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2013 Fall Season, Regroup! Allez!

96K views 2K replies 44 participants last post by  Gillouthe best 
#1 · (Edited)
Happy New Year to everyone!

Here we go again. 2013 Season begins...This year a new adventure for Gilles as he's going solo. Hopefully, he's healthy and ready. I'm preparing for another roller coaster ride as long as the ride isn't too bumpy for the stomach ;).

First stop, Brisbane.

(1) Andy Murray (GBR) vs Bye
Tatsuma Ito (JPN) vs Qualifier
Radek Stepanek (CZE) vs (WC) Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
(8) Martin Klizan (SVK) vs Denis Istomin (UZB)

(4) Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) vs Bye
Julien Benneteau (FRA) vs Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)
Tommy Robredo (ESP) vs Qualifier
(5) Kei Nishikori (JPN) vs Marinko Matosevic (AUS)

(6) Florian Mayer (GER) vs Santiago Giraldo (COL)
(WC) Benjamin Mitchell (AUS) vs Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)
Qualifier vs Alejandro Falla (COL)
(3) Gilles Simon (FRA) vs Bye

(7) Jurgen Melzer (AUT) vs Qualifier
(WC) Matthew Ebden (AUS) vs David Goffin (BEL)
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) vs Brian Baker (USA)
(2) Milos Raonic (CAN) vs Bye

Allez Gilles!
 
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#1,196 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Damn, he's no better than Starace :p. Oh well, at least he made past the 1 hr mark. Guess there's still a long way to go for Gilles, not sure to go where, up I guess. Maybe just to get back a serve and maintain some consistency will be the immediate goal, I'm not hoping he aims for the sky, but just get back to some decent level consistently, not just 1 good match in every tournament.
 
#1,197 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

He's still struggling against big servers because he can't hold serve comfortably and this puts more pressure on him throughout the match. Once he got behind, he just never opened up and was really tight for some reason.
 
#1,198 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Well, on the one hand Gilles had a good week because he got to the expected round he was supposed to make it to and some of us weren't even sure he would make it that far when Haas was still in the draw, but he suffered his worst loss to Federer of their three (retirement win doesn't count) previous meetings. He was very competitive in those matches and they all went the distance, but this match is very telling in where Gilles is at right now. He wasn't competitive really and looked too scared and intimidated out there.

It just shows how much mental retooling he still has yet to go through and I hope Dewitt can get that through to Gilles. He's got to stop being so scared of making errors and losing. Federer played well but he isn't even as good as he was in the previous times they played and yet he spanked Gilles today. Tells you all you need to know about where Gilles is at right now. I'm glad he's able to keep his head above water (barely) still, but he should be doing so much better with his game in the twilight of his career than he is.

The bad thing about the kind of problem that Gilles has is that it's all mental. It's not a question of technique or skill. It's all in his head and some days he's like his old self and others (most) he's how he is now. You can't really teach confidence, you can only help try and guide the player back to self belief. I really hope Gilles can find his way back and doesn't spend the remainder of his career struggling for wins and confidence.

Anyway, good tournament over all.
 
#1,199 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

He was about to lose to Volandri, if only Filippo didn't choke away his match. So ya, Round 3 is not bad considering. He's struggling with so many things right now, the serve, the backhand, volley... The technical part is really not working good enough to make him feel confident. De Witt mentioned that he's reworking the serve with Gilles now. I guess we should't expect making change is just a switch away, it'll take time. It's probably right, that's all in his head, like GillesAddict said. But for him to go from not feeling confident to start being confident, he needs to focus on the basis and step by step from there, first to fix all the technical issues, only then can he start implementing game plan with intended execution, and only then can he start having some consistency to the game, and hopefully win from there.

I'm now glad that he's going to Nice. He needs more time to refine his game to prepare for RG, and just practicing is probably not enough, he probably needs the matches to get used to new things. Well, hopefully Nice will work out the way it's intended, not so much as winning but be a good preparation for him to peak in RG.
 
#1,200 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Yesterday's match was painful even if i love Roger :( and i don't think Rog played so wonderfully, instead i think Gilles didn't try his best, at the start he was a bit nervous and than he lost the belief he could actually win the match. I really hope the new coach is the right choice for him, I know it's too soon to judge but i have not a good feeling about him :/
Anyway let's move on, next week Gilles plays in Nice, a few kms from where i live and i hope i can go and see at least a match! So Allez Gillou!!!!
 
