[coonster14]

I don't think he will.

[Ash86]

Originally Posted by masterclass

He is not scheduled to play in Monte-Carlo this year. His point loss there will be minimal - 180. I think Federer's primary focus this year is on the grass. He has scheduled an additional tournament - Halle. And if he plays an unscheduled tournament anywhere, it will probably be during the almost 3 week hiatus between Wimbledon and the Olympics. I suspect if he is feeling good after Wimbledon, he might go for the Newport grass, even though it is just a 250, but it's just a hunch. Newport finishes on the 15th. Nadal's charity match was scheduled for the 14th...

Respectively,
masterclass

Halle is not an additional tournament for him - last year was unusual for him not to play. I think he'll skip MC too as he's played a LOT the last 2 months and it'll catch up with him. I doubt he'll play Newport because the grass there sucks and the competition will be pretty low quality probably. Why fly across the Atlantic when he can just practice in Europe closer to London... Don't think he'll play Nadal's charity match though I hope he does.

Fed's chances to get to no.2 have gone up a lot after yesterday's match but for Fed to outperform Nadal over the next 4 Masters Series too (Miami, MC, Madrid, Rome) is quite an ask. If Fed gets very close I think Rafa will play Madrid as even if he doesn't like it he should reach the semis/final there. He needs to rack up the clay points this year -I doubt Nole will be as good as last year which helps Rafa's chances. Fed on the other hand can be upset early.

[masterclass]

Originally Posted by Ash86

Halle is not an additional tournament for him - last year was unusual for him not to play. I think he'll skip MC too as he's played a LOT the last 2 months and it'll catch up with him. I doubt he'll play Newport because the grass there sucks and the competition will be pretty low quality probably. Why fly across the Atlantic when he can just practice in Europe closer to London... Don't think he'll play Nadal's charity match though I hope he does.

Fed's chances to get to no.2 have gone up a lot after yesterday's match but for Fed to outperform Nadal over the next 4 Masters Series too (Miami, MC, Madrid, Rome) is quite an ask. If Fed gets very close I think Rafa will play Madrid as even if he doesn't like it he should reach the semis/final there. He needs to rack up the clay points this year -I doubt Nole will be as good as last year which helps Rafa's chances. Fed on the other hand can be upset early.

Please excuse the misunderstanding, I was comparing Halle, to last year, Mr Ash. Isner defending his title and Raonic are both playing in Newport. Isner is going to be a key player this year (he already is). And match play is pretty good practice...but again, it's just a hunch.

Respectfully,
masterclass

[Mjau!]

Originally Posted by Filo V.

There is absolutely no reason to believe Rafa will not once again dominate on clay.

[reery]

Yes.

[AntiTennis]

If he wins today he has a serious chance, come Roger!!

[Filo V.]

Rafa is still #1 on clay. Not Djokovic. And Djokovic is not playing anywhere near the level he was last season. He's more vulnerable to other players on clay than Nadal is. The only players who can really beat/threaten Nadal on clay who are active are Nole and Roger. The list is a lot longer for Djokovic.

[sexybeast]

You know what is more important than beeing nr2 in RG?

Federer beeing seeded nr2 in Wimbledon, now that will be a hard nut to crack because Nadal got +3245 extra points from previous grasscourt results while Federer got only +720 extra points (+250 if he wins Halle). So that is 2500 points which is almost impossible to catch, but with Halle in the bag and Nadal going out in SF against Djokovic in RG and some other lucky results, who knows?

This is very important because Federer would have Wimbledon in the bag if he was to play Djokovic in the final, if Nadal and Djokovic play SF Nadal is out of the way for Federer to get that Wimbledon title. I think RG is more complicated even if he was to play Djokovic in the final and not Nadal.

[asotgod]

Originally Posted by sexybeast

You know what is more important than beeing nr2 in RG?

Federer beeing seeded nr2 in Wimbledon, now that will be a hard nut to crack because Nadal got +3245 extra points from previous grasscourt results while Federer got only +720 extra points (+250 if he wins Halle). So that is 2500 points which is almost impossible to catch, but with Halle in the bag and Nadal going out in SF against Djokovic in RG and some other lucky results, who knows?

This is very important because Federer would have Wimbledon in the bag if he was to play Djokovic in the final, if Nadal and Djokovic play SF Nadal is out of the way for Federer to get that Wimbledon title. I think RG is more complicated even if he was to play Djokovic in the final and not Nadal.

Federer will most likely be seeded #2 in RG. Momentum and the numbers so far favor him. So does his confidence. Any small slip up from Nadal starting from Miami will be disastrous for him. Even if Nadal slips to #3, he could still be drawn to Fed's side. Nadal may want to avoid the Djoker but Fed has put himself in position to face both, especially nadal despite the matchup and head to head issues.

On clay, I will favor Djokovic over Nadal just because of the matchup and momentum. Nadal obviously over Fed on clay. I think Djoke and Fed are about even at best. On grass, I will favor Fed over both. Even last year, if Fed had won against Tsonga, I was almost certain he would have beat Djokovic which was what Nadal was hoping for. Alas, that's why the game is played.

[BigJohn]

Horses have frightening facial features when you don't expect to see them...

[Bagelicious]

I'd love to see it, but I doubt it'll happen. Nadal is just too much of a force to be reckoned with on clay.

[rocketassist]

Rafole SEMI at RG is on. Come on Roger, do it for tennis.