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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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#1,009 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Much better level of play from Gilles today. Focused, purpose in his step and aggressive both defensively and offensively. Obviously it doesn't really mean a thing in terms of how he will play the next match because of how up and down he is right now in his career, but nonetheless, today was a good day and reminiscent of 2008/2009 Gilles.
 
#1,010 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

6/1 7/5...at last a solid win. I was so scared when he had to serve to stay in the 2nd set, cos lately he looks like not to be able to hold when he's a game down! But not today :) ... someone in this thread, a couple of days ago, said a match at the time and i think tha's exactly what he's doing right now.
:bigclap:
 
#1,013 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Lol yes, troicki and tipsi lost, very rude of them to ruin the path to recovery. Uh well. New dawn new match :thumbup:
:lol:. It's not gonna be that easy, isn't it. Troicki & Tipsy would have been a perfect remedy for Gilles' deflating confidence. Oh well. Now it's Rosol and probably Funky Flo :scared:. Last time he played Rosol was 2 years ago in Dubai, Rosol was ranked 155. So it'll be a different Rosol this time, hopefully it doesn't mean he'll need a whole set to figure out what he's dealing with. And tbh, I'm a little concern about his physical, he seems to be touching his left hip area a lot in Set 2 (like that injury in Rotterdam). I'm not sure if he's entirely fit. But anyhow, no need to speculate, we'll find out how he manages tomorrow. Allez Gilles.
 
#1,014 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Good win by Gilles :yeah: , I hope he is slowly but surely regaining confidence. Next up Rosol, if Gilles is up to it he has a great chance, and then on the final I hope it's GGL because Flo is such a bad matchup for Gilles.
 
#1,016 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Im watching a french streaming of Gillou' match and one of the commies is Thierry Tulasne :) amd they're talking abt Timothee ...awwwwwwww
Tutu commenting Gilles' match, how cool. I'm also watching a French stream, but I don't know which one is Tutu. What did they talk about Timothee?
 
#1,017 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

The first set is not looking good for Gilles. His balls so short, Rosol at half way to the serve box most of the time. He seem to have trouble handling Rosol's power. This is gonna be quick if he doesn't find a way fast.
 
#1,019 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Rosol is always very aggressive, Gilles needs to not let him, but he fails badly so far. 6-2 in 39 mins. If he doesn't figure sth out soon, he won't have time to get back into the match. And where the hell is that first serve went?
 
#1,028 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

I wasn't expecting this :sad: , but well, after 4 losses in a row we couldn't expect much. On to Madrid, let's hope the baby steps continue there. I hope he annlounces his coach in Rome or Nice.
 
#1,029 · (Edited)
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

He seemed tight on the court today, he played bad tactically, he sends flat balls on Rosol's strike zone without (or rarely) changing the pace of the ball and had a poor first serve percentage (he played almost exactly the same way against Haas in Miami).
It's clearly not easy to counter Rosol's fast tennis but he can't play like that against a confident powerful player who has more time to hit the ball so on clay...
At his peak, i think he would have played slightly different tennis, serving better and moving more these players around the court to force errors but he was lacking confidence to do so today.
Otherwise, i think his coach will be someone from FFT like Olivier Delaitre or something like that :lol:
 
#1,030 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Otherwise, i think his coach will be someone from FFT like Olivier Delaitre or something like that :lol:
Did u hear sth or it's just a random guess? Well, I don't know who that is, so it doesn't matter. I know he needs a coach desperately and now, but I'm glad he doesn't rush himself into one. Knowing Gilles, how stubborn he is, for him to find a coach that he'll listen is very important. We just have to endure 3-4 more weeks of this up-and-down, mostly down tennis. TBH, I thought he won't pass Niemenen, so to get to SF is quite exceeded my expectation (expectation understandably very low these days). Today's match was bad, but I think that has a lot to do with Rosol playing great. He was more flat than bad, I think, not that it was any better one way or the other. And I can't say I was surprised he lost.
 
#1,031 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

I guess I finally feel up to commenting on Gilles' loss today. Some days I can let it all out as i'm watching it on here, but other days, like today I just get so disgusted with his look of complete helplessness on the court that I just feel like throwing my hands up and saying the hell with it.:banghead:

Anyway, It's harder to take losses like this when just the day before he was playing some of his best tennis since of the whole year so far since his Delpo match in Marseille. He's just so damn inconsistent and up and down that you never know what or who he's going to win or lose to. He can go out one day and destroy a quality dangerous ranked and respected player and then go out the next day and lose to a low ranked nobody traveling journeyman.

