Miami Masters 1000 Thread.

[temporary21]

First topic message reminder :

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

[Matchpoint]

Regardless, Djoko still has what it takes to turn his match around like no other. In his current (so-so) form only Federer can really get the job done to topple him. In the remaining Miami field, Nishi has a remote chance, but overall I see the Serb lifting the trophy once more.

[Matchpoint]

Just recall Isner ousted Djoko in IW semi few years back. Perhaps he also has a remote chance to do it again, but I doubt it.

[HM Murdock]

Socal's assessment seems about right to me. This is from Novak's press conference after the Dolgopolov match:

Q.  Just a bad day?  Nothing hurting?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, no, it was nothing hurting.  It's just I played a lot of matches.  I had a great start of the year, but in some other way it's taking a little bit of a toll mentally on me.  I mean, I don't feel that I'm very fresh on the court, even though I'm trying.
Again, I'm in the quarterfinals of this tournament.  This day off tomorrow will definitely serve me and help me to recover mentally mostly, because physically I'm fine.  I feel okay.

Makes sense. IW/Miami is a tough stretch. If you win IW, it's a very quick turnaround for Miami. Throw in the different time zones, the late nights with press conferences... I can understand why a player might start to flag a bit.

I'd be fairly surprised if Novak won Miami, just because winning the IW/Miami double is very tough to do. Not many players have done it. Federer and Djokovic are the only ones to do it twice.

I'm sticking with Murray as my pick but Nishi also appears rolling too.

[Matchpoint]

Is that called reverse-jinxing?  
Forget about what he said, none of the players left can meaure up to him, tennis-wise, imho. And he's not the only having to do interviews etc, murray, Berdych, ferrer, Isner et al all have this obligations.

Pity Murray never looks the same again post-surgery. He had such a hard time winning vs a tough but inexperienced Thiem yesterday. Looks virtually impossible for him to outplay the current #1. Please prove me wrong!

[Calder106]

If Andy wins, will be a repeat of last night Djoko match, dodging a bullet, totally.

Don't think he 'dodged a bullet'. Didn't see the first set which by reports Thiem deservedly won. Saw from 3-1 (Murray) in set 2 and apart from the game where Murray dropped serve he seemed to be in control and it was all over really when Murray won the set. Must say though that Thiem looked to be a good prospect and can certainly hit with some power. We will see a lot more of him.

[Born Slippy]

First set was similar Calder. Murray chucked away one service game (seemed to tweak his shoulder) and was untroubled on the rest. He had a few good chances on Thiem's serve but Thiem came up with the goods to hold him off. Thiem looked good but his returning is a weakness. He was only ever really going to break if Andy played a slack game.

[CaledonianCraig]

I am still getting those alarm bells in my head which yells that Murray is still not back to where he was. Why do I say this? Well he continues dropping sets in matches I'd have expected more clinical wins and honestly feel that says a lot about his consistency (or lack of it at times).

[Haddie-nuff]

He played well yesterday CC. he still has room for a little more improvement I think but on the whole the best so far

[bogbrush]

None of this gives any credit to an up and coming good player whose A game is good enough to seriously trouble Murray.

Murray is not so good that dropped sets are automatically down to him being below his best.

I think Calder has it right; we will see much more of Thiem (I hope so, he has an interesting game). In fact there may even be emergent signs of some decent young players.

[banbrotam]

None of this gives any credit to an up and coming good player whose A game is good enough to seriously trouble Murray.

Murray is not so good that dropped sets are automatically down to him being below his best.

I think Calder has it right; we will see much more of Thiem (I hope so, he has an interesting game). In fact there may even be emergent signs of some decent young players.

Agree. In fact it was testament to Murray's ability to raise his game after the 90 minute mark, that was the difference

Thiem looks the real deal, there was no resigned look in his face as the match went away from him, more a look of frustration that he blew his chance, i.e. he expects to be beating anyone, which is great to see

[banbrotam]

Interesting that Murray stated that there was nothing physically wrong with him when he droped the serve, but it was more he was still distracted from the twinge in the previous match

As usual with Andy his big weakness is himself and his almost autistic approach to certain aspects of matches, i.e. changing courts or twinges - which are all part of the game which the other three seem to shrug off far better

[Matchpoint]

Move over Dimi, secret is out, Thiem is the real Baby Fed. He gives SHBH a new lease of life.