#1,203 · (Edited)
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Well Tomas Berdych pulled out making Simon now the highest ranked player in the draw, but he'll still be seeded #2 since Berdych waited until the last possible minute to pull out being replaced by Montanes. The bottom half is where all the real talent of this tournament lies.

If Gilles plays well or even just as good as he did against Murray a few weeks ago, he should be able to win here. I actually don't think he will have any trouble with Isner if he plays well and if Isner even makes it to the semis, which will be tough for him to do because he has really been struggling on the European clay. In the last three tournaments he has played he went out in the 1st round in two of them and the 2nd round in the other and has been playing pretty poorly.

This tournament will be a real opportunity for Gilles to win his first, and possibly only, title this year and keep alive his streak of winning at least one tour level title per year for the past five years, and what a place it would be for him to do it in his own backyard. Good luck Gilles. :cheerleader:
 
#1,204 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Here's a really good brief article with Gilles talking about where his game has been and how bad things were for him, to now feeling better mentally since partnering with De Witt and how he is feeling better physically these days with fewer aches and pains which is good. He says he took a lot of confidence from his near defeating of Andy Murray and knows why he lost to Federer so badly.

Also, he says he really wants to win here in Nice and I so what him to so badly as well. He really needs this. It would be such a boost going into Roland Garros and help really push him that much further in the right direction on the road back to his top form. His family including his grandparents whom he said never gets to see him play but here will be there and he wants to do good for them and all his family.



http://www.nicematin.com/nice/gilles-simon-veut-gagner-lopen-de-tennis-nice.1263966.html

Here's the full translation:

Gilles Simon "wants to win" the Nice Open tennis

Gilles Simon is at home here. Well, almost. He was born in Nice, where his grandparents live, there has not really grown. Just spent summer vacation child. With, obviously, a lot of memories in mind. So he really wanted to do well on the courts of the Lawn Tennis Club.

"I really want to win the tournament," he launched yesterday afternoon by taking a look at the table of the 2013 edition: "I had already studied before! Well, he misses his friend Tomas (Berdych), which is a shame for the tournament. "

With his family

Even though he grew up in Paris, he is very attached to Nice, where he wants to take the opportunity to give a little time with his family: "She never sees me anywhere but here, it gives them pleasure, too . This is a week that I did not want to miss. I'll even see my man p'tit (Timothy, 2 years and 8 months)! I do not know one person who said, "We'll see you enough! "Except perhaps my former coach, Thierry (Tulasne)! But I can not split myself. And being here helps me not to think about Roland Garros ... "

Semi-finalist last year for his first participation, the 17th player in the world addresses the Nice event with label favorite. "Favorite On paper, yes ... But the paper is one thing. Last year, I played well until half before suffering a severe defeat against Almagro. "

It was after Roland Garros things were spoiled. "I had a very big hole, and a few injuries too. "And then came the end of its working - since 2007 - with Tulasne, his coach.

"I feel much better"

After seven months in solo, Simon opted for a new collaboration with Germany's Jan De Witt, after the tournament in Monte Carlo last month.

Like magic, the results came back with two 1/8es the final Masters 1000 Madrid and Rome (beaten by Murray and Federer). "I feel that it costs much, I'm much better. I managed to regain confidence in my game, and that's what I want to continue to do in Nice. Damage to be missed my match against Federer in Rome and I started timidly against such a player, I can not afford it. I always have trouble getting into my matches. Against Youzhny, I was led 4-1, but I had time to put my game up. Not against Federer, where it turned to run. Fortunately, in Nice, I do not have an opponent at the height of Switzerland. "

Seven months without coach allowed him to point out what was wrong and what to improve: "I got on some points, not on others, with Jan (De Witt) was right subsequently agree on what I had to do on where we wanted to go and how to get there. My game was in poor condition before Madrid, since it is much better. I prefer a string of matches. Against Murray (Loss 6/4 to 3), I played very well. "

Simon then landed in Nice shape. Physically. "Do not hurt me was one of my goals. "Mentally. "I did my work on myself." And tennistiquement?

