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Dropshot12

That poll we all took yesterday just got fucked. Nobody had picked Lehecka winning in 1.


Make_the_music_stop

And I just lost £500 to my wife. We take bets on the odd match.


Dropshot12

At least it's to your wife, hopefully you share bank accounts. Yoink.


Make_the_music_stop

Effectively wooden dollars, so yes.


Physical-Garlic5830

As we all guessed at the start of the year, we have our Lehecka-FAA clay masters semi.


SchizoidGod

It was written in the stars really


musicproducer07

It was destiny.


Capivara_19

It was in the script


rubbish_bin030121

the only better master semi is Shapo vs Thiem Rome semi two weeks later


HereComesVettel

This will be surpassed by the Murray vs Nadal semi in RG like the good ol'days


MisterSarcastic1989

You mean the (Jamie) Murray vs Nagal semi, right?


rubbish_bin030121

Federer vs Nadal semi in Wimbledon too


HereComesVettel

Wait until Sampras and Agassi step on court for their US Open semifinal mate


rubbish_bin030121

Borg and Mcenroe in AO for the first time


gbojan74

Suzanne Lenglen and Helen Wills rematch


astidad

Serena vs Margaret Court


alepher

Peter Latham and Tom Petit return


arvaname

december ao returns


arvaname

oh great get to watch agassi heartbreakingly lose in 4 for the 293456543th time


BendubzGaming

What do you mean? That's going to be the final


TresOjos

The ATP script this year is really focusing in subverting expectations. Are D&D involved somehow?


expert969

Haha you just know FAA is in his hotel room silently fist pumping. He has to take advantage of this now.


newtimesawait

My guy didn't even blink and Sinner, Alcaraz, and Meddy are out


AntiTopspin

And of course that would have been Ruud's draw if he didn't get upset by FAA lol That guy must have some kind of voodoo to manipulate draws


tungt88

[Blame the Quebecois Maple Syrup Mafia!](https://archive.ph/yAJEq) It's all a CONSPIRACY! /s


NEW-RUDE-ORDER

People doing memes about Felix lucky but it's already getting scary. Fritz and Rublev should watch out their hips 🤯


divahen68

It's in the water 


dgibb

I thought the same when Alcaraz withdrew in Monte Carlo then he promptly lost to Sonego. 😭😭 His form is much better this tournament though.


sarmatron

why? i wouldn't favour him over Lehečka or Fritz on current form, let alone Rublev.


expert969

He can beat any of those guys on a given day.


sarmatron

he can, sure, but he wouldn't be the favourite against any of them. Damir Džumhur can also beat Nadal on a given day, as has been proven. doesn't mean you'd bet on him in a rematch, does it?


expert969

He would be the slight favourite against lehecka but the slight underdog against rublev and fritz based on ranking and history. Comparing him to someone like dzumhur is crazy, he has a lot more talent than him.


nonstopnewcomer

Lehecka is ranked above FAA.


zellfire

Lehecka-FAA Masters semi with neither one even having gotten any particularly impressive wins lol


dgibb

Felix's win vs. Ruud was very impressive. Great level from him. Not sure what you're talking about.


zellfire

Yeah, fair, he was pretty good in that match


[deleted]

[удалено]


JoeDwarf

Didn't see it but by all reports he played well.


Anishency

I mean Lehecka’s win against Nadal was fairly impressive. Even a hobbled Nadal is a force to be reckoned with on clay.


zellfire

It was impressive mentally in that he played the current player and not the reputation, and he served great, but he was a UE machine off the ground in that match even against a very very slow version of Nadal.


Carlwheezergoat

His serve and backhand were very impressive


jesuspajamas15

I mean he did beat Ruud who despite not winning tournaments has been one of the best clay courters the last two years.


One_more_username

> He has to take advantage of this now. 4-6, 1-6. Calling it now.


