Poll: Entering Week 2 Who’s Your Favorite Now To Win Wimbledon?

Then you guys see that possibly Fed will beat Rafa in SF…
If Rafa wins these 2 next matches, and there is no rain, he surpasses the swiss.

But more probable fed’s 8th than Swiss national football team World victory, “no?”
Good luck to USA team!

June 29th, 2014 at 11:04 am

Raf is safely through to the second week and he has always reached the final whenever he has made it to the second week of wimby. I think he is now as good a contender for the title – maybe even the top favorite – as anybody else especially with a rather easy path to the final. It appears unlikely that he will have much trouble handling anyone on his side of the draw. Even Raonic – or Isner for that matter – will need a huge amount of luck to take three sets from Raf if he he can get past Nishikori who is himself struggling against Bolleli. If Murray and Djo play a long sf, the task becomes easier for Raf in the final as well. Both of them, especially Djo, now have a relatively tougher path to the final. I am not convinced even the current Murray, who probably is likely to beat anybody else at wimby, can stop a beast like Raf in the final. Again, the only player who seems to have a chance is Djo but there are question marks about his confidence – as also his fitness – with his disappointing results in major finals of late. Potentially long matches against tough opponents may mean Djo not being at his best in the final. He could lose to Murray in the sf itself. I get the feeling that Raf is smelling blood now and with his incredible killer instinct, it will take a huge effort to stop him.

June 29th, 2014 at 11:50 am

All talking like nadal won already and the next u see is that he loses against kygoris

June 29th, 2014 at 12:20 pm

My favorite: Nole

@FedExpress

Yup, and besides if Kyrgios pushes Rafa and Raonic wins easily, Rafa will have to play a less tired opponent the very next day. Advantage Raonic then ! Of course, the assumption is that Raonic will beat Nishi/Bollelli.

June 29th, 2014 at 12:38 pm

Still Nadal in second week in Wimbledon?

I retire.

June 29th, 2014 at 12:43 pm

Well, the Wimbledon committee is doing their best to position Murray for the win … if I thought he was good enough to take advantage of this duplicity I would have to say Marray.

… but I don’t think Murray is good enough to win. Nadal has a chance now that Wimbledon has turned into a clay court, but there is probably just enough grass left for a couple more matches that a tall player that can hit a strong flat ball canprobably take him out.

… Wawrinka is was a serious threat until the Wimbledon committee took away his no 3 seed and then relegated him to the backwaters of the scheduling fiasco. I figure that they were really worried about Stanimal … but now I dont think he has a chance.

Fed could still win if he can conjure up his play of 3 years ago … when he was the Federer of old. I still give Fed at age 32 going on 33 the best chance of winning … but don’t be surprised if Raonic does some serious collateral damage before it is all decided.

June 29th, 2014 at 12:46 pm

Well, if they really wanted to improve Murray’s prospects, they would have fooled around with Raf’s scheduling since he seems to be his biggest obstacle. In fact, I read somewhere – I am not sure if its true or not – that they had not initially scheduled Raf to play on center court on Saturday but changed their mind after the latest weather forecast.

I don’t think that it is fair to say that the wimby courts are now “clay” courts. Sure, the area around the baseline has very little grass left but it still is different from a clay court. The problem is the slower surface – a study found the grass at 2008 wimby to be even more slow than in 2003 – and much greater and truer bounce as opposed to the grass courts of the 1980s and 1990s. This makes the task of baseliners much easier. The value of the channel slam of Raf and Fed is thus lesser than when Borg accomplished it since the difference in the characteristics of clay and grass and the skills require to succeed thereon was much greater those days.

As for Wawa’s seeding being “taken away”, it was not done arbitrarily. They have been following a set formula for years – one can argue about its merits or demerits – and there is nothing whimsical about it. I am also not sure Wawa is as big a threat on grass as he is on hard or clay.

June 29th, 2014 at 1:25 pm

`…Wawrinka is was a serious threat until the Wimbledon committee took away his no 3 seed and then relegated him to the backwaters of the scheduling fiasco. I figure that they were really worried about Stanimal … but now I dont think he has a chance`

HaHa, Right, now you’re frothing at the mouth.
I think they should have played the remainder of the matches Sunday but don’t be sure they would have if Murray was behind also.
I think if no matches were played on Sat they might have considered it..perhaps.
The rain could well have happened on any day of the tournament einstein, it often does you see.
Or maybe they planned that too.
We British are known for our raindances.
Oh but Warinka’s a major threat on grass!
He needed to be stopped (cue organ music)!
And everyone is so scared of him so they orchestrated his demise by way a secret cabal?
Help!
Yeah right, Based on what?
Beating an injured Nadal at the AO?
How about his grass credentials then, do they merit your endless embittered whining and the LTA’s presumed fear?
Oh dear, upon closer inspection it appears the artist formely named Wawrinka is not a top tenner on the surface and without a single grass title to his name either.
In fact his best results at Wimbledon being 2 4th round appearances in 08 and 09.
Last year he was despatched in the first round by good old rusty in straights.
(And that is why he dropped in the seedings mkay).
Oh yes a major threat he surely is.
Not.
He couldn’t even play Murray until the final.
As for Murray’s too easy draw, well it makes a change, he usually gets the hardest ones.
And it’s now no longer the easiest anyway, on the contrary, he will probably have to beat Dimitrov, Djokovic and Nadal to win this title.
What’s so `easy` about that TF?
Agut btw is the 23rd best player in the world & had just won a grass tourney, so no chopped liver in the 3rd round for Murray either, he was just made to look like it by him that’s all.
And if Anderson was in Nadal’s half everyone presumably would be going on about how `dangerous he is.
So calm down please.

