CAMELOT FANTASIES
Camelot Tennis Universe => General Pro Player Discussions => Topic started by: masterclass on October 21, 2014, 06:20:27 am
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Andy has just looked himself ever since that back surgery lady TT.
I am hoping for 100% recovery and better fitness for him by the time Wimbledon arrives.
He really hasn't, but the signs are there. Maybe it'll just take a bit longer. I guess getting to the final wasn't too shabby, but he still had some good chances that he let slip away.
that was supposed to read he has not looked himself after the back surgery.
first set was key for him and he let it slip away. that may have led to taking the 2nd set which he did anyway after a heartbreaking loss of the first set in a breaker.
so yes he was there briefly. he could have taken it in straights.
nole is too fit. players have nothing left in the end against him.
he is outworking them all on the fitness front.
and he works on everything in practice.
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Andy has just looked himself ever since that back surgery lady TT.
I am hoping for 100% recovery and better fitness for him by the time Wimbledon arrives.
He really hasn't, but the signs are there. Maybe it'll just take a bit longer. I guess getting to the final wasn't too shabby, but he still had some good chances that he let slip away.
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Andy has just not looked himself ever since that back surgery lady TT.
I am hoping for 100% recovery and better fitness for him by the time Wimbledon arrives.
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Yeah, Andy looked gassed after the second set, which was weird. He didn't make the most of his opportunities and he definitely needs to work on that second serve, because it was not good.
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nole won 12 of the last 13 games.
not much you can do when somebody is that fit and that determined.
andy has work to do: he has got to develop a dominating serve to make up for a top flight killer forehand which he does not have.
at the top of the game today you simply must have a very dominating forehand.
and its a given that you need a big serve at the top. it must be big enough for you to be able to take care of it and hold when you need it the most.
that makes it easy to develop your break opportunities. otherwise you are always under the gun.
still andy had his chances. he just did not manage to capitalize. he had a chance to snatch the first set breaker.
he led in the 3rd but started to run out of steam.
my guess is that andy could have taken this in straights had he won the first 2 sets.
he was close and yet so far away.
ultimately he would run out of gas and nole just took advantage.
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Yes, Andy for the title. I knew Rafa wouldn't be able to get past him or Tomas, not with seven measly matches. It is time for Andy's star to shine again so here's hoping he wins.
Novak 16-3 vs Stan
Novak 15-8 Andy
Murray 8-6 Stan
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Let's hope he can get the title!
It's about time really.
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good morning folks.
I predicted that andy would win in 4 sets on twitter.
so now for the title.
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great post lady TT.
well said. previous levels are not attainable now. too many setbacks and too many comebacks.
I am just hoping for a decent clay season and his 10th RG. that is more than enough.
You crack me up, CD. For the most part you seem to be such a chill guy whose feathers never get too ruffled, but Rafa really gets to you. I can't help but laugh. I'm sorry. Clay Warrior will be fine. Fingers crossed.
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great post lady TT.
well said. previous levels are not attainable now. too many setbacks and too many comebacks.
I am just hoping for a decent clay season and his 10th RG. that is more than enough.
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Dear fellow posters and readers,
Let's wish heartfelt commiserations to one of the great players of our time, Mr. Rafael Nadal, who was obviously seriously compromised even before the tournament had begun due to a prolonged period of inactivity and corresponding lack of consistent form, but still had the courage to play in this major event even though he humbly proclaimed beforehand that he wasn't good enough to win. :( He gave it his best, and the amount of matches he played should help him shake off more of the rust as he finally gets off the hard courts and begins his clay campaign in South America. Rafael will need to continue to work on his fitness and his return of serve foremost, and consistency and confidence should come with more match play and wins.
Let's also wish a hearty congratulations to Mr. Tomas Berdych, who in a considerable number of meetings with Rafael has been up against the fence so long, the splinter scars must be permanently etched on a certain portion of his anatomy seen only by his fiance. Yet Tomas finally managed to overcome his long ignominy to not only prevail in this match, but to completely subdue his obviously impotent tormenter for a long part of the match, and when the inevitable final challenge arose from the mighty warrior, was able to surmount his doubts and complete his victory with a flourish. :) 8) He has a reasonable chance to make a final in this Australian Open with his solid play, new team and confidence.
