Day 15 - Men's Singles Final

Nadal v Djokovic.

Here is the thread for the final, can't believe I might miss it due to cricket!

I say Nole for the win in 5 sets, IT'S HIS GODDAMN DESTINY

I hope so olly it would be wonderful I know as a Novak fan it would be a very special win for me. I think the return of Djokovic will decide the match. His backhand will absord the cross court heavy spinning forehand of Nadal's and Novak will eventually win in a very close 5 setter. YOur Novak in 5 sets prediction looks good to me.

Novak in 4.

Was initially thinking I would pick Rafa but when all is said and done I still think that top form Djokovic beats top form Rafa (even somewhat easily). Now, unlike Rafa, Novak has not played his best for much of the tournament but he started showing glimpses of the old form and one has to think that he will be pumped for this one. So I give his form the benefit of the doubt and predict a somewhat routine 4-set victory in something like 8 hours and 23 minutes.

This has the potential to be a classic. A proper all time classic. I can't remember being this excited for a French Open match

Summerblues I hope you are right, the site seems to be 50/50 split with people actually leaning towards Rafa. That is fine I think Novak likes the idea of a fight. The thing I like is that the Fed semi was not taxing on him but was just competitive enough to get him ready for the final. He should be well rested and ready to go. I am little worried about his knee that he tweeked in the Tsonga match but it didn't seem to damage his movement in the fed match.

socal, I imagine you would hope I am right.

I honestly did not know myself what to pick. Before the semi, (with heavy heart) I picked Nole in three but I felt more comfortable there - I thought in the earlier rounds Federer showed sufficiently clearly that his form was not quite there. In this match it is harder. On one hand, Novak has not shown the best of forms but - unlike in Fed's case - some stretches of his play convinced me that he does have extra gears to go through so I decided to bet on his form.

Yeah that is the way I see it summer, Novak has gotten better and better from the Seppi match to Tsonga and then the Fed match. At the end of the Fed match he showed the poise and patience and most importantly the fight that will be needed to unseat Nadal at this tournament. This could be the biggest Tennis match since 2008 wimby. Whoever wins makes history, really incredible history. And will have a leg up on the year end #1. It is a very big match to say the least.

Novak in 4 or 5.

Nadal in 3 or 4. Don't expect a long slugfest of epic proportions as it's not going to be. Will be quick and painful.

You never get your fill of bashing Djoko do you Jahu? Quick and painful I love it. Well we will see let me just put you in the book of doubters.

As much as you are boring the whole forum with Djoko cr@p, I will be doing the opposite anti-djoko cr@p.

Jahu wrote:Nadal in 3 or 4. Don't expect a long slugfest of epic proportions as it's not going to be. Will be quick and painful.

Nadull is a goner.

BUT IT'S HIS DESTINY JAHU! IT WILL HAPPEN, NOLE WILL WIN FOUR IN A ROW

I hope so Olly but don't reason with Jahu, funny Jahu the forum is so bored with my crap that some of the most commented on threads in the history of this forum have been started by me.

Olly, LOWER YOUR CAPS and stop shouting. Destiny bs is not for sports forum, it's for dating forums.

Let's not turn this thread into mine is bigger than yours, but comment on the match stuff.

lots of rain forecast, theres talk of moving the final to Monday

CAS wrote:lots of rain forecast, theres talk of moving the final to Monday

It certainly does not look good:

http://www.weather.com/weather/today/Paris+FRXX0076:1:FR

Really hope Novak can do this, it will be great for him and tennis to have someone win 4 in a row. Nadal will have other chances at number 7.

Nadal is yet to lose a set, while Djokovic was on the brink with Seppi and Tsonga.

Federer's error-prone game is a bit of a false hope, IMO. The ease with which Federer broke Djokovic is a concern going into this final.

Both records are historical 7 FOs v Grand Slam.

break_in_the_fifth wrote:Nadal will have other chances at number 7.

Not very certain what the next 12 months will bring.

Next 12 months will bring someone capable of beating him on clay?

Laverfan don't be fooled by Novak's struggles he has gotten better in each match since the seppi match he finished very strong in the fed match. I think we will see him continue the trend and step up his level one more time for Nadal. Break in the fifth I agree it would be wonderful for tennis to have a record like 4 in the row achieved, it will create a lot of interest in the game from even outside the tennis world. Personally, I can't wait don't think I have ever anticipated a match up more.

Dont forget my smileys socal Ill be waiting

Although there is - justifiable - great expectation about this final, I can't help thinking this is the match we should have had last year.
Then, Nole was having an amazing run, had already beaten Rafa four times in a row, including two on clay, and was in a position to give Nadal a real run for his money at RG.
Even then, I would have made Rafa slight favourite as he's practically unbeatable in the French. This year is different, Rafa looks impregnable and Nole is, understandably, not quite at last year's awesome standard.
Even so, this is probably as big a test as Rafa's ever had at RG, but one I think he'll come through in four sets.

Thing is SFP, had this match happened last year, I think Djokovic would have won, either in 4 or 5 sets and got the grand slam. The mental edge which Nadal talked about was very much in evidence in all there matches after the first two which led to Nadal losing every match until this April.

