First round
Nadal over Tomic in 3, Kokkinakis over Sijsling in 4
Kamke over Sock in 5, Monfils over Harrison in 4
Hewitt over Seppi in 4, Haase over Young in 5
Lajovic over Pouille in 5, Nishikori over Matosevic in 5
Raonic over Gimeno-Traver in 3, Gojowczyk over Hanescu in 4
Lu over Wang in 4, Dimitrov over Klahn in 4
Dancevic over Paire in 4, Kyrgios over Becker in 4
Smyczek over Bautista Agut in 5, Del Potro over Williams in 3
Murray over Soeda in 3, Odesnik over Millot in 5
Llodra over Berrer in 5, Lopez over Devvarman in 4
Kohlschreiber over Bedene in 3, Przysiezny over Zeballos in 4
Rola over Delbonis in 4, Isner over Klizan in 3
Tsonga over Volandri in 3, Bellucci over Reister in 5
Cilic over Granollers in 4, Brands over Simon in 3
Verdasco over Zhang in 3, Stakhovsky over Gabashvili in 4
Stepanek over Kavcic in 4, Federer over Duckworth in 3
Berdych over Nedovyesov in 3, De Schepper over Wu in 5
Dzumhur over Hajek in 5, Karlovic over Dodig in 4
Anderson over Vesely in 4, Sousa over Thiem in 5
Roger-Vasselin over Berlocq in 3, Haas over Garcia-Lopez in 4
Youzhny over Struff in 4, F. Mayer over Kudla in 5
Ramos over Andujar in 5, Janowicz over Thompson in 4
Chardy over Huta Galung in 3, Dolgopolov over Berankis in 5
Johnson over Mannarino in 5, Ferrer over Gonzalez in 3
Wawrinka over Golubev in 3, Falla over Kukushkin in 5
Mahut over Ebden in 4, Pospisil over Groth in 4
Rosol over Robredo in 4, Benneteau over Carreno Busta in 5
Kubot over Davydenko in 4, Gasquet over Guez in 3
Bogomolov over Fognini in 4, Nieminen over Sela in 4
Querrey over Giraldo in 5, Gulbis over Monaco in 4
Tursunov over Russell in 3, Istomin over Baghdatis in 4
L. Mayer over Montanes in 4, Djokovic over Lacko in 3
Second round
Nadal over Kokkinakis in 3
Monfils over Kamke in 4
Hewitt over Haase in 3
Nishikori over Lajovic in 3
Raonic over Gojowczyk in 3
Dimitrov over Lu in 5
Dancevic over Kyrgios in 5
Del Potro over Smyczek in 3
Murray over Odesnik in 3
Lopez over Llodra in 4
Kohlschreiber over Przysiezny in 4
Isner over Rola in 4
Tsonga over Bellucci in 3
Cilic over Brands in 5
Verdasco over Stakhovsky in 4
Federer over Stepanek in 4
Berdych over De Schepper in 3
Karlovic over Dzumhur in 4
Sousa over Anderson in 4
Haas over Roger-Vasselin in 4
Youzhny over F. Mayer in 4
Ramos over Janowicz in 5
Chardy over Dolgopolov in 5
Ferrer over Johnson in 4
Wawrinka over Falla in 3
Mahut over Pospisil in 4
Benneteau over Rosol in 3
Gasquet over Kubot in 3
Nieminen over Bogomolov in 4
Gulbis over Querrey in 4
Tursunov over Istomin in 4
Djokovic over L. Mayer in 3
Third round
Nadal over Monfils in 3
Hewitt over Nishikori in 5
Raonic over Dimitrov in 5
Del Potro over Dancevic in 3
Murray over Lopez in 3
Kohlschreiber over Isner in 5
Tsonga over Cilic in 4
Federer over Verdasco in 4
Berdych over Karlovic in 3
Haas over Sousa in 4
Youzhny over Ramos in 4
Ferrer over Chardy in 5
Wawrinka over Mahut in 3
Gasquet over Benneteau in 3
Nieminen over Gulbis in 4
Djokovic over Tursunov in 3
Fourth round
Nadal over Hewitt in 4
Del Potro over Raonic in 4
Kohlschreiber over Murray in 5
Tsonga over Federer in 5
Haas over Berdych in 5
Youzhny over Ferrer in 4
Wawrinka over Gasquet in 4
Djokovic over Nieminen in 3
Quarterfinals
Nadal over Del Potro in 4
Tsonga over Kohlschreiber in 4
Haas over Youzhny in 5
Djokovic over Wawrinka in 4
Semifinals
Nadal over Tsonga in 4
Djokovic over Haas in 3
Final
Djokovic over Nadal in 5
Comments and your own predictions are appreciated!
