R. Soderling kicks Gasquet out of Marseille 6/1 7/6

:yeah:

expected win for Soderling

Gasquet fails to deliver once again

Never in doubt.

I think it was 6-1 though in the first set...

Soderling was always in control and clearly the better player today. Of all the players left in the draw he's the one who plays the best atm.
Let's see how he does against Baghdatis in the semis.

Robin :banana:
Sorry for Richie, but obviously Robin was better today.
Soderling plays Simon now, right? I would say Soderling wins this.

well done Soderling,looked clearly the better player tonight.....the most powerful one by far anyway .:o

um no not an expected win from a choker, gasquet was the favorite coming into this match.

Baggy takes the title now.

I think Simon will take the title.

Gasquet future number 1? pfff

It was 6-1.. :sad:

Richie did the best he could in the 2nd but Soderling was too good today. Their last 2 encounters, Richie won by a very tight margin, Robin was due for a win.

Can't really complain, he fought 10 times more than what he usually does after Davis Cup.

I think Simon will take the title.

Gasquet future number 1? pfff

he still lacks power,that's obvious.
to be fair,i'm amazed that he is in the top 20 with so few power in his game.
he needs to gain some muscles or else he won t go very far,despite his obvious talent.

Robin :woohoo:

Never in doubt.

I think it was 6-1 though in the first set...

It was 6-1.. :sad:

yeah, sorry

corrected

Richie did the best he could in the 2nd but Soderling was too good today. Their last 2 encounters, Richie won by a very tight margin, Robin was due for a win.

Can't really complain, he fought 10 times more than what he usually does after Davis Cup.


yes,i agree.....at least,we can t accuse him of not having tried

Robin played an excellent match.

Another wasted chance for Richard.

These opponents aren't suddenly going to get easier...he has to find ways to impose his game on them or he'll continue to be an also-ran on this tour.

Robin played an excellent match.

Another wasted chance for Richard.

These opponents aren't suddenly going to get easier...he has to find ways to impose his game on them or he'll continue to be an also-ran on this tour.

he didn t waste anything,he was just outplayed by overall a better player on this surface.
For me ,Soderling is potentially one of the 3 best indoor players in the world.

he still lacks power,that's obvious.
to be fair,i'm amazed that he is in the top 20 with so few power in his game.
he needs to gain some muscles or else he won t go very far,despite his obvious talent.

:devil: When things are running fine, you are over the top, when things are going badly, you are very fast with advice. I have not seen the match, but obviously Söderling overpowered Richard today. However, this might not have been a question of muscles.

And before further fitness comments are dropping in: It was Richard's first straight sets defeat since Cincy against Robredo, if I remember correctly.

Another pathetic performance from Mr Overrated, Gasquet.

Expected win by Soderling. A far better indoor player than Gasquet and easily the best indoor player in this draw now. Still, he can choke and the title is far from assured.

he didn t waste anything,he was just outplayed by overall a better player on this surface.
For me ,Soderling is potentially one of the 3 best indoor players in the world.
He gets "outplayed" a lot.

:devil: When things are running fine, you are over the top, when things are going badly, you are very fast with advice. I have not seen the match, but obviously Söderling overpowered Richard today. However, this might not have been a question of muscles.
And before further fitness comments are dropping in: It was Richard's first straight sets defeat since Cincy against Robredo, if I remember correctly.

perhaps you're right.....but note that Deblicker also has said that Richard should gain some muscles ;)

Robin played an excellent match.

Another wasted chance for Richard.

These opponents aren't suddenly going to get easier...he has to find ways to impose his game on them or he'll continue to be an also-ran on this tour.

Wasted chance?? Soderling is easily in the top 10 indoor and was as much a favourite as Richard if not more. Certainly not a defeat to be ashamed.

Robin played an excellent match.

Another wasted chance for Richard.

These opponents aren't suddenly going to get easier...he has to find ways to impose his game on them or he'll continue to be an also-ran on this tour.

