And the good news is... David has drawn a qualifier for his first-round match.
When it could have been anyone...
The other good news (thanks, Anna) is Fue Buena now reporting that David woke up today without feeling any pain and so there won't have to be a scan, after all.
Here's David's section of the draw:
[12] Gael Monfils (FRA) vs BYE
Richard Gasquet (FRA) vs Simon Greul (GER)
QUALIFIER vs [WC] David Nalbandian (ARG)
BYE vs [22] Jürgen Melzer (AUT)
[22] Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) vs BYE
Thiemo De Bakker (NED) vs Marcos Daniel (BRA)
QUALIFIER vs Oscar Hernandez (ESP)
BYE vs [7] Andy Roddick (USA)
This section is the lower half of Federer's quarter (top half). You'll find the complete draw here.
With qualifying having only just begun today, it's not yet possible to present a list of possible first-round opponents for David. Though if you want to have a look at the whole panorama of possibilities, you can do so here (qualifying draw).
At the same time, the fact that David will be up against a qualifier in his first match (and that he's no longer in pain) makes it difficult not to look beyond that first match... This much is certain, if David wins he'll face Jürgen Melzer in the second round. They've only met once so far and that was five years ago at Madrid where David won in straights. But I think that Melzer (who has already reached two quarterfinals and two semis in this still young season) could mean trouble for David. With his lefty serve and the good use he's able to make of the whole court.
As for anything that may - theoretically - come after that, I guess we're all hoping for Gasquet to pull through and take care of Monfils along the way...
- And with this post it's goodbye from me to you. I'm off now to prepare for my exam. Thanks again to all of you who have wished me luck. :)
I will now leave Vamos David - and you - in the more than capable hands of Krystle.
Vamos David! :)
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
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30 comments:
First: there won't be ANY Scan. DAVID WOKE UP WITHOUT PAIN!!!!!!
And someone from the Qualy? Good start (the risk is those guys come playing and has a lot more of timing, but nothing more than that... I hope)
I don't like Monfils there (I don't think he's in shape to beat him now) But I hope he can do a good tournament.
Thanks, Anna. More good news. :)
I don't want to tempt fate, but that draw could be much worse. :-)Qualifiers can be dangerous, though. And it means we won't know exactly who he starts against for a while.
It's great to hear that David has recovered so quickly. Here's hoping now he can get down to business without any more "returning to the tour" niggles.
I'm going to be cheering my butt off for Gasquet to take out Monfils. Gasquet has been one of Nalby's favorite match-ups and my last memories of Monfils matches (U.S. Open 2008, Olympics, etc.) have not been very good. Monfils was becoming a "Wawrinka" to David before the injury and those 2 matches were painful to watch. Although I recall in the U.S. Open match that he played so flat footed against Monfils, that I questioned whether he was even capable of moving that day, which may not be an issue anymore.
David has a 7-0 H2H record against Richard. Monfils and Gasquet have a 2-2 H2H.
Well, actualy, he lost to Monfil after the injury. He was having troubles with his leg and then hip since IW 08. He got worse (really worse) with that match against Soderling (that tie after Miami MS), after that he started to have a lot of little injuries (probably because he was playing in pain and not moving correctly) and then (middle of the year) they found it was the hip. He lost that year in RG in second round (he couldn't run in that match) he lost in Wimbledon in first round and he went to the Olimpics not in good shape. He started to get better after the tie against Russia. At that time, the treatment was helping him and the news was that he could go on without surgery (at least for a time) He went great at the indoor season, mostly because the surface was good for his injury: if it was the clay season, I bet the surgery was inevitable. This process ended in Godo (when he couldn't play against Nadal. I don't count that match against Capdeville because that was the final test to see if he could at least play in RG).
But the beggining was at that time. There were times when David played great (he won tournaments) but his hip was causing troubles.
Still, what I said doesn't mean Monfils wouldn't have won either.
