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Chat thread: 2013 Rome Masters 1000.

JENNY

Can we have a chat thread for Rome? Thanks, TP.

Already out: Isner, Baghdatis, Rosol, Melzer, Davydenko, Querrey.

Round	Djokovic	Federer	Murray	Nadal
	OUT	Bye	OUT	Bye
2nd		Starace		Seppi Fognini
3rd		Simon		Troicki Gulbis
Quarter		Tsonga Gasquet Janowicz		Ferrer
Semi		Del Potro Granollers Paire		Djokovic Berdych
Final		Nadal		Federer

Players who played the most Masters 1000 finals against each other.

1. Nadal v Djokovic, 10 times
2. Federer v Nadal, 9 times
3. McEnroe v Lendl, 6 times
4. Becker v Edberg, 6 times
5. Agassi v Sampras, 5 times
6. Murray v Djokovic, 5 times
7. Borg v Connors, 4 times
8. Ashe v Connors, 4 times

Winners of the "Monte-Carlo—Rome double (clay)".

• Nastase (1973)
• Wilander (1987)
• Lendl (1988)
• Mancini (1989)
• Muster (1995, 1996)
• Kuerten (1999)
• Nadal (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012)

Order of play for Saturday, May 18, 2013 for Rome Masters: Semifinals for ATP and WTA.

CENTRALE Start 12:00 noon
[1] Serena Williams (USA) v	[Q] Simona Halep (ROU) WTA
Not Before 2:00 PM
[3] Victoria Azarenka (BLR) v	[7] Sara Errani (ITA) WTA
Not Before 4:00 PM
[6] Tomas Berdych (CZE) v	[5] Rafael Nadal (ESP) H2H
Not Before 8:00 PM
Benoit Paire (FRA) v	[2] Roger Federer (SUI) H2H
[1] Bob Bryan (USA) Mike Bryan (USA) v	[5] Max Mirnyi (BLR) Horia Tecau (ROU)

Djokovic's hold on the 2013 year-end No. 1 rank in trouble already?

The battle for the year-end No. 1 Emirates ATP Ranking just got hotter.

Rafael Nadal reached a milestone with his quarter-final win over David Ferrer on Friday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. The combination of the Mallorcan's win and Novak Djokovic going down to Tomas Berdych has seen Nadal earn more points than Djokovic this season.

Entering Rome, Djokovic had won 130 points more than Nadal in 2013, but with the Serbian bowing out, Nadal has an opportunity to win an additional 690 points should he claim his seventh title at the Foro Italico.

 

	Entering Rome	2R Win	3R Win	QF Win	SF Win	Title
Djokovic	4130	4220	4310	Lost	N/A	N/A
Nadal	4000	4090	4180	4360	4600	5000

 

On paper, Djokovic appears to be far ahead of Nadal in the Emirates ATP Rankings with a near 6,000 point lead over the Spaniard. But Djokovic will need to defend deep runs at the remaining three Grand Slam events, his Barclays ATP World Tour Finals crown and two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies. Nadal on the other hand, will be in prime position should he retain his Rome and Roland Garros titles, having missed the second half of last season with a left-knee injury that forced him out after a second-round loss at Wimbledon. 

Nadal’s efforts to challenge Djokovic for year-end No. 1 are nothing short of remarkable. Nadal did not make his return from injury until February, causing the 26 year old miss the Australian Open. In Melbourne, Djokovic became the first man in the Open Era to win three successive event crowns and in turn, began his bid for a third straight year-end No. 1 finish by picking up 2,000 points. He also dethroned eight-time reigning champion Nadal in the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters final and captured his fourth title at the ATP World Tour 500 tournament in Dubai.

Nadal has put on significant points at every ATP World Tour stop he's made this year by virtue of reaching at least the final in seven straight events to open his season. In addition to his runner-up finish in Monte-Carlo, where he earned 600 points, the Mallorcan triumphed at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Madrid, lifted trophies at ATP World Tour 500 tournaments in Acapulco and Barcelona and the ATP World Tour 250 event in Sao Paulo, and began his comeback in Vina del Mar by advancing to the final. 

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/05/20/Rome-Friday-Nadal-Djokovic-Race-For-Year-End-Number-One.aspx

Nadal vs Ferrer Masters Rome 2013 QF - Full Match HD.

 

Janowicz after losing to Federer @ 2013 Rome Masters.

 

Federer and Nadal on reaching the semis @ 2013 Rome Masters.

 

 

Photos.

ROME, ITALY - MAY 17: Roger Federer of Switzerland in action during his quarter final match against Jerzy Janowicz of Poland on day six of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 17, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

ROME, ITALY - MAY 17: Victoria Azarenka of Belarus celebrates a point against Samantha Stosur of Austarlia in their quarter final round match during day six of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 17, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

She is putting on weight - in a hurry. Planning to dominate the tour?

