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

Who wins?


  • Total voters
    102

Sport

G.O.A.T.
Many people definetely vote with their heart rather thant heir head. Of 44 votes so far, 18 (41% of people) predicted Thiem to win.
 

hipolymer

Hall of Fame
No sport is fair. How is it fair for Federer to have access to the best training facilities and healthcare in the world while the #100 player in the world struggles financially?

You're really not helping your case with such obvious and redundant statements; life isn't fair, yes, but the point is to reduce the unfair factors to the best of one's ability. We are clearly not accomplishing that in the most prestigious tournaments of the tennis world. Because tennis organizers care more about future t.v. ratings deals than (god forbid) postponing a match due to horrific weather that ruins any semblance of a claim to tennis as a spectator sport.

No sport is fair. How is it fair for Federer to have access to the best training facilities and healthcare in the world while the #100 player in the world struggles financially?

Wow, a 21 year old highly fit player was able to get past his disadvantage to defeat the best grass courter in 5 sets. What points does that prove? What if he would have won in 3 sets if he wasn't disadvantaged? What if he got injured in the 5th set?

What's becoming more and more obvious is that people like you don't truly care about the implications of any idea. People like you simply choose to believe something, and then rationalize it after the fact. That kinda stuff is what leads to unquestioning rule following. We know what that leads to.

The truth is you don't care about fairness in the first place; the only thing you care about is that the is tournament finished within the pre-allotted time span, that no one wasted any unnecessary effort (because god forbid that anything not specifically outlined in the rules actually be attempted), and that everyone gets their pay at the end of the day.

And people like you are the vast majority of the rule-makers and sport-watchers. Which is why things will never change.
 
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hipolymer

Hall of Fame
This is one of thee stupidest posts I've ever seen on this forum, and that's saying something. Are you going to apply this farcical logic to other sports? Hey, two teams play in the rain in the World Cup, and the two teams that the winner of the rain game next play got to play in sunshine; how is that fair? Football, basecall, etc. By your logic, they should cancel games unless the the teams are always playing in almost the exact same conditions.

The fact that you think your analogy was highly thought-out and applicable tells more truth than you're ever capable of admitting.

Football is a sport with multiple players, with a 10x bigger ball than tennis, that is impacted less by weather than any other sport because you kick the damn ball with your feet and not a tool.

Yes, they wouldn't play basketball in gale force winds; which is why it's an indoor sport that allows for the highest quality of play. Isn't this obvious?

They wouldn't play hockey in outdoor ice with wind either. Beach volleyball? Why isn't it called Scotland volleyball? I want my volleyball to be played in the highlands of Scotland with wind blowing the ball all over the place, damn it, and who are you to deny me this?
 
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Djokovic_is_the_best#1

Talk Tennis Guru
Djokovic is the one who has a chance to beat Nadal here but Thiem is the 2nd best claycourter and beats djokovic. Have to put Tim in Nadals half to mix it up a bit i guess.
Very proud of Thiem tho he will be evicerated in straight sets most likely.

What you feel about Novak’s chance at Wimbledon bro?
 

BlueB

Legend
Ok, just woke up after watching this at the silly hours of the night...
Tight match, with ups and downs for both. I still think Nole could have taken this. Too much silly stuff with SV, rushing the net - he ended up with negative ratio there. Still a good turnament for him.
Domi played great, some unbelievable gets, firecracker FHs DL. Well done!

Go Dom, in the finals!

Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk
 
Quality conditions are those that allow for least amount of shanks, bad bounces, extenuating circumstances, etc. Ideally all tennis matches would be played in 70 degree weather with little to no wind. Sometimes wind can lead to more aesthetic points, but that's a tiny minority of all the points in such a match.
And players shouldn't get tired either, so they shouldn't run as to help their ability to produce aesthetic shots? But that's exactly why players should be allowed to rest longer between points, especially when it's too hot or after long rallies.

You sound like you could be a fan of gymnastics or ballet, which are the quintessential aesthetic sports (though technically ballet is not a competition.)