June 29th, 2014 at 1:34 pm

*formerly named Stanislaw (blush)
Dont know what he is called now however.
Stan?

June 29th, 2014 at 1:37 pm

TF… seriously? You understand that Wimbledon uses, and is well known for using, a formula that reseeds players by taking into extra account their performance over the past 2 years on grass? No one took anything away from Wawa in some sneaky fashion. You can check the math if you don’t believe them.

By the way, Stan lost his only grass court final to Mahut and has never made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, so I sort of doubt the tournament committee is quaking in their Andy-loving boots, anyway.

Poeple are blowing the rain delay effects out of proportion. There is always a certain amount of unfairness in the transition from fourth round matches (2 days) to QFs (all on one day) which is certainly unfair, but I think, in general, the effects of fatigue are grossly overstated in match analysis. That a few players have to play on Monday before everyone else also has to play on both Tues and Wednesday doesn’t seem that big of a deal compared to the occasions on which some players have had to play or finish a match, and then go back out for another match later on — something which Murray has had to do (and won both easily) in recent memory, although I can’t think of the tournament now. In short, get over it; Wawrinka, Isner, and F-Lo certainly are.

June 29th, 2014 at 1:45 pm

(Although I do think they should have played the remaining Saturday matches today.)

June 29th, 2014 at 1:47 pm

Is inhuman to Wawrinka, Lopez and company have to player 3 best of 5 set matches in a row.

Disgusting Comitee and unfair advantage to Murray, Djokovic and company.

Even in the US Open, the schedule are not that crazy and, for example, in 2011, the final was posponed until monday.

The

June 29th, 2014 at 2:59 pm

wimbledon ia the most tournament in the world and things like this happen in 2014?
And they talk about fair play?

It is an indelible stain and unfair treatment of players of lower hierarchies.

June 29th, 2014 at 3:15 pm

2nd week looks intriguing for the men. murray and fed have not really been tested. novak squeaked thru radek in 4, nadal isn’t mowing everyone down. i like the new crop of young guns this tournament and i smell an upset.

women’s tennis is finally a lot more interesting than it was 3 or 4 years ago. woz is making great strides here, as is radwanska. sharapova must now be foaming at the mouth with serena out. still have hope genie that will make it. lots of quality play though.

June 29th, 2014 at 3:41 pm

It’s not “in a row,” it’s on subsequent days. “Inhuman?” Please. It puts them at a very modest disadvantage, even if some of the matches go long. Don’t they regularly play back to back 5 set matches like this in the Davis Cup? And outside the slams, they regularly play best of 3 matches four or five days in a row. Yes, best of 5 are longer, but that’s what they train for.

If they go to 18-16 in the fifth set we can talk about whether it’s unfair not to have one day off that the other players don’t get, but…

June 29th, 2014 at 3:48 pm

I think we were all too optimistic about Federer. He looks good against the journeymen , but when you see one of the heavyweights like Murray play, the matchup looks ominous. As a matter of fact, I think Murray looks the best out of everyone – he’s quick, incredibly strong, incredibly precise.

June 29th, 2014 at 3:59 pm

The scheduling is a big joke
and you cant deny it because you are not Wawrinka and Lopez. do you think is normal this situation? is unfair advantage for the big guys, specially Murray and Djokovic

Disgusting schedule!

June 29th, 2014 at 4:08 pm

Hahahha thats Why Federer tends to play his absolute best vs the likes of djoker and Murray.

His grand slam record vs both speaks for itself.

Do not expect fed lose to nadal in 3 sets as in Australia.
With the roof closed it could be a whole different matter.

June 29th, 2014 at 5:02 pm

No rain forecast for next week.
NO ROOF!!!

June 29th, 2014 at 5:10 pm

hey van orten! fed’s grand slam record versus nole is very close you know. fed leads by 1 mere match, 6-5. :)

he leads murray 4-1 in grand slam matches, but murray leads him 6-1 in masters.

June 29th, 2014 at 5:21 pm

I don’t expect him to lose in 3 against Nadal
I expect it will be four.
The final will probably be Nadal/Murray
or Nadal/Novak.
And if Novak has managed to beat Murray in a semi he is frankly going to win the title.

