A blockbuster showdown more worthy to be played much later in the week will take place on Thursday between Dominic Theim and Novak Djokovic. A quarterfinal spot will also be on the line when Grigor Dimitrov goes up against Philipp Kohlschreiber.
(9) Novak Djokovic vs. (5) Dominic Thiem
Thiem and Djokovic will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers when they clash in round three of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Thursday. Djokovic is dominating the head-to-head series 5-1, but Thiem cruised through their most recent encounter 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-0 in the quarterfinals of last year’s French Open. Due mainly to injury, Djokovic has not been the same since. The 30-year-old Serb did not play after Wimbledon in 2017 and he is just 5-3 this season, which explains his plunge to No. 13 in the rankings. On the bright side, Djokovic has raised his level in Monte-Carlo to the tune of straight-set victories over Dusan Lajovic and Borna Coric.
Also one of Rafael Nadal’s top clay-court challengers when healthy, Thiem sustained a knee injury at the Indian Wells Masters and skipped Miami. Now on his favorite surface, the seventh-ranked Austrian survived a stern test from Andrey Rublev and saved one match point before prevailing 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 on Tuesday. Although this is an improved Djokovic from what was on display at the last two Masters 1000 events, he needed 10 match points and a total of two hours and 15 minutes to get past Coric on Wednesday. The former world No. 1 is nowhere near as match-tough as he is at his best, and a date with one of the best clay-courters in the world this early in the spring swing may be too difficult.
Pick: Thiem in 3
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(4) Grigor Dimitrov vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber
Dimitrov and Kohlschreiber will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Thursday. Their only previous meeting also came during the clay-court swing, as Dimitrov got the job done 7-6(7), 6-4 last year in Madrid. The fifth-ranked Bulgarian wrapped up his 2017 campaign with a triumph at the Nitto ATP Finals, but he is once again flying under the radar with a modest 12-6 record this season. A horrendous 1-4 in his last five matches prior to arriving in Monte-Carlo, Dimitrov overcame qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
Kohlschreiber has been busy in the early stages of the clay-court season, and that is an understatement. In Germany’s road Davis Cup tie against Spain, he got blown out by Nadal before losing the decisive fifth rubber against David Ferrer 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-5. The world No. 40 still played the very next week and that decision proved to be a poor one, as he was upset by Lamine Ouahab in the Marrakech opening round. If nothing else that allowed Kohlschreiber to rest, and he undoubtedly used the time off to his benefit prior to Monte-Carlo victories over Tennys Sandrgen (6-2, 6-2) and Albert Ramos-Vinolas (6-4, 6-2). This one could go either way, but the underdog’s mental scarring from having come out on the wrong end of so many competitive matches may once again be the difference on Thursday.
Pick: Dimitrov in 3
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who ya got?
Djoko in three epic sets!
Knowing Thiem, he won’t go down without a fight, and he lost many epic matches,vs Delpo for example.
Thiem’s matches with Delpo are the LAST examples you should be citing when saying something good about Thiem
Ricky, I wasnt saying something good about Thiem, just saying he would fight regardless of win or loss.
Anyway, he wins now! Congrats for getting your prediction right, ie Thiem in 3. Well done!
Haven’t seen much of Thiem lately, but he looks far from his best last year. Novak, meanwhile, seems to be getting his mojo back and should continue to improve, particularly on serve. Djokovic in 2 close sets.
Yeah!…same with u Joe…Nole in 2 sets…His confidence start coming back..tho,still not in full flow yet[if it is,there’s no 10 MP’s at all!]…his mental toughness & trademark defense also start doing it’s work…and Thiem!…God!he’s sooo rusty…tho,Nole still not at his best…but u can’t do that against champion..they’ll punish u..
Novak’s footwork looked good to me. I’m curious to know how he would have responded to a third set, because I’m sure his fitness isn’t back to 100% and he really faded toward the end of his matches in IW and Miami. But yes, if he can shake off the rust and get more of his confidence back, watch out.
I’d be very happy to see it happen during the clay court season, of course!
If he’s back to his best at the clay season, look out for him come Wimbledon! Djoko at his best is the only one Fed would fear at Wimbledon!
Rafa > Djoko at FO; Djoko > Fed at Wimbledon.
Novak in two to set up an epic QF
Not sure it would be epic, more like Madrid 2017 perhaps.