Best of luck and health to both players as they recover from this match and continue their journey throughout the year.
Respectfully,
masterclass
What a great post, masterclass. This is exactly how I see it. I didn't expect much from Rafa coming in with so few matches and as you said, six months of inactivity. He was not battle tested so my expectations were low. In fact, I try not to have expectations because these players are only human.
And, I have to admit I am glad that Tomas got the monkey off his back. I wasn't pleased with many of the articles that came out and the commentators making it a point to reiterate how Tomas had lost to Rafa seventeen times in a row. It was very important for Tomas to win that match.
Rafa will be back, and if he never reaches his previous levels, que sera, sera. I can only be thankful for the tennis I've witnessed for the last decade.
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this is his 4th comeback after sustained injuries and setbacks.
he is not young anymore. natural levels of VO2max start to vanish with age. you have to work much harder on the fitness front.
he really let his fitness go after the end of 2010. he has been losing ground ever since then.
and nole--as you have correctly pointed out---kept taking his fitness to higher and higher levels ever since the end of 2010.
and now just about all of them are ultra fit. guys close to 10 year older than rafa are fit and winning titles.
injuries and setbacks came as a result of decisions to drop some fitness and on court work. thrown in the mad obsession for hard courts and you have what you have.
a dramatic drop in his ground game with little or no confidence in it.
clay is the wellspring from which he flows.
he has to regain his fitness and his physicality and then start winning on clay. that is the only way he can get back into the swing of things.
he also just has way too many other interests and obligations that could have waited about 3 years.
rafa ia rafa. he will do things his way.
what was the reason to not practice his return for 2-3 days going into the berdych match?
why the need to push so many backhands against Anderson when he knew he would need his topspin backhand against berdcych and andy murray?
I am sad and upset. he wont change a thing.
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Agreed general hercules. I think he has maybe one or two big pushes left in him, if he wants it enough. But these days everyone is stressing the fitness + mental game. If you don't have it, it's very difficult to be near the top for long.
I don't remember which forum in which we talked about it, but remember our chat a long time ago about Nadal hiring Muster's trainer/fitness coach Gebhard Phil-Gritsch and how it would have done Rafa a lot of good? Well, instead Novak Djokovic hired him.
I firmly believe this is the main reason how Novak Djokovic rose from where he was in 2009/2010 and has been the top player overall since 2011 with 3 Year end #1's and 6 majors. Before this, Novak was one of the physical jokes of the tour among the better players with many retirements. Now he's recognized as one of the fittest if not the fittest and elastic player in the game. His fitness improved drastically, which allowed his game to flourish.
In comparison, Rafa has gone the other way. Now perhaps that's also due to the many injuries, but it's a catch-22. Injuries can keep a player from getting fit, and lack of fitness often leads to injury. But I can't help feeling that if Rafa had had Gebhard Phil-Gritsch in his corner how his career could have been different and perhaps could have maintained and even improved his fitness levels since 2008 and what an even more dominant player he might have been.
Oh well, could have, should have, we don't know of course, but to see Rafa like this now after what we saw a few years ago is sad. He still did well in 2010 and 2013 despite having fitness issues that were masked by his youthful extreme fire and energy and competitiveness in a match, but required lengthy breaks prior to those efforts. But as he ages, that is no longer enough. The fire inside him can't breath well enough without the proper oxygen levels, it takes longer to get back into form after lengthy time away, and so on . His strength as you mentioned, was pitiful, in those first two sets, compared to what he was before. The good news is he is still #3 for a little while, but that could soon change with players like Nishikori, Raonic, Berdych pressing behind him. Does he have it in him to do what it takes to get back his fitness? He's risen from the ashes before. Only time will tell us...
