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]

What is it with you lot what do you want from this man... he played Ferrer and you say he played badly albeit he won, he "scraped" a win against Gulbis. He beats Berdych with one hand tied behind his back (who had just beaten the NO.1.) and you are disappointed in Berdych.. not that Rafa played like a train in that first set and pulled off some fantastic shots . He had the best match since his return from injury.. what do you want from him??? so your disappointed that he is not going to play against Novak but hopefully against Federer... is there no pleasing anyone here or do you want blood on the court .....jeeez Rafa you have been in every final since your return and still they want proof that you are the King of Clay

[lags72]

Let's not forget that Federer does have to get through a SF first.

I'm not implying that Paire's prospects are much more than slim ; indeed if Fed continues his form of this past week then they are close to zero.

However the losses to guys outside the Top 20 which were once as rare as hen's teeth will understandably become more commonplace in his advanced years. Only 3 of them in the last 18 months so it generally still takes a big name to get the better of him, but he can't carry on like that forever

And assuming he does get through to the Final, it would seem that only a virtuouso performance can stop a red-hot Rafa ..........

[Haddie-nuff]

Exactly lags he was red hot today and I dont care who he had been playing he meant business from the word off ... If the Rafa of today turns up on court tomorrow the title is his.

[lags72]

Actually, when Rafa is in this sort of mood on clay, even a virtuoso performance by his opponent could still prove to be not quite enough .......

[Josiah Maiestas]

Nadal shoulda saved that performance for final rather than semi... makes me think he might drop his level a bit next match with Fed/Paire profiting.

[Haddie-nuff]

I hope you are not putting any money on it JM

[Josiah Maiestas]

I made enough money last 2 weeks to take a few risks here and there

[Josiah Maiestas]

I need sleep though, hopefully wake up celebrating a Federer virtuoso

[Haddie-nuff]

I need sleep though, hopefully wake up celebrating a Federer virtuoso

Well if you do I should make sure you smell the coffee first ..some dreams can be so realistic lol

[Silver]

Anyone watching? Paire breaks, playing excellent tennis...

[Henman Bill]

I'm watching this one.

[bogbrush]

Paire's got a big game.

[Henman Bill]

Poor TB...missed opportunity for Paire...Federer not playing as well as his last 2 matches.

[ALPanorak]

Nicely choked tie-break from Paire. Fed was gifting UEs just needed a bit of composure and he'd be in a great position. Still, remarkable he's competing this well without a forehand

[Henman Bill]

Nadal-Federer last 4 meetings were not in finals. RG11 was the last final.

[The Special Juan]

Murray beat Federer for years without a forehand!! (Come on, before anyone complains it's a joke.............)

[lags72]

Whether choked by Paire or not, the odds tend to be in Fed's favour once you get into a TB scrap with him, so best avoid them if you can !

Last time I checked, he had the best TB stats of all players past & present.

[Henman Bill]

Did the commentator say that it would NOT suit Roger to play earlier in the day against Rafa in faster conditions? Surely that's wrong?!

[Henman Bill]

Rome is quite fast compared to Monte Carlo. Arguably faster than Australian Open, even similar to Wimbledon? What does everyone think about the court speed?

[laverfan]

Well played Federer.

Paire Should have had the first set.

Let us see what Fedal bring on tomorrow. Perhaps a good three-setter.

[lags72]

Didn't hear it but yes that WOULD be wrong. We know just how much Federer prefers conditions to be as warm/hot as possible, when the balls and court are playing faster.

Having sailed through his QF for the loss of just one solitary game, that must have had a certain sense of 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' for Benoit Paire ..........

[summerblues]

Let us see what Fedal bring on tomorrow. Perhaps a good three-setter.

I should know better but I am still looking forward to the match. Unfortunately, it could be slaughter. Obviously, I will be hoping for a Fed win, but realistically I will be reasonably happy even if he keeps it to two respectable sets.

[summerblues]

Today was probably the most aggressive I have ever seen Rafa play. He looked really good.

[laverfan]

Berdych was happy feeding Nadal with mid-court stuff (like Paire in the second set).

Good to see Nadal play with aggression. Perhaps he was a bit wary after the Berdych-Djokovic match.

[invisiblecoolers]

Did the commentator say that it would NOT suit Roger to play earlier in the day against Rafa in faster conditions? Surely that's wrong?!

Yea I heard it as well, may be they meant Roger playing Day conditions for the first time in the tournament in contrast Rafa at least played last 2 encounters on day.