Gasquet is not world class indoors. On grass I would give him a chance againt anyone but Fed and on clay he has chances against many players. Indoors against a Soderling who isn't choking is a different thing. Anyone would struggle.

Gasquet is not world class indoors. On grass I would give him a chance againt anyone but Fed and on clay he has chances against many players. Indoors against a Soderling who isn't choking is a different thing. Anyone would struggle.


even Federer would have a LOT of trouble to beat a in form Soderling on indoor i think........oh wait a minute ,didn t he have some troubles to beat him in Madrid last season??:p

Certainly not a defeat to be ashamed.

certainly, and not in the most important tournament of the year. ;)

even Federer would have a LOT of trouble to beat a in form Soderling on indoor i think........oh wait a minute ,didn t he have some troubles to beat him in Madrid last season??:p

Two breakers I recall. Never a match that would be in doubt though. Federer will always be able to handle a player like Soderling when it comes down to it but it doesn't mean he isn't a tough opponent.

*shrug*

Fair enough - have it your way. Richard can lose on X surface to Y player and that's okay, that's acceptable.

Seriously, if you guys want him to get to #1 it's time you and perhaps he, stopped making these little compromises and expect him to beat any opponent on any surface, no matter what.

Of course he won't do that but at least the attitude is correct.

This attitude is the attitude of mediocrity. You should demand more and be annoyed when it's not delivered.

Expected win by Soderling. A far better indoor player than Gasquet and easily the best indoor player in this draw now. Still, he can choke and the title is far from assured.

He lost to Gasquet indoors last year at Lyon :wavey:

one thing we can note is that the last time Richie beat a good player was at Lyon last year against......Soderling.:o

it begins to date a bit.
it's time now for him to rebeat some top players in order to regain some confidence.

Seriously, if you guys want him to get to #1 it's time you and perhaps he, stopped making these little compromises and expect him to beat any opponent on any surface, no matter what.


I think they've given a up already to that dream, even the Gasquetard par excellence, richie21

Two breakers I recall. Never a match that would be in doubt though. Federer will always be able to handle a player like Soderling when it comes down to it but it doesn't mean he isn't a tough opponent.


even though Soderling had a few set pts in that match??:o

He lost to Gasquet indoors last year at Lyon :wavey:

Point being? You know I am not a Gasquet hater but that's the truth. Soderling is better indoors than Gasquet by quite a way and one match result doesn't change that.

Seriously, if you guys want him to get to #1 it's time you and perhaps he, stopped making these little compromises and expect him to beat any opponent on any surface, no matter what. There is only one player at the moment who is capable of that and his name is not Richard Gasquet.


You should demand more and be annoyed when it's not delivered.

I am annoyed, but at the right moment, eg. the defeat against Robredo in Australia. Marseille won't be decisive for Richard's 2007 season.

even thought Soderling had a few set pts in that match??:o
A player like that will never keep the level up to beat Fed apart from the odd 1 in a thousand performances such as Marat at AO '05. Soderling is not at that level. Getting a set doesn't equate to being within reach of the match. Anyway, I don't believe that Soderling is yet strong enoug mentally to beat Fed even if he did have the game (which I don't think he does).

A player like that will never keep the level up to beat Fed apart from the odd 1 in a thousand performances such as Marat at AO '05. Soderling is not at that level. Getting a set doesn't equate to being within reach of the match. Anyway, I don't believe that Soderling is yet strong enoug mentally to beat Fed even if he did have the game (which I don't think he does).

fair enough.....but the point remains that he was by far the guy who troubled Federer the most at Madrid last year(Federer was literrally flying in this tournament).....and that's not surprising because he has really a BIG game on indoor

Point being? You know I am not a Gasquet hater but that's the truth. Soderling is better indoors than Gasquet by quite a way and one match result doesn't change that.

Soderling was neither injured nor sick in that match. He wasn't even playing badly so how would you explain him losing to someone "quite a way" worse than him indoors?

*shrug*

Fair enough - have it your way. Richard can lose on X surface to Y player and that's okay, that's acceptable.

