Getty Images*picks made under assumption that Djokovic will be replaced by a lucky loser*……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
First roundKecmanovic over Caruso in 5, Paul over Kukushkin in 4
Otte over Tseng in 4, Sonego over Querrey in 3
Monfils over Coria in 3, Bublik over Escobedo in 5
Martinez over Delbonis in 4, Garin over Bagnis in 5
Korda over Norrie in 4, Moutet over Pouille in 5
Griekspoor over Fognini in 4, Carreno Busta over Etcheverry in 3
Alcaraz over Tabilo in 3, Fucsovics over Lajovic in 4
Kozlov over Vesely in 5, Berrettini over Nakashima in 4
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Zverev over Altmaier in 3, Millman over Lopez in 4
Albot over Nishioka in 5, Harris over Vukic in 4
Opelka over Anderson in 4, Koepfer over Taberner in 4
Rune over Kwon in 4, Shapovalov over Djere in 3
Hurkacz over Gerasimov in 3, Duckworth over Mannarino in 4
McDonald over Milojevic in 3, Karatsev over Munar in 3
Khachanov over Kudla in 3, Bonzi over Gojowyczk in 5
Kokknakis over Hanfmann in 3, Nadal over Giron in 3
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Safiullin over Molcan in 4, Andujar over Dzumhur in 4
Seppi over Majchrzak in 5, De Minaur over Musetti in 3
Murray over Basilashvili in 4, Daniel over Barrios Vera in 3
Thompson over Johnson in 5, Sinner over Sousa in 3
Bautista Agut over Travaglia in 3, Kohlschreiber over Cecchinato in 4
Tiafoe over Trungelliti in 3, Fritz over Marterer in 3
Dimitrov over Lehecka in 4, Monteiro over Paire in 3
Ramos-Vinolas over Baez in 4, Tsitsipas over Ymer in 3
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Rublev over Mager in 3, Berankis over Carballes Baena in 4
Skatov over Gombos in 4, Cilic over Gomez in 3
Evans over Goffin in 3, Rinderknech over Popyrin in 5
Davidovich Fokina over Bolt in 5, Auger-Aliassime over Ruusuvuori in 4
Schwartzman over Krajinovic in 4, O’Connell over Gaston in 5
Machac over Cerundolo over 3, Cressy over Isner in 5
Humbert over Gasquet in 3, Van de Zandschulp over Struff in 4
Broady over Kyrigos in 4, Medvedev over Laaksonen in 3
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Second round
Paul over Kecmanovic in 4
Sonego over Otte in 4
Monfils over Bublik in 3
Garin over Martinez in 5
Korda over Moutet in 4
Carreno Busta over Griekspoor in 4
Alcaraz over Fucsovics in 4
Berrettini over Kozlov in 3
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Zverev over Millman in 3
Harris over Albot in 3
Opelka over Koepfer in 4
Shapovalov over Rune in 4
Hurkacz over Duckworth in 3
Karatsev over McDonald in 4
Khachanov over Bonzi in 3
Nadal over Kokkinakis in 3
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Safiullin over Andujar in 4
De Minaur over Seppi in 3
Murray over Daniel in 3
Sinner over Thompson in 3
Bautista Agut over Kohlschreiber in 3
Fritz over Tiafoe in 4
Dimitrov over Monteiro in 3
Tsitsipas over Ramos-Vinolas in 3
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Rublev over Berankis in 3
Cilic over Skatov in 4
Evans over Rinderknech in 4
Auger-Aliassime over Davidovich Fokina in 4
Schwartzman over O’Connell in 3
Cressy over Machac in 4
Van de Zandschulp over Humbert in 4
Medvedev over Broady in 3
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Third round
Paul over Sonego in 4
Monfils over Garin in 3
Carreno Busta over Korda in 4
Alcaraz over Berrettini in 5
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Zverev over Harris in 4
Shapovalov over Opelka in 4
Hurkacz over Karatsev in 5
Nadal over Khachanov in 4
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
De Minaur over Safiullin in 3
Sinner over Murray in 4
Fritz over Bautista Agut in 5
Dimitrov over Tsitsipas in 4
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Rublev over Cilic in 3
Evans over Auger-Aliassime in 5
Schwartzman over Cressy in 5
Medvedev over Van de Zandschulp in 3
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Fourth roundMonfils over Paul in 4
Alcaraz over Carreno Busta in 5
Zverev over Shapovalov in 4
Hurkacz over Nadal in 4
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Sinner over De Minaur in 5
Fritz over Dimitrov in 4
Rublev over Evans in 4
Medvedev over Schwartzman in 4
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
QuarterfinalsMonfils over Alcaraz in 5
Zverev over Hurkacz in 4
Sinner over Fritz in 4
Medvedev over Rublev in 4
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
SemifinalsZverev over Monfils in 3
Medvedev over Sinner in 4
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Final
Medvedev over Zverev in 4
Ok am now picking Alcaraz for the semis.
