French Open: Quarterfinal Daze, Pt.2 - The Day the Backspin Died

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

Sometimes things happen which you don't expect.




I said to Todd yesterday I needed an extra day. Normally, this is because a last minute thing happens or because I'm exhausted. It happened at the end of last year when I broke my hand. Yesterday was a first. I had sat in front of this and I had no idea what to say or how to start. I spent 25 minutes typing out introductions then changing my mind. I was in shock. This isn't like when Federer loses at Wimbledon. This isn't like Djokovic losing to Wawrinka in Australia. This is not even Garbin beating Henin in Paris.



I wasn't given training for this. I wasn't told what to do if Nadal loses in Paris. We didn't practice drills on this in HQ. I'm still pretty sure I'll wake up and see Rafa has won. I mean I also try to talk less in first person here, but this is turning into a Dear Diary passage. I'm using my post as a kind of therapy session. This is a Rafa-lost-and-now-my-world-is-imploding-like-Hingis'-mind-whenever-she-saw-Steffi-standing -down-the-other-end moment. I'm actually asking for help to understand this. I'm sure I will recover given time, but right now I am still processing. I mean, did it really happen?

Also, 7-5, 6-3, 6-1? That's a kicking. Nadal only got nine games. Djokovic hit 45 winners. Nadal only 16. They both hit exactly 30 errors but Nadal only broke twice. Djokovic broke seven times. Nadal came back from 0-4 in the first but still. Lost rapidly. Djokovic won 59% of all points. So three of every five he won. I mean that's just stupid. It's silly. It's like going to Boston and then driving past Fenway Park without going for a look around. It's like going through California and not stopping to go to Missouri. On holiday.

This has literally broken my brain. Which is why I'm essentially having an aneurism here. Nadal doesn't lose here at the French. It just doesn't happen. I didn't pick Djokovic because I did not think it was a possibility Rafa could lose here. I did not think it possible Rafa would drop more than a set here. I did not think it possible.

If Rafa has lost here, wel,l than may God have mercy on us all.

Well, shall we look at the other match that happened on Wednesday? It was another shock, though not a shock if you go by the seeds. Murray and Djokovic are the upset kings, a funny title for the first and third seeded players to have.

QUESTION: Bjorn Borg and Nadal both only lost two matches at Roland Garros. Nadal won 70 matches. Take a guess -- how many did Bjorn win?


*Suicide Pick*
We all know how this works. Pick a player to win each round but you cannot pick them again.

Well, things didn't go the way logic indicated. Still, Wawrinka has to be the pick here. The winner of the Murray/Djokovic match will be seen as favorite.

Men's Singles 1st: Verdasco [32] d. Daniel [Q]
Men's Singles 2nd: Cilic [9] d. Arnaboldi [Q]
Men's Singles 3rd: Ferrer [7] d. Bolelli
Men's Singles 4th: Nishikori [5] d. Gabashvili
Men's Singles QF: Tsonga [14] d. Nishikori [5]
Men's Singles SF: Wawrinka [8] d. Tsonga [14]
==
Women's Singles Barthel d. Kania


PHILIPPE CHATRIER: MURRAY D. FERRER
...Murray is relaxed. He has done all he needed to do. Now he can just focus on the whatever. He can relax and play it at his pace. He has a tremendous amount of freedom, which is a position everyone should want to find themselves. He can do whatever he wants. He can skip events and hit the ball however he wants. He can push for number one, too. He doesn't have to always be looking to improve. Murray gritted out a 7-6[4], 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory over the Spaniard. It looks simple but it was not. Murray has upped his level. He looked finished and uninterested after the U.S. Open last year. But he has found his mojo and desire once more. He went 53-36 in the winners and broke eight times to Ferrer's five. He also won 47% of return points. He has to replicate that against Djokovic. He really does. Murray improves to 9-6 against the Spaniard and now the future of Spanish tennis looks bleak indeed. I see you there, Muguruza, I didn't mean you. You're doing just fine. WTA BACKSPIN [the oracle for all things WTA] has been talking about you since at least late 2013.

Of course, if you dug a little deeper, you could definitely find earlier mentions of Muguruza. But I digress, as usual. Still one should get used to talking about Muguruza when the subject of current Spanish tennis comes up. It's funny, the Spanish men have had relevant players since...since...well, since forever. An era with no relevant Americans or Spaniards may be coming up. So again Backspin asks what the [insert appropriate expletive here] is going on?
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Any other notes?
* - It's hard for there to be any other news other than Nadal crashing out so badly. Time for retirement, surely. He is clearly badly, if not permanently, injured.

* - Casey Dellacqua and her partner Shvedova will play the semi-finals against the Russian pair of Makarova/Vesnina. They play tomorrow on the fifth.

ANSWER: Borg won 49 matches at the French Open.


Well, I'm out for now.

Thanks all and visit WTA BACKSPIN please.

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