*La Du*od*e*c*ima*

[stringertom]

Tell me this draw isn’t a rigged one:

1R: qualifier

2R: qualifier

3R: a seed with a loosing 2019 overall record and a loosing record on clay

4R: an eerily parallel draw to RG’09 when Bull drew and lost to a seed he beat in Rome 1&0. However, Basil Fawlty is no Robin Hooderling to steal from the rich to give to the poor.

QF: O Kei, 0-4 vs Bull on clay

SF: Seed says fedr but probably Tsitsipas, who did not fare very well in Rome or at the last slam.

Final: Probably anybody but #1 seed, who faces a manly draw as potential champions should.

What a sham slam. srshs was right ten years ago...Cincinnati is The Real Slam, not this joke.

 

[mightyjeditribble]

It's not a rigged draw.

But a very favourable looking one for Nadal, for sure.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

that string of 3 straight qualifiers... la vache !
rainman got kicked out of the casino for less than this...

PS: am i allowed to contribute to the crowdfunding of my own (well-needed) therapy ?

 

[stringertom]

that string of 3 straight qualifiers... la vache !
rainman got kicked out of the casino for less than this...

PS: am i allowed to contribute to the crowdfunding of my own (well-needed) therapy ?

Oui, Monsieur!

 

[vernonbc]

Amazing. The whining starts about Nadal's draw in record time.

 

[TennisHound]

Well, when you win a lot, you get good draws

 

[Subway Tennis]

Tell me this draw isn’t a rigged one:

1R: qualifier

2R: qualifier

3R: a seed with a loosing 2019 overall record and a loosing record on clay

4R: an eerily parallel draw to RG’09 when Bull drew and lost to a seed he beat in Rome 1&0. However, Basil Fawlty is no Robin Hooderling to steal from the rich to give to the poor.

QF: O Kei, 0-4 vs Bull on clay

SF: Seed says fedr but probably Tsitsipas, who did not fare very well in Rome or at the last slam.

Final: Probably anybody but #1 seed, who faces a manly draw as potential champions should.

What a sham slam. srshs was right ten years ago...Cincinnati is The Real Slam, not this joke.

that string of 3 straight qualifiers... la vache !
rainman got kicked out of the casino for less than this...

PS: am i allowed to contribute to the crowdfunding of my own (well-needed) therapy ?

It should be left to us Nadal fans to foot the bill for the therapy imo. You never know what may happen. A mysterious FOG may appear over the landscape of Paris and negate the need for therapy altogether!

 

[WhiskeyEE]

Nadal looks vulnerable against several players for once and he gets this cakewalk. I already knew what the draw would look like before I saw it.

 

[Kalin]

He-he, Nadal in a tennis tournament is like The Donald in golf. It's so very much rigged against the other dude(s) even a miracle may not be enough.

 

[Mainad]

He-he, Nadal in a tennis tournament is like The Donald in golf. It's so very much rigged against the other dude(s) even a miracle may not be enough.

Are you saying that Rafael Nadal is the Donald Trump of tennis???

 

[stringertom]

Draw is complete:

1R: Yannick Hanfmann

2R: winner of Yannick Maden vs Kimmer Coppejans

Perhaps the rigging is to allow Yannick Noah to become the second most important Yannick in RG history, no?

I actually like Kimmer out of that trio for the former RG Boy’s champ pedigree factor but none of them have ever won a slam match. Second favorite would be Hanfmann with his large 240kph serve.

 

[Berasategui94]

Thiem and Fognini - who both won Nadal on clay in slow conditions this season - in the other half of the draw, that's quite fortunate, too.

 

[Mainad]

Draw is complete:

1R: Yannick Hanfmann

2R: winner of Yannick Maden vs Kimmer Coppejans

Perhaps the rigging is to allow Yannick Noah to become the second most important Yannick in RG history, no?

Quel sacrilège! How could he ever be anything but Le Premier Yannick in RG history???

 

[Zebrev]

Novak is ready for the impossible challenge. That Rome final is not a reflection of his highest level, think more Australian Open final. Rafa will be stunned two sundays from now as will the fans.

