Semifinal spots will be at stake when the eight remaining men take the court at Wimbledon on Wednesday. Among those in action is Andy Murray, who has an enticing showdown with Grigor Dimitrov on his hands.
(3) Andy Murray vs. (11) Grigor Dimitrov
Murray and Dimitrov will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers when they collide in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon on Wednesday. The head-to-head series stands at 3-1 in Murray’s favor, but Dimitrov survived their most recent encounter 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(3) earlier this season in Acapulco. Murray, though, was just returning from a back operation at that point. He is now playing his best tennis of the year, with a semifinal showing at the French Open and total domination so far at Wimbledon. The defending champion has taken out David Goffin, Blaz Rola, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Kevin Anderson without surrendering a set and playing just one tiebreaker.
Dimitrov booked a spot in his second Grand Slam quarterfinal (2014 Australian Open) by defeating Ryan Harrison, Luke Saville, Alexandr Dolgopolov, and Leonardo Mayer. The Bulgarian dropped only two sets in the process–both to Dolgopolov in a five-set victory. He is an outstanding 34-9 for his 2014 campaign, which includes three titles and most importantly in this case his quarterfinal run Down Under. Now a proven force at majors, Dimitrov should be able to make this competitive. But Murray is once again looking dominant at a venue where he has been borderline unbeatable of late and it is hard to see him going down to anyone other than Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer.
Pick: Murray in 4
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(8) Milos Raonic vs. (WC) Nick Kyrgios
This was supposed to be Raonic vs. Rafael Nadal, a matchup in which the underdog likely would have had a good chance on grass. Raonic will have an even better chance–a considerable favorite, in fact–against Kyrgios. The two huge hitters just faced each other at Roland Garros, where Raonic won a first-round encounter 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-3. The situation now is obviously much different; it’s a quarterfinal and it’s on grass instead of clay.
The surface change likely helps Kyrgios even though Raonic is also extremely dangerous on the slick stuff. The 19-year-old Aussie is still extremely inexperienced and any match that he can reduce to one or two-strike tennis will see him have a shot at winning. But can he recover mentally just one day after the win of his career, a four-set stunner over Nadal? That is a task that may be too difficult, especially against an opponent who has dropped only one set in scalps of Matthew Ebden, Jack Sock, Lukasz Kubot, and Kei Nishikori. Raonic is also 3-0 in tiebreakers this fortnight, which bodes well for a contest that is sure to feature at least one or two such situations.
Pick: Raonic in 3
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Dimitrov is bossing Andy big time.
Cilic can’t find his first serve and Djokovic is eating up his 2nd serve. He’s gone down 1:6 in the first set.
To be honest this is the 1st competitive match Andy has had so far. He’s had a stroll in the park stopping for a bit of sunbathing against Blaz Rola. I find the commies are very unrealistic in their appreciation of wins and losses because they never really acknowledged that Murray had not been stretched.
This looks like curtains for Murray…………………:-(
Perhaps having the future King and Queen in the royal box has got to him.
Dimitrov is doing everything right.
It’s not over yet. Dimi’s b/h is not on target now.
The commies much more symphathetic to Muzza in tone.
Of course they are. The BBC commies want to be hired again. I’m sure it’s in their contract to promote Murray.
Somehow Murray has clawed back the break in the 2nd set. Now back on serve.
Tie break coming up.
Muzza up against it now, 2 sets to love to Dimi……….
Muzzah down 2 sets to 0. This just makes me mad. Yesterday I was sad and depressed. Today I’m just pissed off. Murray: Emir of Chokistan.
Unless Murray raises his level and Grigor gets tight this is looking more and more like a straight set win for Grigor.
Djokovic has dropped the 2nd set to Cilic……..
Good. It would be amazing if the remaining top 3 all lose today.
Well now it all goes to show that Rafa with the tough draw was undone while all the others were cruising and now are struggling to win their matches!!! Novak is on to a fifth, Murray is gone and Roger has lost first set to Stan. I would really laugh if they ALL lose today!!!
Well, even the pundits are now implying Wimby may have been too clever by half!
RT @Mike_Dickson_DM : “Big factor here is that Murray does not have any wins over this quality opposition under his belt, and Dimitrov playing top 8 level.”
@Hawkeye will be pleased……….
It took a while but Dimitrov is now living up to his early promise. I am seriously impressed by how he is playing.
Totally pissed at Muzza right now. At least Rafa lost after coming off a debilitating clay campaign, winning RG and turning up without much preparations for Wimby, handed a bad draw to boot. What’s Muzza’s excuse?
Vamos Muzza!
I wish they’d shut up about who has beaten Nadal. He is not there, he is no the one playing Dimitrov he’s on the beach in Mallorca.
What’s Neil Harman saying now?
This is the first real match Murray has had at Wimbledon this year.
Prince William is not happy.
Muzzah out! wow. Wimbledon is dying a slow death.
Bet they are wishing they had not given their dirty tricks department that much latitude……..
Stars falling like nine-pins……….
Well, let’s hear it from those who were complaining that Rafa couldn’t take Kyrgios to 5 sets. Muzza out in straights, on his favourite surface.
I’d like a brand new name on the trophy this year.
^^^THIS.
Murray doesn’t look too upset. I bet he’s hated the OTT attention he’s had. He just wants to get on with his tennis not hear his name blasted on every new bulletin day in day out.
I like that attitude. Maybe he should head on down to Mallorca. Am sure Rafa can find space for him on his fishing boat.
RT @NeilHarmanTimes: “Break point Dimitrov. Murray has simply not been himself today”
Maybe he has not been himself because Dimi played better?
I think this takes Andy to #10 in the world.
Andy has really been playing average tennis since round 1, but he hasn’t had any opposition until now. That’s why when sanju was saying that Andy was playing the best out of the BIG 4 I suggested to him that he needed to see the matches to come to that conclusion.
@Sanju said he was disappointed by Rafa’s year so far. Since Wimbledon last year, Murray has 0 titles and 0 top 10 wins. I won’t bother counting the number of titles under Rafa’s belt this year. If Rafa’s season has been a disappointment for him, wonder what description he uses for Muzza’s.
Description for Murray is hugely underwhelming 😉
Btu why compare. I have no expectations from Murray, he is not my favorite. I have only expectations from Rafa, so why hold I compare anyway.
I honestly don’t think Dimi played lights out tennis either.
I thought Dimi played a disciplined game, sign of maturity.
Rafa’s not the only one with a dodgy 2nd serve:
RT @Mike_Dickson_DM : “You always fear Murray’s 2nd serve can be attacked – it got a good kicking today.”
So all the complaining about Murray getting a gift of a draw to hand him another title, comes to what? That’s why I don’t believe that the outcome of a slam can be rigged. They can try to make it easier, but many times it doesn’t work. Because there are too many unknowns. Like Dimitrov coming out and playing some great tennis and believing that he could win.
Just like no one could have foreseen Krygios getting to the fourth round. The problem for Murray is that he wasn’t tested in the early rounds. So many times the so-called experts judge a player’s chances of winning by how he gets through the early rounds. But Murray struggled big time last year in Wimbledon. His easy wins were a mirage. Once he bumped up against a quality player, then he couldn’t get it done. So any planning that was done, was all for naught.
