Internazionali BNL d'Italia- Rome ATP1000 - 14th May to 21st May

Mastoor

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I would be honestly happy for Thiem if Nole wasn't next he is supposed to play. he played some amazing tennis which I hope he won't be able to repeat against Nole.

It is traditional for a quarter or semifinal in this shitty tournament to make Nole a favour by letting him play 7 hours after his next opponent, when it is already his sleep time. Shame on them I don't remember he had a rain before. It will be too much to expect Nole beating Thiem after playing Delpo over 2 days.
 
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Fiero425

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I would be honestly happy for Thiem if Nole wasn't next he is supposed to play. he played some amazing tennis which I hope he won't be able to repeat against Nole.

It is traditional for a quarter or semifinal in this shitty tournament to make Nole a favour by letting him play 7 hours after his next opponent, when it is already his sleep time. Shame on them I don't remember he had a rain before. It will be too much to expect Nole beating Thiem after playing Delpo over 2 days.

They initially held him up because coverage of Venus on another channel! STUPID; had to know rain was coming! :cuckoo: :shitstorm: :banghead: :facepalm:
 
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Mastoor

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They initially held him up because coverage of Venus on another channel! STUPID; had to know rain was coming! :cuckoo: :shitstorm: :banghead: :facepalm:


I mean, who watches women tennis since Serena and Maria are sidelined? And even if they did, to let those to start 10pm and stop an hour later because of the rain?!
 

El Dude

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A couple questions for those who have watched matches.

How hard and well was Rafa playing? Did Thiem earn it or was Rafa coasting so as not to burn himself out before RG? (Not that Rafa has ever coasted)

Also, how did Novak look?
 

Front242

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A couple questions for those who have watched matches.

How hard and well was Rafa playing? Did Thiem earn it or was Rafa coasting so as not to burn himself out before RG? (Not that Rafa has ever coasted)

Also, how did Novak look?

Nadal was a bit more passive than usual and pushing too much and Thiem played like Federer has against him lately, cracking crazy hard backhands and taking big risks. Only way to win really. He's always a dangerous player most of the time but usually makes way too many errors and serves quite poorly. Today the serving was much better and less errors and played the big points really well. Very impressive win. Didn't get to see Novak.
 

the AntiPusher

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A couple questions for those who have watched matches.

How hard and well was Rafa playing? Did Thiem earn it or was Rafa coasting so as not to burn himself out before RG? (Not that Rafa has ever coasted)

Also, how did Novak look?
Lets put it like this, typically when Rafa plays , a lot of folks feel as though Rafa plays like somebody is trying to steal food off the family table, this wasn't that day.Thiem totally outplayed Rafa in every aspects of the game. Dominic was very dominant, Rafa wasn't engaged into this battle. Novak was very clean with his strokes and JMDP can't hit through him with just a fh and a slice bh. The first set was to easy for Novak.
 
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Moxie

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Nadal was a bit more passive than usual and pushing too much and Thiem played like Federer has against him lately, cracking crazy hard backhands and taking big risks. Only way to win really. He's always a dangerous player most of the time but usually makes way too many errors and serves quite poorly. Today the serving was much better and less errors and played the big points really well. Very impressive win. Didn't get to see Novak.
Thiem was making me think more of Wawrinka, tbh, because he was willing to rally, but was cracking winners, often from the baseline. He came in committed to his game plan and put Rafa on the back foot early. The question is whether it would hold up for 2 sets. And yes, Rafa was a little more passive than he has been, and I'm not sure how motivated he felt to keep playing in Rome, especially with Djokovic potentially looming. As others have said, a good time to go home and fish for a bit.

Novak looked the best he's looked in a while, but still loses points on UFE's that he should win, or would have in the last 5 years. Still a bit techy, too. Del Potro hits a LOT of slice BHs. He'd like to run around his FH more, but Djoker was doing a good job of preventing it, as you may see by the scoreline. There's a fair bit of tennis to play tomorrow, as the 2nd set has just started, so it's going to be a hardship on the winner to have to play Thiem afterwards, even if it's Novak and he beats Juan Martín in straights.
 
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Front242

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Yeah, really cracking backhands like Stan today. Would like to see Thiem win the whole thing. Clay is clearly his best surface and this would be far and away his biggest title.
 

