It’s An All Swiss Monte Carlo Final: Roger Federer v Stan Wawrinka, Who’s The Pick?

Fed in two, especially if he manages to return some serves…

April 19th, 2014 at 12:20 pm

I will go contrary to Sean again, worked for me yesterday. Plus to my eventual demise, contrary to the King of Everything, mat4.

Under the thoughtful and wise guidance of Magnus Norman, dare I say it…

Humbly, Stan in 3 sets.

Fed will have mercy? Oh dear, c-c-can’t really see Feddy losing this one. Somehow, some way, Stan For the win.

April 19th, 2014 at 12:38 pm

Way to go you Swiss boys. All the best tomorrow!

April 19th, 2014 at 12:47 pm

From Neil Harman, London Times tennis reporter, via his twitter account:

“Novak Djokovic after MC defeat today: ‘I cannot play tennis for some time. How long, I don’t know.'”

April 19th, 2014 at 1:07 pm

i hope fed doesnt play like in the brisbane final and squanders millions of break points

April 19th, 2014 at 1:08 pm

It really is a joy to read what Sean predicts, and I read tons of stuff on a daily basis on ATP. Very fair of him to admit that he was wrong all week, but we all have, the week has been very unpredictable.
Anyway, Stan wins this one in a dramatic three-setter, 6-4, 4-6 7-6 :)

April 19th, 2014 at 1:15 pm

I think Stan has played at a slightly higher level than Roger through the week. Having said that, 2 things are in Roger’s favour here:
1. The H2H at 13-1 which has given him the mental edge before
2. RF’s style of play. It is easier for Wawrinka to hit through Ferrer and Novak and other players with strong defence once he takes control of the point. Problem is that Fed will try to take the ball even earlier and control the point even earlier. The ball that really troubles Fed is the high bouncing ball that spits off the clay, esp to the BH side but Stan hits a lot flatter so I don’t see Roger’s BH breaking down so easily.

Let us see what happens

April 19th, 2014 at 1:22 pm

I think it’s also tough to call on who has the better serve. Stan’s is more powerful obviously, but we know that when Roger is feeling good and serving well, he’s able to pick his spots and pick up a lot of points.

April 19th, 2014 at 1:25 pm

Rafa is out, who cares?

April 19th, 2014 at 1:30 pm

Sean,
Stan is better on service return than Roger? No way,they both are one handed so,back hand return may be on par with each other. But on forehand, Stan just chips way too many returns. Also on backhand, i haven’t seen Stan swinging (or blocking)as many returns as Roger does.
I think Fed is clearly better on serve return.
But I think the match itself is a toss-up at the moment. I’ll pick Roger on three

April 19th, 2014 at 1:58 pm

Josh,
My feelings exactly. When roger is feeling good, he can not only handle but even exploit bigger serves.
I think his placement is the better than anyone on a good day.

April 19th, 2014 at 2:00 pm

video with feds 100 greatest points is back online, watch while you can before it’s blocked again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQyoegvOah0

if you want to download it, you can do so by using youtube downloader, available free and without bugs or parasites

http://download.cnet.com/YTD-Video-Downloader/3000-2071_4-10647340.html

April 19th, 2014 at 2:26 pm

who would of picked Ferrer over Stan the man? seriously Sean, you really shouldn’t be voicing your opinion in this final …
IMO
i think this will be a close final tomorrow ,,, and i think a swiss player is going to win … probably in 3.

April 19th, 2014 at 2:28 pm

Congrats to Novak for not taking the easy way out with the wrist injury. Guts, just like Rafa at the Australian.

I wonder when Roger’s back will flare up. Remember a playr with a back problem will forever be a back patient.

April 19th, 2014 at 2:38 pm

2 one handers in a Clay Masters final?
Love it :)

April 19th, 2014 at 2:59 pm

In that first set Beefy Boy reminded me of a Humvee, he looked so damn powerful. Ferrer couldn’t handle that power and couldn’t change pace/variety etc to put Stan off because he was being pushed way too far back. Don’t think it’s a “given” that Fed will beat Stan, we all thought David didn’t have a chance after all.
However, if Fed can execute his A game with it’s change of pace, speed and variety he just won’t allow Stan to boss him around. Better not be in shanking mode though.
Should be an entertaining match.

April 19th, 2014 at 3:20 pm

lol, Margot…your descriptions of Beefy Boy always make me snortle.

April 19th, 2014 at 3:32 pm

Djokovic said he’s taking an extended break. He said there’s no rupture but he’s gonna get MRI-ed again. I think he’ll be ok. He has 2 weeks until Madrid right? Even there, he has no points to defend so he can miss it and get 3 weeks until Rome. I think he’ll be ok.

Things are definitely opening up for Federer, though. He’s playing really well and his rivals are struggling.

April 19th, 2014 at 4:06 pm

The Arrogant One’s career has been one of taking advantage of other player’s injury. Just imagine if your Humble Highness was injury free for 5 years. World of Tennis will be at my feet, begging for mercy.

April 19th, 2014 at 4:15 pm

Longevity and dominance are the reasons why Fed is GOAT. He is the best grass courter by a country mile and best hard courter of his generation, perhaps all time. While his haul of AO is rivaled by Novak, they are not even close in USO. And he is , hands down, the second best player on clay courts with several FO finals and one title. If either Novak or Rafa beat his total grand slams or are seeded in the top 5 at the ripe old age of 33, we will reconsider.

