Djokovic Crashes Out Of Indian Wells, Zverev Falls; Federer, Del Potro Advance

by Staff | March 12th, 2018, 9:52 am
  • 120 Comments

Novak Djokovic’s return ended with more questions than answers at Indian Wells Sunday. The 5-time champion looked good early on against qualifier Taro Daniel, but after a slew of errors – especially off the backhand – it was Daniel who came away with the shock 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-1 win.

By the end of the match, Djokovic was barely moving for some of Daniel’s winning shots, and, as he did in a loss to Dominic Thiem at the French, just looked disinterested in his first match since January.

“I’d like to congratulate my opponent for fighting and showing great, great spirit on the court,” said Djokovic. “For me it felt like first match I ever played on tour. Very weird. I mean, I just completely lost my rhythm. But I was grateful to be out on the court that quickly after surgery.”


Daniel, who had never beaten a Top 20 player before, was ecstatic with his big win.

“It was amazing,” the 109th-ranked Daniel said. “Warming up this morning, I was thinking that the court is really big. I was actually pretty nervous playing the match. But he obviously wasn’t in his top form, so I was able to take advantage of it. And even if I lost the second set, I still had faith I could pull something off in the third. And I was able to stay pretty tough, so I’m pretty proud of that.

“When I broke back in the first set I was thinking that he’s not playing well. I can do it. If I really stick to this, I can do it,” he added. “I felt like I could stick in there and stay calm. In the third set, I regrouped myself. I played the best set of the whole match and that was really good.”

It was Djokovic’s earliest loss at Indian Wells since his 2006 debut.

“I was not even supposed to be here because of the surgery that was only five, six weeks ago. But I recovered very quickly, and I got myself ready,” said Djokovic.

“I’m just happy that I managed to recover that quickly after surgery and just get out on the court.”

Daniel will next face Leonardo Mayer, a winner over Ruben Bemelmans who replaced Kei Nishikori after he withdrew with an illness.

Also falling was Alexander Zverev. The German’s slump continued after losing late in the evening to Joao Sousa 7-5, 5-7, 6-4. Zverev led by 5-2 in the first and 4-1 in the third. He hasn’t made a final since winning Canada last summer and has only made one semifinal in his last eight events.

Lucas Pouille was also stunned by India’s Yuki Bhambri.

On the winning side, Roger Federer had a work hard but he finally finished off Federico Delbonis 6-3, 7-6(8). The match resumed at 2-all in the second.

“They play very different,” Federer said of the balls. “In the nighttime, the ball is much more deader. The surface doesn’t react so much. The ball doesn’t travel so fast. Even though I served my five aces yesterday, I hit none today. So talking about faster, I just think there is more bounce to it, especially if you play someone who has a lot of spin like he has and kicks the ball around a lot. It’s been a long time since I have been interrupted at night and have to come back the next day.”

In the evening, Juan Martin del Potro had his way with Alex De Minaur blasting the young Australian 6-2, 6-1.

Jack Sock, David Ferrer, Marin Cilic were also winners along with Gael Monfils who edged John Isner and Milos Raonic who ended the run of Canadian countryman Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-4.

“He’s got a very positive, very, very positive future ahead of him,” Raonic said of the 17-year-old Aguer Aliassime. “He’s 10 years younger than me, so even 6 years old, I remember seeing him. He’s always had a great discipline and great work ethic. And he’s a lot further along than where I was when I was his age by light years.

“He’s got a lot to look forward to. He’s well beyond a 17-year-old physically. I don’t think I got to that point physically ever, you know, as far as maturity. He’s got a lot of things going for him, that’s for sure.”

On Monday, the third round wraps up with Federer back on court against Paris Indoor finalist Filip Krajinovic. American Taylor Fritz faces Fernando Verdasco, Tomas Berdych takes on Hyeon Chung and Pablo Cuevas duels Dominic Thiem.

