2025 ATP General News

[MargaretMcAleer]

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess he's not dating her to make you happy.

Very funny these cougar model types are bad news period

 

[Moxie]

That is a fair assesment. I just don't have much hope for him going forward. At this rate he'll be lucky to snatch that 100th title somewhere. It's like his fire and passion is gone and maybe the recent injuries during the slams affected him too.

I think it is that...the fire and the passion are gone, or hard to find. All top ex-players talk about that. Novak has to still train and travel and be away from family, all with no results of late, which is terra incognito to him. The man has an ego, as he would need to, to do what he's done, and this can't be easy. The one thing he really wanted, the Olympic Gold, he got last summer. Does anyone seriously think that the 100th title or even the 25th Slam mean enough to keep the fires burning? His closest male rival has 22 Majors. Does anyone really care if he passes Margaret Court? Nah.

 

[Moxie]

Very funny these cougar model types are bad news period

I just had to rib you for the wording. I, personally, am not at all above judging players based on their poor gf choices.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I just had to rib you for the wording. I, personally, am not at all above judging players based on their poor gf choices.

Well I am judging him on this current choice, she probably latched onto him in the 3 months he wasnt playing, typical, it wont last let me tell you, she is 31 mind you enough said. I hope she wont be in Roma, Jannik dosent need distractions as this will be his first tournament back for 3 months and he has SF points to defend

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Schedule Alert Estoril Open for Mrzz
Fonseca is playing the fourth match tomorrow ( 2nd evening session match around 7pm)
Fonseca v Jesper De Jong

 

[El Dude]

I could see Fonzie utterly dominating ATP 250s throughout the rest of the year - at least the ones he enters. He's in a funny place, where he's already better than almost anyone in ATP 250s, but doesn't quite have the match stamina and experience to go deep in big titles. He might just have have to work his way up: win a bunch of 250s, sprinkle in 500s, then jump forward and win a Masters next year. Just a speculative path I could see.

 

[kskate2]

Than how can he afford to skip Rome? How much can he expect out of RG with no prep, given the state of his game? While I can understand that seeding is part of the calculation for Wimbledon, Novak is making decisions at a level that isn't normal for tennis. He clearly sees his window closing, because we all see it. We don't know why he's decided to skip Rome, but putting the puzzle pieces together, it doesn't add up to prioritizing RG.

He can't really afford to skip any of them in re to prep and points. But I agree w/ the general consensus: he knows the writing is on the wall. He maybe decided to skip Rome because he did not want to go there and lose R1, which would be 4 consecutive losses since MIA. I think when he got to final of Miami he really thought he was going to get 100. I think this current slump is twofold:
1. After getting to the final, he assumed he would win Miami and is having a hangover like his buddy Zed
2. He realizes how hard this is now. These young guns are not rolling over. No one is going to give him a title win. He would have to beat some youngins to face his regular pigeons in the later rounds and it's not guaranteed he will get there anyway

 

[kskate2]

Well I am judging him on this current choice, she probably latched onto him in the 3 months he wasnt playing, typical, it wont last let me tell you, she is 31 mind you enough said. I hope she wont be in Roma, Jannik dosent need distractions as this will be his first tournament back for 3 months and he has SF points to defend

what happened w/ Anna? She was way more his speed

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

what happened w/ Anna? She was way more his speed

They parted a few months ago sad to say

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

Maybe the eye injury/infection might be bothering Novak much worse than what we are being led on. There's no other way to explain how he looked so dominant at Miami (up until the final), and all of a sudden, he can't even win a match. Unless you think the Miami run is a total outlier, and he's now a consistent first round exit player.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Maybe the eye injury/infection might be bothering Novak much worse than what we are being led on. There's no other way to explain how he looked so dominant at Miami (up until the final), and all of a sudden, he can't even win a match. Unless you think the Miami run is a total outlier, and he's now a consistent first round exit player.

His eye wasnt a problem when he played Arnaldi in Madrid? if you watched the match? Novak made too many UFE for starters, the young Italian held his nerve and all credit to him for winning the match, as I posted the youngsters are not 'intimidated' by Novak at all, so his eye excuse was not a factor at all in the match, btw Arnaldi is still in the draw in Madrid making the round of 16, to play against Tiafoe later today
Just because a player played well on a hard court, dosent mean they will transfer that to clay, transition is harder btw.
Next excuse for Novak? I feel you are running out of excuses!

 

[Moxie]

Maybe the eye injury/infection might be bothering Novak much worse than what we are being led on. There's no other way to explain how he looked so dominant at Miami (up until the final), and all of a sudden, he can't even win a match. Unless you think the Miami run is a total outlier, and he's now a consistent first round exit player.

There is another way to explain it: he's 3 weeks away from 38, and his game isn't as consistent as it was. He doesn't have the same locker room aura anymore. He can't find his lockdown mode. He can't find the lines, and not because of his eye.