The modern Western man has acquired a taste for more grueling contests in the absence of constant war to produce a satisfying supply of periodic bloodbath.
 

chjtennis

G.O.A.T.
It's time for the new king to dethrone the old king. Just like Erik Morales did to Daniel Zaragoza. Thiem, 6-4 5-7 7-6 2-6 6-3.
 

hipolymer

Hall of Fame
And players shouldn't get tired either, so they shouldn't run as to help their ability to produce aesthetic shots?
No, because the momentum from running helps produce different sorts of shot.

The modern Western man has acquired a taste for more grueling contests in the absence of constant war to produce a satisfying supply of periodic bloodbath.

Not really the words I'd used to describe tennis, a sport with small balls, lots of whining whenever weather doesn't go the players' way (which is often)
 

swordtennis

G.O.A.T.
What you feel about Novak’s chance at Wimbledon bro?
I actually have a fairly good feeling heading into Wimbledon.
Djokovic is a mentally different player than he was back in 2016.
He has a better toolkit now where he can bounce back after another big blow at the French Open.
He has won it and after 2016 I felt he was done at the FO.
So much energy to get it. Jesus how many time he went to battle with Nadal there. and let us remember he had some mega chokes there as well.
That takes a Huge mental tole.
He truly needed to meet Nadal right after the Zverev win!
Now Wimbledon he is in love with and I do not see any reason right now that he will not be going in seething and on a mission!
One worrisome is is his form falling off a cliff?
Bertie B says his asrological signs and and chacra are falling off a cliff.
He needs to take a break with the kids take these things seriously and get back on the grass.
Good thing about the 5 set Thiem match was it was a good warm up actually.
He will not have to do so much prep work for the grass season. Just relax and get the footing on grass again.
Looking forward to it!
How about you Bro?
 
You're really not helping your case with such obvious and redundant statements; life isn't fair, yes, but the point is to reduce the unfair factors to the best of one's ability. We are clearly not accomplishing that in the most prestigious tournaments of the tennis world. Because tennis organizers care more about future t.v. ratings deals than (god forbid) postponing a match due to horrific weather that ruins any semblance of a claim to tennis as a spectator sport.
Why would the organizer of a tournament care about aesthetics rather than money? You talk as if these people are evil conspirators trying to find ways to destroy tennis. The reason things are what they are now is not a product of a conspiracy, but more of a natural progression driven by technological advances. You have to realize first of all that one of the most boring experiences in the world of sports (in addition to a bad baseball game) is one of the old S/V contexts with more S than V. Yes, S/V can be pleasant to watch, but not just the S. That is really what is a travesty in regards to tennis, to have a guy serving without possible return from the other guy.

Any top tennis player in the last 3 years is at heart a baseliner because that's what tennis is right now. Fed is as much a baseliner as Nadal, Nadal as much as Djoker. Fed has a more natural tendency to attack vertically, Nadal is more defensive (though his skill at the net is quite obviously greater than Djokovic's, for example.) But all three are of the same ilk.

Wow, a 21 year old highly fit player was able to get past his disadvantage to defeat the best grass courter in 5 sets. What points does that prove? What if he would have won in 3 sets if he wasn't disadvantaged? What if he got injured in the 5th set?

What's becoming more and more obvious is that people like you don't truly care about the implications of any idea. People like you simply choose to believe something, and then rationalize it after the fact. That kinda stuff is what leads to unquestioning rule following. We know what that leads to.

The truth is you don't care about fairness in the first place; the only thing you care about is that the is tournament finished within the pre-allotted time span, that no one wasted any unnecessary effort (because god forbid that anything not specifically outlined in the rules actually be attempted), and that everyone gets their pay at the end of the day.

And people like you are the vast majority of the rule-makers and sport-watchers. Which is why things will never change.
Yes, you have proven that you can believe something and rationalize it after the fact very well with this paragraph. How are you reaching the conclusion that I don't care about fairness, much less that I can be proposed as an archtype of something ("people like you")?
 
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Arafel

Professional
The fact that you think your analogy was highly thought-out and applicable tells more truth than you're ever capable of admitting.

Football is a sport with multiple players, with a 10x bigger ball than tennis, that is impacted less by weather than any other sport because you kick the damn ball with your feet and not a tool.

Yes, they wouldn't play basketball in gale force winds; which is why it's an indoor sport that allows for the highest quality of play. Isn't this obvious?