[invisiblecoolers]

What is it with you lot what do you want from this man... he played Ferrer and you say he played badly albeit he won, he "scraped" a win against Gulbis. He beats Berdych with one hand tied behind his back (who had just beaten the NO.1.) and you are disappointed in Berdych.. not that Rafa played like a train in that first set and pulled off some fantastic shots . He had the best match since his return from injury.. what do you want from him??? so your disappointed that he is not going to play against Novak but hopefully against Federer... is there no pleasing anyone here or do you want blood on the court .....jeeez Rafa you have been in every final since your return and still they want proof that you are the King of Clay

Who questions Rafa's King of Clay status? if they did they would be joking, coz even wums don't question it. I would go one step and say he is the GOD of clay.

[Haddie-nuff]

Even of he lost to Roger tomorrow it wouldn´t bother me to that extent.
I cannot believe what that man has achieved since his come-back. Yes scrappy at times, tentative, nervous and sometimes just plain bloody awful. But guess what.. he wins somehow he manages to scrape it together when all else looks hopeless.
But today... yes he made Berdy look ordinary that first set he was on fire.. and he had the match sewn up from the first game. Aggression was his game.. he has tried and tested that knee and he now knows that it wont let him down. I hope Novak was watching Because Rafa has his heart set on RG-

[invisiblecoolers]

Yea Haddie, look he is not at his best which we both along with many have been advocating it, but yes whats interesting is to deliver in spite of being not anywhere close to his best.

Regarding the finals its on Rafa's racket and Fed's head, 90-10 to Rafa, but there is always 10 percent possibility of an upset, I would take any result thou.

[Haddie-nuff]

But ic that was the best he has played since his comeback.. and that I feel will give him confidence... I am never fully confident when he plays he usually starts as kingraff said as cold as a bucket of ice water... but today..he took the match to Berdy with all guns blazing.. I think he knows he can now get back some of his best tennis and I have hopes that this is the beginning of his REAL comeback. Of course he could go out there and prove me wrong tomorrow.. but let us not forget that Roger is not that partial to playing Rafa ON CLAY so it could be interesting. And they both treat each other with the greatest respect so its a question of he who strikes the first blow !!!!

[invisiblecoolers]

Yea he was partly on GOD mode, but Berd made the issue easier as well, so the result doesn't portray the exact story, can't wait for the finals eventhough I know the result

[Haddie-nuff]

Yeah I know what your saying ic but you know sometimes I think a player can make his opponent play badly... I think from the beginning Rafa does what he does best he intimidated Berdy and he bullied him frankly.As I say GOD had his I can do no wrong mode on from the beginning so you can view it from whatever your perspective.. but Rafa always leaves me wondering so I put no money on it.
And hey you never know now Roger has had his haircut !!!!

[laverfan]

“It almost doesn't matter what the surface or what the conditions are. I've got to play aggressive tennis and take it to Rafa,” said Federer. “I know he doesn't give me much on clay. He's got incredible spin.”

“I hope this time I have a better chance than at Indian Wells, where things were a bit difficult for me. He's had an incredible comeback, so I'm really happy for him. But someone has got to stop him, so I hope it's me.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/05/20/Rome-Saturday-Federer-Reaction.aspx

I just want a good competitive three-setter, no matter who wins.

[ALPanorak]

There is absolutely no way Federer is winning a set tomorrow - Nadal is carrying too much momentum to be contained. If Federer puts in a showing like he did vs Paire it won't be pretty (French Open 08 esque). I expect the match to play out similarly to Indian Wells earlier this year - Fed with a positive start, Nadal with a typically slow start before finding his rhythm and dominating comfortably.

[Silver]

But ic that was the best he has played since his comeback.. and that I feel will give him confidence... I am never fully confident when he plays he usually starts as kingraff said as cold as a bucket of ice water... but today..he took the match to Berdy with all guns blazing.. I think he knows he can now get back some of his best tennis and I have hopes that this is the beginning of his REAL comeback. Of course he could go out there and prove me wrong tomorrow.. but let us not forget that Roger is not that partial to playing Rafa ON CLAY so it could be interesting. And they both treat each other with the greatest respect so its a question of he who strikes the first blow !!!!

You've got to be kidding, Haddie! With all due respect, if you can't be confident in Rafa when he's up against Fed on clay, then there surely won't be too many situations where you'll feel at ease during a Nadal match have faith, I'm sure he'll play well tomorrow and definitely starts as rampant favourite. Rome: 6 titles, 8 finals vs 2 finals - plus the lopsided clay H2H, more than enough reason to think this'll be over quickly. Don't worry

Fed's an excellent clay-court player, but he's surely no match for Rafa. Hopefully he'll prove me wrong and make it competitive though, at least he's not injured as he clearly was at Indian Wells.

[laverfan]

@ALP/Silver... why so little faith in Federer? H2H, statistics and all that is fine.

Federer has yet to lose a set in Rome 2013, while Nadal has lost two (Gulbis and Ferrer).

[summerblues]

Federer has yet to lose a set in Rome 2013, while Nadal has lost two (Gulbis and Ferrer).