Seriously, if you guys want him to get to #1 it's time you and perhaps he, stopped making these little compromises and expect him to beat any opponent on any surface, no matter what.

Of course he won't do that but at least the attitude is correct.

This attitude is the attitude of mediocrity. You should demand more and be annoyed when it's not delivered.

I don't think he will get to #1 anytime soon. I think you've picked the argument with the wrong guy. He is a good player but he is not the best on any surface, he is not expected to beat any player any time because he isn't the #1 or even inside top 10.

I am a fan of Gasquet but not to a great extent. I do not care about the defeat. It was easy to see coming and Gasquet is not a at a level where he should be expected to win this kind of tournament. Yes, every once in a while an IS should be grabbed but he will not be winning them week in week out and especially not on this surface. He is likely to be a force on clay and grass, there will always be players able to totally outplay him on HC and indoors.

*shrug*

Fair enough - have it your way. Richard can lose on X surface to Y player and that's okay, that's acceptable.

Seriously, if you guys want him to get to #1 it's time you and perhaps he, stopped making these little compromises and expect him to beat any opponent on any surface, no matter what.

Of course he won't do that but at least the attitude is correct.

This attitude is the attitude of mediocrity. You should demand more and be annoyed when it's not delivered.

Did you watch the match?
Of course we expected him to win, as fans. But Richard played well, did his best in the 2nd and only lost in a tiebreak where Soderling didn't play well but very very well. So Congrats Robin!
If the tournament wasn't in France, he would not have played this week as Davis Cup takes a lot mentally out of him. For those who follow him for some time, we knew that it was certainly not a week with exceptional expectations. The previous years, he would have tanked in 1st round.

Soderling was neither injured nor sick in that match. He wasn't even playing badly so how would you explain him losing to someone "quite a way" worse than him indoors?

These things happen. I did not see the match so I cannot comment on the form. All I know is that from seeing a fair bit of Soderling indoors and a fair bit of Gasquet indoors I have made my judgement based on their games.

All I will say is that on any given day if both players are playing at a similar level respective to their games Soderling will be favourite on this surface. His results are more promising, his game is better for the surface and he can make things happen in a way Gasquet can't.

Great wins Robin :yeah:

fair enough.....but the point remains that he was by far the guy who troubled Federer the most at Madrid last year(Federer was literrally flying in this tournament).....and that's not surprising because he has really a BIG game on indoor

I agree. I made this point in the first place. I'm just saying that Soderling wasn't really 'close' to beating Fed and imo he won't beat him in the near future.

Did you watch the match?
Of course we expected him to win, as fans. But Richard played well, did his best in the 2nd and only lost in a tiebreak where Soderling didn't play well but very very well. So Congrats Robin!
If the tournament wasn't in France, he would not have played this week as Davis Cup takes a lot mentally out of him. For those who follow him for some time, we knew that it was certainly not a week with exceptional expectations. The previous years, he would have tanked in 1st round.

Thank you.

These things happen. I did not see the match so I cannot comment on the form. All I know is that from seeing a fair bit of Soderling indoors and a fair bit of Gasquet indoors I have made my judgement based on their games.

All I will say is that on any given day if both players are playing at a similar level respective to their games Soderling will be favourite on this surface. His results are more promising, his game is better for the surface and he can make things happen in a way Gasquet can't.

Then I'd suggest you watch some of his Lyon matches. No one is denying that Soderling is a better player indoors but saying that he is "far better" on the surface is highly questionable.

I'm not picking arguments.

I'm merely pointing out that if I were a Gasquet fan I'd be pissed off he lost a set 6-1 not playing that great and played a tighter second set but still not that great and lost it with a couple of loose shots in the tiebreak. Given Gasquet's ranking this should at least have been close.

I'm saying that when Roger Federer steps out onto court, and these days, for me, Andy Murray, I expect them to win, regardless of who or where. Now, especially in Murray's case, that doesn't always happen. But my assessment of his ability and determination say that he should demand he wins every match and we should demand it of him and we should be fed up when he doesn't deliver.