June 29th, 2014 at 5:22 pm

Andy is now a SLAM WINNER
It’s all new, and if he really has recovered from his surgery as it looks like he has, I expect a far bigger performance slam against either Nadal or Federer than he has had before.
But we will see won’t we:)

June 29th, 2014 at 5:25 pm

*slamwise (eyeroll)

June 29th, 2014 at 5:26 pm

andy has had a closer matches with federer the last two times at the australian open that they’ve played: 2013, 2014. so i suspect it would be closer if he were to meet fed in the final, on grass, at home – andy would have 50-50 shot at a win methinks. indeed, it was close back in 2012. as for rafa/murray, i am less certain, mainly because i wonder sometimes if rafa has purchased a bit of space in andy’s head? maybe not. he did get a set off rafa in 2011. he could make it closer this year. but sometimes i would like to see him take it to rafa more.

June 29th, 2014 at 5:31 pm

^ actually he beat fed for the first time at the AO 2013. so obviously it was closer, ha ha.

June 29th, 2014 at 5:32 pm

People often negatively confuse Andy with Fedal and even Novak with regards to his seniority in the game. To the point that he is lumped in with their inevitable decline (taking all the negatives without the positives) but he really is the baby of the top 4. He’s a late bloomer too, as they all will be going on and I believe that, f*** yes, the best is yet to come!
I think Murray is ready for a final win against Fedal, I would prefer Fed myself as I dont think it would be 50/50. Unless of course Roger had just gotten through Rafa then I would concur :)

June 29th, 2014 at 5:53 pm

` i wonder sometimes if rafa has purchased a bit of space in andy’s head? maybe not. he did get a set off rafa in 2011. he could make it closer this year. but sometimes i would like to see him take it to rafa more…`

BINGO!
But the Nadal in his head is caused by Andy respecting Nadal too much, Rafa is the greater champion without doubt, but in my view Andy is the greater talent.
His main problemn is in the past he tried to defeat Rafa by playing him at his own game, and sometimes (rarely) it worked, but youre on to a losing game with this approach longterm.
Novak has led the way in dealing with Nadal. In all the ways we have seen ie taking Rafas time away, totally living with him at the baseline attacking the FH and getting him out of position more often than not.
In short Making Rafa uncomfortable.
Inthe slams Novak has been off the boil for a little while now, but the lessons are still as relevant as ever.
In the Rome semi Andy stated he wanted to try some new tactics (read Novak tactics)with convincing results. And if anyone other than Djokovic can execute them well, it is Andy.
Otherwise he will play well again, and lose.

June 29th, 2014 at 6:04 pm

i agree that his chances would be better versus fed than nadal.

he is the baby insofar as he’s played less pro-level tennis matches (about 100 less than nole) and turned pro 2 years later, that’s true; although he’s in the same age ballpark as nole and rafa.

June 29th, 2014 at 6:09 pm

agree about respecting rafa too much, or not sure if respecting is the right word. but having a little too much awe for him. seeing nadal as “above” him on a pedestal, instead of as a rival to beat. andy doesn’t seem to have the same problem with fed or nole, so i am not sure why he has it with nadal? maybe it’s the bromance angle? ;)

June 29th, 2014 at 6:11 pm

I think Tennis age is what matters more myself.
To a point, Agassi had a lesser tennis age than Sampras due to injury as does Haas.
Hence the longer careers.
I think Novak and Andy have quite a few years to go at the top. But Rafa definitely projects a sense of…`urgency`, shall we say, to get to Rogers slam count sooner rather than later.
You can feel it and its all going on between the lines.
I doubt he believes that he will have the same timeline as Novak and Andy.

June 29th, 2014 at 6:24 pm

`maybe it’s the bromance angle? ;)

hehe I’ll give you one guess on who initiated that one.
This Nadal fellow really is very cunning & relentless in seeking ways to win.
Come the hour cometh the man however and Andy really needs to come of age (like Novak did) between the ears, and drop the schoolboy friendships completely.
I think Ive seen enough from him to say that it is something he is capable of doing at least.
When all said and done he is a hardcore winner and that should trump everything regardless of how nice he is off the court.

June 29th, 2014 at 6:32 pm

true about rafa; he won his first slam as a teen so he does have a lot of milage on him. he has over 100 matches more than nole and over 200 matches more than murray.

and yes, nadal had a bromance with nole until nole started winning in 2011. ;) i think he has worked some charms on fed too, lol. maybe they should make a tennis-themed bromance movie?

June 29th, 2014 at 6:39 pm

Yes, you could call it `Bromance with benefits`.

For Rafa that is.

June 29th, 2014 at 6:50 pm

Yawn. As usual the Cult gang over dramatizes Tennis. Players have to deal with adversaties. Different surfaces, weather, schedules, etc. Nothing new.
Look! The sky is falling!

June 29th, 2014 at 7:08 pm

Nadal has at most three more serious shots at a Slam IMO … and that includes this years wimby, the us open, and next years french open IMO. I figure that by same time next year his age based on his style of play will have already seriously diminished his chances.

Murray and Nole have another year where they can compete on a high level, and at the same time the new guns on the block sill be starting to arrive.

The top ten will look greatly different by the end of next year. I don’t expect Nadal to stick around very long after his tennis declines … Fed may stick it out one or two more years with a plan to close things out at the Olympics in 2016.