April 19th, 2014 at 4:56 pm

@Ben Pronin 4:06…

The length of the extended break is the question. That depends on what’s wrong. Since Djokovic says categorically no surgery is required, the only thing it can be to cause him that much difficulty in playing is some level of tendonitis. The inflammation from that is painful, and it gets worse the more you play. In some part of 2004, Venus Williams was diagnosed with tendonitis in both of her wrists, and she was off the tour for 6 months. Nadal in 2012: the knee was a tendonitis issue mostly, and he was away for almost 8 months. Both of them came back very well, but it was all due to the extended time away. Extended rest is really the only option for that kind of problem. Since Djokovic says it’s not a surgery issue, and is aware that he won’t be playing tennis “for some time”, it sounds like he knows exactly what the issue is. Moreover, he says he’s been dealing with this for weeks already. That’s not good. The more you play the worse it gets until it finally grounds you. All the playing he did in Dubai, IW and Miami apparently has exacerbated the problem.

There may be shorter cases of time away, I’m sure. But even if that’s the case here and he tries to play before he’s totally healed, one thing for certain is he won’t be able to practice AND play as long as he still has the condition. And if he can’t practice, his results will show it. That’s what Federer’s back problem was largely about. He played, but couldn’t train all that much. The non training is what hurt him in matches, making the early losses pile up. So Djokovic has much to weigh in the coming weeks. None of this is a surprise though. When you’ve played the near sublime tennis he’s been playing since his break out 2011, that level of tennis – in both quantity and intensity – must take it’s toll physically at some point. Looks like it has now. It happened to Nadal, to Federer, to Murray. This situation for Djokovic was inevitable.

April 19th, 2014 at 5:06 pm

@Maestro Fed..

So …. it’s taken 4 months to get a test result back??? That sounds odd. And unlikely.

April 19th, 2014 at 6:06 pm

Actually, that timing is plausible. Have you heard of “appeals”? Do you remember that this is literally exactly what Cilic did last year, when he withdrew from Wimbledon, except then three months later it was revealed that he had been given a doping violation ban and that’s why he actually withdrew? Except in this scenario Djokovic kept playing during the appeals process while Cilic did not.

That said, I don’t believe it at all. The anti-doping authorities would be crowing if they had nabbed the world no. 2 for a violation.

April 19th, 2014 at 6:22 pm

So what about the players who are non-silently banned? What about Troicki and Cilic? And what, for that matter, about Gasquet, who didn’t even test positive for a PED but still got banned — less than a year after being in the top 10, if your idea is that the top players get a pass while everyone else gets slammed.

April 19th, 2014 at 6:45 pm

Giles Says:
Rafa is out, who cares?

– Well, “man,” a of us like tennis beyond just the love of one player so why don’t you stay quiet until Rafa returns and you can pontificate then?

Humble Rafa Says:
The Arrogant One’s career has been one of taking advantage of other player’s injury. Just imagine if your Humble Highness was injury free for 5 years. World of Tennis will be at my feet, begging for mercy.

– Like it or not, being physically fit is essential for setting records. Nadal has been the cause of his absences through his aggressive style of play. He has several tools that other players lack; however he appears to lack the toolbox. Unless you buy into this silent ban garbage posts above, which no one should; it just besmirches great players like Nadal and Djokovic.

But getting back to you – anyone can play make believe by starting sentences with “Just imagine if…” I’ll do it now. Just imagine if my aunt had balls; she’d be my uncle.

Rafa better than roger Says:
Congrats to Novak for not taking the easy way out with the wrist injury. Guts, just like Rafa at the Australian.

I wonder when Roger’s back will flare up. Remember a playr with a back problem will forever be a back patient.

– Good post. You can’t say Nole didn’t go out and try. And yes, as a cautionary point back injuries are not always 100% curable; we’ll have to see how Fed’s back holds up.

April 19th, 2014 at 6:48 pm

This crap about doping conspiracy theories makes no sense at all. If the ITF and the ATP are going to go to the expense (and it’s considerable) to enlist agencies to monitor steroid use – then how does it behoove them not to publicize it every time a player gets a bad test done? It’s nonsense. Is it supposed that by not going after the biggest names and making them an example that something like that would satisfy anyone? Do you think guys like Cilic and Troicki would ever keep their mouths shut if they found out that Djokovic got a bad test and all he got was a “silent ban” BS and they were stigmatized for the rest of their lives AND denied the chance to play? This is BS, and it’s nothing more than rumor.

More to the point, what’s the purpose of the appeal? If they have your test results showing conclusive proof, all an appeal does is allow someone to keep breaking the very rules the ITF & ATP insisted be installed to police their public integrity. Now they’re selling out the very integrity they want to establish by allowing Djokovic to keep playing – and WINNING – and only later come to him and say “Well, we think you should go now”?? It’s nuts.I don’t believe a word of any “source’s” claim about a bad test months ago. It’s nothing but speculation. And if the “source” is so sure of such a thing, why is he telling a mere poster on a message board, and not the press?

April 19th, 2014 at 7:08 pm

Voicemail 1 – excellent post.

April 19th, 2014 at 7:18 pm

Oops – I meant Voicemale 1. 😜

April 19th, 2014 at 7:19 pm

@Margot 3.20pm: Agree with you. Can’t see Fed allowing Stan to boss him around, and Stan dare not try, anyway, IMHO. Well he can try. I think it will be a great match.

@pitchaboy – it’s those words for me as well, when it comes to Fed and nothing/nobody can ever change my mind no matter how hard THEY TRY – CONSISTENCY – LONGEVITY – DOMINANCE.

