Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will kick off their Madrid campaigns during second-round action on Wednesday. Nadal has an intriguing opener on his hands with Fabio Fognini, while Djokovic is facing Nicolas Almagro.
Fabio Fognini vs. (4) Rafael Nadal
Familiar foes Nadal and Fognini will be squaring off for the 12th time in their careers when they clash in round two of the Mutua Madrid Open on Wednesday. Nadal is leading the head-to-head series 8-3 and has not dropped a set to Fognini since losing a 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 stunner at the 2015 U.S. Open. The Spaniard prevailed 7-5, 6-3 later that fall in Beijing, 6-2, 7-6(1) last spring in Barcelona, and 6-1, 7-5 earlier this season in the Miami semifinals. Nadal has won four of their six previous clay-court encounters, with each of Fognini’s victories on the slow stuff having come in 2015 (Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona).
A resurgent Nadal is not looking as vulnerable in 2017. The world No. 5 boasts a 29-5 record, including 29-2 against opponents other than Roger Federer and 10-0 on clay. Nadal is coming off consecutive titles in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, where he combined to go 20-1 in total sets and 19-0 in his last 19 sets. Fognini lost his opening match in three straight tournaments following his run in Miami, but he managed to beat Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday in Madrid. Based on respective current form, nothing suggests the 29th-ranked Italian has much of a chance in this one–unless Nadal’s ear infection is more significant than expected.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 5-7 games
[polldaddy poll=9742828]
(WC) Nicolas Almagro vs. (2) Novak Djokovic
Djokovic will be playing his first match since jettisoning his entire team when he takes the court on Wednesday in Madrid. Boris Becker became old news after the 2016 campaign and everyone else–including Marian Vajda–followed suit last week. Djokovic decided to hit the complete reset button after going just 7-4 in his last four tournaments, with early losses at the Australian Open (Denis Istomin), Acapulco (Nick Kyrgios), Indian Wells (Kyrgios), and Monte-Carlo (David Goffin). The world No. 2 also missed the Miami Masters with an elbow injury before returning in Monte-Carlo, where he scraped past Gilles Simon and Pablo Carreno Busta in tough three-setters and then fell to Goffin.
Up first for Djokovic is a fifth career ATP-level meeting with Almagro, who trails the head-to-head series 4-0. They most recently faced each other two years ago on the red clay of Rome, where Djokovic got the job done 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3. Almagro gave himself another shot at Madrid’s second seed by beating fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on Tuesday. The world No. 76 is an even 7-7 this season (5-4 on clay) and he is coming off a quarterfinal performance in Estoril. Clay will give Almagro a remote chance on Wednesday, but he will likely become impatient from failing to penetrate Djokovic’s defense and ultimately break down from the back of the court.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
[polldaddy poll=9742823]
who ya got?
Rafole.
#Obviously
Tsame.
I can’t access the WTA page from my phone unless someone happens to have recently posted there.
The only person who more OTT about watching David Goffin than me has to be Mary Carrillo lol
(Is) more over the top about David Goffin…
Assuming Rafa’s ear infection is under control, then he should have an easy time of it with Fog.
Novak should be able to take care of Almagro in straight sets.
Rafa in a romp, and Joker in straight.
food for though. Nadal lost to Fognini more than once when Nadal was a -1200 favorite.
Be focused, be confident, be strong, be courageous, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C_dBgEDXYAAw0dj.jpg
Rafa and Djoker in two but I could see Nico stealing a set from Djoker
And Rafa losing 5-7 games
Almagro is not match fit and he seems a little bit overweight after being sidelined with injury.
Indeed. Almagro is out of shape – I’ve never seen him that fat. Surprised he beat Robredo yesterday.
Nole, of course, isn’t packing extra pounds but he’s not sharp either. I’ll be happy if he gets out of this in 2 sets, if possible! Come on, Nole!
Oh gosh…
Nico has set points (2)
One saved…
Dang!!! Set for Nico
Can’t watch any more of this.
Joker is back to being a mental midget that he was for so long before his great run. He needs to see a sports psychiatrist more than anything else in my opinion.
Sad to see.
Hahaha… I take it back
Nico isn’t fat. He’s all muscle. Hitting Nole off the court!!
Awful
Pepe just signalled “Peace and love” to Djoker after he lost the 2nd set.
How did he signal? He is listening to him too much.
I’m just being facetious. 😉
Somehow, deep down, I think Djoko will tough it out.
Lol. Given what is going on with him these days, I won’t be too surprised haha.
This is a 50-50 match at the moment.
Whoever wins the 9th game of this set will win the match.
ouch!
5:5, final set. Nico is having another go of holding his serve and making Djoker serve to stay in the match.
I wasn’t that surprised to turn on the match and see Novak pushed to three sets by Almagro.
This is a tight one!
