One of the following four shocking developments is guaranteed to become a reality: John Isner will qualify for London, Jack Sock will qualify for London, Julien Benneteau will win the Paris title, or Jack Sock will win the Paris title. Things will begin to sort themselves out on Saturday.
(WC) Julien Benneteau vs. (16) Jack Sock
Sock is two wins away from an improbable berth in the World Tour Finals. Benneteau is two wins away from what would be a dramatic and long-awaited first career ATP title. One dream will come to an end when they square off in the semifinals of the Rolex Paris Masters on Saturday. Their only previous encounter also came at a Masters 1000 event during the fall swing, as Benneteau prevailed 6-3, 6-4 three years ago in Shanghai. Nearing the conclusion of his career at 35 years old, Benneteau is ranked 83rd in the world and had been just 9-13 at the ATP level prior to his arrival in Paris. From completely out of nowhere, the wild-card entrant has pulled off upsets of Denis Shapovalov, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Goffin, and Marin Cilic.
He is the underdog once again, but not an especially big one against a fellow surprise semifinalist. Prior this week, Sock was a dreadful 13-16 in his last 29 matches after a blistering first three months of the season when he won 18 of his first 21 matches. The 22nd-ranked American has advanced in Paris by taking out Kyle Edmund, Lucas Pouille, and Fernando Verdasco. His run is even more stunning because he trailed Edmund 5-1 in the third set of their second-round tussle. This is a great opportunity for Benneteau’s ride to continue at the expense of an opponent who may not be quite 100 percent from a physical standpoint.
Pick: Benneteau in 3
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(Q) Filip Krajinovic vs. (9) John Isner
Like Sock, Isner will snag the eighth and final spot in London if he captures the Paris title. Juan Martin Del Potro found himself in an even better position on Friday, but Isner put an end to the Argentine’s year-end championship hopes with a 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4 victory. The 14th-ranked American preceded that result by winning three-setters against Diego Schwartzman and Grigor Dimitrov–the latter via a 7-6(10), 5-7, 7-6(3) decision in which he saved a match point at 2-5 in the final set and broke for the first time all afternoon at 3-5. The 2016 runner-up of this tournament, Isner is 38-21 in 2017 with a pair of 250-point titles in Newport and Atlanta.
Up next for the No. 9 seed is a second career showdown against Krajinovic. Their only previous meeting came way back on the Challenger circuit in 2008, when Isner got the job done 6-2, 6-4 on the hard courts of Lubbock, Texas. Challengers are where Krajinovic has made his living this season, to the extent that he had won only a single ATP-level match prior to this week–and zero prior to a first-round Moscow victory a few weeks ago. The 77th-ranked Serb qualified for the Paris main draw and beat Yuichi Sugita, Sam Querrey, and Nicolas Mahut before getting a walkover from Sam Querrey. A well-rested Krajinovic has absolutely no pressure on him, but the story is much different for Isner–who has already played for more than seven and a half hours this week.
Pick: Krajinovic in 3
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Holy hell, what if Kraj won this title?? Think about all those Non-Roddick, 2000’s American players like Isner, Blake, and Fish who were all top-10 at some point and all made the finals of multiple Masters events/WTF, and then some random journeyman that nobody has ever heard of ends up with a Masters title to his name… That would just be insane.
Paris has often been the Masters event where guys who couldn’t get over the line in a Masters final before finally get there, i.e. Ferrer and Soderling. That’s why I had felt like it was Isner’s destiny to finally get over the line this year in Paris. However, he showed us that he just doesn’t have the real will to win in him when it counts.
Also, until the string of Paris’ from 2009 through 2016 where Novak, Fed, and Andy won 6 out of 8 years, with Soderling and Ferrer breaking the mold, I feel like Paris was always sort of a pretty random Masters event. Probably because it was the last regular event of the season and everyone is either spent or withdraws. At least Tsonga proved, at 2014 Toronto, that his Paris title in 2008 wasn’t a fluke.
And, poor Delpo reached a few Masters Finals but each time, he was beaten by the big four – Rafa at IW 2013, Murray at Canada 2009, Djoko at Shanghai 2013 – and he’s still looking for his first Masters title. Imagine Sock or Krajinovic winning one in their first ever Masters final? And, Delpo is so much better a player than the two of them!
Yeah, I had Delpo in mind as well. However, he has won a major, beating two of the greatest ever en route, which Kraj or Sock will never, ever do.
F. Krajinovic is amazing, what a player.
Where did you read fedexal about Rafa and his doctors assessment. Any link please
https://www.elespanol.com/deportes/tenis/20171104/259474342_0.html
https://www.google.co.in/amp/www.eurosport.com/tennis/rafael-nadal-fighting-to-be-fit-for-london-after-scans-show-no-new-tendon-damage_sto6398229/story-amp.shtml
Got above link. Doctor is non commital. .btw does this mean rafa is playing all the while with pain in his knee ? That must be so uncomfy trying to play with fear as to when it will resurface.
How come players like djoko or Andy who also run and Chase a lot have no knee issues ? Is this peculiar to rafas congenital foot issue ?
