Doha 2014

[Kieran]

His ponytail reminds me of a young X-Man.

Exactly! he has that look...

 

[the AntiPusher]

His ponytail reminds me of a young X-Man.

Exactly! he has that look...

His game reminds naysay, a young Nalbalian:clap

 

[kskate2]

That's a good comparison AP.

 

[Front242]

Started watching only in the third set but Gojowczyk was impressive. Very fit too considering he played some tough matches prior to this. Hope to see more of him. Well played match.

 

[the AntiPusher]

That's a good comparison AP.

 

[Goldenboy]

So a second Doha final for Rafa. Torn between whether I prefer Mayer or Monfils. Mayer should be easier but Monfils would be excellent practice for the AO.

Guess I would pick Monfils if I had to, even though I think he could well end up winning the final.

 

[Front242]

Can't see Mayer beating Monfils to be honest in any case but we'll see. Monfils was pretty damn good yesterday. Just hope he can stay injury free for more than 1 week this year.

 

[Moxie]

Can't see Mayer beating Monfils to be honest in any case but we'll see. Monfils was pretty damn good yesterday. Just hope he can stay injury free for more than 1 week this year.

I'm with you, Front…I hope that 2014 is healthy and full of great tennis for LeMonf. (OK, but maybe not tomorrow.) Great showing by Gojowczik. I hope he follows this tournament up to better things.

 

[Front242]

Can't see Mayer beating Monfils to be honest in any case but we'll see. Monfils was pretty damn good yesterday. Just hope he can stay injury free for more than 1 week this year.

I'm with you, Front…I hope that 2014 is healthy and full of great tennis for LeMonf. (OK, but maybe not tomorrow.) Great showing by Gojowczik. I hope he follows this tournament up to better things.

Yeah, Monfils has long been missing from the mix with all his damn injuries but he's really good to watch when he's playing well. Would be great to see him him get back to top 10. Reached as high as number 7 before but injuries ruined things.

So far this tournament he's been playing intelligently but all too often he's too much of a showman doing trick shots and mad jumps, which either end up costing him the match or a bust knee. While there are tons of clips of him doing amazing jumps I hope he calms down and thinks more logically. Also, that trick shot against Haas last year in Halle I believe, while cool to watch, ended up probably contributing largely to him losing that match. Those sort of antics are dense. Your career needs to be about wins, not Youtube views.

 

[Front242]

ROFL! That last class return by Monfils reminds me of that classic forehand from Blake on youtube hailed as fastest forehand ever. Ridiculous.

 

[Front242]

Unreal serving. The guy's a total beast when he's playing like this. Glad to see him back at this level.

 

[Front242]

Ridiculous. Even Mayer is shaking his head.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Tomorrow's match will either be a highly entertaining -- and competitive -- match, or a blowout, depending on Monfils' approach. If he plays big, like he can, then he'll trouble Nadal, as he has twice in this tourney in the past. If he sits miles behind the baseline, it will be ugly.

 

[Front242]

Gonna be a tough ask even for Nadal tomorrow! (hopefully)

 

[Front242]

Some pretty good stats there for Monfils.

 

[Goldenboy]

Gael loves Doha for whatever reason, so he will certainly bring it tomorrow. Hope Rafa doesn't fall down early breaks in any of the sets, that way pressure will play a role and Gael won't be able to swing as freely.

Unfortunately for Monfils, Oz is one of his worst tournaments.

 

[Front242]

If the courts and balls are playing faster as they say, then hopefully there's a chance Monfils does better this year in Melbourne.

 

[Front242]

Meant to be between 41C and 43C (105.8F-109.4F) in Brisbane tomorrow. Poor Roger and Serena. Brutal conditions. Also contributing to how fast it's playing there no doubt. Much cooler still in Melbourne so still have to wait and see how the court speed is there.

 

[rafanoy1992]

Here's an interesting stat: Monfils is 2-0 against Nadal in Doha but he is 0-8 in other tournaments.

I hope Nadal wins so he could gain some momentum before the Australian Open.

 

[Goldenboy]

It'll be interesting to see how fast Melbourne actually is. Brisbane is pretty quick, but that doesn't automatically mean Melbourne will be as quick.

Hopman Cup (Perth) for example looks noticeably slower than Brisbane, and they said on commentary that Tennis Australia gave directions for all the surfaces (Perth, Sydney and Brisbane) to be made the same as Melbourne.

Djokovic should know by now, he has already practiced in Melbourne (I believe he is the first to actually hit on the surface there).