Autumn Tournaments - Run up to the World Tour Finals 2019

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All four Slams completed now and we're on to the Asian Swing, followed by the European indoor season and, finally, the O2's penultimate hosting of the year-end championship.

Medvedev, after his New York heroics, is competing in St Petersburg this week and could meet Viola of Italy, who beat Andy Murray in Majorca a couple of weeks ago.

Andy is due to pay a number of tournaments coming up. He says he's feeling fine and just needs the matches.

The Big Three plus Medvedev have already qualified for the O2. Tsitsipas should make it but after that it's a bit of a scramble.

Rafa leads Djoko in the year-so-far points table but the Spaniard is getting married next month and will miss some tournaments. Djoko's aiming to play in Asia but it remains to be seen how well he copes with his injury. Novak also has a huge number of points to defend.

There's an almighty race on to see which woman will be year-end number one. Barty has a tiny lead over Pliskova at the moment, with Halep and Andreescu also having a chance to reach the top by the end of the year.

FEDERER ALLOWS BALLBOYS/GIRLS A PIZZA THE ACTION

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/federer-basel-2019-title-reaction

Federer has pulled out of Paris this week. Bit surprising, in that he sailed thru Basel.

He played Paris last year then lost to Zverev in London so may be concentrating more on the 02 this year - and the big points on offer.

Yes, I was surprised too - especially as he was in such sparkling form in every one of his Basel matches (a little unusual .... given that these days he generally has at least one ‘sub-par‘ performance during the course of any tourney), and had assumed he would wish to take the momentum into Paris.

But seems from a brief report earlier that he does indeed intend to conserve focus + energy for London WTF and those big points on offer.

A cracking match, by all accounts, between GS champions Halep and Andreescu with the Romanian saving a second-set MP and going on to win in three.

Just now JWT has completed a terrific come-from-behind win over Rublev in Paris. Raonic bt Norrie in straights.

Osaka has had to pull out of the WTA finals thru injury. Bertens steps in.

Medvedev back in action today in Paris. Can he keep up his phenomenal form? Zverev the only other seed playing today.

That was quite some win by JWT against the very talented Rublev.

There should be several more really good contests in Paris this week ...... I believe only Fed is missing amongst the big names ..... ?

And speaking of Federer : the usual end-is-nigh articles are now beginning to have much more credibility & substance, not least in the context of his own reported comments.

My own hunch is that he is only looking at just one more year - but would perhaps extend it into 2021 IF the upcoming season proves to be a particularly good one for him ; which this one certainly has been, as evidenced by a highly creditable W/L ratio of 51/8 ahead of WTF London.

https://www.eurosport.co.uk/tennis/tennis-news-will-roger-federer-retire-in-2020-the-signs-he-could-bow-out-next-year_sto7516980/story.shtml?fbclid=IwAR2rVJk4uxK9O2eHM8087qJOjZ4rgNR1O6z5TdarD2STuH4YQAqXDqYEfiM

Kyle Edmund Wins Tennis Match. Yes, Kyle has put an end to his slump by coming thru in straight sets against qualifier Berankis in Paris.

Defending champion Khachanov, though, is out - beaten by Struff.

In Shenzhen, all the Red Group can still qualify for the semis after stand-in Bertens bt Barty and Bencic took out Kvitova.

Well done Kyle ! What a relief it must have been for him. Here’s hoping this proves to be the platform ......

Surprised to see Khachanov fall so early.

Bertens took full advantage of her ‘standby’ spot I see !

Bet Kyle was wondering where his next win was coming from. Still think it would be a good idea for him to play a couple of Challengers before the end of the season.

Dimi thru in Paris. Looking forward to seeing how Med shapes up tonight. Just have a feeling he may go out early. But I've been wrong numerous times about him in recent weeks.

Finally, a Medvedev prediction by me is correct as the Russian exits in three to Chardy. I suppose you could say that Med was due a bad result after a brilliant run.

I was rather looking forward to the Russian taking on Djoko. It also cuts down the chance of Med overtaking Fed for year-end third place.

If a (presumably tired) Medvedev couldn’t get past Chardy - a player he would surely have beaten when still in the middle of his superb run - then it seems unlikely he would have fared any better vs Djokovic.

Another withdrawal announcement today from Federer : this time from the “Inaugural ATP Cup”. He says he needs more time with the family, and to arrive fresh & fully energised for the Aussie Open. Can someone remind me what this new ATP event is all about ...... is it some sort of replacement for the DC ..... or an entirely different concept .... ? I seem to remember reading a while back that it has strong support from players ..... ?

