ATP Finals Groups: Federer Lands With Murray And Raonic, Djokovic Sitting Pretty

Props Sean for the rafa reference sure do miss him. :-(

November 3rd, 2014 at 11:35 am

Early thoughts: I agree advantage Novak. He needs 3 wins to seal the deal for year end plus AO top seed and he’s got just the group for it: they all suit him well. Fed’s got the tougher draw since Milos just beat him and Andy, Kei got the game to do the same. Early picks? Novak and Marin from group A. Still need to marinate my thoughts for group B as that will be a dogfight I feel. Muzza v Nole looks a good.final pick though.

November 3rd, 2014 at 11:41 am

PS: whilst Novak is the correct pick I have a hunch that in a season full of surprise and different major winners I have a feeling we could also see a surprising wtf winner……. Muzza or Kei could strike me thinks.

November 3rd, 2014 at 11:46 am

OMG I certainly don’t have that confidence in Andy! And couldn’t bear him to lose to Nole yet again. Would rather he didn’t get to the final tbh :(

November 3rd, 2014 at 11:46 am

@Margot: come on have some faith! If he loses again to Novak it’s a plus since it means he’s at least reached the SF stage and considering where the 2 are gamewise hardly anyone will knock him if he were to lose.

November 3rd, 2014 at 11:55 am

Djoker definitely looks good for ending atop of his group. Will be interesting to see who else joins him in the semis.

Group B is harder to pick. I’m hoping Federer and Murray, though Nishikori could certainly go through. I don’t think Raonic would advance but then again I didn’t expect him to get to the Paris final either.

November 3rd, 2014 at 11:56 am

so 3 of the 4 grand slam champions from this year are on one side. only rafa is missing.

i am not complaining. am happy to see andy/nole split up for the first time in 5 events. but i really don’t know that kei is necessarily tougher than stan or that marin is easier than milos. marin just won the us open.

it’ll all come down to day form. and best of 3 is always tough to predict.

would love to see andy / nole in the final though.

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:14 pm

Jane you would love to see Andy/Nole in the final,with your favorite thrashing your second favorite,which has been the trend since that Wimbledon final in 2013,id much rather not see that final then,i think id rather see someone other than Andy get there….

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:23 pm

Brando Goat Poster sorry i dont have much faith either….

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:25 pm

I really dont know how much of a factor Andy will be with all the tennis hes played lately,hes fortunate theres a day rest between each match….

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:29 pm

hippy please don’t put words in my mouth; i don’t appreciate it. thanks!

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:31 pm

@brando GOAT Poster
Lol. I’m going to have to start calling you “Pollyanna.”
Hope Raf’s op went OK btw.

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:34 pm

IMO Novak and possibly Stan will top one group,and i believe Berdych might get whitewashed,i think Murray and Federer will top the other,the final will be between Federer and Novak,with Novak winning in possibly 3 tight sets,my two cents….

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:37 pm

Jane wasnt just saying you will most likely favour Novak in the final,sorry but it aint my idea of a dream final,not with the way Andys been playing of late,oh never mind….

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:41 pm

@Margot: lol. I just feel Andy has nothing much to lose really. I was one of those who thought his year was poor but then I saw a rafa interview saying muzza has done great considering his issue Nd will be a force in 2015 so I deferred to his view. He’s done excellent and a match v nole would help him: face him with a game plan, forget the result, see what works and does not and then build on it in the off season. I am certain he”ll be a slam force in 2015- rafa thinks so- and I think the best thing for him right now would be to get a good gauge of how to deal with Novak as he would be obstacle to his slam goals naturally. This WTF is a fantastic opportunity for Muzza with little to lose but a lot to possibly gain and at least learn. Re rafa: thanks and I share the same sentiment and hope it goes well for him.

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:46 pm

BGP Thats good analysis,hope he is a slam force in 2015,and Rafa too lol….

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:49 pm

Margot who/what is Pollyanna?….

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:55 pm

HC – here you go:

The Pollyanna principle (also called Pollyannaism or positivity bias) is the tendency for people to remember pleasant items more accurately than unpleasant ones.[1] Research indicates that, at the subconscious level, the mind has a tendency to focus on the optimistic while, at the conscious level, it has a tendency to focus on the negative. This subconscious bias towards the positive is often described as the Pollyanna principle.

