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#Post#: 13955--------------------------------------------------
Barcelona Open: 4/21/14
By: Clay Death Date: April 20, 2014, 9:26 pm
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21.04.2014
Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell
Barcelona, Spain Clay € 1,845,585
(€ 2,127,035) SGL 48 DBL 16 Email Inquiry
+34 902 33 22 11
#Post#: 13976--------------------------------------------------
Re: Barcelona Open: 4/21/14
By: Clay Death Date: April 21, 2014, 10:41 am
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here is the draw :
HTML http://www.atpworldtour.com/Share/Event-Draws.aspx?Year=2014&EventId=425&Draw=ms
#Post#: 13981--------------------------------------------------
Re: Barcelona Open: 4/21/14
By: thetruth Date: April 21, 2014, 10:48 am
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Thanks for the draw. Can't wait to see how Rafa's form is. It's
a quick turnaround, but you never know. I just hope he's fitter
than he's been lately.
Tennis is missing a bit with two of its big stars, Andy and
Rafa, and possibly Joker not at their best.
#Post#: 13982--------------------------------------------------
Re: Barcelona Open: 4/21/14
By: Emma Date: April 21, 2014, 11:53 am
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While I am happy to see both Gulbis and Nishi back in action
this week, this is still a weak field given that Del Potro,
Isner, Murray, Wawrinka, Nole, Dimitrov, Berdych etc. are all
missing. At least some of them should have been here.
#Post#: 13988--------------------------------------------------
Re: Barcelona Open: 4/21/14
By: masterclass Date: April 21, 2014, 12:44 pm
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Let's see, Del Potro had wrist surgery and might return by the
end of the year.
Nole had wrist strain in Monte Carlo and is on full rest orders
for at least 10 days.
Wawrinka just won the Monte Carlo Masters. He is entered to
defend his title next week in Portugal, but it is not certain he
will play there, or wait until Madrid to play next.
Berdych is healing a strain, I believe, or is just resting, and
is scheduled to return in Madrid.
Gasquet hurt his back, and withdrew from Monte Carlo. I heard
he might ask for a wild card in Portugal next week if his back
improves.
Isner is resting his shoulder I believe, though I can't confirm
that, and he is scheduled to return in Madrid.
Raonic is scheduled to play next week in Portugal.
Dimitrov is playing in Bucharest as top seed this week along
with Youzhny, Monfils, Seppi, Pospisil, Simon, and others, so
that splits the player field between there and Barcelona this
week.
That leaves Andrew Murray, OBE. I have no knowledge of Mr.
Murray's whereabouts, but I think he skipped Monte Carlo to heal
a few niggles, and get in more practice, and continue his search
for a coach, and is not scheduled to return to the tour until
Madrid, though I also heard a rumor that he might take a wild
card in Portugal.
Respectfully,
masterclass
#Post#: 13996--------------------------------------------------
Re: Barcelona Open: 4/21/14
By: Emma Date: April 21, 2014, 1:13 pm
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I am all aware of everyone's injury. That wasn't the point. The
point is, too many players are missing and that leaves the field
pretty weak. I wish some of them were there though I am very
convinced some of them are deliberately avoiding this event.
And Andy didn't skip MC because of a few niggles. He's in search
of a new coach that he hopes to find before RG and he was also
busy supporting Kim who had just finished running a marathon.
And there are a couple of other matters. Nothing to do with
injuries.
#Post#: 14004--------------------------------------------------
Re: Barcelona Open: 4/21/14
By: masterclass Date: April 21, 2014, 1:28 pm
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There is also another tournament at the same time. It's
expected the fields will be somewhat diluted.
There are also two tournaments next week that some are scheduled
to play.
Still Barcelona has two top 10 players, and a few in the top 20,
so not too bad considering.
And then there are the injuries, not that some of those would
normally play Barcelona anyway.
So basically I'm wondering, just who of those mentioned are the
"some that should have been here"?
Respectfully,
masterclass
#Post#: 14052--------------------------------------------------
Re: Barcelona Open: 4/21/14
By: Clay Death Date: April 22, 2014, 9:22 am
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so it will be ramos who will be facing rafa tomorrow.
here are all the scores:
HTML http://www.tennisexplorer.com/live/#inscore_ifheight_xdc_7079
#Post#: 14070--------------------------------------------------
Re: Barcelona Open: 4/21/14
By: masterclass Date: April 22, 2014, 12:18 pm
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Barcelona is a VIT for Rafa - Very Important Tournament. He
must make the final at least or he is in danger of not being
ready for Roland Garros.