I expect the top ten will include the following by Dec 2015:

Djokovic
Murray
Wawrinka
Raonic
Federer
Nadal
Dimitrov
Nishikori
Gulbis
Dogopolov

… and not necessarily in this order

June 29th, 2014 at 8:21 pm

I have my men’s and women’s predictions up for tomorrow at http://tennisabides.com – As for who is favored now, I think the top half of the draw is harder therefore Nadal being in the bottom half gets a slight edge over Nole & Murray. Federer would be 4th and probably Dimitrov 5th most likely to take the title. Dimitrov would likely have to beat Murray, Nole and then Rafa/Roger to win the title so that would be tricky, but his form is good and his escapes vs. Lopez & Dolgopolov have to build confidence. Milos would maybe be 6th most likely.

June 29th, 2014 at 8:32 pm

Calmdownplease – “And if Anderson was in Nadal’s half everyone presumably would be going on about how `dangerous he is.”

True, this. You always seem to have an unbiased view. I have never understood why folks assume the big servers are the particular bete noir of Nadal, and seem to get so stoked about their chances of beating him. Rafa has never lost to Isner or Raonic, the two biggest servers out there, and in 2014, he’s actually atop the list of players for serving statistics (according to a chart I saw on the Tennis Channel today). It’s true Rafa seems to voice his fear of big servers more freely than the other top 4, but then again, he always seems more fearful in general than the others. That said, I’m not all that comfortable about his playing Kyrgios. Andy has looked the best to me so far. He’s moving well and just looks more confident than I’ve seen him look in a while.

June 29th, 2014 at 8:32 pm

Anderson has reached 3 straight Slam rounds of 16 and was runner-up at Delray and Acapulco to two good players in close losses. He’s dangerous, but Murray should win. Kyrgios could come of age during a tournament a la Sampras in 1990 at the USO.

June 29th, 2014 at 8:39 pm

The sooner Nadal succumbs to his injuries and retires the better. Sadly men’s tennis is now at the mercies of those who can thrash the ball the hardest, with consistency! Wow, what a spectacle that is! The fact that Federer has more talent in his little finger than Nadal does in his entire being, matters not one jot, the way tennis is today. Take away that awful surface Clay and you could take half, or more of his slams away from him. Having said that, we have what we have. Only a moron would crow on about his route to the final and think he is anything more than the male version of the vile Williams’ sisters!

June 29th, 2014 at 8:39 pm

I can’t see anyone other than Rafa or Novak to win the title at this stage, and based on their form. Need to see what kind of impact does the Novak’s shoulders are in after the fall in his match against Simon. If it’s something critical, then it would be a free ride for Nadal to the title.

Only guy who can stop Nadal would be Novak at his very best. Let’s home no one else spoils the likely exciting finals for the fans.

June 29th, 2014 at 11:54 pm

home=hope

June 29th, 2014 at 11:58 pm

Poll?
1) Nole
2) Murray ( depends how well his second serve holds up against the top 3, otherwise his game is currentlt awesome)
3) Fed
4) Rafa

June 30th, 2014 at 12:06 am

Greg Sharko ‏@SharkoTennis · 10h

Top 5 @Wimbledon Srv Games Leaders left:
@milosraonic 100%
@rogerfederer 100%
@JohnIsner 100%-3R
@feliciano_lopez 97%-3R
@GrigorDimitrov 96%

Top 5 @Wimbledon Ret Games Leaders left:
@andy_murray 54%
@rogerfederer 39%
@DjokerNole 33%
@RafaelNadal 29%
@jimchardy 27%
@TRobredo 27%

June 30th, 2014 at 12:36 am

skeezer: ‘Players have to deal with adversaties. Different surfaces, weather, schedules, etc. Nothing new.
Look! The sky is falling!’

haha. imagine federer playing 3 five set matches on consecutive days, the third match being nadal/murray/djoker.

the sky is definitely falling then.
your false indifference and dismissal is quite absurd considering federer has never faced any significant scheduling difficulties because he’s always looked after and typically on centre court.

according to the laws of biology, without adequate recovery, players … don’t play well. it’s a fact that in a rainy tournament with only centre court covered, the outer players can be absolutely screwed.

if you care about a merit based tournament where you limit unfair advantage, you care about garbage scheduling.

but false ‘manly’ stoicism is also awesome.

June 30th, 2014 at 1:16 am

It is an open Wimbledon for the top three. I think Novak has the slight edge provided he is injury free. He has had the toughest draw to navigate and so far he is upto the task and was looking imperious against Simon. His biggest challenge could be facing Andy in the Semis and that battle could in a way decide the winner of this prestigious tournament. All said and done, I think Novak has the best chance against Rafa than Andy or Roger who have struggled against him on all courts.

June 30th, 2014 at 1:31 am

It looks like Kei is having tough match from the scoreboard. Hope he will get trough.

June 30th, 2014 at 4:23 am

Sorry, I meant, just saw it from scoreboard.

