Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer survived to set up a blockbuster semifinal on Saturday in Monte-Carlo. Meanwhile, David Ferrer is back in action one day after upsetting Rafael Nadal as the Spaniard is set to face Stanislas Wawrinka.
(4) Roger Federer vs. (2) Novak Djokovic
Federer and Djokovic will be facing each other for 34th time in their careers when they collide in the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Saturday afternoon. Djokovic has a chance to even his head-to-head record against Federer for the first time in his career. The 32-year-old Swiss leads the series 17-16, but Djokovic has won four of their last five encounters and 10 of their last 14. They have dueled twice this season; Federer prevailed 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the Dubai semis before Djokovic scored a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) victory in the Indian Wells title match.
Both players bounced back from one-set deficits on Saturday. Federer overcame Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-1 and Djokovic stopped a red-hot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Djokovic is the defending champion of this event, having dethroned Rafael Nadal in last year’s final. Federer is looking for his first Monte-Carlo title after finishing runner-up on three previous occasions (all to Nadal). Longer rallies favor the world No. 2 in this matchup and his ability to close them out with his clicking down-the-line backhand may be the difference.
Pick: Djokovic in 3
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(6) David Ferrer vs. (3) Stanislas Wawrinka
Ferrer and Wawrinka will be squaring off for the 13th time in their careers on Saturday. The head-to-head series stands at 7-5 in Ferrer’s favor and he has won five of their seven previous clay-court encounters. Wawrinka, however, has won their two most recent meetings; 6-1, 6-4 in the 2013 Oeiras title match and 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-1 at the World Tour Finals last fall.
Both players have plenty of momentum this season. Ferrer improved to 22-6 with his second-ever win over Nadal on clay via a 7-6(1), 6-4 decision on Friday. That was preceded by straight-set scalps of Jeremy Chardy and Grigor Dimitrov. Wawrinka, the Australian Open champion, had little trouble with Marin Cilic and Milos Raonic in addition to a walkover past Nicolas Almagro. It’s often difficult to recover emotionally after a huge win, but Ferrer has more than enough experience to do so. Furthermore, clay should once again help him withstand Wawrinka’s superior firepower.
Pick: Ferrer in 3
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I would like to see Fed wining this but it is unlikely to happen…Nole seems to bring his A game when it matters…and Fed almost lost to Tsonga who is anything but a decent clay court player…his game simply does not fit slow clay…However, Fed should be encouraged by Nole exposing weaknesses against GGL so I do agree with Ricky that Fed may take this to three sets…the last set I expect Fed’s meltdown and lost concentration and Nole coming on top yet again…too bad since I would really like to see Fed finally wining MC…honestly… 🙂
for Wawa vs. Ferrer…well, I would love to see Ferry wining this one…I still have not forgiven Wawa for the complaints to the umpire on the subject of Rafa’s injury during the AO match and I don’t think I ever will…
who’s everyone got?
It would be nice if Federer wins against Novak and Stan or Ferru win it all 🙂
Anybody knows what were Fed and Novaks comments on Rafas loss? I bet they were asked
Djokovic and Ferru………..
Ferru would prob have a better chance against Djoker
that’s how bad he is against Fed
Unfortunately, I do not see Ferru beating either Fed or Djoker (but that’s what I thought before the quarters in relation to Rafa!). Ferru beat Rafa playing his usual game, mental lapses and all. Fed and/or Novak are not going to let him get away with those lapses the way Rafa did yesterday. I hope I am proved wrong, just like I was proved wrong yesterday. There isn’t a more deserving guy out there…………..
@ritb, maybe Fed deserves it as much as Ferru after finishing runner up 3 times.
Gluttony much, @abhirf! Fed has sooo many titles, most more grand than this. Fed has chances on clay, grass and HC; Ferru only has clay really.
I think Novak will win in three sets. Although Fed lost a set to Tsonga, Novak also lost a set to GGL. So they both had to come from behind. I think it’s will be good match and sometimes you don’t know who will win. But Novak is still my pick.
As for Wawa and Ferrer, I am not sure. It’s clay but Wawa can play on this surface. I think it could go either way. I thought about whether Ferrer will be able to recover after his win against Rafa. But I would like to think that Ferrer will want to make the most of this opportunity. I am hedging my bets here, but will pick Ferrer in three sets.
I’m going for Ferrer the Terrier. This is his big opportunity (there cant be that many more in store for him) and I’m thinking WaWa could succumb to nerves when asked to prove AO was not a fluke win.
Ferrer in 3
Both Federer and Djokovic have wavered in their matches this week. But I believe Nole having to fight so hard to win against GGL was more significant than Fed dropping a set against Tsonga. Besides, Roger is a better clay-courter than Nole. There’s still life in the old dog so I’m plumping for Fed to wipe the smirk off Nole’s face.
Federer in 3
Ferru!!
If you had a ticket yesterday at MC then you got an amazing day of tennis…great action all day long in the Kingdom by the Sea. I’m going w/Fed and Ferrer in the Semis.
Good God, Stanimal, what r u on??
Well that puts paid to my theory. I don’t think he’s going to blink now.
Ferru at least owed it to Nadal to do better than this 🙁
What’s the issue with Novak? I’ve just heard the commies on SKY say he needs to manage his time before RG.
Simply sublime from Stanimal……………making Ferru look ordinary out there.
Maybe he’s planning to squeeze in his wedding 😛
Novak aborted his training session this morning, so he might give Fed a WO.
Whhhaaaaat. Tell us more.
is this another smokescreen on his part?
Nole practiced for 10 mins then left to have painkilling injections.
wow
Ferru has at least got his teeth into Stan’s tail.