Why would an almost 33 yr old continue to rattle younger folks (injury or not – all part of the longevity for Fed). His past wins have been chalked to ‘weak era’. (Fed will take them regardless). Interesting, though, that in this ‘strong era’ and Fed not nearly as good as he was in the ‘weak era’,is still causing problems – I need a psychologist!!

Personally, I watched the match today, recorded it and watched it again later. I did not see Joker having any problems at all in the first set even though he lost that one game to Fed towards the end. Everybody loses some bizarre game every now and then. It was only after the break in the second set that Joker seemed to have kind of changed attitude.

April 19th, 2014 at 7:35 pm

Where is Slice Tennis? He could answer many of those questions.

I won’t. Not here.

April 19th, 2014 at 7:39 pm

A decidedly weaker Fed (compared to his heydays) is kicking around the bigwigs of this great era. Therefore, the weak era nonsense does not fly. Fed is the transition champion of tennis. Transition from serve, volley to power and baseline bashing. He was phenomenal from 2004 to 2008 and was ultimately overtaken by stronger and more powerful baseliners as courts slowed down and rackets got stronger. In his fading years he is reinventing himself with a larger racket. Had he changed his racket in 2010 when he lost a step in speed and thereby his precision, God alone knows what he could have done.

April 19th, 2014 at 8:40 pm

Humble Rafa Says:
The Arrogant One’s career has been one of taking advantage of other player’s injury. Just imagine if your Humble Highness was injury free for 5 years. World of Tennis will be at my feet, begging for mercy.

April 19th, 2014 at 4:15 pm
——————————–

Well, if nadal had more variety in his game,he would have had to run less and would have been injury free..Then nadal could have won more slams and become th goat.

April 19th, 2014 at 8:49 pm

@Voicemale 1
Welcome back ;)

April 19th, 2014 at 9:15 pm

To add Voicemale 1 post. I have actually had a tennis wrist injury, basically a inflamed tendon. It can take months to get over or a couple of weeks, the severity is the question. I tried to play through it but in the end it made me sit out a 6 weeks. You know you got it bad if you strike the ball the wrong way you’ll let go of your racket immediately, grab your wrist, and yell some obscenity. Being that Nole played through tells me ( I am no Dr. ) that it’s not that bad. However, with a shot maybe you could play for a hour or so but man when that wears off forget it. It’s frustrating cause it seems like a small thing but it’s not. All of the sudden you feel how important your wrist is.

April 19th, 2014 at 9:22 pm

@skeezer;

Thanks for the welcome :). Yeah it will depend on how severe. But anti inflammatory shots or pills are not “cures”. And I dare say that the pace of the ball where you play and the pace and power of the ball of the ATP Tour are quite different :). That’s what makes you exert more, when you have to defend against shots like Federer, Nadal, Berdych, etc., keep hammering at you. My stepdad taught junior players for over 40 years. He always said to us that the wrist is the most dangerous area for an injury to a player. Knees – those can be easier to repair. Shoulders too. Even your back. But the wrist is where you torque the ball on your groundstroke, and its where you snap to give the power to your Serve. That’s why pro players need more time than rec players to recover. The shots they deal with are harder, faster and heavier. So they do more damage to you.

April 19th, 2014 at 10:32 pm

Any doctor here wants to give me advice on knee problems.

April 19th, 2014 at 10:49 pm

Voicemale and Gordon, great points. Skeeze, as always. And HR, last post… nice.
VM’s post puts in perspective that the most LIKELY prognosis is tendonitis, and if it hurts that bad, we’re looking at 2 months with NO practice, and no weight training. That means several months after to get back in form, which puts it at post-US Open. Effectively, the most likely outcome, if it IS tendonitis, is Novak’s year is over. Shit, this upsets me just to write so I hope is not true. Comments very vague. Could be room for hope. I guess we’ll know in a couple weeks, or by RG.

April 19th, 2014 at 11:11 pm

By the way.
Sean.
“To me, Stan should win this match. Top down he’s the stronger player on clay.”

Interesting comment.
Are you aware Federer has won the French Open? Stan’s best result is a QF, once. (Fed also lost as finalist 4 times to the greatest clay courter of all time).
Are you aware Federer has won 6 masters titles on clay with 6 runner ups and Stan has never made a clay masters finals before?
Are you aware Federer has beaten the greatest clay courter of all time multiple times on clay in masters tournaments?
Are you aware Federer has a 4-1 record against Stan on clay?
So, in what respect, on paper, is Stan “top down the stronger player on clay”?

April 19th, 2014 at 11:28 pm

I’m one of those radicals who believes Federer’s best tennis is behind him, from 2004-2008 (crazy to say about a guy then averaging 3 slams + 1 finals a year but anyway). His forehand, serve, movement and return are not where they were in his prime. But I think his volley has returned to its former level, and I think this may be the best he’s EVER hit his backhand.
Skeeze? Others?

April 19th, 2014 at 11:43 pm

Sean, Fed’s record on clay since 2008 is leagues above Stan’s. He wins masters on clay every year. Who had a better clay season last year? In what non-clay events since then has Stan convinced you he is a better clay courter right now?

April 20th, 2014 at 12:11 am

To TV at 11.28 Wawrinka DID reach the one masters 1000 clay court final, losing to djokovic in (i think) rome a few years back, by memory i guess it was 2009 or sometime around that;

that was also when he entered the top 10 for the first time; not that it compares to feds records on clay, but still, he has been there, even it only once, so it won’t be virgin territory for him and could help settle his nerves a bit, especially at the beginning of the macth

April 20th, 2014 at 12:30 am

Was it a wise decision on Novak’s part to have opted to play in Montecarlo despite his injury and the real possibility of aggravating it ? I think his team made an imprudent decision. We can only conjecture the nature of injury considering that Novak has not been candid about it. All said and done, this is bad news for Novak considering his ambitions to win Rolland Garros which I thought that this may be the year when his ambition might ultimately get fulfilled and Novak would be kissing that famed trophy.