November 3rd, 2014 at 1:27 pm

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Pollyanna

Here you go Hippy.

November 3rd, 2014 at 1:27 pm

Lol Giles snap!
Telepathy, exact words. Weird. Derren Brown….lol

November 3rd, 2014 at 1:28 pm

Exact time too. EEEEEEK!

November 3rd, 2014 at 1:29 pm

Gordon/Margot thanks :))….

November 3rd, 2014 at 1:29 pm

@Margot. You’ve lost me. ???

November 3rd, 2014 at 1:38 pm

“not with the way Andys been playing of late” hippy, just to add more pollyanna input, what’s wrong with the way andy’s been playing of late? he’s won 3 titles in the past 6 weeks and played straight traveling through asia, vienna, spain and then paris. he has gained both form and confidence, and, for example, took dimitrov apart in paris. and even then, perhaps having fatigue all things considered, he played nole very tough in the first set in paris and at the start of the second he had a break. i think brando is right that were andy to reach the final, be it against nole or someone else, he’d have nothing to lose and could play freely. he’d have a lot of crowd support too. so no need to be too pessimistic. :)

November 3rd, 2014 at 1:43 pm

Jane im not pessimistic im realistic,however we will see….

November 3rd, 2014 at 1:46 pm

Shoulve actually said not with the way Andys been playing against Novak….

November 3rd, 2014 at 1:49 pm

Sorry Giles. Should’ve addressed my EEEKS to Gordon not you! Was skim reading and saw “G” and didn’t read the rest of the name.
@Gordon
EEEK again. Lol

November 3rd, 2014 at 2:10 pm

With Stan and Marin doing nothing of note recently, the groupings are not balanced at all. Rafa’s absence does not help matters. Andy, Milos, Roger and Kei have all been in very good form recently. This is really a group of death based on current form. Everyone has a realistic danger of being eliminated at the RR stage itself from this group. Novak seems the only player out of the eight qualifiers who one can safely predict to reach the semis. Of course, that is because of his form and ability as well. I guess Tomas will be the other semi finalist. I will take Andy and Kei from the other group. I think Roger’s focus(Stan’s too) is somewhere else. He could end up losing all his matches if he takes it too easy. Andy looks very hungry but he could end up meeting Novak in the semis if he does not top his group. Otherwise, I still think it will be a Nolandy final with Novak winning it especially if the conditions are similar to those in Paris.

November 3rd, 2014 at 2:15 pm

About the crowd support to Andy at O2, I wonder how they will react after Andy’s yes in the referendum. In any case, the crowd here has not exactly been as supportive of Andy as the one at wimby. It is also more of an international mix at O2.

November 3rd, 2014 at 2:22 pm

yeah i’ve heard that the O2 crowd is more international, but was nevertheless thinking that if andy reaches the final he’s sure to have a strong contingent of supporters.

November 3rd, 2014 at 3:35 pm

@rogerafa and Jane – I remember from watching last year how much of the crowd was pro-Federer, regarding of who he was playing. Andy will probably have the second most support.

November 3rd, 2014 at 3:57 pm

Agree with Rogerafa,it will be interesting to see how the crowd react towards Andy after the referendum?….

November 3rd, 2014 at 4:26 pm

I hope Andy’s goal for the year goes beyond qualifying in the year end championship. If he sets his mind on winning this event, he may just do it. At the Paris match against Novak, I think he would have played better if qualifying was still on the line. I think he just wants to be in the group and after that, it’s more like, see what happens, la-di-da.

November 3rd, 2014 at 4:44 pm

Thinking back, there are always surprises at the WTF. I wouldn’t count anyone out as many players want to raise their games, considering all their hard work just to get into the tournament. I agree with the predicted Nole victory, especially after Paris, but I’m not underestimating anyone. Stan was the surprise stand out last year and when he’s on, he can beat anyone. I admit he has certainly not been playing even close to his best, but who knows which Stan will show up at the O2. The x factor is that this year the Davis Cup will be in the back of his mind, along with Federer’s, but I’m excited to see the best players in the world play each other. I really think it is so hard to predict who will make it out of the groups (other than Nole and maybe Andy).