While BB Tweets about football:
RT @TheBorisBecker: “#bayern today against #Braunschweig in the #German #Bundesliga http://instagram.com/p/m-Kxq_Ef3W/‘
……and Formula One:
RT @TheBorisBecker : “Another pole #position for @lewisking hamilton …. http://instagram.com/p/m-KWspkf24/“
Stan’s level has dropped………..
Oh no Fed cant get a walkover..no way..He needs to earn his 1st Monte Carlo trophy beating either Rafa or Novak..cant be so lucky
Painkiller injections for what? Wrist?
Ferrer missed his chance at 5:4. He should’ve brought the hammer down. Don’t hold out any hope for him if it goes to a TB.
Stan;s level was being exaggerated in set 1 due to ferrer’s lackluster play
Has Stan ever been in a Masters final?
yes, it was once in Rome against Djokovic in 2008 when rafa lost to ferrero early in the week
Madrid 2013 forgot against Rafa? Cmon u rem an old one but not the recent one 🙂
Oh yes, forgot about Madrid 2013………….
LOL…dumb of me
I have a new found respect for Stan!
I love watching Stan play..always liked him..His hitting is so powerful..Just his mental makeup was not powerful..hopefully solved now
Im rooting for Stan for the title here..but if its Fed..Stan always chokes against him..so never know
Not necessarily. He held is nerve the first time he ever beat him – and that was in Monte Carlo!
0/2 for me today so far….
After this result, I hope that is my final predictions score today.
Vamos Fed!
Stan has really improved. He beat Ferru last year on clay for the first time, if I am not mistaken, in 3 sets. This time he does it in 2. In impressive fashion too, the BH was solid, the FH, which is his weaker side, was not shabby either. He bossed the baseline rallies and kept Ferru on the backfoot all match.
I really don’t care that Ferrer lost. I’m still annoyed with him for running Rafa ragged yesterday, which puts me between a rock and a hard place because I didn’t want Stan to win either.
latest on djokovic?
He is playing.
Nole will have earned his title if he wins here. He has to beat the 2 players who have given him the most of the trouble in recent past.
Let’s see what happens in the 2nd semi.
Stan’s tennis was impeccable today and he deserved his win, but this is why I wanted him to lose:
RT @TennisChannel: “@stanwawrinka is determined to prove that winning @AustralianOpen was not just a fluke as he becomes the 1st finalist in #MonteCarlo”
Now they are tipping Stan as possible YE #1.
Really, good for them! To be honest, I forget that Rafa is #1, it does not matter to me, all I want is for him to win GSs, esp Wimby and AO one more time!!
Novak has wrist injury by the way………..unfortunate, truth be told! They are always tricky, better he sorts it out earlier than later, he does not want to end up like Delpo and Laura
Still has a funny ring to it: Boris Becker, Novak Djokovic’s coach…..
YE no.1 is either Novak or Rafa. Rafa’s being surrounded by clouds of uncertainty so we will have to wait to see his response. Novak is a safer bet for now
Djokovic’s bag has Slams, Masters and WTF trophies tattooed on it…………
no way
no way what?
Why would I lie, Ricky?
i believe you
i’m just saying no way
#rhetorical
Does that look like a hand/arm/wrist with a problem?
Lol maybe painkiller effect
@Sanju, there was this Indian guy who worked with Michael Schumacher at the height of his pomp with Ferrarri in Formula one, and I have always dreamed he would work with Rafa. He was part of Schumi’s backroom staff and apparently was always the last one to talk to Schumi before he got into his car to race, to calm him.
The evidence suggests he worked wonders with Schumi (who can argue with his titles?), maybe he can also do wonders for Rafa, eh? You’re on Twitter, look for the guy’s name and drop Rafa a tweet…………..
Now Djokovic meditates during changeovers…………..
Federer looks to be playing a bit better, but still always sucks at challenges…….lol!
Trouble is there will always be the lingering suspicion of ‘crying wolf’ when it comes to his ailments and injuries.
This match is boring!!
nah, it’s pretty good
I think Novak is injured!
Did you guys here this , if Roger loses this match today, he will not have a winning record against Novak, Rafa and Murray: question, can he be the greatest of all time?
yes, Murray and Djokovic are not of Federer’s era
unfair comparison
Ricky, nor is Rafa. Rafa is 5 years younger than Roger and only one year older than Murray and Djoker.
true
but he is much closer to Fed’s era than Murray and Djoker
Ricky, no.
No, no?
Well then Ricky, that makes Roger the best of his era, not the best of all time!
it does
but it doesn’t necessarily mean that he isn’t the best of all time
Rod Laver would lose if he played Florent Serra today. That doesn’t mean Rod Laver is worse than Florent Serra.
RT @alex_willis : “Boris looks like he’s auditioning for Top Gun.”
Novak slipping and sliding………..maybe they should water the court for him……..
Now find some 1st serves Fed, Novak doing a Soderling, meditating under a towel……..
Does anyone else sense a retirement coming up?
no, but i wouldn’t be shocked
RT @pmouratoglou : “I don’t feel that #Novak will finish that match. He looks like suffering a lot from his wrist.”
RT @PseudoFed: ‘Congratulations Stanford. Maybe see you tomorrow. I haven’t decided yet #decisionsdecisions”
Unless he switches to scenario No.2 and makes a miraculous recovery in spite of the agonising pain.
Tut, tut @ed251137, are you suggesting Djokivc is injured? Haven’t you heard, only Rafa trots out the injury excuse when losing…………..
Cor blimey, Novak isn’t even chasing balls now…………….
Oh for goodness’s sake, why doesn’t he just retire??
retirement is near
Can you believe Fed’s luck? He takes a wild card, His nemesis is dumped out early, the in-form player pulls up lame in the semi and he gets his bunny in the final………….
As @hawkeye says, Roger has a way of being lucky….