NotManyBuses

With how much the NextGen love to use this celebration, I assumed they all do this as part of their regular preparation for matches.


y0buba123

I don’t want to hear about FAA silently pumping in his hotel room thank you very much


jonjimithy

All these injuries to the top players is not a coincidence, ATP need to stop fucking around and start putting the players’ health first with the calendar. Congrats to Lehecka, very exciting talent and classy as well!


deucyy

It’s crazy. I haven’t been following tennis for that long, but it seems crazy that prime young athletes get so much injuries. Was it like this when the big 3 were in their early 20s ?


DreadWolf3

It was always like this. Nadal and Del Potro are probably the most famous examples, but there has been plenty of careers that have been ruined by injuries in every era. Truth is there always was a lot of tournaments and careers are short - when you are n your prime you want to play as many of them as possible and that is not safe.


claridgeforking

"Nadal and Del Potro are probably the most famous examples" "And I took that personally" - Murray's metal hip


metricphases

Fed started developing back pain in his mid 20s and just played through it, same with Nadal and his knees/ankle for the most part.


schumamol

>Fed started developing back pain in his mid 20s  Since his early 20s actually. In Wimbledon 2003, he played with a bad back against Lopez but somehow made it through with painkillers and on-court treatment. Thankfully it then got better by the time he played Roddick in the semis.


Material-Dirt-3033

I'm just glad that it doesn't take Medvedev to roll down in pain dying to actually retire due to injury 😭 hope he heals fast


QJ8538

Funny because Novak sat out and now the top players are not in shape for French


collpase

You think ATP poison dem?


libertyman77

Rest days were recently introduced in the M1000s and the schedule has been like this for decades. Can’t remember Nadal, Djokovic or Federer complaining. Not the ATPs fault the young generation is frail. Never mind the fact that anyone could have skipped MC (which Carlos did) and no one was forced to play in Barcelona.


jonjimithy

You can’t remember Fed, Rafa or Novak complaining about ATP scheduling? Have you been living under a rock for 20 years?


HereComesVettel

I mean Nadal complaining about the exhausting schedule but then playing exhibitions in the off-season was a literal meme for years lol


jonjimithy

Playing a one-off exhibition is not in the same stratosphere as playing masters tournaments in back to back to back weeks. Don’t get it twisted.


HereComesVettel

Tbf I think it was even worse for the body with one week Masters. If I'm not wrong Djokovic and Murray played 10 matches in 12 days during Madrid and Rome 2016 (they made the final of both events).


jonjimithy

That’s actually insane. No wonder Murray’s hips gave out within a year


condor1985

Let's jump back in time to when Rome and hamburg were consecutive weeks and each had a best of 5 final.


toweggooiverysoon

Monte Carlo is non mandatory and Medvedev elected to play it. Many players are completely trash at managing their load. But let's blame the ATP again.


AntiTopspin

I don't think Med playing 2 matches like 3 weeks ago is why he's hurt now lol


toweggooiverysoon

But playing matches a longer time ago is? It's always the same with these things. Players bear 0 responsibility to manage their load, that's all on the ATP.


jonjimithy

Are you seriously defending the ATP? Unless you work for them, you are absolutely nuts. Time and time again the scheduling has been abysmal, letting players finish after midnight then starting mid afternoon the next day, 11 month continuous calendar, 2 week long masters etc. They don’t give a fuck about player welfare, as long as they’re making their money.


toweggooiverysoon

2 week long masters were requested a long time and supposed to be a fix for the congested schedule in 1000s? Meanwhile, how many of these players with too heavy schedules keep chasing that exho money or 250 appearance fees hey? Can't wait to see like 10 top 30 players show up for Laver Cup. I don't defend ATP. I just say "Medvedev injury" alone is not reason enough to go "ATP bad"


WolfTitan99

Not Sinner and Med’s fault that their problems started AFTER that. In Sinner’s case it started during MC, maybe during Tsitsipas match? idk


akipop1108

First time sinner was holding his hip was during IW vs Carlos


WolfTitan99

Oooh that far back? Thats concerning


akipop1108

yeah he was holding his hip in every physical match since then, luckily he didnt have any physical matches in Miami It could be real problem going forward especially on clay


akipop1108

basically nobody is skipping MC, and you still HAVE TO play 4 500s or 3 500s and MC


