The Unofficial French Open Thread 2013

#26
#26
MphsBlues said:
Upon reflection, I should have checked the draw before predicting Bouchard would make some noise this tourney. She ran into Sharapova 2nd round. She's one to watch for in the future, in my opinion.
Nadal dropped set to Klizan before taking him out. I still like Rafa to win it.
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I'm starting to have my doubts about whether Rafa should be expected to beat Djokovic if/when they meet up. Djokovic is in "bionic destruction" mode, and Rafa is dropping sets to Martin Klizan.
 
#28
#28
I don't think Dimitrov is going to give Djokovic as good a match as people are suggesting. I think Djoker will win in three sets.
 
#29
#29
MphsBlues said:
Raonic is frustrating to watch. Mac just said that his game is one that everyone has been watching for to get to the next level. Watching for, but not seeing.
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John McEnroe is basically full of bullcrap. That has nothing to do with Raonic and everything to do with McEnroe being full of bullcrap. His opinion and commentating is entertaining, I guess, but completely void of consistency. Depending on what match he is calling, he is very likely to call one of the two players "the greatest player of all time," or, some shot during the match "the greatest shot of all time."
 
#30
#30
beergood said:
Any of you get the direct tv package where you have the option of 6 (?) matches?
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Man, that would be awesome. Right now I'd take getting to see one live match per day in high definition.

I get to see a little of ESPN's coverage as I'm getting ready for work but that's it. I don't get the tennis channel at work so I'm SOL.

I promise you that nothing makes you feel more like the biggest dork in the room than checking the internet sports' ticker for tennis scores all day long.
 
#31
#31
kidbourbon said:
I don't think Dimitrov is going to give Djokovic as good a match as people are suggesting. I think Djoker will win in three sets.
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Agree. I like Dimitrov's game a lot, but right now he (and his game) isn't built to last against the big boys in grand slam best of five matches.

I'll give him the first or second set here, but he goes down in four routine sets.
 
#32
#32
kidbourbon said:
I'm starting to have my doubts about whether Rafa should be expected to beat Djokovic if/when they meet up. Djokovic is in "bionic destruction" mode, and Rafa is dropping sets to Martin Klizan.
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Don't doubt just yet. I think history shows, except for those couple years where Nadal simply was an unstoppable juggernaut in Paris*, that he has played some shaky tennis in the first week of grand slams throughout his career on all surfaces.

It seems silly to even say this, but the best chance to take Nadal out at these slams is to get him in the first week. Nadal plays tense and defensive until he gets into his groove during the second week. And by the time he hits his groove, it's too late to touch him. The problem is that his opponents during the first week of slams are scared xxxxless to play him and he gets the wins.

I think the sets he has lost so far this week are representative of that trend. Sometimes those early rounds guys show up with a nothing-to-lose attitude and might take a set off of Nadal. To be fair to Brands, had he won that second set tie-breaker in the first round, he just might've knocked Nadal out a la Buster Douglas v. Tyson.

Doesn't matter cos Nadal will be in full form when he meets Djokovic in the semi-final. Heavy, damp conditions favor Djokovic. If the sun pops out and dries things off, then I see Nadal in four close sets (maybe a break in each set and/or a couple tie break sets).

Only after we see the carnage from that match will we know what the final has in store regardless of the player that makes it through in the bottom half of the draw.
 
#33
#33
DyronNix said:
John McEnroe is basically full of bullcrap. That has nothing to do with Raonic and everything to do with McEnroe being full of bullcrap. His opinion and commentating is entertaining, I guess, but completely void of consistency. Depending on what match he is calling, he is very likely to call one of the two players "the greatest player of all time," or, some shot during the match "the greatest shot of all time."
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That is probably the worst post I've seen you put on these threads. And not fair. Mac has always had his problems, but he is pretty fair in his calling. He may be likely to call Fed the greatest, but that's probably because he is. You act like he does it at random.
 
#34
#34
I was kinda doing the tongue-in-cheek thing there with the Johnny Mac post. He is one of my top 4 fav players of all time.

But you gotta admit that he gets a little carried away with himself as a commentator. Since 2008, he has referred to Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic as the greatest player to play the game depending on which player had just won a particular slam.

I was actually shocked when he first proclaimed RF the GOAT back in 2006. I thought it was premature. But now that he has also called Nadal and Djokovic the same in recent times, I realized it's just him talking out his rear end.

Time will tell where these guys rank after they've completed their careers. Until then, I've learned to take what Johnny Mac says about such things with a grain of salt.
 
#35
#35
DyronNix said:
I was kinda doing the tongue-in-cheek thing there with the Johnny Mac post. He is one of my top 4 fav players of all time.

But you gotta admit that he gets a little carried away with himself as a commentator. Since 2008, he has referred to Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic as the greatest player to play the game depending on which player had just won a particular slam.