I know we will not get a panting Tweet from BB, a la the one he trotted out when Rafa got dumped out………….
Nadal now once again obvious favorite to win RG
How do you know? Maybe this is all part of some cunning, BB-inspired, RG plot to lull Rafa into a false sense of comfort……….
I. Wouldn’t say that Ricky, do u know the extent of the injury, I could just be a sissy strain!
i’m sure he will be fine in time for RG, but that doesn’t mean Nadal isn’t the favorite.
only way Nadal wouldn’t be favorite is if Djokovic DOMINATED the clay-court swing…and that obviously isn’t going to happen now
Djoker’s due some injury time out of a few months at least.
He wont retire..hell complete the match to avoid the backlash..So Novak loses more points than Rafa
And my my Is Fed going to be No 1 in the race after this match..Holy Lord
I hope Stan wins tomm but I doubt he will..he will fold as usual
no chance
See, tennis is that kind of sport…………u just bloody never know!!
Its OK though, Fed can win Masters but not GS as long as Rafa is playing well!!
Stan is playing well, so I don’t think Fed is a shoe in!
their form rarely dictates their outcomes. Stan just knows he can’t win no matter what.
Chapeau to Nole for finishing the match. A few years ago he would’ve retired when his serve was first broken in the 2nd set.
The gap between Rafa and Djoko in the ATP rankings widened, because Djoko lost more points (640) than Rafa (420). Woohoo!
Commies make me so so sick……….,so sad, Novak was in obvious pain………….but Rafa,s pain is never obvious………….gosh!
I strongly believe things will look up for Rafa, he just needs to pace himself
^^and of course it will be taken for granted that Novak lost because he was injured (not an excuse), but when Rafa loses he dare not mention injury because that would be an excuse………..pfft.
I said the other day, Djokovic probably practises his Oscar worthy ‘I’m in agonising pain’ expressions in front of the mirror.
RT @PseudoFed: “Courtside tweetings: Stanford, it’s Me and you tomorrow. Your attendance is optional #justsayin”
Fed wins tomorrow, he will only have Rome Masters missing from his cabinet, right?
poor Novak….hard luck !
good to see him not retiring …he has matured !
yes, even though he is playing well, this is a pretty lucky week for federer !
What do you guys think about stan’s chances against fed?
^^Stan will fold. He knows his place. But you will not hear this refrain from Federazzi. As far as they are concerned, only the Spanish players fold for Rafa.
To be honest, I would prefer Roger to win. What more accolades can they heap on Roger, but I am heartily sick of the over-hyping of Stan.
this folding thing is crap anyway…be it stan or the spanish guys…it will be a hotly contested match
I am rooting for Stan. He is my 3rd fav after Rafa and Grigir
Sick of overhyping Stan? What’s the problem? That he’s drawing attention away from your beloved Rafa? He’s getting praised for winning tennis matches. It’s my understanding that he’s beaten all his opponents to reach the final of MC, including Rafa’s current vanquisher.
fair points
Am kidding of course……Stan looked better than Fed today and MC is the one place he has beaten Fed. I think Stan will give it his all for his first and only Masters Shield todate. If anyone had told me last week that we would be having an all Swiss final I would have called them crazy and here we are………..
Ooohh, I got 0 out 2 in my predictions and feel good about it!
snowdevil is unhappy. Cheer up! Fed will win his first MC tomorrow against Stantistic!
#NoContest
#Staff
vamosrafa,
Yes! It was obvious that he was in pain. So no faking here. It seems that the injury got worse as he was playing this week. But he did stay in the match to the end.
Fed is beyond lucky this week. I didn’t see the Stan/Ferrer semifinal yet. But if I had gone with my gut, I would have picked Stan. As nice a victory as it was for Ferrer, Rafa just didn’t play well at all. I think the final might be more competitive, but Fed will win.
Snap! Augusta, I was just going to say that.
Now let’s see if the commies make allowances for Nole’s injury which they singularly fail to do for Rafa at the AO.
All of a sudden, I’ve got over Rafa’s loss. I bet Rafa feels better too.
^^^^Know what you mean! I was so down in the dumps yesterday I went out for the rest of the afternoon and I nearly didn’t watch today. But I had a sneaky feeling (even before the news of Nole’s ‘injury’ that Fed would prevail so didn’t want to miss the denoument lol.
I’ll feel an absolute heel if Djokovic’s injury does prove to be serious.
Me and you @nadline10, suddenly I’m in the mood for a chilled G ‘n T………….
The dethroned champion is walking away
https://twitter.com/augustazeight/status/457534825117659136/photo/1
Augusta, How do you do it? You made me laugh out loud.
The dethroned champion should change coach(es), no?
Someone opined that Uncle Toni is a bad coach because he let Rafa play at Oz 2014 with a blister. That he does not know how to prepare his player, that Rafa should emulate Novak who always comes into matches prepared blah, blah, blah. The inference being that Rafa lost at Oz because of this foolishness.
Now we hear Novak was lame at MC from the get-go…..
I am not holding my breath waiting for the same refrain to be thrown at BB and/or Marion Vadja……..
#VamosRafaNoMatterWhat
vamosrafa@April 19, 2014 at 4:26 pm
My picture is a fact, not mocking.
Don’t be intimidated or feel ashamed @augusta08, you are free to post what you like, within the blog’s rules, and you do an excellent job. We are told everyone is free to state their opinion, aren’t we?
I think Nole should rest during the clay season this year.
Keep it up girls. ROFL
Oh, stop it @augusta08! Too funny…………..
come on you people ! yes, I am glad novak was not able to gain ranking points over rafa but mocking an injured player?
mocking?
Pro-Djoko people (fans/writers/commentators) have shown no mercy against Rafa!
that doesn’t mean you have to stoop to their level
You’re right Ricky, but gutters can smell roses sometimes………………
how the heck does that justify mocking novak’s exit here ! you saying you are their equal?