Respectfully,
masterclass
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Dear fellow posters and readers,
Let's wish heartfelt commiserations to one of the great players of our time, Mr. Rafael Nadal, who was obviously seriously compromised even before the tournament had begun due to a prolonged period of inactivity and corresponding lack of consistent form, but still had the courage to play in this major event even though he humbly proclaimed beforehand that he wasn't good enough to win. :( He gave it his best, and the amount of matches he played should help him shake off more of the rust as he finally gets off the hard courts and begins his clay campaign in South America. Rafael will need to continue to work on his fitness and his return of serve foremost, and consistency and confidence should come with more match play and wins.
Let's also wish a hearty congratulations to Mr. Tomas Berdych, who in a considerable number of meetings with Rafael has been up against the fence so long, the splinter scars must be permanently etched on a certain portion of his anatomy seen only by his fiance. Yet Tomas finally managed to overcome his long ignominy to not only prevail in this match, but to completely subdue his obviously impotent tormenter for a long part of the match, and when the inevitable final challenge arose from the mighty warrior, was able to surmount his doubts and complete his victory with a flourish. :) 8) He has a reasonable chance to make a final in this Australian Open with his solid play, new team and confidence.
Best of luck and health to both players as they recover from this match and continue their journey throughout the year.
Respectfully,
masterclass
great post general
I saw the match. rafa is just a shadow of his former self now.
I have been telling people for over 2 years now that his decision to drop some work on the fitness front and to drop the time and the duration of his on court practice time was going to cost him in a big way and it has.
he gave up too much ground on the fitness front which is why he is almost always injured now.
and his obsession with hard courts has cost him his ground game.
berdych won 90% of the points off the ground.
imagine that. Rafa is the greatest baseliner ever lived and yet could only win about 10% of the points in rallies.
he had no backhand to speak off and he had no return of serve.
his movement was horrible and he had very little mustard on the balls he did get back.
just a tremendous drop in physicality.
he just does not get it: it is his fitness and his physicality---coupled with his will and his hunger--that took him to the next level in our sport.
we always knew he was a great athlete and he had that topspin which was going to do major damage on the tour.
it is what it is. I think he has too many other interests which could have waited 2-3 years.
he lost some of his drive and some of his hunger. now we have to wait and see if he is willing to do anything about it and get back to the levels he is capable of.
time has almost run out on him.
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Dear fellow posters and readers,
Let's wish heartfelt commiserations to one of the great players of our time, Mr. Rafael Nadal, who was obviously seriously compromised even before the tournament had begun due to a prolonged period of inactivity and corresponding lack of consistent form, but still had the courage to play in this major event even though he humbly proclaimed beforehand that he wasn't good enough to win. :( He gave it his best, and the amount of matches he played should help him shake off more of the rust as he finally gets off the hard courts and begins his clay campaign in South America. Rafael will need to continue to work on his fitness and his return of serve foremost, and consistency and confidence should come with more match play and wins.
Let's also wish a hearty congratulations to Mr. Tomas Berdych, who in a considerable number of meetings with Rafael has been up against the fence so long, the splinter scars must be permanently etched on a certain portion of his anatomy seen only by his fiance. Yet Tomas finally managed to overcome his long ignominy to not only prevail in this match, but to completely subdue his obviously impotent tormenter for a long part of the match, and when the inevitable final challenge arose from the mighty warrior, was able to surmount his doubts and complete his victory with a flourish. :) 8) He has a reasonable chance to make a final in this Australian Open with his solid play, new team and confidence.
Best of luck and health to both players as they recover from this match and continue their journey throughout the year.