I was actually shocked when he first proclaimed RF the GOAT back in 2006. I thought it was premature. But now that he has also called Nadal and Djokovic the same in recent times, I realized it's just him talking out his rear end.

Time will tell where these guys rank after they've completed their careers. Until then, I've learned to take what Johnny Mac says about such things with a grain of salt.
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Gotcha. Fair enough. I've always thought you were sensible and quite knowledgeable about the game. :peace2:
 
#37
#37
DyronNix said:
Don't doubt just yet. I think history shows, except for those couple years where Nadal simply was an unstoppable juggernaut in Paris*, that he has played some shaky tennis in the first week of grand slams throughout his career on all surfaces.

It seems silly to even say this, but the best chance to take Nadal out at these slams is to get him in the first week. Nadal plays tense and defensive until he gets into his groove during the second week. And by the time he hits his groove, it's too late to touch him. The problem is that his opponents during the first week of slams are scared xxxxless to play him and he gets the wins.

I think the sets he has lost so far this week are representative of that trend. Sometimes those early rounds guys show up with a nothing-to-lose attitude and might take a set off of Nadal. To be fair to Brands, had he won that second set tie-breaker in the first round, he just might've knocked Nadal out a la Buster Douglas v. Tyson.

Doesn't matter cos Nadal will be in full form when he meets Djokovic in the semi-final. Heavy, damp conditions favor Djokovic. If the sun pops out and dries things off, then I see Nadal in four close sets (maybe a break in each set and/or a couple tie break sets).

Only after we see the carnage from that match will we know what the final has in store regardless of the player that makes it through in the bottom half of the draw.
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I'm curious what the odds will be ifwhen they play.
 
#38
#38
kidbourbon said:
Johnny Mac. Gotta love that guy.
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1980, I believe it was. We were playing Argentina in the Davis Cup. Clerc had already played and Mac was playing Guillermo Vilas. Vilas hit an ace, but the overrule came and Mac just looked at the ump like he was an idiot. The second serve came, and Mac just waved at it and let it go. He got a standing ovation that lasted a long time. That pretty well won me over, even in Davis Cup.
Can't find it anywhere on the net, though.
 
#39
#39
Strange match. Roger seemed a bit gimpy after his spill. Now we're going to a fifth. Simon has played a good match, but as one of the commentators said, I was already looking past him.
 
#46
#46
Djokovic v. Haas
Fed. v. Tsonga
Ferrer v. Robredo
Nadal v. Stan The Man

Who do y'all like between Fed and Tsonga?
 
#47
#47
QF Current Odds:
Ferrer -1575
Robredo +1088

Fed -175
Jo Willie +155

Djoker -875
Haas +588

Nadal -1400
Stan +1000
 
#48
#48
Everything I know about betting and betting lines, I've learned from kb in the tennis threads. Admittedly, I know little.

But those betting lines on Ferrer/Robredo and Djokovic/Haas seem off.

If I read them right, the oddsmakers are saying that there are greater odds for Robredo to take out Ferrer than are the odds of Wawrinka to take out Rafa. Or can you not compare odds like that? Not saying that Robredo will win, but the odds of him beating Ferrer are a lot better than Wawrinka beating Rafa.

And, if for instance, the oddsmakers are penalizing Robredo due to his age and the fact he has played three five setters, shouldn't Haas also be penalized for his age and five setters played in this FO not to mention the fact that he is playing the number one seed and player in the world?

What am I missing?
 
#49
#49
[Youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWGTpDB2eKk[/Youtube]

Fancy shot, but not fancy enough to prompt Ivanovic's unforced error.
 
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#50
#50
DyronNix said:
Everything I know about betting and betting lines, I've learned from kb in the tennis threads. Admittedly, I know little.

But those betting lines on Ferrer/Robredo and Djokovic/Haas seem off.

If I read them right, the oddsmakers are saying that there are greater odds for Robredo to take out Ferrer than are the odds of Wawrinka to take out Rafa. Or can you not compare odds like that? Not saying that Robredo will win, but the odds of him beating Ferrer are a lot better than Wawrinka beating Rafa.

And, if for instance, the oddsmakers are penalizing Robredo due to his age and the fact he has played three five setters, shouldn't Haas also be penalized for his age and five setters played in this FO not to mention the fact that he is playing the number one seed and player in the world?

What am I missing?
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The larger the minus number, the more favored the guy is. Ferrer was favored that big over Robredo because Robredo has zero chance in a million years of beating him. Ferrer is the steadiest player on the tour. He doesn't pull upsets, but nobody upsets him either. He just beats who he is supposed to. And so when you combine the fact that he is a way better tennis player than Robredo with the added consideration that Robredo is clearly gassed at this point, I can understand the long odds on that match.

And did you see the scoreline?
 
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