The ESPN ‘experts’are now 100% wrong on the women’s champion.
I want them to be 100% wrong with the men’s champion!!
One thing I did want to say after reading yesterday’s comments, is that I would much rather Rafa had lost in the quarterfinals or semis to a quality player as opposed to losing to another nobody who came out of nowhere. I don’t like seeing him go down to these guys who end up never doing anything again in their careers. Whether Krygios is the real thing remains to be seen. I also didn’t like him talking up his chances and then having it happen.
I know that Rafa will put this loss in perspective. He will deal with it. But I just don’t feel good seeing him go out to a guy like that.
Cilic serving for the 3rd set…………..
Marin Cilic touches the net with his racquet attempting an easy overhead put out. Djokovic points to the net immediately to alert the Umpire to the infraction. Cilic loses the point. I remember Djokovic fans complaining that Rafa was unsportsmanlike when he pointed out Novak’s net infraction during the RG semi last year.
Hypocrites.
rafaisthebest ( at 2:55 pm),
Please remember this ! It’s useful to use it against Djoko fans when they complain about Rafa !
RT @Ringham7 : “Every time I look up Djokovic has fallen over. He’s in 3rd set TB with Cilic at 1 set all. Cilic leading 2-0”
Amateur dramatics hour…………
Wot, no MTO for Nole, after 2 falls?
nadline10 ( at 2:58 pm),
Please remember this ! It’s useful to use it against Djoko fans when they complain about Rafa !
Cilic has beautiful eyes, looks like he is wearing kohl……..
Cilic leads Djokovic 2 sets to 1………..
Goran is thrashing Boris.
OMG, I’ve just had the most frightening prospect dance past my eyes: Djokovic loses today, Stan beats Fed and goes on to win Wimby with hardly anyone left to challenge him……..
LOL…at this point I think Dimi has a better chance than Stan.
I think Djokovic will prevail against Cilic but I think Dimi has a chance against this Djokovic…..
Totally ambivalent about Djokovic’s chances but I am not ambivalent about BB, I want him to lose.
Fed is down 4:1 in the first set.
Cilic imploding, 4 love down in the 4th set……….
Wawa takes the 1st set against Fed…………..
Wow, just checked the scores between chores and seen that Murray is out in straight sets, Novak losing 2-1 (although leading in 4th) and Mr. Smug is having his hairdo shaken by Wawa!
Like I said, Stan presents a stern test to Fed.
No.
#Semantics
#NID
Johnny Mac saying the cupcake draws for Muzza and Fed are exacting a price, they are (or has in the case of Muzza) wilting under sterner challenge.
Wimby’s dirty tricks department will be shut down if Fed loses…………
Not for Fed. It is his only chance. Would lose earlier otherwise.
#NothingToLose
https://twitter.com/Rafaholics/statuses/484348449626664960
^^Hahaha, nice one! Rafa always elicits the most visceral of put-downs, even from those who claim to be his fans.
RT @scambers73: “Clarification on Murray’s ranking – down to No 10, behind Dimitrov and Del Potro”
Wow! DelPo hasn’t played in a year and he’s ranked higher than Muzzah??
Fed will say that Stan probably almost played better than him in the 1st set.
If Muzza’s not careful he might not make the cut for the WTFs…………
JMac was the only one who has said all along not to draw too much from their early rounds because they had a good draw. Yesterday one of the commies called Fed’s performance against Robredo, regal, sublime and majestic.
C’mon Stan, you owe it to Rafa to take Fed out.
Lol!! If Stan wins second set, it will be tough for Roger to come back from two sets down, but then again……..
Roger came back from 2-sets down to Falla a couple of years ago. It is possible…
Jeu Nadal ( at 4:12 pm),
Falla got injured.
I don’t recall that Falla got injured but that explains it. Btw…Falla means fail in spanish, so #epicfalla
No. I said it too.
#GreatMinds
Palindrome Cilic loses the 4th but starts the 5th serving…always good to start the final set serving IMO.
Its now curtains for Cilic! But at least he took Novak to five!
‘.. regal, sublime.. majestic… ‘ give me a break! If Fed were to take a crap on centre court they would spray-paint it in gold and put it in the All England trophy room
^^Hahaha, @Shireling, sublime!
Oh boy. That’s a beauty Shireling. Cant stop laughing 😀
Funny because it’s true.
@Shireling,
Great comment! I can’t stop laughing!
Wheels have come off for Cilic, down a break in the decider………..
Its a shame, he was doing so well. Why did he stop what he was doing in the beginning!
If Roger and Stan goes to five, will be tough for Roger to pull out a win if he gets to final against Novak or Dimi!
Novak can smell Nr. 1 now… Fed wins the tie-break
Meh, I don’t like this Kyrgios kid: tattoos, ear studs, hip-hop earphones, Ronaldo hair cut…………and of course beating Rafa is not the best way to win my approval.
More trailer park than country club. Yes, I am a snob.
^^add the gold neck-chain to above list………..
Vamos Raonic
#Canuck
Yeah.. in the case of young Rafa (snif, snif – nostalgic – snif) it was more a commercial setup making the most of his bulging muscles with those sleeveless t-shirts and pirate shorts… but this Kyrgios is truly as obnoxious as any teenager can be 🙂
No.
#Tomic
#Hewitt
surely this kid is not as bad as Atomic? He’s a disgrace.
Let’s hope his sudden success at Wimby goes to his head: then he will have a reality check. The thought of him on the rampage on the tour and matches turning into a boom, boom slugfest is a depressing prospect.
RAFAEL NADAL: I didn’t play with lot of pressure. I won in the French. I am having a great season. I am playing well.
But I repeat. The surface here is dangerous and my draw was not easy. I played against a player that was not easy no one round. Today was not the right opponent again. He decided to serve so big and play so aggressive from the baseline.
During the whole match I had some chances. Not in the first set, but after the first set yes. Even in the fourth, first game, Love-30, two aces, two lines. That was it. I was not able to read the serve. I tried. Nothing bad.
Preach it Rafa.
#Rigged
yup. Now the remaining top 3 are struggling. Muzzah out, Nole went 5 sets against a guy who served a ban for 5(?) months, and now Rog lost a set.
“….. I won in the French. I am having a great season. I am playing well.”
No complaints from me, Rafa.
On to Montreal!
Toronto.
Not to mention you are still US Open champ, Rafa…………
Like Rafa said, he played not bad. He only lost serve one time.
#CrapShoot
https://twitter.com/SharkoTennis/status/484309346575065088
Stanifluke fading.
#NID
https://twitter.com/stroppadel/statuses/484366826911318017
that’s disgusting, really…why? the match was not that physical…
He just wants to be like Nole.
Watching Raonic-Kyrgios. If this is the future of the Tour, I’m switching to Finnish wife-carrying…………….
That’s an insult to Finnish TV. And all the wives (carried or otherwise)!!
https://twitter.com/SteveTignor/status/484369285926912000
#Karma
#NE1butFed
Did the crowd boo?
Wimbledon doesn’t “boo”.
hawkeye63 (at 5:04 pm),
¤¤ Wimbledon Crowd Boos, But Connors Wins Handily¤¤
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=860&dat=19770622&id=e3BUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SY8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6525,4819621
Connors?
hahahahahahahaha
hawkeye63 ( at 5:04 pm),
Since when ?