Novak with the break and will serve for the match. It looks like he is going to pull this one out.
Novak gets the win.
Please, I cringe when Novak does that nonsense of throwing his arms to the crowd.
?
they were chanting “Nico Nico” when he did it LOL
Rafa time!
?
Nny!!…R u ready to rumble with Rafa????I can’t hear u!!Wooohooo!!C’mon!!!
MA,
YES!!!! I am here and ready to cheer on our Rafa all the way!!!
?♥️?
Nny!!Yay!!!That’s my girl!!Let’s vamosing and wooohoooing together Nny!!!…Yeah!!
Nico was too erratic to take advantage of an out of form Djoko.
Congrats to rc for novak’s win today….
Rsda looking sharp with his serving to start off the match.
Fog also off to a good start.
I think this was an important win for Nole. It is a good thing that he fired his old team. Somehow I have a feeling that they were taking too much credit for his success and were trying to bulldoze him into being under their control and making him neglect his family. All this must have led to Nole being pulled by two opposing forces and he has decided family is more important. The new team he selects will not try to dominate him so he can have peace in determining how he runs his life. I am sure that will do him good.Those who were advocating that he divorce his wife were advocating a ruinous course. Imagine how disruptive a divorce would have been for him.
DF from Rafa on game point.
Fog with a break point now.
Fog breaks. Didn’t see that coming. Rafa set seemed quite frustrated in that service game.
HORRIBLBLY nervous Rafa in that game. Junk balling off both wings. Net clearance of at least 50 metres and landing inside thr service box..
Not such a good start for Rafa. Broken already. But as it is an early break, not as bad as a break in the 9th game!
Remember Rafa is battling an ear problem and more pertinently the weakening effects of antibiotics. So I am cool with any result. As long as he takes the crown at RG.
Rafa’s style of play make it easy for Fog painting the lines left and right…I guess he will get away with another amazing winners today…
Fog’s backhand has been very sharp.
Not good from Rafa right now. He seems frustrated and not sure of what he wants to do.
Rafa missing too much.
Now Rafa moving forward to hit a nice volley winner.
Fog still being aggressive and forcing Rafa back.
Rafa holds. That was crucial to stay down one break. Hopefully Rafa can settle down.
yep
Okay Rafa breaks back!
Rafa doing well.
Fighting off those break points to avoid going down two breaks seems to have gotten Rafa going.
Got the break back.
Another tight service game for Rafa. Deuce.
Break point for Fog.
Another difficult service game for Rafa.
I bet $100 against nadal to win $750. Hopefully i get a new laptop after this match.
Well let us hope you lose $100.
im not betting against nadal to disrespect him. Its just Nadal lost to fognini 3 times and thats when Nadal was a huge -1400 favorite. With nadals ear infection, today is a great day to take this risk based on past history and current medical conditon. If i lose what ever but this is a good investment.
Value bet was a smart play here. Little to lose with massive payoff.
im prob still going to lose but i had to take the chance with the past history and his current conditon. Plus Nadal had disappointed many times as -1000+ AKA: lose to sam querry, Troicki, Pouille, Coric, etc
Another break for Fog. Rafa was not able to sustain momentum.
This is concerning.
Rafa being Rafa (circa 2014-15)
Agree Hawks!…U think it’s because his ear problem or just plain nervous or still not adjusting well to Madrid’s condition Hawks?
Just Rafa. Nervousness/anxiety around it being Fognini, first round, home crowd pressure and ball flying in Madrid altitude.
Win or lose, I woundn’t read anything into it. He can use the rest if he loses.
Yeah hawks!Agree!!…I don’t mind at all if he loses today…
Fog gifting it..
Nadal doesnt like gifts. He is returning the gift
It’s really a poor quality match this Rafa vs Foggy. It’s a breakathon, no one has any adv even though Foggy holds serves a lot easier than Rafa. Hopefully Rafa can take this set and then plays better in the next.
More like WTA.
Just tuned in. Rafa hitting soooooo short lol.
Vulgar FH in da house.
This is some of the worst professional tennis I’ve ever seen.
#Vulgar
Rafa’s been making marginal improvements.. Serve has been consistently good though.
RAFA WINS THE BEST POINT OF THE MATCH!
Crowd going crazy with ‘Raaafaa … Raaafaaa’ haha
I’m picking Kyrgios in the next round regardless.
Picked him at the start. At this point I don’t regret it.
Fognini is the Italian Verdasco.
I had to go out briefly and came back to see the end of the tb. I am just glad Rada won the tb abd the first set!
Not a very good match from either guy.
Rafa pulls it out in the tiebreak.
Rafa wins the first set! The set took one hour and 21 minutes to complete!
Foggy a bit like Almugro, losing from a winning position.
Fog doesn’t have it mentally.