[It Must Be Love]

I thought the baby-Fed style was a bit inappropriate for Dimitrov- perhaps except for a few stylistic similarities; but Thiem's play is a lot more different to Federer's.

Thiem is probably marginally closer to Wawrinka in terms of style of play, his racket head acceleration is not quite as fast as Federer's, but he can still generate a lot of pace and penetration with his longer take back.

[temporary21]

Just for note BB, thats obsessiveness, not autistic, autistic tendencies are far more severe and serious than what you're talking about, theyre almost literally crippling

I find Thiem a bit of a junior Wawrinka, than Fed, SHBH with power, he plays quite similarly

[banbrotam]

Just for note BB, thats obsessiveness, not autistic, autistic tendencies are far more severe and serious than what you're talking about, theyre almost literally crippling

I find Thiem a bit of a junior Wawrinka, than Fed, SHBH with power, he plays quite similarly

Lighten up please. I'm aware of the real severity of autism. We are allowed to speak figuratively on these forums. Murray's OTT need for everything to be as he expects can seem like an autistic - but of course for just 0.000000001% of the time

Agree about Thiem

[CaledonianCraig]

None of this gives any credit to an up and coming good player whose A game is good enough to seriously trouble Murray.

Murray is not so good that dropped sets are automatically down to him being below his best.

I think Calder has it right; we will see much more of Thiem (I hope so, he has an interesting game). In fact there may even be emergent signs of some decent young players.

First serve stats of 57% is no better than average so Andy's serve wasn't right up there so room for improvement there and afterwards Andy did say he returned poorly in the first set so he was not gushing about his form so he realises he is below his best. This is more a continuation of lapses/inconsistencies in his game at the moment which he will get away with in most matches but come the big ones V the very best players he does not hence why he has waited so long to beat one of the top three players now. And that is taking nothing away from Thiem or Anderson and more of putting Murray under the microscope.

[banbrotam]

None of this gives any credit to an up and coming good player whose A game is good enough to seriously trouble Murray.

Murray is not so good that dropped sets are automatically down to him being below his best.

I think Calder has it right; we will see much more of Thiem (I hope so, he has an interesting game). In fact there may even be emergent signs of some decent young players.

First serve stats of 57% is no better than average so Andy's serve wasn't right up there so room for improvement there and afterwards Andy did say he returned poorly in the first set  so he was not gushing about his form so he realises he is below his best. This is more a continuation of lapses/inconsistencies in his game at the moment which he will get away with in most matches but come the big ones V the very best players he does not hence why he has waited so long to beat one of the top three players now. And that is taking nothing away from Thiem or Anderson and more of putting Murray under the microscope.

I'm bored with the OTT over-analysis of Murray's weakness's. Didn't Novak struggle against Doglo? I've leant that you can read nowt into Murray's chances of winning an event by his form in that event. His slam wins showed showed that

I think it's time we gave him respect for actually still wanting to win 800 matches - as illustrated by his last set performance yesterday

[Jahu]

Move over Dimi, secret is out, Thiem is the real Baby Fed. He gives SHBH a new lease of life.

Yeah, especially that kind of BH jump and hit, real projectile.

Dimi has decided that having Shutupova as GF, is more important than his tennis career, hope she is paying him a % of her endorsements, as Dimi ain't earning sh*t.

[CaledonianCraig]

None of this gives any credit to an up and coming good player whose A game is good enough to seriously trouble Murray.

Murray is not so good that dropped sets are automatically down to him being below his best.

I think Calder has it right; we will see much more of Thiem (I hope so, he has an interesting game). In fact there may even be emergent signs of some decent young players.

First serve stats of 57% is no better than average so Andy's serve wasn't right up there so room for improvement there and afterwards Andy did say he returned poorly in the first set  so he was not gushing about his form so he realises he is below his best. This is more a continuation of lapses/inconsistencies in his game at the moment which he will get away with in most matches but come the big ones V the very best players he does not hence why he has waited so long to beat one of the top three players now. And that is taking nothing away from Thiem or Anderson and more of putting Murray under the microscope.

