2015 Tennis Thread: the Nadal farewell tour?

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Just watched Serena Williams absolutely destroy Carla Suarez Navarro to take the Miami women's title.  The real match of the tournament, though, was Serena-Halep on Thursday night, where Halep showed that she can hang around even when Serena's firing on all cylinders, her elite speed can help her extend rallies, and she can eventually draw enough errors to actually compete with Serena.  Was a great match.
 
On the men's side, it's Djokovic-Murray for the title tomorrow at 1pm.  A great way to spend the early afternoon.  Good ol' An-deh has actually looked more solid than Novak on their way through: Djokovic dropped a set to qualifier Klizan, a tiebreak set to rising contender Dolgopolov, and was pushed hard by David Ferrer before having a relatively easy semi vs Isner.  Murray dropped a 1st set to junkballing journeyman Dominic Thiem in the quarters, but has otherwise cruised to the finals on the back of his tremendous speed and some great net play.
 
And after that, we're on to clay court season.  Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, and ultimately Paris.  Where power gets neutralized and creative shots are rewarded.  Should be a great season.
 
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Nobody watching Murray-Djokovic?  Murray's playing out of his mind but made two careless errors in the 1st set tiebreak.  I think he might take the 2nd.

edit: and does, breaking Nole at love.
 

Matty005

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Hard to root for Murray when he was constantly yelling at his box (his trainer maybe) today.  Novak is head and shoulders above everyone right now.  But even with Rafa struggling, I still have his as the favorite for the French Open.
 
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Matty005 said:
Hard to root for Murray when he was constantly yelling at his box (his trainer maybe) today.  Novak is head and shoulders above everyone right now.  But even with Rafa struggling, I still have his as the favorite for the French Open.
 
Well, Djokovic was the one who was warned by the chair ump for yelling at his box and angrily snatching a towel from the ball boy, who looked visibly startled.
 
But yeah, while Rafa still has all 4 limbs attached, he's the favorite for Roland Garros.
 
Anyway, this twitter exchange between Murray and Federer is pretty funny.  Here's a preview:
 
 

fletcherpost

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I watched the Murray match but I have to say I bailed at 4-0 in the third. Murray's struggling with Novak at the moment, the Serb is clearly in his head. Their matches are slug fests, physically and mentally draining and it's like Murray can hang with Novak, but can't ride it out when his level drops for a bit. I've seen countless matches between the two where Novak's level drops off for a bit, but he tends to get it back. Murray on the other hands often goes into total melt down. I think partly because he winds himself up and expends so much nervous energy yelling and screaming.
 
FWIW: Murray's shouty behaviour is not uncommon for a Scot. You take the rough with the smooth and good with the bad. He shouts and screams cos he's fiesty, he cares, he's losing and he's knackered and doesn't know what to do. All that shouting to the box is really directed inwards, he's angry with himself. I totally get why he gets himself into such tizzes.
 
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fletcherpost said:
All that shouting to the box is really directed inwards, he's angry with himself. I totally get why he gets himself into such tizzes.
 
Yeah, no different than Serena, really, or half a dozen top players.  Murray's not an ass, it's just that his way of coping with stress is to sublimate some anger.
 
But if we're going to psychoanalyze the man over his inability to beat the world #1, let's not forget that even at his peak from 2012-2013, Murray at best fought Djokovic to a draw:
 
- 2012 Aus Open semis: crazy 5-setter that Djokovic won 7-5 in the 5th.
- 2012 Dubai semis: pretty tidy 2-setter for Murray
- 2012 Miami finals: tough 2-set win for Djokovic, via 2nd-set tiebreak
- 2012 Olympics semis: Novak cracks in the end to give Murray a 7-5, 7-5 win at Wimby. 2 days later he pretty decisively knocks Federer around in 3 straight sets for the Gold
- 2012 US Open finals: Murray is nails in the first 2, refusing to crack at the toughest times, then coughs up 2 sets, then cranks a 6-2 5th set to take the major
- 2012 Shanghai finals: Murray takes the 1st, drops a crazy-town 13-11 tiebreak in the 2nd where he held a few match points, and Djokovic takes the 3rd and the title
- 2012 Tour Finals round-robin: Djokovic in 3, including a 7-5 3rd set
- 2013 Aus Open finals: Murray badly drops a 1st-set tiebreak, takes a 2nd-set tiebreak, and then hands Djokovic 2 easy sets to give him the major
- 2013 Wimbledon finals: In what was doubtless the best match Andy Murray has ever played, takes a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 straight sets win for his 2nd major
 