ROME, ITALY - MAY 17: Jelena Jankovic of Serbia plays a forehand against Simona Halep of Romania in their quarter final round match during day six of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 17, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

ROME, ITALY - MAY 17: Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a forehand return against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in their quarter final round match during day six of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 17, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

ROME, ITALY - MAY 17: Rafael Nadal of Spain in action during his quarter final match against David Ferrer of Spain on day six of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 17, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

ROME, ITALY - MAY 17: The girlfriend of Rafael Nadal of Spain, Maria Francisca Perello, is seen in the stands with Isabel Nadal on day six of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 17, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

ROME, ITALY - MAY 17: Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic plays a backhand against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in their quarter final round match during day six of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 17, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Wonder which body part is impacted the most?

ROME, ITALY - MAY 17: Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic celebrates match point against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in their quarter final round match during day six of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 17, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Federer's 'o O' moments @ 2013 Rome Masters.

1. Djokovic goes down to Berdych in the quarters making it near certain that Federer will be facing Nadal in the final.

2. After above thud, Federer has to face some Pear and Apple in the semis - instead of Del Potro. Losing to this tomato can is a catch 22. If you win, your pants AND the red thong will be pulled down on Sunday by some bull. If you lose, it will give credence to having lost for fear of facing Nadal. Del Potro would have provided far greater insulation.

3. Heck, these thoughts were rampant at the just concluded match against Janowicz given that the added distance the encounter provided may have diluted some of the concentrated potion that now inevitably awaits.

Consolation? Nadal is the MOST inconsistent he has been since his return from the 7-month break. His unforced errors are out of control. He is @ 68 after three matches. That's about 23 per match when he usually clocks about 13. To make it worse, the winners instead of compensating have reduced landing him in negative territory by 10.

Time on Court stat after three matches? Nadal: 6:23. Federer: 3:18.

On second thoughts, is it really a consolation or could it end up being another validation of Nadal's mental hold on Federer if Federer STILL fails to capitalize? Or could the last straw still floating around come to Federer's rescue - in the nick of time? Berdych?

WTA semifinal bracket @ 2013 Rome Masters. Sharapova withdraws due to strange illness called 'Seeing Serenavitis in the Finalvitis'

Serena (1) vs Halep

Azarenka (3) vs Errrani (7).

Semifinal bracket @ 2013 Rome Masters.

Federer (2) vs Paire.

Nadal (5) vs Berdych (6).

S Williams vs C. Suarez-Navarro - WTA Masters Rome 2013 QF - Full Match HD.

 

Djokovic on his quarterfinal loss to Berdych @ 2013 Rome Masters.

 

Djokovic vs Berdych Masters Rome 2013 QF - Full Match HD.

 

Nadal vs Ferrer Masters Rome 2013 QF - Highlights.

 

 

Borg: 'Nadal is an artist!' From M. Thanks.

M

Despite the fact that he had his record of French Open titles stolen by the Spaniard last year, Björn Borg is fulsome in his praise of Rafael Nadal, who added a seventh crown to his incredible record last year. The Swede, a six-time winner in Paris, not only warmly congratulated Nadal on his seventh Roland Garros success but hopes that the Matador from Manacor will go on to win many more. And with Rafa having just bagged his 55^th title at the ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid (and 40^th on clay no less), he is in pole position according to Borg to make it eight triumphs at the Porte d'Auteuil in a few weeks' time. Yes, Borg is what you could call an unconditional Nadal fan…

 

Björn, what do you think of the Big Four (Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal) who are currently dominating men's tennis?

First of all, I'd like to say that I'm delighted that Nadal is back, that he is playing again at last. He's a very important figure for tennis in general. He has a really strong personality and whatever he does, he creates a buzz around tennis just by coming on court. As for Roger, I hope that he'll be around for another few years. As far as I'm concerned, he is the greatest player of all time. Djokovic is the best player there is at the moment, and he's certainly proved that, and Murray's up there as well. The rivalry between these four guys is incredible, and it's exactly what tennis needs.

 

Nadal is currently 26 years old which is the age you were when you decided to give up tennis. And he looks like he is going to carry on smashing every clay-court record in existence…

He's incredible – he's is the best player that there has ever been on clay! Watching him play on this surface and how he is evolving… At least he's injured some of the time, which gives the others a ray of hope! On clay though, he's still the man to beat – and that will always be the case for as long as he is playing. We saw that at Monte Carlo and that's not going to change at Roland Garros, where it's best-of-five sets out on Centre Court! He's only ever lost there once, remember… There's no-one better than him on this surface! People don't realise this – maybe the public has been spoilt to a certain extent. Rafa's quite simply an artist when it comes to clay!

 

Are you surprised at how well he has been playing since coming back after a seven-month absence?