Good thoughts for Rafa after his surgery.

November 3rd, 2014 at 5:19 pm

I mostly agree with jane. I watched the first set of the Andy-Novak match and it was a close affair. The difference was made by the serve — Novak simply had a better day, here, while Andy served below his avg.

But Murray was in the right frame of mind: patient, but aggressive in attack, aggressive on the return. I believe that now, he just needs a good win to unleash his game completely.

I don’t think that Roger’s group is the more difficult. Let’s look at Cilic: since August, he lost only Wawrinka, Federer, Murray, and he won the USO, beating Fed and Berdych. Wawrinka doesn’t seem to be in good form, on the other side, but it can change very rapidly with him, and his qualities are known. Berdych… yes, here, Sean is right — Berdych is Berdych, one of the kings of autodestruction in tense situations (number 2 behind Ferrer, perhaps?).

In the other group — Nishikori can be very dangerous, I certainly agree, and I believe that this surface suits him very well. Raonic, well, can be dangerous on any surface. But in his group he will face two outstanding returners, and if his last match against Novak has shown anything, it’s that he still lacks consistency when under pressure.

I don’t see a player winning all the matches in his group, although it is quite possible. But I wouldn’t be surprised if all the encounters were close affairs.

November 3rd, 2014 at 5:31 pm

Nole has to forget about #1 and just to play to win tournament. First match will be very important, win gives you option of even losing one of the next two and still going into SF, if you lose first match the pressure comes that you must win next two to go through to SF.
Federer will beat Raonic, lightning does not strike twice. If Cilic has a good serving day it will be an even match and toss of the coin.

November 3rd, 2014 at 7:32 pm

agree wog boy. good analysis mat4. glad you agree with me “mostly.” ;)

rz, yes i heard a lot of swiss make the journey and roger has a huge amount of support here; plus i’d imagine his many wimbledon successes contribute to that.

November 3rd, 2014 at 8:27 pm

^ meant to say there, in london.

November 3rd, 2014 at 8:29 pm

@jane: Come on… so how do you say in English that you agree with someone, without telling that you agree with someone?

Especially since we are Nolfans and somebody could remark — without malice — that we could honestly be happy the way Andy plays those days?

“Mostly” seems… mostly appropriate.

November 3rd, 2014 at 9:34 pm

Mat4: tacit agreement is the closest I can come up with.

November 3rd, 2014 at 9:45 pm

@Polo:

Thanks. ;-) Glad you’re here, btw.

But, should I remain tacit next time?

Just kidding…

November 3rd, 2014 at 9:59 pm

In my view both the groups look evenly balanced while Group B atleast on paper and perception looks slighty tougher relatively but not much. From A side, it would be Novak and Wawarinka who would be the favourites to qualify while in Group B, Roger and Andy should easily go through to the knock out stages. However, I think Roger would be a tough nut to crack at the World Tour Finals and he will be a totally different player from we have seen in Paris Masters. The conditions of the court are similar to Shanghai and Basel which would give enough room for Roger to manoevure with his strong net play quickening points. As of now, I would rank Novak and Roger as joint favourties to win this one.

November 4th, 2014 at 12:39 am

mat4, tacit, almost, 100%, 87% – it’s all good. no worries!

November 4th, 2014 at 1:10 am

Im not been pessimistic just realistic,since Andy last beat Novak at Wimbledon in 2013,he aint even managed to win a set,its getting like the Serena/Maria rivalry,if you can call that one,ive said it before in that i believe he needs to dump AM,and also stop been so damn friendly with his rivals,and stop muttering so much,the titles and the run he has been on have been great,but lets face it Novak was missing from all of those finals,not gonna happen at the WTFs,ive said it before in that the 3 fan groups have little annymosity towards Andy as they dont regard him as a threat,when he won Wimbledon only one or two fans actually changed their tunes,one poster did indeed make Margots life a misery on this forum,and although i didnt like or condone it,at least it meant Murray was becoming a threat….

November 4th, 2014 at 3:10 am

Group B is much more interesting. All the guys can qualify to semis so they have to focus on all matches. I want to see Roger taking a revenge on Milos:)

November 4th, 2014 at 6:17 am

I think i should change my monikor to Calmdownplease Hippy Chick,way too much ranting,my apologies sorry….

