French Open: American Men- decent start
American men have been holding their own so far in the tourney, mostly in the Medvedev section:
Tommy Paul (who will play Medvedev), Opelka (who I actually think can beat Medvedev), Giron, Mackie McDonald, Steve Johnson (come on Tiafoe), Isner- all through so far.
Korda losing was a HUGE disappointment- he looked to be the best shot the American men had at making a deep run with the form he's been in; sadly, playing yesterday in a tournament probably did not help.
Fritz and Sandgren left to go- Fritz could run into Federer who is pretty beatable at this point.
But, I think it's all not going to matter much- this is Nadal's to lose.
Was really disappointed to see Korda lose after he won his first career ATP tournament a couple of days ago (without dropping a set). Probably too much to ask to have him play less in Paris than 48 hours after winning in Parma. I think he has legit top 10-15 talent.
I fear that Tiafoe is what he is at this point. Ranked #70 (and will drop after this week) and is quite frankly a lower tier ATP player. He played ok in Miami but had a terrible clay court season winning only a single match and failing to qualify for any of the M1000 events. I was hopeful Ferreira would take him to the next level but it just seems to be one step forward and two steps back for him. Losing to Johnson 6-4 6-2 6-1 after winning the first two sets is inexcusable.
Despite the ridiculous draw of putting Novak and Rafa in the same half, Nadal is still going to win. Even though she was a little sloppy in the second set today, I think Iga will repeat as well on the women's side.
I'm with you on Tiafoe. He, sadly, feels like another American that got a ton of hype in his youth and will not live up to the expectations.
I'm super bummed about Korda; however, I'm not disappointed in his future. I think he's got a TON of game and he's still very young. I think going forward, he needs someone (coach, parents) to get in his ear about playing these tournaments that lead right up to the majors.
Tiafoe is still young at 23. He has time to turn it around. Clay isn't his friend, but he has enough time to become a steady top 10 player. He needs more consistency match to match, and he needs to learn how to close, as evidenced today.
I don't think its an issue with his age. At this point in every star's career, they are showing why they have the potential to be a top 5-10 player. Tiafoe hasn't shown anything to lead me to believe he can be a mainstay.
I really want him to. I'm pulling for him and all other American men to FINALLY break through this ridiculous slump.
Fritz- Power, serve, decent mover.
Opelka- Crazy serve, feels like a better Isner
Korda- Awesome all-around game, great great mover, looks to be someone who can carry the torch
I just don't know what Tiafoe does well other than being very passionate and a tough competitor.
I think going forward, he needs someone (coach, parents) to get in his ear about playing these tournaments that lead right up to the majors.
I agree with that...he probably didn't expect to win Parma. Although from a points / ranking perspective Korda would have needed to make the QF to get more points than he did by winning Parma and losing in 1R at RG. Djokovic will have the same issue (he just won the Belgrade tournament on Saturday) although the FFT somehow managed to schedule him on Tuesday evening. The perks of being #1 and an 18-time slam winner I guess.
American men haven't done squat at the French Open in.... 20 years, or so? These early results are fool's gold. If any American man makes the 2nd week, I'll be surprised.
And, I doubt Federer is "pretty beatable" at this point. He won handily today, and seems healthy. For a few years, it could be argued that RF was the 2nd best clay court player in the world. Heck, Fed reached the semi's in 2019.
It is Nadal's to lose though. But, that run has to end some time. Give me Tsitsipas for the upset!
Let me rephrase. A guy like Fritz, who is still pretty young and has some weapons, can beat Federer in his current state. Dealing with injuries, not nearly in form, and approaching 40.
I love RF, but we'd be kidding ourselves if we overlooked where he is right now.
Fair point. But, Roger looked very good today - movement, shot making.
Yeah he looked pretty good- there is going to be a HUGE jump in talent though. I could see Cilic taking out RF- that's a insanely difficult 2nd matchup.
Other than that aberration in the US Open Final a while back, I don't think Marin has beaten Roger. I wouldn't expect it to happen this week either, clay or not.