2022 In Between Grand Slam Thread

dominatinMC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119338517#Comment_119338517

Brilliant to see. Would love him to get another crack at the Nadal/Djokovic duopoly before they shove on.

Augme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119338531#Comment_119338531

He will be 29 in September. He had his chance but simply wasn't good enough. He will most likely be overtaken by the upcoming generation.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119338561#Comment_119338561

I think this will be the case.

It would be very much against the odds if he makes it back to the very top level I think.

He has a slam title to his name even if it was truly a brutal final lacking in any sort of confidence or composure on both sides - a case of the least loser wins.

And couldn't beat the Big 2 in the big finals

Krygios now branding himself as a people-of-colour tennis crusader and some sort of underprivileged tennis hero!

Some neck on him.

FYI his mother comes from Malaysian royalty, he went to a private school and he was a major beneficiary of free top-level Australian Institute of Sport Coaching as a junior (also has said that he "owes Australia nothing" in the past).

https://tennisuptodate.com/atp/tennis-is-a-white-privilege-sport-but-its-changing-kyrgios-on-reason-why-he-filmed-netflix-documentry

josip

Nadal has a reasonable chance of regaining #1 in the autumn if Medvedev doesn't go as well as last year. Djokovic has a reasonable chance of being outside the top 10 in the autumn. Is Nadal still carrying the 2019 Canadian Masters points (until Aug 15) or have they dropped off by now?

https://tennisbuzz.net/rafael-nadal-analysis-favourite-world-number-one-us-open-daniil-medvedev/

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119354083#Comment_119354083

The rankings have been a bit all over the place in the last few years due to Covid, plus no points for Wimbledon, the Russians excluded and Djokovic missing AO & most likely the US hard court season. The rankings are almost meaningless at the moment, will take a year or two for the rankings to settle back down when hopefully all these bans and exclusions are over.

josip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119354320#Comment_119354320

August 15th is supposed to be the revert data for Covid-related exemptions. I would be surprised if Djokovic doesn't try to get enough points to be in Turin in November.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119354491#Comment_119354491

I wonder if he cares that much about the ATP Finals - maybe from the point of view to play more tennis given the exclusions.

He'd have to hope that the ATP go ahead with the Shanghai Masters in early October

Aside from that there's Paris Bercy at the end of October

Might do an ATP 500 -Vienna maybe just before Bercy

Some proper points of quality highlighted here

Crowd noticeable in their demeanour, even in contrast to Wimbledon.

No silly noise during play, save the appropriate ooh or aah for the most intense parts of a point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK7MSNWNl2o

Itssoeasy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119370223#Comment_119370223

Watched most of the game but didn’t see the very end but it’s easy to watch his games as it as you say @glasso, you know you’ll get tennis of a high quality.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119370268#Comment_119370268

He has an entertaining all-court game for sure.

Easy to see why he was an immediate hit with the crowds and spectators.

To go with that there is that generally pleasant Spanish disposition, with no added tics!

josip

Damn, is it 2022 already ? Thanks yerwanthere.

basically just an exhibition event though no?

Completely, but I think there's a nice bit of closure there for Federer's and Murray's careers to be able to compete together while still officially unretired.

Who knows, might be a bit of a swansong for Nadal too.

I doubt it re Nadal - he claims he doesn't care about Grand Slam numbers but that's about as convincing as what Federer said in May 2021

“It seems like it’s only Grand Slam titles that matter these days. And I don’t like that,” 

In other news Alcaraz moves into the ATP Top 5 on Monday.

He has a 250 final tomorrow

His record in finals so far -> 5-0, 10 sets to 0

Sort of the "Anti FAA" finals record (who had lost 8 finals without winning a set at one point but who now stands at 10 finals, won 1, won 2 sets overall in those 10 finals)

And ... Alcaraz loses his first ATP final of 6 and Musetti wins a 250, his first title in his first final, on his preferred clay

has Musetti turned the corner from his more normal crashing out in the first or early rounds of ATP tournaments - will see

mind you he passed up on 5 match points in the second set so maybe just as well he won that in the third set

Alcaraz has some work to do on his backhand reliability

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119378478#Comment_119378478

didn't know about this provision for slam winners in the ATP Finals qualification rules

Basically guarantees Djokovic a place, even though the ATP gave no Wimbledon points.

He just needs to be in the current year Top 20

“The top seven players in the ATP Race To Turin after the Rolex Paris Masters on 7 November qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals,” the rules state on the ATP website.

“If there is one current-year Grand Slam champion positioned between eighth and 20th in the Race, he qualifies in eighth place. If there are two current-year Grand Slam champions positioned between eighth and 20th in the Race, the highest-placed of those players becomes the eighth and final qualifier; the lower-placed Grand Slam champion will serve as the alternate.

“If there are no current-year Grand Slam champions positioned between eighth and 20th, then the player at eighth in the Race will claim the eighth and final berth.”