Respectfully,
masterclass
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big day today in Melbourne:
order of play:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/Schedules.aspx
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here are the key matches for Saturday:
KEY MATCHES - SATURDAY, 24 JANUARY 2015
Singles - Third Round
[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. [31] Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
[4] Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs. Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)
[5] Kei Nishikori (JPN) vs. Steve Johnson (USA)
[8] Milos Raonic (CAN) vs. Benjamin Becker (GER)
[9] David Ferrer (ESP) vs. [18] Gilles Simon (FRA)
[12] Feliciano Lopez (ESP) vs. Jerzy Janowicz (POL)
[19] John Isner (USA) vs. Gilles Muller (LUX)
Doubles - Second Round
[1] Bob Bryan (USA) / Mike Bryan (USA) vs. Carlos Berlocq (ARG) / Leonardo Mayer (ARG)
[2] Julien Benneteau (FRA) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) vs. Santiago Giraldo (COL) / Joao Sousa (POR)
[4] Ivan Dodig (CRO) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) vs. Andrey Golubev (KAZ) / Denis Istomin (UZB)
[5] Alexander Peya (AUT) / Bruno Soares (BRA) vs. Oliver Marach (AUT) / Michael Venus (NZL)
[9] Robert Lindstedt (SWE) / Marcin Matkowski (POL) vs. Jonathan Erlich (ISR) / Treat Huey (PHI)
[11] Juan Sebastian Cabal (COL) / Robert Farah (COL) vs. Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) / Nicolas Mahut (FRA)
[12] Eric Butorac (USA) / Sam Groth (AUS) vs. Pablo Andujar (ESP) / Dustin Brown (GER)
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thank god he is doing better lady TT.
it will take some time to obtain the supreme fitness and the match toughness again.
only it is a little bit harder now since he is older.
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Rafa's fitness is a huge question mark at the moment.
he said he was worn out after 40 minutes of play.
he had maybe his c or d game out there without his once great fitness and his physicality.
I have actually been worried about his fitness since the end of 2010.
He also threw up during the match. I'm sure it's difficult to play with the pressure, the time off, and the heat. He'll be fine. Six or seven months off is a long time.
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Rafa's fitness is a huge question mark at the moment.
he said he was worn out after 40 minutes of play.
he had maybe his c or d game out there without his once great fitness and his physicality.
I have actually been worried about his fitness since the end of 2010.
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key matches for tomorrow:
KEY MATCHES - TUESDAY, 20 JANUARY 2015
Singles – First Round
[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. Aljaz Bedene (SLO)
[4] Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs. Marsel Ilhan (TUR)
Nicolas Almagro (ESP) vs. [5] Kei Nishikori (JPN)
Illya Marchenko (UKR) vs. [8] Milos Raonic (CAN)
[9] David Ferrer (ESP) vs. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)
[12] Feliciano Lopez (ESP) vs. Denis Kudla (USA)
Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs. [13] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)
Alejandro Gonzalez (COL) vs. [16] Fabio Fognini (ITA)
Lucas Pouille (FRA) vs. [17] Gael Monfils (FRA)
Robin Haase (NED) vs. [18] Gilles Simon (FRA)
[19] John Isner (USA) vs. Jimmy Wang (TPE)
[21] Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) vs. Paolo Lorenzi (ITA)
[25] Julien Benneteau (FRA) vs. Benjamin Becker (GER)
Matthias Bachinger (GER) vs. [27] Pablo Cuevas (URU)
[30] Santiago Giraldo (COL) vs. Jan Hernych (CZE)
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Good afternoon ladyTT, general masterclass, and the others.
poor del potro. He can't seem to catch a break from injuries.
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Yes, finally, here we are! Main draw is in first post!
Prep winners: Brisbane - Roger Federer, Chennai - Stan Wawrinka, Doha - David Ferrer,
Tomorrow's Auckland Final is qualifier Vesely vs. Mannarino and Sydney final is qualifier Troicki vs. qualifier Kukushkin (first time in the history of the ATP 2 qualifiers meet in the final).
Clay Warrior has won only 7 matches post last year's Roland Garros, 4 past Wimbledon in 13 matches played in over 7 months. He is in severe need of match play.
Rafa really needs to get off the hard courts and on the clay as soon as possible - "Clay is the wellspring from which he flows."