¤¤ Wimbledon 2013.
Booed Marion Bartoli into Wimbledon semi-finals
London: French 15th seed Marion Bartoli reached the Wimbledon semi-finals on Tuesday with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Sloane Stephens, the 17th-seeded American, despite being booed by the All England Club crowd. /—/
But she fell foul of the fans on the 11,000-seater Court One bowl when she demanded that play be stopped when she was leading 5-4, 40-40 with Stephens serving as light rain began to fall.¤¤
http://sports.ndtv.com/wimbledon-2013/news/210183-booed-marion-bartoli-into-wimbledon-semi-finals
hawkeye63 (at 5:04 pm),
MailOnline, 29 June 2014: ¤¤ Ana Ivanovic booed off after refusing to continue against Sabine Lisicki due to fading light [No 1 Court] ¤¤
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2673719/Ana-Ivanovic-booed-refusing-continue-against-Sabine-Lisicki-fading-light.html#ixzz36Khm95q0
They just boo the darkness and just not beingable to watch end of match.
#BetterLateThanNever
https://twitter.com/PseudoFed/status/484369036256747520
https://twitter.com/Tennis/status/484381351916077056
That’ll do Pig, that’ll do.
#Babe
LOL. HAHAHA I’m laughing so hard.
Where is the Kyrgios who hardly put a foot wrong against Rafa yesterday? Adrenalin can work wonders. He was so fired up yesterday and today he is flat. He just ruined Wimbledon for a lot of people.
I can see Fed taking the title or Djoker. Don’t think Dimi will do it somehow.
The real question is: where is @sabs? Amazing how Rafa-hate clouds some Fedfans’ judgment. @sabs was sure Kyrgios would in the final. Well, every soon he will finally be back in his camper van in the trailer park watching re-runs of the “How I beat Rafael Nadal” tape. Just like Rosol before him, and Steve Darcis………….he will live off that tape and soon relocate to Monaco. You see, he is famous now………..
After he beat Rafa yesterday Kyrgios said he wanted to be #1. Well, someone should tell him there’s a queue, and oh, they don’t give it to you just by beating a #1……..
#tosser
kyrgious on his way home…that’s about it from this sublime talent…beaten by the guy who has the same arsenal but more brains and better game…I thought Kyrgi was real improviser…and we will see him again at the AO first round…and then again at Wimby…
I think Novak will take the title…it’s between him and Fed…I don’t care really…I would love to see either Milos or Grigi do it, but it is highly unlikely…
Fed is in the final, no doubt about it he will beat whoever goes through between NK and Raonic.
“he beat Rafael Nadal. What more could a 19 year-old want? He does not care about whether he makes it to the semis”…the words of a Serbian commentator…so, according to him, the players should be focused on beating Rafa not winning the title…unfortunately, that seems to be the case…they all get hipped and crazy when meeting Rafa…playing like their life depends on it…so sick…
natashao2013 ( at 6:22 pm),
— words of a Serbian commentator…so, according to him, the players should be focused on beating Rafa—
Rafa = tennis, according to all the commentators in the tennis world and tennis players!
“he beat Rafael Nadal. What more could a 19 year-old want? He does not care about whether he makes it to the semis”…
This is exactly what Rafa meant by saying, “players like Kyrgios have nothing to lose.” His only ambition is to beat Rafa, not be an all round player, fighting for honours week in week out…………
Henceforth, he will be watching draws for signs he has been drawn to play Rafa early, his only way to garner attention………
Is it his fault that he won?
Let this kid enjoy his win over RAFA, he showed fighting abilities against Raonic as well. The back – back matches killed him.
He can improve.
Oh hello there @sabs, nice to see you. Poor delicate mite, can’t stand back-to-back matches. How unfair……………
NO FAIR! *rants @sabs, throwing his toys out of the pram*
If this is the future of tennis, Lord help us.
That’s why Rafa said every time a young player wins a match they say he’s going to be at the top of the game but let’s wait and see where Krygios goes from here.
Rafa has only himself to blame. He did not serve like he should have, esp in the tie-breaks, second serves terrible! Rafa knew what the kid’s game plan was going to be but yet he did not prepare enough! His serves deserted him when he needed them the most and he hardly capitalised on his break point chances. Rafa played worst than he did in his previous matches……..didn’t think that was even possible!
This is now becoming a big joke now….lets see who can take Rafa out early in a tourney……..its like he has a bullseye on his back every time he steps on the court. It must be extremely tough but for a legend like him, its occupational hazard I suppose. He created the monster, so he has to live with it!
Anyway, Rafa, looking forward to you defending your US Open title……hope you bring your serves with you this time!! Vamos!!
Monalisa (at 7:30 pm),
—He created the monster, so he has to live with it!—
What??? The monster ??? He created the most exiting player on the ATP Tour!
Every tennis-commentator speaks endlessly about him – no matter who is playing on the court. Creating stories about Rafa are the bread and butter of writers. The paparazzi follow him everywhere. He is the most followed tennis player on social media (Facebook, Twitter).
He is the brightest :star: in the Tennis Universe!
Who say?
#Revisionism
#Misquote
Rafa is the victim of his own success.
this is so boring to watch…this is not tennis…monotonous, unimaginative…can’t enjoy the game which is all about serve..
And some want to speed up the courts even more.
#HowSoonTheyForget
#Myopic
#23-10
VA-mos MI-los Clap-clap Clap-clap-clap
#AlmostForgot
#GoGenie
#GoCanada
#NE1butFed
Wimbly is now on Federer’s racquet.
#18
^^That’s why clay court tennis will always be the most interesting for me to watch. While power can be a part of it, strategy, point construction, defense….virtually all aspects of the tennis game, come into play.
@jpacnw,
I agree with you. Clay court tennis is incredibly demanding and until the Federazzi showed up to denigrate winning on that surface because of Rafa, it was considered a huge accomplishment to win RG.
When Fed beats Nole at Wimbly, it’s time to ripcord Boom Boom.
#JustSayin
#BetweenTheEars
i hope Dimi takes Nole out but I can’t see it happening.
Well he choked against Standard Wawa so anything’s pospisil.
ANOTHER WIN FOR…….
MMMIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!
hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kick Fed to the curb, Milos and shut the door on your way out!!!!!!!
Note to pundits;
Teenage Rafa beat a #1 on his way to a Slam title;
Teenage Nick beat a #1 on his way to a loss in the next round.
The 2 do not compare.
That’s just called Upset-itis. Very hard to to consolidate a win over a top player. The majority suffer a loss in the next round. He can go commiserate with Rosol and Darcis.
Milos up to a career high No. 6 on Monday (No. 5 if he beats Rafa’s punchbag).
^^
#6 without a Slam, let alone a Masters win………….not right.
See Berdych.(among others).
#KeepTrying
#YoureWelcome
Little Beast Ferru at YE No. 5 in 2007 also.
#WhatEva
Oh yes, forgot about Berdych. So Raonic is aiming to join THAT illustrious company…..
No.
Do you think he has a chance against Roger? More importantly, what will happen in Canada if both Genie and Milos win WImbledon????
Yes. A chance.