I never understand just why players keep on hitting racquets to the ground..I mean,it could be fun to watch if they’re hitting at their own leg or head…instead of hitting it to the hard ground!Poor racquets!
Fog had quite the meltdown late in the third set as he saw the tb slipping away.
That first set seemed like it went on forever! I was surprised when I came home to see that they were still in the first set.
This is looking like one of those ugly grind it out matches where the one who plays the least bad ekes out a win.
Kyrgios licking his chops (I’m sure he wants Nadal)
Yep!
And that is why I’m picking him to win. He wants that match and will probably ball out in that one.
I think Rafa is getting used to the way the ball flies. Mark Petchey keeps going on about how talented Fog is, but any objective viewer can see that Rafa has been his own worst enemy in the 1st set.
Vamos Rafa!
Hey hey hey!Maybe rafa will win in 2 after all and save his energy for the next round!!Yay!!
he should
Rafa is playing worse tennis than Djoko. I thought Djoko is lack luster but Rafa is worse. Rafa really playing dreadful tennis and is lucky it’s the erratic Foggy across the net.
Perhaps he’s affected by his ear infection plus the windy conditions, but Rafa was used to dealing with windy conditions, not today.
I thought at one point I saw Rafa kind of poke at his ear. But maybe I read too much into one gesture. I am trying to find a reason for Rafa’s mediocre tennis on this match. He knows the conditions in Madrid and he has dealt with wind.
Not the wind nor ear.
Nerves.
IMO LOL.
As always,agree with u hawks!Lol!
Rafa was clearly hampered by something, because his shots had no power. Hope he’ll feel better in his next match.
Well,i think we will know the real reason in Rafa’s press con after this…
Nothing is coming easily for Rafa today.
Nny…I think,today is just one of those days when everything is not working for him..let’s just say,bad day in the office..but,i still think he will find a way in the end..
MA,
I do not want to see Rafa slugging it out for a few hours against the likes of Fog. He will be in no shape to take on Kyrgios. It can’t help his ear infection either.
I really do not want to see him lose again to Fog, especially on clay.
Hehehe…your wish just been granted Nny!haha..i bet you’re the happiest women alive today!Thanks to Baby Bear!
today is all about survival.
Can’t survive I’m afraid!
The organizers are not helping Rafa here. I mean why do they give Rafa this time slot instead of letting Djoko has this?
Djoko finished his match while his next round opponent is still battling away; Kyrgios finished his match long time ago and Rafa is still struggling now! Truly brainless scheduling!
I think Rafa will lose this match and says bye bye to Madrid. So much for overplaying, he may be short of match play before the FO the way things are going now.
Lucky, a lot of people (including Rafa fans) are/were saying Rafa should have lost this match in a walkover. Whatever else one might say, I don’t think one can say the organizers didn’t help Rafa. The announcer noted that Fog was not happy having the match pushed back.
I only saw the first set. Obviously Rafa did not play well; I can’t ever remember him hitting so many unforced errors. Fog was up and down, but did not play the big points well. I cannot believe he lost that set with all the chances he had.
Joe Smith says AT 8:35: “I don’t think one can say the organizers didn’t help Rafa. The announcer noted that Fog was not happy having the match pushed back.”
Fedlovers should keep quiet on the topic. Fed asked the 2016 Brisbane tournament organisers to delay his start until Thursday (!) because of his illness.
August: If I say something about Rafa, it doesn’t mean I don’t think the same applies to Fed, or any other player. I’m against favouritism, whether it be used in support of Nadal, Federer, or any other player.
Well we never heard you complaining when AO surface was speeded up for Fed or when Fed got night matches for so many years whilst the other 3 sweated it out in unbearable heat or played back to back matches?
I don’t know about the court being speeded up “for Fed,” (proof?) but I agree that he seems to receives favourable treatment in getting so many night matches at slams, which is unfair. Maybe you can find an instance where his match was postponed because he was ill (like Rafa and Fog), which is even more unfair.
Whether or not something is fair or unfair is totally independent of what I (or you, or anyone) thinks.
augusta gave you an example. Also in some AO he wanted to start later, maybe augusta can say which one. I think it was 2008 when he had a viral attack.
Joe Smith says AT 11:30 PM: “Maybe you can find an instance where his [Fed] match was postponed because he was ill…”
Here is a link:
https://www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/2016/01/federer-books-dimitrov-rematch
But the point is dear Joe we did not hear you complaining ever about all the favors shown to Fed. Did you complain about his night matches?
Besides was Rafa’s match scheduled for Tuesday and then postponed? augusta? If not, what is Joe complaining about. It isn’t as if there were supposed to be no 2nd round matches today.
Yes, Rafa’s match was postponed; that’s why Fabio complained. I’m not complaining, incidentally; I wanted to see the match. I just think it’s unfair to Fog. And when Federer receives preferential treatment (as in the case Augusta mentions) I oppose it too.
link?