They wouldn't play hockey in outdoor ice with wind either. Beach volleyball? Why isn't it called Scotland volleyball? I want my volleyball to be played in the highlands of Scotland with wind blowing the ball all over the place, damn it, and who are you to deny me this?

You are too stupid for words. How far will you carry this ridiculous rewrite? Should all the Slams build identical show courts so that the semis can be played at the same time and not make one more tired than the other? Oh wait, the geographical poositions might affect the way the sun hits theirr eyes, won't it, so I suppose everything should be indoors at the same time? Oh wait, what if the AC fails or doesn't work as efficiently? What if one stadium is missing a light? And how will you make it so they are all equally rested in the early rounds.

You are clearly a troll, and a bad one at that
 

Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil

Talk Tennis Guru
Unfortunately I missed the last part of the match, after today's rain delay. Could have been a legendary comeback from 5-3 40-15 down but ultimately only the runner-up plate was waiting for him if he accomplished that.

Djokovic had his chances to take control, I am more disappointed that the conditions didn't allow a better match than about the loss itself. Over the years, Roland Garros became the one last box to check on the list. Once he achieved that, the following losses didn't feel bad anymore. And all of this is massive credit to Nadal for creating such a situation, being perfect here for nearly his entire career.

Can't wait for Wimbledon, I think it's going to be a great tournament with Novak being the defending champion, Federer improving his form after Australia, Nadal maybe being in contention again after narrowly missing out last year, while a youngster bursting out becomes more and more likely with each passing Slam...
 
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hipolymer

Hall of Fame
Why would the organizer of a tournament care about aesthetics rather than money? You talk as if these people are evil conspirators trying to find ways to destroy tennis. The reason things are what they are now is not a product of a conspiracy, but more of a natural progression driven by technological advances. You have to realize first of all that one of the most boring experiences in the world of sports (in addition to a bad baseball game) is one of the old S/V contexts with more S than V. Yes, S/V can be pleasant to watch, but not just the S. That is really what is a travesty in regards to tennis, to have a guy serving without possible return from the other guy.

Just because things have developed this way, doesn't mean we shouldn't add new paradigms


Any top tennis player in the last 3 years is at heart a baseliner because that's what tennis is right now. Fed is as much a baseliner as Nadal, Nadal as much as Djoker. Fed has a more natural tendency to attack vertically, Nadal is more defensive (though his skill at the net is quite obviously greater than Djokovic's, for example.) But all three are of the same ilk.

Don't see what this has to do with anything I said. I don't have a problem with majority baseline tennis, but with the fact that players are allowed to play 2 and 3 meters behind the baseline pretty much makes volleying only a surprise tactic that will nearly always fail against someone like Rafa who makes a living off of being behind the baseline that far.

Yes, you have proven that you can believe something and rationalize it after the fact very well with this paragraph. How are you reaching the conclusion that I don't care about fairness, much less that I can be proposed as an archtype of something ("people like you")?

Because this entire time you've been defending the present establishment of the ATP, the tournament organizers, etc. You're a rule-follower. Simple as that.

You are too stupid for words. How far will you carry this ridiculous rewrite? Should all the Slams build identical show courts so that the semis can be played at the same time and not make one more tired than the other? Oh wait, the geographical poositions might affect the way the sun hits theirr eyes, won't it, so I suppose everything should be indoors at the same time? Oh wait, what if the AC fails or doesn't work as efficiently? What if one stadium is missing a light? And how will you make it so they are all equally rested in the early rounds.

You are clearly a troll, and a bad one at that

No, I'm not a supporter of identical courts...If you actually read any of my posts over the past hour or day you'd see that I support tennis variety, not blind homogenization. But you clearly support the notion of reading your own biases into others views, and not even reading at times.

OK, but rest should be plentiful between points?

On clay, sure.

Yes, lots of whining about weather and less than ideal conditions. You just need to read your posts.

I'm guessing you didn't watch the Fedal match? Wouldn't surprise me
 
F

FRV

Guest
I chose Thiem in 4 just because I picked him to win the tournament in the beginning. But as I posted in another thread ...

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Roddick85

Hall of Fame
Anything else but a Nadal victory will be a shock. Thiem had to play a tough 5 setter over 2 days, will be fatigued while Nadal had enough time to recover. I think this is a straight sets victory here.
 