Until last year’s RG, I would have said that a healthy Novak at his best is better than Rafa on all surfaces since 2011. I think Rafa notched it up a level last year, particularly in the RG final, and I’m not sure that Novak’s very best on clay could beat that. It would be close.
Would a returned to form Novak beat Federer now on grass? Possibly. It all depends on Fed’s level, which could be dropping as we speak, simply due to age. But Fed at full health and confidence (regained only since AO 2017) should beat Novak’s best on grass, imo.
Ha ha, Joe once again showing his biases against Rafa and for Fed! Djoko at his best better than Rafa on any surface?? My foot!!
Djoko at his best can’t even beat Rafa at the FO, only a Rafa who’s lacking in confidence in 2015 at the FO. And Rafa wasn’t always at his best at the FO even when he beat Djoko (Rafa was at his best in 2008 when he beat Djoko, wasn’t so in 2014, playing just well enough in 2012/2013). Rafa OTOH had beaten Djoko at USO in 2013 during Djoko’s reign as no.1; in fact Rafa had dethroned Djoko that year!
Rafa was 2-2 vs Djoko at the HC slams, whilst he’s 3-1 vs Djoko at the FO from 2012 onwards.
Djoko had beaten Fed at Wimbledon when Fed was playing well, reaching final in 2014/2015; Djoko couldn’t beat Rafa at the FO until 2015 when Rafa had his worse season, losing matches everywhere.
So, Rafa > Djoko on clay, esp at FO (3-1 after 2010; 6-1 from 2006); Djoko > Fed at Wimbledon (2-1).
Im not sure,but Joe may have been making the point that Nole at his very best,outplays Nadal even on clay.
That’s not necessarily the same thing as beating him over five sets and having a superior H2h.
Rg 2012 and 2013 are examples where Nole outplayed Rafa but lost the match.Happens all the time in tennis.
Nah, which match were you watching Big Al??
FO2012, Rafa was winning the first two sets and it’s the rain that saved Djoko! Come on, Rafa was outplaying Djoko until the rain came, so your statement wasn’t true! In 2013 FO SF, Rafa won the first set comfortably, lost in second set TB after he failed to serve out the second set. Djoko wasn’t outplaying Rafa and Rafa was insanely good in the extended games of the fifth set!
2012 the rain ‘saved’ Djoko because Nadals topspin wasnt as effective.
There were times when Fed was outplaying Nadal quite convincingly on clay,but still lost the match. War of attrition.
2012? Are you serious? Rafa won the first two sets of that match easily. 2013, I accept, is up for debate. But Rafa was undoubtedly the better player in the 2012 FO final. Djoko was fairly poor on clay all season that year.
When? Fed outplaying Rafa on clay? Just one set before Rafa got into his rhythm and momentum; don’t forget it’s always easier for an attacking player to go all out to win the first set, rather than a counterpuncher doing so, but, they don’t only play one set in a match!
In fact, if Rafa were to go all out right from the beginning, the FO2017 final was what we would get from Rafa! And, that’s not even a peak Rafa (he was scarily good in MC2010).
I can also safely say that when Rafa was playing at his best, he outplayed Djoko at the USO, in 2010 and 2013!
There were parts of US 2013 finsl where they said Noles play was the best ever seen.
Rg 2O13 was break up final set then a bad call changed the whole momentum.
We can argue all day whether Nole ‘should’ have won.
Of course,the winner deserves it,but it’s not always the best player.
Well, the best player was the one winning three sets in the end! I could say the same about Rafa at AO2012 final when he was leading 4-2 in the final set against Djoko; or Rafa leading Fed in fifth set of AO2017 final!
Had the rain not come during FO2012 final, Rafa might even win in straight sets when he was clearly outplaying Djoko before the rain! If Rafa served out the second set in the FO2013 SF, we might not even see a fifth set in that match; but non Rafa fans would always argue in favor of Djoko, when clearly Rafa was the better player in most part of the match(es).
Big Al says AT 10:42 AM: “Rg 2O13 was break up final set then a bad call changed the whole momentum.”
===
The chair umpire made the right call:
https://youtu.be/R52ZMCLEAAw
Yes I’d love to hear how that was a “bad call” LOL.
#RevisionismIsEverywhere
A bad call??? Excuse me? Djokovic touched (as in damn near fell over it) the net while the ball was in play. That’s a big no-no.
Two bad calls were closing the roof for Federer in TWO slam finals (Wimbledon 2012 and AO 2017).