November 4th, 2014 at 6:49 am

I stand by my post @12.37pm yesterday,i think Novak and Stan will top 1 group in that order,and Andy and Roger will top the other,although i dont know in what order,and i think the final will be between Novak and Roger,with Novak winning in possibly 3 tight sets,although it will be interesting to see how focused Stan and Roger are with the impending DC final looming?….

November 4th, 2014 at 7:02 am

Wawrinka will win the WTF, closing a dream year in style (first slam, first master 1000, first WTF), and in two weeks, first Davis Cup.

November 4th, 2014 at 7:12 am

If Djokovic ends as world number 1, he will hugely close the gap in career achievements with respect to Nadal. Considering the 1 year age difference between the two, lets compare Nadal stats trough 2013 and nole trough 2014:
Nadal: 13 Slams; 115 weeks as world number 1; 3 year end World number 1; 60 titles; 26 Master 1000; Davis cup champion (4 times); zero WTF; Olympic gold (singles); 658 match wins.
Djokovic: 7 Slams; 119 weeks as world number 1; 3 year end World number 1; 47 titles; 20 Master 1000; Davis cup champion (1 time); 3 WTF; Zero olympic medals; 600 match wins.

November 4th, 2014 at 8:06 am

As a fan im quite happy with Nadals achievements,its likely Novak will better Rafa with weeks at number 1,but in other areas Rafas still way ahead….

November 4th, 2014 at 8:20 am

^^Even if Djokovic wins and ends up number one, Nadal remains ahead of Djokovic by a wide margin on the basis of his 14 majors with one complete set. The year end championship title and number one ranking are very good to have in one’s resume but not nearly as valuable as a major title. It’s the same way as the Olympics is to other athletes. No amount of world titles can equal the importance of even just one Olympic gold in an athlete’s career. Incidentally, Nadal has that one, too.

November 4th, 2014 at 8:20 am

Polo please post again,as it seems to have dissapeard thanks….

November 4th, 2014 at 8:30 am

Im not saying the WTFs are not important,as they are as its the top 8 players,however you do have the luxury of been able to lose a match maybe two,and yet still make the final and the player that topped the other group 3/0, yet lost in the final,its the reason i dont care for the RR system,they use it in football for the WCs etc,so its nothing to do with Nadal not winning it,with the GS you dont have that luxury,you lose and your out….

November 4th, 2014 at 8:43 am

@Polo: great post. Re Nole v Rafa musing: I have zero to say as really there is not much to say on that front truthfully. Ultimately: this is Nole’s well earned, deserved and merited moment and the spotlight should 110% be on him. Rafa and Fed have had plenty of that but right now it should shine on Nole as he deserves it. I say forget Rafa and such comparisons since it’s ultimately something that may detract from what Nole deserves at the moment: applause for his performance.

November 4th, 2014 at 9:53 am

Yes losing two matches and/or qualifying for semis using a multi-dimensional partial differential equation based on games won/lost and correct challenges vs overturned is a bit ridiculous. (OK, I’m exaggerating!)

In the women’s recently, Halep could have eliminated Serena by losing a set in her last RR match but Serena qualified because Halep won in two sets. And then Serena walloped her in the final.

There was more confusion in 2009 when Murray beat Del Potro in his last RR and nobody knew immediately that he was acually eliminated because of game differentials.

When nobody can figure out who qualifies and who doesn’t without a spreadsheet solver, you know we have a problem Houston.

BTW, RZ took the words out of my mouth. Regardless of his comments on the referendum, Murray will be second favourite at the O2, just like France will be second favourite at DC.

Everybody loves Roger!

November 4th, 2014 at 10:16 am

Agree with Brando. This is Novak’s year and well deserved at that. Give Novak the credit he is due. The others may have 17 and 14 but still, Novak is the best this year.

November 4th, 2014 at 10:27 am

Did somebody say Wawewo will win the WTF??
Purleeeese! You know nothin’
ROTFL!!