I really want to see Gilles get back to playing more consistently more than anything. If he had been playing like crap all tournament it would've been easier to deal with the loss today but since he was playing well yesterday, there's always a part of me that gets my hopes up thinking that he will carry that form over to the next day/match. I should know better by now so it's my fault more than anything.

Of course after all this I'm sure Rosal will go on and lose easily to Lopez tomorrow too just to make the loss by Gilles today sting that much more.:rolleyes: Gilles really had a chance to win this tournament for a 4th time. I don't think Gilles is going to win a title at all this year now unfortunately. This was his best chance.

I think he really needs to take a couple months off when he gets his new coach and just designate that time to reconstructing his entire game from top to bottom. Serve, volleys, everything and then come back a new player ready to ascend back to the top 10 because where things stand right now it's just brutal for him and for us to have to endure it week in and week out.
 
#1,032 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Of course after all this I'm sure Rosal will go on and lose easily to Lopez tomorrow
I hope so, I'm so cheering for GGL, I like him. He's Juanqui BFF before the term BFF exists, trained at Juanqui's academic in his early days, he's like JC's little brother in those days :lol:. Helps too that I think GGL is rather handsome ;).
 
#1,033 · (Edited)
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

Oh, and this is the itw before the Rosol match, on L'Equipe


Simon et le boucher

Sans briller, le Niçois est en demi-finales, où l’attend aujourd’hui le cogneur Lukas Rosol.

ON PEUT TOUT FAIRE à Gilles Simon à Bucarest : passer outre son peu d’appétence pour jouer à 11 heures du matin, lui proposer unmarathonien finlandais qu’il faut enterrer cinq fois pour qu’il craque enfin (Nieminen) ou un grand Allemand plutôt fan des séquences courtes (Brands)... Le Français survit ici à tous les pièges. Même celui, sûrement le plus compliqué, d’arriver en méforme dans la place. « J’étais si sûr de perdre en arrivant ici que ça m’a fait du bien de gagner face à Nieminen, expliquait-il hier. Dès le troisième point sur un long rallye que j’ai dû conclure par un coup droit miraculeux, je m’étais dit que, s’il fallait faire ça tout le temps, j’étais foutu… » Mais, à force de volonté, Simon avait prolongé de 2 h 40’ son improbable histoire d’amour avec ce tournoi qu’il a gagné trois fois. Et hier il a ajouté une seizième victoire d’affilée dans le berceau de Ion Tiriac en disposant de Daniel Brands en 1 h 18’ (6-1, 7-5). Comme quoi il peut même parfois faire (assez) court. Idéalement rentré dans le match par une succession de passings impitoyables, efficace au service après les conseils légués en début de semaine par Nicolas Mahut (6 aces), le Français a juste péché par excès de timidité au début du second set, le temps de se faire breaker. En reprenant le fil d’un match où il lui fallait coincer l’adversaire sur son revers (pour éviter les parpaings en coup droit), faire bouger la grande carcasse et densifier le rythme des échanges, l’affaire finit par se dénouer sans tension excessive. Du coup, le roi de Bucarest, arrivé sur la pointe des pieds, se pose désormais en favori potentiel. Car, après les forfait (Fognini), retrait (Monfils), ou défaite (Seppi) des supposés vassaux les plus dangereux pour l’invasion de son royaume, c’était au tour de Tipsarevic (face à Garcia Lopez) de tomber après un dernier jeu catastrophique à 5-4 au troisième set. Vrai-faux top 10, le Serbe n’a gagné que trois matches depuis l’Open d’Australie. « Ce n’est pas que je me sente en méforme, disait-il hier, c’est que je prends les mauvaises décisions au mauvais moment… » Tout l’inverse de l’adversaire de Simon en demi-finales, qui, selon les mauvaises langues, ne peut pas prendre de décision, puisqu’il ne réfléchit pas sur un court. Vous pensez à Lukas Rosol ? Tout juste. C’est lui qui tape et tape encore. « Un boucher » , résumait Simon. Depuis qu’il a éliminé Nadal à Wimbledon l’un de ses (rares) jours où tout rentrait, le Tchèque n’a aucune victoire réellement significative. Mais il est invaincu sur terre en 2013, puisqu’il a apporté deux points pour les Tchèques en Coupe Davis au Kazakhstan et qu’il a battu ici Muller, Seppi et Troicki pour se qualifier pour la première demi-finale de sa carrière sur le grand circuit. Après la défaite de son poulain, Jack Reader, l’entraîneur de Troicki, conseillait à Simon de slicer en revers croisé pour faire plier les jambes du drôle de phénomène. Mais ça, Simon ne sait pas faire. Même à Bucarest. – F. Ra.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I guess some are upset at the loss today. I'm not taking it as hard, I can only see this week as one of the better week in the past 4 weeks, or maybe even in the past 2 months. I don't think just because this is Bucharest that he'll need to win the title. He actually played 2 good matches this week, more good matches than he has played in IM/Mia/DC/MC. I think it's good enough that Bucharest helped him to progress a little, bit by bit. Having lost 4 in a roll, it would've been hard for him to go to a tournament like Madrid to feel any confident at all to win, there's no easy match in ATP1000 (well, as we know now after seeing him losing to BA in MC), even worse now that he won't be seeded in Madrid and Rome unless a seed w/d. But here in Bucharest, a place he feels comfortable and more confident compared to any other places, he played and won against a very tough opponent, this at least stop his psyche from continuing in the wrong direction. I'm sure he's not gonna get too upset about his loss to Rosol, given how Rosol played today. Gilles always knows he's more vulnerable against big hitters like Rosol when they are on, and Rosol is on today. It's matches like this that he has not much say that bothers him the least. It probably bothers us fans more seeing such a lopsided match. This tournament is a positive for Gilles regardless of today's match, I think so anyway.
 