Respectfully,
masterclass
truer words have never been spoken
he has thrown his entire ground game away because he cant get off the hard courts.
hard courts are also killing him in other ways: injuries
you saw del potro working hard on clay recently. nole practices pretty much year around on clay. there is a reason why he does that.
it keeps him healthy and it keeps his ground game sharp.
roger has also been doing some clay.
but rafa needs clay more than anybody. clay made him what he became.
now he has to go back to that wellspring.
Did you see where del Potro withdrew from the AO? His wrist started bothering him in practice. Sad to hear.
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Yes, finally, here we are! Main draw is in first post!
Prep winners: Brisbane - Roger Federer, Chennai - Stan Wawrinka, Doha - David Ferrer,
Tomorrow's Auckland Final is qualifier Vesely vs. Mannarino and Sydney final is qualifier Troicki vs. qualifier Kukushkin (first time in the history of the ATP 2 qualifiers meet in the final).
Clay Warrior has won only 7 matches post last year's Roland Garros, 4 past Wimbledon in 13 matches played in over 7 months. He is in severe need of match play.
Rafa really needs to get off the hard courts and on the clay as soon as possible - "Clay is the wellspring from which he flows."
Respectfully,
masterclass
truer words have never been spoken
he has thrown his entire ground game away because he cant get off the hard courts.
hard courts are also killing him in other ways: injuries
you saw del potro working hard on clay recently. nole practices pretty much year around on clay. there is a reason why he does that.
it keeps him healthy and it keeps his ground game sharp.
roger has also been doing some clay.
but rafa needs clay more than anybody. clay made him what he became.
now he has to go back to that wellspring.
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Yes, finally, here we are! Main draw is in first post!
Prep winners: Brisbane - Roger Federer, Chennai - Stan Wawrinka, Doha - David Ferrer,
Tomorrow's Auckland Final is qualifier Vesely vs. Mannarino and Sydney final is qualifier Troicki vs. qualifier Kukushkin (first time in the history of the ATP 2 qualifiers meet in the final).
Clay Warrior has won only 7 matches post last year's Roland Garros, 4 past Wimbledon in 13 matches played in over 7 months. He is in severe need of match play.
Rafa really needs to get off the hard courts and on the clay as soon as possible - "Clay is the wellspring from which he flows."
Respectfully,
masterclass
Great to see you back.
Don't remind me, "Clay Warrior has won only 7 matches post last year's Roland Garros, 4 past Wimbledon in 13 matches played in over 7 months. He is in severe need of match play."
You must be extremely pleased with Roger's play. It really is nothing short of phenomenal. I watched his last match against Raonic and I cannot believe how alert and quick on the court he still is. Truly amazing!
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Ok who else is fired up?
2015 is officially under way with this slam.
I think you have to make roger, nole, and Andy the favorites for the title.
I am. It'll be great to have the new season underway. Those are good title picks. I can't wait to see who wins.
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Yes, finally, here we are! Main draw is in first post!
Prep winners: Brisbane - Roger Federer, Chennai - Stan Wawrinka, Doha - David Ferrer,
Tomorrow's Auckland Final is qualifier Vesely vs. Mannarino and Sydney final is qualifier Troicki vs. qualifier Kukushkin (first time in the history of the ATP 2 qualifiers meet in the final).
Clay Warrior has won only 7 matches post last year's Roland Garros, 4 past Wimbledon in 13 matches played in over 7 months. He is in severe need of match play.
Rafa really needs to get off the hard courts and on the clay as soon as possible - "Clay is the wellspring from which he flows."
Respectfully,
masterclass
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lets get the show on the road.
time to get fired up.
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Ok who else is fired up?
2015 is officially under way with this slam.
I think you have to make roger, nole, and Andy the favorites for the title.
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Well General Hercules, it helps to have a great plan for Australia. If you decide to play winter exhibitions and goof off, and you are a player that depends on supreme fitness, you are asking for trouble. Everyone is looking to be in form and fit that early in the year.