Rafa at his best > Djoko at his best on clay;
Djoko at his best > Rafa at his best on HCs;
Peak Rafa on grass (2008/2010) maybe as good as peak Djoko on grass when he’s able to beat a peak Fed on grass.
Yes,three and five sets are very different.
August,yeah.I didn’t see it,but should have said disputed call.
Big Al AT 11:39 AM,
The rule is: a player can’t touch the net, with anything, until the point is over (i.e. until the ball bounces twice.)
The chair umpire was correct.
It’s absurd to talk about outplaying someone if you lose the match! What counts is winning! Nobody is better at winning on clay than Rafa!
It’s getting to be just a bunch of semantics when people start going on about parsing who outplayed who. When Novak was at his best he could beat Rafa in best of three set matches on clay. But he never beat Rafa when he was at his best at RG. When he did beat Rafa the one time in the quarterfinals, Rafa was still in his slump and nowhere near his best.
Rafa’s record in clay cannot be debated. There is no one like him and probably never will be.
Well exactly, you could argue that the only way Novak or any other player could beat Rafa at RG is because he wasnt at his best, Rafa pulled out in 2015 so does that mean everybody benefited, Rafa was appalling in 2016 and clearly not his CC self, same in 2009 when he lost to Soderling, where he certainly made up for it the following year ?
Rafa is indeed 3-1 against Novak at RG, and has won the title 10 times, i dont think he has anything left to prove anymore, its down to the rest to beat him, not him to beat the rest ….
Alison,
Well said! I don’t even bother to engage in any discussions at this point, because Rafa’s record on clay and at RG speaks for itself!
😀
None Rafa fans would argue, goodness wouldnt they just lol 😉
Nole is 2-1 vs Federer at Wimbledon. Fed better over the long term but Nole better on grass at his peak. So is Sampras.
Same for Rafa and Nole on hard court and clay slams both better than Fed at their respective best.
No one beats Federer in terms of longevity if we omit clay however. For now that is.
Djokovic is the only potential threat for Federer at Wimbledon and if he’s in form, Federer wouldn’t have to face him before the final and even then, it would be with the roof in play.
Nole FTW.
Fingers crossed, Hawkie! But I’m not counting on it. I’m fine if he just plays a good match and enjoys playing tennis. For so long he appeared completely listless and uninterested in competing on court.
Novak is not there yet. He put together a few wins, but he is not ready to contend for titles. I felt that it would be a long road back for him, because I think it is not just physical. I think there is some mental burnout with him.
But he did get a few wins under his belt and has to build on that.
If ifs and buts were fruit and nuts, then we would all have a damn good christmas, anyway you win what you win, you have what you have, you can dress it anyway you want, but its all pretty cut and dried ….
Good points from NNY and Hawkeye ….
RC sorry about Novak , but its still early days in his comeback, and it looks like hes almost there ….
Overall that was a fairly disappointing match 🙁
Djokovic was all over the place. Watching him now it’s hard to believe he is a multiple Slam winner. He rallied from time to time but it was too little too late. Thiem wasn’t at his best either. The match stats tell their own story.
Hawkie. Commiserations.
# you can’t be right all of the time
My pick was right.
Djokovic just played wrong (and probably was avoiding Rafa – like a certain Swiss player who claimed he’d like to play Rafa on clay).
Doubt it. These guys live to compete. Otoh, if you’re not feeling all that well, Nadal is the last guy you’d want to see on the other side of the net.
NNY
I agree with you Nole’s problems are not physical but in his head. Mental burnout is a distinct possibility.
Hawkeye APRIL 19, 2018 AT 11:42 AM
Nole FTW.
What do you mean your prediction was right?
I don’t get that either. If Novak played wrong and he lost, then predicting him to win was wrong.
Novak struggled against Coric to close out that match. It’s mental. Thiem wasn’t playing his best, but Novak is just not there yet. He will keep working at it, but it’s going to take time.
Ask Ricky.
WOW. GOAT just destroyed 2K.
Savvy veteran move by Djokovic losing to Thiem. Playing with racquet adjustments not the only thing Nole is taking our of Fed’s playbook (or should I say claybook).
I think Rafa looked even better in his second match. Someone said his movement wasn’t good in his first match, but today he looked to be moving extremely well. His serve is still not great and he’s missing shots he would normally make, but overall I thought he played a solid match.