D

Deleted member 765152

Guest
Although Nadal is favored and should be, his level has gone down since last year while Tim's level has gone up.

Also Tim has 25 yo legs, Nadal has 33 yo legs. That could be a big factor should there be a 5th set.
 

acintya

Legend
im surprised,this only shows how hard nole is to beat..and he wasnt eve 80% nole. he was not in the mood, too much errors. still im happy for thiem --- but the bull is waiting.
would be a lot better match with nole in the final though

its funny: i dont remember a single shot from Djokovic and a dozen from Thiem - i like thiems playstyle more
 
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Mark-Touch

Legend
...Do you honestly expect other players to beat Novak on hards and grass? Fed is getting old. Nadal is not the force he was outside of clay.
Thiem sucks on grass and not great at hards. TsiTsiPas is overrated. Z is perennial underperformer in slams.
Others are not even worth mentioning. So who will stop Novak at Wimbledon and the UsOpen?

You're speaking too logically. Tennis is not a logical sport. :)
 

tennis4jags

Semi-Pro
Djokovic was asking umpire "Do you know tennis? Have you ever played tennis?"
What an idiotic question was that, why he was so upset on umpire. Is that frustration caused him in the last couple of games?
 

tenisdecente

Hall of Fame
im surprised,this only shows how hard nole is to beat..and he wasnt eve 80% nole. he was not in the mood, too much errors. still im happy for thiem --- but the bull is waiting.
would be a lot better match with nole in the final though

its funny: i dont remember a single shot from Djokovic and a dozen from Thiem - i like thiems playstyle more

Both were BAD today. Thiem was horrendous trying to close Match but Djokovic helped him
 
Novak is a bit of a control freak same as Rafa they just approach it in different ways, not knocking it, they are the two best players in the world for a reason
Novak really does not like RG, when he won in 2016 he was the most bad tempered I have even seen him, saw it again in his match against ZED, it take to much emotionally out of him, and we all saw what happened after he won RG, if I was a Novak fan I would breathing a sign of relief.
Thiem just keep playing his game, and deserves to be in the final hope he has good game tom against Rafa,
 
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Djokovic_is_the_best#1

Talk Tennis Guru
I actually have a fairly good feeling heading into Wimbledon.
Djokovic is a mentally different player than he was back in 2016.
He has a better toolkit now where he can bounce back after another big blow at the French Open.
He has won it and after 2016 I felt he was done at the FO.
So much energy to get it. Jesus how many time he went to battle with Nadal there. and let us remember he had some mega chokes there as well.
That takes a Huge mental tole.
He truly needed to meet Nadal right after the Zverev win!
Now Wimbledon he is in love with and I do not see any reason right now that he will not be going in seething and on a mission!
One worrisome is is his form falling off a cliff?
Bertie B says his asrological signs and and chacra are falling off a cliff.
He needs to take a break with the kids take these things seriously and get back on the grass.
Good thing about the 5 set Thiem match was it was a good warm up actually.
He will not have to do so much prep work for the grass season. Just relax and get the footing on grass again.
Looking forward to it!
How about you Bro?

Yeah I think he has a chance! He always feels more at home at Wimbledon. He’s better suited to the grass and his serve and groundies are more of a weapon on it! He will bounce back for sure. This season is very much still alive for Novak, as he still has a good chance of getting close to Federer and Nadal. Nadal will most likely be on 18 soon, however, Djokovic will have good chances at Wimbledon and us open to close the gap on both. I think he will at least win one of the next 2 slams, maybe both. He’s the favourite on hardcourts and grass for me at the moment. I’m quite positive about his chances! I see Nadal struggling off clay as usual. Fed is still a threat and playing great but will be tough for him to win 7 BO5 set matches in a row now. On grass and hard there are decent players but for me novak is the best currently, hopefully he proves it soon.

Plus the scheduling will be better. They have a roof at Wimbledon and they have Hawkeye. Just an all round fair and better tournament. That will help Novak a lot too! I think Novak was pissed off with the French Open in general and how amateur they are. They have no roof, no Hawkeye, no lights, poor scheduling. It’s a joke and I’m glad novak can put it behind him and move on to better things. I’d love him to win another us open as I feel he could have more already, plus another would put him 1 ahead of Rafa and only 1 behind fed there. Still lots to look forward too!
 

