Right chaps, I'm off on a long journey with no TV access so, I'm relying on my mobile phone.. this thread... and you guys to keep me updated. :D

Please and thank you.

C'mon Rafa..

I'm watching the buildup.Looking like a interesting Match.

In probably any other match I would be supporting Djoko....but I want Rafa to go through this time.

Whoa!.......Nadal seems super pumped up. :unsure:

I kinda want Djoko to get one on Rafa on clay...They split 1-1 on the hardcourts earlier in the year....Come On Djoko!

Yep, Joko to win ! :)

Be prepared for a long long match....

Even if Nadal wins 6-2 6-1 6-1, the match will take a long time due to the amount of faffing around these two do before serving for each point.

I personally think Nadal will just be too good for Djokovic, but the young Serbian has the right mentality, and tennis brain to make a good match out of it - he ought to pick up a set at least anyway...

No way. Nadal to win and set up the big re-match. :ok:

Just copied this from BBC live text commentary...

So true - interviewing the players immediately before a semi-final is a stupid gimmick which has added nothing to the game.

Will be leaving work in next 30 mins to watch this...

Nice dropshot by Djoko.

Anyone wanna do a Djoko ball-bouncing count? I heard some commentator the other day mentioning he'd counted 17 bounces before he served! So the big q'n of the day has to be: can he beat that? :whistle:

1-0 to Djoko, after a hold to deuce on his serve.

Good , entertaining match so far. :)

2-1 Djokovic...some great rallies here.

And MrInvisible signs out from his work computer to rush off home and watch the match...

Go Djoko....

Go Nadal. I have my seat booked on the sofa for Sunday pm. :clap: :clap:

:o 5-5 after Nadal twice failing to serve out the set. If Rafa fails to win here, he might pick up some points in Wise's ACP rankings. :P

im at work and missing the match. how come nadal is winning on 9 unforced errors and only 1 winner????? is the statistician drunk again roflmao

nadal is 2 break points down in the second set...! Yikes!

Whats the score peeps..

Heh, the dodgy winner count has been oft-noted during RG, Liam, although nervy errors have been the order of the day nevertheless.

That was a nearly disastrous choke from Nadal - couldn't score a point on serve from 5-2, 30-0, and then no points from 5-3 15-40, and lastly nothing from 5-4, 30-15. He was lucky to escape with that set.

Neither man can convert a break point in the second thus far, although Djokovic fared worse having held triple break point to Nadal's one. 2-all on serve.

Amazing tennis guys.....for a weak era.

I am pretty sure that if Djoko wins this second set he will go on and win the match. I 'll tell you why if he does.

Nadal draws first blood in the second, breaking to 15 to go up 4-3. But as we saw in the first set that's no sure thing just yet. Good showing from both men have to say - lots of heartstopping rallies.

Nadal nearly makes a hash of serving for a set again, going from triple set point to break point, but he scrapes past and takes it to go up two sets to love 7-5, 6-4.

Isn't Djoko playing better on clay at 20 than Nadal at the same age? Close call for sure.

Its at times like this I wish I didn't dislike Nadal so much, but when a player beats Fed as often as Nadal has I'm not going to be supporting them.

By his 20th birthday Nadal had tied Vilas's clay court streak, tied Borgs record of 17 titles won by a teenager, and was in the midst of winning his second RG title ... not sure I see the comparison there. :unsure: I do think, however, if it were anyone else out there on the court with him, Djokovic would be the one winning right now. I'm expecting big things from him at the rest of the year's Slams, to be sure.

As it is, Nadal breaks to 15 on the Serb's first service game and consolidates with a hold to love for 2-0.

I am not talking comparing record, but tennis. Djoko was close to Nadal in the first 2 sets and Nadal, according to his own admission is playing better than last year.

I can see djoko becoming faster on his legs and more powerful on his shots next year, and that would have been enough to get the edge ver Nadal in the first 2 sets.

Not sure but certainly a point of discussion.

Another break to 15 sees Nadal go up 3-0. Djokovic is fighting well but the defending champion is in ruthless mode now - reminds me of his countrywoman against Henin yesterday.

Fair enough, but I don't exactly think Nadal accomplished those things by playing rubbish tennis. Djokovic obviously has enormous potential but I don't see why a comparison needs to be made. I do think he can overtake Nadal as No 2 once clay is past, if the Spaniard fails to repeat the Wimbledon final (almost certainly) and has another slump.