So even in that stretch of Andy Awesome, he was 4-5 vs Novak.  Since that day, Djokovic has won 7 straight, with Murray basically being somewhat competitive for a while in each match, sometimes stealing a set, but then cracking in the end.  Yeah, the difference can be focus, especially on the big points.  But maybe he's just not as good as Djokovic - not as sharp with his shotmaking, not consistent enough on his 1st serves, not creative enough in his choices or subtle enough to disguise or confuse.  Murray basically has the same toolkit as Djokovic - incredible returning, great speed and footwork, and consistency on picking bold shots.  Murray just does dumb things more often - like that point yesterday where he hit 3 straight overhand smashes, only hit them right at Novak, they kept coming back, and he eventually missed.
 
Or maybe, nobody can beat Djokovic at all right now no matter who he's playing.  He's 25-2 on the year, dropping the Dubai final to Federer in straight sets, and the Doha quarters to the big-serving Karlovic in a razor-thin decision.  Last year he was 61-8, not exactly Peak Federer consistency but pretty damn close.  He took 7 titles, including Wimbledon.  Losses were to Wawrinka in Melbourne, Federer x3, Nadal in Paris obviously, Tsonga, Robredo (somehow), and Nishikori in Queens.  Murray's ranked #3, but Djokovic has more than double Murray's ranking points.  The guy's a tank.
 
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sports bettors among us: this may be the year to bet against Nadal winning the French Open. he was taken out a few days ago at one of the major clay court-season tournaments, Barcelona, by something called a Fabio Fognini. If he falls out in odd fashion at Madrid, that will go double, but then you wont get much in the way of odds.

I'm a huge Nadal fan, but his forehand has been atrocious this year. bet Djokovic or the field.
 
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So Djokovic doesn't play Madrid this year, and Nadal manages to cruise to the finals vs Murray.  Andy then undresses him in 2 sets - Nadal seemed to lack confidence on his backhand and was often content to try and draw errors out of Murray.  Nadal's serve lacked its usual bite that would get him a quick advantage in a point (full credit to Murray's defense there), and Murray had incredible shot placement that negated Nadal's usual ability to cover ground.  It's the first Masters 1000 title for Murray since Miami 2013, more than 2 years ago.  As a result, Rafa's ranking drops to 7 (would have remained #4 with a win).
 
Up next is Rome, which will be Rafa's last chance before Paris to prove that he can still hang with the big boys on clay.  Djokovic will be back in the draw.  I think we're watching the end of Nadal's reign on clay here.
 

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MentalDisabldLst said:
So Djokovic doesn't play Madrid this year, and Nadal manages to cruise to the finals vs Murray.  Andy then undresses him in 2 sets - Nadal seemed to lack confidence on his backhand and was often content to try and draw errors out of Murray.  Nadal's serve lacked its usual bite that would get him a quick advantage in a point (full credit to Murray's defense there), and Murray had incredible shot placement that negated Nadal's usual ability to cover ground.  It's the first Masters 1000 title for Murray since Miami 2013, more than 2 years ago.  As a result, Rafa's ranking drops to 7 (would have remained #4 with a win).
 
Up next is Rome, which will be Rafa's last chance before Paris to prove that he can still hang with the big boys on clay.  Djokovic will be back in the draw.  I think we're watching the end of Nadal's reign on clay here.
Never underestimate Rafa at Roland Garros. Until someone beats him he is still the favorite in my book.
 

