David served for the match twice in the second set and was two points away from winning the match in the tiebreak that followed... But in the end, Gilles Simon won the match in three sets, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-5.
Photos from the match on the new photo page.
More soon...
(photos: tournament website; montage: VD)
Less than three months have gone by since David last faced Gilles Simon (currently ranked #48). Their only match so far was part of David's run to the title at Washington. There, Simon became the only player able to take a set off David (who eventually prevailed 3-6, 6-2, 6-3). A look back at that match, including highlights, you can have here.)
Back at Washington, and despite some initial difficulties, David neither seemed to have much of a problem with Simon's serve, nor with his flat groundstrokes and sudden changes of pace. And although David played a rather patchy match, riddled with unforced errors, it was enough to beat Simon - back then.
About today's match and David's chances of repeating his victory it's rather difficult to say anything without having seen his first-round match. In any case, it'll be a good test for his ability to hold serve (in the course of their Washington encounter there was a total of twelve breaks, seven for David but also five for Simon).
And this time, there will be a stream.
our guy is playing well, serving well
ReplyDeleteYep, he is striking the ball very well. I am impressed, so far. The rallies are quite fast paced, I think they both like the pace they are given to work with but David's shotmaking is better.
ReplyDeleteWatching this match, I'm wondering: why would someone with this talent not play Tokyo and Shanghai to try to get into London? The idea of having the best 8 players in the world without Nalbandian present is a logical absurdity.
ReplyDeleteIt will also be interesting to see what Simon's comments are after the match, since he made a point of telling everyone before the DC tie that Nalbandian was "very beatable".
ReplyDeleteMaybe just try to enjoy the performance right now.
ReplyDeleteClassic Nalbandian....failing to serve out the match - TWICE!!! LOL
ReplyDeleteWell, that set tells you everything you need to know about why Nalbandian is not a multiple GS-winner in the league of Federer and Nadal. Shooting himself in the foot and collapsing like no else is capable of but him.
ReplyDeleteDavid's game really declined towards the end of that second set - he was definitely playing the better tennis of the two, before then.
ReplyDeletewhat happened was sick, nalbandian up 4-3 15-40 for a double break, then failing twice to sfm, the on the tb too. sickkkkkkkkk
ReplyDeleteOuch! I think David needs to have amnesia when he serves for the set.
ReplyDeleteIt's just a tough match. Nalby was still hanging in there up un til the very end in the tiebreaker. 2 loose shots and the set is lost. That's why you don't take long periods off on the circuit. Tennis is a game of mental toughness and sometimes 1-2 points will easily loose you a set and or match.
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious if he's playing well, he will win. But, tennis isn't just about playing well.
Let's hope he doesn't roll over and keeps fighting hard.
Yes it is only because he was so long out. He needs more practice with tough matches.
ReplyDeleteI hope he can get through it, because he was really playing better than the day before yesterday.
There really is no excuse for him loosing that second set. This should have been a comfortable victory for him, but as always he has to choke. I've seen him do this so many times, and i'm beginning to get really annoyed with him. He should be at the hotel now resting, but instead hes still out fighting, and this is why he gets so exhausted during the later stages of tournaments.....
ReplyDeleteheh...looks like simon has a bit of a temporary melt down and loses a break.
ReplyDeletehang in nalby!
Well, that was very harsh of David to not shake Cedric Mourier's hand - I mean he didn't even lose the point that he was complaining about. Trying to make excuses for his painful loss in the moment, it seems.
ReplyDeleteIt's fair to say now that Nalbandian is a choker. am not even gonna get into discussions, u all watched the match, he let that silly frenchmen get into the quarters, dont put it on the chair empire david, u have only ur self to blame, this is getting "disgusting"
ReplyDeleteI didn't get to see the match or follow the live scores. I've just seen the result and all your comments. Sounds disappointing, one that David should have won.
ReplyDeleteI began to see tha match at 2:1 in the 2. set when Nalby broke him. I was impressed how well he played, but not really surprised knowing him that he plays his second round much better than the first round when he is fit. But everything changed from the second set, he was nearly by the win, but he began to make errors because of..... don't know, I would say due to his mentalness, he looked like very nervous all the time when he began to lose, and maybe tired.
ReplyDeleteHe impressed us, then frustrated. These 2 things don't happen one after the other without timeout normally.
ReplyDeleteYes, tough match and tough loss since he had the match in the bag.