Well, having said all that, tomorrow is the day it all begins. Gilles is fourth up tomorrow on Center court not before 6:00PM local time against a local French qualifier. Good luck Gilou. You can do this.:cheerleader:
 
#1,205 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Here's a really good brief article with Gilles talking about where his game has been and how bad things were for him, to now feeling better mentally since partnering with De Witt and how he is feeling better physically these days with fewer aches and pains which is good. He says he took a lot of confidence from his near defeating of Andy Murray and knows why he lost to Federer so badly.

Also, he says he really wants to win here in Nice and I so what him to so badly as well. He really needs this. It would be such a boost going into Roland Garros and help really push him that much further in the right direction on the road back to his top form. His family including his grandparents whom he said never gets to see him play but here will be there and he wants to do good for them and all his family.



http://www.nicematin.com/nice/gilles-simon-veut-gagner-lopen-de-tennis-nice.1263966.html

Here's the full translation:




Well, having said all that, tomorrow is the day it all begins. Gilles is fourth up tomorrow on Center court not before 6:00PM local time against a local French qualifier. Good luck Gilou. You can do this.:cheerleader:
Thanks for the article!

Gilles won 6-4, 6-3. Congrats on the nice routine win! Andujar next I think which will be much tougher.
 
#1,206 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Terrible conditions there today. Lots of wind with really bad gusts at times and rain and drizzle. Gilles had to start much later than planned and then they had to stop the match 1 game into the 2nd set and didn't resume until 10:30 at night, but the important thing is Gilles played well given the conditions, endured and got through.

Like I figured Isner went out in his first match to Fognini so he's not a factor for Gilles now, but he may have been the better opponent given how badly he was playing instead of Fognini, but we can cross that bridge if and when we get to it.

Next up for Gilles will be Pablo Andujar. Gilles is 1-0 against him, but that match was on a hard court and it was back in 2009 so it's kinda a different ball game again. Gilles will be fourth up again on Center court 6:00PM local time. Keep going Gilles! You can win this tournament! :cheerleader:
 
#1,211 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

I don't know what to make of that match. I don't think Gilles was horrible but he made too many errors. Andujar was significantly better than I remember him being, he played an excellent match in my opinion. Really disappointing losing a huge chance at a title, especially at home.
 
#1,213 ·
This was a great chance to win the title, and he was more pumped than usually. A few too many errors in the deciding stages of the sets, and good play from Andujar cost him the match.


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#1,214 ·
Andujar was OK, but seriously it was gilles' poor play that made him look better. So many times in the match when Gilles had to step on the gas pedal and take a hold of the match only resulted in retrieving back to poor form and errors. A counter puncher without a punch that can't keep a up in a baseline rally. Quite a deadly combo. He did have some nice points in between. On to the next (not counting RG or grass season. Go US open go)

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#1,215 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Well, this sucks. I'm not too concern about the title, but I'm very concern about his inability to play well at crucial moments. And this being his hometown tourney, can't be good for morale to lose so early. *Sigh* Tough time continues. I hope he can at least win a couple of rounds in RG.
 
#1,216 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Oh Gilles you are breaking my heart. I can't do this anymore. I'm just going to have to cheer with no expectations or belief that he will win a title again until/if he actually does. It just hurts too much when I do get my hopes up and then something like this happens out of nowhere. I give up.
 
#1,217 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Decent draw for Gilles at RG this year until the Round of 16: he draws Hewitt on first round, Mannarino/Cuevas on Rd2, Querrey or Lacko on Rd3 and then Federer.
The good news for him is that he avoid consistent claycourt grinders like Berlocq and Andujar in first rounds (maybe Cuevas but he's out of form), his potential match Vs Querrey could be interesting but i think he can eventually outlast him on clay at RG.
 
#1,219 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Gilles is 0-2 against Mannarino, do we concern about it? Well, we'll see if he will get to play Adrian. Otherwise R3 is almost as good as it gets (trying to not jinx him, but it's hard to ignore this R3 fact, that's if Querrey gets there). Hope he doesn't find a way to lose in the first 3 rounds. Allez Gilles. Allez!
 
#1,220 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

I'll be a bit concerned if he draws Mannarino on R2, Adrian hasn't been that bad this year ( won 2 or 3 CH's), and has a 2-0 H2H vs Gilles. But Querrey for R3 seems perfect to me.
 
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