BigMike

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Yikes what a draw in theory for Roger.  Obviously things don't play to form, but theses would be the quarterfinal matchups
 
1) Novak Djokovic
6) Rafa Nadal
 
3) Andy Murray
7) David Ferrer
 
4) Ken Nishikori
5) Tomas Berdych
 
2) Roger Federer
8) Stan Wawrinka
 

jezza1918

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BigMike said:
Yikes what a draw in theory for Roger.  Obviously things don't play to form, but theses would be the quarterfinal matchups
 
1) Novak Djokovic
6) Rafa Nadal
 
3) Andy Murray
7) David Ferrer
 
4) Ken Nishikori
5) Tomas Berdych
 
2) Roger Federer
8) Stan Wawrinka
Worth noting that to get to the quarters, Fed will have to beat Monfils, who has taken the GOAT out the last two times they have played on clay. Most recently in straight sets in Monte Carlo.
 
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Some good early-round action.  Serena's first round just starting up - she's on track to meet Azarenka in the 3rd Rd (a serious test for her).  Nadal cruised in straights; Djokovic did too, but not without a pretty big 2nd-set hiccup.  (unseeded) Sloane Stephens took out Venus yesterday, who was seeded 15th.  #16 Madison Keys just beat a fellow American.
 
Terrible draw for Nadal, as BigMike points out - he'd likely have to go through every other member of the Big 4 to win his 10th French Open title.  Seriously though, his 10th?  Good christ.
 
While I'm at it, here's my "most likely to beat Serena Williams" list, in descending order of likelihood, with the round they would meet in:
 
1. Victoria Azarenka (3rd Rd) - if fully healthy, and she looks to be, has incredible power and shot placement
2. Carla Suarez-Navarro (Finals) - can chase down anything on a slow clay court, great at avoiding errors, good slide
3. Simona Halep (Finals) - elite speed and court vision, has the return game to actually stand up to the Serena serve
4. Caroline Wozniacki (Qtrs) - one word: Stuttgart. Beat Carla & Simona back to back; somehow lost to Kerber in the final. Not much recent success vs her BFF, but she's not totally out of her league against her.
5. Sabina Lisicki (Finals) - tremendously inconsistent, but if on her A game, can play with anyone
6. Garbine Muruguza (Finals) - up-and-coming, with huge power and aggressive play, has history vs Serena and gave her a real match in Melbourne
 
Everybody else? <5% shot at Serena, unless she's injured.  She'll probably meet Bouchard or Kvitova in the semis if she gets there, which for Serena is as close to a Bye as you get.
 

jon abbey

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And Bouchard is already out, Kvitova barely survived today too, 6-4 in the 3rd. 
 
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Usually there's nothing remarkable about a Serena Williams 1st-round match, unless she's returning to Indian Wells or something.  But today had one hilarious moment: she mis-read a lob, and as she ran back in the court she fumbled it so badly that the ball hit her in the back.  She just about died laughing, too.  Link to video.  Well worth your 34 seconds.
 

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Halep goes out easily in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1, one potential roadblock for Serena gone. 
 

fletcherpost

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MentalDisabldLst said:
Usually there's nothing remarkable about a Serena Williams 1st-round match, unless she's returning to Indian Wells or something.  But today had one hilarious moment: she mis-read a lob, and as she ran back in the court she fumbled it so badly that the ball hit her in the back.  She just about died laughing, too.  Link to video.  Well worth your 34 seconds.
 
Just read youir post on 7th April...good stuff, just wanted to credit where due.
 
Regarding Murray...he's saying his back is as good as it's been in a while. He seems to be enjoying his time with his new coach, so it'll be interesting to see how things go in the next three slams. Novak has his number no doubt and has been able to get in his head. (They've known each other as friends for a long time and Novak clearly has the mental edge. I think he knows how and when to push the buttons.)
 
Beating Nadal on clay in Madrid has to give Murray confidence. I think Novak will win the French, but Murray has a damn good chance of winning Wimbledon and/or the US.
 
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Murray just dropped his 2nd set to Sousa after winning the 1st.
 
edit: had a tough 3rd set that he finished brilliantly, playing some incredible defensive points.  Pretty much blew Sousa away in the 4th.
 