MTE
@vamosrafa, telling that you are getting all exercised by this while Ricky, to whom my post was addressed, is not. Where in my post do I justify anything? Chill, bro………..and please, spare me the sanctimonious tone, you do not know my morals.
both points are fair ones
It was my sad attempt at humour Ricky………………..
#EpicFail
Yeah,I agree, its never nice when a player is injured, esp after seeing how injuries can so easily dash hopes, like it just happened to RAFA at AO! It really sucks, big time!!
vamosrafa,
I just came on here and it’s disconcerting to read this stuff. I don’t want to see any player injured. Good grief!
It would be huge if Stan wins tomm..hoping against hope ..but just 5% chance
But no one gave him a chance in AO final too..yet he did win that..so let us see
yeah but Federer never gets hurt
Nadal got hurt
well federer was hurt when he lost to robredo at the USO last year..
mentally, yes
lol..he is now claiming he had back injury all that period….i personally believe he was not hurting but his preparation and all got seriously affected due to his back and mentally he was struggling
5% chance?? I would give him a 40% chance !
40?
I would say 15
I am sticking with 40…. wawrinka’s newly found self-belief makes me give him this much of a chance….
self-belief against opponents not named Federer
What percentage is a chance in hell?
#Rhetorical
sanju, if you think Stan beat a fit Rafa in Australia you are on the same bandwagon as those who refuse to accept that Rafa had an injury from the start of the final, All you Rafa detractors are happy to give Nole the benefit that he is injured but not Rafa.
nobody thinks Stan won fair and square
some just say he did because it sounds good to them
“All you Rafa detractors are happy to give Nole the benefit that he is injured but not Rafa”
Disgraceful ….tsk tsk….
Where did I ever say he beat a fit Rafa in the final? Pls show me where I said it. It was obvious to all that Rafa was injured and hence Stans win will always have an *. Similarly Feds win today will have an * too.
If Rafa was fully fit in AO final or if Novak was fully fit today, who would have won..no one knows the answer so no point speculating
Sanju, here:
Sanju says:
April 19, 2014 at 3:09 pm
But no one gave him a chance in AO final too..yet he did win that..so let us see
if somebody else beats Nadal, can Federer win the French Open?
yup he can….but beating a fit djokovic at the french would be awfully tough for him
I was just going to post that..Will Federer take full advantage now of Rafa and Novaks injuries and be the 1st to capture double career slam?
He sure can win but 7 best of 3 maybe a bit tough but apart from Novak/Rafa..who really can beat him..He is playing very well this year..Hes beaten Novak twice though todays win was an *
sanju, keep your fingers crossed that Rafa and Novak won’t get over their injuries so Fed will have a free reign. But please don’t have anymore bad vibes about Rafa’s prospects.
nadline..what are you trying to insinuate? That I am supporting Fed..Goodness..I would like Rafa to win every tourney he plays but me wishing does not decide outcome of any match
there is nothing wrong with discussing any other players’ chances and I have no clue how that is sending negatives vibes about rafa ‘s prospects LOL
anyway, rafa is not carrying any physical injury…its a mental injury.. praying he gets over it asap
I think RITB could be on to something. It’s BB behind all this to take the heat off Djokovic. To me it smacks of the back problem (post USO) and then the ankle injury (post DC)
#StormInATeacup
Ricky, anything can happen, but I don’t know that Fed’s is that much higher than usual.
#NID
When the cat’s away…
#FO2009
#Wimby2009
#AO2010
#Wimby2012
#DejaVuAllOverAgain
That’s the only way he will win the French
1 Stanislas Wawrinka 3135
2 Novak Djokovic 3050
3 Roger Federer SUI 2920
4 Rafael Nadal ESP 2780
ATP race…. this is the time rafa usually separates himself from the others…no more lapses rafa !
There was some chit chat on twitter that Mirka may give birth right in middle of RG..anyone has any news on it?
no idea. but much better RG than Wimbledon for Federer
I heard that Fed might skip FO bcos Mirka is due to give birth about then……….just as well, he stands no chance anyway!
not if he wins Monte-Carlo, he won’t!
Ricky, if Roget wins MC and Rafa improves his form, he could beat Rafa at FO? The only way Fed will win For is if both Rafa and Novak are injured or dead, and let’s not even talk about the potential dark horses!
This is to early to talk about fed’s chances at RG…. rafa is not melting away easily and nobody knows how bad this wrist issue is for novak…
Everyone thought fed was on a roll and then came a loss against Nishikori… hang on and wait till rome ,folks…
Why Rome? Why not Madrid? Madrid is before Rome right..Or bcoz Madrid is not true clay because of altitude etc.
I would prefer to wait for the whole clay season to end…
I agree. Let’s wait for Rome. Why not Madrid? Because that one has always been the toughest for Rafa.
Do we know the exact nature yet of Novak’s wrist injury? It’s obviously painful for him. Maybe Stan can find out for us.
zing
I think Novak will skip Madrid.
depends on health
Via @nicklester 10m
Djokovic says heard many different diagnosis in the last 10 days,doctors not sure of the exact problem.Injury got worse in heavy conditions.
Via @nicklester 13m
Djokovic says injury has been present for 10 days,been having injections,says no rupture and no surgery required,says will rest until heals.
so PCB and Montanes won 1 game against someone with an injured wrist???
Oh, please. He will be fine ‘n dandy come Rome. Just you wait……………
#BBPlots
Exactly, Ricky………….mind boggling……not even a wince?!
A video for those, who don’t know who is Nick Lester. Maybe you have heard him commenting the matches and recognize his voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpc-aVDUSEU
Yes, he’s the guy who pronounces Dj-OH-kovic incorrectly as Jock-of-itch.
among many others
#Curryur
Thanks Augusta, he is THE best commentator.