#ThatIsWhyTheyPlay
When Rafa retires, my tennis interest retires with him. I’m not going to waste my time watching these sort of players. They have NOTHING in their game that interests me. There is no fun in watching big serves. They slowed the courts because the big servers were killing the game, now they are back.
Ahhh, just one tournament and Wimby being the fastest.
Rafa would have been fine if they hadn’t rig-stacked so many hard servers in his quarter.
Like I said, taking out one is not the problem. Taking out three or four is another matter.
The problem isn’t the hard server. The problem is that draws aren’t random.
RT @alex_willis: “Following up the upset. So hard to do”
So how is he gonna become a #1 if he cannot back up his “upsets”?
He’s still young.
#OnlyTimeWillTell
#LikeRafaSaid
He doesn’t have time on his hands. He will be 20 next year. As Rafa said, all (well, most)the greats had a Slam by the time they were 19.
Fed was almost 22 before he won his first major.
Agassi was 22.
#DifferentStrokes
The 2014 Wimbledon Final: Milos Raonic vs. Grigor Dimitrov
and the trophy goes to………………
This is a joke, right? The guy has only been to one Masters final, in his back-yard last year and he is talking about being #1?
https://twitter.com/bbctennis/status/484410631823831043/photo/1
Nothing wrong with that goal for any young Top 10 player.
VA-mos MI-los.
#Belief
I am not questioning his belief or goal, just questioning the rankings! He could very well be #5 come Monday, without a Slam, without a Masters shield.
Ferru, Berdych (among others) were the same.
https://twitter.com/Wimbledon/status/484410697598922753
#GoForIt
#EyeOfTheTiger
yup…he can certainly do it…his game is tailor made for the green stuff on Wimbledon…
Yes Krygios was the prime contender for #1 today it’s Milos. Having a game tailor made for grass is not going to get you to #1.
Who said Kyrios was the prime contender?
You say so.
#SourcesRequired
What are you so defensive about, hawkeye? The hype around Krygios yesterday suggestedthat he was on his way to the pinnacle.
The ATP should inaugurate a new tournament called, “The Beat Rafa Tournament” complete with vulgar trophy and prize money……….
Just a question nadline. Methinks you doth protest too much.
Please calm down. <3
ritb, don’t forget a car to hump.
I meant to say that Milos can certainly WIN Wimbledon given how fats this grass is…I really don’t think he has the game to be the No1, at least not yet…
^^that
Corr.
Yesterday, Krygios was ………….
https://twitter.com/ESPNTennis/status/484409616151752704
#AsPlanned
#RandomOrder
https://twitter.com/Wimbledon/status/484411337679052801
Now they are discussing shafting Amelie and getting Llendl back. Hilarious.
I hear Boris may become available soon.
#18
LOL… 😀
https://twitter.com/Tennis_Canada/status/484413157088063489
Roger is in the final. You heard it here first.
He should WIN the final (not just be in it).
although I would love to see Milos wining, I sure agree with you…and it may as well be in straights…
Hawkeye, I just don’t like giants.
What about Delpo? How can you not love Delpo. Or Berdych. He is tall, for sure, no?
(Aside: I’m only 6′) <3
#BFFs
I only like 6′ 1 Spaniards from Manacor who play tennis and have just one sister and whose granddad is a muscian and coached by an uncle called Toni.
I’ve been working on my tan.
I am rooting for Raonic on Friday.
#AnyoneButFed
(psst, just between you and me ritb, I think nadline is too)
#NoPeekings
it makes the three of us… 😉 and counting… 🙂
*raises hand* Four.
If Novak does not win THIS Wimby he should retire and take up Finnish wife-carrying. He will soon have a wife, so meeting entry criteria will not be a problem………..
indeed…he has it all served on a plate…the only obstacle is …MILOS… 🙂
ritb, 😀
How could I not root for anybody against the Fed?
PS
I just don’t think Raonic has got the game to beat him.
but keep in mind: it’s always on Fed’s racquet.. he may end up having the game to lose… 😉
Eugenie Bouchard has a twin sister called Beatrice after Prince Andrew’s daughters.
Not a lot of people know that.
^^I thought you were joking, looked it up on Wiki and it’s the true, no?
I also don’t think Milos will beat Fed but u never know, the game needs to be played. I don’t understand how a player like Raonik can beat someone who Rafa couldn’t, can’t be only the serve, can it?
Milos was able to return better…he was reading Kirgi serve better…and he had plenty of easy points on serve…and most importantly the kid was only a shadow of what we have seen yesterday…NID
Rafa says it doesn’t affect his play. I will take his word for it.
@Shireling, hope this answers your question:
RT @NickKyrgios: “Gave everything I had today, I hit the wall & ran out of gas. Tough to back that physicality up 2 days in a row just now but I’ll be back!”
You want to be #1 son? Be ready for that kind of physicality week in week out then you can talk about becoming #1. #1 ranking’s not included in cereal boxes……..
In the meantime, tone it down, get to work., and oh, a little respect for your elders wouldn’t go amiss………..
Krygios was a shell of himself today.
No. You have it backwards.
#HopeThisHelps
That might be but what is it about Rafa’s game that feeds these gunners. Is it the poor returns alone? Don’t want to make too much of this loss but it would be nice to have your thoughts….. And don’t tell me about the glory to be had from playing against the great Rafa, blabla, I’m talking about the technical side, where does Rafa fail where others don’t and why does it happen mostly on grass? if u care to comment…
Shireling (at 8:32 pm),
U. Toni talks
http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/318849.html
Rafa talks.
An interview in Cincinnati on August 14, 2013.
RAFAEL NADAL: “My knee is healed, is working well for the moment. I felt more trouble on grass because the movements are less stable and I need to play lower than in the rest of the surfaces.”
Not this year though.
hawkeye63 (at 9:27 pm),
You obviously didn’t read carefully. U.Toni said: “he doesn’t have A LOT of pain.” (It means : he still has)
hawkeye63 (at 9:27 pm),
Rafa talks.
¤¤ He says: “I am able to move MORE freely now. I’m not scared about my knee.
“At last I am confident that I can play a lot of matches on grass. Before, I was not. It’s the best I have felt for two years.” ¤¤
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/tennis/483994/I-m-fitter-than-I-ve-been-for-years-says-Rafael-Nadal-on-eve-of-Wimbledon
(I think, he is still cautious)
^^^^^I’m with you on that. The days when Rafa scrambled to get to EVERY ball (no matter how impossible it might seem) are long gone. He will still pull off the occasional miraculous save on a critical point but it’s far more likely he will watch the ball fly past rather than attempt a kamikaze save.
#DiscretionIsTheBetterPartOfValour
ed251137 ( at 8:27 am),
Rafa avoids damaging his knee rather than running for every ball.
Rafa Says:
“I am feeling better this year than last couple of years, seriously,” said Rafa, who seemed to be trying hard to get us to believe him. “Personally, I feel that I am doing the things better…I’m not scared about the knee. That’s the most important thing for me.”
#BelieveRafa
I guess I’m just making a big deal out of it, look at what happened to last year’s champion. At the end of the day this is just a sport and anybody can have a bad day…
He had nothing to lose vs Rafa and just went for broke with no pressure.
Against Milos he thought he hd a real shot and therefore had something to lose.
#HumanNature
^^You capture it well.
“I guess I’m just making a big deal out of it,…….”