ReplyDelete[Credit to Simon. He kept fighting hard and is a tough guy to finish up.]
Frustration with the umpire, to me, just shows how frustrated
Nalby is with himself, just as his fans on this blog are.
I don't think he's a choker. That's sort of extreme.
I've seen choking and that's not choking.
His problem: You just don't drop off the tour for months
on end and come back expecting to be in the top 10 right away.
Even the commentator did not get it. He said something
like: "what's wrong with Nalbandian, a #3 in the world, losing
this match?".
Well, a lot has happened since he was #3.
I think he can still make it back, but a lot more will have to happen.
We saw that he can play top 10 tennis. He just can't
do it for a whole match. He can do it for maybe 75%.
If he wants to be back in the top 10, he will have to suck up
this loss and get back to working *real* hard.
I hope he still has the strong desire. If he doesn't, he'll
keep having more matches like today.
He has played matches like this one before, also before surgery and the long pause.
ReplyDeleteAshot, yes tired.
ReplyDeleteDid you notice in the first (I believe) changeover in the 3rd set (sitting).
They showed Nalby and he was breathing hard. Then, they showed
Simon, and he was not breathing.
Not good. Nalby was dragging in the third.
Also, you notice he had some sort of blister - started in the
third, I think. Blisters are just one more thing that
tells me someone is not physically ready 100%.
Rafael Nadal has blisters all the time and I think he's in pretty much perfect shape.
ReplyDeleteJulia...yes, well, most players have. That's tennis.
ReplyDeleteWhen he was at a higher level, maybe these drama matches were
more against higher ranked players.
Also, not having a bigger serve to finish off games
opens him up to these kind of matches. That's his style.
He makes up for it with superior groundstrokes - a different
way to finish up matches.
It's hard to play with blisters.
ReplyDeleteRemember Borg losing to Connors, I believe, in the US Open because of blisters?
Borg's one blemish in his career, no US Open, is probably due to blisters.
That said, there are some players who have blisters *all* the time, and they
learn to cope.
I just think that drama matches have always been part of David's repertoire. It's not a 'side effect' of the long pause he's had.
ReplyDeleteBut what's also always been part of his repertoire is working himself up over what he thinks are bad calls. And when that happens, he usually loses his focus.
As for Borg, I thought he just didn't like the USO.
Yeah, Borg didn't like the USOpen becauase he hated playing
ReplyDeleteat night under the lights. It was hard for him to return
serve (back in the old days with the different rackets).
He felt they should have scheduled him during the day,
so he took it personally. (Seems like everyone, once they start losing, has a personal side we'd rather not see.)
Nonetheless, he certainly wanted to win it badly.
joe, today's has absolutely nothing to do with the long pause, nalby usually plays better after he rests.
ReplyDeleteIts a trademark of his, lacking the nerves to close a set or a match, he has lost tonz of matches like this, i can list it to you, but that will take the entire night to finish the list. A small example, vs Djokovic in Cincinnati, he had a many chances to close the 2nd set, just couldnt, simple, and today, it was the hell it self, he didnt just have chances, he had the match in the bag,and wasnt even simon fighting, rather than nalby gifting double faults, if this is not choking, than what is?
Noubar, in the tiebreaker, I didn't see the double fault choking
ReplyDeleteyou saw. I saw 2 loose errors - sort of a loss of concentration.
I think it was maybe 5-4 Nalby?
Yeah, it was a bummer to see him lose. I was disappointed too.
I really wanted to see him play Tsonga.
But, I'm not ready to throw him under the bus. It sounds like
some fans are ready to do so.
Djoker/Cincy - this year. I also remember he
beat Ferrer (now top 10) in that tournament.
That was at Toronto. Before the downward spiral began.
ReplyDeleteNoubar is exactly right. Over the past 10 years Nalbandian would have earned at least $5 million more in prize money for himself if he didn't lose matches like this. Probably the most painful, the most excruciating to even ponder for a second, is the AO semi against Baghdatis.
ReplyDeleteYeah, right, thanks Julia.
ReplyDeleteHe also beat Soderling (top 10) in Toronto.
And, then he lost to Djoker in Cincy, which, as you say,
seems to be the start of a downward cycle.
Possibly, today he was close to starting an upward cycle :)
I was also reviewing the last time he was in the top 10.
Seems to be consistently in there up until the fall of 2008.
Chris, Noubar, given all the pessimism, do you guys think he will ever crack the top 10 again?
What do you think it will take?