November 4th, 2014 at 10:51 am

@Felipe interesting stuff. Nole’s weeks at #1 over Rafael Nadal? Wow. He is close or not far behind Rafa’s other records also, considering Rafa started @ 17. If Nole can continue to produce #1 like performances the next 2 years or so…..look out.

November 4th, 2014 at 11:06 am

14 vs 7 when they turned pro two years apart is “close or not far behind”??

Interesting for someone that touts 17 vs 14 with a three year difference in turning pro is such a major difference.

So hard to keep up with these objective and increasingly complicated analyses.

mew (giggles!)

November 4th, 2014 at 11:38 am

@elina: lol I know. The thing is: when you turn pro is irrelevant I feel since ultimately it’s the time spent on tour active is what matters since if you are not competing and not on tour then: what difference is the year you turned pro or your age nattering ultimately? Not at all I feel. Here’s a interesting thing: rafa is a year older than Andy and nole but since 2008: he has spent a complete year off the tour when you add up his injury time outs. In fact: he’s let 4 grand slams go by without even hitting a ball, so that extra year factor really us null and void in terms of time spent on tour. In actual fact: IF Novak plays 5 matches in WTF do you know what the dufference between him and Rafa would be in terms of career matches played on the tour?…….ONE mere match! Essentially: nole would have played as many matches as Rafa and post 2008 had more opportunities to win slams than Rafa do to simple fact of being active on tour for a greater span of time. Put simply: when you look at the FACTS this whole Rafa being older and having more time on tour, more opportunities to win by extension is actually a myth since the stats show that you only win by playing matches on court and in that regard the difference between him and nole is close to being: zero.

November 4th, 2014 at 11:56 am

PS: apologies for typo, a byproduct of being on the phone when typing.

November 4th, 2014 at 11:58 am

Brando GT: I think I know what you mean but will you please clarify the last statement in your 11:56 am post for the sake of those who may misconstrue it: “…the difference between him (Nadal) and nole is close to being zero”.

November 4th, 2014 at 12:34 pm

@polo: apologies about that. That refers to matches played. Put simply: you cannot add to your achievements, success without competing. To do that, to win titles you have to be out on court and play matches. ONLY that gives you the opportunity to make history. And when it comes to matches played, in the worst case scenario for nole at WTF – RR exit- he would end up: ONLY 3 mere matches behind rafa interms of career matches played! Add to the fact that since 01.01.2008 Rafa has missed 4 Grand Slams outright, with a further 3 Slams either retired hurt or blatantly compromised (AO 10′,11′,14′) with a few others that not I, you or others here but esteemed commentators have publicly commented that Rafa’s performance was compromised for certain valid reasons then personally I feel: Rafa being a year older or turning pro earlier has not in actual reality led to him having greater opportunities. In fact reality suggests based on the time he’s spent on court competing: he’s had just about the same opportunities, maybe even less. It could just be that: Rafa has been one of the better players in tennis history to make most of his chances. A quick glance at his performance in finals, grand slam play suggests that such statement May not be erroneous.

November 4th, 2014 at 12:49 pm

Yes, everyone knows Rafa has 14 GS titles, Way ahead of Nole. However, there is some value in the other stats. Rafa is not that far ahead ( in fact behind @ weeks @1 ). That is telling imo. Like I said, if Nole continues #1 for the 2 years or so your going to see record stats change significantly, including Slam count. We’ll see…
—
“Interesting for someone that touts 17 vs 14 with a three year difference in turning pro is such a major difference.”

There is.

mew. :)

November 4th, 2014 at 12:51 pm

I think somebody is pre-emptively trying to jump on the joker bandwagon. Guess who? Wonder why? Lol

November 4th, 2014 at 12:54 pm

PS. I think he’s looking for a home when his fave retires.

November 4th, 2014 at 12:56 pm

Ivan Lendl: 90 plus career titles, 270 plus weeks at no.1, 5 year end titles: all superior stats than Rafa. Oh: he’s won 8 grand slams also which presently sees him with one more than nole. Yet: who did the tennis community (current, former players, esteemed writers) and Lendl himself rate higher in the 2012 poll: rafa or Ivan? Rafa! Mmmmmmm, I wonder why that could be………

November 4th, 2014 at 1:00 pm

@Brando GOAT poster 11:56

You said just what my thoughts were on the Rafa/Novak situation. I agree with everything except the last line, as did Polo. Their head to head is way too close for the difference to be “zero” imo.
I was weighing out the injury time outs and Rafa hasn’t been able to play a lot this year. Back, wrist, appendix…..the appendix might not be a tennis related injury but it did interfere with his play this year…..having said that, he never does fair too well at the end of the season anyway. Will he win another slam?? Who knows, but I’ll bet he is in there trying.

