Roland Garros 2008- Men´s Singles

Who will win Roland Garros?

  • Total voters
    130
  • Poll closed .
Andres Guazzelli said:
Now, potential matchup:

David Nalbandian vs. Rafael Nadal
Format: Best of 5 sets
Surface: Clay (Outdoors)
Tourney: Davis Cup Final
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Who would you pick?

I'd pick Nalbandian over Nadal, and I wouldn't even blinking before!
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The location and the kind of tournament do play a big role, but whether it is big enoug to prevent even a blink before choosing, I doubt.

Betting against Nadal on clay is unwise, no matter who he plays. In the last three years you would have lost the bet about 98 times out of a hundred.

There was a poster here, can't remember his name, who suggested a method to test if one's predictions are truly rational or mere wishful thinking. Imagine you are kidnapped by a psychopath, like the one in "No Country for Old Men." He locks you in a dungeon and tells you to pick the winner of a tennis match. If your prediction turns out to be right, he lets you go. If you are wrong, he kills you.

Now, under these new conditions, would you reconsider your pick?
 
One would be foolish to bet on Nalbandian over Nadal on clay anywhere, anytime, for any reason. Granted Nalbandian matches up so well vs Nadal on hard courts, and being a very good player on clay (when he wants to be), might be in that group of 3 or 4 games that has just that faint small hope of beating Nadal on clay. I could concede that match. To ever bet on it happening though, ummm no.
 
daddy said:
On paper it looks like David should be a threat to anyone on clay. In reality, he is inconsistant and will do good to get to the quarters meeting with Rafa. We will see, its only a few days away is it ? ;)
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Well okay. People will start to listen to me eventually. I rarely lose bets.

Edit : Rhino any comments ? You owe me a beer. ;)
 
Benhur said:
The location and the kind of tournament do play a big role, but whether it is big enoug to prevent even a blink before choosing, I doubt.

Betting against Nadal on clay is unwise, no matter who he plays. In the last three years you would have lost the bet about 98 times out of a hundred.

There was a poster here, can't remember his name, who suggested a method to test if one's predictions are truly rational or mere wishful thinking. Imagine you are kidnapped by a psychopath, like the one in "No Country for Old Men." He locks you in a dungeon and tells you to pick the winner of a tennis match. If your prediction turns out to be right, he lets you go. If you are wrong, he kills you.

Now, under these new conditions, would you reconsider your pick?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't. Nalbandian may not care about Roland Garros, but I think winning the Davis Cup is the tennis goal of his life. Probably cares about DC better than winning a Grand Slam. He hasn't lost a DC match at home, and he's undefeated on clay. 15,000 argies screaming their lungs out pumps him up in a fashion no ATP tourney could.

I'd pick Nalbandian over Nadal on clay in the DC final in Buenos Aires. And the psychopath can eat my shorts :)

Nadal may be as mentally strong as a bull, but an hostile crowd like ours (specially if we're playing) might psyche him out.

Nalbandian in 4, and the crowd barbeques and eats Nadal for lunch.
 
Zaragoza said:
Poor Santoro, Ferrer destroyed him 6-0 6-1 6-0!
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He is almost officialy allowed to be a coach of Gael Monfils. Just that one game, he should have not won it. So Thierry Champione will remain the coach of Gael by a virtue of losing with a triple bagel, something Santoro avoided.
 
Speaking of Gael Monfils. Does he train at all ? He is cramping mid third set and not being able to walk ? Horna - Monfils is a very ugly dropshot feast.
 
co-record for clay... with guccione d. bastl in davis cup (39 aces... in 3 sets ! wow !)
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not so fast...

PARIS -- Hold that ace record at the French Open.

IBM, which does the scorekeeping for the tournament, reported 39 aces for Karlovic, which would be a Roland Garros record, surpassing the 37 aces Andy Roddick hit against Michael Chang in 2001.

But wait a minute. I'm double-checking the number of aces on the chair umpire's official scorecard and there's only 35. How could IBM overstate the ace count by four?

The French Tennis Federation was looking into the issue late this afternoon. I'll keep you posted, but right now it looks like 35 to me. I mean, I've counted them, point by point, on the scorecard.
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http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_tennisblog/


Since krosero & I started counting winners for various matches, we have come across some incorrect ace stats on the atp site, so this doesn't surprise me.

and once again, I'm noticing the RG website's winner counts are way off compared to other sources this year.
 
I know alot of people get on Nadal for playing too slowly, but watching a Sharapova match is like pure torture. Does she ever get warned for slow play?
 
Ginepri just broke Andreev to go 5-2 and 2 sets to one up! He dumped Ancic out on clay recently, nice going for an American if he can serve this out.
 
I was just browsing through the results and saw Gonzo made through the 3rd round, nobody isn't even mention the guy from Chile.


daddy said:
Speaking of Gael Monfils. Does he train at all ? He is cramping mid third set and not being able to walk ? Horna - Monfils is a very ugly dropshot feast.
Click to expand...