#1,037 · (Edited)
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

In fact, i appreciate what he can do on the court/his interviews sometimes but i wouldn't say i'm a "fan" and i also think he could/should play more aggressively as he's capable to especially against players who gives him time to do so; particularly at his peak it was the case indeed.
I've also noticed he makes more unforced errors on easy balls and is generally relatively slower, not a good thing...
Otherwise, as you said, it's a problem of mindset, natural instincts and confidence with him, but for instance when he has a better serving day like against Del Potro in Marseille, he feels more confident and he's way more proactive in rallies and at return of serve as well.
Anyway, tennis is a sport where mental toughness and confidence are really important to get results, more so than playing style and talent.
Unfortunately, i doubt anything will change drastically with a new coach, in my opinion it's too late to win something worth mentioning: he's 28, struggles with injuries, has passed his prime and the ATP level is high.
I guess he will continue to have good and shaky days in terms of confidence, play etc with solid results but nothing more, apart from one of two good performances in MS 1000 per year so a pattern of his whole career.
 
#1,038 ·
Re: 2013 Spring European Clay Season, Allez!

In fact, i appreciate what he can do on the court/his interviews sometimes but i wouldn't say i'm a "fan" and i also think he could/should play more aggressively as he's capable to especially against players who gives him time to do so; particularly at his peak it was the case indeed.
I love reading what he thinks but I don't always agree with his thinkings. And I also think sometimes he's telling himself something that is not really the case. But I don't think it's problematic. I think there's a lot of ways to get to Rome. If a little denial or other ways of interpret things that will lead to the same result... ultimately the important thing is whatever mean that leads to the same end, a desirable outcome.

As for what he can do during his peak, the thing is, he can still do those things now even when he's not peak anymore. It's just that it comes far too infrequently (once in awhile, there's a Del Po win). In his peak, he's confident, a lot more healthier, and have no expectation. All these have changed. A lot cannot be reversed, like he probably cannot be any more healthier than he was at 23, nor can he have less expectation than he was in 2008. But less not think about 2008 anymore, let's all move on and stop regretting that he's not the 2008 Gilles Simon anymore. Doesn't mean he won't be any good anymore, at least I don't really see it that way. Gilles shouldn't look bad either, cos there's really no point thinking that he can never be as good anymore, that will be so counter-productive. So I hope Gilles is only looking forward and believing that the best is still to come.

I've also noticed he makes more unforced errors on easy balls and is generally relatively slower, not a good thing...
Ah, that's the part that his game deteriorate the most. Nowadays he has a lot of UEs in his game, I don't know if it's because he's a step slower or if he's just not focus enough, or it's just technical since he also mentioned his game regressing. But he used to be able to rely on outmanoeuvring the opponents, and his own UEs is making it hard to do now.