So, essentially, top 20 and Grand Slam winner gets you to Turin, and Djokovic has already completed half of that. The other half, is very easily within his reach.

https://tennisbuzz.net/novak-djokovic-atp-finals-turin-qualify-danger-ranking-points/

anglesorangles

Well decent result for Musetti. Recent losses to the reasonably youthful Zverev , Sinner and Musetti has probably cooled any future Alcaraz dominance talk for the moment. Musetti is fun to watch , I wonder will he be a consistent top 5/ 10er.

Alcaraz now also up to number 2 in the Race to Turin Live rankings which are the "current year" rankings.

So Alcaraz is world number 2 based on the current year results - terrible year for him!

At the end of the year after the ATP Finals this basically becomes the ATP World rankings as all other previous year results drop off

(the Covid ranking rubbish will be gone this year thankfully to avoid confusion on that front)

With Alcaraz's best surface being hardcourt it's not inconceivable that he could finish as world number 1, with all the remaining big point events up until the end of the year being hardcourt (US Open, 3 x masters 1000, ATP Finals) particularly if Nadal goes out early at the US Open

Alcaraz of course made that massive breakout becoming the youngest ever US Open ATP quarterfinalist, having to retire with injury

His strong "sunshine swing" showing on the hardcourts earlier this year backs this up where he took down a title

Alcaraz will for sure (barring injury) be playing all the masters 1000's in Canada, Cincinnati, Paris - Nadal not sure

Nadal still has the advantage of course currently on the points

Not at the ATP Finals though which he has never won even once, despite something like 15 or 16 qualifications, making only 2 finals indeed, back in 2010 and 2013

As a result if he's on the fence he has been known to not even attend, even when fit as he's not really at the races on the indoor hardcourts - never having taken a title at Bercy or Shanghai either

https://www.atptour.com/en/rankings/singles-race-to-turin

yerwanthere123

Dare we dream?

https://twitter.com/Alex_Boroch/status/1552315115999043591

Musetti follows up his 250 win by going out to a journeyman countryman (ATP 151 Cecchinato) in Croatia

Not much consistency there.

Thiem's comeback trail continues with a loss to the ATP 140 in the Kitzbuhel open that must have one of the lowest-ranking ATP fields this year after Ruud and Berrettini pulled out

WTA 45 Garcia is not just up to easily disposing of Raducanu at Wimbledon but also takes out the WTA 1 Swiatek on her "best surface".

And Raducanu herself has a new coach who is... wait for it... Russian!

https://www.givemesport.com/88040712-emma-raducanu-warned-new-coach-will-lead-to-her-being-used-as-propaganda-by-putin

Alcaraz - Sinner on at 7pm today

Possible worry for Alcaraz on his ankle - hopefully not an issue to affect the match.

1-1 in the head-to-head

5-1 each in Finals

Finely poised.

Sinner, even though his game is not as expansive as that of Alcaraz is really seeing and hitting the ball so cleanly recently.

Alcaraz hops over Tsitsipas and moves up to number 4 in the world on Monday regardless of the result.

And Sinner takes it in 3 after a tiebreak going to Alcaraz then two dominant sets for Sinner.

Still would imagine that Alcatraz will be looking forward to a good rest of the year on the hard courts, his best surface by a measure.

It's Nadal, him and Medvedev that will be the three in the running for year end world number 1

igluandhartly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119413487#Comment_119413487

Just wondering how its his best surface by some measure? His win % is better on clay , he has won double the amount of his matchs on clay , he would have been brought up on clay , its listed as his preffered surface on itf website. His best result in a grand slam is quarters , roland garros and us open. His masters win is 1 on clay (his most impressive, beating Djock Nadal and Zverev) and 1 on hard(kecmanovic ,hubacz and Ruud) His other 3 titles are ALL on clay , even his other two final losses have been on clay. I just cant even see evidence hard is his best surface , never mind by some measure?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119414257#Comment_119414257

ah just great to see boards attracting new members in July 2022!

Alcaraz has won several smaller titles on clay but only but has more impressive results on hardcourt in the bigger tournaments (masters 1000 and slams) and is recognised as a more effective player on the hardcourts relative to his peers in the Top 10 compared to clay

he made his breakout becoming the youngest ever 1/4 finalist at the us open, only going out to injury

He won the next gen finals on hardcourt

Alcaraz was the most dominant player in the sunshine swing masters series this year in the US

he made the semi final at Indian Wells Masters 1000 hardcourt

he won Miami Masters 1000 hardcourt

he also narrowly lost to Berrettini in Australia in 5 sets and would have made the semi final otherwise. he should have won that match but a little inexperience cost him

on clay Alcaraz has 1 masters 1000 title at Madrid which for those in the actual know that is at altitude which affects the ball travel and bounce and very much suits hardcourt players much more than any other big clay court tournament and doesn't actually suit the real clay-courters like Nadal