That's my view on supporting my favourite players - I demand excellence from them because I know they can deliver and I'm annoyed when they play below themselves. I also believe this is the right attitude for players who are striving for top 10, top 5 in the world - good enough never is.

I just find it interesting that when Gasquet loses a match like this, the reaction is "oh well Soderling is the Xth best player indoors at the moment" as if that makes a straight sets defeat both inevitable and acceptable. As I say, I think it's an attitude that encourages mediocrity. If Gasquet really *IS* baby Fed then surely his fans should be demanding he wins an IS tournament where he's one of only 2 seeds left standing in the QFs?

Did you watch the match?
Of course we expected him to win, as fans. But Richard played well, did his best in the 2nd and only lost in a tiebreak where Soderling didn't play well but very very well. So Congrats Robin!
If the tournament wasn't in France, he would not have played this week as Davis Cup takes a lot mentally out of him. For those who follow him for some time, we knew that it was certainly not a week with exceptional expectations. The previous years, he would have tanked in 1st round.
I did watch. I didn't think Richard was playing amazingly well - he played okay, could have played better. Soderling played a very good first set and a sloppier second set, Gasquet failed to take advantage of that.

But fair enough - Richard played DC last weekend and he's tired and blah blah blahdy blah and so this loss is fine.

scoobsuk,you're probably right,we should be more demanding with Richard.....the problem is that we have learnt the hard way in the past that it was when we (me anyway) began to have some high expectations on him that he often disappointed us the most :sad:

this said,i remain convinced he'll have a breakthrough this year......where and when,that's the question.....

I'm not picking arguments.

I'm merely pointing out that if I were a Gasquet fan I'd be pissed off he lost a set 6-1 not playing that great and played a tighter second set but still not that great and lost it with a couple of loose shots in the tiebreak. Given Gasquet's ranking this should at least have been close.
Should Roddick expect to beat Nalby on clay due to ranking? I know this is a total exagguration but the basis holds true. Rankings mean nothing when it comes to matchups.

I'm saying that when Roger Federer steps out onto court, and these days, for me, Andy Murray, I expect them to win, regardless of who or where. Now, especially in Murray's case, that doesn't always happen. But my assessment of his ability and determination say that he should demand he wins every match and we should demand it of him and we should be fed up when he doesn't deliver.
If you expect Murray to win every match regardless then you are expecting way too much. I know Murray is a good player but he isn't Federer. There are better players than Murray out there and you will be disappointed a lot this year if you expect such things. You're kidding yourself a little I feel.

If Gasquet really *IS* baby Fed then surely his fans should be demanding he wins an IS tournament where he's one of only 2 seeds left standing in the QFs?

Gasquet may have the nickname but he isn't going to dominate tournaments just because he is a seed. There are very few players who are expected to win tournaments because they are a big seed. Federer, Nadal, maybe Roddick or Blake in some situations and a few others. Gasquet is not one of them.

I know this is coming from only a casual fan of Gasquet rather than a big one like others in the thread but I find this post a bit irrational. The fans of the player are entitled to support him how they want. Demanding perfection won't bring it.

Then I'd suggest you watch some of his Lyon matches. No one is denying that Soderling is a better player indoors but saying that he is "far better" on the surface is highly questionable.

Okay, sure. Better is better.

Demanding perfection won't bring it. Accepting mediocrity certainly won't.

Anyway, I'm not telling you how to support your players - I just find it a little surprising.

Stebs - I take your point but I believe that, however many times I am disappointed, wanting him to strive for excellence, strive for a win every time he steps onto court, is a good attitude to have.

Anyway, where does Gasquet play next?

I'm not picking arguments.

I'm merely pointing out that if I were a Gasquet fan I'd be pissed off he lost a set 6-1 not playing that great and played a tighter second set but still not that great and lost it with a couple of loose shots in the tiebreak. Given Gasquet's ranking this should at least have been close.

