2019 French Open SF: [1] Djokovic vs. [4] Thiem

Who wins?

  • Total voters
    102
uscwang

uscwang

Hall of Fame
Career H2H 6-2 Djokovic.

This will be the 3rd time they met in RG.

2016 SF Djokovic d. Thiem 62 61 64
2017 QF Thiem d. Djokovic 76 63 60
2019 SF Djokovic vs. Thiem ???

This is also the right time to review their Madrid SF. 76 76 Novak.
 
I took off tomorrow to be here in full for the match threads

giphy.gif
 
it's going to be a shi*show tomorrow it's going to be so showery windy Gusty there's not going to be good tennis being played
 
Very hard to pick the winner of this. Thiem has improved with every round and looks to be peaking into devastating form and has the age advantage, but I can't help but feel that his tendency to ball bash with little regard for strategy will be his undoing against the crafty veteran.
 
We haven't seen the best of Djokovic yet, he purposefully hasn't unleashed his true Earth's Mightiest Warrior mode, but we are going to see it now. This is what Djokovic has been waiting for ever since the clay season started, he knows the two guys he will most likely need to go through are Thiem and Nadal, and if you are astute and methodical in your preparation, then you have been preparing to take them both on back to back while they both in form.

That is what Novak would have been preparing, because anything less than having to go through both of them will only make the path easier, so when I say that he is completely OK and ready for what is about to happen, he is. Novak has started see Thiem at least on clay the same way he sees Fedal, he is getting up for the fight, I noticed this when I saw the look in his eye during the Madrid semi against Thiem. He was insanely focused and determined to beat Thiem and then play Nadal in the final. Today he started slow but I had my suspicions that that was likely to happen, and there were several reasons for it.

The first reason is was the fact that he had an extra day off, and it does have a somewhat perceptible impact on his play, as it can disrupt your overall rhythm. The second reason was he didn't want to unleash his true form due to being aware that he could be playing his semi final the next day. The objective was simple, get the timing back, gauge the level that Zverev is bringing, and play at that level which would get the win without overly exerting yourself. He could have gone nuclear, but that would have been too soon in this event, he needs that for the semi and the final. Zverev did him a massive favor by offering little resistance due to the collapse at the conclusion of the first set, however he also allowed Novak to gain comfort in being aware that if he wanted to raise his level he could, he simply didn't need to do it. Conserving energy, not just physical, but mental and emotional is important too. I feel Novak's chances to win this event took a step up, this is where he will make the final push.

Thiem has played some great tennis, and played his best tennis these past two rounds heading in, so he has revealed his cards to Novak. He looks very good, and I think this the right way for Thiem to be, he needs to be nuclear, that is what best suits him and really the only way he can beat Djokovic. I do feel Djokovic is going to bring his best tennis now, and that will see him through.
 
Hitman said:
We haven't seen the best of Djokovic yet, he purposefully hasn't unleashed his true Earth's Mightiest Warrior mode, but we are going to see it now. This is what Djokovic has been waiting for ever since the clay season started, he knows the two guys he will most likely need to go through are Thiem and Nadal, and if you are astute and methodical in your preparation, then you have been preparing to take them both on back to back while they both in form.

That is what Novak would have been preparing, because anything less than having to go through both of them will only make the path easier, so when I say that he is completely OK and ready for what is about to happen, he is. Novak has started see Thiem at least on clay the same way he sees Fedal, he is getting up for the fight, I noticed this when I saw the look in his eye during the Madrid semi against Thiem. He was insanely focused and determined to beat Thiem and then play Nadal in the final. Today he started slow but I had my suspicions that that was likely to happen, and there were several reasons for it.