Ricky, not sure if you’re asking me for a link, but here’s one:
https://www.followyoursport.com/article/35920/nadal-fognini-madrid-open-match-delayed/
The announcers mentioned during the first set that Fognini was not happy with the decision to delay/postpone, so it was obviously enough of a change for him to notice.
Joe can you produce proof that you ever complained when Fed received preferential treatment.
As far as I know, Rafa’s match was not scheduled for Tuesday. I was looking at the OOP everyday. They had not decided when to schedule it, for Tuesday or Wednesday. Nole’s match was on Wednesday, and so were a few other matches. Why would Fognini complain about his match being on Wednesday?
Mary, why do you guys always make it about me, or whoever brings up some point you don’t like? Who cares what I think? Isn’t the important thing whether the point is true or not?
I’ve provided a link showing that the match was delayed/postponed. In the telecast I watched, the announcer mentioned that Fabio wasn’t happy about it. I don’t know, maybe I misheard him. I don’t think so.
Instead of all the ad hominems, why not just say: ‘You know what, Joe? You’re right, it wasn’t fair to Fabio that Rafa got extra time to recover when (by the usual rules) he should have had to play when the match was scheduled, in the condition he was in, or else forfeit. But, to be even-handed, you should know/admit that Federer receives this type of preferential treatment far more often than any other player does.’
To which I would reply: none of it is fair, and it shouldn’t be allowed.
Your link doesn’t prove anything. Just some reporter putting his interpretation.I was looking at ATP site and they never scheduled it for Tuesday. If it was scheduled for Tuesday, can you give the time for which it was scheduled?
You still haven’t addressed my point. When did you complain about Fed receiving preferential treatment? In fact you were not even aware that he had received preferential treatment because of his illness. So much for you being fair. Secondly claiming that scheduling to accommodate Rafa is more unfair than giving Fed night matches, is just your opinion. It happens repeatedly but you have never complained.
Here’s another one, reporting that Nadal requested his match be delayed by a day:
http://www.eurosport.com/tennis/ear-infection-delays-nadal-s-madrid-open-start_sto6158479/story.shtml
No one is making anything up here.
Incidentally, I was only responding to Lucky, who complained that the organizers were “not helping Rafa here.” I merely pointed out that they had already helped him quite a bit.
Agreed. Organizers bend over backwards even to change the surface to suit Fed.They give him the draw he wants. Scheduling his matches as per his convenience is done all the time. While others have to play in AO’s hot sun, our man plays at night. He never has back to matches in grand slams since 2003 except one when USO had sf and final on consecutive days i.e. that was the tournament schedule, not something that could be altered to please His Tennis Majesty. Fans of Fed have no right to complain when a minor accommodation is made for others.
Just got home turned on TV I didn’t realize Fognini was still giving him trouble in the second. Could someone fill me in on how the first set went? I heard Fog had a lead and lost it and that it was similar to what Almagro did. Also how did the Djoker Almagro match go? Did Almagro have a big lead?
I know Djokovic barely won though. He just can’t get back into form. I think his losses to Kyrgios were super unfortunate for Novak because he played such a great final set in the IW match with Del Potro and Kyrgios just took the match out of Novaks hands the next round as Djoker seemed to be reaching a high level again.
Rafa might not win this title, but I really don’t think he’s losing to Fognini today…
Me neither. Rafa will fight for the win here.
who’s going to beat him if Fog doesn’t?
Kyrgios?
NK
C’mon Ricky. You really think Fognini really has a better chance of beating Rafa right now than Kyrgios?
Rafa gon’ break back right here and take the second set. I just think Foggy could be too flighty to close out this set.
Nope. Fognini actually played such a good game there dang. He’s taking it to Rafa now. We could have a Kyrgios-Fognini third round match instead. Still think Rafa will get the third though.
I am so frustrated right now that I could scream. This is maddening to watch! Now it drags on to a third set. Over two hours already.
I truly hate seeing Rafa struggle against Fog.
Relax Nny!..remember!it’s just a tennis match..and struggling,he needs to..the condition is not easy to deal with out there..chill okay?
Wise words as usual, Mira.
Hehehe….Thanks Joe!Btw…i am sorry that you always got attack by my dear,smart and genius Rafans here…it doesn’t matter to me whether you’re Fedfan or Nolefan..i like u Joe….just hangin’ strong here okay?
Thanks, Mira. Incidentally, I think Rafa is the best when it comes to keeping tennis in perspective. Whenever he loses a tough match, he says something like: ‘At the end of the day I lost a tennis match; is not the end of the world, no?’
