Tennis season 2018- 2019

Always a treat to watch these two go at it in a final . It’s the last tournament before the French and the Spaniard is in a slump , well by he’s standards at least. Three straight defeats against Thiem, Fognini and the young Greek Tsitsipas. If he doesn’t win a clay title before RG I think that’ll be the first . It’s certainly not a good omen, for sure not good for he’s confidence. But he will get one more shot today with the court in Rome playing much slower than Madrid which is how he likes it . As for the French we will see ,,, myself I had a motivated Djokovic winning it ever since he won Wimbledon. Sooner or later the inevitable is going to happen. Nobody can keep on winning forever .

I’m excited aswell for this years RG. Unlike previous years when Nadal looked like a shoe in , this time around it doesn’t seem to be the case.
There have been times during this clay court season when RN has struggled, and looked vulnerable and ordinary .
He isn’t that young any more and you wonder with he’s style of tennis how much more that body can take before getting injured again . I’ve always been a huge Nadal fan it’s just that Federer’s game is less taxing on him , it’s more effortless. That explains why he’s still capable of playing at the age of 36 .

Happy aswell that he will be playing. When he’s gone he will be sorely missed. Greats like him can never be replaced.
But him winning it I’m not so optimistic. Two weeks of long clay matches can be brutal on a 36 year olds legs , even for great athletes as himself.

Bred Sob said:

I wonder if anyone had a chance to watch Dominic Thiem play in Barcelona. It was impressive indeed, especially the way he dismantled Nadal. I won't go as far as saying it's the end of Nadal's reign on clay, but the way things stand today, Thiem should be considered a favorite in Paris.

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He was always going to be one of the favourites, after all he was one of the finalists at RG. It’s just that he’s odds got shorter since winning Barcelona.
He is a very likeable player on the circuit. Not the most strongest player mentally but he’s getting more consistent lately and surely he’s game is most suitable on clay. Great potential with one of the heaviest top spins in the game.

Bred Sob said:

I must admit I am partial to guys using the one-handed backhand. The best stroke in tennis when done right. Federer, Wawrinka, Sampras before them. Thiem, Shapovalov, Tsitsipas among the youngsters. I hope Thiem makes it big.

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I think that most tennis fans would agree with you . Done right it’s a tennis stroke that looks effortless . It’s easy on the eyes , it’s a thing of beauty. No wonder people like watching the great Federer play. At full stretch players can hit the ball much earlier which is advantageous if they wish to serve and volley for example. Sampras did that a lot with he’s. Wawrinka’s and Tiem’s are not only great looking strokes , they’re also one of the strongest in the game . Richard Gasquet has a very good one and Justin Henin on the women’s side hit the ball so well. Shapovalov’s and Tsitsipas aren’t as reliable or powerful but still great to watch.
However beautiful though many believe that the one handed backhand is not as effective or powerful as the two handed backhand.

No_Church_InThe_Wild said:

However beautiful though many believe that the one handed backhand is not as effective or powerful as the two handed backhand.

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That may be so, but will, say, Djokovic agree after he lost the French Open final to Wawrinka in 2015? And then again, the U.S Open final in 2016? Wawrinka basically won both tournaments by his backhand.

Good preview Sasha libertarian. I see you know your tennis .

Salut Sasha, c'est quand qu'on échange des balles?

Pas sûr que Felix en soit à son premier grand Chelem. il me semble que l'histoire dit que Shapo l'a battu l'an derneur à l'US open...mais c'était peut-être en qualifiactions...à vérifier!

Un pronostic...si Felix gagne à Lyon...il sera un prochain no1 au monde, car à 18 ans il est sans égal. et pourquoi pas... il ya eu un no 1 suédois, un suisse, pourquoi pas un canadien, excusez-moi, un québécois!