But you could also say that Federer had a dream draw, yet was pushed relatively hard by JJ and BP. Especially today against BP, it was as much due to BP's lack of experience as it was due to Fed's good play that the score ended up seemingly clean. It will be a very tough ask tomorrow. Even when Fed is at his very best, and Rafa is not, Roger will more likely than not lose to Rafa on clay. Today, Rafa looked close to his best and Federer did not; unless a very different Fed shows up tomorrow, it will be ugly.

[laverfan]

Berdych showed why draws are difficult to compare, beating Djokovic one day, and then losing to an aggressive Nadal the next.

JJ beat Tsonga/Gasquet, while Paire beat del Potro (albeit not very fit) and Benne.

While Paire may not be comparable to Ferrer, JJ is comparable to Gulbis.

No matter how we speculate, Federer himself acknowledges the fact that it is a tough task.

I do not think it will a slaughter though.

[ALPanorak]

Federer's forehand was all over the place in the semi - especially in that first set & he's confessed he's going to have to push the limits even further in order to prevail later today. I don't believe he is capable to consistently executing such an attacking game plan (or any game plan to be honest) against Rafa as the match up, especially on clay, favours Nadal so heavily. Inevitably Nadal will breakdown Fed's backhand & Roger will yield a host of UEs

[Silver]

@ALP/Silver... why so little faith in Federer? H2H, statistics and all that is fine.

Federer has yet to lose a set in Rome 2013, while Nadal has lost two (Gulbis and Ferrer).

I have plenty of faith in Federer, I was trying to boost Haddie's confidence in Rafa somewhat like you LF, I'm hoping for (and expecting) a good, competitive game of tennis. If the Federer that played against JJ turns up, he may well win. Janowicz played extremely well that day, better than many will give him credit for when looking at the score alone!

[laverfan]

@ALP...both of them have put many miles since 2006. Age is on Nadal's side, not Federer's. It is a tough task. Let us see if it will be tepid or hot Tennis tomorrow.

[laverfan]

@Silver... It would be good to have a competitive match. A Nadal win is a very likely outcome, but Federer winning is also a potential outcome. What are the betting odds, do you know?

Very interesting - http://www.bet365.com/home/FlashGen4/WebConsoleApp.asp?&cb=10880631298

[CAS]

the scoreline seems really close, was that due to Paire playing really well or was Roger a bit up and down? All due respect to Paire, seeing a scoreline like that worries me when he was Rafa in the next round...I thought it would be a lot more comfortable than that, only positive is that playing Paire must feel like playing a left hander!

[laverfan]

Paire played very well, except brain-farts due to which he lost the first set.

He caused trouble for Federer in the first game and almost broke. Federer had no aces in the first set. Pushed Federer into his BH hole, hit some good winners of both wings, especially his DHBH and a couple of DTLs. He overused DSes which really caused problems and gave Federer chances.

Federer had 3 missed BPs, and such situations seem to cause a mental block, and results in him being broken, but he broke back to level 4-4. One BP that I recall was a looping topspin going long from Federer, which came out of nowhere.

He was in trouble in the TB as well. Paire let him back in from 3-1 to 3-3.

ALP's observation that Federer's forehand was all over the place in the semi is pretty accurate. Nadal will pulverise Federer if he plays like that, a la Berdych.

The second set was Federer refocussing and holding on to his early break despite the pressure. Paire threw in the towel, unlike JJ.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Media/Videos/Uploaded/2013/5/18/Rome-2013-Saturday-Interview-Federer.aspx

[Haddie-nuff]

Thanks Silver for your confidence boost.. I know Im a weakling but it is now so long since we have seen these two in a FINAL no less . Rafa I know should win but we all know how Roger can find the magic at times ...but I also know that he very much hates playing Rafa on clay.

Respect him Rafa .. but not TOO much

[Born Slippy]

Paire played well but on that showing Roger is in danger of a beat down in the final. Suspect he will be much more focused for the big one though.

[Silver]

Good assessment of the match, LF Paire really did play well in that set, on the balance of play he probably deserved it - definitely positive winners to UE ratio, unlike Fed. He also hung in there well, after he broke Federer early in the first set he immediately had to dig himself out of a 0-40 hole. Honestly, I was very impressed with his level in the first set, easy to see why he dispatched Granollers so easily if he played like that! But we know about how tiebreaks tend to go against the man...and after that he tailed off.

I wasn't sure about the betting odds, thanks for the link though

No worries Haddie! Always have to give Feds respect, he's capable of thrashing even the best on his day, but this is tough one for him. Let's hope for some sparkling tennis

[Haddie-nuff]

Cheers lets have a good one boys !!!

[Jahu]

Has Sky UK moved it to 4pm Uk time? As its on line in Sky Italy so the match is on.

[Jahu]

Fed starts with an ace

[kingraf]

Chances on both players throwing the kitchen sink today? I just feel today is going to be rather subdued.

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