 

[yokied]

Zebrev yours are nearly sureshian powers my friend. Gaze upon what you hath wrought and be careful what you do with them. Ralph hasn't survived suresh and Noel may not survive you.

 

[Wilhelm]

Nishikori has the game to beat Nadal, just not the body.

 

[DSH]

Ça va arriver, les garçons,
Préparez-vous!

 

[BeatlesFan]

Rafa will be stunned two sundays from now as will the fans.

Millions of fans predict an easy Djokovic victory if he meets Nadal in the final. They won't be stunned.

 

[stringertom]

Novak is ready for the impossible challenge. That Rome final is not a reflection of his highest level, think more Australian Open final. Rafa will be stunned two sundays from now as will the fans.

Novak Joepossum, eating bakery products in Rome to lull The Nadal into a false sense of security. How diabolical of him!

 

[Zebrev]

Millions of fans predict an easy Djokovic victory if he meets Nadal in the final. They won't be stunned.

I dunno I seen hundreds of comments the past couple days saying Rafa is now the favourite. But the problem is Rafa still hasn't been tested in Rome, he came across an exhausted Novak who probably mentally was already thinking about the French. Novak will be in a different gear for the final, like he was in Australia. And it looks like Rafa might not be tested until then, so he won't be battle hardened again just like Australia. Plus the Rome lose some of the weight of expectation from Novaks shoulders.

 

[Berasategui94]

I dunno I seen hundreds of comments the past couple days saying Rafa is now the favourite. But the problem is Rafa still hasn't been tested in Rome, he came across an exhausted Novak who probably mentally was already thinking about the French. Novak will be in a different gear for the final, like he was in Australia. And it looks like Rafa might not be tested until then, so he won't be battle hardened again just like Australia. Plus the Rome lose some of the weight of expectation from Novaks shoulders.

I agree, Djokovic was clearly gassed in the final, and if gets pass Thiem he'll probably beat Nadal. Nadal is playing ok now but that's not enough against Djokovic because he probably has the matchup advantage even on clay now that Nadal's declined.

 

[Zebrev]

Whoops wrong thread.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

What would they be hoping to achieve by rigging the draw in Rafa's favour exactly? With the form he showed in Rome he is making the final no matter what the draw looks like.

 

[stringertom]

What would they be hoping to achieve by rigging the draw in Rafa's favour exactly? With the form he showed in Rome he is making the final no matter what the draw looks like.

I suggest you petition RG to switch The Nadal’s place with Joe Kovic’s if you believe that strongly in his one-week form in Rome, no?

 

[Mainad]

Nishikori has the game to beat Nadal, just not the body.

His great lost opportunity to beat Nadal and secure a Masters title. Just 2 games from the match and the title and it all turns pear-shaped. Hard to watch again even now.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I suggest you petition RG to switch The Nadal’s place with Joe Kovic’s if you believe that strongly in his one-week form in Rome, no?

Rafa would more often than not make the final in either half of the draw - I don't see the problem or why the ATP would conspire to assist Rafa in any way

 

[stringertom]

Rafa would more often than not make the final in either half of the draw - I don't see the problem or why the ATP would conspire to assist Rafa in any way

Slams are not the purview of the ATP.

 

[junior74]

Nadal will get Hanf'ed

We might see things we cannot believe

 

[rhoder]

I dunno I seen hundreds of comments the past couple days saying Rafa is now the favourite. But the problem is Rafa still hasn't been tested in Rome, he came across an exhausted Novak who probably mentally was already thinking about the French. Novak will be in a different gear for the final, like he was in Australia. And it looks like Rafa might not be tested until then, so he won't be battle hardened again just like Australia. Plus the Rome lose some of the weight of expectation from Novaks shoulders.

The problem is that Nadal is a player that runs massively on confidence. Once he can get on a roll, especially on the clay, his confidence and correspondingly his level rises, so we cannot rule him out so easily. The reference to Australia is a valid one, but Rafa was unusually nervous that day and Djokovic pounced. With some confidence from beating Novak (albeit a tired one) and winning a tournament, he may actually believe again, especially on his favorite clay.