He put so much time on the hard courts, and almost no time
preparing on the clay, he somehow forgot how to play the right
way on clay at Monte Carlo, even though he is one of, if not the
greatest clay court players in history? No. He knows how to
play on clay, he just hasn't practiced enough on clay for
himself to get the right rhythm and feeling on it.
Maybe it was due to his back, as some say. But why the back? In
my opinion it started at the end of last year. He went on the
exhibition tour, made a lot of money, but didn't prepare enough
for the new year. It has cost him fitness and training he
needed, and he went into the AO without it, and we know the
rest. He has given himself almost no time to prepare properly
for the clay season and it shows.
He only played 3 matches on the clay at Monte Carlo. That's
further reduced his preparation for RG. There is a vicious cycle
that can occur if you don't get enough preparation. You lose
early in tournaments and don't get enough matches. You have
little time to prepare between tournaments, so you must depend
on the matches in each tournament to prepare you. But if you go
out early, you don't get them.
There are 5 possible matches each at Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome
if he makes the final in each of them.
General Hercules will tell you the significance of # of clay
court matches for Rafa prior to RG.
He needs to stop that vicious cycle in its tracks right here in
Barcelona. He said a few days ago that he now feels great
physically. Let's see if he can do it.
History awaits him at Roland Garros, but it won't wait forever.
Respectfully,
masterclass
#Post#: 14074--------------------------------------------------
Re: Barcelona Open: 4/21/14
By: Clay Death Date: April 22, 2014, 1:14 pm
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[quote author=masterclass link=topic=738.msg14070#msg14070
date=1398187139]
Barcelona is a VIT for Rafa - Very Important Tournament. He
must make the final at least or he is in danger of not being
ready for Roland Garros.
He put so much time on the hard courts, and almost no time
preparing on the clay, he somehow forgot how to play the right
way on clay at Monte Carlo, even though he is one of, if not the
greatest clay court players in history? No. He knows how to
play on clay, he just hasn't practiced enough on clay for
himself to get the right rhythm and feeling on it.
Maybe it was due to his back, as some say. But why the back? In
my opinion it started at the end of last year. He went on the
exhibition tour, made a lot of money, but didn't prepare enough
for the new year. It has cost him fitness and training he
needed, and he went into the AO without it, and we know the
rest. He has given himself almost no time to prepare properly
for the clay season and it shows.
He only played 3 matches on the clay at Monte Carlo. That's
further reduced his preparation for RG. There is a vicious cycle
that can occur if you don't get enough preparation. You lose
early in tournaments and don't get enough matches. You have
little time to prepare between tournaments, so you must depend
on the matches in each tournament to prepare you. But if you go
out early, you don't get them.
There are 5 possible matches each at Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome
if he makes the final in each of them.
General Hercules will tell you the significance of # of clay
court matches for Rafa prior to RG.
He needs to stop that vicious cycle in its tracks right here in
Barcelona. He said a few days ago that he now feels great
physically. Let's see if he can do it.
History awaits him at Roland Garros, but it won't wait forever.
Respectfully,
masterclass
[/quote]
that is a fantastic post.
folks general masterclass and I have talking about this for
years but nobody ever listens to us.
he is not in a bloody slump. he neglected clay so the clay is
neglecting him back.
rafa knew this: he knew that this was the single most important
clay season of his career.
he totally ignored it and wasted 15 good days after losing early
in indian wells.
why? for money and for a few cheap points in Miami. he knew he
would get some weak players early on in that event.
so he got his money in Oregon and in Miami.
and now it may cost him the slam that he owns. he pretty much
has to win Barcelona, and rome. that will get his momentum and
his confidence going in the right direction. Madrid is not too
terribly important at the moment but that title would help as
well as long as he doesn't spend too much physical and metal
capital in getting it.
NIKE sent him a jet and a ton of money to come to Oregon. and
all the while serious players like nole were already training
very hard in Miami.
rafa also took in a poker tournament while in indian wells. he
did the same damn thing in monte carlo. and then there were
endless promotional activities and golf.
somebody tell this fool that soon he will have 65 long years on
his hands to jack off with poker, fishing, sailing, golf,
football, and sight seeing, and all those exos he plays.
2 years is all he has left and he has chosen to drop the focus
and the intensity.
he is not in any kind of slump. he just does not feel like
putting in endless hours of training on the red clay.
clay is the wellspring from which he flows.
if he starts losing on clay, he will start to lose everywhere
else also. keep in mind that last year he made the final at
monte carlo.
he won Barcelona, Madrid, and rome. that is where his rhythm,
his ground game, and his confidence comes from.
I bet many don't know that nole practices year around on clay.
that is why his ground game is so damn sharp all the time and
that is why he is pretty much injury free all these years.
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