I'm saying that when Roger Federer steps out onto court, and these days, for me, Andy Murray, I expect them to win, regardless of who or where. Now, especially in Murray's case, that doesn't always happen. But my assessment of his ability and determination say that he should demand he wins every match and we should demand it of him and we should be fed up when he doesn't deliver.

That's my view on supporting my favourite players - I demand excellence from them because I know they can deliver and I'm annoyed when they play below themselves. I also believe this is the right attitude for players who are striving for top 10, top 5 in the world - good enough never is.

I just find it interesting that when Gasquet loses a match like this, the reaction is "oh well Soderling is the Xth best player indoors at the moment" as if that makes a straight sets defeat both inevitable and acceptable. As I say, I think it's an attitude that encourages mediocrity. If Gasquet really *IS* baby Fed then surely his fans should be demanding he wins an IS tournament where he's one of only 2 seeds left standing in the QFs?

Last year after Davis Cup, he lost in 3 sets to Arnaud Clement and even got a bagel in the third. This year, he played one more match and one more set in Davis Cup and still managed to reach the QFs of Marseille. For me, as long as there is progress, there is nothing to complain about.

The baby Fed comparison is just ridiculous. It's a common misconception that his fans think he will be #1 and win multiple Grand Slams in the future, when only a minority and a bunch of non-fans do.

Okay - so how good do his fans think he is if they don't see multiple slams in his future?

Just curious?

If Gasquet really *IS* baby Fed..
he isn't. it is as simple as that. Even if I may be guilty to have used that tag in the past.

scoobsuk,you're probably right,we should be more demanding with Richard.......
what would that change? I am sure that Richard will play to please his demanding fans. :rolleyes: Don't be ridiculous, our expectations have nothing to do with his development. We can follow it with sympathy, indifference or hatred. All three exist on this forum.

*shrug*

Fair enough. I'm a fan of Juan Carlos Ferrero so I certainly understand supporting players who don't seem to produce what we think they're capable of.

Sorry if I've annoyed people, I was just seeking to understand.

Anyway, where does Gasquet play next?

Rotterdam

Okay - so how good do his fans think he is if they don't see multiple slams in his future?

Just curious?

richie21 will tell you 3-5. I think most of the others would be happy if he managed to win 1.

Okay - so how good do his fans think he is if they don't see multiple slams in his future?

Just curious?

I think he has a lot of potential, and he can win a GS in the future and he plays tennis as I like it (most of the time). If he manges a break-through soon, a big win at a big tourney, more of that kind might follow rather quickly. Otherwise, I am patiently waiting.;)

what a boring thread. No name-calling OR shit slinging. Come on guys, learn to do it right :zzz:

what a boring thread. No name-calling OR shit slinging. Come on guys, learn to do it right :zzz:
Nadal's a dirtball hack and he's ovah!

(how's that? :devil: )

what a boring thread. No name-calling OR shit slinging. Come on guys, learn to do it right :zzz:

What of it...bitch? :p

Nadal's a dirtball hack and he's ovah!

(how's that? :devil: )

:lol: See Blaze, all it took was you arriving and BOOM, agression all over the shop.

what a boring thread. No name-calling OR shit slinging. Come on guys, learn to do it right :zzz:

Can I start a new "Ljubo sucks" thread? :baby:

Damn, I wanted to see Marcos-Richard:banghead:

Nadal's a dirtball hack and he's ovah!

(how's that? :devil: )

nah, too off topic. You might want to start calling out some of Richies fans and dissing Gasquets results

What of it...bitch? :p

:armed:

:lol: See Blaze, all it took was you arriving and BOOM, agression all over the shop.

thats the plan :rocker2:

Can I start a new "Ljubo sucks" thread? :baby:

nah, they'll be plenty of that in the coming months. :)

Who's the hot girl in your avatar? :hearts:

(:devil: )

:haha: CLASSIC!!!

and btw, whos the hot girl in YOUR avatar? :p

Sorry, sorry.