April 20th, 2014 at 12:37 am

As regards Roger Vs Wawarinka, the all Swiss final, there are many stakes involved in it – whether it be the Swiss No.1 or the World No.3 all hinges on the outcome of this match. Considering their past H2H, Roger for sure has the upper hand against Wawrinka who for some reason does not match up to him well. But lately, Wawarinka is a much improved player and he should feel himself confident facing Roger for it is a new day and past data doesn’t much count although they might play a psychological part. For me, the match will depend on the quality of serving and return and it has been some time when we watch one handed backhanded players in action in the finals at Monte Carlo. Roger definitely has the edge but not by much. I would say it is 55:45 in favour of Roger with Wawarinka in with a real chance to kiss his first Master Series title after his spectacular Australian Open triumph.

April 20th, 2014 at 12:43 am

“As for Djokovic, my gut tells me he might not be in Paris and maybe not even at Wimbledon.” Sean Randall

Really hope your gut is wrong. That is depressing.

April 20th, 2014 at 12:48 am

Novak got an injection to numb his wrist. That can’t be healthy. Tennis fans are so proud that players are so big and brave to walk out on the court and hit through the pain and continue to abuse their bodies. I think it’s asinine. After getting an injection they are not hitting through the pain….the pain is still there…they just can’t feel it! Is that a wise choice?? I think not……and shame on tennis fans who expect that of them!!

April 20th, 2014 at 12:54 am

@Michael,
Re; Nole’s wrist. When dis he actually injure it? I saw the last set of his win over GGL. And he looked fine. Was it in practice afterwards? Or did he enter the tourney with his wrist starting out as a niggle? Wierd. Then he comes out with is arm bandaged with Fed.maybe I don’t know the whole story here…

Anyways, all is conjecture now. He has a great physio team, so they will make the right call going forward am sure. Hope he can still play the Slams this year. Its either bad or not so bad.
—-
Sean,
“Tell me how many red clay titles he’s won this decade. Hint, it won’t take you long!”
How about more than Stan? ;)
That said, Fed is no shoo in here, its obvious Stan has the better form. But have been very impressed with Feds navigation and patience through these matches.

April 20th, 2014 at 1:01 am

TV,
Movement. He is moving very well this year (ok, his serving game is back for the most part also), compared to last few years. IMO that is the main difference, plus the obvious racket change.

April 20th, 2014 at 1:05 am

Skeezer,

It is grotesque to imagine that Novak would have faked his injury ? Still, nobody is sure about the nature of his injury considering that he has not been candid enough to the Press elaborating his problem and the specifics of it. But, one can see that he was in some real discomfort at the court whenever he was exerting force on his shots and so it was evident that he had a problem swinging his hand freely. But this is not take anything away from the superb win of Roger. He deserved his win and who can be more deserving to win Montecarlo than Roger ? As you said, I only hope that the injury is not serious and his physio team would find a way out for Novak to come out with all his guns blazing.

April 20th, 2014 at 2:28 am

Do you think if Nole miss Rome Fed will enters as the 2. seed?Vulture for the last time?

April 20th, 2014 at 5:11 am

Haha, Sean a lesser man would have just said, ok, perhaps I exaggerated, but I admire your commitment to your statement.

So you do have an argument: Wawrinka has been better in 2014, and clay is his best surface.
Its not MUCH of an argument to leap to “top down the better clay player” but its an argument, I concede that.

Mind you, by the identical argument Wawrinka is, top down, a better clay courter than Rafael Nadal. Who knew?

April 20th, 2014 at 6:34 am

Rafa better than Roger : Are you saying that your’re hopine Roger’s back will flare up again???? Your’re quite a sadistic so-and- so aren’t you!!!! And as for saying that back problems are with you forever – and wrist problems are not??????? Take Del Potro as an example! You don’t know what your’re talking about!

April 20th, 2014 at 6:54 am

“Joker is taking an extended break”. He is not due to play until Madrid which is two weeks away. If he plays Madrid, that is not considered to be “an extended break”. Just so you know!!

April 20th, 2014 at 8:00 am

I once had a wrist tendonitis so severe, I could hardly turn a key. Fortunately I found somebody who knew how to cure it in a month.
Key is that wrist tendonitis is usually caused by tight muscles somewhere else, like shoulders or, in my case, back. These tight muscle groups put a stress on the wrist tendons. Remedy is to loosen them up and boost immune system, thereby giving your body a chance to heal it self. Total rest is not the answer, you have to keep your body working in order to improve blood flow.
It kind of worries me that Djokovic is getting medicine and shots to play through the pain, sounds like he is getting the wrong advice and treatment, and chances are that he will start playing matches too soon.

Objectively you have to realize that his clay season is pretty much shot, even if he makes it back to the FO, he will not be 100% match fit.

April 20th, 2014 at 8:16 am

RANK PLAYER MASTERS 1000 W-L
1 Roger Federer 295-86
2 Rafael Nadal 272-53
3 Novak Djokovic 213-53
4 Andre Agassi 209-73
5 Pete Sampras 190-70

Wow, incredible stats from Roger. Just incredible. Hoping for a great match today, with the weather being so beautiful too.

How will that affect the bounce?

April 20th, 2014 at 8:44 am

@madmax – Higher bounce and drier clay, I think?