You are.
“At the end of the day this is just a sport and anybody can have a bad day…”
True dat.
The final ought to be either Djoko Fed or Milos Grigor. Anything else would be a damp squib. It would be too much to expect one of Milos or Grigor to take out Djoko and Fed b2b.
Miroslava
I have never written comment before.
I read a some blogs from time to time,but have never seen anything like this. So full of hate for everybody not named Nadal, everybody who can beet him.
Have been watching tennis for about 40 years,
It has been fun most of the time,but with the slow courts,all very much the same,players not wanting to adapt it is not what tennis should be for me.
There is only one player now,along with some from the past era, for me that is tennis,and it is not Rafa, who needs slow court, slow game,heavy ball. He is the machine ,you oil it and it works.
Miroslava Palameta (at 12:54 am),
—Rafa, who needs slow court, slow game,heavy ball. He is the machine ,you oil it and it works–
I have seen many comments like this (fortunately not on THIS blog) – so full of hate for Rafa!!!
And here we see a federazzi in it’s natural habitat come out from under it’s rock, this one, while a somewhat common variety, whose sightings, while rare, suddenly spike when Rafa loses.
Take advantage of this sighting as they will soon disappear back under the rocks from which they slithered.
And remember, look but please don’t feed the trolls.
#EndangeredSpecies
#Humb1e
Rafa has made it quite clear that his knee is healthy this time. This brings some peace to me…Rafa will enjoy some holidays and then come out playing great in Toronto.
I don’t know about the future of course but I think these losses on grass will prompt rafa to strengthen some aspects of his game even further. He is of that kind. He won literally everything in 2010 but in 2011 djokovic owned him repeatedly. His response? His honed his baseline attack . His forehand’s aggressiveness has reached new heights after 2011 even though many thought in 2010 that rafa’s forehand was the best in the game then.
Rafa lost in the USO many times and after his loss in 2009 (though injured),he knew something had to improve. His response? He improved his serve massively 2010 onward !
Rafa used to come up short in wimbledon. He lost to federer in 2007 again. His response? He improved his net game and backhand slice drastically and became more aggressive with his ground strokes.
No way he’s gonna win a hard court slam, let alone beating federer in it. Well, he raised the level of his backhand to such heights that we now use that period as benchmark of excellence for his backhand.
There are other examples too. He is the ultimate problem solver. He just keeps working and does that best when he knows what to work on the most. Uncle Toni has mentioned several times that rafa needs to improve his 2nd serve. I believe he has slightly improved it but there is plenty of room in that department. He knows his second serve can be a liability and can be really tough to defend on a surface like grass.
Another vulnerability is the ROS off both first and second serves. While return on 1st serves are more dependent on reflexes , the second serve return can be definitely improved. He needs to become more adept at taking the returns early with conviction. He was doing a fine job in this tournament and needs to carry on. I think he will start doing it more often. He always has the option of returning from deep behind the baseline so that will always be there.
His body is aging so he needs to cover the resulting holes with slight improvements in other areas. I don’t know what rafa thinks about the future but I do feel that he will now target the ROS and 2nd serve improvements more than ever. just my thoughts.
1st serve improvements : checked
Backhand improvements: checked
forehand improvements: checked
net play improvements : checked
2nd serve and ROS? work-in-progress
not saying he has not improved these two aspects but a pronounced improvement is yet to be seen. And of course he can ramp up other aspects even more if he wills to !
Thx vamosrafa, your comments are always savy and much appreciated.
thank you for the kind words, Shierling.
We are all gutted by rafa’s loss but if rafa can take positives from his defeat and still believe he is playing well, why cannot we do that? Rafa never exaggerates. Nor does he create false hope for himself and nor does he like to hide behind the wall of fake confidence. When he says something, he means it . When rafa is negative about himself, it’s not hard to see that. 2011’s presser are an example.
“When he says something, he means it .”
True dat…………….
You’ve nailed it Vamosrafa. That is the essence of Rafa. One of may favourite quotes from him came as he was leaving London after his disastrous WTF in 2009. He was asked about his year, which had started so well with his first AO win.
His response: “This year has been very up and down for me” then with a shrug of the shoulders, a lift of the eyebrow and a wry smile he added: “but mostly down”. He went on to apologise to all the fans for his dismal showing at the WTF.
He always tells it like it is. No bullshit.
Thanks for giving this example from rafa’s career.
No bullshit, exactly. That is how Rafa operates.
If he can win USO after exiting wimby in the first round last year and with aching knees, then why cannot he do that this year?
The rest of the field is also kind of shaky this year so far. Rafa can do it
Rafa will rebound. Time is running out but he still has at least 2-3 great years left in him.
It it were not for that back issue, Rafa would have won the AO and we know that ! His back issue really derailed his progress and his competitive spirit allowed him to get out of a very tough phase during which he lost to Almagro, Ferrer and Djokovic and almost lost to Nishikori !
I was very hopeful of a wimby title because I could see his game was heading in the right direction. His backhand had started clicking…serve was good, ROS was improving …in my view rafa would have won wimby had he not run into this crazy guy.
I believe rafa will have a very solid run at the USO. It has been his best slam outside RG since 2010. He can better counter djokovic on the faster hard courts and Federer, Murray he owns them in slam matches. The big hitters will not be as big a concern there either. If he can replicate his aggressive best, there is no reason why he cannot win a third USO title
Shireling, even Serena said, after her loss, that players play the match of their lives when they play her. It’s unfair to say it’s Rafa’s poor ROS when he holds a 20:0 record against Karlovic, Gulbis, Raonic and Isner. How you can say Raonic has a better ROS than Rafa is beyond me.
I don’t know if you watched both of the matches against Rafa and Raonic but if you did and didn’t see the totally different ways Krygios played, which commies put down to fatigue and an anticlimax after his big win, then I’m lost for words.
^^This is what Kyrgios himself had to say after his loss:
RT @NickKyrgios : “Gave everything I had today, I hit the wall & ran out of gas. Tough to back that physicality up 2 days in a row just now but I’ll be back!”
@ritb. There we have it.
^^Rosol experienced it, so did Darcis, so did Almagro in Barcelona etc, etc. I hope this young man does not fade out like the rest of them but would not be surprised if he does….
The commies continued to talk up Kyrgios and speculate he might even go all the way whereas the view on this site was virtually unanimous that he would fall at the next fence. Not rocket science.
The weekend break had given him time to recover from the Gasquet match. I’ve already voiced my thought that the two day break between matches had worked against Rafa. I would bet my last dollar if Rafa and Kyrgios had played back to back matches Rafa would still be in the tournament.
This is what Pat Cash said after Muzza’s exit:
RT @bbc5live : “.@TheRealPatCash on #Murray: ‘Expectation weighs down on you so much, that your feet don’t move. I know how it feels’ ”
Puts Rafa’s career into perspective, no? Remember, everytime he steps on court he is expected to win, by a whole nation and hordes of fans globally. That he has, on the whole, ploughed through tournaments, winning, with those expectations weighing down on him, is a marvel.
That’s why I get tetchy when Rafans rebuke him for losing like he owes it to his fans to win everything so as not to disappoint them.
ed251137 ( at 9:23 am),
—That’s why I get tetchy when Rafans rebuke him for losing—
Could you concretely say – who.