MONDAY INDIAN WELLS SCHEDULE
STADIUM 1 Starts At 11:00 Am
3rd Rd Aliaksandra Sasnovich VS -2 Caroline Wozniacki
Not Before 1:00 Pm
3rd Rd -1 Roger Federer VS -25 Filip Krajinovic
Followed By
3rd Rd -13 Sloane Stephens VS -20 Daria Kasatkina
Followed By
3rd Rd Fernando Verdasco VS Taylor Fritz
Not Before 7:00 Pm
3rd Rd -8 Venus Williams VS Serena Williams
Not Before 8:30 Pm
3rd Rd -12 Tomas Berdych VS -23 Hyeon Chung

STADIUM 2 Starts At 11:00 Am
3rd Rd -7 Caroline Garcia VS -26 Daria Gavrilova
Followed By
3rd Rd -24 Elena Vesnina VS -10 Angelique Kerber
Followed By
3rd Rd Borna Coric VS -13 Roberto Bautista Agut
Followed By
3rd Rd -27 Carla Suárez Navarro VS -4 Elina Svitolina
Not Before 6:00 Pm
3rd Rd -30 Pablo Cuevas VS -5 Dominic Thiem
Followed By
2nd Rd Raven Klaasen/Michael Venus VS -8 Ivan Dodig/Rajeev Ram


You Might Like:
Federer v Coric, Del Potro v Raonic In SFs at Indian Wells Sat.
Roddick Thrashes Djokovic, Nadal Next at Indian Wells
Novak Djokovic: Against Del Potro, It’s A Very Even Match, I’ve Got To Give It My All
Djokovic v Del Potro, Nadal v Verdasco; Tuesday Indian Wells Picks And Pans
Nishikori Stops Del Potro’s DC Streak At 2am; Roanic, Zverev Advance But Thiem, Dimitrov Out

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120 Comments for Djokovic Crashes Out Of Indian Wells, Zverev Falls; Federer, Del Potro Advance

Tennis Vagabond Says:

So no insight into how Novak’s arm was? The reports of the match are very bizarre. I mean, he was just on court in January and won 3 matches in Australia against decent competition, so how could his game and fitness be so degraded if his arm is ok? Hope its just an aberration and he’ll be back to at least making progress in Miami.

Very nice comments from Milos about Felix. Very much looking forward to his progress. I hope to see Shapovalov get beyond second rounds soon!

Big showdown between DelPotro and Cilic looming a few matches away.


lylenubbins Says:

Daniel is good, gave Rafa a hard time at USO last year.


Tennis Vagabond Says:

Meanwhile, Zverev and Dmitrov showing that whichever member of the Big Five can make it to an event healthy can walk away with the Slams for the next two years.

The dearth of superstars between the age of 20-29 is just mind boggling. Its not just that the Bigs are so great, there is no player under 29 who can consistently beat those ranked 20 spots below them, week in and week out.


Margot Says:

Tho I take your point TV, Zverev is much younger than Gorgeous Grig.


Tennis Vagabond Says:

I know Margot, that’s part of the point – there is a massive gap here spanning two ‘generations’ of tennis players without a superstar to show. The last superstars to show up in tennis were Murray and Del Potro*. Murray broke out in 2006-2007, at 19-20 years old. Del Potro in 2008 (age 20).

Since then, crickets. Zverev turns 21 next month. I could be wrong, but I don’t see him breaking that barrier unless all Big Five stay out. Murray, Del Potro (and Stan, albeit much older) all made their breakthroughs against stellar competition.

[*Del Potro has not had a superstar career, granted, but it seems rude to not count him since he was certainly MEANT for one, before the Problems. If we don’t count Del Potro, its over ten years since the last superstar emerged.]


Margot Says:

It’s a bit of a hiatus at the moment TV, I agree. Unfortunately for Dimi/Kei/Milos they’re kind of sandwiched between the older gen and the young gen. The “lost gen” as I’ve seen them called. I actually think there’s bags of talent out there, it’s just taking a while to come to maturity.


Tennis Vagabond Says:

Yes, so my contention is that ten years is long enough to say 2 lost tennis generations. If Kyrgios/ Thiem/ Zverev/ Coric can’t win now, with Novak, Andy, Rafa and Stan out of action or obviously unready (none of them made the quarters at Oz), I think its safe to say they are not of the same stature.

They’re old enough that they should be in late stages of tournaments more often than not, and they’re not.


Margot Says:

Zverev is only 20. He made Next Gen and ATP finals. Not too dusty.


BBB Says:

I thought Murray would never win a major because he’d been frustrated so many times, but then he broke through. I learned not to write someone off after that.

Zverev to me is adjusting to the pressure of his position, which is essentially farther ahead of his peers than he was expected to be, I think.


Daniel Says:

Federer on fire, much better than first round.


skeezer Says:

First set in the bag, 6-2


Margot Says:

Looks very hot in IW and so does Fed! He’s not hanging around, for sure.


