Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Rome - ATP Masters 1000

[Moxie]

DATE: May 10-19, 2021
SURFACE: Clay
PRIZE MONEY: €6,168,080
FIELD SIZE: 56
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Novak Djokovic

Draw:

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Thanks Moxie,

This is my former home tournament and as a fan of clay tennis and being brought up on the true red clay this is a fantastic tournament to attend as a fan.All courts you have a great view of the players,and also you can get up close and personal to your favorite players.
This is a very historic tennis tournament and they have made many improvements over the years at this tournament,

I expect Novak to play better than he did at his home tournament,he likes these courts usually plays well,,the fans love him in Rome.May I also say his Italian is very good.

 

[Moxie]

Thanks Moxie,

This is my former home tournament and as a fan of clay tennis and being brought up on the true red clay this is a fantastic tournament to attend as a fan.All courts you have a great view of the players,and also you can get up close and personal to your favorite players.
This is a very historic tennis tournament and they have made many improvements over the years at this tournament,

I expect Novak to play better than he did at his home tournament,he likes these courts usually plays well,,the fans love him in Rome.May I also say his Italian is very good.

You know there is not much I like about Novak, but I will agree his Italian is pretty good.

 

[Moxie]

Too late to do the deep-dive now, but I think Djokovic is in the rougher half. Nadal does have Zverev again, but Rome is not Madrid. Other than that, I'd say Djokovic has the bigger concerns.

 

[rafanoy1992]

Too late to do the deep-dive now, but I think Djokovic is in the rougher half. Nadal does have Zverev again, but Rome is not Madrid. Other than that, I'd say Djokovic has the bigger concerns.

We could have another POTENTIAL match between Nadal vs. Sinner in R2...let's see if Sinner can win his 1R match.

As for Nadal, I expect him to be better than in Madrid and Monte Carlo. He knows this is the tournament at this of his career that if he plays well, he will have full confidence going to Roland Garros. I do hope he plays A LOT better though...I know he is almost 35 years old, but if he can somehow string 5 good matches, he should be fine.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

We could have another POTENTIAL match between Nadal vs. Sinner in R2...let's see if Sinner can win his 1R match.

As for Nadal, I expect him to be better than in Madrid and Monte Carlo. He knows this is the tournament at this of his career that if he plays well, he will have full confidence going to Roland Garros. I do hope he plays A LOT better though...I know he is almost 35 years old, but if he can somehow string 5 good matches, he should be fine.

I must say Sinner has been disappointing in his last 2 tournaments,surprised to see he lost to the Aussie player Alexi in Madrid.

 

[Moxie]

I must say Sinner has been disappointing in his last 2 tournaments,surprised to see he lost to the Aussie player Alexi in Madrid.

Sinner, to his credit, is willing to take things a step at a time. He is still a teenager. He has great things in front of him, but he does have some things in his game to improve. He is level-headed when he plays, which will serve him long-term, but he could add a few dimensions to his game, and his fitness will improve, too.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Sinner, to his credit, is willing to take things a step at a time. He is still a teenager. He has great things in front of him, but he does have some things in his game to improve. He is level-headed when he plays, which will serve him long-term, but he could add a few dimensions to his game, and his fitness will improve, too.

I agree as a teenager he has accomplished great things,I was just shocked in a way he lost that is all.

 

[Moxie]

I agree as a teenager he has accomplished great things,I was just shocked in a way he lost that is all.

Fair enough. But I think weight of expectation is a dangerous thing, and I think he's dealing with it well, or talks the right game about it. I know @El Dude might not want to hear it, but it seems to have gotten to Felix Auger-Alliasse. I think it probably got to Dimitrov, and I believe it got to Zverev. I like Sinner's trying to take it at his own pace. Maybe he's lucky that there are so many good and potential Italian men right now, so it's not all on him.

 

[napo]

I am missing Ruud , is he injured?
It would be sad, he's in very good shape at the moment.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Monday's practice schedule in Rome incl.,
Novak/Murray
Nadal/Basilashvili
Medvedev/Monfils
Dimitrov/Rublev
Nishikori/Kecmanovic
Tsitsipas/Purcell.

 

[napo]

Nice performance by Fritz, looks like an easy straight set win against Evans.