Yeah Joe!!Exactly!!Everytime Rafa lost and i feel the pain from it..i always remember Rafa’s words…and seeing him recovered from it in a blink of an eye,made me thinking..”if Rafa can do it,why can’t i?He’s the one who should suffer the most,because he’s the one who’s slugging physically and mentally out there,not us…”
Whoever wins this match would not survive Kyrgios. This match will go over 3 hours, the winner will have nothing left for tomorrow’s match!
disagree
I agree with Ricky…in fact i think Rafa will win against Nick tomorrow..
Let’s go fognini. I want a new Microsoft surface.
Looking good sam.
Yea but even if fognini is up a break third set Its still not that great because fognini is a head case and Nadal is a fighter.
UE’s are high in this match.
Rafa has 18 winners to 33 UE’s.
Fog has 40 winners to 41 UE’s.
No fognini is done
0-40
4-2
15-40
Rafa is awful.
But Fognini is truly awful.
Rsda gets the break. Now he needs to close this out.
he is
Fognini has checked out. Good luck next match Rafa
Rafa should serve out this one easy.
#SaidNoRafanEver
0-15 LOL
15-30 LOLOL
#….
15-40 DBP
LOLOLOL
#….
Congrats to Me
#NID
I think if rafa eager to makes winner like Foggy,he could close out this match sooner…but,yeah..typical rafa…rally and rally and rally and rally…
Sheeeeitt that backhand tho
I’m rather thinking it’s no bad thing if Rafa does’t beat the Fog then he can get some rest and regroup for Rome and the final push before RG.
Oh well it looks like he might nott be going home just yet! Hope he has a good game plan for Mr. Curious.
Agree with u ed!I even hope he will lose early so he can go home and rest…and continue his prep in Rome next week..
he won’t
I missed the first set and a half so I didn’t see all the errors but this last set has been mostly pretty good quality imo. Those two check out games from Fog were a little suspect but each guy is hitting a fair amount of winners and forcing errors at this point.
What the shit was that?
Currently laughing at how bad that was
Rafa will break now FTW.
IMO.
0-15
LOL
#….
15-30
LOLOL
#….
30-40 MP
LOLOLOL
#….
Congrats to Me
#NID….
Nah this seems destined for a tiebreak. I have a feeling Fog is actually gonna win this. He seems to get the close ones done when these two play.
doubt it
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry watching this.
I’ve laughed so much that I’m crying
LOL! Good one!
?
Just got home. Missed the end of Novak’s match and I’m not terribly surprised by the score of Rafa v Fogna. You never know with Fabio.
Vamos Rafa!
Rafa wins! Finally! Don’t tell me this didn’t mean something to Rafa! I am glad that he didn’t lose to Fog!
Rafa gutted it out. After this marathon, he has to face Kyrgios. Rafa has to play a lot better if he wants to beat Kyrgios.
And then fabio does that holy moly what a forehand.
And then he does that holy moly what a dropshot. As in what a horrible dropshot
I’m now laughing at how good some of the shots Fog hits coupled with how bad some of them are. That’s Fognini for you I guess. LOL HE JUST DOUBLED. I REST MY CASE
Fognini is the biggest head case in tennis in the top 50, after Monfils. Maybe I’ve missed someone, but I can’t think of him.
Joe you’re forgetting Paire!!!! He can lose to just about anyone but wiped the floor with WaWa last night
😉
HA WATCH HE WILL HIT A WINNER TO SAVE THE MP NOW
Congrats to Me
#NID
NOPE RAFA WINS!! Bring on the Kyrgios v Rafa match ??
Rafa battled through!! ✌ Woohoo!!
Lol Fabio makes me laugh.
Yay. Rafa!
Seems to me that Djokovic and Nadal both won matches they shouldn’t have. I guess that’s why they’re Djokovic and Nadal.
I’m a genius.
#AlbertHawkeinstein
Benny, I know your e-mail address BTW.
Wait for real? I thought only Ricky could see email addresses lol
i am the only one who can
How does hawkeye know Benny G’s email address?
Nope. There is something funky going on with this site.
Benny’s login credentials showed up instead of mine the other day.
Benny’s email has two tennis players and a few numbers.
Very strange that this happened but I remember nny saying her posts were showing up under Lucky’s name or vice versa a while back so it was likely the same thing.
maybe you 2 are using the same computer!
Yeah Ricky. That must be it.
#SMH
Along with nny and Lucky too.
Sorry but I don’t think Rafa will survive the bombs of Kyrgios. Also we now get to see Herbert v Coric. Let’s go!!
Coric will win.
Aside: is it pronounced cor-ich or chor-ich? Discuss amongst yourself. Maybe Ricky should start a poll.
It’s corich not chorich! In fact it’s a different letter in Croatian language not only pronouncing differently…
Natashao, if you look at how his name is written,
Borna Ćorić, the first c and the last c have the same accent mark on top. So both c ‘s are pronounced the same way.
