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May/15

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This may be the greatest French Open of them all

djokBB

Think about it…three Super Champions, each with a very strong belief that they can win the French Open right now.

Novak Djokovic is playing arguably the best tennis we have ever seen, taking the ATP tour to a new height, above and beyond two of the greatest champions in tennis history, Federer and Nadal. He is seeking to win this ever so elusive championship, which would be his first French Open title and would complete a historic career Grand Slam.

Rafa Nadal, is gunning for his record tenth title in Paris, a place where incredibly he has only lost one match his entire career.

And Roger Federer, the all time leader with seventeen major titles, enjoying a renaissance, surging back to number two in the world, just barely off the pace of the leader of the tour, Djokovic.

All three players are loving their chances to raise the trophy next Sunday, and a case can be made for all three to win this prestigious tournament. Djokovic is the best player this year, by far. Nadal is the greatest clay court player in history, and despite a substandard season, he could be subconsciously saving his best for his favorite court on the planet, Chatrier.

Federer, who has a near perfect draw, is also a very serious threat to win the title. He’s stymied Djokovic before on Chatrier, in the semis three years ago. He’s also played him close, very close, the last times they’ve played. With the French crowd support to his advantage, it’s possible he can raise his game again and shock Djokovic, who does not respond well when the stadium cheers for the Swiss maestro and against himself.

Federer has chronically struggled with Nadal’s style of play, however he has not played him since the Australian Open last year, where he lost in straight sets 67 36 36. Nadal has beaten Fed five times in a row. But since that most recent loss, Fed has changed racquets, changed coaches from Annacone to Edberg, and he’s become a better more aggressive player, and it’s possible he can finally overcome Nadal with his revised arsenal. We have not seen the new and re-tooled Federer face the seemingly fading Nadal yet, so if they were to meet in the final, it would be a most intriguing confrontation.

With all these appealing angles and storylines, I just can’t think of another French Open when there were three super champions, all with excellent chances to win the title. Even outside of the Super Three, there are several young guns who are emerging as superstars and each is showing he’s capable of making magic happen.

Thanasi Kokkinakis, just eighteen, came back from two sets down and three match points down to beat Bernard Tomic in five sets. Earlier this year he beat Ernest Gulbis in five sets in Melbourne, another sensation victory on the grand stage.

And Jack Sock, the reigning Wimbledon doubles champ, destroyed top tenner Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets.

Borna Coric defeated savvy veteran Tommy Robredo in five sets. These are the kinds of wins which show Coric, Sock and Kokkinakis are very special players and, who knows, maybe they can pull off another Michael Chang, who if you remember, won the French Open as a longshot seventeen year old back in ’89.

But the main headline of this Roland Garros is that Federer, Djokovic and Nadal all are in the mix and each surely must feel confidently thrilled that they will be the one to conquer Paris in 2015.

22 comments

  • gans · May 28, 2015 at 11:44 pm

    Scoop, how come u didn’t mention Murray who has reached semis in FO before and is playing better than ever before on clay?

    In my eyes, Federer does not have the game to beat Nadal. He does not have much chance against this Djokovic either. Nadal or Djokovic needs to kill each other in order for someone else to win this FO. Should Djokovic continue to ay the type of game he has been playing, when tbe dust settles, he will be the last man standing!
    Go Nole!

  • Bryan · May 29, 2015 at 12:08 am

    This French Open could end up an epic one. Djokovic and Murray are both undefeated on clay this season so both are primed up to take their first FO. Nadal is always dominant, but looking vulnerable so will he rise up as usual? Some interesting storylines but as always I’m in it 100% only for as long as my guys Isner, Janowicz and Gulbis are gone.

    So yeah, the dream is gone.

  • Gaurang · May 29, 2015 at 2:44 am

    Do not underestimate Murray. He has finally learned to play very well on clay.

    I personally wish that Djokovic deserves to win and I am hoping he does. But the draw is completely against him — he would have to defeat Rafa in QF, Murray in SF and Federer in F. This is impossible even for him I think. A very, very high bar.

    My predictions:

    Top half:

    My highest bet:
    (1) Djokovic defeats Nadal in QF.
    (2) Murray beats Djokovic in SF.

    My next highest bet:
    (1) Djokovic defeats Nadal in QF
    (2) Djokovic defeats Murry in SF.

    Bottom Half:

    My highest bet:
    (1) Federer wins SF.

    My next highest bet:
    (2) Nishikori wins SF.

    ::Finals::
    (A) If Federer makes it to Finals, he wins RG.
    (B) If Federer does not make it to Finals, the entry from the top half into the finals, wins the tourney.

  • Dan Markowitz · May 29, 2015 at 3:16 am

    Also, Bryan, there are still two American men still in the draw. You mentioned Sock, but don’t forget SteveJo. Izzie is never going to go deep into a slams. The one quarters he has is about as far he’ll go and that was well back in time. Wertheim made an apt remark about him today, if his serve is even 10 per cent off, he’s in trouble because he often, especially in a best of 5, can’t make that up with the other part of his game.