Nadal, the best-ever clay court player has a pretty poor record there in Madrid relative to at Monte Carlo and Rome (only 1 win in the last 8 years compared with many more wins in the same timeframe in rome and monte carlo) compared to other Clay masters 1000 like Rome and players like Murray and Federer who are/were not as good on clay as they are on hardcourt are multiple winners in Madrid but not at other Clay masters

Federer has never even a single Masters title at either Rome or Monte Carlo clay masters in his long long career but has won 6 titles in Madrid

Alcaraz beat Zverev so easily in the Madrid final but was beaten by Zverev at Roland Garros

Alcaraz lost very early in Monte Carlo and skipped Rome so definitely did not in any way have a dominant masters series there compared to the hardcourts in the US

and his clay masters 1000 title comes from Madrid, the hardcourters' clay masters of choice, as explained

anybody with a half-reasonable knowledge of tennis will tell you that Alcaraz is more of a hardcourt threat than on clay currently.

his biggest assets of powerful forehand are fare more likely to produce outright winners on hardcourt compared to clay as the ball comes off the surface faster than clay and likewise his top-level movement is most effective on hardcourts

igluandhartly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119414674#Comment_119414674

Tbh there is a lot there thats your opinion. Mine was actually factual. His win % is higher on clay. His most impressive wins were on clay , his most tournament wins by far is one clay. He has 1 hardcourt win, beating Casper Ruud in the final. We will see in a few months. Sinner looks to really have his number , be interesting to see if he dominates the hard court stretch. I think the argument can be made for either surface but claiming one is his best by a measure is incorrect.

It's completely factual that the Madrid court is at altitude and plays to the strengths of non-traditional clay players - this has been the case always and is factually borne out by the results where the best clay court player ever Nadal has less than half the titles there than any other clay masters and has only 1 title in the last 8 years

and where Federer who has not won a single masters title at Rome or Monte Carlo in 20 years of playing has 6 titles at Madrid!

that's where Alcaraz won his one big clay title - because his big hitting forehand does a lot more damage there than it does at any other significant clay title location

“Madrid is around 667 m above sea level, while the other big clay court events are pretty much all at sea level. This means the ball travels faster through the air in Madrid and is also a bit livelier off the court. This makes big servers and big hitters more effective, as they are able to hit through the court more than on clay courts at sea level. What this means for Nadal is that he will have less of a chance to get himself into points on return. The conditions also make it more difficult for him to run around his forehand.

https://tennishead.net/the-conditions-make-it-difficult-for-rafa-nadal-madrid-challenges-revealed-by-expert/

in Alcaraz's other clay titles which he didn't have to beat any big players

-> Gasquet, Schwartzman, carreno busta - NOT top players and well well below even Ruud

Alcaraz's small clay tournaments he didn't have to beat any big players in the final

So he has 3 small clay titles beating nobody of note

1 masters title and a SF on the hardcourts on the sunshine swing. The best performing player of all in the sunshine swing hard court series

1 masters title on a clay court that doesn't play like any other big clay court event and where players like Alcaraz can profit far more successfully than any other big clay court location

it's all very factual

igluandhartly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119415800#Comment_119415800

But sure look who did he beat in his ONE hard court title? Alcaraz lost 8 matchs (delien, russuvori ,monteiro amongst these) in 2021 on hard court winning less than double that number. You are cherry picking fairly bogus examples. Also busta and specifically schwartzman have been serious clay court players , better miles better than ruud on a hard. The pertinent facts , he has a higher win % on clay , he has won more than double the amount of matchs on clay , he has grown up on the surface. He has way more tournament wins on clay. I dont doubt its possible hard could ends up being his best surface but to say it obviously is now is just a bit comical. He has not even a 2nd hard court final appearance! Hes recently lost 2 , on you guessed it - clay. Im sure you wont backtrack but the facts just arent there for you. We will see how he does in the next few months, if he wins the US or a couple of masters then maybe you will have found to be correct. Edit - Haha just noticed your beating nobody of note he beat tsitipas in Barcelona on clay , french open finalis(schwarzman was a semi). And in rio ,delbonis , fognini, and berretini.

igluandhartly

You are going to have a hard time convincing anybody that hard is his best by some measure when he has 4 wins and 2 finals losses on clay vs 1 win and no final losses. Then you throw in his higher win% and his more than double in clay court wins it just feels like your original comment was pure trolling the thread.

the facts about Madrid are well recognised and the results over the last 20 years there are obvious in that regard.

Alcaraz's game is more suited to hard court success taking his primary strengths of strong forehand and movement into account and he actually was the standout player in the sunshine swing as everyone saw and as his results showed.

but some posters just won't be around for long as per usual so I'm not going to get myself into a squiggle about it!

igluandhartly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119417312#Comment_119417312

You are fixated on this one tournament , not his win % higher , his 5 other finals , his win % higher against top 10s. His movement favours clay. His coach has said clay is current best surface. You were wrong , hard is not his best by some distance. Hopefully for his sake its his best , he cant seem to get near Sinner , no breaks of serve in 7 sets of tennis is nuts.