@Mary 3:21am,
You are right, but I did not talk about the first and last letter of Coric’s last name. I talked about the first letter of his last name only: C-oric vs CH-oric. That’s what hawks was asking! The capital letters are different letters in Croatian… and it is C-oric while Marin is CH-ilic!
Trust me, I know my own language ?
Nats, I thought you were Serbian, not Croatian?
Also are people from Croatia, Croats or Croatians?
People from Serbia, Serbs or Serbians?
I did have an issue where Lucky’s login information came up instead of mine. Then my posts were showing up under Lucky’s name. I did post a comment about what was going on at the time. I changed the login information back to my user name and email. I did mention it at the time because I thought Lucky would wonder what was going on.
It hasn’t happened since, but I thought something must have gotten messed up.
Allez Herbert!!!!!
It’s airbear and chorich like chillich
eh-bear. Silent r
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AZk_ywFJYm4
Aside: there’s a Seinfeld bit for everything from a show about nothing. Discuss.
Lol
Mary Carrillo is still talking about Federer LOL.
What a federazzi fedfawn.
Gimelstob is a sexist misogynist.
Is that redundant?
No. But I don’t know that Gimelstob is a misogynist. Various other unpleasant things, yes.
He’s a lousy tennis commentator! I know that!
chorich
Chorrecht!!!
Lol!
Carlos Moya’s wife (Carolina Cerezuela, a Spanish actress) and son watched Rafa’s match from the stands:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C_e7-dzXgAAgTkv.jpg
C.Moya has a lovely family. 🙂
They showed this beautiful woman in the stands during the match and the tennis channel commentators identified her as Carlos Moya’s wife. She really is stunning.
I did expect Rafa to have difficulties with Fog since coming back from being ill. Whenever Rafa has any health issue it affects his mental state and he loses focus. It did not help having Fog ‘in the mood to play well’ on the other side of the net! Great Rafa was able to fight off all those attacks from Fog and emerge victorious. Good job, Champ!
Nick is next! Would be great to beat Nick in 2!
Vamos Rafa!
At least Rafa isn’t playing doubles. I know, he never does during the clay season, but I’m trying to find a bright side. If Rafa’s ok physically he’ll be pumped from winning. He gives himself credit for the fight.
I suppose Rafa will up his game when facing Kygrios. He knows he can’t afford to lose his own service game, and knowing how hard Kygrios could hit the ball, I think Rafa would not want to go into long rallies with Kygrios. I hope Rafa uses his guile, his varieties to beat Kygrios.
Dimitrov sure looks strong…he’s a break up on Dr. Ivo
Curious has big weapons but lacks subtlety. It will be up to Rafa to use his guile to outwit him. It will have been a boost to have won even when he was not playing his best tennis.
Onwards and upwards.
A summary of Rafa’s on-court interview he gave to Alex Corretja in Spanish (made by Genny SS):
¤¤ Rafa acknowledged he didn’t play his best. It was his 1st match in altitude and with quite a lot of wind – not easy to deal with, and the things got really complicated.
But Rafa is very happy to be through and he hopes to play better in the next round. Even though he’s aware his next rival will be very difficult, as his huge serve will be a true weapon on this court, but hopes to compete well.
Corretja told Rafa it must be difficult to play a player like Fognini, who can hit winners off both wings. Rafa agrees, but pointed out that he is aware he played a bad match and thus helped Fognini to have more winners than usual. But if playing a bad match was today’s negative part, positive part is that he was fighting all the time and was there mentally. Today wasn’t a day to play well, it was a day to just win in whichever way and thus to have another chance to play tomorrow. Sometimes winning this kind of matches give you the opportunity to make a “click” the next day. If you don’t keep trying and fighting, you may miss this chance. So, he is very happy to have that chance. ¤¤
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C_fMSKLWAAAaToP.jpg
Vamos Rafa!
Smart words.
Especially the part about allowing fog winners caused by his own poor play.
Commies very rarely mention that even though it’s obvious.
Fognini played a truly awful match.
Thanks Augusta.
The good news is, Rafa wasn’t feeling unwell.
Mark Petchey kept calling Fog a genius overtime he hit a winner but it was obvious that Rafa was playing a bad match and Fog was taking his chances and hitting whatever wherever. Fog got broken as many times as Rafa so if that’s genius then I don’t know what winging it is, which is what Fog was doing.
Genius must mean hitting easy winners off short balls then.
Thanks, Augusta. Rafa is the only commentator I really trust. (Sorry, Ricky)
Rafa’s R3 match won’t start before 8 PM (local time).
In Mark Petchey’s lexicon, that must be the definition of genius!
Oh snap Mary.
Sascha’s hair alone should win him at least two slams.
Do not discount hair. Remember Samson owed his powers to his hair!