Willow Says:

Watching the football, just watching live scores, Federer is virtually unbeatable at the moment ….


Daniel Says:

Luxury practice in less than an hour. Chardy next round should be more of a contest.


Willow Says:

Same scoreline as the Delpo match ….


Markus Says:

Agree with everything TV said in this thread…successive groups of lost generatiions, that’s what it looks like.


Margot Says:

Watched a bit of Chardy’s match. Thought he was looking good but…..


Daniel Says:

Chardy hits the ball heavy but to have any chance against this Federer he will need to serve close to 70% first serves.

Also curious to which time they will play. Day conditions the ball is way faster and it showed today, different from Fed’s first set with Delbonis where it was more slow.


Daniel Says:

Frits and Coric winning, good to see a few younglings going through. Shapovalov still in the draw and Chung plays Berdych tonight.


AndyMira Says:

Daniel….Shapo already out in 2nd rd the other day…


skeezer Says:

Fritz/Verdasco was a good match to watch. Big confidence booster for the 20 yr old.
Never quite could figure Verdasco out, he can be so competitive times ( remember the AO match vs. Rafa years back )but he has his serve hiccups at key moments.


Markus Says:

Verdasco double-faulted away the match, but Fritz did play very well and put a lot of pressure on Versasco’s serve.

Feel bad for Thiem who had to retire in the third set. Lots of guts for continuing to play after rolling his ankle in the first set. He is becoming the heart-break kid of tennis (after del Potro).


Madmax Says:

Indeed it was a shocker with Novak, but when you step back and realise that it’s not his physicality but more his mentality. I do believe that. His head is not there right now. Sports psychologist well and truly needed. That talent will not disappear, just needs to be tendered in the right way.

As for Federer, truly amazing, his will, his power, his strength and his mindset. All seem very strong right now.


RZ Says:

I hope Thiem’s ankle injury isn’t going to affect his ability to play Miami. From what I’ve read, he played quite a while on it.


j-kath Says:

TV
Re Next-Gens -your remarks are pertinent. The talent we see from several of them continues to be inconsistent. Even in the absence of Nole, Andy, Stan (and now Rafa) etc. they falter. Are they complacent to the point that they don’t see the need for a dedication to continuous training to the degree undertaken by “the seniors”? Or are they relying on the “ageing process” to open up the field for them?


Daniel Says:

JK,

Or maybe we were just spoiled ans expect a level of excelency that is never fonna be acchoeved again with Big 4 and Wawa.

Sampras himsef hd less than 17 Masters. He had a bunch of weird losses and was only #1 for 6 straught year, because he played a bunch pf 250. He lost and recovered the #1 ranking several times and if I am not worng he was never #1 for a while calendar year.

Dimi just made finals in Rotterdam, than bombs here. Thiem had a good clay SA swing and was unlucky in IW.
Zverev is a strange case, indeed.

Chung just beat Berdych, so he is backing hos AO run.

The level of consistancy big 4 had was unreal.

We see a lot of talent but neither of these young uones had “the shot” as Nadal’s and Fed’s FH nor their mental state.

I believe this is going to be the status quo from quite some time, and Fed and who ever is healthy will collect the spoils.

By the time 2020 comes around the tour will be a crazy hide with none dominant. I expect a lot of new Slam winners after that.

By what we saw from these 10-20 players. None has that unique prodgy status Big 4 had.


Markus Says:

The Big 4 (or 5) and the oft injured del Potro and the old greats of the game had that killer instinct, the do-or-die mentality from the time they started playing which I don’t sense in these younger generations. As J-Kath said, they seem to be waiting for the aging process, as if time is their main factor to ripen. I think it was Zverev who offered his age as an excuse for failure. I remember he once said after losing early that he is still young anyway. I don’t remember the old greats use youth as an excuse for failure. Their attitude has always been that failure is not an option at any age, at any time.


j-kath Says:

Daniel and Markus – Taa for clarifying a growing feeling of sadness that unless there are more “youthful” players
that tennis might be something of a whirlpool sooner rather than later. Kudos for Roger who reminds us of the excitement of real competitiveness (but exposes the lack at the same time – not his fault).


Tennis Vagabond Says:

The greatness of the Big Five is no excuse for the Two Lost Generations. They are not losing JUST to the Big Five. they are losing to anybody. One week in a finals, next week out in first round. That’s not an issue of comparing them to Big Five consistency.

