Roland Garros / French Open 2023 [Men] - Grand Slam

MargaretMcAleer

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And we all will continue to "throw up in our mouths ".

Again THIS is why I wanted Rune to be across the net. It wasn't meant to be..Life goes on for now..
That is hypothetcial, I have never invested in hypothetcial's, Ruud defeated Rune cant cry over spilt milk. Life does have a habit of moving on lol!.....my favorite season clay is finished, now onto the cow season lol!
 
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don_fabio

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People pulling out all kind of stats for Novak.
One that caught my eye is this.

Djokovic's tie breaks at Roland Garros 2023:

7-1
7-2
7-4
7-5
7-0
7-1

Points played: 55
Scored points: 42
Unforced errors: 0

If this is not insane, than I don't know what is. Doesn't matter who the opponents were, a guy is literally saying before TB I'm not going to miss a shot. Brutal.
 

MargaretMcAleer

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Actually the score in today's mens's final was closer than last years final, Rafa defeated Ruud 63 63 60
People pulling out all kind of stats for Novak.
One that caught my eye is this.

Djokovic's tie breaks at Roland Garros 2023:

7-1
7-2
7-4
7-5
7-0
7-1

Points played: 55
Scored points: 42
Unforced errors: 0

If this is not insane, than I don't know what is. Doesn't matter who the opponents were, a guy is literally saying before TB I'm not going to miss a shot. Brutal.
His TB record is off the charts
 
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Moxie

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Rafa faced Ruud last year. Did you complain?
He'd already beaten Novak, so who else was there? In fairness, he was getting a run from Zverev in the SF, and similarly but more tragically, Zverev got hurt.
 

BratSrbin

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He'd already beaten Novak, so who else was there? In fairness, he was getting a run from Zverev in the SF, and similarly but more tragically, Zverev got hurt.

Are you crying or it seems to me?
 

Moxie

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I predicted and preferred an easy final! Carlos could have taken him out & Nole deserved a pigeon in the final as Rafa's had so often at times!
Again, you just keep saying things, and hoping no one notices that you've already been called out for it. You called Federer, Wawrinka and Thiem "pigeons." Sure, Wawrinka was a pigeon, and Novak got him in a final, too. Oh, wait...that one didn't go so well for Novak. :face-with-hand-over-mouth: (My bad!)

Rafa beat in the finals to win RG:
2005 Puerta (beat Federer in SFs)
2006 Federer
2007 Federer
2008 Federer
2010 Soderling (whom you've already said wasn't a "pigeon")
2011 Federer
2012 Djokovic
2013 Ferrer (beat Djokovic in the SF)
2014 Djokovic
2017 Wawrinka
2018 Thiem
2019 Thiem (who beat Djokovic in the SFs)
2020 Djokovic
2022 Ruud

Sorry for the Nadal rundown, but this IS Roland Garros, and he is the King of it. You deserve to be called out for that statement, which you've now made twice.
 
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Moxie

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Are you crying or it seems to me?
Just stating the facts. Are you showing up only to gloat, or is that what it seems to me? Where are you supporting Novak around here when he's having a rather crappy clay season? No faith?
 

the AntiPusher

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Rafa faced Ruud last year. Did you complain?
No I didn't have to because Rafa kicked Novak's junk in the RG dirt the qtr and Zverev in the semis..plus he went 5 sets with FAA which was IMO the toughest match he has faced in years. Does that answer your question @nehmeth jajaja?
 
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Moxie

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People pulling out all kind of stats for Novak.
One that caught my eye is this.

Djokovic's tie breaks at Roland Garros 2023:

7-1
7-2
7-4
7-5
7-0
7-1

Points played: 55
Scored points: 42
Unforced errors: 0

If this is not insane, than I don't know what is. Doesn't matter who the opponents were, a guy is literally saying before TB I'm not going to miss a shot. Brutal.
I saw that one, too, as it was accumulating. He didn't make a single UFE in a TB the whole tournament. Stunning focus.
 
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nehmeth

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He'd already beaten Novak, so who else was there? In fairness, he was getting a run from Zverev in the SF, and similarly but more tragically, Zverev got hurt.
Same as in 2021 when Novak beat Ralf. The idea that Zverev would have mounted a better challenge than Ruud is a stretch. He’s 4-7 against Novak and 0-3 in Slams. Here at RG he went down in three sets 5,2,2.
 

nehmeth

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No I didn't have to because Rafa kicked Novak's junk in the RG dirt the qtr and Zverev in the semis..plus he went 5 sets with FAA which was IMO the toughest match he has faced in years. Does that answer your question
Not really. And his semi with Sasha was 7-6, 6-6 when the German broke his ankle. Hardly beating his junk.

His match against FAA was his toughest in years???? I guess you mean matches that he played and won?
 
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Moxie

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Same as in 2021 when Novak beat Ralf. The idea that Zverev would have mounted a better challenge than Ruud is a stretch. He’s 4-7 against Novak and 0-3 in Slams. Here at RG he went down in three sets 5,2,2.
I wasn't implying that Zverev mounted a better challenge. I only said the outcome was more tragic, for Zverev. Sorry if I wasn't more clear. I was actually trying to say that it was a bit parallel.
 