Now finally, finally, Rafa is out for the year. Not sure why he wasted time in Shanghai and Basel after being diagnosed with appendicitis. If he had it taken care of right away, there's an excellent chance he would have been ready for at least the World Tour Finals, which he deserved to be in considering the first half of the year. But he didn't, who knows why? Maybe because of a contract obligation with Basel? Seems that if he had appendicitis, he could have broken that contract. He can't need the money that badly. Only they know why they did what they did. ::)
Anyway, Borna Coric played very well, and did Rafa a favor and knocked him out in Basel. Now Rafa can get the damn appendectomy surgery finally and start preparing for Australia. But he's guaranteed himself #3 ranking going into Australia, for all that it matters. Nole and Roger will be #1 and #2 or the reverse depending on Paris, World Tour Finals, and maybe Davis Cup Finals. It might be interesting to see what they do over the winter. Play in this new league I guess. If it's only a few days then I guess it doesn't matter as long as they don't hurt themselves. But once they take their holidays, they will get down to training. Federer is scheduled for Brisbane like last year. I think No1e will probably just play those exhibitions at the start of the year like in Abu Dhabi. Nadal might try to defend Doha if he can be ready. Let's see if he trains on his indoor hard court, or on clay. Murray will probably be in Miami training then he has Abu Dhabi and Hopman Cup.
I'm not ready to predict anything yet. I'll wait till the draw and see everything that went on over the winter and prep matches. :)
Respectfully,
masterclass
I think it was probably the pressure of having reneged last year. It would have looked bad if he did it two years in a row. Did they pay him for last year? Maybe he felt he had to show up. The good thing is that he didn't go all out, so in the end, all's well.
Hm, there is a ton of history waiting to unfold at the Oz, 2015. Since Rafa will be #3 I wonder who he'll get in the projected semifinals. I just hope he's fit and ready to go.
It's hard to say what's going to happen with Andy. He is getting some consistency, as far as winning, but still seems to be missing something. Novak hasn't played that much recently and seems to have his hands full with all the personal blessings in his life, and Rafa, well, we'll have to see how he recovers. Federer seems to be playing the best he's played in years.
Of the dark horses, I see Nishikori and Cilic as the best bets. I don't know about Dmitrov. Something about his game or mentality just isn't right at this juncture.
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Well General Hercules, it helps to have a great plan for Australia. If you decide to play winter exhibitions and goof off, and you are a player that depends on supreme fitness, you are asking for trouble. Everyone is looking to be in form and fit that early in the year.
Now finally, finally, Rafa is out for the year. Not sure why he wasted time in Shanghai and Basel after being diagnosed with appendicitis. If he had it taken care of right away, there's an excellent chance he would have been ready for at least the World Tour Finals, which he deserved to be in considering the first half of the year. But he didn't, who knows why? Maybe because of a contract obligation with Basel? Seems that if he had appendicitis, he could have broken that contract. He can't need the money that badly. Only they know why they did what they did. ::)
Anyway, Borna Coric played very well, and did Rafa a favor and knocked him out in Basel. Now Rafa can get the damn appendectomy surgery finally and start preparing for Australia. But he's guaranteed himself #3 ranking going into Australia, for all that it matters. Nole and Roger will be #1 and #2 or the reverse depending on Paris, World Tour Finals, and maybe Davis Cup Finals. It might be interesting to see what they do over the winter. Play in this new league I guess. If it's only a few days then I guess it doesn't matter as long as they don't hurt themselves. But once they take their holidays, they will get down to training. Federer is scheduled for Brisbane like last year. I think No1e will probably just play those exhibitions at the start of the year like in Abu Dhabi. Nadal might try to defend Doha if he can be ready. Let's see if he trains on his indoor hard court, or on clay. Murray will probably be in Miami training then he has Abu Dhabi and Hopman Cup.
I'm not ready to predict anything yet. I'll wait till the draw and see everything that went on over the winter and prep matches. :)
Respectfully,
masterclass
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wow. general masterclass rules the world of tennis for his amazing proactive thinking.
there is indeed so much history at stake at the next slam. I can hardly wait to watch it all unfold.
this is going to be an awesome thread. we will start firing up some pictures for this thread.
Melbourne centre court is beautiful beyond belief.