Gussie: I was generalising. I am not pointing a finger at any one person. This, as NNY is so fond of saying, is a forum for an exchange of viewpoints and naturally enough each of us interpret events differently. Vive la difference!
Post any Rafa loss there are often comments expressing disappointment in his performance together with gratuitous armchair coaching as to where he went wrong and what he should have done. I guess what irks me is if this is done without any acknowledgment of the huge effort made by Rafa and any extenuating circumstances.
I try to avoid some tennis forums after Rafa loses because of the lets thrash Rafa campaign that goes on. People begin to talk him down forgetting all is great achievements.
So sad.
nadline10 (at 6:44 am),—
—People begin to talk him down…—
These are pro-Fed people who HOPE Rafa to decline. They have done the same for years!
Yahoo, Nov 19, 2013:
¤¤ “For the last five years, it seems like lot of people were saying I will not be able to play long the way that I play,” said Nadal, Olympic singles champion in 2008.
“But I am here [in China] again at 27-and-a-half years old and I really hope to have the chance to be here for a lot of more years.” ¤¤
“Rafael’s level of play was rather good this year at Wimbledon, with better feeling and movement than last year. But it’s not that easy when you know that is going to be a lottery against Kyrgios,” Toni Nadal said in the interview via Tennis Tonic.
I think Rafa has played very good tennis at Wimbledon this year but his draw didn’t help. He wasn’t meant to win it this year. I have every confidence that he will do well in the h/c season in North America.
It is good to know Rafa and Uncle Toni remain upbeat in spite of the loss to Kyrgios.
I was afraid the disappointment would sap Rafa’s confidence especially after the bitter blow at the AO. Had he survived the 4th round I share the belief with many of you that Rafa was poised to win his 15th Slam. Dammit.
ed, I agree. It’s good to know that he is not down about it. It was nothing but bad luck. That’s life.
There is a difference between losing at the AO and Wimbledon. At the AO, he got a NEW injury that affected him mentally too. At Wimbledon – he didn’t (to my knowledge).
Well, I for one am not naive enough to think that Raonic won solely because Kyrgios was spent .. the kid is 19! do you remember the energy you had when you were 19?
Obviously it had something to do but it was not the only reason why Raonic won and Rafa didn’t.
Raonic must have been doing something right too and I imagine that this was the constant threat of ace after ace.
I didn’t see Kyrgios-Raonic so I don’t know if Raonic returned better but why is it so far fetched to think so?
I agree with vamosrafa that Nadal needs to work on his ROS and second serve and knowing him he’s probably doing something about it already 🙂
If I sound sour and unfair to Rafa is not because I want to put him down but because I always get a bit sad after his losses and then maybe I lose a bit of objectivity …
Raonic served like a bomb. I think at one point, he won 36 straight points on his serve and had 9 love service games
@Shireling, Kyrgios himself said he lost (therefore Raonic won) because he was spent against Raonic. I guess that makes him naïve too?
Rafa lost, he will lose some more, and win some more. Time to move on………….
You didn’t see the Krygios/Raonic match? That explains a lot. It’s not a good idea to jump to conclusions when you don’t have the full picture. Krygios said in an interview shown before the match that he was the first to admit that fitness was a problem for him and that he was working on it.
I think Rafa was disheartened after losing the 3rd set. He was clearly the better player in the 3rd set. It looked tired to me in the 4th set.
TBH, Rafa did not play that badly. Only problem was that he could not read his opponents serve all through out the match.
I think he should be ok for the NA hard court season. In the Hard courts, he can really stand back to return serves, so he is difficult to ace. Only the top players can stay with Rafa in the hard courts
atul1985 (at 10:12 am),
—I think he should be ok for the NA hard court season—
U.Toni is of the same opinion.
sport360.com, 03 July 2014
¤¤ Looking ahead, Toni believes Nadal has regained his confidence and will be ready to defend his titles in Canada, Cincinnati and the US Open.
“Rafael began the year very good in Doha and Australia and then he played not too good and I think he has recovered his confidence and his level is again at a good level. And I think Rafael now has the possibility to make a good US tour and a strong finish to the season.” ¤¤
^^Thanks @augusta08.
Andy was beyond pathetic yesterday. Was shocked sseeing his performance. Totally flat.
Dimitrov was super
I hope Grigor or Milos wins this but if wishes were horses…
I think Djoko will take the title. Fed was not that good against Stan and Stan was actually a bit ill, called for the doctor. I doubt Djoko will lose a slam final to Fed, dont see it happening. I think Grigor is a bigger threat to Djoko than Fed.
It was always going to take sometime for Muzza to get back to 100% from back surgery. 2015 will be the decisive year for Muzza, for all the Big 4 I feel, what with the young guns like Dimitrov, Raonic and Dolgo showing their promise.
Sanju, do you remember when you said Andy was playing the best tennis of the big 4 at Wimbledon and I pointed out that if you hadn’t seen all the matches and was just looking at the scores, you could be mislead?.
I was waiting to see how Andy would fair against a good player like Dimi because his 1st 4 rounds were really easy for him. He was not stretched, and I am very surprised that his team didn’t see it coming even the commies should have reserved their optimism until Andy had played a competitive match.
Yes I remember . I was so impressed with him vs Anderson and equally shocked seeing him against Grigor
Ahem, they don’t have the night he lost to Raonic in this caption:
https://twitter.com/Wimbledon/status/484652759854358528/photo/1
ritb
July 3, 2014 at 11:24 am
actually, if what we write here is correct, Kyrgios said: ‘I hit a wall and ran out of gas’, this ‘hitting a wall’ is both physical and psychological after being beaten at his own game.
For whichever reason Rafa was unable to bring down the hammer that day, no biggie but that’s what happened. It’s too easy to say that Kyrgios had nothing left for the match against Raonic.
@Shireling, Kyrgios said, “I hit a wall and ran out of gas” AFTER his match against Raonic, meaning he was spent. That it was after being beaten at his own game is your interpretation, which you are entitled to, but please do not confuse your opinion with fact. My own opinion is he expended a lot of his gas defeating Rafa, therefore had nothing left for the match against Raonic. Too easy for you, yes, for me too! It really is that simple.
That Rafa was unable to bring down the hammer against KYrgios is not in dispute, the match stats prove it, he lost.
You want some complicated reason for why Rafa lost, good luck with that assignment. I prefer to take Uncle Toni’s approach to the game i.e. tennis is a very simple game: put the ball within the tramlines. If you don’t you lose. On this occasion, Rafa did not. Do not try to complicate it with over-analysis. Rafa lost, Kyrgios won, I don’t need a complicated reason to figure that out!
Yes, Rafa is slower because of age. This is normal. He is aware of this. His team is aware of this and this is why he has refined other parts of his game to compensate for the half step loss in speed. Just look at how he went about his business on the North American HC swing last year. When has Rafa ever done such a HC sweep before? Was that an accident? I do think so. I think that is the result of painstaking planning, practicing, thinking and finally, execution.
Still do not understand why Rafa losing to Kyrgios at Wimby is such a shock given all we know tbh…………..
^^meant to say, I don’t think so, in my post above, right after the question, “was that an accident?”