Carole Bouchard @carole_bouchard · 57m
Federer acknowledging Djokovic wasn’t in full shape, said “it’s a pity for him”.
#surprising
#why
Rafa kissing a little fan
https://twitter.com/RAFAddicted/status/457534543453769728/photo/1/large
Nahhh, Slams are more than enough for Rafa’s bag………
[polldaddy poll=7980926]
Stan needs to learn some manners. How can he tag David Ferrer after beating him?
https://twitter.com/stanwawrinka/status/457517857040265216
Yeah, that’s rude.
no it isn’t
Yes quite.
Rafa in Barcelona
https://twitter.com/RAFAddicted/status/457534586294370304/photo/1
Howard Bryant @hbryant42 · 1h
Real question for Djokovic isn’t losing. It’s the severity of the injury. Wrists are no joke.
#Delpo
Andy too has suffered wrist injuries 🙁
Exactly…………they never ever heal completely, esp as doctors can’t yet determine what the issue is
no. depends on what the injury is. when the doctors diagnose it, we’ll know when and if it can heal completely.
first set to the Bryan Brothers
Josh Meiseles @jmeistennis · 9m
Djokovic: “I just rest now. I cannot play tennis for some time. How long, I don’t know. It’s really not in my hands anymore.”
I can’t believe Nole played the way he was playing his first rounds with the wrist injury?! it simply makes no sense to me. And even the first set w/Fed today Nole was fighting and playing pretty well. I doubt this injury is a big one, otherwise Nole would have not played at all if he had any brains. I think we should recognize that even though Nole showed some signs of injury when he lost his first set to Fed he was beaten today and that is the fact.
Congrats to Fed for his victory! Too bad Rafa failed to beat Ferru who yet again showed lack of mental strength and was clearly outplayed by Stan. With Fed on the other side Rafa would have had a trophy in his hands tomorrow.
Fed will beat Stan tomorrow, no doubts about it: Fed owns him!
it got worse. wasn’t much of a factor in the first few matches.
If u don’t rest injuries, u can aggravate them..
Nobody has mentioned the part GGL played in this. There was no mention of a wrist problem during or after that match but the Spaniard had Nole on the back foot till midway through the 2nd set. The commies repeatedly raved about his superior fitness but it should be said he was also making, for him, an unprecedented number of UEs,
Earlier this morning I backed Fed for the win on the basis that Nole had made heavy weather of beating GGL
GGL was ON POINT in that match
Agreed.
You could be on to something @ed251137:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2014/tennis/wires/04/19/3000.ap.ten.djokovic.injury.0163/index.html#ixzz2zLoE64gw
“His arduous quarterfinal win against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on Friday, needing more than two hours to beat the Spaniard, aggravated the pain.
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2014/tennis/wires/04/19/3000.ap.ten.djokovic.injury.0163/index.html#ixzz2zM40BMvX”
Doesn’t bode well for Slam matches, does it? Especially at RG………
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez made a good job!
Goatpez
I know that GGL can hit hard shots. I didn’t watch the match, but I thought to myself, “GGL, please hit as hard as you can!” He obviously did.
When I started watching the match, my mom woke me up bcos I was sleeping off my depression after Rafa’s loss, I thought my gosh, these guys are hitting the ball so hard! I couldn’t believe it…………its no wonder!
oops ! this seems bad…
on another note, I hope davydenko faces rafa in the 2nd rnd of barca… time to fix that head to head and remove that anomoly
doesn’t matter whom Nadal faces in the 2nd round
Howard Bryant @hbryant42
Note to people who get upset when we mention Rafa injuries. They aren’t excuses. Djokovic is hurt. Fed is playing really well, too.
3:47 PM – 19 Apr 2014
^^^hahaha! This is a gem. So this hounding of Rafa is not urban legend, we Rafans are not paranoid afterall…………….
People know very well that Rafa is injured, it helps them feel better to criticise him than to accept his greatness
Which people? The Fed fans who booed at the AO? Or pro-Fed writers who have written that he faked an injury?
Them both and some of Novak’s fans
snowdevil says:
April 19, 2014 at 3:25 pm
“Sick of overhyping Stan? What’s the problem? That he’s drawing attention away from your beloved Rafa? He’s getting praised for winning tennis matches. It’s my understanding that he’s beaten all his opponents to reach the final of MC, including Rafa’s current vanquisher.””
He did not beat Almagro, he got a WO; same as he got a WO from Pospisil and a Ret from Golubev in Australia.
Djokovic: Didn’t want to pull out b/c then ppl start talking different things about me & my withdraws & so forth. That was the main reason.
RT @SI_BTBaseline: “Djokovic: Didn’t want to pull out b/c then ppl start talking different things about me & my withdraws & so forth. That was the main reason.”
How dumb can you be. There’s more to all this than meets the eye.
I was referring to Nole – not you RITB 🙂
He could just have said ‘I didn’t want to disappoint the fans’.
That’s the thing about Novak……….he just tries too hard!!
snap @Sanju
RT @SI_BTBaseline: “Those darn no-name Swiss! RT @ChrisSkelton87 All of Djokovic’s losses since the US Open have come against Swiss men.”
Nick Lester @nicklester 35m
Djokovic says injury has been present for 10 days,been having injections,says no rupture and no surgery required,says will rest until heals.
^^^^
Thanks for the update. This could be problematic for Novak.