[polldaddy poll=7704120]
no, RITB… it is obviously relevant to compare slam count ,head to head etc when comparing the legacies of two players and evaluating them in the light of GOAT-ness. Which fed fan is saying that fed is the most superior player CURRENTLY on the basis that he has 17 slams ?? At the moment, even Murray and Del Potro are superior to Fed ! so the 17-slam thing is hardly relevant when the player has had such a bad year in 2013 and when its clear his rivals have an upper hand on him.
It when comparing the whole careers or status as tennis players that one should look at the total slam count and career head to head. the current scenario can be far better assessed with other factors that take care of recency.
Thanks @vamosrafa, I get the difference now……….your distinction makes sense. And I agree current is different from all time. But even with that definition, I have a hard time agreeing with other’s perception that Djokovic is better that Rafa currently, unless one is only looking at the result of their last meeting.
yup…I would rate rafa as the superior player even on a current basis ! This is why I have been saying that it is amazing why everyone is saying Novak is the clear favourite to end the year at no.1 ! Rafa owned him in slams..Rafa was the YEN1 without playing OZ open so actually he is the one who should be favored… Too much unnecessary emphasis on post USO results…
Anyway,lets wait for rafa’s racket to do all the talking on the court 😀
This cannot be correct surely? They are now enforcing the ATP time violation rule………..on WTA matches??? In any case, why are ATP rules being applied at ITF tournaments, doesn’t the ITF have it’s own rules?
RT @vrcsports: “Hold up. Leanne White just explained a “new time violation rule for the slams” to Ana & Kiki, which is the ATP rule. WHAT? #newstome”
#Disturbing
I say Djokovic’s magnificent 2011 year was a one off, they now make him the favourite for everything based on that one year. Even when he loses, they come up with x-number of excuses and a lot of people claim he was robbed of the FO title because he had a break in the 5th set and ran into the net, refusing to acknowledge that Rafa served for the match in the 4th set.
You may not think Djokovic’s 2011 bonanza was a fluke, but I do. Until he repeats it with all the top players on board for the whole season, it will continue to be a fluke for me.
one off?
he dominated 2011, finished No. 1 in 2012, and was basically one net touch away from finishing No. 1 in 2013. He has also won 24 matches in a row.
So there are a lot of reasons why he is the favorite.
Are you sure that without that net touch Nole would certainly win that match?
basically, yeah. Not 100 percent, but close.
Yo nadline, I’m really happy for you an Imma let you finish but Nole had the best season OF ALL TIME!!!!
But seriously, c’mon Ricky, really? Close to 100%? Really?
If he didn’t touch the net, it would have only given him a break point.
The difference between the fourth and fifth set was that Rafa’s back wasn’t pushed to the wall.
You could see in Rafa’s body language that he wasn’t going to lose that match.
#2020Hindsight
break point? Djokovic was SERVING.
#DoYou
Nevermind.
#BrainFart
Boys, boys, let’s get the FACTS right, shall we?
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/06/23/Roland-Garros-Friday2-Djokovic-Nadal.aspx
“In an extraordinary eighth game, when Djokovic fought back from 0/30, 30/40 and a second break point, he recovered. But, incredibly, at the third deuce, when he struck a smash winner, Djokovic lost his balance and fell into the net. Because the shot – going for a winner – had not yet bounced twice, Nadal earned the break point. Djokovic saved it, but two points later hit a forehand into the net to let Nadal back in the match at 4-4. Nadal, somehow, found a way to stay in contention and won his third straight game with a hold to 15. ”
Djokovic did not collide with the net, the net collided with him…………….