Sanju, Rafa always plays with pain in the knees, it’s a matter of to what extent; he said it himself during his interviews. As long as they’re bearable and he knows they’re not new to him (ie not a different kind of pain which signifies new injury), he’s ok with them.
Most players play with some kind of pain or niggles here and there – Fed has his back issue, Murray his knee and back, Djoko with shoulder/wrist/ankle, etc now and then. No one is pain free.
Rafa’s knee issues, I think, developed due to him compromising his movements to accommodate his foot issue. I feel he would be ok had he not had that congenital foot issue to start with, regardless of the way he played.
There are others who run a lot too but they only developed knee issues after many years of play – the likes of Ferrer and Simon; whilst Rafa had his knee issues starting from late 2005 that he had to skip the YEC that year. I mean he wasn’t playing that many matches by that time, how could his style of play affect his knees so soon?
Thanks lucky. He did play a lot I think in 2005. Did he not win like 11 titles that year ?
Play a lot in one year alone won’t give you tendinitis problem!
Certainly Rafa was warned by the doctor who originally diagnosed his congenital left foot problem that solving that issue by using insoles to redistribute the weight on that part of his foot might have repercussions on other parts of his body. Impossible to say whether that was/is the whole problem. Patellar tendinitis is certainly not uncommon among tennis players. Andy Roddick – a big server, not a defensive baseliner – had it. Darren Cahill had to retire early because of it.
Chronic injuries among elite athletes are common, not rare. What’s rare are the very few who manage to stay at the top of the game for years despite them. None of the Big Four are shining examples of physical perfection. Roger has had to manage his back problem. Murray has some chronic issues. Djokovic was hampered by allergies during his early years. What I find strange is the tendency to blame Rafa and his playing style for his physical problems. All elite athletes must learn to compete through pain. Rafa’s ability to do it has been truly extraordinary.
In short almost certainly. An injury or irregularity to any part of the body has a knock-on effect. Remember he was told in 2004 he might never be able to play tennis again but a year later he won Roland Garros. Knowing he has been hampered by injury and almost incessant pain for most of his career makes his achievement all the more remarkable.
Andy Murray also has a congenital condition which causes problems i.e. floating knee patella. This accounts for his ungainly walk which in turn has a knock-on effect in other parts of his body.
The only top player not to be sidelined through injury for any length of time (until this year) is Djokovic which is extraordinary bearing in mind the punishing style of his game and the stresses he subjects his body to.
Yeah, but Djoko had developed his flexibility from young, his very first coach had trained him from young to do stretching exercises. I believe that helps preventing him from getting injured, I mean those major ones, even though he still have some minor niggles here and there. His 2016/2017 injuries are due to overuse of his muscles etc, not surprising, after playing 900+ matches.
Also he spent a lot of time skiing when he was young which would have developed strength and flexibility in his legs at an early age. His parents owned a restaurant in a local ski resorts,
Sanju,
Yes, they had this article translated on VB. It’s certainly not a given that Rafa will play in London. I was going to link it with the English translation, but the original has been posted. The doctor did not say anything definitively. I don’t think anyone knows if Rafa will be able to play there. They are going to give him physio and other treatment and then see what happens.
It is what it is. I am sure Rafa wants to play, but the doctor did say that one has to look at the big picture. Rafa won’t want to compromise his chances for a strong start in 2018. He would want to be healthy with no lingering knee issue.
If the knee isn’t okay, then Rafa is not going to play. It’s not merely a matter of it being the same injury. They know it’s the patella tendon in his knee. But rest and treatment is the only way to get it to heal.
I don’t think the WTF is worth risking a good start in 2018.
As I’m always pointing out – Bercy is often throws up unpredictable results for a number of reasons some more obvious than others. e.g. Janowic’s fairy tale run to the final which he lost to Ferrer.
Jack Sock was 24th in the race at the start of the week. He was down 1-5 in the third set agaisnt Edmund in his first match of the week. He can make the world tour finals by beating Filip Krajinovic. Holy shit.
The finals will be tough, I wasn’t expecting both them to be here at the beginning of this tournament.
Wow!
Jack sock is a bum
I admit that I was really hoping that Benneteau would get to the final. I think it would be fitting for him at this stage of his career to have a chance to win a Masters title and in Paris, no less.
I didn’t see the match, but maybe Benneteau just didn’t have enough left in the tank. It’s surprising to see Sock get through to the final, considering how poorly he’s done lately.
ditto NNY
On good days he can go toe to toe with top players and show them the door yet that elusive title continues to invade him. But hardworking journeymen like him are as important as the big star names for the tournament to be a success.
For the record Jack Sock is not on my list of favourite players 🙁
wish spellcheck would mind its own business. I wrote ‘evade’ not ‘invade’.
Cant work out why my screen name has changed
Managed to correct the error
Krajinovic won one tour level match all year last season. He had won one tour level match all season again before this week. Insane.
Can’t decide who to root for. Krajinovic would be an unbelievable story and he would confirm a freakin seeding at Melbourne which would make it even more incredible. I really like his game and demeanor and think he is an amazing story even though Isner losing to him ticked me off a lot. But Sock is American and more importantly a set from the world tour finals. No offense to Carreno Busta but I would rather see a guy who just won a masters title with one of the biggest forehands in the game and is American than a guy who has won like one in ten matches since the US Open and generally has less interesting of a game than Sock imo.