I really think then it was a very bad decision of Nole’s team, particularly BB to let him play with the wrist injury! It’s wrong due to many reasons but mostly due to the fact that he aims at wining RG. So they must have been blind enough to think that Nole could win this MC being on painkillers?! This only lead to aggravating a serious injury which is completely idiotic. How irresponsible and stupid of Nole’s team…
It’s scary to me when players get injured. I have lived with so many of Rafa’s injuries that whenever that happens to any player I feel so sad. I hope Nole does not get punished for the stupid decision he and his team have made…
^^Puts into perspective BB’s tacky, gleeful tweet after Rafa lost, especially if, as Djokovic says, he already was injured. So BB was just taking pleasure in Rafa’s loss. At the time I thought he was happy Rafa lost because it meant the one person who could derail his charge’s prospects was out. Now we know he (Djokovic) was out already.
I assume that Novak’s team thought that he could play through this injury. It’s not an exact science. He looked good in his previous matches and didn’t seem to be in pain. So much so, that the faker stuff was trotted out again as usual.
It just caught up with him in the semifinal. That can happy to anyone. It’s easy to sit back in your chair at home and criticize the people around a player. But we don’t know all the facts. I am sure his team did not want to have him aggravate the injury.
Many players and their teams have to make these kinds of decisions. I don’t like to question Rafa’s team and will not question Novak’s team.
Nofake Jockofitch.
^^^another of your little gems.
No, Nole was greedy…the whole team thought he could win and then rest for a week and heal…but GGL did damage. Nobody foresaw that GGL would fight that hard…Rafa’s chronic knee injury can by no means be compared with this one! Rafa skipped Wimby due to knee injury, and yet there were doubters all over the place…Nole could have skipped MC…
Sometimes you have to give up on something in order to gain…Nole was not willing to give up on his second MC title. And if the argument is that he was not that much injured in the first place than he should just admit that he was outplayed by Fed and should stop talking about his injury. If you decide to play injured than say so. Nole did not even mention it until the semis…
I lost faith in Nole’s pronouncements about his injuries a long time ago. I’m fairly convinced he was not carrying a serious injury at the start of the match. The wincing didn’t start until the 9th game 1st set when he failed to convert a BP on Roger’s serve. The face pulling then began in real earnest when Roger went on to break Nole’s serve after he had been 40:0 up. Same old pattern we have seen so often.
His reason for not retiring also speaks volumes: he knew people would question how serious the injury actually was and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of the inevitable opprobrium which would have followed. It’s one thing to finish a match after picking up an injury during the course of it: an entirely different matter to embark on a match with an undiagnosed wrist problem.
Should the injury prove to be serious, and aggravated further because he played on, then the blame will be laid at the feet of cynical people like myself.
I tend to agree with you…I also think the injury is not that serious at all…Nole is just tired from playing all along and wining two big titles on the way…I didn’t see any worries in his camp…I did not see worried face when watching Nole’s post match interview…and what is all this nonsense that he will not play tennis for some time: he was not scheduled to play next week anyway…Fed’s victory should not be diminished…Nole will be fine…
ed251137 says: April 19, 2014 at 9:48 pm
Agree. Especially when his own fans tell the whole world that he tanked his match in Rome to (a) not reveal his arsenal of top drawer shots to Rafa pre RG (b) to rest for RG.
I am inclined to take his fans’ word, they know him best after all.
And should the injury prove to be serious, the blame will not be laid at your feet, it will, as it should, be laid at his coach(es)’s feet.
Fed’s reaction after the match was interesting!, it was kind of a ‘outplayed’ gesture.
Hi there @sabsy! Good to see ya….
I also noted Fed’s gesture, raised arms, after the victory, looked quite pleased. Reminded me of his finger wagging after he beat Djokovic at RG 2011. I get the feeling Fed is acutely aware of any losses to Djokovic hereon with respect to the H2H. And so is Djokovic for that matter……
I remember Cheryl Murray on TT always giving the players the benefit of the doubt. I agreed with her then and still do. There’s no reason for Novak to fake an injury. I saw the match from late in the first set to the end. It was obvious to me that something was wrong with him. The commentators on the tennis channel remarked on how he wasn’t hitting his shots well because of the hand problem.
I am not naïve. I have become much more cynical and skeptical as I have gotten older. If I don’t like hearing people question Rafa being injured, then I am sure not going to make that mistake when it comes to other players. That’s just as bad. There’s no question in my mind that Novak had an injury. I don’t know exactly when it started. But he was hurt in that match.
I don’t question if there was an injury…something was wrong to some extent…but I am more than certain it’s nothing serious…and I expect Novak to be alive and kicking for Madrid as nothing ever happened…let’s wait and see…
Fed said himself that Novak wasn’t in good shape and it was a pity for him. So if Fed believes it and doesn’t feel that it takes anything away from his victory, what’s the problem? Why the faux outrage over Novak’s injury taking away from Fed? He acknowledged that there was an injury. That’s because the players know each other better than we do.
It’s not unusual at all that Novak’s pain would increase as the match wore on. If the injury is something like tendinitis, then increased pain with increased use would be the norm. In my days of practicing piano for hours, I can remember many an instance where I’d start out relatively pain free and about an hour into practice, have to stop due to excruciating pain. It’s the same with any injury that’s due to repetition. As for whether or not Novak should have played at all, there are many factors that go into those decisions and I won’t second guess his team. Aside from the health issues, the top tier players must also contend with the effect withdrawing has on the tournament, the sponsors, etc. This was a semi-final against Roger….the house was full. There are considerable professional obligations and pressures and I think Roger’s empathetic comments show how much he fully identifies with the circumstances.
jpacnw,
You basically said what I have been trying to say, only much better! I did try to allude to the fact that the player and his team and doctors must make a decision based on what they know and what will be best. There is no way to be sure exactly what will happen. Many times players get injured and try to continue in the tournament. Sometimes they withdraw. We are not privy to what goes on behind closed doors.
like Djoker in Davis Cup (and then everything else) last year
[polldaddy poll=7980222]
Ricky Dimon@April 20, 2014 at 2:53 am
It’s remarkable how you tend to defend players not named Rafa.
