AUSTRALIAN OPEN, Melbourne, ATP GRAND SLAM

[Billie]

By the way Nishi had to pull out of Sydney because his hip so maybe he doesn't play or will be out early

I thought he lost in Sydney and afterwards said he injured his hip?

 

[britbox]

I thought he lost in Sydney and afterwards said he injured his hip?

Yeah, he did - he lost to Dimitrov and then mentioned the hip.

 

[Carol]

I thought he lost in Sydney and afterwards said he injured his hip?

Yep, you are right, He said it after to lose but if it's true maybe he is not ready for the AO

 

[Billie]

Thank you both for answering, who knows then. Perhaps it is not a serious injury. But it is hard to know with Nishikori.

 

[Moxie]

^Moxie is always so bitter. Berd in the 3rd round and Nishi in the 4th with Murray in the QF. Even with 2 cream puffs to start that is brutal and there is no way he's running that gauntlet at this point

Bitter? I thought I was just being funny. (Plus, unless you've failed to notice, the bitterness in the Fedal fan wars only goes one way.) You're the one that's always so worried about how Roger will do. Look at you: Berdych? He's only scalped Fed a couple of times, and, seriously, he's not at his best at the moment. Nishikori? He's got a hip issue. Without tipping my hand for my draw challenge, I think there's a clear path to the Murray-Federer QF. That's actually the simplest quarter. IMO.

 

[Mastoor]

Djoker had to play maximum number of sets in Tabasco's home tournament, I hope he won't have to play all 5 to beat him in Melbourne. How's herios feeling about the round 1 match-up?

By the way, new logo is LO in Cyrillic alphabets which is strange.

 

[britbox]

Martina Navratilova previews the Australian Open 2017 (before the draw was made)



On the men..

It's a pretty sure bet that Murray and Djokovic will be there.

Djokovic lost the plot in Doha during the second set.

Dimitrov doesn't put enough weight on the ball and is not likely to redline it long enough in a five set match.

You can't be too skinny in a long match, need body fat reserves to fall back on (Wertheim said Djokovic was looking even skinnier than usual in Doha)

Players probably don't bare their soul to the coach anymore because of the high turnaround in coaches among the top players. Don't want to reveal trade secrets!

Great to see Federer back and still Nadal grinding out. Strange situation with two players who could potentially win the tournament seeded so low.

Federer won't be playing on court 4 despite his seeding!

Older players lose reactions more than pure speed. It can make a huge difference... particularly with a player who has one handed backhand like Roger.

Once you win majors, anything less is a defeat. There is no such thing as a moral victory for Federer or Nadal unless they win it.

---

On the women...

Momentum doesn't matter too much for Serena - it's all about confidence and timing. Although preparation, timing, and recovery will take longer due to her age.

Serena, like most older players with a decreasing window of opportunity, needs to stay in the moment and not over-analyze.

Martina is going for Serena to take the title.

Margaret's Court record of 24 majors is distorted by Australian titles. Martina thinks the Virginia Slims was bigger in her time. Now it's all about the majors.

One of Kerber or Serena won't be in the final.

Pressure is off Serena because she's not the defending champion. Kerber is defending #1 and the AO title.

Pliskova has a chance - she's playing well and healthy.

Kvitova's attack was beyond belief.

Halep is working hard and putting in the work. Got the game but needs to put it together in the big matches.
---

 

[Backhand_DTL]

I think the draw is somewhat balanced. Andy's way to the quarters looks as easy as it gets because Pouille seems to be an extremely comfortable match-up for him but then it might get significantly tougher as both Roger and Nishikori are opponents he struggled against in their recent duels and the second quarter is filled with dangerous but inconsistent players so it could end up with Wawrinka/Cilic/Tsonga/Kyrgios in great form winning that one or even with a total surprise semi finalist.
Roger should have no problems reaching the 3rd round and Berdych is one of the few opponents whom he seems to handle better now than he did in his prime. Nishikori's form and health are somewhat questionable at the moment so that might also turn out to be a good draw but then it's hard to imagine him already being able to defeat Andy, though that's another player he looks better against since 2014 than before, at that point of his comeback.
For Rafa the potential 3rd round match against A. Zverev is very interesting but with Monfils and Raonic he in my opinion got more or less the best possible opponents of the top seeds for him for the 4th round and quarters so if he gets through that at least the semi final should definitely be a possibility for him.
Novak has a potentially tricky opener and a 4th round match against Dimitrov (if Grigor efficiently gets past Gasquet) might be difficult. But no seeded opponent you could imagine him to encounter before the final (Carreno Busta, Gasquet, Dimitrov, Thiem, Goffin, Nadal, Raonic, Monfils) looked like a problematic match-up for him in recent years and I even think he hasn't lost to any of those since the defeat against Nadal in the French Open final 2014.

