Week 8 - ATP 500 - Dubai, UAE - Hard (Andy)

scottie1 · Futures level

RE: Week 8 - ATP 500 - Dubai, UAE - Hard (Andy)

indiana · Tennis legend

Yep, I think we can agree that Andy is more talented than JoKo :)

I actually believe that it can be argued that he is more talented than Djoko and Nadal.

EddietheEagle · County player

Has Mauresmo been around much of late? I didn't see her at the Rotterdam event.

philwrig · Hall of fame

A few observations :
Lucky losers are pesky
Coric wasn't having a good 2015 until he was a lucky loser
Andy looked like next week was on his mind, why play week before DC ?
Mauresmo didn't travel this week or last/ not ideal.
Very flat performance

RJA · Hall of fame

EddietheEagle wrote:
Has Mauresmo been around much of late? I didn't see her at the Rotterdam event.

The strange thing is that when Murray and Lendl went their separate ways Andy said he wanted a coach who could commit more time to working with him yet Mauresmo seems to spend even less time with him than Lendl did. In the early months I understand that she might well have had prior commitments but I don't think that can still be used as an adequate reason. Given that Andy no longer has Dani effectively being a second coach it strikes me as even stranger.

indiana · Tennis legend

If that performance had much at all to do with Andy thinking about the Davis Cup I'd be very surprised.

As for playing this week, so are most top players, and given the Davis Cup doesn't start until a week tomorrow, I was quite happy to see Andy tuning up this week. And given his last performance in Rotterdam, with the big timing issues or whatever, it seemed to me to make even more sense.

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, RJA, very strange. Coach not here ( however 'planned' ) and scratching around for someone to hit with at the start of the week.

With all the good stuff I've heard about Dani, including from Lendl, compromising with Lendl ( pushing him as far as he would go on time with Andy ) and keeping Dani to me seemed to make a lot of sense. I presume Lendl would still have been around at least at all the Slams, which often seems to be all that really shakes Andy's boat these days anyway.

It would be understandable for some folk to feel that Andy may have stuffed up his coaching situation.

philwrig · Hall of fame

indiana wrote:
If that performance had much at all to do with Andy thinking about the Davis Cup I'd be very surprised.

As for playing this week, so are most top players, and given the Davis Cup doesn't start until a week tomorrow, I was quite happy to see Andy tuning up this week. And given his last performance in Rotterdam, with the big timing issues or whatever, it seemed to me to make even more sense.

Playing 3 weeks on the trot maybe a bit much, anyway trying to find explanation for such a flat effort. Also DC best of 5, expected to play doubles as well, plus lots of media attention etc., etc.,

RJA · Hall of fame

indiana wrote:
It would be understandable for some folk to feel that Andy may have stuffed up his coaching situation.

Lets put it like this. After winning the Olympics, the US Open and Wimbledon in the space of 12 months if I had said that within another 18 months that Lendl, Vallverdu, Green and Ireland would all be gone and that only Matt Little would remain you would have thought I was crazy.

RJA · Hall of fame

philwrig wrote:
indiana wrote:
If that performance had much at all to do with Andy thinking about the Davis Cup I'd be very surprised.

As for playing this week, so are most top players, and given the Davis Cup doesn't start until a week tomorrow, I was quite happy to see Andy tuning up this week. And given his last performance in Rotterdam, with the big timing issues or whatever, it seemed to me to make even more sense.
Playing 3 weeks on the trot maybe a bit much, anyway trying to find explanation for such a flat effort. Also DC best of 5, expected to play doubles as well, plus lots of media attention etc., etc.,

He hasn't played 3 weeks on the trot and even if he had that would be no excuse for a performance like today. It wasn't just flat, it was down right pathetic and unworthy of a professional tennis player.

indiana · Tennis legend

Andy's 3 matches in Rotterdam were the week before last, the Davis Cup doesn't start until next Friday and Indian Wells ( for the seeds ) the weekend after that.

Ratty · County player

Oh I don't know, he's into the Autumn of his career and with his injury history is maybe thinking that he needs to choose very carefully when he gives 100% - and that's only now going to be in the 6 hard court ATP 1000's and 4 Slams. In fact, probably only the Australian Open, Wimbledon & the US Open.

I'm guessing that Dubai pays a stack of appearance money, and so is a good tournament to fulfil his quota of non-majors. I'm not suggesting that he actually threw the Coric match, mind ...

philwrig · Hall of fame

Fair enough about the 3 weeks, but still usually Andy takes a big break after Oz open, and he hasn't this year.

savva0122 · Intermediate Club Player

He seems strangely inconsistent in these 500s. I think must be due to struggling to motivate in these. Fully expect him to do better in the DC and Masters.
He may too be distracted by wedding plans?

indiana · Tennis legend

Not sure about Masters. The only real consistency that Andy has shown in ATP Masters in nearly 2 years is to not get past the QF stage. He last did so at the 2013 Miami Masters when he won / stole the title against Ferrer.

His ranking is largely built on nearly half his points ( 2640 out of this coming Monday's total of 5370 ) coming from the four Slams, boosted by that ATP 250 / 500 run last September / October.

His consistency at keeping getting to at least the QF stage and quite often beyond at Slams is superb, but beyond these, hmm.