Richie is a dirtball hack and he is ovah! :devil:

nah, they'll be plenty of that in the coming months. :)

Not enough of it right now :ras:

Not enough of it right now :ras:

patience, friend, patience. We all know the REAL season doesnt start until Dubai anyway :devil:

Not enough of it right now :ras:
That's the trouble when he keeps losing early.

Soderling should win this title, as the only person left to beat is baghdatis, and the last time they played in doha, soderling gave him a major beat down. Saying that though, Toad boy has a nack of choking away big matches though. . . .

patience, friend, patience. We all know the REAL season doesnt start until Dubai anyway :devil:

Oh baby! :banana: :inlove: :devil: :drool:

Ivan = :help:

Demanding perfection won't bring it. Accepting mediocrity certainly won't.
I can see what you mean and I do get annoyed when he wins matches I think he should've won, but when it comes down to it, it doesn't change anything. I don't think there is any harm in being realistic about your favourite player's chances if you choose to, everyone has their own way of doing things. In my opinion, the only person who needs to improve their attitude is Richard, he's the only one who can change his career and I think he needs to stop accepting this kind of loss and saying his opponent was "too good" and start facing up to the fact that sometimes he is to blame for his losses as well. :shrug:

At the end of the day, he is still only 20 and he has a long career ahead of him. Maybe at the end of it his fans will be disappointed, maybe we won't, but it is in Richard's hands, not ours. :)

I can see what you mean and I do get annoyed when he wins matches I think he should've won, but when it comes down to it, it doesn't change anything. I don't think there is any harm in being realistic about your favourite player's chances if you choose to, everyone has their own way of doing things. In my opinion, the only person who needs to improve their attitude is Richard, he's the only one who can change his career and I think he needs to stop accepting this kind of loss and saying his opponent was "too good" and start facing up to the fact that sometimes he is to blame for his losses as well. :shrug:

At the end of the day, he is still only 20 and he has a long career ahead of him. Maybe at the end of it his fans will be disappointed, maybe we won't, but it is in Richard's hands, not ours. :)
Fair comment. :)

Even if I did have attitude of ''You better win matches all the time'' it wouldn't matter as Gasquet wouldn't know. What I expect of him won't influence his play at all.

I watched this match and I can say that Soderling dished out some brilliant tennis. Gasquet wasn't playing poorly, but he was playing way too passively. From the first game onwards, you could see that Soderling would win if Gasquet didn't start to impose himself. Soderling's flat, deep strokes were pushing Gasquet side to side reducing him to a scrappy defensive player. We all know that isn't Gasquet's style of play. He had no answer to Robin's forehand or serve in the first set. Another thing Soderling was doing really well was punishing the short Gasquet second serve and putting Gasquet on the defensive even on his first serve.

In the second set, Gasquet definitely started to play more aggressively and hit the ball harder and looked to get to the net. He was able to struggle through his service games but was barely able to put a dent into the Soderling serve except for one game (even then Soderling managed to hit three big serves to bring himself to game point). Gasquet had no answer to Soderling's backhand down the line this time around and heavy passing shots.

All in all, a rock solid performance from Soderling and too passive play from Gasquet. Soderling was serving huge, managed to pop an ace down the middle at 234 kph (145 mph!). Very impressive stuff from Robin, I'd favor him for the title. If he keeps up this play indoors, he should be able to contend for the indoor TMS titles and finish the year in the top 10.

"I was worn out," said Gasquet, who helped France beat Belgium (should be Romania - DUMB BBC) 4-1 in the Davis Cup last weekend. "Before the match I did not have much hope."

Of course, Soderling also did DC and won 2 singles ties, including 1 in 5 sets.

No excuse.

"I was worn out," said Gasquet, who helped France beat Belgium (should be Romania - DUMB BBC) 4-1 in the Davis Cup last weekend. "Before the match I did not have much hope."

Of course, Soderling also did DC and won 2 singles ties, including 1 in 5 sets.

No excuse.


yep,that was a pathetic comment by Gasquet....