 

[isabelle]

will Tabasco slaughter Nole as he did it with Nadal last year ? I don't think so but Nole has to stay focused and play well, it's a very tricky 1st round for him, he's unlucky this time

 

[DarthFed]

Bitter? I thought I was just being funny. (Plus, unless you've failed to notice, the bitterness in the Fedal fan wars only goes one way.) You're the one that's always so worried about how Roger will do. Look at you: Berdych? He's only scalped Fed a couple of times, and, seriously, he's not at his best at the moment. Nishikori? He's got a hip issue. Without tipping my hand for my draw challenge, I think there's a clear path to the Murray-Federer QF. That's actually the simplest quarter. IMO.

You've called him lucky every chance you get whether it come to draws or lack of injuries. I know Berd isn't some great player but we are still talking about a 3rd round match and we will see if Nishikori isn't fit. If he is ready to go that is of course a pretty brutal 4th round. That'd be a huge break for Fed if Kei loses early or is gimpy because I think Kei would take him out here if healthy. All in all I'm not going to bitch about the draw because Fed is ranked so low after injury and that's just how it is. You'd expect a few early tough matches that he normally wouldn't have if he was ranked top 4.

 

[Cosmo]

I'm making my plans for a great dinner at Outback! Let's go Roger!

I just hope the qualifiers Roger plays in his first rounds aren't TOO fired up on the "I can't win the trophy, but I can maybe beat Roger Federer!" They play like crazy and then just go away in their next match.

 

[herios]

Djoker had to play maximum number of sets in Tabasco's home tournament, I hope he won't have to play all 5 to beat him in Melbourne. How's herios feeling about the round 1 match-up?

What do you think? Pissed of course, because Verdasco finally plays well, then he draws Nole...
I am sorry for Fernando, because there is no worst place to play Novak than the AO, which is his bread and butter. Nole will win this one.

 

[Tennisproguru.com]

What do you think? Pissed of course, because Verdasco finally plays well, then he draws Nole...
I am sorry for Fernando, because there is no worst place to play Novak than the AO, which is his bread and butter. Nole will win this one.

I mean Fernando only chance is in playing Nole in 1st round, when Djoko will not be so sharp from beginning, however tough for Fernando, very tough

 

[Mastoor]

What do you think? Pissed of course, because Verdasco finally plays well, then he draws Nole...
I am sorry for Fernando, because there is no worst place to play Novak than the AO, which is his bread and butter. Nole will win this one.

What can you do. The worst draw for Verdasco and then also the worst possible 1st round opponent for No1e as well.

 

[Mastoor]

I'm making my plans for a great dinner at Outback! Let's go Roger!

I just hope the qualifiers Roger plays in his first rounds aren't TOO fired up on the "I can't win the trophy, but I can maybe beat Roger Federer!" They play like crazy and then just go away in their next match.

I hope that too. We need him to take Murray down early.

 

[Mastoor]

will Tabasco slaughter Nole as he did it with Nadal last year ? I don't think so but Nole has to stay focused and play well, it's a very tricky 1st round for him, he's unlucky this time

Nole now knows what exactly to expect after playing Tabasco in his home town recently, so i don't think there will be surprises. It is questionable weather Nole can focus for all 3 sets considering he didn't play many matches in last 7 months.

 

[Moxie]

You've called him lucky every chance you get whether it come to draws or lack of injuries. I know Berd isn't some great player but we are still talking about a 3rd round match and we will see if Nishikori isn't fit. If he is ready to go that is of course a pretty brutal 4th round. That'd be a huge break for Fed if Kei loses early or is gimpy because I think Kei would take him out here if healthy. All in all I'm not going to bitch about the draw because Fed is ranked so low after injury and that's just how it is. You'd expect a few early tough matches that he normally wouldn't have if he was ranked top 4.

He has been lucky with lack of injuries. He's said so himself. As to draws, they're luck-based, so sometimes one guy gets luckier than another. No harm in pointing it out. And even the NYTimes did, this go 'round. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/12/sports/tennis/australian-open-draw.html?_r=0 , (which says, as to Fed's: "...the draw proved relatively kind.")
He's also got 2 sets of identical twins. That's some amazing luck! He's a lucky guy. However, I've never said that he's gotten all he's got through luck, not talent and hard work.

 

[Moxie]

What can you do. The worst draw for Verdasco and then also the worst possible 1st round opponent for No1e as well.

Given Verdasco's past results at the AO, and the absence of Del Potro, he probably is the worst first round opponent. That they recently played a tight match adds some spice (pun on "Tabasco" intended,) but you might say it's good for Novak that he knows he'll have to be on full alert first round. Maybe Fernando has some confidence as to how to play him, and revenge on his mind, but I don't think Djokovic will fail to close out the way Rafa did last year.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

james mghee is playing 3rd qualifying rd. I noticed fedster is playing a "Q" in rd1..wonder if Irelands finest is thinking it could be him? if he wins.

vernando fiasco vs Djokovic..lol. nasty.

 

[Mastoor]

Vernando Fiasco