I think it's less about Monfils than it is about Gasquet. I'm always glad when I see Gasquet's name close to David's in a draw and I always hope he gets to play him... ;)
Well this draw can be either really good or really bad. He could play RIchard which is good, and he's probably going to win the first round, and then he will probably beat Jurgen although that will probably be a tougher match probably much like the Vicigurra davis cup rubber. It gets ugly after there though. Richard is a good player, but I don't think he will get through Monfils at this big of a tournament. Yes he could, but Monfils will be dying to get points here which will focus him. David hates the frenchman. If he gets through Gael, then he plays Roddick, in the US. He also hates Roddick, maybe even more than Monfils. He gets through there, and then he plays either Fed, Bhagdaddy, or the Worm. Fed is great, but he probably doesn't have much motivation for these lowly tournaments anymore, he's all in it for GS glory. Let's say Federer does get through, which he probably will (Stepanek and Bhagdatis will have to play great to beat him). Fed vs David is a great matchup and Fed hates playing David. Who knows if he wins. Then it's all to murky to predict the other side, but as much as I love David I don't think he will get that far, but If he did that would be great. Vamos David Pablo Nalbandian!
I wouldn't look so very far ahead.
Winning two or even three rounds would already mean a huge achievement for David at this stage.
@Anna Thanks for all the insight on David's trials and travails in 2008. I knew something was seriously wrong when he played Nole at Queens in the SF in 2008 and lost 6-1, 6-0 without providing much of fight whatsoever. Of course, in the QFs at Queens in 2008, he still beat Gasquet convincingly, so a nod to Julia's comment #1 on that one. lol
The commentators reported the U.S. Open match with Monfils as a match-up between the most athletic and capable court coverage player (Monfils) vs. the opposite, which isn't fair or accurate in retrospect given all his injuries and the coverage he showed in the Fall of 2007; but for a casual tennis fan watching that particular match, it looked like an obvious analysis. Maybe it would good to see the recovered David who can now move (don't want to see him have to move that much immediately though) against Monfils now. I would be able to discern the difference. I remember that depressing match and shouting at the screen to start moving his feet and at least go down with his best game. He didn't seem to have anything in that match, and his serve was horrific too as I recall.
@John, great run down on the possibilities in the draw. I know we should take everything one match at a time, and the whole IW draw is just loaded with the best players, as is expected, but a Fed/Nalby match-up with Nalby coming out on top would be so cathartic. Obviously, foolish to do conjecture on that right now, but that scenario would make my month tennis wise. lol
@Julia, comment #2, yes, realistically we should be happy if he wins his first match against the Qualifier and Melzer cannot be taken lightly either. One match at a time as they say although it is always fun to contemplate potential match-ups in a draw if one is not assuming they are inevitable (that has a way of coming back to haunt). Anyway, it was very encouraging to see him back out there playing on the hard courts in Sweden with some confidence. I agree with Istabraq that his draw, relatively speaking, is really not too bad and could have been much worse.
Yeah don't get me wrong, I'll be happy if he goes in and plays a few good matches with no pain and gains some points back so he can easily get into any tournament he wants. I really want to see David being the top Argentine player again (which could happen as David has no points and JMDP has a bunch- I know that's looking way into the end of this season at the US Open) and I think that that's a reasonable goal for him now that he's playing without hip pain, and fitter than he's been in years. All I was doing with my other post was giving a rundown of who I think David will have to play IF he keeps winning rounds. More than likely he could get out by Jurgen-who's a good player but not anywhere near David at full strength- but he could also win the whole tournament (who was expecting Paris and Madrid?). All I'm saying is that I hope he does well, and if he does play Monfils, I hope he destroys him once and for all, I hope hope he can at least make Andy Roddick whine to the umpire a few times. And a Roger Federer vs. David matchup would be the most epic "Return the King" we could ever have bc crazy as I sound, if David would get to the quarters and face Roger, I think he would beat him..... and then he could play Murray in the semis which is always fun to watch the Scot cuss himself out into insanity......and then a final vs. Nadal. It has the makings to be probably the most epic draw of all time, but the chance of any of this happening is about 1 in a million. Realistically David looses to Monfils or Roddick. Can't wait for this to start, and you can't wait for me to stop rambling....
I like the draw. Drawing a qualifier in the first round is good, not only because it's an easier draw but because it won't be televised. They wait until the second round to start coverage. I would really love to know which half is playing first because it really makes a difference to me as to whether he plays Saturday or Sunday (otherwise known as Sunday and Monday for me and I prefer the weekend of course).