I don’t see why Andy shouldn’t beat Sinner. Sinner lacks variety in his game which Andy can exploit. He should have beaten Tsitsi in straights at USO so he can definitely beat Sinner.
But I am no picker!
I didn’t see that match. But, as I remember, I read that Andy had set points in the second set tie break and couldn’t take one of them because he was slipping due to the extraordinary fact of having no change of tennis shoes! So presumably if he had a change of tennis shoes he would have won the tie break and thus won in straights.
That’s my memory which could be wrong!
Seems very strange he didn’t have a change of tennis shoes so maybe I have gone mad and mis-remembered/invented the whole thing…
The Australian authorities did the right thing. It took long enough. Novak should have withdrawn voluntarily.
Now the draw is going to change big time. This is a chance for the young guys to win this slam.
I simply do not understand why anyone thought he was going to be allowed to play. The truth is that he should not have come in the first place. I don’t know what it will mean for the other slams. But they said on CNN last night that the 97 top players are all vaccinated. Enough said.
If people would get vaccinated, then maybe we could get rid of this virus.
That’s why you have to be careful with predictions. You never know if players are going to get through. Rafa has a tough draw and I would not mind if he gets a few breaks.
Rafa takes it one match at a time and so will I. It’s not easy to come back after being off so long. It’s just really good to see him on the court again.
Agreed nny. I am only going one match at a time.
My main concern for this tournament is Rafa’s health and fitness. How will the foot hold up over a long match?
If the foot is ok that is the most important thing for me. Then he can build from here.
It is good that Hurkacz is out. He had the game to test Rafa. I think the Karen is now going to be a chance to step up his game and build momentum for heading into the second week.
One has to give lots of credit to Zverev for achieving much needed steadiness in first weeks of slams. He used to play 4 setters and 5 setters literally every round but he has learnt to navigate through the early stages so much better now.
IF we get the Rafa Zverev match, it is going to be a BATTLE.
Don’t know what that means. He is a top-10 player with a lot of weapons and nobody knew how Rafa is going to play in his first slam after his comeback. I am pretty sure Ricky would have picked Rafa now after seeing him play. Also, it is important that Rafa gets matches which are not too physical so he is ready for the battles in the second week.
So, Rafa losing to Tsisipas last year in the QF wasn’t a threat to Medvedev who thrashed Tsitsi in their semi? It doesn’t work like that lol.
Sanju, I don’t think so. He can be tested for a set but I think Rafa will win in 3 or 4 sets. I would like to see him step up a bit more and I understand the opponent he faced today had powerful groundstrokes but I thought he had opportunities to do more. Forehand DTL was more precise today but surely he needs to improve on quite a few areas. You can tell from his press conference he is very much aware of this.
I couldn’t watch the match. I looked at the match stats and Rafa had 5 double faults. I sincerely hope we are not going to see the horrible df trend of last year emerge again!
I am not very surprised Hurkacz lost. I looked up his record for last year a few days ago and for all his good results he also had a lot of losses against very mediocre players.
Khachanov played pretty well against Shaps at wimby didn’t he? But like Hurkacz he has had plenty of unimpressive results.
I really really hope the dfs don’t start up again. They undermined his whole game and confidence last year…
Against a less dangerous opponent I guess that Rafa would sometimes risk a DF than a weak second serve (which may prolong the game). It’s obvious that he served better in the first round; today his first serve didn’t really get in – which is not such a big issue for R2. He served well in R1 and probably didn’t focus that much on serve before R2.