    I mean do you know it’s been 13 slams since Izzie made the quarters of the 2011 US Open, and even in that event, he beat Bogey in the 3 rd round and Simon in the 4th, not exactly a Murderer’s Row. Then he lost to Murray in 4. In those 13 last slams he’s played, do you know how many times he’s reached the Rd of 16? Once! Izzie’s going nowhere in slams even if his coach was Harry Hopman.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 29, 2015 at 7:07 am

    Gans, I just don’t rate Murray as having a chance to beat either of the top three, as well as he’s playing, and though he beat Rafa on clay just recently, I think the big story is the Big Three. But Murray could well prove me a fool though 🙂

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 29, 2015 at 8:33 am

    Steve Johnson has to play Wawrinka next, not fancying his chances with Stan at all. Stan is particularly fired up now too, with the Roland Garros site actually posting a dirty laundry story about his divorce, which was later pulled on complaints by Stan. I say edgy Stan routs Johnson, this would be a huge upset career best win if Steve can pull it off. I think Isner is proving himself to be your classic major underachiever, like a Brad Gilbert. We know Isner is capable of beating anyone, including Fed and Djokovic, but he does not play his best tennis in majors. Tim Mayotte tweeted that Isner should not play the week before the slam, which he seems to do all the time. Rest up during the week before a major, suggests Gentleman Tim.

  • Dan markowitz · May 29, 2015 at 11:59 am

    It doesn’t matter whether he rests or not. Didn’t he rest before last year’s Open and how’d he do? I think psychologically Izzie knows he’s fried when it comes to a tournament of five-set matches. I don’t know if I’d call him an under achiever. In today’s game he’s just not that good because his game is one dimensional.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 30, 2015 at 8:37 am

    Maybe Isner is one of those players just to show some flashes of greatness, and huge tennis, but when it counts most, he comes up short. In the category of Marcelo Rios, Todd Martin, Thomas Enqvist, Davydenko, Todd Martin, Cedric Pioline, Monfils, Tsonga, Verdasco, etc.

  • Harold · May 30, 2015 at 10:09 am

    Scoop, those giys have losses in Major finals, against great players, except for your boy Rios, that had juicing Korda.
    Isner still dreams of having that kind of success, let alone winning Najors.

    Sock taking Coric to the woodshed. Growing pains for Coric, the moment might have hit him where it hurts most, the brain.

  • Harold · May 30, 2015 at 10:23 am

    My bad. some only had Semi’s as their best result, another goal for Isner.

    The summer Isner broke through on the tour, if you told him he would spend his career between 10 and 20 for multiple years, make some decent dineros, but only make one slam quarter in this big 4 era.Taking into account his movement issues, best of 5 in Majors, I think he would have said he’d take that career, and live happily ever after.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 30, 2015 at 12:46 pm

    Isner is definitely a huge overachiever. His career has been a great, unexpected success. And I’d say he’s still in the third quarter of his career, a whole lot of time to score his biggest success in majors.

  • Gaurang · May 30, 2015 at 3:35 pm

    Pleasantly surprised by Sock again. He defeated Coric easily. Didn’t see the match but Sock must have played really well. Against Nadal though he is definitely the underdog. Glad to see him reach last 16 though.

  • Gaurang · May 30, 2015 at 3:37 pm

    Somehow we should come up with different slam metrics where we discount the loss if he lost to the Big Four. Inner would have lost many matches to them in the slams.

  • Harold · May 30, 2015 at 3:53 pm

    Kohly three years in a row at the US Open is a horrible result for Isner. Kohlshreiber is a good player, top 30, but Isner should still be kicking himself for those losses

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 30, 2015 at 5:35 pm

    Kohlschreiber is an underrated player. PK must like to play Isner.

  • Dan Markowitz · May 30, 2015 at 6:50 pm

    Izzie’s career has not been a big success. He’s reached one quarters? How can you say anyone’s career, even a guy like Blake who got to No. 4, is a big success if in the biggest tournaments they played poorly.
    Izzie has reached one quarters and only three Rd of 16’s and he’s only been beaten by a Big 4 member three times in a slam in his career.

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 30, 2015 at 6:58 pm

    Huge wins vs. Fed in DCup, vs Djok in a Masters, Masters series final, consistent top ten ranking, several singles titles, extending Nadal to five sets in FO, co-member of the most amazing match in tennis history with Mahut. Isner is a tennis legend.

  • Harold · May 30, 2015 at 7:00 pm

    Dan,
    Would you take Izzies career in tennis for your son?

  • Dan Markowitz · May 30, 2015 at 9:11 pm

    If my son has Izzie’s career, I’ll cut off his allowance at 30.

  • Harold · May 31, 2015 at 8:15 am

    He made 7.7 million from on court earnings…Probably made another 7 off court, Nike, Lacoste, Prince and Bass pro fishing.

    career high 9,

    Think a lot of players would sign on for that career, especially kids that didn’t have hype, junior slams

  • Bryan · June 1, 2015 at 3:17 am

    Interesting discussion about Isner. Disappointed he got bounced but he’s still in development. Strange to say at this late stage of his career but fact is he’s been a project since high school. It took a lot of work to make his serve/forehand dominant on serve.

    Now they must keep him aggressive on the return. Gimelstob finally has him doing it, and dividends are just starting to come.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 1, 2015 at 8:11 am

    One of the problems with Isner is he has to work so hard to win every match, if his great serve and baseline sharpshooting go off even slightly, he struggles and has to grind and battle and earn it. Seems like almost every match is a battle for Isner and even if he wins a few good matches, it’s hard for him to keep his high level. If he goes just a little off, he’s gotta grind. It’s just never easy for Big Iz. Isner wins enough to get to that edge of greatness but so far he still has not taken the big step over to greatness.

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