At that age (20-27), ALL stars of tennis history have shown more consistent mettle. There are no great players from 24-27 right now, and there is a very small chance that there is a truly great one between 20-23.

That’s a ridiculous span without a single new star, I can’t think of an equivalent in any sport I follow.


Willow Says:

I Think Delpo is overated sorry folks, out of the two players that have won 1 GS each i think Cilics is better, hes made more finals and been consistently in the top 10, and i dont even care all that much for Cilic either, just wanted to throw that in there ….


Humble Rafa Says:

Asia Man 2 is doing well for the continent. It must be a lot of pressure representing billions of people, especially given that Asia Man 1 is injured.


Daniel Says:

DelPp may look overrated now, but had he not suffered from so many surgerys, taking him out for 3 years total, he could/shoudl/would win way more.

As per what TV said, he was the only “talent” that was able to beat all members of top 4 (even if he has loopsided HxH versus than) consistanlty, he still got big wins agaisnt all, Slam wise.

He is the only one I can think who really fit tennis star material. But he got several injures and may still have somthign to say. if the void and Big 5 injury drama continues, he may get some left overs.

Right now, there are several who can fit that positon, but they will have to prove it and earn it. The 19-23 have at least 2-4 years to rpove themselves.


j-kath Says:

Yep TV. But I find my interest is waning…I still keep hoping as it is my favourite sport.


Willow Says:

Chardy v Federer nice eye candy, Chardy is hot, sorry for going off track folks ;-)


Markus Says:

I agree with Daniel about del Potro. If you look at his trajectory before he was sidelined by serious wrist problems, he seemed to be the one who would take the fight to Nadal, Djokovic and Murray (Federer would be too old but we know there has been a twist to that story) and had the potential to be to top guy. Even after all those career-threatening injuries, look at his determination and drive to still be the best that he can be. None of the young guys appear to me to be made of the same fiber as del Potro. He is never overrated in my book. He still beats Federer, doesn’t he?


Humble Rafa Says:

nice eye candy

Lot of kids around here. Keep it PG 13.


Daniel Says:

Cilic also out. Looking like a Fed x DelPo final, that would be great. Meanwhile Delpo missing 10 breaks chances already and is only 3-3.

But IW was always a weird tourney, with a lot of crashes. There is a lot of players just don’t cope with conditions, its different, too dry and sometimes windy. It is a tourney which always have upsets.


j-kath Says:

Delpo….No….overall just a tad better than the would-be group


el_matador Says:

a guy who at the age of 21 demolished rafa & then came back from the jaws of defeat to conquer the GOAT in his 1st ever slam final is overrated?name me another guy who bested both rafa & roger(2 greatest of all time) to win his 1st slam in such young age..the 2 slams murray won,he didn’t have to face either rafa or roger,coincidence?what did he do in all his gs final matches against roger & wimbledon matches(his own backyard) against rafa?
and cilic better than delpo?the h2h is 10-2 in delpo’s favour..anyone with a common sense would know that cilic has more finals because he was not out injured as much as delpo


Markus Says:

Del Potro has beaten Nadal and Federer back to back in a major (2009 US Open). He has a won a major at the age of 21, before his wrist injury. The younger generation has a hard time getting pass him. I would say he is not just a tad better than the would-be group, he is a whole lot better.


j-kath Says:

Markus: It is almost 9 years since DelPoto/Ndal/Fed 2009 victory. It doesn’t hold water to say he won a major before his injury —-there are a lot, many in fact that one could argue could have/should have won majors if they weren’t injured.

DelPo was born with height, strength and talent – there were/are those born without those gifts – and have had their own health problems and have surpassed Delpo.

Still, I do agree he is better than the would-be group – but I don’t agree he is a whole lot better. (Willing to be proved wrong —he hee, not really)


Markus Says:

j-kath, if you would review the trajectory of del Potro’s career, you would understand what I mean. His career was unquestionably derailed by his wrist injuries. Just when he was hitting his stride, he had to stop playing for a couple of years because of that wrist. Prior to his surgery, both his backhand and forehand were devastatingly effective, among the best in the game.

We were also discussing how the new generations are not as determined as the older ones and that prompted me to include del Potro because indeed he is.


autoFilter Says:

FWIW, I agree regarding Del Potro’s trajectory and his quality as a player being among the best of them. He worked his way into the conversation by dominating lesser tournaments (250s) en route to that US Open, for example, and while he wasn’t necessarily, in those tournaments, facing the top guys match to match, it did show already that he had a champion’s heart and mentality in that he was willing and able to assert himself as the last man standing over and over again — something none of the current “would-bes” have even come close to. Also, let’s not forget he holds Olympic singles bronze and silver medals.

