Rome Masters 1000 match thread

[lydian]

First topic message reminder :

So off we go again and Madrid isn't even done yet!

The home of gladiatorial sport sees the leading claycourters lock battle once again to the wonderful tree-lined backdrop. Rome Masters has been going since 1930 and seen many illustrious winners down the years including, some may not know, the current coach of Stanislas Wawrinka - Magnus Norman back in 2000 who beat none other than Gustavo Kuerten.



Can Nadal win his 7th title? Can Novak win his 3rd? Can Andy break his clay final duck? Can Roger get to another final...he's never won in Rome although held MPs in 2006.

It seems Rome always gives us great matches and interesting player arguments too!

Here's the interactive draw:

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Share/Event-Draws.aspx?EventId=416&Year=2013

[Haddie-nuff]

Well I never saw the match... and Im glad I didnt.
Federer playing Starace ranked 293 was it a a surprising result ???

[The Special Juan]

Andy Murray is 26 today. He's getting on a bit now

[Haddie-nuff]

Isnt Novak 26 this month also... Lord we have a load of old cronies in the top 5 !!!

[Silver]

Gawd, he's only six months older than me. What the hell am I doing with my life?

Yup, old fogies littering the top 5 - Rafa's 27 in a few weeks! Positively ancient.

[bogbrush]

Gawd, he's only six months older than me. What the hell am I doing with my life?

Yup, old fogies littering the top 5 - Rafa's 27 in a few weeks! Positively ancient.

Well considering they are the younger guys at the top, yes they're ancient.

Stand by for Tommy Haas to storm the top 10.

[lydian]

Federer is that old he's even had to get a haircut to match his age...



Forget EPO, these guys need testing for sanatogen!

[bogbrush]

Federer is that old he's even had to get a haircut to match his age...



Forget EPO, these guys need testing for sanatogen!

Wow, that does look quite venerable!

[Cogen]

Janowicz beats Tsonga and celebrates by ripping his shirt open like the hulk!

Better celebration than we would have seen from Tsonga, with his trademark jumpy-spinny-dance-fist-pump move???

[LuvSports!]

so he's ripped off novak's celebration?

[kingraf]

I blame Tsongas defeat on his new deal with Tommy Hifiger!

[Cogen]

so he's ripped off novak's celebration?

Oh, thats right, forgot Novak did it!

Here ya go... rewound the TV and took some snaps.

[lydian]

The Incredible Hulk emerges on ATP TOUR

[bogbrush]

The Stylist takes the first set from Murray.

(I have this result on a Djoker, by the way.......... )

[Cogen]

[Silver]

Agricultural mastery being displayed here. Murray in serious danger

[lydian]

3rd seed 'turned over' by the seed plough

Noooooooo re: the picking game!

I cant believe I'm saying this but....."come on Murray!"

[bogbrush]

Yes!
Epic 1st game goes to the maestro (big "M" goes to you-know-you of course).

[kingraf]

Must say I imagined Jerzy a little more muscular than the evidence has displayed... Score one for spray on shirts

[lydian]

The Jethro seed drill digs a deeper furrow into the 3rd seed and breaks at the start of the 2nd set!

[lydian]

Murray bamboozles the clay plough with some wizardry of his own and breaks but its to no avail, the Granollers ups the ante and presses the 'turbo' button.

[Mad for Chelsea]

I don't get why Murray's even out there, he's clearly not fit, can't move and is unable to hit through the ball without pulling up, surely he should pull out and try to get that left side sorted for RG? It was already troubling him in Madrid and doesn't look to have improved at all since then...

[Mad for Chelsea]

trainer on for Murray...

[Guest]

Come on Marcel. I put £5 down on a Granollers straight sets win at 20-1

[Guest]

Though it will be void if Murray retires

[lydian]

To be fair, Granollers isn't a bad clay digger ... injury or not I think a few of us thought this wouldn't be easy for a man so adept on the dirt as Murray. I just didn't risk the -10pts for the picking game!

Yeah I reckon BBs picking points are also void for a retirement

Only kidding...plus Murray will limp through unless he cant stand a defeat to the Massey Ferguson.