Well his hair is helping him play pretty well right now lol. Down 5-6 in the first with Marin. Zverev was serving up 4-3 and at 30-30 Cilic hit a pass that was called good Zverev disagreed even after the ump said it was good and to be honest I couldn’t really tell but it seemed out at first. The slo mo replay showed it was super close though so I see how it could’ve been in too. Too close to call. They should get Hawkeye on the clay as soon as possible. Zverev didn’t respond well either by double faulting the next point. He and Cilic are still playing pretty solid match though. Great display of big hitting that’s for sure.
If Zverev loses the match, then Cilic haters would say Cilic was unsportsmanlike and should have conceded the point!
Hahaha. Zverev is up in the second right now anyways.
Dimitrov seems to be in good form.
Dimi beat Ivo in straight sets – 63 75.
I think Karlovic should retire, he doesn’t play tennis he just serves aces.
I still want him around. His win over RBA was so awesome to watch. For his reactions alone, I hope he keeps playing. And his reactions show he wants to keep playing.
If Rafa wins tomorrow, he’ll win the title. Tomorrow is the danger match. Kyrgios will hit HARD and go for more than usual penetration on his backhand CC whenever Rafa hits a spinny forehand. He did that really well in Rome last year.
Rafa is serving great so that is encouraging. A three-setter looks more likely.
I would say Rafa in 3 sets again.
Kyrgios will get help on his serve because of the altitude but Rafa will find a way again.
you don’t think Raonic/Goffin/ Nole or anyone from the other half can be a threat?
No, of course those players will be threat, esp Djokovic. I just think he will reach the lofty standards in this tournament as well once he beats Kyrgios. It is a great chance for Rafa to stop his losing streak against Djokovic if both players get there.
Agreed. As many probably know by now, my pick is Nick but if Rafa wins, he should be able to get the title. Personally I believe the winner of their match will win the tournament. Nobody is playing better at this event than Kyrgios and Nadal.
It’s time Kyrgios improves his ranking. Not fun playing him in the third round!
I agree that the match with Kyrgios is the big one for Rafa. I really appreciated reading what Rafa had to say about the match afterwards. He has no problem being honest when he plays poorly.
I think Rafa is right about surviving these matches and hanging tough and finding a way to win. I think these kinds of matches can give a player real confidence and belief. When you win a match that you could have lost, when you did not have your best tennis, that’s a good thing to be able to fall back on.
Rafa knows what to expect with Kyrgios. He also knows that he has to play well to be able to deal with him. I like to think he will come out ready. We’ve seen Rafa have a lousy match and then come out strong in his next match.
I just am hoping for the best for Rafa’s next match.
yes. He has a night match tomorrow , which has its pros and cons. I am really hoping he can dig out the victory tomorrow.
I should qualify what I said in my previous post. I do think Kyrgios is a big challenge. However, I do think other challenges remain ahead for Rafa if he gets past Kyrgios. I don’t think he automatically will win necessarily.
Rafa has to get past Raonic or Goffin and then possibly a semifinal meeting with Novak, At this point in time, I would welcome it.
Night match? ? #bombsaway
Night match is an advantage for Kyrgios. Plus, Rafa has very little recovery time and is probably still ailing. He could still win, but Nick has the edge here.
Paire is going to knock out Stan…
Wow, I mean there’s no way of guessing Paire or Stan …if it’s not a GS.
Stan just lost to Paire. Don’t know what’s up with Stan. But Paire did play well.
Zverev up a break in the third set against Cilic!
Love watching Sascha!
Paire-Cuevas R3
Nny
I’m watching the third set:
Sascha is really the real deal. It’s a pleasure to watch 😀
He’s very cool.
He faces Berdych next. I think Sascha has already beaten Tomas once.
rc,
You know I am so glad you are here! I love watching Zverev! Cilic was playing great, just hitting the cover off the ball, but Zverev has a way of coming up with the most brilliant shots at the right moments in matches. He took this match away from Cilic. He’s also sassy and the way he wags his finger when he hits a great shot for a winner, just love that attitude! Like he’s good and knows it! But not in an obnoxious way!
That’s why I have my eye on him. He has qualities that you see in the great champions, I get nervous with the tennis channel commentators talking him up so much, but it’s hard not to take notice of him.
He has the gene and the shots, but he has this mental toughness that you don’t see in someone so young. He doesn’t give up, doesn’t quit. I see him winning matches that he could easily have lost.
Gee, can you tell I am a fan?
?
He has the game and the shots! *
HeheHe 😀
Nny,
I”m happy to share in your enthusiasm for dear Sascha and agree. He is something special.
I think he’s handling the hype very well so far. He has his brother and lots of disciplinarians in the family that
Have instilled the right work ethic. Very different from the likes of Tomic, Gulbis, ect.