“Del Potro won his first career ATP tour title at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, defeating Gasquet in straight sets in the final.[63][64] A week later, del Potro reached his second career ATP Tour final at the Austrian Open in Kitzbühel, where he beat local hope and sixth seed Melzer in less than an hour, to claim his second title in two weeks.[65] Having competed in just two clay tournaments all of the 2007 season, he never thought he would win his first two titles on clay courts.[57]

From Wikipedia:

“In August, del Potro won his third consecutive title at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles, beating Andy Roddick in straight sets in the final.[66] After the match, Roddick praised his opponent. “[Del Potro] hits this way and this way kind of equally and he can hit it from inside out and running to it, which is a good thing for him, bad for the rest of us”.[66] A fourth consecutive title followed a week later in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C., where he recorded a victory over Viktor Troicki, becoming the first player in ATP history to win his first four career titles in as many tournaments.[9]”


Humble Rafa Says:

Hey 404 Error,

Get a real name.


Okiegal Says:

Feli having a bad hair day…… but I can deal with that……Ummmm he’s serving for the match!
Feli=👁🍬
He socked to Jack!!


Willow Says:

el-Matador /Markus i meant a better career overall more consistency, rather than better against each other, i looked at their career stats on both their wiki pages Delpo has more career title only marginally though, and granted Delpo has more wins against the elite, but the rest is ifs, buts, coulds, woulds, shoulds, ifs and buts which arent relevant at the end of the day, anyway no matter i dont really care if im right or wrong, as im not a fan of either player to be honest ….


Willow Says:

autofilter fair enough, been wrong has never bothered me, as i often am when posting on here, moving swiftly on ….


Willow Says:

Okie dont get all that giddy regarding Feli, still prefer Chardy ;-)


Margot Says:

OK @11.39: Loving your emojees!


Van Persie Says:

As huge Delpo’s fan, am glad he’s doing so well at this IW.
Rooting for him and hoping he could win it all.


j-kath Says:

Sorri Guys – don’t buy all of your comments – as Willow says – the ifs and buts don’t count. However, the good news is Delpo states that he’s completely back to full health so no impediment any longer.


Markus Says:

j-kath, sorry that you still do not get it. What I have been trying to point out is the quality of del Potro as a player. There is no ifs ands or buts about it.

Del Potro is back to full health but he had to reinvent his backhand after his wrist surgery. He hits mostly slices now and not as much as the power of his pre-surgery topspin backhand which was the most awesome stroke one can see in the game.


Daniel Says:

DelPo HxH versus Big 4

DelPo x Fed: 6-18; 2 Slams wins at USO
DelPo x Nadal: 5-9; 1 USO win and Olympics
DelPo x Djoko: 4-14; 2 Olympics wins
DelPo x Murray: 3-7; no Slam wins (they played only twice in Slams)
Overall HxH (18/48)

The only other players with more than three wins against Big 4 and multiple Slams wins are:
– Berdych: 2 vs Fed, 2 vs Djoko and 1 vs Nadal, but his overall HxH (19-75) is more loopsided than DelPo and he doesn’t have a Slam nor was a teen talent.
– Tsonga: 2 vs Fed, 1 vs Nadal, 1 vs Murray and 1 vs Djoko, No Slam (1 final) and overal HxH similar to Delpo at 18-49. But he also wasn’t a teen prodigy.

My point and Markus is that DelPo is the only one who fit the criteria of young talent who could compete with Big 4 at a young age.

Tsonga and Berdych got most of their big wins agaisnt Big 4 aftter 25-26


Daniel Says:

As of now, The only young ones with early Slam wins against Big 4 is Kyrgios (with a Slam win versus Nadal) and an even HxH with all of them and Chung with 1 Slam win over Djoko.


Willow Says:

Okay folks didnt mean to get everyone in such a lather, sorry i spoke, what hes done is brilliant, but what he does going forward is another matter, he can have great runs against the big four on any given day, but can he win another Masters 1000 or another GS, i have my doubts things get more difficult every year not easier, 9 years since he won the USO, even commie Sam Smith agrees with me, still lets see what he does going forward, and you can never right of a champion, assuming im allowed an opinion geez ….


Willow Says:

Thankyou J-Kath ….