Cramping in a 3 set match? Gael does play a very defensive game and play really far behind the baseline, but I didn't see the match and don't know. :?
 
Last edited:
MEAC_ALLAMERICAN said:
I was just browsing through the results and saw Gonzo made through the 3rd round, nobody isn't even mention the guy from Chile.
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I picked Gonzo (or Stan) to meet Federer in the quarters. Gonzo is one of my favorite players, I hope he makes it because that's a match I'd like to see.
 
Zaragoza said:
For those who say Federer would prefer rainy conditions on clay, Montañes had 2 set points against him.
Federer´s serve saved him again, the importance of serve on clay is underrated.
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Rainy conditions helps the flat ball hitter and smaller players. Montanes hits flatter than Federer and his slice was staying low. So Fed would prefer dry conditions against a player like Montanes.
 
Andres Guazzelli said:
I wouldn't. Nalbandian may not care about Roland Garros, but I think winning the Davis Cup is the tennis goal of his life. Probably cares about DC better than winning a Grand Slam. He hasn't lost a DC match at home, and he's undefeated on clay. 15,000 argies screaming their lungs out pumps him up in a fashion no ATP tourney could.

I'd pick Nalbandian over Nadal on clay in the DC final in Buenos Aires. And the psychopath can eat my shorts :)

Nadal may be as mentally strong as a bull, but an hostile crowd like ours (specially if we're playing) might psyche him out.

Nalbandian in 4, and the crowd barbeques and eats Nadal for lunch.
Click to expand...
No crowd can be as hostile as the French when you play a French player. It would take way more than that to "psyche Nadal out". Have you even seen Nadal's DC matches? I'd also recommend that you have a look at Nadal's reaction when Soderling provoked him at W or the incident with Grosjean at RG... Nadal's mental is unshakable, on clay even more so.
 
iriraz said:
Devilder had his shot in first set especially at 4-4 and break point but missed a volley
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It's funny, while watching that very tight 1st set, I was thinking: if Nadal starts playing at his "real" level, this poor fellow is gonna be way out of his depth, talk about big league versus minor league... I almost felt sorry for him. After the match Devilder was interviewed and he said very simply: "I ran." Perfect summary of the last 2 sets!
 
veroniquem said:
No crowd can be as hostile as the French when you play a French player. It would take way more than that to "psyche Nadal out". Have you even seen Nadal's DC matches? I'd also recommend that you have a look at Nadal's reaction when Soderling provoked him at W or the incident with Grosjean at RG... Nadal's mental is unshakable, on clay even more so.
Click to expand...

No, Argentina during Davis Cup, especially in that slow mudfield they usually play in, is literally a living hell for opponents. They've lost I believe two live rubbers in the last TEN YEARS at home, that's two matches lost at home overall and no ties lost. Absolutely insane.
 
left-handers

has anyone noticed that nadal has only played left-handers here so far? first bellucci, then devilder and next up niemenen, another left-hander.
 
MEAC_ALLAMERICAN said:
Cramping in a 3 set match? Gael does play a very defensive game and play really far behind the baseline, but I didn't see the match and don't know. :?
Click to expand...

He was barely standing at the end of a three setter. He started having issues with stamina during the end of 2nd set ! I was checking if he was injured but found no evidence, plus he did not call a trainer. Lucky for him that Horna got injured at 5-5 in third, otherwise he would most probably take him to 4th set and commentators said Monfils would most probably retire in that case, he looked that bad. I did not believe my eyes, I thought he's as fit as they come.
 
veroniquem said:
No crowd can be as hostile as the French when you play a French player. It would take way more than that to "psyche Nadal out". Have you even seen Nadal's DC matches? I'd also recommend that you have a look at Nadal's reaction when Soderling provoked him at W or the incident with Grosjean at RG... Nadal's mental is unshakable, on clay even more so.
Click to expand...


You obviously don't watch enough DC. Argentina crowds are some of the most absolute loudest crowds, ever.
 
Whats this now ? Murray vs Almagro, 10th and 19th seed, on court 7 and scheduled to play third ? Thats for being a match of the day, I need a Space satelite and one Einstain to calculate when will it begin.
 
daddy said:
Whats this now ? Murray vs Almagro, 10th and 19th seed, on court 7 and scheduled to play third ? Thats for being a match of the day, I need a Space satelite and one Einstain to calculate when will it begin.
Click to expand...
I agree, that should be on center court. Organizers are crazy...
 
veroniquem said:
I'd also recommend that you have a look at Nadal's reaction when Soderling provoked him at W or the incident with Grosjean at RG... Nadal's mental is unshakable, on clay even more so.
Click to expand...

Yeah his reaction was that he went ahead and lost the set 3-6, on clay... to Grosjean - a guy who he should've easily taken out in straights. He actually looked pretty shaken to me in that 2nd set.
 
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