The first reason is was the fact that he had an extra day off, and it does have a somewhat perceptible impact on his play, as it can disrupt your overall rhythm. The second reason was he didn't want to unleash his true form due to being aware that he could be playing his semi final the next day. The objective was simple, get the timing back, gauge the level that Zverev is bringing, and play at that level which would get the win without overly exerting yourself. He could have gone nuclear, but that would have been too soon in this event, he needs that for the semi and the final. Zverev did him a massive favor by offering little resistance due to the collapse at the conclusion of the first set, however he also allowed Novak to gain comfort in being aware that if he wanted to raise his level he could, he simply didn't need to do it. Conserving energy, not just physical, but mental and emotional is important too. I feel Novak's chances to win this event took a step up, this is where he will make the final push.

Thiem has played some great tennis, and played his best tennis these past two rounds heading in, so he has revealed his cards to Novak. He looks very good, and I think this the right way for Thiem to be, he needs to be nuclear, that is what best suits him and really the only way he can beat Djokovic. I do feel Djokovic is going to bring his best tennis now, and that will see him through.
Click to expand...

All these people in here underestimating Djokovic can do so at their own peril. Djokovic has been here in this position time and time again and it's all about bringing his best at the right time. Now it's time. I couldn't see today's match but if he wasn't at his best then that's a good sign because he knows he will have to raise his level and most likely will. He also saved the true beast form for last, knowing that he would have to play back to back days.
 
NoleFam said:
All these people in here underestimating Djokovic can do so at their own peril. Djokovic has been here in this position time and time again and it's all about bringing his best at the right time. Now it's time. I couldn't see today's match but if he wasn't at his best then that's a good sign because he knows he will have to raise his level and most likely will. He also saved the true beast form for last, knowing that he would have to play back to back days.
Click to expand...

Djokovic is now getting primed to win this event. Everything has gone ideally for him, he is the only player to make the semis without dropping a set, he has been ruthlessly efficient, today's match was the longest he played and it was still only 2 hours 10 minutes in its duration. He will have fresh legs and a fresh mind heading into tomorrow's match and a match against a quality player, especially one that is now making him see red, on the clay at least, is exactly what he needs to flip on the switch. He also knows that the other semi final isn't going to be easy either, and a lot of emotional energy will be poured into it. Novak, when he needed to, raised his levels for brief moments to maintain a grip and momentum in the Zverev match, and then brought it back to where he needed it to be.

The day of rain IMO will have no impact on him, he got the job today in the most ideal way. Thiem will have to hit the covers off every ball to get them past Djokovic, because his court coverage right now is the best of all four of the remaining players.
 
What we saw against Zverev wasn't great, but I reckon he will be up for this semifinal. I am not one of those who thinks Djokovic will be peaking for the last two stages of Slams forever but I believe he still has another gear in him at the moment, and it should be enough to put him in a favorable position to win some more.
 
Hitman said:
Djokovic is now getting primed to win this event. Everything has gone ideally for him, he is the only player to make the semis without dropping a set, he has been ruthlessly efficient, today's match was the longest he played and it was still only 2 hours 10 minutes in its duration. He will have fresh legs and a fresh mind heading into tomorrow's match and a match against a quality player, especially one that is now making him see red, on the clay at least, is exactly what he needs to flip on the switch. He also knows that the other semi final isn't going to be easy either, and a lot of emotional energy will be poured into it. Novak, when he needed to, raised his levels for brief moments to maintain a grip and momentum in the Zverev match, and then brought it back to where he needed it to be.

The day of rain IMO will have no impact on him, he got the job today in the most ideal way. Thiem will have to hit the covers off every ball to get them past Djokovic, because his court coverage right now is the best of all four of the remaining players.
Click to expand...

Djokovic wants this really really badly. He has been waiting and salivating for this moment for months now. He knows nothing less than his best will cut it and he will be determined to give just that. To me, a warm and sunny day would have helped Thiem like today where his balls were jumping off the court because of his spin. He won't have that tomorrow and it could be windy. Djokovic knows he lost to him at this tournament the last time they played here so I think that will make him even more focused. I think it will be a cracker of a match but if Djokovic plays his best, he can make his 5th RG final.
 