Last year Rafa had some back issues before AO – and that can certainly ruin one’s serve. Actually I believe that injuries undermined his game, including serve. I don’t think that it’s the same situation this time.
I did get to watch the whole match. ESPN stayed with the coverage. I will say that for a qualifier, that guy played pretty well. Much better to get rhythm with him than to deal with a big server like Kokkinakis.
I remember a tough match with Khachanov at the USO a few years ago. This is the first seeded player Rafa will face. I noticed the 5 DF’s in the second match,. I had the same thought you did. Please no serving problems. I also think Rafa is making some errors he would not normally make at this time. It is a function of being off for so long. When you play a lot of tennis, shots come automatically. Now he is making some rrrors he would usually not make.
I think this match was very good for him. His DTL forehand was working well. At times there were a few shots that were vintage Rafa. But he is a work in progress. It’s interesting that two players have not made it through to face him. I hope Rafa’s serve does not get the yips.
I am trying not to focus on Zverev. We are not there yet. Rafa has to get there. One match at a time.
Thanks nny!
I am encouraged by what you say but we are both worried about the dfs. If they start up again in earnest I will be seriously worried.
It’s great that his forehand dtl is already working. That’s key to his game. I don’t think Rafa has had excess dfs in any match since he returned before this has he? I include the matches against Murray and Shaps.
I wonder what vr’s take is?? Vr??
I absolutely am not looking ahead at all. That’s just pointless.
Vr said in another post that Rafa was going big on the second serve so the dfs could be a function of that. But 5 over 3 sets and not many games played is too many.
For me what matters most this tournament is Rafa’s foot and fitness. If they hold up well I am happy. We can’t expect too much after so long out.
PS de Santis has been appearing as a ludicrous cartoon villain in much of what I have read recently. Apparently he manners his hand gestures on Trump so technically speaking that would make him Little Trump but Trump learnt those from his master Hitler so the line of inheritance is the same. I didn’t know he was looking to run against Trump for the republican nomination.
I am putting my faith in the likes of Stacey Abrams and the Reverend Barber. That’s where the moral centre of America resides today.
PS I do know what de santis is trying to do with CRT and his mad book and history banning unfortunately..
I was reading on VB to see what they are saying about Rafa. On that site you really halve to be careful with criticism of Rafa. I don’t comment there but I like to get an idea of where they are at. What drives me crazy is when someone says they saw him take a pill during the match. I wish they would just keep it to themselves. It just causes worry. I have enough worry about Rafa as it is.
I would like to know what VR’s take is on the 5 DF’s. This guy Haufmann played above his ranking. So he put more pressure on Rafa than Giron. Rafa needs that, especially now that he is going to face Khachanov.
As far as De Santis, Little Hitler, he is dangerous. He has let people die here in Florida. Come to Florida and die of Covid. That’s my slogan for this state. Local officials in the various counties are trying to deal with testing and have tried to do what they can to deal with Covid. But they are dealing with an autocratic governor who is a pathological liar and an incompetent moron.
I guess we should talk about politics on the non-tennis forum. It helps to vent because I feel helpless seeing what is going on in Florida. We have two Democratic senators who seem determine to block legislation that will help people. Without any federal law to override what the GOP is doing in state legislatures, they can rig the next election. They are so brazen that they are doing in out in the open. Because the only way the GOP can win is by rigging the outcome.
who ya got?
Djokovic will play as they granted his request of a full bench hearing his case, so it will be closed tomorrow …
What are your picks with djoko playing ?
One thing I agree with. Alcaraz beating Berrettini and going far. If no Novax I can see him in the semis.
I can see Murray beating Sinner.
I could but its best of five , not sure how Andy would hold up he’s played a lot lately.Im actually going to pick Sinner to go far.
Ok am now picking Alcaraz for the semis.
I don’t see why Andy shouldn’t beat Sinner. Sinner lacks variety in his game which Andy can exploit. He should have beaten Tsitsi in straights at USO so he can definitely beat Sinner.
But I am no picker!
should have beaten Tsitsi in straights?
I didn’t see that match. But, as I remember, I read that Andy had set points in the second set tie break and couldn’t take one of them because he was slipping due to the extraordinary fact of having no change of tennis shoes! So presumably if he had a change of tennis shoes he would have won the tie break and thus won in straights.