Rafa’s domination in 2010 wasn’t a fluke because it wasn’t a one off. He dominated in 2008 and 2013.
nadline, rafa did not win three slams in 2008/2013. Novak did finish 2012 as no.1 so 2011 was backed up pretty well I guess. These type of arguments won’t take you anywhere. I am sure you will find plenty of haters/fedtards who will come up and say that rafa’s 2008 dominance was because of Fed’s Mono ! similarly, they will say rafa’s 2013 run on hard courts was a FLUKE ( tennis-x.com is an example ) ! they will say that Murray was absent, djokovic was temporarily off and fed is already declining !! so these are just examples of bullshit arguments put forward by fedtards and some djo fans…
THe point is that djokovic did have an incredible 2011 (one of the best years ever). He ended 2012 as no.1 as called 2012 as even bigger success for other reasons .. Rafa has,however, much more than what djokovic has . SO, why not use those achievements to dismiss the claims of Bryants and Bodos rather than demeaning other’s achievement. THis is my viewpoint of course, you have your own and that’s fine 🙂
and lets be real, we all know its near impossible to DOMINATE the whole season repeatedly when you are surrounded by GOATs lol…
I am not sure what bryant means when he says Djo is better..is he referring to djokovic as CURRENTLY better ? I reckon he does not mean that djokovic is a better/bigger player than rafa overall. As discussed with RITB above, being the best player currently is way diff than being the best player overall.
If Bryant did mean djo is the best on current basis (which is still odd as djo is no.2 and got owned by rafa in slams last year), he is not alone ! because MOST experts have predicted djo to end 2014 as YEN1 ! you think all those experts think djo is the better player overall? Don;y think so…i guess they are implying they feel djo will have a slight edge in the current scheme of things ! If that does happen , it would not be shocking..because the truth is that both are so closely matched AT THE MOMENT. so 2011 is not even really relevant here..
I still think 2011 was a fluke. I’m not saying it wasn’t an outstanding year, I’m just saying that shouldn’t hold him up as favourite for everything under the sun because it was a one off. That’s my opinion.
This guy doesn’t even understand how the rankings work. Says Rafa has a lock on 2014 YE #1.
“Rafael Nadal will end the season ranked No. 1
This isn’t to say he will be the best player in 2014. But Rafa simply has very few points to lose (with the exception of Indian Wells) until the clay season begins. And Novak Djokovic is the defending Aussie champ and played a full schedule last year. Plus, Nadal lost his Wimbledon opener, and with even a modicum of success in 2014, he’ll pile on more points. Even if Djokovic outplays Nadal for the entire season, he’s not going to make much of a move in the rankings until the summer hard-court season, and by then, it might be too late.”
http://espn.go.com/blog/espntennis/post/_/id/1083/ten-2014-predictions-we-know-wont-go-wrong
Hahaha! Thank you for pointing out the ignorance @hawkeye63. It is clear these journos’s interpretation of “best player” is not the standard interpretation. Maybe they have an illusive formula much like the ITF?
How else to explain a statement like, “Rafael Nadal will end the season ranked No. 1. This isn’t to say he will be the best player in 2014.”
Huh?
Let’s re-visit what Bryant said about Novak, “He is the world’s second-ranked player but arguably the best pure tennis player in the world, jousting for tennis superiority with Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic may rightly feel he is the better player. According to stats guru Greg Sharko at the ATP, Djokovic is serving better than ever statistically. He is fourth in service games held and is second in service breaks.”
So, according to these people, being #1 does not mean one is the best player……what?
Which is confusing because when Djokovic was ranked #1, all commies ceased referring to him by his name instead simply calling him the world’s best player.
Djokovic may feel he is the better player on what basis? Serving stats? Why doesn’t he show us the exact break-down of those Sharko stats?
Careful ritb, vamosrafa and NNY will be on your back soon.