 

[mrzz]

Regarding Djokovic, he is going through what I always tought it would happen to all of the big 3: the fall is sharp. Their level was so high, but they kept winning even with lower levels of play using mostly experience, and the hability to play well at big points/pressure moments (something that Djokovic excels even among the very best). So, even with their level steadly dipping, they find (found) a way to keep producing results. But at some point, they cross a threshold with their level, and it is simply not enough anymore.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Just saw a video practice session with Alcaraz, both thighs strapped and preparing to play in Rome?
Quite frankly I do not think this is a wise decision

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I have been impressed with Jack Draper he was far too good for Tommy Paul 62 62 and will play Arnaldi in the QFs, good to see Arnaldi through the youngster has always had a high expectation level, I feel he is best on a faster surface
If Draper wins their match he will rise to No 5 in the rankings,.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Rome Update:
OUT: Goffin
IN:Vukic

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

With Novak's withdrawal from Rome a lot of journalists felt he withdrew so he wouldnt go out in the first round again? another theory Novak didnt have fond memories of Rome after the 'water bottle incident' which made me laugh out loud

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

A tennis journalist friend of mine texted me in the Draper v Paul match with this,
" It is ridiculous to say that I reckon Draper might win a major before Zverev"
That made my day

 

[El Dude]

For better or worse, it seems like the end is nigh for Novak.

Y'all know I've done a rather asperger's-esque amount of research on various trends, and by and large players go through the following phases:

Development (towards prime) - usually 16-20
Peak - 21-25
Early/Slow Decline (Plateau) - 26-31
Late/Quick Decline - 32+

(I consider "Prime" to overlap with peak and much of the plateau phase, usually roughly 21-28ish).

The age ranges vary, but all players go through the same phases. The Big Three extended their prime years and/or had a very long, slow decline. They also all revived themselves after extended periods in which it looked like they were about to fall off a cliff. I mean, imagine if Pete Sampras had come back in 2003 and gone deep in Slams for another six years, winning at least a few more, retiring around 2010...that's kind of what the Big Three accomplished. Sampras' last Slam and retirement at 31 seems early comparatively, but was actually later than guys like Edberg and Becker.

It also seems pretty clear that the new generation (Sincaraz) is better than Next and Lost Gens. Where the Big Four steam-rolled Lost Gen, Next Gen at least cut into the Masters, but Sincaraz are of a different order.

Before this season I said that I think the best Novak could hope for, at this point, is to be Old Man Agassi for a year or two. Now even that seems unlikely.

 

[Fiero425]

For better or worse, it seems like the end is nigh for Novak.

Y'all know I've done a rather asperger's-esque amount of research on various trends, and by and large players go through the following phases:

Development (towards prime) - usually 16-20
Peak - 21-25
Early/Slow Decline (Plateau) - 26-31
Late/Quick Decline - 32+

(I consider "Prime" to overlap with peak and much of the plateau phase, usually roughly 21-28ish).

The age ranges vary, but all players go through the same phases. The Big Three extended their prime years and/or had a very long, slow decline. They also all revived themselves after extended periods in which it looked like they were about to fall off a cliff. I mean, imagine if Pete Sampras had come back in 2003 and gone deep in Slams for another six years, winning at least a few more, retiring around 2010...that's kind of what the Big Three accomplished. Sampras' last Slam and retirement at 31 seems early comparatively, but was actually later than guys like Edberg and Becker.

It also seems pretty clear that the new generation (Sincaraz) is better than Next and Lost Gens. Where the Big Four steam-rolled Lost Gen, Next Gen at least cut into the Masters, but Sincaraz are of a different order.

Before this season I said that I think the best Novak could hope for, at this point, is to be Old Man Agassi for a year or two. Now even that seems unlikely.

Perhaps an end of an era! Novak had a nice run in Miami, looking as if he was ahead of schedule going into clay season! WTF happened? Three more losses in a row! I've been saying today's players are a lot more competitive than past generations w/ most on auto-pilot just bashing the #ell out of the ball! I'm gonna give Novak grace thru Wimbledon as he proved us all FOOLS getting to Wimbl. final, then completing his trophy case w/ OGM in Paris! Edberg & Becker burned out early since their success was unpecedented as teenagers! Becker won 2 Wimbledons, while Edberg had already won a Jr. GS & OGM B4 turning 19! Novak has already done the "Old Man Agassi" yrs., banned from 2 majors & needing the practice in qualifying for YEC in '22 going to places like Astana & Tele Viv! He just was more successful at it than Andre taking 2 more YEC's setting new rec. w/ 7, 3 more majors in '23, & wrapping it all up w/ OGM in '24! We'll see if this NG of Sincaraz can represent half as well!