April 20th, 2014 at 8:57 am

Injections are so not healthy. Rafa used to get them in his foot. He once said in an interview that his foot was sleeping when he was playing the match. I can’t believe players do this.

Why would anyone on TX even mention that there was a possibility of Novak faking this weird injury. Fans on here think they’re supposed to know every little thing that goes on with these players. Novak said he felt something prior to the MC. He played a physical first set, the wheels came off in the second……obviously the shot wore off. He was hurt, people…….get your heads out of the sand. Don’t judge these players until you’ve run a million miles in their tennis shoes…..you know the saying.

April 20th, 2014 at 9:09 am

How weird but also exciting to see Stan And Fed play for the title…..It will not be a BL slugfest. I think Fed in 3

April 20th, 2014 at 9:26 am

Michael,
I am not insinuating that Nole is faking his injury(something was obviously wrong, and his arm/wrist was bandaged), but was just wondering when he injured it. Must have been off court?

April 20th, 2014 at 9:27 am

I just hope his injury is not too severe. And it’s not tendinitis. I hope with 2 weeks of rest it is over, because hate to think about Novak not being able to play Rome-Wimby. That would be horrible

April 20th, 2014 at 9:31 am

Fed just broke wawa to go up 3-2, Play is moving along pretty fast for Clay.

April 20th, 2014 at 9:38 am

Yeah, like expected. Both try to dominate and keep points short. Serve is key. Fed got a good break there. See if he can keep it up

April 20th, 2014 at 9:44 am

Fed to serve for first set.
Match has some variety here and there but they are both making a few mistakes

April 20th, 2014 at 9:52 am

Wawa misses two retunrs to handle the set to Fed after 30-30. Fed 1 set away from a title that elude him for so long.

April 20th, 2014 at 9:56 am

Quite the reversal on the thread in here today. Nole is the big topic while the two guys playing for the title, ostensibly the purpose of the post are doing so with very little commenting in here.

Fed is up 1 set to 0. Maybe some will watch now. 😊

April 20th, 2014 at 9:58 am

That was the 1st time Stan got broken this tourney? Will be tough for Stan to take it from Fed now. Winning 1st set I think was key for Stan. Now uphill battle

April 20th, 2014 at 9:59 am

I’m not surprised that they’re both making errors. Like I said yesterday, they’re both trying to take control of the points as soon as possible

April 20th, 2014 at 9:59 am

If Fed wins will be his biggest title since Southern Western in Cincy 2012….Since then only a 250 and 500 title….Will do his confidence tons of good

April 20th, 2014 at 10:00 am

Also they know each others’ games and patterns so well – like others have said, they’re both over thinking, especially Stan. We’ll see if the quality can lift

April 20th, 2014 at 10:02 am

This is far from over. Stan is in decent form. Will know more by the middle of this set.

April 20th, 2014 at 10:02 am

Wow!!

April 20th, 2014 at 10:08 am

Amazing BHDTL to get the break back!

April 20th, 2014 at 10:08 am

Fed doing some magic shots today. What was that BH?!

April 20th, 2014 at 10:12 am

MC Clay closest to Roland Garros. Fed made final here 06-08–>smae years he made Roland Garros final….lost all 6 to Rafa. This is the 1st time he is in MC final without Rafa–>win Roland Garros?

April 20th, 2014 at 10:13 am

well, we’ll have to see if he can play RG first

April 20th, 2014 at 10:15 am

Stan’s movement and net play are SO improved, he’s like a new player.

April 20th, 2014 at 10:18 am

nadal needs to get his act together, he should stop playing like sh*t and focus more on the game, he’s losing to players he’s never lost to before, what the hell is wrong with him.

April 20th, 2014 at 10:21 am

It’s quite evenly matched, I would say, though Fed just bagged some great points there but two silly shots.

April 20th, 2014 at 10:26 am

Solid hold by stan. Really great shots. He seems more confident in that game.

I couldn’t believe the weather had changed so rapidly. Was supposed to be a happy glory day.

April 20th, 2014 at 10:30 am

Serve and volley on grass.

April 20th, 2014 at 10:32 am

On clay, I meant to say. Impressive.

April 20th, 2014 at 10:33 am

Well, could go to the wire, hopefully fed will hold his serve. Kind of relaxed though.

April 20th, 2014 at 10:36 am

Headed fo a TB.

April 20th, 2014 at 10:45 am

Damm, going to third set. At least Fed will serve first

April 20th, 2014 at 10:55 am

hats off wawa… he did not make one single unforced error on his serve in that breaker..fed again shanked one back hand and one forehand and bye bye the tie break..i do not know how he manages to that over and over again..love the drama though

April 20th, 2014 at 10:55 am

3rd set decider. Who will hold his nerves!

April 20th, 2014 at 10:55 am

Wow Stan had to serve big that last point to win the TB and he did. Winning a Slam gives you that kind of confidence. Now for the final act.

April 20th, 2014 at 10:55 am

Rog with an awful TB and its 1 set all.

April 20th, 2014 at 10:56 am

Stan holding up very well

April 20th, 2014 at 10:57 am

Josh, yes, but the fact he was able to pull back two points, under immense pressure to draw back to 6:5 was incredible in view. Still, he lost the set, but not by much. Now it’s all guns blazing. This is it. Nothing left to lose. Go for broke both!

April 20th, 2014 at 10:59 am

no first serve impact at all today

April 20th, 2014 at 11:00 am

why dont he just go home already fed??? this is painful to watch as always. lack of grit ..all over the place.. hope he wins. good bye folks ,, to hard to watch

April 20th, 2014 at 11:01 am

Uh oh. Have to say, Stan is looking so super confident. Fed? What’s going on?

