2022 WTA Tour
2022 ATP Tour
Qualies action should begin tomorrow (December 31st) so time to get the thread underway.
Here's to hoping we'll see some great tennis/storylines this year.
Topsy Turvey. Hand or ankle must be really bothering Alcaraz
So the injury has altered the match
Pity to see that
Maybe Alcaraz should retire really to avoid further injury as he surely can't win this now unless he gets some miraculous kick off the painkillers (but is it advisable to go on pushing it)
But Alcaraz is back somehow
Nadal is going to have a free weekend in his calendar quite possibly
Bookmarked 🙂
What a point to finish!! Brilliant match.
That lasted about as long as the Raducanu "I'm back" quote headlines
Brilliant point to finish it off
No nerves to serve it out as Nadal put it up to him in that game - very impressive
Alcaraz surely going to go through the world No.1 and 2 in successive rounds
Hopefully Djokovic can put up a match
Will be interesting to see if he can come up with any sort of gameplan to attack him
Return of serve would be one of the areas that he would have to be 100% on
Djokovic is going to be down on baseline power and speed and indeed full-court repertoire
I think that both Nadal and Djokovic are most focused on being 100% at RG
Interesting contrast on the Amazon trio there!
Alcaraz up to 6 in the live rankings. We'll see how he gets on at Roland Garros over 5 sets but I think this is finally it, a player who is going to push the old lads aside.
WTA vs ATP in one simple picture
Well done Alcaraz, here's to hoping he can continue the Lord's work against Djokovic. I think we still need to see a bit more from him over best of 5 before we know for sure he really is the next best thing, but yeah the signs are looking good.
Five sets will only further increase his chances of winning matches so that's not going to be a factor. At this stage it's a question of will stay fit and healthy. Of he does there's really not much in his way to stop him dominating on clay at the very least over the next five years.
ATP Rome Draw
Djokovic, if he loses to Alcaraz tomorrow but gets to the semi in Rome he holds onto the No.1 ranking until the end of the French Open I think.
The Covid points are still involved in the rankings bizarrely.
For example Djokovic wasn't at Madrid last year but is dropping 500 points because he won it 3 years ago in 2019 as the 1,000 points from there are counted at 50%
Of course the only exception last year was that the year-end No.1 ranking was based on only current year results.
Hoping for Alcaraz, Jabeur and Tsitsipas wins in that order today. I feel Jabeur really needs to win this title and add to her slim haul, she's still won just the one title in Birmingham last year.
Some interesting matches on the women's side of Rome. Osaka-Sorribes Tormo rematch in the first round, the winner of which will face the winner of Andreescu-Raducanu.
A good match for Djokovic to have at this point to continue to tune him up towards RG
Alcaraz could be very hot to handle today and surely out to prove himself against the still-ranked No.1 even if he has not been playing a lot
Hot conditions and altitude - the ball will be moving through the air fast and bouncing high
Djokovic victim of a bad call in the opening game as he was in control of the rally and goes on to lose serve.
Could be a sign!
Match not quite living up to the billing so far. Alcaraz started well but not able to maintain the level. Almost got back into it in the tiebreak.
Boom!
Great tense set of tennis.
Djokovic fired up and competing and his returns have been brilliant and made Alcaraz struggle to get on top of rallies that he would against lesser opponents.
Just getting over the line there in the tie-break as Alcaraz came roaring back.
Alcaraz such a scary opponent that Djokovic knew that he had to get the first set to have a chance.
I think Djokovic was happy to win that first set.
Don't think the crowd were sharing the enthusiasm 😅
Its poor enough! Djocko looking very solid to be fair and Alcaraz showing a few flashes. His serve his very wayward, I turned on ready to be wowed!
No.
The match is the tension and how both players really want to win it.
Djokovic is not as fast as Alcaraz and has to negate Alcaraz's weapons by using spin (like the high topspin bounce to the backhand stopping the opportunity of a big return from it), ball speed, depth of shots (key in forcing errors as opponents end up taking half-volley shots as Alcaraz has struggled with) and by moving Alcaraz around and he has been able to do that to keep him (Djokovic) in it
There's a lot of subtle things going on
If he gives Alcaraz too much opportunity to do what he wants there is no chance for him
He needs to force him to take on winner-shots from not the best positioins that risk going out which has happened
Alcaraz probably favourite still imo, especially as he is getting to grips with Djokovic's serve more
A fair number of suspect calls by "the local" line judges in fairness!
The "Djoko-smash" fortunately for Djokovic not costing him the set there serving to go 5-5
Some amount of dust flying up now as the surface is so dry
Djokovic might rue that break point let go
If it goes to 3 Alcaraz will be odds-on
And it does
Alcaraz is just too fast to drop-shot
Very hard to see it not being Alcaraz's from here
This Alcarez lad looks a bit special.
Final set we go.
you're a bit late to the party on calling that.
Whats wrong with Novak? Just usual shithousery?
Haha. Only saw highlights of him so far. 1st time seeing him live today. This fella looks like he could win 30 slams if the standard of everything else of following the big 3 doesn't start to improve.
Well that match point got snuffed out pretty quickly 😬 Will he get another one?
Great contest.
Real battle.
Down to the wire in a final-set tie break after break points for both sides and a match point saved twice.
Alcaraz has just such irrepressible power for so many points in the match and has the champion mentality to go for it at the big clutch points.
I said that he was a beast two games into the match against Tsitisipas last September and that he was going to be a killer for the chances of the remaining 2 of the former Big 3 getting any more slams soon enough.
Nadal and Djokovic are a little better off out of the altitude of Madrid, there might be a little room for improvement and maybe over 5 sets but Alcaraz has that absolute dynamism of youth, along with power and every shot in the game and the real winner's attitude so will be hard to stop from taking down the French.
Indeed, I am very disappointed Djokovic lost, but honestly thought he would be battered in 2 sets, so happy enough that he pushed Alcaraz to a tiebreak in the 3rd.
Make no mistake, he is and will be the favourite now when he meets anyone else - on any surface.
Tonights other semi is the runners up play off, nothing else, if I were Tsits or Zverev I would be booking a late flight tonight to Rome..
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://w7.vanillicon.com/v2/75771797d68b15f0c5c6e631c7bb7ced.svg)