That’s my memory which could be wrong!
Seems very strange he didn’t have a change of tennis shoes so maybe I have gone mad and mis-remembered/invented the whole thing…
Sinner’s game has all the ingredients to win majors, so yeah, you’re a little bit off the mark there.
And his recent performances suggest that a big win is probably imminent.
In a best of three Murray probably beats Sinner
Alcataz did beat Berrettini.
But over it’s a whole different animal
Over 5 sets
I believe Zerev will get his first slam. However, I surely hope Nadal will get his second AO title though he is really unlucky at that event
And at Wimbledon.
I wouldn’t call that unlucky.
It is more precise to say not good enough.
Yes, but he was unlucky his knees gave out so he couldn’t play so well on grass afterlong clay season
At least that’s what I read
My picks are not too far away from Rickys but I wait tpo see the final draw after Novax gets booted out …
Good thing the ATP is taking their Zverev investigation seriously and aren’t just using it as a ploy to sweep things under the rug 😛
NoVaxx DuoCovid to win his 10th imo
Departing the country, they asked Goran who was now the favorites to win the AO. His response “Cilic”.
Djokovic already wasn’t the favorite
I dont know how you can say that – its the AO . He not the crowd favourite for sure
what is this in response to?
The Australian authorities did the right thing. It took long enough. Novak should have withdrawn voluntarily.
Now the draw is going to change big time. This is a chance for the young guys to win this slam.
I simply do not understand why anyone thought he was going to be allowed to play. The truth is that he should not have come in the first place. I don’t know what it will mean for the other slams. But they said on CNN last night that the 97 top players are all vaccinated. Enough said.
If people would get vaccinated, then maybe we could get rid of this virus.
I’m surprised that Ricky didn’t forecast Nadal going out to Kokkinakis in the 2nd round.
That’s why you have to be careful with predictions. You never know if players are going to get through. Rafa has a tough draw and I would not mind if he gets a few breaks.
Rafa takes it one match at a time and so will I. It’s not easy to come back after being off so long. It’s just really good to see him on the court again.
Agreed nny. I am only going one match at a time.
My main concern for this tournament is Rafa’s health and fitness. How will the foot hold up over a long match?
If the foot is ok that is the most important thing for me. Then he can build from here.
Hurkactz, Rafa predicted conqueror has been beaten in straight sets by Mannarino.
It is good that Hurkacz is out. He had the game to test Rafa. I think the Karen is now going to be a chance to step up his game and build momentum for heading into the second week.
One has to give lots of credit to Zverev for achieving much needed steadiness in first weeks of slams. He used to play 4 setters and 5 setters literally every round but he has learnt to navigate through the early stages so much better now.
IF we get the Rafa Zverev match, it is going to be a BATTLE.
Hurkacz loses to Mannarino in straight sets and he is a threat to Rafa? Lol
Don’t know what that means. He is a top-10 player with a lot of weapons and nobody knew how Rafa is going to play in his first slam after his comeback. I am pretty sure Ricky would have picked Rafa now after seeing him play. Also, it is important that Rafa gets matches which are not too physical so he is ready for the battles in the second week.
So, Rafa losing to Tsisipas last year in the QF wasn’t a threat to Medvedev who thrashed Tsitsi in their semi? It doesn’t work like that lol.
VR, is kacha a threat .I still remember that very long uso 18 third round between them
Sanju, I don’t think so. He can be tested for a set but I think Rafa will win in 3 or 4 sets. I would like to see him step up a bit more and I understand the opponent he faced today had powerful groundstrokes but I thought he had opportunities to do more. Forehand DTL was more precise today but surely he needs to improve on quite a few areas. You can tell from his press conference he is very much aware of this.
So far, it’s been good progress!
I couldn’t watch the match. I looked at the match stats and Rafa had 5 double faults. I sincerely hope we are not going to see the horrible df trend of last year emerge again!
I am not very surprised Hurkacz lost. I looked up his record for last year a few days ago and for all his good results he also had a lot of losses against very mediocre players.
Khachanov played pretty well against Shaps at wimby didn’t he? But like Hurkacz he has had plenty of unimpressive results.