Chris Ford Says:

I wouldn’t put Delpo or Stan as the 5th great player. Stan is great but the 1st to say he does not belong in the Big 4 because he has always been inconsistent. Delpo is someone who generated the power to blow Rafa off the court, beat Djoko a few times with huge Olympic wins. Juan Martin was also an all-surface player. Raised on clay, adept at court play on asphalt and grass. The problem was his wrists couldn’t take the power he was putting into shots. Put him in the category of the Great that Could Have Been, but for injury.


Margot Says:

A bit like Safin?


Van Persie Says:

Agree with the ones, who cannot consider Delpo as a 5th great player of this generation, as much as I like him. Consider him an amazing player, who was unlucky with his injuries.

Margot,

Think Stan is a bit more like Safin: talented, but inconsistent, lazy at times…
Stan has one more thing in common with Marat: both did not much believe in them selves when playing against Roger.


Sophia Says:

Stupid to put Stan and safin on same problem.
Stan absolutely got everything out of his career what his body could give him.
His physique was not that of a elite player but his backhand was and he had a few periods where he could put it together and become elite player.
Safin couldn’t adjust his style to Roger and lacked will power to do so.


Van Persie Says:

But I would consider DelPO a better player than Cilic, mainly because Cilic was much more intimidated when playing one of the 4 Greats.


Willow Says:

Delpo a better player than Cilic fair enough, but i dont see him as been better than Stan, Stan has GS on three different GS, Stan also beat Novak and Rafa back to back to win the AO in 2014, he beat Murray in the semis of the French last year, ok hes not top 4 but hes better than the rest, nobody else after Stan has multiple GS, Stan has Olympic gold in doubles with Federer, with Delpo its a case of what couldve been rather than what is, can beat any of the all time greats on any given day, won the USO 9 years ago, 2 Olympic medals, 21 titles, i dont believe hes won a Masters 1000 though, although people can correct me if im wrong, yet people often say here that the Olympics in tennis are not that important, funny how that trajectory changes from player to player though lol ….


Willow Says:

Im not a fan of Delpo, and even less of a fan of Cilic, doesnt really bother me as whos the better of the two, care for neither ….


Willow Says:

And i doubt either will win a GS again ….


Giles Says:

Delpo is a ball basher. He’s cr@p IMO.


Van Persie Says:

Ok, Stan may be better because he won 3 GS. AO 2014, ok, he had a tough match against Nole, but I was not very impressed about the final, to be honest. We could say Stan was amazing at the FO in 2015. Do not buy the semifinal against Andy last year, as Andy was injured. The final against Djoko at UO 2016, Djoko had his mental and injurie issues. I may be subjective, because I like DelPo very much, but the run for his UO 2009 was far more impressive.
Also think, a Silver medal and a Bronze medal in singles are far more valuable than a Golden in Doubles.

I think Stan is an amazing player and with more luck than DelPo. Only my opinion and will stick to it.


Van Persie Says:

Should DelPo won 2 or won more GS, which might be very difficult for him, I would consider him better than Stan. Until then the results are favouring Stan as better, agree.


Van Persie Says:

^ Correction: should DelPo win 2 or 1 more GS, not ” Should DelPo won 2 or won more GS”…sorry


Willow Says:

Part of sport is staying fit, and if an opponent is injured its not the other opponents fault, and as also said many times here you make your own luck, any poster can give any player less credit for their achievements simply because their favorite lost, this player lost because of this, or that, not at their best, crisis of confidence he was unlucky etc, or give more credit because when their favorites win, hes was sublime, the shot making was incredible, its spun to suit to suit a posters preferance nothing new ….


Willow Says:

Ifs, buts, woulds, coulds, shoulds, dont have any relevance in sport or in the real world, if my sister was a bloke, she would be my brother ….


Van Persie Says:

Fair enough Willow, you make a point, you are totally entitled to have an opinion, as I also have, sorry. am far more impressed about DelPos as player, than as I am about Stan.