Damn Jack is going nuts now. Absolutely taking Krajinovic to the cleaners in the decider. Winner after winner.
He did it!
Just found a moment ago that Jack went all the way for his first Masters title. I’m a bit sad for Benneteau and I also believe that Sock doesn’t have, either physically or mentally, the ability to be a Masters champion.
Despite all this, I want to congratulate him, as he seems to be a really nice guy off the court.
How does Sock not have the ability to win a masters if he just won one?
😂😋😎
So you think he is a well deserved Masters champion? A player who is yet to make a Grand Slam QF and only has a few titles at 250 level? Can you even place him at the same heights as other single Masters winners, players like Henman,Ljubicic,Soderling and Ferrer? Sorry, but I can’t. He only won it because the field is a joke right now and some of the best players are sidelined due to injuries.
Congrats Jack Sock 🙂
At least Jack won matches to get in so congrats to him. It may have helped that he had no clue he had any remote chance of getting into the WTF when the tournament began.
If Krajinovic manages to stay reasonably healthy he should play well enough to stay on the main tour.
Congrats to Sock even though I like Filip better.
I read that Filip had difficulties finding sponsors as he got injured and as he got older and older, poor soul. I hope with this Masters final and the surge in his rankings, he’ll soon get them (the sponsors) and hope he starts winning Atp titles.
I like his game, he’s a bit like Rafa – can defend well, yet can seize the opportunities to move to the net to attack; moves well and serves well. The one main weakness in his game is his ROS. I hope he improves on that and improves the precision of his shots esp when on the run.
Filip was using a Wilson racket and Nike clothing so he can’t be too bad off for sponsors.
So you expect him to wear a brand-less T shirt to play tennis? Even if he’s Nike Sponsored, you think he gets a huge amount from that? Even the teenagers are wearing Nike but you think Nike pays them hefty sums? Nike may have sponsored them based on tennis academies, or whatever tennis institutions etc.
I hope Filip plays and goes deep in 250 event before the AO so that he can get seeded at the AO. He will then avoid the top players until at least the third round.
I’m happy for Delpo too that at no.11, he will only meet the top 5-8 guys in R4 and top 4 in QF or SF. I’m also happy that Djoko is at no.12 and so the top four avoids him until at least the QF. I just hope that Querrey or Anderson won’t overtake him in the rankings before the AO. Djoko is always a formidable force at the AO.
Yeah, unless Djokovic can’t step on the court, he will always be a major threat in Melbourne. When he won hat epic 3-setter at Doha last year against Murray, it seemed like he had probably overcome whatever mental issues he was having, and would be the sure favorite for AO. Obviously we didn’t know the extent of his elbow issue yet, but it was so shocking when he lost to Istomin because he was not only the champion 5 of the 6 previous years, but he actually looked more solid in Doha than he had in the second half of 2016.
Anyway, if his elbow is not causing him much pain, he will always be a major threat at AO, even though it will be his first big tournament back (not sure if he’s playing a warm-up). My one concern for Novak is whether or not he will have gotten over his mental problema. I don’t think that Novak’s mental problems were like Rafa’s, where Rafa’s mental issues stemmed from the fact that he didn’t feel confident enough because he didn’t trust his body. I think that at least some of Novak’s mental issues stemmed from off-court things that were affecting his focus and confidence on-court. His off-court issues are pretty well documented. And then the elbow issue on top of that could have only made his confidence that much worse. So I think that if his elbow is better, AND he’s able to not let those other lingering doubts creep in, he should be very formidable next season. Of course he has the potential to have a comeback on the scale of Fedal, but there is just no way to know if he actually will until the time comes…
he is too far back to be seeded even if he does well the first week of the year. Nor does he deserve to be seeded.
He’s no.33 now; if he gains some points at a 250, he may be seeded at no.32. It’s very possible and doable, as any points gained at a 250 could replace his miserable points gained at a challenger event (9 points!) .
Mischa at no.32 has 1302 points, only 4 points ahead of him but Mischa has to win more than 45 points to add to that tally. Filip if he wins 45 points, he’ll add 36 and will then be ahead of Mischa in the points total and the rankings; it’s possible.
If he gets the necessary points then he deserves to be seeded. It’s just like Sock, who did nothing after his early season of 2017 but one Masters title, and he’s sent to London for the YEC. If Sick deserved to be there by winning more points than PCB, Delpo etc, then Filip will deserve being seeded if he wins the necessary points to do so.
Lucky
Hilarious typo @ 1.51 am
Sick, sick, sick 🙂
Whether Krajinovic is seeded or not, he probably won’t go that far. Maybe a round or two.
How do you know? As long as he doesn’t meet the top four in R1 or 2, he will have his chances to progress further in the draw.
Well especially if he’s seeded, I just predict he will feel a lot of pressure to back up the new ranking he obtained with basically one tournament. We’ll see though it depends on his draw and that’s a long ways away.