Augusta: Listen to the space between the words.
Ricky is not defending Djokovic.
@augusta08, give Ricky a break! If he defends other players it’s good I think, there aren’t a lot of posters doing that here. We need to hear other players’ perspectives as well. If Ricky plays that role until we get more Nole, Fed, Wawa, Muzz etc fans, it’s good I think.
the way Novak reacted after Fed broke his serve EVERY person in this world was able to acknowledge that there was some kind of injury…I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Novak converted on those break points he had in the first set and whether he would have given up that easily…that’s all…I still believe Novak will be just fine…
Federer would have won in 3, but it would have taken a lot longer. Match may have ended in retirement if Djoker had won that first set.
If Nole has tendonitis and was able to play only because of a pain killing injection, this is bad news as the only cure is rest. No practise, no training, nothing.He could miss RG and Wimbles.
I remember Andy damaging his wrist some years ago and missing both those. Huge holes at the top if that happens as JMDP also out with wrist issues, Rafa with mental probs and Andy a long way from his best too. 🙁
“….. Rafa with mental probs ….”
Oh jeez, the way you put it there @deucy, for a moment I had visions of Rafa in a ward with those fellows in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest!
*shivers*
OK darling, how you gonna put it? Was gonna say “tired” but that’s not quite it, is it?
Truth be told, the way Rafa played against Ferru, he probably needs an electric shock or two, no delicate way to put it.
Snap out of it Rafa! Sharpish……………
deucy@April 20, 2014 at 6:18 am
You shouldn’t worry about Rafa, you are anyway rooting against him – especially when he plays Djoko.
^^^^^How do you work that one out Gussie. You’re a bit paranoid this morning 🙁
ed251137@April 20, 2014 at 7:23 am
Do you want me to search for deucy’s old posts?
almost always paranoid is closer to the true, no. is the true, no?
Indeed chloro indeed. ed was being polite.
chloro says:
February 26, 2015 at 3:56 pm,
===
Oh, chloro, chloro, chloro! Again you are trying to create fantasy stories!
Almost(?) always paranoid and ready to construct imaginary stories, no?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B-yKlLJUAAATenJ.png
on the contrary,
you keep writing and then re-documenting your paranoia, obsessions, bullying behaviou, condescension, total disregard for any semblance of truth when it does not suit you, any semblance of respect for other posters who do not agree 100% with your insane views, or their opinions
you do realize, octa,
that when deucy, occasionally ed, luckystar, and still ongoingly at least 4 others among us keep pointing this out to you… albeit in more mild and polite and understated ways… that there must be something to all this we are telling you… or are we all rather insane and deluded and you are neither?
chloro says:
February 26, 2015 at 4:46 pm,
…
===
Yep, chloro,you keep writing imaginary stories!
seems like you never have anything intelligent or with any substance to write back (other than posting quotes and things like ‘imaginary stories’)
Time to look in the mirror. Painful, though, no?
Her mirror was broken a long time ago. It is too late. You can’t reason with the unreasonable chloro.
chloro says:
February 26, 2015 at 5:13 pm,
===
You are writing imaginary stories WITHOUT presenting any facts! 🙂
why is a Monte-Carlo thread being discussed?
write something new, octaugusta,
something with at least a trace of substance, intelligence, coherence, and even… respect
I know, I know, I am dreaming the impossible dream, time to wake from the dream Don Q.
chloro, you can knock all you want, but there just ain’t nobody at home anymore.
That ship sailed a loooooong time ago.
Oh good heavens! Defending players not named Rafael Nadal! A capital offense if ever there was one!
I believe in fairness and consistency. If I don’t like anyone trashing Rafa and accusing him of faking injuries, then it’s unseemly for me to make the same accusation against other players.
deucy,
You sound sympathetic to Novak. Is that even allowed? Honestly, I appreciate your thoughts. This is not the time of year when any player wants to develop a new injury. I remember Andy’s wrist problems a few years back. It does seem like there is this weird vacuum at the moment. Fed seems primed to take full advantage.
nativenewyorker7@April 20, 2014 at 6:28 am
I don’t understand why YOU are upset about my post addressed to Ricky!
augusta,
Well, I don’t understand why YOU responded! I guess that you missed the sardonic humor in it! I guess maybe a little smiley next to that first sentence might have helped. On second thought, I don’t think so.
It’s interesting that some here think they are the only ones who can get away with the little sarcastic remarks.
nativenewyorker7@April 20, 2014 at 7:42 am
I responded because YOU quoted MY comment addressed to Ricky!
@augusta
1) “anyway rooting against him.” Not true, depends who he is playing if Berd, JMDP, Isner, Kaolvic, JJ etc etc I will always “root” for Rafa. But the only player that gets my unequivocal support is Andy. Always liked Nole too, never made a secret of that. Is there a problem here?
2)Am not “worried” about Rafa at all. I have enough to worry about re Andy. I am worried about his back recovering ever, that No 8 is a high for this year and that 2014 will be a complete washout, Enough “worries” don’t you think?
But yes, am interested in what’s happening to Rafa at the mo. Isn’t anyone who is keen on tennis, also interested? I can’t stand Uncle T. I think he is a bully, and I feel sorry for Rafa. I think a lot of the OCD is down to TN.
Sorry if you find this unacceptable but CIF, as they say.
deucy@April 20, 2014 at 8:38 am
—Always liked Nole too, never made a secret of that. Is there a problem here?—
No problems!
—Am not “worried” about Rafa at all. I have enough to worry about re Andy.—
It’s good!
