CAMELOT FANTASIES

Confirmed by ATP, General Tee, thanks.  Nishikori withdrew due to left groin strain injury.  Commiserations to him and his fans.
It shows how much he had to extend himself to beat two top 5 players in a row. The sport can be brutal even for the fittest.

Congratulations to Djokovic and his fans.  He has reached the final playing only 3 matches and 6 sets - Chardy, Robredo, and Murray.

We'll find out if it is better to be rested and fresher, or battle hardened. 
I'm going to guess the former in the case of the second of back to back Masters, but we'll see.

If Nadal gets past Berdych (I know most think it's a given, considering Nadal hasn't lost in 16 matches since the 2006 Madrid insult),  it might be another big battle on slow hard court.  Just think if Masters finals were still best of 5.  I think Djokovic will be a tough man to beat in best of 3 in Miami. 

Respectfully,
masterclass

No more ifs, General Masterclass. Berych also withdrew.

SONY OPEN TENNIS 2014
NADAL TO FACE DJOKOVIC IN MIAMI FINAL
Miami, U.S.A.
by ATP Staff
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/03/13/Miami-Friday2-Djokovic-Nishikori.aspx
 |
28.03.2014
 © Getty ImagesRafael Nadal will look to win the Miami crown at the fourth attempt.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will contest the Sony Open Tennis final for the second time after both received walkovers through the semi-finals on Friday in Miami.

Nadal and Djokovic clashed in the 2011 title match at Crandon Park, with Djokovic prevailing in a third-set tie-break. The pair will meet for the first time this season. Nadal leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 22-17, but has lost his past two meetings with Djokovic, losing in the finals in Beijing and at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Read: Rafa Vs. Novak The Rivalry

Three-time Miami champion Djokovic is bidding to win the Indian Wells-Miami double for the second time in his career, having beaten Roger Federer in the Californian desert two weeks ago. The Belgrade native lifted the trophy in Miami in 2007, ’11-12.

The 27-year-old Nadal is looking to clinch the elusive Miami crown, having finished runner-up three times previously in 2005 (l. to Federer), 2008 (l. to Davydenko) and 2011.

Djokovic had been due to face Roger Federer’s conqueror, Kei Nishikori, in the semi-finals, but the Japanese player was forced to withdraw with a left groin injury.

Writing on his Facebook page, Nishikori said, “Very sorry to say that I have to pull out today. Very disappointed and I am obviously very sorry for any fans that wanted to come out for this match.

“This tournament is very special to me and look forward to coming back in the years to come. I will work with my medical team to be back healthy as soon as possible.”

Tomas Berdych then pulled out from his scheduled semi-final clash with Nadal due to gastroenteritis. The Czech is set for a return to the Top 5 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday, having beaten Alexandr Dolgopolov in the quarter-finals.

Gastro... what?  Cool story bro. Now come join me and very fine geishas and saké in Tokyo for Davis Cup. Oh, and bring Kei.


Simply Unbelievable.

Respectfully,
masterclass

I hate to be a conspiracy theorist (actually, I don't), but this is unreal. The only question is why? Why would they do that? What would they stand to gain? It's most bizarre.

But your joke was hilarious, especially the part about bringing Kei.

Ahh, well Lady TT, that's sort of a running comedic story line.  That particular Uncle Toni picture is meant as a reference to him being the Godfather of Tennis.  You know, with the control he "supposedly" exerts over the tour, making the court conditions ideal for Rafa, "fixing" the draws to favor Rafa, etc..  Also refers to accusations that certain players "bend over" for Rafa because of Uncle Toni's godfather influence and leave the path open for him to  win.  If you saw the film the Godfather, you remember the line,  "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse..." and I think some stories floating around in this case where that he arranged for Berdych to eat tainted food that caused his illness. 

So basically the idea is that whenever you see that picture, it's suggestive of Uncle Toni arranging things behind the scenes for Rafa's benefit. ')

Of course Rafa looks up to Uncle Toni, so that explains that picture. 

And you got the Berdych and "Sexy" Stepanek picture and blurb.

Respectfully,
masterclass

Ok. Grand Slam Upsets.  32 seeds to pick on, a wealth of potential upsets, no byes.