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MikeOne

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I know. How do you explain 20-year-olds getting tired very easily, but Djokovic at 16 years older never tiring out?
djoker is not the same player he was in his younger years when he was more dominant. In 2011 and 2016 he was winning 10 titles a year and playing many more matches. Today, he doesn’t win that many titles and plays much less, that’s age. He just focuses on slams as he doesn’t have the youth to do what he did in his younger years.

btw, Nothing was more superhuman than nadal coming back from 2 sets down to medvedev in AO final last year and winning, then crushing youngster ruud in finals of FO, at 35/36.
Federer winning AO at 37 is suspicios too… man these 3 guys.. let’s put an asterisk beside all 3 guy’s accomplishments. They are all on roids..
 
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MikeOne

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Oh well he has a right to his opinion, though point taken it was 1set all, we will never know the outcome of the match, if Alcaraz didnt cramp

why didn’t alcaraz cramp vs tsitsipas, mussetti yet out of the blue, breaks down vs djokovic? Hmmm mighty coincidence

i’ll tell you why, alcaraz couldn’t handle djokovic’s game. Novak was rushing alcaraz, dictating many of the rallies and making Carlitos hit extra balls. None of the previous opponents could do this. Carlitos felt the heat, had to match the intensity and after two grueling sets, couldn’t handle djokovic’s intensity, physicality and yes, game. Novak was doing things to carlitos others couldn’t do.

many claim this was a tie, technically it was 1 set a piece but novak dominated 1st set and carlitos just barely got set 2… it went back and forth with novak having break points to take lead late in set.

to me novak’s game beat carlitos.. fair and square. Had any other player faced carlitos, carlitos would be holding trophy…

this reminds me of when novak couldn’t handle rafa and retired a few times early on.. that was rafa’s game, physicality and intensity… no excuses for djoker back then and no excuses for carlitos this time

carlitos, like djokovic, needs to learn from this and next time, be ready.
 

MargaretMcAleer

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why didn’t alcaraz cramp vs tsitsipas, mussetti yet out of the blue, breaks down vs djokovic? Hmmm mighty coincidence

i’ll tell you why, alcaraz couldn’t handle djokovic’s game. Novak was rushing alcaraz, dictating many of the rallies and making Carlitos hit extra balls. None of the previous opponents could do this. Carlitos felt the heat, had to match the intensity and after two grueling sets, couldn’t handle djokovic’s intensity, physicality and yes, game. Novak was doing things to carlitos others couldn’t do.

many claim this was a tie, technically it was 1 set a piece but novak dominated 1st set and carlitos just barely got set 2… it went back and forth with novak having break points to take lead late in set.

to me novak’s game beat carlitos.. fair and square. Had any other player faced carlitos, carlitos would be holding trophy…

this reminds me of when novak couldn’t handle rafa and retired a few times early on.. that was rafa’s game, physicality and intensity… no excuses for djoker back then and no excuses for carlitos this time

carlitos, like djokovic, needs to learn from this and next time, be ready.
Well at the later part of the 2nd set, Alcaraz was pushing Novak off the baseline, to me there was a slight momentum shift, even my commentator Todd Woodbridge said the same thing? no one can say 100% how the match would have panned out? if Alcaraz had not suffered cramps? yes Novak came out in the 1st set and played flawless tennis? he made a statement, though even Novak can have dips in his matches., could Novak keep up that level? he showed in the 1st set?, all match? too many unanswered questions, just pure specualation .Shame that Alcaraz suffered cramps, still it is a learning curve for Alcaraz moving forward in his career.Novak deserved his win in the SF.
 
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MikeOne

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Well at the later part of the 2nd set, Alcaraz was pushing Novak off the baseline, to me there was a slight momentum shift, even my commentator Todd Woodbridge said the same thing? no one can say 100% how the match would have panned out? if Alcaraz had not suffered cramps? yes Novak came out in the 1st set and played flawless tennis? he made a statement, though even Novak can have dips in his matches., could Novak keep up that level? he showed in the 1st set?, all match? too many unanswered questions, just pure specualation .Shame that Alcaraz suffered cramps, still it is a learning curve for Alcaraz moving forward in his career.Novak deserved his win in the SF.

momentum is not a stright line…. How many times have we seen Novak lose a set when opponent has ‘momentum’ and them race to a lead in next set?

in 1st set, novak dominated.

In the second set, it was a bit strange.. there were many momentum shifts. Alcaraz struck first, then novak broke back and had a break point to go up and close out set.. carlitos fought it and broke and got the set. Also, if you remember, there was a weird few games where novak was having some elbow issues… he took mph off his first serve, mcenroe mentioned it.. and he had two bad service games. The set was a thriller with momentum shifts.. great points.

carlitos got the set but not in dominant fashion, he was like close to losing it. Then, as i mention, momentum is not a straight line. Often when a player has momentum, it’s followed by a dip.. it’s the law of human energy, difficult to play flawless and maintain that intensity and energy. It’s possible that novak could’ve raced to a lead in 3rd set…. We will never know.

Just speculation. In the end, i think it was 100% djokovic’s physicality, shot making, defense that was the main problem. Carlitos was toying with his previous opponents and i think came in overconfident hoenstly. He seemed surprised by novak’s pace in 1set, in many rallies novak’s fh absorbed carlitos’ pace and ball came back even harder. He was moving carlitos, doing to him what carlitos did to previous opponents. Ontop of pace, novak was running down balls unlike carlito’s previous opponents.. Second set was no cakewalk, carlitos had to run a lot, summon a very high level and face many pressure points…

Novak caused the cramps…

i also can’t recall ever seeing a player bail out for 2 sets after cramps, especially after just 2 sets. These athletes can recover, i think he gave up mentally too, my opinion. He pulled a djokovic when novak gave up against rafa early in his career.
 
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