June 30th, 2014 at 4:37 am

The original bromance comes to a complete & withering halt;

http://www.tennisworldusa.org/Rafael-Nadal-responds-to-Roger-Federer-I-am-tired-of-always-hearing-the-same-things-articolo18838.html

June 30th, 2014 at 8:24 am

^ that site is not the most reputable. There’s a so-called journalist on that site who hates Nadal and comes up with, let’s say, creative translations. I looked at the ASAP transcripts and this wasn’t anywhere to be found. Was it an interview outside of the tournament?

June 30th, 2014 at 9:08 am

Ah, all of the `reports` of this seem to be on blogs rather than newspapers.
The Fed side of this was on TV however.

June 30th, 2014 at 9:18 am

Congratulations to Feliciano Lopez! He passed the Isner test.

June 30th, 2014 at 11:03 am

Andy looking good…..Yes ma’am!

June 30th, 2014 at 11:23 am

The original bromance comes to a complete & withering halt;

http://www.tennisworldusa.org/Rafael-Nadal-responds-to-Roger-Federer-I-am-tired-of-always-hearing-the-same-things-articolo18838.html
—
As a goat and goat owner, I will serve when I am ready. I am not interested in what my underlings have to say. I know I am right and am here to do great things for tennis. No one, how big their ego is, can take this away from me.

#keepyourbull#

June 30th, 2014 at 11:27 am

Nice drop shot from Kevin.
Come on Andy, closed it.

June 30th, 2014 at 11:37 am

Andy’s backhand is also good so far.

June 30th, 2014 at 11:39 am

Just a reminder to the Englishmen admiring a Scotsman..

When you proceed unchallenged, you have nothing to offer when a challenge is presented. Beating up midgets has consequences especially when Mr. Lady Forehand’s forehand folds up nicely like a lawn chair in tight situations.

June 30th, 2014 at 11:40 am

One set for Andy. Sweet!

June 30th, 2014 at 11:42 am

Humble. Rafa. Lol. Lol.

June 30th, 2014 at 11:43 am

Rafa in 2nd week of Wimbledon for the first time in 3 years. The prodigal son has returned!

June 30th, 2014 at 12:14 pm

Nice work by Bouchard…..1/4 final against Sharapova possibly?

June 30th, 2014 at 12:22 pm

The prodigal son has returned!
—
Humble is line fine wine. When I enter the 2nd week, whether it is at Wimbledon or US open or in the bed room (second round in this case), watch out. Great things are about to happen.

June 30th, 2014 at 12:50 pm

Interesting that he clearly knows he is violating the rule and even mention Djokovic in his statement. Very classy!

I think now is time for Djoko’s response: “don’t bring me in your dirty laundry Fedal” kkkk

June 30th, 2014 at 12:55 pm

they really should’ve played matches yesterday. how badly is it raining? if it doesn’t let up, players on this side of the draw are going to have to play back-to-back as well, which is how it’s looking given that it’s 6:00 already.

it would be a shame to see matches won or lost based on these types of circumstances.

June 30th, 2014 at 1:04 pm

Andy is moving & hitting the ball very well

What’s a `Lady Forehand`?

June 30th, 2014 at 1:18 pm

Congrats to Andy and his fans. Kevin was one tough out that last set. If Kevin won that set, we very well could be looking at a 5 setter. Well done closing that one out!

June 30th, 2014 at 2:01 pm

Well, at least seems all matches of top draw will be over today, Dimitrov needs this second set to open 2-0 and Djoko match will start soon. No rain expected for the remaining week until Saturday, with 70% but but can change.

June 30th, 2014 at 2:05 pm

Good stuff.
At least Andy deals with the scary big hitters (ooooooooo!)in straights, unlike some hehehe.
He won’t be anybodys beyotch this time.
Kevin became pretty impressive towards the end.
So tired of the British Bollox Corporation and their channel switching ways.
Keep the match on the same channel dearies!

June 30th, 2014 at 2:05 pm

Why do we keep mentioning the fact Andy took a set off Rafa in 2011?

How about another fact: of the big three of Fed, Rafa and Nole, Rafa was the first whom Andy beat in a slam.

June 30th, 2014 at 2:23 pm

C

June 30th, 2014 at 2:36 pm

?
Anyway I was saying

Connors and Castle make such sensational commentary.
Yes Im typing sarcastically.

June 30th, 2014 at 2:38 pm

At the start of the match, JMac commented how Tsonga had looked in Paris like he didn’t want to be there. That’s how he looked today. From before the match sitting at his bench to the first points and ever after, Tsonga looked like he was in the waiting room for a root canal.
This is so UN-Tsonga! He always had an exciting on-court persona, and looked like he loved being there.
Whats up with him? Is he hurt? Personal issues? Or is his time just over?

June 30th, 2014 at 4:19 pm

i don’t know about how he “looked”, tennisvagabond, but in terms of how he played, i watched both the paris match and this one, and tsonga played WAY BETTER here. in paris, he was slow, hit way more errors than winners, and just didn’t play that well. however, today, he hit 19 aces, 37 winners (to only 12 errors), he got in 66% first serves for the match, and won 60% of second serves too. so he played well. maybe he didn’t want to be there because nole’s a bad match up for him? they’ve played close matches but more often than not in recent years tsonga just hasn’t been able to win them.

i wonder though; is he still coachless? and if so, that could hurt him i should think.