Djokovic did well to hold from 15-30, 0-4 and will have to do so again to stay in the match as Nadal takes the 5-1 lead in the third.

The first set was superb. And the second pretty good too. Djoko was very close to Nadal in both, an impressive display indeed :bow: Trouble is he's resigned himself to defet at the start of the 3rd, this isn't what he should be doing, although I can appreciate his frustrations.

But who is talking about rubbish tennis here...but you. Are you implying that Djoko is playing rubbish? :yikes: :yikes: :yikes:

Obviously not. More like I'm wondering why the comparison had to be made at all but to cast a sceptical light on Nadal's tennis at the same age. But it's clear we don't agree on many things so I'll leave the matter there.

Meanwhile back to the match at hand, Djokovic does indeed hold and it will be up to Nadal to serve for a place in the final, 5-2.

Nadal takes it 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 and is into his third RG final without the loss of a set, keeping his undefeated record in Paris intact. Djokovic acquitted himself very well despite the scoreline and will certainly be back to fight another day - I suspect we have a secondary Nadal v Djokovic rivalry shaping up.

It's Nadal v Federer then. I have a hunch it won't go the same way as last year this time round, however.

Despite the awesome form of Nadal we've just seen I have that hunch as well .

I don't know why but I just can't see how Federer is going to win :shrug:

Although I hope we see an upset of one of the defending champions, as it would be a bit boring to have a Nadal AND Henin three-peat.

I want Fed to win very much, but I don't think I share your hunch. It will be fascinating, so much more so than last year because there is just that little bit extra water under the bridge than in 2006 - Fed's recovery after RG last year, Nadal's relative loss in form on hardcourts before returning on clay, Fed's loss of form this year, Roche's sacking, Fed winning Hamburg, Fed having problems with his serve... There's more in the mixer than there was last year.

Fed's will to win, his mental strength, will be hugely on show, it will be fascinating to see how he does. In that sense this was quite a good match for him because he was always coming back. he is good at being a front-runner, but against Nadal it is possible/likely that there will be a degree of catch-up.

So what do you expect, Manzi?
i have a hunch it will be another typical Fed-Nad clay encounter; Fed gets changes first, screws it and after that Nadal will walk away, each set with increasing supremacy (just like today against Djoko)

Well, his returning was close to rubbish.. Don't you agree he handed Rafa too many free points, specially with Rafa on serve?

And why isn't it raining in Paris??? 300 miles north we're drowning right now.. :moody:

I think it's Nadal who will have a slow, nervous start (just like he has against Federer in each Slam final they've contested) except that this time Federer will remain the frontrunner. He will have probably a third set lapse but I think he won't let Nadal ever build a lead. But really we'll have to wait and see. I should add that I hope I'm wrong! Heh.

Djoko was close to Nadal in the 2 first sets but he made mistakes at crucial points, didn't had the variety and the net game he needed and didn't serve with enough agressivity. And in the last set he felt very tired mentally and specialy phisicaly, showing how important in clay your fitness is. Last year federer suffer because of it and he learnt form that.
That's why this year he prepared better and tanked some matchs.
In the final i am expecting a Federer win, all will depend on his mood and inspiration. This year he has better fitness, it will be less heat (the ball will jump less and he will feel more confortable), he has more confidence (beat Nadal in Hamburg) and he knows better nadal game.
If we think about it, last year with so many things going against him (he even choke a litle bit), if in the tiebrake he had a litle luck in some points he would have won it and probably the match.
So i do not see no reason why he won' t win it sunday. If he just can improve a bit his first service percentage, stop the blips and go for his shots he might even win it easier than manny people think. But that wouldn't be roger so i am expecting a hard fight in 5 sets.

You can't really say Djoko returning was crap GP. Nadal's serve is not that difficult to return but it is difficult to do anything significant with it. Nalby and Davydenko probably could attack it but it requires lots of risk taking.


The bottom line is the fact there were some opportinities for Djoko to be ahead in the first two sets means that Djoko was not far from Nadal today. Yet there is one year difference between the tow an that counts at this age. Especially the way Djoko has been improving recently.

Regarding the final, like most finals anything can hapen. What Fed needs to do is to grab one of the fisrt 2 sets (no easy task for sure), but I am convinced that should they go to 4th and fifth set, the court to cover for Nadal will get bigger while Fed's target will also get bigger. Fed will only be able to win by tiring Nadal. Playing impeccable, genius tennis for 3 sets on clay is impossible. A tired Nadal is something that will guarantee Fed's win....tiring Nadal is what it's all about.