Weeks 3 & 4 - Australian Open - men's singles main draw (hard)

flamingowings · All-time great

Weeks 3 & 4 - Australian Open - men's singles main draw (hard)

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

Djokovic v Nadal final. I predicted that from the start. No changing of the guard yet. The top 10 year end will still have more than half over 30. Nishikori turns 30 this year, Raonic year after.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

flamingowings wrote:
QF line up:
(1) Novak Djokovic vs (8) Kei Nishikori
(16) Milos Raonic vs (28) Lucas Pouille
(14) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (22) Roberto Bautista
(2) Rafa Nadal vs Frances Tiafoe
The two in the middle are most interesting for me. Shame the RBA and Tsitsipas match is 1.30 am UK time! Most inconvenient.

Pouille, of course, downed Raonic overnight in four. Didn't know about this, though.

flamingowings · All-time great

Stircrazy wrote:
flamingowings wrote:
QF line up:
(1) Novak Djokovic vs (8) Kei Nishikori
(16) Milos Raonic vs (28) Lucas Pouille
(14) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (22) Roberto Bautista
(2) Rafa Nadal vs Frances Tiafoe
The two in the middle are most interesting for me. Shame the RBA and Tsitsipas match is 1.30 am UK time! Most inconvenient.
Pouille, of course, downed Raonic overnight in four. Didn't know about this, though.

Yeah, Amelie joined Lucas's camp before or during the off season. She was supposed to be DC Captain but decided not to take it and to cach Lucas instead.

Novak vs Kei was a total disappointment. Rafa obliterated Tiafoe.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Yes, there's been a lot of talk about Lucas and Amelie. Lucas has come out of it well, saying he doesn't see what all the fuss about.

I find it somewhat weird, as with Andy, that someone who was known for being mentally so fragile is now trying to help others who are mentally somewhat fragile (Lucas, really, although Andy was also slightly in the same boat when he 'kept' losing GS finals).
But maybe it's easier to help than actually do it. And maybe now she's a mum and her life has changed, she is more solid anyway.

JonH · All-time great

Coup Droit wrote:
Yes, there's been a lot of talk about Lucas and Amelie. Lucas has come out of it well, saying he doesn't see what all the fuss about.

I find it somewhat weird, as with Andy, that someone who was known for being mentally so fragile is now trying to help others who are mentally somewhat fragile (Lucas, really, although Andy was also slightly in the same boat when he 'kept' losing GS finals).
But maybe it's easier to help than actually do it. And maybe now she's a mum and her life has changed, she is more solid anyway.

Although I agree Mauresmo was mentally fragile, she really knew how to play the game tactically and has a wealth of wisdom in that respect. Plus telling folks how to do things is different from doing it, plus added to the "been there, done it" mentality, maybe it works!

Nix · Futures level

Coup Droit wrote:
Yes, there's been a lot of talk about Lucas and Amelie. Lucas has come out of it well, saying he doesn't see what all the fuss about.

I find it somewhat weird, as with Andy, that someone who was known for being mentally so fragile is now trying to help others who are mentally somewhat fragile (Lucas, really, although Andy was also slightly in the same boat when he 'kept' losing GS finals).
But maybe it's easier to help than actually do it. And maybe now she's a mum and her life has changed, she is more solid anyway.

I thought all that type of hoohah would have been over after Andy employed Amelie.

I think she's probably learnt a lot about how to overcome mental fragility from her own experiences and sports psychology has come on hugely even since she was a player. I'm sure people can change massively between your twenties and late thirties. And given it's the first time Pouille has reached the semi final of any grand slam and beyond the first round of the Australian open, something must be working.

christ · Futures level

Nix wrote:
... given it's the first time Pouille has reached the semi final of any grand slam and beyond the first round of the Australian open, something must be working.

Yup. He has figured out that the best way to progress in a Slam is not to get drawn against any of the big 4!

Michael D · All-time great

christ wrote:
Nix wrote:
... given it's the first time Pouille has reached the semi final of any grand slam and beyond the first round of the Australian open, something must be working.
Yup. He has figured out that the best way to progress in a Slam is not to get drawn against any of the big 4!

The top see Pouille has beaten may only be Coric (11), but it was a very good one over Raonic, and it would belittle both to underestimate the impact that Mauresmo has had on improving his commitment and match temperament, which were explicit reasons Pouille said in an earlier interview why he had taken her on. I think Mauresmo understands very well indeed what it takes to succeed at this level, including in terms of the mental attitude, and as such as Pouille says, it doesn't matter whether she is a man or a woman, it just matters that she is very good at what she does as a tennis coach, and I think that has been very well exemplified by now. I think she provides an empathy as well which also resonated with Andy, and which he acknowledged and would seem the same with Pouille.

JonH · All-time great

Nadal has absolutely destroyed Tsitsipas, 2,4 , 0. Wow. Good to see Tsitsipas making a move on the top but Nadal and Djokovic (jury out on Fed for me just now) still showing they are the top of the pile.

Nix · Futures level

christ wrote:
Nix wrote:
... given it's the first time Pouille has reached the semi final of any grand slam and beyond the first round of the Australian open, something must be working.
Yup. He has figured out that the best way to progress in a Slam is not to get drawn against any of the big 4!

It s fine to disagree with me but I'm not sure my comments called for you being snarky about it. Its happened before on this site when I post something pretty innocuous and I don't see why it's necessary and frankly puts me off posting st all. I've admitted I'm nowhere near as knowledgeable as some posters several times. But it's nice to contribute occasionally and make a point. Otherwise you're left with only ten or so regulars. And some people who don't have encyclopaedic knowledge may find I can add to the debate.

As Michael D said, he has beaten some pretty good players to reach the semis. Including Raonic And he has lost oreviously to two players then outside of the top one hundred and one outside the top two hundred in the first round of this tournament. As well as Raonic previously. So i don't think my point was that outrageously naive that he appears to have made some progress under Amelie.

JonH · All-time great

Hi Nix - I think you're correct, mauresmo clearly has helped pouille so far and long may it continue, he's talented and would be good to see him become a top ten player.

're ChrisT comments, I think it was just intended to be a quickfire ironic aside, I don't think it was intended to be snarky at all, so I wouldn't take umbrage! Your point was well made and I think ChrisT was just joking that getting a draw that doesn't include colliding with fed, Nadal, djoko etc certainly helps in a big way!

Hopefully pouille will give djoko a match today, I'd like to see him do better than tsitsipas yesterday !

-- Edited by JonH on Friday 25th of January 2019 06:58:36 AM

Nix · Futures level

Hi Jon

Thanks for your message. Perhaps I'm a bit oversensitive! I take your point.

flamingowings · All-time great

Nix - it's one of the disadvantages of being online - its hard to "get" tone of posts / posters sometimes because you can't tell from body language, facial expressions and so on.

JonH · All-time great

Nix wrote:
Hi Jon

Thanks for your message. Perhaps I'm a bit oversensitive! I take your point.

no probs - seems like Djoko is all over Pouille today, sadly, and it is going the way of the first semi