Miami Masters 1000 Thread.

[temporary21]

First topic message reminder :

Cue the 80's music! Roll up roll up for all things Miami!

[Jahu]

Djoko takes it, Dolgo lacking tight big match experience a little.

[Haddie-nuff]

Nothing to do with experience

[Jahu]

A little yes, while Djoko has countless GS, F, SF etc with tight results, Dolgo is far from those moments, to get an extra focus when needed.

[Jahu]

Total meltdown now, this set 6:2.

[temporary21]

Looks like the dog races are run, I fear doughy products

[Jahu]

Amazing 2 sets, at least we got that.

[Haddie-nuff]

This is Dolgopolovs problem not experience sadly

Dolgopolov suffers from a hereditary disorder known as Gilbert's Syndrome, which affects his liver, blood and often causes fatigue.[6] His condition worsens when he has to cross continents in extensive travel, requiring intravenous drug treatments and monitored diets to get himself back on track.[16]

Hardly surprising he is probably now exhausted

[Jahu]

Dolgo with some thigh scratching, maybe some probs, but he is gone.

Djoko wins this match, with crippled one legged Dolgo

[Jahu]

Let me add the Gilbert's Syndrome now as well.

[Haddie-nuff]

I can only say a premature well done Nole.. you hung in there in that second set good for you

Dolgo.. what a fight thanks for the great tennis but I think its bye bye

[Jahu]

Take a game at least.

[Jahu]

Oh no, a reverse bagel now.

[Jahu]

So how to attribute to Djoko this win? A good second set, and thats it?

Bit of a downer.

[Jahu]

Maybe Ferret can beat Djoko and save the tennis world

[Haddie-nuff]

Novak won the third set by virtue of the fact that Dolgo lost the second

[laverfan]

Very surprised at Djokovic for the first set and a half and his on-court demeanor.

[Haddie-nuff]

Well Im not LF its seldom that Novak comes up against an opponent that does not play an orthodox game.. and an opponent that was playing lights out at that.
I think Novak's utter frustration was on full display ..he had difficulty dealing with his own emotions and Dolgopolov. He was completely floundering... then Dolgopolov did what I expected he hit the wall.. and it all opened up fo Nole. The relief shown by Novak showed at the end of that second set. I felt for Dolgopolov but it was inevitable at the end of the day

[laverfan]

Very sorry for Dolgopolov. In one of his interviews, (IIRC post-USO), he had said that he plays by feel. His AO run beating Tsonga, Soderling and giving Murray a torrid time is perhaps the best I have seen him play.

[Haddie-nuff]

I absolutely agree. such a shame that he cannot exploit that talent of his fully due to his handicap.. he is a delight to watch when in full flow. Some of his shots left me breathless they were right out of the top drawer

[temporary21]

Its a double edged sword his game. In trying to tame it by making him more consistent and sensible, you get rid of the very thing that makes it so good.A feel game like his cant be sustained for that long because its performance when not on full throttle isnt good enough.

[laverfan]

He is indeed an amazing shotmaker. John McEnroe also had an amazing touch when in full flow. At 4-1 in second set, I thought he was so close to an upset.

Djokovic was reduced to playing safe and pushing the ball back, a very rare sight.

[laverfan]

Its a double edged sword his game. In trying to tame it by making him more consistent and sensible, you get rid of the very thing that makes it so good.A feel game like his cant be sustained for that long because its performance when not on full throttle isnt good enough.

It is a ballet, beautiful, yet fragile. Being reduced to limping around in the third set was .

[Haddie-nuff]

Yes Djokovic was in unknown territory and he looked troubled and nervous.
I still am of the belief that Dolgopolov could have been much better if he had not had this disorder.. he seems as though he feels he must hurry up and get it over before he runs out of steam.. thus making him rush many of his shots. But I wish we had more shot makers like that.. he is a pleasure. That was tennis

[summerblues]

It looks like today's tennis produced more drama than could have been expected. Quite impressive from Dolgo to get so close. By third set he must have been all gone - ATP site shows he won a total of three points in that last set.

Thiem to play Andy tomorrow. I do not give Thiem much chance but would love to be wrong. I do not like his FH all that much, but he has a SHBH so cannot help but root for him.

[summerblues]

This is clearly a forum consisting of mostly tennis fans. Fans who appreciate the sport in all its forms and at the very least respect, if not like all its players. If you have only hate to add to a conversation of people like this, there should be no surprise if you irk people or get criticised. Imagine going to a Star Trek convention and calling everybody nerds you would be rightly asked why you're there.

