Week 17 - ATP 500 - Barcelona Open - Spain (clay)

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

Week 17 - ATP 500 - Barcelona Open - Spain (clay)

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Even stevens: Andy captures the second set by 6-3 to take the match into a decider.

the addict · Tennis legend

Helen40 wrote:
Please has someone a link that doesn't require me to sign my life away.

Not on any of the freebie links I have bookmarked, but it is on Bet365 as well SkySports4.
Bet365 needs an account, but you need to make a small deposit (like £5)

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

Thanks, but I don't like putting my details into sites-like that so I'll avoid that one.

the addict · Tennis legend

I have a unique username and password that I don't use anywhere else - and I paid my £5 deposit by paypal

indiana · Tennis legend

Andy to serve to stay in it at *4-5.

Thiem maybe feeling it a bit but still going for it and that last one was a pretty gutsy hold. Andy seems to be enjoying it anyway, he's getting some good matches in.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Vandenburg wrote:
Thiem is the most overrated young gun on the circuit. Just a ball basher.

Er, you were saying, Vandenburg? furious

SF: (4) Dominic Thiem WR 9 defeated (1/WC) Andy Murray WR 1 by 6-2 3-6 6-4 bleh

One match point, one converted! hmm

indiana · Tennis legend

Not sure he will quite enjoy getting beaten though, last two points really went awry

Overall from what I saw looked a deserved win for Thiem. Though another double at *4-4 30-30 when his second serve was a net cord would have really tested the young man.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

I think this year is going to be the year when the long term consequences of being in the game for a decade or more catches up with the big 4 and it really is going to be how they manage that this season that will determine who wins what. Winning 7 games over two weeks is a severe test purely physically.

Personally I feel Andy's focus this year should be Wimbledon, it is for Rodge. He should be fairly philosophical about the clay court season, purely using it or not for rehabing his elbow and finding some form.

indiana · Tennis legend

Hmm, their individual and collective demise has been talked about by many at different times for a few years yet - eg. with Andy after his surgery at the backend of 2013 when he came back and went a long time without beating a top 10 player. With Andy I really do feel he will push on again and while Wimbledon will be a major biggie of course, I think he has certainly shown his fitness in Barcelona and with the improved matchplay he has had I feel that he can be a real factor in the important clay weeks that lie ahead. His body language today told of a fairly satisfying couple of days ahead of another week of practice. I think the very fact that he took the Barca WC spoke of him wanting to get it really right on clay not just to rehabilitate, make sure the elbow was fine ( it clearly is ), and find form prior to the grass season.

One day it might prove true but I think they've got quite a lot of hurrahs left yet and when it really matters in Slams no-one else other than Stan so far really has shown that he can get the job done.

-- Edited by indiana on Saturday 29th of April 2017 03:54:12 PM

scottie1 · Futures level

indiana wrote:
Hmm, there individual and collective demise has been talked about by many at different times for a few years yet - eg. with Andy after his surgery at the backend of 2013 when he came back and went a long time without beating a top 10 player.

One day it might prove true but I think they've got quite a lot of hurrahs left yet and when it really matters in Slams no-one else other than Stan do far really has shown that he can get the job done

I think the gap is closing though Thiem and Goffin in top 10 with Byrdich and Ferrer on slide. I think Nadal will be no 1 at end of year he definitely wants it

theemptyvessel · Club Coach

Thiem and Goffin still don't really look like beating the big 4 in the major tournaments though and it says a lot about the various next big things that have emerged since the big 4 that when Andy and Nole slumped it was good old Roger and Rafa swooping in to take the big titles again. I think it just underlines again how incredible this era has been and how unlikely it is we will see anything like it again, at least in the short term.

Vandenburg · Futures level

theemptyvessel wrote:
Thiem and Goffin still don't really look like beating the big 4 in the major tournaments though and it says a lot about the various next big things that have emerged since the big 4 that when Andy and Nole slumped it was good old Roger and Rafa swooping in to take the big titles again. I think it just underlines again how incredible this era has been and how unlikely it is we will see anything like it again, at least in the short term.

Yeh, in 5 sets I just cannot see Goffin and Thiem out grinding Murray.

I think it shows that Murray playing at 50 % which he was, almost was too good for Thiem.