I do think certain conditions to the prelude of the Australian final is worth noting though. Novak was tested by Medvelev and a little by Shapovalov but yet due to Nishikori’s retirement and easy semis, had sufficient rest for the final. Nadal was as mentioned, never tested. If these conditions repeat itself in the French, then I agree that Novak can be a slight favorite. But I don’t think it would be quite the case. Djokovic should have a huge grinding battle to contend with Thiem (bar any Thiem screwups) in the semis before the final. Rafa may have a vastly improved Tsitsipas in the semis who after all did beat him in Madrid, a second win over him on clay would mean the world for his confidence (after all, Tsitsipas did make many mistakes in their Rome encounter). So even if Nadal and Djokovic meet in the final, their prior matches will have a huge impact on the complexion of the final. It isn’t as clear cut to judge merely based on the draw.

 

[stringertom]

The Nadal’s draw by seeds looks to be becoming even easier with scheduled 4R punching bag Basil Fawlty presently getting routed by Londero.

 

[tennisaddict]

You cannot handpick a more easier draw.

While Nadal does not need easy draws this makes it a shamble.

 

[Raul_SJ]

This is horrible. These are supposed to be the best players in the world. Yet Rafa has smooth sailing to the SF?

But is it more of a reflection of the pathetic field outside of the Big 3.

 

[DSH]

Millions of fans predict an easy Djokovic victory if he meets Nadal in the final. They won't be stunned.

on clay?
at RG, an easy victory for the Joker?
are you serious?

 

[DSH]

This is horrible. These are supposed to be the best players in the world. Yet Rafa has smooth sailing to the SF?

But is it more of a reflection of the pathetic field outside of the Big 3.

What is difficult about Djokovic's draw, in addition to his possible semi-final against Thiem if the Austrian, indeed, meets with reaching that instance?

 

[AndyM]

Hopefully someone can take out team before the semi-finals

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Slams are not the purview of the ATP.

Ok - so why would Roland Garros conspire to benefit Rafa then?

 

[stringertom]

Ok - so why would Roland Garros conspire to benefit Rafa then?

They love their crepes in France...the flatter the better.

 

[stringertom]

What is difficult about Djokovic's draw, in addition to his possible semi-final against Thiem if the Austrian, indeed, meets with reaching that instance?

3R most probably gives him a chance to match his 100+ UE fest vs Simon at AO’16.

4R: Coric >>>Basil Fawlty would have been

QF: Zedraffe/Fognini survivor>>>Kei

SF: Thiem >>> fedr/Tsits

It’s good though...just like AO, Joe Kovic will be tested and ready while The Nadal won’t be pressed and Rusty Bull could easily make an appearance in key moments.

 

[acintya]

well for a man with a avatar like OPs every Nadal draw is rigged.

and back then when Ljubicic was Federers greatest rival - whats that called?

 

[mike danny]

well for a man with a avatar like OPs every Nadal draw is rigged.

and back then when Ljubicic was Federers greatest rival - whats that called?

When did that ever happen?

 

[stringertom]

When did that ever happen?

That 3- finals run at the start of ‘05 (Doha, Rotterdam and Dubai). It was a cabal amongst tournament directors to keep them apart.

 

[junior74]

The "Nadal will not be tested before SF"-excuse is spreading, despite VB being the only fanbase that wants their guy to win without resistance; the more loop-sided, the more epic!

 

[stringertom]

I was thinking max 6 games for Maden but now that the “match” is scheduled for Lenglen, I say 4 max The Nadal will be angry that pensionerer and jo willie get time on Court Nadal instead of the 11x serial biter of the Coupe des Mousquetaires. Its a digrace, its an scandal, its a outrage.

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

 

[Big_Dangerous]

Millions of fans predict an easy Djokovic victory if he meets Nadal in the final. They won't be stunned.

On the contrary. They'll be stunned when that doesn't happen.

 

[Tiki-Taka]

Lots of people here sound a bit upset. Cheer up, it's Roland Garros, a magnificent tournament, no?

Millions of fans predict an easy Djokovic victory if he meets Nadal in the final. They won't be stunned.

Djokovic is more capable of beating Nadal than anyone else. But at Roland Garros, in a final, it's pretty bold to give anyone the favorites tag and predicting an easy win when Nadal is on the other side of the net. This isn't Melbourne...