Moxie

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They initially held him up because coverage of Venus on another channel! STUPID; had to know rain was coming! :cuckoo: :shitstorm: :banghead: :facepalm:
Fiero, it wasn't the "coverage" that held it up. Venus and Garbiñe were playing on that court. That might have considered switching them to another court (Nole and Juan, I mean,) but the people on Centrale wouldn't have been happy. From what I could see, this storm snuck up on them a bit. Bad luck, but not "stupid." Also, some rain in the forecast tomorrow, so that may affect the schedule, as well.
 

Moxie

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Yeah, really cracking backhands like Stan today. Would like to see Thiem win the whole thing. Clay is clearly his best surface and this would be far and away his biggest title.
I would like to, too. I know we don't believe that someone "deserves" a title, but he's the 2nd best player this clay season. I'd like to see a Zverev-Thiem final, with the Austrian taking it. (Zverev, btw, gets my vote for Most Improved Male on clay this season.)
 
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Front242

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Both Zverev and Thiem have improved leaps and bounds since clay season began. Especially Zverev as you say. Isner kinda surprised everyone too but, then again, Stan is load of old cobblers 90% of the year lol.
 

the AntiPusher

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Yeah, really cracking backhands like Stan today. Would like to see Thiem win the whole thing. Clay is clearly his best surface and this would be far and away his biggest title.
Wouldn't you prefer for Rafa to win RG which would then set up the big showdown at Wimbledon vs Federer
 

Moxie

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Both Zverev and Thiem have improved leaps and bounds since clay season began. Especially Zverev as you say. Isner kinda surprised everyone too but, then again, Stan is load of old cobblers 90% of the year lol.
Isner is not as surprising on clay as he would appear. He says the ball jumps up into his strike zone, which he likes, and he has more time on the ball. He's had some good wins on clay (beat Fed in DC, if I recall,) and was the first guy to take Rafa to 5 at RG. As for Stan, @DarthFed and I were talking about him a while back. He can have results like this, and then come out guns blazing at the French. Or he could go out first round. He really defies prediction, and his year so far is no real indicator.
 

Fiero425

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Fiero, it wasn't the "coverage" that held it up. Venus and Garbiñe were playing on that court. That might have considered switching them to another court (Nole and Juan, I mean,) but the people on Centrale wouldn't have been happy. From what I could see, this storm snuck up on them a bit. Bad luck, but not "stupid." Also, some rain in the forecast tomorrow, so that may affect the schedule, as well.

I was only surfing past it periodically! Seemed like it was a coverage thing! I'll take your word for it! Normally I just don't watch these early rounders! It's usually a formality until certain fans go "all in" proclaiming Rafa would win all 5 events played on clay; culminating in a 10th FO! JINX! They'll never learn; stay humble and it'll come to you! That's how I felt about Nole 2015; a true chance to surpass 2011 by making FO final, taking an extra Masters setting record with 6 (8 finals), and wrapping it all up by winning another YEC in London! I doubt anyone will ever be able to come close to that kind of consistency in a season; much less multiple times! The only ones who come close is still a short list; Lave with 2 CYGS, Connors' 74, Wilander's '88, Federer 3 times, & Nadal's 2013! :pompoms: :cheerleader::ptennis:
 

Moxie

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I was only surfing past it periodically! Seemed like it was a coverage thing! I'll take your word for it! Normally I just don't watch these early rounders! It's usually a formality until certain fans go "all in" proclaiming Rafa would win all 5 events played on clay; culminating in a 10th FO! JINX! They'll never learn; stay humble and it'll come to you! That's how I felt about Nole 2015; a true chance to surpass 2011 by making FO final, taking an extra Masters setting record with 6 (8 finals), and wrapping it all up by winning another YEC in London! I doubt anyone will ever be able to come close to that kind of consistency in a season; much less multiple times! The only ones who come close is still a short list; Lave with 2 CYGS, Connors' 74, Wilander's '88, Federer 3 times, & Nadal's 2013! :pompoms: :cheerleader::ptennis:
From what I can see, none of the Rafa fans were gaming for him to run the table. Getting out now is probably a good thing, and I'm not the only fan that thinks so. Stay humble? Any fan of the Big 4 who doesn't feel at least somewhat humble in the face of this coming year is living in a fool's paradise. Those 4 are living on borrowed time, no matter how promising or discouraging the year looks at this moment. And I don't believe in jinxes, just hard work.
 
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