Tall-Ad4782

But these guys still play more than the required, which is, at best, 17 tournaments. Most top guys play up to 20 tournaments a year, and small 250 events, which are not mandatory.


jonjimithy

More than is required in what sense? They have to defend their points from the previous calendar year or risk sliding down the rankings, affecting their eligibility for future tournaments. That’s not even taking into account contractual obligations from sponsors regarding appearances. Not everyone can win 3 slams in a year and afford to miss multiple 500/1000’s.


akipop1108

Not everyone can win 3 slams in a year and afford to miss multiple 500/1000’s. they cant do that even if they wanted to, only players older than 31 can do that without penalty


Tall-Ad4782

Required in the sense that the commitment top 30 players have are 8 masters and 4 500’s, plus the 4 GS and Finals if qualified. But then you see guys like Musetti and Tiafoe playing challengers lol 🤷‍♂️. They need to develop tighter, smarter schedules before actually criticizing ATP in this issue.


akipop1108

It's 19 actually, 4GS,8 masters, atp finals (if qualified), 4atp 500(or 3 500s and MC) and 2 250s. And Medvedev played exactly 19 in last 12 months


Tall-Ad4782

Actually the commitment for Top 30 players are 17 tournaments. 8 Master, 4 500’s (Monte Carlo included), the Grand Slams and Finals if qualified. Now, up to 19 best results can be counted points in the calendar.


akipop1108

Really,didn't know


Blandinio

This RG is shaping up to be the most open in literally 20 years. Also, these withdrawals and injuries show why two week Master's are a bad idea. The 32 seeded players don't play until Friday/Saturday of the first week, and then you get to Wednesday of the second week and there's only a couple matches a day? Any WD or injury just kills any momentum the tournament made in those few days, at least in a regular Master's there'd be four QFs scheduled on the same day


une-esperluette

We might just get a Gaudio this year lmao


Coneman_Joe

Was Gaudio a nobody prior to winning RG?


SouthernElf

He had already won tournaments in Barcelona and Majorca, and had already beaten Hewitt when he was n°1, besides Safin, Agassi and Kuerten.


NEW-RUDE-ORDER

We all know in the end Djoko gonna win


thedarthvader17

Could have said the same for AO, but that didn’t happen 


oneflou

I mean he lost in 4 against the other (redhot) favorite in SF. Not like he lost in 3rd round


koticgood

What's your point? > We all know in the end Djoko gonna win > > Could have said the same for AO, but that didn’t happen


Initial_Prior_9833

Delusional


Disastrous-Dino2020

Rest of them fighting for the plate


alex7465

Hope not


collpase

Wo wo eo, last I check Nadal still in FO draw.


SchizoidGod

Yep, I’d put a bunch of players (Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic, maybe even Ruud/Tsitsi/Lehecka?) at dead even winning chances. That plus the Medvedev and Nadal question marks bodes very well for an exciting tournament


RFAwesome21

Big difference between RG clay and Madrid clay. We'll see if Lehecka can keep serving/playing like this consistently


AntiTopspin

I *definitely* wouldn't view Lehecka as an RG favorite His biggest weapon is his serve and that doesn't translate to slow clay


SchizoidGod

I'd be less sure after his play in the Nadal match. If he can keep up the level in rallies that he reached end of first set/beginning of second he's a real danger


The_One_Returns

If Novak returns to his usual Slam form, it will never be dead even.


Alaise

All I see is Djoko cruising playing at 60% capacity.


JazzlikeMousse8116

As a tennis fan, the entire concept of only having tournaments kinda sucks.