Van Persie Says:

“Ifs, buts, woulds, coulds, shoulds, dont have any relevance in sport or in the real world, if my sister was a bloke, she would be my brother ”

Agree with this; but you are also guilty : Rafa and Andy would have won more often against Nole, had they been not so friendly to Novak.:)
Andy would have won more without injuries.:)
I think it is normal to use excuses for our favorites. It is only annoying , when it happens to often


Willow Says:

I Never said they wouldve won more if they had not been so friendly with Novak, what i said was givin the rivalries both shared with with Novak they should both put some distance between themselves and him, find ways to beat him, not be so damn friendly never believed friendships and rivalries mix in tennis, to be honest it irritates the hell out of me, it was never an issue for the Novak fans because he held the monopoly at the time so why would it, as Novak fans wouldnt care and be rubbing their hands together laughing their chops off, so why would they care either way, they had nothing to lose, different when your on the recieving though ? anyway i digress yes i have been guilty of it and its as i said all posters me included have said couldve done this or that, if not for this or that, changes nothing, some are more impressed by Delpo, im more impressed by Stan, and when it comes to watching the two one has a much more elegant entertaining game ….


Van Persie Says:

Willow,

I apologize , for trying to have a reasonable conversation with you. Will not happen again.

Peace and bye


Willow Says:

Theres nothing wrong with what you said Van Persie your not here to curry favour and niether am i, you have your opinions and i have mine, we just dont agree thats fine, no harm or foul ….


Willow Says:

I Apologize too ….


el_matador Says:

I dnt know how anybody would be more impressed with “more elegant,entertaining game” of stan over delpo yet would always prefer andy & rafa over roger..excuse my ignorance


el_matador Says:

well one can say he/she doesn’t like delpo personally..there’s nothing wrong with that..doesn’t need to be a hypocrite.
and markus,plz dnt bother to explain to these “tennis fans” how the bh of delpo is nowhere near his pre wrist injury level..not worth it


Willow Says:

el- matador we like people for all manor of reasons, Rogers tennis is beautiful, but hes just not my favorite, although i love The Beatles, i love Fleetwood Mac even more ….


Willow Says:

and i appreciate Delpos achievements, hes good for the game etc, why does that make me a hypocrite ?


el_matador Says:

exactly..you can be a fan of rafa for his “never say die” attitude,for the way he deathroned the GOAT when the domination was getting silly..but plz dnt change the goalpost when it comes to other players..


el_matador Says:

“rogers tennis is beautiful,but he’s just not my favourite”..now u’re talking..u could just say “delpo is just not my favourite”..


Willow Says:

el-matador this forum is full of posters that move the goal posts, what makes things any different when it comes to me, and i am all of a sudden called out for it ?


Willow Says:

Funny how people get upset when posters have a difference of opinion ….


el_matador Says:

everyone changes the goalpost,so it’s okay for u to change the goalpost too?!well I dnt know what to say..
why did I call u out?how would u feel if someone said “rafa is overrated”?
well it may surprise u but there are tennis fans who root deeply for someone outside “big 4”


Willow Says:

People often say Rafas overated, Fed, Novak too, fans have to roll with the punches, they do, and they all defend their favorites nothing new, i dont consider myself to be any better or worse on that score than anybody else here, as for calling me out well you just did ….


Willow Says:

I Think over the years of been on TX ive always done my best to be respectful to all the players, sorry if it doesnt always come across that way, time for a break, not that i post here that often anyway ….


el_matador Says:

“they all defend their favourites”..I’m confused what the hell I’ve been doing here..


Willow Says:

Sigh well that makes two of us then ….


Willow Says:

By the way i think it was Mat4 who isnt here at the moment i know, but this is just an example, once said i prefer artistry when it comes to watching mens tennis, but prefer war of attrition and never say die attitude in the womens game, Maria was his favorite on the WTA, he was never given a hard time about that, so why me ?, but i guess we also have different standards when it comes to the posters we get along with here too, and the ones we dont hmm ….


el_matador Says:

apples & oranges..
Oh mat4..I miss mat4..I also miss grendel,the da,jane,mmt,ben pronin etc..there was a time when this was an actual tennis site with very insightful discussion..now it has become a chit chat gossip site


Willow Says:

Apples and oranges exactly, theres nothing in any of my posts that couldnt be considered objective, im here to talk tennis, but again all posters go off topic, all chit chat and gossip including those you mentioned nobodies perfect ….


Markus Says:

I got you El_Matador. Useless explaining to some people sometimes, especially when their ears and eyes are closed.


Willow Says:

I Get the explanation, loud and clear Markus, i appreciate the achievements of all the all time greats, just dont care for lectures or double standards is all ….


skeezer Says:

@el_matador
re: 704 post.
Miss them too & Yep.
—-
BTW, Delpo’s game is NOT cr@p! Geez…


Willow Says:

I Dont think Delpos game is crap i think hes very talented, just not a fan, miss Kimberly and Jalep two great lady posters ….