I'm bored with the OTT over-analysis of Murray's weakness's. Didn't Novak struggle against Doglo? I've leant that you can read nowt into Murray's chances of winning an event by his form in that event. His slam wins showed showed that

I think it's time we gave him respect for actually still wanting to win 800 matches - as illustrated by his last set performance yesterday

So are you not concerned that he hasn't beaten one of the top players for so long? To win Masters/Slams you must beat those players to win those events and Murray has lost that knack. Everyone bores of over-analysis of Murray's weaknesses from time-to-time but those weaknesses have to be addressed if Murray is to taste success in the really big tournaments again.

[lags72]

Move over Dimi, secret is out, Thiem is the real Baby Fed. He gives SHBH a new lease of life.

Yeah, especially that kind of BH jump and hit, real projectile.

Dimi has decided that having Shutupova as GF, is more important than his tennis career, hope she is paying him a % of her endorsements, as Dimi ain't earning sh*t.

Really ....??

I think I'd be happy to have banked around $5million by the tender age of 23. Beats working for a living !

Even if the GF does pull in that much within just a few months or so ......

[Jahu]

Hahah, agree lags, Sharapova is unofficial worth in the region of 1 Billion, close or there about to Fed's worth, so Dimi is breakfast petty cash for her.

But yes, $5M are top banana, add another 5 from endorsements, 10M give and take a few for expenses, not bad for 23

[Matchpoint]

@Jahu: IMBL and t21 also made a valid point that Theim is closer to Wawrinka than Fed. The 21 yo hits so damn hard and generates an even more powerful and wider SHBH swing than Wawri or Federer! Unlike Federer he stands quite far back at the baseline but is competent enough to produce winning shots. A rising star for sure.
 
Dimi himself just doesn't live up to expectation, nothing to do with his gf. 

[Jahu]

Blue, agree, great potential there, but so was Dimi/Dolgo and nothing yet from them, hype.

Of course it has to do a good % cause of his GF, who can go and punch balls in the morning after waking up beside her?

[lags72]

Well let's hope that Thiem is indeed a rising star - I've been banging on long enough about the desperate need for some new blood to challenge and maybe even displace the old guard, whilst bringing some fresh (or at least additional) interest to the scene  ; as opposed to waiting for the Class of 2008  - when the top four ranking spots were occupied by the very same four names as today -  to gradually fade away.

But equally, I would be a little cautious in bigging up young players as having better qualities/ability/shotmaking than the likes of Federer. Better to see how they perform on the biggest stages, under pressure, and then ...... if they can show consistency for month after month, year after year. Those multiple Slams don't come easy.

Time will tell.

[HM Murdock]

I doubt she is any distraction whatsoever.

[bogbrush]

Well that's stopped the tennis debate.

[Jahu]

...there you go, perfect proof, HM is an experienced man and knows quality, thank you

[Jahu]

Well that's stopped the tennis debate.

... and clogged a few pipes.

Bluemoon casting doubts on my globally accepted theory

[HM Murdock]

Well that's stopped the tennis debate.

Maybe this will get it started again.

[Jahu]

Nice bellybutton, never seen one looking like a circumcised ...

[It Must Be Love]

So with all that I suppose we've concluded that Dimitrov should go out with Murray to avoid being distracted too much.

[Jahu]

Quite a conclusion, but Kimipova might object.

[banbrotam]

So are you not concerned that he hasn't beaten one of the top players for so long? To win Masters/Slams you must beat those players to win those events and Murray has lost that knack. Everyone bores of over-analysis of Murray's weaknesses from time-to-time but those weaknesses have to be addressed if Murray is to taste success in the really big tournaments again.

His defeats have either been last year, when everyone realises that he was still trying to get back to his best or Novak, who is at times unbeatable

Not saying that he will beat any of them again, but that he's got a good a chance as anyone and if it's another hot Wimby then a repeat of 2013 is possible

I just think we navel gaze / fret over his weakness's but don't do that with any other player. These weakness's didn't stop him winning two slams and I'd argue that the competition was tougher

He's in with a chance, when the conditions suit, i.e. I'd fancy him any time in fast slam conditions, which of course we rarely get. Who knows, maybe we'll have a New York heatwave this time!!

