 2013 at 12:22 pm

Bellucci has withdrawn from FO.

May 22nd, 2013 at 12:43 pm

@skeezer, seeing how his charge is dominating all and sundry, Uncle T must know some’at! I’ll stick with his (winning) rule book if you don’t mind.

Now sit back and prepare to be enchanted, clay court tennis at RG, the way tennis is meant to be played……….

#Artist

May 22nd, 2013 at 12:44 pm

RT @juanjo_sports:”Note to the Tennis Gods: only 1 thing is asked of you for the French Open. Put Nadal and Djokovic on opposite sides of the draw. That is all”

ps to the Tennis Gods: put Rosol in Rafa’s quarter, first round match just to make sure he actually plays Rafa. Just a small request, thank you.

May 22nd, 2013 at 12:50 pm

Nadalista, clay court tennis is not the way tennis was meant to be played. That distinction goes to grass (or indoor).

May 22nd, 2013 at 1:08 pm

ps to the tennis gods, let the sun shine when nadal plays djokovic so that nasty topspin bounce can kick up

May 22nd, 2013 at 1:15 pm

I second that Kimberly.

May 22nd, 2013 at 1:31 pm

Rafa “Fact that last year I won the 7th and surpassed Borg gives me extra calm, not feeling pressure of having to win”.
Vamos King!

May 22nd, 2013 at 1:58 pm

Yes Rafa, let those who HAVE to win feel the pressure!

Vamos!!

May 22nd, 2013 at 2:09 pm

Here’s to hoping Rafa does win FO, so he can have the record all to himself: he would be the 1st man to win at least 1 Major for 9 consecutive years

May 22nd, 2013 at 2:18 pm

Teeg i share that sentiment,as i would also love him to get that record,just hope that the tennis gods let it happen,Novak can have his career GS next year.

May 22nd, 2013 at 3:14 pm

@RZ
Cheers, Gulbis will be a wild, wild card indeed. Hope he makes it through the first week, together with Grigor and Stan. Now Andy’s out I am looking forward to some stirring of the pot….;)
Joining me in raising a glass for Andy’s chances at Wimbledon, I see :)

May 22nd, 2013 at 3:20 pm

^^^ Stan is not a certainty, he may be pulling out as well.

May 22nd, 2013 at 3:23 pm

http://alturl.com/hyey8
Stan update.

May 22nd, 2013 at 3:31 pm

@Margot, I’ll certainly join you in raising a glass for Andy’s chances. I have a good feeling about it, especially after I realized that I won’t be able to see the last few days of Wimbledon b/c I’ll be out camping. That makes it all the more likely that there’ll be an ending that I’d have wanted to see. :-)

Keeping my fingers crossed that Stan will be able to play…

May 22nd, 2013 at 4:20 pm

To NAdalista and others,

Nadal is almost 27 – in a week or so.

PLus he has a lot more miles on his body. nearly 750 matches, and he has run more than his opponents in most matches. That’s one damaged body – but all credit to him to keep working hard to keep it together.

Becker was toast by the time he hit 25 (1992). He did win the AO in 1996 but was very lucky with the draw. He started early.

No tennis player dominates for more than 5-6 years. Borg did it 1976-81. McEnroe 81-84. Lendl 84-88. Sampras 93-98. Federer 2003-08.

Given that Nadal’s first slam was in 2005, he’s been working really hard and under pressure at the top for 8 years now. Perhaps has max couple of years left on his body and his mind. This 7 month break might have done him a lot of good!

May 22nd, 2013 at 10:57 pm

Rumble,

The unique thing with Nadal is that he never dominated for a period as even Ova is doing now. If he finishes is year as #1 again with 2 Slams it will be a 3 yearsbtsrech of domia ce with 6 Slams.

That’s why I ink it wold be nice for Nadal to ha e the record of most consecutive yeats winning Slams if he wins 1 this year. This could be an unbreakable record of his own non clay related, where he will stand alone. Rit now is shared with Federer and Sampras.

Even if Nadal wins 2 Slams is years his multiple years winning Slams wold be to separate, 2008, 2010 and 2013 (maybe). We can’t say he dominated 08′-13′ when he missed 3 Slams in this spam and opnot with the yeatd Djoko had in 2011 and Fed in 2009.
So he will be one of the greats with no single period of domination but the most consistant due to owning RG for a decade. This if he wins a Slam this year!

May 23rd, 2013 at 12:14 am

Typing in iPad is even worse than iPhone;-)

May 23rd, 2013 at 12:23 am

Daniel,

Nadal dominated only for one year – 2010. He was 23-24 then.

Other players have dominated and won slams for many years, but always at least in 2 slams. Nadal has 7/11, and in 3 weeks maybe 8/12 in just one surface and one slam. So while he might get to many records, they are still largely CLAY records and CLAY feats.

He has won non-clay slams in only 3 years – 2008 Wimbledon (what a close match finished in dark fading light 9-7 in the fifth), 2009 AO (again a 5 setter against Fed), 2010 Wimbledon (got lucky to have Berdshit in front of him), and 2010 USO (Djoke was not yet fully matured then, and it was Djoke’s first year with his new racket).

I don’t know if he has it in him to win another non-clay slam.

May 23rd, 2013 at 12:24 am

Nole’s birthday cake, courtesy of Roland Garros. He practiced on Philipe Chatrier (sp?) yesterday too.

http://statigr.am/p/461761859260543506_390175795#/detail/461761859260543506_390175795

May 23rd, 2013 at 11:21 am

Nice picture happy 26th birthday Nole,and happy birthday to Andy whos birthday was last week i believe,and Rafas is June 3rd,all close together Rafa is just one year older though :).

May 23rd, 2013 at 11:33 am