April 20th, 2014 at 11:01 am

Fed was 3 pts away from a first MC title. Now he is already a break down in the third. Guess this will it.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:01 am

this is blowin opportunities again for fed to really make something about his record… he lost vs nole playing very bad breaker in indian wells and today again ..he could have had 2 masters 1000 already …

April 20th, 2014 at 11:02 am

Fed better hold this next service game and go to the change over to rethink. Wait for an oportunity next but he better get his act together now to stop the bleeding

April 20th, 2014 at 11:03 am

yeah but he is a break down because he errors too much way too much…last 14 points 10 unforced errors or something like that

April 20th, 2014 at 11:04 am

11-3 in the last points to WWa

April 20th, 2014 at 11:05 am

bye bye roger for today ..but totally imploding now totally…good for stan finally

April 20th, 2014 at 11:05 am

Wawrinka pulling away now – Rog needs something special. He’s getting frustrated with himself

April 20th, 2014 at 11:05 am

He definitely needs to be more aggressive VO. But still a way to go and that was a great shot by Fed. He just seems to have become a bit inconsistent in this game.

Come on Fed. Time to change.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:07 am

Fed is inventing with this FH slices. Finish the point

April 20th, 2014 at 11:08 am

That was a lazy shot from Fed.

Ah well.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:09 am

Can’t believe he lost that point when ad on. It would be 2-1. Just 1 break. Now he is 0-3 down. Totally desperate and lost (that drop shot at 40-40 just shows it). Poor shot selection over and over. Only a choke from Wawa lost him this match.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:10 am

I think he is making a record for most final lost this year. :(

Oh god….. he was winning :(

April 20th, 2014 at 11:11 am

What a turnaround!

On the one hand, we all knew what talent stan had,just has taken a few years, but witht he pummelling of Nadal at the AO and the pummelling of Ferrer yesterday, it seems that Stan is in pummelling mode against his “better” half.

I think this one is stan’s today. No matter. Great two sets, but now, am not enjoying this right now.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:11 am

nothing against stan ..but wasted opportunity for fed here.. i mean he is roger federer for gods sake and implodes like that??? on an all swiss final …pretty disspointing end to the match.. do not know ´what is going on sometimes with him ..but losing so many matches he should not lose over the course of these last 3-4 years..a pity. congrats stan..see you in madrid guys

April 20th, 2014 at 11:11 am

Wawa is in the zone now. This was an excelent return bu Fed and he balst a winner

April 20th, 2014 at 11:12 am

Smetimes seems he wait for the opponet to lose the match mentally instead of going for it.

Now he is rsiking getting baggled in the third

April 20th, 2014 at 11:14 am

clearly we will have to wait till wimbledon. there will be his only chance this year .

April 20th, 2014 at 11:15 am

1-3 in finals is year won’t look good either. For some one who wanted to win 5 titles he will have to reach 15 finals:-)

April 20th, 2014 at 11:15 am

His o ly shot is make his 2 service games and wait to see if Wawa will crumble next to the finish line. He can still feel some pressure close to beating Fed. Old demons

April 20th, 2014 at 11:17 am

gets on the board at last.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:17 am

Roger was just few points away to win three titles this year…

Brisbane, Indian Wells & Monte carlo… had he won those points this would be another year like 2012

April 20th, 2014 at 11:17 am

do not know what got into him playing so passive in that breaker ??? cannot believe it …now he is 1-3 finals this year arghhhhhhhhhhhh

April 20th, 2014 at 11:17 am

We see. We see. VO, reaching so many finals for fed this year, is a positive that no one could have foreseen comparing this to his season last year.

No one could have foreseen that rafa would not be in the final and take the trophy either.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:19 am

whyyyy stilll soo oo passivvveee damn it

April 20th, 2014 at 11:19 am

it is not positive..because he loses too much of them … period

April 20th, 2014 at 11:20 am

Would you rather him go out in earlier rounds VO? At least with the finals he is in with a chance of winning the trohpy. I fear not today though.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:22 am

Here we are then. 5-2. Stan had no trouble serving out the AO title to love, what will he do here..

April 20th, 2014 at 11:24 am

Well, Stan took it and Fed let it go. That tiebreaker cost him. Stan with GS confidence won’t crack as easily anymore. Good for him. A GS and a MS title before May. He will be dangerous this Clay Season and US Open later. Fed will be disappointed. This was his chance to win MC. Big dent in his confidence moving forward.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:24 am

Wow. Maybe he needs some more points like this

April 20th, 2014 at 11:25 am

Damm serve on the line

April 20th, 2014 at 11:25 am

This is it. Clay rwally is a favourite for Wawa. Reached all 3 masters final wonning his firts in MC.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:27 am

Stan moving to way over 6000 points in the rankings. Impressive. I can’t see him fading soon. Way to go Stan the Man. Fed will have to reassess again. These losses tend to bring more and more doubt. Again losing a big match after winning the first set.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:27 am

Sweeet Stan. Well done! Well done Roger on the brotherly hug, but honestly! Come on Roger!

Stan has to be in the with the running for the FO now.