[CaledonianCraig]

So are you not concerned that he hasn't beaten one of the top players for so long? To win Masters/Slams you must beat those players to win those events and Murray has lost that knack. Everyone bores of over-analysis of Murray's weaknesses from time-to-time but those weaknesses have to be addressed if Murray is to taste success in the really big tournaments again.

His defeats have either been last year, when everyone realises that he was still trying to get back to his best or Novak, who is at times unbeatable

Not saying that he will beat any of them again, but that he's got a good a chance as anyone and if it's another hot Wimby then a repeat of 2013 is possible

I just think we navel gaze / fret over his weakness's but don't do that with any other player. These weakness's didn't stop him winning two slams and I'd argue that the competition was tougher

He's in with a chance, when the conditions suit, i.e. I'd fancy him any time in fast slam conditions, which of course we rarely get. Who knows, maybe we'll have a New York heatwave this time!!

It isn't so much weaknesses as inconsistencies though and those were not there to such a degree when he was winning those slams - that is my point. He is playing some great stuff but at the moment it is intermingled with passiveness and inconsistent patches. Eliminate them then he is back in business in key matches against the top players.

[bogbrush]

Well that's stopped the tennis debate.

Maybe this will get it started again.

He's falling off that forehand.

Can you imagine the 2nd serve with that equipment?

[Matchpoint]

But equally, I would be a little cautious in bigging up young players as having better qualities/ability/shotmaking than the likes of Federer. Better to see how they perform on the biggest stages, under pressure, and then ...... if they can show consistency for month after month, year after year. Those multiple Slams don't come easy.

Time will tell.

I didn't mean to imply Thiem is playing better than FEderer. Not at all, not even close strictly speaking, only somewhat Federer-like with great potential. I'm afraid I won't see another giant just like the Federer we know in my life time. 

[Matchpoint]

I doubt she is any distraction whatsoever.

 
They actually did a good job making those look bigger than they are. We know by now how flat she is in the real every time she appears on the TV screen, say, compared to Serena?

[Matchpoint]

Jahu, let me put it another way: if the guy can't balance his private life with the demands of ATP ranking, he clearly ain't championship material, period. Only himself to blame, no other excuses, gf/bf/whatever. So leave Sharapova out of it.  

[temporary21]

Dim is doing ok. He'll never match up to the expectations of baby fed. Taken on his own though he's a good pro who's not quite consistent enough yet

[bogbrush]

I doubt she is any distraction whatsoever.

 
They actually did a good job making those look bigger than they are. We know by now how flat she is in the real every time she appears on the TV screen, say, compared to Serena?

Harsh, a lot of a girls armoury is deception and presentation. High heels for one thing.

Anyway, I'm not kicking her out of bed!

[Jahu]

Jahu, let me put it another way: if the guy can't balance his private life with the demands of ATP ranking, he clearly ain't championship material, period. Only himself to blame, no other excuses, gf/bf/whatever. So leave Sharapova out of it.  

Blue, I don't know what gender you are or what lover preference you have, but I'm sensing a bit of jealousy of you towards Sharapova?

It's not Sharapova's fault, leave Sharapova out of it OK, it's Dimi's fault etc, I mean express your self freely here, don't limit my involvement of Sharapova on Dimi's failure

[Jahu]

Yeah, Sharapova is 32B, the pumped out ones on that pic are 32D

[laverfan]

Ninja(shikori) down a set and break, if anyone is interested in the 2015 Miami MS 1000.

[Haddie-nuff]

Isner a little too much for Ninja to handle I think

[temporary21]

Thats a surprise tbh

[Haddie-nuff]

Do you think so ??

[temporary21]

I expected the nish to take this one, Isner played a blinder by the sounds of it

[Jahu]

Go Greens!!!

[Jahu]

Isner, you sweety

He can win this Miami, I swear

[Haddie-nuff]

He did.. he has really stepped up his overall game.. Not only his serve was on song but his ground strokes. we good. finding the lines. Nishi didn't in my view use some of the tactics that he could have employed.. instead of bringing Isner inside the court he was content to stay behind the base line..He is not the strongest hitter in the world and some of Isners shots were blistering. I would have thought he would have tried pushing Isner around.. But  credit to Isner.. he is not my favourite player but he deserved the result.Dont think he will go much further though

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