Federer and Del Potro said:
I took off tomorrow to be here in full for the match threads

giphy.gif
Click to expand...

Tomorrow will be bad weather. I expect tennis to be bad quality with ton of UE's. but Thiem should adjust better and overpower Novak. because Novak relies on his precision groundies close to the Lines to get opponents running, but he won't be able to do that tomorrow because of the wind.
 
NoleFam said:
Djokovic wants this really really badly. He has been waiting and salivating for this moment for months now. He knows nothing less than his best will cut it and he will be determined to give just that. To me, a warm and sunny day would have helped Thiem like today where his balls were jumping off the court because of his spin. He won't have that tomorrow and it could be windy. Djokovic knows he lost to him at this tournament the last time they played here so I think that will make him even more focused. I think it will be a cracker of a match but if Djokovic plays his best, he can make his 5th RG final.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, he wants it bad, and he knows the road was always going to take him through Thiem and Nadal. The damper conditions for the rest of the tournament due play into his hands. You are correct in saying Thiem would have liked a baked sunny court so he could get that extra bounce, the slower the conditions, the more harder it will be to hit through Novak if he continues to move well out there.
 
Hitman said:
We haven't seen the best of Djokovic yet, he purposefully hasn't unleashed his true Earth's Mightiest Warrior mode, but we are going to see it now. This is what Djokovic has been waiting for ever since the clay season started, he knows the two guys he will most likely need to go through are Thiem and Nadal, and if you are astute and methodical in your preparation, then you have been preparing to take them both on back to back while they both in form.

That is what Novak would have been preparing, because anything less than having to go through both of them will only make the path easier, so when I say that he is completely OK and ready for what is about to happen, he is. Novak has started see Thiem at least on clay the same way he sees Fedal, he is getting up for the fight, I noticed this when I saw the look in his eye during the Madrid semi against Thiem. He was insanely focused and determined to beat Thiem and then play Nadal in the final. Today he started slow but I had my suspicions that that was likely to happen, and there were several reasons for it.

The first reason is was the fact that he had an extra day off, and it does have a somewhat perceptible impact on his play, as it can disrupt your overall rhythm. The second reason was he didn't want to unleash his true form due to being aware that he could be playing his semi final the next day. The objective was simple, get the timing back, gauge the level that Zverev is bringing, and play at that level which would get the win without overly exerting yourself. He could have gone nuclear, but that would have been too soon in this event, he needs that for the semi and the final. Zverev did him a massive favor by offering little resistance due to the collapse at the conclusion of the first set, however he also allowed Novak to gain comfort in being aware that if he wanted to raise his level he could, he simply didn't need to do it. Conserving energy, not just physical, but mental and emotional is important too. I feel Novak's chances to win this event took a step up, this is where he will make the final push.

Thiem has played some great tennis, and played his best tennis these past two rounds heading in, so he has revealed his cards to Novak. He looks very good, and I think this the right way for Thiem to be, he needs to be nuclear, that is what best suits him and really the only way he can beat Djokovic. I do feel Djokovic is going to bring his best tennis now, and that will see him through.
Click to expand...
Peaking at just the right time is his thing now.
 
The only reason I don't think this match is totally on Novak's racquet are tomorrow's conditions, he hates wind and according to the forecast it's going to be pretty nasty during the whole day. Spiny players like Thiem usually handles such conditions better. The dumpy conditions definitely suit Novak's game more.
As being an expert of taking away the angles and robbing players of time (when needed) by hitting everything on the rise, it's hard to see Thiem coming out victorious. He doesn't hit heavy enough as Wawrinka to push Novak behind the line where his control over the game is limited.
Novak in four.
 
Hitman said:
We haven't seen the best of Djokovic yet, he purposefully hasn't unleashed his true Earth's Mightiest Warrior mode, but we are going to see it now. This is what Djokovic has been waiting for ever since the clay season started, he knows the two guys he will most likely need to go through are Thiem and Nadal, and if you are astute and methodical in your preparation, then you have been preparing to take them both on back to back while they both in form.