If service games held and service breaks are how the best player is determined, then why don’t they just use the stats. Djokovic will not even be ranked #2 on that basis. They are just desperate for him to consolidate his 2011 year. That’s all I’m saying. I know vamosrafa doesn’t agree that that year alone doesn’t mean everything.
nadline, haha…i don’t have be on someone’s back. I have tried to explain my point with logic. I am not the one who is basing his verdict on service breaks and services games held.. I talked about bigger things… and yes, djokovic is CERTAINLY not about 2011 only… its simple ! I hope he does not win a single slam from here ,esp at the cost of rafa..but I cannot deny he is a big champion…
I think the haters would have dealt with this point of yours in a better manner lol. ..their retarded points like : rafa doped before USO 2010, rafa dominated 2008 becoz fed had mono…rafa dominated 2013 because muzz was not there ,fed on a serious decline and djo on a downward trail… sean randell called rafa’s hard court run a ‘fluke’ ! RIDICULOUS! but that’s also how others view things…
Haas in the semis??????
Ah……Hahahahahahahahahahahaha
Ricky. You should put up a link to the AO draw pool you started. I can’t find it anywheres.
here are the standings – http://www.tourneytopia.com/RacquetBracketAussieOpenATP/thegrandstand/pool/standings.aspx
You not entered???
i have no idea why I’m not listed. Trying to figure it out now.
No cheating Ricky. Too late to pick against Haas not making the semis!!!
here are my picks http://www.tourneytopia.com/RacquetBracketAussieOpenATP/wildcats/Pool/entrypicks.aspx?entryid=371839
just not sure why I’m not showing up
didn’t see this comment until now (Marky at 9:47 AM on this thread):
“Rod laver arena is playing insanely fast. Average strokes in rallies for lacko djokovic match is 2…
This is djokovic’s IDEAL surface, plays like a fast indoor hardcourt.”
any others see this?
Sigh………………
This is a stitch up. This is all a conspiracy to hamstring Rafa. Not only do they rig the draw in Djokovic’s favour, they tailor-make the court surface to suit him and oh, they schedule the play so he has 2 days off before the final.
Lucky bastard!
#BlueEyedBoy
What did Rafa ever do to these types?
Hahaha, @nadline! I couldn’t care less. People are free to jump on my back, throat, arms whatever if they violently disagree with me. I honestly do not mind. I will simply argue my case, with “colm”, Inshallah!
I do not have an axe to grind, nor am I scared of anybody/anything. I am entitled to my point of view, just like everybody else. Happy to have a civil exchange with anybody. Just had one with @vamosrafa above, no?
Cheers……
good to hear that RITB 🙂 I too do not have any problems with arguing on tennis topics. likewise, i will also simply argue for my cae Insha Allah 🙂
and ‘violently’ is too strong a word lol
@vamosrafa, my dear fellow, you are from Pakistan, right? British colonial history, like me? I would therefore think you would get my Brit humor just like that! Evidently not this time, but I live in hope!
To “argue violently” is a metaphor, very common in everyday spoken English (of the British variety). Argument is war is a classic example of a conceptual metaphor that structures the way people think and talk about arguments and debates.
So, when I used the adverb “violently” I was speaking metaphorically, not literally.
I hope this helps.
Peace.
haha….don’t think I was serious when mentioning that violent thing. Anyway, all is good
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/jan/13/australian-open-novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal
“Djokovic is relaxed, fit and fresh, having played no serious tennis for six weeks, and is unbeaten since winning the US Open when, coincidentally or not, he proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Jelena Ristic.”
Ehmmmm, last time I checked, Rafael Nadal won the US Open, not Djokovic. Unless Djokovic proposed to his girlfriend in 2011…………….
Jesus, these people…………………
“Careful ritb, vamosrafa and NNY will be on your back soon.”
This is really unfortunate. I wasn’t even here participating in this discussion, yet I have to be named. I don’t like anyone speaking for me. What I say and how and when I say it, is up to me. I didn’t start this discussion.
Then there is the need to respond to a comment from someone that really was made not in the spirit of having a real discussion. People don’t have to start picking sides.