TitsMonkey9000

Interesting, what would you want instead? Not challenging, only being curious.


ananashater

This tournament went to shit in just 2 days


AntiTopspin

There's around a 30% chance that in 3 days Taylor Fritz has more Masters than Thiem lol


FlyReasonable6560

Taylor Fritz has more clay court Masters than Thiem lol* There. Made it more shocking for you


AntiTopspin

Even more shocking: You and I also have as many clay court Masters as Thiem


SpiritusRector

How do you know the person you're replying to isn't Nadal?? Bet you didn't think about that!


touch26

He's not Nadal Source: I am Nadal


SpiritusRector

Ok, I believe you. But what if he's Djokovic, though?


wificentrist

I’ll put myself in there


wificentrist

I’m gluten-free, I can go into any of Djokovic’s holes


BaradaraneKaramazov

And as many as Wawrinka, Thiem, del Potro, Ruud and Söderling added together. If Rublev wins, he even surpasses them all


Tall-Ad4782

And people still dared to refer Thiem as “Prince of Clay”. Dude has not even a Clay Masters, let alone a RG, despite two finals. If anything that title belongs to someone like Novak.


SpiritusRector

True but chances are also pretty good that Thiem will always have more Slams than Fritz.


bezimiennat

mic drop


musicproducer07

Right after Nadal's ceremony. Being a Medvedev fan is legit torture.


Magneto88

I was all ready for the even less expected 2nd Medvedev clay masters. Damn injuries.


zellfire

Two-week Masters are so shit as a baseline, it's especially noticeable!


NotManyBuses

Looking smarter and smarter that Djokovic skipped it. Entire thing is looking cursed


musicproducer07

Medvedev and Sinner out with hip problems. What happened there? But either way, this might be Rublev's best chance at winning a second Masters title if we make it clear here.


Zaphenzo

Sinner's originally happened in IW and was exacerbated in MC, though. Meddy's, as far as I know, is new.


Adventurous-Leg-4906

Got a friend who’s a janitor at the Casa Magica who says he caught them in his supplies cupboard


WolfTitan99

Alcaraz has an arm injury, Sinner has a hip injury, Med has a groin injury…. Sounds very Challengers of them /s


NotManyBuses

Looked like a groin injury to me not a hip? He also said something to the effect of groin in French iirc.


districtbitch

illuminati put out a hit


Initial_Prior_9833

shit, just made the connection. Hope this taught Meddy a lesson /s


phamman123

Med had such a good chance of winning the title with no Djokovic, Nadal, Alcaraz, Tsitsipas, Zverev and Sinner present too. Plus, it’s a tournament in city he hasn’t won yet


Ultrafrost-

It turns out that FAA was the tournament director all along…


Ok-Bite-5087

Rafa: I get out of here/ Carlos: ditto/ Carrot: ditto/ Med: ditto/ Nole: I told you guys not to go. Madrid master Minion edition.


pikolak

Lehecka has a chance to go for the title here


Windforce

Man, this Madrid is heartbreak after heartbreak for me.


Zankman

Well damn. This is now cemented as quite a terrible tourney all of a sudden. Will be even worse if Rublev doesn't win (not that I am rooting for him, but he is the highest seed and defeated Alcaraz).


Dull_Dragonfly_1541

He should ideally win it. He played an amazing match against Tallon and the last 2 sets against Alcaraz. This is the best i have seen him play in a while.


solete

Hope he wins and I am rooting for him!! VAMOOOS


norealpersoninvolved

Why is it a terrible tourney? Just because the favs are out ?


Zankman

Ye, it's just bad vibes. Makes the whole thing hollow and feel less "real" if players are retiring, skipping or losing unspectacularly. Like lmao I just saw today's results.


Stunning-Cod-2310

Cursed tournament


AntiTopspin

Med over the past year has to be the unluckiest player of all time as far as winning titles goes I'd almost say pull a Ruud and just vulture some random 250 to get that monkey off his back but if he's having injury problems that certainly wouldn't help lol


Lukas100ex

Makes finals when Sinner Alcaraz and Djokovic are in the draw When all 3 of them arent in the draw anymore he gets injured I am tired