.
All in all, a rock solid performance from Soderling and too passive play from Gasquet. Soderling was serving huge, managed to pop an ace down the middle at 234 kph (145 mph!). Very impressive stuff from Robin, I'd favor him for the title. If he keeps up this play indoors, he should be able to contend for the indoor TMS titles and finish the year in the top 10.

that's been his main problem since the beginning of this year....

worn out playing against Hanescu :lol:

"I was worn out," said Gasquet, who helped France beat Belgium (should be Romania - DUMB BBC) 4-1 in the Davis Cup last weekend. "Before the match I did not have much hope."

Of course, Soderling also did DC and won 2 singles ties, including 1 in 5 sets.

No excuse.


Physical fitness has never been his strength so I don't think anyone should be surprised.

yep,that was a pathetic comment by Gasquet....

Yeah, the lack of belief is just horrendous.

worn out playing against Hanescu :lol:

And Pavel.

In my view Söderling can break through Top 10 at the end of 2007. Two percetege's terms:
1) tie-breaks record 60 %
2) 50 % against Top 10 players
;)

if there were a GS played in Indoor,Soderling would certainly make the top 10.

Richard doesn't seem capable of beating a player around his own calibre in quality. :o

I have always thought Soderling was a player with talent, a grandslam winner. He has a good head on his shoulders although I think he can be overwhelmed by the moment. But this comes with experience. Go on and take the title Robin.

Richard :sobbing: :sobbing: :sobbing:

Great win Robin :yeah:

Soderling is oozing confidence at the moment, so this result wasn't unexpected!

Richard doesn't seem capable of beating a player around his own calibre in quality. :o

well he has done it before.....but this season,he has some problems to do that...:o

Robin the indoor demon :yeah:

Very disappointed in Gasquet. These are the matches he needs to dig deep and win. Very disappointed in Gasquet.

unfortunately Robin can´t stand the slams,in 8 out of 15 slams he has lost in the first round and only twice past the second round.

he has to get used to the idea that when he has won two sets it still is one left to win:)

but i like his matches against feddo even if it is four losses:

2006 ATP Masters Series Madrid
Spain Hard R16 Federer 7-6(5) 7-6(10)

2005 Halle
Germany Grass R32 Federer 6-7(5) 7-6(6) 6-4

2004 Bangkok
Thailand Hard Q Federer 7-6(3) 6-4

2004 Canada AMS
Toronto, Canada Hard R32 Federer 7-5 6-1

I really don't know when he will work on his fitness, being worn out by two easy DC wins on carpet is certainly not good.

Congrats to Soderling though

Söderling is never winning a GS unless it's played indoors.

He likes playing in France and under a roof and is one of the more dangerous players indoors and this result isn't surprising.

scoobsuk,you're probably right,we should be more demanding with Richard.....the problem is that we have learnt the hard way in the past that it was when we (me anyway) began to have some high expectations on him that he often disappointed us the most :sad:

this said,i remain convinced he'll have a breakthrough this year......where and when,that's the question.....

You are unbelievable when Gasquet wins you proclaim as the Messiah and when he loses he isn't much better than dirt.

"I was worn out," said Gasquet, who helped France beat Belgium (should be Romania - DUMB BBC) 4-1 in the Davis Cup last weekend. "Before the match I did not have much hope."

Of course, Soderling also did DC and won 2 singles ties, including 1 in 5 sets.

No excuse.


yep,that was a pathetic comment by Gasquet....






It may be true.

Gasquet like Murrat, Djokovic and Monfils are all physically weak.

Söderling is never winning a GS unless it's played indoors.

He likes playing in France and under a roof and is one of the more dangerous players indoors and this result isn't surprising.

True.

Modern tennis strongly favours players strongest on hard court and to a lesser extent clay courts. Players favouring grass courts and indoor court have far fewer opportunities in the year and in the case of players favouring indoor courts no grand slam chances.

gasquet sucked.
sod rocked.