Melzer is playing like a top 15 player at the moment. And Monfils the clown has a good serve and is
also dangerous. But David played very well in Davis Cup in his single match. And he can also win against these guys with the same level. But his main problems in play are as always his slight serves.
Melzer is playing like a top 15 player at the moment. And Monfils the clown has a good serve and is
also dangerous. But David played very well in Davis Cup in his single match. And he can also win against these guys with the same level. But his main problems in play are as always his slight serves. But hope that also his serves will be improved.
Yes, Melzer's been in good form lately. That one won't be easy.
The draw really did work out well for David. Melzer will be tough, but if Gasquet can knock off Monfils it could open things up a little. I'd be quite happy with 2 or 3 wins. Wonder what our friend Peter Bodo is thinking after last weekend. Hope he read this article.
www.foxnews.com/sports/2010/03/08/nalbandian-surprise-hero-round/
@John
I enjoy your looks at potential match-ups if everything were to fall in place. It is fun to look at the potential match-up draw thing (Tennis Planet always does one for the top 4 or 5) from a David point of view. I'm always looking at draws from my favorite players perspective of potential match-up issues/ownerships down the road. Maybe that is a Male sports fan thing to do since most of us do it in team tournament draws all the time. Not sure. lol So ramble away...I enjoy your posts. Thanks!
David goes againts another lefty austrian: S. Koubek
Koubek? He's one of the worst (from the Qualy).
Let's hope David can play ok.
For good luck (we said here "cabala"), I'm going to said what I posted at the exhibitions and the Telmex: David is coming back we can't expect a great performance from him.
So, let's not especulate about upcoming matches: he got one of the worst from the qualy. Those players (from the qualy I mean) are dangerous for players that have no competition. And, well, David in this moment is the poster child of those players.So let's go match by match.
Cross fingers and
Vamos David!!!!!
Yeah, I guess i'm glad he's playing Stefan Koubek for a qualifier, because there were some really good players that he could have been matched up with when I looked down at the draw results- Yen Hsun-Lu would have brought back some bad memories of 2009, Rainer Schuttler could have been potentially dangerous if he played well (he is a former grandslam finalists beating David to get there back in like 2003), I'm a fan of the South African kevin Anderson, who could have dropped some service bombs down David's way, ah I guess Bjorn Phau would have been tricky because he's quick and explosive, and I guess I'm really glad Koubek beat Somdev Devvarman because he would have been who David played if he got through, and he's been to a ATP world tour final before and is a good journeyman player. Koubek won't pose a threat, and i'm almost 100% sure of that because he's only 3-2 in main draw events and Lopez is the best player he has beaten that's good (who has had a pretty good year winning S. African open). Look Stefan Koubek is 33 years old and he's just not going to win. My prediction is David in 2- 6-2 6-4
oh and I'm just gunna go as Hardesky now because there's already a John on this blog, and I don't want there to be confusion =)
So David will face Konbek and if he wins, Melzer, his first top 30 since his surgery...a good test to see his current level....
david will knock out koubek like never before, he will make him suffer i know, he didnt come to IW to lose to a 33 year old qualifier.maybe i went to far, but i already c Nalbe vs Roddick in the 4th round, or at least i hope so
Just spotted order of play and see David doesn't have to play today. An extra day to recover from Stockholm is super. Lefty Koubek should be a good warm-up for Melzer.
I read somewhere David is gonna play at 1800 hours tomorrow local time. Does anybody know if this is correct?
andvari, the order of play is yet to be out, no one can confirm that until the OOP is released.
An extra days rest after flying from Buenos Aires to Stockholm, playing 2 matches and then flying from Stockholm to Indian Wells/ Palm Beach, CA, can only be a good thing. :=) I'm glad to hear that. That means he will have had 5 days of rest between matches, more than enough time to recover, get some good sleep and then refocus on the IW Masters.
David will play tomorrow, third in the Stadium 2 (around 3pm in California - 8pm in Argentina) against Koubek.
On the ATP website it says now David has to play the third match on stadium 2, so around 1500 hours he'll have to play I think.
hahaha wow! exactly the same post in the same minute, lol.
What a bunch we are. I just checked the IW website, so I found out 14 minutes later.
Andvari, incredible!! wooow.. We post the same information in the same minute! incredible!!
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