Everyone is saying Nadal is the favourite but I have reservations about that. Gonzo strikes me as the kind of guy where anything is possible on a good day and he's no flake in the guts department either. He's got the firepower too and I reckon he's going to step up to the challange and really take his chances, having come this far. He's also added much more variety to his game with Larry Stefanki and Nadal doesn't enjoy too much of that as Murray showed. I hear Gonzo's forehand is about the strongest in the game too, and I dont; think he'll be fearing Nadal and cowering in awe like some do. Gonzo is fit and strong and looks like he can go the distance. Nadal will surely be a bit drained after Murray, but he does have a lot of energy so maybe that won't matter? I'm looking forward to a good contest, and I hope it is not a total slugfest - although I'm nto expecting to much flair and touch! :D One thing I do like with Gonzo is that he is exciting to watch and can fire off some great winners. This could go to 5 sets easily and be a well fought contest - I hope. :) I can't see an easy win for Nadal here unless something is wrong with Gonzo.

Any thoughts?

I think he's in with a good chance. He has tremendous fire power on serve and Nadal struggles against this kind of serves. He has no inhibitions about running around his backhand to bludgeon a forehand (rather Graf like sometimes) and he's certainly playing with much greater variety than a few years ago.

I think it's his match to lose but I readily conceded Nadal is by far the stronger mentally.

Nadal's going to have to take the initiative in this one. Against Murray he played too passively at times and it almost cost him. I do hope Gonzo playes a good match, he's got such a great style of play!

I think it could go either way and although I enjoy both players I still would like Rafa to win. However, I think Gonzo might win this in four sets. He's very, very strong. But, if he does get through to the final he won't beat Federer. And neither will Hass or Davydenko. I think the only guy who might come close is Roddick but I think his semi will go the way of four sets to the Fedmeister.

Well i have predicted Gonzo to win 3-1. He seems to be in great form atm, although i really don't like the guy so i hope my prediction is wrong :angry:

I'm predicting Gonzo in the comp but I havent; decided on the number of sets yet.

lots of pressure on Nadal at the moment - does this make him ripe for the taking?

I have unfortunately, not seen bugger all of the tennis so couldnt comment on how both players are doing, and base my judgement on what I have read from you lovely lot who have seen and commented on the matches.

It sounds to me like Nadal is playing good, but not with the same sort of confidence he may have had during the first six months last year, and Gonzo sounds like he is firing on all cylinders - so it could be another explosive match.

Nadal certainly sounded like he had a long haul in the Murray match and this may have left him a bit drained, but hes a fighter, he always steps up to the challenge and I think he can shake off the Murray match and come out fighting in this one.

I certainly look forward to reading more match comments!

sigh :(

Hey pebs :hug: You still not seen any tennis? :( Well yesterdays was a corker as in Murray's match but today there was onyl Fed v Rob and is wasn't good. You can tape the match tomorrow at 8.30 on BBC digital, channel 302.

hey SB :hug:

I tried that but cause its on interactive and doesnt start till 8.30 I cant get the vid to work before I leave... and tomorrow really isnt a be late day :blink:

Oh bugger! :( I guess I'm lucky cos all I do on mine is press an Ok button on a menu that come son screen. You just scroll to the programme, highlight and away you go. It's a bit more complex on 302 mind, as it never lists the programmes so I have to fiddle with the programmign function, but I have the hang of it now thank God :D

roflmao you know me and technology SB! I really need things to come with a menu and ok button! I did think about trying one of the other digital channels which looked like it might carry the interactive service without me having to push the red button thing - just pressing record and seeing if I come home to anything...

thing is, I cant quite remember which channel it was! :blush:

Yep, that's exactly the right idea. :ok: On mine it is channel 302, but thing is it coudl eb different on yours depending on the region or set up I think, not sure. Worth a go though. Often ther eis stuff on 301 anyway, and you knwo it's right cos there are loads of red circles.

hmmm, I think this was 702 but red circles rings a bell...

it is decided - I shall leave it running and see what happens!

I think it will be a great matchup but i reckon Nadal will edge it in 4 sets i reckon the murray match will get Nadal in peak form now. I just think Rafa will be far too consistant for Gonzo and i dont think he will test Rafa as much as Murray did as Andy is far more consistent with his strokes than Gonzo is and also far more patient.I think if Gonzo gets to a tiebreak in one of the sets and rips a few of the returns with his huge forehand then he might just take a set but Rafa will come good in the end.I hope Rafa wins the title now even though he knocked my fave player out but Nadal has proved he is a true champion.

I have predicted Nadal to win in 5 but at the same time would not be shocked if Gonzo wiped him out in straights a la Blake. But if the match goes the distance you have got to favour Rafa.

Also I believe Nadal will be on a high from the Murray match which might've knocked him into form; which will help. He will certainly be up for a fight as ever anyway :D

I reckon Nadal will win, probably in 5. I haven't seen much of Gonzo this tournament, but I just think that Nadal is actually playing pretty well at the moment, and will probably end up wearing Gonzo down like he did with Murray.