Gasquet just sucks as some of his fans

but i like his matches against feddo even if it is four losses:

2006 ATP Masters Series Madrid
Spain Hard R16 Federer 7-6(5) 7-6(10)



Federer won 7-6(5) 7-6(8)
atptennis.com is fucked up with the tie-breaks scores: 10-8, 11-9, 12-10, 13-11 :mad:
No matter if player wins 10-8 or 12-10, on atptennis.com always is wrtitten (10). The same story with 11-9 and 13-11 - always (11) :shrug:
For me this is pathetic :o

even Federer would have a LOT of trouble to beat a in form Soderling on indoor i think........oh wait a minute ,didn t he have some troubles to beat him in Madrid last season??:p

Fed still won anyway... :o :p

Federer won 7-6(5) 7-6(8)
atptennis.com is fucked up with the tie-breaks scores: 10-8, 11-9, 12-10, 13-11 :mad:
No matter if player wins 10-8 or 12-10, on atptennis.com always is wrtitten (10). The same story with 11-9 and 13-11 - always (11) :shrug:
For me this is pathetic :o

I remember a few years ago, when dealing with tiebreak scores that went past 6-6, they used to have the points total of the losing player in brackets as it should be, then they switched it to being the points of the winning player, which is nonsense - I mean, if someone wins a tiebreak with the more standard score of 7-5, you don't see it written down as 7-6 (7), do you? Now you say they're keeping it as the same number regardless of who had that score at the end of the tiebreak, crazy.

The way they organise player activity over there leaves a lot to be desired. Yes, thankfully they no longer count walkovers as wins as they did for a brief time last year, but imagine all the effort that went into reversing a player's results for each season, so that those for November are at the top and those for January at the bottom.... it's annoying and makes no sense at all.

You are unbelievable when Gasquet wins you proclaim as the Messiah and when he loses he isn't much better than dirt.

just like the croats :p

Gasquet just doesn't have that winner's mentality to kick up his game. I am afraid he will never crack top 10 :(

Gasquet just doesn't have that winner's mentality to kick up his game. I am afraid he will never crack top 10 :(

you're going too far :lol:

he'll PERHAPS never win a slam but he'll certainly make at least once the top 10.
even players like Stepanek or Schutler have made the top 10 ffs!

:)

Gasquet is an overhyped pansy of a player. Why even bother to show up if you're not going to get in shape, gain a little strength so that you can actually compete physically, and play with heart?

Richie won't play in Rotterdam. Better for him to skip it than just try to survive like in Marseille.

Soderling to win this tournament.

Gasquet is an overhyped pansy of a player. Why even bother to show up if you're not going to get in shape, gain a little strength so that you can actually compete physically, and play with heart?

:worship:

It may be true.

Gasquet like Murrat, Djokovic and Monfils are all physically weak.
Murray has been putting in a huge amount of work on his fitness and the results are showing for all to see - he went 4 hours with Nadal in Melbourne and was physically fine apart from that odd twinge in the second that went away again.

I've yet to see evidence that Gasquet and Djokovic have been putting in the same amount of effort.

Soderling to win this tournament.

The Toad got squashed.

Nice job ny Robin, too bad he crashed out against Simon. :(

Gasquet fails to deliver once again
Most overrated player in the game by a long, long way.

Most overrated player in the game by a long, long way.

Can't wait to see your surprised face in 2 or 3 years.

Can't wait to see your surprised face in 2 or 3 years.

i really hope you're right.
but the more it goes and the more i'm becoming pessimistic......especially when i see how fast some other youngsters(Murray especially) are improving at the moment comparing to him.

at the beginning of the season, Richie ,who is normally not your outspoken type of guy, was saying that he was sure he was going to do something very big in the next weeks......and we are still waiting.

Can't wait to see your surprised face in 2 or 3 years.
Because you actually think he will be good? :lol:

I needed a good laugh.

Because you actually think he will be good? :lol:

I needed a good laugh.

I know 2 things in life :
1) He will be good
2) You are a tool

:)