I'm not surprised that Nadal has managed a come-back like this. If he didn't have the motivation, he wouldn't have bothered coming back. He still wants to win and I reckon that he can win a few more Grand Slams – fingers crossed, health and fitness permitting. But he's a clever man and he been on the circuit for long enough now to know what he can and can't do. I repeat, he's the man to beat in Paris, and I'm really looking forward to watching him there. You can still see his hunger for victory. He's still enjoying it and having fun. And as I say, getting the better of him on clay is… well, complicated (laughs).

 

How did you feel when he beat your French Open title record last year?

I was delighted for him. I know Rafa and I like him very much as a person. He really is a great guy, and I was the first to congratulate him! I hope he'll win many more, starting with his eighth French Open title this year! He's incredible, both as a player and a person.

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/2013-05-13/201305131368459791587.html

Odd and premature athlete retirements. Anyone from tennis?

Tennis player Kim Clijsters – Before her planned first retirement in 2007 at the age of 24, she won the U.S. Open in 2005. After a year off (and the birth of a daughter), she returned in 2009, added three more Grand Slam titles and retired again in 2012.

Click here for more.

Order of play for Friday, May 17, 2013 @ Rome Masters. In action: Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Serena, Sharapova......

CENTRALE Start 12:00 noon
[1] Serena Williams (USA) v	Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) WTA
Not Before 2:00 PM
[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) v	[6] Tomas Berdych (CZE) H2H
Not Before 4:00 PM
[4] David Ferrer (ESP) v	[5] Rafael Nadal (ESP) H2H
Not Before 7:30 PM
[7] Sara Errani (ITA) v	[2] Maria Sharapova (RUS) WTA
Not Before 9:00 PM
Jerzy Janowicz (POL) v	[2] Roger Federer (SUI)

Djokovic, Federer and Nadal after two matches a piece @ 2013 Rome Masters. Nadal looks vulnerable. -7 for the ratio, broken 5 times, lost a set, clocked the most TOC, 0 aces.... Unforced error ratio was in the negative after the first match too.

Player	Aces / Ist Serve pct. / Winning % on 1st Serve	Winners / Unforced errors = Total	Sets lost / Tie breaks	Bagels / Breadsticks - dished	Bk pt conv % / Broken / Bk pt opp. offered	Time on court / Matches played
Djokovic	8 / 72 / 76	13 - 9 = +4 (Stats from just one match - Dolgopolov)	0 / 0	0 / 1 (Dolgopolov)	43 / 1 (Montanes) / 8	2:11 / 2
Federer	7 / 74 / 79	56 - 26 = +30	0 / 0	0 / 2 (Starace, Simon)	50 / 0 / 2	1:53 / 2
Nadal	0 / 77 / 69	22- 29 = -7	1 (Gulbis / 0	0 / 1 (Fognini)	40 / 5 (Fognini, Gulbis[4]) / 12	3:37 / 2

By this time shouldn't you be scrambling for a tissue unless............

Djokovic talks about his fitness after reaching the quarters @ 2013 Rome Masters.

 

Federer after eliminating Simon and playing Janowicz next @ 2013 Rome Masters.

 

 

Nadal vs Gulbis Masters Rome 2013 R3 - Full Match HD.

 

Photos.

ROME, ITALY - MAY 16: Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic plays a backhand against Samantha Stosur of Australia in their third round match during day five of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 16, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

ROME, ITALY - MAY 16: Gilles Simon of France in action during his third round match against Roger Federer of Switzerland on day five of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 16, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

ROME, ITALY - MAY 16: Samantha Stosur of Australia plays a backhand to Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic in their third round match during day five of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 16, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

ROME, ITALY - MAY 16: Jerzy Janowicz of Poland celebrates match point against Richard Gasquet of France in their third round match during day five of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 16, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

ROME, ITALY - MAY 16: Ernests Gulbis of Latvia shows his dejection against Rafael Nadal of Spain in their third round match during day five of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 16, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

ROME, ITALY - MAY 16: Serena Williams of the USA in action during her third round match against Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia on day five of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 16, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Multi-flag thong?

Any more and Hulk?

Daughter-Father (in- guise) moment.

Venus Williams, of the United States, left, flanked by her mother Oracene, looks on during the match between her sister Serena Williams and Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova, at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Thursday, May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

ROME, ITALY - MAY 16: Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina plays a forehand against Benoit Paire of France in their third round match during day five of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 16, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

ROME, ITALY - MAY 16: Sara Errani of Italy plays a backhand against Maria Kirilenko of Russia in their third round match during day five of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013 at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 16, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

What the top four did @ Rome Masters last year.

Djokovic: Final.

Murray: 3rd round. Gasquet beat him - 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-2.

Federer: Semifinal. Djokovic beat him - 6-2, 7-6(4).

Nadal: Winner 7-5, 6-3.