I would love to see Gonzo do it, but I just don't think it's gonna happen :(

Why so Nadal would not beat Fed in the final? roflmao

cheeky :P

No, i'd like to see a Fed-Nadal final (with Fed winning of course), but i have a soft spot for Gonzo - not sure why, I just do!

yeah i wanna see nadal vs fed final too i prefer nadal but i dont mind fed either both men are great champions. :D

Is there anyone you don't like MN?

oh, and don't say Safin, or you get chainsawed! B)

:blink:

probably best find out who Jo doesnt like and say them - much safer that way

:hide:

Dont like stephanek,berdch nalbandian and there are many others i cant think of.Coria gets on my nerves but he has faded away.Serena Williams annoys me too. :) Oh Jo i like safin a great personality. :D

roflmao

other than Berdych, I think I agree with you on all of those! :yikes:

I'm also not the biggest fan of Haas or Hewitt!

I am not too keen on haas but i like hewitt i like his fighting spirit.I think Hewitt and Murray are simeler in many ways.

don't - you'll just put me off Murray again! :P I'm only just warming to him now!

The only reason I dislike Haas is 'cos of his "wasting time" comment during the uS Open or something! :angry:

Oh cool what is warming you to murray?I reckon he has grown up alot this year the gesture with nadal showed that he is showing alot more respect for the other players which is great considering how close the match was.I have also noticed a huge difference in his interviews on tv now he seems to be opening up alot more which i think is good because it shows his good personality which i think is good despite what people think. :)

Pretty much that!

They mentioned this morning that Murray has grown up so much in the last year - which is something I agree with. This time last year it was all the fault of the press that Murray lost, and they'd put too much pressure on him, and he was still young, and just a teenager and all the crap. Now he seems to have grown up, learnt to deal with the press (apparently even the press agree with this), sorted out *some* of his anger issues (at least he's shouting at Brad now rather than at the whole world!), and just generally seems a more mature guy! He's less worried about hte pressure from the British press now I think, and more worried about his tennis - which is obviously showing!

Spot on Jo :ok: .You put it even better than me. :)

I reckon getting a girlfriend helped too! Women may be generally clinically insane, but they can help drag a guy in to maturity! :D

Yeah are you finding my sig funny too Jo?

no, why, should i be?

I watched that match - the two of them looked like they wanted to collapse by the end of it! I think they were holding each other up by that point! :blink:

We were talking a bit about it on the other thread that murray looks like he is holding up a very drunk nadal after coming out of a nightclub. roflmao

at one point i thought Nadal was gonna put his head on Murray's shoulder and just fall asleep! It was such a respectful gesture at the end of that match though - i think (and the commentators said) that they both really enjoyed playing it!

Yeah defo i think there was huge respect from both sides which you dont always see in the game today.

He has matured a lot. I think people were rough on him before, he was young and he's an excitable and lively young man. I think the fact that he shot into the limelight so quickly did not help becasue he had a lot to get used to and the press on his back. He did not expect thsi and had no preparation for it. Consider that many players play the circuit for a while before they show promise and start getting talked up as the next great thing - you know, a few non -slams and first round exits in slams or failing to qualify. Gives them time to get used to it. Murray became big news at his first big tournie, Queens, and was making waves in his first ever slam a couple of weeks later. He managed to win a decent tournie and qualify for the USO the same year, and met Fed in a final so he really was stuck in the spotlights. He then had his AO dissappointments and what some saw as a slump and the press problems, but carrie don regardless and up the rankings and he's got better and better. It's onyl about 18 months since he emerged and I think he's doing really well. When I was 18 I'd never have coped with that.

I'm not sure why he is disliked, but i think there is some resentment over a few things. The British seem to like to attack sportspersons and see them fail and Murray isnt; your typical British meek-and-mild loser of a player. Also, he's very different to Henman in terms of class and manner. I think that's a good thing as more accessible and down-to-earth young players can do so much more to make the game popular amongst a wider range of youth in Britain. Tennis needs to shake the snooty tag. And there is I'm sure the nationality issue - most big Brit players have been English and there is animosity between Eng and Scotland. I think most of it though is because he does not represent the establishment and the norm, the peopel who traditionallly follow tennis in Britain.

:ok: Yes it was very nice to see. I warmed to Nadal ... almost! :D

‘Also, he's very different to Henman in terms of class and manner.’

Murray’s not exactly a boy from the ’hood, SB. He’s very middle-class in fact. I don’t know why people assume he isn’t just because he has a Scottish accent rather than a Home Counties one.

How many inner city families do you know that could afford to send a child abroad for several years of sports training…?

I think the reason he wasn’t instantly popular is more to do with his surly and not very likeable demeanour both on and off court, coupled with the fact that he naively had a pop at the English football team (understandably given the circumstances, but a mistake nevertheless). Personally I’m prepared to excuse his misdemeanours because he’s still so young, but he doesn’t have the most endearing personality.

There is a tendency sometimes for people to assume that Scotland is one giant sink estate.

In reality, Murray is from leafy Dunblane.

Funniest comment I ever read was from someone on the old Beeb board complaining about Judy Murray's broad Glasgow accent on commentary - anyone who thinks Judy Murray has a Glasgow accent of any description should really venture north of Kent now and again... :D

Quite so - he is a typical teenager and should be cut some slack. On court he has real fight and variety. I think he is a tremendous prospect and I hope that he can fulfil his promise. Like Roddick said, he is a player not a slugger.