June 30th, 2014 at 4:24 pm

I don’t think the Wimby crowd like joker too much.

June 30th, 2014 at 4:24 pm

Can’t see Murray or Djoko losing there next match. Cilic can still a set and so is Dimi if forcing a tiebreak, but can’t see the semis Murray x Djoko from happening.

As for tomorrow, Only curious of Raonic x Nishi, if Raonic can still win with no sets lost. Nadal and Fed will breeze and I think Wawa win is 4 as well, LOpez can win a set (tiebreak, depending).

So the only one in way of a top 4 block buster semis to me, and a big if, I think is Raonic. I believe he has a decent shot against Nadal here and depending on how he beats Nishi. Can’t see Wawa beating Fed on grass either.
As for a future Fedal semis, Nadal would came from a no rhythm match versus Raonic, so this can work a bit in Fed’s favor. And as always first set is crucial for Roger. He need sot win it to have any sort of shot. And this could very well e another classic.

As much as Nadal is in Fed’s mind he would still be building confidence on grass and may have some doubts as Roger if reaching semis would be hitting peal form as well.

Can’t see Murray winning as I don’t believe he will beta either Fed or Nadal in the final. Maybe I am wrong and they can play a long match because last 2 big titles he had on grass he was helped by DelPo, both in Olympics exhausting Fed and last year against Djoko.

Nothing would be better for Murray than beat Djoko and Fed/Nadal back to back.

June 30th, 2014 at 4:34 pm

^ i think it’s still just delpo and nole who have beaten fed and nadal back-to-back at a slam, right? that may change in the future.

colin, i am not sure if your question about “Andy [taking] a set off Rafa in 2011” is directed at me, but i think it comes up because it was on grass at wimbledon; they’ve played 3 times at wimbledon and in 2011 andy came the closest. he does have 2 slam wins over rafa, but both were on hard courts and both had some drama: the us open win in 2008 was played over 2 days in bad weather, which unfortunately meant andy was gassed for the final (i believe he had played 3 days in a row), and in the australian open win, rafa retired before the end of the 3rd set, but andy was winning anyhow, and would’ve won the match straight up so it’s too bad rafa had to retire.

anyhow, i guess when a future match between them is considered – and i could see that being the final – then their past slam matches are worth considering.

that said, andy’s obviously come into his own since 2011, so it’d be very interesting to see what would transpire between them should that final come to pass.

June 30th, 2014 at 4:39 pm

One of Djoko or Murray will lose many points and one of Fed or Nadal will win many points the way the semis is set.

The gap between Nadal and Djoko can narrow with a Djoko win, Murray going further down. Nadal can have a bigger lead and Fed can also set himself as #3. I know the ranking matters the least now with what is in stake for top4 (Redemption Slam for Djoko, GOAThood for Nadal and Fed and defending for Murray winning a title after surgery). This tourney is big, way BIG.

I want the Nadal x Fed semis, 6 years ago was when everything started changing for Nadal with Wimby 08′ victory, maybe Fed can turn the tide in style now, or not

June 30th, 2014 at 4:56 pm

`Can’t see Murray winning as I don’t believe he will beta either Fed or Nadal in the final.`

You can’t see him beating Fed?
hohoho.
Then you don’t have much of an imagination.
As for Novak being tired before, for the record Andy had been on court for over 2 hours longer than Novak had by the time they both got to the final including his own 5 setter in the quarters.
Be prepared you naysaying nonces
If Andy makes it to the final he has gotten through Djokovic fair and square and will be a revelation.

June 30th, 2014 at 5:07 pm

i just realized that win meant nole’s grand slam quarterfinal streak is still alive at 21 straight, not missing any. nice.

June 30th, 2014 at 5:07 pm

“because last 2 big titles he had on grass he was helped by DelPo, both in Olympics exhausting Fed and last year against Djoko”

Ah, this old canard again. Answer me this: if Nole was exhausted by the 5 setter with Delpo why wasn’t he also exhausted against Nadal in the AO 2012 final (the longest ever) following his nearly 5 hour SF vs Murray? He had exactly the same rest period. Everyone who makes this argument conveniently forgets his feat in 2012.

As for Federer, at RG in 2009 he battled Del Potro for nearly 4 hours in the SF and managed beat Soderling in straight sets. I don’t buy it.

As Jane mentioned above, Andy was compromised by a SF played over 3 days at the 2008 USO while Roger rested – yet I don’t see Murray fans unearthing that excuse endlessly.

June 30th, 2014 at 5:18 pm

Fed had the day off after his 4hour + plus match at the olympics.
Regardless, there was no way in HELL that he or anyone else was getting near the gold in London.
Sorry :(

June 30th, 2014 at 5:36 pm

Roanic, as much as I like him, has not proven to be a gazelle like you need to be on grass. Sure his footwork has improved, but being a big guy, there is only so much you can do. I don’t see him challenging Rafa ( if he gets there )unless his service game completely takes control of the match(which you CAN do on grass).. Kei, on the other hand, if fully fit and healthy, has the tools to give Rafa trouble.