Sean. STOP WITH THE PREDICTIONS PLEASE.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:29 am

Congrats Wawa. Delivering this year. AO, now MC. He is in contention for all clay titles as well this season. Hope to see him play Nadal before RG and Djoko if he is fit to play.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:29 am

He’s done it! Very sweet moment for Wawrinka, his first Masters 1000. He is The Man, but really feel for Federer, who has probably lost his chance to take this Monte Carlo title.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:30 am

Congrats to Stan. He punished Fed for a bad tiebreaker and then maturely pounced on him in decider. That’s what champions do. Deserved winner. Still, although this can’t help Fed’s confidence, he still should take positives out of MC. Let’s see how Madrid will go.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:30 am

Congrats Stan! Stan has now beaten the mighty Fedal in 2 finals this year.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:31 am

beats nadal to win his maiden GS
beats roger to win his maiden Masters title! Stan the man..he’s having an awesome year! truly deserved this win

STAN THE MAN

April 20th, 2014 at 11:31 am

Wawrinka has beaten Rafa, Djoko and Roger this season and is 6-0 against the Top 10, Fed is 2nd best with a 6-2 record now

April 20th, 2014 at 11:31 am

Oops! What happened just now?

April 20th, 2014 at 11:37 am

Who knows but i think stan has a chance to win calender grand slam given the way he is playing. He is not afraid of anyone anymore.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:39 am

@jatin let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He has played great but the Calendar Slam has been out of everyone’s reach for the past 45 years!

April 20th, 2014 at 11:41 am

jalin you’re joking right, stan has won his last slam, he’s not winning any grand slam, its not like his some young blood, he’s 29 older than nadal, murray, djokovic, i just hope all players will be fit, i want to see a great battle between them.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:42 am

Weird 2014, no doubt. Gotta credit Stan. He played very well. Stuck to his game and it paid off. Not bad for an alleged journeyman.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:45 am

Wawa beat fed who was most probably tired from yesterday. Suddenly he is going to win CYGS, maybe #1, maybe 17 slams …. ?? Calm down people.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:47 am

giles what happened just now..has never ever happened to nadal.he does not lose matches the way roger does..roger almost gives it away by will u feel..so really disappointed but kinda happy for stan…

April 20th, 2014 at 11:48 am

Congratulations to Stan the man. 2014 is definetely his year!

April 20th, 2014 at 11:49 am

And now I am going to watch “Sporting Greats – Rafael Nadal”

April 20th, 2014 at 11:49 am

A cry of anguish regarding coverage:

Sometimes I really hate technology. There is a sort of variant Parkinson’s Law that says, if you have a piece of technology then by God you are going to use it at every opportunity.

It happens in tournaments all over the world, and it’s been driving me mad this week – the curse of the action replay. Umpteen times, we’ve missed a serve because the TV director, rot his socks, was so busy showing a replay that we didn’t get back in time. It’s grotesque.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:52 am

Wow, thought the old Humvee was gonna stall b4 it started there…but it didn’t, found 4th and went racing away!
Well played Beefy!
Interesting though, thought Fed had tactics exactly right, come forward, come forward and take time away from Stan, and for almost 2 sets played better than Stan. Then suddenly, all over. He just can’t seem to keep the magic going these days.

April 20th, 2014 at 11:52 am

van orten. Your posts almost always put a smile on my face. :)

April 20th, 2014 at 11:54 am

@solomon and josh
He definitely has a great chance to win this year’s french open. His game on clay is amazing. Maybe its just emotions but even though i am die hard roger fan but i am nothing but deeply impressed with Stan.
His game and the power he put on his ground strokes is something to admire. I still remember that first set against rafa in aussie open final. He was destroying him and same thing happened again against roger today in the final set and this guy always trouble novak… So things are looking good for him…. Very good indeed

April 20th, 2014 at 11:56 am

So Fed lost because he was tired?

No, this was Stan Wawrinka; we all know (we’ve been told enough times) that it’s only Andy Murray who scores his victories that way!

April 20th, 2014 at 11:58 am

And if i recall correctly then stan crushed the fourth member of big 4 last year in the US open and in monte carlo with scoreline i think (6-1,6-2)

So. You cannot take him lightly anymore…

April 20th, 2014 at 12:02 pm

Van orten: instead of criticising Roger why not congratulate Stan. He was the better player and he deserves the win. It also consolidates and verifies his triumph over Djokovich and Nadal at AO. At last someone is opening up the field of top contenders. As far as I’m concerned I remain in awe of Roger especially after this week. I remain in awe of him as a player and a person. That doesn’t mean that he can do no wrong in my eyes, it doesn’t mean I demand anything of him other than to see him play his glorious tennis and it doesn’t mean he owes me anything as a fan. It seems that there are some things Roger is never destined to achieve but what does it matter? At this stage of his career all you can do is appreciate his determination to continue to entertain us and be thankful for what he has done for the sport, as Stan remarked in his speech. Congratulations to Stan. He’s strong, creative and interesting and I hope his time near or hopefully at the top is here to stay.

April 20th, 2014 at 12:05 pm

So beefy.

April 20th, 2014 at 12:06 pm

I agree with purcell.

Just watching Roger on the court means so much to me as a fan . Win or lose, who cares. He is a Legend and has nothing to prove.
What would tennis be without him ?
He is the reason why i started watching tennis in the first place. But you got to give credit when its due and Stan the man really deserved it…

April 20th, 2014 at 12:14 pm

Only one guy can win calendar slam this year & it’s Stan. Inarguable until the conclusion of the FO. Way to go @ MC, Stanimal! Most impressive…

April 20th, 2014 at 12:17 pm

Did anyone ever take stan lightly?

My question is why has it taken Stan so long to break through? He is an awesome player. Watching his backhand is just beautiful. He keeps it very low and just hits it with such force. Watch the replay and enjoy!