Kyrios played above himself vs Rafa. With the series of hard hitters hand-placed in Rafa’s quarter, any one of which who, on any given day, can take the racquet out of your hands, this was a known danger even with Nadal’s play at a high level (he only lost serve once remember).
This is the danger going forward. As Rafa gets closer to Roger, these types of draws will only get worse.
This is the only reason Fed is still there and Rafa is out.
Sorry for such a long excerpt from Rafa’s last presser below but, pretty much all of the answers of everything being discussed about Rafa here over the last two days, from his knees, to his ridiculously biased draw to Kyrios’ future can be found so simply in Rafa’s own words:
Rafa Says:
The thing is this surface, when you have an opponent that he decides to serve and to hit every ball very strong, you are in trouble.
I think that I didn’t play really bad. But that’s the game in this surface.
But at the end, everything is a little bit easier when you are arriving. Everything is new. Nothing to lose. Everything is good. Everything is positive. You can do whatever and will be positive, and everybody see just the good things on you.
When you are there yourself, the rest of the people starts to see the negative things on your tennis.
Oh, I am satisfied the way that I played this Wimbledon. Is true that my draw was not the best one. All the matches were uncomfortable against players that didn’t give you the opportunity to play a lot.
I fighted until the end in every single match. I was able to play some good tennis on this surface. That’s something that I was not able to do in the last two years.
But that’s the tennis. That’s the sport in this surface. I felt in a way I am even not angry today because I feel that I lost the match losing only one time my serve during the whole match. I created my opportunities.
You know, that’s happens when you have nothing to lose. You can play that way. Players who really play for being in the last rounds, think about win the titles, it’s not easy to create the second serve 114 5‑All in the tiebreak, but that’s what happened today.
Congratulations to him. For me, beach (smiling). For me, I going to go to the beach in Mallorca.
I try my best, as always I do when my physical performance give me the chance to try my best. Last two years I didn’t have that chance to try my best because my knee was not right to compete here.
But this year I felt the knee was right to compete here. I competed. I think I competed well. Was not enough today, but that’s it.
I lost in four sets having my chances, only losing one serve. Is not nothing about the grass. Is obvious that for everybody the grass is more dangerous than the rest of the surfaces.
But talking about last two years, I told you. This year I have the chance to be in quarterfinals, so is nothing bad about grass.
But I repeat. The surface here is dangerous and my draw was not easy. I played against a player that was not easy no one round. Today was not the right opponent again. He decided to serve so big and play so aggressive from the baseline.
Normally on grass the thing is first week when you compete against some players, the things are not very logical. The surface creates the opportunity to that players that they can play very aggressive and they can see a real chance to win playing that style, no, something on the other surfaces you cannot play that crazy, way, no?
When you arrive to quarterfinals, semifinals, and you play against the best players, the things become again logical, no? At the end, the top players want to play with control. The top players want to play normal way. They don’t want to play crazy aggressive. They play normal. Is true that that makes me the things a little bit more less difficult for me.
At the end, the thing is top 10 is only 10, so is difficult to be in the top 10. Is something that is not easy to talk about top 10 because he can be top 10. For me is very easy to say he can be top 10. I think he can do. Is not an issue that I think he cannot do it. I think he can do it.
But always the same. I don’t want to say names. But when we see a young player that arrives to the tour and plays a great match or plays a great tournament, people say he will be the next big star.
Some things are right. Sometimes arrive, sometimes not. So depends how the things improve over the next couple of months, years for him. So if he is able to keep improving, he will be. If not, will be more difficult.
#PreachItRafa
hawkeye63 ( at 1:44 pm),
—Rafa Says: I try my best, as always I do when my physical performance give me the chance to try my best. Last two years I didn’t have that chance to try my best because my knee was not right to compete here.—
I hope everybody hear/see Rafa’s explanation that during last two years he couldn’t play better due to his (left) knee problems. Rafa’s enemies have never wanted to believe this.
We’ll see if Rafa’s standard has really gone down when we see where he goes from here.
Until he says otherwise, it hasn’t.
#BelieveRafa
Oh @nadline, we have been told Rafa’s standard has gone down since when? Time immemorial. Funny thing is, this mantra was not echoed last year when Rafa was sweeping all before him. This refrain only comes up, together with the fire Uncle Toni one, you guessed it: after he loses! How predictable is that? Sheesh!
Rafa is right in saying that it’s difficult to play someone who plays like that… but, he’s still world number 1 and Kyrgios was a 19 yo wild card, he was always going to come out like this. True that Rafa didn’t play bad but he wasn’t awesome either, that’s why he lost.
Just one of those days.
Now we have to wait for the HC season
If it was just one hard hitter or even two, Rafa would most likely have been fine but as you add these players up one match after another, the odds increase that on any given day, one of those guys will play above themselves and take the racquet out of your hand.
Rafa had Klizan, Rosol and Kyrios, all very hard servers and would still have had Raonic to contend with. These are very stressful and taxing matchups that one after another exact a toll and I don’t think any of the Top 4 would have survived such a one-dimensional and biased quarter. Rafa was the best shot to do it but the odds were stacked against him. He alludes to this in his presser.
None of the other Top 4 have to play hard hitters in succession like this, especially on grass.
No, this was a carefully orchestrated draw to protect Fed and maximize the chance for a Fed Muzza final.
I’m for Raonic now but Nole is very deserving having made it to 15 of the last 16 slam semis and surviving a very tricky (and rigged) quarter himself.
Given Nole’s failure to capitalize of five of his last six slam finals, however, I see Fed as the favourite.
#AsPlanned
“No, this was a carefully orchestrated draw to protect Fed and maximize the chance for a Fed Muzza final.”
Shhhhhh, @hawkeye63. For some people, Santa does slide down the chimney on Christmas day to deliver all those presents!
I remember when Tsonga beat Rafa easily in Australia in 2008, he was expected to go on to be #1 in the world and to be at the top for a few good years. They likened him to Mohamed Ali, endless articles were written about his brilliance etc etc. What has Tsonga done 6 years on? Rafa is still ruling tennis, OK? (Along with Djokovic) Tsonga’s highest rank since has been 5 for a brief period.
Yes, that match against Tsonga was a real trashing. I’d say the best thing Tsonga has done since then is come back from 2 sets down against Fed in Wimby.
^^^Seems you are bent on dissing Rafa. Have fun. 🙁
Shireling (at 2:08 pm),
Tsonga defeated Rafa at the AO 2008 (six years ago!!!!!!), but some commentators are still excited about that! When Tsonga played Hanescu in Dubai this year, a TV-commentator yelled, “Just huge power, isn’t it? We saw that when demolishing Nadal at the Australian Open /…/ with this sort of play.”
That’s the reason why every player wishes to defeat Rafa – they will always be remembered/mentioned. Funny, no?
I know. When Murray was playing Dimi yesterday they were busy cooing about how Dimi nearly won a TB against Rafa in Australia this year. You’d think that after losing in the 2nd and 1st rounds at consecutive Wimbledons it would not be news when Rafa lost in the 4th round. Its even bigger news than when the 7 times champion lost in the 2nd round to Stakhovsky last year.
Well, I like his smack talk at least:
https://twitter.com/The_Changeover/status/484708883642867714
So which are the notorious GS events?RG n Wimby?
