ATP500 Barcelona Open 2024

Choose your Champion

  • Total voters
    32
  • Poll closed .
Rattie

Rattie

Legend
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clayqueen

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
Something is truly wrong with the system when the 11 times champion is unseeded. They have to think of way. Anyone who has won a tournament at least 5 times and has been sidelined because of injury should always be seeded at that tournament.
 
Rattie

Rattie

Legend
clayqueen said:
Something is truly wrong with the system when the 11 times champion is unseeded. They have to think of way. Anyone who has won a tournament at least 5 times and has been sidelined because of injury should always be seeded at that tournament.
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Hard to know how you’d achieve that fairly to all players. My only hope at this point is to see Rafa on court unhindered by a physical issue. If that happens, even a couple of matches gives him the match practice he needs going forward.
 
Hitman

Hitman

Bionic Poster
clayqueen said:
Something is truly wrong with the system when the 11 times champion is unseeded. They have to think of way. Anyone who has won a tournament at least 5 times and has been sidelined because of injury should always be seeded at that tournament.
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It cannot be done without hurting someone who has played and earned their seeding. And Nadal has 12 Barcelona titles I believe, he has 11 MC titles.
 
Hitman

Hitman

Bionic Poster
Rattie said:
Hard to know how you’d achieve that fairly to all players. My only hope at this point is to see Rafa on court unhindered by a physical issue. If that happens, even a couple of matches gives him the match practice he needs going forward.
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I'd like to see him get to the semis to pass the torch to Alcaraz there. A great passing between generations.
 
Tshooter

Tshooter

G.O.A.T.
I predict De Manure gets upset by Bye in R1.

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Rattie

Rattie

Legend
Hitman said:
I'd like to see him get to the semis to pass the torch to Alcaraz there. A great passing between generations.
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A bit early for that to my liking. Besides there are doubts over Carlos right now. In practice he is only hitting very soft forehands and lots of slice backhands. The arm injury is a big question mark unfortunately :( Just what he doesn’t need when he has so many points to defend.
 
Hitman

Hitman

Bionic Poster
Rattie said:
A bit early for that to my liking. Besides there are doubts over Carlos right now. In practice he is only hitting very soft forehands and lots of slice backhands. The arm injury is a big question mark unfortunately :( Just what he doesn’t need when he has so many points to defend.
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The torch passing needs to happen though, Nadal shouldn't be losing to these other guys, it needs to be someone worthy. Alcaraz is the rightful successor in the eyes of many. He's injured for Barcelona, so it is a shame, hopefully it can happen the next time they play. It doesn't take away from Nadal being Clay GOAT, but at near 38 it is long overdue, Alcaraz will be 21, this is the time. (y)
 
Bill Lobsalot

Bill Lobsalot

Hall of Fame
Hitman said:
The torch passing needs to happen though, Nadal shouldn't be losing to these other guys, it needs to be someone worthy. Alcaraz is the rightful successor in the eyes of many. He's injured for Barcelona, so it is a shame, hopefully it can happen the next time they play. It doesn't take away from Nadal being Clay GOAT, but at near 38 it is long overdue, Alcaraz will be 21, this is the time. (y)
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Alcaraz is too easily injured. His future is not that bright.
 
S

StrongRule

Talk Tennis Guru
Hitman said:
The torch passing needs to happen though, Nadal shouldn't be losing to these other guys, it needs to be someone worthy. Alcaraz is the rightful successor in the eyes of many. He's injured for Barcelona, so it is a shame, hopefully it can happen the next time they play. It doesn't take away from Nadal being Clay GOAT, but at near 38 it is long overdue, Alcaraz will be 21, this is the time. (y)
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No, he isn't. You know very well he wouldn't stand a chance against any decent Nadal. Hyping him due to beating Nadal who is retired for 2 years now is a new level of joke.
 
Hitman

Hitman

Bionic Poster
StrongRule said:
No, he isn't. You know very well he wouldn't stand a chance against any decent Nadal. Hyping him due to beating Nadal who is retired for 2 years now is a new level of joke.
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This is about passing of the torch, this isn't decent Nadal, this is near 38 old Nadal. Who do you think Nadal should be passing the baton to, as he edges towards retirement? You think he should be losing to every Tom Dick and Harry, or to someone who has at least shown some clay pedigree and will likely be the top guy on clay for the years to come? What do you think is better for the sport? Nadal shouldn't go down to the ADMs of this world on clay.
 
S

StrongRule

Talk Tennis Guru
Hitman said:
This is about passing of the torch, this isn't decent Nadal, this is near 38 old Nadal. Who do you think Nadal should be passing the baton to, as he edges towards retirement? You think he should be losing to every Tom Dick and Harry, or to someone who has at least shown some clay pedigree and will likely be the top guy on clay for the years to come? What do you think is better for the sport? Nadal shouldn't go down to the ADMs of this world on clay.
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I think Federer was totally fine with losing his final match to Hurkacz, instead of giving Djokovic fans more reasons to talk about how Djokovic owns him at Wimbledon.
 