Meanwhile, Caro Wozniacki goes down in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6(4).  Another serious contender out.  But keep a watch for Serena's 3rd-round match against Azarenka - that will be the highlight of the first week, I'd say.
 
In related news, Sloane Stephens won her 2nd round match.  One more win (against an unseeded opponent) and she'll face the Serena-Azarenka winner in the round of 16.
 
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Gael Monfils, by far the most fun French player to watch - and the most enigmatic - was dead and buried in his match, down 2 Sets to 1 and down 2 breaks, 4-1, in the 4th. He's up against #21 seeded Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay.

with the crowd standing, cheering like mad, starting waves and chants worthy of a soccer match, Monfils stages a furious rally to blow away Cuevas and now leads the set 5-4, on-serve. I dunno if he's going to pull out the set and force a 5th, never mind win it, but he plays with so much whimsy and abandon that it's awesome (and sometimes hilarious) to watch.

edit: takes the 4th set after his 3rd break in a row. Going to a 5th. the soccer-style singing continues throughout the commercial break. Now theyre singing La Marseillaise, good christ, it's like Casablanca or something.

edit2: and he takes the 5th set in style, 6-3. Game, set, match, Sideshow Bob. He'll face Federer on Sunday in the round of 16. The standing-room-only crowd was up and cheering the whole damn time. I'm not sure i've ever seen more enthusiasm in a tennis arena, other than Murray winning Wimbledon.
 
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In other French Open news today:
 
Women:
- Serena-slayer and fast-rising 21yo Garbine Muguruza rallied from a set down to take out #11 Angelique Kerber.  She's fast becoming one of my favorite players to watch: a big-swinger, who goes for broke often, and also a real hottie.
- Carla Suarez-Navarro goes down to Italy's Flavia Pennetta in straight sets; Pennetta faces Muguruza next in the R16
- #20 Sabine Lisicki, former Wimbledon finalist and the 2nd-biggest server on the tour after Serena, goes down in her usual inconsistent fashion to Safarova despite being up a break in both sets.
- The number of realistic challengers to Serena, by my assessment, is now down to 2: Azarenka, whom she faces tomorrow afternoon (~2pm ET), and Muguruza on the other side of the draw - although Sloane Stephens is always a wild-card, and would face her in the R16 on Monday.
- 2008 champion and former world #1 Ana Ivanovic has blown away her 3 opponents so far, and might be a big challenge to Sharapova if they meet in the semis.
 
Men:
- Anyone looking for early-morning Saturday entertainment can turn on Murray-Kyrgios, the 1st match of the day tomorrow.  Murray took out Profane Nick in the Aussie quarters earlier this year, and has generally had his number, but Kyrgios has a top-5 serve on tour and can be streaky.
- If you want to see how Nadal's looking, he's playing the 3rd match (~10-11am ET) on Lenglen court tomorrow.  ESPN3 should have it.
- The French are defending their home turf like it's the Battle of Tours.  Besides #14 Tsonga and #13 Monfils, #12 Gilles Simon and #20 Gasquet are all through to the Round of 16, and Chardy might join them if he can upset #17 Goffin tomorrow.  Tsonga next plays #4 Berdych, Simon plays #8 Wawrinka, and if Gasquet beats Kevin Anderson he'll play Djokovic, so they've got big opportunities to make some noise.
- Federer's straight-sets win today was over 88th-ranked Bosnian, 22yo Damir Dzumhur, who had grown up idolizing Federer and had posters in his bedroom and such.  He was kinda star-struck out there.
 
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Nadal, despite being comfortably up 2 sets, doesn't look like himself. Giving up on chasing some balls down, and having no consistency on his down-the-line shots. I've seen him make errors that would embarrass a qualifier. This might be good enough to get him to the quarters, but Djokovic will eat his lunch if he's playing like this.
 
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Serena's down a set and a break to Azarenka. I still think she's ill. and probably heading out of the tournament. bye-bye, chance at a grand slam.

A pity she ran into one of the half-dozen women on tour who can beat a Serena-at-90%.

edit: Serena has gone into Hulk Mode, which is what makes her so compelling to watch. shaking off the dust, she's serving and hitting harder, and just blew Azarenka away to take the last 4 games and the set, 6-4. going to a 3rd now.
 