You wait ages for a Kyle Edmund win and then two come along at once, as the Briton beats Schwartzman in straight sets. Pity is that Kyle now has to play Djoko who struggled a bit today but still won in straights. Nadal a set up v Mannarino.

Don't know anything about the ATP Cup, alas.

Andreescu injured herself in her WTA finals match and now can't qualify for the semis.

Defeats, some of them surprising, for a number of players means 02 defending champion Zverev has qualified for the WTF.

Last available place at the 02 now rests between Berrettini, Monfils, Stan the Man and, possibly, De Minaur, although all of the last three will have to either reach the Paris final or win the whole thing.

Just been reading about the possibilities for advancing at the WTA finals today. Looks like rocket science.

The rocket science with the WTA finals has been reduced to simple arithmetic with Barty beating Kvitova. Means Barty goes on to the semis and Kvitova is knocked out.

The rocket science with the WTA finals has been reduced to simple arithmetic with Barty beating Kvitova. Means Barty goes on to the semis and Kvitova is knocked out.

Big, tasty matches in Paris today ........

especially :

Dimitrov v Thiem

De Minaur v Tsitsipas

Zverev v Shapovalov

Nadal v Wawrinka

and ..... could Edmund consolidate his mini-comeback (currently on a streak of two successive wins, after his horrid troubles !) by doing the almost-unthinkable and taking out Djokovic ?? I doubt it - but stranger things have certainly happened in this sport.

Thiem a set down to Dimi, but if you look at the Austrian's record this season he has often completed come-from-behind wins. So still a long way to go.

In fact, Thiem did not go the distance, with Dimi winning easily in straight sets. Thiem tired after Vienna exertions? Paris is so often a tournament too far for the top players.

lags72 wrote: ..... could Edmund consolidate his mini-comeback (currently on a streak of two successive wins, after his horrid troubles !) by doing the almost-unthinkable and taking out Djokovic ?? I doubt it - but stranger things have certainly happened in this sport.

Head to head Djokovic 4 Edmund 1
2018   Wimbledon...... Outdoor Grass  R32   Novak Djokovic  46 63 62 64  
2018   Masters Madrid Outdoor Clay... R32   Kyle Edmund... 63 26 63  
2017   Masters IW...... Outdoor Hard.. R64   Novak Djokovic  64 76  
2016   US Open......... Outdoor Hard.. R16   Novak Djokovic  62 61 64  
2016   Masters Miami. Outdoor Hard... R64  Novak Djokovic  63 63

Surprisingly (?) straightforward wins for Dimitrov and Tsitsipas.

Edmund at least pushed Djokovic to a TB which the Number One just edged. But the second set was a breadstick.

Shapovalov has comfortably taken first set v Zverev.

Can Stan stop Rafa later this evening .....

Shapo takes out Zverev in three. This is about par for the course with Paris which has seen some strange results over the years and some surprise winners.

It's the fag end of a long season. Some of those knocked out/not even playing have already qualified for the 02.

Older posters might remember Henman winning this tournament in 03 when he played exhausted players in each round (some good wins, though) and Pavel in the final.

Rafa thru as is Monfils who will qualify for the 02 if he beats Shapo today.

It's a Dimi v Djoko semi in Paris after Djoko smashed Tsitsipas. Rafa v JWT could be a tasty match tonight.

Pliskova joins Barty, Bencic and Svitolina in the semis in the women's finals.

It's a Dimi v Djoko semi in Paris after Djoko smashed Tsitsipas. Rafa v JWT could be a tasty match tonight.

Pliskova joins Barty, Bencic and Svitolina in the semis in the women's finals.

Semi Final Lineup
Djokovic vs Dimitrov: H2H: 8-1
Nadal vs Shapovalov:  H2H: 1-1

Shapovalov is only 20.  He recently added as coach Mikhail Youzhny in August or September of this year (he has been coached by his mother from the beginning of his career).  Maybe we are going to see an improvement in Shapovalev next year - he won his first ATP title last month (Stockholm).

The new coach seems to have done the trick for Shapo who's had a string of good results.

But I'm still going for a Djoko-Rafa final. A title win for Rafa (or a Dimi win today) will ensure the Spaniard finishes the year at number one.

Djoko has beaten Dimi in straight sets. Doubt if anyone will be surprised at this result, or that Djoko could still go on to win here in Paris and take the title at the 02.

