Monte Carlo Masters 1000

LadyTigress · County player

Monte Carlo Masters 1000

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

It all depends on the knees, I would have thought. I never doubted his ability to play just as well on clay, if the knees hold up I wouldn't be surprised if he won everything in sight on the red muck once again.

You would think there might be a limit to how long the knees will hold up though.

-- Edited by Madeline on Sunday 18th of April 2010 04:00:43 PM

indiana · Tennis legend

I agree with Mad, so much depends on his knees, in fact they are all that might stop him cleaning up. He broke down so early this season that it always has to be a worry, and he does seem not to have been able to put in the same physical work into his fitness programs as before, to take off weight or whatever.

That all being well, I do think he has the form to win everything on clay. He has just cruised to the Monte Carlo title, losing 14 games in total over 5 matches, culminating with wins over his Spanish amigos, Ferrero, Ferrer and Verdasco.

LadyTigress · County player

Interesting that he had to face Verdasco in the final - and cleaned up. Can't help but wondering, if Djokovic had come through instead of Verdasco, would it have been a less resounding scoreline than 6-0 6-1?

I'm not sure that Rafa should be aiming to regain his 2008 weight (although he claims he's not lost any weight). A lighter weight might ease the pressure on his knees. Unfortunately, he's not 21 anymore as he was when he won RG 2008 - he's almost 24 and whilst in normal circumstances that hardly seems a big age difference, given how hard they drive their bodies in tennis, and the pressure on Rafa's knees, perhaps it has made a difference, perhaps he does need to take more care of the knees now he's "older" (again, I say that in relative terms... i.e. he's been driving those knees for 2/3 more years now than when he was 21).

I am reluctant to say anything like he'll have the same amazing success he had in 2008 (that was really his year, wasn't it? And Andy's too for improvement, imo), because that would mean taking Wimbledon again and going deep in the USO as well as picking up several hard courts Masters... and I think it's waaaay too early to say that on the basis of one clay Masters title. I think he's got a good shot at Rome, Madrid (despite he doesn't like the altitude) and RG... but he really needs to win them to get back to being on course for 2008/9 levels of success. And I wouldn't like to say anything about his grass court season and hard courts... although I would think he'd get to at least the quarterfinals in those GS and Masters.

-- Edited by LadyTigress on Monday 19th of April 2010 10:19:54 AM