Bold are my likely upsets, Underline possibles

(1) Rafael Nadal - Robby Ginepri
Teimuraz Gabashvili - (30) Vasek Pospisil  (Vasek not playing well lately, and Gabashvili did pretty well in Barca)
(21) Nicolas Almagro - Jack Sock
Jurgen Zopp - (16) Tommy Haas
(11)Grigor Dimitrov - Ivo Karlovic   (Dimitrov needs to be focused, Karlovic can serve lights out, but it's hard to do it in best of 5)
Stephane Robert - (19) Kevin Anderson
(32) Andreas Seppi - Santiago Giraldo  (Giraldo is a good clay court player, think Seppi could be in trouble here)
Igor Sijsling - (5) David Ferrer
(3) Stanislas Wawrinka - Guillermo Garcia Lopez   (GGL can beat the better players when he is on, Stan can't slip up)
(26) Feliciano Lopez - Q
(23) Gael Monfils - Victor Hanescu
Q - (14) Fabio Fognini  (Fognini hasn't been in a good place lately, still he should beat a qualifier)
(12) Richard Gasquet - Bernad Tomic  ( Gasquet's been hurt, might not play.  Tomic's coming back from injury/operation,  who wants it less?)
Michael Llodra - (24) Fernando Verdasco
(28) Philipp Kohlschreiber - Pere Riba
Andrey Golubev - (7) Andy Murray  (Golubev can be dangerous, but better on hard I think, but then so is Murray, he has to be careful here)
(6) Tomas Berdych - Q
Q - (27) Roberto Bautista Agut
(17) - Tommy Robredo - Q
Pierre Hugues Herbert - (10) John Isner
(15) Mikhail Youzhny - Pablo Carreno Busta
Lukasz Kubot -(18) Ernests Gulbis
(31)Dmitry Tursunov - Q
Roger Federer - Lukas Lacko
( Milos Raonic - Nick Kyrgios  (Kyrgios practicing with Federer, Milos needs to be careful)
Q - (29) Gilles Simon
(20) Alexandr Dolgopolov - Albert Ramos
Martin Klizan - (9) - Kei Nishikori  (is Nishikori fully recovered?)
(13) Jo Wilfried Tsonga - Edouard Roger Vasselin   (Roger Vasselin can surprise once in a while)
Vicot Estrella Burgos - (22) Jerzy Janowicz  (Janowicz really been in a bad spell for awhile)
(25) Marin cilic - Pablo Andujar   (Andujar can be very good on the clay, remember Rio?)
(2) Novak Djokovic - Joao Sousa

My upset pick is Guillermo taking out Stan.

Ok. Grand Slam Upsets.  32 seeds to pick on, a wealth of potential upsets, no byes.

Bold are my likely upsets, Underline possibles

(1) Rafael Nadal - Robby Ginepri
Teimuraz Gabashvili - (30) Vasek Pospisil  (Vasek not playing well lately, and Gabashvili did pretty well in Barca)
(21) Nicolas Almagro - Jack Sock
Jurgen Zopp - (16) Tommy Haas
(11)Grigor Dimitrov - Ivo Karlovic   (Dimitrov needs to be focused, Karlovic can serve lights out, but it's hard to do it in best of 5)
Stephane Robert - (19) Kevin Anderson
(32) Andreas Seppi - Santiago Giraldo  (Giraldo is a good clay court player, think Seppi could be in trouble here)
Igor Sijsling - (5) David Ferrer
(3) Stanislas Wawrinka - Guillermo Garcia Lopez   (GGL can beat the better players when he is on, Stan can't slip up)
(26) Feliciano Lopez - Q
(23) Gael Monfils - Victor Hanescu
Q - (14) Fabio Fognini  (Fognini hasn't been in a good place lately, still he should beat a qualifier)
(12) Richard Gasquet - Bernad Tomic  ( Gasquet's been hurt, might not play.  Tomic's coming back from injury/operation,  who wants it less?)
Michael Llodra - (24) Fernando Verdasco
(28) Philipp Kohlschreiber - Pere Riba
Andrey Golubev - (7) Andy Murray  (Golubev can be dangerous, but better on hard I think, but then so is Murray, he has to be careful here)
(6) Tomas Berdych - Q
Q - (27) Roberto Bautista Agut
(17) - Tommy Robredo - Q
Pierre Hugues Herbert - (10) John Isner
(15) Mikhail Youzhny - Pablo Carreno Busta
Lukasz Kubot -(18) Ernests Gulbis
(31)Dmitry Tursunov - Q
Roger Federer - Lukas Lacko
( Milos Raonic - Nick Kyrgios  (Kyrgios practicing with Federer, Milos needs to be careful)
Q - (29) Gilles Simon
(20) Alexandr Dolgopolov - Albert Ramos
Martin Klizan - (9) - Kei Nishikori  (is Nishikori fully recovered?)
(13) Jo Wilfried Tsonga - Edouard Roger Vasselin   (Roger Vasselin can surprise once in a while)
Vicot Estrella Burgos - (22) Jerzy Janowicz  (Janowicz really been in a bad spell for awhile)
(25) Marin cilic - Pablo Andujar   (Andujar can be very good on the clay, remember Rio?)
(2) Novak Djokovic - Joao Sousa

good stuff here. upsets are hard to come by at slams at times. early on and on the average the lesser players are pitted against seasoned veterans.


still a fantastic thread.


I will start making some upset predictions also.

holy smokes.

GGL leads 4-0 in the 4th set.

GGL is up 5-0 in the 4th set.


wow.

GGL is a tough cookie. That was  bad luck for Stan to get him in the first round.