Otherwise, as you said, it's a problem of mindset, natural instincts and confidence with him, but for instance when he has a better serving day like against Del Potro in Marseille, he feels more confident and he's way more proactive in rallies and at return of serve (by coincidence, i've even read on twitter few people saying it was one of the few Simon's entertaining matches :eek:)
Well, tennis is a sport where mental toughness and confidence are really important to get results anyway, more so than playing style and talent.
Confidence comes from so many sources, one is feeling that you can rely on your body, this source has significantly diminished these days. Plus, he said he's been spending so much time on the physio part than on court (a ration of 4:1). That helps him to not get injured as frequently but also hurt his game. He did mention before he needs to balance out these 2 parts. Let's hope that his scheme of fixing his body will come to fruition as he has planned, by RG. His physical issue is really the source of a lot of his problems now. So there is always hope that once he is healthy again, the confident and the ability to train will be restored too.

Unfortunately, i doubt anything will change drastically with a new coach, in my opinion it's too late to win something worth mentioning: he's 28, struggles with injuries, has passed his prime and the ATP level is high.
I remain hopeful but I'm also cautious to not think once a new coach onboard that his game will be fixed, that the result will be fixed. It's far too easy to think a change will guarantee good, but there's no guarantee. But in his desperation, as in now, a change will hopefully sparks some inspiration. In team sports, like hockey which I follow closely, a new coach can always get a few wins upon arrival. There's a big psychological factor that inject optimism when there's a change. He needs a coach to fix his deficits, that at least is one solution that can easy be resolved (getting the coach part, not sure about fixing his deficits). And not rushing into one is good, he doesn't just need a coach, because he's so opinionated, he needs someone that can really convince him.

As for his mental toughness, it's still there. He won more matches playing badly these past few months than ever, which is helpful since he can barely play well anymore these days. But I think mental toughness helps him to not lose, doesn't help him to win. He needs confidence, he needs to believe that he can beat anyone. And ppl say Tsonga is much more mentally tough than Gilles. I disagree. Tsonga has much more belief than Gilles, that's why he almost always beat the guys lower than him and can give the big guys challenge. There is a different. But anyway, I think Gilles' mental is pretty much the only strength of him that's still working. And lets see Gasquet these days, he's getting very consistent now beating most that's below them, that to me is the belief working, that he's believing now that he's better than those below him. But he's still not be considered a mentally tough player. I don't know if my theory is right, but that's how I feel anyway.

I guess he will continue to have good and shaky days in terms of confidence, play etc with solid results but nothing more, apart from one of two good performances in MS 1000 per year so a pattern of his whole career.
Well, one or 2 good performance in MS1000 per year is not bad. It is what differentiate a Top 16 from the players below them. If a player is consistently QFinalist in MS1000, he'll be Top 10. A consistent QFinalist also in all Slams is probalby a Top 6. I know he's not capable of consistently good at big events, so I can only hope for occasionally good. And like you said, that's his pattern anyway, he was good in 2 MS1000 in 2008, that consequently get him to a TMS SF. And remember how excited everyone was at him then? It really doesn't take much and I'm not asking for more either.

I compare last year since he became coachless, to the previous year. From Beijing 2011 to Mia 2012 compare to Tokyo 2012 to Mia 2013, the points are 595 and 1215 respectively. I don't know what it means except the fact that he's doing something right. That 595 pts was during a period that he was in bad form plus lots of physically issues. Now, if you think about after Bangkok last year, he was in bad form too, then out of the blue Bercy happened. Really, not much seemingly has changed this year. He played with injuries, he played horribly, but he wins. I don't know what is the element that's causing these, maybe it's his attitude like he said. Maybe his physical is really improving despite it appears to not be so. All I know is, he's doing something right whether we know it or not. Yes, it's hellish to have to watch him struggled physically and gamewise every match, on the other hand, tremendous satisfaction to see him win despite all his difficulties. Gilles is really something special. So we may think he's stupid to go coachless, that he's not training right... but funny enough, the result said it's not a bad decision. Having no coach probably won't work long term, but this coachless period somehow did benefit him. We all want him to play fantastic and win matches that we can feel proud of, like that one against DelPo. But on the other hand, I also want him to win first and foremost. It sometimes marvels me more that someone wins by merely refusing to lose (that reminds me of Nole 2010 and his DFs. Every game I watched him he was struggling everywhere, yet he won. And I think that's why he eventually becomes Nole 2.0. That attitude of refusing to lose, perhaps is really part of the progress to become a great champion. I'm not expecting Gilles to become Nole, I just want to point out that Gilles also possess an important strength that can help him to be more success in the coming days. As of now, Gilles has too many issues and the clock is clicking. But against all odds seem to be his specialty. It is not hopeless.
 
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