I don’t know what others are watching but Murray and Dkoker imho are looking fine so far all things considered.

June 30th, 2014 at 5:36 pm

AND
Andy won the silver in doubles too
so suck on that!

June 30th, 2014 at 5:40 pm

Raonic can not be a gazelle…he is from canada.More like a raindeer, I would think…

June 30th, 2014 at 5:50 pm

@cdp 5:36
Apparently Fed needed more than a …..day off, lol. But don’t think it would have mattered…..too much destiny going on.
Murray …Wimby…London…Brit…Olympics….. :)

June 30th, 2014 at 5:51 pm

courban,
lol saaweet timing ;)

June 30th, 2014 at 5:53 pm

courbon..egad sorry

June 30th, 2014 at 5:53 pm

reindeer? where do you think canada is courbon? the north pole. ha ha. ;)

skeezer, agreed re: raonic’s movement. i think cilic has the best movement of the tall-tall guys. he’s making me nervous for nole; marin hit 33 aces today, gulp. this will be the third time they’ve met this year too.

speaking of serving, does anyone understand frankie’s stat post from yesterday? i don’t get what those percentages mean.

June 30th, 2014 at 5:55 pm

@skeezer 5.51pm

Preach it dude.

June 30th, 2014 at 6:00 pm

After tonight’s performance I dont see how anyone could be nervous for `nole`.
At least, not until the semis that is ;)

June 30th, 2014 at 6:01 pm

@ skeezer:Raonic, Dimitrov, Nikishori-so far these three are leading a pack of young wolves.Maybe this year is still too early but I think next year some of this guys are gonna have a big break through.
I was thinking today, imagine this scenario-after beating Robredo Fed beats next three oponents and wins Wimby
1.Wawrinka-so his show how is number 1 Swiss
2;Nadal-can any words describe, what that would mean to him?
3.Novak -I think he likes most to defeat Novak.Revenge for all those US Opens ( beating andy would give him less pleasure )
Imagine that? I’m sure that would be Feds favorite tournament he ever won.

June 30th, 2014 at 6:06 pm

Apologise to all Canadians on this blog…(-:

June 30th, 2014 at 6:08 pm

cdp, i am never rational about these things. :) but yes, obviously the semis against andy; nole would be the underdog in that match. indeed, i’d say andy is the favourite from this side to make the finals, but on the other side, it’s a toss up between fed and rafa based on what i’ve seen so far. i am inclined to think the bull will bulldoze his way through though.

June 30th, 2014 at 6:13 pm

`:Raonic, Dimitrov, Nikishori-so far these three are leading a pack of young wolves.Maybe this year is still too early but I think next year some of this guys are gonna have a big break through..`

Yes but winning in the masters level first.
(Nishi should have one already).
But not in the slams.
Not yet.

June 30th, 2014 at 6:16 pm

I would love to see a new face against an old face in the finals. Then hopefully, it’s the old face that emerges victorious. Preferably, the oldest face. :-)

June 30th, 2014 at 6:22 pm

In think Kyrgios will win Wimbledon.I know sounds silly but I have a good logic behind this prediction;
First
Nadal- we know that Nadal can lose to anybody at Wimby, so that’s is kind of predictable
Raonic-he will get so confident ( having a relief that is not Rafa opposite ) that he would simply lose with tones of errors
Federer-Being slightly arrogant he would take boy as a joke and get shock of his life!
AND NOVAK IN THE FINAL:Novak will be so perplexed that he does not see Rafa, Andy or Roger on the other side of the net, that he will confused, lose the plot and screw it up!
And that’s how young Australian will win Wimbledon!

June 30th, 2014 at 6:24 pm

@ CDP: Absolutely right.Maybe this year somebody will get first master…China or Paris when Big boys will be tired.

June 30th, 2014 at 6:26 pm

`nole would be the underdog in that match`

If they meet it will be harder/longer this year for both of them. I’m not underestimating Novak, but i will still give Andy the edge on this surface.
But on the day…

June 30th, 2014 at 6:27 pm

Courbon, I don’t think I agree about Fed’s motivation against Andy. The Scot gets under his skin, and Roger often shows signs of irritation when they play. Take a look on YouTube at the Cinci match where Andy scored his first win over Fed. It’s an untidy, error-strewn display by both of them, but Andy manages to win, and at one point a frustrated Fed swats a ball into the crowd.

Then there’s that Olympic title – one of the few achievements that have escaped Roger. Though people insist the medal doesn’t count for much, I bet Roger doesn’t think so.

June 30th, 2014 at 8:59 pm

i actually didn’t know this about wimbledon:

“While the French and U.S. Opens are played over 15 days, the Australian Open lasts for 14 and Wimbledon is the only major where the action is spread over 13 days.”

it makes even more sense, then, that play continues on the middle sunday.

June 30th, 2014 at 9:13 pm

CDP and The DA. You sound like just because in a few ocasions they were able to recover in the past they will always do.