BigMike

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Roger with a rocking chair first set against Monfils, but then Roger has a miserably poor start to the second set.
 
Is it just me, or is the ball harder to follow with this camera angle they have on NBC than any other tournament.  I know where the ball is by watching the players, but man I am not seeing it well at all, and that normally has net been an issue for me
 
Ugh, huge giveaway by Roger there, may come back to haunt him
 
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Today thus far:
 
- Serena looks like she couldn't beat a qualifier today, nevermind Sloane Stephens.  Was broken 3 of 4 services games, lost first set 6-1.  Unforced errors 15 to 2.
- Roger finishes off Monfils in 4 sets, much to the dismay of the crowd
- Sharapova loses to #13 Safarova, who had never before even been to the Round of 16 in a major
- Garbine Muguruza blows away Flavia Pennetta, heads into the quarters
- Murray has dropped a set to unseeded frenchman Jeremy Chardy, now on-serve in the 3rd
 

fletcherpost

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Hopefully Normal service resumed for Murray, up a break in the fourth, leading 2-1 in sets. It's a bit of a grudge match as Chardy wasn't happy Murray retired from the Rome Masters after beating Chardy. Why it would bother Chardy I don't know, but it did a little.
 
Murray far from his best and if he gets through he has a well rested Ferrer who dispatched Cilic in straight sets comfortably. He has to up his game, but he's nowhere near the level he found in the Madrid Masters.
 

jon abbey

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Serena seems to have woken up again, at least temporarily. She just played a great game to finally break Stephens, up 4-3 and serving now.
 

jon abbey

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Stephens breaks back and isn't going away, both are playing very well right now, but Serena is just a few points from the brink. 
 

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Serena blows a break point at 4-4 and goes down 5-4, but promptly runs off three straight games to take the set 7-5. Going to the third now, they are back on the Tennis Channel. 
 

fletcherpost

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Serena really blows hot and cold these days. I wonder if it's just that she's at the tail end of her career and it's a focus thing.
 
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serena has an injured elbow, i'm like 80% sure. her serve has been 10-15mph off her usual, and at times 20+. but her timing and decisions are as good as always, at least after that abysmal 1st set. (edit: that's not just speculation, she referred to it in her post-match press conference after the Azarenka match)

now up a break in the 3rd, 3-2. she can serve it out.

In other news, Nadal is up 2 breaks on the last American in the men's field, Jack Sock, who may be the future of men's tennis, Isner notwithstanding. 3-0 in the first.
 

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fletcherpost said:
Serena really blows hot and cold these days. I wonder if it's just that she's at the tail end of her career and it's a focus thing.
 
Serena is just toying with us. She wants us to write her off so she can pull off another incredible come-back. Actually, clay is her worst surface. I'm not surprised that she's slogging her way through these games. But, yes, she probably is at the tail end of her career.
 

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Chris Evert was commenting on that match and saying that she retired at the same age that Serena is now (34) in large part because she couldn't consistently motivate like she did for so many years before that.
 

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Just watched the last few points. Mr Sock is playing some decent stuff. Nadal has had some time violations. I have mixed feelings cos I want Nadal V Novak to be a five set marathon and i think it;s fair to say Nadal is not at his best, or most confident.
 
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jon abbey said:
Chris Evert was commenting on that match and saying that she retired at the same age that Serena is now (34) in large part because she couldn't consistently motivate like she did for so many years before that.
 
There was a lengthy biographical article on Serena - might have been in Ebony, or Vanity Fair, or something very non-sportsy - that quoted her as talking about how she hates practicing, would absolutely consider quitting if she had to go a long time without playing in tournaments, but that she loves and lives for playing real matches in real tournaments.  That atmosphere and pressure on the court in big moments is what she can't do without.  And you can see that edge in the matches where she gets angry.  She very nearly destroyed a racket today against Sloane, and that was the turning point, at 1-2 down in the 2nd set.  You could see her get angry, the announcers talked about how much better she plays when she's angry (which isn't the case for just about any other player), and she proceeded to kick her game into 5th gear.  She didn't blow Sloane Stephens away after that, but the match proceeded very slowly and deliberately in Serena's direction from that point on.
 