[Guest]

I was quite surprised many didn't fancy the Granollers victory. I think Murray v The Spanish normally ends in defeat for Murray.

[Mad for Chelsea]

crowd on Murray's back, morons

[Mad for Chelsea]

mind you, he looks like he's kind of tanking this one right now...

[lydian]

1-4 double break.

[Mad for Chelsea]

couple more games to ease through and there he can go and work on getting fit again for RG, though I'm still baffled as to why he's playing in the first place..

[Mad for Chelsea]

to be fair to Granollers, he's played a great match here, barely missed a shot.

I'm really worried about Murray though, he hasn't seemed fully at his best since the AO and throughout the clay has looked in real trouble physically, I worry that he's trying to just play through the pain when maybe he really needs to take time out and sort out whatever's wrong.

[Guest]

I am still baffled as to why he perseveres with Clay. He should adopt the Nadal policy on HC and maybe skip as much Clay tennis and focus on the other events

[lydian]

Granollers freezes at seeing the finishing line/ditch...Murray breaks one back.

[Mad for Chelsea]

Hmm Murray smacks a couple of shots in anger and hobbles back to 2-4, not sure this is wise at all...

[lydian]

Marcel has definitely got tight here...spraying shots all over the place. Its never easy playing an "injured" man who keeps running for stuff.

[lydian]

Injured Murray breaks back again...BB starts to get worried about his pick again

[Chydremion]

Heavy choking from granollers now.

[Mad for Chelsea]

choke alert!!!

Granollers for some reason abandoning the game plan that had served him so well for the first hour of the match, Murray swinging a bit freely now, his hip seems to have loosened up a bit after the trainer gave it a stretch, though he's still not moving properly by any means...

[lydian]

Murray is running like a gazelle...from one corner to the next...nothing wrong with his movement to this eye. Granollers is choking it.

[lydian]

Granollers plays better again and breaks to serve for the match, although you feel he wont serve it out.

[Mad for Chelsea]

another break, like a WTA match this one as Murray nets an easy-ish FH volley on the stretch, wincing once more. It's brave, but I don't think it's wise, and I'm actually hoping Granollers holds here to put him out of his misery and give him the best chance of getting fit again...

[Mad for Chelsea]

great returning from Murray who does look a little happier since the trainer's intervention, though I'm really not sure I want him out there..

[bogbrush]

great returning from Murray who does look a little happier since the trainer's intervention, though I'm really not sure I want him out there..

This is getting difficult for you now MFC.

[Mad for Chelsea]

Granollers looks like he's in a very dark place mentally right now, completely forgotten what he was doing so well earlier (ie waiting for the right ball to attack and following it in when he had Murray in trouble). Yes, Murray's starting to play a little better but Granollers's head has gone walkabout...

[Mad for Chelsea]

great returning from Murray who does look a little happier since the trainer's intervention, though I'm really not sure I want him out there..

This is getting difficult for you now MFC.

It is, clearly he has a hip problem but clearly it's not affecting him to the point where he can't play. It's not a new problem either, and we know hip problems can be difficult to get rid of (Rios springs to mind), so yes, I'm not sure if I want him to win or not quite frankly...

[lydian]

Hip twinge at most...he's moving fine, sprinting all over the place. Murray also pokes and prods at something when he's losing points or games.

[CaledonianCraig]

No doubt it is an on-going hip problem. I see where MfC is coming from but Andy must go for the win for ranking points and for a little confidence booster that a win would bring. No disaster if he loses though some will try to paint it as that.

[Mad for Chelsea]

Hip twinge at most...he's moving fine, sprinting all over the place. Murray also pokes and prods at something when he's losing points or games.

He really isn't moving fine. Also, he rarely pokes and prods after hitting crunching winners the way he has done in the last couple of tournaments.

[lydian]

How did Granola miss that volley at 5-4 up in TB....deary me.

[CaledonianCraig]

lydian I do believe you yourself cite Andy for not being as good a mover as the other top players on clay. Couple that with a hip injury/twinge call it what you will and it is a handicap Andy can do without.

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