Imo, Kyrgios > A Zverev in talent; A Zverev > Kyrgios in attitude.
Kyrgios has the varieties and good hands; Zverev still has some ways to go where those are concerned. Both Kyrgios and Zverev can hit hard and move quickly to cover the court well, but Kyrgios has a much better serve.
The commentators at the Cilic/Zverev match were comparing Kyrgios to Zverev; they felt that Kyrgios would do better than Zverev at the slams, whilst Zverev would do better at the Masters, because they felt Zverev could play with consistency whilst Kyrgios couldn’t.
Kyrgios > just about everyone else in talent. Plus, he might be the perfect size/shape for a modern tennis player. He’s got the power of the bigger guys, but a step up in movement from Raonic, delpo, Cilic, even Zverev. Still not sure how injury prone he will be, but if he commits to a strict conditioning and diet regimen, he should be fine. The question is all about his head.
Kygrios is injury prone. I think he has to pick and choose what to play carefully in order to prevent or reduce injuries.
Zverev is two years younger than Kygrios so in two years with the help of his elder brother, maybe Alex could pick up some net skills, some varieties.
Fed is almost 22 when he picked up his first slam title; we’ll see if Kygrios and A Zverev could do the same, now that the big four are getting older and not the players they used to be.
Stan is being Stan. Since making the Madrid final in 2013, he is 1-4 at this event. Yet since that Madrid final, his french open results have been a quarterfinal, semifinal, and champion. Only in 2014 did he have an RG hiccup with the round one loss to GGL, which was the typical first grand slam win (Aus Open 2014) letdown, like Kerber at last year’s RG.
I’ve given up trying to predict Stan, because his form seems pretty random to me. Who predicted (before the tournament) that he would win the USO last year? The one thing that seems pretty clear, more than 3 years after his first slam victory, is that he only brings his best tennis at the slams. Otherwise he surely would have won more than 1 masters 1000 in 3+ years. He just doesn’t seem able to motivate himself until the stakes are really high.
I agree with Lucky about Kyrgios having the edge in talent over Zverev, whereas Zverev has the edge in attitude. Good point!
Zverev is still young and has time to work on aspects of his game. But he has a mindset that I think is crucial for a future champion. That’s not something you can teach.
Nik definitely has the serve. But he is two years older than Zverev. Zverev just turned 20 and has time to mature and work on his net game and conditioning. But I think he has enormous potential and hopefully has a good team behind him.
Kyrgios has a few issues, one being injury prone and the other is demeanor on court, behavior and also whether he is willing to make the commitment required to succeed st the highest levels in this sport.
Kyrgios has the game, he’s got the natural ability and talent. He should be contending for slams in the near future, but a lot is in his head.
Stan the Man gone. Beaten by Paire 75 46 62.
Zverev will surely win a slam sometime. Kyrgios also will, I think. Anyway now that the big 4 are getting old, others are going to snatch some slams.
Zverev and Kyrgios will both win Wimbledon at some point imo
grass is Zverev’s worst surface….
Was once Rafa’s until he made five straight Wimby finals in five attempts winning two titles.
and nobody said “Nadal is a future Wimbledon champion” before he won his first French
Zverev is too young to pass judgement on in terms of grass. Takes time to learn
Really? I guess I thought because he beat Roger on grass last year. Roger was coming back from the injury layoff though. Yeah I guess you’re right. I still could see him winning it though.
I’m still waiting to see what people see in Zverev.
Zverev is like a Delpo, but not with Delpo’s awesome power though his FH and BH are hit with power too. He’s quicker around the court than Delpo is, but Delpo has a calmer demeanor, tough mentality. Delpo has all the champions qualities, Zverev has yet to prove he has those.
I think we could compare Zverev to Delpo or Cilic for a start, to see what he has achieved compared to those two when they’re at his age. Zverev may be more fortunate than those two, when he’s yet to hit his peak and may do so after the big four are gone (or no longer the force they used to be).
Yes Zverev is a lot like Delpo in his early days so he will grow his game because he is good around the court and he’s got a good serve but, so far, I don’t necessarily see a dominant player. He struggles to win nearly all his matches. He should plead for the tag of future #1 to be lifted off his shoulder so that he doesn’t have that baggage whilst he is developing his game.
Rafa said playing Kyrgios here could be more complicated than playing him on a hard court! The altitude does take confidence away from him.
As is still too often the case, Rafa is only playing himself.
Murray LOL.
I had my doubts he’d be able to back up becoming top dog this year.
Everybody in a bit of a funk but one guy who’s gonna have a banner year.
Aside: why does Ricky rarely predict Murray matches? Discuss.
I mean he’s no. 1 in the world. Surely picking his matches is warranted?
Murray at no. 1 is like Rodney Dangerfield.