I have no idea how she's playing so well through this apparent injury.  But, I have little doubt that she will continue playing until her body just can't keep up the strain anymore.  Motivation just isn't a limiting factor for her.
 
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fletcherpost said:
Just watched the last few points. Mr Sock is playing some decent stuff. Nadal has had some time violations. I have mixed feelings cos I want Nadal V Novak to be a five set marathon and i think it;s fair to say Nadal is not at his best, or most confident.
 
Well, Nadal just finished it off in 4, looking pretty strong.  Jack Sock has some legitimate weapons and a ton of footspeed, though not quite in Nadal's league in that category.  Likewise, Djokovic started slow against Gasquet, then wiped the floor with him for over two sets, and now is struggling a bit (edit: righted the ship, finished him off in straights).
 
So, sometime Wednesday mid-morning Eastern time, Nadal and Djokovic will kick off a quarterfinal that will decide a big chunk of modern tennis history.  It wouldn't be career-defining for Nadal to hold on and win it, not at this point after all his triumphs, but it would be shocking after Djokovic's obscenely-consistent run thus far this year.  However, it would prevent Djokovic from increasing his majors count above its current 8, lowering the odds that he'll ever overtake Nadal's count of 14, and quieting the discussion of who has been the 2nd-best player this century.  Meanwhile, Djokovic ending Nadal's run of 4 straight FO titles, and spoiling his current 70-1 record at the event, would make him the overwhelming favorite to finally complete his career grand slam.  (...and possibly a calendar-year grand slam, which Murray denied Nadal in 2010 and several others, especially Nadal, have denied Federer over the last decade)
 
In the undercard tomorrow, Tsonga has a chance to finally live up to his potential and make a GS semi in a match against Nishikori - with whom I think he matches up very well, and he'll have the crowd behind him as the last Frenchman in the draw.  Federer will also play Wawrinka tomorrow, with the latter coming off an extra day of rest because the latter 2 sets of Federer-Monfils were played today.
 
Lastly, I'll point out that the quarterfinals contain SEVEN OF THE TOP EIGHT SEEDS.  The only guy knocked out was Berdych, by #14 Tsonga yesterday in the R16.  I'd say "this is anyone's tournament", but honestly, the real finals are probably being played Wednesday morning.
 

jon abbey

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Kvitova goes out too, so the only top 8 player in the quarters besides Serena is #7 Ivanovic. 
 
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Some fun Nadal-at-Roland-Garros facts:
 
  • Nadal's 70-1 record at RG is by far the highest winning percentage of any player at any major tournament; closest are Bjorn Borg's records at the French Open (49-2) and Wimbledon (51-4)
  • In his 71 matches at RG, Nadal has won in 2 sets once (Djokovic retired after the 2nd in the 2006 QFs), in 3 sets 53 times (75% of the time), in 4 sets 15 times, and in 5 sets twice (vs Isner, R1 2011, and vs Djokovic, SF 2013)
  • The average number of games Nadal loses in a RG match is 10.3, and the median is 9.  In his 4 matches this year, the average and median are both 9.5 games lost.
  • Nadal is 15-5 in tiebreaks at RG.  Those 5 tiebreak losses were all at significant moments.  They were: to Mariano Puerta in Nadal's first Final in 2005; to Robin Soderling in the final set of his 2009 R16 loss; two to Isner in that 1st-round match in 2011; and to Djokovic in the epic 5-setter they played in the 2013 Semifinals.
  • He has played and beaten Novak Djokovic in 6 of his 10 French Opens to date; he will now attempt to make that 7 in 11 tournaments.
  • Other players he has beaten >2 times at RG: Roger Federer 5x (4 of them in Finals, poor guy), Nicolas Almagro 4x (3 of them in QFs), Lleyton Hewitt 4x, David Ferrer 4x (all QFs or later), and Robin Soderling 3x (he's 3-1 against the Swede, having avenged his 2009 loss in both 2010 and 2011)
  • Now in his 11th French Open, Nadal has surprisingly only been seeded #1 three times: in 2009, 2011 and 2014.  Most of the years he has won the tournament, he was seeded #2.
  • If Nadal wins the 1st set at 6-2 or better, which he has done 29 times, he has gone on to win in straight sets 28 of those times (he dropped a set to Hewitt in 2006).  If he wins the 1st set at 6-3, at 7-5, or in a tiebreak, he has won in straight sets 15 out of 19 times.  When he loses the first set, he has gone on to win the next 3 sets on 7 out of 8 occasions (the exception being that 2009 loss to Soderling).  What really gets him in trouble is winning a set 6-4; most of his craziest matches have come when that happens.
  • Nadal's Quarterfinals are usually placid; last year (to Ferrer) was the only time he'd ever dropped a set in a QF.  But the average seed he has faced in QFs is 13; the average seed he's faced in Semifinals is 6, and in Finals, 2.25.  Needless to say, on Wednesday he faces the man both ranked and seeded #1.
I'm rooting for Nadal but fully expecting Djokovic to end his reign.
 