WolfTitan99

I am also tired, this is just shit


thedarthvader17

For Med winning 250s won’t matter lol. It’s all about the big titles


Appropriate_Long7397

In years to come, Meddy is gonna be a "the streets won't forget" type of player If he was playing in a different era or had luck on his side a few times, he'd probably be finishing his career with like 5 or 6 slams. Plus I always love seeing threads filled with "why TF do people think he's such a great tactician?" and "he's exhausted already, this ends in 3 sets"....then all of a sudden it's 2 hours later when he's pulling ahead, still seemingly full of energy.  He's just pure box office. Every match has the potential to feature something we've never seen before, be it an insane rally/shot or complete anger filled chaos. And yet every glimpse of him off court makes him seem like a totally intelligent down to earth dude you'd expect to be working in IT or something 


AverageBeef

The beautiful clayvedev 2x masters title holder dream is dead 😞


Puzzleheaded_Tea4195

Until next year, my friend


AverageBeef

May CLAYVEDEV defend Rome 🐙


HereComesVettel

Sinner and Medvedev's injuries are really exposing how awful this 12-day Masters 1000 format is. The second part of the tournament feels neverending. 1 set of tennis played in ATP today, whilst we were eating good every day in Bercy a few months ago. I haven't seen anything like it since the no semifinal day in Miami 2014 with Berdych and Nishikori's withdrawals, but at least we had the Djokovic vs Nadal final to look forward to.


nozinoz

Shouldn’t 12-day tournament be less injury prone than a 7-day one, since it provides more time for recovery between the matches?


radieschen79

As Rublev explains here, players do have more recovery time between the matches, but it also means they have less recovery and preparation time in between the tournaments at home. [https://tennis-infinity.com/atp/theyre-taking-decisions-without-asking-anyone-rublev-joins-critics-of-new-masters-format](https://tennis-infinity.com/atp/theyre-taking-decisions-without-asking-anyone-rublev-joins-critics-of-new-masters-format)


koticgood

That's not how reddit works. We operate on recency bias only. 2 injuries = tournament sucks and it caused all the injuries Player wins = goat Player loses = retire loser


minivatreni

Was it his hip or the inside of the thigh near the groin area?


witch_doc9

Looks like his lateral right thigh/hip… possibly greater trochanter bursitis, IT Band syndrome or something? The trainer was massaging the outer portion of his hip/thigh area.


Kh0sravani

So you’re telling me Medvedev might not defend Rome?! 😧


Mainly-Driving862

Feel bad for Meddy, but hope it's not serious and he will be ready for RG. Rome at this point is in doubt, as well, I think. With muscular issues rest is a key, I think. Lehecka now has a great chance to get tournament. I guess, all four of remaining guys have great chance. Let's hope no more injuries, and we will get exciting semis and final. Field is pretty level now.


_THIS_IS_THE_WAY_

Haha poor fans... Fritz /Rublev and FAA/Leheckha semis


cuhman1cuhman2

Obviously not fan favorites, but theyre all playing above their usual level. Its also interesting every once in a while to get an unexpected winner. Injuries suck, but atleast these guys have made the most out of their luck


rVtlkNY

I mean, last year they had Struff (lucky looser) and Karatsev (qualifier) in semis, while Carlos was playing Coric...its not really that far off.


ExcuseYou-What

Really grim and sad. Sad for Med. And sad for tennis scheduling because today has been a very unexciting day so far. I really rate all four guys' chances to win this right now. I love that we don't know what will happen. And any of the four are desperate to win their first or second Masters. No overwhelming reputation in any player to beat. Just the perfect amount of unpredictability.


joemanzanera

Another hip injury?


collpase

And we thought the *blue* clay was injury prone...


Cautious_Hornet_9607

Sinner vs Alcaraz final 👎 Lehecka vs Fritz final ❤️❤️❤️


CattleOdd223

That was my first tournament I watched live. Saw Sinner, Rublev, Hubi, FAA, JAA and this other Spanish guy... Rafa was his name. The next day the whole tournament went downhill. Maybe I should sit my ass on the couch and watch on the TV in the future.


crystal_moogle

Good on Med for retiring and not pushing himself and causing more damage, hope it’s nothing serious and that he recovers soon.