November 4th, 2014 at 1:04 pm

@Giles: can we guess who? Lol. I’ll end on the note that: using one player to childishly knock down the standing of another because he’s widely regarded as a threat to your favorites standing is just petty silliness. That said: in this posters opinion both nole and Andy have and will finish with spectacular career achievements that are fantastic. And for nole specifically: virtually all rafa fans have great respect for him and regard him as the toughest player he’s ever faced. Rafael will never say publicly but I wonder who he rates as a player higher privately: Fed or novak? ……

November 4th, 2014 at 1:09 pm

@okiegal: thanks but I have not compared rafa in the direct sense lol. I have too much respect for Novak to do that and especially at time he deserves applauding for a great season I think its not right to compare him to a inactive player that could end up saying he’s inferior in some regard which would be in extremely bad taste. Besides: nole fans have great respect for rafa so that should be reciprocated. Anyhow: rafa regards mole highly and I genuinely doubt he looks at him in a lesser manner. He’s always admired him greatly. The ONLY comparison I have done is : career number matches played which really spun off felipes rafa being a year older note since really him being a year older has not made much of difference in terms of opportunities at all especially post 2007. I’ll end on the note that: both are amazing champions with great careers that deserve due respect. Ditto Andy.

November 4th, 2014 at 1:17 pm

Arrgghh darn auto correct: nole> mole.

November 4th, 2014 at 1:18 pm

Lol…..Lendl’s career is done. That was a blunderous comparisan. Nole is in his prime and atm surging. Like I said, we’ll see.
—
@giles,
Tag team much?

November 4th, 2014 at 2:05 pm

for wog boy and mat4; interview with vajda:
http://www.b92.net/sport/tenis/vesti.php?yyyy=2014&mm=11&dd=04&nav_id=919541

November 4th, 2014 at 2:32 pm

@Brando GP: Apologies to me not needed. I knew what you were referring to when you said the difference between Rafa and Novak is close to zero. It was more for other readers who might take that statement out of context.

November 4th, 2014 at 3:00 pm

jane, thanks very much for the link. I saw only parts of it but not the whole interview like this one. I like what he said and particulary that this year wasn’t as good as it should be. He is more or less spot on about everything he said including his realitionship with BB and his role in the team now. He is 100% right abouth them sitting in the box during the matches. Federer can play infront of his empty box, Nole can’t, Nole absorbs energy from his box and he needs them in his box. Last sentence is also right, saying that they slitely changed Nole’s technic on serve and that his precission is amazing but he can still improve his servis game, and that he has to shorten some points but again, he is not Federer and he has to build his points. Very nice interview indeed. I wish his doughter all the best and I will keep an eye on the WTA player with Vajdišova surname:)

November 4th, 2014 at 5:26 pm

^^wow, tons of spelling mistakes, I am not evrn going to try to correct them all:(

November 4th, 2014 at 5:27 pm

^^I will this one, it is “even’ and not “evrn”

November 4th, 2014 at 5:28 pm

Agree with all posters its Novaks time so lets give him his due and respect his achievements,i know Rafa aint relavant ATM as he aint playing,ive always given Novak credit for his achievements,the only thing i get irritated by is people knocking Nadals when doing so,as for him surpassing Rafa its possible,but only speculation,and only relavent if/when it happens, and anyway ,whos to say Rafa wont win more GS and surpass Federer yet again its all pure speculation??the only thing that matters is Rafa has 14,and Novak 7,pure and simple….

November 4th, 2014 at 5:35 pm

Novaks been on a tear lately,pretty much the same thing happens to Rafa on clay,Novak didnt dominate the slams as nobody did,he didnt win the AO which is his best GS,to add it was 18 months between GS,so i think its reasonale to suggest things are also getting harder for him too,Rafa aint the only one getting older they all are….