I also don’t see anyone “violently” disagreeing with anyone. A strange choice of words. I see that being the kind of thing that we had to deal with on TT with the trolls. It’s certainly not the case here.
Ronaldo wins the FIFA 2014 Ballon d’or! Well deserved, Rafa will be pleased.
Make Real proud, Rafa, win AO 2014!
Vamos!!
non-tennis forum is your friend
😛
Oops, sorry………….!!
haha not a big a deal.
vamosrafa I do not agree with you that Rafa dominated only in 2010. Do you mean to say domination means 3 slams and yen. 1? Multiple slams and no. 1 seems more reasonable. Rafa dominated in 2008. Not only did he thrash the GOAT at RG, he beat him on the GOAT’s best surface i.e. grass, snatched the no. 1 ranking and won the Olympics.
Again in 2013, Rafa dominated the season from almost the moment he came and won 2 slams, 5 Masters and YEN 1.
If you say he did not dominate because he did not dominate the Fall season then by the same argument Djokovic did not dominate in 2011 ( supposed to be one of the greatest tennis seasons ever) because he fizzled out in the fall. Everyone thought it did not in any way detract from his season.
In 2012 Djokoic won only 1 slam and was YEN 1 but certainly did not seem invincible in slams or Masters.
Rafa has 3 multiple slam years with yen 1. Djokoer has just ONE multiple slam year.
I think in your attempt to be objective you are being unfair to Rafa.
no no no holdserve, not at all ! this is NOT what I think…i posted this ridiculous idea to show nadline that how unfair the scenario gets if we try to paint a diff picture than reality… Your concern is EXACTLY what I was trying to demonstrate !
If you ask me about rafa;s 2008,2010,2013, I will now tell you what I think about them. For 2008, rafa was by far the most dominant player on the planet. He won multiple slams, gold medal and knocked federer off his throne..it also featured that sick 32 match winning streak from hamburg to cincy SF… the streak covered 3 surfaces so my all-time fav streak! reflects utter dominance…
in 2010, well, he was the ruler of 3 diff surfaces ! YEN1 , enough said !nobody was even close..
2013: rafa did not play australia. BUT, won 5 masters 100 ..2 slams, YEN1,10 titles, dominataed the top 10 and thrashed his main rival in slams, even on his weakest and his main rival’s weakest surface..
Let me make myself clear : I believe rafa was very much dominant in 2008,2010,2013….I just mentioned a potential stupid argument to nadline to clarify my other points.. it has nothing to do with how I view rafa’s no.1 years.
Thanks for addressing your concern 🙂 glad I am clarifying…let me know if there’s any other concern
vamosrafa,
For what it’s worth, I did get where you were coming from in that comment. I think we had a great discussion not too long ago in which we compared Rafa’s greatest years and tried to rank them. I thought it was really fun. We talked about 2008, 2010 and 2013. Everyone knows what Rafa did in those three years. They were all so good that I had trouble ranking them! I think that I put 2008 as #1 and kind of cheated by putting 2010 and 2013 together. They were each noteworthy in their own way.
Sometimes people should take things so literally. Everyone knows that you are a true blue Rafa fan. Your heart is in the right place. You are smart and also a really nice guy! 🙂
glad you understand NNY 🙂 I clearly remember that discussion of ours ! I put 2013 at the top I think and it was too tough to decide between 2010 and 2008 for me… haha
^^^Not to mention he did 2 slams out of 3.
Sorry, I meant to say in my last post that people should NOT take things so literally!
Kohlschreiber has withdrawn so Bedene is now playing Stephane Robert of France.
^^^^
Really? I didn’t know that. I just saw that the tennis channel is picking up the coverage until 6:00 pm. It seems that ESPN2 has prior commitments in scheduling. Then ESPN2 will resume coverage at 6:00 pm.
Klizan takes the first set off of Isner 6/2. It’s not even 1 pm and the temp is already 99F (37C).
Roger’s match about to start. Temp 102F.
Isner just retired from his match. Ankle injury.
that section is SO WIDE OPEN
anyone want to guest pick Day 3 matches w/ me?