That is what Novak would have been preparing, because anything less than having to go through both of them will only make the path easier, so when I say that he is completely OK and ready for what is about to happen, he is. Novak has started see Thiem at least on clay the same way he sees Fedal, he is getting up for the fight, I noticed this when I saw the look in his eye during the Madrid semi against Thiem. He was insanely focused and determined to beat Thiem and then play Nadal in the final. Today he started slow but I had my suspicions that that was likely to happen, and there were several reasons for it.

The first reason is was the fact that he had an extra day off, and it does have a somewhat perceptible impact on his play, as it can disrupt your overall rhythm. The second reason was he didn't want to unleash his true form due to being aware that he could be playing his semi final the next day. The objective was simple, get the timing back, gauge the level that Zverev is bringing, and play at that level which would get the win without overly exerting yourself. He could have gone nuclear, but that would have been too soon in this event, he needs that for the semi and the final. Zverev did him a massive favor by offering little resistance due to the collapse at the conclusion of the first set, however he also allowed Novak to gain comfort in being aware that if he wanted to raise his level he could, he simply didn't need to do it. Conserving energy, not just physical, but mental and emotional is important too. I feel Novak's chances to win this event took a step up, this is where he will make the final push.

Thiem has played some great tennis, and played his best tennis these past two rounds heading in, so he has revealed his cards to Novak. He looks very good, and I think this the right way for Thiem to be, he needs to be nuclear, that is what best suits him and really the only way he can beat Djokovic. I do feel Djokovic is going to bring his best tennis now, and that will see him through.
Click to expand...

Great analysis as usual.
Around the 3rd game of 2nd set today, I was a bit worried that Novak might peak too soon for the wrong opponent. But that didn't happen. He just moved Zv left and right without going for any spectacular shots. Watching tape of this match, Thiem or Fedal wouldn't be able to assess Novak's level.
I guess/hope Novak will be much more aggressive playing against Thiem, hitting shots early to take time away from Tm.
 
Martin J said:
The only reason I don't think this match is totally on Novak's racquet are tomorrow's conditions, he hates wind and according to the forecast it's going to be pretty nasty during the whole day. Spiny players like Thiem usually handles such conditions better. The dumpy conditions definitely suit Novak's game more.
As being an expert of taking away the angles and robbing players of time (when needed) by hitting everything on the rise, it's hard to see Thiem coming out victorious. He doesn't hit heavy enough as Wawrinka to push Novak behind the line where his control over the game is limited.
Novak in four.
Click to expand...
I don't think the wind will be a major factor inside Phillipe Chartier. It is surrounded. There have been windy days throughout this tournament, and it didn't affect him one bit.
@Hitman is right in his analysis. Djokovic will peak today, going into Sunday as well. He hasn't peaked throughout the tournament. Against Zverev he didn't need to play his best, and did enough to win to conserve energy.
 
Very windy now in Roland Garros at 17 mph. Both Nadal and Federer are struggling to play in the wind.
It will only get 5 mph worse around 5 pm when this match happens.
 
TheAssassin said:
To make Nadal's win more epic I assume...
Click to expand...

Nadal fans in a nutshell.

Not enough that he got a cakewalk for the nth time.
Not enough that Novak and Thiem have to play each other in the semis.
Not enough that they have to play each other in the later match.
Not enough that they have to play 2 days in a row and will have to play 3 out of 4 days, while Nadal just had 2 days off

No, it's not enough. They also want that match to go 5 sets over 2 days, forcing Nadal's opponent to play 4 days in a row. That "win" would definitely be epic.
 
Djokovic Thiem will be a demolition in the current conditions.
Thiem is just terrible with the wind in general. And the cool conditions play right into Novak's game.

Djokovic might be the only player to get to the final without losing a set.
 
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