Perfect conditions in Rome.
Karatsev - Kecmanovic should be a good match.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

In Breaking News,

Casper Ruud has withdrawn from the Rome Master event

 

[napo]

Kei- Fabio is a good one, Nishikori is outplaying Fabio in this first set.

 

[napo]

Looks like we will see a nice matchup in the next round: Karatsev- Medvedev.

 

[napo]

Sinner is cruising, we will see him against Nadal in the next round.

Delbonis turning his match against Kachanov completely around, after losing the 1st, now 5:0 in the 3rd.

Kei was impressive today! He is a pleasure to watch when healthy and inform.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Maybe a break for #14 (13) Denis Shapovalov as #16 Casper Ruud,a Madrid s/finalist,withdrew.Denis Shapovalov now vs qualifer Kamil Majchrzak, #129,in the 1st Rd,to play #69 Stefano Travaglia in 2Rd.

 

[Carol]

This is a good landing.......

 

[El Dude]

Fair enough. But I think weight of expectation is a dangerous thing, and I think he's dealing with it well, or talks the right game about it. I know @El Dude might not want to hear it, but it seems to have gotten to Felix Auger-Alliasse. I think it probably got to Dimitrov, and I believe it got to Zverev. I like Sinner's trying to take it at his own pace. Maybe he's lucky that there are so many good and potential Italian men right now, so it's not all on him.

At this point, I am officially worried, or at least the luster has dimmed. If you combine FAA's well-rounded skillset (despite that second serve) and his age/ranking correlations, there's no reason not to expect him to be an elite player. But he doesn't seem to be able to get over the hump, and it is taking longer than it usually does for elite players. Meaning, a year ago I was pretty bullish on his future stardom, now I'm more hesitant. Six months ago we could chalk up his stagnation as being on account of the unusual nature of 2020, but given that he is struggling with the same issues and showing no signs of improvement (as far as I can tell), the luster has dimmed a bit.

The Dimitrov comp is interesting, but I do think he's further along than Dimitrov was at the same age. Dimitrov was 20-21 in 2012, and hanging out in the latter half of the top 100. Dimitrov didn't breach the top 20 until he was 22 (early 2014) and the top 10 until later that year, after he turned 23. FAA was in the top 20 at 19 years old. The problem is that was almost two years ago, and he still hasn't made it past #17 since or, more importantly, won a title.

That said, he is still only 20 years old and any 20-year old ranked around #20--in this era--probably has a bright future ahead of him. I suspect the biggest problem is in his head which, as we know in tennis, is not insignificant. But it is workable - the talent is there for him to be a top 5 player, and maybe a #1. But I do think he has been surpassed by Jannik Sinner as the guy with the best future ahead of him and most likely to separate himself from the pack. Now I think a more likely outcome is that he joins the pack, rather than singles himself out. Sinner seems the most likely candidate to be "that guy."

 

[El Dude]

A bit more. I think what we need to see is two things: One, he needs to beat a big-time player at a big tournament. It doesn't have to be Novak or Rafa at a Slam, but one of Tsitsipas, Zverev Rublev, Medvedev, or Thiem at a Master's. Two, he needs to win a final - it doesn't matter what level, any will do.

Remember when he used to own Tsitsipas? He's now lost four in a row. Last year he lost once each to Tsitsipas, Zverev, Rublev, and Thiem the only times he faced them. As far as I can tell, the highest ranked players he's beaten are Denis Shapovalov, who was #12 at the time, and Bautista Agut, who was #13 at the time.

Actually, he seems to be in a similar category as Shapovalov: a talented young guy who hasn't quite put together his prodigious talents and is thus on the outside looking in of the "Next Gen inner circle." Shapo has only made two finals, though, winning one (Krajinovic at the 2019 Stockholm Open). I think FAA's seven finals speaks to his greater talent, but 0-7 is just...brutal.

If and when we see FAA do those two things--beat a big-time player (top 10, at least) in a big title AND win a title, then we might see a leap forward. If those two things happen, it might come together for him very quickly. But until it happens, well, we'll be left wondering What Could Be. Just as Shapo could be seen as this era's Dolgopolov (or maybe Monfils), so too might FAA be in danger of being the new Dimitrov. But we're not there...yet.