I really really hope the dfs don’t start up again. They undermined his whole game and confidence last year…
Against a less dangerous opponent I guess that Rafa would sometimes risk a DF than a weak second serve (which may prolong the game). It’s obvious that he served better in the first round; today his first serve didn’t really get in – which is not such a big issue for R2. He served well in R1 and probably didn’t focus that much on serve before R2.
Last year Rafa had some back issues before AO – and that can certainly ruin one’s serve. Actually I believe that injuries undermined his game, including serve. I don’t think that it’s the same situation this time.
amy,
I did get to watch the whole match. ESPN stayed with the coverage. I will say that for a qualifier, that guy played pretty well. Much better to get rhythm with him than to deal with a big server like Kokkinakis.
I remember a tough match with Khachanov at the USO a few years ago. This is the first seeded player Rafa will face. I noticed the 5 DF’s in the second match,. I had the same thought you did. Please no serving problems. I also think Rafa is making some errors he would not normally make at this time. It is a function of being off for so long. When you play a lot of tennis, shots come automatically. Now he is making some rrrors he would usually not make.
I think this match was very good for him. His DTL forehand was working well. At times there were a few shots that were vintage Rafa. But he is a work in progress. It’s interesting that two players have not made it through to face him. I hope Rafa’s serve does not get the yips.
I am trying not to focus on Zverev. We are not there yet. Rafa has to get there. One match at a time.
Thanks nny!
I am encouraged by what you say but we are both worried about the dfs. If they start up again in earnest I will be seriously worried.
It’s great that his forehand dtl is already working. That’s key to his game. I don’t think Rafa has had excess dfs in any match since he returned before this has he? I include the matches against Murray and Shaps.
I wonder what vr’s take is?? Vr??
I absolutely am not looking ahead at all. That’s just pointless.
Vr said in another post that Rafa was going big on the second serve so the dfs could be a function of that. But 5 over 3 sets and not many games played is too many.
For me what matters most this tournament is Rafa’s foot and fitness. If they hold up well I am happy. We can’t expect too much after so long out.
PS de Santis has been appearing as a ludicrous cartoon villain in much of what I have read recently. Apparently he manners his hand gestures on Trump so technically speaking that would make him Little Trump but Trump learnt those from his master Hitler so the line of inheritance is the same. I didn’t know he was looking to run against Trump for the republican nomination.
I am putting my faith in the likes of Stacey Abrams and the Reverend Barber. That’s where the moral centre of America resides today.
PS I do know what de santis is trying to do with CRT and his mad book and history banning unfortunately..
Mannarino is not mediocre; he’s dangerous against nearly anyone in the top 20.
But, I think I know what you mean; he loses matches unexpectedly when a strong favourite to win.
I’m referring to Hurkacz in the 2nd statement, not Mannarino.
yep Hurkacz has a history of this
amy,
I was reading on VB to see what they are saying about Rafa. On that site you really halve to be careful with criticism of Rafa. I don’t comment there but I like to get an idea of where they are at. What drives me crazy is when someone says they saw him take a pill during the match. I wish they would just keep it to themselves. It just causes worry. I have enough worry about Rafa as it is.
I would like to know what VR’s take is on the 5 DF’s. This guy Haufmann played above his ranking. So he put more pressure on Rafa than Giron. Rafa needs that, especially now that he is going to face Khachanov.
As far as De Santis, Little Hitler, he is dangerous. He has let people die here in Florida. Come to Florida and die of Covid. That’s my slogan for this state. Local officials in the various counties are trying to deal with testing and have tried to do what they can to deal with Covid. But they are dealing with an autocratic governor who is a pathological liar and an incompetent moron.
I guess we should talk about politics on the non-tennis forum. It helps to vent because I feel helpless seeing what is going on in Florida. We have two Democratic senators who seem determine to block legislation that will help people. Without any federal law to override what the GOP is doing in state legislatures, they can rig the next election. They are so brazen that they are doing in out in the open. Because the only way the GOP can win is by rigging the outcome.
I just hope Rafa keeps winning for now, so I can lay him for a packet at the right time, at the right price.
You’re right, Khachanov is a bit of a danger match.
Zverev v Alcaraz
Medvedev v Sinner