Djokovic_is_the_best#1

Talk Tennis Guru
Novak is a bit of a control freak same as Rafa they just approach it in different ways, not knocking it, they are the two best players in the world for a reason
Novak really does not like RG, when he won in 2016 he was the most bad tempered I have even seen him, saw it again in his match against ZED, it take to much emotionally out of him, and we all saw what happened after he won RG, if I was a Novak fan I would breathing a sign of relief.
Thiem just keep playing his game, and deserves to be in the final hope he has good game tom against Rafa,

I agree that Novak and the French Open just doesn’t go together. That’s why I was relieved when he won it in 2016! I’m just glad he got it as I don’t think he will win it again. Although I’d love to be wrong. However, at the other 3 slams he’s the favourite and he feels at home. Plus conditions better for him, plus a roof, Hawkeye and better scheduling is great for Novak too!
 
I agree that Novak and the French Open just doesn’t go together. That’s why I was relieved when he won it in 2016! I’m just glad he got it as I don’t think he will win it again. Although I’d love to be wrong. However, at the other 3 slams he’s the favourite and he feels at home. Plus conditions better for him, plus a roof, Hawkeye and better scheduling is great for Novak too!
Yeah he is a precision player, he know 99% of the time if everything is equal. He will beat the other player on the other side of the net, RG is to unpredictable, in the same way that Rafa on the flip side off the coin has mastered RG
 

Djokovic_is_the_best#1

Talk Tennis Guru
Yeah he is a precision player, he know 99% of the time if everything is equal. He will beat the other player on the other side of the net, RG is to unpredictable, in the same way that Rafa on the flip side off the coin has mastered RG

Exactly Nadal is the king of clay but also king of adverse conditions like playing in wind. Novak will prefer Wimbledon and us open because of the roof and it’s better for his tennis and his mentality is better too. Fed is the same and prefers less external factors affecting his game
 

GabeT

G.O.A.T.
Exactly Nadal is the king of clay but also king of adverse conditions like playing in wind. Novak will prefer Wimbledon and us open because of the roof and it’s better for his tennis and his mentality is better too. Fed is the same and prefers less external factors affecting his game
Anyone know if a new roof in 2020 in the FO will change wind conditions as well? I read somewhere that’s what happened in the USO after they added the roof (much less wind)
 

The Green Mile

Bionic Poster
Thiem has absolutely absurd dropshots. It's completely ridiculous what he pulls with that shot on a regular basis. Time after time this clay season.
Sometimes it's almost like a hybrid between a short slice and a drop shot, I've only really noticed in this year as well. His touch and court craft has sky rocketed.
 

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
Neither of us gives a rat's ass what he thinks about anything and you know it.
Djoker was playing mind games with Rafa saying he likes indoor courts and the renovated PC is just like indoors. When they asked Rafa what he thought about the new PC court, he said it felt exactly the same to him with a cheeky smile.
 

TennisFan3

Talk Tennis Guru
I agree that Novak and the French Open just doesn’t go together. That’s why I was relieved when he won it in 2016! I’m just glad he got it as I don’t think he will win it again. Although I’d
love to be wrong. However, at the other 3 slams he’s the favourite and he feels at home. Plus conditions better for him, plus a roof, Hawkeye and better scheduling is great for Novak too!

When Djokovic does NOT win FO he wins the other 3 slams. Remember what happened in 2016 after F.O win. And what happened in 2018 without F.O.

To me, there is no doubt, that unless something drastic happens, Novak is winning Wimbledon and UsOpen. He's just better than everyone else.
IT took the crappiest conditions, and a peak Thiem to stop Novak on the Serb's worst surface. And even then the match went to 5 sets and Novak almost won.
 

MichaelNadal

Bionic Poster
Federer could't even win 1 set against Nadal in the semifinal yesterday. And yet Djokovic is going to win 3 sets against Nadal on that same court in the final where Nadal will be at his very peak???

You always seem to make cameo appearances when Nadal or Djokovic make a slam final lol. Who do u like?
 
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