I think AO is fair. Is USO proven to be a bit rigged?
Arent draws supposed to be done in public?
I still maintain if draws are indeed made tough to trouble Rafa, karma will bite back hard . Its the law of the universe.
Ever been to a magic show in public Sanju?Hate to break it to you but it’s not real.
Same thing, for sure, no? 😉
#SleightOfHand
#Illusions
Yes @Sanju. Fixing draws is a tawdry business. Nice people prefer to look away………..
As do the federazzi.
Djoko first tomorrow..Good..will have more recovery time
The Bouchard Halep match is a good dogfight. Both are future GS champs. Very steady play and good hitting
Don’t think I’m dissing Rafa by saying that he got trashed by Tsonga on that day or that he should have been able to handle Kyrgios … ‘should’ as in an ideal scenario but it was not to happen , move on, get better, waiting for HC season already
I liked what Kyrgios said before the match with Rafa “it’s going to be a good match, between us both we have 14 GS” 🙂
I hope he credited Genie Bouchard with that line, the one where he says between us both we have 14 GS? Otherwise he’s just a plain ol’ thief to boot.
She’s the one who coined it after posting a selfie with Johnny Mac on her instagram account.
Everyone had moved on until you asked for reasons why Rafa couldn’t beat Krygios other than Krygios playing out of his skin.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2014/07/03/tennis-tradition-phony-apology-wave-wimbledon/12123275/
Note the lack of an example of TMF “apologizing”.
Besides, what is the big deal. In tennis, it is just good sportsmanship and a recognition of players recognizing the frustration on the other side of the net. Tennis is not “other sports.”
But any excuse to put Rafa in a bad light.
#ShhhFederazziAtWork
This Milos quote is much more in line with the person he appears to be. He was misquoted earlier by the telegraph.
https://twitter.com/The_Changeover/status/484709689067048960
This is why I like to see/read the direct transcripts myself.
Commies are biased and like to sensationalize, even if it takes a misquote “mistake”.
#Federazzi@Work
^^I am warming to Raonic……..
He appears to have his head screwed on tightly on his shoulders.
Bouchard is the real deal………..
I have a feeling she will beat Kvitova. I hope Princess Eugenie makes an appearance on Saturday to cheer on her name-sake.
#MapleLeafSlam
Canada Day and all of this plus Raonic all in one week???
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
#YouCannotBeSerious!!!!!
#GoCanada!!!!!
https://twitter.com/Wimbledon/status/484724230563852288
https://twitter.com/Wimbledon/status/484719858295537666
RT @Wimbledon: “”I never say I’m surprised [by my achievements] because I put in a lot of hard work. It’s been years in the making” – @geniebouchard”
Another line for Kyrgios to plagiarise…………
https://twitter.com/TennisChannel/status/484724812993294337
#AnythingsPospisil
#GenieInABottle
#MilosBionic
They. Just. Cannot. Leave. Rafa. Alone.
RT @jon_wertheim: “Bouchard wins. Simona Halep signing autographs, Nadal-style as she leaves in defeat…”
I saw the same intentional dig.
Nadal-style period would have sufficed. “win or lose” would have been better but then he couldn’t have worked in the intentional dig.
Vamos Genie!!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2664972/Eugenie-Bouchard-set-Wimbledon-storm.html
Tiggy’s take is my take as well but you just never know…
Roger Federer vs. Milos Raonic
This version of the present vs. the future has also met four times, and the present—i.e. Federer—has won them all. But three of those matches have been close. Raonic has pushed all of their best-of-three-setters to a decider; two of them, including one on grass in Halle two years ago, have gone all the way to a final tiebreaker. The Canadian’s serve has been effective against Federer, but Federer’s serve has been effective in this tournament. If the match is close, the surroundings may play their part. I don’t think Raonic is ready to beat Federer in front of this crowd, on this court, at this stage of Wimbledon. The 23-year-old knows there will be more chances; the 32-year-old can’t be so sure. Winner: Federer
My apologies if this Uncle T interview has been posted already:
http://sport360.com/article/international/23021/toni-nadal-backs-rafa-add-his-two-wimbledon-titles
“I think Rafael has played not a bad game here this year in Wimbledon. But we have had a very bad draw because we played with players – it’s so difficult to play against these kind of players. Players with big serves.”
Preach it Tio Toni.
#Rigged
What does Uncle Toni know? His charge is simply not as good as the others in toppling one big server after another on a slick surface. 😉
We’ll never know. They’ve never had to.
#NoCoincidence
And of course it’s one big coincidence that all these big servers landed in Rafa’s quarter…
Nudge nudge, wink wink…………..
It’s magic ritb!
I wish @Sanju’s karma would hurry up and sort them all out! 🙂
I suspect it will be a loooooong wait.
rafaisthebest (at 4:19 pm),
I posted a quote from this article today at 11:56 am.
well, if the draw was rigged they didn’t take into account the Dimitrov factor, did they? or maybe they just rig for Fed, who knows?
Dimitrov had never been past the second round at Wimbledon.
“If Rafael had beaten Kyrgios, maybe he could have won the tournament because it’s just a couple of balls that made the difference. It wasn’t the same as last year when Rafael couldn’t run and he played really bad. This year he could have beaten everyone. He could lose, but he had chances to beat the best players in the world.
“Rafael began the year very good in Doha and Australia and then he played not too good and I think he has recovered his confidence and his level is again at a good level. and I think Rafael now has the possibility to make a good US tour and a strong finish to the season.”
I said exactly the same yesterday , haha…uncle Toni is right on
Shireling says:
July 3, 2014 at 8:36 pm
well, if the draw was rigged they didn’t take into account the Dimitrov factor, did they? or maybe they just rig for Fed, who knows?
By the Qtrs. there was no hiding place. They could either choose Dimitrov or they could choose Ferrer, Raonic, Gulbis or Isner.
Wimbledon 2014: Nick Kyrgios admits Rafael Nadal win left him tired
Wimbledon 2014: Nick Kyrgios admits that his fitness let him down during his 6-7 6-2 6-4 7-6 defeat by Milos Raonic
The Sport Review
By The Sport Review and Marianne Bevis at Wimbledon
Thursday 3 July 2014, 10:02 UK
The 19-year-old Australian conceded that his surprise fourth-round win over Rafael Nadal took a physical toll during his loss to the eighth seed on Court One on Wednesday.
“[The Nadal match] had a pretty big impact,” said Kyrgios. “I was struggling physically about halfway through the second set. I was feeling sore in a couple of places.
“I have nothing left to give. Beating Rafa took a lot out of me but I will work on my fitness and conditioning.
“But I’m not going to take any credit away from him. He served unbelievably. I thought I came out strong on his first return game. I made him earn that.
“All the other service games it looked like he was in such a rhythm that I just couldn’t do anything out there.”
Raonic, meanwhile, expressed his delight at setting up a semi-final showdown with seven-time champion Roger Federer.
“It’s a good feeling,” said Raonic. “It was a very difficult match today. A lot of not knowing what to expect because I knew I played him three weeks ago, but it was very different circumstances this time around.
“I’m happy with the result I was able to get out of it.”
http://www.thesportreview.com/tsr/2014/07/wimbledon-2014-nick-kyrgios-admits-rafael-nadal-win-left-him-tired/