Hitman

Hitman

Bionic Poster
StrongRule said:
I think Federer was totally fine with losing his final match to Hurkacz, instead of giving Djokovic fans more reasons to talk about how Djokovic owns him at Wimbledon.
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Federer had already passed the torch at that point, when he played his last match.

The torch doesn't get passed in the last match, symbolically it gets passed well before that.

You want to see Nadal lose to players who have no business beating him? The old lion going out to the younger lion is the best way to go out. The same is true for Djokovic, and everyone else who will be coming up. Sampras passed the torch long before he played his last tournament.
 
S

StrongRule

Talk Tennis Guru
Hitman said:
Federer had already passed the torch at that point, when he played his last match.

The torch doesn't get passed in the last match, symbolically it gets passed well before that.

You want to see Nadal lose to players who have no business beating him? The old lion going out to the younger lion is the best way to go out. The same is true for Djokovic, and everyone else who will be coming up. Sampras passed the torch long before he played his last tournament.
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But Alcaraz also has no business beating him. I'd rather wait to see a player who can at least beat old Djokovic on clay, then maybe such a player will be more worthy. As long as 37 years old Djokovic keeps winning DO's, no young player deserves any torch.
 
Hitman

Hitman

Bionic Poster
StrongRule said:
But Alcaraz also has no business beating him. I'd rather wait to see a player who can at least beat old Djokovic on clay, then maybe such a player will be more worthy. As long as 37 years old Djokovic keeps vulturing DO's, no young player deserves any torch.
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Tell me this, what should happen for Nadal then. What is the right way for him to pass the torch at age 38, while he still can, without letting much more inferior players get wins against him?

Djokovic isn't the clay GOAT, he isn't the guy on that surface. It is the same as someone beat Nadal on HC after he won AO 2022, the man was still Djokovic, he still held the torch.

Alcaraz is 21 if it is not his time then you want someone else to do it?
 
S

StrongRule

Talk Tennis Guru
Hitman said:
Tell me this, what should happen for Nadal then. What is the right way for him to pass the torch at age 38, while he still can, without letting much more inferior players get wins against him?

Djokovic isn't the clay GOAT, he isn't the guy on that surface. It is the same as someone beat Nadal on HC after he won AO 2022, the man was still Djokovic, he still held the torch.

Alcaraz is 21 if it is not his time then you want someone else to do it?
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Why should there be any "passing of the torch" anyway? For example, if the Wimbledon 2001 match never happened then you think it would change something about Sampras's retirement? It would not make Federer the new grass GOAT, because he didn't beat the previous one?

What I'm saying is that for a player to be at least somewhat worthy to replace Nadal, he at the very least has to be able to beat old Djokovic on clay. But as I remember, in the last few years it was old Nadal who had to do all the work himself.
 
Hitman

Hitman

Bionic Poster
StrongRule said:
Why should there be any "passing of the torch" anyway? For example, if the Wimbledon 2001 match never happened then you think it would change something about Sampras's retirement? It would not make Federer the new grass GOAT, because he didn't beat the previous one?

What I'm saying is that for a player to be at least somewhat worthy to replace Nadal, he at the very least has to be able to beat old Djokovic on clay. But as I remember, in the last few years it was old Nadal who had to do all the work himself.
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To me, you want to go out to the next lion, not a bunch of hyenas. Sampras symbolically passed the torch to Federer at W 2001. It was good for the sport and the right way for a champion to go out. Borg gave it to McEnroe at Wimbledon 1981. These have gone onto become iconic moments in sports.

This is the right way for great champions to go out on their shields. Djokovic should go out the exact same way at the hands of someone like Sinner. The next worthy successor.

You need to get off your fixation on Djokovic. I don't think a player needed to beat Nadal on HC first to be considered worthy to take it from Djokovic. You are putting too much onto that one match at RG.

On clay, it is Nadal, Djokovic is not his gatekeeper there. Alcaraz or anyone else can only take the torch from Nadal, Djokovic doesn't fit into the conversation on clay, he was part of Nadal's era as the best of the rest on the surface. At 38 years of age, Nadal doesn't have time on his side, after everything he did, he shouldn't be punked out by the ADMs and Rublevs of this world. He deserves better.
 
Rattie

Rattie

Legend
Rattie said:
. Besides there are doubts over Carlos right now. In practice he is only hitting very soft forehands and lots of slice backhands. The arm injury is a big question mark unfortunately :( Just what he doesn’t need when he has so many points to defend.
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Damn, just when I really wanted to be wrong. I hope this injury is going to heal soon. The timing is particularly awful :mad:
 
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