jon abbey

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MentalDisabldLst said:
Nadal's Quarterfinals are usually placid; last year (to Ferrer) was the only time he'd ever dropped a set in a QF.  
 
Sorry to nitpick that impressive stat dump, but you mean except for the one he lost to Soderling. 
 
I'm rooting for Novak, I hope I don't have to wake up too early to see it. 
 
M

MentalDisabldLst

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his loss to Soderling was in a Round of 16.

we'll know by noon-ish today what time the match will be played tomorrow.
 

jon abbey

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Oh, I didn't doublecheck, I took that from your post also.
 
My wife (Japanese) and I would really like to watch Nishikori/Tsonga live on TV, too bad it's going to overlap quite a bit with Federer/Wawrinka so I'm sure we won't get to see much. 
 
M

MentalDisabldLst

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Got it.  Fixed that - thanks.
 
Don't be so sure you won't see Kei and Jo-Willy, either.  Ivanovic is wiping the floor with whoever-it-is she's playing, and about to conclude the match.  Meanwhile, Muguruza-Safarova just took 68 minutes to finish their first set (in a tiebreak).  Nishikori-Tsonga follows the Ivanovic match, so if they're only televising one at a time, you'll probably get a bunch of that one before the Battle of Switzerland starts.
 
I just watched the second half of Muguruza-Safarova set 1; Lucie Safarova has a really impressive serve.  Serena-like precision on location, if not quite Serena-esque power or deception.  Got something like 6 aces and a handful of forced errors to boot while taking that first set.  I dunno if she'll give Ivanovic a hard time in the semis, but she's not just smoke and mirrors.
 

Infield Infidel

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Safarova advances.
 
Holy crap Cedric Pioline is the post-match interviewer, I remember him being kind of a surly player but he seems much more chipper with the mic
 

fletcherpost

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Infield Infidel said:
Safarova advances.
 
Holy crap Cedric Pioline is the post-match interviewer, I remember him being kind of a surly player but he seems much more chipper with the mic
 
That's cos he gets to eat the free lunches. He has Michel Platini as a role model. Different sport, same food.
 

Dr. Gonzo

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Federer already down a break in the first
 
Watching on ESPN3 is great, no announcers
 

fletcherpost

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Stan's backhand when it's on is one of the best shots in the game. It's on at the moment. Federer is gonna have to dig deep here.
 
M

MentalDisabldLst

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Infield Infidel said:
Wawrinka won the first set and is up a break in the second over Federer. Wawrinka rolling, hasn't lost a first serve point in the second set.
 
Yeah, Federer is making absolutely no dent in Stan's serve.  At least he's holding in the 3rd so far, but man, it doesn't look good for him.
 
I sports-hate Wawrinka pretty seriously, so if he takes out Roger I'll be rooting against him the rest of the way.  Also: Holy crap, Jo-Willy Tsonga might make a major final!  He's been handing Nishikori his ass all morning.