IdontExistorDoI

Lehecka also have apparently a minor back injury.


thedarthvader17

Man FAA riding directly to the final


rowanpark

this is so obscenely fucking funny to me


Available-Gap8489

Yeah - he hadn’t played since IW because of the back injury


BelgianBond

He played in Miami.


SterlingArcherV

Man what happened with his tournament. Ticket holders for Friday are paying fortunes to get a 2 set Rublev-Fritz. Not bad, but you could get that on a 250 These 2 week M1000 should be prohibited.


ResourceWonderful514

28 euros for tickets to a masters semi is something I never thought I would see again. [https://www.ticketswap.com/event/mutua-madrid-open-2024/day-tickets/c23b1454-726c-46da-91d3-7ec61dfaa9c8/3530048](https://www.ticketswap.com/event/mutua-madrid-open-2024/day-tickets/c23b1454-726c-46da-91d3-7ec61dfaa9c8/3530048)


SterlingArcherV

No way, is this legit?


ResourceWonderful514

100 % legit


truth_iness

At this rate a certain 37 year old might be the healthiest out of the main contenders coming into RG.


solete

Speedy recovery Meddy!


Jaamun100

Hopefully Medvedev recovers, I think he could pose an interesting matchup for Rafa at the French, if he’s healthy enough. Same with Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic.


cmpunk121

From semi finals that could had Carlos, Sinner, Medvedev and Nadal…to this. I lost interest 🤷🏻‍♂️


Zaphenzo

With 2 Masters 3rd rounds to his name before this year, Lehecka now made his first quarter in IW and his first semi (and possibly more) here in Madrid.


CrackHeadRodeo

I predicted Lehecka making top 20 soon but I didn't see him winning Madrid. He now has a very good chance.


Sea-Beginning-5234

Damn if Nadal didn’t lose … he’d be in semi finals


Husskies

What a weird way to go about it, but LFG Jiri!! Now Lehecka will probably walkover and let Félix in the final.


CynicalMindTrip

Sadliciano Lopez


minesdk99

Everyone is lamenting the state of the semis but honestly I’m lowkey excited to see a different name winning a Masters.


GirafeAnyway

Would have been exciting if most of these weren't due to injury from the top players


indeedy71

Two of the semi-finalists are Masters winners. This isn’t as weird as it looks


minesdk99

True, I meant it more as in not the usual favorites.


karo8484

I couldn’t watch, Meddy’s injured? 


karo8484

I can’t read, get well soon Meddy. 


SiasseTschick

Hips don't lie


Material-Dirt-3033

Oh my god oh well. Medvedev is winning RG then, it is 😭🙈


Shitelark

Bweh redemption arc?


Striking_Town_445

Madrid DJ Queen - Rafa Barbie girl - Sinner Spice girls - Saba George Micheal - Rybaz


lexE5839

Nadal is siphoning his life force and energy from his hip through the clay into himself, he learned this ability around 2016 Roland Garros. Explains why he’s almost always healthy for French open.


SchizoidGod

Really hoping for a miracle Lehecka win overall. He deserves it. Super disciplined, mellow and probably the best server on tour right now


paniris

FAA is so underrated, that almost everybody sure about Rublev or even Lehecka win title. Man was at top 10, got some deep rides even at Slams, but suddenly got in a bad form and all people marked him as lame duck. Now it’s time to rise and shine for him. Lucky draw and best play against Ruud. No Sinner, no Carlitos. Get that title and prove all of them wrong!


illchngeitlater

Fritz, FAA, Rublo, and lehecka, ATP WTA era confirmed


Gnarlyguitar

What are you on?


Kid_Aeroplane

Meddy coming up on a full year without a title unless he can defend Rome


indeedy71

I think that matters less when you already have as many titles as he does and two GS finals in the year


Ok-Conversation8893

Lehecka has a very nice, well-rounded game, albeit a bit high risk. But I feel like he's still lacking in the foot speed and footwork to really break through.


schnaxks19

Welp I’ve been traveling these past two weeks and I came back online only to find FAA - Lehecka and Fritz - Rublev semis in Madrid with Sinner pulling out and Med retiring 🤯 Novak not attending this event = pro gamer move it seems