I am trying to figure out whether or not this is directed at me.

On one hand, based on some of your previous posts I am inclined to suspect that it may be.  On the other hand, if it were directed at me, it would be both grossly off-the-mark as well as rather inappropriate.

So, unless you confirm otherwise, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume this is not aimed at me.

[summerblues]

Novak won me with his speech last Wimbledon. No longer the Djoker, he'snrcone the real successor to what Fed and Nadal have soo wonderfully made

This is why people cheat.

In a single match, he takes a tactical MTO and gives a nice speech.  However, it is the latter that becomes more deeply etched in people's memories.  And you are a tennis fan - for casual Wimbledon viewers it will be even more lopsided towards remembering the speech.

[summerblues]

Isner Raonic starting.  I wonder how many service breaks there will be. I expect Raonic should come through though.

[temporary21]

This is clearly a forum consisting of mostly tennis fans. Fans who appreciate the sport in all its forms and at the very least respect, if not like all its players. If you have only hate to add to a conversation of people like this, there should be no surprise if you irk people or get criticised. Imagine going to a Star Trek convention and calling everybody nerds you would be rightly asked why you're there.

I am trying to figure out whether or not this is directed at me.

On one hand, based on some of your previous posts I am inclined to suspect that it may be.  On the other hand, if it were directed at me, it would be both grossly off-the-mark as well as rather inappropriate.

So, unless you confirm otherwise, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume this is not aimed at me.

Does it mention you directly? If it doesnt then it isnt aimed at you surely.

[summerblues]

Does it mention you directly? If it doesnt then it isnt aimed at you surely.

Fair enough.

[temporary21]

Novak won me with his speech last Wimbledon. No longer the Djoker, he'snrcone the real successor to what Fed and Nadal have soo wonderfully made

This is why people cheat.

In a single match, he takes a tactical MTO and gives a nice speech.  However, it is the latter that becomes more deeply etched in people's memories.  And you are a tennis fan - for casual Wimbledon viewers it will be even more lopsided towards remembering the speech.

I didnt realise Djokovic cheated. Are you saying Djokovic doesn't deserve his success because he took a MTO? People warm to players when they get invested in their human element. The fact he nearly blew it but won out in the end against Fed at Wimby, and the outpouring of emotion and the professional way he gave his speech spoke a lot of how hes grown. That, and the great standard that final was played much more worthy of memory than a MTO.

I also dont get why that makes people cheat? Taking a MTO, even if at a convenient time, isnt cheating by definition, its given to him by the rules and his opponent can take the same liberty. You cant prove a MTO is takenjust to waste time, and as such its silly to stain an occasion based on it.
Players wont feel safe cheating if they win, the public dont remember but WADA do, and in the end thats what matters. They cheat because theyre arrogant enough to think thetre justified/ going to get away with it.

[It Must Be Love]

When did Djokovic cheat in the Wimbledon 2014 final Summerblues ?

Or do you accuse Djokovic of cheating because your favourite player lost

[summerblues]

I didnt realise Djokovic cheated. Are you saying Djokovic doesn't deserve his success because he took a MTO?

Taking a MTO, even if at a convenient time, isnt cheating by definition, its given to him by the rules and his opponent can take the same liberty.

I would not go as far as saying he did not deserve his success.  But I think it does say more about him than a nice speech.  In many ways he is a good sport but he likes to take dodgy MTOs - I believe he also took one in the 5th set of his USO final with Andy just as Andy was going to serve for the match.

I think taking tactical MTOs is technically cheating (I do not think you can take an MTO just because you feel like it), albeit cheating that is not provable.

People warm to players when they get invested in their human element.

Yeah, most of the time probably yes, but not always.  I root for Federer, and quite strongly, but I think it is pretty much just because of the game he plays.  I do not have much emotional attachment to him as a person - either positive or negative.

the professional way he gave his speech spoke a lot of how hes grown

Perhaps, though I am skeptical of speeches.  I think character is best judged in situations where there is a trade-off between doing what is "right" and what is "advantageous".  Speech-giving is the opposite - saying the "right" things is also good for the player - so a good speech does not say that much about a player's character.  Tactical MTO, on the other hand...

[summerblues]

The first set has gone much like I would have expected - no breaks of serve but Raonic taking the set.

