Meles
Bionic Poster
(Written before RG QFs)
Pretty amazing QF lineup at 2020 RG.
1. PCB despite what Kyrgios says is not great on clay, but has a chance in these conditions the way he's playing and moving
2. Tsitsipas grew up on clay and its his highest winning percentage surface. Winning serve points on hard like he's Andy Roddick and better return too.
3. Rublev is exceeding the wildest excpectations and is on verge of becoming Davydenko with a serve
4. Thiem - still might win the whole thing and become some kind of peak GOAT in the process given his draw and historic pairing with the US Open
5. Schwartzman is taking names on this slow surface and could easily stun the field as he's the best mover in the draw at this point
6. Sinner - amazing stuff from the fresh poking youngster blowing through the field and taking out a known clay court player in Zverev
7. Nadal - retooled his strokes for the conditions and still has great court coverage. Statistically Moya has him still at peak, but even prime better than anyone else that has ever played on clay
8. Djokovic - golden opportunity and he knows it. First serve has kept him near peak level and its working rather well even on this slow clay.
Tally it up this is like having three Kuerten's in the field easy at the top. Rublev and Tsitsipas have a very strong chance if they bring their A games (Rublev no chance in final with Nadal, but otherwise yes.) Schwartzman is hell on wheels on this clay. Sinner dripping with talent in his first RG and really hasn't even been playing great. The kid is probably going to bring it and won't blink an eye against Nadal. PCB just a great matchup with Nole and has a lot to prove. And lets not forget Stanimal who thought he could beat anyone in the field and was clearly feeling great. Just a strong field.
Last year was pretty good too, but Stan was no threat and then the wind just blew up the semi-finals and finals. And of course this year the conditions and new balls appear to have put a lot of doubt around all the players, save perhaps Djokovic, but he didn't exactly walk all over a very meh Khachanov whose not played well since the end of 2018.
We can try to roll back to the years when Wawrinka was a threat, but wow 2017 pretty much showed he's not beating Nadal in normal conditions at RG.
2011 was very good at the top, but Federer just never going to beat Nadal in a normal year. 90's Clay? Brugerra Courier was alright, but lets get real when you've got Americans littering RG finals and winning right and left, just shows how weak the Euros were save Brugerra for a few years. Guga 2000, 2001 was a fine player, but so many five set matches just hard to imagine he'd not be in serious trouble with most of these players on this surface and these condtions. Courier and Guga had some of the modern clay serve game, but just really not all that good especially given that in Guga's case in 1997 the entire field outside of himself did not have Poly and then even in 2000/2001 most of the top players still were sticking with gut.
Put together your all star clay lineup form the past:
1. Borg = Nadal
2. Djokovic = Lendl
3. Thiem = Muster
4. Tsitsipas - heading towards near peak Federer levels on clay (this year good as 2002 easy)
5. Rublev - greater than Kafelnikov already lmao
6. Sinner - Pietrageli level talent
7. Schwartzman - on this slow surface maybe as good as Coria
8. PCB - on this surface, heh probably as good as JCF
Pretty amazing QF lineup at 2020 RG.
1. PCB despite what Kyrgios says is not great on clay, but has a chance in these conditions the way he's playing and moving
2. Tsitsipas grew up on clay and its his highest winning percentage surface. Winning serve points on hard like he's Andy Roddick and better return too.
3. Rublev is exceeding the wildest excpectations and is on verge of becoming Davydenko with a serve
4. Thiem - still might win the whole thing and become some kind of peak GOAT in the process given his draw and historic pairing with the US Open
5. Schwartzman is taking names on this slow surface and could easily stun the field as he's the best mover in the draw at this point
6. Sinner - amazing stuff from the fresh poking youngster blowing through the field and taking out a known clay court player in Zverev
7. Nadal - retooled his strokes for the conditions and still has great court coverage. Statistically Moya has him still at peak, but even prime better than anyone else that has ever played on clay
8. Djokovic - golden opportunity and he knows it. First serve has kept him near peak level and its working rather well even on this slow clay.
Tally it up this is like having three Kuerten's in the field easy at the top. Rublev and Tsitsipas have a very strong chance if they bring their A games (Rublev no chance in final with Nadal, but otherwise yes.) Schwartzman is hell on wheels on this clay. Sinner dripping with talent in his first RG and really hasn't even been playing great. The kid is probably going to bring it and won't blink an eye against Nadal. PCB just a great matchup with Nole and has a lot to prove. And lets not forget Stanimal who thought he could beat anyone in the field and was clearly feeling great. Just a strong field.
Last year was pretty good too, but Stan was no threat and then the wind just blew up the semi-finals and finals. And of course this year the conditions and new balls appear to have put a lot of doubt around all the players, save perhaps Djokovic, but he didn't exactly walk all over a very meh Khachanov whose not played well since the end of 2018.
We can try to roll back to the years when Wawrinka was a threat, but wow 2017 pretty much showed he's not beating Nadal in normal conditions at RG.
2011 was very good at the top, but Federer just never going to beat Nadal in a normal year. 90's Clay? Brugerra Courier was alright, but lets get real when you've got Americans littering RG finals and winning right and left, just shows how weak the Euros were save Brugerra for a few years. Guga 2000, 2001 was a fine player, but so many five set matches just hard to imagine he'd not be in serious trouble with most of these players on this surface and these condtions. Courier and Guga had some of the modern clay serve game, but just really not all that good especially given that in Guga's case in 1997 the entire field outside of himself did not have Poly and then even in 2000/2001 most of the top players still were sticking with gut.
Put together your all star clay lineup form the past:
1. Borg = Nadal
2. Djokovic = Lendl
3. Thiem = Muster
4. Tsitsipas - heading towards near peak Federer levels on clay (this year good as 2002 easy)
5. Rublev - greater than Kafelnikov already lmao
6. Sinner - Pietrageli level talent
7. Schwartzman - on this slow surface maybe as good as Coria
8. PCB - on this surface, heh probably as good as JCF