Margot Says:

I have a whole lot of respect for JMDP, he’s no quitter.


Willow Says:

A poster might not be a fan, but certainly doesnt make them an anti fan either ….


Okiegal Says:

@Margot……… I just can’t help myself, I am hooked on those silly little emojis……. and Spaniards!! LOL


Okiegal Says:

This site has gotten off topic many times. Poetry, music, movies, geographic areas for vacations, politics, who’s hot and who’s not?? Discussions other than tennis have been numerous on this site. Oh and I don’t want to forget to mention all of the x-rated ones…….


AndyMira Says:

Miss Okie…I think going off topics once in a while r very much welcome here..at least for me..I don’t know bout u Miss jan but reading tennis comments that was filled with insults & hurtful words just makes my chest hurt…That’s why i welcomed HR’s funny post even tho sometimes he took a gentle dig at Rafa too…


Markus Says:

Willow, why would you call a discussion a lecture? And what double standard are you talking about? And Why would you take my comment as being directed to you when in fact, it is not?
I do know and appreciate your fairness when in comes to players but I notice that you don’t apply it to posters here. You have posters you treat more as friends than others and tend to take their sides more easily and more often than not. Now, that’s double standard. Don’t feel bad about what I say. I understand it’s human nature.

Now let me go back to tennis and watch Federer vs Chung. I have this anxious feeling that the former would lose.


Markus Says:

…and yes, ^^ that’s a lecture.


Okiegal Says:

@Mira…..I don’t mind other discussions…..but I guess they probably belong on the off topic thread…..

Feli on court atm….. better hair day……the bandana has it under control tonight! However the Lopez team lost the first set……


Okiegal Says:

@Markus…….Easy cowboy…..😱😱😱


skeezer Says:

“but I guess they probably belong on the off topic thread…..”
Exactly.


AndyMira Says:

Yess!Of coz Miss Okie!…Err…how’s leg?


Okiegal Says:

@Skeezer…….👍👍😘😘😘


Okiegal Says:

@Mira……I’m gonna live, probably to the dismay of Skeezer!! 😜😜😜


Okiegal Says:

When an avid poster acknowledges one of my comments, I’m truly humbled………


Willow Says:

Markus i thought it was directed at me, when the term no use trying to explain etc to EL-Matador probably got my wires crossed apologies for that, as for friends i have friends here that i also chat to on FB, but there are plenty of posters that clique together here thats not exclusive to just me,el-matador came after me about why i prefered Stan over Delpo for his elegance, yet my favorites were Rafa and Andy over Roger , well i didnt know TX had some written criteria on who you should be a fan of, and why ? i mean whats that all about ? anyway no harm or foul, your a poster i generally get along with mostly lol ….


Willow Says:

Skeezer the thing about the off topic thread is its not visible all the time which it should be, anyway moving on ….


Willow Says:

Why do some posters treat other posters as if they are beneath them ?


j-kath Says:

Andy Mira: Some folk might say that the condition of Miss Okie’s leg belongs to the off-topic section – but not me, as she passed it over to me last night and I couldn’t get it to settle painlessly to watch tennis…too much painting/too many ladders…..

In my humble view neither Stan or Delpo fit the description of being elegant….strong, tough, awesome fits better.


Willow Says:

J-Kath lol its all a matter of preferance , just like Stans game better than Delpos, but prefer Andy and Rafa for different reasons, there is no right or wrong answer as to why we prefer one over another, its lost on some people though, as i say i love Fleetwood Mac more than The Beatles, but thats just me, each to their own ….


Okiegal Says:

@ JK…..sorry……Girl you watch the ladders. I got tangled up in my garbage container that has an attached swing lid…..it got ugly, and I lost! LOL ! I was on the injured list for 3 weeks……thank goodness for antibiotics!

Regarding tennis….give the trophy to Fed already…..he’s got this…….


AndyMira Says:

JK!…Sorry to hear bout your leg…Hope it feels much better today!Don’t forget to put a bottle of painkiller’s on your bedside table, just in case u need it tonite okay?


AndyMira Says:

Miss Okie!…Skeezer will always feel dismay towards us Rafans every single minute of the day!..Leg hurt or not!..Hehehe..


Okiegal Says:

@Mira……👁 know…….but we all like who we like for various reasons. I fault no person for their choice of a favorite player!

This a good time for a big VAMOS!! 🎾🎾🎣🎣

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