[Haddie-nuff]

Dont know why Isner has won their two previous meetings so it was hardly predictable

[summerblues]

When did Djokovic cheat in the Wimbledon 2014 final Summerblues ?

Or do you accuse Djokovic of cheating because your favourite player lost

I am pretty sure he took an MTO early in the fifth.  Now, one cannot prove he cheated, but he has done it too many times to be believable.

[summerblues]

Dont know why Isner has won their two previous meetings so it was hardly predictable

I am not saying it was predictable; I was just thinking Raonic would win the set.  But I could have just as easily ended up being wrong.

[Haddie-nuff]

A great match to have on close to bed time z zZzzzz

[summerblues]

Isner takes the 2nd set TB after having gone 0-3 and two mini-breaks down.  Raonic was missing a lot of first serves midway through the TB and Isner played some good aggressive tennis.

So to the third set we go, but it is bedtime for me, so goodnight everyone.

[Born Slippy]

Good win for Isner. That match must have been fun to watch! Two break points in the entire match.

[Born Slippy]

Kei has looked awesome this tournament. If he can somehow find a way past Isner then he has a decent shot at Novak.

[HM Murdock]

I've only seen highlights but it looks like Novak really dodged a bullet yesterday.

I usually associate Dolgo with variety and touch but, although he displayed those qualities, he was also hammering the ball last night. Very impressive.

Respect also to Novak though. At a set and 4-1 down it must have looked all over but he fought very well to come back. Finding ways to win when you are not playing your best is a great ability for a sportsperson to have.

The tournament is going much as I expected for Novak. Doing the IW/Miami double is tough to do and, having won in California, I thought Novak's form may dip a little in Florida.

I suspect he'll find a way past Ferrer but I think Nishi or Isner should feel quietly confident ahead of a potential SF. Nishi especially appears to be in very good form.

Also, is 6-7 7-6 7-6 for Raonic v Inser possibly the most predictable scoreline ever?

[CAS]

Dolgo's serve must be so hard to read, the ball toss doesn't affect where it's going. However, I can't imagine his first serve percentage throughout a season is too high, some barely make it half way up the net. Loved his use of the topspin serve to come in and volley though, shocked Novak constantly.

[Haddie-nuff]

Good win for Isner. That match must have been fun to watch! Two break points in the entire match.

Oh yeah it was hillarious  I think they called it tennis

[Belovedluckyboy]

Before the match, I'd already foreseen Dolgo giving Novak problems, it's a shame for Dolgo, that he's 3-1 or 4-1 up but couldn't finish the job. I suspect he did panic or got nervous and so made all those errors while serving and got broken. Once he lost the second set, it's inevitabie that Dolgo would lose the match, as Novak won't let the match slipped away from him after leveling it, Novak had shown once again what a champion he was, though agitated yet able to calm himself and tackled the problem at hand. Dolgo isn't an easy opponent for anyone, but he's one who couldn't last long in a match, especially when against the top guys, because of his illness.

Players who played with varieities hence are more unpredictable are the ones who would give Novak the most problems - Fed, Haas, Dolgo, Tomic and the Murray who played with varieites in the past.

[Belovedluckyboy]

Oh, Dolgo moves with incredible speed too, that's part of the package. He hits with good racket head speed too, and so he's a very dangerous opponent. Novak really dodged a bullet there, when Novak himself wasn't playing well this whole Miami tournament.

[Haddie-nuff]

He had MTO and played the last set with two bandaged blistered feet
The reports of this match on ATP give no credit to Dolgopolov..neither do they mention that fact.

[HM Murdock]

 Novak really dodged a bullet there, when Novak himself wasn't playing well this whole Miami tournament.

It's been a strange tournament for Novak.

It has contained lapses and really lacklustre spells but he's also served up a bagel in all three rounds!

Incidentally, I believe last night was 7th set he's won 6-0 so far this year. Nobody else has won more than three (Nadal, Berdych, Ferrer and Goffin are all on three). Impressive stat.

[Haddie-nuff]

HM you obviously never read my previous post. Dolgopolov was unlucky
But take comfort from it he won

[Jahu]

Yeah, HM, instead of salivating over Djoko bagel record

[HM Murdock]

HM you obviously never read my previous post.  Dolgopolov was unlucky
But  take comfort from it he won

No, I read it. I'm only highlighting the statistic.

I don't see him as unlucky though, unless we are talking in the broadest terms about him being generally impaired by Gilbert's Syndrome.

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