Well done Fed for an awesome year so far however. Reaching so many finals and going up 4 places from no. 8. Who could have foreseen that in the predictions sean set up at the beginning of the year?

Stan is No. 1 in the race to London now. (How can that be?_(and No. 1 favourite for RG (can see that only as a possibility, but seriously? Who is going to knock out rafa?). Also talk of him ending the year as Number 1!

Wow! what a show we have on here!

April 20th, 2014 at 12:18 pm

you have to admit that sometimes even the maestro gets simply outplayed fair and square. wawa is a fellow maestro now as masters and slam winner . wawa is a champion . interesting things to come in 2014.

April 20th, 2014 at 12:27 pm

This has been a great year so far. May as well make it a “Big Five” if Stan continues to play like this. True, he is the only one who can do the Calendar Slam this year, but we must be realistic as well. Roger, Rafa and Novak all won 3 Slams in a year in their best years, but it is just that difficult to be consistently good across all 4 surfaces given the physical/mental nature of the sport
We should enjoy what we are seeing, and I hope my other favourite player can return to the action at some point this year :)

April 20th, 2014 at 12:30 pm

on the dirt u have ferrer, nole ,fed and wawa being rafas main contenders for titles. madrid is fast. aggressive tennis will be key there too.

@madmax

stan is all in for a huge year

April 20th, 2014 at 12:38 pm

people need to get a grip on stan.
he won the oz open because nadal couldn’t serve over 150km/h.

basically any top 20 player would beat nadal in a slam final if nadal could only serve second serves. and plenty more outside the top 20, in fact.

stan won this tournament avoiding the two best clay courters, nadal and djoker. a gaping hole opened up.

so let’s get some perspective. he’s doing well. but come on.

April 20th, 2014 at 1:09 pm

“people need to get a grip on stan.
he won the oz open because nadal couldn’t serve over 150km/h.”.

lol,

You need to get a grip on reality. Who did Stan defeat in the semies? who?

#realitycheck
#lookpastyourlongnose

April 20th, 2014 at 1:17 pm

Couldnt watch the match
Bit disappointed
I expected him to win in brisbane and monte carlo. Fed has a problem in winning finals.
Since winning cincinatti 2012 he reached 9 finals and won only two titles
Come on. What happenene to federer?

April 20th, 2014 at 1:19 pm

All these finale defeats are hurting now. He is in good form but lacks the killer instinct.
And for stan. How on earth he turned his form around after being rubbish at IW, miami and DC

April 20th, 2014 at 1:26 pm

roy, why not come out and say it? No one beats rafa, right?

Problem is. You are wrong. Many players now get his scalp, who didn’t before. Nothing wrong in that. True professionals come back and fight the next round, as I am sure he will, as will Roger, as will Novak.

April 20th, 2014 at 1:48 pm

Sean, I tried to tell you, Stan is just a better clay court player!

I think this is a significant win. Stan is officially out of “possible flash in the pan” and into legitimate Big Five discussion. Is he now #1 in points race in 2014 after 4 months?

I have a feeling the Rafa-Novak duopoly is past its due date. Wawrinka and Fed are real challengers, and I am sure Andy Murray will work his way back into the mix too- if Novak misses any tournaments it will really give those three more chances to gain momentum. Raonic and Dolgo are also in the wings as upset-lurkers, with Dmitrov and Nishikori close behind them.

April 20th, 2014 at 2:08 pm

really gutted at fed’s loss, but finalist in MC itself is a good result.

common fed, do it in madrid!!

April 20th, 2014 at 2:16 pm

People shouldn’t overreact because of Stan’s first Masters title. Sure he is playing great and all but he is definitely not going the win the calender slam. Better players than him couldn’t do it.
He didn’t do very well in IW and Miami after his AO win, so why should he rule all year now? He did not become unbeatable all of a sudden. Being the favourite for RG because of one title now? What happened to Djokovic winning finally this year at RG?
Stan was surely beatable yesterday, but Fed couldn’t close it out. He won when he wasn’t the favourite. Can he win when he is the big favourite? Not sure about that. It’s a totally different situation. The other top guys had to handle that pressure for years. Rafa only makes headlines when he loses on clay, when he wins it’s just normal for people. Stan is very far away from this kind of pressure.

April 21st, 2014 at 8:59 am

People shouldn’t overreact because of Stan’s first Masters title. Sure he is playing great and all but he is definitely not going the win the calender slam. Better players than him couldn’t do it.
He didn’t do very well in IW and Miami after his AO win, so why should he rule all year now? He did not become unbeatable all of a sudden. Being the favourite for RG because of one title now? What happened to Djokovic winning finally this year at RG?
Stan was surely beatable yesterday, but Fed couldn’t close it out. He won when he wasn’t the favourite. Can he win wheyearsn he is the big favourite? Not sure about that. It’s a totally different situation. The other top guys had to handle that pressure for . Rafa only makes headlines when he loses on clay, when he wins it’s just normal for people. Stan is very far away from this kind of pressure.

April 21st, 2014 at 9:00 am

Here’s “the grip” on Stan.
This year he has won AO ( SLAM ) and a MASTERS on Clay. Watch out with this guy on Clay the remainder of the Clay season ( if he doesn’t burn out or get hurt ).

Stan has a grip on you!

April 21st, 2014 at 3:23 pm

@Alexandra @8:59 am

A great sensible opost…….agree 100%!
Stan has now, at age 29, achieved these two titles, slow start to winning slams and master’s events. We will see what unfolds for him. He is playing really well right now. Should be interesting.

April 21st, 2014 at 4:29 pm