November 4th, 2014 at 5:42 pm

jane, I found Vajda’s interview in English, for those who wants to check Vajda’s opinion and thoughts about Nole and his 2014 so far:

http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sdt9n6

November 4th, 2014 at 6:26 pm

Thanks, jane. It was originally an article from L’Équipe. Alter alia, Vajda states that Novak needs to improve the speed of his serve and to learn to finish points earlier. I guess that WB could make a good translation of the last paragraph of this interesting article.

November 4th, 2014 at 7:00 pm

Hi mat4, I am not really good in translation, every time I try I fail, just ask my doughter, but I posted link in english (above your post), perfectly translated.

November 4th, 2014 at 7:09 pm

Ok just for mat4, I translated last paragraph;)

What can be done to fine tune?

“Novak needs to finish certain points faster. We’ll work on it, but it’s a balance that needs to be found. He’s not Federer. He needs to construct his points. We’ve changed his service motion a bit. His accuracy is fantastic, but we still can get a bit more power.”

November 4th, 2014 at 7:13 pm

Sorry, WB: I was left without connection for an hour and I only noticed that you answered about the article in your previous comments. Anyway, the link you posted was good enough.

… but your translation, although quite similar, is even better ;-)

November 4th, 2014 at 7:37 pm

You cant have it both ways. Both Tony and Rafael Nadal beleive that greatness cannot be measured only by Slams, so you must have a complete package. If you trow everything in the mix, as today, Nadal has achieved more than Djokovic, but the gap is closing, and we all know that Djokovic is less prone to injuries than Nadal. Nobody has a crystall ball, but i think that djokovic still have at least 3 more years of top tennis in him.

November 5th, 2014 at 7:02 am

Felipe,

Agree re Djoko, but he need another year with multiple Slams. Fed had 4 and Nadal 3. Last 3 years ge was on his prime post 2011 and only managed 3 Slams. He needs another ressurgence. In my eye thia AO is crucial for him.

Nadal will be returning, Fed always goes to semis but is a court that doesn’t favor him and Murrya is still finding his form. if he avoid anothe Waw match he should win it and starting the year with 8 and a fresh major could prople him to win another major the remainig of the year. Also to send a message tha t he is the top dog on HC now as this year both HC Slams weren’t won by the top dogs.
If he wins AO 15 we can almost assure he will have a double digit career if not maybe. But he should be winning 2 majors a year in the next 2 if his aspirations are as hogh as we think. His time is now and once he won Wimbleodn and put behind the losing major finals aside he should capitilize now.

But of course there is other players as well and as we saw is year one hot streak and is all it takes for a major run

November 5th, 2014 at 8:18 am

But who says Nadals finished,whos says some other new players wont win GS next year like they did this one??fair enough Novak aint as prone to injuries as Rafa,but just as people keep pointing out Nadal will be 29 next year,and Novak will be 28 and also no spring chicken in tennis terms,and 28 is traditionally the age when a player starts to fall of their perches,granted hes on a tear ATM,but anything else is for the future,and unless it happens its not relavent…..

November 5th, 2014 at 8:25 am

Btw. ATP awards is out and Fed once again won Fan Favorite (12 straight) and Stefan Edberg (10th overall). Congrats GOAT!!

November 5th, 2014 at 8:25 am

Congrats Roger….

November 5th, 2014 at 8:34 am

Daniel!

You just beat me to it!

It’s amazing isn’t it!!!!???

“And should anyone think Federer’s global popularity is the inevitable consequence of the 33-year-old’s longevity on the tour and durability in the rankings, he won his first Fan’s Award in 2003, the year he won his first Grand Slam at Wimbledon but before he reached the No1 ranking. And he has won it every year since, now 12 consecutive times”.

http://www.thesportreview.com/tsr/2014/11/atp-awards-2014-roger-federer-is-fans-and-players-fave-yet-again/

November 5th, 2014 at 2:04 pm

For Nole fans, Boris and Nole extended their relationship (coaching one) for a next year. Becker said, though they did put something on paper handshake was good enough for him, and he added, they will be together as long as there is success.

November 6th, 2014 at 5:24 pm