In the women's finals, Barty will take on Svitolina in the final.

Djoko's chances have just shot up as Rafa has had to pull out of his semi with Shapo due to injury. Will the Spaniard be fit for the 02 now?

That’s a big question sfp. There certainly isn’t too much recovery time before London but this WTF edition is more important than ever to him - not just because he has never won it (unlike pretty much every Big Name through the generations) - but because it impacts on who ends the year as Number One.

As so often in the past, the season has caught up with Rafa in its closing stages. This year it happened a little later than usual !

lags72 wrote:... this WTF edition is more important than ever to him - not just because he has never won it ... but because it impacts on who ends the year as Number One.

As so often in the past, the season has caught up with Rafa in its closing stages. This year it happened a little later than usual !

Nadal has bigger targets than this years WTF or finishing with the end of year number one ranking (as opposed to finishing second).  

He is perched on 19 grand slam single titles and next year could see him go past 20 titles and head towards Serena Williams and Margaret Court's singles title haul.   This year Nadal won two grand slam titles, finished runner up in another and was a hairs width away from reaching another final.  It is entirely possible Nadal could win up to four grand slam titles next year if he remains in good health - but certainly he should at least match Federer's haul next year.

NNB - May be beyond Rafa to win all four slams next year but two is quite possible. In any case I'm saving up my predictions for a "2020 Vision" topic I shall run later this month. (Have been looking at our 2019 predictions made last autumn. Makes interesting reading).

Can't see Shapo troubling Djoko too much this afternoon. Let's hope the Canadian at least makes it reasonably competitive.

I think it’s very likely that Rafa could match, or even overhaul, Federer’s Slam tally next year - but the notion that he could win all four is rather fanciful.

This year he was beaten very comfortably in Melbourne and Wimbledon (by Djokovic and Federer respectively) and only just edged Medvedev in NY. But if you really believe (NnB) that he can take all the 2020 Slams, I would get yourself down to a bookmaker sharpish - you will be offered very long odds !!

But that’s next year. For now, London is the priority for Rafa - as he himself has stressed ...........

Rafa's main aim every season is to get himself in the best possible shape for the European clay-court season.

I think if he had not prioritised this period so much he might have won fewer French Opens but might have made up for this by winning more slams elsewhere.

Didn’t see the Final ...... from scoreline seems it was a routine victory for Djokovic.

About the sort of score in the final you'd expect. Djoko will still have to make the semis at least at the 02 to secure the year-end number one.

But his consistency is such that he's likely to do just that and he can then stand a good chance of overhauling Rog's record number of weeks at number one.

Barty finished a terrific season by taking the WTA finals trophy.

That’s title number 77 for Djokovic - which puts him level with John McEnroe (although Mac, impressively, did won a whole heap of doubles too of course ....)

Just seen a few highlights of the Barty final. Nice to see touch, slice and courtcraft helping someone get to number one rather than mindless, baseline, noisy ballbashing.

Will Rafa play at the 02? Let's hope so.

Has anyone noticed the BBC's recent downgrading of their Tennis webpage - they no longer list the womens & mens top 20 nor British players in the top 200.  I wonder whether this is due to the decreasing prominence of Andy Murray.

Also for some months probably conciding with the change to the BBC Football webpage - they have prioritised the listing of womens tennis events over mens tennis events (in their live and results sections).

The BBC Sports pages tends to now prioritise "social justice" sports stories and seeks to ensure every mens sports article is balanced by the corresponding womens sports article.

Sport used to be amateur and based on local interest.  Now many of the sports stories are about social justice, human rights, various abuses and pay gaps.

BBC sports coverage is generally fairly good but not for tennis. Results are very slow to come up and the reports are somewhat perfunctory.

Don't see much wrong in giving women's tennis equal or near-equal coverage as the men's but feel that the BBC overdoes the coverage of other women's sports.

To me it's a question of standard. A reasonable non-league football side would annihilate any women's team and the same goes for the equivalent match-up in sports like cricket, rugby union, rugby league and hockey.



I've batted against women international-standard bowling in cricket and it's just like facing stuff a club player would have to contend with on any Sunday afternoon.

But if a tennis club player took on any of the top professional women players he would be thrashed. Even at the highest level the women hold their own in mixed-doubles matches. Remember how Serena was pounding back big serves when she partnered Andy Murray at Wimbledon?

That's why I never classify women's tennis as "merely" women's sport. But there's still no reason why the BBC should give it priority over men's tennis.