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I believe Andy wants to avoid any expectation (or the opposite) going into AO so he opted out of Brisbane/Doha. A few practice matches is probably enough. He used to do that prior to his Slam wins. He wants to make sure by the end of this year that he's ranked within top 8 - that's why he's playing back to back tournaments. WTF feels more like a smokescreen.
Anyway, 2015 is definitely a key year for Andy. If he doesn't do well then he may as well be done and will probably remain as a top 10 or 20 player at best, but I think he'll be keen on proving his naysayers wrong and will probably storm back to top 4 - where he left things off. AO would be a great indication of things. This year, especially right now, he's spending time and putting in extra effort to build the momentum. And I am sure he's building it for a good reason.
His 2nd serve is his weakest link, there's no doubt about that. Even today, I think he won about 6 points out of 20 (30%) and that's pretty poor. Melzer himself played pretty poor so it doesn't look too bad on Andy but against others, it is the deciding factor for his win or loss. His 1st serve has been pretty consistent since Shenzen so that's something he doesn't need to worry about too much right now. I have no idea what Mauresmo (and Andy) has in plan for the 2nd serve. I am sure something could be done about it.
As to others, Wawrinka will probably collapse early due to expectation and perhaps same goes for Cilic but I will bank on Cilic more at this point. I don't think he got completely carried away by his US Open win. Raonic will be lethal or so I get the feeling. Whoever draws him will be a handful. He's something of a worry for us Andy fans. You didn't mention either Dimitrov or Nishikori - Nishikori in particular I believe will be the most dangerous. He'll be my 3rd favourite after Andy and Nole.
Yes, it will be interesting to see how things pan out for Thiem (I like him very much), Goffin and Kyrgios - Especially Kyrgios given the venue. I feel 2015 will be more interesting than 2014.
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Yes, I also think it will be a big help for Andy to be in the top 8 seeds at least.
Murray's winter training preparation will be key. It seems this year he has opted for exhibitions in Abu Dhabi (Mubadala WTC)and Perth (Hopman Cup) instead of Tour events Brisbane or Doha..
What remains to be seen is if he can raise his level back to top 5, much less consistent top 10, after his back surgery last year.
We just don't know. Many never get back to their best after back surgery. Let's hope that's not the case with Andy.
He must improve that second serve. It has been woeful. When his 1st service pct. goes away, good players are killing it, much less the top players. Don't know if the back is hindering him there or not. But I think he might be better off mostly using his 1st serve delivery and cutting the speed a bit for safety.
Some people are expecting Cilic, Wawrinka, and Raonic to do well, but who knows? Tsonga has been on a general downslide, despite his Toronto win, maybe he can be a factor again. But other young players like Goffin, Kyrgios, Thiem, etc. might start to rise as well. I think and hope it will be an interesting 2015.
Hmm, the time countdown app isn't working (Empty rectangle on top of image). Have to see what's wrong with it.
Respectfully,
masterclass
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wow - that's like really early. Anyway, given Andy's past as far as AO is concerned and if Andy gets his ranking in proper place then I feel he has a very good outside chance to do well here. Maybe the dark horse?
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(https://www.camelotfantasies.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.bleacherreport.net%2Fimg%2Fimages%2Fphotos%2F002%2F694%2F570%2Fhi-res-460656969-an-australian-open-tennis-ball-rests-on-the-court-of_crop_exact.jpg%3Fw%3D600%26amp%3Bh%3D600%26amp%3Bq%3D99&hash=34e2dce839b4642603cf1ddd9163d6faec05c3bc)
For the first time in history, a major tennis tournament will have 3 stadiums that each have a retractable roof!
History will be also be set at this tournament if either Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or Roger Federer win the title.
Nadal will have his second career Grand Slam if he wins, a record for such an event entirely in the Open Era.
Djokovic and Federer, will have an Open Era record 5th title if one of them wins.
Or perhaps someone else will spoil the history party... :)
A lot is at stake, who will take it?
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Respectfully,
masterclass