For example Nadal recovered from many tight and long matches before but the madrid 09′ semi final took something out of him for the final against Fed.

And for Fed in 2009 he was 3 years younger than Olympics so age is a simple answer to your questions. If you think he would have played Murray the same had he not played that long match seems you don’t want to see much. Physical long matches take a mental exhaustion as well. Sometimes they recover better.

You can protect Murray all you want but the se eral peiple feel this way: he got “lucky” in his Slams wins, as it was about time for him, due to other unlucky events he had in the past. But loking the way Nadal demolisned him in Rg semis and the fact that he never beat Nadal on grass in 3 straight years always losing the match more on his head than on racquet is concerning. He got his Slams not facing Fedal with a Djoko a little spent last year and wind in US 2012. Merits to him because he handle the conditions better than Djokovic. To me is just that he doesn’t inspire trust. After Fed he is the one who oozes talent but mentally folds when facinf tuff competition.

Will see, I hope I am wrong and he delivers this time because most likelly all top 4 will be in the semis. And he will have to beat 2 of them to win something he is yet to do and all the other 3 have done before.

June 30th, 2014 at 9:52 pm

^^^^^^^^^^blah blah blah blah blah

Oh, so being gassed only counts for his opponents then, not for him?
Anyway if he beats Novak or fedal this time you will still have some kind of extenuating reason prepared.
Im not even going to try and argue with you, it’s not worth it.
Just, carry on thinking what you want :)

July 1st, 2014 at 1:31 am

“the madrid 09′ semi final took something out of him for the final against Fed.”

Yes, because the SF and Final are played on consecutive days. There is a day of rest at the Slams.

“se eral peiple feel this way: he got “lucky” in his Slams wins”

Yes I’m well aware. Let’s see, they have variously cited “exhausted opponents”, “Rafa missing (but never regarding Fed’s 2009 RG win or 2008 USO win), hell even mother nature is on Andy’s side by helping him with “windy conditions”. The fact remains, he put himself in a position to win a slam 7 times. That’s no fluke yet ‘these people’ would have us believe that he’s one of the luckiest players in history.

When all is said and done, the record books will state pure facts – nobody will remember these excuses or implied asterisks.

July 1st, 2014 at 1:55 am

The rankings of Novak Djokovic’s opponents in his first 2 slams; 38 & 5
The rankings of Rafael Nadal’s opponents in his first 2 slams; 195 & 1
The rankings of Roger Federer’s opponents in his first 2 slams; 17 & 86

The ranking of Andy’s first 2;

2 & 1

Oh yeah, Murray get’s all the luck in the world! haha.

July 1st, 2014 at 3:11 am

^^slam final opponents naturally :)

July 1st, 2014 at 3:27 am

well, naturally i agree with you that andy faced a mighty fine slam finalist for his two slams. ;) and i agree with the da, too, that the fact that andy’s been in so many slam finals is testament to his quality. however, i have to pipe up re: nole’s slam wins. for his first one in 2008, he did beat federer in the semis, and in his second slam at AO 2011 he beat federer in the semis and andy in the finals, one of 3 times he beat 2 of the so-called “big four” on his way to a slam title (ranking # aside). the other 2 were AO 2012 (andy/rafa) and USO 2011 (fedal). so nole’s had to fight hard for his slam titles too in my view.

July 1st, 2014 at 3:38 am

@Jane – I agree that Nole has had to fight hard for his wins, but he was fortunate in the first – just as Federer & Nadal were in theirs. BTW, when did we start measuring the validity (or luck) of a slam win based on whether the winner beat 2 of the top 4? Does anyone remember which 2 opponents Hewitt, Safin or Agassi had to beat consecutively to win theirs? It’s dubious.

July 1st, 2014 at 8:29 am

DA asks “when did we start measuring the validity (or luck) of a slam win…?”

Luck has always been invoked since the beginning of time when somebody you like loses or somebody you don’t like wins. In psychology, it’s called “denial”.

July 1st, 2014 at 8:51 am

True Polo, very true.
And all of the above is noted Jane,
But honestly, if we were to look more closely at say the first 15 slam wins of Fedal (esp Fed 2003-2007)one could have a field day dissecting them concerning their `luck`.
So let’s not bother going down that road.
Also beating the world number one (or 2 but one that has won many slams) in a final is not the same as beating one in a semi, there is simply more pressure, so much more at stake.
People underestimate Andy’s achievements in the most classless & churlish manner, but to win in the circumstances that he did in Wimbledon, with the unique pressure he experienced, is a singular achievement as far as i’m concerned.
And it bodes well for the future.
#77years

July 1st, 2014 at 9:59 am

Guys I am not saying Murray is lucky, I am saying he is mental fragile which showed in his Slams records before winning and will most likely show it again. I want to see him have a comprehensive Slams win, as he should with the amount of talented he has. I am not against him, I just have low expectations due to his history. I had this with Djoko but he prove his worthy, with Murray, one never feels to safe.

July 1st, 2014 at 1:56 pm

get lost vulture!

July 2nd, 2014 at 10:52 am