I actually prefer that this match happens this year when Djokovic doesn't have the same mental hold as was apparent last year because I think we'll get a better, more high quality match.

L'man. I think we'd still have got a high-quality match last year, as Rafa probably regards RG as his to own and would have fought to the death despite his earlier difficulties in 2011 with Nole.
It's just as well that, first, Rog had Rafa come along to stop him winning everything and now Rafa and Nole have a terrific rivalry so both get tested in the big matches.

sirfredperry wrote:L'man. I think we'd still have got a high-quality match last year, as Rafa probably regards RG as his to own and would have fought to the death despite his earlier difficulties in 2011 with Nole.
It's just as well that, first, Rog had Rafa come along to stop him winning everything and now Rafa and Nole have a terrific rivalry so both get tested in the big matches.

We may have, although Rafa had more difficulties last year @ RG then this year so last year would have provided the best chance for an upset than this year.

I agree that history has stopped one player from winning so much over the years in the Open era. Borg was denied not just at Wimbledon but the USO too and of course Connors wasn't able to win RG because he wasn't allowed to participate, Sampras and McEnroe were not as good on clay -not to mention how often players used to miss the Aussie Open. Today is, to me, as crucial a match for Nadal as it was for Federer @ Wimbledon in 2008. Back then Federer was being challenged immensely by his main rival on his strongest surface (and slam) and was going for history. Here again, history is repeating itself but this time it's not at Wimbledon but at RG, Nadal's strongest surface and he himself going for history but is being challenged by his main rival, Djokovic.

I sense Nadal needs to hold on more so then Djokovic, Nadal is in his peak years but losing here (his strongest surface) doesn't suggest he will have many slams left in him. As he said last year, a good year is any year he wins RG, i.e. wins at least one slam. Losing here and I really you can't see him winning another slam the rest of this year, baring injury of Djokovic or freak upsets. Fed was the same age as Nadal is now (26) so, it would a be a strange repeating of history in a way if Nadal lost today...but he may not....we will see soon...

Not sure Rafa can be written off for more slams this year if he loses this one. The way Wimbledon plays these days makes Rafa one of the favourites there and he's bound to be in contention for the US.
Incidentally, Rafa and Rog are at either ends of the draw in Halle next week. They've not met on grass, I think, since that epic 08 Wimbledon final.

sirfredperry wrote:Not sure Rafa can be written off for more slams this year if he loses this one. The way Wimbledon plays these days makes Rafa one of the favourites there and he's bound to be in contention for the US.
Incidentally, Rafa and Rog are at either ends of the draw in Halle next week. They've not met on grass, I think, since that epic 08 Wimbledon final.

I'm not writing him off by any means SFP. Rafa, just like Fed, would be considered a contender for Wimbledon & the USO but should he lose on his strongest surface, I don't think you can rate his chances highly at all against Djokovic, who is the man he really has to beat. Djokovic isn't as strong @ RG recently as at Wimbledon, USO or Aussie Open. Don't forget, on the third slowest slam, Djokovic still beat Rafa earlier this year, despite Nadal leading 2-4 and being up in the 7th game 15-30 and still lost....! This is the slowest surface....Rafa loses here and it doesn't look rosy at any other slams.

Does anyone on here have an update on weather conditions in Paris? How does it look?

Girls singles final is being played at the moment so hopefully there will be some play in the men's final.

About to take off..

The overcast conditions should favour Nadal.

Rafa takes first point. Go Rafa Go, knock his lights out.

3 Break points

What a crosscort BH from Rafa. Brakes Djoko.

Rafa looking quite sharp today. Service break in the first game! Go Rafa..

All about consolidating the break now...

Djoko looking in pain at his box.

3;0 Nadal, this is getting frightening.

Nadal is comfortable tracking and positioning himself behind Djoko's shots. Nadal's forehand is looking very good.

3-0 in the first set.

Is this heading toward 3-0 for the match?

Leff wrote:Nadal is comfortable tracking and positioning himself behind Djoko's shots. Nadal's forehand is looking very good.

3-0 in the first set.

Is this heading toward 3-0 for the match?

I don't think so. Novak is extremely mentally tough. He won't fold.

Looking like the decimation of Novak Djokovic so far. Finally someone exploiting his average form

Novak needs to be a bit more patient in these rallies. He's going for too much too early

Maybe Djoko knows he's not ready for a 5 set slugfest, wants to finish points quuckly.

Djoko brakes back. Seems a little more up to task now.

Well done on getting one of the breaks back. Hang in there...

I think Novak can outlast Rafa in the longer rallies.

He has the better positioning in the baseline rallies.

He needs to be more patient, more Rfa around and then go for the winners once Rafa is out of position.

Umbrellas going up.

Djokovic is on fire and the errors are flowing from Nadal...Djokovic takes this first set, I can't see any other winner but Djokovic...

lucius, you on kool-aid

Was that only the second time that Nadal has had his serve broken this tournament?

If so that break by Djokovic could be highly significant. Let's hope the rain doesn't turn the match into a fiasco.