—I can’t stand Uncle T. I think he is a bully, and I feel sorry for Rafa.—
Don’t worry. I am afraid, it’s the influence of the British media on you
@NNY
You must’ve been writing while I was.
Big across the ocean hugs 🙂
deucy,
It’s past time for me to get to sleep, but just wanted to say thanks for the big across the ocean hugs! The best kind!
Same right back to you! 🙂
deucy says: April 20, 2014 at 8:38 am
“I can’t stand Uncle T. I think he is a bully, and I feel sorry for Rafa. I think a lot of the OCD is down to TN.”
We all have our preferences, I guess. On the bully bit, I think Rafa, in his book, more or less confirmed this Uncle Toni trait, so no surprises there. However, if we are going to blame Uncle T for Rafa’s OCD then, in fairness, we also need to acknowledge the same “bully’s” role in Rafa’s success. Rafa himself has said he would not have achieved the level of success he has without Uncle Toni.
Just putting it out there: can the same label, bully, not be applied to Lendl? He had/has a reputation as a task-master, a polite way of calling someone a bully, in my opinion. We saw how Muzza became a fearsome physical specimen under Lendl, how he achieved his lifetime ambition of winning Slams, with an Olympic gold medal on top, under Lendl.
Just as one can make a case for Rafa’s success being directly linked to Uncle Toni, I think one can make a case for Muzza’s success, to-date, being linked directly to Lendl.
My point is this: Bullies get a bad rap, with good reason, but we should not forget the positive impact “bullies” have made in sport.
I personally find it hard to feel sorry for the multi millionaire Rafa’s and Muzza’s of this world………..
Rafa has said that a lot of his success and resilence is down to Toni being a hard task master.
^^This is why the Federazzi cannot stand Uncle Toni.
#H2H
Just to clarify: in no way do I lump you together with the Federazzi, @deucy! Federazzi are a different breed altogether…………
WTF………in one felt tweet, BB is telling us there is more to Djoker’s injury than meets the eye:
RT @TheBorisBecker: “To the #NoleFam ! I can NOT speak about his injury ! Nole will say something when he is ready ! @DjokerNole”
@Augusta and RITB
A lot of my feelings about Uncle T come from the descriptions of how he treated Rafa as a child. I think it was awful. Also, a couple of incidents since, smack of too much control to me.
Andy was an adult when Lendl took over, well able to stand up for himself. As a child Rafa couldn’t, that’s the point.
@nadline
To borrow a famous, or rather infamous quote, “well he would say that wouldn’t he?”
It’s all ifs and buts and we can only speculate what Rafa would’ve been like with a less harsh taskmaster. Dare I say just as good, but with less anxiety?
Fair enough @deucy, about Uncle T’s treatment of Rafa as a child. But I also think Rafa’s “conditioning” into the Champion he is today started then, as a child. So again, there are pros and cons. And Rafa does stand up to Uncle Toni now as an adult, he has said so himself.
deucy@April 20, 2014 at 11:06 am
—A lot of my feelings about Uncle T come from the descriptions of how he treated Rafa as a child. I think it was awful.—
Don’t worry, it wasn’t awful. If it had been awful, his parents would have found other opportunities to train Rafa. Rafa comes from a wealthy family. His parents wanted uncle Toni to be his coach.
¤¤ When he [Rafa] was 14, the Spanish tennis federation requested that he leave Mallorca and move to Barcelona to continue his tennis training. Nadal’s family turned down this request, partly because they feared it would hurt his education, but also because Toni said that “I don’t want to believe that you have to go to America, or other places to be a good athlete. You can do it from your home.” The decision to stay home meant that Nadal received less financial support from the federation; instead, Nadal’s father covered the costs. ¤¤[Source: Wikipedia]
@RITB Lol.
I like Rafa. I don’t like Toni. Is good no? Besides, you know full well what I think of Fed…;)
deucy, actually I think Rafa may have been a spoilt brat without U. Toni’s handling. He is the eldest of the grandchildren and I believe there is a wide gap in age between his little sister and the other cousins and with Rafa’s early success he was the centre of attraction.
In his book, Rafa gives some anecdotes of the difference between how Toni treated him compared to the rest of the family. He’d won a junior tournament in S. Africa and on returning home, one of his aunties had arranged a celebration for him with balloons and all the works. When they arrived home and Toni saw all the razzmatazz, he told his sister to stop it right there and cancel the party because there was nothing to celebrate. He said Rafa had not done anything spectacular. Also when Rafa won his first home tournament, Toni showed him the Champions’ Board and asked Rafa how many of them he’d ever heard of and Rafa said none, so Toni told him that proved that he had a long way to go.
His Dad’s approach was different. Rafa said he’d lost a match once as a little boy and he was crying in his Dad’s car all the way home, so his dad said to him, if losing is going to cause you so much anguish, I think you should think of doing something else. His mum says she can’t bare to see him struggling in pain during a match and if she had her way she would just tell him to retire. On the other hand, when he had a broken finger and wanted to pull out of a match, Toni told him he had 9 other finger on his hands, he played and won.
Toni toughened him up and he’s drawn from that many times.
that’s exactly what I think…With Rafa saying he is still afraid of dark I wonder whether he would have ended being afraid of every tougher opponent if there was no Uncle T. to deal with Rafa’s fears…Sometimes ‘army discipline’ works on players…I recall that David Ferrer’s coach used to lock him up to practice as Ferrer used to be lazy and refused to practice long hours…can you link the word ‘lazy’ with the ‘never give up’ persistent fighter David is right now… 🙂
Looking at all the arguments, for and against, I find it hard to conclude that Uncle Toni is/has been bad for/to Rafa.
Notice that there is the offer to search for deucy’s old posts in the comment @ 7:33 am dated April 20, 2014.
No wonder she left. Now we are having to deal with the same person searching our old posts.